ã€ŠStepping on the Demoness to become the strongestã€‹


 Chapter 1: Chapter 1 Am I right?

    Under the veil of night, two figures, one following the other, were engaged in a chase.The black-clad demoness at the front fled nimbly, moving like a specter that flickered unpredictably, leaving a swath of murky mists and fishy clouds in her wake.

    The white-clad fairy in pursuit, though slightly slower, relied on the flying sword in her hand that moved like thunder to repeatedly block the paths of the black-clad woman, barely managing to keep from losing her.

    Finally, the white-clad fairy spotted a lapse in the other''s faltering True Qi and thrust her sword, which flew like a ribbon, piercing through the back of the demoness in an instant.

    The black-clad woman''s body fell to the ground, and the white-clad fairy quickly rushed forward, extending her Divine Sense into the corpse:

    Damn it, she had fallen for a feint¡ªa shell game!

    What seemed to be the body of the black-clad woman was actually just a puppet dummy she had thrown out!

    Just as the white-clad fairy was about to turn back and continue the search for the demoness along the path she had come from, suddenly sirens blared. The exit behind her was sealed off by several ironclad vehicles; doors burst open, and several uniformed individuals jumped out, pulling out sidearms and aiming them at her as if facing a great enemy:

    "Stop right there!"

    "Don''t move!"

    "Put your hands up!"

    Listening to the distant commotion, Yan Yu tossed the empty cola can he had finished drinking into a nearby trash bin.

    He raised his head once again, gazing into the depths of the gloomy alley.

    From the shadows, a black-clad demoness emerged, clutching her abdomen; it seemed she had suffered serious injuries. Not only was her face bloodless and pale as wax, but her body also wobbled unsteadily, as if she would collapse and die at any moment.

    In fact, she was indeed at the end of her tether.

    That white-clad woman was her archenemy, who had been relentless in pursuit for nearly three days and nights, chasing her from Green Cloud Mountain all the way to the Endless Sea. There, they unfortunately encountered a spatial storm, a rarity of millennia, and both were swept into it.

    Upon emerging, they found themselves in this world.

    This world was filled with strange and bizarre things, unlike anything seen or heard before:

    Everywhere there were towering buildings that soared into the sky like mountains, ironclad carriages that moved on their own without any magical aura, and a multitude of ordinary folk without any magic, donning a variety of flashy and exotic outfits.

    The most fatal aspect was that the concentration of Spiritual Energy here was so thin that casting spells was like trying to light a fire underwater; even the simplest spell required a great deal of True Yuan to execute.

    Even in this strange world, her archenemy relentlessly hounded her like a mad dog, and she could only flee for her life. Finally, seizing a fleeting opportunity, she employed the shell game to successfully shake off her pursuer.

    Next, she needed to find a place to heal her wounds.

    In a world where Spiritual Energy was so scarce, an injury that normally would take barely ten days to heal might now require several years to recover from... Who?

    Seeing the strange young man waiting at the mouth of the alley for her, a flash of murderous intent crossed Zhao Yuanzhen''s mind, but her face conveyed a plea for help as she said:

    "Save, save me, please..."

    Their cross-country flight must have already alerted the local authorities.

    That wretched woman, failing to find me, would likely opt to cooperate with the local regime, deploying a large network of informants to search for my whereabouts.

    To find a secluded place to heal, I must kill all witnesses; it''s imperative that they are not allowed to inform the authorities and lure my archenemy back to my trail! S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    With a ruthless mindset, Zhao Yuanzhen''s expression became even more frail and pitiable, waiting for the moment the young man came closer to strike with a deadly ambush, leaving no stone unturned.

    It was a pity that her True Yuan was depleted; otherwise, just one spell would have been enough to blast him dead. Why bother with such complications?

    Seeing her in such a pitiful state, Yan Yu did not rush forward, but instead calmly asked:

    "Miss, are you Zhao Yuanzhen, also known as ''Miyuan''?"

    Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuanzhen was taken aback:

    Who is this person? How does he know me?

    Seeing that she was at a loss for words on the spot, Yan Yu maintained his composed demeanor and said:

    "Your master is the ''Venerable Hanxi'' of the Qiansi Sect. You entered the sect at the age of five, and your master highly valued your talent, even going so far as to secretly pass on the String-Pulling Technique to you¡ªa technique meant only for a true disciple. To prevent your elder sisters from harming you out of jealousy, she warned you to never reveal it lightly. Isn''t that right?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen''s face went pale. This knowledge of the String-Pulling Technique, something her master had secretly taught her, was not something she had ever revealed before anyone else. How did this man know about it?

    Could he have some kind of Heavenly Vision that could see through a person''s practiced techniques? No, that''s not right! I only memorized the technique from my master and haven''t even successfully practiced it, let alone used it! How could anyone see through it?

    Impossible, impossible! Absolutely impossible!!!

    Seeing her countenance violently disturbed, Yan Yu still wore an expression of unfathomable depth, smiling with profound significance as he said:

    "Did I say something incorrect? Oh, you also have two elder sisters, right? Your second elder sister doesn''t like you at all, often mocking you with spiteful words behind your back, but your eldest sister takes good care of you, doesn''t she?"

    "Furthermore, your senior sister is actually more cunning than your second senior sister," he said. "She saw that master intended to take you as his true disciple, so she deliberately orchestrated your removal. The reason you offended Mei Yingxue of the Sword Sect was also a scheme by your senior sister.

    Even the news of the secret treasure you received was a fabrication she crafted, all to make you directly confront Mei Yingxue, who was filled with hatred for the Demon Cult after her junior brother had just been killed¡­ Speaking of which, guess who killed her junior brother?"

    These words struck Zhao Yuanzhen''s ears and linked all the troubling thoughts and doubts in her mind together like lightning:

    It was her! That bitch!

    But compared to "seeking revenge on her senior sister," Zhao Yuanzhen was more wary of the unfamiliar young man before her, and she couldn''t suppress the strong sense of fear rising in her heart.

    His words were sharp like swords, his sentences cut like knives; each phrase precisely exposed a secret of her sect, secrets that should and could not possibly be known to anyone!

    The only explanation was that this person... or someone behind him, was a master of divination and fortune-telling!

    The art of divination is the hardest of all methods to cultivate in this world, without equal.

    And because divination involves probing into the heavenly secrets, it often incurs divine punishment, so those cultivators who can be considered "masters of divination" are all mighty beings who can command the heavens and earth, reverse the fates, turn clouds with a flip of their hand, and rain with the overturn of their palm. Not even the leader of the Qiansi Sect would dare to offend them.

    Otherwise, such a person could simply calculate your destiny, manipulate your karma, and effortlessly scheme against you. When death is imminent, you wouldn''t even know who is harming you!

    Zhao Yuanzhen pursed her dry lips, feeling her legs weaken, instinctively wanting to collapse on the ground; yet she merely braced herself and bowed, feigning a pitiful demeanor as she said:

    "This humble woman, Miyuan, greets the senior. May I inquire..."

    But Yan Yu deftly sidestepped, avoiding her courtesy:

    "I dare not accept your greeting. I am merely relaying my master''s words and offering you some advice."

    "Your sudden fall into the spatial rift and arrival in this minor world has already been calculated clearly by my master."

    "When Mei Yingxue cooperates with the royal court, deploying numerous minions to search the mountains and seas, with your body''s waning energy, if she finds you... heh, I fear the odds are against you."

    Zhao Yuanzhen was of course aware that her True Yuan had long been depleted and she was no match for Mei Yingxue. Already at her wit''s end, she trembled as she asked.

    "Then, what should I do, may I ask..."

    "How can the secrets of heaven be revealed so lightly?" Yan Yu''s expression instantly turned serious, and he coldly chuckled, "Would you dare to probe the secrets of heaven, and can you bear the corresponding price?"

    Damn it! Zhao Yuanzhen thought with a clench of her heart, I had forgotten!

    Those peerless beings who could calculate the destinies of the world¡ªthey could give advice to others, but who was she to seek their counsel?

    The flustered Zhao Yuanzhen, realizing her mistake, feared that her impetuous plea for help would come off as a great impoliteness and offense in the eyes of that mighty being behind the scenes, and quickly bowed again, pleading:

    "It was presumptuous of me. I was previously pursued and lost control of my emotions, leading me to an impertinent test. Please, have your honorable master forgive my transgression. If there is punishment or discipline, I will accept it without a single complaint!"

    In the Cultivation World, the greater the sect, the more rigid the hierarchy.

    Particularly within the various factions of the Demon Cult, if one encounters an ancient senior who places great importance on propriety and hierarchy, one must hasten to beg for mercy and act humbly; otherwise, if they dislike you, they could just obliterate you into dust and obliterate your soul, with nowhere to go for justice.

    Seeing Zhao Yuanzhen''s panicked, groveling, and pitiable appearance, Yan Yu was also secretly surprised and amused.

    Is this really the future Empress Yuanzhen who will shake the entire world and command the winds and clouds?

    No, Yan Yu was not the disciple of any master divinator, but a reborn individual with memories of the future.

    In the original timeline, both Mei Yingxue and Zhao Yuanzhen had traveled to this world concurrently.

    Mei Yingxue, born into an Orthodox Sect, chose to cooperate with the official forces. In this grand era when the Spiritual Energy began to recover, she helped the nation cultivate many cultivators and eventually became a guardian hero revered by countless people.

    On the other hand, Zhao Yuanzhen, with her background in the Demon Cult, was forced to struggle and fight every step of her way.

    Despite being besieged by Mei Yingxue and the official forces, she survived numerous perilous challenges and eventually became the unfathomable "Empress Yuanzhen," forcing Mei Yingxue to set aside her prejudices to negotiate and ally with her to fight against foreign Transcendents.

    If Yan Yu had a choice, he would certainly use his foreknowledge to assist the amicable and steadfast Mei Yingxue¡ªafter all, she was easier to deal with.

    As for Zhao Yuanzhen, due to her Demon Cult origins, she was the type of capricious, free-spirited femme fatale who regarded the lives of the weak as no more valuable than grass and vermin, and blindly seeking her out was no different from courting death.

    But the real issue was that Yan Yu possessed no Spirit Root.

    For the practice methods promoted by Mei Yingxue from the Orthodox Sect, a Spirit Root was the most basic talent requirement.

    If you don''t have a Spirit Root, what then? I''m sorry, you might not be suited to be a Cultivator.

    However, the "Silken Bond Technique" cultivated by Zhao Yuanzhen, although more difficult to practice, did not require any inborn talents for cultivation. Thus, it was Yan Yu''s only option.

    Why did Yan Yu know so much?

    Because the future "Empress Yuanzhen" was one to boast, become easily enraged, and loved to brag about herself.

    After reconciling with Mei Yingxue, she even collaborated with a TV station to produce an extremely detailed documentary to promote her own great achievements.

    All those secrets that should not have been known, which Yan Yu now possessed, were disclosed by the future "Empress Yuanzhen" herself in the documentary!

    It is these very secrets she recounted herself that now frighten the lightly cultivated Zhao Yuanzhen, making her worship him as if he were a figure of unreachable heights!

 Chapter 2: Chapter 2: The Rebellious Need Polishing

    The reason the term "demonic" is included in the title of the future Empress Yuanzhen is that, by the standards of modern society''s morality, she possessed substantial psychological flaws.Firstly, she bullied the weak and feared the strong; secondly, she was cunning and mistrustful; thirdly, her moods were unpredictable.

    Bullying the weak and fearing the strong referred to how she regarded ordinary human lives as worthless, yet she feared Mei Yingxue as one would fear a tiger or a wolf.

    In history, Zhao Yuanzhen, to avoid the official manhunt, fled from Jiangnan Province all the way to Nanjiang Province. Along the way, to prevent her whereabouts from being exposed, she killed the innocent in numbers that could be counted in the thousands, causing an extremely adverse societal impact.

    Being cunning and mistrustful meant that she never trusted anyone else, only valuing her own strength.

    Even after later accepting the government''s offer of amnesty and dividing the governance of the nation''s internal and external affairs with Mei Yingxue, Zhao Yuanzhen never considered forming her own faction or support base.

    She established no faction, took no disciples, passed on no teachings¡ªher one hobby was to write her autobiography and make documentary films, boasting about how formidable she was.

    Her unpredictable moods were what she was most criticized for.

    Before Zhao Yuanzhen got angry, she would often pretend to speak gently; when she was pleased, she often deliberately showed anger.

    Perhaps she did not want to let others see through her thoughts, but such unpredictable behavior undeniably made those around her feel like they were "on thin ice," making it very hard to have any good feelings toward her.

    Of course, at this time, Zhao Yuanzhen was not yet the reclusive and odd Demonic Empress of the future, but that didn''t mean Yan Yu could take her lightly.

    It was now about one o''clock in the morning, and there were not many pedestrians on the road.

    Although Zhao Yuanzhen''s clothing was somewhat eye-catching, at first glance, passersby would only think she was a young lady from the Hanfu circle and would not actually associate her with cultivation.

    The only thing to avoid was the ubiquitous street surveillance cameras¡ªafter all, once the authorities and Mei Yingxue communicated and reached a preliminary cooperation, they would soon start looking for Zhao Yuanzhen, the Demonic Sect Enchantress, so she absolutely could not be caught on camera.

    Yan Yu was a high school senior who commuted from a rented room nearby and had lived there for nearly three years. He had long become familiar with the arrangement of the street cameras. At this moment, he was leading Zhao Yuanzhen through a complex path, sometimes crossing over bridges, sometimes taking small riverside paths, and sometimes even passing through bushes...

    In short, he was doing his best to avoid the main roads to stay out of the public surveillance cameras'' range.

    If there was no way to avoid a particular area, he would turn around and instruct her to cast the Invisibility Technique, transforming into a black mist to drift past unseen.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was oblivious to the existence of cameras but noticed that Yan Yu''s route was exceedingly peculiar; there were many places where she even needed to become invisible to comply... Could this be some kind of profound formation?

    That''s right, since the mastermind behind him was intent on saving me, he naturally wouldn''t forget to set up corresponding high-level formations to block the paths of the pursuers behind me.

    But why were the steps to disengage the formation so strange?

    They didn''t conform to the Nine Palaces, resembled not the Bagua, didn''t fit into the Seven Absolutes, and were unlike the Liu Ren... It looked like a child wandering around aimlessly.

    No, no, Zhao Yuanzhen, don''t be foolish!

    How could you easily decipher the thought patterns behind the formation steps set by a master tactician? Who do you think you are?

    Just memorize them properly! There will be plenty of time later to study this profound formation. Don''t be distracted by needless concerns right now!

    Yan Yu, however, was unaware of Zhao Yuanzhen''s thoughts. Seeing her looking around and desperately trying to remember the route, he couldn''t help but feel amused inside.

    While he didn''t explain the concept of "surveillance cameras" to her, had she already sensed that the public environment was not safe enough?

    Indeed, in the original timeline, she managed to escape over 1800 kilometers upstream along the Yangtze River from Jiangnan Province, managing to evade capture for a continuous ten years¡ªher wariness and sense of crisis were far beyond her peers.

    Arriving at the door of the rental, Yan Yu took out his key from his pocket and silently opened the door.

    "Come in," he said.

    Zhao Yuanzhen carefully stepped over the threshold, while glancing at the security door from the corner of her eye.

    The door was actually made of metal, how strange.

    But to a Cultivator, even if it were forged from fine steel, it could not withstand a single spell... No, this residence couldn''t possibly be so unprotected. There must be some powerful prohibitions hidden inside!

    Once back home, Yan Yu carelessly patted the nearby chair:

    "Take a seat."

    Zhao Yuanzhen cautiously sat down, only half of her rear touching the chair, appearing quite tentative, her gaze not daring to wander.

    Seeing her so proper and well-behaved, Yan Yu felt a sudden urge to laugh.

    The Demonic Empress Yuanzhen naturally bullied the weak and feared the strong. At this moment, misled by the disparity in information, she thought she had the support of a mastermind behind her, so she did not dare to act rashly.

    As time passed, she would soon realize something was amiss and begin to test Yan Yu''s true identity incessantly.

    However, the degree of cunning and suspicion characteristic of the Empress Yuanzhen was almost unparalleled.

    As long as she couldn''t confirm that the alleged tactician "absolutely did not exist," she would not dare to take the risk of offending him by making a move on Yan Yu.

    Combining the above information, the answer to how he should interact with her in the future became clear:

    Endurance.

    The more you suppress and trample her, the more she will believe you are acting boldly, and the more she will dread the possibility of a "great power" behind you;

    But if you are excessively polite and attentive to her throughout, it will only make her more suspicious of your identity... As the Empress Yuanzhen herself said in her autobiography documentary, "The Demonic Sect does not value gentleness, respect, thrift, and yield; it''s all about the merciless law of the jungle."

    If you''re not weaker than me, why would you show me kindness?

    Therefore, the logic of a Demonic Sect Enchantress who responds to toughness and not to gentleness, referring to her as a masochist also wouldn''t be too far off.

    With his plan set in mind, Yan Yu nonchalantly crossed his legs, looked at the cowering, trembling, helpless Demonic Sect Enchantress opposite him, and arrogantly instructed: S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Since you''ve chosen to seek refuge with me, don''t you even understand basic etiquette? Go get a bunch of grapes from that fridge, wash them, and bring them to me."

    Zhao Yuanzhen was taken aback by his words, biting down on her silver teeth in secret, thinking, "Could it be that he''s treating me like a servant?"

    Having grown up in the Demonic Sect, she was accustomed to all manner of sycophantic ugliness and knew well the principle of survival through bending or standing firm when necessary.

    Perhaps the reason this person was ordering me around was on the orders of his master, deliberating testing to see if I was obedient enough.

    If I showed the slightest hint of rebellion, I would be deemed "a useless chess piece" and discarded without mercy!

    Consequently, she held back her displeasure and crisply responded, walking over to the iron chest that Yan Yu had pointed out.

    Upon opening the chest, a cold draft rushed out. Zhao Yuanzhen clicked her tongue in wonder, thinking this must be some sort of a Storage Magical Treasure for ice, intended for storing fine wines and dishes, but why is it so unwieldy and difficult to carry?

    She had just taken out the grapes when Yan Yu spoke again:

    "The kitchen is over there. Turn on the tap in the sink, and wash the grapes thoroughly. Gently rub them with your hands, make sure there''s not a speck of dust on them, nor any damage to the skin."

    I''ll rub your dog head clean off! Zhao Yuanzhen cursed silently to herself but turned the tap as instructed and saw the tap water gush out, causing her another shock:

    Such an ingeniously designed water pipe! If a channel were to be dug here, turning it into a stream with twists and turns, it would indeed add a touch of Jiangnan elegance.

    Yet Yan Yu, unaware of Zhao Yuanzhen''s intentions to rip up his home''s flooring, simply urged her on:

    "Are you done yet? Why are you so slow?"

    "Done, done." Zhao Yuanzhen, having carefully washed the grapes and plated them on a porcelain dish, presented them to Yan Yu with the respect of a maid.

    Yan Yu lay lazily on the sofa, not even bothering to get up, but simply gestured towards his mouth with his hand.

    Hateful little thief, do you actually want me to feed you? Zhao Yuanzhen was livid.

    But upon reflection, his daring arrogance was surely because he had the support of a powerful spellcaster as his master, right?

    Detestable. It''s not that I''m willing to kneel to you¡ªit''s only out of respect for your powerful master that I''m temporarily yielding.

    Suppressing the anger at being humiliated, Zhao Yuanzhen patiently picked a grape and lightly placed it in his mouth.

    Yan Yu watched her seemingly submissive yet humiliated expression as he ate the washed grapes, finding it increasingly amusing and entertaining.

    However, just like tempering a hawk, he knew there had to be a degree to which he pushed her¡ªknowing when to tighten and loosen his grip. If he pressured her too much, it might drive her to desperation and provoke a violent reaction, which would backfire on him.

    Having wielded the big stick, naturally, it was time for a carrot, so he smiled slowly and said:

    "Don''t bear a grudge because of this. In the art of divination, the most important thing is the cycle of cause, effect, and retribution. Your respectful conduct towards me today¡ªwho knows if I won''t be the one to help you out in the future?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen''s eyes instantly lit up, and she asked:

    "How will you help?"

    The enchantress can''t seem to keep her composure, still unable to change her nature of seeking quick success... Yan Yu then leisurely said:

    "Tell me, do you wish to defeat Mei Yingxue?"

    Of course, I do! If not for the vast gap in innate talent and strength, I would have already flayed that wretched woman, ground her bones to dust, seized her soul, and trapped her to torture day and night!

    Thinking of how she had been harmed by Mei Yingxue and ended up in this strange world made Zhao Yuanzhen burn with rage, though her face showed only docility and sweetness as she said:

    "Now, as a humble girl under the protection of your sect, I simply follow the host''s lead. Whatever your master orders me to do, I shall do, only wishing to preserve my life and daring not to think of anything else..."

    Before her words were finished, her chin was lifted by someone.

    Yan Yu gently took hold of her chin, forcing Zhao Yuanzhen to look directly at him as he said arrogantly:

    "Don''t try to be clever with me, it won''t work."

    "Seeing as how you''ve been so obedient in serving me, I can reveal some of your future fortunes to you. Listen well."

    "Within ten years, you''ll stand no chance against Mei Yingxue; a decade later, your strengths should be closely matched."

    "Twenty years from now, the tables will turn in terms of offense and defense. Whether you wish to kill or flay her, she''ll have no choice but to take it! But this is premised on your acting according to destiny, not on your own whims. Otherwise, if you should perish mid-way, there will be no power to turn back time. Do you understand?"

    Yan Yu''s tone was profound, his face bearing the mystic smile typical of fortune tellers, which suggested he had revealed as much of destiny as he dared.

    Whether you believe it or not, I''ll paint you a big picture here, sustaining hope within you.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was stunned for a moment, her body trembling violently, her cheeks flushed with excitement as she said in her delicate voice:

    "Is it really as you say, honorable master?"

    "Of course." Yan Yu nodded nonchalantly.

    Zhao Yuanzhen quickly put her imagination to work: Could this be the implied suggestion of taking me as a disciple?

    If I comply with the commands of the powerful divinator behind him, he''s willing to nurture me, or even accept me as his disciple, help advance my cultivation bravely and powerfully, teach me art of moving mountains and filling seas, and ultimately have the overwhelming power to easily crush Mei Yingxue!

    In that moment, beneath the layers of caution, defense, and apprehension in Zhao Yuanzhen''s eyes towards Yan Yu, there finally emerged a hint of dependence, greed, and longing.

    Yan Yu could see it, but he had no idea about her "disciple imagination"; he simply thought her obsession with killing Mei Yingxue had driven her mad, so he smiled enigmatically and said nothing more.

    Of course, he spoke the truth. In her previous life, Zhao Yuanzhen, even with her constant fleeing and hiding as Zhao Running, eventually became a figure on par with Mei Yingxue.

    In this life with his assistance, how could she possibly fail to win against Mei Yingxue?

 Chapter 3: Chapter 3 Come and Train with Me!

    In the bathroom, Yan Yu, having finished his shower, dried his body, his thoughts also quietly shifting into motion.With the arrival of Zhao Yuanzhen and Mei Yingxue, the curtain of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence was set to be gradually lifted.

    In the next three months, the official sector that successfully established a cooperative relationship with Mei Yingxue would use the massive amount of cultivation resources collected nationwide to train the first batch of cultivators internally, adopting a cost-indifferent trial-and-error approach.

    This group of cultivators was mainly composed of military personnel, characterized by absolute loyalty, so it was certain he wouldn''t be able to join them.

    On the national college entrance examination physical on May 12, an additional tube of blood will be drawn during the blood test, aiming to detect the presence of "Spiritual Energy" in the bloodline.

    If one is born with a Spirit Root within, even without any cultivation knowledge, the innate energy, the congenital qi, is naturally present in the blood and would be detected by the equipment.

    Out of the 10 million college entrance examination candidates, only about 400 with Spirit Roots would be sorted out. Then, based on the location of their college entrance examination registration, they would be gathered in Shuzhong Prefecture, Shengjing Prefecture, Jinling Prefecture, and Xingwang Prefecture to be cultivated separately.

    The construction of cultivator academies in the west, north, east, and south preliminarily established the embryonic form of the domestic Cultivation World''s power structure.

    And this first batch of "cultivator undergraduates" was like the students who entered university after the resumption of the college entrance examination in 1977; many of them later became influential figures wielding great authority.

    This meant that in three months'' time, Yan Yu must make it through the screening at the college entrance examination physical.

    However, he had no Spirit Root within his body, so he needed to obtain the Silken Bond Technique from Zhao Yuanzhen and cultivate Spiritual Energy in advance.

    In his past life, even with a mere mortal body, he relied on his experiences fighting through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, trying to eradicate the rebellious cultivators, single-handedly saving the day. Yet, he ultimately failed by a single move and died harboring resentment... That missing move might just be the difference between a cultivator and non-cultivator.

    "If I become a cultivator in this life, whoever dares to stand in my way had better check how many heads they have resting on their neck¡ªit might not be enough for me to chop down!"

    Yan Yu wiped his damp hair with a towel and pushed open the door to leave the bathroom, only to see Zhao Yuanzhen sitting on the floor, meditating and practicing breath control.

    "You can go and take a shower," Yan Yu said, pointing to the bathroom.

    "Thank you for the kind offer," Zhao Yuanzhen spoke with a bowed head and obedient eyes, "but I have the Purification Spell."

    "With the Spiritual Energy of this world so impoverished, you still have True Yuan to use the Purification Spell?" asked Yan Yu with an amused smile.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was silent for a moment, then sighed.

    As Yan Yu had noted, the Spiritual Energy in this world was indeed too thin. Even after prolonged meditation and breath control, she had recovered very little True Yuan¡ªusing it on the Purification Spell was indeed too extravagant.

    With that thought, she obediently nodded and silently got up to take her shower.

    Yan Yu, however, picked up his backpack and began to do his homework.

    Although his soul was from an adult in the future, his body was that of a high school senior attending day school.

    Since he was hiding a demonic woman at home, he had to avoid attracting attention.

    Otherwise, if he didn''t turn in his homework and his grades dropped, the teachers would notify his parents. If his parents traveled from home to Lin''an Prefecture and found out that he was hiding a demonic woman, the ensuing situation would become extremely troublesome.

    Of course, he couldn''t explain to his parents, "There''s no need to worry about the college entrance examination; after all, the future belongs to cultivators." Otherwise, they would probably have him sent to a psychological counseling center.

    After hastily finishing his homework, Yan Yu saw Zhao Yuanzhen, freshly bathed and wearing the pajamas he provided.

    The upper part of the pajamas was snugly filled while the lower part hung loose¡ªit was clear that the demonic woman had substantial assets for doing evil. If not strictly supervised, she was sure to bring disaster to the nation and harm to the people.

    "Thankfully, since I''ve taken her into custody, countless lives are spared from her harm¡ªthis is a truly good deed!" Yan Yu thought to himself.

    Seeing Yan Yu blatantly sizing up her figure, Zhao Yuanzhen felt a slight displeasure within her heart, but she did not say much.

    Now, forced to depend on someone else''s roof and seeking shelter from her sect to evade Mei Yingxue''s pursuit, this was a time to swallow her pride. Naturally, she couldn''t afford to mess up the grand scheme over her so-called maiden modesty.

    She sat beside Yan Yu and saw him holding a strange pen and writing something, she asked curiously,

    "Are you doing homework?"

    "You know about homework?" Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    "Just joking, I can recognize a few characters," said Zhao Yuanzhen. She picked up the Chinese test paper and saw he didn''t react, then she carefully began to read.

    How odd, why is it all vernacular? So verbose. And the characters, why are there so few strokes?

    "Is Little Master trying for academic honors?" she said with a pleasing smile.

    "Just call me Yan Yu," Yan Yu thought to himself that her calling him "Little Master" made him sound like a young monk, "Studying is not about seeking fame, but for cultivating one''s moral character. Haha, you''ve been raised in the Demonic Sect since young and don''t understand the ways of the world. I don''t expect you would understand this reasoning."

    Zhao Yuanzhen felt snubbed and hated him inwardly, but she kept her composure and swallowed her pride, making a mental note to settle the score later:

    "...On my first day after crossing over, although Yan Yu helped shelter me on behalf of his sect, he insulted me in every way possible and ordered me around like a servant¡ªutterly hateful!"

    "Now that I am under someone else''s roof and power, I can only temporarily feign compliance and preserve my useful self. If there''s a chance someday, I must repay this debt tenfold!"

    She had intended to ingratiate herself with this young man, to sweeten his existence with her presence, to grind ink for him, at least to deceive his trust first.

    However, this world was too peculiar: lamps shone without fire, no need for added fragrance; pens did not require ink grinding, automatically producing ink... which left her with nothing to do.

    After much thought, she took the grapes that had been washed beside her, peeled them carefully, and fed them to him.

    As Yan Yu ate her grapes, he couldn''t shake the feeling that something was off.

    This demoness was known for her capricious moods, acting on a whim, her temper flipping faster than flipping a book. Now she was currying favor, which definitely meant something was up!

    After finishing the last problem on the test paper, he set the pen aside and asked,

    "Spit it out, what do you want?"

    "Cough," Zhao Yuanzhen, whose thoughts were abruptly read by him, could only cough and adapt on the fly, saying,

    "I''m just curious, young master... Yan Yu, it seems you have no magical powers, could you be using some secret technique to conceal your cultivation level?"

    "I haven''t officially started cultivating yet," Yan Yu thought to himself that he was about to bring it up and she had preemptively asked it, so he responded, "Master said the techniques he practices are not suitable for me."

    Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuanzhen used the insight and instincts cultivated in the Demonic Sect environment to immediately guess the truth.

    What does it mean by ''the techniques are not suitable''? Most likely, your master thinks your cultivation talents are inferior and doesn''t plan to pass on the true inheritance to you!

    She threw the grape-containing basin aside, with no intention to continue serving this worthless person anymore. Just as she was about to sneer and mock him, she heard Yan Yu speak again,

    "Master said, the most suitable technique for my cultivation is the ''Silken Bond Technique'' on you."

    "What?" Zhao Yuanzhen immediately became panicked.

    If it were a mere mortal peeping at this secret legacy technique, she would have slapped them without a second thought, bringing a Mighty Celestial Dragon down upon them, cracking skulls with her bare hands, showing them what ''a toad lusting after swan meat'' truly meant.

    But with a powerful master of strategy and calculation behind Yan Yu, if he was scheming for the ''Silken Bond Technique'', how exactly could she refuse?

    It seemed... she couldn''t refuse at all!

    If he had specifically requested this technique, it also meant he had already factored it into his calculations.

    Even if she stubbornly refused, she likely couldn''t resist the ghostly powers of a great strategist, and she might end up trapped in a life-or-death situation one day, crying and screaming to willingly offer the secret technique just to plead for her life.

    Reason told Zhao Yuanzhen that whether she wanted to give up the secret today or not, she had to give it. If she didn''t drink this toast, the next cup would be a penalty.

    But emotionally, the idea of giving up the ''Silken Bond Technique'' without gaining any advantages was something she simply couldn''t accept.

    Seeing Zhao Yuanzhen''s eyes darting around, Yan Yu also knew what she was struggling with, and immediately pulled out his trump card,

    "Master also mentioned, if I told you this, you would be reluctant, so he asked me to remind you of another matter: the ''Silken Bond Technique'' can be practiced alone or with a partner, and theoretically, the speed of progress and power of the technique are far superior when practiced with a partner than alone."

    Zhao Yuanzhen was stunned for a moment, then had an epiphany, as if enlightenment had dawned upon her.

    The Qi Refinement method of the ''Silken Bond Technique'', after several refinements, now could use puppetry to complement the practitioner''s lack of natural talent.

    The speed of absorbing and refining Qi is constrained by the innate limitations of the body, hence precious treasures are used to create puppets, "pulling strings" to let the puppets refine Qi which then nourishes the cultivator''s True Yuan, thereby bypassing the shackles of inherent cultivation talent.

    The ancestor who created this secret technique was naturally a figure of astonishing brilliance.

    It was said that she fell in love with a man who had no Spirit Root and couldn''t cultivate, living a mere hundred years. The ancestor then exhaustively created this unconventional technique, to grant her beloved cultivation and longevity¡ªthat was why, from the beginning, the ''Silken Bond Technique'' was actually a dual cultivation version.

    String-Pulling was not originally about manipulating puppets, but about pulling the strings of affection. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But dual cultivation comes with a prerequisite: both parties must trust each other without reservations.

    Dual cultivation is not a one-way energy absorption; the True Qi must constantly circulate and carry out cycles between both individuals, leaving them utterly defenseless throughout the process.

    If one harbored malicious intent and struck unexpectedly, the outcome for the other would be dire, if not fatal.

    Given the cutthroat competition of the Demonic Sect, finding a trustworthy dual cultivation partner was exceedingly difficult. As a result, later generations added countless annotations to the original text of the ''Silken Bond Technique'', eventually using puppets to circumvent the requirement for a human partner.

    While this reduced the efficiency of Qi Refinement, it was safer and more reliable, to the point that no one even practiced the original version anymore.

    With this realization, Zhao Yuanzhen''s mind was enlightened.

    The master strategist had not taught Yan Yu other techniques, not because he did not like him, but because he had already calculated clearly: Yan Yu was to dual cultivate the ''Silken Bond Technique'' with me.

    Even his previous guidance to Yan Yu to save me, and the protection from Mei Yingxue''s pursuit afterward, were not out of any "kindness," but rather aimed at this very dual cultivation goal!

 Chapter 4: Chapter 4 Stay Away From Me, Trashy Woman

    ```The issue I mentioned before with dual cultivation is that once you choose a partner, you must cultivate together from then on and can''t change your method midway.

    However, cultivators from the Demon Cult are mostly selfish individuals with no moral bottom line. Unless bound by life-saving friendships, who would dare entrust their trust lightly to another?

    If your partner suddenly harbors malicious thoughts and seeks to harm you for wealth or life, backstabbing you at a critical moment of dual cultivation, the situation is almost certainly fatal.

    Given Zhao Yuanzhen''s nature, she would naturally never trust Yan Yu.

    But the problem is that she''s already caught in the midst of the situation. If she''s unwilling, would Yan Yu''s backing master let her go?

    Refusing dual cultivation, she''s highly likely not to survive the night.

    Even without any schemes, they would just need to drive her out, let her be found by Mei Yingxue, then a flying sword could strike, and what strength does Zhao Yuanzhen have to defend herself at this time?

    Yet, if she agrees to dual cultivate, first of all, to the powerful being behind Yan Yu, Zhao Yuanzhen, as a disciple''s partner, would hold "sufficient value" and there would be no immediate fear of being discarded.

    As for the possibility of betrayal by her partner, that''s a problem for the future. Deal with it later.

    If she can''t even survive today, what future is there to speak of?

    Zhao Yuanzhen, even though cunning and full of doubt, valuing her own life and cautious, was not one to dither or be indecisive. She quickly assessed the situation and gritted her teeth:

    "Fine, I''ll cultivate with you!"

    "Generous!" Yan Yu gestured toward the bed, "Please."

    "Hold on," Zhao Yuanzhen asked seriously, "The Silken Bond Technique is a secret method of the Qiansi Sect and should not be disclosed. Since your master has designated this technique, how should the lineage be explained?"

    "My master has already clarified this matter," Yan Yu said calmly. "Once you have developed your Golden Core, we will start our own sect. You hold the lineage of Qiansi Sect, and I have the lineage bestowed by my master. Combine the two, and it forms the lineage of our sect!"

    "Is that even possible?" Zhao Yuanzhen was struck dumb.

    In the Cultivation World, as long as one forms a Golden Core, they are qualified to start their own sect. Whether the original sect agrees, and which methods can be passed on, all depends on negotiations and understanding between the two sides.

    But this is a different world! No matter what happens here, how could the Qiansi Sect of the Cultivation World know a thing about it? It doesn''t matter at all!

    "In that case," Zhao Yuanzhen had an epiphany and nodded, "if one day I''m able to form a Golden Core, I''ll rebuild the Qiansi Sect here and fulfill the grace of my sect''s teachings!"

    True to being a Demonic Sect Enchantress, her ideological awareness is so adaptable.

    Both climbed onto the bed, sat facing each other, and adopted the position with palms facing upwards towards the sky. Zhao Yuanzhen began to explain:

    "If the Silken Bond Technique is practiced solo, it''s between a cultivator and a puppet performing circulations; but in dual cultivation, it''s between partners. Each Grand Circulation of True Qi can increase it by one tenth; each minor circulation can merge it by one-tenth."

    "If there''s any disruption in the circulation, no matter who causes it, both parties will be greatly harmed. So you must follow my instructions and move your True Qi according to my guidance. You must not act recklessly, heedless of the law. Even if you feel pain, itching, warmth, or cold, you cannot stop the operation of the technique on your own. Do you understand?"

    "Of course," said Yan Yu.

    Seeing that Yan Yu was unusually serious without his usual smile, Zhao Yuanzhen felt somewhat reassured.

    "Next, I''ll recite the mental technique to you."

    "This technique is a secret of my sect''s lineage and should not be put down on paper. It will leave my mouth and enter only your ears, not to be known by a third person. Understand?"

    "Don''t worry!"

    "Good, listen carefully: ''The way of heaven takes from what has excess to supplement what lacks, ensuring balance and equitability, and not just thus...''"

    Zhao Yuanzhen recited the Silken Bond Technique''s mental mantra outline¡ª about twenty-thousand characters long¡ªseveral times, until she confirmed Yan Yu had committed it to memory, before finally extending her hands and placing her palms together with his.

    They began dual cultivation.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Traditional Taoist dual cultivation doesn''t necessarily involve bedroom practices.

    However, the Silken Bond Technique was created by the founder for her husband, and so at higher levels, it indeed involves that aspect.

    Luckily, at this moment, they were both novices and hadn''t cultivated to that extent, thus they only touched palms and circulated their True Qi, sitting in silence throughout the entire night.

    The following morning.

    Yan Yu picked up his book bag and cautioned Zhao Yuanzhen, saying:

    ```

    "I''m going out; you stay here and don''t leave the house, don''t open the windows, and keep the curtains drawn. If someone knocks, don''t respond. Just pretend no one is home,"

    "What if someone forces their way into the cave residence?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked thoughtfully.

    "You know the Invisibility Technique," Yan Yu said, "Just become invisible and hide under the bed until they leave."

    "And if they see through it?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked for clarification.

    Yan Yu replied without hesitation:

    "Kill them, search their soul to confirm the situation. You don''t need me to teach you that, do you?"

    "No, no need," Zhao Yuanzhen quickly waved his hand, thinking that killing was not uncommon, but the fact that he could mention "search their soul" without hesitation showed that my partner was not exactly virtuous, and his master was most likely some hidden giant of the Demonic Path.

    Good thing I wasn''t foolish enough to anger him last night!

    Yan Yu wasn''t overly worried either because, in the original timeline, the officials didn''t fully believe Mei Yingxue''s words at first, until innocent bystanders were killed by Zhao Yuanzhen. Only then did the authorities'' attitude turn severe.

    Now that Zhao Yuanzhen was under his control in time, with no victims at all, the official attitude towards Mei Yingxue would definitely be "We''ve noted what you said, and we will further verify it."

    Good, let them verify slowly!

    Arriving at school, the high school Yan Yu attended was affiliated with Jiangnan University. The academic atmosphere was incredibly strict, and since it was the lower semester of the senior year, the classes were nothing but continuous drills, discussions, and test papers until 9 pm.

    To prevent early romance from affecting the college entrance exam, all students had individual desks; there were no classmates to share desks with, no beautiful class monitors or school beauties from the next class over, just a bunch of glasses-wearing students buried in their work... So the campus life can be described in one word: "boring."

    After silently completing and submitting the test paper given by the teacher, Yan Yu left the classroom, gazing at the outside scenery from the hallway, and zoned out.

    Last night, he and Zhao Yuanzhen cultivated the "Silken Bond Technique" together and had successfully cultivated a sense of Qi.

    Next, he had to solidify this faint thread of True Qi to ensure that it would get him through the body check in May for the college entrance exam.

    After that, it was off to the Cultivator''s College in Jinling Prefecture to meet his "old friends" from this life whom he had yet to know.

    Qiu Ze, Sun Ziyi, Lin Ning, Su Yunjin, and of course, the toughest one, Princess Jiang Hai, Chen Lingyun... Ah, how I miss them.

    "Hello," a familiar voice came from the side, "Could you tell me how to get to Laboratory Building No. 5?"

    Yan Yu turned casually, and at the sight of the person''s features, huh?

    The individual stood petite, not even reaching 1.6 meters tall (seemingly about 1.56 meters in memory). She had soft shoulder-length hair, a white lace-trimmed dress, shiny black shoes, bright watery eyes, a delicate and fine nose, and a standard smile revealing eight perfect teeth.

    Chen Lingyun.

    How did this wretch of a woman run from Jiang Hai to Lin''an?

    "It''s just over there," Yan Yu pointed indifferently to the opposite side, "See that building? That''s the one."

    "Sorry to bother you," Chen Lingyun maintained her charming smile, "I''m a bit lost, would you mind showing me the way?"

    Any other boy of his age would have been dazzled by this woman''s smiling assault and would have eagerly led the way for her. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Although Yan Yu was well aware of her true nature, a refusal now would definitely arouse suspicion, so he leaned on the railing and said in a casually detached manner:

    "All right then."

    Chen Lingyun simply smiled elegantly and followed him:

    "Thank you, then."

    As they left the academic building, Chen Lingyun suddenly asked:

    "By the way, classmate, what''s your name?"

    Damn it, Yan Yu internally sneered while walking ahead.

    At first acquaintance, Chen Lingyun liked to pretend she was approachable, yet she was inherently arrogant, never deigning to remember the names of the unremarkable¡ªher asking his name meant that the unusual aura he inadvertently exuded when he turned attracted her strong interest.

    "Sun Ziyi," Yan Yu answered without showing any affect, "What''s your name, classmate? I haven''t seen you around the school before."

    "I''m Chen Lingyun," she answered frankly, "I''m from the math Olympiad class at Jiang Hai Middle School, here as an exchange student at your Jiangnan Affiliated High."

 Chapter 5: Chapter 5: 3 Techniques and 5 Spells

    If Yan Yu had a "Rebirth Revenge List" in his heart, Chen Lingyun''s name would definitely top the chart, without any doubt.The reason was simple: this despicable woman had mocked his identity more than once, "Oh, it''s such a pity you''re not a cultivator."

    She said it during meals out, she said it during post-dinner walks, she said it during movie outings, she even said it before the cultivators went off to war... Yan Yu remembered clearly. This despicable woman had mocked him a total of 137 times across various occasions, as if lacking a Spirit Root made him less of a person.

    As a reborn individual, it''s only normal for me to have a better memory, right? It''s not because I''m holding a grudge!

    However, wasn''t this despicable woman an Olympiad exchange student at Jiangnan High School during her senior year? Yan Yu had never heard of this.

    Upon reflection, when Zhao Yuanzhen first transmigrated to Lin''an Prefecture, she killed several bystanders just to keep her mouth shut. That must have been why Jianghai High School, where the despicable woman attended, deemed the exchange unsafe and thus canceled the original plan.

    Now that the enchantress has been subdued and no killings have occurred, there were no violent security incidents, so naturally, she was sent over as originally scheduled.

    "Are you in the Olympiad class, classmate Sun Ziyi?" Chen Lingyun took the initiative to ask.

    "No," Yan Yu replied. "I''m just an ordinary student."

    "Oh, is that so?" Chen Lingyun said with a smile. "My apologies, I''ve got it wrong."

    Yan Yu didn''t respond; he knew she was looking for an excuse to get him to talk. The more he said, the more information he would reveal, and the clearer the "personality portrait" she painted in her head would become. He opted instead to play the part of the silent, cool character. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Here we are," Yan Yu said as he personally escorted her to the bottom of the laboratory building. "This is the place, goodbye."

    Without any hesitation, he turned and left, while Chen Lingyun didn''t seem to be in a hurry to go upstairs, just smilingly watching his retreating figure.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    School was out.

    As Yan Yu walked home, he noticed that there were many more uniformed officers at the intersections than the day before, checking IDs of people on the streets.

    Although he carried a student ID in his backpack, the officers merely glanced at him and waved him on¡ª it seemed they were specifically looking for young women of a certain age to check.

    Upon arriving home and swiftly closing the door, Yan Yu was promptly greeted by Zhao Yuanzhen. He asked her seriously:

    "How has it been? No one came to the door, right?"

    "No one," Zhao Yuanzhen answered honestly.

    Yan Yu tossed his backpack aside and collapsed onto the sofa, motioning with his hand:

    "Come here, my back is hurting; give it a rub for me."

    Inside, Zhao Yuanzhen seethed with resentment. Although they were Taoist companions, it was only in terms of cultivation. Massaging and kneading like a maid or servant¡ªwasn''t that something for subordinates to do?

    She wanted to slap him right there, to kill this wretch who humiliated her, but remembering the powerful master behind him, she forcibly suppressed her rage. She went over to massage Yan Yu''s spine while silently noting this new grievance:

    "Today, upon his return, that scoundrel Yan Yu called me over like a common servant to press his shoulders and knead his back, utterly detestable!"

    "I shall note this debt for now. The day I find the opportunity, I will make him toil like an ox and horse for my bidding, to soothe the hatred in my heart!"

    "How is it, is the pressure alright?" Zhao Yuanzhen relished her thoughts, yet her hands did not cease, and with a sugary voice, she asked, "Should I use a bit more strength?"

    "It''s fine," Yan Yu grew suspicious.

    The Empress Yuanzhen was always cunning and paranoid, so why wasn''t she probing about what I did all day outside? Instead, she''s obediently massaging me here. What''s going on?

    Hmph, she must be planning some vicious scheme while pretending to be submissive on the surface, aiming to lull my vigilance!

    As Yan Yu leisurely enjoyed the massage from the beauty, he suddenly said:

    "Speak."

    "Speak what?" Zhao Yuanzhen was puzzled.

    "Speak of the thoughts in your heart," Yan Yu said calmly.

    The thoughts in my heart? Zhao Yuanzhen was startled, and her movements halted.

    Did this wretch learn of the grudges I hold in my heart?

    No, he must have "calculated" it!

    Even though he didn''t follow his master in Qi Refinement, he must have learned his master''s method of divination¡ªotherwise, how could he possibly know what I''m thinking?!

    Feeling the sudden pause of the hands on his back, Yan Yu knew his conjecture was spot on, and he sneered:

    "What, you have the guts to think it but not the guts to admit it?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen''s body shook at the words, increasingly certain that his thoughts had been secretly calculated by this little thief. He quickly feigned composure as he explained,

    "I was merely indulging in wild thoughts, not actually planning to act on them. Why do you care so much? As Taoist partners on the path to enlightenment, our glory and losses will be shared in the future. Could you really worry that I would harm you and sever my own path to Taoism?"

    Heh, that''s hard to say.

    Yan Yu certainly knew that Empress Yuanzhen was very suspicious and would never completely trust anyone in the world.

    If she knew that there was no powerful master behind her, she might as well decide to snap her own neck in an instant and switch from a dual cultivation to a solo practice¡ªone that, despite injuring her foundation, would completely eliminate the future risk of "Betrayal by a Taoist partner." With Empress Yuanzhen''s character, she was definitely capable of doing such a thing.

    While it was necessary to bide one''s time like taming a hawk, it was also crucial to have the power to protect oneself, because even a peck from the hawk shouldn''t be fatal.

    Yan Yu was noncommittal about Zhao Yuanzhen''s defense and said indifferently,

    "Whether you will act on your thoughts or not, do you think I wouldn''t know? But let''s not talk about that for now. Recite the Three Arts and Five Spells to me first."

    "The Three Arts and Five Spells?" Zhao Yuanzhen frowned, "What do you want to learn that for?"

    The so-called "Three Arts" refer to the long-distance high-speed movement of the "Shifting Technique," the short-range teleportation of the "Cloud Ascension Technique," and the "Wall-Penetration Technique," which allows one to move through obstacles.

    As for the "Five Spells," they are the Five Elemental True Character Curse of moisture, flame, bending, image, and surge, each with its unique wonders.

    However, the Three Arts and Five Spells are almost like basic arithmetic in the modern world, regarded as introductory spells that ''every cultivator knows'' in the Cultivation World. Why did the thief specifically ask to learn these?

    Seeing the perplexed expression on her face, Yan Yu chuckled and said,

    "With the current level of spiritual energy in this world, even if you learned those super Taoism Methods capable of moving mountains and re-channeling seas, could you actually use them?"

    "Zhao Yuanzhen, I advise you to practice the Three Arts and Five Spells well. They will be more useful than anything else this year."

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    In a secret military base in Jianghai Prefecture.

    Mei Yingxue stood in the spacious hall, wearing Taoist robes, and meditating with her eyes closed.

    At the top of a wall on one side of the hall, behind several layers of thick bulletproof glass, the relevant officials had all arrived.

    Not only that, multiple cameras were filming from various angles, transmitting the data in real-time over a secure link to Pingjing¡ªwhere higher-ranking individuals were watching a live broadcast.

    "Daoist Mei," the loudspeaker in the corner of the room sounded, "you may begin."

    "Fine," Mei Yingxue opened her eyes and spoke indifferently, "The spiritual energy in your world is far too sparse. Many spells I cannot use, so I can only demonstrate the ''Three Arts and Five Spells'' for you."

    "This is the Shifting Technique." Her figure disappeared abruptly, then reappeared at the end of the hall.

    Behind the bulletproof glass, the officials wore impassive faces as though their minds had gone blank.

    After a prolonged silence, the Governor of Jianghai, Chen Tianming, was the first to speak,

    "Did you capture all that?"

    "Captured," someone hastily operated the computer, slowing down the footage for projection display.

    Through the slow-motion replay, everyone got a clearer view this time: Mei Yingxue stepped forward with her left foot first, then lifted her right foot off the ground, suddenly accelerating towards the hall''s end, putting her left foot down followed by her right foot, and finally taking a few steps to stop the momentum.

    From the movements alone, it looked like she had simply taken one step.

    But according to the motion sensor data, her speed after the step momentarily reached 16 meters per second.

    This super acceleration, almost impossible for a human body to achieve, shattered everyone''s worldview and understanding.

    "She¡­" Liu Zhenyuan, the Prefect of Jiangnan, struggled to steady himself and asked for confirmation, "She isn''t wearing any equipment, right?"

    "No," someone immediately presented a security inspection report, "She''s only wearing a silk robe; there''s no concealed equipment inside."

    "Don''t forget," Huang Wenqing reminded from the side, "Is there any high-tech equipment that can accelerate a person to 16 meters per second in an instant? And she seemed to be perfectly normal."

    "Let''s not rush to conclusions," Governor Chen Tianming said, "Have her demonstrate all the Three Arts and Five Spells."

    After all, with the dark history of the qigong craze in the 1980s, it was essential to be extremely cautious, cautious, and even more cautious in acknowledging non-natural phenomena.

    It would be best if they could find evidence of fraud. If not...

    ...they would have to send the person to Pingjing to let the experts in the capital study her because Jianghai Prefecture could definitely not come to any conclusions.

 Chapter 6: Chapter 6 I, Yan Yu, Never Hold Grudges

    "So, you''ve learned them all?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked incredulously."Merely the Three Arts and Five Spells, how much effort could it take?" Yan Yu said with a scornful expression, "Isn''t it something one can grasp after hearing it once? Or are you saying it took you a long time back when you learned?"

    "I... it didn''t take me long either," Zhao Yuanzhen said, forcing herself to speak, "The time it took me to learn the Three Arts and Five Spells was about the same as yours."

    This was a lie, in truth, for example, the "Barrier Charm" among the Five Spells had taken her two full days and nights to learn.

    "Right," Zhao Yuanzhen ventured again, "The honorable teacher said that with the current world''s concentration of Spiritual Energy, the Three Arts and Five Spells are the most cost-effective Taoism Method, right?"

    "Then when will there be any change?"

    "Probably in a year," Yan Yu glanced at her with a sideways look, "What, you can''t wait?"

    "True Yuan recovery is too slow, only able to use the Three Arts and Five Spells, it inevitably feels somewhat unsafe," Zhao Yuanzhen said ingratiatingly, "If we encounter a major demon, I''m afraid we won''t even have the strength to fight back."

    "In a world where Spiritual Energy only supports the Three Arts and Five Spells, what kind of major demon can emerge?" Yan Yu said with a sneer, "The current wildlife doesn''t even have sentient intelligence."

    "You worry too much. Even if the limit of Spiritual Energy increases, and True Yuan recovery speeds up, it will be Mei Yingxue who regains more strength¡­ Now, won''t you hurry to bed with me for dual cultivation?"

    "Alright," Zhao Yuanzhen got up from the sofa and hid those secret, unspeakable thoughts deep within her heart.

    Continue to cater to him for now, dulling this little thief''s alertness. When the time comes, all the humiliations I have suffered in the past, I will make him kneel and taste each one!

    No, tenfold!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Another night passed.

    The next day, Yan Yu went to school as usual to continue practicing for the college entrance exam.

    If sleep was about recovery of body and mind, then cultivation was the "charging" of body and mind.

    After sitting in meditation and practicing Qi Refinement with Zhao Yuanzhen for an entire night, not only did Yan Yu not feel the slightest bit tired, but he also felt spirited and full of vitality, as if he had slept a full twelve hours.

    Unfortunately, the daily life of a high school senior day student was too dull, especially since he already knew he wouldn''t be taking the college entrance exams, making these practice papers seem even more pointless¡ªit was only to avoid attracting attention.

    As usual, having completed the test papers first, Yan Yu went out to the corridor, idly gazing at the distant scenery.

    "Yan Yu," the crisp voice of Chen Lingyun, filled with a hint of laughter, sounded next to him.

    Yan Yu turned his head with a "why is it you again" look of annoyance and saw this petite girl who stood at 1.56 meters tall, her face bearing a sweet smile as if not at all upset about being tricked the day before.

    "I had people check the name ''Sun Ziyi,''" Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "I found it belongs to some first-year student, and also a girl."

    "The reason why I used a fake name," Yan Yu started).

    Chen Lingyun politely closed her mouth, signaling "I''m all ears."

    "Is because I didn''t want to tell you my real name," Yan Yu said seriously.

    "I see," Chen Lingyun narrowed her eyes, continuing to smile, "But if it''s something I''m interested in, I must find out the truth."

    "Now you have already found out my name," Yan Yu nodded, "Are you satisfied?"

    "Not yet," Chen Lingyun said, her smile brimming as she looked at him, "I have a premonition."

    "What premonition?" Not to mention her premonition, Yan Yu¡ªwho was very familiar with her from his past life¡ªalready began to have a bad feeling.

    "I think you recognize me," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "My first impression of you was: this person seems to know me, but he''s deliberately pretending not to."

    "The process of leading the way later confirmed this: you treated me coldly and even used a fake name, but according to your classmates, student Yan Yu isn''t the indifferent, reclusive, or deliberately asocial type. This means you started acting distant only after recognizing me."

    "First of all, I think it''s pretty unreliable to judge based on intuition," Yan Yu said somewhat helplessly, "Do you also rely on intuition to solve your Olympiad math problems?"

    "Furthermore, even if we had met before, so what? Do I have something valuable on me that would make you intentionally approach me?"

    "About your first point," Chen Lingyun''s smile remained standard, showing exactly eight teeth but it seemed to contain a hint of genuine pleasure, "I don''t need absolutely reliable intuition. A completely solved Olympiad problem is boring, only the puzzles without answers hold the meaning of exploration."

    "As for the second point, I''ve already said it before."

    Yan Yu was slightly taken aback at first, then he immediately realized she was referring to her earlier words, "If it''s something I''m interested in, I have to figure it out."

    "See." Seeing the subtle change in his expression, Chen Lingyun smiled even more joyfully, "You can swiftly understand the subtext in my words, which is not something ordinary people can do. I can think of two possibilities: one is that you and I are of the same kind, with similar levels of intelligence and thought patterns, but I''ve looked into your previous grades a bit, and that seems unlikely."

    "The second possibility is that you not only recognized me long ago but also spent a lot of time with me, so we developed a certain rapport."

    "However, I can be sure that I''ve never seen you before, nor have I encountered anyone with a similar personality to you, and there''s no possibility of an old friend suddenly disappearing and getting plastic surgery. So why do you seem so... familiar with me?" she slowly leaned in, staring into Yan Yu''s eyes, her delicate and pretty face sporting a radiant fake smile.

    Yan Yu felt a bit irritated: This damn woman!

    Why''s your curiosity so strong!

    But what was even clearer in Yan Yu''s mind was that he had indeed piqued Chen Lingyun''s interest. Any further disguise or argument would only amuse her more¡ªthis damn woman was a purebred thrill-seeker, treating those around her like toys, never following her train of thought.

    Heh, since you''re asking for trouble, I might as well play along.

    "Alright, I admit it." Yan Yu put on an "I might as well confess" look, and said helplessly, "Believe it or not, I actually... am your future husband."

    "Oh?" Chen Lingyun''s mouth curled up, not at all angered by the conversational advantage taken, "So you''re a reborn person who''s traveled back to the past? Or did you see the future from somewhere?"

    "That''s not important," Yan Yu waved his hand dismissively, "What matters is that right now, you''re thinking, ''He must be lying to me'', ''because the decision of my marriage lies in my father''s hands'', ''and I have no value that would appeal to my father''."

    "Hmm, that''s logical," Chen Lingyun said with a smile and a nod, "But even if you can guess my current thoughts, it''s not enough to convince me with that."

    "Then let''s talk about something only you know." Yan Yu looked around to make sure there was no one else, then lowered his voice, "When you were six years old, you once took in a stray cat¡ªin the small garden behind your family''s villa." sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "It took you half a month to fully master the cat''s behavior patterns, including when it ate, when it slept, and when it sought affection. Afterward, you completely lost interest in it and left the cat to the care of your maid. A week later, the cat ran away and never came back."

    "Your father comforted you, and you said with a smile to let it go because you didn''t really want to keep it anymore. But actually, you were very angry, you never told anyone that it was the first time you felt unsettled inside because you couldn''t accept the cat choosing to leave you¡ªtheir owner¡ªeven though it was you who neglected it first. You decided to hold this grudge for a lifetime."

    Chen Lingyun''s smile stiffened on her face, her eyelids dropped slightly, her gaze became slightly obscure, but her gentle tone remained unchanged as she smiled and said:

    "Very interesting... Hmm, I''m sure I''ve never told anyone the real thoughts deep inside my heart at that time, so, could you tell me more about how we met and fell in love in the future? I''m quite interested in that."

    "Are you interested in that?" Yan Yu revealed a pleased smile, "That''s great, because I don''t intend to tell you."

    "What?" Chen Lingyun widened her eyes, surprised and laughing, "Aren''t you my future husband?"

    "That''s right," Yan Yu said, his smile equally gentle, "But in this lifetime, I have no intention of being with you."

    "Just like that cat: You''ve been dumped by me, little Lingyun."

    Chen Lingyun''s fake smile quickly faded from her face, leaving only a dark, cold, and slightly angry look, staring at him without blinking.

    "Oh yes, that''s right!" Yan Yu grew more joyful, clapping his hands and exclaiming with praise, "That expression of yours is my favorite! You know, little Lingyun, I also really like your usual condescending, polite fake smile, as if everyone is an idiot to you, but what I like even more is this moment when you can''t maintain your smile and you completely lose it!"

    "Hahaha! It''s just so endlessly amusing to me!"

 Chapter 7: Chapter 7 I, Yan Yu, Do Good Deeds Anonymously

    After school.Chen Lingyun was sitting in the back seat of the car with an unusually somber expression, devoid of any smile.

    The female driver, looking at her through the rearview mirror and seeing her pensive look, couldn''t help but speak up:

    "Miss, did something happen at school¡­?"

    Chen Lingyun lifted her head and reinstated her standard, perfect, impeccable smile of etiquette:

    "It''s nothing, Sister Liu." S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "I just encountered some interesting things."

    "Oh," the driver asked casually, "are they interesting people, or interesting events?"

    "Are you planning to report to father?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    "That depends on what it is," the driver replied. "If it''s not important, of course, I wouldn''t bother him."

    "I see," Chen Lingyun mused.

    The annoying face of Yan Yu sprung to mind, and on a whim, she lifted her head again, already wearing a radiant smile:

    "It''s probably not anything important, Sister Liu."

    "I just might have met someone I like."

    The steering wheel jerked suddenly as the startled driver quickly steadied it and then tried to calm herself, stuttering out:

    "Uh¡­ Miss, you are joking, right?"

    "I wish I were joking." Chen Lingyun''s smile became even more radiant, her eyes sparkling with joy.

    As if a child had seen their favorite toy.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Yan Yu returned to his rented room, and Zhao Yuanzhen hurriedly welcomed him.

    "Someone actually knocked on the door today," she said eagerly. "They were here to collect some kind of¡­ ''sobbing fee''?"

    "You didn''t open the door, did you?" Yan Yu asked indifferently, raising an eyebrow.

    "No," Zhao Yuanzhen replied with a flattering smile. "I just prepared the Curved Curse, ready to kill her on the spot if she forced her way in."

    "But she knocked for a while and left after getting no response."

    "Hmm." Yan Yu''s gaze swept over the living room, confirming, "What do you usually do at home?"

    "Uh¡­" Zhao Yuanzhen thought, you''re supposed to be clairvoyant, so why are you asking me?

    Oh, I get it. You''re feigning ignorance, testing my honesty, you sly little thief!

    She silently took note of this transgression:

    "...Today, the thief Yan Yu deliberately provoked and questioned me. I shall temporarily note this grudge, and should the day come when I gain the upper hand, I will make him a slave or a maid, treating him harshly and humiliating him to settle this score!"

    "In the morning, I meditated and practiced breathing to restore my True Yuan," Zhao Yuanzhen harbored resentment in her heart, but outwardly she was honest. "In the afternoon, I watched a bit of that¡­ television."

    This enchantress has even learned to watch television? Yan Yu was inwardly on guard.

    They say the TV was left behind by the previous tenant, and the landlord was too lazy to remove it, not expecting that it would now become a channel for the enchantress to gather information about the outside world.

    The more this enchantress knows, the harder it is to deceive and control... I mean, the harder it is to guide her towards goodness, which is detrimental to her growth.

    But if I remove the TV now, it would seem overly deliberate. A powerful student of divination, actually afraid of her watching TV? It really would damage my dignity.

    Well, let her watch, then. I''ll maintain the fa?ade of "having everything under control," allowing her to continue her suspicion and paranoia.

    "So what have you been watching?" Yan Yu sat down on the couch, casually inquiring.

    "I watched a folk play, what''s it called... ''The Wife''s Lies,''" Zhao Yuanzhen said with a forced laugh, "Although it depicts the trivial affairs of mortal housewives, the plot twists and turns are unexpected and quite interesting."

    Yan Yu was stunned for a while before realizing that the so-called "folk play" the enchantress was referring to was actually a soap opera targeted at housewives.

    This was very odd. Given the Demonic Sect Enchantress''s usual ferociousness, even if she watched TV shows, she should prefer those with bloody and horrifying themes... Oh, such shows wouldn''t pass the censorship, so never mind.

    In any case, soap operas had little informative content and were only good for passing time, so there wasn''t much to worry about.

    "Yan Yu, did our respected teacher give any instructions today?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked.

    "Nothing special," Yan Yu waved his hand, "The master is busy and hasn''t contacted me."

    "Is that so." Zhao Yuanzhen was full of suspicion, wondering if it was really no contact or if the content was not meant for her knowledge.

    Yan Yu noticed her stiff smile and knew that the enchantress must be getting suspicious again, and he spoke leisurely:

    "Even if there were instructions, with your recovery still incomplete, how much could you really help him? Don''t forget, you can''t even leave this door without being discovered. If you go out, you''ll be found, then Mei Yingxue will show up at the door, her Flying Sword will slash twice, and a great beauty will meet her demise, poof!"

    "To know it''s impossible yet still willing to attempt, shows the sincerity in my heart," Zhao Yuanzhen responded without embarrassment, expressing her loyalty seriously, "Though my abilities have greatly diminished, if our respected teacher commands, I wouldn''t hesitate to face Mei Yingxue or even brave the mountains of swords and seas of flames. What is this body to me!"

    "That flattery is just too fake," Yan Yu said disdainfully, "If Mei Yingxue stood at the door with her sword, you''d probably have jumped out the window by now, forget about waiting for any orders from our teacher..."

    Before he finished speaking, someone knocked on the door.

    Yan Yu quickly stood up, looking at the door, then turned to look at Zhao Yuanzhen.

    He saw the enchantress also staring wide-eyed, like a startled bird looking toward the door, her hands on the window sill, one foot stepping onto the windowsill.

    Yan Yu quickly shook his head, then pointed under the bed, indicating "roll under the bed."

    Zhao Yuanzhen immediately rolled to the ground, tumbling under the bed. Yan Yu opened the door from the inside to see two uniformed officers standing outside, saying:

    "Checking for temporary residence permits... Are you the only person living in this room?"

    "Yes," Yan Yu said, nodding and stepping aside so the officers could see the entire room from outside the door.

    The doors to the bathroom and kitchen were open, showing clearly that there was no one inside.

    The only places in the room where someone could hide were under the bed and in the large wardrobe, but checking temporary residence permits doesn''t involve searching wardrobes or looking under beds; that would be too deliberate.

    The two uniformed officers exchanged glances. The instructions they received indicated that "the criminal is extremely vicious and would kill the residents hiding them," so their actual task was to pretend to check the residence permits while mainly inspecting each dwelling in the area to ensure no one had died silently at home.

    As for searching the wardrobes, it could easily cause disputes with residents, so unless there were direct witness reports or leads pointing to it, it wasn''t possible to search every household like that.

    "Student ID... You''re a high school senior? Living alone?"

    "Yes," Yan Yu nodded, "I''m preparing for the college entrance exams."

    "Oh," said the uniformed officer, nodding in understanding.

    Being a high school senior was a strong buff; no one dared to disturb a senior''s studying, or else the parents would have their say.

    After confirming once again that there was no issue with the student ID, the two officers turned and left.

    Yan Yu closed the door again, feeling no tension in his heart.

    To be honest, even if the officers had come in and directly searched under the bed, as long as Zhao Yuanzhen spent some residual True Yuan to perform the Invisibility Technique, they wouldn''t have seen anything odd.

    Nevertheless, this inspection was rather lax, nowhere near as intense as the widespread searches from my previous life.

    On reflection, if Zhao Yuanzhen had chosen to find a place nearby to hide and commit murders as in the original timeline, the seriousness would''ve escalated several levels once the bodies appeared, warranting a thorough search.

    Fortunately, I had arrived in time to subdue the enchantress and bring her home for education, not only saving several innocents who would have died in vain but also saving valuable manpower for community security.

    Sigh, I just love to silently contribute to society, without leaving my name or seeking any reward¡ªeven if the enchantress is fierce, for the nation and for the people, I go all out!

    Yan Yu turned around with a sense of accomplishment, only to see Zhao Yuanzhen rolling out from under the bed, her robes, face, and arms all covered with dust.

    "Go wash it off," he said with a tender, doting smile, speaking softly, "If you leave even a speck of dust on you, you''re sleeping in the bathroom tonight."

 Chapter 8: Chapter 8: The Tale of Theft from the Cherry Blossoms

    March 25, Saturday.Yan Yu climbed out of bed and calmly glanced at the alarm on his cellphone.

    On his reminder list were the words "Qiantang River Tide".

    He silently got dressed, ready to head out, when he suddenly heard Zhao Yuanzhen on the bed ask:

    "Today is Saturday, don''t you have to... you know, do homework?"

    Yan Yu was inwardly shocked. This Demonic Sect Enchantress had been here for only three days and now she even knew about "weekends off"! Smarter than many private company bosses!

    "Master asked me to go out for an errand," he said, putting on his shoes at the entrance without turning back.

    "Can I come with you?" Zhao Yuanzhen''s eyes lit up.

    "Aren''t you afraid of Mei Yingxue?" Yan Yu turned and asked with a smirk.

    Mentioning Mei Yingxue, Zhao Yuanzhen indeed wilted like a frostbitten eggplant, sulkily saying:

    "Then... then you must come back early."

    Yan Yu sneered, but didn''t expose the enchantress''s insincerity, and took the subway straight out.

    He was going to watch the tide on the Qiantang River. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    On the original timeline, that is on March 25 this year, something ridiculous happened:

    Two tourists from Chongying Country fell into the water while watching the tide on the Qiantang River and were saved by a local patrol organization after half an hour. Later, this incident was highlighted as a commendable case on the news program "2727 Silver Eye".

    It was only at the beginning of May, when a completely different tide on the Qiantang River revealed the submerged layer tower beneath, that the authorities realized that those two "Chongying tourists" were actually civilian onmyojis who had come from afar because they found some information in ancient texts and aimed to steal treasures from the Mysterious Realm.

    These people sneaked into the Mysterious Realm beneath the tides, took the treasures, and just as they surfaced and prepared to forcefully resist the approaching river patrols, they were mistaken for drowning foreign tourists and saved. They were taken to the hospital and received meticulous care, even their medical expenses were reimbursed through public funds... What can I say?

    Apart from "we have always been warm and hospitable to foreigners," there doesn''t seem to be anything else to say.

    If you ask Yan Yu for an opinion, these foreign visitors have come a long way to explore the underwater historical attractions, and you patrol on boats and rashly fish them out, that''s just impolite¡ªYou should have let them admire the underwater scenery as long as they wanted, consistent with our national tradition of warm hospitality!

    It''s up to me to uphold our international image!

    The carriage of Line 5 subway was packed, and Yan Yu, unable to find a seat, could only hold onto a handrail while skillfully pulling out his cellphone to read a novel.

    Change to Line 2, then to Line 9, followed by the intercity railway and finally bus Route 332, the journey taking nearly 3 hours. By the time he arrived at Haiping Tidal Viewing Park, it was already 12 p.m.

    In a nearby Xichuan ramen shop, he ordered a bowl of beef noodles for 18 yuan, topped with only a few beef slices thin as cicada wings. The chef''s knife skills were truly astonishing. When slicing the meat, it''s probable that the cow didn''t even feel it, and a patch could easily cover the cut.

    Yan Yu devoured the noodles in short order, feeling a blazing spirit of combat kindling in his heart.

    I spent a whole morning and even endured a frustrating lunch; if I don''t ensure you stay submerged and are treated generously, I''ll slap my own face three times when I get back!

    Upon reaching Tidal Viewing Park, Yan Yu leaned against the railing with arms folded, his eyes brimming with enthusiasm and hospitality, eying every passerby as if they were Chongying tourists.

    Still, his gaze couldn''t discern nationalities. Only around 1 p.m. did the tide of the Qiantang River begin to surge violently.

    Not far away, two Chongying tourists, wearing sun hats and carrying large backpacks, were also observing the mighty river tides and spoke to each other in whispers using Chongying Language:

    "Tanaka-san, how much longer do we have to wait?"

    "Don''t be impatient, Oishi-san. According to the records left by my ancestors, we must wait until the third quarter of the noon hour for the Qiantang tidal bore to split and reveal the submerged pagoda beneath."

    "Are you sure there''s no mistake in those records?"

    "Of course, these records have been passed down in my family for generations, and their written date can be traced back to the post-Nara period. It was precisely when a great many wokou were rampant in China, and my family even has celadon looted from China!"

    Tanaka Taichi stared at the surging tides and continued,

    "It''s said that during my ancestors'' last raid from the mouth of the Qiantang River at the third quarter of the noon hour, the waters suddenly parted, revealing the inverted pagoda within the tide, startling everyone into hurriedly turning their ships.

    It was only later discovered to be one of the twin pagodas specially constructed by the monks at the behest of the King of Wuyue, Qian Chu, to suppress the tides. ''The Liuhe Pagoda on land, the Liuhe Pagoda submerged beneath the tides''¡ªthis one beneath the waters is the very core of the formation suppressing the tides!"

    After a moment of silence, Oishi Mochio spoke,

    "The Age of Dharma Decline has continued to this day, and the Liuhe Pagoda by West Lake has long been empty. What makes you so sure, Tanaka-san, that the treasures in the submerged Liuhe Pagoda have not been pilfered by the ancients of Lu Country in advance?"

    "Even if someone had taken them beforehand, you and I would merely have wasted our time and effort, without any substantial loss," Tanaka Taichi was dismissive. "But if the treasures are still there, and considering that Lu Country is still unaware of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, you and I are very likely to get them past customs unnoticed and back to our country!

    Endless fame and fortune will naturally follow!"

    "...That''s true; in that case, I''ll take this gamble with you. May the great Amaterasu in the heavens bear witness and bestow good fortune upon me!"

    Oishi Mochio clapped his hands lightly three times and closed his eyes to call softly upon the name of Amaterasu.

    The third quarter of the noon hour arrived in a flash, and the Qiantang tide grew even more turbulent. The waters, white as a bolt of silk and bright as frosty snow, suddenly parted and scrubbed the banks on both sides, revealing the murky outline of a stone structure in the middle.

    Now''s the time! Their eyes gleamed as they quickly climbed over the railing. Under the terrified gazes of the surrounding tourists, they jumped into the water.

    Two hundred meters away, Yan Yu''s gaze sharply locked onto the two men.

    I''ve found you!

    He too vaulted the railing and plunged into the water.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Though the Spiritual Energy Resurgence was a global phenomenon, the order in which it occurred was not the same everywhere.

    According to retrospective research by future generations, it seems to be related to the memetic cognition of traditional culture¡ªin simple terms, the more intense the traditional historical and cultural atmosphere of a society, the more rapid the advent of Spiritual Energy Resurgence.

    In a certain sense, the Spiritual Energy Resurgence itself could be considered driven by idealism.

    Lu Country had actually been exposed to the concept of Spiritual Energy Resurgence quite early on, due to Mei Yingxue''s arrival, but for various reasons¡ªsuch as ''a big ship is hard to turn around,'' ''a child does not speak of wild and supernatural things,'' ''hope this isn''t another qigong fad,'' and so on¡ªthe response was actually half a beat too slow.

    The act of treasure-thieving by Chongying Country undoubtedly delivered a heavy blow to the still-confused upper echelons, akin to the attack on Pearl Harbor, swiftly silencing the voices of dissent.

    However, even if this incident held positive significance, Yan Yu had no intention of allowing it to happen.

    It was for a simple reason: the treasure concealed within the Liuhe Pagoda at the riverbed, used by the ancient King of Wuyue to suppress the Qiantang tides, was known as the "Tianhe Stabilizing Divine Heavy Iron," cast during the time of Yu the Great''s efforts in flood control.

    If this object were stolen by Chongying''s Onmyoji, within a few years, the ferocity of the Qiantang tides would rapidly increase. Not only would Haiping County bear the brunt of it, but the entire Jiangnan textile plain would be threatened, eventually forcing the construction of a large sea barrier to barely preserve the Jiangnan textile plain.

    Yan Yu rapidly descended through the water, his gaze fixed on the two figures struggling to swim toward the inverted tower, his face breaking into an enthusiastic smile.

    Our international friends, please hold your steps for a moment, and let me extend the hospitality of a host!

 Chapter 9: Chapter 9 Hosting International Friends

    "Tanaka-san, someone is following us.""Let''s take care of him after we enter the Mysterious Realm."

    ......

    Approaching the inverted tower, Yan Yu passed through the shimmering water membrane and steadily landed on the riverbed.

    This division of the tower within the Mysterious Realm had carved out a separate little paradise, complete with breathable air and normal gravity.

    Yan Yu looked forward again, but the two people had already disappeared without a trace.

    His gaze swiftly scanned the surroundings. Just once, and a rough map of the Mysterious Realm was immediately etched into his mind.

    The area around him was an under-river environment with few places to hide. Those two Onmyoji across from him must have sensed him following, so they entered the Mysterious Realm and rushed into the inverted tower before him.

    A cold smile filled Yan Yu''s mind as he activated the Shifting Technique.

    Let''s go!

    A hundred meters seemed to flicker by in an instant, and he had already reached the base of the inverted tower.

    The structure of the six-segment tower was top-heavy with its narrow end embedded in the soil, and the entrance was atop the broad tower cap.

    Yan Yu used the Shifting Technique to reach the base of the tower, then quickly switched to the Cloud Ascension Technique. With a few steps in the air, he ascended as if defying gravity.

    Soaring up into the emptiness, he climbed higher and higher!

    At the edge of the tower''s entrance, Oishi Mochio formed hand seals, his right eye now a bright red from the "Precognition Technique" of the Sakura Secrets, allowing him to see far as if it were near and to discern the finest details as if looking at fire. At that moment, he had Yan Yu firmly locked in his sights.

    "It''s Lu Country''s Thousand-Mile Movement Technique and Wind-Riding Cloud-Ascending Technique," he shouted with a trembling voice, his words tinged with barely concealed agitation. "Tanaka-san! The person coming is an authentic cultivator! Probably ex-military from Lu Country!"

    "Whether he''s military or not," Tanaka Taichi pulled out talisman papers from his waist and shouted fiercely, "as long as he dies here at the bottom of the river, who cares about his background!"

    "Go, Kamaitachi!"

    The talisman paper in his hand ignited without any wind and quickly transformed into a small white mouse. Wrapped in cutting wind, it descended from above, its claws gleaming like knife blades, aiming to kill Yan Yu who was using the Cloud Ascension Technique.

    Seeing the white mouse descending with killing intent, Yan Yu immediately understood.

    Ah, it''s a Pok¨¦mon player... no, an Onmyoji who summons shikigami.

    After the resurgence of spiritual energy, the Onmyoji of Sakura had many schools, among which "Shikigami Style" was known for being easy in the early stages but having a low ceiling later on.

    The reason was simple: once the shikigami being controlled died, the Onmyoji would lose a lot of their combat power.

    Yan Yu landed under the inverted eaves at the edge of the tower and pushed off again, disengaging the Cloud Ascension Technique in mid-air and quickly forming hand seals.

    "It''s the Flame Curse! Be careful!" Oishi Mochio, reading Yan Yu''s movements with the Precognition Technique, warned his companion loudly.

    The flames that rose out of thin air were perfectly placed in the path of the Kamaitachi, causing the white mouse, which had the instinctive fear of high temperatures of a wild beast, to forcibly halt its high-speed movement.

    Then, it suddenly exploded in the air, its blood and white fur showering down!

    "Impact Curse!" Oishi Mochio cried out in horror. "He used the light from the Flame Curse to hide his hand seals, secretly transitioning to the Impact Curse!"

    "Damn it!" Tanaka Taichi cursed angrily, "Can''t you report faster?"

    His Kamaitachi had been slain in a single encounter, which pained him deeply.

    But Oishi Mochio didn''t retort, his face pale and his heart already considering retreat. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Metal, Flame, Curved, Barrier, Impact¡ªthe Five Elemental True Character Curses were also recorded in his family''s historical documents.

    They were not difficult to use; the challenge was that the practitioner could only cast one spell at a time.

    Therefore, the key to showing the practitioner''s level of skill was how they combined these Five Spells into a coherent, effective combat strategy.

    The opponent''s combination attack began with the Fire Blazing Charm to deter the Kamaitachi.

    The instant the shikigami ceased its attack, the opponent stopped fueling the Flame Curse. Taking advantage of the moment the flames were about to disperse, he switched the flow of Qi in his body to the Metal-Element Impact Curse.

    The razor-sharp Metal Qi passed unseen through the fading flames. As the light from the fire died down, the Impact Curse shot through without colliding and negating the Flame Curse and struck the Kamaitachi before it had any chance to react, killing it outright!

    Behind this rapid flow of actions was perfect timing in the linkage between the moves.

    Not to mention, the enemy was still in a state of weightlessness, hovering in the air. How strong must one''s eyesight and reaction speed be to precisely blind-fire an Impact Curse and hit a Shikigami through the flames obstructing their vision?

    This person must certainly be a cultivator from the Lu Country military, and definitely one of the toughest elites around¡ªmaybe even a former air force pilot who had transferred to the military!

    Neither he nor Tanaka Taichi had undergone formal military training; they were just civilian Onmyoji from the Land of Cherry Blossoms. How could they contend with someone from the military?

    "Tanaka-san!" Seeing Tanaka Taichi still reaching for talisman paper, Oishi Mochio hurriedly spoke, "We should head down into the tower first, then ambush him!"

    After pondering for a moment, Tanaka Taichi replied, "Okay!"

    He didn''t possess Oishi Mochio''s "Precognition Technique" and hadn''t detected the subtlety between the enemy''s two consecutive moves. He just felt that since the enemy had been able to kill his Kamaitachi in a single encounter, the invader must be no ordinary foe. Naturally, it would be best to avoid a head-on confrontation.

    Yan Yu used the Wind-Riding Cloud-Ascending Technique, scaling the inverted eaves to the top of the multi-layered tower in quick bounds. Although he knew the two international friends had hidden inside, his steps did not halt as he swiftly entered through the doorway.

    His vision darkened momentarily as he suddenly moved from the outdoor brightness to the indoor gloom, not yet fully adjusted to the change when a low whooshing sound came from beside his ear.

    Another of Tanaka Taichi''s Shikigami, the fierce-faced, fanged "Yaksha Demon" wielding a sharp trident, was lying in wait in the shadows of the doorway. Seizing the moment Yan Yu stepped into the tower, it silently propelled itself from behind, aiming its trident viciously towards the back of his head.

    There was a ''ding'' as the trident abruptly halted inches from its target, no matter how the Yaksha Demon roared and snarled, it could not advance an inch further.

    Yan Yu merely extended two fingers, effortlessly blocking the sharp point of the trident.

    The surface of his fingers emitted a dull gray light, reminiscent of the rugged boulders deep within the mountains.

    Barrier Charm, a spell that renders its caster impervious to blades and unaffected by fire and water.

    Tanaka Taichi quickly drew three more talisman papers, pushing his True Yuan to its limit to activate them, ordering the Yaksha Demon to attack with all its might.

    He was well aware that although the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse was invincible, it also consumed a great amount of True Yuan, and the enemy could not maintain such an impervious state indefinitely.

    Oishi Mochio drew his kunai and rapidly executed the Shadow Escape Technique, transforming into an inconspicuous shadow that vanished from Yan Yu''s line of sight.

    ...The Shadow Escape Technique, this man is actually a ninja.

    Unperturbed, Yan Yu''s right hand suddenly turned into a claw, nimbly grasping the blunt side of the trident, while his left hand swiftly changed hand signs as quick as lightning.

    Curved Curse, giving the caster immense strength, as a pine tree cracking through rock.

    Under the immense power he had suddenly amplified, the Yaksha Demon stood no chance, and as Yan Yu pulled on the trident''s shaft, he executed an "over-the-shoulder throw" that sent the Yaksha Demon crashing directly into Oishi Mochio, who had approached unseen ready to launch a surprise attack.

    Tanaka Taichi, who was observing from a distance, was dumbstruck: Wasn''t the Shadow Escape Technique supposed to render one visually invisible?

    How could he detect Oishi Mochio''s position!

    The impact sent both the man and the Shikigami flying. Yan Yu''s right hand then formed into sword fingers again, and he thrust forward!

    A sharp Metal-Element force, like bullets, shot out, swiftly piercing through the bodies of the Yaksha Demon and Oishi Mochio.

    The former exploded into pieces instantly, while the latter, blood spurting from his chest, staggered backwards, his body immediately engulfed by flames.

    It was right after Yan Yu''s execution of the Impact Curse that he seamlessly transitioned to casting a Flame Curse.

    Fierce flames rose behind Oishi Mochio, and as the thrust from the Impact Curse threw him off balance, he retreated right into the range of the Flame Curse without any chance of evading.

    Oishi Mochio became a man on fire, struggling frantically in agony, crying out miserably as he rolled on the ground.

    Having lost two Shikigami in rapid succession, Tanaka Taichi finally realized the massive gap in strength between them and their opponent. Letting out a scream of utter terror, he abandoned his companion and ran desperately to the lower levels.

    He couldn''t stand a chance! How could he possibly stand a chance!

    The Five Elemental True Character Curse cannot be simultaneously cast¡ªthis is an ironclad rule!

    How could one possibly manage two different True Yuan pathways in one''s body at the same time?

    The seamless switch between "casting the Impact Curse," "interrupting the Impact Curse," and "casting the Flame Curse" proved to be like flowing clouds and water for Yan Yu.

    Taking into account the distinctly different True Yuan pathways for both curses, only someone who had practised the Five Elemental True Character Curse until it became as thoughtless as breathing could accomplish such seamless transitions.

    Against such an opponent, there was no chance at all!

    Tanaka Taichi was petrified, scrambling down several levels in a panic, only to feel a sharp pain in his back as his body was penetrated by the Impact Curse.

    Then his vision too was enveloped by rising flames.

 Chapter 10: Chapter 10: Self-Sealing

    After hastily dealing with the scene, Yan Yu finally emerged from the Mysterious Realm, surfacing from the water. Soon a patrol boat came over to confirm his identity.When they learned he was not one of the cherry blossom tourists who had fallen into the water, the patrollers seemed somewhat disappointed, but still they pulled him onto the boat and arranged for someone to take him to shore for care.

    Every year, there are accidents where tourists fall into the Qiantang River tide-watching area, so everyone is used to it.

    Seeing how dedicated the patrollers were, Yan Yu didn''t have the heart to tell them that the two international friends had already been laid to rest at the bottom of the Qiantang River, so as not to make them feel bad and blame themselves.

    Sigh, when can I change my gentle nature?

    Drenched like a drowned rat, Yan Yu retrieved his phone from a locker in a nearby supermarket and then silently boarded a bus, transferred to the subway, and then to another subway, completely ignoring the surprised looks of the other passengers.

    He returned to the residential complex, went upstairs, unlocked the door, and entered his home to find Zhao Yuanzhen had released her Invisibility Technique, clearly relieved to see him.

    "You''re finally back," she said with a smile that was trying to please, tentatively asking, "Was everything smooth on your trip?" S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Hmph," Yan Yu said, locking the door from the inside with a cold laugh, "What do you think?"

    He fumbled in his pocket for a moment, pulled out a silver-white stone the size of an egg, and casually tossed it to Zhao Yuanzhen.

    "What is this?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked, puzzled.

    "Tianhe Anchoring Divine Treasure Iron," Yan Yu replied.

    Zhao Yuanzhen''s hands shook, almost dropping the object, and she asked with a trembling voice:

    "Is this the Tianhe Anchoring Divine Treasure Iron that the ancient Yu the Great used for controlling water?"

    "Yes," Yan Yu nodded and said, "There were two petty characters plotting to get their hands on this thing. On the command of my esteemed master, I eliminated them, and I picked this up as spare material from the Mysterious Realm."

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ......

    Esteemed Master! Where did your disciple pick this up, can I also go for a stroll there?

    In the Cultivation World from which she hails, the Tianhe Anchoring Divine Treasure Iron is one of the rarest heavenly materials and earthly treasures.

    Most of them are used to suppress water veins and springs. If removed, they could trigger floods and thereby create extremely terrifying karmic backlashes, which is why everyone is somewhat reluctant to touch them.

    The very few that circulate among Cultivators are mainly "spare materials" left in some water vein Mysterious Realms, specifically preserved by the ancient Yu the Great for unforeseen needs¡ªthe likelihood of finding these are not high. Zhao Yuanzhen had never seen such items in marketplaces, likely because they skipped the public sale stage and were secretly purchased by prestigious sects.

    Gazing raptly at the divine iron in her hand, she heard Yan Yu asking:

    "Would this be enough to craft a golem each for us?"

    "Enough, more than enough!" Zhao Yuanzhen eagerly nodded, "This Tianhe Anchoring Divine Treasure Iron is a wondrous item, it can be as large or as small, as light or as heavy as we wish. Just two ounces used as the core of the golem''s intellect would grant it the mighty strength of a thousand jun, comparable to the might of a Body Cultivating Cultivator."

    "The excess Tianhe Anchoring Divine Treasure Iron can be fused into common iron using a secret method. This will fortify the golem''s skeleton against any water-based techniques..."

    "Enough!" Yan Yu finally couldn''t restrain himself and exclaimed, "You spendthrift woman! To use such heavenly materials for a golem, they ought to be paired with other heavenly materials, not mixed with your ordinary iron¡ªI can''t fathom what you were thinking. Don''t ever mention such foolishness again!"

    Zhao Yuanzhen was taken aback, struggling for words:

    "Where would we get enough heavenly materials to make a complete golem?"

    "Just because you can''t obtain them doesn''t mean I can''t," Yan Yu said, arms crossed and speaking arrogantly, "For now, use it as the core and make do with mortal materials for the other parts to finish the golem.

    "Once we have new heavenly materials, we can replace the mortal parts. As for this ''grind into powder and mix with common iron'', truly unthinkable¡ªlet''s not speak of this again!"

    Zhao Yuanzhen was also shocked¡ªsuch grandiose claims from this young thief!

    Even the Supreme Elders of the Qiansi Sect, who controlled golems, only had about ten percent of their golems'' materials that could be considered heavenly materials. Mostly, they were mixed with common substances to maximize strength.

    From what the young thief implied, it seemed he intended to create a golem made entirely of heavenly materials¡ªsuch audacity! How could his tongue not be twisted from such grand claims!

    Although she had the urge to mock a few words, thinking of the powerful master backing that little thief, she could only swallow her anger for the time being and silently noted in her heart:

    "Today, the little thief went searching for treasures to make my puppet and humiliated me by calling me a spendthrift. I''ll remember this grudge for now, and if the day comes when I rise to power, I''ll be sure to humiliate him in return, making him weep and wail with regret!"

    Uh, why does that sound a bit off...

    Never mind, the fact that he humiliated me still stands! If I don''t avenge this insult, my name isn''t Zhao!

    Seeing Zhao Yuanzhen''s changing expressions, Yan Yu knew all too well that she had started her "fickleness" again and said with a cold sneer:

    "What inappropriate thought are you entertaining now?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen was startled and quickly tried to sweet-talk her way out with a flattering smile,

    "You and I are partners in cultivation; we should support each other naturally. This time, you brought back divine iron from the Heavenly River for the foundation, I haven''t even had the chance to thank you yet, how could I possibly resent or hate you?"

    "I never said you resented or hated me, you just confessed without being pressed!" Yan Yu instantly became furious yet laughed instead, reaching out to grab both sides of Zhao Yuanzhen''s cheeks and roughly pinched them like putty, "What a Demonic Sect Enchantress that can''t be tamed!

    I bring you heavenly treasures, become your partner in cultivation, help you in dual cultivation, provide you shelter; which of the wealth, spouse, law, and land has ever been lacking for you? And you dare bear a grudge against me!"

    "No, no! I didn''t! I am wronged!" Zhao Yuanzhen, with her cheeks grabbed, could not speak clearly; she could only whimper and murmur indistinctly, pleading for mercy with tears in the corners of her eyes, her neck to earlobes all turning red.

    The skin of this Demonic Sect Enchantress felt really good to the touch¡ªso delicate it seemed it could break with a puff. Press just a bit harder and it would turn from white to red. This made Yan Yu, who initially had no intention of punishing her excessively, unable to resist pinching her a few more times.

    Zhao Yuanzhen finally broke free from his devilish clutches, feeling angry, resentful, and annoyed inside, but knowing that this guy could guess her thoughts, she did not dare to continue cursing him in her belly. She simply wiped away her tears vigorously, turned around, kicked off her slippers, and climbed into bed, burying herself under the covers.

    You bully me all you want because you have a master supporting you. I can''t handle you, but can''t I just hide away?

    Seeing Empress Yuanzhen choosing to withdraw, Yan Yu laughed heartily for a while before going to the bathroom to take a shower.

    After his shower, dressed in fresh clothes, he came out to find the TV on, with Zhao Yuanzhen huddled under the covers like a turtle, leaving only a small opening to sneakily watch the TV.

    When she saw the bathroom door open, she quickly zipped herself back into the covers with a whoosh and stayed hidden inside again.

    Self-sealing technique, Xuanwu Secret Method!

    Yan Yu was naturally not fooled by the enchantress''s little movements, for he knew all too well that Empress Yuanzhen was a bully to the weak and feared the strong, and was only pretending to be pitiful because she considered herself at a disadvantage.

    If she finds out the truth, this Demonic Sect Enchantress will surely bare her fangs, reveal her fierce nature, and not leave even a bone of her prey... In the end, act as weak and innocent as you want, the moment I feel soft-hearted, I''ll consider it my loss!

    Yan Yu turned off the TV, then sat on the bed and pulled out his phone, wanting to see if "the Cherry Blossom tourist who fell into the Qiantang River tide" made the news.

    He didn''t find any news, but someone sent him a friend request. The profile picture was a lively and cute cartoon puppy with the note "Chen Lingyun."

    Yan Yu''s eyebrows furrowed¡ªwhat was this annoying woman up to?

    He firmly tapped to decline.

    After a moment, a new friend request arrived.

    Decline!

    Decline, decline, decline!

    Yan Yu declined them all, but Chen Lingyun was persistent, sending him over twenty friend requests, enough to test his patience.

    Forget it, I''ll accept for now.

    [Chen Lingyun]: It''s really hard to add Yan Yu as a friend!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Sorry, I installed an anti-harassment plugin, it might have mistaken you for a tea seller and automatically declined the request.

    [Chen Lingyun]: Is there really such a plugin? Could you send me the installation package as well?

    On the other side of the phone, Chen Lingyun was laughing so hard that her whole body was shaking, and even her eyes curved into crescent moons.

 Chapter 11: Chapter 11 Major Reduction in Jianghai Prefecture

    Chen Lingyun was a person who craved amusement.Ever since she was born into this world, her senses had been naturally sharper than the average person, which made her crave happiness more than anyone else.

    But her memory and thinking abilities were also extremely strong, so much so that she often quickly mastered new content and subsequently lost all interest in it¡ªjust like a crossword puzzle that had been completely solved, a Rubik''s Cube completely restored, there was no fun left in it anymore.

    The same was true for her interpersonal relationships.

    Throughout her life, all the people she knew¡ªexactly 526 individuals¡ªshe could effortlessly remember their names, personalities, interests, and thought patterns in a very short time, eventually constructing detailed "personality portraits" and storing them in her brain''s "memory database."

    After that, these people became to her like math problems with all the answers filled in. She could predict how they would respond to any statement and how they would react to any situation; everything was within her expectations.

    Like chewed-up sugarcane pulp, utterly tasteless.

    "So, Yan Yu,"

    "If you really are my future husband, then you shouldn''t let me get bored too quickly, right?"

    In the rented room on the other side.

    Yan Yu lay on his bed, somewhat bored, while his phone screen lit up with Chen Lingyun relentlessly sending him a dozen messages.

    This damn woman... I don''t recall her being so troublesome in my past life.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What exactly do you want?

    [Chen Lingyun]: I want to know why you broke up with me in this life. Is it because I bullied you in the past life?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Bullied? Do you think you could manage that? In the past life, it was you who were bullied and played with until you cried and begged for mercy, and there was nothing you could do about me!

    [Chen Lingyun]: Heh.

    This damn woman! In an instant, Yan Yu''s fists clenched.

    [Chen Lingyun]: So, choosing to break up with me this time is due to feelings of guilt?

    Yan Yu tossed his phone aside, deciding to leave her hanging for a bit.

    [Chen Lingyun]: Hey, why aren''t you talking?

    [Chen Lingyun poked you]

    [Chen Lingyun]: If you don''t speak up, I''m going to come find you at your house, you know?

    [Chen Lingyun]: You seem to be a high school student who commutes from home, right? If that''s the case, then you must be renting a place near the school. Jiangnan high school requires commuting students to register their home address, and I guess you wouldn''t falsify that. So, if I just ask the head teacher, I could find out Yan Yu''s address.

    As he watched the phone screen on the desk constantly pop up with new messages, Yan Yu''s eyes twitched slightly. Begging the head teacher... I wouldn''t trust anyone else, but this damn woman really has the ability to weave a perfect lie to deceive adults.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I''m asking you one more time, what do you really want to do?

    [Chen Lingyun]: Things that interest me, I must figure out.

    [Chen Lingyun]: Yan Yu, I have many, many questions, and I would like to humbly learn from you~

    [Chen Lingyun]: If you''re free now, why don''t you come out for a walk with me?

    [Chen Lingyun has sent you a location]

    Yan Yu immediately felt a shudder because the location she sent was just outside the residential community, barely 700 meters away in a straight line from him.

    No, no, no, no, no, the complex I''m renting in is full of resettlement housing, which is particularly cheap, so there are naturally many tenants. She must just be guessing based on that... She wouldn''t really go to the head teacher and get my address, would she?

    ...Maybe I should move out.

    Yan Yu glanced again at Zhao Yuanzhen, who was wrapped up in the blankets, thinking that if this Demonic Sect Enchantress was found by that damn woman, then there really would be great amusement.

    Forget it, I''ll go out and deal with it for now.

    After advising the blanket-wrapped enchantress not to leave, Yan Yu changed his clothes and went downstairs, silently planning how to handle her.

    At the entrance of a milk tea shop just outside the community, he saw Chen Lingyun standing among other customers waiting for their orders, her beauty standing out as if she were a crane among chickens.

    She wore a grey pleated skirt and canvas shoes on her lower half, and a simple white shirt on her upper half. The collar and cuffs were embellished with delicate lace, and she had tied a simple bow with a ribbon beneath the collar¡ªjust as he remembered, that damn woman always liked little and exquisite things like lace, bows, and brooches.

    Her hair was tied in a refreshingly simple ponytail at the back of her head, and she had the sweet, adorable features unique to young girls. Paired with her practiced standard smile, she seemed like the quintessential "first love" heroine straight out of a campus romance drama. But only Yan Yu knew that beneath her pretty-girl exterior lay a soul as murky, scheming, and filthy as a small demon.

    "Hi!" Chen Lingyun quickly spotted Yan Yu''s arrival, greeting him with a beaming smile and a wave of her hand, "Been waiting for you for ages!" S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    In that instant, and perhaps it was just an illusion, Yan Yu felt a secretive wave of hatred from the surrounding male customers, almost as if they were saying, "Dare to possess such a treasure of this world? Kid, you better off yourself!"

    "What''s up?" he asked, slightly annoyed.

    "A bit bored." Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "Came to find you for some fun."

    Did you come "to find me for some fun," or "to make fun of me"? Did you think I wouldn''t know?

    Yan Yu asked impassively:

    "Today''s Saturday, how do you have time to hang out? Is your Olympiad class that chill?"

    Chen Lingyun maintained her graceful smile; although she did not answer, one could almost see a polite question mark floating above her head.

    "What did you order?" Yan Yu asked as he glanced at the milk tea shop''s signboard, changing the subject.

    "Guess," Chen Lingyun said playfully, "As my fianc¨¦, you should be able to guess my favorite flavor, right?"

    The jealousy and murderous intent around them seemed to grow thicker, and from somewhere came a "tch" sound, but when Yan Yu looked carefully, he couldn''t locate the source of the noise.

    "Heh," Yan Yu laughed coldly, "I bet you didn''t order anything at all."

    "Oh?" Chen Lingyun''s eyes widened as she asked, "Why?"

    "Because you like to stand on invincible ground," Yan Yu said disdainfully. "What you hate most is losing, even just a mere bet."

    "Hmm~" Chen Lingyun''s smile grew even more pleasant as she responded with curved eyebrows and eyes, "You''re wrong there. It''s not that I hate losing; I''m just used to putting in all my effort to strive for victory."

    "Heh," Yan Yu disdainfully snorted. What''s your real character? Do you think I have no clue?

    You might fool your dad, but you can''t fool me!

    "What would you like to drink?" Chen Lingyun tucked her hair behind her ear, "My treat."

    "Then I''ll have a Mango Pomelo Sago," Yan Yu replied unceremoniously and swiftly.

    "Oh, so you dislike surprises." Chen Lingyun nodded in acknowledgment.

    Yan Yu of course understood what she meant. There''s a dizzying variety of milk tea shop brands across the country, each with its signature beverages and unique flavors, but the taste of one particular drink was constant.

    That would be Mango Pomelo Sago.

    If you try unfamiliar drinks that you''ve never had before, they could be a delightful surprise or a disastrous letdown. But Mango Pomelo Sago always has that same unchanging taste, identical no matter where you order it from, so it''s perfect for customers who dislike unpleasant surprises with their drinks.

    "There''s also a chance," Yan Yu said earnestly, "that I simply don''t want you to know about my dietary preferences."

    "Nice, I like mystery," Chen Lingyun said as she gazed at him with a grin, "even if it''s a mystery intentionally maintained."

    She turned her head to the clerk and ordered:

    "Two Mango Pomelo Sagos, please."

    "Speaking of disliking uncertainty, it''s really you who has that trait," Yan Yu couldn''t help but retort, "You like to have everything clear and accounted for, despising any uncontrollable factors that fall outside of your plans."

    "I didn''t say I wasn''t," Chen Lingyun laughed cheerfully, "And it''s precisely because of that, we''re such a good match, aren''t we?"

    Suddenly, a "bang" came from nearby, and a male customer''s milk tea had inexplicably burst in his hand.

    He disposed of the milk tea into the trash can beside him emotionlessly, then began to wipe his right hand with a napkin with the precision of an assassin cleaning his weapon.

    Yan Yu: ......

    There was a pervasive feeling that staying here any longer might actually result in getting beaten up. Are men these days so easily beguiled by beauty? What about the ever-declining marriage rates?

    Chen Lingyun, having received her Mango Pomelo Sago from the clerk, handed one to Yan Yu with composure, suggesting:

    "Shall we take a walk in the nearby wetland park?"

 Chapter 12: Chapter 12 This Isnt a Date at All

    Going out with a beautiful girl, many would definitely claim "this is a date".But what if this beauty is Chen Lingyun?

    Based on Yan Yu''s understanding of her, this was definitely not any kind of date.

    Even from Chen Lingyun''s perspective, it might even be more akin to walking a dog¡­ He remembered in a past life, during a post-dinner stroll, this terrible woman indeed mentioned offhandedly, "If you leave me behind again, I''ll have to tie a leash around you".

    Thinking of this, Yan Yu''s fists clenched once more.

    A gentleman''s revenge is not too late, even after ages!

    "What are you thinking about?" Chen Lingyun suddenly asked.

    "Thinking about how to bully you," Yan Yu glanced at her sideways.

    Any other girl would have taken offense at those words, but Chen Lingyun was obviously not normal. In fact, the less Yan Yu played by the rules, the more she found it amusing. She smiled and asked:

    "In our past life as husband and wife, did we also often bicker like this?"

    "Bicker?" Yan Yu scoffed, "You think too highly of yourself. In the past life, you were constantly mocked and ridiculed by me, without a chance to retort."

    "Hehe," Chen Lingyun''s smile remained unchanged.

    Not having a chance to retort, with her personality, was absolutely impossible. He must be lying.

    Tying together his unexplained hostility towards her, a reasonable speculation would be: in the past life after their marriage, she must have bullied him to the point where he couldn''t fight back, hence in this life, he harbored thoughts of leaving her completely.

    Thinking of escaping? Hmph!

    Suppressing her hidden thoughts, Chen Lingyun took a big drink of the mango coconut sago dessert, and looking at the distant lake and trees, she suddenly asked:

    "Yan Yu, do you think... there are immortals in this world?"

    This question was so abrupt that Yan Yu almost immediately realized what she was probing:

    If Chen Lingyun knew about the existence of cultivators, it meant that the military had already completed the selection of the first batch of potential cultivators and had begun training.

    At this point in time, there was absolutely no experience in how to train cultivators, resulting in nearly a hundred different theoretical training programs.

    Some were designed according to Mei Yingxue''s descriptions, such as "sitting in meditation in famous mountains and rivers, absorbing spiritual energy" or "collecting materials, refining elixir medicine and consuming it".

    Of course, there were also projects proposed by scholars from technical sciences, like "trying to enrich spiritual energy, creating environments with high concentrations of spiritual energy in small areas" or "preparing drugs that promote the absorption of spiritual energy".

    Lu Country, when faced with decisions that affected the nation''s fate, always went all out. They swiftly chose "I want them all" ¡ª arranging for judgment and experimentation on all proposals.

    As long as one of these paths proved successful, it wouldn''t be a loss!

    And such large-scale scientific experiments, involving massive manpower, funds, and equipment, naturally couldn''t be kept completely confidential. Given Chen Lingyun''s family background, it wasn''t strange for her to know this.

    Seeing Yan Yu deep in thought without answering, Chen Lingyun made a preliminary judgment. As if speaking to herself, she asked nonchalantly:

    "Cultivation, immortality... Can life really be endless?"

    "What if it is?" Yan Yu suddenly countered.

    "If that''s the case, it would be quite interesting," Chen Lingyun said with a light smile.

    "It would be interesting," Yan Yu sighed faintly, "and also very terrifying."

    Chen Lingyun fell silent for a moment, then said cheerfully:

    "Yes, it would also be terrifying."

    But looking at her sweetly smiling face, there wasn''t a trace of fear or dread.

    Yan Yu sighed inwardly again, pondered for a moment, and decided to reveal some secrets to her, then he called out:

    "Chen Lingyun."

    "What is it?"

    "I don''t like your elitist ideology."

    "Really?" Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile, "I understand now."

    "Including how I just started speaking and you''ve already totally grasped everything I was about to say." Yan Yu spoke seriously, "I really despise that."

    "Eh?" Chen Lingyun crossed her left arm over her chest, resting her elbow in her hand, her right index finger against her cheek, showing an adorable look of confusion, "I thought it was a rapport we had cultivated as a couple in our past life."

    "We were not a couple in our past life." Yan Yu sighed and denied, "What I said before was to trick you. With so many disagreements between us, how could we possibly end up together?"

    "Is this a new game?" Chen Lingyun blinked, laughing, "Before you were saying we were a couple, now you''re outright denying it. Are you trying to enjoy seeing me confused and distressed as you toy with me?"

    "No." Yan Yu shook his head once more, "You must have noticed, right? I actually don''t have any feelings for you."

    "Hmm, your acting is not bad." Chen Lingyun''s smile did not change, "Do you still remember that secret you shared with me before? The one about me caring for a stray cat when I was little."

    "What about that secret?" Yan Yu suddenly had a bad feeling.

    "You could use the advantage of informational asymmetry to fabricate all sorts of lies, and indeed, I can''t always tell." Chen Lingyun spoke slowly, her smile seeming a few degrees more sincere, "But there''s one thing I am one hundred percent certain of."

    She tiptoed closer to Yan Yu''s ear and whispered,

    "About that secret with the cat, I would only tell it to... the person with whom I''m willing to bare my heart, with nothing hidden."

    Yan Yu''s expression froze on his face.

    This damned sweetness!

    Chen Lingyun stood back up straight, her face radiant with a brilliant smile, and said gently,

    "So, don''t think about fooling me in that regard, okay?"

    "Dear."

    Time seemed to have passed as long as a century until Yan Yu finally collected his thoughts and said again,

    "People change."

    Don''t try to seduce me, vile woman!

    "But I won''t." Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "At least not about this matter."

    "When you told me that secret in our past life, we weren''t even boyfriend and girlfriend." Yan Yu emphasized again, with a contemptuous sneer, "Peoples'' hearts change with different experiences. How can you use your current mindset to assume the thoughts of your past self? Isn''t that laughable?"

    "Then how can you use your mindset to judge what the past me was thinking?" Chen Lingyun continued to smile, "Or do you believe you understand Chen Lingyun better than I do?"

    "We really didn''t have any romantic relationship back then!" Realizing he might have taken his ruse too far, Yan Yu continued to explain, "At the very least, you should have some idea about your current standards for choosing a partner, right? Could you really like the present me?"

    "I really like the current you, Yan Yu," Chen Lingyun smiled even more sweetly.

    "Are you confessing?" Yan Yu feigned great shock.

    "Not at all." Chen Lingyun spoke cheerfully, "So you can''t refuse~"

    Yan Yu fell silent again.

    This persistent, annoying demeanor, it''s exactly the same as in the past life, so she was already like this in high school.

    He frowned and spoke in a deep voice,

    "Chen Lingyun, I''m not joking with you. You should also be clear that what you call ''liking'' me is not romantic love between a man and a woman."

    "Then what is love?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, "And who has the authority to define it?"

    "Sophistry!" Yan Yu immediately seized the loophole in her words, his voice firm, "You don''t deny my claim, but instead quibble over the definition of love, which shows you are also clear about the nature of your ''liking'' for me! It''s not a woman''s admiration for a man but a manipulative person''s abnormal possessiveness over a toy!"

    "I''m not trying to twist logic, but to express an attitude," Chen Lingyun toned down her smile and spoke calmly, "I don''t care what true love is supposed to be."

    "I''ve told you before, haven''t I? When I''m interested in something, I must figure it out; when I''m interested in someone, I won''t let go easily either." sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "If in this lifetime, you want to escape from my side... huh, just go ahead and try."

 Chapter 13: Chapter 13 Empress Yuanzhen Stays at Home

    Chen Lingyun''s attitude, upon careful consideration, seemed surprisingly unexpected yet befitting of reason.Unexpected in that Yan Yu had not anticipated such a strong fixation from her upon their first encounter;

    Within reason, however, was that this fixation was not love but rather a musician''s longing for music.

    Put simply, it was like a child who had been bored for a long time suddenly finding an extremely interesting toy¡­

    As a result, the plan had to be adjusted accordingly.

    Chen Lingyun, who had a strong interest in him, essentially was a double-edged sword. If handled properly, there was potential to bring her abilities into play.

    Not to mention, at the very least, the issue with Zhao Yuanzhen''s overt identity might now fall on her to resolve.

    Upon returning home, Yan Yu saw Zhao Yuanzhen sitting on the sofa in meditation, her previous mood seemingly fully recovered.

    True to the Demonic Sect Enchantress she was, such a flexible and adaptable attitude was truly remarkable and worth learning from.

    Yan Yu sat down beside her and took out his phone, muttering to himself:

    "What to eat for lunch?"

    "Let''s have chicken hotpot," Zhao Yuanzhen replied, "and please add some enoki mushrooms, thank you."

    "I wasn''t asking you!" Yan Yu''s brow instantly knitted, and he chided, "You''re a cultivator who has undergone fasting, what are you doing eating chicken hotpot!"

    "Fasting means not feeling hunger, not that one won''t have cravings," Zhao Yuanzhen immediately scooted closer, hugging his right arm, and cajoled with a smile, "Since we''re both cultivators in a union, you might as well indulge these harmless little requests of mine."

    Yan Yu: ...

    Scary, it''s been only a week since this Demonic Sect Enchantress arrived, and not only has she already learned the common takeout menus by heart, but she''s also adept at using her charms to cajole, deceive, and bewilder someone as experienced as myself!

    "We''re not having chicken hotpot today, we''re eating braised chicken," Yan Yu declared with authority.

    "Eh!" Zhao Yuanzhen let out a disappointed cry, "Didn''t we just have that the night before last?"

    "Less talk, take it or leave it!" Yan Yu interrupted her impatiently.

    Let you know who''s calling the shots here!

    Zhao Yuanzhen internally cursed, and once again noted in her mind:

    "Today this scoundrel won''t let me have chicken hot pot, insisting on braised chicken, I''ll remember this grudge. When my turn comes to rule, I''ll make sure he eats braised chicken meal after meal until he''s sick of it!"

    Seeing her turn her head to snicker, Yan Yu could easily guess what she was thinking¡ªshe was definitely fantasizing about how to get her revenge. So he coldly asked:

    "You don''t want to eat the braised chicken, do you?"

    "Ah? No, braised chicken is fine too¡­" Zhao Yuanzhen replied perfunctorily.

    "If you don''t want to eat, you don''t have to force yourself. I can handle it alone," Yan Yu continued with a smile, "You just go on with your fasting." S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "How can we, as cultivators in a union, eat separately?" Zhao Yuanzhen argued in panic, seeing that he seemed genuinely unwilling to share with her, "There''s a saying that goes, ''To marry a chicken, follow the chicken; to marry a dog, follow the dog.'' Whatever you eat, of course, I should eat too!"

    "Yuanzhen," Yan Yu narrowed his eyes and asked, "''Cultivators in a union'' refers to partners who cultivate together, right? It has nothing to do with a worldly marriage, does it? Where does this ''to marry a chicken, follow the chicken; to marry a dog, follow the dog'' come from?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen''s eyes suddenly widened, much like Qin Xianglian seeing the unacknowledging Chen Shimei, and she hurriedly said:

    "Our Dual Cultivation Method includes chapters on bedroom techniques! If that doesn''t count as a marital relationship, wouldn''t I have been fooled by you¡­"

    "Stop right there!" Yan Yu quickly cut her off when he saw her about to speak indecent words, "First, let me ask you, do you still have your ''yuan yin''?"

    "...Yes."

    "Without having exchanged the rites of Zhou, how could it be considered a marital relationship?" Yan Yu said sharply, "A mere virgin posing as a married woman, isn''t that absurd?"

    "But since our Dual Cultivation Method has been achieved, we are destined to exchange¡­"

    "Can a child bride even count as a wife?!"

    Zhao Yuanzhen almost didn''t catch her breath at his words, and simply flopped down onto the sofa, using a cushion to cover her face, adopting an "I won''t deal with you anymore" attitude, while secretly holding a grudge in her heart, thinking:

    "... Today, this scoundrel mocked my virginity, laughed at me for being a child bride, this is an utter humiliation! If one day, I get to practice the techniques of the bedroom, I will make him kneel by the bed begging for mercy, regretting his actions!"

    Yan Yu tried to snatch the cushion away, but after a few tugs realized he couldn''t get it, and simply left her to act like a sullen hamster.

    Another hour passed, and the takeaway finally arrived.

    Yan Yu placed the stewed chicken on the coffee table, lifting the lid to let the aroma waft freely, and deliberately said:

    "Ah, the takeaway has arrived, it smells so good!"

    Zhao Yuanzhen, lying on the sofa, twisted her body slightly, seemingly hesitating about how to respond.

    "Oh, this piece of chicken is so fragrant, so delicious!" Yan Yu exaggeratedly exclaimed, "I can''t finish it by myself, what should I do? Perhaps give it to the stray dogs outside..."

    "How could beasts be worthy of human food!" Zhao Yuanzhen immediately sprang up from the sofa, snatching the disposable bamboo chopsticks on the table, "Rather than wasting it in the belly of beasts, better to sacrifice it to the temple of my own organs!"

    "Didn''t you say you only wanted to eat chicken pot?" Yan Yu reached out to protect the food.

    "I said from the start that I wanted to eat stewed chicken." Zhao Yuanzhen shamelessly retorted, "What trash is chicken pot? Never heard of such a thing."

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress moved her chopsticks like the wind, quickly picking out a few pieces of chicken leg and stuffing them into her mouth, chewing anxiously while keeping a nervous eye on Yan Yu¡ªfearing he would reach over and snatch the meat.

    Yan Yu was slightly bewildered: Treating a few pieces of chicken leg as treasures, where was the empowering Empress Yuanzhen of the past life?

    You''re acting more like a food-guarding dog!

    Of course, it definitely wasn''t an issue with my teaching methods.

    If one thinks about it carefully, it''s highly likely that she''s deliberately pretending to be this kind of food-guarding, gluttonous girl, aiming to deceive and paralyze me.

    Hmph, as expected of the sly and cunning Empress Yuanzhen! Such a crude trick, how could it possibly fool my keen eyes?

    Yan Yu, having seen through her scheming, couldn''t help but show a contemptuous sneer in his heart.

    ............

    Wuwuwu, the stewed chicken is so delicious!

    Sitting beside Yan Yu, the scheming and crafty Zhao Yuanzhen was, at this moment, filled only with pure satisfaction.

    After finishing dinner, Yan Yu instructed Zhao Yuanzhen to tidy up the plastic bags, wipe down the table, and gather the trash to put by the door.

    The enchantress of the Demonic Sect seemed to have adapted well to her new role, working efficiently and without showing too much displeasure.

    Had it been the day she first arrived, she would have certainly needed to suppress her rage, make concessions, swallow her pride, endure the hardship... Asking her to do some house chores would have been like trampling on her dignity.

    "All done!" Zhao Yuanzhen, having dealt with the trash, collapsed shapelessly onto the sofa, propping her head lazily with her right hand and grabbing the remote with her left to turn on the TV, giggling to herself, "Perfect timing, it''s just the start of ''The Wife''s Lies''."

    Yan Yu was rendered somewhat speechless by her; didn''t only 40+ full-time housewives enjoy this kind of drama filled with domestic trivialities?

    Wait a minute, she lives her days at home, and her growing environment seems not that different from a full-time housewife''s.

    Although my goal is to prevent her from becoming the unpredictable and twisted Empress Yuanzhen of her previous life, if she ends up turning into a full-time housewife who only does chores and giggles at the TV, isn''t that also a "cultivation failure"?

    In some ways, it might be better to let her be the Empress than a full-time housewife!

    We still need to see when the outside world will loosen the hunt for Zhao Yuanzhen, then take this enchantress out for a walk. It''s indeed easy for one''s character to develop problems if always cooped up at home.

    Since Zhao Yuanzhen hasn''t caused a massacre this life, and the situation out there has changed, memory alone can''t be relied upon as a standard... Looks like I''ll have to seek out that useless woman to feel out the situation, get her to resolve the enchantress''s identity issue.

    Put yourself to use, lazy Ling Yun!

 Chapter 14: Chapter 14: Beg Me

    School, along the corridor."So Zhao Yuanzhen actually exists." Chen Lingyun thought aloud.

    "What, even the higher-ups aren''t sure if Zhao Yuanzhen exists now?" Yan Yu couldn''t help but chuckle and ask.

    "It''s said that the surveillance footage only captured her chasing a wisp of black mist." Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "So the possibility that she staged the whole thing can''t be ruled out."

    "After all ''when the birds are gone, the bow is put away''. If there is such a figure as the Demonic Sect Enchantress, then her role as an Orthodox Sword Immortal becomes crucial. It sounds like a reasonable logic, doesn''t it? Yet until today, that Demonic Sect Enchantress only exists in her descriptions, without any concrete evidence to back it up.

    Even her claim that the Demonic Sect Enchantress ''will definitely go on a killing spree and silence others while escaping pursuit'' did not happen."

    "In that case, it''s natural for people to think she''s ''bluffing'', ''fabricating non-existent enemies to elevate her own value.'' As for when the major search will be thoroughly relaxed, I estimate it will be around mid-April, since the grassroots are not inexhaustible like the mythical beasts Ox and Horse, we couldn''t whip them to keep striving for an intangible target forever, right?"

    "I see." Yan Yu pondered for a while, and then heard Chen Lingyun continue:

    "So when can I arrange a meeting with this Demonic Sect cultivator?"

    "It''s not convenient right now," Yan Yu said perfunctorily, "Next time, for sure."

    "Hmm-hmm." Chen Lingyun was not annoyed, just smiled and said, "The reason you came to me for help is to enable her to go out normally, right?"

    "You should know that it''s extremely troublesome to apply for an identification for someone with no ID card, no household registration, no birth certificate..."

    "But for you, it should only take a word." Yan Yu interrupted her slow speech, "When it comes to issuing IDs for people with no identification, local law enforcement has significant discretionary power."

    "Maybe." Chen Lingyun was noncommittal, "Even if I can help you out, why must I do it for you?"

    "Because we were husband and wife in our past lives?" Yan Yu ventured to ask.

    "Last time someone clarified that it wasn''t the case." Chen Lingyun said with a light smile.

    "That was to test the rapport between you and me!" Yan Yu shamelessly exclaimed, "If you had even the slightest doubt or hesitation at the time, it would have proven that you in this life are not worthy of being with me. It was a necessary test of affection!" S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Haha." Chen Lingyun gave a polite smile, casually tucking her hair behind her ear.

    She didn''t believe a word of Yan Yu''s explanations and reasoning.

    According to the "personality sketch" in her mind, her so-called husband from her past life was the type who would do anything to achieve his goals, without the common male pride and dignity.

    When needed, it would be "dear, sweet wife," but when not, he''d instantly turn into "Who are you? I don''t know you," a predictable outcome.

    However...

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress, huh? Now that''s interesting!

    "Take me to see her," Chen Lingyun said leisurely, "or no deal."

    "For the sake of our marriage..." Yan Yu still wanted to try, after all, letting this woman meet the Empress Yuanzhen could result in some uncontrollable accidents.

    "What marriage, I don''t know about that." Chen Lingyun touched her lips and looked up at the sky, a puzzled expression on her face, "According to the family registry, I''m a pure and unmarried maiden~"

    "Fine then," Yan Yu made a decisive concession, realizing this woman wouldn''t take the bait unless the hare was on the table, "I''ll take you to see her, okay?"

    "Don''t worry, dear." Chen Lingyun immediately smiled sweetly, saying at a relaxed pace, "The issue with her identity, I''ll have someone arrange it, you don''t need to worry about it."

    Yan Yu no longer had the energy to mock this worthless woman, just sighed and said:

    "Once you''ve sorted it out, I''ll find time to arrange for you two to meet..."

    "I''m free tonight~" Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    "Tonight''s not good, I need to..."

    "I just happen to be free tonight~" Chen Lingyun continued to smile sweetly.

    Yan Yu: ...........

    Such an annoying feeling! Why do I still have to be manipulated by this trashy woman even after being reborn!

    "Beg me," he suddenly said.

    "Hmm?" Chen Lingyun''s smile remained unchanged, but her eyebrows rose slightly, indicating some displeasure in her heart.

    "Beg me," Yan Yu said with a confident expression, calmly continuing, "and I will tell you a big secret."

    "What secret?" Chen Lingyun''s eyes lit up.

    "A secret that will definitely interest you," Yan Yu said indifferently, "provided that you can move me."

    Chen Lingyun''s mind raced, quickly guessing that the other party was dissatisfied because she had a hold over him, and now sought to exchange that secret for some compensation in dignity.

    As for that, she actually didn''t care.

    After all, that he could become her husband in a previous life meant he must have been deeply compatible with her in certain aspects. And the art of managing a husband was like flying a kite; constantly pulling the string would only make the other person tense all the time, eventually leading to thoughts of slipping from her control.

    In that case...

    Once Chen Lingyun had weighed her thoughts, she gently took Yan Yu''s hand, and her smile turned sweet and charming as she pleaded coquettishly:

    "Dear beloved husband~ What is that interesting secret? Please tell your cute little one~ Please, please~"

    "Pfft hahahaha!" Yan Yu could not help but burst into laughter, doubling over.

    The two were standing at the end of a corridor where there were few students, but his laughter was so exaggerated that students from afar were drawn to the noise.

    Chen Lingyun''s expression darkened as she forcefully let go of his hand, the smile on her face completely gone, replaced by a cold, angry look.

    However, Yan Yu was already satisfied. Knowing that this despicable woman would become a cultivator in the future and that her arrogance and contemptibility would soar, she was privately nicknamed "Princess Jiang Hai," a jibe at her imperious demeanor.

    To make her act coy like a little woman, only this moment in time would do.

    "The secret is, at the mouth of the Qiantang River where it flows into the sea, at the location of the Sea-Watching Tide Park, there''s a mysterious realm with an inverted six-tiered tower at its bottom," Yan Yu said in a lowered voice, "This tower was built by a great figure at the request of the Wuyue King Qian Chu during the Five Dynasties period, to suppress the tides of the Qiantang River.

    The divine treasure iron at the bottom of the tower, the Heavenly River Anchor, is the core of the realm, with the power to suppress the sea tides and keep the sea level from rising."

    "Some time ago, two Japanese Onmyoji dived into the tidal waters, intending to steal the Heavenly River Anchor from within."

    Chen Lingyun fell silent for a moment, then said:

    "You stopped them?"

    "A mysterious guest stopped them," Yan Yu said leisurely, "The bodies were left at the top of the tower."

    "Oh, so you really did make a great contribution," Chen Lingyun said in a low voice.

    Her face had lost its polite smile, clearly recognizing the gravity of the situation.

    From Yan Yu''s description, the Qiantang River Tide-Suppressing Tower seemed akin to the "Three Gorges Dam" of the northern Jiangnan Province, and if the Heavenly River Anchor were stolen, it would be as if someone had blown up this dam ¨C the Jiangnan weaving plain would be submerged... This was a matter of life and death!

    "What are you talking about?" Yan Yu shook his head, "It was the mysterious guest who stopped them. I have no idea who he is."

    Chen Lingyun let out a cold laugh, knowing he wanted to hide his identity, and said:

    "If what you''re saying is true, this matter cannot be easily settled. That stretch of river and the nearby embankments will definitely be designated as military no-go zones. And just like the Onmyoji, the mysterious guest has been inside the realm... You understand, right? His identity will definitely be subjected to thorough investigation, and that''s the biggest uncontrollable factor."

    "So, if someone went in ahead of time, cleaned up the scene, and claimed those two bodies," Yan Yu was quite calm, "then the authorities would realize the threat of foreign Transcendents, be sufficiently vigilant, and yet not discover any trace of the mysterious guest."

    "Then cooperation from the Zhendong Army would be needed," Chen Lingyun paused, considering her words.

    "Yes, if there are trustworthy personnel within the Zhendong Army, the matter could easily be resolved," Yan Yu said, a meaningful smile spreading across his face.

    "I''ll try," Chen Lingyun replied.

    She said "I''ll try" rather than "leave it to me," which meant that she would need to seek assistance from her father, the Governor of Jianghai Prefecture, Chen Tianming.

    A high-ranking official with enough pull within the Zhendong Army, the only difficulty lay in convincing this Governor.

    But given Chen Lingyun''s intelligence and eloquence, Yan Yu had no doubts about her success.

 Chapter 15: Chapter 15 The Scumbag Girl and the Homebody Girl

    ```A consensus on handling the Mysterious Realm of the Qiantang River was reached, and Miss Chen Lingyun had already asked for a "kiss from her dear husband," Yan Yu felt quite satisfied with that. So now, there was only one thing left:

    Meeting Zhao Yuanzhen.

    In fact, this wasn''t entirely because of Chen Lingyun''s playful mood... If she had to be honest, curiosity was probably about ninety percent of her motivation, with the remaining ten percent being to ensure that there were no uncertainties.

    After all, Zhao Yuanzhen herself was the biggest uncertainty. If this woman was a "ditz," "clueless about things," Chen Lingyun would still help her secure an identity but would advise Yan Yu not to let her out, to avoid any unnecessary trouble.

    But if the woman was very smart, cunning almost to the point of being demonic, then Chen Lingyun would be pleased (for she would have a new toy to play with), and of course, she would start taking precautions early on.

    After all, Yan Yu was currently in a de facto cohabitation situation with the other party, and if he was conned into an affair, she would, of course, find it quite troublesome.

    Walking home together, Yan Yu glanced at the passing traffic on the roadside and suddenly asked,

    "What do you feel like eating tonight?"

    "You decide~," Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    The response sounded like that of a gentle girl, but in reality, it was not at all the case. Knowing Chen Lingyun as he did, Yan Yu interpreted her words to mean, "Since you were my husband in a past life, you should know what I like to eat."

    "Then let''s have noodles," Yan Yu sighed, "clear soup noodles with a poached egg and some shepherd''s purse."

    Chen Lingyun didn''t speak, but her smile grew even sweeter.

    She loved eating shepherd''s purse that had just sprouted in the spring; the only ones who knew this were her parents and the auntie who cooked at her house.

    Now there was one more person who knew.

    Happy~

    "So, what do Zhao Yuanzhen''s looks and figure like?" Chen Lingyun suddenly asked.

    "Won''t you know once we''re back?" Yan Yu offhandedly replied.

    "Hmm?" Chen Lingyun elongated the sound.

    An "Hmm¡ª" with a smile was her way of expressing dissatisfaction. As for the source of her dissatisfaction, it was probably because she wanted to test the Demonic Sect Enchantress''s standing in her eyes by asking about Zhao Yuanzhen''s looks and figure, and she was unhappy that he failed to catch on to this...

    Ah, this is annoying! Why do I have to have this kind of understanding with you! Also, isn''t your possessiveness a bit too much?!

    Recalling the "trashy princess" Chen Lingyun from his previous life¡ªwho was not his girlfriend but insisted on entangling him with various means¡ªYan Yu''s fists involuntarily clenched harder.

    "Well, despite some flaws in her personality, that Demonic Sect Enchantress really has nothing to complain about regarding her looks and figure," he said seriously, as if appraising something. "Her features are delicate and refined, the epitome of the current mainstream aesthetic of ''pale, skinny, and young''; as for her figure, I guess it''s probably 95-50-90, with nothing to pick on..."

    Chen Lingyun listened in silence, her delicate eyebrows raising slightly as she couldn''t help but speak with a tone of disdain,

    "You''re so nauseatingly infatuated."

    There it was, she was getting impatient! Hahaha!

    As soon as Yan Yu heard her curse in Jiang Hai dialect, he knew that she was somewhat upset, and he was filled with a sense of vengeful pleasure. To prevent Chen Lingyun from noticing, he turned his head to chuckle secretly.

    But of course, such a movement couldn''t escape Chen Lingyun, who was close at hand. After a quick thought, she realized that he was deliberately annoying her.

    However, more than the embarrassment, what she really cared about was something else:

    When was the last time she had lost control of her emotions like this?

    ```

    Ever since she was a child, Chen Lingyun had always been the epitome of an elegant young lady. Even when she was in kindergarten, she was the one child who never cried or fussed.

    As for elementary, middle, and high school, she was adored by her classmates, so perfect that many felt ashamed of themselves just by standing beside her¡ªof course, it was also a fact that her family background played a role in this.

    Apart from the stray cat incident, who could stir even the slightest ripple in her heart?

    In hindsight, my decision in my previous life to spend the rest of my life with him was even more justified.

    Oh dear, oh dear, I suddenly have this annoying husband, what should I do about it?

    Should I train him first, or should I play with him first?

    Chen Lingyun placed a hand on her cheek and smiled shyly, while Yan Yu, seeing her in such a girlish pose, guessed that she was starting to act coquettish and sneered to himself viciously.

    Worthless woman, the advantage your family background brings in terms of power will become less and less significant as spiritual energy has fully revived.

    When we both become cultivators, we''ll have a proper showdown and see who ends up on top!

    Upon returning home, he saw Zhao Yuanzhen lying on the couch, lazily eating a bag of opened chips, her eyes glued to the TV, as she said:

    "You''re back? We''re out of chips at home, I want cucumber-flavored ones... Who is she?!!"

    The moment she saw the face of a stranger, the alarm bells went off in the Demonic Sect Enchantress'' mind, and she leapt off the couch, quickly forming hand seals.

    "My classmate," Yan Yu said indifferently.

    This indifferent face was intended not only for homebody Zhao Yuanzhen but also for the worthless Chen Lingyun.

    "Hello," Chen Lingyun said with a smile. "I''m a friend of Yan Yu, my name is Chen Lingyun." sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Zhao Yuanzhen maintained her hand seals, eyes warily on Yan Yu, and when she didn''t get any "attack now" signals from him, she quietly pulled her hands back into her sleeves, lifted her chin proudly, and said:

    "Qiansi Sect''s Zhao Yuanzhen, you may address me as ''Mi Zhen Xianzi''."

    "Pleased to meet you, Mi Zhen Xianzi." Chen Lingyun''s smile grew even sweeter, prompting Yan Yu to instantly realize that this woman was starting her antics, "You''re an old friend of the Rainbow Sword Immortal, Mei Yingxue, aren''t you? She seems to have been looking for you lately."

    Upon hearing the title of Rainbow Sword Immortal, Mei Yingxue, Zhao Yuanzhen shuddered, her gaze unintentionally drifting towards the window sill, but she quickly pulled it back and said forcefully:

    "Is that so? I was actually looking to find her, to properly recount our past grudges and affections."

    "That''s great," said Chen Lingyun with a full-faced smile, clapping her hands together, "I''ll give her a call right away. Seeing an old friend after such a long time, she will surely be excited."

    "Hold on!" Zhao Yuanzhen immediately couldn''t keep her composure and quickly raised her hand saying, "I! My True Yuan has not yet recovered, and if I were to spar with her, I''m afraid it wouldn''t be satisfying. Next time, let''s talk about it next time!"

    "Eh, is Mi Zhen Xianzi not fully recovered?" Chen Lingyun covered her mouth with her hand, pretending to be surprised, "Perhaps I could ask the Rainbow Sword Immortal if she has any medicinal pills or prescriptions that could help you recover your cultivation faster."

    "No need! No need!" Zhao Yuanzhen became increasingly agitated, and if it weren''t for Yan Yu standing beside her, she would immediately want to strike down this sharp-tongued young lady, "It''s too much trouble to bother outsiders with this! I have my measures; you needn''t concern yourself!"

    "Really?" Chen Lingyun laughed, her eyes curving like crescent moons, "Then I''ll just tell her I''ve seen you here, and leave it at that."

    "Don''t you dare! Don''t you dare!" Zhao Yuanzhen was so annoyed she stomped her foot, pointing her finger accusingly, "Annoying! Don''t you talk too much! You''re not allowed to say anything!"

    Chen Lingyun laughed delightedly and then turned to look at Yan Yu, her eyes conveying, "Oh, this Demonic Sect Enchantress is so amusing!"

    Yan Yu silently rolled his eyes back at her, meaning, "If you provoke her too much, I''m not getting involved."

    "I''m going to cook," he said, waving his hand helplessly, "You two have a good chat."

 Chapter 16: Chapter 16 Are You Worthy?

    From a cultivation standpoint, Zhao Yuanzhen could kill ten Chen Lingyuns with just one hand.But when it comes to brains, ten Zhao Yuanzhens tied together wouldn''t be able to outplay Chen Lingyun, that trashy woman.

    While Yan Yu was boiling noodles in the kitchen, he could hear Zhao Yuanzhen sighing in the living room, and Chen Lingyun giggling non-stop. He had no idea what those two were actually talking about.

    By the time the noodles were ready, Yan Yu brought them into the living room only to see Zhao Yuanzhen transformed into a burying hamster, lying on the couch with a pillow over her face, silent.

    Chen Lingyun, on the other hand, was sitting next to her, her face full of joyful smiles, gently poking Zhao Yuanzhen''s body¡­ wait, where are you poking?

    Leave it to me!

    Yan Yu set down the bowl of noodles and stopped her, saying:

    "What are you doing?!"

    "Mi Zhen Xianzi is ignoring me." Chen Lingyun''s smile was unstoppable, and the thick scent of trashiness enveloped her.

    "You''ve done enough." Yan Yu advised helplessly, knowing full well this trashy woman wouldn''t stop unless she grew bored of the game, "It''s good to leave some leeway, you know? Even a cornered rabbit will bite."

    "It''s okay." Chen Lingyun''s smile bloomed like a flower, "You''ll protect me, right, hubby?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen, who had still been playing dead under the pillow, suddenly sat up straight as if rising from a coffin.

    "Who are you calling hubby?" She looked at Chen Lingyun with a cold expression, asking icily.

    "Him," Chen Lingyun said, wrapping an arm around Yan Yu''s, her eyes twinkling as she added, "Didn''t he tell you? We''re a match made in heaven~"

    Zhao Yuanzhen turned her gaze back to Yan Yu, her eyes now devoid of sparkle. That look¡­ wasn''t the one that Qin Xianglian had for Chen Shimei, but rather like Kotonoha Katsura''s for Makoto Ito.

    "Stop talking nonsense." Yan Yu forcefully shook off her hand, "Doesn''t it say single on your household registration? Show me!"

    "That being said." Chen Lingyun wasn''t upset, but rather asked Zhao Yuanzhen, "What is your relationship with him?"

    "I am his Taoist cultivation partner." Zhao Yuanzhen said coldly.

    "Cultivation partner, huh." Chen Lingyun showed no signs of jealousy, only asking Yan Yu, "Which takes precedence, a secular marriage or a Taoist sect marriage?"

    "First off, there''s no such thing as a Taoist sect marriage." Yan Yu explained patiently, "Cultivation partners are just partners in cultivation. Marriage itself is a secular concept involving a relationship between a man and a woman, which cultivators don''t really care for."

    "Oh." Chen Lingyun got it and lit up with a trashy yet sweet smile, looking at Zhao Yuanzhen as she said, "Looks like we aren''t love rivals anymore."

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ......

    Arghh! I''m so furious, I could kill somebody!!!

    But since this woman was brought back by Yan Yu, reason told her she couldn''t lash out, and she could only forcefully suppress her anger, silently noting to herself:

    "¡­Today, the little thief brought a woman named Chen Lingyun home, who dared to mock and humiliate me, I won''t forget this vengeance! The day I have control over the universe, I must make the little thief take her as a concubine, making her serve me tea and water every day, at my whim to demean and scold!"

    Hmm?

    Wouldn''t that be letting that little thief off too easy?

    Never mind, after all, by then the little thief will be a toy in my hand, hmph!

    Regaining her self-esteem in her fantasies, Zhao Yuanzhen didn''t feel as angry at Chen Lingyun anymore, merely snorting as she asked Yan Yu:

    "What about the noodles you cooked? I want to eat too."

    "They''re in the pot, help yourself." Yan Yu said unceremoniously.

    Zhao Yuanzhen glared at him with force.

    Then she got up and walked towards the kitchen¡­ but after a few steps, she felt so annoyed that she turned around and glared at him again.

    Chen Lingyun was also very happy, after all, Yan Yu had specially served her the noodles, and the difference in how he treated her compared to Zhao Yuanzhen was stark, instantly giving her a sense of superiority.

    Just as she was about to receive the noodles with a smile on her face, she saw Yan Yu pull the bowl towards himself, picked up some noodles with his chopsticks, and slurped them up.

    Chen Lingyun: ......

    After swallowing the food, Yan Yu looked up at her, puzzled:

    "Go get your noodles, what are you sitting there for?"

    "Playing hard to get, huh?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    "Playing hard to get? What do you mean?" Yan Yu frowned in confusion.

    "Hehe." Chen Lingyun''s smile didn''t waver as she stood up and headed to the kitchen to serve the noodles. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Upon reaching the kitchen, she saw that the pot was already completely empty¡ªZhao Yuanzhen had poured all the remaining noodles and soup into a large bowl and then, giving Chen Lingyun a sidelong glance as if she had just avenged a great wrong, turned her head high and haughty and left.

    The smile finally disappeared from Chen Lingyun''s face. She silently stared at the empty iron pot, lost in thought.

    After a moment, Yan Yu''s scolding voice came from the living room:

    "Can you even finish all those noodles?"

    "I''m a cultivator!" Zhao Yuanzhen retorted, "Of course, I can finish them!"

    "You''re a cultivator, not a pig in a pen!" Yan Yu tapped her on the head, "Stop throwing a tantrum! Share half with her, off you go!"

    Reluctantly, Zhao Yuanzhen got up to fetch a bowl to divide the noodles in the kitchen. Chen Lingyun returned to the living room and, looking at Zhao Yuanzhen''s back, asked with a frown:

    "Is that all there is to the Demonic Sect Enchantress? She seems more like a disobedient little maid than anything else."

    "Don''t let her appearance deceive you." As Yan Yu continued eating his noodles, he said, "In fact, she''s quite ferocious; it''s all thanks to my efforts in restraining her. Otherwise, if she ran loose, there would certainly be havoc."

    "Really?" Chen Lingyun mused thoughtfully.

    She knew that Yan Yu had memories of the future, and according to what Mei Yingxue said, Zhao Yuanzhen indeed was the type who took lives without a second thought¡ªnot that she was innately evil, but the environment of the Demonic Sect had shaped her to regard human lives with indifference, just like "when everyone eats fried chicken, they don''t consider the chicken''s life."

    "So you''re really protecting the people, taking the weight of the world on your shoulders alone." Chen Lingyun''s smile returned as she looked down at her toes, a rough plan already forming in her mind.

    "What kind of devilish idea are you thinking of now?" Yan Yu asked with a frown.

    This crafty woman, though fond of feigning smiles, had discernible differences between them. Simply put, smile with curved eyes=happiness, raised eyebrows=displeasure, half-lowered eyelids=contentment, gaze directed downwards=up to no good again.

    "Guess?" Chen Lingyun said mischievously.

    "If I guess it right, you''ll tell me, right?" Yan Yu chuckled coldly.

    "I''m afraid not." Chen Lingyun''s smile was sweet, her tone sly, "If you guess it right, there''s no need for me to say more, right? And if you guess wrong, why would I tell you?"

    From the kitchen, Zhao Yuanzhen, with two bowls of noodles in hand, came back and grumpily placed one of them in front of Chen Lingyun.

    Even though she put it down with such force that the soup splashed, Chen Lingyun wasn''t really upset and simply smiled and said, "Thank you."

    Picking up some noodles with her chopsticks, she tasted them and suddenly said out of the blue:

    "The newly built campus of Jinling University was suddenly requisitioned not long ago."

    Time for the exchange of riddles!

    "Oh." Yan Yu did not show any sign of surprise, "What''s the new school going to be called?"

    "Zhendong National Defense Science and Technology College." Chen Lingyun replied, "What do you think of this name?

    "The final name will probably drop the ''Science and Technology'' part," Yan Yu answered, "After all, it''s going to be a higher education institution for cultivators; bringing ''science and technology'' into it seems a bit far-fetched."

    "Zhendong National Defense College, mmm-hmm." Chen Lingyun nodded with a smile.

    "Cultivators?" Zhao Yuanzhen''s ears perked up, but she didn''t ask anything, merely eavesdropping.

    "That being said," Chen Lingyun continued, "someone suggested that the cultivators should be unified in their education, but in the end, it was decided to establish institutions in four different locations¡ªthe east, south, west, and north¡ªnamely in Jinling Prefecture, Xingwang Prefecture, Shuzhong Prefecture, and Shengjing Prefecture. What do you think?"

    "Of course, it makes sense." Yan Yu replied, "Alma mater connections are natural factions. All the country''s cultivators from the same school¡ªwho would dare propose such a rotten idea?"

    "Indeed, alma mater connections are natural factions." Chen Lingyun tapped her lips with her finger, smiling slightly, "So, would you join my faction?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen, who had been scratching her head in confusion listening to their cryptic conversation, bristled at Chen Lingyun''s last sentence; the only thought left in her mind:

    Some shameless person is trying to steal my dao companion!

    Just as she was about to explode in rage and tear into a confrontation, she saw Yan Yu glance sidelong at Chen Lingyun and suddenly smirk:

    "Do you even qualify?"

    Chen Lingyun''s smile froze on her face.

 Chapter 17: Chapter 17: Ill Let You Know If I Am Worthy or Not

    ```Having met with Zhao Yuanzhen and promised to help her resolve her identity issue, Chen Lingyun took her leave and went home.

    In the following days, the two maintained frequent communication within the school.

    Yan Yu''s disdainful "you too are worthy?" had no impact on Chen Lingyun; instead, it only strengthened her resolve towards a certain idea.

    Of course, with both of them being exceedingly shrewd, they made sure not to let other students catch them during their regular meetings, often choosing secluded places like the end of an empty corridor or the small lawn behind the laboratory building... Their covert meetings resembled those of secret lovers.

    However, at least for now, there have been no sparks of romance between the two.

    In Chen Lingyun''s eyes, Yan Yu was "my favorite toy," "please entertain me to your fullest," while in Yan Yu''s heart, Chen Lingyun oscillated between a "woman in need of discipline" and a "fat sheep ripe for use."

    If one were to talk about interests, Chen Lingyun indeed needed Yan Yu''s prophetic edge to confirm her judgments on the current situation, whereas Yan Yu needed to obtain some information details from Chen Lingyun that he was unclear about in his previous life.

    "The Pingjing Chaoming Medical College came up with a complete testing solution yesterday afternoon," Chen Lingyun said calmly after class, as they met, "It''s possible to confirm whether there is Spiritual Energy within the bloodline through blood tests, thereby determining if one has the qualifications for cultivation."

    Cultivation places great emphasis on talent, a conclusion drawn by the first batch of military cultivators during their training. Experiments have shown that those without talent cannot force cultivation, it isn''t a matter of achieving less with more effort, they simply cannot start to cultivate at all.

    Of course, Yan Yu knew the reality was not like this; the issue mainly lay in the Primordial Unity Scripture offered by Mei Yingxue, which had excessively high requirements for a cultivator''s talent.

    If replaced with Zhao Yuanzhen''s String-Pulling Technique, there would be no demand for any cultivation talent, but its requirements for cultivation resources were incredibly high¡ªanother troublesome matter, but at least one wouldn''t be hindered by innate cultivation talents.

    "So you must have had your blood tested in advance, right?" Yan Yu asked casually, leaning on the railing.

    "Mhm," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "in our circles, only two people have passed the blood test."

    Upon saying this, she paused for a moment and then added with a smile:

    "You know who the other person is, don''t you?"

    "Of course," Yan Yu said leisurely, "Princess Jiang Hai Chen Lingyun, Pingjing''s number one figure, Liu Longtao, are set to be called the fools of the south and the idiots of the north in the future."

    Chen Lingyun burst into laughter, unable to hold back:

    "''Idiot of the north'' is quite fitting. Who came up with ''fool of the south''? Tell me their name, I want to remember it."

    "So you do not deny the title of ''Princess Jiang Hai,'' do you?" Yan Yu asked, looking at her askance.

    "Why deny it?" Chen Lingyun said serenely, "As long as I am strong enough, all the ridicule will ultimately turn into praise. Besides, the word ''princess'' can carry both positive and negative connotations."

    Yan Yu quietly tugged at the corner of his mouth.

    It had begun.

    Since discovering she was one in ten thousand with the talent for cultivation, this despicable woman''s confidence and degree of despicableness were about to soar.

    How about breaking ties now?

    If ties are cut, I won''t have to deal with her despicableness.

    "I have an idea," Chen Lingyun propped her hands on the railing and stretched her body gracefully like a cat, softly saying, "I want to control all cultivators who hail from Zhendong."

    "All the undergraduate cultivators selected from Jiangbei, Jiang Hai, Jiangnan, Jianghuai, Minhai, and Jiujiang will undergo uniform training at the Zhendong Academy for Cultivators in the future."

    "I want to gather them all under my wing." The girl turned her head back again, her face adorned with a sweet and brilliant smile, "What do you think, my dear?"

    Yan Yu looked at her speechlessly.

    Just as expected! With a rapid rise in confidence, this despicable woman was already beginning to dream impossible dreams!

    "I don''t think it''s possible," he bluntly stated, "because you''re not strong enough."

    "There are four main elements of cultivation: talent, physique, comprehension, and fate. Aside from the uncontrollable fate, the most important is talent."

    "And your talent, among cultivators, is actually only mediocre."

    Chen Lingyun quieted down, gazing at him silently.

    "Even Liu Longtao, whom you always look down upon," Yan Yu pressed on, "has far superior talent to you; hence, in the future, he will have more say among the Dingbei Army cultivators than you will amongst the Zhendong Army cultivators."

    "So that''s how it is," Chen Lingyun fell silent for a while, then suddenly seemed somewhat sorrowful, "Is that why you previously said the future of cultivators would be terrifying?"

    "That''s right," Yan Yu said in a somber tone, "whether it''s the utterly foolish idiots, the worthless scum that are worse than pigs and dogs, or the scoundrels who take lives at will..."

    ```

    "As long as one can cultivate and gain strength, they can control the corresponding secular power. Without regard for character, that''s the most troublesome part."

    Chen Lingyun didn''t answer.

    She boredly grabbed the railing, let her body relax backward naturally, and tilted her head pondering for a moment.

    "What about you?" Chen Lingyun suddenly asked, "What if you came to help me?"

    "If I were to help you, then there would be no concern for conquering Zhendong or securing Dingbei, no need to worry about pacifying Pingxi or stabilizing Annan," Yan Yu said leisurely.

    "Oh, quite the big talker, aren''t you?" Chen Lingyun revealed a teasing smile.

    "Nonsense." Yan Yu extended his right thumb and poked his own chest, asserting as a matter of course, "When it comes to strength, I''m the strongest in this world, okay?"

    Chen Lingyun blinked.

    She turned her head toward the distance as if she were daydreaming, or perhaps she was thinking about something.

    "I believe what you say," Chen Lingyun said softly, "But I still want to try, to follow my own plan."

    "If I fail... then I''ll ask for your help. What do you say to us, husband and wife, combining our efforts? I''ll provide the strategy, and you''ll contribute the strength; together we''ll control the world, how about that?"

    "My answer is three words," Yan Yu responded calmly.

    "I do?" Chen Lingyun revealed an adorable smile.

    "In your dreams!" Yan Yu rejected her loudly.

    Before Chen Lingyun could continue to say anything, Yan Yu mercilessly mocked her:

    "I won''t comment on your height, I won''t mention your figure, but just your nasty character alone, always fake-smiling as if everyone else is an idiot, enjoying the discomfort of others for fun, why would I marry you if I''m not a masochist? Wouldn''t I rather find a gentle and lovely girl, or a serious and capable one with black, straight hair? And you..."

    His voice came to an abrupt halt, for Chen Lingyun''s smile had completely faded from her face, replaced by a terrifying expression akin to that of a demon.

    It was a darker aspect she had never revealed in her previous life.

    "The gentle and lovely girl you mentioned just now," Chen Lingyun asked slowly, enunciating each word as if squeezing them through her teeth, "who is that? And the one with black, straight hair, who is she?"

    ......

    Yan Yu crouched in the men''s restroom for quite a while.

    Not because he was hiding from anyone, he was just using the restroom, and he had a feeling that it would be very bad to go out now. But he wasn''t hiding from anyone. There was no rush to return to the classroom since the class hadn''t started, nor was he worried someone might come looking for him. Anyway, it''d be better to wait until the bell rang to go out. In any case, he wasn''t hiding from anyone.

    Gosh! I''m the strongest in this world!

    On the other side, in the classroom of Senior Year, Class 3, the students gathered in small groups, resting or chatting leisurely.

    Suddenly, an extremely beautiful female student walked into the classroom of Senior Year, Class 3 from the front door.

    The noise gradually settled down as everyone recognized that the beautiful girl who burst in wasn''t a student from Class 3¡ªafter all, a girl that cute wouldn''t be easily forgotten once seen, right?

    Chen Lingyun''s gaze swept over all the students before she turned to the closest female student with a somewhat pitiful smile:

    "Excuse me... Is Yan Yu here?"

    "Yan Yu?" The female student immediately showed a look of realization and pointed outside, saying, "He went out as soon as class ended and hasn''t returned yet." S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Is that so?" Chen Lingyun lowered her head sadly, her voice faint as her eyes began to redden.

    Then she turned around, seemingly not wanting others to see her upset, but tears still dropped down relentlessly.

    To the nearby female classmates, several keywords immediately sprang to mind:

    Yan Yu, beautiful girl, heartbreak, crying...

    Gossip material!

    "What''s wrong, are you okay?" Without needing any prompting, four or five girls rushed forward to take the still sobbing Chen Lingyun out of the classroom, comforting her in hushed tones in the hallway while trying to find out what happened between her and Yan Yu.

    Another outgoing girl stood at the classroom''s entrance, blocking the male students inside from coming out to eavesdrop on the gossip:

    "Don''t listen! Mind your own business, what does this have to do with you? Go back to your seats!"

 Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Official Identity

    Yan Yu had been feeling something strange lately.For some reason, starting from some time ago, his classmates began to view him with peculiar opinions... The girls often gossiped about him behind his back, but when Yan Yu asked them, they flat out denied it, allowing him to catch only snippets of words such as "cheating," "player," among half-whispered conversations.

    The boys, on the other hand, would slap him on the back, laugh and joke, throwing around baffling comments like, "When did you get a girlfriend, man?" "Not even a word to us, are we still brothers?" "With that on your mind, can you still focus on your college entrance exams?"

    Though Yan Yu had no proof, he was certain:

    It was definitely Chen Lingyun''s doing!

    Wait, the reason this wretched woman hasn''t contacted me recently wouldn''t be because she''s waiting for me to beg her, would it?

    Dream on!

    The physical examination for college entrance is about to start, and I will become a Cultivator then. Do you think I would care about what these high school classmates think?

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    About two weeks later.

    One day, after school, as Yan Yu returned home alone, he suddenly saw Chen Lingyun, whom he hadn''t seen for a long time, standing at his doorstep, waiting.

    Today, the young lady was dressed in a simple white dress with high-heeled boots, standing pretty as a freshly blossomed water lily.

    "Why are you here?" Yan Yu took out his keys to open the door, asking in surprise, "How long have you been waiting?"

    "Not long," Chen Lingyun said with a smile. "Considering the time school ends and the walk here, it''s not difficult to estimate when you''d arrive home."

    "Then come in," Yan Yu sighed and said.

    Once inside the house, they saw Zhao Yuanzhen lying on the bed, sound asleep, with her unladylike white legs shamelessly exposed.

    This Demonic Sect Enchantress isn''t meditating at home, but instead snoozing away here!

    If she keeps this up, her personality is truly going to waste.

    "Hmm." Chen Lingyun gave a faint smile, took out a small bag she carried with her, and pulled out documents such as an ID card and household registration book, raising her eyebrows and saying, "I''ve taken care of everything. Here it is."

    Yan Yu took a look at the ID card, and the name astonishingly read "Zhao Jiuzhen"¡ªyou only changed one character!

    "This won''t get recognized, will it?" he asked again with a dubious look. "Wait, you don''t mean the moment you enter these into the database, they''ll notice right away, do you?!"

    "Nope," Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    As for why that wouldn''t happen, she didn''t intend to explain, instead adopting an "believe it or not" attitude.

    Yan Yu silently gathered the materials and heard Chen Lingyun say:

    "Senior high students just need to participate in the physical examination for college entrance. For someone like her without school records, a social idler, she needs to go to a specific hospital for certain tests to confirm the presence of Spiritual Energy."

    "Are you planning to get her into the college as well?" Yan Yu asked, stroking his chin.

    "The comprehensive cultivation plan due to inter-college competition has been set by the top," Chen Lingyun said with a smile. "Since we are planning to enroll at Zhendong College, it''s obviously better for Zhendong College to have as many Cultivators as possible. Besides, she was born in that world. Even if it''s just the knowledge in her mind, it might not be less important than Mei Yingxue."

    "That makes sense," Yan Yu muttered, deep in thought when suddenly Chen Lingyun leaned in close and asked with breath as fragrant as orchids:

    "Haven''t contacted you recently, did you miss me?"

    "Not at all," Yan Yu stated bluntly. "But my classmates sure miss you. They''re all very curious why I would date such a wretched ''girlfriend''."

    "I went back to Jianghai Prefecture a while ago," Chen Lingyun said with a faint smile, "Today, I''m here to get her physical examination done to ensure she can also enroll smoothly."

    "After this is over, I still have to rush back to Jianghai tonight."

    "You''re going back tonight?" Yan Yu was slightly surprised, "Are you that busy?"

    "I knew you can''t bear to part with me," Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile, her eyes curving into crescents.

    Yan Yu couldn''t be bothered to argue with her and just listened as she explained:

    "Military cultivators were the first batch of cultivators, and I am part of the second batch, which is university student cultivators. Since I had confirmed my Spirit Root in advance, I have to cooperate with the military cultivators in a series of experiments to see if their training methods in the army are applicable to university students."

    "I remember they didn''t fully use military training methods in the end," Yan Yu pondered solemnly, "The reason seemed to be due to changes in Mitchi Country."

    "Yes, it was just at the end of this month that Mitchi Country introduced new policies," Chen Lingyun nodded, "They have publicly announced the recruitment of Transcendents from all over the world and established two organizations. One is the ''Superhero Alliance'' and the other is the ''Homeland Strategic Bureau''."

    "The Superhero Alliance plans to become a professional league like the NBA, using a large amount of fame and wealth to attract foreign Transcendents to participate in combative spectator sports; whereas the Homeland Strategic Bureau is an official agency and will select elites from the Superhero Alliance to join and become the country''s official military Transcendents."

    "That''s so Mitchi Country," Yan Yu couldn''t help but remark, despite already knowing the world''s trend, "They have such a developed commercial mindset."

    "In short, ever since Mitchi Country''s Transcendent introduction plan came out, it''s basically thrown the rest of the world into disarray," Chen Lingyun said, chuckling, "Cultivators are different from scientists.

    If scientific talents are poached by other countries, it won''t cause a fundamental harm, but if cultivators are enticed away by fame and wealth, one issue is the complete leakage of cultivation systems and training models, and the other is the fear that in the later stages of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, some cultivators will possess the terrifying strength to dominate battlefields.

    In that case, we would certainly lose out big time."

    "So there''s been internal debate lately about whether to continue with strict militarized training or to also introduce fame and wealth to deeply bind cultivators," Chen Lingyun continued thoughtfully, then asked with a smile, "Never mind, let me guess, in the future we will opt for a dual approach, right?"

    "Of course," Yan Yu replied nonchalantly, "No matter the occupation, if the compensation can''t match that of foreign counterparts, even the most patriotic will have complaints. Plus, with cultivators truly possessing the power to defect forcefully, it would be strange if the authorities felt reassured, wouldn''t it?"

    "You''re absolutely right," Chen Lingyun smiled delightedly, "That means as long as we can become the most powerful cultivators, power, fame, benefits¡ªall will follow suit. Doesn''t that make things even more interesting?"

    "Hmm," Yan Yu responded, though he seemed less than enthusiastic.

    Power, fame, wealth¡ªthey don''t just fall from the sky. You pay a dear price for these things... with your life...

    Seeing him like this, Chen Lingyun didn''t ask further but went over to wake Zhao Yuanzhen and planned to take her for a medical checkup.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, half-roused by the push, mumbled in a daze:

    "Stop messing with me~ let me sleep a bit more."

    Chen Lingyun turned around, her face devoid of any smile, and asked indifferently:

    "Oh? How do you usually mess around?"

    "The same way you mess around with others," Yan Yu replied just as expressionlessly.

    "I see." Chen Lingyun appeared thoughtful, "Then demonstrate it for me."

    Yan Yu walked over to the bed and pinched Zhao Yuanzhen''s nose. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Zhao Yuanzhen kept her eyes closed, simply opening her mouth to breathe. Yan Yu then covered her mouth, and yet this Demonic Sect Enchantress still didn''t open her eyes... she actually went straight into a state of suspended animation and continued to sleep.

    "Looks like she won''t wake up," Yan Yu let go of her mouth and nose and sighed, "Then it''s just the two of us going for hotpot."

    "Okay, hubby!" Chen Lingyun was overjoyed and responded loudly.

    Before the two had even reached the door, Zhao Yuanzhen smacked her lips and suddenly sat up abruptly on the bed, yelling:

    "Who''s going for hotpot without me!"

 Chapter 19: Chapter 19 Zhao Yuanzhen is Jealous

    The process of taking Zhao Yuanzhen to the hospital for a blood test was far from smooth.The Demonic Sect Enchantress was afraid of getting hurt and would wriggle about at the sight of a needle. It took Yan Yu a great effort to hold her arm down so the nurse could insert the needle successfully.

    I always feel like this guy''s personality is getting farther and farther from Empress Yuanzhen in her previous life... Crap, didn''t I bring back the wrong person that night?

    Taking Zhao Yuanzhen to eat at Haidilao, however, went incredibly smoothly.

    In front of the hotpot, this Enchantress sprang back to life, personally picking out items like tripe, throat, Basa fish, fatty beef, duck blood, frozen tofu, fried dough sticks, kelp, enokitake mushrooms, noodle soup, shrimp paste, and claypot rice. Watching her, Yan Yu''s eyelids kept twitching, and he nearly wanted to give her an ultimatum right then and there.

    So, you just keep ordering endlessly when it''s not your money, huh!

    "Isn''t the food here yet, Yan Yu?" After finishing her order on the phone, Zhao Yuanzhen began to fidget, sitting restlessly and tapping her foot, "So slow!"

    Yan Yu silently pressed her white leg down firmly to prevent her from making a hole in the floor.

    Chen Lingyun sat across the table, laughing, her eyes shaped like crescents and her eyebrows slightly raised.

    So, when this sassy woman''s eyes are crescent-shaped, she''s happy, and when she raises her eyebrows, she''s unhappy. But what does crescent eyes plus raised eyebrows mean?

    Enjoying the pain?

    "I''m going to fix the sauce," Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly said, "Get some fragrant vinegar."

    "Make it quick!" Yan Yu urged, "If you''re not back in 3 minutes, for every 10 seconds you''re late, I''ll take away one of your dishes!"

    "A minute is more than enough!" Zhao Yuanzhen retorted coldly, stood up, and with a whoosh, she disappeared.

    Yan Yu was still somewhat worried. This woman had only seen people ordering from Haidilao in short online videos, and now she was about to operate for real. Should be fine, right?

    He craned his neck towards the sauce area, only to hear Chen Lingyun say out of the blue:

    "It seems you two get along quite well."

    "Are you jealous?" Yan Yu deflected with a counter-attack.

    "Hehe." Chen Lingyun just supported her cheek with one hand, elbow leisurely propped on the table, smiling as she watched him.

    "If you''re jealous, just come out with it. How would I know if you don''t say it?" Yan Yu continued his assault, taunting her, "If I don''t know you''re jealous, how can I make fun of you?"

    "The Three Arts and the Five Spells." Unable to bear it anymore, Chen Lingyun changed the subject, asking, "Which should I learn first?"

    "You need to learn them all," Yan Yu answered.

    "I''m asking about priority," Chen Lingyun said with a twinkle in her eyes.

    "They''re all priorities," Yan Yu countered, "In arithmetic, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division¡ª which do you think should be learned first? You''re already a cultivator, asking such a basic question. Aren''t you ashamed?"

    "Jinling is currently setting up a Cultivator training program," Chen Lingyun said with a light smile. "They think it''s more appropriate to start with the Shifting Technique and the Barrier Charm."

    "Idiots," Yan Yu bluntly judged.

    "Among the Three Arts, the Shifting Technique can boost movement speed; of the Five Spells, the Barrier Charm can make one invulnerable to blades and bullets," Chen Lingyun elaborated slowly. "It''s not unreasonable for them to make that choice."

    "The Shifting Technique is greatly limited by terrain," Yan Yu responded coldly. "In an urban combat environment, if the enemy is sniping from a high-rise building and you don''t have the Cloud Ascension Technique, you''re going to climb dozens of floors up the stairs, right?

    If the enemy blocks a strategic pass, without the Wall-Penetration Technique, are you going to charge right into a bullet-saturated zone?"

    "But there''s the Barrier Charm," Chen Lingyun reasoned, smiling still, with an answer already in mind, "Activate the Barrier Charm, withstand the damage, and charging through isn''t impossible."

    "The Barrier Charm consumes True Yuan," Yan Yu stated disdainfully. "Among the Five Spells, it requires the most energy. How much True Yuan do you think you can afford to waste?"

    "Hmm~" Chen Lingyun responded noncommittally, "Then among the Five Spells, which is more useful?"

    "For offense, the Metal-Element Impact Curse is the best," Yan Yu said. "It shoots Sword Qi, penetrating the enemy, with the least True Yuan consumption. If the opponent uses the Barrier Charm and takes the hits, you use hit-and-run tactics against him, firing an Impact Curse every 1-2 seconds, forcing him to maintain his Barrier Charm constantly without letting up. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Considering the concept of ''metal being born from earth,'' his True Yuan will definitely run out before yours."

    "Since they promote the Barrier Charm and defense above all else, just focus on practicing the Impact Curse. Give them a little ''Five Elements shock''."

    "So how should one deal with this kind of continuous Impact Curse tactic?" Chen Lingyun pondered.

    "You can use the Flame Curse," Yan Yu responded, "Use the blaze to obscure the opponent''s vision, and at the same time, the Impact Curse won''t be able to penetrate the Flame Curse that is being cast. The Metal-Element Sword Qi will be restrained by the fire element."

    "However, the best method is still the Shifting Technique + Cloud Ascension Technique, using precise movements to dodge attacks, and more importantly, to close the distance quickly for an offensive. It''s meaningless to just think about counter tactics; offense is the best defense. As long as you take the opponent down first, whatever tactics they have lined up next are irrelevant."

    "Hmm~" Chen Lingyun nodded, her smile turning more joyous, "That means you were quite formidable in your past life, huh?"

    "I could pin you to the ground and beat you up without a problem," Yan Yu scoffed and replied.

    "Who are you going to beat up?" Zhao Yuanzhen came back with a small bowl of sauce and looked at Chen Lingyun with a hint of malice, "Count me in."

    The waiter served the dishes, and the three of them started to eat.

    It wasn''t until they had their fill and the plates were empty that Chen Lingyun took a sip of tea and suddenly said:

    "Actually, I''m quite looking forward to it."

    "Looking forward to what?" Yan Yu lazily asked.

    "Looking forward to you pinning everyone to the ground and giving them a good thrashing," Chen Lingyun said with a smile brimming with anticipation, "But you still need to pass the physical examination to get your enrollment qualification first."

    She stood up, grabbed her designer handbag, and said:

    "I have to go now, I have a high-speed train ticket for 8 o''clock tonight."

    "Next time we meet, it''ll be in Jinling~"

    "Can''t it be a video chat?" Yan Yu deliberately asked, trying to stir things up.

    "Nope." Chen Lingyun shook her finger naughtily and laughed, "I''ve been really busy lately."

    "See?" Yan Yu pointed at the heartless woman across from him and said to Zhao Yuanzhen, "Such a heartless woman, thinking about becoming a faction leader. No one is going to accept her, right?"

    "Mhm, mhm, mhm." Zhao Yuanzhen was still busy picking the last of the noodles from the pot to eat.

    Though not interested in their conversation, seeing it was on account of the food, she might as well go along with the little thief.

    "Just kidding." Chen Lingyun spoke leisurely, "Remember to video call me, bye-bye~"

    She flashed a sweet smile, waved gently, and then left.

    "You''re not allowed to video call her," Zhao Yuanzhen said suddenly after finishing the noodles.

    "Why not?" Yan Yu asked with an amused smile.

    "You''re my cultivation partner," Zhao Yuanzhen said seriously as she wiped her mouth with a napkin, "You can''t be flirting with other women."

    "I''ve told you, a cultivation partner is just a companion for cultivating together," Yan Yu chuckled coldly, "It''s not a marriage. Can you get your role straight?"

    The jealousy was practically oozing out. Empress Yuanzhen, old vinegar much? We only cultivated together for two months, without practicing any bedroom arts, and already you consider me your possession? A perfectly good cultivation partner, and you''ve turned it into objectification. Disappointing!

    "I still don''t agree," Zhao Yuanzhen huffed, "Am I less attractive than her, or is my figure worse? Since you''ve already cultivated with me, there''s no need to waste time on other women."

    "It''s not about her looks or figure... forget it, you wouldn''t understand," Yan Yu shook his head helplessly and said, "You should focus on recovering your strength. And speaking of which, where''s our puppet?"

    "It''s in the works," Zhao Yuanzhen said somewhat sulkily, just looking at the still bubbling hot pot, her mind beginning to wander.

    This is so annoying, that damn thief! Can''t he be nice to me for once?

    Hmph, once I fully master my divine power, I''ll capture that Chen Lingyun, soul-snatch her right in front of him!

    I want to see him kneeling and begging me to let her reincarnate!

 Chapter 20: Chapter 20 Admission Agreement

    The high school physical examinations soon arrived.The majority of seniors were having their first medical checkup, so students could be seen everywhere, holding their examination forms, looking around, and unsure about which queue to join.

    Of course, there were also those who followed their close friends en masse to a spot, utterly clueless about what was being examined there.

    Yan Yu''s goal was clear as he headed straight for the "Liver Function Testing Point," where the queue for blood tests was the shortest.

    When it was his turn, he sat on the chair, exposing his right arm, his gaze fixed on the blood centrifuge behind the nurse.

    Indeed, the centrifuge was already affixed with special talisman paper that had been added to "detect spiritual energy."

    The nurse used alcohol cotton to disinfect him, and Yan Yu immediately circulated his qi in secret, directing the True Yuan he had cultivated recently towards his right arm.

    Those with a Spirit Root who had never cultivated would have blood infused with a trace of "Innate Energy," also known as "Embryonic Breath." As long as the equipment detected this essence, it would prove that the person had a Spirit Root within and was qualified to become a cultivator.

    Of course, spiritual energy and Spirit Root were not entirely bound together. For instance, those who had colds, allergies, or menstrual irregularities, even if they possessed a Spirit Root, the Innate Energy in their blood would temporarily weaken to a degree undetectable by the equipment.

    Then there were exceptional cases like Yan Yu, who, despite not having a Spirit Root, managed to step into cultivation early with some "extraordinary means." His natural talent for cultivation was not as good as the former, but because his blood contained spiritual energy, he could still be detected by the equipment.

    Hence, an individual''s success often depended more on opportunity and fate. The times when heaven and earth work in unison, and the times when heroes are no longer free to act, are also brutally factual.

    Yan Yu, who had attempted to turn the tide in his previous life, ultimately had to admit to the undeniable power of circumstance and no longer wished to consider so much.

    After all, in this life, I''m also a cultivator, and anyone who dares stand in my way must die!

    The nurse shook the blood she had drawn and placed it in the nearby centrifuge.

    The machine hadn''t even started yet, but the talisman paper on it suddenly lit up slightly.

    A meme suddenly popped into Yan Yu''s mind:

    "Dou Qi, third stage!"

    The nurse glanced at it, her expression remaining calm, and merely said,

    "Please wait, there are a few more tubes."

    The needle wasn''t removed yet, and the nurse took three more test tubes, drawing three tubes of blood in succession, placing them one by one into the centrifuge.

    The talisman paper clearly became brighter. Yan Yu watched from behind, but the nurse quickly stood up, blocking his view. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    She took the blood out of the centrifuge, placed it into a sealed box beside her, and turned around to remove the needle and apply a hemostatic patch to Yan Yu, saying,

    "Press down for five minutes."

    Yan Yu held the needle site as he got up, only to see the nurse had already left the window and gone to make a phone call.

    After the physical examination, everyone gradually returned to their classrooms to continue studying.

    In the afternoon math class, the math teacher had been waiting at the podium for a while and asked the class president to distribute the math papers.

    Solve-problems mode, activate!

    Yan Yu had just finished the multiple-choice questions when the class teacher''s voice suddenly rang from outside:

    "Yan Yu, come out for a moment!"

    The class teacher nodded to the math teacher, and Yan Yu put down his pen and went out to find the class teacher.

    The class teacher took him to the director of teaching''s office, where three people were already standing:

    The principal, the director of teaching, and a man in casual clothes but looking very well-built and efficient with a buzz cut.

    "Hello, student Yan Yu," said the principal and director of teaching, who didn''t speak, clearly just accompanying, while the buzz-cut man introduced himself crisply, "My last name is Qi. You can call me Qi Changping. I''m a recruitment officer from the Zhendong National Defense Academy stationed in Lin''an Prefecture."

    "Our academy is a national defense college directly associated with the military, and we are responsible for recruiting ''talents with special gifts.'' After reviewing and confirming, you have met the qualifications for admission; therefore, we will provide you with a guaranteed spot. As for the specific enrollment terms and the detailed enrollment agreement, they are all here.

    You can have a look, and if you have any questions, you can ask me."

    Yan Yu picked up the agreement and started reading. It was many pages long, a full 35 pages, but most of it was lengthy legal jargon. The real key content was printed on the first page and was especially circled in red.

    Having the qualifications for cultivation, Party B, ________, responded to the national conscription, voluntarily choosing to study at Zhendong National Defense Academy. After graduation, it is presumed that one will enlist in the Zhendong Army Zone and be commissioned as a ninth-rank military officer.

    The Lu Country military implements a sixteen-rank military system. After graduating from the military academy, officers are usually commissioned as twelfth-rank military officers, but what level is a ninth-rank military officer? It is known as the "military officer ceiling."

    The majority of military officers spend their careers fighting to be promoted from a twelfth-rank officer after graduating from the military academy to a ninth-rank officer by their thirties, after which they retire and return to their hometowns¡ªpromotions consider age; unless exceptionally outstanding and favored by superiors, attaining the rank of ninth-rank officer is the limit after thirty.

    This means, if Yan Yu signs this agreement and chooses to study at Zhendong National Defense Academy, he will obtain a very high starting point upon graduation.

    And this starting point is already the career endpoint for many military officers.

    Of course, considering high school students might not understand the value of this, there is another even more sensational clause below:

    After enlistment, basic monthly salary: 40,000 yuan in total. Subsidies calculated separately.

    This salary is truly frightening. It should be noted that currently, across all military branches and units, the vast majority of ninth-rank military officers earn a salary of about 10,000 to 14,000 yuan... That''s a starting salary four times that of one''s peers¡ªisn''t that impressive?

    But Yan Yu was very clear in his mind that the real income a cultivator could get in the future was not measured in "ten-thousands."

    "How about it?" Qi Changping confirmed, asking.

    "I just have one question," Yan Yu asked with a calm expression.

    There was no hesitation in agreeing to enroll, but he had a question hidden in his heart from his past life that he wanted to take advantage of the present to ask.

    "Hmm, you ask," Qi Changping wasn''t surprised.

    Today, in every prefecture of Jiang Hai Province, there were academy enrollment office teachers stationed in urban areas, for the purpose of real-time statistics and estimation of enrollment numbers.

    Up to now, out of the three hundred thousand high school graduates in the province, only 20 students with a Spirit Root had been identified, and after most of them received the enrollment invitation, the most common question they asked was:

    "Is Zhendong National Defense Academy a 985 or 211 institution?"

    The standard answer provided from above was:

    "It is not, but we are more suitable for you than 985 or 211, because we can offer you an institutional position with a starting salary of 40,000 yuan per month."

    Once this sentence was said, the vast majority of students and parents no longer hesitated. At most, they would later leverage their connections to inquire whether the school was truly as claimed.

    However, the question Yan Yu posed made everyone in the room tense up instantly:

    "May I ask, if one doesn''t have a girlfriend after graduation, will the unit arrange a marriage for one?"

    Qi Changping fell silent because this question was not included in the enrollment plan. The principal wanted to speak up beside him but was interrupted by Qi Changping raising his hand. He answered with a smile:

    "Young student, our country does not have arranged marriages."

    "However, if you truly have this need after graduation, the military can arrange social mixers for you."

    "I believe by that time, many excellent girls will be interested in you."

    This answer was perfectly watertight.

    Although the state does not have arranged marriages, as long as you have a cultivator status and are willing to start a family, the authorities will certainly mobilize efforts to find a girl who matches your tastes, traditional thinking, love for the country, and willingly marries you¡ªsince it''s voluntary, it naturally counts as free love, not arranged marriage.

    After all, a family man is less likely to defect abroad.

    "Okay, I have no more questions," Yan Yu said as he picked up the pen, ready to sign.

    "Won''t you ask your parents?" Qi Changping asked in surprise, finding the young man quite interesting¡ªnot seeming like he was only eighteen.

    "Can you back out after signing?" Yan Yu counter-asked.

    "You cannot," Qi Changping replied, "Once you have signed your name, even if you fall ill and are hospitalized, you must complete your studies at the school hospital."

    "I''m asking if you could back out," Yan Yu corrected him.

    Qi Changping fell silent again for a moment before replying:

    "We cannot."

    "Then all the more reason to sign on the spot," Yan Yu laughed heartily and nimbly signed his name on the enrollment agreement.

 Chapter 21: Chapter 21: My Puppet Wont Get Hurt

    ```Theoretically, as an 18-year-old adult, Yan Yu had the right to choose which university to attend on his own.

    In reality, of course, he still had to do the proper communication with his parents.

    Having signed his name on the enrollment agreement in front of the principal, the head teacher, and the recruiting officer, Yan Yu had actually shed his identity as a "senior three student" and had contributed to the school''s college enrollment rate.

    Therefore, instead of returning to the classroom to continue cramming with his classmates, he went to get his cell phone back from his homeroom teacher and then strutted home.

    The homeroom teacher even considerately allowed him to backdate a month''s leave, to prevent any adverse effects on his normal graduation.

    As he walked home, Yan Yu took a moment to gather his thoughts before dialing his father''s number.

    Aside from himself, there were three other people in the family. His father, named Yan Nantian, was a regular employee at a state-owned enterprise. It seemed that his grandfather hadn''t read Gu Long''s "The Legendary Siblings" when he named his father.

    When he was a child living in the company''s staff dormitory, every time Yan Nantian returned home from work, there would always be neighborhood kids shouting "Silken Bond Technique" around him, and Yan Yu would often be caught by his playmates to "pass on the technique in turn".

    Given these memories that Yan Yu preferred to forget, hereinafter, "Yan Nantian" will be referred to as "Father Yan". sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    His mother, Zhang Yalan, was a primary school Chinese language teacher at a local school, also referred to as "Mother Yan".

    Then there was his younger sister, Yan Jing, who was currently attending a local middle school.

    After Yan Yu called, he roughly explained the situation at school to his dad: direct military sponsorship, enlistment upon graduation, initial military rank, and a monthly salary of 40,000 yuan.

    Father Yan just responded with a series of noncommittal grunts, without asking, "Is that school for real, or is it fake?"

    "Aren''t you going to ask about the school?" Yan Yu felt that something was off.

    "No," Father Yan said.

    "Aren''t you worried it might be fake?" Yan Yu was even more puzzled.

    "The leader just talked to me," Father Yan answered calmly, "saying that your kid has been noticed by the military, that you must let him attend Zhendong National Defense Academy, also mentioning that a state enterprise is different from a private one, the staff should have enough political awareness... You get it, what else could I say?"

    Yan Yu: .........

    So it turns out that your recruitment strategy was to work on both the student and the parents at the same time!

    "Alright then." He was about to hang up when his sister Yan Jing''s voice came through the phone, "Big bro! You have a salary of 40,000 yuan, can you buy me a bag?"

    "What does a girl your age need a bag for!" Mother Yan interjected, "Yan Yu, don''t mind her."

    "Jing Jing, school isn''t out yet, right?" Yan Yu asked with narrowed eyes, "How come you''re at home?"

    "It''s my period and it hurts too much today, so I asked the teacher for half a day off," Yan Jing said excitedly. "Big bro, you don''t have a girlfriend, and you can''t spend 40,000 yuan a month, so why not buy a bag for your sister? Chasing a goddess will only get you treated like a lapdog, but buying something for your sister, that''s true sibling love!"

    "Alright, alright." Yan Yu immediately agreed, "I''ll buy you a new backpack right away, filled with middle school exam review questions, you just wait!"

    "You''re doing every evil thing..." The sister''s pitiful howl came from the phone, along with Mother Yan''s relentless suppression, and Yan Yu, having successfully played his trick, hung up and walked leisurely home.

    Yeah, he was going to become a cultivator.

    However, there was no real sense of joy, strangely enough.

    Because what he truly longed for was not so much to become a cultivator, but to make amends for the profound regret of the past life, the "almost made it" feeling.

    And that tiny gap might just be the difference between a "cultivator" and a "non-cultivator".

    That wretched woman, Chen Lingyun, in the past life always liked to say, "Ah, what a pity you''re not a cultivator", aside from deliberately teasing and enjoying his awkwardness, perhaps there actually was a bit of real regret there as well?

    As for the exact proportion, maybe ten percent, couldn''t be any more.

    Upon arriving home, Yan Yu saw two "mannequins" standing in the living room, who were the spitting image of Zhao Yuanzhen.

    As for the real Demonic Sect Enchantress, Zhao Yuanzhen, she was sitting at the desk, focused on operating something.

    Seeing that she was probably at a critical point in creating the core components of a puppet, Yan Yu didn''t dare to disturb her, but quietly closed the door and decided to go out for a walk.

    Hm?

    There was a package on the floor, sent from Jianghai Prefecture.

    ```

    When opened, inside was indeed the enrollment agreement for "Zhao Jiuzhen" and a handwritten note from Chen Lingyun.

    "Fill it out and send it back to me as soon as possible."

    At the end, she even drew a cartoon of a little dog in simple strokes.

    It''s all sorted out now... Yan Yu couldn''t help but sigh.

    This woman, Chen Lingyun, is really useless when she isn''t serious, but incredibly efficient when she is.

    "It''s all sorted out!" Zhao Yuanzhen''s excited voice rang out from inside the room, "Hahaha! I am indeed a genius, Yan Yu, you little thief, what do you have to say now..."

    Yan Yu quickly pushed the door open and asked coldly,

    "Is it done?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen subconsciously felt guilty, as if she were caught talking behind someone''s back, but quickly regained her composure and declared with pride,

    "The puppet''s core is ready!"

    Whether intentionally or not, the enchantress made a conspicuous, surging motion, but luckily, Yan Yu possessed immense strategic composure and was not swayed by her beauty, simply saying,

    "Let me see it!"

    After examining the puppet for a long time, Yan Yu finally frowned and said,

    "Why does this puppet look so much like you?"

    "Because my appearance and figure are perfect," Zhao Yuanzhen confidently said with one hand on her chest, "Even though it''s a battle puppet for cultivation, if it''s possible to pursue the ultimate in looks, there''s no need to make it ugly, right?"

    "Your point makes sense, but it still feels weird," Yan Yu expressed that he couldn''t understand, wondering who in their right mind would create a life-sized puppet that resembled themselves!

    And the proportions of this figure are highly unseemly... you''re asking to get slapped by your mother, right?

    Oh, it seems you don''t have a mother, so never mind.

    "Don''t touch it yet, I need to install the core," Zhao Yuanzhen opened the chests of the two puppets and carefully placed the silver-white cores, made of celestial steel needles, inside.

    Then she closed the chest plates.

    "All done!" Zhao Yuanzhen clapped her hands and said, "You wanna try?"

    Yan Yu calmly stood still and began to operate the String-Pulling Technique.

    An elusive and profound connection formed between his mind and the puppet in front of him.

    The beautiful puppet that looked exactly like Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly opened her bright yet emotionless eyes.

    Then, like lightning, she reached out and grabbed Zhao Yuanzhen by the throat.

    The latter, annoyed, swatted the puppet''s arm away, "What are you doing!"

    "Just seeing if it could make you pass away," Yan Yu replied calmly.

    "Huh?" Zhao Yuanzhen didn''t understand, but as a fickle Demonic Sect Enchantress, she quickly cast aside her excess emotions and excitedly said, "These two puppets are so much better than the ones I used before! As long as they''re provided with a constant supply of True Yuan, they can exert immense strength continuously, analogous to a permanent Wood Bending Charm!"

    "Mhm, mhm, mhm," Yan Yu responded absently, while his mind instantly flashed with several impressive battle tactics that could be implemented with the help of the puppets.

    "My puppet shall be named ''Ami''," continued Zhao Yuanzhen, "What will you name yours?"

    "Uh," Yan Yu said nonchalantly, "How about ''Tuofo''?"

    "Why would you choose a Buddhist Sect name?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked angrily. "Even if it''s to match with my puppet, wouldn''t ''Ah Zhen'' be much better?"

    "The name is not the point," Yan Yu said seriously, "The point is, we can only use our puppets as a trump card at critical moments, do you understand?"

    "Why?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked, displeased.

    "Because we can''t expose the Silken Bond Technique," Yan Yu said, gazing into her eyes, "After enrollment, we must avoid revealing your identity as much as possible, even the slightest suspicion."

    "This is the order from our master."

 Chapter 22: Chapter 22 Heading to School!

    The date had arrived at May 24.High school students were still in their final, frantic sprint, while over four hundred lucky "Possessors of the Spirit Root," having been selected through the college entrance physical examination, were preparing their bags to head to their respective colleges after receiving their admission notices.

    The four national higher education institutions dedicated to cultivating Cultivators also united in opening their doors to these university-level Cultivators. Among them:

    University students from eastern provinces would head to the "Zhendong National Defense Academy" in Jinling Prefecture.

    University students from southern provinces would head to the "Annan National Defense Academy" in Xingwang Prefecture.

    University students from western provinces would head to the "Pingxi National Defense Academy" in Shuzhong Prefecture.

    University students from northern provinces would head to the "Dingbei National Defense Academy" in Shengjing Prefecture.

    It sounded a bit like the familiar concept of "Hogwarts'' four houses," where everyone belonged to the Wizard camp, yet they were artificially divided into four academies to compete against each other¡­

    In fact, due to the top-level institutional design, the competition among the four Cultivator academies was going to be much fiercer than originally anticipated.

    Zhendong National Defense Academy, located in the Jiangning District of Jinling Prefecture, recruited from Jiang Hai Prefecture, Jiangbei Province, Jiangnan Province, Jianghuai Province, Jiujiang Province, and Minhai Province, with the first cohort consisting of 103 Cultivators.

    Compared to the sprawling campus area, this number of Cultivators clearly wasn''t impressive. Therefore, the dormitory arrangement was luxurious individual rooms, with a living environment surpassing that of many international student dorms at other high schools, and it could even compete with business rooms in many five-star hotels.

    As Chen Lingyun had said, after Mitchi Country took the lead with their "fame and fortune bundle," other countries had no choice but to quickly follow up, offering the best treatments to serve their own Transcendents¡ªmajor issues were at stake, and they couldn''t overly test one''s innate loyalty and consciousness.

    Yan Yu first left his luggage at the guardhouse, then helped Zhao Yuanzhen, along with her luggage, to her assigned single dormitory room.

    It wasn''t to fulfill any duty as a fellow Daoist; mainly, it was to confirm which room this enchantress was in, making it easier to find her later on.

    "Don''t forget who you are," Yan Yu once again patiently cautioned her before leaving, "Don''t draw attention to yourself, don''t interact with strangers, don''t let Mei Yingxue become aware of your presence, understand? Otherwise, not even my master could save you!"

    "Rubbish! I am not that kind of foolish woman!" Zhao Yuanzhen said impatiently.

    Even before she had transmigrated within the Qiansi Sect, she mostly stayed in her cave dwelling, focusing on cultivation, and rarely dealt with her fellow female disciples. It was only because her master needed to curry favor that he spoke more to her.

    After reminding the enchantress to remember to lock her door when there was nothing to do, Yan Yu silently left the girls'' dormitory.

    Upon reaching the ground floor, he saw a girl squatting down, gathering her books that were scattered all over the floor.

    This girl had an innocent and lovely appearance, although not as exquisite as Chen Lingyun, her facial features were softer and her demeanor was gentle and demure.

    She brought two suitcases and one luggage bag, from which the underside had torn open, scattering all the contents¡ªvarious paper books, primarily literary novels, both domestic and foreign.

    Without showing the slightest annoyance, the girl simply squatted down, patiently picking up each book and piling them neatly beside her.

    Yan Yu recognized her at first glance, and the related memories from his previous life also surged forth.

    Su Yunjin, originally from Gusu of Jiangbei Province, had parents who were both professors at Gusu University, coming from a scholarly family background.

    An only child in her family, long exposed to the influence of intellectuals, thus her nature was rather gentle and refined. More precisely, she was contented and unambitious, her only hobby being reading.

    In many ways, Su Yunjin seemed like a less intense version of Chen Lingyun.

    In his previous life, not long after starting college, the two indeed quickly established a close friendship. They often went to eat at the cafeteria together, attend classes together, train at the school fields... In public, Su Yunjin was used to standing behind Chen Lingyun, and usually helped her with various tedious matters, hence she was jokingly referred to as "Secretary Su."

    However, in Yan Yu''s estimation, this girl was nearly as clever as Chen Lingyun; it was just that she was way too "Zen" when it came to taking initiatives.

    Perhaps it was a common problem among children from intellectual families: they lacked utilitarianism and desire, allowing others to lead or guide them along.

    "Let me help you," Yan Yu offered, going over to help her pick up the books.

    "Thank you," Su Yunjin responded, nodding her thanks.

    Many women instinctively refuse in such situations, perhaps due to modesty or pride, but refusing such a simple gesture would seem alienating, and Su Yunjin concealed her surprise well, responding appropriately and gracefully to a stranger, from which one could see that her upbringing was indeed excellent.

    In contrast, a certain despicable woman can''t be said to have been poorly taught, it''s just that she herself grew up to be twisted.

    "Let me help you carry these two suitcases upstairs," Yan Yu picked up two suitcases, "You can hold the books, and we should be able to move everything in one go."

    "Then I''ll trouble you," Su Yunjin said with a smile, "I''m really sorry."

    What a normal smile that was, Yan Yu couldn''t help but exclaim.

    It wasn''t Chen Lingyun''s elegantly sweet but fake smile, nor was it Zhao Yuanzhen''s clueless and silly grin, but the normal smile that a girl with a normal personality should have.

    So normal, it was truly touching.

    Yan Yu, carrying the two suitcases, climbed the stairs with Su Yunjin, who held the books, following behind. Seeing his energetic and untiring steps, not showing off, she felt somewhat relieved.

    At the dormitory door, Su Yunjin''s room was 204 (Zhao Yuanzhen was in 207, not far away).

    Yan Yu set the suitcases down at the door, remembered the room number on the doorplate, watched Su Yunjin take out the key card, swipe it to open the door, and then he pushed the suitcases inside.

    "Thank you for your hard work." Su Yunjin opened her backpack and took out a bottle of green tea, "Here''s something for you."

    Knowing her nature, Yan Yu didn''t stand on ceremony, took the bottle, twisted off the cap and said,

    "My name is Yan Yu, just like you, I''m a new student."

    "Su Yunjin, ''Su'' as in Gusu, ''Yun'' as in clouds, and ''Jin'' as in brocade," Su Yunjin introduced herself.

    "Alright, I''ve got it," Yan Yu nodded, took out his phone with his left hand, and said calmly, "Let''s add each other as friends, so we can contact each other if there''s an issue."

    "Sure," Su Yunjin agreed.

    After they added each other as friends, Yan Yu noticed that the girl''s profile picture was actually a very common landscape photo, with a close-up of a Chinese rose at the center... Her aesthetic was quite old-fashioned.

    Her nickname was "Yun Jin," which was equally old-fashioned.

    Should he just save her contact as "Auntie Su"?

    Yan Yu pushed down the random thoughts in his head and saw Su Yunjin quietly watching him, so he said with a smile,

    "I should go now, goodbye."

    "Let''s keep in touch when you have time," Su Yunjin said with a smile, escorting him to the corridor outside the dorm, just in time to see Chen Lingyun turn the corner of the staircase, followed by two aunts carrying suitcases for her.

    Their eyes met, and Chen Lingyun''s gaze fell on Su Yunjin behind him, her sweet and elegant smile still on her face, only her eyebrows slightly raised.

    Oh no, Secretary Su might not be able to become a secretary this life!

    Yan Yu chuckled inwardly, raised his hand, and greeted,

    "Good morning, Ling Yun."

    "It''s 1 PM," Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    "I meant you''ve arrived quite early," Yan Yu gracefully walked past her, "I''m off to get busy, see you next time." S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Chen Lingyun slightly turned her body, watching his figure disappear around the stair corner, then turned back to look at Su Yunjin.

    Feeling somewhat uncomfortable under her gaze, Su Yunjin cautiously nodded and said,

    "Hello."

    "Hello, classmate," Chen Lingyun''s smile became even sweeter, "What''s your name?"

 Chapter 23: Chapter 23: Come Be My Secretary

    Yan Yu helped Su Yunjin pick up her books, really without any ill intentions.Unlike Chen Lingyun, his impression of Su Yunjin in his past life was quite favorable. A well-behaved Miss from a family of scholars with a sense of propriety¡ªwho would dislike such a person?

    Another reason was... Su Yunjin died too tragically in the end.

    In an era of great contention, not competing means being eliminated. Su Yunjin herself lacked ambition and a utilitarian mindset, and on the battlefield, she tended to overthink yet lacked the decisiveness needed to make swift decisions.

    When given commands, she was the perfect chief of staff. But without leadership, she would fall into the "hesitation conundrum" typical of gentler people.

    ... The more she tried to save everyone, the less she was able to save anyone, and in the end, she even lost her own life.

    In contrast, Chen Lingyun''s decision to give up on her at that time was actually the wisest act of bravery.

    Although it was a pity indeed.

    Hmm, maybe this time around he could find a way to have Su Yunjin become his secretary.

    Chen Lingyun was not exactly a good leader. Her command skills were passable, but her actual strength was a glaring weakness, sometimes failing to protect her subordinates.

    Yan Yu was the type with a strong propensity for action; once he made a decision, he immediately took out his cellphone and sent a message to Su Yunjin:

    "How about joining me?"

    On the other end, Su Yunjin, upon receiving the message, was baffled for quite a long time. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Huh?"

    "It means exactly what it says," Yan Yu typed, "I need someone to help me deal with some miscellaneous matters, and you just entered school today with no specific goals, right?"

    "Actually, I can tell that you don''t really want to attend this university. You''re the type who loves literature, and the Chinese Language and Literature major would have suited you best. It''s just unfortunate that our university is quite special, with those chosen having no right to refuse."

    After about two or three minutes, Su Yunjin replied:

    "So what?"

    "So, if you follow me, maybe you could break free from your confusion and find the meaning in studying here," Yan Yu quickly typed.

    Many freshmen experience such a period of confusion: Having been focused on sprinting towards a single goal during their senior year of high school, they feel lost once they get to university not knowing what to do.

    For Su Yunjin, the situation was even more severe, as her goal had always been the Chinese Language and Literature Department of Gusu University. However, her sudden discovery of a Spirit Root forced her to sign an enrollment agreement with Zhendong National Defense University¡ªcompletely crushing her expectations for university life.

    "Hahaha, I''ve been quite confused recently," Su Yunjin replied, "I didn''t expect everyone to notice."

    Yan Yu frowned slightly and typed:

    "Did Chen Lingyun also come to you?"

    "Yes," Su Yunjin felt somewhat puzzled, how did he know?

    "She said similar things to me, offering similar advice."

    "And your response?"

    "I said," Su Yunjin typed, "that I need to think about it."

    From childhood, she had always followed the trajectory laid out by her parents, never daring to overstep. Now that she had entered this military-affiliated university, her academic-circle parents could no longer be of much help.

    If she didn''t know what to do next, then perhaps it was worth trying to follow in someone else''s footsteps... But whose?

    From a female perspective, of course, she leaned more towards the same gender, Chen Lingyun, after all, constantly being seen with boys could lead to being misunderstood as being in a romantic relationship.

    But Chen Lingyun''s smile made her somewhat uneasy.

    "I see." Yan Yu''s message came through, "Then take your time to think about it. However, if you decide to follow Chen Lingyun, you can''t just always follow her orders, you need to have your own ideas and thoughts."

    Su Yunjin''s next reply, however, leapt to a change of topic:

    "Yan Yu, are you very familiar with Chen Lingyun?"

    "Not really," Yan Yu pondered for a moment before typing, "It''s just an acquaintance."

    "But that''s not what she says."

    Yan Yu: ???

    Immediately following, a video chat invitation from the cunning woman popped up at the top of the screen.

    He silently tapped accept, and Chen Lingyun''s sweet smile appeared on the screen, with a visibly embarrassed Su Yunjin at her side, who mouthed a silent apology with a bitter smile.

    Judging by the background in the video, the two of them seemed to be in Su Yunjin''s single room at the dormitory.

    "Yan Yu," Chen Lingyun said with a twinkle in her eye, "trying to steal her away from me on the first day of school, huh?"

    "Don''t make it sound so dramatic," Yan Yu waved nonchalantly, "She hasn''t agreed to you yet."

    "This kid was my pick first." Chen Lingyun''s smile remained steady, "And I issued my invitation before you did. Plus, as a guy, to brazenly invite a girl to hang out with you, it''s hard not to suspect you have ulterior motives, isn''t it?"

    "Hey, don''t unjustly tarnish my reputation!" Yan Yu immediately retorted with wide eyes, "I just can''t bear to see her fall into your hands and then be played around by you."

    "How interesting," Chen Lingyun narrowed her eyes and smiled, "So in your heart, I''m the kind of bad woman who bullies her classmates?"

    "Aren''t you?"

    "You''re not allowed to answer a question with a question~"

    You two really have a good relationship... Watching their skillful interaction, Su Yunjin really wanted to make a comment, but good upbringing held her back.

    From the content and tone of their conversation, they were clearly more than just friends, but there was no hint of flirtation or intimacy, so what exactly was their relationship?

    "I''m not going to talk to you anymore, I''m going to the dining hall to eat," Yan Yu, noticing Su Yunjin''s odd expression, waved his hand impatiently, "That''s it, hanging up."

    "We''re about to go eat too," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "together?"

    Yan Yu''s first instinct was to refuse, but he quickly reconsidered.

    If Chen Lingyun was actively inviting him to eat, then it definitely wasn''t just for a meal or to cultivate a relationship, but because she had something to discuss with him.

    "Then let''s meet at the dining hall entrance."

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The extravagance of the Cultivator Academy''s dining hall couldn''t quite match the dormitories, but most of the cost was actually invested in the kitchen¡ªthe chef team was the same one that had managed the Asian Games at Lin''an Prefecture a few years before.

    Yan Yu met the two girls at the entrance of the dining hall: Chen Lingyun was dressed in a pleated skirt that fell past her knees and a simple blouse, topped with a cute gray beret.

    Su Yunjin had also changed clothes, wearing a blouse, form-fitting pants, and canvas shoes. Though her outfit wasn''t as elaborate as Chen Lingyun''s, she carried a different kind of classical beauty.

    Additionally, when these two girls stood side by side, Chen Lingyun''s petite stature immediately became apparent. Su Yunjin, who was not particularly tall among her peers, was still half a head taller than her; her height of one meter fifty-six was indeed a bit... cute.

    "Oh my, where did this elementary school student come from?" Yan Yu teased, finding it amusing as he regarded Chen Lingyun, "Are you coming to eat at the dining hall with your sister?"

    "See that?" Chen Lingyun wasn''t upset, instead she said to Su Yunjin, "If you chose to follow him back then, you''d now be harassed by such outrageous comments."

    "Yan Yu," Su Yunjin said awkwardly, "it''s impolite to joke about someone''s height like that, isn''t it?"

    "...Sorry."

    Facing Chen Lingyun, the cunning woman, Yan Yu could let loose without restraint, but with Su Yunjin, the gentle and kind young lady from a good family, he admittedly felt a bit embarrassed to tease her too much.

    Bullying a virtuous young lady is no fun at all, not nearly as amusing as kneading a cunning woman.

 Chapter 24: Chapter 24 The Gathering of the Three Goddesses

    After grabbing their meals at the cafeteria, the three of them found a table for four and settled down."Speaking of which, have you guys gotten your textbooks?" Su Yunjin initiated the conversation, asking softly, "Don''t you think there are too few? There are only three books."

    "Since it''s a military-affiliated school, of course, the focus is on integrating theory with practice, not like most majors which are mostly pure theoretical learning," Chen Lingyun said leisurely. "Yun Jin, have you looked through these textbooks?"

    "Yeah," Su Yunjin nodded, "I''ve briefly flipped through all three books." Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Her tone suddenly fell:

    "To be honest, I still feel a bit out of place. I was educated all my life that there are no such things as immortals, Buddhas, gods, or demons, and then one day I suddenly find out that I am actually a cultivator... It always feels like I''m dreaming. Every morning I have to confirm whether it''s real or not. You must have similar feelings, right?"

    "Not at all/nope." Chen Lingyun and Yan Yu responded at the same time.

    Su Yunjin''s expression froze on her face.

    "I understand you haven''t adjusted yet," Chen Lingyun said leisurely. "So just read those three books thoroughly, and you''ll be fine once you accept reality."

    "Just reading is not enough, practice is also necessary," Yan Yu corrected her, "Even not reading the books wouldn''t be a problem, as long as your practical skills keep improving. Many questions will arise naturally, and it''s still not too late to consult the books for solutions."

    "Hehe, yeah..." Su Yunjin looked somewhat sorrowful, feeling like a struggling student who accidentally became the butt of top students'' jokes.

    She bowed her head and ate quietly, when suddenly she heard a voice nearby:

    "Hello, is there still a seat available here?"

    All three turned their heads to see the newcomer, a girl with long black hair holding a food tray, dressed in a simple shirt, trousers, and sneakers.

    This girl''s beauty was not inferior to Su Yunjin, but her temperament was clearly on the opposite end of the spectrum.

    If Su Yunjin were to be described as a delicate water lily, then this person would be a snow lotus growing on the icy peaks of the Tianshan Mountains¡ªher pretty lips slightly pursed, forming a cold curve, her eyes clear and pure, her demeanor serious and stern, she seemed difficult to get along with.

    Among the three at that moment, probably only Yan Yu knew who she was.

    Lin Ning, from Qingyuan Prefecture in Minhai Province, her family ran a deep-sea fishing company, so she could be considered a rich heiress.

    However, unlike Su Yunjin, Lin Ning didn''t show any signs of being a spoiled rich girl. Instead, she seemed more like a strong-willed girl from a poor family determined to make something of herself, and her deeds in her past life were several times more remarkable than Su Yunjin''s.

    For example, when she was the class president in high school, a male classmate once wrote her a love letter in private, which Lin Ning summoned him to the cafeteria to respond to in person.

    According to classmates who sneaked in to eavesdrop, Lin Ning not only seriously rejected the boy, but also analyzed "why it was important to focus on studies at this stage," pointed out "which subjects he was weak in," and finally encouraged him to get into the university of his dreams...

    She turned the confession into a "lecture on studying," and it became a widely told story in school that everyone enjoyed.

    Later, the boy who was rejected truly made a great effort and ranked within the top 400 in the province in the college entrance exams. It was estimated that the mental shadow Lin Ning left on him at that time was indeed quite significant.

    Just like Secretary Su Yunjin, Lin Ning in her previous life was also Chen Lingyun''s right-hand helper.

    Because of her overly serious personality, lack of smiles, and her propensity to lecture, she was nicknamed "Class Teacher Lin Ning." And because she would always timely retort when Chen Lingyun was being frivolous, she was also jokingly called "Dandruff Inhibitor Lin Ning."

    "No one is here," Yan Yu said. "Help yourself."

    At the four-seater table, Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin sat opposite each other, and Lin Ning took a seat next to Yan Yu, eating and starting to read a book.

    The book''s title was "Tactics and Strategy Studies for Cultivators," one of the three textbooks distributed at the start of school.

    Yan Yu felt a bit sentimental. To think that on this first day of school, the three beauties of the academy had all gathered at this humble dining table. Should we find a garden full of blooming peach blossoms for a sworn sisterhood ceremony, and I''ll witness for you all...

    Then he heard Chen Lingyun suddenly say:

    "They''ve built a spell training ground behind the school. Shall we go take a look later?"

    "Sure," Su Yunjin responded reflexively.

    "What, you want to check out my skills?" Yan Yu immediately knew what she was thinking.

    Chen Lingyun seemed very pleased with this tacit understanding, smiling:

    "You''re not going to say you can''t, are you?"

    Lin Ning suddenly asked out of the blue:

    "The training ground? Can I go with you guys?"

    "Sure," Yan Yu said casually even before Chen Lingyun could answer, "It''s a public facility of the school, open to all students."

    Chen Lingyun gave him a meaningful look.

    What Lin Ning really meant was not "Can I go to the spell training ground," but "I want to see how strong you guys are." It seemed as if Yan Yu hadn''t grasped this underlying meaning... But how could that be? He must have understood; he must have done it on purpose.

    Why did he use such a vague expression? Clearly, it was to prevent Su Yunjin and me from refusing, so he rushed to agree first.

    In other words, he sees this girl, who is currently reading, as worth deliberately making an acquaintance with...

    Having thought everything through in a flash, Chen Lingyun also wore a sweet and elegant smile, and said to Lin Ning:

    "My name is Chen Lingyun, shall we add each other as friends?"

    "Lin Ning. ''Lin'' as in double woods, ''Ning'' as in lemon." Lin Ning took out her phone and swapped contact details with Chen Lingyun, then turned to look at Su Yunjin.

    "Thank you, my name is Su Yunjin." She rose to her feet in delighted surprise and took out her phone as well.

    After the three girls exchanged contacts, Lin Ning looked toward Yan Yu beside her.

    Yan Yu also pulled out his phone and scanned Lin Ning''s QR code.

    You have sent a friend request to "Ningning."

    Lin Ning seriously asked:

    "Classmate, what''s your name?"

    "Yan Yu."

    "Which specific characters?" Lin Ning was the type to note down all her contacts'' real names with compulsive detail, complete with suffixes like "high school classmate."

    "You can guess," Yan Yu teased her on purpose.

    Because Sister Lin took things too seriously, Chen Lingyun, who was his assistant in his previous life, frequently complained about her, making her one of Yan Yu''s sources of amusement. In contrast, characters like Secretary Su, who were too honest to speak out, were not as entertaining.

    "There''s no need for that," Lin Ning insisted, "Even if I guess correctly, I''d still need to confirm with you before I note it down. So why don''t you just tell me instead?"

    "Perhaps it''s because this way is more fun?" Yan Yu said leisurely, "Lin Ning, do you know what fun is?"

    Lin Ning was silent for a moment, catching the teasing tone in Yan Yu''s voice. She frowned in slight annoyance and put her phone away.

    No need to give his name, and such a frivolous attitude... Forget it, I won''t add him.

    Her reaction and her thoughts were precisely what Yan Yu had anticipated. Now she refused to add him as a friend, but she was sure to regret it later...

    "It''s ''Yan'' as in the bird, ''Yu'' as in abundant." Chen Lingyun suddenly spoke up and ruined his setup, smiling, "Classmate Lin Ning, don''t let him fool you. He''s just trying to annoy you. Now is the time when you should add him and then block him thoroughly."

    Damn, woman, you''re at it again!

    Yan Yu was about to retort when he heard Lin Ning say thoughtfully:

    "Indeed."

    She gave Yan Yu a smug smile, then typed "Yan Yu" into the remark column, accepted the friend request, and promptly set it to Do Not Disturb mode all in one go.

    "Fine, fine, fine, you like this game, huh?" Yan Yu, somewhat vengefully, took out his phone, "Chen Lingyun, I''m about to block you too..."

    "If you block me, I''ll just go add your sister as a friend," Chen Lingyun said, propping her cheeks with her hands and flashing an extremely sweet smile, "Then I''ll find out all about your dark history from when you were little and spread it all over the school''s forum."

 Chapter 25: Chapter 25: Showcase Skills at the Training Ground

    Yan Yu ultimately did not block Chen Lingyun.It wasn''t because he was afraid she would seek out his sister and dig up his embarrassing childhood history, but because he didn''t want to stoop to the level of such a despicable woman.

    After all, if he stooped to another''s level of pettiness, the result would only spiral into greater pettiness, which was really not advisable.

    After the four finished dinner in the cafeteria, they walked slowly along the path outside.

    The combination of one male and three females, especially since all the girls were quite attractive, undoubtedly drew the attention of many passing students and staff members.

    As a leaf among the flowers, Yan Yu also received such curious and inquisitive gazes. Thankfully, they were mostly out of curiosity and investigation, and there were no death stares from single dogs attempting to glare him to death.

    "Walking with three beauties must be a lot of pressure, right?" Chen Lingyun was, as expected, bringing up the awkward subject again, her annoying knack for observing words and colors at play.

    "What are you talking about? There are only two beauties here," Yan Yu glanced at her sidelong.

    Even the gentle and demure Su Yunjin, who never forgot to focus on her reading while walking, and Lin Ning, couldn''t help but prick their ears up quietly from the sidelines.

    Who are you talking about?

    Who has been kicked out of the ranks of beauties?

    It better not be me, or else I will...

    "So, who is it that''s not a beauty?" Already guessing what he was going to say, Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, "Think carefully before you speak~"

    "Of course, it''s someone who''s not even 1.6 meters tall," Yan Yu said very calmly, "That height clearly belongs to an elementary school student. Calling her a ''young lady'' is really a stretch. If she went to an internet cafe, she wouldn''t even have the chance to show her ID before being kicked out."

    Su Yunjin sighed beside them, as she had already seen that Yan Yu wasn''t really engaging in personal attacks, since Chen Lingyun didn''t look the least bit insulted or hurt.

    To be exact, this seemed to be some sort of "special communication where insulting each other strengthens their relationship." According to the descriptions in novels, this type of conversation typically occurred among very close male friends...

    "Judging a woman by her height is petty," Lin Ning interjected suddenly.

    Su Yunjin felt suffocated for a moment. With just one sentence, this child managed to attack two people at once¡ªwas she missing some common sense?

    The smile on Chen Lingyun''s face remained unchanged; she only raised her eyebrows slightly, looking at Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu glanced at Lin Ning and saw her looking down at the path with a cold expression, completely ignoring him. He took a deep breath and then spoke with feeling:

    "Indeed, because physical appearance possesses the charm to make one an appealing member of the opposite sex, confessing without knowing the person''s character is hardly likely to result in a lasting relationship. And let''s not forget, as high school students, our main focus is still supposed to be on studying.

    I''m happy that you like me, but as the class president, I still need to have a serious talk with you about this..."

    As Yan Yu recited his deep feelings, Lin Ning''s expression quickly changed from cold to shocked, then from shocked to fearful, and from fearful to wanting to dig a hole to hide in out of embarrassment¡ªand a type of anger that wanted her to annihilate herself and him right there and then, her neck and ears turning completely red.

    "You you you you you! Come here!" She yanked Yan Yu''s arm forcefully, dragging him toward a small grove, calling out in embarrassment and anger, "Stop reciting! Come with me!"

    The two of them busied themselves going into the grove. Su Yunjin was silent for a moment before sighing and saying:

    "Is it really okay?"

    "It''s okay," Chen Lingyun''s smile was very cheerful, "I''m confident he knows where to draw the line, and..."

    "...besides, it''s quite interesting, isn''t it?"

    Less than a minute had passed before Yan Yu and Lin Ning emerged from the grove. The former strutted back with an air of triumph, while the latter wore an expression that screamed, "I''m so mad but have to restrain myself" like she had been thoroughly put in her place.

    "Let''s go," said Yan Yu, waving his hand.

    Su Yunjin walked beside them, furtively checking if their clothes were disheveled, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

    The Zhendong National Defense Academy''s campus was extremely large; apart from the dormitories, administrative buildings, and lecture halls that are standard for universities, there were outdoor training fields and the mountain behind them.

    Only by following Chen Lingyun deep into the mountain did everyone realize that the inside of the mountain had been hollowed out long ago, and a large number of rooms had been carved out.

    The walls and floor were all lined with steel plates, every room was brightly lit, and there were surveillance cameras everywhere, making it look like the top-secret military laboratory seen in TV shows. It wouldn''t seem out of place if a section of the floor suddenly opened to reveal automatic guns that would mow down everyone as intruders.

    What was even stranger was that there was not a single staff member in sight.

    "We... shouldn''t be considered as illegally breaking in, right?" Su Yunjin started to get cold feet.

    "Obviously, we''re not," Yan Yu said, speechless, "When she brought us in, she used a key to open the door."

    "Having a key doesn''t necessarily mean legal entry, right?" Lin Ning seriously criticized, "It could be a key obtained through illegal means, or it might be unauthorized entry during a forbidden time period without approval..."

    "Preaching." Yan Yu said somberly.

    "Okay, I''ll stop preaching!" Lin Ning shouted irritably, "Anyway, if we get caught, I am definitely going to tell the truth!"

    Seeing her give up on herself, Chen Lingyun had more or less completed her "personality portrait" of her and quietly took out her phone, typing out a message.

    Yan Yu also took out his phone and saw the new message from Chen Lingyun:

    "Gentle and delicate little jade? Serious and competent with long black hair?"

    Almost smashed my phone... This wretched woman does have a good memory, I had almost forgotten.

    "What, are you jealous?" Yan Yu replied and asked.

    "Heh," was the inscrutable response.

    "Alright, this is the place." Chen Lingyun, having put away her phone, led the three of them into a spacious hall, which appeared to be... a shooting range?

    "This is the practice area for the Metal-Element Impact Curse. You can freely shoot at the targets in the distance, but you absolutely must not aim at people~" She turned on the control panel nearby, fiddled with it for a while, and the targets in front began to move.

    There were large and small targets, stationary and moving, straight-line, curved, reciprocating, and irregular in every possible pattern.

    Lin Ning took out her textbook she always carried with her and started to learn and research casting spells on the spot. Su Yunjin leaned in to watch as well.

    "Ah, it looks like you''ve already practiced it," Chen Lingyun said with a covered laugh upon seeing Yan Yu not studying on the spot, "How about giving it a try?"

    "Hmm," Yan Yu replied, hands behind his back, calmly, "Let''s see yours first." sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Chen Lingyun put her two fingers together and extended them forward. Immediately, a muffled sound emerged from the distant target, and the display screen hanging from the ceiling showed "Target 14, Score 7."

    Meanwhile, Su Yunjin and Lin Ning also put down their books. Clearly, compared to cramming on the spot, watching someone else cast spells in person seemed to be more valuable.

    "Your turn to try?" Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    "Then you''d better watch closely," Yan Yu replied confidently as he walked toward the shooting position.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    While Yan Yu and his companions hadn''t seen any staff when they entered, this was not a normal situation. Rather, it was because, 20 minutes before, the commander-in-chief of the Zhendong Army, Li Weiguo, had made a surprise visit, and most of the staff had gone to the practice field to assist with the demonstrations.

    Leaving the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse training area, Li Weiguo continued to instruct the school principal beside him:

    "...With rubber bullets, there''s still a fatal risk if hit in a vital area by accident. Our military has a quota for training casualties, but these university cultivators are far too precious to lose in training accidents, so it''s best to switch to liquid buffer rounds instead."

    "Understood, we''ll make the changes right away."

    "What''s the next facility we''re inspecting?"

    "The central control room. It''s staffed 24 hours a day, and we can see everything happening in all the training fields. If any students get injured, we''ll find out immediately."

    Surrounded by a large group, the commander-in-chief and the school leaders made their way to the central control room. Just as they reached the door, they heard exclamations from the on-duty staff inside:

    "Wow, look at this one!"

    "Is that one of the army''s elite snipers?"

    "No, that''s clearly a university student. But given that level of skill, it wouldn''t be surprising if they were from the military..."

    Hearing the unrestrained discussion inside, the school leaders'' faces darkened as they hurriedly pushed open the door and coughed loudly.

    The on-duty staff quickly stood up, only to see Li Weiguo stride powerfully into the control room. His gaze swept across the room, and he immediately caught sight of the surveillance screen for the Metal-Element Impact Curse training field.

    His expression turned solemn, and he fell silent, his mind churning with shock and awe.

 Chapter 26: Chapter 26 I Will Become the Strongest in This World

    ```The method of casting the Metal-Element Impact Curse involves gathering enough True Qi from the Dantian and then following a specific meridian route, passing through the chest, shoulders, and arms, before finally shooting out Sword Qi from the fingertips.

    Why can only one Curse Technique be cast at a time? It is because the meridian routes of different spells conflict with each other. For example, the Wood Bending Charm and the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse both pass through the Spirit Platform acupoint in the chest. If you run both spells at the same time, there will be a Qi collision at the Spirit Platform acupoint.

    The final point of the Impact Curse''s Qi pathway is the fingertip acupoints of the middle and index fingers, which must be brought together in a gesture known as the "Sword Finger" when used.

    The method of casting the Impact Curse recorded in the textbook is to raise the arm to eye level, bring up the Sword Finger, slightly bend the elbow, and align the far end, near end of the gap between the two fingers, and the eyes all in a straight line, before firing the Metal-Element''s sharp energy to pierce through the target.

    Because the motion resembles shooting, it is also the favorite Curse Technique of military cultivators, who refer to it as "gun shooting."

    Li Weiguo, the current commanding officer of the Zhendong Army, although unable to cultivate himself due to the lack of a Spirit Root, had witnessed countless experiments by military cultivators, and he almost immediately noticed that Yan Yu''s casting method was quite different from that of the troops:

    This guy didn''t seem to aim at all when he released the Impact Curse.

    At the training ground, Su Yunjin and Lin Ning were also stunned. The former had her mouth slightly open, while the latter, despite showing no expression, instinctively clenched her fingers around her book.

    Chen Lingyun stood on another side, her smile sweet and radiant, and her eyes seemed to shine.

    Yan Yu''s movements while casting the spell did not resemble "a soldier shooting a gun," but rather "a music conductor." His arms swung rhythmically, moving briskly left and right, up and down in front of him, without ever specifically stopping to aim.

    Yet looking at the continuous "target hit 10-ring records" scrolling on the screen like a waterfall presented another, even more incredible fact.

    He wasn''t failing to aim; he didn''t need to aim.

    "Old Wang! Come take a look," Li Weiguo called out without turning his head, from inside the central command room.

    Wang Changshi quickly joined the commanding officer, adjusted his reading glasses, and stared at the figure effortlessly casting spells on screen, inhaling deeply to himself.

    "Strong eyesight and quick reflexes," he said, quickly regaining his composure and making a serious analysis. "He''s got the standard of an active ace."

    "Still not enough," Li Weiguo said gravely.

    "Yes," replied Wang Changshi earnestly. "Most importantly, his rate of True Yuan circulation is very fast, with the ability to launch multiple Impact Curses in a short period of time... the speed... should be more than three times that of active personnel."

    "What is the speed of casting Curse Techniques related to?" Li Weiguo asked.

    "Personal physique, casting experience, True Qi control," Wang Changshi answered. "There are indeed active service cases with naturally wide meridians, whose spellcasting speed is about 50% faster than average."

    An individual''s physique can only enhance performance by up to 50%, yet his spellcasting speed was three times that of active personnel, meaning physique wasn''t the main contributing factor.

    As a university student cultivator, it''s certain he didn''t have much casting experience, which left only one thing: True Qi control ability.

    Remarkable eyesight to quickly discern all targets'' positions and trajectories; lightning-fast reflexes to calculate lead times in an instant; and¡­ unparalleled control over True Qi, with a circulation speed more than three times that of active military cultivators, making his spell releases comparable to a machine gun pouring out bullets.

    Liu Zhufu, standing next to him, leaned over and asked for instructions:

    "Should we check his identity?"

    Wang Changshi was about to agree when Li Weiguo suddenly raised his hand and said:

    "No need for that yet."

    He looked at Chen Lingyun, who stood next to Yan Yu on the screen, pondered for a moment, and then said:

    "The young man belongs to our Zhendong Army, like meat in our own pot that cannot be snatched away by others. To praise him now would be to put pressure on him prematurely; it''s unnecessary."

    Wang Changshi immediately understood.

    "This matter is a secret of our military, don''t let it out," he warned the surrounding school leaders sternly.

    "Yes!" all the school leaders replied in unison.

    The management of the Zhendong International Academy was comprised entirely of civil servants from the Zhendong Army, so their loyalty was beyond question.

    Back at the training ground, Yan Yu finally brought his hands together and then crisply clapped them clean.

    ```

    Yeah, although it''s been a long time since I''ve practiced, this kind of basic skill really hasn''t become rusty...

    No sooner had he turned around than he saw Chen Lingyun looking exhilarated, Su Yunjin staring in disbelief, and only Lin Ning with a look of incredulity, asking in astonishment,

    "You... you''re really amazing! How did you do it?"

    "Practice makes perfect," Yan Yu answered offhandedly.

    "What do you mean by practice?" Lin Ning still couldn''t understand and pressed on, "We all signed the enrollment agreement before realizing we were cultivators, how much time could you possibly have to practice..." S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Okay, okay~" Chen Lingyun took her arm, "The self-study time on the training ground is precious; Lin Ning, don''t pester him with questions here, there will be time to figure it out later~"

    Lin Ning really wanted to ask clearly, but she had to admit that Chen Lingyun was right.

    Anyway... anyway, now that we''re friends, there will be plenty of time to ask him later...

    She quietly took out her phone, turned off the do-not-disturb mode for Yan Yu''s contact, and then immediately remembered another matter.

    Wait a minute! Although it was because of a joke by Chen Lingyun that she had petulantly blocked him, she had originally planned to unblock him tonight when she got back.

    But now that she had discovered he was an incredible talent, wouldn''t it be misconstrued as a rather utilitarian gesture if she hastily removed the block to ask him questions? From arrogance to deference, and all that...

    Forget it, I''d better not ask him.

    Seeing Lin Ning looking downcast, and combining that with her previous thought process and personality profiling, Chen Lingyun guessed her thoughts fairly accurately and turned to Yan Yu with a smile brimming with pleasure. It was as if to say, "Oh my, this kid is pretty fun!"

    Yan Yu, of course, also noticed her dilemma, and with a simple "Lin Ning, there''s no problem, you can ask me whatever you want later," he probably could have gained her goodwill instantly.

    But no, I refuse!

    With a girl as earnest and proud as she, it''s best to tease and play with her now while we''re still strangers; it won''t be as fun once we get to know each other better later.

    "The dorms turn the lights off at night." Yan Yu checked the time on his phone, "Aren''t you going to practice?"

    "I might as well give it a try," Su Yunjin said first.

    Unlike Chen Lingyun and Yan Yu, this was her first time using curse techniques. Even though it was the simplest Impact Curse among the Five Spells, it took her almost twenty minutes to successfully cast it.

    Lin Ning''s learning efficiency was about the same, and it took her just under half an hour to finally manage the flow of breath.

    "How''s it going?" Watching them fumble with their spellcasting, Chen Lingyun quietly asked.

    "Lin Ning is a bit rigid," Yan Yu replied, "Strictly following the textbook in a meticulous manner means she relies heavily on existing experience patterns and lacks the ability to adapt proactively. If she encounters an experienced enemy who''s good at observing, her offensive patterns could be easily seen through in actual combat."

    "Typical test-taker mentality," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "But that''s also quite normal. What about Su Yunjin?"

    "Su Yunjin... her situation is a bit more difficult," Yan Yu frowned as he spoke, "She always pauses for a split second at the very end of casting her spell."

    "Do you mean she''s afraid?" Chen Lingyun immediately understood.

    "An unconscious aversion to using violence or hurting others, likely tied to her upbringing and environment," Yan Yu replied indifferently, "Such ingrained values are trickier to address, not something that can be corrected overnight, you know? Being a cultivator is essentially a military profession, and her psychological readiness is way off. Lin''s issue is minor in comparison."

    "What about me?" Chen Lingyun pointed to herself.

    "You?" Yan Yu pondered briefly before replying, "Your judgments are accurate, spellcasting stable, and as of now, I see no obvious faults to criticize. The only problem might be that your aptitude isn''t great.

    As the resurgence of spiritual energy deepens, you''ll find that your growth will be more strenuous compared to others, and you''ll need to put in more sweat and effort to ensure your cultivation doesn''t fall behind. So, time is your biggest enemy."

    "But aptitude isn''t the only factor determining strength," Chen Lingyun said meditatively, "Awareness, experience, and technique are equally important."

    "That''s true," Yan Yu didn''t deny this.

    Speaking of aptitude, his own was even worse than Chen Lingyun''s¡ªhe didn''t have a Spirit Root at all.

    But this didn''t stop him from becoming the strongest in the world.

 Chapter 27: Chapter 27 Im Not Used To Without You

    The training hall announced closing time, and the broadcast system alerted all the students inside that they could leave now.Su Yunjin lowered her arms in dejection, thinking that although she enrolled in late May just like Yan Yu, he was already so formidable, while she still stumbled through her incantations...

    Maybe she really wasn''t suited to be a cultivator?

    With a somewhat dim expression, she pondered, and Lin Ning, standing beside her, although not displaying much distress on her face, was likely thinking along similar lines.

    Not to mention catching up, we''re not even on the same level, she thought as she looked at her own palm.

    The straight-black-haired beauty who had always been first in her class from elementary to high school was encountering the daunting force of a downgrade strike for the first time.

    Seeing the two girls experiencing a collapse of their worldviews, Chen Lingyun laughed even more cheerfully and walked over to hook her arm around Lin Ning''s waist, then pinched Su Yunjin''s cheek, saying,

    "Come on, come on~ Don''t look so unhappy. College life is still long, there''s plenty of time to surpass that someone~"

    Chen Lingyun''s words had struck a chord with Su Yunjin, who felt somewhat embarrassed, while Lin Ning argued,

    "It''s not because I want to surpass him, it''s just because I''m not learning well, that''s why..."

    "Little Lin Ning is quite a determined girl," Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    "Don''t call me Little Lin Ning!" Lin Ning protested with embarrassment and annoyance.

    Yan Yu quietly observed from the sidelines, thinking that it was no mere coincidence that these three girls were friends in their past lives.

    Chen Lingyun, this trashy woman, surely hadn''t changed her vile character of toying with others. If it had been a girl who was a little less perceptive, not flipping out on her would have been good enough.

    Those who could be friends with her were either gentle-natured young ladies like Su Yunjin or earnest eccentrics like Lin Ning, who always focused on the main issue and didn''t sweat the small stuff.

    After seeing the three young ladies to the girls'' dormitory building, Yan Yu leisurely headed back to his own dorm.

    On the first day of enrollment, he had added three goddess-level friends, and he had confirmed that his basic skills in combat hadn''t deteriorated. Great.

    A fulfilling day.

    Although he seemed to have forgotten something, it didn''t really matter.

    Back at the dorm, he arrived on the second floor just in time to see several boys chatting in the hallway.

    Yan Yu glanced briefly, recognizing only one of the three boys.

    In the former life at Zhendong International Academy, within the first batch of a hundred or so cultivators, only five left a deep impression on him: apart from Chen Lingyun, Su Yunjin, and Lin Ning whom he already knew, there were Qiu Ze and Sun Ziyi.

    Sun Ziyi was the late bloomer type, truly remarkable not until he acquired the "Formless Sword"; Qiu Ze, on the other hand, stood out much earlier, otherwise Chen Lingyun wouldn''t have selected him for the team.

    The guy leaning against the wall with a towel over his shoulder was Qiu Ze. He was extroverted and good at socializing, always speaking with a smirk, a typical "fair-weather friend" among the boys. In the past life, he was extremely skilled in the Shifting Technique and Cloud Ascension Technique, which is why Chen Lingyun recruited him for reconnaissance and support roles in her team.

    Suddenly, Qiu Ze turned his head, looked at Yan Yu with a smile, and said,

    "Hey, you live in 202, right?"

    It seemed like a casual guess, but it was actually a simple deduction¡ªhe had spent the afternoon getting to know all the neighbors on the second floor, and Yan Yu was the only one he hadn''t seen because he had been out with Chen Lingyun for dinner and training.

    "That''s right," Yan Yu nodded, "My name is Yan Yu, and I live in 202."

    "Qiu Ze, room 204," Qiu Ze replied with a friendly smile, "We''re playing games and grouping up tonight in the dorm, want to join us?"

    "Gaming is out, it''s already 11 pm," Yan Yu politely declined.

    "Alright, maybe next time," Qiu Ze said with a smile.

    Unlike Chen Lingyun''s taunting "You look like an idiot, you know?" smirk, Qiu Ze''s smile was meant to seem approachable and harmless, so Yan Yu didn''t hold any ill will against him.

    After swiping his key card and opening the door to his room, Yan Yu''s expression froze instantly. Seizing the moment before anyone else could notice, he quickly shut the door behind him, firmly locking it.

    I remembered, I know what I had forgotten...

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress, Zhao Yuanzhen, was currently sitting at his desk, one leg propped up, hands crossed over her chest, eyes glaring coldly at him with sinister aggression, apparently, she had been stood up for most of the day and was showing signs of going mad with fury.

    Yan Yu instantly felt somewhat guilty, but then he recalled this Demonic Sect Enchantress by nature was extremely malevolent, and was only holding back because she feared the powerful master behind him who, in actuality, didn''t exist. Should he show any weakness, she would immediately sense something was amiss, making it troublesome to suppress her later.

    Therefore, Yan Yu quickly cast aside any guilt he had forgotten her, stating indifferently:

    "I was on a mission from my master. What, you have a problem with that?"

    At the mention of "master''s orders," Zhao Yuanzhen instantly deflated, not even daring to mutter a few words of complaint in her heart, only managing to say in a mumbled, aggrieved tone:

    "I don''t have a problem, but as dual cultivation partners, shouldn''t you at least inform me before you leave? This is also my first time joining this sect, I''m unfamiliar with everything around here, and then you weren''t even by my side..."

    "Ha?" Yan Yu revealed a mockingly baffled smile, "What are you talking about, you are a cultivator!"

    In the past life, you were pursued by the authorities, fleeing from Jiangnan all the way to Jiujiang, Jingnan, Bajun, Nanchuan, Nanjiang... running 1800 kilometers along the river, killing and slaughtering countless along the way, were you not domineering and brazen then? Now you tell me you''re scared in unfamiliar environments? You must be joking!

    A sly and cunning Demonic Sect Enchantress!

    "I know..." Zhao Yuanzhen also seemed to lack confidence, trying hard to justify herself, "Although I am a cultivator, I am also a woman, isn''t it normal to feel fear?"

    Starting to play the gender card now, are we?

    Yan Yu was not fooled by her seemingly weak demeanor, replying coldly with arms crossed:

    "Really? I don''t believe it."

    Zhao Yuanzhen: .........

    She didn''t continue speaking, just silently lowering her head, her fists clenched tightly between her legs, thinking resentfully:

    "...Today, the scoundrel left me waiting for half a day, I kept vigil in my room without a bite to eat or drink, only to be ridiculed by him for ''not seeming like a cultivator,'' this is a great grudge!"

    "If one day I turn the tables and take charge, I''ll make sure to tether a dog leash around the scoundrel''s neck, so he won''t be able to step away from me even by half a step!"

    Imagining the scoundrel groveling and fawning over her, Zhao Yuanzhen''s anger dissipated by a significant amount, and she asked:

    "The seals on the puppets are also ready, would you like to take a look?"

    "Show me."

    Zhao Yuanzhen took out two Silver Pellets, pinched a magic formula, and infused them with True Yuan. The two puppets immediately grew against the wind, reaching a height of 1.7 meters in seconds, standing slim and graceful, delightfully lovely, they looked exactly like Zhao Yuanzhen, like three identical triplet sisters.

    With another pinch of a magic formula, the puppets reverted back into Silver Pellets, spinning nimbly in the palm of her hand.

    "Very well," Yan Yu took a Silver Pellet and stored it away solemnly, "This thing isn''t easy to test out in the open, better keep it for emergencies."

    As for why they couldn''t test it openly, Zhao Yuanzhen now had a rough idea: this world had no sectarian disputes, the Imperial jurisdiction was incredibly strict, requiring all techniques and treasures to be registered and their sources explained clearly.

    Puppetry was the hallmark of the Qiansi Sect, how could they explain its origin? If they registered it with the authorities today, Mei Yingxue would come after them tomorrow.

    "Of course," Zhao Yuanzhen hesitated for a moment before suddenly saying, "Yan Yu?"

    "What?" sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Why don''t I just move in with you," Zhao Yuanzhen laid down on his bed, looking at the ceiling, "We have to dual cultivate every evening, always using the Invisibility Technique to come and go, it''s quite bothersome for me."

    "Don''t be silly," Yan Yu shook his head, "Haven''t you noticed that all the residents here are male cultivators?"

    "That''s why I can''t understand why the residences for male and female cultivators have to be separated, it''s absurd," Zhao Yuanzhen commented, "We are all cultivators, yet still bound by the moral and ethical constraints of the mundane world, what kind of archaic and conservative sect is this!"

    "Living together now would be too conspicuous," Yan Yu pondered for a moment before replying, "In a while, when the time is right, we''ll find a place outside to live together."

 Chapter 28: Chapter 28: Boss Takes in a Divine Ability

    As the first university-level cultivator students, the freshman curriculum was rather simple: three theoretical courses and one practical combat course.The three theoretical courses were "Ideological Morality and Current Affairs Policy," "Comprehensive Guide to Cultivation," and "Tactics and Strategy Studies for Cultivators." The first course needs no mention, the second, "Comprehensive Guide to Cultivation," mainly introduced "what is the Spiritual Energy Resurgence," "what are the Dantian, meridians, and acupoints," and "how to perform Qi Refinement."

    The Qi Refinement technique was named "National Initial Edition Qi Cultivation Technique," but Yan Yu immediately recognized the content as Mei Yingxue''s "Primordial Unity Scripture," which emphasized "independency from external objects." With sufficient aptitude, one did not need any resources for cultivation and could still maintain a high Qi Refinement efficiency. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The third course, "Tactics and Strategy Studies for Cultivators," mainly discussed the Three Arts and Five Spells. The Three Arts were "Shifting Technique," "Cloud Ascension Technique," and "Wall-Penetration Technique;" the Five Spells were "Metal-Element Impact Curse," "Wood Bending Charm," "Runescript," "Fire Blazing Charm," and "Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse."

    As Chen Lingyun had said, among the key points in the current textbooks, the Three Arts were focused on "Shifting Technique," which allowed for super-fast movement "quick as a running horse," easily covering a thousand meters within a minute.

    Among the Five Spells, "Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse" was highly recommended. Once activated, the entire body would be enveloped in hardened earth-element True Qi, which could perfectly defend against bullets and explosive shrapnel at the cost of continuous consumption of True Yuan during activation.

    From this, it could be seen that military cultivators were still stuck in modern warfare thinking. The reason "Shifting Technique" and "Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse" were esteemed was because they provided "mobility" and "defense," maximally enhancing the combat capabilities of special forces.

    However, cultivators are not special forces...

    Though the students were all eager to learn, absorbing the knowledge like sponges, Yan Yu was somewhat disinterested. While others were busy taking notes, he was doodling aimlessly in his notebook with his pen.

    Sitting in front of Yan Yu were Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin. The latter was attentively listening to the lesson, while the former, smiling, had not written a word in her notebook... Clearly, she had decided that her future learning plan would center around "Teacher Yan Yu."

    Lin Ning sat to Yan Yu''s left, her notebook filled with dense notes. Occasionally, she would glance over and notice Yan Yu scribbling on his notes, prompting her to remind him:

    "I won''t lend you my notes before the exams, you know."

    Yan Yu was taken aback and responded:

    "Who asked you?"

    "Why aren''t you taking notes?" Lin Ning''s serious nature began to kick in, entering the beautiful girl''s persuasion mode.

    "Because it''s pointless," Yan Yu replied, "The most important thing for a cultivator is practical combat. As long as the practical combat results are excellent, theoretical grades can even be ignored."

    "But isn''t it true that understanding the theory well can help with practical combat?" Lin Ning pursued the point unwillingly.

    "That''s indeed true," Yan Yu nodded thoughtfully, "So you should study hard."

    "What about you?"

    "With my strong combat ability, why do I need to study theory?" Yan Yu asked, seemingly confused.

    Lin Ning was immediately frustrated and yet found herself at a loss for words.

    She had seen his performance on the training field earlier and ultimately couldn''t ignore the facts or deny them.

    "What do you plan to do for this afternoon''s training class?" Chen Lingyun suddenly sent a message, clearly having heard the conversation between the two in the back row.

    "Just attend the class as normal," Yan Yu replied via text.

    "Oh, not going to try playing possum?" Chen Lingyun''s message came quickly, "Want me to deliberately get a few boys to give you a hard time, then you can reveal your strength and shock everyone?"

    "Forget about it," Yan Yu replied, "Would you be pleased with yourself for coming in first place in a kindergarten?"

    "Fair point," Chen Lingyun thought it over and realized it indeed made sense from Yan Yu''s perspective, "So do you also see me as a kindergarten kid?"

    "I see you as a little female demon," Yan Yu replied.

    Zhao Yuanzhen sat to Yan Yu''s right, watching him persistently texting with Chen Lingyun and couldn''t help but puff up her cheeks, silently taking offense:

    "...Today I listened to the lecture, this thief ignored his companion the whole time, just chatting idly with another woman, I''ll remember this grudge! If one day I can turn the tables and take charge, I''ll definitely seal his glib tongue, rendering him unable to speak a word!"

    The morning was for theoretical classes, and the afternoon was for practical classes. There were two hours of rest at midday, and as soon as the dismissal bell rang, everyone rushed to the cafeteria, ready for lunch.

    Yan Yu found a four-seater table and sat down first.

    Chen Lingyun came over and took a seat across from him effortlessly, with Su Yunjin sitting beside her, and Lin Ning next to Yan Yu, just like the seating arrangement last night.

    Until Zhao Yuanzhen came over with her dinner plate and saw that the area next to Yan Yu was already filled with beautiful girls, she was instantly bewildered:

    "What about me?"

    "Just find a place to sit anywhere," Yan Yu said helplessly.

    Even though we''re dual cultivation partners, we don''t have to stick together even while eating, right?

    "I think, it''s better for us girls to sit together," Chen Lingyun suddenly said with a smile, picking up her dinner plate and standing up.

    Su Yunjin and Lin Ning also stood up and, together with Chen Lingyun and Zhao Yuanzhen, the four girls found an empty table not too far away and sat down.

    Yan Yu suddenly found himself alone but didn''t seem to mind (of course, he was not going to fall for the girls'' play-hard-to-get strategy), as he calmly continued to eat.

    "Hey, Yan Yu!" Qiu Ze arrived with two other guys, carrying their dinner plates and taking their seats opposite and beside him.

    "Qiu Ze." He nodded in greeting.

    "Look over there." After chatting for a bit, Qiu Ze suddenly gestured for everyone to look at Chen Lingyun''s table and chuckled, "Those four girls, they all look pretty good."

    Starting a conversation with the topic of beautiful girls is a tried-and-true method among guys who have just met.

    The effect is quite simple and effective, after all, admiring beauty is a common topic among all men. The risk is that if the girls in question were to find out they were being rated, it might lead to a collective decrease in their favorability towards those men.

    "Indeed." Another guy commented, "The smallest one, she has a particularly sweet smile when she laughs."

    Yan Yu bit his lip hard, trying not to burst into laughter so much that he sprayed his food out.

    "Uh, Yan Yu, what do you think?" Qiu Ze saw him looking like he was struggling to hold something in and thought he had something to say but was too shy, so he quickly encouraged him to speak.

    "I''m pretty close with them, so I can''t really comment," Yan Yu managed to swallow his food and replied calmly.

    Qiu Ze was a little confused by his response, while the guy beside him laughed and teased him, "We all just started school yesterday, and you''re already well-mixed in today, huh?"

    "Right," Yan Yu admitted with a nod.

    His response silenced everyone as they assumed he was just showing off and didn''t argue with him.

    When Yan Yu saw the change in their expressions, he knew what they were thinking, so he decided to take out his phone and call Chen Lingyun.

    Qiu Ze and the other two guys hadn''t quite realized what was happening when Chen Lingyun''s voice came through the phone:

    "Hello?"

    Yan Yu turned on the speakerphone and said:

    "I''m having dinner with some new classmates, and we''ve come across a topic I want to hear your opinion on: who do you think is the prettiest at your table?"

    Qiu Ze and the other two boys finally realized who he was calling, and their jaws dropped in unison.

    Wait a second, don''t tell me... you''re not actually...

    "Aesthetic appreciation is quite subjective, and the points that women care about usually differ greatly from what guys think," Chen Lingyun''s cheerful voice came from the phone, "If you really want my opinion, I personally prefer the type like Lin Ning, whose appearance and personality are contrary..."

    "Hey!" Lin Ning''s protest suddenly erupted, "I told you not to call me ''Little Lin Ning''!"

    "Got it," Yan Yu replied, "Pass the phone to Lin Ning, I''ll ask her opinion..."

    Before he could finish his sentence, Qiu Ze grabbed his arm, his face filled with a pleading sadness:

    "Boss, stop showing off your magic skills! Don''t we believe you already?"

    "Please don''t ask any further! It''s social suicide! They''ve already started looking this way!"

 Chapter 29: Chapter 29 Look at Yours

    "I originally thought you had social anxiety, but it turns out you''re a social terrorist!"In all his years from childhood to adulthood, Qiu Ze had met countless male peers, but he had never encountered such a peculiar person who would take classmates in front of girls to blow their own cover without any agreement. This was a first for him.

    As for the two boys beside him, they didn''t want to interact with him anymore... They were thinking about getting out of singlehood during their college days, of course, they didn''t dare to offend this brave man easily.

    Therefore, until the practical class in the afternoon, there were no other boys coming to chat with Yan Yu.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    As Yan Yu had told Lin Ning before, being a cultivator is fundamentally a military occupation, which is why practice is far more important than theory.

    The theoretical classes in the morning were managed by a single instructor, but the first practical class in the afternoon had ten instructors present at the same time.

    All the instructors had uniform crew cuts, camouflage outfits, and military boots. They stood up straight in a row on the drill field, and the atmosphere was extremely serious and formal. So much so that even the most mischievous students did not dare to continue joking around with their classmates.

    Leading the instructors was Qi Changping, the very teacher who had recruited Yan Yu back in Lin''an Prefecture. Standing in front of everyone with his hands behind his back, he said:

    "My name is Qi, the same ''Qi'' as in Qi Jiguang. You can call me Instructor Qi from now on."

    "For the next four years, I will be in charge of your practical courses, so let me first lay out the rules here."

    "In my class, I don''t forbid playing with phones, I don''t forbid eating snacks, I don''t forbid whispering with classmates, you can do whatever you want to do as long as you stay at the class. Just one thing," he continued with a tone shift,

    "Of course, there''s a precondition: you must be able to defeat me."

    Everyone was at a loss for words: Defeat the instructor, my god!

    If we had the strength to defeat the instructor, what would we be doing studying here!

    "Of course," Qi Changping continued, "Even if you''re unable to defeat the instructor, as long as you can beat all your classmates around you and get first place in the year''s exams, we have special privileges for the chief."

    "To put it simply, our practical classes are purely based on meritocracy! If you are strong, you call the shots! If you''re not strong enough, just shut up quietly and follow the arrangements set by the stronger ones!"

    No one spoke up. Anyone with a bit of intelligence knew this was a power move to intimidate them, who would be foolish enough to stick their neck out at this time?

    "Is there no one who wants to challenge the instructor?" Qi Changping looked around the crowd, raising his voice, "If you want to speak, shout ''Reporting to the instructor,'' and raise your hand!"

    "Reporting to the instructor!" Qiu Ze was the first to raise his hand and shout.

    "Step forward!"

    "We''ve just started school and are not familiar with the various spells yet, we can''t defeat the instructor!" Qiu Ze said loudly. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Seeing that the instructor was preparing to intimidate, this fellow directly gave him the microphone, which showed his ability to flatter all too clearly.

    Qi Changping remained noncommittal, simply stating coldly:

    "Not familiar? You got the textbooks just yesterday when you arrived at school, and you had all evening to study. Even the most foolish person should at least have learned one curse technique, right?"

    The crowd remained silent. Which college freshman would start studying on their very first day?!

    Qi Changping looked around at the students again, shouting:

    "Those who have mastered at least one spell from the Three Arts and at least one curse technique from the Five Spells, step forward!"

    Only Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun stood out.

    Among the more than a hundred students, there were those who had looked over the textbooks beforehand, but except for Su Yunjin and Lin Ning, who knew the training ground, the other students didn''t have a place to practice, so naturally, they couldn''t master the Five Spells.

    The only one who skipped this threshold in her past life was Chen Lingyun, who, upon confirmation of her Spirit Root, was immediately assigned to a military base and had advanced learning of the Three Arts and Five Spells.

    But the students wouldn''t know about this; they would just think Chen Lingyun was a cultivation genius who could master the Three Arts and Five Spells overnight... That''s the power of information asymmetry.

    Therefore, it was quite obvious that the academy was supporting Chen Lingyun from behind, trying to build her prestige among the cultivator classmates of her year, and to make her the "primordial model" and "representative of the new generation" for the Zhendong Army cultivators¡ªlaying the groundwork early for her to become the team leader later on.

    It''s a well-known fact that the representative of the new students of each college is inevitably the product of behind-the-scenes manipulation, so this case isn''t really an exception.

    However, Yan Yu was more concerned about, after stepping forward with Chen Lingyun, what kind of reaction would those who had intended to support Chen Lingyun have?

    "Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun, follow me," Qi Changping instructed, "The rest of you, stay here and learn the Shifting Technique. In an hour, we will conduct a phase test."

    So everyone quietly opened the textbooks they carried and started to study and research.

    Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun followed the instructors to another training field next to the mountain''s backside and put on specially made metal bracelets with mysterious and beautiful runes on them.

    "These are True Yuan suppression bracelets," Qi Changping explained, "They can suppress the killing output of the Impact Curse, Flame Curse, and Curved Curse, so you won''t cause instantly fatal wounds."

    This was explained for Yan Yu, meaning he didn''t need to hold back in what was to come, while Chen Lingyun obviously already knew what the bracelet was for.

    "Next, you will fight each other here to test your standards," Qi Changping continued, "Don''t worry about harming your opponent; we, the instructors, will watch the whole time, and the medical team will also be on standby... Any questions?"

    "Yes," Yan Yu asked, "Is the purpose of this duel for us to compete, or simply to examine our strength levels?"

    "Both to compete and to examine," Qi Changping answered, "You don''t need to concern yourself with so much, just do your best."

    "Well, what I mean is," Yan Yu continued, "if it''s about winning or losing, then you won''t be able to assess my strength level."

    "What student Yan Yu means is," Chen Lingyun said with an eyebrow raised and a smile, "that my current strength level isn''t enough to force him to use his full power."

    Qi Changping remained silent, and the other instructors were also unanimously speechless.

    What kind of arrogance is this?

    There''s no need to speak of Chen Lingyun''s strength; after all, she had been studying with the military since April and has already mastered the Three Arts and Five Spells extremely proficiently. Her sheer spell-casting ability is even comparable to that of military cultivators¡ªwhat right does a newcomer have to speak such big words?

    Last night, the instructors hadn''t accompanied the marshal to inspect the training field, so they hadn''t seen Yan Yu''s performance. But as veterans who had seen much, they had encountered many unruly individuals in the troops. Thus, they all managed to keep their expressions well hidden, only to hear Qi Changping laugh and say:

    "If that''s the case, you can fight a bit slower and let us see your strength,"

    "Alright then," Yan Yu began to move his arms, "I''ll just have to go easy."

    He calmly walked onto the training field, looking at Chen Lingyun who stood opposite him, and asked:

    "You going first?"

    "Sure," Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    She turned nimbly and walked leisurely toward the rear, seemingly measuring how much distance to put between them.

    In the eyes of the instructors, this was seen with much approval and satisfaction: evidently, the girl was very clear on where her weaknesses lay.

    As a cultivator, Chen Lingyun''s time undergoing military training was not long. Her advantage lay in her proficiency with spells, while her weaknesses were her close combat ability and her capacity to respond to sudden situations¡ªthis could be considered a gender disadvantage for women. Without training, they are naturally not as adept at fighting as men.

    Once the distance was closed by an opponent, it could result in an inability to cast spells and being confounded by some undisciplined punches. Keeping the distance allows for calm deployment of various spells; that is the most suited combat approach for her.

    Facing Chen Lingyun''s openly displayed tactical intent, Yan Yu had no particular reaction and even yawned lazily.

    Let''s first see the quality of your strength, little Ling Yun.

 Chapter 30: 30 Chapters: Guiding War

    Chen Lingyun, with her hands clasped behind her back, walked to just about fifty steps away. Then she turned around nimbly and revealed a brilliant smile.She waved vigorously at Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu did not respond. Instead, he activated the Barrier Charm in an instant.

    Almost simultaneously, he felt the sensation of being hit by an Impact Curse in his chest, causing a slight tremor in the True Qi that flowed throughout his body.

    Pretending to salute before the match, but attacking without notice. Had anyone else been standing there, they might have been caught off guard.

    But not Yan Yu.

    Because he was all too familiar with this wretched woman''s underhanded tactics¡ªto some extent, he even understood her better than Chen Lingyun understood herself at that moment.

    The instructors standing by did not react, as all training was based on actual combat, which had no rules about "salutes before a match."

    As long as you win in the end, deception and surprise attacks are within the bounds of tolerance.

    However...

    "Who saw clearly that Barrier Charm Yan Yu used?" Qi Changping suddenly asked.

    The instructors looked at each other and unanimously turned their gaze to Liu Jianjun.

    Selected as university instructors and hailing from the Zhendong Army, these cultivators all possessed a remarkable skill to boast. Liu Jianjun was the one most skilled in the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse in the entire troop, studying this field most deeply out of all the cultivators.

    "I can''t do it." Liu Jianjun stated concisely.

    "Really, Old Liu?" someone jeered, "Just going all out, aren''t you?"

    "That''s because you don''t understand the Barrier Charm," Liu Jianjun countered, "The Barrier Charm''s flow of energy traverses all the major acupoints of the body. It''s not like other Curse Techniques that act as a ''one-way street,'' and that''s why it takes the longest of the Five Spells to cast."

    "My current best accomplishment is activating the Barrier Charm within 0.2 seconds. But the speed at which classmate Yan Yu just activated it was clearly faster than mine, and I have no idea how he managed to do that."

    Upon hearing this, the other instructors fell silent, while on the dueling field, Yan Yu still stood in place, silently confronting Chen Lingyun fifty steps away.

    "Why aren''t they fighting?" one instructor asked in confusion.

    "He might be waiting for Chen Lingyun to make her next move," another instructor speculated.

    "How can it be a matter of ''waiting for the opponent to make a move''?" Qi Changping disagreed, countering, "The Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse consumes the most True Yuan, and being hit by an Impact Curse doubles the consumption. If he keeps standing there passively taking hits, his True Yuan will inevitably be depleted before his opponent''s."

    "That might not necessarily be the case," Liu Jianjun continued, "There''s no need to maintain the Barrier Charm the entire time. Just activate it at the instant an attack arrives, cancel it after absorbing the hit, and the actual consumption wouldn''t be that great."

    "But the Metal-Element Impact Curse is silent and invisible. How can he ensure he activates the Barrier Charm in time every time?"

    "Pay attention to the opponent''s hand gestures?"

    "Then I could simply fake hand gestures without casting a spell, deliberately causing you to burn True Yuan!"

    "Not to mention anything else," Liu Jianjun suddenly cut into their discussion, "Look closely, he indeed has managed to do it."

    The instructors focused their attention and only then noticed that the two people on the field, though they were staying in place, were not idling about.

    Chen Lingyun raised her hand at Yan Yu, assumed an aiming stance, and unleashed Impact Curses at unpredictable and irregular frequencies. However, every one was caught by Yan Yu without any harm.

    The signs of activating the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse were minimal. Only with prolonged use would True Yuan start to form a faint grey sheen on the skin''s surface. Even with the instructors watching Yan Yu with full concentration, they saw no such luminescence on him.

    That is to say, it seemed Yan Yu only briefly activated the Barrier Charm to defend and neutralize damage the moment an attack arrived¡ªhow exactly did he manage that?

    They just couldn''t figure it out! The instructors scratched their heads in frustration.

    "Should we record it?" Qi Changping suddenly asked, "Since we can''t understand it, why not record it and study it slowly later?"

    The startled instructors fumbled for their mobile phones, only to realize they had left them in the office¡ªbringing no phones during training was a habit developed in the army.

    "I''ll get them," Han Zaixian immediately said.

    This instructor specialized in teaching the Shifting Technique. As he cast the spell, his figure quickly vanished from sight.

    On the field, Chen Lingyun too had ceased her assault and began to contemplate in silence, seemingly realizing that such tactics were futile and did not wish to continue wasting her True Yuan anymore.

    ```

    "In terms of tactics, you need to ensure good coordination," Yan Yu leisurely commented, "If your tactic of using the Impact Curse for long-range sniping doesn''t work, what then? Didn''t you consider that beforehand?"

    "Yan Yu, you really have a mean streak," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "How about giving me some face in front of the instructors?"

    "If that''s all you''re capable of, I''d still be disappointed."

    Yan Yu shook his head, then suddenly executed the Shifting Technique, dashing rapidly toward the front.

    Now! Chen Lingyun''s pupils contracted slightly and at the moment Yan Yu was about to charge in front of her, her left hand flicked upwards like lightning.

    The Runescript of the Water Element.

    Being the least used among the Five Spells, the Runescript''s effect is to enter the enemy''s body and block the flow of True Yuan in the meridians. However, its casting range is even shorter than that of the Flame Curse, requiring close contact to be deployed, which raises the soul-searching question: "If I''m already up close, why don''t I use the Flame Curse?"

    However, anyone who has faced Yan Yu would no longer have such doubts.

    The initial move for the Flame Curse is to form a hand seal with one hand, use True Yuan to lock the location, and a faint red light appears at the area of effect, followed by the rising of intensely hot flames.

    Although it might be difficult for the average person to catch the fleeting faint red light, Chen Lingyun was certain that with Yan Yu''s reflexes, he would avoid the attack before the flames even rose.

    Only by launching the unsuspected Runescript at the very moment he approached her did she stand a chance to hit him!

    Chen Lingyun''s palm moved rapidly upwards, looking as though it was about to slide past Yan Yu''s chest, but she felt a sense of alarm in her heart.

    The sensation from her True Yuan told her she hadn''t hit the mark.

    The moment she lifted her hand, Yan Yu, as if completely ignoring inertia, switched from charging forward to rapidly retreating backward, perfectly evading Chen Lingyun''s surprise attack.

    The instructors watching from below immediately widened their eyes in utter disbelief.

    The rush of the Shifting Technique comes with inertia, and even if the Spell is canceled midway, the body would continue moving forward at the same speed. To ignore inertia and change direction abruptly, one has to use the Cloud Ascension Technique.

    The Cloud Ascension Technique allows the caster to disregard inertia and gravity, moving in any direction, but it does not enhance speed. If Chen Lingyun does not interrupt her Runescript and keeps stepping forward quickly, she still has a chance of hitting him.

    Thus, Yan Yu''s response at the moment was to "cancel the forward Shifting Technique," "execute the Cloud Ascension Technique to erase inertia," and "re-cast the Shifting Technique to retreat rapidly." If there was even the slightest hint of hesitation or pause in this process, he would have been hit by Chen Lingyun''s Runescript.

    This guy... this guy...

    The phrase "This youth is almost demonically strong" suddenly popped into Qi Changping''s mind, a line from a novel.

    Although it sounded incredibly dramatic, it seemed apt at that moment: Apart from "demonic," he could think of no other adjective more fitting.

    As he had faintly anticipated, the series of maneuvers that Yan Yu employed next undoubtedly interpreted the term "demonically impressive" even more clearly. Despite the instructors'' attempts to suppress their voices, they couldn''t help but exclaim one after another, completely forgetting their initial assessment of Yan Yu as "naive and not knowing the immensity of heaven and earth":

    "Holy shit, left and right double-bow punching!"

    "She shouldn''t have used the Barrier Charm to block, this is going to be total suppression!"

    "Right, she needs to create some distance... Flame Curse! What kind of prediction is that!"

    "Flame Impact Double Kill! No, Triple Kill! Get the medical team ready!!!"

    "Wait! It seems like her injuries aren''t serious..."

    "How could they be light after taking a full Flame Curse and two Impact Curses?!"

    "No burns, no bleeding! He didn''t use full force at all!"

    "He''s holding back, right? Ah, he''s deliberately holding back!"

    Ignoring the various shocks and shakes of his colleagues, Qi Changping stared intently at the battle situation on the field. It looked as if Yan Yu was overwhelmingly dominating Chen Lingyun with various flashy moves, but since there were not many injuries on her, it meant that he wasn''t using much True Yuan in his Spells. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Taking into account the effect of the True Yuan restraining bracelet, he was probably using only about a third of his strength.

    "This is," Qi Changping murmured, "he''s conducting a training battle..."

    His voice wasn''t loud, but the other instructors heard it distinctly, and the entire field fell into silence.

    A training battle?

    Ah?

    ```

 Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Looking Forward to You Becoming the Strongest in This World

    The so-called instructive battle refers to a situation where one party''s strength far surpasses that of their opponent, and they intentionally limit their level to match that of their opponent. By sparring, they simulate various combat scenarios to make the opponent realize their own tactical deficiencies and shortcomings¡ªthis practice is common in the Go industry, for example.But Yan Yu... didn''t he enroll at the same time as Chen Lingyun?

    The instructors'' expressions varied, and Chen Lingyun, who had been taking a beating for a long time on the field, finally couldn''t smile anymore.

    Whenever she tried to attack head-on, Yan Yu would unleash a series of left-right Curved Curse punches, overwhelming her without a chance to retaliate, making her realize that "an undisciplined attack is no different from courting death."

    If she tried to retreat to create distance, Yan Yu would execute a series of Flame Curse triple strikes that hit her squarely as she retreated without her guard up, teaching her that "even in retreat, one must plan their movements."

    Every trial tactical move she threw out was met with a more targeted counter-tactic from him, brutally striking back and letting Chen Lingyun realize "this is where I went wrong," while also making her feel the humiliation of being beaten down in front of the instructors, as if she couldn''t hold her head up, her dignity in shreds.

    I hate this...

    I really hate it!

    Even if you''re instructing me¡­ at least leave me some dignity!!!

    Suddenly, Chen Lingyun clenched her fists again and with a forceful swing, aimed her Flame Curse two steps behind Yan Yu.

    If he chose to step back at that moment, he would land right in the midst of the flames that rose up.

    But Yan Yu, upon seeing her casting motion, knew exactly where her Flame Curse was located and stepped forward calmly, easily moving out of the spell''s range.

    Yet, without a word, Chen Lingyun suddenly reached out to brush against his chest.

    It was another sneaky Runescript attack, targeting the Danzhong acupoint on his chest, timed perfectly with his approach, making it exceedingly difficult to dodge.

    This wretched woman... indeed just like in her previous life, her timing and psychological assessments were top-notch, but in contrast, her reaction speed and cultivation talent were terribly lacking.

    The most suitable tactic for Chen Lingyun would be the ''hit-and-run'' style of a long-range assassin¡ªone strike misses, flee a thousand miles¡ªbut this wretched woman was likely not content with that.

    A thought like this flashed through Yan Yu''s mind as he suddenly extended his right hand lightning-fast, seizing Chen Lingyun''s left hand with force.

    The Runescript True Essence quickly invaded, blocking all the meridians in his right hand in an instant, leaving no room for Qi flow. Before Chen Lingyun could even feel triumphant, a numbness spread through her lower abdomen, where Yan Yu had lightly tapped her Dantian with his left hand employing a Runescript technique.

    Her entire Dantian was sealed, True Yuan entirely shut off, leaving her completely powerless to resist.

    The victor of the battle on the field was finally decided, and the instructors all heaved a sigh of relief. They quickly called the medical team to check for any injuries.

    But looking back, wasn''t the initial purpose of this bout to determine the strength of these two people?

    As a result, Chen Lingyun''s level had been measured, yet Yan Yu''s strength remained unfathomably deep... But the instructors had forgotten their original intention, and as soon as the medical team left, they surrounded Yan Yu, taking turns seeking advice from him.

    "How exactly did you manage that left-right Curved Bow combo?" Hu Qing''an, the instructor responsible for teaching the Wood Bending Charm, asked anxiously.

    "Huh?" Yan Yu didn''t catch on at first.

    "That move, where you swing a Curved Curse punch with the left, then the right, switching back and forth quickly." Hu Qing''an tried to describe the sequence with body language.

    "Oh, that''s just switching Qi pathways back and forth," Yan Yu explained nonchalantly. "You go through the left arm Curved Curse route first, cut off Qi after the punch is thrown, then switch to the right arm Curved Curse route..."

    Hu Qing''an was floored. It was as if he''d asked, "How do you fit an elephant into the fridge?" and the person seriously replied, "First open the fridge door, then stuff the elephant in."

    If I could do it, would I be asking you?!]

    By the time his speechlessness wore off, his colleagues had already taken the opportunity to ask their own questions.

    "How were you able to cast that Flame Curse so accurately in your ''Triple Flame Assault'' just now?" Instructor Shu Weijun, a cultivator specializing in Flame Curse techniques in the military, quickly pushed the dazed Hu Qing''an aside and asked zealously, "Let me add to that question: The Flame Curse you placed behind her, why did it trigger exactly when she stepped backward onto it?

    If it was cast too early or too late, it wouldn''t have caught her inescapably and burned her outright... Is there some unique trick or technique to it?"

    "Oh, there''s no trick to it," Yan Yu replied frankly. "You have to adjust the distance and timing according to the speed at which the other person is retreating. With enough practice against others, you get a feel for it. It mainly relies on practice making perfect."

    "You''ve only been enrolled for a few days, haven''t you? How did you manage to train for this?" asked Shu Weijun, puzzled. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "I am a genius," Yan Yu said.

    The instructors were once again speechless.

    You could call the student arrogant for not knowing the vastness of heaven and earth, but his performance in the recent combat indeed could be described with the words "remarkable talent."

    But to call this student honest and straightforward... when he clearly could have won swiftly with his overwhelming strength, yet deliberately fought a guiding battle, nearly beating the girl until she dropped her precious pearls, and now she''s still standing on the platform doubting her life choices!

    And looking at Yan Yu, who behaved as if it were nothing serious, how could anyone see even a trace of the honesty and straightforwardness?

    "Chen Lingyun." Instructor Qi Changping, standing on the outskirts, suddenly spoke up, "Not bad, you may come down now."

    Chen Lingyun silently stepped off the combat arena and forced a smile, saying,

    "You''re really amazing, Yan Yu. I''ve learned a lot from this match."

    "Don''t mention it," Yan Yu said generously, waving his hand. "There''s still so much more I could teach you."

    Chen Lingyun had no interest in talking to him and could only respond with a cold, polite smile.

    "I''m back!" Instructor Han Zaixian arrived late with an armful of phones, looking around bewilderedly at his colleagues, "Is it over?"

    "It''s over," confirmed Qi Changping with a nod.

    "I didn''t get to see anything," Han Zaixian said with a wry smile.

    "No worries, Old Han, we''ll give you a blow-by-blow description later," his colleagues said excitedly, all talking at once.

    Everyone surrounded Yan Yu and headed toward the office, saying there was air conditioning, tea, and computers for playing games. They were willing to let him join as long as Yan Yu was willing "to chat with the instructors about the battle that just took place."

    Chen Lingyun followed silently behind, suddenly turning to look out the window.

    The atmosphere by the end of May was already heating up. The students studying curse techniques outside without an instructor''s order didn''t dare to leave of their own volition, so they could only study under the sun while constantly wiping sweat from their brows.

    Looking at Yan Yu, who was being invited into the cool air-conditioned room, they, as fresh recruits, received treatment that was worlds apart...

    "It seems my thinking was correct," Chen Lingyun smiled again, thinking to herself, "The world we live in may flaunt the banner of equality for all, but beneath it all, it''s ruled by the standard of survival of the strongest. Here in this cultivator college, even the most basic fig leaf has been discarded."

    "If cultivators can be ranked superior or inferior just by their strength, how can cultivators and commoners, with even greater disparities in power, continue to coexist in harmony and equality in the future?"

    "Yan Yu, even if you say you hate ''elitism,'' the objective laws of society never change just because of an individual''s will,"

    "Unless you truly become the strongest in this world."

    "To prove me wrong, you can only keep winning like this,"

    "Never allowed to fail, you must not fail, just keep on winning forever. Stomp all those non-believers and objectors who don''t recognize or oppose you..."

    "Right under your feet."

 Chapter 32: Chapter 32: A woman will only affect the speed of my sword draw

    "This...""It''s kind of tricky."

    "Indeed, not easy to deal with..."

    After consulting with Yan Yu in detail, the instructors found themselves in a state of powerless exasperation.

    It wasn''t that Yan Yu was uncooperative or secretive; in fact, this student was quite amenable, almost always ready with an answer.

    It''s just that the answers were a bit outrageous.

    Overall, Yan Yu displayed two very obvious traits in this guidance battle.

    First, his spellcasting speed was extremely fast, one second he was casting Spell A, and the next he could interrupt and switch to Spell B.

    Second, his tactical awareness was incredibly strong; he could accurately predict Chen Lingyun''s intentions every time and employ targeted counter-tactics.

    As for Yan Yu''s own explanation:

    "Because I''m a genius."

    This might sound like bragging, but when you think about it, it doesn''t seem out of place.

    Because Yan Yu had just enrolled not long ago, he hadn''t been exposed to cultivation before, and like all the other new students, he started from scratch.

    The only explanation is that his insight in this area is truly astonishing, like the peerless genius in martial arts novels who understands any martial art at a glance and learns it instantly...

    But this really can''t be written in the talent evaluation report!

    As for the talent evaluation report, that''s for the instructors to worry about. Anyway, Yan Yu, who had completed his report, was now walking leisurely back to the academy with Chen Lingyun.

    "Congratulations to you," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, no longer showing any signs of displeasure, "With this, you are undoubtedly the number one among our group of Zhendong Army cultivators, right?"

    "What, are you jealous?" Yan Yu glanced at her again.

    "In your heart, am I that petty?" Chen Lingyun raised an eyebrow, her expression turning into a half-smile.

    "Do you want the truth or a lie?" Yan Yu asked her in return.

    "What about the lie?"

    "Yes."

    "And the truth?"

    "Even more so than that."

    "Hehe," Chen Lingyun countered, "But you don''t mind my nasty character, do you?"

    "What now, confessing again?" Yan Yu frowned and asked.

    "Nope," Chen Lingyun said, her smile brimming.

    "If it''s not a confession, then I don''t need to answer," Yan Yu snorted.

    "That''s also an answer," Chen Lingyun''s smile grew sweeter, "Although you like me in your heart, you''re afraid that admitting it outright would be embarrassing, so you use refusal to respond to cover your true attitude. It''s a typical boy''s pure thought that''s quite easy to understand."

    "The level of your narcissism is pretty exaggerated," Yan Yu sighed heavily, "Maybe you should check your brain at a psychiatric hospital?"

    "Thank you for your concern, but only those without assets who admire themselves can be called narcissistic," Chen Lingyun corrected him, "For those with assets, it''s called self-awareness."

    "What assets do you have?" Yan Yu asked contemptuously, "Your height that doesn''t reach one meter sixty even with platform shoes?"

    "I never expected Yan Yu to be a fan of lolis," Chen Lingyun covered her mouth, feigning surprise, "So you care about the petite stature of girls that much?"

    The two of them bantered back and forth leisurely strolling back to the academy. They saw Instructor Han Zaixian organizing the students to practice the Shifting Technique by running laps around the track.

    The principle behind the Shifting Technique was that it took effect the instant both feet left the ground while running, immediately accelerating the cultivator''s forward speed to its peak, then letting inertia carry the body forward. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    From the spectator stands, these cultivators still appeared to be running, only each step miraculously covered a distance of more than ten meters.

    "How does it look?" Chen Lingyun stood shoulder to shoulder with Yan Yu, watching the classmates practicing the Shifting Technique, "Are there any standout performances?"

    "What do you think constitutes a standout performance?" Yan Yu asked her in return.

    "The purpose of using the Shifting Technique is for rapid movement," Chen Lingyun said casually, "so naturally, the faster one runs, the better the performance is considered."

    "Wrong, completely wrong," Yan Yu flatly rejected her claim, "How superficial. Can you only see the surface of things, little Ling Yun?"

    "The Shifting Technique only works when both feet are off the ground, which means we need to keep moving our legs to maintain a state of being airborne as much as possible. If you''re moving so fast that you can''t control it, then you won''t be able to lift your rear foot before the front foot lands, and inertia will cause your whole body to tumble forward."

    "Given a cultivator''s ability to control, this extreme speed is probably around 16 to 17 meters per second. After mastering the Shifting Technique, reaching this speed isn''t too difficult; controlling the output of True Yuan is sufficient."

    "I see," pondered Chen Lingyun, "then what is the standard by which the Shifting Technique is measured?"

    "Of course, it''s whether you can initiate and terminate it at will," Yan Yu said without a second thought, "The goal of the Shifting Technique isn''t simply fast movement, but ''to move quickly when it''s necessary to move quickly''."

    "Indeed," Chen Lingyun nodded in agreement, "This isn''t a track and field competition, using the Shifting Technique is for the purpose of tactical movement, not just to run faster."

    "Anyone who can ponder this wouldn''t say ''The Shifting Technique is more of a priority than the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse,''" Yan Yu said disdainfully.

    "Hmm, you''re right indeed," Chen Lingyun''s response was tinged with laughter.

    As these two stood leisurely on the sidelines, the students on the field sweating profusely and practicing the Shifting Technique understood the coach Qi Changping''s words about ''the supremacy of strength'' more deeply.

    As exceptional students in this school of cultivators, they could indeed consider themselves a cut above the rest.

    "Next, any student with a hint of utilitarianism will probably try to make connections with us," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "Yan Yu, are you ready to take the throne of the top student in the academy?"

    "Top student in the academy?" came Zhao Yuanzhen''s suspicious voice from nearby.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress, seeing her partner standing side by side with another woman, could no longer restrain herself and, throwing caution and her previous low-profile strategy to the wind, hurried over.

    Chen Lingyun, aware of the other''s intentions, simply wrapped her arm affectionately around Yan Yu''s and cheerfully said:

    "Of course, it''s my classmate Yan Yu."

    Yan Yu immediately shook off her arm and scolded:

    "Wretched woman, have some decency! Even if you''re dying of thirst for me, you should at least have a sense of shame!"

    "What sense of shame?" Chen Lingyun feigned innocence and continued to cling, not willing to let the fun end so easily, "Didn''t you just compliment me on looking good?"

    "Nonsense! Even if a dwarf looks good, can she be a match for a prince on a white horse?"

    Chen Lingyun''s eyes widened suddenly, her eyebrows raised, and she gasped, struggling to maintain her smiling face.

    Zhao Yuanzhen breathed a sigh of relief, a triumphant look in her eyes as she turned to Chen Lingyun, about to speak, when Yan Yu pointed his finger at her and exclaimed:

    "Don''t be so pleased with yourself, you''re not up to scratch either!"

    Students still practicing the Shifting Technique in the distance, upon seeing these two girls confronting one boy, seemed on the verge of World War III erupting. Instantly, those who had claimed to be tired stopped complaining, those who had been running diligently ceased their effort, and all of them flocked to the track closer to watch the drama unfold.

    Before the entire crowd had gathered, they saw Yan Yu unleash a verbal bombardment, wildly demolishing the potential strife by blasting it to rubble! They were all left gaping in shock.

    Wow, a Sigma male with such a steely resolve could attract female pursuers too?!

    Consequently, Chen Lingyun''s judgment was mistaken yet again¡­

    Before long, it wasn''t the title of "primus inter pares" that spread throughout the academy, but rather the name "Swordsman" that spread like wildfire. When talking about this matter, people were keen to post a meme of a "Shiba Inu wielding a sword" to express their respect and admiration for Yan Yu.

    "Women only slow down my sword-drawing speed.jpg"

 Chapter 33: Chapter 33 Who is Slandering Me!

    Dinner time.The cafeteria was about two-thirds full.

    Yan Yu sat at a corner table, and although some wanted to join him, they were quickly stopped by their companions.

    "Don''t you see who that is?"

    The lofty lone swordsman, the abstinent iron-clad martial god, a peerless powerhouse who can''t be budged even by the most brutal battlegrounds!

    Since the semester had just started and everyone was still unfamiliar with each other, the students judged from their first impressions that Yan Yu must be difficult to get along with.

    If even a beautiful girl is harshly scolded and snubbed by him, what chance do we ordinary people have to interact with him?

    Zhao Yuanzhen, however, didn''t care about that, or rather, the Demonic Sect Enchantress didn''t bother to pay attention to what her sect mates thought, and went straight over with her tray to sit opposite Yan Yu.

    "This is so boring," she complained quietly. "The spiritual energy of this world is so depleted, a dignified cultivator can only practice the Three Arts and Five Spells. If my elder sisters saw me mingling with these mediocre cultivators, they''d surely laugh their teeth off."

    "Take it slow," Yan Yu replied. "The concentration of spiritual energy will rise sooner or later."

    "It had better," Zhao Yuanzhen frowned. "Otherwise, even if I cycle through tens of thousands of celestial circuits, I might not regain my original cultivation level..."

    She suddenly stopped speaking because Chen Lingyun also came over with a tray and smiled, "Do you mind if I join your table?"

    "I do," Yan Yu said offhandedly.

    "Then I''ll be intruding," Chen Lingyun ignored his rejection and sat down beside him. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Where are your two maids?" Yan Yu glanced at her and asked, "Why aren''t you eating with them?"

    "They are practicing the Shifting Technique in the practice fields," Chen Lingyun said with a smile. "And, they are not maids, classmate, you can''t just say things like that~"

    With Lin Ning''s serious personality, she probably felt she couldn''t keep up with everyone else, so she decided to stay for extra practice; Su Yunjin, however, had a very laid-back attitude, so expecting her to study extra on her own was out of the question. She probably stayed to keep Lin Ning company... Had Chen Lingyun worked her magic, turning these two into good friends already?

    Girls make friends too quickly, terrifying!

    "By the way," Chen Lingyun had a bite of her meal and suddenly said, "The mysterious realm at the mouth of the Qiantang River has been confirmed. We''re currently negotiating with Chongying Country, and they claim to be completely unaware of it."

    "Mysterious Realm?" Zhao Yuanzhen pricked up her ears, "What mysterious realm?"

    "The Fixed River Mysterious Realm," Yan Yu raised an eyebrow, "Are you interested?"

    "Not interested," Zhao Yuanzhen immediately lost interest upon hearing what it was.

    The so-called mysterious realm is an extremely powerful cultivator''s creation of a subspace world.

    There are various reasons for creating such realms, such as nearing ascension or the end of one''s life span, with no disciples to pass their legacy onto, leaving their unused techniques and treasures in a hidden world with the intent of "leaving them for the fated," making the exploration of such realms extremely valuable.

    But the Fixed River Mysterious Realm was different.

    In the distant past, when floods were rampant, Da Yu opened up these kinds of mysterious realms in many places to control the myriad rivers, and by planting a Heavenly River Anchoring Needle inside, he stabilized the water vein¡ªso there''s not much of value in the Fixed River Mysterious Realm except for the Heavenly River Anchoring Needle, which, if removed, would cause the water vein to go berserk, making it a poor trade.

    Moreover, since Yan Yu had already acquired such a treasure for her last time, Zhao Yuanzhen was even less interested.

    "So it seems the story of Da Yu controlling the waters is indeed a myth," Chen Lingyun mused, "What about Noah''s Ark?"

    "It''s at Mount Ale in Tekki Country," Yan Yu answered, "It probably hasn''t emerged yet."

    "Aah, in Tekki Country, huh," Chen Lingyun''s eyes narrowed as she laughed, "That could trigger a religious war, right?"

    "Well, it has nothing to do with us anyway," Yan Yu cut short her daydreaming, "How is the Qiantang Mysterious Realm being handled?"

    "Of course, the surrounding area is sealed off and a restricted zone is established," Chen Lingyun said with a smile. "No more watching the tide, then."

    Whether being able to watch the tide or not didn''t matter; Yan Yu wanted to ask, "How were those two bodies handled?", but that despicable woman deliberately pretended not to understand.

    "Speaking of which, I''m also quite curious," Chen Lingyun glanced at Zhao Yuanzhen, then suddenly asked Yan Yu, "Are there many such people?"

    "Who?" Yan Yu lazily inquired.

    "You know what I mean."

    "I don''t."

    "Then I''ll just say it clearly." Chen Lingyun showed a helpless smile that said "you little rascal" and asked, "Why does Chongying Country have cultivators not officially managed by the government, but we don''t?"

    "Because they dare not show themselves," Yan Yu replied.

    "I see." Chen Lingyun immediately understood, "Then now that spiritual energy is gradually reviving, civilian cultivators will surely increase in future, right?"

    "Do you think that''s a good thing or a bad thing?" Yan Yu suddenly countered.

    "That must be viewed dialectically..." Chen Lingyun smoothly stated, only to be interrupted by Zhao Yuanzhen abruptly.

    "Why would that be a bad thing?" She looked at Yan Yu, puzzled, having guessed the attitudes of the two¡ªChen Lingyun was optimistic about the increase in the number of civilian cultivators, while Yan Yu was not, "Cultivation should not be controlled by the imperial court, right?"

    "Think about it, what is the attitude of independent cultivators towards mortals?" Yan Yu asked leisurely.

    Zhao Yuanzhen paused for a moment, then also understood instantly.

    Lu Country cultivators are all officially trained, so everyone has little concept of this, but Zhao Yuanzhen, having come from that world, knew very well the behavior of these independent cultivators.

    To put it nicely, it''s called having no taboos, but if speaking crudely, they are utterly unrestrained. For example, discovering a cultivator''s Mysterious Realm in a remote forest and slaughtering an entire nearby mortal village to prevent the leak of information was nothing out of the ordinary.

    Being raised in the Evil Sect and especially the Qiansi Sect, Zhao Yuanzhen naturally could not take mortal lives seriously. However, the actions of many Evil Sect independent cultivators were such that even she found them disgustingly abominable, which shows how deplorable they truly were.

    She wanted to say more, but then she heard Yan Yu speak solemnly:

    "The so-called order needs strength to maintain it. As soon as strength is dispersed, the order will collapse, and the new order will inevitably be written by those with new power. Do you know what the new order will look like?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen, of course, knew, having come from a world where cultivators could move mountains and fill seas. So actually, Yan Yu was questioning Chen Lingyun.

    "I don''t know," Chen Lingyun put away her smile and said lightly, "But as you said, this will inevitably happen, regardless of whether we think it''s good or bad, we can only learn to accept it."

    "Be stubborn while you can," Yan Yu let out a cold laugh and did not continue to argue.

    While you can? Does that mean I will regret it in the future? Chen Lingyun''s thoughts turned, but she did not respond; she just looked at him eating with a smiling face.

    After Yan Yu finished eating, he suddenly asked:

    "Is there any regulation from the school about not staying in the dormitory and renting a house outside instead?"

    "There shouldn''t be any," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "Why do you ask? Can''t wait to live with me? Mind you, I haven''t agreed to be with you."

    Zhao Yuanzhen couldn''t hold back any longer and blurted out angrily:

    "He was talking about living with me!"

    The voice of the Demonic Sect Enchantress rang out clear and loud, immediately catching the attention of most people in the cafeteria. The students turned to look.

    After all, they had seen her during the practical class that afternoon. Seeing that it was the same aloof swordsman with two women who tried to influence his sword-drawing speed, everyone calmly turned back and resumed their eating and chatting.

    Yan Yu frowned slightly, feeling that his reputation within the school had somehow been subtly damaged.

 Chapter 34: Chapter 34 Marshal Yan

    When it came to the danger posed by freelance cultivators, a typical case was that of Rakshasa Country in Northern Lu Country.Rakshasa Country had the largest territory in the world, but most areas were covered with permafrost of ice and snow. Official power was mainly concentrated on the western side, which belonged to Europe, and it was difficult to extend its influence to the vast central and eastern regions of Siberia.

    Therefore, after the resurgence of spiritual energy, many cities and villages within Siberia bred a massive number of ungoverned cultivators (known as Spirit Communicators within the Rakshasa Country), such as werewolves, vampires, necromancer wizards, and so on, almost all of whom were evil wrongdoers who would stop at nothing to become stronger.

    These Spirit Communicators quickly seized control over the majority of the cities, forcing the Rakshasa officials to launch the first, second, and third witch-hunting campaigns.

    Each time the military suffered heavy losses among their cultivators, until they had no choice but to retract their influence and set up a military defensive line in the Ural Mountains, ceding the territories east of the mountains to the Spirit Communicators.

    After a prolonged and ruthless competition and slaughter among themselves, these Spirit Communicators eventually unified to form the notorious "Blood Moon Alliance". They created a vast canopy of eternal night that shrouded the entire northern part of Asia in a dark energy barrier, turning it into a hunting paradise for dark creatures.

    As Lu Country''s Northeast was adjacent to this area, the Dingbei Army cultivators faced tremendous national defense pressure, and every year, the number of martyrs who fell in the fight against dark creatures was the highest in the nation.

    What was more heart-wrenching was that the Blood Moon Alliance''s leader, the "Eclipse Queen", had once been a citizen of Lu Country and even had the chance to become a cultivator in the Dingbei Army... but due to a series of unfortunate events, she ultimately took the path that led her to turn against the Dingbei Army.

    The reason Yan Yu considered it all "unfortunate events" was that he truly knew the inside story; in fact, neither side was at fault, which was precisely what made it so frustrating.

    Well, I could intervene in advance; after all, this is my mission as a reborn individual!

    "I need to make a trip to Shengjing this weekend," Yan Yu suddenly declared.

    "Oh?" Chen Lingyun asked in surprise, "Do you have some fun plans again?"

    "Who told you it was something fun?" Yan Yu displayed a speechless expression, "I''m on a serious mission, okay? Not everyone is like you."

    "If you need to go to Shengjing, you must apply for it," Chen Lingyun said with a leisurely smile, "Without a valid reason, you can''t just leave the school; after all, we are ultimately a military academy."

    "No kidding, it''s because of the paperwork that I''m telling you," Yan Yu said icily, "Would I come to you if I didn''t have to follow the procedure?"

    "Is that your attitude when asking for help?" Chen Lingyun raised an eyebrow.

    "Nonsense," Zhao Yuanzhen chimed in from the side, "He came to you because he respects you, understand?"

    "Do you plan to take Yuanzhen with you?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    "I''m going alone," Yan Yu replied. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Zhao Yuanzhen immediately became as dumbfounded as a wooden chicken, before finally saying:

    "Wait, aren''t we supposed to be cultivating partners?"

    "So what exactly is your misunderstanding about cultivating partners?" Yan Yu asked, baffled, "Cultivating partners are companions in cultivation, not trinkets hanging on a key ring! You don''t need to follow me everywhere I go, right?"

    "Exactly because we cultivate together, we can''t give up halfway," Zhao Yuanzhen said seriously, "If you go alone, without me to aid your cultivation, how will you manage your daily breathing exercises? One day of play leads to every day of play, eventually resulting in neglect of your cultivation and missing out on the great Dao! When your life ends, you will regret it!"

    Because of Yan Yu''s mysterious and inscrutable mentor, she subconsciously guessed, "Could it be that your mentor is arranging for you to gain an advantage again?" And the more Yan Yu refused to let her accompany him, the more convinced she became of her suspicion.

    Humph, thinking of ditching me to reap the benefits alone? Dream on!

    Yan Yu was left stupefied by her words and after a long moment, he responded:

    "Enough already, who taught you all this nonsense?"

    "How about this." Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "If you let me come with you, not only can I get you approved to go to Shengjing, but I can also help you get reimbursed for the travel expenses, how about that?"

    "Why do you want to tag along?" Yan Yu asked, frowning.

    "I''m going for the entertainment," Chen Lingyun said with a playful twinkle in her eye.

    Yan Yu: ......

    "Fine," he struggled with his expression for a moment before conceding with difficulty, "Come to think of it, after all, there are inconveniences when traveling outside."

    After a pause, Yan Yu turned to Zhao Yuanzhen and instructed:

    "Zhao Yuanzhen."

    "Present," Zhao Yuanzhen responded eagerly.

    "During the trip, the task of washing clothes will be yours," Yan Yu said seriously.

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ......

    "No, it''s just using the Purifying Spell," she pretended to be nonchalant, but inwardly she began to seethe, and once again made a major note in her book of grudges:

    "Today, the little thief set out on a long journey, initially unwilling to take me with him. Later, he blackmailed me with laundry, treating me as a servant or concubine. I''ve noted this debt! If one day I come to power, I''ll make him wash my clothes and fold my blankets, and he will likewise serve as a manservant attending to chores!"

    "As for you," Yan Yu turned his head to look at Chen Lingyun, "the task of handling travel documents and lodging will be yours."

    "Why are you suddenly speaking in half literary and half vernacular Chinese?" Chen Lingyun covered her mouth and laughed.

    "Because only by imagining myself as a noble young master from Jiangnan on his way to the capital can I barely accept the fact that I need to travel with two beauties as maids," sighed Yan Yu, "Ah, women are indeed troublesome."

    "Hehe." Chen Lingyun wasn''t angry, just smiling along, "Then please rest assured, my lord, this young lady will arrange everything properly."

    "Hmph, you wench, don''t disappoint me," huffed Yan Yu as he stood up, holding his unfinished tray of food, and walked toward the conveyor belt where dishes were discarded.

    Chen Lingyun watched his retreating figure, the smile gradually fading from her face, turning into a thoughtful expression.

    She looked at Zhao Yuanzhen who was quietly eating across from her and thought that this Demonic Sect Enchantress didn''t have much going on upstairs and probably knew nothing of Yan Yu''s true intentions.

    Why go north?

    Is it to find Mei Yingxue?

    Humph, even if you won''t tell me, I''ll find out.

    Dear, just don''t let me grow tired of you too soon¡­

    Meanwhile, Yan Yu returned to the base of the dorm building, only to see Qiu Ze, clad in basketball attire with his arms bare, joking with a female classmate before finally watching her leave.

    He turned to greet Yan Yu:

    "Yo, Yan the Handsome."

    "What ''the Handsome''?" Yan Yu asked with a frown.

    "Short for ''handsome guy,''" Qiu Ze slapped his shoulder, chuckling, "Two out of the four prettiest girls in our program are already interested in you... Yan Yu, you still say you''re not a handsome guy?"

    Qiu Ze was really good with words, making Yan Yu unable to help but laugh:

    "Indeed, but is it possible that they''re interested in my talent?"

    "Then you''re both talented and handsome, how''s that?" Qiu Ze burst into laughter, paying a compliment before asking, "Big Handsome, seriously though, you''re too awesome, right? You haven''t been enrolled for long and you already know the Three Arts and Five Spells, how did you do it? Is there some kind of trick to it?"

    "There''s no trick," Yan Yu waved it off, "just diligent study and practice."

    "Got time now?" Qiu Ze seized the chance to invite, "Let''s go to the practice field and train. You can give me some pointers too."

    At the end of this afternoon''s training session, the instructor assigned homework for everyone, to master the Shifting Technique within a week, so many students had arranged to practice with their peers in the evening.

    It seemed like a normal invitation, but knowing Qiu Ze as Yan Yu did, he figured the guy probably had a competitive mindset.

    After all, Qiu Ze had exceptional natural talent in the Shifting Technique, the Cloud Ascending Technique, and the Wall Penetrating Technique in their previous life, outstanding even outside the Zhendong Army. He probably had some awareness of this by now.

    But if you''re using me as a standard for comparison, haven''t you picked the wrong person?

 Chapter 35: Chapter 35 Zhao Yuanzhen:

    Among the Three Arts and Five Spells, the Three Arts consist of the Shifting Technique that enhances movement speed, the Cloud Ascension Technique that breaks free from the grasp of gravity, and the Wall-Penetration Technique that ignores physical barriers.All three Arts are related to a cultivator''s movement, which is the core of any tactics; therefore, mature training methods developed in later generations actually involve creating extremely complex terrain to engage cultivators in comprehensive positioning practice.

    However, at this point in time, the overall theoretical research is still not complete, so the Three Arts are practiced on separate grounds¡ªsuch a design seems rather foolish.

    The training ground for the Shifting Technique is a specially designed track and field stadium, featuring a long straight track, a long curved track, and multiple hairpin turns. The cultivator students ran laps around the track, striving to adapt their bodies to the rhythm of casting the Shifting Technique.

    Yan Yu watched leisurely and noticed that the majority of students had one flaw: they liked to push the speed of the Shifting Technique too high. Soon, they couldn''t keep up the stepping pace with their legs and had to slow down to stabilize themselves before attempting to accelerate to an excessive speed again.

    This cycle of speeding up¡ªlosing control¡ªslowing down¡ªstabilizing¡ªspeeding up again was actually less efficient than maintaining a steady cruising speed; the prerequisite for steady-state cruising is knowing what your maximum controllable speed is... so in the end, it was still a lack of proficiency.

    Qiu Ze also excitedly ran a few laps. Similar to his talent in a previous life, he could now invoke the Shifting Technique both swiftly and steadily.

    "Coming or not, bro?" He stopped beside Yan Yu and said, "How about running a few laps together?"

    Yan Yu responded noncommittally. He wasn''t interested in simple running practice, instead, he gestured to the side:

    "Why not practice that."

    Qiu Ze looked over to where he was pointing; it was the training ground for the Cloud Ascension Technique, arranged to resemble an old town district with narrow alleys, low walls, a forest of telephone poles, and obstructive abandoned cars everywhere, with hardly a clear path in sight.

    "You want to practice Cloud Ascension Technique, right?" He hesitated slightly.

    "Practice Shifting Technique and Cloud Ascension Technique together." Yan Yu replied, "Follow the designated route from the starting point to the endpoint. The total horizontal distance is about a kilometer, right? Let''s aim to complete it within 1 minute and 20 seconds, how about that?"

    "1 minute and 20 seconds... How is that even possible!" Qiu Ze was immediately startled.

    His exclamation was so loud that the other students practicing the Shifting Technique nearby also came to a halt, looking over with expressions of astonishment.

    A distance of one kilometer¡ªif it were a flat terrain track, Qiu Ze was confident he could run it in 1 minute and 20 seconds. But that was the training ground for the Cloud Ascension Technique! There were hardly any normal paths throughout the course; it was mostly about vaulting over walls, leaping over car roofs, and jumping back and forth on rooftops, etc.

    Some students tried to follow the designated route with the Cloud Ascension Technique, stumbling along the entire distance in roughly 4 and a half minutes. If they became proficient later on, perhaps they could reduce it to 3 and a half minutes, but 1 minute and 20 seconds...

    How could that be possible?!

    "Nothing is impossible." Yan Yu knew this guy''s thought process was entirely unopened, reminding him, "Keep the Shifting Technique going continuously as much as possible throughout the course, switch to the Cloud Ascension Technique to overcome obstacles when encountered, and then quickly switch back to the Shifting Technique to continue running. Just try to maintain the speed."

    Qiu Ze: ..........

    It was theoretically possible, sure. Just as when a tiger is pouncing towards you, you could indeed manage a slide under its body, and incidentally slice open its belly with a knife.

    It''s just that the difficulty seemed to be a wee bit high.

    Keep in mind, when cultivators employ the Shifting Technique, they can reach speeds of even 60 yards. If you were to have a car charging at you at 60 yards per second, are you one hundred percent certain you could react in time and dodge to the side?

    "Big brother!" Qiu Ze couldn''t help but smile wryly; if his previous address of "handsome guy" contained flattery, this time "big brother" was a genuine plea for mercy, "Your proposal seems a bit unrealistic."

    "How is it unrealistic?" Yan Yu furrowed his brows.

    "You mean, to rush forward with Shifting Technique first," Qiu Ze pointed to the low wall ahead of them, "and at the moment of approaching the wall, interrupt the Shifting Technique, and then initiate Cloud Ascension Technique to vault over it?"

    "That''s right." Yan Yu said.

    "What if it fails?" Qiu Ze looked puzzled.

    "Why would it fail?" Yan Yu asked, confused, "Activating the Cloud Ascension Technique allows you to ignore gravity and inertia, you know this, right? No matter how fast you''re moving forward, as soon as you start Cloud Ascension Technique, the forward speed immediately drops to zero¡­"

    "But the problem is you need to activate Cloud Ascension Technique on time, every time." Qiu Ze argued somewhat frantically, "When you''re charging towards a wall using Shifting Technique, you''re going at speeds of over ten meters per second at the fastest, right? What if you initiate Cloud Ascension Technique too slowly?"

    "Then you''ll smash headfirst into the wall." Yan Yu replied.

    "Exactly!" Qiu Ze shouted, excited, "Who can guarantee they can activate Cloud Ascension Technique on time every time!"

    "I can," Yan Yu said.

    Qiu Ze was once again left speechless by his retort. Due to his previous shouting, a group of students had gradually gathered around, all curious about the commotion.

    "Moreover, you all would need to be capable of doing the same," Yan Yu seriously continued, scanning the students around him, his expression suggesting he was not joking, "It''s meaningless to run one kilometer under one minute on a flat track; at most, it proves you can use the Shifting Technique.

    Pull someone over from the street who drives a motorcycle, they could do it with the aid of a vehicle, perhaps even faster than you."

    "Considering real combat, you''d have to maintain a high speed with the Shifting Technique throughout any complex environment and use the Cloud Ascension Technique for flexible maneuvering. Without integrating both, mastering them by heart, no matter how proficiently or quickly you can run with the Shifting Technique, you''ll just be a moving target on the battlefield."

    He spoke earnestly, uttering uncompromising words that left many students around him displaying indignant expressions.

    So, we''ve been practicing the Shifting Technique on the field all day long, and you''re dismissing it as worthless? Not even the instructor said anything, and you''re here trying to preach?

    Do you think you are better than the instructor?

    "If that''s the case, why don''t you show us what you''ve got!" suddenly someone in the crowd shouted.

    Yan Yu turned his gaze to the source of the voice, recognizing the guy who had eaten with Qiu Ze and him before.

    Being typical college students who feared neither heaven nor earth, the challenger held his ground even under Yan Yu''s gaze, instead urging him on:

    "With all your impressive talk, show us how to run like that so we can learn too!"

    "Right!"

    "Exactly!"

    Several other guys joined in the shouting, giving Qiu Ze meaningful looks.

    Qiu Ze, however, hesitated. He could see that Yan Yu had incited anger in the crowd; after all, college guys hated two kinds of people the most: those who boast and pretend a lot, and those who harm pretty girls. Yan Yu had crossed both lines.

    But he instinctively felt that Yan Yu wasn''t showing off on purpose¡­ Considering that this guy mastered the Three Arts and Five Spells in the few days since the start of the semester, it was possible that his level was indeed higher than ours.

    If he was actually feigning incompetence, this could be a death wish for you all!

    Facing the jeers and heckling of the crowd, Yan Yu did not immediately agree. He simply shook his head and said:

    "I''ve already mastered it; practicing this further is meaningless." S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "So, the big shot thinks it''s beneath him to run, right?" The crowd laughed mockingly, taking it as him boasting and then failing to deliver, thereby looking for an excuse to back out.

    The guy who had initially spoken up was about to make a sarcastic comment when he heard Yan Yu turn to him and say:

    "It''s you guys who really need to practice this, not me!"

    Everyone was almost ready to burst into laughter at his remark, and the guy got so furious that he confronted Yan Yu:

    "How can we learn if you don''t demonstrate it for us!"

    Yan Yu asked him with confusion:

    "The instructor demonstrated the Shifting Technique for you this afternoon. Did I see you running one kilometer in one minute? Even if I showed you on the spot, with your talent, could you really learn it?"

    "Damn it!" The young man exploded, turning to Qiu Ze and saying, "I can''t take this, Old Qiu!"

    "Hey, hey, we''re all classmates¡­" Qiu Ze still tried to mediate and keep the peace, only to hear the guy angrily challenge Yan Yu:

    "As you said, run a lap around the Cloud Ascension Technique ground, using the Shifting Technique the whole way without stopping. If you can, I''ll call you Daddy; if you can''t, you be my son!"

    Before Yan Yu could even respond, Zhao Yuanzhen burst through the crowd, seething with anger, pointing at the guy, and cursed:

    "Fuck off! You''re not fit to claim kinship with the likes of me!"

 Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Setting a Goal for Everyone

    After dinner, Chen Lingyun went to the playground to find Su Yunjin and Lin Ning.Zhao Yuanzhen, on the other hand, went to look for Yan Yu in the boys'' dormitory. Not finding him there, she turned towards the playground, just in time to encounter the scene of Yan Yu pontificating and riling everyone up.

    She hid among the crowd, listening to the boys tease and mock Yan Yu, and initially, she felt a bit of secret pleasure.

    "You little thief! You deserve to be pointed at by thousands and scorned by all!"

    It wasn''t until she heard a boy say, "If you can do it, I''ll call you daddy, if not, you''ll be my son," that Zhao Yuanzhen''s expression changed. She finally remembered that she was that person''s dao companion.

    If that little thief won, she would have an idiot calling her "mom." She was in the prime of her life, looking as delicate as a flower, so how could she suddenly become a mom?

    What was even more disgusting was that if the little thief lost, she would suddenly get an unwanted "father-in-law" for no reason...

    Thinking this, Zhao Yuanzhen could no longer hold back, and immediately came out to stop it, saying,

    "Cut your mom''s crap! Claim kin with your old mother, do you think you''re worthy?"

    The boy was suddenly scolded, completely caught off guard, and only after a closer look did he recognize Zhao Yuanzhen''s identity. Looking around, the girls were already laughing together.

    Many girls had already gossiped about Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen''s relationship, so they guessed what she meant, but the boy didn''t catch on, thinking Zhao Yuanzhen was just standing up for her husband. He didn''t want to target her for fear of provoking the ire of the other girls, but his face was ugly as he continued to stare at Yan Yu and challenged,

    "Do you dare? If you''re so capable, then make your claim. You wouldn''t only know how to hide behind a woman and let her take the bullets for you, right?"

    Yan Yu was also quite troubled. He felt that his reputation among the boys in his grade was somewhat lacking, definitely because that trashy woman, Chen Lingyun, had used some trickery to incite jealousy among the boys and targeted him.

    And that Demonic Sect Enchantress deliberately stirred up trouble under the pretense of helping, truly deserving to be condemned!

    Just as his expression darkened, the instructor Han Zaixian who had just come over to check on the students'' progress in their cultivation, also learned from the crowd about what had transpired.

    He admitted that what Yan Yu said wasn''t wrong, but teaching still had to respect objective reality ¨C you need to learn to walk before you can run, right? Many students are still not proficient with the Shifting Technique, so asking them to combine it with the Cloud Ascension Technique, that''s just not going to happen.

    Yan Yu is probably suffering from the genius complex, thinking everyone else has the same exceptional talent as him, leading him to make those comments that were misinterpreted as looking down on others.

    However, the military ultimately respects strength, so let him give a demonstration, and set a goal for the other students.

    "Yan Yu." Han Zaixian cleared his throat and said, "Since the students have doubts, why don''t you give them a demonstration."

    "Alright." Yan Yu pondered.

    He looked ahead again; the field simulated an urban combat environment and was quite well-designed. However, Yan Yu preferred practicing combat with others in such complex environments rather than simply showing off with fancy footwork ¨C how boring is that?

    However, considering that even the Shifting Technique and Cloud Ascension Technique are being trained separately in schools now, it proves that the military at this point in time has not realized the true power when the Three Arts are combined. They need a small "shock" from him. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    If he could guide the Cultivator teaching program back on track, then the Rikoku Cultivators wouldn''t waste time and effort on the wrong training path like in his previous life, which would be a great kindness! It''s also his mission as a reborn individual!

    "Does anyone have a phone?" Han Zaixian asked the students.

    Last time, because he didn''t bring his phone, Han Zaixian missed Yan Yu''s battle with Chen Lingyun. He wouldn''t make the same mistake again.

    "I have one." Someone in the crowd raised their hand, and it was Chen Lingyun ¨C seemingly she had been hiding in the crowd watching the excitement all along. "Want me to record it?"

    "Yeah, record it." Han Zaixian nodded and said.

    Seeing the instructor''s confidence, it seemed he was certain Yan Yu would be sensational this time. The brother who was known for his hot temper couldn''t help feeling anxious and asked Qiu Ze,

    "That guy can''t really do it, can he?"

    "For this afternoon''s training class, everyone else got to skip, what do you say?" Qiu Ze patted his shoulder and sighed, "This time you might have to offer a verbal apology, so brace yourself."

    The other person immediately put on a mournful face. A verbal apology... Being embarrassed was the least of his worries; he feared even the right to choose a partner at the university might be gone.

    Chen Lingyun switched her phone to camera mode, aimed at Yan Yu''s back, and crisply said:

    "Ready."

    "I''ll say start, then you take off," Han Zaixian declared loudly.

    Without turning his head, Yan Yu gave an OK sign.

    "Start!"

    As soon as Han Zaixian gave the order, Yan Yu instantly activated his Shifting Technique, surging forward like lightning, instantly reaching his top speed.

    So fast! A thump resounded in most of the students'' hearts.

    The Shifting Technique could take one to top speed in an instant right when both feet left the ground, but this top speed wasn''t fixed. To put it accurately, the more True Yuan you pumped into it, the faster the Shifting Technique became¡ªjust like how a car accelerates faster the more you press on the gas pedal.

    Since the acceleration could be completed in an instant, if too much True Yuan was given and the highest speed exceeded the range of control, once the cultivator''s front foot landed, the back foot would fail to step out in time and continue to surge forward, leading to an inevitable outcome¡ªkneeling on the ground with face braking the fall, a sight too horrible to witness.

    Hence, most students would start cruising at low speed when activating the Shifting Technique and then gradually increase the supply of True Yuan, slowly approaching their controllable speed limit. This was also the practice method emphasized by the instructors.

    But Yan Yu skipped this process. He seemed very clear about his limit of controllable speed, so he pushed it to the maximum from the start. As swift as a galloping horse, quick as lightning, before anyone could react, he had already charged to the location of the first low wall.

    Without slowing down or pausing, his rapidly moving figure defied inertia and gravity, turning almost a 90-degree angle upward along the low wall in an emergency maneuver, making Han Zaixian immediately widen his eyes as if to imprint every one of his movements into his memory.

    Interrupting the Shifting Technique, he instantly started the Cloud Ascension Technique, negating the forward inertia and reassigning upward velocity. If even a fraction of a second was wasted in this sequence of movements, he''d crash into the wall with a bleeding head.

    Yan Yu''s figure soared as if flying, and after he crossed the top of the low wall and began to fall, he suddenly transformed into a bolt of lightning shooting forward, drawing gasps of awe from many classmates.

    His change of speed was so swift that they lost sight of him in a blink.

    Han Zaixian could roughly guess that he had probably canceled the Cloud Ascension Technique right after crossing the top of the low wall. As his body was pulled down by gravity, Yan Yu used the momentum before his feet fully touched the ground to kick off the wall. Taking the forward speed from that and starting the Shifting Technique once again, his speed peaked in an instant.

    While everyone thought he would continue falling, he was already charging forward at full speed.

    The reason it was only a "rough guess" was that Han Zaixian hadn''t seen Yan Yu''s movements clearly either¡ªsuch "slow-to-fast" speed transitions were too taxing on the eyes. One couldn''t anticipate when and in which direction he would move; one could only rely on on-the-spot reactions, making Han Zaixian afraid to even blink.

    One blink, and he might lose sight of him entirely.

    Luckily, he had Chen Lingyun record it beforehand. They could review and watch it at a slower pace later... Han Zaixian thought with relief, just as he saw Yan Yu had already jumped onto the high wall, beginning the rooftop route.

    To simulate a real urban close-quarters battle environment, the rooftops of these buildings were also uneven in height.

    Moving between rooftops trained the direction control capability of the Cloud Ascension Technique. After all, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Moving in a straight line to the opposite rooftop with the Cloud Ascension Technique was definitely faster than moving in a zigzag or curved line.

    However, Yan Yu completely ignored the school''s design intent here.

    If the opposite rooftop was lower, he would just activate the Shifting Technique at full speed, sprint and jump straight over in one go.

    But if the opposite rooftop was higher, and a regular jump wasn''t enough, he would abruptly stop at the edge using the Cloud Ascension Technique, calculating the right jumping angle. As he leaped, he would activate the Shifting Technique again, his figure shooting out diagonally upward like an arrow leaving the bow.

    What should have been a leisurely flight over using the Cloud Ascension Technique was forcibly passed at high speed by Yan Yu with the Shifting Technique... The Shifting Technique couldn''t defy gravity, so he still fell downwards mid-air, resulting in a parabolic trajectory.

    But each time he landed just right at the edge of the opposite rooftop, never even close to a misstep.

    As precise as if he had measured it beforehand.

 Chapter 37: Chapter 37: Inter-Quad Tournament

    Not until Yan Yu had followed the designated route and completed an entire lap did Chen Lingyun reluctantly end her filming."How much?" Han Zaixian, standing by her side, asked her.

    "1 minute and 11 seconds," Chen Lingyun replied.

    The course, originally designed to be completed in about 3 and a half minutes, was run by Yan Yu in a terrifying 1 minute and 11 seconds, leaving Han Zaixian with nothing but admiration¡ªhe certainly couldn''t have done it himself. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Of course, the dignity of an instructor must be upheld, especially with all the students watching!

    Han Zaixian didn''t show any hint of "wow, I can''t believe you ran that fast" shock. Instead, he put on a confident smile that said, "Haha, I knew you could do it," and patted the returning Yan Yu on the shoulder, laughing as he said:

    "Yan Yu, you run so well!!! So, do you think there''s still room for improvement on your time?"

    "Sure," Yan Yu said indifferently, "If I use the Wall-Penetration Technique to go through the obstacles instead of using the Cloud Ascension Technique to go around them, I should be able to get close to 1 minute."

    "It looks like we need to put up a notice," Han Zaixian said cheerfully, "Prohibiting the use of the Wall-Penetration Technique on the Cloud Ascension Technique training grounds."

    "That''s not necessary," Yan Yu, in front of all the students, bluntly critiqued, "The Three Arts are inherently a single system. Even if everyone practices them separately and masters each one, they''ll still need to be reintegrated and practiced together again.

    The result of practicing the Three Arts separately is that it produces nothing but test-taking specialists¡ªyou ask them to take a spell exam, and they can use each spell perfectly; but put them on the battlefield, and their performance will be a mess."

    "Yeah, that''s certainly true," Han Zaixian could only agree, having witnessed such a staggering performance. "Actually, the school has already considered this. We''re also in the process of building facilities for the comprehensive practice of the Three Arts."

    "Oh, is it already under construction?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    "Under construction, under construction," Han Zaixian said boldly, thinking to himself that he would suggest it to the leadership as soon as he got back; preparation was part of the process, after all.

    Seeing Yan Yu standing on an equal footing with the instructor and giving directions, the students felt no more resentment or antagonism, but instead, showed an awestruck expression that said, "Wow, he''s really a pro."

    Having all practiced the Shifting Technique, they knew the level of skill Yan Yu''s performance indicated was terrifying.

    Only the boy who earlier proposed the "call me daddy" challenge was now looking at Qiu Ze with a gloomy face.

    "I think if you don''t acknowledge it, he probably won''t make things difficult for you," Qiu Ze pondered. "But otherwise, you''re likely to be taunted by others... It''s your decision to make."

    After mulling it over, the boy felt that being labeled "brave in speech but not in action" was worse than simply calling someone daddy¡ªas the former would be a moral talking point that could be used against him at any time, while the latter was just a joke that he could ignore if he had thick skin.

    Just as he mustered the courage and was about to step forward and call out "daddy," he suddenly saw Zhao Yuanzhen standing behind Yan Yu, giving him a look as if she was about to kill someone.

    You try calling him that, I dare you!

    ............

    Leaving the training ground, everyone silently headed toward the dormitories.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was visibly annoyed, still caught up in the irritating thought of almost having gained a son.

    Su Yunjin remained calm and collected, as if it didn''t matter to her whether Yan Yu was a top student or a bad one.

    Lin Ning, however, watched Yan Yu''s retreating figure, looking like she had something to say but hesitated.

    "Looks like you''ve made a name for yourself once more," Chen Lingyun said with raised eyebrows and a chuckle.

    "Jealousy makes people ugly," Yan Yu stated flatly.

    "The word ''ugly'' will never be associated with me," Chen Lingyun replied, still smiling.

    "I envy you," Yan Yu sighed, "It''s different for me; I have this ugly person who keeps bothering me."

    Chuckle! Su Yunjin turned her head away, her shoulders trembling slightly, and Lin Ning finally couldn''t help but speak up:

    "Don''t you think you''re being a bit too harsh with that kind of talk..."

    "Lin Ning," Yan Yu turned his head and asked, "What was that piece of advice you used to recite? I''ve kind of forgotten, could you remind me?"

    Lin Ning immediately blushed and started to stammer about how "early romance is wrong" and "high school students should focus on their studies," until Su Yunjin pulled her back and whispered:

    "Don''t worry about it. Look, Ling Yun isn''t angry, she might even be enjoying it."

    "But it''s not right for him to make such a joke..."

    The two young ladies fell behind, muttering to each other. Chen Lingyun, walking ahead, suddenly said:

    "The matter we discussed last time has been settled."

    "Are you referring to the trip to Shengjing, or the matter of renting a house outside the school?" Yan Yu asked.

    "To Shengjing." Chen Lingyun smiled slightly, "Although there hasn''t been an official notification yet, it''s essentially settled: this weekend, the four major magical colleges will hold an exchange competition at the Dingbei Cultivator College in Shengjing. Each college will send one representative to show their strength."

    "Hmm." Yan Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Is it that the higher-ups want to review the troops?"

    "To be precise, they want to reassess the strength and value of the four major colleges," Chen Lingyun corrected, "You know, the resources the nation currently invests in cultivating cultivators have far exceeded the cost of establishing any one type of military branch. With so much money, even if it were thrown into the water, you''d expect to hear a splash, right?"

    "Furthermore, budgetary funding projects typically involve a game of one-upmanship; it''s even less likely that the four major colleges would be treated equally. Anyway, as long as you perform excellently in front of the councilors this time, our Zhendong Army will then have more leverage to ask for additional funds for the college."

    "You mean to bring honor to the school, right?" Yan Yu realized, glancing at her sideways, "So this was settled a long time ago, and previously you just took advantage of the situation and used the information gap to bluff me?"

    "Who knows?" Chen Lingyun sang out, "Maybe it was all designed and arranged by me?"

    "You don''t have the skill to plot against the cabinet." Yan Yu fell silent for a moment before asking, "The Zhendong Army plans to send me out, what about the other colleges?"

    "You should be able to guess the representative from the Dingbei Army," Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    "Lord Master Liu Longtao?" Yan Yu guessed.

    "After all, he also started training a month in advance, and no students of the same year can compete with him," Chen Lingyun said leisurely, "Unless the Dingbei Army can produce another unexpected Yan Yu."

    "What about the Annan Army?" Yan Yu showed no particular reaction and continued.

    "Li Zhaojiang," Chen Lingyun replied, "You''re familiar with that name, right?"

    "I am," Yan Yu considered and said, "However, when it comes to fighting, his sister Li Minghu should be somewhat stronger."

    "Well, that I don''t know," Chen Lingyun said lightheartedly, "I''ve heard his sister has lung disease."

    "Yes, the kind that currently can''t be cured," Yan Yu said nonchalantly, "but that doesn''t affect her strength, which you''ll see in the future."

    Chen Lingyun made a note of the name "Li Minghu" to investigate later, and with a smile on her face, she continued:

    "By asking about the representative from the Annan Army first, are you suggesting that the Pingxi Army is relatively less of a concern?"

    "If nothing unexpected happens, the representative of the Pingxi Army should be Zhou Hongyu," Yan Yu said slowly, "It means there''s no threat."

    "But I''ve heard that this Zhou Hongyu is very strong," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "At least in terms of fame, stronger than Annan Army''s Li Minghu."

    "Fame means nothing." Yan Yu dismissed, "To put it nicely, she has a fatal flaw in her character; to put it rudely, she''s a blockhead¡ªshe deliberately dresses up looking ferocious like a mace, but is actually quite dull."

    "So you''re confident you can triumph completely this time?" Chen Lingyun blinked.

    "Or else?" Yan Yu retorted, "Unless you were hoping they could beat me?"

    As everyone arrived at the crossroads, only to hear Chen Lingyun say with a laugh:

    "Not at all. Rather, I''m looking forward to seeing your performance, Yan Yu."

    "I''ll enjoy watching you cutting a swath through your opponents~"

    She headed in the direction of the female dormitory, with Su Yunjin and Lin Ning following behind her, bidding farewell to Yan Yu:

    "We''re off then." "Yan Yu, goodbye~"

    Zhao Yuanzhen wanted to accompany Yan Yu to the men''s dormitory, but was forcibly dragged away by Lin Ning.

    Yan Yu strolled leisurely back to his dormitory. Just as he had said to Chen Lingyun before, no matter how many hidden dragons and crouching tigers there were among these college cultivators, that was a matter for the future.

    At this stage, no one was his match.

 Chapter 38: Chapter 38 Everything I Said Is True

    Saturday morning.A secret flight took off from Jinling Zhendong Airport, bound for Shengjing Airport.

    The composition of the passengers on the flight was somewhat complex, including instructors and students from Zhendong College, high-level officials of the Zhendong Army, and several elite military cultivators responsible for protecting these high-level officials. Yan Yu looked around for a while, and aside from Chen Lingyun and Zhao Yuanzhen, he actually couldn''t see any familiar faces.

    The two girls had taken seats towards the back. To be precise, Chen Lingyun had forcibly pulled Zhao Yuanzhen to sit together, probably planning to chat for fun during the journey.

    If it had been anyone else acting this way, Yan Yu would have inevitably advised them "Don''t play with fire."

    Although the Demonic Sect Enchantress was temporarily bluffed by him, if she were truly provoked to unleash her vicious nature, the cultivators on this entire plane probably wouldn''t be enough to satisfy her killing spree.

    But Chen Lingyun... This worthless woman was skilled at reading people and knew where to draw the line, so she probably wouldn''t give Zhao Yuanzhen any chance to turn against her.

    Yan Yu from his past life had a deep understanding of this. Whenever he was so irate that he was about to lose control and strike her, his anger never reached the level needed to explode¡ª the worthless woman excelled at hovering near your breaking point, stopping just as you were about to lose it, demonstrating her powerful grasp on the human heart behind her seemingly effortless poise.

    It''s better to sit further away, to avoid bothering me.

    Yan Yu absentmindedly played with his phone while a strange old man suddenly took the seat beside him.

    The man had a full head of white hair but appeared vigorous and energetic, dressed in a thick, dark green jacket, holding in his hand a thick collection of research papers that he was reading.

    Yan Yu naturally recognized this person: the current Commander-in-Chief of the Zhendong Army, General Li Weiguo.

    Glancing at the title on the cover of the papers in his hand, it appeared to be research on a special medicinal drug used by cultivators.

    "Old Li?" someone called out to him from the back.

    The old man raised his arm and waved for a moment, signifying "I''m here" to those behind him, then turned his head to look at Yan Yu, who was staring at the research paper in his hand, and asked:

    "Do you understand this?"

    "Somewhat," Yan Yu answered.

    "Then take a look too," Li Weiguo handed the collection of papers to him.

    Without hesitation, Yan Yu took the papers and started flipping through them.

    The main content of the paper was indeed "using medicinal drugs to speed up the pace of cultivation," and it detailed two possible development paths:

    One is the modern pharmaceutical industry, which has already identified more than 300 chemical molecular formulas that react with Spiritual Energy, and the other is the ancient alchemy process, which judging by the recipe should have been provided by Mei Yingxue.

    Yan Yu glanced at it and quickly confirmed that the formula was indeed the Foundation Establishment Pill of the future.

    Due to the inability to decipher mystical pill recipes with pharmaceutical technology, the maximum production of such Foundation Establishment Pills in the future would also be about 1500 per month, whereas the number of cultivators in the country had already reached several hundred thousand by then... An absolute case of more monks than porridge.

    This was also why Yan Yu had initially strived to join the Zhendong College of Cultivators by taking the college entrance exam and verifying his bloodline:

    Because official cultivators, especially the first batch of college student cultivators, received the most cultivation resources per capita.

    As the second and third batches of cultivators entered school, and the total number of cultivators kept increasing, without an increase in the production of Foundation Establishment Pills, the per capita supply had to be cut down.

    Internationally, facing military pressures from other countries, and considering that the first batch of cultivators were the strongest, it was essential to prioritize their resource supplies to ensure the leading position of high-end forces on the international stage.

    The result was that the first batch of college student cultivators were far ahead of their younger colleagues in strength, which laid the groundwork for future changes in the situation...

    "How is it?" Li Weiguo, sitting beside him, asked out loud, interrupting Yan Yu''s thoughts, "What do you think about the pathways mentioned in this paper, which one seems more feasible?"

    "Alchemy," Yan Yu said.

    "What, you don''t have faith in our current pharmaceutical technology?" Li Weiguo asked in surprise.

    "Purely from a theoretical standpoint, modern pharmaceutical technology has ten thousand advantages that can overwhelmingly crush ancient alchemy," Yan Yu replied calmly, "Its processes and principles are clear, production capacity is easy to increase, and opportunities for improvement and enhancement exist...

    I can only say, if modern pharmaceutical technology was really confirmed to be effective, ancient alchemy wouldn''t even appear in this paper."

    "Hmm," Li Weiguo neither agreed nor disagreed, "Continue."

    "There''s not much else to say," Yan Yu returned the paper to him, "The process of ancient alchemy is vague and unclear, unsuitable for industrial production, and improvements are even more out of the question; there are simply too many disadvantages." Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "The only reason it appears in this paper is because it has been proven to be useful, whereas modern pharmaceuticals have not been proven effective."

    "If it were up to me to decide where to invest money right now, it would definitely be in ancient alchemy."

    "But as you also said," Li Weiguo picked up the paper and said, "The process of ancient alchemy is completely beyond our comprehension at present, let alone increasing production capacity and making enhancements."

    "If modern pharmaceuticals could be made viable, their advantages in various aspects are beyond what ancient alchemy can compare with."

    "So, we can only gamble here." Yan Yu said nonchalantly, "I bet that in the limited future, modern pharmaceutical technology wouldn''t break through, and we will mainly rely on ancient alchemy."

    Anyway, no matter what I say, in the end, the higher-ups will definitely adopt a two-pronged approach. So, it''s harmless to boast a little about my predictive abilities to this old man.

    Li Weiguo nodded silently, sealed the paper into the briefcase beside him, and suddenly changed the topic:

    "Chen Lingyun, that young girl, she told you about the objective of this trip, didn''t she?"

    "She did," Yan Yu did not deny.

    "The military speaks with strength alone," said Li Weiguo, not beating around the bush but stating directly and firmly, "The establishment of the Zhendong, Dingbei, Pingxi, and Annan armies is to meet the needs of national defense. Brothers of one heart can defend against the enemy together, yet competitions among the brothers themselves also exist¡ªthey must establish who is the strongest.

    Otherwise, you can''t even raise your voice in this big family."

    "Yan Yu, this time you are not only representing the cultivators of Zhendong College but also our Zhendong Army. When you go to Shengjing to participate in the exchange competition, you must show not just style but also skill, and you cannot disgrace our Zhendong Army."

    "Of course," Yan Yu responded.

    "Are you confident?" Li Weiguo raised his eyebrows and asked.

    The kid didn''t respond with "I will do my best" or "I guarantee to complete the mission," but with "Of course," as if victory was already in his grasp. He''s a bit arrogant.

    "Confident," Yan Yu said, still looking unfazed.

    "You won''t lose?" Li Weiguo sought confirmation again.

    "I won''t."

    "Do you know who your opponents are?" Li Weiguo chuckled.

    It''s normal for young men to be sharp and aggressive; he wasn''t really angry, just continuing to probe the youth''s thoughts.

    "Chen Lingyun has told me," Yan Yu nodded.

    "Your first match is against Li Zhaojiang from the Annan Army; in the second match, you''ll be up against Zhou Hongyu from the Pingxi Army," explained Li Weiguo slowly, his voice growing more powerful, "You must win these two matches. In the third match, when you face Liu Longtao from the Dingbei Army, you must give it your all."

    "Give it your all in the third match" implies that "it''s okay if you really can''t beat Liu Longtao, just perform up to your ability and don''t disgrace yourself."

    Yan Yu was slightly silent for a moment before he said:

    "This is a bit difficult, but I''ll try my best."

    "Didn''t you just say you were confident?" Li Weiguo immediately laughed.

    He was all confident just a moment ago; why did he waver upon hearing he needed to win the first two matches?

    "Securing victory is easy," Yan Yu calmly explained, "But to give it my all, that''s a bit difficult. Liu Longtao might not be able to withstand it. Plus, injuries or casualties are not allowed in the exchange competition, right?"

    Li Weiguo paused for a long time, then burst into laughter:

    "There will be True Yuan suppression bracelets, and there will also be military cultivators supervising. Just give it your all."

    "Since you''ve already spoken so boldly, if you underperform in the heat of the moment and disgrace our Zhendong Army, I will have to hold you accountable when you return. Can you accept that?"

    "Sure," Yan Yu said without further words, nodding in agreement.

    "Very good," Li Weiguo said, satisfied.

    He had given him a way out, but he refused to take it, insisting on making a military pledge. Now, it was time to see if he truly had the ability.

    If he really lost to Liu Longtao later, it would be a good opportunity to temper his pride.

    It''s not frightening for young people to make mistakes; what''s frightening is not having the opportunity to correct them. The exchange competition is an excellent opportunity for that.

    Although the bigwigs will all be present to watch the games, and thus the staff below take the competition very seriously, Li Weiguo, who holds the position of General Commander of the Zhendong Army, obviously wouldn''t have such a narrow view.

    With Mei Yingxue''s help, the higher-ups have already come to understand the terrifying potential of cultivators in warfare.

    The future of Zhendong Army isn''t hinged on the outcome of this small competition, but rather on Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun.

    As long as these two promising individuals aren''t spoiled, the farther they can go, the longer the path of Zhendong Army will extend.

 Chapter 39: Chapter 39 First Encounter with the Valkyrie

    In the evening, a group of people arrived at Shengjing Prefecture in Liaoyang Province.Representatives of the Zhendong Army, led by Li Weiguo, were invited by the Dingbei Army for dinner. After all, it was a high-level meeting, and etiquette was paramount.

    Of course, everyone else was also invited, but whether to go or not was voluntary.

    The civilian staff and military cultivators, upholding their usual spirit of collectivism, thought: If the boss goes, I go too,

    but Chen Lingyun had no plans to attend.

    "That''s because Lord Master will definitely be at the banquet," she said with a grin. "We''ve just arrived in Shengjing, and we can''t spoil our appetites at the sight of that face."

    "You make some sense," Yan Yu said, stroking his chin. "One Chen Lingyun is enough; another one would indeed be too much to handle."

    Thinking of another "male version" of Chen Lingyun, with a forced smile standing in front of him, Zhao Yuanzhen couldn''t help but shiver and exclaimed with crossed arms:

    "Stop it, that''s literally a nightmare!"

    Chen Lingyun''s smile faltered a bit. She raised her eyebrows slightly and stared at Yan Yu:

    "Don''t compare me to him. Although I like to joke around, have fun, and occasionally bully people on purpose, I never go too far. There''s a fundamental difference between me and that boorish guy from the capital, you know?"

    Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen both looked at her silently.

    So you actually know you have a terrible personality!!!

    "Could you do that act again?" Yan Yu asked in her tone, "The one about ''I never go too far''..."

    "I never go too far," Chen Lingyun emphasized with a smile. "Isn''t that right? When have I ever bullied someone to the point of collapse? Don''t I always stop when it''s appropriate?"

    "Isn''t there a possibility that the problem lies precisely there?" Yan Yu said with an exasperated expression, criticizing, "You always tease around the boundaries of someone''s tolerance, and it seems you stop just before they lose it, which actually feels even worse?"

    Chen Lingyun pondered for a moment.

    "Indeed," she said, lightly supporting her elbow and slowly tapping her cheek with her index finger, "but isn''t that what makes it interesting?"

    "Not interesting at all!" Zhao Yuanzhen exclaimed angrily.

    The three hailed a cab and headed to the local Fumin Road, intending to find some Shengjing specialties like stretched noodles and chicken racks for dinner. Due to the fame of certain eateries and celebrity endorsements, almost every establishment along this road was selling stretched noodles, chicken racks, and marinated goods, making it nearly a gourmet food street.

    Naturally, the street was filled with tourists and foodies, with a line waiting for their number to be called at the entrance of every shop.

    "Trouble ahead," Yan Yu chuckled. "Looks like we''re going to have to queue."

    He knew that if there was one thing the annoying woman hated most, it was queuing. In many famous establishments in Jianghai Prefecture, Chen Lingyun could skip the queue and have the staff secretly usher her in and arrange a seat... but in Shengjing where she was unfamiliar, just the money might not suffice without the shop owner''s goodwill.

    Chen Lingyun absentmindedly fiddled with her phone, her face devoid of its usual smile, and it wasn''t clear what ace she was playing.

    However, both Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen weren''t bothered, the latter due to laziness, the former out of carefreeness, or maybe seeing the annoying woman get frustrated was more interesting than any stretched noodles or chicken racks.

    However, Yan Yu was ultimately disappointed. It only took a few short minutes before Chen Lingyun''s sweet smile returned as she said:

    "Let''s go."

    Sorted it out already?

    Yan Yu sighed internally, guessing that in Chen Lingyun''s circle of second-generation friends, there must be some local heavyweights from Shengjing...

    So frustrating, can''t see her get flustered now!

    Damn it, why has society become like this, where cutting in line could be so blatantly done!

    The two followed Chen Lingyun to a nearby store with a fairly long queue. A staff member had already been waiting at the entrance and welcomed the trio into the store, leading them to an empty table.

    "How''s that?" Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "If it weren''t for me, you guys would have had to line up for an hour, right?"

    "Not too bad," Zhao Yuanzhen said reservedly.

    Yan Yu didn''t make a sound. He couldn''t really blame her for breaking the order after all since the order was determined by the store, and he had benefited from it.

    But he didn''t want to feed into this despicable woman''s arrogance, so he pretended not to hear and looked around... Huh?

    Isn''t that the Li siblings?

    At a table not far away, a young man and woman were seated. It was clear they were siblings, as their features were quite similar¡ªtheir hair slightly curly, their skin fair, and the lines of their faces soft. The brother was quite handsome, while the sister was even more gentle and beautiful, her appearance could be considered top-notch.

    But Yan Yu knew better than to judge a book by its cover¡ªboth siblings were actually quite formidable.

    The sister, Li Minghu, would later fall ill yet lead troops into battle at the South Sea where she would single-handedly decimate two-thirds of the invading Allied Forces, causing "every household on the Indochina Peninsula to weep blood," preventing them from daring to invade Lingnan for over ten years.

    So much so, that whenever the people of Lingnan spoke of her, they had to refer to her as "Valkyrie" in awe.

    Her younger brother, Li Zhaojiang, was even more remarkable; following his sister''s death, he launched a vengeful rebellion... Without going into details, let''s just say that the Cultivator factions of the Annan Army suffered a severe blow and this directly led to a worsening of a series of subsequent events.

    Of course, at this point in time, Li Minghu was not yet the Valkyrie on her deathbed, and Li Zhaojiang was just an ordinary brother with a sister complex, not yet worthy of attention.

    "What is it?" Chen Lingyun noticed where his gaze was directed and followed his line of sight, "Aren''t those the Li siblings?"

    "You know them?" Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    "After you mentioned them last time, I did a little background check," Chen Lingyun said with a smile. "They are from a pretty ordinary middle-class family in Lingnan Province with both parents being middle school teachers. The sister was born with a lung disease, the incurable kind, which set a limit on her strength.

    But the brother has quite a gift for cultivation, standing out among the first group of cultivators, so this time he was selected to represent the Annan Army in battle."

    "Appearances can be deceiving, you know?" Yan Yu said, pointing at them from a distance with his chopsticks, "The brother does indeed have good strength, but it is just ''good.'' His sister''s talent is what you call ''monstrous.'' I''m not talking about cultivation talent, but rather her talent in combat."

    "Combat talent?" Chen Lingyun pondered, "But her cardiopulmonary function is limited, she can''t sustain prolonged intense activities. No matter how strong her combat talent is, how much can she actually make use of?"

    "If it weren''t for her physical limitations, she would be even more formidable," Yan Yu said.

    "Hmph," Chen Lingyun stopped questioning and kept staring at Li Minghu across the way, as if she had found some sort of new amusement.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was also paying close attention. Since this rascal could so accurately describe their abilities, it must have been deduced by his powerful master through some divination.

    The fact that a powerhouse had taken special care to calculate this indicated that these two were not to be underestimated. I should also take care to remember them.

    As the two beautiful girls stared intently over, the Li siblings also sensed something was off.

    "Sis, those two girls are looking at you," Li Zhaojiang said with a frown.

    "It''s okay, maybe it''s because I keep coughing..." Li Minghu said quietly, covering her mouth with a tissue and coughing a bit, then commented, "This soup tastes quite good."

    "The chicken cartilage is no good, though," Li Zhaojiang shook his head, "It lacks chicken flavor, reliant totally on spices for seasoning."

    "Chicken cartilage has little meat to begin with; we eat it for the taste of the spices," Li Minghu shook her head, not bothering with disposable gloves, and started gnawing on the cartilage with her hands.

    After eating half of it, she stopped and covered her mouth with a napkin again, coughing weakly a few times.

    Li Zhaojiang sighed. If it weren''t for her lung disease, the position representing the Annan Army in battle should have been his sister''s.

    Hopefully, once Spiritual Energy fully revived, they would find a way to cure her lung disease.

    After coughing for a while, and perhaps feeling a bit apologetic for disturbing the meals of others, Li Minghu turned her head and cast an apologetic glance their way.

    She met Yan Yu''s sympathetic gaze head-on. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    She was long accustomed to such pity, so she merely responded with a resigned smile.

 Chapter 40: Chapter 40 The Golden Retriever that Fell into the Water

    Zhao Yuanzhen ate a few bites of the stretched noodles and seemed to find them lacking in flavor, so she grabbed the vinegar pot and poured it vigorously over her noodles.Chen Lingyun, however, had the typical tastes of the south, preferring light and savory flavors, and took a spoon to slowly sip her soup.

    Yan Yu put on disposable gloves and began to gnaw on a chicken carcass, only to have Zhao Yuanzhen grab his arm and say,

    "Leave some of that chicken for me, will you?"

    "So embarrassing, you!" Yan Yu impatiently shook off her arm, disdainfully saying, "Miss Chen is treating us, we can just order more if it''s not enough, what''s the hurry?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen glanced at Chen Lingyun with ill intent and then turned to look at the menu on the wall, about to make an outrageous order when Yan Yu knocked her on the head:

    "Don''t be dumb!"

    Tens of yuan for a bowl of noodles, no matter how many you order, trying to make Chen Lingyun go broke was simply a pipe dream.

    Besides being mocked as a "country bumpkin," it wouldn''t have any other effect.

    "It''s fine, Yan Yu," Chen Lingyun said with a delighted smile. "Let her order whatever she wants."

    Zhao Yuanzhen caught on, realizing that this young lady was actually rolling in money, just waiting to see her make a fool of herself! She immediately kept quiet.

    The siblings from the Li family opposite had finished their dinner and were getting ready to leave. Chen Lingyun stared at their departing figures, only to hear Yan Yu suddenly ask,

    "Aren''t you going to catch up and add them as friends?"

    "No need," Chen Lingyun said with a smile. "There will always be opportunities to get acquainted."

    She was probably referring to tomorrow''s exchange competition.

    After a satisfying meal and stepping out the door, the cool breeze outside made Yan Yu immediately feel sweaty.

    But that aside, it was time to take care of serious business.

    "Where are we staying tonight?" he asked Chen Lingyun.

    "Rumi Hotel," Chen Lingyun replied languidly. "But I''m not in a hurry to go back."

    "What, planning to hang around outside despite the late hour?" Yan Yu glanced at her sideways.

    "Not really," Chen Lingyun said with a smile. "I''m accompanying you to take care of business."

    Yan Yu: ...... S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    It was really annoying not being able to fool this trashy woman.

    "I''m coming too!" Seeing Yan Yu''s gaze turn her way, Zhao Yuanzhen assertively wrapped her arms around his arm.

    "Alright, alright!" Yan Yu said helplessly. "I''m making it clear¡ªfine to follow, but no revealing your identity, and definitely no interrupting and talking nonsense! If you mess up my plans, you''re on your own."

    "Sure thing/No problem." The two ladies agreed very readily.

    But with one trashy heiress and one Demonic Sect Enchantress, the reliability of these promises was something that merited serious consideration.

    Sitting in the taxi, Yan Yu again organized his thoughts, reviewing his existing memories in his mind.

    The future Eclipse Queen, the Dark Monarch of Siberia, who was now just an ordinary high school student at Shengjing No. 3 Middle School, with a name common overseas, "Anna."

    Anna was from a single-parent family, a mixed-race child, with a father from Lu Country and a mother from Rakshasa Country. After they divorced when Anna was seven, her mother settled back in her home country, while her father stayed in Shengjing to raise his daughter alone.

    Two years ago, when Anna was in her first year of high school, the Shengjing Transportation Trade Association laid off employees due to poor performance. Anna''s father lost his job, and driving cabs wasn''t paying the bills. So, he started contemplating moving overseas to Rakshasa Country to be with his ex-wife.

    However, since Anna didn''t want to go abroad, he gave her two years to decide. If her college entrance exam results were good and she got into a decent school, she could stay in Lu Country; otherwise, she would go to university in Rakshasa Country.

    Considering that Anna''s academic performance was not promising, her father made preparations. He started processing her immigration documents¡ªand that''s where the trouble began.

    During the physical examination for the college entrance exam in May, Anna was discovered to have a talent for cultivation, and the Dingbei Army''s recruitment office sent her an enlistment agreement according to policy. After discussing it with her father and consulting some relatives in the system, she decided to sign the agreement and enroll in school.

    A monthly salary of 40,000 yuan, coveted by Northeasterners for being a system job, not signing up would have been foolish, right?

    However, when Anna went to find the recruitment officer again, she received devastating news:

    She failed the background check and was rejected for enrollment.

    The university''s admission policy for the first batch of student cultivators did not "veto" applicants based on their family background, but background checks were certainly necessary.

    The issue with Anna mainly lay in three aspects: first, her mother was a foreigner; second, during the home visit, it was discovered her father was a Run Country national (and had expressed similar sentiments); and third, the most damning was that her family was already arranging for immigration, which to the authorities signalled that this young lady was ready to leave for foreign shores at any moment.

    Although cultivators were scarce, information security was equally vital. If someone who received complete cultivator training within the country suddenly defected abroad a few years later and handed over all intelligence pertaining to cultivator training to the Rakshasa Country, that would be an absolute disaster for the Dingbei Army.

    After the case was reported up the chain of command, the final decision was to deny her admission.

    Of course, this was also reasonable: after all, it''s easy to know a face, but not a heart. Who could tell whether this young girl was truly loyal? With a starting salary of 40,000 a month, it''s not just Run Country nationals who''d become super loyal; even nationals from other countries might as well.

    But what if a few years later, Moska offered you double the price? What if they used your Rakshasa mother to play the kinship card and turn you? Who would dare take the risk, gambling that your pledge of unwavering fidelity would always hold?

    Since there was already an intention to emigrate, the sense of national identity wasn''t strong, making one unsuitable for receiving official cultivator training.

    Purely based on the documentary evidence, the conclusion was quite clear. Anna''s background crossed a red line, leaving no room for negotiation, and not even pleading with the commander-in-chief of the Dingbei Army would help.

    The only issue here was that, in his previous life, the Dingbei Army hadn''t restricted Anna from emigrating.

    However, at present, no country in the world, including Lu Country, had enacted any laws restricting such "citizens with cultivation talent" from emigrating.

    Looking abroad, European countries weren''t even managing their own Transcendents migrating to Mitchi Country, so it seemed strict enough that Lu Country could manage and restrict its own cultivators from moving abroad, and it seemed unreasonable to demand control over those with a Spirit Root.

    Yet, what if the "Spirit Root bearer" planning to leave was the future ruler of Siberia, the "Eclipse Queen"?

    So, many times, neither side made any mistakes; if there''s the need to blame, it''s that this world lacks a "foresight".

    The young girl who believed herself abandoned after many years of fighting in Siberia eventually became the grudge-holding, petty Eclipse Queen. Although she did not turn against Lu Country, she also didn''t consider her former country''s sentiments enough to restrain her subordinates.

    As a result, the Dingbei Army paid a hefty price, and the entire north was under unprecedented defensive pressure until the two sides signed a ceasefire agreement at the border.

    The reason Yan Yu made a special trip to Shengjing at this time was to build a good relationship with the Eclipse Queen in advance.

    In the long term, due to the poor civil governance capacity of the Rakshasa Country, the fall of the entire Siberian territory was inevitable.

    If the Eclipse Queen was eliminated in advance, it would just lead to someone like the Werewolf King Belinsky or the Dark Monarch Ivanov taking her place; the threat and pressure on the north would not change whatsoever.

    However, if it was possible to invest in the Eclipse Queen in advance and once she managed to subdue the Spirit Communicators of Siberia, the returns from this long-term investment could be exceedingly fruitful¡ªat the very least, she could be persuaded to instruct her subordinates not to fixate on battling the Northeast but to shift their focus to the Bering Strait and develop ties with Mitchi Country, which shouldn''t be a problem.

    Of course, these potential returns were a separate issue; Yan Yu''s main motivation was to protect the Dingbei Army and avoid future unnecessary sacrifices.

    To the Dingbei Army at this point in time, the significance of his current efforts was likely beyond their comprehension, but Yan Yu didn''t care about that.

    After going to great lengths to subdue the Demonic Sect Enchantress in advance to protect the southern people from harm, he certainly wouldn''t mind recruiting the Eclipse Queen to ensure the safety of the northern populace.

    When asked why he was doing this, Yan Yu would probably only be able to say, "Because my love for this land and its people runs deep"¡­

    There''s no time for shedding tears, as the destination had already been reached.

    The taxi pulled up at the entrance of the residential community, and the three of them got out one after another. Chen Lingyun surveyed the entrance to the community, noticing the property management appeared quite run down, with a retired old man sitting at the guard booth playing with his phone.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, however, kept her gaze fixed on Yan Yu, in dread that he might vanish from her sight at any moment.

    "The rest of you, back away a bit more," Yan Yu reiterated. "You may observe, but don''t interfere with my business, or I''ll show no mercy!"

    "Back away to where?" Chen Lingyun asked.

    "Not too far," said Zhao Yuanzhen.

    "Retreat to that bench behind the flower bed over there," Yan Yu pointed toward the distant municipal green space.

    The two girls moved back as told, their eyes still glued to him, eager to see what trick he was going to pull.

    Yan Yu didn''t mind their presence, he just turned his attention to the distance.

    By the riverside, a stranger girl sat on the embankment, lost in thought. Her blonde hair and the deep, aesthetically pleasing profile of her face revealed her distinct mixed heritage.

    The future ruthless ruler of Siberia, known for her cold-bloodedness and iron fist, was at this moment merely a high school girl, somewhat unable to come to terms with being rejected by a university.

    So it seems, fate truly is wonderful... huh?!

    Before Yan Yu could react, he saw that the girl''s figure had already disappeared from sight, accompanied by a "plash" sound of someone falling into the water.

 Chapter 41: Chapter 41: The Northern Queens Friend

    Anna suddenly fell into the water, almost scaring Yan Yu out of his wits.He had no desire to deal with Siberia''s werewolves or blood clans. Those Rakshasa Spirit Communicators, to put it nicely, were part of the Fighting Nation; to put it unkindly, they were no different from bandits.

    If the Eclipse Queen were to meet her unfortunate end here, the future situation in the north would spiral completely out of control, becoming chaotic and unmanageable.

    Without hesitation, Yan Yu activated the Shifting Technique and in an instant reached the riverbank, only to see Anna frantically struggling in the water¡ªclearly, the girl couldn''t swim. Her arms were vainly flapping and slapping as she had already swallowed several mouthfuls of river water.

    Yan Yu had no choice but to jump into the river and then swiftly flew to the shore with her in his arms, using the Cloud Ascension Technique.

    Having reached the shore, Anna awkwardly propped herself up on her arms, spitting out a lot of dirty water and gasping for air.

    Before she could speak, Yan Yu roughly dragged her up from the ground and said, unable to restrain his anger,

    "Are you fucking crazy? Thinking of ending it all by jumping into the river, huh? Polluting the water resources, huh?!"

    Stupid woman! Nearly letting you succeed in your suicide and ruining my plan!

    Anna suddenly got agitated as well and shook off his hand, saying,

    "I didn''t ask you to save me!"

    ...At this point, she certainly couldn''t admit that she had slipped and fallen into the water, as that would surely make her a laughing stock.

    "Alright, alright." Yan Yu pointed at the river and said sarcastically, "Then do me a favor and jump again. This time, I''ll stand on the bank and pop open a champagne bottle for you, wishing you a swift death and reincarnation."

    Anna silently got up, tightened her soaking wet clothes around her, and walked away without a word.

    Yan Yu followed her quietly, silently stimulating his True Yuan.

    The Runescript of water, although mediocre in offensive capabilities, was actually best used for support.

    If one were unfortunate enough to be injured, one could apply the Runescript to themselves, cover the injury with water-aligned True Yuan to prevent further deterioration and hasten healing, or cover the body to maintain a constant body temperature... In a sense, healing support was the real strength of the Runescript.

    Seeing the two walking away one after the other, Zhao Yuanzhen quickly wanted to follow them, but was stopped by Chen Lingyun:

    "Do you have any method of concealment?"

    "Invisibility Technique." Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly realized and immediately applied the spell on both himself and her, causing their figures to swiftly disappear.

    They then stealthily followed behind.

    Yan Yu walked behind Anna for a while, and because he maintained the Runescript, he didn''t feel much cold, yet the drenched Anna was appearing to suffer, sneezing continuously.

    As if she sensed the embarrassment, she angrily turned around and glared at him.

    "Tsk tsk tsk," Yan Yu said mockingly without any sympathy, "True to the Fighting Nation, walking on the road soaked and braving the cold wind, the bodies of the Rakshasa people are truly robust!"

    "How many times do I have to tell you I am from Lu Country... Achoo!" Anna wanted to retort, but her body was already shivering.

    Yan Yu placed his hand on her shoulder from behind, letting the Runescript seep into her body and dispelling the chill from within.

    Anna also noticed the change in her body and looked back at him in surprise:

    "What''s this?"

    "You don''t understand," Yan Yu chuckled, "This is the spell of a Cultivator."

    "Hmph." Anna''s face visibly fell as she murmured, "So you''re a Cultivator... pretty capable, huh."

    "I see you also have some talent for cultivation," Yan Yu asked knowingly, "Didn''t the Dingbei Army send you an invitation to enlist?"

    "They did," Anna said glumly, "but I rejected it."

    "Why?" Yan Yu asked.

    "No reason," Anna said dismissively, "My dad wants to take me abroad; I''m not planning to stick around here."

    "I see," Yan Yu said with a tone of admiration, "That''s pretty amazing, actually being able to go abroad! You must be able to attend a great university there, right?"

    Anna shuddered and almost bumped into the edge of a flower bed.

    Rakshasa Country''s academia is not well-known internationally, and the quality universities are all located in cities like Moska, Saint Petersburg¡ªplaces close to Europe.

    Yet, she couldn''t get in.

    Her mother was now settled in Amur, located in the so-called "Far Eastern Federal District" of Rakshasa Country. The word "Far Eastern" implied its remoteness from the political and economic center of Rakshasa Country, where conditions in all aspects were relatively poor. If it weren''t for the fact that her mother and grandfather lived there...

    Anna actually had no desire to go abroad, but her father, having had little success at home, had wilfully clung to the idea of "going abroad" as a life-saving straw. This, through a series of unfortunate events, had also affected her background check, squandering her chance to become a government-sponsored cultivator.

    So miserable, she didn''t want to talk at all. Couldn''t this person stop following me?

    She turned her head and once again glared fiercely at Yan Yu.

    "Is glaring all you can do?" Yan Yu looked puzzled, "Is this some sort of special Curse Technique of the Rakshasa? The ''Death Glare'' Technique?"

    "I told you, I''m from Lu Country," Anna said through gritted teeth, "Are you sick, huh? Are you? Are you?"

    "Maybe," Yan Yu also pondered, "We are complete strangers, but seeing you fall into the water, I jumped in to save you. I must have caught the ''savior complex''."

    Anna was speechless with anger and only after a long pause did she say:

    "Follow me."

    "Where to?"

    "Don''t ask stupid questions."

    The two crossed the street and entered a nearby hotel, where Anna fished out her phone from her soaked pocket and shakily unlocked it.

    Good, it still worked.

    She pulled out her electronic ID, registered for a room at the front desk, and then dragged Yan Yu into the elevator.

    "You''re not planning to repay me with your body, are you?" Yan Yu suddenly asked warily, "Sorry, I don''t accept one-night stands with strange women..."

    "Shut your damn mouth!" Anna held back her anger, "We''re getting a room just to change out of these wet clothes, so we don''t catch a cold." S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Oh, you should have said so earlier," Yan Yu clearly relaxed.

    "You never asked!"

    Once in the hotel room, they closed the door, and Anna spoke up again:

    "Take off your clothes, I''ll blow dry them for you."

    "No need." Yan Yu, without any shyness, just took off his shirt and trousers and hung them on a nearby rack, casually casting a Flame Curse.

    Flame erupted out of nowhere, steadily drying the wet clothes without burning even a corner of the fabric or the floor. If Shu Weijun, the instructor responsible for teaching the Flame Curse at the academy, were here, he would surely pester him with questions on "how to achieve such millimeter-level precision casting of the Flame Curse."

    Anna watched the leaping flames in silence and asked:

    "Is this something a cultivator can use, too?"

    "Yes."

    "So, who are you?"

    "Yan Yu."

    "What kind of encounter?" Anna paused, "Oh, your surname is Yan, right?"

    "What else?" Yan Yu retorted, "You held back all this time just to ask me that?"

    Anna''s anger surged again. This man... even though they had only just met, why did his words feel like knives stabbing directly into my heart?

    So infuriating!

    "Why did you save me?" she asked through her anger.

    "I should go," Yan Yu didn''t answer her question but simply extinguished the Flame Curse and straightened his half-dry clothes, "Let''s add each other as friends. I''ll inquire about the cultivator inspection for you later."

    "...Oh."

    Once he was dressed, Yan Yu and Anna added each other as friends. Her profile picture was Marvel''s Harley Quinn, and her nickname was [Anna].

    The scourge of Western pop culture! No wonder her background check didn''t pass. You asked for it!

    "I''m leaving," Yan Yu waved at her.

    "Wait!" Anna quickly stopped him.

    Are you just going to leave? I mean, we''ve met now, why not sit down and have a chat? I haven''t even discussed how to repay you for saving me...

    The words to ask him to stay were on the tip of her tongue, but they remained unspoken, as they were still, in truth, not very familiar. But his abrupt goodbye still made Anna feel somewhat lost.

    "Anything else?" Yan Yu turned back to ask.

    Seeing Anna opening her mouth but unable to speak, he casually nodded:

    "We''ll be in touch."

    Then he decisively pushed the door open and left.

    It wasn''t that he didn''t want to get to know Anna better, but Yan Yu hadn''t forgotten that two little firecrackers were still following him.

    His main purpose for this trip was actually just to get hold of her contact information. Now that had been achieved, there was no need to linger any longer; spending an extra hour wasn''t going to bring them any closer.

    Indeed, just as he arrived at the elevator, the coughing of Zhao Yuanzhen and the mocking voice of Chen Lingyun could be heard from behind:

    "You''ve finished already? My, that was quick~ That''s boys for you..."

    "Shut your mouth," Yan Yu scolded her.

 Chapter 42: Chapter 42 Princess Jiang Hai Is Dating Now

    The Dingbei Army''s accommodations arranged by the Zhendong Army were Rumi brand chain hotels, where most of the people were assigned standard double rooms, meaning two people per room.Only a few senior military officers, as well as Yan Yu, Chen Lingyun, and Zhao Yuanzhen, the three cultivators, had the privilege of single occupancy in king-sized rooms, indicating that even though the first batch of cultivators had not yet graduated, they already enjoyed a privileged status within the military.

    After Yan Yu had finished washing up and changed into his pajamas, he was about to play with his phone on the bed when there was a knock on the door.

    Upon opening the door, sure enough, it was Zhao Yuanzhen and Chen Lingyun.

    "I hope I''m not disturbing you," Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, however, was not in the mood for pleasantries and strode into the room, asking directly,

    "Who was that blonde woman before? What were you guys really up to in the room that you''re hiding from me?"

    "And what right do you have to question me?" Yan Yu sneered back. "Know your place, woman!"

    Zhao Yuanzhen was momentarily speechless, not so much intimidated by Yan Yu''s tone and demeanor, but because it suddenly occurred to her that his inexplicable rescue of that woman might actually have been directed by his master¡ªand that explained why he had gone all the way to Shengjing to do such a baffling thing.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress was fiery and temperamental; even with her own Dao partner, she wouldn''t hesitate to create a huge scene if annoyed.

    But dealing with someone cunning in divination, and continuing to brazenly pry into secrets, wouldn''t be much different from courting death.

    Instantly, she deflated and said with a forced smile,

    "Umm... I was just concerned about you, you know? The prettier the woman, the more skilled she is at lying and deceiving. I''m just worried you might get scammed..."

    The latter part of this, surprisingly, was mostly the truth, which one could tell just by looking at the two women currently in the room. Not to mention the Demonic Sect Enchantress with her cunning and deceitful nature, even the feigned-smiling Chen Lingyun was a master of manipulation, capable of spinning an innocent girl around with just a few words.

    Yan Yu''s expression softened as he explained,

    "There''s not much more to say about this. That girl''s name is Anna; right now, she''s just an ordinary person, but if nothing goes wrong, she''ll become a significant figure in the future, which is why I took the initiative to make contact with her."

    To the two listeners, his explanation took on two different meanings.

    Zhao Yuanzhen understood it to mean that her master had divined that the girl had an extraordinary destiny, which is why he had sent Yan Yu to deliver some karmic link ahead of time... Thinking of this, she immediately felt a tremor of unspeakable thrill and excitement.

    An extraordinary destiny? What kind of influential figure could she become? Could it be someone who defies the heavens and earth, whose commands are unchallengeable and who possesses peerless power?

    Should I... should I also get to know her, make a friend?

    Chen Lingyun''s thoughts were much more complex. First of all, the woman''s appearance was clearly mixed-race, and background scrutiny for cultivators strictly limits foreign lineage within three generations in direct relatives; anyone with a foreign national in their immediate ancestry is barred from enrollment, so it''s highly unlikely that the woman would be a domestic cultivator in the future.

    So is she a foreign cultivator? And one with considerable power and status?

    Should I investigate... Hmm, initiating an inquiry from here probably wouldn''t get past that blockhead from the capital; I''ll have to find another way.

    Seeing them both deep in thought, Yan Yu, familiar with their natures and ways of thinking¡ªneither of whom were the types to stay within bounds¡ªhurriedly warned,

    "This matter does not concern you. If you meddle rashly and ruin my plans, I will not let it go lightly!"

    "Yeah, yeah, I got it," Zhao Yuanzhen replied impatiently.

    Of course, she wouldn''t be foolish enough to interfere with the plans of such a powerful figure¡ªdid she think her life was too long, or what?

    But the woman next to her with a belly full of scheming, well, that was another story...

    Chen Lingyun, with a smile brimming with mischief, purposely asked,

    "Oh~ And just how would you not let it go lightly? I''d like to hear this."

    This cunning woman, believing herself incredibly clever and fearlessly audacious, would retort to threats with remarks such as "My, is your back okay?" or "Need any blue pills?" no matter how many times you threatened her over and over again.

    But Yan Yu knew her too well and would not be stumped by such questions, simply responding,

    "If you dare mess with my business, I will annihilate all possible delights that might pique your interest, making you live out a life utterly devoid of amusement."

    Chen Lingyun''s smile froze in an instant, but she quickly recovered, speaking coquettishly,

    "Ah, isn''t that a bit much? Without fun, I might just die, you know."

    "Consider this fair warning!" Yan Yu said brazenly, pointing a finger at her nose.

    Since Zhao Yuanzhen and Yan Yu still had their daily dual cultivation and Qi Refinement practice to attend to, Chen Lingyun took her leave first.

    In the hotel corridor, she saw a young man standing in front of her room, reaching out to push the doorbell next to her door.

    "Liu Longtao?" Chen Lingyun covered her mouth, feigning surprise.

    "Chen Lingyun." The man turned around, with a warm smile on his face, "Long time no see. Just came over to say hello."

    That smile, so similar to the fake smile Chen Lingyun habitually wore¡ªat least seventy to eighty percent alike¡ªmade her feel nauseated every time she saw his face, as if she were looking into a mirror.

    Could this idiot please just drop dead on the spot? Seriously, so annoying! Buzz off!

    "Indeed, it has been a long time," Chen Lingyun said with a false smile. "Shall we go for a walk?"

    "That would be great," Liu Longtao replied enthusiastically.

    As they took the elevator down, Liu Longtao suddenly laughed and asked,

    "I checked tomorrow''s roster for the battle, and your name isn''t on it¡ªwhy is that?"

    Chen Lingyun, feeling increasingly irritated inside, laughed and said:

    "Because Yan Yu is better suited for this exchange battle than I am."

    "Ah, that''s really too bad." Liu Longtao said with a smile, his face showing no sign of regret, "I was looking forward to crossing a few moves with you."

    "There will be opportunities in the future." Chen Lingyun replied with a smile.

    "I hope so." Liu Longtao smacked his lips and said leisurely with a smile, "With your strength, you will surely stand out in the Zhendong Army sooner or later, so there is no need to rush at this moment."

    This sarcastic tone was not even concealed anymore... Chen Lingyun said with a smile:

    "I don''t really mind that. Yan Yu is far superior to me; I admire him wholeheartedly."

    "Oh?" Liu Longtao immediately showed interest, "Could you tell me about him?"

    He had come over tonight specifically not just to catch up with Chen Lingyun; his real purpose was to "spy on military intelligence."

    If Chen Lingyun hadn''t become the representative of the Zhendong Army, it meant that this Yan Yu must have completely outclassed her in terms of strength, rendering her background and status utterly ineffective... Just who was this guy?

    Upon reaching the hall on the first floor, Chen Lingyun found a sofa to sit down on but didn''t bring up Yan Yu; instead, she nonchalantly asked:

    "Did you gather information about the other army''s representatives?"

    "Li Zhaojiang of the Annan Army." Liu Longtao didn''t play coy and spoke openly, "His strength is moderate, nothing special. As long as you''re stronger, you can just run him over head-on."

    "Zhou Hongyu from the Pingxi Army is daring and fierce, nothing like a lady should be. In facing her, you need to seize the initiative and aim for a quick victory; otherwise, if she recklessly fights you for her life, you could be caught off guard and she might pull off an upset."

    Such intelligence was not difficult to gather, and Liu Longtao believed Chen Lingyun already knew it, so he didn''t beat around the bush and hide anything.

    "And what about Yan Yu?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    "That, I really don''t know." Liu Longtao chuckled, "Li Zhaojiang and Zhou Hongyu aside, the strongest in the Annan and Pingxi armies have been under scrutiny since admission. Miss Chen, you and I were selected by the military for training back in April, so information about the four of us is basically known throughout the military."

    "But that Yan Yu... he''s only enrolled this month, right? Logically, how could he surpass you to compete? Ha, but it has happened, and everyone is perplexed. I guess Pingxi and Annan are scrambling for information now too, but the final list was settled on Thursday¡ªthere''s hardly any time in just one day to figure it out, is there?"

    "That''s also true." Chen Lingyun nodded and said with a laugh, "But haven''t you already guessed?"

    "What do you mean?" Liu Longtao asked curiously.

    "If he could replace me, it means he completely overpowers me in strength, so much so that no one in the military could object." Chen Lingyun''s smile grew brighter, as if a wife was boasting about her husband''s career, "And who among you can be sure of defeating me?"

    She stood up, stretching lazily with a yawn, and said:

    "No matter what I say, it''s unlikely you''ll win. Better wait for tomorrow''s match and see for yourself."

    Chen Lingyun walked toward the elevator, feeling absolutely delighted. Meanwhile, Liu Longtao sat on the sofa in deep thought, then suddenly asked:

    "Do you really admire him wholeheartedly?"

    Miss Chen of Jianghai Prefecture wouldn''t even spare peers from similar social circles a second glance, and now she was admiring an ordinary person from a common family?

    "I find him quite intriguing." Chen Lingyun didn''t look back, "He''s certainly more interesting than any of you."

    What seemed like an innocuous comment to others was like a bolt from the blue to Liu Longtao.

    What?

    Chen Lingyun was interested in a man?

    He was silent for a long, long time until he was sure Chen Lingyun had gone upstairs before he quietly took out his phone and opened the chat group of the princes from the capital.

    "Princess Jiang Hai has taken a liking to a man!" Liu Longtao posted in the group with a whole row of exclamation points to convey his shock.

    Several people quickly responded, all in disbelief:

    "Who is it? Is he still alive or did she play him to death?"

    "Wait, by ''taken a liking,'' do you mean as in dating?"

    "Princess Jiang Hai would date a commoner? You''re joking, right¡ªa toy, maybe!"

    Liu Longtao replied swiftly on the keyboard:

    "Whether it''s dating or being a toy, that guy is doomed either way."

    This time the group seemed to reach a consensus:

    "Indeed."

    "Moment of silence." Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Really pitiful."

    "May he rest in peace."

    "Amitabha."

 Chapter 43: Chapter 43 The Male Succubus

    The training facility of the Shengjing Cultivator Academy was built underground, and the entrance had already been taken over by the Central Guard Corps.The bigwigs had arrived.

    Yang Zhenwei, the Commander-in-Chief of the Dingbei Army, was in the tightly guarded box, chatting with the big shots.

    Li Weiguo, the Commander-in-Chief of the Zhendong Army, sat silently, sweeping over the faces of old friends around him.

    Zhang Xiangqian, the Commander-in-Chief of the Annan Army, and Sun Rongxing, the Commander-in-Chief of the Pingxi Army, were also present. It was rare for the four great generals of the east, south, west, and north to gather together for no other reason than to support their own cultivators.

    By now, everyone could confirm that with the deepening of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, cultivators would inevitably become the future of national defense, and thus, substantial resources needed to be invested in their cultivation.

    But who was more qualified to represent the cultivators and receive the priority in resource cultivation?

    Was it your Zhendong Army cultivator, or his Dingbei Army cultivator?

    Practice was the only criterion for testing truth, and the battlefield was a place where victory and defeat spoke for themselves. There should be no difference in the arena either.

    Li Weiguo''s gaze passed through the glass, looking down at Yan Yu, who was seated in the preparatory area by the field.

    The Commander-in-Chiefs had made a special trip to stand by their side, only to ensure that the final result would not be affected by factors other than victory or defeat, but they could not control the outcome of the battle itself.

    In the end, it all comes down to whether you can win or not, Yan Yu.

    Below, Yan Yu sat calmly in his chair, showing not the slightest bit of nervousness about the upcoming competition.

    Although the leaders took this very seriously, in his view, it was like an adult joining a kindergarten martial arts competition. He really couldn''t see any chance of defeat¡­ even if he were running a fever or sneezing, he could take down his opponent with one hand.

    The seating areas were arranged on all four sides of the field, corresponding to the actual stationing directions of the four armies. Chen Lingyun, also a cultivator of the Zhendong Army, naturally sat beside Yan Yu.

    As for Zhao Yuanzhen, fearing that Mei Yingxue might be hiding in the crowd, he didn''t even bother to attend the competition. He was probably out exploring some restaurant and was not concerned about her.

    Chen Lingyun looked around. On the seats of the Annan Army to the left, Li Zhaojiang and Li Minghu were seated. The siblings looked about sixty to seventy percent alike, the man handsome and the woman gentle; it was obvious that they were a contestant and a relative of the contestant, so it was not surprising.

    To the right in the Dingbei Army''s area sat Liu Longtao alone in the center, his arms casually open, lounging on the back of his chair.

    This was the home ground of the Dingbei Army, and it was impossible that Liu Longtao was the only university student cultivator present. The reason no one sat next to him was due to Liu Longtao''s tyrannical and authoritarian leadership style.

    The leader seated in the principal position would not tolerate others by his side.

    Across from them were the seats of the Pingxi Army, where a girl with an icy expression was seated. At a glance, her features were beautiful and brimming with vitality, but a closer look revealed a hint of malice hidden between her brows and eyes.

    Zhou Hongyu, from the Shuzhong Prefecture of Nanchuan Province, was originally enrolled in a local martial arts school, following a sports recruitment route specializing in martial arts and free fighting¡ªsimply put, this girl had combat skills even before she became a cultivator.

    Chen Lingyun felt that if she were to compete, she should be able to defeat Li Zhaojiang, but the outcome was uncertain against Zhou Hongyu.

    As for Liu Longtao, although she was reluctant to admit it, the chances of defeating him were very slim. His talent for cultivation was said to be the best among all the university student cultivators in the country.

    With exceptional talent, advance priority training, and an unobstructed access to various resources, it was no surprise he was thoroughly ahead and able to dominate his peers.

    Disregarding the armies of Dingbei, Annan, and Pingxi, even within the Zhendong Army itself, those leaders who had not witnessed Yan Yu''s strength all believed that Liu Longtao was going to become, or had already become, the number one cultivator in the country.

    "Yan Yu~" Chen Lingyun suddenly laughed, calling out in a sweet, coquettish voice.

    "What?" Yan Yu looked at her with some annoyance, "Don''t be silly here¡­ nor act coy."

    "When you face the Dingbei Army, beat up that Lord Master for me," Chen Lingyun said seriously, raising her small fist.

    Yan Yu frowned, looking at her pretty face.

    When she dropped that mask-like fake smile, she indeed looked much more pleasant to the eye¡ªwith Chen Lingyun''s delicate beauty, even someone face-blind couldn''t deny she was beautiful.

    Or more accurately, "a pretty young lady."

    "So," Yan Yu withdrew his gaze, speaking indifferently, "what''s the reward?"

    "Do you want to hear me whimper and beg you?" Chen Lingyun blinked, "Just like last time?"

    "No, get lost."

    "If you don''t beat up that blockhead from the capital after the match, I''ll send out a mass message announcing you''re my boyfriend." Chen Lingyun revealed a sweet, radiant smile.

    Yan Yu was about to say "Bring it on, who''s afraid," but then he realized that the mass message Chen Lingyun mentioned would definitely include Zhao Yuanzhen.

    He wasn''t exactly afraid of a bloodbath or anything; it was mainly because he considered that although Zhao Yuanzhen''s cultivation hadn''t been restored, she was still the Demonic Sect Enchantress, endowed with demonic skills. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    If Chen Lingyun''s message agitated Zhao Yuanzhen and triggered a frenzy, causing her to come straight here, with Mei Yingxue not present to intervene, it would turn everything upside down... There are so many important people on stage!

    Endure for the sake of the country!

    Let this trashy woman be smug for a little while.

    Seeing that he maintained his silence, the smile on Chen Lingyun''s face became even more joyous and relaxed, she was so happy she could hardly contain herself.

    This scene, witnessed from a distance by Liu Longtao, also made it hard for him to suppress his goosebumps.

    Princess Jiang Hai Chen Lingyun, this nickname was privately given to her by people in the circle. Why call her that? Because she is the only daughter of Governor Chen Tianming from the Jiang Hai Province. With this status on display, she has always had an endless stream of suitors.

    But whether it''s an open courtship or a secret crush, as soon as someone tries to cross the line of friendship with her, they would soon inexplicably feel like "she looks down on me."

    Of course, there''s no evidence. Chen Lingyun would never offend anyone; her elegant fake smile is a perfect mask, hiding her thoughts very well underneath, until someone overestimates themselves and tries to remove that mask, only to be accidentally pricked by the thorns on it.

    Looking back at the mask, the smile would still be as sweet as ever, as if nothing had happened.

    Over time, those second-generation rich who had been snubbed by her gathered to discuss, and eventually came to accept it as "Princess His Highness is of high status, and we are not worthy of dating her."

    However, now not only was someone in close contact with her, but it even looked like Chen Lingyun was the one actively pursuing him... Terrifying indeed. As the saying goes, "Before disaster strikes, there are strange signs." Could this be signaling the end of the world?

    Without showing any emotion, Liu Longtao picked up his phone and sent another message:

    "Princess Jiang Hai is chatting and laughing with him, but he''s ignoring her."

    Suddenly, the group chat erupted like a school of sardines startled by a catfish, buzzing with activity:

    "Lord Tao, quick, show us the photo."

    "What photo? Watch the video!"

    "Could Princess Jiang Hai have been drugged?"

    "Does your family''s drug make girls giggle at you?"

    "There is such a thing, love potions, right?"

    Seeing that the group had started to discuss "whether Chen Lingyun was under the control of a magic potion," Liu Longtao decisively turned off his phone and looked back towards the distant Zhendong Army''s seats.

    Chen Lingyun leaned in with a smile and whispered something into Yan Yu''s ear.

    Without a word, Yan Yu silently moved his buttocks to a farther seat.

    Chen Lingyun wasn''t annoyed; she casually moved along, resettling herself next to Yan Yu, her smile as beautiful and charming as ever.

    Liu Longtao was stunned by this scene. He took a deep breath, attempting to straighten out the whirlwind of thoughts in his mind.

    Probably... it''s a male succubus, right?

 Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Mutual Destruction

    Liu Longtao''s thoughts were actually quite normal.The resurgence of Spiritual Energy was already inconceivable enough. If even a fairy (Mei Yingxue) could descend to the world, what was so strange about a mere male demon?

    However, he didn''t have the luxury of time to think more about it, as the start of the tournament was imminent with the referee taking to the stage.

    The first round, Dingbei Army versus Pingxi Army; the second round, Zhendong Army versus Annan Army.

    The reason for this arrangement was, of course, because the higher-ups were more interested in Liu Longtao''s performance. With the Dingbei Army playing on their home ground, they naturally wanted to use this advantage to leave a deep impression on the VIPs from the first round.

    Liu Longtao and Zhou Hongyu stepped onto the stage and exchanged bows. Yan Yu was watching from below. The arena was a platform slightly raised above the ground, flat and open, without any simulation of a real combat environment¡ªprobably designed this way to facilitate the VIPs'' viewing.

    "Does Zhou Hongyu stand a chance to win?" Chen Lingyun asked from the side.

    "Of course, there''s a chance," Yan Yu said leisurely, "it just depends on whether Liu Longtao will give her one."

    "Oh?" Chen Lingyun''s interest was piqued.

    "Overall, Liu Longtao is stronger than Zhou Hongyu," Yan Yu calmly replied, "If they were to fight ten rounds, Liu Longtao would definitely win more than he loses."

    "But Zhou Hongyu is aware of this, and her only chance of victory lies in launching a desperate and strong attack, forcing Liu Longtao to defend with all his might and then unleashing her trump card, catching him off guard and blowing him away."

    "Trump card?" Chen Lingyun''s eyes lit up.

    "You''ll know when you see it," Yan Yu declined to elaborate further.

    "...If she really has a trump card, she might not use it at this moment," Chen Lingyun pondered, "because it''s still not a guaranteed win against Liu Longtao, right?"

    "Facing an opponent who is stronger in all respects, who would dare to claim a sure win?" Yan Yu replied.

    "That settles it," Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile, "You''re familiar with the story of Tian Ji''s horse racing, aren''t you?"

    Yan Yu paused for a moment upon hearing this, then immediately understood her implication.

    The most powerful moment for a trump card is naturally when nobody knows about it.

    Once it''s known, everyone will be on guard, and its subsequent effect won''t be as good.

    Considering that Zhou Hongyu, in the first round, faced off with Liu Longtao, who was touted as the strongest, even if she played her trump card, it wouldn''t guarantee a win¡ªthus, it would be a waste of a great opportunity.

    So the safest plan was, of course, to temporarily give up this most difficult matchup and save the surprise of the trump card for her opponents in the next two rounds, for a better chance at victory.

    Chen Lingyun''s reference to Tian Ji''s horse racing was a hint that the Pingxi Army might be planning for her to conserve her strength in the first round and lose to Liu Longtao, "use the good chariots to match the opponent''s better ones, lose first then win later."

    "You''re wrong," Yan Yu suddenly said.

    "Where am I wrong?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    "Even if the Pingxi Army has a Sun Bin, it still depends on whether Zhou Hongyu is willing to play that Tian Ji," Yan Yu said indifferently.

    Chen Lingyun was stunned for a moment, then looked back at the competition in the arena.

    Liu Longtao was nimbly moving around using the Cloud Ascension Technique, continuously attacking with the Metal-Element Impact Curse to pressure his opponent, clearly intending to kite his way to victory and avoid letting Zhou Hongyu get close.

    Zhou Hongyu, hailing from a martial arts school, was most skilled at close combat, so she went all-in with her Barrier Charm to block the attacks while charging at Liu Longtao to close the distance between them.

    Chen Lingyun watched intently, thinking that Liu Longtao seemed to have the upper hand in this situation. His Cloud Ascension Technique and Impact Curse were alternated in use, fighting while on the move; Zhou Hongyu constantly kept up her Barrier Charm to avoid being restrained by the attacks, which no doubt put more strain on her True Yuan consumption compared to Liu Longtao.

    Unless Zhou Hongyu could seize a chance to get close, she would only end up being worn down by her opponent, but would Liu Longtao give her that chance?

    "Liu Longtao is in trouble," Yan Yu suddenly commented, focused on the match.

    "Oh?" Chen Lingyun immediately showed interest.

    On the stage, Zhou Hongyu suddenly cut off her Barrier Charm and activated her Shifting Technique, drastically increasing her speed, and rushed towards Liu Longtao like a shooting star.

    The speed of the Cloud Ascension Technique was no match for the Shifting Technique, and to continue avoiding close contact, Liu Longtao had to activate and maintain his own Shifting Technique.

    With the two chasing and fleeing, considering the remaining True Yuan of both sides, in the end, Zhou Hongyu would undoubtedly be worn to death. However, such a match would definitely lack any form of spectator appeal.

    Would the Dingbei Army allow Liu Longtao to win by making the dignitaries in the box watch minutes of a "hawk chasing a chick"? Of course not.

    Clearly impossible.

    Chen Lingyun quickly realized the tactic within this scenario and saw that Liu Longtao indeed didn''t dodge or avoid but boldly activated the Wood Bending Charm, his right arm''s muscles swelling rapidly.

    The Wood Bending Charm grants immense strength, tearing tigers and leopards apart easily. Because in the five elements "wood overcomes earth," even the impenetrable Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse would break if hit by the Bending Charm, also blocking True Yuan in the meridians. Hence, the best way to respond isn''t to defend, but to counterattack.

    Zhou Hongyu swiftly closed in, her Shifting Technique rapidly halted, and she too activated the Wood Bending Charm, ready to exchange blows with her fists and feet.

    In a moment of swift motion, Liu Longtao threw a punch, and Zhou Hongyu dodged to the side, grabbing his wrist in return. Liu Longtao twisted his wrist trying to break free, but his heart suddenly leapt in shock.

    Not because he couldn''t break free, but because he had broken free too easily ¡ª the other side didn''t actually have the Bending Charm activated at that moment, having only initiated it to mislead him and then discreetly stopped it.

    So what curse technique was she using now?

    In any case, continuing to fight at close range clearly wasn''t a good idea. Liu Longtao tried to pull away swiftly, but would Zhou Hongyu let him do as he wished?

    She lifted her arm for a Great Stele-Felling Hand, smashing it towards Liu Longtao''s chest.

    Liu Longtao didn''t dodge; the Bending Charm activated again, his right fist shooting out like a cannonball, hitting Zhou Hongyu''s lower abdomen.

    If not for the True Yuan restraint bracelets, the punch, fully powered by the Bending Charm, could blow Zhou Hongyu''s spleen apart, killing her instantly.

    Even so, she instantly hunched over like a shrimp, vomiting a large mouthful of stomach fluid, her face contorting with severe pain.

    As for her Great Stele-Felling Hand, it had already lost most of its force, only barely managing to latch onto his clothes.

    Almost simultaneously, a sudden surge of flames engulfed both of them, who were fighting at close quarters. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The referee immediately blew the whistle to stop the match, and the cultivators from the Pingxi and Dingbei Armies rushed onto the stage, casting the Water-Element Runescript to extinguish the flames.

    The medical team followed closely, quickly assessing the condition of the two injured.

    Liu Longtao was hit directly by the Flame Curse, with the flames bursting from under his feet. Thanks to the True Yuan restraint bracelet, he suffered only varying degrees of burns across different body parts.

    If this were a real combat situation, he would have been burned to a severe degree.

    Zhou Hongyu was in a worse state, having taken a heavy blow to her abdomen and then affected by the Flame Curse. She couldn''t stand up at all but was still gripping Liu Longtao''s chest cloth tightly. It took the army''s cultivators a while to pry her fingers open.

    Anyone unaware of the circumstances might think these two harbored some deep hatred! One must say that this girl''s ferocity was to an extreme.

    "This is really interesting," Chen Lingyun said, clapping her hands with satisfaction, chuckling merrily, "Clearly at a disadvantage in every aspect, yet relying on a burst of courage and risk to one''s life to take down the opponent. A girl with such a brutal personality would die quickly on the battlefield, wouldn''t she?

    But it''s fine, at least she gave Lord Master a serious burn, and I bet he won''t be able to sleep tonight~."

    The outcome, of course, was clear: Zhou Hongyu had secretly cast the Flame Curse and then, in order not to let Liu Longtao escape the range of the curse, took the risk of grabbing his clothes with the Great Stele-Felling Hand, bravely taking a punch from him to keep him in place.

    In a real combat situation, Zhou Hongyu would likely die from internal organ rupture, but Liu Longtao would also be burned to death by the Flame Curse, resulting in a mutual downfall. Therefore, this battle should be considered a draw.

    A few minutes later, as expected, the referee panel announced the first round as a draw.

    The Dingbei Army contested this, claiming that Zhou Hongyu was hit in the abdomen first and would have inevitably lost the ability to move if it were a real fight, possibly preventing her from continuing to hold Liu Longtao ¡ª he might have had the chance to escape the range of the Flame Curse.

    After reviewing, the referee panel rejected the objection and maintained the original decision.

    "What do you think?" Chen Lingyun asked again.

    "He wouldn''t have escaped," Yan Yu replied, "The True Yuan restraint bracelet simultaneously suppresses the temperature and range of the Flame Curse."

    "That means, in real combat, her Flame Curse would cover a larger area than it did here," Chen Lingyun nodded in agreement, then smiled sweetly, "If I were in the arena, I wouldn''t be so foolish. I would definitely activate Shifting Technique and fight Xiao Zhou in a guerrilla battle."

    "Of course, because you have no shame," Yan Yu said with a sidelong glance.

    "Only the victor has the right to dignity," Chen Lingyun argued unfazed, her smile bright, "Don''t lose carelessly in the next round against Li Zhaojiang, my face-saving little brother~"

    "I can''t think of any possibility that I''ll lose," Yan Yu said calmly, standing up, ready to enter the arena.

 Chapter 45: Chapter 45: Sister Complex, Tone It Down

    Zhou Hongyu and Liu Longtao were carried down by the medical team for treatment.If the era of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence benefited any field the most, it was the military. The second must surely be the medical field.

    The Water-Element Runescript played a minor role during combat, but it was a huge help in medical support. Medical Cultivators could use the Runescript to inject True Yuan through the skin into the patient''s body, accurately locate the site of injury or disease, and then perform surgery or promote healing.

    Aside from some fatal injuries that still required emergency care in the ICU, most could be handled within a few hours.

    The injuries of the two weren''t serious, just a bit time-consuming to treat. Therefore, representatives from the Dingbei Army and the Pingxi Army were sent to look after them while most people remained sitting in the spectator seats.

    For the second round, Zhendong Army''s Yan Yu would face Annan Army''s Li Zhaojiang.

    At this point in the past life, among Liu Longtao, Zhou Hongyu, Chen Lingyun, and Li Zhaojiang, the latter was publicly recognized as the weakest of the four.

    Of course, this wasn''t to say his strength was truly lacking; otherwise, he wouldn''t have been chosen to fight on behalf of the Annan Army.

    The main reason was that Liu Longtao was well ahead in all aspects, Zhou Hongyu was fierce and daring in his martial arts, and Chen Lingyun was intelligent with excellent tactical thinking. In comparison, the well-rounded Li Zhaojiang lacked any standout features, which made him seem less reliable.

    In reality, there was certainly a discrepancy between the spectators'' perceptions and the actual strength of the contestants; otherwise, Liu Longtao wouldn''t have been forced into a draw with Zhou Hongyu.

    Yan Yu was the first to enter the arena, wondering if he should take a serious stance and crush the opposition, or just casually win the match.

    His gaze swept over the advancing Li Zhaojiang and settled on Li Minghu, who was sitting in the Annan Army''s reserves.

    Yan Yu didn''t have much of an impression of the past life''s Li Zhaojiang; he was just a mad sister complex after all.

    But he did hold a certain amount of respect for the woman Li Minghu.

    She fought on the battlefield despite her illness. With her, one sword wiped out legions of the Nanjiang, Lingnan, Lingyou, and Qiongzhou Cultivator Allied Forces, saving countless lives from the Lu Country from suffering¡ªpraising her as a "Valkyrie" wasn''t an exaggeration.

    For Li Minghu''s sake, letting her brother lose without too much disgrace seemed the right thing to do.

    In the reserves, Li Minghu coughed into a handkerchief covering her mouth and watched anxiously as her brother stepped into the arena.

    The tragic scene of mutual destruction between Liu Longtao and Zhou Hongyu just now made her worry subconsciously¡ªwould her brother get hurt this time?

    Then her gaze met Yan Yu''s.

    Oh, it was the man she had seen in the noodle shop the night before.

    Thinking back to his sympathetic gaze yesterday, Li Minghu felt somewhat relieved and lowered her head, avoiding his eye contact.

    It''s said that siblings, especially those close in age, often don''t have a strong relationship in their childhood, but the Li siblings were an exception.

    The elder sister Li Minghu was born with a lung disease and believed she wouldn''t live long. Thus, from childhood, she gave her brother all the best things so that one day when she passed away, her brother could keep her parents company and they wouldn''t be overwhelmed by grief.

    Her brother, Li Zhaojiang, who was originally oblivious to these matters, grew up cherished by his family and was naturally extremely close to his sister. When he matured and understood his sister''s involuntary distress, he became even more determined and fiercely protective, turning into a sister-protecting maniac. If Yan Yu looked anywhere else, Li Zhaojiang might not have been so mindful.

    But as soon as the gaze turned towards his sister, Li Zhaojiang was almost immediately aware.

    Seeing his sister on the field, his rationale began to lose control at the "disgust" and "head-turning to conceal."

    Some lecher is eyeing up my sister! Damned pervert, I''m going to kill you!

    Thinking of his poor, sickly sister being eyed greedily by the man opposite, Li Zhaojiang''s fighting spirit surged, skyrocketed, and intensified!

    Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill! His momentum at that moment was ten, no, nine times stronger than ever before!

    Such overpowering determination, such madness¡ªwhat in the world could stand against such a sister-protecting maniac?

    Yan Yu, unaware of his opponent''s mental state, only saw that his demeanor suddenly seemed crazed. He could guess that it was probably because he looked at his sister one too many times, which made the younger brother-in-law urgently react. Yan Yu was both annoyed and amused.

    Crazy! Does every man want to be your brother-in-law?

    The starting pistol sounded, and the match officially began. Li Zhaojiang didn''t hesitate, quickly activating his Shifting Technique to charge forward.

    Clearly, the first match had given a very obvious hint. When you try to close in with the Shifting Technique, the opponent either uses the Shifting Technique as well, initiating a chase-me-if-you-can mode, or they have no choice but to engage in close combat.

    However, because the match was attended by important figures, a monotonous game of tag with no actual combat was clearly not suitable for the stage¡ªit would seem to those in the private boxes that it might be suspected of being war-shy or fearful of battle.

    So the two had to come to blows, and Li Zhaojiang could then harness the one hundred thousand horsepower of protective brotherly force to blow up, annihilate, and pulverize that creep coveting his sister into dust!

    The Shifting Technique was activated, and the distance of several meters was bridged in an instant. Yan Yu really stood his ground without moving; faced with a brother besotted with his sister charging forward like a manic fist-smasher, he simply took up his stance with bored indifference.

    Impact Curse.

    Li Zhaojiang, who had charged in wildly, was sent flying backward, his hands still in the defensive blocking stance, his expression now one of shock.

    He had actually calculated the distance and ended the Shifting Technique prematurely, using the momentum to close in on Yan Yu, and launched the attack right after the Curved Curse was initiated.

    In the contest of the Curved Curse, the most important thing was to take the initiative. If both people activate the Curved Curse at the same time, both possessing immense strength, then whoever manages to break through the defense and hit the opponent first, the other would lose the ability to act and fall to the ground.

    However, his attack had missed.

    Li Zhaojiang didn''t understand why it had missed, but Yan Yu''s counterattack had already followed.

    The same Wood Bending Charm, the same straight Impact Curse, he only had time to cross his arms over his chest, and his whole body was hit and sent retreating backward.

    The exchange between the two was as fast as lightning¡ªmost of the audience hadn''t even realized what had happened yet, but Li Minghu from the reserve seat saw everything clearly.

    The moment his younger brother threw the punch, Yan Yu''s figure retreated sharply for an instant, evading the fist and stepping forward again, so it looked as though he hadn''t moved at all, yet strangely causing his brother''s attack to miss.

    His seemingly simple evasive maneuver was actually astoundingly fast, so much so that even the spectators couldn''t clearly see it¡ªthis speed, that even the naked eye struggled to catch, couldn''t be achieved by physical strength alone and must have involved the assistance of the Shifting Technique.

    The Shifting Technique can instantly accelerate to high speeds, and even if it is interrupted afterwards, the speed would not immediately decrease due to inertia, so he must have used the Cloud Ascension Technique to cancel out the inertia, stopping the momentum.

    This meant that a seemingly simple step back included the operations of "retreating with the Shifting Technique," "interrupting the Shifting Technique," "braking with the Cloud Ascension Technique," and "interrupting the Cloud Ascension Technique," and then stepping forward again for another round...

    completing a total of eight maneuvers in the blink of an eye, achieving this ghostly evasive effect.

    Li Minghu bowed his head and covered his mouth with a handkerchief, coughing violently again.

    Little brother, you probably can''t win this round¡­

    Barely stabilizing his posture, Li Zhaojiang noticed that the pain in his arms was not very pronounced, indicating that the opponent must have deliberately held back.

    He''s trying to ingratiate himself with me, trying to get on the good side of his future brother-in-law, isn''t he? Do you think by going easy on me I will be grateful to you? That after the match I will introduce you to my sister?

    You don''t even know your own limits, you piece of shit!

    Li Zhaojiang erupted once again, raising his arms aimed at the other side, as True Yuan coursed through the Impact Curse energy route, stirring violently within his meridians.

    Impact Curse barrage! Endless bombardment! Ora ora ora ora!

    Sharp energy shot out continuously, but Yan Yu''s figure had already vanished from the spot where he stood.

    He was leaping to the right, rising into the air, using the Cloud Ascension Technique to wipe out his speed, hanging motionless in the air for an instant. His right hand, formed into a sword-like gesture, accurately locked onto Li Zhaojiang''s position.

    Impact Curse, charging.

    The Metal-Element Impact Curse could compress True Yuan within the arms, significantly increasing the damage of a single hit, but the cost was having to hold the arm still while charging.

    Considering the damage of a normal Impact Curse was enough to be fatal to an unguarded cultivator, there was usually no need to waste time charging.

    And Yan Yu''s intention in doing so was also clear, telling Li Zhaojiang straightforwardly: You might as well admit defeat. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    I''ve already given you so much leeway; I just don''t want you to lose too disgracefully.

    Of course, Li Zhaojiang wasn''t about to appreciate the gesture. Accepting his favor meant owing him, and owing him meant that he couldn''t talk back, which would mean even if he were to blatantly pursue his sister in the future, he would only be able to sulk in the background as a mere bag-carrying lackey, unable to openly intervene!

    Ahh ahh ahh ahh die!

    Immediately after, an excruciating pain from a charged Impact Curse hit his chest.

 Chapter 46: Chapter 46 Valkyries Good Friend

    Li Zhaojiang was carried off the field by the rushed Annan Army medical team, and his sister, Li Minghu, hurried over anxiously to confirm his condition.Accompanying him to the infirmary, she then confirmed that her brother had not suffered much injury, and even had lighter wounds than Liu Longtao from the previous match.

    The reason was self-evident; it was just that someone had deliberately gone easy and hadn''t used their full True Yuan.

    No need to mention the earlier Curved Curse Punch; if the later power-accumulating Impact Curse was really unleashed with full strength, even with the effects of the suppression bracelets, it would have been enough to knock him down right there and then.

    "I''m fine!" Li Zhaojiang struggled to get up, yelling angrily at the medical staff, "What were you rushing in for? I could still fight!"

    "Ah Jiang!" Li Minghu also rarely got angry, "He was going easy on you! Don''t you see that?"

    "I didn''t ask him to go easy!" Li Zhaojiang was still stubborn.

    "So you would rather be knocked out as soon as you entered the match, is that it?" Li Minghu asked sharply.

    Li Zhaojiang was at a loss for words. As a representative of the Annan Army, even if he was defeated, he could not lose too much face, because it was the face of the entire Annan Army that was at stake.

    "Don''t be so stubborn," Li Minghu said, seeing his silence, then softened her tone, "That Yan Yu from Zhendong Army, he''s clearly much stronger than you. The reason he went easy was that he didn''t want you to lose too quickly, to avoid embarrassment in front of the big shots. This is a favor, and we must acknowledge it. Find time tonight, and come with me to invite him for a meal as thanks."

    Li Zhaojiang wanted to cry but had no tears; after a long while, he said:

    "Then... then there''s no need to trouble you, sister. Can''t I just invite him myself?"

    "Can you even speak properly?" Li Minghu said irritably, "Without me there to watch, you''re bound to turn a meal invitation into a grudge. I will do the talking; you just keep your mouth shut and only speak when I tell you to."

    Li Zhaojiang was utterly defeated, thinking if he had known this would result in his sister inviting him for a meal, he would have been better off being knocked out right from the start!

    I''m filled with regret, hatred, and heartache!

    Seeing her brother''s unwilling face, Li Minghu could only sigh with helplessness in her heart.

    As a representative of the Zhendong Army, Yan Yu had no obligation nor need to hold back in combat.

    Since the other party had deliberately shown kindness, presumably with the intentions of making connections, it was best to respond promptly, to avoid missing this rare opportunity to bond with a peer elite.

    After all, with the other party''s strength, it was only a matter of time before they made a big name for themselves within the military.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The first day''s competitions had ended. Due to the complex injuries of Liu Longtao and Zhou Hongyu, the treatment took longer, and the next round of competition had to wait until tomorrow.

    There were two options for dinner. One was to dine in the cafeteria at Dingbei Cultivator Academy, which was said to be quite tasty but served terrifying portions, with bowls large enough to bury one''s entire head in.

    The other option was to eat out, but that expense would not be reimbursed.

    After being checked by the Zhendong Army medical team and ensuring there were no hidden injuries, Yan Yu stepped out of the infirmary to find Li Minghu and Li Zhaojiang waiting for him outside.

    "Invite me for a meal?" Yan Yu asked in surprise after hearing Li Minghu''s purpose.

    In his past life, he had not heard of the Valkyrie being so sociable. What, just because I held back a bit in the match, she''s taking this opportunity to connect?

    "Yes," Li Minghu smiled sweetly, slightly bowing her head in salute, "My brother has been under your care this time. Compared to Zhou Hongyu and Liu Longtao, he''s barely hurt at all, and we have to thank you for your mercy."

    "It''s nothing," Yan Yu casually waved his hand, "It''s because he''s strong enough. Otherwise, even if I held back, it would have been to no avail."

    Li Zhaojiang''s face, already hard to look at, darkened even more after hearing this. He found Yan Yu increasingly annoying to look at. Not until Li Minghu elbowed him, did he reluctantly put on a smile and drawled:

    "Tha-thanks a lot¡ª"

    "Speak Mandarin!" Li Minghu scolded sharply, "Be serious!"

    "Sorry for the trouble this time." Li Zhaojiang said with a stiff smile, "Thanks for your mercy."

    "No trouble, no trouble," Yan Yu, unable to restrain a laugh as he watched Li Minghu scold her brother like a child, kept waving his hand, "No need for a treat, but we can have dinner together; I''ll just let my friends know."

    The reason he agreed to have dinner with the sibling duo was, first, to familiarize himself with the future Valkyrie''s face, and secondly, because he had been constantly mixing with despicable women, and the Demonic Sect Enchantress, having to be cautious around the former and wary of the latter, Yan Yu was truly exhausted in both mind and spirit.

    It was time to spend some time with a normal woman...

    He sent a message to the two ladies on his phone and then left with the siblings from the Li Family.

    On the other side, Chen Lingyun received the message and raised an eyebrow slightly. Zhao Yuanzhen, however, was grinding her teeth in frustration, certain that this was another instance of Yan Yu going for a feast without her, and she made a mental note:

    "This evening, the little thief attends a banquet and refuses to take me with him, I''ll remember this grudge. When the day comes for me to be in charge, I''ll lock him deep in the cave residence, making him watch me dine out every day, and let him taste this unbearable hunger and thirst!"

    In her fantasy, she imagined all sorts of ways to torment Yan Yu until he cried and begged for mercy on his knees, which finally brought her satisfaction.

    Considering she was already practicing fasting, she thought she might as well skip dinner tonight, but then another thought struck her: I''m here alone, dining on wind and sipping on dew while that thief is out there enjoying delicacies. Is that fair?

    The more Zhao Yuanzhen thought about it, the angrier she became, and she decided not to return to the hotel but to check out the academy''s cafeteria first.

    Speaking of Yan Yu and the Li siblings, they found a Cantonese restaurant outside and ordered some dishes before starting to chat leisurely.

    Just as Li Minghu had expected, Yan Yu wasn''t the type that enjoyed making friends. If Li Zhaojiang were the one to invite him to dinner, probably the two men would just sit there, eat quietly, cover their own bill, and then leave without much ado.

    The reason she brought her brother over was to act as a lubricant of sorts, trying to foster a relationship between them as much as possible.

    "Looking at the upcoming schedule, Yan Yu, you are matched against Zhou Hongyu of Pingxi Army tomorrow, right?" Li Minghu asked with a smile.

    This girl had thick, slightly curly hair and fair, smooth skin. Her beauty was both striking and durable, somewhat reminiscent of the movie version of the "Purple Cloud Fairy". Unfortunately, because of her poor health, she spoke in a soft and gentle voice, and her smile was frail and delicate, presenting an image of a "fragile elder sister", difficult to associate with a "Valkyrie".

    "Yes," Yan Yu nodded and said, "Your brother is facing Liu Longtao."

    Li Zhaojiang was already in a bad mood, and upon hearing that he would be up against Lord Master tomorrow, his expression turned even grimmer as he continued to eat his shrimp dumplings in silence. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Damn it! Just a bunch of yokels; I could eat them alive! he thought as he chomped down fiercely.

    "It''s alright," Li Minghu said with a smile, "Just do your best and show your style."

    "For your information, I''m not necessarily going to lose," Li Zhaojiang couldn''t help but retort.

    Li Minghu was about to say something mildly humorous, but her complexion changed slightly, and she began to cough softly into a handkerchief.

    "Speaking of which," Yan Yu stroked his chin and asked, "what''s wrong with you?"

    "I don''t know," Li Minghu replied with a wry smile, "I was born with it. I''ve been to many hospitals, but they can''t diagnose it."

    "We''ve tried blood tests, CT scans, MRI..." Saying this, Li Zhaojiang couldn''t stay angry as he spoke in a low voice about his sister''s illness, "Experts from the medical university at Xingwang Mansion said that it''s an unseen gene disease, a congenital problem with the development of lung airways, so there is currently no effective cure, only conservative treatment and gradual health management."

    "They even mentioned applying to the International Health Organization to name the disease after me," Li Minghu said, waving it off with a smile, "But really, it''s nothing much. I just cough frequently and can''t do strenuous exercise, that''s all."

    Yan Yu watched her in silence.

    In the scientific world, diseases that were incurable might not be so in the Cultivation World. Yan Yu even knew secret methods to rebuild the body, though at the current moment, there was no chance to acquire them.

    Actually, Li Minghu''s illness was not so dire. Just as she said, as long as she didn''t overexercise, she could indeed live a long life, long enough for the secret methods to rebuild the body to emerge in the world.

    However, the problem was that as the Spiritual Energy Resurgence intensified, the strength of the unofficial cultivators in the countries to the south of Lu Country, meaning the Indochinese Peninsula countries, was increasing too rapidly.

    Cultivating cultivators wasn''t like producing airplanes, aircraft carriers, or nuclear bombs, which require "advanced scientific research", "strong industrial power", and "wide-reaching national education". Its minimum requirement was just one person with the aptitude for cultivation and a method for practicing it.

    Due to the lack of Lu Country''s grassroots control abilities, many countries on the Indochinese Peninsula simply followed Mitchi Country''s approach by openly sharing cultivation methods at the societal level, "a practice for every person".

    The result was an explosive increase in the number of unregulated cultivators, which led to large-scale disintegration of domestic order and, concurrently, a dramatic increase in border defense pressure on Lu Country''s southern borders.

    Li Minghu, as a cultivator of the Annan Army, was often compelled to fight the enemy on the frontline due to short staffing.

    As her formidable abilities became apparent, the Annan Army command quickly developed a mindset, whenever they encountered an enemy they couldn''t defeat, their first thought was to deploy Li Minghu.

    Until she collapsed from exhaustion.

    Military service, protecting one''s country, is a bounden duty. You couldn''t possibly persuade Li Minghu to actively avoid combat out of fear ¨C that was certainly out of the question.

    At present, the best Yan Yu could think of was to lend a hand to the Annan Army when they were struggling, to prevent the Valkyrie from being worn down by the endless trivial foes of the Southern Border¡ªspoiling a gem in the dirt, contaminating a spiritual fungus, would be truly regrettable.

    After pondering for a moment, he took out his phone and said:

    "Should we add each other as friends?"

    "Sure," Li Minghu replied with a smile, while Li Zhaojiang immediately became alert beside her.

    What''s the deal?! Dining with you isn''t enough, and now you want to keep chatting privately once we''re back!

 Chapter 47 Chapter 47 A Bunch of Friends in the Phone

    Before leaving, the Li Family siblings exchanged contact information with Yan Yu as friends.On the way back to the hotel, Li Zhaojiang started to urge persistently:

    "Sister! That Yan Yu clearly has no good intentions. It''s fine that you added him as a friend, but if he comes to chat with you later, you mustn''t be swayed by his sweet talk."

    "How does he have no good intentions?" Li Minghu asked in surprise, "Didn''t he let you win during today''s competition?"

    "He did not let me win!" Li Zhaojiang said indignantly, "He could have won but deliberately dragged out the time; it was clearly a ploy to humiliate me!"

    "Alright, you don''t need to worry excessively," Li Minghu sighed, "Your sister is always sickly, so it''s unlikely someone would take an interest in her."

    Li Zhaojiang was immediately at a loss for words.

    It''s true that he was overprotective of his sister, but he wasn''t the extreme kind that you''d find in a medical drama. Deep down, he actually hoped that his sister would one day find happiness that belonged only to her.

    Of course, to be worthy of my sister, you would at least have to pass 100 tests set by her little brother. Otherwise, how could you claim to really love my sister?

    But seeing his sister in such a state of resignation was exactly what Li Zhaojiang did not want to see.

    So what if she''s ill? My sister is beautiful and has a great personality, and she''s gentle and considerate. As a wife, she''s definitely going to be a good and wise mother. How could any man not like her?

    "Not really," Li Zhaojiang hurriedly backpedaled, "Actually, during dinner just now, Yan Yu kept stealing glances at you. That''s the reason I''m upset... He must have been charmed by you!"

    "Really?" Li Minghu questioned skeptically.

    "It''s true!" Li Zhaojiang nodded vigorously, "Otherwise, why would he add you as a friend? Sister, just wait and see, he''ll definitely come to chat with you within three days!"

    "Then I''ll just wait and see if what you say comes true," Li Minghu said with a slight smile, steering the conversation away.

    After walking for a while longer, Li Zhaojiang began to feel uneasy.

    Wait, what if Yan Yu really doesn''t send my sister a message for three consecutive days?

    Could it be? My sister''s so pretty, and she agreed to add you as a friend, you can''t possibly be indifferent, right?

    Seeing Li Zhaojiang''s alternating expressions of hope and worry, Li Minghu didn''t say anything more, just sighed softly to herself.

    Her brother might not be exceptionally talented, and with his honest and straightforward personality, his path as a cultivator could be unpredictable and fraught with both good and bad fortune.

    She wanted to protect him from the storms of life, but with her body frail from disease, how much further could she go?

    The current generation of cultivators in the Annan Army didn''t have top-notch talents like Yan Yu or Liu Longtao.

    If she could become good friends with Yan Yu, and once she was gone from this world if he became a big shot in the military of Lu Country, she could ask him to look after her brother...

    Li Minghu pondered over these guardianship plans and then suddenly pulled out her phone to check WeChat.

    Hmm, she had indeed accepted his friend request, and his nickname was "Win People Over with Virtue."

    Hope he really is a virtuous man worth getting to know better...

    Back at the hotel, when Yan Yu used his room card to enter his room, he was greeted by a Demonic Sect Enchantress who had arrived unannounced and was sitting on his bed, looking angry.

    Zhao Yuanzhen.

    Arms crossed and face as cold as frost, she looked like a wife furious over her husband''s absence in the night, which made Yan Yu''s scalp tingle¡ªhow did you get in without a room card?

    Illegally using the Wall-Penetration Technique, I see!

    "Where have you been tonight?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked coldly.

    "Went off to have a good time with women," Yan Yu replied irritably. Continue reading at empire

    The emphasis was on one having no right to ask, and the other not providing a serious answer.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was taken aback at first, and then her face turned pale with shock:

    "You''ve been drained by someone?"

    "...You''re crazy," Yan Yu said exasperatedly, his head tingling from her bizarre line of thought, "Didn''t I send a message to you guys? I just went for dinner."

    Zhao Yuanzhen was at a loss for words.

    Thank goodness, as long as you haven''t been drained, that''s fine. If my dao companion, Mi Zhen Xianzi, had his essence stolen by some wild woman ruining my plans for dual cultivation... Even if there''s a risk of being discovered by Mei Yingxue, I would have to obliterate her completely, as that''s the only way to quell the rage in my heart!

    "It''s only nine o''clock in the evening," Yan Yu checked the time, "It''s not time for cultivation yet, so why have you come to my room so early?" sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "I''ve used up all my mobile data," Zhao Yuanzhen said indignantly, "You need to buy me some."

    Yan Yu: .........

    What kind of Demonic Sect Enchantress thinking is this? If you''ve run out of mobile data, just pay for a higher package yourself!

    "The hotel room has WiFi." He casually picked up the sign by the bed and tossed it over.

    "I checked, there wasn''t any... huh? There really is." Zhao Yuanzhen caught the sign and indeed saw the WiFi account and password written in an inconspicuous line at the bottom.

    "What did you do to use up all your data?" Yan Yu frowned and asked.

    "When you went out to dinner tonight, I used my phone to watch TV shows in the hotel." Zhao Yuanzhen replied, "I had finished watching the episodes that I had downloaded earlier, so I just started downloading new ones, and then suddenly, I ran out of data halfway through the download."

    "It seems that you''ve got no brains left!" Yan Yu was furious, "Couldn''t you wait until I came back to download them if you couldn''t find the WiFi? You just had to download videos with your data, huh!"

    "I didn''t know if you were coming back tonight," Zhao Yuanzhen said grievously.

    "I told you it was just for a meal!" Yan Yu said impatiently, "Would I have to stay overnight at a restaurant for a meal? Do you even think?"

    "Maybe they pretended to invite you to dinner, but they were actually plotting to harvest you for nourishment?" Zhao Yuanzhen seriously suggested.

    "That''s enough. Why is your brain full of such dirty thoughts? If you can''t restrain yourself, just grab a pillow. We haven''t reached that stage of dual cultivation yet."

    Yan Yu decided not to let her spout any more nonsense. After all, it was reasonable for someone raised in the harsh environment of the Demonic Sect to think differently than ordinary people.

    As long as she didn''t go on a killing spree, he decided to just let her have her eccentric moments.

    "Oh, by the way!" Zhao Yuanzhen''s mind flipped, and she dropped a malicious hint, "Tonight, Chen Lingyun was asked out to dinner by that man called Liu Longtao."

    "I know," Yan Yu said lazily.

    "Alone with a man, a private rendezvous, there must be something improper going on!" Zhao Yuanzhen chuckled coldly, spicing up the story, "What an indecent woman!"

    Yan Yu saw through her attempt to stir up trouble and sighed:

    "It''s not a private rendezvous. It''s a group dinner with people from their second-generation circle, about a dozen of them."

    "How do you know?" Zhao Yuanzhen immediately became alert.

    "Because she sent me photos."

    "Why would she need to send photos specifically to you?"

    "Perhaps because her mobile data is too plentiful, after all, she is the esteemed young mistress from Jianghai Prefecture."

    Yan Yu took off his shoes, laid down on the bed, unlocked his phone, and saw a line of new message notifications.

    Ignoring the spam group messages like "Happy Family" or "Zhendong College Cultivators", there were three people who had actually sent him messages.

    There was no need to check Zhao Yuanzhen''s messages; he knew they would be her asking, "When are you coming back?" since the good quality of a Demonic Sect Enchantress was being suspicious and cunning.

    Chen Lingyun sent a bunch of photos, some of tables and some of friends around her... Yan Yu had no desire to open them, he just scanned them and exited.

    Then there was Anna, who had added him the night before, first asking "Are you there?" and then taking the liberty of saying a lot of nonsense, like "We were seen by a neighbor at the hotel entrance," "Dad went to check the registration records over there," "I''m already so annoyed by his questioning"...

    Why don''t you just tell the truth? Say you fell into the river and I happened to pass by and pull you out! With such a shilly-shallying and indecisive character, how are you going to stand on your own feet in cold, harsh Siberia?

    Think about it, won''t you?

    But ignoring her probably meant losing hard-earned goodwill, because at that point, the two of them were really not close.

    So, Yan Yu had no choice but to suppress his annoyance and patiently edit a message to reassure her:

    "Just tell the truth. If he still doesn''t believe you, tell him to call me, and I''ll explain."

    Meanwhile, Anna locked herself in her room. After her father, who had been nagging at the door, left, she lay down on the bed, spacing out.

    It wasn''t until Yan Yu sent her a message that she picked up her phone and nearly swore out loud.

    What did he mean by "Just tell the truth"? If I tell my father that I "fell into the water," won''t he start thinking about suicide attempts?

    And what''s this "I will explain to him"? Who is he to me to explain things to my father? So, I suppose the more you explain, the messier it gets, huh!

    Anna stared at the phone for a long time, realizing that she couldn''t convey her "fierce attitude" through the device, she simply clicked "video call," planning to straighten things out face-to-face while finding a vent for her pent-up negative emotions.

    In the hotel, Yan Yu saw the video call invitation and immediately clicked "decline" firmly.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, the old vinegar jar, was right next to him, how could he possibly video call with you!

 Chapter 48 Chapter 48 The Club Disguised as a Wolfs Tooth Club

    The next morning.The third round of the competition was scheduled for 10 a.m., so Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen left the hotel early to have breakfast at the Town North Defense Academy''s cafeteria.

    The Dingbei Army''s recruitment range includes the three northeastern provinces along with Qilu, northern Hebei, Central Plains, Mongolia, as well as Jinmen Prefecture and Pingjing Prefecture, so the cafeteria was full of northerners, both men and women, who slurped their noodles with gusto.

    Yan Yu leisurely savored his wontons while Zhao Yuanzhen seemed to have little appetite, taking only a light sip of the noodle soup before losing interest in eating anything else.

    "Is there any vinegar?" she started looking around for it.

    "Morning," Chen Lingyun greeted with a tray in her hands and a cute smile on her face.

    "How was it playing with that man last night?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked with ill intentions.

    "We parted ways after dinner." Chen Lingyun, not falling for it, replied with a smile, "Though he seemed quite interested in you, he kept asking me ''The girl you''re traveling with, she looks familiar, what''s her background?''"

    Yan Yu knew this cunning woman all too well and could tell she was exaggerating, but Zhao Yuanzhen didn''t know that and coldly retorted:

    "How could a mere mortal have ever seen me? He should weigh his thoughts before spouting nonsense." sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "I don''t know." Chen Lingyun intertwined her fingers, propping up her delicate chin, and chuckled, "Maybe he thought you looked similar to someone he heard described in conversations."

    "Described in conversations? Who?" Zhao Yuanzhen said disdainfully, her heart suddenly skipping a beat.

    Mei Yingxue?

    She immediately tensed up, scanning the surroundings more frequently, worried that the celestial being from the Demonic Sect might be hidden in the crowd, ready to jump out and shout, "Die, demoness!" before striking her down with a sword as if descending from the heavens.

    "Calm down," Yan Yu said, pressing her shoulder, "she''s not here."

    There was no way Pingjing would let Mei Yingxue out. Such a valuable human information source would naturally be assigned to the research department to be thoroughly mined for cultivation knowledge.

    In her previous life, Mei Yingxue was only sent out when the pressure from enemy cultivators had pierced through the borders and directly threatened Pingjing itself, which was when the higher-ups were willing to have her appear officially as a cultivator.

    In plain terms, they were still wary of her status as a visitor from another world.

    But this was something he couldn''t tell Zhao Yuanzhen. Without the looming threat of the celestial being, he couldn''t even begin to imagine how unrestrained and self-indulgent the Demonic Sect Enchantress would become.

    After breakfast, everyone headed to the underground training ground to wait for the 10 a.m. competition to start.

    Spectators, mostly cultivators from the military, had already sparsely filled the seats around the field.

    On the competitors'' side, Liu Longtao and Zhou Hongyu hadn''t arrived yet, but the Li siblings from the Li Family were there early, casually seating in the Annan Army''s reserved area and chatting.

    Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun also took their place in their own camp''s reserved area, battling boredom by playing with their phones.

    A moment later, Li Minghu came over and sat next to Yan Yu.

    "Morning, Yan Yu," she greeted, her gaze shifting to Chen Lingyun before hesitantly adding, "Morning, Chen Lingyun."

    "Good morning," Chen Lingyun responded with her eyes smiling.

    "You guys came so early?" Yan Yu asked casually.

    "I have to fight later, so I needed to have an early breakfast to digest a bit," Li Minghu answered.

    Not eating breakfast could lead to low blood sugar, and it wasn''t advisable to exercise right after eating, so it was important to get the timing of breakfast just right.

    From this, it can be seen that Li Minghu''s attention to detail is quite meticulous, which may be one of the factors contributing to her future status as a Valkyrie.

    "By the way," Li Minghu asked again, "do you think my brother has a chance against Liu Longtao?"

    "Of course," Yan Yu replied, "Liu Longtao''s strength definitely isn''t at the point of overpowering everyone, so there''s always a chance to win."

    His eyes followed Lord Master as he entered the arena, and he continued:

    "Whether in tactical sense, spell-casting techniques, or True Yuan intensity, Liu Longtao is above average across the board, meaning he has no weak points. As for how to beat him, Zhou Hongyu already demonstrated that yesterday."

    "...Put enough pressure on him, and then go for a surprise tactic to win, right?" Li Minghu mused.

    Against cultivators well-balanced in all aspects, a direct confrontation offers no chance of victory; only surprise attacks create an opening to defeat them.

    "You see," Yan Yu said without answering, turning instead to speak to Chen Lingyun, "The Annan Army also has such clever female cultivators."

    Chen Lingyun gave a slight smile, took out her phone and said:

    "Li Minghu, shall we add each other as friends?"

    "Sure." Li Minghu seemed flattered, hastily taking out her phone.

    After the girls exchanged contact details, Li Minghu returned to her team''s bench to start devising tactics for Li Zhaojiang.

    Chen Lingyun watched the Li siblings from a distance and suddenly asked:

    "Does Li Zhaojiang really stand a chance at victory?"

    "No," Yan Yu replied.

    Enjoy new tales from empire

    "But you didn''t say that just now," Chen Lingyun couldn''t help but laugh.

    It wasn''t an elegant, forced laugh, but a joyful smile borne of finding amusement.

    "Defeating Liu Longtao is not impossible," Yan Yu said calmly, "But Li Zhaojiang can''t do what it takes."

    "You mean..." Chen Lingyun pondered, "Li Zhaojiang isn''t Zhou Hongyu, he can''t go to such extremes?"

    "He lacks a strong desire to win," Yan Yu answered, "To go to extremes and fight desperately, one must adopt aggressive strategies. Not everyone can do this; it implies susceptibility to injury, and the majority of humans instinctively avoid harm. Any hesitation at the critical moment, and the opportunity silently slips away."

    Across the field, Li Zhaojiang bid farewell to his sister and stepped up to the arena.

    Observing his expression, Chen Lingyun asked:

    "What about you then?"

    "I''m different from him," Yan Yu replied.

    "You''re also the kind who fights desperately?" Chen Lingyun laughed again, "Like Zhou Hongyu?"

    "No, I''ve undergone professional training," Yan Yu stated indifferently, "Making the right choices in combat has become an instinctual reflex for me, just as you all naturally make choices to avoid injury."

    After a moment of silence, Chen Lingyun ventured:

    "It seems your past life''s profession was no simple matter."

    Avoiding pain is a basic human instinct. What kind of profession would seek to obliterate such an instinct through training?

    Assassin.

    Only assassins would need the resolve to "kill their targets even at risk of death"... so what scenario had arisen in the future that forced training cultivators into assassins?

    "Guess away, dear Ling Yun," Yan Yu saw right through her intentions and said smugly, "Even if you guess right, I won''t tell you."

    Chen Lingyun wasn''t upset, she even found it rather interesting.

    Very well, I will gradually uncover the secrets you hold... my dear.

    The situation on the field quickly became clear. It seemed that Li Zhaojiang wanted to emulate Zhou Hongyu''s strong offensive from the day before, but he visibly lacked her fierce resolve. Plus, Liu Longtao was already prepared for it, so Li Zhaojiang soon fell behind. His defeat was just a matter of time.

    "It looks like this match won''t last long," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "In the next round, your opponent is Zhou Hongyu. Are you confident?"

    "What?" Yan Yu glanced at her sideways, "Do you have to ask me every time before I go into a match?"

    "I just want to hear how you sharply critique your opponents," Chen Lingyun said, beaming.

    "I''ve already critiqued thoroughly," Yan Yu watched calmly as Li Zhaojiang was brought down by Liu Longtao''s Curved Curse Whip kick and was then carried off by the medical team, he stood up, ready for his own match.

    "Zhou Hongyu... is nothing but a mace pretending to be a spiked club."

 Chapter 49 Chapter 49 Mess with Her Mentality

    ```When Yan Yu called Zhou Hongyu a "billy club disguised as a mace," he wasn''t just shooting in the dark; he knew her background inside and out.

    Zhou Hongyu''s family background was rather complex. Her father was a minor civil servant in Rongzhou County, Nanchuan Province, and her mother was a preschool teacher from Shuzhong Prefecture. The two had met through a matchmaker and gotten married.

    However, their marriage was a sham from the start. The two who had met through a matchmaker had no feelings for each other - her father had only thought about "living through the days," while her mother had been looking for a "long-term meal ticket."

    When a good-for-nothing met a con artist, the result was inevitably being devoured completely.

    After Zhou Hongyu was born, her mother used "emotional breakdown" as a pretext to file for divorce, and after several disputes, they finally separated.

    Since Zhou Hongyu was still in her swaddling clothes, according to the legal customs of Lu Country, custody was almost always granted unconditionally to the mother. Thus, as her father lost his wife and daughter, he also had to pay his ex-wife a considerable sum in child support every month.

    As for her mother, after gaining custody, she immediately left the child with her own mother to look after and, with the child support money she received from her ex-husband every month, she led a carefree and joyous life, never looking at her daughter again.

    In other words, Zhou Hongyu had never experienced any fatherly or motherly love since she was a child.

    Her grandmother was a reticent rural woman living in the old district of Shuzhong Prefecture. With little in the way of a pension, and unwilling to abandon her pitiful granddaughter, she worked from dawn to dusk every day, single-handedly covering everything from milk powder to school fees.

    Maybe it was out of love for her grandmother that Zhou Hongyu, despite a significant lack of discipline, didn''t turn out completely rotten.

    She didn''t smoke, but she drank. She didn''t date hoodlums, but she fought them¡ªand she fought fiercely. In middle school, she once took on three boys and smashed one''s head with a chair, landing him in the hospital for several stitches¡ªafter all, the key in a fight isn''t physical strength, but rather, the desire to attack and aggressiveness.

    Even special forces would tremble at the sight of a juvenile delinquent wielding a fruit knife.

    Her grandmother had no solution for her, and since her academic performance was poor, she was sent to a martial arts high school in the hope that she could get recruited for her athletic ability and scrape together a college degree to find a job.

    Just last month, shortly after Zhou Hongyu received her acceptance letter from the Pingxi Army''s cultivator program, her grandmother passed away suddenly at home from a cerebral hemorrhage.

    This event hit Zhou Hongyu hard, so much so that she contemplated suicide several times.

    After enrolling, she quickly caught the leaders'' attention with her daring and fierce demeanor.

    At this time, no one knew that it wasn''t because this girl was naturally brave and fierce, but because with the death of her only loving grandmother, a strong tendency for self-destruction had grown within her.

    Zhou Hongyu stepped onto the stage with an expressionless face. Seeing that Yan Yu on the opposite side also didn''t greet her with a salute, but just stared at her face intensely, she couldn''t help but curse out loud, sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "What the hell are you looking at!"

    She had wanted to say "What are you motherf*cking looking at," but after all, with the leadership watching, she subconsciously cleaned it up a bit... though it wasn''t much more polite.

    "I''m looking at a mace," Yan Yu said intently.

    Zhou Hongyu was stunned for a moment, immediately realizing that "mace" referred to "spiked club," and became furious. Without waiting for the referee to start the match, she charged straight at Yan Yu.

    The referee was somewhat taken aback, but Yan Yu quickly waved at him forcefully, and he promptly got the hint to exit the area.

    Zhou Hongyu threw a punch, bolstered by the strength of the Curved Curse, aiming directly for the opponent''s face.

    This was the experience she had accumulated from years of group fights: if you aim for someone''s face, they would instinctively feel fear and dodge when they see your fist quickly enlarging in their field of vision.

    Before the punch could even reach him, Zhou Hongyu suddenly felt a pain in her chest as the internal flow of her Curved Curse was disrupted.

    Without the enhancement of the Curved Curse, her fist was easily caught by Yan Yu''s left hand. He said, with a flippant tone,

    "Hasn''t anyone taught you about the mutuality of the Five Elements?"

    The interaction of the Five Elements was basic theory, covered in the national textbook "Tactics and Strategy Studies for Cultivators."

    There were two methods to counter the Wood Bending Charm: one was to invoke the "Wood fuels Fire" notion and use the Flame Curse to burn the opponent, quickly increasing the expenditure of their True Yuan;

    The second was to use the idea of "Metal overcomes Wood" and hit the opponent''s energy channels with the Metal-Element Impact Curse, which could immediately break the charm''s hold and cause the meridians to clog, preventing the immediate use of the charm until the channels were cleared with energy flow.

    The flow of the Curved Curse started from the Dantian in the abdomen, went up through the chest to the corresponding shoulder, passed through the entire arm, and finally converged on the hand that was exerting the force.

    Targeting the arm was cumbersome, as the objective was to hit you while the arm was moving and swinging, making it hard to aim. Hence, to save trouble, it was common to aim the Impact Curse at the chest.

    However, Zhou Hongyu was one who didn''t study¡ªshe slept through the morning theory classes, so how could she be aware of this theory?

    When the Impact Curse hit her chest, her first thought wasn''t "he''s trying to break my Curved Curse," but "he''s trying to take liberties with me."

    With her volatile temperament akin to a powder keg, she couldn''t hold back at this moment and roared with fury.

    Flame Curse!

    Yan Yu calmly took a half-step back. The flames licked at his nostrils, rising up, and the scorching air tore at his face.

    ```

    He seemed to wave his hand carelessly, and the flames scattered like a curtain being lifted, quickly dissipating into sparks carried away by the wind.

    The Water-Element Runescript can counter the Flame Curse with the minimal effort of moving a heavy weight with a slight force, needing only a little bit of True Yuan to extinguish it¡ªbut that doesn''t change the Runescript''s inferior status. After all, fire won''t sprout legs and chase after you. In the eyes of most cultivators, why not just go around it and save on True Yuan?

    Zhou Hongyu was also caught off guard. She had used the Flame Curse to force her opponent back, anticipating that he would bypass the flames and continue the assault from the sides.

    Therefore, she had already lifted her hands early, ready to strike with the Metal-Element Impact Curse at his face, no matter which side he appeared from... But Yan Yu didn''t go around; he extinguished the Flame Curse directly. His figure broke through the flames, coming at her fiercely as if he were a malevolent ghost Shura bathed in fire.

    Zhou Hongyu quickly turned to aim in his direction, and in her haste, she fired an Impact Curse. However, Yan Yu dodged her shot with a slight twist of his body.

    He didn''t even use the Shifting Technique.

    Taking advantage of the close distance, he swung a punch. Zhou Hongyu hurriedly raised her arm to block, instinctively activating the Barrier Charm for defense, yet she forgot that the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse would be broken by the Wood Bending Charm.

    By the time she abruptly realized this, Yan Yu had already landed a punch on her arm, causing her to stagger and retreat.

    Barely stabilizing her stance, Zhou Hongyu had another afterthought: something wasn''t right!

    When two cultivators engage in a brawl with the Curved Curse, it''s basically a matter of whoever breaks through the other''s defense and lands a hit first wins.

    Because the added force of the Curved Curse is so great, even with restrained True Yuan, it can still injure you with a single punch.

    But having been hit by the other''s Curved Curse Punch, and only retreating several steps, it could only prove one thing...

    The other party was deliberately holding back strength, not using full True Yuan.

    Zhou Hongyu paused for a moment, then a surge of raging anger emerged, along with an indescribable sense of humiliation.

    That beautiful and heroic face of hers contorted beyond her control.

    You, you, you... What do you mean by this?!

    By now she also realized that the other''s strength was even greater than Liu Longtao''s¡ªat least that Lord Master couldn''t manage to fight while holding back and still defeat her without giving her a chance to fight back.

    That made this act of holding back even more meaningful. If you would have simply overpowered me with strength and defeated me, that would be the end of it, no complaints¡ªbut why deliberately hold back?

    Do you want to humiliate me by making me give up voluntarily?

    Remembering her earlier experience with the "Impact Curse at the chest," Zhou Hongyu became convinced that his deliberate act of holding back was a ploy to keep her from leaving the stage too soon, seeking to manipulate her under the guise of the competition...

    In her mind, the string of reason was on the verge of snapping, seemingly about to break completely at any moment.

    The commander-in-chief of the Pingxi Army, Sun Rongxing, sat in the upper box, watching Zhou Hongyu being completely suppressed by Yan Yu, silently breathing out a sigh of relief.

    The time of the Elders was far too precious. They had watched the four contestants fight each other yesterday afternoon, then boarded a plane back to Pingjing in the evening.

    So Zhou Hongyu''s powerless unlucky demeanor today did not fall into the eyes of those above... Their impression of her was probably still based on her brave victory over Liu Longtao yesterday.

    So, losing a match was also good.

    At least it would let her know that mere reckless bravery was not enough on the battlefield; eventually, she would meet an opponent she couldn''t defeat.

    After this exchange, someone would give her a thorough debriefing. Her tactical awareness was still too simplistic.

    On the other side, Chen Lingyun sat in the waiting seats, observing Yan Yu play with his opponent in various fancy ways but without showing any smile, only silently contemplating.

    With her intelligent mind, of course, she realized that Yan Yu was not conducting an instructive battle.

    An instructive battle is where after you make a move, I immediately counter with a targeted technique, letting you understand the problem with your move.

    The emphasis is on "targeted," in order to stimulate the opponent''s thinking.

    Now looking at the arena, Zhou Hongyu was attacking wildly, like a mad woman; it was clear she had lost her calm and couldn''t think straight.

    If it was an instructive battle, Yan Yu would have temporarily maintained his distance without attacking, allowing his opponent to regain her composure.

    Yet he just kept striking back intermittently without using his full strength, seemingly not intent on driving Zhou Hongyu off the stage, just provoking her...

    Yes, it must be to mess with her mindset. That kick he gave Zhou Hongyu earlier didn''t even have the Curved Curse imbued in it, and he didn''t bother to disguise this at all.

    Did these two have some deep-seated grudge from a past life?

 Chapter 50 Chapter 50 Im saving her

    Yan Yu and Zhou Hongyu, of course, had no deep hatred or significant grudge.Old Master Yan was simply kind-hearted, couldn''t stand to see a woman belittle herself, so he wanted to help her find the will to live on... Of course, he didn''t seek any reward, purely out of sympathy and pity.

    For a woman with a strong tendency toward self-destruction, the necessary support for her to keep living must be some intense emotion, such as love, or like hatred.

    Because of the marriage between her parents that was a "great failure" from any perspective, Zhou Hongyu completely rejected love and marriage, so hatred had to be used as her motive to live.

    Look at that angry little expression, probably can''t wait to die together with me in vendetta, huh?

    Feeling the time was about right, Yan Yu calmly dodged her ferocious lunge, activated Curved Curse, and with a twist of the body, delivered a knee strike, toppling the irrational Zhou Hongyu to the ground.

    This time, he didn''t hold back his strength, so she involuntarily curled up after falling, enduring the intense pain coming from her abdomen.

    The Pingxi Army''s medical team was already on standby at the edge of the field.

    Other medical personnel would have rushed onto the field by now to carry the player away, because "loss of the ability to move" is the criterion for defeat in a competition.

    But Zhou Hongyu was different; this girl was too tenacious. She could persevere in injuries that others couldn''t bear, even suddenly rising to counter-kill her opponent, so before confirming that she truly admitted defeat, no one dared to interrupt the match on their own.

    Yan Yu walked up to her with composure, pinned Zhou Hongyu''s back with his knee, and said in a low voice,

    "With such strength, better stop embarrassing yourself."

    "If you want revenge, then go back and train hard. I''ll be waiting for you."

    More violent struggling came from beneath the knee, but the girl''s strength had long been exhausted. Like a belly-pressed turtle, she couldn''t turn over, only twisting her head to glare at him with eyes full of bloodshot threads and hatred.

    Yan Yu stood up, looked toward the Pingxi Army''s medical team outside the field, and called out,

    "Aren''t you going to carry her away yet?"

    The crowd hesitated for a moment, then realized Zhou Hongyu really was incapacitated and swiftly swarmed into the field to transport her to the medical ward.

    Calmly returning to the bench, Yan Yu saw Chen Lingyun with a smile asking,

    "Had fun?"

    "Pretty boring," Yan Yu answered.

    "The other side definitely doesn''t think so," Chen Lingyun ventured, "Were you two close in a past life?"

    "It was okay," Yan Yu didn''t plan to hide it from her, "When I knew her, she was already dead."

    "Oh," Chen Lingyun realized suddenly, smiling slightly, "She was one to give herself away on the battlefield, right?"

    "Exactly," Yan Yu sighed, "You guessed right."

    Unlike the Annan Army, which had to bear the pressure of the entire Indochina Peninsula, the Pingxi Army had the Qingzang Plateau and the deserts of the Western Regions. The long geographical depth was their best defense line, and thus the number of people who perished on the battlefield each year was considerably fewer than that of the Annan Army.

    Later, Zhou Hongyu''s sacrifice was largely due to her self-destructive tendency. This girl had a temper like the honey badger of Africa; she never cared whether she could handle the enemies confronting her, charging into battle head-on ¡ª What if she died? Then die!

    Therefore, when the heroism of Zhou Hongyu and Li Minghu was disclosed to the public, many people said, "Had we known earlier," it would have been better to switch the two girls: send Li Minghu to the less fierce western fronts for recuperation, and let Zhou Hongyu unleash her energy freely on the needy southern lines. Perhaps both might have encountered different fates and lives.

    But there''s always that saying: in life, there are no "had I knowns."

    Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun got up, intending to find somewhere nearby to have lunch, but were stopped by Instructor Qi Changping coming over:

    "Yan Yu, come with me for a moment."

    "Hehe~" Chen Lingyun, seeing something, smiled and said, "Then I''ll go find a place to eat on my own?"

    Yan Yu didn''t pay attention to this schadenfreude woman and simply followed Instructor Qi Changping toward the direction of the Pingxi Army''s spectator seats, wondering if this was the other side coming to take issue with something?

    Well, it shouldn''t be.

    In the military, known as "strength is supreme," I had defeated Zhou Hongyu in a public competition. Even if the Pingxi Army was unsatisfied, they wouldn''t come to the Zhendong Army in a public setting demanding someone... Doesn''t the Zhendong Army have any pride? Could they tolerate such humiliation?

    Upon reaching the spectator area, Yan Yu saw the Zhendong Army''s Commander-in-Chief Li Weiguo and Pingxi Army''s Commander-in-Chief Sun Rongxing sit in the back rows, having a casual conversation.

    Zhou Hongyu was sitting in the row in front of Sun Rongxing, her face still pale from injuries not fully healed, but her gaze toward Yan Yu was fiery with rage, barely concealed.

    "Come, come, come." Li Weiguo beckoned him over, laughing, "Yan Yu, you fought beautifully in this battle! You won me a bottle of fine wine from Old Sun."

    "Don''t even mention it." Sun Rongxing waved his hand generously and said, "You''ve been eyeing that bottle of Fengyun Maotai at my place for a long time now, haven''t you? I''ll give it to you this time, just stop dropping by my place so often." Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "What do you mean ''give it to me''?" Li Weiguo glared and said, "I clearly won it in a bet."

    Sun Rongxing didn''t continue to argue with him, but instead asked Yan Yu:

    "You just had a go with Zhou Hongyu, what do you think of her?"

    "Classmate Zhou is pretty brave," Yan Yu chuckled.

    Zhou Hongyu''s eyes widened even more, as if she wished she could devour him alive right then and there with her gaze.

    "What, no other evaluation?" Sun Rongxing laughed heartily, "Aside from being brave, she''s got nothing to show for, is that what you mean?"

    "To be precise, bravery isn''t even her strong suit," Yan Yu said seriously. "The military has three main requirements: dare to fight, know how to fight, and be able to win battles. Daring to fight is just the most basic requirement for a soldier."

    "Do you hear that, Xiao Zhou?" Sun Rongxing turned his head and said to Zhou Hongyu, "I''m not trying to dampen your spirits, but you really need to think about where exactly you lost this time."

    "Understood," Zhou Hongyu said expressionlessly, her gaze still fixed intently on Yan Yu.

    "Losing a battle is nothing to fear," Li Weiguo chimed in cheerfully from the side. "If you can reflect and learn from your loss, and eventually grow from it, that''s actually more valuable than winning."

    "Don''t talk so dispassionately, Old Li," Sun Rongxing said with a chuckle. "Why don''t you have Yan Yu deliberately lose to Liu Longtao tomorrow? Let him grow a bit too."

    "That won''t do," Li Weiguo immediately countered. "As soldiers, we must strive for victory with all our might on the battlefield."

    "Xiao Zhou," Sun Rongxing instructed, "take Yan Yu out for lunch and learn from him properly, any problems with that?"

    "No problem," Zhou Hongyu continued to stare at Yan Yu, forcing a grim smile.

    Although she tried to look ferocious, her natural beauty and valorous charm made her seem more adorably like a squirrel baring its teeth.

    After they left the training field of the academy, and were out of the commanding officers'' sight, Zhou Hongyu immediately strode ahead, as if she couldn''t wait to leave Yan Yu behind.

    Yan Yu followed with a calm and composed air.

    Arriving at the cafeteria, they joined the line for food, still without exchanging a word with each other.

    Looking at Zhou Hongyu''s emotionless but pretty profile, Yan Yu thought, I recall in my previous life, wasn''t there a guy in the Annan Army who was hopelessly pursuing her?

    Too bad, this girl is an ascetic; she''s destined to be uninvolved...

    Zhou Hongyu silently waited for him at the end of the line after getting her lunch.

    Yan Yu glanced at her tray, a dish of Guo Bao Meat, one of crispy pork, stir-fried cabbage, and a full bowl of rice ¨C she had an appetite that belied her delicate feminine appearance.

    "Let''s go," he said, lifting his tray.

    Zhou Hongyu silently went to a corner of the cafeteria and sat down at a table.

    Sitting across from her, Yan Yu also discerned the attitude of this girl: I''m sitting with you because the boss told me to have lunch with you, so don''t overstep and start chatting with me.

    "Hongyu Jie!" A crisp female voice called out from a distance.

    Zhou Hongyu ate her meal in silence, and Yan Yu looked toward the source of the voice to see a young man and woman walking over with their trays.

    The girl was just over 1.6 meters tall, with an innocent and pleasant appearance, her hair tied in twin ponytails, eyebrows curved and eyes smiling, at first glance appearing as a lively and cute beauty¡ªif one thought so, they would fall right into her trap.

    Tang Xiaolian from Sangchuan Prefecture, Nanjiang Province, earned the nickname "Beauty Snake". The "beauty" part is self-explanatory, while "snake" refers to her prowess in various poisoning techniques, causing not just enemy Cultivators to dread her, but even her own teammates to feel uneasy around her.

    The Cultivators who died by her hand might be fewer than those beaten to death by Zhou Hongyu, but at least the latter would leave behind a whole body. Beauty Snake, on the other hand, didn''t care for life or limb in battle, ensuring the enemy would be left without an intact piece of flesh, with damaged eyes and noses being a common occurrence...

    Of course, at this point in time, only a small corner of the curtain of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence had been lifted.

    So Tang Xiaolian hadn''t yet mastered the dazzling array of unguardable poisons; at present, she was just a freshman with mediocre mastery of the Three Arts and Five Spells.

    As for the young man beside her, Yan Yu recognized him too.

    Qin Meng, from Qin Prefecture, Long Right Province, followed the path of body refining.

    Yan Yu remembered him because he finally recalled.

    The man who, in his past life, was hopelessly and unrequitedly in love with Zhou Hongyu, was none other than this fellow right here.

 Chapter 51 Dinner Invitation

    In the past life of the Pingxi Army''s combat team, there were five members.The captain was Zhou Hongyu and the deputy captain Zhang Huaide, followed by Qin Meng, Tang Xiaolian, and Meng Qingxi.

    Zhou Hongyu needs no further introduction, a pure brute type who would launch at the enemy like a missile upon sighting them, with his body reacting faster than his brain. It was only because he was the strongest that he was appointed as captain.

    But if you actually expected her to make any decisions, then the team would probably be annihilated in a matter of days.

    In fact, the one who really took on the captain''s duties was deputy captain Zhang Huaide. He was the brain of the entire team, but since his strength was the weakest in the group, he had to rely on Zhou Hongyu''s prestige to command¡ªif not, the other members would not follow his lead.

    Body Cultivating Cultivator Qin Meng, a straightforward, stubborn, and dedicated man from the northwest, was said to have set his sights on Zhou Hongyu from the very first day of school and since then, could not look at any other woman.

    It was only after Zhou Hongyu''s sacrifice on the battlefield that the man''s spirit died, and he sank into depression for around three years. Eventually, the army leadership couldn''t stand by any longer; they directly ordered an intervention, forcing him to date until he found a girlfriend¡ªit was said to be a girl from Nanchuan, suspiciously looking like a substitute for his love.

    As for the femme fatale Tang Xiaolian, most discussions were about her miraculously amazing poison skills. Apart from that, there wasn''t much information, only knowing she seemed to be Zhou Hongyu''s little fangirl.

    There''s a saying that after the sacrifice of Zhou Hongyu, the higher-ups of the Pingxi Army finally started paying attention to cultivators'' psychological issues, and the little sister was also arranged by the army to go on blind dates, only to find that she couldn''t find a boyfriend at all.

    Because no one could accept the risk that after an argument with their girlfriend, even drinking water could result in a dose of strong laxative... That''s just the way a chemist is, never offend them, or else you''ll end up guarding your home water dispenser 24/7. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Compared to these four, the fifth member, Meng Qingxi, was not as well-known. Not because he lacked strength, but because his character wasn''t as standout, and the media didn''t fancy promoting him.

    As Yan Yu thought this over, he saw Tang Xiaolian smiling and asking:

    "There''s no one here, right?"

    Since Zhou Hongyu wouldn''t speak up, he had no choice but to say:

    "No one''s here."

    "Thanks~" Tang Xiaolian and Qin Meng, holding their trays, sat down beside them.

    Qin Meng''s face was extremely ugly because that morning, in the spectators'' seats, he had watched throughout how his secretly admired goddess was humiliated and abused in various ways by her opponent in the competition.

    Right now, that very opponent sat across from him, still having the audacity to eat with the goddess, and the goddess even acquiesced to this, which made him feel like his world view was collapsing and he couldn''t vent his fury anywhere.

    Yan Yu calmly ate his meal, not caring about the brooding dark face opposite him.

    Truth be told, without mastering the art of Body Cultivating, wasn''t Qin Meng just a joke?

    You get your "Dragon Elephant Nirvana Divine Skill" first before talking.

    Tang Xiaolian sat beside him, giggling while sipping her yogurt, her other hand under the table, already quietly fishing out a small pill.

    Zhou Hongyu suddenly looked up, her face expressionless as she looked towards Qin Meng, then at Tang Xiaolian beside him.

    Qin Meng tried to soften his expression while Tang Xiaolian hesitated for a moment and then stuffed the pill back into her pocket.

    "I''ve eaten my fill." Yan Yu stood up, picked up his tray, and said to Zhou Hongyu, "I''ll get going first."

    Zhou Hongyu did not make a sound.

    It wasn''t until Yan Yu left the cafeteria that Tang Xiaolian tentatively asked:

    "Sister Hongyu..."

    "He is my opponent," Zhou Hongyu said coldly, "You don''t need to meddle."

    Having said that, she too stood up with her tray and left without looking back, leaving both Qin Meng and Tang Xiaolian looking at each other in dismay. Discover hidden tales at empire

    "You were thinking of drugging him, right?" Qin Meng frowned and asked her, "Have you lost your mind? Stay away from me the next time you commit a crime, so you don''t drag me into it."

    "It''s not poison!" Tang Xiaolian immediately explained, "It''s a prank lemon pill! Even if it accidentally gets mixed into the food and eaten, it would just cause the person to make a sour face... As for you, with that face looking like you want to hit someone, if it weren''t for Sister Hongyu being there, you would''ve definitely flipped your tray on his head!"

    "Bullshit!" Qin Meng cursed resentfully, "If Zhou Hongyu can''t beat him, how could I possibly provoke him directly? Wouldn''t I just get publicly beaten to the ground in the cafeteria?"

    "Good to know," Tang Xiaolian huffed, "Sister Hongyu said, Yan Yu is her chosen rival, so you better not overestimate yourself. Otherwise, you''ll just lose face for our Pingxi Army."

    She picked up her unfinished meal and moved to a table across.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    After lunch, Yan Yu strolled around for a bit, a sort of post-meal walk.

    The last match was scheduled for three o''clock in the afternoon. Afterwards, the Dingbei Army would arrange a dinner reception, and everybody would take a plane back home after dinner¡ªso today was their last day at the Dingbei National Defense Academy.

    It was early June by now, and the south had already started to warm up, but Shengjing was still enjoying the late spring scenery, with a comfortable and pleasant temperature.

    As Yan Yu walked on the academy''s main road, someone suddenly called out to him from behind:

    "Hey! Are you Yan Yu, a cultivator from the Zhendong Army?"

    The voice sounded like a girl''s. Yan Yu turned around and, indeed, saw a girl running over from the opposite side.

    She had a cute short haircut, was very pretty and had an air of elegance about her. Her smile was pure and flawless, and she had an innate affability and was skilled at socializing.

    But Yan Yu also immediately recognized her:

    Ye Jun, from Jinmen Prefecture, whose parents were both ordinary corporate employees, without the extremely complicated background like Zhou Hongyu''s.

    There were two reasons why she was memorable to Yan Yu:

    First, the girl was a great speaker and had "great looks," so she later became the designated spokesperson for the Dingbei Army, beloved by the public.

    Second, she used to serve as Liu Longtao''s deputy team leader.

    For example, taking Zhou Hongyu''s team, she, the leader, excelled in combat, so the deputy leader would be someone like Zhang Huaide, who was more strategic. This illustrates that the deputy leader''s most important duty is to compensate for the leader''s weaknesses.

    Liu Longtao was strong in combat and not lacking in wisdom, without any clear shortcomings. It''s actually very difficult to be his deputy because it''s hard to complement his role.

    Eventually, you''re most likely to end up doing miscellaneous tasks, having the title of deputy leader, but doing things no different from anyone else, leading to a lack of respect from the team, and at the slightest sign of trouble, you could be replaced by the higher-ups.

    Ye Jun was not only able to become Liu Longtao''s deputy leader but also served for a long time, which isn''t something just anyone could do¡ªactually, in Yan Yu''s opinion, her abilities were really strong, just overshadowed by Liu Longtao.

    "Who are you?" Although he recognized her at a glance, to avoid arousing suspicion, Yan Yu casually asked.

    "I''m Ye Jun," the girl extended her hand generously, "a cultivator from the Dingbei Army, same batch as you."

    "Oh, hello." Yan Yu casually shook her hand, "What can I do for you?"

    "It''s like this." Ye Jun flashed an enthusiastic smile and said straightforwardly, "Last night, you had dinner with Li Zhaojiang from the Annan Army and others, right? Liu Longtao discussed it with me, and as the hosts for this event, we, the cultivators from the Dingbei Army, definitely can''t lack courtesy and be outdone by them.

    If you and Chen Lingyun are free tonight, you''re welcome to join us for a meal. We''d like to invite you to an old restaurant here in Shengjing for a feast, a chance for everyone to get acquainted and make friends."

    Just an invitation for dinner doesn''t seem like a problem, considering I''ve been getting meal invites these past few days anyway. But why are you the one coming to me?

    So at this point in time, you''re already in cahoots with Liu Longtao and starting to work as his underling?

    Yan Yu said leisurely:

    "There is a reception tonight hosted by the Dingbei Army."

    "Ya, no worries! For us cultivators, the reception is optional, really." Ye Jun''s smile was bright and genuine as she spoke, "Besides, at the formal military receptions, there''s toasting and heavy drinking, which I find quite dull."

    This actually reminded Yan Yu. At military reception banquets, especially the Dingbei Army and Pingxi Army''s drinking rules, the toasting gets exaggerated¡ªalmost as if not getting you utterly drunk would mean they haven''t shown off their prowess.

    Compared to that, having a meal out with young people would clearly be much more relaxing. Considering that he would be in the company of "Lord Master" Liu Longtao and "Princess" Chen Lingyun, watching the two of them banter at the dinner table...

    It seemed like it could be interesting?

    "As long as you''re willing to come, I''ll go invite Chen Lingyun," Ye Jun quickly seized the opportunity, pulling out her phone while speaking earnestly, "Oh, let''s add each other as friends? It would be good for keeping in touch in the future."

 Chapter 52 Sacrificing Oneself to Charge Ahead

    Two o''clock in the afternoon.Near the competition venue, Chen Lingyun took a seat on the bench and asked Yan Yu in a low voice,

    "How come I didn''t know that someone had arranged a dinner with Liu Longtao for me tonight?"

    "Idiot." Yan Yu immediately realized what was happening and mercilessly mocked her, "That Ye Jun was clearly tricking you. You didn''t actually believe her, did you?"

    "I don''t believe her." Chen Lingyun revealed a smile, "But I think that girl is quite interesting. It would be nice to get to know her."

    "Quite interesting?" Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    At this point in time, Ye Jun probably only had one advantage, being eloquent, which wasn''t worth Miss Chen''s special attention, right?

    "No, I''m just very curious about how she can tolerate Liu Longtao, that fool." Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "If it were me, I would probably get irritated after just a few sentences."

    "Oh, so that''s why." Yan Yu suddenly had an epiphany and laughed heartily, "I happen to know the secret to dealing with that: just hit back hard when the other person shows an annoying fake smile."

    Chen Lingyun seemed thoughtful and suddenly asked,

    "Who did Liu Longtao end up marrying in his previous life?"

    "It wasn''t Ye Jun." Yan Yu immediately saw what she was suspecting and denied it, "Those two had no affair, just a very ordinary colleague relationship. In the end, Liu Longtao didn''t go for a family-arranged marriage; he found someone on his own. His wife seemed to be a grassroots civil servant from Pingjing, I remember she worked in the financial and tax sector."

    "I see." Chen Lingyun suddenly understood.

    Which meant that the future Liu Longtao, with his "top cultivator" status, had completely freed himself from family constraints and could choose a spouse according to his own wishes.

    Good. With that being the case, my chances are even better...

    While Chen Lingyun was pondering, Zhou Hongyu and Li Zhaojiang had already started their fight on the stage.

    Li Zhaojiang had no confidence in comparing martial skills with Zhou Hongyu, so he could only use the Shifting Technique to dodge around throughout the match, creating distance and taking opportunities to cast Impact Curses at her.

    However, Zhou Hongyu had just been hit in the chest by an Impact Curse from Yan Yu that morning. She was still in a state of "Impact Curse PTSD." Seeing Li Zhaojiang''s Metal-Element Impact Curse coming at her, she immediately became angry like a reflex response, and her Shifting Technique was activated to its fullest extent.

    As is well known, the faster you mobilize your True Yuan while using the Shifting Technique, the greater the speed you can achieve ¡ª even to the point of far surpassing what you can control.

    Then you would lose your balance, fall to the ground, and brake with your face, wiping the floor clean, which is why the textbook emphasized that "True Yuan output must be within controllable limits."

    Of course, that did not bother Zhou Hongyu in the least. If she wasn''t afraid of death, why would she fear losing control of the Shifting Technique?

    The moment she charged out, Li Zhaojiang already sensed something was amiss. But she increased her speed so drastically that before he could even make a dodging maneuver, she had already crashed into his abdomen.

    The two of them were instantly thrown out of the arena, and the medical team waiting outside became frantic. But Li Minghu was quicker; he charged towards the edge of the field with the Shifting Technique and immediately checked on his brother''s condition.

    Li Zhaojiang was unconscious, the weapon being Zhou Hongyu''s high-speed headbutt.

    Zhou Hongyu was also lying on the ground, alive or dead unknown.

    The Annan Army medical team hurried over and carried Li Zhaojiang off to the medical room.

    As for the Pingxi Army medical team... although they arrived at Zhou Hongyu''s side, they did not rush to treat her but opted to observe her condition from a distance.

    After about ten seconds or so, Zhou Hongyu indeed staggered to her feet, standing up by her own strength.

    The penultimate match, Pingxi Army, Zhou Hongyu wins!

    To tell the truth, even though Zhou Hongyu was declared the winner, it was a close victory that was almost akin to a draw. Just look at her, wobbling like a weebly-wobbly, on the verge of falling at any moment, it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say she had lost the ability to move.

    But after all, this was a competition, not actual combat. Now that you have fainted, and I''m still standing, it''s clear that I''m the winner.

    The Annan Army did not raise any objections. Instead, it was Sun Rongxing, the commander of the Pingxi Army, who clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction on the stands.

    Clearly, the only lesson Zhou Hongyu learned from her defeat that morning was "I didn''t hit hard enough."

    ```

    As long as I start off with a big move, I can take the opponent down with me¡ªI won''t lose (at worst, it''ll be a draw)!

    This Xiao Zhou¡­ why is he stubborn like a yak, is his temper beyond help?

    "Interesting," Chen Lingyun said with an amused smile. "Using Shifting Technique as a booster to ram into people, what a genius concept¡­ It would be even better if a circle of timed explosives could be strapped to the body."

    "Hmm, when you get back, you should study this thoroughly," Yan Yu spoke earnestly. "Donate the patent to the nation, we''ll just take the naming rights, and call it ''Chen Lingyun Tactics''."

    "Be careful when you go on stage later, watch out for Liu Longtao using this tactic on you," Chen Lingyun said leisurely.

    "No way, he still cares about his face." Seeing Liu Longtao stepping onto the stage, Yan Yu also stood up, ready to participate in the final round of confrontation.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Let''s digress a bit here: Why is Liu Longtao called Lord Master?

    Because the man is a true-blooded Pingjing native, and even tracing back three generations, his family were all from Pingjing. His grandfather was a noble military officer who commanded the Kaifeng campaign and the Hejian campaign, thwarting the last counterattack of the restorationist forces. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The old man is still kicking today, and he can even hold his own in a conversation in front of the Elders, a feat that easily outclasses Chen Lingyun.

    Chen Lingyun is called Princess Jiang Hai, but it''s only because of her formidable father. Her ancestry beyond her father were merchants¡ªher grandfather rose to prominence through donation, a common occurrence in the commercially developed South at that time, but to the old folk of Pingjing, "Isn''t that just selling offices and titles?", "It''s nothing to be proud of."

    So for Liu Longtao and his group of buddies, it''s not just a simple resentment towards Chen Lingyun''s standoffishness, but there''s also an underlying scorn from the subconscious level of "What are you bragging about with a merchant background?"

    Yan Yu was well aware that albeit Liu Longtao was arrogant to the bone, he was just like his father and grandfather, belonging to the establishment, or what the Western evaluation system would term as "conservative."

    Chen Lingyun, however, was an unequivocal radical, and an extreme one even among radicals. Once such a person became defiant, they were lawless, bold enough to cross any red line¡­ To be honest, there were things from his past life that he didn''t even want to recall, so alarming that speaking of them now would scare people to death.

    Anyway, with me here in this life, Chen Lingyun, whether you''re a dragon or a tiger, you''re going to coil or lie down for me. Don''t even think about stirring up any storms again!

    I declare that the world line has changed! Little Ling Yun, you are no longer the protagonist of the era!

    Of course, as her archenemy, Liu Longtao, the same goes for you. Both of you better face reality soon.

    Yan Yu walked onto the competition field, facing the unruffled Lord Master.

    "Would you like to go first?" Liu Longtao gestured gallantly.

    This Lord Master had a peculiar way of speaking, always keen on addressing others as "you" in a very formal manner. Don''t get it wrong, it''s not a sign of respect or politeness, but just a hollow social custom¡ªsimilar to Chen Lingyun''s perpetual fake smile¡ªit''s about sweet talking "you" up high first, then deciding whether to take a jab at you depending on the situation.

    There was a classic instance in the past, concerning a junior Cultivator from the Dingbei Cultivation Academy challenging Liu Longtao to a private duel, blatantly stating he wanted "to experience the prowess of the number one of the Dingbei Army."

    Before the fight commenced, the Lord Master disingenuously said, "Please hold back a little; don''t make me lose too badly."

    Then they started clashing, with Liu Longtao totally overpowering his opponent, while toying with him as well. Enjoy new stories from empire

    He even taunted mid-fight, saying, "That move of yours is superb," "Whoa, I almost got hit there," "Your stance is quite elegant, you wouldn''t mind if I learn a thing or two, right?"

    After concluding, he added, "Thank you for going easy on me, I was nearly defeated," which infuriated the challenger to the point of fleeing in shame.

    Having no tolerance for Chen Lingyun''s duplicity, Yan Yu certainly didn''t favor Liu Longtao''s behavior either, so without bothering with niceties, he bluntly said:

    "Not taking the first move, huh? Don''t blame me if you get taken down in seconds later."

    Liu Longtao was momentarily stupefied, as the image of Zhou Hongyu defeating Li Zhaojiang flashed through his mind.

    Is he also going to fully charge Shifting Technique? And then perform a "suicidal charge"?

    So, you too have a "hard head"?

    He concealed his reaction and cast an Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse, then said with a benevolent smile:

    "No problem, you go ahead. I''ll do my best to catch."

    ```

 Chapter 53 You Asked Me to Do It

    Liu Longtao''s strength, if evaluated by Yan Yu, could most aptly be described as "not having any weaknesses."Fully-rounded excellence.

    His True Yuan was strong, his awareness sharp, and his reactions quick; although he wasn''t completely overwhelming others, it was still enough for him to establish a significant advantage over his fellow cultivators.

    If there was really something lacking, it would have to be combat experience.

    After all, the resurgence of Spiritual Energy only began earlier this year, and the entire world''s cultivation research is still at a theoretical stage, so naturally, there aren''t many opportunities for real combat.

    However, it was unfortunate that his opponent was Yan Yu¡ª I, Yan Yu, am like a bucket with no holes!

    And the longest plank, no less, is battle experience!

    It''s already the final fight, and Yan Yu didn''t plan to throw the match like in the previous two rounds, but quickly activated his Shifting Technique. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Seeing that his opponent raised his hand to deploy the Shifting Technique, Liu Longtao silently cursed, "So he''s really going for a body slam," and hurriedly maintained the Barrier Charm to prepare for impact.

    But when Yan Yu shifted in front of him and suddenly came to a stop, switching to the Wood Bending Charm, Liu Longtao''s body jolted.

    To stop abruptly in front of the target after initiating the Shifting Technique must be achieved by switching to the Cloud Ascension Technique, he thought to himself. If he was determined, he reckoned he could manage it... maybe succeed five or six times out of ten.

    But switching to Cloud Ascension Technique before switching to Wood Bending Charm, that doubled the difficulty at least.

    Indeed, being on the field and personally facing such a lightning-fast attack allowed one to fully realize the trouble it presented, compared to merely watching from the sidelines.

    Liu Longtao had no time to ponder how his opponent managed it, because beneath his clothes, Yan Yu''s right arm, with the help of the Curse Technique, was swelling with muscle.

    The Wood Bending Charm wasn''t being activated just to scare someone; it was to beat you up!

    In the blink of an eye, Liu Longtao had made a decision.

    Stand firm and take it!

    The most effective method would, of course, be to quickly interrupt the Barrier Charm and switch to the Shifting Technique to dodge the attack. The prerequisite was that you had to switch in time!

    If the spell-switching motion was just a little slow, you''d end up with the Barrier Charm dispelled and the Shifting Technique not yet cast, leaving you defenseless and getting punched in the face with a Curse Technique, resulting in falling to the ground foaming at the mouth... Better to stand firm with the Barrier Charm! At least you wouldn''t be knocked down with one punch.

    Yan Yu threw his fist forcefully, hitting Liu Longtao''s left arm, which was protecting his chest. The surge of Wood-Element True Qi burst into the meridians of the arm, instantly destroying the channels of the Earth-Element Barrier Curse.

    With his left arm temporarily paralyzed, Liu Longtao retreated with the force of the blow and suddenly raised his right hand like lightning, firing an Impact Curse at Yan Yu''s chest.

    No, dodged?!!

    Yan Yu''s figure shifted like a specter, evading the Impact Curse and quickly doubling back with speed so fast it seemed like teleportation, closing in on the unprepared Liu Longtao and slamming a palm towards his abdomen, a faint white vapor twining around his fingertips,

    The Runescript!

    Runescript True Essence penetrated everything, its control unrivaled. If it landed on the Dantian, it would render the victim utterly unable to mobilize any True Yuan, effectively ruining them.

    Liu Longtao wouldn''t just surrender without a fight, he promptly activated the Earth-Element Barrier Charm¡ªsince among the five elements, earth overcomes water, a cultivator under the Barrier Charm state is directly immune to the Runescript.

    But no sooner had he activated the Barrier Charm than Yan Yu pressed down with a palm on his shoulder, his entire body sinking as he lunged towards him.

    Iron Mountain Lean!

    Liu Longtao tried to retreat, but it was already too late.

    Because Yan Yu had switched Curse Techniques once more in an extremely short amount of time, transitioning from the water-based Runescript to the Wood Bending Charm.

    Powered by the Wood Bending Charm, the force was robust and powerful; the shoulder charge came on so strong that Liu Longtao felt like he was hit head-on by a rhinoceros, sending him flying on impact.

    He flew backward five or six meters, barely managing not to fall on landing. He struggled to stand, feeling pain everywhere, with the meridians in his left arm and chest completely obstructed¡ªthe chaotic True Qi left behind when the Earth-Element Barrier Curse was forcefully broken by the Wood Bending Charm.

    The fight was over. Discover hidden tales at empire

    Liu Longtao fell silent for a moment, then ruefully raised his intact right hand, signaling his surrender and forfeit of the match.

    The entire venue fell silent in a split second, only to erupt into a thunderous wave of noise almost immediately, with a sea of chatter engulfing the underground stadium.

    In the spectators'' section of the Dingbei Army, quite a few cultivators even stood up immediately, craning their necks in disbelieving stares towards the arena, and faintly audible were cries of "This can''t be possible."

    Given the performance of Yan Yu and Liu Longtao in the previous matches, everyone had assumed that when these two finally clashed, it would be a spectacular and closely fought battle...

    Who would have thought that Liu Longtao would start by taking a heavy punch, endure a shoulder slam, and then raise his hand to concede?

    It wasn''t that they couldn''t accept Liu Longtao''s defeat, it was that they couldn''t accept the speed of his failure!

    It was even quicker than Yan Yu''s matches against Li Zhaojiang and Zhou Hongyu!

    If it weren''t for the fact that Liu Longtao was indeed an authentic cultivator of the Dingbei Army, everyone might suspect the match was rigged.

    The medical team of the Dingbei Army surrounded the edge of the arena, uncertain whether Liu Longtao''s raised hand counted as a surrender and could only hurry to consult the leadership.

    In the observation box, the commander of the Zhendong Army, Li Weiguo, looked as serene as a gentle breeze or light clouds, his face even bearing a hint of "Isn''t it normal for him to win, what on earth is all that noise about" perplexity and nonchalance. Yet internally, he was brimming with joy.

    Yan Yu, oh Yan Yu, well done! You didn''t let me down! You lived up to my resolve to stick with you as the representative of the Zhendong Army cultivators, even against the pressure from Chen Tianming! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

 Chapter 53 You Asked Me to Do It_2

    As for the commander-in-chief of the Dingbei Army, Yang Zhenwei, he tapped the table moderately and then stood up expressionlessly, leaving the private room without a word to get some fresh air outside.The medical team from the Dingbei Army came over to ask for instructions, only to find out the commander-in-chief was not there; so they went to look for the chief secretary Yan... but it turned out that Yan, the chief secretary, was looking for them as well. As soon as they met, he scolded them furiously:

    "Hurry up and remove Liu from the field! How much longer do you want to let him lose face?"

    The medical team members suddenly realized and quickly turned to rush down to the field.

    Chief Secretary Yan''s worry was justified. After all, being defeated so swiftly and neatly, Liu Longtao''s pride must be hurting. Staying on the field even a second longer would just push him closer to the edge of exploding, so it was certainly best to bring him down right away for some psychological support. Experience exclusive tales on empire

    But in fact, he was overly concerned; a loss in battle doesn''t mean a loss of composure. Liu Longtao, on the field, didn''t lose his cool but quickly suppressed all the negative emotions in his heart and said with a bitter smile:

    "I''m not as skilled, I admit defeat. Now I finally understand why Chen Lingyun would like you."

    Yan Yu: ???

    "Understand my ass!" he swore immediately.

    So, you''re trying to make me feel disgusted with you after losing on the battlefield? You''re known as the number one guy in Pingjing, and still, you pull such a sly move?

    "Ha, no need to explain, I get it." Seeing him with a look of utter frustration, like he''d swallowed a fly, Liu Longtao suddenly felt all the negative emotions dissipate, and he almost laughed as he said sentimentally, "Personality aside, she does have some nice qualities."

    What the hell does "personality aside" mean! How can you just ignore her crappy attitude? Isn''t compatibility of personalities the most important aspect in a relationship? And if you end up in court for a divorce, you''re going to say "let''s not talk about the facts," huh?

    Yan Yu, boiling with anger but wanting to retort, could only watch as the Dingbei Army''s medical team rushed up and took Liu Longtao away, who, despite his defeat, kept his composure.

    Although he seemed unhurt, his dantian had been struck, so a routine physical examination was still necessary.

    Yan Yu could only leave the field with gloominess, and Chen Lingyun, standing at the side, saw his unhappy face and asked with a chuckle:

    "Why do you look like you''ve lost when you clearly won?"

    "He cursed me," Yan Yu said sullenly.

    Chen Lingyun raised an eyebrow slightly. What does that mean?

    You curse people because you can''t beat them? Heh, Liu Longtao actually can''t take a loss, calling you a fool from Jing region really wasn''t wrong at all.

    Chen Lingyun, who was pleasantly amused, found Yan Yu more and more agreeable as she watched him, until he started feeling uneasy under her gaze.

    "What?" Yan Yu said, warily, "What nasty plan are you plotting now?"

    "I''m just thinking about what to eat for dinner tonight," Chen Lingyun said sweetly, "Yan Yu, being with you just makes me so happy."

    Yan Yu grew even more suspicious and asked, frowning:

    "So, what have you done to feel guilty about, prompting that rare tinge of conscience, making you sweet-talk to cover your shame?"

    "Not at all~" Chen Lingyun''s smile grew even sweeter, "I mean exactly what I said."

    "...Forget it." Yan Yu checked the time, "Dinner is at least two hours away; I''m going back to the hotel for a nap."

    "Want me to keep you company?" Chen Lingyun asked playfully, patting her crossed legs, "I can offer a knee pillow."

    "That''s enough," Yan Yu stood up, saying indignantly, "Just don''t use your Wall-Penetration Technique to disturb me, and I''ll count my blessings." Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Wall-Penetration Technique? Chen Lingyun''s eyelids drooped slightly as she thought that this was indeed an interesting idea.

    If he''s in his room doing something sneaky, thinking he''s locked the door and can''t be disturbed, and then I use the Wall-Penetration Technique to suddenly burst in...

    Hmm~

    Maybe I''ll give it a try next time?

    Just as Yan Yu was about to leave the training field, someone else came charging over midway.

    Instructor Qi Changping.

    "Yan Yu..." As soon as the other party started to speak, Yan Yu let out a sigh and said directly:

    "I know, the higher-ups are looking for me, right? Let''s go."

    Qi Changping couldn''t help but smile wryly. Others would be thrilled to be summoned by the top brass, trying everything to show off their best, and here was this young man, always lazy and impatient!

    Yan Yu was brought to the upper-level VIP box, where he saw Li Weiguo on his cell phone, his expression quite serious:

    "Hmm, okay, we''ll make a good assessment of that."

    Then he turned his gaze, saw Yan Yu enter the room, and hung up the phone, saying:

    "Sit."

    Yan Yu found a spot to sit down haphazardly, only to see Li Weiguo revealing a smile, enthusiastically raising his thumb, not skimping on words of praise:

    "You really fought well this time! Three consecutive victories, bringing home first place! You''ve greatly honored our Zhendong Army!"

    "Well, it''s expected," Yan Yu answered calmly.

    Qi Changping, who was watching the door, was starting to feel a tingle on his scalp. Truly a calf not afraid of a tiger!

    Even if you don''t know how to butter up someone by saying "It''s all thanks to the leader''s training", at least spout some polite clich¨¦s like "Honor is at stake, duty-bound"!

    What does "it''s expected" mean? Is this the attitude you take when speaking with the commander in chief?!

    But Li Weiguo wasn''t angry. In his view, it''s actually quite normal for young people to have a bit of arrogance.

    As long as you can ensure victory, a little pride is tolerable¡ªlet alone throwing the occasional tantrum; why else would they say "Arrogant soldiers, valiant fighters, can win battles"?

    "Last time you evaluated Zhou Hongyu," Li Weiguo asked cheerfully, "how do you feel about facing Liu Longtao this time?"

    "He''s very outstanding in all aspects, without any obvious weaknesses, probably the top amongst this group of cultivators, aside from me," Yan Yu replied, "Zhou Hongyu merely tying with him before was indeed just a matter of luck."

    "Oh?" Li Weiguo asked in surprise, "Then why did the match against Liu Longtao end significantly faster than the previous ones?"

    "Because you told me not to hold back and to give him a good thrashing," Yan Yu was also a bit perplexed as he replied, "If I don''t hold back, of course he won''t last beyond three moves, and naturally, the match ends quickly."

    "Did I?" Li Weiguo was astounded.

    You can eat recklessly, but you can''t speak recklessly, okay?

    When did I tell you to "give Liu Longtao a good thrashing"? If this gets back to the Dingbei Army, especially to old Yang, won''t he come looking for a fight with me?!

    "You really don''t remember?" Yan Yu patiently reminded him, "On the flight to Shengjing, you were sitting beside me and gave me the order: ''You must win against Li Zhaojiang and Zhou Hongyu; against Liu Longtao, you need to go all out.'' You said it yourself!"

    Li Weiguo:......

    Oh, now I remember.

    I told you to go all out against Liu Longtao because I thought you couldn''t win; that''s why I asked you to put on a good show, not to lose too quickly!

    I didn''t tell you to hold back when fighting the others and to defeat him in just a snap, disgracing the Dingbei Army!

    Now everyone over there is speculating, saying I deliberately arranged for you to fight like this, to give the Dingbei Army a warning... and I''m being blamed for no good reason!

    Turns out it''s all just a misunderstanding!

 Chapter 54 You Are Actually So Loyal and Righteous

    ```"Ahem." Qi Changping, who was guarding the door, could no longer bear to listen and hurried out to offer a remedy, saying, "Do you want me to arrange for a few people to discretely spread some clarifications to them..."

    "No need." Li Weiguo immediately vetoed, "We won this time! Since when does the winner have to proactively explain to the loser? If the Dingbei Army is unhappy, let Old Yang properly train his men, and they can win it back next time!"

    "Yes." Qi Changping immediately replied.

    Li Weiguo rubbed his hands together in satisfaction and said with a chuckle:

    "They all came to ask me just now, saying that your Zhendong Army''s Yan Yu is very adept at using the Shifting Technique to charge, then abruptly stopping with the Cloud Ascension Technique once in close range, before switching to other Attack Spell Techniques. How exactly did you manage to do that?"

    "Oh." Yan Yu pondered for a moment before answering, "The operation is actually quite simple: First, I charge with the Shifting Technique, then I immediately interrupt it once I''m in close range, and rapidly use the Cloud Ascension Technique to brake..."

    Just as he was about to repeat the general''s question as his own reply, anticipating this, Qi Changping quickly interrupted him, saying:

    "It''s not the process they''re asking about! It''s why others can''t do it, but you can. Is there any trick to it?"

    "There''s no trick," Yan Yu responded, "just lots of practice."

    Li Weiguo pondered for a while, then asked Qi Changping:

    "Do we have any training programs for this?"

    Continue reading at empire

    Qi Changping was also speechless. How do you practice that? Charging at a target with the Shifting Technique and abruptly stopping the spell when close, then quickly switching to the Cloud Ascension Technique for braking?

    What if you can''t brake in time? Wouldn''t you just crash headfirst into the target? Unless everybody wore safety gear and replaced the target with something like a cushion...

    Old Han had indeed proposed a similar plan before, but the school leadership considered it too ambitious.

    Currently, the students hadn''t even mastered the Shifting Technique on its own, and they hadn''t even started learning the Cloud Ascension Technique. To advance training content to quickly switch between Shifting Technique and Cloud Ascension Technique was simply impractical!

    Of course, for the higher-ups, you might fail to achieve some plans, but you have to think of them.

    Failure might be due to objective environmental factors, but not thinking of it is a sign of your lack of ability.

    "Yes, we do." After thinking it through, Qi Changping quickly brought forward Han Zaixian''s plan and described it in detail.

    "Hmm." Li Weiguo nodded in approval, "The Shifting Technique and Cloud Ascension Technique indeed need to be practiced together. You''ve also seen Yan Yu''s performance these past few days. The acceleration of the Shifting Technique and the emergency braking of the Cloud Ascension Technique, when skillfully combined, provide the high maneuverability that has strategic value."

    "Without coordination, the Shifting Technique alone isn''t flexible enough, and the speed of the Cloud Ascension Technique isn''t fast enough to be significant."

    "The leader is wise." Yan Yu hastily flattered.

    Look at that strategic insight! How else could he be the chief commander? What the hell is up with the school leadership, always concerned about the teaching schedule... Do they really think they''re running a school?

    Qi Changping was speechless by his side. So turns out this kid does know how to butter someone up, just chooses his moments!

    When the leader agrees with your opinion, you flatter him! What if the leader disagrees, would you silently curse him then?

    ...Forget it, forget it, you''ve just won a victory, whatever you say is right.

    "You don''t need to flatter me, it''s your own prowess that''s commendable," Li Weiguo pointed at Yan Yu, saying jovially, "If it weren''t for watching your match, I wouldn''t have realized this point."

    "Little Qi, after we return, make sure the related training facilities are set up quickly." He then turned and instructed, "If there are any problems, discuss them more with Student Yan Yu."

    "Yes." Qi Changping quickly complied.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The four-institute exchange competition concluded.

    The Zhendong Army won three consecutive matches, securing first place, leaving Li Weiguo naturally very satisfied.

    Yan Yu was also happy because with Li Weiguo''s support, the school''s teaching plan was finally going to change.

    From his experience in a past life, practicing the Shifting Technique, Cloud Ascension Technique, and Wall-Penetration Technique separately was a sheer waste of time.

    Correcting to the right instructional approach sooner would lead to faster growth in the overall strength of cultivators in the country, ensuring better preparedness for future international changes.

    Returning to his hotel room, Yan Yu saw Zhao Yuanzhen lying on the bed watching TV, teasing as she watched:

    "That''s right, that''s the male lead, with the pretty-boy makeup, right? At first, I even thought he was the female supporting character."

    ``` S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    It''s not dual-cultivation time, why did you come to my room? Yan Yu''s face immediately darkened. Hmm, wait... who is she talking to?

    "Ha! Crap, really acts like a woman," a carefree female voice replied, "Can''t they find a manly man for the domestic TV dramas these days?"

    "Manliness requires charisma, which really tests an actor''s skills," Zhao Yuanzhen grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and started munching, "Playing a pretty boy doesn''t need charisma¡ª just slap on some makeup... oh, Yan Yu''s back."

    With an expressionless face, Yan Yu walked into the room, only to see the blonde-haired Anna sitting on the other side of the bed, chatting and cracking seeds with Zhao Yuanzhen¡ªthis was a women-specific "wine and chatter" affair.

    When did you two become so close? No, I should ask when did the two of you meet?

    His eye twitched for a moment before he finally asked:

    "Who allowed you to spit sunflower seed shells on my bed?"

    "What''s the big deal?" Zhao Yuanzhen said indifferently, "One Cleaning Spell and it''s done, right?"

    "How about I spit in your face and then give you a Cleaning Spell, huh?" Yan Yu asked with a hint of menace.

    "That..." Anna stood up a bit nervously, cautiously saying, "Sister Zhao said she could teach me spells, so she called me over."

    "What spells could she possibly teach you..." Yan Yu let out an involuntary retort, then abruptly felt something was off.

    Although this Demonic Sect Enchantress had not yet recovered her cultivation, when it came to the number of spells she mastered, probably no one in the world could compare with her except for Mei Yingxue.

    And if you limit the spells to "dark and evil techniques," even Mei Yingxue would have to admit defeat.

    If she were to teach Anna, couldn''t that result in a new Demonic Sect Enchantress?

    But thinking about it carefully, even if Anna was taught, it would be Siberia that got plagued, not our Lu Country.

    In other words, even without Anna, there''d be plenty of werewolves and vampires over there causing trouble just the same, right?

    It''d be better to teach her various self-defense techniques to prevent her from being bullied over there.

    "That''s a good idea," Yan Yu pondered and said, "If there''s anything you don''t understand, you can ask her or me."

    Great! Zhao Yuanzhen was also secretly delighted.

    She suspected that this Anna was the reincarnation of some great being, anticipated by Yan Yu''s master, which was why he was sent from afar just to form a good karma with her.

    Now it seemed she had successfully entered the game. In the future when Anna encounters a turning point and successfully breaks free from her shackles and achieves enlightenment, wouldn''t she also be able to bask in some of that fortune?

    Hmph hmph hmph, hehehe, hahaha, Yan Yu, you sneaky thief! Bet you didn''t see that I''m leeching off your good fortune!

    If one day I turn the tables and become the master, I will make you suffer all the humiliations you''ve inflicted upon me, tit for tat!

    As she was silently reveling, she overheard Yan Yu speaking to Anna again:

    "But she can only teach you some basics at most. You might as well learn from me," he said.

    "What the!" Zhao Yuanzhen immediately protested, "I am also... I''m also very impressive, okay?"

    "Can you list a hundred combination battle tactics from the Three Arts and Five Spells?" Yan Yu asked with disdain.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was immediately stuck. Three Arts and Five Spells... who would bother studying them!

    Shifting Technique is inferior to Sword Flight, Cloud Ascension Technique is not as good as the Immortals'' stepping methods, and the Five Elemental True Character Curse has better spells that can replace it. These are just rudimentary exercises that cultivator couples teach their kids¡ªwho would take the effort to delve deeply into them!

    Seeing that Zhao Yuanzhen was lost for words, Anna sensed the truth in Yan Yu''s claim and asked somewhat embarrassingly:

    "Would privately teaching me these violate any confidentiality regulations?"

    "Absolutely," Yan Yu said cheerfully, "so if you get caught, don''t rat me out."

    He was just joking, but for some reason, Anna took it seriously and earnestly said:

    "Even if I die, I will not betray you."

    Yan Yu: ......

    They say the Eclipse Queen is brutal and merciless, but who would have thought she could be so loyal and righteous!

 Chapter 55 Counter General Maneuver

    About one or two hours before the scheduled meal, Yan Yu took this time to teach Anna the Three Arts and Five Spells in detail."Do you have any difficulties with it?" he finally asked to confirm.

    "Yes," Anna said helplessly, "I don''t get any of it... I''m just memorizing the theory here, and I have nowhere to practice!"

    "As long as you understand the theory thoroughly, why be afraid you won''t be able to practice later?" Yan Yu said indifferently.

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ?

    How do I remember someone saying before: The most important thing for a cultivator is actual combat?

    "I want to go outside and practice," Anna said eagerly, "but I''m afraid of being discovered and then not being able to explain myself."

    "Then don''t practice outside," Yan Yu said.

    Once we go to Siberia, you''ll have plenty of time to practice.

    Anna immediately felt a bit depressed. This man really didn''t know how to comfort a girl. Shouldn''t he usually say, "Then I''ll help you figure something out"?

    "Speaking of ''helping,''" she suddenly remembered another matter, "about the background check by the Dingbei Army..."

    "Not likely anymore," Yan Yu shook his head, "The situation is going to become stricter. Those who haven''t signed yet probably won''t be allowed to sign."

    Anna fell silent for a while before asking:

    "So on what basis? Just because my mother is a foreigner?"

    "That''s not it," Yan Yu waved his hand, "The main issue is that the first batch of cultivators recruited were too many, and it turned out that there weren''t enough resources for subsequent training; they can''t afford to keep everyone. Next year, they''ll probably cut down on the second batch of cultivators and recruit fewer."

    Anna: ......... S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "You''re not fooling me, are you?" she asked suspiciously.

    "Nonsense, if anyone''s to blame it has to be you," Yan Yu said bluntly, "Shouldn''t you have just signed the enrollment agreement on the spot? Instead, you had to go home and ask your father and relatives... This delay, didn''t it just cause unnecessary complications?"

    "You''re talking nonsense!" Anna said angrily, "That was about going to university! It''s not like picking a restaurant to eat at, who would make a decision on the spot?!"

    "Me," Yan Yu said confidently, "I signed on the spot."

    Anna: .........

    "I''m not going to argue with you," the blonde girl said impatiently waving her hand, "If Lu Country doesn''t want me, I''ll just go to Rakshasa Country, and I''ll become a cultivator there."

    "The enrollment requirements for Spirit Communicators in Moscow, it seems, include having Rakshasa citizenship for three generations including parents and grandparents," Yan Yu said slowly, "So you''d better start fabricating your family tree now.

    For example, your grandfather participated in the Red Square uprising, overthrew the Tsar or something, and then, due to a mix-up, ended up in the Northeast. Body in Lu Country, heart in Rakshasa. Living in Shengjing for twenty years, speaking fluent Rakshasa."

    Anna suddenly looked as deflated as a wilted eggplant, and after a long while, she said:

    "I was joking. Isn''t it because I have no other choice? If the Dingbei Army doesn''t accept me, then I can only emigrate with my dad. It''s not like I can stay in the country while he goes to Amur alone, right?"

    "Indeed," Yan Yu said, "But if you look at it from another angle, if you can''t practice spells at home, can''t you practice once you''re in Amur? It''s a vast and sparsely populated place, and besides, Rakshasa people don''t recognize the Three Arts and Five Spells."

    "So are you really clueless, or just pretending?" Anna, crossing her arms, tapped her foot in annoyance, "I don''t want to become a cultivator! My goal is to convince my dad to stay in the country by becoming a cultivator, you get it? I don''t want to go abroad!"

    Of course, Yan Yu was pretending to be clueless. But what else could he say?

    Even if Anna truly became a cultivator in the Dingbei Army, what then? Could she compete with people like Liu Longtao for cultivation resources? Could she win?

    Even if she could, her developmental ceiling in the country would only be at the level of someone like Liu Longtao. How could that compare to being "the Queen of Siberia"? That was the height her original life trajectory was meant to reach!

    Seeing Yan Yu remained silent, Anna realized that she had lost her composure.

    In the end, the whole thing was a problem with the Dingbei Army''s political review system. How could Yan Yu be at fault? He had saved her when she was in trouble, helped her inquire about information, and even taught her the Three Arts and Five Spells. What reason did she have to take her anger out on him?

    "That...," she sighed dejectedly and spoke softly, "I''m sorry, I... I had a bad attitude, and I shouldn''t have spoken to you like that."

    "It''s fine," Yan Yu said magnanimously, waving his hand, "After all, I wasn''t able to help."

    "But you did teach me the Three Arts and Five Spells," Anna said sheepishly, "How about I treat you guys to dinner tonight?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen really wanted to agree when he heard Yan Yu say:

    "I have a dinner engagement tonight, you two go ahead."

    "You have a dinner and you''re not taking me?" Zhao Yuanzhen immediately got anxious.

    "Chen Lingyun and Liu Longtao will be there," Yan Yu said calmly, "Imagine, while you''re eating, having two Chen Lingyuns talking to you without stop."

    Zhao Yuanzhen immediately lost his appetite and quickly said:

    "Anna, where shall we have dinner tonight?"

    "Some barbecue?" Anna suggested uncertainly.

    "Great, great, let''s have barbecue," Zhao Yuanzhen immediately perked up, glaring triumphantly at Yan Yu, "Let''s not take him!"

    Yan Yu was also at a loss for words. Were we there just to eat? No, we were there to get to know each other and network with cultivators from the Dingbei Army!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Network my ass!

    What Yan Yu hadn''t expected was that, just an hour later, he would start to regret it somewhat.

    At a table for four, the boys on one side, and the girls on the other. A copper pot bubbled away in the center, filled with high-quality slices of lamb, yet everyone hesitated to reach in with their chopsticks for the moment.

    "So, Ye Jun, you don''t have a boyfriend now?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, "And no secret crush?"

    "Nope," Ye Jun, sensing something off about the atmosphere, quickly took over the conversation and chatted with Chen Lingyun, "It''s not that I don''t want to find someone... it''s just that... I don''t really feel anything, you know? I, personally, prefer someone with a more mature personality, but all the guys around me are pretty childish.

    They don''t speak properly, they''re like cats that just loiter around you, primping and posing to get your attention, which I find... uh, uninteresting."

    "Oh, childish?" Chen Lingyun laughed, "Does that include Liu Longtao as well?"

    Ye Jun immediately realized she had fallen into a trap. You''re setting this up for me to fall into, huh! But she kept her cool and laughed off the implication,

    "Him? No, he''s not childish. He''s just too damn mature and steady. Even though we were in the same class when we started, I''ve always thought of him as my senior! Right, senior?"

    The girl effortlessly navigated the dangerous topic. She clarified that she had no relationship with Liu Longtao without emasculating him, and also made the trap Chen Lingyun set with her words fall flat.

    "That''s right," Liu Longtao responded without missing a beat, then began his counterattack, "Yan Yu, do you have a girlfriend right now?"

    Yan Yu was already getting tired of it. Did you two really have to butt heads like this? Couldn''t you just speak straightforwardly?

    "No, I don''t." He began to help himself to some lamb in the pot.

    "Hey, Yan Yu, you''re single too?" Ye Jun asked in feigned surprise, "No way! You''re hiding it well. With your qualities, I''m sure a lot of girls are after you, right?"

    "He must have high standards," Liu Longtao chuckled looking at Chen Lingyun, and said, "If I were Yan Yu, I wouldn''t settle for just any girl either."

    "Just any girl" surely wasn''t Ye Jun. So who could it be? Might as well give out the social security number.

    Ye Jun finally realized something: Liu Longtao, you''ve got a private grudge against Chen Lingyun, haven''t you!

    Talking about "let''s have a dinner to get acquainted", but in reality, you came specifically to mess with her!

    "Cough, actually, dating isn''t all about conditions," Ye Jun said, trying hard to smooth things over, and quickly signaled to Yan Yu with her eyes, asking him to help persuade Chen Lingyun as well, "Even if someone isn''t interested, it doesn''t mean they''re not good enough. It''s usually just that fate hasn''t come knocking.

    There''s an older female cousin across the street from my house, she''s over thirty and not yet married, until..."

    Yan Yu picked up some lamb with his chopsticks, chewed it slowly, and then suddenly asked,

    "So, Ye Jun, how did you come to know Liu Longtao?"

    Ye Jun paused for a moment, then replied,

    "We were in the same class..."

    "It''s the higher-ups who are planning to team up cultivators, right?" Yan Yu didn''t bother waiting for both sides to continue their probing and went straight to the point, "Whether it''s for an experiment or some other purpose.

    Anyway, in this team, they must have planned for Liu Longtao to be the lead and for you to be his deputy, which is why you got to know each other in advance¡ªalthough you clearly stated that you are not related to him, the way you speak is very careful about preserving his dignity. That doesn''t sound like friendship, it seems more like a subordinate relationship between colleagues."

    Ye Jun was somewhat at a loss for words, while Liu Longtao fell silent for a moment before laughing,

    "Impressive, you actually guessed it."

    Chen Lingyun also quickly caught on: the Dingbei Army had started implementing a team system, and the Zhendong Army would likely follow suit soon, with a high chance of Yan Yu being the team leader and Chen Lingyun the deputy leader.

    So that was why Liu Longtao had arranged this dinner, not purely to get on good terms with Yan Yu, but more so to observe the relationship between Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun.

    Considering Chen Lingyun''s strategic capabilities and robust background, if she chose not to follow Yan Yu, there would be significant risks within the team.

    "What''s so hard to guess?" Yan Yu continued eating his lamb, casually saying, "We don''t need to keep testing each other like this anymore. Let me put it this way: Chen Lingyun, though she can have a nasty temper, is still responsible, and will follow orders when it counts. And you? Stay tuned with empire

    Liu Longtao, you hold great authority and have a sufficiently assertive personality; the team will definitely become an echo chamber for you. If you make a mistake, would Ye Jun dare to point it out to your face?"

    "Why wouldn''t she dare?" Ye Jun immediately spoke up, "The deputy''s duty is to devise strategies and fill in the gaps for the team leader."

    "Let''s hope so," Yan Yu replied nonchalantly with a smile, as he stood up, "I''ve got a bit more business to attend to, so let''s call it a day for this meal. Thanks for the invitation. I must be going."

    "Bye-bye~" Chen Lingyun also stood up, waving her hand with a beaming smile.

    Having failed to probe successfully and being counter-attacked by Yan Yu, Chen Lingyun couldn''t be happier at that moment. She almost wanted to catch up to Yan Yu and hug him tightly, kissing him fervently.

    Ye Jun quickly stood up, unsure whether to call them back but then saw Liu Longtao sitting silently in his seat, seemingly lost in thought.

    It was then that she suddenly realized¡ªYan Yu mentioned that the purpose of the meal was probing, and Liu Longtao did not deny it.

    However, when Liu Longtao asked her to contact Yan Yu before, he did not tell her the real reason.

    Ye Jun suddenly felt an urge to confront Liu Longtao with, "Why didn''t you tell me the truth?"

    But after thinking it over, she never asked the question.

    Because she agreed with what Yan Yu said: Liu Longtao''s personality was too domineering.

    If he decided not to disclose it in advance, then her asking about it after the fact, without understanding the situation, would likely just annoy him.

 Chapter 56 Returning Home

    Chen Lingyun caught up with Yan Yu from behind, her face full of smiles, eager to say something, but she noticed that Yan Yu''s expression was rather gloomy.It wasn''t the usual "annoyed by her" gloominess, but one tinged with a hint of melancholy and desolation, a kind of listlessness.

    Being as clever as she was, she immediately guessed what was troubling Yan Yu and tentatively asked,

    "Was Ye Jun someone formidable in his past life?"

    "Formidable?" Yan Yu was silent for a moment, then sneered, "Of course he was formidable, the spokesperson for the Dingbei Army, isn''t that formidable?"

    "Oh my, that''s really..." Chen Lingyun''s smile bloomed like flowers.

    A spokesperson, that''s a civilian staff position! Ye Jun, you were at least a cultivator, how did you end up so down on your luck to switch to a bureaucratic job?

    Thinking back to Yan Yu''s attitude just now, Chen Lingyun already had her answer and said with a laugh,

    "Working under the Lord Master, it''s not surprising to encounter such things."

    The main position is too radiant, the deputy will inevitably be overshadowed, that''s the case all over the world.

    "It''s not like she had a choice in the matter." Yan Yu looked at Chen Lingyun speechlessly, "I''ve clashed with her. Ye Jun''s true skill is actually much higher than what the outside world thinks. Even though she''s not on par with the Lord Master, it''s not fair to compare all the cultivators of the Dingbei Army to him, right?"

    "So you deliberately provoked the Lord Master just to make him pay attention to his deputy, Ye Jun?" Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "Aren''t you worried that if Liu Longtao really does that, and they become stronger, they might turn around and overpower us?"

    "If the Lord Master could really do that, would he be lumped together with you, called ''Idiot of the South, Fool of the North''?" Yan Yu sighed deeply and said, "Does anyone not know the true strength of their own deputy? Does Liu Longtao not know? I guess in the end, the Lord Master simply doesn''t want a deputy leader at all, so it doesn''t matter to him whether Ye Jun stays or goes."

    But on further thought, although she couldn''t change the personnel decisions of the Dingbei Army, when the time comes, she could poach him using her personal identity!

    Instead of being some kind of press officer, it would be better to persuade Ye Jun to retire and come help me!

    If Chen Lingyun has Secretary Su, why can''t I, Yan Yu, have Secretary Ye?

    Poach! This must be poached!

    "Alright, I''ve got it." Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "So what exactly did you do in your previous life?"

    "I''ve given you so many hints, you still can''t figure it out?" Yan Yu raised his eyebrows and asked.

    "Hmm, first of all, I rule out being a university student cultivator." Chen Lingyun said with a clap and a laugh.

    "Why?" Yan Yu asked, puzzled.

    "It''s just not that." Chen Lingyun smiled, her eyes curving, "You tell me what you did first and then I''ll tell you my rationale."

    "Forget it, it''s not important." Yan Yu waved his hand helplessly, "The unit I belonged to back then isn''t even established yet."

    "Was it some kind of special forces?" Chen Lingyun asked tentatively.

    "No, in terms of responsibility, it would be more like military police." Yan Yu answered.

    Military police¡­ Chen Lingyun was stunned for a moment, then slowly began to understand.

    A special unit dedicated to hunting down cultivators?

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Inside the nearby food stall.

    "I''m telling you, Yan Yu is super annoying." Zhao Yuanzhen, after a few beers, became more talkative, "He never orders my favorite food when he gets takeout!"

    "But he''s the one paying for it." Anna reminded her, "He has the right to decide what to eat, doesn''t he?"

    "And another thing!" Zhao Yuanzhen continued to complain, "He''s always nagging me to do the housework!"

    "If you''re sharing an apartment with him but not paying rent, helping out with chores seems fair." Anna kept reminding her.

    "He talks more to Chen Lingyun than he does to me!" Zhao Yuanzhen said through gritted teeth.

    "If he and you were in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, that would indeed be quite improper." Anna hesitated slightly, then asked, "But Yan Yu is still single, right?"

    "Whose side are you on?" Zhao Yuanzhen was close to tears, grabbing Anna''s arm and refusing to let go, "At least join me in cursing him!"

    "Who are you cursing?" Yan Yu stood behind her, asking with a dark expression.

    Zhao Yuanzhen immediately sat upright and said seriously,

    "Complaining about the boss. They watered down the draft beer at this food stall, it''s tasteless; Anna and I were just griping about how the boss is ripping us off."

    The stall owner, who was still busy grilling, looked up in confusion and glanced this way.

    "Time to go," Yan Yu said coldly, "Time''s up, let''s head to the airport to regroup."

    "You guys are leaving?" Anna stood up, asking in astonishment.

    "We''re leaving," Yan Yu nodded, "We''re heading back to Jinling."

    "I''ll see you off," Anna said hastily. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "No need," Yan Yu waved his hand, "You can''t get into a military airport."

    Anna lowered her head, looking somewhat disheartened, unsure of what to say.

    She didn''t know how to describe her feelings at the moment. Although they had only known each other for two days (actually, considering from last night, just one day), she truly felt reluctant to see Yan Yu leave. Perhaps because Yan Yu was her first "Cultivator" friend?

    Yan Yu noticed her reluctance and her embarrassment in showing her feelings, and said with a smile:

    "Why the long face? It''s not like we can''t keep in touch after I leave. If there are any problems later on, just ask me via mobile."

    "Oh," Anna said.

    "Zhao Yuanzhen, we should go," Yan Yu quickly said when he saw the Demonic Sect Enchantress still stuffing skewers into her mouth, and forcefully pulled her up, "We''ll miss the plane if we''re any later. Anna, you should head back soon too, don''t make your dad worry."

    "Oh," Anna said.

    Zhao Yuanzhen still wanted to take the unfinished skewers with her, but Yan Yu accurately predicted her intention, forcibly dragging her away before she could do anything more embarrassing.

    By the roadside, Chen Lingyun waited with a beaming smile, a taxi beside her with the door open.

    "Aren''t you going to talk to her some more?" she asked teasingly, "We should still have a bit of time."

    "No need," Yan Yu said.

    "So, does this mean you''ve achieved your goal?" Chen Lingyun continued smiling, "After all, wasn''t she the main reason for your visit to Shengjing in the first place?"

    "Why so many questions?" Yan Yu pushed Zhao Yuanzhen into the back seat of the taxi.

    "Mmm-hmm~ I''m just solving the puzzle," Chen Lingyun said happily. Explore stories at empire

    This useless woman... utterly hopeless.

    Taking a taxi to the outskirts of the airport, they met up with the rest of the Zhendong Army and then boarded the plane back to Jinling.

    On the return flight, Zhao Yuanzhen refused to sit with Chen Lingyun and firmly occupied the seat next to Yan Yu.

    Bored, Yan Yu looked out the airplane window and then took out his phone to check.

    The most satisfying outcome of this inter-academy competition for the Zhendong Army''s higher-ups was Yan Yu''s three straight victories, demonstrating the strength of the Zhendong Army.

    But for Yan Yu himself, the most valuable thing was actually making and acquiring three new friends.

    Li Minghu from the Annan Army, Ye Jun from the Dingbei Army, and most importantly, the "Eclipse Queen" Anna.

    Acquiring friends was one thing, but the most important was the acquaintance; that way, if any issues came up later, they could at least talk to each other in time.

    If he hadn''t met them in person, even if Yan Yu tried to add them as friends from memory, most likely he wouldn''t get accepted.

    Yan Yu silently closed his eyes, organizing the memories in his mind.

    It was now the beginning of June, with about a month of rest time ahead.

    When July arrived, there would be a small-scale increase in global Spiritual Energy density. As the baseline was raised, the hidden depths of some of the famous mountains and rivers at home and abroad would progressively open to the public.

    The upper echelons would start team trials in the Dingbei Army, probably anticipating this. After all, at this stage, even the most capable solo Cultivator couldn''t stand against an entire team.

    Once the Zhendong Army started pushing the team system, he''d have to shift his focus to team management.

    To prevent disorderly competition, domestic teams were standardised to five members, for five-on-five combat. Of course, when facing foreign Cultivators, several teams would stand side by side; international righteousness wouldn''t come into play.

    As for which members to recruit, the team configuration of Chen Lingyun''s previous life was there; naturally, her judgment wouldn''t be wrong.

 Chapter 57 Taming Su Yunjin

    A week after returning to Jinling, a notification indeed arrived from above:Form a tactical squad.

    "The current intention from above is that you should be the captain, with Chen Lingyun as the vice-captain," Instructor Qi Changping said, "and then you can pick three others from your peers to make up a team of five, forming the Zhendong Army''s first combat team. You need to coordinate with your team members as soon as possible, as there might be combat missions assigned to you at any time.

    Do you have any questions?"

    "Yes." Yan Yu said calmly, "The people I select will also need to be approved by those above before they can officially join the team, right?"

    "Of course," Qi Changping replied, "Everything should be done by the book."

    "I have no issue with the review process being done by the book," Yan Yu continued, "but you can''t give me a hard time beyond what the rules prescribe. The people I pick can''t be rejected unless they fail the political screening. Those who join can''t be replaced without my consent unless I raise the issue myself.

    In short, I must have the final say on personnel matters within the team, otherwise you may as well find someone else."

    "Yan Yu." Qi Changping fell silent for a moment before saying, "The academy certainly supports you, but the academy is also part of the military, and in the military, no one gets to call all the shots. You are the Zhendong Army''s first combat team; do you have any idea how many people are watching your performance around the clock?"

    "For instance, victory and defeat are common in military affairs; no one can guarantee an undefeated record. If someone on your team underperforms and leads to a loss in a key battle, what then? If you don''t allow those above to replace him, all the responsibility and pressure from the defeat will fall squarely on you."

    "That''s fine," Yan Yu said with indifference, "Even if we lose just once, I''ll take all the responsibility. Reviews, demerits, dismissal, do as you please. But as long as I''m still the captain, I won''t allow anyone to interfere with internal personnel matters. That''s my bottom line."

    Qi Changping fell silent for a moment, then turned to Chen Lingyun beside him and asked:

    "Chen Lingyun, do you feel the same way?"

    "Of course," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "I think what Yan Yu says makes sense. If we lose with the people we''ve chosen, it''s our responsibility; if people from above replace them and there''s still a problem, will someone from above take responsibility?"

    "Instructor Qi," she continued, "this doesn''t really conform to military regulations, but the biggest rule in the military is ''win wars.'' As long as we can win, I think these minor issues shouldn''t be a problem. You can ask Grandpa Li and see what he thinks."

    It took Qi Changping five or six seconds to realize that Chen Lingyun''s "Grandpa Li" referred to Li Weiguo, the Commander-in-Chief of the Zhendong Army.

    "Alright then," he said with a mix of amusement and resignation, "I''ll go and ask for instructions."

    After Qi Changping bid farewell and left, Chen Lingyun spoke laughingly:

    "Even if Grandpa Li agrees to your demands, such matters can''t be set in stone publicly; at most, they''ll tacitly agree not to interfere with internal affairs for now."

    "That''s alright," Yan Yu said with a grand sweep of his arm, "I''ve made my stance as captain clear for starters. If later on someone foolishly tries to meddle, you, the vice-captain, can take the bullet for me."

    "Oh?" Chen Lingyun asked in surprise, "Why me?"

    "Nonsense, I don''t have a dad who''s the Governor of Jianghai," Yan Yu said as if it were obvious, "You''re the young miss of an official family. Haven''t you heard ''with great power comes great responsibility''? Make yourself useful! What''s the point of you being a vice-captain if you''re useless?"

    "So, how do you plan to decide on the team members?" Chen Lingyun gently steered the conversation back to the main point. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Don''t worry," Yan Yu contemplated, "Su Yunjin and Lin Ning are quite capable, I have no objections to them joining the team. Zhao Yuanzhen is my person, definitely included..."

    As he said this, he suddenly began to ponder.

    In his past life, the Zhendong Army''s first squad consisted of team captain Chen Lingyun and vice-captain Su Yunjin, with three teammates being Lin Ning, Qiu Ze, and Sun Ziyi¡ªfive people in total with three women and two men, the highest female ratio among the four armies, and thus mockingly called the "Ladies'' Battle Team" by outsiders.

    Now with Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen, the obvious replacements would be Qiu Ze and Sun Ziyi. It wasn''t because they were men, but rather an issue of team role assignments.

    To put it in gaming terms: Su Yunjin was support/healer, Lin Ning was a frontline assault, both performed their primary jobs excellently, so there was no need for change. Chen Lingyun, despite being a ranged damager, wasn''t particularly powerful; her main role was to use her brains to identify the enemy''s weaknesses and land critical hits.

    The problem with this trio of girls was a severe lack of direct siege capabilities; once Lin Ning was tied up on the front line and Chen Lingyun couldn''t find an opportunity, the team was at risk of being wiped out. Hence, Sun Ziyi''s explosive damage and Qiu Ze''s supporting offensives were necessary to fortify the team''s overall offensive capabilities.

    This life had a completely different situation. Both Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen were offensively inclined. Yan Yu himself was a jack-of-all-trades, capable of fighting, running, and supporting; Zhao Yuanzhen, as a Demonic Sect Enchantress, never trusted outsiders, and her ability to fight alone was essential for her own survival, with arson and assassination skills that were incredibly refined.

    If the two of them were to be joined by Sun Ziyi and Qiu Ze, the overall team output would be off the charts, while their adaptability would be greatly weakened. Therefore, Sun Ziyi was definitely not needed, and it was a choice between Qiu Ze and Lin Ning.

    Both were assaulters, Qiu Ze specialized in offense, Lin Ning in containment. Since Yan and Zhao''s offense was more than sufficient, Lin Ning was a more suitable choice over Qiu Ze.

    However, doing so would change the team''s gender ratio to 1:4, even more imbalanced than in his previous life.

    No matter, it''s decided. If there is a need to adjust the team later, the first to consider for replacement would be that good-for-nothing woman, Chen Lingyun.

    "I think Lin Ning is fine, and Yun Jin..." Chen Lingyun contemplated for a moment and said, "As you previously mentioned, isn''t her personality a bit too soft? And she might not be willing to join the team."

    "I''m just going to talk to her," Yan Yu said indifferently. "See what she''s thinking."

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    If Chen Lingyun is the young miss of an official''s family, then Su Yunjin is the young miss of a family steeped in scholarly tradition.

    There''s a saying, "On both banks of the Yangtze River, there''s the only daughter of a household." Jiangbei Province, Jiangnan Province, Jianghai Prefecture¡ªthese places have historically been the homelands of weaving and significant sources of tax revenue. With plenty of money, there are naturally many scholars and officials.

    If it so happens that there''s an only daughter raised as the young miss in such a family, life is pretty much set to ''Easy Mode''; she wouldn''t have to worry for most of her life.

    Su Yunjin, who had barely suffered since childhood, maintained an indifferent and unconcerned attitude toward fame and wealth, influenced by her parents who were university professors.

    Her only hobby was reading books, specifically novels. Not the kind of online fiction used for stress relief by the masses, but serious literary works¡ªthe kind that would immediately induce a strong sense of drowsiness in Yan Yu as soon as he glanced at their contents.

    When Yan Yu found her in the library, Su Yunjin was sitting at a bright and clean spot by herself, quietly reading.

    The pleasant afternoon sunlight streamed through the window grilles, illuminating her black hair, her simple hairband, and her delicately beautiful profile. No matter from which angle it was captured, the scene was beautiful to behold.

    What was even more precious was that this wasn''t a deliberately posed shot¡ªSu Yunjin''s temperament was naturally like that of a classical beauty who seemed as if she had walked out of a painting, her every frown and smile carrying a delightfully enchanting charm.

    If it weren''t for the nuisance that was the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, this young miss would probably have had an even better life. What a pity.

    Yan Yu walked up to the table, pulled out the chair opposite her, sat down, and looked at the novel in her hands.

    "In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower", the author was Marcel Proust.

    Yan Yu didn''t attempt to recall who this author was, as he was absolutely certain that all his knowledge of foreign literature had already been returned to his middle school and high school Chinese teachers. Discover stories with empire

    "This book is a bit challenging to read," Su Yunjin put down the book and said softly, "Yan Yu, if you''re interested in foreign novels, I suggest you try ''The Count of Monte Cristo'' by Dumas."

    "If I have time, I''ll check it out," Yan Yu nodded, although he estimated that he might never find the time, even if he grew old enough to lie in a coffin, "Anyhow, is it convenient to talk now?"

    "Sure," Su Yunjin closed the book and pushed it aside, "What would you like to discuss?"

    "I wanted to ask about your life aspirations," Yan Yu asked casually, "Hmm... have you ever thought about experiencing a life you never imagined you''d have?"

    Su Yunjin blinked at him comically and suddenly burst into laughter before saying:

    "What kind of question is that? I''m living that kind of life right now, you know that I originally wanted to study Chinese Language and Literature, right?"

    "I mean, do you want to go a step further?" Yan Yu made a hand gesture for ''a step further'', "For example, how about we form a team and play around?"

    "A team?" Su Yunjin pondered for a moment, "Who would be the team leader? You or Ling Yun?"

    "Of course, it would be me," Yan Yu said, "Otherwise, it would be Chen Lingyun sitting here and extending the invitation to you now."

    "Sure," Su Yunjin said with a smile, "I''m in."

    She agreed way too quickly... Yan Yu asked without showing any sign of surprise:

    "And if Chen Lingyun was the team leader?"

    "Then I''d join too," Su Yunjin replied.

    "So, what difference does it make to you who the team leader is?" Yan Yu couldn''t help but laugh too.

    "There is a difference," Su Yunjin seriously said, "If Ling Yun were the team leader, I''d have my hesitations, but I would agree because I''d be uneasy about her facing danger lightly."

    "But if you were the team leader, I wouldn''t hesitate, because I trust that you wouldn''t let your team members take risks carelessly."

    Yan Yu looked at her in amazement, thinking that he hadn''t known Su Yunjin for that long, how could she trust him so much already?

    "Well, you have a pretty accurate judgment of people," he paused for a moment, then stood up, "Once you join my team, you''re one of my people. I won''t be the team leader if I can''t protect my members."

    "I''ll look for you again once the paperwork for forming the team is approved."

    "Alright," Su Yunjin nodded with a smile, picked up the novel beside her, and resumed her leisurely reading.

 Chapter 58 Teasing Lin Ning

    If Su Yunjin was nowhere to be seen, one could surely find her at the library.Lin Ning was another story. Yan Yu had to send a message to inquire and only then did he learn that she was practicing spellcasting at the Five Spells training ground.

    The Five Spells training ground was located inside a mountain because the Impact Curse, Flame Curse, and Curved Curse were all hazardous, so they had to be practiced in a training ground under 24-hour surveillance.

    In the Curved Curse practice area, Yan Yu saw an exhausted Lin Ning who seemed to have been practicing her punches and kicks at a target just moments before, and now she was bent over, hands on her thighs catching her breath in big gulps.

    Her black hair was tied up at the back of her head in a bun that didn''t hinder her movements, revealing a fair and charming neck. She wore a sports vest and shorts, already soaked with copious amounts of sweat, revealing her graceful and exquisite curves¡ªit was obvious that this girl had been training here for more than an hour.

    Yan Yu recalled a phrase from his past life used to describe Chen Lingyun as "boasting both cats and dogs." What did that mean?

    It meant Su Yunjin was like an elegant cat, who would accompany Chen Lingyun quietly and gently; Lin Ning was the loyal dog, who would carry out Chen Lingyun''s orders without fail...

    Damn, such two fine girls, both ruined by that damned woman!

    "Lin Ning, have you mastered all Five Spells?" Yan Yu greeted and asked her.

    "I''ve learned them all, just not very proficient yet," Lin Ning replied.

    "When you''re done practicing, I have something to discuss with you," Yan Yu sat down on the nearby resting bench.

    "What is it?" Lin Ning asked directly, stopping her training.

    "I''m forming a battle team and short of hands," Yan Yu invited bluntly, "are you interested?"

    "Is it official or private?" Lin Ning asked.

    "Of course, it''s official," Yan Yu replied surprised, "What could a private team do? Help you climb walls to skip classes and hit internet cafes?"

    Lin Ning gave a slight smile, then explained,

    "I thought it''s something like a private club, you know, like those popular second element themes nowadays¡­ um, like running a harem club at the university? Where there''s one male lead and all other members are pretty girls."

    "First of all, I believe that theme is usually about high school clubs," Yan Yu corrected her helplessly, "Secondly, it''s not a harem club, I''m not just picking pretty girls to join."

    "So how many girls are there in your team now?" Lin Ning raised an eyebrow and asked.

    "You, Chen Lingyun, Su Yunjin, Zhao Jiuzhen, that makes four girls..." Yan Yu paused momentarily, then defended, "That''s not the point, I value your abilities and potential, it''s just that you all happen to be pretty girls."

    Hmm, why does it feel like I''m digging myself deeper into a hole?

    Lin Ning, however, struggled to contain her laughter, turning her head to say,

    "Fine, I''ll accept that reason. Tell me more about this team and what exactly I would have to do after joining?"

    "The main responsibility of the team is to complete tasks assigned by superiors," Yan Yu said seriously, "The reason we operate as a squad is because the tasks are quite challenging, and the chances of success are not high if tackled alone."

    "I am the team leader, with Chen Lingyun as the deputy, so you members don''t have much to worry about. The tasks from the superiors will be dissected and detailed by us, assigning specific duties to everyone before distributing them among you."

    "So my understanding is," Lin Ning pondered and summarized, "that the team system is still in a trial phase, hence there isn''t a clear procedure and responsibility definition yet."

    "Pretty much," Yan Yu appreciated her comprehension, "On this path towards the unknown, we are the pioneers cutting through the thorns. Should troubles arise from all sides, while other cultivators obey their superiors, our team will definitely be at the forefront of danger, that much is certain."

    "I need to discuss it with my family," Lin Ning pondered, "When do you need my answer by?"

    "If you''re asking me," Yan Yu joked, "you better call them now and then tell me if you''re in or not."

    "Alright then." Lin Ning took his words seriously, directly picked up her phone beside her, and dialed a number, "Hello, dad?"

    What followed was a series of encrypted local dialect: all sorts of "good, good," "can do, can do," "don''t rely on demons!"... Yan Yu was utterly confused by what he heard, only seeing Lin Ning''s expression go from serious to somewhat embarrassed, and finally, extremely impatient as she hung up the phone.

    Then she looked up, her face void of emotion, and declared,

    "All right, I''m in."

    "...Although I don''t understand your local dialect," Yan Yu went silent for a while before speaking up, "Did your dad object to you joining the team?"

    "No," Lin Ning replied tightly, "He''s totally supportive."

    "But from the tone of your conversation, he didn''t seem supportive," Yan Yu expressed his serious doubts.

    "You understand Minnan?" Lin Ning asked him.

    "I don''t..."

    "Then what are you suspicious about?" Lin Ning immediately widened her eyes, resembling a growling, baring tigeress, with a fierce expression, "Or do you want me to call again, so you can confirm with him yourself?"

    "Forget it, I won''t meddle in your family affairs," Yan Yu raised his hands to surrender, "I''ll look for you again once the team formation procedures are approved."

    "Hmm." Lin Ning leaned back against the wall, standing on one foot and looking down without speaking, displaying a "I''m still angry" demeanor.

    "Well, Lin Ning," Yan Yu saw her sullen expression and suddenly felt an impulse, smiling as he said, "This weekend, I went to Shengjing with Chen Lingyun for an exchange meeting and met a female cultivator from the Annan Army named ''Li Minghu''."

    "Hmm, what about her?" Lin Ning asked, frowning.

    "You should be careful around her," Yan Yu said seriously, "I''ll go first, not to disturb your practice."

    Lin Ning: ???

    She wanted to ask something more, but Yan Yu had already disappeared in no time.

    So who is "Li Minghu"? And why should I be careful of her?

    The more Lin Ning thought about it, the less she understood, and the more puzzled she became, the more she wanted to figure it out, so she directly picked up her phone and messaged Yan Yu to ask him.

    No reply. So she messaged Chen Lingyun, and this time she got a quick response:

    "Oh, Li Minghu is a cultivator from the Annan Army, what''s up?"

    "Yan Yu told me to be careful of her," Lin Ning typed with a furrowed brow, "Why?"

    "Hmm," Chen Lingyun sent a smiling face emoji, "Maybe he''s warning you to be careful not to be eaten by her." Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Lin Ning''s frown deepened:

    "A lesbian?"

    "Hahahaha." Chen Lingyun sent a row of laughing emojis, "No, just kidding with you, don''t mind it."

    How could I possibly not mind it! Lin Ning quickly displayed her typing speed, sending more probing messages to Chen Lingyun.

    However, Chen Lingyun''s telling her "not to mind" was precisely because she knew that Lin Ning would mind, given her character, so why would she explain anything at this point? She deliberately left her messages on read without replying.

    Lin Ning had no other choice but to message Su Yunjin.

    "I don''t know~" Su Yunjin replied.

    "You definitely know!" Lin Ning became annoyed and indignant, "Yun Jin, every time you want to hide something, you like to end with interjections like ''ya'', ''ah'', ''la'' and the like!"

    "Haha." Su Yunjin replied with a smiley face emoji, "I know this is just Yan Yu teasing you, but if I explain it clearly, you will definitely get angry, so isn''t it better to not delve into it?"

    "I won''t get angry," Lin Ning replied.

    "That''s not certain." Su Yunjin typed slowly, "Lin Ning, do you still remember why you went to get a certificate for standard Mandarin?"

    Of course Lin Ning remembered. Previously, when Su Yunjin visited her dorm, she found a Grade A, Level One certificate for standard Mandarin on her shelf and had asked her why she wanted the certificate.

    "Because during my first year of high school, I went to Pingjing for a summer camp, and they mocked my Mandarin for not being standard," Lin Ning replied gloomily, "So I had to get the Mandarin certificate to prove them wrong."

    "Actually, it''s because they said, ''People from Minhai can''t differentiate between the sounds of ''fu'' and ''hu'', right?" Su Yunjin typed back, "Lin Ning, you''re a bit sensitive about regional jokes, but I''m sure Yan Yu meant no harm with his joke, so how about not taking it to heart?"

    "Don''t call me Little Lin Ning!" Lin Ning typed angrily, paused for a moment, then quickly deleted the line, and continued to type:

    "So Yan Yu is making regional digs at me?"

    "Uh." Su Yunjin realized she might have made things worse, "No, why would you think that?"

    "I''m going to find him!"

 Chapter 59 Secretary Lin Is Best at Playing Dumb

    When Yan Yu found Zhao Yuanzhen, she was lying in her dormitory, watching videos on her phone."There''s something," Yan Yu said as he came to her bed.

    "What is it?" Zhao Yuanzhen continued to lie on her bed, lazily adjusted her position, and kept staring at her phone.

    "You talk to me with that attitude?" Yan Yu narrowed his eyes.

    "What else?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked absentmindedly.

    A mere thief, now that I''m no longer seeking your protection in your cave abode, what can you hold over me?

    "Since that''s the case, I can only report to Master," Yan Yu turned to leave, "Such an ignorant creature, huh..."

    Zhao Yuanzhen jerked into action, flipping off the bed at lightning speed and grabbing onto Yan Yu''s lower leg.

    "Master has commanded, and this humble girl dares not disobey!" She swore and cursed, all but ready to spill her guts on the spot, "Please allow this humble girl to toil like a dog or horse!"

    "Bullshit, you also dare to call him ''Master''? Just go back and wait for death," Yan Yu disdainfully pushed her hand away. Zhao Yuanzhen took the opportunity to get up, shamelessly wrapped her arms around his waist, and wouldn''t let him go.

    Seeing her clinginess, Yan Yu realized the Demonic Sect Enchantress was indeed afraid, and he softened his tone as he spoke:

    "Master''s predictions encompass heaven and earth, peering into the divine secrets. He foresees that next month, the Linghai will surge, and famous mountains and rivers will emerge one after another. This is the ''Bewitching Heart Guardian'' era; the world will become turbulent. He commands us to prepare immediately."

    "I will certainly prepare!" Zhao Yuanzhen said, her voice filled with excitement as she clenched her fist.

    "Do you know what preparation?" Yan Yu scoffed at her, "You don''t know anything and still dare to say ''certainly''?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen was momentarily speechless at his words, then she hehe laughed and said:

    "You and I are dual cultivation partners. Whatever Master entrusts you with, I''ll follow along."

    Her response was logical and well-founded, and even Yan Yu couldn''t find fault with it, so he said stiffly:

    "If someone from above comes and asks whether you want to join my battle team, just agree to it¡ªdon''t cause me any trouble!"

    "Understood, understood," Zhao Yuanzhen nodded repeatedly.

    Only after Yan Yu had left the dorm did her expression suddenly turn serious.

    Bewitching Heart Guardian, an era of great contention¡ªZhao Yuanzhen might not have witnessed it firsthand, but she had already glimpsed some clues from ancient texts.

    With the lands in upheaval and a hundred years'' worth of continents submerged, one has to swim against the tide to fight for that slim chance of survival!

    Mei Yingxue, wait until my demonic skills are fully accomplished, and that will be the day you hand over your life!

    Wahahahahahaha!

    No sooner had Yan Yu left the dormitory building than he saw Lin Ning running over hurriedly from the opposite direction.

    The girl was still dressed in a sports bra and shorts, with a shirt thrown over her shoulders, and her tied-up ponytail had come undone, adding a natural, untamed beauty to her pure appearance.

    "Yan Yu!" Lin Ning called breathlessly, "Stop right there!"

    "I wasn''t planning to run," Yan Yu asked with a frown, "What do you want?"

    "You, you, you..." Lin Ning took a while to catch her breath before angrily asking, "What you told me before was about... regional discrimination, wasn''t it (lia)?"

    Yan Yu: ???

    "What regional discrimination?" he asked, puzzled, "Minhai''s economy is thriving, there are plenty of handsome men and beautiful women, and the Min language sounds pleasant. Plus, Minhai produced you, an outstanding young cultivator like Lin Ning. Why would I discriminate against the people of Minhai? This is nonsensical!" S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Uh." Lin Ning was at a loss for words.

    "Speaking of that, I was actually looking for you," Yan Yu said seriously, "Since you''ve joined our battle team, there are some tasks I need to entrust you with."

    "Our team''s roster is now set, you go report the list to Instructor Qi Changping and then ask him what procedures and processes we need to follow to establish our team and what materials we need. You''ll be responsible for taking care of all of that for me."

    "Ah, right now?" Lin Ning asked in surprise.

    "Right now? Where''s your head at!" Yan Yu scolded her, "Are you planning on going out soaked in sweat? Hurry back and take a shower and change clothes!"

    "I''m on it!" Lin Ning immediately ran towards the direction of the dormitory building.

    Upon returning to her room and shedding her sweat-drenched clothes, Lin Ning twisted up her long hair at the back of her head, covered it with a shower cap, and then began showering.

    The call with her father hadn''t really touched on much about the military; after all, he couldn''t distinguish between "military academy training" and "joining a team," so he just said, "It''s up to you to decide."

    What really irritated Lin Ning was that her father had started asking her again whether she was in a relationship.

    It''s been less than a month since I started school!

    The nudging, always nudging! It makes me want to curse out of irritation. How many times do I have to say it? Right now I only want to become a qualified cultivator as soon as possible; I have no time to think about anything extra, hmph.

    After quickly washing up, Lin Ning stood in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection for a while.

    Alright, I''ve joined the team, I need to work hard too!

    Lin Ning patted her cheeks, and silently made up her mind.

    Cleaned and dressed in simple sports pants, a shirt, and canvas shoes, with her hair tied back into a ponytail, Lin Ning left the dorm building and headed for the administrative building where the instructors were located.

    "Oh?" After hearing Lin Ning''s report, Qi Changping was also very surprised.

    Chen Lingyun, Su Yunjin, Zhao Jiuzhen, and Lin Ning¡ªOi, Yan Yu, is everyone on your team besides yourself a girl?

    This isn''t necessarily a problem. Our Lu Country''s traditional spirit is "Women can hold up half the sky," although your team seems to be holding up two skies, which is indeed a bit outrageous... Oh! I get it now! No wonder you insisted on absolute control over team personnel¡ªit''s for the casting couch, isn''t it?

    Kid, you''re really playing the field!

    Having strong suspicions about this, Qi Changping obviously couldn''t make baseless accusations, so he could only hint subtly to Lin Ning by saying:

    "If you suffer in the team, you can report to us instructors."

    If it were Chen Lingyun or Su Yunjin here, they might have grasped his implication, but Lin Ning, with her straightforward personality, was not one to overthink. Upon hearing this, she responded seriously:

    "Please rest assured, Instructor. As a soldier, no matter how much hardship I face or how tired I get, it''s no excuse for grievance or complaint!"

    Qi Changping: .........

    He scrutinized Lin Ning''s expression carefully, saw that she apparently had no other intention, pondered for a moment, and quickly came to an understanding.

    This girl''s naivety is almost like being clueless. If Yan Yu were to take a fancy to her, wouldn''t she be devoured without leaving any scraps behind? She might even end up giving herself to him and then ask her family for a dowry.

    "How''s your relationship with Chen Lingyun?" Qi Changping asked again.

    "It''s pretty good," Lin Ning responded, not understanding the reason for the question, and then quickly added, "Instructor, about the procedures for establishing the team..."

    "Ah, wait a moment. Let me get a form for you." Qi Changping thought to himself that knowing each other was fine¡ªif anyone in the team could stop Yan Yu, it would definitely be Chen Lingyun, for this girl''s strength lies not within the team, but without. "Fill out this form, have all team members sign at the bottom, and submit it to the archive room in Building 2...

    No, forget that, I''ll go submit it. Just hand it to me once you''ve gathered all the signatures."

    "Sure." Lin Ning started to study the form.

    "And, tell Yan Yu something for me," Qi Changping continued, "He''ll have the team''s absolute personnel authority if the higher-ups agree to it, on the condition that he wins battles."

    "Sure," Lin Ning, of course, understood what "the team''s absolute personnel authority" meant, but she didn''t read too much into it. Or perhaps, up to this point, the impression Yan Yu had left on her wasn''t bad, and it didn''t make her interpret it in that way, "I''ll tell him."

    "Mhmm." Qi Changping sighed inwardly, but he didn''t continue with the hints.

    All he could hope for now was that Yan Yu would behave honorably and not end up causing all the girls in the team to become pregnant, igniting a major scandal, and eventually dragging the instructors into the mess.

 Chapter 60 Red Horned Creature at 3x Speed

    Zhendong Army had authorized Yan Yu to form a combat team, and naturally, the other military forces would not fall behind.Lingnan Province''s Royal Palace of the Annan National Defense Academy soon appointed Li Zhaojiang as the team captain and Li Minghu as the vice-captain. The siblings were tasked with selecting members.

    The first thing to do after the team was formed was to play the recordings of the four-institute exchange matches for everyone, with the vice-captain Li Minghu personally explaining and reviewing the footage.

    "You don''t need to watch the other fights." Knowing his brother was thin-skinned and cared about his face, Li Minghu clicked on the video, immediately dragged the mouse to the very end, "I understand everyone''s time is precious, we should only watch the one with the most technical content."

    "The final round bout between Yan Yu and Liu Longtao." Li Zhaojiang nodded with feigned seriousness, "Indeed, it is worth detailed study."

    The team members kept silent. In fact, everyone knew the captain had lost all three of his fights, but no one was foolish enough to point that out.

    The video quickly came to an end, totaling less than 10 seconds.

    Yan Yu first stepped back to evade the attack, then followed with a Curved Curse Punch that made Liu Longtao stagger.

    Then he pretended to use the Runescript to fool Liu Longtao into casting the Barrier Charm, and then he switched from clapping hands to Iron Mountain Lean, returning to the Curved Curse, sending Liu Longtao flying once more.

    It was over.

    "Now that we have watched it, what are your thoughts?" Li Minghu paused the video and summarized with a smile, "I believe Yan Yu''s victory in this battle is due to both conventional and unorthodox factors."

    "The unorthodox factor lies in the fact that his two successful attacks both involved outsmarting Liu Longtao''s Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse using the Wood Bending Charm. With wood overpowering earth, the Barrier Charm is forcibly broken, and the areas it hits will suffer obstructed meridians and sealed acupoints, which unless cleared with the Runescript, hinder the circulation of qi."

    "So in the future, when we cast the Five Spells, we must pay attention to the interplay of the five elements. If your opponent has closed in on you and you still foolishly use the Barrier Charm for defense, a single Curved Curse can have you sprawling on the ground."

    "As for the conventional aspect, the reason he was able to land his attacks was that his sheer capability truly overwhelmed Liu Longtao. Do you know in which aspect?"

    "It''s his spell switching speed," said Li Zhaojiang with a cool, expressionless face.

    "Exactly, it''s his spell switching speed," Li Minghu said with a smile, dragging the mouse to rewind the footage, "Look here."

    She replayed the video at 0.5x speed for everyone:

    "Here Yan Yu is already in close range, why doesn''t Liu Longtao quickly end the Barrier Charm?"

    "Because he is afraid it won''t be fast enough," continued Li Zhaojiang.

    "Yes, even at 0.5x speed, you can see that Yan Yu''s closing speed is extremely fast, something that can''t be achieved by Cloud Ascension Technique alone," said Li Minghu with a nod, "He must have used the Shifting Technique, leveraging its high speed to close in on Liu Longtao, braking with the Cloud Ascension Technique upon getting close, and then switching back to the Curved Curse."

    "All these actions were completed in a flash, so from Liu Longtao''s perspective, there was virtually no gap between Yan Yu closing in and casting the Curved Curse, making it hard to defend in advance."

    "If he then tried to end the Barrier Charm, in all likelihood, he wouldn''t have been able to carry out the next move in time, and would have been hit by the attack from the Curved Curse, hence he was forced to use the Barrier Charm to block. The result was the curse being broken and the meridians becoming obstructed; but what if he had tried to switch spells? Then he''d probably be killed instantly." S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Seeing everyone deep in thought, Li Minghu added:

    "I''ve calculated specifically based on this video. Yan Yu''s spell switching speed is three times faster than the average cultivator. Meaning, in the time it takes us to switch one spell, he could easily switch three."

    "In all martial arts, no defense is indestructible, only speed is unbreakable. With such a rapid change of moves, if you can''t keep up, then no matter what you do, he will instantly switch to a countering technique. In this way, you would have no chance of victory whatsoever."

    "Hahaha." Seeing his teammates'' expressions of shock and to prevent them from losing their fighting spirit, Li Zhaojiang cracked a joke, "If Yan Yu dyed his hair the eight colors of the gods and styled it into a Xiaolan, wouldn''t he be a red-horned triple-speed?"

    This meme was so abruptly put together that none of his teammates got the joke, and Li Minghu quickly explained:

    "Therefore, the main focus of our team''s upcoming training schedule is the joint practice of the Three Arts and Five Spells.

    Everyone must master the execution of the Three Arts and Five Spells to the point of instinct and use proficiency to increase their speed of improvising new moves¡ªof course, we''re not expecting the freakish level of skill showcased by Yan Yu, but at the very least, when we face him in the future, we shouldn''t be taken down within a few moves."

    The team members all nodded and took note.

    Find adventures on empire

    Now that all four armies have formed their teams, there is a subtle relationship between cooperation and competition. With the four-college exchange competition taking place, who''s to say there won''t be friendly matches between the four teams in the future? Using Yan Yu as a training target is most certainly the right decision.

    Under the leadership of Li Minghu, the Annan Army team quickly set its training goals for the near future.

    Meanwhile, at the Pingxi National Defense Academy located in Shuzhong Prefecture of Nanchuan Province, team captain Zhou Hongyu sat in silence, letting vice captain Zhang Huaide play the video to the end.

    "The most impressive thing about Yan Yu is his change-up speed, which far exceeds the average level," Zhang Huaide concluded, "If it''s a one-on-one fight, it''s nearly impossible to beat him, even if one fights desperately¡­"

    "Alright, alright." Seeing him address the uncomfortable truth, Tang Xiaolian hurriedly interrupted him, "We don''t need to talk about one-on-one fights; the power discrepancy is clear. Everyone just needs to practice hard afterwards. Talk about what to do in team combat."

    "Team combat is much simpler," Zhang Huaide replied, "Yan Yu might be able to change moves at triple speed, but his teammates might not be able to keep up with him; that way, they cannot combine their attacks effectively."

    "If he chooses to coordinate with his teammates, then he would have to give up his own advantage, equivalent to handicapping himself; considering his quick move changes, he doesn''t really need to combine attacks with others, so I tend to think that in team fights, he will opt to go solo."

    "Once he goes solo, our tactical focus should be on finding ways to isolate Yan Yu from his teammates. The specific tactics can be adapted to the situation and change according to the circumstances, but generally, they will definitely lean towards this direction."

    "By isolating Yan Yu, whether we choose to first gnaw away at this toughest stone or prioritize knocking his teammates out of the game, we will have a lot of options afterward."

    "Enough," Zhou Hongyu was actually already impatient, but her resentment towards Yan Yu suppressed her impulsive irritation. Now that Zhang Huaide had finished his analysis, she immediately slammed the table and declared, "Regardless of how the tactics change, without strength, it''s all in vain!"

    "From now on, everybody needs to practice fiercely!"

    "Okay!" The teammates responded in unison.

    Over at the Dingbei National Defense College, Liu Longtao was sitting alone in his office, watching the video on his computer, dragging the progress bar forward with his right hand, playing it, then dragging it, and playing it again, repeatedly.

    His left hand rested beside the keyboard, silently clenched into a fist.

    Ye Jun brought over some tea, and seeing him watching the video of his own defeat by Yan Yu in two moves, she paused for a moment before placing the tea beside him.

    "Thank you," Liu Longtao said softly.

    "You''re welcome," Ye Jun replied quietly.

    She quickly turned to leave the office, and only when she was out did she quietly pull out her phone and opened the video of the four-college exchange competition.

    This video was secretly requested by Ye Jun from the instructor and Liu Longtao was not made aware of it.

    After watching the video several times from beginning to end, she let out a quiet sigh and dragged it into a newly created "Tactics" folder, then added a password.

 Chapter 61 First Round of Girl Group Practice

    ```Chen Lingyun, Su Yunjin, Lin Ning, and Zhao Yuanzhen stood at the front of the Cloud Ascension Technique training ground¡ªthe area behind was scattered with an assortment of low walls, rooftops, and obstacles simulating an urban environment.

    Yan Yu casually strolled past the girls with his hands clasped behind his back, as if he were a general inspecting his troops.

    "Since everyone is already acquainted with one another, we''ll skip the round of introductions this time." Finally, he came to a stop in front of everyone and asked in a deep voice, "Does anyone know the original purpose of establishing our war team?"

    "Is it to open your harem?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    "Shut up!" Yan Yu quickly pointed and ordered coldly, "Cause any more trouble, and you''re out of the team! Lin Ning, you speak."

    "Yes." Lin Ning immediately answered earnestly, "As military professionals, cultivators have limited ability when fighting alone. The original purpose of our war team was to complete those more difficult, teamwork-requiring, and arduous combat missions. This is my personal understanding."

    "The meaning is more or less the same." Yan Yu nodded slightly and said, "We are the first tactical squad sanctioned by the Zhendong Army to investigate how to more effectively employ organized supernatural force, to defeat, crush, and kill our enemies."

    "To put it bluntly, it''s about winning! Victory alone is the goal we pursue!"

    The girls did not speak, merely looking at him quietly.

    Yan Yu paused for a moment before continuing:

    "There''s no feminism on the battlefield, and the enemy won''t go easy on you just because you are women. The higher-ups also won''t adopt more lenient evaluation standards due to your gender."

    "If we win, it''s ''women are as good as men, and the girls are all capable''; if we lose, it''s ''those women really aren''t cut out for war, and the place for women in battle is in the maternity ward.''... Sorry, I''m just that blunt.

    But if you lose, there will undoubtedly be those who come to question me, saying I recruited beautiful women into the team ''to open a harem.'' That kind of vile remark, I can tolerate, can you?"

    "Absolutely not!" Zhao Yuanzhen said loudly, glancing sideways at Chen Lingyun, who was still smiling, and threatening ominously, "If anyone dares to mention harems again, you don''t need to act; I''ll deal with her myself!"

    "You shut up too!" Yan Yu pointed again and scolded Zhao Yuanzhen, "Who asked you?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen sulked privately, holding a silent grudge:

    "This scoundrel dared to scold and chastise me in front of everyone today; I shall have my revenge! If a day comes when I call the shots, I too shall humiliate him severely in front of everyone. I''ll make him weep bitterly beneath my pomegranate skirt and be unable to lift his head!"

    Seeing the Demonic Sect Enchantress bow her head in submission, Yan Yu didn''t continue to berate her to stir up enmity, but casually spoke:

    "Starting today, you won''t need to attend the usual afternoon training sessions. As team leader, I''ve been given the authority to design and organize the team''s training exercises."

    "Considering your current level of strength, I''ve decided to skip actual combat training for the first session, and we''ll start from the simplest exercises."

    Yan Yu turned towards the Cloud Ascension Technique training ground and pointed to a low wall erected there, saying: Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "From this position, initiate Shifting Technique at full sprint towards the low wall, then interrupt the Shifting Technique and come to a stop using the Cloud Ascension Technique."

    "My requirement is that when you come to a stop with the Cloud Ascension Technique, your position must be as close to the low wall as possible¡ªclose enough that with an arm''s length, you could touch the wall. Once you can do that, this training is considered complete."

    Everyone started to ponder the task.

    Once Shifting Technique is initiated, the sprinting speed can reach around 60 yards. Charging towards an obstacle at that speed is extremely risky because even a slight delay in decelerating could result in a direct collision, resulting in a bloody injury.

    Not to mention, the "deceleration" Yan Yu referred to is actually two consecutive actions: first, interrupting the Shifting Technique, then activating the Cloud Ascension Technique, instantly making the operation much more difficult.

    However, the girls harbored no complaints.

    Chen Lingyun considered herself extremely clever, and of course, she could see that Yan Yu''s arrangement was meant to train their reaction ability and speed in switching spells.

    Su Yunjin was also smart, thinking that if they really mastered this, it would afford them a considerable advantage in actual combat, as moving at high speed while maintaining precise positioning would be unmatched.

    Your journey continues with empire

    And Lin Ning was even simpler. With a typical problem-solver mentality, she thought, "You tell me how to train, I train, and that''s it. If I perform poorly in the end, it''s because I didn''t train enough."

    ```

    Everyone had their first try and then looked at each other''s scores: Su Yunjin 2.3 meters, Lin Ning 2.2 meters, Chen Lingyun 1.4 meters... This woman, as Yan Yu knew from his past life, had nearly perfect timing, barely missing touching the wall''s surface with more proficiency.

    However, the most surprising to the three girls was Zhao Yuanzhen.

    She stopped exactly an arm''s length away from the short wall, stretching out her right hand to touch it, and calmly turned her head towards Yan Yu, displaying a disdainful expression:

    "Is this good enough?"

    Yan Yu was not surprised by her performance, since Zhao Yuanzhen was, after all, a cultivator who had traveled through from another world and was accustomed to using sword flight for long journeys.

    Because it was sword flight, the grasp of timing and distance had to be perfect; otherwise, one might not be able to stop in time when landing and would end up face-planting into the dirt, completely losing their immortal dignity.

    "Very good," Yan Yu said with his arms crossed over his chest, "You''ve passed the first training exercise."

    Chen Lingyun wasn''t surprised by this, and Su Yunjin appeared indifferent, but Lin Ning felt as if she''d been struck by lightning.

    Not being able to surpass Yan Yu and take first place was one thing, but now Zhao Yuanzhen could leave her far behind?

    Lin Ning looked at the short wall again, her heart now filled with the motivation to continue training, wishing she could treat this exercise like the annual university entrance exam papers of all provinces, brushing through a hundred sets of them first.

    "So what?" As expected of the Demonic Sect Enchantress, as Yan Yu predicted, Zhao Yuanzhen started getting carried away. She lifted her delicate chin flirtatiously and asked contemptuously, "What other training is there? Bring it on for me to savor."

    "Easy to say, the second exercise is very simple," Yan Yu sneered, "Fight me."

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    On the 10th defeat, Zhao Yuanzhen was struck in the back by Yan Yu''s palm and immediately lost control of her body, staggering forward and almost tumbling to the ground.

    She barely managed to stabilize herself and struggled to regulate her breathing, feeling pain all over her body.

    Yan Yu hadn''t even used the Flame Curse or the Curved Curse, just the Shifting Technique and the Cloud Ascension Technique to control the distance and move laterally, easily confusing and overwhelming Zhao Yuanzhen.

    Of course, the Demonic Sect Enchantress didn''t think it was her fault ¨C she blamed the slow resurgence of spiritual energy in this world!

    Zhao Yuanzhen glared at Yan Yu hatefully, not having time to accumulate more resentment toward him in her heart, as her mind instantly conjured up seven or eight cunning spells that could ignore his agile movements and defeat him easily.

    However, she couldn''t use any of them.

    Not only because the current concentration of spiritual energy in the environment was insufficient for their normal potency, but also because even if she cast them, she would have no way to explain to her teammates "where she had learned these spells from."

    The only ones she could use openly were the Three Arts and Five Spells.

    Both the Three Arts and Five Spells were considered basic spells in Zhao Yuanzhen''s world of cultivation, consuming very little True Yuan and having mediocre power; usually, only Taoists in rural Taoist temples would practice them to deceive the nearby villagers.

    How maddening! What proper cultivator would specialize in these? And yet I still can''t beat him!

    Wait, could it be that his master taught him some kind of divination skills? Like, predicting my moves in advance¡­ something like that?

    Zhao Yuanzhen was shocked, thinking about the promised fair fight, but this was like cheating with divination!

    With the Five Elemental True Character Curse''s inter-promoting and inter-restricting nature, if you predict my moves in advance, how could I possibly defeat you?

    "No more fighting!" she said huffily, "Keep being shameless! Hmph, so what if you win, I still look down on you!"

    Yan Yu: ???

    Though he wasn''t sure what the Demonic Sect Enchantress had misunderstood, it seemed best to beat her up first and then inquire what was confused in her mind.

 Chapter 62 Consulting Teacher Yan

    The first day''s training session consisted of performing precise emergency stops while augmented by the Shifting Technique.The second day''s training session still focused on precise emergency stops.

    The third day''s training session was, once again, all about precise emergency stops.

    The fourth day... Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin were fine, but Lin Ning was becoming somewhat restless.

    It wasn''t that she found the exercise boring, but rather because at the public training ground, an instructor had invited combat experts to teach the students military combat techniques.

    As everyone knows, the Wood Bending Charm in the Five Elemental True Character Curse isn''t inherently offensive; it merely bestows strength upon fists and kicks. To unleash its lethal potential, you have to be skilled with your fists and feet.

    Having strength without technique is useless; if your blows don''t land, it''s all for naught.

    But Yan Yu¡ªwhat was he thinking? At least for now, he didn''t seem to have any plans to let everyone learn hand-to-hand combat and was idly lying on a bench nearby, playing with his phone.

    He didn''t even come over to check on everyone''s progress, appearing completely unconcerned.

    Lin Ning was beginning to get angry, but she tried her best to contain it.

    If Yan Yu knew what was on her mind, he would surely cry out "injustice" three times. Because he wasn''t just playing on his phone, he was, in fact, dealing with something much more important.

    The future Eclipse Queen of Siberia, Anna, had already left Shengjing and Lu Country with her father, emigrating to Amur in the Far Eastern region of Rakshasa Country.

    Anna met her mother... But contrary to her expectations, her mother''s attitude was not warm. Though her mother had initially promised her father to help find a job, she now claimed to be "too busy" and suggested he "first ask around in the local Chinese community".

    Luckily, Anna still had her aunt''s phone number, and after calling, she learned that recently, her mother had been dating a local Rakshasa man and was preparing for a second marriage.

    The young girl''s guess was that her mother intended to cut ties completely with her ex-husband and daughter, so as not to let her Rakshasa boyfriend notice and get the wrong idea.

    The biggest challenge now facing the father and daughter was whether to return to their country and endure the criticism of relatives and friends, or to struggle to make a living in a foreign land where everything was unfamiliar.

    Anna was extremely fearful of the latter, but her father absolutely refused to choose the former. Both were worrying about what to do next and tacitly avoiding the issue that the father had previously been confident that his ex-wife would help arrange the emigration and jobs, even delaying his daughter''s future because of it, only to eventually find out it was all wishful thinking on his part.

    This turn of events had put a great deal of psychological pressure on Anna, and of course, she dared not vent at her father, knowing that his own mental strain would only be greater than hers. So, she turned to Yan Yu as her confidant.

    Yan Yu silently stared at the phone. In just a few minutes, he had received over 40 messages from Anna. He didn''t even want to look at them.

    Women are such a hassle.

    Of course, since he had decided to maintain a friendship with her, he definitely couldn''t give up halfway; otherwise, all the effort he had put in so far would be wasted.

    Yan Yu, lying back on the bench, responded with half-hearted typing, pressed the send button, set aside his phone, and then saw a pretty face in front of him that had appeared out of nowhere.

    It was Lin Ning''s face, with a look of dissatisfaction.

    Yan Yu''s gaze naturally shifted downward and saw that she was standing at the edge of the bench, hands on her hips, upper body leaning down towards him with a puffed expression, locking eyes with him.

    Today she wore hot denim shorts that highlighted her pale, model-worthy legs that could grace the cover of an online shop, and a sleeveless tank top that revealed half of the sports bra underneath along the edges of the straps. Her shoulders were equally smooth and well-defined, complete with her delicate and slender collarbones.

    Such a beautiful girl could easily have had a comfortable life in this modern society where looks matter so much. Even if she just went to a live streaming platform to become a female broadcaster, she could instantly have the top patron raining down gold coins on her.

    Too bad, she ultimately chose to enter the fiercely competitive and least superficial world of cultivators... Curse you, Spiritual Energy Resurgence! You''ve ruined so many lives!

    Yan Yu was distracted. Perhaps because his gaze lingered too long, Lin Ning self-consciously adjusted her tank top''s strap to cover more skin on her chest, then, still adjusting the strap, she asked,

    "They''re teaching hand-to-hand combat over there; do we not need to learn that?"

    "No need," Yan Yu answered.

    "Why?" Lin Ning asked doubtfully. "Wouldn''t the skills from hand-to-hand combat be very helpful after learning the Curved Curse?"

    "Not really," Yan Yu said dismissively. "What do you think hand-to-hand combat skills are based on?"

    "Er, aren''t they summarized from actual combat experience by our predecessors?" Lin Ning said uncertainly.

    "Exactly," Yan Yu nodded. "Whose actual combat? Ordinary people."

    "The hand-to-hand combat techniques used by the military nowadays, instructing you on how to position yourself, how to punch, are all aimed to allow you to make the most of the power of your waist, abdomen, and arms to make your punches stronger and more forceful."

    "But as I have said, these are concerns for ordinary people. With the empowerment of the Wood Bending Charm, a cultivator can greatly enhance their muscle strength. You don''t need to rely on the power of your waist and abdomen; once you activate the charm, a casual punch could shatter an opponent''s skull or rupture their internal organs, causing instant death.

    Is there any need to go to the trouble of learning the stances and punches of ordinary people then?"

    "But what if the opponent is also a cultivator?" Lin Ning felt almost convinced but still confirmed, "I remember you said that before practicing the Wood Bending Charm, it would be best to go through the military boxing, right? If both sides are cultivators, fighting in close combat with charms, wouldn''t it come down to whose combat skills are more sophisticated?"

    "Of course," said Yan Yu leisurely. "If you throw punches wildly and can''t even hit the opponent standing in front of you, it''s necessary to at least learn the basics to reach a passing level."

    "But after reaching the passable level, is it necessary to delve deeper into it? This is a question worth discussing. Lin Ning, ask yourself, do you like hand-to-hand combat?"

    "I..." Lin Ning thought to herself that she was a girl; how could she possibly enjoy fistfights, "but isn''t it true that the Wood Bending Charm, which can counter the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse, is a skill that every cultivator must master?"

    "That''s the case now, but it might not be in the future," Yan Yu said calmly, guessing her true answer from her avoidance of the question, "If I tell you now, you wouldn''t understand anyway, just trust me."

    Just as the insects of summer cannot comprehend the ice and snow of winter, early cultivators of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence era couldn''t imagine the extravagant scenes of later periods, with Immortal Swords flying everywhere and Taoism Method sweeping across the battlefield.

    The Three Arts and Five Spells being studied now are only basic spells, and there will be stronger advanced spells later on, so it''s unnecessary to invest too much effort in researching them. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The Metal-Element Impact Curse is a precursor to Sword Qi, Wood Bending Charm and Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse are precursors to physical cultivation, while the Water-Element Runescript and Fire Blazing Charm are precursors to Taoism Method.

    As the spiritual energy gradually recovers, the number of sects and spells will be too numerous to count, which is why it''s crucial for everyone to make choices and sacrifices.

    One cannot simultaneously be a sword cultivator, a spell caster, and a body cultivator, just as a high school student cannot choose both arts and sciences. What good does it do to learn and test in three comprehensive courses in high school? People won''t think you''re amazing; they''ll just think you''re an idiot who has fried their brain with excessive studying.

    In her previous life, Lin Ning was a sword cultivator and performed exceptionally well, so she really didn''t need to delve into hand-to-hand combat skills.

    If the goal now is to maximize the value of training, then it would certainly be best to practice the basics, to improve reaction speed, and to cultivate a sense of distance, direction, and spatial awareness¡ªthese are the things that retain substantial practical value in the later stages of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence.

    Lin Ning came over and asked a flurry of questions but didn''t get any answer; she went back with nothing except a vague assurance of "just trust me."

    Yan Yu continued to play with his phone. Not long after, someone poked his shoulder.

    Putting down his phone, he saw it was Chen Lingyun, that rubbish woman.

    Unlike Lin Ning, who was in a tank top, shorts, and sneakers, Chen Lingyun had chosen a white women''s blouse for the day, with a tie affixed to the shirt by a brooch, and pants with a sense of design, along with canvas shoes that female university students are particularly fond of.

    Her hair was tied into cute twin ponytails, making her look not like she was here for training but rather like she was here for a spring outing. Coupled with her innocent yet insincere smiling face, Yan Yu found her increasingly disagreeable no matter how he looked at her.

    "What is it?" he asked deliberately in a threatening and unfriendly tone. "Is your training done? If it''s not, what are you doing here? Slacking off, right? As the assistant squad leader, you dare to be lazy; be careful, or I''ll strip you of your title!"

    "It''s not slacking off; I have a serious question for you," Chen Lingyun said with a smile. "As for the assistant squad leader, you can replace me; I don''t care."

    "What serious question?" Yan Yu sat up from the bench.

    "Yan Yu, you''ve heard of the ''Assistant Enforcer Spellcaster,'' haven''t you?" Chen Lingyun blinked.

 Chapter 63 The Assistant Enforcer of the Sword of Law

    "Assistant Sword Control Envoy?" Yan Yu was slightly surprised, his thoughts whirling. "Is it already time to choose professions? That''s not right, it''s only June!""From my understanding, ''Taoism Method,'' ''Swordsmanship,'' ''Assistant,'' and ''Enforcer'' refer to four different combat schools within the cultivators." Chen Lingyun sat down beside him, relaying the intelligence she had learned.

    "The Taoism Method refers to bombardment and suppression through Taoist techniques; Swordsmanship involves attacking with Flying Swords and Sword Control Techniques; Assistant signifies augmenting one''s own combat abilities using treasures, Talismans, Elixir Medicines, and other external aids; Enforcer is about controlling and commanding other external forces in battle, such as spiritual beasts, Poisonous Insects, Demons, ghosts, and so on."

    "That''s right, it''s more or less like that," Yan Yu nodded. "So, you''re here to ask which school is better to choose?"

    "Yep," Chen Lingyun didn''t bother hiding it. "The concept of these combat schools has already been assigned to an expert group for research."

    "Although I don''t know when we''ll have a systematized theory of professions, in view of the current situation, which is likely to get increasingly worse, the higher-ups may have us make choices before the research is fully understood."

    "What''s on your mind, then?" Yan Yu asked her.

    "I want to choose the Taoism Method," Chen Lingyun said straightforwardly.

    "The Taoism Method isn''t suitable for you," Yan Yu replied without hesitation.

    "Oh? Why do you say that?" Chen Lingyun raised an eyebrow and smiled.

    "The main combat method of the Taoism Method is Taoist techniques," Yan Yu said indifferently. "Among the four schools, Taoist techniques on average consume the most True Yuan."

    "Your natural talent isn''t high, and your total amount of True Yuan is relatively limited. If you insist on choosing the Taoism Method, when facing cultivators of the same realm, your disadvantage of insufficient True Yuan will be magnified manifold."

    "What you''re saying isn''t wrong," Chen Lingyun was still smiling. "But having insufficient True Yuan isn''t a fatal weakness, right? I can compensate with careful calculation and grasping the right timing."

    "So what?" Yan Yu looked at her sidelong, replying with a cold laugh. "A cripple, no matter how fast he can run with the aid of a device, how can he compete on the same stage with a professional athlete? You''re not looking for your strengths, but, instead, you want to strengthen your weaknesses and then insist on competing with others with your weakness.

    Are you not used to being at a disadvantage, or is your head filled with water that you need to stuff some sanitary pads in it?"

    In her previous life, as a Taoism Method practitioner acting from the rear with long-range attacks, Chen Lingyun''s actual combat performance couldn''t be considered bad; in fact, it was quite good. However, the issue of insufficient True Yuan frequently arose, like someone good at science who could score 290 points but chose humanities instead and got 250.

    You couldn''t say their results were poor, but when there was a better option available, why wouldn''t you choose it?

    "Then what school do you think I should choose?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smiling glint in her eye.

    "Servant Envoy," Yan Yu answered without a moment''s hesitation. "The Servant Envoy school, which involves controlling external entities, truly requires using one''s brain in battle and can maximize your inherent strengths and advantages."

    "But being a Servant Envoy requires having powerful ''Servant Envoys'' of your own," Chen Lingyun showed a troubled expression on purpose and said, "Beasts, insects, Demons, ghosts... I don''t have any of these. What should I do? Maybe I should just start with the Taoism Method and then transition later."

    "Transition to what?" Yan Yu''s brows furrowed instantly. "If you start with one Taoist technique and later switch to, say, ghost control, could what you learned first and the ghost control connect? Can they form a clear strategy that complements weaknesses and enhances each other? If not, wouldn''t that first Taoist technique be learned in vain?"

    "Moreover, finding powerful ''Servant Envoys'' isn''t that difficult. There''s a saying: ''Southeast for spiritual beasts, southwest for insects, northeast for Demons, northwest for ghosts.'' If you want any type of ''Servant Envoys,'' just go to the corresponding Mysterious Realm and search..."

    At this point, Yan Yu suddenly caught himself and his expression turned suspicious as he looked at Chen Lingyun:

    "Are you trying to trick me?"

    "Not at all," Chen Lingyun''s smile was sweet.

    "You were hoping I would give you advice," Yan Yu had his epiphany. "But you were also worried about being laughed at by me, so you pretended to be stubbornly wrong-headed, veering towards the incorrect direction, just to coax the right answer out of me!"

    "Not at all," Chen Lingyun was still smiling. "Please don''t let your imagination run wild with scenarios. I simply think that the Taoism Method practitioners, in terms of development potential and trendiness, are superior to the other three schools."

    "Bullshit!" Yan Yu didn''t sugarcoat his opinion. "A Sword Immortal thrusts forth alone, claiming lives amidst thousands of troops¡ªisn''t that trendy? An Assistant Officer brandishes a sword capable of killing immortals; a flash of silver and heads fall¡ªisn''t that trendy?

    A Servant Envoy commands Demons and ghosts, riding clouds and mist, leaving a trail of corpses wherever the eerie wind passes¡ªisn''t that trendy?"

    "You just keep thinking about that broken Taoism Method all day long, on one hand, you know quite well that you don''t have much True Yuan and aren''t suited to be a Taoism cultivator; on the other hand, you refuse to let go and come to me for advice.

    If you really trusted me, you could be inquiring about the path of the Envoy now, and I guarantee you that would suit you better than being a Taoism cultivator."

    "Hmm~" Chen Lingyun didn''t express agreement or disagreement, but asked, "If I really choose to become an Envoy, what kind of servant should I choose?"

    "Demons, of course." Yan Yu said without hesitation, "What about the other types, like controlling poisonous insects? Could you deal with that?"

    "If it''s colorful and gorgeous butterflies, I guess I could," Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    "See, I knew you were picky," Yan Yu revealed a ''just as I thought'' cold smile and then analyzed, "First of all, eliminate the option of using insects because you, as the young lady, can''t stand bugs; second, eliminate using demons because the uglier the demon, the stronger its power. These two actually suit male cultivators better."

    "Regarding beast tamers and ghost handlers, spirit beasts are difficult to raise and train, and they often fight amongst themselves. In actual combat, usually, only one or two beasts fight together, so they don''t require much in terms of commanding skills; with your calculating nature, you are undoubtedly most suited to be a ghost handler.

    Their methods of attack are tricky and changeable, allowing for collective or even group combat¡ªthis is the career that will let you play to your strengths the most."

    "Hmm," Chen Lingyun pondered for a moment and said, "However, in traditional culture, ghosts are ultimately considered an ill omen, wouldn''t being a ghost handler affect my public image?"

    "What public image?" Yan Yu said with contemptuous disdain, "Public image is crap!"

    "It''s only people over fifty, the old men and women, who might consider such things as ghosts to be evil spirits and shun them; for the majority of young people today, strength is beauty, victory is cool. As long as you''re consistently victorious, who would dare criticize your use of ghosts?

    If there really are some who can''t see clearly, call upon the people of Jianghai Prefecture to go online, and with one comment per person, they''d take him down."

    Having listened to Yan Yu''s analysis, Chen Lingyun''s smile returned, and she already had an answer in her heart.

    She was of course aware that she wasn''t suited for Taoism cultivation; the fact that her True Yuan was lacking was plain to see. But if not Taoism cultivation, then what?

    Sword Immortals required quick reflexes on the spot, and Chen Lingyun was the type who preferred to strategize before taking action.

    Like how she had been practicing the Shifting Technique for abrupt stops and positioning these past few days¡ªif you let her calculate the distance from the wall, the speed, and the timing for the abrupt stop beforehand, she could get it almost right on the first try.

    However, if a wall suddenly appeared while she was in the midst of using the Shifting Technique, she would most likely be unable to react in time.

    If Sword Immortal wasn''t an option, that left only Assistant Officer and Envoy.

    An Assistant Officer relied on external items like magical artifacts, Talismans, and Elixir Medicine to enhance their own strength.

    A large part of a cultivator''s power depended on "how formidable the borrowed item was." Chen Lingyun''s father did indeed intend for her to choose Assistant Officer, since in the future he could use his influence within the Zhendong Army to prioritize getting her a powerful magical artifact.

    But Miss Chen despised any potential risk of failure and was even less inclined to gamble her future career on "when the military might find a good artifact."

    The situation of an Envoy was between that of a Taoism cultivator and an Assistant Officer. On one hand, the rank of the servant directly determined the strength of the Envoy. Much like the base stats in Pok¨¦mon, if someone brought out a legendary Pok¨¦mon in battle, and you only had a caterpie, you would obviously lose.

    On the other hand, an Envoy also needed to use secret arts to refine their servants, as well as research how to cooperate with the servants to execute various combined attack routines.

    Therefore, among the four major paths, the Envoy was the most complex and troublesome combat style. To use Yan Yu''s words, "It''s the one that truly requires brains in battle."

    After thinking it through thoroughly, Chen Lingyun didn''t reveal her thoughts but merely smiled brightly at Yan Yu, curiously asking,

    "Then what path do you plan to choose?"

    "We''ll see when the time comes." Yan Yu brushed it off, not intending to discuss this matter further with Chen Lingyun.

    In fact, since he had cultivated the Silken Bond Technique with Zhao Yuanzhen, his choice of path had already been decided.

    Even among the diverse category of Assistant Officers, it was a rare and special profession: S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Puppet Master.

 Chapter 64 The Living Intelligence Repository

    The time entered late June.The first training project arranged by Yan Yu had finally reached its conclusion.

    Chen Lingyun, Su Yunjin, and Lin Ning could all abruptly come to a full stop while moving at full speed with the Shifting Technique, ensuring they stopped within a precise range of one meter from the target.

    At first glance, mastering this skill might seem rather unremarkable, amounting to little more than an increase in maneuverability. Achieving Yan Yu''s "Lightning Assault," however, would require the ability to execute an "instant triple-switch", which combines the Shifting Technique with the Cloud Ascension Technique and then an Attack Spell Technique. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Currently, the girls could only manage the "initial double-switch."

    Of course, it cannot be denied that mastering the "initial double-switch" is a prerequisite for learning the "successive triple-switch," so it wasn''t exactly a waste of time.

    By the way, after Yan Yu unveiled this tactic during the four academies'' exchange tournament, the military had already named it "Lightning Assault."

    The name might sound a bit unsophisticated, but the Lu Country''s military had never been particularly gifted in the field of naming. Take the names of the serving top special forces units, for example, which generally include leopards, tigers, lions, etc. Thus, "Lightning Assault" was already them performing beyond expectations.

    Upon confirming that everyone had mastered the "Shifting Technique switch to Cloud Ascension Technique," Yan Yu did not immediately start the girls on learning "Lightning Assault," but instead, he created different training plans for each one of them.

    "Lin Ning," he instructed, "your second training plan is to learn how to accurately hit a target with the Metal-Element Impact Curse while moving at full speed under the enhancement of the Shifting Technique. I require you to achieve at least four hits out of five shots; your accuracy must be above 80%."

    Lin Ning immediately began pondering.

    A Cultivator could only cast one Curse Technique at a time, so to fire the Metal-Element Impact Curse, it was necessary to break off the Shifting Technique that was currently being invoked.

    Fortunately, even if the Shifting Technique was interrupted, the speed wouldn''t drop to zero instantly. Thus, the goal of her practice would be: to first accelerate to full speed using the Shifting Technique, then immediately interrupt it, and continue moving at high speed using inertia, while in such a state, practice shooting with the Impact Curse...

    "Chen Lingyun," Yan Yu left Lin Ning to ponder by herself and turned to Chen Lingyun, "you don''t need to practice combat right now. Go collect information on Transcendents from around the world, preferably with combat videos. We''ll have a small meeting later to explain everything to everyone."

    "Okay," Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    Compared to the step-by-step combat training, such intellectual tasks were far too simple for her.

    "Su Yunjin," Yan Yu continued to lay out plans, "you don''t have to practice combat, either. I''ve already spoken to the head of the medical team. From now on, you''ll go to the infirmary every day at 2 p.m. to learn how to treat simple external and internal injuries using the water-based Runescript. Remember to report your progress to me every day."

    Find more to read at empire

    "Are you planning to make me the ''medic'' of the team?" Su Yunjin asked curiously.

    She wasn''t fond of fighting, but if Yan Yu was deliberately arranging for her to avoid frontline combat because of this, Su Yunjin would still be somewhat unhappily unsatisfied.

    "Not at all," Yan Yu denied her assumption, "What the team needs is someone ''who knows first aid,'' not a ''medic.''"

    "I understand now," Su Yunjin sighed with relief.

    "Lastly, Zhao Yuanzhen," Yan Yu looked at the Demonic Sect Enchantress, "your training plan remains unchanged; you''ll still spar with me."

    "Eh!" Zhao Yuanzhen immediately protested, indignantly saying, "Why can''t I practice some Curse Technique or study some course like they are?"

    "You can''t," Yan Yu declared.

    "Why!" Zhao Yuanzhen was incensed. Every time we spar, you beat me like I''m a dog!

    "Because I am the team leader," Yan Yu declared.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was instantly choked with rage, seething inside:

    "Yan Yu, you thief! Using the name of sparring as an excuse to humiliate me in every way possible, if I don''t avenge this, I swear I''m not human! Wait until the day I master the demonic arts, I''ll fight with him every day, I''ll make sure he''s drained of energy, coughing blood and unable to rise, only then will the hatred in my heart be satisfied!"

    But the Demonic Sect Enchantress had it wrong: Yan Yu didn''t engage in combat with her just to bully her, he simply didn''t have the time or energy for that.

    The main reason was that Zhao Yuanzhen had been accustomed to fighting in a "high-magic world", and suddenly arriving in this "low-magic world" where spiritual energy was just beginning to recover, her past battle experiences had become an obstacle instead.

    It was like asking a soldier accustomed to wielding a gun to take up melee weapons¡ªchances were he wouldn''t fare any better than a beginner, the principle was actually the same.

    Fortunately, the adaptability of the Demonic Sect Enchantress was strong. After each "bullying" session, Yan Yu could sense that she was making rapid progress. He estimated that in just over half a month, the Enchantress would be able to completely shed her old thought patterns and thrive in the current thin spiritual energy environment.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    In the cafeteria of Zhendong National Defense Academy, located on the second floor, was a reception room. One of these rooms had been specially requisitioned to serve as "Yan Yu''s Team''s private room" so that everyone could dine and gather without being disturbed.

    The reason for this arrangement mainly took into account that team members might discuss sensitive internal team matters over meals, which wouldn''t be preferable for other students to overhear.

    Of course, a certain young lady who preferred to remain unnamed soon exhibited her financial power by adding a television set and a projector to the private room, thus transforming it with just the removal of a dining table into a conference room instantly.

    At this moment, the television on the wall was broadcasting Mitchi Country''s "Superheroes League", officially known as the Superhero Professional League. It was strictly banned from public viewing within the country, with only the military having legal access to the broadcast.

    The purpose of Mitchi''s Superheroes League was to "invite transcendent individuals from all over the world to compete for glory"; however, the actual participants were mainly concentrated in various European countries, such as Rakshasa Country''s Spirit Communicators, England''s Wizards, Northern Europe''s Berserkers, Southern Europe''s Will of the Gods Clerics ...

    and of course, the Clerics who were scattered all over Europe and claimed to be the largest group in scale at present.

    So the question arises, what about Mitchi''s own Transcendents?

    The answer is that they practically don''t exist. It seems that during the stage of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, the Transcendent systems that emerged in each country were related to the ancient mythological and cultural legacies of those nations.

    Mitchi''s issue isn''t just that it has only 400 years of history, but also that the ancient tribes who lived on this land and created these historical myths are now nearly extinct indigenous peoples... It is said that in Arizona and New Mexico, there have emerged local Transcendents who worship the so-called "Mother Nature", and all of them are indigenous ethnicities.

    Hence, it is self-evident why Mitchi is so hastily organizing the Superheroes Professional League and importing a multitude of white Transcendents to the Americas from Europe.

    "Today''s match is between Rakshasa''s Vladimir and England''s Jonas," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "Shall we record it for analysis?"

    "Of course," Yan Yu replied, "Vladimir''s profession is a werewolf. The cultivators of our future Dingbei Army will be dealing with Rakshasa Country''s werewolves for a long time."

    "As the brother forces, our Zhendong Army cultivators are likely to be called upon to support Dingbei Army at some point, so it''s essential to understand the werewolf profession in advance. However, if possible, everyone should at least have a basic knowledge of all European and American Transcendent systems."

    Upon hearing Yan Yu''s words, Chen Lingyun quickly began to calculate in her mind.

    The Dingbei Army''s main concern was the neighboring Rakshasa Country, hence Rakshasa''s Spirit Communicator system was the primary intelligence the Dingbei was actively investigating.

    The Zhendong Army''s adversaries were Chongying Country and Mitchi Country.

    Chongying''s Onmyoji system was deeply concealed, with official and civilian cultivators intricately intertwined, making intelligence gathering quite challenging; while Mitchi Country didn''t even recognize its own Transcendent system (or rather did, but did not acknowledge it), to the extent that they had to publicly recruit various Transcendents from Europe massively.

    As a result, to gather intelligence on Mitchi''s cultivators, one would need to understand the entire European Transcendent system... This was an incredibly challenging task for the Zhendong Army.

    Chen Lingyun sneakily glanced at Yan Yu, her face once again lit up with a sweet smile.

    But it probably wouldn''t matter.

    Because our beloved "living intelligence database" possesses the advantage of future foresight!

 Chapter 65 Just Happily All So Beautiful

    During the lunches and dinners, Yan Yu would watch the live broadcasts of the Superhero League with everyone, and when there wasn''t a live broadcast, they would watch recordings, with Yan Yu explaining as they went along.The Spirit Communicators from Rakshasa Country were fierce and brusque, the Wizards from England were tricky and changeable, the Berserkers from Northern Europe grew more ferocious the more they fought, and the variety of godly clerics from Southern Europe was plentiful.

    In contrast, the Clerics, who were the most numerous, had a basic style: Summon a splendid and dazzling holy scepter and then smash it down mercilessly on the opponent.

    If the opponent couldn''t withstand the attack, they would be defeated, if they did withstand it, they''d counterattack during the Cleric''s attack interval, and then it would be the Cleric''s turn to be unable to withstand.

    Yan Yu had a comprehensive understanding of the five major Transcendent systems in Europe, recalling them as if they were family treasures. No matter what questions the girls had, he could give the most accurate answer without a second thought.

    "The reason why Clerics have such a monotonous style is that those who participate in the Superhero League are generally what you call nominal believers," explained Yan Yu after watching the game recordings. "The really powerful Clerics are currently undergoing austere cultivation in Pope City. For a long time to come, we don''t have to worry about the threat of Clerics."

    Even the Earth, revived with Spiritual Energy, must follow the laws of geopolitics. Lu Country is far away from Europe, bordered on the land route by Rakshasa Country, the Central Asian and Middle Eastern countries, and on the sea route by the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and the whole of the Americas.

    Hence, European Clerics usually wouldn''t bother to fly across half the Earth to cause trouble in Lu Country.

    If any really did come over, they''d best be prepared to stay as guests, since Lu Country has always been warm and hospitable to foreign visitors.

    "At this stage, our Zhendong Army Cultivators'' main adversaries are still Chongying Country''s Cultivators, right?" Lin Ning confirmed, asking, "Is there any information available on Chongying Country''s Cultivators?"

    Speaking of Chongying Country''s Cultivators, several familiar names immediately came to Yan Yu''s mind.

    The Cultivator training system in Chongying Country was very bizarre, being an absolute elitist training regime that made no attempt to hide its nature. Even the most ordinary Cultivators with mediocre talent in Lu Country would at least be organized, guided, and trained before being assigned a job upon graduation.

    Chongying Country, on the other hand, focused all resources on cultivating ''geniuses'' while completely neglecting the ''mediocrities,'' even using them as cannon fodder on the battlefield.

    Under such an extreme elitist training regime, the result was that the most formidable first group of Chongying Cultivators not only had considerable renown, but were also formidable enough to hold their own in Lu Country. However, their successors fell short of the mark.

    Having returned to this point in time, Yan Yu had considered slipping into Chongying Country to nip potential threats in the bud.

    Unfortunately, those "old friends" were probably undergoing training in some secret base by now, not something outsiders could easily find.

    "Let''s not worry about it for now," Yan Yu calmly answered. "At the present stage, we should focus on improving ourselves first. We''ll analyze any foreign intelligence we can get, but there''s no need to go out of our way looking for it, just let things take their natural course."

    There was a universally applicable truth: as long as your strength was strong enough, it wouldn''t matter who your opponent was... When the time came, regardless of who came, they''d be overwhelmingly crushed, so what was the point of inquiring about the opponent''s information?

    Hearing Yan Yu say this, the girls thought that the strength of Chongying Country''s Cultivators probably wasn''t that great, so they relaxed a bit too.

    In the afternoon training session, everyone continued training according to the original plan. Yan Yu was planning on muddling through as usual, but suddenly, he was approached by Instructor Qi Changping.

    "Someone from the top is looking for you." He spoke succinctly.

    "They''re in a hurry to check on my progress here? It hasn''t even been a month," Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    "What can I say when you''re not training with the team, spending your afternoons sleeping instead?" Qi Changping said with a smile.

    "Who said I was sleeping all the time, I''ve been very concerned about their training progress, okay?" Yan Yu frowned and argued back, "You can ask Chen Lingyun, I''ve been quite attentive to the team''s preparations."

    "That''s not what I''m talking about," Qi Changping corrected, "Caring about the team''s training progress is your duty as the team leader. But don''t forget, you''re also a Cultivator, and not just anyone, but the most powerful Cultivator in our Zhendong Army."

    "I''ve heard that Liu Longtao, Zhou Hongyu, Li Zhaojiang, and the others have been training hard and pushing themselves to the limit. Then we look at you, Yan Yu; lately, you haven''t participated in a single training session. It''s only normal for the higher-ups to worry, isn''t it?"

    "I understand," Yan Yu nodded, "But with my current level, even if I personally participate in training, it would be nothing more than a warm-up at best; the room for improvement is negligible."

    Qi Changping fell silent. Although accustomed to the young man''s way of speaking, he still found his unabashed boasting somewhat hard to stomach.

    "Blowing your own trumpet here is one thing," he said with a stern face, "but when you meet with the Commander-in-Chief, you''d better hold back that unruly attitude. Don''t think you can disregard everyone else just because you''re strong."

    "I got it," Yan Yu sighed internally.

    Maybe it was because he hadn''t made a move in too long, the strong impression he left during the last exchange competition between the four academies had also faded.

    He needed to find an opportunity to show off his skills. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Upon arriving at the academy''s administrative building, he walked into the principal''s office and saw the commander-in-chief of the Zhendong Army, Li Weiguo, standing by the window smoking a cigarette.

    When he saw Yan Yu arriving at the door, he casually stubbed out the cigarette and said with a smile:

    "Have a seat."

    Yan Yu didn''t stand on ceremony and directly took a seat in front of the office desk, as if he was in his own dorm room.

    Qi Changping''s eye twitched. So, the advice I gave you earlier to be more humble, you didn''t take any of it to heart?

    Fortunately, Li Weiguo waved him off, and Qi Changping immediately felt relieved and quickly turned to leave.

    Otherwise, if he continued to watch Yan Yu being too casual, he might end up with high blood pressure. Experience new tales on empire

    "Would you like some tea?" Li Weiguo picked up the teapot from the desk and offered.

    "No need," said Yan Yu bluntly, "What did you want to see me for?"

    "Nothing too important," Li Weiguo poured some tea into the cup in front of him while speaking kindly, "Just wanted to check on how the team you''ve assembled is doing."

    "Thank you for your concern, Commander-in-Chief," Yan Yu replied with an ''I see'' expression, "The team training is progressing steadily according to plan, and we don''t need any additional resources from the army for now."

    I didn''t say I was going to allocate resources for you... Li Weiguo choked for a moment, but decided to cut to the chase and directly asked:

    "I heard that all the teammates you selected are female?"

    "Hmm," Yan Yu acknowledged frankly, "Actually, I''m quite surprised by that as well."

    Li Weiguo fell silent.

    What do you mean?

    You picked all female teammates yourself, and you''re also surprised? So you picked them with your eyes closed, without seeing their faces, not knowing whether they were male or female, pretty or ugly? How come I''ve heard they''re all exceptionally beautiful girls?

    Fortunately, Li Weiguo, after all, had seen a lot and wasn''t shaken by much, and he wasn''t bothered by Yan Yu''s statement, simply saying with a smile:

    "The absolute authority over personnel for the team, I''ve already granted it to you. The combat effectiveness of the team, you must ensure it''s up to standard, otherwise, if we can''t win fights, I will have to take back that authority."

    "Of course," Yan Yu confidently said with a smile, "It''s precisely because we must consider everything from the perspective of winning battles that I completely disregarded gender when selecting members, focusing solely on capability, potential, and suitability. It''s quite unexpected that everyone I picked, apart from myself, turns out to be female.

    However, because our team''s selection standard values ''strength above all,'' we have even more confidence in striving for victories."

    Now that was something Li Weiguo understood: he means that he didn''t select his teammates according to the standards of a harem, but rather as a captain, choosing from the perspective of completing the team''s strength, and it just so happened that the ones he picked were all girls, and they all happened to be very beautiful...

    Do you think our army would believe such nonsense?

    Forget it, it''s the same old saying: as long as you can win battles, all is well.

    If you can''t win battles, I''ll disband your team at the first chance! I''m putting this out there now, don''t blame me for being heartless later!

 Chapter 66 Here Comes the Opportunity to Make a Move

    Not bothering with the matter of the gender ratio in the combat team, Li Weiguo continued:"Aside from the team''s affairs, don''t fall behind on your own cultivation progress either. I heard you haven''t been training much lately?"

    "There''s no need to worry about that," Yan Yu immediately promised. "Even if the team''s overall strength collapses, my own will not falter. The reason I haven''t trained much recently is mainly because I''m in a bottleneck period."

    "The team''s strength isn''t allowed to collapse either!" Li Weiguo immediately bristled and glared sternly, saying, "As for you being in a bottleneck period... what do you mean by that?"

    "How should I explain this to you?" Yan Yu showed a hesitant look. "After all, you''re not a cultivator, right?"

    Li Weiguo was amused despite himself and waved his hand, saying:

    "While I may not be a cultivator, my word carries more weight than that of one, understand? Tell me what resources you need to break through the bottleneck, and I''ll try to satisfy your needs as far as possible."

    "Oh, thank you, Commander-in-Chief," Yan Yu chuckled and said, "I don''t need any resources, mainly just lacking some actual combat experience, feeling that my skills have gotten a bit rusty."

    "That''s easy to fix," Li Weiguo said decisively, slapping the table and picking up a sealed document bag from the side. "Take a look at this."

    Yan Yu took the document bag, carefully extracted the documents inside, and started reading intently.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Mysterious Realm.

    As previously mentioned, they are dwelling places specially opened by ancient cultivation experts.

    As for these cultivation experts, from which historical period they originated, and why they haven''t left any records in historical materials... that remains unknown for now.

    No matter what the initial purpose of these Mysterious Realms was, considering the probable storage of cultivation-related classics and resources, they undoubtedly possess extremely high exploration value.

    So, who will be responsible for exploring these Mysterious Realms?

    On June 14th, the authorities had already given preliminary directives:

    Any discovered entrance to an open Mysterious Realm must first be sealed off by the military district in charge, and immediately reported to the military headquarters in Pingjing. Once approved and authorized, they should promptly arrange for exploration and surveying.

    All resources obtained from a Mysterious Realm must be handed over in full. Cultivators from the military district who complete the exploration will be assessed afterwards and can receive recognition, awards, promotions, and cash rewards.

    Yan Yu silently finished reading the document, which explained "what Mysterious Realms are," "how to explore Mysterious Realms," and the "national policies regarding Mysterious Realms." The first two were mainly penned by Mei Yingxue, and the policy aspect was largely consistent with his memory from a previous life.

    Only to hear Li Weiguo ask:

    "Everything obtained from exploring the Mysterious Realm must be handed over to the state once leaving the Realm, without any private retention. What''s your view on this?"

    "I wholeheartedly agree," Yan Yu replied earnestly.

    "Really?" Li Weiguo asked with a chuckle. "Just be honest with me, it''s fine. Even if you clearly oppose this directive, it won''t leave this office."

    "To be truthful, there''s no need to oppose it," Yan Yu coolly shook his head. "Firstly, the cultivator teams currently capable of completing the exploration of Mysterious Realms are definitely the highest combat forces among our four armies, which means selection would come from the teams of myself, Liu Longtao, Zhou Hongyu, and Li Zhaojiang."

    "Secondly, assuming I obtain any treasure in the Mysterious Realm that suits me, even if it''s handed over to the state after leaving the Realm. Following the principle of making the most out of it, wouldn''t it still be reallocated back to us for use? It''s not like they''d be stored in a museum for display."

    "You''re a clever lad," Li Weiguo laughed heartily. "Your analysis is not far off."

    "All resources obtained from the Mysterious Realm can be categorized into two types.

    If it''s artifacts, Flying Swords, Elixir Medicines, or other items you cultivators can use, they will, upon registration and completion of the corresponding scientific research, be returned in principle to the military district responsible for the exploration for distribution¡ªso it''s basically ''whoever finds it, gets it back''."

    "As for resources that cultivators can''t use, such as mines, herb gardens¡­ which require manpower for development, of course, the property rights can''t be given to you, but we will award you accordingly."

    "I understand," Yan Yu nodded, saying, "Personally, I think there''s no need to be so roundabout. We soldiers are very straightforward; we live for victory and glory. As long as we can win, any method works."

    "If only everyone thought this way," Li Weiguo merely smiled, his expression neither confirming nor denying, then pulled out another sealed document bag from a drawer, casually tossing it to Yan Yu:

    "A Mysterious Realm was discovered in the Nine Dragons Nest of Wuyi Mountains in Minhai Province. After the first batch of military cultivators entered, they lost all contact with the outside world. We need to arrange for rescue and exploration as soon as possible."

    "I''ll leave this mission to you. If you can''t handle it, let me know in time."

    "You must be joking," Yan Yu said without even looking as he took the folder in his hand and chuckled, "The team I''ve built is the highest combat force of the Zhendong Army at present. If we can''t handle it, who can?"

    He gave Li Weiguo a military salute and then quickly took his leave.

    In his previous life, General Li Weiguo, the chief commander, had not had much interaction with Yan Yu, but because of his special care for Chen Lingyun, Yan Yu had a fairly good understanding of him¡ªthis nearly 70-year-old man could be perfectly described with "In this life, he has nothing else to seek but to serve his country with utmost loyalty."

    Whether you treated him with utmost respect or were casual and lax, the elder wouldn''t mind so much. After all, he could tolerate Chen Lingyun''s crappy attitude, which was enough to show how broad-minded and magnanimous he was, far beyond what ordinary people possessed.

    Once the team members were all gathered, Yan Yu took out the files that Li Weiguo had given him and passed them to Chen Lingyun, saying:

    "Take a look at these."

    The four girls huddled together and quietly read through the documents in the folder.

    "Let me summarize the information from the file," Yan Yu began to explain slowly, "The so-called ''Mysterious Realm'' can generally be understood as ''small worlds left behind by ancient immortals'' where there may be treasures worth exploring and discovering."

    "In each Mysterious Realm, there is a ''Control Hub'' that can control the realm, a ''Gatekeeper'' responsible for guarding this ''Control Hub,'' and a ''Defense Mechanism'' that spans the entire realm."

    "The process of exploring the Mysterious Realm can generally be divided into four steps: First Arrival, Breaching Formations, Slaying the Gatekeeper, and Capturing the Flag."

    "First, if there are multiple competitors exploring the Mysterious Realm, we need to enter the realm before everyone else, which is known as ''First Arrival.''

    "Secondly, as uninvited invaders to the Mysterious Realm, we will almost certainly face the realm''s own defense mechanisms during our exploration, which is ''Breaching Formations.''

    "Next, we continue to venture deeper until we locate the position of the Mysterious Realm''s Control Hub and eliminate the Gatekeeper guarding it, known as ''Slaying the Gatekeeper.''

    "Finally, it is refining and taking control of the Control Hub, manipulating the realm''s Defense Mechanism, allowing our military forces to come in and take over, which is ''Capturing the Flag.''

    "First Arrival, Breaching Formations, Slaying the Gatekeeper, Capturing the Flag¡ªyou don''t need to remember these steps. I''ll guide you through the whole process this time, and it''ll be easier next time with the experience... Any questions?"

    "Yes," Zhao Yuanzhen said succinctly, "is it okay to kill people?"

    Her question was so fierce that all the other girls instantly turned their heads to look at her, each with a different expression.

    "There shouldn''t be anyone for you to kill this time," Yan Yu pondered for a moment before replying, "The Mysterious Realm is now guarded by the Zhendong Army. The first batch of army monks who went in to explore have since disappeared. We are the second group authorized to go in, so all we face is the Mysterious Realm itself, without any hostile competing cultivators."

    "Oh, sounds pretty boring," Zhao Yuanzhen immediately lost interest. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Lin Ning and Su Yunjin were both stunned. Are you saying the mission is boring, or is it "no people to kill" that''s boring?

    "When do we set off?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, "Do we need to prepare anything?"

    "No need," Yan Yu gestured dismissively, "This Mysterious Realm exploration should pose no risk, just think of it as a tutorial before the main questline of the game starts; all you have to do is perform well with the skills you''ve trained."

    "How can there be no risk when there are already army monks missing inside?" Lin Ning protested with agitation, "Even if you want us not to worry too much, at least come up with a better-sounding excuse!"

    Yan Yu looked at Lin Ning for a while, sighing:

    "Little Lin Ning,"

    "What?" Lin Ning asked irritably.

    "Do I really need to spell it out for you?" Yan Yu said in a calm and measured tone, "If it were just the four of you exploring the Mysterious Realm, then yes, I''d admit there is some risk."

    "But this time, I am personally leading the team. Do you understand now?" Your adventure continues at empire

    Lin Ning was left speechless.

    Although you were trying to come across as understated and tactful, why does it still sound so arrogant and asking for a beating?

 Chapter 67 Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm

    Wuyi Mountains in Nanping Prefecture, Minhai Province, is a national-level scenic area and a well-known tea distribution center in the country.Yan Yu and his team of five arrived deep in the mountain area by helicopter and saw that the Zhendong Army had already set up layers of defense at the entrance to the valley below.

    Not only were several roads into the valley blocked with barbed wire, but there were also drones patrolling the skies above the nearby forests, a clear sign of a tightly guarded area.

    In front of the barbed wire, one could see a dozen or so locals blocking the mountain road, seemingly in a standoff with the stationed soldiers. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "It looks like the landowners." Lin Ning leaned over to look below, explaining to her teammates, "Many of these mountaintops have been contracted out to nearby villagers for tea cultivation. Now that the military has designated areas around the secret realm as off-limits, it''s inevitable that some landowners'' territories have been included, so conflicts are unavoidable."

    "There should be state compensation, right?" Su Yunjin asked with concern.

    "That''s anybody''s guess," Chen Lingyun replied with a smile, "But these landowners are not just any ordinary country folk. If they really escalate the dispute, it will be a headache for the troops as well."

    "It''s none of our business," Yan Yu interrupted the discussion, "Our mission is to explore the secret realm. Let the local troops handle the rest."

    The team reached the sealed-off depths of the valley and saw that command tents of various sizes had already been set up on the open ground by the stream.

    In front of the largest command tent, a certain military official was taking a call on his phone.

    His expression was extremely agitated and frantic, and his tone was exceedingly harsh, nearly roaring into the handset:

    "I can''t control it, I can''t control it, I already said this is a military secret! Secret! Do you even understand what a secret is?! We''re now demanding your unconditional cooperation, and you need to properly handle the local populace and absolutely prevent any further escalation! If you don''t understand anything, call the Minhai Province Governor yourself!

    You''re not cleared for this level of confidentiality, I can''t answer your questions!!!"

    After ending the call with enough force to seemingly crush the phone, the official turned around indifferently to face Yan Yu leading the team of five.

    He seemed to want to maintain an impassive facade of icy indifference, but his wariness and distrust were so painfully apparent that there was no need to try to discern his thoughts at the moment.

    Definitely not a friendly first impression, anyway.

    "Captain Jiang Weiming?" Yan Yu cut straight to the point, speaking rapidly, "We are the first tactical team dispatched by the Zhendong International Scholarly Faction, here to confirm the situation inside the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm."

    "Confirm the situation?" Captain Jiang Weiming struggled to twitch his mouth into a forced cold smile, "I have already submitted all relevant intelligence reports. What, didn''t you do your homework before coming here?"

    "We''ve looked over the materials you submitted," Yan Yu calmly replied, "There was no intelligence from inside the secret realm."

    "That''s because the cultivators from our military who went inside have all lost contact, so there''s no intelligence to report back," Captain Jiang said coldly, seeming to forcefully suppress his anger, "If you had actually read the documents carefully, you wouldn''t be asking such redundant questions."

    "As a matter of fact, this is precisely one of the questions I wanted to ask," Yan Yu raised his eyebrows slightly, an expression of surprise on his face, "In my understanding, your military cultivators shouldn''t be that weak."

    "What did you say?" Captain Jiang Weiming''s gaze immediately became hostile.

    With subordinates missing and potentially dead; superiors pressing him without any consideration; locals trying to cause trouble; and local officials who seemingly cooperate but actually do nothing...

    Captain Jiang Weiming''s head had been nearly exploding with all the hassle these past few days, how could he have the patience to play internship games with these "college student cultivators" who had just reached adulthood, who had never received proper military training, and who hadn''t even graduated from the academy yet?

    If it wasn''t for the orders from Jinling headquarters demanding cooperation, he would have ordered these college kids to be blasted out of the camp the moment they set foot in it.

    "Captain?" Su Yunjin tugged at his sleeve from behind, worried, signaling that he might have provoked Captain Jiang on the other side.

    We are here to explore the secret realm, not to start conflicts with them.

    "Alright," Yan Yu patted her hand and then softened his voice, speaking more gently, "If your military cultivators are really up to the task, then why are they losing contact in the secret realm? Right now, I am quite skeptical of your abilities, and consequently, I doubt the reliability of any information you can provide.

    Please immediately dispatch three military cultivators to accompany us into the secret realm for an investigation."

    It took Captain Jiang Weiming a full half-minute to restrain himself from smashing his fist into Yan Yu''s nose, only managing to squeeze out one word through gritted teeth:

    "Fine!"

    He left in a flurry, and only then did everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

    "Yan Yu, why did you have to provoke him?" Lin Ning couldn''t help but complain, "Who starts a conflict with someone we''re supposed to cooperate with as soon as we meet them!"

    "I reckon he didn''t have any intention of cooperating in the first place," Yan Yu answered calmly. "Or are you planning to use a beauty trap to persuade him to work with us properly?"

    "What beauty trap?!" Lin Ning immediately became embarrassed and annoyed, saying angrily, "Keep talking like that, and watch out for my kick!"

    "Speaking of which, the other side''s attitude really is problematic," Su Yunjin said tactfully. "If we could communicate well, there might still be room for discussion. But now that we''re short on time, the captain''s use of reverse psychology is not entirely unfounded."

    "If we''re short on time, why not just kill him (Search his soul)?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked abruptly.

    The suggestion of the Demonic Sect Enchantress was so shocking that the other girls were taken aback, unsure of how to respond to the question.

    "That''s not entirely impossible," Chen Lingyun said with a smile. "Killing him would be too wasteful, it would be better to beat him half to death and then ask whether he wants to die or cooperate with us."

    "Great, leave it to me," Zhao Yuanzhen replied eagerly.

    "That''s enough," Yan Yu said impatiently. "She''s teasing you, can''t you see that?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen was taken aback for a moment, then glared angrily at Chen Lingyun.

    "You''re wrong, I''m not joking at all," Chen Lingyun said unafraid, even going as far as to wink at her.

    "Really," Lin Ning said helplessly while holding her forehead. "We''re talking about beating up a military officer in public and using violence to extract information. If we get called out on it later, are we going to push Sister Zhao forward, Ling Yun? You really know how to give advice."

    "Little Lin Ning can even speak sarcastically now," Su Yunjin pretended to be moved on the side. "If you always criticize with a straight face, everyone might get tired of it eventually."

    "I''ve told you not to call me Little Lin Ning..." Lin Ning said weakly.

    The girls chatted and laughed, and the atmosphere gradually became relaxed and cheerful.

    In fact, Yan Yu was not surprised by the hostility shown by Military Officer Jiang.

    In the beginning of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, Lu Country''s plan was to recruit cultivators entirely from the military, but then they found the success rate of recruitment to be extremely low. Only after consulting and communicating with Mei Yingxue did they learn of the existence of "Spirit Root", leading to a change in recruitment to "17-18-year-olds".

    As a result, the current group of cultivators in Lu Country was actually divided into three factions: military cultivators, college student cultivators, and civilian cultivators.

    Considering that civilian cultivators had not yet made a significant appearance, they could be temporarily ignored. Comparing military cultivators with college student cultivators, it became clear that the former was almost entirely behind in terms of treatment.

    The specific reasons were complicated. On one hand, the potential of military cultivators was relatively lower (the older average age meant that their innate endowment was deteriorating), making them unworthy of substantial resources for focused training. On the other hand, military cultivators were more disciplined, obedient, and ideologically aware, eliminating worries about loyalty...

    Anyway, due to differences in treatment and the fact that college student cultivators had not yet shown a stronger overall strength, many military cultivators harbored resentment towards them.

    It was similar to how old colleagues who were promoted within a company would feel upon seeing new employees earn several times more than their own salary¡ªthis was something that could not be more understandable.

    Contrary to the cheerful atmosphere among Yan Yu''s team, the furious Military Officer Jiang had already stormed into the command tent, unable to conceal the anger on his face:

    "Wei Yun! Feng Haiping! Come out with me!"

    Wei Yun and Feng Haiping were both assistants in the mission to handle the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm with Jiang Weiming, and they were also among the strongest military cultivators present. Hearing the call, they stood up: Discover stories with empire

    "What''s the matter, Old Jiang?"

    "Some fearless fools have arrived!" Military Officer Jiang said furiously. "They want to explore the Secret Realm as soon as they arrive!"

    "The three of us have to accompany them inside, so they don''t get themselves killed and cause us to face disciplinary action!"

 Chapter 68 Priority should be given to the overall situation

    Even though Staff Sergeant Jiang seemed displeased with him and his group, Yan Yu wasn''t worried that the former would act on personal grudges to sabotage the mission.The reason was very simple: the discipline, obedience, and ideological consciousness of Lu Country''s military personnel were unrivaled on this Earth in the current plane of existence¡ªthere was absolutely no exaggeration or boastfulness in that assertion.

    No matter how much one might dislike you, the mission came first, and there would never be a case of personal feelings interfering with public duty. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    As expected, the group didn''t have to wait long before they saw Staff Sergeant Jiang return with two other military cultivators, making a rough hand gesture that signified "Follow me."

    It conveyed both the resolute and efficient quality unique to soldiers and a "I don''t wish to speak with you any longer" message.

    Without a word, Yan Yu gestured with his hand, indicating for the girls to quickly follow suit.

    The scenic area surrounding the Wuyi Mountains was highly developed, but the deeper one went, the more "natural and primitive" it became, with the roads becoming rough and rugged.

    Deep in the valley, shrouded in thick jungles and the sound of babbling streams, the group eventually saw the heavily guarded entrance to the Mysterious Realm:

    It was a pale purple spatial fissure, like an enormous vertical scar, tearing through the void and radiating twisted scars, yet it was not ugly¡ªin fact, it was quite the opposite. It was as splendid and colorful as the auroras, filled with a bizarre and eerie charm that was indescribable.

    These types of entrances to different spaces were not unique to Lu Country, but with the progression of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, they appeared all over the globe. It''s just that the entrances in other countries led not to a world of cultivation specific to Lu Country.

    The English called it "The Devil''s Kiss," while the people of heavy cherry blossom country revered it as "The Vanishing Rift," names that suggested nothing good lay beyond.

    The three officers watched the entrance to the Mysterious Realm with serious expressions. This thing had devoured the first group of military cultivators sent to explore it and also put Staff Sergeant Jiang and others who were in command on the spot.

    The first group of cultivators hadn''t sent back any news, and sending a rescue team was akin to throwing sheep into a tiger''s mouth; but not attempting a rescue would drastically reduce the chances of survival for the lost cultivators inside, which was completely unacceptable to them.

    Staff Sergeant Jiang covertly glanced over, silently observing the expressions of these university student cultivators.

    Su Yunjin reached from behind to grasp Yan Yu''s sleeve, clearly frightened by the eerie and terrifying appearance of the entrance to the Mysterious Realm.

    Lin Ning wasn''t faring much better, but she was still able to maintain a semblance of calm, although her face was pale from the tension.

    Chen Lingyun reined in her smile and, although there wasn''t much fear on her face, a complicated mix of curiosity and contemplation was present.

    As for Zhao Yuanzhen''s reaction, it was completely opposite to the other three girls, seeming to contain a mix of eagerness and, perhaps, a hint of... greed?

    If Staff Sergeant Jiang were to assess, none of the four were in a particularly good state of readiness.

    Fear could limit rational thought, too much tension could impact performance, curiosity and contemplation could indicate underestimation of the enemy, and eagerness, not to mention greed, simply translated to recklessness to some extent.

    This was typical of those who had not undergone long-term military training. Even if you put a rifle into her hands, she might not be able to aim and shoot steadily at the enemy...

    Jiang really couldn''t fathom why Jinling would send a group of university students, demanding a quick completion of the exploration and rescue in the Mysterious Realm while also expecting unconditional cooperation with these youngsters. Did they not realize that these two orders were contradictory?

    However, out of the five, only Yan Yu had no faults to be found¡ªhe was completely expressionless, almost identical to the three staff sergeants.

    His spirit was focused, his attention highly concentrated, yet not to the point of excessive tension. Such a state was the qualified pre-mission countenance and the standard expected of a professional soldier.

    Staff Sergeant Jiang made his silent judgment, only to hear Yan Yu turn his head and say,

    "Don''t hold too high of hopes; a Mysterious Realm appearing at this time is unlikely to be of much difficulty. I''ll reiterate, just perform as you would in your regular training."

    Shit! Staff Sergeant Jiang immediately overturned his previous conclusion. This man was going to be the biggest variable coming up!

    His face turned an ashen hue as he turned his head and signaled with his eyes to Old Wei and Old Feng, his two deputies.

    Once they entered the Mysterious Realm, they had to keep a close eye on this headstrong young man, not letting him charge forward recklessly and get killed instantly, which would leave no opportunity for rescue.

    "Aren''t you leaving yet?" Yan Yu urged again, this time addressing Staff Sergeant Jiang.

    As if he hadn''t heard him, Staff Sergeant Jiang turned and gave his orders:

    "Wei Yun, come with me first into the realm. Feng Haiping, you follow them and cover our retreat."

    "Understood," Feng Haiping immediately responded.

    As the two military cultivators were willing to lead the way, Yan Yu naturally had no objections. He watched silently as they headed towards the entrance of the mysterious realm, and were swallowed by the twisted spatial scars, before he spoke to arrange the order:

    "Me, Lin, Chen, Su, Zhao, in that order, let''s go in."

    Afterward, he headed towards the entrance of the mysterious realm.

    His vision warped for an instant before returning to normal.

    Yan Yu, upon entering the mysterious realm, composedly surveyed his surroundings.

    What met his eye was nothing but green waters and verdant mountains, a scene of endless picturesque beauty, without a hint of danger.

    According to memories from his previous life, this blessed land should be called "True Rising into the Mysterious Heavens," created by an ancient cultivator surnamed Liu.

    The reason it emerged early in the period of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence was because the concentration of spiritual energy inside was indeed low, and the average cultivation of the monsters was not high¡­ If he remembered correctly, it seemed to be referred to as a realm of the "Yi Wood of Spring''s Birth"?

    Among the five elements, metal and fire are the most ferocious, water and earth next, and wood is the most mild, with Yi wood being gentler than Jia wood; saying that this place had the difficulty of a kindergarten was not an exaggeration.

    As for why the military cultivators had been trapped inside, it might be due to a lack of experience in exploring mysterious realms. Knowing is easier than doing; it has been the same throughout the ages.

    Yan Yu turned to look back at the entrance, waiting until Cultivator Feng Haiping followed Zhao Yuanzhen into the realm, and the whole team had assembled, before turning to Chen Lingyun to ask:

    "How is it?"

    Since entering the mysterious realm, Chen Lingyun had quickly been observing the surrounding landscape and already had a conclusion:

    "Let''s go there first."

    Read latest stories on empire

    She pointed toward the cliff in front of them on the right, firstly because it was close, and secondly, it was elevated. If they used the Cloud Ascension Technique to reach its peak, they could easily observe the farther surroundings.

    "No," Section Chief Jiang immediately objected, "didn''t you see the forest over there? We should follow the river downstream."

    Passing through the dense forest was a necessary route to reach the cliff ahead. Without any intelligence, rashly entering the dense woods was clearly not a wise move. What if there were enemies lying in ambush?

    On the other hand, if they followed the river''s flow towards the rear right, they could reach the sparsely wooded hills far away. Though it was not as high as the cliff, the visibility along the way was good enough, and they didn''t have to worry about ambushes.

    Yan Yu responded noncommittally to his command:

    "Isn''t it common military knowledge to first seize the high ground to scout the terrain in unfamiliar environments?"

    "The premise is that the high ground is easy to reach," Section Chief Jiang said coldly, "But the risk of entering that dense forest is obvious."

    "Since we can''t come to an agreement, then we should split up and act separately," Yan Yu suggested with an indifferent smile, "We''ll head towards the cliff, and you follow the river, how about that?"

    Split up, my ass! The military order from above demands that we unconditionally coordinate with you!

    Section Chief Jiang''s face immediately turned incredibly sour as he coldly retorted:

    "Splitting up? Great idea. What if you get ambushed in the forest and we can''t provide timely support to your unit? What then?"

    "Since you''re worried about falling into an ambush if we split up," Yan Yu revealed an expression as if to say "so you do know," and asked with surprise, "then shouldn''t you avoid leaving the main force to act alone, isn''t that right?"

    Jiang Weiming immediately bulged his eyes wide and took a sharp intake of breath, as if he was about to explode at any moment ¡ª the nearby Wei Yun and Feng Haiping saw this and quickly took his arms, one on the left and one on the right, acting as peacemakers and repeatedly urging:

    "Let it go, Old Jiang! Let''s just move together! The mission comes first! We''ll just follow them, alright?"

 Chapter 69 The Swiftness of the Swallow

    "Regarding the question of which direction to explore first," Yan Yu quickly convinced the three military cultivators to follow his advice with his agile mind.Everyone activated their Shifting Technique and raced toward the direction of the cliff like a gale of wind.

    Upon reaching the edge of the dense forest, they all stopped as if by an unspoken agreement.

    An icy wind came from within the woods. When it brushed against them, everyone felt their hair stand on end and couldn''t help but get goosebumps.

    It seems like a demonic wind, doesn''t it? Yan Yu glanced inside and saw the tree crowns blotting out the sky, the light in the forest dim, with chilling winds and ghostly shadows swirling about. It was almost as if there should be a sign outside saying "Demons and ghosts reside within these woods."

    "I see trees moving deep inside; it must be a tree demon." Seeing the ladies look as if facing a formidable enemy, Yan Yu analyzed calmly, "If we enter, it''s easy to be ambushed. Better to lure it out and fight. The tree demon definitely fears fire, we can trap it using the Flame Curse while leaving gaps, then attack and injure it with the Impact Curse. Actually, it''s quite easy to handle."

    "Trap it with the Flame Curse?" Lin Ning immediately asked, "How exactly?"

    "Watch closely." Yan Yu decided to demonstrate personally, first selecting a spot to cast the Flame Curse, and flames erupted from the ground, "Chen Lingyun?"

    "Got it." Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    With just a cursory glance, she had completely memorized the location and size of the fireball.

    "Su Yunjin." Yan Yu interrupted the Flame Curse, then chose a spot not far to the side and released another Flame Curse, "Your Flame Curse should be cast here later."

    "Okay." Su Yunjin stared intently at the ground. She did not have the same confidence in her memory as Chen Lingyun.

    Luckily, the surroundings were originally covered in lush grass, which was now burned away by the Flame Curse to reveal a bald patch of land that was easy to recognize.

    After dispersing the flames with a wave of his hand, Yan Yu selected two more locations, successively releasing the third and fourth balls of flame, perfectly creating a rhombus with the first two flames. He then said to Wei Yun and Feng Haiping:

    "Both of you, once the demon inside the forest is lured out and reaches this position, wait for the right moment to cast the Flame Curse at these two places. The four flames will form a fiery array, trapping the demon in the middle of it. No problem, right?"

    "No problem, but..." Both military cultivators hesitated as if they had more to say.

    Luring the enemy into an ambush is a tactic commonly seen in the ancient military history of Lu Country, but the difficulty in executing it is still quite demanding.

    Not to mention, what if the bait isn''t fast enough and gets eaten? What if running too fast arouses suspicion? And what if you''re wrong, and the demon inside isn''t afraid of fire at all?

    "Very good." Yan Yu ignored the worry in their expressions and continued to plan positioning, saying, "Zhao Yuanzhen and Officer Jiang, please stand at these two spots. Once the tree demon enters the ambush, and the four Flame Curses seal off its paths of escape, fire the Impact Curse through the gaps between the flames at it. No problem, right?"

    Fire overcomes metal among the Five Elements; an Impact Curse shot into the range of a Flame Curse would be extinguished into nothingness. But judging from the range of the Flame Curse Yan Yu arranged, the gap between the two flames was completely sufficient for the Impact Curse to pass through ¡ª unless the shooting was so poor they aimed one way and hit another.

    "I have a problem," Zhao Yuanzhen complained, "Isn''t this too much trouble for just a tree demon?"

    "Aside from that, is there anything else?" Yan Yu asked, swiftly interrupting her with a smile.

    His smile had an unpleasant edge to it, and the Demonic Sect Enchantress was suddenly taken aback as realization dawned on her.

    Without revealing other spells and only allowed to use the Three Arts and Five Spells against the enemy, this tactic of "forming a fiery array and fighting a simple battle" was indeed the safest choice.

    Hmph, though I was momentarily careless, that thief dared to threaten me with a veiled smile. I remember this grievance!

    If I have the chance one day, I too will hide a knife within my smile, making him tremble with fear of my displeasure!

    Officer Jiang''s brows were so furrowed they seemed about to tie into knots. To him, the tactic of using four Flame Curses to block the paths seemed indeed not very challenging to implement, after all, the boundaries were marked on the ground, easier than targeting with a hand grenade...

    The real question was whether the bait could come out alive and bring the demon precisely into the ambush!

    Although he wanted to protest, Yan Yu gave him no chance to speak and decisively said:

    "Let''s proceed with the plan."

    "What about me?" Lin Ning asked anxiously.

    "You''re coming with me to go in and also to learn the Enemy Luring Technique," Yan Yu said with a serious look. Explore hidden tales at empire

    In Chen Lingyun''s team in his previous life, it was Qiu Ze, who excelled in mobility and positioning, who was responsible for scouting and luring the enemy.

    Now that Qiu Ze hadn''t joined the team, Lin Ning, who was supposed to be the assault specialist, would have to take on that responsibility.

    Of course, Lin Ning had not yet realized the team leader''s good intentions, but her character as a straight-A student made her subconsciously choose to obey authority.

    No matter what kind of test you give me, I''ll just keep my head down and do it.

    "Okay," Lin Ning said, suddenly feeling nervous again at the thought of being assigned the most dangerous task as a decoy.

    "There''s no time to lose, let''s go." Yan Yu was also very decisive in his actions, not giving the military cultivators a chance to question or obstruct, and quickly rushed into the dense forest with the Shifting Technique, followed closely by Lin Ning.

    At this moment, the effects of practicing the "Shifting Technique emergency stop" for several weeks became evident.

    The two moved rapidly through the dense forest with the Shifting Technique, and when confronted with obstacles like roots and bushes, they would quickly switch to the Cloud Ascension Technique to stop abruptly and change direction, then switch back to the Shifting Technique to continue sprinting at high speed.

    Yan Yu was naturally flawless in this basic skill operation, and Lin Ning, although a newbie who had just begun to learn, managed to keep up with him, which even made Yan Yu see her in a new light.

    Look at that, keeping up with my speed on her first time, Sister Lin truly has the makings of a good assault trooper.

    Whether it was her innate reaction speed or the Cutting Spell speed she had trained, she had already far surpassed her peer cultivators by a great margin.

    "Don''t focus your attention on moving," Yan Yu instructed as he saw her eyes locked on the ground, "You need to completely integrate this mode of movement into your memory, making it a part of your combat instincts. Your attention should be on your surroundings, with eyes and ears open in all directions."

    "Okay," Lin Ning said nervously.

    "When you can''t sense the enemy''s position," Yan Yu continued instructing, "try to maintain high speed to make enough noise, which can entice the enemy to attack and thereby reveal their position."

    "What if the enemy doesn''t fall for it?" Lin Ning asked.

    "Then that''s a different situation," Yan Yu replied, "The tree demon we''re dealing with this time is of low intelligence and has not yet awakened its spiritual wisdom, so it shouldn''t be too cunning."

    "As long as we enter its territory, it will definitely provoke an attack... here it comes!"

    Before he finished speaking, a tree root suddenly blocked their path, lashing out at them like a whip.

    With an abrupt stop and change of direction from Cloud Ascension Technique and a renewed burst of speed with the Shifting Technique, it was just a simple two-step switch that allowed Yan Yu to effortlessly dodge the tree root''s attack, ignoring inertia and darting to the side like a spectral figure.

    As for Lin Ning, although her on-the-spot reaction was half a beat slower than Yan Yu''s, her well-practiced combination of Cloud Ascension Technique and Shifting Technique was instinctive and swift, allowing her to beautifully avoid the tree demon''s attack as well.

    This is the confidence gained from a problem-solver''s routine training!

    After dodging the attack, Lin Ning realized what she had just achieved, and her expression was immediately replaced by disbelief.

    I... I did it!

    "Beautiful!" Yan Yu shouted his praise, and with another emergency stop and change of direction, he charged directly at the tree demon.

    He began to execute the Enemy Luring Technique. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "What should I do next!" Seeing that all of the tree demon''s attacks were drawn toward Yan Yu, Lin Ning hurriedly asked loudly.

    Yan Yu had no time to answer, for as he closed the distance rapidly, the tree demon''s hostility reached its peak, and dozens of thick tree roots broke through the soil, smashing down around him.

    However, Yan Yu''s speed completely surpassed them.

    In just three or four seconds, it was impossible to see clearly how many times he had made emergency maneuvers¡ªLin Ning roughly estimated at least more than ten times. Accompanied by his dizzyingly swift dodges left and right, up and down, and back and forth, each sprint only covered a short distance of a single step or even just half a step.

    After narrowly evading the nearby tree root lashings, he would immediately perform an emergency stop with Cloud Ascension and then accelerate with the Shifting Technique for the next sprint.

    The dozens of tree roots swung and smashed in rotation, their attacks as dense and rapid as a sudden storm, yet Yan Yu, like a futuristic swift, dodged all the tree roots'' lashings with an incomprehensible speed and agility and advanced to within ten meters of the tree demon.

    He raised his right hand to shoulder height, bringing together his index and middle fingers in a sword gesture, and charged the Metal-Element Impact Curse.

    Fire!

    A 30-centimeter-long gash, with unknown depth, suddenly appeared on the thick trunk of the tree demon.

    Wood chips and sap flew in all directions, and Lin Ning couldn''t help but hold her breath. She saw the tree demon become rigid like it had been electrocuted.

    What followed was a complete loss of control and an outpouring of rage.

    Innumerable tree roots began wildly thrashing around, breaking and snapping many trees. Lin Ning hadn''t yet had time to consider whether to stay put or temporarily retreat to avoid the fray when she saw Yan Yu burst out from the flying dust caused by the tree roots'' thrashing, covered in dirt.

    "Let''s go!" he shouted to Lin Ning.

 Chapter 70 The Four-Sided Flame Formation

    The two figures weaved rapidly through the dense forest, with a massive tree demon moving its roots and dragging its body to furiously pursue them.The tremendous noise and violent tremors caused by the whipping roots followed them like a shadow, preventing them from daring to reduce their speed even slightly.

    "Why did we have to get so close just now?" Lin Ning finally regained her composure from the shock and asked puzzledly, "The Metal-Element Impact Curse takes time to charge... Can''t it be launched from a distance as well?"

    "Because it would be blocked," Yan Yu answered calmly, "The tree demon is massive and bulky, so it prioritizes defense with its roots, rather than offense."

    "If you shoot the Impact Curse from afar, there''s a high probability that it will raise its roots to block it. But if you get close to the demon''s body first, prompting it to use its roots to intercept you, then break through the encirclement and leave those roots behind, the Impact Curse won''t be intercepted."

    "I see," Lin Ning acknowledged, realizing the strategic consideration she had overlooked, "Then since we were already so close, why couldn''t you take the chance to kill it? Like using the Flame Curse to burn it or something..."

    "Because it wouldn''t just sit and wait to die," Yan Yu explained patiently, "Those roots would come back to help quickly."

    "But," Lin Ning was still a bit puzzled, "even if the roots come back to help, can''t you just dodge them all with that... super-fast movement technique, zipping right past them?"

    "But that would be very tiring," Yan Yu said with a smile, "and the True Yuan consumption would also be great."

    "So you''re not unable to fight it one-on-one, you just don''t want to," Lin Ning sharply realized the key point.

    "Little Lin Ning, this is where teamwork comes in," Yan Yu said meaningfully, "Not everything needs to be done personally."

    "Stop calling me Little Lin Ning," Lin Ning protested in a low voice, glancing back at their pursuer.

    The tree demon''s fury seemed endless, and even though they had reached the edge of the dense forest, it showed no signs of stopping.

    Lin Ning looked straight ahead and suddenly sensed something was amiss.

    She remembered that when she and Yan Yu had entered the forest, there was a half-broken tree on their left. If they were truly retracing their steps, the broken tree should now be on their right.

    However, it appeared not far ahead on their left...

    "We''re off course," Lin Ning warned quickly, "The spot where we set up the flame matrix isn''t straight ahead, but to the front left."

    "Got it," Yan Yu wasn''t surprised. After all, navigating a complex environment like a dense forest, who could travel back and forth in a perfectly straight line without deviating at all?

    Sister Lin is quite attentive; you''ve earned your stripes this time.

    "You exit the forest first to confirm the direction; I''ll hold it off," Yan Yu commanded.

    "Hold it off, how?" Lin Ning was immediately taken aback, but Yan Yu didn''t answer and just turned around and charged towards the tree demon.

    He started to use that whooshing movement technique again...

    Thinking this, Lin Ning quickly dashed out of the forest with the Shifting Technique and found the spot where they had set up the flame matrix indeed to the front left, about 50 meters askew.

    Following the edge, she made her way back to the original path and once again dashed towards where the tree demon and Yan Yu were.

    This time identifying the direction was effortless, because the commotion over there was just too loud, like two giants battling furiously, with swathes of trees being hit in the process, falling like bombed buildings, with dust and dirt billowing into the sky.

    Lin Ning didn''t dare venture further, but from a distance, she started shouting towards the front:

    "Yan Yu!" sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    After around twenty seconds, Yan Yu''s figure finally emerged from the trees in the distance¡ªhe had heard her call.

    Lin Ning didn''t turn to flee, but continued to watch him tensely.

    The captain was sprinting in her direction, and behind him was a violent cloud of dust and earth that crushed and leveled any tree in its path, like an otherworldly bulldozer forging a path straight through the forest.

    "Let''s go! What are you waiting for?" Yan Yu reached her side and, without missing a beat, slapped her forehead.

    Smack!

    The force wasn''t painful, but Lin Ning also reacted, quickly deploying the Shifting Technique to follow closely, her thoughts slightly turning.

    I think I kind of understand now.

    The captain''s "swallow-like high-speed movement", able to dodge 3-4 direction changes within 1 second, is how he managed to evade the tree demon''s multi-strike assault.

    Each time the urgent change of direction was executed, it involved a "disruption of the Shifting Technique, initiation of the Cloud Ascension Technique, disruption of the Cloud Ascension Technique, and reinitiation of the Shifting Technique" sequence of four, which meant one had to perform 12-16 changes of energy routes within a second.

    Such an exaggerated high-frequency maneuver is something the subjective reaction of humans absolutely cannot keep up with.

    Only passive body reflexes, or muscle memory, might make it possible.

    When he was dodging the tree demon''s attacks just now, he could still hear my shouting from afar, proving that he was actually paying attention to his surroundings the whole time, and maintaining this high-speed movement without it taking up too much of his focus.

    The reason, just as he mentioned before, must be that he had "thoroughly integrated it into his memory, making it part of his fighting instincts".

    From this, Lin Ning quickly concluded, but she didn''t realize how strategically important this conclusion was behind the scenes.

    In the timeline of her previous life, the seamless switching between the Shifting Technique and the Cloud Ascension Technique was first conceived by the Valkyrie, Li Minghu, thinking it could greatly enhance the mobility of Cultivators.

    But at that time, the Shifting Technique had been completely replaced by the Sword Control Technique, so this idea naturally didn''t receive much attention¡ªuntil Li Minghu died from illness, then it was even less inquired about.

    It wasn''t until the maturation of external True Yuan storage devices, which allowed ordinary people to use spells in a limited way, that the impactful performances of an unnamed person with the surname Yan brought a little "ordinary shock" to those conservative Cultivators...

    And only then was the entire Cultivation World of Lu Country forced to shift from "pursuing higher-tier techniques and treasures" to "pursuing the training of personal skill levels".

    The two hastily returned to the site of the pre-set flame formation, and the massive tree demon also rushed out of the dense forest, instantly startling everyone waiting outside in tight formation.

    Whether it was Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin, or the three military Cultivators, this was the first time they had seen a real, living monster.

    Trees ten meters tall aren''t frightening, but if the other party not only moves at a speed of over ten meters per second but can also swing countless thick roots, smashing everything around into shattered pieces, that is mildly horrific and terrifying.

    Luckily, Yan Yu had drawn up a simple and clear-cut battle plan in advance, so even though everyone was shocked, they didn''t panic to the point of helplessness.

    As soon as the tree demon entered the ambush zone, four Flame Curses erupted like columns of fire from four directions, perfectly trapping the giant tree demon within.

    Those wildly flailing roots contracted as if scorched the moment they touched the Flame Curses, then curled up covering the trunk in layers, instinctively taking a defensive position.

    "Get into position quickly!" Yan Yu ordered.

    Apart from the four Cultivators casting Flame Curses and sealing off the exit, Yan Yu, Lin Ning, Zhao Yuanzhen, and Jiang Weiming quickly took their places, directly opposite the gaps between the four Flame Curses, and raised their right arms, charging the Impact Curse.

    One, two, three, four! Four charged Impact Curses were almost released simultaneously, the Metal-Element''s sharp energy comparable to swords, immediately chopping the tree demon''s roots layer by layer, cutting deep wounds into the trunk.

    Even though the tree demon''s consciousness was undeveloped, the intense pain made it aware of the imminent threat of death. The countless roots wrapping the trunk suddenly extended, frantically slapping the surrounding flames, as the body charged directionlessly towards a certain direction.

    As it happened, it was in the direction of Su Yunjin.

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    Su Yunjin stood frozen in place, watching as the tree demon topped with flames forcefully broke through her Flame Curse. For a moment, she couldn''t think of how to react, her mind going blank.

    Should she switch to the Shifting Technique to escape? Switch to the Wood Bending Charm to face the enemy? Or increase the Flame Curse''s output?

    The next second, Yan Yu had already launched himself sideways, intercepting the tree demon, swiftly shifting to the Wood Bending Charm, his right arm muscles already bulging.

    Impact punch!

    This punch, enhanced by the charge speed and supported by the power of the Wood Bending Charm, directly hit the base of the trunk, causing the tree demon to sway for a moment, its charging momentum finally forcefully halted.

    Three more Fire Blazing Charms arose from the left, right, and back of the tree demon; it was Chen Lingyun and the two military Cultivators acting swiftly in coordination, readjusting the position of the flame formation.

    Yan Yu, using the recoil of the punch to retreat, quickly pulled away with the Shifting Technique and then launched another Flame Curse, once again imprisoning the tree demon in a cage of flames.

    "Combine attack once more!" he shouted loudly, "The tree demon can''t hold on anymore!"

 Chapter 71 First Arrogant, Then Respectful

    The tree demon, towering over ten meters high, finally collapsed to the ground with a thunderous crash under the combined attack of the fully charged Impact Curses.This tree demon had withstood three rounds of combined attacks in total, truly tough as nails¡ªhad it been a human cultivator, two or three Impact Curses would have blown their head apart.

    But what could it do? The consequence of undeveloped intelligence was that, like a beast that had escaped from the zoo, it was killed by humans using simple encirclement tactics.

    Three military cultivators quickly approached, both to confirm whether the enemy was truly dead and to prevent any feigned death and counterattack from the tree demon.

    The result of the inspection was satisfactory: it seemed to be dead.

    The last round of Metal-Element Impact Curse attacks had pierced into the heart of the tree, delivering the fatal blow.

    "Sorry." Su Yunjin approached Yan Yu and whispered, "I got scared just now and didn''t react properly."

    "It''s okay, it''s normal for the first time," Yan Yu said with a comforting smile. "The fact that you didn''t turn and run is already commendable."

    Secretary Su and the spoiled princess alike, actually have somewhat subpar reflexes in an emergency, but it wasn''t to the extent of being beyond hope.

    "Why aren''t you praising me?" Zhao Yuanzhen interjected proudly from the side. "The final Impact Curse that killed it was launched by me."

    "What kind of praise do you want?" Yan Yu looked at her, puzzled. "Should I give you a little red flower?"

    "I want a little red flower," Chen Lingyun said, smiling. "The Flame Curse I adjusted just now was accurate, wasn''t it?"

    "Alright, alright, we can talk about it after a review of the action!" Surrounded by the girls clamoring to talk to him, Yan Yu, who didn''t flinch in the face of the tree demon, now seemed somewhat overwhelmed and simply called out, "We haven''t completed our mission yet, so let''s not dawdle here chatting!"

    Elsewhere, three military cultivators stood beside the body of the tree demon, quietly holding a brief meeting.

    "What do you think?" Wei Yun was the first to speak up persuasively, "Old Jiang, at least you have to admit this, right? The reason the Jinling Military Region headquarters sent these people over and stressed that we provide unconditional collaboration is because they are indeed more skilled than us!"

    "I think so too," Feng Haiping agreed. "How else do you explain the brightness of a college student''s brain? The Flame Curse to entrap, the Impact Curse to kill; this tank-like tree demon was beaten like a dog in a cage. I think this tactic could totally be a case study for a textbook, could be used against other large fire-fearing monsters in the future."

    "Stop blowing smoke!" Jiang Weiming couldn''t save face and argued. "This tactic isn''t that complex, okay? Given some time, I might have come up with it myself."

    "Isn''t that the problem? We didn''t have time, right?" Wei Yun continued to try to convince him. "Besides, could you have lured the tree demon out of the forest yourself?"

    "I''m afraid you''d have ended up as tree fertilizer," Feng Haiping chimed in with a barb. "We would have had to set fire to the forest and dig you out from the ashes of the plants."

    "That''s enough from you two," Jiang Weiming said resignedly. "I admit I wasn''t polite earlier, but I didn''t deliberately oppose them! What''s the point of critiquing me after the fact?"

    "But you definitely need to work on that temper of yours," Wei Yun said bluntly. "Before you became a cultivator, why do you think your military rank never increased in the army? Don''t you have any self-awareness?"

    "Fine, fine, from now on I''ll keep quiet. Will it satisfy you if I just don''t speak at all?" Jiang Weiming raised his hands in surrender, saying in exasperation, "Wei Yun, from here on out you handle the communication with them. I''ll just be your dumb soldier, keeping my head down and charging forward, okay?"

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    "Leave it to me," Wei Yun patted his shoulder, then walked toward Yan Yu.

    "Young Master Yan?" He tilted his head towards the body of the tree demon and asked with a smile, "What should we do with this?"

    "Dig out the heart of the tree. Leave the body at the scene for the research department to handle later," Yan Yu answered.

    "Okay, will do," Wei Yun replied cheerfully, by extension indicating his attitude: From now on, we''ll follow your lead.

    Chen Lingyun observed the military cultivators'' reactions and, with a faint smile, approached the tree demon''s body to take a closer look.

    The deepest wound was near a burl, within which one could faintly see an emerald hue.

    Crouching nearby, Feng Haiping pulled out a military dagger and deftly peeled away the outer layer. Then, turning his head towards Yan Yu, he asked for instructions:

    "Should I wear gloves?"

    "No need, just take it out," Yan Yu answered, shaking his head. "It''s not corrosive."

    Following the instruction, Feng Haiping extracted the heart of the tree, weighing it in his hand for a moment¡ªit was like a stone, roughly the length and three fingers'' width of a palm, tapered at both ends into sharp cones, with a semi-translucent surface displaying a shade of green, almost like a large piece of high-quality jade.

    The girls eyed it intently, and even the well-traveled Zhao Yuanzhen couldn''t help but be drawn to it. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "What is this used for?" Chen Lingyun asked with interest.

    "For alchemy, crafting artifacts," Yan Yu replied. "You can also eat it directly. One bite, and you need neither food nor drink for three days, nor will you feel any hunger or thirst."

    Incidentally, it was said to taste somewhat like celtuce. But the source of that information couldn''t be explained, so it was best left unmentioned.

    "Oh," the girls said, enlightened.

    Mainly for research purposes¡­ which means, essentially useless to them.

    "This thing needs to be stored in water for long-term preservation," Yan Yu continued. "Otherwise, it will evaporate clean within a few hours."

    "This is easy to handle." Wei Yun took out his military canteen, used the Impact Curse to enlarge the drinking spout, then stuffed the tree core into the canteen before taking out a bandage to wrap and seal it up.

    The group continued to advance toward the direction of the cliff. Since the tree demon had rampaged, destroying the environment, a spacious path had emerged in the dense woods.

    However, everyone remained extremely vigilant, constantly scanning the surroundings as they moved, fearing that roots might suddenly emerge from any place and drag an unsuspecting victim into their grasp.

    Yan Yu, on the other hand, was not worried, as tree demons have a strong sense of territory and do not allow other monsters to survive nearby.

    Indeed, until the group managed to pass through the woods without incident, they encountered no second monster.

    When they reached the base of the cliff, Yan Yu looked up.

    The entire cliff face was bare, which seemed to present considerable difficulty for climbing, but for cultivators, it was not much different from walking on flat ground.

    Everyone used the Cloud Ascension Technique and, controlling their flight, quickly reached the top of the cliff.

    The mountaintop was overrun with wild grass but devoid of any trees. Lin Ning looked at the distant scenery and suddenly asked with curiosity,

    "If there were no such high points in the terrain nearby, wouldn''t one be able to fly high using the Cloud Ascension Technique to observe anyway?"

    "Yes," Yan Yu answered patiently, "but there are two problems with that."

    "First, even if you hover in midair to observe, the Cloud Ascension Technique will continue to consume your True Yuan.

    To ensure comprehensive scouting, the consumption would be four or even five times that of climbing; second, there are no footholds in the air, and since you must maintain the Cloud Ascension Technique, if you encounter an attack from the ground, or a flying enemy, it would be difficult for you to respond."

    "That''s not to say it isn''t feasible. If we come to a place without any high points nearby and also lack cover like forests to conceal the ground, then using the Cloud Ascension Technique to fly high for observation can be a good choice. In summary, there''s no absolutely fixed tactic; adaptability and situational judgment are key."

    "Understood," Lin Ning noted down solemnly.

    The three military cultivators nearby did not speak, but also pondered silently to themselves.

    He makes a lot of sense! These college-educated cultivators from the military academy really are smarter than us soldiers!

    "Alright, let''s analyze the terrain of this Mysterious Realm," Yan Yu said with a clap, "Lin Ning, I''ll ask and you answer."

    "With the upstream source of the river within our field of vision as the front of our coordinate system, what''s to our front right?"

    "A large forest, stretching to the end of our line of sight, blocked by a rugged mountain range," Lin Ning responded as she looked out, also recalling the earlier tree demon, "it could be hiding a large number of monsters."

    "And to our back right?" Yan Yu asked.

    "A plain," Lin Ning peered into the distance and slowly said, "the river flows downstream in that direction, which is also where Captain Jiang previously advocated for exploration. Both sides of the river are plains, and there are rolling hills at the endpoint. There are not many trees, but the grass is lush."

    "Our back left?" Yan Yu continued.

    "Endless, luxuriant forests," Lin Ning observed carefully, "stretching up to a wide lake. There''s no clearing by the shore, and not much detail is visible."

    "And the front left?" Yan Yu asked finally.

    "The terrain is flat, with relatively sparse trees," Lin Ning tried to distinguish, "further on is a stretch of plain with hardly any trees... Hmm?"

    "What is it?" Yan Yu inquired.

    "There seems to be a thatched cottage?" Lin Ning said uncertainly, "It''s too far; I can''t see clearly."

    "Then take your time and look," Yan Yu advised.

    Jiang Weiming coughed beside them, wanting to remind them that "the cultivators we lost earlier still haven''t been found," but under the watchful eyes of Wei Yun and Feng Haiping, he reluctantly held back his words.

    "It''s fine, it''s fine," seeing Yan Yu''s inquiring look, Wei Yun quickly said in a pleasing tone, "Scouting is an important part, and thoroughness takes time, we can wait."

    These three military cultivators, haughty at first and humble later, were as cold and guarded as they could be when they entered the Mysterious Realm, but now their attitude was as humble and flattering as could be, which made Lin Ning feel somewhat embarrassed. So she quickly held her breath and intently watched the distance for about ten seconds.

    "It is indeed a building," Lin Ning concluded promptly.

    "Excellent," Yan Yu nodded, "in the future, observe the terrain in this order, and try not to miss any details."

    "Based on what we know so far, Chen Lingyun, you analyze what we should do next," he commanded.

    "Me?" Chen Lingyun raised her eyebrows, her smile making an obvious statement:

    You''re training them just fine; what need is there for me to teach?

    "Yes, you analyze," Yan Yu intentionally pressured her, "if you make a wrong decision, I''ll strip you of your position as vice-captain."

    "As you wish~" Chen Lingyun was not at all flustered, she merely stood on tiptoes, straining to see the "thatched cottage" Lin Ning mentioned.

 Chapter 72 Who is Holding Us Back?

    "My conclusion is quite simple." After gazing for a moment, Chen Lingyun smiled and said, "We should first explore that thatched cottage." S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality."The reason?" Yan Yu asked.

    "The Mysterious Realm isn''t naturally formed but man-made," Chen Lingyun said leisurely, "Let''s assume there''s a master of this realm who wishes to reside here for a long time. Would they choose to live in a building or, like a wild beast, reside in the forest?"

    "See, I told you this realm is kindergarten level," Yan Yu said, turning around satisfied and spreading his hands to the others, "There''s no difficulty in either exploration and puzzle solving or combat."

    "Don''t forget, a group of military cultivators disappeared here before us," Lin Ning quickly reminded him, "Saying ''there''s no difficulty at all'' might be an overstatement, right?"

    The three military cultivators fell silent upon hearing this. Although the young girl was just stating facts, why did we still feel humiliated?

    "Ahem." As a representative of the military cultivators, Jiang Weiming had to stiffen his upper lip and try to save face, "The tree demon we just dealt with, if we hadn''t known the corresponding intelligence and hadn''t formulated targeted tactics, it would actually have been tough.

    From this, we can infer that the previous group of missing military cultivators likely encountered an unknown demon and suffered from a lack of experience."

    "That''s right," Yan Yu spoke earnestly to the girls, "So remember, folks! From now on, no matter what kind of enemy we face, we must carry out pre-combat reconnaissance and devise the appropriate tactics in advance; otherwise, this will be our fate."

    Jiang Weiming: ......

    He felt even more frustrated.

    He really wanted to argue, "We military cultivators do carry out reconnaissance, all right?" but the fact of the previous group''s disappearance was right there. It was unclear whether they had performed their pre-combat scouting, and Captain Jiang couldn''t clarify.

    Or rather, even if he insisted "They definitely scouted," if someone asked, "Oh, then why did they still disappear?" he still wouldn''t have an answer and would only be mocked for being a stubborn dead duck.

    "Let''s not talk about that for now," Wei Yun hurriedly interjected, saving the situation, "We have to search for the missing cultivators and complete the exploration of the Mysterious Realm. The tasks are arduous, so let''s quickly arrange our next steps."

    "Now that we''ve confirmed the surrounding environmental terrain, we have two choices moving forward," Yan Yu also smoothly transitioned to the main topic, "One is to start a grid search here to find the missing cultivators; the other is to explore that building to see if we can find the control center of the Mysterious Realm. Any thoughts?"

    Everyone looked at each other, thinking, isn''t it obvious?

    Looking down from the mountaintop, vast expanses of forest in every direction, how long would a grid search take? And how many demons encountered will have to be fought?

    But if they found the control center of the Mysterious Realm and took control of it first, the difficulty of any subsequent actions would collectively decrease by a level.

    According to the intelligence provided by Mei Yingxue, once the control center was refined, it would be akin to becoming the master of the realm... If the Mysterious Realm were compared to a chat group, then the master of the realm would be the group admin.

    With management authority in hand, searching for people or removing them would be much easier.

    "Let''s explore that building first," Yan Yu waved grandly, decisively making the decision.

    With the new route set, everyone leapt down from the mountaintop.

    Yan Yu freefell through the air, and just before hitting the ground, he calmly activated the Cloud Ascension Technique to brake, then landed steadily on the ground.

    Next to land was Zhao Yuanzhen. As a Demonic Sect Enchantress accustomed to Sword Control Technique, her ability to grasp distance and timing was naturally strong.

    When the two of them looked up again, they saw the others were using the Cloud Ascension Technique throughout, moving slowly downward.

    Zhao Yuanzhen yawned broadly while Yan Yu continued to watch above, not in a hurry to urge them, but stood by with folded arms waiting.

    Although he was silent, the very act of standing and waiting at the end point was a form of silent urging, wasn''t it?

    Lin Ning couldn''t hold back first, interrupting her Cloud Ascension Technique and freefalling with gravity, then at the right moment, she quickly activated the technique again, landing perfectly unharmed.

    A flawless landing!

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    She looked up somewhat proudly, only to find that neither of them was paying her any attention, which made her feel both embarrassed and awkward.

    To relieve her embarrassment, Lin Ning found a topic to ask, "Yan Yu, you said this realm is kindergarten difficulty, so where would the difficulty lie in exploring future realms?"

    "Uh," Yan Yu took a moment to think before answering, "Actually, exploration of a realm without competitors is basically not difficult at all. No matter how the realm is designed, it''s ultimately inanimate, and we can always find a way to deal with it."

    "That''s true," Zhao Yuanzhen agreed, "The real challenge isn''t the realm, it''s the people."

    Lin Ning silently lowered her head to ponder.

    So it''s like in games, no matter how hard PvE is, we can always find a guide, but the ever-changing nature of PvP is the real challenge... Is that what it means?

    Yan Yu gave Zhao Yuanzhen a look, meaning could you tone it down a bit and stop acting like an experienced senior? Have you forgotten who you are?

    Zhao Yuanzhen froze for a moment, then his face immediately showed annoyance:

    "So, officials are allowed to start fires, but common people can''t even light a lamp?"

    Yan Yu nonchalantly mouthed the words: Mei Yingxue.

    Zhao Yuanzhen fell silent, but he seethed inwardly:

    "Today this little thief shows off, and he doesn''t allow me to do the same, I''ll remember this grudge. If there''s a next time, when I turn the tables and call the shots, I''ll make him¡­"

    Hmm?

    "How should I get back at him though?"

    "Show off in front of him fiercely, while not allowing him to do the same? That sounds kind of stupid."

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress fell into a wordless contemplation.

    A moment later, Chen Lingyun was the fourth to descend, smiling and speaking to Yan Yu:

    "You''re still as fast as ever."

    Yan Yu could naturally catch the implication in her words and countered:

    "What were you waiting for up there, taking your sweet time? Foreplay?"

    Lin Ning: ?

    "Stop!" she shouted in embarrassment, "No dirty jokes allowed!"

    "What dirty jokes?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked, frowning.

    Lin Ning didn''t know how to explain, so she said sternly with a straight face:

    "Just that they''re not allowed, that''s all."

    After a while, Su Yunjin finally landed, followed by three military cultivators. They only deactivated their Cloud Ascension Technique and jumped down when they saw that they were not far from the ground.

    "Sorry for being late," Su Yunjin said with embarrassment.

    "No problem," Yan Yu waved it off nonchalantly, "Let''s go."

    The group continued on their swift journey. Su Yunjin seemed to be trailing behind, appearing somewhat downcast.

    Chen Lingyun noticed from the corner of her eye and quietly moved closer to walk alongside her.

    "Ling Yun," Su Yunjin asked softly and awkwardly, "am I slowing you all down?"

    "Hmm..." Chen Lingyun paused for a moment, then said with a beaming smile, "Not at all."

    "If we really have to worry about that, to be honest, we''re all dragging him down."

    "Him?" Su Yunjin paused, "You mean the captain."

    "But I think he doesn''t mind," Chen Lingyun continued with a smile, "because we''re bound to catch up sooner or later."

    "And if we can''t catch up?" Su Yunjin was still a bit melancholic, "What I mean is¡­ what if, no matter how hard I try, I can''t keep up with the pace of your progress?"

    "If that''s the case, then you''d just have to voluntarily leave the team," Chen Lingyun said with a mischievous smile.

    Su Yunjin immediately showed a look of terror as if the sky had fallen.

    "However," Chen Lingyun enjoyed her reaction long enough before she continued comforting her, "Yun Jin, your concerns are probably unnecessary."

    "Because, you see, if you truly were a person of mediocrity, Yan Yu wouldn''t have allowed you to join the team from the start."

    "But what if he was wrong?" Su Yunjin murmured.

    "Whether his judgment of people is accurate or not is something no one can determine," Chen Lingyun said slowly, "The only one who can prove it is you."

 Chapter 73 Alright, Lets Train the Troops

    Looking down from the peak of the mountain earlier, the surrounding terrain was clear at a glance, and planning a route was no more than simple.With Chen Lingyun''s exceptionally strong memory, Yan Yu simply let her lead the way, trying as much as possible to avoid areas dense with trees.

    As the group passed through a flat meadow, moving forward with their Shifting Technique, suddenly Lin Ning let out a sharp cry as her figure was abruptly flung into the air.

    It was a vine concealed within the underbrush that had now firmly entangled her ankle and whipped her into the air with force.

    Her balance lost, Lin Ning gritted her teeth, curled her body with all her might, and within her rapidly spinning and swaying vision, she tried to reach the thing binding her ankle to cut it with a Metal-Element Impact Curse.

    Before she could act, the force on her foot dissipated. She hurriedly applied the Cloud Ascension Technique, and her body came to an abrupt stop in midair, only to find only half a vine remaining on her foot¡ªit was Yan Yu who had reacted immediately, freeing her from the clutches of the monster.

    "Everyone, gather close to me," Yan Yu said casually, yet his hands did not cease to shoot Impact Curses in all directions around him.

    The frequency of his shots was not rapid, but with every Impact Curse that hit the ground, a section of vine would bounce out of the underbrush, like a pained snake attempting to flee.

    The group quickly huddled next to Yan Yu, with the girls in the inner circle and the three military cultivators on the outside. Lin Ning moved through the air with her Cloud Ascension Technique toward Yan Yu, when she heard him speak again:

    "Alright, disperse, the monster has fled."

    The underbrush around them rustled once more, seemingly something rapidly crawling away, but indeed the shaking was moving farther away.

    "How did you notice it?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, her eyes revealing a hint of surprise.

    Princess Jiang Hai was very confident in her observational skills, yet even with her concentrated efforts, she could only sense movements within the grass in all directions.

    But to, like Yan Yu, accurately discern the position of the vine monster within the underbrush and precisely deploy Impact Curses to sever the foe, she was not capable of doing so.

    The rest also perked up their ears. The girls familiar with his ways thought for sure he would make light of it, probably saying "This is very simple."

    "Oh, you''re asking about that," Yan Yu pondered for a moment before saying, "Watch the swaying of the underbrush. First, locate the position where the swaying is most pronounced, then see which direction it moves, and finally, calculate a lead based on the direction of motion¡ªthat''s where the actual body is."

    "Isn''t that very complicated!" Lin Ning, who had just landed, immediately retorted.

    "Otherwise?" Yan Yu asked, confused, "Did you think cultivator battles are simple? Too naive, little Lin Ning!"

    "Don''t call me little Lin Ning..." Lin Ning said, deflated.

    Yeah, what was I thinking? Real combat situations are inherently complex and ever-changing; why am I surprised?

    "Have they all gone?" Su Yunjin asked uneasily.

    "I suppose so," Yan Yu said, "Staying wouldn''t make sense; as many as come would be cut down by me. Even without spiritual intelligence, these creatures have the ability to gauge the disparity in strength."

    The three military cultivators also sighed with relief and exchanged glances once more.

    This Yan Yu, though his attitude and words were brash, his skills indeed matched his tone... and on second thought, for a young man with such abilities, a bit of arrogance seemed quite normal.

    So one must remember the lesson: Don''t judge a book by its cover, nor measure the sea with a bushel.

    "Shall we continue on our way?" Wei Yun asked, eager to proceed.

    "Or do you want to take a rest?" Yan Yu asked in return.

    "No, no need to rest," Wei Yun promptly replied in a firm voice, "The mission is paramount; we must persevere."

    "Then let''s go," Yan Yu nodded.

    Having crossed the vine-laden meadow, the group''s spirits were finally lifted.

    They had arrived!

    In front of them was the vast plain they had observed from the mountaintop.

    Now, at a closer look, one could notice the artificially cultivated ridges on the plain, with crops planted at equal distances in neat rows.

    The crops were of an unknown variety, unrecognizable in shape, but evidently cultivated by humans. Some were still growing, while others seemed ripe, bearing full fruits of various colors.

    Beyond the furrows and the unfamiliar crops, a thatched cottage could be seen in the distance.

    Before the group could make their next move, a figure suddenly flew toward them at high speed from afar, arriving above their heads in an instant and deftly landing.

    It was a life-sized wooden puppet, its cylindrical head carved with curved brows, a straight nose, and a flat mouth.

    Unlike its crudely carved head and body, its limbs and joints were exquisitely made, with elbows, wrists, and fingers of the right size and very flexible.

    In the puppet''s right hand was a green bamboo sword. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Isn''t that the Thousand Pines and Bamboo Sword?"

    The Thousand Pines and Bamboo Sword, also known as the "Green Bamboo Sword," was the sword''s formal name, whereas Lin Ning had given it that latter nickname.

    Why did Lin Ning name it? Because in her previous life, once she had confirmed her path as a Sword Immortal, this was the sword assigned to her¡­ So it was originally discovered in this Mysterious Realm?

    Well, since my current limit of Spiritual Energy isn''t enough for long-term Sword Control Technique, I might not be able to get the sword back for a while after handing it over.

    I''ll talk to Elder Li when I return, tell him to keep the sword for me.

    Yan Yu pondered silently for a moment and then saw the puppet clack its wrists, not attacking the group but rather pointing its bamboo sword at them. The tip of the sword raised slightly, and an aged laugh followed,

    "Ho ho ho~ A few Qi Refinement scatterbrains managed to find their way here, it seems the vine monsters and tree spirits nurtured by the lord are still a bit too weak."

    The group looked at each other and then unanimously turned towards Yan Yu.

    If anyone was qualified to represent the Cultivators and communicate with the puppet, it had to be their leader, Yan Yu.

    After pondering for a while, Yan Yu looked at the puppet seriously and asked,

    "We had a group of Cultivators come here to explore before, but they lost contact. Have you seen them?"

    "I do not recall," replied the puppet. "But the lord is kind-hearted and has long since taught those creatures not to kill indiscriminately, so your friends who intruded here are certainly alive. They must be trapped somewhere, and you may search for them yourselves."

    "I see, then I''ll cut to the chase," Yan Yu nodded and then commanded sternly, "Old wooden head, hand over the core of the Mysterious Realm!"

    The group: ............

    The puppet was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing,

    "Very well! The lord said that if someone wants the old abode of this place, it''s quite simple."

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    He flicked the green Immortal Sword in his hand, flourished it, and declared loudly,

    "A one-on-one duel for practice. Defeat me, and it''s yours. Who wants to go first?"

    Yan Yu sneered upon hearing this and turned to give an order,

    "You all heard it, right? Lin Ning, you go ahead and test its strength."

 Chapter 74 Its Decided, Its You

    Why did they send Lin Ning first?Because her role in the team is that of a shock trooper, and in most cases, she''s the first to charge in.

    It''s just right to let Sister Lin get used to combat in advance, which is also Yan Yu''s intention for personally leading the team in this "rookie pass."

    Chosen by Yan Yu to fight first, Lin Ning wasn''t too scared.

    After all, they said it was a "combat drill," which meant they wouldn''t really try to kill her¡­ right?

    Although she felt the risk was not great, nervousness was still inevitable.

    Lin Ning took a deep breath and activated her Shifting Technique.

    Charge!

    She closed in on the puppet in an instant, abruptly halting with the Cloud Ascension Technique and smoothly transitioning to the Wood Bending Charm, her right arm muscles swelling rapidly.

    "Lightning assault?" Su Yunjin was secretly shocked.

    Going from Shifting Technique to Cloud Ascension Technique, then to Attack Spell Technique, and instantly charging to punch you dead, this ultra-fast triple technique chain was Captain Yan Yu''s signature maneuver.

    He defeated the representatives of the other three forces with it in the Four Institutes Tournament, and all the team members had seen it in the video afterwards, but little did they expect that Sister Lin had already learned it.

    Before she could say anything, Yan Yu suddenly said,

    "Too slow."

    As Lin Ning switched to the Wood Bending Charm, the close-range puppet had already raised its Green Bamboo Sword high and slashed down.

    Because the switch to the charm was half a beat late, counterattacking would surely result in being hit first; Lin Ning could only raise her fist in a hurry.

    Fist against the blade!

    The Wood Bending Charm not only amplified her limb strength but also appropriately protected her limbs from being harmed by the blowback. However, compared to the specialized defensive Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse, the Bending Charm only reduced damage rather than provided immunity, protected only the limb exerting force, and did not nullify pain.

    Although the Green Bamboo Sword seemed to be made of bamboo, its hardness naturally could not be compared with ordinary plants. When her fist struck, the comic scene of "my flesh fist breaking your steel weapon" did not occur; instead, Lin Ning stepped back several paces in pain, tears almost coming out.

    Biting back her pain, she quickly activated her Shifting Technique and rapidly retreated sideways, avoiding the puppet''s follow-up slashing, and extended the other hand into a tight fist.

    Flame Curse!

    Fire suddenly erupted from the ground, but the Sword-bearing Puppet, though seemingly cumbersome, was actually agile. It sidestepped the flames the moment they appeared, largely evading the burning range and only leaving slight scorched marks on its surface.

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    "The Flame Curse has almost a half-second delay from casting to release, making it quite easy to dodge," Yan Yu explained to the rest on the side. "Such delayed spells must be used in combination with other attacks, like for restricting the enemy''s movement or attacking when they can''t dodge. Remember, using it alone is absolutely the wrong approach."

    While he calmly explained to the others, Lin Ning, now exemplifying what not to do, was being chased around by the puppet, looking very disheveled.

    The Sword-bearing Puppet didn''t move its legs while moving; rather, it was as if it were suspended by invisible threads, then approached like the Shifting Technique, forcing Lin Ning to maintain distance with the same technique.

    Luckily, Lin Ning had also practiced "Propulsion Tactics" for a while. She accelerated with the Shifting Technique and then abruptly stopped, continuing high-speed movement with inertia while swiftly seizing the moment to shoot out an Impact Curse, forcing the puppet to use its sword for defense.

    No matter where her Impact Curse was aimed, the puppet merely needed to rotate its wrist to move the Green Bamboo Sword to the corresponding position, effortlessly blocking the curse technique without the sword even wobbling.

    The so-called sharpness of metallic energy, in front of a superior Immortal Sword, was as fragile as an egg. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Enough," said Yan Yu, seeing that Lin Ning was about to enter a hit-and-run warfare. "Lin Ning, return to the team! Chen Lingyun, get ready to take over."

    Jiang Weiming and the other three Cultivators exchanged glances and finally realized what Yan Yu intended to do.

    This was training for battle!

    As Lin Ning swiftly ran back, the Sword-bearing Puppet, sure enough, chased her for a distance then suddenly stopped, only continuing to gesture with the sword to the group as if to say "come and fight."

    Chen Lingyun entered the battlefield, keeping some distance from the puppet, and suddenly shot out an Impact Curse to seize the initiative.

    The Sword-bearing Puppet moved swiftly to block the curse aimed at its chest, but at its feet, flames suddenly erupted.

    Her first move was not a single strike; it was a double hit!

    "Do you see?" Yan Yu immediately affirmed the action, saying to everyone, "The first strike draws the opponent''s attention, creating an opportunity for the second strike to hit. That''s what I was talking about in terms of move coordination."

    Lin Ning gasped for breath, hands bracing against her knees, and looked ahead with a mix of reluctance and resolve.

    I can do that too! It''s just... I was the first to fight, I just hadn''t thought of it!

    "Doesn''t seem very useful?" Jiang Weiming asked from the side.

    The puppet was hit squarely by the flames that had erupted, but instead of being hindered, it charged out of the fire charred black, rapidly flying toward Chen Lingyun.

    Chen Lingyun stood her ground, ready to engage the enemy. With her smart wit, she could of course see that what Yan Yu had everyone practice was "facing the real pressure of the battlefield." It would be meaningless if she were to activate the Shifting Technique and employ hit-and-run tactics, not letting the sword-bearing puppet get close...

    The sword-bearing puppet flew extremely fast, and in no time it reached Chen Lingyun''s position, the Green Bamboo Sword thrusting downward from above.

    Chen Lingyun quickly activated the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse and stretched out her left hand to grab the blade.

    She caught it.

    But it broke free.

    With just a slight twist, the Green Bamboo Sword flicked Chen Lingyun''s fingers open.

    Chen Lingyun wasn''t flustered, or rather, this was still within her expectations. She stepped half a pace forward, almost pressed close against the puppet, and her left hand again brushed toward its sword-wielding wrist.

    The True Yuan of the Water-based Runescript was quickly stimulated, and upon touch, it rushed into the puppet''s wrist. Suddenly, the puppet flew backwards rapidly, creating distance, with the wrist of its sword-wielding hand dangling at an odd angle, seemingly restricted in its movements.

    Hmm, the Runescript really did come in handy.

    Chen Lingyun remained where she was, not rushing to continue the chase, showing a thoughtful and sweet smile on her face, while the onlookers outside the field were dumbstruck.

    In the previous round, Lin Ning had been chased around by the puppet; but now that Chen Lingyun took the stage, the situation reversed immediately, forcing the sword-bearing puppet to retreat?

    Is there really such a big difference in strength between these two?

    "It''s simple," Yan Yu seemed to read the question in everyone''s minds and said calmly, "It''s difficult without information; it''s not difficult once you choose the right tactics."

    Lin Ning was slightly taken aback, then she began to ponder.

    That''s right, judging from the puppet''s performance, the Flame Curse didn''t do much damage, the Impact Curse was easily blocked by the sword, but it couldn''t resist a close-range Runescript; even that sword couldn''t penetrate the defense of the Barrier Charm...

    "Su Yunjin, get ready," Yan Yu reminded.

    "Okay," Su Yunjin clenched her fists nervously, her body trembling slightly against her will.

    Seeing this, Lin Ning moved closer and whispered in her ear:

    "It''s not that difficult, just remember to initiate the Barrier Charm first, and it will block its attacks. Don''t counterattack with the Flame Curse, as it doesn''t cause significant damage even if it takes a direct hit..."

    The sword-bearing puppet on the field raised its right arm, the blade vibrated, and it overcame the obstruction of the Runescript, its wrist becoming agile once again.

    It relaunched its attack, this time with a horizontal slash of the long sword from close behind. Yan Yu, observing from the outside, could see clearly that there was no Sword Control Technique involved, it was just a pure slash.

    Chen Lingyun raised her right arm, initiating the Barrier Charm directly to block, as the Green Bamboo Sword collided with her forearm, emitting a dull thud.

    She repeated her previous maneuver, stepping forward, but this time the puppet didn''t give her the chance to engage in close quarters, quickly pulling back to create distance.

    Yan Yu silently concluded that Sister Lin was good at designing tactics and seizing opportunities, the downside being her on-the-spot reaction to abrupt situations wasn''t strong. However, the puppet''s moves were too simplistic and its speed not fast enough to put any pressure on Chen Lingyun. On the contrary, it was being countered by her and wasn''t effective for training purposes.

    "Come back, Chen Lingyun!" He called out without much hesitation, "Next one, go, Su Yunjin!"

    As soon as Su Yunjin heard it was her turn, she tensed up immediately.

    But an unexpected comment from the side broke her tense state... She heard Lin Ning unable to resist calling out:

    "This is not the time to be playing Pok¨¦mon!"

 Chapter 75 Yun Jin, Sister, Im Here to Protect You

    Chen Lingyun used Shifting Technique to exit the field, and Su Yunjin hurriedly took her place to enter. Enjoy exclusive adventures from empireMiss Su hailed from a scholarly family, expert at clerical work, but currently, she wasn''t too fit for the battlefield.

    From past life experience, she was more adept at Wood-Element and Water-Element Taoism Methods, and as a spell cultivator, she could perform support tasks well, like restraining enemies or healing allies¡ªas long as someone was in front to shield her, and the pressure didn''t fall on her, she was able to perform consistently.

    But on the real battlefield, situations change rapidly; who could guarantee that the pressure would never fall on her?

    In high-level battles, any weakness in the team would certainly be targeted relentlessly by the enemy.

    Thus, it was necessary for Su Yunjin to train, not requiring her to master skills for close-quarters combat right now, but at least to mentally adapt to the pressures of the battlefield.

    Su Yunjin entered the puppets'' attack range and immediately activated the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse.

    Too hasty¡ªthe sword-bearing puppet hadn''t even approached her! She seemed afraid she''d get hurt if she activated it any later, indicating a lack of psychological quality.

    As the puppet swung its sword in a chopping motion, Su Yunjin quickly raised her hand to block, and her figure sharply shrank back.

    The girls outside the field fell silent. The opponent''s straightforward sword chop could be completely blocked without damage by the Barrier Charm; don''t be afraid, Yunjin!

    Jiang Weiming and others exchanged meaningful glances in silence. Sending such a fragile girl into the fray clearly showed that Yan Yu was using this puppet for training purposes, and as military cultivators, they theoretically should advise "mission first" and not waste too much time here.

    But from a soldier''s perspective, their current leader was Yan Yu, and a superior''s orders must be obeyed.

    They had no choice but to pretend not to have seen anything.

    "Speaking of which, old Jiang," Feng Haiping turned to ask casually, "how old is your daughter now?"

    "She''s three," replied Jiang Weiming, looking down at the grass, "I don''t know if she has the talent for cultivation."

    "Isn''t it said that Spirit Roots can be inherited?" Wei Yun chimed in from the side.

    "But my wife doesn''t have a Spirit Root," Jiang Weiming replied with a wry smile, "Do you think she''ll inherit from me, or my wife?"

    Military cultivators chatted idly by the field, while Su Yunjin faced the enemy on the field.

    At first, she constantly maintained the Barrier Charm to block the sword-bearing puppet''s attacks and only after gathering some courage did she, during a lull in its offense, abruptly switch from the Barrier Charm to Runescript in an attempt to strike at the puppet''s sword-wielding wrist.

    However, the puppet immediately retreated, dodging the Runescript attack. Su Yunjin didn''t dare pursue, hastily transitioning back to the Barrier Charm.

    Hmm? Yan Yu slightly raised his eyebrows.

    This Secretary Su''s switching between curse techniques was quite swift, and it didn''t seem like a skill acquired through later practice; it must be her innate control over True Yuan that was slightly above the average level of cultivators. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But only slightly above average wasn''t enough to form a tactical advantage; he would continue to observe.

    "Is it my turn yet?" Zhao Yuanzhen came over and whispered.

    "Why would you go up?" Yan Yu quietly retorted in confusion, "Do you also need to train?"

    "Of course, I don''t need to train," the Demonic Sect Enchantress said, sounding somewhat proud, her tail almost lifting itself¡ªif she had one, "but it''s obvious Su Yunjin can''t beat that puppet, right?"

    "She can''t beat it," Yan Yu didn''t deny, "Let her practice first."

    "If she can''t beat it, why practice?" Zhao Yuanzhen was puzzled.

    To someone with a fearful and timid nature like hers, if she were in the Qiansi Sect, she would be directly relegated to the ranks of servants, right? There''s utterly no point in cultivating someone like that!

    "I don''t know either," Yan Yu said, dismissing her with an indifferent response.

    "You don''t know?" Zhao Yuanzhen immediately became suspicious.

    Could it be his master''s intention?

    The moment Zhao Yuanzhen thought of that enigmatic master of strategy and calculations, he stopped making any comments, yet he made up his mind to befriend Su Yunjin in the future.

    After all, having a mighty protector amounted to soaring from a mere external disciple, or even a servant, to leaping over the dragon''s gate.

    Better to curry favor with the neglected cold stove than the attended hot one! There are plenty of people tending to the hot stove; no need for me to gild the lily!

    Zhao Yuanzhen''s covert thoughts were pressed down unexpressed. Meanwhile, Su Yunjin had been on the field for over five minutes, and Yan Yu had not called a stop, allowing her to continue battling the puppet.

    At first, she was solely defending and shrinking back, but she gradually realized that the puppet truly couldn''t break through the Barrier Charm''s defense; her courage grew, and she began trying to seize opportunities to launch Attack Spell Techniques, with the frequency of her counterattacks increasing.

    She even used the recently practiced Shifting Technique to dash and ascend, attempting to dodge rather than defend against the puppet''s attacks¡ªit hacked in a straightforward manner without feints or improvised changes of attack, making it indeed perfectly suitable for practice.

    Su Yunjin''s improvement was so evident that everyone outside the arena stopped commenting and just watched patiently as she slowly built her confidence.

    "Alright, Su Yunjin, prepare to come back," Yan Yu suddenly called out.

    "Ah?" Lin Ning asked puzzledly from the side, "Aren''t you going to let her practice for a bit longer? She still has room for improvement, doesn''t she?"

    Yan Yu blocked Lin Ning''s question with just one sentence:

    "She''s out of True Yuan."

    Su Yunjin indeed had little True Yuan left; upon hearing Yan Yu''s order, she swiftly dodged the puppet''s attacks, activated the Shifting Technique, and turned tail to run.

    "Your turn," Yan Yu said, patting Zhao Yuanzhen on the shoulder from behind.

    "Sure!" Zhao Yuanzhen chuckled coldly, "I''m going to annihilate it in one second!"

    Instantaneous annihilation was also internet slang; this Demonic Sect Enchantress, having crossed over for more than three months, had already been completely assimilated in her language habits.

    She activated the Shifting Technique and dashed forward quickly, her figure passing by Su Yunjin''s.

    Before even reaching the Sword-bearing Puppet, she saw the puppet suddenly exclaim:

    "What a witch! Face my sword!"

    It swung the Green Bamboo Sword abruptly, and a green Sword Qi tore through the ground coming at her, fortunately, Zhao Yuanzhen quickly changed direction, barely evading the slash of the Sword Qi.

    The onlookers outside the arena were immediately stunned: What''s going on?

    This Sword-bearing Puppet had been using a simple slash against the previous three contestants, so why did it suddenly release Sword Qi this time?

    Only Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun quickly guessed the answer: It''s likely that there was something wrong with Zhao Yuanzhen''s techniques or True Yuan, which the puppet had spotted¡ªthe master behind the Mysterious Realm, probably originating from a reputable sect, was quite normal to dislike a witch from the Evil Sect.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, however, didn''t overthink it; she was nearly hit by the Sword Qi and immediately flew into a rage:

    "You despicable puppet! Watch me dismantle you alive!"

    ...Such a simple and brute force mindset, Chen Lingyun thought to herself.

    The Sword-bearing Puppet swung its sword again, and the green sword light tore through the ground like a shark''s fin breaking through the waves, ferociously charging at her. Zhao Yuanzhen nimbly stepped aside, extending her hand in a sword-finger gesture and shot out an Impact Curse.

    The puppet immediately used its sword to block, and the Demonic Sect Enchantress seized the moment to close in, raising two fingers in the shape of a sword to stab forward.

    ...Not entirely though; her combat awareness was quite developed, Chen Lingyun amended her perception.

    Zhao Yuanzhen first pointed a finger at the puppet''s right elbow, and a metallic sharp energy surged forth, causing the puppet''s forearm along with the Green Bamboo Sword to break off and fall to the ground.

    She quickly spun around, sidestepped, and with a backhanded finger, pointed at the joint where the puppet''s left shoulder and body met.

    Thus, the puppet''s left arm was broken in half, hanging onto the body by a mere thread.

    Before Yan Yu could call out to stop her, Zhao Yuanzhen raised her leg, initiated the Curved Curse, and with two swift movements, kicked the puppet''s knees.

    The puppet with broken legs fell forward to the ground, its head rattling as it turned, seemingly aware of its current predicament, it quickly stopped moving.

    Zhao Yuanzhen stepped on the puppet''s head, snorted with pride, then turned her head to look at Yan Yu, as if to say, "I told you I''d dismantle it alive!"

    "Very good." Yan Yu clapped with an emotionless face, "You beat a puppet. How impressive."

    Only then did Zhao Yuanzhen realize... Isn''t it just an uncontrolled puppet? Why did I put so much effort into it? It''s as if I needed to go all out to defeat it!

    Although the Demonic Sect Enchantress wasn''t given to much thought, when it came to matters of "face", her cunning never disappointed. She immediately feigned an angry expression and kicked the puppet once more, declaratively proclaiming:

    "That''s for bullying my sister Yun Jin!"

    Su Yunjin: ?

 Chapter 76 Group Photo Time

    After defeating the puppet, the path to the thatched cottage was completely safe.Yan Yu found the control mechanism of the Mysterious Realm inside the cottage, which looked like a delicate incense burner, and started to refine it.

    The so-called refinement was simple, involving just infusing True Yuan into it, and infusing it fiercely.

    The amount of True Yuan needed wasn''t much, but the main issue was that refinement took time. Yan Yu roughly estimated that it would take about ten minutes or so to refine the incense burner.

    As the pace of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence increased, the difficulty of the Mysterious Realm would also increase, and the time required to refine the control mechanism would extend, possibly even requiring a few hours of work¡ªif there were enemy cultivator teams present in the Mysterious Realm, one would either have to eliminate all the opponents or carry the control mechanism around aimlessly, delaying until it was completely refined.

    After finishing the refinement of the incense burner, Yan Yu left the cottage and looked at the eagerly waiting crowd, and said:

    "I checked, the missing soldiers from the military haven''t died. 2.2 kilometers to the east of here, deep in the forest, they''re all hung up on trees by those vine monsters."

    "Can you give a more detailed description of their position?" Jiang Weiming let out a sigh of relief and quickly followed up with a question.

    "Wait a moment." Yan Yu held the incense burner in his hands and poured True Yuan into it, "I''ll send everyone out first."

    No sooner had he finished speaking than everyone''s vision started whirling. When they regained focus, they found themselves back in the depths of the Wuyi Mountains.

    Yan Yu tossed the incense burner into Jiang Weiming''s arms, who clumsily caught it, and heard him continue to say:

    Stay connected with empire

    "I''ve loosened the control authority, as long as you hold it, you can control the entry and exit of the Mysterious Realm, manipulate the restrictions, command the creatures and monitor the interior of the Mysterious Realm, etc.¡­ The specific functions, you can study slowly, there should be nothing for us here anymore."

    If comparing it to a chat group, Yan Yu was the group owner, and after he loosened the permissions, anyone holding this control mechanism would become an administrator.

    An administrator can do anything in the group except for kicking out the group owner, but the group owner can dismiss the administrator at any time.

    Of course, Yan Yu couldn''t possibly stay near the Wuyi Mountains to cooperate with the local military in developing the Mysterious Realm for a long time, so it was very necessary to loosen the control rights.

    But Zhao Yuanzhen couldn''t understand this matter, after everyone left the valley, she ran to Yan Yu''s side and asked with suspicion:

    "Why did you give the control mechanism to him?"

    "Otherwise?" Yan Yu asked back, "What use is it to keep it with us?"

    "We could sneak in and scavenge all the treasures inside." Zhao Yuanzhen still thought like a traditional cultivator, revealing a somewhat greedy little expression, laughing hehe, "It would all be ours."

    "Shift your perspective a bit." Yan Yu said persuasively, "Imagine you''re the personal disciple of a major sect leader, and the sect leader asks you to hand over all the treasures you obtain from the Mysterious Realm. Then he rewards you in the name of sect contributions. After the treasures are stored in the inner treasury, you apply to the sect leader to use the treasures again¡­ You get it?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen was silent for a moment, uncertain:

    "So the treasures go around once, and still end up in our hands, but the sect rewards are free gains."

    "Pretty much." Yan Yu calmly explained, "In cultivation, there are wealth, companions, Dharma, and land; among them, ''wealth'' isn''t about having the most, but about having the best. Whether you get three or five Flying Swords in the Mysterious Realm really makes no difference, because eventually, you''ll only use the strongest one among them; the rest will just gather dust in a corner...

    What we need to ensure is that we can 100% take back that strongest Flying Sword after we submit it."

    "Can this be guaranteed?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked doubtfully.

    "Definitely." Yan Yu smiled, "After the scientific registration is complete, all proceeds from this Mysterious Realm will belong to the Zhendong Army, which will be responsible for allocation. Our team is the strongest in the Zhendong Army, and we can even speak with the principal, so if it''s really something that can increase our combat power, how could we possibly not get it?

    If you''re really not reassured, I''ll go speak with Old Li, we can reserve it internally in advance, and then it''s all settled."

    "Speaking of which, isn''t it too early to go back to Jinling now?" Lin Ning suggested, "Maybe we can tour around the Wuyi Mountains?"

    "I support that." Su Yunjin said excitedly, "What''s fun around here?"

    "There are plenty of places to have fun." Lin Ning, being a local from Minhai Province, stood up to introduce, "You can take a bamboo raft at the Nine-bend River, or climb Tianyou Peak. My dad orders tea from here every year; if you guys want some, I can arrange it with a phone call home."

    "Then let''s enjoy ourselves here for a day." Yan Yu quickly responded to the will of the people, waving his hand grandly, "We''ll go back to Jinling tomorrow."

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    When it came to traveling, Yan Yu remembered times in his past life when he and Chen Lingyun had traveled together on many occasions.

    The two were not boyfriend and girlfriend, although they had slept together a few times, it was Chen Lingyun who initiated it¡ªback then, she was just over thirty with no dating experience, and doing such things was probably just out of curiosity, or simply a hormonal impulse. Later, she said it didn''t feel meaningful, so it naturally didn''t continue.

    Yan Yu had to admit that in his past life, he indeed harbored some latent, unspeakable affection for her.

    They say a woman remembers the first man she''s with, this theorem actually applies to men as well, but whether it applied to Chen Lingyun or not was uncertain.

    Over time, this affection gradually faded away... but perhaps there was also a possibility, that it was hidden away?

    What exactly was the relationship between his past self and Chen Lingyun, even Yan Yu himself couldn''t clarify.

    Sometimes he would feel an intense urge to confess to her, other times he loathed her for her ambiguous and evasive ways. His parents would occasionally complain that his matrimonial prospects were delayed because of her, and Yan Yu had no retorts, but until the very end, he had no feelings for any woman other than Chen Lingyun.

    There is an old saying: it''s hard to find water like the ocean once you''ve seen it; with Chen Lingyun''s exceptional beauty and family background, it was indeed tough to find a match. But if he were to lower his standards and look elsewhere, he still felt dissatisfied.

    So should this contemptible woman be considered his white moonlight or his cinnabar mole?

    For now, let''s just assume she''s the white moonlight.

    Then in this life, Yan Yu found it even stranger that he no longer yearned for his white moonlight.

    When he said to her at school, "Little Ling Yun, you have been dumped by me," he actually meant the Chen Lingyun from his past life. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    As for why... maybe it was because he couldn''t stand her trashiness any longer, so after being reborn, he suddenly saw through it all?

    "Yan Yu, come here." Standing by the scenic spot Xian Yu Pool, Chen Lingyun called him over with her phone, "Take a photo for me."

    "Ask Secretary Su to take it for you," Yan Yu said.

    Chen Lingyun glanced to the side, and Yan Yu saw Lin Ning standing at the edge of the mountain railing, smiling brilliantly, embracing and taking pictures with Su Yunjin and Zhao Yuanzhen.

    Seeing the Demonic Sect Enchantress in such high spirits, she seemed not to be forcibly dragged there... No matter, assimilation of ideas, there is no need for alarm.

    "Fine." Yan Yu took Chen Lingyun''s phone and crouched down to find the best angle for the shot.

    The princess''s appearance was indeed both exquisite and perfect, her smile so sweet, it almost overflowed from the screen, like a mix of honey and maple syrup.

    In his past life, he had taken countless pictures of her, and Yan Yu knew her photo preferences like the back of his hand.

    "Done," he said, returning the phone to her.

    Chen Lingyun looked at the photo, pleased with it from every angle and thought to herself, not without reason, he is my "dear" from a former life, then suddenly smiled and asked:

    "Do you want to take a few pictures with me here?"

    "Let''s not," Yan Yu shook his head, "If you were bathing in Xian Yu Pool, I would be willing to take a group photo with you."

    "Aren''t you afraid someone else might see my body?" Chen Lingyun asked with a beaming smile.

    Before Yan Yu could respond, he was interrupted by Lin Ning''s shout:

    "Yan Yu! Ling Yun! Come over for a group photo!"

    .........

    Click!

    .........

    As they descended the mountain, Yan Yu pulled out his phone again, looking at the photo Lin Ning posted in the group chat.

    In the center stood the tallest himself, on the left second was Zhao Yuanzhen, confidently smiling with arms crossed, left first was Lin Ning attempting to make a heart gesture and failing, on the right second Chen Lingyun leaned against the railing, lazily smiling, and on the right first Su Yunjin with her arm linked in Chen''s, shyly smiling.

    Hmph.

    This group photo, isn''t it better looking than a couple''s photo?

 Chapter 77 - Rewards!

    After spending a whole day in the Wuyi Mountains, everyone returned to Nanping Prefecture''s hotel to spend the night.There was nothing much to say about spending the night. There were no girls sneaking in for a night attack, nor were there any pillow parties. It was just completing the daily practice of dual-cultivation breathing with Zhao Yuanzhen before sending her back to her own room¡ªChen Lingyun was sharing a room with Lin Ning, and he was sharing with Su Yunjin.

    Not returning to their own rooms for the night would definitely raise suspicions.

    Yan Yu lay down on the bed and fell into a deep sleep, his consciousness gradually sinking into a dream.

    In the hazy rain of the night, he stood in the room of an apartment.

    Beneath his feet, in a puddle of blood, lay several bodies, arranged haphazardly. Were there two... or three? He couldn''t quite remember.

    Yan Yu looked toward the slightly ajar bedroom door and walked over with steady steps.

    Suddenly, a Flying Sword burst out of the door like thunder, and the sword light that came towards him illuminated his icy expression.

    Yan Yu instantly sidestepped, his footwork rapid. In a blink, he was inside the bedroom, his fingers already tightly gripping the attacker''s neck.

    Was it a boy, or a girl?

    It wasn''t clear; it felt like a high school student, but they could have been an adult, just with a youthful face.

    In truth, it didn''t really matter.

    Unauthorized, illegally practicing cultivators among common folk have a unified protocol for handling.

    Just take care of it.

    From behind, a sharp sound of cutting air approached. It was the previously fired Flying Sword, now flying back under the control of its master, aimed at the back of Yan Yu''s head.

    But Yan Yu just silently clamped down on the throat, staring into the other''s eyes.

    In the other''s eyes, there was both the fear of impending death and a bone-chilling intent to kill.

    .........

    Awakened by a knock on the door, Yan Yu slowly sat up and yawned.

    Dreaming of a past life is one thing, but why would it be a memory from a mission?

    Really bad luck.

    But on closer consideration, there didn''t seem to be any particularly happy memories that left a deep impression on him from his past life.

    Apart from his parents and sister, there was only Chen Lingyun...sigh, better stop thinking about it, it just brings more bad luck.

    Yan Yu silently got out of bed, walked over and opened the door, only to see Lin Ning standing outside, hands on her hips, urging him:

    "The hotel breakfast service ends in half an hour, didn''t I tell you to set an alarm?"

    "I did set it," Yan Yu said groggily, taking out his phone and glancing at it, "Hmm, it might have gone off, but it didn''t wake me up."

    "Well, hurry up." Seeing his tired face, Lin Ning didn''t continue to blame him and softly said, "We''ve all changed clothes and are waiting in the next room. We''ll go have breakfast together in a bit."

    "Oh," Yan Yu said and closed the door. Experience new tales on empire

    Not until he was at breakfast in the restaurant did he finally perk up, but he still looked listless. He tried to pick up a fried egg with his chopsticks twice and failed because he was so distracted.

    "Are you okay, Captain?" Su Yunjin asked with concern.

    "It''s nothing, I just didn''t sleep well," Yan Yu said vaguely.

    "Hmph." Zhao Yuanzhen was smug on the side.

    Without mind-reading, Yan Yu could guess that the Demonic Sect Enchantress was probably thinking, "Without me accompanying you for dual-cultivation, you really can''t sleep well, can you?" But Yan Yu couldn''t be bothered to argue with her, he just picked up his bowl and slowly finished the noodles inside.

    After leaving the hotel, the group went to Chong''an Airport to catch a flight back to Jinling College.

    Once on the plane, Yan Yu finally snapped out of his daze and began to look at videos on his phone.

    Zhao Yuanzhen to his right began to feel sleepy and started to snore loudly. Chen Lingyun, seated by the window on his left, looked at him with a smile, noticing that he was watching recordings of the Mitchi Superhero League. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Do you have any plans coming up?" the woman teased with a light laugh.

    "Training first," Yan Yu replied, "It''s time for everyone to get into actual combat practice."

    "What about a periodic review?" Chen Lingyun continued to ask.

    "Hmm," Yan Yu pondered for a moment, then said, "Lin Ning''s standard has reached a preliminary benchmark; what she lacks now is practical experience. I will be providing her with practice partners soon; she should be able to become the fastest-growing person on the team."

    "Su Yunjin, on the other hand, is still lacking in many aspects. Experience, psychology, response¡­ Let''s have her practice movement and evasive maneuvers first, to at least acquire some self-preservation skills."

    "As for you," he glanced at Chen Lingyun''s delicate and sweet smiling face, "to be honest, I haven''t completely figured it out yet."

    "How so?" Chen Lingyun''s smile grew sweeter.

    "Your strength lies in your brain," Yan Yu tapped his temple and said bluntly, "From the perspective of playing to your strengths, definitely, gaining practical experience like Lin Ning would be the greatest help to your growth in power."

    "But your weakness is also obvious, which is your on-the-spot reaction. For example, in the Mysterious Realm, when we faced that tree demon, it suddenly charged out of the flame formation. I intercepted it, and you and two other military Cultivators deployed the Flame Curse again... Your adjustment was half a second slower than theirs, resulting in a delay in casting the Flame Curse."

    "You were confronted with the tree demon head-on, and yet you still had the time to pay attention to what I was doing," Chen Lingyun said with an unchanged smile, "I''m truly flattered."

    "I''m the team leader. The performance of the entire team, in the full scope of the battlefield, at all times, is what I need to closely monitor," Yan Yu pondered for a while, "Anyway, it''s up to you to decide whether to prioritize playing to your strengths or addressing your weaknesses."

    "I can do that," Chen Lingyun nodded and said, "What about her?"

    "Her?" Yan Yu turned his gaze in surprise to look at the sleeping Demonic Sect Enchantress, "She doesn''t need our concern. She has her own methods of cultivation, which I can''t interfere with. At most, I can spar with her to let her grow on her own."

    "Understood," Chen Lingyun said thoughtfully, "Wait, it seems like there''s one more person."

    "Who?"

    "You~"

    Yan Yu was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled:

    "What do I need to train for?"

    "You don''t need to train?" Chen Lingyun revealed a cute and playful smile.

    "Well..." Yan Yu pretended to contemplate and finally answered, "I''m still looking for the right feel."

    "What feel?"

    "Of course, it''s the feel of being the strongest person in this world," Yan Yu described casually, "It''s that kind of invincible aura where I don''t even need to speak, but as soon as I appear, everyone will subconsciously think ''this is an opponent not to be trifled with.'' Do you understand?"

    "I don''t know," Chen Lingyun laughed happily, "But when you truly become the strongest in this world, remember to come and find me, so I can properly feel your aura of strength."

    "Certainly," Yan Yu said seriously, "Then you can also learn ''Conquest'' and kneel by my side to sing it to me."

    "A song from the 90s, I''m not sure if the current me can handle it," Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    "Then it''s a deal," Yan Yu nodded and said.

    After the plane arrived in Jinling, as soon as everyone stepped out of the airport, they saw Instructor Qi Changping had already driven there to pick them up.

    "This mission was executed beautifully! Ladies!" As soon as they met, Qi Changping exclaimed excitedly. Then he noticed Yan Yu leading the group, laughed, and grabbed his shoulder, "Of course, it''s mainly you, Captain Yan Yu, your contribution this time was indispensable!"

    "Instructor, you seem very happy?" Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    "Of course, I''m happy," Qi Changping grinned, "What you''ve taken down is the first Mysterious Realm of our entire Lu Country!"

    The ladies all cried out in surprise, but Yan Yu wasn''t very excited.

    It couldn''t be the first Mysterious Realm.

    The previous documents obtained from Li Weiguo detailed the process of first entering, formation breaking, enemy slaying, flag capturing, and the entire exploration of the Mysterious Realm. Clearly, this was a complete set of methodologies summarized after Mei Yingxue personally led military Cultivators through the actual exploration of a Mysterious Realm.

    However, the existence of Mei Yingxue still needs to be kept secret. So officially, the credit for capturing the nation''s first Mysterious Realm falls to Yan Yu''s Team.

    "So, are there any rewards?" Yan Yu continued to ask.

    "First-Class Merit, it''s been decided," Qi Changping declared jubilantly, as if the honor was his own, "After all, this time you were risking your lives in an adventure between life and death."

    "The honorary title hasn''t been decided yet. It seems that the higher-ups are planning to design a new system of titles specifically for us Cultivators, separate from the ordinary military heroes."

    "Of course, there is also a cash prize. Guess how much it is?"

    "Oh," Yan Yu wasn''t surprised about the cash reward. After all, this year Mitchi Country''s superhero league''s postseason top scorer won a total prize of 20 million Mitchi Dollars.

    If Mitchi can be so generous with Transcendents, but our Lu Country is miserly and unwilling to disburse money, it creates a disparity in treatment.

    With a disparity in conditions, loyalty issues arise... Lu Country isn''t a poor nation, why skimp on this expenditure?''

    Not to mention, Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm, being a Mysterious Realm with Wood-based Spiritual Energy, is naturally suitable for cultivating various medicinal herbs. The industrial benefits that could be dug out from here cannot be exchanged for any amount of capital.

    At the mention of "cash reward," the ladies'' attention was immediately drawn, even Zhao Yuanzhen, originally from another world as a Demonic Sect Enchantress, had, after assimilating here, come to appreciate the value of money, with eyes blinking expectantly at Qi Changping.

    "Let''s not guess this one, shall we?" Yan Yu said with a smile, "Guessing too low shows a lack of insight, guessing too high is overestimating oneself. Instructor, just tell us."

    Qi Changping thought it made sense, so he no longer teased them and announced the correct answer with a smile:

    "8 million yuan, tax-free, directly deposited into your bank accounts."

    "8 million in total?" Lin Ning was shocked and apprehensive.

    Her family ran a fishing company, so she had a clearer idea of what 8 million in cash meant. Su Yunjin, who was more aloof from worldly affairs, only felt "Wow, that''s a lot of money."

    "No, 8 million each," Qi Changping said.

 Chapter 78 Because Im the Strongest in This World

    Back at the Zhendong National Defense Academy in Jinling Prefecture, the girls first scattered to their own activities.They needed some time to digest the good news¡ªfor instance, now that they had this large sum of money, what should they do with it? Should they tell their families?

    Yan Yu, however, didn''t hurry to leave, as he noticed that Instructor Qi Changping hadn''t left either.

    "The higher-ups are looking for you, let''s go," Qi Changping said with a smile.

    When they arrived at the office, they saw Li Weiguo typing on the computer.

    Contrary to the stereotype that "old people are not good with electronic products," this elderly leader typed slowly but steadily, using all ten fingers instead of just two, occasionally stopping to confirm something, and then clicking the mouse a few times.

    Then, he noticed the two people who had walked in and slowly swiveled his chair around to face them.

    Having delivered the person, Qi Changping immediately took his leave.

    Li Weiguo, pointing at the chair in front of the office desk, said with a smile:

    "Sit."

    Yan Yu sat calmly on the chair and said:

    "I''ve handed over the control center of the Mysterious Realm to the person in charge of the local troops."

    "I know, I have received the report," Li Weiguo nodded in approval and asked with a smile, "How did it feel to lead the team and fully explore a Mysterious Realm this time?"

    "It was very interesting," Yan Yu candidly said, "I am quite curious, what exactly is the origin of the Mysterious Realm?"

    "The academic world has not yet confirmed it clearly," Li Weiguo answered, "There are two possibilities: one is that it was left by our predecessors, but then we must explain why they did not leave enough records in the vast historical material; the other is that they come from another world, just like the suddenly appearing... Spiritual Energy."

    Yan Yu knew that beneath his pause lay a hidden name.

    Mei Yingxue.

    As for the source of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, there were also two prevailing guesses in his previous life, named "Prehistoric Theory" and "Otherworld Theory."

    "Prehistoric Theory" posited that the era of Cultivation took place before the Xia Dynasty, in a so-called "Prehistoric Age," when cultivators widely used Jade Slips capable of storing Divine Sense as information carriers. As the Earth''s Spiritual Energy concentration steadily declined entering the Age of Dharma Decline, Divine Sense became increasingly limited, and Jade Slips began to malfunction.

    As a result, there was an urgent need to invent writing to save the texts.

    This theory did explain some issues, such as why after the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, many families in East Asian countries began to gradually discover objects related to the Lu Country''s cultivation system¡ªthese were left by the ancestors of the Rikoku Cultivators in prehistoric times, which turned into ordinary antiques due to the Age of Dharma Decline.

    However, this theory also has many flaws, which I won''t elaborate on here.

    "Otherworld Theory" speculated that our world and the world Mei Yingxue came from are actually symmetrical and interconnected at a higher dimensional level. Once the passage between these worlds begins to widen, the Spiritual Energy, Mysterious Realms, and various cultivation items from the other side would continuously project and transfer over.

    This theory could also explain another set of issues, such as why every country in the world has a unique extraordinary cultivation system that corresponds exactly to each country''s mythological legends. In fact, it should be the other way around¡ªancient myths and legends existed because of the symmetry and connection with an extraordinary world.

    However, once it involved travel between worlds and otherworldly domains, the inexplicable contradictions become even more numerous, and this will not be further discussed here.

    Of course, compared to "where does the source of Spiritual Energy Resurgence lie," the question of "where will the Spiritual Energy Resurgence lead the world" is far more important...

    Yan Yu pondered for a long while in silence, only to hear Li Weiguo speak again:

    "The Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm has been taken over by the Minhai troops. After the expert group''s preliminary exploration and study, it seems to be divided into three layers: the first layer for planting Spirit Grass, the second layer for concocting Elixir Medicine; and the third layer is the cave dwelling where the original owner of the Mysterious Realm lived."

    "What you explored was only the first layer of the Mysterious Realm. The entrances to the other two layers have not been opened to the public for certain reasons, so let''s leave it at that for now."

    Your next chapter awaits on empire

    "Understood," Yan Yu pretended to have an epiphany, "So the Mysterious Realm we captured is actually for planting Spirit Grass. After all, it''s rich in Wood-type Spiritual Energy and there are many monsters... no wonder the Wuyi Mountains have such a suitable environment for growing tea leaves."

    "Exactly," Li Weiguo said succinctly, "The Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm is very important to the nation, and you''ve done a great service this time."

    "If you''re referring to the matter of rewards, Instructor Qi has already informed us," Yan Yu replied.

    "Yes, I know," Li Weiguo pondered for a moment, then asked suddenly, "Have you ever thought about a question? It''s fortunate that this Mysterious Realm appeared within our borders, so there were no rival cultivators competing with you. What if it appears overseas next time? For instance, near the Nansha Islands, what would happen?"

    "Then we''ll have to wrestle with some countries," Yan Yu said with a smile, "Forget about the Nansha Islands, even if the Mysterious Realm were to appear in Ryukyu, as long as the nation gives the order, I wouldn''t hesitate to lead a team there."

    "Being willing to fight is good," Li Weiguo nodded in satisfaction, took a sip of tea, and said, "But don''t underestimate the opponent. According to some of our intelligence, Chongying Country is carrying out a cost-ignoring elite cultivator cultivation program.

    You can simply understand that in the future, their overall number of cultivators might not compare to ours, but the top-tiered cultivators among them may well become the greatest adversaries of our Zhendong Army."

    "I understand," Yan Yu put away the smile on his face.

    Of course, I already knew that.

    Those top Chongying cultivators you mentioned, I can not only recite their names, their cultivation schools, their preferred combat methods and strategic weaknesses, but I even know their innermost secrets that they dare not reveal. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    For instance, who is the militarist that harbors an extreme hatred for Lu Country, who is the leftist anti-war activist that pretends to be an aggressive right-winger, who is the nationalist seeking normalization, and who is the separatist wanting to govern the country with cultivators¡­ They are nicknamed "The Four Great Demon Kings," causing shock among nations, each one being exceptional, and certainly bringing unexpected surprises to Chongying!

    Yan Yu adopted a strategically disdainful attitude towards Chongying Country cultivators from his high vantage point as a seer. Li Weiguo, of course, wasn''t as learned and well-informed, but fortunately, the elder had held high office for many years and quickly ceased to worry about these troublesome matters, continuing instead:

    "Therefore, there are going to be some changes to the current policy of allocating mysterious realms."

    "Originally, whichever province a mysterious realm appeared in, it would belong to the corresponding stationed military area for exploration. However, this method of allocation results in a lack of competition, and I worry that you all might lack the combat experience needed to deal with overseas mysterious realms and enemy country cultivators in the future."

    "Taking this into consideration, some mysterious realms with higher concentrations of spiritual energy will be designated by the higher-ups going forward. Two teams will be arranged to explore them, simulating hypothetical confrontational competition."

    "After entering the mysterious realm, you will have to deal with the realm''s own defense mechanisms as well as the competing team of cultivators¡ªof course, even though you''ll be playing enemies, you are essentially allies, so you can''t kill.

    However, there will be no True Yuan suppressing bracelets this time, so the intensity of the battle will become very high and won''t strictly avoid bloodshed like the last inter-academy exchange competition."

    "I understand," Yan Yu said seriously, "I will adjust our upcoming training schedule to ensure that everyone can ''defeat the opponent without endangering their lives''¡­"

    "No, no, no, no, that''s not what I mean." Li Weiguo was shocked for a moment and hurriedly corrected, "That''s not the point! *cough* What I mean is, because there are no True Yuan suppressing bracelets, you must take adequate measures for your own safety.

    It''s fine if you lose, after all, no matter who wins, the mysterious realm will ultimately belong to the nation, but we cannot afford the loss that would come from casualties during internal competition. Remember, the most precious resource of the Zhendong Army is not some powerful manuals, elixir medicines, or treasures, but you, the young cultivators!"

    "I understand," Yan Yu said with emotion, "I will prioritize the safety of the team above all else. As for winning or losing, I''ll just let it be."

    "It''s not that you should just let winning or losing be," Li Weiguo said exasperatedly, quickly correcting himself, "A soldier should strive for victory and honor! You can''t shirk battle just to save personnel¡­ Damn it, how did I get wrapped up in this again?"

    "Alright, let''s drop it!" The old chief stuttered for a moment, and then, not bothering with particulars, sternly ordered, "Yan Yu, I''ll just give you a military command."

    "No one should die, and we must win the battle! Do you understand?!"

    "Understood!" Yan Yu immediately responded with solemnity, "But there is also something I need to do."

    "Go ahead," Li Weiguo said with an increasingly stern and austere expression, thinking you better not start going in circles with me again, or I''m really going to lose it.

    "I need to request a resource allocation," Yan Yu stated.

    "What resources?" Li Weiguo, upon hearing it was a matter of requisitioning resources, immediately relaxed.

    "It''s about the materials we gathered from the Wuyi Mountains Secret Realm exploration¡­" Yan Yu began to ponder, what should I ask for first?

    "Ah, there''s no need to make it so complicated." Seeing him start to deliberate, Li Weiguo simply pulled out a piece of paper from a folder beside him, slapped it on the desk, and pushed it towards Yan Yu, "This is the first list that came in from Nanping Prefecture this morning.

    It''s the inventory of materials they initially explored and collected after taking over the Wuyi Mountains Secret Realm yesterday. Take a look."

    Yan Yu glanced at the list.

    Since it had only been explored for about a day, the list wasn''t long, and most items were some harvested spirit grass or remnants of magical creatures.

    The Green Bamboo Sword that defeated the final puppet was also conspicuously on the list.

    "I want this," Yan Yu pointed at the Green Bamboo Sword.

    "Alright," Li Weiguo took back the list and circled it with a pen, "Once they''re done studying it, it will be approved for you. What about the rest?"

    "I don''t need the rest for the time being," Yan Yu pondered for a moment, then asked, "By the way, would this be considered a loan? Is there a time limit?"

    "Of course it''s not a loan; it''s considered an authorization to use national resources," Li Weiguo responded, "There''s no time limit."

    "Of course, even if it''s an indefinite authorization, that doesn''t mean it''s given to you. If your strength severely declines or even collapses in the future, I can''t guarantee that the nation won''t reclaim these resources and grant them to other cultivators who need them more. Understand?

    After all, strength speaks here, and even if I want to look after you, some matters aren''t mine to decide alone."

    "Of course I understand," Yan Yu said with a smile, "Please rest assured."

    "While I don''t often boast, I must make a stance here: I will definitely not cause you any discomfort in the future."

    Li Weiguo raised an eyebrow: Oh? Don''t often boast?

    Yan Yu ignored his expression and continued with a smile:

    "Because the team I lead must be the strongest in the country¡­ no, the strongest team in the world!"

 Chapter 79 Youre a Little Too Sensitive (1/10)

    Yan Yu left the principal''s office and took out his cell phone to send a message to everyone.[Yi De Fu Ren]: Where is everyone? Sound off!

    [Ningning]: I''m at the new training ground.

    Seeing that no one else had replied, Yan Yu headed to the training ground to find Lin Ning.

    In this life, because someone had privately spread slander, the school''s training plan had been massively altered¡ªnow it emphasized the combined use of the Three Arts.

    The new training ground was set up with a long wall made of semi-solid fire foam. The collision resilience was impressive, so even hitting it wouldn''t cause bleeding wounds.

    The instructor commanded the students to wear protective gear and then launch a Shifting Technique charge at the wall, requiring them to switch to the Cloud Ascension Technique and brake sharply when approaching the wall.

    Because the wall was intentionally shaped to look just like a normal concrete wall, the students generally felt a great deal of psychological pressure. When they sprinted over with the Shifting Technique, they braked early, with their stopping points ranging from 3 to 5 meters.

    Amid many difficult-to-watch performances, Yan Yu almost instantly spotted the most dazzling girl¡­ Not only was she beautiful and shapely, but her training results were also outstanding, managing to brake within 1 meter every time.

    Lin Ning, Sister Lin, the problem-solving Lin family member. Her black hair was tied into a ponytail and bunched up with a rubber band at the back of her head; she wore a small sports tank top, shorts that revealed her fit thighs, as well as clean sports shoes and half-length white socks. The unique youthful charm of a young girl attracted the gaze of boys and girls around her like a magnet.

    "Why are you training again?" Yan Yu came up to her and asked in surprise.

    "Isn''t this afternoon our training time?" Lin Ning, already with a slight sweat and breathing rapidly, rested with one hand on her waist and responded to him curiously.

    "But we had a mission yesterday," Yan Yu said.

    "You didn''t say that we could take the entire next day off after completing the mission," Lin Ning said.

    "So, you only act upon orders, huh?" Yan Yu was immediately amused by her, almost as if he were being spoon-fed, "If I told you to rest, you would rest? What if I told you to go out on a date and book a room with me, you would agree without a second thought?"

    "Don''t talk rubbish and make up stories," Lin Ning gave him a gentle kick and then crossed her arms, asking, "What did you want to see me about?"

    "Of course, it''s about setting up a new training plan," Yan Yu said, looking towards the students training in the distance, "Your Shifting Technique braking is already within an arm''s reach. There''s no point in practicing it further."

    "Not yet," Lin Ning corrected him, "I can now consistently control it at about one meter; an arm''s reach should be about half a meter."

    "When I first mentioned it, I was talking about one meter," Yan Yu casually replied. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "You said an arm''s reach," Lin Ning insisted.

    "It was one meter," Yan Yu raised his eyebrows slightly, "Who''s the captain here, you or me? Who decides the training standards?"

    Lin Ning was instantly aggravated but left without a retort, secretly thinking to herself that she needed to buy a recording pen next time. She''d record everything he said when setting the training plan, to see how he would argue then!

    "What do you plan to do with this time''s reward money?" Yan Yu shifted the subject upon seeing her puff up in anger.

    "I don''t know, haven''t decided yet," Lin Ning said, "That much money, I can''t spend it all, so I might as well give it to my family. How about you?"

    "I plan to buy a house nearby... but of course, that''s not the point," Yan Yu said, seeing she was no longer angry, then got back to the main topic, "I''ve already fixed your new training plan."

    "What is it specifically?"

    "Quite simple, spar with me," Yan Yu said.

    Lin Ning was silent for a moment:

    "I can''t beat you, right?"

    "Of course," Yan Yu said, "But the purpose of sparring isn''t to win, it''s to help you find out where your issues currently lie through actual combat."

    "Alright, I get it," Lin Ning said, her expression a bit uneasy as she adjusted the strap of her tank top, "Right here? Should I go change into something else?"

    I didn''t say we were going to spar right now, and what''s with that little move of pulling at your clothes?

    "Let''s wait until I''ve arranged the entire team''s training plans, and then I''ll come to find you," Yan Yu replied, "Tell me anytime if you have any ideas."

    "I don''t have any thoughts," Lin Ning seemed to let out a sigh of relief, then asked tentatively, "Sparring... is it like when you trained Sister Zhao before?"

    "Sister Zhao?"

    "Zhao Jiuzhen, because Ling Yun usually calls her Sister Zhao, so we followed and called her that too," Lin Ning explained.

    "Oh, I see," Yan Yu thought to himself that the Demonic Sect Enchantress deserved a good beating, as mischievous as a monkey, the harder you hit her, the more obedient and attentive she became, not like the ordinary girls at all, "Well... that''s hard to say specifically."

    "Why is it hard to say?" Lin Ning asked, puzzled.

    "Let me use an analogy that you can understand," Yan Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Imagine there''s a top student and a poor student. The top student has a solid foundation, so you make him do practice tests repeatedly; the poor student doesn''t even remember the formulas, so plunging into a sea of problems will only be counterproductive.

    Instead, it''s better to start with the knowledge points in the textbook. Do you understand? Everyone''s training plan is different; it varies by person, tailored to their abilities. You really shouldn''t just apply someone else''s training plan to yourself."

    "I see now," Lin Ning suddenly realized, and her expression relaxed quite a bit. Curious, she asked, "So am I considered a top student or a poor student?"

    "What do you think?" Yan Yu countered her question.

    "I don''t want what I think; I want what you think," Lin Ning asked subconsciously, then quickly realized it sounded a bit odd and added, "You''re the captain, your judgment is more meaningful."

    "I said, poor students need to consolidate the basics, while top students, having a solid foundation, can go straight to practical tests," Yan Yu replied.

    Oh, so I''m doing practical sparring, which means I''m a top student... hehe.

    Upon this thought, Lin Ning''s mood instantly lifted, and she said cheerfully:

    "Got it. Let me know when you start training, send me a message."

    "Sure, keep in touch," Yan Yu paused for a moment, then added, "Don''t train by yourself for now, rest up."

    "Understood," Lin Ning nodded.

    Having taken care of Sister Lin, Yan Yu once again took out his phone, only to see two more people had replied with their locations.

    Su Yunjin was in the library, the closest one, so he decided to find her first.

    Upon arriving at the library, Yan Yu was surprised to find that it was not as deserted as the last time but occupied by six or seven boys.

    Looking closer, they were seated around where Su Yunjin was positioned, and each of them held some foreign literature such as Kundera''s "The Unbearable Lightness of Being," Marquez''s "One Hundred Years of Solitude," and Joyce''s "Ulysses"...

    It seemed like he understood.

    Wake up, guys! A literary girl having a romantic encounter with a boy who loves books is something that only happens in anime and light novels from the Sakura countries!

    Unperturbed by the "surveillance" from the surrounding eyes, Yan Yu directly approached Su Yunjin and noticed that she was holding the "Legend of Shushan Swordsmen" by the author of Zhuangyuan Tower.

    "You want to understand the cultivation world through classical wuxia novels?" Yan Yu sat down in the chair opposite her and asked.

    "No," Su Yunjin shook her head with a smile, "Just to kill time."

    "Then I came at the right time," Yan Yu spoke earnestly, "Based on our trip to the Mysterious Realm, I think you''ve all completed the first phase of training. It''s time to start the second phase."

    "What exactly do we have to do?" Su Yunjin closed the book she held and put it aside.

    "What do you think your main weaknesses are currently?" Yan Yu slowed down his tone and asked.

    "Um..." Su Yunjin fell silent for a moment, then said with a wry smile, "I feel like everything is a weakness."

    "Hmm," Yan Yu made no direct comment but instead said, "From my perspective, you have a rather cautious personality, so it''s better to start with self-defense capabilities. If you always hold back for fear of getting hurt, you won''t be able to execute any tactics."

    "Self-defense?" Su Yunjin pondered, "Do you mean practice the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse? Or continue working on switching between the Shifting Technique and the Cloud Ascension Technique?"

    "The latter, but we''ll need to raise the difficulty," Yan Yu said nonchalantly, "For instance, I will launch attacks at you, and you''ll have to keep dodging, which will help you overcome your fear of actual combat more quickly."

    Su Yunjin''s pretty face turned a bit pale as she asked slowly:

    "What if I can''t dodge?"

    "Don''t worry, I''ll be careful with the force," Yan Yu assured her seriously, "At most, it will be pain, bleeding, getting hurt, that sort of thing... Of course, you don''t have to be overly scared, it''s not the kind of serious injury that would send you to the infirmary for emergency treatment, at worst you''ll just need to bandage it up."

    Su Yunjin fell silent for a moment, then nodded stiffly:

    "Alright, I got it."

    "That''s great..." Yan Yu felt her reaction was a bit off and decided to find a lighter subject, "What do you plan to do with the prize money we got from the last exploration of the Mysterious Realm?"

    "I was planning to give it all to my family," Su Yunjin said distantly, "But I think... I''ll keep some of it for myself, to buy some ointment for bruises and injuries?"

    "You''re a bit too sensitive," Yan Yu said helplessly, "I''m not going to use training as an excuse to batter you seriously."

    "Like Sister Zhao?" Su Yunjin counter-questioned.

    "Uh..."

 Chapter 80 Grinding Her Temper (2/10)

    In Chen Lingyun''s room."Does my usual sparring practice with Zhao Yuanzhen look brutal and savage?" Yan Yu complained.

    "Not at all." Chen Lingyun, rotating the handle of the coffee grinder, smiled and said, "If we ignore the fact that you use training as an excuse to deliberately knock her on the head, kick her butt, and run her ragged, your training style is actually quite gentle, right? At least it doesn''t result in bloodshed or injuries."

    "Her stubborn nature is obvious." Yan Yu argued without justification, "If I don''t toughen up her temperament, how can the special training be effective?"

    Empress Yuanzhen, with that one "demonic" character, do you think it was casually given by the media from a previous life?

    "Yes, yes, yes." After Chen Lingyun finished grinding, she carefully poured the grounds into the filter cup, then picked up the gooseneck kettle next to her and leisurely started pouring water in a circular motion.

    "Done." Following some incomprehensible procedures, she placed the coffee cup in front of Yan Yu and elegantly smiled, "Please enjoy."

    Yan Yu took a sip, smacking his lips as he savored it for a moment, and said:

    "My assessment is, it''s not as good as Nescafe''s instant coffee."

    "It''s normal to have different tastes." Chen Lingyun was all smiles, her eyes seeming to say, "Look at this country bumpkin."

    "I can understand liking hand-poured coffee." Yan Yu turned his head to look at the vinyl record player by the window, "Could the sound quality of records be better than professional audio equipment?"

    "Just think of it as decoration." Chen Lingyun''s smile remained.

    "I know what you''re thinking," Yan Yu said leisurely, "You''re thinking, ''This country bumpkin, obviously not understanding high art, yet still dares to criticize, how annoying''."

    "You guessed wrong~" Chen Lingyun paused for a moment, her smile even brighter and sweeter, "What I''m thinking now is, even though our tastes are completely different, we can still accommodate each other. Such emotions are truly sincere and worth cherishing, don''t you think?"

    Hmph, cunning woman with her sweet words and numerous tricks!

    Yan Yu didn''t fall for her bait but smoothly changed the subject:

    "What have you considered for the next step of the training plan?"

    "Do you have any suggestions?" Chen Lingyun asked him in return.

    "How about this." Yan Yu pondered for a while, "Since both Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen are sparring partners, why don''t you join us too? Focus on improving real combat experience first."

    "As for reaction speed, you''ll have to find your own way to slowly train, like playing Whac-A-Mole, Temple Run, or something."

    "I can do that." Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "Then I''ll give it a try."

    "I should get going." Yan Yu stood up, bidding farewell, "I need to buy a bottle of iced black tea to rinse my mouth."

    "There''s another thing." Chen Lingyun picked up the filter cup, examining the residue left inside.

    "What is it?"

    "My dad wants to meet you."

    Yan Yu hesitated for a moment: "But I don''t want to meet him."

    "I figured." Chen Lingyun put down the filter cup, looked back with a pure and flawless smile, markedly different from her usual brilliant fake smile, "That''s why I turned him down for you."

    "Uh, thanks?" Yan Yu ventured to ask.

    "You''re welcome." Chen Lingyun said cheerfully, picking up the filter cup and grinder, and went to wash them on the balcony.

    Yan Yu watched her back, hesitating for a moment.

    Here it comes again.

    This annoying feeling, as if she has something to say to you, but you can''t just ask her, because she would never admit it.

    Putting it more artistically, it''s like the sunlight passing through a carved window, casting golden butterfly shadows on the floor tiles. It seems like you could catch them if you just reached out, but deep down you know it''s an illusion; no matter how many times you try, it''s futile.

    Yan Yu exhaled a long breath of turbid air.

    Forget it.

    Having lived two lifetimes, I should have learned to let go by now.

    "Then I''m off, okay?" he called out one last time.

    There was no response from the balcony, only the sound of running water.

    Yan Yu had no expectations of receiving an answer and without hesitation, turned around and left.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    So where exactly is the Demonic Sect Enchantress?

    I''m really seething inside, I should go find that enchantress to vent my anger!

    On his way to the school gate, Yan Yu saw Zhao Yuanzhen returning from outside the school, holding a plastic bag.

    Outside the school gate, two young men, wearing earrings and styled with curly hair, were all smiles as they stopped her and said something, seemingly hitting on her for friendship.

    Yan Yu was terrified, his soul nearly flying out of his body. Of all people to hit on, they chose to approach Empress Yuanzhen!

    Zhao Yuanzhen forced a reluctant, impatient smile, as if swatting away flies, continuously waving her hands. With the school security also glancing over, the two young men, though slightly annoyed, sheepishly put away their phones and turned to leave.

    "What happened?" Yan Yu hurried to her side and repeatedly said, "Don''t get impulsive, there''s no need to take ordinary mortals too seriously... Remember that guy with the surname Mei!"

    "What are you doing!" Zhao Yuanzhen was startled by the mention of that name and then inexplicably said, "What do I have to be impulsive about?"

    "Weren''t those guys hitting on you?" Yan Yu was taken aback, then realized he might have misunderstood.

    "No," Zhao Yuanzhen replied, "They were advertising a gym, asking me to add their official QR code."

    Yan Yu: .........

    Gym salesmen... why would gym salesmen approach a girl? Shouldn''t they target those muscle-loving, testosterone-filled guys? Not even understanding your own target audience, no wonder you guys are going bankrupt and absconding with the money!

    Startled by this sudden turn of events and having lost the urge to take his anger out on the Demonic Sect Enchantress, Yan Yu''s gaze fell on the plastic bag in her hand.

    "What''s this?"

    "Salted duck," Zhao Yuanzhen lifted the plastic bag, "Want some? I bought too much, I can share half with you."

    Yan Yu looked at her suspiciously.

    The mighty Empress Yuanzhen, a murderous enchantress from a previous life, now acting so kindly and offering to share her food with me?

    There must be a plot! There''s definitely a plot!

    "Did you put poison in this duck?" Yan Yu scoffed.

    "Why would I poison it?" Zhao Yuanzhen was baffled, "I still have to eat it myself!"

    "Then why did you suddenly think of me out of the blue when you bought something to eat for yourself?" Yan Yu continued to question her.

    "You''re my partner; is it strange that I think of you when I have food?" Zhao Yuanzhen was also angry, biting her silver teeth fiercely, fuming.

    Yan Yu, you thief! The deli was having a promotion today, and I bought an extra portion for you to get the discount. Who would have thought I''d be subjected to such suspicion and humiliation!

    I''ll remember this grudge, and if I ever catch you off guard in the future, I''ll let you know what it means to provoke without cause, and what it means to lose one''s dignity!

    Seeing the Demonic Sect Enchantress grinding her teeth in anger, all the irritation that had been swirling in Yan Yu''s head gradually dissipated.

    After all, negative emotions don''t resolve themselves, but they can always be transferred to someone else.

    "The team is moving on to the next phase of training," Yan Yu said, leading her towards the inside of the school.

    "Oh," Zhao Yuanzhen sounded distinctly unenthusiastic.

    "You''re still going to practice with me, right?" Yan Yu observed her expression.

    "No problem," Zhao Yuanzhen replied sarcastically, "Just bully your partner all you want. How else are you going to show off your prowess?"

    "Others will be joining us for practical training as well," Yan Yu continued.

    "Huh?" Zhao Yuanzhen was taken aback, "So how do you plan to arrange the combat order?"

    "I told Su Yunjin to practice evading attacks," Yan Yu said, "Between Chen Lingyun and Lin Ning, pick one, and I''ll take the other."

    "Of course, it''s Chen Lingyun," Zhao Yuanzhen said without hesitation. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Although Lin Ning''s attractiveness was a threat too, Chen Lingyun had openly addressed Yan Yu as "hubby."

    I''ll beat her up first!

 Chapter 81 Maybe I Could Counterkill (3/10)

    ```Time finally moved into July, and the temperature was gradually heating up.

    Tracing north from the border of Lu Country, until the perspective reached the distant Amur City, crowds were gathering in the streets.

    This was the seventh murder case in the past two weeks; the victim was the owner of a butcher shop who, after drinking at night on his way home, was brought down by the killer ripping open his throat, and his body wasn''t discovered until the next morning.

    The rakshasa security officers separated the onlooking crowd from the scene. Many in the crowd closed their eyes and fervently crossed themselves at the sight of the tragic state of the body, praying to the Lord for protection against evil.

    Two security officers were conducting a preliminary examination of the body, one responsible for recording, the other for confirming the details:

    "Name?"

    "Vladimir Yuryevich Zukovsky."

    "Age?"

    "54 years old."

    "Gender... male, occupation?" Experience tales with empire

    "Butcher shop owner."

    "Physical characteristics?"

    "Facial skin is grayish-white, eyeballs sunken, lips and nails are cyanotic, and lividity is relatively light¡ªIt seems a significant amount of blood was lost after death."

    "Injuries on the body?"

    "The face and hands bear bite marks, seemingly caused by rodents, non-fatal; there is a contusion on the back of the head, presumably from being struck down, also non-fatal; the throat has been torn open, with traces of sharp teeth ripping, and the trachea and carotid artery are severely exposed, which are fatal wounds."

    "Good, I think that''s about it. It''s another damn vampire murder case."

    "Are you planning to go to church for a cross?"

    "No, I only trust my old buddy." The burly rakshasa officer stood up and patted the service gun at his waist, "Do you think those who mimic vampires can take a magazine of my bullets?"

    "I doubt it, unless they are real vampires." The other officer also stood up and turned to look at the surrounding crowd, apparently looking for eyewitnesses.

    His gaze settled on a young woman and he suddenly called out:

    "Hey! Little Khitan! How come I see you at every murder scene!"

    Anna looked at the rakshasa man with an expressionless face, her eyebrows slightly raised, and asked coldly:

    "So what? You can''t find the murderer, so you plan to pick a scapegoat from the onlookers?"

    "Hey, I''m not framing anyone." The middle-aged rakshasa man cleared his way through the crowd and approached Anna, his smile somewhat murky, "I am just reasonably suspicious as a security officer and want to invite you as an eyewitness to come to our security bureau for a cooperative investigation, that''s all."

    "Is that right, swine?" Anna''s Rakshasa language was already very fluent, mixed with plenty of the local slang and curse words, "I have no intention of cooperating with your corrupt investigation. Unless you can produce a damn arrest warrant and slap the handcuffs directly on my wrists, you''d better roll your pigtail and get the hell out of here early!"

    "That''s not up to you." The rakshasa officer reached out for her shoulder but was counter-grabbed by Anna on his wrist. With the Wood Bending Charm strengthening her grip, his eyeballs instantly bulged, and his face contorted in pain.

    "What''s wrong?" His colleague noticed something was off and stood up.

    Anna released his wrist, stepped back slightly, and prepared herself for another strike.

    The rakshasa officer gritted his teeth and reached for the service gun at his waist only to be promptly stopped by his partner:

    "Calm down. You don''t want to make the news, do you?"

    ```

    "I was just going to teach her a lesson. Damn Khitan bitch."

    "Not now, though."

    Seeing that the other party didn''t intend to pursue or draw a gun, Anna let out a scornful snicker and then turned her head and disappeared into the crowd.

    It was only on her way home that her expression gradually darkened.

    Owing to the recent spate of murders, the entire city had begun to tense up. Social media was constantly criticizing the Public Security Bureau for its incompetence, while the higher-ups in the bureau were shifting all the pressure onto the ground-level agents, causing them to look at everyone as if they were a murderer.

    Local residents'' unease was also on the rise, with xenophobic incidents becoming increasingly common. The first to bear the brunt were the Kievans and Jews, followed by the people from Lu Country and Goryeo.

    Although Anna couldn''t understand why vampires had to be foreigners, she knew all too well that the rakshasas around here didn''t adhere to any kind of courtesy or restraint. When someone insulted you as being bad seed, you''d better act like one, or you would suffer for it. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Clenching her teeth, she pulled out her phone and started texting someone.

    In Jinling Prefecture, Jiangbei Province of Lu Country, at the Zhendong National Defense Academy.

    Yan Yu once again received a message from Anna, who seemed to have made him her confidant, probably sending him more messages each day than she spoke to her own father.

    In fact, the deterioration of social order was not limited to Amur.

    As the progress of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence deepened, some people with the talent for practice, the Transcendents, had begun to notice their own differences from others.

    In places like Lu Country where the grassroots order was relatively stable, the public might not feel much yet. But in Siberia, Eastern Europe, North Africa, South America, and those places where official governance was weak, civilian Transcendents had begun to emerge, attempting to challenge the public order that had once constrained them.

    After all, let''s not forget that orders are widely accepted because they have sufficient violence to punish those who violate them. Now that the violence is dispersed... it''s no wonder that order wavers.

    After replying to Anna''s text, Yan Yu stood up and looked over at Lin Ning, who was taking a rest:

    "Continue?"

    "Continue!" Lin Ning adopted a fighting stance.

    Although Yan Yu had suggested that she needn''t delve too deeply into the intricacies of combat skills, lately, she had seriously watched videos on military boxing, and the posture she posed appeared quite professional.

    But so what, can you beat me, little Lin Ning?

    "Let''s change the way we practice," Yan Yu suddenly called out to her, "from now on, you''re not allowed to use the other four spells, only the Impact Curse to attack me."

    "Why?" Lin Ning immediately showed a puzzled look, "If I can''t use the Wood Bending Charm, then if you just activate the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse, won''t I have no way to respond?"

    "I won''t activate the Barrier Charm either," Yan Yu replied, "We''ll only use Impact Curse against each other, while using the Three Arts: Cloud Ascension Technique and the techniques to dodge and pass through walls to evade each other''s Impact Curse."

    "I suppose that''s fine," Lin Ning was still a bit confused, "but I''ve been practicing the Metal-Element Impact Curse for a long time now, and there''s hardly any time to practice other Attack Spell Techniques like the Curved Curse, Flame Curse, or Runescript. Isn''t it better to ensure that the Five Spells are all proficiently practiced first?"

    Grade-grinders need to tackle problems in all subjects to be at ease; what''s the point of just focusing on one subject?

    "Let''s do it this way then," Yan Yu said with a smile, "As long as you manage to hit me with the Impact Curse in a real combat simulation, I''ll acknowledge that you''ve fully mastered the skills of the Impact Curse, and I''ll allow you to train in other Curse Techniques. How about that?"

    "Sure!" Lin Ning immediately became enthusiastic and said with high spirits, "I accept the challenge!"

    "As for the combat simulation venue, we''ll set it there," Yan Yu pointed toward the practice area for the Cloud Ascension Technique in the distance.

    It was an environment simulating urban warfare with numerous houses, low walls, alleys, and obstacles, where it would be easy to find cover against the opponent''s Impact Curse shots.

    If it were a duel in an open space, even using only the Impact Curse, I definitely couldn''t beat the captain now. But in that extremely complex battlefield, if I get a bit lucky...

    ...perhaps I could turn the tables?

 Chapter 82 I Cant Coexist with the Petty Thief (4/10)

    ```That''s hilarious, I couldn''t beat her at all.

    Gathering her courage, Lin Ning suddenly leapt out from her hiding place, sprinting at full speed with the Shifting Technique!

    But then, suddenly her foot gave way, as the Impact Curse struck her right knee.

    If Yan Yu hadn''t held back and had used his full True Yuan, that strike would have been strong enough to shatter her kneecap.

    Instantly losing balance, Lin Ning slumped to the ground at an angle, looking blankly at the sky with an expression that had lost all "I can make a comeback" determination, and only showed bewilderment of "Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to be doing?"

    "Still too green, Little Lin Ning," a face appeared in her field of vision, it was Yan Yu crouching down beside her, looking at her with a playful expression.

    Lin Ning no longer had the strength to correct how he addressed her; she simply continued to gasp for breath and stare at the sky, before finally blurting out in a daze,

    "Where exactly did I go wrong?"

    "If you really want to know, there were problems everywhere," Yan Yu offered her a hand to help her up. "Let''s do a post-mortem."

    Lin Ning stood up silently, dusting off the dirt from her back.

    "You were very aggressive at the start," Yan Yu said with a laugh. "Though it was a bold style, it wasn''t wrong because against an opponent superior in every aspect, playing it safe means certain defeat, whereas taking extreme risks may lead to a chance of winning."

    "Of course, it doesn''t mean that just going all out guarantees victory. At most, it turns the situation into muddy waters where neither side can perform steadily, and then it''s a bet on ''a slim chance of me performing exceptionally well while he slips up.''"

    "However, after several setbacks in your attacks... well, I feel it started with the 8th assault, you began to doubt your aggressive strategy due to a string of failures which shook your confidence, and thus, you switched to a more cautious approach: hiding, watching, and waiting for opportunities."

    "Is that a bad thing?" Lin Ning asked weakly.

    "Not at all," Yan Yu replied, "it varies from person to person."

    "For me, the more time you give me, the more easily I can move to a position more favorable for me. Speaking of which, did you notice? Ever since you changed your strategy, every place we fought at was an environment unfavorable for you."

    "Yes," Lin Ning said with a wry smile. "But I thought it was because I lost too much, and my combat condition had deteriorated." S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "If you''d observed carefully, you''d have noticed that after that it was I who was moving, and you were just being led by me," Yan Yu said with a grin.

    "By choosing to hide and not making a move straight away, you gained the initiative of ''when to fight,'' that is, ''the right moment''; however, every advantage has its downside, and by giving up the initiative of ''where to fight,'' the ''geographical advantage,'' you handed it over to me, didn''t you?"

    "Indeed," Lin Ning fell deep in thought.

    This self-reflection and contemplation were precisely the response Yan Yu wanted to see.

    So, Yan Yu stayed silent until Lin Ning''s expression gradually turned into one of understanding, then she turned to him again and asked,

    "Am I not suited to this strategy? What I mean is, I feel like Ling Yun is probably better at it."

    "It''s the same answer: it varies," Yan Yu analyzed. "Chen Lingyun doesn''t react as quickly as you. If you have her use a reckless, all-out offensive strategy, she might only be able to perform flawlessly with the initial sneak attack, and will be hit in every subsequent exchange."

    "Who talks like that," Lin Ning immediately laughed, "are you trying to provoke a fight by trash-talking? Ling Yun is not that weak; I''m not going to fall for your tricks."

    "I''m not praising you by putting her down; I''m just stating the facts," Yan Yu shook his head. "Her strength lies in having a well-thought-out plan before taking action, methodically forcing the enemy into a corner under her control, which is exactly where you fall short... of course, I''m not saying you''re not smart, given that your high school grades speak for themselves."

    "I think you''re simply better suited to direct assaults and strong offensive tactics, that''s all."

    "I understand," Lin Ning nodded.

    "No, you don''t have to take my word for it," Yan Yu added, "You should also think for yourself about what kind of fighting style suits you best."

    "No need," Lin Ning insisted, "I actually don''t like hiding around, unable to find opportunities, and then when I finally take a shot, I end up getting hit... It''s better to just charge forward from the start. How about we go again?"

    "Let''s rest for a while; I''ll go check how they''re doing with their training," Yan Yu said.

    "I''ll come with you," Lin Ning hurriedly said.

    The two left the training area and went to where Chen Lingyun and Zhao Yuanzhen were sparring, only to see Chen Lingyun writing the character "Õý" on the nearby blackboard.

    "With that, it''s five to five for now," she said with a beaming smile.

    ```

    Yan Yu stared at the two blackboards on both sides, each bearing the character "Õý", his mouth unintentionally gaping open before he incredulously turned to look at Zhao Yuanzhen.

    No way, sister! Sister Zhao! You''re a proper cultivator, aren''t you? How did you end up tying five to five with the mere Chen Lingyun?

    "I..." Zhao Yuanzhen opened her mouth to object, "This is a real combat drill, not a life-or-death fight, I obviously didn''t need to go all out."

    "And, I should thank Sister Zhao for going easy on me." Chen Lingyun''s smile grew even brighter, her eyes curving into crescent moons.

    "What''s going on with you?" Yan Yu pulled Zhao Yuanzhen aside and asked with a frown, "Even if you were holding back, this is too much, five to five? What the hell kind of sparring was that!"

    "Don''t you know how restrictive I was?" Since it was a private conversation, Zhao Yuanzhen no longer feigned strength, directly complaining, "Not allowed to use puppets, not allowed to use spells, only the Three Arts and Five Spells allowed, you might as well have tied up my hands and feet to fight her. Do you know how annoying her Runescript can be when she uses it?"

    Yan Yu immediately understood.

    Got it.

    You''re like a college student only doing single digit arithmetic, then getting thrashed by a first-grader who has been practicing mental math for months.

    That''s still embarrassing though! You were Empress Yuanzhen, wah! The Empress Yuanzhen who dominated the scene and forced the entire Lu Country into negotiating with you in your past life, and now you''re being mercilessly thrashed by a Jiang Hai Missy. How did things turn out this way!

    It couldn''t possibly be that I spoiled you into becoming useless, it must be that the Demonic Sect Enchantress got complacent from not being hunted, wasting away, and falling into degeneracy, losing the gutsy determination to fight boldly from your past life.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, you have to take full responsibility for this!

    Seeing Yan Yu''s extremely unpleasant expression, Zhao Yuanzhen felt a bit embarrassed and continued to defend herself:

    "Moreover, I''m not good at holding back my strength. What if I use too much force and kill her? Last time with the puppet, I could have disassembled it in a few moves. So, tell me, am I supposed to dismember Chen Lingyun, taking off all her limbs?"

    This excuse was somewhat reasonable. Yan Yu was able to defeat Lin Ning (referring to Lin Ning being unhurt) because he had strong control over his True Yuan, capable of directing the Impact Curse to hit a concrete wall with wound depths accurate to the centimeter level¡ªif he aimed for a few centimeters deep, that''s exactly what he''d achieve.

    But Zhao Yuanzhen hadn''t trained for this. Whether it was in the Cultivation World before crossing over, or on Earth after crossing over, this Demonic Sect Enchantress had always gone all out, aiming straight for killing her opponent. Now, to ask her to not injure the opponent, she would indeed feel somewhat at a loss.

    In other words, the cultivator who spars with her must be strong enough, strong to the point that she couldn''t beat them even if she went full force, only then would the training be effective.

    Not by sending a weakling and telling her to control her power and not to harm the opponent. Supposed to only use a third of her strength, the Enchantress instead cut down to one-tenth, and ended up not being able to win.

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    Hmm...

    Doesn''t that mean she still has to spar with me?

    Alright, alright, Lin Ning will spar with me, Zhao Yuanzhen will spar with me, Chen Lingyun will also spar with me, guess I''ll just be your full-time private male coach 24 hours a day, not sleeping!

    The more Yan Yu thought about it, the more irked he felt, and he said with sarcasm:

    "Got it, don''t spar with her anymore. If there is a contest for finding excuses next time, I''ll send you up."

    Zhao Yuanzhen was stunned for a moment, and as she came to her senses, she was so angry she nearly crushed her teeth, wishing she could swallow them:

    Yan Yu, you little thief! Underestimating my demonic powers, huh?

    Wait for the day when I turn the tables, I will surely catch you and thoroughly humiliate you, subjecting you to endless torment!

    Although we are cultivation companions, we''ve been dreaming different dreams in the same bed, from today on, we won''t share the same sky!

    "Where''s Yun Jin?" Lin Ning asked from the side.

    "I told her to train by herself in the Barrier Charm training ground," Yan Yu replied, "Not to activate Barrier Charm, but to rely solely on Shifting Technique and Cloud Ascension Technique to dodge liquid bullets shot at her from around."

    "Those bullets actually hurt quite a bit if you don''t activate a Barrier Charm," Lin Ning shivered and turned to leave, saying, "I''ll go find her."

    "It''s also about time for dinner," Yan Yu glanced at the time, "Lin Ning, call her over, let''s all meet up at the school gate. We won''t eat in the cafeteria today, we''ve been training pretty hard recently, let''s go out and enjoy something nice¡­"

    "I''m in! I want to eat beef hotpot!" Zhao Yuanzhen immediately raised her hand and shouted, her face flushing with anticipation and excitement, all the resentment and hate wiped away in an instant.

 Chapter 83 Beef Hotpot (5/10)

    At the Barrier Charm practice field, numerous gun muzzles were installed that would shoot into the room at irregular intervals. Your next chapter awaits on empireInitially, the bullets were meant to be non-lethal rubber bullets, but given that a hit to a vital spot with a rubber bullet could still be fatal, they were later modified to be even less harmful¡ªliquid bullets.

    Furthermore, trainees were required to wear full-body armor before entering, which meant that even without invoking the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse, there would be no casualties if hit.

    But it would hurt a lot.

    Some tried enduring a hit without activating the Barrier Charm, and even though it struck the armor without breaking the skin, there were still signs of bruising and contusions underneath. Thus, there was a sign outside the training ground that clearly reminded the students:

    [Please activate the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse before entering]

    Of course, even with such clear signage, there would still be those who ignored it.

    When Lin Ning found Su Yunjin in the practice field, she witnessed the young lady moving around like lightning, which momentarily gave her the illusion that she was watching Yan Yu dodge aggressive tree demons with his swift Swallow''s Flight Technique.

    However, upon closer inspection, it was indeed an illusion.

    It was a short sprint, and Su Yunjin''s Cutting Spell was indeed fast. With each step, she would immediately change direction using the Cloud Ascension Technique, and her speed would increase once more with the Shifting Technique, making her movements as dizzying as Yan Yu''s before.

    But the sound of bullets hitting the armor, ''thump, thump,'' was incessant.

    The reason was simple: Su Yunjin''s eyesight and reaction speed couldn''t keep up.

    After the bullet was fired, it was hard to track with the naked eye; even if she could track it, her response was too slow to dodge; and by the time she decided which direction to dodge using the swift Shifting and Cloud Ascension Techniques, there was hardly any time left.

    In light of this, Miss Su resorted to a very clumsy solution.

    If she couldn''t dodge, she''d just endure the hit.

    The result, of course, was quite ghastly. Though there were no visible injuries, the skin beneath the armor was probably already a mottled landscape of blues and purples.

    "Yun Jin!" Lin Ning called out anxiously, dashing in front of her with the Shifting Technique, braking quickly with Cloud Ascension, and immediately activating the Barrier Charm to shield her from the surrounding bullets.

    "Little Lin Ning?" Su Yunjin said in surprise.

    Her voice was so weak that Lin Ning didn''t even fuss about the "little" part, instead speaking with urgent concern:

    "Don''t push yourself too hard!"

    "I''m not," Su Yunjin said softly, smiling while lifting her arm. "Look, I''m wearing armor."

    But Lin Ning quickly noticed that, although her body was tightly encased in armor, her brows still slightly furrowed for a moment when she raised her arm.

    It probably hurt.

    "Stop training," Lin Ning said. "Yan Yu is treating us to dinner tonight. He''s taking us out for dinner."

    "Okay," Su Yunjin nodded calmly. "I''ll go back and change clothes."

    She left the training ground and walked towards the dormitory.

    Lin Ning carefully followed behind her, wanting to offer support but afraid of touching her wounds, suddenly at a loss for what to do.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    At the school gate, Chen Lingyun pressed her phone and asked suddenly:

    "What are we eating tonight?"

    "Beef hotpot," Zhao Yuanzhen answered quickly.

    "I don''t know," said Yan Yu. "Let''s wait for everyone to gather and then ask for everyone''s preference."

    "Why don''t we just go for beef hotpot?" Zhao Yuanzhen said again.

    "You''d better decide quickly which restaurant to go to," Chen Lingyun said, glancing at her phone with a faint smile. "I need to make a reservation in advance."

    "How about we go to Ni¨² M¨£n L¨¡o?" Zhao Yuanzhen suggested thoughtfully. "Do you have VIP status there?"

    "No," Chen Lingyun replied, looking up and smiling at Zhao Yuanzhen before looking back down, "but I can get someone to get a number for us."

    "Then let''s get a number from them," Zhao Yuanzhen urged.

    "You know, I''ve been kind of craving barbecue lately," Yan Yu commented offhandedly.

    "But I want to eat beef hotpot," Zhao Yuanzhen said disappointedly, attempting to pressure her partner with her gaze.

    "Japanese barbecue or Goryeo barbecue?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, still looking at her phone.

    "Neither, just beef hotpot," Zhao Yuanzhen started to repeat.

    "It doesn''t matter," Yan Yu shook his head. "Don''t worry about me, let''s discuss it when everyone''s here."

    "But I want to eat¡ª" Zhao Yuanzhen kept nagging, only to be suddenly silenced by Yan Yu stretching out a finger to press her pouting lips, saying coldly:

    "Before the group discussion, if you say one more word, beef hotpot will be ruled out immediately." S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Zhao Yuanzhen immediately kept quiet.

    Chen Lingyun eyed Yan Yu''s fingers, her eyebrows slightly raised.

    Finally, when Lin Ning and Su Yunjin arrived fashionably late, they were both already in different clothes.

    Lin Ning was wearing a white T-shirt and denim shorts. Her hair, previously tied up in a bun, now hung down softly. Slinging a bag over her shoulder, she had transformed from a youthful, sporty girl back into the familiar sight of a college student.

    In contrast, Su Yunjin was dressed much more conservatively, in a dark long-sleeve shirt with a warm-colored overall on top, looking somewhat like a kangaroo.

    Other than pregnant women, who dresses like this in the summer?

    Yan Yu really wanted to tease her but caught himself at the last moment.

    Teasing is Lin Ning''s characteristic, and I already have enough of my own traits. I don''t need to steal Sister Lin''s thunder.

    However, Lin Ning, unaware of Yan Yu''s thoughts, simply laughed it off:

    "Yun Jin is worried about mosquitoes tonight. She''s afraid of them, so I told her to wear more."

    Chen Lingyun said with a smile,

    "Being afraid of mosquitoes, you indeed need to wear more. Otherwise, getting bitten all over isn''t a nice look."

    Su Yunjin smiled helplessly at her.

    "So, what are we eating tonight, have you guys decided?" asked Yan Yu.

    "How about beef hot pot," suggested Su Yunjin with a smile.

    "Hmm, beef hot pot sounds good," Lin Ning agreed.

    Yan Yu immediately shot a questioning look at Zhao Yuanzhen, who quickly hid his phone behind him and pretended to be examining the cicadas chirping in the trees.

    "Alright, alright," Yan Yu said with a mix of laughter and helplessness. "Ling Yun, call a cab!"

    "Don''t joke about using other people''s names with the ride-hailing app!" Lin Ning''s retort was quick and accurate. "If you want to call a cab, do it yourself!"

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Speaking of hot pot, Yan Yu was reminded of the dinner in Shengjing that ended on a sour note.

    In a past life, the duo of Liu Longtao and Ye Jun had once been the center of attention, even hailed as the "golden pair" of the Dingbei Army by outsiders.

    Why? Because even though Lord Master seemed mild-mannered, he was actually quite autocratic in his actions, always insisting on having the final word in his team.

    It was quite a feat for Ye Jun to silently fix flaws backstage, perfecting a 90-point tactical plan to 99 points without clashing with Lord Master. Even if someone with better support skills than Ye Jun joined, they might not do a better job than her.

    Unfortunately, nobody expected that this "golden pair" would ultimately crumble.

    This goes to show that even strong teams aren''t guaranteed success. The key lies in maintaining good interpersonal relationships within the team.

    As the saying goes, "The receiver of gifts is beholden to the giver," and dining together is a good way to bond.

    Sitting in front of the bubbling hot pot, Yan Yu, bored, rested his chin on one hand and observed Lin Ning stealthily cooking meat for Su Yunjin, Zhao Yuanzhen discreetly gobbling down his food, and Chen Lingyun quietly watching everyone''s expressions.

    "Why is everyone so quiet?" he asked, somewhat puzzled.

    "The captain''s treating us, so we''re busy eating," Su Yunjin explained with a smile.

    "Well then, Vice-Captain Chen Lingyun, tell us a joke to lift the spirits," suggested Yan Yu, pointing at her with his chopsticks.

    "Sure." Chen Lingyun clapped her hands and laughed, "Let me tell you a story called ''The Legacy of the Bridal Dress,'' about after the hero Yan Nantian retired from the martial world, he had a son named¡­"

    "Okay, that''s enough," Yan Yu quickly grabbed some pickles with his chopsticks and stuffed it into her mouth, while inwardly breaking out in a cold sweat.

    The so-called "Legacy of the Bridal Dress" was actually a made-up Wuxia RPG story that the kids from his old neighborhood had concocted. Since his father was named "Yan Nantian," Yan Yu had been forced to become the "Successor of the Bridal Dress Technique," despite his complete unwillingness. His friends went as far as to invent all sorts of ridiculous storylines and drag him into acting them out¡­

    How does she know about this? Who''s been setting me up behind my back?

    "What happened to the son of Yan Nantian?" Lin Ning asked out of curiosity.

    "Nothing, don''t ask too much. Oh no! Someone sent me a message on my phone, seems like an urgent mission," Yan Yu deflectively pretended to change the subject, unlocked his phone and looked at it, his expression suddenly becoming serious.

    "What urgent mission?" Lin Ning continued to ask.

    "You guys keep eating," Yan Yu stood up. "I need to step out and take a call."

    Stepping outside the restaurant, Yan Yu dialed the number, and the other side picked up quickly:

    "We''re out eating. Do we need to leave right away?"

    "No need to rush," Li Weiguo''s voice came from the phone. "Finish your meal first, then head to the airport. The crew is waiting for you there."

    "Understood. Who is our competitor this time?"

    "The Annan Army, Li Zhaojiang''s team."

    Got it, this time we''re taking on the Valkyrie.

 Chapter 84 Imaginary Confrontation (6/10)

    "Why aren''t you eating?" Yan Yu returned to the restaurant and saw that the girls hadn''t touched their chopsticks, "Go ahead, eat. Don''t wait for me.""Who sent you a message?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smiley face.

    "It''s from above." Yan Yu couldn''t be bothered to make excuses and said directly, "Eat up. Once we''re done, we''ll head out on a mission."

    "Is it that urgent?" Lin Ning was immediately astonished.

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    I don''t have a problem, but with all of Yun Jin''s injuries...

    "It''s fine. There''s a medical team on the plane." Yan Yu looked towards Su Yunjin, who was forcing a smile, and said, "Someone on the plane can treat you. The bruises can be taken care of quickly with Runescript, and it won''t be an issue."

    "You noticed?" Su Yunjin nervously tugged at her sleeve.

    "I''m not an idiot." Yan Yu pulled out a chair and sat down, "Everyone eat up, we''ll need the energy for the road."

    "Don''t use lines from TV series that rush people off to their execution!" Lin Ning immediately interjected with an excited tone.

    Luckily, her comment lightened the mood, and everyone began to pick up their chopsticks and eat and drink.

    However, upon closer examination, the girls all had different eating manners.

    Lin Ning was preoccupied, eating while zoning out. Su Yunjin didn''t have much appetite, and with her slow eating due to her injuries, it wasn''t helping.

    Chen Lingyun was all grace throughout, choosing to eat less rather than showing any sign of impropriety. Zhao Yuanzhen, on the other hand, was the exact opposite, caring not for appearances. She would shove a piece of meat into her mouth with her chopsticks, then grab another piece to cool in her bowl, then chew, chew, chew, and swallow, displaying the efficient beauty of a seasoned eater.

    "Why aren''t you eating?" Lin Ning suddenly asked him.

    "You guys go ahead, someone sent me a message." Yan Yu took out his phone to check his new message, "I''ll reply to this one."

    The new message was sent by Li Zhaojiang, this guy''s nickname was [Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang], and his avatar was a cartoon main character with a cheeky face.

    [Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang]: I didn''t expect we would have the chance to clash so soon again.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: How has your sister been lately?

    [Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang]: Scram, scram, scram, scram, scram, scram, scram, scram, scram! S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    After sending a string of "scram," Li Zhaojiang seemingly not yet satisfied, sent a long string of "cleaver" emojis.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Don''t get me wrong, just concerned about her health, after all, she was coughing so badly last time.

    [Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang]: I suggest you worry about yourself first, we won''t lose again this time.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Oh? Your sister has recovered?

    [Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang]: Scram! I''m a completely different person now!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Never mind, I''ll ask her myself.

    [Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang]: You punk, just you wait and see!

    Yan Yu scrolled down the list of friends and quickly found another named [Yuegua Donghu], with an avatar of a transparent glass bottle filled with folded paper stars.

    Thankfully, this pair of brothers and sisters didn''t use coupled avatars; otherwise, Yan Yu might have really questioned their relationship.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Are you there, how''s your health?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Pretty good. I haven''t been coughing much lately. How about you?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I''m fine. So, you''re coming too?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Yep.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Alright then. How about we get together for a meal locally after it''s over?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Scram, scram, scram, scram, scram, scram, scram, scram! The sight of you turns my stomach!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Li Zhaojiang, you''re still in grade school, huh? Speak on your own account.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: I sent you more than a dozen messages, and you didn''t reply to a single one!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Sorry, I have a spam-filtering plugin, it automatically filters out suspected junk messages.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Eat shit!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Haha, the battle hasn''t even started, and I''ve already found your Achilles'' heel.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: What weakness?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: As soon as I mention your sister, you lose your mind and fall into madness, and then you''ll be brutally defeated by us.

    That statement seemed to strike a critical hit, as the other side fell into a deep silence, taking a long time to respond.

    Yan Yu calmly closed the message window, set his phone aside, and let Li Zhaojiang continue to rage helplessly on the other end.

    Su Yunjin pushed a small bowl towards him, filled with freshly cooked beef, and said softly:

    "Captain, you hardly ate anything after sitting down, this bowl''s for you."

    Yan Yu was touched by her warm-hearted gesture, thinking: What is the epitome of a gentle and considerate jade-like woman? This is it!

    She should really be scooped up to be my secretary! Wait a minute... hold on...

    Chen Lingyun is now my assistant, and Su Yunjin is a member of my team. How could my team members bypass me, the captain, to be the secretary for my assistant? She''s essentially already my secretary!

    Having quickly understood the relationship, Yan Yu revealed a very satisfied smile and nodded:

    "Not bad, you did well."

    Su Yunjin: ?

    Yan Yu slowly ate the beef in the bowl, then turned to Chen Lingyun and said:

    "See that? Learn from it."

    Chen Lingyun: ?

    Another ten minutes or so passed, and the girls had nearly finished their meal, setting down their cutlery and beginning to sip tea to rinse their mouths.

    "Shall I order some cold noodles for you, packed to go?" Su Yunjin asked Yan Yu, "It seems like you didn''t eat enough, Captain."

    "No need," Yan Yu replied, picking up a wet towel to wipe his hands, "Eating too much at night is hard to digest. Everyone''s finished, so let''s head out."

    He went to the front desk to pay the bill, while Chen Lingyun simultaneously went outside to call a business car in advance. The captain and the assistant captain didn''t need verbal communication; their coordination in this regard had reached a high level of tacit understanding.

    After arriving at the airport, the corresponding military flight crew was indeed already waiting. They quickly escorted the five members into the business jet cabin. Also accompanying them was the Zhendong Army''s medical team¡ªthis time they would be entering the Mysterious Realm with them.

    If any team member lost combat ability during the competition within the Mysterious Realm, they would provide timely off-field aid to prevent unnecessary casualties.

    Compared to the last time they traveled for the quartet exchange competition, the business jet cabin this time was much more comfortable. Everyone had a spacious bed that could fully recline, a refrigerator stocked with various drinks, and a large screen and projector suitable for video conferences.

    The only drawback was that the flight attendants weren''t professional. Their service was attentive, but their attitudes and expressions were a bit stiff. Yan Yu recognized at a glance that they were actually female soldiers in disguise. Obviously, the military also didn''t trust civil aviation personnel to get involved, so to prevent leaks, they simply "chartered" all the flight attendants.

    After the flight attendants delivered the meals and left, Yan Yu convened a team meeting to explain their Mysterious Realm exploration mission:

    "The entrance to the Mysterious Realm we will be exploring this time is located in the south of Longquan Prefecture, which is within the jurisdiction of Chuzhou Prefecture in Jiangnan Province."

    "Due to the lessons learned from the previous exploration of the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm, the military hasn''t sent cultivators in this time; instead, they''ve sealed off the surrounding area to prevent unrelated civilians from accidentally entering."

    "Based on the survey data near the entrance of the Mysterious Realm, the concentration of Spiritual Energy inside is clearly lower than that of the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm, which suggests that the overall size of the Longquan Mountain Secret Realm should be smaller, and the exploration process will definitely be shorter."

    "However, we can''t simply conclude that the difficulty of our mission this time will definitely be lower than last time."

    "The reasons are twofold: first, the Mysterious Realm''s master''s attitude towards outsiders varies. An enemy who holds a gun but doesn''t want to kill you, and one who wields a knife aiming directly for your vitals with every stab, the latter''s level of danger isn''t necessarily lower than the former''s, something I believe we all can understand."

    The girls nodded in agreement. Last time in the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm, the sword-bearing puppet showed no intention of killing, which was quite evident to everyone.

    Yan Yu continued in a grave tone:

    "The other reason is that the higher-ups want to simulate actual combat in foreign Mysterious Realms, so they''ve introduced a hypothetical enemy force confrontation into the exploration of domestic Mysterious Realms."

    "This time, our competition is against the Li Zhaojiang team from the Annan Army..."

    "Wait a second," Zhao Yuanzhen realized something wasn''t right and hurriedly interjected, "You''re not saying that during the exploration, we''re supposed to beat them but also not kill them, are you?"

    "Exactly," Yan Yu nodded in approval, "That''s what the higher-ups mean."

 Chapter 85 Tactical Deployment (7/10)

    If there were no introduction of competing teams, the girls would likely be more relaxed at this time.After all, the most challenging part is always the first encounter; having successfully conquered the Mysterious Realm for the first time, the second time would seem easier with experience¡ªnot to mention that this time the Mysterious Realm is smaller in scale, so everyone''s mindset would naturally be more composed.

    Explore hidden tales at empire

    But to compete against other teams... who can stay calm about that!

    "Don''t be afraid, everyone," said Yan Yu with a smile, noticing the downtrodden mood within the team, "I''ve fought Li Zhaojiang before, he''s weak; his team, even though I haven''t fought them, won''t be difficult to deal with as long as we have good plans. Chen Lingyun?"

    "Just a moment," Chen Lingyun started working on the computer, secretly amazed.

    We didn''t discuss this in advance, so how did he guess that I already had information on our opponents?

    It seems that in a past life, we must have cooperated many times like this, which explains the high level of unspoken understanding between us.

    Chen Lingyun had a "personality profile database" for everyone she knew, but the amount of information on Yan Yu alone was nearly three times more than anyone else''s, and the trend showed no signs of being fully unearthed.

    Is this the substance that qualifies him to be my husband?

    She thought to herself with delight, her face blooming with smiles as she opened the prepared intelligence file, projected it, and said aloud:

    "Their team has a total of five people; Captain Li Zhaojiang, Vice-Captain Li Minghu¡ªthey are siblings. The other three members are Tao Xingyuan, Wang Haoran, and Jiang Hong."

    "First up is Li Zhaojiang. He has unquestionably the strongest ability in the team, otherwise, he wouldn''t be the captain. He''s well-rounded in all aspects: he can fight and run, do long-range and close-range combat. If I were to make a comparison, he''s like a weaker version of Yan Yu, but he''s still fit to be the core of a team."

    "Next is the Vice-Captain Li Minghu. She is the brains of the team, responsible for devising training plans and tactical arrangements¡ªshe''s essentially more like the captain in some respects. However, she suffers from a severe lung disease that prevents her from engaging in intense activities for long, or her health will deteriorate."

    "As for the three members, their roles and responsibilities are also very clear."

    "Jiang Hong, his father is a registered criminal officer in Jiangcheng Guanggu''s Public Security Bureau. Initially, his father wanted him to pursue the family vocation, and he planned to attend the local college for public security; it was only later discovered that he had a Spirit Root and he went to the Annan Cultivator College instead.

    He has trained for several years in criminal officer combat techniques and, after becoming a cultivator, also specialized in Wood Bending Charm. His role is probably that of the team''s hard hitter, meant to punch through the enemy''s line."

    "Wang Haoran, from Liuzhou Prefecture in Lingyou Province; Tao Xingyuan, from Zhucheng Prefecture in Qian''an Province. These two have relatively balanced abilities and can be tentatively identified as the team''s assistants, aiding Jiang Hong in further tearing apart the line and executing the corresponding tactical missions."

    "So," Su Yunjin quickly honed in on the key point, "What you mean, Ling Yun, is that their team has two attack cores."

    "Exactly," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "Initially, Jiang Hong should be the spearhead to break the defense, but once the formation is disrupted, Li Zhaojiang will swiftly take over the core position. I suspect the other teammates will coordinate with him to single out a target from our team for a focused attack."

    "Once we''re down a member, the opponent will have a numerical advantage," Lin Ning realized suddenly, "So who would be the target?"

    "There are two possibilities," said Chen Lingyun calmly, with a hint of a smile, "Either Yun Jin or me."

    Everyone fell into thought upon hearing this.

    The team usually trained at the college without specifically setting up isolation belts or warning lines, so the surrounding students could see more or less everything. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Chen Lingyun was able to gather intelligence on the Annan Army, so naturally, the opposite side could also investigate their team''s composition. That Su Yunjin was the weakest link in the team wasn''t a secret.

    "If they choose me as the point to break through, I can understand," sighed Su Yunjin, "but why might they also choose you, Ling Yun?"

    "Because I''m Yan Yu''s partner," Chen Lingyun responded with an unwavering smile, "If they get rid of me first, then Yan Yu would have to take up command."

    Su Yunjin was also very clever and immediately grasped her meaning.

    Targeting the weakest, Su Yunjin, to hopefully reduce the Zhendong Army''s numbers first and thus create a numerical advantage was a quite rational tactical approach.

    But with Captain Yan Yu''s notorious reputation and a Cutting Spell speed three times that of an ordinary person, the Annan Army surely couldn''t ignore his presence¡ªif they truly left him to move freely, who would be down a member first was still up in the air.

    Therefore, another line of thought is to attack Deputy Team Leader Chen Lingyun first.

    If Yan Yu chooses to save Chen Lingyun, then the Annan Army can switch targets at any time and kick Su Yunjin out of the game; if he doesn''t save her, then they''ll take the opportunity to eliminate Chen Lingyun, and her command duties will fall on Yan Yu''s shoulders, inevitably distracting part of his attention.

    Command work is not as simple as "charge with me" or "follow me into battle," but involves making a lot of detailed adjustments according to the changing situation on the field. This requires the commander to pay constant attention to the battlefield situation and not casually rush into enemy lines to fight.

    Looking at the current four teams, the fact that the command work is unanimously handled by the deputy team leaders makes it clear that it''s not an easy task.

    "Let''s make a contingency plan," Chen Lingyun said with a leisurely smile. "If they attack Yun Jin first, I think Yun Jin, you can just run away, so at least they have to assign someone to chase you."

    "If they give chase, it''ll be 4 vs. 4, and we still stand to gain; if they don''t chase, you can shoot at them from a distance with the Impact Curse, catching them off guard."

    "Oh," thought Su Yunjin, that could work. If I can exchange one for one, then I''ll have made the most significant impact possible.

    "No," Yan Yu suddenly said.

    "Why?" asked Chen Lingyun with a smile.

    "It''s not beneficial for her growth," Yan Yu said. "We must look at the bigger picture and not focus on a single victory or defeat."

    "Hmm, then I''ll follow your lead," Chen Lingyun went with the flow and tossed the responsibility for devising tactics over to him.

    Now, Su Yunjin had been practicing her movement and evasion for quite a while, but not a single Attack Spell Technique, so she definitely wouldn''t be able to beat anyone in a matchup. Chen Lingyun''s idea of having her run if she''s targeted to directly exchange for someone on the opposing team was indeed a guaranteed profit when carefully calculated.

    After all, if you consider it as a 4v4, with Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen being two strong individuals on this side, it''s uncertain whether Li Zhaojiang and Jiang Hong on the other side could hold their ground.

    However, as the team leader, Yan Yu considered the entire game and naturally thought more deeply.

    Miss Su Yunjin is also a person, after all, already a bit self-conscious due to lagging behind the rest of the team in terms of strength. If you then turn her into a disposable piece in a decoy tactic, aren''t you afraid of causing her psychological distress?

    If the strength isn''t enough, there''s still hope for improvement; but if the spirit breaks, rebuilding it becomes much more troublesome.

    "Whether the enemy focuses on Su Yunjin or Chen Lingyun, it doesn''t really matter anymore," Yan Yu said calmly. "The core principle in making a counter-tactic is that we can''t let the enemy''s strategy lead us by the nose."

    Meanwhile, Annan''s chartered plane took off from the Imperial Airport and flew towards Jiangnan Province.

    "I''ll make a final summary," Li Minghu said as he pulled up the last slide. "The Zhendong Army team has relatively clear role divisions, making them quite predictable. Lin Ning is likely the assault trooper, while Zhao Jiuzhen will probably act as the main attacker. The former is responsible for disrupting formations, while the latter leads the attack rhythm."

    "Chen Lingyun is the commander, but her close defense is said to be quite strong. Su Yunjin seems to have no strengths and is the team''s weak link, but I tend to think this is a trap¡ªthey will definitely be prepared for us to focus on Su Yunjin," he said.

    "Lastly, Team Leader Yan Yu." Li Minghu paused for a moment and said in a grave tone, "Whether we can constrain him is the key to deciding the outcome of this confrontation."

    "Whether we strongly attack Su Yunjin or Chen Lingyun, it doesn''t change one fact¡ªthat as long as we can''t restrain Yan Yu, any tactical advantage we manage to gain early on can be taken back by him at any moment."

    "So, do we focus our attack on Yan Yu first?" Li Zhaojiang asked thoughtfully.

    Even though he appeared very arrogant in the chat, Li Zhaojiang was actually very aware of Yan Yu''s skill level.

    "No," Li Minghu said with a slight smile. "If we could deal with him quickly by surrounding him, that would be one thing, but what if we can''t? Wouldn''t that be the same as allowing him to tie up multiple opponents by himself?"

    "After we encounter each other, Jiang Hong, you focus on Lin Ning. Whether she takes the initiative or remains as backup support, you must completely tie her down. Xingyuan and Haoran, pay close attention to Zhaojiang''s movements; if he fights Zhao Jiuzhen, you split up to take on Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin.

    But if he turns his attention to Chen or Su, you must extract yourselves immediately and join Zhaojiang in concentrated fire, aiming to quickly reduce their numbers."

    "As for Yan Yu... leave him to me," he said.

    "I''ll hold him off."

 Chapter 86 Pre-match Meeting (8/10)

    The night had grown deep, and the enthusiasm for conversation in the cabin had waned; everyone closed their eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.Su Yunjin had gone to the rear cabin to find the medical team; she needed a female cultivator to help her use Runescript to treat the bruises covering her body.

    Yan Yu, on the other hand, was checking the tactical wireless earpieces that had been distributed¡ªthey were said to have been tested and to work well within the Mysterious Realm, so they could be used for temporary command communications.

    In fact, in Lu Country''s past, the use of wireless earpieces among cultivators was very short-lived because everyone quickly discovered a more effective secret technique called "Transmitting Sound into Secret."

    "Captain, you''re not sleeping yet?" Having dealt with her injuries, Su Yunjin returned to the cabin and asked Yan Yu in a soft voice.

    "We''ll be landing soon," Yan Yu replied with a shake of his head and a smile, "Why sleep now?"

    "Oh," Su Yunjin was silent for a moment before whispering, "Captain."

    "What is it?"

    "If you want me to execute the decoy strategy, I wouldn''t mind," Su Yunjin said softly.

    Yan Yu was silent for a while before responding,

    "Rest assured, it wasn''t just consideration for your feelings that led me to reject Chen Lingyun''s plan."

    "Actually, I think you can provide more value to the team than you could by executing the decoy strategy."

    "More value, eh?" Su Yunjin pondered to herself.

    She did not continue to inquire but quietly returned to her seat, secretly watching Yan Yu from a distance.

    After a while, Su Yunjin withdrew her gaze and saw Lin Ning beside her turn over and continue to sleep quietly.

    Once the plane arrived at the Chuzhou airport, everyone had to switch to a car to head for Longquan Prefecture. Even Yan Yu couldn''t hold up and quickly fell asleep against the back of his seat on the road.

    Around 3 a.m., the Zhendong Army Team finally reached Longquan Prefecture and checked into a local hotel.

    At that time, the Annan Army Team had just landed at Chuzhou airport, and they decided to stay overnight in Chuzhou Prefecture and continue their journey to Longquan the next day. Enjoy new stories from empire

    The urgent journey was uncomfortable for both sides; now it was a matter of seeing who could adjust their condition better.

    The next morning, around 10 a.m.

    Yan Yu gradually woke up and heard someone knocking at the door.

    When he opened the door, it was the human alarm clock Lin Ning urging him to wake up,

    "We''re getting ready to go for breakfast; hurry up and change," she said.

    "Next time if I can''t wake up, you can get breakfast for me," Yan Yu yawned.

    "It''s already 10 a.m.," Lin Ning reasoned with him, "If you don''t wake up, you''ll just have lunch at noon. Why should I get breakfast for you then?"

    "Then just bring me lunch back," Yan Yu said as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

    "I''ll bring you leftovers!" Lin Ning retorted indignantly.

    The group gathered on the ground floor of the hotel, went to a nearby diner to fill up on dumplings and noodles, and then set off for Longquan Mountain Scenic Area.

    "The local news media don''t seem to have reported that Longquan Mountain is closed off," Su Yunjin said in surprise as she scrolled through her phone.

    "That''s because the Spiritual Energy Resurgence is still not a topic we can discuss openly in the country," Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    "But..." Su Yunjin thought for a moment, still finding it strange, "Mitchi Country has already publicly promoted superheroes, so how much longer can we keep this a secret?"

    "Until a consensus is reached," Chen Lingyun answered with a smile.

    "A consensus between whom?" Su Yunjin asked, puzzled.

    Chen Lingyun did not answer but turned to ask Yan Yu,

    "Has the Annan Army team arrived yet?"

    "Not yet," Yan Yu said, "They will probably have lunch after they get to Longquan Prefecture before heading over."

    "Then why do we have to rush to the entrance of the Secret Realm so early?" Zhao Yuanzhen complained.

    "Because we can get some fresh air," Yan Yu replied nonchalantly.

    Everyone was speechless.

    "Actually, it''s like this," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "He stayed up late last night, and it took a toll on his health, so he needs to go to the mountains ahead of time to breathe in some oxygen."

    "Right," Yan Yu played along seriously, "If breathing in the fresh oxygen from the scenic area still doesn''t help me recover, then let Miss Chen lead you guys into battle."

    "Stop talking nonsense!" Lin Ning finally couldn''t help but shout, "If the leader isn''t participating, we might as well give up right now!"

    Upon arriving inside Longquan Mountain, the military blockade was clearly much more organized and thorough compared to the previous Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm.

    At the entrance of the scenic area, large signs had been erected, printed with oversized fonts stating that "a landslide occurred inside" and "it is temporarily closed and not open to the public." Several tourists were taking pictures at the entrance of the scenic area.

    They switched to taking a helicopter nearby to enter the mountains, and soon, they could see the camp set up by the military.

    The entrance to the Secret Realm this time was near a winding mountain road, even deeper in was the Wushi Forest Farm.

    At this moment, the road had been cut off by the military, and tents of various sizes were set up, resembling a temporary command center on the front lines of a battlefield.

    In a clearing where the trees had been cleared, the helicopter slowly descended.

    After Yan Yu and the others got off the plane, he let the girls sit in a nearby tent while he followed the military officer in charge to inspect the entrance to the Secret Realm.

    The entrance to the Secret Realm was in the woods beside the road, with purple void scars snarling and dancing, as if they possessed the magic to twist space¡ªin fact, they seemed to, because the trees around had all been snapped, and the breaks didn''t look like they were cut with sharp tools, but rather as if they were violently twisted by an external force.

    "According to the intelligence, if the cultivators enter the Secret Realm through the entrance in different groups, they will appear at random locations within the Secret Realm," Captain Zhang explained, "So, we haven''t gone in to explore. It would be quite troublesome to rescue if we lost contact once inside."

    "Mhm," Yan Yu nodded, "Leave it to us."

    In fact, the locations where personnel were teleported after entering the Secret Realm in different batches were not entirely randomly chosen, but selected sequentially from several fixed positions¡ªset by the master of the Secret Realm. So, it was common to immediately experience a very warm welcome from someone with ill intent right upon entering.

    But speaking of which, what exactly is the Secret Realm here in Longquan Mountain again?

    I only remember that it should be related to swords... right, I think?

    After recalling for a while and confirming that he didn''t have much memory related to this Secret Realm, Yan Yu turned and left with Captain Zhang.

    It doesn''t matter, we''ll know once Li Zhaojiang and his team arrive and we go inside.

    Around 1:30 in the afternoon, the Annan Army team finally arrived here.

    As Li Zhaojiang and his men entered the tent, they saw four girls gathered around playing cards, with Yan Yu boredly playing with his phone on the side.

    "Yan Yu, hurry up and bring your people out!" Li Zhaojiang shouted arrogantly, "Let''s beat you guys quickly. We still need to rush back to the King''s Mansion for dinner!"

    "Ah, Minghu has arrived." Yan Yu didn''t even look at him, his gaze falling on Li Minghu who was behind him. He casually pulled a chair beside him and said with a smile, "You must be tired from the trip, why not sit down and rest a bit?"

    "Get lost!" Li Zhaojiang hurriedly snatched the chair and wiped it a few times with a napkin, then turned and courteously said, "Sis, please sit."

    Li Minghu sat down with a wry smile, and Li Zhaojiang started to press again:

    "Yan Yu, don''t you have any manners? We''ve come from afar, and you only offer one chair?"

    "The chairs are outside, help yourself," Yan Yu pointed casually outside. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    After thinking carefully, Li Zhaojiang realized this temporary camp was set up by the military, not by Yan Yu, so indeed he couldn''t demand chairs from him, so he led the others outside to fetch chairs.

    "Are you really okay?" Yan Yu asked Li Minghu again.

    The Valkyrie''s attire for combat this time was a sports shirt on top, sports pants on the bottom, and sports shoes on her feet¡ªa standard outdoor trio. She probably wore it to exercise her cardiopulmonary function, usually worn for running, and then this time, news of the Secret Realm came suddenly, and she was called to the airport to board a plane while still halfway through her run.

    "No problem," Li Minghu covered her mouth and coughed softly, "Cough! Cough!... My coughing has actually decreased a lot recently."

    "If you can''t hold on, remember to say so in time," Yan Yu looked at her with concern and advised, "A momentary win or loss is a small matter, but your health is of great importance."

    "Don''t worry," Li Minghu said softly with a smile, "We still have to fight for the win or loss. I''ll try my best to take care of my health."

    As the two made polite conversation, the four girls playing Dou Dizhu (Landlord) had lost all interest in their card game. They used their cards as a cover, stealing glances at the Lingnan girl talking to Yan Yu.

    With fair and smooth skin, dense, slightly curly long hair, and speaking with gentle words, even her occasional dry cough, loud without phlegm, seemed to invoke even more pity. Even Zhao Yuanzhen, who was quite picky about looks and figure, had to admit that Li Minghu was indeed quite charming.

    So, what exactly is her relationship with Team Leader Yan Yu?!!

 Chapter 87 Valkyrie Surely Wont Be Fooled (9/10)

    Once Li Zhaojiang and the others brought chairs in, everyone sat there eyeing each other, and they suddenly had nothing to say.The four girls on Yan Yu''s side were each more beautiful than the last. Aside from Li Minghu on Li Zhaojiang''s side, all were young male college students with robust vitality. They had no problem talking tough, but to do so with pretty girls they''d just met, needlessly losing their good impression of them, wouldn''t make them look impressive but rather like they were having a fit of hysterics.

    But if they didn''t talk tough, what should they say? After all, the other side was their competition in the upcoming contest. Being too friendly could easily be mistaken for sucking up.

    Nobody wanted to be a brown-noser, nor a Sigma male, so they simply kept silent, crossed their arms, and tried to look like cool, aloof guys.

    Li Zhaojiang also sensed that the atmosphere was a bit off. That Yan Yu was truly devious, having assembled a team of four beautiful girls, while his own team was all guys. The battle hadn''t even started, and they were already at a disadvantage in terms of morale.

    When they entered the Mysterious Realm later, he hoped his teeming teammates wouldn''t start thinking, "I can''t hit a beautiful girl," and sneakily go easy on them without telling him!

    "Nice one, Yan Yu," Li Zhaojiang decided to call out his sinister intentions with a sneer, "A beauty trap, huh? You think we''ll fall for that?"

    "Nicely said," Yan Yu responded coolly, "Just for that comment, you''re bound to be defeated by these beauties."

    "Let''s not talk about that now," Li Minghu quickly signaled her brother to shut up. After all, it wasn''t fair to label them as mere showpieces just because they were attractive, right?

    She stood up and said with a smile:

    "This is your home field, so you go into the Secret Realm first. We''ll follow afterwards."

    According to military experiments with Secret Realms, it has been confirmed that if different groups enter at different times, they are randomly transported to different starting points (the "entrances" designed by the master of the Secret Realm). The interval for determining different groups is about 1-2 minutes.

    To be safe, if they enter 3 minutes apart, they will certainly be considered different groups.

    Of course, 3 minutes is ample time for the team that enters first to get familiar with the terrain, or even to readjust their tactics.

    So, although it''s not an official rule, the four major military regions have a mutual agreement: the visiting team, coming to compete on someone else''s territory (equivalent to raiding their resources), consciously waits 3 minutes behind the home team before entering the Secret Realm. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu didn''t play coy and decline, but gathered the girls and headed outside the tent.

    Once everyone left the tent, Lin Ning finally huffed:

    "What beauty trap! Why are there always people like this? Just because you''re a little prettier, they assume all your success is due to your looks!"

    "Well said," Yan Yu spoke calmly, "So, you have to fight well next. Otherwise, if by any chance we lose, we won''t be able to clear things up with them afterward."

    "I will definitely win this time!" Lin Ning pumped her fists, her fighting spirit high.

    Chen Lingyun thoughtfully wondered if Yan Yu was deliberately cultivating Lin Ning''s competitive spirit, harboring some far-reaching and unspeakable plan. Or was it because¡­that was his particular fetish?

    Well, she''d keep an eye on that going forward~

    The teams arrived near the entrance to the Secret Realm, where the medical teams accompanying each side were already in place and on standby.

    Once in the Secret Realm, the military''s medical teams wouldn''t directly intervene in the team battles but would wait on the periphery¡ªuntil the victor was decided, and then they''d go treat the injured from their own team.

    Of course, beyond preventing unnecessary casualties, these people might also serve as "monitors" for the military. For example, to ensure the winning team goes to refine and control the central hub, to prevent deliberate damage to the Secret Realm, or to prevent any items from being taken or hidden...

    Although the military hadn''t confirmed this, some things don''t need to be stated explicitly, as long as everyone understands.

    The person in charge of the Zhendong Army''s medical team was a lady in her forties named Lou, wearing glasses and with a no-nonsense demeanor¡ªChen Lingyun had confided to Yan Yu that this woman was actually one of her father''s people, and by extension, hers, and thus could be trusted.

    Yan Yu nodded at her, then led the team into the Secret Realm.

    As soon as Yan Yu''s team stepped into the Secret Realm, the Annan Army''s medical team took out a stopwatch to begin timing.

    Countdown: 3 minutes.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    After entering the Secret Realm, Yan Yu quickly surveyed the surroundings.

    The area of Longquan Mountain Secret Realm wasn''t large; it was one of those small Secret Realms where you could see the boundary at a glance, probably not even a quarter the size of the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm. The perimeter was made up of steep, towering mountains, and trying to fly over them would encounter spatial air walls.

    In the central valley surrounded by mountains, there were countless broken swords stabbed into the ground.

    There were no trees, just a large number of Flying Swords. Most of them were damaged, chipped, or worn, as if they had been through fierce battles, with both blade and hilt battered and punctured.

    Amidst the multitude of broken swords was a small stream running through the valley and a thatched cottage beside the stream.

    As the team entered the Secret Realm, the Annan Army started timing them. After three minutes, Li Zhaojiang and the others would enter the Secret Realm.

    Consequently, Yan Yu didn''t hesitate and quickly gave the order through the channel:

    "Head towards the cottage, go!"

    The team swiftly activated their Shifting Technique, bypassing the surrounding forest of broken swords, rushing toward the direction of the cottage.

    ```

    The environment of this mysterious realm was a valley in the mountains, a flat expanse with the only high ground being a thatched hut. When everyone arrived at this building, they saw a stone stele standing next to the hut''s door.

    There was no writing on the stele, only countless intersecting sword marks. However, if one concentrated on it, four characters would quickly emerge in one''s mind:

    Secluded Cottage.

    "Do we go in?" Lin Ning pointed to the entrance of the thatched cottage.

    The control center should be inside, but it was unlikely that there was no guardian watching over it.

    Considering the short three-minute interval between the two teams entering the mysterious realm, if they entered the cottage and alerted the "guardian," and did not manage to deal with them before Li Zhaojiang''s team arrived, they would find themselves in a difficult predicament.

    "No." Yan Yu quickly glanced around and said, "Ling Yun, the roof."

    "Okay." Chen Lingyun employed the Cloud Ascension Technique and swiftly leaped onto the roof, reaching the highest point in the entire mysterious realm.

    "Tactics." Yan Yu continued speaking.

    Chen Lingyun quickly surveyed her surroundings and said:

    "Yun Jin, come to my side."

    Su Yunjin immediately ascended to the roof and stood beside Chen Lingyun.

    "Sister Zhao, guard the door."

    Zhao Yuanzhen positioned herself by the door of the cottage without attracting attention.

    "Ningning, the stele."

    Lin Ning quickly moved to the side of the stele and, together with Zhao Yuanzhen, guarded the entrance of the cottage from both sides.

    "Yan Yu," Chen Lingyun paused for a moment, "behind the house."

    At Chen Lingyun''s words, Yan Yu gave a slight start before quickly running to the back of the cottage, disappearing from everyone''s view.

    He understood what tactics Chen Lingyun intended to use.

    With Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin on the roof, they could comfortably use the Impact Curse to shoot at a distance, not needing to worry about their line of sight being obstructed by various oblique Flying Swords.

    With Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen standing below, it would seem as if they were guarding the main entrance of the cottage. So, if Li Zhaojiang''s team were to teleport in and notice two people on the roof shooting and two guarding the door, with the vital Yan Yu nowhere to be seen, what would they think?

    They would most likely conclude that Yan Yu had already dashed into the cottage at the center of the mysterious realm, trying to deal with the guardian by himself or even secretly refining the control center.

    In that case, if they decided to use their numerical advantage to quickly eliminate the four outside the cottage, Yan Yu could, depending on the situation on the battlefield, suddenly enter from any direction and give Li Zhaojiang''s team a little surprise attack.

    Of course, if the opponents were more aggressive and also sent people into the cottage, possibly alerting the guardian, then that would be very advantageous for Yan Yu''s side.

    However, this ambush strategy had a flaw, due to the mysterious realm''s random teleportation mechanism, you did not know where Li Zhaojiang''s team would appear.

    If they came from the direction facing the main entrance of the cottage, and could not see Yan Yu hiding at the back, then this tactic could work; but what if the teleportation spot was behind the cottage?

    If they entered and the first thing they did not see was Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen, but Yan Yu instead... then they would have to adjust their tactics, and it would depend on whether Chen Lingyun''s quick thinking was sufficient.

    Princess, it''s up to you!

    Yan Yu silently counted seconds in his heart, and when he felt it was about the right time, he suddenly heard Chen Lingyun say in the channel:

    "Coming from 2 o''clock direction."

    Good, they''re coming from the front!

    Yan Yu sneered internally, remaining hidden at the back, biding his time.

    Meanwhile, Li Zhaojiang and his team entered the mysterious realm and, with a sweeping glance over the flat valley, immediately noticed the cottage at the center and the four girls guarding it.

    Where was Yan Yu?

    "Where is Yan Yu?!" Li Zhaojiang was instantly alarmed.

    Could this guy have already entered the cottage, taking on the guardian in a one-on-one fight?

    No, surely he hadn''t already defeated the guardian and begun refining the control center?

    "Don''t panic." Li Minghu said calmly, "Refining the center in 3 minutes is definitely not enough time."

    "Xingyuan, you circle around and check behind the house."

    ```

 Chapter 88 Valkyrie Draws Her Sword! (10/10)

    Seeing Yan Yu missing, the opponents managed to keep their composure and dispatched someone to scout behind the house, which inevitably caused some panic among the girls.Fortunately, the distance was quite far, so there was no need to worry about their facial expressions being discovered; they all just waited for Chen Lingyun to adjust their tactics.

    Chen Lingyun, however, was composed as she asked over the channel:

    "Tao Xingyuan is circling from the right for reconnaissance. Yan Yu, can you hide?"

    Without any hesitation, Yan Yu replied, "I can." S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Similarly, there were no trees behind the thatched cottage, but there was a small sword-casting workshop with a forge for melting metal, an anvil for shaping sword blanks, and a water trough for quenching.

    The water trough was low and shallow, and the anvil was small, neither large enough to conceal a grown man,

    The forge was built against the wall, offering few blind spots to hide in. The interior space was estimated to be sufficient, but the entrance was also narrow, at most allowing an adult to fit an arm through.

    After observing the inside of the forge from the entrance for a moment, Yan Yu then moved to the outer wall and quickly cast the Wall-Penetration Technique, his entire body swiftly "melding" into the furnace wall.

    Su Yunjin, who was watching from the rooftop, was secretly shocked but then breathed a sigh of relief.

    Find more chapters on empire

    How could I forget the Wall-Penetration Technique!

    "Yun Jin, Impact Curse," Chen Lingyun suddenly commanded.

    Tao Xingyuan had already circled to the side of the cottage and saw the anvil, water trough, and forge there.

    From the side, Tao Xingyuan couldn''t see behind the forge due to the blind spot, so he continued to approach using the Shifting Technique, while Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin aimed their Impact Curse from the rooftop, attempting to hit him.

    Seeing the two girls raise their hands, Tao Xingyuan was already on guard. He quickly dispelled the Shifting Technique and switched to the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse, starting to run physically with his legs apart.

    The Impact Curse hit his body, utterly failing to break through his defenses, but the consumption of True Yuan by the Barrier Charm wasn''t small either. Exchanging in such a way was definitely advantageous for the girls.

    Enduring the shooting of the Impact Curse and the consumption of the Barrier Charm, Tao Xingyuan ran diagonally to the direct back of the thatched cottage at high speed. Confirming that no one was hiding on the other side of the forge, he didn''t hesitate to turn around and leave, while reporting the reconnaissance situation in the team channel.

    "Could he be hiding in the water trough?" Li Minghu asked.

    "The water trough isn''t tall enough to hide a person." Tao Xingyuan quickly replied, "The forge entry is small, not even a child could crawl through, and I''ve checked the blind spots on both sides too."

    "It looks like he must have really gone into the thatched cottage," Li Zhaojiang quickly inferred, "Sister, shall we attack now?"

    Attacking now had two meanings: one was to make use of their numerical advantage to deal with the four girls outside; the other was to send people to rush in and cooperate with the goalkeeper to pincer Yan Yu, or to prevent Yan Yu from refining the core.

    Li Minghu pondered, still feeling something was off: what if they recklessly entered and got entangled with an unknown goalkeeper inside the cottage? The four teammates left outside might not withstand the assaults of the Annan Army cultivators¡ªif I were Yan Yu, I certainly wouldn''t make such a foolish move.

    But since the Wall-Penetration Technique was used so infrequently, she hadn''t actually seen the forge, and she couldn''t think of that at the moment. She simply decided:

    "I will go back and have another look. Zhaojiang, you lead the team to attack the front."

    "Alright," Li Zhaojiang nodded and said, "Jiang Hong, Haoran, you two go attack Lin Ning; Xingyuan, follow me against Zhao Jiuzhen."

    Following Li Zhaojiang''s command, the team quickly split into three.

    Li Minghu circled to the back, Jiang Hong took Wang Haoran on a diagonal path from the right, aiming for Lin Ning near the stele; Li Zhaojiang, on the other hand, charged directly at Zhao Yuanzhen on the left with Tao Xingyuan using the Shifting Technique.

    From the rooftop, Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin once again fired the Impact Curse, only to see the opposing forces suddenly come to a screeching halt to dodge, and then, with the Shifting Technique, accelerate once more towards them.

    Switching between two spells so quickly, although not as skillfully as Yan Yu''s Team, clearly showed they had practiced this¡ªthey were much more advanced than the world line in the previous life. So to whom should this be credited?

    "Lin, move left, Sister Zhao, to the right, lead them away," Chen Lingyun continued to direct.

    Without a thought, Lin Ning immediately activated Shifting and dashed to the left; Zhao Yuanzhen, although inwardly cynical, did not voice any complaints and obeyed the command, rushing to the right.

    With their movements to the left and the right, the unguarded front door of the thatched cottage was directly exposed.

    Li Zhaojiang hesitated for a moment, a sudden impulse arising to have all four of us disregard everything and charge into the cottage to overpower Yan Yu.

    But Sister was still outside the house!

    Remembering this, he quickly suppressed the impulse and ordered:

    "Haoran and Xingyuan, get to the rooftop. Jiang Hong, keep up the chase!"

    Thus, the Annan Army''s four men divided their forces again, with Jiang Hong and Li Zhaojiang remaining on the ground, continuing to pursue Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen, who were using hit-and-run tactics.

    Wang Haoran and Tao Xingyuan, however, used the Cloud Ascension Technique to head for Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin on the rooftop.

    Hitting halfway up, the oncoming Impact Curse was already shooting towards the two men from the rooftop.

    Seeing the situation was bad, both Wang and Tao tried to dodge, as the Impact Curse was aimed at their chests, and without any True Yuan suppression bracelets, getting hit would not be a question of whether they could withstand it but more of how many ribs would break.

    They urgently interrupted the Cloud Ascension Technique and immediately switched to the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse, barely blocking two Impact Curses aimed at their chests.

    But without the support of the Cloud Ascension Technique, their bodies were soon pulled down by gravity again.

    "This won''t do," Wang Haoran landed on the ground and immediately said.

    There''s no way we can get up on the roof now. The moment you activate the Cloud Ascension Technique, they''ll hit you with the Impact Curse. If you get hit, you''ll cough up blood. What can you do when you''re in midair?

    You can''t just keep the Barrier Charm on the whole time and climb up with your body alone, can you? Even if you have the skills to climb, when you''re about to reach the roof, they''ll activate the Curved Curse and kick you. How are you going to dodge that?

    Tao Xingyuan also had quick wits, reminding him:

    "Impact Curse!"

    If we can''t get up there, then let''s exchange Impact Curses on the ground, competing with them in reaction speed and accuracy!

    Wang Haoran also realized this, and both of them waited for the right moment to suddenly switch from the Barrier Charm to the Impact Curse. The metallic sharpness of the curse tore through the air, hurtling towards Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin.

    But Chen Lingyun was already prepared, and with a slight smile, pulled Su Yunjin down to crouch.

    The thatched cottage roof bulged in the center, sloping on both sides, with eaves at the edges. By crouching down like that, they perfectly avoided being hit by ducking behind the sloped surface of the roof.

    Now Tao Xingyuan was also at a loss. He couldn''t get close to the roof to fight, and Impact Curse exchanges were useless since the enemy had cover. It seemed the only option might be to use the Flame Curse to blast them.

    However, the Flame Curse had a delay, about half a second. Directly casting the Flame Curse wouldn''t work unless the opponent couldn''t see or dodge, so hitting them was still difficult.

    As the two hesitated, they heard Li Zhaojiang speak through the channel:

    "Xingyuan, Haoran, come back."

    Although Li Zhaojiang was chasing Zhao Yuanzhen, he could still hear the conversation between the two in the channel. Confronting someone with a high ground advantage was indeed tricky, so it was better to quickly come over and surround and kill the two who were running wild.

    Receiving the message, Tao Xingyuan and Wang Haoran immediately dropped the issue of the roof and split up to encircle Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen, occasionally using the Impact Curse to force their opponents to change direction.

    Just then, a pained cry suddenly came from behind the house.

    When the cry reached him, Li Zhaojiang was instantly alarmed:

    Oh no! My sister is still over there!

    Going back a short while, let''s talk about Li Minghu, who had initially broken away from the group, taking a detour to circle around to the back of the house.

    She was very astute, always keeping a safe distance from the roof¡ªenough to comfortably dodge an Impact Curse on the side.

    Chen Lingyun didn''t switch her fire to her, simply keeping a watchful eye on her using her peripheral vision.

    Li Minghu wandered in the distance, observing, and found that as Tao Xingyuan had said, the anvil was too small, and the trough was short and shallow; it was impossible for anyone to be hiding inside.

    The furnace stood against the wall, equally without any hiding spots, and the entrance was very narrow; sword molds could be sent in, but it was impossible for a person to fit through.

    Could it be that I was wrong? Did he already rush into the thatched cottage?

    At that moment, Wang and Tao had started their attack on the roof, and Chen Lingyun pulled Su Yunjin down to crouch. Li Minghu no longer hesitated, and using the Shifting Technique, she dashed to the furnace side, then activated the Cloud Ascension Technique to fly towards the roof, planning to coordinate with her teammates on the other side for a pincer attack.

    Halfway through her Cloud Ascension Technique ascent, Chen Lingyun still didn''t turn around. Li Minghu had a bad feeling, and from the corner of her eye, she saw the furnace below. She instantly interrupted her ascent and switched to the Curved Curse, twisting her body in midair to deliver a forceful downward chop with her leg, like a battle-ax slamming down.

    Right below her, Yan Yu quietly emerged from the furnace using the Wall-Penetration Technique and switched to the Cloud Ascension Technique, hoping to sneak attack her. He didn''t expect Li Minghu to react so suddenly, nor did he anticipate her counterattack.

    Ouch, not bad, huh?

    Yan Yu immediately switched to the Wood Bending Charm, with quick reflexes, his right hand shot out like a striking snake, and caught Li Minghu''s descending ankle, forcefully tugging downward.

    Caught by the ankle midair, and with the added force from the Curved Curse, even Li Minghu with all her skills couldn''t react in time. Her body was violently thrown to the ground, causing her to cry out in pain.

    Yan Yu landed steadily not far away, crossing his arms but not rushing to attack, instead, he asked with concern:

    "How''s your body? If you can''t take it, you can surrender, and I''ll call the medical team over."

    "Thank you, but I can still fight," Li Minghu struggled to stand up, coughed painfully a couple of times, and grabbed the sword hilt nearby. She gritted her teeth and pulled the broken sword from the ground.

    Yan Yu was immediately filled with respect.

    Li Minghu held the sword with both hands, assuming a stance ready to charge.

    Although her actions showed no sign of swordsmanship experience,

    her silent, resolute demeanor, unwavering in the face of battle, seemed to overlap subtly in Yan Yu''s memory with that of the Valkyrie from his past life, the one who alone, with sword in hand, stood before the Cultivators'' Allied Forces of the Indochina Peninsula.

 Chapter 89 Valkyrie Loses

    Li Minghu gripped his sword with both hands, his center of gravity sinking slightly.The broken sword tip pointed diagonally, his body seemingly frozen in place, yet tensed like a spring coiled to its limit.

    His eyes remained unblinking, even his trembling eyelashes appeared completely frozen, with only Yan Yu''s figure reflected in his pupils.

    Yan Yu pondered briefly, then stretched out his right hand and grabbed the hilt of the sword beside him.

    Draw the sword.

    All these Flying Swords were defective, their spirits completely worn away, incapable of being stimulated even with Sword Control Technique, but their material was unquestionable, far surpassing ordinary iron in hardness and toughness, easily capable of blocking an Impact Curse''s assault.

    He held the sword in one hand, his body slightly turned, as he infused his right arm with the Curved Curse, assuming a combat-ready stance.

    For a moment, the two faced each other, only to hear the anxious shouts of Li Zhaojiang from afar:

    "Sister!"

    Yan Yu''s gaze shifted slightly, as if to ascertain Li Zhaojiang''s position.

    In that instant, Li Minghu stepped forward, swinging his broken sword down like a storm!

    Although he lacked experience in actual sword fights, the strike was both quick and fierce under the enhancement of the Curved Curse.

    Yan Yu parried with a backhanded lift of his sword. Blades collided, sparking a shower of sparks and emitting a dull, irate sound, before forcefully repelling each other.

    Li Minghu, already weak, attacked with injuries and was forced to step back by the recoil on her arm.

    Yan Yu immediately pressed his advantage, his broken sword falling like torrential rain, his attacks as dense as the biting of tigers and leopards, and his force as savage as an Asura wielding a blade. Yet whenever it seemed Li Minghu was utterly exhausted and defeated, she would somehow muster a bit more strength from her body to barely block his advances with her sword.

    This girl... had no skill or experience to speak of, she was purely defending on instinct and talent.

    Although Yan Yu did not hold back in his offense, he couldn''t help but feel admiration. A talent like hers, a will surpassing others, along with her willingness to work hard¡ªif not plagued by illness, even the Lord Master Liu Longtao might not be her match.

    Tsk, what a pity.

    Li Zhaojiang, hearing the noise, hurriedly dropped Zhao Yuanzhen and rushed over, only to see his older sister being battered by Yan Yu like a willow in the wind, teetering on the brink of collapse, as if her falling dead the next second wouldn''t be surprising.

    How could this brother with sister complex remain restrained? Immediately discarding thoughts of team and victory, he launched an Impact Curse straight at Yan Yu (who dodged by tilting his head) and swiftly shifted to a Shifting Technique toward him.

    Before he could reach Yan Yu, he took an Impact Curse to the back, delivered by Chen Lingyun who seized the opportunity from the rooftop, swiftly striking and knocking the frantic Li Zhaojiang to the ground.

    "Sister Zhao, make your move," Chen Lingyun said with a smiley expression.

    With Li Zhaojiang suddenly leaving the battlefield, only Tao Xingyuan was left chasing Zhao Yuanzhen. How could he withstand the Demonic Sect Enchantress?

    Hearing that she finally didn''t need to run anymore and could engage, Zhao Yuanzhen immediately pounced like a hound let out of its cage, halting and spinning mid-run, turning to attack Tao Xingyuan.

    Tao Xingyuan was naturally unafraid, activating the Wood Bending Charm and assuming a close-quarters combat stance.

    I can''t beat Yan Yu, but could I possibly not beat you, a girl?

    How could he know that the girl across from him, who seemed to have an ample bust and long legs, was actually a Demonic Sect Enchantress from another world with a rich experience in lethal combat? After a few exchanges, Tao Xingyuan was caught off guard by a weakness and took a fierce palm strike to the abdomen, which made him vomit everything he had eaten for lunch.

    Zhao Yuanzhen herself jumped at the sight of him falling to the ground in pain.

    She was adept at killing, not so much at pulling punches. Although she had instantly held back her blow the moment she attacked, it was unclear if she had restrained herself sufficiently.

    If this unlucky kid died because of my palm strike, leading to the court opening an investigation, conducting a thorough inquiry, and discovering issues with my identity, resulting in that vile woman Mei Yingxue being summoned, what then would I do?

    Wait, don''t panic! There''s a medical team outside!

    "As long as we end the fight quickly and have them come over to help the injured, we''ll be good!"

    With this thought, Zhao Yuanzhen roared and charged towards Jiang Hong and Wang Haoran, who were pursuing Lin Ning on the side.

    Jiang Hong and Wang Haoran were also stunned. Initially, a two-on-one situation had been a sure win; they only needed to handle the Impact Curse attacks from the rooftop and the occasional retaliation from Lin Ning in front. Who could have expected that the other battlefront their captain was responsible for would collapse in the blink of an eye?

    Lin Ning had already turned to counter-attack, and Zhao Yuanzhen had arrived from one side with Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin beginning to unleash attacks at full speed. The barrage of Impact Curses poured in without concern for their True Yuan expenditure. They were now facing a two-versus-four situation, with two close-combatants and two long-range attackers.

    The scales of victory had completely tipped over... They were out of options!

    Jiang Hong thought that if he was going to die, he might as well take someone with him. He activated the Wood Bending Charm and dashed towards Lin Ning, who had turned to attack.

    The two hadn''t even clashed before he was struck from behind and knocked down by an Impact Curse sneak attack from Chen Lingyun.

    Wang Haoran immediately learned from the lesson. His Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse was constantly activated; the Impact Curses from Su Yunjin kept hitting him but were essentially painless and had no effect.

    But what could he do when Zhao Yuanzhen closed in on him?

    The Barrier Charm couldn''t be stopped; otherwise, he would be brought down by the Impact Curse on the spot. But if he didn''t stop the Barrier Charm, how could he deal with the Curved Curse from Zhao Yuanzhen? Experience tales at empire

    Even Yan Yu, hailed as "the strongest of this age," if faced with such a brutal situation of being attacked from both close and long range, would have to forcefully keep the Barrier Charm active and use his legs to run, trying to find a window between the barrage of Impact Curses to activate the Shifting Technique and escape.

    Wang Haoran naturally lacked such ability. He was swiftly knocked down by a punch from Zhao Yuanzhen.

    Su Yunjin on the rooftop finally let out a sigh of relief, only to realize that those few seconds of reckless Impact Curse shooting used up more than eight or nine times her True Yuan than the previous few minutes¡ªsuch a "firepower suppression" tactic obviously shouldn''t be used lightly, or she would be rendered useless once the True Yuan was depleted.

    Looking behind the thatched cottage, Yan Yu executed three final "overhead slashes," smashing Li Minghu, who was blocking with his sword, forcing him to half-kneel. His body was about to topple over, but Yan Yu extended his arm to steady him.

    "Alright, all your teammates have fallen," said Yan Yu in a deep voice, propping Li Minghu back up and casually reinserting the broken sword into the ground, "Surrender."

    Li Minghu was silent for a moment. Looking at Li Zhaojiang, who was lying motionless in the distance, he threw away his own broken sword.

    It is said that the medical teams from both teams combined immediately after entering the Mysterious Realm and found a place in the distance to stay, always keeping strictly silent.

    After all, if any team had prepared any strategies that were observed by the opposing team''s medical staff, who might secretly signal their own team, it would be against the rules. So both medical groups stayed together, watching each other to ensure they were all clean and compliant throughout, avoiding any disputes that might arise afterward.

    After Li Minghu surrendered by discarding his sword, Yan Yu announced in the channel, "Medics to the field," and only then did both medical groups quickly move out, utilizing the Shifting Technique to rush to the battlefield.

    The medical team from Zhendong Army were in good shape; they just conducted a quick examination of everyone''s health and soon declared there was nothing to do. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The Annan Army''s workload was much heavier. Li Zhaojiang and Jiang Hong were both struck by the Impact Curse on their backs. Fortunately, it was only a severe soft tissue injury, and Chen Lingyun had clearly held back her strength; Tao Xingyuan and Wang Haoran fared worse, the former with a perforated stomach and the latter with fractured ribs, both courtesy of Zhao Yuanzhen''s handy work.

    Thanks to the strong penetrative ability of the Runescript, the medical cultivators were able to complete a "subcutaneous surgery" without the need for incisions: they cleaned the abdominal cavity of Tao Xingyuan and repaired the stomach perforation; meanwhile, they carried out a fracture repair for Wang Haoran and stabilized his body.

    Both of them would need to rest for at least a week before undergoing a medical re-examination. Only after being confirmed fit could they rejoin their team.

    Li Minghu, who was in the worst physical condition, had not sustained much damage because Yan Yu always measured his strikes, and he was only slightly weakened by overexertion.

    After replenishing with saline, Li Minghu weakly leaned on his arm to watch his four teammates, including his brother, being taken care of by the medical team.

    "This was just a simulation battle," Yan Yu said, standing next to him. "In a real conflict against overseas Transcendents, the defeated wouldn''t have the chance to receive medical treatment. Use this time to review the issues, there''s still time to make changes."

    "Mhm," Li Minghu replied softly.

    "Next, it''s time to explore the Mysterious Realm," Yan Yu continued. "I''m a bit puzzled; this Mysterious Realm seems to have no defensive restrictions, but surely there are guards within the cottage managing the control center. Do you want to come with us?"

    "What can I do if I go with you? Look at me now¡ªI am no longer capable of fighting," Li Minghu said with a wry smile. "Indeed," said Yan Yu, scrutinizing her carefully. "But you also have nothing to do if you stay here, right? And besides, I think that even if you don''t participate in the fighting, maybe you can help us with strategy."

    "With Chen Lingyun around, what help could I possibly offer?" Li Minghu shook her head, looked at the medical cultivators tending to Li Zhaojiang, and sighed, "If you really want me to come along, I can, but don''t expect too much from me."

 Chapter 90 Earth Defeats Water (Alliance Leader Li Chengs additional chapter)

    The most severely injured, Tao Xingyuan and Wang Haoran, were taken care of by the medical team and went into a deep sleep after their treatments ended.Li Zhaojiang and Jiang Hong were awake, though their spirits were obviously not very high.

    Of course, their low spirits were understandable.

    To put it nicely, they were "defeated by Yan Yu''s team," but to put it unpleasantly, they were "unable to beat the ladies." Who could easily accept that?

    "I''m going to go into the thatched cottage with them for a bit," Li Minghu came over and said.

    "Sis?" Li Zhaojiang was instantly alarmed.

    What? I lost this time, and big sis wants to jump ship to another team?

    I... I''m going to go demonic!

    "After all, we fought for this Mysterious Realm for so long, I want to see what''s inside," Li Minghu said diplomatically.

    She didn''t say that Yan Yu had invited her to help out, to avoid Li Zhaojiang overthinking, a display of high emotional intelligence.

    "Oh," Li Zhaojiang thought, relieved, "then you need to be careful, sis. Yan Yu, he''s up to no good! After he added you as a friend last time, he never even chatted with you, obviously trying to string you along!"

    "Don''t talk nonsense," Li Minghu said with a laugh.

    On the other side, Zhao Yuanzhen also began to suspect as she asked:

    "Yan Yu, why did you invite that woman over?"

    "She''s useful," Yan Yu said.

    "What use is she?" The more Zhao Yuanzhen asked, the more jealous she became, continuing to probe, "You couldn''t possibly have developed a fancy for her, could you?"

    "What do you mean ''developed a fancy''?" Yan Yu said with dissatisfaction, "Summer insects cannot speak of ice; it''s pointless to explain to you, a fool."

    Zhao Yuanzhen was furious and was about to open the Book of Hatred when she heard Yan Yu add:

    "By the way, aren''t you very fond of making friends? Why not try to establish a relationship with her?"

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress was taken aback by these words and immediately started pondering.

    Could this Li Minghu also possess great potential?

    No way! I see her coughing day in, day out, clearly showing inherent defects in her physical constitution. Can such a sickly person also grow into something more?

    Humph, I won''t just believe whatever you say; I will confirm it with my own eyes!

    When Li Minghu came back, she nodded at Yan Yu and suddenly noticed a certain young lady staring intently at herself.

    She gave Zhao Yuanzhen a slight nod and a gentle smile.

    Zhao Yuanzhen quickly averted her gaze, feeling as if facing a formidable enemy.

    Such an innocent smile, even I nearly let down my guard for a moment. She''s definitely not some ordinary person!

    "Everyone is here, let''s go," Yan Yu said.

    The group of six people then headed for the thatched cottage. Su Yunjin saw that Li Minghu looked pale and weak and wanted to go over to support her, but was politely declined.

    "You don''t have to worry about me," Li Minghu said with an awkward smile, "I''m fine."

    "If there''s a problem, tell me at any time," Su Yunjin said earnestly.

    Yan Yu led the way into the cottage, and the scene before them suddenly changed. It was spacious and bright inside, completely opposite to its outward appearance.

    Could this be... the Mustard Seed Sumi Array?

    Unexpectedly, the original owner of this Mysterious Realm was also an ancient cultivator skilled in formations!

    The interior of the cottage was a large hall, also with countless Flying Swords inserted in the ground.

    However, unlike the broken swords outside, the Flying Swords here were mostly intact, each radiating its unique spiritual luster.

    At the end of the hall, a female figure in green clothes was sitting on her knees.

    That figure slowly turned around and said,

    "My mother forged swords and constructed this cottage here in bygone days. You came here in search of treasure, but you must not disturb the tranquility of this place." S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu''s eyes narrowed slightly, only to hear Li Minghu remind from behind:

    "She is not a real person; it seems she is just an image? Pay attention, there is no shadow on the ground."

    Everyone hurriedly looked, and indeed, there was no shadow at her feet.

    Another long sigh was heard, and the green-clothed female immortal slowly stood up.

    She spun gracefully to face the crowd, her visage blurred as if veiled by a misty gauze, rendering any facial features indiscernible.

    Her left hand gently pinched in the shape of a lotus, while her right hand rose elegantly. A nearby Flying Sword suddenly sprang up, lightly floating into her grasp.

    "Since that''s the case," the female immortal''s voice became even more ethereal, yet was paradoxically crystal clear, "listen well."

    "My mother is known as the Recluse of the Secluded Grotto. If you wish to take her treasures, you had better weigh carefully..."

    She gripped the Flying Sword in her right hand, flicking a brisk sword flower, and stated coldly:

    "...whether you have the ability to do so!"

    No sooner had her words fallen, than a loud shout from Yan Yu was heard:

    "Draw swords!"

    The ladies had not yet reacted when Yan Yu had already drawn the Immortal Sword at his feet, surging forward with the Shifting Technique.

    He closed the distance in a flash, thrusting his long sword directly at the lady in the azure dress.

    A crisp sound was heard, as the Immortal Swords in their hands collided and were subsequently pushed out of their grasp by the rebounding force.

    Yan Yu''s Immortal Sword spun downward, eventually rolling to a halt at Li Minghu''s feet. The azure-clad lady''s sword also flew backward but stabilized after only a step or two, as if gripped by some invisible hand, then abruptly changed direction, the tip steadily pointing at Yan Yu.

    The venerable Sword Control technique of the Taoist sect Famen Zhengzong!

    The ladies had by now realized what was happening and hurriedly grabbed swords nearby, rushing to support Yan Yu.

    The azure-clad lady stood still, while the Flying Sword transformed into a stream of light, instantly aiming for Yan Yu''s chest¡ªonly for him to swiftly grasp the blade, forcefully arresting its momentum.

    A gray light shrouded Yan Yu''s right hand, revealing he had activated the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse. Otherwise, contact with the Flying Sword would have severed his fingers.

    Even so, the Flying Sword kept clacking in his palm, ready to break free the moment his grip slackened and thrust viciously into his body.

    Lin Ning was the quickest to react and move, dashing over with the Shifting Technique, stopping abruptly with a Wood Bending Charm in effect, extending her hand to help him grasp the sword hilt.

    Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin spread out to the left and right, quickly attacking the azure-clad lady with Impact Curses. Zhao Yuanzhen and Li Minghu closely followed up with the impact curses, brandishing their Immortal Swords as they charged forward.

    Catch the ringleader first to capture all his followers!

    Confronted by the pincer attack from various ranges, the azure-clad lady revealed not a hint of panic. Instead, she formed a Taoist hand gesture with her left hand and chanted aloud:

    "The Southern Dipper governs the sky, beckoning the stars into a river!"

    In that moment, from their scalps to the napes of their necks, everyone began to feel an intense tingling.

    Although none of them had yet cultivated Divine Sense, their heightened senses as cultivators immediately detected something invisibly brewing at a rapid pace...

    The next second, a tremendous water pressure erupted inside the room.

    Whether it was Zhao Yuanzhen, Li Minghu, Lin Ning, or those further away like Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin, they were all swept up in the sudden, forceful deluge.

    On one hand, the instinctive panic caused by suffocation set in, and on the other, the water pressure was compressing their bodies from all directions, with their eardrums being the initial victims, followed by their nasal cavities and mouths being forcibly expanded by the water''s force...

    Yet this all quickly ceased. The turbulent currents lost control and, under the influence of gravity, swiftly plummeted and dispersed, cascading out through the gaps in the doors and the floor.

    The drowning ladies collapsed onto the ground, vomiting water profusely.

    Lin Ning was the first to rise, struggling to focus through blurred vision, and saw Yan Yu''s sword had pierced the azure-clad lady''s abdomen. Her figure was slowly fading away, her voice full of disbelief:

    "How can this be, why..."

    "A level cap below 10, yet casting a level 50 spell?" Yan Yu said disdainfully, pulling out the Immortal Sword, causing the lady''s illusion to completely dissipate.

    Turning back around, he saw the ladies scattered about, all seemingly quite injured.

    The Zhendong Army medical team, three military cultivators who had originally followed in silence as though planning to find a corner to hide in, had unfortunately been struck as well... And because they were cornered when the flood struck, they had nowhere to hide and were violently thrown against the wall, now unable to stand.

    There was no choice but to rely on my foresight.

    "Su Yunjin?" Yan Yu asked. "How are you?"

    "I''m fine." Su Yunjin, who had been standing further away and thus sustained only minor injuries, stood up and said, "I''ll treat you all."

    The ladies sat where they were, allowing Su Yunjin to check their injuries and administer treatment. After all, she had heeded Yan Yu''s arrangement and seriously learned the art of "Runescript Surgery" from the medical team. Even if she wasn''t as skilled as the professionals, she was sufficient for emergency treatments and stabilizing their conditions.

    "Yan Yu," Lin Ning spoke up weakly after recovering her spirit a little, "why do you seem unharmed?"

    Yan Yu was standing where the azure-clad lady had knelt, examining the cushion beneath her, and replied:

    "I had the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse activated at that moment."

    "Barrier Charm?" Lin Ning was surprised.

    "Earth overcomes water, have you forgotten?"

 Chapter 91 In-Class Quiz

    Yan Yu was immune to the attacks of this water-based Taoism Method, and the reason was actually multifaceted.The most important, of course, was the mutual conquest of the Five Elements, with earth conquering water. Coupled with the Barrier Charm''s ability to resist knives and fire, it was an expected outcome that he remained unharmed.

    But while he sustained no injuries, why wasn''t he swept away by the water?

    That''s because at the very moment the flood appeared, he immediately activated the Curved Curse and thrust his Immortal Sword forcefully into the ground below.

    So the most advanced methods of attack often just need the simplest way to break them... The key is whether the experience and awareness can keep up.

    Yan Yu studied the meditation cushion for a long time before he discovered that there was indeed no mystery hidden within it.

    The real mystery was pressed under the cushion, a delicate jade hairpin.

    This object was neither a Magic Artifact nor possessed any glow of Spiritual Energy, but its design was quite elegant, and it would definitely make a great gift for a girl.

    Yan Yu infused it with True Yuan and began to refine it.

    Having finished treating her teammates, Su Yunjin went to check on the medical team in the corner.

    "My ears are still ringing," Lin Ning complained to Zhao Yuanzhen.

    "Direct your True Yuan to the meridians near your ears," the senior Cultivator Zhao Yuanzhen began to show off, reminding everyone, "Stay there for a while, and this discomfort will soon disappear."

    "Really?!" Lin Ning said incredulously, "What''s the principle behind this?"

    "There''s no particular principle," Zhao Yuanzhen said proudly, "It''s just some little clever uses of True Yuan that I''ve discovered." Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu, listening nearby, was speechless. So the widely known techniques for using True Yuan in the Cultivation World are now all your own discovery over here?

    Such a plagiarist, no shame at all!

    After refining the hairpin completely, the Zhendong Army medical team, revived by Su Yunjin''s treatment, heard Yan Yu say:

    "It''s done, I''ll send everyone out."

    Yan Yu teleported everyone away from the Mysterious Realm and tossed the hairpin to Ms. Lou, the head of the medical team.

    She took over the control center of the Mysterious Realm, carefully stored it, and then took her team aside to make a phone call.

    "Are you staying for a meal?" Yan Yu asked Li Zhaojiang.

    "Forget it," Li Zhaojiang shook his head, "Both of my teammates are severely injured, how can we eat?"

    "Well," Tao Xingyuan turned to look at the beautiful girls behind Yan Yu and said with a forced laugh, "Actually, having a meal shouldn''t be a problem..."

    "Exactly, exactly," Wang Haoran also chimed in, grinning mischievously, "It''s rare for us to get together. Captain, why not make some friends?"

    "Tao Xingyuan, you''ve got a stomach ulcer and you still want to eat?" Li Zhaojiang scolded irritably, "Didn''t you hear the medical team say you should be on a liquid diet for the next few days? And Wang Haoran, your ribs don''t hurt anymore, huh? Thinking about flirting with girls again!"

    He turned away, waved his hand impatiently, and said:

    "Let''s go! No need to see us off, next time you come to our home ground, we''ll host you properly!"

    Wang Haoran helplessly turned and followed his captain, Tao Xingyuan still wanting to say something, but Jiang Hong forcefully dragged him away.

    "Then, I''ll take my leave," Li Minghu, the last to stay, said with a smile as she bid farewell to everyone, "Until we meet again."

    The girls all bid her farewell. Although they had only just met, both Lin Ning and Su Yunjin were quite fond of this polite and generous Lingnan girl.

    After the Annan Army team left, Chen Lingyun asked with a smile:

    "Shall we play here for a day or go back to school?"

    "Our team is a dictatorship during war, and a democracy after," Yan Yu declared shamelessly, "If you all want to stay, we''ll stay; if no one wants to stay, we''ll go back."

    "What do you think?" Chen Lingyun looked at the other girls.

    "Of course, we should play for a day," said the college girls, who were of an age that loved to have fun, who would want to go back to school? As for someone like Zhao Yuanzhen, who had added points to being a "foodie," she was already itching to go to the local snack shops for an "inspection."

    "Then let''s go back tomorrow," Yan Yu nodded, "Today''s expenses will all be settled with your vice-captain."

    Zhao Yuanzhen quickly took out her phone, started looking up local food guides on various apps, and announced loudly:

    "Good! I''ll arrange our next stops, you all follow me!"

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    At five o''clock in the afternoon, after a hearty meal, Yan Yu was accompanying the girls shopping when he suddenly received a call from Jinling.

    It was a call from Li Weiguo.

    "Where are you guys?" Li Weiguo asked over the phone, "The Mysterious Realm is dealt with, aren''t you hurrying back to school?"

    "We are shopping right now." Yan Yu replied.

    There was silence on the other end for a dozen seconds before Li Weiguo''s puzzled voice came through:

    "Huh?"

    I guess even this old military leader who''s been through half a life of war had never encountered a young man like Yan Yu who dared to speak such blatant truths.

    But Li Weiguo was after all an elder with rich experiences, and he quickly caught on, continuing to say:

    "Alright then, there''s a new task for you,"

    "What task?"

    "There''s a village on your side where people have died," Li Weiguo said succinctly, "The first team of patrol investigators that went in to investigate also lost contact."

    "Is it that serious?" Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    "The nature of the case is extremely vile." Li Weiguo said seriously, "When criminal investigators lose contact, it''s routine to dispatch the armed forces. But if it is indeed a cultivator who has done this, the armed forces might not be their match, you understand?"

    "Yeah." Yan Yu replied, "So is our task to kill them or to capture them alive?"

    "Capture them alive if possible." Li Weiguo said decisively, "If they cannot be captured, then kill them."

    "Currently, the main force of military cultivators within Yue State''s borders are on an exploration mission in the Dragon Spring Mountain Mysterious Realm. I will have them send a squad to support the scene, ensuring the safety of the armed forces personnel, but since the murderous cultivator''s cultivation level and strength are uncertain, it''s safer to have you handle it, understood?"

    "Understood."

    "Good, send your location to Lou Ping via your phone, and she will coordinate with the local forces to drive over and pick you up."

    Once the call was over, Yan Yu pondered for a moment, then stopped the girls who were still keen on continuing their shopping spree:

    "Alright, that''s it for today''s leave, we''ve been given another task."

    "Another Mysterious Realm?" Lin Ning asked in shock.

    Two Mysterious Realms in one day, even an iron man couldn''t handle that!

    "No." Yan Yu said succinctly, "It''s suspected to be a civilian cultivator committing murder."

    "A civilian cultivator?" Su Yunjin asked with furrowed brows, "You mean, unofficial..."

    "Someone who obtained cultivation methods from some source, illegally stepping onto the path of cultivation without authorization." Yan Yu answered, "It''s already confirmed they''re a cruel and evil person, so there''s no need to worry about complication. We won''t need to look for clues or investigate. Once there, find the person, eliminate them, and the task is over."

    "How can we not worry!" Lin Ning immediately retorted, "That''s a murderer! A murderer! And even if it''s illegal cultivation,"

    "Probably involved in some kind of evil cultivation practice." Chen Lingyun said lightly, "You know, like requiring a certain number of living beings for a blood sacrifice, and if the number needed is too great, they just resort to local resources."

    Su Yunjin''s complexion shifted slightly, obviously startled; Lin Ning also looked a bit distressed, but seeing how calm Zhao Yuanzhen, Yan Yu, and Chen Lingyun were, she didn''t want to seem like a naive girl, so she reluctantly suppressed her disgust and said:

    "So we are going there... to eliminate a threat for the people?"

    "That''s right." Yan Yu agreed, "That''s the idea."

    "Don''t forget, cultivators are ultimately a military profession. We will face all sorts of enemies in the future, including demons and monsters, restricted mechanisms, and of course, living cultivators¡ªliving people."

    "Impact Curse, Curved Curse, Flame Curse, so many Attack Spell Techniques are all for defeating enemies faster, or even for killing them."

    "We''ve studied them for so long, and practiced so many times, just think of this as a pop quiz..."

    "Don''t compare it to a test!" Lin Ning couldn''t help but interrupt once more, "Talk seriously about serious matters, can you?!"

    Strangely, after her vigorous retort, she seemed to feel less tense. Even Su Yunjin''s expression eased, with a sense of wanting to laugh but forcibly holding it back.

    "Alright, fine." Yan Yu, seeing he had achieved his goal, was amenable and quickly corrected himself, "So, we''re going to eliminate a threat for the people, how about that?"

    "If you''re scared, you can tell me now."

    "What''s the use of telling you?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, "Are you saying if we''re scared, we can ask for leave and not go?"

    "Of course not." Yan Yu mused for a moment, then said with a smile, "But I can buy you an ice cream cone."

    "Do you think we''re kids who''d forget our worries with something sweet?" Lin Ning asked listlessly.

 Chapter 92 Its All Yan Yus Fault

    Atop the military transport.The young ladies sat in the troop compartment, each slowly enjoying an ice cream cone.

    Yan Yu, however, was holding a mobile phone, currently looking at the materials report from the Longquan Mountain Mysterious Realm.

    Since the realm itself was not very large and the terrain was simple, the first round of the search did not take too long, and results were available within half a day.

    A large number of discarded swords outside the thatched cottage, which served as study samples for cultivation materials science and casting, need not be mentioned, as the combat team did not require them.

    Inside the thatched cottage, there were many intact Immortal Swords. Since they lacked names, they were only categorized by number, with a detailed list of each sword''s shape, size, color, and weight.

    As for the level and quality of the Immortal Swords themselves, it seemed current technological levels couldn''t measure them in detail.

    Of course, this wasn''t to say that the quality of the swords was completely unimportant, but at present, it really didn''t hold much significance.

    Firstly, given the low global concentration of Spiritual Energy, the tactical advantage high-quality Immortal Swords could provide was limited and not as tangible as practicing Sword Control Techniques.

    Secondly, the Immortal Swords chosen by Chen Lingyun''s combat team back then were indeed of good quality, something Yan Yu remembered clearly!

    Besides the numerous Immortal Swords, military cultivators found a hidden chamber behind the thatched cottage, containing many tomes.

    The vast majority were about the essential secrets of sword casting. Useless to individual cultivators, but of great value to the nation.

    Next were the Taoist Method tomes, including the spell used by the lady in green that could summon torrents of water out of thin air, which was remarkably listed as the "Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art".

    It was a strange name because "galaxy" meant "a river-like dense collection of stars", yet the spell''s actual effect was to summon floods... If not for the fact that the incantations recorded in the tomes matched those chanted by the lady in green, it would be difficult to associate them together.

    But Yan Yu took a particular interest in this spell.

    The reason was simple: it was a pure water-element Taoist Method with effects that leaned towards containment and suppression, both of which suited Su Yunjin well.

    With his past life''s extensive experience, Yan Yu very clearly understood that what mattered with spells and Immortal Swords was not their inherent power level, but rather their compatibility with the cultivator, what''s commonly referred to as the degree of fit.

    If you asked the delicately minded Li Minghu to give up the Flying Sword for blunt Taoist bombardment spells or the fierce Zhou Hongyu to exchange Taoist techniques for the intricate and complex role of Servant Envoy, it wasn''t entirely impossible, but how much of their true strength they could exhibit was uncertain.

    Having sent the message to Li Weiguo, earmarking the "Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art" in advance, Yan Yu then silently began to plan.

    Lin Ning was following the Sword Immortal path, the Green Bamboo Sword was already in her possession; once she learned the Sword Control Technique, the next step was to obtain a sword technique for her.

    Su Yunjin was on the path of spell cultivation; the water-element Taoist Method "Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art" with its spells was enough for her early use.

    Chen Lingyun was on the Servant Envoy path, but she still lacked spirit refining spells and ghosts to command... Not to worry, let the wretched woman wait a bit longer, she''s quite patient.

    Finally, there was himself and Zhao Yuanzhen, the two were practicing the Silken Bond Technique, playing with puppets, which was a variant within the Assistant Officer pathway.

    However, as puppets were trump cards and couldn''t be revealed casually, for the time being, he''d get some magical treasures for Zhao Yuanzhen to play the proper Assistant Officer role later.

    He would also get an Immortal Sword for himself to pretend to be a Sword Immortal like in his previous life, serving as a disguise for his identity.

    Lin Ning''s sword technique, Chen Lingyun''s Servant Envoy and spirit refining spells, Zhao Yuanzhen''s magical treasures, and his own Immortal Sword... There was quite a list of things needed.

    Luckily, the resurgence of Spiritual Energy was progressing slowly this year and there was plenty of time left, no rush.

    He hoped that the "village slaughtering culprit" they were about to deal with would turn out to be an illegal ghost practitioner who harvested souls for nefarious spells, just as Chen Lingyun had guessed.

    In such a case, Chen Lingyun, who planned to go down the path of using ghosts, might also obtain some suitable items.

    Yan Yu pondered deeply, and without realizing it, he began to feel drowsy. Just as he was about to close his eyes for a nap, he suddenly heard Zhao Yuanzhen beside him ask:

    "Want to sleep on my lap?"

    "What do you mean?" Yan Yu immediately became alert.

    "It looked like you wanted to sleep," Zhao Yuanzhen innocently said, patting her own closed, fair, and full thighs. "Isn''t that what they do on TV? Knee pillows and all that..."

    "Stop right there!" As expected, Lin Ning, the commentator, jumped out in time and anxiously explained, "Sister Zhao, knee pillows can''t just be given to any man. They should only be between boyfriends and girlfriends!"

    "Oh." Zhao Yuanzhen truly wanted to say, "He and I are already Dao companions, isn''t that like being boyfriend and girlfriend?" But then she thought, This little thief will surely spout some nonsense like "Dao companions are not considered dating," using that as an excuse to shame and demean me!

    Humh! I won''t fall for that!

    When Yan Yu heard Lin Ning say "boyfriends and girlfriends," he also anticipated that Zhao Yuanzhen would seize the opportunity to claim her rights, and he was already prepared to ruthlessly crush her with words¡ªhe had even thought of the exact phrases to use.

    However, the Demonic Sect Enchantress merely uttered an "Oh" and nothing more, leaving him feeling like he had swung a punch into the air, devoid of strength.

    Clever Demonic Sect Enchantress! She actually predicted my prediction. Her levels of cunning and deceit have indeed increased!

    I told myself, how could a simpleton who only knew about eating, drinking, and having fun be the notorious Empress Yuanzhen from a previous life?

    And now you''ve accidentally revealed your true colors, haven''t you? Haha! I knew you were pretending!

    Meanwhile, on the airplane back to Imperial Prince Xing''s residence, Li Minghu also began to strategize and debrief the failed mission.

    Since there was no full recording, all she could do was ask each team member to describe what they had seen and then compile everyone''s accounts for analysis:

    "...which means, Yan Yu had been hiding in the furnace behind the house from the beginning to deceive and ambush us."

    "I missed it during the reconnaissance. That was my negligence," Tao Xingyuan admitted his error openly.

    "No." Li Minghu shook her head, "The Wall-Penetration Technique is the least used spell among the Three Arts; it''s difficult for most people to think of it. I didn''t consider that aspect either back then."

    Her voice paused for a moment before she suddenly said:

    "The main reason for our failure this time must be attributed to Zhaojiang."

    "Yes." Li Zhaojiang didn''t shirk his responsibility, "Hearing your screams behind the house threw me into confusion. I left the battlefield of my own accord, resulting in Xingyuan being unable to contend with Zhao Jiuzhen, and our position completely fell apart from that point."

    "Then it dragged down the other route, and in the end, the entire situation was beyond salvage," Li Minghu spoke after a moment of silence, "Yan Yu actually warned you beforehand, didn''t he?"

    The team members showed surprised expressions: What? Are team leaders now sharing, before the match, "I''ll be using this tactic" with each other?

    "Yes." Li Zhaojiang said dejectedly, "Actually, I hadn''t considered that angle. But when he mentioned it, I started suspecting that he might deliberately attack you fiercely during the confrontation, to make me drop my guard. Sister, I was worried your body wouldn''t hold out..."

    The team members immediately had an epiphany: That''s how it is. It was a tactic targeting the deputy leader''s fragile health! What a filthy strategy!

    "If I couldn''t hold out, I could surrender by raising my hand. You shouldn''t abandon the original plan just to save me," Li Minghu stated calmly, "Do I look like someone who''d be reckless with her own health? Or did you confuse me with Zhou Hongyu?"

    Zhou Hongyu from Nanchuan, known for her fiery temper, was infamous for a berserk combat style of "I either kill you or get killed." But, of course, the deputy leader Li Minghu wouldn''t act so recklessly.

    Li Zhaojiang hung his head in dejection and said no more. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    At this point, he also realized the gravity of his mistake.

    The confrontation between Sister and Yan Yu was, after all, internal competition among the Rikoku Cultivators.

    Even if she lost, a simple surrender would have prevented any further harm.

    And judging from the outcome, the sister didn''t even sustain injuries; that guy Yan Yu was clearly showing mercy!

    So why did I lose my composure in the first place? If it weren''t for my rush to aid my sister, the situation wouldn''t have completely collapsed.

    It''s all Yan Yu''s fault! That guy is cunning and deceitful. I absolutely can''t let sister have any private contact with him!

    Not even on the battlefield!

 Chapter 93 I am Not Invincible Either

    The military vehicle carrying Yan Yu''s Team finally arrived at the targeted village beneath the veil of night.Since there were no survivors in the village, it was pitch black inside, to the extent that one couldn''t see their own fingers in front of them.

    The staff of the armed forces department brought many high-powered searchlights, managing only to illuminate the roads and houses on the outskirts.

    However, what rendered Yan Yu speechless was that these people had also brought loudspeakers and sound systems, allowing negotiators to shout into the village things like, "Surrender and receive leniency, resist and face severity," and "Confess and your sentence will be reduced, turn back and all shall be well"...

    The murderers had slaughtered the entire village, even a stay of execution would cause public outrage, and here they were, deceiving by claiming leniency for surrender? Thinking them fools to be trifled with?

    Communication is futile, only killing remains!

    "You''ve finally arrived." The person in charge of the armed forces department rushed over to lead the way and provide a briefing upon seeing the military''s arrival, "Here''s the situation, our drones captured footage of a person suspected to be the criminal.

    After comparison, we confirmed he is an old man from the village, last name Xu, 72 years old, a local who had conflicts with the village chief in the past, hence we suspect it''s a personal vendetta that led to this mass killing..."

    "That''s enough." Yan Yu cut him off, "We can talk about the reasons later. Where was he last spotted by the drone?"

    In his previous life, Yan Yu had heard nearly a thousand reasons for why civilian cultivators resorted to murder and was thoroughly tired of them.

    After all, in the countryside it''s often about mundane disputes, such as encroaching on your land, poaching fish from your pond, or your dog biting someone''s child...

    But in recent years, as rural populations dwindled and young people flocked to the cities, the lack of security forces at the local level made it impossible to rely on constables to deliver justice ¡ª it takes hours just to drive from the town!

    In the village, power inevitably lay in the hands of those who had good relationships with the village head or who had more men in the family.

    Then came the era-defining shift of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, where long-oppressed villagers suddenly gained the power to disrupt the established order, and the follow-up often involved them killing their oppressors and their entire families ¡ª such incidents were far from rare and were only set to increase in the future.

    From Yan Yu''s point of view, if you''ve been oppressed and you kill your oppressor''s entire family, of course, I understand.

    But after the deed, you must die.

    Otherwise, the Dragon Slayer becomes the dragon.

    Commoners who suddenly acquire unprecedented power and have tasted the "benefits of violence", if not apprehended and dealt with by the authorities in time, have an 87% chance of causing a second wave of serious incidents. Moreover, during these second incidents, there are generally no justifiable motives like revenge; the victims are mostly innocent, leaving no room for justification.

    Yan Yu had seen too much of the dark side of humanity in his past life to have any interest in the motives behind civilian cultivators'' murders. However, it was different for the girls; to avoid them getting distracted with wild thoughts before battle, it was better not to hear such reasons.

    Hearing this, the person in charge of the armed forces department was taken aback, but quickly brought out a satellite scan of the village and circled an area encompassing roughly a dozen houses:

    "It''s here. We estimate that he''s hiding somewhere in this area. But there are unidentified dangers around; the first group who went in mentioned encountering an attack before they went missing."

    Yan Yu did not take the map offered to him but turned to ask:

    "Chen Lingyun?"

    Chen Lingyun took the map and examined it closely for a moment.

    She then asked the person responsible from the armed forces department for a telescope and directed the searchlights to the indicated area, observing from a distance.

    Following her gaze, Yan Yu indeed noticed unusual movements of light and distortion marks that were indistinct from afar.

    Good, indeed it was a cultivator controlling ghostly entities.

    However, at this stage, the number of ghosts being controlled by the opponent was excessive, indicating reliance on some sort of auxiliary magical artifact.

    Could it be the Soul Summoning Banner?

    "What''s your take?" Chen Lingyun suddenly asked.

    "Controlling ghosts," Yan Yu responded tersely, "Ghosts are semi-transparent when not attacking, making them difficult to detect on light-starved nights. The disappearance of the first group of constables after entering the village is clearly a result of being ambushed by these ghosts."

    "Indeed," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "What if we wait for the sun to come up tomorrow?"

    "The strength of the ghosts would slightly diminish," replied Yan Yu, "but the reduction won''t be significant. The main advantage comes from the better lighting conditions during the day, which rob ghosts of their crucial stealth, thereby significantly reducing the difficulty in dealing with them."

    "But we can''t possibly wait all night for the sun to come up before taking action," Chen Lingyun stated leisurely.

    "Correct."

    "What forms of attack do the ghosts employ?"

    "All kinds," Yan Yu pondered for a moment, "But civilian cultivators at this stage are mostly limited to commanding ghosts to attack physically."

    "Can the ghosts fly?"

    "They can. You can think of them as possessing the Cloud Ascension Technique permanently, although they can''t stray too far from their master."

    "How far is too far?"

    "It depends on the level of cultivation; at this stage, I estimate the limit is around 10-20 meters."

    "That simplifies things," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, marking a circle on the map, "One of these three houses, we choose from them."

    Yan Yu wasn''t surprised she could come to a conclusion so quickly. After all, despite her annoying traits, her mind was indeed useful, or else she wouldn''t have secured the top spot in the Zhendong Army for so many years in her previous life.

    "What about the specific tactics?"

    "If it were up to me," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "I would just call for mortar fire nearby and blow up all three houses."

    "No," Yan Yu immediately rejected the idea, "What if the mortars damage their magical artifacts?"

    "Are you sure about that?" Chen Lingyun asked with a surprised smile.

    "It''s probably some kind of Soul Summoning Banner," Yan Yu paused for a moment, "There''s an old saying, do you want to hear it?"

    "Go ahead."

    "Every cultivator who plays with ghosts should have their own Soul Summoning Banner."

    "Hmm." Chen Lingyun neither agreed nor disagreed, simply saying with a smile, "In that case, let''s change the plan."

    She doodled on the map and murmured with Yan Yu for a moment before turning to call over the rest of the girls to start arranging the tactics.

    "I want to ask first," Chen Lingyun said with a charming smile, her voice crisp, "Do we have any directionally challenged people in our team? You know, the kind that can''t tell north from south, east from west, the kind that forgets left and right after being told, and who could get lost even while following a map."

    The three girls looked at each other but none of them spoke.

    "That''s fine." Chen Lingyun spread the map out on the ground and explained, "Our target this time is a cultivator who commands ghosts. Don''t worry, they are not the kind of ghosts from movies that defy physical laws and are unsolvable; think of them as some sort of translucent thing that can be killed with curse techniques."

    "I''ll add a tip: Flame Curse and Impact Curse are very effective against ghosts," Yan Yu added from the side.

    "Once the action starts, everyone gather here," Chen Lingyun continued, "Ningning, wait for my command, then immediately run along this route as fast as you can. You''ll definitely be attacked along the way, so be careful to protect yourself. Finally, enter the house here."

    "If I''m not wrong, the enemy will definitely mobilize its forces to chase after you once they are alerted." Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Try to make good use of the narrow terrain inside the house to avoid being surrounded. If you really can''t hold them off, jump out through a window at the back. I''ll have Yun Jin outside to meet you."

    "Sister Zhao, you''ll lie in ambush here and wait for my command. Then arise from this alley to kill a portion of the enemy, and leave via the opposite alley. I''ll keep an eye on you the whole time and remind you of your specific moves."

    "You''re planning to lure the enemy into action, then force them to divide their forces," Zhao Yuanzhen was no fool and quickly understood Chen Lingyun''s intentions.

    Lin Ning running around would inevitably attract the enemy to surround her. Zhao''s surprise attack from halfway would change their target from one to two, and typically, they would subconsciously choose to split their forces to pursue.

    "Exactly," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "Of course, if the enemy doesn''t divide their forces, then Ningning will be under more and more pressure. I give you and Yun Jin permission to retreat along this route to the edge of the village at any time if the situation feels wrong, and the military cultivators will cover your retreat."

    "And if the enemy all come chasing after me?" Zhao Yuanzhen continued to ask.

    "Then they''ll find they''ve kicked an iron plate." Chen Lingyun said beamingly.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress was very pleased with this. No matter how numerous the ghostly entities were, what harm could they do to me?

    "Finally, our esteemed team leader," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "This time you''ll be my bodyguard, escorting me to carry out the decapitation mission. No problems, right?"

    The reason for choosing a surprise decapitation was, of course, because of the Soul Summoning Banner in the enemy''s hands. Otherwise, if they chose to outright destroy the artifact and then commit suicide upon finding themselves outmatched, that would be a great loss for everyone.

    "Fine, I''ll escort you," Yan Yu nodded.

    "Ling Yun?" Su Yunjin was a bit worried, "Going directly, are you sure it''s okay?"

    Chen Lingyun was not like Lin Ning, who had problems with slow reactions in the heat of the moment¡ªa fact Yan Yu had not hidden from the team.

    Now she was going to be on the front line, and it was the most dangerous decapitation mission. Could there be an accident?

    "It''s okay," Chen Lingyun reassured her, "Don''t forget, we have our invincible team leader."

    "Invincible is a bit of an overstatement," Yan Yu said seriously, "At this stage, I can probably only defeat 99.99% of the cultivators in this world."

    "Leaving out the 0.01% makes you seem humble, doesn''t it?" Lin Ning teased him with a roll of her eyes.

    "Then how about I just go for 99%?" Yan Yu sighed deeply, indicating a compromise.

    "There''s practically no difference!" Lin Ning exclaimed.

 Chapter 94 But I Will Ultimately Be Unbeatable

    Night operations are most hindered by limited visibility.Ghost creatures naturally possess night vision, something humans cannot achieve, so even if the armed patrol''s constabulary forces a way in, there would inevitably be significant casualties¡ªperhaps this is why the illegal cultivator dares to hold a position in the deserted village.

    But clearly, he was unaware that the nation had long begun training military cultivators.

    Lin Ning took the lead in entering the empty village, and started to sprint according to the predetermined route.

    Wearing a tactical helmet with a searchlight on her head, a casual sweep of the area revealed three or four ghost creatures charging toward her with a ferocious intent to kill.

    These ghost creatures had semi-transparent bodies, and their flying speed was nearly as fast as a human running, but they were clearly no match for a cultivator''s Shifting Technique.

    With just a few light and nimble changes in direction, Lin Ning shook them all off behind her, and the tension from her initial encounter with the ghost creatures quickly dissipated.

    No, they are just ghost creatures, no different from demons!

    After making a round according to the original route, she finally rushed into the house arranged by Chen Lingyun.

    Calling it a house was perhaps an understatement¡ªit was more of a two-story building. There wasn''t much in the spacious ground floor hall, just a bare cement floor, clutter piled in the corner, and a corpse lying across the center of the hall.

    It seemed to be a middle-aged woman who lived here, holding bowls and chopsticks at the time of her death, with broken pieces and leftover food scattered everywhere.

    Lin Ning quickly passed over the corpse, skidding to a stop and turning around.

    The first ghost creature had already rushed in and was torn apart by her Impact Curse, letting out a piercing scream.

    Without any hesitation, Lin Ning''s gaze moved beyond the shattered semi-transparent ghost, already seeing countless vengeful spirits undulating in the background, continuously charging toward the house.

    Her fists clenched tightly, her True Yuan surged swiftly from her dantian along her meridians¡ªFlame Curse!

    Flames erupted vehemently at the main entrance, indeed scaring the ghost creatures enough to keep them at bay, with not a single one daring to rush through the fire.

    The position was precise, the range just right to blockade the doorway¡ªit was a Curse Technique well cast!

    Before Lin Ning could take pride in her work, she suddenly heard the sound of breaking glass from upstairs.

    Oh no! They could come in from the second floor!

    Lin Ning wasted no time guarding the front door, hurriedly turning back and rushing to the back room, only to see ghost creatures already descending the stairs.

    The stairway was located in the center between the front and back rooms. To use the Impact Curse against the ghost creatures coming down from the second floor, she would first have to dissolve the route of the Flame Curse running through her body.

    But doing so would leave the ghost creatures at the front door unobstructed by flames, allowing them to charge in en masse.

    Sister Lin''s reaction was quick¡ªshe immediately realized that holding this position meant being trapped, and she absolutely could not continue staying here!

    The back room was a kitchen setup; she swiftly moved into the kitchen, and then immediately produced another Flame Curse, blocking the kitchen''s only doorway.

    The only way left for escape was through the kitchen window behind her.

    Outside, on the roof, Su Yunjin stood quietly at the edge, intently watching the window below.

    She watched Lin Ning move from the front room to the stairway, then retreat to the back room and thought that Ling Yun must have foreseen the current situation in advance, which is why she asked me to guard Lin Ning''s only escape route to prevent her from being trapped in the house.

    Ling Yun''s mind is truly impressive¡­ I also need to step it up and not let down her carefully designed tactics.

    Ghost creatures had already started to enter the lane below¡ªtheir intention seemed to be to encircle and kill by entering through the kitchen window.

    Yet no sooner had they entered the lane than Su Yunjin shot and killed them all with her Impact Curse.

    If one were to consider the three houses Chen Lingyun had designated as the center, at this moment Lin Ning and Su Yunjin were positioned to the north. Looking down from above, a large number of ghost creatures wandering in the village were all converging towards their position, like fish in a lake flocking to someone tossing breadcrumbs.

    Chen Lingyun and Yan Yu, stepping cautiously from the south, infiltrated quietly, only to hear her commanding over the channel:

    "Alright, Sister Zhao can set off now."

    "Let''s make it quick." Zhao Yuanzhen had long grown impatient and, upon hearing the orders, immediately charged into the battlefield.

    She rushed in from the northeast, instantly intercepting the large number of ghost creatures that were heading towards Lin Ning and quickly engaged them in fierce combat.

    "Okay." Chen Lingyun climbed to the rooftop, barely able to see Zhao Yuanzhen amidst the fray, "Sister Zhao, you can disengage now, stick to the route."

    Zhao Yuanzhen immediately made a run for it. She darted into the adjacent alley, and casting a glance back, said:

    "They didn''t pursue."

    Obviously, the necromancer behind them must have thought that Zhao Yuanzhen''s appearance was to alleviate the pressure on Lin Ning and the others, so he was not lured away by her feint. Instead, his resolve to quickly besiege and kill Lin Ning was strengthened.

    "It''s okay," Chen Lingyun said with a slight smile, "Ningning can go with Yun Jin, and you all should evacuate toward the outskirts of the village."

    "Sister Zhao, continue along the original route; they will soon come after you."

    Yan Yu followed her gaze and saw Lin Ning breaking through a window, joining Su Yunjin on the rooftop with the Cloud Ascension Technique, and the two began to retreat eastward at high speed toward the outskirts of the village.

    As they retreated, they looked back to see the rest of the specters initially in hot pursuit. But soon, as if they received an order, they suddenly turned around and stopped chasing in unison.

    Because Zhao Yuanzhen had already made an arc, approaching the three houses from the north.

    Yan Yu witnessed this and couldn''t help but inwardly exclaim in admiration.

    Lin Ning and Su Yunjin were retreating to the east, leading a large number of ghosts in that direction; at that moment, Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly approached from the north, rapidly closing in on where the necromancer was hiding.

    The army of specters that entered the eastern side of the village had to hastily give up the pursuit to return and protect their master, but they couldn''t get back in time to defend him. So what could the necromancer do?

    He could only use the remaining specters that were patrolling near his hiding place and swiftly send them north to intercept Zhao Yuanzhen, buying time for the returning ghostly army from the east.

    The previously omnipresent ghostly defensive line throughout the village had nearly collapsed by more than half due to Chen Lingyun''s tactical movements to the east and then to the north¡ªif you look closely now, there were absolutely no specters on the south side of the hiding place; all were summoned by the cultivator to the north to block Zhao Yuanzhen!

    "Shall we go?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    "Hmm," Yan Yu replied modestly with a nod.

    She couldn''t praise this cunning woman''s intelligence; otherwise, she would become unbearably arrogant.

    The two ran swiftly on the rooftops, their Shifting Technique so fast it was as if they were flying, and they soon arrived at the location of the three houses.

    "You take left, I take right?" Chen Lingyun asked smilingly.

    "I''m the bodyguard," Yan Yu declared proudly.

    "All right." Chen Lingyun chose the house on the right, activated the Curved Curse, and burst through the door, "Ah, what luck~"

    Yan Yu also charged into the house and saw an old man cowering in the corner, his eyes filled with panic as he looked over. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    In his hands, he clutched a filthy banner¡ªthe kind fortune-tellers in period dramas like to hold, with the words "Iron Mouth Direct" written on it¡ªand then, as if he had made up his mind, he began to shake it vigorously.

    The Heart Capturing Technique.

    The Heart Capturing Technique is a method used by ''Envoys'' to sacrifice ghosts. Its effect is to initially control spirits, which can then be refined and made one''s own with ease.

    But such a thing was not effective against cultivators... Chen Lingyun casually stepped forward and slapped a RuneScript onto his Dantian through his clothes, completely subduing the old man.

    She then reached for the Soul Summoning Banner. The old man stubbornly refused to let go until Chen Lingyun, with the Curved Curse still active, chopped at his wrist with a hand knife, causing him to scream in agony and drop the banner.

    "This needs to be cleaned," Chen Lingyun remarked as she picked up the Soul Summoning Banner again, frowning at the black handprint on the pole.

    "Even if it needs cleaning, it won''t be you doing it. The research personnel will take care of it," Yan Yu said, looking at the old man huddled in the corner, clutching his severed right hand and wailing in pain. She spoke in a low voice, "He''s not the first and he won''t be the last."

    "Are you referring to the village massacre?" Chen Lingyun feigned ignorance and asked curiously.

    "Take this necromancer as an example," Yan Yu said as she left the house, exhaling a long breath of stale air.

    "Casually killing a person and sacrificing their living soul into a banner results in an additional ghost under one''s control. This costless method of recruiting forces brings a sense of rapid growth in one''s power¡ªhow many people from the lower classes could withstand this, when most can''t even give up the minor pleasure of a cigarette?"

    "If we neglect civilian cultivators and don''t manage them, the slaughter of mortals will only increase¡ªthis is my stance on illegal cultivation among civilians."

    "I''m not disagreeing with you," Chen Lingyun followed her out the door, saying in a light tone, "But what can you do about it?"

    "As the resurgence of spiritual energy progresses, more and more civilians will secretly enter the path of cultivation. Currently, there''s no way to completely stop it."

    "Even pessimistically speaking, who can guarantee that the official cultivators, once they have truly grown, will always listen to the authorities in the future?"

    "The industrial revolution bred great capitalists, forcing the nobility of the old to step off the stage. If the future belongs to cultivators, even if they are morally corrupt, insane, treat mortals like animals, or even as consumables, yet possess the power to oppose nations... my dear, what can you do about it then?"

    "I will become the strongest cultivator in this world," Yan Yu stated with a cold, decisive expression, "and then kill them all!"

 Chapter 95 Awards Ceremony

    After handing over the Soul Summoning Banner and the old man to the military cultivators, Yan Yu and the others took a ride back to Longquan Prefecture.The journey there was sweet with ice cream and filled with laughter and cheers; the return trip, however, was dead silent¡­ not for any particular reason, it was mainly because the girls had fought in the Mysterious Realm and performed out-of-bounds duties today, and they were all a bit sleepy.

    Lin Ning leaned on Su Yunjin''s shoulder with her eyes tightly closed, sleeping in a daze. Su Yunjin also rested her head against her, closing her eyes to rest. The two girls looked like a pair of orchids in spring and chrysanthemums in autumn, their auras vastly different yet each excelling in their own way.

    Chen Lingyun was playing with her phone, clearly in a very good mood¡ªthink about it, who wouldn''t be happy after getting a suitable magical treasure?

    Zhao Yuanzhen sat beside her, yawning incessantly, her bored expression contrasting sharply with Chen Lingyun''s pleasure.

    Yan Yu received another message, this time from instructor Qi Changping:

    You''re awarded another first-class merit, and each person receives 6 million as a reward for conquering the Longquan Mountain Secret Realm.

    The Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm is used for cultivating medicinal herbs for making Immortal Pills, and is almost suitable for all cultivators, so the reward is a bit higher; the Longquan Mountain Secret Realm is mainly for sword forging, and at this stage, Sword Control Technique hasn''t been developed yet, so it''s understandable that the reward is relatively less.

    However, regardless, the per capita funds of Yan Yu''s Team have now reached 14 million, and everyone is a millionaire!

    Yan Yu was originally thinking that after returning, he would have Chen Lingyun use her connections to move out from the school and find a house to live in outside... but now he could already buy a house in Jinling in full cash¡ªhow delightful.

    First, buy a big villa!

    Having a Demonic Sect Enchantress at home means needing a good hiding place, so buying a small villa with two floors, a basement, a garden, and a swimming pool, and with over ten rooms, is quite normal, right?

    "By the way, there''s another thing," Qi Changping continued to send messages, "The second edition of the textbook is entering the final draft stage now, they want you to take a look and offer some suggestions."

    "The second edition of the textbook?" Yan Yu was stunned for a moment and then calculated the time; it seems about right...

    In the previous life, it should have been around the end of July or beginning of August when the Sword Control Technique started to become widely popular among Rikoku Cultivators.

    Of course, it wasn''t Sword Flight, nor were there any Sword techniques or movements involved, merely the method of using True Yuan to drive the Immortal Sword for attack, using it as the regular equipment for a cultivator, similar to a soldier equipped with a military rifle.

    Now it seems that the Sword Control Technique must be printed in the second edition of the textbook, to be forcibly taught to all Rikoku Cultivators.

    "Will you send it to me online, or should I wait till I get back?" Yan Yu texted back.

    "What are you thinking? It''s a confidential document." Qi Changping replied, "Of course, we''ll talk when you get back."

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The next day, the group returned to the Zhendong Cultivator''s Academy in Jinling Prefecture.

    Unlike the last time when they returned in obscurity, this time the entire academy held a grand recognition ceremony for Yan Yu''s Team, with all faculty and students present at the meeting.

    Clearly, the higher-ups had also realized that just giving money to the meritorious cultivators is not enough.

    Giving out several million at a time, people simply can''t spend it all; eventually, it just becomes a number, completely intangible... to put it bluntly, even a billion may become a small goal.

    The so-called "bundling of fame and fortune" requires not just profit but, more importantly, fame. In this regard, Mitchi Country is the best teacher for Rikoku.

    Their Superhero League championship team is advertised as "nationally adored," aiming to deeply bind the elite Transcendents with the Mitchi populace.

    If one day you decide to betray your country, you would hurt those countless fans who adore you. Even if other countries could offer a higher price to poach you, could they force their own people to support you and be your loyal fans for ten years? Impossible.

    If one were to delve deeper into this matter, it actually targets everyone''s psychological need to be "needed and recognized" by society.

    No matter how ignorant Rikoku is of these principles, they still know how to copy Mitchi''s homework¡­

    Standing on the stage lost in thought, Yan Yu was contemplating while the host on stage had already finished promoting the merits of Yan Yu''s Team, which were:

    Fiercely claiming first place in the Four Academies Exchange Competition.

    The national first-clear of Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm.

    Two successive victories in Longquan Mountain Secret Realm.

    The students below, although not understanding what the "Four Academies Exchange Competition" or "Secret Realm" was, could still grasp the significance of "first place," "national," and "consecutive victories," and promptly joined the instructors in applauding.

    Yan Yu glanced around again with the corner of his eye. Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin both seemed indifferent. Being a woman of the Demonic Sect meant not easily showing emotions, and Secretary Su genuinely didn''t care about fame or obscurity.

    Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen were much more excited. Ningning was competitive and cared about results; the Demonic Sect Enchantress merely loved to be the center of attention¡ªotherwise, she wouldn''t have made a documentary to boast about herself in her previous life.

    "Next, please let team captain Yan Yu say a few words." The host smiled at last, handing the microphone to Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu: ?

    You guys didn''t notify me beforehand that I had to speak!

    He silently took the microphone, looking down at the hundred or so spectators.

    Should I just spout nonsense?

    "Hello everyone, I am team captain Yan Yu." Yan Yu began spouting nonsense, "When I founded this team, it elicited many inexplicable doubts, such as why, except for me, my team is entirely female. Some even questioned whether I was trying to create a harem..."

    The audience immediately burst into laughter. Instructor Qi Changping kept a straight face, thinking, I seem to recall only doubting that in my mind. I didn''t actually say it out loud, did I?

    "Now, our team has responded to those doubters with a solid punch through our actions," Yan Yu continued aloud, "Our team, although composed entirely of girls aside from myself, is not just some vase team, nor a harem team. Instead, we''re one of the strongest teams in the whole Lu Country!"

    "Good!" The students below immediately cheered enthusiastically, especially the girls who shouted the loudest.

    "In the future, we aim to remove that ''one of''!" Yan Yu''s voice grew louder with each word, "Our goal is to be the strongest team in the whole Lu Country! Even the strongest team in the whole world! We aim to stand on the summit! To have all our enemies kneel at our feet!"

    "Thank you, everyone!"

    A surge of thunderous applause rose from below. Wang Changshi, in the front row, was clapping and smiling at the commander-in-chief Li Weiguo:

    "This young man Yan Yu sure talks big, huh."

    "Young people, you know," Li Weiguo chuckled, clapping his hands, "Having talent and strength, it''s normal for them to be sharp and outstanding."

    "It''s because you have good judgment," Wang Changshi pushed up his glasses, smiling, "If it were another commander-in-chief, they might not have tolerated this kid''s showboating."

    "Hahaha, Old Wang, you''re flattering me again," Li Weiguo was even more pleased, "But it''s not entirely boasting. Among the four great commanders, I may not have the greatest merits, but when it comes to being accommodating and generous... they can''t compare to me."

    "For a steed to perform, it also needs a Bole to recognize its talent," Wang Changshi expressed thoughtfully.

    After Yan Yu finished speaking on stage, the host was about to take back the microphone when he passed it to vice-captain Chen Lingyun instead.

    It can''t just be me performing on stage!

    "Hello everyone, I am vice-captain Chen Lingyun," Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Chen Lingyun, I love you!" Somewhere in the crowd, a male student hollered, starting a ruckus. Chen Lingyun didn''t bother to look over, simply continuing with a smile, "The team goals and determination have already been laid out by the captain. As the vice-captain, let me just add one thing."

    "Right now, we just want to focus on improving our strength. If anyone wants to pursue one of us, please first consider whether you can even compare to our team captain Yan Yu, okay?"

    The crowd suddenly fell silent.

    After a moment, suddenly a voice from the girls rang out:

    "What if someone wants to pursue your captain?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen was immediately furious, ready to snatch the microphone from the Demonic Sect Enchantress, when she saw Chen Lingyun flash a dazzling smile and reply:

    "Then you would receive our captain''s standard answer."

    Following that, she handed the microphone to Zhao Yuanzhen.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress paused for a moment, then a wicked sense of humor welled up in her, and holding the microphone, she yelled:

    "You wish!"

    The crowd erupted into laughter once more.

 Chapter 96 Choosing a Sword

    After the award ceremony ended, Yan Yu and the girls did not leave, but instead headed to the president''s office.They wanted to see what the second edition of the textbook, as described by Instructor Qi Changping, looked like.

    The textbook was called "Professional System and Basic Tactics," introducing the basic concepts of the "Taoism Method, Sword, and Assistant Enforcer" professions, as well as methods of using Sword Control Technique.

    Speaking of Sword Control Technique, we have to mention that woman who haunted Zhao Yuanzhen''s dreams, both feared and despised:

    Mei Yingxue.

    The astonishing Sword Immortal Mei Yingxue, who had disappeared without a trace since she went to Pingjing, left Yan Yu with no clue what she was up to.

    Of course, from his memories of a past life, Mei Yingxue indeed vanished mysteriously in the early stages.

    It was not until the likes of Li Minghu, Zhou Hongyu, Su Yunjin... these pioneer cultivators sacrificed much, and the national defense situation became increasingly dire, that she was played as a trump card by the higher-ups of Lu Country.

    Now, the puzzle that troubled Yan Yu was finally solved:

    Mei Yingxue was compiling textbooks. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    In the book "Professional System and Basic Tactics," the "Taoism Method, Sword, and Assistant Enforcer" system, while factually existing in the Cultivation World, had never been systematically classified. Sword Control Technique, on the other hand, was a "mandatory subject" that everyone knew.

    The reason was simple: Sword Control Technique had a wide range of applications, but required very little energy to activate.

    Unlike various Taoism Methods that consumed massive amounts of True Yuan, Sword Control Technique used about the same amount of True Yuan as the Metal-Element Impact Curse, but its power far surpassed that of the Impact Curse, and it was not only for offense but also for defense, extremely flexible in use.

    For example, if a tree demon hits you with its roots, or a ghost scratches you with its claws, you just need to call back your Immortal Sword to block physically¡ªsaving much more True Yuan than using an Earth-Element Sturdiness Charm.

    Of course, basic Sword Control Technique is something everyone knows. As for advanced styles and sword techniques, those are "graduate subjects" delved into by Sword Immortals.

    Yan Yu flipped through "Professional System and Basic Tactics" for a long time, confirming that it indeed contained just the basics of Sword Control Technique, without a trace of any advanced sword styles.

    Or to put it more accurately, Mei Yingxue had specifically eliminated all the profound and sect-related advanced sword moves from her own repertoire of sword techniques, retaining only the most basic and primal sword moves, finally compiling this textbook of Sword Control Technique suitable for novices with zero foundation, allowing all cultivators to learn with peace of mind.

    How touching, Teacher Mei! Your contributions to the educational cause of Lu Country''s cultivation are too great; we will never forget you!

    After finishing his internal rant, Yan Yu made a suggestion to Li Weiguo:

    "I have no objections. If I must say something, swapping these two sections around, explaining Sword Control Technique first and then introducing Taoism Method, Sword, and Assistant Enforcer later, might align better with the principle of progressing from easy to difficult."

    "So you mean to change the book title to ''Basic Tactics and Professional System''?" Li Weiguo pondered.

    "Exactly," Yan Yu nodded, "Teaching Sword Control Technique is an urgent matter that can quickly boost the average combat power of cultivators. Taoism Method, Sword, and Assistant Enforcer belong to wide-reaching systemic concepts that can be gradually understood later on."

    "The main reason for placing Sword Control Technique at the end was actually considered in regards to the supply issue of Immortal Swords," Li Weiguo spoke slowly, "If we''re going to teach Sword Control Technique in the next phase, then at the very least we need to equip each student with a Flying Sword for practical teaching, right?"

    "Had it not been for your victory over the Dragon Spring Mountain Secret Realm, gaining a wealth of sword-casting techniques and literature, we wouldn''t have planned to release this edition of the textbook immediately.

    The reason for placing Sword Control Technique in the latter part of the textbook was also to consider developing the sword-casting industry from now on, so that by the time actual teaching begins, we could at least muster the Flying Swords you''ll need."

    "I see," Yan Yu said calmly, "There''s over a hundred cultivator students at our school, and the total number surpasses four hundred considering the other three institutions. It''s indeed tough to gather enough Flying Swords. But our squad only has five people; how about distributing the Flying Swords in storage to us first, so we can get in some practice beforehand?"

    "You sure know how to seize an opportunity!" Li Weiguo said with a laugh, "Alright. The majority of Flying Swords in storage now come from your recent victory over the Dragon Spring Mountain Secret Realm, consider it letting you have first pick of the spoils!"

    He operated the computer for a moment, then stood up, saying:

    "Take a look."

    Everyone hurriedly gathered around. Yan Yu didn''t hesitate to take the president''s chair, grasped the mouse, and said:

    "I''ve already chosen the Flying Sword for Lin Ning, the Green Bamboo Sword wielded by the guardian sword-carrying puppet in the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm. As for the rest, you can pick for yourselves."

    "You''ve been secretly passing on secrets, haven''t you?" Chen Lingyun joked.

    "Not at all!" Lin Ning protested, "I didn''t know before this either!"

    But she did not resist Yan Yu''s choice, simply standing at the very back of the group and watching.

    The captain personally picked for me... hmm, it should be good, right?

    "I want this one!" Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly said, "Don''t fight me for it, ha!"

    Yan Yu looked closely and saw that the sword was entirely dark purple with an ominous outline, and there was a skull carving at the guard, clearly very much in line with the aesthetic taste of the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡ªnone of the other girls even wanted to compete with her for it.

    He seemed to remember from his past life memories; the original name of this sword should be the "Wan Gui Xie Jing Sword," right?

    It was said whenever this sword whistled through the air, it would emit a crying and wailing sound, which was why no cultivators ever chose it, feeling its style was too "emo," the kind that only "village scene kids" would like.

    Later, this sword appeared on CCTV channel seven''s "Immortal Sword Spectrum" show and became well-known among the public.

    After selecting the Wan Gui Xie Jing Sword, Yan Yu continued scrolling down the screen with his mouse, asking,

    "Does anyone else have a preference?"

    "I''ll take a look at this one," Chen Lingyun suddenly said, "Mm, I''ll choose it."

    Yan Yu clicked the mouse to select it, and it was a delicate flying sword, entirely purple-red like the evening sky, with an extremely elegant streamline, like an empress among swords, regal and magnificent.

    Zi Ji Han Yuan Sword, Chen Lingyun had chosen the same one in her past life, her aesthetic taste was consistently stable.

    "Yun Jin, want me to pick for you?" Seeing Su Yunjin hesitate, Chen Lingyun smiled and offered.

    "Um... okay then." Su Yunjin wasn''t too interested in the attributes of the flying swords but was more concerned with their appearance and design; however, she felt this approach of "judging a sword by its beauty" seemed rather unwise, so she was indecisive.

    "What do you want? I''ll do it!" Yan Yu simply relied on past life experience, "How about this one?"

    The sword that appeared was like the sea, deep blue and clear, with slightly transparent edges resembling ice crystals. Su Yunjin liked it at first sight and immediately nodded, saying,

    "Yes, I''ll listen to the captain."

    The sword was named "Bing Yu Han Leng," which sounded imposing and powerful, the same flying sword Su Yunjin had chosen herself in her past life.

    Because the name of the sword was originally unknown, Su Yunjin named it "Shan Hu Lei." Even after confirming the original name through research, both the media and netizens generally switched to using the original name (mainly because Bing Yu Han Leng sounded more majestic, while Shan Hu Lei seemed a bit effeminate), yet she always refused to change it.

    Only after Su Yunjin''s sacrifice, when the sword was enshrined in the National Martyrs'' Sword Museum, did they use "Shan Hu Lei" as the name on the label.

    After all, it was Su Yunjin''s sword.

    "What about you, captain?" Everyone else''s flying swords were chosen, and only Yan Yu was left. Lin Ning, standing at the back, craned her neck to see and asked curiously.

    "I''ll just pick one at random," Yan Yu said casually of "picking randomly," while his mouse wheel continuously scrolled without halt, swiftly stopping at a specific spot.

    This was the flying sword personally picked by Chen Lingyun for him in his past life, and the one he had grown accustomed to for most of his life later on.

    The sword had a thick spine and a dark yellow color, unlike those slender flying swords; it was a heavy sword very suited for a strong man.

    Thanks to its extremely heavy body, it often had an advantage in flying sword duels.

    Long time no see, old buddy.

    Huangting Kunwu Sword.

 Chapter 97 Sword Practice

    By the end of July, the daily maximum temperature in Jinling had approached 40 degrees.Hardly any students remained in the open-air practice field for the Three Arts.

    In the back mountain, the indoor Sword Control Technique training field had been excavated. However, since the second edition of the textbook had not yet been made public, currently only Yan Yu Squad was training there.

    Everyone had received their Flying Swords last weekend, complete with some of the latest research findings, such as the sword''s elemental attributes, whether it was more suited for slashing or piercing, whether it had a strength advantage or a speed advantage, and so on.

    After receiving them, everyone started to settle on names for their swords¡ªafter all, when these swords were discovered in the Mysterious Realm, they didn''t come with name tags on the blades, so now the sword owners had to come up with names themselves.

    Su Yunjin named her sword "Coral Tear," which, of course, received unanimous praise from the girls. After all, the frosty sword was completely blue and transparent, which absolutely could remind one of the beautiful Great Barrier Reef, and if Yan Yu were to comment, it really did sound a bit better than "Frosty."

    Lin Ning also wanted to show off her talent for naming, but Yan Yu had already been calling her sword the "Green Bamboo Sword," which, in turn, left her feeling a bit conflicted and speechless¡ªGreen Bamboo, Lin Ning; actually, when you think about it, it did seem quite fitting.

    Zhao Yuanzhen thought for a long time and decided to name her sword "Nine Heavens Ten Earths Demon Slaying God Eradicating Yin Wind Evil Thunder Sword."

    "Are you serious?" Yan Yu looked at her with a very speechless sidelong glance.

    "Not domineering enough?" pondered Zhao Yuanzhen.

    "The name''s too long," Yan Yu said, "Just think about it, if you had to borrow it for scientific research and had to fill out forms, just in the ''Sword Name'' column, imagine how many more characters you would have to write than others?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen thought it made sense and asked:

    "Then is there a name that''s both short and domineering?"

    "Yes," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "How about ''Pink Bunny''?"

    "Why?" Zhao Yuanzhen was baffled.

    "Because those who die by your sword will be said to have been ''killed by the Pink Bunny,''" Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    Zhao Yuanzhen hesitated for a moment but shook her head. The name would be great for humiliating the enemy, but she did not want to become the sword master known as "Pink Bunny."

    "Let''s just call it ''Yin Wind Sword,''" Yan Yu suggested.

    Dying under the Yin Wind Sword... That didn''t seem too bad either?

    So the sword once dubbed the "Malevolent Spirit Wicked Essence Sword" was renamed "Yin Wind Sword," leaving only Chen Lingyun and Yan Yu without names for their Flying Swords.

    "Let''s save some time," Yan Yu suggested, pointing to the Purple Extreme Essence-Gathering Sword, "Purple Extreme." sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Then he patted his heavy sword:

    "Huangting."

    "Alright, naming is complete! Let''s start practicing the Sword Control Technique."

    "How casual!" Lin Ning couldn''t help but complain, "As casual as my Green Bamboo Sword!"

    "The name of a sword isn''t important," Yan Yu said as he deployed the Sword Control Technique. The Huangting Kunwu Sword suddenly flew up and then hovered in front of him.

    He slightly flexed the middle finger of his right hand and lightly flicked the blade, emitting a dull and potent twang as he calmly stated:

    "What''s important is whether it can kill someone."

    The girls had no response.

    "You''d better take this seriously," Yan Yu said, looking at everyone''s expressions as a reminder, "because the Sword Control Technique we''re about to learn is currently the most efficient, convenient killing technique in the world..."

    With a change in the sword technique in his hand, the Huangting Sword suddenly shot out like electricity, swiftly moving in front of Lin Ning and stopping just three inches from her nose, startling her so much that her eyes bulged and her body hair stood on end.

    But Yan Yu didn''t stop there. The Huangting Sword shifted direction once more and quickly chopped towards the neck of Chen Lingyun who was standing nearby, stopping just before touching her skin.

    Chen Lingyun put away her smile, reached out her finger, and gently pushed the Huangting Sword away, saying coldly:

    "This isn''t fun."

    "That''s right, this isn''t fun," Yan Yu said seriously, "When you''re on the battlefield and attacks are coming at you, can you use that line to persuade the enemy?"

    "Law, Sword, Support, Command¡ª the basic concepts of the four professions, you''ve all familiarized yourselves with them from the textbook in advance. To avoid misunderstandings, I must emphasize one point here: It''s not only the Sword Immortal profession that needs to study the Sword Control Technique."

    "In my squad, every member must master the Sword Control Technique. This is to ensure that when you step onto the real battlefield, you will have the basic ability to protect yourselves. Ling Yun, why do you think that is?"

    Chen Lingyun looked at the Flying Sword hovering in front of her, and with raised eyebrows, said:

    "Because the Sword Control Technique, unlike the Three Arts and Five Spells, is a rare method that combines offense and defense into a convenient approach."

    "Correct," Yan Yu said in a deep voice, "Lin Ning, if I activated the Flying Sword to kill you, just like earlier, what would you do?"

    "Use the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse?" Lin Ning tentatively asked.

    "That''s an option," Yan Yu chuckled, "But if my Flying Sword entangles you and the moment you deactivate the Barrier Charm it immediately kills you, wouldn''t you have to keep the Barrier Charm activated for defense all the time?"

    Lin Ning silently nodded.

    The Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse was a very effective defensive Curse Technique, with the only issue being its purely passive nature, while a cultivator can only operate one Curse Technique at a time.

    Meaning, if the opponent''s attacks don''t stop, then you won''t be able to deactivate your Barrier Charm, and you''ll end up only being beaten without the ability to counterattack.

    "Chen Lingyun," Yan Yu suddenly said, "Attack me with your Sword Control."

    Chen Lingyun didn''t speak; she simply formed a Sword technique with her hand, and the Purple Extreme Sword immediately shot out like lightning, thrusting at Yan Yu.

    With a "clang," the Huangting Kunwu Sword already intercepted the Purple Extreme Sword horizontally. The blades forcefully collided, emitting a ringing sound akin to iron forging.

    The Purple Extreme Sword was repelled, but the Huangting Kunwu Sword then took the opportunity to strike back towards Chen Lingyun. Before it could reach her, it was intercepted by the Purple Extreme Sword swinging back around, and the swords clashed once more, resounding violently.

    By now, the girls had mostly figured it out: Unlike the passive defense of the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse, the defensive aspect of the Sword Control Technique was "active defense."

    After blocking an attack with the blade, one could immediately switch from defense to offense without the need to change spells or alter one''s breath circulation, merely requiring a thought in one''s mind¡­ and even the consumption of True Yuan was minimal.

    It saved time, effort, and most importantly, peace of mind!

    Of course, whether it saved time or effort may not have made a major impact in low-level combat. However, in high-stakes battles where life and death hung by a thread, even gaining a half-second time advantage or conserving a little more True Yuan could be the difference between defeat and a close victory.

    Yan Yu didn''t intend to educate everyone on how dangerous "high-end battles" can be. He simply laid out his attitude:

    Everyone must practice the Sword Control Technique!

    The textbook''s Sword Control Technique learning process was divided into three parts:

    First, practice accuracy. Control the Flying Sword to hit a stationary target, aiming to hit as close to the center as possible.

    Second, practice reaction. Propel the Flying Sword at moving targets with various speeds, trying to hit the faster ones.

    Third, practice strength. Each target has a force sensor behind it that displays the exact force figure, so you want to make this number as high as possible.

    Yan Yu declared that all this was nonsense ¡ª his squad wouldn''t stick to these dogmatic rubbish practices.

    If you want to train, then train with actual combat!

    "As the old saying goes," Yan Yu began with his hands clasped behind his back, pacing with ease in front of the girls, "to learn offense, you must first learn defense."

    "I have a question," Lin Ning raised her hand to interject, "where is that saying from? I don''t think I''ve seen that in the textbooks..."

    "Don''t mind these details," Yan Yu impatiently waved his hand, lecturing her, "Ningning, your problem is you often can''t differentiate between the primary and secondary, always focusing on some trivial things. This habit really isn''t good, and you must change it."

    Lin Ning shut her mouth and silently seethed. So, if you''re wrong in the details, I''m not even allowed to ask?

    "To learn defense is simple," Yan Yu continued to speak confidently, "I''ll be in charge of the offense, and you will take turns defending. As long as you can block my three successive sword strikes using the Sword Control Technique, that will mean you''ve initially mastered it."

    The girls looked at each other.

    "Who''s first?" Yan Yu asked as he controlled the Huangting Kunwu Sword into the air, "Hurry up now, let''s not waste time."

    "How about Sister Zhao goes first?" Chen Lingyun ventured to ask.

    "Let''s have Sister Zhao go first then," Lin Ning and Su Yunjin quickly echoed.

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ?

 Chapter 98 Buying a Big Villa

    The girls were beaten to the point of desperately searching for their teeth.Searching for their teeth is just a figure of speech, it doesn''t mean that everyone really lost their teeth... but they were indeed beaten quite miserably.

    Even Zhao Yuanzhen, who had rich combat experience, could not gain the upper hand against Yan Yu in a pure Sword Control Technique fight, with her cultivation not fully recovered and not allowed to use any unorthodox, toxic magic.

    In order to practice defensive Sword Control Technique, Yan Yu''s attack moves were designed to be quite simple, the first strike would always be a slash that you could see coming and block with a horizontal sword strike.

    But his second move would come extremely fast. If, for example, the Yin Wind Sword was struck from the left side by the Huang Tingjian, the recoil would push it to the right side, then Yan Yu would immediately control the Huang Tingjian to stabilize the blade at high speed and slash again from left side like lightning, not giving the Yin Wind Sword any chance to defend.

    Fortunately, the Huang Tingjian was a heavy sword with a blunt edge. Plus, Yan Yu would control his strength in time, so even if someone was hit, they wouldn''t be slashed into two, at most they would be beaten to rolling around on the ground.

    After being beaten up repeatedly, the girls became numb to the pain and devoted themselves to research, quickly learning how to counter that move:

    At the moment when the two swords clashed, immediately increase the output of True Yuan to stabilize the deflected Flying Sword quickly, that way they could just manage to defend in time.

    After defending the second sword, Yan Yu''s third sword would follow.

    This third sword was even harder to defend against. It wasn''t faster than the second one, but after being deflected it would pause momentarily before suddenly changing direction and slashing again.

    Because Yan Yu''s second strike was extremely fast, the girls often had to concentrate all their attention to quickly block it.

    In such a highly tense state of mind, if Yan Yu had delivered the third strike at the same or even faster speed, they would basically be able to block it. But he deliberately slowed down...

    this pause would inevitably cause a slight dispersion of their attention, resulting in the Huang Tingjian suddenly changing angles and slashing again, and after such a tightening and relaxing of their reactions, they completely lost the pace.

    "How was it?" Seeing Chen Lingyun turned over again, Lin Ning, who was next in line, hurriedly asked anxiously.

    She was up next, and she didn''t want to be embarrassed in front of everyone again¡ªthough she had already been embarrassed many times before.

    "How about trying to attack first?" Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly suggested.

    "Attack first..." Lin Ning didn''t have time to ask for clarification before Yan Yu started urging:

    "Hurry up, little Ningning! They are all lining up behind you!"

    Damn, we would rather wait a bit longer, okay? The same thought emerged in all the girls'' minds.

    "Don''t call me little Ningning!" Lin Ning huffed as she went forward, thinking to herself, whatever, just try it out!

    The first strike, I''ll defend! S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Lin Ning quickly positioned her sword horizontally to block, and the Green Bamboo Sword collided with the Huang Tingjian, before being shaken out of control and flying upward to the right.

    Now''s the moment! Lin Ning quickly increased her True Yuan output to stabilize the Green Bamboo Sword again, and then maneuvered it back into defense, hitting Yan Yu''s high-speed pursuit head-on.

    The second sword, defended!

    The Green Bamboo Sword was once again deflected by the recoil, and Lin Ning forcefully strengthened her output to stabilize the sword''s position, then slashed at the Huang Tingjian¡ªwhich was still pausing and hadn''t managed to change direction¡ªhitting it again and sending it flying even further away.

    The third sword blocked!

    "Very good," Yan Yu finally showed a look of appreciation. "Someone has finally caught my three strikes."

    "So the way to defend against the third sword is actually to counter-attack in advance?" Lin Ning couldn''t help but blurt out emotionally, "Didn''t we agree that you would attack and we would defend?"

    "Nonsense," Yan Yu said as a matter of course. "The best defense is a good offense! I''m beginning to doubt whether you just luckily stumbled upon a solution."

    The girls all nearly fainted. They agreed that he would attack and they would defend, and here he was, playing word games... with us, right?

    "Let''s go again!" Lin Ning said, huffing.

    If the rules actually allowed attacking, then she wouldn''t hold back against him!

    "Fight what fight? I''m tired," Yan Yu retracted the Huang Tingjian, moving his arms and shoulders. "Moreover, I have to go look at houses, can''t give you extra training today."

    "Buy a house?" Lin Ning was taken aback.

    "Yes," Yan Yu said. "Now that we have the money, we can buy a house near the school. It can also serve as our team''s off-campus activity base in the future."

    "Then shall we all go take a look?" Su Yunjin immediately became interested.

    If Yan Yu was buying a house for his own living or investment, it naturally had nothing to do with her, but if it was for the team''s base... Great~ She had just ordered a batch of paper books online, and her dormitory room was almost too cramped to fit them. Temporarily storing them in the team base wouldn''t be a problem, right?

    "Everyone, let''s go," Zhao Yuanzhen also said enthusiastically.

    If she lived off-campus, she wouldn''t need to use the Invisibility Technique every night to sneak into the boys'' dormitory to practice dual cultivation with Yan Yu, yay!

    "Ling Yun, are you going?" Seeing Chen Lingyun hadn''t expressed her opinion, Lin Ning asked.

    "Go ahead," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, but her mind was still pondering the swordsmanship practice she had just completed.

    Although Yan Yu did not provide detailed theoretical teaching, his sword strikes followed a fixed set of three moves, which clearly directed the battle.

    The first strike needs no explanation; it''s meant to have you watch the path of the sword and block accordingly. The second strike is more sophisticated.

    In the moment when the swords clash, due to the Flying Sword''s substantial force, the resulting collision can cause the sword to become unbalanced, rebound, and be knocked away, leaving the swordsman briefly losing control of the Flying Sword.

    As long as the Sword Control Technique remains active and True Yuan keeps flowing in, this loss of control will quickly end, and the repelled Flying Sword will stabilize in mid-air once again.

    However, in higher-level sword fights, even half a second of lost control could lead to defeat and death. Therefore, during each moment of collision-induced loss of control, one must immediately increase the flow of True Yuan to regain control of the Flying Sword faster than the opponent.

    Whoever can stabilize their uncontrolled Flying Sword more quickly can launch the next attack sooner, seizing the initiative on the battlefield!

    Yes, the initiative.

    Yan Yu''s third strike, transitioning from a high-speed slash to a pause and change of direction, was a rhythm change from fast to slow, which was difficult for the girls with limited combat experience to handle.

    But why must you respond to it?

    Once you grasp the essence of the second strike, you''ll understand just how important it is to seize control of the battlefield in a sword fight.

    You want to change the pace from fast to slow, but why should I give you the chance?

    I will go on the offensive! I''ll take back the initiative!

    Thus, linking these three strikes together, the educational significance becomes very clear:

    Struggle for the initiative.

    Chen Lingyun pondered this quietly, filing it away in the sword information library of her mind palace, and then smiled and said:

    "Yan Yu, which villa are you planning to buy?"

    "Prioritize one close to the school," Yan Yu replied, "and then as many rooms as possible, with a big balcony, garden, swimming pool, basement, garage, the more the merrier. Few neighbors, or at least distant ones, would be good. Price is not an issue."

    "Then I''ll arrange something," Chen Lingyun said, taking out her phone and starting to type.

    Yan Yu: ?

    What are you arranging?

    After a moment, an unfamiliar account requested to add him as a friend, with the note "Jiang City Group Real Estate Sales, Xiao Fan."

    Yan Yu chatted with the person for a while and, scratching his head, said to the girls:

    "She says she''s driving over to take me to see the house."

    "Wrong," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "It''s us."

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The villa''s location was indeed good, with the Qi Xia Mountain to the south and the Yangtze River to the north, truly a "half facing the mountain and half beside the river."

    A big balcony, check.

    A garden, check, and it''s a large lawn in both the front and back yards.

    A swimming pool, check, indoors.

    A basement, check, connected to the underground garage.

    In total, there were fifteen rooms on the ground floor, not including the kitchen, bathrooms, and storage rooms. Yan Yu looked over the layout and deduced there should be ten bedrooms, leaving one study, one walk-in closet, one game room, one movie room, and one gym, making a total of fifteen rooms.

    Isn''t that a bit too many bedrooms?

    "You said you wanted many rooms," Chen Lingyun said cheerfully.

    "What I meant was seven or eight rooms for storing treasures, books, meditating, and watching match videos would be about right," Yan Yu said irritably, scratching his head, "Ten bedrooms! What do I need so many bedrooms for?"

    "One master bedroom for the couple, two rooms for the two kids, two more rooms for the parents from both sides," Chen Lingyun said leisurely, "A chef, maids, a driver, a butler, guest rooms, aren''t ten rooms just perfect? I think it''s actually not enough."

    "What are you talking about, some kind of medieval noble manor lifestyle?" Yan Yu couldn''t help but retort, "I don''t need as many servants as your place does!"

    "No, you need them," Chen Lingyun said with a glowing smile.

 Chapter 99 The Next Stage, Spiritual Energy Resurgence

    Although Yan Yu felt that the number of rooms in the villa far exceeded actual needs, especially the number of bedrooms which was mysteriously and seriously over the top, Chen Lingyun cleverly initiated an internal team vote for the decision.Four votes in favor, the decision was made to buy it.

    "Hold on a second." Yan Yu was rendered speechless by their actions, "It''s the house I''m buying, why do you guys get to vote?!"

    "Didn''t someone say that our team is ''dictatorial in war and democratic after war''?" Chen Lingyun said with a teasing smile, "We''re not in a state of war now, are we?"

    "But this is my house!" Yan Yu hadn''t expected a boomerang waiting for him here and hastily argued loudly, "I am purchasing my own private property, team members don''t have decision-making power!"

    "Didn''t someone also say, ''It can also serve as our off-campus base of operations''?" Lin Ning followed suit with Chen Lingyun''s sly expression, and said with a grin, "When acquiring a team base of operations, team members should have a vote too, right?"

    "Nonsense, did I ever say that?!" Yan Yu found that there were more than one boomerang and quickly feigned ignorance, "Provide evidence, baseless claims... are just your word against mine!"

    Lin Ning just smiled slightly and took out a recorder pen tucked inside her collar.

    Yan Yu: ......

    "I''ve recorded everything you said during training." Lin Ning scrolled the audio to the end, right up to where Yan Yu said, "What''s all this fighting about? I''m tired, plus I have to go look at houses, there''s no extra training for you guys today," and then started playing the recording publicly:

    "...Anyway, we have money now, we can buy a house near the school, which can also serve as our team''s off-campus base of activities."

    Yan Yu was completely dumbfounded.

    Ning, can''t you be less sly? This isn''t your original character, is it?! sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    With Secretary Su''s loyal and honest character sitting right there, why don''t you learn from that? Why are you imitating Chen Lingyun''s hypocrisy and trickery?!

    "That''s right." Su Yunjin clapped her hands together and laughed naively, tilting her head, "Well then, as such, the captain should respect everyone else''s opinion, shouldn''t he?"

    I''m sorry, Captain, I really do need a library¡­ I''ve bought so many books, I just can''t fit them in my room anymore... wuuu...

    Yan Yu looked at her expressionlessly.

    So, you''re in on this too, Su Yunjin?

    "Exactly." Zhao Yuanzhen chimed in lazily.

    My abode as Miyuan the Immortal must be grand and impressive! What''s the point of living in a cramped apartment? It doesn''t reflect the dignity of me, Miyuan the Immortal!

    Yan Yu didn''t want to speak any further; now he was facing a situation of everyone deserting him, standing alone against all odds.

    But!

    I am the strongest in this world!

    A mere four beautiful ladies thinking they could leave me powerless and forced to comply?

    Dream on!

    "Fine." Yan Yu said with a sneer, "But since it''s going to be a team base, there''s no reason for me to be the only one paying, right?"

    The four girls frowned, completely unprepared for Yan Yu''s counterattack from this angle.

    "I can contribute money too." Lin Ning immediately said seriously, "But my name needs to be on the property deed!"

    "That''s not possible." Yan Yu said with a smile, "For a team base, of course, only the captain''s name can be added. Otherwise, what happens if someone leaves the team in the future? The team base definitely can''t allow those who''ve left to come in, but then your name is on the property deed, isn''t that contradictory?"

    "I won''t leave the team." Lin Ning said without hesitation, "Unless you don''t want me anymore, you don''t have to worry about me leaving the team in the future."

    "Ningning!" Su Yunjin interjected quickly.

    Lin Ning''s face turned red, realizing how ambiguous "you don''t want me anymore" sounded, and hastily tried to explain:

    "I mean! Ah, it''s like, if I''m not good enough and you, the team leader, want to kick me out, get it? It''s not what you''re thinking!"

    "What am I thinking?" Yan Yu feigned confusion.

    "Nothing." Knowing that more she said the deeper the hole she''d dig, Lin Ning knew she couldn''t fall for that again and continued, "Anyway, my opinion is, if I contribute money, my name goes on it. What do you guys think?"

    "Sounds good to me." Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "And it''s not as if we can''t afford the money."

    "Mm-hmm," Su Yunjin nodded as she spoke. She had originally hoped to requisition a library here, so it was only natural for her to pay for it, especially since Secretary Su herself wasn''t particularly concerned about money.

    "I don''t care about having my name added or not," Zhao Yuanzhen said impatiently, "Buy it!"

    This Demonic Sect Enchantress... why does she have the vibe of a live-streaming sales host¡­ Yan Yu pondered for a moment.

    Wait, what was my original intention for buying this house?

    It was to live with this enchantress, for the convenience of dual cultivation at night.

    As long as that goal was achieved, how many bedrooms there were, how many girls lived there, whose names were on the property deed... none of that really mattered.

    Just in case something came up later, this place could still serve as the team''s base, and I could just buy a new house in private, right?

    I''ve got plenty of money now!

    "Alright then," Yan Yu stopped dwelling on it, "Let''s split the villa''s cost evenly then."

    "It might be true, but don''t put it in such cringeworthy terms!" Lin Ning suddenly interjected with a complaint.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Since the purchase was made in full, the property transaction was completed very quickly.

    After selecting their rooms in the villa, everyone started to fuss over the decoration. Su Yunjin had a pile of paper books to shelve, and Chen Lingyun had quite a few "antique items," so the two of them made an appointment with a renovation company to completely overhaul and remodel their rooms.

    Yan Yu maliciously guessed that Su Yunjin''s room would turn into a library, and Chen Lingyun''s room into a museum.

    Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen didn''t make major changes, just minor ones like changing wallpaper and fixing cabinets.

    Ningning liked a modern style, while Zhao Yuanzhen preferred a newer Chinese style. After the renovations, Yan Yu passed by their doors and glanced inside, finding to his surprise that both rooms looked pretty good.

    You two have good taste!

    Since they had chosen to live in an off-campus villa, they naturally terminated their dormitory rental. Everyone still went to school in the morning for theory classes, practiced in the training grounds in the afternoon, and after dinner, they would ride back to the villa to rest¡ªChen Lingyun had hired a minivan from a rental company, specifically to take care of everyone''s transportation.

    Then one day, Yan Yu was called to the principal''s office.

    Although it wasn''t the first time Li Weiguo had summoned him, Yan Yu still prepared himself for the meeting.

    If the old general said, "Young man, your lifestyle is undisciplined. Before you''re even famous, you''re cohabiting with four female college students. Do you know the negative impact it would have if the media reported on this later?" then I would reply with contempt, "You''re wrong this time, General. I have no improper relationship with them.

    Think about it, with what I have now, which one of them is worthy of me?"..........

    With this in mind, he swaggered into the principal''s office.

    "Take a seat," Li Weiguo said.

    Yan Yu sat down, only to see Li Weiguo push a small glass bottle across the desk, containing five shimmering elixir pills.

    Is this... a Foundation Establishment Pill?

    "Do you know what this is?" Li Weiguo asked with an air of mystery.

    "Elixir Medicine for cultivators?" Yan Yu asked.

    "Correct," Li Weiguo laughed heartily, "This is good stuff indeed."

    Yan Yu, however, remained silent. It was indeed good stuff, no doubt about it. In the future, underground cultivators would rise up in rebellion over this stuff one after another.

    He fell silent for a moment before saying:

    "This thing''s production isn''t high, is it?"

    "Only a few dozen a month," Li Weiguo replied loosely, without revealing the actual number, "Call over those few girls in your team secretly and divide up this bottle of Elixir Medicine. Don''t let word get out."

    "Understood," Yan Yu immediately stood up.

    As he left the principal''s office, for some reason, he suddenly felt the sunlight outside to be incredibly blinding.

    If the Foundation Establishment Pill is available now, then¡­

    The next phase of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence must be coming soon, right?

 Chapter 1 Su Mom Su Dad

    July ended, and August had arrived.For many students, half of their summer vacation had already passed.

    Though half of the vacation still remained, they couldn''t help but feel occasional pangs of melancholy when they thought of the quietly departed July.

    Yan Yu was delighted to confirm that the four girls in the team had already mastered the basic operations of the Sword Control Technique.

    Even if the lady in green from the Dragon Spring Mountain Mysterious Realm appeared and attacked with the authentic Sword Control Technique of the Taoist sect, the girls could now exchange a few moves with her. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Not being instantly killed was considered a success!

    Next, it was time to decide on the four major careers: Law, Sword, Assistant Officer, and Envoy.

    The second edition of the textbook had been distributed, and the instructors were engaging in discussions with each student. Based on their usual performance, they recommended one of the careers for them.

    Of course, the choice ultimately rested in the hands of the students, but in the military, strength was what truly mattered.

    If you chose a career unsuited for you and were unable to display your strengths later on, you would have to bear the consequences yourself.

    There was no need for such discussions in Yan Yu''s Team. He and Zhao Yuanzhen had long been clear about it; both were hidden sects of the Assistant Officer career, known as Puppet Masters, and there was no need to discuss further.

    Chen Lingyun had also communicated with him beforehand, planning to choose the career of Envoy in the ghost-using sect¡­ Ever since she got her hands on the Soul Summoning Banner, she had been studying how to use it, and Yan Yu did not interfere with her research.

    Soon, Lin Ning and Su Yunjin came to him proactively.

    "Yan Yu, are you planning to set me on the path of a Sword Immortal?" Lin Ning asked directly.

    "Why do you say that?" Yan Yu pretended to be surprised.

    "You once told me not to practice unarmed combat." Lin Ning began to list off the details, clearly with the memory of a top student, "You also made me focus on practicing the precursor to the Sword Control Technique, which is the Metal-Element Impact Curse."

    "In the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm, you specifically let me learn the Enemy Luring Technique, which seemed to suggest a role in scouting and assault. Even during the practice of Sword Control, you were tougher on me than on the others¡­"

    Yan Yu suddenly laughed helplessly: You even noticed those details? Impressive!

    "So, to summarize, you must have been cultivating me towards becoming a Sword Immortal from the start." Lin Ning concluded in the end.

    "Do you like being a Sword Immortal?" Yan Yu neither confirmed nor denied but asked her in return.

    "Of course." Lin Ning responded without hesitation, "After preparing so much for me, it wouldn''t make sense to change paths now, would it? Then all the effort I invested previously would be wasted!"

    "That settles it then." Yan Yu said with a smile, "If you''ve guessed it and have no objections, why ask me?"

    "Just in case. Once it''s confirmed, I can be at ease." Lin Ning then turned to Su Yunjin, reminding her, "Yun Jin, your turn to ask."

    "What are your thoughts, Yun Jin?" Yan Yu asked.

    "I don''t really have any." Su Yunjin spoke softly, "I''m definitely not suited to be a Sword Immortal, but the Assistant Officer and Envoy rely too much on external things, and I''m not sure if they''re right for me."

    "What about being a Cultivator?" Yan Yu smiled, "How about the Cultivator who fights from a distance?"

    "If it''s the kind of Cultivator who has to take on the main assault and perform large-scale lethal Taoism Methods, I probably can''t handle it." Su Yunjin had a clear understanding, obviously having thought over this question many times recently, "But if it''s about containment and healing, I will strive to do my best."

    "Alright, then you start on the path of a Cultivator." Yan Yu nodded and then suddenly added, "However, my view differs from yours."

    "A Cultivator using large-scale lethal Taoism Methods for assaults is indeed beyond you now, but that might not be the case in the future."

    He took out an ID and handed it over to Su Yunjin.

    "This is?" Su Yunjin opened her eyes wide in surprise.

    "It''s a borrowing permit for the ''Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art.'' With this permit, you can collect the Taoism Method scriptures from the school library," Yan Yu answered, "Memorize the mental mantra first and fully understand the theory¡ªthat''s your strength. As for how to cast and apply it in actual combat, I''ll teach you."

    "This ID was tough to get, I really went through a lot to apply for it, so don''t lose it."

    Receiving the ID with solemnity and bidding farewell to Yan Yu, Su Yunjin finally allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief.

    "See, I told you, Yun Jin." Lin Ning also said with a smile, "I knew the captain had a plan for you all along."

    "Yeah." Su Yunjin nodded vigorously.

    She was embarrassed to say that she had been having nightmares recently, dreaming that she kept encountering Yan Yu in various places, and then the two of them would interact in all kinds of ways.

    For instance, in the library, Yan Yu would study with her; on the training ground, he would give her pointers on how to train...

    However, no matter what the scenario was, when it got to the final stage, he would suddenly drop a bombshell, "Yun Jin, have you considered a job outside of the team?"

    Then Su Yunjin would be startled awake.

    She sometimes even found it strange because she had never had a strong motivation to desperately excel at something from her childhood to adulthood¡ªeven her decade-long habit of reading was merely a hobby, and she wouldn''t regret it too much if she were forced to give it up one day.

    But the team...

    Su Yunjin didn''t want to leave the team, and she was sure this desire came from her heart.

    Alright, now that she had the goal to learn the "Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art," it was time to work hard!

    After bidding farewell to Lin Ning, Su Yunjin went to the library, planning to fully grasp the theory of this Taoism Method as Yan Yu had arranged before doing anything else.

    After presenting her credentials, the military cultivator in charge of managing the library led Su Yunjin into the inner chamber, confiscated her mobile phone, and then handed her the paper book of the "Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art."

    "You can only read it in this room," the librarian cautioned. "You cannot copy it, take photos, or take it out. There are cameras in the room, so don''t do anything foolish. After you''re done, press the doorbell, and I will come to collect it."

    "Mhm," Su Yunjin nodded vigorously.

    The librarian left with her mobile phone and returned to his desk to enter Su Yunjin''s borrowing information into the computer.

    About half an hour later, Su Yunjin''s phone suddenly rang.

    The librarian answered the call.

    "Hello, Yun Jin?" a middle-aged woman''s voice came from the phone.

    "I''m sorry," replied the librarian, "Comrade Su Yunjin is currently on a confidential mission and cannot take calls. If it''s an emergency, I can relay the message, or you can call back after she has completed her mission."

    "Huh?" The person on the other end was obviously taken aback, "Then... when will the mission be completed?"

    "I''m sorry," the librarian continued, "it''s a confidential mission, so I can''t share any details with you."

    "Here''s the thing," the voice on the other end began arranging her words, "I''m her mother! Her father and I are just outside the school, and we have filed a family visit application. Could you let your military leaders know... the commander, that is, and allow us to come into the school and wait for her?"

    "I''m sorry," the librarian confirmed, "Has your family visit application been approved already?"

    "Not yet," the other party said a bit sheepishly, "We just came up with an urgent matter and came to Jinling Prefecture to find her."

    "Oh," the librarian mused.

    According to school rules, a family visit application must be submitted three days in advance to allow time for step-by-step approval.

    Without going through successive levels of approval, did you think, as a commoner, you could just walk into our cultivators'' academy? This is a military restricted area! What if you saw things you shouldn''t?

    "Listen to me," the librarian patiently explained, "If you want to visit the school, our institution is a military academy with strict confidentiality regulations, and you must have an approved application to gain entry. A mere submission of an application definitely won''t suffice."

    "However, if you just want to see your daughter, we can ask her to come out to meet you. That way, there won''t be any procedural issues."

    After all, college cultivators have all undergone confidentiality training and know precisely what they can and cannot discuss with relatives and friends. Compared to risking a security breach by allowing parents into the school, it''s safer to have the student file a report and then leave the campus to meet with their parents.

    "But didn''t you say that my daughter is currently on a confidential mission?" the other party said with some dissatisfaction, "You can''t even say when she''ll be able to come out."

    "Indeed," the librarian was troubled but then had a sudden inspiration.

    Su Yunjin is a member of Yan Yu''s Team, right?

    "How about I ask her team leader for you?" the librarian suggested. "Shall I see if he can come out to meet you?"

    "Team?" The other party paused for quite a while, "What team?"

    "I can''t say much about that," the librarian said with a smile, "but I can explain to you: It''s because your daughter is exceptional that she was selected to join this team."

    There was silence on the other end for a long while before finally:

    "Alright then. Please ask that team''s leader if he can spare some time to come out. I appreciate it, thank you."

    Although the voice on the phone was very polite and courteous, there didn''t seem to be any joy at hearing "my daughter is excellent."

 Chapter 2 The Teams Main Force Su Yunjin

    Upon receiving the phone call from the administrator, Yan Yu was also initially dumbfounded."Su Yunjin''s parents are here looking for her... What the hell does that have to do with me?"

    After the administrator had explained the situation, he was speechless.

    Su Yunjin was in the secret chamber studying the Taoism Method scriptures, and according to the rules, she should not be disturbed. After all, based on what Mei Yingxue said, if she were in the midst of an epiphany, reaching a state of sudden enlightenment, and someone interrupted her, it would be an incalculable loss for her.

    Therefore, the current rule was that unless she came out herself, she could stay inside as long as she wished. There was a cupboard with food and water, as well as a simple toilet in the quiet room, and the air conditioning maintained a constant temperature 24 hours a day¡ªlet her focus on her studies! sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    As for Su Yunjin''s parents waiting at the school gate, it wasn''t appropriate to leave them hanging outside.

    Looking around, it seemed he had no choice but to step in himself; after all, he was technically Su Yunjin''s "leader."

    Forget it, just go and deal with it.

    At the school gate, Yan Yu met the two uncles and aunts.

    Su Yunjin''s parents, both university professors, at first glance, looked like they had that scholarly aura, "clearly from an intellectual family."

    Of course, a high level of knowledge didn''t necessarily mean they were open-minded, some could be even more difficult to handle than average families, but Yan Yu was not at all intimidated.

    Your daughter is working under me; you weigh that in your own heart!

    "Uncle and Aunt, sorry to have kept you waiting," Yan Yu greeted them as soon as he saw them, a polite remark, "Military duties are hectic, and I apologize for not being able to welcome you sooner."

    Su Yunjin''s mother, originally a bit resentful towards the school for not being able to see her daughter, suddenly didn''t know what to complain about when faced with the daunting premise of "busy military duties" from Yan Yu. However, she heard Su Yunjin''s father laughing and saying:

    "No problem. It''s mainly because we came on such short notice, disturbing you."

    "Let''s find a place to sit down," Yan Yu suggested with a smile.

    In a nearby coffee shop, Yan Yu ordered a few drinks for the uncle and aunt. Perhaps getting impatient, Su Yunjin''s mother couldn''t help but ask directly:

    "How has my daughter been doing at school recently? The school says she''s on a confidential military mission. There''s no danger, is there?"

    "Ah, no," Yan Yu immediately denied, "Though it is a confidential task, with Su Yunjin''s student''s intelligence and talents, there is absolutely no risk involved."

    "If it''s confidential, can it not be dangerous?" Su Yunjin''s mother still wasn''t convinced.

    "The risk of military tasks is not dependent on whether it''s confidential or not, but on whether it involves killing," Yan Yu said with a smile, "The ones involving killing might be dangerous, the ones without killing, generally not."

    Su Yunjin''s father and mother: ......

    Finished, they didn''t know how to follow up. This conversation had entered unknown territory.

    "Captain Yan," Su Yunjin''s father managed to respond with a nervous laugh, "It''s a time of peace now, this killing... isn''t that a bit of an exaggeration?"

    "I''m not at liberty to discuss that," Yan Yu replied with a hearty laugh, "It''s confidential, please understand."

    Su Yunjin''s father had nothing more to say, but Su Yunjin''s mother continued unabashedly:

    "Does this mean my daughter isn''t killing yet, but might be involved in such things in the future?"

    "Well," Yan Yu said at a measured pace, "As for the future, who can say for sure? Maybe one day we''ll suddenly be at war with a foreign country. As soldiers, we must protect our homeland, so such things are inevitable."

    Su Yunjin''s mother was left speechless; she couldn''t outright say "Let others protect the homeland, just not my daughter." Su Yunjin''s father became anxious and immediately asked:

    "In the era of nuclear deterrence, there shouldn''t be any large-scale international wars, right?"

    "Let''s hope so," Yan Yu chuckled, "Anyway, whether it''s total war or a local conflict, we soldiers will certainly be at the forefront... Excuse me, I need to take a call."

    He got up to answer the phone and left.

    With Yan Yu gone and no outsiders present, Su Yunjin''s mother immediately started to complain to her husband:

    "Didn''t you say Yun Jin was in a technical unit? How did this get to killing people again!"

    "Ah, I don''t know why either," Su Yunjin''s father hurriedly explained, "I don''t run the military academy, if they want to assign Yun Jin to a different position, what can I do?"

    "We only have one daughter, Yun Jin!" Su Yunjin''s mother said through gritted teeth, "If something happens to her, you can let the country support you in your old age!"

    "It''s not impossible," Su Yunjin''s father murmured, "They say, once selected for Hanlin Pavilion, the pension subsidy would at least be..."

    "What retirement subsidy!" Su''s mom instantly flared up, "You''re all set to become scholars, and all you think about is money! When you''re old and seriously ill in the hospital, let''s see if your director will stay up all night to hand you a urinal!"

    "Tch, don''t even say such things!" Su''s dad also got somewhat annoyed, "Our daughter has her own life to live. What kind of plan is it to rely on her for your retirement?"

    "I''m not relying on her for retirement, I just hope she stays healthy and safe for her whole life." After half a day of complaining, Su''s mom finally revealed her true intent, "You think of a way to get her to quit the military!"

    "I can''t do that." Su''s dad gave up on the spot.

    "If you can''t do it, then find a way! Pull some strings! Ask for favors!" Su''s mom demanded resolutely.

    Meanwhile, Yan Yu had stepped outside the shop and picked up the phone, where Su Yunjin''s anxious voice came through:

    "Captain, are my parents at your place?"

    "Yes, don''t worry," Yan Yu said nonchalantly, "I''ve taken them to a caf¨¦ to rest."

    "Which caf¨¦?"

    "The one 200 meters straight ahead when you come out of the school gate," Yan Yu replied, "They probably don''t have any urgent matters, just came to see you and ask about how you''re doing."

    "I''ll be right there!" The sound of rushing wind came from the other side, as if Su Yunjin had activated her Shifting Technique and was hurrying toward the school gate, "Captain, you didn''t tell them anything, did you?"

    "What could I possibly tell them?" Yan Yu laughed, "Your parents are civilians, could I violate confidentiality regulations?"

    Su Yunjin breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that; as long as the captain hadn''t said anything... What a relief¡ªno way!!!

    The captain''s mouth could charm Ling Yun into struggling to keep a straight face, provoke Ningning into nonstop complaints, and it was routine business to leave Sister Zhao at a loss for words and fuming.

    When it comes to leading a team in actual combat, of course, there''s absolute trust in the captain; but when it involves social communication, don''t just blabber without thinking¡ªit might lead to some misunderstanding with the parents...

    With this in mind, Su Yunjin was extremely anxious, wishing she could fly over on a Sword Control to the school gate right this moment.

    She rushed out of school hurriedly, crossed the road, and made her way to the caf¨¦. Bursting through the door, she scanned the place with her eyes.

    Yan Yu was chatting with her parents.

    Su Yunjin struggled to steady her breathing and then put on an appropriately graceful smile as she walked towards her parents.

    Just as she was about to greet them from a distance, she heard Yan Yu say:

    "That''s impossible, Yun Jin is an absolute key player in our team."

    Su Yunjin: !!!

    So suddenly I''ve become a key player in the team, can''t you stop going off script here and making things up, captain!!!

    She quickly sat down next to Yan Yu, feigning composure as she asked:

    "Dad, Mom, what are you talking about?"

    Seeing their daughter finally arrive, Su''s dad visibly relaxed, and Su''s mom''s expression softened, but she soon asked sternly:

    "Yun Jin, why didn''t you tell us about joining the team?"

    "Didn''t I?" Su Yunjin cocked her head and feigned ignorance.

    Her act of playing dumb was so natural that Yan Yu mentally gave her a thumbs-up.

    Seeing his daughter''s clueless expression, even Su''s dad started to feel uncertain, pulling out his phone to check their chat history.

    But Su''s mom didn''t care whether it had been mentioned before; in her mind, if she didn''t remember, it meant it wasn''t discussed, so she continued to press the issue:

    "The team is meant to go to the frontline to fight, right? Can you, a girl, handle the physical demands? You haven''t even killed a chicken before, how can you be expected to go to the battlefield and kill people? Isn''t that asking too much of you?"

    Hearing her mom''s rant, Su Yunjin immediately realized what was happening.

    Mom wants me to leave the team!

    "What''s so difficult about that?" Su Yunjin showed a look of puzzlement and turned to ask Yan Yu, "Captain, didn''t you tell my parents?"

    "Tell them what?" Yan Yu joined in the act.

    "I''m now absolutely key to the team, you know," Su Yunjin said calmly.

 Chapter 3 Yun Jin, You Are in a Relationship

    No matter how gently Su''s mother tried to persuade her, or how fiercely she tried to scare her, Su Yunjin always remained calm and gentle, repeating the same arguments over and over again."It''s impossible for me to quit, I''m the main force of the team! Without me, the team would fall apart."

    "Dangerous? There won''t be any danger, I''m the main force of the team! How could I be the main force without some real ability?"

    "Mom, Dad, I know you''re worried about me, but you should actually be proud of me instead."

    "Because I''m the main force of the team!"

    Su''s mother exhausted all her wits, patiently and carefully trying to persuade her, but who would have thought that her daughter, who had never been rebellious from childhood to now, was impervious to both soft and hard tactics, forcing her to give her husband a look that said, "Are you just going to watch our daughter contradict me like this?"

    Su''s father had been quietly observing and listening on the side, and he couldn''t help but feel emotional too.

    From childhood to adulthood, in front of parents, relatives, or teachers, Su Yunjin was always the super obedient "good girl."

    She loved reading, but never demanded her parents to buy her books. She liked clothes, jewelry, makeup too, but similarly, she rarely went shopping on her initiative. In daily life, she only looked up to her parents, going to whatever school they asked, studying liberal arts if they said so, never questioning anything.

    Of course, this acquiescent character was not very good either, and at one point, it had seriously worried Su''s father.

    Now, seeing his daughter finally start to have her own opinions, Su''s father felt a sense of relief on one hand, but on the other, he was more curious about what had changed her.

    Then, Su''s father noticed some details:

    Every time Su Yunjin said, "I''m the main force of the team," her gaze would unconsciously dart quickly toward Yan Yu at her side.

    Su''s father pondered for a good while, then a smile of understanding appeared on his face.

    After all... Yunjin has grown up.

    Perhaps it''s time to trust her judgment of people.

    "Let it be," Su''s father indicated to Su''s mother with his eyes, "Stop interfering so much, our daughter isn''t a little child anymore, you need to respect her opinion."

    "This isn''t a matter of opinion," Su''s mother, who hadn''t noticed her daughter''s subtle actions or her husband''s hints, insisted, "Yunjin, you are my only daughter in this lifetime, what am I supposed to do if something happens to you?"

    Su Yunjin, a girl with careful thoughts, feeling a twinge of heartache upon hearing her mother''s emotive words almost crumbling into tears, wondered if it was right for her to lightly engage in dangers, causing her parents worry.

    But she quickly remembered another matter.

    In an era of Spiritual Energy Resurgence, Cultivators'' powers would only grow stronger, while ordinary people couldn''t keep up, and this was definitely going to cause problems.

    That village in Longquan Prefecture, an old man who accidentally entered the path of cultivation could wield the power to slaughter the entire village. What if the next illegal Cultivator appears in Gusu Prefecture? If they turn up in the neighborhood where Mom and Dad live, wanting to harvest the souls of the innocent to refine Magic Artifacts, what then?

    Should I strive to enhance my own strength so I can protect Mom and Dad when the time comes? Or should I heed Mom''s advice and try to avoid the frontline, hoping to rely on the captain or other powerful Cultivators to come to the rescue when danger strikes? But what if they can''t save us in time, what then?

    I''m sorry, Mom. I''m really afraid of death, but I''m even more afraid that when the time comes, nobody will be able to save you.

    From the moment I became a Cultivator, I stepped onto this thorny and perilous path with an unknown end.

    I won''t turn back now.

    "Mom." Su Yunjin held the coffee cup, her head bowed as she softly said, "I have made up my mind."

    Upon hearing Su Yunjin say this, Su''s mother was also stunned and silent, not knowing how to react.

    "Yunjin, don''t take it to heart," Su''s father tried to comfort her, "Your mom is just worried about you. But if you''ve really made up your mind, we''ll all stand by your side."

    "Mhmm." Su Yunjin suddenly felt like crying but she held back with all her might.

    "By the way, your dad has finally been elected as a scholar of the Hanlin Academy," Su''s father said with a laugh that bragged, "From now on, you can tell your classmates that you have a scholar as a father."

    "Really?" Su Yunjin exclaimed with joy.

    The Academy of Science, Engineering Academy, Hanlin Academy, collectively known as the three major academies of Lu Country, are the pinnacles of an academic career path. All academicians have a lifetime quota, and the total number is fixed, with vacancies only filled when an old member passes away.

    Su''s father being elected as a scholar to the Hanlin Academy meant his abilities were definitely more than sufficient, but luck played an unmistakably significant part too.

    When her husband''s career achievements were mentioned, even Su''s mother, still concerned about her daughter''s affairs, couldn''t help but show a smile.

    "So, Dad, you have to treat us to a meal now, right?" Su Yunjin playfully asked.

    "Of course, why else would I come to find you?" Su''s father said proudly, then turned to Yan Yu beside them, "Yan Yu, is there any good restaurant near your school?"

    Su Yunjin suddenly felt something was off. To celebrate Dad''s professional success with a family dinner ¨C why ask the captain?

    Of course, it was normal to ask since the captain was sitting right there... but still, it felt odd.

    Dad! Couldn''t you wait until the captain left before mentioning it? It''s weird to ask the captain about our own family dinner!

    "A restaurant, huh." Yan Yu pondered for a moment before saying with sudden high EQ, "I''m not very familiar with that, Yun Jin knows much more about eating out than I do."

    Just as Su Yunjin breathed a sigh of relief, ready to recommend a few gourmet spots to Dad, she heard Dad ask with a chuckle:

    "Do you two not go out to eat very often?"

    As soon as these words were out, Yan Yu raised his eyebrows, Mom was stunned, and Su Yunjin''s heart skipped a beat.

    Hold on! My dad didn''t misunderstand something, did he?

    She wanted to clarify quickly, but the words stopped on the tip of her tongue.

    Miss Su liked to read, and those who love to read are quick-witted. She quickly realized that the subject "you two" in Dad''s sentence could be understood in two ways:

    One was referring to a couple, and if that was the case, the question was loaded. The focus was not the answer itself but the assumption behind it. Whether you answer yes or no, you would be confirming the assumption, so you had to correct it directly.

    The other was referring to team members. You two are on the same team, so don''t you often go out to eat together?

    If Dad meant the latter and she rushed to clarify, it would seem pretty dumb, like trying too hard to cover up something.

    Su Yunjin quickly thought it through and laughed:

    "When it comes to team dinners, we actually do quite..."

    Before she could finish, she heard Mom quickly look over at Yan Yu, then turn her gaze back to her daughter and exclaimed with delayed shock:

    "Yun Jin, are you dating?!"

    Su Yunjin''s smile froze on her face.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    In the end, Su Yunjin did go out to eat with her parents.

    As for how she explained that there was nothing romantic going on between her and her captain, that was her business. Yan Yu chose to trust in Miss Su''s wisdom.

    After a casual dinner outside, Yan Yu had just returned to the school when he received a call from Qi Changping.

    "Hello, is it Old Li looking for me?"

    "Yes," Qi Changping said expressionlessly, "but could you please use a different honorific, like addressing him as ''commander''?"

    "Sure, I''ll head to his office right now."

    On his way to the office, Yan Yu silently reflected.

    What does the old commander want with me this time?

    It surely can''t be because he heard about Mom''s misunderstanding with her daughter and especially called me over to ridicule me, can it? S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    No, no, no, he shouldn''t be that petty, not like Chen Lingyun! Probably another mysterious realm has appeared.

    Upon arriving at the principal''s office, Yan Yu didn''t wait for Li Weiguo to invite him to sit. He casually pulled up a chair and sat down.

    "You sure don''t stand on ceremony," said Li Weiguo with a smile, holding his teacup.

    "Your time is precious, sir, so I won''t waste any of it," Yan Yu asked bluntly, "Which mysterious realm has appeared this time, and do you want me to take my team to claim it?"

    "Oh, not that," Li Weiguo put down his teacup. "There have indeed been several mysterious realms appearing recently, but the higher-ups are still confirming the allocation details. They''ll notify us when it''s settled."

    Lately, Lu Country had gained rich experience in dealing with the sudden emergence of mysterious realm entrances.

    For large mysterious realms like those in the Wuyi Mountains located in Minhai Province, the main team would be the Zhendong Army Team. Then a guest team from one of the other three armies would be chosen for mock combat drills, jointly vying for control of the critical hub of the realm.

    However, for smaller realms like Longquan Mountain, they wouldn''t use a two-team competition system anymore. Whichever province it was in would handle it, to prevent the excessive waste of cultivators'' manpower.

    "However, Liu Longtao''s team has been quite active lately," Li Weiguo continued. "Last week they seized three mysterious realms in one fell swoop and defeated Zhou Hongyu''s Pingxi Army Team, keeping a perfect winning streak so far."

    Three realms in one week? Yan Yu couldn''t help but be amazed. Are everyone on the Lord Master''s team training for a triathlon or what?

    Setting aside everything else, just constantly flying around by plane was tiring enough.

    Not to mention the tactical planning before a battle, the contest within the realm, and the debriefing after... Even having five livers wouldn''t be enough to handle it all!

    "So, what do you think?" asked Li Weiguo with a smile. "Their historical record has already surpassed yours in the number of victories."

    "Think about what?" Yan Yu cautiously confirmed, "If you''re asking what I think about Liu Longtao, then based on past records, he''s my defeated foe; if you''re asking about his team, in my current impression, that''s a team led by my defeated foe..."

    "Alright, enough," Li Weiguo immediately felt a headache coming on.

 Chapter 4 Interrupting Spellcasting

    Li Weiguo sighed inwardly."Knowing that this kid is insufferably arrogant, why did I ask for his views on the other teams? Isn''t this just giving him a chance to show off?"

    "Have the roles in your team been distributed?" Li Weiguo decided to change the subject.

    "They have." Yan Yu nodded and said, "Lin Ning and I are following the Sword Immortal path, Su Yunjin practices spells, Zhao Jiuzhen is the Assistant Officer, and Chen Lingyun is the Envoy."

    "Mhm." Li Weiguo nodded, finding the role distribution quite balanced. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    According to the military''s internal research, Sword Immortals and spell casters tend to be more offensive, while Assistant Officers and Envoys lean more towards restraint.

    The most reasonable match was three to two, meaning three offensive members to two that focused on restraint.

    Of course, Li Weiguo wouldn''t impose those old scholars'' theories on Yan Yu, dictating "you must match it this way for me."

    But Yan Yu happened to have matched it exactly that way, giving Li Weiguo a subtle sense of relief.

    "Judging from the Sword-Spell-Assistant-Envoy system, how long will it take for your team to complete the transformation?" Li Weiguo continued to ask.

    "Lin Ning and I have already adapted to the Sword Immortal role and can begin to exercise some combat power," Yan Yu explained. "Su Yunjin is studying Taoism Method and hasn''t begun to practice yet; both Chen Lingyun and Zhao Jiuzhen are in the same situation, they don''t have the appropriate Servant Envoys or magical treasures at hand."

    His words were partly true and partly false. Yan Yu, having been an ordinary person in his previous life, fought using a True Yuan storage device, so he chose the Sword Immortal, which on average consumed the least True Yuan.

    Although he used to be a Puppet Master as an Assistant Officer, his combat experience as a Sword Immortal wouldn''t just vanish, making the role of Sword Immortal¡ªwhich heavily relies on technical experience¡ªsecond nature to him.

    As for Zhao Yuanzhen, even though her true occupation was as a Puppet Master, the Qiansi Sect also liked to create malevolent magical treasures for use, so having her pose as an Assistant Officer who specialized in magical treasures wasn''t a problem.

    Li Weiguo, unaware of the nuances in Yan Yu''s words, simply nodded and said:

    "Envoys and Assistant Officers indeed are professions that depend heavily on external objects. If you need any resources, just let me know; if there are relevant Mysterious Realms later on, I will try my best to secure opportunities for you all to join the battle."

    "Alright." Yan Yu nodded.

    The materials obtained by the military cultivators from exploring low-Level Mysterious Realms were definitely beneath his interest.

    At the very least, it would have to be on the level of Dragon Spring Mountain Mysterious Realm.

    But Mysterious Realms of such a level were basically conquered under my lead for the Zhendong Army! Once we finished a battle, I''d check the inventory list and reserve the materials directly. What was there to choose?

    So, unless he could dip into the stores of the other three armies, there was no need to pick at all, amounting to a sheer waste of time.

    Ah, when will new Mysterious Realms be available for conquest?

    After leaving the principal''s office, Yan Yu strolled leisurely towards the school''s exit, ready to head home.

    At the school gate, he saw Su Yunjin standing, looking around as if waiting for someone.

    "Why are you here?" Yan Yu approached and asked, "Where are your parents?"

    "They''ve gone back." Su Yunjin replied, "I called a cab. Want to go back together?"

    "Mhm." Yan Yu nodded.

    It''s strange to think, it was just me cohabiting with the witch off campus, how did it suddenly become the entire team moving into the villa?

    But on second thought, it definitely didn''t make sense to live in the school dorms when there was a villa available.

    "I''ve already explained the misunderstanding to my mom," Su Yunjin continued, "Don''t mind it."

    "Oh, I won''t mind," Yan Yu replied with equanimity, "That''s very normal. Every time Lin Ning calls home, her dad asks her if she has found a boyfriend. At least your family isn''t rushing you, right?"

    "Hehe." Su Yunjin laughed, covering her mouth, "Indeed, I often hear Ningning complain about it."

    "Nowadays, the marriage rate is getting lower and lower. Young people don''t seem to like dating anymore," Yan Yu went on chatting idly, "There are especially many leftover women in big cities, so it''s normal for your family to be anxious."

    "But from what I see, you don''t actually have to be in a rush."

    "What''s the reason?" Su Yunjin asked.

    "The emergence of ''leftover women'' is due to not having a suitable partner that meets one''s standards within their social circle," Yan Yu explained calmly, "But you all are the finest group of cultivators in Lu Country, you will inevitably attract a large number of talented individuals, so there should be no shortage of potential marital prospects."

    "Yes, that''s true," Su Yunjin nodded.

    The cool breeze of the summer night was gently blowing, messing up the hair beside her cheeks. Su Yunjin used her slender fingers to tidy her hair and suddenly asked:

    "Then Captain, you..."

    "Oh, here it is," Yan Yu interrupted, "The car that stopped up there, that''s the one we called, right?"

    "Yes," Su Yunjin glanced at the license plate.

    "Then let''s go," Yan Yu said.

    After they got into the back seat of the car, Su Yunjin quietly looked out the window, the scenery was quickly passing by.

    In the reflection of the car window, Yan Yu''s profile was clearly visible; he was looking down at his mobile phone.

    "We should get home by nine-thirty," Su Yunjin spoke up.

    "Hmm," Yan Yu responded.

    "Captain," Su Yunjin continued, "do you ever..."

    "Wait a moment," Yan Yu suddenly interrupted her.

    He opened the voice message in the chat window and brought the bottom of his phone close to his ear.

    Despite not activating the speaker due to consideration for the driver, Su Yunjin, sitting beside him, could still faintly hear a woman''s voice choked with sobs:

    "...Yan Yu, they''re all dead... so many people dead..."

    "Don''t panic," Yan Yu pressed the [Voice Input] button, and said in a deep voice, "Listen carefully. Seal your apartment immediately, block the front door with a cabinet, close the windows, pull the curtains, and if possible, nail wooden boards over them. Turn all your and your father''s mobile phones to silent mode, keeping them with you.

    The TV also needs to be muted, and remember to cut the phone line if there are calls, don''t open the door for anyone."

    "The food and water reserves in your house should be enough for half a month. After half a month, the situation might improve. Be sure to watch the news on TV every day, and absolutely do not go out unless necessary. At night, remember to place a glass bottle upside down behind the door as a precaution against intruders, and don''t be scared."

    "There''s another problem," Anna, nearly breaking down, was hiding in her apartment room in distant Amur City, shaking as she tapped on her mobile keyboard, "My mother is in a residential area far away."

    "Forget about your maternal relatives," Yan Yu said calmly, "What''s most important right now is to save your and your father''s lives. Staying in the apartment is the safest bet."

    "If you really can''t rest assured, you can call your aunt, she still has a good attitude towards you and your father. But remember to call her at least three days later; otherwise, if your aunt asks you and your father to take refuge with her now, considering your father''s personality... I''m not optimistic that he will make the right choice."

    "Understood," Anna quickly hit the send button, then pressed her phone tightly against her chest.

    Her messy blonde hair cascaded down, her face still streaked with the marks of recent tears, as if after a hysterical breakdown from crying.

    But Anna quickly opened her eyes, and this time there was no panic or fear in her gaze, only determination, toughness, and ferocity.

    I know spells, and we have supplies at home...

    I won''t die, and neither will Dad...

    We, will all survive...

    Outside the apartment room, smoke was rising from the distant streets, and bursts of gunfire could be heard from time to time.

    The security officers were setting up defenses, but these lines were quickly broken by the spirit communicators.

    They were originally members of local gangs, as well as low-level workers and the unemployed, but at this moment, they all shared a single identity:

    Illegal spirit communicators.

    Infected with the ''lycanthropy virus,'' illegal lycanthrope spirit communicators who no longer feared gunfire.

 Chapter 5 The Rich Lady Desperately Seeks a Malevolent Ghost

    The next morning.Yan Yu got up, washed up, and went downstairs to sit on the living room sofa, only to see Lin Ning preparing breakfast in the kitchen.

    The sweltering heat of August was bearing down, with temperatures already in the 30s early in the morning. Because of this, Sister Lin was wearing only a tank top and denim shorts, with a kitchen apron tied in front to shield from the oil splatter, revealing large patches of her fair and healthy skin on her shoulders, arms, thighs, and lower back.

    Yeah, summer is great!

    On the gas stove, a pot was boiling with wonton noodles, a frying pan contained fish cakes, and in the rice cooker was a simmering porridge, next to which stood a buzzing soy milk machine. Lin Ning was preparing breakfast for five people all by herself, yet her movements were orderly and efficient.

    Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Yan Yu watching her, and turned to say,

    "Breakfast will be ready soon; go call them down to eat."

    "Let the little alarm clock do it," Yan Yu said.

    "Who''s the little alarm clock?" Lin Ning asked.

    "You."

    "Give it a rest," Lin Ning sighed with resignation, responding with Yan Yu''s catchphrase.

    A moment later, Su Yunjin also came downstairs.

    She went to the sofa, neatly stacked a few books that were lying in disarray on the coffee table, and then heard Lin Ning shout,

    "Yun Jin! Help me call the others down for breakfast. The captain refuses to do it, the meanie."

    "Okay," Su Yunjin replied and then winked at Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu didn''t understand what she meant by that, so he simply winked back in the same way.

    Fortunately, Su Yunjin didn''t respond; otherwise, the two of them would have started communicating in eyelid Morse code.

    But...

    I somehow feel that today''s Su Yunjin seems more approachable than before?

    Ha ha ha, it''s not like she''s an animal; what does ''more approachable'' mean? It''s just that our relationship has grown closer, that''s all.

    The third person to come down was unsurprisingly Zhao Yuanzhen, the gluttonous Devil Emperor from the Demonic Sect. As soon as she came down the stairs, she tiptoed to the kitchen, trying to sneak a bite of the fish cakes Lin Ning was frying in the pan.

    But Lin Ning, a woman on the path of the Sword Immortal, was always alert and had quick reflexes. How could she let Zhao Yuanzhen succeed? In an instant, she flicked her hand with a whoosh and slapped away the stealthy claw.

    Zhao Yuanzhen sheepishly withdrew her hand and turned to see Yan Yu sitting on the sofa, trying to hold back his laughter. She couldn''t help but feel secretly annoyed and mentally took note:

    "Today this thief saw me fail to steal a fish cake and even mocked me. I''ll remember this grudge! When the day comes that I seize power and assume control, I will definitely tie this little thief up in front of food, so he knows the pain of being able to look but not eat!"

    Thinking this, she quickly cheered up and sat down next to Yan Yu.

    As for Chen Lingyun, although she usually carried herself with grace and poise, she had a severe case of morning grumpiness, dragging her heels until Su Yunjin finally called her down.

    Everyone gathered around the dining table for breakfast, and afterward, they took a chartered vehicle to the academy for classes.

    The morning was still devoted to theory lessons, which aren''t worth mentioning. The afternoon, however, was reserved for training classes, where the students would follow the instructors to learn. Yan Yu''s Team naturally followed their captain to the back mountain''s exclusive training field to practice.

    "Southern Dipper covers the sky, command the stars to form a river!"

    With a delicate shout from Su Yunjin, as her True Yuan coursed through her meridians and surged, the waters of the celestial river also manifested in the air.

    "It''s still too much," Yan Yu suddenly said.

    "Should I compress it more?" Su Yunjin immediately stopped circulating her spiritual energy, and the impending waters of the Heavenly River also vanished instantly.

    "Compress it again. Otherwise, your True Yuan won''t last," Yan Yu advised, "The secret art mentions this point, right?"

    Su Yunjin fell into contemplation, recalling the annotations of the "Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art" she had memorized in the quiet room days ago.

    The annotator was named "Chen Mingyan," who seemed to be the lady in green from Dragon Spring Mountain''s Mysterious Realm encountered in the past.

    At the beginning of the classic, she mentioned that if the original "Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art" were executed, it would instantly result in vast expanses of water, overwhelming and boundless, so there was no need for any finesse¡ªjust flood the enemy with the waters of the Heavenly River to finish the job.

    However, as the concentration of spiritual energy in the world was continuously declining, by the Age of Dharma Decline in the future, practitioners would inevitably face the issue of True Yuan sustainability.

    Therefore, she meticulously dissected and recompiled the method, turning the "Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art" from merely a brute-force summoning of rivers and floods to attack the enemy, which also caused the True Yuan to drain away wildly like a raging river, into a series of more skillful and tactically valuable moves.

    For instance, the first move "Jiaochong" mimics a flood dragon spitting water from the river, summoning pillars of Heavenly River water around the enemy and rapidly gushing vast floods in a specified direction, sweeping the enemy into its deluge.

    The annotator explained in the classic that if you attack the enemy directly, they may easily dodge using immortal steps; but if you use the sudden rush of the Heavenly River''s water to inundate them, causing them to roll helplessly underwater, losing their sense of direction, then it''s easy to decapitate them with a Flying Sword.

    What''s most commendable is that the consumption of True Yuan is only slightly more than that of the Three Arts and Five Spells.

    But Su Yunjin had been practicing for a long time and still couldn''t control her True Yuan output well. Using it a bit too much caused the diameter of the Jiaochong to be much larger than recorded in the classic, which actually reduced the impact force. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    She needed to train her control of True Yuan, Su Yunjin resolved firmly to herself.

    After inspecting Su Yunjin''s progress, Yan Yu went to practice with Lin Ning.

    As she now had no sword techniques at her disposal, Ningning couldn''t practice the basics alone and had to rely on Yan Yu to feed her moves.

    After sparring with Lin Ning to the point of exhaustion, Yan Yu put away the Huang Tingjian and then went to find Chen Lingyun and Zhao Yuanzhen.

    Zhao Yuanzhen didn''t need to worry; after all, her combat experience was there, and she was naturally more adept at fighting than others. As the concentration of environmental spiritual energy gradually increased, her strength was bound to return slowly.

    Chen Lingyun''s situation was more complicated. She was set on the path of controlling ghosts and had now obtained both the Soul Summoning Banner and the Heart Capturing Technique¡ªyet she lacked suitable spirits to refine and control.

    There were two ways to acquire ghosts:

    One was to improvise¡ªthe capture and killing of people, and after killing them, shaking the Soul Summoning Banner to absorb their living souls, offer sacrifices and torment them until they turned into ferocious and brutal evil spirits.

    But there were many problems with this approach. First, the concentration of ordinary human souls was insufficient for battle, making them easily perishable, and each death greatly weakened the soul force, requiring long-term nurturing within the Soul Summoning Banner; secondly, there was the issue of modern social perceptions.

    Even if she were to collect the souls of executed criminals, any exposure would still tarnish her reputation.

    The other method was to visit ancient battlefields and seek out long-dead yin soldiers and ghost warriors¡ªthe earlier they died, the more formidable the lingering ghost soldiers would be.

    Given the historical shifts in the population center of Lu Country, the most formidable ghost soldiers were mainly concentrated in the northern provinces of Xichuan and Sanjin, followed by Jibei, Central Plains, Jingbei, and Qilu provinces.

    However, these provinces were within the defense areas of other military forces; as for the Zhendong Military Defense Area''s jurisdiction over five provinces and one prefecture, what they had in abundance was not spirits, but monsters.

    Seeing Chen Lingyun staring at the Soul Summoning Banner for a long time without making sense of it, Yan Yu couldn''t help but say,

    "Stop looking. If it really comes to it, we can just take a trip to an ancient battlefield, see if we can find anything overlooked."

    "Find overlooked items?" Chen Lingyun asked with a gleeful smile, "Are there still unclaimed wandering spirits and lost ghosts in today''s ancient battlefields?"

    "There''s a high probability of none," Yan Yu answered frankly, "Famous ancient battlefields usually have their corresponding secret battle realms, and the powerful ghosts are in those realms."

    "Then why do you want me to look for overlooked items?" Chen Lingyun''s smile grew sweeter.

    "I just want to see the look of disappointment on your face when you run around and find nothing," Yan Yu replied with a smile.

 Chapter 6 Zhou Hongyus Team

    Although he mercilessly mocked Chen Lingyun, Yan Yu still took her matters to heart, and sent a message to Old Li specially:"If any ancient battlefield mysterious realm appears, like in Changping or Chibi for instance, try to help Zhendong Army secure a chance to fight as the visiting team."

    Nevertheless, such things are ultimately hit or miss.

    In Yan Yu''s past life memories, neither the pitfall mysterious realm of Changping nor the sunken ship mysterious realm of Chibi opened in the first year of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence.

    It would all come down to that worthless woman, Chen Lingyun''s own fortune.

    A few more days passed, and finally, news of a new mysterious realm was spread, but it was different from the past.

    "The entrance to the mysterious realm hasn''t been found yet?" In the principal''s office, Yan Yu frowned and asked, "It''s such a large entrance, surely it can''t be that hard to find."

    "Hmm," Li Weiguo said succinctly, "This mysterious realm seems very unstable, and the ghosts inside have escaped, creating significant resistance to the military''s search operations."

    "Resistance?" Yan Yu pondered, puzzled, "How troublesome can mere ghosts be to deal with?"

    "Let''s not discuss this topic right now." Seeing him getting poetic, Li Weiguo quickly interrupted, "The issue at hand is that the ghosts leaked out near Shuanggui Mountain, only a river away from the nearby Fengdu County, with even a straight-line distance of less than 1.5 kilometers."

    "The military has already sealed off the Yangtze River Second Bridge, but it''s said that water ghosts were spotted on the opposite riverbank, so it''s necessary to get control of the mysterious realm as soon as possible."

    "This time the home team is Pingxi Army''s Zhou Hongyu''s team, and you will be going as the visiting team to confront them. Chen Lingyun wants to take the Envoy route and lacks ghosts, right? I''ve secured the opportunity for you, this time you must win, no room for defeat, got it?" S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Haha, look at you," Yan Yu chuckled, "Me losing to Zhou Hongyu? You might as well tie my hands and blindfold me before I fight her."

    "Save the boasting for after you''ve won and returned!" Li Weiguo laughed and cursed, "Now scram!"

    Yan Yu leisurely left the principal''s office, gathered the girls together, and rushed towards the airport.

    Since he hadn''t added Zhou Hongyu as a friend, he couldn''t directly inquire for information from her, but Chen Lingyun lived up to her title as Princess Jiang Hai, with widespread connections; she still managed to get intel from the other side through some unknown channel.

    Once everyone was on the plane, the aircraft took off and was stably cruising, she pulled up the display screen and projector, and began to explain to everyone:

    "Zhou Hongyu''s team, based on the information we have, plays in a style that can be summed up in one word: reckless."

    "Team leader Zhou Hongyu, from Shuzhong Prefecture, Nanjiang Province, follows the path of explosive magic cultivation. At the end of July in the Kunlun Mountains of Xichuan Province, she acquired a secret technique called ''Primordial Sovereign''s True Mysterious Great Bright Fire'', which is said to have the power to burn mountains and boil seas."

    "''Burn mountains and boil seas'' is an exaggeration," Yan Yu interrupted, "Su Yunjin''s ''Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art'' also claims to create vast oceans! Given the current density of Spiritual Energy, it''s merely an industrial-grade high-pressure water gun, just a bit more powerful than a fire brigade''s hose."

    The girls all burst into laughter.

    "In short," Chen Lingyun continued with a smile, "Zhou Hongyu''s fighting style is characterized by bravery, with an incredibly fast pace. Last week, in a confrontation with Liu Longtao''s team, she actually started with a Great Bright Fire, immediately scattering the unprepared Dingbei Army team."

    "You don''t need to worry," Yan Yu added, "Facing Zhou Hongyu alone would indeed be troublesome, but we are a team. You won''t be left to fight alone."

    "Next up, Vice-Captain Zhang Huaide," Chen Lingyun paused for a moment, then said, "from Chang''an Prefecture in Xichuan Province, he''s following the path of a Sword Immortal. But the focus isn''t on him being a Sword Immortal, but rather that he''s taken the role of the operational core of this combat team."

    "Isn''t it always the vice-captain''s job to command?" Su Yunjin asked, puzzled.

    "That''s right, but he is the core," Chen Lingyun explained casually, "Usually, the captain sets the overall strategy and the vice-captain is responsible for working out the details. However, the problem with Zhou Hongyu''s team is that the captain... to use someone''s words, is just a mace dressed up as a wolf''s tooth club."

    The girls once again giggled uncontrollably.

    "Expecting Zhou Hongyu to interfere with tactics is absolutely impossible, so Zhang Huaide is in charge of formulating, refining, and executing the tactics. Don''t think of him as a Sword Immortal, but as the command hub of the enemy," Chen Lingyun said indifferently.

    "When necessary, cut it off," Yan Yu made a slashing gesture, "As long as we force Zhang Huaide out, the other side has no substitute for command. Zhou Hongyu is absolutely unreliable in this aspect."

    "The third, Qin Meng," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "from Qin State Prefecture in Longyou Province, following the Sword Immortal path, but he chose the less common physical cultivation school. Currently, he''s practicing the ''Dragon Elephant Nirvana Divine Skill,'' so this guy has two methods of attack: his Flying Sword and his own body.

    You can think of him as an enhanced version of Jiang Hong, similarly responsible for tactical assaults, breaking through, and slicing up the enemy''s formation."

    "Don''t mention Jiang Hong," Yan Yu shook his head, "Jiang Hong didn''t exert his real strength last time. But speaking of assault specialists, both Zhou Hongyu and Qin Meng are capable of breaking through formations, which is something we need to pay attention to."

    Lin Ning listened with extra seriousness because she was also an assault specialist in her team, and, naturally, she cared about the strength of other teams'' assault specialists.

    "Fourth, Tang Xiaolian," Chen Lingyun continued, "from Sangchuan Prefecture in Nanjiang Province, taking the path of a Cultivator Envoy, using insects."

    "Eek!" The girls all showed expressions of disgust.

    "Quite fits the regional stereotype, doesn''t it?" Chen Lingyun said with a slight smile, "In the battle with the Dingbei Army, Tang Xiaolian used a Gu technique called ''Peach Blossom Miasma,'' which takes the form of pink smoke, five meters long and two meters wide, that moves slowly.

    Skin contact causes redness and intense itching, and the Gu insects quickly burrow into the body, blocking the meridians, so the wound must be treated with Runescript straight away to extract the Gu insects, or else you''ll lose your fighting ability."

    "You even got the area of the spell?" Yan Yu exclaimed in surprise, "Chen Lingyun, how reliable is this intelligence? Don''t have us go into battle only to find that Tang Xiaolian throws out a ''Peach Blossom Miasma'' hundreds of meters across, enveloping us all."

    "I have my sources," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "If you''re worried, treat it as if it''s a few hundred meters. After the fight starts, just retreat a hundred meters, and you won''t have to worry."

    The girls nearly burst out laughing together.

    "Last is Meng Qingxi," Chen Lingyun finally said, "from Ninghai Prefecture in Hehuang Province, likely following the Assistant Officer path, but it''s unknown which magical artifact he uses. In his previous battle with the Dingbei Army, he only used the Three Arts and Five Spells."

    "So, who won their last fight with the Dingbei Army?" Yan Yu asked.

    "The Dingbei Army," Chen Lingyun replied, "Liu Longtao defeated Zhang Huaide early and made him retreat. The Pingxi Army lost their only commander and were defeated by the Dingbei Army one by one, even forcibly exchanging three of their men before they were defeated."

    "I see," Yan Yu sighed, "If only we had a recording to watch."

    "We will have that from now on," Lou Ping, the leader of the Zhendong Army medical team, came out from the machine compartment and reminded them, "The day before yesterday, the Central Privy Council issued a document stating that, to promote internal technical and tactical discussions, all subsequent Mysterious Realm simulation confrontations will be recorded by our military medical logistics team using drones.

    The files will be centrally archived and available for other teams to borrow and review."

    "Oh, that''s great," Yan Yu said impassively.

    Was this whole combat team confrontation being recorded to facilitate teams learning from each other, or for the imperial Privy Council to grasp the strengths of all major teams, or even to study their weaknesses behind the scenes?

    It didn''t matter. My style is out in the open, there are no secrets. Go ahead and study it at your leisure!

 Chapter 7 Have a Hot Pot

    After arriving at Yuzhou Prefecture Airport, it was already evening.Considering the amplification of ghastly beings'' powers at night, the military didn''t dare to let the two teams tackle the Mysterious Realm overnight and arranged for them to stay in Yuzhou Prefecture.

    As soon as Yan Yu and the others got off the plane, Chen Lingyun held up her phone and suddenly said,

    "Zhang Huaide has invited us to dinner in the name of the team, what do you think?"

    "Since when did you get in touch with Zhang Huaide?" Yan Yu glanced at her sideways.

    "Jealous?" Chen Lingyun asked with a sweet smile.

    "Wishful thinking." Zhao Yuanzhen snorted coldly beside them.

    Yan Yu was not moved in the slightest but made a gesture at Lin Ning.

    Lin Ning quickly leaned in and took a glance at Chen Lingyun''s phone, explaining,

    "The four deputy team leaders have created a group." Continue reading at empire

    "Let''s go eat," Yan Yu said without hesitation, "We''re all Cultivators, why not have a meal together? Tell Zhang Huaide that we''re all from the coast and can''t take spicy food, ask them to pick a non-spicy restaurant."

    After Chen Lingyun typed for a while, she smiled and asked,

    "He asked if mild spice is okay?"

    Yan Yu pondered.

    The interpretation of "mild spice" might differ somewhat from region to region, especially for people from Sichuan and Chongqing.

    Considering his deep friendship with Zhou Hongyu, as well as the high regard the whole team had for Zhou Hongyu, this "mild spice" could very well be a linguistic trap... However, based on past experiences, Zhang Huaide seemed to be quite a decent person, unlikely to join Tang Xiaolian and the others in playing pranks.

    "Alright then," Yan Yu said.

    "Then, can we go take photos in Hongya Cave after dinner?" Zhao Yuanzhen eagerly asked.

    "Take photos?" Yan Yu''s face immediately turned stern, "We are here on a business trip to carry out a mission! Not to let you check in at popular internet spots and take photos for social media! Each one of you is an active Cultivator, can''t you be a bit more serious?"

    "You''re right," Chen Lingyun said with a leisurely laugh, "but it''s dictatorship during war, democracy after the war..."

    "All those in favor of taking photos, raise your hands!" Lin Ning shouted.

    The four girls raised their hands one after another.

    Yan Yu scratched his head in resignation. Of course, he could use his authority as the team leader to deny the girls'' plans, but the cost would be a plummet in team morale... Clearly, it wasn''t worth it.

    "Forget it," he decided to temporarily concede, "then go by yourselves."

    "We wouldn''t beg the team leader to come anyway," Lin Ning joked with him, "When the beautiful girls are out, there''s no place for a big guy like you."

    Yan Yu snorted. Even if you begged me, I wouldn''t go! S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "But Yan Yu is really good at taking photos," Chen Lingyun suddenly said, taking out her phone with a smile.

    Her eyes curved as she smiled, obviously starting to make trouble, and Yan Yu had a foreboding feeling in his heart.

    "Really?" Su Yunjin went over curiously to look, and exclaimed in astonishment.

    So Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen also gathered around, and after the girls had looked for a while, they suddenly looked up at Yan Yu in unison.

    Seeing the situation was not good, Yan Yu started to retreat slowly, saying,

    "I just took them casually, it won''t be that good if I try again, and pretty much anyone who takes them will do..."

    Damn it, I''m supposed to be the strongest in this world!

    He suddenly turned and ran, with the girls'' shouts following behind him:

    "Don''t run!"

    "Team leader, stop right there!"

    "Ningning, hurry up and catch him!"

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Since the airport was a public place, and Shifting Technique couldn''t be used, Yan Yu eventually was outnumbered and overpowered, caught by his teammates in a junior overriding senior officer situation, and was subsequently escorted onto a taxi.

    Chen Lingyun sat alone in the front seat, while Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen sandwiched Yan Yu into the back seat, one in front and one behind.

    Su Yunjin followed behind, and the four of them squeezed the back of the taxi full.

    The taxi driver glanced in the rearview mirror at the one man and three women and revealed an expression that said, "Is that all? I''ve seen bigger scenes than this," before silently driving off.

    Yan Yu, however, had his own troubles that he couldn''t express. Due to the summer heat, everyone was dressed in cool clothing, and the back seat of the taxi wasn''t very spacious. Three people could squeeze in with some effort, but with four people sitting side by side, it was just a mass of flesh pressing against flesh.

    It disturbs my focus, how annoying!

    He struggled to take out his mobile phone and messaged Lin Ning:

    "Don''t put your leg on mine, it''s heavy."

    Lin Ning''s face immediately turned red, but Su Yunjin on her right had already been squeezed to the point of discomfort and definitely couldn''t move further in that direction, so she decisively replied with a message.

    [Ningning]: Then move your leg to the left a bit, or else I have no place to put mine.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Can''t do. Your Sister Zhao''s chubby leg is on the left.

    Zhao Yuanzhen''s leg wasn''t actually chubby, but her figure was indeed the most voluptuous among the four girls, so she naturally took up the most space.

    Lin Ning sneaked a glance and found that it was as Yan Yu had said; there was indeed no space left on that side, so she could only sigh and continue messaging.

    [Ningning]: There''s also no space on my side, bear with it for now, we''ll be there soon.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You should consider losing some weight.

    The hand Lin Ning held her phone with instantly tensed up.

    She switched her phone to her left hand, and with her right hand stealthily reached behind and pinched the flesh at Yan Yu''s waist.

    [Ningning]: I''ll give you an opportunity to retract your message.

    [Yi De Fu Ren has retracted a message]

    Lin Ning smugly retracted her right hand, unaware that Su Yunjin beside her had quietly witnessed her little maneuver.

    She silently turned her head and gazed out of the window.

    When the taxi finally arrived at its destination, the four in the back rushed out one after another, breathing in the fresh air deeply.

    "What happened to you all?" asked Chen Lingyun, feigning ignorance.

    "Chen Lingyun, you''re so cunning!" Lin Ning wrapped her arms around her neck from behind, a look of misery on her face as she complained, "We were almost squashed to death in the back."

    "Actually, the front seat could fit two people," Yan Yu chimed in. "Letting Chen Lingyun sit on someone''s lap would have worked. With her height, even if caught by a camera, would be mistaken for a child."

    "A child can''t share a seat with an adult either!" Lin Ning immediately retorted, and then quickly realized her mistake, "I''m sorry, Ling Yun, I didn''t mean to call you a child... It''s all the captain''s fault!"

    "Where is the hotpot restaurant?" Zhao Yuanzhen looked around.

    "Over there, I think." Su Yunjin pointed the way. "Is that the sign?"

    The restaurant Zhang Huaide had chosen specialized in eel and was a famous local hotpot place in Yuzhou Prefecture.

    The restaurant was only on the second floor, and one had to walk up the metal staircase to get there. The hygiene was not worth mentioning; what mattered was the lively atmosphere of the marketplace.

    As the group made their way to the second floor and entered the room, they saw Zhou Hongyu and others occupying half of a large table, which was already full of various dishes, the hotpot bubbling merrily away.

    A yin-yang hotpot with red and white broths? They didn''t set a trap for me?

    Yan Yu carelessly pulled up a chair next to Zhou Hongyu and said with a laugh:

    "Xiao Zhou, long time no see."

    Tang Xiaolian, Qin Meng, Zhang Huaide, and Meng Qingxi, sitting to the left of Zhou Hongyu, immediately felt a sense of foreboding.

    They knew all too well the fiery temper of their captain.

    It was said Zhou Hongyu had a fierce temper since junior high, once beating a classmate so badly they ended up in the hospital, and in high school, she went to a martial arts school, still claiming the throne of the school boss with a temper famously "flammable and explosive."

    Yan Yu not only lacked any friendship with her but also had a pretty substantial past grievance. Yet here he was, sitting right beside her and calling her "Xiao Zhou"... Did he tire of living?

    If Zhou Hongyu suddenly stood up the next second, grabbed the hotpot, and dumped it on Yan Yu''s head, no one would find it strange.

    However, contrary to the team members'' expectations, Zhou Hongyu did not explode on the spot, but coldly stated:

    "Sit here by me, you eat from the spicy side."

    Tang Xiaolian took a closer look and inwardly cheered. Because although they ordered a yin-yang hotpot, the spicy side was indeed right in front of Zhou Hongyu.

    Spice-intolerant men, quickly roll away from the captain! Far away!

    "Haha, no worries," Yan Yu said with a relaxed smile, casually picking up the shared chopsticks from the table and placing them on his own bowl.

    "I''ve got long arms."

 Chapter 8 Dragon Gate Formation

    ```After everyone took their seats, the seating arrangement was as follows:

    Meng Qingxi, Zhang Huaide, Qin Meng, Tang Xiaolian, Zhou Hongyu, Yan Yu, Zhao Yuanzhen, Lin Ning, Chen Lingyun, and Su Yunjin.

    The spicy hot pot was situated right in front of Zhou Hongyu, who, true to her name, clearly had no intention of touching the clear broth pot.

    Yan Yu picked up the communal chopsticks and dipped a duck intestine into the spicy pot. After it was cooked, he tasted it.

    Yep, it was extremely spicy.

    But that was only to be expected. With a divided pot, those who couldn''t handle spice would stick to the clear broth, while the spicy side had to satisfy the chili-lovers with as much heat as they desired.

    "Let''s eat, everyone, eat up," Zhang Huaide said with a smile, seeing Yan Yu begin to eat. "Let''s dig in and drink up, ha!"

    By now, everyone was hungry, and since it was a group of young people without too many formalities, they all reached out for the food with their chopsticks.

    Immediately after, Yan Yu felt like he was "caught between two mother bears."

    "Bear" didn''t describe their size, but their wild way of eating. Zhao Yuanzhen didn''t need to be mentioned: In her previous life, she was merciless and unscrupulous in killing, and now she handled her chopsticks with the same fearlessness. First sampling every dish on the table to test the flavors, she then began zeroing in on her favorite, the eel.

    The eel was sliced into segments, its blood a deep red, thick like syrup. To girls like Lin Ning and Su Yunjin, they couldn''t help but turn away with a frown of discomfort, but Zhao Yuanzhen wasn''t the least bit disgusted. She scooped up the plate with a whoosh and poured it into the hot pot.

    Zhou Hongyu, though quiet, ate vigorously. She firmly clamped her food with her chopsticks, submerged it in the spicy broth to cook, and upon retrieving it, rolled it in a dish of chili powder until it was coated with a fiery red cloak, before bringing it to her mouth¡ªYan Yu felt spicy just watching her.

    With these two formidable women setting the pace, the men at the table no longer held back and began to really enjoy their food.

    "Come on, pour the drinks," Zhang Huaide tapped the table, and Qin Meng immediately came over to fill his glass. "Us men will drink, but the ladies can do as they please, ha."

    After hearing this, Lin Ning opened the large bottle of soy milk on the table and filled the glasses for the girls nearby.

    "Is Zhou Hongyu still drinking?" Tang Xiaolian asked to confirm.

    "Mm," Zhou Hongyu replied coolly, her gaze shifting toward Yan Yu''s glass.

    "Then I''ll have a drink too," Yan Yu said.

    The beer was low in alcohol content because they would be facing the Mysterious Realm the next day, and nobody wanted the scandal of someone showing up hungover. Just the thought of upper management inquiring into the matter was enough to know it would be a major hassle.

    Everyone toasted and drank together, and the atmosphere grew much warmer.

    "Captain Yan," Zhang Huaide stood up, speaking with enthusiasm, "this is our first meeting, so here''s a toast to you. I heard that the captain sparred with you before; I hope you won''t hesitate to instruct me tomorrow so I can learn from you."

    While there was a hint of "seeking revenge for past grievances", he didn''t show a trace of hostility. Yan Yu, amused, clinked glasses with him:

    "Sure, what do you want to learn?"

    "Of course, your triple-speed lightning assault," Zhang Huaide said, complimenting him.

    "Ah, there''s nothing much to learn there," Yan Yu waved his finger dismissively, looking pleased with himself. "Aren''t you the deputy captain in charge of commanding? How about I teach you some tactical planning instead, how''s that?"

    "That works too," Zhang Huaide smiled unabatedly, finishing the drink in his glass and subtly watching Yan Yu''s expression.

    It was hard to read... Completely different from the captain.

    "Deputy Captain Chen Lingyun," Tang Xiaolian also stood up, smiling sweetly, "we''re both envoys in the team, how about I toast to you?"

    "Sure," Chen Lingyun stood up in response.

    These two girls were sitting right across from each other, and neither was very tall, creating a somewhat comical situation where they had to stretch their arms to clink glasses.

    "Speaking of tomorrow''s Mysterious Realm..." Tang Xiaolian was about to speak when she suddenly heard Yan Yu say:

    "Alright, alright, this isn''t a private room. We don''t discuss official matters in public places, ha."

    Zhang Huaide subtly shook his head. Seeing this, Tang Xiaolian could only laugh and sit back down.

    The subsequent toasting proceeded much more harmoniously, with everyone chatting about life''s amusements and trending topics online, steering clear of any forbidden sensitive content.

    "By the way," Tang Xiaolian toasted Yan Yu and then asked with a hint of mischief, her gaze roaming over the four girls opposite, "Is Captain Yan single right now, or do you already have a girlfriend?"

    The question was tricky to answer. If he lied and said he had one, it would be like blowing one''s own trumpet, inciting ridicule; but if he told the truth that he didn''t, this young lady''s next question would be: Why not? Aren''t there many beautiful girls in the team? Don''t you like any of them?

    It was a trap, much like when Chen Lingyun had asked Ye Jun.

    Naturally, Yan Yu wouldn''t fall for it. He laughed:

    "Why, are you planning to set me up with someone?"

    ```

    Tang Xiaolian was momentarily stunned, only to hear Qin Meng suddenly chuckle beside her and say with a napkin to his mouth:

    "Matchmaking... she''s still a single from the womb till now."

    "Sure," Tang Xiaolian, annoyed with her foolish teammate, maintained a generous demeanor and asked, "What type of person does Captain Yan like?" Your journey continues at empire

    At this point, not only the girls from the Pingxi Army were all ears, but even Zhao Yuanzhen, who had been eating nonstop, put down her chopsticks and stopped eating, on high alert.

    Right, what was that line the crow guy said in the movie before flipping the table when facing a situation like this?

    Her hands secretly supported the underside of the table, ready to flip it at any moment, but then she heard Yan Yu say in distress:

    "You''ve got me there. I can''t think of any girl who would truly be worthy of me. Alas¡ªsometimes being too outstanding can also be a troubling matter. Enough of this, I''ll finish this drink, and you do as you please."

    He drained the glass in one go and then continued to pour and drink by himself, his face full of endless wistfulness and world-weariness.

    The expression on Tang Xiaolian''s face froze, as Yan Yu''s response was so out of her depth that she didn''t know how to respond at that moment.

    The atmosphere at the dining table suddenly cooled, and Zhou Hongyu slowly turned her head and looked at Yan Yu blankly.

    Her beautiful and heroic face, which had always been covered in layers of unmelting frost, now finally softened and shattered, revealing utter disbelief and amazement beneath.

    ...How in the world did I lose to you, this blind and foolish nobody?

    Remembering the last time she was defeated and humiliated, she suddenly lost her appetite. She threw her chopsticks down onto the edge of the bowl and began to drink cup after cup. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu and Zhou Hongyu, each absorbed in their drinking, looked like a couple who had just broken up, leading everyone to suddenly feel they "kinda matched."

    Then they shuddered and quickly discarded the thought: Matched my ass!

    The girls from the Zhendong Army were thinking that if someone proposed matching Zhou Hongyu with Yan Yu, their captain would certainly sneer, "She''s worthy?" Meanwhile, the Pingxi side thought that if Yan Yu were to be matched with Zhou Hongyu, she would stand up with her sword and chop the matchmaker into tripe.

    "Captain, why are you drinking sullenly on your own?" To break the awkward air, Qin Meng quickly spoke up, "Let me drink with you."

    "No more drinking." Zhou Hongyu put down her cup; this low-proof alcohol tasted like water and was flavorless, and she''d rather have some more food.

    She turned to call the waitress, "Miss, please bring us another plate of eel."

    "You''ve got a good appetite." Seeing Zhou Hongyu start eating again, Yan Yu also put down his cup and smiled, saying.

    "I advise you to eat more too," Zhou Hongyu said indifferently, staring at the hotpot, "because when you lose tomorrow, I''m afraid you won''t have such a good appetite."

    "Haha." Yan Yu was not offended; he just raised his glass to her and said, "If that day really comes, I will only be happy for you and even more ravenous."

    "Boring." Zhou Hongyu ignored his toast and just stared at the hotpot in silence, then suddenly put down her chopsticks, stood up, and said, "Set up a whole array, didn''t get a bit of intelligence, I''m leaving."

    Seeing the captain taking the lead to leave, the rest of the team also got up, bidding farewell to the Zhendong Army:

    "We''re off then."

    "Enjoy your meal."

    "See you on tomorrow''s mission."

    Regardless of the attitude towards Yan Yu, everyone still had a pretty good impression of the four beautiful girls, so there was no need to put on a nasty face and play the villain at the moment.

    At the counter, Zhou Hongyu glanced to the side, and vice-captain Zhang Huaide conscientiously went to pay the bill.

    Meng Qingxi, who had been silent the whole time, finally couldn''t help but say:

    "I haven''t eaten enough..."

    "Stop whining; we''ll go eat at another stall," Zhou Hongyu said nonchalantly.

    "Okay, okay, okay." Tang Xiaolian immediately brightened up, hugging Zhou Hongyu''s arm, "Hongyu sister, let''s go have a meal by ourselves, not with them!"

    On the other side, Yan Yu calmly continued to add food into the pot and then looked at the silent girls around him, asking:

    "Shall we finish the remaining food before we go?"

    "Hmm." Lin Ning sounded somewhat listless.

    "What''s the matter, tired?" asked Yan Yu in surprise, "Don''t want to go to Hongya Cave for pictures? All right then, we''ll head back to the hotel after we''re done..."

    "We do want to take photos!" The mention of sightseeing and taking pictures revitalized the girls, who began to compete eagerly for food.

 Chapter 9 Joint Opening

    The next morning.Yan Yu was woken up by the alarm clock, got dressed, and went to the bathroom to wash up.

    From outside came Lin Ning''s voice, faintly audible saying, "I''ll go call him."

    Yan Yu immediately stood by the door with toothbrush in mouth, waiting for the first knock to sound, and swiftly pulled the door open.

    Lin Ning, not having enough time to knock a second time, was startled on the spot.

    Regaining her composure and realizing it was the captain''s prank, she kicked him gently¡ª but the kick wasn''t hard, just a tap with the tip of her shoe, conveying more the message that she was not to be trifled with.

    "Why did you kick me?" Yan Yu was bewildered.

    "Because you hid behind the door on purpose to scare me," Lin Ning said huffily.

    "So, you were scared?" Yan Yu raised an eyebrow.

    "No!" Lin Ning said defiantly, "Hurry up and come out to have breakfast, everyone is waiting for you!"

    She stamped her foot and ran off.

    Yan Yu closed the door and went back to the bathroom to continue brushing his teeth.

    Time truly flies. The day he met everyone at the school seemed like yesterday, but when he really thought about it, it had been over three months.

    Now, unlike in his previous life, he had Zhao Yuanzhen as his cultivation partner, Lin Ning, who was serious and often made sarcastic comments, and Su Yunjin, who was gentle, reserved, and silently worked hard. He really didn''t have to hang all his hopes on Chen Lingyun alone.

    Just that the future was bound to be tumultuous, and for the time being, Yan Yu also didn''t have the time to seriously pursue romance with a girl.

    Forget it, let nature take its course.

    After breakfast, they all took a car to Fengdu County.

    "Speaking of which," Su Yunjin holding a book, suddenly spoke up, "It''s actually a misconception that the Ghost City is in Fengdu. The Ghost City called Fengdu and this place called Fengdu are two unrelated, independently existing matters."

    "This just proves a point," Chen Lingyun said meaningfully, "If a lie is told often enough and believed by enough people, it ultimately becomes the truth."

    "No way?" Lin Ning asked puzzled, "How can a lie become the truth just by being told repeatedly?"

    "This Fengdu is not that Fengdu, but say it enough times, and the Ghost City Fengdu seems to appear right here~" Chen Lingyun said with an evasive smile.

    "The Luofeng Mountain recorded in history should be located in the far north," Su Yunjin added, "On this point, I agree with Ling Yun. The type and manifestation location of a mysterious realm are likely related to the local folklore and the subjective perceptions of the people here, rather than being an objectively immutable presence."

    Lin Ning furrowed her brows, still feeling a bit confused. In her understanding, the mysterious realm should have been hidden here all along, only to suddenly appear at some point.

    "Hold on," Yan Yu suddenly interjected, "We are here."

    The girls looked outside the car window, only to see the cordoned-off bridge crossing the river ahead, while the mountain across the bridge was enveloped in black mist, barely revealing the silhouette of the mountains.

    Zhou Hongyu and others had already arrived at the bridgehead and were currently standing on the shore looking across.

    "Are there many ghosts?" Yan Yu asked Zhou Hongyu, gazing toward the other shore.

    Zhou Hongyu didn''t look at him, while Zhang Huaide explained:

    "Water ghosts have already entered the water. If we can''t control the mysterious realm quickly, I''m afraid this shipping lane will also have to be closed off soon."

    "Alright then," Yan Yu nodded, "let''s not delay any further and get going... it''s your home turf this time, do you go first?"

    "Let''s go together," Zhang Huaide said with a smile, "There are many ghostly creatures on the way. We''ll cooperate and clear them out as we go, and once we find the entrance to the mysterious realm, we will enter first." Discover exclusive tales on empire

    Chen Lingyun smiled to herself, thinking that Deputy Captain Zhang was really not willing to miss out on any advantage.

    If the Pingxi Army chose to lead the way, they would deplete more True Yuan than the followers and would reveal many subtleties of their combat style to the Zhendong Army trailing behind. But if both teams went together, these concerns wouldn''t exist.

    Taking into account the probing at last night''s dinner, it was clear that Deputy Captain Zhang Huaide had a tactical style that favored collecting intelligence and precise calculation.

    "Alright," Yan Yu didn''t fuss over the details and nodded, "Ling Yun, you''ll command."

    "Okay~" Chen Lingyun said cheerfully, "Ningning, lead the way, Sister Zhao, please support. Yan Yu, stay at the back to ensure safety for me and Yun Jin."

    Zhang Huaide, listening from the side, realized that his plan to observe the opposing team''s tactical style under the guise of "jointly clearing the way" was unlikely to be successful.

    Because, among the members of Yan Yu''s Team currently, Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin were the least understood.

    Chen Lingyun was going down the path of an Envoy, but her Servant Envoy was a complete unknown. What use was the banner she was holding? Unknown.

    Su Yunjin had chosen a spell-casting profession, but what Taoism Method did she possess? Also unknown.

    In the last confrontation with Li Zhaojiang''s Team, neither of these two had used their treasures or spells, so there was a total lack of intelligence in this aspect.

    Now that Chen Lingyun has openly stated, "Let Yan Yu protect me and Yun Jin''s safety," it means that they don''t plan on taking any action before entering the Mysterious Realm.

    "Let''s go." Just as Zhang Huaide was deep in thought, he heard Zhou Hongyu say from behind, "Ultimately, it all comes down to strength."

    "That''s true." Zhang Huaide said with a relieved smile, "It all comes down to strength."

    "Qin Meng, team up with Lin Ning to lead the way, with Little Tang supporting from the side. Captain, you stay at the rear to cover our backs."

    "Mhm." Zhou Hongyu responded indifferently.

    The group quickly passed through the military defense line and began charging toward the bridge on the other side.

    Lin Ning and Qin Meng killed side by side at the forefront, with Zhao Yuanzhen and Tang Xiaolian covering the flanks, while the rest fell to the back, enclosing the Zhendong and Pingxi armies'' medical teams in the middle for protection, with Yan Yu and Zhou Hongyu as the core forces of the security team.

    Before even crossing half the bridge, the visibility around them had severely decreased. The obstruction of light was not caused by mist made up of tiny droplets, but according to instrument detections, it seemed to be some kind of electromagnetic field that affected light... Yan Yu heard "shasha" white noise in his earpiece, but fortunately, communication did not seem to be cut off.

    The medical team took out their equipment and launched reconnaissance drones into the sky. These drones were equipped with highly sensitive thermal imagers, capable of breaking through the surface environment''s dark fog and capturing clear images of distant scenes.

    The red and yellow heat sources, naturally, were the team''s members, while those ghostly creatures in the distance showed up as black silhouettes in the imagers¡ªmeaning that they were the complete opposite of humans, even absorbing the heat radiation from the environment.

    Lin Ning, using her Shifting Technique, sprinted ahead, with the heavy Green Bamboo Sword resting against her back, providing her with a subtle sense of security.

    The next adversaries would be the ghostly creatures. Saying I''m not scared would definitely be a lie.

    But I''m not the same as I used to be¡ªCaptain trained me well!

    Hah! Demons, face my sword!

    A figure emerged from the dark fog ahead. Before Qin Meng could react, Lin Ning had already cast a Sword Technique.

    The Green Bamboo Sword became a gleam of green light, piercing through the figure in an instant.

    Qin Meng watched with a slightly furrowed brow, thinking how quick Lin Ning''s reflexes were!

    The opponent''s body fell forward to the ground, motionless as if it were dead. When the group reached nearby, they saw the deceased ghost, looking like an emaciated person with gray-green, sharply contoured skin, as if carved from wood or stone.

    "How is it?" Chen Lingyun suddenly asked.

    Yan Yu knew what she meant; she was asking if this creature was worth collecting into my Soul Summoning Banner. After pondering briefly, he responded in a low voice:

    "This is a ''Wraith,'' a ghost from the mountains, with decent defensive strength, but that''s about it."

    "Hmm~" Chen Lingyun got his implication in a flash: Just high defense, without the value of cultivation. As a cultivator playing with ghost creatures, one should nurture those with special abilities.

    The group finally crossed the grand bridge over the river and reached the opposite bank.

    Due to the traffic blockade, the road on this side was also empty, with only the occasional bursts of cold wind and the blurry, indistinct human-shaped silhouettes in the distance.

    Qin Meng thought it was his turn to act, about to charge forward at high speed and show off a display of a body-cultivating man tearing apart ghosts, only to see Lin Ning silently accelerating her Sword Technique, urging the Green Bamboo Sword to become a stream of green light, one, two, three times, knocking down all the human-shaped silhouettes.

    Qin Meng: .........

    Zhang Huaide observed silently from the back, feeling that Lin Ning''s swordsmanship was truly formidable, not inferior even compared to the strong swordsmen in the Dingbei Army.

    Although Zhou Hongyu''s team had two sword immortals, neither followed the mainstream path of sword immortals. Qin Meng was a Body Cultivating Cultivator, preferring to wield his sword for hacking over Sword Control; Deputy Captain Zhang had much to do and would not usually serve as the main output, more often cooperating with Zhou Hongyu''s Taoism Method for precision strikes.

    That is to say, his own ability in the Sword Control Technique sufficed for finishing moves usually, but if he were to confront a professional sword immortal like Lin Ning in a ranged swordplay offense and defense... he would be inadequate, having suffered in this respect during a previous clash with the Dingbei Army.

    Once the battle in the Mysterious Realm started, a way to restrict Lin Ning''s long-range swordplay was essential; he could not afford to repeat the previous defeat.

    Zhang Huaide quickly made a decision and turned back to whisper to Zhou Hongyu:

    "Plan C."

    Zhou Hongyu silently nodded, aware that Yan Yu was her arch-nemesis and deeply cognizant of his unpredictable and formidable strength. Hence, no amount of caution was excessive before battle. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    On the right side of Pingxi Army''s team, Chen Lingyun also watched the battle ahead closely, silently calculating in her mind.

    Compared to Qin Meng, the body cultivator, Lin Ning, the authentic sword immortal, fully exploited her advantage in reach¡ªjust look at Qin Meng unable to snatch a single monster.

    If things continued this way, by the time they reached the entrance of the Mysterious Realm, Qin Meng''s True Yuan would barely be depleted, and his skill level would remain unproven, while Lin Ning''s capabilities would have been thoroughly exposed to the other side.

    She looked at Yan Yu expressionlessly.

    The glance was quite ambiguous, yet Yan Yu still guessed what she was thinking and said softly:

    "Let Lin Ning perform well."

    Let her perform well? What does that mean?

    Chen Lingyun''s mind raced, quickly arriving at an answer.

 Chapter 10 Limiting Lin Ning

    The Shuanggui Mountain scenic area was not large, but being shrouded in ghostly mists and howling winds gave it a feeling of unfathomable depth, an endless expanse.The tourist square in front of the mountain gate was deserted. The main entrance was a small archway, with the ticket office right beside it.

    Lin Ning and Qin Meng halted simultaneously, uncertain whether to continue exploring northward or head into the mountains to the northeast.

    Suddenly, a low growl was heard!

    Qin Meng instinctively activated the Divine Elephant Technique. This method was a "best of both worlds" defensive and offensive maneuver in the path of bodily cultivation, combining the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse and the Wood Bending Charm, endowing him with boundless strength and immunity to swords and spears.

    His muscles swiftly swelled, his bones crackling and stretching, and in an instant, he shot up to two meters tall, his T-shirt transforming into a tight tank top.

    With the Divine Elephant Technique fortifying him, his body was as tough as steel, fearless of attacks from any direction!

    However, the attacker''s target was not him but rather the much slighter¡ªframe Lin Ning at his side¡ªonly to see Lin Ning advancing instead of retreating, her Flying Sword turning into a streak of blue light, slashing upward diagonally, clang!

    The incoming object was cleaved in two, falling to the ground with a thud, and only then did the pair clearly see it was a bone shard.

    The bone had the curvature of a rib but its tip had been sharpened into a lethal spike; should a cultivator fail to activate their Barrier Charm and be struck by it, they would be impaled on the spot.

    Lin Ning was belatedly aware and still shaken, her heart pounding with residual fear.

    In truth, she had not seen what was flying towards her, but having been thrashed hundreds of times by Yan Yu with the Sword Control Technique, she had long cultivated a habit of striking without thinking¡ªanything crossing her field of vision was immediately met with a counterattack, any hesitation would result in being pummeled to the ground by the Huang Ting Sword.

    This forcibly trained "eye-hand coordination" muscle memory actually saved her today!

    Zhao Yuanzhen caught up from the side and exclaimed in surprise:

    "Dao Lao Ghost?"

    "Yes, Dao Lao Ghost," Yan Yu said through the communication channel. "Its bone needles are poisonous. It''s vulnerable up close."

    No sooner had the voice faded than Lin Ning had already activated the Shifting Technique, charging towards the specter at the mountain gate.

    Qin Meng did not linger either, immediately following behind Lin Ning and charging forward.

    Tang Xiaolian hesitated for a moment before saying to Zhao Yuanzhen beside her:

    "There seem to be ghosts to the northwest as well. I''m afraid this is a diversionary tactic. It would be better if we stayed here..." S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Before she could finish, Zhao Yuanzhen ignored her and followed Lin Ning toward the mountain gate.

    Angered, Tang Xiaolian stomped her foot and, seeing the others quickly approaching from behind, she could only rush to keep up.

    When the others arrived at the tourist square, Chen Lingyun looked towards the mountain gate where a battle was already raging.

    "Dao Lao Ghost?" she asked quietly.

    "Nothing but a Peashooter," Yan Yu replied.

    Chen Lingyun immediately understood¡ªjust a long-range weakling, huh? Not worth my effort to subdue and nurture.

    By the time everyone reached the mountain gate, the battle there was nearly over.

    Many wraith corpses lay on the ground, their emaciated bodies like mountain rocks and their skin a greenish-gray color; lying still on the mountain, they could indeed be easily camouflaged.

    Not far away, Qin Meng pinned a Dao Lao Ghost against the rock wall, breaking its bones with a few punches. Its body hung limply, clearly dead.

    Beside him, Lin Ning pinched her sword technique, nailing the last Dao Lao Ghost to a tree trunk with a burst of blue light.

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Tang Xiaolian were just a few steps slower and did not even manage to claim a single monster before the two efficiently slaughtered them all.

    Zhang Huaide swept over the scene unobtrusively, noting that the number of wraiths cut by sharp weapons far exceeded those killed by blunt force.

    Clearly, Lin Ning''s Sword Control Technique''s lethality was on par with Qin Meng''s fist strength, but the advantage of attack range was fully exploited.

    "Seeing there are so many specters here," Yan Yu pondered, "perhaps the entrance to the Mysterious Realm is on the mountain. Xiao Zhou, what do you think?"

    Zhou Hongyu didn''t speak but turned to look at Zhang Huaide.

    "Yes," Zhang Huaide smiled, "let''s head up the mountain steps. If we encounter more and more ghosts, it means we''re heading in the right direction."

    "We should pick up the pace," Yan Yu nodded calmly. "Otherwise, I''m worried her True Yuan might not suffice if this continues."

    Seeing his plan had been seen through, Zhang Huaide deftly went with the flow and commanded through the communication channel:

    "Alright. Qin Meng, come back, I''ll take your place."

    Qin Meng reluctantly returned, complaining:

    "It''s not that we can''t beat them, it''s that we can''t beat them to the punch. Just saw a ghost, and the next second, she''d dealt with it."

    "It''s my fault for the way I allocated tasks beforehand." Zhang Huaide patted his shoulder and then proceeded forward.

    Everyone continued up the mountain steps and, indeed, the number of ghosts kept increasing¡ªthis meant that the entrance to the Mysterious Realm was getting closer.

    Zhang Huaide cleaned up the path ahead with his Sword Control Technique, while covertly paying attention out of the corner of his eye. He quickly noticed Lin Ning''s style of drawing her sword, which was noticeably "fast".

    The "vision" to capture the enemy''s target and the "reaction" to make swift judgments¡ªher hardware abilities had already exceeded the standard of a regular Sword Immortal.

    By the time it came to actual combat, Zhang Huaide reckoned that if he were to face Lin Ning one-on-one, he would be utterly suppressed by her.

    However, now that it had come to this, he could only think of tactical ways to limit her.

    As they nearly reached the top of the mountain, the group finally found the entrance to the Mysterious Realm.

    It was still the familiar spatial scar, clawing within the pavilion next to the mountain steps, vomiting dense, thick black fog outward like the yin lung of earth veins.

    After clearing out the ghosts in the vicinity, an exhausted Lin Ning quickly sat down to breathe and recuperate on the spot, trying to recover as much True Yuan as possible.

    "You guys go ahead first," Yan Yu said.

    "Mhm," Zhang Huaide nodded and then turned to look at Zhou Hongyu.

    Zhou Hongyu didn''t utter a word and stepped into the Mysterious Realm ahead of the others.

    Following him were Zhang Huaide, Meng Qingxi, Tang Xiaolian, the medical team of the Pingxi Army, and, finally, Qin Meng.

    Once Qin Meng, too, had disappeared, Lou Ping from the Zhendong Army medical group took out a stopwatch and started the countdown.

    Without the Pingxi Army nearby, Chen Lingyun didn''t play games with eye contact anymore, but simply said with a cheerful smile:

    "Do you think they''ll fall for it?"

    "Even if they see through it, what can they do?" Yan Yu said indifferently, "It''s an obvious strategy. As long as they can''t find a way to break it, they''ll have to follow our design."

    "What do you mean?" Lin Ning asked curiously.

    "It means nothing, just praising how strong you are," Yan Yu said with a chuckle, "Zhang Huaide is probably worrying about how to deal with you now."

    Lin Ning immediately felt somewhat proud upon hearing this, but then looked at Yan Yu with suspicion and turned to Chen Lingyun, probing:

    "You''re not just teasing me, are you?"

    "Why would we tease you?" Chen Lingyun said with a grin, "You are the obvious bait we''ve thrown out. Even if the other side knows there''s a problem, they have no choice but to bite. Sister Zhao and Yun Jin are our hidden trump cards; they''ll give them a big surprise when the time comes."

    Zhao Yuanzhen, who was originally a bit jealous and indignant, heard that she was a "hidden trump card" and immediately perked up, laughing:

    "That''s right. I think that Zhou Hongyu is just a turkey, and I''ll easily take her down when the time comes."

    Meanwhile, within the Mysterious Realm.

    Zhang Huaide quickly scanned the surrounding terrain and said:

    "Follow me."

    Everyone followed swiftly behind him, and Zhou Hongyu asked:

    "How should we adjust our tactics?"

    "You''ve seen Lin Ning''s Sword Immortal strength," Zhang Huaide said while walking, "Quick to react, decisive in action. If we battle her in the open and let her use her Sword Control Technique to assist the entire scene, it will be quite unfavorable for us."

    "Can''t you handle her on your own?" Zhou Hongyu sharply caught on to the key point.

    "It''s hard to say," Zhang Huaide hesitated for a moment, then shook his head, "Just to be safe, let''s move Qin Meng to the front line. As soon as the battle starts, suppress her right away, and don''t give her the chance to assist the entire field."

    "Leave it to me," Qin Meng responded solidly.

    Although Qin Meng had shorter reach, he excelled in close combat and had high resistance to blows. As long as he could cling to Lin Ning and prevent her from comfortably assisting the entire field, that would be problem solved.

    "The rest of the tactics, still following Plan C?" Zhou Hongyu asked again.

    "Yes," Zhang Huaide said with a grave voice, "There''s no surefire way to win against someone at Yan Yu''s level; this is our only option."

    "No worries, just try your best to plan the tactics properly," Zhou Hongyu''s voice grew softer, but the ferocity and murderous intent in his eyes became more intense.

    "Leave the desperate fight to me."

 Chapter 11 The Ghost Princess from Jiang Hai

    After the countdown ended, Yan Yu led the team into the Mysterious Realm.Within the realm of Fengdu, the visibility had dropped even further compared to the outside¡ªthe outside was a bit like black smoke and haze blocking out the sky, but inside it was simply deep into the night. Only the moonlight above could faintly illuminate the outlines of the nearby mountain peaks.

    At this moment, the team seemed to be in a mountain ravine with unclimbable cliffs on both sides, almost perpendicular to the ground at 90 degrees.

    Of course, they could climb up using the Cloud Ascension Technique, but most likely they would encounter an air wall... Although the Mysterious Realm was created for various purposes, it certainly did not include letting outsiders play sandbox games. A path that''s clearly not meant to be taken, forcing your way through would not reveal any map easter eggs.

    Looking further ahead, the mountain path snaked upward, gradually fading into the night and becoming indiscernible.

    "It seems they have not passed through here," Su Yunjin said, holding a flashlight and shining it on the ground, suddenly speaking. "Look, if they had passed by, there would be footprints on the ground."

    Everyone looked down to see that their path was not the stone slab steps commonly found in scenic areas, but a somewhat moist and muddy dirt road.

    Even someone as light and supple as Su Yunjin would leave shallow impressions when stepping on it. Zhou Hongyu''s team included a muscular man like Qin Meng, so not leaving footprints was impossible.

    "Could it be that to avoid leaving footprints, the entire team used the Cloud Ascension Technique to fly over?" Lin Ning pondered and asked, "Is that a possibility?"

    "If that''s the case, it would be great," Chen Lingyun said with a smile. "Depleting their True Yuan in advance would make our fight a lot easier."

    "No matter whether there''s an ambush ahead or not, let''s just brace ourselves," Yan Yu said in conclusion.

    He was about to lead the team forward when he noticed Chen Lingyun staring silently behind them.

    "What''s wrong?" Yan Yu asked.

    "Is there a pond over there?" Chen Lingyun asked him in return.

    Yan Yu used his flashlight to illuminate the end of the road, which appeared black and murky under the light¡ªnot like a pond, but rather like a patch of rotten mud.

    "Let''s go over and have a look," he said. "Quickly, let''s not waste too much time."

    The group immediately turned around and after walking a few dozen steps, they quickly arrived at the edge of the muddy ground. They saw an area dense with reeds and a shallow, stagnant pool that smelled awful.

    Further away was a small temple, looking like a local land deity shrine, but instead of housing just one mud statue, there were five.

    Yan Yu took a closer look and exclaimed:

    "Hey, Chen Lingyun, you''ve struck it lucky."

    "What''s that?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    "It looks like the Five Directions Deities," Lin Ning said nervously. "My dad said if you come across them on the road, don''t worship them or make any wishes carelessly. If they grant your wish and you forget to repay your vow, they will come to collect your life... "

    Before she could finish, five streams of black smoke drifted out from the reeds, transforming into five ghastly, green-faced fiends hovering in the air, each about two meters tall, and bellowed in a fierce voice:

    "Having beheld deities, why do you not kneel!"

    Chen Lingyun looked at Yan Yu, who stepped forward and said with a smile:

    "One who attains Dao becomes a deity, one who loses offerings becomes a ghost. There''s no incense or votive offerings in this Mysterious Realm, no faithful believers'' prayers¡ªI think you''re less like deities and more like ghosts."

    "Impudent!" the five fiends shouted in unison, and they transformed into weapons¡ªsword, spear, staff, axe, and hammer, ferociously lunging at Yan Yu and the others.

    Before they could get close, two streaks of sword light charged at them.

    One was mysterious yellow, the Huang Tingjian, and the other was verdant green, the Green Bamboo Sword, each piercing through the fiends wielding the sword and spear, who didn''t even manage to block, their forms quickly fading away.

    Chen Lingyun seized the opportunity to activate her Soul Summoning Banner, quickly capturing the two spirits within it, thinking to herself whether these ghosts were a bit too weak?

    Before she could figure it out, the Demonic Sect Enchantress''s Yin Wind Sword struck from the side, effortlessly dispatching one fiend and passing through another. Without further thought, Chen Lingyun hastily collected the falling spirits as well.

    Only the one with the axe remained, landing on the ground bewildered. Seeing that in the blink of an eye only he was left, he threw his axe to the ground and shouted:

    "Fine, fine, fine, come on then, make it quick!"

    Even Chen Lingyun couldn''t maintain her composure at this point, as she let out a laugh and stared coldly and disdainfully at Yan Yu. The implication couldn''t be more clear:

    Just like this, as weak as a chicken, you think you''re fit to be my Servant Envoy?

    Yan Yu, however, didn''t argue but instead turned to the evil ghost and asked:

    "Are you a soul practicing Daoism, or a demonic beast that has gained sentience?"

    The evil ghost replied with a bitter smile:

    "This place is a Mysterious Realm of the netherworld; where would there be demonic beasts? Any creature with flesh and blood would have long been devoured by a myriad of ghosts. We died too early, at least four or five thousand years ago, and our specific names have been forgotten. Now, we are nothing but solitary and wild ghosts, with very little magical power remaining in us.

    Daoist master, do as you please."

    "Then there''s no issue," Yan Yu nodded and turned to explain to Chen Lingyun, "Among the numbers of Heaven, twelve is the number, and five represents the Yang within Yin. In ancient times, if solitary and wild ghosts, by some stroke of fate, gathered in a group of five, they had the chance to cultivate using Yin energy, becoming the ''Five Ghosts''."

    "The Five Ghosts could cultivate for good or evildo. Those who cultivate for good feed on human offerings and repay with wealth, harnessing the power of wishes to enhance themselves, becoming ''Five Manifest Gods''. However, if driven by evil cultivators to steal wealth, or even to take human lives, they become ''Five Lesser Demons''."

    "Additionally, there are ''False Five Manifest Gods''. Due to the widespread worship of the ''Five Manifest Gods'' in the ancient South, some animal spirits and monsters falsely claim their name. They also group in fives, bringing calamity to the common people, debauching men''s wives and daughters... Such beings need not be spared; encountering them, it''s straight to the killing."

    "We''ve never done such things!" The ghost, upon hearing the phrase "need not be spared," hurriedly transformed into the form of a young girl and, weeping, cried out her grievances, "We are just solitary and wild ghosts without physical bodies; how can gender be ascribed to us? To be female or male as desired, why bother harming innocent women, stirring up resentment among the people?

    We might as well be female ghosts, seducing traveling scholars. How much Yang energy we desire, we have, and he won''t even think to report us to the authorities, happy as can be..."

    "That''s enough, stop." Chen Lingyun spoke indifferently, and the evil ghost immediately fell silent.

    After a short contemplation, she summoned the Soul Summoning Banner and captured the last evil ghost as well.

    "We''ve wasted a few minutes here; we''ll need to speed up from now on." Yan Yu nodded, and turned to leave.

    Everyone hurried to keep up with his pace. Moments later, Chen Lingyun quickened her steps, coming up beside Yan Yu and asking in a lowered voice:

    "When you said they ''could take a life,'' what did you mean exactly?"

    "Slashing people with blades and swords," Yan Yu replied. "Didn''t you see just now?"

    "Just that?" Chen Lingyun raised her eyebrows.

    "The esteemed Princess Jiang Hai, is this the extent of your wit?" Yan Yu mocked her ruthlessly, "True, just slashing people with blades isn''t impressive. But the strength of the Five Ghosts is their unpredictability, with Invisibility Technique, with Wall-Penetration Technique. Do you understand now?"

    If it were someone as pure-minded as Lin Ning, she likely wouldn''t understand what he meant. But how dirty were Chen Lingyun''s thoughts? She immediately grasped the true utility of the Five Ghosts.

    Like using Wall-Penetration Technique to hide within mountain walls, inside tree trunks, even under the ground, then waiting for an enemy to pass by to spring out, strike from behind with a blade, and then disappear using invisibility... S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Perfect, I like it.

    With this in mind, Chen Lingyun again asked with a smile:

    "These Five Ghosts are a bit weak now, disabled by a stab from an Immortal Sword, instantly losing their combat strength. Is there a way to enhance their defenses?"

    "Even if there were better ways to refine them, you think I would know?" Yan Yu replied with a sneer, "Do I look like someone who plays with such vile things as ghosts? I am a righteous and upright Cultivator!"

    Chen Lingyun, not minding being put down, merely smiled and said:

    "So the answer is yes, right?"

    "Yes." Yan Yu didn''t play coy and frankly said, "But there''s no need to. Understand?"

    Chen Lingyun instantly got it and said:

    "Because the greatest advantage of ghosts lies in their unpredictability. Rather than improving their defense, it''s better to enhance their concealment."

    "See." Yan Yu clapped his hands in appreciation, "I always knew your crafty and cunning nature made you a natural at dealing with ghosts!"

 Chapter 12 Bull-headed Ghost

    ```Along the way, Princess Jiang Hai transformed into a diligent student of Jiang Hai, asking Yan Yu about every ghost they encountered, as if she were truly earnest in her studies.

    "What''s that?" She pointed at a headless ghost ahead and asked.

    "A headless ghost. It''s searching for its head everywhere. If you don''t hit it, it won''t hit you," Yan Yu replied.

    Even if it''s head is lost, it''s not worthy of entering my banner, Chen Lingyun thought to herself, then pointing at a green-throated ghost, she asked:

    "And that one?"

    "A hanged ghost, you can see the marks on its neck," Yan Yu explained. "Its method of attack is strangulation, very weak."

    "So they''re all just small fry?" Chen Lingyun asked with a slight smile.

    "What else?" Yan Yu looked at her helplessly and said, "If we could encounter a formidable ghost every few steps, would we still be able to make it through this mysterious realm? Use your brain, will you?"

    "It''s normal for them to be small fry," Zhao Yuanzhen also put on the airs of an experienced person and said solemnly, "You haven''t seen a truly formidable mysterious realm!"

    "Don''t talk nonsense if you don''t understand," Yan Yu interrupted her, "with the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, low-difficulty mysterious realms appear first, followed by the high-difficulty ones. So, as long as the progress of your cultivation can keep up with the upper limit of Spiritual Energy concentration, the mysterious realm won''t be too difficult to handle."

    Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly had an epiphany: In her Cultivation World, there was no such thing as a Spiritual Energy Resurgence, so whether cultivators could handle a mysterious realm after discovering it was entirely a matter of chance.

    But this place had gone through the Era of Dharma Extinction and was now in the early days of the Era of Resurgence. The emergence of mysterious realms was gradual, so there was no worry about the difficulty of exploration. The main issue was the scarcity of mysterious realms¡ª but why don''t I feel it? Zhao wondered.

    If Chen Lingyun knew what she was thinking, she would definitely start talking about something scary like "exclusive rights." But luckily, Zhao Yuanzhen didn''t ask anything absurd this time, she just pondered quietly to herself.

    The group traveled through the long mountain path and dealt with a number of ghosts blocking the way (most of which were slain by Lin Ning, who was responsible for clearing the path), and finally they reached the middle of the mountain.

    "How much True Yuan do you have left?" Yan Yu suddenly asked.

    "About seventy percent," Lin Ning replied.

    "Let''s rest for a while then," Yan Yu instructed.

    "Aren''t you afraid that they won''t be able to find us and will charge straight to the depths of the mysterious realm, killing the gatekeeper and taking down the control center?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smile in her eyes.

    "I don''t mind," Yan Yu said, "I have a hunch."

    "What hunch?" everyone asked curiously.

    "Xiao Zhou will be waiting near the gatekeeper for me," Yan Yu replied indifferently, "It''s a tacit understanding between us team leaders!"

    "Tsk!" The girls scattered. They had hoped the team leader would say something serious, but it seemed they had expected too much from him.

    Lin Ning quickly sat down on the spot, breathing in and out to regulate his breathing and restore his True Yuan.

    Chen Lingyun took out her Soul Summoning Banner and started to pour True Yuan into it, refining the five ghosts inside.

    Standing at the edge of the mountain path, Yan Yu saw Su Yunjin approaching and whispering:

    "Captain, are you sure Zhou Hongyu''s Team won''t use a rush strategy in the mysterious realm, and what''s your reason?"

    "Why don''t you think about it first?" Yan Yu asked with a smile.

    "Hmm," Su Yunjin pondered seriously. "First, I observed that Ningning''s sword light is relatively easy to identify from a distance in this poorly visible environment."

    "But we have not seen any unfamiliar sword lights along the way, which means our two teams must be far enough apart that we cannot observe each other," she continued.

    "The Zhou Hongyu''s Team must have realized this as well. Therefore, they have two choices: one is to quickly take down the control center of the mysterious realm, and the other is to stop at a certain point and wait for us to come over," she reasoned.

    "If they were to lie in wait," Yan Yu leisurely asked, "where do you think they would choose to be?"

    "At the location where the gatekeeper guards," Su Yunjin answered. "Because no matter where our two teams start from, our destination is the control center of the mysterious realm."

    "Exactly," Yan Yu encouraged her. "Also, what would happen if they were attacking the gatekeeper up ahead and we suddenly arrived from behind?"

    "They would be caught in a pincer attack!" Su Yunjin realized, "Just like the Annan Army''s Team was worried about in the last Dragon Spring Mountain Mysterious Realm!"

    "That''s right," Yan Yu said with a smile. "In simulated combat, which simulates hostile cultivators competing for the control center of the mysterious realm, we would definitely opt to kick them while they are down, rather than help them besiege the gatekeeper."

    ```

    "To avoid this situation, if they arrive at the endpoint in advance, they will most likely wait at the gate and ambush us as we pass by, settling things once and for all. This is obviously the safer option¡ªit''s a conclusion that''s easy to arrive at," Zhao Yuanzhen said.

    "Most likely, yes... What about the small chance?" Su Yunjin asked.

    "The small chance is that the gatekeeper looks weak or Zhou Hongyu loses his cool and wants to go all-in," Yan Yu said languidly, "Neither scenario is very likely. If we really run into that, then we just have to accept our bad luck."

    Su Yunjin nodded her head, then continued to silently ponder.

    The gatekeeper was set up by the previous master of the Mysterious Realm, and since this is a ghost-type Mysterious Realm, it implies that the original master was a heretic cultivator who raised ghosts, so the probability of setting up a weak gatekeeper is indeed not high.

    As for Zhou Hongyu getting hot-headed, it''s not impossible, but the deputy commander, Zhang Huaide, seems to be a very rational type; he probably wouldn''t be so arrogant as to think that after they had gone through great pains to defeat the gatekeeper, they would still have the strength to deal with us waiting in ambush, right?

    With this thought, Su Yunjin secretly breathed a sigh of relief and then looked toward the direction of the mountain.

    After looking for a while, she hesitated and asked:

    "Yan Yu, do you see that over there... Does it look like there''s a palace?"

    Yan Yu followed her gaze, pondered for a moment, then turned to ask:

    "Are you all ready?"

    "I am ready," Lin Ning stood up, hugging the Green Bamboo Sword in her arms.

    "Shall we go?" Chen Lingyun picked up the Soul Summoning Banner.

    The group continued to climb along the mountain path, and as the team ascended higher, the silhouette of the mountain top buildings gradually became clear in the darkness¡ªa complex of palaces built along the contour of the mountain, but upon closer examination, it seemed somewhat strange.

    Rather than a palace complex, it looked more like...

    A cluster of tombs?

    Just as Chen Lingyun had said earlier, if there were man-made structures in the Mysterious Realm, the control center was very likely inside them. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Everyone braced themselves and quickly reached the buildings, only to see a statue standing in the central courtyard.

    The statue was humanoid with the head of a bull, about five meters tall, hefty and well-built with developed muscles, and wielding a wolf-toothed club over three meters long, which it held with both hands resting on the ground, motionless.

    "Be careful," Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly said, "This isn''t a statue, it''s a ghost cultivator."

    "A cultivator who commands ghosts?" Lin Ning asked curiously.

    "Not a human," Yan Yu stated, "It''s a lonely ghost that got lucky and inherited a named legacy, starting on the path of cultivation¡ªit appears to have received the Bullheaded legacy out of the Bullheaded and Horse-faced ones."

    "It seems he is guarding the main entrance to the palace," Su Yunjin said cautiously, "If we want to enter the palace, we will surely clash with him."

    "So this is the gatekeeper?" Lin Ning exclaimed, "Is the control center inside then?"

    "Not necessarily," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "But at least it''s certain that no one has come this way before."

    If Zhou Hongyu''s Team really had come here, they would have definitely started fighting with the bull-headed statue in the courtyard... So they hadn''t been here, a simple deduction.

    "To fight or not?" Chen Lingyun asked Yan Yu.

    "Of course, we fight," Yan Yu pondered for a while, "But we don''t necessarily have to fight here."

    Everyone was taken aback at his words, but only Chen Lingyun immediately understood his intent and said with a smile:

    "Lure it inside to fight?"

    The outside of the courtyard was open terrain, very suitable for such a large ghost creature to exert its brute strength, swinging its wolf-toothed club all around.

    But if they could lure it into the cramped space of the palace, the long weapon of the bull-headed ghost would be hampered, and Yan Yu''s Team could save a lot of energy.

    "How do we lure it?" Lin Ning was still more concerned about the actual operation.

    "Oh, simple," Yan Yu said, "I''ll hold it off, you guys go into the palace and wait, then I''ll draw it inside."

    "That''s the same as not saying anything at all!" Lin Ning said angrily.

 Chapter 13 Yan Yu Im Going to Kill You Ah Ah Ah

    Without delay, the group split up and sprang into action.Lin Ning took the lead, charging into the palace. Should there be any ghostly creatures hidden within, she would be the first to dispatch her Flying Sword to subdue the enemy.

    Yan Yu, on the other hand, dashed towards the center of the square... Before he could get close, the Bull-headed Ghost suddenly sprung to life, swinging its massive mace.

    A sweeping strike.

    A simple horizontal sweep, yet it seemed to unleash a storm on the flat ground.

    Yan Yu retreated swiftly, dodging the attack. It was clear that he was not hit by the mace, but the tiny shattered stones that flew past grazed his cheek, leaving several gashes.

    Chen Lingyun followed Lin Ning towards the palace, and catching a glimpse of the formidable presence in the Bull-headed Ghost''s every move out of the corner of her eye, she immediately came to a conclusion:

    It couldn''t be overpowered.

    The Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse was known to be impenetrable to blade and spear, yet it wasn''t truly invincible. When faced with overwhelming forces, it could still be shattered, like the Bull-headed Ghost''s massive mace, which even caused the paving stones of the square to crack and crumble upon mere contact, let alone the flesh of a cultivator.

    The foe swung its mace again, performing a violent series of horizontal sweeps. Once, twice, thrice, each strike devastating vast swathes of the terrain.

    If a person were to take such a blow head-on, they would likely be reduced to a pile of mush instantly.

    But every time, Yan Yu managed to dodge at the last moment, even narrowly evading the flying shards of stone. At first glance, the scene was fraught with danger, yet his consistent evasion made it hard not to suspect that he was actually handling it with ease.

    The group had already retreated into the palace, and Yan Yu did not linger outside, but turned and left immediately.

    The Bull-headed Ghost pursued relentlessly. The main entrance to the palace was large, but it just happened to allow its massive frame to barely squeeze through.

    No sooner had it entered the hall than five streaks of sword light struck simultaneously.

    Green, blue, black, purple, four colors of sword light targeted the limbs of the Bull-headed Ghost. It attempted to swing its giant mace to break the sword light, but as it lifted the mace, it was caught squarely by a nearby pillar, letting out a dull, rough noise.

    Seizing the moment, the four sword lights pierced the limbs of the Bull-headed Ghost, and finally, the Huangting Heavy Sword, in a mysterious yellow color, took advantage of its defenseless state to smash down upon its skull.

    The Bull-headed Ghost was torn apart.

    The massive mace fell to the ground, and Chen Lingyun quickly waved the Soul Summoning Banner in an attempt to capture the deceased Bull-headed Ghost within it, but even the Heart Capturing Technique could barely budge it due to its immense weight, and she had no choice but to release the five ghosts again.

    Upon their release, the five ghosts cheered and rushed to the remains of the Bull-headed Ghost, feasting on it voraciously¡ªwithout chewing or swallowing, continuously inhaling into their mouths just like in "Tom and Jerry" in a bragging manner.

    "Easy peasy!" Zhao Yuanzhen said with pride, "Was it even necessary to lure it inside for the fight?"

    "Then next time, you''ll be the one to lure it," Yan Yu retorted immediately, and the girls all laughed.

    The Bull-headed Ghost was not easy to deal with. Its swing packed the weight of a thousand pounds, and it was likely that even an Immortal Sword would be damaged and deformed if it were hit while in flight, not to mention the flesh of a cultivator.

    But its downfall lay in its lack of intelligence, as it was lured into the palace. The confined space hindered the use of its mace, and in an instant it became fish on the chopping board, there for the taking¡ªit goes to show that the difficulty of conquering a Mysterious Realm is not set in stone, and what really matters is whether you have the wit to do so.

    In the team, although Zhao Yuanzhen was mighty, she never presented herself as sharp or clever. Instead, she was more like a silly older sister who loved to eat and frolic... Otherwise, why would the girls address each other as "Ling Yun," "Yun Jin," or "Ningning," but when it came to her, simply call her "Sister Zhao"?

    "Fine, I''ll do it," Zhao Yuanzhen grumbled, turning to leave, "This time, I''ll lead the way. You all just watch from behind!"

    Yan Yu gave the others a meaningful look and hurriedly followed along.

    Without showing any expression, Chen Lingyun observed her surroundings and silently memorized the layout and features of the paths they traversed.

    The palace had a distinctive architectural feature: many areas were deliberately built to be quite spacious, whether it was the main hall or the corridors.

    But it didn''t seem to be for the purpose of flaunting grandeur and splendor as in ancient times. It appeared more to accommodate a large number of... no, not people, but ghosts.

    In other words, were all the ghostly creatures now roaming within and even outside of the Mysterious Realm originally imprisoned within this palace?

    From the outside, the palace complex stretched endlessly into the depths of the mountain, perhaps like the multiple layers of the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm.

    The first layer contained the likes of starving ghosts and labor ghosts¡ªmere small fry. If one continued deeper into the palace, to the next level, they would likely encounter even more formidable ghosts. Moreover, with the ongoing resurgence of Spiritual Energy, there was also the danger of them breaking out of their confinement...

    As Chen Lingyun pondered, she suddenly saw Yan Yu ahead holding back Zhao Yuanzhen, signaling everyone to stop moving forward.

    In front of them was an extremely spacious chamber, so large that there were at least thirty or forty columns inside.

    In the distance, there was a large figure moving, or more accurately, floating, between the columns.

    It was about two meters tall, hunched over with a spine curved like a bow, concealed under wide robes and long sleeves. Its hair was gray and disheveled, with a gaunt, bony hand reaching out of the sleeve, holding a white bone tally, floating between the columns.

    That look, that presence, it was far more fashionable than the muscle-bound Bull-headed Ghost outside swinging a mace.

    "Seems like a Judge from the Ghostly Courts," Zhao Yuanzhen said uncertainly, her voice tinged with rare wariness.

    The ghosts who practice the "Ghost Mansion Judge" Taoism method have a feature called "Impervious to Swords and Spears," which simply means they are immune to physical attacks. With so many spells at her disposal, she now can''t use them in front of her teammates. What should she do?

    "Didn''t you just say ''that''s it''?" Yan Yu immediately mocked her.

    "I''m not scared!" Zhao Yuanzhen retorted, "Just a mere judge, watch me solo him and finish it in seconds!"

    "Okay, stop talking nonsense," Yan Yu interrupted, "This judge must be the gatekeeper of this mysterious realm. Let''s discuss our tactics next."

    "Are we discussing how to fight, or are we discussing whether to fight at all?" Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    "Hmm..." Yan Yu suddenly looked to the right, "It seems we''re out of time."

    No sooner had he spoken than Zhou Hongyu and his team appeared from the entrance on the right side of the palace.

    After they entered, the first thing they saw was the Ghost Mansion Judge floating in the distance. They then noticed Yan Yu and the others at the entrance to the left.

    The palace where the Ghost Mansion Judge wandered was so large that although the two teams were at adjacent entrances, they were still about twenty meters apart from each other and roughly thirty meters from the Ghost Mansion Judge.

    The judge had not yet noticed the teams, so whoever startled or even attracted the attention of this gatekeeper would put their team at a relative disadvantage.

    Zhou Hongyu''s cold gaze fell on Yan Yu, and many old grudges surfaced in her mind, making her feel as if her blood were rushing to her head. But in the end, she refrained from striking first.

    It was obvious that if she used the Fire Blazing Dao Method, Yan Yu and his team would immediately retreat and temporarily avoid the battlefield. Meanwhile, the startled Ghost Mansion Judge would give chase...When Zhou Hongyu''s team was nearly worn out from fighting the gatekeeper, Yan Yu would bring his team back to reap the benefits and easily claim victory. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    It was precisely because Zhou Hongyu was so eager to defeat Yan Yu and redeem herself that she couldn''t allow herself to make such a foolish mistake.

    "What should we do?" she asked Deputy Captain Zhang in a low voice.

    Deputy Captain Zhang, undisturbed, suddenly shot the Flying Sword toward Yan Yu''s direction.

    The Flying Sword turned into a bright streak of sword light, whistling through the air as it shot towards Yan Yu, creating a noise that stood out in the dark and silent palace, instantly drawing the Ghost Mansion Judge''s gaze.

    Of course, it also turned the judge''s attention towards Yan Yu and his team.

    Without showing any panic, Yan Yu controlled his sword to intercept the attack from the Flying Sword, emitting a clear sound of clashing metal.

    The Ghost Mansion Judge let out a low chuckle and suddenly flew towards Yan Yu''s side, moving much faster than his previous aimless drifting.

    "Retreat!" Yan Yu commanded.

    The group immediately began to retreat rapidly along their original path, with the Ghost Mansion Judge relentlessly pursuing them out of the palace.

    "Beautiful!" Tang Xiaolian couldn''t help but exclaim in delight.

    If Zhou Hongyu had attacked with the Fire Blazing Dao Method, a long line of fire would have led the Ghost Mansion Judge directly to her. The genius of Zhang Huaide''s move was that he used the Flying Sword. The sword light didn''t reveal the position of the person controlling the sword; it only directed the gaze to the target being attacked.

    When Yan Yu quickly used his Immortal Sword to block, it made a loud sound, convincing the Ghost Mansion Judge to unhesitantly give chase.

    "Quickly find the control hub of the mysterious realm," Zhang Huaide commanded calmly, showing no pride in his trick.

    Everyone responded in unison, scattering throughout the palace to cast a net in search of any suspicious objects.

    "Found anything?" A few minutes later, Zhang Huaide asked again.

    "No," Qin Meng answered, "This hall is completely empty. Not only is there no object, but there isn''t even a tea table or cabinet."

    Zhang Huaide paused for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed:

    "No good! The control hub... might be carried by the gatekeeper himself!"

    "You mean?" Zhou Hongyu also instantly realized, "Yan Yu wasn''t outsmarted by you but knew this all along and deliberately lured the gatekeeper away?"

    "They were the first to get here!" Zhang Huaide quickly headed in the direction where Yan Yu and his team had retreated, "That''s very likely!"

    If it were just to lure away the gatekeeper, the Pingxi Army''s team could give Yan Yu a thumbs up, and it wouldn''t be out of the question to even award them a "Best Brotherhood Team" plaque after the match.

    But if they lured away both the gatekeeper and the control hub at once, they would be nothing short of crafty, calculating, and downright ruthless!

    Yan Yu, how heartless of you!

    "It was my mistake this time," Deputy Captain Zhang admitted while chasing after Yan Yu and his team, still reflecting, "I shouldn''t have acted so hastily. I should have watched and waited."

    "It''s not the deputy captain''s fault," Qin Meng added with a deep voice, "If I hadn''t been careless and got injured fighting the gatekeeper''s Bull-headed Ghost, wasting time tending to my wound, the Zhendong Army wouldn''t have had the chance to get here first."

    "Enough!" Zhou Hongyu cut off the self-criticism and said sternly, "We''ll review the game after it''s over! That gatekeeper won''t be dealt with in a minute or two. We just need to catch up quickly. Let''s take out Yan Yu and the gatekeeper both!"

    "Yes!" Everyone responded in unison, and their previously dampened spirits rose again.

 Chapter 14 Captain Zhou, Dont Do This

    Yan Yu and the others rushed along the palace corridor, pursued by the cackling ghosts of the Ghost Court Judges.Chen Lingyun, who had memorized the terrain and routes when they came in, provided the group with a lot of conveniences, at least they wouldn''t run into a dead end to be conveniently blocked by Judges.

    "Where are we heading to?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked irritably.

    She didn''t like the feeling of being chased, it seemed to trigger an unpleasant memory of hers.

    "Chen Lingyun?" Instead of answering immediately, Yan Yu asked back.

    "Just a few more turns ahead," Chen Lingyun replied with a faint smile.

    The group continued to sprint along the route, turning corner after corner.

    "What about that Judge?" Lin Ning suddenly looked back.

    The Judge from the Ghost Court that had been doggedly pursuing them was nowhere to be seen.

    "Hmm," Chen Lingyun wore a smile that suggested "that''s a good question," and pointed to the left corridor, "Should be over there."

    "But we came from behind," Lin Ning exclaimed in shock.

    "We must have gone in a circle and shaken off that Judge from the Ghost Court," Su Yunjin replied calmly.

    Shaking off the guardians of the gates in the Mysterious Realm was actually quite rare¡ªbecause guardians were often responsible for watching over the vital controls of the Mysterious Realm. If they went too far away, they would immediately return, not giving you a chance to divert their attention.

    "What now?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked.

    "Now, of course, we wait for Zhou Hongyu and the others to come," Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile, "and start planning our positions."

    "Lin Ning, behind the first pillar on the left."

    "Sister Zhao, around the corner of the corridor on the right."

    "Yun Jin, at the side of the windowsill on the right."

    Everyone quickly moved to their positions and hid. Only to hear Yan Yu laugh and ask:

    "Where should I stand?"

    "Good steel should be used on the edge of the blade that matters most," Chen Lingyun replied with a mysterious smile.

    Meanwhile, Zhou Hongyu and the others were chasing from behind, growing more and more uneasy.

    Logically, if Yan Yu and his team had already engaged with the gate guardians, the commotion should have been significant. However, as they had chased up to this point, they still hadn''t heard any disturbance nearby.

    "Could they have been lured even further away?" Pressing down his fighting spirit, Zhou Hongyu coldly asked, "Are they planning to kill the guardian in a secluded spot?"

    "Unlikely," Zhang Huaide analyzed calmly, "This palace isn''t that big, the echoes of the battle couldn''t possibly not reach us completely. I''m more inclined to believe that they haven''t yet started fighting with the guardian..."

    Before he could finish, as if in response to his hypothesis, there finally came loud noises from ahead.

    Immediately revitalized, everyone rushed towards the source of the sound.

    The noise grew closer, seemingly, they would reach it just by turning the corner.

    Qin Meng led the way, after all, the deputy captain had ordered him to suppress Lin Ning as soon as possible; Zhou Hongyu followed close behind, aiming to settle the score with Yan Yu; Tang Xiaolian and Meng Qingxi were in the middle, while Zhang Huaide took up the rear, considering that his Sword Control Technique could provide support across the field, vision was more important than distance.

    As for the Pingxi Army''s medical team, they lagged dozens of meters behind, following the combatants at a distance with quiet drone surveillance, recording without interfering in the battle.

    Suddenly, the drone captured Chen Lingyun hiding behind a pillar.

    Chen Lingyun also saw the drone and cheerfully made a shushing gesture at the camera.

    Medical team: .........

    So, it''s an ambush!

    Of course, even if they noticed, it was against the rules to warn Zhou Hongyu.

    Not to mention that there was no time left.

    Zhou Hongyu and Qin Meng turned the corner and came face to face with Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu!

    As enemies met, their eyes blazed with animosity. Zhou Hongyu did not hesitate, channeling energy through her meridians. Her True Yuan surged, directly invoking the Bright Flame and releasing it!

    Now that the upper limit of Spiritual Energy hadn''t increased, she couldn''t unleash an endless sea of fire that swept over everything. Instead, she exhaled three flames from her mouth and nose, which immediately took the form of long spears in the air, roaring towards Yan Yu.

    The first move of the Bright Flame, Flame Spear.

    Though the name was plain, the killing technique was in the extremely condensed flame. Upon striking the target, it would explode in a small area, completely engulfing the target in a bloom of bright flame¡ªin other words, even if you used the Flying Sword to block this move, the result would be the Flying Sword being fiercely scorched by the Bright Flame, severely damaging its spirit.

    The cultivator who designed this move must have some grudge against swordsmanship or Sword Control Technique; the intention to specifically counter was all too clear.

    At this moment, Yan Yu was cornered by the Judge from the Ghost Court behind a pillar. With a quick glance to the side, he of course knew that this move could only be dodged, not taken head-on.

    He spun and stepped forward rapidly, and with several taps, he defied gravity and rushed up the pillar, avoiding the range of the Flame Spear''s attack.

    The ghost mansion judge remained stationary, his long tongue lashing out of his mouth like a whip towards Yan Yu''s neck. Suddenly, his figure stumbled forward, as Huang Tingjian''s Flying Sword had unexpectedly circled to his back and smashed forcefully against it.

    The judge''s long robe rippled like lake water, dissipating much of the Flying Sword''s impact; the remaining force nudged him to drift forward slightly, seemingly causing little damage to his body.

    Given the current pace of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, a ghost mansion judge appearing in the Mysterious Realm would not yet have reached the Cultivation Realm necessary to master command spells.

    But even limited to physical attacks and relying on their "impervious to blade and spear" trait, human cultivators would not be able to kill them quickly.

    He turned swiftly, his fierce and terrifying face filled with an expression of infuriated annoyance, about to swing his tablet to strike Huang Tingjian''s Flying Sword when Zhou Hongyu''s Flame Spear was already hurtling towards him¡ªthe strike from the Flying Sword had just pushed the judge into the Flame Spear''s attack range.

    As the Flame Spear pierced the judge''s robe, it was like a lit lighter falling into natural gas, triggering a massive explosion in an instant.

    Bright flames, evil dispelling, ghostly harm amplified! S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The high-pitched, agonized scream of the ghost mansion judge immediately reverberated throughout the entire palace. The remaining three members of the Pingxi Army team turned the corner just in time to witness the Flame Spear striking the judge.

    Even the calm and composed Zhang Huaide couldn''t help but be deeply shaken at that moment.

    This is bad, we''ve been outmaneuvered!

    Sure enough, the wounded but not yet dead ghost mansion judge instantly abandoned his chase of Yan Yu and, with a spiteful look, rushed towards Zhou Hongyu.

    "Don''t panic, Xiao Zhou, let''s see you handle this!" Yan Yu called out from atop a pillar.

    In response, another Flame Spear was launched.

    Yan Yu quickly took cover behind the pillar, dodging the Flame Spear and the subsequent explosion. Qin Meng had already emerged mid-way, blocking the judge''s path, his stance set for a punch, the Dragon Elephant Nirvana Divine Skill already circulating.

    Charge!

    His punch, carrying a forceful might, thundered against the judge''s robe, causing even more ripples, though the damage was still not very evident.

    The ghost mansion judge roared once again, lifting his bony tablet high and forcefully smashing it down toward Qin Meng. But then, several more Flame Spears brutally interrupted his strike.

    This time, Zhou Hongyu''s shots weren''t by mistake but rather indicated a clear stance:

    If I''ve accidentally drawn your ire, then I''ll just have to kill you too!

    Zhang Huaide watched anxiously from behind. Yan Yu''s Team had not even fully revealed themselves yet, and you started fighting with the gatekeeper!

    He was eager to call a halt, yet he remembered Zhou Hongyu wasn''t Yan Yu. Before engaging in combat, he could contain himself, but once the fight started... sorry, but now all I want is to kill you, or be killed by you.

    He wouldn''t listen to reason.

    As his thoughts raced, Deputy Captain Zhang quickly made a decision:

    "Close in on Captain Zhou! Focus fire to kill the gatekeeper!"

    If we can''t get the captain to disengage from the gatekeeper and join us, then we have to reverse our approach and group up with the captain. That way, even if the enemy launches an ambush, at least our team can coordinate and respond together.

    But Chen Lingyun wouldn''t give him that chance. No sooner had Zhang Huaide given the order than the girls who had been lying in ambush immediately surged out, with Lin Ning leading with the swiftest speed, as the Green Bamboo Sword transformed into a streak of sword light directly aimed at Tang Xiaolian''s chest.

    Tang Xiaolian hurriedly used her Sword Control Technique to block. In the rush, metal clashed against metal, and her Peach Blossom Tender Sword spun out of her hand.

    Then came another black sword light, Zhao Yuanzhen''s Yin Wind Sword, seizing the moment Tang Xiaolian''s Flying Sword was deflected and spun away, her defenses wide open, and shot a lightning-fast thrust toward her chest.

    If this were a one-on-one fight, Tang Xiaolian by now would have been a corpse. Naturally, Meng Qingxi couldn''t abandon her teammate and had to turn and unsheath her sword to save her, swiftly deflecting the Yin Wind Sword. Aware of the ambush, Tang Xiaolian flung her right hand forward as if scattering flowers from the heaven.

    Peach Blossom Poison!

    The ethereal pink miasma spread through the air, in fact composed of countless pink insects floating in the air. Should anyone recklessly enter the miasma, even if they covered their nose and mouth to hold their breath, the insects would burrow into their pores, causing unbearable pain, leaving them with no choice but to writhe on the ground.

    Now that the miasma was unleashed, it immediately created a barrier between the two sides, not only preventing the enemy from crossing but also blocking their line of sight.

    Before Tang Xiaolian could breathe a sigh of relief, another streak of purple sword light tore through the miasma, precisely aimed at Meng Qingxi''s face.

    Meng Qingxi had just made a move to block the sword for Tang Xiaolian, and there was no time to call her Flying Sword back. She was nearly scared out of her wits.

    With a resounding "clang," it was Zhang Huaide who blocked the attack for her, shouting commands:

    "Keep retreating! They can''t see us!"

    Peach Blossom Poison could completely obscure vision; surely, the enemy couldn''t see them. They had only targeted Meng Qingxi because they remembered where he was just moments before.

    As long as we keep moving, we''ll be fine!

    Tang Xiaolian and Meng Qingxi hurriedly retreated, and indeed, two more sword lights pierced the miasma, striking the spot where they had been standing, hitting nothing but air.

    Zhang Huaide had just let out a sigh of relief when he suddenly found himself engulfed by a pillar of water that sprang up behind him, plunging headfirst into the Peach Blossom Poison ahead.

    It was Su Yunjin, who had stayed her hand, executing a perfectly timed Jiaochong at Chen Lingyun''s accurately predicted position.

    Water from the Heavenly River materialized out of thin air, the unprepared deputy captain was swept up in the floodwaters, first crashing into the Peach Blossom Poison to be filled with insect toxins, then carried away from the miasma and delivered into Chen Lingyun''s trap.

    Lin Ning''s green sword light was already striking swiftly from the left; Zhao Yuanzhen was coordinating the pincer attack, sealing off Zhang Huaide''s escape on the right.

    The flood from Jiaochong mercilessly carried Zhang Huaide, pushing him towards the surging sword lights ahead!

 Chapter 15 Many Hands Make Light Work

    ```Between lightning and flame, Deputy Captain Zhang had already fallen into peril.

    This was the problem with insufficient intelligence. Had he seen Su Yunjin deploying the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art in battle recordings beforehand, he might not have fallen immediately into this flustered and overwhelmed state when engulfed by the flood.

    But now, Zhang Huaide was completely disoriented by the rushing water, coupled with the poisoning from the Peach Blossom Gu, leaving him temporarily at a loss for what to do.

    Tang Xiaolian quickly recalled her Peach Blossom Gu insects, and the pink miasma obscuring visibility disappeared. Meng Qingxi immediately mounted his Flying Sword and charged forward to rescue Deputy Captain Zhang.

    But faster than Meng Qingxi was Zhou Hongyu''s fire breath!

    While coordinating with Qin Meng to confront the Judge of the Demonic Sect, the girl had actually found a moment to turn her head and provide support. The great bright flame transformed into a Flame Spear once again, lashing out at the oncoming Zhao Yuanzhen.

    Zhao Yuanzhen turned sharply to dodge, and the Flame Spear shot past, missing its target and exploding on the ground, instantly igniting a large fireball.

    This sudden surge of flame, with its intense heat boiling over, instantly obscured Su Yunjin''s line of sight.

    Although Miss Su''s vision had lost its target, she continued to exert her effort to manipulate the aqueous Taoism Method. Alas, blind operation lacked precision, eventually allowing Zhang Huaide to seize an opportunity and accelerate using the Shifting Technique to break free from the watery entrapment.

    Meng Qingxi used the Sword Control Technique to parry Lin Ning''s Green Bamboo Sword attacks, and finally caught up to Zhang Huaide''s side with his Shifting Technique, shouting:

    "Go!"

    The two men hurriedly fought as they retreated, fully energizing their True Yuan for Sword Control to block around them nonstop. The sound of metal clashing was incessant, as they made a difficult retreat step by step.

    The assault of the Flying Swords from the opposing side was layered and complex. Lin Ning''s green sword light was the most dominant, taking control of the field. On one hand, she pressed Tang Xiaolian so far back that she could barely protect herself with the Peach Blossom Tender Sword, and on the other, she managed to find time to block Zhang Huaide and Meng Qingxi''s retreat.

    Next was Zhao Yuanzhen''s black sword light. The Demonic Sect Enchantress had not specialized in Sword Control Technique, but she had a wealth of experience in combat magic, persistently attacking with the Yin Wind Sword and forcing Zhang and Meng to focus entirely on defense, struggling every step.

    Finally, there was Chen Lingyun''s purple sword light. The Purple Extreme Sword meandered leisurely and flexibly, increasing the pressure with Zhao Yuanzhen''s Yin Wind Sword. However, when a weakness in Zhang and Meng''s swordsmanship was exposed, she would suddenly lunge with full force, startling the two men into a cold sweat.

    As the tide of battle clearly shifted against them, Zhang Huaide forcefully suppressed his anxiety and began to think intensely of a strategy to turn the tables:

    The tactics of the opponents were not chaotic; everyone had a clear role. Lin Ning''s job was to suppress Tang Xiaolian to prevent her from using the Peach Blossom Miasma, for if the miasma were to obstruct the path and block their vision, the other side''s Sword Control activation couldn''t continue smoothly, and this situation would be broken.

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Chen Lingyun were cooperating with Lin Ning to impose a significant defensive pressure on him and Meng Qingxi. Even a slight gap in their combined assault that could allow an opportunity to turn and retreat with the Shifting Technique would break their setup.

    Su Yunjin... Wait, what was Su Yunjin doing?!

    At the moment this thought arose, Zhang Huaide''s ears, amid the sound of metal clashing, picked up a faint sound of water.

    "Get out of the way!" he suddenly cried out in panic, pushing Meng Qingxi away from him while throwing himself to the side with the force.

    Yet, the evasion failed.

    It wasn''t because Zhang Huaide was slow to react, but because both of his legs were firmly grasped by two spectral hands that emerged from the ground¡ªhe even heard two sharp, sneaky chuckles.

    Immediately after, Su Yunjin''s Jiaochong was used again, and the flood engulfed Zhang Huaide and Meng Qingxi together, sweeping them away to a place even farther from Tang Xiaolian''s aid.

    Tang Xiaolian, pressured by Lin Ning into an all-out defense, saw the deputy captain and Meng Qingxi overwhelmed by the flood and couldn''t help growing more anxious.

    Where was the team leader? Could he help?

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Zhou Hongyu, however, was already at her limit.

    She had been coordinating with Qin Meng to encircle the Judge of the Demonic Sect and had also been keeping an eye on the rear. It wasn''t until Zhang Huaide was caught off guard and Tang Xiaolian removed the miasma to let Meng Qingxi attempt a rescue, that she managed to spit out a Flame Spear and help Deputy Captain Zhang escape the engulfing flood.

    Turning around, she saw that Qin Meng had been knocked to the ground.

    Yan Yu moved beyond Qin Meng''s body, nimbly navigating through the Judge''s attacks. The Judge''s board kept slamming down, missing Yan Yu every time but ensuring that Qin Meng was enveloped in the attack range¡ªclearly, his dodging and movement weren''t "accidental."

    Qin Meng practiced the Dragon Elephant Nirvana Divine Skill and was currently invoking the Divine Elephant Technique, possessing immense strength and invincibility against blades and spears. However, with each blow he took, not only could he not stand up, but his True Yuan was also rapidly depleting, and it''s uncertain how much longer he could hold on.

    ```

    We must hurry to rescue Qin Meng!

    Once hit by the Flame Spear, it will explode in a small radius. If we attack Yan Yu with Taoism Method, that crafty bastard would definitely continue to divert his own attacks onto Qin Meng while dodging ours.

    Zhou Hongyu kept her composure, fired another Flame Spear at the Judge of the ghost manor to draw his aggression away from Yan Yu, and with the Chi Yu Sword trailing a blazing path, she charged at Yan Yu.

    "Impressive," Yan Yu blocked her attack with the Huang Tingjian, and said in an admiring tone, "Taking on two at once and still managing to support the rear, Zhou Hongyu, do you think you''re a deity or something?"

    Qin Meng had already gotten up and drawn his Vajra Sword, silently striking at Yan Yu''s back.

    But Yan Yu simply turned around, blocked the sneak attack, and then kicked him away with a Curved Curse Whip kick.

    "Who asked you to chime in when team leaders are talking?" Yan Yu laughed mockingly, raised his Huang Tingjian again, and clashed with the Chi Yu Sword in midair.

    The advantage of a heavy sword''s great momentum was fully exploited by Yan Yu, sending the Chi Yu Sword flying backward with a tremor, while the Huang Tingjian barely shook.

    Qin Meng, kicked away by Yan Yu and slamming into a pillar, vomited blood and realized that his Dragon Elephant Nirvana Divine Skill had ceased to function¡ªhis True Yuan was completely depleted, leaving him unable to maintain the Body Refinement Secret Art.

    Behind them, the roaring sound of Jiaochong surged once more, with Zhang Huaide and Meng Qingxi being caught in the torrent, unable to break free.

    Tang Xiaolian, left without support, was quickly penetrated through her defenses by Lin Ning, with the Green Bamboo Sword held against her neck.

    Four of the five had fallen, and Zhou Hongyu herself did not know how many Flame Spears she had fired; her Dantian''s True Yuan had long been nearly depleted. Yan Yu ignored Qin Meng and with a now serious expression softly asked,

    "Are we still fighting?"

    Zhou Hongyu didn''t speak. The Chi Yu Sword returned to her side, and she once again assumed a combat-ready stance.

    As the Judge from the ghost manor turned to attack Zhou Hongyu, Yan Yu suddenly used his Shifting Technique to appear at his side, smashing a Curved Curse punch into the Judge''s waist, rippling his long robe.

    No sooner had the punch been withdrawn than the Huang Tingjian followed in its assault, the strike landing precisely where the punch had hit. A muffled sound, like an arrow piercing leather, echoed as the Judge from the ghost manor was sent flying, letting out a piercing scream in midair.

    "Don''t rush me." Yan Yu looked at the gruesomely contorted Judge, threw out a cold remark, then turned to Zhou Hongyu, who was still putting up a stubborn resistance, and with a raised eyebrow asked, "What''s the point of this?"

    "Cut the crap!" Zhou Hongyu shouted fiercely, "Come on, Yan Yu, kill me if you can!"

    "Let''s finish off this Judge from the ghost manor first," Yan Yu said, turning away as if he had no concern about Zhou Hongyu attacking him from behind.

    Zhou Hongyu paused for a moment, then turned to face the Judge from the ghost manor as well, with the Chi Yu Sword shooting out rapidly.

    The Pingxi Army medical team had already arrived on the scene, dragging away Zhang Huaide and the others for emergency treatment. When Chen Lingyun arrived with her team, she saw Yan Yu and Zhou Hongyu joining forces, with their swords besieging the Judge from the ghost manor, beating him miserably.

    "What''s going on here?" Chen Lingyun asked with a chuckle, "Teaming up with the enemy team leader to fight a Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper, is this some sort of traditional act for our team?"

    "Last time it was the Deputy Captain Li Minghu," Lin Ning immediately corrected her.

    "Let me rephrase then," Chen Lingyun continued with a smile, "Teaming up with female cultivators from the enemy team?"

    "Tang Xiaolian is also a female cultivator," Lin Ning corrected again, "but we didn''t cooperate with her."

    "A formidable female cultivator from the enemy team," Chen Lingyun''s eyes curved as she smiled.

    This time Lin Ning had nothing to say, but it was Su Yunjin who pressed the earpiece and asked directly,

    "Team leader, are you teaming up with Zhou Hongyu?"

    "Yeah," Yan Yu responded in the channel, "It''s less effort with an extra person."

    The girls were first taken aback, then fell collectively silent. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    An extra person making it less effort... such a straightforward answer! But indeed, it was something their team leader would say.

    "Since there''s strength in numbers, let''s go up and help too," Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile.

 Chapter 16 Sooner or Later

    ```With everyone attacking in unison, the ghost mansion''s Judge also didn''t reveal any hidden cards and finally, with a loud crash, fell to the ground.

    It seemed that just as Yan Yu had said, at this point in time, the Mysterious Realms that could be opened basically couldn''t contain any "unsolvable stages."

    The biggest threat still came from the competing teams.

    After the ghost mansion''s Judge had fallen, Yan Yu and Zhou Hongyu exchanged glances briefly, without needing more words, Huang Tingjian and Chi Yu Sword, which had just been fighting side by side, instantly clashed again.

    The ladies gathered around to watch, momentarily unsure whether to intervene.

    Zhou Hongyu''s eyes were both bloodshot, caught up in the thrill of the fight, she mobilized all her remaining True Yuan, with red light and heat almost spilling from her mouth and nose.

    Phoenix spits fire! One! Two! Three! Three Flame Spears shot out one after another, sealing off all of Yan Yu''s possible escape routes.

    Yan Yu sidestepped calmly and stepped directly into the pillar beside him.

    Didn''t expect that, did you? I know the Wall-Penetration Technique!

    Zhou Hongyu''s expression stiffened, and the Flame Spears already exploded around her. Then Yan Yu stepped out safely from the pillar, easily avoiding the blazing great bright flames and laughed,

    "You should admit defeat now, right?"

    In response, she launched an attack with the Chi Yu Sword.

    Yan Yu''s expression remained unchanged as the Huang Tingjian sent it flying away, and then he attacked Zhou Hongyu once more.

    The Chi Yu Sword quickly came to assist, clashing with the Huang Tingjian several times, but then Yan Yu suddenly charged with rapid strides, seemingly deciding not to engage in a swordsmanship duel.

    Zhou Hongyu, not saying a word, poised herself for close combat, her muscles bulging under the empowerment of the Curved Curse, her teeth clenched, eyes wide, ready to fight to the death with him.

    And then she was struck on the back by the Huang Tingjian from behind, falling face down to the ground.

    Yan Yu rushed over to her side, slapped his hand on her lower back, and quickly sealed the Dantian with Runescript True Essence.

    All done!

    Unexpectedly, even with her Dantian sealed, Zhou Hongyu still managed to get up with the energy of a carp flipping over, and swung her fist at Yan Yu with all her might¡ªwithout True Yuan, without spells, just pure mortal fistfighting.

    Yan Yu calmly activated the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse, taking the punch straight to the face, and said composedly,

    "That''s enough."

    Zhou Hongyu still wouldn''t listen and continued to punch and kick him. Her fierce expression locked in rage, her eyes filled with bloodshot lines, her face and neck turned beet red, with even her veins visibly bulging.

    Using the words of the older generation, this is called "going berserk."

    However, no matter how frenzied she was, relying merely on mortal fistfighting skills, let alone injuring Yan Yu who had activated the Barrier Charm, she couldn''t even tickle him.

    Yan Yu was getting somewhat impatient and seized the moment to grab her wrist, twist it, flip her over, and press her down on the ground, his knee forcefully pinned against her back.

    Zhou Hongyu struggled wildly for a while until she finally ran out of energy and just lay on the ground, gasping for breath.

    Yan Yu kneeled on Zhou Hongyu''s back, raising his right fist high and declared,

    "Haha, I win again!"

    The ladies looked at him with disdainful eyes.

    "What are you looking at?" Yan Yu said nonchalantly, "In a competition, you have to win!"

    "Let me see how she is," Su Yunjin said as she went to check on Zhou Hongyu''s condition.

    "Don''t be hasty," Yan Yu quickly stopped her, "Right now, she''s like a possessed Zhou Zhiruo, she''ll attack you if you come close. Better wait for the Pingxi Army medical team to take over."

    "Alright then," Su Yunjin had no choice but to look for the medical team. Meanwhile, Chen Lingyun released the five ghosts to consume the Judge''s corpse, and finally managed to find a token inside it.

    "This should be the core of the Mysterious Realm," she turned and asked Yan Yu, who was still restraining Zhou Hongyu, "What do you say, should you refine it?"

    "You do the refining," Yan Yu said, "After all, we have to hand it over afterward."

    "Then I''ll take it," Chen Lingyun said with a cheery smile.

    "Play with it as you like," he replied.

    No sooner had Chen Lingyun left than the Pingxi Army medical team arrived.

    To their surprise, while Zhou Hongyu''s appearance was quite humiliating, she actually wasn''t injured apart from the exhaustion of her True Yuan, and was the only one among the five team members completely unscathed.

    "It''s done." After another ten minutes or so, Chen Lingyun came back and said, "There are six levels to this Mysterious Realm, we are on the first one, the rest aren''t open yet."

    "As expected," Yan Yu looked around, "Mission accomplished, let''s go."

    Chen Lingyun transported everyone out of the Mysterious Realm and back to the pavilion on Shuanggui Mountain.

    After some basic medical treatment, all five members of Zhou Hongyu''s team recovered their ability to move and were currently sitting on the bench recuperating, waiting for the cultivators from the army across the river to come and pick them up.

    ```

    Actually, this period was particularly tough because the girls from the Zhendong Army were sitting opposite them, chattering away about where to go for dinner and take pictures next, as if they hadn''t felt any pressure from the recent battle.

    But on second thought, not only did they not get injured throughout the fight, but they also had the upper hand during the combat, so what pressure could they possibly have? Did they win too quickly? Did we not provide them with enough of a challenge?

    Consequently, the members of Pingxi Army became even more frustrated.

    Deputy Captain Zhang huaide had already noticed that the team''s morale was too low, and if it wasn''t properly handled, it might develop into a psychological shadow.

    At times like these, Captain Zhou Hongyu was the one who should have spoken up. As the team captain and spiritual leader, just a few battle cries, or trading a few harsh words with the opposition, could immediately revitalize the team''s spirit.

    But Zhou Hongyu did not seem to be aware of this. Instead, she was staring daggers at Yan Yu, who sat opposite her with a bored expression, playing with his phone¡ªas if she wanted nothing more than to rush over and perish together with him right then and there.

    I''m going to stare you to death!

    In order to quickly break this silent atmosphere and negative mood, Deputy Captain Zhang stood up, smiled, and said to Yan Yu, S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Well played."

    "You too," Yan Yu responded.

    "This time... we can hardly be considered to have played well, can we?" Zhang Huaide sighed, "From the moment we fell into your ambush, our team was split into two parts, and then they were defeated one by one. Our original tactics didn''t come into play at all¡ªif it wasn''t for that, we wouldn''t have been defeated so quickly."

    Tang Xiaolian, Qin Meng, and Meng Qingxi reflected for a moment, then suddenly felt as if they''d had an epiphany.

    Throughout the whole team confrontation, they had all felt a frustrating inability to apply their strength. Now, hearing Deputy Captain Zhang''s analysis, they immediately realized the cause of their defeat:

    With Captain Zhou and Qin Meng, the two main attackers, tied up in the front by Yan Yu''s gate-keeping generals; and Deputy Captain Zhang, Tang Xiaolian, and Meng Qingxi, none of whom had strong assault capabilities, were aggressively attacked by Chen Lingyun''s four in a situation of outnumbering... wasn''t it very normal to lose?

    It wasn''t that our strength was inadequate, but that the opponent''s ambush strategy was too cunning!

    "This time, your defeat really came from a tactical perspective," Yan Yu said with a smile, "But we had agreed beforehand that we would teach you about tactical planning, right? If we can''t dominate you in this area, how can we teach you?"

    "Did we?" Zhang Huaide asked in surprise.

    "Yes, that time we ate hotpot."

    Zhang Huaide silently recalled for a moment and finally remembered that indeed, the other side had said something like that at the hotpot restaurant.

    "Video replays are available now," Yan Yu said nonchalantly, "You all better study them well when you go back."

    "Of course," Zhang Huaide responded with a calm smile, "Once we learn, we won''t be defeated next time."

    "It''s not about not being defeated," Zhou Hongyu suddenly said, her eyes still fixed on Yan Yu, but with a flame of combative desire reigniting in her otherwise lifeless pupils. Words squeezed through her clenched teeth,

    "Next time, I''ll beat you so bad you''ll be picking up your teeth off the ground."

    "Is that so?" Yan Yu was immediately amused by her, just what he wanted¡ªyou hate me, the more, the better, "Alright, alright. I''ll buy a set of dentures in advance and look forward to your beating."

    "Let''s go!" Zhou Hongyu stood up and coldly said to the others, "We''re leaving!"

    Everyone immediately rose to their feet and said goodbye to Yan Yu and his group:

    "See you next time."

    "Practice well when you go back."

    "We will take our victory back later!"

    As the deputy captain, Chen Lingyun nodded farewell to everyone, her gaze finally resting on Zhang Huaide.

    "I''ve learned a great deal from Deputy Captain Chen''s superb commanding skills this time," Zhang Huaide said with a smile, "It has been extremely beneficial. I will definitely study the replays carefully when I get back."

    "You''re too kind," Chen Lingyun smiled lightly, "Deputy Captain Zhang might want to think about how to get Captain Zhou to follow commands during critical moments."

    Zhang Huaide could only muster a wry smile.

    While the direct cause of the defeat was the team being ambushed and split into two by Yan Yu''s team. What if Zhou Hongyu hadn''t been hot-headed in her pursuit of Yan Yu at the front, causing the rest of the team to become disjointed¡ªhow then could Chen Lingyun, lying in ambush, have seized the opportunity?

    When Zhang Huaide noticed that the team was splintering, his first thought wasn''t to call Captain Zhou back, but rather to order the rest of the team to move toward her. Why? Because Zhou Hongyu, caught up in the heat of battle, was unlikely to abandon her pursuit to retreat.

    Zhou Hongyu was the tactical core of the team, while Zhang Huaide was the team''s commanding core. Once the tactical core departed from the commanding core, the execution of tactics would immediately encounter problems¡ªand being ambushed this time was just one of the outcomes resulting from the core''s detachment.

    "I can''t refute that," Zhang Huaide shook his head, "But you all are not much different, right? With Yan Yu as a very dominant tactical core, you also need to find a way to work with him."

    In both the previous battle with the Annan Army and this one with the Pingxi Army, Yan Yu had almost always acted alone, engaging the essential characters of the opposing side and drawing them away from their entire team''s tactical system.

    Though his actions had become the key to victory in both confrontations, Zhang Huaide also keenly noticed the underlying problem: that the Zhendong Army''s others were currently unable to fight side-by-side with Yan Yu.

    "There''s no helping it," Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile, "We''re just not worthy to stand by his side yet."

    Not worthy? Zhang Huaide pondered. Does it mean... they can''t keep up in terms of strength?

    "But no rush," Chen Lingyun continued with a smile, "there will come a day."

 Chapter 17 Review and Interview

    On the flight back to Jinling, the group began their usual post-game analysis.With footage shot by Auntie Lou, the replay analysis became much easier.

    "Okay, let''s take a look at the footage," Yan Yu said calmly as he dragged the mouse, "Our victory this time was mainly due to the successful execution of our segmentation tactics. As everyone saw, Qin Meng and Zhou Hongyu charged ahead; after turning the corner, they became separated from the three in the rear. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "This separation within the team prevented them from providing good mutual support, thereby creating opportunities for us to isolate and defeat them."

    "May I add a question?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, "Do you guys know why it was Zhou Hongyu and Qin Meng who charged ahead?"

    "Is it because those two are good at making breakthroughs?" Lin Ning asked subconsciously.

    "It''s not that simple," Su Yunjin pondered, "Zhou Hongyu was at the very front because her tactical style is just like that, she likes to lead by example. As for Qin Meng... is it because of Ningning?"

    "Exactly." Yan Yu praised highly, "Secretary Su is indeed the type with a clever mind, it''s because of Lin Ning."

    "Wait, why is it because of me?" Lin Ning was suddenly confused.

    "Simple, because their team didn''t have a genuine output-oriented Sword Immortal," Chen Lingyun revealed the answer, "Qin Meng follows the Body Cultivating Cultivator''s path and is not too reliant on Sword Control Technique; Zhang Huaide, as the deputy leader, already bears the burden of command, and since Zhou Hongyu is brainless, he''s the sole planner of the tactics, busy with matters, naturally not having time to specialize in Sword Control."

    "When we were jointly clearing the way outside the Mysterious Realm, Lin Ning fully demonstrated her excessively strong Sword Control ability," Yan Yu continued her analysis, "Fast, agile, and of course long-handed, this would make Zhang Huaide realize that once they entered the team combat phase, Lin Ning''s Sword Control would pose a great threat to them at a distance."

    "Neither Tang Xiaolian nor Meng Qingxi could match Ningning in swordsmanship combat," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "Since Zhang Huaide can''t outclass her in swordsmanship and he also has to concentrate on command, the task of containing Ningning falls to either Zhou Hongyu or Qin Meng, but Zhou Hongyu needs to be reserved to deal with our Yan Yu... Understand?"

    "Oh!" Lin Ning suddenly had an epiphany, exclaiming in surprise, "So that''s why in the footage, Qin Meng was at the forefront! In their tactical arrangement, he needed to rush over first to contain me!"

    "Exactly," Yan Yu said, "Qin Meng practices the ''Dragon Elephant Nirvana Divine Skill,'' with excellent endurance, the only shortcoming being his limited reach. If he had started in the back, by the time he reached you, you would have already stricken the entire field with your Sword Control several times."

    "So he had to stand in the front row with Zhou Hongyu, which provided us a tactical window of opportunity, fully isolating Qin and Zhou from the three in the rear."

    "Look at this part here." He continued to drag the mouse, bringing the progress bar forward, "Zhou Hongyu cast the Great Bright Fire Dao Method and then unfortunately hit the ghost mansion''s Judge. At this point, if Qin Meng had chosen to support the rear and leave Zhou Hongyu here... your side of the fight would have been tough."

    The girls stared at the footage, all falling silent. Did she "unfortunately" hit the ghost mansion''s Judge?

    Why does it look like Miss Zhou was intending to attack you, but ended up being turned against by you, dragging the ghost mansion''s Judge in as a shield?

    "Exactly," Chen Lingyun said with a radiant smile and a slightly mocking tone, "But why did Qin Meng stay by Zhou Hongyu''s side?"

    "Why indeed?" Yan Yu knew she had seen through the clues, but there was really no need to discuss personal feelings here, so he feigned ignorance, "It''s strange. Although we don''t know his motivation, Qin Meng''s choice here was undoubtedly fatal, because the trio of Zhang Huaide, Tang Xiaolian, and Meng Qingxi didn''t have a strong enough attacker to break through the ambush you four had set up."

    "Forced to deal with the disadvantageous situation of three against four, with their best fighters Zhou Hongyu and Qin Meng unable to assist, it was inevitable that Zhang Huaide''s team would eventually be defeated," Chen Lingyun said with a twinkle in her eye, "The detachment between the front and rear, having all the assaulters in the front row, this was the key factor that decided the outcome of this confrontation."

    "The key factor that decided the outcome of this confrontation, isn''t it me, Yan Yu, the strongest Yan team leader, who alone restrained the ghost mansion''s Judge, Zhou Hongyu, and Qin Meng on the spot in the earlier phase?" Yan Yu corrected with a slight frown.

    "Indeed," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "Zhou Hongyu suddenly shot the Flame Spear toward the rear midway through, not only forcing Sister Zhao to move aside but also causing Yun Jin to lose control of Zhang Huaide. Our leader indeed played an indispensable role in this regard."

    "That''s right!" Zhao Yuanzhen joined in. With a rare chance to knock down the thief''s arrogance, she would not hold back, "If it weren''t for that Great Bright Fire attack, I would have taken Zhang Huaide out of the game long ago! The battle was dragged out another ten minutes or so because of Yan Yu''s fault!"

    "Bullshit!" Yan Yu said with disdainful contempt, "I''m already taking on three by myself, and you expect them not to be able to make a move? Why don''t you just tell me to instantly kill everyone on the field?"

    "Oh really?" Chen Lingyun covered her mouth with her hand, pretending to be shocked, "Isn''t it normal for the strongest captain in the world to instantly kill everyone on the field?"

    "Alright, let''s continue with the review of the game," Yan Yu glossed over the comment and said, "Let''s start the analysis one by one. First is your vice-captain''s ambush strategy¡ªthe position she designed, I have one word to describe it, ''terrible''! Two words, ''very terrible''! Three words, ''extremely terrible''!"

    "Isn''t saying ''extremely terrible'' a bit too much?" Lin Ning couldn''t help but retort, "I mean, we did win the game with that ambush strategy!"

    "Okay," Yan Yu swiftly switched gears, "Based on Lin Ning''s feedback, I''ve decided to change my evaluation to ''very terrible''. Why do I say that? Because the positioning was just not clever enough. If I were Zhang Huaide, I would have at least three ways to instantly see through your ambush."

    "If you were Zhang Huaide, I wouldn''t need to design such a position," Chen Lingyun was still smiling, "Because Zhou Hongyu would go straight for a life-or-death internal fight with you."

    "Stop it, you two!" Seeing the captain and vice captain starting their usual bickering, Lin Ning finally lost her cool, "Can we just seriously finish reviewing this battle?!"

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Back at Jinling Airport, Qi Changping routinely came to pick them up.

    "Let me make this clear," Yan Yu reminded as soon as he got into the car, "Don''t throw some commendation meeting again and drag me up there to speak on short notice."

    "Don''t worry," Qi Changping smiled and said, "That''s only done periodically, not after every Mysterious Realm. Otherwise, the students and faculty can''t handle it either."

    "That''s a relief... So, how much is the prize money this time?" Yan Yu asked.

    "Each person gets 7 million. Why do you ask? You''re not short on money now, are you?"

    "I am," Yan Yu said righteously, "I just bought a house near the school, and a big chunk of money went into that. Moreover, I still have to get married and have kids. I need to start saving for things like baby formula."

    "The military should have a unified arrangement for the progeny of you Cultivators, surely there will be great welfare policies," Qi Changping held the steering wheel and said with a laugh, "But instead of thinking about marriage and children, shouldn''t you first find a girlfriend?"

    "What?" Yan Yu immediately became alert, "Is the army planning to set me up on a mixer?"

    The conversation among the girls in the back had been lively, but suddenly it fell as silent as a graveyard.

    "Not a mixer, an interview," Qi Changping replied, "There''s a media team within our military forces. They''re planning to interview you in a while, make a special feature¡ªincidentally boosting your popularity in front of Cultivators nationwide."

    "Why interview me?" Yan Yu was somewhat bewildered, "Although I am handsome and powerful, wouldn''t it make more sense to go for someone who''s good at talking for an interview?"

    "The general thinks that your statements will have a... certain interview effect," Qi Changping said truthfully, "These days, young people don''t like the official-sounding stuff; they prefer your kind of informal speaking style. Didn''t you do pretty well improvising during the last commendation meeting?"

    "When have I ever spoken informally?" Yan Yu immediately protested, "As a team captain, every word I say is thoroughly thought through, you know?"

    "Can I retort to that statement?" Lin Ning poked her head forward from the back.

    "No, shut up!"

 Chapter 18 White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin

    Zhao Yuanzhen had been feeling quite bored lately.Of course, when she was in the Cultivation World, her daily life was monotonously boring as well: cultivate, perform breathing exercises, stay indoors all day, and only occasionally descend the mountain to purchase supplies. Only if a fellow sister from her sect acquired a clue to a mysterious realm and invited her to assist would she venture on a long trip.

    However, after arriving in this world, everything changed.

    Novels, movies, TV shows¡ªthere were so many entertaining activities that the newly transmigrated Zhao Yuanzhen quickly became addicted to the internet world of information explosion.

    This blissful place, she couldn''t go back now!

    But now,

    ...so boring.

    The novel she liked had an unsatisfactory ending, the movies she was interested in were all caught up, and the TV shows she was following suddenly required an extra fee for VIP members, which annoyed Zhao Yuanzhen so much that she spent a long time looking for pirated versions. After downloading them, she found she didn''t want to watch anymore.

    Forget it, let''s go find my partner for some fun.

    Zhao Yuanzhen went downstairs and saw Su Yunjin in the adjacent gym, practicing her water-based Taoism Method by the swimming pool.

    An indoor swimming pool might sound luxurious, but in reality, such a large pool takes a long time to fill and replace the water, so everyone, considering it troublesome, left it unused¡ªuntil Su Yunjin learned the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, after which the pool finally came into use again. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Are you practicing?" Zhao Yuanzhen greeted her.

    "Yeah," Su Yunjin sighed, "My control over True Yuan is still not good enough."

    The Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, which calls forth the waters of the celestial river to strike at one''s opponent. The more True Yuan used during the spellcasting, the more powerful the summoned water flow.

    But with the Spiritual Energy Resurgence still in its early stages, everyone''s True Yuan capacity was limited, so they had to be economical.

    If a tactical effect that could be achieved with three parts of True Yuan was carelessly executed with four or even five parts, that would be a loss.

    "Sister Yun Jin, you need to practice controlling your True Yuan," Zhao Yuanzhen immediately assumed the role of a senior and began to give her advice, "It''s actually quite simple. I''ll teach you a trick..."

    As she was finishing her explanation of the trick, she saw Yan Yu pushing the door open and saying,

    "Why are you still here? Come on, it''s time to claim your magical items."

    After all, following the Assistant Officer path, Chen Lingyun had started to play tricks, so how could Sister Zhao go without magical items? Li Weiguo had notified them, asking Yan Yu to bring someone to collect their magical items.

    "Let''s go, let''s go!" Zhao Yuanzhen immediately got excited.

    It wasn''t that Empress Yuanzhen lacked a handy magical item, it was just the habit of loving freebies stirring within her¡ªwho doesn''t love magical items for free?

    The two left the villa and headed to the school, where they went straight to Li Weiguo''s office, as familiar with the route as if they were going home.

    "Here you are," Li Weiguo said while reading a book. Seeing Yan Yu bringing Zhao Yuanzhen in, he turned his laptop to face them, "The list of supplies is all there. Also, the storages of the four armies might need to exchange items soon, with the rule being one-for-one swaps only. So, under our own list, there''s also their inventory. You can browse and see."

    "Their inventory?" Yan Yu''s eyes immediately lit up, "If I reserve it, can I get it?"

    "Of course not," Li Weiguo said leisurely, "If their own team also wants the items you want to exchange for, they definitely won''t agree to the trade."

    "Oh," Yan Yu started to fiddle with his phone.

    "What''s the matter?" Li Weiguo asked with a frown.

    "I''m searching for the three captains'' contacts," Yan Yu opened a chat app, "Seems like I haven''t added Zhou Hongyu, but I can reach Zhang Huaide. Once I''ve reserved their inventory, I''ll reach out to their captains to give me some face, so we don''t have conflicts later."

    Li Weiguo: ......

    In the mind of the old general, a thought flashed through:

    What do you mean ''give me some face''? You''re really using this to show off?

    "Cough, anyhow, you pick first," suppressing the strange thought, Li Weiguo began to drink tea.

    Yan Yu began to scroll with the mouse, and Zhao Yuanzhen leaned over to take a look, suddenly pointing at the screen and saying,

    "How about this?"

    "Trash," Yan Yu said without hesitation, as his mouse continued to scroll.

    "What about this one?"

    "Trash as well."

    "I think this one seems pretty powerful."

    "That''s just trash that looks powerful."

    Li Weiguo sipped his tea, and his confusion gradually began to grow.

    The common problem with these magical items produced from the Mysterious Realm was that they had to be refined by their master for activation, and one could only know their use once activated.

    But the problem was that once a magical item recognized a master, it was very troublesome to change hands afterward... Therefore, none of the magical items on the list had recognized a master yet, and the database only had pictures and basic data.

    How was Yan Yu judging whether they were "trash" or not, or was he just showing off again?

    Li Weiguo decided to keep quiet and first see what this kid would pick in the end.

    Yan Yu finished browsing through the Zhendong Army''s inventory and then began to flip through the Annan Army''s inventory. Zhao Yuanzhen beside him scratched his head, twirled the hair by his cheek with his fingers and then let go, his mouth slightly open as if about to speak yet he held back, repeating this several times, which made him secretly frustrated:

    "Today this thief is choosing magical items for me, completely disregarding my opinion, just twirling that mouse wheel... Keeping me hanging, how hateful! I''ll remember this grudge, and when I am in charge one day, I''ll make sure to hang him out to dry too, let him see but not touch!"

    As for how exactly he would hang Yan Yu out to dry, the Demonic Sect Enchantress did not ponder thoroughly, so let us not delve into that for now.

    Speaking of Yan Yu, after he finished looking at the Annan Army''s inventory and the Pingxi Army''s inventory, he finally stopped on a page in the Dingbei Army''s inventory.

    He touched his chin and silently stared at the screen, pondering something. Zhao Yuanzhen also leaned forward, looking at the screen with equal tension, but before he could see clearly what magical item it was, Yan Yu scrolled past it with the mouse wheel.

    Zhao Yuanzhen withdrew his gaze in disappointment, only to see the screen stop suddenly. He quickly leaned in to look, only for the screen to start scrolling again... Angered, Zhao Yuanzhen gritted his teeth and decided to simply lower his head to play with his phone instead.

    After playing with his phone for a while, Yan Yu suddenly picked up the phone beside him and initiated a voice chat with Liu Longtao.

    "Hey, Old Liu."

    "Old Yan, it''s rare to hear from you, what brings you here?" The other side quickly picked up.

    "I''m eyeing one of your Dingbei Army''s magical items for a resource swap, just wondering if your team has any needs."

    "Oh, which magical item?" Liu Longtao asked nonchalantly, "I need to check with Ye Jun."

    In fact, Ye Jun had already submitted their team''s needs in advance. The magical items they''d reserved weren''t even on the list provided by the Dingbei Army for the swap.

    "Item number DBR-007." Yan Yu opened the detailed entry and spoke to the person on the phone, "It looks like an ivory hairpin with a miniature white bone skull carved on it."

    "You want that one, huh." Liu Longtao stroked his chin, confirming he had no impression of this so-called White Bone hairpin, "Is that magical item very powerful?"

    "Old Liu, that''s boring." Yan Yu said with a laugh, "If I said it was powerful, would you believe me?"

    "Of course, I would." Liu Longtao laughed heartily, "As long as you say it''s powerful, I''ll have Ye Jun reserve it right away. Which team wouldn''t need a powerful magical item, right?"

    "Indeed, but it''s not that simple." Yan Yu calmly responded, "These magical items are useless without a master, so who would know whether it''s powerful? It''s basically like opening a blind box, guessing the function based on the appearance. With a hairpin, it''s mostly used for attacking from a distance like a Flying Sword, that''s my guess."

    "Hmm." Liu Longtao was well aware of this, and continued to inquire, "But don''t you guys have an Immortal Sword? Why do you need that hairpin?"

    "It''s just a safer bet." Yan Yu said openly with a smile, "If you pick a gourd, a mirror, or a vase, who knows what they''re really for? You might find out they''re pretty mediocre once they''re refined, and then it would be a waste of this rare swap opportunity. On the other hand, hairpins are likely used to stab people, less variety, so it''s a safer choice."

    Liu Longtao remained noncommittal, although he didn''t have much doubt¡ªonly Ye Jun in their team followed the Assistant Officer''s path, and for this selection, they had chosen a ruler from the Pingxi Army''s inventory. Why? Because the ruler''s shape is straightforward, probably useful for smacking people, not hard to guess.

    But if you chose a gourd magical item thinking it was for absorbing people and sealing them inside, only to find out after refining it that it endlessly refills your wine... then that would be a waste of the swap opportunity, right?

    "Alright then." Liu Longtao made a quick decision and said straightforwardly, "I just checked with Ye Jun, nobody in the team wants that hairpin, you just go ahead with the procedures on your side."

    "Thanks a lot, we''ll chat another time." Yan Yu ended the call nonchalantly, smiled faintly, and said to Li Weiguo and Zhao Yuanzhen, "Then I''ll reserve this one."

    With Lord Master''s character of valuing face, there''s no way he would go back on his word once it was out there, something wholly unlike the petty women. Moreover, from Liu Longtao''s perspective, it was indeed hard to discern the hairpin''s effect, which was quite normal.

    If one really insisted on quibbling, Yan Yu hadn''t actually lied to him; the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin was indeed for stabbing people.

    It''s just that it stabbed a bit too fiercely.

 Chapter 19 The Fairy Can Bend and Stretch

    The White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, as one of the famous magical artifacts of later generations, didn''t have any fancy effects.Its usage was very simple: after refining, one simply had to channel their True Yuan into it, aim at the target, and activate it, causing the hairpin to swiftly shoot out.

    Unlike the Immortal Sword, this thing didn''t require a cultivator to be distracted directing its flight; instead, it locked onto the target and followed it persistently.

    If the opponent blocked with a Flying Sword or used a wide-ranging Taoism Method to attack, causing the tracking of the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin to be interrupted, it would return to its user''s side.

    But, if the target was too slow to defend, and got pierced by the hairpin, they were pretty much doomed¡ªthe hairpin not only sealed meridians and acupoints, preventing the flow of True Yuan, but unless the owner recalled it, it was basically impossible to remove with external force.

    Yan Yu had no doubts about Zhao Yuanzhen''s ability to use the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin effectively. The main risk was that the magical artifact indirectly enhanced the Demonic Sect Enchantress''s power...

    but considering that with the increasing pace of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, even if she were to sleep all day, she would gradually recover her cultivation, it seemed there was no need to deliberately limit her power.

    After all, as long as Zhao Yuanzhen was unable to utilize spells beyond her level, she was not a match for Yan Yu at the current stage.

    It was essential to keep the Demonic Sect Enchantress in a constantly deterred state, so she would restrain her strength voluntarily.

    After leaving Li Weiguo''s office, Zhao Yuanzhen, still harboring resentment (but not daring to show it too obviously), grumbled: S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Just a hairpin... a hairpin! Do I lack a single hairpin? If this magical artifact turns out to be trash, I will..."

    "If you don''t want it, just say so early," said Yan Yu indifferently, "I can give it to someone else."

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ?

    Her naturally cunning and suspicious nature suddenly took the high ground in her mind, and her thoughts made a 180-degree turn:

    From the experience in the Cultivation World, there were hardly any famous hairpin-type magical artifacts, and this little thief had admitted over the phone that "choosing this hairpin was for safety," so one could infer that this item was mediocre, at best indicating it wouldn''t be the worst among many unknown artifacts, and naturally, its power wouldn''t be too impressive.

    But...

    What if this little thief was deliberately using reverse psychology to deceive me?

    If I gave up this hairpin and later it was given to someone else and proved to be very powerful... then not only would I have lost the magical artifact, but I''d also be mercilessly mocked by this thief! I might not even be able to hold my head up for the rest of my life!

    As they say on TV: even a napkin should have its own value.

    Anyway, I don''t have any other magical artifacts on hand; might as well make do with this one for now, and if it''s really garbage, I can replace it with something better later...

    The thoroughly reconsidered Zhao Yuanzhen shamelessly put on another face and sighed:

    "Alas, though I don''t have much expectation for it, since it''s a gift from you, I''ll accept it reluctantly."

    Yan Yu frowned, thinking, I was about to give you a harsh setback, so why did you suddenly go soft?

    "You don''t need to flatter me," he said impatiently, "it doesn''t matter if you don''t fancy this hairpin; there are plenty who do."

    If Yan Yu had kept silent at that moment, Zhao Yuanzhen would have had her doubts, but his apparent indifference only reinforced her suspicions, and she quickly exclaimed:

    "Who said I don''t fancy it? A gift from a Dao companion... it''s a token of commitment! How could it be passed on to someone else?"

    "Since when did it become a token of commitment?" Yan Yu was confused by her logic, "When did I confess to you?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen was taken aback for a moment, then realized that their relationship as Dao companions was more of a "marry first, love later" type, which indeed had nothing to do with a token of commitment, but the Demonic Sect Enchantress wouldn''t be stumped by such an issue and quickly retorted:

    "Then consider it a betrothal gift, and there''s no reason to give it away."

    God, now it''s a betrothal gift! How did I, a young, promising unmarried man, start being asked for a betrothal gift? Why didn''t you say it''s for the baby shower of our unborn child?

    Seeing Yan Yu''s brows still tightly furrowed, Zhao Yuanzhen immediately took advantage of the moment and, using some crafty trick learned from who knows where, clung to his arm and cooed:

    "Aiya, as long as I become stronger, I can help you more with conquering Mysterious Realms~ Then we can get more magical artifacts, right?"

    "Your flawed logic sure is something else, huh?" Yan Yu glanced at her skeptically, "Not to criticize you, but this hairpin was actually intended for you from the start. You initially turned your nose up at it, thinking it was garbage and not wanting it, but as soon as you heard I might give it to others, your attitude took an instant 180-degree turn. Don''t you feel the slightest bit embarrassed?

    Is your skin made of copper, or forged from iron? Or did you eat a Rubber Fruit to be so flexible?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen was at a loss for words, with no argument left, and harbored silent rage in her heart:

    "This little thief has insulted me too far! Endure, just keep enduring! If I can''t take it anymore, I''ll fight him to the death! No, I haven''t achieved success in dual cultivation yet, and his master is still watching... It''s not the right time to make a move against him...

    When the day comes that my opportunity ripens, I won''t just return the humiliation he has inflicted upon me, I''ll return it tenfold, a hundredfold, or else I, Zhao Yuanzhen, will take his surname!"

    Imagining herself finally turning the tables and sitting atop Yan Yu, viciously slapping his face and asking him "What material is this cheek made of?" Zhao Yuanzhen''s fantasy slowly quenched her anger, and she continued to tightly hug Yan Yu''s arm closer to her chest, coquettishly saying:

    "Oh, the cheek of a girl is meant to be both thin and tender, don''t ask anymore. Look, I''ve even let my hair grow out, waiting for you to take the hairpin and put it in for me, okay~"

    It has to be said that, although she was a cruel Demonic Sect Enchantress, her coquettish demeanor and tone truly carried a style and charm that modern women couldn''t fake.

    But Yan Yu''s determination and will were astonishing, and he would not be easily seduced by such beauty, he replied with a cold laugh:

    "Don''t think you can bluff your way through. Words spoken and water spilled cannot be taken back, understand?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen also grew irritable and coldly responded:

    "I''ve said all the sweet nothings, and you still won''t accept them, so what do you want?"

    "It''s simple," Yan Yu said, "Beg me. If you beg me to change my mind, then this hairpin is yours to keep."

    Zhao Yuanzhen quickly pondered the situation.

    She had done her share of currying favor with her master in her former life. But pleasing women and men were ultimately different matters. With women, you just need to compliment their beauty and all''s well, but with men... especially a tricky character like this little thief, any flattery would probably hit the wrong spot.

    What''s something that all men like, that even this little thief can''t resist?

    After much thought, the Demonic Sect Enchantress suddenly asked:

    "So, wanna get a room?"

    Yan Yu: ??????????

    "Hold on," he said, wordlessly raising his hand as if to say, "Don''t say another word," "First off, I admit your appearance and figure are indeed attractive, but don''t get too excited yet!"

    Seeing Zhao Yuanzhen''s delighted expression upon being complimented, Yan Yu immediately asked with a sneer:

    "But we''re bound to reach that step in dual cultivation eventually, which means your body is ultimately mine. Now you want to use what is already mine to trade with me?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen''s smile froze on her face, and after a long moment she incredulously cried out:

    "Who said my body is yours! That''s... a perverted possessiveness! Lewd! Indecent!"

    This Demonic Sect Enchantress, not knowing where she picked up a whole mess of nonsensical stuff, Yan Yu couldn''t be bothered to get to the bottom of it and said irritably:

    "Sure, I''m indecent. I''ll see if Lin Ning and Su Yunjin want the hairpin..."

    "I didn''t say you''re indecent, you must have heard wrong." Mention of the hairpin treasure instantly changed Zhao Yuanzhen''s face, she adopted Chen Lingyun''s sweet smile and continued to butter him up, clinging to Yan Yu''s arm, "Dear, think about it, this hairpin was originally for me, my yin energy was meant for you, this is an exchange that couldn''t be more fair~"

    "What exchange?" Yan Yu pretended not to understand, "Is a girl''s body something to be traded with? I would never do such a thing not allowed by law! If we must speak of it, your yin for my yang, allowing both parties to benefit from dual cultivation, now that is a fair and reasonable exchange. So what are you planning to exchange for this hairpin?"

    Left with nothing to say, Zhao Yuanzhen could only glare at him furiously, thinking to herself:

    "This little thief has insulted me too far today! Wahhh, when one day I turn the tables, I will definitely turn his shameful acts into a short essay and post it online for a fierce exposure, calling on sisters everywhere to condemn him!"

    Well, maybe there''s no need to wait until turning the tables; couldn''t she just start writing now?

    However, the Spiritual Energy Resurgence was not yet declassified, so words like ''dual cultivation'' and ''magical treasure'' couldn''t be mentioned, making it impossible to clearly describe what had happened... Better to endure for now.

    A true immortal is one who can bend and stretch!

 Chapter 20 Todays Training

    Dangling Zhao Yuanzhen with a hairpin was actually not Yan Yu''s original intention.The main reason was that if this Demonic Sect Enchantress wasn''t disciplined every three days by ripping off roof tiles, it was necessary to temper her character to prevent her from being too rebellious and disobedient. It''s a very normal educational method, no need to make a fuss over it.

    As the saying goes, "What comes easily won''t be treasured."

    First pique her appetite, wait until the hairpin is exchanged from the Dingbei Army before giving it to her. Only then will she cherish the kindness someone has shown her... If it was promised to her from the beginning, she''d take it for granted, paying it no heed.

    When Yan Yu arrived at the team''s training ground, he saw Chen Lingyun casting the Wood Bending Charm, holding her beloved record player with one hand, looking for a place to set it down.

    "What are you doing?" Yan Yu asked, baffled.

    "I''m looking for a suitable spot to put my gramophone," Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    "Why do you need to place a gramophone?" Yan Yu asked with a frown, then showed a mischievous expression, "I get it, you want to use it as a target for sword practice, right?"

    "Hehe." Chen Lingyun put down the gramophone and suddenly asked, "Have you heard?"

    "I haven''t, please tell me."

    "The higher-ups are planning to expand the team soon," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "The preliminary plan is to double the numbers."

    "Pfft, just doubling?" Yan Yu said disdainfully, "Why not do it right and directly implement a mercenary system: allowing all cultivators to form teams freely, changing military tasks to a bidding system, rewarding success with payment, and penalizing failure with fines."

    "That does sound somewhat interesting," Chen Lingyun pretended not to notice his sarcasm and considered it seriously, "If the control over the lower ranks collapses entirely in the future, such measures could indeed be taken, using wealth and power to win over the hearts of civilian cultivators."

    Of course, the cost goes without saying. Civilian cultivators fully reliant on mercenary work are definitely the biggest factor in social instability.

    The reason for adopting such a system is that there is no other choice left¡ªthe collective strength of civilian cultivators is too great to control, so it''s only possible to cede some power to them, letting them fight amongst themselves to prevent uprisings.

    In the West of my previous life, many developed countries later adopted this mercenary system.

    The top-tier Transcendents were employed by multinational corporations and nations, the second-tier by local councils and big businesses, the third-tier formed private security companies to take on jobs everywhere, the fourth-tier worked for security companies as independent fighters and mercenaries, and the lowest-tier mingled with local gangs to extort protection fees from civilians, and so on.

    In these countries, the social strata did not turn upside down; the upper class solidified their status by employing top-tier Transcendents, while middle-class communities could hire Transcendents to ensure the safety of their property...

    This era of "coexistence" lasted for about a decade until certain top-tier Transcendents realized "starting your own business is better than working for others, better to take what you want than wait to be paid."

    With Chen Lingyun''s intelligence, there was no need to elaborate on these matters, so Yan Yu did not intend to delve further into discussion. Instead, he asked about the task at hand:

    "How''s your ghost summoning technique coming along?"

    "Not bad." Chen Lingyun snapped her fingers, and suddenly five large dogs appeared on the ground, circling Yan Yu in chaos.

    Yan Yu looked closely and found that these five dogs were of different breeds: a Border Collie, Golden Retriever, Samoyed, Husky, and a domestic yellow dog from Lu Country.

    "Why dogs?" Although these five ghosts had the ability to transform into anything, Yan Yu genuinely didn''t understand Chen Lingyun''s intention behind "making ghosts turn into dogs."

    "Because I don''t like cats," Chen Lingyun said lightly, smiling, "You know the reason, don''t you?"

    "I wasn''t asking that... never mind." Yan Yu decided not to pry any further.

    After all, since the five ghosts had turned into five dogs, it showed that she indeed had completely refined and controlled them at will.

    To advance the five dogs would require more than just everyday training.

    "Alright then," Yan Yu nodded, "The five ghosts are very useful for control-type ghostly entities. However, a regular Necromancer should also have an attack-type ghost and a self-protective type ghost... We''ll talk about the rest later. For now, just focus on perfecting your command routines for the ghostly entities."

    "Got it." Chen Lingyun snapped her fingers again, and the Border Collie ran to the gramophone with a record in its mouth, placed the record on the player, wagged its tail a few times, then pushed the stylus onto the record with its paw.

    Yan Yu: .........

    I told you to practice your combat skills! Not to be pampered and served by ghosts!

    ```

    Thinking about it carefully, if it can be applied effectively in daily life, there shouldn''t be any issues in combat, right?

    Just as Yan Yu was pondering, he saw Lin Ning, Su Yunjin, and Zhao Yuanzhen, three girls, also entering by swiping their cards.

    "What are we practicing today?" Seeing the team captain was also in the training area, Lin Ning came over to ask directly, "I''ve been having some problems with my swordsmanship lately; Yan Yu, can you take a look for me?"

    "Of course." In his previous life, Yan Yu was a Sword Immortal. Although in this life he had turned to become a Puppet Master, his expertise in swordsmanship was still intact, so it was no problem to give Lin Ning some pointers. "Show me a few moves so I can see where the problem lies."

    Upon hearing this, Lin Ning nodded and then controlled her Green Bamboo Sword to attack Yan Yu, who easily blocked it with his Huang Tingjian.

    After a few exchanges of offense and defense, Yan Yu immediately spotted that Lin Ning''s problem was a lack of variety in her swordsmanship.

    It wasn''t just because she hadn''t learned any advanced sword techniques; rather, it was that she lacked the basic ability to adapt. For example, if her frontal attack was blocked by the opponent, she wouldn''t immediately think to switch to side attacks, but would stubbornly keep trying to power through from the front... displaying a kind of steadfast, unwavering beauty of tenacity. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Perhaps this was due to always solving problems from a young age.

    Yan Yu engaged her in a swordsmanship duel, providing nearly an hour of guidance in the form of battle, leaving Lin Ning with dazzling eyes, trembling limbs, a pounding head, shaky hands, and full of thoughts that she was an idiot who couldn''t handle a sword and that she would probably say goodbye to Sword Control Technique forever.

    Seeing Lin Ning''s condition was really too poor, and guessing that no amount of cram teaching would continue to infuse her with experience, Yan Yu asked her to sit and rest for a while.

    Looking at the others:

    Chen Lingyun was sitting on a single sofa opposite, leisurely sipping her coffee, with five dogs sitting quietly behind the sofa in a row, not making a sound.

    Su Yunjin was sitting on a bench at the edge of the training area, her straight legs tightly together. A paper book was spread out on her lap, which she was reading intently.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was seated beside her, watching funny videos on her phone with her earphones on, occasionally letting out a boisterous laugh that sounded rather simple-minded.

    Yan Yu: .........

    Why does this feel like stepping into a slice-of-life daily girls'' love anime?

    We are the strongest team of this era, Yan Yu''s Team! Each and every one of you is so languid and tranquil; what kind of a look is this?!!

    Without a hint of sound, he pointed his sword, and the Huang Tingjian suddenly struck towards Chen Lingyun.

    Chen Lingyun was completely relaxed, savoring her coffee, and not good at dealing with sudden incidents. By the time she reacted, the sword light had already reached her face, causing her to instinctively close her eyes, duck, and summon a Barrier Charm, lifting her coffee cup like a shield to block the sharp edge of the Huang Tingjian.

    But the Huang Tingjian was just a feint. After circling in front of her, it turned and attacked Su Yunjin next to her.

    Su Yunjin sprang up from the bench, quickly activating her Shifting Technique to flee, making sure to tuck her novel under her arm while dodging.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was originally watching a video when suddenly the person beside her disappeared. By the time she looked up, the Huang Tingjian was already upon her¡ªbut as a seasoned fighter of the Demonic Sect, she wasn''t frightened by such tricks.

    She casually threw aside her phone, rolled on the ground, and when she got up, she had already prepared the Sword Control Technique. The Yin Wind Sword quickly unsheathed, blocking the pursuing Huang Tingjian!

    "What are you doing!" Zhao Yuanzhen shouted angrily.

    "This is a training ground!" Yan Yu showed not the slightest bit of remorse for the sneak attack and justified firmly, "Once you enter the training ground, you have to train!"

    "If I see anyone drinking coffee, reading novels, or playing with their phones again¡­ I''ll take that as a lack of training and give you some real combat experience!"

    Zhao Yuanzhen was so annoyed she could die. Muttering an incantation, she spurred her Yin Wind Sword to charge directly at Yan Yu, calling out:

    "Don''t be afraid, sisters! Let''s gang up on him!"

    ```

 Chapter 21 This Lin Ning has no backbone either

    Zhao Yuanzhen was knocked to the ground by the Huang Tingjian.Damn it! Did this little thief choose the Edgeless Heavy Sword from the beginning just for this purpose¡ªto bully us more conveniently?

    Looking back at the others, only Lin Ning was righteously offering her help with Sword Control, who was now being toyed with by Yan Yu wielding the Huang Tingjian.

    As for Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin, they didn''t even make a move and were hiding behind watching the fun.

    "Sorry, Sister Zhao~" Su Yunjin said with a wry smile, "Even if we all went at him together, it wouldn''t be possible to defeat the captain, right?"

    "We''re not trying to defeat him; we''re supposed to band together for legitimate defense!" Zhao Yuanzhen argued, "He was the one who came to provoke us for no reason!"

    "The result of banding together for defense is getting collectively beaten up," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "so please do me a favor and handle it, you two~"

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ???

    She soon had an epiphany: What an idea, sacrificing comrades to save oneself, huh?

    "Sister Zhao, save me!" Lin Ning ran frantically with her head in her hands as Yan Yu''s Sword Control Technique overwhelmed her; her Green Bamboo Sword couldn''t defend properly, forcing her to scurry around in panic, she cried out, "I can''t hold on any longer!"

    "Alright!" Zhao Yuanzhen replied, then added, "I''ll go get a cup of water and then come save you."

    Lin Ning: !!!

    Stranded and helpless, Sister Lin finally got hit in the buttocks by the Huang Tingjian and tumbled clumsily to the ground.

    "Phew!" Yan Yu let out a long breath, feeling refreshed and invigorated, with all his muscles feeling loosened up.

    Then, seeing Lin Ning disheveled and furiously trying to get up from the ground, teeth bared and claws out as if ready to bite him, Yan Yu stood at ease and calmly asked:

    "So, you understand now, right?"

    Lin Ning suddenly froze, then hesitantly asked:

    "Understand what?"

    "Didn''t you ask me to help you identify the problems with your swordsmanship?" Yan Yu looked puzzled, "I''ve already demonstrated the solutions for you personally. Don''t tell me you weren''t seriously learning."

    Lin Ning immediately sensed trouble: Oh no, I was so focused on how to fight back after getting hit hard that I completely forgot about the real issue!

    She then meekly and sheepishly said:

    "I was indeed studying hard, but I''m afraid I might have misunderstood... So please explain it to me again verbally."

    "Alright." Yan Yu gave a "there''s no helping you" look of resignation and began to brandish the Huang Tingjian once more, "First, when you attack like this, and I counter like this... don''t you feel troubled, as if there''s no proper way to respond?"

    "Exactly, exactly!" Lin Ning nodded her head frantically.

    "That''s because my Huang Tingjian has been in this position from the start," Yan Yu carefully explained to her, "Whether you slash or stab, from this direction I can easily defend. To break through, you must approach from another direction..."

    "What if your sword changes direction along with mine?" Lin Ning, a keen problem-solver, swiftly began to extrapolate, "If your sword follows mine to this side, my attack will still be defended against."

    "That''s correct, it''s called ''the advantage of close-range defense''," Yan Yu expressed satisfaction with her ability to understand, "There''s a mnemonic in Sword Control Technique that goes, ''Attack from afar, defend up close.'' Remember that well."

    "What does that mean? It means the farther the Flying Sword is from you, the more advantageous it is for attacking; the closer it is to you, the more it benefits defense."

    "The former case is because every time the Flying Sword changes direction, its speed drops to zero and it requires adequate distance to accelerate again. The longer the flight distance, the faster it can accelerate, and the greater the power when it hits the target.

    The latter is because the Flying Sword needs to maneuver around you for defense, and the smaller the radius of this defensive circle, the more agile its rotation..."

    As Yan Yu explained in detail, Lin Ning felt like she was receiving enlightening insights, and the uncertainties that had long clouded her mind were melting away as if they were snow under the sun. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    She absorbed the swordsmanship knowledge like a sponge, thirsty for learning, occasionally asking questions to deepen her memory and understanding.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, on the other hand, was looking at the harmonious teaching scene before her, the pair so in sync, and for a moment, she could hardly believe her own eyes.

    Ningning! Don''t be silly! How could you forgive him just like that? Weren''t you just scattered and thrown to the ground by his beating, eating dust everywhere?

    How did you suddenly make peace? Where''s your dignity? Can you really endure such humiliation?

    Aaaargh! I''m so angry! I''m so furious! Lin Ning is also spineless, it seems I''ll have to take revenge myself!

    Zhao Yuanzhen pondered for a long time, knowing that she was currently weak and alone, and that the girls on her team each had their own ulterior motives and were not worthy of her trust. It seemed that she would have to plan her revenge more carefully.

    She could endure it, so why couldn''t I? Let this little thief be smug for a while longer!

    "Really easy to deal with," Chen Lingyun said leisurely, picking up her coffee cup again¡ªnot knowing whom she was referring to.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    By external standards, Yan Yu''s Team''s training regimen was indeed extremely harsh.

    Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin were another story. One a law practitioner and the other an envoy, both roles were more about testing awareness, judgment, and intellect, so Yan Yu had been somewhat merciful, even though the two of them might not have noticed.

    Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen had it much tougher, to enhance their on-the-spot reaction skills, Yan Yu''s live combat training sessions always ended with him mercilessly beating them both.

    Superficial injuries were common, broken bones happened every so often, and the mental pressure was always at its peak. Any ordinary cultivating college student would have broken down long ago.

    Of course, Lin Ning was extremely strong-willed herself, and could endure the bullying without losing confidence for now; Zhao Yuanzhen was a different story altogether, the Zhao Runner who in a previous life sneaked and escaped across half of Lu Country had absolutely top-notch mental resilience.

    If it were anyone else here, Yan Yu wouldn''t insist on such ruthless hellish training; after all, he wasn''t a big monster.

    In the afternoon training session that day, once it was over, Yan Yu waved them off to find Su Yunjin for treatment.

    Overall, Lin Ning''s combat talent was outstanding; she was just new and unsteady with the basics, requiring more experience to level up.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was the old fox type. Experienced and talented in combat, but unwilling to train properly, only setting to work under pressure from Yan Yu¡ªperhaps this was also influenced by her background in another world, as there was no such thing as "militarized training" in that world''s Cultivation World, where cultivators were accustomed to being loose in personal style.

    "Yan Yu," Chen Lingyun entered from outside with a smile, "are you ready?"

    "Ready for what?" Yan Yu asked.

    "Remember what Teacher Qi mentioned last time? The military media interview¡ªpeople are already at the school gate."

    "I''m busy. Deal with them for me."

    "But they specifically requested to interview Yan Yu, the big team leader," Chen Lingyun said smilingly, "How could I overstep my bounds as a vice-captain?"

    "That''s true," Yan Yu sighed, "What did Teacher Li say? If there are no special requests, let''s talk here on the training ground."

    "Grandpa Li didn''t say anything special, telling you to handle it yourself," Chen Lingyun paused before continuing with a smile, "But Teacher Qi asked me to accompany you the whole time. It seems he''s worried you might say something wrong, and I would be able to make immediate corrections if I''m there."

    "What wrong things could I say? Ridiculous!" Yan Yu disdained Qi Changping''s worries, "I am the strongest team leader in this world! It''s their honor to interview me. If they want standard, stable reporting content, why didn''t they go find Liu Longtao?"

    "Speaking of that, I did hear something," Chen Lingyun''s smile was brilliant, "I heard that the editorial department of their publication originally intended to interview Dingbei Army first before coming to us at Zhendong Army."

    "But the chief editor insisted against the others'' views, demanding to issue a report on Zhendong Army first, so the journalist team skipped the closer Shengjing and took a plane specifically from Pingjing down to Jinling."

    "Hmph," Yan Yu said contemptuously, "Silly office politics. Just speak plainly, I''m not in the mood to play guessing games with you."

    "This interview isn''t just routine," Chen Lingyun kept her smile, "The other party is no small fry. This is for the first issue, the content of which will be presented to the Privy Council, and those few might have a chance to see it. But it''s not the same for the second issue."

    "The competition between Zhendong Army and Dingbei Army isn''t about who gets the first issue spot, but who can make a deeper impression on those few. Although I can''t deny the nature of office politics, you better be spirited, right?"

    "It''s your father''s idea, isn''t it?" Yan Yu glanced at her sideways.

    "Mhm~" Chen Lingyun didn''t deny it.

    "Alright then," Yan Yu stroked his chin, thoughtfully saying, "I''ll take it seriously then."

 Chapter 22 Famous host rigorously grills Yan Yu!

    Lu Country''s first comprehensive internal military newspaper is named "The Virtue Gazette."The reason for this name is not the "moral thinking" of virtue, but rather the virtue described in Laozi''s "Dao De Jing."

    "Dao" refers to the "Way of Heaven," while "De" refers to the "Virtue of Man." The intention behind the naming is quite clear: it is hoped that while Rikoku Cultivators pursue the Way of Heaven, they will also uphold the virtues of humanity and not become despicable, doing anything for power.

    However, historical experience shows that the more one subjectively hopes not to go in a certain direction, the objective reality often becomes a swift race in that very direction after a few years or even a decade... no matter the dynasty or the country, it''s almost the same.

    In the team''s training field, Yan Yu met with the journalist team responsible for the interview, with both sides making introductions and exchanging pleasantries.

    The "journalist" in charge of interviewing Yan Yu was the famous host from the original Pingjing TV station, Lu Zhiyu.

    Her fame does not stem solely from her deep hosting skills, but also from her conversation style¡ªknown throughout the network for being "adept at catching explosive points" and "not afraid to ask anything."

    Yan Yu had watched her "One-on-One Interview" before, where she often trapped guests with sharp and incisive questions, unafraid to confront even local magistrates.

    Speculation was rampant that she had a powerful supporter behind her, which explained her fearlessness in the face of guest outbursts. Indeed, this was likely the case¡ªotherwise, she wouldn''t have landed an interview with a military cultivator, as current confidentiality regulations would block 99% of unofficial journalists.

    After the greetings, Lu Zhiyu said with a smile, "Captain Yan, please have a seat. Our stage crew will need a little while longer to set things up."

    "Oh, alright then," agreed Yan Yu, nodding. "In that case, I''ll go home for a nap. Call me when you''re ready."

    "Uh," Lu Zhiyu paused, quickly correcting, "Of course, it won''t take that long, we''ll be ready very soon."

    Letting Captain Yan go home to sleep would be risky; who knew if they could even summon him back when the time came.

    With her extensive media experience, host Lu, familiar with all kinds of tricks, knew all too well the principle of "avoiding unnecessary complications." She quickly called over the stage supervisor to confirm in front of Yan Yu that the setup would take about half an hour more.

    "Fine by me," Yan Yu stretched lazily. "I''ll just wait here, then."

    Seeing that he didn''t insist on leaving, Lu Zhiyu inwardly breathed a sigh of relief and went to find the makeup artist for a touch-up.

    Meanwhile, Qi Changping paced his office, still feeling uneasy regardless of his thoughts.

    Although he had entrusted Chen Lingyun to keep an eye on things, what if she couldn''t stop him? Once Yan Yu started acting tough, even if the Chief Commander was sitting opposite, he would remain composed and unflustered.

    No, I need to go have a look.

    Qi Changping arrived at the training field just to see the stage crew setting up a simple photography studio, turning it into an interview reception room.

    After all, the original environment was designed for confidentiality and soundproofing, making it full of the heavy and ugly steel plate cement walls. Even saying "it''s okay" would be an overstatement; it was truly unattractive.

    "Hey, Old Qi!" The director on site recognized him and immediately came over to greet him.

    "Old Cao? You''re leading the team this time?" Qi Changping recognized the old comrade-in-arms with an initial shock, followed by delight, and then a sigh of relief.

    Great, great, great! I didn''t expect Old Cao to be leading the team this time!

    Yan Yu, you little rascal, did you think of this? This time the director is someone I know! No matter how shocking the pompous statements you make on stage are, I just need to tell Old Cao to cut them out of the final edit! It''s completely no big deal!

    With this, everything was perfectly secure! Hahaha!

    Qi Changping stood outside with director Cao Wendan, chatting warmly¡ªthe expression on Instructor Qi''s face was one of relief, relaxation, calmness, and composure, showing none of the previous anxiety from his office.

    In the studio, host Lu Zhiyu sat on the right-side sofa, adjusting the recording equipment pinned to her chest.

    The audio recorded during the interview would be transcribed by the editorial team for review, refinement, and writing before being published in the military''s internal print newspaper.

    As for the video footage of the show, it would be uploaded to the internal website since the influence of print media was increasingly limited and even the traditionally conservative troops preferred to check the news on their smartphones during their leisure time.

    Yan Yu sat in the "interviewee''s" spot on the left-side sofa, absently fiddling with his phone. Chen Lingyun sat next to him, smiling without a word, secretly contemplating.

    Now that the media had started internal trials among cultivators, it stood to reason that a complete lifting of social-level information confidentiality controls was only about a month or two away.

    The choice to lift confidentiality at this time was due to the subjective need to adopt a more proactive approach in response to the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, as well as the objective need to closely follow international trends¡ªafter all, other countries had already fully disclosed, and it was unrealistic to continue hiding the truth from the domestic populace.

    "The photography and lighting are all set up," Lu Zhiyu suddenly asked, "Shall we start then?"

    "Sure," Yan Yu nodded.

    "Hello, dear audience," as the offstage cue was given, Lu Zhiyu turned to the camera with a professional smile and began to recite the script smoothly, "This is ''The Virtue Gazette''s'' first special character interview program, and I''m the host, Lu Zhiyu. The gentleman sitting beside me is Zhendong Army''s Cultivator Team Captain, Yan Yu, and next to him is the Deputy Team Captain, Chen Lingyun."

    Yan Yu casually waved at the camera, signaling a greeting. Chen Lingyun nodded slightly, her smile elegant and sweet. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Captain Yan, we''ve noticed that most members of your team are female," Lu Zhiyu lived up to her reputation as a professional host by grabbing the biggest talking point, "The Female Warrior Team," to start her questioning, "May I ask what criteria you used to select these female team members?"

    "Oh, it''s quite simple," Yan Yu, who had answered this question before, responded methodically, "The establishment of the war team is to carry out combat missions, so when I select members for the team, I only look at two criteria: one is strength, and the other is potential..."

    Seeing Yan Yu''s earnest and stable official-like statement, the last bit of worry in Coach Qi Changping''s heart watching from the sidelines completely dissipated.

    This kid, although he often speaks to the commander-in-chief without much respect, seems to be much more proper in front of the camera.

    That''s right, after all, being cautious and conservative in front of public media is a normal and reasonable thing to do. What in the world was I worrying about before?

    Ah, the matters of this world are indeed nonexistent, it''s just the meddlesome people who create their own troubles. It seems I''ve made an unnecessary fuss.

    My mistake!

    With the interview proceeding this way, there definitely won''t be any problems later on. I should head back to the office.

    After exchanging a few more words with Director Cao, Qi Changping was about to excuse himself and leave when he suddenly heard Lu Zhiyu in the studio interrupting:

    "Captain Yan, my impression is that you actually prefer female cultivators, right?"

    Yan Yu: ???

    Qi Changping abruptly stopped in his tracks, looking back at the scene with irritation.

    Damn! Just when that kid was making a serious statement for once, I can''t believe this damn host is causing trouble here!

    "Why would you say that?" Yan Yu didn''t react immediately and asked with a frown.

    "Currently, in the four armies'' war teams, it''s generally a situation of having more men than women," Lu Zhiyu said with folded hands and a gentle smile, "The Annan Army and the Dingbei Army teams each have only one female cultivator. The Pingxi Army has two cultivators, but still fewer than men."

    "Of course, I also believe that in the military ''everything is based on strength''. So perhaps the other three team captains believe, or subconsciously tend to think, that male cultivators have higher growth potential and malleability and are more valuable for long-term development."

    "But you have made a completely opposite choice; apart from yourself, all other cultivators in your team are females... So, do you believe that female cultivators are not weaker than males? Or perhaps, are you trying to prove this point to the outside world?"

    "Cough cough," Chen Lingyun quietly coughed beside him. Yan Yu and she shared a tacit understanding; he immediately picked up her hint: be careful of the trap within the question.

    After pondering for half a second, he cracked a brilliantly fake Ling Yun-brand smile and asked:

    "Why do you ask that? If I wanted to prove to the outside world that women are stronger than men, then I''d just let Chen Lingyun here be the captain. But does she have the abilities for that? After all, our team speaks through strength, not gender. It doesn''t matter how the captain views you; what matters is whether your strength is up to the challenge.

    As long as you can fight, it doesn''t matter if your gender is an armed helicopter."

    Hearing this response, Qi Changping''s heart that had been in his throat finally began to settle down.

    This question, after all, touches on gender factors, and no matter how you answer, it will stir unnecessary controversy. So the best way to handle it is not to answer. But if you beat around the bush too much, while you might recover from making a mistake, you''d appear to be someone who can''t grasp the main point and lacks caliber.

    Yan Yu used "I am the captain, and Chen Lingyun can only be the vice-captain" as his reply, denying Lu Zhiyu''s leading question while also avoiding the controversial topic of "which gender of cultivator is stronger", which contains implicit opposition. It was a decent and appropriate response.

    However, before Qi Changping could completely relax, he saw Lu Zhiyu, who didn''t know when to stop, continue to probe:

    "So, may I interpret it this way: Captain Yan, do you think that among the male cultivators within the Zhendong Army, aside from yourself, there is not a single one whose strength or potential for growth meets the standards for joining the team? That only female cultivators meet the criteria?"

    "Which team are you asking about?" Yan Yu calmly responded, "If you mean teams in a broader sense, I believe that the future Zhendong Army will not have just one team. Many excellent male cultivators will certainly be able to quickly stand out by virtue of their strength after joining their respective teams."

    "As for my team, if you want to ask about the entry standards... It''s not just about male cultivators, even extending to the entire Zhendong Army, no one meets the standards I''ve set."

    "To give you an analogy, it''s like a university final exam for a major subject. Everyone''s supposed to pass with 60 points, yet everyone scores only in the teens or twenties, so the professor can''t fail all the students, right? They''ve got to lower the passing line and pick the four who scored in the twenties as passing. Do you get my meaning?

    In such a case, whether those four who passed are male or female doesn''t really matter. The key issue is why most students performed so poorly, and that is what''s more worth discussing. Don''t you think so?"

    Lu Zhiyu was rendered speechless by Yan Yu''s argument and, for a moment, couldn''t find any words to refute him.

    You see, Yan Yu dared to openly say "whether it''s male or female cultivators, they''re all rubbish in my eyes" because he is the number one cultivator in the Zhendong Army, and he has the confidence to be arrogant, disdainful, and to offer guidance.

    But if Lu Zhiyu dared to catch onto his words, she would inevitably offend the cultivator factions of the Zhendong Army. Not to mention that even the always agreeable commander of the Zhendong Army, Li Weiguo, might just send an accountability call to her boss''s boss.

    How could she dare to respond to that?!

    "Well... let''s switch to another question and ask Vice Captain Chen," feeling a bit overwhelmed, Lu Zhiyu quickly deployed the host''s ultimate technique of changing the topic.

    Outside, Qi Changping''s face darkened as he asked Director Cao Wendan beside him:

    "Can this segment of the dialogue be cut in post-production?"

    "Why cut it out?" Cao Wendan asked in puzzlement, "The question is explosive, and the answer was quite brilliant, isn''t it great?"

    "It''s a bit insulting," Qi Changping said implicitly, feeling increasingly helpless inside.

    The strongest cultivator of the Zhendong Army insulting its own cultivators - what kind of situation was this?!

 Chapter 23 Taking Texts Out of Context is the Ultimate Righteousness

    But Yan Yu, this formidable man, was speaking too much with force, and the host Lu Zhiyu couldn''t keep up, so he decisively played a card to redirect the topic, picking a less tricky question to ask Chen Lingyun:"Deputy Captain Chen, as the right hand of Captain Yan Yu, can you talk about the relationship between the two of you?"

    "Relationship?" Chen Lingyun pretended not to understand and chuckled with her hand covering her mouth, "Isn''t it just the usual deputy and chief relationship?"

    "On the job, we''re comrades in arms, of course," Lu Zhiyu said, smiling amiably as he continued, "What about your personal rapport?"

    Although her expression was very composed and proper as if she was just talking about something very ordinary, there was indeed an implied gossipy tone. A slight misstep in answering, and the host would seize the opportunity to dig further¡ªthe audiences always love this kind of topic; it''s a classic hot-button issue.

    "Privately," Chen Lingyun drew out her words, "not too bad, we could be called frenemies, I suppose."

    Lu Zhiyu: ?

    She politely widened her eyes slightly, only to hear Chen Lingyun laugh again:

    "Forget it, it''s a public interview, let''s not bring up personal matters, just cut this part out."

    Lu Zhiyu suddenly felt like she had a date stuck in her throat, not going up nor coming down¡ªit was supremely uncomfortable... What did she mean by "frenemies"?

    You could have just not said anything, but since you did, at least clarify it for me! This is material with even more value to dig into than a "romantic relationship"!

    What does it mean to leave it hanging after saying only half of it?

    Just as she was about to press for more information, she saw Yan Yu suddenly gesture and said:

    "This ''frenemies'' thing, there''s no other meaning. It''s just that she, as the deputy captain, is always overestimating herself, liking to challenge authority. But it''s useless, because our team speaks through strength, and anyone who doesn''t have enough and dares to step out of line will only be severely suppressed, no matter whose official son or daughter you are."

    Lu Zhiyu: ..........

    She couldn''t follow up on that, because she truly knew who Chen Lingyun''s father was¡ªalready a level that public media should not mention, and would soon be completely off-limits.

    Offstage, Qi Changping spoke with a numb expression:

    "Cut this part as well."

    "Sure, cut it," Cao Wendan nodded and took out the walkie-talkie to command, "Tell little Lu not to ask Chen Lingyun any more questions."

    The girl''s family background was sensitive and ultimately not something that could be casually discussed on air.

    Having just breathed a sigh of relief, Qi Changping then heard Cao Wendan instruct:

    "Let her focus on asking Yan Yu, as he''s the main guest for this interview."

    This left Qi Changping tied up in knots again. I agree with not asking Chen Lingyun, but telling her to ask Yan Yu...

    Lu Zhiyu noticed the cue from offstage and knew that the previous segment would definitely be cut, which made her feel a bit frustrated and helpless.

    However, due to her professional composure of being a host, her demeanor remained unchanged as she switched to another subject to continue the interview:

    "Captain Yan Yu, you and Liu Longtao of the Dingbei Army''s team are considered the two rising stars among military cultivators. As the saying goes, ''There''s no first in art, no second in martial arts,'' how would you evaluate Liu Longtao''s strength?"

    "Liu Longtao, huh." Yan Yu pondered for a moment, "His strength is pretty good, decent."

    "What if you were to compete against him?" Lu Zhiyu immediately struck while the iron was hot, asking with a smile, "Do you have the confidence to defeat him in the next simulation exercise?"

    "Hahaha," Yan Yu laughed, "You shouldn''t be asking me that, you should go ask him. After all, he is someone who has lost to me, and these days, he''s probably got his mind full of thoughts about how to beat me."

    Lu Zhiyu was suddenly lost for words. She had done her homework before the interview, and of course, she knew the outcome of the academy exchange competition.

    But that''s all in the past now! The famous mountains and great rivers and mysterious realms have opened across the country, and Liu Longtao is leading his team in sweeping through North China and Northeast, both the Immortal Sword and techniques have been completely renewed, and even the number of mysterious realms conquered by his team has surpassed yours by now!

    If he were to challenge you again, the outcome might still be uncertain, right?

    Of course, you can''t just bluntly question this, otherwise, it would truly be picking a fight. After organizing her thoughts for a brief moment, Lu Zhiyu tactfully said:

    "I''ve heard that the Dingbei Army managed to consecutively secure three mysterious realms within a week, such a team cannot be considered weak, right?"

    "Certainly not weak," Yan Yu looked at her puzzledly, "If you consider Liu Longtao''s strength weak, then the Dingbei Army has no strong cultivators at all."

    Lu Zhiyu: ..............

    "But, just now, your evaluation of Liu Longtao''s strength was merely ''not bad'' at all," she continued unwillingly, emphasizing the words "not bad" to remind Yan Yu that those were his exact words.

    "Evaluations are relative," Yan Yu patiently explained. "Compared to the cultivators of the Dingbei Army or the mainstream cultivators in the country, Liu Longtao is undoubtedly a top-tier contender, and it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say he is among the elite."

    "However, such a high evaluation can be made by anyone except me. Because he was defeated by me, if I brag about him being invincible, then what level does that make my strength? A celestial being from beyond the heavens? Should I still have any shame left? There''s a limit to boasting about oneself."

    Lu Zhiyu: ......................

    "Get it?" Yan Yu gave a wry smile, his expression weary as he said, "Alas, in truth, who is stronger and who is weaker is meaningless when debated verbally. Only victory or defeat on the battlefield is the ultimate test of strength."

    "Yes, you''re right," Lu Zhiyu finally composed herself, relying on her strong professional qualities to quickly adjust her stiff expression back to normal and summarizing, "Captain Yan, what you said is correct.

    In fact, we have discussed many times before that ''strength determines everything,'' and also that ''victory determines strength.'' As for who will become the number one among the Rikoku Cultivators, only the battlefield of the future will give us the answer."

    "What you said is mostly right, but we don''t need to wait for the future to find out the answer," Yan Yu said with a grand wave of his hand, laughing heartily. "Because during the four-college exchange competition, I defeated them all, so the number one Rikoku Cultivator at the moment is me."

    Lu Zhiyu: .............................

    Enjoying the stiff expression of the famous hostess, Chen Lingyun couldn''t help but feel pleased and added with a smile: S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "This is the way of result-oriented thinking. If a certain Lord Master doesn''t agree, then he only has the option to challenge our captain again and defeat him."

    "Yes, result-oriented," Lu Zhiyu, not knowing what to say for the moment, but drawing on her rich professional experience, still put on a listening posture, nodding convincingly as if in agreement.

    Offstage, Qi Changping fell silent for a moment, just about to speak, only to hear Cao Wendan suddenly ask:

    "Should this segment be cut as well?"

    "If it''s broadcast without cutting, the Dingbei Army might have some objections," Qi Changping reminded him.

    "If we cut any further, we''ll really have no material left to air," Cao Wendan frowned, "I need to think."

    "You''d better take it easy," Qi Changping emphasized. "I remind you, those prominent figures might also see the content of this first interview."

    "Of course I know that," Cao Wendan replied seriously. "Don''t rush me, any interview content unfavorable to the Zhendong Army, I will not let it go out."

    "This Yan Yu guy started off pretty seriously, but why is he acting pretentious again later on!" Qi Changping was helpless and couldn''t help voicing his annoyance. "Your host also has issues, bringing up sensitive topics and giving him the space to perform!"

    "Lu Zhiyu was working at a local TV station before, and she''s only recently joined the military station, indeed bringing over the extravagant style of blindly pursuing traffic," Cao Wendan explained casually, moving on from the subject. "Of course, it''s not possible to replace her now, so we should think of a solution instead."

    "How about we halt for now," Qi Changping suggested. "We can interview again another day. Your side can send over the scripted questions in advance, and after we firm them up, we can have Yan Yu memorize his lines. Then he can just go up on stage and recite the script with Lu Zhiyu."

    "Memorizing the script will definitely be too late," Cao Wendan rejected the idea." Let''s see if we can do some post-production instead, and while retaining enough content, try to polish the meaning conveyed by Captain Yan as best as we can."

    Director Cao, who had once worked for a lengthy period in the cultural troupe, was skilled at extracting audio tracks and scanning them into text, immediately moved to the computer beside him, exporting the recorded interview content into text, and quickly began editing.

    He started by rapidly deleting sensitive content such as the "Zhendong Army cultivator''s strengths are rubbish," "Chen Lingyun and Yan Yu are friends and foes," and "Liu Longtao, a defeated underling, not worth mentioning" ¨C frantically deleting, complete deleting! After a long bout with the backspace key, he managed to clear it, and then began piecing together the remaining text.

    Qi Changping watched intently, and soon the document on the screen began to take on this meaning (approximately):

    Lu Zhiyu: "May I ask, what criteria did you have when you chose these female team members?"

    Yan Yu: "I choose members for the team based on two criteria: one is strength, and the other is potential. I believe in the future, many excellent male cultivators will also stand out swiftly after they join other teams based on their capabilities."

    Lu Zhiyu: "Vice-Captain Chen, as Captain Yan''s deputy, you have a comradely relationship at work, but how''s your personal relationship?"

    Chen Lingyun: "Personally? Not bad... But let''s not get into private matters during a public interview."

    Lu Zhiyu: "How would you evaluate Liu Longtao''s strength?"

    Yan Yu: "Liu Longtao is undoubtedly a top-tier contender, even an elite standard would not be an overstatement. In fact, debates about who is stronger or weaker are meaningless. Only victory or defeat on the battlefield can truly measure one''s strength."

    (To be continued)

    Upon reviewing the content that had been pieced together, Qi Changping stood stunned, speechless for a long while.

    Although the context had been cleverly manipulated, it subtly eased one''s concerns. What was going on here?

 Chapter 24 Successfully Concluded the Interview

    ```Cao Wendan concentrated on post-production below the stage, boldly removing all those inappropriate comments.

    However, Lu Zhiyu on stage was completely oblivious, already feeling utterly defenseless against the seamless back-and-forth between Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun.

    Heaven help me! When has Host Lu ever encountered such a situation in her decades-long career?

    She had always effortlessly controlled the conversation, playing guests who were in an awkward position like they were within the palm of her hand. Unexpectedly, she stumbled this time, repeatedly embarrassed by two young people!

    To avoid letting the guests continue to freestyle, Lu Zhiyu had no choice but to pick out the simpler, more predictable questions from the ones she had prepared in advance to ask.

    "So, Captain Yan, what are your expectations for the future of this team?" she asked with a poised and intellectual demeanor, smiling, "Or rather, what is the team''s long-term goal?"

    The sacred duty of a soldier is to protect one''s country and family; you should know how to answer this, right? Give me the standard response!

    "Of course it''s to be the strongest in this world," Yan Yu replied, also maintaining a composed posture, and answered with a smile, "Soldiers pursue victory and honor, and only the strong can achieve victory. Therefore, ''the strongest in this world'' is the ultimate honor our team strives for. I believe there will be no other answer to this question."

    Lu Zhiyu:......

    Are you some modern-day king of soldiers?!

    Of course, if she continued to push blindly, it would only lead to more shocking and sensational statements. Therefore, Lu Zhiyu wisely switched to another question:

    "Recently, there has been a surge of formidable cultivators abroad. In the event of a geopolitical conflict or international competition, Captain Yan, are you confident of achieving victory and bringing glory to our country?"

    I''m asking if you have the confidence to win, surely there can''t be another answer to this, right?

    "Abroad? Which country?" Yan Yu countered with disdainful indifference, "If it''s not the Onmyoji nation, other countries'' Transcendents aren''t worth our Zhendong Army''s attention. Miti has that so-called Superhero Legion, but it''s essentially a foreign legion and I''m guessing they haven''t even figured out what they''re doing yet. As for the Onmyoji nation, they definitely can''t beat us now.

    Do you know where their national Onmyoji dojo is hidden? No idea, right? So why do you think it''s kept secret? No need for me to explain further, right?"

    Lu Zhiyu:......

    Can you not go into so much detail? Is it that hard to say "we will do our best"?

    Offstage, another signal came through, indicating that the interview time was nearly up. Lu Zhiyu was immediately relieved and brought out her prepared final question:

    "Alright, in the end of the program, Captain Yan, what would you like to say to the cultivators of our Lu Country?"

    Yan Yu pondered for a moment, turned his head to face the live camera, and seriously said:

    "Although I am destined to be the strongest in this world, you all can vie for the position of the second strongest. The way of heaven is rewarding to those who strive, and gentlemen should never cease to be self-improving. Keep fighting, everyone. The era of great changes is upon us; even carps have the chance to leap over the Dragon Gate now!"

    Captain Yan''s final speech was full of passion and conviction, making a resonant impact. Downstairs, Cao Wendan swiftly pressed the delete key, removing the first part "I am destined... you all can vie..." with a snap, leaving only the latter "The way of heaven" part. After reading it several times, she couldn''t help but praise loudly:

    "Well said!"

    "See?" Yan Yu turned to Chen Lingyun and said, "Even the production crew agrees, this interview went smoothly, didn''t it? I don''t know what Coach Qi was so worried about."

    "Indeed," Chen Lingyun smiled, not feigned but genuinely satisfied, as if a person reveling in joy just had their fill of fun.

    Having held back for so long, Lu Zhiyu finally managed to suppress the eloquent and dramatic words in her heart and said, with a polite, forced smile:

    "It has been an honor to interview Captain Yan and Vice-Captain Chen this time. I hope we will have the opportunity to cooperate again."

    Let the deputy editor handle the next interview; anyone who wants to come, let them come. I really wouldn''t dare come back.

    "You see?" Yan Yu continued, speaking to Chen Lingyun, "What did I tell you before?"

    "You were right." Chen Lingyun''s smile was full of charm¡ªshe certainly remembered Yan Yu saying before that "being interviewed by me is already their honor."

    "Thank you for your hard work, Teacher Lu," Yan Yu stood up and politely nodded to Lu Zhiyu.

    Indeed, it was too much for me... Lu Zhiyu''s sense of agitation somewhat subsided, only to hear Yan Yu continue:

    "There might be some sensitive content in this interview, so feel free to cut anything you need to. Just prioritize the publicity goals."

    If you knew it was sensitive content, why say it at all!

    ```

    Lu Zhiyu could barely maintain his composure and had to pretend "someone was calling him from outside" as he quickly left the studio.

    Yan Yu had just stretched when suddenly his phone rang.

    ["Liu Junior" has started a voice chat with you]

    "Hello?" Yan Yu answered the call.

    "Old Yan, I heard someone''s been talking smack about me?" Liu Longtao asked directly on the other end, "I mean, that''s a bit underhanded, isn''t it?"

    "You planted a spy on my side?" Yan Yu was astonished.

    "Come on, do I need a spy?" Liu Longtao chuckled, "They were planning to interview me first, guess why?"

    There are people from the Liu Family inside today''s media company, aren''t there? What''s so hard to guess about that?

    Chen Lingyun had mentioned before that "they were originally going to interview the Dingbei Army first, but it was changed to the Zhendong Army at the last minute" ¡ª it was obvious that their senior leadership was clashing, with the backing of the elders from both Liu Longtao''s and Chen Lingyun''s families.

    Although the Chen Family won in the end, the Liu Family was not likely to cooperate willingly. Those controversial questions the host started with, would she dare to ask them without the nod from someone in authority above?

    What a joke, thinking they could get the better of me, the strongest in this world!

    "Badmouth you? Am I that kind of person?" Yan Yu replied nonchalantly with a smile, "What I said verbatim was, ''You are the main man of the Dingbei Army, you''re number two and no one dares to claim number one.'' If you don''t believe me, ask your spy."

    "Forget it." Liu Longtao expressed indifferently, "Old Yan, just enjoy your moment right now." Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "What''s wrong, have you prepared some secret weapon?" Yan Yu asked, grinning.

    "No." Liu Longtao replied calmly, "To deal with your harem team, all fluttery and flirty, where''s the need for any secret weapons?"

    "Hey, you can eat whatever you want, but you can''t just say anything." Yan Yu''s tone suddenly became hostile, "Are you suggesting women can only join the team through underhanded means? Just wait, I''ll record this conversation and post it online, let the ladies tear you a new one."

    "Go right ahead." Liu Longtao laughed upon hearing this and asked, "Anyway, can Princess Jiang Hai tolerate you like this, without getting jealous or making a fuss?"

    "Whether she can tolerate it or not, what can she do?" Yan Yu dismissed, "Don''t forget, I am the captain!"

    "Ha, just don''t regret it." Liu Longtao said meaningfully, "With her temper, even her dad can''t handle her."

    "Lord Master." Chen Lingyun''s sweet voice chimed in nearby, "Talking behind someone''s back, who exactly is the one being underhanded?"

    "Hahahaha, caught red-handed, I really need to slip away now." Liu Longtao laughed, "See you, Old Yan! I hope next time we meet, you can still smile as brightly and lively."

    The voice chat was ended.

    Chen Lingyun''s fake smile was dazzling, and one couldn''t see through what was on her mind. Yan Yu, on the other hand, was frowning, seemingly pondering some serious matter.

    "Yan Yu." Chen Lingyun narrowed her eyes, "Don''t think about unpleasant things~ Even I would get angry~"

    "Don''t be silly. I have no mood for your family''s trivial matters." Yan Yu was silent for a while before speaking, "Have you been keeping up with the news from Lord Master recently?"

    "No." Chen Lingyun replied, "We''ll see when we confirm the fight with them. Why do you ask?"

    She revealed a mocking smile and asked:

    "It couldn''t be that he really prepared some ''secret weapon'' to deal with you, could it?"

    Chen Lingyun''s emphasis on the words "secret weapon" made her meaning more than clear:

    Darling, you have the memories of a past life! What sort of secret weapon could possibly be a secret to you?

    "No." Yan Yu shook his head and said, "I just realized, if we have to face off against Lord Master in the next match, our recent training intensity isn''t quite sufficient."

    Chen Lingyun''s smile quickly faded from her face.

 Chapter 25 Military Commissioner Yan Yu of Zhenghai Army

    In his previous life, Liu Longtao managed to advance from being the "number one in Pingjing" to the "number one in Lu Country" for various reasons.Firstly, his excellent talent and ambition drove him; he was the epitome of a "genius who also worked incredibly hard." Secondly, his family helped him operate behind the scenes, providing him with significant advantages in the allocation of official cultivator training resources. Thirdly, his luck wasn''t bad either, as he obtained a powerful Flying Sword and Taoism Methods early on.

    In the era of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, an early advantage is like a snowball effect: The better your magical artifacts, Flying Swords, and Taoism Methods, the faster your fighting power rises, which improves your standing in the eyes of the VIPs.

    As a result, they assign you to even more challenging Mysterious Realms, where you find even better magical artifacts, Flying Swords, and Taoism Methods...

    It is precisely because of this that almost all the top cultivators of Lu Country''s future generation, especially the most powerful ones, hailed from the "first batch of cultivators."

    There were certainly strong cultivators in later batches, such as the exceptional Xie Ruoxi, but most cultivators couldn''t surpass their senior fellow peers from the first batch because they couldn''t get the snowball rolling as the first batch did.

    After the interview, Yan Yu did not hurry to leave. Instead, he pondered over the subsequent training plans.

    Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin should practice their reflexes, Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen should provide experience, and then get the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin as soon as possible for the enchantress to familiarize herself with... Hmm?

    Someone patted his shoulder from behind. Discover more content at empire

    "Go to the principal''s office," Qi Changping said to him.

    "Oh," Yan Yu responded without asking why. Since the photography studio at the training ground hadn''t been completely dismantled, training couldn''t proceed right away; it was as good a time as any to see what Li Weiguo wanted.

    Upon arriving at the principal''s office, Yan Yu saw a wooden box on the table.

    The lid was open, and inside lay a bone hairpin carved with a delicate skull on its end.

    The White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin.

    "You got it so quickly?" Yan Yu exclaimed in surprise.

    "It''s a funny coincidence," Li Weiguo said, taking a sip of hot tea, "The Annan Army took a liking to an Immortal Sword from our inventory, and then the Dingbei Army specifically wanted something from the Annan Army. Both sides were rather impatient, which made this exchange go smoothly."

    "I see," Yan Yu nodded, then asked, "So, which sword did the Annan Army go for?"

    "It''s also one that you all seized in the Dragon Spring Mountain Mysterious Realm," Li Weiguo replied. "Do you remember a sword with a lion relief on the blade?"

    "Hmm," Yan Yu nodded, having guessed who might want that sword.

    The Sky Flash Sword, later identified by its original name "Nine Heavens Thunder Executer," was the Valkyrie Li Minghu''s personal weapon.

    "I''ve already reviewed the interview," Li Weiguo continued, "Having a big mouth isn''t a problem, but if you boast and then lose, you''ll be the laughingstock."

    "That''s exactly why we can''t afford to lose," Yan Yu said without hesitation.

    "Recently, Liu Longtao has been unstoppable," Li Weiguo spoke calmly. "In the simulated Mysterious Realm battles, he has successively faced teams from the Pingxi and Annan Armies, and they''ve won quite handsomely. So, the higher-ups plan to arrange another confrontation for you soon to see which team is more elite.

    After all, the last time the two of you fought, it was single combat; this time it will be team combat."

    "No problem," Yan Yu said without a second thought, "We''ll secure the victory."

    "You, young man, don''t you want to think it over?" Li Weiguo scolded him with a laugh, "If anyone else sat here making empty promises, I''d have kicked them out by now."

    "One must disdain the opponent on a strategic level," Yan Yu chuckled, "If you worry about whether you can win before the fight even begins, how can you possibly exert your full strength?"

    "Fine, fine, fine. Just as long as you take your opponents seriously on a tactical level, I''ll overlook your strategic attitude," Li Weiguo said as he casually picked up a file from beside him and suggested, "Take a look at this."

    Yan Yu took the file and glanced at it; predictably, it was a notice about expanding the team''s organization.

    Currently, there are four teams in the whole country, one for each army. However, Mysterious Realms don''t care how many teams you have, for lately, they''ve been popping up like mushrooms after rain. Liu Longtao''s team was able to clear three Mysterious Realms in a week because three appeared in the north in a single week, forcing the Dingbei Army to work overtime on clearing them.

    Therefore, considering the current national situation, expanding the team''s organization was inevitable.

    Having mastered the Three Arts and Five Spells and learned the Sword Control Technique, the student cultivators at the academy certainly have the solid skills required; what they lack is the combat experience to apply those skills.

    Sending them to handle some of the simpler Mysterious Realms would not only help them grow quickly but also address the problem of having too many Mysterious Realms ¡ª the only issue being the inevitable casualties. However, this was simply an unavoidable circumstance.

    "What''s your opinion?" Li Weiguo asked leisurely.

    "I wholeheartedly support it." Yan Yu put the document notification back on the desk, "Nowadays, there are more and more mysterious realms, and it''s urgent to expand our manpower."

    "Do you know any students at the academy, who you think are quite capable?" Li Weiguo asked with a smile, "Feel free to recommend anyone."

    "Qiu Ze and Sun Ziyi," replied Yan Yu, "These two are pretty strong. If it weren''t for the overlapping roles in the team, I would have wanted to recruit them in the first place."

    "Hmm," Li Weiguo nodded, "I''ll consider it."

    The two names recommended by Yan Yu were also on the list provided by the instructor team at Qi Changping''s side.

    According to the instructors'' evaluations, Qiu Ze''s strengths were his quick reactions, fast change-up speed, and his ability to fight, run, and support, which made him a candidate that the instructors jointly believed had the potential to become "the next Yan Yu."

    Sun Ziyi, similar to Chen Lingyun, was the kind that looked for opportunities to strike, with very accurate judgment and awareness.

    So if Qiu Ze were to become the captain and Sun Ziyi the vice-captain, it would seem like they were copying the configuration of Yan Yu''s team¡ªconsidering that Yan Yu''s Team did indeed achieve considerable success, it was only natural for the instructors to take note of them.

    "Would you like some tea?" Li Weiguo offered as he poured some tea.

    "No, no need." Yan Yu quickly stood up, "I understand the implication of offering tea to see a guest out. Please continue with your work; I won''t disturb you any further."

    He was about to leave the office when he suddenly heard Li Weiguo say from behind:

    "For subsequent publicity needs, all battle teams need to have official team names by the end of the month and report them to the academy instructors for registration."

    "No problem," Yan Yu turned back and said, "I''ll discuss it with Chen Lingyun."

    "Don''t pick any messy names," Li Weiguo said again as he picked up his cup of tea, speaking slowly, "It will be in the media, so be serious." S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Going into the media... so the secrecy regulations are being completely lifted, huh?

    After leaving the administrative building, Yan Yu called Chen Lingyun:

    "Our team needs a name, what do you think?"

    "If I were the captain," Chen Lingyun replied, "I''d call it ''Spirit Transport Team''."

    "Directly using the captain''s name, huh? Using my name doesn''t seem too good," Yan Yu said dismissively, "Another one?"

    "Then what''s your idea?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    "Like ''Strongest'' or ''Apex'' or something," Yan Yu replied, "We should lean towards that direction as much as possible."

    "''Strongest'' is too tacky, and the ''Advertising Law'' doesn''t allow it, oh," Chen Lingyun said with a light laugh, "''Apex,'' don''t you think it has a homophony with ''Sheep Epilepsy''? It''s like how you don''t want to use your name to call the team ''Yan Yu''s Team''."

    "If you want to make associations, any name could be twisted into a bad connotation," Yan Yu wasn''t concerned, "What do you think we should call it then?"

    "If you want a name that sounds good, then you have to look to history," Chen Lingyun pondered for a moment and then replied, "Among the many military governors of the Tang Dynasty, Jiangbei and Jiangnan were under the jurisdiction of the ''Pinghai Army.'' Later, Qian Liu, who established the Wuyue Kingdom and governed Lin''an Prefecture in Jiangnan Province, was originally the ''Military Governor of the Pinghai Army''...

    What about calling it ''Zhenghai Team''?"

    "That''s not bad; after all, we belong to the ''Zhendong Army,'' and our future enemies are mainly ''overseas'' from the heavy cherry and Miti," Yan Yu thought for a while and then suddenly said with caution, "You''re not implying some malicious metaphor of warlord segmentation at the end of the Tang Dynasty, are you?"

    "Not at all~" On the other end of the phone, Chen Lingyun said with a laugh, "I just think it''s nice and has a historical reference, or do you have a name you prefer more?"

    "Since we''re going to deal with the heavy cherry and Miti," Yan Yu tried to change his line of thinking, "how about ''Cherry Blossom Cutting Team'' or ''Miti Crushing Team''?"

    "So, ''Slaughter Cherry and Exterminate Miti,'' huh?" Chen Lingyun laughed uncontrollably, "I have no problem, but do you think it will pass the organization''s review?"

    "... Then let''s stick to Zhenghai Team."

 Chapter 26 The Military Governor Speaks Frankly

    Although the team name was preliminarily set, Yan Yu didn''t plan to make the decision unilaterally, so he posted it in the group to ask for the other teammates'' opinions.[Yun Jin]: This name is quite good. If you''re worried that the character "Zhen" might be taboo, "Pinghai" could also work.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: It''s not like we''re ancient people who are concerned about taboos, it''s fine. But "Pinghai Team" does sound pretty good too.

    [Yun Jin]: Actually, many ancient military unit names sound very domineering, like "Shenwu," "Dragon Cavalry," "Yingyang," "Cuifeng," "Dingnan," etc.

    [Chen Lingyun]: He originally wanted to call it "Strongest Team."

    [Yun Jin]: "Strongest Team" is indeed a bit too straightforward. /smile

    [Grandma Zhao]: What''s wrong with "Strongest Team"? It does sound very domineering.

    [Chen Lingyun]: Okay, that''s two votes for "Strongest Team" and two votes for "Zhenhai Team." What about Lin Ning?

    [Yun Jin]: She''s left campus to meet her boyfriend.

    ............

    Yan Yu moved his phone away slightly and revealed a face like that of a "subway elder."

    Sister Lin definitely doesn''t have a boyfriend¡­ Although it''s none of my business whether she does or doesn''t, Lin Ning really was a lifelong single in her previous life.

    There was a classic joke where her dad was so anxious about it, he first went to the military. The military said, we''ve arranged dates for her but she didn''t like anyone, then her dad, determined, ran off to Mindu to find Southeast TV station, signing his daughter up for a dating show called "Heart Belongs." The program format was such that the female participant would introduce herself on stage.

    Then, the male participants'' mothers would take turns asking questions, and in the end, the male participants would choose whether to turn off or keep their lights on.

    Upon learning about it, Lin Ning took leave from the military and flew directly from Jinling to Mindu by Sword Control, stormed into the TV station to find the director, and forcibly had her name removed from the guest list. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    A simple phone call would have solved the issue, but she insisted on flying there personally to settle the matter, which goes to show how desperate Lin Ning was at the time.

    Based on Yan Yu''s understanding of Lin Ning, Sister Lin had a very innocent view on dating.

    Not to mention blind dates, she even opposed mixers, believing the format was too contrived and both sides had ulterior motives¡ªLin Ning could only accept the kind of relationship depicted in pure romance novels, where the process was "meet, get to know, become close, and fall in love." Consequently, she was stuck at the first step, never meeting a decent man.

    [Ningning]: Yun Jin, stop talking nonsense! It''s just a former classmate who came to see me!

    [Yun Jin]: Oh, a classmate.

    [Chen Lingyun]: Is it one person or a group of people?

    [Ningning]: If it were a group, I''d tell them to have fun on their own!

    [Chen Lingyun]: A boy, coming to Jinling alone to see you, isn''t he pursuing you?

    [Ningning]: I''ll handle it, okay! Don''t make wild guesses for me!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Lin Ning, I''m not interested in your personal affairs, but we have a group training session at four o''clock this afternoon, and you can''t miss it.

    [Ningning]: What four o''clock? Why didn''t you say so earlier?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I just received the notice from the Chief Commander. Why don''t you talk to him and ask him to inform us earlier next time?

    [Ningning]: Wait for me! I''m in the coffee shop, I''ll be right back!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: The one at the school gate, right? Hurry up, the others have gathered at the training ground!

    When everyone arrived at the training ground and had been waiting for about ten minutes, Lin Ning still hadn''t returned.

    "Why don''t you go pick her up?" Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    "Let me ask her what''s going on first," Yan Yu was a bit annoyed, "What''s up with Lin Ning? Does she think the team isn''t important or what?"

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Why aren''t you here yet? Did someone kneel in the street to confess to you, and the crowd is chanting for you to accept him and not let you go, right?

    [Ningning]: Wuuuuu, Captain, save me!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Don''t tell me I guessed right?

    [Yun Jin]: He won''t let you go? Call 110!

    [Chen Lingyun]: Little Lin Ning is a Cultivator, she must feel embarrassed to leave, right? Otherwise, how could a mere mortal stop her?

    [Ningning]: @Yi De Fu Ren Captain! Come and find me, say there''s an emergency with the team that requires my return!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You owe me a favor.

    [Ningning]: Owe owe owe!

    Yan Yu reluctantly left the training ground, exited the school, and headed straight to the coffee shop where he had met with Su''s parents last time. Sure enough, he saw Lin Ning and an unfamiliar young man sitting at a window seat, drinking coffee and chatting.

    You actually have time for coffee¡­ Wait, don''t rush it.

    Yan Yu, experienced as a two-time human being, didn''t hurry into the coffee shop. Instead, he quietly took out his phone and sent a private message to [Ningning].

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I''m at the entrance of the shop.

    [Ningning]: Hurry up and come in, you don''t need to say anything, just turn left as soon as you walk through the door and head my way!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Wait a moment, are you planning to wait for me to come in, then tell that guy, "I''m sorry, my boyfriend came to find me" and slip away, hinting at him to give up pursuing you while also saving face for him?

    Ten seconds passed.

    [Ningning]: No, why would you think that?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: If he were just an acquaintance with whom you weren''t on great terms, you could just excuse yourself and leave, right? The main reason you can''t comfortably get away is that you don''t want to damage the relationship between you, yet you can''t accept his feelings. Since you''re out of ideas, you''re resorting to this "fake boyfriend" tactic to get him to back off on his own, right?

    [Ningning]: Your brain is the one that''s slow! Big stupid pig Yan Yu!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Be clear on something, you''re the one asking a favor of me. What''s in it for me to be your fake boyfriend? What if that guy loses his cool and decides to hit me, wouldn''t I be at a disadvantage?

    [Ningning]: You''re a cultivator! How could you not be able to beat him? And he wouldn''t hit you, I promise!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: But I shouldn''t have to take that risk, right?

    [Ningning]: Then what do you want, huh!

    Inside the coffee shop, Lin Ning was furiously typing on her phone. The boy sitting across the table noticed her behavior, and asked nonchalantly:

    "What''s wrong? Did you have a fight with your boyfriend?"

    "It''s not..." Lin Ning hesitated to continue.

    If she were a mature master of tea arts, she would have unhesitatingly admitted it to prevent further entanglement. But Lin Ning, after all, was inexperienced, and she instinctively said "It''s not" before realizing:

    Maybe I should have said "Yes" just now?

    "Oh." The boy chuckled, "I remember now. Your dad has been pushing you to find a boyfriend."

    "Yes, it''s driving me nuts," Lin Ning sighed. "Please don''t tell me he spoke to your dad about it too."

    "He really did," the boy said while holding his paper cup leisurely, "I''m also a bit annoyed because my dad has started to urge me as well."

    Lin Ning looked out of the window, speechless.

    This boy wasn''t just any friend; he was the "childhood friend" who had lived next door to her family since they were young. The two families often visited each other, and their parents had jointly invested in a seafood company, making them very close¡ªLin Ning remembered tagging along after the boy during her childhood.

    They had been classmates in elementary school, but went to different schools after junior high and gradually lost contact.

    Lin Ning was sure she didn''t harbor any romantic feelings for him, yet she didn''t want to destroy the precious friendship that had been built since childhood.

    If he really just wanted to hang out and had no intentions of confessing his feelings, it could be extremely awkward if she were to clarify things prematurely. But it wasn''t a solution to drag things out either...

    All the commander''s fault!

    Lin Ning grew more and more agitated, wishing she could rush out of the shop and give Yan Yu a good beating.

    Discover hidden content at empire

    Then she saw Yan Yu push the door open and walk her way.

    The captain finally deigned to come in!

    Lin Ning''s spirits immediately lifted, but then she remembered her own unwitting admission, denying ever "having a boyfriend," and felt disheartened again.

    Forget it, forget it; the captain must be wanting me to come back soon anyway. Let''s see what he can do...

    "Sorry to interrupt," Yan Yu approached the table without looking at Lin Ning, and instead said to the boy opposite, "You guys can reschedule your meeting, but she needs to come back with me for training."

    "Who are you?" the boy asked, surprised.

    "My surname is Yan, and I''m the captain of her team," Yan Yu explained curtly, "You know she''s in a military academy, right?"

    "I''m aware, she''s told me," the boy calmly said, "But she''s already applied for leave in advance. Surely the training doesn''t require dragging someone back who''s on leave?"

    Yan Yu looked at his expression, then turned to Lin Ning:

    "Get in."

    Lin Ning obediently shifted in her seat to make space for him.

    "How may I address you?" Yan Yu asked as he sat down.

    "Qiao Ming," the boy replied.

    "Qiao Ming," Yan Yu got straight to the point, "Are you here to confess your feelings to Comrade Lin Ning and attempt to establish a romantic relationship with her?"

    "Yan Yu!" Lin Ning exclaimed in frustration.

 Chapter 27 Love Rival? Youre Not Worthy!

    "Yes." Faced with Yan Yu''s direct question, Qiao Ming simply admitted, and he looked toward Lin Ning, asking softly,"Lin Ning, do you already have a boy you like? Or are you already dating this Captain Yan?"

    Experience tales with empire

    Lin Ning hesitated, her mouth opening slightly, unsure whether she should lie to him to let him down easy, remain silent to avoid hurting him, or just directly admit that she did not want to start a relationship yet...

    Seeing Sister Lin struggle to find the words, Yan Yu knew this woman was utterly unreliable. He sighed and said,

    "Qiao Ming, the military has its regulations. You are free to pursue a relationship, but she is not."

    "What do you mean?" Qiao Ming frowned slightly.

    This answer was truly beyond his expectations. What did he mean by the military''s regulations?

    "Comrade Lin Ning is engaged in a classified project." Yan Yu spoke seriously, "She has to report it to her superiors if she wants to establish a romantic relationship. What if her partner is a foreign agent?"

    "What a disgusting thought," Qiao Ming suddenly got angry, and said coldly, "Are you insinuating that I''m a foreign agent?"

    "I didn''t say that," replied Yan Yu coldly, "I''m only telling you the rules. The rules were not made by me, you can take it up with the Zhendong Army, or even go back and tell her parents so they can inquire with the military, and get a detailed understanding of the situation."

    Qiao Ming watched Yan Yu with an icy gaze, but he noticed Lin Ning quietly tugged at the other''s arm.

    "Stop causing trouble," Yan Yu turned his head and scolded, "We''re discussing serious matters here!"

    "Don''t argue with him!" Lin Ning whispered.

    "Is this a matter to argue about?" Yan Yu was amused and irritated by her, "Comrade Lin Ning, if you feel the stirrings of affection, please have the decency to leave the service before pursuing romance. Don''t drag the rest of us into this."

    "What stirrings of affection!" Lin Ning was also frustrated, she kicked him hard under the table, "I already told you it''s not a date!"

    "It doesn''t matter whether it is or not, I''m putting my foot down here. If you get involved in a relationship, your partner will be subjected to a political review. Don''t be an idiot and implicate innocent people!" Yan Yu took the kick with a Barrier Charm and then looked toward Qiao Ming, unflustered, "So, Qiao Ming, what do you have to say?"

    Seeing Yan Yu treat Lin Ning without pretense, even bordering on harshness, Qiao Ming couldn''t tell if he was Lin Ning''s boyfriend or admirer, and was left with no choice but to say,

    "I can accept a political review."

    "Yan Yu, stop this nonsense!" Lin Ning couldn''t help but stand up, "Qiao Ming! That''s enough from you too! I''m not interested in dating right now!"

    The atmosphere quickly turned silent.

    Qiao Ming was silent as he watched her, his expression visibly falling into dejection. Then he saw Yan Yu stand up calmly from the table and start laughing coldly as if he had played a successful trick,

    "Had you said that at the start, wouldn''t that have spared us all this time... You have five minutes to wrap things up, then hurry out! The training has been delayed because of you alone!"

    "What do you mean ''wrap things up''! Mind your words!" Lin Ning couldn''t resist retorting.

    Yan Yu paid her no attention and simply walked toward the exit of the shop.

    As he left, Lin Ning immediately felt a bit awkward, unsure what to say to Qiao Ming.

    "Lin Ning." Qiao Ming took a deep breath, a bitter smile emerging, "Is it true that you''re involved in a classified project?"

    "Yes, it''s true." Lin Ning nodded.

    "So, if you were to date, it could interfere with your career," said Qiao Ming as he stood up gracefully, "I understand."

    "Uh..." Lin Ning felt that there might have been a misunderstanding, but she also felt that this might be exactly the outcome that Yan Yu had intentionally orchestrated. Trying to clarify could likely make things worse.

    "Don''t worry about me," said Qiao Ming, seeing the concern and conflict in her eyes, he couldn''t help smiling, "Whether or not we''re meant to be, I still wish that you can achieve your dreams¡ªthat''s my greatest wish."

    "Goodbye. Lin Ning, keep going."

    He raised his coffee cup slightly in salute to Lin Ning, then he turned and walked away with a carefree air.

    Stepping out of the coffee shop, Qiao Ming let out a long sigh of relief.

    Although he was somewhat saddened by not catching up with Lin Ning, the thought of his parting words and his decisive departure made him feel incredibly cool. This successfully and gracefully executed show-off dispersed part of his heartache and irritation from the unrequited love.

    Then he saw Yan Yu standing next to the door playing with his phone.

    "Captain Yan." Qiao Ming nodded at him.

    "You guys don''t have more to say?" Yan Yu asked without lifting his head. "I gave you five minutes."

    "No need." Qiao Ming brushed his bangs aside and smiled nonchalantly. "She has her own life and path, and I won''t be her stumbling block."

    "You''re actually more mature than she is," Yan Yu continued on his phone without looking up. "Some things are just beyond help, you have to let go even when you can''t."

    "Captain Yan." Qiao Ming suddenly asked tentatively, "It seems like Lin Ning has a pretty good relationship with you? I''ve never seen her kick anyone before."

    "We''re on the same team," Yan Yu lifted his head to look at him. "We''ve carried guns together, get it? If the relationship was bad, there would be problems."

    "Right, I understand." Qiao Ming went on to ask, "So does she have feelings for you or maybe for any other guys on the team..."

    "I don''t know," Yan Yu said straightforwardly. "As long as it''s unrequited, nobody cares."

    "Got it." Qiao Ming''s expression finally showed complete relief.

    He crossed the street, hailed a taxi, and left.

    Lin Ning was evidently watching from inside the store, and as soon as the taxi carrying Qiao Ming was out of sight, she immediately ran out to find Yan Yu:

    "What were you doing talking like that just now!"

    "Did I say something wrong?" Yan Yu looked at her, puzzled. "If I hadn''t said it that way, who knows how long you would have dragged things out before telling the truth! Is it that hard to say ''you''re not interested in dating right now''?"

    "You don''t get it!" Lin Ning stamped on his foot again with force. "He didn''t start off by saying he liked me! Wouldn''t it make the relationship awkward if I just directly said ''I don''t want to date''?"

    "Then you could have just said your dad is pressuring you to find a boyfriend and you''re totally not interested in dating, would that not work?" Yan Yu ridiculed her without mercy. "To be honest, you''re just too dumb to think outside the box."

    "Your brain is the one that''s dumb!" Lin Ning huffed angrily and walked towards the school gate. "I''m leaving!"

    Yan Yu quickly followed at her side, as they walked shoulder to shoulder.

    Once inside the school gates, Lin Ning looked down at her toes, following a straight line on the edge of the tiles, when she suddenly asked:

    "Why wouldn''t you use my initial plan?"

    "You mean pretending to be your boyfriend?" Yan Yu scoffed. "Do you think you deserve that?"

    "How do I not deserve it?" Lin Ning flared up instantly. "Tell me, in what way do I not deserve it?"

    "Stop asking so many questions," Yan Yu hummed through his nose. "I advise you to be cautious with your words and not act rashly." S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Fine, I won''t ask." Lin Ning, still annoyed, veered off the straight path and started to stride forward boldly. "If you weren''t the only guy on the team, I wouldn''t even think of asking you!"

    "Let me be frank, resorting to someone pretending to be your boyfriend is a lousy idea to begin with," Yan Yu said, following her. "A clear explanation could have solved everything, but instead, you wanted to create a scenario of snatching love, which is escalating the conflict and asking for trouble..."

    "I''m not listening, I''m not listening!" Lin Ning plugged her ears with her hands and activated Shifting Technique to run away.

    However, she hadn''t gotten far when Yan Yu, also using the Shifting Technique, caught up with her from the side.

    "Why are you chasing me?" Lin Ning''s eyes widened, and then defensively, she complained, "Don''t you dare play out the ''chasing with corn syrup'' trope!"

    "Idiot, you''re going the wrong way!" Yan Yu cursed irritably. "Our training field is that way!"

 Chapter 28 Increase Training Intensity

    After getting rid of Lin Ning''s admirers, Yan Yu''s mood became somewhat sour.Dammit, I''m also a handsome dude with maxed-out looks! Young and handsome, strong too, favored by the Commander-in-Chief, and with a bright future ahead, why didn''t any beautiful and brave girls pursue me during school? For certain, it must be Chen Lingyun pulling some tricks!

    Wait, I remember at the previous team commendation assembly, wasn''t there a girl who asked, "Can I pursue Captain Yan"? Then, wasn''t she shut down by someone? Zhao Yuanzhen, you were involved too?

    Since both of these ladies are suspects, the remaining two might not be innocent either.

    Secretary Su has a love for literature and has read widely; she surely has a mind deep with thoughts. Sister Lin originally had no suspicions, but today she suddenly asked me to pose as her boyfriend, isn''t this having a guilty conscience? Continue your journey at empire

    Could it be that they have secretly formed an alliance, aiming to secretly drive away all the women who dare to come close to themselves?

    Of course, now within Yan Yu''s mind, the "to-do list" has far too many critical tasks, and dating is a priority that can''t be raised for the time being. If a beautiful girl were to confess to him, he would have to refuse, though with a heavy heart.

    But! "I can''t accept confessions from others right now," doesn''t mean "you can block others from confessing to me"!

    Although this suspicion has no concrete evidence at the moment and is merely Yan Yu''s subjective conjecture... as is well known, as the captain, Yan Yu''s power within the team is limitless.

    I''m not holding grudges or retaliating because I suspect you, but for you to quickly grow in strength, increasing the intensity of the training is quite normal, right?

    ......

    Although Yan Yu''s intentions were good, clearly no one appreciated his efforts.

    In the following sparring practice, Su Yunjin, being the weakest, was the first one eliminated.

    She misjudged the necessary output of True Yuan during her block, which caused her Coral Tear to be directly struck flying in the swordsmanship combat, and then Huang Tingjian suddenly switched to its back edge before slashing, volleying the literary girl harshly away like in tennis.

    Su Yunjin didn''t even scream before she flew out and rolled several times on the ground, then lay still¡ªstartling all the other ladies.

    "Get up!" Yan Yu commanded without mercy, "Falling down on the battlefield equals suicide... unless you''ve passed out!"

    Struggling to prop herself up, Su Yunjin, though in pain everywhere, quickly got into a starting position and forcefully activated the Shifting Technique.

    The next second, Huang Tingjian smashed into the ground where she previously laid; if she had been slower in deploying her Shifting Technique by even half a second, she would have taken the hefty blow.

    Lin Ning was about to sarcastically say, "Aren''t you hitting too hard," but the thought died on her lips. After all, cultivators are essentially military professionals. One could lament being handled too roughly in training, but what was one to do when facing the enemy on the battlefield? Beg for mercy?

    "There''s an opening!" Yan Yu swiftly made a hand sign for the Sword technique, and Huang Tingjian abruptly changed course, launching a ferocious attack on Lin Ning, "Distracted while sparring with me?"

    Luckily, Sister Lin''s reactions were exceptional, and she quickly drew her Green Bamboo Sword to parry. The two swords collided rapidly in the air, the noise resounding like thunder, forcing Lin Ning into disarray as she barely managed to stabilize her defense.

    "The one with the opening is you!" Zhao Yuanzhen took the chance to charge forward, with Yin Wind Sword aiming straight for his forehead.

    Unexpectedly, while heavily attacking Lin Ning, Yan Yu suddenly switched to Curved Curse and grabbed the Yin Wind Sword, flinging it aside.

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ?

    "Are you trying to kill me with laughter?" Yan Yu, now having rushed to her face with Shifting Technique, reactivated Curved Curse, and punched towards her head, "Who said I only know how to control swords?" S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Chen Lingyun watched coolly from the sidelines, seeing Yan Yu brutally beating Zhao Yuanzhen with punches and kicks while Huang Tingjian relentlessly pressured Lin Ning. He managed to maintain absolute advantage on both fronts in a short time¡ªa feat difficult to achieve with Three Arts and Five Spells.

    Three Arts and Five Spells can''t be employed simultaneously, because they require maintaining specific True Yuan courses within the body. Although Yan Yu could compensate for this limitation with his ultra-fast switching speed, if the other side attacked non-stop in numbers, forcing him to keep Barrier Charm activated and without a pause, his only choice would be to flee.

    The Sword Control Technique is different, however; the Flying Sword resembles the gold medal Emissary Batons that follow the Chief Hall Master. As long as the Chief Hall Master gives the command "kill this person" or "how to kill," the Flying Sword goes about its business without the need for constant instruction.

    Looking at the situation on the field, Yan Yu''s eyes, while locked in close combat with Zhao Yuanzhen, were not fixated solely on her; his gaze occasionally swiftly flicked to Lin Ning''s direction.

    Each glance, fleeting as it was, could read the situation across and command Huang Tingjian to execute the next perfect strike. The periodic strikes knitted together not only maintained the attack on Lin Ning but also pressed her into complete helplessness. How terrifying was this ability to suppress the battlefield?

    "Chen Lingyun, don''t you surrender!" Zhao Yuanzhen finally couldn''t hold back and yelled, "If we lose, you won''t get off easy either!"

    "I haven''t surrendered, you know," Chen Lingyun replied with a drawn-out laugh, "I''m just looking for his weakness~"

    Indeed, confronting an opponent of this level head-on offered no chance at victory.

    We must wait for the right moment.

    "I don''t believe that while you''re multitasking at high intensity, you can maintain a flawless posture without showing any weaknesses, dear."

    Don''t let me catch the opportunity~

    Suddenly, Chen Lingyun''s hands, which had been behind her back, moved like lightning to form a sword technique.

    The Purple Extreme Sword transformed into a streak of light aiming at Yan Yu, the timing was exactly when he shifted his gaze away from Lin Ning¡ªan instant where the Flying Sword rushed in from the blind spot of his turned vision.

    At the same time, the five ghosts that had taken the form of fierce dogs had already burst through the wall from underground, attempting to bite down hard on his legs¡­no, they missed?

    Yan Yu suddenly lunged forward, avoiding the bite of the five ghosts, and at the same time, had grabbed Zhao Yuanzhen''s arms, then with the aid of the Curved Curse''s power, twisted them behind her to use her as a human shield.

    Chen Lingyun made a decisive change in her sword technique, or else if the Purple Extreme Sword injured Zhao Yuanzhen, their relationship with the Demonic Sect Enchantress would be over¡ªand she wasn''t done playing yet!

    As the Purple Extreme Sword slowed down on this side, the princess saw Zhao Yuanzhen''s body rapidly enlarging in her field of vision.

    She was hurled towards Chen Lingyun with great force by Yan Yu, who was empowered by the force of the Curved Curse, using her like a cannonball!

    At this point, Chen Lingyun was too late to dodge. She couldn''t keep up with her on-the-spot reaction speed, but a thought suddenly flashed through her mind:

    It was careless of her, given Zhao Yuanzhen''s strength, how could she stand up to Yan Yu''s frontal attack for so long?

    ......

    Having cleanly knocked down all four team members and finished loosening up his muscles, Yan Yu felt refreshed and clear-headed. Standing in the middle of the field with his arms crossed, he struck a heroic pose as he looked at the battered girls with a cold expression and asked:

    "Do you know where you all failed just now?"

    "So, it''s about killing the will along with the body, huh?" grumbled Zhao Yuanzhen.

    "Speak up!" Yan Yu immediately glared at her and bellowed, "I can''t hear you!"

    "Let me say it," said Chen Lingyun lightly. "I thought I had caught your flaw, but it turned out to be a trap you''d set on purpose."

    "Hmph," Yan Yu snorted disdainfully through his nose, commenting, "You''re overly confident in your own intellectual abilities, to the point where you had no defense against other possibilities, it''s hard to believe that such a clumsy tactical error could occur to my deputy team leader."

    "Alright, alright," Chen Lingyun said with a resigned smile, "As ''your'' deputy team leader, it was indeed a major oversight on my part, and I must admit it."

    Zhao Yuanzhen looked at her skeptically, feeling that the woman''s words carried an ulterior meaning and were not well-intended.

    "What are you looking at!" Yan Yu scolded her again, "What''s your problem?"

    "Losing is my problem!" declared Zhao Yuanzhen, standing tall.

    "Idiot!" Yan Yu immediately scoffed, "You knew well that your strength is not equal to mine, yet you insist on fighting solo. Don''t you ever consider cooperating with your teammates? If you continue to be so headstrong next time, you''ll still end up beaten black and blue by me!"

    Zhao Yuanzhen was furious, but unfortunately, her body was already tired, too weak to argue or protest further, and could only secretly bear a grudge:

    This villain has domestically abused me today and shamed me afterward for only knowing how to "fight alone". I''ll remember this! When the day comes that I can turn the tables, I will unite with the other sisters to show you what "overwhelming numbers" means, as well as what "beaten black and blue" really looks like!

    "What about little Lin Ning?" Yan Yu shifted his gaze, asking coldly.

    "My swordsmanship lacks adaptability," replied Lin Ning with no interest in protesting the address, sounding weak and dispirited, "As soon as I face too much pressure in a head-on confrontation, I only think about defending and counterattacking, leading to predictable and unchanging countermeasures that are too easy to read."

    "Correct," Yan Yu nodded authoritatively, "Rather than focusing on improving your adaptability, what you need to prioritize now is the awareness to actively change strategies on the actual battlefield! Combat isn''t like solving problems; enemies won''t intentionally leave you with solutions. You need to be more proactive, ruthless, and aggressive, placing more emphasis on offense than defense.

    Don''t always think about adapting; instead of solving the puzzles given by others, you need to keep the initiative to change tactics firmly in your own hands!"

    "Finally, what about Yun Jin?"

    "Me?" After a moment of silence, Su Yunjin said with a bitter smile, "My problem is probably that I''m too weak."

    "If you''re weak, then train harder!" Yan Yu said impatiently, waving his hand, "Let little Lin Ning accompany you in extra practice! It just so happens that she needs to practice taking the initiative in attacking, and you can work on the basics of defense. The two of you can complement each other perfectly!"

    "And the two of you," he looked at Zhao Yuanzhen and Chen Lingyun again, "Deputy team leader, it''s time to use your brain."

    "Teach her how to coordinate tactics. Before the next Mysterious Realm confrontation comes, you must have her well-trained!"

    "That''s all, disband!"

 Chapter 29 An Interlude from the North

    The names of the four great war teams were quickly registered within the Privy Council, and thus were set.The Zhendong Army''s Yan Yu''s Team was renamed "Zhenhai Team". Enjoy new stories from empire

    It can be interpreted both as the Zhendong Army sweeping across the seas and as a nod to the Tang Dynasty''s navy that ruled the eastern seven provinces of Jiangnan, fitting both contemporary and historical contexts, so the name smoothly passed the review.

    The Dingbei Army''s Liu Longtao''s Team was renamed "Dragon Cavalry Team".

    "Cavalry" implies the majestic leaping of a steed with its head held high, an emblem of power and magnificence. "Dragon Cavalry" could also be translated as "Dragon Soaring", and as for whom this "Dragon" refers to, that goes without saying. Those who understand, understand.

    The Pingxi Army''s Zhou Hongyu''s Team was renamed "Huofeng Team".

    This name was slightly more common, but upon deeper consideration, it was quite fitting. Red feathers, Huofeng, it signifies Captain Zhou''s absolute dominance within the team, with a name that seems to burn with a welding flame.

    The Annan Army''s Li Zhaojiang''s Team was renamed "Qing''an Team".

    This name, proposed by Li Minghu, means "to purge the four seas and pacify the universe", matching the name of the Annan Army. Though it lacks the sharpness of more direct names, it still conveys a positive and proactive stance.

    Besides these, the list of captains and vice-captains for the second batch of war teams had also been submitted for approval.

    The second team from Zhendong Army was to be captained by Qiu Ze with Sun Ziyi as vice-captain. They would start recruiting members once the establishment of the team was approved by higher-ups.

    The increase in the number of war team formations aimed to meet the needs of the constantly changing domestic defense situation, and of course, it would intensify internal competition.

    Although past experiences indicated that the overall strength of the second batch of teams indeed fell short compared to the first batch, to be safe, one shouldn''t underestimate them. Hence, Yan Yu decided, with a heavy heart and tearing eyes, to intensify the girls'' training in the long-term interest and future planning.

    "If you wanted to increase the training, just say it straight!" Lin Ning complained again, "No need to find such a long list of excuses!"

    "Foolish!" Yan Yu rebuked her mercilessly, "Without reason to intensify your training, wouldn''t you curse me to death in your hearts? Isn''t it all to make you understand the good intentions of your team leader?"

    So where does that confidence come from that makes you think we aren''t already cursing you behind your back?

    In fact, aside from the team chat that included all five members, there were also groups such as the "Take Down the Captain Group" excluding Yan Yu, the "BFF Night Talk Group" excluding Chen Lingyun, and the "What to Eat Today Group" excluding Zhao Yuanzhen...out of which the "Take Down the Captain Group" had the most curses, each in their unique way.

    Zhao Yuanzhen would directly attack, such as "Yan Yu, I''m gonna fucking end you, you big idiot".

    Chen Lingyun''s sarcasm was peculiar, like "So being a captain means you can do whatever you want, huh? How dare you disagree with me?" and other strange remarks.

    Lin Ning''s complaints were quite ordinary, "Does the captain have hyperthyroidism?" "Is he sick, why is he always picking on me?" "I really want to kick him up against the wall", etc. Her aggressiveness truly paled in comparison to the first two.

    Su Yunjin usually remained quiet, occasionally echoing in a lukewarm tone, "Exactly, exactly", "Right, right", but she definitely stood on the girls'' side.

    Of course, Yan Yu could not possibly be ignorant of this, but what of it?

    As a strong person, one should thoroughly humiliate the weak!

    Even a stone used for stepping at the roadside squeaks when trodden upon, right? If you bully someone and do not let them complain, that would be too harsh.

    I, Yan Yu, am not someone with a narrow mind. As long as you complete the training tasks with quality and quantity, I allow you to criticize me appropriately!

    This is the benevolence and magnanimity of being a team leader! Start feeling grateful and indebted to me!

    After the training, the girls gathered to rest as usual, each playing with their phones in silence.

    [Miss Zhao]: That thief just took a call and rushed off in a hurry¡ªwhat''s going on?

    [Yun Jin]: I don''t know, and Ling Yun didn''t say, so it''s probably not work-related.

    [Chen Lingyun]: It''s probably his private matter, then? Now that you mention it, I''m kind of curious to know.

    [Ningning]: Ling Yun, don''t do anything illegal!

    [Chen Lingyun]: What counts as something illegal?

    [Ningning]: For example, hiring someone to hack into his account and extract his chat logs¡ªthat would be a violation of his privacy and illegal.

    [Chen Lingyun]: I see. Then if I directly ask the service provider to voluntarily provide Yan Yu''s chat logs, that wouldn''t be illegal, right?

    [Ningning]: It might not be against the law, but that''s even scarier!

    Let''s leave the girls'' chat aside for the moment and say that Yan Yu left the training ground in a hurry and picked up the phone again.

    "What''s the matter, Anna?" he asked in a low voice.

    There was no answer, just heavy, trembling breathing from the other end.

    "Take it easy, international long-distance calls are expensive," Yan Yu said earnestly, "It''s better to send a private message with the news..."

    "Yan Yu," the voice from the other end said in a daze, "I''ve killed someone."

    "Oh," Yan Yu''s tone grew slightly more serious, "How many did you kill?" S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Is that even the question here?" Anna burst out, unable to contain herself anymore, "It''s a human life! I have blood on my hands now! I''ve become a murderer!"

    "Alright, alright, I got it, don''t get too worked up," Yan Yu moved the receiver a bit further from his ear, "So you didn''t throw up on the spot, did you?"

    "I didn''t throw up," Anna said after a moment of silence, "I just feel a bit sick."

    "That''s normal," Yan Yu reassured her patiently, "If it gets too much, have a drink and sleep it off, and you''ll be fine."

    "... Yan Yu, have you ever killed anyone?"

    "Why would you ask that kind of question?"

    "It''s nothing, forget I asked," Anna fell silent again for a moment before starting to talk about the situation on her end.

    After the riots started to break out in the city, she had been holed up in her apartment room with her father, sustaining themselves on stored food and water, unaware of what was happening outside.

    It wasn''t until the Luo Sha officials finally reacted and deployed the military that order was restored, followed by soldiers going door-to-door, checking and registering the status of the residents.

    Seeing tanks rumbling past their windows, citizens gradually mustered the courage to go out and shop for various necessities for life, and Anna was no exception.

    Then, an unexpected event occurred.

    Who started the rebellion in Amur City, how it was organized, and how it ultimately erupted were things that the Luo Sha military clearly didn''t fully understand, so they entered the city to suppress the rebellion due to political pressure.

    This was a typical characteristic of the era following the Spiritual Energy Resurgence: Former rulers held complete technological, intelligence, and information dominance, making grassroots uprisings nearly impossible; but with the resurgence of Spiritual Energy and all sorts of unheard-of Transcendent powers emerging like bamboo shoots after a rain, maintaining absolute information superiority had become impossible.

    After the military entered the city, a kind of Transcendent secret substance, through some unknown means of propagation, spread rapidly among these soldiers.

    When they returned to their camps outside the city, they brought the unknown back with them.

    It was too late for the commanders to organize a counterattack by the time a large number of werewolves emerged in the camps ¡ª these werewolves had extremely strong vitality, capable of withstanding gunfire, and ran as swiftly as the wind, so human soldiers had to rely on pre-built defensive lines, large caliber machine guns, and long-range bombardment for suppression.

    Once the lines were breached by the werewolves, and everyone was fighting independently, formal defeat was merely a matter of time.

    The smooth suppression inside the city was just a plot by the Transcendents behind the scenes. Their initial target was not just Amur City, but the subsequent military forces that entered to quell the rebellion were also calculated into their scheme.

    After a whole night of chaotic fighting outside the city, numerous units were disbanded due to lost organization. Some deserters returned to the city, bringing the dreadful news to the citizens.

    Hence, an even greater chaos began to spread again within the city.

    On her way back from shopping, Anna killed several strangers who tried to attack them and rob their supplies to protect her father''s safety¡ªthen she made this call to Yan Yu.

    "So where are you and your father now?" Yan Yu asked.

    "We''re hiding under a bridge," Anna said in a hushed voice, "Father''s scared out of his wits. I lied to him, saying I''m seeking help from my aunt."

    "You don''t need to lie," Yan Yu said, "Give your aunt a call, see if she can help."

    "My aunt..." Anna said, lost and bewildered, "Can she really help? I don''t want to get her involved in danger, too."

    "How will you know if you don''t ask?" Yan Yu said gravely.

    He actually couldn''t remember when Anna''s aunt became a vampiric Transcendent.

    But looking back at the Eclipse Queen''s life in his past life, the first and most crucial turning point was getting help and guidance from her aunt... otherwise, she would have died in the sewers of Amur City just like her father.

    "Okay," Anna said, reassured by Yan Yu, her tone quickly becoming firm, "I''ll call her right away."

    "Hmm." Yan Yu fell silent for a moment, "There''s one more thing."

    "What is it?"

    "Try to survive, Anna..." Yan Yu''s voice paused for a moment.

    "Even if you must kill, always remember,"

    "Your life is more important than theirs."

 Chapter 30 Lets go, back to my room

    "People overseas live in dire straits." With the continuous advancement of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, this phrase is about to become a broader reality.Capital, corporations, armies, governments, bureaucrats, Aristocratic Families... all elements that rely on "higher organizational structure" to obtain a dominant position are no match for this sudden rise of transcendent violence; they are like trying to stop a cart with an arm, totally ineffective!

    However, even within the inner circles of transcendent powers, there is still an extremely terrible, cruel, and merciless struggle against each other.

    The wide range between the upper and lower limits of a Transcendent''s strength determines that the gap between top-level Transcendents and the lower-tier ones is even far greater than the gap between the lowest-level Transcendents and ordinary people.

    Quack, the good times are coming!

    Since we can only accept it no matter what, we might as well deceive ourselves into thinking it''s a "good era," at least it allows us to be a bit happier, right?

    When Chen Lingyun found Yan Yu, he was sitting by the artificial lake in the campus, staring blankly at the koi swimming in the water. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Sometimes, I really want to be a koi," Yan Yu said without turning around, his voice remote, "No need to think, no need to worry, just waiting for people to feed you every day."

    "So you asked me to come here just to cosplay as Zhuangzi?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    "No." Yan Yu sighed, "It''s not that I envy the joy of fish, it''s just that life seems too bitter."

    "Really?" Chen Lingyun laughed dismissively, "Maybe, but you''re probably the last person who has the right to say that."

    She sat down next to Yan Yu, picked up a stone, and threw it at the koi in the pond.

    The koi that was hit by the stone flicked its tail as if in pain and quickly swam towards the center of the lake.

    "Do you still envy that koi now, dear?" Chen Lingyun asked with a radiant smile.

    Yan Yu: .........

    "I''m just expressing my feelings; there''s no need to puncture my fantasy," he said with extreme resignation.

    "Sorry." Chen Lingyun put on an innocent expression and said awkwardly, "Were you actually looking for empathy? Ah, then I probably can''t help you because my starting point is already beyond the finish line of most people in this world."

    "That kind of talk makes you deserving of a smack," Yan Yu said with annoyance, "Can''t you be a bit more humble, Trashy Princess?"

    "Tonight? Sure," Chen Lingyun took out her phone and said with a mischievous smile, "Should I book a hotel room?"

    "That''s enough, geez," Yan Yu sighed.

    He looked at Chen Lingyun next to him. Tonight, she was wearing a pure pink T-shirt inside, casually covered with a silver sports jacket, and white A-line shorts on her lower body, showing off her smooth, slender thighs...

    But this outfit was not Chen Lingyun''s daily style; the Trashy Princess actually preferred more complicated and delicate attire like shirts, bow ties, pleated skirts, stockings, and little leather shoes.

    "Don''t guess; I didn''t dress up much." Chen Lingyun noticed his gaze and said with a smile, "I had just finished washing and blowing out my hair when a certain person''s phone call pulled me out. I had to quickly choose a few pieces of clothing."

    "Then I''m truly flattered," Yan Yu said nonchalantly.

    "Don''t believe me?" Chen Lingyun pinched a few strands of hair beside her cheek and teased him with a smile, "Smell it, there''s still the scent of shampoo on it~"

    "Stop." Yan Yu swatted her hand away, "How is the domestic situation among the common folk now?"

    "It''s alright," Chen Lingyun said casually, "Taoists have already reorganized household registrations to strengthen control. The situation seems to be stable for now, after all, cultivating one''s heart comes before cultivating one''s skill. The likelihood of issues arising in this area is minimal."

    "What about the other channels?" Yan Yu said, "Like the circulation of ancient artifacts and such?"

    "That''s something that can''t be strictly controlled," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "Even if you shut down Panjiayuan, what then? Those who have ancient objects to sell will only switch to more hidden channels for trading. A large number of antiques will still circulate at the social level, who knows how many objects related to cultivation are mixed in there?"

    "But we can''t just do nothing," Yan Yu frowned, "The current method of Spirit Root detection is still too primitive. Although many people''s blood tests might show negative, if they come into contact with ancient objects related to cultivation, there''s still the chance of accidentally stepping onto the path of cultivation.

    Bearing a blade tends to provoke killing intent; what do we do if something happens?"

    "There will definitely be a way to handle that," Chen Lingyun''s smile faded, "But what does that have to do with you, Yan Yu?"

    "I can''t ask if it''s not my business?" Yan Yu scoffed, "Who do you think those above will send to deal with those illegal cultivators when they emerge in large numbers?"

    "You seem very angry," Chen Lingyun shifted the topic smoothly, revealing a seductive smile, "Are you sure you don''t need to go to a hotel room with me?"

    "Forget it," Yan Yu waved his hand and said, "It''s okay if you don''t want to answer, I''ve already decided anyway."

    "Oh?"

    "To meet the unpredictable future situations, you all need to improve your strength faster and more intensely!" Yan Yu stood up from the bench, swept his hand with a grand gesture, and declared boldly, "Starting tomorrow, we''re going to increase practice!"

    Chen Lingyun: ......

    When in doubt, just increase training, right? Can''t you just act like a human being?

    Not content with only issuing grand statements, Yan Yu took out his phone and began typing.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Ladies! I''ve just had a talk with your vice-captain, and we feel that the current pace of strength progress is a bit slow, so I am delighted to inform you all, we, the Zhenhai Team, are going to increase our existing training intensity! Let''s train ferociously!

    [The Lady with the Surname Zhao]: Chen Lingyun, you bastard!

    [Ningning]: Haven''t we already increased practice? Why are we adding more?

    [Yun Jin]: I got my period, Captain. I''d like to ask for a day off tomorrow.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: No way! Forget about periods, even if you were pregnant, don''t even think about getting a leave! Will the enemies you face on the future battlefield show you mercy just because you''re on your period, or because you''re pregnant with a big belly? Will they spare your life?

    [Chen Lingyun]: What if it''s your child, can I take a leave then?

    ......

    As if someone had pressed the pause button, the scrolling group chat suddenly stopped.

    Yan Yu widened his eyes to look at Chen Lingyun beside him, as if to say, "What kind of nonsense are you spouting here?"

    "I was just asking out of curiosity," Chen Lingyun replied with a sweet smile.

    Yan Yu, expressionless, turned his gaze away and continued to type.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Even if it''s my own child, there will be no exceptions! Bring the kid and train together!

    This message dropped like a stone thrown into a lake, and the previously quiet group chat quickly started rolling again. Read exclusive chapters at empire

    [Ningning]: Even if it''s a joke, what you said is too horrifying!

    [Ningning]: Exercising at high intensity while pregnant can increase the risk of miscarriage!

    [Ningning]: Can''t you have a bit of common sense? Girls are not war machines, you know!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Alright, since nobody has any objections, let''s meet at the training field at 6 AM tomorrow.

    [Ningning]: Can''t you see that everyone has objections?!

    Ignoring Lin Ning''s barrage of complaints, Yan Yu put away his phone and asked Chen Lingyun:

    "How much intelligence have we gathered on Lord Master''s Dragon Soar Team?"

    "Quite a lot," Chen Lingyun said with a twinkling smile, "They''ve been frequenting the Mysterious Realm recently, so we have several recordings of their excursions. Do you want to see them?"

    "Send them to me," Yan Yu said with a nod.

    "They''re on my computer," Chen Lingyun extended an invitation, "Shall we go watch them in my room?"

 Chapter 31 Dragon Soar Team, A Bunch of Nobodies!

    As time gradually approached the latter half of August.Due to the additional training sessions Yan Yu imposed, the strength and progression levels among the girls began to diverge.

    The one who improved the most, naturally, was Lin Ning, for the Sword Immortal is inherently a "mid-stage" dominant profession.

    As long as one''s Sword Control Technique reaches a state of refined mastery, their combat power soars faster than other professions¡ªthe most typical example of this is Goryeo, where nearly all cultivators focus exclusively on Sword Immortal, treating Taoism Method, spells, and such as mere support, which has led domestic public opinion to jokingly refer to them as "stick swingers (cheap swordsmen)."

    Surprisingly, the person who improved the second most was Su Yunjin.

    On one hand, her basic skills indeed improved, such as defense, evasion, and other solid maneuvers; on the other hand, her progress could be attributed to her "Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art."

    This spell''s lethality isn''t strong, unlike Zhou Hongyu''s Grand Light Fire, which could cause injury or even death by mere grazing... but its control ability is excellent.

    Once engulfed by the heavenly river, one''s sense of direction is entirely disrupted, unable to distinguish up from down, east from west; then, as feet can''t touch the ground and there''s nothing to leverage, it''s impossible to use the Shifting Technique to quickly escape the area; lastly, the drowning brings a series of negative statuses such as "inability to see," "inability to distinguish sounds," "inability to breathe," and so on.

    To effectively use this Taoism Method, what''s tested is the control over True Yuan, attention to detail, and battlefield judgment, and Su Yunjin excels on all three counts. Therefore, even if she doesn''t meet the average standard of top cultivators in hardware terms, she''s no longer seen as a liability in the team, thanks to the control afforded by this Taoism Method.

    Compared to Lin Ning and Su Yunjin, the progress of Zhao Yuanzhen and Chen Lingyun wasn''t as obvious.

    Chen Lingyun had now mastered the Five Ghost Carry Technique, using it to strike from the shadows with ease, but apart from that, there hadn''t been a significant increase in strength¡ªunless she could obtain a new ghost to command.

    The White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin had been handed over to Zhao Yuanzhen, but lacking the strategic thinking, the Demonic Sect Enchantress treated the treasure like a Flying Sword. She would throw it at every opportunity, never keeping it in hand.

    After watching her practice for half a day, Yan Yu couldn''t help but say,

    "Have you ever heard a saying, ''The sword kept in its sheath is the most deadly''?"

    "You mean..." Zhao Yuanzhen hesitated for a moment, "to use it for a surprise attack?"

    "The energy consumption to trigger the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin is much higher than when you use Flying Sword to attack," Yan Yu explained. "Since it requires more True Yuan to use, it should at least do something that the Sword Control Technique can''t do, right?"

    "What''s the advantage of the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin? It''s that once it''s shot, it automatically homes in on its target, making it unavoidable; and upon hitting, it severs the meridians, rendering the wounds untreatable. If you rashly send out the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin and it''s blocked by the opponent using the Sword Control Technique, wouldn''t that be a complete waste?

    Conversely, when would be the most appropriate time to use the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin? Isn''t it when the enemy has no way to block it?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen pondered this.

    Although Empress Yuanzhen often seemed disengaged in her daily life, her intelligence was always present when it came to combat. Yan Yu patted her on the shoulder, indicating for her to think it over on her own, and then went to inspect the progress of others.

    Training lasted until 11 in the morning, and then it was time to rest and prepare for lunch. On their way to the cafeteria, Yan Yu suddenly received a phone call.

    "Mhm, yes, alright," he rapidly responded a few times, then hung up and turned to give instructions, "Chen Lingyun?"

    "Calling for a car right now," Chen Lingyun said, holding her phone.

    Given the experience from the previous three times, everyone naturally wasn''t completely clueless. Lin Ning confirmed, asking,

    "Another Mysterious Realm confrontation, right?" Stay connected with empire

    "Yes," Yan Yu nodded. "The Northeast, Changbai Mountain."

    Changbai Mountain Range, located within the Taining Province, one of the three provinces of the Northeast.

    Which means the opponent in this joint struggle for the Mysterious Realm happens to be Liu Longtao of the Dingbei Army''s Dragon Soar Team.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The Zhendong Army''s plane took off from Jinling Airport, heading towards the Changbai Mountain Airport in Baishan, Taining Province.

    As per team routine, deputy leader Chen Lingyun activated the plane''s projector to begin briefing everyone on intelligence.

    "Dragon Soar Team, led by Liu Longtao, with deputy leader Ye Jun, and three members named Ai Lu, Guo Feiyun, and Yang Linhui."

    "Ai Lu, from Shangdu Prefecture of Central Plains Province, a Sword Immortal by profession. Guo Feiyun, from Weihai Prefecture of Qilu Province, also a Sword Immortal. The reason I''m talking about these two together is that during the previous Mysterious Realm confrontations, they demonstrated a high level of tactical cooperation."

    "Guo Feiyun specializes in head-on assaults and is the main attacking force of the Dragon Soar Team; Ai Lu is responsible for coordinating attacks, working together with Guo Feiyun to breach the enemy''s defenses.

    Taken individually, these two Sword Immortals may not be as strong as Ningning, but their cooperative swordplay even managed to suppress Zhou Hongyu at one point, so their threat should not be underestimated."

    "Yang Linhui, from Shangjing Prefecture of East Sea Province, a spell caster by profession, practices the ''Gang Wind Hao Qi True Art,'' capable of summoning knife-like wind that wounds people on the battlefield; more aggressive than Yun Jin''s Star River Secret Art but slightly inferior in terms of control."

    "Ye Jun, from Jinmen Prefecture, Assistant Officer. Her magical artifact is a ruler that reportedly can produce a light that envelops its surroundings with her at the center, forming a shield-like defensive effect capable of blocking Flying Swords and Taoism Method attacks,"

    "Lastly, there''s Liu Longtao, from Pingjing, known as ''Lord Master'', a profession of Sword Immortal, wielding an Immortal Sword named ''Ying Long''..."

    "Wait a minute!" Lin Ning exclaimed in surprise, "Does this mean that their team has three Sword Immortals?"

    "Exactly," Chen Lingyun said with a twinkling smile, "Actually, from this, you can tell that Lord Master''s team places a very strong emphasis on offense. Excluding the Assistant Officer Ye Jun, each of the three Sword Immortals and the cultivator could be a main force in an assault."

    "But the trade-off is that there''s not much room for tactical play." Seeing the girls become nervous, Yan Yu smiled dismissively and said, "They defeated Zhou Hongyu''s team by relying on Liu Longtao''s absolute power to knock Zhang Huaide out early; defeating Li Zhaojiang''s team was done by Liu Longtao''s aggressive attack on Li Minghu, forcing Li Zhaojiang to go for the rescue."

    "A fierce attack on the command center," Su Yunjin also realized, "Once the command center is disrupted, the rest can only fight independently. This situation is very advantageous for the Dragon Soar Team, which has multiple assaulters."

    "That''s right," said Chen Lingyun with a light smile, "Think about it, we have also crossed swords with the other two teams. Huofeng Team has only the vice-captain Zhang Huaide who is suitable for commanding, and Qing''an Team''s vice-captain Li Minghu, once in crisis, the captain Li Zhaojiang will surely rush to the rescue.

    Both of them are essentially the soft ribs of the teams; once they are targeted, it leads to dysfunction in the team''s operation."

    "But we don''t have such a weakness," Yan Yu added, "Chen Lingyun and I can both take command. Even if we both are out in the endgame, don''t we still have Yun Jin?"

    "Ah? I can''t do it," Su Yunjin quickly waved her hands to refuse, "I''ve never commanded before."

    "Yun Jin can do it," said Chen Lingyun with a smile, "Sister Zhao and Ningning are the main combat power, so the only one who can be a temporary command replacement is you."

    "...All right," Su Yunjin resignedly accepted.

    Secretary Su''s personality was such: she liked to harmonize. If you told her "there''s an important task for you," her first reaction would definitely be "I can''t do it well, give it to someone else"; but if you said "everyone else has more important tasks," then she''d be willing to take on the task.

    Though it''s in her nature, the fact that Chen Lingyun could so effortlessly manipulate Secretary Su showed that she was indeed as shrewd as they come.

    "Yun Jin, you don''t have to worry," Lin Ning consoled her, "With a team captain as bossy and invincible as him, how could he possibly be eliminated early? I bet even if all four of us were down, it''d be him who would stand until the end."

    "It''s Little Lin Ning who understands me," Yan Yu immediately burst into laughter.

    "Little your head!" Lin Ning feigned a punch at him, "So what exactly is the tactic?"

    "It''s simple," Chen Lingyun explained with a smile, "Yan Yu will tie up Liu Longtao, pulling him out of the opposite team''s tactical framework; Ningning and Sister Zhao will each busy Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun, preventing these two Sword Immortals from coordinating, and then single them out for defeat. Yun Jin and I will together deal with Ye Jun and Yang Linhui, it should be like that."

    Seeing that Chen Lingyun was confident and the tactical arrangement was quite straightforward, everyone finally relaxed and went back to their seats to rest.

    Yan Yu was gazing out the plane window at the clouds when suddenly he received a message from Chen Lingyun on his phone, a private chat.

    [Chen Lingyun]: Not much room for tactical play? Really?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What I mean is, they''re not a team that specializes in tactics; it doesn''t mean they''re not good at using tactics. The configuration of three Sword Immortals indeed seems a bit too focused on output, but with a competent command, they can still fight very flexibly.

    [Chen Lingyun]: So they''re still hard to deal with.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: But I can''t say that directly to everyone, it might dampen the spirits a bit.

    [Chen Lingyun]: In fact, I suspect both Liu Longtao and Yang Linhui are holding back their trump cards. Yang Linhui''s Taoism Method is likely both offensive and controlling, and Liu Longtao¡­ I''m just guessing he''s not an ordinary Sword Immortal; otherwise, in the previous life, he couldn''t have reached the status of ''Number One Master of Lu Country'' as you mentioned.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Yeah, you wouldn''t miss something like that. Yang Linhui''s Taoism Method indeed combines offense and control, but his control is an all-encompassing strike, not as precise as Su Yunjin''s. As for Liu Longtao, he should be a dual cultivator of spell and sword.

    [Chen Lingyun]: He has learned Taoism Method? S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Right, ''Five Directional Dragon''s Purple Sky Scripture'', a pretty awesome Taoism Method.

    [Chen Lingyun]: Dear, please tell me you''ve also kept a trump card for this occasion, okay?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Do I need a trump card to face him? I''m dying of laughter, who do you think I am?

    [Chen Lingyun]: That''s right, you''re the strongest Yan Yu of this world~

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: But you should be a little careful, Ye Jun is not easy to deal with. Her Xuan Guang Ruler is actually more powerful for control than defense, and you shouldn''t get caught in the light.

    [Chen Lingyun]: Since she''s hiding her skill, surely it''s specially prepared for you, what do I have to worry about?

 Chapter 32 So You Were Looking for Me

    After flying over more than half of Lu Country, the Zhenhai Team finally landed at the airport and was subsequently picked up by the Dingbei Army to be taken to Baihe Town.Baihe Town, located about 35 kilometers from Changbai Mountain, had an economy that largely depended on tourism. But since the Changbai Mountain tourist area was suddenly closed, the number of visitors had sharply declined, casting a somber mood over the entire town.

    As soon as Yan Yu got off the car, he saw Liu Longtao and Ye Jun already waiting at the parking lot entrance.

    "Old Liu, you came to pick us up personally?" Yan Yu asked in surprise, "I''m really flattered."

    "It''s a matter of courtesy, should be done," Liu Longtao said with a smile, then greeted Chen Lingyun who was behind him, "Ah, Ling Yun is here too?"

    "What, did you think I wouldn''t come?" Chen Lingyun narrowed her eyes.

    "How could that be? After all, you are the ''deputy'' captain of the Zhenhai Team," Liu Longtao chuckled, changing the subject, "The hotel we booked is not far from here, let''s all settle in first."

    "It''s a hot spring hotel~" Ye Jun added with a laugh.

    "A hot spring hotel?" The girls behind Yan Yu immediately lit up with excitement.

    Everyone arrived at the hotel by car. The girls hurriedly changed clothes in their rooms and then went to the hot spring area for a bath.

    Yan Yu wasn''t particularly interested in hot springs. He wandered around the lobby in the hotel-issued slippers and happened to see Liu Longtao and Ye Jun coming out of the elevator.

    "...So it''s still not confirmed?" Liu Longtao asked with a frown.

    "Mhm." Ye Jun sighed, saw Yan Yu in the lobby, and smiled, "Captain Yan, aren''t you going to try the hot springs?"

    "No need," Yan Yu waved his hand, "Too lazy to change clothes."

    "Indeed." Liu Longtao gave Ye Jun a meaningful look, saying, "I''ll go out and buy some things."

    As he left through the door, Ye Jun found a sofa nearby and sat down, smiling: S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Captain Yan, want to have a chat?"

    "What for?" Yan Yu joked with her, "To probe for intelligence?"

    "Yes," Ye Jun replied playfully, "It''s a honey trap, let''s see if you dare take it."

    "Alright," Yan Yu sat down on the sofa opposite her, "What do you want to ask?"

    His straightforward attitude momentarily stumped Ye Jun.

    But the girl from Jinmen was good at warming up the atmosphere, so she decided not to ask about intelligence right away and smiled:

    "Did you bring enough clothes this time, Captain Yan? It''s still quite cold here in Taining during the summer, not like the south where it''s easily over thirty degrees."

    "I didn''t," Yan Yu observed her closely, "And you''re not wearing much either, are you?"

    Today, Deputy Captain Ye Jun was dressed in a thin white knitted pullover and soft, form-fitting trousers, looking less like a soldier about to go to battle and more like a city woman on vacation, an office executive perhaps.

    Her hairstyle was still the cute short cut from before, and her facial features were precise and charming, but it was evident that she had applied some light makeup to conceal the heavy dark circles beneath her eyes.

    "Well, we are in the hotel, with the heating and air conditioning set high, of course it''s not cold," Ye Jun also laughed, saying, "Wait until we actually head to Changbai Mountain tomorrow, then you''ll see if I wear a padded jacket or not."

    "I''ve heard you''ve been staying up late recently," Yan Yu asked nonchalantly.

    Ye Jun asked in surprise:

    "Who did you hear that from?"

    "So you don''t deny it," Yan Yu immediately understood.

    Explore stories at empire

    "Ah, being the deputy captain," Ye Jun said nonchalantly, "so much to do, so little time, it''s unavoidable."

    "Isn''t it because Old Liu dumps all the work on you?" Yan Yu pointed out sharply.

    "Now, I don''t like hearing that," Ye Jun said, her smile steady, retorting, "Each captain has their own leadership style. It''s like how Ling Yun often complains about you in the group, and nobody takes it seriously..."

    "Hold on." Yan Yu suddenly interrupted, his demeanor becoming serious, "What did Chen Lingyun complain about me?"

    The deputy captains of the four teams had created a special group for deputy captains, where they exchanged experiences and tips on commanding their teams, something Yan Yu was certainly aware of.

    But Chen Lingyun secretly speaking ill of me behind my back in the group... I''m sorry, I just can''t tolerate that.

    "Uh." Ye Jun suddenly felt a bit guilty, as if she had inadvertently turned into a snitch, and tried to laugh it off in an attempt to bluff her way through, "It''s nothing really, I often complain about Captain Liu being a hands-off manager too, we all just vent in the group... what are you doing?"

    Yan Yu had already taken out his phone and dialed Chen Lingyun''s number.

    "Hello?"

    "Chen Lingyun, I hear you''ve been talking crap about me behind my back in other groups?" Yan Yu coldly asked.

    "Oh?" A calm voice responded from the other end, "It was Ye Jun who told you, right?"

    "Sorry, Ling Yun," Ye Jun said helplessly from the side, "My lips slipped, it''s all my fault."

    "It''s okay," Chen Lingyun said with a laugh, "Yan Yu, you might have misunderstood, I didn''t speak ill of you."

    "Then what did you say?" Yan Yu asked expressionlessly.

    "I merely shared the tactics of your training with the team as an experience for everyone," Chen Lingyun said nonchalantly, "I quoted exactly what I saw, without any exaggeration. That doesn''t count as talking behind your back, right?"

    "Indeed," Yan Yu said grimly, "since you like my training tactics so much, after we return this time, I''ll create a personalized special training program just for you, how about that? Don''t thank me; you deserve it."

    As belittling as Chen Lingyun was, faced with Yan Yu''s ''I''m the type to act rather than talk'' aggressive approach, he didn''t know what to say for a moment and just gave a dry laugh.

    While there was silence on the other end, a beautiful woman entered the store from outside, glanced at the unattended counter, and walked towards Yan Yu and Ye Jun, speaking in Lu Country-accented language:

    "Hello, is the owner in?"

    A person from Goryeo? Ye Jun thought to herself.

    There were many people from Goryeo in Jinmen Prefecture, especially around the era castle city area, so Ye Jun recognized the accent almost immediately.

    "The owner is in the kitchen," Yan Yu said casually, "just call out and he''ll come out."

    "Okay, thank you." The person bowed deeply, and suddenly a glint of cold light flashed at the neckline.

    In his left hand still holding the phone, Yan Yu''s right hand casually lifted, and between his fingers already appeared a small sword¡ªa sword a few inches long, gripped by his Barrier Charm-activated right hand, still buzzing as it tried to drill inward, like a venomous snake aiming for his face.

    "What, looking for me?" Yan Yu smiled.

    The woman suddenly straightened up, forcing the sword to break free from Yan Yu''s hand. The small sword changed direction and stabbed viciously again, but it was knocked away by the Huang Tingjian from the side.

    Ye Jun also reacted, quickly drawing the Xuan Guang Ruler from behind her waist and waving it lightly, sending a burst of light shooting out, casting down upon the woman''s head.

    The woman tried to dodge, but did not anticipate Yan Yu''s coordinated attack as the Huang Tingjian circled behind her, directly knocking her into the range of the light, trapping her instantly, leaving her unable to move.

    "How interesting." Yan Yu calmly stood up, looking at the small sword on the ground that had lost control.

    The small sword was dull in color and only two-thirds the length of an adult''s arm, making it very suitable for concealment on one''s person¡ªit was specifically designed for assassination.

    Yan Yu pondered for a moment and then instructed Ye Jun:

    "Keep an eye on her and call the Dingbei Army over right away."

    "What about you?" Ye Jun also hurriedly took out her phone.

    The team captain being attacked by an unknown cultivator was a very serious matter, so serious that Ye Jun didn''t know what would be best to do... But Yan Yu was right, the military needed to be called to handle the situation immediately.

    Yan Yu did not answer, but spoke into his phone instead:

    "Did you hear that? Spa time is over, everyone on battle alert, immediately."

    He hung up the call and then asked Ye Jun again:

    "Where did Old Liu go?"

    Shit, Captain Liu was still outside! Ye Jun was suddenly alarmed.

    If even Captain Yan was targeted by an assassin, she wasn''t naive enough to think Liu Longtao could be spared. She was just about to send a message to Lord Master when suddenly a loud bang was heard from outside.

    The fury of the True Dragon, echoing through a thousand miles!

 Chapter 33 Enemy Nation Cultivator

    Yan Yu stepped out the door in his slippers, shuffling leisurely in the direction of the sound he had just heard.Not far ahead, he saw Liu Longtao standing in the middle of the road. The ground, with him at its center, had caved in all directions, as if struck by a massive hammer.

    Two corpses had toppled around him, with blood oozing from their seven orifices, undeniably dead¡ªtheir Flying Swords lay nearby, similar in style to the short swords from before.

    To tell the truth, if they had chosen an easier target, like Chen Lingyun, perhaps they might have had a chance to succeed.

    However, unfortunately, these assassins had chosen the two strongest individuals in the battle teams, the least likely to fall victim to their attack¡­

    "Nicely done, Old Liu, you resolved it all by yourself," Yan Yu remarked after inspecting the bodies for a moment, and casually asked, "No survivors?"

    "Hm, didn''t pay attention," Liu Longtao composed himself and replied with a frown, "Those two assassins sprang out suddenly, gave me quite a scare, and I went in a bit too hard."

    "It''s fine, Ye Jun caught one alive," Yan Yu chuckled and said, "Since you''re okay, I''m gonna head back for dinner then."

    "You''re still in the mood for dinner?" Liu Longtao was suddenly taken aback, "Old Yan, why do you think there are foreign cultivators here?!"

    In his urgency, he had forgotten the formality of using ''you''.

    "They''re here to steal the Changbai Mountain Mysterious Realm, of course," Yan Yu replied with a look that said ''what''s so hard to guess'', adding, "In their country, they call Changbai Mountain ''Baekdu Mountain'', the ''Sacred Mountain of the nation''.

    Now that the Changbai Mountain Mysterious Realm has opened and is under the actual control of Lu Country, they can''t compete against us by force and can''t let go of their greed either, so sneaking attacks is their only option."

    "So, you knew!" Liu Longtao was nearly at a loss for words and anxiously added, "I think so too: their purpose in sending assassins to attack us is to delay our progress, so they can take the lead in exploring Changbai Mountain Mysterious Realm!

    One quarter of Changbai Mountain''s eastern side falls within Silla''s territory; if they mobilize troops down the eastern slope to attack and seal off the Mysterious Realm, or even send cultivators ahead of us to find the control center, then we''d really be at a disadvantage!"

    "Indeed," Yan Yu nodded, "So, by ''they'', do you mean Northern Silla or Southern Goryeo? Does the top brass know about this?"

    Liu Longtao was immediately taken aback.

    Theoretically speaking, it doesn''t matter if it''s Silla or Goryeo¡ªif anyone dares to contest our Lu Country''s Mysterious Realm, they must be dealt with. However, in practice, it''s not possible to just march over and slaughter them¡­ First, we need to identify who the enemy is, and second, we need authorization from higher-ups before we can make our move.

    Being ambushed and defending oneself is one thing, but initiating an attack on foreign cultivators is another. Without authorization from superiors, regardless of the legitimacy of the reasons, such actions are considered ''going solo'' and are a big taboo officially.

    "Right?" Yan Yu said with a smile, "Even with a swift response from above, it''ll probably take around twenty minutes or so. We might as well have dinner in the meantime. We can go after them once authorization comes through, it won''t be too late then."

    Liu Longtao wanted to argue, what if Changbai Mountain''s Mysterious Realm is so small that it gets taken by the others within twenty minutes? But after all, he was a loyalist with deep-rooted allegiance, understanding the importance of following official protocols, so he repressed his impatient and irritated thoughts and followed Yan Yu into a noodle shop nearby.

    "Boss, a bowl of tomato and egg noodles," Yan Yu ordered, looking at the menu on the wall, then asked, "What will you have, Old Liu?"

    "Some little wontons, please," Liu Longtao replied absently, with no appetite.

    As they sat down, Yan Yu called Chen Lingyun:

    "How''s it going over there?"

    "All good," Chen Lingyun responded with a smile, "Was at the hot springs for just a short while before being rushed out, then got taken to the Dingbei Army camp to prepare for battle. It couldn''t be any better."

    "That''s good to hear," Yan Yu said contentedly, "Eat up while you can, you might have to go out on a mission soon." S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "We are already eating," Chen Lingyun chuckled, "Are you at Lord Master''s place? Was he also targeted?"

    "He''s fine," Yan Yu replied, "Not a hair harmed."

    "Oh," Chen Lingyun sighed, sounding a bit regretful.

    "Can I talk to her for a moment?" Liu Longtao suddenly asked.

    "Be my guest," Yan Yu placed the phone on the table and pushed it towards him.

    "Chen Lingyun," Liu Longtao inquired seriously, "how''s the situation at Changbai Mountain?"

    "You''re asking me about your own Dingbei Army''s defenses now, huh~" Chen Lingyun teased with a laugh.

    Liu Longtao looked at Yan Yu, and then heard Yan Yu exclaim,

    "Focus on the matter at hand, who''s joking with you? Speak properly!"

    "Hmm," Chen Lingyun, unoffended, replied, "I heard it was a sneak attack from the east, about a dozen foreign cultivators broke in with Barrier Charms, and despite machine-gun fire rammed their way through."

    "North, or South?" Liu Longtao asked gravely.

    "The North says it''s the South," Chen Lingyun gave a strange answer. "Yan Yu, do you believe that?"

    "Of course I believe it, why not?" Yan Yu replied without hesitation, "If that''s what they say, then they are not implicitly wanting to be part of the Mysterious Realm dispute. We don''t need to worry about whether those cultivators are actually from the North or South, just kill them all, and that''s that."

    "Right, I was thinking the same," Chen Lingyun pondered for a moment, "Liu Longtao, the rules of the Mysterious Realm competition are going to change this time."

    "That''s a given," Liu Longtao said coolly.

    The whole point of the Mysterious Realm competition was to simulate a confrontation with the cultivators of enemy countries... Now that the enemy cultivators had actually appeared, there was no reason to keep our guns pointed at our brother teams any longer.

    "What about the distribution?" Yan Yu continued to ask.

    "We''ll wait for the Privy Council to determine the plan afterward," Chen Lingyun answered, "Yan Yu, we''ve finished eating, how about you?"

    "I''ve only just started eating," Yan Yu looked at the owner bringing out a bowl of noodles from the kitchen.

    "Send me your location," Chen Lingyun laughed, "We''ll come to find you."

    Yan Yu sent the location and then, regardless of Liu Longtao''s expression, started to eat his noodles without any concern.

    He had eaten half of his bowl when suddenly someone patted him on the back.

    "Let''s go," Chen Lingyun''s cheerful voice rang out, "Authorization has come through, the helicopter is outside, we need to leave immediately."

    Experience more on empire

    "You couldn''t possibly have urged the pilot to rush over just so that I wouldn''t be able to finish my noodles, could you?" Yan Yu immediately asked suspiciously, as the arrival seemed too timely.

    "That''s right!" Lin Ning said puffily from beside them, "We were eating compact biscuits in the camp, and you were secretly eating noodles here!"

    It wasn''t that there were no self-heating military meals in the camp, but everyone thought that the war authorization could come at any time, and once it did, they would have to leave immediately, so nobody was in the mood to cook and just grabbed some compressed biscuits to fill their stomachs.

    "It''s not my fault you guys made a dumb decision," Yan Yu mocked nonchalantly, but very quickly his left arm was held by Lin Ning and his right arm by Zhao Yuanzhen. The two hoisted him up, one on each side, and dragged him toward the helicopter.

    "Captain Liu," Ye Jun came to Liu Longtao''s side, "Everyone is in the cabin now."

    "Okay," Liu Longtao wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood up.

    "Wait, you haven''t paid yet!" The owner chased out from the kitchen, and upon seeing the helicopter outside, was left somewhat shocked and speechless.

    "No need for change," Ye Jun had no time to ask about the price and then scan a code to make a transfer. She simply left a hundred-yuan bill and then quickly followed Liu Longtao out.

    Inside the cabin, Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun were informed of what had happened and were speechless.

    The entrance to the Mysterious Realm opened at the northeast side of Heaven Lake at the summit of Changbai mountain, only a few hundred meters in a straight line from Silla territory.

    After the entrance appeared, the Dingbei Army immediately took control of the area around Heaven Lake to prevent tourists from both countries from getting close.

    Afterwards, Lu Country sent an official note to Silla, implying that since the entrance to the Mysterious Realm appeared within its borders, it belonged to Lu Country''s "natural territorial resources," and they would deploy troops to guard it for security reasons.

    Silla, at that time, did not even know about the appearance of the Mysterious Realm at Changbai Mountain, and began to haggle with Lu Country. The specific details of the negotiations remain unknown, but from Lu Country''s perspective, it seemed like Silla acknowledged the fact that the entrance to the Mysterious Realm was under Lu Country''s control.

    The only reason they did not formally admit it was due to concerns about domestic public opinion, which is why they dragged their feet.

    As the Dingbei Army sealed off the area around Heaven Lake and evacuated the tourists on Lu Country''s side, the tourists on the other side refused to leave, merely crowding outside the blockade line, shouting, and taking pictures. If you tried to disperse them by force they would flee, but as soon as the dispersion was done, they''d come back.

    In the end, the Dingbei Army had no choice but to let them stay outside the blockade line, as long as they did not try to break in without permission.

    Then, the unfamiliar cultivators launched their surprise attack.

    Mixed in with the tourists, the cultivators suddenly broke through the blockade line and charged towards the entrance to the Mysterious Realm. There were about thirty of them, all cultivators with clear roles. Some engaged the Dingbei Army cultivators, while others mindlessly rushed towards the entrance, constantly using the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse.

    Ordinary firearm bullets barely scratched them, causing no damage.

    Thankfully, the on-site commander of the Dingbei Army was shrewd and quickly adopted the confrontation tactics common between the Pingxi Army and Tianzhu along their border: forming a human wall.

    You''re constantly using the Barrier Charm? My bullets can''t kill you, but you also can''t use an Attack Spell Technique. So I''ll let the regular soldiers form a human wall to physically block you outside, and then our military cultivators will take you down one by one.

    If you dare to switch to an Attack Spell Technique, there''s no need for cultivators to act, the precision marksmen staged outside will shoot you dead.

    Using this crude method, the Dingbei Army managed to keep most of the foreign cultivators outside, but still, sixteen or seventeen managed to break into the Mysterious Realm¡ªafter all, the attack was sudden and it was impossible to do any better.

    After listening to Chen Lingyun finish the account, Liu Longtao looked at Ye Jun.

    Ye Jun silently nodded her head, indicating that the information she had obtained was essentially correct and matched the explanation given by the Dingbei Army.

    Liu Longtao''s face darkened as he looked through the helicopter window down at the mountains below and suddenly said,

    "Old Yan, how about a competition?"

    "A competition about what?" Yan Yu asked curiously, "The combat competition has already been canceled."

    "About who kills more foreign cultivators after we enter the Mysterious Realm," Liu Longtao said with a cold laugh, flashing his white teeth.

    "Let''s not," Yan Yu shook his head, "I''m not interested in a killing game. Defending the country and killing enemies is the duty of a soldier, how can it be treated as a game?"

    Liu Longtao was taken aback. But since the other party appealed to greater righteousness, he had no immediate comeback and could only change his proposition,

    "Then let''s see who can reach the core of the Mysterious Realm first, how about that?"

    "After we take down those cultivators?" Yan Yu pondered with his chin in hand, "That could work, but Old Liu..."

    "What?"

    "You already lost to me once. If you lose again this time, you''ll be okay with that, right? No psychological shadows or anything?"

    Liu Longtao:......

    "Rest assured," he once again flashed a standard amiable smile, "Just feel free to let me witness your strength."

 Chapter 34 Wind Blade Frost Sword Formation

    In the camp near Tianchi, soldiers bustled back and forth, their faces taut with an iron hue.It was clear that the defensive line had been forcibly breached, and everyone was simmering with rage inside!

    If the higher-ups hadn''t repeatedly ordered not to engage, they would''ve already pushed the blockade line to the eastern slope controlled by Silla... Now, they could only hastily erect walls to prevent others from forcefully breaking in with their immunity from the Barrier Charm.

    The helicopter arrived at the scene, the team members descending rapidly. Liu Longtao asked the person in charge on the scene about the situation and turned to Yan Yu to confirm,

    "Go in directly?"

    "What else?" Yan Yu counterquestioned, "We''re not here for a tour."

    "Okay, I''ll go in first," Liu Longtao said decisively. "You bring them up from behind."

    In the Mysterious Realm that already housed enemy Cultivators, the team entering first was taking a risk, as they couldn''t guarantee whether there would be an ambush around the "starting point"... Though the possibility was low, it was still a risk, so Lord Master naturally took the most dangerous responsibility upon himself.

    Yan Yu didn''t fuss about it either but simply turned to the girls with tense expressions and said,

    "Relax, everyone, don''t look so tense. Old Liu is clearing the way for us."

    Liu Longtao nearly stumbled as he walked ahead.

    I''m clearing the way for you all? So I''m the vanguard now?

    He looked back and realized not only were the Zhenhai Team girls anxious, but even members of the Dragon Soar Team like Ye Jun, although they hid it well, were unconsciously revealing a hint of nervousness.

    Indeed, this wasn''t a confrontation in the Mysterious Realm, but a life-and-death struggle against enemy nation Cultivators; it was inevitable for everyone to feel tense.

    Thinking of this, Liu Longtao let go of his captain''s pride completely and said with a smile,

    "Ye Jun, what''s with that expression? And Old Yang, your legs are shaking - are you really that nervous? Fei Yun, make sure to keep an eye on number 26 later; he looks so pale I''m afraid he might bolt."

    "Get lost, duck!" Ai Lu immediately became flustered and bellowed, "Captain Liu, I''m going in second right after you, no one else better jump in front of me!"

    "I''ll be the second to enter," Yan Yu said calmly. "Captains first."

    "Then I''m third," Ai Lu quickly said.

    "After the captain, it''s the vice-captain''s turn," Ye Jun stated seriously. "You stay put and line up for the fifth slot."

    "Damn it!" Ai Lu was at a loss, while Guo Feiyun beside him laughed uproariously, smacking the back of his head,

    "Get in line at the back! You go in after I do."

    With their banter and antics, they hardly wasted any time, yet the previously tense mood had relaxed significantly.

    Seeing the troops'' morale stabilize, Liu Longtao turned around and stepped into the Mysterious Realm''s entrance without hesitation.

    Yan Yu followed next.

    Upon entering the Mysterious Realm, they were greeted by a vast expanse of goosefeather-like snowflakes fluttering down, the air filled with a bone-chilling coldness.

    In the distance, snow-capped peaks stood under a swath of palaces surrounded by dazzling, colorful auroras... Not only that, the entire night sky was studded with stars, and multicolored celestial lights unfolded and brushed gently through the clouds like silken drapery.

    But Liu Longtao, who led the way in, had no time to enjoy these beautiful scenes.

    He stood silently in the front like a fierce general guarding the border. The sheathed Ying Long Sword hovered before his head, emitting a colder sword intent than the surrounding ice and snow.

    "Historical debt," Liu Longtao murmured. "Can''t owe it forever."

    "What''s up, Old Liu?" Yan Yu laughed heartily. "You turning into a debt collector now?"

    "Even though I can''t compete with you this time, Old Yan," Liu Longtao resumed his smile and said courteously, "it''s my honor to fight alongside you, defending our nation and killing enemies."

    "You''re not trying to drag me down later, so you''re compensating in advance here, are you?" Yan Yu became instantly wary.

    "How''s that possible?" Chen Lingyun appeared with Ye Jun, just in time to hear Liu Longtao laugh heartily, "Well, you better watch closely later."

    "What are you all looking at?" Princess Jiang Hai''s eyes danced playfully as she looked towards Yan Yu at her side.

    "He said he''s going to show off later," Yan Yu said, glancing behind her, "Is everyone here?"

    Soon, the full roster of both combat teams, along with the medical group from each side and the support Cultivators from the Dingbei Army, all appeared within the Mysterious Realm, a bustling crowd of nearly thirty or forty people.

    This was a confrontation between nations, where notions of equal numbers and fair competition were dismissed. If the home team could flood the field with a swarm tactic, why not do it?

    "Let''s go!" Yan Yu declared grandly, striding forward, "Move out!"

    Aside from the quick-to-follow girls of the Zhenhai Team, the others remained where they were, just looking towards Ye Jun and Liu Longtao. Your adventure continues at empire

    Yan Yu''s group had already moved out several steps when he looked back and asked:

    "Old Liu, what are you waiting for?"

    "I''m here," Liu Longtao adjusted his headset and said over the channel, "Ye Jun will command the team and as for the military side... Captain Zheng, your cooperation, please."

    Captain Zheng was the leader of the medical group of the Dragon Soar Team, and he immediately acknowledged upon hearing this.

    "What about the Zhenhai side?" Ye Jun asked for confirmation, "Do we move separately or together? And is command each to their own?"

    "We move together, but command separately," Liu Longtao responded, "If something comes up, I''ll discuss it with Yan Yu."

    "Understood!" Everyone replied in unison.

    The overall environment of the Mysterious Realm was extremely simple: the center was dominated by a towering and majestic snow peak, surrounded by an endless expanse of white snowfields. Even the dimmest mind knew they had to head towards the mountain.

    What was troublesome was the ceaseless flurry of snow from the sky, and the chilling winds interspersed with pieces of ice, which scraped across one''s face making it difficult to keep the eyes open even after a few steps.

    If one covered their body with Runescript, they could completely nullify the low temperatures, but since they hadn''t yet encountered enemy Cultivators, no one was willing to waste their True Yuan here.

    Yan Yu, however, had no such concerns, boldly activating Runescript and leading the way up front.

    The girls wrapped themselves in clothing and followed behind. Lin Ning shivered from the cold, wanting to ask Yan Yu to slow down, but she knew that enemy Cultivators had entered the Mysterious Realm an hour before them, so she barely held back from making a sound.

    Just as she was pondering whether to activate Runescript for a few seconds, a sharp and abrupt booming sound suddenly emerged from afar¡ªLin Ning was all too familiar with that sound! It was exactly the sharp, brief blast of noise that Huang Tingjian made each time it tore through the air during the actual combat exercise (ai) phase (zhou).

    "Scatter!" she cried out in alarm.

    The other girls instinctively acted as well, the moment they heard that noise. They immediately activated the Shifting Technique and scattered in all directions.

    Then, they saw a phantom figure, outlined by snowflakes and ice shards and clad in half-armor, suddenly ripping through the layers of snowstorm, swinging its dazzlingly bright blade towards Yan Yu! Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu stood calmly in place, not dodging. Huang Tingjian whistled as it rose obliquely to meet the armored soldier''s steel blade, clashing with a low, crisp ringing sound.

    The opposing soldier, along with its blade, was shattered by the recoil of the weapons'' collision, dispersing into countless pieces of ice and snow that were swept away by the cold wind and vanished from sight.

    "This is..." Zhao Yuanzhen widened her eyes, "A formation?!"

    "Wind Blade Frost Sword Formation," Yan Yu said with a calm expression, "Everyone be careful of attacks masking within the wind and snow."

    "That ice soldier from just now seemed to have only the strength for one strike?" Chen Lingyun observed sharply, noting that the sound of metal hitting metal when the soldier''s blade collided with Huang Tingjian indicated that the opponent''s blade would indeed cause harm if it struck a person.

    But the opponent''s body was exceedingly fragile; it couldn''t withstand even the backlash of its own strike and blew itself apart, which was quite laughable indeed.

    "Yes," Yan Yu replied, "But their numbers are endless. Everyone must stay alert while moving without fail, but remember never to stop and defend; that would be playing into the hands of the formation. They can afford countless mistakes, but one error on our part would be costly."

    "No big deal," Zhao Yuanzhen said nonchalantly, "If they come, we''ll just block. We''ve all practiced this before, haven''t we?"

    This reassured the girls: the Wind Blade Frost Sword Formation might seem difficult to tackle, but if they considered the bladed snow soldiers as Flying Swords, the difficulty seemed to drop instantly. After all, during regular swordsmanship combat training, they had to face Yan Yu''s Huang Tingjian.

    His heavy sword not only held immense momentum and strength but would also chase them down with relentless strikes; blocking it numerous times was futile as it wouldn''t stop until it had sliced them to the ground. Compared to that, blocking these bladed snow soldiers once and they were gone, it was child''s play.

    They were simply unafraid!

 Chapter 135 35 chapters Racing Against Time

    As they talked, Liu Longtao and his men had caught up from behind."Soldiers formed by snow and holding sabers?" Liu Longtao furrowed his brows in thought after Yan Yu gave a brief explanation.

    "After blocking the attack, it shattered by itself," Yan Yu stated directly, "If it was a restriction of the Mysterious Realm, there wouldn''t be just one attack."

    "Hmm," Liu Longtao turned his head and spoke, "Everyone needs to be careful, not just focused on hurrying along! Captain Zheng, please pass the message along and have the soldiers be alert."

    "Understood." Captain Zheng started to relay the message through the channel.

    Everyone took a moment to prepare themselves and digest the information regarding the Mysterious Realm''s restrictions before resuming their journey.

    "So," Ye Jun said, walking between Liu Longtao and Yan Yu, "our enemies entered earlier than we did, and they must have faced the Mysterious Realm''s attacks too."

    "Even more so if we reasonably speculate," Yan Yu nodded, "That the closer one gets to the core of the Mysterious Realm, the more ferocious its defense mechanisms become. Then, they would have encountered more severe obstacles than us."

    "That would be ideal," Liu Longtao said coldly.

    "However, there''s another possibility," Chen Lingyun said with a sly smile, "The deeper one goes, the harder it is to proceed. In such a setup, those who come later can quickly close the gap with the forerunners. If they find the task too challenging, they might not be singly focused on seizing control of the core.

    Perhaps they''re hiding somewhere right now, waiting to use the Mysterious Realm''s mechanisms to ambush us!"

    "Hey, even better," Liu Longtao sneered, "That saves us some time."

    "Let''s not underestimate them too much," Ye Jun said worriedly from the side, "Silla and Goryeo may have similar cultivation systems to ours, but they mainly focus on Sword Immortals and are best at ambushes in these types of environments..."

    Before she could finish, everyone saw a lump in the snow ahead.

    Upon closer inspection, they found it was a frozen corpse pierced by a sharp object in the abdomen¡ªthe victim had crawled for a while in the snowy wilderness without treatment (behind him was a deep, yet fully uncovered track in the snow), and ultimately succumbed to the extreme cold and blood loss. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "If we discount internal strife on the enemy''s side, then it''s highly likely that this person was killed by the Mysterious Realm''s restrictions," Liu Longtao mused.

    "And he was abandoned by his companions," Yan Yu remarked with a click of his tongue, "Even if his Dantian was damaged and he couldn''t use spells for a while, he could have survived easily if his companions had used Runescript to stop his bleeding."

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    "So their team isn''t all on the same page either," Ye Jun realized immediately.

    "Greedy for quick success," Chen Lingyun narrowed her eyes, observing the expression of the dead, "Or to put it another way, the leader of their team must think it''s most important to get control of the Mysterious Realm as soon as possible, and doesn''t want to waste time saving a companion...

    These cultivators probably don''t know each other and lack rapport and affection, being hastily assembled just for this mission."

    "That sounds very plausible," Ye Jun nodded in agreement, "Thinking about it carefully, the Mysterious Realm opened within the territory of Lu Country¡ª even if they manage to take control by deceit, wouldn''t they just end up captured by us after they exit the Realm?

    Considering the worst-case scenario, they are essentially trading the lives of these cultivators for control over this Mysterious Realm, so it''s likely these aren''t the most elite cultivators being groomed as they wouldn''t be too great a loss if abandoned."

    "Hmm," Liu Longtao agreed with this judgment, "For them, Changbai Mountain is more of a spiritual symbol than a practical one. As long as they can take control of the Mysterious Realm, even if they can''t exploit it afterwards, they would be satisfied."

    After discussing for a while, everyone noticed that Yan Yu had been silent, and they naturally quieted down.

    Yan Yu wasn''t distracted, but rather reorganizing his memories.

    In his previous life, the Changbai Mountain Mysterious Realm appeared before the loosening of media control, and no information disclosure followed, so he didn''t know what role Silla or Goryeo had played in it, or how Liu Longtao''s team resolved it.

    But he knew that Silla took a secluded and closed-off approach, with cultivators rarely leaving the country or seeking publicity, so there were no internationally famous and formidable cultivators.

    As for Goryeo, there was Park Changmin¡ªif one must mention him¡ªwho, though was cultivated with the nation''s full support, only had the strength to "survive three strikes from Liu Longtao without dying"¡­ but Goryeo media hailed him as the "National Sword God", and nearly every citizen believed it without doubt.

    Park Changmin was also very good at self-promotion and marketing, at his most audacious even claiming, "I am evenly matched with Liu (referring to Lord Master), and we hold each other in high regard."

    Although Lu Country''s side made a judgment that the cultivators who stormed into the mysterious realm definitely couldn''t escape, indicating they were being used as expendable troops by Goryeo, hence certainly not the top elite¡ªthis was a reasonable guess based on facts, provided that the decision-makers from Goryeo had common sense.

    However, based on experiences from his past life, Yan Yu expressed strong doubts about this.

    After all, in their way of thinking, Yang Wanchun could shoot and blind Li Shimin''s left eye with a single arrow, Park Changmin could fight Liu Longtao to an indistinguishable outcome, and thus a small squad of cultivators seizing control of the Changbai Mountain Mystical Realm, and then smoothly breaking through the encirclement of Lu Country''s military forces... was also not an impossibility!

    "Since they''re not even rescuing their wounded companions or dealing with the bodies, it means they must be advancing against the clock," Yan Yu finally snapped back to reality, reminding everyone, "If they wanted to lay an ambush ahead of us, the more people they have, the better¡ªit wouldn''t make sense to be so resolute otherwise."

    "Mm-hmm," Liu Longtao said seriously, "If we don''t consider dealing with an ambush, we could also march rapidly."

    The entire team used the Shifting Technique to charge forward, their speed would be several times faster than now, but the cost was that if they encountered the Wind Blade Frost Sword Formation or an ambush from enemy cultivators, the likelihood of being caught off guard and struck would greatly increase.

    "Let''s march rapidly," Yan Yu quickly decided, "Everyone, stay closer while marching, and let Ye Jun protect the main force with her magic artifact."

    Ye Jun''s Xuan Guang Ruler could create a barrier of light, shielding those within from external attacks, at the cost of a large consumption of True Yuan to maintain it over a long period; however, considering that the enemy might be advancing rapidly into the mysterious realm, and Liu Longtao was not one to hesitate, he immediately nodded:

    "Okay, Ye Jun?"

    "Leave it to me," Ye Jun nodded.

    Therefore, the group activated the Shifting Technique and hurriedly surged up the mountain through the snowstorm.

    Perhaps it was because their formation was too impressive, or perhaps it was because they were beginning to advance deeper into the formation, the surrounding snowstorm became increasingly fierce and relentless. About a dozen flying snow soldiers suddenly appeared from within it, swooping down with a howl, wielding their blades in an attack on the group.

    With the protection of Ye Jun''s Xuan Guang Ruler, there was no excessive tension; they merely watched these snow soldiers with fierce expressions and aggressive demeanor swing their swords, only to be shattered by the repelling force of the barrier of light¡ªSu Yunjin, standing on the periphery, could even see the ghastly looks of these snow soldiers intent on devouring souls, with snowflake-constructed hair bristling, lifelike and terrifying.

    If I were to use the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art...

    No, my True Yuan couldn''t sustain it.

    These snow soldiers were created by the formation, minor pawns that crumbled upon touch, it was too extravagant to use Taoism Method on them. But the light barrier created by this Xuan Guang Ruler, covering three hundred and sixty degrees, wouldn''t really save much True Yuan, would it?

    She asked Yan Yu through the channel, and Yan Yu turned to confirm with Ye Jun:

    "Is your True Yuan endurance okay?"

    "It''s a bit difficult," Ye Jun admitted, "Like this, I can maintain it for a while, but it will be hard to say if more snow soldiers keep coming."

    Liu Longtao listened silently, knowing that activating Ye Jun''s Xuan Guang Ruler was like carrying a shield on a battlefield, inherently consuming strength (True Yuan); but if a few enemies attacked, hammering their weapons on your shield (the magic artifact''s protection), naturally, the strength (True Yuan) would be expended even more.

    "This won''t do," he discussed with Yan Yu, "We need someone to help her clear out the snow soldiers, to reduce the consumption."

    Yan Yu nodded and turned to instruct:

    "Lin Ning, you go help."

    "Okay," Lin Ning didn''t say much, just quickly burst out from the cover of the light barrier, with her Green Bamboo Sword ringing out, heading straight for the flying snow soldiers.

    Her sword light was cold and ruthless, even more piercing than the chill in the wind!

 Chapter 36 Comparing with Lin Ning

    Such a fast sword!Seeing Lin Ning''s Green Bamboo Sword turn into a streak of light, the three Sword Immortals from the Dragon Soar Team, Ai Lu, Guo Feiyun, and Liu Longtao, were slightly surprised.

    The Flying Sword and the Shifting Technique are similar in principle, the more True Yuan you provide, the greater its acceleration. Of course, the prerequisite is that you can control it.

    If you can''t control it and you provide too much True Yuan too quickly, the Flying Sword will shoot out of the control range in a flash, losing the Sword Immortal''s supply of True Yuan, and its speed, agility, and accuracy will greatly decrease, which means it would backfire.

    But judging by the sword light of the Green Bamboo Sword and how it pierced through three snow soldiers in a swift and precise arc, it was evident that Lin Ning was truly capable of controlling a sword speed of that caliber.

    In light of this, the initial estimate of her combat power was obviously too low... it was just fortunate that there was no team combat this time, otherwise, we''d definitely be in for an unexpectedly big surprise.

    "26, if it were a one-on-one fight, could you beat her?" Guo Feiyun whispered.

    Ai Lu was silent for a moment before replying:

    "How could I not beat her?"

    "Her mastery of swordsmanship is better than yours," Guo Feiyun began to bait, "You would probably be pressed hard in a direct confrontation."

    "Then I could just sneak attack her from behind," Ai Lu sneered.

    "That''s low!" Guo Feiyun immediately laughed bitterly, "Big Brother! Rein in the cheap tricks, please, I really can''t handle it."

    "You two have had enough!" Liu Longtao couldn''t listen any longer and scolded, "If you want to be cheap, go outside, don''t cause trouble for me here!"

    "It''s fine." Yan Yu chuckled from the side, "Let''s just treat it as listening to a comic dialogue."

    Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin were both covering their mouths and laughing behind them.

    Seeing these two beautiful girls looking over, Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun were somewhat embarrassed... after all, they had joked about sneak attacking their teammate and being overheard was somehow awkward.

    "Speaking of which," Yang Linhui suddenly said, "isn''t it unreasonable to let that girl fight on her own?"

    The two teams were in a cooperative relationship, and it was only fair that they contribute equally. Strictly speaking, Ye Jun, who maintained the Xuan Guang Ruler, had the greatest consumption, even though Lin Ning, who fought fiercely outside, actually used up less energy than Ye Jun.

    But these things shouldn''t be evaluated only in terms of substance; appearances count too. From the perspective of the soldiers from the Dingbei Army observing from behind, it looked as if the big men of the Dragon Soar Team were huddling behind their defensive shield while the girls from the Zhenhai Team were charging ahead on away ground¡ªthis didn''t look good...

    Although the soldiers didn''t say anything, they may think to themselves: Why can''t our home team put in a bit more effort? Don''t be so tight-fisted.

    After pondering for a moment, Liu Longtao spoke:

    "Ai Lu, go out and lend a hand."

    "Alright." Ai Lu immediately stepped out of the range of the Xuan Guang Ruler''s protective barrier, and with a twirl of his Verdant Crimson Sword, he killed several snow soldiers who were rushing towards Lin Ning. Then he smiled at Lin Ning and said, "Classmate Lin, I''m here to lend a hand, you don''t mind, do you?"

    "I mind," Lin Ning replied, "You''d better move to the other side of the team to clear out enemies. I can handle this side by myself; another person won''t increase efficiency."

    "All right then." Ai Lu was left somewhat speechless, but what she said was indeed correct, so he could only sheepishly turn around and leave.

    "26, are you up to it?" Guo Feiyun''s mocking voice came from the team, "Why''d you turn tail and run?"

    "She doesn''t want my help," Ai Lu responded.

    "Is it because she finds your strength inadequate?" Guo Feiyun continued to mock.

    "Get lost."

    The two Sword Immortals cleared enemies on either side of their team, and amidst the whirl of sword lights, hordes of soldiers shattered at their command, greatly reducing the energy consumed by Ye Jun''s efforts with the Xuan Guang Ruler.

    "How about it?" Chen Lingyun watched Ai Lu for a moment before quietly asking Yan Yu over the channel.

    "You first," Yan Yu replied.

    "His reaction speed isn''t as fast as Lin Ning''s," Chen Lingyun answered, "but he''s accurate, very accurate. Hence, although he strikes less frequently, his efficiency in killing enemies is on par with Lin Ning''s."

    "It''s not about accuracy," Yan Yu corrected her, "it''s that he has calculated the angles and trajectories, a rare instance of a Sword Immortal who uses his brain." S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Like Li Minghu?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    "There''s still a gap compared to her," Yan Yu pondered for a moment before answering, "Li Minghu and Lin Ning are quite similar, actually, both are intuitive Sword Immortals, but her physical constitution is not up to par, preventing her from attacking recklessly, which forces her to think more... Her computing ability is acquired through training."

    "I see," Chen Lingyun noted, "So whether it''s intuitive or calculating, there''s no superiority, just different styles of swordsmanship?"

    "Exactly," Yan Yu responded, "It varies from person to person, the best style is the one that suits you."

    "What about Lord Master?"

    "Him?" Yan Yu let out an ambiguous low chuckle, "The strategy we''re discussing is akin to software, he simply rolls over everything with hardware."

    "Pfft." Chen Lingyun''s laugh was filled with evident ridicule, "So in practicing both magic and swordsmanship, he''s neither proficient in magic nor in sword skills."

    "Or perhaps his talent is too exceptional, and his strength too formidable," Yan Yu didn''t deny, "which is why he lacks the interest to delve into the techniques."

    The group quickly advanced to a flat area halfway up the mountain, where they found another three corpses frozen in the snow.

    As they reached this spot, attacks from the Wind Blade Frost Sword Formation became quite frequent. They faced about two waves of attack per minute, each consisting of seven or eight snow soldiers slaying their way towards them with the whistling sound of blades and swords filling the air, making it impossible to discern the direction of the attacks.

    Even with Lin Ning and Ai Lu continuously clearing enemies on both sides, there were still some who slipped through the defenses and crashed violently against the protective barrier of the Xuan Guang Ruler... It was evident that if Yan Yu hadn''t had the foresight to suggest Ye Jun activate the magical treasure, the Lu Country team would have already suffered casualties like the Goryeo Cultivators.

    "Could it be that they will all have been killed by the formation before we even get there?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    "That would be nice," Ye Jun agreed, "It would save us the trouble."

    It wasn''t that she was afraid or avoiding battle, but with the Wind Blade Frost Sword Formation, enemy cultivators, and the guardians at the gate, there were simply too many dangers within this Mysterious Realm.

    If they could eliminate one of those threats, it would significantly reduce the pressure on the Rikoku Cultivators.

    "Tsk tsk," Yan Yu flipped one of the corpses with his foot, "look at this."

    "What''s wrong?" Liu Longtao asked seriously, looking at the indistinct wound on the corpse''s throat, "Is this torn by some sharp tool?"

    "Yes, but not by a blade or sword." Yan Yu turned to Chen Lingyun, "Call the medical team over."

    Liu Longtao frowned slightly, unsure if they should waste time here... But considering Yan Yu didn''t seem the type to joke about serious matters, he tacitly agreed without a word.

    Soon, the medical teams from both the Zhendong Army and the Dingbei Army arrived.

    After a brief examination of the corpses, they reached a surprising conclusion:

    They were killed by sharp claws that tore open their throats.

    "By a person or a beast?" Liu Longtao asked in surprise.

    "Don''t know," the medical team replied succinctly, "The preliminary autopsy determined that the killer did not leave any organic traces in the wounds."

    The variables had increased once more. Cautiously, the group continued their way, utilizing the Shifting Technique.

    "What do you think it is?" Chen Lingyun quietly moved closer to Yan Yu and, sheltered by the roaring wind around them, whispered, "Could it be a ghost?"

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    "The neck bones of the corpse are somewhat deformed," Yan Yu answered, "If it were a specter with overwhelming power, it typically would be quite large and wouldn''t rely on tearing the throat to kill."

    Chen Lingyun thought of the Yin Ghost Mysterious Realm in the past Fengdu County, where neither the Bull-headed Ghost nor the Judge Ghost would attack with precision targeting the neck; they''d just smash down onto your forehead... They indeed wouldn''t aim so accurately at the throat.

    To specifically target the throat and also twist the neck bones, the culprit would likely be an enemy of relatively small size but very fast, and with immense strength.

    "Could it be vampires?" Chen Lingyun smirked, "The kind from Twilight City?"

    "No, certainly not," Yan Yu immediately felt it was a nonsensical suggestion, "This is Lu Country; where would vampires come from? And what you mentioned is a concept from modern literature... But the answer is quite close."

    "Similar to vampires, but not ghosts," Chen Lingyun pondered for a moment, "Zombies?"

    "Correct," Yan Yu said, "The people from the Northeast often say: ''Beneath Changbai Mountain lies a tomb.''"

    "Yun Ding Tian Gong, right?" Chen Lingyun smiled in surprise, "So what''s buried inside? The Undead King?"

    "I guess it''s the heritage of some corpse cultivation sect," Yan Yu shook his head, "Whether it''s cultivating corpses using living people or through soul torment, they''re essentially inhumane paths of cultivation. That''s why this realm was probably tightly sealed in the previous era; I really don''t recall anything about it."

    "What a pity," Chen Lingyun''s eyes gleamed with interest, "I''m actually quite curious to know whether corpse cultivators are more formidable or ghost cultivators."

    "Neither are up to par," Yan Yu said indifferently, "At this point in time, any zombie or ghostly creature that appears in the Mysterious Realm cannot be considered ''unsolvable''."

    "When you say ''not up to par'', you''re comparing them to your own strength, right?" Chen Lingyun had gotten a grasp on his pattern of thought and smiled, "What about when compared to us?"

    "For you guys, they indeed would be somewhat difficult to handle," Yan Yu calmly stated.

    If it truly was a corpse cultivation sect, then the difficulty of conquering this Mysterious Realm would likely far exceed all previous realms they had encountered.

 Chapter 37 Still Relying on Me, Zhao Yuanzhen

    In the depths of the mysterious realm, halfway up the mountain.A massive stone door was embedded in the mountain wall, forcing the Goryeo cultivators to form a semicircle as if facing a formidable enemy. They established a sword formation to protect their captain inside, who was examining and searching for a way to open the door. Experience tales with empire

    "We can''t go on like this!" Park Changmin, who kept glancing around, lowered his voice and said to Lee Junyong in Korean, "There''s no path ahead, enemies behind us, and frequent attacks from snow demons. If we don''t leave now, we''ll all die here!"

    "Where would we go?" Lee Junyong asked helplessly, "The military of Lu Country must already be guarding the outside of the mysterious realm. Going out now would be like a turtle caught in a jar."

    "Even being caught is better than dying," Park Changmin said sternly. "Later, I''ll pretend to spot an enemy and shout loudly. You follow me and we make a dash for it. We''ll use the wind and snow as cover and escape along the way we came in."

    "Don''t be foolish!" Lee Junyong was immediately terrified. "If Jin Taishan discovers us, we''ll both be subject to military law and killed on the spot!"

    "Staying here is what will get us killed!" Park Changmin said fiercely. "I don''t care anymore. If you won''t follow, then I''ll go alone!"

    Just then, another sharp warning cry sounded:

    "Enemy!"

    Amidst the swirling snowflakes in the air, countless blades of light and sword shadows appeared. Upon closer inspection, they were densely packed wind-borne snow soldiers, wielding ice-crafted broadswords, and fiercely charging with a sky-covering malevolent aura.

    The Goryeo cultivators quickly shot out their Flying Swords, and after the first volley, more than half of the snow soldiers were gone.

    These creatures, made up of ice and snowflakes, had virtually no defense but their numbers were far too great. By the time the Goryeo cultivators recalled their Flying Swords to launch a second attack, the remaining snow soldiers had already reached them.

    After a chaotic battle, all the snow soldiers were finally eliminated, but three of the Goryeo cultivators were wounded¡ªtwo had injured arms, and one had a shoulder injury.

    "Three this time?" Team leader Jin Taishan frowned when he heard the casualty report. "Damn it! A bunch of useless things! You can even get hurt fighting those frail snow demons?"

    Everyone kept their faces expressionless, pretending not to hear the reprimand.

    Indeed, the snow demons were easily defeated and didn''t even have the sense to dodge attacks, but there were too many of them, more than double the number of the Goryeo cultivators... You kill one with your Flying Sword, and another one takes the chance to rush at you.

    Moreover, Jin Taishan was studying the stone door inside the formation, demanding that they hold the line and fight to the death without retreating. How could it be possible to avoid injury?

    Although everyone was seething with indignation, they dared not complain aloud, as the military hierarchy was in place; even if a superior spat in your face, you had to wait for them to leave before you were allowed to wipe it off.

    After hastily bandaging the injured cultivators, Jin Taishan turned back to study the stone door.

    Though shaped like a door, the stone door melded seamlessly with the surrounding mountainside, lacking a handle or keyhole, leaving Jin Taishan to tap various parts with his Flying Sword, searching for hollow spaces or mechanisms.

    The Goryeo cultivators forming the formation outside remained silent, but an atmosphere of dead silence and numbness had already begun to permeate the team.

    Park Changmin quickly glanced around and gritted his teeth in secret.

    It was clear from Jin Taishan''s attitude that he treated his subordinates like disposable resources. If they blindly charged out now, they would likely be killed outright by him as deserters, executed by his Flying Sword from a distance.

    He had to find the most suitable moment to quickly disengage from the main force!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Yan Yu and his companions continued to move forward. As the mountain slopes climbed higher, the path rapidly narrowed.

    On the left was a mountain wall, and on the right, a cliff. Below the cliff was a snow valley of unfathomable depth. If someone accidentally fell down... they could use the Cloud Ascension Technique to fly back slowly, which wasn''t a big deal. The problem was if snow soldiers arrived halfway through your flight, it would be difficult to handle.

    Because of the terrain, it wasn''t convenient to sprint using the Shifting Technique, and using the Cloud Ascension Technique or Wall-Penetration Technique drained too much True Yuan. Ye Jun retracted her Xuan Guang Ruler and commanded everyone to form a single-file line, quickly climbing along the narrow mountain path.

    "I don''t like this place," Lin Ning, who had rejoined the group, complained while walking behind Yan Yu. "If the snow soldiers attack, there''s nowhere to hide."

    "Then you can use the Barrier Charm," Yan Yu said methodically. "Let them smash themselves against it."

    "That makes sense!" Lin Ning realized instantly and added, "Then why did you ask me to clear them out just now? Everyone could just use the Barrier Charm when they were under attack."

    "Because it saves more True Yuan," Chen Lingyun answered from ahead. "If everyone uses a Barrier Charm, the total consumption of True Yuan is more than if Ye Jun alone activates her Xuan Guang Ruler; and the True Yuan Ye Jun uses is more than if you help to clear out the fodder."

    "Exactly," Yan Yu nodded. "Fighting is really about doing the math, especially with more people involved."

    "Alright," Lin Ning sighed.

    She wasn''t bad at thinking things through; she just preferred direct, close-quarters combat and straightforward assaults¡ªwin or lose, life or death, all determined within a few moves.

    The current situation, being restrained by formation and passively taking hits if an enemy appeared, was really not to Lin Ning''s liking.

    Fortunately, this section of the mountain path wasn''t very long. After some time, the group eventually passed through it and reached a relatively flat gentle slope.

    Looking ahead, they saw an endless snow-covered coniferous forest. The howling wind and snowflakes passing through the trees severely obscured their vision, almost entirely concealing what was within.

    If there were ambushers...

    "I''ll continue to lead the way," Liu Longtao suggested to Yan Yu. "Old Yan, would you like to guard the rear?"

    Leading the way might mean you encounter the enemy first, and guarding the rear could lead to meeting enemies attempting backstab ambushes. These two most dangerous tasks naturally fell to the strongest cultivators in the team.

    "Good," Yan Yu said, "let the Sword Immortals stand on the outside of the formation. If you see anything, don''t hesitate, just send your Flying Swords to strike first and foremost."

    "Proper," Liu Longtao nodded in agreement.

    Everyone quickly adjusted the formation, still moving forward in a tight group. They let Ye Jun open the Xuan Guang Ruler to protect everyone, while Liu Longtao and Yan Yu stood outside the barrier, one in front and one behind, vigilant of their surroundings as they progressed.

    Yan Yu, trailing behind the team, looked around the surroundings with boredom, thinking it was less about covering the rear and more about using me as bait to see if we can draw out any ambushers that might be nearby.

    After all, if there really was an ambush, instead of forcefully attacking Ye Jun''s Xuan Guang Ruler barrier, it would obviously be more suitable to sneak attack those outside.

    On that note¡­ Ye Jun has been activating the Xuan Guang Ruler up to now, and she hasn''t run into any issues with her stamina. This girl''s got some skills.

    To maintain such a large magic protection barrier, if she hadn''t consumed Elixir Medicine, it''s estimated that by the time we arrived at the mountain path previously, her True Yuan would''ve nearly been depleted, so Ye Jun undoubtedly must have secretly taken some Qi-supplementing Elixir Medicine.

    Elixir Medicine isn''t like the blue potions in games where you just eat it and immediately recover True Yuan. You need to wrap it in True Yuan in your stomach to refine it, then guide the Qi into your Dantian for it to work.

    This means Ye Jun needs to divide her attention to refine the Elixir Medicine; otherwise, she can''t replenish her True Yuan. Yet, at the same time, she also needs to maintain the barrier of the Xuan Guang Ruler and adjust it in real time to coordinate with the movement of the main force... Actually, there''s quite a lot of knowledge involved here.

    In the future, there''s even a specialized Cultivator course called "Stamina Coordination Studies", which teaches what "safe moments" are permissible for a cultivator to momentarily distract themselves during real combat, fitting the "refining of Elixir Medicine" process into these safe moments like puzzle pieces. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Mastering this stamina skill means that as long as one has enough Elixir Medicine, they can fight for three days and three nights without running out of True Yuan.

    Ye Jun''s flawless activation of the Xuan Guang Ruler for such an extended time indicates she has indeed studied this aspect of endurance. The specific reason isn''t hard to guess; after all, with the four main attackers in the team being strong men, the only role she could play in critical moments was defense and containment, which put enormous pressure on her True Yuan...

    Lord Master, this friend of yours, I''m locking this down! If you ever decide you no longer need a vice-captain, would it be good to transfer Ye Jun to me?

    As Yan Yu was lost in his thoughts, he suddenly heard the clanging sound of swords and blades from afar.

    Here they come again, this Wind Blade Frost Sword Formation really doesn''t want to give us a moment''s peace...

    Yan Yu leisurely urged the Huang Tingjian, slaying some of the Snow Demon close by while the rest crashed into the barrier of the Xuan Guang Ruler, scattering into innumerable snowflakes that fell to the ground.

    Hm? What''s that...

    "Come out, friend," Yan Yu suddenly called out loudly.

    The advancing team immediately stopped, with Liu Longtao also halting in his tracks and squinting into the distance.

    All they saw was the howling cold wind and dense trees, without a single person in sight.

    Liu Longtao fell silent for a moment before, looking back over the team at Yan Yu, calling out:

    "Hey, Liu."

    "What''s up?" Liu Longtao responded.

    "How do you say ''come out quickly'' in Goryeo language?" Yan Yu asked.

    Liu Longtao: ......

    "I don''t know Goryeo language," he said, seemingly confused.

    "Let me try," Ye Jun took a deep breath and called out into the distance, "neyirinawa!"

    After a moment, there was no response from afar.

    "Ye Jun, what you said isn''t right," Yan Yu laughed, "look, they don''t understand it."

    "It should be correct though," Ye Jun said doubtfully, frowning. Although she had taught herself Goryeo language, such a short phrase shouldn''t be incorrect.

    "Don''t waste your time anymore," Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly said, "I''ll do it."

    Everyone: ?

    Especially the girls from the Zhenhai Team, like Su Yunjin and Lin Ning, who at this moment were staring incredulously with wide eyes.

    Sister Zhao? She actually can speak the Goryeo language?

    Although she indeed enjoyed watching Goryeo TV dramas and variety shows, given her level of intelligence, self-learning... they still found it a bit unbelievable.

    Zhao Yuanzhen walked out of the barrier to Yan Yu''s side and asked:

    "Where did you see the person?"

    "Over there," Yan Yu pointed.

    "Okay," Zhao Yuanzhen chuckled coldly.

    She drew her sword and charged forward.

 Chapter 38 Goryeo Sword God Liu Wu Kai

    Zhao Yuanzhen stormed into the woods, looking left and right.In her field of vision, there was no one to be seen.

    But the forest here was dense, with the wind and snow howling, the visibility was indeed low; it was very possible someone was hiding somewhere.

    She brandished her sword and circled around for a moment, but still found nothing. She could only press the button on her earpiece and said:

    "Yan Yu, save me!"

    "¡­What happened?"

    "I can''t find anyone," Zhao Yuanzhen said with frustration.

    "Fine then," Yan Yu chuckled, unable to help himself, "Let me take a look."

    "Don''t you dare come over!" Zhao Yuanzhen quickly stopped him, "I just put on a big show in front of so many people, charging in here, and now I can''t handle it and need your help. It''s so embarrassing! You are not allowed to come over, just give me some ideas to help me find him!"

    "You''re nuts!" Yan Yu laughed and scolded her, "How can I help you if I don''t come in? With this kind of snowstorm, even if a drone could fly, it wouldn''t be able to film anything, right? Just wait there, I''m coming over."

    Zhao Yuanzhen wanted to say something more, but the call was already hung up, making her so angry that she kicked viciously at a pine tree next to her.

    Then, thump, a person fell down from the tree.

    Zhao Yuanzhen: !

    Her expression quickly changed from annoyance to astonishment, and then to an ecstatic "Haha, that''s what I expected from you, grandma!"

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Turning back the clock for a bit, Park Changmin took advantage of another sudden snow soldier attack. The formation of his teammates got disrupted again, and in that instant, he shouted, "There''s an enemy over there," before activating his Shifting Technique and dashing out.

    The cultivator companions around him were caught off guard. They called out "Park Changmin" a few times, but only saw him not even looking back, vanishing in a flash.

    "What happened?" Jin Taishan turned around again.

    "Park Changmin ran off," someone said.

    "It''s not necessarily running away; I heard him shouting ''there''s an enemy over there,''" someone else added.

    "Bullshit, if there''s an enemy, why not hold the line instead of charging out?!" Jin Taishan was immediately enraged, but under the current circumstances, it wasn''t possible to split forces and chase after him. With a grim face, he ordered, "Next time anyone dares to leave the line rashly, treat them as deserters and execute them on the spot!"

    "Yes!" The cultivators quickly complied, afraid that Jin Taishan would continue to lose his temper. A few who had also thought about fleeing, seeing that most had agreed, had to suppress their impulse to take a risk and venture out.

    Having sprinted madly for a while, Park Changmin saw there were no pursuers behind him and quickly stopped his Shifting Technique. Then he started to run with his legs through the snow.

    He had also roughly figured out some patterns, like the snow demons tended to attack those in larger groups or those casting spells... so he needed to use the Shifting Technique as little as possible and sneak his way back quietly.

    Leaving the platform of the mountain gate behind, there was a vast expanse of gentle slopes and woods. Park Changmin quickly moved through the trees, while anxiously watching his surroundings.

    If one or two snow demons came after him, he still had confidence in dealing with them; but if five or six came at once, then he could only fight desperately for his life.

    However, after walking for nearly ten minutes, he hadn''t encountered a single snow demon.

    Park Changmin didn''t let his guard down; on the contrary, he became even more nervous.

    Because the snow demons weren''t attacking him, there was a very frightening possibility that there was a large group of cultivators nearby, attracting all of them away...

    After a moment''s hesitation, Park Changmin decided to stop advancing and climb up to observe his surroundings first.

    He chose a tree nearby, climbed up swiftly with hands and feet, then picked a spot where the branches had a thick accumulation of snow to use as cover, watching carefully.

    Although the snowstorm made it difficult to see clearly, Park Changmin could still vaguely spot the light possibly produced by magic artifacts not far away...

    This is bad; surely a large group of Rikoku Cultivators is coming this way!

    From this distance, they would soon cross the forest path slope and reach the mountain gate where senior Jin Taishan stood guard¡ªso that''s why I said, staying there is like waiting to die!

    Of course, if he was discovered by these Rikoku Cultivators, it''s highly likely he would be stabbed to death.

    At this point, Park Changmin had no choice but to cower in the tree, not even daring to let out a loud breath, and hugged the trunk, shivering.

    He dared not use spells, as he was afraid spells would attract snow demons, exposing his location; but not using spells and just hugging the trunk was too tiring, and there was nowhere to step around... If he tried to find another branch to step on, he was afraid that the movement would shake the accumulated snow off the tree.

    On one hand, he feared alerting the Rikoku Cultivators; on the other hand, he was afraid of losing his cover.

    Therefore, Park Changmin remained utterly still, hugging the tree trunk like a koala, his face nearly turning purple from the cold wind.

    .........

    Then, it was Zhao the Demonic Sect Enchantress who angrily kicked the tree, causing Park the deserter to fall by accident, coincidentally from the same tree.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, upon witnessing this unexpected delight, instantly perked up, laughing maniacally as he moved to grab Park Changmin.

    Park Changmin, realizing his grim prospects, quickly rolled over and half rose, shooting his Flying Sword straight at Zhao Yuanzhen''s face.

    But the Demonic Sect Enchantress, having been tormented by Yan Yu far too many times, had developed a strong resistance to such sudden attacks.

    She merely activated her Curved Curse and, with quick reflexes, caught the Flying Sword, snarling viciously:

    "How dare you resist!"

    Park Changmin tried to channel his True Yuan, but with the sword hilt held by the opponent''s Curved Curse, how could he break free? Experience new tales on empire

    Zhao Yuanzhen, holding the struggling Flying Sword, jabbed it wildly at Park Changmin, taunting as he did so:

    "Run then! Go on and run! Show me a run!"

    "That''s enough." Yan Yu quickly used his Shifting Technique to get to her side, first stopping the Demonic Sect Enchantress''s violent hand, then sealing Park Changmin''s Dantian with Runescript ¡ª though it was also superfluous, as Park Changmin''s body was riddled with sword holes, nearly turning him into a bloody mess, already gasping for air.

    "Medical team, come treat him." Yan Yu instructed through his headset and then, looking at Liu Longtao who had hurried over as well, he smiled and said, "We''re lucky this time, caught a live one."

    "Mhm." Liu Longtao nodded.

    If they could extract information about the Goryeo Cultivators from the prisoner''s mouth, the subsequent battles would be much easier;

    Of course, if this man were ungrateful, they could simply run him through with a sword, putting an end to it ¡ª they held no old Pingjing etiquette towards enemies.

    The medical team acted swiftly, first stopping the blood loss for Park Changmin, then forcing him to drink some hot saltwater and administering an Elixir Medicine. Eventually, they forcefully awoke him.

    With the blood washed from his face, Yan Yu finally recognized him:

    Well, if it isn''t the Goryeo Sword God, Park the Fifth!

    "Does anyone speak Goryeo here?" In preparation for an impromptu interrogation, Liu Longtao again confirmed with the team, "Ye Jun, can you?"

    "I studied it a bit in college." Ye Jun said uneasily, "I don''t speak it well. To them, it might sound as basic as ''what''s your job'' or something."

    "No need." Yan Yu came back and said, "He speaks the language of Lu Country. Let Chen Lingyun do the interrogation."

    Park Changmin could speak not only the language of Lu Country but also the language of Chonhon, both very fluently. The reason was that from a young age, he had set himself the ambition of not marrying women from the extremely conservative Goryeo but longing instead for a wife from Lu Country or Chonhon.

    Of course, after he was titled Goryeo Sword God and became a national heartthrob, he had no choice but to settle down with a celebrity from a popular girl group in his own country ¡ª Yan Yu couldn''t remember who it was, but having seen her photos in the media, he had to admit Goryeo''s medical aesthetic technology was indeed quite advanced.

    Dantian sealed and groggily awakening, Park Changmin was quite a tough guy, not only spilling all the intel explicitly but also highlighting the fact that Jin Taishan treated his juniors as expendables. The underlying message was clear: Hurry up and finish off Jin Taishan for me!

    Having obtained the intel, Liu Longtao didn''t share it with the others, only discussing it privately with Ye Jun, Yan Yu, and Chen Lingyun, the four of them deliberating together.

    "So, eliminating Jin Taishan will cause their will to fight to collapse by half." Ye Jun said thoughtfully.

    "That''s right," Chen Lingyun replied cheerfully. "Such power-driven teams have the advantage of maintaining unity while the strong power exists, but the downside is that once that power collapses, the lower ranks fall apart easily."

    "It''s not always the case," Liu Longtao countered, "The other side may rely on the rule of the strong, but look, there was still a traitor among them. In the end, it doesn''t matter how you lead; the key is to have reliable people underneath who respect the law and aren''t thinking about causing trouble all the time."

    Ye Jun gave them both a suspicious glance: Are you discussing serious matters or taking the chance to make snide remarks at each other? S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Anyway." She tried to steer the conversation back on track, "What should we do with this prisoner?"

    "Let''s keep him," Yan Yu suddenly said. "A live captor has a different value from a corpse. If we hand him over to the state, we might even negotiate terms with Goryeo."

    Of course, Park Changmin''s real value was not in his swordsmanship prowess, but in his self-promotion and marketing skill that perfectly matched Goryeo''s hero-worshipping trend.

    If they killed him here, it would not stop Goryeo''s hero-making project; another Goryeo Sword God would simply emerge. What if the next one was a true Sword God? Why bring trouble upon themselves?

    Letting Park Changmin become the Goryeo Sword God as per the original timeline, to receive the full support of the national resources, and to boast about "going toe-to-toe with Liu Longtao" was undoubtedly the best outcome for Lu Country. There was no need to interfere and change that this life.

    Although Liu Longtao did not know what Yan Yu was thinking, whether to kill a mere prisoner or not was inconsequential ¡ª it was better to give Yan Yu face.

    "Alright," he said, nodding, "I''ll have Captain Jung keep an eye on him."

 Chapter 39 Annihilation

    After obtaining the information from Park Changmin, there was only one question left:Could it be a trap?

    "It doesn''t seem like a trap," Chen Lingyun said with a smile. "That person doesn''t seem the type to sacrifice himself."

    If the information were true, Park Changmin still had a chance to survive afterward; if it were false, the Rikoku Cultivators would definitely be the first to kill him on the spot. Therefore, the authenticity of the information essentially depended on whether Park Changmin dared to willingly face death for his country.

    Since Chen Lingyun judged it to be unlikely, then the remaining task was quite simple.

    Take them out!

    "There''s another thing," Yan Yu suddenly said. "Those cultivators who had their throats ripped open before, did he confess what had attacked them?"

    "He did," replied Chen Lingyun, smiling faintly. "They didn''t see clearly, but it seemed to be a very fast black figure."

    A black figure? On hearing this, everyone was momentarily stunned.

    No, not a black figure. Yan Yu immediately realized it must be referring to a body exhibiting decay-like blackness, which indeed is a typical physical feature of a zombie.

    The domestic policy towards ghost cultivators was lenient, but towards corpse cultivators, it was extermination without exception; after all, the "insult to a corpse crime" was evident, and the moral red line was not something anyone dared to cross.

    However, a large number of corpse cultivators called "Necromancers" emerged from the Indochina Peninsula in his previous life, so Yan Yu was not entirely ignorant about corpse cultivators.

    Zombies have four levels, dubbed gold, silver, bronze, iron. Above these, entities like Walking Dead Rakshasas and Flying Sky Yakshas have essentially gained spiritual intelligence and are considered a different kind of cultivator, so they are not included in this discussion.

    The kind of zombie that might appear at this stage would likely be an Iron Corpse, which had three main characteristics: fast speed, immense strength, and impervious to swords and spears. Impervious in the literal sense, present-day cultivators would find it very difficult to breach their defense even with Flying Swords... Hmm?

    Wait, what are the thought habits of an Iron Corpse?

    It''s over, it''s been too long since I last fought a low-level zombie, I''m having a hard time remembering... S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Due to partial memory loss, Yan Yu could not deduce where the Iron Corpse was hiding or where it would launch an attack first. Rather than ponder too much, he decided to simply continue moving forward with the team.

    Just as Park Changmin had said, after the group passed through a large forest and dealt with two more rounds of attacks from the Wind Blade Frost Sword Formation, they finally reached the summit of the gentle slope.

    Beyond the top of the slope were the Goryeo cultivators, blocked outside by a stone gate.

    Without showing any signs, Chen Lingyun gently waved the Soul Summoning Banner, and a large dog responded by landing on the ground, instantly transforming into a white Arctic fox that charged uphill along the snow slope.

    Ye Jun, watching from behind, thought to herself how indefensible it was to use ghosts for scouting!

    In official Mysterious Realm confrontations, let alone a small animal like a fox, if one transformed into a beetle, a dragonfly... boldly flying over to scout out your tactical layout, how would you defend?

    Could you exterminate all insects in the vicinity?

    Here, Ye Jun was actually overthinking it. Ghosts had restrictions on the size they could transform into, with a fox being the limit; smaller creatures like rabbits were not possible.

    Transformations like Sun Wukong''s, which could become anything and even sneak into a sister-in-law''s belly, belonged to the extremely advanced techniques of Xuanmen Zhengzong and were not something any random cat or dog could achieve.

    However, at this moment with the snowstorm raging, even if it was a small animal like a fox, who would notice?

    The ghost transformed into a white-haired fox and brazenly ran a circuit atop the slope, taking in the Goryeo cultivators'' formation below in full view, then ran back to the group.

    It transformed into a stern-faced maid, broke off a branch from the side, and used it to detail the terrain ahead, the number of Goryeo cultivators and their positions, describing and explaining everything thoroughly on the snow-covered ground.

    To put it simply, to prevent attacks from the Wind Blade Frost Sword Formation, the Goryeo cultivators ahead had formed a tight semi-circular formation with their backs against the stone gate, leaving no blind spots in their field of vision. Thus, stealth infiltration was unlikely, and direct confrontation was the only option.

    Seeing the maid transform into a mist and swiftly return to the Soul Summoning Banner, even Liu Longtao, confident in his own team, couldn''t help but ponder: should he let Su Yunjin cross-train as an Envoy?

    He didn''t expect her to command Servant Envoys in battle, but just this scouting ability alone was worth practicing.

    "This simplifies things." Chen Lingyun said cheerily, "What do you think?"

    Liu Longtao turned to Yan Yu:

    "Shall we split them half and half?"

    "Agreed," Yan Yu nodded.

    "Commander Zheng," Liu Longtao turned and instructed, "Please split half of our brothers to take over the perimeter of the site and stand guard, to prevent any unexpected emergence of snow soldiers and other unexpected factors."

    "The rest of you, maintain distance and freely attack with your Flying Swords to keep up the pressure,"

    "There are fifteen opponents. The Dragon Soar Team will take care of annihilating the left side, and you, Zhenghai, are responsible for wiping out the right side. I''ll handle the leader, Jin Taishan. How does that sound?"

    "Fine." On such trivial details, Yan Yu didn''t want to make things too complicated¡ªwhere in the world is that Iron Corpse hiding?

    "Let''s go with that." Liu Longtao stood up, "Let''s move!"

    Everyone swiftly crossed the hilltop and the moment they came into view of the Goryeo Cultivators, they quickly seized the initiative to attack.

    Countless Flying Swords shot towards the enemy. Most were blocked by the Goryeo Cultivators who had managed to react and control their swords, but a few found their marks¡ªYan Yu surveyed the scene quickly, about three had fallen, though it was uncertain if they were dead.

    Even though the Rikoku Cultivators had taken the initiative, dealing with sudden situations is a Sword Immortal''s forte. The fact that the rival team from Goryeo consisted entirely of Sword Immortals did give them an advantage. After overcoming the initial chaos, they quickly began to exchange casualties with the Rikoku side.

    In a battle involving more than forty people, the field changes every second, and commands can''t be refined fast enough. Therefore, Chen Lingyun simply stopped speaking and just signaled for the girls to follow her Purple Extreme Sword.

    The girls worked together flawlessly, honed by frequently teaming up with Yan Yu to gain experience. As soon as Chen Lingyun''s Purple Extreme Sword targeted someone, everyone immediately controlled their swords to focus fire on them, with a speed that was almost inconceivable.

    The Goryeo swordsman who was fighting Lin Ning had just blocked the downward slash of the Green Bamboo Sword with his Flying Sword when he saw two Flying Swords approaching from different angles. Startled, he hastily recalled his Flying Sword, wanting to engage in close defense, only for his vision to suddenly whirl.

    Su Yunjin, who was hiding at the back, stealthily unleashed Jiaochong. The stream of water blasted the Goryeo swordsman into the air, and Chen Lingyun''s Purple Extreme Sword seized the chance to pierce diagonally into his throat, beheading him.

    Lin Ning retracted her Green Bamboo Sword, her peripheral vision catching sight of the Purple Extreme Sword changing direction and striking towards another Goryeo Cultivator on the left...

    Without hesitation, she quickly performed a sword technique with her hands, and the Green Bamboo Sword turned into a streak of green light, flanking the target to provide a supporting attack.

    Struggling against the siege of two swords, the Goryeo Cultivator dared not be careless and hurriedly called his Flying Sword to his front for short-axis defense, only to see Zhao Yuanzhen closing in like a specter and with a palm strike, he sent him flying away.

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    The Purple Extreme Sword and the Green Bamboo Sword swiftly caught up, each stabbing into one side of his chest and abdomen, rending his internal organs to shreds.

    Yan Yu methodically disposed of his opponent. With a heavy downward slash from the Huang Tingjian, he performed what amounted to a craniotomy on the other.

    Glancing over at his teammates, the cooperation between Chen Lingyun, Lin Ning, and Su Yunjin was impressively tight-knit, truly befitting a group that often outperformed stronger adversaries in their past life. This was the first time the Demonic Sect Enchantress was let loose in battle, and she was thoroughly enjoying the slaughter.

    His gaze quickly scanned the flank and saw that Liu Longtao''s team also had the upper hand on the battlefield.

    The joint attacks of the two Sword Immortals, Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun, were executed with great proficiency. Sometimes Ai Lu would entangle the opposing Flying Swords, allowing Guo Feiyun to carry out the kill. Other times, it was Guo Feiyun who would break through the enemy''s defense with brute force, and Ai Lu would sneak in for the strike.

    Liu Longtao''s swordsmanship was even more simple and brutal. Relying on his excellent innate talent and robust True Yuan, his Sword Control Technique was powerful and heavy, crushing the opposing team''s leader Cultivator.

    Jin Taishan could be the leader of this team because his swordsmanship was significantly better than that of other Goryeo swordsmen, but he was still far from a match for Lord Master. Each time their Flying Swords collided, the Ying Long Sword was barely pushed back while his Flying Sword needed all the force he could muster to barely stabilize.

    With an expressionless face showing no impatience for beating weaker opponents, Liu Longtao methodically used the simplest moves to forcefully breach and penetrate Jin Taishan''s defensive swordsmanship, and then with one strike, he severed his neck bone, splitting the corpse into two.

    Jin Taishan was killed on the spot, and the remaining Cultivators quickly lost their will to fight, forced to retreat while fighting, with their formation rapidly deteriorating.

    In the end, at the cost of seven injured Rikoku military Cultivators, all the foreign Cultivators who had intruded into the Mysterious Realm were annihilated.

    Liu Longtao looked at the bodies littering the ground, his expression finally easing.

    These enemies were not difficult to deal with; the main issue was that they seized the initiative, entering the Mysterious Realm half an hour before the forces from Rikoku, which posed the risk of the control center being stolen¡ªnow, at least, the issue had been resolved.

    Speaking of which, where is the guardian of the Mysterious Realm? And where is the control center?

    He looked at the giant stone door embedded in the cliff face, fitting tightly without any gaps. His first instinct was the same as Jin Taishan''s, to tap it with the Flying Sword in search of hidden mechanisms.

    "Old Yan," Liu Longtao searched aimlessly for a while then turned to speak, "Take a look at this... Huh?"

    Among the scattered bodies, unbeknownst to them when, another figure had appeared.

    The person was dressed completely in black and squatting next to a Goryeo Cultivator''s corpse, using sharp nails to slice open the chest and pull out the still-warm heart, cradling it in both hands as he began to devour it greedily.

    Although it was filthy and bloodied flesh, he ate as if it were incredibly sweet, seemingly oblivious to any stench.

 Chapter 40 Why Not Have a Little More?

    Everyone followed Liu Longtao''s gaze, and immediately felt a chill run through their hearts.When had this person arrived?

    Clad head to toe in dark greenish-black hues, one would think he''d be easily spotted against the pure white backdrop of the blizzard, but in reality, he had brazenly appeared beside them without any of them noticing...

    Considering that audacious act of corpse eating, it was clear he was not human but some kind of malevolent creature.

    Liu Longtao didn''t speak, only quickly made a hand signal, indicating to Colonel Zheng to quickly lead the men to scatter.

    The cultivators of the Dingbei Army entering this mysterious realm were not here to die; they were to provide Liu Longtao with numerical superiority, to overwhelm and swiftly crush the Goryeo cultivators¡ªwhat the Lord Master pursued was not merely victory, but also a neat and flawless, beyond reproach, perfect victory.

    But since this creature was able to sneak in undetected, that indicated it moved stealthily and incredibly fast. If the Goryeo cultivators still couldn''t defeat this monster, then the ordinary Dingbei cultivators stood even less of a chance.

    Hasn''t the state invested heavily in training us warriors precisely to deal with such dangerous enemies? S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Colonel Zheng was also astute, quietly issuing orders in the channel, and the soldiers rustled as they quietly stepped back, leaving the battlefield to the Zhenghai and Dragon Soar Teams.

    Throughout this, the zombie squatted beside the corpse, quietly consuming its heart, as if seeing nothing but his meal.

    Liu Longtao gave Yan Yu a look that said, "Shall we make a move?"

    Yan Yu nodded.

    Without drawing attention, each of them commanded their Huang Tingjian and Ying Long Swords to rise, then suddenly thrust towards the terrifying zombie.

    The zombie, feasting upon a human heart, suddenly rose to avoid the cleave of the Huang Tingjian, while with its left hand swatted the Ying Long Sword away, and continued chewing its bloody meal. Within its murky irises, blood swiftly seeped through, soon dyeing its eyes a deep red.

    With "iron" in the name Iron Corpse, its level was naturally different from ordinary zombies, having been solemnly refined by ancient malevolent cultivators, and thus innate was its counter to Sword Control Technique.

    It swept its sinister gaze over everyone, finally fixing on Su Yunjin.

    She would be the tastiest, eat her first!

    The Iron Corpse staggered, vanishing from its spot almost as quickly as if utilizing the Shifting Technique. Aiming to devour, it pounced towards Su Yunjin with a voracious posture, targeting her delicate and vulnerable neck.

    Yan Yu finally remembered: right, the Iron Corpse loved the flesh of women and children, the younger they were, the more tender the skin, and the more the corpse demon liked to strike!

    He was about to command the Huang Tingjian to save her, but he saw Su Yunjin raise her arm like lightning, already forming the magical hand gestures.

    If this had been the former Secretary Su, she certainly wouldn''t have been able to react in time. But, having been ruthlessly "drilled and drilled some more" during this period, her normal "eye-brain-hand" sequence had been forcibly twisted by Yan Yu into "eye-hand-brain", much like Lin Ning''s conditioned reflex; whatever it is, before you see clearly, I''ll strike first!

    Jiaochong spouted a large volume of water, instantly washing the Iron Corpse into the air. Followed swiftly by Coral''s Tears, the azure sword light transformed into a full moon, cleanly slicing towards the chest of the Iron Corpse with a dull thud akin to burst leather.

    I... hit it? Su Yunjin came to her senses after the fact, disbelief written all over her face.

    Her combo, which involved using Jiaochong to wrap and trap the opponent, followed by Coral''s Tears for the slash, was designed to counter the team leader. However, thus far, it had never succeeded¡ªYan Yu would deliberately let her Jiaochong hit, then casually escape before Coral''s Tears could strike, as if the disorientation caused by the flood meant nothing to him.

    So why did it hit the Iron Corpse?

    While she was still in disbelief, the Iron Corpse in the air had already freed itself from the water, landed unharmed, and, reviving its speed, turned and pounced towards Chen Lingyun.

    Chen Lingyun, without a change in expression, slightly shook the Soul Summoning Banner, and five ghosts rushed towards the Iron Corpse. But with a mighty effort, it shook them all off, and in the blink of an eye, pounced in front of her, fiercely tearing at her throat.

    Just as this woman was about to be decapitated, a burst of light descended from the sky¡ªit was Ye Jun using the Xuan Guang Ruler, attempting to trap the Iron Corpse. The latter, without hesitation, abandoned its prey, retreated swiftly from the Xuan Guang Ruler''s light flower, and turned again to attack Lin Ning.

    Lin Ning, however, showed no fear as the Green Bamboo Sword transformed into a streak of green light, thrusting towards the Iron Corpse''s dark chest.

    In the barely visible speed of this lightning exchange, the Iron Corpse had already switched targets three times. It seemed that it couldn''t catch any of them, but Liu Longtao knew very well: with its speed akin to that of the Shifting Technique, and defense strong enough to withstand the strikes of Flying Swords, the situation was extremely perilous.

    After all, the enemy could withstand countless setbacks in its attacks, but if any of them made a single mistake and were caught by its claws, that would mean an instant decapitation, nearly impossible to save!

    "Old Yan, aren''t you joining in?" he turned towards Yan Yu, who seemed content watching from the sidelines.

    Watching Yan Yu with the Huang Tingjian levitating in front of him, always ready to save someone yet paradoxically motionless, Liu Longtao suddenly recalled something:

    In fact, whether it was Deputy Leader Ye Jun or the Pingxi Army''s Huofeng Team''s Zhang Huaide, they had both analyzed the biggest weakness of the Zhenghai Team:

    That was Yan Yu acting as the tactical core was always detached from the team, usually fighting alone.

    Though Yan Yu''s own strength was overwhelming to the extent that this flaw was largely overshadowed, the problem didn''t vanish¡ªthe pace of his strikes was too fast for anyone to keep up, let alone coordinate with him.

    If we want to resolve this issue, Yan Yu either needs to "slow down" to integrate into the team system, or we wait for the girls to grow up. There''s no other way.

    "Old Yan, you''ve got it tough," Liu Longtao suddenly remarked.

    Yan Yu was startled by the comment. What?

    The reason he hadn''t made a move was partly to let the girls practice, but mainly because he was keeping an eye on the surroundings.

    That was because Yan Yu finally remembered that iron corpses typically don''t appear alone. For the Corpse Cultivation Sect, refining one iron corpse is refining; refining ten is still refining. The resource consumption isn''t much different¡ªit mainly costs in setting up the corpse-refining pool. So they usually start refining in batches of dozens. Anything in single digits is a waste of time.

    If you think about it, using iron corpses as the gatekeepers of the first layer of Changbai Mountain''s Mysterious Realm seems highly unreasonable.

    Who uses cannon fodder as gatekeepers?

    Liu Longtao, of course, was unaware of this. However, now that the pressing threat of enemy cultivators was gone, there was no need to rush. Letting the teammates practice wouldn''t hurt.

    The two captains stood on the perimeter, acting as hands-off supervisors. However, their team members were all fully focused, not daring to be the least bit lax. After all, the iron corpses were too fast, leaving no margins for distraction.

    Lin Ning''s Green Bamboo Sword was swift in motion. When the iron corpse reached with its left hand, the sword struck the left hand. When it swiped with its right, the sword struck the right... Repeatedly cutting off the attacks, she fought with a sense of swordsmanship combat, rendering the iron corpse unable to strike back and pushing it into retreat.

    Yan Yu''s teachings of "fighting at a distance, defending up close" had indeed reached Sister Lin, who utilized the flexibility of short-axis defense to great effect.

    The iron corpse, unable to breach her defenses, turned to attack Zhao Yuanzhen. How could the Demonic Sect Enchantress hold herself back? If Lin Ning could do it, why couldn''t she?

    Kill, kill, kill!

    The Yin Wind Sword sliced towards the iron corpse''s neck. The opponent did not dodge, relying on its defense to absorb the blow directly.

    But unexpectedly, although Zhao Yuanzhen pretended to be a newbie, she had actually recovered a fraction of her cultivation. And with the iron corpse''s invulnerability to blade and spear, she temporarily forgot to hold back her power in the strike (perhaps subconsciously afraid of embarrassing herself by not affecting it) and decided to unleash a surge of True Yuan.

    The sword light tore through space like thunderous lightning, dazzlingly filling everyone''s entire field of view in a flash.

    As the sword light circled back, the iron corpse''s head fell to the ground, and its body collapsed soon after, with not a single drop of blood from the severed neck.

    Everyone was stunned.

    Members like Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun had even prepared to face the enemy in turn, but then they saw the iron corpse being one-shotted by Zhao Yuanzhen¡ªwait, is this girl that formidable?

    Others struck with their sword control but left no wound on the iron corpse, yet her single strike detached its head? Enjoy new adventures from empire

    Zhao Yuanzhen also knew she was in trouble; had she accidentally revealed a tip of her iceberg of strength and terrified these country bumpkins?

    Oh no! She was going to get cursed to death by the little thief!

    Though internally shaken and fearful, the Demonic Sect Enchantress was quick-witted. She burst out laughing on the spot:

    "That''s it? A piece of cake! Not even satisfying to kill. Why not send more, huh?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen, stepping on the iron corpse''s body, laughed nervously, not daring to look at Yan Yu, whose eyes were on her.

    But Yan Yu''s gaze did not linger on her, instead focusing on the iron corpse''s neck¡ªalthough there was no blood, a dense black vapor began to seep out, taking on the appearance of flowing tassels in the wind and snow, slowly drifting toward the stone gate on the mountain wall.

    Uh, let me think, something similar in my memories...

    "Back off!" Yan Yu suddenly shouted, "Stay away from the stone gate!"

    While the Dragon Soar Team and Dingbei Army cultivators were still dazed, the girls didn''t hesitate and immediately followed Yan Yu in activating their Shifting Technique, moving away from the direction of the stone gate.

    The next second, the stone gate, which had been tightly closed, suddenly pulled open to each side.

    Liu Longtao looked towards it and could no longer maintain his composure. He also cried out urgently:

    "Retreat! Everybody, retreat!"

    From the open stone gate emerged a large mass of densely packed corpses, quickly estimated to be in the hundreds.

    These iron corpses moved rapidly, exuding a fierce manner, their skin and hair pitch black, eyes blood-red, sharp teeth fully exposed, with a ferocious look, swarming out of the stone gate like a tide, aggressively rushing toward the Rikoku cultivators.

    Seeing this, everyone was shocked and quickly turned to retreat with Shifting Technique. Amid the chaotic rushing footsteps, someone''s frantic shout rang out:

    "Ahhhh, Sister Zhao, you jinx!"

 Chapter 41 I Admit Youre Good at Fighting, But Not at Choosing a Wife

    Everyone hastily activated their Shifting Technique and began to retreat from the vicinity of the stone gate, wishing desperately they could tap into all their True Yuan for an insane burst of speed.Behind them was a vast swath of dark shadows sweeping across the snowy ground, with each leap covering a distance of over ten meters. The overall posture was agile and nimble, yet the movements were rigid and mechanical, as if the figures were puppets being jerked about on strings from above.

    If there had been only a single Iron Corpse, the group might have relied on their numerical advantage for a fight; but now, with the numbers entirely reversed, a single human faced the challenge of combating three Iron Corpses... No risk assessment was needed to know that certain death was the only outcome.

    As they fled, Yan Yu silently dropped to the rear of the main force and exchanged a nod with Liu Longtao at his side.

    Both of them were acutely aware of their terrain: a gentle slope allowed them to maintain high speed.

    But further ahead lay a narrow mountain trail where the Shifting Technique was prone to missteps and falls off the cliff. Should one fall, they would need to use the Cloud Ascension Technique, but that was much slower. The Iron Corpses needed only to make one high-speed leap to bring down and devour anyone flying in the air.

    They had to stop the tide of corpses here!

    In the haste of the moment, Liu Longtao had no time for restraint. He halted abruptly, turned to face the enemy, and his hands were already forming seals.

    Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens!

    In the sky above, a sudden emergence of crimson flames soon shaped into a dragon, approximately twenty meters long and over a meter wide. Its eyes like lanterns, its whiskers like long whips, scales all bristling backwards, covered in intense flames that heated the air around it, causing a slight distortion in the light.

    Narrowing his eyes, Yan Yu watched as the dragon circled momentarily before diving down, crashing right into the midst of the horde.

    Where the dragon struck, it was like the sun falling to the earth! The ground within the blast radius sunk in instantly, the thick layer of snow sublimated into vapor, revealing the blackened, melted earth underneath. As for the Iron Corpses within, they were evaporated utterly, not even fragments remained.

    The shockwave and solar wind continued to spread outward, incinerating, tearing apart, and throwing the nearby Iron Corpses into the air, along with trees that snapped and fell all around, becoming torches... what a horrific sight!

    Liu Longtao remained composed as he retracted his seals, calmly folding his hands behind his back amidst the shocked and awed looks from those behind him, and said tranquilly:

    "Heh, it''s fortunate that these Iron Corpses are weak to fire, otherwise they would be quite troublesome to deal with."

    Seeing him stand with his hands behind his back, Yan Yu knew right away that Lord Master, in order to show off, had drawn nearly all the True Yuan from his Dantian to unleash that seemingly earth-shattering blow... He really couldn''t muster a second attack of equal power, which was why he subconsciously ceased his attack.

    As the saying goes: A brother can forgive a debt unpaid, but must never get in the way of an attempt to show off. Not paying back the money might at most end the brotherhood, but preventing the act of showing off could turn buddies into sworn enemies.

    Therefore, Yan Yu didn''t immediately speak out, allowing him a few seconds to bask in his moment, before reminding him:

    "Old Liu, you missed the mark."

    "Hmm?" Liu Longtao raised an eyebrow, finding it somewhat amusing.

    My Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens was so perfectly executed, so devastatingly powerful, it stopped the horde in their tracks. How could I have missed? Tell me, where did I go wrong... Holy shit!!!

    Suddenly, within that sea of fire, a corpse emerged anew to fight.

    It was tall, with a green face and fierce fangs, moving as swiftly as if flying. Although its appearance closely resembled the Iron Corpses, its speed was significantly faster than the typical ones.

    The residual flames of the Red Dragon licked over its corpse body but only charred its skin black; its movements weren''t slowed in the least ¨C in contrast to the burning and melting Iron Corpses, this Corpse General''s strength was clearly far superior.

    This time, Lord Master finally realized the mistake: he had indeed missed the mark! He hadn''t seen this Corpse General before; otherwise, he wouldn''t have had the Red Dragon crash into the horde. It should have been aimed at this Boss all along.

    Now, with most of his True Yuan spent on the lesser foes, and the main enemy unharmed, and being unable to unleash a second strike with equal force, what was he to do?

    Liu Longtao glanced silently at Yan Yu, wanting to say "help me out, Old Yan," but couldn''t bring himself to utter the words. After all, even Lord Master had his pride; he had just made a grand show of his strength before everyone. To ask for help now would be too demeaning¡ªhe''d rather die on the spot than speak such words.

    Yan Yu, however, didn''t hold it against him. He simply thought that Lord Master had unleashed an ultimate move in all its glory, only to hit the rank-and-file ¨C truthfully, it was kind of funny.

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    Well then, it looks like it''s up to me.

    Activating his Shifting Technique, Yan Yu moved with astonishing speed to confront the Bronze Corpse, closing the distance in a flash.

    But faster than his approach was the Huang Tingjian!

    The Huangting Heavy Sword, as a heavy sword, didn''t show much brilliance, but its presence was overwhelming. The edge fell like a mountain bearing down, with tremendous force that was hard to withstand.

    The Bronze Corpse let out an earth-shattering roar, and its thick arms formed fists to strike upward, like two cannons firing in rage.

    Sword and fist collided with a thunderous boom. The Bronze Corpse staggered back half a step, and the Huang Tingjian was sent flying backward from the rebound ¨C judging from the extent of their recoil, the Bronze Corpse''s strength was overpowering the Sword Control Technique.

    Before the sword could stabilize and return, Yan Yu had already rushed forward, his right fist clenched, his muscles bulging.

    Curved Curse Punch.

    In a fair fight, even with Curved Curse activated, a Cultivator''s physical strength couldn''t match that of the Bronze Corpse. But as his opponent was reeling from the exchange with the Huangting Heavy Sword, Yan Yu''s punch was impeccably timed, causing the already unsteady Corpse to further lose balance and unable to counter or block.

    Before the Bronze Corpse could regain its footing, another flurry of sword light slashed down¡ªthe Huang Tingjian was relentless! The Corpse General, out of options, could only roar in rage as it tried to lift its arms in defense.

    But how could it block in such a staggered state? The heavy sword struck for the second time, sending the Bronze Corpse flying, its body leaning heavily backward. Yan Yu seized the moment to close in again and unleashed another Curved Curse Punch.

    This time, the Bronze Corpse couldn''t even muster a defensive stance; its robust form was sent flying sideways.

    Having broken through the enemy''s defense, Yan Yu did not pursue further, but instead snapped his fingers and called out:

    "Release!"

    The Bronze Corpse collapsed to the ground with a thud, rolling several times before coming to a motionless stop.

    Unknown when, a grey and dim hairpin was embedded in its forehead, locking away the clouded consciousness within its spiritual platform for good.

    White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin.

    "Hahahahaha!" Zhao Yuanzhen, standing behind with hands on his hips, burst into laughter, triumphantly shouting, "How about that for my killer move, spot on, wasn''t it?"

    "Not bad," Yan Yu also offered rare praise, "Your aim this time was quite good."

    Liu Longtao''s face looked a bit unsightly. After all, if Zhao Yuanzhen''s killer move was spot on, then whose wasn''t?

    But this wasn''t the first time that Liu Longtao had dealt with Yan Yu and come up short. As the saying goes, "Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence," Liu Longtao didn''t wallow in his negative emotions for too long and promptly urged:

    "Let''s get out of here fast!"

    Although the Bronze Corpse was nailed on the spot, and many of the corpse horde had been burned, there were still quite a few burning Iron Corpses on the periphery, now trying shakily to get up.

    These Iron Corpses had great strength, speed, and were impervious to swords and spears... Coupled with their numbers, a head-on battle at this moment would undoubtedly lead to significant casualties.

    Considering that the cultivators from Goryeo had been eradicated, there was of course no need to force a fight here and suffer losses. A more cautious approach would be to clean up slowly afterward¡ªLord Master, although he liked to show off too, was fundamentally a cautious and prudent man. Any fool would have ordered a retreat to probe and attack at this point.

    Upon receiving the command, the Rikoku Cultivators quickly continued their escape, swiftly withdrawing along the narrow cliffs.

    Yan Yu and Liu Longtao stayed behind to block the remaining tide of corpses. After depleting most of their True Yuan, Lord Master also refrained from using his impressive Taoist Methods, merely batting away the approaching Iron Corpses with brute force, as if playing baseball.

    "Speaking of which, Old Yan," he casually asked as if making small talk, "that move you used on the zombie a moment ago, could you talk about it?"

    Considering the collision between the Huang Tingjian and the Bronze Corpse, it was clearly outmatched in strength; if he had used the Sword Control Technique against it, he would have been at a great disadvantage, so Yan Yu''s technique was definitely worth studying.

    "Oh," Yan Yu replied, "It''s quite simple. All you need to do is time each of your attacks for when the opponent''s center of gravity is most off-balance and hit it. It''s like pushing a swing¡ªit''s easiest to push further when it''s at its highest point."

    "I see," Liu Longtao nodded.

    Even though Yan Yu explained it lightly, the actual execution was quite difficult. Without further questioning, Liu Longtao continued:

    "I''m sorry we didn''t secure the Mysterious Realm this time, making you come here for nothing."

    If the two teams had cooperated and taken down the Mysterious Realm, the subsequent gains would have likely been split evenly. However, since they failed to conquer the realm and gained nothing, that effectively meant they had come in vain.

    "Oh, it''s fine," Yan Yu said nonchalantly as he took out a bell from nowhere and casually tossed it in a parabolic arc, "Here, take this, Old Liu."

    "What''s this..." Catching the bell, Liu Longtao looked closer and was instantly dumbfounded.

    The core of the Mysterious Realm?

    Having personally led teams to take down several realms and having refined several of their cores, he could tell immediately that the bell was indeed a core Magic Artifact... But where did it come from?

    "You got it from that corpse general?" Liu Longtao asked incredulously.

    "Yes," Yan Yu nodded, "It was hanging by his waist."

    "And you took it while making your move?" Liu Longtao still couldn''t believe it.

    "Right, why else would I bother getting so close to him?" Yan Yu asked rhetorically, "Couldn''t I have just smashed him from a distance with my Sword Control Technique?"

    "I thought you were just..." Liu Longtao started to say "I thought you just wanted to show off" but quickly held his tongue as he realized (that would''ve been embarrassing), offering a dry chuckle, he corrected himself, "Ahem, since you obtained the core of the Mysterious Realm, that means you win this time. You should refine it."

    "I''d rather not," Yan Yu waved dismissively, "It reeks of corpse stench, too nauseating. You can have it."

    Liu Longtao: .........

    So I''m the one who doesn''t mind getting dirty and smelly?

    Well, it''s fine... at least we took down the Mysterious Realm.

    Yan Yu, you''ve bested me this time, and I concede, for now.

    Next time, after more training, I''ll come to learn from your expertise again.

    Though Liu Longtao thought so, he didn''t verbally concede defeat but instead extended an invitation:

    "After we get out, shall we stay here a few more days?" Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Of course," Yan Yu laughed heartily, "After all, it''s a national tourist site. It would be a pity not to enjoy it properly for at least a day¡ªthey''d never agree to that."

    "Old Yan, I have to say something about that," Liu Longtao immediately said seriously, "We, as esteemed men and team leaders, should be authoritative both at home and in our teams. How can we act just to please our women? You haven''t even started a relationship and the troubles are already brewing.

    If you actually married them, wouldn''t that force you to kowtow to them in everything, lest they turn the household upside down and leave no peace?"

    Yan Yu: ????

    "Marry who?" he asked, utterly confused.

    "Of course, you''d marry a virtuous and kind woman," Liu Longtao earnestly advised, "Those who stir up trouble over nothing are fine for a fling. But for a lifelong companion, you need to find a sincere girl."

 Chapter 42 Clearly, I Was Here First

    After everyone passed through the narrow mountain path, the strategic conquest of the mysterious realm finally entered the final stage.Although the Iron Corpses moved swiftly, they couldn''t actually fly, so to get through this kind of mountain path, they had to proceed one by one.

    Then, they lined up only to be knocked down the mountain by Yan Yu with the Huang Tingjian.

    Seeing his casual, leisurely and composed manner, the people behind him suddenly had a strange illusion¡ªas if these Iron Corpses were not immensely strong and impervious to swords and spears, but rather walking bowling pins, one after another.

    Only the girls of the Zhenhai Team remembered the words Yan Yu had mentioned earlier:

    No matter how the mysterious realm is designed, in the end, it''s inanimate; there''s always a way to deal with it...

    "All set," Liu Longtao said after he finished refining the core of the mysterious realm, "I''ll send everyone out."

    "Sister Zhao, please retract the hairpin," Yan Yu nodded.

    Zhao Yuanzhen gestured with her hand, and the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, which she had already refined, suddenly flew back to her side from afar¡ªat the same time, the freed Bronze Corpses also began to howl pitifully in the distance.

    But the enemy no longer had the chance for revenge because, with Liu Longtao activating the core of the mysterious realm, everyone was transported out, back to the side of Heaven Pool.

    Looking carefully, goodness! The temporary camp haphazardly set up around the entrance to the mysterious realm had now been fortified with thick tactical walls, transforming into a long-term military base.

    The base''s exterior walls were complete with machine-gun turrets and sniper watchtowers; drones patrolled back and forth in the sky, ceaselessly monitoring the surroundings of the base¡ªa clear sign that the imperial court was indeed furious over the Goryeo cultivators'' sudden attack on the mysterious realm within its borders.

    Fully armed soldiers quickly came over, and after confirming the identities of Liu Longtao and the others, they escorted the medical team carrying the core of the mysterious realm away first.

    "Are you still planning to go to the hot springs?" Ye Jun said with a smile, "Just in case, we''ve already booked the inn for a week." Your adventure continues at empire

    The girls quickly exchanged glances, and Chen Lingyun asked with a laugh: S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Since it''s already booked, it would indeed be a waste not to use it, right, Yan Yu, what do you think?"

    "Let''s go, let''s go," Yan Yu said helplessly.

    After all, the last time they had been enjoying the hot springs when they were abruptly pulled away to the barracks to prepare for battle. Now that the matter was concluded, if he found an excuse to prevent their relaxation, he figured that grudge would last a lifetime.

    Yan Yu, having lived two lifetimes, was very clear about this: men mostly care about the end result, and the process isn''t that important to them; but for women, it''s the complete opposite. Even if the result is good, if the process upsets them... just wait and see!

    "Alright, I''ll contact the inn," Ye Jun said, taking out her phone again.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Back in town, the girls decided to stroll around nearby, buy some snacks, and calm their nerves that had been frightened by the zombies, so Yan Yu went back to the inn alone.

    The hot spring pools here were communal, so guests had to wear swimsuits to enter. But Ye Jun was indeed superb in handling matters, having reserved the entire second floor of the inn, ensuring that other than the Zhenhai Team, no other guests would come over.

    Yan Yu comfortably lounged half-submerged in the pool, beginning to organize his thoughts.

    In his previous life, since not a single word had leaked out about the Changbai Mountain mysterious realm, it must have been tightly sealed by the orders of the Lu Country.

    Although zombies had clear combat advantages, Lu Country still strictly prohibited the existence of corpse cultivation; reasons for this were a subject of much debate in the previous life, especially compared to the treatment of Necromancers who manipulated ghosts, it inevitably seemed quite hypocritical.

    But Yan Yu could guess why. After all, many spirits didn''t exactly look human, and tampering with corpses was considered "against social norms and customs", so to avoid affecting the general public''s perception of cultivators, the authorities decided to put a blanket ban in place from a governance perspective.

    Of course, this was unique to Lu Country alone.

    For example, in Southeast Asia where witchcraft culture thrives, they had no such taboo against corpse cultivation. Their Transcendent system included a profession called "Wizard", specifically referring to those who practice "binding spirits" or "refining corpses" and other dark arts.

    Similarly, the Spirit Communicators system in Siberia also had a profession called "Necromancer", which specialized in controlling zombies and ghosts.

    Some things you might deem too evil and ban, yet this doesn''t stop your enemies from learning them, and after they''ve mastered them, they come and use them against you... That''s just the way things are.

    Lounging lazily at the edge of the hot tub, Yan Yu felt the heat of the spring water expanding through his limbs, and suddenly a vague drowsiness enveloped him.

    The Changbai Mountain mysterious realm being sealed meant that the gains within could not be taken out and distributed, thus both teams on this mission had essentially come away empty-handed.

    But for Yan Yu, that wasn''t quite the case.

    Lu Country''s strict prohibition of corpse cultivation meant that domestic cultivators generally lacked experience in dealing with it. When the corpse-controlling Transcendents from other countries grew in strength, and they went to battlefields to face the zombies they command¡ªit was a dreadful thought, foreseeing how brutal it would be.

    Some things just can''t be remembered through spoken or written words. Once they''ve personally fought with zombies, the girls should have a rough understanding of how to deal with such enemies, and then this trip won''t have been in vain...

    Yan Yu slowly closed his eyes, but then he heard a faint chatter coming from a distance:

    "Yes, it''s so disgusting..."

    "But why is Sister Zhao so powerful? We couldn''t even make a dent in it."

    "Ha ha ha ha, of course, it''s because I''m very strong!"

    "Sister Zhao, isn''t that just stating the obvious?"

    "It must be another trick learned from the captain."

    The outside door swung open, and the girls wearing swimsuits walked in. Due to the steamy mist rising inside the room, they didn''t notice Yan Yu in the pool. They were chatting and laughing without a care.

    Yan Yu squinted at them. According to the clich¨¦ in light novels, he should have held his breath and dived under the water, pretending he wasn''t there¡ªbut on second thought, why should I do that?

    I was here first, right? If anyone should leave, it''s you guys!

    The girls were all quite slender, so Yan Yu didn''t let his gaze wander too much; he was just observing the style and colors of their swimsuits.

    Chen Lingyun wore a light blue one-piece swimsuit that had a strapless sleeveless top, showcasing her beautiful shoulders and collarbone. The wavy hem of a flounce skirt accentuating her sweet and delicate temperament, while cleverly concealing any figure flaws.

    Her hair was twisted up behind her head and secured with a clip, carefully enclosed in a tight transparent swim cap, presumably to avoid getting it dirty in the hot spring later.

    Next to her walked Su Yunjin, also in a one-piece dress-style swimsuit, but hers was an elegant pale green without the specific flounce hemline, looking fresh and clean.

    She carried a plastic bag in her hand, which seemed to contain various bottles and jars¡ªYan Yu suddenly remembered that in his previous life, Chen Lingyun would never use the provided toiletries in any hotel she stayed at; she always brought her own, stating that she wasn''t comfortable with "off-brand" products.

    Hmm, but the showers are outside, so the bag probably doesn''t contain her shampoo and body wash.

    Leading the pack was Lin Ning, wearing a pure white bikini with no noteworthy details to describe. Her figure was more pronounced than both Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin''s, probably because she exercised regularly. You could see her muscles on her arms and calves, but they were subtle, not compromising the overall softness and slimness of her form.

    As for Zhao Yuanzhen, who lagged behind, her figure was a leap up to a whole new realm; she wasn''t competing in the same ''A'' or ''B'' league as her companions. As a notorious Demonic Sect Enchantress from her past life, her assets were naturally impressive.

    Yet her swimsuit was tightly wrapped around her¡ªindicating she hadn''t fully assimilated into modern society''s aesthetics, holding onto the modesty and conservatism characteristic of ancient women.

    Lin Ning was the first to rush to the edge of the pool, dipping her foot to test the water, she exclaimed:

    "Yikes, it''s so hot! Much hotter than last time!"

    "If you stand barefoot on the cold tiles, of course, the water will feel hot," Su Yunjin chuckled from behind.

    "That makes sense." Lin Ning sat at the edge of the pool, submerging her legs into the water. As her body gradually adjusted to the temperature, it didn''t seem so unbearable anymore.

    Yan Yu watched her lazily, noticing that Lin Ning''s gaze hadn''t drifted to the side to where he was¡ªshe was leisurely swishing her legs through the water, enjoying herself.

    Su Yunjin placed her plastic bag on a bench nearby and asked everyone:

    "Would you like something to drink?"

    It could get quite muggy in the indoor hot spring, making one thirsty after staying for a long time, so she had thoughtfully brought beverages from the hotel lobby.

    Chen Lingyun: "Green Tea."

    Lin Ning: "I want Coke!"

    Zhao Yuanzhen: "Assam milk tea."

    Yan Yu: "Give me a bottle of mineral water."

    The girls: ?

    Almost in an instant, everyone''s gaze turned towards Yan Yu.

    Then their expressions changed dramatically.

 Chapter 43 Everyone Comes to Please Me

    "Why are you here!" Lin Ning was the first to yell out.Be it the training ground, the battlefield, or any other place, Ningning, in her role as the assault leader, was always at the forefront of the charge. There was no particular reason, other than her quick reaction times.

    "Why can''t I be here?" Yan Yu yawned lazily in response, "This isn''t some women-only hot spring."

    Lin Ning was at a loss for words, but quickly mustered the courage to retort,

    "Didn''t you say you weren''t interested in hot springs?"

    "I take that back," Yan Yu said calmly, "After fighting so many zombies in the Mysterious Realm, it''s pretty normal to want to take a bath to get rid of the stench, right?"

    Seeing that Lin Ning was rendered speechless, Su Yunjin also felt a bit of a headache, so she simply grabbed a bottle of mineral water, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to Yan Yu, saying,

    "It''s fine if the Captain wants to come to the hot springs, but you could at least give us a heads up, otherwise, it''s kind of awkward."

    "What''s so awkward about it?" Yan Yu took the mineral water and asked, puzzled.

    Just as Su Yunjin was about to explain, she realized she was wearing a swimsuit and bending over, so she quickly covered her neckline with her hand.

    Yan Yu was speechless. Secretary Su, although you''re a bit stronger than Chen Lingyun, it''s not like you need to be that modest, right?

    "There''s no need to explain to him," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "Be careful or he might threaten you with more training."

    With that reminder, the girls all fell silent.

    Since everyone was wearing bathing suits at the hot springs, it wasn''t a big deal if the Captain saw them. Besides, this place wasn''t specifically for women only, and there was no reason to drive the Captain away.

    To avoid giving Yan Yu further opportunity to admire their swimsuits, everyone quickly submerged themselves in the hot spring, up to their necks.

    Now, that felt more comfortable.

    Yan Yu gulped down a few mouthfuls of mineral water, then placed the bottle on the edge of the bath, proceeding to survey everyone with his gaze.

    The girls became uncomfortable again. Not that there was any lascivious intent in the Captain''s gaze¡ªif that were the case, it would have been easier to deal with, since none present had issues with their looks; they were often given second glances by passersby of the opposite sex while walking down the street, and from a young age, they were accustomed to it.

    What really made everyone uneasy was that the more Yan Yu looked, the more he frowned, and his expression didn''t seem too pleased, causing a sudden lack of confidence within the group, and their thoughts began to run wild.

    Zhao Yuanzhen thought, "Is this rascal trying to find an excuse to pick on me again?" so she quietly brought her hands together under the water, ready to splash hot spring water in his face the moment he started to complain.

    When he would be blinded by the water, she would rush over and pin him down for a wild beating, venting the many deep grudges she accumulated over the past half a year! S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Su Yunjin worried, "Last time, to avoid training, I lied to the Captain about having my period, and now here I am soaking in the hot springs just a few days later. What if he remembers?"

    The more she thought, the more frightened she became, nervously submerging herself further in the hot spring, only her eyes peeking out, blinking non-stop.

    I''m wrong, Captain! Just look for someone else, sob sob sob, don''t put pressure on me anymore!

    Lin Ning thought, "Everyone''s wearing one-piece swimsuits, and I''m the only one in a two-piece. Am I showing too much skin? Is that why Yan Yu keeps looking this way?"

    She glared fiercely at Yan Yu, unable to tell whether she was annoyed or embarrassed, but she was determined to overpower him in terms of presence.

    Only Chen Lingyun was thinking nothing at all, quietly enjoying the hot spring and letting out a long, comfortable sigh.

    "Why aren''t you all talking?" Yan Yu finally broke the silence, "Were you scared by the horde of zombies in the Mysterious Realm?"

    "Speaking of which," Chen Lingyun said leisurely, "strong, fast, impenetrable to blades and spears... the design intent to target Cultivators is pretty obvious."

    "Of course," Yan Yu replied, "Cultivators who practice necromancy naturally consider other Cultivators as their hypothetical enemies; ordinary military forces aren''t worth the effort for Cultivators to specifically research evil arts to counter them."

    "Moreover, the most formidable aspect of the necromancy sect is that a single Cultivator can command two to three corpses in battle. If the command standards are lowered, that number could rise to ten or even twenty."

    "So, if you''re dealing with uncommanded, tacticless zombies, you need to be prepared to take on as many as come at you to even meet the minimum standard. As for your performance in the Mysterious Realm this time, to be honest..."

    The girls instantly grew anxious upon hearing this because, according to the usual pattern, after criticizing their performance, he often smoothly transitioned to, "It looks like we''ll need more training."

    To prevent him from uttering those diabolical words, Chen Lingyun quickly deployed a topic-changing trick and laughed, "But come to think of it, could there be corpse poison on these zombies?"

    "Corpse poison?" Yan Yu paused, then answered, "There is such a thing, but at this stage, it''s not something to worry about. With your frail little bodies, if you''re scratched by a zombie, you''d be dead anyway, so why worry about getting infected with corpse poison? The focus should be on being absolutely certain you won''t get scratched.

    Judging by your performance in the Mysterious Realm, while there''s the factor of being unfamiliar with new things, your ability to deal with emergencies is still relatively weak..."

    Zhao Yuanzhen had already understood the hint and hurriedly pounced over to catch Yan Yu, saying,

    "First, let me check and see if you got scratched, if there''s any residual corpse poison left it''ll be terrible!"

    "Nonsense!" Yan Yu said irritably, "Even if you got scratched to death, I wouldn''t be hurt!"

    "Just to be safe. It''s inevitable to get hurt sometimes, and being extra careful never hurts," Zhao Yuanzhen casually said, her hands wandering over Yan Yu''s chest and back, but he caught her wrists, looking at her suspiciously,

    "What are you doing? Ingenuity without cause is either sinister or thievery!"

    Being questioned about her motives right in front of everyone, the Demonic Sect Enchantress almost exploded in anger, and she swore silently in her heart:

    "This scoundrel questions my intentions and diminishes my fairy dignity in front of them today, such a towering hatred, I shall not let it go easily! Once I find an opportunity to turn the tables, I must humiliate him thoroughly in front of them to vent the hatred in my heart!"

    Su Yunjin was also startled by Zhao''s overly deliberate and exaggerated behavior, which provoked the captain''s suspicions, and she quickly spoke up to smooth things over,

    "Captain, Sister Zhao is just concerned about you. By the way, do you need bath salts? I saw some self-service bath salts at the entrance, should I get some for you?"

    "Bath salts?" Yan Yu, who trusted Secretary Su more, didn''t think much of it and was just surprised when he asked, "Aren''t bath salts for back scrubbing? You girls can help each other with that. I don''t need it."

    Su Yunjin was immediately deflated, and Lin Ning quickly came to the rescue:

    "No problem, I''ll scrub the captain''s back! Yun Jin, you go get the bath salts!"

    In order to divert the captain''s attention, Sister Lin simply went all in.

    Her readiness to sacrifice herself for the cause obviously influenced Su Yunjin, who said "okay" with a solemn expression and climbed out of the bath, then wrapped her wet body with a long bath towel and quickly walked outside.

    Yan Yu also felt it was rather odd and asked in confusion,

    "Aren''t you from Minhai? Do people there also have a tradition of scrubbing in baths?"

    Lin Ning, who had been somewhat embarrassed about insisting on going through with it, actually got annoyed first when she heard this, and exclaimed,

    "Cut the crap! Turn around!"

    Without further ado, she turned Yan Yu around to face his back toward her, then demanded,

    "Towel!"

    Zhao Yuanzhen immediately went to fetch a towel, simultaneously giving Lin Ning a meaningful look that said:

    Scrub hard! Scrub a layer of skin off his back!

    Lin Ning received the towel, rolled it up roughly, and with the vigor of a novice painter, grasped the rolled up towel with both hands and scrubbed up and down along Yan Yu''s spinal column.

    "How''s that?" she asked, huffing, "Is the pressure okay?"

    "Mm, not bad," Yan Yu commented.

    Of course, it couldn''t compare to the technique of a professional bath scrubber, but the fact that she was willing to exert force was comforting¡ªBut Lin Ning is actually giving me a back scrub!

    What''s going on? Does she want a favor from me? Or did she make some mistake and is trying to lay the groundwork for making amends?

    Explore stories on empire

    "The bath salts are here," said Su Yunjin, wrapped in a bath towel, returning with a small bag of milk bath salts, placing it beside Lin Ning''s left hand.

    Seeing Yan Yu enjoying the scrubbing service and seemingly forgetting about the extra training for the moment, she also let out a quiet sigh of relief and smilingly said,

    "Would the captain like to drink something else? I''ll go get it for you."

    "Just pick any beverage," Yan Yu ventured.

    "Okay." Su Yunjin turned and began to pour a drink for Yan Yu.

    Seeing her so obedient and compliant, Yan Yu was finally able to confirm that for some reason, they must be in a state of "wanting to please me."

    So¡­

    "Zhao, come over and give my shoulders a massage. And my arms, too, they''re really sore today," Yan Yu commanded without any hesitation, "Chen Lingyun, go outside and fetch some fruit for me. Grapes, cherry tomatoes, make sure they''re washed clean, peel them for me and put them on a plate to bring back."

 Chapter 44 The Sorrowful Sister Lin

    In the evening, a hotel room.Lin Ning suddenly woke up from the bed and felt a lingering soreness in her arms.

    It was probably from scrubbing the team leader''s back for too long in the hot springs... Hmph, it was all the team leader''s fault!

    He thought about nothing but extra practice all day, and even after we''d just finished the mysterious realm, couldn''t he give us a break?

    She got up, slipped into the hotel''s slippers, and decided to make a trip to the restroom.

    As she passed by Zhao Yuanzhen''s bed, due to the fact that there were no lights on, Lin Ning accidentally tripped over the foot of the bed and fell onto it.

    Hmm, empty?

    She reached into the covers to feel around, and indeed found no one there, and there was no warmth to it either; it seemed she had been gone for quite a while.

    Where had Sister Zhao gone?

    After using the toilet, Lin Ning returned to her own bed, but now she found herself unable to fall asleep.

    She checked her phone and saw it was 11:30 p.m.

    Where had Sister Zhao gone?

    Although their relationship hadn''t yet reached a point where they could meddle in each other''s business, Lin Ning was inherently a worrisome character. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have been able to skillfully chant persuasion spells in high school.

    After silently thinking for a good while, Lin Ning finally picked up her phone and sent Zhao Yuanzhen a text message.

    [Ningning]: Where are you? Read new chapters at empire

    [Ningning]: I''m a bit worried about you.

    [Ningning]: Reply when you see this.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, of course, hadn''t seen the message because she was currently dual cultivating with Yan Yu.

    The two of them were sitting opposite each other on the bed, joining palms and transferring True Yuan to each other, performing the dual version of the Grand Circulation.

    As they breathed in and out deeply, wisps of white vapor even started appearing on their foreheads, a sign of True Yuan being refined to an exquisite level.

    After an unknown period, they slowly withdrew their hands and began to breath out the energy.

    Zhao Yuanzhen sneakily glanced at Yan Yu, her thoughts somewhat complex.

    Through their lengthy dual cultivation, she had come to recognize Yan Yu''s aptitude for cultivation, which couldn''t even be described as a lump of mud¡ªit was practically nonexistent.

    On the other hand, what stood out in sharp contrast to his wretched aptitude was his rich combat strength and experience, which didn''t at all resemble that of a low-level cultivator.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress, after observing for some time, was certain that even the battle-renowned senior sisters from her sect wouldn''t stand a chance against her partner in a real fight.

    If the great orthodox sects valued aptitude and foundation, then the Demonic Sect was the very epitome of craving quick success and instant benefits, where being able to fight and kill was paramount. Therefore, she didn''t dwell too much on Yan Yu''s cultivation aptitude, but was instead very curious about how he possessed such strength.

    Hmm, it must have been the nurturing of his master.

    With all the mysterious aspects about Yan Yu that she couldn''t explain, Zhao Yuanzhen attributed them all to that powerful master behind him, and she coveted that mentorship greatly.

    Of course, the rascal Yan Yu was very cautious in this regard, always refusing to reveal the slightest hint, which annoyed and galled Zhao Yuanzhen considerably.

    "Speaking of which," she asked casually, "when are we going to exchange our yuan yang and yuan yin?"

    "At the time of the union of the dragon and the tiger, it has the effect of breaking through bottlenecks," Yan Yu had thought about this and answered, "Of course, it''s to be used for attempting to achieve the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment stage."

    This was the anticipated answer. Since it could break through bottlenecks, naturally it would be saved for when they encountered one, to maximize its benefits.

    But Zhao Yuanzhen was still faintly displeased and said with a snort:

    "Waiting for you to reach the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment stage, who knows when that will be!"

    "It won''t take long," Yan Yu replied calmly.

    In his former life, he had always been a mere mortal, so there was no concern for cultivation levels. But in this life¡­ based on Lord Master''s rate of progress, he had unrivaled talents and an abundance of resources, so he was essentially chasing the tail of the spiritual energy ceiling.

    If I, Yan Yu, am to be the strongest in this world, then I definitely need to keep up with the pace of leveling up, right?

    "You''d better be," Zhao Yuanzhen replied, her face full of displeasure as she stood up.

    She left Yan Yu''s room, pulling the door closed behind her. As she turned around, she saw Lin Ning standing in utter shock at the doorway of the room they shared:

    "...Sister Zhao?"

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    After spending a night in the town, the group set off on their return flight to Jinling the next day.

    Since there was no team confrontation, there wasn''t a need for a debrief session. They only had Chen Lingyun send the video recording to everyone for the ladies to watch and analyze on their own.

    Yan Yu, lying in his seat, gazed at the sea of clouds outside the porthole and suddenly felt a bit sentimental.

    In his previous life, after the Spiritual Energy Resurgence had reached the stage of Sword Flight, airplane passengers would occasionally see sword light cutting through the distant clouds from their windows. That was the unique light effect of Rikoku Cultivators performing Sword Flight, a phenomenon exclusive to them, with no other branches worldwide.

    It even led to the popular online "Sword Light Atlas," which detailed what color of sword light indicated which Cultivator was in flight... Although it reflected the public''s support and adoration for Cultivators, it also meant that Cultivators had zero privacy when traveling, as their sword light streaking across the sky couldn''t be hidden¡ªeveryone below saw it.

    As a result, unless absolutely necessary, everyone preferred not to travel by Sword Flight. Step out today, and by tomorrow you''re trending¡ªquite bothersome indeed.

    Yawning, Yan Yu saw Chen Lingyun sit down next to him and smile as she said,

    "I have good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?"

    "Let''s hear the good news first, then the bad," Yan Yu said indifferently.

    "Oh, why is that?" Chen Lingyun blinked curiously.

    "Do I not know you by now?" Yan Yu glanced at her scornfully, "You never bring any good news, only bad news and worse news."

    "Humph," Chen Lingyun didn''t argue and simply smiled as she revealed the answer, "The good news is, remember the prisoner we brought back?"

    "Mm," Yan Yu nodded, "What about him?"

    "His value is greater than we initially thought," Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    "And the worse news?"

    "The bad news is he escaped," Chen Lingyun said meaningfully, "The information from this Mysterious Realm will be strictly sealed and kept top secret... To put it simply, our trip to the Mysterious Realm this time was for naught, and we are not to mention it to anyone ever again."

    "Oh, you let it slip," Yan Yu immediately understood. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    With Park Changmin at the mercy of Lu Country, if he could make it back home and pass the screening, he would of course become an extremely important intelligence agent¡ªof course, at this point in time, Lu Country had not yet realized the true value of the Goryeo Sword Master.

    "So what happened to him later in my previous life?" Chen Lingyun asked curiously.

    "He became the Goryeo Sword Master," Yan Yu chuckled, "He was on par with Liu Longtao, a solid fifty-fifty match. Impressive, right?"

    "That really is amazing~" Chen Lingyun''s defense broke, and she laughed until tears came out, "To be on equal footing with the Goryeo Sword Master, Lord Master must feel quite honored."

    As she wiped the tear from laughing from the corner of her eye, she suddenly said,

    "By the way, Ningning seems a bit off, do you know why?"

    "Lin Ning? Off mood?" Yan Yu looked back at Lin Ning.

    All he saw was Sister Lin sitting in the back row opposite him, one hand resting beside the porthole, as she gazed sorrowfully at the sea of clouds outside. Amazingly, she bore an uncanny resemblance to Sister Lin¡ªnaturally, in the version from Dream of the Red Chamber.

    Yan Yu''s mind instantly conjured up an image, seeing Lin Ning speak like a bitter lemon, saying with a sour tone,

    "I''m not fortunate enough to be so cherished, can''t compare to others who are asked if they''re warm or cold, I''m just a nobody."

    Stop! Hold it right there!

    He quickly averted his gaze and asked Chen Lingyun,

    "What''s up with her?"

    "How would I know?" Chen Lingyun asked with a laugh.

    "Why don''t you find a way to know?" Yan Yu countered her question with another.

    "Alright, I admit I am a bit curious," Chen Lingyun said with a helpless smile, "but there are more important things lately, so I didn''t have time to figure it out. That''s why I came to ask you."

    "I truly have no idea," Yan Yu said bemused, "We just finished the Mysterious Realm yesterday, and there were no extra practices. How would I know why she''s unhappy? Maybe her relatives came."

    "They didn''t," Chen Lingyun denied, "Her relatives aren''t due until the end of the month..."

    "That''s about enough," Yan Yu immediately interrupted her, "I don''t want to know about her menstrual cycle, and I also don''t want to know why you know about her menstrual cycle, but I have to remind you of something: Ensuring the mental well-being of our team members is also part of the Vice-Captain''s duties. If she messes up in the upcoming training, I''ll hold you responsible."

    "The Vice-Captain has to manage that, too?" Chen Lingyun laughed in surprise, "Is there such a rule?"

    "There is," Yan Yu said earnestly, "It''s a rule for our team, which I just made up."

 Chapter 45 Let Old Liu Have a Hard Time

    After returning to Jinling, what awaited the members of the Zhenhai Team was not a commendation ceremony or any sort of cash reward, but secrecy regulations regarding this mysterious realm."This regulation is extremely important, you must remember it well," Instructor Qi Changping emphasized repeatedly, "especially you, Yan Yu. Don''t accidentally let it slip out just because you''re trying to show off."

    "What do you mean by ''showing off''?" Yan Yu asked, puzzled, "If strength is prestige, I see no need for me to pretend deliberately..."

    "Alright, that''s enough from you," Qi Changping also started to feel a headache, and holding his forehead, he said, "I''m not joking with you, you must never mention anything about this mysterious realm, regardless of whether it''s family or friends asking, or media journalists interviewing you."

    "Then what should we say?" Lin Ning asked, "Say ''don''t know'' or ''can''t say''?"

    "Just say ''military secret, no comment,''" Qi Changping replied.

    "Got it." Everyone nodded and signed their names on the confidentiality agreement.

    "The rest of you may leave," Qi Changping told the girls, then looked at Yan Yu, "You, come to the principal''s office."

    "Understood," Yan Yu said.

    After every trip to the mysterious realm, Li Weiguo would call him to the office for a chat; it had almost become a team tradition.

    Familiar with the route, he quickly made his way to the administrative building, hastened up the stairs, and as he neared the principal''s office, he suddenly heard a rich, resonant middle-aged man''s voice from inside:

    "...Yeah, don''t worry. Alright, my dear, I have my plans."

    Yan Yu immediately furrowed his brow, sensing that things were getting complicated.

    Ah, who could be talking inside there?

    He knocked on the door of the principal''s office, and heard that voice say:

    "Come in."

    Yan Yu pushed the door open and saw a middle-aged man standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, who had just hung up a call on his cell phone.

    The man''s facial features were well-proportioned, and the details in his eyebrows and eyes bore some resemblance to Chen Lingyun, neatly dressed from head to toe, hair combed without a strand out of place, sporting a thick mustache and a beard under his chin (modern men in Lu Country still considered beards to be a sign of beauty)¡ªjust by looking, one could tell this man was definitely mature, reliable, and politically astute.

    Or to be more precise, this middle-aged man present here was none other than Chen Father, the head of the Chen Family, the venerable Elder Chen of Mount Taishan, plus Chen Lingyun, the second-ranked Governor of Jiang Hai, Chen Tianming.

    "Sit," Chen Tianming said to Yan Yu, gesturing with his hand.

    There was always a chair in front of the principal''s desk, which Yan Yu was familiar with; he pulled the chair over and sat down without a word.

    Chen Tianming took out some tea leaves from the cupboard and casually asked:

    "Would you like some tea? I roasted these leaves myself; I brought some for Li Weiguo."

    "Sure," Yan Yu nodded.

    Chen Tianming brewed the tea and handed a cup to Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu, without being courteous, picked it up and slowly drank, while Chen Tianming sat down in the principal''s chair and said:

    "You''ve done well this time, not only wiping out the enemy cultivators but also capturing the core of Changbai Mountain''s mysterious realm, and incidentally putting the Dingbei Army in its place."

    "It''s what we should do," Yan Yu nodded and said.

    "Indeed," Chen Tianming interlocked his fingers elegantly and placed his hands on the desk, pondering for a moment, then continued, "Can you guess why the secrecy is necessary?"

    "It must be due to considerations regarding international diplomacy," Yan Yu replied.

    The reason he had shared his foresight advantage with Chen Lingyun was firstly that he thoroughly understood her and was sure she wouldn''t talk outside, and secondly, to use her information channels to confirm his own judgments.

    However, Chen Tianming was completely different, a political animal; it was best to avoid entanglements where possible.

    The so-called "speaking deeply on shallow acquaintance" has always been a taboo throughout history... The reason Chen Lingyun could be an exception was purely because he had truly formed a deep relationship with her, and Yan Yu was one hundred percent certain of what kind of person she was deep down.

    "Mm¡ª" Chen Tianming drew out his words in a meaningful tone, giving Yan Yu an intense and thoughtful look, "That''s one way to put it."

    "Yan Yu, do you usually pay attention to international affairs?" He scrutinized Yan Yu''s expression carefully.

    "Not really," Yan Yu denied emphatically, "I''ve never been involved in internet politics."

    "That''s a pity," Chen Tianming said offhandedly, "I think it''s better for young people to be more informed about current affairs."

    Such thoughts could only come from someone of your level... Yan Yu couldn''t help but mentally retort.

    Chen Tianming stared at Yan Yu for a long time before finally continuing:

    "The geopolitical situation in East Asia mainly refers to the triangular relationship between Lu Country, Ying, and Goryeo, with its roots in the overall confrontation between Lu and Miti in the Pacific Ocean region."

    "Our long-term strategy in this area is to dismantle Ying from Miti''s alliance system and prevent the formation of the first island chain. This goal is extremely difficult to achieve because our overall strength is increasing, which tends to make Ying feel threatened and thus more inclined to side with Miti."

    "The requirement for secrecy in the Changbai Mountain Mysterious Realm is also due to the need to dissolve international friction with Goryeo. I hope you and your teammates can understand this point."

    "Of course." Yan Yu readily agreed, "I''ll act as if I never fought in that Mysterious Realm."

    "Hmm." Chen Tianming nodded and continued, "After that Goryeo Cultivator returns home, he will claim he defeated Lu Country''s team and captured the central hub of Changbai Mountain''s Mysterious Realm."

    "We will publicly deny this, but since the Changbai Mountain Mysterious Realm is tightly sealed by Lu Country, it will seem to the outside world that we can''t develop the Mysterious Realm. When the time comes, there will certainly be many international rumors favoring the notion that Goryeo captured Changbai Mountain... Speaking of which, you don''t visit foreign forums, do you?"

    "Circumventing the firewall is illegal." Yan Yu reminded him with composure.

    Are you trying to fish for information here?

    "That''s good, though. Civilian attempts to bypass the firewall are incessant, so it''s not guaranteed that someone won''t use this to speak ill of you guys in the future," Chen Tianming said slowly, "But then again¡­ A moment''s pride counts for little. Only those who have the last laugh are the true winners.

    Besides, you are all still very young, and there will be plenty more opportunities to earn glory in the future."

    "Yes, yes." Yan Yu echoed repeatedly, also understanding the intention behind Chen Tianming''s talk with him.

    After all, from the team''s perspective, they had completely annihilated the Goryeo Cultivator and captured the Changbai Mountain Mysterious Realm, yet the other side claimed victory, and they were even unable to win the debate in international public opinion. It felt as frustrating as seeing someone else successfully registering a cultural heritage that belongs to you.

    Loss!

    But after all, Yan Yu had the advantage of foresight, knowing that Park Changmin, the low-quality goods, really became the Sword God of Goryeo later. Relying on his lofty reputation and transcendental status at home, he enjoyed the full support of national resources, yet he couldn''t beat Lu Country in international competition.

    Considering he had leverage over Lu Country now, many preposterous events from his past life began to make sense¡ªPark Changmin, you don''t want your country, people, and legions of fans to learn about our secret cooperation, do you?

    Lu Country merely surrendered a useless Changbai Mountain Mysterious Realm, and successfully capped Goryeo''s top-tier Cultivation force, eliminating them early from future geopolitical competition. East Asia''s strategic goal, unachievable for decades, was met halfway with this divine maneuver.

    Win! Big win!

    Of course, if facts are to be set aside, Yan Yu personally dislikes such methods.

    After all, the older generation always believed in the maxim "endure suffering before enjoying success." If future happiness was assured, enduring the present was tolerable. But Yan Yu was not comfortable with this approach¡ªif he had a choice, he would prefer to beat Goryeo and Goryeo heavily. You can''t beat me so you resort to huddling with Miti?

    Then I''ll just go after Miti too and obliterate you all!

    What does ''endure suffering before success'' mean? I want ''sweet now, sweet later''! I want to win in the future, and I want to win now; damn it, I want to win from start to finish!

    "If we''re going to keep it a secret, can we make it more thorough?" Yan Yu suggested proactively, "For instance, erasing the record of the Zhenhai Team''s participation this time?"

    "Don''t want a public defeat on record, huh?" Chen Tianming smiled faintly, instantly seeing through Yan Yu''s intent, "If it''s like that, it''s as if let the Dingbei Army bear the brunt of this bad reputation alone... But that can be arranged. Under the Qiantang River is the Six-Fold Pagoda; your achievement might not be mentioned, but rest assured, the state certainly remembers."

    "Then I have no objections," Yan Yu nodded reservedly, thinking to himself, Sorry Old Liu, I really owe you one this time.

    After all, you''ve lost our bet. You lose to me, and you lose to Goryeo either way, so just bear the burden with dignity. ''Sacrifice for the sake of the country,'' right?

    "Now that the formalities are out of the way." Chen Tianming stood up and continued to pour tea for Yan Yu, "Let''s talk about something else." S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "What do you think of Ling Yun''s performance in the team?"

    "Pretty good, outstanding," Yan Yu replied, "She perfectly fulfilled her duties."

    This was not just lip service. Chen Lingyun, as a second in command, truly did perform flawlessly. In her previous life, she was mainly a team leader because of insufficient strength; she had to rely on her intellect and strategy to compensate, often giving off the impression of being fragile like "running around causing trouble but then getting knocked out with a direct punch."

    "That''s good to hear." Chen Tianming''s face showed neither happiness nor anger, just a calm contemplativeness.

    After a long pause, he took a sip of tea and asked slowly:

    "The domestic teams are about to expand on a large scale. If I transfer Ling Yun from your team to form her own team, to stand on her own, what would you think?"

    "I would wholeheartedly support it," Yan Yu said solemnly.

    "Oh?" Chen Tianming chuckled in surprise, "I thought you would ask me to keep her."

    "There''s no need," Yan Yu said candidly, "For the nation, having Chen Lingyun lead a new team and nurturing more elite Cultivators maximizes overall interest; but for her personally, staying on my team will help her improve faster, maximizing personal interest."

    Continue your adventure with empire

    "Both outcomes are irrelevant to my interests, so I support either way. As for what you decide, it depends on your starting point, whether you plan to act as a leader or as her father."

    Chen Tianming''s expression remained unchanged. After listening to Yan Yu, he showed a faint smile and said deliberately:

    "You are mistaken about one thing: as one of the most elite Cultivators, accelerating the improvement of her strength also constitutes a part of the national interest."

    Once Yan Yu heard this, he immediately guessed the answer:

    This old timer never intended to transfer his useless daughter away; he''s just equivocating and testing me!

 Chapter 46 Failure to Sell Father

    Leaving the principal''s office, Yan Yu encountered Chen Lingyun at the entrance of the administration building.Princess Snob had already changed out of the down jacket she wore in the Northeast. She now wore a white shirt, pleated skirt, and little leather shoes, exposing arms and calves as pale and delicate as jade.

    A delicate velvet hat sat atop her head, and she was holding a parasol, elegantly standing under the shade of trees by the flowerbed, waiting for someone''s return.

    "What is this, a Jiang Hai socialite''s getup?" Yan Yu''s expression took on a bit of a squint as he stepped a few paces away from her, "Which nightclub''s VIP room princess are you?">

    "Dear," Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile, "I don''t expect you to have a high taste in clothing, but at least you should learn to recognize brands... So what did my dad say to you?"

    "Nothing much," Yan Yu sighed deeply, "We talked about why the Mysterious Realm needs to be kept secret, and then he probed our relationship."

    Impatiently, he moved forward when suddenly his view darkened¡ªChen Lingyun was walking beside him, and her parasol also shielded him from the blazing sun above.

    "This is indeed his habit," Chen Lingyun said leisurely, "He''s assessing your value, and evaluating potential risks you might bring."

    "The risk he''s worried about is me abducting you," Yan Yu said casually, "But at least it shows he treasures you like a gem."

    "Mhm, of course my dad loves me," Chen Lingyun''s smiling eyes narrowed into crescents.

    "I think it''s more than that," Yan Yu said with a hint of sarcasm, "Your thought patterns, your values, they all match your father''s to a tee. It''s clear he''s grooming you as his successor."

    "After all, I am the only daughter of our family," Chen Lingyun''s smile remained unchanged.

    "Which means," Yan Yu continued, "that the reason you turned out to be such a snob¡ªbesides your own contribution¡ªis that 99% of the blame falls on your father."

    "I''ll just take that as ''excellent,''" Chen Lingyun said with a laugh, "Thank you for the compliment."

    "You''re welcome," Yan Yu replied, "I''ve also made my stance clear to your dad."

    "You''d better not play any tricks on him," Chen Lingyun cautioned, "He''s very good at reading people."

    "It doesn''t matter," Yan Yu said disdainfully, "Even if he doesn''t like me, what can he do? Fire me?"

    "It''s impossible for him to dismiss you," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "but he''s got a thousand ways to make you uncomfortable, so I suggest you don''t deliberately provoke him."

    "Trying to scare me, huh?" Yan Yu chuckled coldly and sneered, "Your dad doesn''t care about my attitude toward him, only whether I''m beneficial or harmful to him. As long as I can lead the team to achieve results, he will tolerate all my offenses."

    "Not quite," Chen Lingyun''s smile faded as she spoke solemnly, "You said it yourself, he''s grooming me as his successor, so he wouldn''t see his son-in-law as a pawn to be used, but rather as another junior to nurture¡ªor at least, the person must satisfy him."

    "I know, but what does that have to do with me?" Yan Yu said nonchalantly, "Why doesn''t he pick a son-in-law from those political aristocratic families?"

    "You don''t have confidence in yourself?" Chen Lingyun covered her mouth in surprise.

    "Don''t presuppose. We''re discussing your dad," Yan Yu said impatiently, "When he''s choosing a son-in-law for you, he must be looking at those in Lord Master''s circle, right?"

    "Wrong," Chen Lingyun said with a head shake and a smile, "he ought to be looking in our circle."

    Yan Yu: ?

    "You mean... Cultivators?" he asked uncertainly.

    "Right," Chen Lingyun said lightly, "After all, the future belongs to the era of Cultivators."

    "No," Yan Yu frowned deeply, recalling, "Your dad just reached that position, to consolidate his status quickly, he should choose to ally with other factions, and marriage is the best way to form alliances."

    "You''re right," Chen Lingyun didn''t deny, "but don''t forget, I am not only his only daughter but also his successor. Would he really sacrifice my future just for that bit of a political bargaining chip? In fact, don''t forget that there''s another way that is more effective and direct to get what he wants than faction alliances."

    "You mean..." Yan Yu suddenly realized, "the violence wielded by Cultivators?"

    "It''s deterrence," Chen Lingyun said leisurely, "like nuclear weapons, they are most powerful not when the mushroom cloud blooms but when they lie on the launchpad."

    "So that''s why your father takes a radical stance," Yan Yu also had a sudden insight, "because only in a chaotic and turbulent situation can he find the best ladder for his ascent! Cultivators will bring about the changes he desires, all he has to do is stir the waters vigorously!"

    "Could you read fewer political intrigue novels?" Chen Lingyun couldn''t help but sigh, "The resurgence of Spiritual Energy wasn''t caused by my family; my father is just going with the flow."

    "The reason he ''goes with the flow'' is also because his own daughter is a top-tier Cultivator, right?" Yan Yu said with undisguised sarcasm, "If you were an ordinary person incapable of cultivating, I''m sure his attitude would be different."

    "I''m not qualified enough as it stands," Chen Lingyun didn''t hide the truth and spoke frankly, "To be a human-shaped nuclear bomb, one must at least possess power that could rival a country."

    "He''s dreaming," Yan Yu scoffed again, "A great Cultivator who could rival a country, what kind of woman can''t he find? Why would he be so eager to become your father-in-law and accept the role of being called dad?" Discover more stories at empire

    "Of course not now," Chen Lingyun smiled again, "The Spiritual Energy Resurgence hasn''t been around for long; he has plenty of time for long-term investments."

    "So I am also one of his investment targets, aren''t I?" Yan Yu chuckled, "A ''father-in-law angel fund,'' is that it?"

    "One of them," Chen Lingyun corrected him, "In his eyes, you should be the most valuable investment target at the moment, but not the only one."

    "In any case, if I were you, I would try my best to showcase my value in front of him. Who will eventually become his son-in-law, that''s a matter for the future. For now, let''s draw sufficient benefits from the ''father-in-law angel fund'' first."

    "Hmm, you make some sense," Yan Yu stroked his chin in thought.

    "Why not take a free advantage?" Chen Lingyun''s smile grew even sweeter, "Right?"

    "But, I refuse!" Yan Yu suddenly declared loudly.

    "Don''t joke around," Chen Lingyun''s smile disappeared, and she asked with displeasure in her furrowed brow, "What''s wrong with you? Why wouldn''t you want it? Do you think you have too much of an advantage already and want to add some difficulty to your life ahead?"

    "That''s not it," Yan Yu shook his head in denial, "I''m just worried that this is a trick of yours, that if I accept too many favors from your father, I''ll be cornered into marrying you in the future, and that would be troublesome."

    "What?" Chen Lingyun was both annoys and amused, "Am I going to tie you up and drag you to the registry office or something?"

    "I''m not naive enough not to understand the maneuvers of a rich lolita like you," Yan Yu spoke with a disdainful look, "You use substantial benefits as bait, saying let''s start as friends, then you start playing ambiguous games, like sharing a bed because it''s cold at night, or needing a hug after a nightmare...

    Anyway, you entice a man to make a mistake and then play innocent afterwards, demanding he take responsibility and trapping him for the rest of his life!"

    "Is that how I captured you in my previous life?" Chen Lingyun looked bemused.

    That''s not my style at all... Could it be that some other rich lolita played such a game with him?

    "Don''t talk nonsense," Yan Yu immediately shook his head in denial, "You don''t have to be deceived to know a scammer''s tricks. With the internet so developed, what kind of scams can''t you find? In the end, as long as you''re not greedy for small gains, you''ll never be deceived and regret it for life." Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Chen Lingyun was momentarily speechless, then said after a while:

    "Do you really have to be so guarded against me? Is being with me that much of an indignity to you?"

    The moment the question slipped out, she immediately regretted it: Why did I give him the chance to slam dunk on me...

    As expected, Yan Yu quickly adopted an arrogant and indifferent expression as if he had been asked an extremely stupid question, and snorted contemptuously:

    "What a joke! Are you even worthy?"

 Chapter 47 Secretary Su Wants to Take a Walk

    The media control over news regarding the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, although everyone knew it would be lifted sooner or later, no one expected it to come so abruptly.Because of the heavy-hitting news about "Reclaiming the Sacred Mountain," announced publicly at Gyeongbokgung, it had been frenziedly propagated by major media in the opposing country, and the entire nation seemed to be cheering for it.

    As the news traveled through international channels to the domestic front, the citizens of Lu Country were utterly confused: What? Changbai Mountain is not ours anymore?

    Soon, related topics quickly climbed to the top of major media platforms and trending searches.

    Due to the neighboring country''s disregard for decorum, uncorking champagne in a vacuum, the spokesperson for the Privy Council of Lu Country had to immediately come out to clarify, announcing that the Mysterious Realm had not been lost and was still under the control of Lu Country.

    The lifting of the ban on intelligence about Spiritual Energy Resurgence and the disclosure of information, already planned, also had to be prematurely implemented.

    Within just a few days, the internet was flooded with countless short videos, articles, and Q&A sessions, explaining to netizens "what is Spiritual Energy Resurgence," "what is a Cultivator," "what is a Mysterious Realm," and so on.

    However, it was of no use.

    The vast majority of citizens didn''t care what Spiritual Energy Resurgence was; they were only concerned with "who occupies Changbai Mountain now," and innumerable voices online were close to creating an uproar.

    "Sometimes I really think that people in our country are protected too well," Anna sighed over the phone, "Can''t they think about it? In a world with magic, realizing you can''t use magic, isn''t that terrifying?"

    "Ignorance is a kind of bliss," Yan Yu responded nonchalantly, "Right now, the country is still on the path of sticking to desperate straits, where Cultivators stick to their cultivation, and ordinary people stick to their ordinariness. The two sides are clear-cut, not interfering with each other, and the lives of most citizens are not at all affected by the Spiritual Energy Resurgence.

    In this context, asking them to think about ''relationships between immortals'' is also unrealistic, isn''t it?"

    "You''re dreaming," Anna scoffed, "I bet you, in less than ten years, there will be a huge upheaval in the country."

    "Ten years?" Yan Yu chuckled, "You''re that optimistic?"

    "Huh?" Anna seemed puzzled, "Then what do you think?"

    "I don''t think much of it," Yan Yu said offhandedly, "Whether it gets better or worse, we have no choice but to adapt."

    "That''s true," Anna said with a bitter smile and a sigh, "Anyway, it can''t get worse than it is here."

    Though things seemed calm in Lu Country, the north was already a mess after the storm had passed.

    Take Amur City, where Anna lived, as an example. With the official forces strategically retreating to the west, the entire city was quickly divided among various Spirit Communication gangs.

    The Beast Gang (werewolves) made the northern part of the main urban area their hunting ground, the central market was occupied and defended by the Blood Demon Gang (vampires), and the eastern bank of the Xilinka River became territory for the witches'' group¡ªAnna''s aunt was a high-ranking member of the witches'' group.

    In the domains ruled by the Transcendents, humans had no "human rights" at all. Werewolves and vampires regarded humans as food and recruits, while witches and Necromancers used them as spellcasting materials...

    But with the current degree of Spiritual Energy Resurgence, the power gap between Transcendents and humans had not yet reached an insurmountable level, so armed human organizations would often rise up, set traps, and kill Transcendents.

    Anna, due to her Transcendent abilities and with a guarantee from her aunt, had smoothly joined the witches'' group and was now integrating the human forces within the territory to ensure the witches'' safety.

    The so-called "integration" meant either submitting to the witches'' rule and accepting the fate of potentially becoming spellcasting materials at any time or fighting bravely and nobly dying, most likely ending up as spellcasting materials on the spot. There was no third option.

    Yan Yu sighed deeply about this.

    Of course, he utterly disliked such cruel behavior that regarded ordinary people as subhuman.

    But it has to be said, with the current societal collapse on Anna''s side, where it was either kill or be killed, Yan Yu was not some Knight who couldn''t stand the slightest fault; thus, without criticizing or accusing her, he simply consoled her by saying,

    "Well, at least you and your dad are still alive, aren''t you? I''m going to get to work, so I''ll stop chatting."

    "Wait, wait, wait!" Anna hurriedly spoke up, seeing that he was about to hang up, "Can we talk a bit more? I bought this international calling package, and I get 30 minutes of free outgoing call time each week, I can''t waste it."

    "Why did you buy an international package?"

    "It''s very expensive to pay by the minute!"

    "If you know it''s expensive, then don''t call for such long periods of time!"

    "Are you getting tired of me now?" Anna immediately became annoyed, "I was sending you messages before, and you said you couldn''t keep up with them, and that it''s better to call!"

    "If the genders were reversed, do you know what your behavior would be called?" Yan Yu spoke gravely, schooling her, "You''re being a ''lick dog,'' you know?"

    "If I''m a lick dog, I''ll bite you to death," Anna said indignantly, "I''m hanging up!"

    She hung up the phone first, and Yan Yu breathed a sigh of relief on the other end.

    To continue the relationship, her calling him frequently for long chats was really too clingy for his liking, and it was a bit too much for him to cope with; but if he kept his distance? He feared she would cut off contact altogether, and his early investment of time and energy would all be in vain.

    Trapped by the sunk cost fallacy!

    If it were a real fight, Yan Yu had a thousand ways to decisively kill the enemy; but dealing with interpersonal relationships, maintaining a connection without letting it cool off too much or overheating it to the point it becomes corrupted... Although Yan Yu had lived through two lifetimes, he was not skilled in these matters.

    After much deliberation, he decided he had to "treat others with sincerity," speaking his mind openly.

    After chatting with Anna, Yan Yu stepped out of his room and saw Su Yunjin leaning against the second-floor railing, staring blankly at the large living room on the first floor.

    "What''s the matter?"

    Yan Yu joined her, looking down into the living room, which was empty.

    "Nothing," Su Yunjin said silently for a moment before sighing and then asking, "Captain, you''re pretty free these days, aren''t you?"

    Yan Yu''s gaze sharpens instantly: What, are you mocking me?

    "If you want to train more, just say it straight, no need to hint around like this. I would definitely arrange that for you."

    However, Su Yunjin was completely unaware that she had just skirted the edge of disaster, and her next words smoothed over the danger:

    "If you''re free, would you walk with me?"

    "Okay." Yan Yu checked the time, "Where to?"

    "Just around the neighborhood." Su Yunjin released the railing and smiled softly, "The captain is a very busy person, I won''t keep you for too long."

    The two left the villa and walked along the streets of the neighborhood.

    It was getting late, and the temperature wasn''t too hot anymore. They could see the rosy clouds of a sunset, spreading their brilliant and stunning colors across the horizon.

    Su Yunjin took out her phone and snapped a few photos of the sunset. Seeing her in good spirits, Yan Yu asked:

    "It''s about time for dinner, shall we go eat?"

    "The captain is always thinking about food," Su Yunjin chuckled.

    "One always has to eat," Yan Yu replied calmly, "If it coincides with a social activity, it saves time."

    "Oh, I see." Su Yunjin nodded, "But I''m not hungry yet. How about we go get some milk tea instead?" Continue reading at empire Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "That works." His strategy of suggesting a meal was deftly countered by her, and as Yan Yu lacked a backup plan, he simply went with the flow.

    The two headed to a milk tea shop across the street. Su Yunjin glanced at the menu and told the staff:

    "A medium-sized Jasmine Guanyin, no ice, less sugar. Captain, what would you like?"

    "I won''t order anything." Yan Yu thought that drinking milk tea now would ruin his appetite as they were going to have dinner soon.

    "Oh." Su Yunjin nodded, "Then you can have some of mine later."

    That might work... huh?

    Yan Yu: ???

    "Sharing one drink between two people," he said slowly, "is that really okay, Yun Jin?"

    "Indeed, it''s not quite proper." Su Yunjin nodded without changing her expression, "So what would the captain like to drink?"

    It was a feint... no, a counterattack?

    Yan Yu subconsciously felt he couldn''t quite grasp this girl''s thoughts. If it were in combat, facing an unpredictable enemy, one could adopt a cautious tactic of reacting with stillness to avoid falling into a trap laid by the opponent.

    As it''s well-known that combat experience could be applied to other areas, Yan Yu simply said with composure:

    "Then do you have any recommendations?"

    "Not really," Su Yunjin smiled faintly.

    "Then I''ll have the same as you," said Yan Yu.

    "I prefer lighter flavors," Su Yunjin reminded him, "The captain might want to choose less sugar."

    "It''s fine, whatever I drink doesn''t really matter," Yan Yu waved it off.

    Perhaps she had read too many romance novels, a line suddenly popped into Su Yunjin''s head:

    "Next to you, even the bitterest tea tastes sweeter than honey."

    Her lips parted slightly, her mind a whirl of subtle tumult and complexity, but then she heard Yan Yu ask:

    "So what''s really bothering you?"

    Su Yunjin: .........

    Well, there goes the mood.

    I knew I shouldn''t get my hopes up about the captain.

    "Alright," she sighed deeply, "It''s actually about some family matters."

    "Since it''s a personal issue, I won''t pry," Yan Yu immediately showed tact and stopped pressing, "I believe you can handle it."

    Su Yunjin maintained her composure and continued:

    "Yeah, but it might affect my performance and mood during training afterward."

    "...Thinking about it, as the captain, I can''t ignore any negative factors that affect the mental health of my team members." Yan Yu smoothly changed his approach, casually taking the milk tea from the staff, "Let''s go over there and talk in detail."

 Chapter 48 Secretary Su Excels at Turning the Tables

    Su Yunjin''s family situation was not complicated, and Yan Yu had already understood this from their last conversation.Both her parents were university professors, intellectuals, so they didn''t have the common expectations like "you need to be successful," "you need to make a lot of money," or "you need to marry into a good family." They simply wished for her to live a safe and happy life.

    But the problem was that being a Cultivator was obviously not a profession associated with "safety."

    When the resurgence of Spiritual Energy was still under information control, Su Yunjin could find excuses to soothe her family. However, now that the war was being widely promoted, Mr. and Mrs. Su became anxious again.

    Our daughter is also a Cultivator! What if she is sent to the front line during a war with another country? What if she gets injured? And what if, by any chance...

    Realizing it was no longer a peaceful era, Mr. Su finally got restless and began to use his connections to inquire if his daughter could be discharged.

    After asking around, they found some leader from the military who told Mr. and Mrs. Su that not all Cultivators were warriors; there were also civilian scientific researchers who didn''t need to go to the battlefield¡ªalthough in the military system, Cultivators formed their separate branch, not subject to external arrangements, and she could only apply by herself.

    So the order from home came: Yun Jin, talk to your leader immediately, you must apply for a transfer to a civilian scientific research position!

    Hearing Su Yunjin put it this way, Yan Yu couldn''t help but be amused.

    The leader that Mr. and Mrs. Su had found was definitely not a high-ranking military leader, so it was normal for them to not have a clear understanding of the situation.

    Lu Country initially trained military Cultivators, requiring at least five years of service and ensuring they were loyal soldiers with the right ideological awareness. They later found this group lacked potential due to advanced age and deteriorating root bones, which is why they began to recruit college students of the appropriate age as combat Cultivators...

    But scientific research didn''t have these age issues, so for security reasons, selections remained strict and internal to the military.

    In plain terms, it meant that superiors selected you, and you had no room to apply.

    This was something that, even if she asked Chen Lingyun or Li Weiguo for help, was utterly impossible. Scientific research Cultivators weren''t in short supply; it was the powerful combat Cultivators who were scarce¡ªespecially those who could join the battle teams, whom the military cherished like treasures.

    That they would shower you with millions in cash after conquering a Mysterious Realm already said a lot.

    So, if you say you want to transfer to a civilian job, would those leaders let you go? Only if they had water in their brains.

    "Didn''t you tell your parents about the bonus?" Yan Yu suggested.

    "I did," Su Yunjin replied with a sigh.

    "What did they say?" asked Yan Yu.

    "My mom said it was blood money," Su Yunjin said, her expression darkening.

    Yan Yu: ...

    Mrs. Su was quite astute, hitting the nail on the head.

    Though it was blood money, it was no small sum. Could an ordinary person earn eight million in a lifetime? If the position were open to public recruitment, wouldn''t the line of applicants stretch from Pingjing to Lin''an, filling the banks of the Grand Canal?

    But the problem was that Su Yunjin''s family didn''t care about money. Her scholarly parents considered wealth trivial, which made things difficult.

    "If your parents don''t care about money, what do they care about?" Yan Yu asked again.

    "They hope I can live safely and happily," Su Yunjin said helplessly.

    Okay, that was an unsolvable issue.

    Combat Cultivators were meant to be on the frontline of the battlefield, which could never align with the traditional parent''s definition of "safety."

    Turning the cup in his hand and having drunk most of his milk tea, Yan Yu finally came up with a bad idea:

    "How about I find some people to pretend to be rogue Cultivators attacking your home, and then you just happen to be there to save your parents? This way, you can tell them that Lu Country is destined to be rife with crises and war in the future, and you can only survive by becoming stronger..."

    "Captain," Su Yunjin responded calmly.

    "What''s up?"

    "Be normal."

    "...Alright."

    Seeing that Yan Yu had run out of ideas, Su Yunjin showed a faint smile and softly said:

    "It''s okay, Captain. I''ll convince them."

    "How do you plan to convince them?" Yan Yu asked, frowning.

    "Well, that''s my personal affair," Su Yunjin said with a slight smile, "Do you really want to know, Captain?"

    "No, not really," Yan Yu stood up, nodding, "Alright then, resolve this issue quickly, don''t let it affect your performance later."

    "Of course," Su Yunjin also stood up, "Shall we go back?"

    "Not going back yet," Yan Yu said.

    "Do you want to accompany me for a bit longer?" Su Yunjin asked, surprised.

    Hold on, is the Captain finally getting a clue?

    "No," Yan Yu said firmly, "It''s time for dinner, let''s eat."

    Su Yunjin: ...

    I''m an idiot.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Normally, everyone''s daily schedule consisted of tactical studies in the morning and practical training in the afternoon.

    At dinner time, it was convenient to eat at the school cafeteria, though occasionally they would go out to a restaurant as a group.

    But today, having just flown back from Taining Province, Yan Yu had given everyone the day off, so there was no group dinner planned, and everyone was free to manage their own time.

    As for dinner, it was, of course, up to each individual to sort out.

    "What does the captain feel like eating?" Su Yunjin asked casually as she strolled along the street with Yan Yu.

    "Anything." Yan Yu answered.

    "Let me check." Su Yunjin pulled out her phone and searched, "There are quite a few places called ''Anything.'' Which one is it specifically?"

    "...You decide." Yan Yu raised his hand in surrender.

    Although she was not as domineering as Chen Lingyun, she was definitely not a simple girl who could be easily taken advantage of, like who and who and who.

    "Hmm, it''s kind of hard to decide." Su Yunjin swiped through her phone, "What does the captain think about barbecue?"

    "You want to eat barbecue?"

    "I''m okay with that." Su Yunjin stared at her phone screen, "But I remember last time the captain wanted to eat barbecue, and then because Sister Zhao wanted beef hotpot, you didn''t get to eat it, right?"

    "You remember that?" Yan Yu was quite surprised. After all, that was just a minor incident at the time, and he had already forgotten about it.

    "I have a good memory." Su Yunjin replied, handing the phone to Yan Yu, "How about this barbecue set meal for two? The price is okay, and if we use a firm''s credit card, we can get thirty off."

    "But I don''t have a credit card." Yan Yu said, scratching his head.

    "I do." Su Yunjin said, "I can pay."

    "That would be really embarrassing for me, let me treat you." Yan Yu shook his head.

    "It''s alright." Su Yunjin pressed a few buttons on her phone, smiling, "I''ve already bought the coupon."

    "Don''t lie to me." Yan Yu said, "I know that coupon can be refunded if unused."

    "Huh? I didn''t expect the captain to have that kind of common knowledge." Su Yunjin said with surprise.

    "Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about me¡­" Yan Yu was suddenly baffled.

    In his past life, Su Yunjin, as he recalled, was not this scheming! She was supposed to be a smart and composed secretary-type character, so what''s going on?

    Yes, it must be Chen Lingyun''s fault. Since she couldn''t become the captain this time, she went all out to corrupt Su Yunjin, turning a perfectly good literary girl dark.

    Without a hint of his thoughts showing, Yan Yu discreetly took out his phone and private messaged Chen Lingyun.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Just go ahead and be unscrupulous!

    About ten seconds later, the reply came leisurely.

    [Chen Lingyun]: ?

    Yan Yu ruthlessly blocked her, feeling a bubble of frustration in his chest finally relieved, and his mood improved considerably.

    When they arrived at the restaurant and sat down, and the waiter brought over the grill and served all the dishes included in the set meal, Su Yunjin then took out her phone and started to take pictures of the plates.

    Seeing her continue to type after taking the photos, Yan Yu asked curiously:

    "Writing in your diary?"

    "Just recording some meaningful daily occurrences," Su Yunjin replied.

    "Like eating?"

    "Like eating with the captain."

    Yan Yu instantly became wary and dropped the subject, simply focusing on grilling the meat.

    Su Yunjin quietly watched him and suddenly said:

    "I thought the captain would say ''you''re not worthy.''

    "Uh, it''s just a meal." Yan Yu said, his face showing embarrassment, and he chuckled, "I''m not overthinking just a meal, am I?"

    "That''s right," Su Yunjin said calmly, casually picking up her chopsticks to help with the grilling.

    Her right hand held the chopsticks lightly, spreading the marinated meat slices on the grill, her movements steady and unhurried.

    Her left hand slowly rolled up the sleeve of her right arm, revealing a fair and flawless forearm that, under the light, gleamed like fine jade¡ªnow, to make it easier for influencers to take pictures and check in, restaurants like to set their lights low and bright, to beautify the food on the table as much as possible.

    And the girl across the table.

    Thanks to the bright light, Yan Yu could clearly see Su Yunjin''s face, plain and unadorned, but without a single flaw. Her eyelids were lowered, her long lashes quivering like dragonfly wings, and underneath were eyes clear as autumn waters, stirring ripples with each glance, all the delicate tenderness characteristic of Jiangnan women.

    Of course, he might be imagining too much... Yan Yu took a sip of lemonade without showing his thoughts, leisurely watching as Su Yunjin finished grilling the meat, then evenly divided it onto both their plates, saying:

    "We can eat now."

    "You have some nice skills, Yun Jin."

    "Barbecue doesn''t require much skill, just wait for the meat to change color," she replied. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Yeah, I was just looking for a reason to compliment you."

    Yan Yu ate most of the grilled meat on his plate but noticed that Su Yunjin hadn''t touched her chopsticks.

    She kept staring at him.

    "What''s wrong?" Yan Yu asked.

    "I find watching the captain eat more interesting than eating myself," Su Yunjin said with a smile, her demeanor incredibly gentle and soft, truly not an illusion of his imagination.

    But was she teasing him? Yan Yu racked his brains for a long time and couldn''t come up with an answer. Just as he was about to ask again, he suddenly heard a surprised female voice from outside:

    "Oh my, isn''t that Yun Jin?"

 Chapter 49 Secretary Su Anxiously Waits

    ```Neither of them had expected to encounter Su Yunjin''s high school classmates here.

    But upon further thought, Su Yunjin was after all from Gusu Prefecture, and most of her high school classmates were also natives of Gusu. It was quite normal for them to come to Jinling Prefecture for some fun during the summer vacation.

    It was dinnertime, and her two classmates were waiting in line outside for a table. When they saw Su Yunjin sitting near the window, they immediately ran in to greet her.

    "Why don''t we share a table?" one of the girls suggested. "There are still thirty people ahead of us!"

    "Qianqian!" the other girl quickly tugged at her arm.

    You really have no sense of situation! Yun Jin is having dinner with her boyfriend, why would we go and be the third wheel?

    "Sure," Yan Yu offered, standing up to take a seat next to Su Yunjin.

    The two girls hesitated for a moment, then sat down opposite them¡ªafter all, Yan Yu had given up his seat, and it wouldn''t be right to continue waiting in line for thirty more tables. Who knew how long that would take?

    The atmosphere was a bit awkward at first, but it seemed like they got along well with Su Yunjin, and they soon started chattering away:

    "Yun Jin, I heard you went to a military school?"

    "Is it that ''Cultivator'' thing people are talking about online?" sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Can you cast spells? Do you have a Flying Sword?"

    "Is this guy next to you your boyfriend?"

    "Wow, Yun Jin has a boyfriend! Let me tell you, at least three guys in our class will surely cry themselves to death..."

    Even the usually placid and composed Su Yunjin couldn''t fend off the relentless questioning from these two gossip enthusiasts, and she hurriedly tried to explain:

    "No, no, the captain is... a university classmate, okay? Please don''t jump to conclusions."

    "Oh, a university classmate¡ª" both girls said in unison, dragging out the words before looking at each other knowingly, then bursting into giggles.

    Su Yunjin blushed furiously and couldn''t help but turn and glare at Yan Yu.

    Even though Yan Yu had lived twice as a person, this was the first time seeing Secretary Su show such a charmingly embarrassed expression. If there weren''t other people around, he really should have taken a picture with his phone to keep as a souvenir.

    He gloated and continued drinking water, only for the two girls to suddenly shift their attention to him and start striking up a conversation:

    "What''s the captain''s name?"

    "No need for formalities, surname Yan, as in the bird swallow," Yan Yu replied calmly.

    "And your first name? Is it inconvenient to tell us?"

    "Qianqian, stop asking, Yun Jin is still here... right, Yun Jin?"

    "What do you mean by ''right''?!" Su Yunjin was flustered and said fiercely, "If you keep spouting nonsense, I''m going to kick you out!"

    "We''ll stop, we''ll stop," the two girls hastily begged for mercy.

    After a casual chat for a while, Yan Yu got to know that one of the classmates was named Qianqian and the other Ya Ting.

    As for their full names, he didn''t ask. After all, they were Su Yunjin''s high school classmates, and it wasn''t necessary to pry too much.

    Indeed, the two were vacationing in Jinling with no fixed itinerary, mainly enjoying the trip as fate allowed. Running into Su Yunjin was purely coincidental, and running into her with Yan Yu... that was an unexpected joy, a perfect opportunity for a thorough chat.

    "Captain Yan, where are you from?"

    "I''m from Xin''an Prefecture."

    "Oh, then it will be convenient for you to settle down in Gusu after graduating, right?"

    "Ya Ting," Su Yunjin narrowed her eyes, "your meat is ready, eat more."

    Ya Ting picked up a piece of meat with her chopsticks but didn''t rush to eat it. Instead, she smiled and said:

    "Yun Jin, if Captain Yan isn''t your boyfriend, it''s fine for me to get to know him, right?"

    Su Yunjin was at a loss for words, because objecting would undoubtedly lead to them claiming she was jealous. But not stopping them¡ªgiven the captain''s unreliable nature, who knew what shocking things he might say, and then it would be even more difficult to clear up the misunderstanding.

    Maybe it''s time to make a run for it?

    She began to seriously consider the possibility of grabbing Yan Yu and making a dash for it. Although doing so would certainly prompt talk of elopement or something of the sort, the extended discomfort didn''t seem worth the risk of staying put with the captain... She then heard Qianqian curiously asking:

    "Captain Yan, do you have a girlfriend?"

    "Nope," Yan Yu answered.

    "Then does Yun Jin have a boyfriend?"

    ```

    "Why do you ask him?" Su Yunjin said irritably, "Why not ask me directly?"

    "Yun Jin definitely doesn''t have a boyfriend." Ya Ting said with a laugh, "Yun Jin''s standards are really high, remember the summer of our junior year? That tall, rich and handsome guy from class ten..."

    "Oh, I remember!" Qianqian exclaimed, "999 champagne roses!"

    "Stop talking about it, that guy was crazy," Su Yunjin sighed.

    "Who was the tall, rich and handsome guy?" Yan Yu asked, interested.

    "A really wealthy guy from the class next door, his family is in business," Ya Ting explained, "He''s quite tall, over one meter eighty, fairly good-looking, but dresses very well."

    "On the last day before the summer holidays, he confessed to Yun Jin. He parked his convertible at the school gate, wanting to take Yun Jin to the fishing village for fun. He had 999 roses in the car, the backseat was full of them, it looked super beautiful."

    "Then Yun Jin went straight to the disciplinarian." Qianqian giggled again, "The tall, rich and handsome guy saw the teacher coming and hurriedly sped off... We all died laughing at the time."

    "Don''t make me remember that," Su Yunjin said with a downcast expression, explaining to Yan Yu, "I didn''t know that guy, we had never spoken, then suddenly on the last day of finals he comes with his car to confess, I thought he was a lunatic."

    "But he sent you a love letter, you know," Qianqian reminded her.

    "Really?" Su Yunjin asked in surprise.

    "Stop it, Qianqian, Yun Jin gets love letters all the time, she never reads them," Ya Ting intervened, "Only Old Bao would read them."

    "And who is Old Bao?" Yan Yu asked curiously.

    "Our Chinese language teacher," Ya Ting replied, "Yun Jin was the Chinese class rep, and she would always receive love letters from other classes, she''d never open them, she just threw them directly into the trash. One time, a love letter got mixed in with the Chinese homework she collected, and she didn''t notice, just handed it straight to Old Bao."

    "Then when Old Bao was marking homework, he found it, opened it and read it aloud, and even graded it like it was an essay." Qianqian, too, laughed uncontrollably, "Afterward, he called that guy from class one to the office, and made him rewrite it... Hahaha, it killed me!"

    The two girls laughed until they were falling over, Yan Yu also couldn''t help but snicker, looking at Su Yunjin with a changed expression:

    Very good, very good, so you''re this kind of scheming girl, it''s just that I didn''t discover it in my past life!

    Su Yunjin was greatly embarrassed and quickly tried to clarify to Yan Yu:

    "It was just an accident. I wasn''t at my seat, so I had them put the Chinese homework on my desk, and that guy from class one happened to ask our classmate to pass on the love letter, they just dumped it into the pile of homework on my desk, and later other students put more homework on top, so it got mixed in... I had no clue."

    "I understand, it''s not that bad," Yan Yu said, "At least you didn''t call him out to lecture him."

    Su Yunjin finally couldn''t hold back her laughter and turned away to suppress it. The two girls were a bit confused, but they didn''t care too much; instead, they exchanged a knowing look and then teased Yan Yu:

    "So Captain Yan, you need to be careful, Yun Jin is really not easy to chase, the fact that she''s willing to eat with you alone is already a huge victory..."

    "Enough!" Su Yunjin, embarrassed and angry, decided to use a ''hurt each other'' tactic, "You think you don''t have any weaknesses, huh? Qianqian, you have been secretly dating Yang Jian, you think I don''t know?"

    "What!" Now it was Ya Ting''s turn to be surprised, "Qianqian, you never told me!"

    "We''ve already broken up, broken up!" Qianqian quickly explained, "We split up after the college entrance exam, he went to Xin''an Prefecture for university, we''re not in contact now."

    "And Ya Ting." Su Yunjin said coldly, "How long has Yu Jun been chasing you? You''ve been together in private, thinking I didn''t notice?"

    "Hahaha, then you''re mistaken," Ya Ting chuckled triumphantly, "Actually, Yu Jun has had a crush on you for a long time, he came to me for advice on how to get your attention."

    "Liar, I don''t believe you," Su Yunjin said.

    "Don''t believe me? I''ll ask him right in front of you..." Ya Ting pretended to reach for her phone but was quickly grabbed by Su Yunjin.

    She absolutely couldn''t let the whole class find out about her thing with the captain!

    At this point, it''s better to just eat.

    She morosely took the grilled meat from the net and evenly distributed it to everyone''s plates, causing Ya Ting and Qianqian to be somewhat flattered.

    The crowd started eating meat, and the situation finally calmed down, but she herself had lost her appetite and just kept her head down, continuously typing.

    Just when Yan Yu had finished off a piece of beef tongue, he saw his phone light up.

    [Yun Jin]: Captain, why did you agree to let them join our table? You don''t even know them and have no idea what kind of people they are, and now look what''s happened, you satisfied now?

    Rarely seeing Secretary Su in a hurry, Yan Yu was delighted and started typing a reply to her message.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I think you seem to get along quite well, sharing a table is fine. By the way, were you the class beauty or the school beauty in high school? How many boys chased after you? That''s so scary, they''re not going to kill me, are they?

    [Yun Jin]: I''ll kill you/knife/knife/knife/knife/knife/knife/knife/knife

    The moment a series of bloodied knife emojis came through, Yan Yu felt someone stomping hard on his left foot.

    Looking up again, he saw Su Yunjin calmly eating her grilled meat, as if nothing had happened.

 Chapter 50 Secretary Su Is Toyed With in the Palm of Their Hand

    After parting ways with her high school classmates, on the way back to the villa, Su Yunjin didn''t say a word to Yan Yu. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality."Are you angry?" Yan Yu asked.

    Su Yunjin didn''t reply, simply walking ahead quickly by herself.

    "Are you angry?" Yan Yu quickly walked to her side and asked again with a smile.

    Su Yunjin hastened her steps, leaving him behind.

    After walking for a few minutes and realizing there was no one talking beside her, she couldn''t help but turn her head to look, only to see Yan Yu following leisurely, five or six steps behind her.

    "It seems you are indeed angry." Yan Yu said calmly, "It was my fault for agreeing to share the table with them without asking, but they didn''t mention any of your dark history, did they? Their words were all about how popular you were in high school, right?"

    "Does the captain think being excessively popular in school is something to be proud of?" Su Yunjin stopped, turned around, and said.

    Her face no longer held its usual calm but was serious with a hint of displeasure as she earnestly spoke:

    "Finding love letters stuffed into your desk every other day, constantly being approached by unfamiliar classmates with inexplicable confessions, and even occasionally having teachers joking about it, can you understand how annoying that is?"

    "I cannot understand." Yan Yu answered without hesitation, "Because I was not the school belle in high school."

    "Neither was I!" Su Yunjin said, annoyed, "And I really, truly dislike it when boys I don''t even know write me extremely cheesy messages solely because they think I''m pretty, or corner me by the classroom door to spout a bunch of silly words that make me want to run away from embarrassment!"

    "Actually, it''s not just about looking good on the outside." Yan Yu corrected her with a smile, "Your temperament is gentle and elegant; you''re naturally a type many men like. Your family background is good too, and I guess your high school academic performance was not bad either, considering you got into Gusu University, which is a top-tier 211 institution.

    All things considered, it''s only natural for you to have had many suitors at school."

    "Thanks, Captain... but that''s not what I meant." The frustration finally faded from Su Yunjin''s face, replaced by a mix of helplessness and a wry smile, "I hope to be like Ling Yun, to attract people with a strong personal charm, rather than having everyone focus solely on her pretty face."

    So this was why Su Yunjin in her past life was willing to become Chen Lingyun''s secretary.

    Troubled by too many suitors in high school and unsure how to change the situation, she was immediately attracted to Chen Lingyun''s powerful charisma upon their first meeting¡ªafter all, Chen Lingyun was the one who could disgust all her admirers (yes, including me) so they would leave her alone, earning the sarcastic title of "Princess Jiang Hai," a symbol of an independent woman of the new era.

    It was natural for Su Yunjin, whose personality was traditionally reserved, to subconsciously admire and yearn for that.

    But seriously, come on. You can learn from anyone else, just not her, I beg you, okay?

    Lights dawned on Yan Yu, and then he adopted an extremely grave expression, looking at Su Yunjin seriously as he said:

    "Promise me, Yun Jin... don''t try to emulate Chen Lingyun, okay?"

    "Huh? Uh!" Caught off guard by his sudden seriousness, Su Yunjin looked somewhat flustered, displaying a slightly panicked yet adorable expression.

    "You don''t need to imitate anyone else." Yan Yu said earnestly, his gaze piercing as he looked into her eyes, as if to see right into her soul, his tone strong and resolute, "You need to relentlessly be yourself, that is my demand of you as the team captain. I want to see a mature and independent Su Yunjin with her own mind, not an echo who mimics the vice-captain''s every move.

    Believe in the strength of your inner character, which is as compelling as your outer beauty."

    "Oh, okay." Su Yunjin grew increasingly flustered, murmuring subconsciously, "I understand. Captain, I will work hard."

    "Good." Yan Yu nodded with satisfaction.

    I see, so that''s why the past Secretary Su hung on Princess Jiang Hai''s every word¡ªit all stemmed from this issue.

    Ha-ha, watch me cut the red string binding you two! Chen Lingyun, how do you feel about that now?

    Yan Yu walked ahead, filled with a sense of achievement, while Su Yunjin followed him, feeling a subtle warmth on her cheeks.

    In fact, just as she had said earlier, the more people affirmed her outer beauty, the more it seemed to her like a negation of her inner appeal.

    Su Yunjin did not mind being praised for being beautiful; she just didn''t like to be viewed as having nothing beyond "beauty," which was a strong and deeply rooted obsession in the heart of a girl who loved literature.

    ...And that''s why I refuse to follow my parents'' wishes to leave the team to find a place that will recognize my inner worth.

    But, Captain, the lines you just said made me cringe too. Aside from in games and novels, there can''t be anyone who would really be won over by those seemingly heart-warming words!

    "Captain." Su Yunjin called softly.

    "What is it?" Yan Yu turned around upon hearing her and saw Su Yunjin''s exquisite and pure face enveloped in an area untouched by the streetlight, her features shadowy and indistinct.

    Only her eyes shone brightly, like the dazzling stars in the sky, captivating and beautiful.

    "I will work hard," she said deliberately, "I won''t let you down."

    Yan Yu was silent for a while, then replied:

    "You''d better."

    "Captain." Su Yunjin took a few steps forward, returning to the light of the streetlamp.

    She leaned in towards Yan Yu with a brilliantly fake smile on her face:

    "Would it kill you not to ruin the mood?"

    "I''m a person who considers actions," Yan Yu stepped back half a step, keeping his distance, "not the mood, nor do I trust promises. Your words alone are useless; you need to prove it to me in person."

    "Okay," Su Yunjin said with a smile.

    She turned and walked back towards the villa, with Yan Yu quickly following behind her and then suddenly asking,

    "Are you mad again?"

    "Not at all," Su Yunjin replied.

    A moment passed.

    "You are mad, aren''t you?"

    "Why does the captain think I would be mad?"

    "Because I ruined the moment, interrupting your self-indulgence?"

    "Not at all," Su Yunjin''s smile grew even brighter, "After all, I''ve long since known what kind of ''goods'' the captain is, so I''m not mad about it."

    "Hmm," Yan Yu pondered, then asked, "But the term ''goods'' is supposed to have a derogatory connotation when used to describe a person, isn''t it?"

    "In our Gusu banter, calling someone ''goods'' means complimenting their character," Su Yunjin said with smiling eyes, "Like calling you a ''dumb good,'' ''nuisance good,'' ''settled good,'' ''total package good,'' all of these are common terms of praise."

    "Fine, but Yun Jin..." Yan Yu reminded her, "Your fake smile right now looks a lot like Chen Lingyun''s, you know?"

    "Not at all," Su Yunjin denied with a laugh.

    "It''s true."

    "But I''m not imitating Ling Yun."

    "So it''s a normal smile?"

    "It''s an expression I genuinely want to show the captain."

    "Could you tone it down? It''s a bit scary to look at."

    "I cannot."

    "Why not?"

    "Because the captain said I should be myself."

    "My words aren''t golden rules, you don''t have to take them as absolutes," Yan Yu tried to communicate with her, "And your sarcasm is making me uncomfortable, we''re not strangers after all. Can we just speak plainly?"

    "Alright," Su Yunjin stopped walking, dropped the fake smile from her face, and turned expressionless, "Captain."

    "What is it?" Yan Yu also stopped.

    "Feel like rolling into a gutter?"

    "Wait! Why are you suddenly so unfriendly, and why say that out of the blue?"

    "Then let me phrase it differently: Captain, would you like to review the progress of my Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art?"

    "You changed the phrasing, but the result still dives into a gutter!" Yan Yu tried to suppress his urge to retort, raised his hands in a conceding gesture, "Okay, I admit that I disrupted the atmosphere just now and made you unhappy. I''m very sorry, Yun Jin."

    "I know why the captain wanted to disrupt the mood," Su Yunjin said calmly after a moment of silence, "That''s why I particularly dislike you right now. Sorry, Captain."

    "Alright, since we''ve both apologized," Yan Yu resumed smiling and said emphatically, clapping his hands together, "let''s forgive each other and get back on good terms."

    No sooner had he spoken than he felt a heavy pressure on his foot¡ªSu Yunjin, having finally broken through his defenses, couldn''t help but step on his shoe.

    Unfortunately, she was too light to cause any pain, even without casting a Barrier Charm to endure it.

    Seeing her still trying hard to twist her heel, Yan Yu had no choice but to go along and exaggerate a few cries of pain, saying,

    "Ouch, that really hurts. Please go easy on my feet, Yun Jin, I''m going to break a bone."

    But Su Yunjin didn''t fall for it, knowing from his melodramatic performance that her stepping on him had no real effect, so she reluctantly withdrew her foot.

    "So, have you calmed down now?" Yan Yu brushed the dust off his shoe, asking leisurely, "Does this mean we are reconciled?"

    "Why does the captain care whether I''m mad or not?" Su Yunjin, running out of energy to sulk, sighed in frustration, "After all, I''m not a match for the captain, am I?"

    "What kind of nonsense is that?" Yan Yu looked baffled and laughed, "Of course, I care about you, Yun Jin."

    "After all, you are our team''s main force."

 Chapter 51 Ah, Im going to have fun

    When history''s wheel reaches a turning point, the vast majority of passengers are unaware.On August 27, the "Directive Opinions on the Era of Spiritual Energy Resurgence by Wenyuan Pavilion" was officially issued to the six departments of the External Court for implementation. This meant that Lu Country had finally ended the secrecy control phase and formally acknowledged the fact of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence to all sectors of society. Read latest stories on empire

    The good times have arrived, spicy!

    This news briefly surged to the top of the hot search lists on all major platforms, only to quickly slide down, replaced by another more explosive hot search:

    What to do with only four days left of summer vacation.

    "Brother!" Yan Yu had just picked up the phone call from his sister when Yan Jing''s wailing voice came through, "Summer vacation is ending! I don''t want to go to school, what should I do..."

    "What you do at school is none of my business." Yan Yu comforted his sister, "Have you finished your summer homework?"

    A sharp intake of breath came from the other side:

    "Big bro, I had just managed to forget about that, can you not remind me?"

    "My bad." Yan Yu said gently, "I should have reminded you on the last day of summer vacation."

    "Big bro, don''t be inhumane!" Yan Jing wailed again, "I don''t care, I''ve come to Jinling, you have to take me out to have fun for these last few days."

    "What are you doing in Jinling?" Yan Yu was immediately startled.

    "Here to have fun." Yan Jing declared boldly, her tone exactly the same as when he said "Let''s do extra training" to the girls.

    "Did Mom and Dad agree?" Yan Yu quickly asked her.

    "Big bro, I''m sixteen years old, do I still need my parents'' permission to go out?" Yan Jing asked him incredulously, "It''s not like we''re in a feudal society where women can''t leave their boudoirs. You''re still clinging to these antiquated ideas; you''re not going to find a girlfriend that way."

    "Huh." Yan Yu laughed in exasperation, "You''re in Jinling to have fun, so where are you staying?"

    "Don''t know, you arrange it."

    "I''m not on summer vacation, how do I have time to arrange things for you?"

    "If you don''t have time, just give me money," Yan Jing proposed sensibly, "I can arrange it myself."

    "Get lost." Yan Yu hung up the phone vehemently, then turned around to find that all the girls were watching him.

    "What are you looking at me for?" He waved his hand impatiently, "Watch the video. Ling Yun, continue with the analysis."

    "Sure." Chen Lingyun began to adjust the projection again. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    This morning''s analysis was still of Miti''s Superhero Alliance match videos.

    On Lu Country''s side, the training and sparring content of cultivators was treated as military secrets; Miti, on the other hand, was the exact opposite¡ªafter all, their situation was special, mainly focused on recruiting and incorporating European Transcendents.

    Their entire system couldn''t be secretive, so they made everything public, commercial, and entertaining, even having commentators explain the matches, keen on breaking down the superheroes'' tactical systems so that audiences could appreciate the intricacies.

    "...In any case, although Miranda won this match, I believe Bruce is actually the better one," Chen Lingyun concluded, "The defeat was due to the mid-game rhythm becoming chaotic."

    "Yes." Yan Yu affirmed her statement, "Fresh troops like these, hesitant in advantage situations, and in disarray when at a disadvantage certainly lack the mental toughness. In a real fight to the death, such people are the first choice for cannon fodder. Everyone must take this as a warning."

    "By the way, Miranda is a Latina from Rio, while Bruce hails from Bristol in England," Chen Lingyun added, "According to big data, Latinos, regardless of their occupation, usually have a more aggressive fighting style, preferring to take the initiative and excel in winning games; the Europeans, on the other hand, tend to be more deceitful, especially the English wizards, who are more accustomed to cunning tactics and striking later."

    "Analyze specific individuals specifically," Yan Yu cut her off, "Big data is meaningless. Our future opponents will inevitably be the renowned great Transcendents. Don''t engage in regional discrimination and stereotypes."

    "Got it." Chen Lingyun said cheerfully, "Let''s then analyze these two superheroes specifically..."

    Before she could finish, her phone rang.

    "Tactical analysis session and the phone isn''t on silent! Unprofessional!" Yan Yu scolded her sternly, "Get out!"

    "Wasn''t there someone who also answered his sister''s call just now?" Lin Ning whispered to Su Yunjin.

    "Shut up, that''s my privilege as the captain!" Yan Yu turned his head and reprimanded her.

    "Just wait for me a moment." Chen Lingyun walked out while cheerfully answering the phone, deliberately pressing the speakerphone, "Hello, Jing Jing?"

    "Hello, Sister Lingyun, I have to tell you..." Yan Jing''s complaining voice came through the phone.

    Yan Yu stood up without a change in his expression and said to the girls:

    "I''ll step out for a bit too."

    He followed Chen Lingyun outside of the training ground and heard the woman say:

    "Mm, okay, that''s settled then."

    Then she hung up the phone.

    "What did my sister tell you?" Yan Yu asked directly, "Or rather, when did you two get in touch?"

    "Jing Jing said she wants to come to Jinling Prefecture to play for a few days." Chen Lingyun said smilingly, "As for when we met... It should be shortly after the end of the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm venture."

    "That was quite a while ago!" Yan Yu complained helplessly, "Since you two already know each other, convince her not to come to Jinling."

    "Why''s that?" Chen Lingyun feigned ignorance.

    "I don''t have time to look after her," Yan Yu said, "Our team''s daily training schedule is packed full."

    "Then let her play on her own." Chen Lingyun dismissed the concern, laughing, "She can stay at our team''s base at night. We do have plenty of rooms, don''t we?"

    "If it''s just that, it wouldn''t be a problem." Yan Yu narrowed his eyes with suspicion, "But I always feel like there''s some sort of plotting going on... Speaking of which, Miss Chen, why would my sister suddenly come to Jinling for no reason? And what role do you play in this?"

    "Ah, you caught me." Chen Lingyun smiled calmly, "Actually, I asked your sister to steal your household registration book. Once she brings it to Jinling, we''ll go to the civil affairs office to get married."

    "Keep dreaming." Yan Yu was dismissive, seeing right through Princess Jiang Hai''s bluster.

    After all, if there were such a thing as the Chen Lingyun route, the biggest obstacle to conquering this romantic line wasn''t Yan Yu''s own feelings for Chen Lingyun, but her family circumstances.

    Unless her father gave the nod, even if the two went to the civil affairs office to officially register, it could be nullified due to various unspeakable reasons.

    "Hmm." Chen Lingyun didn''t deny it, saying, "Our interests are aligned now. What could you possibly have that''s worth me scheming over?"

    "There is something." Yan Yu smirked, "Like arguing with me, talking back, just to find some amusement from me."

    Chen Lingyun gave a noncommittal answer, changing the subject:

    "The second edition of ''Tactics and Strategy Studies for Cultivators'' is out, and it talks about the new Three Arts, namely the Soul Refining Technique, Sound Transmission Technique, and Invisibility Technique. What''s your take on them?"

    "Soul Refining Technique is of utmost importance." Speaking of serious cultivation matters, Yan Yu also adopted a solemn demeanor, answering, "Divine Sense is the eyes and ears of a cultivator, as well as the extension of their will, hence mastering the Soul Refining Technique is essential, just like daily Qi Refinement practice.

    As for Sound Transmission Technique and Invisibility Technique, it''s enough to know how to use them."

    "Is Sound Transmission used as a communicative tool, and Invisibility because it can be detected by Divine Sense?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, "Or because it consumes too much True Yuan when activated?"

    "It''s not just that." Yan Yu replied, "Once you''re in a state of invisibility, you can''t activate True Yuan at all, neither for casting spells nor controlling swords, unless you willingly cancel the invisibility... You get it, right?"

    "That means," Chen Lingyun quickly surmised, "only when one absolutely needs to avoid combat should they choose the Invisibility Technique."

    "And Divine Sense of any cultivator can easily detect it," Yan Yu explained calmly, "Even overall, Invisibility Technique is quite limiting. It doesn''t have superior branches, and there are better alternatives, like the Wood Escape, Water Escape, and Earth Escape of the Five Elements Escape Technique.

    These not only conceal one''s presence but also allow quick movement to places others can''t reach, essentially outclassing Invisibility Technique."

    "I see." Chen Lingyun said with a bright smile, her eyes filled with longing, "Cultivation sure is interesting. With the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, all sorts of spells are emerging, always something new to discover."

    "Just don''t repeat the mistakes of your past life." Yan Yu warned her coldly, "In the end, every technique comes down to who is stronger."

    "Even if you learn a myriad of techniques, if you can''t withstand a punch from your opponent, what''s the point of all your cultivation?"

    "Uh." Chen Lingyun feigned thoughtfulness, venturing a guess, "For fun?"

    Yan Yu froze for a moment, then flew into a rage:

    "I''ll blast that ''fun'' freak of yours with a punch!"

 Chapter 52 Yan Yus Marvelous State Governance Technique

    Chen Lingyun''s intelligence always seemed to be one step ahead of the official reports.Before the afternoon had even arrived, Yan Yu was summoned to the headmaster''s office once again.

    Li Weiguo had not returned, and waiting for him in the office was still Chen Tianming, who directly asked for Yan Yu''s opinion on the new Three Arts.

    "My view is that, like the Sword Control Technique, the Soul Refining Technique is of utmost importance in cultivation," Yan Yu didn''t intend to hold anything back, and spoke frankly, "As for the Sound Transmission Technique and Invisibility Technique, being able to use them is enough; there''s no need for in-depth research."

    This answer did not surprise Chen Tianming.

    In fact, based on the feedback from the scientific research department, the ultimate result of the Soul Refining Technique ¨C Divine Sense ¨C indeed exhibited a range of exceptional characteristics.

    It was like a radar on a cultivator''s body, capable of automatically detecting suspicious targets in the vicinity, as well as providing target lock for both Sword Control and spells.

    Moreover, Divine Sense also contained certain intelligence.

    Researchers discovered by accident in daily life that Divine Sense could scan and mark not only high-threat targets but also other things that the cultivator''s own will desired to search for¡ªfor instance, if you suddenly couldn''t remember where you left your car keys at home, you scan with Divine Sense, and it would highlight them for you right in your field of vision.

    Although it had not been tested in formal combat, the unique value contained within Divine Sense meant that the Soul Refining Technique was highly likely to become a mandatory daily practice for cultivators.

    There was a consensus that the Sound Transmission Technique was a utilitarian spell, and the research department also highly praised the Invisibility Technique, which was completely at odds with Yan Yu''s view that "being able to use it is enough."

    Chen Tianming sized up Yan Yu''s expression and suddenly smiled,

    "You mean, if the Soul Refining Technique is the spear, then the Invisibility Technique is the shield."

    "The best defense is a good offense," Yan Yu said impassively, thinking to himself that this man, who indeed was someone''s father, could actually guess his thoughts so accurately.

    Focusing on the Soul Refining Technique meant enhancing the ability to detect enemies; delving into the Invisibility Technique represented improving concealment abilities.

    The two underlying strategies represented "focusing on offense" and "strengthening evasion," respectively.

    Powerful cultivators could treat spells as tools, using the most appropriate method for different situations, but most cultivators were not capable of this¡ªtheir tactics often depended on what cards they held in their hands.

    If they practiced the Soul Refining Technique more and developed their Divine Sense, they would tend to favor seeking out and attacking enemies on the battlefield; if they were more proficient in Invisibility Technique, they would tend toward hiding and ambushing¡ªYan Yu''s attitude was clear: if forced to choose between the two, offense was definitely the priority.

    Only the weak would consider hiding themselves; the strong, of course, should be out there wreaking havoc!

    "Take a look at this," Chen Tianming stopped discussing the matter of teaching materials and pointed at the confidential bag on the desk instead.

    The document was inside a confidential bag, sealed with a red stamp marked "Top Secret," but Yan Yu felt no burden about it (what storms hadn''t I seen in my previous life?), he took out the document and casually flipped through it.

    It was a military intelligence brief about Tianzhu. Its information sources and description manner were very concise, even somewhat elusive, so Yan Yu quickly found the key data:

    83 times.

    The number of Transcendents in Tianzhu was reported to be 83 times that of the Rikoku Cultivators.

    Yan Yu closed the document, placed it back on the desk, and listened as Chen Tianming asked,

    "What do you make of this data?" S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "It''s as expected," Yan Yu replied, "The current method we use to select cultivators is through blood testing to detect the Spiritual Energy in their bloodlines, and this method has quite significant flaws."

    The number of Transcendents in a country is related to the country''s population base and the prevalence of mysticism. Although Rikoku has a tradition of "children not speaking of monstrous strength and chaos," the number of Transcendents in Tianzhu being a staggering 1:83 could no longer be explained by "a long-standing tradition of materialism."

    The obvious fact was that the method of testing blood to detect a Spirit Root had a serious issue with "missed detection."

    For example, of a hundred Rikoku people with the qualifications for cultivation, blood testing could only identify one, and the remaining ninety-nine, due to reasons of confidentiality control, would not even know that they also had the chance to become cultivators. Continue reading on empire

    Out of a hundred qualified people from Tianzhu, due to the government''s lax management methods and the wide circulation of cultivation techniques among the populace, eighty-three of them would learn the techniques.

    Thus, reflected in the numbers, for every eighty-three new Transcendents in Tianzhu, Rikoku could only add one.

    Sufficient quantitative change can lead to qualitative change, even a child could see that continuing this way would definitely lead to major problems.

    "Blood testing is indeed not accurate enough," said Chen Tianming indifferently, "Extremely inaccurate."

    "We are considering adding more methods for screening cultivators. But the fact is, as long as there''s a screening step, there will inevitably be misses."

    His speech was not finished, but the implication was clear: now it''s your turn to decipher my meaning.

    Yan Yu didn''t even need to guess. Those with the surname Chen were thinking nothing but to remove the sieve, to completely deregulate the cultivation techniques, "Let everyone have a technique to practice," "Let all who can become Transcendents achieve it."

    Indeed, this would rapidly increase the number of Cultivators in Lu Country, but...

    What would be the cost?

    Officially-trained Cultivators required the nation to provide resources for their cultivation, so their numbers inevitably had to be strictly limited. If 100 people became Cultivators and only the strongest one received an official position, what would you do with the remaining 99 Cultivators?

    The Western world, which advocates for small government, says: Let the market take care of it.

    The results of handing over the military-grade weapons to the capital market, was the entire Western world speeding towards a cyberpunk reality.

    If at this moment in time, the big businesses'' methods of commercial warfare were financial infiltration, industrial confrontation, and collusion with the administration, at least they were still willing to compete within a mild order; in the future, the methods of commercial warfare would become transnational conglomerates hiring squads of incredibly powerful Transcendents, to steal their competitors'' equipment and goods, to bomb their office parks, to devour all the innocent employees and bystanders...

    For those Transcendents obsessed with power, a world where violence was unrestrained might be exciting enough for them to raise the flag, but for the vast majority of ordinary people? To call it hell is no exaggeration.

    "It''s not a big deal if some fall through the sieve," Yan Yu firmly replied, "The essence of a Cultivator lies in quality, not quantity. One top-notch Cultivator is absolutely incomparable to hundreds or thousands of worthless ones."

    If Commander-in-Chief Li Weiguo were here, he would certainly remind Chen Tianming not to give Yan Yu this opportunity. But unfortunately, Old Li was not here, so Chen Tianming simply replied with a faint smile,

    "Perhaps as the Spiritual Energy Resurgence progresses, the ultimate strength of the Cultivators may indeed become extremely exaggerated, but that would only increase the uncertain risks."

    After all, if the overall number of Cultivators falls behind compared to other nations, who can guarantee that the number of great Cultivators wouldn''t lag as well? Great Cultivators are, after all, grown from ordinary Cultivators.

    "Oh, you misunderstand," Yan Yu said, raising his right thumb and prodding his chest, "What I mean is, having me is enough for Lu Country."

    Chen Tianming: ???

    "So what if Tianzhu has 83 times the number of Transcendents as our country?" Yan Yu said nonchalantly, "Can 83 archers from the era of cold weapons defeat one mecha pilot? I think this number is actually too small. It would be better to reach three or even four digits, to inflate their confidence enough for them to invade us, then I can go and wipe them out cleanly.

    Wouldn''t that settle the matter once and for all? Very simple."

    Chen Tianming stared at him for a long time and then suddenly burst into hearty laughter,

    "Old Li said you are very ambitious, and I didn''t believe it before, but now I''ve finally seen it."

    "It''s not that I''m ambitious," Yan Yu said calmly, "I''m just telling the truth."

    "Hmm," Chen Tianming did not express any agreement or disagreement, but picked up a cigarette from the side, did not light it, and held it in his hand, revealing a pensive expression.

    Yan Yu did not disturb his thoughts, just waited until the other''s eyes became increasingly profound and inscrutable.

    "How long will it take?" he suddenly asked.

    "Huh?" Yan Yu was puzzled.

    "For you to operate the mecha," Chen Tianming asked calmly, "How long?"

    "Let''s wait until next year," Yan Yu replied, "We''ll see how the Spiritual Energy Resurgence is progressing."

    "Okay," Chen Tianming casually lit a cigarette, "You go on with your work."

    Yan Yu then stood up and left Old Taishan in the room, enveloped in a haze of smoke, deep in thought.

    Upon leaving the administrative building, he saw Chen Lingyun waiting outside again.

    "Are you so afraid that I''ll say something wrong to your father and anger him?" Yan Yu sarcastically teased her, "Ah, I wouldn''t have thought Princess Jiang Hai would also harbor such delicate thoughts of a little housewife."

    "So, what did you say to him?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smiling smile.

    She was already exquisitely beautiful, and with her perfect, unblemished fake smile, she could make any man who liked mature women instantly betray his preferences. But Yan Yu was too familiar with her smile from his previous life; he lost the urge to tease her further and simply replied leisurely,

    "Nothing much. Your old man is worried that if Lu Country doesn''t engage in universal cultivation, we won''t be able to catch up with the number of Cultivators in other countries, and the gap will become more and more pronounced."

    "And what did you say?"

    "I said, as long as I periodically wipe out a bunch of Cultivators from other countries, won''t that control the ratio of numbers? Hahaha, I am such a genius~"

    Chen Lingyun: ..........

 Chapter 53 Sister Comes to Make a Match

    Following the official issue of the "Guidance on the Revival of Spiritual Energy" by the cabinet, the cultivation teams of the four military branches also saw a new round of expansion.With more teams and more people working, the distribution period for Mysterious Realms would be extended, and Yan Yu could finally expect a longer break, allowing him to reorganize the upgrade plan for his own team.

    Lin Ning needed to begin learning sword techniques, Su Yunjin also had to master the second form of the "Southern Dipper River Secret Spell," Chen Lingyun needed a new spirit to complete her system, and Zhao Yuanzhen...

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress herself was fine, but their puppets hadn''t received any new exotic treasures to upgrade after getting the Celestial River fixed-bottom divine needle iron last time.

    The latter two had to wait for an opportunity. The "Southern Dipper River Secret Spell" had a complete, readily available set of instructions, and for sword techniques, Mei Yingxue provided public editions of the Sword Immortal''s specialized training materials. These two could start learning first.

    "Sword techniques are actually just combinations of various sword moves, it''s very simple," said Yan Yu, forming a sword gesture with his hand and commanding the Huang Tingjian, "For instance, this move, ''White Rainbow Piercing the Sun'' if used against the person themselves, will definitely make the opponent retract their sword to defend, right?

    Otherwise, they''d be chopped to death by you, so this move is mainly used to force the enemy to switch from offense to defense."

    "Oh," said Lin Ning.

    "What about after the enemy defends?" Yan Yu continued changing the sword gestures, "Then you use this move, ''Eagle Soaring Through the Sky''.

    ''Eagle Soaring'' is different from ''White Rainbow'', where the longer the distance, the stronger the force, making it suitable for the first strike; ''Eagle Soaring'', on the other hand, is for close-quarter swordsmanship combat, breaking through the opponent''s defense with multiple instantaneous consecutive strikes.

    After you practice, you can easily achieve double strikes in a moment, but for triple strikes, you need some skill..."

    "Mhm," said Lin Ning.

    "Lin Ning, are you not in good shape today?" Yan Yu saw that she was unusually quiet today, not as inquisitive as she usually was, so he asked with concern.

    "No," Lin Ning formed a sword gesture with her hand, and the Green Bamboo Sword turned into a sword light, clashing with the Huang Tingjian. At the moment of a slight rotation in angle, it struck again, producing two sharp sounds in quick succession, "Like this?"

    "Right, just like that," thought Yan Yu, impressed with her learning ability. "Aren''t you in good shape?"

    "Good," said Lin Ning, "I''ll keep practicing on my own."

    Yan Yu also felt puzzled, but Sister Lin hadn''t been in low spirits just for today; she had been down since coming back from the Northeast¡ªlet''s see if she can adjust on her own.

    He then turned his attention to Su Yunjin''s progress and smiled, "Yun Jin, how''s your learning going? Do you need me to explain it to you?"

    The first three forms of the "Southern Dipper River Secret Spell," namely Jiaochong, Li Fan, and Lang Feiyun, could perform many highly effective combination moves.

    "What?" Su Yunjin said with a light smile, "Did you hit a wall with Ningning and come here to seek affirmation?"

    "Wow, Yun Jin, you really have a sharp eye," said Yan Yu pretending to be surprised, "Since you''re so clever, you should be able to handle a larger daily training volume, right?"

    Su Yunjin dropped her smile and ignored him, continuing to practice her spells.

    "Speaking of which, does Ningning have something on her mind?" Yan Yu asked Su Yunjin, looking at Lin Ning who was silently practicing sword moves in the distance.

    "I don''t know," replied Su Yunjin calmly.

    "That tone of yours sounds so fake," Yan Yu''s suspicions deepened.

    "Even if I knew, I wouldn''t tell the captain," Su Yunjin responded, "If Ningning has something on her mind and she chooses to only tell me, that''s because we''re close. If I then turn around and reveal her secret... Do you think I''m that kind of person?"

    "You have a point," thought Yan Yu. Secretary Su''s character is indeed reliable, and for matters like these, one would need to find someone with a questionable character to inquire about them.

    So he went to find Chen Lingyun and just happened to see her putting down her phone, smiling, "Yan Jing has already reached the high-speed train station."

    "My sister is coming?" Yan Yu was startled, then became annoyed, "She''s coming and she didn''t tell me first, why did she tell you?"

    "Who knows?" Chen Lingyun sang, "Maybe there are secrets she can''t tell her brother, like coming over a day early to meet a male net friend or something..."

    "Damn it!" Yan Yu was genuinely scared this time, "What male net friend?"

    "I''m just guessing," Chen Lingyun said with a grin.

    But how could Yan Yu believe that? If his sister was fooled by some Jinling internet cafe''s private room ghostfire boy, and later brought home a boyfriend with a rainbow-colored rooster haircut to meet their parents... Father Yan and Mother Yan would probably twist off his skull cap and yell into it, "Why didn''t you take better care of your sister?"

    He hurriedly took out his phone and called Yan Jing.

    Continue reading at empire

    Zhao Yuanzhen also came over upon hearing this and asked Chen Lingyun,

    "Has Yan Yu''s little sister arrived?"

    "Yes," Chen Lingyun did not deny, or rather, she even wished everyone knew, "She''s already arrived in Jinling."

    Zhao Yuanzhen immediately began patting her clothes and pants pockets, thinking that this was the first time she would meet the little thief''s family, and as his daoist partner, she should give some sort of gift upon meeting... Wait, were the little thief''s family cultivators or ordinary people again?

    The girls pricked up their ears and only heard Yan Yu say "okay" three times in succession, followed by a final "I''ll come pick you up," after which he put down the phone.

    Then he turned back, expressionless, and instructed,

    "I''ve got some errands to run; you guys practice on your own first, Chen Lingyun is in charge of supervising."

    After saying that, Yan Yu hurriedly turned and left.

    The girls looked once more at Chen Lingyun, casting inquiring glances at her.

    "Why are you looking at me?" Chen Lingyun asked with a puzzled tilt of her head, "Don''t you all want to follow and check it out?"

    "Let''s go, let''s go!" Zhao Yuanzhen urged, "Ling Yun, hurry and call a taxi; I want to see what kind of girl the little thief''s sister... ahem, what kind of girl Yan Yu''s sister is."

    Even Lin Ning, who was in a sullen mood, and Su Yunjin, who was still angry, couldn''t help but become a bit interested. After all, with Yan Yu''s difficult personality, his sister, who had grown up with him, would probably have some experience in "how to deal with Yan Yu," right?

    What were they waiting for! They should quickly go meet her and then ask for advice thoroughly!

    As for Yan Yu, he had taken a taxi to the high-speed train station to find his sister, who had been waiting at the exit for a long time. Yan Jing was wearing a white dress and a sun hat on her head, sitting on a large suitcase playing with her phone.

    "Just one suitcase?" Yan Yu approached and asked.

    "Yeah," Yan Jing looked up to confirm her brother had arrived and replied, "Isn''t one enough?"

    "Enough, enough, enough," Yan Yu breathed a sigh of relief, "I was afraid you wouldn''t bring even one suitcase and would just come here to throw yourself at some guy you met online. I would never tolerate that."

    "Who meets up with their online romances nowadays," Yan Jing said with disdain curling her lips, "The pursuit is of an ambiguous feeling and a hazy beauty; meeting in person would just ruin it all, okay? Brother, don''t you see those people on the internet, why they keep all information about Mysterious Realm figures a secret? What they''re selling is a love fueled by imagination."

    "Stop right there," Yan Yu interrupted, "I don''t understand you young people''s subcultures, and don''t try to clue me in either, I have limited comprehension."

    "You''re at the university-going age this year but already disconnecting from young people?" Yan Jing laughed teasingly, "No wonder you can''t find a girlfriend. Want me to introduce you to some classmates?"

    "Have you lost your mind? Aren''t all your classmates underage?" Yan Yu said, pulling her suitcase for her, "Are you trying to set me up for entrapment so you can report me and hog all of our parent''s inheritance?"

    "I didn''t say you should sleep with them," Yan Jing gave him a ''you dumb-ass brother'' look and said, "You could start with nurturing. Brother, you''re earning a monthly salary of forty thousand now, fooling those naive junior high girls should be a breeze, no?"

    "Did you look in the mirror before you said that?" Yan Yu couldn''t help but frown and said, "Who starts setting up their classmates when they''re in junior high?"

    "I''m setting them up for my brother, not for myself," Yan Jing quickly corrected him, "There are so many guys in big cities who aren''t interested in dating. If brother stays single forever and turns into a gloomy, creeping, homebound otaku, I would find that pretty disgusting too, okay?"

    "That''s hilarious, how could your brother possibly not find anyone?" Yan Yu was amused by her and forcefully ruffled her hair, "The women chasing after me could form a line around West Lake, you know?"

    "Getting anxious, brother?" Yan Jing brushed away the hand that was messing up her hair, speaking irritably, "You''re not going to tell me you are spending forty thousand yuan a month in mobile games, then show me a gallery saying ''all these are my wives,'' right? Wake up, okay? Forget about making a line around West Lake. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Even if you had a line of paper-person wives from Shanhai Pass to Jiayuguan Pass, that sort of thing wouldn''t be recognized by the family. I wouldn''t have to worry so much if you just manage to win over Sister Ling Yun..."

    Before she could finish, a business car stopped by the roadside ahead.

    Lin Ning, Zhao Yuanzhen, Su Yunjin, and Chen Lingyun got out of the car one after another and started walking towards Yan Yu and his sister.

    Four exceptionally beautiful sisters... directly stunned Yan Jing.

 Chapter 54 If You Cant Play, Then Dont Play, Alright?

    Sitting in the business van, Yan Jing, who was usually lively and cheerful, suddenly became strangely restrained when she was surrounded by several beautiful older sisters."Is Jingjing attending middle school?" Su Yunjin asked with a smile.

    "She''s talking to you," Yan Yu poked his sister''s head.

    "Mhm," Yan Jing nodded honestly, "I''m in the eighth grade."

    "How are your grades then?" Lin Ning asked with interest, joining the conversation.

    "Ningning, who asks about grades when you''ve just met someone?" Chen Lingyun said with a smile. Knowing she had made a faux pas, Lin Ning hastily coughed and said:

    "Cough, I was just making conversation, forget I asked."

    "It''s okay," Yan Jing said, "My grades are pretty good, I''m always within the top ten in my grade."

    "Wow, so we''ve got a little academic overachiever here." The girls all laughed, looking at her with even more affection.

    Such a sweet and obedient girl, how could she possibly be the sister of Captain Yan? Could it be a genetic mutation?

    "Don''t praise her too much; it''s still too early to talk about grades in the eighth grade," Yan Yu said sternly, "She has to keep it up until the high school entrance exam at least."

    "Tsk," the girls protested in unison.

    Even Zhao Yuanzhen, who had not experienced the exam-oriented education system, naturally aligned with the other girls when it came to resisting Yan Yu.

    "Ignore your brother." She hugged Yan Jing''s arm and said proudly, "Sister will take you to try Jinling''s delicacies later."

    Your next chapter is on empire

    A forced smile appeared on Yan Jing''s face, but inside she was grumbling to herself:

    So big¡­ how did they grow like that? It''s getting a bit annoying.

    She stealthily examined Zhao Yuanzhen; indeed, her figure was nearly perfect, and to top it off, she had a melon-seed shaped face, with arms and shoulders that were not too chubby. They say "great fruits grow on slender branches" must not be natural, right? But looking at the shape, they didn''t seem to be surgically implanted prosthetics either...

    And this Sister Zhao, when she talked to others, always seemed a bit of an airhead, not the deliberate kind that acted dumb to lure men, but rather a naturally simple-minded kind of ditz - really scary, all her talents must have been spent on chopping men down.

    Yan Jing discreetly shifted her gaze, continuing to survey the other girls around her.

    The sister with the gentle temperament should be Su Yunjin; she was the type of young lady who clearly came from a good upbringing, destined to be a wise and virtuous wife.

    Then there was Lin Ning with her black, straight hair wearing a sports tank top ¨C wow, such volume of hair would make anyone envious! Thick, black, and silky-smooth, you could tell it would feel amazing to touch! I''ll have to ask her what shampoo she uses.

    And there was Chen Lingyun sitting next to me, petite and cute like a doll, and she really knew how to rock that sweet girl style! She was just a little on the short side; I wonder if my brother likes that type.

    Yan Jing''s thoughts drifted far away for a moment, but then she was suddenly pulled back by a horrifying, thrilling thought.

    Wait a minute! If I were my brother, surrounded by these beauties, wouldn''t I end my single life at lightning speed?

    But why doesn''t my brother have a girlfriend yet?

    Could it be that he... No way, right?

    After remaining silent for a while, Yan Jing secretly took out her phone and started texting Yan Yu.

    [Arrogant Monster]: Big brother, if you don''t reproduce properly, Dad will definitely be angered to death by you.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: ???

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Sick? Treatment? Medicine?

    [Arrogant Monster]: Did you know that if a man walks through a garden of flowers without a single leaf sticking to him, we usually call him ''brass,'' either the brass of Shaolin Temple''s Wooden Men Lane or the brass of the Big Bird Rotating Bar. So, which kind are you, big brother?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Aside from monks and gays, can''t there be perfectionists with high standards for choosing a spouse? Do you really think any of them are worthy of me?

    [Arrogant Monster]: Why would big brother ask that kind of question? Does our family have a throne for you to inherit that you''re putting on airs and picking a consort? Aren''t you worried that if you''re too slow, others will chase them away?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Then which one do you think is worthy of me?

    [Arrogant Monster]: Socrates once sent Plato to a wheat field to pick the fullest ear of wheat, but he had to keep moving forward, couldn''t turn back, and could only pick once. In the end, Plato came out with nothing because every time he saw a full ear, he worried that there would be a better one later, so he ended up with nothing.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Not bad at memorizing the material for middle school essays, but you''ve got one thing wrong.

    [Arrogant Monster]: Big brother is about to talk nonsense again.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I''m the landlord! All the wheat in my field is mine; I can pick as much wheat as I want!

    [Arrogant Monster]: How about we let mom and dad be the judge of that?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Don''t tell them just yet; it''s too early for that, as things are not even certain yet. I''m just asking for your opinion right now.

    [Tsundere Monster]: I don''t know.

    [Tsundere Monster]: I''ll have to observe carefully.

    [Tsundere Monster]: After all, with a temper as difficult as yours, big bro, I also need to consider whether any of them would actually be interested in you. That''s the most important part.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Then I''ll leave it to you, I want results before we head back.

    Yan Jing slapped her forehead as she read her big brother''s reply.

    I knew I couldn''t rely on big bro at all!

    Others might think big bro is just being a hands-off manager, but as his sister who grew up with him, of course, I know he''s saying that because he can''t make up his mind and wants to hear his little sister''s opinion... You''re already hesitant before you even figure out if they like you?

    Forget it, it''s up to me, apparently a middle-schooler on the outside but actually a love detective on the inside, to step in!

    Yan Jing looked at the four "distinct talents of spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums" in the car, her eyes spinning as she quickly formulated a plan in her mind.

    "Big bro." She called out crisply.

    "What?" Yan Yu asked back.

    "Do you remember the Qian Qian on the first floor?" Yan Jing mentioned casually.

    "I remember, what about her?" Yan Yu was somewhat surprised.

    "I heard from mom that she was once betrothed to you as a child." Yan Jing said lightly, quickly scanning the sisters around her from the corner of her eye.

    Facial micro-expression detection radar, activate!

    Sister Ling Yun¡ªexpression unchanged, indifferent. Wait, the corner of her mouth is curling up, is that a smirk? She doesn''t buy it!

    Sister Yun Jin¡ªfrowning slightly, eyelids drooping. Hmm, there seems to be a bit of unhappiness there.

    Sister Lin Ning¡ªlooking out the window, lips pursed. Obviously annoyed, very resistant to what she heard.

    And then there''s the sister best at nourishing others, what was her name again?

    "What childhood betrothal?" Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly widened her eyes, grabbed Yan Yu''s shoulders, and started shaking him fiercely while gritting her teeth, "Why haven''t you ever told me about this?"

    "Let go!" Yan Yu shook off her hands, clearly annoyed, "I don''t even know about it! How could I tell you? Jingjing, are you mistaken?"

    "Oh, seems like I got it wrong." Yan Jing let out a forced laugh.

    No need to analyze micro-expressions; the nourishing sister blew up immediately.

    Based on this probing, it''s clear the nourishing sister definitely likes big bro, and Sisters Yun Jin and Lin Ning both showed a little emotion, likely having thoughts about big bro, but it''s uncertain whether it amounts to liking. Sister Ling Yun probably saw through my testing, so her expression can''t be trusted. More investigation is needed.

    As Yan Jing organized her thoughts, Lin Ning asked out of the blue:

    "You still have that custom of childhood betrothals over there?"

    "Oh, it might just be something the elders say for fun." Yan Jing quickly tried to cover up with a laugh, "We aren''t in the old society anymore, and it''s not like we can be forced into engagement just because our parents made a promise over drinks."

    "Mm, I also think it might just be a precaution." Su Yunjin said in a lingering tone, "Perhaps if both of them haven''t found a partner when they grow up, they arrange a blind date to see if they could match. That might be the idea."

    Lin Ning was silent for a while, then said with a smile:

    "Probably. Elders just like to meddle in these things."

    No one continued the topic. The air inside the car became tenser, heavier, the atmosphere already noticeably more hostile.

    Yan Jing suddenly regretted her words and quickly shot her brother a look seeking help, while Yan Yu also looked over with an annoyed expression.

    See the mess you''ve made! If you don''t know how to play the game, then don''t play, all right?

    "Ahem." He cleared his throat, then sneered unabashedly, "Blind dates? Precautions? Do you need to go to the hospital to wash your brains or what? With my qualifications, do I need blind dates? Do you believe that if I snap my fingers to say I want to date, women from all over the country will flock to Jinling and jam the traffic?"

    "Indeed." Chen Lingyun chimed in with a smile, "If he really said that, arrangements would surely be made, after all, there are plenty of eligible unmarried women in agencies across the country."

    "That''s still another form of a blind date!" Lin Ning couldn''t help retorting, "You''re not even considering free love, are you?"

    "Of course, it''s because there''s no woman worthy of me in my life." Yan Yu shook his head, putting on airs, "Sigh, being too excellent is also a problem."

    Yan Jing watched her own big brother say those absurdly self-obsessed words, mouth agape. Yet, the other sisters, rather than showing disgust, all seemed strangely eased by his words, and the initially hostile atmosphere dissipated into nothingness.

    Why is this happening! I don''t understand!

    S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 55 The Love Detective

    "Wow! What a huge villa!"After returning home, Yan Jing quickly became excited, running around the living room, looking here and there, and turning her head to call out:

    "Big bro, did you buy this villa?"

    "We all chipped in to buy it," Yan Yu answered.

    "How much did it cost?" Yan Jing naively asked.

    "Little kids shouldn''t ask so many questions," Yan Yu brushed off her inquiry.

    "Heh," Yan Jing revealed a mocking expression, "Sneaking off to buy a house without telling mom and dad, huh? Then you better get ready to pay me hush money."

    "How about I physically silence you instead?" Yan Yu said with a sinister smile, "Which do you think will cause amnesia more easily, a hit to the back of the head or the neck?"

    "Hmph!" Yan Jing wanted to say, "Then I''ll call the police and get you arrested," but then she remembered her older brother was now in a military academy, beyond the reach of the constables, so she stamped her foot, turned her head, and whooshed up to the second floor.

    Only after his sister had left did Lin Ning incredulously ask:

    "You didn''t tell your family about the prize money you won from the Mysterious Realm?"

    "Why should I?" Yan Yu counter-questioned her, "Don''t tell me you talked to your family about it?"

    "Of course," Lin Ning said.

    "Then your dad got even more anxious and started to rush you even harder to find a boyfriend," Yan Yu said.

    "How do you know?" Lin Ning was suddenly shocked.

    "Because the more money a girl makes, the higher her standards become," Chen Lingyun said with a laugh from the side, "Those earning five thousand a month expect their partner to make over ten thousand; those making ten thousand will raise their expectations to twenty thousand. The result is that the more you earn, the easier it is to end up single and available." S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "So what if I end up single?" Lin Ning countered defiantly, "When I become an old lady, I''ll just go live with Yun Jin, the two of us supporting each other."

    "That won''t do," Su Yunjin laughed as she shook her head, "I''m going to get married, so I can''t spend my life just with you."

    "Eh?" Lin Ning was taken aback.

    Zhao Yuanzhen listened to their conversation about marriage and fate with an indifferent "heh, so that''s it" expression on her face.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress, already with a partner, wasn''t flustered at all, and even wanted to laugh¡ªhaha, leftover ladies, I''ve already landed safely ashore!

    "Big bro, which room do I sleep in?" Yan Jing asked, poking her head from upstairs.

    "Whichever room is empty," Yan Yu answered.

    "Which room are you in?" Yan Jing pressed on with her question.

    "The one with the plaque on the door," Yan Yu replied.

    Yan Jing continued investigating on the second floor and indeed found that the door of the master bedroom at the end of the hallway had a plaque with the character "Yan" on it.

    Although there were many rooms in the villa, it was clearly designed for a single family, so there was only one largest master bedroom with an en-suite bathroom. All other rooms seemed to be secondary bedrooms based on their size.

    Considering the layout, with the secondary bedrooms lacking private bathrooms, one would naturally choose to be closer to the common bathroom¡ªthe fewer nighttime trips, the better. Yet these sisters all chose to stay next to their older brother''s room.

    Hmm...

    Yan Jing''s gaze sharpened as she acutely sensed the secret behind everyone''s room choices, likely something unknown even to the people involved.

    Hmph, you can''t hide it from the brain of this detective of love!

    After picking the room closest to the common bathroom, Yan Jing wheeled her suitcase inside, then came out, feigning nonchalance, and went downstairs.

    While still on the staircase, she could already smell the aroma of pickled fish.

    Upon reaching the first floor, she saw Sister Lin attending to the gas stove in the semi-open kitchen, one side simmering with a pot of pickled fish soup and the other sizzling with a frying pan filled with seven or eight chicken wings.

    Sister Su was beside her, chopping vegetables, preparing sides like black fungus, enoki mushrooms, lettuce, and dried bean curd sticks.

    In the spacious living room, her big brother was lying on the sofa playing with his phone, without any intention of helping in the kitchen.

    Sister Zhao was sitting next to him, watching TV and cracking sunflower seeds. The small mountain of seed shells on the table was evidence that this sister''s breastfeeding prowess wasn''t entirely due to genetics; a high intake of fats was a significant factor as well.

    Chen, the most delicate-looking sister, was sitting alone in a wicker chair near the balcony, enjoying the distant river view, leisurely sipping coffee, with a serene and sweet smile on her face.

    So elegant! Just too elegant!

    Read latest chapters at empire

    Seeing this, the detective of love gathered some preliminary intelligence:

    Sister Lin and Sister Su were more suitable for a domestic life, the virtuous type, while Sister Zhao and Sister Chen sought too much personal pleasure, which warranted deductions. However, Sister Zhao had the best figure, and Sister Chen was the most beautiful, which added back points in their favor.

    Hmm, if I were my brother, I too would have a tough time choosing.

    The investigation continues!

    Yan Jing first entered the kitchen, deliberately exclaiming:

    "Wow, it smells so good!"

    "Does Jingjing like to eat fish?" Lin Ning asked with a smile.

    "Yeah," Yan Jing moved closer to her and tentatively said, "Brother also really likes fish."

    "Don''t worry about him," Lin Ning immediately pouted and said, "He doesn''t help out, so whatever we cook, he''ll just have to eat."

    "Brother doesn''t help out?" Yan Jing asked knowingly, "Then why do you still cook for him?"

    "We can''t always order takeout," said Su Yunjin while chopping vegetables.

    Yan Jing: .........

    If it were her sharing an apartment with roommates, and the roommates never cooked, she certainly wouldn''t cook for both of them¡ªeven though she definitely wasn''t some kind of saint!

    But to conclude from this that the two older sisters were interested in Big Brother, the evidence was still somewhat insufficient.

    Yan Jing glanced at Big Brother playing with his phone in the living room and decided to go for a direct approach.

    "Speaking of which," she said nonchalantly, "why did Sister Zhao react so strongly when I mentioned in the car that my brother has a childhood betrothal?"

    Su Yunjin''s vegetable cutting paused abruptly, while Lin Ning fell silent for a moment before saying:

    "I don''t know, you can ask her."

    There it was, a clear sign of resistance. The two sisters definitely had something to hide.

    Feigning ignorance, Yan Jing continued:

    "Sigh, even if there really was such a betrothal, Big Brother definitely wouldn''t agree."

    "Why?" Lin Ning immediately asked in surprise.

    Su Yunjin, although not turning back, paused in her actions, clearly her attention was drawn as well.

    "Because my brother is super narcissistic," Yan Jing laughed and said, "How could he possibly accept an arrangement by his parents and marry a woman with whom he feels no affection?"

    "Ah, I see." Lin Ning and Su Yunjin were quite surprised, but upon further reflection, it indeed seemed consistent with the captain''s character, so they quietly breathed sighs of relief and got back to work.

    Yan Jing, noticing their subtle sense of relief, finally arrived at an answer.

    Even if they hadn''t explicitly expressed liking Big Brother, at the very least they "harbored positive feelings" towards him¡ªin other words, as long as Big Brother actively pursued them and didn''t do anything stupid, the odds were high that things would naturally develop.

    As for Sister Zhao, there was no need to mention her. As soon as she heard ''childhood betrothal'' she became anxious, which showed that she was already firmly caught by Big Brother.

    So the only one left is you, Sister Chen!

    Yan Jing walked to the balcony, calling out with a beaming smile:

    "Sister Chen."

    "Would you like some coffee?" Chen Lingyun stood up.

    "Thank you."

    Chen Lingyun gracefully stood and made a cup of coffee for Yan Jing. The latter held the cup and took a few sips before complimenting:

    "It''s delicious. Sister Chen, your skill could rival a professional barista''s."

    "Hmm, that''s good," Chen Lingyun said with a slight smile, "I don''t dislike your brother, you know~"

    "Ah?" Yan Jing was momentarily taken aback before realizing¡ª the other person had seen through her probing and straightforwardly given an answer.

    "Just ''don''t dislike''?" she asked with a beaming smile, "Sister Ling Yun, when you reached out to me before, I thought you were interested in my brother."

    "Well, I can''t really tell," Chen Lingyun said slowly, "After all, I''ve never been in love before."

    "I can only say that if the person I spend my life with is him, I think I would be okay with that."

    Yan Jing had never been in love either, but with her extensive knowledge of various novels and TV shows, she fancied herself as experienced as an expert and thus was full of confidence.

    If spending a lifetime together was okay, wasn''t that a confirmed romance for Sister Chen? Many couples who had confirmed their relationship wouldn''t dare say they were "already sure about spending their life with the other person"!

    Case closed! To the eyes of this love detective, there''s only one clear truth!

    The four sisters living in this villa all have the potential to be my brother''s love interest!

    Now it''s time to choose the love conquest path!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    "So after all your investigation, you came up with such an obvious conclusion?" Yan Yu didn''t hide the scorn on his face, "You useless little thing, I knew I couldn''t count on you."

    "What the heck?!" Yan Jing protested, "Big Brother, with your freakish level of narcissism, finding four sisters willing to accept you is already incredibly unbelievable, okay? Of course, I had to check carefully!"

    "Check my foot!" Yan Yu said in disappointment, "Let''s just leave it at that."

    "So who does Big Brother have the highest affection for right now... I mean, which sister do you like the most?" Yan Jing shamelessly leaned in to ask.

    "Go away, kids shouldn''t ask so many questions."

 Chapter 56 Lin Nings mood value has risen again.

    "Brother.""What is it?" Read new chapters at empire

    "Why doesn''t a grown man like you start a family?"

    "Buzz off."

    "I think that Miss Chen is exquisite and beautiful, with refined taste, a fine match indeed."

    "Miss Chen is arrogant; I don''t like her."

    "Miss Zhao has a charming figure and is easy to care for, would make a delicate wife."

    "Miss Zhao is stupid; I don''t like her either."

    "Miss Lin can enter the kitchen and wield a spoon with her bare hands, suitable to be a wife."

    "Miss Lin is blunt; I don''t like her either."

    "Miss Su is gentle and understanding, a great choice for a main wife."

    "Miss Su is crafty; I don''t like her either."

    "The reason you''re still single isn''t because they''re arrogant, stupid, blunt, or crafty. It''s because you''ve enclosed yourself in a circle and refuse to step lightly into love."

    "Enough already, now you''re the expert, eh? Go back to your room."

    "Hmph, I''m going to tell mom to pick a daughter-in-law for you."

    "Suit yourself."

    Yan Yu chased his hopping and skipping sister out of the room and sighed helplessly.

    In other families, sisters either diligently pester their older brothers or don''t speak a word to them for half a year. Why is mine always thinking about getting me a sister-in-law? She''s more eager to marry me off than my own parents! S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    After freshening up in the bathroom, Yan Yu put on his pajamas and was about to lie down when he suddenly heard an urgent knock on the door.

    A Demonic Sect Enchantress? What time is it now, and she''s already rushing over for dual cultivation?

    When Yan Yu opened the door, it wasn''t Zhao Yuanzhen, but Lin Ning, Sister Lin, wearing a white T-shirt, her hands clutching the hem of her shirt, revealing her fair and tender thighs.

    "Excuse me, I need to use the bathroom." Lin Ning was also very agile, and before Yan Yu could ask, she darted under his arm¡ªit looked like the girl wasn''t wearing pants, only relying on the shirt hem to cover her thighs, which explained why she had to hold it down to prevent exposing herself.

    "What''s wrong with the bathroom outside?" he asked casually.

    "It''s occupied," Lin Ning said from inside, having closed the door behind her.

    Not having an en-suite bathroom in the bedroom was inconvenient; if someone was inside and you needed to use it urgently, it could be very troublesome.

    Yan Yu didn''t mind letting her use it, though; he just lazily lay in bed, playing with his phone.

    [Shenxing Qianli] invites you to join the chat group, where 6 of your friends are also members.

    Yan Yu: ?

    [Shenxing Qianli] is Qiu Ze''s chat account nickname. He clicked accept without much thought and was quickly added to a group with nearly sixty members.

    [Shenxing Qianli]: @Everyone/Welcome Captain Yan to the group.

    Below, a row of emojis flooded in, either showing reverence or applause, but among them was a discordant voice.

    [Rizhao Zhujiang]: Why didn''t I get such a reception when I joined the group?

    [Shenxing Qianli]: Haha, Captain Yan is our Zhendong Army''s top cultivator; as the group admin, of course, I have to make a big deal of it.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Li Zhaojiang, aren''t you being childish, fussing over this?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: @Yuegua Donghu, Li Minghu come manage your brother.

    [Rizhao Zhujiang]: Scram scram scram scram scram scram scram!

    [Rizhao Zhujiang]: I''m warning you, don''t just @ my sister.

    [Rizhao Zhujiang]: She''s currently at the hospital for check-ups, and doesn''t have time for you.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: @Yi De Fu Ren, what''s up?

    Immediately, the chat was overrun with laughing emojis, as no one had expected a comeback that swift.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Keep an eye on your brother.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Sure, smile.

    Li Zhaojiang stopped talking, apparently so devastated that he went off to sulk.

    [Liu Shao]: How''s Vice-Captain Li''s health?

    [Zhu Jun]: If the Xingwang Residence can''t cure it, you could come to Pingjing to see. Our Dingbei Army can help arrange for experts to consult.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Thanks, it''s an old issue, no serious worries for now.

    Once again, a string of emojis wishing good health cascaded down the chat.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Hey, why hasn''t Xiao Zhou joined the group chat?

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: Captain Zhou probably hasn''t seen the invite yet, I''ll go ask her.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: What Xiao Zhou? Yan Yu, our Captain Zhou was born in the same year as you, even a month earlier, so if you''re going to address her, it should be as Sister.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: There was a mistake in the year on my ID card when it was registered; it''s a year late, so I''m actually older than all of you, remember to call me brother.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Really?

    [Ninghai Old Meng]: Tang Xiaolian, you believe that?

    [Liu Shao]: Judged as fake at first glance.

    Knocking echoed again outside, and then Zhao Yuanzhen pushed the door open, lifted her mobile phone and said,

    "Someone just tried to invite me into a group chat, take a look... should I join?"

    "Go ahead and join." Yan Yu glanced at her phone, "It''s probably an internal chat for the cultivators of the team."

    "Oh, okay." Zhao Yuanzhen sat down beside his bed and casually tapped ''agree.''

    [Grand Dame Surnamed Zhao] joined the chat group.

    "What''s this group for?" Zhao Yuanzhen continued to inquire.

    "It''s for cultivators to chat." Yan Yu kept playing with his phone, "You don''t need to worry about it."

    "Team cultivators... so it''s the current most powerful cultivators of Lu Country, all in this group, right?" Zhao Yuanzhen pondered.

    "Mmm-hmm," Yan Yu replied nonchalantly.

    Zhao Yuanzhen wanted to ask something else but then saw Lin Ning coming out of the bathroom.

    The two women locked eyes, and then their expressions both began to change¡ªDemonic Sect Enchantress''s face turned dark while Sister Lin turned pale.

    "You done in the toilet?" Yan Yu raised his head.

    Zhao Yuanzhen then noticed that Lin Ning was properly dressed, and with the sound of the flushing toilet, she could easily guess that it was just a "toilet visit" and not "hiding from me after I caught her in a private meeting with Yan Yu," so her expression softened again.

    To cover up her embarrassment at having misunderstood the situation, she quickly showed a smile and pulled Lin Ning to the side of the bed:

    "Ningning, come here, there''s an internal group chat for cultivators, let me pull you in."

    Lin Ning, treated with such zeal by Zhao Yuanzhen, was also puzzled for a moment, but followed her lead in joining the chat group, before she managed a forced smile:

    "I just came to use the toilet, I won''t disturb you two."

    "No disturbance." Yan Yu replied without looking up, "We haven''t started the Qi refinement yet."

    "Qi refinement?" Lin Ning asked, surprised.

    "Er," Zhao Yuanzhen hesitated for a moment, thinking that although the matter of dual cultivation needed to be kept secret from outsiders, Sister Lin had joined their team for so long and was now living together with them, which seemed to mean she couldn''t be considered an outsider, so she explained,

    "It''s dual cultivation. Two people practice Qi Refinement together, it''s more efficient... but you must keep it a secret, okay?"

    "Alright." Lin Ning nodded stiffly, and then slowly began to realize the implications.

    The current Qi Refinement technique that everyone used for their practice was the "National Standard Qi Refinement Technique" recorded in the Comprehensive Guide to Cultivation (adapted from Mei Yingxue''s Primordial Unity Scripture), which didn''t include any parts about dual cultivation.

    This meant that the captain and Sister Zhao must have gotten hold of another Qi Refinement technique and didn''t want to turn it over to the state, so they gathered every night, secretly practicing dual cultivation without telling anyone... So it wasn''t a secret rendezvous!

    Her mood soon brightened, and she said with a smile:

    "A secret cultivation technique, huh? I won''t tell anyone, heading back now."

    After watching Lin Ning leave the room, Zhao Yuanzhen turned to ask:

    "Hey, can we trust Lin Ning?"

    "Why not?" Yan Yu raised his eyebrows, "Besides, she doesn''t know what technique we''re practicing."

    "That''s true." Zhao Yuanzhen pondered.

    "Actually, living under the same roof and next to each other, it''s only a matter of time before it gets discovered," Yan Yu continued, "Lin Ning is simple and straightforward. Being a little open with her, she won''t overthink it. In the future, if you are out on duty, and you two share a room at night, she could help cover for you."

    "You really think of everything." Zhao Yuanzhen gave up on further thought and carefully climbed onto Yan Yu''s bed, "Let''s begin then."

    "Hold on," Yan Yu said.

    He sat up in bed, looking towards the door, and spoke in a low voice,

    "My sister is also at home today, which is a bit risky. It would be safer to wait until after midnight when everyone is asleep to proceed with the dual cultivation."

    "That''s better." Zhao Yuanzhen fell silent for a moment, then suddenly said,

    "By the way..."

    "What''s up?" Yan Yu asked.

    "When you were younger, you really weren''t betrothed?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked doubtfully.

    "Get lost."

 Chapter 57 Have you heard of the Three Island Treasure Ship?

    when yan jing was about to come over, yan yu once worried whether she could get along well with the team members.after all, the emotions among girls can be far more complicated than those among boys. what''s more, many women might take an instant dislike to each other even upon a single meeting without exchanging a word.

    fortunately, it turned out that her sister''s charisma was not only effective at home but also worked its charm on outsiders.

    just after one day, all the girls were already affectionately calling her jingjing and even treating her like their own little sister.

    however, thinking about it, chen lingyun and su yunjin were only daughters in their families, and lin ning seemed to only have a brother and a sister. as for the demonic sect enchantress in this world, she was all alone¡ªindeed, none of them had a younger sister, which explained why they all tapped into their sisterly instincts with yan jing. this explanation did seem reasonable.

    "jingjing, do you want to eat this?" zhao yuanzhen offered her some snacks.

    "thank you, sister," yan jing sweetly replied.

    yan yu watched with a frown from the side. he was well aware of the cunning nature of the demonic sect enchantress, who would never offer favors without an ulterior motive¡ªher kindness was either a ruse or theft. but he was also clear that his own sister was no pushover, so it was hard to say who would end up on the losing side of this contest of mischief.

    "jingjing, i took the clothes you changed out of last night to the washing machine," su yunjin reminded her.

    "okay, thank you sister su," yan jing replied with a smile.

    "jingjing," lin ning asked curiously, "are you and yan yu really blood siblings?"

    "yes," yan jing answered. "even though my brother is narcissistic, reclusive, and somewhat morally flexible, he is indeed my blood-related brother."

    "it''s a shame to be yan yu''s sister," chen lingyun said with a laugh. "why not come and be my sister?"

    "since i''ve already called sister ling yun, we are of course sisters now," yan jing said with a smile, hugging chen lingyun. the two were about the same height, standing together made it difficult to tell who looked more like the older sister.

    yan yu observed from behind with a cold eye, the more he watched, the more his scalp tingled.

    he was all too familiar with his sister''s ability to climb up the social ladder. back when they were young and got into trouble in their previous lives, yan yu was always the only one who got punished...

    because as soon as father yan picked up a stick, yan jing would immediately burst into crocodile tears and act pitiful, so convincingly that even yan yu, who knew the truth, couldn''t help but feel sorry for her.

    having lived two lives, this life''s yan yu would not be so despicable and loathed, but it was probably because he was constantly imitating and learning from his mature older brother that yan jing''s eq had soared.

    at a young age, she had already mastered the skill of "talking to people in their own language," and there wasn''t anyone, whether relatives or teachers and classmates at school, who didn''t like her.

    hmph, the only one immune to her tricks was her brilliantly intelligent older brother. you may be as cunning as an old ghost, chen lingyun, but aren''t you still bewitched by her?

    yan yu got up and stretched, and suddenly his phone rang.

    "hello?" li weiguo''s voice came through on the other end, "are you at school? come to my office."

    "sure," yan yu promptly accepted.

    ah, so old li is finally back.

    "if chen lingyun is there, bring her with you," li weiguo continued.

    "got it," yan yu hung up the phone and said to chen lingyun:

    "let''s go."

    "where are you going, big brother?" yan jing asked in surprise.

    "off to work," yan yu replied succinctly.

    leaving his sister in the care of the other three girls, yan yu and chen lingyun rushed to school and entered the principal''s office, where they saw li weiguo on the phone and chen tianming standing with his hands behind his back, staring at the wall.

    the wall, which was once cluttered with many things, had now been cleaned up and fitted with large tactical display screens.

    the screen showed a dynamic shipping map with many arrow symbols representing ships moving in real-time. judging by the contour of the coastline, it seemed to be... eh, the south sea?

    li weiguo hung up the phone, looked up at yan yu, and said:

    "you arrived just in time, there''s something i need to tell you."

    he picked up something resembling a remote control and pressed a few buttons aimed at the display screen. soon a video window popped up with the progress bar already advanced to the middle. from the sound of it, it seemed to be a military report:

    "at 2:07 pm on august 25, our unit detected an unidentified fleet appearing in the direction of the south sea, at coordinates 118 degrees east longitude and 14 degrees north latitude, heading north-northeast at a speed of 22 knots..."

    the video zoomed in quickly to show a fleet of ships cutting through the waves in the distance. the ships had an ancient look, resembling the treasure ships of the lu country from antiquity, with wooden hull structures and huge sails, towering and majestic.

    li weiguo paused the video and asked yan yu:

    "what do you think?"

    what does he mean, what do i think? are you the commander in chief of the zhendong army, or am i?

    yan yu was left speechless as well and asked:

    "have we sent any landing craft over to check it out?"

    find your next read at empire

    li weiguo did not reply, but instead said:

    "the miti cvn-144 carrier strike group, originally patrolling near the strait of malacca, has arrived at the target area and dispatched military aircraft to conduct a probing bombardment on the fleet."

    "oh," yan yu said with a chuckle, "i suppose the fleet must be completely unscathed, otherwise we wouldn''t be standing here discussing it."

    "that''s right," li weiguo nodded, "the target is less than 160 kilometers from the sulu coast, and given that the fleet''s hull is of an ancient lu country model, sulu mistook it for an invasion by our secret fleet and sought assistance from miti that same day.

    miti, under the guise of defending an ally, intervened and launched an unauthorised attack on the target fleet after confirming the situation with us."

    hearing this, yan yu was also at a loss for words, but it was undeniably miti''s brash style.

    the south sea is an absolute lu country sphere of influence. miti keeps instigating sulu to cause trouble, but knows that it''s impossible to win here, hence they harbour the mindset of "if i can''t have it, neither can you" trying to conduct a destructive bombardment on the mysterious fleet.

    "the result was that the bombs detonated at an altitude of 300 meters right above the fleet," continued li weiguo as he manipulated the remote, and a 3d modeling diagram popped up on the screen, "we have confirmed that there''s an invisible force field surrounding the fleet, blocking all matter and energy that approaches it."

    "even the sea water beneath the fleet is completely isolated from the water outside the force field. penetrating this force field is very difficult, but we have observed that the speed of the target fleet is decreasing, and it is expected to come to a halt by the afternoon of september 1st."

    "the mechanism seems quite simple," chen lingyun said with a smile, "if we consider the fleet to be a secret realm, then while the fleet is still sailing, the secret realm does not allow outsiders to enter.

    hence, we can speculate that when the fleet comes to a complete stop, the situation may change¡ªperhaps the invisible force field will disappear, or perhaps an entrance will appear, allowing external powers to board and explore?"

    "we can only say that these possibilities are not ruled out," li weiguo said solemnly, "considering that the situation is quite complex, the privy council has decided to dispatch you and the qing''an squad to go there to assist the annan navy in taking over. if the secret realm opens, we must seize the opportunity to land first. the code name for this operation is ''three isles treasure ship''. s§×arch* the ¦Çov§×lfire .net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    do you have any questions?"

    "yes," yan yu asked seriously, "who are we up against this time?"

    "currently, it''s not certain," li weiguo slowly said, "sulu has publicly claimed ownership of the three isles treasure ship, so they will definitely send transcendents to battle. but their military strength is so weak, we can disregard them."

    "aside from sulu, there are three other potential forces."

    "first is miti. sulu has requested that miti send transcendent forces from their homeland to assist; miti has not yet responded to this. it is currently believed that miti is highly likely to join this competition, but they may not send their elite forces."

    yan yu silently recalled for a moment, remembering that in his previous life, miti had signed the so-called "long-arm statute," empowering the homeland strategic bureau''s "superheroes" the right to intervene in any secret realm located in international waters or within a country''s borders.

    after all, unlike lu country, who raises its own, miti''s "superheroes" are all brought in from around the world with money¡ªthey wouldn''t be heartbroken if these recruits died, as they could just crank up the money printer and buy new ones.

    "second is southeast asia. sulu has already extended invitations to neighboring countries to jointly develop the three isles treasure ship secret realm," li weiguo said with a grave expression, "it''s the old ruse of setting a tiger to fight a wolf, but it''s effective. luo yue and java have already responded, and we are still persuading the other countries.

    however, just to be safe, we will assume they all will join the battle."

    yan yu had no doubt about that. these guys were like sharks in his past life, rushing to take a bite at the scent of blood¡ªtheir motives were completely different from miti''s.

    their main issue was that the number of transcendents within their countries was increasing too rapidly, and the per capita cultivation resources were severely lacking, pushing them to expand outward due to internal pressure. trying to persuade their ruling classes was futile, as they couldn''t control the massive number of grassroots cultivators who were nearly unable to fend for themselves.

    "finally, there''s chongying," li weiguo paused for a moment before continuing, "chongying had originally responded to sulu''s call for support, but due to the recent emergence of a secret realm on ezo island, chongying will naturally shift their focus northward, and we can consider them out of the race for the three isles treasure ship."

    ezo archipelago, controlled by rashas and disputed with chongying, has always been a thorn in the side for chongying. with siberia in turmoil cutting off rashas in the middle, chongying''s strategic goal will definitely be to seize ezo¡ªfailure to do so would lead to the entire cabinet committing ritual suicide, so its importance is not overstated.

    "understood," yan yu began to make his calculations, "this time we''re up against miti and southeast asia... alright. when do we need to depart?"

    "tomorrow afternoon," li weiguo asked with a smile, "i''ve given you a whole day to prepare, is that enough?"

    "that''s more than enough," yan yu nodded calmly.

    he initially wanted to say, "there''s no need to prepare; i can leave right now." but then he remembered he had a sister at home! it surely wasn''t proper to rush to jinling prefecture just yesterday, only to leave her alone at home today.

    departing tomorrow was also fine; at least he could spend the day with his sister.

    once yan yu and chen lingyun left, li weiguo''s smile faded and his brows furrowed instead.

    "what''s wrong, old li?" chen tianming asked with a smile, "i see yan yu isn''t worried, so why are you getting anxious?"

    "this kid, every time i ask him, he''s got to show off on the spot," li weiguo said with a wry smile, "now that he''s suddenly stopped showing off, i''m actually a bit unaccustomed to it."

    "mmm," chen tianming expressed his understanding, "it''s about keeping the troops for a thousand days, and using them at the crucial moment."

    "no matter how rugged and dangerous their path, in the end, they have to walk it themselves."

 Chapter 58 Splitting 50/50 with Chen Lingyun (New Year Extra 1/2)

    walking home, yan yu was still pondering and reminiscing when chen lingyun suddenly asked:"are there any formidable cultivators in southeast asia and miti?"

    "yes," yan yu answered.

    "who specifically?" chen lingyun asked with a slight smile.

    "hard to say." yan yu shook his head.

    "let me guess," chen lingyun''s smile became sweeter, "you''re trying to say that those powerful cultivators everyone boasted about in the past life, in your eyes, were actually not worth a single blow, so it''s hard to say which of them were formidable and which were not?"

    yan yu: ..........

    you understand everything already, why ask me?

    what annoyed him most in his previous life was this woman''s personality database. after being with you for a while, she would build a model of your personality in her mind, and she could generally guess what you would say to what you heard and how you would react to what happened; it was like mind reading, and especially irritating.

    of course, chen lingyun''s ability seemed to be hereditary. her father, chen tianming, could remember the complete resumes of all the county-level and above officials in lu country, including all those in office and retired. that was truly an astonishing feat.

    walking ahead, yan yu maintained a silent response. chen lingyun followed behind him, her voice filled with laughter:

    "why are you not speaking anymore? or did i guess right? hmm, if i guessed wrong, you would have immediately mocked me with your character, so i must have guessed right." find your next read at empire

    yan yu ignored her because he knew all too well that when this annoying woman got excited, a counterattack had to be a critical hit to be effective; ordinary verbal reprisals would only earn her pleased gaze of "you''re angry, aren''t you?"

    "are you angry?" chen lingyun sidled up to him and asked with a laugh. sea??h th§× n?vel(f)ire.n§×t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    yan yu remained silent.

    "you''re angry already?" chen lingyun continued to laugh.

    yan yu kept up a dignified silence... hm, why does this feel somewhat familiar?

    no, this can''t go on like this!

    yan yu''s mind began to race! the experiences of dealing with chen lingyun from two lifetimes converged in his mind, emerging, surging, exploding! he must counterattack! he would give chen lingyun no chance! a great sigma male, he inherited the iron will of a sigma man! he intended to obliterate that sweet smile off the despicable princess''s beautiful face!

    "you know," he suddenly stopped and showed a complex expression, and said pensively, "even in this life, she is indeed incomparable to you."

    "what do you mean?" chen lingyun''s smile seemed to freeze suddenly, and her voice turned sickly sweet, "who are you talking about?"

    "forget it." yan yu shook his head and continued walking.

    the sound of chen lingyun''s footsteps resumed from behind him, no longer light and bouncy like a little deer, but now in the form of hurried, brisk steps.

    "i''m really curious, who is this ''she'' you are referring to?" she asked again, gently tugging at yan yu''s sleeve from behind with a sweet voice.

    this time her tone was much better controlled, no longer awkwardly high-pitched, as if trying to hide her anger as before.

    "i don''t want to talk about it anymore," yan yu replied, struggling to suppress the urge to burst out laughing, with a world-weary tone, "you two are incomparable."

    "you''re lying," chen lingyun narrowed her eyes, her voice quickly turning cold, "did you fabricate a non-existent woman just to provoke my jealousy and annoy me?"

    "if you say so."

    "playing mysterious, are you?"

    "would you believe me if i said so?"

    "why wouldn''t i?"

    "well, that''s good," yan yu said no more and continued walking in silence.

    this made chen lingyun even more irked. because the evidence was too scant, even though she could roughly tell that yan yu was probably just trying to annoy her, she could never completely rule out the possibility that "yan yu had someone else."

    if it were someone else, they would let go if they couldn''t understand something. but chen lingyun was, after all, more actively minded than most people; the less she could find an answer, the more she wanted to think about it, and the more she thought about it, the more it felt like a fishbone caught in her throat... what was more infuriating was that all of this was clearly yan yu''s open scheme!

    i know you tend to overthink, so i''m using that to irritate you. ha-ha, what are you going to do, bite me?

    chen lingyun suppressed her anger and began to think calmly.

    if he truly fell for another woman... wait, don''t think about it too much, that''s my mental weakness. i must find a way to counterattack, or else he''ll totally get the better of me.

    when they returned home, as soon as yan yu walked into the villa''s lobby, lin ning poked her head out from the kitchen wearing an apron and called out:

    "back already? we made seaweed spare-rib soup and stir-fried water spinach. we''re adding one more dish. what would you like to eat?"

    "we have chicken wings and beef," yan jing said as she opened the refrigerator without looking back.

    "then let''s have stir-fried beef strips," yan yu said offhandedly.

    ever since they cleared up the misunderstanding the night before, sister lin had finally regained her usual vigor and enthusiasm, even taking the initiative to cook.

    as he was thinking this, he suddenly heard chen lingyun from behind, asking with a laugh:

    "i still can''t guess, yan yu. so who exactly is the girl you mentioned, the one even i can''t match up to?"

    yan yu: ???

    lin ning was about to turn her attention back to watching the pot when she heard this and was suddenly taken aback, her expression stunned.

    su yunjin had just come down from the second floor, squinting at yan yu with a smile that was not quite a smile.

    yan jing was even more dumbfounded as he turned around, with a look of "wow, big brother, you actually have gossip,"... i mean, do you need to be that surprised?

    the only one who didn''t react was zhao yuanzhen in the living room. the demonic sect enchantress was sitting on the couch watching a variety show on tv, emitting a heartless giggle, probably having not heard what chen lingyun had said at all.

    under everyone''s focused gaze, yan yu for a moment actually had no solution¡ªespecially for lin ning, who had already been feeling gloomy for a long time. another false alarm might really give her a case of "fragile heart syndrome"¡ªso in order not to cause any unnecessary misunderstandings among everyone, he quickly made a wise decision. with a candid laugh, he explained,

    "nah, i was just joking with ling yun."

    "tsk!" the girls immediately felt like they had been deceived and went back to their own business.

    yan yu turned back to look at chen lingyun, only to see her revealing a sly triumphant smile again, saying leisurely,

    "so it was a joke, huh."

    "smart move," yan yu said with a sneer.

    "your move isn''t bad either."

    "flattered."

    as they looked at each other with a competitive gaze, they suddenly felt an odd sensation of meeting a worthy opponent, encountering a capable peer, a sense of mutual appreciation, as if they were equals.

    fortunately, this strange feeling didn''t last long, for lin ning soon stuck her head out and called,

    "captain, come quickly and help me cut the carrots!"

    "ask yun jin to cut them for you," response from yan yu was almost instinctual.

    "i''m cleaning!" su yunjin''s voice came from the inner room.

    "then..." yan yu was about to name chen lingyun or zhao yuanzhen, only to be pushed into the kitchen by yan jing who had run up behind him,

    "don''t be lazy, big brother! it''s your duty to cook with sister lin!"

    "what do you mean by my ''duty''?!" although yan yu saw his sister''s intention at a glance, which was to create a chance for him and lin ning to be alone, did you ask if i need your help?

    even if we were to be alone together, it should be her actively creating opportunities, trying her utmost to spend time alone with me!

    "stop daydreaming and start cutting." as soon as yan yu entered the kitchen, lin ning handed him a knife without a word and brought him to the cutting board, "it''s julienne, not slices, okay?"

    "fine," grumbled yan yu impatiently.

    after a while, lin ning leaned over to take a look and was instantly horrified:

    "why are these cuts all crooked? the thickness is uneven too!"

    "just say whether this is julienned carrot or not," yan yu argued defensively.

    "oh my!" lin ning, exasperated, stomped her feet and simply came over to grab his hands, teaching him hand-to-hand, "watch closely, press down with your left hand, curl up the four fingers, stick to the knife, cutting as you move like this... got it?"

    "didn''t get it," said yan yu.

    "i''ll show you one more time!" lin ning continued holding his hand, patiently saying, "you need to learn properly."

    sister lin''s hands, true to a sword immortal''s hands, didn''t need to directly wield a sword, but had to frequently cast/use sword techniques, thus her fingers were exceptionally nimble, and the skin of her palms was delicate and warm, feeling soft and comfortable to the touch.

    "got it this time?" she operated once more and asked yan yu.

    "the brain gets it," yan yu admitted candidly, "but the hands don''t."

    "how can you still not get it?" lin ning, growing impatient, hands on hips, suddenly asked suspiciously, "are you pretending not to know on purpose?"

    "you must be joking," yan yu immediately showed a mocking expression, saying disdainfully, "learning knife skills after being taught a few times? who do you think i am, the culinary genius yan yu?"

    "that makes sense," lin ning suddenly realized as well. if someone had never cooked before, perhaps it wasn''t that they hadn''t grasped the correct technique, but that they lacked the proficiency to handle the knife.

    "alright, then i''m off." yan yu was about to turn around and leave but was pulled back by lin ning.

    "hold on. my soup is almost done; you taste it and tell me if it''s salty enough."

    "can''t you taste it yourself?"

    "if the captain''s tongue can''t talk sense, then at least it should be good for something else."

    goodness, sister lin''s mood has improved, and her offensive has gotten stronger, huh.

 Chapter 59 Im so excited I cant contain myself

    ```after lunch, it was time for training in the afternoon, according to the schedule.

    yan jing conscientiously said she would go to the confucian temple to play and not disturb her older brothers and sisters'' training.

    yan yu appreciated her thoughtfulness and silently transferred a thousand to her, telling her to enjoy herself and not come back before dinner.

    everyone arrived at the school training ground, where yan yu stood in the center of the field, laughing heartily:

    "i have some good news to share with you all."

    "either way, it''s something about extra practice, right?" lin ning said jokingly, her eyes half-closed.

    "how could that be!" yan yu said proudly, "it''s even better than that."

    "no way..." su yunjin moaned weakly, hand on forehead.

    extra practice was already terrible enough, anything worse than that, i just can''t bear to imagine!

    "stop beating around the bush," zhao yuanzhen said impatiently, "a swift cut beheads just as well as a slow one, can''t you just get to the point?"

    "haha, looks like everyone can''t wait," yan yu laughed loudly as he revealed the answer, "tomorrow we are setting off to explore a mysterious realm again!"

    the girls looked at each other.

    "and this time we''re heading to the south sea," chen lingyun added with a smile, "we will compete with friends from southeast asia and miti. are you all excited?"

    the girls'' gazes toward the team captain and vice-captain changed, as if they were looking at two demons from hell.

    "what''s there to be excited about!" lin ning complained again, "this is just war, right? a war between nations, isn''t it!"

    "exactly," yan yu said, full of pride, "the time to make a name for ourselves has come!" s~ea??h the n?vel(f)ire.¦Çet website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "as for the specifics, we''re still gathering intelligence," chen lingyun distributed the new three arts textbooks, "also, new textbooks are out. everyone should hurry and study them this afternoon, they are quite simple."

    "start with the soul refining technique and sound transmission technique," yan yu nodded, "the invisibility technique can wait if there''s no time."

    since the team leader had assigned the task, everyone stopped thinking about other things and found nearby chairs to sit down and quickly flip through the textbooks.

    people like zhao yuanzhen, who had actually learned it a long time ago, also pretended to hold books, but sneakily took out their phones to scroll through short videos.

    yan yu and chen lingyun left the training field and went to a nearby lounge. the princess pulled out her laptop and said:

    "i''ve made some edits, take a look."

    superheroes from miti (mainly from europe) didn''t require much analysis, as they broadcast their leagues all the time, with so many videos available that it was overwhelming to watch. berserkers, priests, wizards, and clerics, their styles and fighting methods had all been largely seen already.

    the main focus was still on the southeast asian region, including the indochinese peninsula and the pacific island nations. transcendents there generally favored tricks and darkness, and the media generally did not (or dared not) report on them, so gathering and organizing intelligence was quite a feat for lu country.

    whether in siam or java, the transcendental professions of each country were more or less the same, and could be simply categorized into four types:

    curse technique masters, curse technique masters, shadow masters, and tattooed charm masters.

    "don''t write in such an elongated and verbose style," yan yu browsed through several ppt slides and frowned, "it''s like writing a novel, setting up big chunks of new settings right off the bat, can the readers remember them easily? similarly, asking lin ning and the others to memorize these four new professions from scratch, they won''t be able to remember."

    "you should introduce southeast asia''s profession system by comparing it to our lu country''s existing profession system, making it easier for them to understand."

    "take curse technique masters, for example, whether it''s medicinal, flying, or ghost descending, it''s all about sending a curse to kill people, much like sword immortals, right? here you could say ''curse technique masters are like the southeast asian version of sword immortals''."

    "likewise, southeast asia''s curse technique masters are very similar to lu country''s spell-casters who also use a variety of spells to kill; it''s just the terminology that''s different. shadow masters raise little ghosts, and isn''t that just like our lu country''s envoy profession with its own way of dealing with ghosts? use your own analogies, keep it simple and clear."

    "only tattooed charm masters are indeed abstract, as they carve magically powerful patterns into their flesh, with each pattern representing a different power, and might not quite fit with the assistant officer''s role... hm? what are you doing? pay attention to the lecture!"

    chen lingyun listened seriously at first, but at some point, she started looking down at her phone.

    ```

    not until yan yu spoke up did she slowly lift her head, revealing an extremely joyous smile:

    "dear, it looks like some great fun is about to happen."

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    if it had been up to lu country, they would certainly have subdued the news about the three isles treasure ship and enforced strict media control.

    or even if they couldn''t suppress it completely, they would have at least not made such a big fuss, avoiding making it common knowledge among all sectors of society.

    the reason was simple: what if they lost?

    when a wave of public opinion surged among the people, who would take the blame?

    better to keep things conservative, to shoot quietly without making a fuss over it.

    however, miti thought very differently.

    after all, their media commercialization was super developed, and their operating experience was rich enough; they could spin black into white, and naturally wouldn''t be so timid like lu country¡ªwinning would be "successfully containing lu country," and if they lost, they could just blame the shitty sulu, saying that miti couldn''t carry these pig teammates.

    so i should promote it vigorously!

    and i would not only promote it domestically; i would also join forces with european countries to turn it into a global transcendent event, so that people from all over the world would cheer for our miti''s superheroes!

    now pre-order your favorite superhero deluxe merchandise, including a specific superhero''s badge, poster, brochure, and special battle robe, all for the discounted price of $324! hurry to the official amarei website to grab yours, and if you''re a privileged first-choice member, express delivery service is also provided!

    as the miti superhero alliance launched their expensive propaganda machine, the news spread explosively across the foreign internet in just a few days.

    england, france, italy... netizens from various countries were buzzing about the three isles treasure ship incident.

    of course, the story they heard was the version put out by the miti superhero alliance, which was, "the fleet appeared in the backward country of sulu, but the evil and tyrannical lu country wants to send forces to seize it, so miti''s superheroes have decided to join hands with sulu and neighboring countries'' transcendents to fight against the rikoku cultivators'' invasion."

    this narrative style was extremely similar to a certain blockbuster movie''s plot, and the effects were naturally almost the same as that movie''s box office, to the point where lu country instantly became a target in foreign online public opinion, the intensity of which skyrocketed to nearly uncontrollable levels, even though the major media platforms back home still dared not report it openly.

    but in some independent media, small forums, and chat groups, it was already spreading like wildfire.

    "hmm, interesting," yan yu said, stroking his chin, "that''s the way with propaganda fronts¡ªif you don''t seize them, there are plenty of others who will. so what''s your dad''s plan?"

    "thanks to this affair," chen lingyun said with a smile, "they have reached a consensus internally to start promoting our cultivators actively and vigorously."

    "and here i thought after the last media interview, the court had it all figured out," yan yu immediately retorted sardonically, "turns out they just set a general direction, but there''s still contention over the details, right?"

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    "it can''t be helped," chen lingyun stated leisurely, "nationalism is like an injection of chicken blood¡ªtoo much of it can cause problems. it''s just that now we have no choice..."

    her voice paused for a moment, then she suddenly laughed and said:

    "how does it feel?"

    "what do you mean ''how does it feel''?"

    "being branded as ''the evil rikoku cultivators,'' any thoughts?"

    "i find it amusing," yan yu scoffed disdainfully, "using the old cold war confrontational mindset to fight a public opinion war in the era of resurgence? in my view, the superhero alliance doesn''t care about winning or losing; they just want to make as much money as possible."

    "of course," chen lingyun replied with a smile, "traffic is money, and a global event like this generates an astonishing amount of wealth behind the scenes. even if this batch of superheroes were utterly destroyed, the superhero alliance would only earn a few zeros less in endorsement fees."

    "but for us, the pressure is entirely different. think about it, with the public opinion battle escalating to this degree, it won''t be long before it''s officially announced back home. then, the hopes and expectations of the entire nation will weigh heavily upon us..."

    "what, are you scared?" yan yu glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

    "i am just very happy to see even greater fun unfolding," chen lingyun said with eyes sparkling, "and you?"

    "me?" yan yu burst into laughter, "just thinking about those lousy foreign superheroes, bathed in the halo of countless fans'' support, being crushed by me on the battlefield..."

    "i''m absolutely thrilled!"

 Chapter 160 60 Chapter How Did I Make the News (New Years Extra 2/2)

    yan yu and chen lingyun returned to the training ground, only to see three girls facing each other, silent, with just their lips faintly moving and the hands behind their backs constantly changing.clearly, they were playing rock-paper-scissors using their divine sense!

    unlike light, which can only travel in a straight path, divine sense could scan what shape each person was making behind their back. sound transmission technique was a point-to-point communication method, which allowed one to silently send messages directly to the target by locking onto them with divine sense.

    "what are you guys talking about?" chen lingyun tried to join the group chat, sending a private sound transmission to the three of them.

    "we''re saying that as long as we use the sound transmission technique, the captain won''t be able to hear us," lin ning quickly replied.

    once again, it must be emphasized that sound transmission is a point-to-point communication method. so, even if four girls are standing right next to you, they can communicate without you hearing anything¡ªas long as they don''t include you in their sound transmission group, it is just like they''ve started a chat group without you.

    yan yu directly asked aloud:

    "have you all learned the sound transmission technique?"

    the girls hesitated before nodding.

    "then let me assess you," yan yu nodded and said, "i''ll send you a sound transmission first, and then you use sound transmission to reply to me."

    he began to perform sound transmission, telling the girls:

    "tonight, we''ll have extra practice."

    the girls quickly shook their heads, indicating they hadn''t received the sound transmission.

    "i said we''re adding practice for the sound transmission technique," yan yu continued, "you can''t even receive a sound transmission; what should we do? it looks like we need to practice all night long."

    "we received it, we received it!" the girls rushed to reply via sound transmission, "we heard you loud and clear!"

    whether it''s the soul refining technique or sound transmission technique, both are easy to start but difficult to master.

    at high levels of soul refining technique, one''s divine sense can spread thousands of miles; with a profound mastery of sound transmission technique, one can also communicate with cultivators thousands of miles away.

    however, for the latter, we have a better option: smartphones.

    so as long as one is proficient enough in sound transmission technique, there is no need to spend time mastering it. on the other hand, soul refining technique requires daily diligent practice to lay a solid foundation, just like shaquille o''neal had to tip-toe 500 times a day to train his calves.

    the group practiced at the training ground until almost 6 p.m., then leisurely left the school and headed home.

    perhaps because they had learned a new spell, the girls continuously scanned their surroundings with divine sense while using sound transmission to communicate with each other on the way home, with lin ning being particularly active, often sending sound transmissions to everyone:

    "wow! the screw on that traffic light pole is loose; i couldn''t have noticed it without scanning with divine sense."

    "it seems divine sense can penetrate through car windows and scan the people inside! hey, there''s a driver talking on the phone while driving, not following traffic rules!"

    "enough ningning!" su yunjin, alternating between laughter and tears, said to her, "you''re acting like a kid who''s going out for the first time."

    "because divine sense is so much fun," lin ning said with keen interest.

    it is indeed fun, and even yan yu remembered when in his previous life he first installed a divine sense emitter, the whole world seemed different¡ªit was like a two-dimensional creature living on a plane, for the first time seeing its world from a high vantage point.

    fascinating.

    despite the numerous hardships the spiritual energy resurgence has brought to the world, it must be acknowledged that it indeed has a splendid side.

    although it only revealed this side to the transcendents.

    since it was a bit late after practice, the group didn''t plan to cook at home but ordered takeout on the way, ready to enjoy a feast without the work.

    just as they arrived at the villa gate, sister yan jing came to meet them.

    "weren''t you going out to have fun in the confucius temple area?" yan yu asked in surprise.

    "what''s there to enjoy!" yan jing said anxiously, "you are trending on the hot search!"

    yan yu: ??? sear?h the n?velfire.n§×t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    so, we''re playing at hype, huh? then let''s have a showdown, see which family''s superhero can laugh last!

    consequently, the domestic internet directly exploded, with usual topics such as celebrities and popular dramas, which often dominated the charts, now having to step aside.

    yan yu carefully read the official announcement. luckily, it didn''t, like a celebrity management company, attach a personal page complete with photos detailing everything from blood type to preferences.

    after a moment of reflection, he just calmly took out his phone, opened the sim card management, disabled the connection, then reconnected to the house''s wifi, and it was done.

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    the other girls were still immersed in a state of shock, asking, "what''s this all about?" and followed yan jing back to the villa, where she kept chattering away:

    "my classmate called me! he said the person mentioned in the privy council''s announcement is my brother! i said i didn''t know, and then when i checked, it indeed turned out to be my brother and your names! so what''s going on here..."

    she hadn''t finished speaking in one breath when everyone had just sat down on the sofa, still staring blankly at their phone screens, when suddenly their ringtones blared out all at once.

    a symphony of various ringtones rang out through the hall, creating a chaotic concert as everyone scrambled to answer their phones:

    "hello, dad..."

    "i''ll tell you about it later!"

    "i also just found out..."

    yan jing too was bombarded with phone calls from home because after yan yu''s parents saw the news, they couldn''t get through to their son¡ªso naturally, they could only contact their daughter, right?

    "big bro!" she said irritably as she stood up, "mom and dad want you to answer the phone!"

    "give me the phone," yan yu said calmly.

    "here..." yan jing handed over the phone, then did a double-take, "wait! why do you need to use my phone?"

    yan yu didn''t engage in further explanations but instead said into the phone:

    "hello."

    "why can''t we reach you on your phone?" father yan asked steadily.

    "oh," yan yu responded, "i was afraid relatives and friends would keep calling, so i took out my sim card."

    "did you see the news on tv?" father yan continued.

    "saw it on my phone," yan yu replied, "it''s true. but i can''t say more, it''s confidential. if relatives ask, help me fend them off."

    "okay." father yan was silent for a long while, then said, "your mother went to the temple nearby tonight to pray for your safety. we''ll send the items over. will they arrive in time?"

    "they won''t," yan yu answered, "let her pray anyway, the buddhas will hear."

    "hmm." father yan paused for a moment, then said, "take care and come back to us safely."

    "okay." yan yu hung up the phone and passed it back to yan jing¡ªonly to see his sister''s eyes already brimming with tears.

    "big bro," she said with a choked voice, "you''re really going, aren''t you?"

    "yeah," yan yu replied, "are you worried?"

    yan jing''s tears fell with a plop.

    the other girls were busy dealing with urgent queries from home, and even chen lingyun had to repeatedly reassure her panicked mother over the phone, cycling through reassurances like "it''s alright" and "don''t worry." only zhao yuanzhen felt lost in a world without a single family member or friend, and suddenly seeing her little sister-in-law starting to cry, quickly embraced her to comfort her:

    "oh, jingjing, it''s okay! i''ll protect your brother!"

    "i need your protection?" yan yu immediately laughed at her, "that''s absurd, just don''t hold me back, and i''ll be grateful."

    zhao yuanzhen''s eyes widened in indignation, instinctively wanting to retort, but considering yan jing''s worry and sorrow right there, if she were to completely put down the young thief, wouldn''t that scare her even more?

    so, she could only clench her silver teeth, her pearly teeth tightly shut, lips firmly pressed together, secretly vowing to herself:

    "this thief today accused me of holding him back¡ªi''ll remember this grudge! if danger arises in the future, in the midst of a crisis, once i save him, i''ll surely ridicule him mercilessly, making him realize who''s actually been holding back whom!"

    chen lingyun, who had finally finished her phone call, couldn''t keep her smile off her face any longer, showing a wearied "i''m so tired" expression before collapsing back on the sofa and silently staring at the ceiling.

    "what''s the matter?" yan yu teased her, "doesn''t your dad share his sources of information with your mom?"

    "i don''t want to talk about this topic," chen lingyun said flatly.

    "hmm-hmm," yan yu mimicked her catchphrase, speaking in a higher pitch, "if i''m wrong, with your personality, you''d immediately mock me, so i must be right."

    chen lingyun grabbed a cushion from the sofa next to her and threw it hard at his face.

    yan yu pretended to be knocked over by the cushion, falling headlong onto the sofa, and then saw lin ning also putting down her phone, complaining:

    "ah, so annoying! why are they still pushing for marriage?!"

    "duh," yan yu replied, "what if you died? even if you got married and had a child, at least looking at the kid, your family would have some comfort¡­"

    "i''ll make you die right now!" lin ning angrily picked up a cushion and pressed it forcefully against his face, then punched him a few times through it.

 Chapter 61 Zhao Yuanzhen Wants to Fight

    actually, if one really delves into it, the collaboration between the northeast and lord master''s team was the first time they all officially dealt with foreign cultivators.of course, the subsequent battle of the three isles treasure ship, in terms of intensity, ferocity, and attention, far surpassed the previous mysterious realm war.

    therefore, as chen lingyun had anticipated, the girls began to shoulder a lot of psychological pressure.

    su yunjin was still on the phone with her family, having been on the call for almost an hour and twenty minutes by now. although the entire conversation was in encrypted dialect, her tone and demeanor clearly indicated the conversation was not going smoothly.

    lin ning had already hung up her phone and was now checking the news on her mobile, her expression growing more troubled the more she read.

    chen lingyun was lying on the sofa, feigning sleep, with a curl of hair playfully resting on her fair neck.

    perhaps only in this state of genuine tranquility, without any false smiles, could her inherent exquisite beauty shine forth endlessly like the sun radiating warmth and light.

    the carefree zhao yuanzhen was still rambling on, trying to console yan jing. the demonic sect enchantress, though deceitful and cunning, actually liked the pure-hearted girl like yan jing, not because of her being the little thief''s younger sister.

    yan jing''s eyes were still somewhat red, but her emotions had clearly stabilized considerably.

    she was of course aware that her brother''s name had made the news, and there was basically no chance of that changing, so she had no choice but to accept it, however reluctantly.

    "brother," she called out, sounding aggrieved.

    "what?" yan yu immediately became vigilant.

    every time his sister spoke in that tone, it was almost certain she was about to ask for something, and he had to be cautious.

    "can we sleep on the living room floor tonight?" yan jing asked carefully.

    "sleep on the floor?" yan yu was first taken aback, then he understood.

    in the past, when his sister had watched a particularly terrifying horror movie and was too scared to sleep alone at night, she would forcibly drag him to sleep on the floor in the living room.

    in other words, his sister feared that he might not return tomorrow, so she wanted to spend the night together with him... actually, yan yu wanted to say no, but considering it stemmed from their strong sibling bond, his heart softened and he nodded in agreement.

    "that''s great." yan jing immediately beamed with joy and turned to coax chen lingyun, "sister lingyun, can we all sleep on the floor in the living room tonight?"

    yan yu: ?

    "sure," chen lingyun said nonchalantly.

    "sister zhao..." yan jing turned to persuade another person.

    soon, she managed to ask everyone, and in the end, all the girls were included in a large living room slumber party, leaving yan yu completely dumbfounded.

    sister, you''re essentially setting up a harem for me¡­ well, not really, because each of us will have our own quilts; it won''t be a communal blanket, but at most it''s just sleeping in the same room. considering the size of the living room, it doesn''t feel much different, and maybe the only change is the ability to talk to each other before falling asleep.

    so, everyone started getting busy again. su yunjin got up listlessly and cleaned the living room floor once more; lin ning went upstairs to help bring down everyone''s spare bedding; zhao yuanzhen opened the kitchen cabinets and pulled out a bunch of snacks, preparing them for breakfast tomorrow... discover more stories at empire

    that person didn''t plan to help at all, the demonic sect enchantress simply had no intention of lending a hand.

    quickly, the furniture in the living room was all moved aside, and six quilts were placed in a circular pattern like petals. yan jing even purposefully positioned the pillows on the inner side of the circle so everyone could be closer and talk.

    with the lights turned off, darkness soon enveloped the surroundings.

    yan yu turned over in his quilt, yawned, then heard his sister not far away say:

    "brother."

    "what is it?"

    "i suddenly remembered: it''s said that in ancient times, when men were conscripted to go to war, their parents would arrange for them to sleep with their wives the night before leaving, fearing they might die on the battlefield and leave the family without an heir..."

    although she might not have meant anything else (after all, she was just a middle school girl), the other girls felt a bit strained upon hearing this, and yan yu immediately interrupted her:

    "i''ve also heard that on the eve of battle in ancient times, if someone spoke words that could confuse the soldiers'' hearts in the camp, they''d be dragged out and beheaded immediately, did you know that?"

    "hehehe." yan jing burrowed into her quilt, laughing, "big brother wouldn''t bear to behead me."

    "you two siblings have such a good relationship," su yunjin remarked.

    "i just don''t bother arguing with her," yan yu sighed.

    that was the plain truth. the siblings from his past life, like many other families, didn''t have a great relationship when they were young¡ªespecially since yan jing often got into trouble and then used her acting skills to make yan yu take the blame in front of their parents. it would be surprising if they got along well.

    only after struggling in the cold and harsh society do people tend to remember the warmth of family. yan yu, having lived a second life, certainly did not bother to hold grudges over trifles with his sister. and although yan jing didn''t become some strange sibling-controlled creature like li zhaojiang, the affection between the siblings was indeed quite strong, and they hardly ever had problems.

    "how come you like quarreling with me so much?" zhao yuanzhen''s voice suddenly rang in her ear.

    "i''m educating you," yan yu replied earnestly, "sisters will eventually get married and are therefore allowed to make mistakes and be foolish. but as my partner for life, you need to be whipped and beaten severely to ensure you don''t rush down the wrong path¡ªunderstand? i''m doing this for your own good; don''t be ungrateful!"

    zhao yuanzhen was immediately so angry she was practically smoking, her beautiful eyes cold as snow, her lovely face frosted over, silently holding a grudge in her heart:

    "what a little thief! to think he''s saying i''m to be his partner for life... huh, that kind of sounds sweet? no, no, no, what he''s talking about is whipping and beating me severely! this is an outrageous insult; i''ll note it down for now, and when i find the opportunity, i''m going to retaliate fiercely and make you weep and wail for that last remark, regretting your words!

    just you wait, you stinking little thief!"

    "damn!" huddled under the covers looking at her phone, lin ning suddenly couldn''t help but curse out loud.

    "what''s wrong?" chen lingyun asked from beside her.

    "someone online is slandering us!" lin ning complained indignantly.

    "no way?" su yunjin also seemed puzzled, "with the national team roster officially announced by the privy council, how dare they insult us?"

    "but there are people speaking badly about us!" lin ning huffed, "and there are those praising miti''s superheroes; let me read it to you!"

    "...miti''s superheroes come from all over the world, and just being able to enter the preliminaries is already a one in ten thousand chance. then they have to survive eighteen rounds of deadly combat¡ªthose who live are battle-hardened ultimate veterans. our domestic cultivators simply don''t have the experience of life-and-death fighting.

    it''s like the armchair general zhao kuo going up against the mass-murderer bai qi; we all know what the outcome would be, only brainless nationalist little pinks would think cultivators could win..."

    "they''re not wrong," yan yu suddenly said, "we''ve mainly focused on simulated confrontations in the past; we really don''t have as much experience in life-and-death fighting as miti''s superheroes, and we have to admit that."

    "captain!" lin ning called out, frustrated, "whose side are you on?"

    "it''s not surprising to see these kinds of comments," yan yu continued, "miti''s superheroes are broadcast globally, so everyone can see their strength. our domestic cultivators'' confrontations are strictly confidential, and the public doesn''t know our level, so it''s inevitable that some blindly hype their power."

    "as long as we win in the three isles treasured ship battle, these comments will crumble by themselves. until then, there''s no need to argue with them."

    "but still!" lin ning could not let it go, questioning, "even if they don''t know our strength level, as people of lu country, shouldn''t they support us instead of siding with miti?"

    "how do you know they''re from lu country?" yan yu countered.

    "uh..." lin ning was stumped.

    "sister ningning might not know," yan jing joined in, "but outside the wall, there are giants at large, all sorts of strange creatures exist."

    "i also support the captain on this," su yunjin spoke, "ningning, let it go. you can''t expect everyone to support us. just prove yourself with results when the time comes."

    "but these comments really irritate me!" lin ning understood the logic, yet she couldn''t suppress her frustration, and soon she began furiously typing on the screen, joining the online discussion fray.

    "ningning..." su yunjin wanted to persuade her further, but then she heard chen lingyun transmit a message:

    "it''s fine, let her go. little ningning has always had a strong personality. having these comments to stir her up before the battle can help her maintain her fighting spirit."

    su yunjin was bemused but thought that chen lingyun was not wrong.

    "i''m so mad, so mad!" after a while, lin ning suddenly shouted again.

    "why are you still fighting?" zhao yuanzhen asked in confusion. sea??h th§× novel?ire(.)ne*t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "because they are being unreasonable!" lin ning said, cheeks puffed with anger.

    "send me the link." zhao yuanzhen declared boldly, "her ladyship requests to enter the fray! scumbags, your horse is going to die!"

    as the mention of "sima" came up, yan yu suddenly remembered another incident from his past life.

    it was a much later point in time. soon after empress yuanzhen boasted of her documentary airing, it caused a strong reaction in the realm of public opinion.

    people had seen arrogance before¡ªafter all, it''s a traditional practice for autobiographers to glamorize themselves, but such shameless self-aggrandizement was unprecedented.

    the lu country internet was extraordinarily lively, with the "empress yuanzhen''s knights" and the "sober and rational people of the world" constantly bickering, pulling, and alternating between praising and criticizing, debating "just what level is zhao yuanzhen''s combat power on earth," dominating major discussion platforms, with classic quotable lines emerging incessantly, people constantly amused or infuriated, many utterly breaking down.

    the conclusion of the event was completely unexpected. it turned out that the leader and the number one fan of those empress yuanzhen''s knights was none other than the demonic empress herself running the account.

    after battling with the internet trolls for days and nights and being aggravated by the collective chanting of the bible from the other side, she actually abused her cultivator powers to coerce the internet regulators into tracking down ip addresses for doxxing and to relieve her anger through murder...

    the exact number of deaths remained unclear, nor was it allowed to be discussed; after all, the authorities didn''t want to offend empress yuanzhen over this. the usually overly protected citizens of lu country finally realized the harsh reality of "the difference between immortals and mortals," and wisely opted to collectively shut up.

    the fearsome reputation of empress yuanzhen could be seen from this alone!

    yan yu''s wariness towards zhao yuanzhen and his opposition to cultivators ruling the country were not because of an extreme and peculiar disposition; rather, his past life was indeed filled with countless bizarre occurrences...

    of course, the current empress yuanzhen had already been disciplined early on by him and was now as tame as a kitten; there was no longer any worry about her lashing out and murdering when she couldn''t win an argument.

    "don''t stay up too late," he scolded zhao yuanzhen, "you have to put down your phone before midnight or i''ll confiscate it for a month!"

    "got it, got it," zhao yuanzhen, who was busy helping lin ning drive a bulldozer to destroy the opposing side''s entire family, had no time to bear a grudge against yan yu, and replied impatiently, "can i set an alarm, okay?"

 Chapter 62 Yan Team, Youre on Fire

    for someone like yan yu, dealing with trolls was nothing new.thanks to the aggressive marketing by miti''s superhero alliance, what should have been a very solemn event ¨C the national battle of cultivators ¨C became highly commercialized, turned into entertainment and sports. it was quite ironic, to say the least.

    yet, perhaps it is in human dna to harbor fragments of cruelty and a thirst for blood.

    just like the roman nobles witnessing gladiator games for the first time, people from all over the world were quickly captivated by these brutal and bloody spectacles.

    with nationalism fanning the flames, the popularity of the cultivator national battles soon surpassed all sports leagues, becoming a global phenomena that transcended race, region, and class.

    it also gave rise to countless hardcore fans and trolls.

    who you support or slander is strongly associated with where you come from. for example, in my past life, the southeastern six provinces had a massive fan base for the spirit transport team, with jianghai prefecture being the most extreme, and, for some unspeakable reasons, it was also the largest "lord master hate congregation."

    take the battle for mount tai as an example. when the spirit transport team was defeated by lord master in a three-to-one fight, it infuriated the comedian lu ming so much that in a public performance at the jianghai comedy center, he blurted out that "northerners are worms in international fights but dragons in domestic ones," earning himself a three-year performance ban from the media bureau...

    he was willing to blacken lord master''s name at the cost of his career. it just goes to show, you can never fully get rid of trolls.

    yan yu didn''t care much for trolls. even if they were trashing cultivators from lu country, or even if they were to say to his face, "you, yan yu, are trash," he would just smile slightly, never retort, and watch as his fan club tore the opposition to shreds.

    but sister lin clearly didn''t have his level of composure, as she was still grumbling unhappily while brushing her teeth the next morning.

    "excuse me, i need to use the water," yan yu pushed her aside from the sink, "it''s been a whole night; how come you''re still not over it?"

    "don''t talk about it," lin ning said through her toothbrush, her words muffled, "i''ve already let it go."

    "you better have," yan yu saw her furrowed brow, the drooping corners of her eyes, and an expression that screamed "i am not happy," and knew she was still being stubborn. he didn''t call her out, simply took his turn to rinse and went on his way.

    after breakfast, everyone headed to the school to prepare for the final training before departure ¨C but first, they had to drop yan jing off at the high-speed rail station.

    "behave and go straight home," yan yu patted his sister''s head at the station, "when your brother triumphantly returns from the battlefield, i''ll bring you some spoils, okay?"

    "i don''t want spoils," yan jing said with a quivering voice, "big brother, just come back in one piece, without losing any arms or legs. that''s all i want."

    "what nonsense are you talking about," yan yu ruffled her hair, smiling, "your big brother, i..."

    "but, am not the strongest in this world, okay?"

    "stop messing up my hair, big brother!" yan jing initially wanted to keep arguing, but then she hesitated.

    i don''t care if big brother is the strongest in this world, i just hope he''s stronger than all the enemies, so he can come back safe and victorious.

    really, you have to come back, big brother.

    after seeing off his sister, everyone in the car on the way back to school felt a sudden sense of loss and sentiment.

    "don''t be sad, everyone," su yunjin communicated secretly to the girls, "we''ll have the chance to meet again next time."

    "crap!" zhao yuanzhen suddenly exclaimed, "i forgot to ask her how to deal with little thieves!"

    the girls were speechless. discover stories with empire

    "it''s fine," chen lingyun said with a sweet smile, "i have her good friend on my contact list."

    "quick, add me!"

    "i want to be added too."

    "pass her contact to me, ling yun."

    yan yu, watching the girls who were silent, each engrossed in their phones, suddenly felt that something was off.

    is someone secretly communicating without me? talking behind my back, huh? have i been slacking off with our additional training?

    of course, they were due to depart for the south sea that afternoon; even if he was a beast, he wouldn''t ruthlessly enforce training on the morning of. he simply took note quietly, preparing to settle scores after the completion of the three islands treasure ship.

    i, yan yu, am not the type to be small-minded. ensuring everyone maintains a good state of mind before the battle is my responsibility, no need to thank me.

    the girls were, of course, oblivious to his thoughts. they continued to practice the three arts in the morning, had lunch at noon, and in the afternoon, they went to the airport to board the plane and begin their journey.

    near the seas adjacent to the three islands treasure ship, to maintain a deterrent against miti''s cvn-144 carrier strike group, the annan navy''s "tailfire tiger" carrier strike group had also arrived at the battlefield.

    both parties carried out routine cruising on either side of the three islands treasure ship, with their daily mission being to challenge each other''s communication, shouting for the other side to make way, all while putting on an aggressive front as if they were about to strike at any moment.

    the military aircraft landed on the deck of the tailfire tiger, and yan yu and his group finally boarded the aircraft carrier, just in time to see the three islands treasure ship convoy sailing in the distance.

    it''s not apparent from the videos, but only when you are there can you feel the grandeur of the three islands treasure ship. the size of this tower ship is on par with that of the aircraft carrier itself, with its tall, sturdy masts rising like mountains, nearly a hundred meters tall, casting enormous shadows over the sea with the sails hanging from them, adorned with giant tadpole script.

    only the rikoku cultivators would instinctively understand the meaning the moment they saw the tadpole script:

    ```

    isles.

    in this context, "isle" refers to an island.

    the three isles treasure ship represents three "sea islands" capable of navigation.

    at the edge of the deck, a media team was broadcasting live, with lu zhiyu, an old acquaintance of yan yu''s and chen lingyun''s, as the host.

    wearing a safety helmet, lu zhiyu was almost blown blind by the fierce and vigorous sea breeze, struggling to shout at the camera:

    "we are currently on the deck of the tail fire tiger aircraft carrier, (turning to the side) and now you can see, that in the distance is our three isles treasure ship¡­"

    the director caught sight of yan yu and others disembarking the plane and quickly gestured to lu zhiyu, meaning to quickly finish the introduction and then go interview our team members.

    when lu zhiyu saw it was yan yu''s team, his heart was quite reluctant. but work was work after all, so he had to rapidly memorize the script and then quickly walked over to intercept yan yu with the cameraman.

    "next, let''s interview the protagonists of this mission, the captain of the zhenhai team, yan yu, and his teammates," lu zhiyu quickly shouted his lines as a warning to yan yu that this was a live national broadcast, then asked, "captain yan, you are teaming up with the qing''an team to combat the sulu allied forces, what preparations have you made for the upcoming battle for the three isles treasure ship, and how confident are you?"

    these two questions were common inquiries posed to military personnel, with standard answers usually being safe but unhelpful platitudes like "we have fully analyzed the intelligence" "we have meticulously rehearsed for the battle situation" "we will surely achieve victory in the war," enough to reassure the audience in front of the tv.

    however, yan yu clearly wasn''t one to give stock responses; he merely frowned slightly (a look that made lu zhiyu''s heart skip a beat) before asking the camera in wonder:

    "fight sulu, need to prepare?"

    with that said, he led the still awkwardly forced-smiling girls straight into the bridge, leaving lu zhiyu and the film crew standing on the deck, their expressions blank and disheveled in the wind.

    inside the bridge, people like li zhaojiang were in the command room analyzing intelligence, when they saw yan yu bringing his team in.

    "what''s the situation?" yan yu found a chair and sat down, "when does the mysterious realm open?"

    "the current estimate is the afternoon of september 1st," li minghu answered soberly.

    "what about the enemy?" yan yu continued, "which strong ones have arrived, annan army on their side must have confirmed as well."

    "we have a suspected list," li zhaojiang replied. "it''s on the computer over there, go have a look yourself."

    "fine then." yan yu knew that this kind of intelligence was top secret; once the enemy knew you were aware of their lineup, they might just pull a last-minute substitution¡­ so it had to be stored on a physically disconnected electronic medium to prevent leaks.

    upon reaching the computer in the corner and waiting for the guard next to him to help unlock it, yan yu picked up the mouse and started browsing.

    hmm...

    wow, miti team has really splurged this time! they even sent out the three birds.

    phoenix, roger the "thorn bird," and margaret the "thunder bird." in the past life, these three were a famous hero combo from miti, officially named "triple eagle meric," or "miti''s three eagles."

    however, rikoku netizens called them "miti''s three birds"...

    to be remembered and nicknamed by rikoku netizens, the power level of these three "superheroes" was of course substantial. if the prime of lord master was set at t1, then these three were at least at t1.5, undoubtedly a-listers in the superhero alliance.

    looking next at southeast asia, yan yu scrolled the mouse wheel for quite a while, finding only two familiar names:

    the curse technique master ajarn luo and the shadow magician mo ha.

    unlike miti and rikoku, the main force of southeast asia''s transcendents were mainly in the folk, hence there were not many famous ones, but there were plenty of formidable ones, and the turnover rate was astonishingly fast.

    last month''s infamous curse technique master might be found dead in the gutter the next month, with all his turf and influence taken over by others... so remembering names was of no use; yan yu merely had some recollection of these two.

    hmm, it looked like the upcoming battle was truly going to be tough, more perilous than the previous few.

    though worried at heart, yan yu remained impassive on the surface, slowly scrolled through the list to the bottom, then let go of the mouse, stood up, stretched out, and yawned.

    "how does it look?" chen lingyun asked from behind him.

    "a motley crew," yan yu said nonchalantly, "not worth mentioning." sear?h the n?velfire.n§×t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    seeing the captain making such an assessment, the girls also secretly breathed a sigh of relief¡ªthough their captain had high pride, seeing everyone as if they were a rabble, his evaluation still boosted their morale.

    "damn!" jiang hong, who was playing with his phone at the table, suddenly cursed, "yan, you''ve gone viral!"

    "what?" li zhaojiang asked in surprise.

    "check the trending searches," jiang hong instructed.

    everyone hastily pulled out their phones, only to see topping today''s trending search list were seven words, with a strangely familiar tone:

    fight sulu, need to prepare?

    ```

 Chapter 63 Lin Ning Wants to Take a Bite

    since the three-island treasure ship hadn''t come to a complete stop yet, everyone continued to sort through enemy intelligence on board over the following days.the internal military analysis estimated that miti would send around 40 people, while the southeast asian side would send around 200. these numbers weren''t necessarily accurate, but even if the actual headcount was cut in half, it was still not a small number and it was impossible to conduct detailed analysis on every single person. s§×arch* the nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    therefore, the annan army side merely extracted a dozen individuals whom the intelligence department considered "relatively dangerous" and presented them to the two squads for reference and study.

    the five individuals yan yu had previously noticed were among them, indicating that the intelligence this time was quite accurate.

    since no messages could be sent to the outside world from the ship, everyone could only play with their phones and surf the internet on the ship''s computers to catch up on the news, relieving some of the tension before the battle.

    owing to yan yu''s remark, "do we even need to prepare for sulu," and with the state media following instructions to guide public opinion, the online sentiment had already undergone a massive reversal, completely suppressing those discordant and pessimistic voices.

    even today, a trending news piece reported that the internet oversight authorities had captured several rumor-mongers, and all the comments below were calling for "severe punishment without leniency" and " satisfying the public''s sense of justice."

    the current fervor of public opinion could now be fully described as "the hopes of the entire people of lu country concentrated on these two squads."

    if they won, they would reap both fame and fortune; if they lost, the outcome would depend on how the state media ultimately framed it, but they would certainly not end up in a favorable position.

    liu, who had won so many track and field gold medals, was still criticized for withdrawing from a competition due to injury, which shows that often the earnest expectations of the masses do not sympathize or reason with you.

    not to mention the numerous trolls online who, though currently suppressed by the overwhelming trend, were still holding back their malice. if there were indeed a loss, they would certainly come out to stir things up and mock in a gleefully sarcastic manner.

    lin ning had said before departure, "i''ve already risen above their level," but it''s impossible for a problem-solver not to care about class rankings, and soon she couldn''t help but go online to check the public opinion.

    and then she saw a flood of yan yu-themed rage comic memes, with captions saying, "do you even need to prepare for xxx?"

    for example, "do you even need to prepare for the postgraduate exams?" "do you even need to prepare to meet the parents?" "do you even need to prepare when looking for a ladyboy?" they were generally used in the sense of "pretending to be heroic before doing something very difficult."

    as lin ning read on, she started to feel restless.

    why does everyone think the captain is merely talking big? the captain is actually very powerful, okay?

    well, if one hadn''t seen the captain in action, merely hearing his statements might indeed seem as if he were putting on an act of bravado...

    lin ning hurried to the tactical command room, only to see yan yu swiping on his phone.

    she quietly crept up behind him and sneaked a peek at his phone screen.

    a novel?

    what are you doing reading web novels at a time like this!

    lin ning immediately felt exasperated, thinking she was foolish for worrying about him, and impulsively reached out to snatch his phone.

    but, what was yan yu''s reaction speed? before lin ning''s hand could even touch his phone, he moved it down quickly with a swift bend.

    lin ning also reacted quickly, leaning forward and stretching out her arm in an attempt to snatch it¡ªresulting in her entire body lying on his back, at last grasping the upper half of the phone.

    "what are you doing?" yan yu asked, bewildered.

    "i''m confiscating your phone!" lin ning said fiercely, "as the captain, you better work properly and stop slacking off!"

    "it''s off-duty time now, okay? you, the studious one, should at least look at the clock!"

    "is there such a thing as off-duty during wartime?"

    yan yu attempted to perform the "dead fish twist" to flip the girl off his back.

    however, lin ning''s flexibility was remarkable, and she managed to cling to his neck with her arms while holding onto the phone without falling.

    is lin eating the wrong pills? yan yu was puzzled and used his killer move:

    "it''s transforming."

    "what''s transforming?" lin ning was initially startled, and then immediately her face flushed with embarrassment. she quickly let go of yan yu, jumped off him, and with her hands covering her chest, she angrily said, "shameless!"

    "indeed," yan yu said earnestly, "suddenly attacking from behind and sticking close is quite shameless."

    lin ning became enraged, baring her teeth and making a move to bite yan yu, shouting:

    "i''ll show you who''s the shameless one!"

    using the command room''s desk to his advantage, yan yu skillfully started using the "circling around the pillar" skill, while his mouth involuntarily began to taunt:

    "she''s panicking, she''s panicking, she''s getting flustered."

    lin ning went into a rage, suddenly activated the shifting technique to leap over the conference table, and then tackled yan yu to the ground.

    bite down!

    yan yu activated the barrier charm! domineering body!

    lin ning had bitten him for quite a while, yet she couldn''t even leave a teeth mark, which inevitably left her a bit disheartened.

    yan yu then held her in a reverse grip, floated up with the cloud ascension technique, and placed the stunned lin ning on the conference table, laughing,

    "cooled down?"

    lin ning was, of course, still angry, but soon she began to feel a little aggrieved, saying,

    "yan yu, do you know that on the internet those people are using you for memes, making fun of you?"

    "is that so?" yan yu stroked his chin, "if it''s about memes. don''t worry, everyone will have their turn soon."

    lin ning: ?

    explore hidden tales at empire

    "and you''re still reading novels!" she continued to protest, "you''re not taking the upcoming war seriously at all!"

    "it''s not like you have to stare at the computer all day to be doing something important," yan yu said, pulling out his phone to show her the screen, "see this?"

    lin ning looked at the screen for a moment, and judging from the index, it was a cultivation novel. she hesitated before asking,

    "are you¡­ trying to deduce the secrets and restrictions of the three islands'' treasure ship''s mysterious realm by researching the settings of cultivation novels?"

    yan yu paused for a second before answering,

    "i wanted you to look at the subscription list. i''ve subscribed to the entire book and spent the money, so of course, i need to finish it, right?"

    lin ning suddenly felt like she was choking, with her back teeth grinding involuntarily. just when she was about to pounce like a famished tiger once again, she suddenly heard the voice of li minghu from outside the door:

    "captain yan, you''re here. do you have time to go over some intelligence?"

    "reviewing intelligence? sure," yan yu replied as he turned his head, "come this way and talk."

    lin ning was dumbfounded, feeling like she could no longer suppress the fury in her heart: i ask you to do serious work and you irritate me, she comes to you with intelligence and you''re all business, huh?

    thinking my green bamboo sword is not sharp enough?

    but with someone else present, she didn''t think it was appropriate to pounce on the detestable captain in front of li minghu, so she was forced to swallow her frustration and said with a sneer,

    "then i won''t disturb you."

    "you stay here too," yan yu said, "aren''t you rushing me to do important work? then let''s do it together."

    li minghu looked curiously at them, sensing that the atmosphere between the two was somewhat odd.

    however, she didn''t think too much of it and simply sat down in the chair in front of the ship''s computer and said,

    "the phoenix, that person, what do you think of him?"

    "since he''s called ''phoenix'', his abilities must be related to fire and he probably has strong life-saving capabilities," yan yu sat next to her and gestured for lin ning to come closer, "there should be some footage of him from the annan army, right?"

    "there''s one part," li minghu brought up the footage, "you''re pretty much right."

    lin ning also leaned in out of curiosity, and the three of them quietly finished watching the footage.

    "what do you think?" li minghu finally asked.

    "troublesome," lin ning said with a grave expression, picking up the mouse to drag the progress bar, "look here: he was clearly injured, but the wound didn''t bleed, and then here... see? although the resolution is a bit poor, you can still see the wound is healing."

    "if we assume that pure physical damage is ineffective against him¡­" li minghu concluded, "it means his abilities are a strong counter to sword immortals."

    "when did the wound heal?" yan yu asked leisurely.

    both girls paused for a moment before catching on.

    "let me check," lin ning said, scrolling to the beginning, playing at 0.5x speed, and then continuously pressing the space bar for frame-by-frame playback.

    "found it!" she pointed to the screen.

    "how much time passed?" yan yu ordered, "calculate it."

    "you mean," li minghu immediately understood, "he''s not immune to physical damage but has some sort of rapid healing ability, and he needs to actively deploy this ability, which can''t be effective all the time without any limits."

    "just because he has the nickname ''phoenix'' doesn''t mean he''s truly immortal," yan yu said with a slight smile, confidently, "in the western mythological system, the more invincible something is, the simpler its weakness. the hair of samson, achilles'' heel, the mistletoe of baldur... you just have to find it."

 Chapter 64 Traffic and Interview

    the miti cvn-144 carrier, originally the resting lounge for officers on the bridge, was now occupied by the film crews of three stars."phoenix" phoenix, "thornbird" roger, and "thunderbird" margaret, although technically part of miti''s homeland strategic bureau, were also actively involved by the superhero alliance in the commercial promotion of the entire event.

    the so-called commercial promotion is actually very simple at its core: exposure.

    while the public''s attention was on them, they aimed to expose themselves as much as possible to boost the popularity of the superheroes and then monetize the merchandise ¡ª after all, once this battle was over and the hot topic period had passed, any publicity efforts would be half as effective.

    during a break in the shooting, the three sat on chairs nearby. phoenix cracked open two cans of beer and handed one to thornbird. thunderbird lit up a slim cigarette.

    "have you seen the intel on our opponents this time?" thornbird asked as he took the beer. s§×arch* the novel(f~)ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "no." "haven''t." phoenix and thunderbird answered simultaneously.

    thornbird was somewhat rendered speechless and continued to ask:

    "should we study it tonight?"

    "can''t make it, i have an interview tonight," thunderbird said.

    "don''t be so serious," phoenix said in a relaxed tone, "we just need to win."

    it was because of the worry about not being able to win that studying the opponent''s intel was necessary!

    thornbird really wanted to persuade them further, but ultimately held back.

    your adventure continues at empire

    he was of english nationality, a mancunian, with a disposition leaning towards dourness, melancholy, and seriousness; "phoenix" originated from the mediterranean island of corfu, reflecting the mediterranean''s characteristic laid-back and disorganized nature; "thunderbird" margaret hailed from helsinki in northern europe, careless and yet another extreme...

    without established team leadership, it was actually very hard for the three of them to reach a consensus through communication.

    of course, it was a brainwave of the superhero alliance''s business managers to deliberately bring three such disparate transcendents together, something about "character diversification."

    in thornbird''s opinion, the idea was downright stupid. after all, he was a wizard, with a fighting style leaning more towards control, stealth, and surprise ¡ª but phoenix and thunderbird both favored a head-on confrontation style. even though they were indeed powerful, they simply were not willing to coordinate with him on the battlefield.

    brash and stealthy just don''t mix!

    thornbird silently left the officer''s lounge and along the way saw many other "superheroes," working with their respective agent teams on filming. the entire upper bridge was like a moving "hollywood," a giant star-making base, where everyone focused on traffic and fame, with no one truly caring about victory.

    ...can we really win against the rikoku cultivators with this?

    of course, it wouldn''t matter if they didn''t win; they could just blame it on sulu being too weak afterward.

    in the end, the original purpose of establishing the superhero alliance was not for victory, but for commercial operations and accumulating wealth, to form an unbreakable community of interests between the superheroes and miti entrepreneurs ¡ª just a replication of their military-industrial complex strategies.

    thornbird''s mood grew increasingly bleak until he arrived at the end of the corridor and saw two asian transcendents in conversation, speaking an incomprehensible gibberish to him.

    but what they held in their hands were tarot cards, familiar to the european transcendents, seemingly engaged in divining the fortunes of this battle.

    unobtrusively narrowing his eyes, thornbird carefully observed the cards drawn by the other party, quietly activating his own mystical intuition.

    the first card was the magician, upright. it hinted that the western camp was about to face a completely unknown challenge from the rikoku cultivators, and it also symbolized innovation, freedom, and the pursuit of power.

    then the second card was... the tower, upright. there was something terribly frightening in the mysterious realm this time; sudden destruction, immense danger, and a path to ruin.

    the two asian transcendents visibly panicked, quickly drawing a third tarot card.

    wheel of fortune, reversed. a tough struggle, complicated changes, life and death uncertain, also not a good sign.

    the other trembled as they were about to draw a fourth card but were stopped by their companion''s hand.

    the two chattered for a while and then slowly put the three tarot cards back into the deck.

    thornbird forcefully closed his eyes, exhaled a long breath of stale air to calm the tension brought on by the adrenaline rush.

    time to scrap the original plan and prioritize survival above all for this battle...

    when he opened his eyes again, he found that the two asians had disappeared.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    though his heart was not in his work, father yan was still a state-owned enterprise employee and thus recently forced himself to go to his job.

    the lunch break had just ended, and he was sitting in front of his computer examining blueprints when he suddenly heard whispering discussions arise around him.

    gossip was a daily routine in state-owned enterprises, a taste not to be missed. so father yan grabbed a cup of tea, clutching the scalding disposable paper cup, attempting to join the group engaged in gossip.

    however, to his surprise, the colleagues who had been chatting, upon seeing father yan coming over with his tea, immediately stopped their conversation and, with smiling faces, said:

    "yan worker, fancy a cup of tea?"

    "hmm." father yan looked puzzled. if i don''t drink tea, what am i supposed to do with this cup of water?

    "yan worker, my relative sent me a tin of tea leaves, and i can''t finish it all. how about i give it to you?"

    "oh, that''s really too kind..."

    "it''s nothing, i''ve got plenty," said the colleague, going to get the tea leaves. just then, someone handed him a cigarette, saying,

    "here."

    father yan didn''t refuse this time because the person offering the cigarette was the deputy director.

    after a round of puffing and billowing smoke, the deputy director sighed and said,

    "yan worker, your son has made something of himself."

    "oh, it''s nothing much." father yan chuckled and shook his head. "he''s been disobedient since he was little, and no amount of spanking worked. eventually, i just let him be."

    "that''s what''s called a ''late bloomer''!" a colleague joked, laughing. "whether you discipline him or not, suddenly, one day, he becomes successful. he''s really soared!"

    everyone laughed.

    after the chat, father yan took the tea leaves given by his colleague and returned to his seat, feeling inexplicably puzzled. he frowned, sensing that something was off.

    if they were trying to flatter me, that wouldn''t seem quite right either. but why was there a noticeably warmer attitude towards me today?

    father yan discreetly opened his computer browser, ready to look up news related to his son.

    he found the top trending topic, clicked into it, and immediately frowned, leaning away from the screen.

    because his son''s memes had gone viral. there were all sorts of jokes written about him, stuff like "sulu monkeys, head on a spike," and "warm up a cup of wine, come back for a drink after we''re done with the south sea"... father yan''s scalp tingled as he read. a fifty-year-old man couldn''t understand the meaning behind these memes at all.

    but he finally understood what was happening. it seemed his son had boasted in front of the camera, in front of the entire nation.

    did the public believe him? most certainly not, because what he claimed to be fighting wasn''t just sulu, but sulu + miti + southeast allied forces. if it was only sulu, there wouldn''t be any need for bragging; sulu would likely surrender on its own.

    as for miti superheroes, it could only be said that miti''s military strength had been number one in the world for many years, and its formidable reputation was deeply rooted in the hearts of people from all nations. even though rikoku now has four complete aircraft carrier groups, that''s just one-third of what miti has.

    if you ask everyone who they hope would win, of course, they''d say they hope the rikoku cultivator wins. but if you ask who they think can win, well...

    father yan wasn''t any sort of military expert, and the more he read, the more anxious he became.

    but anxious or not, the trait of a middle-aged man is to be resigned to his fate. after all, his son was grown up, and if the higher-ups wanted him to go to war, there was nothing to be done. just let it be.

    father yan closed the browser, put on his reading glasses, and continued to look over the blueprints. suddenly, his phone rang.

    it was his wife calling.

    "nantian!" as soon as he answered the phone, mother yan''s voice rang out, "when you get off work, don''t come home right away. there are reporters all over the entrance to our building!"

    she wasn''t lying, because reporters had indeed surrounded the yan family''s residential building, and the homeowners'' group chat was exploding¡ªall discussing the situation.

    in theory, yan yu''s home address shouldn''t have been so easy to locate since the privy council had only made his name public, and there were so many people with the same name and surname in the world¡ªwho knew which "yan yu" it was?

    but coincidentally, when yan yu signed the recruitment agreement back in the day, the zhendong army conducted a family background check and discovered that father yan was a state enterprise worker. they called his workplace''s leadership to better manage parental cooperation, aiming to improve recruitment success rates.

    when father yan''s workplace director received a call from the military, he was secretly surprised: engineer yan''s son is being recruited by the military as a special forces soldier? the director then took note of it.

    now, when the privy council made the battle team''s roster public, the director saw, goodness gracious, that engineer yan''s son was about to go off to war for the country! coincidentally, the director''s wife was also a well-known anchor at the local tv station, and that''s how the information leaked.

    while rikoku reporters may not be as unscrupulous as their international counterparts, banging on your front door like mad, they still uphold a basic level of professionalism. the captain of the battle team, yan yu, has gone overseas, and we can''t interview him, so how about we interview his family instead?

    the entire nation wants to know about "yan yu" as such a huge traffic hotspot, how could they not dig into it?

    and most importantly, the superiors never said not to!

    the news reached li weiguo, and the commander-in-chief, the old man, immediately flew into a rage.

    who authorized them to do this?

    our soldiers are off fighting abroad, and you go and harass their families, huh?

    everyone get the hell out of here!

 Chapter 165 65 Li Minghu Wants to Understand

    a call was made, and soon the reply came that the reporters at yan yu''s doorstep had dispersed.li weiguo quickly gave instructions: not only yan yu, but also the relatives of all students from the zhendong national defense academy were not allowed to be harassed by reporters!

    really, who would have thought that after the loosening of media control, we would encounter this kind of situation!

    in previous years'' large-scale military exercises and drills, the media were unresponsive, only willing to report after being allocated the task by administrative orders.

    now they swarm like dogs that have sniffed out meat!

    after dealing with the reporters, old li received a document from the cyber surveillance department.

    the cyber surveillance monitors hot topics on the internet daily, focusing on negative comments from foreign ips on the domestic web. after the privy council announced the team roster, a lot of trolls stirred trouble on various social platforms, and it was timely that cyber surveillance notified the relevant departments to have the official media step in and handle it.

    after the official media set the tone, the trolls temporarily laid low, but they''ve become active again recently, crazily sharing yan yu''s meme "fighting sulu, no preparation needed", writing various nonsensical praise-filled narratives.

    this is actually a baiting tactic. if you hype up someone unrealistically with a main account, there will surely be many so-called neutral onlookers who take the bait and jump out to play the wise man, "you''re spouting nonsense; this person is not that strong", and thus the trolls reach their goal.

    when cyber surveillance asked if these people should be banned, li weiguo had quite a headache as well.

    if you talk about banning them, it gives spectators the impression that "the officials are silencing speech supportive of the rikoku cultivators," making it seem as if the military side lacks confidence. after all, you can''t expect every netizen to recognize a reverse role-play.

    if you say not to ban them, well, if the battle situation turns unfavorable in the end, it''s easy to imagine how many people will choose to kick someone when they''re down, causing public opinion to spiral out of control¡ªthe harsher one is hyped beforehand, the more miserably they''ll be trampled afterward. in ancient times, zheng defeated duan at yan, and today there are boomerangs all the same.

    li weiguo thought it over and over and in the end decided not to intervene.

    although there are many trolls, they haven''t yet reached the point of making absurd claims. ultimately, rikoku''s overall public opinion about you still depends on whether you can win or not.

    as long as we win, everything will get better!

    but if we don''t win, getting cursed is naturally deserved. we can even use it as an opportunity to temper yan yu''s edge... hmm, thinking about it that way is rather pleasant.

    speaking of which, has this kid been earnestly preparing for battle on the aircraft carrier?

    curious, li weiguo decided to make a call to the annan army''s commander-in-chief, zhang xiangqian, and asked:

    "hey, old zhang, i''ve got a question for you..."

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    of course, yan yu was busy with serious matters.

    although he maintained a composed demeanor in front of the ladies, he wouldn''t deny that the difficulty of this battle at the three isles treasure ship was indeed unprecedented.

    first, look at the number of participants¡ªwe''re at a disadvantage.

    the enemy is an allied force, roughly two hundred people strong, a staggering gap of 20:1 compared to us rikoku.

    of course, rikoku can also muster two hundred cultivators for battle, but that would certainly increase our casualties¡ªhow many cultivators do we have to exchange for the losses against so many countries?

    since we''ve decided on a strategy of elite forces, we have to get used to fighting outnumbered. if we eventually find we truly can''t win, then we''ll have to lift the restrictions, go transcendental, and use the demon army bred from a population of 1.2 billion to ravage the world. then nobody gets to live.

    next, consider the high-end combat power¡ªwe''re also at a disadvantage.

    we won''t mention the southeast asian countries; each is a mystical sanctuary for cult practices. even before the spiritual energy resurgence, there were bizarre incidents like "the security bureau hiring wizards for spirit communication to solve cases" or "candidates seeking wizard''s magic for election help," and after the resurgence, the number of transcendent beings surged dramatically.

    moreover, they engaged in deadly conflict among themselves; those who survived were no easy targets.

    as for the miti''s three hawks... although their strength doesn''t match lord master, is there only one lord master in the world? although most cultivators from academy backgrounds have had secret realm matchups to simulate real battles, their combat experience definitely can''t compare to that of the superhero leagues, which involve genuine fighting.

    the three hawks truly fought their way out from the masses; there''s no watering down their achievements.

    thinking it over, this time we only have an absolute advantage in the highest level of combat power; otherwise, this battle truly can''t be fought.

    yan yu stood on the deck outside the bridge, letting the sea breeze blow as he continued to sort through his long-dormant memories.

    the three isles treasure ship, there really was such an event in the past life. but at that time, i was in college, participating as a keyboard warrior, mainly fighting against online trolls, so i didn''t have firsthand information about the three isles treasure ship secret realm.

    as for joining the system later, that was after, and yan yu had no particular interest in revisiting historical stories... if i had known i would be reborn, i would certainly have studied and remembered fiercely last life, but i wasn''t aware, was i?

    of course, my current weight can''t be considered light as a butterfly, so this life''s battle at the three isles treasure ship will inevitably have a very different start from the past life.

    it''s not an exaggeration to suspect, because i, yan, the strongest in this life, am determined to join the battle, miti might have deployed more forces to the south sea this life than in the last one, and that''s a very reasonable assumption to make.

    "enjoying the sea breeze?" a soft voice sounded from li minghu beside him.

    "why are you out here?" yan yu looked back in surprise, "be careful; it''s cold outside, and the wind is strong."

    "it''s okay," li minghu said, "i''m wearing a coat."

    yan yu looked closely, and it was indeed the case.

    li minghu was wearing a navy blue and white camouflage high-collar woolen navy coat, which seemed to be warm clothing issued on a ship, matching perfectly with the soldiers on night watch on the distant deck.

    her long hair was tied up into a bun at the back of her head, revealing her neck¡ªpale and beautiful. yan yu had seen many girls, but none had skin as fair as li minghu''s, resembling the creamy luster of white jade. even though lingnan province had plenty of sunshine all year round, it couldn''t bother a valkyrie who was too sick to bask in the sun for long.

    alright, alright, i acknowledge you, li minghu! i''m willing to call you the fairest of this world!

    being closely observed by yan yu, li minghu didn''t react much. accustomed to various gazes due to her frequent coughing, she continued to stare at the three isles treasure ship in the distance. the originally magnificent fleet was now but a vague and indistinct silhouette on the sea with extremely low visibility, as if it could fully merge into the night at any moment.

    "i want to ask a question," li minghu asked softly.

    "go ahead," yan yu withdrew his gaze from her and looked together with her into the distance.

    "i want to know... what does it feel like to kill someone?" li minghu asked in a low voice, "does it really make you vomit? will you be tormented by guilt, unable to escape the shadow for a long time?"

    yan yu guessed she would ask about the matters of war but did not expect her to raise such a moral-related question.

    clearly, although the battle at changbai mountain had been kept secret, it was only from the outside world. it was impossible to hide such information from someone at the rank of the commander-in-chief of the four armies. if li weiguo could hint at yan yu, then zhang xiangqian could certainly suggest something to li minghu.

    the zhenhai team, despite being a group of girls often showing off and flirting, actually had several lives on their hands. the qingan team, on the other hand, were genuine innocents, who hadn''t even killed a chicken growing up, so it was understandable that they would have similar worries this time. discover hidden content at empire

    "yes, it does," yan yu answered seriously, "it''s just like how guys get nosebleeds when they see up a woman''s skirt, just as novels and animations depict¡ªit''s all true."

    li minghu couldn''t hold back and burst into laughter.

    perhaps she laughed too hard, for she bent over to cover her mouth with her hand and coughed for a while before regaining some strength to say,

    "sorry."

    "it is quite cold out here; why don''t you go back inside?" yan yu asked with concern.

    "i''m fine," li minghu said after a moment of silence and sighed, "i''ve always wanted to know... what it feels like to be dead. maybe after i really kill someone, i will have a deeper understanding of death, right?"

    yan yu thought to himself that she had indeed asked the right person. "what does it feel like to kill" and "what does death feel like"¡ªi''m probably the only person in the world who is qualified to answer both of these questions.

    "well, if you don''t ask me how i know, i can give you a rough idea."

    "go ahead, i won''t ask."

    "killing depends on who you kill," yan yu said calmly, "when two opposing cultivators fight to the death, each wishing the other would die immediately, then when you kill your enemy, you''ll only feel an intense surge of relief, glad that the dead person isn''t you. there''s no vomiting or guilt, those are naive fantasies made up by people living in peaceful times."

    "but if you''re killing someone who can''t fight back... well, i guess you''re not likely to do something like that. never mind, let''s not talk about that."

    "as for death, you can think of it as a longer, dreamless deep sleep. the fear of death is a privilege of those whose natural lifespan has not yet expired. when you are about to embrace death, in reality, you won''t feel much fear. if i must say, it might be more of a reluctance."

    "cough, cough... reluctance?" li minghu coughed a few times and asked curiously.

    "what is the one regret in life you''d most like to make up for if you could live again?" yan yu smiled wistfully and said, "it''s these things that will flash through your mind like a moving picture show. then you''ll realize that, no matter how much you don''t want to leave this world, there''s nothing you can do about it. the only thing left for you is to accept it."

    "did you accept it in the end?" li minghu asked, intrigued by his serious tone.

    "hmm¡ª" yan yu planned to tease her by dragging his words out.

    seeing li minghu looking at him without blinking, he slowly answered,

    "no."

    in my past life, i didn''t accept it.

    that''s why i turned back from the gates of hell, to send those who deserved to go down there...

    to hell in this lifetime. s~ea??h the n?vel?ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 66 I Am the Descendant of the Dragon

    time finally arrived at september 1.just as the research fleets on both sides had monitored, at around 2:40 in the afternoon, the three isles treasure ship had nearly come to a halt.

    the ship was about to stop!

    the members of the zhenghai team and the qing''an team had already boarded two landing craft, starting to charge towards the direction of the three isles treasure ship.

    on the other side, the superhero alliance dispatched more than 20 assault boats, carrying a greater number of superheroes and sorcerers, powerfully sailing toward the three isles treasure ship. sear?h the n??el fire.n§×t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    as they drew closer to the fleet, the three isles treasure ship in everyone''s sight became ever more towering, like a majestic and formidable mountain.

    yan yu stood alone at the bow, not in the least concerned that the opposing miti fleet would launch an attack, simply watching the lofty ship''s hull ahead with his eyes slightly narrowed.

    zhao yuanzhen walked up to his side and suddenly asked out of curiosity,

    "why didn''t we bring a medical team this time?"

    "what, are you scared?" yan yu turned his head to ask her.

    "me, scared?" the demonic sect enchantress immediately crossed her arms and said disdainfully, "the ones that should be scared are those people over there!"

    "look at sister zhao''s pretentiousness. doesn''t she remind you of the captain by seventy or eighty percent?" lin ning and the other girls sent a telepathic message to gossip quietly among themselves.

    "we didn''t bring a medical team because this time we will be engaging in combat with top foreign cultivators," chen lingyun said with a smile. "the military cultivators are not strong enough; going in would be a suicide mission."

    "in a situation where both sides are dealing deadly blows, a professional medical team won''t have much of an effect," yan yu also said seriously, "for non-fatal injuries, leaving them to yun jin is enough."

    "right, i will do my best," su yunjin stated earnestly.

    indeed, considering that the medical teams originally also had the responsibility of recording and supervising, this time, because of the substantial threat from external forces, the imperial court was forced to relax its secretive surveillance and potential wariness of official cultivators and had to grant them greater freedom of action.

    the tang dynasty military governors offered their praises.

    yan yu turned around to gauge the expressions and demeanors of the girls: zhao yuanzhen was as combative as ever, lin ning was serious and solemn, su yunjin was calm and composed, and there was no need to look at chen lingyun, who was always sweetly feigning a smile.

    hmm, everyone seemed to be in good shape.

    he looked again at the landing craft on the opposite side. li zhaojiang and jiang hong had expressionless faces, tao xingyuan and wang haoran seemed somewhat nervous, only li minghu was quietly standing in the middle of the team, with drooping eyelids, deep in thought.

    then, as if sensing something, she turned her gaze to meet his.

    noticing yan yu was watching her, li minghu smiled softly.

    yan yu looked away, thinking to himself that he didn''t know how powerful the valkyrie who had obtained the sky flash sword was nowadays, and how she had managed to conquer the three isles treasure ship secret realm in her past life.

    but, it didn''t matter anymore.

    this life''s protagonist is me!

    just as yan yu finished his contemplation, he saw the three isles treasure ship, which had finally come to a complete stop, surrounded by countless hollow spaces on the sea''s surface.

    it was as if there was an invisible wall, not seen by the naked eye, collapsing rapidly.

    at the front of the landing craft were a steering wheel and a control box. yan yu grabbed the wheel and turned it, directing the landing craft towards the largest hole ahead.

    the moment they rushed into the hole, endless torrents of water came at yan yu from all sides, pressing against him ferociously!

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    what''s happening?

    yan yu quickly held his breath and steadied his mind, only to realize he had somehow fallen into the water, completely submerged beneath the sea.

    no, i don''t remember falling into the water; this must be the work of the mysterious realm''s restrictions.

    yan yu calmly turned his head, determining his bearings according to the light and gravity, and began swimming toward the surface.

    eventually, he surfaced.

    to be precise, he emerged on the water''s surface.

    the location where yan yu found himself was a square prison cell. the walls, made of dark bluish-gray bricks, were rough and uneven, with damp moss growing on them.

    the front of the prison was composed of iron bars, through which one could see the outside corridor. there was a large hole dug in the floor, filled with enough seawater to leave no place for prisoners to set foot, forcing them to hold onto the bars to keep their heads above water to breathe.

    it was a water cell, specifically designed to torment people.

    yan yu grasped the bars and activated the wood bending charm, straining to bend them apart.

    he could not budge them.

    clearly, these bars were no ordinary iron since they resisted the power of the charm.

    yan yu calmly activated the wall-penetration technique, placing his hand against the wall.

    he couldn''t get through.

    it must be a magic formation designed to prevent escape, specifically countering all kinds of escape techniques. the low-level wall-penetration technique stood no chance of breaking through.

    yan yu formed a sword technique with his hands once more, and the huang tingjian sword flew out from behind him, smashing towards the bars in front.

    the sword and bars sparked off a series of sparks, emitting a dull yet loud sound.

    the sound of metal striking metal echoed down the corridor from yan yu''s water cell, but the surroundings remained quiet, indicating that the girls weren''t being held here.

    strange.

    however, yan yu was experienced, having encountered all manner of mysterious realms in his past life, so he wasn''t particularly startled.

    from the density of the bars, not even shrinking bone techniques would allow one to slip through. the only effective method would probably be the sky flash sword technique, as long as one transformed into a tiny flying bug, they could easily pass through the gaps.

    but the technique for such a transformation was incredibly difficult to acquire and master, so there must be another way to escape, otherwise, how did li minghu and the others survive in the past life?

    yan yu submerged himself again, examining every inch of the place carefully.

    he found no holes or mechanisms.

    the underwater structure was also built of blue bricks, impervious to the wood bending charm, the huang tingjian sword made no dent, and the wall-penetration technique was completely ineffective.

    near the bottom, however, yan yu did find a skeleton.

    the clothing on the skeleton had decayed, and there were no signs of restraints around it, nor were there any other belongings.

    yan yu swept the area patiently with his divine sense and discovered near the skeleton''s right hand, countless inscriptions, big and small, neat and sloppy, all reading the same line:

    "i am not a dragon."

    the closer the inscriptions were to the corpse, the more haphazard the handwriting became, suggesting that the deceased''s mental state had almost completely deteriorated towards the end.

    as yan yu pondered, he suddenly heard the sound of metal being struck from above, accompanied by a rough, loud shout:

    "hey, what are you hiding underwater for? get out here for me!"

    emerging slowly from the water, yan yu saw a monster standing outside the prison, impatiently striking the bars with an iron crowbar.

    the creature was fully limbed and muscular. the skin that was exposed revealed scales, and above its thick neck, a large dragon''s head perched, with a long snout and two horns. its eyes were cloudy, its mouth dripped with saliva, and it spoke with ill intent:

    "staying under the water that long, boy... you must be a flood dragon, right?"

    yan yu fell silent for a while, then countered:

    "what does it matter if i am a dragon or not?"

    "heh heh," the dragon-headed creature laughed, "if you''re a dragon, i''ll take you out right now, lock you to the dragon trapping pillar, and you can take a swing from the executioner''s blade. in your next life, remember to be reborn as something like a worm or insect; but if you''re not a dragon... why should i believe you''re not?

    just stay in this water cell for now, and we''ll verify your true identity later."

    on hearing this, yan yu laughed out loud immediately:

    "there''s no need to check! i am indeed a descendant of the dragon, so take me out to face the blade!"

 Chapter 67 This is the Housewife

    even that monster with the dragon''s head was baffled by yan yu''s words and took a moment before speaking:"you''re not afraid of death?"

    "of course i''m afraid of dying," yan yu stated righteously, "but as a descendant of the dragon, how could i cower and fawn over the fear of death?

    "hmph, you do have some backbone," the dragon-headed monster said, then reached out to pull the bars apart.

    the door and bars, originally seamless, had not budged even when huang tingjian had battered at them, yet the dragon-headed monster, using brute strength, forcibly pried them open, revealing a small path for passage.

    yan yu floated calmly in the water, his divine sense having scanned the dragon-headed monster from head to toe.

    it was not an insubstantial phantom, but a creature of flesh and blood.

    its physique was excessively robust, presumably a beast of the long race bloodline with significant strength, but its brain seemed to be somewhat faulty.

    "come out then," the dragon-headed monster opened the cell door and said, "don''t make me fetch you personally."

    yan yu climbed out of the water, chuckling:

    "many thanks, many thanks. how may i address your excellency?"

    "call me gong er," the dragon-headed monster asked curiously, "you''re on the brink of death and you can still laugh?"

    "it''s precisely because one can''t laugh after dying that one should laugh more while they can," yan yu adeptly responded to its inquiry and continued, "i have a question, brother gong er, that bothers me. could you resolve it so i can die with a clear mind?"

    "ha, ask away, though i don''t guarantee i''ll answer," the dragon-headed monster sneered.

    "why must one die just because they are a dragon?" yan yu asked.

    "have you gone stupid from the watery bubble?" the dragon-headed monster looked at him as if he were a fool, sizing him up with that gaze before saying, "humans and demons are inherently opposed, get it?"

    "oh!" yan yu feigned sudden understanding, "so, i am a dragon, and you are¡­"

    "i am naturally human," the dragon-headed monster said matter-of-factly, "for humans to slay demons and dispel evil is righteous by heaven and earth. you, being a flood dragon of demon-kind, at least are granted the use of the dragon-slaying executioner''s blade. for those nameless lesser demons, they are simply killed by hand and tossed into the sea to be devoured by fish and turtles, understand?"

    "that makes sense. marvelous!" yan yu clapped his hands and chuckled, "to die as one of the dragon kind should be a glorious death; that fits my status indeed. i have to thank you for this!"

    "quite so, quite so," the dragon-headed monster stretched its snout, revealing a ferocious yet satisfied smirk, "though you''re a demon, you understand how things are, which is truly rare. later i will speak to the general above and request him to make the blade swift to lessen your suffering."

    "then i must thank brother gong er," yan yu said, following it out of the watery cell and proceeding down the corridor.

    the passageway was dim and dark, and yan yu could only judge by the slight swaying underfoot that he must be on a ship, yet not knowing which deck.

    taking advantage of the fact that no exit could be seen ahead, he continued to make conversation:

    "speaking of which, brother gong er, since humans and demons are incompatible, isn''t there a spell to distinguish demons?"

    "what, you want to pry into the secrets of our human race cultivators?" the dragon-headed monster asked coldly.

    "i wouldn''t dare," yan yu chuckled, "what good would that knowledge do me, a dying dragon? besides, when brother gong er first spoke, you didn''t know whether i was a dragon or not, hence my question."

    the dragon-headed monster pondered for a moment and then said:

    "since i''ve already mentioned it before, there''s no harm in telling you. there are spells to distinguish demons, but they are unnecessary."

    "if you admit you''re a dragon, you''ll face the executioner''s blade; if you deny it, we won''t bother to investigate whether you''re a dragon or not, and you''ll just stay in the watery cell. either you admit it and come out, or you rot to death inside."

    "i see," yan yu nodded as if enlightened, "rather than languishing in the dark and damp cell until the end of life, it''s better to admit it, come out, and seek a swift end."

    "exactly," the dragon-headed monster nodded.

    "if it were a human, a hundred years would be but a fleeting moment," yan yu continued, "but what if it were an ordinary lesser demon that, seeking that swift end, falsely claims to be a dragon? what then?"

    the dragon-headed monster stopped in its tracks, stunned for a moment, then said:

    "if it''s not a dragon, the executioner''s blade will reveal its true form."

    "but if the executioner''s blade could be wielded at will, then what''s the point of this watery cell?" yan yu chuckled, "just take them all straight to the blade, wouldn''t that be better?"

    this time the dragon-headed monster was taken aback for even longer, but finally regained its composure and said:

    "don''t ask too many questions; rest assured, we have our methods."

    "not to hide from you," yan yu, seeing its uneasy expression, promptly said, "as one of dragonkin, i also know others of my kind. perhaps you could take me on a tour of the other cells, so i could gather all of my kin. it would be nice to have some company on the journey to the netherworld."

    "you..."

    the dragon-headed monster felt something was off and struggled for words before finally saying, "you really are fraternal to your clan."

    "what about it?" yan yu smiled, "lining up for the dragon-slaying guillotine, taking turns getting chopped, would save your brother gong er the trouble."

    "that''s right, that''s right," after thinking it over, the dragon-headed monster agreed, "then come with me."

    it turned around with yan yu and headed deep into the water cell.

    although the water cell was crammed with many chambers, most were vacant. the dragon-headed monster didn''t stop to check but focused on moving forward.

    after about two to three minutes of walking, a dense clanging of metal on metal was heard in the distance, producing a clear echo in the corridor.

    the dragon-headed monster strode over, slammed its iron pick against the bars, and cursed:

    "what''s with all the noise! be careful, or i''ll flay you alive... you, come take a look."

    just as yan yu stepped forward, he heard a familiar coughing sound from the cell.

    upon closer inspection, sure enough, it was li minghu trapped inside.

    this valkyrie must have searched her surroundings without finding any mechanisms for escape, so she could only repeatedly strike the bars with her sky flash sword to attract someone from outside.

    the moment she saw the dragon-headed monster, li minghu readied herself for battle, but the next second, seeing yan yu appear, she exclaimed in shock:

    "yan yu?"

    the moment the words left her mouth, she realized her slip and hastily sealed her lips shut.

    but the dragon-headed monster looked skeptical, turning and asking:

    "she knows you?"

    "indeed." yan yu replied, "she too descends from the long race, we are of the same bloodline."

    "oh?" the dragon-headed monster said coldly, "the flood dragon clan takes ''zhao'' as their surname; the azure dragon clan takes ''qin'' as theirs. yet she calls you ''yan yu,'' what''s the meaning of this?"

    "i wouldn''t hide it from brother gong er." yan yu was caught in a slip, but showed no sign of panic; instead, his mind raced to find a solution. to buy time, he evasively said, "it''s not a name, it''s a term of endearment." sear?h the nov§×lf~ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "term of endearment?" the dragon-headed monster was baffled.

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    "she''s my wife at home," yan yu finally concocted an excuse and smiled, "after getting married, i have been too lazy in our abode, spending all day soaking in briny seawater for prolonged slumbers, neglecting my cultivation. she has always disapproved of me, hence she mocks me as ''pickled fish,'' which is rather shameful."

    "that''s right," li minghu quickly played along with the lie, "this pickled fish¡­ the biggest regret of my life is marrying this lazy pickled fish. he doesn''t cultivate for days on end, not advancing an inch in his abilities. if i had known, i would have been better off marrying a rice noodle dragon!"

    "hehe," the dragon-headed monster seemed to understand and smiled at li minghu, "you''re about to die anyway, i''d advise you not to hold grudges. under the dragon-slaying guillotine, if you become a wedded couple in death, journeying to the netherworld together, it would also be rare."

    li minghu''s acting was exquisite; first, she glared angrily at yan yu, then her expression changed several times, couldn''t help but cough weakly a few times, and finally sighed deeply, showing a resigned expression and tearfully said:

    "it''s over, it''s over, since i married him, i might as well die with him."

    "that''s right," the dragon-headed monster consoled her in return, "there''s a hundred days'' grace in a day of marriage; why harbor so many grievances? you should know, after he got out, he was still eager to find you."

    he grabbed the iron gate of the bars, exhaled deeply, and with a strong pull, the door which the sky flash sword couldn''t open was torn open by him, issuing a shrill and piercing sound.

    seeing this, li minghu understood that despite not mentioning other abilities, the physical strength of this fiend was definitely fearsome. with this in mind and coughing again, she asked:

    "aren''t you going to quickly carry out your wife?" the dragon-headed monster, seeing her look frail and noticing yan yu behind still unmoved, suddenly asked.

    yan yu hurriedly moved forward, plunging into the water without hesitation, snagging her by the crook of her knee with his left arm, the right arm threading beneath her armpit, hands gripping the iron bars, pushing against the rocky wall beneath the water with his feet, and with one kick, his upper body burst out of the water.

    he then stepped onto the edge and carried li minghu out of the water cell.

    li minghu was originally wearing a woolen overcoat for warmth, but once soaked, it hindered her movements, so she had already stripped it off along with the sweater underneath and left them in the cell.

    activating a runescript to protect her body, she wasn''t afraid of hypothermia, but her thin t-shirt, damp and semi-transparent, left little to the imagination¡ªnot covering her curves, the outline of her undergarments was clearly visible. although her figure wasn''t as voluptuous as zhao yuanzhen''s, it was quite substantial and even better than sister lin''s.

    yan yu didn''t have time to appreciate it; as soon as they emerged from the water, he laid her down and quickly took off his outer garment to drape over her.

    li minghu nodded but did not rush to let him go. instead, she silently clung to his arm, presenting the image of a devoted little couple ready to act together.

    the dragon-headed monster saw nothing odd (what''s strange about a couple staying together?), and turned to continue leading yan yu.

    as it turned away, li minghu pretended to be weak, slowing yan yu''s pace to create some distance from the dragon-headed monster. she then silently mouthed words, sending a telepathic message to ask:

    "what''s the situation now?"

 Chapter 68 Want to talk about love?

    in order to prevent the dragon-headed monster from discovering them, yan yu was also brief, conveying the situation to li minghu through a whisper."there are big problems here," li minghu quickly said. "if there was a way to verify one''s nature as a member of the long race, why not use it directly? why detain them in an underwater prison to make them confess on their own? not to mention that the monster bears a dragon''s head but insists it''s human¡ªa fool''s talk, and its words can''t be completely trusted."

    "there''s another point," yan yu replied. "flood dragons naturally love water; who would use a water prison to detain a flood dragon? for humans and other creatures, a water prison is undoubtedly torture, but for a flood dragon, a water prison is more like a luxury single room¡ªa big bed room, to be precise. it doesn''t make sense."

    "we need to observe for a little longer¡­ ahem, ahem," li minghu coughed.

    "are you okay?" yan yu asked with concern. "the seawater is icy, and you''ve been soaked for so long..."

    "it''s nothing," li minghu replied. "i''m using my true yuan to resist it."

    the valkyrie''s lung disease had already made her blood oxygen exchange capability rather weak. soaking in the cold seawater, her blood circulation slowed, and the risk of fainting from brain hypoxia was significant.

    fortunately, cultivators can temporarily sustain hypoxic cells with true yuan, a practice known as "turtle breathing," which is why li minghu was able to hold on until yan yu arrived.

    your adventure continues at empire

    a regular person with the same symptoms would probably have been a corpse by now.

    after leaving the water prison and putting on yan yu''s coat, li minghu stopped using the runescript to protect herself, saving her true yuan.

    but now, with all her clothes soaked through and a chill setting in, she subconsciously clung to yan yu, shivering.

    yan yu noticed her frailty and wanted to communicate with the dragon-headed monster so that they could dry their clothes before leaving. but then he considered that flood dragons enjoy water; how could they possibly fear the cold? if the other party saw through their ruse, it would not be good.

    after some thought, since they were already pretending to be husband and wife, he might as well sacrifice his own reputation... he withdrew his arm from li minghu''s embrace and then wrapped it around her again, his posture instantly becoming exceedingly intimate.

    li minghu was suddenly embraced by him and felt a little shocked, shy, and uncomfortable, but then she heard yan yu whisper:

    "flood dragons like water; why would they shiver? be careful not to give us away."

    it was then that li minghu realized the ruse and quickly suppressed the strange feeling in her heart, trying hard to keep her body from shivering.

    thankfully, yan yu''s embrace was indeed warm, and the heat he transferred to her made her feel much more comfortable, as the chill that had spread throughout her limbs faded away significantly.

    so they continued to snuggle up to each other, following the dragon-headed monster until they finally arrived at the third single cell.

    there was no one inside the single cell, but the dragon-headed monster impatiently knocked on the bars and roared:

    "come out at once! don''t keep hiding underwater like a turtle!"

    before long, knowing further hiding was futile, someone emerged from the water.

    they had asian features, but with dark skin and curly hair¡ªyan yu and li minghu didn''t recognize him; he was undoubtedly a cultivator from southeast asia.

    the man, seeing yan yu and li minghu standing with the dragon-headed monster, immediately showed an alarmed and anxious expression, saying a bunch of indistinct words.

    "what is this person saying?" the dragon-headed monster wondered aloud.

    "i don''t know," yan yu laughed. "this is a foreigner; he isn''t speaking the language of the central lands."

    "since he is human, it''s simpler to just kill him," the dragon-headed monster nodded and with that, its iron spike suddenly shot out, passing through the iron bars and stabbing straight at the man''s vulnerable throat!

    in his panic, the man uttered a few strange characters, and the water beneath him rapidly surged, forming a translucent small shield before him!

    vortex shield, a defensive curse technique for which curse technique masters are famous. consisting of highly compressed and spinning condensed water, it has strong defensive capabilities against both immortal swords and taoism methods.

    in the latter stage of the spiritual energy resurgence, a certain witch king was said to have summoned a vortex shield with a radius of several kilometers, withstanding a nuclear airburst without dying. although this was mainly because the witch king was powerful, it also showed the formidable defense of this curse technique.

    of course, it wasn''t the latter stage of the spiritual energy resurgence, and the cultivator before them wasn''t the witch king of southeast asia. thus, the vortex shield he conjured was instantly shattered by the dragon-headed monster''s iron spike, followed by his adam''s apple, trachea, and cervical vertebrae, breaking in two amidst the spurting blood.

    the dragon-headed monster looked down as the man''s body fell into the water and floated up horizontally, not showing any real form of a demonic creature, and finally smiled and said:

    "sure enough, he was human."

    he continued to walk on. yan yu, with li minghu in his arms, followed behind it, feeling the stiff body of the lady in his arms relax.

    "it''s very strong," li minghu softly transmitted her voice. "the barrier charm might not hold."

    "it wouldn''t," yan yu concurred with more certainty.

    the earth-element sturdiness curse could withstand bullets head-on, but that didn''t mean immunity to physical attacks. the dragon-headed monster''s iron spike thrust had more force than most close-range bullet shots, enough to pierce through the barrier charm''s defenses directly. sea??h th§× nov§×lf~ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    this meant that in a fight, they couldn''t block its attacks; the only option was to dodge, and failure to do so would mean death.

    "when do you plan to make a move?" li minghu continued to ask.

    "before leaving this area," yan yu replied.

    "that soon?" li minghu was a bit surprised. "we don''t have a way to open the prison doors."

    "are you thinking of using it to locate and rescue all of our teammates?" yan yu asked.

    "what else?" li minghu responded.

    "it''s risky to delay too long," yan yu said after a pause.

    "i''m more worried that after killing it, even if we find the others, we would only be staring at the prison doors helplessly," li minghu insisted.

    "hmm, that could work, as long as we act before the pruning dragon guillotine," yan yu suddenly changed the subject. "i thought you didn''t want to act quickly because you liked being held by me like this."

    li minghu fell silent, and after a long while, she finally said:

    "if we have to act, let''s go all the way. saving them is more important than anything else."

    "if you don''t mind that, of course, it''s for the best." yan yu said, sighing to himself.

    the taste was right again.

    li minghu, despite seeming starkly different in personality from zhou hongyu, actually shared something fundamental in common¡ªthey both undervalued themselves terribly, never taking themselves seriously.

    in a past life, when the witch king achan opened gathered the southeast asian allied forces to strike at lu country''s southern border defenses, li minghu singlehandedly, with only a sword, held them back.

    even if she had just told the rear lines ''i can''t hold on anymore,'' the annan army wouldn''t have insisted on her fighting to the death; sending in the army to fight a war of attrition would have been the more reasonable choice.

    the valkyrie ultimately slew the witch king, drove back the allied forces, and died from sheer exhaustion, undeniably saving the lives of many soldiers and countless civilians. but was it all worth it?

    not to mention, her self-sacrifice led to her brother-complexed li zhaojiang going mad with grief, sparking the so-called ''cultivator awakening'' movement. the end result was the closure of the annan national defence college, the eradication of the top combat forces, and the planting of deep-rooted dangers and rifts between the court and the cultivators.

    li minghu, you truly were a woman of grave sin!

    in this life, i shall change your fate! i''ll steal away your achievement of killing the witch king and the glory of driving back the southeast asian allied forces; i''ll harshly pull you down from the hallowed throne of the valkyrie!

    i want you, damn it, to live for me!

    perhaps due to the tumultuous thoughts in yan yu''s mind, his hold on her tightened somewhat. li minghu, puzzled, communicated telepathically:

    "what''s wrong?"

    "what do you mean, ''what''s wrong''?"

    "you seem a bit... nervous."

    "yeah, i''m worried you''ll go and get yourself killed." yan yu confessed frankly.

    li minghu fell silent for a moment, then coughed softly and said telepathically:

    "i... won''t die easily."

    "can we remove the ''easily'' part?"

    "ah?"

    "i feel that," yan yu probed nonchalantly, "although you''ve never said it directly, you always give me this pessimistic feeling, like ''i''m about to die, i need to hurry and do something.''

    "haha, you''ve seen through me." li minghu paused for a moment, then replied, "i''ve been reading shi tiesheng''s essays recently, and perhaps i have been deeply moved emotionally."

    "i... have always been thinking: if a person''s life is destined to be short, what can she do to make her remaining life meaningful enough?"

    "uh, let me think." yan yu hesitated for a while, then suddenly suggested, "how about a passionate love affair? how does that sound?"

    li minghu was stunned, but her body soon began to twitch slightly.

    she was holding back laughter.

    it was a long while before yan yu, somewhat concerned that the dragon-like creature in front of them might notice something amiss behind it, received li minghu''s belated telepathic reply, said as casually as if she were joking:

    "alright, if my life one day comes to an end, i will seriously consider your suggestion."

    yan yu immediately seized the opportunity and pressed her:

    "are you saying you''ll consider the suggestion itself or consider me?"

    "both," li minghu said with a smile, "hmm, you took advantage of me today. by then, i suppose it wouldn''t bother you if i took up a little bit of your time, right?"

    "not at all." yan yu agreed readily, then cautioned, "then let''s make that a promise. you can''t just go die inexplicably; otherwise, i''ll go to your grave, write a scathing essay, and burn it for you."

    "i won''t," said li minghu, her voice seemingly cheerful, "i have a very good memory."

    done deal.

    yan yu let out a sigh of relief inwardly.

    it''s not that he was particularly keen on dating li minghu, nor did he arrogantly believe that li minghu was already in love with him. the whole affair didn''t need to be overcomplicated; it was just a small promise between a girl who believed her days were numbered and didn''t want to die alone, and a kind-hearted boy who wanted to help her.

    however, for yan yu with the advantage of foresight, this meant that he had the capability to influence the conclusion of li minghu''s life.

    keep in mind, he was not a member of team qing''an and could not possibly stay by li minghu''s side every day to monitor her health and determine when she would choose self-sacrifice... but li minghu herself would certainly be aware.

    as long as she still remembered this promise before becoming the valkyrie, then with a single phone call, yan yu could immediately rush to her side.

    thereafter, whether it was to persuade her, convince her, leverage her, show her the beauties of the world, rekindle her desire to remain in this world, or even to knock her out and take her home for a slow education, or hand her over to the annan army and explain the gravity of the situation¡ªwhatever the choice, the power was in yan''s hands.

    mwahaha, this is the power of being the supreme intelligence of this world!

    with his thoughts well-ordered and feeling smug, yan yu''s steps seemed to carry a breeze.

    li minghu curled up in his embrace, with a faint and indescribable shame washing over her. as her emotions surged, a subtle warmth seemed to rise throughout her body, sweeping away the last vestiges of cold.

    in the last few days of her life, to engage in a passionate romance...

    it sounded quite nice, actually.

    she just hoped it wouldn''t cause him any trouble.

 Chapter 69 Live Streaming Fiercely On-Scene!

    yan yu, hugging li minghu with a satisfied grin, followed the dragon-headed monster for half a day until they finally reached the fourth cell.in the water cell floated a blond man who appeared to be one of miti''s superheroes, but yan yu didn''t recognize his face¡ªhe guessed that in his previous life, the man must have been just an unknown figure.

    the blond man, upon seeing the dragon-headed monster, was instantly ready for battle. then, seeing yan yu beside him, strolling leisurely with a beauty in tow, he was dumbstruck.

    what the hell? what''s going on?

    the dragon-headed monster didn''t speak, but instead turned its head to look at yan yu.

    yan yu glanced at the camera on the chest of the blond man and gave a slight smile:

    "kill him."

    without a moment''s hesitation, the dragon-headed monster thrust its iron pick quickly, still aiming for the blond man''s throat with deadly precision!

    the blond man let out a furious roar as his muscles swelled rapidly, reaching out with both hands to grab the iron pick.

    his berserker ability could stimulate a fighting spirit and killing intent at critical moments, causing his strength to increase several times over.

    but even the strength boost of a berserker couldn''t fend off the dragon-headed monster''s terrifying iron pick.

    the pick brutally tore through his grip, the friction ripping the skin of his palms, and then, under the disbelieving gaze of the blond man, it plunged directly into his neck.

    blood gushed forth like a fountain.

    the water cell quickly turned a crimson red with blood, and the dragon-headed monster stared for a while before expressing disappointment:

    "really boring."

    "let''s go," yan yu said with a smile.

    the two of them, along with the beast, left the water cell and continued onwards. li minghu transmitted a message again:

    "that thing on his chest, the shirt collar¡ªis that a camera?"

    "most likely," yan yu responded nonchalantly, "just don''t know if it''s for recording or something else."

    in fact, although miti''s transcendent powers were nothing special, their world-leading scientific and technological capabilities were undeniable. in cooperation with europe, they had indeed developed several pieces of cutting-edge spy tech.

    for instance, "phase mapping technology" could allow transcendents within the mysterious realm to unidirectionally transmit visual and auditory data from inside to the outside world, thus keeping the outside world updated about the situation within the mysterious realm in real-time.

    but using such technology for live broadcasting did seem a bit odd. okay, considering that communication data could only be transmitted from the inside to the outside world and not allow the outside world to interfere with the inside, it seemed the technology had no other use than live broadcasting.

    after all, no matter how the situation inside the mysterious realm changed, the outside world could only watch anxiously, unable to do anything.

    yan yu and li minghu, while communicating telepathically, didn''t take the blond man''s camera seriously.

    however, the outside world had already exploded into chaos.

    the phase mapping technology made its debut because the superhero alliance planned to make a splash with a big news story by having all superheroes enter the mysterious realm equipped with cameras to broadcast the contention for the treasure of the three isles live to the outside world.

    and the fact proved that this business gamble was tremendously successful: by four o''clock in the afternoon, the number of domestic tv viewers in miti country had surpassed forty million, and this didn''t even include online channels and international broadcasts¡ªthe webcast had crashed twice due to too many incoming users.

    although the viewership wasn''t publicly disclosed, it was estimated that the numbers had already far exceeded tv viewers.

    the live broadcast format also took inspiration from traditional sporting events, with tv directors responsible for selecting and switching between cameras, while hosts and technical guests provided commentary.

    at this moment, phoenix and thunderbird, two superhero foes, had already escaped the water cell, deceived the dragon-headed monster into opening the door, and then brazenly struck it down, while thornbird chose to follow the guards and bide his time, waiting for the right moment to make a move, as wizards weren''t that effective in direct confrontations.

    just when all three heroes had left the water cell, the broadcast switched to another camera, and the host george hanson began his explanatory commentary:

    "... okay, let''s see how the seventh-ranked superhero, the ''roarer,'' is doing¡ªhuh?"

    in the frame, yan yu, with one arm wrapped around li minghu, appeared on screen alongside the dragon-headed monster, entering the superhero alliance live broadcast and into the view of the global audience watching the stream.

    then, his gaze turned to the camera, to the tens of thousands of viewers across the world, and he offered a slight smile:

    "kill him."

    upon the command, the dragon-headed monster thrust out its iron pick and the superhero "roarer" was unable to resist and died. the camera, along with the body, tilted towards the ceiling...

    at that moment, even the broadcast director forgot to switch the camera, the host covered his mouth with both hands, and the technical guest stood up in disbelief, the entire commentary booth too shocked to speak.

    as for the live chat room, it began to explode with frenzied activity, with one western phrase standing out amidst the barrage:

    omg (oh my god) explore stories at empire

    "this is cheating!" the host george finally recovered his senses and shouted, "this is cheating!"

    and so, another high-frequency word was added to the frenetic sea of chatroom messages:

    cheater

    at the other end of the earth, inside the principal''s office of the zhendong national defense academy, li weiguo had already slammed his hand on the table and exclaimed in anger,

    "cheating? do they really think this is some sort of game?"

    "it''s just the same old rhetoric," chen tianming said with a smile beside him.

    li weiguo was, of course, no stranger to this kind of western rhetoric¡ªfirst label you "evil," and then they can freely criticize you from a moral high ground. the main reason for his outburst was that he considered yan yu as his own junior, and his protective instinct as an elder kicked in.

    "this kid..." li weiguo sat back down sheepishly, his expression one of bafflement as he wondered aloud, "how did he manage it? how could he fool that kind of creature completely?"

    lu country didn''t have cross-mysterious realm communication technology, only being able to watch the livestream from the superheroes'' side. naturally, the viewpoint was primarily from the perspective of the western transcendents.

    the dragon-head creature spoke in lu country''s language, which most of the western superheroes couldn''t understand, relying on body gestures to guess its meaning. only the three from mitchi country could speak lu country''s language, which is why they were among the first to free themselves from captivity.

    however, precisely because they could roughly understand, knowing that the guard intended to take them out and kill them, they unanimously chose to attack. sea??h th§× nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    but what about yan yu... how on earth did he manage to deceive the dragon-head creature into helping him kill the enemy transcendents?

    at this moment, li weiguo wished he could rush into the mysterious realm right away, grab a camera, and stick it on yan yu, just to see what kind of miraculous maneuver he would perform next.

    apart from the official channels, there were many people in lu country illegally streaming¡ªtaking the live content from the superhero alliance and broadcasting it in real time in their own streams using some of the less policy-sensitive small platforms.

    unlike foreign livestreams flooded with comments like "omg" and "cheater," the local audience''s messages were a bit longer, such as "hhhhhhhh" or "a bustling flurry of activity," creating an even more pronounced effect.

    in the major forums, a few outspoken individuals finally couldn''t help but jump out, attempting to argue the possibility that yan yu had "betrayed humanity to side with the creatures," only to be faced with a barrage of insults aimed at their families by the collective netizens.

    of course, aside from the mainstream voices mocking "our hero killing the opposing heroes with the help of wild monsters," some clueless viewers asked some rather dissonant questions:

    why was captain yan from zhenhai team, hugging vice-captain li from qing''an team?

    the initial impression the public had of these two stayed within the interview footage on the tailfire tiger aircraft carrier with lu zhiyu. one was the smiling lingnan girl li minghu, who spoke in clich¨¦s to the camera, and the other was yan yu, the expression pack hero who said, "do we even need to prepare to fight sulu?"

    now that they were publicly hugging each other in a superhero livestream, one could imagine the torrent of new gossip, rumors, and cp allegations this would unleash amongst the public.

    at yan yu''s home, father yan and mother yan sat on the sofa, silently watching their son holding a beautiful girl they didn''t recognize, smiling faintly at the camera.

    the one responsible for casting the online foreign pirate broadcast to the living room tv was his sister yan jing, but at that moment, she wished she could travel back in time to tell her parents "i don''t know how to do this."

    "this..." mother yan finally spoke up slowly, asking her daughter, "is this the zhao jiuzhen you mentioned? or is it chen lingyun?"

    "neither of them," yan jing said with a resigned chuckle, stiffly adding, "it must be from another team. that¡­ the one who was interviewed on tv before, the lingnan girl li minghu."

    father yan, without missing a beat, took out his phone and started searching the name "li minghu" at a leisurely pace, while mother yan was silent for a moment before turning to her husband and saying,

    "i remember the bride price is not really a thing in lingnan, right?"

    meanwhile, in lingnan province, where the average bride price is the lowest, li minghu and li zhaojiang''s family also had a large group of people watching the livestream.

    the elderly didn''t use the internet, so the grandparents and great-grandparents of the two siblings all came to li family''s parents'' home, six people crowding around the computer, staring anxiously at the overseas livestream.

    seeing li minghu safe and intact, intimately hugged by yan yu on the screen and apparently without any sign of embarrassment or coercion, the elders were unanimously silent.

    after a long while, grandfather li finally showed an impatient look and waved his hand as he said elongatedly,

    "aye, just let ah hu choose what she likes~"

    shifting the focus back to the mysterious realm, yan yu and li minghu continued their embrace disguise, following the dragon-head creature¡ªfacing a crisis, they had no time to worry about being captured on camera!

    the two could now see the exit of the water prison passage ahead, a spiral staircase disappearing into the shadows.

    "minghu, think carefully. if there are more creatures up there, what will we do?" yan yu once again communicated secretly, "if you''re going to make a move on this creature, now is the last chance."

    "what do you think?" li minghu was indecisive, tossing the decision back to him.

    "all i can say is," yan yu replied calmly, "i trust my teammates wouldn''t just foolishly wait in the water prison for someone to rescue them."

    li minghu was silent for a moment before finally making up her mind:

    "alright, let''s do it!"

 Chapter 70 As husband and wife, we are invincible when we work together.

    having decided to take action, yan yu and li minghu, both decisive in nature, certainly did not hesitate.they drew their swords!

    the moment huang tingjian and sky flash sword were unleashed, the two also simultaneously activated the shifting technique to rapidly retreat backward.

    at the moment, the most threatening aspect of the dragon-headed monster seemed to be its immense strength, along with its weapon being an iron pick, which made it crucial to avoid close combat.

    both retreated dozens of meters in an instant, but the dragon-headed monster, sensing something was amiss, had already turned around. swinging its iron pick like a steel whip, it knocked huang tingjian and sky flash sword flying away in no time.

    the sky flash sword, being relatively slender, was expected to fall back in a clash of metals; but huang tingjian was a heavy sword, strong and forceful, yet it was also sent flying like a light blade, showing that the strength of the dragon-headed monster was far superior to the iron corpse in the mysterious realm of days past.

    without the need for words, with mutual understanding, yan yu and li minghu continued to back away, increasing the distance, only to see the dragon-headed monster revealing a ferocious smile, opening its long snout, and unleashing an earth-shattering, high-decibel roar.

    the roaring was so shocking that it even generated a violent wind, causing the iron bars of the fences on both sides to emit a piercing, grating sound as if they were being scraped by a knife.

    huang tingjian and sky flash sword stabilized and flew back. li minghu hesitated for a moment, only to see yan yu not wavering at all, controlling his sword to chop down fiercely at the monstrous figure that loomed like a mountain!

    in what seemed to be empty space directly ahead, huang tingjian actually struck something¡ªthe visible ripple of the sound wave shattered, resembling river water crashing against a protruding rock, reluctantly forced to scour and part to its sides.

    li minghu finally understood that the roar was not just a sound but some kind of forceful invisible shockwave.

    unfortunately, her realization came a bit too late, and before her body could react, she was already thrown into the air by the shockwave coming from the side. s§×arch* the n?vel(f)ire.¦Çet website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    but yan yu''s hand was quicker than her reflexes, grasping her left hand like lightning the moment her feet had just lifted off the ground, preventing her from being completely thrown away.

    li minghu, out of balance, was tossed sideways like a flag in the wind, her left hand held firm by yan yu, her eyes suddenly sharp, her right hand swiftly executing a sword technique.

    the sky flash sword, also sent flying by the shockwave, suddenly accelerated, thrusting forward like a streak of lightning and striking the iron pick thrown by the dragon-headed monster, producing a muffled, dull thud of metal on metal.

    the dragon-headed monster, taking advantage of yan yu''s distraction in grabbing li minghu, threw its iron pick in a sneak attack aimed to kill him, but it was intercepted midway by the sky flash sword.

    however, the force on the iron pick was so strong that even though the sky flash sword managed to block it, it only succeeded in slightly deflecting it by a few inches, changing the trajectory from the back of yan yu''s head to his ear.

    "be careful!" li minghu could only shout these two words, only to see yan yu, who was holding onto her, suddenly shift half a step to the side.

    it was the classic speed boost of the shifting technique followed by an abrupt halt mid-air¡ªclich¨¦d but still effective, dodging the attack by just the right margin, letting the iron pick graze past his face.

    the iron pick that missed its target embedded itself in the distant ground as if a toothpick was thrust into a block of tofu, sinking in halfway, its tail end trembling uncontrollably.

    the momentum of the dragon''s roar shockwave was halted, li minghu finally landed and steadied herself, and before she could catch her breath or cough, she saw the weaponless dragon-headed monster grab hold of the iron bars of a nearby water prison, forcefully tearing off a piece to use as a new weapon.

    new weapon acquired!

    seeing this scenario unfold, li minghu immediately understood that the dragon-headed monster indeed had long-range attack capabilities: it used the roar shockwave to throw its target off, following up with throwing the iron bar to kill from a distance. if the attempt failed, it would simply tear off another piece to use as a weapon and repeat the process.

    they could not retreat any further; they needed to seize the rhythm and counter-attack!

    she quickly looked toward yan yu. without the need for any spoken communication, yan yu had already grasped her intentions, quickly executing a sword technique, leading huang tingjian to attack the dragon-headed monster head-on.

    the monster once again swung the iron bar, attempting to knock away huang tingjian but did not expect that this was precisely yan yu''s tactical intent¡ªin the moment it completed its move, the deliberately belated sky flash sword suddenly accelerated into a swift streak of golden light, stabbing through the wide-open gap into its chest.

    assassinate!

    the sky flash sword retracted, pulling out a swath of golden blood as the dragon-headed monster fell backward with a thud, unable to rise again.

    li minghu breathed a sigh of relief but scanned the area with her divine sense just to be sure.

    the lifeforce had ceased; it was indeed dead.

    given the terrifying brute force of the opponent, no transcendent could withstand a direct hit. the reason they could assassinate this monster so cleanly was mainly due to the perfect coordination between yan yu and herself, with the former feigning an attack to draw out its close combat strike, and the latter seizing the moment it left itself open.

    if one had to say, the latter was undoubtedly more challenging, as the window for assassination was fleeting. but instead of feeling pride, li minghu found it strange that yan yu could understand her tactical intent¡ªoriginally, i wanted to discuss the plan with you through mental communication.

    "our cooperation is quite in sync," she remarked casually.

    yan yu didn''t bother explaining to her, "in a past life, my style of fighting was initially influenced by yours. it''s a shame you died too early." otherwise, li minghu would have been utterly baffled.

    faced with li minghu''s probe, he simply smiled and said:

    "it was just that you seized the right moment, it has nothing to do with me."

    no, that''s not it.

    your seemingly straightforward attack, but the flight path of the huang tingjian precisely obscured the slightly behind sky flash sword, preventing the dragon-headed monster from catching a glimpse of the sword light; otherwise, our assassination wouldn''t have gone so smoothly.

    so... cough, cough, cough!

    li minghu wanted to ask more, but a sudden bout of coughing interrupted the words she intended to ask.

    "quickly dry your clothes," yan yu found a corner and released the flame curse, "continuing to fight in wet clothes is too much for me."

    the one who really couldn''t bear it was actually me... li minghu knew that yan yu was taking care of her dignity, so she didn''t say much, smiled embarrassedly, and began to undress.

    yan yu calmly turned away, looking toward the stairs leading to the upper levels, when suddenly he heard li minghu''s soft voice from behind, like a kitten scratching at the heart:

    "you wouldn''t use divine sense to peek, would you?"

    "oh my," yan yu feigned a sigh, "i hadn''t thought of it until you reminded me."

    li minghu was unconcerned, knowing that since yan yu deliberately said so, he definitely wouldn''t peek with divine sense.

    she removed all her clothing, trousers, socks, and shoes, leaving only her underwear, then used the heat from the flame curse to dry her clothes while sweeping the surroundings with divine sense uneasily.

    although the two had followed the dragon-headed monster and had explored the entire area, ensuring no one else was nearby, it was still better to be safe than sorry.

    the heat from the flame curse was intense, quickly drying the moisture.

    li minghu quickly redressed, let out a sigh of relief, and said:

    "i''m ready. here''s your outer garment back."

    yan yu turned around, declining:

    "no need. you''re not well; better you keep it on."

    "fine." it was just a piece of clothing, li minghu wasn''t too fussed, and continued, "your turn to warm up then, do you need... cough, cough, cough, do you need me to turn around?"

    "no need, i''m a guy, it doesn''t matter." yan yu started taking off his shirt.

    as he took off his shirt and was about to remove his trousers, li minghu''s mind slightly trembled, and she unconsciously turned away.

    she tiptoed nervously, repeatedly tapping her feet on the ground, her hands clasped behind her back at the waist, her fingers continuously trembling interlocked.

    yan yu also used divine sense to monitor the staircase behind until all of his clothing was dry, then he put them back on and extinguished the flame curse.

    "let''s go."

    "okay." li minghu turned around, her face showing a relieved expression.

    when they reached the stairs, li minghu suddenly suggested:

    "i''ll take the lead. my sky flash sword is faster, better suited for sudden situations."

    explore stories on empire

    "i should do it," yan yu disagreed, "what matters is not the sword, but the person."

    li minghu wanted to say more, but then remembered the dragon''s roar shockwave from the dragon-headed monster earlier; indeed, yan yu had reacted faster than her, so she nodded and said:

    "then i''ll cover you from behind."

    "be careful, yan yu."

 Chapter 71 Like Jumping for Joy, Right?

    after changing into dry clothes, li minghu felt much lighter, and her coughing significantly reduced.she looked up, the staircase winding upwards like a serpent, disappearing entirely into the darkness.

    yan yu walked ahead of her, his demeanor calm as he ascended step by step, his gait steady and unwavering, giving li minghu a sense of security she hadn''t felt in a long time.

    yes, it had indeed been a long time.

    as the vice-captain of the qing''an battle team, and with her brother only concerned with fighting and not planning, she often had to manage the whole team by herself, not daring to let her guard down for a moment¡ªshe was responsible for everyone''s lives.

    at some point, she had forgotten what it felt like to "rely on others."

    li minghu took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the weakness that was creeping into her heart. s§×ar?h the n?vel(f)ire.¦Çet website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    i can''t always think about relying on him.

    she strived to concentrate, her divine sense swiftly scanning the area ahead, then suddenly communicated with yan yu through a private transmission:

    "the staircase ends up ahead, leading to a platform."

    "mm," yan yu had obviously noticed as well.

    "be careful of an ambush," li minghu continued. enjoy new stories from empire

    "got it," yan yu responded, and then suddenly asked, "how do you say ''got it'' in lingnan dialect?"

    "ming la," li minghu answered. "why do you suddenly ask this?"

    "because you''re a little too tense," yan yu chuckled. "relax a bit, nothing will happen."

    li minghu smiled helplessly. of course, she wanted to relax, but in such a perilous mysterious realm, where foreign transcendents would not hesitate to kill, and attacks could come from the most unexpected places, how could she relax? how could she dare to relax?

    yan yu did not really expect his words to immediately adjust li minghu''s state of mind.

    he just calmly finished climbing the stairs and entered the upper cabin, only to see three foreign transcendents standing on the opposite side talking.

    the moment their gazes met, yan yu recognized the trio as miti''s three hawks¡ªthe one with black curly hair was the "phoenix" phoenix, the straight-haired man with the hooked nose was "thornbird" roger, and the only blonde woman was "thunderbird" margaret.

    li minghu stepped out from behind him and quickly summoned the sky flash sword, taking up a battle-ready stance.

    "wow-wow-wow!" phoenix raised his hands first to indicate no hostility, speaking in the language of lu country, albeit with a politically correct accent, "hey, brother, don''t start a fight! we''re not planning to battle you guys right now!"

    "that''s right," thunderbird joined in, much clearer in pronunciation than phoenix, "with all these monsters around trying to kill us, shouldn''t we humans unite? or at least avoid killing each other?"

    thornbird did not speak, but he did not voice any opposition either, merely standing silently behind the other two without uttering a word.

    seeing the other side''s non-hostile demeanor, li minghu narrowed her eyes behind yan yu, quickly weighing the pros and cons.

    if it were up to her, she would definitely not trust these three "superheroes." however, she also believed that it wouldn''t be wise to start a fight here... of course, the decision was now up to yan yu.

    yan yu''s face was expressionless; he only looked at their chests and indeed saw that each of them was wearing a camera.

    "how about this," phoenix suggested in a negotiating tone, "we work together temporarily until we find the core? if that''s okay with you, then just listen to what i''m saying."

    yan yu suddenly burst into laughter. then, his expression turned cold as he said:

    "cooperate? do you think you are worthy?"

    as soon as the words fell, huang tingjian transformed into a streak of light, attacking phoenix who was standing on the left.

    although li minghu had not been warned in advance, her response was also extremely fast. sky flash sword followed closely, striking towards thunderbird next to phoenix.

    fight!

    the two of them attacked without a word, naturally shocking the live broadcast audience outside.

    indeed, both the local and international spectators, as well as the high-ranking members of lu country, had been following the camera and saw these three individuals were the first to reach the upper cabin.

    their stop here was not for rest but was meant to allow thornbird to set up a magical trap, intending to ambush those who came after.

    phoenix and thunderbird were both the type who preferred open confrontation with their adversaries. moreover, with the global live broadcast ongoing, everyone wanted to see superheroes vanquishing villains, so of course, they wouldn''t "temporarily cooperate with the opponents."

    those words were merely to buy time so that thornbird could complete his spell.

    little did they expect yan yu to ignore the stalling tactic, directly replying with a haughty "do you think you are worthy," and choosing to engage in battle, causing the foreign internet live chat to explode once again.

    of course, the three superheroes were too busy to care about the show''s impact at the moment.

    phoenix snapped his fingers, and in an instant, his entire body was engulfed in flames, turning into a man of fire and charging towards the huang tingjian slashing at him.

    shifting technique: self-combustion.

    thunderbird also let out a shout, leaping high into the air, her hands now gripping a golden lance made of thunder and lightning, hurling it ferociously towards yan yu and li minghu.

    thunder lance!

    li minghu was about to quickly retreat when she suddenly heard yan yu''s voice in her head:

    "explode."

    she instantly became alert. initially, a single step back would have allowed her to avoid the landing spot of the thunder lance, but she hastily retreated three steps instead.

    as expected, the moment the thunder lance hit the ground, it exploded into countless electric snakes that wildly and viciously danced around the area.

    li minghu squinted, a thought flashing through her mind: this move is quite similar to zhou hongyu''s great bright fire flame spear, creating an explosion at the point of impact to increase the range of damage. those unfamiliar with it or slow to react would easily fall prey to it.

    the phoenix, engulfed in flames, charged toward yan yu, attempting close-quarters combat while ignoring the approaching huang tingjian.

    however, yan yu didn''t confront her head-on but accelerated sideways with the shifting technique, as huang tingjian turned around to strike at the phoenix.

    seeing that he wouldn''t engage her in combat, the phoenix twisted her body and rushed toward li minghu. just as li minghu was about to control her sword to respond, she heard yan yu''s voice transmission:

    "ignore her."

    ignore her? li minghu immediately understood, he''s telling me not to get entangled in close combat with the phoenix.

    thanks to yan yu, nearly all team members now knew the advantages of speeding up with the shifting technique and the sudden stop of the cloud ascension technique. plus, with this being a skill li minghu herself proposed in a past life, she was naturally well-practiced in it by now. she similarly accelerated with the shifting technique, quickly creating distance from the blazing phoenix.

    seeing both opponents unwilling to engage, the burning phoenix grew secretly frantic.

    his self-combustion divine technique could provide powerful self-healing, sustained area damage, and physical enhancements. though he claimed it was the power of the sun god helios, it was actually burning his own magical power. once his magic power was nearly exhausted, the divine flames would instantly backfire and burn him to death.

    luckily, the divine fire could use his magic power as fuel but also the true yuan of the enemy. as long as he could successfully burn a rikoku cultivator and devour their internal true yuan, the duration of the self-combustion divine technique could be extended.

    but with both opponents actively avoiding battle, it was like forcing him to burn himself the entire time... how could this be acceptable?

    "come and fight, you rikoku cowards!" the phoenix roared in anger, turning again to rush toward yan yu.

    yan yu simply ignored her, continuing to widen the distance, while huang tingjian''s sword struck down at the phoenix who had just landed.

    the phoenix hurriedly propped her hands on the ground, causing a ring of electrical waves to burst forth, blasting away the huang tingjian sword coming at her.

    resistance electrical field!

    she had barely heaved a sigh of relief when she saw the sky flash sword attacking from another direction. it timed its assault perfectly as her electrical waves faded, transforming into a blade of light that rapidly closed in.

    that was the last straw for the phoenix. the opponents weren''t just any ordinary cultivators; they were top-tier sword immortals from rikoku. how could she fend off their pincer attack?

    god damn it, where are my teammates to save me?!

    "fuck!" she had to attach lightning to her feet, hastily fleeing the reach of the sky flash sword''s attack, while yelling furiously at the phoenix, "fuck squid phoenix! what the hell are you doing?!"

    the phoenix was still pursuing yan yu, but being cursed by her teammate like that, she finally came to her senses.

    what use is there in my doggedly chasing when the opponents clearly won''t fall for it?

    she quickly canceled the self-combustion divine technique, stomping her right foot onto the ground, and a giant flame spear nearly two meters long erupted from the ground, viciously slithering toward li minghu.

    li minghu leaped up with the shifting technique and switched to using the cloud ascension technique to hover in the air, neatly dodging the flame spear''s strike; the sky flash sword continued its relentless pursuit of the phoenix.

    the phoenix couldn''t retaliate at all. she was trapped in a pincer assault by the huang tingjian and sky flash sword. one sword forced her back; another resumed the attack, leaving her with no choice but to focus purely on defense, turning to check on the wizard''s spell progress.

    she almost had a heart attack from what she saw.

    because yan yu had been distancing himself from the phoenix while directing huang tingjian to attack her, but his steps were quietly drawing closer to the wizard.

    it wasn''t until the phoenix chose to switch her attack to li minghu that he abruptly accelerated with the shifting technique, immediately going for the kill toward the wizard who was still secretly preparing his spell.

    the wizard, aware of yan yu''s approach, had no choice but to prematurely activate the trap he had set, his hands quickly forming a spell seal:

    demonic trap!

    as yan yu charged with the shifting technique, a ring of blue light suddenly appeared under his feet, then exploded violently upwards into a brilliant azure flame, as if it could burn even the air to ashes.

    in the nick of time, yan yu had already stopped and side-stepped, narrowly avoiding the burst of azure fury¡ªonly the hem of his clothes was grazed by the flame, instantly vanishing.

    however, the spot where he stepped next suddenly revealed a second ring of blue light.

    as a classic move of a cunning wizard, the invisible demonic traps set by the wizard at the start weren''t solitary; they were part of a calculated chain of traps!

    as the azure flames burst forth again, yan yu''s figure didn''t disappear within fire. in the instant before the flames surged, he once again stopped abruptly, turned, and accelerated with the shifting technique, taking a lightning-fast step forward, just in time to escape the second demonic trap''s blast radius.

    and in doing so, he triggered the third demonic trap.

    the third... the fourth, the fifth! the sixth!!! yan yu, like a phantom, made his way rapidly across the battlefield, each step a precise "teleport" away, each time "just right" to leave the bursting azure flames behind him.

    until even the seventh demonic trap had exploded in vain, in the wizard''s disbelieving, ghost-seeing eyes of despair, within the lens of the small camera on his chest and the live broadcasts watched by audiences worldwide, one saw the consecutively teleporting yan yu suddenly appear in front of him, expressionlessly asking:

    "like playing hopscotch, do you?"

    the wizard had no chance to answer the question.

    because yan yu''s curved curse punch had already pierced through his chest, and the camera attached to it was blasted to smithereens.

 Chapter 72 A Scene of Carnage is Impossible

    the thorn bird, impaled through its chest, shrieked pitifully.the next second, yan yu had already lightning-fast withdrawn his arm, while underneath the corpse, blue flames erupted, instantly turning it to ashes.

    at this, both the phoenix and the thunderbird''s expressions immediately fell.

    was the thorn bird dead? not dead.

    as good as dead.

    the wizard''s spell schools are myriad and bizarre, boasting a variety of styles. the thorn bird''s choice of tactic was simple, one was to survive, the other to steal.

    he specialized in this rare spell called "magic body", which, as the name implies, is using magic to create a body in advance and hide it somewhere.

    if he suffered a fatal injury in battle, he would instantly switch places with the magic body, leaving it to die on the battlefield... the cost was a period of weakness where his abilities would sharply decline, essentially leaving him crippled, but it would still ensure 100% preservation of his life, hence it was still considered the world''s number one survival technique.

    as for the phoenix and the thunderbird, the dramatic change in their expressions was because they knew the thorn bird''s nature¡ªif this damn wizard used his life-saving technique, then his magic body was definitely not hiding in the mysterious realm, and might not even be within mitchi country.

    chances were it was stashed in some remote village in northern ereland, such as a tiny port fishing village of barely a dozen, in a desolate place unlikely to be hit even in a nuclear war.

    at this point, it could be announced that the thorn bird had honorably left the battlefield!

    looking back at the state of the battle, what was originally a favorable three-on-two had been forcefully turned into a two-on-two by the opponent, without a scratch¡ªa clear indication that there was a significant disparity in strength between the two sides.

    although the cameras continued to live-stream, the two superheroes exchanged glances and quickly reached a mutual understanding.

    a strategic retreat is in order.

    becoming a dead legend is not the kind of legend we wish to be!

    phoenix again initiated his self-combustion divine art, thunderbird launched his lightning speed, and without a trace of reluctance, each turned around, carrying a do-or-die attitude, dashing through the passage away from yan yu and company.

    li minghu: ...

    yan yu: ...

    "shall we give chase... forget it." li minghu unconsciously asked a question but quickly realized.

    if yan yu intended to give chase, he wouldn''t be standing here, he would have already been in pursuit.

    "let''s find our teammates first," yan yu calmly stated.

    eliminating mitchi''s superheroes is good.

    chasing superheroes to the point where teammates are injured or even killed is not good.

    since yan yu aims to be the strongest in the world, he cannot afford a stain on his illustrious record. there will be plenty of chances to eliminate superheroes in the future, but he can''t resurrect the dead, so he knows well what is more important.

    li minghu, of course, had no objections since his brother, li zhaojiang, was also missing; naturally, finding teammates was more critical.

    yan yu turned to survey the surroundings of the cabin. since the san yu treasure ship was much larger than an ordinary boat, the interior cabin space was also geometrically larger. just this one cabin had 8 spiral staircases leading to the lower levels, and a central staircase to the upper levels.

    which way to go?

    before li minghu could speak, his face suddenly changed, as loud talking came from the direction of the staircase leading to the upper level.

    having had encounters with monsters, most transcendents were unlikely to converse loudly like this, which meant that it was definitely a monster leader talking, and with high probability multiple monsters were approaching.

    "let''s go." he quickly grabbed yan yu and chose the nearest lower-level spiral staircase, rushing towards it.

    descending the staircase at speed, divine sense continuously scanning behind them, li minghu noticed the monster leaders weren''t following the noise and let out a sigh of relief.

    only then did he notice he was still holding yan yu''s hand.

    of course, the situation was urgent before, so he had no time to think and besides, it was not the era of etiquette where a lady''s reputation is ruined by a touch. thus, he simply let go of yan yu''s hand as if it was nothing and was about to say something to relieve the awkwardness, when suddenly he heard chen lingyun''s voice not far away:

    "oh, thank you, deputy captain li, for bringing our captain back~"

    stay tuned to empire

    as both turned their heads, they saw the sweetly fake smiling chen lingyun, the stunned lin ning, the expressionless su yunjin, and of course, the gritting zhao yuanzhen, all four standing at the entrance to the water prison, their gazes burning like angry lionesses who had caught a lion stealing food.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    their experience was actually not complicated. after entering the mysterious realm, yan yu and li minghu were locked in one level of the water prison, while the girls were locked in another level.

    the intelligence of the monster leaders wasn''t high, and if yan yu could trick them, chen lingyun certainly wasn''t without strategies. after luring the guards on their level to open all the prison doors, the four girls joined forces to ambush and take down the guard.

    the battle segment was also fraught with peril. facing the monster leaders'' dragon roar blast and spear throw, the girls were initially caught off guard and lost their balance en masse.

    the only piece of luck was that the subsequent iron spear throw was aimed at zhao yuanzhen rather than someone else.

    in a moment of crisis, zhao yuanzhen couldn''t afford to keep playing dumb and suddenly turned into black mist to sidestep, avoiding the rival''s mountain-splitting strike.

    after that, they learned from the experience, and with su yunjin''s taoism method and chen lingyun''s ghost manipulation, they managed to distract the monster leader from attacking again, then lin ning utilized her sword control technique to break through the front lines, while zhao yuanzhen activated the white bone heart-locking hairpin for a sneak attack, delivering the final killing blow.

    yan yu listened and couldn''t help but break out into a cold sweat: goodness, while the valkyrie and i faced three and didn''t feel that tense, now hearing your four-on-one story is truly chilling!

    the monster leader''s iron spear throws were terrifying, and if the target had been the slower-reacting su yunjin or chen lingyun, the zhenhai team might have suffered an immediate casualty.

    ```

    even if she had chosen lin ning, who was quick enough to dodge vitals, she might not have escaped serious injury.

    in the era of the spiritual energy resurgence, strength speaks volumes, and being weak means deserving death. even if the girls really suffered casualties, yan yu had nothing to complain about.

    all he could say was, "thank you, sister zhao, for your grace! lucky for us, you were born with a face that invites mockery!"

    zhao yuanzhen was still submerged in the unease of having her dark fog spell exposed and didn''t dare to subject yan yu to severe interrogation, choosing only to glare at li minghu with eyes that seemed capable of murder.

    but some questions didn''t need to be asked by her¡ªeveryone was so unconcerned with what spell sister zhao had used that their scrutinizing gazes were now all directed at li minghu.

    "were you and our captain imprisoned together?" su yunjin asked with a smile.

    "uh, yes," li minghu replied, "our cells were on the same floor."

    lin ning stared silently at her, then suddenly said:

    "that''s the captain''s coat, isn''t it?"

    li minghu startled slightly, then realizing the implication, started to take off the coat sheepishly.

    "she had been soaked in the water cell for too long," yan yu explained, "i was worried about her health, so..."

    "we''re not asking about the captain," chen lingyun interrupted him.

    her face still wore a forced smile, but the intense and chilling vibes she gave off were unmistakable.

    yan yu instinctively recoiled, a reaction ingrained through millennia into the dna of men, an instinctive coping strategy titled "shrink back like a turtle, let her have her way, and soon, all will be well."

    but he was determined to become the strongest man in the world¡ªhow could he be controlled by such despicable, base, shameful garbage genetic instincts?

    get lost, inferior feelings!!!

    reason once again overcame instinct, and yan yu suddenly stretched out his hand, stopping li minghu who was still in the process of undressing, and mocked:

    "what''s the matter, you want to teach me how to do things?"

    the girls'' unfriendly glances shifted swiftly back to yan yu, glaring as if they were ready to tear him to pieces.

    but yan yu was fearless! at that moment, he was like a pine weathered by cold winds, rocks battered by waves, the sun surrounded by stars¡ªimmovable! he was determined to shatter this fragile battlefield!

    "li vice-captain and i have fought our way here side by side, with seamless cooperation," yan yu declared authoritatively, "li vice-captain has been a great help, and i acknowledge her strength! from now on, you are to respect li vice-captain as you would me, understand? now is not the time for idle talk. get ready, we''re heading out soon."

    his words had so many laughable points that the girls were dumbfounded and speechless for a moment.

    however, the perceptive su yunjin and the intelligent chen lingyun, of course, read between the lines of yan yu''s words.

    "i acknowledge her strength," could also mean "what i acknowledge is her strength" (not something like love at first sight), so their expressions gradually softened¡ªthinking it over, yan yu was always recklessly outspoken, even capable of saying things like "you''re not even worthy," so there really seemed no need for him to lie to us on purpose.

    as for the straightforward lin ning and the clear-cut zhao yuanzhen, although they still felt uncomfortable as if something precious had been stolen from them, they couldn''t refute yan yu''s words either.

    this mysterious realm was no private karaoke room where they could sit down to brood over love and longing... after all, once the realm adventure was over, there''d be plenty of time to grab him, interrogate him from start to finish, and clear things up!

    they had been delayed here slightly longer than planned, so the group quickly returned to the stairs and started moving back up.

    now that their troop had grown to six people, their overall combat capacity had expanded, permitting bolder tactical choices.

    enemies they would have previously avoided could now simply be steamrolled.

    approaching the upper deck, the group suddenly heard violent explosions, the whistling of objects speeding through the air, and the faint sounds of screams and groans from above.

    another battle was underway!

    yan yu gestured for everyone to halt on the staircase before stealthily approaching the upper level himself to use his divine sense, furrowing his brows slightly.

    the cabin area, previously empty, now housed at least thirty individuals divided into three groups, fiercely battling each other.

    three groups... yan yu quickly assessed the situation, signaled "action," and then led the charge into the upper cabin.

    true enough, the moment they stepped inside, they saw seven or eight dragon-like beasts rampaging around, with the mitchi country allied forces retreating, bodies strewn everywhere, and the rikoku cultivators, a group of four, in disarray.

    tao xingyuan had suffered a shoulder puncture from a spike and was being dragged into a corner by wang haoran, while jiang hong and li zhaojiang were holding the front lines, using their sword control technique and taoism method to fend off and sustain the fight.

    fortunately, the four of them didn''t stand out much, and since the enemy cultists from the allied forces outnumbered them by more than four to one, the dragon-like beasts only sent two to kill them, and their defenses weren''t immediately breached.

    yan yu and his team charged in valiantly, delivering a just and stealthy killing strike, instantly coordinating with jiang hong to take down one of the dragon-like beasts confronting them.

    the girls quickly rushed out and subdued the other beast.

    li minghu hurried back to her team, first rapidly checking on tao xingyuan''s injury, then asking li zhaojiang for an update.

    but instead of replying, li zhaojiang stared intently at his sister''s clothes, exclaiming:

    "sis, that jacket..." sear?h the n??elfir§×.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "what time is it to care about clothes!" li minghu interrupted him sharply, urging.

    ```

 Chapter 73 Li Zhaojiangs Ingenious Strategies

    zhenghai and qing''an teams finally assembled, and everyone''s morale soared.su yunjin provided preliminary treatment to the injured tao xingyuan, while the rest formed a battle line yet didn''t rush to push outward.

    even now with ten people on lu country''s side, they were still far fewer than the miti allied forces.

    since the dragon-headed monsters were fiercely attacking the other side, it was naturally unnecessary for rikoku cultivators to barge into the battlefield, so they quickly communicated via transmission. sear?h the n?velfire(.)net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "these dragon-headed monsters are stupidly fixated; once they target an enemy, they''re unlikely to change. we can sit back and watch the tiger fight to weaken our opponents'' strength," li minghu calmly said. "the stairs to the upper levels are in the center; crossing the battlefield will draw the monsters'' attention. there''s no need for us to share their firepower."

    "no," yan yu said leisurely. "we must head to the upper level as quickly as possible."

    "why?" li minghu asked, frowning.

    "because being a fisherman is not that easy," chen lingyun said with a smile. "the allied forces won''t sit by and let us stay out of it. sooner or later, they''ll find a way to drag us into the fray."

    "moreover, the allied forces here are severely outnumbered," yan yu added. "what if reinforcements from the lower level come later? what then?"

    "but if we find the gatekeeper upstairs and our attack falters, and regardless of who wins or loses down here, the victor will chase us upstairs," li minghu insisted on his view. "then we will be caught between two attacks."

    "exactly," yan yu incisively asked. "so, what are our advantages and disadvantages?"

    li minghu was suddenly taken aback.

    lu country''s current strategy was to use elite troops; their disadvantage lay in not being suited for attrition or drawn-out warfare, fearing death by a thousand cuts through enemy swarms. their advantage, naturally, was the refinement of their lineup, strong spearhead capabilities, and being adept at small-unit decapitation tactics.

    if it had been a regular team confrontation with equal numbers, they could have broken the opponent first; but with the overwhelming numbers of the allied forces, even a 10:1 casualty ratio would be profitable for them.

    if one cultivator died on their side, it would be painful, so they naturally needed to avoid confrontation with rival forces and focus on conquering the mysterious realm wholeheartedly.

    li minghu found the answer in his heart and turned to ask his brother:

    "ah jiang, you''re the captain, what do you think?"

    li zhaojiang asked in agony:

    "sister, that coat is yan yu''s, right? i saw him wearing it before..."

    "okay!" li minghu interrupted him again, "our qing''an team has no objections, let''s go!"

    both sides reached a consensus smoothly, and what followed was action.

    lin ning and li minghu led the way as the spearhead. the two sword immortals, one on each side, instantly charged into the battlefield, tearing open the dragon-headed monsters'' line.

    but the dragon-headed monsters were disorganized and didn''t really form a line, so they mainly served to attract fire right away, ensuring the path ahead was clear¡ªwhether it was mei yingxue, the almost-valkyrie cooperating tacitly with yan yu, or little ningning, specially trained by yan yu, both were skilled in movement and dodging attacks.

    following closely were the main troops, with li zhaojiang and jiang hong responsible for covering the flanks. chen lingyun, su yunjin, tao xingyuan, and wang haoran were tasked with support and suppression, trying their best not to let the surrounding dragon-headed monsters free their hands to throw their iron spears.

    the most dangerous task of covering the rear naturally fell to yan yu and zhao yuanzhen.

    they stayed at the end of the group, facing the concentrated fire and encirclement from the dragon-headed monsters that had regained their senses.

    zhao yuanzhen weaved right and left, dodging frantically. she had been chased by multiple orthodox sword immortals before, and since the dragon-headed monsters couldn''t perform sword control technique, and their thrown iron spears couldn''t turn, she managed to evade desparately yet emerged unscathed.

    yan yu, on the other hand, appeared much more at ease, taking half a step to avoid an attack but never a step more. with zhao yuanzhen''s juxtaposing performance, his elegance and composure stood out all the more, showcasing the demeanor of a strong practitioner.

    and of course, these battle scenes were also recorded by the super heroes present and appeared in the global broadcast outside.

    in a secret underground base in pingjing, mei yingxue, in a researcher''s white lab coat accompanied by a group of scientific experts, watched the live broadcast on the wall television intently.

    seeing zhao yuanzhen personally covering the rear for the team of rikoku cultivators, her gaze flickered briefly.

    then she smiled lightly and asked the old expert beside her:

    "which team does that female cultivator belong to?"

    "she should be from the zhendong army''s zhenghai team," the old expert responded.

    within the mysterious realm, the two teams finally broke through the battlefield and reached the upper level of the ship.

    su yunjin executed the southern dipper galaxy secret art, sending the dragon-headed monster tumbling down the stairs in its attempt to follow.

    the group quickly looked ahead, finding themselves in a spacious corridor about five meters wide, with single cabins on both sides, all doors firmly shut.

    "search!" yan yu swiftly ordered, "lin ning, zhao jiuzhen, li minghu, jiang hong! one person per room, break in and confirm, be wary of ambushes, retreat immediately if you encounter the enemy! the rest of you stay outside on standby, move quickly!"

    the four assigned immediately chose their rooms and broke in, one to confirm the absence of any guard within, and the other to prevent enemies from hiding inside and then emerging to cut off the team''s path once they reached the center of the corridor, which would result in the team being flanked from both sides¡ªa disadvantageous position.

    as for why yan yu chose these four individuals, it was of course because sword immortals had the strongest capability to handle emergencies. only zhao yuanzhen, although serving as an assistant officer, had indeed fast reactions and formidable strength, and no one objected.

    yan yu sat prominently in the middle of the corridor, ready to offer support at a moment''s notice, when he heard li zhaojiang''s voice transmission asking:

    "yan yu, you..."

    "i''m not discussing the clothing matter," yan yu interrupted brusquely.

    "let''s not talk about the clothes!" li zhaojiang clenched his teeth, then said solemnly, "during the upcoming strategic room clearing, don''t let my sister take the lead. she spent time in the freezing seawater, which might have left her with some potential health issues. i''m afraid she won''t be able to withstand the intense pressure of a serious battlefield."

    "comrade li zhaojiang," yan yu said seriously, "this is a battlefield! everyone must fight for victory, and if your sister holding back leads to a failure, who will be responsible?"

    "don''t make a big deal out of nothing," li zhaojiang said with a grim face. "with so many people here, does it have to be my sister in front? if this leads to a failure, i''ll take full responsibility."

    "can you bear such a burden?" yan yu retorted.

    "if something happens to my sister," li zhaojiang said coldly, "no matter who is to bear the responsibility, i absolutely won''t let them off!"

    yan yu narrowed his eyes, staring at him.

    indeed, at this point in time, the younger brother-in-law already had a touch of the "willing to destroy the world for his sister" madness.

    although yan yu''s fundamental stance was in agreement with him, li minghu was far from her last breath at this moment, so he replied indifferently:

    "if minghu agrees, i have no objections."

    "who''s minghu?" li zhaojiang''s eyes blazed with even more murderous intent.

    "your sister doesn''t mind, so what are you worried about?" yan yu scoffed, "or are you trying to make decisions for her behind her back?"

    your journey continues on empire

    li zhaojiang erupted, swearing thunderously:

    "it must be you, the bad omen, who deceived my sister with honeyed words!"

    "what a joke!" yan yu said with disdain for his accusation, "if i wanted to deceive your sister, you would have to call me brother-in-law by now!"

    "go to hell!" li zhaojiang exploded in frustration.

    "cursing my whole family is the same as including your sister in it!" yan yu retorted sharply.

    li zhaojiang was about to split apart. he took a deep breath and then forcefully expelled the air from his lungs several times. only after repeating this process a few times did he manage to calm down, staring at yan yu in silence while inwardly considering his next move.

    in terms of verbal abuse, he was no match for yan yu, who simply had to mention his sister to break his defenses¡ªli zhaojiang''s sister was his achilles'' heel, a sure trigger for his fury, and he was well aware of it.

    ultimately, it wasn''t that yan yu was particularly articulate; it was that he truly had li minghu''s favor, which had begun since the last exchange competition between the four institutions.

    if even his sister was willingly on yan yu''s side, how could he possibly have the confidence to protect her and drive away this outsider with designs on her?

    he had to convince his sister first!

    a sudden inspiration struck li zhaojiang.

    that''s it, if i can''t explain it clearly, i can turn to my parents!

    my parents don''t know what kind of person yan yu is! as long as i go back and slander yan yu to them, exaggerating the severity of the situation, they will naturally advise my sister to keep her distance from him!

    muahahaha, that''s so like me!

 Chapter 74 As Long as You Can Use the Invisibility Technique

    theoretically, divine sense could also detect what lies behind the door.however, using divine sense to detect is neither secure nor time-efficient. it''s unknown when the lower-level battle will end, and pursuers might arrive at any moment. at this stage, everyone is in a race against the clock, and of course, it''s quicker to break in and sweep a glance.

    yan yu led the team through the corridor at a steady pace, ready to coordinate with the door-breaking team to handle any emergencies.

    and the emergencies did arrive as expected: most of the rooms contained dead dragon-headed creatures, while only a few were alive, seemingly hiding behind the doors as if to ambush the group.

    at this time, those outside would assist the door-breakers in killing these creatures.

    yan yu narrowed his eyes, sizing up the corpses with a brief sweep of his divine sense, and quickly noted the differences from the previous dragon-headed creatures.

    simply put, they seemed somewhat underdeveloped.

    the dragon-headed monsters encountered earlier had completely draconian heads, with both horns and whiskers, pupils bright like torches, sharp teeth, and drool dripping everywhere, almost indistinguishable from true flood dragons. their bodies below the neck, although humanoid in limb structure, were essentially covered in scales, and their strength was comparable to that of the long race.

    but these creatures in the rooms, some had no horns, some no whiskers, some no teeth, some no scales¡ªit felt like an evolution that had failed halfway through.

    chen lingyun, of course, noticed this as well and suddenly walked into an empty room nearby.

    yan yu frowned and turned his head, only to see her quickly walk out again, tossing a jade slip to yan yu.

    "take a look at this," she said, her face beaming with a smile, clearly enjoying herself.

    written on the jade slip was script in tadpole text. this bizarre cultivator language was rarely seen outside the mysterious realm and wasn''t phonetic or logographic but rather ideographic¡ªrequiring divine sense to read, and not the text itself but the author''s thoughts contained within.

    to draw a comparison, each character was like a portable hard drive, capable of storing a certain amount of information. if an ordinary person were to try to read tadpole text, it would be like not having a computer to access the hard drive.

    reading tadpole text with divine sense was quick, so there was no worry about wasting time, hence yan yu did not refuse and immersed his divine sense into it promptly.

    hmm.

    indeed interesting.

    this jade slip was a diary, hastily documenting the history and origin of the "three-island treasure ship":

    it was created by an organization known as the worship dragon cult during an ancient period on a different timeline, in the vast wilderness era when humans and demons coexisted.

    at that time, the long race was exceedingly prominent, subjugating all demons and having many humans attached to them. the worship dragon cult was a human sect that worshiped the long race, using the three-island treasure ship to transport tributes to the long race¡ªthe reason the internal cabins of the ship were proportionally elongated was to accommodate the enormous size of the long race.

    then came the end of the vast wilderness era.

    frictions between humans and demons intensified and ultimately escalated into a racial war. the demon race was completely defeated and retreated to parts unknown, and the human race''s reckoning with the worship dragon cult finally arrived.

    the author of the diary was one of the human race cultivators who exterminated the worship dragon cult. they boarded the three-island treasure ship, killed all the human traitors, but discovered that the ship had been secretly launched by the dying worship dragon cult, sailing to the very depths of the endless sea.

    the depths of the endless sea were rife with danger, and it was impossible for cultivators to fly back with sword control. only by navigating with the three-island treasure ship, utilizing long race technology, could one travel in such waters.

    but the treasure ship did not recognize any bloodlines apart from the long race. the worship dragon cult controlled the ship''s navigation through the blessed blood essence of the long race, and these human race cultivators had to find another method...

    yan yu read up to this point and looked at those incompletely evolved dragon-headed monsters; a sneer couldn''t help but surface within him.

    what the hell?!

    detest the long race, kill the long race, understand the long race, become the long race, is that it? so you''re playing boomerang now?

    if these human race cultivators truly hated the long race, or truly clung to their identity as the human race, they should have rather died than touch such forbidden bloodline magic... and yet, look at these abnormal corpses all around.

    it shows that whether it''s "demons and humans do not stand together," "the distinction between immortals and mortals," or even "cultivators should strive for their own power," they are all just slogans to deceive people into taking sides; ultimately, it all comes down to self-interest.

    he indifferently handed the jade slip back to chen lingyun and transmitted his voice:

    "quite the joke."

    chen lingyun replied with a smile:

    "shared joy."

    yan yu looked forward once again, only to find zhao yuanzhen emerging from the room as well.

    "what is this demonic sect enchantress up to? didn''t i say to break the door open, take a quick look if no one''s there, and leave?" s~ea??h the n?vel(f)ire.n§×t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "what are you lingering in the room for, hmm? are you taking my orders lightly? i must punish you, i must punish you severely!"

    zhao yuanzhen noticed his disapproving gaze and hurriedly sent a message through a psychic link:

    "shush, i''ve found something good, it''s not convenient to talk about it here. i''ll show you after we get out."

    yan yu imperceptibly nodded, then shifted his gaze away.

    commands are dead after all, and man is flexible¡ªhow can one be confined by commands?

    those who do not obey commands are useless, and those who do not cherish their comrades are less than useless!

    the other three strictly followed the "break and leave" rule, so the team''s progress was quite fast, and they ultimately cleared all hidden dangers on this floor, arriving at the stairs at the end of the hallway.

    even without ascending the stairs, everyone could see the daylight and sea of clouds at the top of the stairwell, as well as the briny sea breeze pouring down.

    no mistake, the deck was just above.

    yan yu calmly climbed the stairs, with li zhaojiang and li minghu closely following behind him.

    while the two teams were of equal status, it seemed as though by default, this time it was agreed that yan yu would lead the team, perhaps li minghu had secretly communicated with everyone via psychic link.

    the ten-person party reached the deck, only to see the sky above blanketed with storm clouds, as if a fierce storm was imminent.

    the sea breeze here was incredibly violent, even more ferocious, forceful, and unruly than that on the deck of the fiery tiger aircraft carrier! even more domineering than the sea breeze, however, was the imposing, incomplete corpse of a flood dragon sprawled at the bow, mountainous in size, and a towering giant, ceaselessly chewing within the dragon''s corpse.

    the giant stood close to three meters tall, far exceeding the genetic limits of the human race, and his back muscles were completely covered with layers of dragon scales. despite the group''s arrival on the deck, he continued to gnaw at the corpse, as if in this world there was nothing more important than devouring the dragon.

    without waiting for orders from yan yu or li zhaojiang, everyone instinctively spread out into formation, finding positions suitable for their individual combat style.

    sword immortals at the front, assistant officers and envoys next, with the spell casters at the rear.

    zhenhai team took the left side, qing''an team the right, both prepared to coordinate with each other.

    continue reading stories on empire

    finally, the giant stopped chewing and stood up.

    "you..." the hoarse and bewildered voice emerged, "are you dragons too?"

    "we are humans," yan yu replied calmly, "what are you?"

    "i am..." the giant turned around, revealing a bloody and fierce dragon head on his neck, with an extremely abstract expression of confusion, "am i of the human race? or the long race?"

    "stop the nonsense." seeing he had lost even the capacity to communicate, yan yu didn''t want to continue dialoguing with a madman, to avoid the risk of losing dignity.

    he levitated the huang tingjian sword into the air and, following that, cast a sword technique, striking towards the dragon-headed giant.

    this sword strike was like a signal, and the rest of the group quickly launched their attacks¡ªflying swords, taoism methods, magical treasures... instantly engulfing the dragon-headed giant.

    despite his enormous size, the giant''s movements were not sluggish or slow. he first leaped back to evade the slashing strike of the huang tingjian sword, then rolled several times, retreating behind the mountainous corpse of the flood dragon.

    he was out of reach.

    "hold," yan yu commanded again.

    with the dragon corpse serving as a shield, expecting their attacks to easily penetrate the body was impossible. after all, even in death, a dragon was still a dragon!

    what was more critical was that chen lingyun had quietly sent him a psychic message, stating that her ghostly entities placed in the lower deck''s hallway had discovered that the miti allied forces had bypassed the obstructing dragon-headed monstrosity and were now making their way towards the upper deck!

    "rally at the stern." with time running out and the enemy imminent, yan yu swiftly made a decision.

    the group hurried towards the stern of the ship, forming a tight battle line¡ªsword immortals at the front, spell casters at the back.

    "invisibility technique," yan yu ordered.

    without a second word, everyone quickly executed their spells, and their bodies soon became transparent.

 Chapter 75 Lingnans Morning Tea is Unparalleled

    the number of people rushing up to the deck from below was not small, already close to a hundred, most of them being southeast asian practitioners. each one had tattooed faces, ear and nose piercings, and various buddhist amulets and magic artifacts clinking at their waists.a small part of them were miti''s superheroes, mostly with high noses and deep-set eyes of western faces, led by two old acquaintances of yan yu¡ªphoenix and thunderbird. they also stood tightly grouped together, clearly on guard against the surrounding southeast asian practitioners.

    after everyone boarded the deck, most of their attention focused on the flood dragon, with only a few glancing around, searching for any traces of the rikoku cultivators.

    none found.

    but they didn''t have time to deploy search spells because an eerie and loud chewing noise once again came from within the corpse of the flood dragon.

    the crowd immediately became alert.

    "wait a moment," phoenix said in a low voice, signaling to thunderbird to hold off on taking action.

    this rikoku dragon was too enormous and, although motionless, who knew whether it was dead or alive?

    more importantly, these asian transcendents had no organization among themselves; they were basically fighting independently, and surely someone would not be able to hold back from going forward to investigate.

    just let them test the waters!

    sure enough, it wasn''t long before a siam curse technique practitioner pushed through the crowd, quickly casting spells at the flood dragon.

    ghost downfall!

    the curse technique transformed into a black light that instantly entered the corpse of the flood dragon, vanishing without a trace.

    "gibberish," he turned back and spoke to his companion, "blah blah blah."

    although the meaning was unclear, the transcendents from other nations could guess roughly:

    indeed, the flood dragon must be dead, otherwise it wouldn''t be unresponsive after being hit by the spells.

    thus, the southeast asian practitioners no longer hesitated, swiftly closing in on the corpse of the flood dragon en masse.

    "so, what now?" thunderbird, with arms crossed, asked impatiently within the lineup of superheroes.

    when facing a giant monster, being cautious about not knowing whether the enemy was dead or alive was understandable; but now that the allies had tested it and the monster was indeed dead, continuing to be timid was indefensible.

    don''t forget we''re live right now! using cowardly tactics is going to cost us followers!

    if it were thornbird here, with his cautious approach to survival, he might continue to observe even at the risk of losing followers. but phoenix did care about his commercial value and nodded in response:

    "go!"

    with the two leaders taking action, the other superheroes naturally hesitated no longer and hurriedly rushed forward.

    with over a hundred transcendents surrounding the body of the flood dragon, some began to search for the source of the strange chewing noise while others tried to cut pieces from the corpse, such as prying off dragon scales, snapping dragon horns, or climbing atop the dragon''s head to flex their muscles in front of their companion''s cameras.

    meanwhile, in the lu country broadcast room streaming the superhero league, angry comments gradually took over the entire screen.

    it wasn''t that everyone was very fond of the flood dragon; even if lu country cultivators were the ones taking photos with the flood dragon, the public might not have said anything. but seeing a group of foreigners standing on the corpse of a lu country dragon and showing off was indeed quite displeasing.

    where are the lu country cultivators?

    come on, cultivators of our lu country, hurry up and erase them all!

    near the stern of the ship, the invisible li zhaojiang furrowed his brows and transmitted his voice to ask yan yu:

    "are we just going to stand by and watch?"

    he wasn''t upset about the lu country dragon being desecrated, it was simply that he didn''t want the dragon material to fall into the opponents'' hands.

    "don''t rush," yan yu said indifferently, "wait and see."

    according to the records on the jade slip, human cultivators who had eradicated the worship dragon cult were looking for a method to acquire the long race bloodline.

    although the exact method wasn''t clearly stated, when yan yu saw the giant devouring the corpse of the flood dragon, he had more or less guessed the answer¡ªit was probably some flesh and blood secret method, where consuming the shape supplements the shape, you are what you eat!

    indeed, after a while, the chewing noise finally stopped.

    the transcendents surrounding the flood dragon corpse sensed something was wrong, but before they could react, the huge corpse of the flood dragon suddenly began to move.

    it started by violently coiling around itself, with claws tearing through the chests and bellies of seven or eight transcendents who were too slow to dodge, splattering blood, flesh, and broken limbs all over the place.

    following that, the flood dragon lifted its head, its cold, merciless golden eyes opening as it surveyed the many transcendents on the deck.

    hidden at the stern, the invisible cultivators saw it all too clearly. the giant with the dragon head that had previously been gnawing on corpses, its upper body was now embedded in the wound on the flood dragon''s abdomen, only its lower half and two legs dangled in mid-air, shaking and gradually burrowing deeper.

    "ah¡­" the flood dragon parted its long-snouted jaws, emitting a long, hoarse sigh, its tone exactly the same as the dragon-headed giant''s from before, "i understand now¡­ i have not taken the wrong path, but simply walked too far¡­"

    "thank you for your invasion¡­ and disturbance¡­ awakening me from a millennium of bewilderment¡­"

    "as recompense, i shall¡­"

    "¡­eat you all!!!"

    the flood dragon let out a thunderous roar, and as soon as it finished speaking, it twisted its body and charged forward!

    the transcendents quickly scattered, but three or four who were half a beat too slow were caught in the onrushing flood dragon''s jaws and were ruthlessly crushed to pieces!

    the flood dragon circled back again, tilting its head to swallow the flesh in its mouth. only then did the remaining people snap out of their shock. some cast curse techniques, some directed apparitions, while others launched various magical and weapon attacks, all targeting the massive body of the dragon.

    dragon scales flew and blood splattered; the wounds seemed to be only skin-deep, but the flood dragon still roared in pain, suddenly opening its mouth to expel a beam of white light.

    that was a dart-like white light, striking one of the slower transcendents, who instantly turned into an ice sculpture before shattering into pieces, falling dead on the spot.

    the rikoku cultivators remained invisible and shrunk at the stern. their rigorous training proved greatly beneficial as not a soul panicked or cried out, even when the aftershocks of the battlefield''s attacks struck just in front of them, a mere shift away from being fatal.

    "if only ye jun were here," li zhaojiang transmitted his wistful sentiment.

    ye jun, the deputy captain of the dragon soar team, with a xuan guang ruler in hand, could provide a protective shield with its light, rendering them undaunted by the battlefield''s "stray bullets," so they could comfortably attack from within the protection of the light.

    unfortunately, the assistant officers of the zhenhai team and the qingan team, zhao yuanzhen with a white bone heart-locking hairpin and wang haoran wielding a historical jade slip, were not focused on defensive coverage.

    "stop the nonsense," li minghu chided his younger brother in habit, before discussing with yan yu and chen lingyun, "maintaining the invisibility technique consumes a lot, and if the flood dragon can eliminate the enemies for us, that would be ideal. but i''m afraid it''s not going to be that simple."

    she had already approximated in her mind that, given the current killing pace of the flood dragon and the rate of true yuan consumption for maintaining the invisibility technique, when everyone had about one-third of their true yuan left, the flood dragon might just be able to wipe out all the enemies on the field.

    of course, the rate of true yuan consumption is constant, but the speed of killing would change with the battle situation. usually, the flood dragon would start by killing the softer targets, leaving the tough ones for later, making it increasingly difficult to kill, so choosing when to deactivate their invisibility was a tricky decision that required sharp battlefield judgment.

    "exactly," yan yu agreed, "so we find an opportunity to retrace our steps and go back downstairs."

    all: ???

    then everyone finally caught on, and admiration secretly filled their hearts.

    experience tales with empire

    as long as they hid downstairs, they wouldn''t need the invisibility technique anymore, and could even calmly take elixir medicines to recover their true yuan¡­ brilliant!

    yan yu''s mind works fast!

    thus, under yan yu''s lead and the protection of invisibility, they began to stealthily retreat toward the staircase from the rear of the ship.

    the hardest part of the retreat was not to be discovered by the enemy, and also not to get hit by the aftershocks of the battle; after all, as corpses, they couldn''t use the invisibility technique.

    when it came to judging the situation, yan yu''s eyesight was naturally top-notch. at his signal to move, everyone swiftly followed closely behind him, stepping quickly forward; at his signal to stop, everyone immediately halted, and then various attacks whooshed by in front, which would have hit them had they continued moving.

    li minghu suppressed the urge to cough, her mind racing.

    she could guess how yan yu managed it: using divine sense and vision to lock onto the relative positioning of every transcendent and the flood dragon on the field, thereby predicting their long-distance attacks on each other and whether their trajectory would intersect with their path.

    taking into account the constantly changing battle conditions and everyone''s shifting positions, yan yu''s on-the-fly decision-making ability seemed even more terrifying¡­ did his brain have some sort of multi-core cpu embedded in it?

    while pondering internally, she followed yan yu, only to be suddenly yanked by the arm and pulled close to his side.

    in the very next second, some spell exploded two meters from her previous spot, releasing a dark green poisonous fog ¡ª the fog perfectly engulfed the spot where li minghu had been standing.

    "sorry," li minghu quickly said. s~ea??h the n?vel(f)ire.n§×t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "stay focused," yan yu admonished her.

    however, the girls of the zhenhai team saw it all too clearly: yan yu might have chosen a somewhat circuitous path, but he had avoided the main battlefield as much as possible. it was li minghu who had been distracted and slightly veered off course, almost walking into the range of the spell''s aftershock by accident.

    wait! she had been following closely behind yan yu since the beginning. could it have been a deliberate mistake?

    wow, how crafty! pretending to be careless and risking peril to prompt our team leader to play the hero and save the damsel, right?

    li minghu realized she had been lost in thought, and with her divine sense picking up the piercing looks from behind, as if they were daggers in her back, she mistook the stares as everyone''s concern for her well-being. she quickly rallied her spirits and squeezed closer to yan yu in an effort not to cause him any more trouble.

 Chapter 76 Yan Yus Amazing Leadership

    the group finally reached the staircase smoothly and returned to the lower deck, only to find that no one was guarding this area.this situation seemed highly unlikely for the rikoku cultivators, for the one thing most feared when overcoming the gatekeeper was being flanked from behind; thus, leaving someone to cover the rear or setting an alert was necessary¡ªwith neither being dispensable.

    however, what defined the allied forces was precisely their extremely disparate composition.

    not to mention the difference between superheroes and southeast asian sorcerers¡ªlacking a common language and culture, they were merely cooperating temporarily because they shared a common foe.

    the former were primarily concerned with fame and commercial value; staying behind to help keep watch wouldn''t bring them any additional fan popularity, so naturally, no one was willing to stay back.

    as for the latter, there was no organization to speak of; everyone acted purely out of self-interest. how could they possibly be willing to make sacrifices for others?

    as a result, the rikoku cultivators encountered no obstacles on their way back and smoothly retreated to the lower area, where they concealed themselves in nearby cabins.

    with chen lingyun''s five ghosts in charge of reconnaissance, no one even needed to pay attention to the outside situation. everyone simply took their elixir medicine to recover their true yuan and even had the mood for idle chit-chat.

    "how is deputy team leader li feeling now?" chen lingyun asked with a smile, "can you still hold on?"

    "quite alright," li minghu coughed a few times and held her chest, saying, "i''m feeling much better now."

    her action of holding her chest again drew unkind looks from the girls; it could only be said that when one has a bad impression of someone, it''s like wearing tinted glasses¡ªeverything that person does seems negative.

    "i know a bit of runescript healing. let me check," su yunjin said, unaffected, as she approached. her divine sense, aided by true yuan, swiftly scanned li minghu''s entire body.

    she wasn''t really injured, just a bit frail with obstructed qi and blood circulation.

    so, her earlier detour was not because her body couldn''t bear it, but rather, she intentionally gave the team leader a chance to come to her rescue, right?

    secretary su sighed inwardly for a moment; seeing her still wearing yan yu''s coat now, she felt like saying nothing more.

    tired, let it be destroyed.

    "you have a congenital defect in physique; liver fire attacking the lungs, you''re simply unsuited to be a cultivator," zhao yuanzhen spoke her mind without reserve, drawing a unified glare from the entire qing''an battle team.

    "who says my sister isn''t fit to be a cultivator?" li zhaojiang protested first, "my sister just has a weaker constitution. where does her swordsmanship fall short? what lacks in her awareness? where is she insufficient in field composure?"

    with the annan army''s past recordings laid out, and everyone being insiders, they had to admit that aside from her physical shortcomings, li minghu''s battle qualities were top-notch in all aspects.

    "sister zhao''s words are indeed inapt, but you have to admit that on the battlefield, sometimes the enemy will target your weaknesses," lin ning, with her straightforward nature, came forward to argue for zhao yuanzhen, "in short skirmishes, it might not be an issue, but what if it''s a prolonged or attrition war, what then?"

    "we''re a team, we don''t expect my sister to fight alone!" li zhaojiang retorted, "the greatest advantage of a team is to compensate for each member''s shortcomings as much as possible!"

    "all right, ah jiang," li minghu, who was tactful, could certainly sense the emotions of the girls around yan yu and said with a smile, "don''t worry about me. although i''m physically weak, i will try my best to compensate for my weaknesses and make sure not to hold everyone back."

    even though she spoke gently, the poignant undertone in her words made the girls feel empathetic pity.

    indeed, how much competitiveness could a frail girl possess? perhaps the team leader was only looking out for her out of pity, taking her along for convenience, and giving her his coat.

    looking at yan yu, the team leader was staring outside, completely indifferent to defending li minghu, prompting the rest to fall silent.

    the atmosphere in the room grew heavy. following the slight disruption, there was some awkwardness between the two teams, leading to silence; suddenly, yan yu broke the quiet:

    "something''s not right."

    "what is it?" chen lingyun asked with a smile.

    "that flood dragon," yan yu said, "doesn''t its aura seem to be getting stronger?"

    "aura?" chen lingyun was taken aback.

    that aura was intangible and invisible¡ªwhat exactly are you referring to?

    though perplexed, she quickly summoned back the five ghosts and questioned them, her expression immediately turning grave.

    "the attack strength of the flood dragon is indeed intensifying."

    "mhm," yan yu nodded.

    if the previous giant with the dragon head had been assimilating the flood dragon corpse by devouring it, then the longer the time, the deeper the assimilation, and the strength would naturally rise steadily¡ªit was an easy deduction.

    if they continued waiting here, it would only weaken the strength of the miti allied forces while enhancing the mysterious realm gatekeeper''s power. therefore, it wasn''t necessary to wait until everyone above was killed; finding the optimal moment to rejoin the battlefield was essential.

    "how many are left above?" yan yu asked chen lingyun again.

    "ten," chen lingyun replied.

    originally, there were over a hundred transcendents, but now ninety percent of them had been directly killed by the flood dragon¡ªit just goes to show that if your strength doesn''t meet a certain threshold, all the numbers in the world won''t help. it''s like being mere foot soldiers in a dynasty warriors game.

    "hmm..." yan yu pondered for a moment and then asked, "how do you feel about going into battle now?"

    "we have no objections," the girls answered in unison. you''re the captain; whatever you say goes.

    over at the qingan team, everyone turned their attention to the captain and the vice-captain.

    li zhaojiang hesitated greatly because he was worried about his older sister''s health and wanted her to rest a bit longer... of course, this reason could not be voiced out loud; after all, the other side had just been talking about how li minghu''s staying power was a weakness. if he said the same thing, it would be like admitting it without being pressed.

    li minghu noticed what her brother was hesitating about and, after a moment of thought, stood up, giving yan yu a soft smile:

    "i support you."

    she was well aware that, so far, yan yu hadn''t made a single misstep in his decisions. more importantly, now that there were only ten people left on top, the numerical advantage of the miti allied forces was no longer there, and charging into battle now was completely okay.

    as long as she supported yan yu, her brother, who always heeded her advice, would surely support yan yu as well.

    with that, the two teams would be able to reach a consensus immediately. there was no need to create any discord here.

    however, a remark may be unintentional, but the listener may read more into it.

    not to mention the girls who had just shaken off their misgivings, even the members of li zhaojiang''s team were now vaguely sensing something off.

    has our vice-captain put too much trust in captain yan? why does it seem like she''s putting him on a pedestal?

    of course, since they were in the midst of serious tactical decision-making, it wasn''t appropriate to waste time on such trivial matters. so after everyone reflected for a moment, they expressed their agreement.

    "all right," yan yu nodded and said, "after we enter the battle, ling yun will command our team, and minghu, your team will take care of itself. although our command systems are separate, we are in this fight together. if there''s a chance to help each other out, let''s make sure we do."

    his words were actually aimed at the girls. yan yu was not the typical insensitive man; he had clearly picked up on the awkwardness and jealously in the girls'' earlier words about li minghu.

    you can form your alliances and play your games behind the scenes, but don''t you dare drop the ball on the battlefield!

    chen lingyun and su yunjin picked up on the subtext of his speech. the princess smiled faintly, her attitude ambiguous; secretary su remained expressionless, as she was a kind-hearted girl to begin with, and had not targeted li minghu before¡ªnaturally, she had no intention of doing so later.

    lin ning had a vague suspicion of his meaning, but since she felt no guilt¡ªher words had been purely factual¡ªshe pursed her lips and stayed silent.

    as for the fearless demonic sect enchantress, zhao yuanzhen, although she hadn''t concealed her annoyance at li minghu earlier, she was ironically the only one in the team who hadn''t caught on to yan yu''s implication, thus she impatiently said:

    "alright, alright! wasn''t it the same when we cooperated with the dingbei army before? you don''t need to repeat yourself. stop nagging and spewing nonsense!"

    "fine then," yan yu wasn''t sure if she was genuinely oblivious or pretending to be, but since no one had objections, he was ready to opt for a courteous approach before resorting to force.

    with a grand sweep of his arm, he declared boldly:

    "let''s set off then! let those foreigners witness for themselves who truly owns the south sea, where the treasure ships of the three islands reside!"

    when it came to the noble cause of defending the nation''s territory, everyone''s spirits were lifted. they put aside their personal affections, their morale soaring as they responded:

    "good!"

    at this moment, on deck, the battle seemed to have neared its end.

    among the ten remaining on the field, there were six superheroes from the miti allied forces and four sorcerers from southeast asia¡ªall formidable first-rate warriors; otherwise, they wouldn''t have survived until then.

    the flood dragon, controlled by the giant with the dragon-head, was covered in wounds, bleeding profusely, and its life force had considerably weakened; it wouldn''t have been surprising if it had collapsed dead the next second.

    but the synthesis values of the two had actually climbed to a certain critical point, and now they were merely holding back their strength. s§×arch* the n??elfir§×.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    the global broadcast outside, with the help of some die-hard fans stirring the pot, had already prompted many impassioned citizens of lu country to start cursing furiously in the live chat. continue reading at empire

    they didn''t want to see the miti allied forces claim the final victory of the mysterious realm; their anger had nowhere else to go but to be vented on the rikoku cultivators who had yet to appear.

    but precisely because the rikoku cultivators hadn''t shown up, the "match" seemed not to have reached the point where the outcome was settled beyond a doubt; thus, no matter how annoyed and disgruntled they were, even resorting to complaints and insults, they had no choice but to keep watching, holding their noses.

    complain they might, but...

    ...please don''t lose!!!

 Chapter 77 Heroes Always Arrive Last

    the battle for the three isles treasure ship secret realm, final circle! only 10 people left!during the intense commentary by the hosts and guests of the superhero alliance, the identities of these 10 individuals were all exposed once more.

    on the side of superheroes, four remain!

    "phoenix" phoenix, a professional cleric devoted to the radiant deity, helios!

    even if her body was torn open by the flood dragon''s claws, she would heal completely the next second. the vast flames she unleashed would scorch the flood dragon, wounding it all over!

    "thunderbird" margaret, a professional berserker and a valkyrie wielding odin''s eternal spear!

    lightning twined around her feet as she moved with the speed of thunder, constantly hurling the thunder lance into the body of the flood dragon, causing explosions that left the area a bloody mess!

    "judge" stevenson, a professional cleric, the terrestrial saint wielding divine wrath!

    in his hands, he held a silver cross pendant blessed by god, capable of summoning endless blades of light that fiercely pierced through the evil eastern dragon!

    "sharpshooter" alex, a professional wizard, an experienced male sorcerer adept in the arcane tomes!

    a barrage of magical arrows followed his incantations, tracking the flood dragon wherever it desperately fled, detonating with magical force!

    after introducing the superheroes, the host moved on to introduce the sorcerers currently on the field.

    curse technique master ajarn luo! curse technique master mo ha! sorceress an nongwan! sorcerer ah le! tattooed charm master ba yu! oh no, tattooed charm master ba yu has been smashed in half by the flood dragon''s tail!

    there are only four sorcerers left! okay, now let''s continue to watch the superheroes in action...

    as for the blatant bias of the superhero alliance''s production in favor of western superheroes, giving barely any screen time to the sorcerers and merely mentioning their names when absolutely necessary, the southeast asian audience expressed great anger.

    but there was no helping it; after all, the main body of the global audience currently watching the live broadcast was from developed western countries, and they preferred the stories where western superheroes dominated the battlefield.

    as for the rikoku cultivators who had been absent from the camera for a long time, the host had mentioned them a few times earlier, like "were they eaten by the eastern dragon before the superheroes arrived on the battlefield?" but later on they were no longer brought up.

    the cultivators hadn''t appeared, and the rikoku audience had also grown numb to it. although the overall number of live broadcast viewers was still increasing, the comment feed had basically quieted down.

    the occasional screen-filled comments were from newly-arrived viewers from the rikoku country asking, "where are our people, where are they?" evidently they had recently entered the live stream. at first, other viewers explained and speculated, but later even those explanations stopped.

    in the principal''s office, li weiguo and chen tianming were quietly staring at the screen, not speaking.

    would yan yu be eaten by the flood dragon? ridiculous! if he didn''t strip the sinew from the flood dragon alive and perform a fancy jump rope routine in front of the global audience, we''d be utterly grateful.

    as the number of fighters on the battlefield dwindled, the best time to pick the spoils was getting closer, and although they were silent, their anticipation grew stronger in their hearts.

    show yourself, yan yu!

    go dominate the battlefield and claim victory for rikoku!

    as if heeding the call of the high-ranking officials and countless citizens, the very next second...

    countless sword lights invaded the battlefield!

    in that moment, whether in foreign or domestic live streams, the comment feed instantly exploded with frenzy!

    on the deck of the three isles treasure ship, zhao yuanzhen and lin ning stood side by side as they charged forward with the shifting technique, only to hear chen lingyun''s voice transmission:

    "left one."

    she immediately split from lin ning, her yin wind sword moving rapidly and lethally, striking the first sorcerer on the left.

    sorcerer ah le!

    the opponent was gaunt and long-limbed, facing the oncoming onslaught of the demonic sect enchantress with an expressionless face, merely pointing a finger.

    instantly, two specters, one large, one small, burst forth from the charm hanging at his waist. the larger one was wretched, the smaller one as translucent as a curtain, both charging straight towards zhao yuanzhen.

    this was the "resentful mother and child spirit" (in siam language, phi tai thang klom), formed by torturing a pregnant woman of at least three months with curse techniques until she dies, allowing the souls of mother and child to gain magical powers due to intense hatred. these spirits could ignore most physical attacks and possess someone else''s body, killing them without shedding blood. sea??h th§× novel?ire(.)ne*t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    in sorcerer ah le''s opinion, the opponent would first attempt to cut down the resentful mother and child spirit with the flying sword, only to find that physical attacks were ineffective, and by then it would be too late to flee, allowing the spirits to possess and turn on their allies... just as he had experienced in past battles with other sorcerers.

    zhao yuanzhen indeed didn''t give it much thought, simply executing a sword technique that directed the yin wind sword towards the resentful mother and child spirit.

    as the yin wind sword howled through the air, cries of anguish rose in the wind, reaching the ears of the resentful mother and child spirit, their faces of hatred and malice quickly turning to fear and dread.

    immediately after, they disregarded sorcerer ah le''s commands, fleeing headlong in rebellion, daring not to come closer to zhao yuanzhen.

    if yan yu had witnessed this scene, he would have instantly guessed that it was because of the yin wind sword''s nature; its true name, the sword of ten thousand evil spirits, devoured souls and spirits, making it the bane of all ghosts.

    confused sorcerer ah le: ?

    before he could react in shock, zhao yuanzhen mercilessly changed her sword technique, the yin wind sword swiftly altering its course to cut down the unprepared sorcerer ah le into two.

    turning to the frantic mother and child spirit trying to escape the yin wind sword, chen lingyun had already cornered them with the summoning of five ghosts, before capturing them in the soul summoning banner with a powerful spell.

    lin ning, likewise following chen lingyun''s command, directed her green bamboo sword at the right side where sorceress an nongwan was positioned.

    an nongwan, a female sorcerer from sulu, summoned not spirits but iron corpses. as lin ning pressed on, she shot a black light to fend off the green bamboo sword, while directing the iron corpse to attack lin ning.

    before the battle on changbai mountain, had lin ning seen the ghastly, foul-smelling iron corpse leaping towards her to bite, she might have been startled.

    but now, she was no novice to battling zombie-like enemies. besides, this iron corpse was even slower than the iron corpse she''d faced before. so, she simply retreated in a calm manner using the shifting technique, not allowing the iron corpse to get close, her hand rapidly executing successive sword techniques.

    sword technique: eagle strike the heavens!

    the green bamboo sword performed a swift slash, colliding with the darkness emanating from the opponent and emitted a dull yet rapid sound. the dark light was forced back by the power of the sword strike, but the green sword light advanced instead of retreating, delivering a second slash in the blink of an eye!

    two consecutive strikes later, the dark light couldn''t withstand it any longer and dispersed. it turned out to be a flying centipede, roughly the length of a human forearm, its exoskeleton already shattered to pieces, barely clinging to life.

    yet lin ning''s sword technique did not cease. with another shake of the green sword light, she bisected the flying centipede.

    eagle strike triple slash!

    sorcerer an nongwan was not a sword immortal, nor did she understand the technical complexities involved in executing the three consecutive slashes of the eagle strike the heavens.

    seeing her own life-preserving flying centipede being slain by three swift slashes from the opponent''s sword, she immediately ceased counterattacking and hurriedly shook the magic artifact bell in her hand, signaling the iron corpse to quickly return and protect its master.

    but how could the iron corpse, which was originally chasing lin ning, return immediately upon command?

    lin ning would certainly not miss this opportunity. with her green bamboo sword performing a technique resembling a white rainbow piercing the sun, she ruthlessly thrust it through an nongwan''s chest, killing her instantly.

    zhao and lin both burst onto the battlefield and swiftly slew their respective opponents. to the viewers in the global live stream, especially the citizens of rikoku still watching on their screens, it felt as if a nuclear bomb had been dropped in the chatroom, and it was impossible to make out what the frenzied scrambling of messages were saying.

    until the superhero alliance hurriedly switched the broadcasting perspective.

    margaret the phoenix once again clashed with li minghu. leaping high into the air, she continued to hurl thunder lances from her arms in rapid succession, attempting to deter the widespread offensive of the rikoku cultivators. however, nearly every thunder lance shot out was intercepted and exploded in mid-air by li minghu''s sky flash sword.

    conversely, li minghu was momentarily held back by phoenix, allowing the phoenix on her flank to activate the self-combustion spell. instantly transforming into a raging fiery figure, she lunged at the cultivators battling in the front.

    "su, be careful," su yunjin suddenly heard chen lingyun''s voice transmission from behind.

    she quickly lifted her head and saw the phoenix suddenly overflying the front line''s defense, her spread arms of flames forming massive wings as she dove towards su yunjin from above.

    su yunjin''s expression remained unchanged as she stealthily formed a spell with her hands, her calm eyes reflecting the fiery silhouette of the phoenix.

    this ambush is nowhere near the speed of our captain.

    she abruptly summoned her true yuan, calling forth the water of the southern dipper river.

    first technique, jiaochong!

    a powerful column of water erupted from the ground, instantly engulfing the phoenix''s flaming form and violently tossing it about.

    that''s not all! second technique, li fan!

    this time, instead of a column, a tsunami-like wave crashed down, as if an invisible hand was forcefully slamming the drowned and struggling phoenix onto the ground.

    the flames around the phoenix had already been extinguished, and after being smashed by the wave, it bounced off the ground hard. su yunjin''s true yuan was now at its peak, even her hair floated in the air from the surge of true yuan, giving her the appearance of a celestial being descending from the nine heavens, majestic, and impervious.

    third technique, lang feiyun!

    a barrage of dense water cannon bullets fired, hitting the phoenix continuously while still in the air, likening to a home run in baseball, directly knocking the phoenix out of the three isles treasure ship secret realm. she disappeared near the boundary of the mysterious realm after crossing a distance of nearly three or four hundred meters.

    on the surface of the real world, the bedraggled phoenix skipped several times upon the water, barely managing to stabilize her figure. she then summoned her fiery wings to take to the skies again as the flames rapidly healed her wounds, restoring her to her unblemished peak condition, ready to rejoin the battlefield.

    huh?

    looking towards the distant three isles treasure ship secret realm, and the fleet of miti carriers behind it, he suddenly fell into a state of unbelievable stupor.

    i... was forcefully ejected from the secret realm by her?

    the miti superhero "phoenix" phoenix was solidly defeated by su yunjin and left the battlefield! read exclusive chapters at empire

    within the secret realm, on the deck, as rikoku cultivators and transcendents grappled with each other in close combat, yan yu and li zhaojiang, the two captains, had already rushed along the edges near the ship''s sides, bypassing the intensely-fought central battlefield, and quickly arrived before the flood dragon at the bow of the ship.

    catch the thief before catching the king!

    the flood dragon calmly looked at the two rikoku cultivators, raising its upper body high and emitting a dragon cry that shook the heavens.

    the deep, ominous clouds overhead seemed to descend several hundred meters as a result of the dragon cry, as if something was about to emerge from within.

    li zhaojiang was about to speak when he suddenly received yan yu''s voice transmission:

    "dodge."

    he hastily retreated using the shifting technique. the next second, a beam of golden light descended from the sky and struck where they had just been standing, embedding deeply into the deck of the three isles treasure ship.

    it was a massive curved scythe, over twenty meters long and shimmering with golden light.

    the flood dragon extended its enormous claws, gripping the side of the scythe tightly with enough force to sink the blade deep into its blood-drenched toes, and, despite the intense pain, the dragon''s head seemed even more exhilarated:

    "what does it matter if one is man or dragon? in this world, only power is eternal! only power..."

    "...is the eternal goal of those who pursue cultivation!"

 Chapter 78 Puppet Ah Zhen, Accompany Me to Slay the Dragon

    ```the idea of a flood dragon wielding a dragon-slaying cleaver... sounds utterly ridiculous.

    but those who dare to laugh at it, if they truly stood in front of it at this moment, would certainly not be able to laugh.

    li zhaojiang was no longer able to laugh.

    "what the hell!" he couldn''t help but blurt out when he saw the flood dragon raising its long cleaver.

    since when do flood dragons use weapons?

    "scared, are you?" sent yan yu via a secret transmission, "if you''re scared, just leave, hide behind your sister."

    provoked by his goading, li zhaojiang''s panic instantly dissipated, and he retorted:

    "shouldn''t you be the one who''s scared?"

    "alright, alright, i''ll go find your sister for help right now."

    "you dare!"

    the way the two exchanged messages, clearly not taking the cleaver-wielding flood dragon seriously, infuriated the creature. it swung its cleaver in a powerful lateral chop, sweeping through everything in its path, turning ship''s gunwales, cables, masts, or anything else into smithereens beneath the cleaver''s edge.

    but how could such a coarse and clumsy attack possibly work on them? yan yu and li zhaojiang simply took a light leap, ascending with the cloud ascension technique, and easily dodged the cleaver that slashed beneath their feet.

    just then, the flood dragon suddenly opened its mouth again, a streak of white light flashing towards yan yu''s head.

    yan yu was floating in mid-air at this moment with no objects nearby to use for leverage, the white light seemingly about to hit him unavoidably, when suddenly a black beam of light burst from the side, colliding head-on with the dragon''s white light and silently annihilating each other.

    li zhaojiang, captain of the qingan battle team and a professional spell cultivator, although usually completely obedient to his older sister li minghu within the team, it doesn''t mean he lacks the strength of a team captain.

    he cultivates a lineage of spells known as the primordial magnetism divine light great method, a unique secret technique that is not part of the five elements and has special effects for both attack and control.

    li zhaojiang used the primordial magnetism divine light to intercept the white light aimed at yan yu and immediately sent a taunting transmission:

    "hahaha, yan yu, you owe me one life..."

    before he could finish talking, his back was struck by the green bamboo sword, forcing him to lurch forward involuntarily, which just so happened to let him avoid the flood dragon''s lethal claw strike from a blind spot.

    "naive," yan yu commented with disdain.

    "damn damn damn damn damn damn damn!" li zhaojiang, having fallen beneath the flood dragon, communicated his incredibly frustrated feelings through seven hoarse, forceful words sent through a secret transmission.

    "let''s kill it before we talk," replied yan yu.

    li zhaojiang then stopped talking further, his gaze fixed intently on the huge flood dragon before him, as he began to stir up his true yuan with high intensity.

    if yan yu was just a potential contender for stealing his sister''s affections, then this flood dragon was without a doubt the chief culprit for embarrassing him in public. rather than continue mocking yan yu, it was indeed more important to slay the dragon first!

    primordial magnetism divine light, blow it up for me!

    li zhaojiang let out a shout (meaninglessly), clasped his hands together in front of his chest (showing off), and then drew out a majestic black column of light, like the great sun wukong lifting his golden cudgel, and smashed it down onto the flood dragon''s head!

    unexpectedly, the flood dragon raised its cleaver to block. the moment the primordial magnetism divine light collided with the dragon-slaying cleaver, the latter was immediately attracted, twisted, and bent, forcibly twisted into a twisted shape¡ªthe primordial magnetism divine light had a remarkable effect against all metallic objects.

    however, by sacrificing its giant cleaver, the flood dragon seized the precious moment to counterattack, its tail whipping at li zhaojiang like a long whip, bringing a deep whistling wind sound with its fierce motion.

    li zhaojiang had no desire to be turned into meat paste by the dragon''s tail, so he had to interrupt his taoism method abruptly and retreated swiftly with the shifting technique to dodge the tail whip. he then transmitted to yan yu:

    "great, you just stand to one side and enjoy the show, huh?"

    "nonsense," yan yu, who was leisurely watching from the side, shot back, "you''re using primordial magnetism divine light, what do you expect me to do with sword control? wouldn''t the sword get sucked away by the primordial magnetism divine light?"

    li zhaojiang had no comeback, for his primordial magnetism divine light does indeed uncontrollably attract all metallic objects, so he usually refrains from using it, only employing it when he needs to strike a lethal blow, to avoid affecting li minghu and jiang hong''s sword control technique.

    he was now rarely fighting side by side with yan yu against an enemy and very eager to outdo this villain coveting his sister, so he unleashed the primordial magnetism divine light with full power... forgetting its adverse effect.

    what was more troublesome was that to play that "primordial magnetism divine light golden cudgel," his true yuan had also been heavily depleted by now.

    a spell cultivator''s way indeed uses up true yuan the most, and compared to the cost-effective sword control technique, it''s essentially two extremes.

    watching yan yu calmly command the green bamboo sword, striking with ease at various parts of the flood dragon, li zhaojiang quickly followed suit, summoning the skyfire sword and joining in the assault on the flood dragon.

    the flood dragon had lost its huge cleaver and was unable to block; it was chopped up and bleeding everywhere, suddenly soaring up, attempting to spiral and fly into the sky.

    the dragon was trying to escape!

    none of the group knew how to use sword flight, and once the flood dragon hid among the clouds, it would essentially become untargetable. waiting for it to heal its wounds before coming back down... what''s the point in fighting then!

    ```

    li zhaojiang couldn''t afford to conserve his true yuan any longer and was about to cast the primordial magnetism divine light great method again, but then he saw yan yu rush onto the dragon''s body using the shifting technique, the green bamboo sword deeply embedded into the flood dragon''s flesh. he gripped the hilt tightly and refused to let go, forcibly dragging the flood dragon into the sky.

    li zhaojiang: ???

    behind him, the battle on the deck was drawing to a close.

    the individual combat capabilities of the rikoku cultivators were not poor, and they had the absolute advantage in numbers, so the outcome of the battle was almost a foregone conclusion.

    li minghu beheaded stevenson, and alex was killed by zhao yuanzhen; the thunderbird margaret was left struggling alone and, after dueling lin ning''s green bamboo sword for a moment, realized that all her comrades were gone and promptly surrendered with both hands performing the france military salute.

    the sorcerers, on the other hand, were much harder and more ruthless. apart from ajarn luo, the curse technique practitioner who was controlled by the five ghosts spell of chen lingyun, the others all fought vehemently against the qing''an battle team, dying in resistance, with not a single one surrendering to plead for life.

    after sealing the two remaining live captives, everyone just happened to witness the flood dragon flying into the sky with li zhaojiang standing below, dumbfounded.

    "the dragon?" li minghu hurriedly asked.

    "the one in the sky," li zhaojiang said numbly. "it''s not dead, it flew away."

    "where''s our captain?" lin ning asked in a panic.

    "on the dragon''s back," li zhaojiang''s eyes twitched as he replied, "he flew off with it."

    the girls: ???

    once again, they all looked up together at the flood dragon, flying higher and higher, not knowing what to do.

    at the same time, the camera on the body of the slain superhero also managed to capture the flood dragon spiraling into the sky, along with yan yu who was hanging unsteadily on the dragon''s body, so the live broadcast''s comments were likewise filled with "???????????"

    wait, isn''t this the final battle? according to the usual fantasy drama script, shouldn''t everyone be struggling to kill the boss and then reap a myriad of spoils of war? how did someone suddenly ride off on the boss?

    in the school principal''s office, even li weiguo and chen tianming, confident as they were, couldn''t help but wipe sweat for yan yu ascending into the sky.

    after all, gravity doesn''t care about you much; falling from over ten thousand meters high, even if you land in the sea, it could smash you to death outright.

    "it''s okay," li weiguo suddenly said. "the kid has the cloud ascension technique. he can float down slowly."

    chen tianming also reacted quickly:

    continue reading stories on empire

    "no need to float all the way down, just use the cloud ascension technique as soon as he''s about to reach the sea surface to cancel out the velocity." sea??h th§× n?vel_fire.¦Çet website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "knowing his stubborn personality, it''s probably just as you said," li weiguo breathed a sigh of relief to himself, but his face broke into a hearty laugh, adopting the composed demeanor of "i always knew he wouldn''t fight an unwinnable battle."

    as for who was sweating for yan yu just now? don''t know, not clear, don''t ask.

    the things li weiguo and chen tianming could think of, the cultivators within the mysterious realm naturally could imagine as well.

    everyone just watched as the flood dragon took yan yu into the clouds, completely disappearing from view, unsure of what expression or reaction to show.

    "darn it, darn it, team leader yan has been dragged up to the sky by the flood dragon," would it seem too alarmist?

    "haha, truly worthy of team leader yan to actually be able to ride a dragon into the sky," would that seem somewhat inappropriate?

    or should we just smile?

    above the clouds, yan yu was dragged above the sea of clouds by the flood dragon, where a sky full of stars hung high, shining brightly.

    the flow of time in the mysterious realm was naturally not synchronized with the outside world, and this starry sky was probably just some sort of background texture, which didn''t need to be scrutinized too closely.

    the reason yan yu had ridden the flood dragon into the skies was obviously not to admire this fake starry sky, but to use the cover of the sea of clouds to shield unnecessary line of sight.

    here, i''ll stop playing the newbie!

    the flood dragon let out a long cry, and seven or eight white lights shot out from its mouth, suddenly turning towards yan yu. they came at him like a multitude of swords attacking all at once.

    yan yu fell from the flood dragon''s body, dodging these frost spells, and the green bamboo sword steadily caught him from below, then wrapped him quickly in sword light.

    sword flight!

    within the sword light, his right hand gave a slight flick, activating the string-pulling technique. a silver pellet shot out from his sleeve, spinning briefly before instantly transforming into the figure of a tall, slender beauty. her arms spread wide like a bird''s wings, she glided alongside the sword light, her garments fluttering elegantly in the wind.

    yan yu gave a slight smile, looking ahead at the flood dragon desperately fleeing.

    come! puppet ah zhen, join me in slaying the dragon!

 Chapter 79 Slay the Dragon!

    sea of clouds, starry sky, heavenly winds, sword light!yan yu was eighteen years old this year, and thus it had also been eighteen years since he last experienced sword flight.

    but as he witnessed the grand scenes around him, the long-missed experiences and memories quickly surged from the bottom of his heart.

    to travel as light, covering a thousand miles in an instant, this is the true bearing of an immortal like myself!

    it was a pity that the spiritual energy resurgence was still in its early stages and his own cultivation realm wasn''t high enough, so he couldn''t afford to fly unrestrained for long periods and could only enjoy it for a brief moment.

    a quick battle it is!

    yan yu quickly spurred on the sword light, and his speed surged once more, finally catching up to the tail of the flood dragon.

    sword control slash!

    the flying sword rapidly sliced along the body of the flood dragon, this time not merely leaving a wound but directly dismembering it! dragon scales, chunks of flesh, tendons, bones... countless remnants fell like rain.

    having lost half of its lower body, the flood dragon cried out in pain and anger. suddenly turning its head around, it aimed at yan yu and snapped fiercely with its gaping maw!

    the dragon''s teeth were sharp and powerful enough to crush mountains. not to mention invoking the earth-element sturdiness curse, even qin meng using the "dragon elephant nirvana divine skill" and activating the specialized body refinement secret art to withstand it would have been bitten in half in an instant!

    the dragon''s biting speed and range were extremely fast and large. if yan yu wanted to dodge with his sword light, he could only flee quickly to the side¡ªthereby being forced to abandon his attack.

    but faster than the speed of the dragon''s head was the figure of a graceful and lithe shadow.

    the puppet ah zhen.

    just a second before, she was blocking the dragon''s head; the next, she stepped on the whiskers and quickly moved up, treading rapidly across the scalation of the snout, step by step! the rugged scales under her feet were as if she was walking on flat ground.

    by the time she reached directly between the dragon''s eyes, a segment of a sword had already protruded from her wrist, with a cold light shining as bright as a mirror.

    cross slash!

    the dragon''s eyeball was covered by a nictitating membrane as hard as fine steel, not easily penetrated by ordinary blades. but the puppet ah zhen, with her core of "heavenly river anchored divine metal," could exert the power of a thousand jun, even more ferocious than the usual flying swords!

    a horizontal slash! a vertical cut! amidst the surging sword light, the pupils shattered open, and golden dragon blood burst forth like a volcanic eruption. in pain, the flood dragon shook its head violently, flinging the puppet ah zhen forcefully to the ground.

    before it could even catch its breath, its remaining eye was once again completely filled with the mysterious yellow sword light.

    sword-human unity!

    yan yu and the huang tingjian fused together through a secret spell, transforming into a magnificent sword light and piercing straight into the flood dragon''s eyes!

    blinded, the flood dragon could no longer discern directions and plunged headfirst towards the edge of the mysterious realm!

    just like the phoenix that was beaten out of the mysterious realm by su yunjin, the blind flood dragon wailed as it broke through the mysterious realm barrier, chaotically rushing into the south sea''s sky, and began to flee toward the northwest.

    the puppet ah zhen had already reverted to a silver pellet, rolling back into yan yu''s sleeve.

    after the terrifying expenditure of the sword control slash and the sword-human unity, yan yu''s body now had barely one-tenth of his true yuan remaining. he could only grab onto the ends of the flood dragon''s whiskers while continuing to fiercely attack it with the huang tingjian.

    the flood dragon, now sightless and barely alive, was well aware that yan yu''s remaining true yuan was also running low. otherwise, if yan yu initiated another sword-human unity, it would have already been slain on the spot.

    if it could just hold on until his true yuan was exhausted, combined with the flood dragon''s robust body that wouldn''t easily die... there might still be a chance to turn the tables and kill him!

    it thought bitterly, unaware that in his previous life, yan yu started on the path of the asura as a mere mortal, and being unable to refine true yuan was always his weak point. in this kind of endgame, how to extract every last bit of true yuan and maximize its effect, there was probably no one else in the world more skilled than him.

    a fight to the death!

    man attacking, dragon defending, the struggle relentless. the flood dragon soared through clouds and fog, flying as swiftly as a comet, drawing a long tail-like trail in the sky that no one from the outside of the mysterious realm could catch up to.

    but the surging of yan yu''s sword light was more like thunder clap, chasing down the comet with endless brilliance, with every dazzling flash being a heavy blow of the sword body smashing into dragon scales, sparking fierce fire!

    soon, the flood dragon entered into the territory of lu country, and by this point, a great number of civilians in yi''an prefecture had already witnessed it. annan army was so flustered that they didn''t even bother with the south sea and had to focus all their attention on this uninvited guest.

    after all, if the flood dragon targeted a densely populated area and unleashed a spell... it could become an extremely vicious disaster, the severity of which need not be overstated.

    but zhendong army''s yan yu was still fighting to the death on the dragon, and the frequent flashing of the sword light made it impossible to use anti-aircraft forces to shoot it down.

    troublesome indeed!

    the flood dragon, unaware of the difficulties facing the annan army, and being completely blind, didn''t expect to randomly hit yan yu with its sharp claws or spells. it could only keep charging ahead at full speed, hoping the violent turbulence brought by the fast airflow would exhaust his strength¡ªor true yuan. as long as it could shake him off, anything would do.

    however, what increasingly terrified it was that although it didn''t know where exactly yan yu was, the attacks from the huang tingjian sword never ceased. each strike added deeply painful wounds that overwhelmed its regenerative abilities.

    as its injuries grew more severe, its consciousness also began to falter.

    yan yu, of course, could sense that the flood dragon was nearing its limit. its flying altitude was rapidly decreasing, and a forced landing was becoming imminent.

    he pulled on a dragon whisker and looked down, only to see a cityscape with towering buildings clearly ahead.

    after slaying the dragon, the flood dragon was bound to plummet quickly. with its size, it would crush a swath of people if it landed on the streets, and even if it hit buildings, the walls would collapse. cleaning up the aftermath would be extremely troublesome.

    fortunately, within yan yu''s line of sight, he could see a wide river running through the city, with vast open spaces and vegetation along its banks that seemed to be a riverside park.

    while it was regrettable for the citizens enjoying the park, it was still better than directly crashing onto a main traffic road or residential and office buildings. yan yu could solve this simple math problem.

    i can''t stop the flood dragon from landing, but i can decide when it lands prematurely!

    after roughly estimating the dive point and timing, the huang tingjian sword once again flew above the dragon''s head and suddenly chopped down with full force as heavy as a mountain.

    dragon slaying!

    the heavy sword didn''t manage to split the dragon''s hard skull, but it did create a crack on it. the residual force pierced through the layers of bone into the brain, scattering its lingering consciousness¡ªthis flood dragon was already dead. even if it was controlled through a secret art by the giant who headed the long race, it still couldn''t fully manifest the true power of a dragon.

    out of control, the dragon''s body, carried by momentum, accelerated in its fall, gliding until most of its body sank into the river, causing nearly ten-meter-high waves, while its head crushed the riverbank guardrail and landed in the less crowded riverside park.

    no one was injured, perfect!

    yan yu, having used the cloud ascension technique to escape, leisurely flew onto the dragon''s head, found a protrusion near the dragon horn to sit on comfortably, and started to space out, waiting for the annan army to come and collect the corpse.

    given the current state of the spiritual energy resurgence, even an incompletely resurrected dragon puppet, with its abnormal vitality and defense, was an extremely difficult enemy to deal with.

    continue your adventure at empire

    i wonder how the valkyrie of the previous era managed to fight against it, and what heavy price her team paid¡ªyou can tell by the number of casualties the miti allied forces suffered this time.

    of course, there''s still that saying, "no need to thank me." i, yan yu, have always done good deeds without leaving my name.

    as yan yu sat atop the dragon''s corpse and zoned out, he saw on the opposite side of the riverside park, a group of young men and women with colorful wigs and strange clothes, hurrying over to watch the commotion.

    behind them stood a sports stadium building, and judging by the banners and posters at the entrance, it seemed that some sort of anime convention was taking place.

    yan yu, guarding the dragon''s corpse, of course couldn''t leave his post, and was soon surrounded by the intrigued cosplayers. many photographers even began to fervently snap photos of him and the dragon''s corpse... hey! i''m not some coser, stop taking pictures!

    he remained calm and collected under the bombardment of cameras, with his peripheral vision suddenly catching a sneaky pink-haired figure attempting to touch the dragon''s whiskers stealthily.

    with a flick of his finger, the huang tingjian sword instantly flew up, embedding itself in the tiles in front of her, startling the pink-haired girl into a jolt.

    but she quickly calmed down, appearing as if she wanted to touch but didn''t dare, and in a crisp voice, she asked yan yu,

    "cultivator big brother, may i touch your sword?"

    nonsense, of course you can''t!

    yan yu was about to say "are you worthy?" when his divine sense swept over the girl''s face again.

    huh?

    wait a second...

    despite the asian sorcery of heavy makeup, that face...

    isn''t that xie ruoxi? sear?h the nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    at this time, shouldn''t you be working in xin''an?

 Chapter 80 Beautiful Waste Xie Ruoxi

    in the previous life, the annan army had seen its share of bizarre incidents, like the sacrifice of the valkyrie, the rebellion of li zhaojiang, and the life of xie ruoxi... these three could be ranked as equally bizarre, with xie ruoxi''s life even more so than the first two.who was xie ruoxi? rumor had it she was "rikoku''s number one in cultivation talent," even surpassing lord master, dubbed "rikoku''s top cultivator," in pure natural aptitude for cultivation¡ªthough this claim was never officially acknowledged.

    she wasn''t part of the first cohort of cultivators, nor the second, or even the third; strictly speaking, she was actually from a non-official cultivator background.

    it wasn''t until li minghu and li zhaojiang were long gone that xie ruoxi, due to an accident that revealed her existence, was discovered by the annan army and drafted as an official cultivator; you could say she started quite late in the game.

    then, by the age of thirty, her cultivation realm astonishingly caught up with the first generation of cultivators... considering the awkward relationship between the annan army and the imperial court after the li zhaojiang incident, xie ruoxi''s cultivation definitely didn''t rely much on elixir medicine resources, so perhaps the rumors had some credibility.

    another oddity was that xie ruoxi didn''t enjoy cultivation, much like a peerless swordsman who has no love for the sword.

    this girl hailed from a farming family in baoqing prefecture, jingnan province. as everyone knows, baoqing prefecture itself is a key town for poverty alleviation in jingnan, and her rural family created a bit of resistance to the local poverty alleviation efforts.

    logically, she should have taken the college entrance exam during the second half of her senior year, been identified as having potential, and then become a cultivator... but xie ruoxi''s life was never short of surprises: her brother was also in his senior year, and the family plainly said they could only afford one college student, "you two decide."

    xie ruoxi sensibly said, "brother has better grades than i do, let him go to college."

    so, the family was very touched and didn''t make her take the college entrance exam (nor the blood test, of course); instead, after she got her high school diploma, they scraped together a sum of living expenses, pulled some strings in the village, found a few girls who were going down south to xin''an special economic zone to work, and had them take xie ruoxi along to find a job.

    several people took a bus to the xin''an special economic zone, searched for jobs for a while, and found them to be too much work for too little pay; ultimately, the others got employed at ktvs or bath centers, while xie ruoxi was still out of work, hanging around aimlessly.

    logically speaking, a girl with only a high school diploma would likely resort to these survival tactics: receptionist, salesperson, customer service representative, working at a flower shop, pet shop, or coffee shop, becoming a nail artist, eyelash technician, or beautician¡ªthese could easily fill a three-by-three chart.

    but xie ruoxi never did follow the beaten path; she started by saving up for a camera and infiltrated the cosplay circle as a private photographer for female cosplayers.

    later, she discovered many female cosplayers not only welcomed male photographers but could even get them to work for free. she immediately exclaimed, "this is a dead end!" and switched careers to become a cosplayer herself. eventually, she was promoted to a video website''s up-and-coming host, and then she started live-streaming with plans to make a fortune from the anime fandom.

    xie ruoxi was quite pretty and had a good figure, so after entering the live-streaming arena, at the peak of her career, she once had over fifty captains.

    but soon she realized the live-streaming industry was far too competitive. with makeup and beauty filters, whether you''re a four or a six on the attractiveness scale, everyone gets boosted to an eight. the audience''s threshold for beauty had been raised, and without pushing the envelope, it was hard to gain popularity.

    any ordinary female streamer would feel pressured to push boundaries to make money, no shame in that.

    but xie ruoxi once again took the path less traveled: she discovered something called "virtual streamers" from sakura country. female streamers would create an anime character avatar and use "motion capture software" to let this 2d character replace the real person in the stream.

    thus, she was reborn as a virtual streamer, just in time to catch the rising wave of the virtual streaming industry in her own country... by the time the annan army found her, xie ruoxi had already become a major streamer with over a million fans, not only receiving regular tributes from countless captains each month but also generous gifts from top supporters.

    she would stream only when she felt like it, otherwise spending her time watching shows and playing games, living a rather carefree life.

    as for how she stumbled into cultivation by some fluke, xie ruoxi claimed she had no clue, since she spent her days holed up in her rental room streaming, cloaked in the skin of an anime character, telling her fans, "ruoxi is a little dragon girl who has been cultivating for a thousand years." she relied completely on online shopping for daily necessities and hardly ever went outside¡ªthen suddenly, she realized she hadn''t eaten for a month.

    she had the potential to become a top cultivator, yet she chose to struggle in society for years, and indeed carved out an unconventional path for herself. that was xie ruoxi, truly unique among cultivators.

    yan yu suddenly jumped down from the dragon''s head (causing a stir of gasps and frenzied camera flashes) and landed in front of xie ruoxi, scrutinizing her face closely.

    hmm, even though the makeup on her face was heavy enough to alter her ethnicity, the facial contours and voice were indeed highly consistent with xie ruoxi... but at this point in time, shouldn''t she still be working in xin''an?

    being scrutinized so blatantly, the pink-haired girl seemed to shrink back a bit, but probably sensing that there was no malice, she soon regained her composure and revealed an unblemished smile.

    "what''s your name?" yan yu decided to verify.

    "me?" the pink-haired girl immediately extended her arms and formed a heart shape in front of her chest, beaming with vitality as she smiled radiantly, "i''m the guitarist of the mygo band, chihaya aine!"

    yan yu almost kneeled in shock, promptly widening his eyes and rebuking loudly,

    "i didn''t ask about the anime character you''re playing! i''m asking for your name!!!"

    "thank you¡­ xie ruoxi." the pink-haired girl was obviously frightened by his sternness and hurriedly responded in a stammering, quiet voice.

    "mhm." yan yu finally confirmed everything, and his expression eased.

    your next journey awaits at empire

    although from his past life''s experience, xie ruoxi''s level of education was not high, she was subconsciously a bit insecure, even inferior, and she also had a high concentration of ''two-dimensional otaku'', but one couldn''t deny that her talent for cultivation was overwhelmingly impressive!

    and she was also very beautiful.

    snatch her up?

    after all, the valkyrie of this life was definitely not going to die, and the annan army wasn''t lacking top-notch cultivators now, so it should be okay for me to poach xie ruoxi, right¡­

    wait a second, why am i poaching her?

    to be a secretary or an assistant, honestly, she was just not cut out for it. neither su yunjin''s delicate considerations nor ye jun''s organization were within xie ruoxi''s abilities. fundamentally, she was like li zhaojiang and zhou hongyu, those who trade intellect for martial strength, concerned with fighting more than thinking, and her educational level was even lower than the two of them.

    even after she became a cultivator for the annan army in the future, this girl''s approach to cultivation was sporadic: three days fishing, two days drying nets. in his previous life, it was said that the imperial court once sent a team of psychologists to analyze her personality traits and concluded that she was basically unlikely to rebel.

    because xie ruoxi was the kind of ultimate homebody who, as long as she had a bite to eat, could happily live her whole life at home with just a computer and a phone, never entertaining the active thought that "my life should be lived with more meaning."

    combining these memories, yan yu quickly concluded: due to her upbringing and social experience, this girl had developed a carefree and lax character; it was no longer possible to employ her in any practical job.

    as for treating xie ruoxi as a pure fighter like how the annan army used her in his past life, while that might be making the best use of her, yan yu''s side didn''t lack for fighters at all¡ªafter all, i''m the strongest military force in this world! even if xie ruoxi were strong, could she ever be stronger than me and my team members? hilarious.

    sigh, what a chicken rib of a girl. (note: "chicken rib" is a chinese idiom meaning something of little value or interest; too good to discard but of little use)

    having her as a secretary wouldn''t be helpful; using her as a fighter wasn''t necessary; and even if considering her as a lover, she wouldn''t be the first choice. i have plenty of beautiful girls living together in that villa, those who are great at cooking, diligent in housework, providing top-tier resources, assisting in qi refinement¡­ what place could xie ruoxi possibly take?

    besides her looks, this girl has nothing to offer, a pure beauty with no substance!

    after pondering, yan yu felt that xie ruoxi only held some kind of collector''s value for him.

    what is collector''s value? it''s the idea that "she can be useless, but i can''t be without her."

    after all, she was the cultivation prodigy who in his previous life replaced li minghu and became the annan army''s top cultivator; keeping her at home as a decorative figure who just needs to eat was not a problem. if she really got used to him, he could even try to correct her personality¡ªafter all, she can''t keep on being this reclusive forever, right?

    with such exceptional talent for cultivation, why would you think about slacking off all the time?

    of course, not now.

    in his past life, xie ruoxi faced many temptations while working, but she never chose to give up her principles, possibly because she steadfastly believed in pure love triumphing over all in her two-dimensional worldview.

    if he wanted to interfere with her fate, he first had to gain her trust, and then wait for an opportune moment¡ªinviting her rashly upon a first meeting would only scare her off.

    having made up his mind quickly, yan yu immediately took out his phone:

    "add as a friend?"

    "oh, sure." xie ruoxi was somewhat flattered. after all, she spent all day surfing the internet intensively and, of course, knew what "cultivator" meant.

    the two exchanged contact information, and then xie ruoxi eagerly added:

    "i''ll send you the graphic after it''s finished."

    yan yu''s vision went dark for a moment: did i add you as a friend to get your photograph? such a useless piece of garbage, not even daring to skirt the edges! s§×ar?h the novelfire.net* website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "no need!" he refused, speaking with righteous indignation.

 Chapter 81 Unperturbed by Favor or Disgrace, Yan Zhanlong

    ```after getting xie ruoxi''s friendship, yan yu lost interest in continuing the conversation with her.

    after all, no matter how much more he talked, it was impossible to quickly increase her affection, so he might as well take it slow.

    ignoring the surrounding female cosers who squealed "brother is so handsome, add me as a friend too," yan yu flew back to the dragon''s head and calmly sat down on the throne at the dragon''s horn, adopting the classic think pose of the thinker statue, calmly waiting under the constantly flashing spotlights for the troops to come collect the corpse.

    photographers outside kept snapping away as if they''d never seen a flood dragon and a dragon-slaying transcendent before... well, they probably hadn''t.

    xie ruoxi was bold, perhaps because she had exchanged friendship with yan yu and assumed she got the permission to take photos; she even posed in various ways leaning on the dragon''s head, asking other photographers to include her in the shots with yan yu and the flood dragon.

    yan yu watched indifferently from atop the dragon''s head and decided not to address her presumptuous actions.

    it wasn''t until the local defense department arrived that all the onlookers who had come to enjoy the show, take photos, and try to talk to yan yu were dispersed.

    the task of dealing with the flood dragon''s corpse was left to them, and the cutting and transportation were expected to continue for several days. yan yu took a taxi to the airport and checked the news on the way.

    the lu country cultivators had secured the three isles treasure ship secret realm without sustaining any injuries; the miti allied forces suffered a great defeat with 37 superheroes dead, one escaped, and one captured (the thornbird was probably not included), only one survivor remained on the southeast asia side, delivering a perfect report card to the entire nation.

    the only drawback was that the authorities had not allowed live broadcasting, so the domestic audience had to watch the superhero alliance''s illegally broadcasted foreign perspective, and mostly on smaller streaming platforms with less sensitivity to policies, thus limiting the number of viewers who saw the entire event live.

    the majority of people only learned the outcome after the official news release.

    from his previous life''s experience, yan yu knew that lu country would soon fill this gap. after all, if the superhero alliance broadcasts globally, hiding it doesn''t make sense, since people can always bypass internet restrictions.

    however, topping the hot search list above "lu country cultivators'' grand victory" was a shorter entry:

    yan zhanlong.

    clicking into it, indeed, were the photos and videos taken by the onlookers at the riverside park.

    in the images, the huge dragon''s head lay defeated by the river bank, still fearsome even in death.

    yan yu sat alone atop the dragon horn, his body covered in golden dragon blood, his gaze still sharp and majestic.

    the huang tingjian sword was plunged into the ground before the dragon''s head, silently proclaiming that its master had fought an earth-shattering, god-weeping battle with the flood dragon, ending with the dragon''s demise.

    handsome! cool! dominant! powerful! absolute! it was the kind of image you could use as your computer wallpaper!

    if only they could photoshop out that pink-haired girl next to the dragon''s head, what a beautiful waste cluttering my scene, why are you stealing my spotlight?

    yan yu silently browsed the news, most of which praised him as a valiant warrior. initially looking down on this and that, he turned around and slew a flood dragon, proving that yan someone indeed had the confidence to talk big, deserving the praise of "brave warrior of the country."

    of course, there were also some trolls who popped up on various platforms, voicing some strange and contrary opinions.

    some said that the enemy transcendents were mainly defeated by other cultivators, others suggested the flood dragon had already been worn down and yan yu had merely snuck in the finishing blow, and still, others simply attacked him without evidence, with comments like "true debasement," "naive believer," and "i feel sick reading his comments," among others.

    facing this chaotic scene, yan yu didn''t bother to argue online like lin ning and zhao yuanzhen; he just smiled faintly and swiped the trolls'' comments off his screen.

    see, they''re getting irritated again.

    before the fight, they said you definitely couldn''t win, and after you won, they said it was just luck. they can''t stand praise, they can''t hear the hymns; they must vehemently refute everything to showcase their intelligence and aloofness. hiding behind their screens, they become invincible, perceiving everyone else as fools.

    there''s no need to quibble with the trolls; what they think is up to them. for now, i just need to do my job with the team, earn money, train my players, and bring glory to my country. that''s all!

    so when will i receive my reward money?

    yan yu was about to send a message to li weiguo to inquire when he saw a message from chen lingyun had also come through:

    [chen lingyun]: feels good to show off in front of the entire nation, doesn''t it?

    [yi de fu ren]: not bad, i guess. in the end, it almost smashed into the city, but luckily i was more skilled.

    [chen lingyun]: we all saw that.

    ```

    [yi de fu ren]: what do you see? my majestic stance standing on a dragon corpse?

    [chen lingyun]: i see our dear team leader getting all cuddly and huggy with another team''s deputy leader in a video recording.

    yan yu: .........

    he silently switched his phone to airplane mode, put it back in his pocket, and then stared blankly out of the car window at the scenery.

    after the trouble of finishing a secret realm, wanting to rest properly without taking calls is quite reasonable, right?

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    the three isles treasure ship secret realm is quite special; its core is the steering wheel at the bow of the treasure ship. moreover, even after refining it, one can only control entering and exiting the secret realm and cannot obtain other permissions, such as controlling the ship''s navigation (it seems that one needs the bloodline of the long race for complete control).

    therefore, the people left in the secret realm could only temporarily stay in the south sea for a few days, cooperating with the annan army to continue mopping up the remaining monsters inside the three isles treasure ship secret realm¡ªthough there wasn''t any danger, as there were enough numbers to have an absolute advantage. the main thing was some tiring and arduous work.

    because yan yu left early, the annan army didn''t call him back, so he simply called li weiguo to inform him and then directly flew back to jinling.

    returning to jinling airport and just getting off the plane, he saw qi changping waiting outside to pick him up.

    "how much is the bonus this time?" yan yu asked as he got into the car.

    "why are you always thinking about money?" qi changping, who was driving, laughed and said, "the authorities haven''t decided yet, but i heard it will probably be twenty million."

    mysterious realms beyond the borders of the land need to be contended over in a life and death struggle with foreigners, so naturally, the reward money would be higher compared to domestic secret realms. this was easy to understand.

    yan yu didn''t dwell on the matter of money, since now money was just a number to him. he continued to ask:

    "what does the higher-up plan to do with the captives this time?"

    "that''s not decided either." qi changping spoke frankly, "they might make agreements with those countries for exchanges."

    "thunderbird" margaret was strong, but not so strong that lu country needed to eliminate her to feel at ease. if they killed her and got nothing, it would be a loss, but if they could exchange her with the superhero alliance for resources or technology, that would be pure profit.

    of course, whether the other side was willing and what price they were ready to offer was another question.

    looking at the international opinion on the web, the general consensus was that thunderbird''s defeat was an "innocent failure", as she was the last one fighting before she surrendered, and at the time, she would have died if she hadn''t surrendered.

    also, martyrdom wasn''t popular abroad, instead, a group of leftists and fervent fans were waving flags and shouting, calling for "let our superhero return home alive" ¡ª so it seems there would be more negotiations to come.

    as for the other one, the curse technique master ajarn luo, since he wasn''t an official cultivator, siam''s attitude was ambiguously unclear, so there might not be much room for ransom negotiations, and what would happen afterward was also unknown. sea??h th§× n?vel?ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "changing the subject," qi changping said, pressing the steering wheel with one hand and looking ahead, "yan yu, what''s your current relationship with li minghu, the deputy leader of that qing''an combat team?"

    "what relationship?" yan yu looked puzzled. "of course, we''re comrades-in-arms. what else could it be?"

    "comrades-in-arms?" qi changping was also surprised. "if it''s just comrades-in-arms, would she hug and hold you in front of the camera, in front of a global audience? it doesn''t look like she suffered any injuries."

    "psh, instructor qi, you''re thinking too much." yan yu waved his hand nonchalantly and said, "she has a chronic illness and was soaked in cold water. she looked uninjured, but in reality, she was so weak she could barely stand. i went to help her out a bit; there''s no need to make a big deal out of it, right?"

    "alright then." qi changping nodded and said, "your reasoning makes sense, but not everyone will believe it. after all, people outside don''t know li minghu has lung disease. so unless you really want to date her, you should be mindful of your image in the future to avoid being gossiped about¡ªnow you''re a national hero, and the people of lu country are very interested in your affairs."

    "sure." yan yu said leisurely, "i just checked the trending searches, and they are all discussing my dragon-slaying exploits; nobody''s talking about the gossip anymore."

    "in terms of public opinion, we have online commentators to manage the discussion. they will guide conversations away from sensitive topics," qi changping pondered for a moment before continuing, "there''s one more thing. you''re quite showy by nature, which does attract a lot of fans, but it also means some people will dislike your remarks and say strange things. don''t take it to heart. continue reading stories on empire

    victory is the most powerful rebuttal. we''ve won, so there''s no need to bicker too much with them."

    "instructor, don''t worry about it," yan yu laughed heartily, "just a bunch of trolls, they don''t deserve my attention, right?"

    qi changping: .........

    although what he said was indeed correct, for some reason, qi changping really didn''t want to associate yan yu with the phrase "above slander and praise."

 Chapter 82 Lord Master is Very Depressed

    after returning to school, yan yu still went straight to the headmaster''s office, planning to report to old man li weiguo.however, upon reaching the headmaster''s office and pushing the door open, he saw that both li weiguo and chen tianming were not there. there was only a white-robed taoist nun standing by the window, looking out at the college cultivators.

    mei yingxue.

    a national hero from a previous life, she was also the key to making empress yuanzhen renounce her dark past and embrace the light.

    from this incident alone, it was clear that she held the greater good of the nation in her heart.

    though i have personal grievances with zhao yuanzhen, for the sake of the countless citizens of lu country, i can set aside past grievances and join forces with her to protect our nation!

    in contrast to the demonic sect enchantress zhao yuanzhen, who still harbors deep resentment towards mei yingxue to this day, even regarding her as a bitter enemy and shrinking from her as if she were a snake or scorpion. in comparison, the superior choice becomes obvious.

    yan yu had great respect for such virtuous individuals. otherwise, he wouldn''t have treated li minghu so courteously. now, his enthusiasm for mei yingxue was even greater. he first pulled up the chair he used to sit in and settled down. then he cheerfully invited her with a laugh,

    "have a seat, please."

    "no need," mei yingxue shook her head, "i''m short on time. i just came to see you and then i''ll leave."

    she turned to face him, scrutinizing yan yu intently.

    yan yu also looked at mei yingxue. he had seen this face too many times on television in his previous life. her features were not stunningly beautiful, merely pleasant and unremarkable. her attractiveness fell short compared to the female cultivators in his cellphone''s friend list.

    but she was a national hero after all!

    "i am mei yingxue," she introduced herself, "you might not know me, but zhao yuanzhen¡­ she''s now zhao jiuzhen, right? we come from the same place."

    how could i not know you? i know you all too well, teacher mei!

    yan yu nodded: "hmm."

    seeing his brevity, mei yingxue wasn''t sure how much he knew about zhao yuanzhen''s past, so she decided to lay all her cards on the table:

    "zhao jiuzhen, she was born into the evil demonic sect, showing no mercy and causing harm to the innocent. i intended to act on behalf of heaven and take her down, but she managed to escape after coming here."

    "now that we''ve met again, seeing her finally following the right path, willing to defend and protect the nation, i too am relieved. let''s put aside past enmities for now."

    "meeting you must be the fortune of several lifetimes for her."

    yan yu thought to himself, "you''re absolutely right about that," but said,

    "not at all, i''ve only done a little. the main credit goes to her good heart and willingness to turn over a new leaf."

    mei yingxue didn''t believe it. she was sure about zhao yuanzhen''s evil nature and was convinced that yan yu must have made significant efforts and even sacrifices to force the demonic sect enchantress to reform so profoundly. it wasn''t something that could be dismissed as "a little work."

    but since yan yu was modest about his role, it only improved her impression of him, and she said gently:

    "regardless, as long as she continues to act as ''zhao jiuzhen'', the upper echelons of lu country will not delve into her past origins, and you won''t have to worry about her identity being exposed. i can guarantee this myself."

    no, no, no, i wasn''t worried from the start, alright? plus, i suggest you continue pretending that you know nothing. keep the pressure on the demonic sect enchantress so she doesn''t revert to her old ways. otherwise, it might not turn out well.

    after a moment of contemplation, yan yu confirmed with a question:

    "daoist mei, you truly won''t pursue it further?"

    mei yingxue shook her head, replying:

    "i won''t."

    she continued to gaze out the window, speaking softly:

    "this lu country¡­ it''s very similar to the court from where we come, whether it''s the secular authorities, cultural history, or even the characteristics of the people. the only difference is that, over there, there are no warships forcing entry, no hundred-year concessions, no unjust treaties of land cessions and indemnities, and there has not been so much suffering¡­"

    speaking of the recent history of lu country''s many tragedies, yan yu had nothing to say but remained silent.

    "the resurgence of spiritual energy marks an era of great strife. those who lag behind will be beaten, even slaughtered at will by enemies, who, after the killing, still point at the bodies and say: ''look, they were meant to die,''" mei yingxue spoke slowly. "as long as i remain in this world, i will not allow the people of lu country to fall into such tragic circumstances again."

    "i will do the same," yan yu suddenly said.

    "right, so we have a consensus on this matter, don''t we?" mei yingxue turned back to him, smiling, "as long as zhao yuanzhen is willing to help, i am prepared to look past our previous conflicts, for there are matters more important than personal grievances."

    "please convey this message to her."

    with those final words, mei yingxue suddenly transformed into a streak of sword light that shot out the window and disappeared.

    truly deserving of her status as a preeminent being of another world who is above this world''s level cap, this sword flight is so immediate, without the need to worry if there''s enough true yuan.

    after making sure the office window was locked up tight for li weiguo, yan yu then slowly made his exit.

    he held mei yingxue in high esteem, but as for the message she requested him to pass on, he could only pretend he hadn''t heard it. experience more tales on empire

    zhao yuanzhen, now, is like a wild horse temporarily yielding to the reins, hastily removing her bridle would only allow her the possibility to return to her wild nature.

    keep enduring, she will understand in the future.

    returning to his villa, yan yu lay down on the sofa and turned off airplane mode on his phone.

    as expected, there were over 99 new messages and missed calls. it''s a good thing i predicted this!

    yan yu began leisurely looking through the messages one by one.

    the first were messages from home, saying that to prevent further harassment of the family members of cultivators, the local military command had moved them into the guardhouse, alongside other senior military officers'' families. apparently, the guards at the gate were armed with loaded guns.

    father yan and mother yan felt a bit uncomfortable and unaccustomed, while yan jing was happy because the new house allocated by the government was much larger than the old one and even came with a small walled garden.

    yan yu felt a bit ashamed at this point.

    here he was, living in a large villa, while his parents and sister continued to stay in the old house back home, which indeed sounded a bit unfilial.

    but he had known for a long time that the guardhouse was the eventual destination for his family, as with his growing power and fame as a cultivator, it was hard to guarantee that external forces wouldn''t attempt to target his family.

    it wasn''t just yan yu''s family; lin ning''s and su yunjin''s families were in a similar situation and would soon have to move into their local guardhouses as well.

    zhao yuanzhen had no family, and as for chen lingyun... her family''s security was even tighter than the guardhouses, so there was really nothing to worry about.

    yan yu replied to the messages from his parents and continued browsing. next were messages from the girls on his team, densely packed and not a few.

    skip, will look at them all together later.

    then there were messages from anna in siberia, which had piled up to over 99 again after a few days of no contact, truly terrifying; he would look at them when he had time.

    after that were messages from liu longtao... hmm.

    when the zhenghai team joined forces with the qing''an team to confront the miti allied forces in the south sea, lord master was also in the mysterious realm of the ezo islands dueling with a transcendent from shinkoku. after barely winning and returning, he found that the whole country was concerned with "yan zhanlong," so he sent a message to ask.

    [liu shao]: congratulations, brother yan, you have really become famous this time. yan zhanlong, that''s a grand nickname! with this record and popularity, even if you wanted to marry into the governor''s family in the future, you would have the qualifications.

    [yi de fu ren]: why are you beating around the bush to insult me again? feeling unbalanced?

    [liu shao]: at first a bit, but after watching the live broadcast replay, i realized that flood dragon was indeed tough to handle, so your title of yan zhanlong is well-deserved, and i truly acknowledge that.

    look at that, a flood dragon that wiped out ninety percent of the miti forces is merely described as "tough to handle" by lord master, implying nothing but "if i were there, i could have beaten it too."

    [yi de fu ren]: how about your fight in ezo?

    [liu shao]: naturally, it can''t compare to the dragon-slaying in the south sea, but it wasn''t as simple as cutting melons and vegetables. have you heard the name "shenyuan simie"?

    [yi de fu ren]: no, it sounds very chuuni, definitely not his real name.

    yan yu was actually playing dumb. as someone notorious among the four great demon kings of shinkoku in his past life, how could he not have heard of the pseudonym shenyuan simie?

    however, he only knew that this person''s real surname was "shinyori," but he didn''t know his given name.

    just from the moniker "simie" he chose for himself, one could deduce that this was a person with a mental disorder, and indeed that was the case.

    born into the shinyori clan, a historically significant political family, both his father and grandfather held lifetime seats in the upper house, yet he himself was the product of a one night stand.

    the status of being an illegitimate child made him suffer the torment of his cousins during his childhood in the clan''s mansion, eventually leading to a complete psychological twist, though it remained hidden.

    it was only after he became a transcendent that shenyuan simie finally freed himself from his constraints, embraced his madness, and began to lose control.

    he once beat a sparring partner to death during base training, then danced around the ring holding the corpse; he also frequented kabukicho, rewarding the courtesan who served him after a spring night, then turned around and killed everyone else working in the pleasure establishment... his behavior was completely illogical and he completely disregarded traditional morals and ethics.

    despite all this, his talent in cultivation was exceptional, utilizing the onmyoji''s uncanny strengths to the fullest, his skill with "shikigami substitution" was extraordinary, having been defeated by lord master several times in the past but always managing to survive. this forced the elite-oriented shinkoku to reluctantly cultivate him, always having people on standby to clean up his messes.

    the ultimate end of his life was even more twisted: conspiring with another demon king to defect, he brazenly attacked the upper house on his own, failed, then returned to the shinyori family estate and mercilessly wiped out his whole clan. afterward, he summoned a fiery inferno to incinerate the ancestral home.

    before he died, he sat among the roaring flames, holding a shamisen, singing "life is but fifty years" until he perished...

    don''t ask why he defected, why he attacked the upper house, or why he killed off his own clan, no one knew what was going through his deranged mind.

    [liu shao]: all i know is that he seems to be from the shinyori family but wasn''t valued by the main house. he was part of a motorcycle gang for a while after coming of age, then got involved with the yakuza, being an extreme social darwinist and fanatical militarist.

    [yi de fu ren]: is he deliberately stacking up a bad guy image? so you encountered him in the mysterious realm, did you beat him?

    [liu shao]: alas, it''s really embarrassing to talk about. i won, but didn''t kill him. the guy was slipperier than a mouse, he threw a substitute and vanished.

    [yi de fu ren]: oh come on, that''s very normal. i also won against the thorn bird in the south sea, but didn''t kill him, let him escape with magic. nowadays, which real top-tier transcendent doesn''t have a few ultimate lifesaving tricks? s§×arch* the ¦Çovelfire.¦Çet website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    [yi de fu ren]: oh, i also slayed a dragon and made the national headlines. that''s all then, you were saying?

    [liu shao]: ......

    [liu shao]: don''t feel like talking anymore, you go on with your business.

 Chapter 83 Yan Yu Is Very Busy

    after consoling the gloomy lord master, yan yu turned to check other messages.the newly established shenxing battle team of the zhendong army, led by captain qiu ze and vice captain sun ziyi, had recently lost in their home field during a confrontation in the mysterious realm of yandang mountain to zhou hongyu''s huofeng team.

    having lost their first battle, qiu ze was also in low spirits and sent a message to yan yu asking for the reason.

    [yi de fu ren]: isn''t it normal to lose to xiao zhou? when did they form their team, and when did you form yours? they have several months of practical experience over you. it would have been an upset if they lost to you, right? what''s there to be surprised about?

    [shenxing wanli]: sigh, i know, but we still lost in the end.

    [yi de fu ren]: victory and defeat are common in military affairs, and failure is the mother of success, haven''t you heard? back when i¡­

    [yi de fu ren]: it seems i haven''t lost before, so let''s take chen lingyun as an example. right after she enrolled, her first simulation battle was in front of the instructors against me, and she was beaten so badly she was picking up her teeth. and look at her now; isn''t she still jumping around and beaming with joy?

    [shenxing wanli]: i feel like using "jumping around" and "beaming with joy" to describe a girl isn''t quite right? and yan team, mentioning vice captain chen''s embarrassing moments like this¡­ isn''t that great either, right?

    [yi de fu ren]: so, you''d prefer i point out your embarrassing moments, huh? wait a minute, i''ll go download the footage of your battle to see how you got beaten up. then i''ll give you a good analysis.

    [shenxing wanli]: wait wait wait, let''s go back to talking about vice captain chen. after you defeated her, how did she adjust her mindset?

    [yi de fu ren]: then i told her, i am destined to be the strongest in this world. even if you were defeated by me, you were beaten by the strongest, right? it''s perfectly normal.

    [shenxing wanli]: indeed, as long as you accept the fact that you''re not as good as the other person, you won''t be beaten down.

    [yi de fu ren]: you''ve lost, and it''s important to admit if you''re outskilled. analyze the reasons you lost carefully. as long as you grow from it, it''s not a loss in vain.

    [shenxing wanli]: i got it, thanks, yan team.

    [yi de fu ren]: no need to be polite.

    after sending the message to qiu ze, yan yu turned to find zhang huaide.

    [yi de fu ren]: how did it go against qiu ze and his team?

    [chu kou cheng zhang]: not bad. qiu ze is very strong overall, especially quick in reaction; sun ziyi makes precise judgment calls and has a good grasp of timing. although the other three members don''t have particularly outstanding highlights, they all did their jobs well. the future looks promising.

    [yi de fu ren]: then why did they still lose to you?

    [chu kou cheng zhang]: haha, because we''re stronger.

    [chu kou cheng zhang]: actually, i think their main problem was being tactically adaptive. their initial strategy to primarily attack me was fairly clear, but captain zhou''s firepower was likely much greater than they had anticipated, causing them to begin doubting themselves midway.

    first, they switched their attack to captain zhou and, finding they couldn''t overcome him, they went after meng qingxi. when i sent tang xiaolian to act as bait, they took the bait without hesitation, which shows that their tactical thinking in the later stage was completely disordered.

    [yi de fu ren]: i see. is it okay if i send your analysis to qiu ze?

    [chu kou cheng zhang]: no problem. is qiu ze asking you for advice? i think you would come to the same conclusions if you watched the footage.

    [yi de fu ren]: i just got back from the south sea; i haven''t had time to watch it yet.

    [chu kou cheng zhang]: right, after all, you''re now yan zhanlong./smile

    [yi de fu ren]: how''s xiao zhou doing lately? experience new stories on empire

    [chu kou cheng zhang]: we watched the livestream. captain zhou said that if you spent less time on romance and love, your strength wouldn''t be just at this level.

    [yi de fu ren]: haha, is that jealousy?

    [chu kou cheng zhang]: mm, i don''t think so. first of all, i explained to captain zhou, considering vice captain li''s physical condition, the prolonged soaking in the water dungeon, plus her wearing your jacket, suggests that your holding her was just to prevent her from getting cold and to keep her steady.

    [chu kou cheng zhang]: secondly, when captain zhou said that, she wasn''t concerned about your romantic affairs. she probably wants you to become stronger, so that all the efforts she''s made to defeat you are even more worthwhile.

    [yi de fu ren]: xiao zhang, if you''d understood i was joking, there wouldn''t have been any need to explain so seriously.

    [chu kou cheng zhang]: it still needs to be made clear. after all, it concerns captain zhou''s reputation. if our chat records accidentally leaked to the media and they start spinning stories about ambiguous relationships or cps, captain zhou would be furious.

    [yi de fu ren]: am i that kind of person?

    [chu kou cheng zhang]: of course not, yan team. this is just my professional habit; please forgive me.

    yan yu frowned at his phone, thinking that the meticulous zhang huaide might have suspected some ulterior motive regarding the close encounter between him and li minghu, which is why he was taking extra precautions regarding anything to do with zhou hongyu.

    but it didn''t matter. first, there was nothing between him and li minghu as of now, and secondly, he had no improper thoughts about zhou hongyu, so it was fine.

    i''m innocent anyway!

    yan yu forwarded zhang huaide''s analysis to qiu ze, and immediately received a string of grateful responses from him.

    ah, the feeling of doing good deeds is really great, feels like the merit on my shoulders has become heavier again.

    continued to read messages. hey, one from li zhaojiang...

    [rising sun over the pearl river]: i''m going to kill you!!!!!!!!

    [yi de fu ren]: haha, look, you''re in a rush again.

    [rising sun over the pearl river]: just kidding, i still have to thank you for taking care of my sister at the start of the mysterious realm, her health was indeed very poor then.

    [yi de fu ren]: no problem, we''re comrades, it''s what i should do.

    [rising sun over the pearl river]: i''ve thanked you for taking care of her, now let''s talk about the issue of you taking advantage of her, shall we? which finger are you planning to chop off as an apology?

    [yi de fu ren]: i''ve already discussed it with your sister, i will compensate for taking advantage of her in another way.

    [rising sun over the pearl river]: what way?

    [yi de fu ren]: ask her!

    [rising sun over the pearl river]: do you think i''m stupid? how could she possibly tell me?

    [yi de fu ren]: if she won''t tell you, why should i?

    [rising sun over the pearl river]: you got me there with that question.

    [rising sun over the pearl river]: how about coming to the xingwang mansion? i''ll treat you to lingnan cuisine, and we can have a good chat?

    [yi de fu ren]: i''d love to come, but i''m afraid there''s no such thing as a free lunch.

    [rising sun over the pearl river]: come if you want, it''s just to thank you for taking care of my sister.

    [yi de fu ren]: and also to urge me to stay away from your sister, right?

    [rising sun over the pearl river]: you catch on fast, makes it hard for me.

    [yi de fu ren]: i''ll ask your sister what she thinks.

    not bothering with li zhaojiang, yan yu messaged li minghu.

    [yi de fu ren]: your brother says he wants to treat me to a meal?

    [yuegua donghu]: don''t mind him, he''s always fooling around like a kid.

    [yi de fu ren]: alright, looks like i''m not getting a meal...

    [yuegua donghu]: how come you''re always thinking about eating? /laugh

    [yi de fu ren]: it was your brother who brought it up, not me.

    [yuegua donghu]: fair enough, if you come visit lingnan, of course, we will take good care of you.

    [yi de fu ren]: that''s very kind. how are things going in the south sea?

    [yuegua donghu]: it''s a bit troublesome, there''s a lot of space left in the lower levels of the sanyu treasure ship, and it''ll take some time to explore fully. plus, since the sanyu treasure ship is located at sea, we need to be wary of other countries coveting it, so the superiors would like us to help finish the exploration of the treasure ship mysterious realm before leaving.

    [yi de fu ren]: mmm, i was asking about your health.

    [yuegua donghu]: thanks for your concern, i can still hold up.

    [yuegua donghu]: being cared about by yan zhanlong like this, should i feel flattered? /playful smile

    [yi de fu ren]: no need to feel flattered, just get well soon if you can.

    [yuegua donghu]: i will do my best. /strive

    [yuegua donghu]: however, yan yu, you should also check out the messages your teammates sent you.

    [yuegua donghu]: i just sent you a message, and lin ning happened to see the chat interface as she was passing by. s~ea??h the novelfire.net* website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    [yi de fu ren]: .........

    then, an invitation for a voice call from lin ning lit up on the screen.

 Chapter 84 Look, there it goes again

    At the edge of the deck of the Weihu Battleship, a young woman held a mobile phone to her ear with one hand, and irritably placed her other hand on her hip, displaying a huffing expression on her face.Her eyes were not very big but were clear and expressive. Her nose was as round and cute as polished jade, and her delicate mouth was pressed together firmly. Even the most critical men had to admit that she was a beauty, quite unlike the grim visage of a ghastly demon.

    Stay updated via empire

    But to Yan Yu at the other end, the screen lighting up with "Ningning extends a voice invitation to you," as well as the urgent ringing of the mobile phone, felt almost like a death call from hell. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    However, it didn''t matter.

    What does the strongest fear from hell? Watch me employ the compassion of a bodhisattva and the tactics of an Arhat to save all these evil spirits!

    Yan Yu calmly answered the call, only to immediately hear Lin Ning''s forceful voice:

    "I messaged you, huh, I sent you so many messages! You didn''t read any, didn''t reply to any! Are you having a heated chat with Deputy Team Leader Li instead? Explain yourself right now!"

    "What''s so strange about that?" Yan Yu replied with a slight smile, "The more important the person, the later I''ll read their messages, taking my time to read carefully."

    Lin Ning: ......

    Ningning''s battleship has taken a hit from anti-ship firepower, respiratory system damaged! Voice communication system damaged!

    "Wha-, what!" She said incoherently, "Don''t talk nonsense, what do you mean by ''important person''? I, you, I am going to kick you!"

    "What don''t you understand?" Yan Yu asked curiously, "You are all members of my team. Deputy Team Leader Li is from another team. Do I need to explain who is more important?"

    There was no response on the other end of the phone, only the sound of huffing and puffing.

    "Hmm, so what did you think I meant?" Yan Yu continued to press.

    "Hmph, don''t bother me." Lin Ning finally regained her composure and continued to scold him, "We are here working hard to clear the Mysterious Realm, and you, as the team leader, are riding dragons, taking photos, and hyping things up! Is this the proper way to behave?"

    "Oh, you''re unhappy about that?" Yan Yu asked back.

    Lin Ning: ?!

    Her temper flared up again, the kind that even a dry powder fire extinguisher couldn''t quell.

    Overcome by fury, she pinched a Sword technique in her hand, and the Green Bamboo Sword furiously stabbed into the sea ahead, causing a large splash of water.

    "What''s that sound?" Yan Yu asked from the other side, "Did you jump into the sea?"

    "That''s right." Lin Ning said huffily, "I drowned, now deal with it."

    "Then we''re doomed," Yan Yu pretended to cry out, "Our team''s most powerful Sword Immortal is gone, what am I supposed to do as the team leader!"

    The most powerful Sword Immortal... Lin Ning couldn''t help but smile, only to hear Yan Yu add:

    "Maybe we should poach Li Minghu to fill her position."

    Lin Ning: !!!!!!!!!!

    She was so angry that she lost her impulse to rage, and her voice cooled down:

    "Is that so, that''s great! Li Minghu probably won''t supervise, push, or complain about you all day long, right? She won''t make you feel troubled."

    "Indeed." Yan Yu continued, "But she lacks in one aspect compared to you."

    "Where does she lack compared to me?" Lin Ning narrowed her eyes.

    I''m at full rage meter now, not someone you can pacify with just a few words!

    "That would be the emotional aspect, of course." Yan Yu replied calmly, "We''ve fought side by side for so long, we''ve developed deep feelings for each other, Li Minghu can''t fill that void."

    Lin Ning: ......

    Deep feelings, huh...

    Hmph, forget it, I''ll be the bigger person and forgive your pettiness!

    "I won''t hold it against you." She said grumpily, like a cat that had been smoothed out after puffing up, "So you''ve returned home now?"

    "Returned home, I''m currently lying on the sofa."

    "Go to my room and help me water the flowers on the balcony."

    "You''re keeping flowers too?"

    "Yun Jin gave them to me, and she insists on checking them regularly, which is so annoying."

    "Yun Jin keeps flowers?"

    "She has so many flowerpots on her balcony, all of them are her own flowers, don''t you know?"

    "Of course, I don''t know, I have never been to your rooms."

    "Then this time I am mercifully granting you permission to enter my room." Lin Ning''s anger had completely vanished, replaced by a jubilant tone, "Then look in the fridge to see if there''s anything expired, and clear out anything past its best-before date as we need to make space for some South Sea seafood we''re bringing home."

    "Hold on, one thing at a time, I can''t remember everything if you say it all at once."

    "Then tell me after you''ve watered the flowers..." Lin Ning said as she turned around, only to suddenly see that Su Yunjin, at some unknown point, had appeared beside her, wearing a faint smile.

    That smile made Lin Ning feel a bit unfamiliar.

    "Yun Jin." Lin Ning smiled awkwardly, "You... when did you get here?"

    "From when you said ''I have to regularly check your flowers, it''s so annoying.''" Su Yunjin replied with a smile, "Ningning, after you two finish talking, could I have a few words with the team leader?"

    "Okay, I... I don''t have anything else to do either," Lin Ning said with a dry laugh, "Here you go."

    She handed the cell phone to Su Yunjin, who took it and asked:

    "Captain."

    "...What''s up, Yun Jin?"

    "Why didn''t you reply to my message?" Su Yunjin asked calmly.

    Yan Yu: ......

    Here it comes, the tag-team barrage! My warrior soul is igniting! Just come at me in waves, please me to your hearts'' content, and watch as I mercilessly grind you all to dust!!!

    "Is it something urgent?"

    "How would you know if it''s urgent or not if you don''t look, Captain?"

    "How about I look at it now?"

    "If it was really urgent, don''t you think it''s too late to look at it now?"

    "Let me have a look." Yan Yu browsed through the messages she had sent, "Finished reading."

    "Doesn''t the Captain have anything to say?"

    "Right, Yun Jin, have you seen the recent trending topics? Have you heard about Yan Zhanlong?"

    "Captain, isn''t changing the topic too abruptly? What does Yan Zhanlong being trending have to do with not replying to my messages?"

    "It''s precisely because Yan Zhanlong became a hot topic that I''ve had a ton of stuff to deal with, which is why I didn''t get around to replying to the messages. You understand my situation, don''t you, Yun Jin?"

    "You had no time to reply to my messages, but you had time to chat with Vice-Captain Li?"

    "Weren''t you the one who came later? How did you know I sent a message to Li Minghu?"

    "I hope the Captain can directly answer my question instead of brushing me off with some ''important person'' excuse. After all, we are on the same team, aren''t we? What if I need to notify the Captain of something critical but can''t find him, can you understand my concern?"

    Hearing this, Yan Yu smiled faintly. Secretary Su''s rank indeed seemed higher than Little Ningning''s, but unfortunately, there''s still a vast gap compared to me, the strongest in this world.

    He answered composedly, with no hint of panic or guilt in his voice:

    "The chat with Vice-Captain Li was because Li Zhaojiang had sought me out before, saying that to thank me for looking after his sister in the Mysterious Realm, he wanted to invite me to the Prince''s Mansion for a meal."

    "Oh," Su Yunjin said after a moment of silence, "If it''s about having a meal, I can understand why you sought Vice-Captain Li out first."

    "Do you mind?"

    "Mind what?"

    "Do you mind me having a meal with Vice-Captain Li?"

    "Of course I don''t mind, I''m just a teammate of yours, Captain. Why would I mind who you have meals with?"

    "But I do mind," Yan Yu said calmly, "As the captain, I should, of course, prioritize having meals with my own people over outsiders. That barbecue place we visited last time was quite good. Let''s gather for a meal again after we return, I''ve missed your cooking."

    Su Yunjin: ......

    She sighed softly, somewhat helplessly saying:

    "Yan Yu, could you not always activate airplane mode? It''s really worrying when we can''t reach you at all."

    "Mhm, I understand," Yan Yu said honestly, "After Yan Zhanlong trended, my messages and missed calls went over 99+. Not turning on airplane mode was a bit too much to handle. One of these days, I''ll get a new phone and SIM card just for our team, known only to us, and never switch it off, how about that?"

    "Err, you don''t need to go to the trouble of getting a new phone," Su Yunjin laughed again, though this time her smile contained less frost, "Alright then... Right, Ningning asked you to water her plants, right?"

    "Yes, do your plants need watering too?"

    "Mhm, on my balcony, the row by the window, water all of them, but don''t do it while the sun is shining on them, do it in the evening. And then go to my room, and for the independent pots placed underneath, just water them thoroughly at once."

    "How many pots are there?"

    "Ten pots."

    "Got it, is there anything else?"

    "That''s all, Captain, have a good rest."

    "You too, don''t overdo it."

    Su Yunjin hung up the phone and returned it to Lin Ning, who looked like she had something to say but hesitated.

    "What''s up?"

    "Yun Jin." Having witnessed the entire range of Su Yunjin''s facial expressions, Lin Ning also felt a subtle realization creeping in and asked uncertainly, "Do you think in the Captain''s eyes, we are easy to deal with?"

    "Huh?" Su Yunjin was also taken aback.

    In the villa in Jinling, Yan Yu tossed his phone onto the coffee table beside the sofa and stood up calmly, stretching lazily.

    The true strongest in this world, whether it comes to real combat or social interactions, will forever be the unmatched MVP, invincible!

    Ah, the life of the mighty is indeed as lonely as snow.

 Chapter 85 This is What Xie Ruoxi is Like

    Yan Yu was a man of principle.Externally, he insisted on "winning people over with virtue." What virtue? Martial virtue.

    Everyone who had sparred with him had to admit that his martial virtue was exceptionally abundant.

    Internally, he valued "treating people with sincerity." What sincerity? Genuine sincerity.

    Telling the truth and using sincere intentions, that was his unchanging principle for uniting the team.

    After dealing with Lin Ning and Su Yunjin, Yan Yu did not become complacent. He continued making calls to Chen Lingyun and Zhao Yuanzhen, simply glanced at their messages, and then one by one privately chatted to comfort them.

    [Chen Lingyun]: It seems Yan Zhanlong is still riding his dragon high in the sky. No wonder his phone is always on flight mode.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: My mount was lured down by a tang of sourness, flew to Jianghai Prefecture, and discovered that someone in the Governor''s household was steeping in jealousy. That scent was almost wafting to Jinling Prefecture. Got any clue what it''s about?

    [Madam Zhao]: Geez, I''m really done for, help. If you''re not dead, respond dammit! Did both your hands become disabled so you can''t press your phone, huh?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Just spoke with Mei Yingxue. She wants you to clean your neck well; her sword prefers cleanliness.

    Very good, that took care of the whole team.

    Looking at Anna, her original nickname seemed to have been [Anna], but now it had been changed to [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ], and her avatar had changed from Harley Quinn of Marvel to a selfie of herself¡ªtwo words to describe her: blonde and blue-eyed, with an intense aura.

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: Yan Zhanlong''s got some nerve now, huh? Sending you a hundred messages and you don''t reply to a single one.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Busy.

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: Give me a break!

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: Heard you had a fight with Miti?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: In the South Sea. How did you know?

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: You think we''re not connected to the internet over here?

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: If you''re short on manpower, just say the word. I''ll come back and lend a fist.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: So you''ve become more powerful since you switched jobs to become a witch?

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: Absolutely, I''m really strong now. Killing is as easy as eating and drinking.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Looks like it. You''ve changed a lot. Just that your speech still reeks of crudeness.

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: Can''t help it, hanging around a bunch of Rakshasa grandmas all day, I''m almost losing my Lu Country tongue. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: You''re the only friend I have left back home, so I can only practice my mother tongue with you. You don''t mind, right?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: So now I''m your Lu Country language teacher, is that it?

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: Just be happy about it. Others would kill to teach me!

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: Anyway, if there''s ever trouble in Lu Country, you can always come take refuge with me. I''ve got you covered.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: So I''ll become the pretty boy kept by a rich lady?

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: Wrong, you''ll be the pretty boy taken care of by a witch sister. /Laughter

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: Gotta go, about to fight some werewolves. I''ll contact you after I''ve finished them off.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Stay safe.

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: Not to worry, I''m quite the fighter. /Flex

    It seemed that Anna''s career was finally on the right track, which was good.

    Looking at his now cleared message list, Yan Yu could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

    Being this popular was a bit troublesome; stepping out for a task meant coming back to a myriad of messages and well-wishes, alas.

    Just as Yan Yu was about to take a proper rest, a new message notification popped up.

    [Magical Girl Xixi]: Cultivator big bro, is this you? /Share video

    Yan Yu: ?

    This username should be Xie Ruoxi, the avatar her previous cosplay of the pink-haired guitarist named Aine... Yan Yu didn''t quite understand the anime world, perhaps he could ask his sister about it.

    She had sent him a video from some site, titled "Still Relying on Yan Zhanlong," with a cover image photoshopping Yan Yu''s face onto Zhuge Liang''s head.

    Yan Yu knew just from the cover image that it was a parody video, with no desire to click into it whatsoever.

    Checking the comment section below, it had indeed been stormed by all sorts of unidentified troops.

    There were mindless fans, mindless haters, fans pretending to be dumb, haters pretending to be fans, those who kept repeating phrases like "Still need to prepare?" "You think you''re worthy?" Those who wrote short essays and quatrains to showcase their talents, and those who took that photo of him sitting on the dragon''s head and photoshopped it into abstract art.

    Yan Yu closed the webpage expressionlessly and sent a message to Xie Ruoxi.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: ???????????????

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: Sorry! I forwarded it to you because I thought it was really fun; I didn''t consider your feelings. I''m so sorry!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: There''s no need to apologize.

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: So you are Yan Yu, right? Yan Zhanlong! That name is so cool!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Yes, it''s me. /Play it cool

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: Please keep being awesome! No matter what other people on the internet say, I''ll always support you!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: That''s not necessary.

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: Huh?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Cultivators protect our country as their duty, they don''t need the support of fans.

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: Oh, right, haha.

    The other side went silent soon after, seemingly intimidated by Yan Yu''s indifferent attitude.

    Taking into account that although Xie Ruoxi was a beautiful waste in his past life, she managed to become the number one cultivator in the Annan Army, Yan Yu felt that perhaps he shouldn''t be too standoffish, so he continued to message her.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: It''s already September, you seem to be of school age, why aren''t you in school?

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: About that, I graduated from high school, didn''t go to university, and came out to work.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Why didn''t you go to university?

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: No money at home.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I can lend you money to go to university, would that work?

    Discover exclusive tales on empire

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: The college entrance exam is over, I can''t read now.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Then retake the year.

    Once again, there was no response from the other side; obviously, this waste was already becoming unredeemable.

    Fortunately, at this point in time, Xie Ruoxi should still be very poor, in the bitter stage of life where she''s smacked hard by society and needs to count every penny in her pocket, so she might still have the motivation to make money with her brain.

    If things go as they did originally in a few years, once she discovers that dressing up as a leather-clad person can make patrons throw money at her, then Xie Ruoxi would truly be beyond saving, not even the Annan Army could turn her around by then.

    As the saying goes, Yan elder always had a kind heart and couldn''t stand to see someone belittle themselves.

    Rescue! This waste must be saved!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What now, didn''t you say you were my fan and would always support me? Not even listening to your idol''s words, you fake fan! Your true colors showed up pretty quickly, didn''t they!

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: I am really not the studious type.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Then what type do you think you are? What job are you doing now?

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: I''m currently doing private photography, making money by taking photos. Occasionally I also make cosplay videos, and some fans donate money to me and stuff.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: How much can you earn a month?

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: Two to three thousand, I guess.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: That''s assuming you can get the gigs. Without a film company offering you a steady stream of jobs, you''re entirely reliant on referrals from people you know in the circle; if you can''t get gigs, you can only sit around and starve. There''s basically no chance of making it big.

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: Hahaha, don''t kick someone when they''re down, okay? /Cry/Cry/Cry

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You''ll get nowhere with private photo shoots. Come to Jinling, I''ll arrange some work for you.

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: Uh, actually, I have a boyfriend already...

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: A two-dimensional boyfriend, right?

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: How did you know?! /Surprised/Surprised/Surprised

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Don''t get the wrong idea, you''re not even worth being kept by me. My team has been on TV before, you can look up the video. Honestly, your level of attractiveness means nothing in my circle, and having only a high school diploma is a serious negative. Don''t overestimate your value.

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: Then... why would you consider hiring me?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: When you win the lottery, do you ask the lottery station why it was you? After I slayed the dragon, you were the first one to reach out to me; I remember you for that. After learning about your situation, I felt a bit sorry for you, but that''s as far as it goes. It''s not as if I have no one else to choose from.

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: Understood.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: In a person''s life, there may only be a few opportunities to change one''s destiny. Don''t force it if it hasn''t come, grasp it with all your might if it does, and don''t regret it if you miss it. As long as you can do these three things, your life won''t be too much of a failure. Think it over and you can contact me anytime.

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: Got it, I''ll think about it, thank you.

    Yan Yu closed the chat window with her, thinking that''s all the help he could offer for now.

    If she didn''t seize the opportunity he gave her, then he would have to let go of his desire to help others, have Chen Lingyun dig up her information, and then teach her how to respect destiny.

 Chapter 86 The Treasure Girl Xie Ruoxi!

    In the rental room, Xie Ruoxi sat there blankly, staring at the screen of her smartphone.She had been hesitating for almost an entire evening.

    Logically speaking, a pie of this size wouldn''t just fall from the sky for no reason; it was more likely that the cultivator had taken a fancy to my attractive three-dimensional skin and wanted to use money and power to force me to my knees and capture me as his female slave.

    Emotionally, isn''t this just the plot of "Overbearing CEO Falls in Love with Me"? The other party is the renowned Yan Zhanlong! Handsome, powerful, wealthy, and with a promising future; if he insisted on binding me to him with a marriage contract...

    Xie Ruoxi glanced at her phone again, the pitiful numbers in her bank account piercing her heart.

    Every month her brother would secretly transfer money to her, scraping it together from his living expenses, fearing his sister would suffer while working outside. But he was, after all, going to start college this month, and college was expensive. If I could earn money...

    Xie Ruoxi silently hugged her pillow, lying listlessly on her bed as the glow from her phone dimly reflected on her face.

    After all, being kept was absolutely out of the question,

    but if it was decent work that could make money...

    She felt she could give it a try.

    "Can you reveal what kind of work it is?" Xie Ruoxi steeled her resolve and began typing on her phone in the darkness.

    "Fan community management." The reply from the other side came quickly, so fast she felt as if they were also waiting by their phone for her, but then she thought better of it¡ªit seemed impossible.

    "What exactly does ''fan community'' refer to?"

    "Fans," came the reply again. "Simply put, it''s being the leader of the fans, managing the fan group for our team."

    Xie Ruoxi: ?

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    In the end, Xie Ruoxi still agreed to come to Jinling, giving Yan Yu a sense of smooth sailing that felt almost dreamy.

    The timing was just perfect. The girls were all at the South Sea and hadn''t returned yet, so Yan Yu could personally interview her without the risk of them interfering.

    Of course, it wouldn''t matter even if they did find out; Yan Yu was confident he could persuade them to let her stay, but they would surely take turns vetting her identity¡ªit would be far simpler to have her move into the villa and start working, creating a fait accompli before dealing with the girls.

    At the arrival time of the flight, Yan Yu, wearing sunglasses, arrived at the airport and stood in the waiting line for the meet and greet, suddenly finding the situation rather amusing.

    He almost always led the team to conquer mysterious realms, and Qi Changping would be at the airport to meet them upon their return. Now it was finally his turn to meet someone else; it was like the wheel of fortune had turned, the worker becoming the boss.

    After a while, he finally received a message from Xie Ruoxi:

    "I''ve arrived."

    Yan Yu immediately sent a selfie in response.

    "Haha, you look like a big star dressed like that," Xie Ruoxi replied as she walked through the terminal.

    Right after sending the message, she felt stupid enough to cry, hurriedly shivering as she quickly tried to backtrack:

    "Sorry, you''re already a big star. I didn''t mean anything by what I just said..."

    "Come out quickly," Yan Yu urged.

    He had been waiting outside for a long time and finally saw Xie Ruoxi, carrying her luggage, coming out from the throng of passengers who had just disembarked.

    She was about 1.6 meters tall. Although at first glance she was quite petite, she wasn''t as tiny as Chen Lingyun and was of a height that was generally popular among male preferences.

    Her hair was about shoulder-length, neither long nor short. Without any makeup, her facial features were delicate, exquisite, and petite, somewhat reminiscent of Zhao Linger from "The Legend of Sword and Fairy." Overall, her appearance was indeed good-looking and pleasant, but it was a shame that she wore thick glasses and dressed in tacky sports attire, completely covering her inherent allure.

    Yan Yu remembered that his sister had once forced him to watch similar anime. To put it simply, this kind of girl was the "ugly duckling type"; usually inconspicuous because her outward appearance didn''t match, but fundamentally very impressive, and could astonish everyone with a proper transformation.

    Of course, Xie Ruoxi could do makeup too, and after cosplaying and retouching the photos with a beauty app, she truly could attract attention. But that was almost tantamount to changing faces; anyone could look good with that, like an ugly duckling forcibly sticking peacock feathers on herself, not showing the potential genes of a swan.

    "Uh," Xie Ruoxi approached Yan Yu, wanting to speak but found herself at a loss for words.

    I''m not wearing makeup now, and my clothes are plain. He won''t think I''m ugly and reject me, right? Maybe I should pretend I didn''t recognize him and just turn around and leave, then say I''ve had second thoughts... Oh no! He only gave me a one-way ticket! I don''t have the money to go back!

    However, Yan Yu had no idea that in the instant they met, so many thoughts had spun through her mind. He just turned his head and motioned:

    "Let''s go."

    Together they reached the airport''s taxi lane. Yan Yu had already hailed a cab, which was waiting nearby with its trunk open.

    Xie Ruoxi stood behind the car, panting as she lugged her suitcase, trying hard to fit it into the trunk.

    Yan Yu didn''t help, just stood to the side looking on with interest.

    Hmm, she''s willing to exert effort; not completely useless.

    Come to think of it, it''s true; at this stage, Xie Ruoxi was still the one running around with a camera, doing private photography for female clients. Physical labor was unavoidable, unlike the utterly useless Xie Ruoxi later on, tied up in the fan''s lair at the cultivator''s homestead¡ªtwo entirely different cultivation realms.

    Thinking of this, he intentionally teased the other party:

    "You brought your suitcase as well? What if you don''t pass the interview, are you going to have to lug your suitcase back?"

    "Ah, I..." Xie Ruoxi was struck as if by lightning, completely stunned on the spot.

    Didn''t they say that I would have work as soon as I arrived? Why is there still an interview?

    "Let''s go, get in the car." Seeing that the girl was dumbfounded, Yan Yu didn''t have the heart to tease her further and instructed her.

    They took a taxi to the Yan family villa, and all the way there, Xie Ruoxi was in a kind of dazed state, gripping the car door tightly with both hands, which made the cab driver tense up¡ªwithout a sound, he toggled the child lock on the door, preventing it from being opened from the inside.

    Although Yan Yu was expressionless, considering Xie Ruoxi''s hometown, as well as her quirky personality... he was also secretly prepared to intervene and rescue her if needed.

    Fortunately, Xie Ruoxi wasn''t lacking common sense, and she didn''t really try to jump out of the car suddenly. So, they arrived at their destination without incident.

    Watching the taxi drive away, Yan Yu thought he might be blacklisted by the driver. He turned to Xie Ruoxi and said:

    "Let''s go, head inside first."

    "Is this the office location?" Xie Ruoxi asked curiously, looking at the large house in front of her.

    "My house," Yan Yu answered. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Ah?" Xie Ruoxi stepped back a few paces, looking for an excuse, "I truly have a boyfriend! I''m really sorry!"

    "Aren''t you the ''Little Dragon Girl'' cultivated for a thousand years who cannot possibly have feelings for any man in this worldly realm?" Yan Yu mercilessly exposed her lie.

    Seeing Yan Yu pierce through her dark history (which was more or less from middle school, when she had concocted a similar fantasy narrative for herself, filled with magical and over-the-top elements), Xie Ruoxi immediately widened her eyes, covered in sweat and felt an urge to turn around and run away.

    Damn it, it''s a top predator of the food chain! If I don''t run now, I''ll be eaten!

    "Let''s go inside and talk." Yan Yu used an irresistible tone and command, prompting Xie Ruoxi to push her suitcase and robotically move her legs, walking towards the villa.

    Once inside the villa, Xie Ruoxi''s attention was diverted.

    So huge! Just like in the anime! A place where rich people live!

    "Leave your suitcase by the door, and let''s talk over there." Yan Yu led her to the dining table and pulled out a chair for her to sit, "What insights do you have on social media operation?"

    In a past life, Xie Ruoxi had been a streamer with a million followers, so she was not just good at, but professional in refining and crystallizing fan engagement.

    But at this point in time, she hadn''t even started as a real-person broadcaster, still a barely visible video uploader, so her ability in this regard was questionable and needed confirmation.

    "Um," Xie Ruoxi tried to calm herself down and then said, "I have managed a Coser interest group and my own fan group on a certain platform, so I do have some experience in this area."

    "Mm, go on." Yan Yu placed his hands on the table, interlaced his fingers, and propped his chin, ready to listen closely.

    Xie Ruoxi took a deep breath, striving to calm her nerves, and then began to speak fluently:

    "The key to managing fans lies in establishing a well-defined idol persona, and then ensuring high-frequency, prolonged exposure to maintain the idol''s recognition among the fans and potential fan base."

    "Fans can be divided into two categories: core fans and fringe fans. Core fans need the idol to provide positive emotional value to induce a preliminary personal worship, then deepen path dependency on this basis to the point where they unconditionally believe in and support the idol, becoming a free marketing resource we can utilize."

    "Fringe fans are comparatively less loyal but have the advantage of being a large group with extensive connections to the general public. So, by using positive exposure, on the one hand, we can attract them to convert to core fans, and on the other hand, we can also get them to convert outsiders, leading to the diffusion and viral growth of fame."

    "I have written a preliminary strategy proposal for operating these two groups, please take a look..."

    She nervously, yet deliberately calmly handed over the prepared and bound proposal to Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu took the stack of A4 papers, flipping through them discreetly while in his heart a storm was brewing.

    Holy shit! I''ve struck gold!

    He had thought she was pretty but useless Xie Ruoxi, but it turned out she wasn''t entirely useless; she was willing to put effort into preparing a strategic proposal and taking the interview seriously! Find exclusive stories on empire

    Reading the content of her proposal, it was indeed full of unconventional and disagreeable tactics!

    Things like regularly hiring someone to disguise as a hater for unfounded criticisms to increase fan solidarity; managing male and female fans separately by building a female fan base first and then using the attraction of female fans to bring in male fans; and schemes like stirring up ambiguous relationships with Li Minghu to attract the couple''s fans for promotion, then later turning around and kicking them to the curb...

    We''ll leave that aside for now, but your thought process and methods are commendable!

    Although I''m not very knowledgeable about fan operations, the feasibility of your plan looks... absolutely doable! Easily doable!

    Xie Ruoxi, I didn''t see you coming, but you really are a hidden gem!

    Yan Yu set the proposal aside, looked at Xie Ruoxi who was obviously anxious but tried to remain composed, and said with a slight smile:

    "Although according to formal etiquette, I should say ''I''ll think about it for a few days and get back to you later,'' since you did come with your suitcase, so..."

    Xie Ruoxi held her breath unconsciously, only to hear Yan Yu ask:

    "So, I want to confirm one more thing."

    "Do you want to become a Cultivator?"

 Chapter 87 Can You Memorize It?

    Become a cultivator.Xie Ruoxi had never considered such a thing.

    Last night, she had even thought about the plot where if she couldn''t resist the temptation of being kept by Yan Zhanlong, got pregnant, and then suddenly reformed and ran away with the child¡ªthat was the most exaggerated scenario she could come up with.

    But even that wasn''t as crazy as "becoming a cultivator."

    "I..." Xie Ruoxi''s breathing quickened, "are you saying that I can also..."

    "I don''t know," Yan Yu said lightly, "We need to confirm, so I''m asking your intentions first."

    "Of course, I''d like to!" Xie Ruoxi exclaimed eagerly, almost on the verge of tears, about to kneel on the ground, "Master, please accept Ruoxi''s bow! "

    "Hold on!" Yan Yu was also shocked by her peculiar thoughts and quickly stopped her, "Have you been reading too many of those teacher-student romance novels?! It''s the state that wants to train you to become a cultivator, not me taking you as a disciple!"

    "Oh, oh, oh." Xie Ruoxi did indeed have a moment (she swore it was just a fleeting thought) when she had gone off on a tangent about the popular teacher-student romance theme in cultivation novels. Now that Yan Yu had mercilessly pointed it out, she instantly turned red with embarrassment and humbly said, "I''m fine with that, I''ll follow your arrangements."

    Yan Yu realized this treasure of a girl, although not yet a beautiful waste, was naturally prone to whimsical and erratic thoughts, so he sighed helplessly and continued,

    "The state''s recruitment channels for cultivators have already closed, so we''ll need to use some special connections. The premise is that you absolutely cannot publicize this, understand? Otherwise, even if you have the talent for cultivation, this will fall through."

    "Mmm-hmm-hmm!" Xie Ruoxi thought to herself that she was familiar with this scenario, like when the overbearing CEO forces the heroine to sign a marriage contract, he would always threaten her with ''you can''t tell anyone''... My mouth can be very tight, zipped up."

    "Alright then," Yan Yu nodded with satisfaction, "Let''s sign a labor contract first, and then I will test your talent."

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    However, it should be mentioned that Yan somehow had always been opposed to the proliferation of civilian cultivators, and he had never been hypocritical about it from the start.

    But the emphasis here is on the word "proliferation."

    It''s impossible to completely ban civilian cultivators, just as it''s impossible for the Yellow River to easily stop flowing.

    Yan Yu''s viewpoint stood between the conservatives and the radicals. He believed that the state should control the scale of civilian cultivators as much as possible, allowing a gradual expansion, but not exceeding the administrative capacity¡ªthe quantity of controllable civilian cultivators should be increased step-by-step, considering the society''s capacity to accommodate them.

    Controllable civilian cultivators, officially called "registered cultivators," pose much less danger than "non-registered cultivators." After all, most people have parents. If you commit a crime outside, the court immediately informs your parents, and many people rein themselves in just thinking about that.

    What he really opposed was Chen Family''s attitude of "if you can''t control it, completely let go, let everyone cultivate freely and let natural selection take its course," that was truly deadly.

    Xie Ruoxi, due to a stroke of fate, stepped onto the path of cultivation in her previous life. In theory, she had become a civilian cultivator, but in reality, she was a homebody who rarely left her house. Such civilian cultivators, though unregistered, posed virtually zero threat to society.

    Moreover, in this life, Yan Yu intended to register her with the Zhendong Army early on, so she would no longer be counted as a civilian cultivator.

    I, Yan Yu, am a man of principle!

    He went to retrieve the introductory textbooks issued at the start of school from the dormitory, then picked up some cash on the way home. Only then did Yan Yu leisurely walk back.

    Arriving home and opening the door, he saw Xie Ruoxi sitting stiffly on the living room sofa, not daring to move.

    "Follow me," Yan Yu commanded.

    The villa had a vast basement, originally designed to serve as a parking garage, which was later converted into a training ground by Chen Lingyun for future secretive training sessions.

    Such as refining ghosts and the like.

    Yan Yu brought a chair from the underground training room and gestured for Xie Ruoxi to sit, then handed her the textbook he was carrying.

    Xie Ruoxi stared blankly at the book in her hands: "Essential Outline of Cultivation."

    "Read it through," Yan Yu instructed with an indisputable tone, "Memorize the sections on acupoints and Qi Refinement without missing a word. I''ll test you later."

    "Eh?" Xie Ruoxi finally reacted, exclaiming, "Eh, eh, eh, eh!"

    "What is it?"

    "Weren''t you going to test my cultivation aptitude?" Xie Ruoxi asked in panic, "Isn''t it about taking me in front of a testing stone, where I place my hand on it, and it automatically announces my aptitude level and Cultivation Realm?"

    "You should read fewer web novels, okay?" Yan Yu showed a speechless expression, "First master this textbook completely, then we''ll see if you can refine True Qi. That will tell us about your talent. Having True Qi means you can, not having it means you can''t, everything is result-oriented."

    "But..." Xie Ruoxi said with a wry smile, "But memorizing stuff like that, I''m not good at it. And the acupoints and Qi Refinement sections make up three big chapters, that''s so many words..."

    Yan Yu expressionlessly picked up the leather bag beside him, took out a stack of crisp, new hundred-yuan notes that were redolent of ink, and without a shred of pity, tossed them into her arms:

    "Can you memorize it or not?"

    "This isn''t about money, okay?" Xie Ruoxi protested.

    Yan Yu coldly took out another bundle of banknotes and waved it in front of her a few times before roughly smashing it into her embrace:

    "Now, can you memorize it or not?"

    "I''m not lying to you." Xie Ruoxi said weakly, "I''m really not good at memorizing things¡­"

    Yan Yu turned the leather bag upside down above her head and shook it hard, letting the cash fall down forcefully, giving Xie Ruoxi a harsh shower of banknotes ¨C¨C washing her into a daze, her eyes lifeless, as if the sudden windfall had damaged her brain.

    "There''s two hundred thousand here." He said with a devilishly tempting voice, "I''ll give you one last chance: can you memorize it? If you can remember it, if you learn it, it''s all yours."

    "Two hundred thousand? All of it for me?"

    "All of it for you." S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "I''ll memorize it!" Xie Ruoxi clenched her teeth.

    Two hundred thousand in cash, enough not just for her to attend university, but even as a dowry to buy her back for her parents¡­ How many private tutoring jobs would she have to take on to save up two hundred thousand!

    Seeing her begin to study, Yan Yu didn''t leave, but simply sat down by her side and leisurely started reading a novel himself.

    Xie Ruoxi noticed he seemed to be reading a web novel too and really wanted to ask what book he was reading, if they liked the same genres and authors¡­ but then she thought of the two hundred thousand!

    Better to earn money¡­ ah, no, studying is more important!

    Seeing Xie Ruoxi seemingly start studying seriously, Yan Yu might have appeared to be preoccupied with his phone screen, but his mind was filled with doubts.

    He stayed in the basement not out of a desire to be with Xie Ruoxi, but because his portrayal as a beautiful loser in his previous life was simply too horrifying, demanding caution.

    It was said that during one military campaign, as the team leader, she overslept on the day they were set to depart. Why did she oversleep? Because she had been up all night playing video games.

    The Annan Army headquarters were so infuriated they issued a directive for all major gaming companies to ban Xie Ruoxi''s accounts, blocking her phone number, ID number, and internet IP from any gaming services forever.

    With such waste as Xie Ruoxi, even with all the patience in the world, it was hard for Yan Yu to believe she would actually study earnestly.

    Supervision! I must supervise personally!

    About ten minutes later, Yan Yu went upstairs to get takeout, then came down and shared it with Xie Ruoxi as dinner.

    "Yan Yu." Xie Ruoxi asked curiously, "You used to eat takeout too?"

    "Otherwise?" Yan Yu split a pair of disposable chopsticks and handed them to her, casually asking back.

    "You live in such a big villa; I thought you''d hire a private chef." Xie Ruoxi said admiringly while tasting the saut¨¦ed chicken and immediately exclaimed, "This is so good!"

    "I''m not an aristocrat, why hire a private chef?" Yan Yu said nonchalantly, "With money, the most I''d do is order expensive takeout without considering the cost, but my quality of life hasn''t improved that much."

    "Heh, that''s probably because you don''t really know how to spend money." Xie Ruoxi probed, watching his facial expression.

    "I might not know how to spend money, but I know how to use people." Yan Yu ferociously grabbed bites of the saut¨¦ed chicken, nonstop, "That''s enough for me."

    "Hey! Don''t eat it all yourself, save some for me." Seeing that Yan Yu really didn''t act like a boss, Xie Ruoxi grew bolder and even began to fight him for the food.

    Their chopsticks clashed in a fight for the dishes, and they cleaned up all the meals. Xie Ruoxi patted her little stomach, her heart content as she nodded and swayed, smiling:

    "All filled up, so happy~"

    "What, couldn''t you get enough to eat before?" Yan Yu looked at her sidelong and asked.

    "Photography has irregular hours." Xie Ruoxi answered, "If a job comes in while you''re eating and you can''t get there in time, someone else snatches it up."

    "That''s why I said, that profession has no future for you." Yan Yu chuckled, and said, "Better study hard, aim to become a cultivator as soon as possible."

    "Oh." Xie Ruoxi set the book aside and suddenly said, "I haven''t started memorizing yet, just read it through once and then practiced it a bit, and it seemed like I managed to produce flowing Qi. Can you check it for me?"

    Yan Yu: ?

 Chapter 88 You Really Are a Sweetie

    ```To become a cultivator in Lu Country, there are only two criteria:

    First, refine True Qi.

    Second, learn the Three Arts and Five Spells.

    Refining True Qi isn''t too difficult, especially with Lu Country''s current "blood test selection" method, which screens for those who have a Spirit Root¡ªa seedling for cultivation.

    As long as one can clearly remember the pathways of the human meridians and various major acupoints, and tries following the specific routes about ten times, one can basically complete the Grand Circulation and refine True Qi.

    However, those who haven''t memorized any knowledge, don''t know the route of qi circulation, and can still refine True Qi just by trying randomly are usually called "Innately talented cultivators."

    Yan Yu asked Xie Ruoxi to continue her breathing exercises and Qi Refinement, then he began to scan her body with his Divine Sense.

    Hmm, indeed there is a sensation of Qi.

    The beautiful loser actually didn''t lie and has truly managed to refine True Qi.

    But on second thought, maybe it was her outstanding innate talent for cultivation that made her so nonchalant about her practice, ultimately degrading into a hermit cultivator in her previous life.

    To prevent her from becoming complacent, I can''t praise her; instead, I must push her hard!

    Just like when I guided Zhao Yuanzhen to renounce evil and pursue good, helped Zhou Hongyu establish goals, and made agreements with Li Minghu... in any case, when it comes to helping others, Yan Yu is already quite experienced.

    When to hoodwink and when to go for the kill¡ª he''s well versed in this and won''t stop until he achieves his goals.

    "Hmm, it seems you indeed have the talent to become a cultivator," Yan Yu said with a detached tone.

    Xie Ruoxi had just started to smile sweetly when she heard Yan Yu continue:

    "But your True Qi is too weak, which means your aptitude is poor! You''ll need to train twice as much as others to catch up, so you can''t afford to slack off and must diligently practice every day... Hey!"

    Xie Ruoxi didn''t bother listening to all that; she quickly wrapped her arms around the pile of cash in the corner and asked guardedly:

    "Yan Yu, you keep your word, right? Is all this money mine now?"

    "Uhh." Yan Yu fell silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "Yeah."

    The beautiful loser from the past life with no motivation was truly a pity, but this person right in front of him, who was motivated by money and had eyes that lit up at the sight of it... Why does she not seem like any good either? Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    No, this method of using money cannot be used again; going from one extreme to the other is absolutely not okay.

    Yan Yu''s original plan was to first guide Xie Ruoxi to become a cultivator, then slowly let her get the hang of managing social communities, so he would have an assistant good for both intellectual management and martial action.

    But Xie Ruoxi''s talent in cultivation is indeed excellent. If I teach her the Three Arts and Five Spells too quickly, she will become overly reliant on martial strength, which is not conducive to a balanced development in both literature and martial arts.

    Yan Yu thought carefully, thinking it wasn''t because he was afraid that if her martial power grew too quickly, she would become difficult to control... How could he, the strongest in this world, be afraid of her modest cultivation talent?

    Mainly, let''s look at the past life, when Xie Ruoxi replaced the Li siblings and became the number one cultivator of the Annan Army. What came of that? No matter how good at fighting she was, wasn''t she just a top-level fighter? When it came to having her say, she wasn''t even as influential as Chen Lingyun.

    Even trying to sneak in a game during free time would get her noticed by various gaming companies and result in a ban; how pitiful!

    When Sun Quan persuaded Lu Meng to start learning, eventually Lu Meng went from illiterate to "none other than Lu Meng of Wu." Not only do I, Yan Yu, want to be Xie Ruoxi''s Lu Su, but I also want to be her Sun Quan!

    I''m doing this for her sake; she will understand this one day.

    "That''s enough for your cultivation training for now," Yan Yu instructed indifferently, "Find time every day to circulate your Qi and perform the Grand Circulation. I''ll regularly check up on your progress."

    "Ah?" Xie Ruoxi looked troubled, "I have to practice every day?"

    "Nonsense," Yan Yu immediately scolded her, "Your talent is already worse than others, and you dare to be lazy? Don''t you want to be a cultivator?"

    Xie Ruoxi hung her head and said no more.

    "Once your cultivation progresses to a satisfactory level, I''ll teach you more," Yan Yu waved his hand and said, "Now let''s go upstairs and talk about your living arrangements and work."

    Upon reaching the second floor of the villa, Yan Yu pointed to the rooms on either side of the corridor and introduced:

    "This is the study, that''s the gym, over there is the movie room, and the rest of the rooms, apart from the bathroom and rooms with signs on the doors, are all empty. Pick one for yourself."

    Xie Ruoxi peeked into the study and saw a computer, immediately her eyes lit up:

    "I want to stay in the study!"

    "The study is a study, not a bedroom," Yan Yu reminded her, "This study is smaller than the bedrooms, and the lighting isn''t great, plus there''s no balcony."

    ```

    ```

    "No problem, no problem," Xie Ruoxi hastened to say, "I just like small rooms that have a computer and don''t get sunlight in the morning."

    There were five vacant bedrooms, but she insisted on living in the study... Yan Yu couldn''t be bothered to argue with her, after all, it was Xie Ruoxi, the Abstract King of Fans, not doing something bizarre would be the real surprise:

    "Fine, I''ll arrange for someone to come and set up a bed and wardrobe later."

    "Can I start working now?" Xie Ruoxi sat in the office chair, rubbing her hands in anticipation in front of the new computer, her pretty face full of eagerness.

    "Yeah, let me tell you about the work," Yan Yu said as he booted up the computer, speaking calmly, "Before August, the resurgence of spiritual energy was subject to information control and wasn''t allowed to be discussed on domestic networks; most people were unaware."

    "At the end of August, this information started to be massively declassified, followed by the Three Isles Treasure Ship incident, which marked the first time we cultivators officially entered into an event of widespread public fervor."

    "This means that more and more citizens will start to recognize us cultivators. Therefore, the first public impression established in this window of time is incredibly important."

    "You should start by setting up our team''s official accounts on various platforms, get all the necessary verifications done, and then you decide how to manage them. Come to me for funding or materials you need."

    "Sure." Xie Ruoxi didn''t say another word and started fiddling with the mouse and keyboard immediately.

    Yan Yu had little doubt about Xie Ruoxi''s ability to manage a fan base. In her previous life, she had become a streamer with millions of fans, swindling money from them without even showing her face; her talent for manipulating people was clear.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Several days later, the cleanup of the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm was finally drawing to a close.

    The members of the Zhenhai Team and the Qing''an Team were about to finish their work and return to their respective homes.

    Yan Yu called a cleaning service, asking the ladies to clean up the villa inside and out, so the girls could feel comfortable and happy upon their return.

    Soon, a cleaner came downstairs and said:

    "Young man! Go up and call your wife for a moment, she''s squatting in the study not coming out, we can''t clean up like this!"

    Yan Yu: ?

    When he reached the second-floor study, he saw Xie Ruoxi with messy hair and heavy dark circles under her eyes, rapidly typing on the computer keyboard.

    "Stop working for now." Yan Yu snapped the monitor off, "Come downstairs with me and let the cleaners tidy up the study."

    "Wait a second... Ah!" Xie Ruoxi stood up in annoyance, complaining, "I was just a few keystrokes away from posting that comment!"

    "Is that comment really so important?" Yan Yu asked casually.

    "Not important," Xie Ruoxi responded, "But posting it would have made me feel better."

    "Young people shouldn''t be so hot-tempered." Yan Yu chuckled disdainfully, "Internet arguments are pointless, getting angry means you''ve lost."

    "That troll said that the essence of the Zhenhai Team is that of a financial conglomerate''s dance troupe." Xie Ruoxi argued, "He also claimed that the female cultivators in the team are all for your selection as concubines, and that you roll dice every night to choose whose card to flip."

    "Classic." Yan Yu chuckled coldly, not bothering to refute, and simply said, "Take a screenshot of the user ID and their comment and send it to me, I''ll have someone up top take care of it."

    "Damn!" Xie Ruoxi was stunned at first but quickly burst into a smug grin, nodding incessantly, "I''ll take care of it after the study is cleaned. Also, take a look at this video... "

    Yan Yu looked closely and saw that it was a re-uploaded video from a neighboring non-existent platform, featuring an interview with Thornbird¡ªthe superhero had already announced his presence in Northern Ai, relieving many of his compatriots who were concerned about him.

    Last night, he was invited to "Tonight with Morgan," where the host asked about the performance of the Rikoku Cultivator. "Thornbird" Roger expressed high praise:

    "...Hmm, I don''t want to belittle Rikoku Cultivators due to some internationally popular stereotypes, because a loss is a loss, there''s no need to find excuses to feel better, but... "

    "...Yan Yu is a very strong, very strong, very strong Rikoku Cultivator, worth my repeating three times. You all saw the live broadcast, didn''t you? Were there any audience members who haven''t seen the live stream or the recording?

    From the initiation to the explosion of the ''Demons'' Trap'' Spell, the reaction and action time left for anyone was less than 0.4 seconds, and he managed to dodge them all... all of them, a full seven Demons'' Traps!"

    "...No, I don''t think if I had another chance and chose a different tactic I could turn defeat into victory. There''s currently a gap in strength between me and him, you know? Of course, I don''t think I''ll always be behind, I just firmly believe that to surpass an opponent, the first thing to do is to acknowledge them..."

    "Hmph," Xie Ruoxi dragged the video''s progress bar to the end, saying with pride, "Not wanting to lose face in defeat, he has to forcefully praise you in order to minimize the shame of his loss, his intentions are too obvious."

    "Of course, we have to take advantage of this popularity: I can use the footage of your previous battle with him and edit a highlight video. I''ve already thought of the title, it''ll be called ''Intense! Yan Zhanlong Decimates Thornbird, the Ultimate Aesthetic of a Cultivator''s Violence!'' and release it across all major platforms on the internet."

    "First, we get some hired commenters to hype it up, attracting the first wave of traffic. Then, we have a bunch of trolls claim the video is faked, followed by our rational fans disputing them. Lastly, we take screenshots of the intense debate and post them on major forums to attract a lot of smart bystanders to come over and pass judgment."

    "Whether these bystanders support the fans or the trolls, they''ll definitely have to watch the video to judge its authenticity, and that''s how our video will capture a second wave of traffic.

    Then, I can go anonymously to a few big content creators to buy promotional pieces, get them to help with a deep technical verification, and then have trolls stir trouble in their comment sections, provoking their fans to watch the original video... "

    Her enthusiasm grew as she spoke, but she didn''t notice that Yan Yu''s look towards her was becoming increasingly strange.

    Xie Ruoxi, are you really so adept at marketing and stirring up activity?

    ```

 Chapter 89 Yan Zhanlongs Fire Spreads Across North and South Jiangnan

    [High-octane! Yan Zhanlong annihilates Thornbird, the ultimate aesthetic of Cultivator''s sheer violence!]Although her academic performance wasn''t great, when it came to things she was truly interested in, Xie Ruoxi worked at an exceptionally fast pace. She managed to edit the video in just one afternoon.

    Yan Yu took a look at it and was thoroughly impressed; he couldn''t find any faults.

    The BGM selected was The_Phoenix by the band The Out Boys, the fervent rhythm of the rock music complementing the intense battle scenes perfectly.

    More amusingly, the superhero "Phoenix" in the footage, who was walked like a dog by Yan Yu and Li Minghu, is actually a translation of the word Phoenix itself.

    The entire animation scene was chaotically edited. The video started with Thornbird''s quote during an interview, "Yan Yu is a very strong, very strong, very strong Rikoku Cultivator". Then the robust and passionate BGM war song kicked in as the camera panned to the battle scenes, with Thornbird''s camera view as the main perspective, interspersed with shots from two other people''s footage.

    From a tactical replay perspective, this kind of editing was certainly subpar. Frequent changes in viewpoint made it hard to reconstruct the original sequence of the battle.

    But for the non-professional video audience, the trendiness was seriously off the charts. The dazzling interweaving of the Thunder Lance''s lightning, Phoenix''s flames, and the double sword lights of the Sky Flash Sword and Huang Tingjian, made it so you wished you had eighteen eyes to catch every detail.

    What''s more, Yan Yu noticed that every camera switch was perfectly timed to the beat of the BGM, further enhancing the effect of the rock music and the blood-pumping visuals, making for an even more provocative atmosphere.

    What is talent? This is talent!

    Xie Ruoxi, how did you end up as a beautiful good-for-nothing in your past life? What other treasures am I yet to discover within you?

    Come on, reveal them all to me!

    Seeing the girl''s face beaming with pride, as if saying "please praise me", Yan Yu nodded reservedly and put on an air of authority as he said:

    "Alright, let''s go ahead and post it. But while video quality is crucial, we can''t neglect follow-up operations. Make sure to track the data and provide feedback in a timely manner, and adjust our strategy accordingly."

    "Understood!" She didn''t state it explicitly, but Xie Ruoxi could tell he was very pleased (otherwise, why wouldn''t he have found a single fault?), and she saluted before scampering off.

    Post it! Post it ruthlessly! Let those naysayers see just how awesome my solo-promoted Yan Zhanlong is!

    No sooner had Ruoxi released the video than she sought out a click-farm company within the content creator''s circle and bought the largest traffic package available.

    As everyone knows, the process for video recommendations often starts off by providing a small amount of traffic for a trial push. Then, based on the click-through rate, completion rate, and other playback data during the trial period, the amount of traffic for the second push is determined.

    Click-farm companies can make the trial period traffic look good, ensuring that you get a substantial amount of platform traffic for the second batch.

    Whether this wave of traffic can bring higher conversion rates and lead to subsequent third and fourth rounds of traffic ultimately depends on the quality of your video¡ªyou can''t always buy views, especially since the monetization rate of videos is poor, it would be purely loss-making.

    Ruoxi''s video had the currently hottest keyword, "Yan Zhanlong". Moreover, it was a self-made video posted by a verified official account, which probably caught the platform operator''s attention. Before the click-farm even started to vigorously boost the video, it received a huge traffic boost from the platform itself, and the data began to soar.

    Most video viewers don''t usually watch live streams or bother to visit smaller platforms for pirated broadcasts. Having only heard of "Yan Zhanlong", they had no idea how formidable it was. Once they clicked on the video, they couldn''t pull themselves away.

    On the return trip, the crews of the Zhenhai Team and Qing''an Team ¡ª all Cultivators ¡ª were sitting around two tables playing the card game ''Fight the Landlord''.

    With eight people across two tables, and one person taking a break, it was Jiang Hong''s turn to rest. He was idly browsing a video website on the ship''s computer when he suddenly shouted:

    "Holy shit! Looks like Yan''s popularity just won''t stop rolling in, wave after wave!"

    Upon hearing that something was up with Yan Yu again, everyone quickly threw down their cards and gathered around the computer to enjoy the fun.

    After silently watching the video, Lin Ning couldn''t help but express:

    "No lies, that was pretty cool."

    Flying kites and walking dogs with Phoenix, the double sword strike on Thunderbird, and then Yan Yu''s sudden ambush on Thornbird, a devilish trap with seven rapid flashes, moving so fast it was almost as if he was teleporting, which nearly filled the whole screen with barrage comments, and the advanced barrage was even more numerous, scrolling fancily with comments like "Disaster is always one step behind me".

    The video''s final scene showed Yan Yu, having completed seven flashes to get in close, with a look of indifferent yet domineering arrogance, leaving the words, "You like Jump Rope, huh?" before delivering a killer punch that shattered the camera, followed by a meaningful black screen as the BGM ended abruptly, leaving viewers with a lingering aftertaste as the screen-filling barrage collectively became "You may now breathe".

    Seriously, everyone had indeed held their breath subconsciously just a moment ago.

    Yan Yu wasn''t here, so everyone turned their gaze to another person involved, Li Minghu.

    Li Minghu smiled helplessly and said,

    "The credit is all his, I was just playing a supporting role."

    No matter how much Li Zhaojiang wanted to protect his sister, he had to admit that this kid Yan Yu really stood out on his own. Strictly speaking, it was his sister who was basking in his fame.

    Looking at the comments section of the video, sure enough, the audience''s passion was also ignited. There were cheers, songs of praise, fans enthralled by Yan Zhanlong, and even those who said they were using the video as an accompaniment to their drinks, already starting to toast with their fathers-in-law...

    In short, the reviews were overwhelmingly positive ¡ª the number of comments had already broken through the thousands, and the number of views had skyrocketed to the hundreds of thousands in no time.

    At Shengjing Prefecture''s Dingbei National Defense Academy, Liu Longtao had just finished practicing swordplay and picked up his phone during the break, only to see that his childhood buddies, the young princes, had sent him a video.

    After watching the video in silence, Lord Master revealed a thoughtful expression. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Pretty captivating.

    I''ll have to ask Old Yan which studio he hired and get them to make one for me too.

    "Ye Jun!" He made up his mind, turned around, and called out, "Come take a look at this."

    In a certain establishment in Shuzhong Prefecture, the Huofeng Team was enjoying hotpot while watching the TV on the wall. Suddenly, the local news station inserted a last-minute news broadcast, headlined "Yan Zhanlong''s compilation video of his battle defeating the Thorns Bird has sparked national attention and heated discussion."

    Although it was a last-minute news story, there was no need to prepare any new materials. The anchor read off the script, and then the camera cut away to play the video, simple and relaxed.

    But the team members watched with rapt attention. Zhou Hongyu was expressionless, not moving an inch. Zhang Huaide frowned slightly, feeling that the angle transitions were too chaotic. Qin Meng dropped his chopsticks without realizing it, while Tang Xiaolian had her mouth slightly agape.

    Only Meng Qingxi was watching the TV and eating hotpot, occasionally lifting his plastic cup to sip some wine along with the music, thoroughly enjoying himself.

    The reason for the local television''s insertion of this program was not due to any keen sense of journalism, but because the Zhendong Army discovered that someone was promoting their affiliated cultivator, Yan Yu. Li Weiguo immediately made a phone call, requesting that local propaganda departments cooperate in drumming up support.

    "Hahaha!" He watched the video over and over on the computer, unable to help but exclaim, "Good, good, good! You, young man, should stop showing off in front of me and start showing off in front of all the people of the nation! It should''ve been like this all along!"

    Inside the Jinling Villa, Xie Ruoxi logged into the backend of various video sites, and upon seeing the explosive growth of view counts like rockets, she was momentarily captivated and intoxicated.

    Although my video production deserves some credit, it''s really because Yan Zhanlong is just too handsome! Three hundred and sixty degrees of unobstructed handsomeness!

    As the leader of his fans, I wholeheartedly promote him, and there''s not the slightest bit of him paying too much that factors into this!

    She was holding her pretty face, thrilled to no end, when suddenly a new message notification popped up on her screen.

    Looking at the nickname of the sender, it was according to the previous operational plan, where they had intended to hire some trolls to slander the video as fake to create a controversial sensation. Hence, Xie Ruoxi had specially contacted another marketing agency.

    [Tempest Marketing Studio]: Client, we can''t take this job anymore!

    [Tempest Marketing Studio]: Yan Zhanlong is too damn awesome. Now the whole net is his fans, how could we possibly slander him? It would ruin our reputation.

    [Tempest Marketing Studio]: I advise you to start pulling back too. He is the pride of our Lu Country, thoroughly beating the foreigners. It''s really not something we can go against. Business is business, but some things really shouldn''t be touched, with Lord Master watching over us.

    [Tempest Marketing Studio]: We won''t report you, but don''t contact us again.

    [You are not this user''s friend. Please contact him/her to add you as a friend again.]

    Xie Ruoxi stared at the screen for a long time before she realized she had been blocked by them.

    Yan Yu''s popularity had soared to such heights that even the marketing trolls had become his fans, and they were no longer taking business!

    She jumped up from her chair, cheered, and hopped around a few times, releasing her joy. After calming her excitement, she hurried out of her study to share the good news with Yan Yu.

 Chapter 90 The Four Jing Chas Fight Back to the Villa, Qiao Xixi Tragically Ambushed

    After hearing Xie Ruoxi''s description, Yan Yu fell silent too.Uh, I did think I would become popular, but isn''t this level of heat a bit too much?

    In fact, Yan Yu''s expectations for making a name for himself weren''t very high, because the situation at this stage was as follows: the officials knew how awesome he was, but they couldn''t do this kind of promotion; they only knew how to write those official articles like "our soldiers performed outstandingly on the South Sea battlefield".

    Of course, there were capable people among the public who could do marketing promotions, but the public didn''t know yet how awesome he was... So although Yan Yu believed in Xie Ruoxi''s abilities, he also thought that managing to get a fan group of a few hundred people would already be quite good.

    Unexpectedly, this pretty but useless person had quietly managed to pull off a big event for him...

    Seeing that the video views had already broken three million, Yan Yu stroked his chin and pondered for a moment, then asked Xie Ruoxi,

    "So, am I considered popular now?"

    "You''ve been popular since ''Yan Zhanlong'' hit the hot search," Xie Ruoxi said seriously. "Now, it should be about refining fans, turning many fans from those vast numbers of ordinary people who have only heard the name ''Yan Zhanlong'' but don''t know the specific details."

    "Hmm, good." Yan Yu didn''t have much to say, just continued scrolling through his phone, and then he saw Liu Longtao had sent him a voice message.

    [Liu Shao]: Where did you find that video editing team, Old Yan? Let me borrow them.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Hahaha, envious, aren''t you, Old Liu? It isn''t some outside video editing team that takes commercial orders, but trusted people of my own! If you also want to make a promotional video, it depends on whether she has time and is willing to help you.

    [Liu Shao]: My own people, that''s great! I''ll have Ye Jun prepare some materials for our team and send them to you. No rush, anytime you can help me make it is fine.

    Although Lord Master also had a craving for showing off, he knew better that now was Yan Yu''s time to rise to fame; one only piggybacks off others'' popularity to attract traffic, who would compete face to face with someone in the limelight? Better wait until the hype has died down.

    "Who is that?" Xie Ruoxi asked with surprise, "He sounds quite full of himself."

    My Yan Yu is a war hero! Indeed, he beat the opposing superheroes so hard they were looking for their teeth on the ground, and only then could I edit a sufficiently stunning video for him. You want me to help with what some random team got?

    "Just a show-off from Pingjing." Yan Yu casually replied, "When the time comes, we''ll see what materials he sends over. If they can be edited, we''ll edit; if not, just tell me, no worries."

    "Then," seeing that he seemed satisfied, Xie Ruoxi mustered up some courage and said, "does this mean I''ve passed my trial period?"

    "Yes." Yan Yu looked at her oddly, "What trial period? From the moment you cultivated True Qi, you''ve been my person! I still need to help you get your Cultivator status! What are you thinking? Now that we''ve discovered you have the qualifications for cultivation, would I send you away? Am I someone who would waste talent like that?"

    "Ehehe." Xie Ruoxi was instantly overjoyed, her fingers entwined as she fiddled with them repeatedly before suddenly saying, "Then that computer in my room..."

    "It''s yours!" Yan Yu waved his hand impatiently, "You already said it''s your room, didn''t you?"

    "Yes, sir!" Xie Ruoxi saluted and then dashed back to her room.

    Yan Yu: ?

    He suddenly realized something was wrong. The study computer belonging to her was fine, but that didn''t mean she could spend all her time playing on the computer, ending up like her previous life''s beautiful but useless person who relied entirely on the internet to live!

    So Yan Yu began to face the problems many bosses face: how to prevent employees from playing games during working hours?

    The ultimate solution: Install monitoring software and then tell her the machine has monitoring on it.

    As for who to ask... Yan Yu remembered that Sun Ziyi from his previous life seemed to be a computer expert, so he sent a message to Qiu Ze, asking him to get Sun Ziyi to make a recommendation.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    A business van stopped in front of the villa.

    The person who got out of the vehicle was a petite and lovely girl.

    She was dressed in a school-style JK jacket, with a white shirt, pleated dress, and a tie inside. Under the short skirt, two slender and cute legs were revealed, and she was holding a parasol for shading, which, combined with her height of about one meter and fifty-six centimeters, made her look like a little mushroom under the sun.

    "Finally back," Chen Lingyun said with a smile as she looked at the villa.

    Following her out of the van was Su Yunjin, who took the parasol from Chen Lingyun''s hand. Her taste in clothes was very different from Chen Lingyun''s, preferring more simple styles, like solid-color knitted jackets and simple dresses.

    With her calm and gentle face, standing behind Chen Lingyun like that, she resembled an older sister holding an umbrella for her younger sister.

    "Take the stuff from the trunk for me!" Lin Ning, in fact, was the first to get out of the car but had walked around to the back, where she was now checking if the frozen seafood brought back from the South Sea had started to thaw.

    She was wearing a knit cardigan (belonging to Su Yunjin), paired with denim hot shorts and beautiful pale legs, clearly rushing back from a tropical area in the south, not yet accustomed to Jinling''s autumn weather.

    "I got it, I got it!" Zhao Yuanzhen was the last to leave the car, going over to help Lin Ning with the stuff¡ªafter all, the seafood was what she wanted to eat.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress had already spent half a year in this world, and had officially declared herself 100% Earth-adapted. Her low-cut T-shirt clung on perilously, and like Lin Ning, she too wore hot pants that highlighted every curve of her figure in stark detail.

    If one were to describe each girl with a single word following the order mentioned above, they would probably be: exquisite, elegant, energetic, and voluptuous.

    The minivan drove off, and the girls picked up their bags, both large and small, sauntering back home.

    "What do you think Yan Yu is doing right now?" Chen Lingyun started the conversation with a smile.

    "Sleeping in," Lin Ning guessed casually.

    "At this time of day, he should be cooking dinner," Su Yunjin projected her own habits onto him, saying uncertainly.

    "Definitely hugging his phone, watching his own show-off videos, hiding somewhere and smugly patting himself on the back," Zhao Yuanzhen said carelessly.

    "Hmm, I think you''re all wrong," Chen Lingyun said with a light smile. "That video wasn''t uploaded by an enthusiastic netizen. The uploader''s account has his own verification mark."

    "So he made the video himself?" Lin Ning responded quickly, immediately asking.

    "Can''t say for sure, but he definitely knew about it before it was published," Chen Lingyun arrived at the villa''s entrance, gently knocking on the door, "Since his personal video is out, the next step is surely to make a promotional video for our whole team..."

    Before the knocking sound even stopped, a loud shout came from inside:

    "Leave the takeout at the door, thank you!"

    The girls: ???

    Immediately their expressions changed dramatically, drastically, wildly!

    Ah, what an unfamiliar and seductively tender voice!

    Chen Lingyun turned her head, the sweet smile now tinged with a hint of murderous intent, as she quickly signaled a tactical hand gesture.

    Lin Ning rapidly ascended to the second floor with the Cloud Ascension Technique, ready to burst into the villa.

    Zhao Yuanzhen hurried around to the back of the house, preparing to infiltrate from the direction of the yard.

    Su Yunjin was already prepared, just waiting for Chen Lingyun''s command to immediately use the Wall-Penetration Technique, silently passing through the door and catching the cheater in the act!

    "Action," Chen Lingyun ordered, and everyone rushed into the villa!

    Search every room! Inspect every corner! Surround Xie Ruoxi in the living room!

    Xie Ruoxi, who was wearing a pink bunny pajama, didn''t know what had happened, but suddenly found herself encircled by four fierce-looking women, causing her to quickly cradle her head in her hands and curl up on the couch, shivering in fear.

    But Zhao Yuanzhen wasn''t about to be fooled by her pitiful demeanor. She straddled Xie Ruoxi, forcefully prying apart her hands covering her face, and stared into her eyes coldly as she demanded to know,

    "Where is the little thief? What''s your relationship with him? Have you hugged? Have you kissed? Have you slept together? Are you ready to die?

    Huh?!!!"

    "The ''little thief'' is Yan Yu," Lin Ning clarified on the side. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "No, that''s not it!" Xie Ruoxi said in a tearful voice. "I''m an employee he hired, to help manage his fan operations!"

    "It seems to be true," Su Yunjin found a paper contract on the coffee table with both their signatures on it, "A labor contract."

    On hearing this, Zhao Yuanzhen was taken aback, hurriedly got off Xie Ruoxi, and then helped her sit up straight, chuckling awkwardly,

    "Ahahaha, it turns out you work for him... well, hello there, I''m in the same team as Yan Yu, Zhao... Zhao Jiuzhen, pleased to meet you, haha!"

    "Sob." Tears were still hanging in the corners of Xie Ruoxi''s eyes, but seeing that the girls were now looking at her more kindly, she finally calmed down and timidly explained,

    "My name is Xie Ruoxi, I have a contract with Yan Yu. You can ask him about it. I live in the study upstairs; I usually work on that computer, and the latest promotional materials are still on it. You can also check the computer if you want."

    The moment they heard she lived in the study and not Yan Yu''s bedroom, the girls'' expressions became a few degrees more credulous... as if!

    God, which company''s network operator doesn''t live in an office cubicle but instead resides in the boss''s luxurious villa? And such a delicate and pretty young girl at that! Who knows what could''ve happened between you two beyond work-related matters?

    This villa isn''t Yan Yu''s sole real estate, but the training and living base for our team. How can we tolerate such contamination and disgrace here!

    Investigate! We must rigorously interrogate to make everything clear! Leave no stone unturned in searching for even the slightest trace of suspicion!

 Chapter 91 Training the Shenxing Battle Team

    ```"Ruoxi, where are you from?" Su Yunjin sat down next to her, pouring her some tea.

    Xie Ruoxi seemed pleasantly surprised and replied in a quiet voice with a smile:

    "I''m from Baoqing, Jingnan."

    "Ah, that''s a nice place," Su Yunjin said with a smile (though she actually had no idea where it was), "Here, drink some tea."

    Xie Ruoxi took the tea and then heard Su Yunjin continue:

    "We''ve all watched the ''Yan Zhanlong'' video, and you did a great job. Ruoxi, are you a professional video editor?"

    "No, not really," Xie Ruoxi replied truthfully, "I''m a photographer."

    "If you''re a photographer, why did Yan Yu hire you for post-production?" Lin Ning blurted out curiously.

    "I don''t know either," Xie Ruoxi confessed, "We met at the ''Slaying the Dragon'' event, exchanged contacts, and then later he offered me work and had me fly over to Jinling."

    The girls exchanged looks, alarms ringing in their heads.

    So, this girl was just someone Yan Yu picked up along the road?

    Having only met once and being complete strangers before that, how could he possibly know her professional abilities so well, to be aware that she''s skilled at video editing and post-production? Clearly, it was all pretext, just luring her over with false pretenses!

    "So where is Yan Yu?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked with a sneer.

    "I don''t know, he''s not at home today," Xie Ruoxi replied, her voice trembling with fear again.

    "Then we''ll just wait for him here at home!" Lin Ning declared righteously, as if she couldn''t wait to tear the scoundrel apart herself.

    The girls were sharpening their knives, Xie Ruoxi was quivering in fear, but only Chen Lingyun remained calm and collected, quietly assessing Xie Ruoxi''s appearance.

    Although she''s pretty, sorry, you''re not the prettiest one in this villa.

    Yan Yu could dismiss any girl here with "You''re not worthy," so he surely wasn''t so desperate as to pick someone from the boonies. It''s more likely that, because of his advantage of foresight from past life knowledge, he knew this girl from out of town had some hidden value, which is why he specially bought her a plane ticket to the villa.

    Humph, sorry to say, no one understands Yan Yu better than me.

    Of course, even though she saw right through the nature of this situation, Chen Lingyun had no intention of explaining it to the others.

    What''s fun about the truth? I''m here for the bloodbath!

    "Don''t call him just yet," Su Yunjin said gently, "We wouldn''t want to scare the captain."

    If you call him, he''ll be on his guard and think of excuses on his way back, and we won''t be able to get to the real reason why he''s sheltering Xie Ruoxi.

    "Yeah, that''s true." Lin Ning went into the kitchen, returned with a gleaming fruit knife, and Xie Ruoxi on the sofa shuddered again.

    Everyone''s speaking normally, but what''s with this dangerous atmosphere, as if someone might die at any moment?! So this is the ''battlefield'' often mentioned in novels, comics, animations, and games, right? How terrifying, why are there so many scary women around Yan Yu! S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Xie Ruoxi trembled in fear, but Lin Ning, holding the fruit knife, ignored her and silently sat down next to Su Yunjin, picking up an apple on the coffee table and started peeling it.

    Zhao Yuanzhen sat on the other side of Xie Ruoxi, legs crossed, a brooding expression on her face as she stared at the front door, leaving no room for Xie Ruoxi to muster the courage to speak to her.

    Such a terrifying scene, so terrifying, wuu wuu wuu, Yan Yu, please come back quickly!

    Meanwhile, Yan Yu''s visit to the school was not for leisure, but rather he headed straight to Shenxing Battle Team''s training ground, where Qiu Ze and his team were waiting for him.

    "Welcome, Captain Yan!" He greeted enthusiastically, and everyone came over to shake hands and get acquainted with Yan Yu, like a fan meet-and-greet.

    Naturally, as the number one cultivator of the Zhendong Army, it wasn''t an exaggeration for fellow cultivators to call themselves his fans.

    "No need to be so formal," Yan Yu shook hands with everyone in turn, as they introduced themselves one by one.

    Qiu Ze needed no introduction; he was the captain of the Shenxing Battle Team, an old classmate who had known Yan Yu since the beginning of the school year. His profession is Assistant Officer, his magical weapon is a gourd that releases a whip-like blue light, it''s versatile and agile in both attack and defense.

    The vice-captain, Sun Ziyi, was quiet and subdued, wearing glasses. His profession was Sword Immortal, and he practiced a rare form of Sword Qi cultivation¡ªtheir flying sword, named "Formless Sword," was actually a sword pill, relying on externally emitted Sword Qi for attacking, invisible and colorless, quite interesting.

    Member Zhang Yang, profession Sword Immortal, utilized a standard flying sword.

    Member Song Qiao, a cultivator of Taoism Method, practiced "Secret Qi Dan Yun Fire." Unlike Zhou Hongyu''s Bright Light Fire, Song Qiao''s fire could appear out of thin air at specific locations, similar to an advanced version of Flame Curse with more powerful effects.

    Member Chang Sisi, profession Servant Envoy, followed the commonly chosen by female envoys beast-taming path, currently she had tamed a Night-Watching Lion Dog, a white furred large dog nearly two meters long, majestic and imposing.

    The job distribution in the Shenxing Battle Team matched exactly with the Zhenhai Team. The four major professions were almost fully represented, with an extra Sword Immortal for flexibility and adaptation, whether this composition was directed from above or was the idea of Qiu Ze and Sun Ziyi themselves was unknown.

    "Captain Yan, there''s no time like the present," after some pleasantries, Qiu Ze tentatively asked, "Would you mind giving us some pointers, to see what issues everyone might have?"

    "Sure," Yan Yu nodded and said, "Are you guys fighting one by one, or all together?"

    His words were brimming with dominance, as "all together" implied "I can take on all five of you no problem," but none of the members of the Shenxing Battle Team felt anything amiss¡ªthis was the renowned Yan Zhanlong after all! Have you seen his video or not? Even if the five of us teamed up, could we take down a Flood Dragon?

    ```

 Chapter 91 Training the Shenxing Battle Team_2

    Chang Sisi smiled and said,"Yan Yu, can we each have a turn? The round-robin format allows you to assess our personal strength, while all of us fighting together can demonstrate our tactical coordination."

    "Hmm, that won''t be necessary," Yan Yu replied, "I can tell how well you coordinate tactically from past videos, I don''t need to comment on that. Mainly, I''m having you all fight together to save time..."

    Qiu Ze also felt embarrassed when videos were mentioned.

    In the previous preliminary match against the Huofeng Team, they were outright decimated, and their tactical coordination was a complete mess. Did they still need Yan Yu''s advice? Were they even worthy? I don''t want to mention it!

    In order to stop his teammates from making more sensational demands, he quickly said,

    "Then, let''s go with the round-robin format; I''ll go first."

    Half an hour later, everyone had their turn against Huang Tingjian, and sure enough, they were all defeated, not even managing to make Yan Yu take half a step back.

    "Hmm, let''s discuss each of you," Yan Yu pondered for a moment and then gave his evaluation, "Qiu Ze, you are currently the strongest cultivator in the team, well-rounded in all aspects without any major weaknesses. The main issue is the style of your swordsmanship... You focus too much on evasion, often giving up your chances to attack just to dodge the opponent''s offense."

    "If you were just a regular team member, that wouldn''t be a problem, it might even be considered a strength. But don''t forget, you are the captain; your goal isn''t just to keep yourself from getting hurt, you also need to help the other team members gain a tactical advantage. This requires you to be more aggressive and willing to take risks sometimes."

    "Mhmm," Qiu Ze nodded without changing his expression. There was no sign of surprise on his face, indicating that he was already aware of this issue.

    "Sun Ziyi," Yan Yu continued to evaluate, "your Formless Sword Qi is very well mastered, with excellent timing and prediction, but you have the same issue as Qiu Ze: you are too fixated on finding flaws. Have you considered what you would do if I never presented you with an opportunity?"

    Sun Ziyi fell into thought; indeed, he was pressured throughout the fight by Yan Yu, and he hadn''t been able to release much of his Formless Sword Qi. Now it seemed that it was because he was used to reacting rather than acting, thus giving up the tempo of the battle from the start and never being able to regain control.

    "I''ve learned my lesson," he said solemnly with a nod.

    "Zhang Yang," Yan Yu spoke indifferently, "your Sword Control Technique is not bad, and it''s clear you''ve put in the hard work. However, your main problem is a lack of experience, and your style appears somewhat rigid and dogmatic. You should go and study videos of all the powerful Sword Immortals in Lu Country, take some time to analyze and learn from them, it will be good for you."

    "Can I prioritize learning from your techniques?" Zhang Yang asked excitedly, "Yan Yu! Of all the Sword Immortals in Lu Country, I admire you the most!"

    "My Huang Tingjian is a heavy sword, not really suitable for you to study," Yan Yu laughed, "Try studying Ai Lu from the Dragon Soar Team; his style is more similar to yours."

    "Song Qiao, you have a good grasp of the Fire Blazing Dao Method, and like Zhang Yang, the main issue is a lack of experience." He paused slightly before suddenly asking, "Do you plan to follow an offensive or control style?"

    "What''s the difference between the two?" Song Qiao asked for confirmation.

    "The advantage of an offensive style is that it''s impressive, fierce, and strong, easily highlighting your value in the team," Yan Yu explained, "But the problem with the offensive Fire Blazing Dao Method is that Zhou Hongyu of the Huofeng Team will become an insurmountable mountain for you; you might spend your whole life trying to surpass her and never manage to come out from under her shadow.

    When people mention ''the first in the Fire Blazing Dao Method,'' they think of Zhou Hongyu, not you."

    "If you follow a control style, it will be more helpful to the Shenxing Battle Team since both Sun Ziyi and Zhang Yang are already aggressive attackers. The team actually needs more support and control.

    The cost is that you need not only improve your cultivation realm and your skill with the Taoism Method, but you''ll also need to train your observational skills, strategic thinking, and tactical awareness. Your workload will be greater, but you''ll have fewer chances to stand out."

    "Like senior Su Yunjin?" Song Qiao suddenly asked.

    "Yes, like her," Yan Yu didn''t deny.

    "But she made quite a splash in the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm," Song Qiao insisted, "She took on the ''Phoenix'' herself and knocked him right out of the realm."

    "Even so, she didn''t kill the Phoenix, did she?

    Just think about it for yourself." Seeing that the other party had a bit of an "I want it all" ambition, Yan Yu didn''t insist too much, but said something meaningful and turned to Chang Sisi, the only female member of the team, "Chang Sisi, since you chose beast companionship, remember one thing: it is there to complement your offense, not for you to complement its offense."

    "I know," Chang Sisi said with a mournful face, "But sometimes the big lion gets so excited, it just won''t listen to me."

    "Oh, that''s easy." Yan Yu flicked his finger lightly, and Huang Tingjian immediately fell from the sky, landing in front of the Night Guardian Lion Dog, startling the big dog so much that it leaped back, tail tightly tucked between its legs¡ªit had just been brutally hit by this heavy sword.

    Huang Tingjian flew up again, its blade pointing at the opponent from a distance, and Yan Yu shouted:

    "Sit down!"

    The Night Guardian Lion Dog immediately sat down, its eyes clear and innocent.

    "Belly!"

    The Night Guardian Lion Dog rolled over on the spot, exposing its belly, its tail still wagging as it stuck out its tongue and panted, trying to please Yan Yu.

    "I think it''s quite obedient," Yan Yu put away Huang Tingjian and said to Chang Sisi.

    Chang Sisi:......

    "I''ve got it," she said, dejectedly.

    "Let''s leave the analysis at that, everyone keep it up," Yan Yu concluded, "You guys still have a lot of potential." S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Thanks, Captain Yan," everyone said hastily.

    They all crowded around to see Yan Yu out of the training field, as attentive as if they were seeing off the Emperor. After exiting, Sun Ziyi said to him:

    "Captain Yan, I''ll send you the monitoring software when I get back, you just have to install it then."

    "Mm-hmm," Yan Yu nodded.

    That was the main purpose of his visit, with the secondary one being to get acquainted with the Shenxing Battle Team members; such things, of course, could not be stated outright or it might hurt feelings.

    Since he had communicated well with Sun Ziyi, next was to return to the villa and reunite with the girls from the South Sea... Hmm?

    Yan Yu took out his phone to take a quick look but found that they hadn''t sent him any messages.

    Something was off.

    Usually, they were all racing to see who could reach 99+ new messages first, why were they all silent now? Checking the time, they should have arrived back at the villa to meet Xie Ruoxi by now; could they really be keeping their composure?

    Humph, an ambush, is it? And they think they can fool me, the strongest in this world?!

 Chapter 92 Yan Yu Evaluates Various Ladies

    ```But speak of the devil, Yan Yu was at the school training the Shenxing Battle Team''s junior members, and the girls waited at the villa, looking left and right for his arrival but to no avail, which left each and every one of them fuming with anger.

    Even Chen Lingyun, who often feigned a sweet smile, no longer had the energy to pretend and just listened quietly as everyone discussed strategies.

    "If you ask me," Zhao Yuanzhen began, inciting discussion with a radical idea, "we should string him up and give him a beating first. Slap him once, and if he refuses to come clean, slap him three or four more times in a row. Let''s see if he prefers to keep his teeth or continue hiding the truth!" Continue your saga on empire

    "Sister Zhao, you think you can beat him?" Lin Ning expressed her doubt.

    "Of course," Zhao Yuanzhen was about to say it would be no problem, but then she remembered that if she revealed abilities the others hadn''t seen before, it would surely raise their suspicions. She quickly changed her response and said, "Of course not, but if we unite, we can lay an ambush without raising any alarms.

    Then, once he gets back, we can take advantage of our numbers and take him down on the spot!"

    "Hmm." Su Yunjin looked at Xie Ruoxi, pondering, and said, "That could work. We can lay an ambush around him, using the Invisibility Technique or hiding our tracks in our own ways, while Ruoxi stays in the living room pretending no one has been here, and see what Yan Yu does and says when he comes back."

    As everyone knows, men often feign propriety in public, but if left alone with a woman, their true colors are likely to show¡ªthis way, when Yan Yu sees Xie Ruoxi, his attitude towards her and his real intention for sheltering her will be clear as day to us.

    "Won''t the Invisibility Technique be detected by Divine Sense?" Lin Ning reminded.

    "Don''t rush," Su Yunjin calmly said. "Who would activate their Divine Sense for no reason as soon as they get home? Right, Ling Yun?"

    Well, maybe not necessarily... Chen Lingyun said with a vague smile:

    "Indeed, it''s worth a try."

    Since even the most intelligent Chen Lingyun suggested trying it, Lin Ning had no further objections and only instructed Xie Ruoxi:

    "Ruoxi, just stay here and don''t let on that we''ve returned, alright?"

    "But..." Xie Ruoxi mustered her courage and said, "If I lie to him and he takes his anger out on me later or even fires me, what should I do?"

    "That won''t happen," Su Yunjin said with a smile. "Yan Yu isn''t like us; he''s quite tolerant."

    So what you''re saying is that you all are less forgiving and hold grudges! Xie Ruoxi thought helplessly, but she could only nod and agree.

    If she offended Yan Yu, she could still appeal to his emotions (beg for mercy) or reason with him (make excuses), but if she offended these girls, she had no means to alleviate the situation¡ªthey were not only Yan Yu''s teammates but also his cohabitants. If they were to speak ill of her to Yan Yu in the future, Xie Ruoxi figured she couldn''t withstand it.

    Seeing Xie Ruoxi did not resist, the girls exchanged glances and quickly dispersed, disappearing from sight in an instant.

    Wall-Penetration Technique!

    Seeing everyone disappear into the walls and vanish from sight, Xie Ruoxi was dumbfounded. These cultivators could even pass through walls? Outrageous!

    But since she was now responsible for being the bait, she wasn''t in a position to question the older sisters. Also, she couldn''t use her phone for fear of being suspected of sending signals to Yan Yu, so she had no choice but to turn on the TV and look for some dramas to pass the time in boredom.

    Having spent half the day away, Yan Yu finally returned to the villa. As he pushed open the door, he saw Xie Ruoxi lying lazily on the couch, eating chips and staring intently at the TV.

    "Why are you here watching TV?" he frowned and said immediately, "What about your work? Is it all done?"

    From the bathroom, the ceiling, outside the balcony, and behind the railing on the second floor, where the hiding girls were crouched, they instantly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Yan Yu''s unapologetically stern voice.

    That''s a relief, it doesn''t sound like there''s any romantic involvement¡ªwhat kind of man rushes back only to urge his romantic interest to get back to work? Wouldn''t that just kill his likeability?

    "Uh, I''ve finished all my work," Xie Ruoxi quickly sat up straight and answered honestly.

    ```

    "The fan operations are still going on?" Yan Yu was immediately amused, "So you''re saying the entire 1.2 billion people of Lu Country are already ''fanned out''? There''s not the slightest room for growth left?"

    "That''s exactly it." Xie Ruoxi hurriedly explained, "Yan Yu, you know the leading actress from ''Princess Diaries'', right? She was once voted ''the most disliked actress by the Miti audience''. The reason was that too much marketing and excessive exposure by her team made her seem too perfect, which ultimately had the opposite effect."

    "Your popularity is already quite high. In the earlier rounds of promotions, we''ve pretty much covered most of the general public. If we continue to increase the intensity of the promotions, it can lead to these people being bombarded with the same message over and over again, which easily triggers a backlash, causing them to unfollow or even turn into haters. That would be counterproductive."

    "That''s no excuse for you to be lazy though." Yan Yu sat down next to her, casually grabbed the chips from her hand, and started eating, "Even if my popularity is high enough, what about the other members of our team? Is all our material prepared? Are the operational strategies in place? Is the next step of the plan ready?"

    "Speaking of that, I was just going to ask you." Xie Ruoxi cautiously asked, "I don''t know the other sisters on the team very well, can you tell me about their character settings?"

    Good question! The girls hiding in the shadows immediately perked up their ears, eager to hear how Yan Yu really viewed each of them.

    "Character settings, huh." Yan Yu stroked his chin and said, "Although their character settings aren''t as brilliant as mine, they certainly aren''t dull. I''ll give you a brief description."

    "Deputy leader Chen Lingyun, to describe her in three words: short, trashy, affected! She''s only one meter fifty-six, a bottom-tier height among cultivators nationwide. Personality-wise, she''s trashy to the max, taking pleasure in watching other people''s awkwardness. Her face is always plastered with a fake smile, and she talks in a cloying, nasal voice...

    That''s about it, see what you can do for the promotions."

    Outside on the balcony, Chen Lingyun''s smile faded as her eyes narrowed slightly, a chilling gleam flitted across them. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Uh." Xie Ruoxi trembled a bit, after all, the subject herself was eavesdropping from somewhere, "Aren''t you afraid to speak ill of someone so recklessly? Aren''t you scared for your life?"

    She decided it was best to recast what she''d heard, forcing a laugh as she rephrased, "Got it, so Sister Chen Lingyun''s character is: a cute and petite girl, with a bit of a naughty devil in her personality, a sweet smile, and a particularly pleasant voice... right?"

    "Although your descriptions make me feel they''re completely detached from reality, promotion is indeed about turning black into white, so let''s go with what you said." Yan Yu said thoughtfully, "Then there''s Su Yunjin, hmm..."

    "Su Yunjin is a literary girl. Even though she loves reading, she always chooses deep, profound works of literature. She speaks softly and seems easy to bully, but that''s just a fa?ade she puts on. In reality, she''s tough to deal with and can smile while saying things that send shivers down your spine.

    Sometimes I really feel sorry for her future husband; he''s definitely going to be eaten alive by her... How about that?"

    Behind the railing of the second floor, Su Yunjin quietly listened to Yan Yu''s evaluation of her. Her fingers involuntarily clenched inside her sleeves, and her calm gaze began to frost over.

    "I understand." As if sensing the icy aura descending from above, Xie Ruoxi battled the urge to flee and managed a strained smile, "Uh, so Su Yunjin... Sister Yun Jin is a very intellectual girl with a literary air. She appears delicate but has a strong and determined inner core, plus she''s emotionally intelligent and speaks impressively, like a young lady."

    "From a promotional perspective, we could say that," Yan Yu said, stroking his chin, "Next is Lin Ning, let me think..."

    "Lin Ning has a serious nature and tends to fuss over various peculiar details. She often criticizes others. She believes in hard work and is a struggler, but because she''s too focused on her goals, she has simple thoughts and is easily swayed by a few words. She''s tough-talking but soft-hearted; the kind of girl who becomes more interesting the more you tease her... Help me polish this up."

    On the rooftop, Lin Ning was so furious her cheeks puffed up, her lips tightly pursed, her fingers subconsciously forming a sword technique, barely holding back from activating her True Yuan.

    "Ahahaha, it sounds like all good qualities to me," Xie Ruoxi half-heartedly joked, her eyes scouting for escape routes, "So Sister Lin Ning has a serious and persistent character, unwavering in what she believes. She may seem tough, but actually has a soft spot in her heart for girls."

    "Oh Xie Ruoxi! It''s lucky you didn''t join the civil service; you would have been a real apple-polisher," Yan Yu laughed heartily, "Finally, there''s Zhao Jiuzhen. Her character setup is actually quite distinct, summed up in four contrasts."

    "Seems crafty, but is actually naive; seems seductive, but is truly innocent; seems tough, but is really mellow; seems fierce, but is actually a complete wimp..."

    Before he could finish, the enraged Demonic Sect Enchantress, with cheeks flushed in embarrassed anger, burst out of the bathroom and pounced on Yan Yu like a ferocious tigress in full fury!

    "You little thief, I''m going to take you down!!!"

    Caught off guard by the sudden attack, instead of looking frightened, Yan Yu burst out laughing:

    "Bring it on!"

 Chapter 194 93 Chapter The peach and plum trees do not speak, yet a path forms beneath them.

    Yan Yu was certainly doing it on purpose.After returning home, Yan Yu, although he had not scanned the girls'' locations, was very aware that they must have been hiding inside the house¡ªthe nonchalant demeanor of Xie Ruoxi said it all.

    The reason for saying those things was to lure the girls into taking the initiative to strike, which would give him a legitimate reason to assess everyone''s true strength.

    Why assess everyone?

    Because after the trip to drop his sister off at the high-speed train station, on the cab ride to the airport, the girls had engaged in silent, secretive message exchanges for a while.

    Even though Yan Yu did not know what they had been discussing behind his back, he could guess it was definitely trash talk about him. If there''s something that can''t be discussed openly in front of me, why the need for secret message exchanges?

    If I say you guys need extra training, then you need extra training. As the team leader, my word is law, and I must follow through!

    Zhao Yuanzhen approached with her Shifting Technique, her hand suddenly flashing with a grey light, as the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin shot towards his shoulder.

    Good timing! Yan Yu''s eyes lit up in an instant.

    This Demonic Sect Enchantress, due to her past habit of going all out against her enemies, would always use full strength in her attacks. Her control was quite poor, to put it mildly.

    But watching the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin''s speed, which clearly used only about forty percent of her power, showed that she was intentionally holding back her output... Very good, she has made significant progress!

    Of course, although he was inwardly impressed with Zhao Yuanzhen, Yan Yu decided to curb any chance of her becoming overly proud and complacent by continuing to push her.

    With a ''ding,'' the Huang Tingjian deflected the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin mid-flight and then charged straight at Zhao Yuanzhen.

    Zhao Yuanzhen quickly intercepted with her Yin Wind Sword, only to see that Yan Yu had somehow closed in on her as if he had truly teleported!

    By the balcony railing, about to enter the room, Chen Lingyun saw everything clearly:

    Yan Yu first accelerated with the Shifting Technique, then stopped short, using the momentum to rush at Zhao Yuanzhen. Seizing the moment she directed her Sword Control to intercept the Huang Tingjian and shifted her gaze away, he stealthily activated the Invisibility Technique and vanished from sight.

    He became invisible, getting right in front of Zhao Yuanzhen, and reappeared while simultaneously halting with the Cloud Ascension Technique¡ªseeing from Zhao Yuanzhen''s perspective, it was as if a person had suddenly appeared before her, and of course, she couldn''t react in time.

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    "Ning." Chen Lingyun quickly sent a message.

    Yan Yu, taking advantage of the surprise he had given Zhao Yuanzhen at the start, rapidly dismantled her defenses with the Curved Curse Punch. Just as he was about to "strike her down," he suddenly changed direction and retreated urgently.

    Lin Ning''s green sword light descended from the sky!

    The moment she touched down, she used the Cloud Ascension Technique to arrest her fall and immediately lunged forward, the Green Bamboo Sword swinging directly at Yan Yu''s head as if casting a reprimand!

    Take that for saying I''m gullible!

    With a flick of his fingers, Yan Yu''s Huang Tingjian instantly returned to block.

    Now, with the three of them at close range, their swordplay fell within a "short axis" distance. The Huang Tingjian needed only a simple sweep to strike both the Green Bamboo Sword and Yin Wind Sword at the same time. Moreover, as a heavy sword renowned for its power, it managed to parry both swords with ease for a time, leaving Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen unable to penetrate his defense. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    As Lin Ning hastily cast her Sword technique, her heart was filled with anxiousness. When she glanced at Zhao Yuanzhen''s onslaught, she almost fainted, hurriedly sending a message saying:

    "Sister Zhao, don''t just fight on your own! Work with me..."

    "There''s an opening!" Yan Yu took the chance to lunge forward, swiftly entering from the Green Bamboo Sword''s blind spot and quickly approaching Lin Ning.

    Lin Ning was nearly scared into jumping away. It was too late to recall her Green Bamboo Sword, and she knew she was no match for Yan Yu in a direct confrontation. She quickly rolled backward, landing awkwardly on the ground¡ªa clumsy move, but better than being pummeled into rolling all over the floor!

    Seeing her roll away so resolutely, Yan Yu somehow felt it wasn''t right to strike. By the time he decided to chase after her again, his feet were already entangled by Five Spells, and Su Yunjin''s Coral Tears came slicing down from above at just the right moment.

    The cooperation between Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin was indeed far superior to the unspoken understanding between Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen, prompting Yan Yu to silently praise them in his heart.

    The Huang Tingjian swiftly moved to defend, intercepting the Coral Tears midair, but right then Yan Yu disappeared on the spot again, vanishing without a trace.

    Invisibility Technique again, huh! The girls quickly spurred their Divine Sense, sweeping through the entire living room.

    Never having dealt with an enemy that used Invisibility Technique before, their reactions were a beat behind. By the time they located Yan Yu, he had already rushed out to the balcony, knocked down Chen Lingyun who had sensed danger and was attempting to leave.

    No matter how clever your schemes, if your own strength doesn''t keep up, it''s all for nothing, right?

    The first victim had appeared!

    The beating was just the beginning!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Meanwhile, as soon as Zhao Yuanzhen burst out, Xie Ruoxi quickly took off like a rabbit breaking free, dashing out of the room.

    She ran several hundred meters in one go before realizing she was still in her big rabbit pajamas and fluffy slippers. When she saw the inexplicable looks from passersby, her face turned red once again, and she could only walk back towards the villa slowly.

    Arriving at the villa entrance, Xie Ruoxi first listened carefully, then slowly approached the front door.

    Ensuring that she never heard any sounds of fighting, she turned to sneak into the backyard and quietly looked towards the balcony. There, she saw Yan Yu sitting on the sofa, munching on a peeled apple, while the defeated girls sat beside him, covered in dust and ash, allowing Su Yunjin to treat their wounds one by one, all looking dejected, dispirited, and downcast.

    It''s over? Yan Zhanlong won? Against four?

    Xie Ruoxi carefully walked in and saw Yan Yu turn his head and asked in annoyance,

    "What were you running for just now?"

    "I..." Xie Ruoxi fell silent for a moment and then laughed, "I thought you guys were doing internal training, which is confidential, so I consciously left the scene, haha."

    "Did you see that?" Yan Yu turned to the girls and said, "Even she thinks she''s an outsider. You lot are all doubting this and that, playing little tricks and throwing tantrums with me. Isn''t that embarrassing?"

    The girls didn''t pay any attention to him, but Su Yunjin walked over generously, pulled Xie Ruoxi to sit by the couch, and smiled,

    "What''s all this about outsiders? Since you''re going to be responsible for operating and promoting our team, that makes you one of us. By the way, I heard from Yan Yu that you also have a talent for cultivation?"

    "Mhmm." Xie Ruoxi nodded and said, "It''s just that my aptitude isn''t that great..."

    "Aptitude isn''t a problem," Yan Yu waved his hand dismissively, cutting off her speech and scolding, "What matters is whether you dare to fight! If your first instinct upon seeing cultivation is to get lazy, and your first instinct upon seeing a fight is to hide, how can you be a good cultivator?

    Look at them, even though they know they''re no match they still challenge me, getting beaten to the ground and still refusing to admit defeat. This is the spirit and courage that my Yan Zhanlong''s teammates should have!"

    "Don''t mind him," Lin Ning said from the side, chiming in and shooting Yan Yu a glare, "He likes to play tough and scare people!"

    "The way you glare at me really does have some presence, but it''s still not as free-spirited as when you were rolling on the ground just now," Yan Yu said with a laugh.

    Lin Ning''s face turned dark on the spot, and she started grinding her back teeth fiercely, only to hear Chen Lingyun suddenly say,

    "Let''s talk upstairs."

    The five girls got up one after another, hand in hand, and went upstairs, leaving Yan Yu alone and isolated in the living room.

    Although he couldn''t deploy many tactics at home, it was still a proper sparring session, and he had fed the teammates with experiences generously. At this moment, Yan Yu was filled with a sense of accomplishment as a mentor.

    After sighing once more with "As the peaches and plums do not speak, a path forms beneath them," Yan Yu lazily picked up his phone and dialed a number:

    "Hello, Coach Qi."

    "Yes, I have a question I''d like to ask about the current situation with cultivator allocations..."

    Xie Ruoxi followed the girls to the second floor, feeling increasingly anxious.

    After all, with only a high school education and coming from a poor family, Xie Ruoxi already had a bit of an inferiority complex. Seeing that the girls were all attractive with superior manners and temperaments, she felt completely overshadowed standing next to them, and couldn''t help feeling increasingly self-conscious and intimidated.

    Although she was timid and weak, the girls didn''t hold any negative opinions about her.

    From Yan Yu''s attitude towards her, they were mostly thinking, "As if she''s even worth considering."

    Well then, if no one was worthy, they might as well pull Xie Ruoxi into the "Zhenhai Team Women''s Mutual Assistance Group" to discuss how to deal with Yan Yu¡ªthis detestable man really did go too far in sparring, genuinely beating up the girls!

    Everyone sat down on the floor in Chen Lingyun''s room. The princess was particular about quality of life; the whole floor was covered with blankets, comfortable for both sitting and stepping on.

    Lin Ning brought over a fruit plate for the girls to enjoy at their leisure and casually asked,

    "Ruoxi, how does Yan Yu know you have talent for cultivation?"

    "Uh..." Xie Ruoxi stuffed a cherry into her mouth and after a while responded, "I don''t know."

    "You don''t know?" The girls were all surprised.

    "He just asked me if I wanted to be a cultivator," Xie Ruoxi said with a bitter face. "Then he threw a book at me and forced me to memorize all about acupoints and qi circulation routes... With so many words, how could I possibly memorize them all!"

    "Acupoints and qi circulation routes... isn''t that just three chapters of content?" Su Yunjin said uncertainly.

    "About twenty pages," Lin Ning provided a more accurate figure.

    "Exactly!" Xie Ruoxi complained indignantly, "A full 20 pages!"

    The others almost fainted¡ªwere 20 pages really that hard to memorize with a bit of effort? Sister Zhao must have a rival in intelligence.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, however, was oblivious to everyone else''s thoughts. She had already filled her mouth with cherries, her cheeks bulging like a little hamster, and then she used her nimble tongue to peel off all the fruit flesh and swallow it. Following that, she spat out the pits like a pea-shooter, one after another, before saying,

    "What''s there to memorize? As long as you understand it and can produce qi, isn''t that all that matters?"

    "Right, right," Xie Ruoxi nodded eagerly, wholeheartedly agreeing, "I looked at it once and managed to produce qi. Afterwards, Yan Yu didn''t make me memorize it anymore."

    The girls immediately looked astonished.

    To be able to produce True Qi after just one reading, what kind of concept was that?

    A congenital cultivation physique, right? With such cultivation talent, why hadn''t she been selected into the cultivator academy after the high school blood test?

    Chen Lingyun leisurely sipped her tea. While the others found it hard to believe, she had merely had her suspicions confirmed, so she wasn''t overly surprised, and simply asked,

    "Do you know the Three Arts and Five Spells?"

    Xie Ruoxi innocently asked,

    "What are the Three Arts and Five Spells?"

 Chapter 94 Making Her a Citizen is a Piece of Cake

    "You''ve got some capable backers, stirring up such a big commotion." Qi Changping chuckled over the phone, "Who made that video?""I had someone make it," Yan Yu said nonchalantly, "Why, is there a problem?"

    "No, there isn''t," Qi Changping replied, "It''s all cut from publicly available materials online, so there''s no issue with leaking secrets. The commander''s intention is for you to make more videos like that, preferably for the other members of your team as well."

    "That might be a bit difficult," Yan Yu fell silent for a moment, "After all, they''re not like me; they don''t have any impressive achievements to show."

    Ah! You''ve let slip and boasted again!

    Qi Changping was speechless, and after a long pause, he said:

    "It''s not that you have to make a video right away, just that it''s general guidance. As long as you grasp the spirit of it, that''s fine."

    "Got it," Yan Yu nodded, "I''ll just grasp the spirit. Whether I''ll do it is another matter."

    Qi Changping didn''t dare to pursue that comment and changed the subject:

    "What did you call me for?"

    "I''ve discovered a talent for spiritual cultivation," Yan Yu reported, "I''m looking to get her registered."

    "Couldn''t you have just taken her directly to the hospital?" Qi Changping asked in confusion.

    Most of the current university-level cultivators come from the blood tests carried out during the college entrance examinations in May, but not all of them.

    Some hospitals with a national defense background also have the capability to test for spiritual energy. As long as you have the information and connections, you can go to them and get a special blood test done to find out if someone has a Spirit Root¡ªthis was precisely the route Chen Lingyun had taken to get Zhao Yuanzhen tested. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    As for why this is not open to the public, of course, it''s because once it''s made available, thousands of people would flock to get tested, and these hospitals would be overwhelmed and paralyzed, not to mention the discontent of those unable to get tested.

    The problem is not scarcity but inequality; more precisely, it''s keeping the inequality from becoming evident to those on the lower rungs. This is true both in ancient and modern times.

    Of course, given that the number of Transcendents in Lu Country is significantly lagging behind neighboring countries, this situation might not last long and will undoubtedly need significant changes soon.

    But at least for now, the process is relatively simple: Yan Yu takes the person to the special hospital affiliated with the Zhendong Army, gets a blood test done, and if spiritual energy is found, it''s reported to the Zhendong Army, who will then send someone to take them in.

    "No," Yan Yu clarified, "I don''t want her to become a military cultivator; I want her to enter the school, to join my team."

    "Uh," Qi Changping began to feel a headache coming on.

    It''s easy to enter the military as a cultivator, but it''s far harder to be accepted into a scholar program. Why? Because the latter has limited spots, and the allocations are tied to the supply of Elixir Medicines.

    The current production count for Foundation Establishment Pills is fixed. First priority is given to academic cultivators, with the leftovers being divided among military cultivators. Each pill less can lead to complaints.

    If you want to secure a spot in the academy for someone, you''re taking away one Elixir Medicine, meaning one less for the military. How do you explain that when asked? It''s all about breaking the rules, although this could be resolved with just a word from the commander-in-chief. But why should the commander-in-chief do that for someone recommended by you, Yan Yu? Do you think too highly of yourself?

    Qi Changping shifted the conversation:

    "Isn''t your team full already?"

    "Being full doesn''t mean we can''t accept new people," Yan Yu argued, "For domestic matches, we could have her as the sixth player, a substitute; for international ones, we just bring her along¡ªmore people, more power."

    "No, ''more people, more power'' presumes they have the necessary strength, doesn''t it?" Qi Changping sighed, "What''s the person''s name, are they male or female, and how old are they?"

    "Xie Ruoxi, female, 18 years old, just graduated high school this year."

    "Didn''t pass the spiritual test during the college entrance exam?"

    "Didn''t go for the test."

    "Then just take her to the hospital for a test; once you have the results, come back to me."

    "She has already refined True Qi," Yan Yu said, "Looked at the textbook once, and completed the Grand Circulation directly."

    "No, how can you just show the textbook to outsiders..." Qi Changping started to lecture about "keeping a firm hold on confidentiality," but then suddenly, he jolted, "She understood the textbook after just one glance?"

    "She probably didn''t even memorize the circulation path and acupoints," Yan Yu sighed deeply, "Just followed the book and directly refined True Qi."

    Qi Changping: ...........

    This was like glancing at the blueprints for a nuclear weapon and then immediately handcrafting a nuke. If he were talking to anyone other than Yan Yu, he would have hung up the phone right then and there.

    Although Yan Yu always liked to brag, he had always delivered on his tall tales, and even military orders were honored without fail. He wasn''t the type to joke about serious matters.

    "You... bring the person over for me to see," Qi Changping struggled to calm his emotions.

    At any rate, it was better to meet first and take it from there.

    If she really was a prodigious talent for cultivation, it would be worthwhile to seek special permission from the commander-in-chief.

    After hanging up, Yan Yu went upstairs to Chen Lingyun''s bedroom and knocked on the door.

    After a moment, Chen Lingyun''s voice came from within:

    "Come in."

    Why "after a moment"?

    Because the girls were imparting critical knowledge to Xie Ruoxi.

    With Ruoxi''s cultivation talent, becoming a cultivator was a natural course of events. Yan Yu''s decision to bring her over was mostly to have her join the Zhenhai Team¡ªthis was official business rather than personal, so it was pretty much a done deal, irreversible.

    Given that, why not welcome the new sister''s joining and simultaneously pull her into a united front against a common foe?

    Normally, the four of them together couldn''t bring down the team captain, but with Ruoxi''s strong support, perhaps they could reverse the tide during practice and end up pressing the captain down!

    Great! Let Chen Lingyun teach her strategies and tactics, let Su Yunjin instruct her in True Yuan manipulation, let Lin Ning pass on to her the secrets of adaptability, and have Zhao Yuanzhen instill in her courage and passion. With this, they would have Xie Ruoxi, a mighty warrior opposing Yan, determined to avenge the humiliation suffered by her sisters in the past!

    Yan Yu, upon entering the room, although unaware of what they were concocting inside, wasn''t worried they would lead Xie Ruoxi astray.

    Hilarious, were the efforts of the previous life''s Annan Army to make her stand out a success? A supervisor had to oversee her daily Qi Refinement practice, otherwise she would slack off and lie about having practiced... The title of ''Waste Emperor'' wasn''t for nothing.

    If it wasn''t something she was really interested in, she absolutely wouldn''t put her heart into it.

    "Xie Ruoxi, come with me to the school," Yan Yu ordered calmly, "You all have had enough rest since returning from the South Sea, right? Then gather at the school''s training ground later."

    "Okay," the girls stood up one after another, shooting meaningful glances at Xie Ruoxi.

    Don''t be scared, Ruoxi! We''ve got your back!

    If the captain bullies you, just tell us!

    Soon, everyone arrived at the school. The girls went to stay at the training ground, while Yan Yu brought Xie Ruoxi to find Qi Changping.

    By this time, Qi Changping had already reported to Li Weiguo, and the Commander-in-chief''s directive was as follows: If this girl truly has a talent for cultivation, then the special channel could indeed be opened for her. But remember, it can''t just be opened for anyone; otherwise, Yan Yu might start thinking he''s got special privileges.

    This could foster his arrogance, which is definitely not acceptable.

    Little Qi, give the boy a bit of a hard time first to rein him in, then agree to his request!

    "Xie Ruoxi, right?" Sitting in front of the computer, Qi Changping clicked the mouse, connecting to The Judicial Department''s household registration database, "Give me your ID number."

    Xie Ruoxi reported her ID number truthfully.

    "You''re from Jingnan?" Qi Changping turned around, surprised after seeing the results of the citizen information query, "You''re working in Jinling?"

    "I''m working for Yan Yu," Xie Ruoxi admitted honestly.

    "Jingzhou''s northern and southern provinces are under the jurisdiction of the Annan Army, right?" Yan Yu inquired.

    "Yeah," Qi Changping replied with a slow nod, then spoke deliberately, "So it''s going to be complicated. A resident of Jingnan is applying for citizenship in the Zhendong Army''s region, the Annan Army will surely have objections."

    "Then let''s have her voluntarily transfer her registration to Jinling first," Yan Yu immediately suggested, "Then ''by coincidence,'' the Zhendong Army discovers her cultivation talent, and we can admit her to our academy."

    "Do you think the Annan Army is foolish?" Qi Changping laughed, "Her registration can be transferred, but can the record of the transfer be erased? If someone determined looks into it, won''t we be the ones embarrassed?"

    "For the sake of talent, what''s the harm in losing a little face?" Yan Yu retorted confidently.

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    He was right, and that was precisely the intent of the Commander-in-chief: If she is indeed exceptionally talented, even at the risk of offending the Annan Army, she must be recruited first.

    However, since Qi Changping had received orders to discipline him, he certainly wouldn''t admit that and simply said with a smile:

    "It''s not like the periods of the Three Kingdoms where the origins of heroes weren''t questioned. Even when poaching talents, we have to follow the system and rules. Or else, what do you think the reason is for the court to establish four armies to govern the east, south, west, and north?"

    Yan Yu couldn''t agree at all¡ªfor someone with talent as great as Ruoxi''s and a nature so indolent, she definitely needed to stay close to me to utilize her fullest potential.

    If she were to be returned to the Annan Army, wouldn''t she just walk the same futile path as in her previous life? Does the Annan Army have the capability to properly train her?

    "How about this," Yan Yu gritted his teeth, murmured begrudgingly, "I''ll sacrifice myself and marry her in name, so she can join my household registration. With a marriage relationship transfer, the Annan Army shouldn''t have anything to say, right?"

    Marital registration transfer is a powerful tool; no matter where you are from, whether you reside long-term, or own property, marrying a Jiang Hai person gets you a Jiang Hai registration, marrying a Pingjing person gets you a Pingjing registration. This foolproof strategy is backed by the simple ethical beliefs of ordinary people ¡ª you can''t separate a married couple, can you?

    The Annan Army would surely have no grounds to object.

    Yan Yu suggested this purely in the public''s interest, even willing to sacrifice his own reputation, but Xie Ruoxi failed to grasp his deep consideration and her eyes suddenly widened in shock:

    Could it be that it''s happening? I knew it, Yan Zhanlong isn''t smitten with my talent but my beauty! He wants to tie me to his side with a marriage certificate right now¡­

    Before her thoughts could wander further, Qi Changping was already taken aback.

    Wait, why are we suddenly talking about a fake marriage?

    With your current status, popularity, and age, Yan Zhanlong, just showing up at the civil affairs office would instantly cause a media frenzy, you know?

    Instinctively, he waved his hands and said:

    "That''s unnecessary. Besides, neither of you is of legal marriageable age yet. There''s no need to resort to a fake marriage for this matter¡­"

    "If there''s another way, then I''ll leave it in your hands, Instructor Qi!" Yan Yu immediately stood up joyfully.

    Qi Changping: ......

    Wait, did I just fall for one of his tactics?

 Chapter 96 Secretary Su is the Best

    In the training ground, the crowd surrounded the Southeast Asian mother and child spirits, unable to stop watching.Setting aside their actual power, the appearance of these mother and child spirits from Southeast Asia was particularly chilling.

    Tall and short in stature, their faces blurred, contours faint and translucent, the mother held the child''s hand, standing quietly in the center of the training ground.

    Just standing there, they exuded an aura of resentment and malevolence. If Chen Lingyun''s Soul Summoning Banner wasn''t controlling them, they would likely choose a victim to devour on the spot.

    "Should we, perhaps, release them?" Su Yunjin suggested.

    Ever since learning how such ghostly entities were made, she and Lin Ning were filled with sympathy and compassion for the two victims.

    "Good idea. I''ll go straight to the Confucian Temple to release them," Chen Lingyun agreed amiably.

    "Not release, silly," Lin Ning immediately corrected, "I mean liberate them, and send them off for reincarnation."

    "That''s possible," Yan Yu said, "In that case, let''s have Lin Ning recite scriptures a hundred thousand times to dissolve the victims'' resentment."

    Lin Ning promptly kicked him.

    "This is why I say you''re all laymen," Zhao Yuanzhen said disdainfully, "Ghosts like these, burdened with heavy resentment, can''t be reincarnated just yet. Usually, the Buddhist Sect would suppress them somewhere, letting time gradually erode their vindictiveness... Don''t even think about anything else before their spite is worn away."

    "So we have to find a temple?" Su Yunjin pondered aloud.

    "The Confucian Temple wouldn''t do?" Chen Lingyun feigned ignorance.

    "Don''t be silly," Yan Yu decided firmly, "What temple would dare accept a real ghost?"

    The group fell silent.

    If it were some kind of evil creature, some temples might be willing to take them in for liberation, but these were real ghosts¡ªwho wouldn''t be scared? Even monks are made of flesh!

    "Now that Spiritual Energy has resurged, aren''t there any truly accomplished monks who have attained the Way?" Lin Ning was still somewhat reluctant to give up.

    "I''ll ask the Religious Affairs Office," Chen Lingyun took out her phone. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    After a few phone calls, she got a response:

    The affairs of cultivators were not their concern.

    Helpless, the group temporarily dropped the topic of liberation and release.

    In fact, Yan Yu did know of a few actual monks who had attained the Way and were currently studying the Buddhist teachings in temples. They might be willing to help suppress the evil spirits. But as Chen Lingyun wasn''t keen and there wasn''t a pressing need, they decided against it.

    In a world teeming with butchers, what was the point of collecting the bodies of the deceased? No matter how diligently you did it, could you keep up with the speed at which killers operated?

    Better to refine the ghosts properly. Every time they killed a Yin sorcerer in the future, they could potentially save dozens, even hundreds, of innocent lives.

    "What do you think?" Chen Lingyun communicated telepathically with Yan Yu.

    "For offensive purposes, they''re sufficient for the early stages," Yan Yu assessed, "The ability to ignore physical attacks brings a lot of convenience. The problem is that it comes from a foreign supernatural system, and you don''t have the corresponding evil refinement techniques to enhance them. Moreover, even if you had such techniques, refining isn''t easy.

    Torturing souls has negative public repercussions. So, just regard them as transitional assets for now and consider liberating them for reincarnation when you get better ghosts in the future."

    "That''s what I was thinking too," Chen Lingyun said with a grin.

    Yan Yu wasn''t too worried about Chen Lingyun''s ghost deployment because her value to the team lay more in strategy and commanding on the battlefield. Besides, the duties of an Envoy were typically more relevant in the later stages and they relied on their teammates for early stage support.

    No rush, no rush!

    Turning to look at Lin Ning, she was currently practicing swordsmanship with Zhao Yuanzhen.

    Lin Ning was good at adapting but awkward with wielding power, so Yan Yu had two demands for her: first, to enhance her power-wielding ability, and second, to attack proactively as much as possible.

    The ability to wield power would come from countless battles, there was no need for haste.

    As for an aggressive style, she was gradually adapting. Lin Ning''s nature was competitive and conscientious, and she was quite suited for the straightforward Sword Immortal class.

    When Yan Yu told her to focus on offense, she cranked up her aggression to the max, even forcing Zhao Yuanzhen to switch to defense at times¡ªZhao Yuanzhen was, after all, a Cultivator who had fought in another world for at least two and a half years. The fact that Lin Ning repeatedly made her defend was impressive.

    Watching for a while, Yan Yu found little to critique. Letting her continue like this was the right move¡ªshe was definitely on track to reach Valkyrie class status in the future.

    Looking further, Su Yunjin had already mastered the first three forms of the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, and her current practice focused on combining Taoism Method with swordsmanship.

    For instance, using Jiaochong to shoot the target into the air, then striking with Coral Tears; or using Li Fan to knock down the target, followed by a Coral Tears-inflicted kill... It was clear she had recognized the issue with her lack of killing power and was consciously strengthening it.

    After inspecting the condition of the team, Yan Yu''s attention suddenly turned to Xie Ruoxi playing with her phone on the side.

    This beautiful useless creature! Qi Changping had already told me the paperwork was through. Although it hadn''t officially been presented to the Privy Council, she was now a cultivator. Yet here she was, being a salted fish!

    "Playing with your phone?!" Yan Yu snatched the phone without ceremony, "How dare you slack off on my training ground?"

    "Give it back!" Xie Ruoxi instinctively tried to snatch it back but then realized she wasn''t tall enough to succeed. So, she changed tack and pleaded, "If I''m not on my phone, I have nothing else to do. I don''t understand what you guys are training..."

    "If you don''t understand, can''t you memorize it first?" Yan Yu scolded sternly.

    "I can''t memorize it!"

    "Can''t the brain remember? Don''t you know how to take notes?"

    Xie Ruoxi was so anxious that tears were about to fall:

    "I''ll use my phone, I''ll use my phone to take notes, that should be fine, right? Just give me back my phone already!"

    Although he was teasing the young girl, the way it sounded started to seem like he was chiding her affectionately, causing the surrounding girls to slow down in their training moves without stopping.

    Yan Yu also sensed something was off and scoffed to himself:

    What a joke! As the strongest in this world, would I really create trouble for myself?

    He tossed the phone to Lin Ning, who quickly reached out to catch it, and heard Yan Yu instruct:

    "Lin Ning, you teach her the Three Arts and Five Spells. Make sure she doesn''t slack off."

    "Okay." Lin Ning promptly agreed.

    Although he didn''t expect Lin Ning, the hardworking striver, to inspire the pretty but useless girl to even a bit of initiative, as long as she could be prevented from slacking off, that was enough.

    More importantly, Yan Yu was actually more concerned about how to cultivate Xie Ruoxi in a certain direction.

    In his past life, Xie Ruoxi chose to pursue magic as her profession, and what she practiced was the highly difficult Thunder Method. After all, her talents were exceptional, and her True Yuan was plentiful and fierce, so naturally she should practice powerful magic with high difficulty to maximize her combat strength.

    But the mysterious realms that produced the Thunder Method were either yet to emerge or were exceedingly difficult to conquer...

    And in the end, wasn''t it up to me to deal with it! Xie Ruoxi, with all her talent, can''t help at all, so what''s wrong with calling her useless?

    Yan Yu may have cursed in his mind, but after the venting, he started to ponder long-term plans, fitting Xie Ruoxi''s issue into his schedule as well.

    Sigh, how can I, the strongest in this world, be so busy! There must be something wrong here, where''s my secretary?

    I need to find a secretary fast!

    Yan Yu''s gaze swiftly swept over the people present, silently contemplating in his heart.

    Chen Lingyun is someone with a clear background, suitable for strategizing, but can''t be burdened with tasks, lest her temperament lead to trouble eventually.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, on the other hand, is a dual-cultivating partner, lacking in both strategy and prowess, yet her role in cultivation is indispensable.

    That means, for now, the choice for secretary would have to be between Su Yunjin and Lin Ning.

    Lin Ning has a straightforward character, suitable for fighting and killing, but as for handling affairs... There''s always the worry that she might be deceived by others.

    So just like with Chen Lingyun in his past life, it has to be Yun Jin.

    If this decision had to be made a few months earlier, Yan Yu wouldn''t have hesitated in the slightest. But ever since that encounter with Su Yunjin''s classmate, the pure camaraderie between the two seemed to have changed somewhat.

    Would there be a problem if he still chose her as the secretary?

    Yan Yu hesitated only for a moment before making up his mind firmly.

    It''s just Su Yunjin, what''s there to fear?

    Quack, I am the strongest in this world! There''s no one I can''t handle!

    "Yun Jin, come over here after you finish training!"

    During the break, the girls relaxed on their own, and Su Yunjin came and sat down beside Yan Yu, asking in confusion:

    "What''s up? Is there something wrong with the way I practice my Taoist methods?"

    "Not at all." Yan Yu paused briefly and then asked, "What do you think of Xie Ruoxi?"

    After pondering for a moment, Su Yunjin replied:

    "She has very impressive talents."

    "Since we''ve taken her in, we can''t let her down and waste her talents," Yan Yu said firmly.

    "Indeed." Su Yunjin was slightly puzzled; she detected that Yan Yu was probing her and patiently added, "We have to discuss with her and decide on a cultivation path for her. But... I feel she''s not very enthusiastic about cultivation."

    As expected of gentle and kindhearted Secretary Su, she could see at a glance the lazy nature of the pretty good-for-nothing!

    "Right." Yan Yu''s tone cooled down, "She doesn''t understand cultivators yet, so we need to plan for her and be her guiding light."

    Noting his use of "we," Su Yunjin couldn''t help but smile:

    "So there''s something that even you, the captain, can''t handle alone. If you want my help, what''s the benefit for me?"

    "Yun Jin." Yan Yu spoke earnestly, "Shouldn''t team members help and care for each other, and love one another? Why bother about personal gains? Don''t you think so?"

    "Huh?" Su Yunjin asked in surprise, "Captain, do you think our relationship should be one of caring and loving?"

    Yan Yu: ?

    Are you focusing on the wrong part of that statement?

 Chapter 97 Though a Thousand Men Point Their Fingers, I Fear Not

    Xie Ruoxi really couldn''t take it anymore.Cultivators'' Three Arts and Five Spells, shouldn''t they be like skills in a game that, once learned, could be easily used?

    Why is there a need to practice every day to accumulate proficiency!

    Alas, save me, I''m not good at PE classes, nor at playing MOBA games, maybe I''m just not cut out to be a cultivator...

    Perhaps, I should just run away?

    Seeing her troubled and downcast expression, Lin Ning thought she was worried about falling behind, not realizing she was considering beating a retreat, so she patiently advised:

    "Take it easy, take it slowly. You should first practice the Shifting Technique and Cloud Ascension Technique, and then alternate between them to ensure you can switch at any time and any place. Being able to use them is the first step, mastering their use is the second step. Once you can cast them instinctively, as naturally as your heart desires, then I''ll teach you the rest..."

    Listening with a pained expression, Xie Ruoxi thought to herself that getting dizzy and confused is the first step, becoming disoriented and bemused is the second step, and by the time she''s driven to madness, she''d probably be ready to rest in peace.

    "How long do we usually practice?" she asked tentatively.

    "We get to the training field at 9 a.m. to watch videos and discuss tactics, then go for lunch at 11:30," Lin Ning explained. "We start practicing at 1:30 p.m., continue until 5 p.m. for dinner, and have free time in the evening... But don''t you also have fan operations work? You''ll probably only be able to do that at night."

    Xie Ruoxi did the math; so after becoming a cultivator, she would have to wake up at 8:30 a.m., study all morning, practice all afternoon, and then work when she got home at night.

    I might as well kill myself... If there''s no freedom, then life isn''t worth living!

    I absolutely must escape!

    "Sister Lin Ning, you''ve worked hard." She said sweetly with a beaming smile, "You''ve said so much, are you thirsty? I''ll go buy us some drinks."

    "Oh, okay." Lin Ning was somewhat taken aback, as she and Su Yunjin usually took care of preparing the drinks during training, but since Xie Ruoxi was so obligingly volunteering, it would be rude to dampen her spirits, so she cautioned, "I''m fine with any drink.

    Ling Yun likes tea-based drinks, Yun Jin needs low-sugar ones, Sister Zhao prefers Assam milk tea or Energy Drink, and Yan Yu only drinks mineral water, nothing else."

    "Got it," Xie Ruoxi nodded and walked towards the exit of the training field, "I''ll go buy them."

    Time to slip away! Head to the campus gate and then straight into a taxi, and find somewhere nearby to hide for a few days!

    While she was making a quick getaway, Yan Yu was completely unaware because he had been talking to Su Yunjin for a moment when his phone suddenly rang.

    Hmm, an unfamiliar number calling from Shengjing.

    Yan Yu picked up the call from the stranger, only to hear a male voice over the phone:

    "Hello, Yan Yu?"

    "Yes, who is this?"

    "Cai Qianlong," the voice on the other end said with an arrogant tone, "The captain of the Flying Dragon Battle Team, heard of it?"

    "Oh, seems familiar," Yan Yu casually responded, "Are you the one who had a face-off with Lord Master and then got beaten so badly you were picking up your teeth off the ground?"

    "Damn it!" the caller exclaimed in shock, "Has the news already spread to Jinling?"

    Before Yan Yu could say anything, the caller quickly asserted his own defense:

    "Right now, I''m indeed no match for him, but that may not be the case in the future!"

    "Oh, then good luck," Yan Yu said indifferently.

    "You''re not going to mock me?" Cai Qianlong asked curiously, "Since you know I lost to Liu Longtao, aren''t you going to ridicule me?"

    "Why would I do that?" Yan Yu was puzzled, wondering if the guy was going nuts from the stress of being publicly defeated by Lord Master, surrounded by negative public opinion.

    "Because before the protagonist soars to the heavens, they always have to endure oppression from the antagonists," Cai Qianlong sneered, "But I don''t care. All the mockery and scorn will become the driving force for me to strive and become stronger!"

    Yan Yu: ...........

    "So you called me just to hear me insult you, to fuel your motivation?" he questioned, doubt evident on his face, thinking to himself that he didn''t remember Cai Qianlong being this messed up in his past life.

    Oh right, in his past life, this guy never appeared at press conferences...

    "That''s not it, I just wanted to say hi," Cai Qianlong changed the subject, then asked seriously, "And I wanted to ask, why is everyone on your Zhenhai Team, except for you, female?"

    "Uh..."

    "The internet says that Zhenhai Team is your ''Selection Team for Concubines'', is that true?" Cai Qianlong asked with a frown.

    "No," Yan Yu was completely speechless, "You believe such a low-level rumor? I''ve explained this in an interview with ''Ethical Weekly'', didn''t you see it?"

    "I saw it," Cai Qianlong replied, "You said in the interview that it was because only they met your team''s standards."

    "That settles it, right?"

    "But Liu Longtao says it''s all excuses, that you just like to play with women and build a harem."

    "I''ll be damned..." Yan Yu wanted to curse, but he held back, saying coldly, "That''s all slander and defamation! Do you know he has lost to me before? Old Liu has held a grudge against me ever since, looking for ways to bad-mouth me. You actually believe those lies?"

    "I do," Cai Qianlong said without hesitation, "because others have said the same."

    "Who else?" Yan Yu was shocked.

    "Li Zhaojiang," Cai Qianlong replied. "He says you''re a lecher who''s always looking to take advantage of pretty female cultivators."

    "Li Zhaojiang has also lost to me." Yan Yu restrained his anger and scolded, "When they can''t win, they defame. Such a lack of character!"

    "Zhou Hongyu said so as well," Cai Qianlong continued. "She mentioned that if you get lost in romantic entanglements, you might soon find your strength stagnating and make no further progress."

    "Everyone who loses to me bad-mouths me, is that it?" Yan Yu finally erupted, "Where did they say it?"

    "In the group chat that [Shifting Technique] created," Cai Qianlong clicked his tongue before adding, "I''ve seen the video of Yan Zhanlong. Your skills are indeed impressive. But if you''re getting lost in lust recently, I''m afraid you''ll regress too quickly. If you can''t give it your all in the Mysterious Realm showdown next week, that would be really boring.

    That''s why I''m calling you, to remind you not to let women slow down your progress in becoming stronger."

    After hanging up, Yan Yu was disheveled and stayed silent for a while before slowly uttering a word:

    "Shit."

    "What''s wrong?" Chen Lingyun came over and asked. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    She was smiling as she stared at Yan Yu''s expression as if enjoying his chagrined look, but Yan Yu quickly composed himself. He entered the cultivator group chat set up by Qiu Ze and began to search through the chat history in detail.

    The group wasn''t large, but it was full of nonsense. They either forwarded various short videos and chat histories all day or sent a plethora of emoticons¡ªespecially [Miao Border Girl Tang Lingling] and [Clouds Roll and Unroll], these two idiots.

    The former would constantly post photos of meals at restaurants, while the latter would always ask ''where did you eat this'' and ''oh, I really want to eat that too'', turning a proper cultivators'' chat into a flood of chatter. Yan Yu was too lazy to even check it.

    Now, with Cai Qianlong''s snitching, Yan Yu searched for keywords in the group, and hey, those three really had talked.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: @Liu Shao, @Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang, @Zao La, you three are being unfair, huh? Talking behind my back in the group, right?

    People in the group quickly began to respond.

    [Liu Shao]: What''s up, Old Yan?

    [Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang]: Sorry, I''ve bad-mouthed you far too many times, which time are you referring to?

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: I think Yan Team is referring to you guys saying he''s starting a harem in the team. I have to say, joking about this is indeed not nice, it''s disrespectful to the ladies.

    [Miao Border Girl Tang Lingling]: Indeed.

    [Lion Dog Da Bao]: Indeed.

    [Clouds Roll and Unroll]: Indeed, but Liu Team was really just joking. Old Yan, cool down, I''ll scold him for you.

    [Liu Shao]: Alright alright, my bad. I spoke out of turn. Sorry, Old Yan.

    [Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang]: Then I''ll also apologize. What I said before was just in jest. Yan Yu, you''re mostly good-hearted.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What about Xiao Zhou?

    [Zao La]: ?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Did you talk behind my back?

    [Zao La]: What the hell is wrong with you.

    [Zao La]: Whoever said you''re running a harem, go find them.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Haha, Xiao Zhou is still so easy to rile up.

    Yan Yu closed the chat window and started to contemplate.

    Even familiar cultivators from the same cohort would joke about this; what more the public opinion out there ¡ª even if they don''t dare to speak openly, in private they would definitely cook up stories however scandalous they can get.

    It doesn''t matter anymore. When I chose this team lineup, I was ready to face criticism.

    I fear nothing!

    As long as I become the strongest in this world, all criticism will vanish!

    Yan Yu quickly steeled his resolve and turned to watch the girls'' training.

    Good, they all look spirited... huh?

    "Where''s Xie Ruoxi?" he suddenly exclaimed.

    "She went to buy drinks," Lin Ning paused her sword technique and replied.

    Yan Yu was stunned for a moment, then angrily said:

    "That useless thing is trying to run away! Stop training, everyone, and bring her back to me right now!"

 Chapter 98 Beautiful Waste, Leaving School to Run Away

    Everyone rushed out of the training ground in a hurry; Lin Ning was still in disbelief:"No way? She said she was going to buy some drinks..."

    "You believe her just like that!" Yan Yu was also done with Sister Lin, "And you said you''re not easily fooled?"

    "Why would she want to sneak away?" Su Yunjin frowned, puzzled.

    "Probably thought the training was too tiring." Yan Yu said coldly.

    Everyone: ?

    Wait a minute, was it really that tiring?

    It''s true it hurts, but not to the extent that it''s your problem, Xie Ruoxi! From a timing perspective, it''s from 9 in the morning to 11:30, 1:30 in the afternoon until 5, and even if you work from 7 in the evening to 9. All together, that''s only 8 hours, while people are working at least 10 hours every day with the 996 schedule out there!

    "Don''t use your own thinking to judge her." Yan Yu didn''t bother to search the campus but ran directly towards the school gate, explaining as he went, "It''s like a stray cat; you think it won''t run away because you feed it fish and meat, but you don''t realize it isn''t tamed and too wild to reason with!"

    Chen Lingyun''s eyebrows twitched, showing a playful expression as she sweetly said:

    "So, you''re saying we need to catch her and properly train her, huh?"

    "Let''s catch her first." Yan Yu arrived at the school gate, his mind quickly strategizing.

    Jinling Airport... No, the beautiful waste doesn''t have the guts to make such a clean break. She''s most likely found a place to slack off in secret.

    Where would she go?

    Let me think, where would that waste go...

    Fortunately, having past life memories related to Xie Ruoxi, Yan Yu quickly ordered:

    "Chen Lingyun."

    "Hmm?"

    "Check all the internet cafes around the school, from the nearest to the furthest."

    "Got it~" Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    "Lin Ning." Yan Yu continued to command.

    "I''m here."

    "The commercial complexes around here, look up online for those with arcades inside, and check them out."

    "Okay!" Lin Ning hurriedly complied.

    "Su Yunjin." Yan Yu said.

    "Tell me."

    "Call her, send messages, even though she''s most likely too scared to reply," Yan Yu said quickly, "If she doesn''t reply, go find Instructor Qi. Don''t mention anything else, just say Xie Ruoxi has been out for a while and we can''t get in touch with her, ask him to help find people."

    "Got it." Su Yunjin knew there was a delicate balance to maintain: to ask Instructor Qi for help in finding someone while not letting him know that Ruoxi had "run away from school." She nodded, "Leave it to me."

    "Zhao..." Yan Yu suddenly got stuck.

    How could the Demonic Sect Enchantress be of any help? She''s not as resourceful as Chen Lingyun, not as perceptive and responsive as Lin Ning, not as savvy and capable as Su Yunjin. Wouldn''t involving her in the search backfire?

    "What do you need me to do?" Zhao Yuanzhen, unaware of Yan Yu''s thoughts, urged questioningly.

    Seeing her eagerness, Yan Yu said warmly:

    "You go back and guard our place. If she comes back, definitely don''t let her leave."

    "I''ve got this!" Zhao Yuanzhen patted her chest, completely unaware that she''d essentially been fobbed off¡ªXie Ruoxi was decidedly not daring to go back right now.

    Everyone quickly dispersed to their tasks, while Yan Yu stood at the school gate, continuing to contemplate silently.

    Internet cafes, arcades; those two were the most likely places she would go, followed by some maid cafes and anime merchandise stores¡­ But those places are hard to find on maps, and since Xie Ruoxi is from out of town and unfamiliar with the area, she''d likely opt for those easily found, suitable spots to hide and kill time first.

    And then there''s¡­ Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu suddenly had an epiphany and took out his phone to search.

    Keyword: cosplay convention.

    There! There''s a Fleet Girls Carnival happening here!

    Others might not know, but Yan Yu was well aware that Xie Ruoxi was a seasoned Fleet Girls player who had cosplayed many characters from the game.

    The venue was quite a distance away when viewed on the map, but avid anime fans don''t fear a long journey. Thus, Yan Yu quickly hailed a cab and headed straight for the cosplay convention site.

    Upon arrival, Yan Yu saw various Fleet Girls standees on both sides of the venue entrance, with large "Battle Commencement" promotional banners hanging on the facade.

    Upon entering the interior of the venue, the whole place was adorned with elements of ship girls, from the side of the turnstiles to the billboards on load-bearing columns, and the anime standees everywhere, all representing two-dimensional paper dolls with multicolored hair and exaggerated figures.

    Yan Yu just glanced once and lost interest.

    One look at the fake does not compare to the Demonic Sect Enchantress.

    Apart from security, most of the passersby were male, many carrying backpacks, holding bags in their hands, and some even clutching rolled-up posters under their arms; of course, there were women too, but they usually dressed up as ship girls, with various colors of hair, browsing the booths or posing with visitors, making hearts and Vs with their fingers.

    Even if Yan Yu wasn''t well-versed in this area, he knew that cosplay costumes and wigs required preparation in advance and involved a lengthy makeup process, so Xie Ruoxi undoubtedly wouldn''t have had time to perform her face-changing sorcery.

    If she was here, she must have come as a visitor¡ªso there was no need to pay attention to cosplayers, just scan the female visitors!

    He activated his Divine Sense and scanned the surrounding area without restraint.

    This one isn''t her, that one isn''t either, let''s look further ahead¡­

    Yan Yu quickly finished scanning the entrance and was about to move on when suddenly a cosplaying girl called out to him:

    "Eh, aren''t you that... Yan Zhanlong?"

    Yan Yu: ?

    Oh, I rushed out and forgot to put on sunglasses.

    "Could you give me an autograph?" the girl came over enthusiastically, "I''m a big fan of yours haha, I''ve seen your battle videos before, you''re really cool~"

    Yan Yu was about to reject her sternly when a thought struck him. He took the marker pen from her hand and smiled:

    "Where do you want me to sign?"

    "Right here~" The girl pointed to her chest.

    "Hm?" Yan Yu made a face that said "Are you kidding me?"

    "Haha, just kidding," the girl quickly corrected herself, "Sign on the waist of my skirt, this is Atago''s bride skin."

    Yan Yu wasn''t in the mood to listen to her explanations. He quickly signed his name, then asked urgently:

    "You''re a cosplayer here, right? I have a friend who might be in the venue. I can''t reach her; have you seen her?" Discover more content at empire

    "Hmm, let me check." The girl looked at the photo on his phone, then said with a puzzled expression, "The Magical Girl Ruoxi?"

    "You know her?" Yan Yu was surprised.

    "She''s a cosplayer in our circle of enthusiasts," the girl said with a smile, "I remember she likes to cosplay Lexington and North House... I''ll ask my friends if they''ve seen her."

    She pulled out her phone from somewhere and, with dazzling speed, began furiously typing, shaking people down in the Cos enthusiasts group.

    There were also a few photographers standing nearby, waiting for Yan Yu to leave to continue their shoot, and upon hearing the discussion, they curiously asked:

    "Magical Girl Ruoxi is here too? She''s not on the guest list."

    "She might have just come to visit," Yan Yu said calmly.

    "Found her," the girl suddenly announced, "She''s at booth C playing games. I''ll take you there."

    "No, thank you," Yan Yu replied expressionlessly, anger already blazing within him, "I''ll find her myself."

    Fine, fine, fine, so you really are hiding here, you goddamn gorgeous waste!

    I was just at Instructor Qi''s arguing that I couldn''t possibly hand you over to the Annan Army because they don''t have the skills to tame you, and here you go pulling this stunt!

    Isn''t this a slap in my face?

    Dare to provoke me, the strongest of this age, and even a dragon will be slain by me! How many guts do you have, Xie Ruoxi, to dare challenge me, Yan Zhanlong?

    He turned and used the Shifting Technique, instantly dashing more than ten meters away, startling the surrounding photographers who hastily raised their cameras to shoot, but only caught a series of afterimages.

    At booth C, Xie Ruoxi was standing in front of a machine wielding a hammer, immersed in a whack-a-mole game¡ªexcept the moles had been replaced with models of "Cheshire Cats," and supposedly, scoring 20 points within a set time would win a standee.

    Many tourists were gathered around her, watching her play the game and occasionally offering their comments:

    "You''re running out of time."

    "One more mistake and it''s over."

    But Xie Ruoxi didn''t believe in jinxes; her hands moved faster and faster, accuracy increasingly higher¡ªdon''t underestimate the reflexes I''ve honed over a decade of playing bullet hell games!

    Finally, with the last hammer blow, she hit the 20th Cheshire Cat, the machine rang out with a "grand prize" bell sound, and the surrounding tourists also gasped in amazement.

    Xie Ruoxi beamed with joy, about to receive the Cheshire Cat standee from the stall worker, when suddenly an earth-shattering, roof-lifting roar sounded from afar:

    "Die, damn you!!!!!!"

    Before the words even reached her, Yan Yu had already charged behind her, slamming her head into the hole of the machine.

 Chapter 99 Borrowing a Sword from Old Liu

    "Wuuu wuuu waaaah!"By the time the girls arrived at the scene, they saw Xie Ruoxi bawling her eyes out, tears streaming down her face, a sight that evoked pity.

    Around her neck was a board full of holes, reminiscent of an ancient prisoner''s pillory, and behind her was a partially dismantled machine.

    Yan Yu stood aside with an impatient look, arms folded across his chest, talking to the person in charge of the venue.

    "What happened?" Lin Ning asked hurriedly.

    Yan Yu nodded toward Xie Ruoxi and said,

    "Her head got stuck in a Whac-A-Mole machine hole, and now it can''t be pulled out."

    "How did it get stuck there?" Lin Ning was still confused.

    Xie Ruoxi pointed at Yan Yu and wept,

    "He bullied me harshly!"

    The girls turned their gaze to Yan Yu, whose expression remained unchanged as he said coldly,

    "Harsh times call for harsh laws; the lazy need strict punishment. Cultivators are military professionals. Do you not know the crime for leaving the military academy without approval? And you even dared to stroll around the anime convention. Take her away!"

    Indeed, it was really Xie Ruoxi''s fault to begin with. The girls had no choice but to comfort the sobbing Xie Ruoxi while escorting her out of the anime convention to avoid further public ridicule.

    Finding a secluded corner nearby, Su Yunjin tried to pull the board off.

    It really was stuck and wouldn''t come out.

    "I don''t want to go back wearing this thing..." Xie Ruoxi was still sniveling and crying, and Lin Ning quickly reassured her,

    "It''s okay, I''ll chop it down with Flying Sword."

    Xie Ruoxi immediately stopped crying out of fear: What, chop it down with Flying Sword?

    "Isn''t that a bit risky?" Su Yunjin hesitated, "Flying Sword is too sharp, if we''re not careful we could injure her neck..."

    "It''s fine," Chen Lingyun said while checking her phone, smiling, "There''s a hospital nearby, very close. It''ll only take a few minutes for an ambulance to get here."

    Xie Ruoxi''s face turned completely pale as she stammered,

    "Actually, wearing it for a while is not a problem, maybe we should call the firefighters with the proper equipment to deal with it."

    "Why not use the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse?" Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly asked, "Afraid of being cut by the sword''s edge, just use a Barrier Charm, right?"

    The girls all fell silent.

    "Now you see the importance of the Three Arts and Five Spells?" Yan Yu, who had been watching with a detached gaze, finally spoke up, "Keep it on and go back the way you are. Lin Ning, continue teaching her the Three Arts and Five Spells, but teach the Barrier Charm last! Break the board only after she''s learned to use it!"

    The girls were about to speak when they suddenly heard Yan Yu''s voice transmitted into their ears,

    "Shut up, all of you! You''re not her mother; why play the overindulgent parent routine? She''s a cultivator now. If she doesn''t change her habit of giving up at the slightest obstacle and being afraid of hardship, it will one day cost her her life!"

    "Well, I should say that I am in favor of strict training," Chen Lingyun immediately made her stance clear, "Ruoxi really can''t keep going on like this."

    "Training... Education should still consider the methods used, right?" Su Yunjin gently advised.

    "Indeed, I think it''s too lenient," Zhao Yuanzhen stirred the pot, "Why not just beat her up?"

    "Hitting someone directly is too extreme!" Lin Ning complained excitedly, "Even in the army, it''s not like they hit people directly!"

    As they started to argue back and forth again, Yan Yu put his foot down and said,

    "Stop arguing, just take her back and we''ll discuss it there!"

    Chen Lingyun called for another minivan. When it arrived, everyone got in one after another. Su Yunjin and Lin Ning sat on either side of Xie Ruoxi in the back row, sandwiching her in the middle, holding her hands and whispering words of comfort.

    The driver glanced at them through the rearview mirror and said with a chuckle,

    "Heh, are you taking a prisoner to the execution ground or what?"

    "Kids being kids," Yan Yu said offhandedly from the passenger seat, "She bet she could fit her head in and now she can''t get it out." Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Oh," the driver nodded, thinking he had a new story to share with his colleagues. Xie Ruoxi, sitting in the back, wanted to say something, but Su Yunjin quickly silenced her.

    This middle-aged uncle clearly wasn''t familiar with the internet, so he didn''t recognize Yan Zhanlong. He drove skillfully back to the Jinling National Defense Academy. Letting everyone out,

    Qi Changping stood at the school gate, looking puzzled at Lin Ning and Su Yunjin helping Xie Ruoxi out of the car,

    "What are you playing at... Truth or Dare Play?"

    "Even you know about Truth or Dare?" Yan Yu was surprised.

    "I also know that showing off gets you struck by lightning," Qi Changping said with profound meaning, "Yan Yu, as team captain, managing the team is also your responsibility. It''s no good if a teammate goes missing."

    "Of course," Yan Yu turned to Xie Ruoxi and said coldly, "It won''t happen again."

    Xie Ruoxi shivered involuntarily and began to despair.

    Dad, Mom, I was wrong, I want to go to university.

    If I hadn''t given up on the college entrance exams, I would probably be in a normal university campus now, skipping classes, watching anime, and staying up all night...

    Wuuu wuuu, I don''t want to be a cultivator anymore!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    "Have her practice the Three Arts and Five Spells, and remember to teach her the Barrier Charm last," Yan Yu instructed Lin Ning once more, "If she does well, break the plank for her; if not, let her wear the plank around her neck and continue practicing until she masters it."

    "Mm-hmm." Lin Ning nodded.

    "Ah," Yan Yu sighed deeply and went out to use the restroom.

    Waste is like this, the more pressure you apply, the more potential emerges; without any pressure, it''s directly discarded.

    After using the restroom and washing his hands at the sink, Yan Yu leisurely walked back to the training ground, and upon entering, he noticed Xie Ruoxi''s plank was gone.

    "Lin Ning," he beckoned Lin Ning over, "Where''s the plank?"

    "I split it," Lin Ning said.

    "Didn''t I tell you?" Yan Yu''s expression became slightly angry, "You''re taking my words as a breeze past your ears?"

    "She knows all of the Three Arts and Five Spells," Lin Ning paused briefly before explaining, "She got them all on the first try."

    Yan Yu: ...............

    He looked at Xie Ruoxi again, the pretty waste first startled, instinctively hugging her chest and shivering, but soon enough she recovered, wrinkling her nose at him with effort.

    I haven''t done anything wrong now; you can''t keep bullying me, can you? All my sisters are watching!

    Yan Yu walked to her side with an emotionless face, which frightened Xie Ruoxi into cowering again, trembling in fear.

    "With such great talent, why would you choose to slack off?" Yan Yu asked her with a complex tone.

    Xie Ruoxi couldn''t speak; all she saw was him waving his hand again, saying:

    "Never mind, don''t answer me. Lin Ning!"

    "What''s up?" Lin Ning came running over.

    "Since she knows all of the Three Arts and Five Spells, take her to practice the wall charge."

    "Mm-hmm, alright."

    The wall charge, namely using the Shifting Technique to rush towards a wall, and using the Cloud Ascension Technique to stop abruptly before hitting it, is a subject matter that Yan Yu "originated" and that all Cultivators must practice, possessing the triple effects of "cultivating courage," "cultivating reflexes," and "cultivating control."

    Leaving Xie Ruoxi to Lin Ning for training, Yan Yu left the training ground. After some deliberation, he dialed Liu Longtao''s phone number.

    "What''s up, Old Yan?" Lord Master picked up quickly.

    "I want to borrow a sword."

    "What?"

    "The Heavenly Yuan Qi Sword, it''s with you, right?" Yan Yu said impatiently, "Stop pretending, your Liu Family has been secretly developing the Mysterious Realm, and you''ve acquired quite a few treasures, right?"

    There was silence on the other end for more than a minute, until Liu Longtao finally spoke:

    "You shouldn''t believe and spread rumors; you''ll take responsibility if something goes wrong."

    "Give me the sword, and I''ll neither believe nor spread rumors."

    "How much did Chen Lingyun tell you?"

    "Not much."

    "It''s like this," Liu Longtao sighed and explained, "There''s no such thing as developing it in secret. Some Mysterious Realms weren''t even due to be opened yet, but we forced our way through by other means, which made the development extremely difficult and dangerous. Most explorations are sacrificial, so we''re temporarily not open to the public.

    Besides, this has nothing to do with my family; the projects are managed and supervised by special appointees from the Privy Council."

    Experience more tales on empire

    "Mm, I believe that the Privy Council is supervising," Yan Yu said, "But the Privy Council isn''t just your family? Rounded up, doesn''t that still mean your family is secretly developing it?"

    "You''re getting more and more outrageous," Liu Longtao hurriedly explained, "My dad retired long ago and doesn''t manage affairs anymore, okay?"

    "Ah? Retirement means not managing anymore? Then let''s have a good talk about that," Yan Yu chuckled, "Let''s start by analyzing the resume of the current Privy Councilor..."

    "Enough, enough, enough, I beg you!" Liu Longtao couldn''t take it anymore and called for a stop, "All right, Old Yan, we''re friends, aren''t we?"

    "Of course, we''re friends."

    "Solid ones, right?"

    "Pure iron."

    "A friend in need is a friend indeed, and I''m bound to help, but you have to tell me the whole story. Don''t you already have that Dragon-slaying Heavy Sword?"

    "It''s not for me; it''s being prepared for Xie Ruoxi."

    "The girl you recently brought in?"

    "What do you mean ''recently''? Just today," Yan Yu paused, then added, "You already know about this, so you should also be aware of her extraordinary talent, right? That Heavenly Yuan Qi Sword is the most suitable for her."

    "I really didn''t know about the extraordinary talent," Liu Longtao chuckled, "I just heard people say that your harem team got a new member... Hey, I didn''t say this, it''s what others were saying, that the girl is really good-looking."

    "Stop your gossip," Yan Yu said impatiently, "Come on Liu, be quick about it, are you going to give it or not? Just say it."

    "I can only say I''ll try," Liu Longtao sighed, "Obviously, it has to go through an application process, and I also have to explain to my family how you got to know about this since it''s a highly confidential project..."

    "Just say Chen Lingyun let it slip, and that''s how I found out."

    "That makes sense."

 Chapter 100 Spiritual Energy Eruption

    "What''s going on here?" Yan Yu stared, speechless."I have no idea," Lin Ning said awkwardly, "I originally thought she..."

    Yan Yu looked towards Xie Ruoxi, who lay on the ground unable to get up, and at Su Yunjin beside her, who was checking and treating her. He quickly pieced together the true sequence of events:

    Lin Ning had thought that Xie Ruoxi''s talent for cultivation was exceptional; she had grasped the Three Arts and Five Spells after being taught just once. Subconsciously, Lin Ning assumed Xie Ruoxi could also master the Wall Charge in one go. Xie Ruoxi thought the same, and as a result, she had slammed headfirst into the wall.

    As mentioned before, the Wall Charge requires guts, reaction speed, and control ability¡ªqualities that have absolutely nothing to do with cultivation aptitude.

    In matters related to talent, Xie Ruoxi could crush others with her sheer brutish force, like a two-meter-tall basketball rookie with an astonishing vertical leap dunking fiercely thanks to his physical advantage. But ask him to shoot three-pointers and he would be completely lost.

    Luckily, Lin Ning was serious enough in her work to have Xie Ruoxi wear protective gear for the practice. Otherwise, the already foolish girl might have ended up brain-damaged from hitting the wall and turned into a disabled little sister.

    The thought of Xie Ruoxi only able to mutter "aba aba eheihei," made Yan Yu suddenly... wait, that hardly seemed different from her current state, did it?

    "It seems that little Xie isn''t the all-rounded genius type," Chen Lingyun said with a smile beside him, "She still has a lot to learn."

    "I''m just worried she won''t settle down to truly refine herself," Yan Yu sighed.

    "That''s why she needs to be disciplined," Chen Lingyun said slowly, "By the way, someone accused me of leaking secrets just now, what''s that all about?"

    "Leaking secrets, I don''t know what you''re talking about," Yan Yu feigned ignorance, "Who told you that?"

    "Humph," Chen Lingyun didn''t confirm or deny it, "I wonder which little troublemaker said that."

    "We''re facing the Flying Dragon Battle Team next week, and it''s going to be nationally broadcasted," Yan Yu saw that she didn''t pursue the matter further and quickly changed the subject, "Do you know why?"

    "The borderlands are growing restless," Chen Lingyun said lightly, "Something happened, and we need to show our strength."

    "The southwest?"

    "Southwest."

    "The world is going to start turning chaotic," Yan Yu sighed.

    "Yes," Chen Lingyun said smilingly, "It''s finally about to start getting chaotic."

    "...I really want to punch you in the face," Yan Yu glared at her. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "So I should thank you for not being domestically violent?" Chen Lingyun was still smiling.

    Yan Yu didn''t respond to her and started walking towards the outskirts of the training field.

    The sky outside the window was overcast, suggesting it would rain soon, and the air had cooled noticeably. The wind rustled through the surrounding trees.

    "What I''m really worried about is whether you all are prepared," he said, looking at the dark clouds on the horizon without turning back.

    "Everyone has their own destiny," Chen Lingyun said as she emerged from the shadows behind him, a slight smile on her face, "Worrying is useless."

    "Is that so? I don''t believe it," Yan Yu said after a moment of silence,

    "I will change everyone''s destiny."

    "Mhmm," Chen Lingyun nodded, "Many reincarnated souls have a sense of mission like that, feeling that they have lived again to change something."

    "Where did all these reincarnated souls come from?"

    "From works of art, of course," Chen Lingyun looked into the distance, standing on her tiptoes as if she wanted to seem taller, "Art reflects the human heart, and the more popular a piece, the truer this is. So I believe that if most people could be reborn and return to the past, they would definitely want to make up for the regrets of their former life."

    "Perhaps," Yan Yu let out a long breath, "At least I..."

    Yes, I had many regrets in my previous life.

    I entered the fray too late; many people were already gone, many things had already happened, many situations had become completely irreparable.

    My defeat wasn''t due to the battles I fought.

    "...Let''s go," Yan Yu turned around.

    "Don''t you want to see the scenery anymore?" Chen Lingyun said cheerfully, "I can help you reflect and understand any insights or feelings."

    "There''s nothing more to say," Yan Yu said coldly.

    I am not Cai Qianlong, that idiot¡ªI don''t need setbacks and failures to spur me on; I have had more than my fill of them in my previous life.

    This life, I''ll smash everything to pieces.

    Returning to the training ground, Yan Yu watched expressionlessly from the sidelines as Xie Ruoxi practiced with Su Yunjin.

    Su Yunjin was obviously going easy¡ªshe was not only using the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art but also intentionally holding back her strength and speed, leaving a lot of time for Xie Ruoxi to react.

    But Xie Ruoxi was unbelievably unskilled, her use of Shifting Technique and Cloud Ascension Technique was a complete mess. She switched between techniques too slowly, her ability to seize opportunities was poor, and her demeanor was panicked and disordered, hit repeatedly by the Star River Secret Art, completely soaked as if she were a drenched rabbit, utterly pitiful.

    Yan Yu watched silently as Lin Ning ran over to explain, but he stopped her with a raised hand.

    Hmm.

    Perhaps... this was more suitable?

    He had originally instructed Lin Ning to take charge of Xie Ruoxi, forcing her to repeatedly practice the Wall Charge. Because the movement was mechanically repetitive, the beautiful waste of space would quickly lose interest and start looking for ways to slack off. Lin Ning, in order to supervise her, would also have to neglect her own cultivation.

    What if we switched up the method?

    Let Su Yunjin use Xie Ruoxi as a target for practicing Daoist magic. Her Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art is inherently more about control, and by controlling its power, it won''t cause much lethal effect. Hitting Xie Ruoxi would at most make her uncomfortable.

    To avoid getting hit, Xie Ruoxi would naturally have to dodge with all her might and couldn''t slack off since a moment''s carelessness could leave her overwhelmed and at a loss in the water!

    "Brilliant!" Yan Yu, seeing the key to the strategy, clapped his hands in admiration. "Where did you get this idea, Yun Jin? Slacking off means facing the music, and to avoid being hit, you have to give it your all. That''s what real practical combat training is all about!"

    The other girls looked at him speechlessly, their expressions seeming to ask, "Do you really not know?"

    "What are you all looking at me for?" Yan Yu raised an eyebrow and scoffed, "Or maybe we should practice like this too..."

    "It''s fine, it''s fine, we''ll go practice on our own." Upon hearing his words, everyone immediately caused a stir and hurriedly scattered like birds and beasts.

    Everyone practiced until around five o''clock, during which Su Yunjin, worried that Xie Ruoxi might catch a cold, even took her to the restroom to dry her clothes several times... and then she was soaked through again. It was just a fate of humiliation that a good-for-nothing could not escape.

    "Are we solving dinner in the cafeteria?" Yan Yu asked.

    "The cafeteria?" Zhao Yuanzhen was shocked on the spot. "What happened to the ten promised meals?"

    "Fine then, you lead the way." Yan Yu didn''t bother to argue with her as he would still need this Demonic Sect Enchantress to change his puppet Ah Zhen''s prosthetic body. For now, he could indulge her smugness for a bit.

    Zhao Yuanzhen immediately puffed up with pride, shouting with her head held high, "Sisters, follow me, today Young Master Yan is picking up the tab," and ran ahead to lead the way.

    Everyone initially wanted to see what Sister Zhao felt like eating, but upon leaving the school and reaching the mall, everyone collapsed at the sight of Haidilao.

    "What''s wrong with Haidilao?" Zhao Yuanzhen retorted indignantly, "Hotpot is best for a group to enjoy together, alright?"

    "Indeed, indeed, no more bickering." Yan Yu explained to everyone, "The first time I took her out to eat, it was at Haidilao."

    "Mhm." Chen Lingyun said with a giggly smile, "Sister Zhao almost drank up the entire soup that time."

    "Nonsense!" Zhao Yuanzhen, initially a bit moved, thinking that the thief actually remembered the first time he took her out to eat, rolled her eyes instantly upon hearing what Chen Lingyun added.

    Damn it, she had forgotten this terrible woman was there at the time too, such a buzzkill!

    Turning to Su Yunjin and Lin Ning, the two were unfazed, clearly indicating that, to them, "Sister Zhao finishing the hotpot soup was totally normal." Only Xie Ruoxi naively asked:

    "Won''t it be too salty if you drink too much soup?"

    "Don''t listen to their nonsense." Zhao Yuanzhen wrapped an arm around Xie Ruoxi''s shoulder. "Today''s your first day on the team, you get first pick on the menu. Whatever you want to eat, just ask the waiter to bring it."

    "Sister Zhao seems to really like this little girl from Jingnan." Chen Lingyun stealthily sent a message to the others, "Could it be... she sees herself in her?"

    "Are you talking about personality or figure?" Lin Ning asked curiously.

    In terms of personality, both seemed a bit simple-minded; in terms of figure, although Xie Ruoxi wasn''t as voluptuous as Zhao Yuanzhen, she was also quite substantial.

    "What does the captain think?" Su Yunjin asked.

    "I don''t think it''s either, don''t guess wildly," Yan Yu rejected both speculations.

    Of course, he knew why Zhao Yuanzhen liked Xie Ruoxi: There was but one reason, that good-for-nothing had sufficiently high talent for cultivation.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress was best at attaching herself to power¡ª whomever showed signs of achieving great things on their path, she''d cling to their coattails in the hope of riding their coattails to heaven!

    Once everyone sat down in the restaurant, Zhao Yuanzhen didn''t go back on her word and handed the menu to Xie Ruoxi first.

    Xie Ruoxi felt honored, asking everyone what they wanted to eat before placing the orders.

    Yan Yu, somewhat bored, was playing with his phone and noticed a message from Qi Changping:

    Explore more at empire

    "Press conference tomorrow at 3 PM to officially announce the news of the Mysterious Realm. A warm-up promotion will follow for about a week. The Mysterious Realm is northwest of Gaodu County in Sanjin Province. Some undead soldiers have emerged from the realm.

    If the defense pressure in Gaodu County increases subsequently, we might have to advance the simulation confrontation and realm assault preparations. Get ready for it."

    "Got it," Yan Yu replied.

    "The approval for Xie Ruoxi from the Privy Council hasn''t come through yet, so she can''t participate in combat this time," Qi Changping sent another message. "Let her continue with the fan operations."

    Yan Yu didn''t reply, knowing full well Xie Ruoxi really wasn''t ready for battle yet, but forwarded the previous message to the team chat group.

    "Sanjin Province, Gaodu County," Su Yunjin pondered, "The Changping battle?"

    "Probably some ghost cultivator opened a Mysterious Realm nearby to refine the resentful spirits in Changping Defile," Yan Yu casually explained. "Back then, Bai Qi buried 450,000 Zhao soldiers there. The resentment must be soaring sky-high. This realm''s difficulty won''t be low, prepare yourselves mentally."

    "No worries, we have Ling Yun," Lin Ning mentioned, "Her Soul Summoning Banner has a suppressive effect on resentful spirits."

    "And my Yin Wind Sword," Zhao Yuanzhen chimed in competitively.

    "Right, and Sister Zhao," Su Yunjin, who knew how to talk, said with a smile, "Those mother-child resentful spirits last time were really scared of her sword."

    While chatting and laughing, they waited for the food to arrive, showing no signs of nervousness.

    Yan Yu was about to say something when a sudden jolt in his divine sense made him pause. He observed the girls, aside from Xie Ruoxi who hadn''t cultivated divine sense, all had changing expressions.

    How to describe it? Like fish suddenly dropping from shallow water into the depths or birds swiftly flying out of caves into the open, as if the whole world suddenly expanded.

    At that very moment, the concentration of spiritual energy around the globe burst slightly.

    The level cap for Rikoku Cultivators increased.

    Up to the Marrow Cleansing Stage.

 Chapter 1 Yan Yus Death Threat

    What''s the first thing to do after the level cap has been raised?Level rush.

    Technique certainly is a major factor affecting the strength, but the cultivation realm can determine the upper and lower limits of strength.

    Instead of betting on whether one''s technique can perform normally during real combat, of course, it''s better to raise the cultivation realm as soon as possible.

    After a hasty meal, everyone rushed back to their villa rooms to each practice their qi refinement, not caring what Xie Ruoxi was doing¡ªnot that they didn''t want to care, but because they needed to rush their cultivation at this critical moment. Even a slight advancement over the Flying Dragon Battle Team could mean an extra advantage in next week''s Mysterious Realm confrontation.

    Qi Refinement involves circulating True Yuan in the Grand Circulation; the first circulation of the day increases cultivation the fastest, then the efficiency of the second round halves, and the third and fourth rounds get progressively worse...

    That''s why cultivation has the concept of "daily lessons." You must complete the first circulation every day, try to complete the second one, and then go as you please for the rest.

    The effectiveness of the increase is also related to the cultivator''s talent. For instance, Lord Master Liu Longtao, it is said, circulates at least fifteen times a day since his talent is good. Even when the number of rounds exceeds ten, each round''s increase is still significant.

    For those with talent not as sky-defying as Lord Master, but still of average standard, they usually perform seven to eight circulations. After that, there''s hardly any increase, and it feels like a waste of time to continue practicing.

    Of course, the main thing is the level cap. As long as everyone''s talent isn''t too bad, they will eventually reach the current full level of the realm, no matter how slow the cultivation is, without creating a long-term gap¡ªunless there''s a confrontation next week.

    Xie Ruoxi suddenly found herself free of supervision and naturally enjoyed her leisure. After gaming for half the day in the study, she suddenly heard the doorbell ring from downstairs.

    She went downstairs to open the door and found that Instructor Qi had arrived.

    "Foundation Establishment Pill." Qi Changping took out a bottle. "There are six pills in total; call Yan Yu down to sign for them."

    Xie Ruoxi subconsciously didn''t want to look for Yan Yu and asked,

    "Can''t I just leave it in the living room? He''s cultivating right now, and I don''t want to disturb him."

    "Hmm." Qi Changping appraised her with his gaze, then suddenly frowned. "Why aren''t you cultivating?"

    "I..." Xie Ruoxi prolonged her voice as she quickly concocted an excuse, "I was just about to cultivate, but Yan Yu asked me to wait here for you, Instructor, to deliver this... Foundation Establishment Pill."

    "Fine then." Qi Changping handed her the bottle. "There''s one Elixir Medicine in there for you. Remember not to take it yet; finish your daily lessons first, otherwise it would be a waste."

    "Oh, okay." Xie Ruoxi accepted the bottle and, after seeing Qi Changping off and closing the door, threw the bottle onto the sofa, planning to continue playing games upstairs¡ªas a result, the bottle was caught by Yan Yu, who had suddenly appeared behind her.

    "Do you know what this is?" Yan Yu asked with a smile.

    Although he smiled warmly, Xie Ruoxi felt caught red-handed and turned pale as she stuttered,

    "Uh, this is..."

    "This is called a Foundation Establishment Pill." Yan Yu continued in a genial tone. "The total monthly production for the whole country might be just a few hundred pills, sought after by many cultivators; an absolute treasure. If those non-official cultivators found out you had this thing, they would come to kill you for it, or kidnap your family..."

    "I was wrong." Xie Ruoxi promptly admitted her fault, "I''m sorry, I''ll go cultivate right away."

    She knelt down so quickly that even Yan Yu was slightly taken aback.

    After all, the two girls who usually got scolded by him, Zhao Yuanzhen had always been the "I''m wrong but won''t admit it" type, and Chen Lingyun played the "I don''t know what mistake" fool. Now, encountering Xie Ruoxi, who was willing to readily admit her fault, her attitude appeared much more sincere compared to the other two...

    Stop! Don''t be fooled by her, this pretty waste is most skilled at giving up. She''s been lectured and says she''ll turn over a new leaf, but be careful or she might find it boring again once back in her bedroom and start slacking off!

    "Come with me." Yan Yu''s smile faded, he said sternly.

    Xie Ruoxi followed him upstairs with trepidation, watching as he distributed the Foundation Establishment Pills to the other girls, before returning to the bedroom.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was meditating on the bed and when she saw Xie Ruoxi follow him in, her eyes widened in surprise.

    Xie Ruoxi was also dumbfounded: Damn, why is Sister Zhao in your room?

    "You¡­" Zhao Yuanzhen had just uttered a word when Yan Yu abruptly interrupted her:

    "What do you think of Ruoxi''s talent?"

    What do I think of her talent? It''s one in a million, of course!

    Truth be told, even without any real proof, Zhao Yuanzhen suspected Xie Ruoxi''s cultivation talent might be the once-in-ten-thousand-years "Bright Dao Heart":

    It is said that these peerless talents not only cultivate extremely quickly but also learn any Spell at a glance and understand them with a single point... But seeing Xie Ruoxi''s disheartening attitude, it was difficult to associate her with "Bright Dao Heart."

    Wait, why is this sneak asking me this?

    Zhao Yuanzhen paused for a moment, a disbelieving idea emerging in her mind:

    Could it be because he finds my talent inadequate, he wants to switch to dual cultivation with Xie Ruoxi?

    As this idea crossed her mind, it was like she could hear that detestable voice of a petty thief echoing in her head:

    Hehehe! A good servant chooses their master well, a wise bird selects the tree it perches on. Now that I have the help of Immortal Venerate Xie in my cultivation, you are of no use to me! Quickly pack your things and roll out of my cave abode!

    Zhao Yuanzhen stood dumbfounded, a tear glistening down the corner of her eye, when she suddenly exclaimed:

    "Even a wife from humble beginnings should not be abandoned with such ease. If you wish to sever our ties just because my talents don''t match hers, I will not let you off even if I turn into a demon!"

    No sooner had she finished speaking than she received a slap on the head from Yan Yu:

    "Dammit, what''s with this wild imagination! I called her over because her talent is so great, it would be a waste if she slacked off alone. That''s why I need to watch over her and make sure she cultivates properly!"

    Only then did Zhao Yuanzhen realize she had caused a huge misunderstanding. Her eyes still wet with tears, yet she couldn''t help but start to laugh, not even bothering to wipe her face and compose herself from the sadness, but instead just held onto Yan Yu''s arm and giggled foolishly:

    "You''re right, I was foolish. Hey! Since sister Ruoxi is so exceptionally talented, why not have her do the String-Pulling Ring with her?"

    The String-Pulling Ring is a modified version in the Qi Refinement chapter of "Silken Bond Technique".

    The original version involved two people cultivating together, with the speed of Qi refinement based on the talent of the most gifted. Later, because practitioners in the Demonic Sect didn''t want to cultivate with a partner, it was modified to ''using a puppet partner'' and thus called ''String-Pulling Ring''.

    In simple terms, it means cultivating with a puppet, allowing the puppet to unilaterally replenish the cultivator''s own Qi. The more precious materials and higher the grade on the puppet''s body, the more efficient the Qi refinement assistance.

    When Zhao Yuanzhen said she "wanted to do the String-Pulling Ring with Xie Ruoxi," it meant using Xie Ruoxi as a puppet, utilizing her exceptional talents to refine Qi, thereby increasing the speed of Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen''s cultivation.

    This wouldn''t actually harm her, but of course, there would be no benefits either, as the True Yuan refined would be a windfall for others, akin to modern-day training through others'' efforts...

    But Yan Yu could also guess why Zhao Yuanzhen would make such a suggestion, simply feeling that since Xie Ruoxi herself doesn''t want to upgrade, it''s better to let them upgrade using her daily practice experience that would otherwise go to waste.

    Such a wicked Demonic Sect Enchantress! Using a living person as a Qi refinement puppet, allowing her to toil away at cultivation for others for free. Even having lived two lives as a human, I couldn''t conceive of such an evil tactic!

    Yan Yu was about to speak out against it when he heard Xie Ruoxi, out of curiosity, ask:

    "What is the String-Pulling Ring?"

    "It''s simple." Zhao Yuanzhen laughed hehe, the smile so pure and innocent, without a hint of evil, "You just have to sit beside me and let me connect you with a spell, then you can cultivate. You don''t have to do anything, you can even play on your phone."

    Just sitting and I can cultivate? Is there such a good thing?

    "Count me in for the String-Pulling Ring!" Xie Ruoxi called out immediately.

    "Count your head!" Yan Yu slapped her again, "Go sit on the bed and practice Qi Refinement with deep breathing! If I don''t get up, you don''t move!"

    Even though the slap on her hard forehead wasn''t painful, Xie Ruoxi still imagined herself reeling with dizziness and automatically sat down at the edge of the bed.

    Forget it, he is the tyrannical Immortal Venerate, and I can''t defy him. I''ll just diligently cultivate my Qi!

    After taking off her shoes at the bedside, Xie Ruoxi silently crossed her feet, draped in white socks, into the lotus position, adopting the Five Hearts Facing the Sky posture. Along with Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen, she began to practice Qi Refinement in the Grand Circulation.

    So boring...

    Older online novels always liked to write that Qi Refinement led to euphoria, but only those who have really cultivated know how boring it is.

    How to describe it? It''s like using one''s willpower to control a stream of Qi flowing through the meridians, then rotating over and over again, and that''s all there is to it... just rotating over and over.

    After completing the first Grand Circulation, Xie Ruoxi couldn''t sit still anymore, and opened her eyes to speak:

    "I''m thirsty, I''m going to get some water. Would you like some?"

    "No way, hold it!" Yan Yu, still pressing palms against Zhao Yuanzhen with eyes closed, merely said coldly, "I''m not done yet, and you''re not allowed to stop either!"

    Xie Ruoxi had no choice but to continue practicing Qi, and after completing the second Grand Circulation, she again opened her eyes and tentatively said:

    "I need to go to the bathroom..."

    "Hold it in!"

    "I can''t hold it anymore!"

    "If you can''t hold it, then just wet the bed!" S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Xie Ruoxi''s eyelids twitched as she thought to herself that this Yan Yu is really impervious! What if I really need to go to the bathroom? Do you actually expect me to wet your bed... Ew, that''s so disgusting, I better not continue that thought.

    Well, how about pretending to suffer from Qi deviation and going mad?

    She began to rack her brains, recalling how her female classmates in high school had demonstrated their acting skills to skip physical education classes, when suddenly she heard Yan Yu say:

    "If you don''t focus on cultivating your Qi properly, I''ll change all the passwords for your phone and computer, and you won''t be able to go online for the entire day."

    Xie Ruoxi''s pretty face immediately turned pale with shock: What? You want to kill me!

 Chapter 2 Chen Lingyuns Three Ingenious Plans

    Having completed their daily cultivation practice, each person then took a Foundation Establishment Pill, which dissolved in their stomachs, and the tremendous Spiritual Energy instantly spread to their limbs and bones.Continue Qi Refinement! Refine fiercely!

    Xie Ruoxi felt like crying but had no tears, thinking that she wasn''t against staying up late, but wasn''t this overnight cultivation a bit too much like overworking a horse?

    Even if it was staying up all night grinding in a mobile game, although it was at the cost of her health, at least she had fun!

    Breathing and refining Qi... Such tedious and dull affairs were far from interesting, just like an old donkey going round and round in circles. How on earth could you all keep at it for so long?

    But Yan Yu didn''t call a halt, and she didn''t dare to get off the bed on her own, so she just sat there, going through the Grand Circulation over and over again, secretly thinking that when she read CEO novels, she thought the domineering male lead was so handsome and awesome, but reality wasn''t like that at all.

    How annoying! Can''t you respect my personal wishes?

    It was around five in the morning when Yan Yu finally slowly opened her eyes and temporarily stopped the cultivation.

    The mighty medicinal power of the Foundation Establishment Pill had been initially refined through the primary channels of the twelve regular meridians. There was still a small part scattered in the Eight Extraordinary Meridians that needed the persistent effort of water polishing to be fully absorbed.

    Zhao Yuanzhen got out of bed with slippers on and went to the bathroom to wash his face. Yan Yu turned her head to look at Xie Ruoxi and saw that she was sitting cross-legged without moving. Divine Sense over her revealed that the Grand Circulation was functioning, and her True Yuan was flowing ceaselessly; there was no slacking off.

    Huh, how does this pretty waste have such determination? Wait, let me look again...

    Yan Yu scanned again with her Divine Sense and was instantly shocked:

    What the fuck, she''s asleep!

    Could this be the legendary cultivation in dreams?!

    Yan Yu was immediately astounded and didn''t dare to interrupt her meditative state, carefully getting out of bed.

    "Yan Yu." Zhao Yuanzhen poked her head out from the bathroom, "Can''t squeeze any toothpaste out..."

    Before she could finish, Yan Yu covered her mouth.

    After communicating secretly, the two of them tiptoed to the bed, gazing at Xie Ruoxi on the bed with the reverence one might have for an Immortal Venerate, then exchanged glances.

    "Have you seen this before?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked via secret transmission.

    "No, have you?" Yan Yu thought to herself that in her two lifetimes, she had never seen sleep cultivation, truly a prodigy.

    "I''ve heard that in ancient times, there was a true person who could do it," Zhao Yuanzhen composed herself and said, "He cultivated in Mount Shaohua, each time sleeping for three to five months, breathing and refining Qi day and night without stop."

    "That must be a special Qi Refinement technique!" Yan Yu transmitted back, "This must be achieved simply by her talent."

    "Well, I don''t know about that," Zhao Yuanzhen hesitated for a moment before suddenly saying, "Didn''t your master... mention her?"

    "Are you joking?" Yan Yu countered, "If it weren''t for his old man''s instruction, why would I go to the trouble of bringing a girl from out of town here?"

    "Oh, right," Zhao Yuanzhen thought indeed. After all, Xie Ruoxi had absolutely no prior experience in cultivation. It could only have been that powerful individual who was adept in divination who could foresee her unparalleled talent in this area.

    Master, oh, master, as Yan Yu''s Dao companion, I have always been faithful to your disciple and never harbored a second thought. Since you, old man, calculate even the smallest details, please arrange some fortune for me in the future as well, Miyuan here thanks you in advance.

    "Yan Yu, are you done..." Lin Ning''s knock came from outside, quickly pulled in by Yan Yu.

    And so, the group observing Xie Immortal Venerate''s cultivation beside the bed grew to three.

    "Can this way of cultivation be effective?" Lin Ning scanned Xie Ruoxi''s body with Divine Sense and felt a tingle on her scalp, "Isn''t it said that after a dozen or so Grand Circulations, the increase in True Yuan is minimal?"

    "But what if one cultivates for several hours in a row?" Yan Yu said meaningfully, "What about half a day? An entire day? Even if the efficiency of each round drops to one percent of the usual daily increase, if she unknowingly performs a hundred Grand Circulations, doesn''t she still gain a day''s worth of cultivation more than you?"

    Lin Ning was at a loss for words. Automatic practice problems in one''s dreams, efficiency aside, the key was fully utilizing the long hours of sleep, a terrifying realm that problem solvers dared not even imagine.

    "I''ll let Yun Jin and Ling Yun know," she said while taking out her phone, "so they keep quiet when they come later, to avoid interrupting Ruoxi''s cultivation."

    Soon, the entire Zhenhai Team gathered in Yan Yu''s bedroom.

    "Why is she in your room?" Su Yunjin asked via secret transmission.

    "In her own room, do you think she''d willingly cultivate?" Yan Yu retorted.

    "Let her come to my room next time," Su Yunjin continued, "After all, she''s a girl, it''s not good for you to keep her locked in a room like this."

    Secretary Su did have a point, and Yan Yu didn''t want to keep an eye on this pretty waste all the time, the more she saw her lazy, salted fish attitude, the angrier she got. She responded via transmission:

    "Okay, then you will be in charge of her daily practice from now on."

    Seeing that Xie Ruoxi had not yet awakened, everyone went downstairs to the living room to have breakfast first, rest for a moment, and then resume their cultivation after resetting their mental state.

    Chen Lingyun went to grind coffee beans, while Lin Ning headed to the kitchen to make breakfast for everyone. Zhao Yuanzhen sat on the sofa with snacks, starting to prep her stomach for breakfast, and Su Yunjin swept the floor, tapping Yan Yu''s foot:

    "Lift your shoes."

    "Stop sweeping." Yan Yu said exasperatedly, "I just had the cleaner come yesterday to clean up, the floor isn''t dirty at all."

    Su Yunjin tilted her head, and Yan Yu followed her gaze, only to see Zhao Yuanzhen''s eyes glued to her phone while she nonchalantly ate chips, crumbs crackling as they fell to the ground.

    Yan Yu''s anger flared up instantly, and he snatched away her chips, saying angrily:

    "Dare to snack before a meal? If you gain weight and slow down because of that, I''ll make you go hungry for three days!"

    "How could I get fat when I''m a cultivator!" Zhao Yuanzhen, driven by her food-guarding instincts, immediately tackled him to take back her chips, but because of her size, she ended up pressing right onto Yan Yu''s face. The chips in his hand also fell to the floor with a smack, scattering everywhere.

    Su Yunjin, still holding the broom, silently watched the added mess on the floor to sweep, Yan Yu being almost suffocated with his face covered, and Zhao Yuanzhen''s desperate gaze fixed on the chips on the floor. Suddenly, she displayed a skin-crawling, faux-warm smile that was anything but comforting and instructed:

    "Clean it up."

    "Oh, okay." Zhao Yuanzhen got up conscientiously, took the broom from Su Yunjin''s hand, and obediently started to sweep.

    Yan Yu was also taken aback. The fearsome Demonic Sect Enchantress, who even a powerhouse like me had to keep in check with constant reminders, was subdued by a mere sentence from Su Yunjin?

    "Why must the captain pick on Sister Zhao?" Su Yunjin looked at Yan Yu, her face still holding a polite smile, and asked in a calm demeanor, "Is it because you have nothing else to do at home?"

    "I¡­" Yan Yu slowly stood up, "I''ll go help Lin Ning cook."

    It wasn''t that he was scared of her seemingly explosive demeanor; he just thought it wasn''t right for Lin Ning to be busy in the kitchen by herself, so he decided to help her.

    After Chen Lingyun finished making the coffee, she came back with a cup in her hand, only to see Yan Yu and Lin Ning busy in the kitchen, Zhao Yuanzhen sweeping the floor earnestly, and Su Yunjin wiping the furniture, her expression unassuming, but the aura she emanated seemed to freeze the air around her.

    "Why be angry?" Chen Lingyun chimed leisurely.

    "I''m not angry," replied Su Yunjin.

    "Then give me a smile," Chen Lingyun teased her.

    Su Yunjin sighed, finally showing a somewhat melancholic expression and said weakly:

    "Stop worrying about me."

    "Mm-hmm." Chen Lingyun smiled gleefully, "I think some things, instead of keeping them bottled up, it''s better to speak them out."

    "How so?" Su Yunjin murmured despondently, "Am I worthy?"

    "Haha." Chen Lingyun laughed, some mockery in her smile, "Worthy or not, who gets to decide? Him? Why should he?"

    "Not for any reason." Su Yunjin lowered her eyelids, "It''s just that I care."

    "Then you''re really asking for trouble."

    "That''s why I said stop worrying about me," Su Yunjin uttered somberly. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Alright." Chen Lingyun, holding her coffee cup, walked a circle around her, as if savoring her fragile and gaunt demeanor.

    After she leisurely appreciated it, she spoke with a smile:

    "Even so, there are ways around it."

    "Like what?" Su Yunjin looked up in surprise.

    "Yan Yu''s behavior is actually quite easy to understand." Chen Lingyun put out a finger, playfully wagging it, "If you attack, he will defend staunchly."

    "Reverse the thought process, if you don''t want to be forcefully rebuffed, then don''t truly launch an attack."

    "You mean¡­" Su Yunjin, sharp as ever, began to look contemplative, feeling as though she had grasped some sort of thread.

    "First keyword: Salami Tactics," Chen Lingyun said with a sweet smile, "slice by slice strategy."

    "Second keyword: Genghis Khan, Mangudai Tactics."

    "Third keyword: Foot In The Door Effect, the doorstep effect."

    "Hmm." Su Yunjin pondered, "I''ll think about it."

    "You''re so smart, Yun Jin, you''ll definitely be able to come up with a methodology to deal with him." Chen Lingyun said with a smile, glanced at Yan Yu who was flipping eggs in the kitchen, and added, "You might not beat him on the battlefield, but in certain matters..."

    "...We girls are the ones with the upper hand."

 Chapter 3 Youre always just thinking about yourself

    ```As Xie Ruoxi dozed in and out of sleep, in her groggy state, she completely refined the power of the Foundation Establishment Pill within her body.

    She went through over two hundred Grand Circulations until her capacity for growth stalled completely, and her consciousness slowly resurfaced from slumber, gradually waking up.

    Upon awakening from a deep sleep, her whole body felt sore. She stretched lazily in bed before getting up in a daze to put on her slippers, intending to go to the bathroom to freshen up.

    Huh? Where am I?

    After a moment of confusion, she finally remembered that she had been dragged into the bedroom by the domineering male lead and coerced into cultivating.

    Like a startled rabbit, Xie Ruoxi''s small head turned left and right rapidly, scanning the entire room.

    No one.

    No one hiding around.

    And no one in the bathroom either.

    So that means Yan Yu isn''t here?

    He escaped! He escaped, he escaped, he escaped, he escaped, he escaped, he escaped, he escaped, he escaped!

    Without any hesitation, Xie Ruoxi quickly dashed to the window and flung it open.

    Yikes, the second floor is so high! Jumping down would break bones, right?

    But no matter, I just learned the Cloud Ascension Technique!

    Meanwhile, in the living room, everyone was gathered around the table eating dinner¡ªthe small outbreak of Spiritual Energy had occurred the evening before last, making it already a full two days.

    "Ruoxi has been cultivating non-stop for 48 hours without even taking a sip of water. This won''t cause any problems, will it?" Su Yunjin asked worriedly.

    "No," Yan Yu picked food for himself, "Performing Grand Circulations causes saliva to generate under the jaw. It''s okay not to eat or drink for several days. If one later trains in the Fasting technique, then there is really no need for eating or drinking at all."

    Of course, not needing to eat or drink doesn''t mean one can''t eat or drink. For example, Zhao Yuanzhen, who had long mastered the Fasting technique, came to Earth where there are plenty of MSG and spices. Yet, he still indulges himself daily in feasting on lavish meals, thoroughly enjoying it.

    "Then what about these rumors for the past few days? What do you plan to do?" Lin Ning asked.

    The day before yesterday, Yan Yu burst into the comic exhibition, dunked Xie Ruoxi''s head into a Whack-a-Mole game, and was caught on the venue''s surveillance cameras.

    So a strange rumor emerged alleging that the two were in a romantic relationship. After becoming famous as Yan Zhanlong, he became enraged at his girlfriend for hooking up with Li Minghu from the Qing''an Battle Team. Ex-girlfriend threatened to expose him online, and thus Yan Zhanlong silenced her by murdering her...

    Your family uses a Whack-a-Mole game machine to commit murder?

    Nevertheless, this is still regarded as "violent behavior," so many people were happy to criticize from a moral high ground and then share the narrative, enjoying the thrill of "trampling on a cultivator''s reputation."

    Luckily, the Zhendong Army stepped in to intervene in time, blocking content where they could, so there hasn''t been a major uproar yet¡ªbut the rumors keep resurfacing, seemingly with someone circumventing the censors by changing keywords, like substituting "fling" or "pickled fish" for "Yan Yu" and the like.

    Aside from the version about Yan Zhanlong killing his girlfriend, there were other rumors, such as the one about the Flying Dragon Battle Team¡ªconsisting of one male to four females¡ªhinting at some unmentionable dirty desires of the man in charge.

    This seemed more plausible than murdering a girlfriend and thus sparked even bigger controversy, with female netizens in particular opposing it: What, female cultivators can only join a battle team by seduction? Absurd!

    "Rumors, huh? Don''t bother with them," Yan Yu said nonchalantly while eating. "We just need to focus on our own responsibilities."

    The girls exchanged looks.

    "If it were just ordinary spreading rumors, they would have been squashed already," Chen Lingyun said with a slight smile. "The reason this keeps happening despite prohibition is because someone is deliberately working against us, directly opposing the Zhendong Army from behind the scenes."

    "Who could it be?" Lin Ning asked impulsively. "The Flying Dragon Battle Team? The Dingbei Army? Or is it foreign forces?"

    Su Yunjin pondered.

    No, none of the above.

    Neither the Flying Dragon Battle Team nor the Dingbei Army had any reason to stir up such matters; after all, cultivators speak through victories on the battlefield. Foreign forces? Even less likely¡ªnot that they wouldn''t want to, but they simply can''t.

    The ones orchestrating from behind, just as Ling Yun mentioned, must be of the caliber to go head-to-head with our Zhendong Army.

    Considering Chen Lingyun''s father, Su Yunjin guessed a frightening possibility and imperceptibly shook her head.

    The captain is right. We don''t have to¡ªcan''t¡ªdeal with it.

    Focus on ourselves.

    "We have to win," she suddenly said out loud.

    Lin Ning was taken aback but then nodded vehemently:

    "Right, the best counter to the rumors is to win!"

    She stood up quickly, stretching out her hand above the table. Su Yunjin smiled slightly and also placed her hand on top.

    "Count me in," Zhao Yuanzhen, who was completely oblivious to the conversation and continued eating with his right hand¡ªhe thought being bad-mouthed was a completely normal occurrence¡ªextended his left hand and added it to the stack.

    Chen Lingyun smiled and placed her hand on top of theirs.

    The girls all turned their gaze to Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu was chewing on the meat in his mouth, but when he saw everyone looking at him, he swallowed his food, stood up, and said:

    "Looking for a sense of ceremony, huh? Come on then."

    "Can you not ruin the moment, Captain!" Lin Ning complained vehemently. "As team captain, can''t you lead by boosting our morale!"

    "Ha ha, I just think that when facing opponents like the Flying Dragon Battle Team, there''s really no need to boost morale," Yan Yu laughed and stretched out his right hand to join the others.

    "Win!" Lin Ning shouted.

    ```

    Everyone pressed down with their hands at the same time, and suddenly saw Xie Ruoxi, who was attempting the Cloud Ascension Technique, wobbling in the air before landing squarely in the middle of the courtyard outside the living room balcony.

    Lin Ning: ...

    Su Yunjin: ...

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ...

    Chen Lingyun: ...

    Ruoxi, little sister, we are in the midst of a battle ritual to boost morale here! What do you mean by doing a live demonstration of running away at the side?

    Xie Ruoxi, unaware that her escape had been clearly witnessed by the people in the living room through the balcony glass, simply landed steadily on the ground and triumphantly waved her little fist.

    Safe landing! Completely effortless!

    Next, little Ruoxi was about to escape from the demon''s lair!

    Just as she was about to hurry on, a hand suddenly draped over her shoulder.

    Xie Ruoxi turned stiffly and saw Yan Yu behind her, showing a kind squinting smile and gesturing towards the inside of the house with his thumb.

    Come, follow me back inside.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    "I wasn''t trying to escape, I just saw you all weren''t in your rooms, so I came down to look for you!" Xie Ruoxi argued.

    "Then why didn''t you take the stairs?" Su Yunjin asked gently.

    "I wanted to practice the Cloud Ascension Technique," Xie Ruoxi insisted, steeling herself.

    "You think we would believe that?" Lin Ning also helplessly held her forehead.

    Even the two who had been indulgent towards Xie Ruoxi, after her repeated attempts to escape, finally lost their temper.

    Xie Ruoxi fell silent, rolling her eyes, turning her head away, and adopting a "do with me what you will" attitude of a resigned dead fish.

    Seeing her like this, everyone suddenly had no pity: Just wait and see how Yan Yu will deal with you!

    Yan Yu expressionlessly took out his phone, dialed the number:

    "Hello, Instructor Qi..." S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Xie Ruoxi remained unmoved, thinking you can call the instructor, but that won''t do any good, if you dare, just expel me from the military academy.

    "... Yes," Yan Yu continued, "the child refuses to cultivate properly, loves to play..."

    Xie Ruoxi sneered to herself. Is it really about loving to play? Or is it that you all want me to be a beast of burden!

    "... so we must take measures..." Yan Yu said over the phone.

    Xie Ruoxi inwardly shouted: No measures will work! I am born free! Better dead than not free!

    "Check the mobile game ranking charts," Yan Yu said composedly, "then send her phone number to the top 200 gaming companies, have them all independently investigate, and if there''s any registration record of hers, immediately cancel and delete the account, and if not, add to the blacklist..."

    Before he finished speaking, something suddenly clung to his calf.

    "I''m sorry." Xie Ruoxi kneeled on the ground, looking up with teary eyes, begging pitifully, "I really realize my mistake, please don''t delete my game accounts. Please, I''ll do anything."

    Yan Yu looked down upon her as if he was looking at unrecyclable trash.

    Hmph.

    With what kind of determination do you say these words? Are just a few mobile game accounts worth the weight of your life? Do you think being a cultivator is just a regular job?

    If you can''t do something, don''t recklessly make promises.

    Beautiful trash, exactly the same as in your previous life... Always thinking of yourself.

    "Delete them all," Yan Yu said coldly.

    "No!" Xie Ruoxi''s wail echoed throughout the living room.

    On the other end of the phone, hearing the clearly female pitiful scream, Qi Changping''s hand holding the phone also shook, instinctively advising:

    "Um, Yan Yu, making the game company delete the account might be too much. Why don''t you communicate with her again? If it really doesn''t work, we can set up a timetable, specifying a maximum amount of time she can play games every day..."

    From the other end of the phone came a beep beep beep, Yan Yu had already hung up.

    Xie Ruoxi kneeled at his feet, her mouth agape in numbness, as if her soul had left her body.

    The surrounding girls were also shocked by Yan Yu''s demeanor, thinking although they had long known the captain to be ruthless, they had not expected him to land such a critical hit, knocking Xie Ruoxi to the ground.

    For a moment, they felt a sense of sympathy for her and came over one by one to make peace:

    "Alright, alright, captain, let''s leave it at that. Deleting the account is a bit too much. Give her another chance."

    Yan Yu was silent for a moment, then coldly said:

    "Go to Qi Refinement."

    Xie Ruoxi stood up like a puppet, stiffly climbed upstairs, and went to practice Qi Refinement.

 Chapter 4 Someone named Yan was defamed again

    It wasn''t until the second week that everyone finally refined about eighty to ninety percent of the Foundation Establishment Pill''s formidable medicinal power.At the same time, the rumors outside had already spiraled out of control, with a growing tendency to seal Yan Yu''s reputation once and for all.

    They were comparing the gender ratio of other teams with the Zhenhai Team, alleging that Yan someone was "establishing his harem under the name of the team" and claimed he had "barely managed to maintain his integrity and had a lapse in personal morals."

    Far from getting angry, Yan Yu actually found it somewhat amusing upon finding out.

    "Cough, don''t take this to heart." In the principal''s office, Li Weiguo tried to calm his emotions, "You''re very popular right now, so it''s normal to be talked about strangely online, after all, as the saying goes, ''Mediocrity is safe from envy.'' Look at Chen Tianming, with his status, there are still keyboard warriors online calling him the ''Jiang Hai gang leader,'' and he hasn''t made a fuss about it, has he?"

    "Were those who criticized him banned?" Yan Yu asked curiously.

    "Uh." Li Weiguo thought to himself why he was fixated on that, "They were banned, but these kinds of things are endless, so¡­"

    "It''s all good, Old Li." Yan Yu waved his hand carefreely, "No need to explain, I won''t fuss over it."

    "Why are you calling me Old Li?" Li Weiguo burst into laughter and glared, saying, "No respect for your elders!"

    "Ah, I thought you were comforting my emotions in the capacity of a senior." Yan Yu explained with a laugh, "So, I couldn''t be too distant, right?"

    "Still, don''t call me Old Li." Li Weiguo said with a smile, "Or like Chen Lingyun does, call me Grandpa Li?"

    "Sure," Yan Yu nodded, then asked, "So what about the slanderous rumors about me outside, Grandpa Li, are you going to deal with those?"

    "Sigh, rest assured, I''ll have someone handle it," Li Weiguo said seriously, putting away his smile.

    Although he said, "I''ll have someone handle it," everyone knew that sigh wasn''t for no reason, and Yan Yu, having lived two lifetimes, could clearly understand its implication. He got up with a smile and said,

    "Alright then, I''m off to prepare for the battle."

    Humming a lively tune, he left the principal''s office and saw Chen Lingyun waiting for him outside.

    "What did he say?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    "No dice," Yan Yu replied, "Your old man really knows how to make trouble. According to the hints from Old Li, those people see me as ''the son-in-law of the Jiang Hai gang leader,'' which is why they''re playing this ''pure stream'' criticism game."

    What is "pure stream" criticism? Referencing Lu Country''s ancient traditions, it involves constantly attacking someone''s "lack of personal morals" until eventually achieving "complete denial of the target"¡ªone could look to the Ming dynasty''s factional struggles for specifics.

    Even in the "enlightened" modern era, many common folk still judge public figures on a black and white moral scale. Drive economic growth but keep a mistress, corrupt official! Increase average income but accept illegal bribes, corrupt official! Lazy and unproductive but no misconduct found¡­ Okay, that''s mediocre at best, nothing much to criticize.

    "At most, they will only lower your social evaluation," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "Don''t worry, my dad won''t let anything happen to you." S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Worried? How could Yan Yu possibly be worried? Laughable, really.

    You see, as the Spiritual Energy Resurgence intensified, the influence of social evaluation on cultivators was actually diminishing. It was only because Lu Country still maintained its original order that people attempted to undermine cultivators'' reputations... targeting those willing to play within this framework.

    If genuinely pushed to the limit, I''d smash this framework to pieces. Then let''s see you badmouth me¡ªcan my Flying Sword not sever the necks of your whole family?

    Even if Chen Tianming didn''t intend to intervene, Yan Yu didn''t believe these rumors would have much impact, and he certainly didn''t trust Chen Tianming to protect him with all his might.

    Gauging Old Taishan''s nature, he would likely only ensure that Yan Yu''s courtly status remained unaffected, while his public reputation, the worse the better.

    After all, the more vicious the criticism, the more resentful Yan Yu would become toward those people, and the more inclined he would be to oppose them¡ªto stand with Old Taishan.

    You keep harping on about protecting mortals, don''t you? Now they have started to slander you. How does it feel to be betrayed? Come, stand with the Chen Family, welcome the new era for cultivators!

    Chen Lingyun carefully scrutinized Yan Yu''s face, seeing no change in his expression, she knew he must have seen through everything again, inevitably starting to feel a sense of listlessness.

    The so-called advantage of foresight... heh, it truly is like cheating.

    The two walked side by side on the school''s pathways, silent, yet everything seemed to be communicated without words.

    Passing students eyed them with gossip-hungry glances but none approached to mock them like the typical antagonists in novels¡ªafter all, even if Yan Yu actually had a harem, he was still Yan Zhanlong! No one dared to provoke him rashly.

    "Hang on, need to take a call," Yan Yu said, taking out his ringing phone to see it was a call from Lord Master.

    "Hello?"

    "Old Yan, I hear you''ve been bashed pretty badly online recently."

    "Old Liu, you dare to bring that up? I remember you were one of the people claiming I had a harem too," Yan Yu retorted.

    "Haha, indeed," Liu Longtao replied nonchalantly, "But I really don''t see a problem with having a harem. People in my circle have two or three at the same time, it''s free love, no marriage, and not illegal¡ªwho''s going to regulate that?"

    "Don''t corrupt me with the wrong ideas of the privileged class," Yan Yu stated righteously, "No matter how the outside world slanders me, my principles will absolutely not waver."

    "Hold on, don''t rush to distance yourself from us," Liu Longtao immediately laughed, "Old Yan, do you really think you are still the ordinary Joe? Do you still need to worry about cyberbullying or social judgment?"

    "From the moment you became the first cultivator of the Zhendong Army, you''ve lost any association with the phrase ''ordinary people''!"

    "Old Yan, I won''t deny I am from the privileged class, but now you and I are the same, we belong to the same circle," Liu Longtao proclaimed.

    "Stop right there!" Yan Yu cut him off, "Why start categorizing species all of a sudden? Old Liu, your method of comforting is quite unique. Alright, message received, no need to say more."

    "That''s better," Liu Longtao laughed, "Better safe than sorry, just in case you were really affected by those people, it would drag me down as well. This whole ordeal is quite annoying, let me tell you, our family didn''t enter the fray. It''s the other two families that are after you, and Chen Lingyun knows about it too."

    "Whatever," Yan Yu replied indifferently, "Whoever is behind this, in the end, time will tell. We''ll just see how it goes."

    "Exactly," Liu Longtao agreed, "While I can''t get my family to help you, I do know some of their younger generation, and I plan to visit them in the next few days to blow off some steam on your behalf."

    "No need, no need, it has nothing to do with you."

    "How can it have nothing to do with me? I already said, we''re from the same circle," Liu Longtao said, then sneered, "I''m not like that coward Chen Lingyun, who just stands by and enjoys the show when our own is bullied by outsiders. Pah! Embarrassing! We Old Pingjing can''t stand the selfishness of Jiang Hai people!"

    "That''s it, we''ll chat next time."

    After Liu Longtao hung up, Yan Yu turned to Chen Lingyun with a mocking smile,

    "Tsk, tsk, tsk, Old Liu even knows to stand up for his brothers, real camaraderie in tough times. Someone here is certainly not even worthy to hold his shoes in this regard."

    Chen Lingyun smiled but did not speak. Although the assault this time was against Yan Yu''s reputation, the real target was her father, and how could she rashly join in to help? Wasn''t that handing a knife to the adversary?

    Read exclusive chapters at empire

    As an outsider pulling strings from both sides, Liu Longtao could, of course, stir some trouble, cozying up to Yan Yu while taking the opportunity to mock her ¨C a case of speaking without repercussions.

    "So I''m selfish and self-serving then," she said after some time, putting away her faint smile, speaking seriously, "but he''s not really speaking out of righteousness either."

    "The reason those two families have entered the fray is that they don''t have any cultivators among their direct descendants; the Liu Family''s refusal to get involved, even tacitly allowing Liu Longtao to help you, is because they do have a cultivator in the family. It doesn''t mean they side with you."

    "Nonsense," Yan Yu dismissed her contemptuously, "How could I not understand such simple reasoning? Each big clan is short-sighted and selfish. Even over the issue of loosening control over cultivation, though they claim it''s to avoid ''disturbing the order of the universe,'' they surely also fear ''stepping over the bones of the nobility.'' So what?"

    "Whether it''s them or your father, even though their political stances diverge, they fundamentally both represent the arrogance of the old era, believing they can completely control the power of cultivators. Let''s just wait and see!

    Let''s see who the tide of the coming era will swallow: those who sail upon the waves, or those who dare to stand on the shore, pointing fingers without understanding the sea!"

 Chapter 5 Posing Preliminaries

    ```Although recently there have been many slanderous rumors circulating about Yan Zhanlong, Yan Yu, the man in question, held an indifferent attitude, which undoubtedly let people close to him, like Li Weiguo and others, secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

    Wait a second, is Yan Yu the only one involved?

    Let''s not even mention Xie Ruoxi for now, her treasured mobile game account that Yan Yu had cherished for many years was now firmly in his grasp. She had turned into an obedient fish, now doing whatever she was asked without having the will to entertain any other thoughts due to the rumors.

    However, as members of the "Demonic Sect Team," Lin Ning and Su Yunjin weren''t so composed.

    Upon learning of the rumors online, their anxious parents promptly called their precious only daughters to inquire whether the Zhenhai Team was really some kind of den of vice.

    "No, no, it''s not like that," Su Yunjin explained hastily on the phone to her parents, "You mustn''t jump to conclusions, one moment you say it''s not safe to stay in the team, the next you talk about unspoken rules... It''s all nonsense spread by outsiders."

    "No need to come here! Really, there''s no need, I''m fine... Yes, yes, okay, okay, that''s it, hanging up now."

    She hung up the phone exhausted and saw Lin Ning across on the sofa, speaking in a coded dialect to smooth things over with her family.

    "Explained everything?" Yan Yu casually asked as he passed by with a cup of water.

    Seeing Yan Yu''s carefree demeanor, Su Yunjin felt a sudden irritation. As the words reached her lips, a thought struck her, and she asked,

    "Didn''t your family ask you about it, captain?"

    "Nope," Yan Yu replied, "My sister handled the explanations on my parents'' side, no big deal."

    "I wish I had a sister," Su Yunjin sighed, "There''s no one at home to reassure my parents."

    "Tell your parents to have another one," Yan Yu suggested.

    "That''s impossible now, they are almost in their fifties," Su Yunjin said with a tender smile, "Or maybe Jingjing can be my sister, haha."

    Yan Yu immediately became vigilant; what was this roundabout way of saying "I want to be your family"?

    But Su Yunjin had already gotten up and went to fill her cup at the water purifier.

    "Gosh!" Lin Ning abruptly hung up the phone, displaying an "I can''t even deal with this" expression.

    "Did your family grill you too?" Yan Yu asked cheerfully.

    "It''s none of your business!" Lin Ning snapped back.

    Yan Yu: ?

    Right, your family bothering you has nothing to do with me, so why are you taking it out on me?

    Lin Ning got up and scurried upstairs with quick steps. Yan Yu stood there for a moment in confusion, then shook his head with a chuckle.

    This girl must be having her time of the month; I won''t hold it against her.

    He sat down on the sofa with his cup, swiped open the chat group on his phone, and sure enough, the cultivators were all discussing the "Demonic Sect Team" matter, given that the gossip had now gone viral.

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: Actually, based on their past performance on the battlefield, there''s no doubt that the entire Zhenhai Team possesses first-rate skills. The "Demonic Sect Team" label comes from laymen who don''t understand the professional intricacies; they only focus on gender.

    [Zhu Jun]: Makes sense. But it''s strange that the rumor has blown up this big, has the Zhendong Army been involved?

    [26]: Suggest to execute them all by firing squad.

    [26]: Punching.jpg

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Hope this doesn''t affect the preparations of the Zhenhai Team members.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: But Yan, the captain, doesn''t seem like someone who would be swayed by such trivial public opinion.

    [Fei Long Zai Tian]: Does it really matter if it affects them or not? A man slowed down by too many women can never be a good Sword Immortal.

    Yan Yu took a closer look, and indeed, the person''s profile picture was a selfie of Cai Qianlong, wearing sunglasses and looking very smug.

    [Miao Jiang maiden Tang Lingling]: Sweating soybean.jpg

    [Yun Juan Yun Shu]: Sweating soybean.jpg

    [Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang]: Sweating soybean.jpg

    [Liu Shao]: Sweating soybean.jpg

    [Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang]: Come on, let''s hear from our Capital''s Liu Shao about how to be a good Sword Immortal.

    [Liu Shao]: I''ve got nothing to say, just tag old Yan @Yi De Fu Ren.

    Yan Yu typed leisurely.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: @Fei Long Zai Tian. Cai Qianlong, right? Remember to prepare well for the upcoming nationwide broadcast.

    ```

    [Flying Dragon in the Sky]: Indeed. I''ve heard that, win or lose, you have to attend the post-match press conference. Seems like I need to start thinking about my victory speech in advance.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You could prepare drafts for both victory and defeat.

    [Flying Dragon in the Sky]: Hm, what do you mean? Isn''t this where you''re supposed to say something like, "Someone like you should just focus on explaining your defeat"?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Haha, it''s fine, you can prepare for both outcomes, and I''ll just help you with the victory speech when the time comes /Smile.jpg.

    [Liu Shao]: Sweating soybeans.jpg

    [Clouds Gathering and Scattering]: Sweating soybeans.jpg

    [Sunlight on the Pearl River]: Let''s not talk about the contest for now. I declare Yan Yu the winner of this show-off preliminaries.

    [Flying Dragon in the Sky]: Then please let me have the honor, Senior Yan, to find out whether your Flying Sword is as sharp as your tongue when the time comes.

    [Liu Shao]: Damn, when little Cai challenged me, he wasn''t nearly this polite.

    [26]: What did he say at that time?

    [Liu Shao]: "Today, I''ll take the title of Dingbei Army''s number one cultivator!"

    [Sunlight on the Pearl River]: Bust a gut laughing.jpg

    [Last Rays Beyond the Pass]: Bust a gut laughing.jpg

    Find your next adventure on empire

    As Yan Yu looked at the scrolling messages on his phone chat group, suddenly someone tapped on the back of his head from behind.

    "Where are we eating tonight?" Zhao Yuanzhen leaned on the sofa from behind (the sofa immediately deformed) and asked, poking her head around to him.

    "Where do you want to eat?" Yan Yu asked casually in return, "Don''t I still owe you several meals?"

    "I don''t really feel like going out today, eating rich foods every day gets to be too much." Zhao Yuanzhen played with her phone, "How about buying some ingredients and coming back to have hot pot at home?"

    "Then you talk to Lin Ning," said Yan Yu.

    "She''s not in a good mood," replied Zhao Yuanzhen, shaking her head, "Seems like her family is pressuring her to get married again. I heard her venting to Yun Jin as I passed by the door."

    "What''s going on with her family, pressuring her to marry right after she starts college?" Yan Yu also found it amusing.

    Still, Lin Ning''s father''s apprehension wasn''t unwarranted, considering she remained single well into her thirties in her previous life, having never experienced a first love, let alone a marriage, and staunchly refusing blind dates¡ªany father would be anxious.

    "It doesn''t have to be this way," Zhao Yuanzhen mused, "Once one embarks on the path of cultivation, one should transcend beyond the three realms and remain untouched by the mundane. How can one still be troubled by worldly matters? Even if you form a Golden Core, your lifespan would at least extend to a thousand years or more, so why the rush to marry and have children?"

    "You know nothing!" Yan Yu responded disdainfully, "You can extend your life for a thousand years, but can your dad? He wants to hold his grandson before he dies and see his lineage continue. Is that so hard to understand? Oh, sorry, I forgot you might not have a dad, so never mind."

    Angry and trembling, Zhao Yuanzhen silently clenched her teeth:

    "The scoundrel insults me for having no parents to raise me, and although it''s true, it''s unbearable! How can I reach a clear state of mind if I don''t avenge this? I''ll remember this. One day when I attain the great Dao, I will kidnap this scoundrel''s parents and ask them who it is that has no parents!"

    With this thought, an image formed in her mind:

    Inside her own cave abode, she pictured Yan Yu''s captured father making tea for her, his mother cooking meals, and his sister giving her massages. When Yan Yu finally found this place and walked in, he would see his whole family fawning over his dao companion, unable to contain his anger and about to berate them, only to be ordered by his father: sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "What are you doing standing at the doorway! Is your leg broken? Hurry up and come serve your wife!"

    Hating this, Yan Yu would be helpless, filial piety being paramount. He would swallow his pride, meekly respond with a "Yes, Father," and then come over to flatter and serve her. At that moment, she would kick off her slippers and rest her silk-stockinged feet atop his shoulders, cruelly playing with him in full view of his family...

    Hehe~

    Immersed in her delightful fantasy, Zhao Yuanzhen''s smile grew increasingly silly and cute.

    Yan Yu, utterly confused, watched her and thought that the Demonic Sect Enchantress''s brain circuits had malfunctioned again. Just as he was about to snap her out of it, his phone on the coffee table rang.

    It was from Qi Changping.

    Instructor Qi wouldn''t call unless it was important, and if he was calling, something big was up. Yan Yu picked up and switched to speakerphone to hear Qi say:

    "Yan Yu, the Mysterious Realm contest was initially set for Thursday, but it''s been moved to Wednesday. You guys should head to the airport tomorrow at 9 a.m. There will be a pre-contest press interview in Sanjin in the afternoon, not an exclusive one. You can pick someone to represent the team and answer the journalists'' questions, but the whole team must attend. Rest well in the evening.

    We''ll enter the Mysterious Realm at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, and the Dingbei Army will pick you up at 9 a.m."

    "Mm," Yan Yu pondered for a moment, "As for the pre-contest press interview, nobody will be inconsiderate enough to ask me some embarrassing questions, right?"

    "If there are questions you''re uncomfortable answering, the Dingbei Army''s host will help you skip over them," Qi Changping replied softly, "But just to be safe, you could also prepare some standardized, bureaucratic responses to brush off any issues."

    "I understand," Yan Yu said, "Military secrets, no comment... that''s the way to go, right?"

    "Not exactly, what I meant was..." Qi Changping fell silent for a moment, then continued, "Never mind, it probably won''t matter. Just answer in your own style."

    Let him show off then! If things come to worst, I''ll just have the online reviewers work overtime on the day and compete with the trolls in setting the narrative.

 Chapter 6 We Must Properly Mock Old Yan

    Tomorrow, September 11th, the first national cultivator simulation battle will take place in the Ancient City Secret Realm located northwest of Gaodu County in Sanjin Province. The event will be officially broadcast live in its entirety.The domestic TV live broadcast will be through Central Channel 5, and the internet broadcasting rights have been auctioned to Shi Xun for 600 million RMB (for all mysterious realm battle competitions scheduled from September to December this year). The audio broadcasting rights went to Zh¨±m¨´l¨£m¨£ Company.

    As for the overseas broadcasting rights, it is said that the Court Ministry of Commerce has been communicating with several major foreign platforms for a long time. The most hopeful is Miti Netflix, which already handles the livestreaming of superheroes. They have ready-made technology and equipment and have offered up to 1.4 billion US dollars per year.

    However, Netflix wants to snap up the global broadcasting rights for three years straight (2023, 2024, and 2025 for all countries except Lu Country), while the Ministry of Commerce is only willing to sell the remaining four months of this year. Therefore, it''s said that the two sides have been haggling back and forth for quite a while.

    Rumors are that the "Kyoto Communications" of Heavy Sakura also intends to enter the bidding competition. As a financial tycoon, they have always been known to flaunt their wealth. Hence, the Ministry of Commerce has been quite confident, adopting an arrogant attitude of "if you don''t buy it, others will; if worse comes to worst, I simply won''t sell."

    Crazy!

    Who would''ve thought that our Rikoku cultivators are so formidable? With the Battle of the Three Islands as a precedent, the entire world knows that Rikoku cultivators are more awesome than superheroes. The immense anticipated traffic is just sitting there ¡ª surely we won''t lack buyers!

    This year''s price is set, but next year''s will be different!

    Of course, since the Ministry of Commerce hasn''t officially secured a deal yet, domestically we haven''t started the "far ahead" promotions.

    The current hot discussion is mainly about which team has a better chance of winning between the Zhenghai Team and the Flying Dragon Battle Team.

    The fans supporting the Flying Dragon Battle Team have listed the following points:

    First, this event is Dingbei Army''s home ground, so the Flying Dragon Battle Team definitely has an advantage. Although ostensibly the simulation battle is fair to both parties, "cheating is a traditional part of the Three Powers Championship," and "when you play on Hogwarts'' turf, do we even need to say who the professors will help?"

    Second, the Flying Dragon Battle Team was established only four months later than the Zhenghai Team. Even if there''s a difference in strength, it''s not going to be so vast as to be crushing.

    Third, the Zhenghai Team has a lot of negative public sentiment recently, which could likely translate into psychological pressure for the cultivators on the team. They may not perform steadily, and just one mistake could lead to a resounding defeat and loss.

    In summary: In terms of geographical advantage, timing, and harmony among people, the Flying Dragon Battle Team either has a significant advantage or at least no serious disadvantage, making their chances of winning seem very strong.

    The fans of the Zhenghai Team, however, responded to each of these points:

    First, no matter how much your Flying Dragon Battle Team cheats, can you slay a dragon? Yan Yu has slain a Flood Dragon before!

    Second, you acknowledge that you were established four months later? When Yan Zhanlong became famous after the battle in the South Sea, your team was still playing house at school!

    Third, talking about psychological pressure, when the "Flying Dragon Battle Team" faces "Yan Zhanlong," won''t they feel extreme pressure?

    In summary: We want to see Yan Zhanlong crush the opponent!

    The Zhenghai Team fans refuted the aforementioned points one by one. The Flying Dragon Battle Team fans then countered their refutations one by one again. Thus, the quarrel quickly spread to every forum, leading to a level of hype that it probably didn''t deserve.

    In a bathing house somewhere in Shengjing, Liu Longtao, Ai Lu, Guo Feiyun, and Yang Linhui, four guys, had just finished being scrubbed by the masseur and were now soaking in the pool, playing with their phones.

    "You kidding?" Guo Feiyun couldn''t help laughing as he looked at his phone, "Are there really that many fans of the Flying Dragon Battle Team? I can''t imagine Cai Qianlong''s team ever being a match for Yan Yu!"

    "They simply don''t understand cultivators," Ai Lu scoffed, "It''s like outsiders trying to understand insiders, pure guessing."

    "You guys just don''t get it," Yang Linhui retorted, "Just check the IP of the fans. Those supporting the Flying Dragon Team are mostly from the provinces of North China and Northeast."

    Surprisingly enough, they were right.

    Since every battle team is affiliated with one of the four regional armies in the Southeast, Northwest, and Northeast, they naturally carry a regional attribute. Take a resident of Pingjing for example. If you ask him whether he supports the Dingbei''s Lord Master Liu Longtao or Zhendong''s Princess Jiang Hai Chen Lingyun, his choice would be obvious.

    "Enough bickering," Liu Longtao suddenly said, "I''m going to call Old Yan and mock him."

    The other three immediately shut up, pricking up their ears, ready to listen to an anticipated performance of comedic banter.

    On the plane, Yan Yu was listening to Chen Lingyun report on the Flying Dragon Battle Team along with the rest of the girls.

    There wasn''t much important information as it was a relatively new team, and the more formidable players had already been chosen by Lord Master Liu Longtao beforehand.

    Cai Qianlong himself was quite capable as a Sword Immortal, although sometimes his way of talking was arrogant and sometimes just offbeat.

    As for his four teammates... it was hard to see anything special about them. At most, Yan Yu had three comments to offer about them: "Solid foundation," "Infinite potential," and "Bright future."

    Ah, there''s a call from Lord Master. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu stepped outside to answer the phone and said without any niceties:

    "Don''t call me when I''m on the airplane, okay? What if there''s a problem? Will you take responsibility?"

    "Hey, old Yan." Liu Longtao laughed heartily, "With our military aircraft technology, who''s still afraid of passengers making calls? Here''s the thing, I''ve seen some heated debates online recently and wanted to remind you not to feel too much pressure. The team led by Cai Qianlong, they''re actually not that tough to beat!"

    "Oh?" Yan Yu asked with surprise, "But I heard him say that although he lost the one-on-one to you last time, it was basically even throughout, and he only narrowly lost the game to you in the end."

    Liu Longtao: ????????

    No way, I was holding back the entire time to spare him some dignity, to see how capable he was! How did it become "basically even throughout" when it came out of his mouth? Were there not loads of classmates watching? Cai, aren''t you ashamed of padding your resume like this?

    Lord Master instinctively felt something was off. But after thinking it over carefully, it seemed to him that Cai Qianlong indeed had this kind of oddball temperament, and a few days ago he had indeed heard about him calling Yan Yu...

    Damn it, if he really said that, wouldn''t that just crack Yan Yu up!

    "Old Yan, you didn''t actually believe him, did you?" he asked tentatively.

    "Why wouldn''t I believe him?" Yan Yu replied, feigning cluelessness, "He''s so cocky when he talks in the group chat, you saw it too. If he didn''t nearly fight you to a draw, where would he get the confidence to talk like that?"

    "No, I¡­" Liu Longtao was so amused he almost wanted to laugh, trying to explain patiently, "Think about it, old Yan. If little Cai were really that strong, wouldn''t my Dragon Soar Team have made a place for him back then? I was intentionally going easy on him last time!"

    "Old Liu, no need to explain, I get it," Yan Yu comforted him, "It''s okay. Winning or losing a one-on-one doesn''t mean much, the real key is the team''s strength and coordination."

    Continue reading at empire

    "Old Yan." Liu Longtao felt a bit upset, "You''re being unfair. Don''t you trust in my skills?"

    "Of course, I trust your skills." Yan Yu replied earnestly, "The problem is I don''t know about Cai Qianlong''s strength!"

    "How could you not know?" Liu Longtao was suddenly anxious, raising his voice, "Tell me, what''s his surname?"

    "Cai?"

    "Lousy!"

    "Old Liu, calm down. That''s a bit too broad-brushed; you can''t just say things like that." Yan Yu quickly interrupted him.

    "I''m not attacking all people surnamed Cai, I''m saying Cai Qianlong himself is lousy." Liu Longtao calmed down and explained, "If you were up against him, you''d throw him down with a few slaps. What''s this about breaking even with me? He''s talking nonsense, isn''t he!"

    "Hmm." Yan Yu fell silent, "I''ll see for myself then."

    "Come on, don''t wait until you see for yourself," Liu Longtao was getting a bit frantic seeing Yan Yu seemingly still unconvinced, "You''ll know when you play tomorrow, do I need to lie to you about this? I''ll put it this way, right now he''s at the same level as that Lin Ning in your team, get it? Lin Ning!"

    Perhaps because Lord Master''s voice was loud, Lin Ning''s voice came from behind Yan Yu:

    "Who''s calling me? Yan Yu?"

    "Didn''t call you," Yan Yu turned around to manage the situation, "We''re discussing units of measurement here."

    Lin Ning: ?

    Yan Yu turned back and continued to ask:

    "How many Nings?"

    "How many Nings can there be?" Liu Longtao was simply speechless, responding coldly, "It fluctuates between 0.9 Ning to 1.1 Ning!"

    "Seems like he is a bit lousy," Yan Yu pretended to be somewhat skeptical, "So, what did you do when you fought against one Ning?"

    "Isn''t it because he talked big?" Liu Longtao said scornfully, "He came at me with ''The number one cultivator of Dingbei Army is going to be replaced.'' If I didn''t play with him a little longer, where would I put my face?"

    "Got it, okay." Yan Yu said, "Thanks for the intel, I''ve got to go now, hanging up."

    After Liu Longtao hung up the phone, he let out a long sigh of relief, his peripheral vision suddenly catching that the other three teammates were all silently grinning and laughing quietly.

    But when his gaze swept over them, their smiles vanished instantly, and they began to study the patterns on the floor of the bathhouse tiles with earnest seriousness.

 Chapter 7 Smear Thoroughly, Whitewash Fiercely

    "...So, what do you all think?" Chen Lingyun finished explaining all the intelligence and asked with a smile.The girls exchanged glances.

    Although Chen Lingyun did not come to a direct conclusion, everyone was smart enough to infer that the intelligence pointed to the conclusion that aside from Cai Qianlong, the other four members of the Flying Dragon Battle Team were "of ordinary cultivator standards".

    "In other words," Lin Ning said bluntly, "if we can tie down Cai Qianlong with one person, and quickly take care of the other four, we could directly secure our victory."

    "But Cai Qianlong should also be able to see this point," Su Yunjin, who had a cautious personality, speculated, "He will probably set traps for this. The question is, what kind of traps?"

    "Let Yan Yu go one-on-one with Cai Qianlong, no matter what traps he has, just smash them all," Zhao Yuanzhen said nonchalantly.

    Chen Lingyun smiled as she listened to everyone''s opinions and finally turned her gaze to Xie Ruoxi, who was sitting in the corner.

    The rest of the girls followed her gaze.

    Xie Ruoxi sat alone at the back, her petite body clutching the huge Tianyuan Qi Sword, giving her the appearance of a character from a 2D mobile game (girl + greatsword).

    As everyone''s gazes turned to her, she suddenly snapped out of her daze and said:

    "Ah? With Yan Zhanlong''s strength, couldn''t he just steamroll over them?"

    Everyone was speechless. This kid had been thoroughly handled by Yan Yu just a few days ago, yet she was still his unabashed fan. Her approval didn''t seem to drop; it probably crystallized already.

    "Exactly," Yan Yu, who had just finished a phone call, returned to the middle of the group and said, "We need to anticipate what tactics they will use, but don''t put too much pressure on ourselves."

    "Even if our predictions are wrong, with our current raw strength, just steamrolling them at that time will do."

    As he said this, the girls really relaxed, began to chat and laugh.

    Chen Lingyun observed everyone''s expressions and understood that although they hadn''t said it outright, they still felt pressure inside¡ªnot from the Flying Dragon Battle Team, but from external public opinion from all walks of society. Find adventures at empire

    Many people outside were calling Zhenhai Team the "Harem Team," and naturally, everyone wanted to prove they were not just "harem vases," hence the urgency to "win at all costs."

    However, Yan Yu was indeed right. As long as the Flying Dragon Battle Team didn''t resort to dirty tricks, their chances of winning were actually very slim.

    Reversing the thought process, if the other side wanted the Flying Dragon Battle Team to win, then they would inevitably have to employ underhanded tactics...

    Chen Lingyun took out her phone unobtrusively and began to send messages.

    The charter plane arrived at Taihang Mountain Airport at noon, and as soon as the team members disembarked, they saw media teams outside, fiercely snapping photos with their cameras.

    Of course, doing interviews at the airport was out of the question. The reporters were pressing the shutter so madly mainly to get the most eye-catching photo for the "Zhenhai Team Arrives in Sanjin Province" newsflash.

    This showdown between the Zhenhai Team and the Flying Dragon Battle Team was touted as a national event, with the entire country watching; even a mundane news brief like "team''s arrival" could garner a ton of traffic!

    Meanwhile, under the almost boiling public opinion of the whole society, invisible undercurrents were also surging.

    At 11:24 AM, the official Weibo account of "The Daily" published an article titled "Who Will Supervise the Battle Team Captain?" claiming that currently, the appointment of internal personnel in the cultivator battle teams is entirely up to the team captain''s decision. What if the captain himself is problematic?

    The battle teams are formed using military funds; who can supervise the captains to ensure these funds are not misused? How can the selection of the team''s talents be fair and just?

    The article stayed on Weibo for only 11 minutes before being retracted at 11:35 AM, but it had already been wildly shared before then. Many Weibo influencers started to stir up attention, accusing someone of "using military funds to create a harem" and "turning the military into a party"¡­ Although there were barely any direct references, the comment sections all knew who they were talking about.

    The other side had already fired the first shot, sparking a nationwide frenzy of criticism against someone, and naturally, we weren''t made of mud either, beginning to play our hidden cards.

    At 12:00 PM, Shixin Live Streaming started a warming-up event in Jianghai Prefecture, inviting two very famous live streamers: Xu Dongming and Zhou Erhe, to serve as professional commentators for tomorrow''s confrontational match and today''s warming-up program.

    As everyone knows, it''s not easy to find professional commentators for Transcendents'' confrontations. After all, you have to understand their power systems to make accurate judgments based on the real-time battle situation.

    As for these two special guests, Xu Dongming was a professional sports critic and basketball commentator; Zhou Erhe, on the other hand, was an eSports player who later turned into a big game streamer¡ªboth were thoroughly amateurs in this field. So it was obviously suspicious how they could get their hands on so much knowledgeable material related to Cultivators at this stage.

    At this moment, in Shixin''s official live broadcast room, the big screen in the background was playing the popular video "Yan Zhanlong''s Aesthetics of Violence," with the two professional commentators explaining it to everyone.

    "This method of movement from Yan Zhanlong is actually his signature technique," Xu Dongming said earnestly. "We know that a Cultivator has three moving techniques, namely ''Shifting Technique,'' ''Cloud Ascension Technique,'' and ''Wall-Penetration Technique''..."

    He started off seriously, briefly introducing the Three Arts, and then began to explain Yan Zhanlong''s signature technique. As he spoke, he began bragging habitually, and his voice started rising:

    "The Shifting Technique can accelerate from a standstill to 16 meters per second instantly, and the Cloud Ascension Technique can negate inertia to stop abruptly and return to a standstill. You can think of these two as a car''s gas pedal and brakes."

    "Gas and brakes, not just professional drivers, any driver knows how to use them. But only Fujiwara Takumi can drift around the hairpin turns of Mt. Akina in succession using the throttle, hand brake, and steering wheel combination!"

    "So Yan Yu, the captain of the Zhenhai Team, is the only Fujiwara Takumi in the world of Cultivators! He is the real Drift King of Mt. Akina!!!"

    "Hold on a minute!" Zhou Erhe squinted and grinned, "Comparing Yan Yu to Fujiwara Takumi, isn''t that a bit off? Fujiwara Takumi is an innocent virgin, played by that... what''s her name... Mogi Natsuki. Yan Yu obviously isn''t, right? Everyone outside is saying that Yan Yu is forming a harem team."

    "Ah, what harem team, don''t listen to the nonsense people are spreading," Xu Dongming immediately argued passionately, "Fujiwara Takumi might be an innocent virgin, and that''s as good as his driving gets. But Yan Zhanlong is a Transcendent; do you know how much Superheroes, like those in Miti''s Superhero Alliance, earn each year at his level of combat power?

    Do you know how many women are in the private lives of those sports stars?"

    "If Yan Zhanlong really wanted to start a harem, he wouldn''t make a move on his team members. If he openly called for girlfriends nationwide, just the initial sign-ups would require queuing and lotteries, and he could change partners every day for years without any repeats..."

    The staff offstage were bewildered, thinking: I asked you to help clear his name, not turn the program into something so vulgar it gets banned! They quickly signaled the crew to stop the broadcast.

    Zhou Erhe, upon receiving the message from offstage, quickly said:

    "Alright, let''s leave aside the rumors of a harem team for now. Let''s continue watching the video..."

    Although the two commentators swiftly moderated their tone, as they were experts in playing up live broadcasts on the internet, those witticisms quickly spread, giving the "Yan Nest" fans powerful ammunition for counterarguments.

    "If Yan Zhanlong really wanted to start a harem, why would he only have four people?"

    "What an ignorant old peasant, to think that an emperor would use a golden carrying pole to haul manure over crops, that''s hilarious."

    "Yan Zhanlong is now the number one Cultivator in Lu Country, how could he be encumbered by romantic entanglements?"

    "Which is more fun than cultivating?"

    Yan Yu, however, had no idea that the outside world was in an uproar; he was merely staying at a local hotel with the girls, preparing to attend the afternoon press conference.

    Since they had to appear in front of a large number of media, makeup was naturally an essential step.

    Xie Ruoxi was fully energized at this point and volunteered to take on the role of makeup artist.

    "The spokesperson will be Chen Lingyun; you can handle it, right?" Yan Yu casually asked. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "No problem," Chen Lingyun said with a sweet smile, just after Xie Ruoxi had applied lipstick for her. "But if they specifically ask the captain to answer, I won''t be responsible, okay?"

 Chapter 8 The Much Anticipated Press Conference

    In Gaodu County of Sanjin Province, the area has become extremely lively as the focus of the national media fell upon it.Countless vehicles surrounded the entrance to the county government office building, clogging the street so tightly that not even water could seep through¡ªbecause the Dingbei Army''s press conference was taking place in the conference room on the top floor of the office building, where both competing teams would face questions from the media.

    The first to attend were naturally the Flying Dragon Battle Team, given that this was Dingbei Army''s home turf.

    Zhong Ming, Peng Yifan, Ma Dawei, the deputy captain Shen Rui, and the confidently swaggering team captain Cai Qianlong took their seats in order.

    Probably facing such a large media crowd for the first time, the four men were somewhat restrained and only Cai Qianlong showed no sign of nervousness; he even had time to use his phone screen as a mirror to adjust his fringe.

    The journalists below were somewhat helpless: Although this was the Flying Dragon Battle Team''s home field, in reality, they were more eager to interview the Zhenhai Team.

    Why? Not because the Zhenhai Team had more beautiful women, but because they had the biggest draw.

    After all, despite the fierce disputes outside between the two camps, on one side were the fans of the Zhenhai Team, while the majority on the other side were not fans of the Flying Dragon Battle Team, but the Zhenhai Team''s detractors... From this, one can see which team''s interviews and reports held more news value.

    "Alright, let''s start with the questions," the host said.

    After a moment, three or four people raised their hands.

    The host randomly pointed to one, and the selected person stood up and said:

    "Hello, I am a journalist from ''Nanchuan Observation.'' I want to ask Captain Cai how he views the Zhenhai Team? Please evaluate the opponent''s strength, thank you."

    Just as Cai Qianlong was about to speak, the host handed the microphone to deputy captain Shen Rui.

    "The Zhenhai Team was established earlier than us, so by convention, they are actually our seniors," Shen Rui replied very smoothly. "We will take the Zhenhai Team as a model, striving to demonstrate our strength, skill, and elegance in this competition and to showcase the demeanor a powerful military team should have to the entire nation."

    The journalist did not continue to press, but her expression clearly showed some disappointment¡ªthis wasn''t the response she was hoping for.

    Clearly, despite the external uproar, the Dingbei Army leaders behind the Flying Dragon Battle Team had a very clear stance. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    They did not buy into the naysayers'' claims that the Flying Dragon Battle Team could rival the Zhenhai Team, and so they had instructed the deputy captain Shen Rui in advance to prepare a steady and safe response to avoid getting caught up in the current public opinion strife.

    The host signaled again, and another journalist stood up to ask:

    "I am a reporter from Rhino Network, can you predict the outcome of this competition?"

    No sooner had Cai Qianlong started to speak than Shen Rui, microphone in hand, said:

    "Of course, since we have chosen to join the battle team, we have enough firm confidence and fighting spirit for any battle and believe we will surely secure the final victory."

    Here, Shen Rui had played a bit of word trickery, after all "I am confident I will win" indicates a subjective desire, while the journalist was asking for an objective assessment, that is "analyze whether your team can win."

    Just as that journalist was about to follow up, the host said:

    "One question per media outlet, please pass the microphone to the journalist behind you."

    The journalists continued to ask a few more questions, and Shen Rui, indeed, did not let slip any careless remarks, clearly having prepared in advance.

    "Any more questions?" The host looked around and nodded silently.

    The higher-ups had already instructed that it was better for the Flying Dragon Battle Team''s portion to take up as little time as possible, leaving more time for the Zhenhai Team who would follow. Thus, he was about to move on to the conclusion of the Flying Dragon Battle Team''s Q&A when suddenly, Cai Qianlong unexpectedly raised his hand and said:

    "I have a question."

    Everyone present instantly facepalmed: You''re not a media journalist, what the hell kind of question could you have!

    However, as if oblivious to everyone''s gazes, Cai Qianlong continued to address the host:

    "The question earlier was directed at me, why did you pass the microphone to Shen Rui?"

    It was because they were worried about him making some shocking statement! The host quickly gave a look, and Shen Rui, along with the other team members, rushed over exclaiming "Let''s let you talk next time" and "Definitely calling on you next time," as they dragged Cai Qianlong away.

    Cai Qianlong was helpless, only managing to leave behind the words, "I''m the captain!" before being carried off by his teammates from the press conference.

    The journalists went crazy with their cameras, thinking the Flying Dragon Battle Team had also managed to cause a blunder, ensuring they certainly wouldn''t lack for news material this time.

    Amid the eager anticipation of the audience, the biggest highlight¡ªthe Zhenhai Team¡ªalso queued up to enter. It was truly one man and four women, the man handsome and the women beautiful, each with stellar looks that captured attention before they even took their seats, as the cameras began to click furiously.

    "Are there any questions?" the host asked, and immediately more than thirty hands shot up¡ªa stark contrast to the sparse raising of hands during the Flying Dragon Battle Team''s turn.

    Such was the popularity of the Zhenhai Team at the moment!

    The host pointed at one female journalist who immediately stood up and asked:

    Explore hidden tales at empire

    "Hello, I am a reporter from ''Lu Country New Youth.'' I''d like to ask Captain Yan... Um, what are your thoughts on some people claiming that the Zhenhai Team is a ''Harem Team''? If, in selecting members for the team, physical attractiveness is also taken into consideration, wouldn''t this be a trampling on the protection of women''s rights in Lu Country?"

    Yan Yu regarded her steadily, perceiving not anger or distaste in the reporter''s eyes but a hint of nervousness and unease.

    It seemed it was not a question she herself wanted to ask, but a task assigned by superiors.

    "I''d like to remind you," the Dingbei Army host said seriously. "Each journalist may only ask one question, and it must relate to the current competition. We can refuse to answer irrelevant questions."

    He passed the microphone to Yan Yu, hinting that he could decline to answer the question.

    Facing the numerous cameras fixed intently on him, Yan Yu offered a slight smile and handed the microphone to the deputy captain Chen Lingyun.

    "Hello, that''s an interesting question," Chen Lingyun said sweetly. "I believe that if being an attractive female in a battle team means being suspected or even slandered for gaining position ''through beauty,'' it certainly is a trampling on the protection of women''s rights in Lu Country."

    She didn''t answer the question directly, but her clever response was greeted by such a surge in camera shutter sounds that it nearly became deafening.

    The female journalist hurriedly explained:

    "That''s not what I mean, I wanted to ask..."

    Before she could even speak, Chen Lingyun completely ignored her and directed the host:

    "Next."

    "Please pass the microphone to the gentleman in the red back there," the host ordered without explanation.

    The female reporter stopped struggling, handing the microphone back. After the next journalist took it, he stood up and asked:

    "I''m a reporter from ''International Express''. Captain Yan, uh, my question is for Captain Yan, could Deputy Captain Chen pass the microphone to Captain Yan?"

    "Is that your question?" Chen Lingyun smiled. "My answer is yes."

    The journalist immediately widened his eyes, displaying a shocked expression as if to say, "Are you kidding me?"

    The other media reporters around first froze, then quickly swung their cameras around to capture the colleague who had been dismissed by Chen Lingyun.

    Fortunately, after Yan Yu received the microphone, he didn''t dismiss the "already done" journalist. The reporter visibly relaxed and continued, saying:

    "Captain Yan, how would you evaluate the viewpoint that ''Flying Dragon Battle Team has a good chance of winning against Zhenhai Team''?"

    "Haha," Yan Yu laughed. "Humorous, next."

    All the reporters: ???

    "Next." The host was the first to react and immediately said, "The lady in the yellow on the left row."

    She took the microphone, stood up, and asked:

    "How does Zhenhai Team evaluate the strength of Flying Dragon Battle Team?"

    The surrounding reporters perked up, internally praising: Good question! Captain Yan described the last question as "humorous," implying he doesn''t think highly of Flying Dragon Battle Team''s strength... This is the direction we should dig into! Make him say more explosive, newsworthy quotes!

    Under the eager gazes of everyone, Yan Yu slowly raised the microphone.

    Then he passed the microphone to Chen Lingyun beside him.

    All the reporters: .........

    "Of course, the strength of the Flying Dragon Battle Team is without question," Chen Lingyun said with a smile. "They stood out among so many Cultivators across the country and got the Privy Council''s approval to establish a team; they are certainly not weak. Team Captain Cai Qianlong once challenged Liu Longtao of the Dingbei Army one-on-one and lasted over 20 minutes before being defeated.

    Considering that Liu Longtao is the number one Cultivator in the Dingbei Army, Cai Qianlong''s strength must not be far behind his. In short, I am very much looking forward to our matchup with Flying Dragon Battle Team."

    She gave the host a signal, and the host immediately got the hint and said:

    "Alright! That concludes today''s press conference. Please leave the venue in an orderly manner."

    Even though the reporters wanted to dig deeper, the Zhenhai Team members had already stood up, so they could only exchange glances.

    After everyone left the stage, Lin Ning finally let out a sigh of relief, saying:

    "Phew! I was so nervous, I was holding my breath the whole time! Luckily no one asked me any questions!"

    "You''re not even qualified," Yan Yu glanced at her disdainfully.

    Lin Ning kicked him.

    "How about you, Yun Jin?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smile. "Were you nervous?"

    "Not at all," Su Yunjin said softly. "There was a reporter in the front row who kept taking photos of me, so I just had to keep smiling the whole time."

    "I wasn''t the slightest bit nervous," Zhao Yuanzhen laughed. "You guys are just too thin-skinned."

    "Nobody asked you," Yan Yu cut her off.

    Zhao Yuanzhen clenched her teeth, thinking to herself:

    "This scoundrel has made a mockery of me in public again today¡ªunforgettable! And it''s not the first or second time; I have to keep track of all of this to settle the score with him in the future!"

    As she thought this, a scene appeared in her mind:

    She imagined the wedding night scene with four bridesmaids¡ªChen, Su, Lin, and Xie¡ªstanding around, each holding a wine cup, candlestick, washbasin, and a jade hairpin. Yan Yu, the groom, had washed his hands in the basin and was about to lift her bridal veil with the jade hairpin, but she had kicked him to the floor.

    This shameless man, still shamelessly crawling towards her while holding onto her leg, begged, "Dear wife, let your husband behold your stunning beauty."

    She stood with one foot on his shoulder, coldly saying, "Mr. Yan, you dare to touch me? Let''s settle the accounts of all these years!"

    Hehehehehehe hahaahahaahaha~

    Lost in her fantasy, Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly collided with a piece of equipment, snapping back to reality.

    She saw that up ahead, Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun were walking shoulder to shoulder, and Yan Yu asked:

    "Did you get the message from Lord Master scolding you?"

    "I flew out ahead of time," Chen Lingyun replied cheerfully.

    "Trash!" Yan Yu assessed.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was silent for a moment, then quickly caught up, inserting herself between them as if nothing had happened, effectively separating them.

 Chapter 9 As Cultivators, We Disdain Such Acts

    ```The members of the Zhenhai Team, after having dinner, returned to their hotel rooms to rest. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Tomorrow was the official expedition to the Mysterious Realm, and tonight the ladies had planned to go shopping. However, it was rumored that many reporters were lying in ambush on the streets outside the hotel, so the Dingbei Army sent someone to advise them not to go out unless they wanted to be on camera.

    Of course, even if surrounded by reporters for an interview, the Dingbei Army, as the host, would rush to the rescue, but it would still be quite troublesome.

    Yan Yu lay on the bed, playing with his phone, when he suddenly heard knocking at the door.

    When he opened it, he saw Su Yunjin standing outside, holding a fruit platter and saying generously,

    "I brought you some fruit."

    "Where did you get it from?" Yan Yu let her in.

    "The restaurant on the second floor." Su Yunjin placed the fruit platter on the table, "Have you seen the online public opinion after the press conference?"

    "No, what are they saying?" Yan Yu asked.

    "They''re saying, ''I didn''t believe you had a harem at first, but after seeing so many beauties, I believe it.''" Su Yunjin said with a laugh.

    "Heh." Yan Yu was about to mock netizens with a few words, but the words stopped on his lips.

    Well said, indeed beauties.

    Secretary Su''s face still bore the makeup from attending the afternoon''s press conference, her lips redder and fuller, her eyeliner adding more brilliance, her hair tied into a high ponytail at the back of her head, with a few strands left loose beside her cheeks, which gave her a delicate, yet somewhat flirtatious and cunning feel.

    No wonder reporters kept taking pictures of her during the press conference.

    If Xie Ruoxi were here, she would certainly explain to Yan Yu that this was called "fairy-like makeup." Unfortunately, the beautiful but useless wasn''t around, and Yan Yu just felt she was pretty and admired her in his mind, reaching for the fruit to eat.

    "You haven''t removed your makeup yet?" He asked nonchalantly after eating a grape.

    "I''ll remove it when I go back." Su Yunjin sat down beside his bed, supporting her body with her hands behind her, and elegantly lifting one leg.

    "So what are you doing now?" Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    With a slight smile, Su Yunjin asked,

    "Does the team leader want to send me away?"

    Yan Yu figured he was not Chen Lingyun, that despicable person, and of course, he wouldn''t say something like, "Now that you''ve delivered the fruits, you can leave." He smoothly changed the subject,

    "Why would I send you away? I just thought you had something to ask me."

    "Actually, I do have something to ask the team leader." Su Yunjin said, "I have some doubts about combining Taoism Method and swordsmanship." Continue your journey on empire

    "Hmm, I''ve seen you''ve been practicing this recently." Yan Yu thought quietly.

    There are no textbook answers on how Taoism Methods should combine with swordsmanship. Each Cultivator has their own unique interpretation. For instance, Zhou Hongyu likes to bomb recklessly with Taoism Methods and uses the Flying Sword when the True Yuan is running low; Li Zhaojiang, on the other hand, uses Taoism Methods for long distances and the Flying Sword for mid to close range combat.

    But Su Yunjin''s case was different from theirs. For others, Taoism Methods have sufficient destructive power and the Flying Sword serves merely as a supplemental means of attack. Su Yunjin''s Star River Secret Art is more about strong control with weak damage, so she needs sword techniques to augment her damage output, especially when she lacks team support.

    Although Yan Yu himself was not versed in Taoism Methods, in his previous life he was, after all, a top-tier Sword Immortal and definitely understood sword techniques.

    "I could teach you, but it''s not convenient to watch your demonstration in the hotel," he said with a smile. "Let''s wait until we''re back at the school, and I''ll teach you at the training ground."

    "It''s fine, I recorded a training video." Su Yunjin took out her phone, "Do you want to watch it now?"

    "Sure." Since she was so well prepared, Yan Yu agreed to watch it.

    He leaned in to view the video.

    From the video, it was evident that Su Yunjin was quite proficient with the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art¡ªthe control over her True Yuan was incredibly strong; compared to that, her Sword Control Technique was appalling, with significant issues in precision and power.

    But after careful analysis, one could not blame her. Because when the target is hit by the Star River Secret Art, they are enveloped in turbulent flows, and the Flying Sword, to strike the target, must also enter the flow. Both the resistance and the pushing force of the flow affect the trajectory of the Flying Sword.

    Since her Sword Control mastery was not high, it made sense that her performance was subpar.

    Thus, Su Yunjin''s problem is the poor "compatibility" between her Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art and Sword Control. While it was not completely incompatible like Li Zhaojiang''s Element Magnetic Light with sword techniques, if she couldn''t find a suitable solution, it would undoubtedly affect her performance in practice.

    At times like this, the mightiest person in this world had to come up with a solution!

    As Yan Yu was deep in thought, he suddenly felt a waft of fragrance coming closer¡ªit was Su Yunjin leaning in towards him, afraid he couldn''t see the video clearly, and bringing the phone closer to his eyes.

    "Team leader, look here." Though their proximity was somewhat intimate, Su Yunjin seemed completely unaware, focusing only on the phone and saying, "Every time the Flying Sword cuts into the water, its speed and precision both noticeably drop; but if I reduce the True Yuan output and slow the flow, it weakens the control effect of the Taoism Method. So, is there a good solution?"

    Suddenly, she turned her head, and her lips almost brushed against Yan Yu''s face. Panic flashed in her eyes, but she quickly composed herself.

    Yan Yu also felt she was too close, several reaction options flashed through his mind:

    Quietly moving back a bit¡ªno, too cowardly, that doesn''t suit the reputation of the mightiest in this world.

    Pretending everything was normal¡ªalso no, too dull, like a love-struck fool who''s never dated.

    Wrapping an arm around her slender waist and giving a rakish smile¡ªdefinitely not, too easy on her! What if Secretary Su takes that as a chance to throw herself at me!

    As Yan Yu was deep in contemplation and Su Yunjin''s heart pounded, a voice suddenly rang out from outside.

    ```

    It was Chen Lingyun''s voice:

    "Yan Yu, are you there?"

    Su Yunjin was instantly alarmed and felt the irrational panic of being caught in the act; just as she was about to find a place to hide, she heard Yan Yu call out:

    "Yes. Yun Jin is here too, what''s up?"

    Su Yunjin''s eyes widened in shock: No, why are you bringing me up, Captain!!!

    "Open the door~" Chen Lingyun''s voice turned sweet, as if she had found amusement, and her tone became cheerful.

    "Alright." Yan Yu stood up to open the door for Chen Lingyun.

    When Chen Lingyun entered the room, her makeup was already removed. Seeing Su Yunjin sitting on Yan Yu''s bed with her makeup still perfectly intact, it was clear she guessed what had transpired. Smiling, she teased:

    "Did I interrupt something between you two?"

    "No, Ling Yun! We were just..." Su Yunjin tried to explain when she heard Yan Yu interject:

    "Yeah, so if you knew that, why haven''t you scrammed?"

    "...We were just discussing cultivation." Su Yunjin finished her explanation weakly, feeling like her excuse was incredibly transparent.

    But Chen Lingyun didn''t press the issue further and simply smiled, saying:

    "Guess what intel I''ve got?"

    "Someone sabotaging from the shadows, right?" Yan Yu said icily, "I figured as much."

    "Previously, the higher-ups exchanged the prisoner ''Thunderbird'' Margaret with Miti for a lot of things," Chen Lingyun said leisurely, "among which was the ''Mysterious Realm live broadcast technology''."

    "The Dingbei Army had previously used a large number of camera drones for suicidal infiltration recon of the Mysterious Realm, sending back a lot of intel on the interior of the realm."

    "I see." Su Yunjin also understood, on the side, "Someone leaked the intel to the Flying Dragon Battle Team?"

    "They guard this information closely; we couldn''t get our hands on it," Chen Lingyun said with a light smile, "but I could confirm through clues that the Flying Dragon Battle Team got the intel."

    Intel that drones could gather about the interior of Mysterious Realm¡ªenvironmental terrain, restrictions, monsters, and guardians and the like¡ªof course, would provide a significant advantage to the Flying Dragon Battle Team.

    Not to mention, if they start out by heading straight to steal a guardian using the fastest route, or find a favorable terrain to lay ambush to rob from you, what do you do? Even if it''s live streamed throughout, they could just claim "I happened to choose this route" and there would be no evidence to conclusively prove they cheated!

    Su Yunjin''s eyebrows knitted tightly, thinking that this was bad. The Flying Dragon Battle Team was already fighting on home turf, entering the Mysterious Realm earlier and thus already had the advantage of time; if they also had prior intel on the realm, they would have the advantage of terrain as well!

    However, Yan Yu showed no concern, merely scoffing:

    "People online said ''cheating is a tradition in the tri-top combat dispute'', didn''t think the netizens would actually predict it. But so what? This time, we''re going to show certain people that the gap in absolute strength cannot be changed by petty moves or small tricks."

    "I was thinking the same thing," Chen Lingyun said, smiling, "The reason they resort to underhanded tactics is because there''s no chance of winning otherwise. Now that we know this, then..."

    Before she could finish, someone suddenly started knocking at the door again.

    Yan Yu went to open the door and saw it was the Flying Dragon Battle Team''s captain, Cai Qianlong ¡ª their team was staying on the third floor, and the Zhenhai Team was on the fifth; what was this guy doing coming up here?

    "Sorry for intruding." Cai Qianlong nodded to Yan Yu, entered the room with pomp, and then noticed Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin were also there. Hesitating, he asked awkwardly, "Did I interrupt something good here?"

    "What do you want?" Yan Yu asked, not bothering to explain, just closing the door.

    "It''s like this." As Cai Qianlong spoke of his purpose, his expression turned serious, "I wanted to have a heated and exhilarating duel with you, but someone intends to use dirty tricks, influencing the outcome of this confrontation."

    "I can''t say who it is explicitly. I''ve discussed it with my teammates, and if we used outside help to gain an advantage we shouldn''t have, and still lost in the end, wouldn''t that shatter our moral integrity? As cultivators, we disdain such actions; better to fight fair and square. Even if defeated, it would be honorable, with a clear conscience.

    If necessary, we''ll simply strive to catch up with you afterward!"

    He reached into his pocket and pulled out a USB drive, offering,

    "All the intel about the Mysterious Realm is in here! After you finish reviewing it, you can dispose of this USB drive, and we''ll start from the same starting line. I''ve said all that needs to be said, don''t ask more."

    Yan Yu looked at the USB drive in his hand and chuckled,

    "Although you''re not as strong as Lord Master, you do have a bit of his pride. As for this intel, forget it. If we also become familiar with the terrain of the Mysterious Realm, and if those behind the scenes spot any irregularities tomorrow, wouldn''t they immediately suspect your team?"

    "And what about it?" Cai Qianlong retorted proudly.

    "Nothing much," Yan Yu laughed heartily, "There are some things you disdain to do, and similarly for us."

    "We don''t need this intel. Once we enter the Mysterious Realm tomorrow, we''ll still crush and defeat you, just like that."

    Cai Qianlong fell silent for a moment before bursting into laughter,

    "Good! Worthy of being Yan Zhanlong, whom even Liu Longtao acknowledges as superior!"

    He pocketed the USB drive and turned to leave,

    "Once we enter the Mysterious Realm tomorrow, we won''t be stealing any guardians. Let''s find a place to duel, and we''ll let strength speak for itself!"

 Chapter 10 Live Broadcast of the Ancient City Secret Realm

    Cai Qianlong returned to the third floor, gathered his teammates, and recounted the events.Upon hearing that Yan Zhanlong refused to accept the intelligence, and even boasted that they could crush them without it, the members of the Flying Dragon Battle Team furrowed their brows. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Captain, it must be because your attitude was too poor and provoked Yan Zhanlong''s pride," the vice-captain Shen Rui speculated.

    "Impossible!" Cai Qianlong denied flatly, "I''ve always communicated with him in a calm and composed manner, okay? It was only when I entered the room that I saw two girls from his team were also there and realized it was a bit troublesome."

    "Absolutely!" Ma Dawei mocked, "How could he possibly accept the intelligence in front of girls! He definitely had to show off and display his heroic spirit in front of the girls!"

    "Then how about waiting until those two girls leave, and let the captain go again to deliver the intelligence to Yan Zhanlong alone?" Peng Yifan suggested, "Without the girls there, if the captain speaks more earnestly, he should be willing to accept it, right?"

    "How would I know when they are leaving?" Cai Qianlong was bewildered.

    "Firstly, we need to figure out what they are doing in the captain''s room," Zhong Ming began to reason, "Let''s first assume they are participating in a threesome..."

    "You''re incredible, can you also calculate the time for a threesome?" Ma Dawei said in amazement.

    "Nonsense," Zhong Ming said, "Most guys don''t last more than 30 minutes at a time, and at most three or four times in a night, so a simple calculation is possible."

    "Alright, stop joking around," Shen Rui interrupted their nonsense, "Don''t believe whatever nonsense about the ''harem team'' out there. Since Yan Zhanlong refused, the likelihood of him going back on his word is not high, we should still discuss how to fight tomorrow."

    On the other side, due to Chen Lingyun''s presence, Su Yunjin did not find an excuse to stay longer and was politely sent out by Yan Yu.

    On the way back to her room, Su Yunjin broke the silence:

    "Lingyun..."

    "What''s up?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    "Nothing." Su Yunjin lowered her head, "Never mind."

    "Yunjin is really shy." Chen Lingyun''s smile became even more joyful. Although she was smaller in stature than Su Yunjin and looked like her younger sister when standing together, her presence was the complete opposite, "If I were Yan Yu, I would have eaten you up already."

    "Stop talking nonsense," Su Yunjin said helplessly.

    When the two returned to Chen Lingyun''s room, they found Lin Ning, Zhao Yuanzhen, and Xie Ruoxi sitting on the bed, staring at their phones and bickering with each other.

    "Sister Zhao, stop swearing all the time," Lin Ning said while typing.

    "Is it useful to reason with those trolls?" Zhao Yuanzhen retorted.

    "Stop arguing," Xie Ruoxi said loudly, "I''ve posted the message, now come here quickly to play the role of brainless trolls and draw hostility."

    Su Yunjin and Chen Lingyun looked at each other, both speechless.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The next morning arrived.

    Yan Yu was woken up by the alarm clock and sluggishly got out of bed to brush his teeth and wash his face.

    Before he could even dry his face with a towel, he heard a knock at the door and Lin Ning''s shouting:

    "Get up now! Get up!"

    "Coming." Yan Yu threw the towel into the sink, put on his jacket, and went out.

    As the two were heading to the dining hall downstairs, Lin Ning spoke:

    "Did you sleep well last night?"

    "Why wouldn''t I have slept well?" Yan Yu asked in surprise, noticing she seemed to have dark circles under her eyes.

    "Nervous, I guess." Lin Ning let out an "Oh" and snorted, "That''s right, how could you possibly feel pressured."

    "There will always be pressure; it can''t be eliminated," Yan Yu said leisurely, "It''s whether the pressure is transformed into a burden or into kinetic energy, that''s what we need to adjust mentally."

    "Maybe," Lin Ning sighed, "Actually, the opponent isn''t hard to deal with, it''s mainly because this time the whole country is watching, so the pressure is a bit high."

    "But I think for you, having some pressure is a good thing." The elevator arrived, and Yan Yu brought Lin Ning in with him.

    "Why is that?" Lin Ning asked curiously.

    "Because the resilience of problem-solvers is very strong," Yan Yu stated seriously.

    Lin Ning was angry and subconsciously kicked at him, but Yan Yu managed to dodge at the last moment with a nimble stride in the cramped elevator, leaving her to kick the air.

    "I''m actually in pretty good shape right now," Yan Yu chuckled.

    Lin Ning fell silent, but she felt an inexplicable sense of relief inside.

    It''s good that the captain is here... nothing should go wrong. Discover exclusive content at empire

    Everyone had breakfast in the restaurant, and the Flying Dragon Battle Team left first, even coming over to greet Yan Yu and others without mentioning last night''s intelligence.

    After Zhao Yuanzhen finished eating last, the Zhenhai Team members stood up, went downstairs, left the hotel, and took the Dingbei Army''s vehicles to the Mysterious Realm''s location.

    Perhaps having learned from the experience at Changbai Mountain, the surroundings of the Mysterious Realm this time were like an impenetrable fortress, completely sealed off by layers of tight security within the camp; buildings were everywhere, and from the outside, it was impossible to find the entrance to the Mysterious Realm¡ªit felt like Cao Cao''s seventy-two suspected tombs.

    Yan Yu and his team waited in the rest area while the Flying Dragon Battle Team was the first to enter the Mysterious Realm, followed by the medical team, the broadcast team, and the security team.

    Since they had obtained the inside information of the Mysterious Realm, these personnel would find a concealed and safe place to hide, using the Invisibility Technique as much as possible to avoid combat, responsible only for unmanned aerial vehicle filming and medical intervention throughout the process.

    After a while, it was Zhenhai Team''s turn to depart.

    Yan Yu led the team into the Mysterious Realm. Moments later, they appeared in the midst of an ancient city.

    The city walls soared high, the houses were low, closely packed, with crisscrossing streets; they tread on yellow clay roads, while gusts of cold wind blew through the air, chilling one to the bone.

    "To the right," Yan Yu gave a concise order.

    The team quickly found a larger building nearby and charged in.

    This place seemed to be an inn, with many guest rooms on the second floor and two large tables and four or five long benches on the first floor for the traveling guests to rest and have tea.

    It was completely empty.

    Chen Lingyun took out the Soul Summoning Banner, waved it a few times, and five large dogs appeared, leaping into the air and turning invisible as they quietly left the inn to scout.

    This scene, captured by the cameras on their clothing, appeared in the external broadcast room, and Xu Dongming quickly explained:

    "Chen Lingyun''s occupation is a Necromancer. As you can see, Necromancers have a significant advantage in scouting! Ghost creatures are naturally invisible and numerous, tossing them out in all directions like scattering blossoms from the heavens, they can reveal any team''s formation tactics totally exposed! Now let''s check the position of the Flying Dragon Battle Team..."

    The Flying Dragon Battle Team also refreshed inside the ancient city, taking refuge in an indoor building as well.

    The difference was that they chose a low-lying flat house, hiding in the small space and not coming out again.

    "Both sides have chosen to lie low, so close combat is unlikely," Zhou Erhe also added. "The only possibility now is to see if Chen Lingyun''s invisible ghosts can find the hiding spot of the Flying Dragon Battle Team. If they find it, it''s basically half the battle won since the Flying Dragon Battle Team is unable to detect the ghosts..."

    "The invisibility of the ghosts can also be discovered through Divine Sense," Xu Dongming corrected.

    "Who would maintain Divine Sense all the time?" Zhou Erhe argued, considering that Divine Sense exploration is also a Spell that requires constant attention and consumes True Yuan, which can be very draining over time.

    "No, look, the Flying Dragon Battle Team is taking turns with their Divine Sense exploration, keeping up a continuous relay," said Xu Dongming quickly.

    As the broadcast switched between the cameras worn by the Flying Dragon Battle Team, it was clear that Ma Dawei and Peng Yifan were taking turns standing guard. One would explore the surroundings with Divine Sense, while the other would meditate and recover True Yuan¡ªa seamless handover without any pauses.

    "All right, the Flying Dragon Battle Team is well-prepared; let''s return to the Zhenhai Team..." Zhou Erhe suddenly exclaimed, "Yan Yu is going out! Yan Zhanlong is going out!"

    The four other team members took refuge on the second floor while Yan Zhanlong confidently walked out the door and used the Cloud Ascension Technique to leap onto the rooftop.

    Then he began to sprint with astonishing speed.

    "Has he discovered the position of the Flying Dragon Battle Team?" Xu Dongming questioned. "Is he going to fight five people all by himself?"

    Chen Lingyun''s five ghosts were invisible, and the drones patrolling the area in fixed aerial routes did not have Divine Sense to detect them, so of course, they could not confirm where the ghosts had run off to.

    However, Yan Yu''s movements were caught on camera. The viewers could see that Yan Yu did not head straight for the Flying Dragon Battle Team''s position but instead went around the roof of the ancient city for what seemed like a complete circuit.

    The ancient city was divided into four districts by two main roads running vertically and horizontally.

    The buildings in the northern district were generally taller¡ªlikely the residences of the elite; the western district had many shops, forming a marketplace; the east and south districts had a high density of similar and modest buildings, which seemed to be the "residential areas" where commoners lived.

    As Yan Yu thought this, he suddenly noticed something was amiss.

    He looked up and saw that the daylight was dimming at a rate visible to the naked eye.

    Night was approaching.

    Gusts of strong wind burst forth, making it difficult to keep one''s eyes open. Narrowing his eyes slightly, Yan Yu gazed at the interwoven network of alleys around him, sensing that something was about to emerge.

 Chapter 11 Flamboyant Footwork Yan Zhanlong

    The sky dimmed, all colors turning silent.The entire ancient city soon fell into the deep curtain of night. The drones in the sky switched to night vision mode and continued to capture the scene below along their preset routes.

    "Alright, let''s see what changes have occurred in the Mysterious Realm! The scene has suddenly entered night mode!" Xu Dongming said excitedly, "Something is about to come out!"

    Suddenly, dim lights lit up in the countless houses around.

    Yan Yu''s Divine Sense swept the surroundings... No, there was no need for Divine Sense, he could see with his naked eyes that a large number of Yin Soldiers had appeared on the streets.

    Fully armored and carrying swords and bows, the Yin Soldiers were rough in appearance and numbered in the hundreds. At the same time, more Yin Soldiers continuously poured out from the alleyways, innumerable at a glance, seemingly endless.

    Yan Yu stealthily performed the Invisibility Technique, crouching motionless on the rooftop, vanishing from the drone''s vision in the air.

    One of the Yin Soldiers looked up and drew his longbow fully, releasing an arrow with a whoosh, and the drone immediately sparked into flames and fell to the ground.

    "Everyone saw our OB drone has been shot down," Zhou Erhe exclaimed, "That was no ordinary arrow! It was a Flying Sword!"

    Realizing his companion had stated the obvious, Xu Dongming hurriedly added:

    "The shooting prowess of these Yin Soldiers'' arrows is on par with that of Flying Swords. Our drone was flying at an altitude of over a hundred meters, no ordinary cold weapon archery could reach that height! Director, switch to the replay of the falling OB...

    you can see, the arrows shot by the Yin Soldiers have a distinct purple-black glow in their trajectory, resembling the light of Flying Swords, their power must be far superior to that of normal bows and arrows!"

    "Okay! The director has switched back to the camera on Yan Zhanlong, and we can see that Yan Zhanlong has timely engaged the Invisibility Technique! The Yin Soldiers have not noticed Yan Zhanlong''s presence! What does professional reaction speed mean? It means at the moment of close combat, I become invisible right in front of you, and you''re just dazzled, completely unable to react..."

    Xu Dongming was still boasting when he saw several Yin Soldiers charge to the building where Yan Yu was located, pointing upward as if they were saying something.

    One of the Yin Soldiers took out a torch from behind and lit it.

    Wrapped with straw and grass rope, the torch should produce a bright yellow glow, yet as the Yin Soldier lit the torch, the flame was a ghostly blue.

    The ghostly blue light, resembling the maggots of gangrene, shone on the spot where Yan Yu was crouched. His Invisibility Technique was still active, but the Yin Soldiers below were already looking up at Yan Yu in silence.

    Yan Yu slightly narrowed his eyes, aware that his Invisibility Technique had been seen through.

    In the live broadcast room, when those skeleton-like Yin Soldiers raised their heads and stared at the camera with their hollow eye sockets, the barrage of comments exploded:

    "Damn, he''s been spotted!"

    "I got so scared I dropped my phone!"

    "It''s over, Yan Zhanlong can''t stand the jinxing..."

    "Stop jinxing him!" Zhou Erhe urgently called from the commentary desk, "Yan Zhanlong''s Invisibility Technique has been seen through! Now let''s see how he responds! He''s retreating on the rooftop, trying to leave the Yin Soldiers'' line of sight!"

    "It''s fine," Xu Dongming quickly reassured, "This kind of ancient city environment is very complex with many blind spots for visual cover, as long as he shakes off these few Yin Soldiers, Yan Zhanlong still has a chance to remain hidden!"

    No sooner had he finished speaking than a desolate horn sounded suddenly.

    The director quickly switched between different perspectives, discovering that whether it was Yan Yu''s camera or those of the Zhenhai and Flying Dragon Battle Teams, all could hear the resounding and powerful sound of the horn¡ªit enveloped the entire city! Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The next second, countless Yin Soldiers who heard the horn started running at full speed on the streets!

    Realizing the situation was dire, Yan Yu quickly disengaged his Invisibility Technique and stood up, his movements swift as lightning as he leaped to the neighboring rooftop.

    Behind him, several long arrows whistled past, emitting piercing explosive noises.

    The broadcast team hiding outside the city once again launched a backup drone, and the night vision lens swept over the city below to see all the Yin Soldiers rushing towards Yan Yu''s position, enemies approaching from all directions, leaving no time to find another hiding spot.

    "Ah, shut up!" Zhou Erhe interrupted Xu Dongming again, "Stop talking! Let me do the commentary!"

    ```

    He hailed from Lin''an Prefecture in Jiangnan Province, while Xu Dongming currently resided in Jianghai Prefecture. In fact, both of them were fans of the Zhenhai Team. If Yan Zhanlong were to be killed by over-nurturing, it wouldn''t just be a blow to Zhenhai Team''s fans¡ªthey themselves would be greatly dismayed.

    "Okay, let''s switch to the backup OB!" Zhou Erhe quickly said, signaling the director to change to the aerial perspective, "You can see that the recent horn sound has alarmed the entire city, and now the Yin Soldiers are all pursuing Yan Zhanlong... Watch out! Nicely done! Yan Zhanlong makes a sharp stop to dodge the barrage of arrows!

    I''d like to remind everyone that our OB drone uses night vision lenses, so it can capture the deep purple light of the arrows flying past, but Yan Zhanlong doesn''t have night vision gear¡ªhe actually can''t see it clearly! His evasion from the Yin Soldiers relies primarily on his prediction, his outstanding tactical awareness, and excellent combat intuition!"

    "He has Divine Sense scanning though!" Xu Dongming exclaimed from the side.

    "Ay, I''ve told you to shut up already!" Zhou Erhe interrupted his colleague again, then casually corrected, "With Divine Sense scanning, Yan Zhanlong effortlessly dodges the arrows from the pursuers behind! He''s speeding up! Good, after a few swift moves like a rabbit dodging a hawk, he shakes off the pursuing forces... but there''s a large troop ahead! What is Yan Zhanlong going to do!!!"

    Yan Yu took to the rooftops, crossing neighborhoods, and as he shook off the troops behind him, he saw a larger number of Yin Soldiers charging over on the main road ahead.

    The front row suddenly came to a halt and knelt down, while the back row also stopped in place. Two rows of Yin Soldiers drew their longbows fully, and the dark purple glow circulated and condensed around the arrow clusters, forming something akin to energetic whirlpools and torrents aiming at where Yan Yu stood.

    Yan Yu''s Divine Sense swiftly swept across again.

    There was no mistake, it was a spell from the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner.

    In this Mysterious Realm, there was at least one Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, continuously refining these ancient Yin Soldiers...

    Before he could fully assess the situation, countless arrows were launched, sealing off his front, back, left, right, and even above¡ªlocking him in completely!

    Yan Yu''s figure suddenly plunged down as he activated the Wall-Penetration Technique in a flash, crashing through the roof and abruptly entering the building interior, thereby avoiding the barrage of arrows¡ªand he also vanished from the drone''s field of vision!

    This move caught even the director off guard; they scrambled and quickly switched to his personal camera view, while the live broadcast chat exploded once more with a myriad of question marks. Xu Dongming began to explain:

    "The Wall-Penetration Technique is the most miraculous spell among the Three Arts. It allows one to pass freely through any terrain without regard for obstacles, but the cost is that it consumes far more True Yuan than the other two arts, so it can only be used in life-saving moments.

    Yan Zhanlong is very calculating in this regard; unless absolutely necessary, he definitely won''t use the Wall-Penetration Technique lightly. And just now was indeed a critical moment when it was absolutely necessary!"

    Finally, the director switched to the camera worn by Yan Yu, but the angle was extremely shaky¡ªhe had fallen from the rooftop into the house, then leaped out the window, twisting in mid-air to dodge several arrows. His speed remained undiminished as he landed and immediately veered left at an oblique angle, bursting out from behind the wall cover. Read exclusive content at empire

    As he turned sharply to retreat, a new wave of arrows flew past where he had been just moments before. Defying the laws of physics, Yan Yu sharply retreated, stopped short, and took cover behind the wall to avoid the arrow rain, then suddenly accelerated forward again.

    Taking advantage of the Yin Soldiers reaching for more arrows, he brazenly crossed the main road and flew onto the rooftop of the opposite block.

    The live chat began rapidly posting messages again:

    "The camera switches too fast, I''m getting dizzy!"

    "Don''t give Yan Zhanlong the first-person view!"

    "Switch to the aerial OB, switch to the aerial OB, switch to the aerial OB, switch to the aerial OB..."

    The production team also realized their mistake. Since Yan Yu''s quick changes of direction were so frequent, sudden, and disorienting, experiencing it through the first-person perspective was simply too nauseating for the viewers. They had to switch back to the aerial drone perspective quickly.

    "Ah, Yan Zhanlong really is amazing, just watching his first-person view is enough to make me want to vomit," Zhou Erhe commented, "Alright, let''s watch Yan Zhanlong again from the aerial OB view. He moves swiftly onto the rooftop, running fast¡ªthere comes the arrow rain! Good, a sharp stop to dodge, then another dodge, and another¡ªhahaha, they can''t hit him at all!

    Do you understand how valuable Yan Zhanlong''s movements are, you lost souls and ghosts?"

    "Eh, wait!" Xu Dongming suddenly said, "Look at the number of Yin Soldiers around! Their encirclement is rapidly shrinking!"

    "Yes," Zhou Erhe also realized the problem and quickly added, "From the aerial view, we can see that although Yan Yu hasn''t been hit, he also hasn''t managed to kill any enemies, so the number of Yin Soldiers around him is indeed getting more and more concentrated, and his space to maneuver is decreasing."

    "He''s not going to get himself killed, is he?" Xu Dongming said anxiously, "Oh no, don''t just go round and round in one place. You should kite them all over the city, make them follow you like a train!"

    "Could it be that Yan Yu doesn''t think there are enough Yin Soldiers around him?" Zhou Erhe pondered, "He feels he''s still not in enough danger, that he can still manage, that he can still show off his skills for a bit longer."

    "Very likely!" Xu Dongming exclaimed, "We''re looking from a God''s point of view, able to overlook the entire scene. But he''s different from us, his perspective is shaking so much, he''s probably just focusing on dodging the arrow rain and may not have had the time to check the number of enemies around him! If this continues, he could get himself trapped to death!"

    "Oh dear, this is getting troublesome," Zhou Erhe frowned, "Let''s see what Yan Yu will do next..."

    In the Palace of the Qing Prince in Lingnan Province, the members of the Qing''an Battle Team were also watching the live broadcast.

    "Yan Yu''s not really going to get himself killed, is he?" Li Zhaojiang said in astonishment, "His movements are indeed flashy, but what good is that? With thousands of Yin Soldiers closing in, you''ll soon not even have room to move! Showboating has to be appropriate to the occasion."

    "Don''t listen to the commentators guessing wildly¡ªhe''s not showboating," Li Minghu suddenly said, "He''s timing his moves."

    ```

 Chapter 12 The 9-Day Yin Demon Prison Banner

    But the girls on the second floor of the inn noticed the shift from day to night in the mysterious realm in an instant."Lock the door," Chen Lingyun said quickly.

    Lin Ning rushed to close the door. The next second, a muffled noise came from downstairs, as if it was the clanking sound of armor worn by marching soldiers.

    The four girls exchanged silent looks. Chen Lingyun wore a faint smile, Lin Ning''s face was grave, Su Yunjin appeared calm, and Zhao Yuanzhen paced restlessly back and forth like an impatient hound yearning to hunt.

    "How long do we have to wait?" she finally couldn''t help asking.

    "Wait for the reconnaissance to return," Chen Lingyun responded.

    Before long, a dog leaped in through the window, materializing the instant it entered the room.

    Chen Lingyun communicated telepathically with it for a moment before saying to the girls:

    "The intelligence we have so far indicates that the mysterious realm alternates between day and night at set intervals. By day it is eerily quiet, but come nightfall, hundreds of ghosts roam the streets, and Yin Soldiers and ghosts are everywhere, attacking any living creature they see, so it''s best to stay indoors at night to avoid being discovered by the Yin Soldiers."

    "The Flying Dragon Battle Team has not shown up; they''re probably hiding somewhere. As for our captain, he has attracted the attention of many Yin Soldiers and is currently leading them on a wild chase throughout the city!"

    "Should we go support him?" Lin Ning asked in a hurry, upon hearing that Yan Yu was being pursued by the Yin Soldiers.

    "Not for now," Chen Lingyun said with a smiling eye, "The pressing matter at hand is to ascertain the duration of day and night."

    Su Yunjin listened quietly, pondering to herself.

    Rather than saying "leading them on a wild chase," it would be more accurate to say that the sheer number of enemies was so overwhelming that even the captain had to avoid their sharp edge, right? If that''s the case, whether it''s defeating the Flying Dragon Battle Team or besieging the gatekeepers, it would all have to be done during the daytime...

    Ling Yun was right, understanding the mysterious realm''s day and night restrictions is essential and must be clarified immediately.

    But¡­ can Yan Yu hold out?

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Yan Yu raced across the rooftops, trailing a near tidal wave of arrow barrages behind him.

    Beneath him, the streets were so choked with Yin Soldiers that not a drop could leak through, constantly drawing bows, nocking arrows, and loosing shots, with an incessant howl filling the air.

    Even Yan Yu, with his near-divine agility, had to frequently seek cover to shield himself; otherwise, he would inevitably end up as a porcupine bristling with arrows.

    In the external broadcast room, the viewer count continued to surge. The incoming audience could hardly bear to leave, all waiting to see how Yan Yu would deal with so many pursuers¡ªor how he might die.

    The Zhenhai Team and the Flying Dragon Battle Team had both taken refuge inside buildings, not daring to provoke the masses of Yin Soldiers outside. Only Yan Yu was dodging and weaving through layers of pursuit, breaking free from encirclement in unexpected places¡ªonly to be trapped again in the very next second.

    Because the surrounding Yin Soldiers were simply too many.

    "He''s definitely been surrounded to death!" Xu Dongming didn''t know how many times he had said this, but Yan Yu''s situation was indeed becoming more perilous, leaving almost no room to maneuver. He pressed down his anxiety and offered words of comfort to reassure his chat audience, "I''m guessing the Dingbei Army will definitely make a move.

    They can''t possibly just watch Yan Yu be surrounded and killed by these Yin Soldiers. Our country will certainly intervene. Everyone, don''t worry, Yan Zhanlong isn''t going to have any trouble..."

    However, the chat audience was not worried; they were urging him to "keep jinxing."

    "That''s true," Zhou Erhe couldn''t help wanting to laugh at the comments, but the current situation was hardly suitable for laughter, so he maintained a serious demeanor and said, "Okay, we see Yan Yu jumping down from the rooftop into a courtyard! Is he about to use the Wall-Penetration Technique?

    No, wait, he''s surrounded by Yin Soldiers on all sides; maybe he can break through from the low wall on the eastern side, but it''s risky... Eh! He''s stopped!"

    Yan Yu came to a halt in the middle of the courtyard, his hands deftly forming Sword Technique gestures.

    From the drone''s aerial view, the courtyard around Yan Yu was encircled by Yin Soldiers, with the only entrance being the main gate.

    Behind the main gate stood a screen wall, a high barrier placed behind the entryway in ancient residences to prevent passersby from peering directly into inner quarters.

    In his recent evasive maneuvers, Yan Yu had noticed that the ancient city''s architecture seemed to possess a certain quality that prevented it from being damaged by the arrows of the Yin Soldiers.

    This meant that they should also be unable to destroy the screen wall and would have to go around it to attack him.

    On the right of the screen wall was a collapsed stable, impassable; the left side became their only path through. But the passageway was comparatively narrow, allowing only two to pass at a time, ensuring that Yan Yu would not be attacked from all directions by the Yin Soldiers at once.

    As the clanging sound of armor grew nearer, Yan Yu''s Divine Sense detected a large number of Yin Soldiers stepping over the mansion''s main gate, trying to pass through the screen wall passage to enter the courtyard!

    Huang Tingjian, unsheathed!

    The Huang Tingjian was a heavy sword that Yan Yu carried on his back, and it resided in no scabbard.

    But as he pinched the sword technique, the blade flew out, someone in the chat curtain had no idea who brushed a "Dragon-Slaying Sword unsheathed!", and immediately numerous netizens repeated the phrase, flooding the screen.

    Brother Yan Zhanlong''s sword, that''s the one that has slain the Flood Dragon!

    The first two Yin Soldiers had already circled around the shadow wall, and the Huang Tingjian arrived just in time to deliver a powerful horizontal sweep close to the ground.

    Sword Technique¡¤White Crane Spreads Its Wings.

    The feature of White Crane Spreads Its Wings lies in the slash containing a stab, which appears to be a wide-area horizontal cut but at any time can be converted into a thrust. However, Yan Yu here had no intention of changing his moves, as what he needed was the sweeping effect of this sword technique.

    The two Yin Soldiers quickly drew their sabers in an attempt to block, but Yan Yu''s swordsmanship combat experience was so rich. He intentionally sliced close to the ground with this White Crane Spreads Its Wings move, which made the opponent''s saber too short to block the lower section of the attack without bending down...

    The result was that they were too late to block and were both swept off by the Huang Tingjian, knocking down a large number of chasing Yin Soldiers in the process.

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    The live broadcast room exploded once again!

    Inside the Annan National Defense Academy, Li Minghu pinched the mouse and lightly clicked to turn off those annoying rainbow-fart chats like "Yan Zhanlong is so badass", so as not to block everyone from continuing to watch and study Yan Yu''s swordsmanship.

    From the aerial drone''s perspective, it was hard to notice that the move White Crane Spreads Its Wings was actually a lower section attack close to the ground, but Li Minghu''s thoughts were so sharp that he still noticed something amiss from the subtle motion of the two Yin Soldiers bending slightly before being struck by the sword.

    So he was not only stepping on points earlier, but also collecting information on the equipment of these Yin Soldiers?

    While she was pondering carefully, Yan Yu on the other side had already continuously taken down several waves of Yin Soldiers, and a spirited commentary finally rang out in the live broadcast room.

    "Damn, Yan Zhanlong is so badass! The position he chose is really good!" Seeing Yan Yu turn danger into safety and the situation becoming clear, Zhou Erhe was the first to change his tune and praise, "Using this narrow terrain to block all the Yin Soldiers outside! Whoever comes will be killed, so many! This is the astonishing wisdom of Yan Zhanlong!"

    "What''s called ''one man holds the pass, ten thousand cannot break through''?" Xu Dongming also would not show weakness, puffing up equally, "This is ''one man holds the pass, ten thousand cannot break through''! In this position, Yan Zhanlong is like the God Lu Bu at Tiger Prison Pass!

    No matter if you are the numerous heroes from the east with thousands upon thousands of soldiers, he alone can block them all! As long as he is at Tiger Prison Pass, Yan Zhanlong is invincible!"

    "Hold on, don''t jinx it." Zhou Erhe suddenly felt uneasy and quickly spoke up, "He is not invincible. He still has limits on his True Yuan endurance, okay? Although the Sword Control Technique doesn''t consume much True Yuan, there is still consumption.

    Back in the day, when Lu Bu defended Tiger Prison Pass, he alone fought against Liu, Guan, and Zhang, and even he couldn''t sustain his physical strength."

    "Yes, yes, I''ll correct that," Xu Dongming relented smoothly, "As long as Yan Zhanlong has True Yuan, he temporarily descends like a god, the warring spirit of Lu Bu incarnate..."

    Within the Mysterious Realm, Yan Yu continued to unleash his sword techniques, with the Huang Tingjian striking with wide and powerful swings, using the terrain to rout the Yin Soldiers invading the mansion.

    Outside the Mysterious Realm, the two commentators sang each other''s praises, having to switch from doomsaying to flattering to cover up the awkwardness of their earlier misjudgment (they were already surrounded).

    At the training ground of Shuzhong Prefecture''s school, the Huofeng Team was also watching the live broadcast as a group.

    Probably tired of listening to the commentators boast, Tang Xiaolian couldn''t help saying:

    "Team Yan is indeed formidable, but saying he is invincible is an exaggeration. His weakness is that he does not know the Taoism Method. If our captain went into action, with a single cast of Great Bright Fire, these Yin Soldiers would be pulverized right away, there would be no need to cut them down one by one."

    The vice-captain Zhang Huaide shook his head and said:

    "No. Look at the Yin Soldiers that were knocked down, turning into a puff of gray smoke and disappearing, which shows that they may not have been truly killed. It''s unwise to waste True Yuan on them."

    "Observing Yan Yu''s swordsmanship, which mostly consists of straight chops and horizontal cuts, you know that he did not intend to spend True Yuan to kill them but aimed to block and delay. As for the commentator''s ''kills as many as come'', it''s just for show." S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Even if it''s just blocking and delaying, our captain''s level would not be worse," Tang Xiaolian persisted in her opinion.

    "No." Zhou Hongyu said slowly, "If it was me there, I wouldn''t be able to do what he does."

    She didn''t say this in a spirit of admitting defeat, but rather acknowledged Yan Yu''s mastery in swordsmanship¡ªevery strike could attack where the enemies couldn''t defend, and each hit could knock down a large group of Yin Soldiers. Such efficient and True Yuan-conserving sharp swordsmanship was something Zhou Hongyu, who was accustomed to going all out in attacks, could not achieve.

    With Zhou Hongyu admitting the gap in strengths, Tang Xiaolian could no longer defend her position, only secretly thinking how great it would be if she also had such power. If she could defeat Team Yan in a one-on-one battle, it would certainly make the captain look at her in a new light!

    Before she could even fantasize about herself becoming strong, the situation in the live broadcast suddenly changed drastically!

    From a distance down the street, an uninvited guest hurriedly approached. It was a tall Ghost General sitting atop a deathly warhorse, holding the reins in his left hand and a long halberd in his right, with a banner on his back, dashing at high speed into the crowd of Yin Soldiers, mercilessly cutting down all the obstructing soldiers in his way!

    The obstructing soldiers were deterred by his murderous aura, throwing away their weapons and kneeling on the ground. The Ghost General paid no heed to them and ruthlessly charged through, breaking into the mansion''s main entrance. The deathly warhorse stood up on its hind legs, and with its armored front legs, it forcefully stomped onto the shadow wall!

    The shadow wall exploded and crumbled with a loud bang; the Ghost General leaped into the yard amidst the dust, taking advantage of the horse''s momentum to fiercely thrust the halberd at Yan Yu.

    Despite the unexpected thrust, Yan Yu still reacted on time. He retreated with lightning speed, dodging the halberd''s thrust, and at the same time, his gaze fell on the banner the opponent was carrying on his back.

    On the banner, as on a flag, there were all kinds of Mysterious Seal Script written, surrounded by numerous purple-black glows. It radiated a terrorizing authority like that of a prison, causing all the surrounding Yin Soldiers to prostrate and tremble, daring not to make any rash moves.

    Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner!

    The thought flashed through Yan Yu''s mind when the Ghost General took the banner at his back in his left hand and slammed it into the ground. Amidst the flowing banner glow, a Yin Seal suddenly floated out of the banner''s surface and shot straight at Yan Yu!

 Chapter 13 Yan Zhanlong Immortal

    ```Yan Yu once again accelerated with his Shifting Technique, dodging the attack. The character seal struck the ground, slicing into it as easily as if cutting tofu, and continuing straight downward¡ªhis expression finally grew solemn.

    Given the current limit on spiritual energy density, the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner shouldn''t have been able to unleash that character seal, and its power shouldn''t have been this weak either.

    It must be the nighttime bans in this Mysterious Realm that provide a cultivation boost to all specters, enabling the Ghost General to barely meet the minimum requirements to activate the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner.

    Even so, a Ghost General capable of releasing the Nine Heavens Yin Demon character seal was not an opponent that either the Zhenhai Team or the Flying Dragon Battle Team could handle at this stage¡ªnot that they definitely couldn''t win, but even if they did force a victory, the cost would surely be extremely heavy.

    Who was it that conquered this Mysterious Realm in the previous life? It''s vaguely remembered that it seemed like it was led by Lord Master... and it must have been the Lord Master of the future, definitely not the one from the first year after the Spiritual Energy Resurgence.

    Tsk, tsk, tsk, so the Dingbei Army holds me in such high regard?

    If I can''t defeat this Ghost General either, wouldn''t you be afraid that both teams would perish here? Or is this the result some people are hoping to see?

    Yan Yu spun around and hastily retreated with his Shifting Technique, while the Ghost General continued to wield the Prison Banner, shooting out the Nine Heavens Yin Demon character seal in a black arc, aiming for Yan Yu''s back.

    This divine seal couldn''t be met head-on, nor could it even be allowed to get close, for the explosion''s aftermath could damage a cultivator''s soul. Yan Yu had no choice but to deploy a sword technique, controlling the Huang Tingjian to move sideways and intercept the swift-flying divine seal.

    The black light suddenly exploded, and the Huang Tingjian was immediately sent flying away, with Yan Yu also experiencing a slight disruption to his vital energy¡ªthe True Yuan and Divine Sense on his Huang Tingjian had been scattered a bit.

    Forget it, don''t fight against the unassailable. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    He could possibly still fight the Ghost General if he used all of his powerful moves like the Sword-Body Union or the Puppet Secret Technique, but Yan Yu was not so bold as to expose his true abilities in front of the whole country with a "well, if it''s like this, I won''t pretend any longer." So he decisively chose to flee.

    Ha-ha, see ya~

    Yet the Ghost General would not let him go so easily. The death warhorse beneath him neighed wildly, urging its limbs to chase after Yan Yu at a speed that was much faster than his Shifting Technique.

    In just a few breaths, the Ghost General had already caught up behind Yan Yu, with a swift thrust of his long spear.

    Yan Yu didn''t even turn back¡ªhe clenched a sword technique, guiding the Huang Tingjian to slash horizontally through the air at the head of the Ghost General, who opted to pull back his attack last second and block with his long spear.

    That long spear was not ordinary; struck from above by the Huangting Heavy Sword, it remained undamaged.

    Instead, the Ghost General roared aloud, pushing upwards forcefully with his hands, directly shaking off the Huangting Heavy Sword.

    The warhorse had already raised its body, its forelimbs aiming a heavy stomp down towards Yan Yu''s head. But Yan Yu quickly dropped his stance, raced forward, and changed direction¡ªusing a horizontal ''V'' shaped trajectory to dodge the warhorse''s stomping, and in a blink, he flashed to the side of the warhorse, and unleashed the Curved Curse, stepping forward with a punch!

    With the force of a cannon punch, even though the warhorse carried the heavy and powerful Ghost General, it was displaced half a meter to the side by Yan Yu''s punch.

    Unexpectedly, the Ghost General swung his long spear backward in a swift and swift counter-attack. Yan Yu barely managed to bring back the Huang Tingjian for defense, only to get both himself and his sword sent flying out of the observers'' view.

    "Yan Zhanlong is blasted away!" Both commentators were instantly stunned, with Zhou Erhe even standing up in shock, "Director, switch angles quickly, let''s see how Yan Zhanlong is doing!"

    In the Lingnan royal residence, the members of the Qing''an Battle Team were just as astonished. Li Zhaojiang blurted out:

    "No way? That slash just now, he should have been able to dodge it!"

    "It was on purpose," Li Minghu calmly reminded from the side, "Wall-Penetration Technique."

    Indeed, as the director switched angles the next second, everyone saw Yan Yu, who had been sent flying, swiftly pass through walls, buildings, and other barriers as if his body was merely an intangible illusion.

    "Very clever!" Xu Dongming, who had suddenly caught on, hurriedly explained, "As everyone could just see, the Ghost General on horseback was way faster than him! He wouldn''t have been able to escape in an open terrain, so he purposefully let the Ghost General knock him away, using the momentum and Wall-Penetration Technique to quickly increase the distance!"

    "The Ghost General can''t use the Wall-Penetration Technique," Zhou Erhe also said with a laugh, "To catch up, he would need to take a detour, how long would that chase be? I fear he''ll just be toyed with by Yan Zhanlong''s kite-flying tactics..."

    Before the commentators finished speaking, they saw the Ghost General once again wave the banner, conjuring dense clouds of Yin energy below the horse, lifting both the ghost and the steed high into the sky. Soon after, aiming at Yan Yu''s location, he dispersed the clouds and plummeted down like a meteor!

    Xu Dongming: ..........

    Zhou Erhe: ..........

    After a moment of silence, Zhou Erhe suddenly had a flash of insight and called out first:

    "Old Xu, you really jinxed it! You dared to jinx Yan Zhanlong?"

    ```

    "Don''t talk nonsense! When did I ever coddle him?" Xu Dongming''s eyes bulged, "Who knew it could ride the clouds and fog! My conclusion was based on the situation, logical and proper!"

    The crew outside flashed a sign, indicating to the commentators to stop arguing and get back to work.

    "Alright, let''s continue observing the Mysterious Realm." As the external crew intervened, Zhou Erhe, who had already passed the buck, quickly brought the conversation back on track as if nothing had happened, "The Ghost General rides the clouds and mists to catch up with Yan Yu! A downward strike from the metal halberd! Blocked! A diagonal slash! Blocked! A triple slash!

    Yan Zhanlong blocks them all! Yan Zhanlong tries to escape, the Ghost General pursues! They clash again!"

    Although he tried hard to describe the intensity of the battle, his vocabulary was still too poor, nowhere near as fierce as the actual fighting.

    The Ghost General''s combat skills were extremely strong, his metal halberd aiming to strike vital points at the throat and belly with each blow, powerful enough to even send Huangting Heavy Sword flying. The drawback was its lack of agility, but that was completely compensated for by the underbelly ghost horse.

    Whenever Yan Yu tried to escape, it chased swiftly; when Yan Yu went behind, it turned rapidly; and when the Ghost General''s metal halberd thrust grew sluggish, it would stomp with its forelimbs or kick with its hind legs, preventing Yan Yu from taking the chance to attack from behind.

    So loyal in protecting its master, Yan Yu was moved and decided to avoid the Ghost General for the moment, instead controlling his sword to land several heavy blows on the ghost horse, causing it to stagger, its soul fire flickering in its eyes, infuriating the Ghost General.

    In rage, he slammed the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner firmly on the ground, activating the countless divine runes on it!

    One, two, three¡ªa total of three Nine Heavens Yin Demon divine runes burst out of the banner, then exploded like thunder striking the ground, transforming into tangible Yin Demon energy, accompanied by shockwaves spreading rapidly in all directions.

    In an instant, it covered an area of two to three hundred meters in radius, engulfing even Yan Yu, who couldn''t escape with his Shifting Technique in time, completely swallowed by the vast purple-black smoke!

    The Nine Heavens Yin Demon Secret Thunder!

    Then came incessant explosions, as the vast, sea-like Yin Demon energy lashed and coiled amid the purple-black smog, churning, dancing, and strangling! From the aerial drone''s perspective, it was impossible to see the direction of the sinister energy below¡ªonly the surrounding houses exploding! Walls exploding! Floor tiles exploding! Rubble exploding! Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

    As if everything within the smog''s reach, from brick and tile to sand and stone, had been fitted with tiny timed bombs, either being blasted away by the surrounding explosions or being directly hit by the Yin Demon Secret Thunder and shattered to pieces!

    The commentators fell silent, the audience was hushed, and even the incessant barrage of live comments came to a standstill.

    Although no one wanted to believe it, amidst such enormous and frequent explosions, it seemed impossible to imagine anyone surviving.

    How could he survive? Why should he survive?

    Zhou Erhe opened his mouth, wanting to make a conclusion but hesitated. Suddenly, the Ghost General moved within the mist.

    The Ghost General began to spur his horse into a furious sprint! Heading towards the edge of the fog! What could he possibly be chasing? What was worth his pursuit? Could Yan Yu really still be alive?

    "Yan Yu is still alive!" Xu Dongming blurted out reflexively, and the live comments woke up like from a dream, the screen filling with a unanimous chant of "Rise again, my Yan Zhanlong brother", until Yan Yu''s figure truly broke through the edge of the Yin Demon energy and the ambiance in the live room boiled over at that moment.

    "Explosions in a chain couldn''t kill him! Yin Soldiers and Ghost Generals couldn''t kill him! Even a Flood Dragon couldn''t kill him!" Xu Dongming screamed until he was hoarse, "This is the Zhenhai Team''s Yan Zhanlong! The miracle maker, the unbeatable Yan Zhanlong!"

    In front of the big screen, everyone from the Qing''an Battle Team fell silent, until Jiang Hong was the first to snap back to reality and asked in horror,

    "How... How did Yan do that? Can a Barrier Charm block those explosions? Or did he use Wall-Penetration Technique to hide underground?"

    It was well known that the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse could withstand most physical damage, such as the slashing and stabs of the Flying Sword, but it was useless against Taoism Method-type damage. As for those dense explosions with obscure mechanisms and a sinister demonic aura, they were clearly not merely physical in nature.

    As for wall penetration, firing it up for half a second to pass through a barrier then turning it off was fine, but to hide underground for so long, the consumption of True Yuan was simply too great, even more impossible.

    "Hmm," Li Minghu also couldn''t understand and guessingly said, "These chain explosions seem to cover the entire field, but they don''t cover the entire field at the same time, so he might have used the time difference between them to promptly switch and move to a spot where the explosions hadn''t occurred..."

    This explanation was too fantastical, to the point where she couldn''t even continue herself, like sliding to avoid a pouncing tiger, or jumping at the moment an elevator hits the ground¡ªit sounded theoretically possible but was practically nonsense.

    As for how exactly he did it, it seemed that they could only wait to ask Yan Yu afterwards.

    Everyone turned back to the screen, only to see Yan Yu having burst out of the ruins, hopping from house to house, swiftly moving along the rooftops.

    The Ghost General was too heavy to get onto the rooftops and chose to drive his warhorse to smash through everything, regardless of whether it was a courtyard wall or a house¡ªlike a dump truck smashing everything to pieces, closely following right behind Yan Yu.

    A deadly pursuit!

    A Nine Heavens Yin Demon Secret Thunder was shot out, Yan Yu sidestepped as if teleporting, and with a backhand gesture of a sword technique, the Huang Tingjian fell from above. Explore new worlds at empire

    The Ghost General raised his spear to block, but underneath him, the warhorse burst into blood and cried out¡ªit was Yan Yu who had leaped from the rooftop, spinning in mid-air, and with repeated strikes of the Metal-Element Impact Curse, wounded the demon horse, then landed on another rooftop across the street and continued his swift escape, enraging the Ghost General who once more lifted the banner, ready to strike the ground again.

    "He''s going for another big move!" Xu Dongming stared intently at the screen and loudly warned, "Every time the Ghost General raises his flag to strike the ground, he''s about to unleash a big move! The longer the pause before striking, the fiercer the big move! He''s still charging up! He''s about to release his ultimate move! Yan Zhanlong, hurry and get ready¡­ Huh?"

    "He put the flag back on his back!" Zhou Erhe shouted in addition, "What''s going on?"

    No one needed to answer him, as the abruptly increasing brightness of the screen had already given the answer.

    Dawn approached, as the long night was about to brighten.

    Daylight had come.

 Chapter 14 Flying Dragon Battle Team, 70-80!

    The night retreated, and daylight descended. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.The surrounding Yin Soldiers faded into ash in the strengthening sunlight.

    The Ghost General, though not disappearing, had its purple-black Yin energy dissipated by nearly half. It was clearly becoming languid.

    Yan Yu halted his sprinting pace, turning around leisurely with his hands carefree in his coat pockets, showing no sign of fatigue on his face.

    The live stream opportunistically zoomed in¡ªthe production team gave him a full-body high-definition close-up.

    "It''s daytime now!" Xu Dongming shouted, "The Ghost General is weakened! It''s Yan Zhanlong''s turn! Yan Zhanlong is about to unleash divine power! Annihilating! Obliterating! He''s about to..."

    Before the professional commentator could finish, Yan Yu casually withdrew a pill, an Elixir Medicine, from his pocket and silently popped it into his mouth.

    "Hey, no need to rush," Zhou Erhe said facetiously next to him, providing cover for him, "although Yan Zhanlong is divine, he also needs to replenish his True Yuan and rest."

    "Yes," Xu Dongming also calmed his excitement, speaking steadily, "everyone, don''t rush, let Yan Zhanlong recover first; his spectacular performance just now exhausted a lot of True Yuan... Eh? Zhenhai Team is coming out!"

    Behind Yan Yu, several figures flickered by¡ªthe girls who had left the inn sprang onto the rooftop and positioned themselves on either side of him.

    The unmanned aerial camera adjusted focus once more, slightly narrowing the frame so that all five people were perfectly captured: Yan Yu stood nonchalantly in the center with one hand in his pocket, Chen Lingyun smiling sweetly at the camera while holding the Soul Summoning Banner, Su Yunjin calmly looking forward at the Ghost General, Lin Ning ready to attack with a Sword technique at hand, and Zhao Yuanzhen crossing her arms with a cool demeanor as if finally allowed a breath of fresh air.

    "All set?" Yan Yu asked, tilting his head.

    Seeing them start to converse, the director quickly switched to the team''s cameras to capture the dialogue¡ªYan Yu''s chest camera was damaged in the previous explosion, so it switched to Chen Lingyun''s perspective.

    Your journey continues at empire

    "All set," Chen Lingyun confirmed, "the night lasted 12 minutes and 11 seconds; we entered the Mysterious Realm about 9 minutes and 20 seconds before nightfall."

    "Daytime should be the same length as night," Yan Yu said, "no matter, you guys take care of Flying Dragon Battle Team."

    "What about you, Captain?" Lin Ning asked in surprise.

    "I''ll deal with this gatekeeper," Yan Yu said, looking at the Ghost General regaining strength before him, "if you can''t beat them, then call me."

    "Don''t worry," Zhao Yuanzhen said impatiently, "we definitely won''t call you, just take care not to capsize yourself."

    "Did you find their location?" Yan Yu inquired.

    "Of course," Chen Lingyun replied with a smile, "while you were playing cat and mouse with them, I wasn''t slacking off."

    The audience in the live stream laughed along. The scene of a hundred thousand Yin Soldiers besieging Yan Zhanlong was so grand and perilous, making people believe several times that Yan Yu couldn''t hold on.

    But now Chen Lingyun referred to it as "cat and mouse"¡ªindicating that the deputy captain, despite her small and sweet southern appearance, was just as adept at showing off and stirring up trouble as Yan Yu.

    This also explained why Yan Yu led the Yin Soldiers around in circles¡ªto draw fire and assist the five spirits in completing their reconnaissance mission.

    On the other hand, Flying Dragon Battle Team also swiftly left their hiding place and gathered at a nearby rooftop vantage point.

    They had already spotted Chen Lingyun''s deployed spirits, and naturally knew that Zhenhai Team had confirmed their location. Now that it was daytime, there was no need to hide, and they could have a fair and square battle!

    "Two o''clock position, they''re coming," Deputy Captain Shen Rui alerted the team, with Zhenhai Team approaching them.

    "Charge!" Cai Qianlong roared, "Give it your all!"

    "Right!" the team responded.

    To acknowledge inferiority to Zhenhai Team is self-awareness; to fight with all one''s might against an overpowering foe is self-transcendence! Even if defeated, it would be in the final moment striving for victory!

    Lin Ning, who was leaping across rooftops, heard the shouts ahead and said to her teammates via a secret vocal transmission:

    "Their fighting spirit is quite high."

    "They probably think that without Yan Yu, the four of us girls are easy to bully," Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    Easy to bully? The girls were taken aback for a moment, then each became furiously indignant.

    Just wait, we''ll crush you soon!

    "Sister Zhao, focus on Cai Qianlong; Ningning, suppress the other four," Chen Lingyun commanded.

    "Okay!" Lin Ning responded through the transmission, her Shifting Technique suddenly accelerating!

    The ultimate acceleration of the Shifting Technique is around sixteen meters per second. Exceeding this limit could easily lead to a stumble. To avoid being distracted by controlling speed, they usually wouldn''t cruise at full throttle.

    Now, Lin Ning pushed to full speed in a burst, quickly leaving her teammates behind. With a flick of her hand, the Green Bamboo Sword performed a "White Rainbow Through The Sun," directly attacking Shen Rui on the right flank.

    Cai Qianlong, positioned at the vanguard of the Charging Arrow Formation, had an excellent overall view of the battlefield and immediately launched the True Yang Sword to intercept.

    Before he could intercept the Green Bamboo Sword, it was cut off halfway by the Yin Wind Sword. Cai Qianlong furrowed his brow, only to hear Zhao Yuanzhen''s voice transmitting to him in secret, sounding as if it were right next to his ear:

    "Your opponent is me! Come and meet your fate!"

    With Cai Qianlong''s temperament, of course, he couldn''t stand such provocation. Hearing this, his fighting spirit instantly ignited, and he swiftly recalled the True Yang Sword, preparing to engage Zhao Yuanzhen in swordsmanship combat.

    Without Cai Qianlong''s interception, Lin Ning''s Green Bamboo Sword directly attacked the approaching Shen Rui, who parried it with the Profound Iron Sword. Using the force of the rebound, Lin Ning redirected the sword and swiftly stabbed towards Ma Dawei, who was behind.

    This sword technique of "offering a flower in another''s name" was a move Yan Yu often liked to play with during routine sparring: pretending to feign an attack at one girl while calculating the entry angle of the flying sword, then switching targets to another girl using the rebound ¡ª everyone subconsciously assumes that the flying sword would be temporarily out of control after being repelled, so their vigilance would inevitably relax at that moment, only to be hit hard as a result.

    Ma Dawei had never encountered such a situation and was in the midst of jumping to another rooftop, so when he was surprised mid-air by the Green Bamboo Sword, he instinctively activated the Barrier Charm to block.

    With a "ding," the Green Bamboo Sword failed to break through the Barrier Charm, but Ma Dawei''s speed was slowed by the force of the sword, and without support in mid-air, he fell straight down.

    Shen Rui scanned the surroundings with his Divine Sense, confirming that team leader Cai Qianlong was entangled by Zhao Yuanzhen (he recognized him as Zhao Jiuzhen, but from now on for the sake of consistency, he will be referred to as Zhao Yuanzhen outside of dialogue, and it won''t be mentioned again).

    Ma Dawei had temporarily broken ranks due to the ambush, so Lin Ning''s Green Bamboo Sword would likely next target Peng Yifan and Zhong Ming, who were weaker than himself.

    Peng Yifan was a spell cultivator, and Zhong Ming was an envoy; both had decent swordsmanship amongst their fellow cultivators, but even if they joined forces against Lin Ning and the Green Bamboo Sword, it was hard to say, so Shen Rui hurriedly directed his Profound Iron Sword to the rescue.

    Just as the Profound Iron Sword intercepted the Green Bamboo Sword, a flash of purple light streaked by, and it was Chen Lingyun seizing the moment his flying sword was far from him, propelling the Purple Extreme Sword to slice at him.

    Without his flying sword at his side, Shen Rui had to quickly dodge using the Shifting Technique, but as he stepped away, he found himself immobilized on the rooftop as if rooted to the ground ¡ª Chen Lingyun''s Ghoul had stretched its ghostly hand from under the rooftop and tightly wound around his ankle.

    Shen Rui, who had intended to save others, ended up in a crisis himself, with Peng Yifan and Zhong Ming rushing to his aid.

    The former cast a spell, launching three rays of golden light, while the latter shook his sleeves vigorously, dropping a six-armed demon with wings on its back, flapping quickly like a dragonfly. In an instant, it sped through tens of meters, about to grab the Purple Extreme Sword, when suddenly the floodwaters surged around them!

    Su Yunjin''s Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art had trapped the six-armed demon!

    The falling Ma Dawei stabilized his body, used the Cloud Ascension Technique to fly back onto the rooftop, and upon looking closely, was immediately stunned.

    At that moment, team leader Cai Qianlong was still engaged in fierce flying sword combat with Zhao Yuanzhen, as if a life-and-death struggle, unable to extricate himself to help his teammates; deputy leader Shen Rui forcibly broke free of the ghoul''s grasp with the Wood Bending Charm, narrowly avoiding the Purple Extreme Sword''s stab, only to be slashed in the back by Lin Ning with the Green Bamboo Sword.

    Wounded and bloodied, he rolled off the rooftop and fell down... Considering he was actually fighting three against one including the five ghosts, it was no surprise he was defeated given insufficient strength.

    Zhong Ming''s demon was trapped by the opposing Taoist method, forcing him to use his flying sword to attack Su Yunjin from a distance in an attempt to free his own demon, only for Su Yunjin to easily block and restrain it with Coral Tears.

    Peng Yifan was now the only one not being closely watched. However, with Deputy Captain Shen Rui down and Captain Cai Qianlong unable to divert his attention to command the battle (not that he would be effective if he could), Peng Yifan had no choice but to make his own judgments of the situation.

    He first shot golden Taoism Method light at Zhao Yuanzhen, who deftly avoided it with a lateral shift, nearly hitting Captain Cai Qianlong instead. So, he turned his attack towards Lin Ning, who sliced through the golden light with the Green Bamboo Sword and then turned to attack him.

    We need to help Peng Yifan first!

    Ma Dawei made a swift decision and directly maneuvered his magical artifact towards Lin Ning, but he heard Peng Yifan''s voice transmission coming through:

    "Help Zhong."

    Peng Yifan saw the situation more clearly than he did. Lin Ning''s swordsmanship was incredibly formidable, and even together with Ma Dawei, it might not be possible to defeat her. On the other hand, Su Yunjin had to maintain the Taoism Method that trapped the demons and also fend off Zhong Ming''s swordsmanship attacks.

    She was currently multitasking¡ªshe was the most vulnerable link in the Zhenhai Team!

    Ma Dawei quickly turned his attack towards Su Yunjin, but as soon as he launched his magical artifact, it was intercepted by the Purple Extreme Sword. Moreover, five ghosts transformed into ferocious dogs and surrounded him from all sides, forcing him to switch to defense for his own protection.

    With that, the entire tactical system of the Flying Dragon Battle Team was decimated due to Deputy Captain Shen Rui being targeted and taken down from the beginning. Now, completely fragmented, every team member was fighting on their own, with no possibility of mutual support, and there was an overwhelming tendency to be completely crushed by the Zhenhai Team under Chen Lingyun''s command.

    "The Flying Dragon Battle Team has lost," concluded Zhang Huaide, in front of the big screen at the Huofeng Team training ground.

    "Didn''t we know that already?" Qin Meng asked in surprise, "How could they possibly defeat the Zhenhai Team?"

    "No," Zhang Huaide shook his head, "strictly speaking, with Yan Yu not participating in the battle, they actually had a chance of winning at the beginning when it was five against four."

    "The problem lies with Cai Qianlong," Zhou Hongyu hit the nail on the head.

    "Exactly. From the moment Cai Qianlong began swordsmanship combat with Zhao Jiuzhen, they stood no chance," Zhang Huaide said, shaking his head. "As the deputy captain and the core of command, he was definitely the main target for the enemy team.

    Within the Flying Dragon Battle Team, only Cai Qianlong had the power to match Zhao Jiuzhen and Lin Ning, so he should have stayed close to Shen Rui to ensure the deputy captain''s safety and keep the command structure operational."

    "But Shen Rui failed to realize this as well, didn''t he?" Meng Qingxi raised the question.

    "Yes, or it''s possible that Cai Qianlong wouldn''t listen," Zhang Huaide said nonchalantly, "after all, it was their team''s first battle, and Cai Qianlong might not have completely trusted him, especially since they had a dispute during the press conference... In any case, they should recognize this problem after this defeat."

    "Let''s not worry about them," Zhou Hongyu, suddenly introspective, said to Zhang Huaide, "In our Huofeng Team, everything is for the sake of victory. If I ever run into trouble, you must remind me right away, without worrying about my thoughts."

    "Of course," Zhang Huaide nodded, calmly raised a finger to adjust the frame on the bridge of his nose, and said solemnly, "After all, that is the deputy captain''s responsibility."

    "The director has switched the view," Tang Xiaolian remarked after a moment, "The Flying Dragon Battle Team is undoubtedly doomed, so let''s watch Yan Yu''s performance. Deputy Captain Zhang, do you think Yan Yu can take on the goalkeeper on his own?"

    "Of course," Zhang Huaide said with a slight smile, "If Yan Yu can slay the Flood Dragon, how could the Ghost General, whose strength is not even comparable to the previous Flood Dragon, possibly be a match for him?"

 Chapter 15 Do you like my puppet Ah Zhen?

    The atmosphere of the Ghost General clearly wilted after the mysterious realm transitioned from night to day; it didn''t even charge at Yan Yu immediately, instead choosing to silently recover its strength.Yan Yu wasn''t in a hurry to make a move either. He simply stood there, hands clasped behind his back, calmly circulating his True Qi to refine the medicinal power within his stomach, fiercely recovering the True Yuan he had expended before.

    Of course, through the lens of the drones hovering in the sky and in the eyes of the clueless national audience, it seemed as if Yan Yu, much like a hero from a Louis Cha novel, was standing alone and posturing, intimating the Ghost General with his mere aura and deterring it from advancing.

    The might of Yan Zhanlong was that terrifying?!

    Even though the audience seemed to enjoy Yan Zhanlong''s posturing according to the barrage of comments, the live broadcasters couldn''t afford to keep the camera fixed on Yan Yu. It would appear as if the signal was interrupted and the screen had frozen, which wouldn''t look good.

    After the two professional commentators praised Yan Yu for a few moments, they instructed the director to switch the view to the intense team confrontation elsewhere.

    It wasn''t until the Flying Dragon Battle Team''s defeat seemed certain that Yan Yu had almost finished refining the medicine''s power, and he nonchalantly asked:

    "What are you waiting for?"

    The large figure of the Ghost General offered no reply. The obtuseness brought on by death had long robbed him of the ability to speak; even maintaining consciousness was a struggle, barely preserving emotions like anger, pride, restlessness, and a bloodthirst from life.

    "To die yet not fall, how pitiful," Yan Yu sighed deeply, his hands skillfully forming a sword technique, and the Huang Tingjian sword floated up steadily, "Allow me to relieve you of your suffering."

    The Ghost General silently tightened the reins, and the warhorse beneath him anxiously pawed at the ground, as if asking its master whether to flee or fight.

    Yan Yu suddenly realized something was off; he looked down at his chest¡­ Ah, the camera had been destroyed in the earlier Yin Demon''s explosion.

    Then what''s the point of me posturing? The drones above can''t hear my cool lines!

    Yan Yu immediately sneered, thinking that, in that case, he wouldn''t waste any more time.

    Fight!

    He suddenly dashed towards the Ghost General, with the Huang Tingjian sword moving even faster, aiming straight for the warhorse''s head.

    The Ghost General finally made up its mind; the horse spun around instantly and fled away from Yan Yu towards the distance. The long halberd in its hand came swinging back, forcefully knocking away the incoming Huang Tingjian sword.

    Retreat!

    The tides of attack and defense had quickly reversed; now it was Yan Yu pursuing relentlessly from behind, but the Ghost General''s warhorse was faster, quickly widening the gap, not looking back as it rushed towards the distant area¡ªthe direction seemed to be heading toward the palace north of the ancient city.

    Now that the team confrontation had been decided, the directors wanted to switch the view back to Yan Yu, only to see the Ghost General charging into the palace, with Yan Yu, without any hesitation, following closely behind, crossing the palace gates as well.

    And then¡­ there was no follow-up, the outdoor drones couldn''t capture the indoors.

    "Huh?" Zhou Erhe asked in confusion in the studio, "Yan Zhanlong''s wearable camera was damaged during the earlier BOSS attack, and we currently can''t view his first-person perspective. So, can we direct the aerial drones to follow him inside for additional coverage?"

    "As per the rules, the aerial drones are only allowed to perform fixed-route cruising shots; they''re not permitted to follow the battle teams around," Xu Dongming explained to the viewers, "because in team confrontations we need to ensure fairness.

    Some teams might use stealth and ambush tactics, but if your drones are filming them, the opposing team will see there are drones in the sky and know that your team is ambushing nearby. This would result in the OB being accused of leaking secrets, so it''s definitely not allowed."

    "However, since the confrontation between the teams has ended, and what follows is the fight against the goalkeeper boss, whether we can follow Yan Zhanlong for filming will depend on the relevant regulations from the Dingbei Army," he glanced at the crew with an inquiring look and continued, "So we will also try to communicate with the Dingbei Army to see if we can better ensure everyone''s right to watch the match¡­"

    Ten Swift indeed had reached out to the Dingbei Army for a discussion, after all, they had spent real money on the internet broadcasting rights; how could they accept not being able to fully showcase the program''s effectiveness?

    After consulting with their superiors, the Dingbei Army''s response was a firm "no."

    It wasn''t that the rules were set in stone forbidding it but rather that the current technology only allowed for transmitting information from the inside out, not from the outside in.

    Inside the mysterious realm, the Dingbei Army''s medical, broadcasting, and security teams, not having received any orders from the outside headquarters, didn''t dare to make unilateral decisions about controlling the drones.

    The outside headquarters, considering that more than half of the second daylight period inside the mysterious realm had passed and it would soon undergo another change from day to night, found it inconvenient to send sentries into the realm again to physically relay orders¡­ at least they''d wait until the next darkness had passed and the third daylight emerged.

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    As for Yan Yu, who followed the goalkeeper into the palace, of course, he wouldn''t care about any broadcast effectiveness.

    He casually tore off the broken camera from his chest and threw it onto the stone-bricked ground, his divine sense swiftly scanning the surroundings.

    Within this palace, the decoration and furnishing were all eerily cold, the distinct style of the Demonic Sect unmistakable. Directly behind the main hall was a statue of a female cultivator, stunningly beautiful yet with a gentle yet sinister aura. She held a bone longsword in her hands, her expression between a smile and not, her demeanor growing ever more enchanting and evil.

    Beneath the statue, on a dusty altar laden with incense, was the spirit tablet of the cultivator, inscribed with the eight ancient seal characters "Ancestor of our sect, Fairy Lianshan."

    Yan Yu''s Divine Sense merely touched upon the tablet, and immediately, a torrent of information rushed into his sea of consciousness¡ªall of it singing praises of the so-called "Fairy Lianshan''s" astonishing feats, such as "achieving heroic deeds with the delicate body of a woman", "wielding the power of an entire sect to command the majesty of the six realms", "upon ascension, ten thousand demons wept, stars dimmed, and the sun and moon lost their light"...

    Yan Yu didn''t believe a half-word of these nonsensical boasts¡ªif he did, he might as well have water in his brain.

    That world''s Demonic Sect factions generally exaggerated their cultivators'' prowess absurdly. For instance, naming rites for their Taoism Methods¡ªthe spell looks fancy? Call it Jiuyin! Too difficult to learn? Xuan Yin! Extremely powerful?

    Tai Yin! They adopted whatever sounded most impressive, which was entirely unlike Mei Yingxue''s Xuanmen Zhengzong. Xuanmen Zhengzong cultivators valued their reputation; they wouldn''t dare to use names like Taiqing or Yuqing unless their techniques were truly related, for fear of being ridiculed by their peers.

    If Zhao Yuanzhen had not been taken in by a master from the Demonic Sect but had joined Xuanmen Zhengzong instead, perhaps she wouldn''t have developed the vain and profit-driven character she had now.

    Having raced into the side hall on the right with the Ghost General, Yan Yu followed suit. He passed through the side halls, the rear halls, with the ground gradually sloping downward until they arrived in a vast underground palace.

    The area was enormous, nearly half the size of a football field, resembling a huge subterranean cavern.

    Everywhere one looked, heaps of various bones were arranged into incense burners, pagodas, stupas, memorial arches, and even shapes resembling Taoist temples, shrines, and monasteries.

    Everything within this underground palace was unbelievably constructed from bones!

    At the entrance nearest to them, on a massive carapace of some creature, several ancient seal characters were inscribed in a lively and flowing style.

    With just a glance, Yan Yu instinctively understood their meaning:

    Divine Bone Palace.

    Before he could contemplate the meaning of "Divine Bone Palace", the ground beneath his feet suddenly shook violently.

    All the bones around him, whether part of the buildings or scattered in the corners, suddenly flew together as if attracted by a powerful magnetic force, thrumming as they flew toward the front.

    In the depths of the palace, the Ghost General stood with his horse on a clearing as myriads of bones crawled rapidly along the ground, as if alive, swarming up his feet, legs, and torso...

    In just a few breaths, an endless supply of bones completely enshrouded the Ghost General, transforming him into a colossal half-skeletal giant over twenty meters tall, with a large halberd in hand, eyes blazing with soul fire, and the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner on his forehead, akin to the divine presence of Erlang.

    The mere sight of it carried immense majesty, shaking the spirit, compelling the impulse to kneel and bow in submission.

    Looking at the gigantic skeleton, Yan Yu laughed to himself, thinking the powerful entity behind this Mysterious Realm must be a Lego enthusiast. Who else would play with bones like building blocks? Do you think bigger means stronger?

    He swung his arm to the side, and a Silver Pellet fell to the ground, swiftly transforming into a beautiful woman with an ample chest and long legs. Though her beauty and figure were not remarkably different from that of the Demonic Sect Enchantress, her eyes and brows lacked the frank and honest demeanor of the original, bearing a tranquility and calmness more akin to Su Yunjin''s.

    The Puppet Ah Zhen, after several days and nights of rushed work by the Demonic Sect Enchantress before entering the Mysterious Realm, was finally ready to make an appearance.

    With a core made of Celestial River Settling Earthly Divine Iron and skeletal structure of Thousand-Year Divine Dragon Wood, whether it was the force of an attack or the capacity to endure damage, it had surpassed any Transcendent being on Earth to date.

    This was also Yan Yu''s sole reliance for not pursuing the path of a top-tier Sword Immortal from his previous life and instead opting to become a Puppet Master in this one.

    The half-giant began roaring fiercely, its soul fire flickering in its eyes like the raging flow of a great river, ceaselessly washing over its eye sockets. It exuded a terrifying majesty, like a king coldly overlooking all beneath heaven, demanding every creature and object in the world to bow before him.

    But Yan Yu''s face showed not the slightest sign of tension. Instead, he lightly flicked the heavy blade of the Huangting Kunwu Sword and proclaimed aloud:

    "Sword light stretches thirty thousand miles, blocks the vast sea, spreaws warm blood!" (Note 1)

    "Now stepping boldly toward the heavens, reaching the pinnacle, without looking back!"

    Puppet Ah Zhen by his side produced a faint smile, the corners of her mouth appearing to curve upward, though it could be an illusion.

    With a hearty laugh, Yan Yu started to form the Sword technique, boldly saying: S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Let''s go, Ah Zhen!"

    Puppet Ah Zhen instantly accelerated, moving as fast as thunder and lightning across the ground, charging towards the half-giant. Her wrist blade shone brightly as a mirror, luminous as the moon.

    Yan Yu, along with the light of the Huang Tingjian, merged into one radiant sight, dazzling as a brilliant dawn, shining brightly as the sun, and in an instant, he launched towards the bizarre center of the giant''s forehead, his immense killing intent soaring straight for the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner!!!

    (Note 1: This line is taken from the elegy by a Jingbei poet for Valkyrie Li Minghu, who died in battle in the South Sea, and published in the "Jingbei Daily", and is now utilized by Yan Zhanlong in this context.)

 Chapter 16 The True Protagonist Never Looks Back at the Bosss Explosion

    The Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner is an extremely formidable treasure.However, what''s even more formidable than the treasure itself are actually the three Nine Heavens Yin Demon Divine Inscriptions mingled among the countless seal scripts on the banner.

    Tracing its origins, one can find the ancestral Orthodox Demon Sect Techniques from the ancient desolate era, titled "The Arcane Secrets of the Nine Heavens Yin Demon", divided into an upper and a lower volume.

    The upper volume contains many profound spells and Nine Heavens Yin Demon Divine Inscriptions, and it''s said that by cultivating to a profound level, one could cast aside their physical body, refine their soul into a demon, and achieve supremacy over heaven and earth, which typifies the Demon Sect''s method for eternal longevity.

    The lower volume, on the other hand, is about the crafting methods of various Yin Demon treasures, each with immense power and treacherous effects. The method for crafting the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner can also be found within it.

    Later, when the formidable practitioner of the Demonic Path ascended and took the book with him, he left behind a bunch of disciples who hadn''t fully mastered the cultivation (much like a developer fleeing with the funds, leaving behind a row of unfinished buildings).

    Some people had learned from the upper volume, forming the divine inscriptions, but hadn''t had the chance to learn the lower volume; others knew the lower volume and had crafted the treasures, but hadn''t looked at the upper volume at all. Those from the former group needed treasures while those from the latter needed divine inscriptions, so the two sides hit it off immediately.

    In order to fully recreate the supreme demonic techniques of the ancestral master, each pleaded with the other to contribute their years of arduous cultivation, even at the cost of their lives...

    In short, the lineage of this cultivation method is now fragmented and scattered, and no one knows how many divine inscriptions there are, nor how many treasures.

    But, without a doubt, their combination, even if just incomplete fragments, can unleash tremendous demonic powers!

    Yan Yu performed the Sword-Body Union and transformed into a sword light, which surged in might and thrust towards the giant''s eyes and brows, only to see the latter exhale a stream of demonic energy, turning into a huge hand in mid-air to grasp at the sword light.

    However, this hand wasn''t a technique from the Demonic Sect but rather mimicked the Buddhist Sect''s "Sumi Ratna Hand," with five fingers clawing towards him as if to crush him on the spot, but unexpectedly, Yan Yu was also familiar with this spell. The sword light halted abruptly in its flight, merely grazing the fingertips, causing his opponent to grasp at air.

    The puppet Ah Zhen had already rushed beneath the giant, suddenly spread her arms, and ascended into the clouds to strike towards the adversary''s head.

    The Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner sensed the threat and abruptly surfaced a pitch-black divine inscription, which smashed down on puppet Ah Zhen''s head¡ªthis thing was actually the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Secret Thunder, capable of destroying the body and eradicating the soul.

    Had it hit Yan Yu, it would have been an immediate enactment of "Yan Zhanlong''s demise," without the slightest chance of rescue.

    However, Yan Yu had purposely used the Sword-Body Union to draw the giant''s attention, creating an opportunity for puppet Ah Zhen, and of course, he didn''t plan to take it too lightly.

    Ah Zhen, facing the Yin Demon Secret Thunder, didn''t dodge but instead charged forward, speeding up even faster, with her forearms protecting her face, and she charged straight into the Secret Thunder from below!

    Amidst the explosion, fragments flew, and Ah Zhen''s forearms were completely shattered, revealing the white jade-like arm bones inside¡ªthe Divine Dragon Wood, the essence of the best wood, natural at repelling evil, and coincidentally the natural nemesis of such evil spirits as the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Secret Thunder!

    Ah Zhen, once again accelerating out from the dispersing Yin Demon energy, finally reached the giant''s head and grasped the pole of the banner with her finger bones.

    I''ll pull!

    As the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner was violently jerked by her, the giant also let out a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering scream and flailed around with his halberd, striking chaotically¡ªhe didn''t dare to attack Ah Zhen on his forehead, afraid that excessive force would damage the banner, so he instinctively aimed his blows at Yan Yu, seeking to rescue one crisis with another.

    Yan Yu, while mentally urging Ah Zhen to exert force, continued to control his sword flight to dodge the attacks, moving nimbly like a fish in the water. No matter how the halberd hacked and slashed, turning the grand hall upside down, he didn''t receive a single scratch.

    While Yan Yu was fully utilizing his agility to dodge, puppet Ah Zhen, on the other hand, adopted a different mode. No matter how the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner activated the divine inscriptions, producing Secret Thunders to explode, she remained silent and endured, relying on the Divine Dragon Wood''s evil-repelling properties.

    She withstood about seventy to eighty blasts of Secret Thunder, and finally yanked the banner pole out to its limit with great force. Discover hidden content at My Virtual Library Empire

    However, inside the palace where everything was being turned upside-down; outside the palace, day and night made another silent exchange.

    At the end of the day, the medical and security teams had already arrived, taking away the entire Flying Dragon Battle Team for treatment; as night fell and countless ghosts roamed, the four members of the Zhenhai Team had to find a room indoors to take shelter and wait for the night to end before rushing toward the palace in the north of the city.

    The four girls dashed swiftly, entering the palace, turning into a side hall, descending all the way in search of their team captain. The director also switched the view to their first-person perspective¡ªeven though the shaking was enough to make one nauseous, the bullet comments contained hardly any complaints.

    Everyone only wanted to quickly understand: how is Yan Zhanlong doing after pursuing the gatekeeper all by himself?

    As everyone just descended into the palace corridor, they heard a thunderous explosion from afar.

    Inside the palace, the immense sword light surged in a flash, piercing straight into the forehead of the half-bodied giant and violently erupting out from the back of his head, then, tracing an arc, it landed on the ground, revealing Yan Yu''s figure once again.

    The puppet Ah Zhen, with the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner in hand, landed lightly and gracefully beside him. She casually stuck the banner into the ground, gave a slight smile, and turned into a Silver Pellet to return to his sleeve.

    Yan Yu''s divine sense swept across the field, realizing that the girls were approaching from behind. He casually grabbed the flagpole beside him, sent True Yuan into it, and the uncontrolled Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner no longer condensed runes, its luminous glows on the surface dimming as well.

    Finally, the girls entered the underground palace and saw Yan Yu holding the banner, standing tall. Despite seeming a bit disheveled, there were hardly any injuries on him.

    Looking at the half-skeleton giant opposite him, a dark hole was precisely in the middle of its forehead, the area around the wound rapidly disintegrating.

    Web-like cracks spread quickly, soon reaching the entire skull and then snaking down along the spine... Yan Yu couldn''t be bothered to watch how the gatekeeper BOSS died; he simply turned around while holding the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner in reverse, his expression calmly walking towards the girls. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Against the grand backdrop of the skeleton giant''s body collapsing and bone fragments raining down like shards, Yan Yu, with his steady stride, carrying the banner and sword, approached the girls. Like a tough guy walking away from an explosion in a movie, he stirred another round of uproar in the live stream comments.

    He handed the flagpole to Chen Lingyun and asked unceremoniously,

    "Why are you so slow? I''ve finished the fight."

    "To give you a chance for a one-on-one with the gatekeeper~" Chen Lingyun removed the camera from her collar and aimed it at Yan Yu''s face, smiling sweetly, "Is there anything you''d like to say to the viewers?"

    "Tired." Yan Yu yawned, "Let''s pack up and prepare to head back."

    In the studio, watching the dying disintegration of the half-giant BOSS, Zhou Erhe was still baffled:

    "That''s it? It''s finished? I mean, it''s only been about twenty minutes tops outside, and he''s finished down here?"

    "It''s a pity we didn''t get to see the BOSS fight." Now that things were settled and the stagehand was signaling to pacify the crowd outside, Xu Dongming naturally had to come out and explain promptly, "It can only be said that in the martial world, among masters, victory can be determined in an instant.

    And for a master among masters like Yan Zhanlong, as long as you give him an opportunity in a drawn-out battle, he can strike to kill immediately."

    "How do you explain him being chased around the city by Yin Soldiers and running all over the place from the BOSS, then?" Zhou Erhe scoffed coldly.

    "He was probably just gathering intelligence." Xu Dongming explained seriously, "After figuring out the mechanism of the day-night transition and seeing through the BOSS''s attack patterns, what''s left is an easy win. However, the camera damage is indeed an issue, and I hope the Dingbei Army can solve this durability problem in the future.

    After all, missing out on the most exciting part of the battle is something I believe the audience in front of the screen still finds regrettable..."

    He patiently soothed the crowd watching the live stream, but the comments didn''t seem to mind missing the BOSS fight; they were all concerned about whether Yan Yu was really tired:

    "Yan Zhanlong, you''ve worked hard."

    "Yan Zhanlong, get some good rest."

    "Yan Zhanlong, when are you coming to Jiang Hai to sign an autograph for me?"

    "Does Yan Zhanlong need physical therapy? I have a certificate for it..."

    "Alright." Seeing that the comments weren''t hung up on the missed BOSS fight and having received the cue from outside, Zhou Erhe quickly took the opportunity to steer the conversation, "With this, the live broadcast of the contest has come to an end. Next, let''s take a look at the replay of the battlefield.

    To better analyze the details of the fight for everyone, we''ve specially invited from the Zhendong Army, Cultivator Qi Changping, to come and explain..."

    Inside the studio, applause thundered¡ª all of it from hired clappers.

    Qi Changping walked onto the stage with a heavy heart, seemingly at a loss for words for a moment.

    From the start of the term to now, had it not been him enduring Yan Yu''s show-offs in silence every time, hoping that he would be a bit more modest, a bit more restrained, a bit more normal?

    Unexpectedly, as time changed, he now had to help that kid show off big time in front of the entire country! Damn it, how did things turn out like this?

    "I heard that Teacher Qi used to be Yan Zhanlong''s teacher at school, right?" Zhou Erhe started the conversation.

    Used to? Qi Changping felt a bit annoyed. I am still his teacher, even though I haven''t been able to teach him much, that is.

    "Yes." He put on the air of an insider, speaking calmly and composedly, "Yan Yu, when he first enrolled, I was in charge of admissions. From the first moment I saw him, I realized this person was definitely a once-in-a-millennium cultivation prodigy..."

 Chapter 17 Post-Game Press Conference!

    ```The junk time was upon them.

    The Dingbei Army cultivators came over to clean up the site, confirming the location of the central hub within the ruins of the Mysterious Realm and carefully extracted it.

    Only after a specialist refined it could the Zhenhai Team and others leave the Mysterious Realm.

    If it had been an esports competition, there would have been thunderous applause outside the Mysterious Realm by now, countless dazzling spotlights shone, and tens of thousands of media cameras would be aimed here, waiting for the team members to step onto the award stage where a heavy trophy¡ªtoo big to be lifted with one hand (designed to be hoisted by the entire team)¡ªwas placed...

    But there was none.

    Lin Ning shifted her gaze around, observing that people in the military camp were still methodically going about their work, like precise gears turning in a massive machine.

    This cooled her tiny sense of vain pride from claiming victory just a bit.

    So it seems, the seemingly glamorous cultivators are just a few parts of this colossal machine after all.

    "What are you thinking about?" Su Yunjin noticed her falling behind and stopped to wait for her.

    "No, nothing." Lin Ning hurried to catch up.

    After a while, she suddenly spoke up:

    "The captain clearly stole the show, so why can''t I see a single expression of joy on his face?"

    "Perhaps because for him, this really isn''t an achievement worth boasting about," Su Yunjin speculated thoughtfully.

    "Is that so¡­" Lin Ning also pondered quietly.

    What then is the true accomplishment that I should seek and strive for?

    After getting checked by the medical team, everyone returned to the hotel they had stayed in the day before to rest and rejuvenate.

    Yan Yu returned to his room, took out his phone, and saw that many friends had sent congratulatory messages. Since there were too many, he decided to set them aside for now and reply when he got home...

    Huh?

    [The Proud and Quirky One has sent you a video invite.]

    What does my little sister want?

    Yan Yu, puzzled, tapped to accept the call, and his sister''s face instantly appeared on the screen... the background seemed to be her school.

    Oh, right, school has started again.

    "Big brother," Yan Jing beamed, "you worked hard in this competition."

    Yan Yu instinctively wanted to scoff and say "Worked hard my ass," but on second thought, he wondered, She''s making a video call from school just to tell her big brother he worked hard? S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    I don''t buy it! That''s not like her at all!

    "What''s up?" Yan Yu asked seriously.

    Yan Jing didn''t disappoint him. She moved her face away from the screen to reveal three or four junior high school girls behind her and boasted:

    "Ta-da! See, this is my brother Yan Zhanlong! I didn''t lie to you, did I?"

    Watching the girls'' expressions change from surprised, to astonished, to shocked, and then to eyes gleaming with excitement, Yan Yu was momentarily dumbfounded, then somewhat speechless.

    Damn, Jingjing, you''re only in junior high! How come you''ve started showing off your brother already? Where did you learn this braggadocious trait!!!

    Seeing that Yan Yu didn''t know what to say for a moment, Yan Jing''s face quickly reappeared on the screen and chuckled:

    "Alright, that''s it, you can hang up now."

    Yan Yu irritably ended the call, lay back on the bed and played with his phone for a while longer, then he suddenly heard knocking.

    "Yan Yu!" Lin Ning called from the other side of the door, "We have a press conference to attend shortly, Ruoxi is calling you over for makeup."

    "Okay," Yan Yu got up.

    Opening the door, he saw that Sister Lin had already put on her makeup. Her makeup was more radiant than Su Yunjin''s, focusing on accentuating eye lines and highlighting plump lips, and her hair, which Lin Ning usually likes to tie into a single ponytail, was now exceptionally let down (styled with a curling iron), adding fashionably playful curves to her innocent face, enhancing her beauty.

    "What are you looking at?" Lin Ning felt a little uncomfortable.

    "Isn''t your makeup a bit too heavy?" Yan Yu frowned and asked.

    "Eh, is it?" Lin Ning quickly took out her phone to check herself in the selfie camera.

    "I think it''s too much," Yan Yu said, "You could compare with the others."

    "Does the captain prefer the no-makeup look?" Lin Ning asked tentatively.

    "I like my girlfriend without makeup, so it''s less likely to eat lipstick when kissing," Yan Yu replied nonchalantly.

    "You, you!" Lin Ning blushed with embarrassment, kicked out forcefully but was nimbly dodged by Yan Yu. Feeling somewhat aggrieved by the insinuation, she didn''t continue to chase him but rather protested, "How can you say such a thing!"

    ```

    "What are you talking about?" Yan Yu also showed a baffled expression, "You asked me what type of makeup I like on girls, and I told you. Besides, this is just my personal aesthetic preference, so why did you hit me?"

    "I''m not trying to¡ª!" It was then that Lin Ning realized something wasn''t right; it seemed like she might have let her imagination run wild¡­ No, he''s trying to trick me!

    "I didn''t ask what makeup you like, I was asking what makeup you think looks better on me," she quickly regained her composure and spoke with conviction, "But you brought up things like girlfriends, kissing, eating lipstick¡ª isn''t that making lewd comments and harassing a teammate?"

    "You''re spouting nonsense!" Yan Yu immediately got angry, "You clearly asked about my preference!"

    "Where''s your proof?" Lin Ning stretched out her fair hand and said with a sly smile, "Do you have any evidence? Do you have a recording?"

    "I''m the team captain," Yan Yu declared with authority, "My word is evidence."

    "Hmph." Lin Ning turned her head away, pretending she wanted nothing to do with him, but her eyes stealthily glanced at his facial expression. Seeing Yan Yu didn''t react, she suddenly stretched out her leg like lightning and stepped on him, then quickly dashed away to a distance.

    Yan Yu: .........

    Are you a grade schooler or what?

    When Lin Ning ran back to Xie Ruoxi''s room, she peeked out to make sure Yan Yu hadn''t followed her, and only then did she slowly relax.

    That annoying captain is always teasing girls with his words! That kick was your punishment!

    "Where''s Yan Yu?" Xie Ruoxi was doing Chen Lingyun''s eyebrows when she saw Lin Ning return and asked.

    "He''ll be here in a bit," Lin Ning composed herself, hiding her little emotions and sitting beside Chen Lingyun.

    After a while, she said softly:

    "Ruoxi, I think my makeup is a bit heavy now, I''d like to switch to something lighter."

    "Sure," Xie Ruoxi said nonchalantly, "Which parts would you like to be lighter?"

    "I want to change to a natural makeup look," Lin Ning murmured as she looked at herself in the mirror, "No lipstick, just use lip balm instead."

    "How come you''re suddenly making decisions about your makeup?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, "Didn''t you just go along with whatever Ruoxi said last time?"

    "Yeah," Lin Ning replied nonchalantly, "If you put on too much lipstick, it''s bothersome when you eat and some of it gets into your mouth."

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    After the match, the Flying Dragon Battle Team still attended the press conference first.

    The home team attends first before the game, but the losers attend first after; since the Flying Dragon Battle Team was the home team that lost, they had to attend first both times¡­ Although it sounds unlucky, considering that the second teams from the other three military branches have gone through the same, there''s no need for special sympathy towards them.

    The journalists were, of course, merciless. As soon as the Q&A session began, someone threw a very sharp question:

    "Who do you think should bear the main responsibility for this defeat?"

    Vice-captain Shen Rui, with a microphone in hand, devoid of any dejection or annoyance from defeat, simply said with a smile:

    "Everyone watched the live broadcast, right? The primary reason for the Flying Dragon Battle Team''s defeat was that I was taken out by the opposition too early, leading to the collapse of our team''s command system..."

    Before he could finish his self-criticism, Cai Qianlong, who could no longer bear it, snatched the microphone away.

    "It''s my responsibility," Cai Qianlong said, suddenly standing up and bowing to the journalists present, "The defeat can''t be blamed on Shen Rui because he wasn''t strong enough to withstand Zhenhai Team''s concentrated fire."

    "Being up five to four at the start, we had the advantage in numbers, but to make the most of it, the command has to be smooth. As the team captain, I should have ensured during the battle that Shen Rui wasn''t targeted by the opposition, and I failed to do that. Therefore, I bear the responsibility for this defeat."

    The journalists silently watched him. In a movie, the entire audience would probably erupt in applause now, admiring the captain''s spirit of taking responsibility.

    But reality is that not everyone might be sympathetic, but they definitely have brains. What you said is correct; the defeat is indeed your responsibility, and your public admission has saved us a lot of effort in writing news articles¡­ So they started to conceptualize their reports, and the atmosphere turned somewhat chilly for a moment.

    "But just because we lost this time, doesn''t mean we''ll lose next time!" After admitting defeat, Cai Qianlong suddenly regained his spirit and shouted, "Next time we face Zhenhai Team, we won''t be defeated so easily!"

    Now the atmosphere became lively again. Journalists love conflict and tension, and as the host signaled for the next question, immediately seven or eight hands shot up.

    "Captain Cai, Zhenhai Team chose a tactic of four against five this time, with team captain Yan Yu going alone to challenge the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper. Do you think this was an act of contempt towards the Flying Dragon Battle Team?" the journalist who got the chance to ask a question instantly fanned the flames. Your next chapter awaits on My Virtual Library Empire

    "Yes," Cai Qianlong said earnestly, "But that''s the truth. Because our current strength is indeed not the match of Zhenhai Team, and we don''t have the ability to incite team captain Yan Yu''s interest!"

    "Captain Cai," another journalist inquired, "how would you evaluate Zhenhai Team''s captain Yan Yu?"

    "Yan Yu is very strong," Cai Qianlong stated seriously, "Extremely strong. I once sought guidance from Liu Longtao, the number one person from the Dingbei Army, and of course, he''s also very strong, but I think he''s a notch below Yan Yu. Yan Yu might be currently the strongest Cultivator in the whole Lu Country."

    We should have interviewed Captain Cai earlier! Journalists with the hot quote teared up with joy and eagerly raised their hands, indicating they had more questions.

    In the military academy of Shengjing, everyone watching the live broadcast suddenly fell silent, each stealing glances at Lord Master''s expression, secretly snickering to themselves.

    "It''s not so bad," Ye Jun came out to ease the tension, "At least he didn''t say it was a tie when he fought you."

    Liu Longtao''s face darkened before he finally said:

    "So, everyone is latching onto that, huh?"

 Chapter 18 Return to Jinling, A Visit from an Old Friend

    "Are we good to go?" Yan Yu asked."Mhm, very handsome." Xie Ruoxi gave his bangs one final touch-up, took a moment to appraise his face, and then suddenly said shyly, "Extremely handsome."

    "Cool it with the fangirl face, you''re about to drool." Yan Yu pushed her to the side and turned to ask, "Everyone ready? Let''s go!"

    The group left the dressing room and arrived at the press conference, where they walked onstage and took their seats in order.

    Before the host even announced the start of the question period, a sea of hands shot up from the crowd below.

    "Headline Daily." The host called out.

    "Hello." The reporter from Headline Daily stood up, "Why did you choose to play four against five, with Captain Yan taking on the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper alone? What was the reasoning behind this decision?"

    "Short on time, thanks." Yan Yu replied nonchalantly. "Next."

    Reporters: .........

    It sounded dismissive, but on further reflection, it actually made sense: with the Mysterious Realm transitioning between day and night every fifteen minutes, and nights being patrolled by Yin Soldiers and ghosts with boosted strength, it was impossible to besiege the gatekeeper.

    That is to say, if the Zhenhai Team fought the Flying Dragon Battle Team with all members, there might not be enough daylight left afterwards, and they would have to wait for another day-night cycle, which is why Yan Yu decided to split his forces to save time¡­

    Could your explanation be any more far-fetched?! Just to save a mere ten or so minutes (not even ten hours), is it necessary to have one person take on the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper alone?

    The reporters all had a vague sense that Yan Yu''s choice to go solo was really just a stunt to show off in front of the entire nation... but they had no evidence.

    "Please, Ba Guan News." The host gestured to continue with the questions.

    "Captain Yan, what is your assessment of this match''s opponents¡ªthe Flying Dragon Battle Team?" asked the reporter who got the microphone.

    This kind of mirrored question had already been asked during the Flying Dragon Battle Team''s Q&A session. Cai Qianlong''s reply had been "Yan Yu is likely the strongest cultivator in Lu Country currently," a straightforward, no-nonsense answer that carried newsworthy value.

    In contrast, those like Shen Rui gave standard, insipid, bureaucratic responses that disgusted reporters so much they didn''t even want to ask.

    Of course, Yan Zhanlong seemed more the carefree and unbridled type and was not likely to be as smooth as Shen Rui, so the reporters were all eager to hear how he would critique his opponents¡ªpreferably with criticism, then with praise, or even with a balanced view, as long as it wasn''t some insincere, boring platitude.

    Yan Yu fell silent for a moment before asking:

    "Huh?"

    The room went silent.

    "Captain Yan, what is your assessment of the Flying Dragon Battle Team?" The Ba Guan News reporter thought he hadn''t heard clearly, so he repeated the question.

    "Sorry." Yan Yu answered seriously, "Haven''t faced them, not familiar. Next."

    That reporter stood there as if struck by lightning, speechless for a long while, and the surrounding crowd all held their foreheads.

    This guy can''t be serious!

    Did Yan Yu really not know about the Flying Dragon Battle Team? Impossible, or else he wouldn''t have sent Chen Lingyun''s team to fight four against five.

    Making such a risky tactical decision meant that he definitely had a clear understanding of the Flying Dragon Battle Team''s strengths! How could he "give no assessment"?

    Of course, it wasn''t possible for them to confront the issue head-on and say, "Come on, Captain Yan, we know you understand the Flying Dragon Battle Team; just give us your evaluation." So, unanimously, they became more cautious:

    Yan Zhanlong indeed disdained speaking in clich¨¦s like Shen Rui, but that didn''t mean he was an easy interview subject. They needed to stay sharp!

    "Pound News." The host continued to call out names.

    "Hello, Captain Yan." This reporter was much more respectful, given the failure of the previous two, and he decided to handle Yan Yu with kid gloves, so as not to waste his chance at a question with a flippant response, "First, congratulations to Zhenhai Team on winning this match, and second, due to the camera breakdown, no one saw how you defeated the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper.

    Could you give us a brief description?"

    "Oh, sure." Yan Yu responded openly, "I chased the gatekeeper down to the underground palace, where he suddenly cast some kind of evil spell and transformed into a giant Godzilla made of bones. Then I dodged his attacks for a while and finally seized a crucial opportunity to use my finishing move and killed him in one hit."

    Reporters: .........

    The Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper turned into Godzilla, and then you finished him with your ultimate move, right? Why don''t you say you transformed into Ultraman?

    If it had been Qi Changping during the school-starting period, he would certainly have explained to the reporters that while Yan Yu might seem easy to talk to and was willing to answer questions, this didn''t mean he would give the answer you wanted.

    "Does anyone else have a question?" the host asked to confirm.

    Incredibly, no one raised their hand. It wasn''t because they had run out of questions, but rather that they were all racking their brains on how to frame their question so that Yan Yu would give a serious answer. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Luckily, among the reporters were some clever individuals who quickly came up with a strategy:

    "I''d like to ask Vice Captain Chen, there was a lot of negative commentary about the Zhenhai Team before the match. Did the Zhenhai Team choose the risky strategy of four against five in this confrontation to counter these criticisms?"

    If Captain Yan was tough to handle, they should be able to ask Vice Captain Chen Lingyun, right?

    "It''s not that." Chen Lingyun took the microphone from Yan Yu, smiling, "It''s to let Yan Yu face the gatekeeper alone to save time."

    Reporters: .........

    Some still refused to accept defeat and continued to raise their hands, inquiring:

    "So please tell me, will the Zhenhai Team adopt the same aggressive tactical strategy in the next Mysterious Realm competition?"

    "The specific tactics and strategies depend on the specific objective circumstances," Chen Lingyun said with a smile. "If the next Mysterious Realm competition''s rule is limited to women brawling, we would definitely exclude our captain Yan Yu as well."

    Reporters: ..........

    Well, utter annihilation.

    "That concludes the reception." The host announced swiftly.

    After leaving the highly praised press conference, Yan Yu and the others packed their bags and boarded the flight back to Jinling.

    Nowadays, with a large number of media stationed in Gaodu County, those good old days of "finishing the Mysterious Realm and playing locally for a day" are probably gone forever.

    "Are we going to debrief this time?" Inside the cabin, Lin Ning played with her phone for a while, before suddenly asking.

    It''s like a student who must check their answers after an exam; it would feel awkward not to.

    "There''s no need," Chen Lingyun said leisurely. "The other side was in their first contest, and regardless of whether they were ready, they certainly didn''t show it well this time. The value of the debrief isn''t significant."

    "Indeed," Zhao Yuanzhen commented. "Moreover, Cai Qianlong, as the captain, had such unimpressive combat strength; so disappointing."

    The girls were speechless. In fact, Cai Qianlong could become the captain of the battle team; not to mention his brains or awareness, at least his strength was undoubtedly exceptional.

    But the problem lies with Yan Yu, the captain of the Zhenhai Team; his strength is at a superhuman monster level, which inflated the girls'' standards of assessment. How do you compare Cai Qianlong with Yan Yu? Even if you compare Liu Longtao with Yan Yu, the conclusion would be the same, but there''s no point!

    "By the way, during the press conference, Cai Qianlong said that you, Yan Yu, are Lu Country''s strongest Cultivator," Su Yunjin asked curiously. "Is it true?"

    "Though I''d rather not admit it, right now it seems no one in the country can beat him," Lin Ning glanced at Yan Yu.

    "Nonsense," Yan Yu scoffed. "I have already said I am the strongest in this world, okay?"

    "Talking big doesn''t cost money," Lin Ning said cheerfully. "There are so many powerful Transcendents overseas, once you have defeated all of them, then you can claim to be the ''strongest in this world''!"

    "Naive," Yan Yu expressed his disdain. "Does the world''s richest person need to compare bank account balances with everyone else?"

    "It''s already too much for you to compare yourself to Lu Country''s richest, how have you suddenly become the world''s richest?" Lin Ning directly retorted. "Even counting generously, haven''t we only had one encounter with foreign Transcendents? Where does this confidence come from?"

    As she finished speaking, Yan Yu''s phone rang.

    "Hold on, I need to take a call," Yan Yu said as he looked at his phone and answered the call.

    Sitting next to him, Chen Lingyun could see clearly that the caller ID was unknown, only indicating it was a number from East Sea Province.

    "Hello," Anna''s voice came through the phone. "I''m at Lukou Airport, where''s your home?"

    "Why are you in Jinling?" Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    "On a business trip," Anna replied.

    You, a witch practicing illegally without an official job, on a business trip, my foot! Yan Yu said irritably:

    "I''m on my way back to Jinling Prefecture; I''ll give you a call when I arrive."

    After hanging up the phone, he heard Lin Ning immediately ask:

    "Yan Yu, whose call was that?"

    Although the other girls didn''t ask, they all pricked up their ears inadvertently, shifting their attention to the matter.

    "Just an international friend," Yan Yu answered nonchalantly. "She says she''s already in Jinling and wants to find me."

    "International friend?" Lin Ning asked curiously. "Male or female?"

    "Female," Yan Yu paused, then continued, "I''m not sure if it counts as illegal entry; might need to report it to the higher-ups. Chen Lingyun?"

    "Is it that person?" Chen Lingyun immediately understood.

    "Right," Yan Yu nodded.

    Seeing that Chen Lingyun also knew the caller''s identity, the other girls felt confused and a sense of crisis began to emerge in their hearts.

    "Why do you both know her, but I don''t?" Zhao Yuanzhen was the first to show her dissatisfaction.

    "You know her as well," Chen Lingyun replied, smiling.

    "Who is it?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked in bewilderment.

    Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire

    "Whoever it is," Su Yunjin stated indifferently. "Since she''s come to Jinling, we must give her a good reception."

    "Indeed," Lin Ning agreed, quickly seizing the opportunity to clear the air about the visitor''s identity.

 Chapter 19 I, the Eclipse Queen, Also Need Face

    ```Inside the airport, Anna and her two sisters ordered their food and sat in a Kaifeng cuisine restaurant, casually chatting with each other.

    The eldest sister was named "Sofia," and the second sister was named "Maria," both were the biological daughters of Anna''s aunt and had now all become witches.

    The two cousins were not only over 1.8 meters tall, with large bone structures and especially broad shoulders, but they also had dark purple eyeshadow on their faces, wore silver enchanted nose rings, and had dense tattoos of spells on their arms, necks, and around their belly buttons, which made many men who wanted to come over and chat think twice. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Only Anna, standing just over 1.7 meters, had put on only bright lipstick and bore no jewelry or tattoos on her body, looking like the naive little sister following her two rebellious elder siblings... although that was far from the truth.

    If someone asked her two cousins, they would certainly argue that "Actually, it''s Anna who''s the most ruthless killer among us."

    "Has he arrived yet?" Sofia asked in Rakshasa language.

    "Not yet," Anna played with her smartphone, "he''ll let me know when he arrives."

    "Natasha has replied," Maria suddenly spoke, "the Northern Army of Lu Country''s attitude is very firm, the likelihood of them changing their mind later is slim, our only hope now lies with the Dragon Slayer."

    Anna said nothing upon hearing this, just stared at the fries in her hand, quietly counting their number.

    In the initial stage of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, Amur City was just like most cities in Siberia: With the official powers ousted, many Transcendents began to join forces to carve up the vacated power cake.

    Then came the ruthless infighting and conquest.

    By early September, the Amur witch coven had finally eliminated nearby gang forces and successfully took control of Amur City and the surrounding areas.

    What followed were even more severe problems: a significant threat from the east.

    Black Dragon Isle, what the Rakshasas called "Sakhalin Island," lay about three hundred kilometers east of Amur City on a large island, now completely overrun by werewolves¡ªor more precisely, a group of werewolf Transcendents known as the Gilyeri Bear people.

    Having taken over the entirety of Black Dragon Isle, the Gilyeri Bear people began attempting to expand toward the mainland.

    They established many strongholds throughout the Sikhote-Alin mountain range, and had clashed with the Amur witch coven over a dozen times, with significant casualties on both sides, hence a deep-seated vendetta was formed, and a full-scale war seemed to be just a matter of time.

    The Amur witch coven didn''t feel confident about securing a victory, so they sent an envoy to the south to seek help from Lu Country. The official witch delegation, led by "Snow Eye" Natasha, engaged in preliminary diplomatic talks with the Dingbei Army, hoping that Lu Country would send Cultivators to join the battle, "resisting the bears, aiding the witches, and forming an eternal alliance."

    As for Anna, it was her initiative to ask to return to the country, under the pretext of seeking aid, but really just to hang out with Yan Yu.

    The Amur witch coven supported this because Yan Zhanlong, known as the Dragon Slayer, was by now a renowned figure internationally. The Rakshasa witches, using their own perspectives to judge, believed that a Transcendent of Yan Zhanlong''s caliber must hold a high and influential position within Lu Country, so having Anna give it a try seemed a good idea.

    This was no fault of the witches for assuming so.

    After all, the social structure of Lu Country, where "immortals and mortals are distinct, each manages their own affairs, and they do not interfere with one another," was simply unimaginable in Rakshasa-dominated societies where might makes right, and the witches had no idea that Rikoku Cultivators only fought and did not concern themselves with matters of state.

    Due to her frequent "international communications" with Yan Yu, Anna was vaguely aware of the situation in Lu Country, but she pretended not to know in order to be able to "travel on public expenses back to her homeland."

    Knowing now that Natasha''s diplomatic mission for aid had failed, and everyone was counting on her to "make a difference," she felt a hard-to-express sense of shame and guilt.

    "Help." She silently sent a message to Yan Yu.

    "I just got off the plane, what''s up?" Yan Yu''s reply came back quickly.

    "Can you come with me to Amur City?" Anna asked earnestly.

    "Nope," Yan Yu answered without hesitation.

    "I''ll give you a big ear flick!" Anna fumed secretly, continuing to type, "At least say ''I''ll consider it''!"

    "Then I''ll consider it," Yan Yu replied.

    "So how about now?" After about half a minute, Anna typed again, asking.

    "Nope," Yan Yu responded.

    Anna quietly crushed the fries in her hand. Sofia and Maria exchanged glances, each reading the concern emanating from the other''s heart.

    According to Natasha, the Dingbei Army''s initial attitude was rather ambiguous; they hosted the witch envoys in a local hotel in Pingjing, saying they would arrange for the Rites Department''s diplomats to discuss matters as soon as possible.

    ```

    ```

    The people from the Rites Department didn''t show up, but the reception staff of the Dingbei Army changed their attitude, saying the Privy Council believed it inconvenient to deploy military force to interfere in the north and only wished to engage in regular trade and material support¡ªand this time their stance was much tougher, giving off a "take it or leave it" vibe.

    Trade and material support were indeed what the Amur witch coven needed, but the key to defeating the Gilyak bear people lay in transcendent powers. Enjoy new chapters from My Virtual Library Empire

    If your people couldn''t beat them on the front lines, no amount of supplies in the logistics warehouses would be of use, so Natasha decided to make another effort to reach out and strengthen relations, and to also urge Anna to push harder, hoping to get Yan Zhanlong''s help as well.

    However, watching Anna''s clenched teeth as she sent messages, her two older cousins couldn''t help but feel that something was off. It didn''t seem like she and Yan Zhanlong had a close relationship!

    After typing for what seemed like forever, Anna finally stood up and said,

    "Let''s go, he took a taxi at the airport entrance and is now waiting for us to head over."

    The three witches left their unfinished food behind and stood up, leaving the restaurant under the curious gazes of the Lu Country''s citizens.

    Walking on the road, Sofia couldn''t help but ask again,

    "Anna, what exactly is your relationship with Yan Zhanlong?"

    "I told you, we''re just friends," Anna said, expressionless.

    "Anna, please be honest with us," Maria asked, frowning. "What are the chances that you''ll be able to persuade him this time?"

    "Maria," Anna sighed, "I''m his friend, not his girlfriend. Whether I can persuade him to help or not depends on what he thinks, not on whether we are close enough¡ªthere''s no such relationship between us."

    "But what if you established a more intimate relationship with him?" Sofia''s eyes sparkled. "Lu Country men all like virgins, and I remember you''ve never been in a relationship before, right? If you could seduce him into bed..."

    Anna nearly sprayed her iced cola all over her face, choking back furiously,

    "I am not that kind of person!"

    "Don''t be foolish, Sofia," Maria chimed in. "Yan Zhanlong probably isn''t lacking in beautiful women, and besides, Anna won''t be able to stay in Lu Country long-term to be with him¡ªthis plan wouldn''t work."

    That comment immediately petrified Anna.

    Amur City was far from Jinling Prefecture. If Yan Yu had been a cultivator from the Dingbei Army, maybe they could have occasionally met up in a small border town in the north of East Sea Province for a romantic date, but in Jinling Prefecture... video calling seemed more realistic.

    To say Anna had no feelings for Yan Yu would be utter nonsense. Why else would she message and call him every so often, insisting on maintaining the contact for several months without letting go?

    But the problem was Anna''s intuition about men was too accurate. In less than half a year since she had met him, Yan Yu had transformed from "a man" to "a god among men," now a Lu Country household name, the superhero Yan Zhanlong. He was undoubtedly outstanding as a man, so outstanding that she almost felt unworthy of him. What was she to do?

    Sometimes, when she thought about it carefully, she realized, oh no, he''s out of my league!

    Of course, she couldn''t bear to give up hope just like that. Deep down, Anna even harbored some unrealistic wishes¡ªif he had absolutely no interest in me, why would he always take my calls? Why would he patiently chat with me?

    But no matter how much affection was nurtured online, it couldn''t fully replace meeting in person, which was why Anna seized the opportunity to return to her homeland this time, to see if she could somehow take this relationship to the next level... or more accurately, to hint at Yan Yu to take it to the next level.

    Despite her fair hair and high nose, she was still a traditionally-minded Lu Country woman at heart, unable to take the initiative to chase after a man or even to express love.

    Too thin-skinned! If she got rejected, she wouldn''t be able to show her face, the thought alone was so embarrassing she''d want to jump into a river.

    But no matter, everytime I call him, he never hangs up, he must have feelings for me...

    Anna quietly cheered herself on, arriving at the airport entrance with her two cousins, soon spotting Yan Yu''s business taxi.

    The moment she opened the car door, her heart skipped a beat as if covered by a severe Siberian cold front.

    Yan Yu was sitting in the passenger seat, and in the second row, she recognized Chen Lingyun and Zhao Yuanzhen, but there were three other girls of the same age that she didn''t know, seated in the back. They seemed vaguely familiar (she had actually seen them in the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm live stream), but she couldn''t remember who they were at the moment.

    All she could tell was that each of them was stunningly attractive.

    With a last sliver of hope, Anna approached the window on the passenger side and quietly asked Yan Yu,

    "Are they carpooling with you?"

    Yan Yu: ???

    ```

 Chapter 20 How about a honey trap?

    The extended business van drove smoothly on the road as Lin Ning, Su Yunjin, and Xie Ruoxi stealthily sized up Anna and her two older cousins in the back seat."An international friend," as Yan Yu had said, should refer to the youngest one. The other two appeared to be in their thirties or older, making it seem unlikely for Yan Yu to call them "friends"... Besides, this one had talked to Yan Yu before getting on the van, and despite their conversation taking place outside, how could it have eluded the eyes of those inside the vehicle?

    Anna was also covertly observing these three "southern little potatoes."

    Though the girls from the south were petite, each had her own distinctive charm. Lin Ning had an innocent look, Su Yunjin was serene, and Xie Ruoxi... Xie Ruoxi didn''t have much of a presence; if anything, she resembled a timid young girl who hadn''t yet grown up, daring only to sneak peeks at her blonde hair through the reflection in the window.

    Since no one was acquainted, there was no conversation.

    But this was no obstacle for Anna, who silently took out her phone and sent a message to Yan Yu:

    "Won''t you introduce me to these companions in your car?"

    Yan Yu sent back a link.

    Though the Zhenhai Team didn''t have an official website, that didn''t stop fans from creating fan sites. The profiles of all the Zhenhai Team members, including their names, places of origin, photos, occupations, and abilities, were clearly presented on the site.

    Using the photos on her phone screen for comparison, Anna was finally able to confirm that the girls seated in the front were indeed official members of Yan Yu''s Team.

    Sure, they had appeared during the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm live stream before, but with the number of Rikoku Cultivators in the double digits, she couldn''t remember every face.

    "Who''s the one by the window?" Anna continued to type, asking about Xie Ruoxi''s identity with a subtle tension in her mood.

    Fearing that Yan Yu would suddenly reply with "My girlfriend," she wasn''t sure she could stop herself from falling apart.

    "The author of this webpage," replied Yan Yu, "the agent who manages my fans for me."

    Anna then completely relaxed, stuffed her phone inside her bosom, and showed a look of immense relief.

    Looking left and right, Sophia and Maria exchanged worried glances after seeing their cousin hug her phone and laugh foolishly after finishing the chat.

    They had intended for their cousin to use her charm to persuade Yan Zhanlong to agree to help the Amur witch group, but looking at her now... it seemed more likely that she was the one who''d been silently conquered.

    Since the relationships on both sides were unfamiliar, there was silence in the van until they reached the villa, where everyone quietly got out.

    Back home, large suburban villas are considered big houses only the wealthy can afford, yet it''s different abroad. The two older cousins were not impressed by the grand villa, instead recognizing a different issue.

    "Do they live together?" asked Sophia of Anna, "The Dragon Slayer and other women?"

    Anna''s face suddenly darkened: Don''t remind me! Experience exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire

    Okay, since they were all team members, living together wasn''t such a big deal. There were many young men and women in the city co-living in shared houses, with separate bedrooms but communal living rooms. This didn''t necessarily imply they had an intimate relationship... She tried hard to convince herself not to be suspicious.

    As soon as they entered the villa, Lin Ning headed towards the kitchen and said:

    "I''ll go cook."

    "Please have a seat, I''ll make some tea for you," Su Yunjin said with a graceful smile.

    "Would you like some snacks?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked Anna, who after meeting her had finally remembered Anna''s identity and had a pretty good impression of the blonde girl, hence she was willing to share her treasured snacks.

    "Thank you," said Anna with a nod.

    Everyone took a seat on the couch, sitting in silence.

    Sophia and Maria were signaling to Anna with their eyes, and after Anna took a deep breath, she began to speak to Yan Yu:

    "Actually, the purpose of our business trip was to seek you out..."

    She didn''t shy away from the presence of the other girls, but proceeded to explain in detail the external threats and military crises currently faced by the Amur witch group. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Chen Lingyun listened with a smile and whispered to Yan Yu via private transmission:

    "What''s the situation with this past life thing?"

    "You''re so smart, can''t you guess?" Yan Yu directly countered her.

    After a moment''s contemplation, Chen Lingyun guessed the answer right away.

    Lu Country had adhered to a strategy of keeping a low profile for a full sixty years, and although the initial intent was to prevent triggering the vigilance and jealousy of the Western world and to secure a precious period for accumulating national strength, the price naturally was a strong political inertia within the country¡ª "Never provoke a border dispute lightly."

    From the conservative party''s perspective, whether it''s the Amur Witch Circle or the Giliya Bear People, both are forces that carve up the North. Who wins and who loses in the end doesn''t have much to do with Lu Country... Even if one were to consider the ramifications if Lu Country were to send troops, what would the Rakshasa officialdom''s reaction be?

    Could it ruin the strategic cooperative relations between the two parties? Would the Western world see this as a signal of Lu Country''s intention to expand its influence abroad?

    As long as these questions remained unanswered, the conservatives had grounds to oppose, and ultimately, the affair was unlikely to succeed¡ªnow was a republican era without an emperor, and without a consensus among the civilian officialdom, even the prime minister couldn''t act arbitrarily.

    Of course, with Yan Yu sharing his premonition advantage, Chen Lingyun naturally could use the fact that "Anna becomes an important figure in the future" as the basis to guess that in a past life, Lu Country chose to refuse to lend a hand, while the Amur Witch Circle eventually won against the Giliya Bear People, and might even have defeated other extraordinary forces in the region, eventually unifying the entire Northern Lu Plate¡ªthen, what their attitude would be towards the southern neighbors who stood by and watched them die, one needn''t hold any expectations.

    "This matter is difficult to manage." Having thought through the cause and effect, Chen Lingyun answered concisely, "I won''t be able to persuade my dad."

    Chen Tianming had no premonition advantage regarding the future, how could he be convinced that the Amur Witch Circle could grow into a giant of the North? Impossible, there are absolutely no signs of it now.

    "In that case," Yan Yu plotted for her, "you put Flying Sword to your neck and tell your dad, ''Either support sending troops or lose your beloved daughter,'' and your dad will definitely be persuaded by you."

    "Hehe." Chen Lingyun treated it as if she hadn''t heard and instead said, "Why try to find a way to persuade my dad to support sending troops? I think a more reasonable approach is, ''Letting the Amur Witch Circle know that my dad supports sending troops, but he''s unable to overcome the opposition.''

    Yan Yu fell silent for a moment, suddenly taken aback in his heart.

    Wow, that''s pretty low!

    With Chen Lingyun''s words, of course, Yan Yu also immediately understood: first, it would be very difficult to make Lu Country send troops, and even if, after much toil, they succeeded, having the Amur Witch Circle owe them a favor, this favor would be owed to Lu Country as a whole¡ªhow could he secure such a deal when it would erode Chen Tianming''s credibility and let the conservatives also profit?

    That''s not a viable deal.

    But if they feigned support for sending troops and then failed because of conservative opposition, they would have paid much less in the end. Once the Amur Witch Circle truly became the giant of the North according to the timeline of the past world, Chen Tianming could take the opportunity to dredge up old grievances, seriously damaging their reputation... That would be making a killing!

    "You really dare to say that!" Yan Yu couldn''t help but angrily rebuke Chen Lingyun through telepathy, "Lu Country must have the Amur Witch Circle owe them a great favor so that in the future there''s a possibility of signing a peace treaty between the two sides; but if you go about it as you suggest, the result would be only your dad benefits, and how many people on the northern border will suffer for it?

    Have you thought about that?"

    "I know." Chen Lingyun said leisurely, "But it''s impossible to send troops, you know that too."

    "How is it impossible?" Yan Yu scoffed, "Go kill yourself."

    "No way~"

    "Why not? It''s not like you actually have to die, just put on a play to scare your dad."

    "The key is why should I do that? My dad isn''t a fool; he will definitely be suspicious."

    "Then you can pledge sisterhood with Anna, become sworn sisters, so that you have ample motive to help her."

    "Rather than me going to him," Chen Lingyun suddenly said, "it would be better if you talked to him, which would still have some possibility of success."

    "Why?" Yan Yu didn''t understand.

    "Because the value that the identity of Yan Zhanlong can provide is much greater than you think," Chen Lingyun said meaningfully.

    While the two of them were secretly discussing strategies through telepathy, Anna, who had no idea about their conversation, saw that Yan Yu had remained silent for a long time, took his reticence for embarrassment about declining, and simply clenched her teeth, stood up, and said:

    "Sorry, this matter is truly making things difficult for you¡ªjust forget I mentioned it."

    After speaking, she didn''t pay attention to the expressions of her two cousins, but simply turned around intending to leave.

    How could Yan Yu let her leave under a misunderstanding? He quickly called out "Wait," stretched out his hand to grasp her wrist, and tried to pull her back.

    However, Anna was much lighter than he had anticipated, and when pulled, she stumbled backward directly into his embrace.

    At that moment, whether it was Chen Lingyun smiling without a word, Zhao Yuanzhen carrying snacks, Su Yunjin coming over with tea, Xie Ruoxi who was playing with her phone, or Lin Ning who just happened to turn her head from the kitchen...

    Their gazes all instantly sharpened.

 Chapter 21 As Long as the Raw Rice is Cooked into Cooked Rice

    Anna, being thin-skinned, had accidentally fallen into Yan Yu''s embrace, but she quickly got up in a panic, her face blushing red.Everyone''s expressions visibly relaxed, but what they were each thinking was anyone''s guess.

    Yan Yu, on the other hand, didn''t show a hint of embarrassment and even put on an "you''re causing me trouble again" attitude, admonishing Anna and saying,

    "Don''t make such a fuss. I haven''t even given my stance yet, why are you already thinking of backing out?"

    "I¡­" Anna stammered, then, flustered with embarrassment, she blurted out, "Then just say if it''s okay or not! If not, we''ll think of another way!"

    "This matter isn''t something I can just say is okay and it''ll be okay. I''ll go and ask the higher-ups tomorrow," Yan Yu waved a hand and said, "For now, let''s eat."

    "I''ll go get the dishes." Su Yunjin stood up and said.

    Inside the kitchen, Lin Ning was absentmindedly serving the dishes. Seeing her come in, she quickly asked,

    "What''s the verdict? What''s her relationship with the captain exactly?"

    "She seems to have feelings for the captain," Su Yunjin candidly said, "But I don''t think the captain feels anything for her."

    "Oh." Lin Ning immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    There were too many women interested in the captain. Nowadays, even throwing a shoe in the new street market might hit one of Yan Zhanlong''s female fans¡ªbut Yan Yu would only tell them "you''re not even worthy." So as long as the captain wasn''t flirting with her, there was completely no issue.

    Unlike Lin Ning, who was carefree, Su Yunjin''s brows were slightly furrowed, thoughts whirling in her mind.

    In the living room, Anna explained the situation again in Russian to her two older female cousins, Sofia and Maria naturally had no objections. After all, they came to ask for troops, not a loan. It was natural that they couldn''t expect a simple affirmative response, and wasn''t Natasha still hustling around lobbying in the capital of Lu Country?

    Time to eat!

    Part of the dinner was personally cooked by Lin Ning, while the rest was ordered by phone from a nearby restaurant. Anna''s two cousins, although not accustomed to using chopsticks, were very satisfied with the greasy, salty stir-fries, heartily enjoying them with their forks and spoons.

    By comparison, Anna and Su Yunjin, both had their appetites affected by their concerns, only ate a small half bowl of rice before they stopped picking up their chopsticks.

    After dinner, everyone arranged their own leisure time.

    The two cousins planned to explore the night market for snacks, with Zhao Yuanzhen eagerly volunteering to be their guide. Although Anna didn''t want to go out, she had no choice but to follow as a translator since her two sisters couldn''t speak Rikoku.

    Yan Yu stayed at home, idly playing with his phone for a while.

    The Zhenhai Battle Team''s victory in the first public broadcast of the Lu Country Mysterious Realm competition resulted in the fans becoming even more loyal, with more people online praising Yan Zhanlong.

    Of course, that didn''t mean the haters had all disappeared.

    The "Zhenghai hater leaders" that Yan Yu had previously paid special attention to had split into two groups: half stopped mentioning the Mysterious Realm competition and pretended nothing had happened recently; the other half became even more obstinate, claiming "Being strong doesn''t mean I can''t question your character", only to be blasted by the fans until they were skin and bones.

    Hmm, speaking of which...

    "By the way, how are things on your dad''s side?" he quietly sent a Divine Sense message to Chen Lingyun.

    "It seems they''ve finished talking," Chen Lingyun said languidly, "Because we won so impressively this time, it''s unlikely they''ll waste any more effort on the matter."

    "So, the negative comments online right now are unorganized and spontaneous haters?" mused Yan Yu, "Should we let them see the iron fist or not?"

    "I suggest not," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "Why not keep them as electronic pets?"

    "That makes sense." After carefully considering it, Yan Yu agreed with her reasoning.

    No matter how excellent your performance is, you can''t expect to never be targeted by haters. It''s actually better to keep this notorious group of haters'' accounts around; it makes monitoring them easier in the future.

    Yan Yu continued to check other messages.

    As expected, other battle teams sent congratulatory messages for the Zhenghai Team''s victory over the Flying Dragon Battle Team.

    Qiu Ze''s congratulations were the warmest, as they were both part of the Zhendong Army; his Shenxing Battle Team also shared in the glory. Li Minghu and Zhang Huaide were relatively polite and reserved in their responses, while Zhou Hongyu, who was never fond of social interactions, was not to be expected. Only messages from Lord Master seemed somewhat sarcastic...

    Poor Lord Master, who had been led by public opinion by Chen Lingyun before the match, and casually mentioned by Cai Qianlong after, now probably everyone in Lu Country thought he was evenly matched with Cai Qianlong.

    "Li Minghu is asking how you managed to dodge the massive bombardment from the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper in the competition," Chen Lingyun suddenly asked.

    Su Yunjin sat down beside Yan Yu and brought over a basin full of washed fruit to the coffee table.

    Yan Yu help himself to a jujube without any courtesy and explained to Chen Lingyun through Divine Sense communication:

    "Oh, you mean the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Secret Thunder, right? That one''s quite troublesome; if it hits you, you''re basically done for, so you have to explode it from a distance using the Flying Sword."

    "That''s it?" Chen Lingyun asked in surprise. "I watched the replay, and the explosions were very dense. Can the Flying Sword really clear a safe space in time?"

    "Of course, it can," Yan Yu replied calmly. "You can scan for the Secret Thunder with Divine Sense. As long as you''re fast enough to hit it before it explodes, you can reduce its blast radius and lethality." Enjoy more content from My Virtual Library Empire

    "Hmm, I''ll study it when I get the magical artifact," Chen Lingyun mused thoughtfully.

    The Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner had been taken for research immediately after leaving the Mysterious Realm. But as a war trophy of the Zhenghai Team, it would eventually be returned to Chen Lingyun sooner or later.

    "Yan Yu." Su Yunjin, munching on grapes, casually remarked as if it were nothing, "I didn''t expect you to actually know Transcendents from overseas."

    "You''re talking about Anna, aren''t you?" Yan Yu saw through her probing thoughts at a glance. However, his relationship with Anna was currently clear and pure¡ªmore like that between a deity and a stepping stone¡ªso there was nothing to hide, and he candidly explained, "I met her during the last exchange competition between the four academies..."

    Lin Ning and Xie Ruoxi also just happened to come to the living room and sat down on a nearby sofa, pretending to be engrossed in their phones while subtly listening to Yan Yu''s story.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Meanwhile, Zhao Yuanzhen was leading Anna and the two witches on a food tour around the pedestrian street, gleefully devouring delicious street food, oil smeared around their mouths.

    The supper that night was all paid for by international friends! Food tastes best when it''s free, even for a Demonic Sect Enchantress.

    She walked ahead, full of pride, while Sophia and Maria intentionally lagged behind to speak with Anna in Rasputin:

    "Anna, are you really just ordinary friends with the Dragon Slayer?"

    "Otherwise?" Anna retorted irritably. "Why would I lie to you?"

    "You''re just too reserved," Sophia complained. "Like you grew up in a devout family."

    "Not at all," Anna denied stubbornly. "I left Lu Country for Amur not long after meeting him, how could I have had time to develop a relationship with him?"

    "True," Maria pondered for a moment. "Why don''t you go for a night raid tonight?"

    "Stop joking, it''s not funny," Anna said in frustration, pressing her forehead.

    "I''m serious," Maria shared an example with her. "I have a friend in Novy Urengoy who fell in love with a young man from a devout family. His family was very strict, not allowing him to be with any woman before marriage."

    "Later, she got him very drunk on vodka at a party and took him to a hotel... Now their child is almost seven or eight years old."

    "Maria, do Rikoku Cultivators have resistance to alcohol?" Sophia suddenly asked.

    "They probably do," Maria mused for a moment before suddenly saying resolutely, "then we''ll use the ''Rasputin Spell Curse''!"

    "You''re crazy!" Anna exclaimed in shock. "I would never use that!"

    The Rasputin Spell Curse, born during the Romanov Dynasty, was an infamously notorious black magic. It hid two spell words within the pupils and, with a direct gaze into the eyes of the target, would completely capture the target''s mind, leaving them willing to do anything for the spellcaster...

    The Rasputin witches would use this black magic to have their way with a beloved man and subtly conceive a child.

    But deep down, Anna was a traditional woman of Lu Country, utterly unwilling to resort to such dark magic.

    "Of course, we know you wouldn''t agree," Sophia revealed a knowing smile and said, "Maria and I will cast the spell on him, and all you need to do is go in and enjoy yourself. You can just blame it on the two of us afterward."

    Anna almost choked in astonishment. Was this how you treat your sister? Putting aside everything else, if Yan Yu sleeps with me and doesn''t want to take responsibility, won''t I have lost everything for nothing?

    "What are you talking about?" Zhao Yuanzhen, walking ahead, heard them chattering away in Rasputin, which he didn''t understand, but he didn''t mind. His mood was buoyant as he spoke to Anna, "Let''s go line up; there''s a grilled squid stall up ahead!"

 Chapter 22 Eclipse Queen, Clingy Golden Retriever

    By the time everyone returned to the villa, it was already 11 p.m.Lin Ning, Su Yunjin, and Chen Lingyun all went back to their rooms to sleep. After all, staying up late is beauty''s arch-nemesis.

    Xie Ruoxi was still working in front of the computer. Her biological clock was about 2-3 hours behind the average person, so it was normal for her to go to bed around 1 a.m.

    As for the work content tonight, it mainly involved managing the social media accounts for the Zhenhai Team and increasing the popularity of the other girls¡ªit wasn''t necessary to add fuel to the fire since Yan Zhanlong was already extremely popular. The whole team rising to fame together was the sound approach.

    Due to the insufficient number of exposures, the popularity of the girls hadn''t widened much. If anything had to be said, Sister Zhao was slightly ahead, attracting a portion of fans with ulterior motives with her outstanding figure.

    Xie Ruoxi, deep down, disdained this edge-skirting method of gaining fans.

    Her current operation strategy was to use Yan Zhanlong''s super IP to bring traffic and exposure to the other girls. That''s the rightful path for fanbase management!

    Downstairs, the sound of opening the door could be heard. Xie Ruoxi went out to look and saw Zhao Yuanzhen returning home with three international friends. She smiled and said,

    "The three guest rooms by the stairs on the second floor have been cleared out by Yan Yu. You can pick any of them. Sister Zhao, come here for a second, I have something to tell you..."

    Zhao Yuanzhen didn''t know what it was about, but she answered and came up the stairs.

    Seeing that Zhao Yuanzhen had left, Sophia and Maria quickly exchanged glances, then suddenly said,

    "Anna, it''s already quite late now. We''re going to rest in the guest rooms. You go and have a good catch-up with your boyfriend."

    "I told you he''s not my boyfriend..." Anna angrily turned her head, only to meet Sophia and Maria''s eyes, and immediately froze in place, as if under a spell, her divine sense also becoming vacant.

    The witch''s battles were known for their strangeness, and Anna had no guard up against her two cousins; she fell directly into the Rasputin Spell Curse they had cast together.

    "Humph." Sophia said with a cold laugh, "Little Anna is too naive. We can''t take down the Dragon Slayer, but you think we can''t deal with you?"

    Earlier on the pedestrian street outside, the two had deliberately said they wanted to put the Rasputin Spell Curse on Yan Yu, but in reality, it was to test Anna''s reaction. Seeing that their cousin was only embarrassed and annoyed, they guessed that she wasn''t averse to becoming more intimate with the man; she was just too proud and too shy to agree.

    Since that was the case, let us sisters give you a push from behind!

    Being a Rikoku Cultivator, the Dragon Slayer might or might not be affected by the curse, but as long as Anna was cursed and threw herself into the Dragon Slayer''s arms, the effect would be more or less the same¡ªour little Anna is cute and has a great figure. How could any man resist not devouring her?

    Go, little Anna! Seize that man with all you''ve got! S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The two of them, guiding the dazed and puppet-like Anna, went upstairs and knocked on the door to Yan Yu''s room.

    As soon as Yan Yu opened the door, they pushed Anna in and then closed the door behind her.

    "So we just stay here now?" Maria asked.

    "Of course, you don''t want any other woman to disturb Anna''s first experience, do you?" Sophia shrugged.

    Meanwhile, Yan Yu found himself immediately embraced by a bundle of softness and fragrance as soon as he opened the door. The door was then pulled shut from the outside, leaving him quite puzzled.

    But he didn''t have the time to ponder, because Anna had already pounced and pinned him down on the bed, pressing down on his wrists with strength, her eyes glazed and murky, her cheeks flushed, and her breathing fast and feverish as she murmured,

    "Yan Yu, I like you... I like you..."

    Yan Yu immediately broke free from her grasp, and with a backhand, he slapped her forehead,

    "Wretched beast, what kind of nonsense are you starting!"

    Anna''s head was struck, but she showed no sign of backing down. Instead, she clung even more greedily, burying herself in Yan Yu''s neck, kissing and sniffing wildly.

    Yan Yu felt ticklish with her tender breaths on him and was about to kick this annoying golden-haired creature off the bed when a thought suddenly struck him...

    Something was amiss.

    Definitely amiss.

    The previous life''s Eclipse Queen was far from this wanton of a character!

    Experience exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire

    Anna entwined around him like an octopus, her head buried in a mess of movements, her cheeks rubbing against his ears. Yan Yu simply sat calmly on the bed, hugging Anna tightly to prevent her from struggling wildly, carefully scanning her body with his Divine Sense.

    Let''s talk about the past life first. After the Eclipse Queen truly came to power, Lu Country, upon discovering that she even had Lu Country lineage, sent people to try to reconcile with her, discussing the deep connection with the "old country" ... and then the Eclipse Queen had a polite chat with the Lu Country envoy.

    What did she say? The Eclipse Queen from the past life said she had made it this far entirely through her own efforts. What had Lu Country given her? They fired my dad, rejected my university offer, and forced my father and me to flee ignominiously to Rasputin. That is truly the "deep connection with the old country.

    You needn''t worry, I have my own principles, I just don''t want to spend my whole life being trampled on by others. Do you think I''m just some pitiful fugitive? I''ve waited for so many years, just for the chance to fight for my dignity, not to prove that I''m amazing. I want to show those people that the dignity I lost in my home country, I will take back with my own hands abroad!

    When the words of the Eclipse Queen spread to the homeland, it made it difficult for the people of Lu Country to criticize her. Middle-aged layoffs and educational hyper-competitiveness were something that nine out of ten Lu Country people could relate to, so no one had grounds to criticize her, and some even sympathized with the girl who had built something for herself in a foreign land.

    It was from that point that Yan Yu remembered the name of the Eclipse Queen, Anna.

    But looking at the girl in his arms now, pushing and panting, her body burning hot, where was there even a trace of the strong-willed Eclipse Queen from the past life?

    Anna, perhaps tired of rubbing against him, not satisfied through the fabric of his clothes, even began to stuff Yan Yu''s hand into her neckline.

    Yan Yu had no desire to be entangled with her like this. With a resolute pinch, a sharp pain made Anna shiver, and her expression suddenly became much clearer.

    Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do?

    She didn''t stay lucid for long. The light of the Rasputin Spell Curse in her eyes flared up again, quickly dragging her consciousness back into a foggy state.

    But that split second was enough for Yan Yu to catch the unusual light in her eyes.

    Hmph, she really has been cursed with a spell!

    Is it a joke that I, with my masculine charm, need to use a spell to make girls throw themselves into my arms?

    Yan Yu pinned Anna down on the bed, carefully staring into her eyes.

    It looks like there''s a rune inside...

    As Anna continued to struggle, Yan Yu could only press her face with his left hand, while gently peeling back her eyelids with his right.

    After a while, his left palm suddenly felt a wet and warm licking sensation.

    You really are like a golden retriever! Yan Yu grabbed her little tongue with his left hand, tried to push it back into her mouth, but Anna just whimpered and took his finger into her mouth¡ªlike a hungry infant sucking on a pacifier, gulping down hungrily.

    Bearing the nausea, Yan Yu finally completed his investigation. He plugged her mouth with his left hand while forming a sword finger with his right, pressed it against her forehead, and exclaimed in a low voice. True Yuan poured fiercely into her mind, causing the spell rune to shatter with a sound!

    A few minutes earlier, Xie Ruoxi had called Zhao Yuanzhen into her room and informed her about the fan situation.

    "...So, what''s wrong with attracting fans because you have a good figure?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked, puzzled.

    "Skirting the edges can indeed bring in a short-term surge of fans," Xie Ruoxi explained, "but the cost is that fans'' impression of you will become fixed. They will label you as a ''benefit goddess,'' making it virtually impossible for you to change your image later on. Even if you later show that you''re ''capable,'' they won''t see you as a ''capable cultivator'' but as a ''capable benefit goddess''."

    "I understand," Zhao Yuanzhen was surprisingly quick to grasp this concept, "It''s like what people often say online, ''No matter how good the plot is in an adult film, in the end, it''s still an adult film'', right?"

    "Exactly," Xie Ruoxi said with surprise, "That''s the idea. For us girls, some labels are absolutely untouchable."

    "Hmm," Zhao Yuanzhen didn''t hesitate, "Then let''s not operate in that direction."

    "Of course, I need Sister Zhao''s agreement," Xie Ruoxi giggled, "I got it. So, if someone compliments your figure later on and tries to start a trend in that direction, I''ll just mute them."

    "Mute away," Zhao Yuanzhen waved her hand dismissively.

    As she left Xie Ruoxi''s room to find Yan Yu for their daily dual cultivation session, she saw two witches sneaking around outside Yan Yu''s room.

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ???

    "What are you doing?" she approached and asked.

    Sophia and Maria exchanged glances; the latter immediately put on a full, smiling face, trying to use body language and facial expressions to deflect Zhao Yuanzhen.

    But when it came to her partner''s affairs, the Demonic Sect Enchantress finally had a moment of intellectual clarity. Ignoring what Maria intended to say, she activated the Wood Bending Charm and roughly shoved the two women aside.

    Then she pushed the door open with force.

 Chapter 23 The Demonic Sect Enchantress, Deep in Love and Loyalty

    Though Yan Yu didn''t understand the method of breaking curses, just as one doesn''t need to know programming to destroy a computer, brute force can solve most problems.He injected his True Yuan forcefully, instantly filling Anna''s sea of consciousness and shattering the peculiar spell.

    Anna was still sucking on his finger, but her consciousness began to slowly return, her gaze gradually became clear, and she started to breathe rapidly and in a fluster.

    "How much longer are you going to suck?" Yan Yu saw that she was still feigning ignorance, though her movements had stiffened considerably, and asked teasingly.

    Anna quickly spit out his finger and defended herself,

    "It wasn''t me! It was my cousin who used black magic on me! They controlled me to make a night attack on you!"

    Recalling the recent memories, she felt weak at the knees and numb all over, her cheeks flushed, her head burning up, and she instinctively collapsed onto the bed like a deflated duck, as if a large amount of steam were about to gush from her ears, while a strong sense of embarrassment in her chest almost choked her.

    The Rasputin Spell Curse could make one lose their reason, but couldn''t make someone conjure feelings out of nothing. Her saying "I like you" to Yan Yu, countless times before, wasn''t entirely due to the influence of black magic.

    Maybe I should just jump in the river...

    Wait, no matter! As long as I don''t admit it and blame it all on black magic, Yan Yu won''t have any evidence!

    "Nonsense." Yan Yu looked at his sopping wet finger with disgust, sighed helplessly, got out of bed, and said, "Don''t I know you well? A person with lewd thoughts but no courage..."

    Before he finished speaking, Zhao Yuanzhen pushed the door and entered from outside.

    All six eyes met, they looked at each other, faces hard to keep straight.

    Anna was slumped on the bed, her clothes in disarray, tears in her eyes, her complexion rosy, her hands crossed over her chest, looking like she had been played with and broken. Yan Yu was standing beside the bed, looking impatient, his left hand wet with some fluid... Zhao Yuanzhen''s thread of reason in her head snapped on the spot.

    You little thief! You''ve chosen the path to your demise!

    Enraged, she let out a roar and charged at Yan Yu, the Yin Wind Sword unsheathed ahead of her, aiming to strike down this detestable, odious, despicable, and murderable heartbreaker!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Zhao Yuanzhen''s earth-shattering roar immediately startled the two witches outside, the neighboring girls in the next room, and even the neighbors who had already gone to sleep.

    When everyone rushed into Yan Yu''s room, they saw Yan Yu knock down Zhao Yuanzhen with a punch and then, in one smooth motion, he picked up her limp body, tossed it rudely onto the bed, and rolled around with Anna.

    "What''s going on?" Lin Ning was immediately shocked and asked.

    "It''s nothing." Yan Yu said nonchalantly, "These two women coveted my beauty and wanted to attack me in the middle of the night. Now they have been duly punished."

    "Pfft!" The girls had indeed suspected as much, but when Yan Yu bluntly said it, they found it unbelievable¡ªwho would be so foolish as to attack him at night?

    With any other man, if a girl delivered herself to his doorstep in the middle of the night, she would most likely be taken advantage of. But with their captain, she would only be severely humiliated, with responses like "Get lost," "You''re not worthy," "Do you want a beating?" "It seems you need more training." Even if Anna didn''t know this, wouldn''t Sister Zhao?

    Besides, the girls'' rooms were right next door. The likelihood of these two staging a night attack was actually not high. It was more probable that Anna had come to visit the captain late at night and was mistakenly assumed by Zhao Yuanzhen to be up to something.

    "Sister Zhao." Su Yunjin gently reminded, "Look at the captain''s clothes, aren''t they properly on?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen looked closely. Eh, indeed.

    Previously, seeing Anna sitting stupefied on the bed with Yan Yu looking suspicious, she had assumed that something indecent had happened between them... Now that she had calmed down, she realized that indeed their clothes were still on and their eyes didn''t show any signs of languor, indicating that they probably hadn''t been sneaking around behind her back.

    It was just that she had been too hasty and had preemptively thought they were cheating.

    "Ah, it seems to be a misunderstanding," she said with an embarrassed expression. "I thought... never mind, let''s not talk about it."

    "It is indeed a misunderstanding," Anna, still with a trace of red on her face, glared fiercely at her two cousins, and explained, "I came to talk to Yan Yu about something, and didn''t realize how inappropriate it was due to the late hour."

    "It''s my fault." Zhao Yuanzhen quickly conceded, playing dumb, "I''m sorry for waking everyone up, haha."

    Since they had aired the situation, the girls took another look at Yan Yu and then left the room.

    Of course, even after leaving, everyone had their own thoughts.

    Some like Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen truly believed nothing had happened; others like Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin also believed nothing occurred, but what about the motives? It seemed too convenient that Anna would visit Yan Yu''s room late at night, only to be found by Zhao Yuanzhen and misunderstood. Could it be a mere coincidence?

    Xie Ruoxi fell somewhere in between. She believed it was a misunderstanding, yet still felt something was off. In her innocence, she asked Anna,

    "Anna, what were you going to talk about with Yan Yu in his room late at night?"

    Anna was instantly embarrassed, and when she saw the other girls looking over, she hurriedly laughed and said,

    "Ah, that... we were discussing... the barbecue we had before."

    "Barbecue?" Xie Ruoxi asked in confusion.

    "Yes, barbecue," Anna began to ramble, "That time... before I went abroad, the last time I met Sister Zhao and Yan Yu, we had barbecue that night. Later, when I went to the icy and snowy Amur, although the food wasn''t bad, I often missed the taste of food from my homeland. So I asked Yan Yu if he could take me out for barbecue one more time before I left Lu Country...

    Ah, I''m just gluttonous, always thinking about food..."

    Although she laughed heartily, trying to relieve the awkward atmosphere, the girls just stared at her blankly.

    Honestly, it wasn''t funny.

    After Su Yunjin had probed and asked about Anna''s past, Yan Yu had explained it to everyone: Her father was laid off, he didn''t pass the political screening, and they had to leave their hometown to go to a foreign country, where they ended up in a country plunged into turmoil and war, with life and death uncertain...

    Any one of these events would be enough to crush a normal person, but Anna had been repeatedly battered by fate, and it was truly hard not to feel compassion.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was particularly moved, thinking back to the barbecue she had with Anna in Shengjing Prefecture, how she had only cared about eating and didn''t notice Anna''s feelings. After they parted ways following the meal, they were worlds apart¡ªZhao suddenly felt a strong sense of guilt, thinking, I really am a beast!

    The sorrow and bitterness of being far from home, who in the world could understand it better than Mi Zhen Xianzi? Since coming to this world, her master, her fellow disciples, the daoist friends she knew... all were gone.

    I should have understood Anna''s pain!

    With that thought, Zhao Yuanzhen''s eyes reddened, and she hugged Anna''s shoulders, saying sadly,

    "It''s alright, you little thief... If Yan Yu won''t take you, we''ll go for barbecue ourselves!" S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Mm-hmm, it''s a deal," Anna thought she had finally managed to fool them, so she also forced out a bit of sadness and started chatting with Zhao Yuanzhen in a low voice, their intimacy resembling that of sisters.

    Lin Ning and Xie Ruoxi went back to their room, while Su Yunjin remained silent for a moment before secretly messaging Chen Lingyun,

    "Do you think what she said is true?"

    "Whether it''s true or not doesn''t matter," Chen Lingyun, who had already enjoyed the drama and was pleased, replied, "What''s certain now is that she''s interested in Yan Yu, and Yan Yu is indifferent to her."

    "...Indeed." Su Yunjin pondered for a moment and said, "As long as we know that, it''s enough."

    After chatting with Anna, Zhao Yuanzhen quietly sneaked back to Yan Yu''s room and exclaimed,

    "Anna really has it tough."

    "You understand now?" Yan Yu teased her.

    "You have no idea." Zhao Yuanzhen sat down beside the bed and said to Yan Yu, "Anna had a tough time in the north, constantly fighting with people..."

    "Didn''t you also spend your days fighting with people before you crossed over to this world?" Yan Yu countered.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was left speechless and then said,

    "Anyway, if you can, help her out."

    Yan Yu thought to himself that he hadn''t said he wouldn''t help her, why was she playing the good person here?

    But then an idea struck him, and he deliberately adopted a cold demeanor, saying,

    "If you ask me to help her, it''s not impossible..."

    "What do you want?" Zhao Yuanzhen, seeing him relent, quickly asked.

    Yan Yu sprawled on the bed and said,

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    "Just so happens that my shoulders and neck muscles are a bit stiff, I need someone to massage them."

    Zhao Yuanzhen was slightly annoyed but thinking of how her old friend was now so down and out, softened her tone and said,

    "Alright, alright, I''ll relax your muscles for you."

    She diligently sat beside Yan Yu, massaging his muscles, thumping his back, and even using True Qi to loosen his meridians and disperse stagnant energy...

    After attending to him for most of the day, Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly remembered something:

    Speaking of which, how did that little thief meet Anna again?

    Oh, it seems his master had told him that Anna would have great fortune in the future, so he instructed him to befriend her in advance...

    Then it''s by your master''s order that you''ll certainly help her! And yet you still deliberately tricked me into serving you! Despicable little thief!

    Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly realized the truth, and looking at Yan Yu lying on the bed, enjoying himself with his eyes closed, she was suddenly filled with a surge of anger. She promptly lay on his back, using her body weight to pin him down and prevent him from moving, her right arm wrapping around his neck, and holding his head in her embrace before exerting force and squeezing fiercely!

    "You little thief, prepare to die!!!"

 Chapter 24 Shes My Loyal Follower

    The next morning, Yan Yu came down the stairs holding his neck."What''s wrong with you?" Lin Ning was making breakfast in the kitchen and asked curiously when she saw his grimacing expression.

    "I woke up with a crick in my neck," Yan Yu replied.

    "Oh." Lin Ning earnestly admonished him, "Don''t sleep on too soft a pillow, and pay attention to your sleeping position."

    "Mhmm." Yan Yu thought to himself that pillow was indeed too big and too soft, no wonder it caused my neck muscles to ache, Zhao Yuanzhen you really deserve to die!

    Anna and her two cousins had gotten up early and were sitting in the living room chatting in the language of Rakshasa.

    When they saw Yan Yu coming, they gave Anna a meaningful look.

    "Shall we go out for a walk?" Anna stood up and said, "Breakfast seems to be a while away still."

    "Hmm." Yan Yu noticed she seemed to have something to say to him and nodded.

    The two of them left the villa through the front door and started to stroll around the yard. Su Yunjin had turned the place into a small garden with a gazebo and swing set up in the corners, all very beautiful and elegant.

    "I like it here," Anna broke the silence first, speaking wistfully, "But I can''t stay in Lu Country forever, I will have to go back eventually."

    "Yeah, I know," Yan Yu nodded.

    If he wanted to keep Anna in the country, the best opportunity would have been during the Four Institutes Exchange Competition. All he had to do was prevent her father from taking her out of the country.

    But by doing so, Anna wouldn''t be able to become the Eclipse Queen, and a new, unfamiliar power would rise in the north of Lu Country... All outcomes seemed to be a loss.

    Now that Anna had become a part of the Amur Witch Group, no matter how much she missed her homeland of Lu Country, it couldn''t change the fact that her home and her family and friends were all in Amur.

    She no longer belonged to Lu Country.

    "Last night, it was Sofia and Maria who used the Rasputin Spell Curse on me that can hypnotize the mind," Anna continued to explain, "They wanted me to sleep with you and then use that to make you stand on the side of our witch group, to influence the decisions of the Lu Country''s upper echelons."

    "There is no need for that," Yan Yu calmly answered, "I will also try my best to help you."

    "Yeah, I know," said Anna, stopping at the edge of the yard, making sure they couldn''t be seen from the windows of the villa.

    She hesitated for a moment before asking suddenly: Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Can... can I hug you?"

    Yan Yu looked at her in surprise.

    "I''m not under a spell." Anna didn''t know how to express herself, fidgeting with her fingers and stammering, "I just... want a hug, after all... since I''m here, right?"

    "Sure." Yan Yu thought to himself that if in this life you can still become the Eclipse Queen, you''d have the privilege to be embraced by me.

    He slowly opened his arms, his Divine Sense on alert, scanning the surroundings. Anna nestled into his embrace, her arms wrapping tightly around his back as if yearning for the warmth of last night.

    Closing her eyes slowly, Anna finally made up her mind and whispered in Yan Yu''s ear:

    "In the Amur Witch Group, only female Transcendents are present, and mortal men have no place to marry among us, and Transcendents are our enemies, so I had already prepared myself for a life of solitude."

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    "I know you are a Rikoku Cultivator. But, if in the future... you ever want to leave Lu Country, I will always wait for you in the north, whether I''m thirty, forty, fifty years old... whether my temples are streaked with gray or my hair turned fully silver..."

    "...I will wait forever and ever, until the very last moment."

    After pecking him lightly on the cheek, Anna released him and said forthrightly:

    "Alright, let''s go back."

    Yan Yu touched the spot on his face where she had pecked him and fell silent for a while before asking:

    "When did it start?"

    "I don''t know," Anna walked ahead, casually replying, "Maybe it was that time I was drowning and you rescued me?"

    "What''s this?" Yan Yu couldn''t help but laugh, "Love at first sight?"

    "Who knows?" Anna also smiled, "Is that important?"

    Indeed, it wasn''t important.

    Love by its very nature defies reason, sometimes it''s love at first sight between strangers, and other times affection grows gradually over countless months of familiarity. Regardless of the scenario, it doesn''t matter, for they are merely beginnings.

    Not all blossoming love leads to fruition, nor do all feelings end in conclusions. Yan Yu helped Anna not for her beauty, but since Anna chose to offer herself, a bit more help didn''t make a difference.

    If the two of them were to further develop their relationship, they first needed to make Lu Country and the Amur Witch Group on good terms or even form an alliance. Moreover, the Amur Witch Group must become the northern overlord to deter neighboring forces from provoking them.

    Only then would the Eclipse Queen have the opportunity for "friendly visits" to Lu Country on a regular basis, allowing for the possibility of their relationship advancing further.

    With that in mind, persuading Chen Tianming to help had become a must-do task.

    The two returned to the villa''s living room. Sofia and Maria looked at Anna, seeing her relieved expression as if her worries had vanished, they couldn''t figure out what had happened and could only communicate their curiosity with questioning glances.

    But Anna refused to satisfy their curiosity, merely pursing her lips and gracing them with a slight smile.

    After breakfast, the members of the Zhenhai Team headed to the academy, leaving Xie Ruoxi at home to host Anna and the other two.

    The girls watched recordings of other teams'' battles at the training ground while Yan Yu, as usual, went to the headmaster''s office to report, and sure enough, saw Chen Tianming there as well.

    "Yan Yu, your timing is perfect," Li Weiguo said with a smile, "With the progress of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence increasing, the higher-ups have sent new instructional material. Take a look."

    The resurgence of spiritual energy increased its concentration globally, and the upper limit of cultivation realms rose, granting cultivators the ability to use more powerful spells¡ªno wonder Mei Yingxue spent all day at the experimental base in Pingjing; after all, she had to write a new textbook every six months.

    Yan Yu flipped through the new material and indeed, after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, Sword Flight had also appeared in the textbooks.

    The so-called Sword Flight involved enfolding oneself in sword light to move at high speed over long distances. To the outside world, it looked like a streak of sword light zipping by, very chic and dashing.

    Similar to the Shifting Technique, the speed of Sword Flight depended on the amount of True Yuan supplied. If a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage used Sword Flight at full speed, they could reach speeds around Mach 1, faster than most commercial airliners.

    Beyond Sword Flight, Mei Yingxue had also composed some material specific to the four major professions of sword and spell Assistant Enforcers, based on her understanding.

    She detailed the effects of each of the Sword Immortal''s techniques most thoroughly and exquisitely. As for the ultimate paths of spell cultivators and Tao transformation, the Assistant Officer''s method of the second divine spirit, and the Envoy''s all-seeing abilities...

    Unfortunately, as a pure Sword Immortal, Teacher Mei lacked the ability to know everything, so she could only briefly mention what she had heard.

    When moving to the next level, the Hua Fu Stage, Teacher Mei, who had not formed her Golden Core, couldn''t plan out the textbooks from a high vantage point, and it would be up to Rikoku Cultivator researchers to explore further.

    "How is it?" Li Weiguo asked again.

    "It''s quite good," Yan Yu closed the textbook.

    In the era of the Three Arts and Five Spells, he was able to offer some suggestions for the textbooks. But now, what determined a cultivator''s strength was mainly their cultivation realm and their unique system of cultivation methods. The general items in the textbooks were no longer as significant.

    Li Weiguo was quite satisfied with his reaction and glanced at Chen Tianming, saying:

    "For the short term, you shouldn''t have any missions. Take this textbook back and get the team to start learning it quickly."

    The Shenxing Battle Team of the Zhendong Army had suffered a crushing defeat against the Huofeng Team soon after it was formed; similarly, the Dingbei Army''s Flying Dragon Team was beaten by the Zhenhai Team.

    Part of the reason was that the higher-ups wanted to temper the pride of these second-generation team cultivators, but it also highlighted how important experience was to a cultivator''s combat strength¡ªafter all, although the teams were divided into first and second generations, the cultivators themselves all started school at the same time.

    Clearly, college student cultivators who had never experienced battle in mysterious realms and merely attended classes at the academy were much weaker than the seasoned team cultivators.

    Thus, the Privy Council quickly changed its strategy, pushing to implement the team system comprehensively, making all college student cultivators into team cultivators.

    Consequently, the majority of mysterious realms domestically with lower difficulty would become training grounds and test arenas for the many newly formed teams of the four armies.

    Only secret realms like the three island treasure ships and Changping Shadow Palace, which either had very strong guardians or involved foreign Transcendents, would be left for veteran teams like the Zhenghai Dragon Cavalry to handle.

    The past packed schedule of clearing Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm and then moving to Longquan Mountain Secret Realm soon after, marking the time of insufficient team manpower, would no longer happen!

    Yan Yu naturally welcomed this development. To him, tackling simple mysterious realms held little interest; he would rather spend that time training his teammates properly.

    "Sure, I also have something on my end," he reminded Li Weiguo, "It''s something Chen Lingyun previously reported to you."

    "Mhmm," Li Weiguo nodded, "The Amur witch, Chen Lingyun has already briefed me on it."

    "Yan Yu," Chen Tianming suddenly smiled, "Be honest with us, is that witch your friend, or is she your lover?"

    Although Old Taishan''s smile was gentle, it concealed a subtle scrutiny and questioning. Yan Yu was about to clarify by saying "We''re just friends," but a rush of memories from his past life about Chen Tianming came to mind, and he had a stroke of inspiration, saying:

    "She may not quite be my lover, but she has long harbored deep feelings for me and confessed her love. Currently, it''s a unilateral commitment where she has entrusted her life to me."

 Chapter 25 All for Justice, No Personal Affections

    Yan Yu actually admitted that "Anna has developed deep feelings for him," which gave both bosses quite a shock.Chen Tianming displayed a noticeable expression of displeasure, while Li Weiguo raised an eyebrow and asked:

    "You dare to say that? Aren''t there many beautiful girls in your team that you don''t fancy? What about Chen Lingyun, aren''t you two in a good relationship?"

    "Look who''s talking," Yan Yu retorted with a wry smile, "It was Anna who fell in love with me, so how did it become my fault? Why shouldn''t I dare to say it?"

    Li Weiguo frowned slightly, and after a moment of contemplation, Chen Tianming suddenly dropped the coldness from his face and asked earnestly:

    "What is her current status within the Amur Witch Clan?"

    "Her aunt is an elder of the Witch Clan," Yan Yu replied, "The power structure of the Amur Witch Clan is very flat, with only two tiers: elders and ordinary members. Because they have been facing various external threats for a long time, the clan is very united internally, with no significant barriers or conflicts." sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Although Yan Yu only briefly explained in a few words, Chen Tianming, being the astute person he was, could immediately deduce many things from his words:

    A flat power structure implies that the Amur Witch Clan is a newly established Transcendent regime that hasn''t been around for long; no distinct class barriers have been put in place between the upper and lower echelons, and there''s a high degree of mobility; facing constant external threats, power is essentially tied to strength, so everyone naturally supports the most powerful witch.

    All these points indicated one possibility, that is, Lu Country could become a substantial vassal state by providing military aid to support Anna¡ªwho has Lu Country blood and a close relationship with Yan Yu¡ªin becoming the ruler of the Amur Witch Clan.

    It sounded very feasible, but in reality, it was completely impractical, because Lu Country had pursued a policy of peaceful isolationism for many years, which had formed a strong political inertia¡ªor rather, "the general trend."

    Going against this trend was not just a problem of achieving half the result with twice the effort but a slight carelessness could lead to a fall into a bottomless abyss.

    If he could be 100% sure that the Amur Witch Clan would gain a firm foothold in the north, he would naturally be willing to bet all his chips at any cost, but how could such things ever be certain?

    "Yan Yu," Chen Tianming asked meaningfully, "do you think Lu Country should provide aid to the Amur Witch Clan?"

    "I think doing nothing would be foolish," Yan Yu said bluntly, "The war among Transcendents doesn''t experience logistical pressure and is more akin to a desperate street fight, often ending with the complete obliteration of one side. If we stand by and watch, only for the victor to turn against us later, how would that be any different from being fools?"

    "The Rakshasas are preparing to take back Siberia," Chen Tianming said slowly, "If we support the Amur Witch Clan in establishing a strong foothold and later the Rakshasas come to reclaim their lost territory, what then?"

    Upon hearing this, Yan Yu fell silent.

    In his previous life, the Rakshasas had a very firm stance on reclaiming Siberia, having initiated three witch-hunting wars as proof of their uncompromising resolve... and also as proof of their lacking strength, as they failed to succeed even after three attempts, who could have foreseen that?

    No wonder Chen Lingyun said this approach was unfeasible. At least at the current point in time, people had not yet realized the true power of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, nor did anyone believe that a rabble could defeat a regular army.

    "I believe," Yan Yu said slowly, "that the only constant in human history is that nothing is eternal. If one prepares in advance, they stand firm; if not, they fall apart. To make assumptions about the future without making contingency plans, and then to rage impotently when things go wrong... that''s not my style, nor can I understand it."

    Li Weiguo wore a thoughtful look, while Chen Tianming stared at him for a long while, then suddenly laughed and said:

    "I didn''t say I wouldn''t make contingency plans, so what''s the hurry?"

    Where have I hurried... Lost for words, Yan Yu adopted an attitude of "You''re right; I''m all ears," waiting for Chen Tianming to continue.

    "Deploying Zhendong cultivators is out of the question; I''m telling you upfront not to harbor any excessive hopes," Chen Tianming spoke leisurely, "But not all cultivators are under Lu Country''s control, right?"

    Yan Yu was initially startled by the remark, then he took a sharp intake of breath.

    Dammit, you sly old coin!

    What did Chen Tianming''s words mean? It meant that the Zhendong cultivators, having official statuses, were not suitable to be mixed up in such affairs, as exposure on the international stage would create a lot of trouble.

    But civilian cultivators didn''t have this restriction. Since internationally, civilian Transcendents were assumed to be free agents and hard to control, European superheroes could run off to Miti to join the Superhero Alliance, so Rikoku civilian cultivators wandering north to be hired by the Amur Witch Clan would also be perfectly normal, right?

    Considering that Lu Country had always employed strict measures to control civilian cultivation, it made perfect sense for civilian cultivators to flee the country to evade these controls.

    Of course, the calculations didn''t stop there. Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire

    Lu Country has always adopted a policy of strict control and crackdown on civilian cultivators, mainly because civilian cultivation is more detrimental than beneficial to both society and the upper echelons.

    However, Chen Tianming''s strategy cunningly revealed the unique value of civilian cultivators¡ªthey can do certain things that official cultivators find inconvenient to handle.

    With this identity, it''s like tearing a hole in the domestic policy of cracking down on civilian cultivators. Even better, if it''s managed well later on, people will think, "Hey, civilian cultivators are actually quite useful," and then Chen Tianming would have grounds to propose loosening the controls on civilian cultivation.

    By now, Yan Yu had finally understood the meaning behind Chen Lingyun''s words, "The value that Yan Zhanlong can offer is greater than you imagine." What Chen Tianming meant was that helping the Amur Witch Group was not a good deal; they could be destroyed at any time in the future.

    But in order to get Yan Zhanlong on his side and support his proposition, he was willing to make that investment, even if it meant a total loss.

    Thus, the problem was thrown to Yan Yu. Because with what Chen Tianming had done, he was essentially being forced to make a choice.

    Do you want to continue opposing the relaxation of controls on civilian cultivation, or do you allow civilian cultivators to help your little lover?

    Come on, young man, make your choice!

    This calculation was really shrewd, but the critical mistake made was ignoring one fact: I, Yan Yu, am the strongest in this world; can you really manipulate me so easily?

    Yan Yu pondered for just a moment before saying,

    "The combat team cultivators are off-limits, I understand that. So, you mean if I retire from the Zhendong Army, participate in the northern war as a civilian volunteer cultivator, then return to the country and re-enlist after the battle is over, right?"

    Li Weiguo: ???

    Chen Tianming: ???

    "Not at all, not at all." Although this kid was probably joking, Li Weiguo couldn''t ignore the 1% chance he was serious and immediately put on a serious face to deny it, "How can you retire because of this? No way, I won''t approve it!"

    "How can you deceive yourself like this?" Chen Tianming couldn''t help but laugh, "Is Yan Zhanlong no longer Yan Zhanlong if he retires? With your current status and identity, whatever you do abroad that gets seen by others will still reflect on Lu Country."

    "So, the key isn''t whether you are actually a Rikoku Cultivator or not, but whether you are recognized by others," Yan Yu quickly seized the critical point, clapped his hands and said, "As long as I wear a motorcycle helmet to cover my true face, switch to another Flying Sword, and pretend I''m just an ordinary civilian cultivator from Rikoku, avoiding revealing the identity of Yan Zhanlong, I''m good to go!"

    The two bigwigs fell silent again, at a loss for words.

    Is it feasible? It turned out to be quite feasible indeed. Because Sword Immortals differ from law cultivators, Assistant Officers, and Envoys as they don''t possess unique Taoism Methods, magical treasures, or control over spirits that could be recognized; their only conspicuous possession is their personal Flying Sword.

    Once the sword is changed and the external disguise is in place, it would really be impossible to tell who is who¡ªa masked Sword Immortal with hands clasped inside his sleeves forming a Sword technique, not even letting you see the subtle movements, how could you tell them apart? Are you supposed to discern their swordsmanship style?

    The only one who could identify a person by their fighting moves just from watching is Wang Yuyan! There''s no such all-knowing character in reality; they don''t exist.

    "Yan Yu," Chen Tianming said calmly, "If you''re going to disguise yourself, you need to do it thoroughly. With the exception of Anna, none of the other Amur witches can know your identity."

    "But if you do this, what''s the advantage for you? No one will know the merits of Yan Zhanlong, all the prestige and benefits will be taken by Anna¡ªand your relationship with her is just unrequited love after all."

    "If she falls for someone else in the future and cuts off her relationship with you, will these sacrifices have any meaning at that time, aside from moving yourself?"

    Yan Yu couldn''t deny that Old Taishan was right. If he didn''t know and trust the character of the Eclipse Queen from his past life, he certainly wouldn''t dare make such an early investment in Anna.

    "You''re right," Yan Yu said with justified earnestness, "But I never expected to gain any benefits from Anna in the first place. If the Amur Witch Group becomes the ultimate victor, if Anna can rise to power smoothly, as long as she''s willing to keep the northern border of Rikoku peaceful, I won''t have any regrets for sweating or bleeding for it!"

    This lofty speech was delivered by Yan Yu with such passion, rhythm, and power, that even Li Weiguo and Chen Tianming, two seasoned heavyweights, were momentarily shocked and speechless.

    Could it be that we have misjudged him all along? Does he really possess such a high level of ideological consciousness?

    This thought barely arose in their minds before rationality took over again.

    No, no, no, it''s more likely that he has some closer, private relationship with Anna, one that makes him absolutely sure she will never betray him.

    Look at Chen Lingyun. She was a clever and intelligent girl from a young age, and others often found themselves at a disadvantage when dealing with her. Yet, ever since she met Yan Yu, she''s become so tame and willing to even serve as his deputy!

    That rascal Yan Yu, dealing with girls as if he has a special ability!

 Chapter 26 Thanks with the Zhao System

    A few days later, Sofia and Maria bid farewell and left.Due to the increasingly intense conflicts in the north, Natasha had already given up on diplomatic efforts and planned to take her group back home to join the war.

    The sisters were all resisting the Gillia bears, and Sofia and Maria felt it improper to loaf around in the south, so they went to Pingjing to meet up with Natasha''s envoy group and left Lu Country together.

    Now only Anna remained in Jinling Prefecture, waiting for Yan Yu''s final response.

    Yan Yu too was waiting for Li Weiguo and Chen Tianming to make a decision.

    Yan Zhanlong went to the north to support the witches, a venture that required no cost from Lu Country. The only risk involved was to Yan Zhanlong''s own safety... but that''s just a common issue in modern warfare. Swords and spears have no eyes; one must go into battle prepared to make sacrifices¡ªthere''s really nothing more to say.

    Better to take this chance to train well!

    "The key to Sword Flight is the mind!" Yan Yu explained while teaching on the spacious training field outside, "Focus your Divine Sense on the sword, and wholeheartedly imagine that the sword''s light envelops you! Imagine you are controlling the sword''s light, traveling unfettered throughout the seas and deserts, reaching the highest heavens and the lowest underworld.

    There''s nowhere in this vast world you can''t go!"

    He performed a live demonstration of Sword Flight for everyone, deliberately executing the motions slowly. He rode the Huang Tingjian''s light in a large arc across the sky, eventually landing back at the original spot, sword and body separating:

    "To disengage from Sword Flight is also simple. Once you''ve reached your intended landing spot, just imagine jumping out from the sword''s light."

    "Now, who wants to give it a try?"

    "I will!" Zhao Yuanzhen volunteered eagerly.

    In her world, Sword Flight was an advanced skill in the Sword Control Technique. Sword Control Technique was a basic skill everyone had, but only about sixty percent could manage Sword Flight. And even more advanced skills like the Sword-Body Union were something only those dedicated to swordsmanship, the Sword Immortals, would learn.

    Zhao Yuanzhen definitely belonged to that sixty percent and had long mastered Sword Flight. Her volunteering now was just to show off; she wrapped herself in the Yin Wind Sword''s light and rose with a whoosh, circling around the school grounds. Almost all the outdoor teachers and students saw her.

    She landed back in front of the girls, hands on hips, sporting a smug and self-satisfied smile.

    "Very good, the rest of you should give it a try too," Yan Yu said, noting some of the girls seemed nervous, and comforted them, "Don''t worry. If Sword Flight succeeds, then it''s a success; if it fails, nothing happens, and there''s no danger."

    Once the team leader assured them there was no danger, the girls started to practice according to the manual.

    Yan Yu sat in a chair to the side, watching. Lin Ning was the quickest to get the hang of it, and it didn''t take long before she started to draw the Green Bamboo Sword''s light close to her body, though she hadn''t yet achieved the level of "rising with the light."

    Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin''s progress was much slower. Although they seemed to be concentrating fully, the Purple Extreme Sword and Coral Tear merely circled around them without any signs of transforming into sword light.

    "Don''t be afraid!" Yan Yu saw their furrowed brows and promptly reminded them, "Being enveloped by the sword light doesn''t mean it will harm you! I told you, there''s no danger!"

    Despite his repeated assurances, the notion of letting the sword light engulf them¡ªwhen it was usually directed at enemies¡ªmade the girls somewhat uneasy. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu watched from the side for quite some time, feeling the exasperation of a driving instructor witnessing a novice driver''s outlandish maneuvers, almost wishing he could take their place.

    Glancing to the side, he saw Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi sitting nearby, giggling while watching a meme video, and immediately glared at them:

    "You two are slacking off again!"

    "No, we''re not!" Zhao Yuanzhen called out in her own defense, "Didn''t I already master it?"

    "I''m still not proficient with the Sword Control Technique¡­" Xie Ruoxi said meekly.

    "If you''re not proficient in Sword Control Technique, shouldn''t you be diligently practicing to catch up to everyone else?" Yan Yu spoke righteously, then turned and commanded Zhao Yuanzhen, "You teach her swordsmanship! Only when you''ve taught little Xie can you rest freely!"

    "You little thief!" "Have mercy!" Zhao Yuanzhen cursed while Xie Ruoxi cried plaintively. Seeing Yan Yu showed no sign of relenting, they exchanged a glance, and suddenly their wariness skyrocketed.

    "Sister Zhao," Xie Ruoxi quickly distanced herself, her face adopting a flattering smile as she spoke, "We have such a deep sisterly bond, why inflict such harm on each other? I''ll practice diligently; you don''t have to worry too much about me¡­"

    "Ruoxi, ah." Zhao Yuanzhen''s smile carried ill-intent as she laughed, "Of course, I believe you''ll practice diligently. But if I put pressure on you, I trust you''ll learn even faster. Look at how far you''ve fallen behind everyone. I''m doing this for your own good."

    "Sister Zhao, you really don''t need to worry about me." Xie Ruoxi''s gaze shifted, searching for an escape route as she spoke, "You know, my mental strength is actually quite fragile, and pressure will just make me crumble faster. Can you not force me, please?"

    "Mmm, mmm, mmm," Zhao Yuanzhen advanced step by step, "Don''t worry, Ruoxi, I''ll be very gentle and light-handed. Just be a little attentive, and you''ll definitely be able to block my attacks... Behold the sword!"

    The clash of the Yin Wind Sword and the Heavenly Origin Sword produced a metallic ring. Although Xie Ruoxi was exceptionally talented and her True Yuan was sturdy, her progress in cultivation was nevertheless falling behind. She was quickly beaten by Zhao Yuanzhen to a point where her face was swollen and battered, and she even began to cry out in pain once again.

    She was naturally delicate and lovely, and her tear-streaked face made her look especially pitiable, just like a pear blossom bathed in rain. Any man would instinctively hold back, but Zhao Yuanzhen was a Demonic Sect Enchantress, utterly devoid of such compassion. She continued to intensify her sword attacks and excitedly shouted:

    "Stop crying! Defend yourself! Will crying help you on the battlefield? Crying by day, crying by night, do you think that will cry the enemy to death? Strike at me! If you kill me, you''ll be saved!"

    Yan Yu sat back and watched coldly, thinking that the Demonic Sect Enchantress was true to her cruel nature. Using her against Xie Ruoxi, this pitiful waste of beauty, was utterly perfect.

    As wise as I am, I truly deserve myself!

    After chasing Xie Ruoxi around for a while, probably realising that pretending to be pitiful was utterly useless, Xie Ruoxi could only brace herself and exchange blows with Zhao Yuanzhen.

    After practicing for nearly an entire afternoon, the girls still hadn''t mastered Sword Flight; even Lin Ning, who had the fastest progress, could only manage to whirl her sword aura around herself.

    Under intense pressure, Xie Ruoxi''s Sword Control Technique actually began to take shape; at least she now knew how to block when your sword struck at her.

    When Yan Yu announced the end of training, she immediately plunged into Su Yunjin''s arms, bawling¡ªSecretary Su was the kindest and most maternal figure in the team; that pretty waste had a vicious eye for sympathy.

    Seeing her covered in bruises and injuries, Su Yunjin felt a tad heartbroken, but she also felt it inappropriate to interfere with Yan Yu''s training plan, so she could only comfort Xie Ruoxi gently and treat her wounds.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, having enjoyed bullying her easy target, felt she finally understood the joy of being a team leader, and came over buzzing with excitement saying:

    "From now on, why don''t I just take over Ruoxi''s training?"

    Xie Ruoxi immediately lifted her head from Su Yunjin''s embrace, her face pale and her shoulders trembling as she looked at Yan Yu with pleading eyes, her lips quivering.

    "We''ll see," Yan Yu pondered, stroking his chin, thinking it wouldn''t be right to let the Demonic Sect Enchantress torment the beautiful waste all the time. After all, Zhao Yuanzhen didn''t know how to pull her punches, and he was afraid that it would leave lasting mental scars.

    What about treating her like the Sword of Damocles, hanging over Xie Ruoxi''s head all the time? If this waste dares to slack off or shirk work, I''ll just threaten her with the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡ªas a complementary deterrent to the "banning of all gaming platforms," to be used in combination.

    Yes, that will do.

    "Where are we eating tonight?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked with great enthusiasm.

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    "You decide," Yan Yu replied casually. "How many meals do I owe you now?"

    "Fourteen," Zhao Yuanzhen said.

    "Don''t try to inflate the numbers," Yan Yu said disapprovingly. "I only promised you ten meals in total. How did it suddenly go over?"

    "You wrecked the puppet last time, and you think repairing it didn''t cost me anything?" Zhao Yuanzhen argued righteously.

    The two of them haggled back and forth, while Su Yunjin took care of Xie Ruoxi''s injuries. Chen Lingyun sat with Lin Ning chatting, when suddenly her phone rang.

    "Lingyun, it''s your phone," Lin Ning reminded her.

    "Mm," Chen Lingyun answered the call and began speaking in dialect.

    Even though Lin Ning didn''t understand exactly what was said, she could roughly guess that the person on the other end must be her mother.

    After hanging up, Chen Lingyun turned around and called out:

    "Yan Yu, let''s not eat out today."

    "Why''s that?" Yan Yu asked.

    "My mother has come to Jinling," Chen Lingyun answered. "She wants to treat our team to a meal."

    Lin Ning keenly noticed that there wasn''t the usual beaming fake smile on her face, but rather an impression of a calm and inscrutable lake surface.

 Chapter 27 The Mother-in-law Looks at Her Son-in-law

    Chen Lingyun''s mother, who will be referred to as Mother Chen from now on, is the sole daughter of the head of Jianghai Investment Group.Chen Lingyun''s grandfather was the largest landlord in Jianghai Prefecture back in the day. During the industrialization era of Lu Country, he directly donated all his land, turning it into state-owned property, in exchange for high praise from the clear streams of Lu Country.

    Chen Tianming was able to rise rapidly through the ranks, and his father''s illustrious reputation was, of course, inseparable from this success.

    What''s more incredible is that although his father converted all his wealth into reputation, causing the family to go from "landed gentry" to "impoverished gentry," Chen Tianming quickly married the sole daughter of the head of Jianghai Investment Group, thereby making a remarkable comeback¡ªit''s clear that within the genes passed down in the Chen family, there must be some element of radical speculative opportunism as not going all-in seems to make them uncomfortable.

    Mother Chen was also a local miss of Jianghai, who had studied for her MBA degree in England in her early years, returning to take over the family business. Although rumors had it that the two were love at first sight, Yan Yu highly doubted it.

    Because Chen Tianming was the kind of man whose mind was set on making great achievements and was full of ambition, he barely had any other pursuits, and during busy times, he would even let his secretary buy him a fried dough twist and a pancake to serve as lunch; Mother Chen was the other extreme, pursuing the finest quality in life to such an extent that even saying she ''eats only the most refined and finest-tasting food'' would be an understatement.

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    Yan Yu even remembered, from his past life, the first time he went to Chen Lingyun''s home. There were a shoe cabinet and a soft bench outside the door. Chen Lingyun pulled him to a soft bench, lifted her feet, and a maid came out to help them remove their shoes...

    At that time, he had been somewhat embarrassed, then Chen Lingyun explained that the maid was "in charge of the hallway," instantly giving him the illusion of having traveled back to ancient times to become a noble consort.

    Of course, this was no longer the feudal era where people were distinguished by rank or status, so the Chen family didn''t have any "servants" at home, only "various types of service personnel." For example, just in the kitchen staff alone, there were about twenty chefs specializing in Shandong, Sichuan, and Huaiyang cuisines, as well as Western cuisine, desserts, and coffee¡ªMother Chen was the type who would rather not eat at all than eat anything but the best.

    Yan Yu did not like this kind of person. In his past life, he and Old Taishan merely had a difference in philosophy, while with his mother-in-law, it was pure mutual disdain.

    However, since in this life he had decided not to pursue Chen Lingyun, he naturally need not care about Mother Chen''s impressions or assessments of him. After all, it was fine as long as he simply brought the team to eat.

    The group left the school, and two luxury cars had already stopped at the school gate¡ªYan Yu wasn''t clear just how expensive they were. He didn''t care much for sports cars, since he usually traveled by Sword Control in his previous life.

    The girls were also quite calm about it because everyone knew long ago that the Ling Yun family was indeed wealthy.

    The car stopped in front of the Oasis Hotel, and soon, someone came to open the door and usher everyone into the hotel.

    Yan Yu glanced around casually and knew that Mother Chen must have booked the hotel''s dining area again, then switched in her own team of chefs to cook¡ªwhen Chen Lingyun traveled in her previous life, she stayed at only a select few hotels, bringing her own toiletries and everything else. Guess where she got that habit from?

    So particular! Too particular!

    Upon entering the private room, just as the girls were about to take their seats, Chen Lingyun suddenly said:

    "Wait a moment."

    She whispered to the butler next to her for a moment and began calling out names:

    "Ningning, you sit there."

    "Yun Jin, come to this side."

    "Sister Zhao, sit next to Yun Jin."

    "Ruoxi, sit on Ningning''s left-hand side."

    Yan Yu suddenly jerked in alarm and quickly sent a telepathic message to Chen Lingyun:

    "What the heck, I don''t want to sit next to your mom!"

    "Who do you think she''s here for?" Chen Lingyun responded to him.

    "Didn''t you say this was to treat the team to a meal?" Yan Yu chose to feign ignorance directly.

    "Be a good boy and sit here, okay~" Chen Lingyun coaxed him as if soothing a child, "I''ll sit next to you in a bit, and I''ll help you out if anything comes up."

    "Get lost!" Yan Yu was about to berate her fiercely but then thought to himself, I''m not your boyfriend, what''s there to be scared of your mom for?

    Even if your mom continues to treat me like a ''crude son-in-law'' or a ''dandy in fancy dress'' as she did in the past life, so what?

    What can she do, have her daughter bite me?

    Thinking this, Yan Yu sneered to himself, thinking Chen Lingyun, don''t blame me for this, it was you and your mother''s own choice.

    Everyone took their assigned seats, and the cold dishes started to come in one after another, but nobody picked up their chopsticks.

    It wasn''t long before Mother Chen came in.

    The Chen Family typically embraced late marriage and childbearing, with Mother Chen having had Chen Lingyun in her thirties, so she was nearly fifty now. However, due to proper maintenance, she appeared to be in her early thirties.

    Her hair was cut very short (completely exposing her ears), starkly different from Lu Country''s traditional aesthetic for women and instead exuded a sense of fashion reminiscent of foreign ladies.

    Mother Chen''s gaze swept across the room, pausing on Yan Yu''s face for three to four seconds before she took a seat right between him and Chen Lingyun, smiled, and said:

    "Why aren''t you all eating already?"

    "Everyone is waiting for you." Chen Lingyun said with a smile, hugging her arm. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu rolled his eyes in a sickly sweet manner, thinking to himself, why did he feel like he was suddenly witnessing a scene where Wang Xifeng is fawning over Grandmother Jia?

    "Why don''t we all introduce ourselves?" Mother Chen suggested warmly.

    The girls honestly took turns introducing themselves. Mother Chen nodded with a smile at each introduction, but Yan Yu noticed that she seemed a bit displeased with Xie Ruoxi and Zhao Yuanzhen, preferring Lin Ning and Su Yunjin instead, lingering on these two a bit longer with her gaze.

    In this regard, although Chen Lingyun was proud, she wasn''t as prejudiced as her mother who seemed to judge people through tinted glasses from the first meeting...

    "Hold on." Just as Su Yunjin finished introducing herself, Mother Chen suddenly called out towards the doorway, "Is Xiao Shi there?"

    "I''m here." A professional woman dressed in OL attire walked in¡ªit was Shi Meijing, the housekeeper of Chen Lingyun''s family.

    Yan Yu vaguely remembered that this woman''s father had served Chen Lingyun''s grandfather and now she was serving Chen Lingyun''s parents, a veritable "servant for generations."

    "Look at this dish." Mother Chen pointed to a plate of salted vegetables stir-fried with edamame, frowning as she spoke, "It''s cut so small?"

    Shi Meijing glanced at it, picked it up, and said:

    "The knife work was from a newbie that Chef Xie recently trained, not done well, I''ll have them redo it."

    "Forget it, forget it, just take it away," Mother Chen said impatiently, waving her hand to have Shi Meijing take away the cold dish.

    Seeing the other girls looking confused, just as Mother Chen was about to speak up, they heard Yan Yu snicker and he explained to everyone:

    "The salted vegetables burnt with edamame, each piece should be cut exactly to a third of the length, no more or less, so it looks good with the edamame... Heh heh, this is how wealthy families are, so particular."

    There was not the slightest attempt in his tone to hide the mockery, causing the girls to tense up. Even the usually calm Chen Lingyun''s face slightly changed colors, fearing that her mother would slam the table and storm out.

    Mother Chen initially felt some subconsciously offended displeasure, but her expression quickly shifted. After examining Yan Yu for a moment, she revealed a satisfied look as if to say "you understand quite well," and explained with a smile to the girls:

    "It''s not that Auntie is being overly fastidious. My father, which is Ling Yun''s grandfather, partnered with others to start a business and we were poor at the time. We often made this dish at home with rice. But he would always cut the salted vegetables nearly as long as the edamame. My father said, we might be poor at home, but not in spirit.

    Rice must be fluffy, vegetables finely chopped, a nail is a nail, a dowel is a dowel, this principle applies to dealing with people and living life as well."

    The girls listened in awe, their expressions as if they were undergoing some sort of religious revelation. Only Yan Yu, with his hand propping up his chin, thought, yeah yeah yeah, your family also has its reasons for having the maid help with shoes, when you''re rich and have status your logic is the biggest, right?

    "You''re Yan Yu, aren''t you?" Mother Chen said pleasantly, "I''ve seen your videos, quite impressive."

    "You flatter me, Auntie." Yan Yu responded coolly, "I wouldn''t say impressive, just doing my best."

    "The kid has promise," Mother Chen was even more satisfied, turning to Chen Lingyun she continued, "The boys your father wanted to introduce to you before, they themselves have no real ability, relying entirely on their parents'' fortune, yet each one thinks too highly of themselves. That''s just clueless behavior. If they were all like Yan Yu, would I disagree?"

    With Mother Chen''s cards laid on the table, the girls'' expressions also subtly changed. Only Chen Lingyun playfully nudged her mother''s hand, saying with a smile:

    "We rarely get together to eat, why bring this up now, Mom?"

    "Alright, alright, I won''t talk about it. You''ve always had your own opinions since you were little," Mother Chen said, as the corner of her eyes caught the others'' expressions, deducing the answers in her heart and in private, holding Yan Yu in even higher esteem.

    Her principle was, "everything must be the best," which of course applied to selecting her son-in-law as well.

    Ordinary family background, cautious character, groveling in the face of power, such phoenix men, even if they struggle, Mother Chen would not be impressed¡ªare the things you struggle for your whole life something our Governor''s family would value?

    Even with those from official aristocratic families or born into rich merchants'' households, Mother Chen was still not impressed¡ªgold-plated toilets soiled by waste, those who are incompetent and rely solely on their family to keep up appearances, how could they be worthy of my Ling Yun?

    But then looking at Yan Yu, so young and already a nationally known cultivator, even Chen Tianming looked at him in a different light. And there were so many beautiful girls around him... perfectly normal. You see, outstanding men are like hot commodities in the market; they don''t need any extra promotion, the long line outside the store is the best proof!

    Having so many competitors by his side just proves his excellence!

    With this in mind, Mother Chen grew more determined in her thought: This is my son-in-law!

    With this resolve, her glance at Yan Yu became increasingly inappropriate: how she looked at him, she saw only good points, as if everything about him was perfect.

    Noticing the problem with the length of the salted vegetables proved he had a refined and elegant taste in life, a man well-suited to be a life partner.

    His speech might have been cold and his attitude not the best, but it just proved he wouldn''t bow down to power, a man of dignity and spirit.

    Having a bunch of beautiful girls around him, each seeming to be interested in him, further evidenced he was certainly one of those top-notch men, a natural perfect match for my girl!

    With this thought, Mother Chen didn''t hesitate any longer and straightforwardly asked:

    "Yan Yu, do you have a girlfriend or not?"

 Chapter 28 Chen Lingyuns Weakness

    Facing the direct probing from Chen''s mother, the girls all looked shocked.Then they each regained their composure.

    It''s fine, she''s not my mom. It''s not my problem if she loses face in front of the team captain.

    Chen Lingyun''s expression, however, did change, and she quickly grabbed Chen''s mother''s arm, forcing a smile as she said:

    "Mom, who starts a conversation by asking about this..."

    "No." Yan Yu answered, "I don''t have a girlfriend."

    "Then, what type of girl do you like?" Chen''s mother asked with a friendly smile, like a Jianghai aunt eager to marry off her daughter, "Auntie will see if there''s a suitable young lady around and maybe introduce you to each other~"

    "Around," "suitable," "young lady"¡ªAuntie, why don''t you just give your daughter''s name directly?

    "I can''t really say what I like," Yan Yu replied coldly. "I can only say what I don''t like: for example, those who always have a fake smile on their face, looking at everyone as if they''re idiots. I don''t like that kind of hypocrisy and arrogance."

    "Mmm," Chen''s mother said as if it were nothing, "Speaking of which, our Ling Yun is actually very innocent and kind at heart. She used to take care of a stray cat at home... "

    "Mom!" Chen Lingyun couldn''t hold back anymore and stood up, angrily protesting.

    "Okay, okay, I won''t say more," Chen''s mother conceded upon seeing her daughter''s intense reaction, then turned to say with a smile, "Let''s eat, everyone. Don''t be too restrained, just be casual."

    The girls secretly laughed in their hearts. As expected, the captain not only dared to rebuff Ling Yun but also did not spare her mother... They each started to dish out food and eat.

    "Yan Yu, try this." Chen''s mother personally served Yan Yu a bowl of bamboo shoot and salted pork soup.

    "Thank you, Auntie." Yan Yu, though he found her disagreeable due to past events, could not simply throw cold water in the face of his prospective mother-in-law, who was now showing kindness¡ªAfter all, he wasn''t the craziest man in this life! How could he do something so laughable?

    Seeing him actually give thanks, Chen''s mother''s face lit up with joy.

    This boy is so polite, it''s truly rare. I really didn''t see him wrong~

    She didn''t think there was anything wrong with her thoughts. After all, a murderer who repents becomes a Buddha on the spot, while a lifetime of good deeds followed by a single evil thought leads one to hell¡ªa peculiar yet human nature. In Chen''s mother subconscious, Yan Zhanlong, nationally renowned, should be like Ximen ChuiXue¡ªarrogant and indifferent.

    Now that he seemed willing to give face to an elder like herself, of course, it was a cause for joy.

    Chen''s mother also stealthily conveyed a message to her daughter with her eyes: Ling Yun, such an excellent man, you must seize the opportunity!

    Chen Lingyun rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed.

    She knew her mother''s personality well and guessed at once why her mother treated Yan Yu differently. It was the same principle as luxury goods; if it was priced even slightly low, Chen''s mother wouldn''t even look at it. But if it''s a global limited edition that will soon be discontinued¡ªsorry, but I must own it.

    Yan Zhanlong is currently the unique "luxury item" in the entire Lu Country, naturally becoming Chen''s mother''s most prized candidate for a son-in-law. Even among the Jianghai affluent ladies'' circle, how much face would Chen''s mother gain if she could say, "My son-in-law is Yan Zhanlong"? Just for that, she was determined not to let go easily.

    As for the pretty girls in the team, as well as the various rumors about Yan Yu having a harem, they only served to raise Chen''s mother''s evaluation of him¡ªit''s like why men who love married women, love married women. Those who understand, understand; those who don''t, don''t need to ask.

    She silently lowered her eyelids, feeling no appetite for the food on the table. For one thing, she had been eating it since she was a child, and for another, her mood was indeed not good.

    Chen Lingyun enjoyed watching fun, and occasionally didn''t mind becoming the fun herself, but she did not want her parents to become a spectacle in the eyes of others, nor did she want to see her mother humiliated by Yan Yu, with the added indignity of begging him nicely.

    Looking at the other girls, Lin Ning and Su Yunjin were both very well-mannered, eating, pausing, chatting, and laughing, engaging Chen''s mother in conversation and keeping the atmosphere harmonious.

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi, on the other hand, were burying themselves in eating, from time to time picking food for each other, "Ruoxi, this is delicious," "Sister Zhao, try this one," acting like country bumpkins with insatiable appetites, which Chen''s mother would not even bother looking at.

    But just because Chen''s mother didn''t care to look and was annoyed, didn''t mean Yan Yu could bear the antics of these two buffoons. His eyes narrowed, and with a sweep of his divine sense, he sent a telepathic scolding:

    "Even if you like eating, try to restrain yourselves a bit. Don''t let others think you have no manners!"

    "It''s fine." Zhao Yuanzhen continued to use her chopsticks like the wind and replied telepathically, "I''m very close with Chen Lingyun. She''ll explain it for me if Auntie misunderstands."

    Xie Ruoxi, not yet skilled in the art of telepathy and with her mouth full of food, was unable to speak, so she simply took out her phone and messaged Yan Yu:

    "I only have a high school diploma, so I''m not well-mannered to begin with."

    Yan Yu forcefully suppressed his anger, and if it weren''t for Chen''s mother being there, he would have already teleported over to dunk their heads into the plates... It was during this pause that Chen''s mother noticed that he had stopped eating and asked:

    "What''s wrong, Yan Yu? Don''t you like the food?"

    "It''s delicious," Yan Yu could only answer vaguely, "I''m just full."

    "Good, as long as you''re full," Chen''s mother said cheerfully, "I was worried about not being a good host. She didn''t bother looking at the two gluttons opposite her and turned to Chen Lingyun, "Are you still living in that villa?"

    Chen Lingyun said with a smile:

    "Yes, the school dorm''s conditions aren''t good, so most of us live outside."

    Lin Ning and Su Yunjin were speechless as well. Aren''t the school dorms nice? Apart from having to clean up themselves, they are hardly inferior to the single rooms in hotels outside!

    "Indeed." Chen''s mother agreed, "I mentioned last time about sending a few chefs over to your place, why didn''t you want them?"

    "Auntie, we all cook for ourselves." Lin Ning quickly explained.

    "Cook for yourselves, huh." Chen''s mother paused for a moment, then assumed an elder''s air and advised, "Young ladies should spend less time in the kitchen. After all, the smoke and fumes are terrible for the skin, and they''re harmful to the eyes and respiratory system as well. Besides, you are all chosen ones; you should spend your time on more important matters.

    If money can solve a problem, then there''s no need for you to do it yourselves."

    Yan Yu immediately became angry on the side, I''m the captain of the Zhenhai Team! Only I can show off in the team! You''re just a mother-in-law with some dirty money, what superiority are you flaunting here? This isn''t your Jianghai Prefecture!

    He spoke up nonchalantly:

    "Auntie, you''re a mortal, you don''t understand the truth of the matter. We cultivators pay attention to refining our hearts amid the mortal world. Cooking, washing clothes, sweeping floors, and watering plants help us grasp the profound truths of the Great Way through the subtle aspects of life, which is extremely beneficial for our cultivation."

    Though Yan Yu spoke softly, his disdain was evident in his words, "I am a cultivator" and "you are a mortal".

    Chen Lingyun clenched her chopsticks silently, but instead of getting angry, Chen''s mother became even happier, nodding and laughing:

    "Exactly, exactly, it was ignorant of me to presume. Well then, let me go take a look at the villa later. Whatever you need for your daily lives, just tell me, and I''ll help you solve it."

    Seeing that Chen''s mother wasn''t even angry over this, Lin Ning and Su Yunjin were dumbfounded, wondering if this was the legendary case of a mother-in-law liking her son-in-law more and more as she sees him?

    But wait! He and Ling Yun aren''t even dating!

    Auntie, you can''t possibly believe that by being nice to the captain, you can persuade him to marry into the family, right?

    We cultivators earn millions on a single trip to the Mysterious Realm, we seriously don''t lack money!

    Though they weren''t worried that Yan Yu would stoop low before the power of money, the thought of Chen''s mother staying at the villa and trying to play matchmaker every day between the captain and her daughter was quite distressing.

    The two exchanged glances silently, and without any telepathic communication, they reached a tacit understanding.

    We need to send Ling Yun''s mom away as soon as possible!

    Xie Ruoxi, having eaten her fill, was quite content when she suddenly heard Chen''s mother say "she was going to check out the villa", and she quickly whispered to Zhao Yuanzhen, who was still heartily eating:

    "Auntie said she''s going to our villa!"

    Zhao Yuanzhen''s eyes lit up:

    "Doesn''t that mean we can eat these dishes every day?"

    "Yes, yes!" S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Their eyes met, and without needing to say more, they reached an agreement.

    We should encourage Ling Yun''s mom to stay longer!

    Yan Yu, bored, was playing with his phone and heard Chen Lingyun''s telepathic message to him:

    "Are you feeling very smug?"

    "What do I have to be smug about?" Yan Yu replied irritably.

    "My mom is already treating you like her own son." Chen Lingyun said leisurely, "You were familiar with her temperament in a past life, so it must be even easier for you to please her now, right?"

    "Little Ling Yun, don''t flatter yourself too much." Yan Yu scoffed, "It''s precisely because I know what she''s like that I''m completely indifferent to how she sees me."

    Chen Lingyun was taken aback, and then began to ponder: What does he mean? Did Yan Yu and my mother not get along well in their past life?

    "But you have reminded me," Yan Yu suddenly laughed with ill intent, "if I remember correctly, isn''t your mom your Achilles'' heel?"

    A feeling of dread flashed through Chen Lingyun''s heart, but she calmly asked, "Oh, what do you mean? I don''t understand."

    "You still want to bluff your way through, huh." Yan Yu said triumphantly, seeing through her act, "Have you forgotten that I have experience from a past life?"

    After a moment''s silence, Chen Lingyun replied coldly:

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    "Go ahead and try it if you think you can!"

    "Haha, getting anxious now!"

 Chapter 29 Yan Yu, even if its for me

    Princess Jiang Hai, Chen Lingyun, had always had everything handed to her on a silver platter, seldom moved by anyone or anything.Even if you cursed her to her face, she would just respond with a faint smile, not taking offense in the slightest¡ªafter all, insignificant people didn''t deserve her attention.

    But Chen Lingyun had her weaknesses. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Her worldview was inherited from her father, cold, self-centered, and profit-oriented; her values came from her mother, greedy, vain, and a perfectionist. However, if you reversed this thought process, it would clearly show that in Chen Lingyun''s inner world, her father and mother almost held her everything, and they were her only two weaknesses and vulnerabilities.

    Chen Tianming held a high position with considerable power in Lu Country, and there were few who could pose a threat to him. Therefore, strictly speaking, Chen Lingyun''s mother was her sole vulnerability¡ªif you slandered Chen Lingyun, she would remain indifferent, but if you insulted her mother and caused her pain, Chen Lingyun would be utterly defenseless.

    Sitting in the car, Chen Lingyun looked out the window, silently contemplating.

    Expecting Yan Yu to show any warmth toward her mother was unlikely; not showing a foul mood was already a win. But with her mother''s unreciprocated affection for him encountering his disdain and indifference, it was even harder for her to bear.

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    What should she do?

    Hmm, got it...

    Back in the villa, as everyone had just entered the living room, they saw Anna hurrying down the stairs to greet them.

    "Who is this?" Chen''s mother asked with a beaming smile.

    "Mom, she''s our friend," Chen Lingyun explained. "She came back from abroad to have fun and will stay here for a few days."

    "Hello, auntie," Anna promptly introduced herself after hearing Chen Lingyun''s introduction.

    "Oh, lovely," Chen''s mother responded. Due to her earlier experiences abroad, her aesthetic tastes were somewhat Westernized, and she was particularly fond of the half-half sweet sister look of blonde Persian cats, sighing with a smile, "Yan Yu has so many beautiful girls around him~"

    Chen Lingyun slightly smiled, pretending she hadn''t caught the underlying message from her mother: Daughter, you better seize the opportunity.

    When it came to the "blooming flowers" around Yan Yu, Anna''s expression turned somewhat gloomy, but she still forced a smile and said:

    "Thank you for the compliment, Auntie."

    Chen''s mother wanted to probe further, but Chen Lingyun had already anticipated her mother''s intentions and quickly employed the conversation-breaking skill by holding her mother''s arm with a laugh:

    "Mom, let me show you around the house."

    "Alright," Chen''s mother said, even though she was dying to remark, "It''s not like it''s a garden or a courtyard; what''s there to look at in this small villa?" But her daughter was so eager to invite her that she couldn''t bear to refuse, so the two walked upstairs arm in arm.

    Yan Yu, on the other hand, lounged lazily on the sofa, playing with his phone. Had Lin Ning or Su Yunjin''s mother visited, he might have behaved more seriously, but for Chen''s mother... Who cares.

    After reading a novel for a while, he suddenly sensed that the atmosphere around him was off.

    The girls each sat on the sofa, not speaking or playing with their phones, merely exchanging glances and looking at each other.

    Typically, in such a situation, one could assume they were secretly communicating with each other; no other explanation was feasible.

    "What secret messages are you passing around?" Yan Yu asked languidly.

    "Nothing much," Lin Ning quickly covered up, "we were discussing how young Ling Yun''s mother looks."

    "Nonsense," Yan Yu scoffed with disdain, "if you spend money to go to a beauty salon twice a week for full-body maintenance, you too would look thirty at fifty."

    Going to the beauty salon twice a week... This was beyond the girls'' comprehension. In their eyes, applying a face mask and some serum before bed was already considered diligent maintenance.

    But now that we have money, maybe we should also find a beauty salon for regular care?

    Seeing them exchange looks, Yan Yu could easily guess what they were secretly discussing and sneered, saying:

    "Beauty salons are for mortals; what do we cultivators need with such trouble?"

    The girls: ?

    You''re on a path to self-destruction, Captain!

    The next second, they quickly surrounded Yan Yu, bombarding him with questions about the methods cultivators use to maintain their youthfulness.

    Only Zhao Yuanzhen, who had always been confident about her looks, smiled faintly, completely ignoring their enthusiasm and discussion, and continued her online search for "how to please elderly women."

    Speaking of which, Chen Lingyun took Chen''s mother to her bedroom. Once the door was closed, Chen''s mother stopped holding back and directly reproached her:

    "What''s wrong with you, Ling Yun? Yan Yu is such a good man, don''t you like him, or do you just look down on him?"

    "Mom, stop worrying about me," Chen Lingyun said impatiently. "This is my own business, and I know what I''m doing."

    "You know what you''re doing, you know what you''re doing, he already has five or six girls around him, you''d better be clear on it!" Chen''s mother rattled on until she finally calmed down a bit and asked earnestly, "Ling Yun, what are you really thinking? Do you like Yan Yu or not?"

    "What kind of liking are you referring to?" Chen Lingyun countered, "Is it the kind you have for Dad?"

    Chen''s mother was suddenly at a loss for words, and after a long pause, she finally said:

    "What have we ever done to you?"

    "Nothing to me," Chen Lingyun said indifferently, "I just don''t know what it means to like someone. Dad found another aunty outside, had a child, and you didn''t mind at all. Is that normal like?"

    There was a moment of silence from Chen''s mother before she asked in a low voice:

    "Do you know everything?"

    "Everyone in the house knows, except for me. Do you really think you can keep it from me?" Chen Lingyun asked with a cold laugh.

    "Sigh, Lingyun." Chen''s mother pulled her into an embrace, speaking sorrowfully, "You''ve always been very clever. Let me ask you a question."

    "Suppose a man has two sons. He keeps the elder by his side and spares no effort in nurturing him without reservation, while the younger son is given away to another family to raise, and he doesn''t see him once for three to five years. Which one do you think is really his son?"

    Chen Lingyun didn''t answer.

    "Your dad''s position right now won''t allow him to be tied down realistically," Chen''s mother continued after a pause, "But he makes a clear distinction between marriage and desire. No matter how many women he has been with outside, no matter how many children he has, Chen Tianming has only ever had one wife and one daughter from the beginning to the end. That''s why I can accept all this calmly."

    "That''s what I find strange," Chen Lingyun suddenly said, "Mom, you consider many things, like status, benefits, reality, but not your own feelings. Do you really not mind Dad doing this, or have you convinced or even deceived yourself not to mind?"

    Chen''s mother looked at her silently, hesitating for a long time before saying:

    "I..."

    "Just as I thought, Mom doesn''t know either." Chen Lingyun''s smile returned, but now it was filled with nothing but falseness, "Since Mom doesn''t understand what love is, then please don''t interfere with me and Yan Yu anymore, okay?"

    "Lingyun!" Chen''s mother wanted to say something, but she didn''t know where to start, desperately saying, "Your dad and I are different from you. Our marriage does indeed have elements of a transaction, but that doesn''t mean we don''t have feelings for each other..."

    No matter how Chen''s mother tried to explain, Chen Lingyun just held her hand, without saying a word, her face wearing a perfect, unimpeachable smile.

    In the living room, Yan Yu finally managed to get rid of the beauty-obsessed girls, then saw Chen Lingyun walking down from upstairs.

    "Lingyun?" Su Yunjin sensed something was off with her emotions.

    But Chen Lingyun ignored them and simply walked out of the house, heading towards the backyard.

    "Don''t worry about her," Yan Yu stood up at ease, "I''ll go have a look."

    Upon arriving in the yard, he saw Chen Lingyun sitting in the pavilion, staring blankly at the distant river.

    It was still true: when Chen Lingyun''s face was free of a fake smile, she was actually quite pleasing to look at. Barely five feet two, with delicate and cute features, even the most demanding and critical person would have to admit that her face was a top-tier example of ''sweet-girl'' appeal, perfectly aligned with the male preference for vulnerable femininity in their DNA.

    But if she put on that perfect, flawless fake smile, it reminded Yan Yu of her past life''s attitude, looking down on everyone as if they were fools, and her devilish enjoyment in playing pranks and finding mischief, slashing the charm of this sweet girl down completely, leaving him utterly uninterested.

    "Why are you here pretending to be a mushroom?" Yan Yu walked over and sat beside her.

    "Mushroom?" Chen Lingyun glanced at him sideways.

    "Yeah." Yan Yu gestured her height with his hand, "Small, dazed, and quiet. If not a mushroom, what else could you be?"

    Chen Lingyun didn''t laugh or get angry but just looked at him silently.

    After a while, she turned her head away again, continuing to gaze at the river in the distance.

    "If there''s something bothering you, tell me about it and cheer me up, will you?" Yan Yu continued to tease her.

    "I''m thinking," Chen Lingyun said softly, "what exactly is love?"

    "I remember someone saying that she didn''t care at all about what true love was, right?" Yan Yu raised his eyebrows in surprise and laughed, "What? You want to take back what you said?"

    "Yes," Chen Lingyun admitted frankly, "When I said those words, I was sure I didn''t love you, nor did I care whether I did. But now, I''m not so sure."

    "So, it''s because you started to care that you''re now unsure," Yan Yu followed her gaze, seeing the glimmering river, vast and misty, surely a forget-your-sorrows kind of grandeur. No wonder Chen Lingyun always liked to sit by the large floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room, drinking coffee and looking at the scenery.

    "Maybe..." Chen Lingyun murmured as if talking to herself.

    What''s with this girl? Why isn''t she continuing to play dumb? From a scornful princess to an innocent young girl?

    Yan Yu pondered for a while, then asked:

    "How do you plan to figure it out? You like solving problems, don''t you?"

    "Yes, I have an idea," Chen Lingyun said, looking back at him.

    Staring at Yan Yu for a while, she suddenly became serious and said:

    "Yan Yu, for my sake..."

    "...you should go and start a harem."

 Chapter 30 Still Want to Try Again

    What should I do if my ex-girlfriend suddenly asks me to open a harem?Yan Yu instinctively wanted to retort, but he couldn''t come up with a comeback on spot.

    "You''re worthy!" That seemed a bit off; she wasn''t throwing herself at me now.

    "They are worthy!" That''s even stranger; Chen Lingyun didn''t say who to start a harem with. I certainly can''t just set up an imaginary target and hit it myself, can I?

    "None of your damn business!" This one is possible¡­ but what''s important now is not to strike back, but to figure out what sort of scheme the shitty princess is up to now.

    "Why do you say that?" Yan Yu cautiously asked.

    What if this woman had some recording device on her, and she records what I say to make fun of later... I must be on guard.

    "Because I want to see if I would get jealous," Chen Lingyun replied.

    "Uh..." The sense of discomfort in Yan Yu''s heart grew stronger. He felt like the girl in front of him didn''t resemble Chen Lingyun at all, but rather some kind of demon in sheep''s clothing, behind which was a confused and ignorant young girl, "So what if you get jealous? And so what if you don''t? What does this have to do with your research on love?"

    "Because many people say that love is about possession, it''s selfish, and it doesn''t allow a third person to get involved," Chen Lingyun answered, "I want to know if that''s true."

    "Do you still need to explore that?" Yan Yu laughed, "Isn''t that obvious? Who would want to share the person they love with someone of the same sex?"

    "I would," Chen Lingyun said.

    "You?"

    "Thinking of you with other girls, I feel nothing," Chen Lingyun candidly said.

    "Uh." Yan Yu was speechless for a moment before asking tactfully, "Do you like wearing a hat?"

    "No," Chen Lingyun shook her head and said, "I just don''t feel disgusted by it. It''s not that I like it as such¡ªof course, if it could plunge you into a dramatic mess, making the situation interesting enough, then I wouldn''t mind watching."

    "That just shows you don''t love me," Yan Yu quickly concluded, laughing heartily, "You just enjoy watching me make a fool of myself, and over time, it formed a thought path in your mind, making you mistakenly believe you liked me."

    "Perhaps we can test that," Chen Lingyun suddenly suggested.

    She reached backward to encircle Yan Yu''s neck, lifting her swan-like graceful neck, and gently pressed her lips to his.

    Yan Yu''s first instinct was to push her away or simply slap her, followed by a "You''re worthy," thoroughly trampling the princess''s dignity into the dirt... but then memories of his past life suddenly assaulted him.

    In his past life, his first kiss with Chen Lingyun had been in a movie theater. At that time, both were just over thirty, not very young. Chen Lingyun was slightly made up, and sitting beside her, he could smell her light yet rich fragrance.

    She was laughing and explaining to Yan Yu that the top note of the perfume was one type of flower, the middle note was another, and then the base note yet another... Of course, Yan Yu had forgotten by now. One perfume having three different scents¡ªwho could remember that? S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The movie they were watching was an art film about love. Predictably, the story was quite pretentious, and during the emotional parts, many female viewers even cried outright, the room filled with the sound of sobbing and tissues being pulled out, but Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun found it rather dull.

    The former simply wasn''t interested, while the latter probably couldn''t immerse herself in it, anyway, their minds wandered off.

    In the end, in a snowy landscape, the female lead decides to go south to Xin''an Prefecture to seek her fortune, while the male lead chooses to stay in his rundown, backward hometown, sending the female lead onto a green train. After boarding, she leans out the window to share a gentle kiss with the male lead on the platform...

    At that moment, Chen Lingyun said, "Let''s kiss too."

    Breaking free from his reverie, Yan Yu first felt Chen Lingyun''s soft and moist lips, as if coated with sweet honey.

    Although she was ten years younger than in his previous life, that raw skill and flavor were unmistakably the same, her breathing obviously a bit rushed, her breath gently blowing below his nose. Yan Yu could feel her arms, looped around the back of his neck, tightening as though she was afraid he would suddenly bolt.

    But Yan Yu had no intention of bolting. Silently, he looked into Chen Lingyun''s eyes¡ªPrincess Jiang Hai''s eyes were tightly shut, her eyelashes quivering slightly as if they were delicate dragonflies perched on fragile petals.

    Probably sensing his gaze, Chen Lingyun finally let go of him.

    She pursed her lips, which were a bit red from too much force, her eyes swimming with indecipherable complex emotions, as she looked back at Yan Yu.

    "How did it feel?" Yan Yu asked her.

    "I was a bit nervous at first," Chen Lingyun pondered for a moment before summarizing, "But then I got used to it and didn''t feel the ''bashful yet sweet'' sensation described in novels."

    The answer was exactly the same as the one in the movie theater in his past life.

    Yan Yu felt somewhat disgruntled, but he scoffed and said,

    "See, I told you, you simply don''t understand what love is..."

    "Let''s try again." Chen Lingyun leaned in once more.

    This time she didn''t wrap her arms around his neck, just tilted her body forward, and their lips touched. Yan Yu felt Chen Lingyun pucker her lips slightly, to allow him to kiss her fully with ease¡ªand indeed it was effortless because her lips were very tender and soft.

    After a long while, their lips finally parted.

    Seeing her pleased smile reappear, Yan Yu remembered her reaction and answer from his past life and immediately predicted,

    "So all that stuff in novels is just lies, got it now?"

    "Mhm." Chen Lingyun touched her cheek lightly with her finger, smiling thoughtfully, "It really doesn''t have that sweet sensation."

    "Let''s just stop here then." Yan Yu tried to stand up, but his collar was grabbed by her.

    Chen Lingyun tugged at him forcefully, bending him over¡ªa strength that felt like she had activated Curved Curse¡ªand she said with a giggling smile,

    "But I don''t hate it, you know."

    This, however, was not part of past life events, as the second kiss had ended just in time for the movie theater audience to start leaving, making them also rise and exit.

    "Not hating it doesn''t mean liking it," Yan Yu reminded her, frowning.

    "I don''t know if it counts as liking." Chen Lingyun stared into Yan Yu''s eyes, the light in her pupils became even more warm and moist, as if casting some wonderful unknown enchantment, "But I want to try it one more time."

    She kissed him a third time.

    This time the kiss was even more prolonged, and her eyes stayed open, unblinkingly gazing at Yan Yu with a sly, playful, and endearing smile, as if asking "Do you like kissing me?"

    Yan Yu, slightly indignant, reached out to remove her hair tie and let her ponytail fall loose, then deliberately messed up her hair.

    He vaguely remembered Chen Lingyun from his past life saying she didn''t like others touching her hair. After all, Princess Jiang Hai was so picky about only using specific brands of shampoo¡ªwho knew what dirt other people had on their hands?

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    "It''ll damage the hair, you know~"

    But the Chen Lingyun in front of him did not get angry or jump around; the smile in her eyes turned into a helpless and melancholic sentiment. Her lips remained softly kissing Yan Yu, while she slowly raised her hands to firmly embrace his waist.

    The little sparrow at the edge of the pavilion hopped a few times on the eaves tiles, curiously watching the young man and woman kissing within.

    Then it suddenly flapped its wings and flew towards the reed beds by the distant riverside.

    The reeds there grew splendidly, lush and dense, akin to the endless affection of a young woman freshly in love, swaying gently with riverside breezes and their soft down.

    In the living room of the villa, Xie Ruoxi played with her phone for a while before suddenly hearing Lin Ning express her concern,

    "Ling Yun should be okay, right?"

    "Should be," Su Yunjin was also not sure, "She didn''t have a fight with her aunt, did she?"

    "I''ll go check." Lin Ning stood up.

    "I''ll go," Xie Ruoxi volunteered.

    "You..." Lin Ning was about to say "You can go," but suddenly with a start, she suspiciously asked, "Ruoxi, you''re not planning to use checking on Ling Yun as an excuse to sneak off to the internet caf¨¦ outside to play games, are you?"

    "I wouldn''t!" Xie Ruoxi responded with a mix of laughter and chagrin, "If I did that, you can have Yan Yu delete all my game accounts!"

    "Right, I shouldn''t have doubted you," Lin Ning conceded with a nod and sat back down on the couch.

 Chapter 31 Dual Channels, Ultimate Experience

    Xie Ruoxi left the villa and strolled around the yard only to find nobody there, so she walked around to the back to the pavilion to look for people.There she saw Chen Lingyun and Yan Yu both sitting in the pavilion, looking at the distant river and talking about something.

    Xie Ruoxi quickened her pace and jogged up to them, saying,

    "Ling Yun, you''re alright? Everyone''s been really worried about you..."

    "I''m already fine," Chen Lingyun said with a sweet smile, "thanks to Yan Yu enlightening me, my mood is much better now~"

    She playfully winked at Yan Yu.

    Xie Ruoxi didn''t notice her small gesture, just breathing a slight sigh of relief before asking,

    "So shall we go back now?"

    "Yeah, let''s go back," Yan Yu seized the opportunity to quickly stand up.

    This place isn''t to be stayed in any longer.

    If I stay any longer and get hugged and kissed by Princess Jiang Hai for a couple of hours, where would my dignity as the captain of Zhenhai Team be?

    If it weren''t for the need to preserve my Yang energy for dual cultivation with the Demonic Sect Enchantress to break through the bottleneck, would you believe I''d find a way to deal with you right now, make you kneel and beg for mercy!

    Chen Lingyun seemed not to know what Yan Yu was thinking, or perhaps she guessed a bit, just walking behind Xie Ruoxi, now and then glancing at Yan Yu beside her with a sweet smile, playfully tapping her lips with her finger, walking a few steps and tapping again, then winking at him.

    Yan Yu''s expression became even colder, his mind already concocting eighteen methods to deal with such a woman.

    You just wait, Chen Lingyun! You''ll see how formidable I am sooner or later!

    When Chen Lingyun saw his sour face, she couldn''t help but feel more pleased, suddenly asking Xie Ruoxi,

    "Ruoxi, does kissing the opposite sex stir up a sweet feeling in your heart?"

    Yan Yu clenched his teeth tightly, while Xie Ruoxi was momentarily stunned before replying with an awkward laugh,

    "I don''t know, I haven''t kissed anyone."

    "Is that so," Chen Lingyun said with a slight smile. "Then you might want to try it next time you have a chance..."

    Before she could finish, Yan Yu interrupted,

    "Try what? If you want to date, you need to do it with marriage in mind! Don''t bring over that dross of ''kiss freedom'' from the West. We''re humans, not animals governed by instinct!"

    "See?" Chen Lingyun winked at Xie Ruoxi, "He cares a lot about who you kiss..."

    And then she received a slap on the forehead.

    "Stop fanning the flames," Yan Yu said with a cold face, "With so much energy, better vent it on training."

    Although he interrupted in time, Xie Ruoxi was shocked on the spot, thinking to herself that even Ling Yun had noticed that the domineering Immortal Venerate Yan Zhanlong was coveting her beauty?

    Damn it! Knowing that his lust was exposed, would Yan Zhanlong break into my bedroom tonight and force his love on me?

    She felt a mix of indescribable fear and excitement, stealing a glance at Yan Yu before quickly turning her head away, blushing and walking fast without speaking.

    Back at the villa, the girls came to greet her.

    "Ling Yun, huh?" Lin Ning noticed that her single ponytail was gone, "Did you change your hairstyle?"

    "I untied my hair and let it down in the breeze outside," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "Feels much better now."

    "Ling Yun," Su Yunjin said with concern, "Auntie came looking for you just now..."

    "It''s okay," Chen Lingyun nodded, "I''ll talk to her."

    She made her way back up the stairs. The girls, seeing her calm and composed, couldn''t help but feel relieved.

    Yan Yu also sat down on the couch, only to hear Chen Lingyun''s voice suddenly transmitting from the second floor,

    "Keep it up with adding to your harem, I''m really looking forward to that feeling~"

    "Shut your mouth!"

    Yan Yu scratched his head irritably, wondering if this wretched woman had taken the wrong medicine.

    She wasn''t like this in her previous life... But back then, he hadn''t been involved in her team, so there weren''t many girls around him either.

    Chen Lingyun was not someone to act on a whim; it was more likely that she had harbored such thoughts for some time, then found the opportunity to deliberately tease me¡ªthe opportunity probably came during that time when Zhenhai Team was being called a harem team by the outside world, which suddenly inspired her to have fun in this regard.

    Of course, Yan Yu would not indulge her nonsense. Playing with others'' feelings was a grave sin no matter whether the person was male or female.

    Princess Jiang Hai, you deserve death!

    "Yan Yu," Su Yunjin suddenly transmitted, "Ling Yun is really okay, isn''t she?"

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    "She''s fine," Yan Yu said coldly, "just had a short circuit in her brain, don''t mind her."

    Su Yunjin: ?

    "Quarreling with one''s mother like that is pretty normal," she suggested tactfully, "as long as there''s good communication in the end."

    "It''s not a quarrel; her mother is trying to convince me to be her son-in-law." Considering that Secretary Su would eventually see through to the truth, Yan Yu didn''t beat around the bush and went straight to the point, "Chen Lingyun doesn''t want her family meddling, so she''s making a scene to force her mother to give in. That''s all."

    "Ah?" Su Yunjin was taken aback but quickly understood.

    Indeed, with the captain''s current fame and social status, even being matched with the Governor''s daughter would suffice...

    She felt a creeping inferiority complex, as if watching Yan Yu run farther ahead while no matter how hard she chased, she couldn''t catch up.

    Yan Yu, however, was oblivious to Su Yunjin''s internal struggle and simply continued transmitting,

    "This mother and daughter pair are really comical. One treats people like collectibles, the other as toys, the Governor had better straighten out his family conduct, or sooner or later he''s going to trip over his wife and daughter..."

    "Yan Yu." Su Yunjin suddenly asked, "Do you like Chen Lingyun?"

    Although it was a telepathic conversation, a kind of indescribable heavy pressure suddenly came over from the other side.

    Yan Yu looked up, only to see Su Yunjin holding her teacup, gently blowing the stems and leaves floating on the tea, as if nothing had happened.

    But the telepathy just now was not a hallucination.

    "Why do you ask that?" Yan Yu telepathically countered her question.

    "I want to know." Su Yunjin emphasized.

    If you really like Ling Yun, just tell me sooner. That way, I won''t have to struggle anymore...

    He was about to say something when Lin Ning, clearly playing with her phone, her voice also echoed in his mind:

    "Yan Yu, is Ling Yun okay?"

    Yan Yu: ???

    So you two are playing a double-barreled attack?

    Telepathy works like this, you lock the Divine Sense onto specific targets (could be singular or plural), and then you can send your voice over, but whether the person is also communicating telepathically with someone else at the same time, that''s something you can''t tell.

    So this thing is indeed a lot like a chat app. You can start a group chat directly, they can also chat with you privately one-on-one, and there''s no way to know if you''ve got several other chat windows open and who you''re privately chatting with.

    "Why do you want to know?" Yan Yu first switched to Su''s frequency, applying the tactic of questioning back to buy some time, then quickly switched to Lin''s frequency, making do with a hasty "She should be fine."

    "But it feels a bit odd though," Lin Ning said.

    "When she left, she seemed a bit out of it," Lin Ning said. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "And when she came back, it was as if nothing had happened, but she also changed her hairstyle, and her hair was messy, was it messed up by the wind?" Lin Ning said.

    "Don''t you know why, Captain?" Su Yunjin asked.

    "Was it because you talked to her just now, so did she run into some trouble?" Lin Ning asked.

    These two were bombarding him with telepathy from both sides, the frequency on the right from Su, although it only had one sentence, carried a heavy presence, while the atmosphere on the left from Lin was okay but there was too much being said and he had to listen carefully.

    The telepathic messages from both sides intertwined and echoed together, as if in Yan Yu''s ears two speakers relaying different music were placed, one on each side, giving him a headache and an overwhelming feeling of irritation.

    "Let me think," Yan Yu put Su Yunjin on hold with a delaying tactic, only to hear Lin Ning ask:

    "Is it inconvenient to tell me?"

    "Why don''t you ask her yourself?" Yan Yu tried to deflect the problem onto Lin Ning, yet he heard Su Yunjin ask again:

    "What''s there to think about? If you know, you know, if you don''t, you don''t, why do you need to think before answering?"

    "I''m asking you precisely because it''s inconvenient for me to ask Ling Yun," Lin Ning said.

    "If you don''t want to answer my question, the Captain can just tell me directly, I can''t do anything to you," Su Yunjin said.

    "Speaking of which, what are we eating tonight? Is Auntie''s chef still cooking for us?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked,

    "I''m not suspecting anything between you, I''m just concerned about Ling Yun''s situation," Lin Ning added.

    "I don''t want the Captain to lie to me. No matter how hurtful the truth might be, I still want to know what you really think," Su Yunjin added.

    The girls were completely immune to his evasive tactics, bombarding him from both sides with relentless attacks, giving Yan Yu such a headache he felt like it was going to explode, and in the midst, some strange words seemed to have snuck in, but he couldn''t make out what was being said at all.

    "And Ling Yun''s mother''s attitude is also very strange!" Lin Ning said.

    "It feels like she''s deliberately trying to get closer to you," Lin Ning added.

    "Does the Captain think I''m not qualified to ask this question?" Su Yunjin asked.

    "At the dinner table, talking to Ling Yun about suitors, is she intentionally trying to matchmake you two?" Lin Ning continued to ask.

    "So what the hell are we eating tonight!" Zhao Yuanzhen urged.

    "The Captain can scold me with ''you''re not worthy'' if you like, but at least don''t ignore me," Su Yunjin continued.

    "Haha actually, if Auntie is really trying to set you up, I could understand that, but you wouldn''t agree, right?" Lin Ning continued her questions.

    "Alright, if the Captain doesn''t want to answer, I can withdraw the question, but please don''t continue to ignore me like this," Su Yunjin went on.

    "So what are we eating for dinner for dinner for dinner for dinner for dinner for dinner for dinner for dinner for dinner for dinner for dinner for dinner for dinner..."

    "I''m so annoyed!!!" Yan Yu suddenly stood up and shouted in a fit of rage.

    The girls all looked up in surprise at him.

    "I''m going to exercise my authority as the Captain here and lay down three rules," Yan Yu struggled to suppress his anger, raising three fingers.

    "First, unless there are outsiders present, no more bothering me with telepathy!"

    "Second, I''m currently single, have no girlfriend, and I don''t plan on pursuing anyone, so stop freaking asking!"

    "Third, anyone breaking the above two rules volunteers for the maximum amount of extra training the next day. Consider yourselves warned!"

    Having said that, he left the villa angrily and went to the pavilion outside in the yard to cool off.

    The girls looked at each other in silence. After a moment, Xie Ruoxi''s baffled voice could be heard:

    "Um... what happened?"

    "I don''t know," Zhao Yuanzhen replied blankly, "So what are we actually eating tonight?"

 Chapter 32 Chens Mother Urges Birth

    ```Su Yunjin quietly finished her tea and put down the cup, sighing without changing her expression.

    Am I being too impatient? I had already figured out what to do.

    But if the captain really likes Ling Yun...

    I don''t stand a chance.

    Luckily, the captain just made it clear that he is still single, has no girlfriend, and isn''t planning to pursue anyone.

    That means he won''t take the initiative with anyone, and everyone has a fair chance to compete.

    How cunning you are, Yan Yu. By saying that, aren''t you forcing me...

    I have no choice but to keep playing the fool...

    Lin Ning, who was sitting beside her with a phone in her hand, wasn''t paying attention to it at all¡ªshe hadn''t swiped the screen for a long time.

    What did the captain mean by what he said just now?

    He¡ªhe wouldn''t misunderstand that I''m jealous, would he?

    Or did I make it too obvious?

    Ah, it''s so annoying, I shouldn''t have asked directly.

    It''s all the captain''s fault! Always acting so secretive, never telling me what he''s thinking...

    It''s making me so anxious and uncomfortable.

    I really want to kick him to vent my frustration.

    Xie Ruoxi, however, was unaware of what the two elder sisters were thinking, lost in her own thoughts about what Yan Yu had said before he left.

    Yan Zhanlong said he''s still single, has no girlfriend, and doesn''t plan to proactively pursue anyone. What does that mean?

    Wait, is he hinting at something to me?

    Earlier, outside the villa, Ling Yun said, "Yan Yu really cares about who I kiss," so it''s very likely that Yan Zhanlong is interested in me¡ªthat was already known, or else why would he have added me as a friend and taken me to Jinling? He obviously hasn''t checked my cultivation talent; he must have been smitten with me from the start.

    That means, he just wants to push the other sisters away, like how the male lead in novels tells the second and third female leads "I''m not interested in dating," just to avoid getting caught in someone else''s romantic plot.

    Hehe, there''s really no need to go to such lengths for me.

    Xie Ruoxi thought to herself with delight when suddenly Zhao Yuanzhen stood up.

    "So what are we eating tonight!" she blurted out in exasperation, looking at the silent crowd, "Why is no one talking!"

    Meanwhile, Chen Lingyun had gone upstairs to her bedroom door and heard her mother on the phone inside, apparently arguing with her father:

    "...It''s all your doing!"

    "I don''t care what you did, Ling Yun is our daughter, how are you going to deal with her being like this now!"

    "How could I possibly be at ease! Chen Tianming, I''m telling you, if something happens to Ling Yun..."

    Chen Lingyun knocked on the door, and the angry voice inside abruptly stopped.

    A moment later, Chen''s mother hurriedly came to open the door, her face breaking into a smile:

    "Ling Yun, where did you go just now? Mommy couldn''t find you downstairs..."

    "I went to the yard to clear my head," Chen Lingyun said, maintaining her elegant and perfect smile, obediently adding, "Mom, you don''t have to worry, I''ve figured it all out."

    "If you have figured it out, that''s good." Chen''s mother didn''t know exactly what her beloved daughter had come to terms with, but she carefully agreed first, then asked, "So you..."

    "I think I like Yan Yu," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "But I don''t want Mom to interfere, this is our own matter."

    Chen''s mother subconsciously interpreted Chen Lingyun''s "our own" as "just my daughter and Yan Yu," and finally breathed a sigh of relief, comforting her:

    "Baby, you almost scared mommy to death. In any case, it''s good that you''ve figured things out on your own, mommy won''t meddle with your affairs, and Yan Yu is indeed very outstanding. Your dad just spoke to me, he''s not against you and Yan Yu developing a relationship..."

    She rambled on, her face filled with affection as she stroked her daughter''s hair, suddenly questioning with curiosity:

    ```

    "Why is your hair such a mess?"

    "The river breeze tousled it when I was outside just now." Chen Lingyun''s answer was flawless.

    "Alright, come here and let mom comb it for you."

    Chen''s mother sat by the vanity, picked up the comb from the table, and looked it over several times:

    "What brand is this wooden comb?"

    "Qingyang brand."

    Chen''s mother asked Chen Lingyun to sit down as well and began affectionately combing her hair:

    "Did you buy it or have it custom made?"

    "I bought it."

    Stay connected through My Virtual Library Empire

    "If you like this brand, mom can have them custom-make one for you." Chen''s mother gently combed her hair, murmuring habitually, "Combs, shampoo, conditioner¡ªthese things that are used directly on the body shouldn''t just be conveniently bought from stores.

    Everyone''s hair is different; some get oily quickly, others tangle easily, and hair quality changes with age, which is why it''s important to have regular, targeted hair care... Give me a few strands of your hair, and I''ll have the genetic center in Pingjing run a test to come up with a comprehensive hair care program."

    "Mom." Chen Lingyun''s smile bore a hint of helplessness, "We cultivators don''t need those mortal methods."

    Chen''s mother was briefly taken aback, then chuckled:

    "Mom got confused, forgetting you''re a cultivator... Ah, it''s great, Yan Yu is also a cultivator. Both of you have such excellent genes; the babies you''ll have in the future will definitely have great talent for cultivation, right?"

    "It''s too early to talk about that." Chen Lingyun just gave a faint smile, "Besides, if one achieves immortality in the end, there''s no need to have children."

    "That won''t do; you still have to have at least one child." Chen''s mother expressed her disagreement, "When mom was young, I thought the same as you, that enjoying my life was the most important and having kids could wait. But why did I change my mind? At that time, one of my close friends...

    Her family was also well-off, and then she suddenly got diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer, and passed away within half a year!"

    "How heartbroken her parents must have been, with only that one daughter and no other children. It ended up being the case of the elderly sending off the young, and by that time, they couldn''t have more children. Their family''s assets worth billions... When they pass away, with no one to inherit, it''ll either be donated to the state or fall into the hands of strangers. Really, such a thing is..."

    Chen Lingyun obediently remained silent, clearly understanding her mother''s concerns.

    Although cultivators did have an advantage over mortals in terms of lifespan, their security was far inferior. The most common accidental deaths for mortals were car accidents, but what about cultivators? A clay jar can''t leave the well without breaking, and a general can''t escape death in battle¡ªit''s essentially a profession of fighting and killing. Who could guarantee perpetual victory?

    If one could leave a child behind, then in the unfortunate event of an accidental death, at least there would be a consolation for the parents in their old age, preventing total despair...

    "Oh, mom''s just talking." Seeing her daughter remain silent, Chen''s mother hastily backtracked, "We''ll leave it all to you and Yan Yu to decide when the time comes. Just bring him back to meet your dad and me. After you get married, whether or not you want kids is up to you, it''s really none of our business, alright?"

    "Mm." Chen Lingyun nodded with a smile.

    "This villa of yours is still a bit subpar." Chen''s mother finished combing her hair, looking around the room, "The family is planning to hire some more staff. Should we send a few over to you? They''re all aunties, and they''d take good care of your daily life..." Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "That''s not necessary." Chen Lingyun tactfully refused, "We cultivators have military backgrounds, and there are some things that aren''t suitable for outsiders to see."

    "Oh, that''s right, your dad mentioned that too." Reminded by her daughter, Chen''s mother remembered and said apologetically, "So there''s nothing I can do to help..."

    "It''s great that you can come to see me, mom." Chen Lingyun hugged her, smiling, "I''ll also try to visit you in Jiang Hai more often."

    "Just come to see me, no need to visit your dad." Chen''s mother was delighted by the sentiment, then playfully added, "Your dad is always off with old Li. He might as well give up politics and go into the military..."

    The mother and daughter chatted for a while longer, then, arm in arm, left the room to go downstairs.

    Upon arriving in the living room, four young ladies turned to look in unison.

    Chen Lingyun smiled and nodded to them, then suddenly heard Zhao Yuanzhen telepathically asking her:

    "Ling Yun, what''s for dinner tonight?"

    "Mom." Chen Lingyun spoke up, "Are we still eating out tonight?"

    "The kitchen here is too small and inconvenient for cooking." Chen''s mother said cheerily, "Shall we go to a restaurant then?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi exchanged glances, both clearly pleased.

    Chen''s mother, however, couldn''t be bothered with the two impolite girls; she just looked around and then suddenly asked:

    "Where''s Yan Yu?"

    "The captain went out a moment ago." Lin Ning stood up, "I''ll go find him and bring him back."

    "There''s no need for that trouble." Chen''s mother, quite fond of the efficient Minnan girl, smiled and said, "First give him a call and ask where he is."

 Chapter 33 The Expedition Plan is Finalized

    Yan Yu sat in the pavilion, watching the torrential river flow eastward, and felt a subtle sense of relaxation.Just like this, ceaselessly, day and night.

    Compared with the relentless river of time, what were women? And what was the battlefield?

    Hmph, nothing but fleeting epiphyllum flowers.

    As Yan Yu was immersed in his contemplation, his cell phone suddenly rang.

    Although the incoming number was a string of digits, he recognized the caller immediately.

    "Hello?"

    "Yan Yu," Chen Tianming said calmly, "an entrance to a Mysterious Realm has appeared on Black Dragon Isle."

    "Oh," Yan Yu asked, "so what?"

    The emergence of a Mysterious Realm was not a strange occurrence. In this era of Spiritual Energy Resurgence, Mysterious Realms sprouted like mushrooms after rain all over the globe, and it would have been strange had they not appeared.

    After the Rakshasa forces contracted westward, the vast Siberian region was left with numerous and crisscrossing Transcendent forces of varying sizes, constantly warring against each other day and night, too preoccupied to explore or manage Mysterious Realms¡ªso, was there anything particularly noteworthy about a new Mysterious Realm appearing on Black Dragon Isle?

    "That person wishes to investigate it," Chen Tianming continued.

    Yan Yu was initially startled, then quickly realized what was happening.

    Last time Mei Yingxue visited alone, but the meeting place was the principal''s office¡ªhow could Chen Tianming and Li Weiguo be unaware?

    Since Teacher Mei had specifically mentioned this Mysterious Realm, it probably did warrant a detailed investigation.

    Hmm?

    The entrance to the Mysterious Realm being on Black Dragon Isle, the heart of the Gelian Bearmen''s territory, meant that conflict was inevitable.

    Should Rikoku Cultivators attack Black Dragon Isle, the Gelian Bearmen would have no choice but to consolidate their forces to defend their headquarters, perhaps even withdrawing their troops from the mainland to protect themselves.

    In that case, the military crisis facing the Amur Witch Troop would be swiftly resolved.

    What a clever strategy!

    The feint of "saving Zhao by besieging Wei" was not unusual; many would think of attacking Black Dragon Isle directly. The key was finding a suitable and justifiable excuse to convince the majority of the domestic factions to agree with the action.

    To pinpoint a precise entry point amidst the chaotic situation, then to extract what one desired from the flames as if using a scalpel¡ªthat was Chen Tianming''s forte. Despite being a man of two lives and deeming himself the strongest in this life, Yan Yu had to admit that in this aspect, he was outdone by Old Taishan. Only Chen Lingyun approached her father''s level.

    "Understood," Yan Yu asked gravely, "when do we leave?"

    "The day after tomorrow, in the afternoon," Chen Tianming replied. "The Dragon Soar Team needs one day to prepare. They will set off with you."

    "Alright."

    "Xie Ruoxi''s application to join the team has been approved by the Privy Council. Take her with you this time."

    "Her training is not yet complete," Yan Yu had some reservations about this.

    The beautiful but useless person was now like this: hardware that was technically top-notch with corresponding drivers mostly installed. She could use the Three Arts and Five Spells and was close to mastering the Sword Control Technique and developing Divine Sense through the Soul Refining Technique. Now, only voice transmission was left unlearned, but that wasn''t a major issue.

    Her problem mainly lay in the software. Experience, awareness, reaction, and of course, the most crucial, courage... It was like a child with a gun; even if a single shot could blow the enemy''s head off, did they possess sufficient mental fortitude to take aim?

    "Take her with you," Chen Tianming sighed. "There won''t be much time for training in the future."

    This was the first time Yan Yu heard Old Taishan sigh.

    In his previous life, when the situation was on a knife-edge, he had never seen a trace of emotion from Old Taishan¡ªcertainly because at this point in time, Chen Tianming still held a sufficiently optimistic forecast for the future, making him express concern and sigh over certain matters.

    Rest assured, once the tides of the era hit you hard enough, you''ll no longer be so easily startled!

    After hanging up on Old Taishan, Yan Yu opened the cultivator chat group and directly called out a few members.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: @Liu Shao, @Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang, @Zao La, show yourselves!

    [Liu Shao]: What''s up, Old Yan?

    [Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang]: I''m having afternoon tea; don''t disturb me now, I''ll deal with you later.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Where''s Xiao Zhou?

    [Yun Juan Yun Shu]: She doesn''t talk much in the group, right? Captain Zhou, why don''t you try Deputy Captain Zhang? S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: @Chuchukengzhang, are you there? If you are, give me a buzz.

    No response, just others continuing to shoot the breeze, guessing what matter Yan Yu needed to discuss with the Huofeng Team.

    After a while, Lord Master sent a message privately.

    [Liu Shao]: Stop looking, the Huofeng Team is off on a mission in the plateau, probably don''t have time to check their phones.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What''s up in Tianzhu?

    [Liu Shao]: It''s been a mess over there for a while, with all sorts of civil sects complicating matters. Since the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, these sects got their own Transcendents and started to attack each other to seize believers... Why do you suddenly ask?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: The Huofeng Team heading to the plateau province, isn''t it because there are Transcendents from Tianzhu infiltrating?

    [Liu Shao]: Maybe, but that''s hardly surprising. We had plenty of border frictions before the Spiritual Energy Resurgence.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Alright...

    [Liu Shao]: Old Yan, are you worried about some formidable figure from Tianzhu?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Hard to say, let''s wait and see.

    [Liu Shao]: Hey, you''re still playing coy with me!

    [Liu Shao]: Forget it, see you the day after tomorrow.

    Yan Yu closed the chat window with Lord Master and silently reminisced.

    The number of folk sects in Tianzhu was so great that even Tianzhu natives couldn''t make sense of it; sometimes, a small village with just over twenty followers was enough to constitute a sect.

    After the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, due to the prolonged influence of mysticism, Tianzhu produced more Transcendents than any other country. Fortunately, most of these Transcendents spent their time fighting each other over beliefs... until a nameless destroyer who called himself "Ishana" appeared.

    At this time, Ishana was still somewhere battling others, so there was no need to worry about Zhou Hongyu meeting his end at Ishana''s hands. It was likely that Chen Tianming was just worried about the deteriorating security situation in the plateau area.

    Can you stop being so jumpy, old man? If you dare disturb my inner peace, tell your daughter to be careful!

    Yan Yu sighed silently and then suddenly received a new message from Lin Ning.

    [Ningning]: Where are you?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Outside.

    [Ningning]: Oh, Ling Yun''s mom is calling you home.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Something up?

    [Ningning]: She''s a guest, and as hosts, it''s better to entertain her, right?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Fine, I''m on my way back.

    When Yan Yu arrived home, he saw Chen''s mother sitting on the sofa, regal and majestic, surrounded by the girls chatting her up like the Lady Dowager from the Dream of the Red Chamber.

    Of course, even among the girls of the younger generation, there were intimacies and distances.

    Chen Lingyun was naturally the most favored "Jia Baoyu," sticking close to her mother with a winsome smile, monopolizing seven or eight parts of her affection.

    Su Yunjin and Lin Ning were more restrained and polite, answering a few questions from Chen''s mother with polite attitudes but a hint of unease¡ªhowever, Chen''s mother didn''t seem to mind, being quite amiable towards them, like the Lady Dowager towards the other golden hairpins.

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi were very enthusiastic, incessantly striking up conversations with Chen''s mother, with their flattering intent plainly on display.

    But Chen''s mother was visibly tired of these two. They would say a few words, and only then would Chen''s mother reply with a tepid response, much like the Lady Dowager did with Lady Xing, to Yan Yu''s distaste.

    In his previous life, Chen Lingyun had brought him into the family, and this pious old woman looked down on him, never seeing him as good enough, with a nose that didn''t seem like a nose and eyes that weren''t eyes.

    Now, for some reason, she went through a change of heart, starting to appreciate him to no end; yet seeing how she treated Zhao and Xie, wasn''t it the same old habit of looking down on others?

    "Yan Yu''s back?" As soon as Chen''s mother saw him come in, she beckoned him over, "Come here, auntie has brought some fruits. Try them and see if you like them."

    Yan Yu looked toward the center of the coffee table, sure enough, there were several plates of cleaned fruits placed there¡ªthough there were no exotic rarities, the quality was the best and most expensive, large and plump, obviously juicy and delicious.

    Looking at Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi, each with a trash bin beside them, it was clear they weren''t really interested in getting close to Chen''s mother...

    Sitting down next to Zhao Yuanzhen, Yan Yu picked up a grape, threw it in his mouth to chew vigorously, and spoke to the Demonic Sect Enchantress telepathically: Enjoy more content from My Virtual Library Empire

    "You''ve got millions to your name now, what can''t you buy? Do you need to suck up for some fruits?"

    "You don''t get it!" Zhao Yuanzhen said proudly, "The money you earn yourself, how can that compare to the money you get as a gift from an elder? That''s the real joy of spending!"

    Yan Yu: ?????

 Chapter 34 Everyone is Better than My Daughter

    The eastern border county town was now deathly silent.Suddenly, furious dragon roars erupted, and a massive explosion burst from the main road in the center of town, the shockwave toppling many surrounding houses.

    Liu Longtao stood amidst the dissipating dust, looking coldly and silently at the many mutated wolf-like creatures in the pit.

    Ye Jun hurried over from afar and quickly said,

    "The east side has been cleared. Found three survivors, all old people who couldn''t walk. I told them to hide at home and not to go out."

    "Hmm," Liu Longtao paused for a moment before asking, "What about the others?"

    "Ai Lu and Fei Yun are still escorting the civilian convoy, and they haven''t been attacked yet," Ye Jun continued. "Lin Hui is sweeping the net in the north and hasn''t encountered any enemies..."

    She looked towards the corpses in the pit and said,

    "These should be the last of the enemies."

    "How could these be the last enemies?" Liu Longtao sneered, "As long as the chaos in the north doesn''t stop, there will always be Transcendents heading south to make trouble. To make trouble, damn it all!"

    With a flick of his finger, the Ying Long Sword plummeted down like a meteor, piercing directly through the remains of a car on the other side, emitting a piercing and deafening noise.

    Ye Jun silently looked into the pit and saw a werewolf creature with its guts ripped open. From the torn stomach, a bloodied little hand emerged¡ªit must have belonged to a four or five-year-old child.

    She knew why Liu Longtao was so angry.

    "The border won''t be safe anymore," Ye Jun sighed. "It''s better to have everyone retreat to the inland."

    "Better my ass," Liu Longtao cursed. "If it were up to me, I''d have the Dingbei Army sweep outside the border, kill every day, kill every month, and slaughter every Transcendent in sight. Then we wouldn''t have all this crap!"

    He took a long breath out, then quickly fell back into deep thought.

    After the upper limit of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence increased, these Rakshasa werewolves'' resistance to attacks and self-healing ability were greatly enhanced. Explosives that used to kill could no longer do the job, which caused immediate turmoil at the border.

    The Dingbei Army is urgently refitting the entire forces with more powerful heavy weapons, but it''s clear to anyone with eyes that this is a stop-gap solution¡ªthe Spiritual Energy Resurgence shows no sign of stopping, and Transcendents can level up just by lying there, while on our side, we have to increase military industry input to keep up with them in terms of military strength.

    The "arms race" between the two sides is completely unequal.

    If one day the Spiritual Energy Resurgence reaches the point where a single Transcendent can destroy heaven and earth, could the Dingbei Army really expect its soldiers to each carry a nuclear warhead? Impossible.

    The reason Lord Master spoke such furious words, "slaughter all the Transcendents in the north," was because his father had inadvertently revealed to him that in an urgent and dire situation, it would be necessary to "clean up" all human settlements in the north that might harbor Transcendents, and currently there are "enough" of them.

    But such action would affect a large number of innocent mortals, shock the world''s nations, and therefore was not something that couldn''t be done, but shouldn''t be done.

    A feasible plan is the one proposed by that person from Jianghai: support the largest Transcendent power in the northern border¡ªthe Amur Witch Coven, thereby shifting the burden of law enforcement to the witches and preventing spillage.

    Opponents believe this is not easy to operate, since a horizontal comparison with the rest of the world reveals that the leadership of Transcendent powers changes very quickly. You may have agreed on a peace treaty with the leader today, but tomorrow the leader could be killed by a quicker-promoted deputy, who then suggests that we negotiate again... which would be quite pointless.

    They prefer negotiating terms with the Rakshasas and joining forces to deal with the Siberian tumor.

    During the time of endless debates in the court, the Dingbei Army was also fighting to maintain public order.

    Ordinary Transcendent disturbances were handled by the troops; for more severe cases, military Cultivators were called in, and if they weren''t sufficient, it was necessary to deploy battle teams¡ªthe Dragon Soar Team was stationed in the east, and the Flying Dragon Battle Team went to Mongolia, leaving no one to contest the Mysterious Realm within the country.

    This has resulted in the full implementation of the battle team system, urging other collegiate Cultivators to step up quickly.

    After standing by the pit for a while, Liu Longtao pulled himself out of his thoughts and said,

    "Let''s go, find Lin Hui."

    There''s only a thief for a hundred days, not a guard against thieves for a hundred days, right?

    If the court can''t see clearly, then let me clear the fog with my Flying Sword.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    While Lord Master was voicing his lofty aspirations in the north, Yan Yu was disinterestedly dealing with his mother-in-law in the south.

    "Yan Yu, try this," Chen''s mother earnestly offered food and soup to Yan Yu in the restaurant''s private room, "The chef Lu who made this dish used to cook for state banquets. He retired, and I managed to poach him after a lot of effort. You can''t find this anywhere else."

    Yan Yu was also very irritated. Do I look like I don''t have hands or feet, needing you to wait on me, mother-in-law?

    Hmm, it tastes not bad.

    Chen Lingyun watched from the side with a beaming smile that made it impossible to guess what she was really thinking.

    Yan Yu continued to eat without speaking. On the other side, Su Yunjin noticed and frowned to herself.

    "Sister Zhao," she whispered secretly into the hidden channel, "that dish seems really tasty, huh."

    "Which one, which one?" Zhao Yuanzhen immediately perked up like a vigilant meerkat, quickly craning her neck.

    She glanced at where Su Yunjin''s chopsticks were pointing, then skillfully rotated the large plate to bring the dish in front of herself. With three ruthless stabs of her chopsticks, half of the dish was gone.

    Mother Chen from across the table was burning with frustration. She couldn''t even continue serving Yan Yu and could only quietly ask her daughter beside her,

    "Where did that girl come from? She''s so ill-mannered?"

    "Mom, Sister Zhao is very straightforward," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "But as a cultivator, she''s quite formidable."

    Mentioning the identity of a cultivator, Mother Chen indeed dared not complain any further, but she doubted,

    "Even so, is she as formidable as Yan Zhanlong?"

    "Perhaps put it this way," Chen Lingyun said with a gleaming smile, "Her manners are so unattractive at eating, yet Yan Yu tolerates her. Doesn''t that prove that even Yan Yu has to give her face?"

    Mother Chen had a great deal of faith in her daughter, and these words immediately stirred doubts in her mind.

    From the perspective of country folks, a good appetite indeed signifies a strong body and a knack for hard work. Considering that cultivators are a martial occupation, this girl''s capacity to eat and put on weight might surprisingly mean she is good in a fight!

    "Better than you?" Mother Chen asked uncertainly again.

    "If it''s a head-on fight, she''s definitely better than me," Chen Lingyun responded.

    At this, Mother Chen had no choice but to take Zhao Yuanzhen seriously. Of course, being the type to judge people based on first impressions, once she had formed a bad opinion upon first meeting, it would not waver easily, so she merely upgraded Zhao Yuanzhen in her mind from "country bumpkin" to "country bumpkin not to be offended."

    Let it go, let it go¡ªit''s just one meal. Since she''s a cultivator, let her eat how she wants.

    Mother Chen''s gaze shifted, landing on Xie Ruoxi sitting nearby.

    Xie Ruoxi, after all, was from Lu Country. She had been raised by her parents since childhood, without the wild mannerisms of a Demonic Sect Enchantress. But she too was just eating away, her cheeks puffed out, not speaking a word¡ªas if eating was the most important thing at the dining table, which in Mother Chen''s view was worse than those from Jiangbei.

    "And the girl with the tied hair over there?" she continued to ask her daughter.

    "Not as good as me now," Chen Lingyun answered with a smile, "But definitely better than me in the future."

    Mother Chen was a bit distraught. How could these two country girls, as cultivators, be better than my precious daughter!

    "Then Yan Zhanlong..."

    "Of course, he''s still not as good as Yan Yu," Chen Lingyun said confidently, "After all, he''s the team captain."

    "One sentence, ''He''s the team captain,'' immediately gave Mother Chen a reassurance.

    She finally remembered that her husband, Chen Tianming, had indeed mentioned before that Lingyun''s talent for cultivation wasn''t very good; it was just that Mother Chen was always protectively biased and hadn''t really listened. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Now, with two peers for comparison, Mother Chen finally understood what "not very talented in cultivation" meant.

    Thank goodness, at least the son-in-law is formidable, better than them...

    Mother Chen''s anxious heart was slightly relieved, but she was definitely still disgruntled and lost the mood to cozy up to Yan Yu anymore, starting to lower her head and busily send messages on her phone.

    Seeing that she had finally stopped ''bothering'' the captain, Su Yunjin breathed a sigh of relief, picked up her cup, and took a leisurely sip of tea¡ªonly to hear Lin Ning''s voice coming through,

    "Yun Jin, well done."

    "What do you mean well done?" Su Yunjin played dumb.

    "Sister Zhao took a look at you first before she turned the plate of food," Lin Ning said.

    "Ning Ning, you''re overthinking it," Su Yunjin laughed and said, "Sister Zhao was just hungry and looking for something to eat, that''s all."

    "I see," Lin Ning did not pursue the matter any further but instead asked, "Then how can we make Auntie ''just happen'' to want to return to Jianghai Prefecture?"

    Su Yunjin lowered her eyelids, and after a long pause said,

    "That''s a question for the captain." Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire

 Chapter 35 Yun Jin Looks Very Beautiful

    After dinner, everyone returned to the villa to rest.Yan Yu wanted to take a nap on the sofa, but then he suddenly heard Su Yunjin''s voice transmission:

    "Shall we go for a walk?"

    Chen''s mother was in the living room at the time, making the reason for using voice transmission crystal clear: she didn''t want to be overheard by Chen''s mother.

    To be honest, Yan Yu was a little resistant to the idea of going for a walk with Secretary Su after dinner. After all, during their last walk, out of nowhere a flagpole had suddenly come flying at him, and it was only thanks to his quick wit and deft response that he managed to remove the pole just in time.

    If Secretary Su had actually confessed: to accept would seem like a loss; to refuse might make her cry. Discover more content at My Virtual Library Empire

    Yan Yu was kind-hearted and couldn''t bear to see a girl cry over liking him too much, after all, I''m not some jerk.

    Of course, despite his reluctance, he still had to agree. Otherwise, she might think he was scared of her, which wouldn''t be befitting of his status as the strongest of this world.

    "Alright," Yan Yu responded, "Let''s just take a short walk and come back, okay? There are guests at home, we can''t be absent for too long."

    "Mhm," Su Yunjin agreed, appearing very easy to talk to.

    The two of them left the house one after the other, and outside was a straight main road. The lights cast circles of illumination along the roadside, creating a hazy beauty akin to twilight.

    "My parents go for a walk after dinner every day for about an hour to aid digestion," Su Yunjin said with a light smile. "I think we could give it a try too."

    And there it was, that heavy feeling again!

    Yan Yu thought to himself that he wasn''t opposed to a post-dinner walk; in fact, the habit was quite scientific and healthy. But with her starting off with "my parents go for a walk after dinner," and then "we could try it," isn''t the implication of that comparison a bit too obvious?

    We haven''t even established a relationship yet, Miss Yun Jin! Are you starting off with such a heavy atmosphere?

    "Isn''t that a bit much?" he declined tactfully, "A lone man and a single woman walking together. If it happens too often, I''m worried it might affect your reputation."

    "Eh?" Su Yunjin asked in surprise, "The ''we'' I mentioned was referring to the entire team~"

    Yan Yu:.........

    "So, captain, you''d prefer to go for a walk with me after dinner?" Su Yunjin looked at him with wide, innocent eyes, her gaze pure and untainted.

    No wonder she''s a literary girl! Quite the player with words, aren''t you?

    Yan Yu felt like he was losing ground, but with his reputation as the strongest in this world hanging in the balance, he couldn''t easily admit defeat on either the battlefield or the field of love, so he just smiled lightly and steered the conversation back:

    "Did you specifically ask me out for a walk because there''s something on your mind?"

    "Can''t I ask the captain out for a walk without a particular reason?"

    "If you keep being mysterious, I might just turn around and go back, you know?"

    "I''m not quite sure how to put it into words," Su Yunjin said as she played with a strand of hair by her cheek, her eyes fixed on the little pebbles on the ground. "Give me a moment to organize my thoughts."

    Yan Yu didn''t rush her, simply watching her profile quietly.

    If Chen Lingyun''s beauty could be likened to a delicate little dress adorned with lace, then Su Yunjin''s beauty was like an elegant long dress. Beautiful as it was, her style was relatively plain, with more focus on character than outward appearance.

    Her eyes weren''t particularly large, but the gentle expression when she looked around gave off a demure charm that Chen Lingyun could never achieve¡ªnot to say that Princess Jiang Hai''s eyes lacked luster, but her watery gaze always carried a seductive, captivating charm, unlike Secretary Su''s girl-like clarity and purity.

    Yes, if there was one word to describe Su Yunjin, it would probably be "clean."

    Su Yunjin was indeed a person who cherished cleanliness. Sweeping, mopping, and wiping the tables were daily tasks for her. She took care of washing and drying everyone''s clothes, handling almost all household chores herself without the need for a maid¡ªbecause she was the type who found satisfaction in seeing things become clean by her own hand.

    Extending from that habit, her sartorial choices were mostly understated and monochromatic as well, like the white cinched-waist long dress she wore now... When had she changed into it?

    It must have been right after dinner when she had returned home and went straight to her room to change.

    "Do you think this dress looks good on me?" Noticing Yan Yu''s gaze, Su Yunjin suddenly asked.

    "Quite nice," Yan Yu responded truthfully, "It complements your aura."

    "Thank you," Su Yunjin suppressed the joy in her heart, calmly replying, "But it''s easily dirtied, and it''s rather troublesome to wash."

    Yan Yu''s heart suddenly clenched.

    Memories of Su Yunjin''s body, battered and lifeless after dying in battle, being frantically retrieved by her teammates, surfaced¡ªThe ceremony at Linyin Pavilion Memorial Hall where she was commemorated was deemed grand.

    But to be honest, seeing her pallid face in the coffin on TV, who cared about the level of the farewell ceremony? She was just in her twenties, so young... S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Yun Jin today, indeed, looks very beautiful," he lifted his head, gazing at the night sky that was gradually darkening. A few particularly bright stars appeared before the night fully descended.

    "It''s rare to hear the captain compliment me on looking good twice," Su Yunjin quipped with her lips pursed, her brows arching into crescent moons of delight, "It seems I can''t return this dress, I bought it less than seven days ago."

    "No need to return it," Yan Yu maintained his sky-gazing pose and slowly said, "It''s quite good as it is."

    Right, what happened to The Four Great Demon Kings who were involved in killing her in the past life?

    Shenyuan Simie self-immolated within his family estate; Xiandao Jingyin was outmaneuvered and slain by Chen Lingyun; the stars of the Great I died in rebellion; and living the longest was Weizong Yilang, who was killed by Yan Yu seven years after Su Yunjin''s sacrifice...

    Yes, I remembered, I killed a Demon King.

    But it couldn''t be counted as avenging Su Yunjin. Weizong Yilang was the only pacifist among The Four Great Demon Kings, and he had intentionally held back during the fight that led to her death, making it difficult to consider him a murderer, at most an accessory to the crime.

    For true vengeance, it had to be in this life.

    "I''ve figured out how to say it," Su Yunjin finally spoke, "The reason I asked the captain to go for a walk is because I''m unhappy."

    "What''s gotten you unhappy?" asked Yan Yu.

    "Ling Yun''s mom is too enthusiastic about you, wanting to scoop you up as the Chen Family''s son-in-law, and so I''ve become unhappy," Su Yunjin turned around, her face a mix of embarrassment and earnest calm as she continued, "Captain, if I''m unhappy, it will affect my training condition for the next couple of days..."

    "Then I''ll tell her to leave," Yan Yu couldn''t help but laugh.

    "You don''t have to chase her away," Su Yunjin thought for a moment, correcting him, "Is it possible to have Auntie suggest leaving on her own without offending her? Or maybe get her to go out more, so she''s not always hovering around you."

    "You can''t expect me to play the villain and yet want me to do the dirty work, that''s too much to ask," Yan Yu said with a detached laugh, "I''m not an omnipotent deity."

    "But I believe the captain surely has a way," Su Yunjin insisted.

    "Why do you trust me so much?"

    "Because doesn''t the captain always say ''I want to become the strongest in this world''?" Su Yunjin placed her hands behind her back and playfully blinked at him, "If you want to be the strongest, then you can''t let anyone trip you up, right? Because of Auntie''s visit today, we didn''t even train this afternoon."

    "That''s true," Yan Yu pondered in mock-seriousness for a moment, then said, "Alright, I''ll think of something."

    "I''m confident there''s nothing the captain can''t overcome," seeing Yan Yu agree, Su Yunjin breathed a sigh of relief and clasped her hands together, smiling graciously.

    Yes, in this life, there''s nothing that can stump me.

    ...including, saving you.

 Chapter 36 This Life, I Want to Be Ahead

    The two strolled outside for a while, then leisurely walked back home.Yan Yu could understand why Su Yunjin wanted to send Chen''s mother away. Just like most daughters-in-law do not want to live with their mothers-in-law, there is often mutual dislike between women of different generations.

    Not to mention, Chen''s mother was always trying to set her daughter up with connections, it would be strange if Secretary Su could tolerate that.

    As for agreeing to Su Yunjin''s request, of course, it was easy to fulfill¡ªthe day after tomorrow he would set off for East Sea Province, and he would send the old mother-in-law back tomorrow.

    As they approached the villa, Su Yunjin suddenly stopped and said,

    "I have actually always believed in the captain... in every aspect."

    "Then you do have good judgment," Yan Yu nodded.

    "Mm." Su Yunjin fell silent for a moment and then added, "That''s also why I am not willing to let go."

    Her words seemed quite intriguing. Yan Yu pondered for a while then decided not to ask further, just looking toward the lights coming on at the back of the yard, he said,

    "It''s time to go back."

    "Mm-hmm."

    Once they returned home, Lin Ning immediately sent a message asking, Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire

    "How did it go?"

    "The captain agreed," Su Yunjin replied.

    "That''s good to hear." Lin Ning felt a subconscious sense of relief but then remembered something and quickly added, "Oh, it''s not that I have something against your auntie. It''s just that we usually need to train on a daily basis, and not entertaining her would seem impolite, while entertaining her would affect our training."

    "Indeed." Su Yunjin echoed, "Training is vital to us; we can''t afford to delay it."

    In the exchange of glances, they quickly came to an understanding: not to bring up this matter anymore.

    Just as Yan Yu sat down on the sofa, he heard Chen Lingyun send him a private message,

    "What were you and Yun Jin doing just now?"

    "Why, are you jealous?"

    "Not at all. And even if you don''t dare to say it, I can guess: you were definitely thinking about how to send my mother away, right?"

    "How can you call it ''sending away''?" Yan Yu argued with her, "We have a mission up north the day after tomorrow, did you know that?"

    "Of course I knew." Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "Who do you think is behind pushing for this matter?"

    "Since there''s a mission the day after tomorrow, it''s not about sending your mom away," Yan Yu said confidently, "It''s that we ourselves have to leave. Military duty calls, there''s no helping it. What can be done about that? Right, since you already know, you can inform her."

    "You want me to tell her?" Chen Lingyun sighed deeply, "You really know how to avoid the unpleasant tasks."

    "I didn''t say you had to go." Yan Yu retorted irritably, "You could talk to your dad¡­"

    Before he could finish, the phone rang again.

    "Look, your dad is calling again¡­" Yan Yu checked carefully and saw it wasn''t Chen Tianming calling but Liu Longtao.

    "Hello?"

    "Old Yan, are you enjoying yourself in Jinling Prefecture?" Liu Longtao started sarcastically, "Hey, I just realized, isn''t there the mention of the ''Twelve Beauties of Jinling'' in ''Dream of the Red Chamber''? Why don''t you also make more efforts over there in Jinling, create a modern version of the Grand View Garden? It would be quite an accomplishment."

    "That''s enough," Yan Yu replied calmly, "I''ve received your jealousy loud and clear, if there''s nothing else I''m hanging up." S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Wait, wait, wait," Liu Longtao hurriedly called out, "How can this be jealousy? I''m envious of you! Really, I''m fighting enemies here in East Sea, battling to the point where my Flying Sword is notched and my True Yuan is nearly depleted, then I suddenly think about how your Zhendong Army''s territory doesn''t border any other forces and you don''t have much security pressure.

    Just thinking about it makes me green with envy¡­"

    "Why don''t you border any other forces?" Yan Yu countered, "Let''s not even talk about the Superhero Alliance being too far away, what about the Onmyoji? When the Onmyoji come to attack, your Dragon Soar Team will fight for me, right?"

    "Sure." Liu Longtao immediately grinned, "Have you heard? The Giliac Bearmen have sought reinforcements from the Heavy Sakura."

    "Huh?" Yan Yu was taken aback, "I haven''t heard of it, tell me more."

    "This intelligence was just obtained by the Privy Council a few minutes ago. Even if I didn''t tell you, that person from Jiang Hai would soon find out anyway." Liu Longtao said with a smile, "Do you still remember Park Changmin from Changbai Mountain''s Mysterious Realm, who we let go last time? I''ll just tell it for fun, you decide how believable it is."

    Lord Master began his comedic routine: It is said that the Amur Witches, feeling unable to withstand the Giliac Bearmen, formed an envoy group and ran to seek help from the south.

    Although people here don''t pay much attention to the witches, the Giliac Bearmen didn''t know that and thought, with so many powerful cultivators and the presence of Yan Zhanlong, if they were to attack, how could we possibly hold them back? So they also formed an envoy group and went to ask the Pear Blossom Courtyard on the peninsula for help.

    The Pear Blossom Courtyard, having just had an encounter with cultivators at Changbai Mountain, knew that cultivators were formidable and not to be trifled with, so they said we are eating hot pot with the troops, but we can ask the Superhero Alliance for you.

    Lately, the Superheroes have also had a skirmish with cultivators in the South Sea, and nearly lost Thunderbird, so they said we''re eating hamburgers and don''t have time, but we''ll ask the Yin Yang Bureau for you.

    The Yin Yang Bureau just happened to have had a recent clash with cultivators too, and moreover, they were severely defeated by Lord Master, so they were somewhat inclined to close their doors and eat sashimi.

    However, due to historical reasons, they have a strong obsession with Ezo Island and Black Dragon Isle, with the grand cause of "recovering lost territory" at stake, they couldn''t refuse, so the Pear Blossom Courtyard took the lead and conducted the three-party talks with the Giliac Bearmen at Juzhi Mountain.

    The third-party mediation representative sent by the Pear Blossom Courtyard happened to be none other than the famous "Sword God Park Changmin"... and as a result, the Privy Council immediately got the intelligence.

    According to the intelligence, the Giliac Bearmen are willing to open the entire Black Dragon Isle for the Onmyoji to station and have free passage, and the Mysterious Realm is to be developed jointly by both sides¡ªthis happens to touch the Privy Council''s raw nerve, as Mei Yingxue had once casually mentioned it, and they are resolute in obtaining that Mysterious Realm on the island.

    "So what did the Heavy Sakura say?" Yan Yu confirmed.

    "They''re likely to go." Liu Longtao said with a cold laugh, "It''s just a matter of who will lead the team. If it''s that same jerk as last time, Old Yan, let me tell you, don''t compete with me for kills, ha."

    "Stop dreaming," Yan Yu said with disdain, "Shenyuan Simie''s paper effigy substitution spell, have you figured out a way to counter it?"

    "Not yet," Liu Longtao admitted sheepishly, "I figure no matter how bizarre his spell is, he''s got to at least perform some hand gesture, right? How about I just kill him on sight before he can cast it, how does that sound?"

    "Then try it out first," Yan Yu had no choice but to agree. Because in his past life, he really didn''t know how the famous "God of Gods" managed to use the paper effigy for substitution... it seemed like the paper effigy was worn like underwear against the skin, and when facing deadly threat, it would automatically substitute itself, just like Orochimaru''s Substitution Jutsu.

    However, this paper effigy substitution technique was not without cost; each substitution would cause an overall decline in condition, and also one less paper effigy on the person.

    So, strictly speaking, the way to kill Shenyuan Simie was not by a quick kill, but by killing repeatedly¡ªhowever many times you substitute, I will kill you that many times. You might as well carry a stack of A4 paper on you, fold as you go, otherwise, I''ll kill you until you collapse.

    Of course, these were just speculations and couldn''t be shared with Lord Master. After all, in his past life, Yan Yu never had a confrontation with that bastard; he just killed himself... let Lord Master do the research first.

    "How is Ye Jun doing?" Yan Yu continued to inquire.

    "How else?" Liu Longtao was a bit puzzled, and said subconsciously, "She''s just rotating with us on three shifts, running wherever there''s a fire to put out... wait, why do you ask? Are you interested in her? She''s from Jinmen and can''t enter your Jinling harem!"

    "What Jinling harem?" Yan Yu was speechless with Lord Master''s intervention, "I was just asking..."

    "Don''t ask anymore." Liu Longtao said earnestly, "You know how important her Xuan Guang Ruler is to our team, right? I can''t afford to hand her over to you; sorry, Old Yan."

    "I''m not asking for people," Yan Yu laughed, "Look at how nervous you are, it''s just jealousy."

    "What do I have to be jealous about?" Although he knew the other party was provoking him, Liu Longtao didn''t want to be defamed and called out, "Ye Jun! Old Yan is looking for you!"

    "What''s up?" Ye Jun came over to take the call, but just as she lifted the phone to her ear, the sound of call forwarding music came from the receiver.

    It was Chen Tianming calling Yan Yu''s side.

    "Hello, Yan Yu," the voice on the other end was concise, "There''s been a change in plans, meet at the airport at 10 tonight, departure is immediate. Adjust the team''s status, don''t worry about her mother''s side."

    "Alright," Yan Yu was also succinct and hung up the call.

    War had started early.

    In my past life, I entered the scene too late and only killed one Demon King.

    This life, let''s try for the whole compendium.

 Chapter 238 Su Yunjin Extras

    ```(The timeframe should be after the grand finale of this book, which is to say, "things that will happen in the future," so everyone can consider this an IF route.)

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    "Shall we take a walk?" the woman asked.

    "Wait a moment, I''ll talk to the kids."

    From the room came the man''s practiced words, adept at dealing with the children. After promising that "next time for sure" he''d take everyone on a sword flight to see the Great Barrier Reef''s Blue Hole, to Africa to see zebras, to Antarctica to see penguins, and even to visit the Lu Country astronauts at the space station...

    he finally managed to calm the noisy children, with none clamoring to "go for a walk with Mommy Su" anymore.

    "Really now." The man closed the door of the room, griping as he said, "When I was kid, I wasn''t so fussy. Give me a bucket of fried chicken, and I was good whether it was studying or doing housework... Kids these days are too shrewd, not even handheld game consoles can fool them."

    "Are you blaming me for not teaching them well?" the woman asked with a laugh, covering her mouth. Discover stories with My Virtual Library Empire

    "Not at all, I can''t bring myself to blame you," the man immediately recanted.

    The two of them left the villa and walked along the road towards the distance.

    The sky was somewhat dim, the end of the horizon showing intense fiery clouds that looked like a lover''s blushing cheeks.

    The warm, smooth skin of the opposite sex touched the back of his hand. Yan Yu naturally took her hand, skillfully intertwined their fingers, and enveloped her soft and delicate hand.

    "I''ve actually fantasized about this a lot," the woman said.

    "Fantasized about what?"

    "Back then... during our team times, when I walked this road home from school at night, I would often fantasize about holding hands with you, walking down this road together... just the two of us."

    "Isn''t it just the two of us now?"

    "That''s because they just happen to be absent."

    "When they are around, can''t we hold hands?"

    "Hold hands, huh? How many hands do you have to hold?"

    "I''ll always leave one to hold yours."

    The woman''s cheeks reddened. Even though they were an old married couple now, she still had no defense against some of her husband''s words.

    "I''ve changed my mind now," she said, lowering her bashful head, her voice as timid as a mosquito''s.

    But Yan Yu''s hearing was not that of an ordinary person. He immediately caught her barely audible voice and asked:

    "Don''t like holding hands anymore?"

    "No," the woman shook her head, "I just realized there are many more romantic things we could do."

    "Like what?"

    "Like you said you''d take the kids to the Great Barrier Reef to see the Blue Hole... I kind of want to go too."

    "Let''s go then."

    "Eh, now?"

    "Why not? Sword flight makes the trip convenient."

    "But Guoguo and the others are still at home..." the woman''s voice stopped abruptly, as Huang Tingjian had already transformed into a sword light soaring into the sky, carrying the two towards the southeast, sweeping past the skies of Liangxi Prefecture, Gusu Prefecture, and Jianghai Prefecture, startling many Lu Country citizens to look up.

    "Is that a meteor?"

    "It looks like sword light..."

    "That''s Yan Yu''s Huang Tingjian light! It''s Yan Yu!"

    Many people quickly fetched their phones to take pictures. With the status Yan Yu had now, common appearances in the Mysterious Realm and foreign invasions were simply not worth his personal attention¡ªmany people hadn''t even seen Huang Tingjian''s light, it was news worthy of a special snapshot to post with comments on social media.

    The news even alarmed the Zhendong Army, and other system bigwigs called Li Weiguo to inquire if something had happened in East Sea that would require Yan Yu to personally resolve it with sword control.

    ```

    Li Weiguo was also bewildered, "What happened? How come I don''t know about it?"

    By this time, Yan Yu had already taken Su Yunjin from Yangshan Town towards the open sea, when suddenly she said: S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Your phone is ringing."

    "Never mind it, help me dismiss the call."

    "The noise from sword flight is too loud," Su Yunjin sighed, "How will you explain it when they ask later?"

    "I''ll just say I took my wife out for some fun," Yan Yu smiled nonchalantly.

    "No, I mean when they ask you, how will you explain it?"

    "I''ll say I took the big wife out for fun."

    "Stop it, when did I become your big wife?" Su Yunjin really wanted to punch him hard on the chest, but a thick sweetness welled up inside her, causing her body to soften and become feverish. She wrapped her arms around her husband and whispered in his ear:

    "Stop talking nonsense... just keep me company."

    "As you wish."

    Sword Flight made rapid progress, making Thousand miles seem like moments, and soon they arrived at the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in the South Pacific¡ªa place with endless stretches of coral reefs, but because it was nighttime, the view wasn''t clear, which was a bit disappointing.

    "Oops, I forgot." Yan Yu slapped his forehead and said, "There''s a time difference here with Lu Country; it''s already night, so it doesn''t look good."

    "It''s okay," Su Yunjin smiled tenderly, "Follow me."

    She took her husband''s hand and they descended into the sea, sword in hand, with incantations already forming in her palm.

    The Water Repelling Spell of the Water Escape Technique parted the surrounding seawater, forming a large spherical space without water, enveloping the two of them within.

    "My wife is really capable," Yan Yu laughed, "This water repelling technique, even I must admit I''m inferior."

    "Nonsense talker," Su Yunjin scolded him, "I specialize in water-based magic, how can you compare with me?"

    Protected by the Water Repelling Spell, the two drifted slowly along the ocean floor, using Divine Sense to appreciate the surrounding coral reefs and schools of fish.

    Many curious small fish swam towards the large bubble and upon entering the waterless space passed through the bubble''s surface, suddenly lost buoyancy support, fell as they were briefly deprived of oxygen, before heading back into the water from the bottom of the bubble and hastily swam away, still in shock.

    "Are we disturbing them?" Su Yunjin watched the panicked fish and sighed, "Let''s go back then.

    "Go back now? For what?" Yan Yu opposed the suggestion, "The kids are all at home, and whatever I do, I have to bring them along, which is very inconvenient."

    "The kids like their dad; that''s normal," Su Yunjin purposely made a sad face, "Unlike me, I''m always disciplining them, now they all run away when they see me."

    "Does Mommy Su like daddy just like the kids do?" Yan Yu settled onto the sandy ocean floor, embracing his little wife in his arms and began kissing her.

    "Mhm," Su Yunjin was shy again, simply nodding her head.

    "How much do you like me?"

    "I... I''ve already had kids for you, what else do you need to ask?"

    "That''s not enough," Yan Yu gently lifted her chin, nibbled at her ear, and said, "Or we could here..."

    "Are you serious?" Su Yunjin pushed him surprisingly, but without strength, she didn''t move him.

    "No one''s around!" Yan Yu reasoned as if it was obvious, hands mischievously starting to wander, "There are no divers or deep-sea cameras nearby, my Divine Sense is scanning all the time!"

    "Still, we can''t!" Su Yunjin was both embarrassed and irritated, turning red to her earlobes as she stammered, "We can''t...not here...this is the wilderness! Let''s just go home."

    "I told you, it''s very inconvenient with the kids at home, and at this depth, there''s virtually no light, no one will find out..." Yan Yu held her tighter, about to continue his tempting whisper, but then he noticed that her struggles were becoming weaker, and he was immediately overjoyed.

    Su Yunjin sighed, the incantation of the Water Repelling Spell in her hand accelerated, and the waterless spherical space quickly shrank until it barely enclosed the two of them.

    Then she deployed the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, creating hidden currents around them to prevent any unwary marine life from disturbing them.

    Not far from the pair, a protruding underwater geothermal vent suddenly spewed out a hot, sulfur-scented scalding jet of water, which then dissolved into the surrounding warm seawater.

 Chapter 37 Emergency Additional Practice of Sword Flight

    After receiving the message, the girls immediately began packing up their things, preparing to head out.Anna was of course overjoyed, but due to others being present, she couldn''t throw herself into Yan Yu''s arms for a few kisses, so she happily went about packing.

    "Where''s your mom?" Yan Yu asked Chen Lingyun as he stopped her.

    "Out shopping, she''ll be back soon," Chen Lingyun replied.

    "No time to wait! You call her later," Yan Yu decisively said, "Xie Ruoxi, you come with us too."

    "Eh, I have to go too?" Xie Ruoxi asked in surprise, "I haven''t mastered sound transmission into secrecy yet..."

    "Nonsense! You''ll learn on the way!" Yan Yu glared and scolded, "Swords! Elixir Medicines! Change of clothes! Take everything you can, five minutes enough? If not, you have three!"

    "Right away, right away!" Xie Ruoxi hurried upstairs.

    "Yan Yu, the vehicle is parked outside!" Lin Ning called from the door.

    It wasn''t the business van Chen Lingyun had ordered, but a troop transport vehicle, indicating that the Privy Council had deemed the situation extremely urgent and was requiring the Zhenhai Team to head north overnight.

    Watching the girls in the living room ready to go, Yan Yu called upstairs:

    "Are you ready?!"

    "Didn''t you say you''d give me five minutes..." came Xie Ruoxi''s cry-baby voice from upstairs.

    "Lin Ning, go give her a hand," Yan Yu made a snap decision.

    Lin Ning, acting quickly as well, employed the Shifting Technique and dashed to the second floor; then faint shouts of "You don''t need to bring this" and "You don''t need that either" were heard.

    Everyone quickly packed their things and rushed onto the troop transport vehicle, reaching Jinling Airport, boarding the plane, and taking off¡ªall went smoothly and without interruption.

    On the plane, Anna went to the back cabin to rest, not disturbing the team as they arranged their plans. Lin Ning lowered the projection screen, Su Yunjin turned on the projector, Chen Lingyun was adjusting the computer, when suddenly she heard Yan Yu say:

    "Your materials are useless, let me explain."

    In his previous life, he had dealt the most with the people from the Yin Yang Bureau and could even say he "knew more about Onmyoji than current Onmyoji." As a result, the fragmented information Chen Lingyun had cobbled together indeed had no value to offer.

    "Our opponents this time are the Giliya Bearmen and Onmyoji," Yan Yu gave a brief explanation, "We''ll talk about the Giliya Bearmen later; let''s start with the Onmyoji."

    "The Kyoto Onmyo Academy adheres to elitism, with internal resources skewed towards top elites. They do not regulate the practice at the social level but require that local cultivators register and enter local Dao academies for cultivation, to be screened and promoted step by step, eventually aggregating at the Kyoto Onmyo Academy."

    "To help you understand the distribution of their strength, I''ll categorize the top cultivators from strongest to weakest into four tiers: T1, Liu Longtao; T2, Li Minghu, Zhou Hongyu; T3, Lin Ning; T4, other team cultivators..."

    "Hold up, why am I ranked in T3?!" Lin Ning immediately protested, "You could have said T1 is super team leader level, T2 is team leader level, T3 is first-line team, T4 is second-line team! There''s no need to name names as examples, right?"

    "Fine," Yan Yu immediately agreed, "On the Onmyoji side, because of the elite training system, the strongest few are between team leader level and super team leader level, which is about T1.5. But there aren''t many of them, so they likely won''t send all of them here; I reckon sending one over as the leader should suffice."

    "Due to the skewing of resources towards the elites, there is a serious talent gap below team leader level, which means there are very few at Lin Ning''s level. Below that are the second-line teams, and there are actually far more Onmyoji in this range of strength than us because they do not regulate civilian practice; there''s a large base of civilian Onmyoji forming the bottom layer of the pyramid.

    As long as there are enough ''short'' ones, you can find quite a few relatively ''tall'' ones, get it?"

    "So, their team leaders are a bit stronger than ours, but they''re definitely not as strong as you," Su Yunjin summarized, "The rest of members are weaker than us, but far outnumber us, is that right?"

    "That''s correct," Yan Yu nodded and said, "So if we''re to analyze the risk points, where does the risk lie in combating the Onmyoji?" S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The girls exchanged glances for a moment before Chen Lingyun said at leisure:

    "The biggest risk is that during team leader duels, facing numerous but slightly weaker enemies, we could be outnumbered and overwhelmed, leading to the collapse of our battle situation."

    "Exactly," Yan Yu paused for a moment and continued, "Because the combat style of Onmyoji is very different from our domestic cultivators... You know what ''Jade-Smashing Tactics'' are, right?"

    "Whenever civilian practice regulation is lifted, there''s an inevitable issue: too many Transcendents and not enough resources to go around. What do you do?"

    "If this problem isn''t solved, it will result in severe internal strife, and even lead to the subversion of order from the bottom up. The Yin Yang Bureau has designed a battle reward system; if their onmyoji want to advance in rank, they must exchange their military achievements for promotion on the battlefield."

    "The so-called ''Jade-Smashing Tactics'' involve treating the lower-ranked onmyoji as cannon fodder on the battlefield. As long as they survive, they get promoted and gain access to more resources. ''As long as it''s jade, it''s not afraid of breaking.''

    "That¡­" Lin Ning opened her mouth, instinctively wanting to say "Isn''t that like raising gu," but at the last moment changed it to "Won''t they resist?"

    "Why would they resist?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked curiously, "Only those who can fight and kill have status and resources. Isn''t that very normal? I actually think that the system in our country is too lenient..."

    "Shut up!" Yan Yu immediately shouted in interruption, "No one asked you!"

    In fact, the governance structure of the Yin Yang Bureau is quite similar to that of the Demonic Sect, which has origins in exotic demonesses.

    First and foremost, they focus on cultivating high-ranking cultivators to ensure their combat prowess can crush those at the lower ranks, creating an absolute deterrence and then using resources as bait to drive the lower ranks into the fray to fight desperately, continually depleting their overall strength to prevent them from becoming a threat to the upper echelons.

    Of course, classical sects and modern society are different. Many strategies can be employed to manage a few thousand people without issue, but when it comes to hundreds of thousands, problems arise incessantly... The Yin Yang Bureau was only able to implement this system temporarily in the early stages.

    In the later stages, it was internally sabotaged by Xie Daiwo, leading directly to its peak and subsequent decline... Therefore, liberating the control over folk cultivation practices inevitably leads to a bottomless abyss, and one must not harbor any delusions of good fortune.

    "You don''t need to worry about why they don''t resist," Yan Yu said bluntly. "In any case, as long as you''ve faced them, you''ll know that those onmyoji are like mad dogs with rabies. They''ll fight to the death just to inflict a wound on you, even if it means dying the next second."

    "To deal with this ''Jade-Smashing Tactics,'' there''s only one method: Kill! Don''t hold back, don''t be soft-hearted; kill them before they can harm you. Summed up in four words, ''eliminate on sight.'' Don''t test them, don''t maneuver around¡ªjust kill with one sword strike upon encounter. If there are any problems, it''s simply because you didn''t kill quickly enough."

    The girls looked at each other once more, only to hear Chen Lingyun add an explanation:

    "The enemy is fearless and numerous; even if their individual strength isn''t a match for ours, a siege situation is still dangerous. The best response is as the captain said, rely on efficient killing to tear through and disrupt their lines, to avoid being besieged. Everyone must absolutely not hold onto any wishful thinking, and be mentally prepared to act decisively and ruthlessly."

    "Right," Yan Yu said seriously, as the matter was grave and thus didn''t belittle the deputy captain''s prestige as usual. "Next, I will explain how to kill."

    "Their transcendent beings are all referred to as onmyoji. Their internal factions are quite diverse. We categorize them according to combat style. Those who specialize in swordsmanship are singled out and called ''samurai,'' whose style is similar to our Sword Immortals¡ªfast, reactive, and their simple and crude form of attack is slashing, but their swords can''t fly.

    So the main counter-strategy is to avoid close combat and cut them down from a distance."

    "A target bearing a sword isn''t necessarily a samurai; but if a target is without a sword, you can directly rule out the samurai profession. Then look at their offensive means¡ªif they attack using various projectiles, they are called ''ninja,'' similar to our assistant officers who use magical treasures for offense." Find your next read at My Virtual Library Empire

    "Ninja have strong long-range suppressive capabilities, but unlike samurai, they don''t have integrated offense and defense, which mainly depends on the type of magical treasure: ones with strong attacks tend to have weak defenses¡ªkill them swiftly; ones with strong defenses tend to have weak attacks¡ªcontrol them, be careful to dodge and normally don''t bother with them."

    "If they aren''t samurai or ninja, then they are onmyoji. Within the onmyoji, there are two main branches: one likes to use curse techniques, and the other is accustomed to using shikigami, directly corresponding to our spellcasters and envoys."

    "Curse technique onmyoji have wide-ranging attacks and strong lethality, but virtually no defense. They are the type that needs to be prioritized and killed on any battlefield. Their perception is usually not sharp, and they are easiest to kill from the side or behind."

    "Shikigami onmyoji, their combat style depends on the shikigami, and is often strange and abnormal. Don''t try to kill the core person; they''re sure to have self-preservation measures. First target the shikigami. A shikigami style onmyoji without shikigami is like a samurai without a sword¡ªthey pose no threat..."

    When it came to "how to efficiently kill onmyoji," Yan Yu spoke with fervor and endless details, so much so that Lin Ning, who was good at memorizing, couldn''t keep up and had to take out her recording pen to record. The more she listened, the more wrong it felt.

    You know this way too well!

    Before she had the chance to complain "How do you know so much," she only heard Yan Yu say:

    "Of course, one must be strong oneself to forge metal."

    "When facing a human wave tactic, the most important thing is mobility. The Shifting Technique offers mobility on a two-dimensional plane, but what to do when enemies surround you on all sides?"

    "Therefore, we must completely master Sword Flight before the battle... All of us. Stop looking! That includes you, Xie Ruoxi!"

    "But we''re on an airplane, there''s no way to practice here, right?" Lin Ning quickly objected, "What if the sword light pierces through the cabin?"

    "Who says you can''t practice?" Yan Yu said, puzzled, "Practicing Sword Control on an airplane is already the fastest method, okay?"

    I practiced on an airplane in my past life. Now, let me show you what a mature teaching plan of the future is like.

    As the girls looked on in bewildered silence, he walked to the door of the crew rest area, knocked, and said something that made everyone''s face change:

    "Comrade? Can someone help open the airplane cabin door?"

 Chapter 38 Guarding the Kingdom for the Eclipse Queen

    For safety reasons, the plane that the Zhenhai Team took was not a passenger jet, but a modified transport plane.Some seats and soft chairs were added to the interior, but the overall layout still resembled that of a transport plane, with features like a jump hatch that supported parachuting.

    When the plane descended to the jump altitude, the crew opened the hatch, and the girls'' complexions changed once again... At this moment, the cold wind raged furiously inside the cabin, the temperature plummeted, and it felt as if the floor was beginning to shake and jitter, whether that was an illusion or not.

    "Jump one by one! After jumping out, try to fly with Sword Flight!" Yan Yu shouted near the hatch against the violent wind, "Don''t be too scared! If you can''t learn it in one go, I''ll catch you before you hit the ground!!!"

    But the girls'' faces looked even worse. Listen to what the captain was saying, not "I''ll catch you," but "I''ll catch you before you hit the ground." Does that mean they''d have to struggle against the King of Hell''s grasp at death''s door?

    Zhao Yuanzhen was quite amused watching from the side. When she was learning Sword Flight, there were no senior sect members throwing them from the sky... How busy were the elders? They hardly had time to care about the juniors'' cultivation, right?

    Now that the little thief is willing to take care of you, just silently be grateful!

    "Lin Ning, Su Yunjin, Chen Lingyun!" Yan Yu continued to yell, "Come here in this order and line up!!!"

    "Seriously." Lin Ning was a bit scared but still managed to retort with a complaint, "If the wind is strong, just use sound transmission, why shout so loud... Ah!!! Ahhhhhhh!!!"

    She was directly hurled out of the hatch by Yan Yu.

    "Yan, Yan Yu." Su Yunjin was completely terrified, "You don''t have to push people, right? That, Ningning..." sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Don''t be afraid." Yan Yu comforted her with sound transmission, "It''ll be your turn soon."

    Then he too leaped out of the hatch, turning into a streak of sword light as he went.

    Lin Ning continued to plummet sharply, her vision upside down and chaotic, while her mind was completely dominated by the fear of facing death head-on.

    It took her about ten seconds or so to finally react, attempting to fly with Sword Control.

    Where was Yan Yu?

    Where was Yan Yu? No good, she couldn''t find Yan Yu, she had to save herself...

    I must survive!

    Lin Ning fiercely executed the sword techniques with her hands, and the Green Bamboo Sword quickly turned into a streak of sword light, approaching her rapidly.

    "I did it!" Finally engulfed in the sword light, Lin Ning shouted excitedly, "I succeeded!"

    "What did you succeed at?" Yan Yu''s voice came from beside her, "I''m the one guiding your Sword Flight, otherwise, you would''ve fallen to your death already."

    "...Eh?"

    "You do nothing but stare blankly for nearly ten seconds after being thrown out?" Yan Yu taunted her with a chuckle, before suddenly becoming serious, "Hmm, but considering you managed to do that, your performance isn''t too bad. A few more tries and you should have it down."

    The streak of sword light with Lin Ning in tow caught up with the still-flying plane, entered through the open hatch precisely, and ended the flight smoothly upon landing, without damaging the aircraft.

    Lin Ning still seemed a bit shaken, while Yan Yu had already turned his stern gaze towards Su Yunjin:

    "We''re short on time, let''s go, Yun Jin."

    "Eh? Wait..." Before Su Yunjin could speak, she was pushed out of the hatch by Yan Yu.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Anna came out from the rear cabin, looking puzzled at the open hatch and the pale-faced girls around, and asked in confusion:

    "What are all of you doing?"

    "We''re practicing," Su Yunjin said with a wry smile.

    After practicing three or four times, Lin Ning had managed to master Sword Flight and was now voluntarily practicing extra, helping Yan Yu train their teammates.

    Despite having practiced around a dozen times, she had only grasped a faint sense of it, barely able to draw the Coral Tears towards her... Why is there such a huge gap in talent between people?

    The streak of sword light suddenly rushed in from outside, dispersed, and revealed Yan Yu''s figure, as well as Xie Ruoxi, whom he had thrown onto a chair.

    Xie Ruoxi was a complete mess, though unharmed, with a vacant stare, twitching shoulders, and completely slumping in her seat, looking as if she had truly free-fallen from ten thousand meters and splattered into mush upon the ground.

    "Seems like I had to scare you to get you to learn," Yan Yu said shaking his head in resignation.

    "Ruoxi has learned it already?" Su Yunjin asked in surprise.

    "Yes, she has," Yan Yu replied, "I lied to her saying she was too heavy, and my True Yuan was insufficient, so we might as well die together... and then she managed to pull it off."

    "Really..." Su Yunjin was somewhat at a loss for words. She wanted to go and comfort the frightened Xie Ruoxi, but then she remembered that she had already mastered Sword Flight, and suddenly, she didn''t feel like bothering with her anymore.

    "Why did you come out?" Yan Yu asked Anna.

    "It''s nothing, don''t worry about me, you go on with your work," Anna expressed her consciousness as an outsider, indicating she had no intention to pry into the secrets of the Rikoku Cultivator team, and turned to head back to the rear cabin.

    "Yun Jin, shall we go?" Yan Yu invited.

    "Yeah, let''s go," Su Yunjin nodded.

    After practicing about ten times, she had basically adapted to the fear of heights, and even felt a subtle sense of security knowing the captain would always save her.

    Of course, that sense of security wasn''t good, as it would slow down her practice... so she still needed to push herself.

    Yeah, I need to push on too!

    Thinking this, Su Yunjin stood at the hatch, looked down, and without needing Yan Yu to push her, she closed her eyes and jumped straight down.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    "Why is Old Yan still not here?" Liu Longtao said impatiently, "Isn''t his surname Yan? Why is he flying so slowly?"

    "The plane at ten last night," Ye Jun checked the time. "He should be here soon."

    "Soon?" Liu Longtao shook his head, "The Onmyoji crowd has already reached Black Dragon Isle, and we''re still here waiting for Old Yan, waiting until the damn sun is almost rising."

    "Well, to be fair," Ye Jun reminded him, "it''s only about seven hundred kilometers from Beigayi to Black Dragon Isle, but it''s over two thousand kilometers from Jinling Prefecture to here. The distance is three times as much."

    "Exactly," said Liu Longtao with a stern face. "Why can''t he live a bit more to the north? Why does he have to stick around that broken Jinling Prefecture fussing over his Twelve Hairpins?"

    "What Twelve Hairpins?" inquired Ye Jun curiously.

    "It''s nothing," Liu Longtao realized his slip of the tongue and quickly waved his hands, "Give him a call to hurry him up."

    "I urged him half an hour ago," said Ye Jun reluctantly.

    "Urge him again, tell the pilot to step on it," Liu Longtao waved his hand.

    The other members were snickering, Ye Jun helplessly took out his phone, about to call, when he saw six streaks of sword light slash across the sky, swiftly landing before them.

    Zhenhai Team, all members present. Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire

    "You all can perform Sword Flight?" Liu Longtao asked, surprised.

    The Dragon Soar Team had three Sword Immortals in its ranks, and Ye Jun was a workaholic; out of five people, four had mastered Sword Flight, now only the spellcaster Yang Linhui lagged behind.

    But the Zhenghai Team... had all the Assistant Officers, Envoys, and spellcasters rushed to master flight techniques?

    Liu Longtao''s gaze swept over Zhao Yuanzhen, Chen Lingyun, and Su Yunjin, finally resting on Xie Ruoxi.

    No way, even the substitute has learned it?

    "We''ve arrived," Yan Yu had just landed on the ground, and without rushing to greet anyone, sent a message to Chen Tianming and Li Weiguo, then looked up and asked:

    "What''s the plan?"

    "What else can it be? Let''s set out," sighed Liu Longtao indifferently, waving his hand. "First to see the witch."

    It was initially assumed that only Yan Yu and Lin Ning from the Zhenhai Team knew how to perform Sword Flight; that is, out of 11 people, only 6 could fly, meaning each of them had to carry an extra companion... Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun even argued over which girl each would carry.

    Turned out, all girls from the Zhenhai Team could fly, which made the Dragon Soar Team, on the other hand, lag behind, causing Liu Longtao to feel a bit of subtle frustration.

    "Who''s carrying Old Yang?" he asked Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun.

    "Ai Lu should," Guo Feiyun promptly stated.

    "I won''t argue with Old Guo; Old Guo has a bit more True Yuan, let him carry," Ai Lu quickly added.

    "You two are big idiots!" Yang Linhui was instantly dumbfounded, "Valuing beauty over friendship, huh?"

    "Forget it, I''ll do it," Liu Longtao didn''t want to waste words and swept up Yang Linhui in a flash of sword light.

    The remaining three exchanged glances for a moment before turning into streaks of sword light and took to the sky.

    The Zhenhai Team quickly followed suit, with Yan Yu carrying Anna to the forefront of the formation, looking down at the undulating mountains and forests.

    Suddenly, illusions sprang to life in his mind ¡ª as if the one flying with him was not Anna, but the famous Eclipse Queen from years later, giving him a devilish smile:

    "Look down there, Yan Love Concubine, these are the lands I have conquered for you."

    "Pick a forest. From now on, you''ll live here with me, and you won''t be going anywhere else..."

    Yan Yu shook off the illusion sharply, cursing himself for scaring his own mind.

    "What''s wrong?" Anna asked, puzzled.

    "Nothing," Yan Yu replied nonchalantly, "The wind got in my eyes."

    "Do you want me to blow it for you?" Anna immediately offered, eager to try.

    "No, no, no, flying on a Flying Sword here!" Seeing her mouth approaching, Yan Yu quickly stopped her, "Don''t mess around!"

 Chapter 39 Lord Jing Embarrassed Again

    The Ancient Isle Chess House, two sat opposite each other."It seems you''re not at all worried about your brother," Xiandao Jingyin played a piece and suddenly spoke, "During the battle with the Ezo in the past, you suffered a crushing defeat. Now that your brother is leading a team to Black Dragon Isle, aren''t you afraid they might encounter the Dragon Soar Team?"

    "Why should I worry?" Shenyuan Simie picked up a paper Nuo mask with a smiling face and covered his own face, "I''ve passed on my method of using paper effigies to cheat death to him."

    "You''re really generous," Xiandao Jingyin was first taken aback, then became surprised.

    "He is my own brother after all,"

    "Why don''t you treat your father the same way?" Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Because he''s not worth it," Shenyuan Simie tapped on the chessboard with his finger, "Xiandao, look here."

    "The world is like a chessboard, and all living beings are like chess pieces. Everyone has a role they must play. In the past, the Shinyori family took pride in their legitimate descendants, looked down on the illegitimates, and treated the children of affairs with the utmost disdain. Why?

    Because the family head relied on his legitimate wife, favored his concubines, and treated his mistresses like doormats to be discarded at will... In other words, the Shinyori family is like a chessboard, and what role each person plays is ultimately up to the family head. He bestows honor based on the closeness of blood ties, and nothing more."

    "But times have changed; no longer is bloodline prized, but strength is honored," he picked up a chess piece and said with a smile, "My brother has become an Onmyoji, while my father is nothing but a decrepit and useless mortal. It''s obvious who is more worthy."

    "If I am the one making the moves, I will have the old man leave the stage and let the young and vigorous take the lead. No other reason is needed; I am the strongest, I can decide with one word."

    "Don''t be too confident," Xiandao Jingyin said sternly, "He''s not just your brother; he''s also taken two hundred men with him, all elite hands from the bureau. If they really get intercepted by Lu Country and are annihilated in the north, even killing him afterward will not make up for the Yin Yang Bureau''s losses."

    "Xiandao, you really are dense," Shenyuan Simie slowly stood up, "Even in chess, we know to exchange pieces, yet why do you not understand calculating losses and gains when it comes to people? Even if we speak purely in terms of cultivation progress, my brother''s strength and value as a high-ranking Onmyoji are incomparable to those two hundred men, even if they were all bound together."

    "It''s not for my brother to keep those two hundred men safe, but for them to give their lives if necessary, to ensure that my brother doesn''t encounter the slightest harm. The knight can be sacrificed, the bishop can be lost, even the rook may be lost, but only the king must not die."

    "The one who can truly determine the outcome of the game is only the king... only the king! Hahahahaha! To fight for kingship!!!"

    Laughing loudly, he strode away, and from a distance, one could still hear his unrestrained singing:

    "Let millions weep, as the jade shatters and the spirit cannot find its way home, crying until dawn..."

    "This madman!" Xiandao Jingyin couldn''t help but curse, taking out a mobile phone to make a call.

    "Hello?"

    "I''ve spoken to him. He said he passed the paper effigy technique to Shenyuan Guang."

    "Yes, hmm... He must be confident, I guess; he seems intent on supporting his brother, not pretending."

    "Understood, we will have to see how the other side reacts."

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Two teams of Cultivators arrived at Amur City, where the leader of the witch coven, the "Faceless One" Anastasia, personally came to welcome them, preparing a lavish banquet and drinks for the Lu Country Cultivators.

    "No need for food," Yan Yu waved his hand, "Military matters are urgent, let''s hurry to Black Dragon Isle, fight, and head back."

    Anastasia was a bit astonished and looked at Anna.

    Anna could only go over to translate and explain that Lu Country was still wary and wanted to make it a swift battle, to avoid getting too entangled¡ªattacking Black Dragon Isle directly to force the Gilyak Bear People to send reinforcements was deemed the quickest solution.

    Although it was somewhat impolite, the Gilyak were indeed a pressing concern for the Amur witch coven, so Anastasia didn''t say much more, simply letting Anna explain the intelligence in Lu Country''s language.

    "The Gilyak Bear People are a branch of the Transcendent werewolf system, mainly originating from animal totem worship," Anna clapped her hands, and two witches brought up a captive bear person.

    The adversary was about two meters tall and extremely hairy when transformed, with arms thicker than the thighs of ordinary people; ordinary ropes simply couldn''t bind him. He was chained up with steel after having his hands and feet broken, pressed to the ground by two sturdy witches, still struggling unwillingly, with a ferocity in his eyes.

    "The threat of the bear people lies in their extremely strong defenses; it''s very difficult to kill them even in human form, and even more so once they''ve transformed," Anna took a handgun from a witch beside her and fired a shot at the bear person''s head.

    The bullet lodged in the adversary''s skull, failing to penetrate completely; the bone density was comparable to reinforced concrete, provoking him to struggle even more.

    "Next up, they have enormous strength." Anna handed the pistol back to her comrade, signaling them to take the captive away and execute him, "A direct hit from him means a fracture at the least, and more likely it''s goodbye to a part of your body."

    "Besides that, there''s the beast poison. If you get scratched or bitten by a bear person, it''s pretty much the same as with werewolves; you get infected and slowly start turning into a beast. The bear people are stronger than werewolves, though, so usually, you''d be dead before an infection could even become an issue."

    Yan Yu fell silent for a bit:

    "Strong defenses, huge strength, nothing else, right?"

    "That''s all." Was that not enough for Anna''s heart? It was like infantry coming up against a tank; if you can''t break the enemy''s defenses and they can one-shot you, what''s the damn point?

    "How many people are we talking about on the other side?" Ye Jun asked.

    "Roughly two thousand, not counting any secret forces," Anna replied, "Some of them are new Transcendents who survived the beast poison transformation; they might not be as strong as a regular bear person, but they''re no pushovers."

    "What about their distribution?" Liu Longtao inquired.

    "Half and half," Anna said, "Half are on Black Dragon Isle, the other half came over to the mainland... But we don''t have satellites or anything, we figured this out through divination, so make your own judgement."

    "Old Yan, the numbers she''s giving us are pretty much in line with what the Privy Council''s satellite group reported," Liu Longtao quietly conveyed to Yan Yu, "Actually, the majority of the enemy is concentrated in Sakhalinsk, probably around six or seven hundred people."

    "And the Mysterious Realm?" Yan Yu asked, not betraying any emotion.

    "The entrance to the Mysterious Realm we''re heading to is within an eastern lagoon, less than 30 kilometers in a straight line from the city," Liu Longtao replied.

    "So you''re saying, if we can''t deal with the Transcendents in the city, it''s very likely they''ll ambush us on our way into the Mysterious Realm, or even break in and interfere with our mission to slay generals and capture flags," Yan Yu mused.

    "Exactly, my idea is to have these witches launch an attack on the city, using a feint to tie the enemy forces down near the city," Liu Longtao suggested.

    "Bear people are close-combat tanks, witches excel at long-range control; in group combat, the latter might be at a disadvantage," Yan Yu had a sudden epiphany and said to Liu Longtao, "How about this, Old Liu, you stay in the city and support the witches in battle, and I''ll lead the team into the Mysterious Realm?"

    "Old Yan, that''s not very fair now, is it?" Liu Longtao quickly objected, since the words he wanted to say were taken right out of his mouth, "City warfare is so nasty, and the bear people are all tough as nails. I''d rather go fight in the Mysterious Realm against the Onmyoji."

    "We''ve got all girls here, and you''re a big, burly man¡ªcan''t you make some concessions?" Yan Yu urged earnestly, "Act like a man, don''t be so petty!"

    "F*ck, I''m a proponent of equality, emphasizing equality between the sexes, don''t you try that talk on me," Liu Longtao chuckled, "How about you ask your blonde sweetheart? Whichever team she wants for support, that team will stay outside and fight the bear people."

    "How could that work?" Yan Yu was definitely not going to agree to that; if Anna got to choose, wouldn''t the answer be obvious? She would definitely want to stay with her dear brother Yan Yu, "Anna, being an international friend and all, how could she be involved in the decision-making of the Lu Country''s teams? It wouldn''t be right, it''d break the rules."

    "International friend, my foot; she ran all the way to Jinling Prefecture just for you, and you''re telling me you''re just ordinary friends?" Liu Longtao teased, "Wow, talk about fickle. A girl travels thousands of miles to see you, and you can''t stay outside and keep her company?"

    Yan Yu took the boomerang of sarcasm silently, his expression unchanging:

    "The battlefield is no place for personal feelings. Having a distraction when life and death are on the line hampers rational decision-making. No, I can''t stay with her; I have to go fight in the Mysterious Realm."

    "Then what about your private relations with those golden hairpins in your team?"

    "Shut up, you Jing dog; don''t you slander my integrity!"

    The two were at each other''s throats over the transmission, and they got nowhere. Ye Jun, although unaware of the specifics of their argument, could guess they were at it again, sniping at each other, and impatiently conveyed:

    "Stop fighting, if you have a dispute, ask the Privy Council!"

    "Now that sounds good to me, I unequivocally support the decisions of the Privy Council," Liu Longtao grinned and pulled out his phone to call his dad.

    Yan Yu watched him from the corner of his eye, staying quietly aside.

    "Hello." Liu Longtao relayed the situation and at first, his face showed disbelief, then a "hold on, let me get this straight," and finally an expression of speechless defeat.

    What did that mean?

    Yan Yu was to lead the team to fight in the Mysterious Realm? And that was the will of whom?

 Chapter 40 Do Not Discuss Killing

    ```Consciousness plunged into an illusory dreamscape, encircled by countless fragments of memories, like flickering lights and fleeting shadows, with illusory sounds echoing endlessly in my ears.

    "Aim at the head and chest when you shoot! Yan Yu, what the hell are you shooting at?"

    "I''m aiming!"

    "Aim at your balls! You hit the target''s abdomen all over, wasting Impact Curse, do you know how much one Impact Curse costs? I said we need a quick kill! One shot to shatter the brain, to break the heart! If you hit the abdomen, you''re giving them time for emergency treatment, understand?"

    "Understood!"

    "Aim properly before you shoot! Damn, if Old Qiu were still here to see your crappy shooting, the coffin lid would pop open!"

    "Instructor Min, Instructor Qiu... what happened to him?"

    "Dead, that malicious attack in March, he foolishly gave his life to save a mother and daughter passing by the scene."

    "Was it done by an illegal cultivator?"

    "Stop asking. Right now, it''s more important that you train your basics well. Once you''re on the battlefield, don''t die easily, it''s more important than anything..."

    Important...

    What exactly is most important? The things I antagonize, the things I pursue, the things I protect, the things I''ve let go of¡­

    ...It''s innumerable.

    My consciousness rapidly surfaced from sleep, and Yan Yu slightly opened his eyes, feeling the terrain below swiftly receding beneath him.

    Am I practicing Sword Control?

    He instinctively reached behind him to adjust the spiritual energy storage device hanging at his waist, only to touch a soft pillow instead.

    "Ah!" Xie Ruoxi screamed.

    But luckily, Yan Yu''s reaction was quicker. The moment he realized something was wrong, he immediately let go and then understood he was caught up in the sword light with Xie Ruoxi.

    "What''s wrong?" he asked blankly.

    "You touched my..." Xie Ruoxi hesitated.

    "No, I meant what''s the situation right now... Oh." Yan Yu finally remembered.

    Having lived two lives was problematic in this respect: there were some memories he didn''t actually want to keep, but unfortunately, he couldn''t just forget them either. They would occasionally surface unbidden, assailing his consciousness and causing momentary absent-mindedness, even self-forgetfulness.

    "Sorry, I was half asleep just now," Yan Yu belatedly said, "I remember now. Before we set out, you guys said I''d used up too much True Yuan due to the continuous training, so I should rest and meditate to recover, and you would lead the way by performing Sword Flight, right?"

    "Yes, that''s right." Xie Ruoxi nodded timidly, feeling somewhat irritated but then a little delighted to think that Yan Yu had actually apologized to her.

    Yan Zhanlong actually apologized to me! Is apologizing not meant to be... well, common sense?

    No no no, Xiaoxi, don''t let the second dimension cloud your mind! Anyhow, I forgave him already, forgiving him is enough, right~ After all, I am a kind and gentle magical girl.

    Yan Yu, however, was unaware of the bizarre ideas spinning in her whimsical little head, and silently watched the scenery below.

    To fight killing with killing was never a good path, never was it so.

    But I no longer have any other path to take.

    Yan Yu closed his eyes once again.

    "Old Yan, we''ve arrived," Liu Longtao''s voice transmitted to him.

    "Mm," Yan Yu replied with closed eyes, "Ruoxi, let me down."

    "Oh, okay." Xie Ruoxi quickly unravelled the sword light, allowing the team captain to descend.

    Yan Yu opened his eyes mid-air and communicated to the girls via transmission:

    "I forgot to mention the Gilia bears earlier, let me add that."

    "The vital spots are the head and chest. Destroy the brain and heart with the Flying Sword for a fatal blow; there''s no need for anything else." sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Suddenly, within the night sky, the brilliance of Huang Tingjian''s sword light exploded to several times its original size, dazzling and astonishing!

    At the central junction of the city area, several untransformed Gilia people leaned against a jeep, smoking and staying up late while casually chatting:

    "It''s our Mysterious Realm, so why should we cede it to those Onmyoji?"

    "They''re exchanging help in fighting witches, it''s pretty normal."

    "What''s there to fear about witches? I''ve casually killed a couple before."

    "Witches aren''t scary, but what about the cultivators? Have you heard of Yan Zhanlong?"

    "Never heard of them. Stop kidding around. ''Zhanlong'' as in beheading a dragon, have you ever seen a dragon in this world?"

    ```

    "I''ve never seen the dragon of the East or the dragon of the West," he sneered, "I''ve only got one big dragon between my legs, which leaves the witches crying for their daddies and mamas, heh heh..."

    His voice had yet to fall when his perspective suddenly soared upwards.

    What is this...

    His final gaze landed, and he saw his headless body topple to the ground, while his companions were still clueless about what had happened...

    Was that a cultivator?

    Yan Yu, who had dropped amidst the crowd from the sword light, glanced indifferently at him and reversed his hand to conjure another sword technique.

    Run...

    He desperately wanted to cry out to his companions, but no words could be summoned; his consciousness swiftly plunged into the profound darkness.

    Yan Yu led the way into the city center street entrance, similarly catching the eye of those still in sword flight, instantly provoking a wave of attention.

    "Holy shit, Yan''s losing it!" Liu Longtao blurted out instinctively, "Going for the kill secure!"

    Before his words could drop, Yan Yu had already swiftly retreated, and the surrounding Giliya people were just starting to react, beginning to transform into bear people. Suddenly, the Huang Tingjian''s sword light pierced through a nearby car.

    The fuel tank exploded!

    The shockwave flipped the bear people on the ground, while Yan Yu closed in on one of them like lightning.

    Foot stomp!

    The Wood Bending Charm-augmented foot stomp instantly crushed the opponent''s ribs, and the protected heart was smashed to pieces.

    The Huang Tingjian simultaneously executed a ferocious spin slice, decapitating another bear person¡ªThe heavy sword had a natural advantage against these tank-type Transcendents.

    In the blink of an eye, only one of the four Giliya bear people remained... The last one scrambled to his feet, already in robust bear form, fleeing desperately towards the distance, completely bereft of the courage to continue fighting.

    Liu Longtao and the others landed from their sword light, just in time to see Yan Yu snap his fingers; the Huang Tingjian ferociously chased down the fleeing soldier, bursting his head open.

    "Yan''s killing them so fast," Liu Longtao complained, "We might as well leave this whole area for you to handle!"

    "You guys hold this area down," Yan Yu wasn''t in the mood to banter with him, "The witches will be here soon."

    The Amur witches could also fly, but their steed was a broom, slower than the cultivators'' sword flight, and since they flew low, they were easy targets for gunshot injuries and casualties. Therefore, it was crucial for Lord Master''s team to initiate the situation, drawing the main force of the enemy army in the city to them, so the witches could descend to join the fight.

    "Alright, we''ve got it," Liu Longtao agreed.

    "Be careful, Team Leader Yan," Ye Jun also cautioned.

    A perfectly normal remark, yet Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun started whispering secretly via transmitted voices:

    "Hey, why did Ye Jun say ''be careful'' especially to Yan Yu?"

    "Last time Team Leader Yan mentioned Ye Jun on a call with our captain! Maybe there''s something between them..."

    "Stop talking nonsense," Ye Jun''s transmitted voice suddenly interjected, "Both battlefronts are outnumbered here. We have my Xuan Guang Ruler for defense on our side, while they lack such measures¡ªthat''s why it was merely a friendly reminder."

    "Ye Jun," Guo Feiyun hurriedly defended, "I was discussing with him what to have for dinner tonight, didn''t bring up you and Yan Zhanlong at all."

    "Heh, I hope so," Ye Jun didn''t believe them, but since they refused to admit it, she simply let the matter slide and dropped it.

    Yan Yu led his six team members back into sword flight, heading towards the Eastern Lagoon where the entrance to the Mysterious Realm was.

    "Everybody turn on your cameras and do the lens calibration," Yan Yu instructed.

    So everyone took out their cameras, carefully placing them on their chests.

    This battle was not to be broadcast publicly, but for military intelligence analysis by the Privy Council.

    The reason was the strict and ruthless confidentiality rules of the Yin Yang Bureau, which resulted in scarce information on the Onmyoji''s side.

    The only intelligence they had was from the previous battle by the Dragon Soar Team in Ezo, where they discovered the life-saving technique of using paper dolls as substitutes¡ªa practice that made the Privy Council particularly vigilant and concerned, urgently necessitating further intelligence gathering.

    "Does something seem to upset you?" Chen Lingyun asked Yan Yu directly while doing the camera calibration.

    "Indeed," Su Yunjin also expressed concern, "Team Leader, your aura seems a bit low. Do you need to rest a bit?"

    "No need, there''s no time," Yan Yu put away his lingering thoughts, shaking his head to decline, "We need to kill them all quickly... Is the calibration done?"

    "Done," the girls responded in unison.

    "Zhenhai Team reporting!" Yan Yu pressed a button on the side of the camera, directing his sight and Divine Sense into the distance, declaring briskly, "My unit is about to reach the Mysterious Realm!"

    "Privy Council... received," the built-in satellite communicator within the camera returned with a distinctly crackling and hoarse voice amidst the static noise¡ªnot entirely clear due to unknown signal interference, but adding a measure of solemnity and reverence, "Privy Council... hereby authorizes Zhenhai Team, during this overseas operation..."

    "...to prioritize taking down enemy leaders and seizing their banners... Team Leader Yan Yu is granted authority for wartime decisions..."

    "...Involving all matters... regardless of nationality, identity, numbers, whether they surrender... not protected by international conventions, if necessary..."

    "...Kill without discussion."

 Chapter 41 Longcheng Flying General

    Xiaguansuo, Yin Yang Bureau headquarters.Five eminent figures were already seated inside the secret chamber, staring at the command display on the wall.

    Thanks to the cross-border live broadcast technology of the Superhero Alliance, the Yin Yang Bureau could also observe the movements of Transcendents within the Mysterious Realm.

    However, due to conservative habits, they chose not to broadcast it publicly to exploit commercial profits but simply used it for internal military surveillance and battle analysis.

    This time, the team was led by Shenyuan Guang, who was nicknamed by his colleagues as the "Fifth Demon King"¡ªamong the generation of "Generals," he was the most hopeful candidate to step into the ranking of "The Four Great Demon Kings," as a nearly top-tier Onmyoji.

    In fact, the bigwigs also hoped that Shenyuan Guang could enter the "Demon King Sequence," as the current "Four Great Demon Kings" indeed had their own issues.

    Shenyuan Simie need not be mentioned, purely a bastard, completely uncontrollable and unmanageable, constantly causing malignant incidents, which disgusted the higher-ups.

    Chusei Daiga spent all his time lazing around, always finding excuses to shirk duties, with his catchphrase being, "Why isn''t it time for a vacation yet?" The bigwigs disliked him as well.

    Weizong Yilang, a samurai-spirit inheriting Onmyoji, was rigid and dull, without the vices of the above two, but he was already in his early forties, presumably with limited potential.

    Xiandao Jingyin was serious and responsible in her duties, meticulous in her attitude, the type most appreciated by the higher-ups. The problem was that she was female, and the style of the Yin Yang Bureau was extremely traditional and conservative, and although they wouldn''t admit it openly, they did not really allow female Onmyoji to become "Chief."

    Therefore, if the "Fifth Demon King" could achieve a remarkable feat in the Black Dragon Isle Mysterious Realm, the higher-ups would have a reason to truly promote him into the "Demon King Hierarchy" and even to support Shenyuan Guang to become the Chief like Park Changmin was to the Pear Blossom Swordsmanship Academy, to become a model and leader for all the grass-roots Onmyoji¡ªsetting up an ostensibly clear goal for them to strive for.

    Of course, Shenyuan Guang came from one of the Three Imperial Families, the Shinyori Clan, considered as "one of their own" by the higher-ups, which was also a very important key. Even the head of the Shinyori family had used his resources to pick 200 capable men from the Yin Yang Bureau headquarters to escort him, which was already an act of serious overreach...

    One should know that even when Shenyuan Simie faced Rikoku''s Dragon Soar Team in the Battle of Ezo, he only brought about a dozen people.

    One great advantage of having numerous people was that the realm could be conquered swiftly.

    The structure of the Mysterious Realm was very simple, and the environment seemed to be the summit of Cloud Top Peak. The gatekeeper was a giant deity with three heads and six arms, respectively holding the Demon-Subduing Pestle, Demon-Subduing Awl, Demon-Subduing Sword, Demon-Subduing Tower, the Demon-Subduing Dharma Seal, and the Demon-Subduing Vase, sweeping away a large area with each attack.

    Nevertheless, with the numerous Onmyoji on their side and after sacrificing about a dozen lives, they finally gained an understanding of the opponent''s attack patterns.

    Continuing at this pace, as long as there was no external interference, they should be able to successfully slay the gatekeeper.

    At the same time, in the Privy Council across the sea, the central control center was also in urgent operation, with numerous communications officers, electronic communication experts, and data processing experts all in place.

    The central control center is typically activated under three circumstances: a highest-level strategic exercise, an extraordinary disaster relief command, or the launch of a space flight vehicle. Now, a fourth situation had arisen: the Zhenghai Team conquest of the Mysterious Realm.

    Six huge screens hung on the wall, corresponding to the cameras of Yan Yu, Chen Lingyun, Zhao Yuanzhen, Lin Ning, Su Yunjin, and Xie Ruoxi, showing them attacking the defensive camp near the entrance to the Mysterious Realm.

    Li Weiguo was sitting in the back row, pensively staring at the screens in front (mainly observing Yan Yu''s perspective), when he suddenly stood up and looked behind him.

    Accompanied by a crowd of people, Chen Tianming walked into the central control center with an elderly man.

    The elder came to Li Weiguo''s side, glanced at the screens on the wall, and smiled as he asked,

    "Old Li, how are things going?"

    "We''re about to reach the entrance to the Mysterious Realm," Li Weiguo said gravely, "The Yin Yang Bureau is in a hurry, making an agreement with Gilliard in the afternoon and dispatching a team in the evening. We''re urging the Zhenghai Team to advance quickly..."

    "There''s no need to urge them," the elder sat down on the bench, smiling, "The general on the field doesn''t have to adhere to all of the monarch''s commands. Directing the frontlines from the rear is a taboo, Yan Yu, this young comrade, is quite reliable. To my knowledge, since his debut, he has never been defeated, right?"

    "Yes," Chen Tianming said with a smile, standing beside him, "He has maintained a perfect victory record so far."

    "A general victorious in every battle," the elder nodded with emotion, "To have such a famous general emerge in chaotic times is the greatest fortune in this era."

    Amid laughter, the scene on the screen showed Yan Yu finally carving a path and shouting,

    "Everyone, get in! Zhao, Lin, Su, Chen, Xie!"

    Zhao Yuanzhen was the first to rush into the Mysterious Realm, followed by Lin Ning, Su Yunjin, Chen Lingyun, and Xie Ruoxi, with Yan Yu bringing up the rear. The backgrounds on the six screens changed in turn.

    Cloud Top.

    No matter which screen one viewed, the distant backdrop was an endless sea of clouds.

    At the Cloud Top surrounded by the sea, which resembled an isolated island, there hovered a six-armed Demon God with three heads, furiously attacking groups of Onmyoji around it.

    Its attacks were terrifying, such as the sweeping Demon-Subduing Sword and the striking Demon-Subduing Pestle. Even the purely physical attacks could churn the sea of clouds, overturn heaven and earth, and wreak havoc on the Onmyoji, forcing them into a sorry state.

    Everyone gathered at the edge of the battlefield, appearing without drawing the Six-Armed Demon God''s attention. The Onmyoji had previously arranged sentries to keep watch. It wasn''t long before they spotted the presence of the Rikoku Cultivators in the distance.

    One sentry released a Thousand Paper Cranes, which swiftly traversed a long trajectory and arrived before Shenyuan Guang. It then spontaneously ignited:

    "Cultivators, seven-thirty direction, 210 meters, 6 people, Yan Zhanlong..."

    A raspy, grating voice emerged from the flames, persisting until the Thousand Paper Cranes was completely consumed.

    "Should we respond?" asked Sato Akihide, the deputy.

    "Ignore them," Shenyuan Guang said coldly.

    As long as he could take the initiative to kill generals and capture flags, gaining control of the Mysterious Realm''s core, he could use his subordinates'' willingness to fight to the death to buy time, while he took the opportunity to fully refine the core.

    On the other hand, if they turned back to split their forces to fight the Rikoku Cultivators, not to mention whether they would be able to take them down, it would surely slow the progress of their efforts to kill generals and capture flags.

    Securing this Mysterious Realm for the Yin Yang Bureau was the only thing Shenyuan Guang was considering at the moment, just as a chess player focuses solely on winning the game. As for the lives of other Onmyoji, they were merely pieces to be placed on the chessboard.

    Seeing no response from the Onmyoji, Chen Lingyun narrowed her eyes and swept her Divine Sense across the Six-Armed Demon God. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    With her sharp mind, she immediately came up with two options. One was to cooperate with the gatekeeper in a pincer attack on the Onmyoji.

    The cost would be, once the Cultivators stepped onto the battlefield, they would not only face the Onmyoji''s counterattack but would also be hit by the gatekeeper''s wide-range bombardment ¡ª after all, the Six-Armed Demon God wouldn''t play complex strategies; they would all be attacked indiscriminately.

    The second option was to stay on the sufficiently safe outskirts, harrying the enemy and killing as many as possible while mainly using the gatekeeper to wear down the Onmyoji''s strength.

    For Chen Lingyun, she naturally favored the second plan. Why go in for a forceful kill when she could weaken the enemy from a safe distance?

    But the current team leader was not her... Chen Lingyun asked with a smile:

    "What do you think?"

    "Go in and kill!" Yan Yu said without hesitation.

    Chen Lingyun: ..........

    "How exactly shall we do this?" she asked lightly.

    "You command, I''ll support," Yan Yu said quickly.

    "You''re going to operate outside the command system of the battlefield again?" Chen Lingyun teased with a smile.

    "What do you mean ''operate outside the command system of the battlefield''?" Yan Yu immediately corrected her, "It''s about maximizing my strength without being held back by you guys!"

    In the command center behind the lines, listening to the captain and vice-captain of the Zhenhai Team bicker, all the experts present were struggling to keep a straight face.

    If the leaders weren''t here, they could''ve exchanged a smile and made light-hearted jokes like "Ah, youth is wonderful," but the situation was such that everyone''s leader, the leader''s leader, and the leader''s leader''s leader... were all sitting right behind them!

    Li Weiguo also felt a bit awkward, but Chen Tianming remained composed, smiling at the elders:

    "Engaging a superior force without changing color, to steady the troops'' hearts. You''re absolutely right, that youngster Yan Yu does have the air of a great general."

    A few seemingly casual remarks had turned Yan Yu and his daughter''s petty squabble into a sign of "fearlessness in the face of danger" and "steadying people''s hearts," which was just another day''s work for Chen Tianming.

    "Hmm," the elder said with a chuckle, "If we could get another rousing victory next, why not bestow upon him the title of great general? Why not?"

    "Absolutely not!" Li Weiguo hastily objected, "He doesn''t qualify."

    If it were simply a matter of fabrication, that''s one thing; after all, you make the rules. But we indeed have a "great general" medal in reality, which only military officers who have commanded large-scale battles to victory can receive ¨C That fellow Yan Yu has only led a team of five or six people; how could he possibly be awarded the title of great general?

    Mentioning it out loud would surely invite criticism.

    "Hmm," the elder also realized it wasn''t appropriate and turned to ask Chen Tianming, "What do you think?"

    "He was previously known by the nickname ''Yan Zhanlong,''" Chen Tianming said with a faint smile, "How about we combine the two? If he wins this time, let''s confer upon him the title of ''Longcheng Flying General.'' What do you say?"

    "Longcheng Flying General," the elder murmured, momentarily lost in thought, "But it will be as if the Longcheng Flying General is present."

    "Good! Let''s do that," he quickly regained focus. A fleeting sharpness seemed to pass through his somewhat hazy eyes, and his tone became indisputable, "If he defeats these Onmyoji, let''s have the Privy Council create a martial honor and bestow upon him the title of ''Longcheng Flying General''!"

 Chapter 42 Shark

    ```Messages from outside the Mysterious Realm couldn''t be transmitted into it.

    Therefore, Yan Yu had no idea that his title of "Yan Zhanlong" wouldn''t hang around for long and was soon to be changed to "Yan Fei Jiang."

    Of course, even if he had known, he wouldn''t have objected. At most he would have sighed and said, "My titles change too swiftly!"

    Putting the matter of titles aside for now, there were still many people he needed to shark.

    Suddenly engaging in Sword Flight, Yan Yu transformed into a torrential sword light as he swiftly swept over the battlefield.

    Shenyuan Guang? I remember this person was Shenyuan''s brother, it seems. In my past life, he was killed by Lord Master.

    But the problem is, based on my previous life''s experience, those who got involved with that brat basically never had a good end.

    Yan Yu''s sword light suddenly plunged down, aiming straight for Shenyuan Guang at the center of the battlefield!

    "Careful!" Deputy commander Sato Akihide hurried to protect his charge, stepping in front of Shenyuan Guang, his body sinking slightly, right hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist, ready to draw his blade and slash out at any moment.

    The sword light was heading straight for Shenyuan Guang, the intense murderous intent almost making Sato Akihide''s hairs stand on end.

    In an instant, his arm burst forth with power from a stationary position, his blade drawn to meet the incoming sword light directly!

    Samurai might not be able to control swords, but their sword-drawing also had a bright and dazzling light. Their extraordinary power surged along the blade, granting this sword slash the mighty force needed to block techniques of Sword Control!

    However, the moment the sword edge swung out, Sato Akihide felt something was wrong because he didn''t feel the sensation of the blade striking flesh.

    Just as Yan Yu was about to enter his attack range, he suddenly shifted angle slightly, so that he just "brushed past" the edge of his sword light, killing past his left side instead.

    Behind him, the cries of his comrades resounded. Sato Akihide quickly turned around, only to see two Onmyoji collapsed on the ground, the Huang Tingjian having slit one''s throat and then pierced through the head of the other.

    Sato Akihide''s eyes nearly burst with rage. Being chosen as Shenyuan Guang''s deputy commander, he naturally had a basic tactical awareness. He immediately realized that these two weren''t killed instantly due to being weak...

    but because the opponent took advantage of the last moment to make an emergency change of direction, using the bright light of his own drawn sword as cover, rendering their comrades unable to see the sword light''s change in direction clearly!

    Once the sword light separated from the sword glare, and everyone could see where the sword light was headed, it was too late to respond urgently.

    Yan Zhanlong was indeed cunning and sly, actually making use of my sword-draw!

    The rules of the Yin Yang Bureau were "absolute supremacy of pure strength". So, theoretically, Sato Akihide shouldn''t think that the enemy was too cunning and sly, but he couldn''t help having such a thought involuntarily.

    Yan Yu on the other side easily killed two people, turned his head expressionlessly, not bothering to speak any scornful words, and again turned into sword light to continue the killing.

    Sato Akihide thought that this time he couldn''t make the same mistake. He had to replace drawing his sword with dodging, so as not to affect his comrades'' line of sight in catching the sword light... No, he must not move! S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Shenyuan Guang was intently commanding his Shikigami to attack the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper. If Yan Zhanlong didn''t alter his sword path this time and killed through the space from which he dodged, what then?

    In the blink of an eye, between the lives of his comrades and the safety of Shenyuan Guang, Sato Akihide subconsciously chose the latter.

    What followed was a sense of powerlessness, a furious rage from having his weakness completely perceived by the opponent.

    Swallowing his humiliation and rage, he drew his sword with all his might. As he was about to meet the incoming sword light, suddenly he stepped forward, and the sword light instantly surged forward again.

    Yet, he still struck emptiness.

    Sato Akihide''s cunning was ineffective. Yan Yu reacted in advance and shifted his sword path, still brushing past his sword glare, now targeting three Onmyoji to his right.

    Having witnessed the tragic fate of their two comrades, these three had already prepared to defend themselves the moment the sword light rushed toward Sato Akihide.

    But even on guard, they were still dazzled by the sword glare, slow to react for a moment, and their options for response were limited.

    The ninja to the left threw a smoke bomb at his feet, his hands forming rapid signs, the mist spreading instantly.

    This mist not only obscured vision but even blocked the divine sense of cultivators. Yet, Yan Yu''s sword light hesitated not one bit as it plunged into the fog before veering out to stab through the chest of the Onmyoji on the right, blood spraying wildly!

    The momentum of the sword light unabated, it thrust directly towards the Samurai standing at the rear.

    The Samurai braced himself, not budging or dodging, concentrated his energy, and roared as he drew his sword to face the Huang Tingjian''s sword light head-on. But in the end, the gap in cultivation realms was too large, and he was struck head-on by Yan Yu, who shattered his sword and sliced both the man and his weapon in twain.

    ```

    Behind the sword light, with no one to spur it on, the bewildering smoke had already dissipated, revealing the corpse of the ninja with his throat slit, crumpled on the ground.

    The surrounding Onmyoji, upon seeing this, were all shaken to their core, their expressions revealing indescribable horror, some even involuntarily felt the impulse to flee.

    This gap in strength... there''s absolutely no way we can win!

    Of course, escaping was not an option. The rules within the Yin Yang Bureau were strict; deserters, even if they survived, would be captured and executed.

    Thus, without needing Sato Akihide to give any orders, everyone around him let out an enraged shout and, disregarding the six-armed demon god, focused all sorts of attacks on Yan Zhanlong.

    It''s a fight to the death!

    Yan Yu instantly increased his ethereal movement, dashing to the right of an Onmyoji''s body that hadn''t completely hit the ground, grabbed her shoulder, and swiftly spun around, blocking all incoming shuriken and crossbow bolts, then transformed into a streak of sword light speeding off, shifting quickly to the left, causing all the spell attacks to trail behind him on the right side.

    The Onmyoji hurriedly calculated where to aim next, setting their sights on his anticipated path. But Yan Yu seemed to have predicted this, suddenly defying physics with an instantaneous change of direction to the right, once again leaving all the attacks behind him.

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    "Use area-of-effect spells!" someone shouted.

    The Onmyoji who specialized in spells snapped out of their daze, about to quickly unleash massive area spells for indiscriminate bombardment, when they saw Yan Yu abruptly change direction and charge again, heading for the third time towards Sato Akihide... and Shenyuan Guang behind him.

    Shenyuan Guang was still focused on directing his Shikigami to slay, leaving Sato Akihide no choice but to bellow furiously, drawing his sword for the third time in a flying slash!

    Before the sword light could clash with the blade light, a whirling torrent suddenly spun beneath their feet, wrapping around Sato Akihide in an instant, tossing and turning him up into the sky!

    Rolling back time by about ten seconds, Yang Yu, without a word, left behind the phrase "I won''t be held back by you" and directly initiated sword flight into the sky, leaving the girls feeling somewhat indignant.

    Sure, we can''t beat you! But to say we''re "holding you back" is an exaggeration, isn''t it?

    Someone like Zhao Yuanzhen, who couldn''t stand the slightest provocation, had already taken mental note of this in her heart, vowing revenge in the future... No, wrong! She wanted revenge now! She was going to make sure blood flowed like rivers!

    "Ling Yun!" she called out fiercely.

    "Let''s go too," Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    "Let''s go!" the girls cried out in unison, sharing a common enemy.

    "Lin, go left one, Zhao, go right one," Chen Lingyun quickly said, "Ruoxi, you learn first, you''ll join later."

    Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen rapidly surged forward with ethereal movement, alerting the surrounding Onmyoji, who quickly redirected their firepower from the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper to these two girls charging in front.

    A ninja aimed a shuriken at Lin Ning with his right hand, while his left hand swiftly formed a seal. The shuriken split into two, then four, then eight... in an instant it exploded into more than a hundred, densely packed like a hail of arrows, filling all the space around her, sealing off her escape.

    Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique! Although it''s seen as a novice move in anime, the blades were all imbued with corrosive, potent poison, meant to counteract the defense of the Rikoku Cultivators'' Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse.

    But Lin Ning was no ordinary cultivator; her Divine Sense immediately detected the anomaly, and the light from the Green Bamboo Sword burst forth, rapidly swirling around her and propelling her into the sky, evading the rain of blades while fiercely attacking the ninja who unleashed it from behind.

    That ninja hadn''t expected the existence of Sword Flight, a novelty that had only recently appeared; in a panic, he threw down a smoke screen at his feet, and the purple mist quickly spread, completely obscuring his form.

    "Left," Chen Lingyun transmitted her voice individually.

    The azure sword light instantly plunged from the sky, and suddenly, a figure burst from the left side of the smoke¡ªChen Lingyun had directed several invisible dogs to charge into the mist, colliding with the ninja caught off guard and knocking him out into the open¡ªLin Ning did not hesitate to execute a sword flight slash, piercing his chest in an instant.

    To the right, Zhao Yuanzhen faced off against a brawny, well-built samurai, with muscles as strong as those of a Body Cultivating Cultivator from Lu Country, possessing exceptional defense.

    The opponent had already set himself, ready to draw his sword for a head-on clash with the Demonic Sect Enchantress, when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his back.

    Su Yunjin quietly executed Lang Feiyun''s spell, creating a torrent of water that materialized out of thin air, turning into a high-pressure water jet that pushed the samurai from behind. In his confusion, he managed to swing his sword, only to have Zhao Yuanzhen grab his wrist, the power of Curved Curse enhancing her strength, and with a great swing, she spun him up into the air.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress demonstrated astonishing combat wisdom. Having been frequently beaten up close by Yan Yu during training, she had mastered the fighting techniques of the Yan family. First, she spun the samurai around, using him to block the incoming attacks aimed at her, and then with a forceful throw, she hurled him upwards as her left hand quickly changed into a sword technique.

    The Yin Wind Sword whistled down like a vengeful spirit seeking lives, chopping down at the samurai with countless strikes... in an instant, it wasn''t clear how many times she had slashed, but the samurai''s body erupted with blood, shaking violently, as he was cut from the air and slammed to the ground.

    Before he could recover, the sword light pierced through his chest, passing straight through his heart, pinning him dead to the earth.

    Although Su Yunjin had supported Zhao Yuanzhen, she kept a constant watch on Yan Yu''s situation. Suddenly, she turned around and gave Sato Akihide a surprise attack¡ªJiaochong immediately surged, lifting him high into the sky.

    "Stay focused," Chen Lingyun transmitted, "You don''t need to worry about him."

    "Sure," replied Su Yunjin casually, turning back around.

 Chapter 43 Shark Shark

    Su Yunjin suddenly made her move, helping Yan Yu to get rid of Sato Akihide, which was completely beyond his expectations.The light of the Huang Tingjian continued to attack Shenyuan Guang, who could no longer continue his assault on the goalkeeper. He pinched a piece of talisman paper between his fingers, which spontaneously caught fire without wind, and a samurai with hair styled in a crescent moon chonmage burst forth from the void, wielding his blade like a ghost or deity, slashing at the sword-light.

    Battle Ghost!

    Yan Yu stopped his Sword Flight, directing the Huang Tingjian to entangle with the Battle Ghost Samurai. With the boost of a divine step, he continued to surge forward, his speed not faltering in the least.

    Shenyuan Guang sneered in contempt, "You can fight on two fronts, with your sword separated from your body, do you think I cannot?"

    We Onmyoji who specialize in the Shikigami Style! What we fear least is fighting on multiple fronts!

    He pinched another piece of talisman paper between his fingers, gently shook it, and it spontaneously combusted without wind, summoning another monster with a long nose, a blue face, and wings at its sides, wielding a curved blade to meet Yan Yu head-on.

    Great Tengu!

    Whether it''s the Battle Ghost or the Great Tengu, they are both high-order Shikigami that ordinary Onmyoji cannot obtain. If there''s an Onmyoji commanding behind them, each one has about 0.8-0.9 ''Ning'' of combat power.

    On Yan Yu''s end, the divine steps propelled him quickly forward, changing direction and leaping on the clouds; with two quick turns, he moved lightning-fast to appear behind the Great Tengu.

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    Curved Curse Punch.

    Despite the enormous size of the Great Tengu, it turned with exceptional agility, spinning urgently and using the back of its blade to block, retreating half a step from Yan Yu''s Curved Curse Punch. In a flapping of its wings, it regained its balance and counterattacked with a swift and fierce slash!

    In the headquarters of the Yin Yang Bureau, an official watching the screen revealed a composed and faint smile, commenting, "Not bad. If Shenyuan Guang can tie with Yan Zhanlong, he''ll also be eligible for promotion to the Demon King ranking upon his return."

    "If there is any dissension, just let them watch this recording and ask if they can withstand Yan Zhanlong''s offense," another official added.

    The other three officials exchanged glances, each with a sneer in their hearts, not convinced.

    It was clear to any discerning eye that Shenyuan Guang could withstand Yan Zhanlong''s assault mainly because he relied on the combat power of two high-order Shikigami¡ªindeed, the Shenyuan family head really went all in this time. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    There''s no need to elaborate on the mighty and strong Great Tengu, as ordinary Onmyoji can''t even afford to maintain a common Tengu Shikigami. As for the Battle Ghost... judging from the style of the armor and the crest, it seemed to be a samurai from the Heike clan in life, also the best battle ghost one could find in the world.

    The combat power of a Shikigami Style Onmyoji highly depends on the rank of the Shikigami itself. Shenyuan Guang''s own cultivation wasn''t low, and now with two high-order Shikigami, it seemed reasonable that he could hold off Yan Zhanlong.

    Good, very good, once Shenyuan Guang returns victorious, we will grant him the title of "Demon King" based on this battle, and support him to become the head of this Yin Yang Bureau!

    Just as the higher-ups were exchanging glances and reaching an unspoken consensus, there was a sudden change in the situation on the field.

    Chen Lingyun and her group were still fighting the Onmyoji on the periphery, apparently in grave danger, but in reality, they steadily progressed¡ªthanks to Shenyuan Guang''s order, most of the Onmyoji were still focusing on attacking the Six-Armed Demon God at the center of the cloud peak; otherwise, even if only half of them came over, they would have overwhelmed these girls long ago.

    Of course, a more likely scenario was the Demonic Sect Enchantress going, "I''m done pretending," and then starting a massacre...

    Let''s not talk about them for now. On Yan Yu''s end, he was exchanging blows with the Great Tengu, attacking with Curved Curses, defending with Barrier Charms, charging with divine steps, and halting abruptly with leaps on the clouds. He and the Great Tengu exchanged offense and defense, each giving as good as they got.

    Even if he could occasionally spare a moment to shoot an Impact Curse at Shenyuan Guang, it was easily sidestepped by the latter.

    Shenyuan Guang continued to command the Great Tengu with ease, keeping Yan Yu tightly entangled and unable to escape, thinking with scorn and disdain:

    What so-called Lu Country''s Yan Zhanlong, is this all? Still just on par with my Shikigami...

    Huh?

    Wait, what''s wrong with my Shikigami?

    Feeling an unusual sense of loss in his consciousness, Shenyuan Guang abruptly turned his head only to see that the Heike Battle Ghost on the other side had been directly blown up by the Huang Tingjian!

    Without their master''s commands, Shikigami can still fight on their own, but their intelligence is limited after all... Shenyuan Guang was merely distracted for a moment on the side of the Great Tengu, how did the Battle Ghost''s line collapse so suddenly?

    Before he could recover from his shock, he saw the Huang Tingjian turn into sword-light again, shooting straight towards him!

    This sword-light, so much like a celestial being flying across the sky, truly scared Shenyuan Guang out of his wits, nearly costing him six of his seven souls!

    The Flying Sword''s speed was as fast as thunder, its lightning flashes gave him no time to think of anything else, and he hurriedly shook his sleeve to produce another talisman paper.

    Homura!

    The flames stretched out in the air, quickly forming a massive bird with a corporeal form, radiant and breathtaking, its flames blazing fiercely. Under the rushed command of Shenyuan Guang, it managed to firmly intercept the Huang Tingjian.

    The sword light, blocked by the firebird, struggled in vain to break through the defense, allowing Shenyuan Guang to finally breathe a sigh of relief.

    When he returned his attention to Yan Yu, he almost vomited blood:

    In the few seconds he was distracted commanding the Homura, Yan Yu had already broken the samurai''s sword-wielding wrist, and then smashed his head to pieces with a punch!

    Saving the left flank led to the collapse of the right, and saving the right flank led to the collapse of the left¡ªhow could they continue fighting like this?

    Shenyuan Guang was already breaking out in a cold sweat. Turning to look for his deputy Sato Akihide, he saw Sato briefly running his way until a flood, which seemed to appear from nowhere, engulfed and swept him away, pushing him far off again.

    Su Yunjin, though mainly responsible for bolstering Zhao Yuanzhen''s output, felt the Demonic Sect Enchantress''s killer instinct kick in stronger as she killed. She became more fierce and unimpeded, occasionally diverting her attention to help her captain clear the battlefield around Yan Yu.

    As a samurai, Sato Akihide was not weak, but his skills were all brute strength; against the intangible yet overwhelmingly difficult to defend flood, he was utterly frustrated. Unable to cut through or escape it, he had no choice but to let the flood sweep him further and further away...

    Seeing that his bodyguard was no help, Shenyuan Guang could only grit his teeth and summon two more Shikigami with both hands, sending them to intercept both the Huang Tingjian and Yan Yu, one on each side.

    However, his strongest Shikigami were the Taira Clan''s Battle Ghost and the Great Tengu. Now that both kings had perished, how could the remaining Shikigami hold their own?

    As he split his attention to the right flank, the left was breached by the Huang Tingjian; when he switched to the left, the right was utterly destroyed by Yan Yu. Man and sword unstoppable, his Shikigami were mostly slaughtered, rapidly closing in on Shenyuan Guang himself.

    "I hear those who play with Shikigami are best at multitasking?" Yan Yu said with a smile, sending off a Shikigami and rushing towards Shenyuan Guang.

    His words were spoken in the language of Lu Country, which Shenyuan Guang couldn''t understand, nor did he have time to think about it, because Yan Yu''s palm had already split open his chest, the Curved Curse''s reinforced strength ejecting, crushing his heart directly.

    As Shenyuan Guang''s screen turned black, silence fell in the headquarters of the Yin Yang Bureau, where five important figures sat.

    Especially the two who had spoken of "supporting Shenyuan Guang as the fifth Demon King" found themselves pale with rage, completely speechless.

    Tie with Yan Zhanlong?

    It was already a miracle he survived!

    Shenyuan Guang''s corpse fell to the ground, and the next second it transformed into a deflated paper effigy.

    Yan Yu''s cold gaze swept over the arena. He saw Shenyuan Guang reappear far away, clutching his chest where he''d been hit, his expression weak, annoyed, and resentful.

    "Kill him!" he roared in the language of the Cherry Blossoms, his face contorted and voice spent, "Forget the goalkeepers! Everyone go kill Yan Zhanlong!"

    Hearing this, all the Onmyoji paused, then rapidly shifted direction, charging crazily towards Yan Yu.

    A hundred or so people charging at him, magic, sharp weapons, and Shikigami covering the sky and earth like a vast, surging river¡ªbut Yan Yu laughed instead of showing any fear.

    He leaped into the air, merging with the sword light. Sword Flight cleaved downwards, aiming for the central Six-Armed Demon God!

    The Six-Armed Demon God''s attacks were terrifying; even the most robust samurai dared not approach, for a close-range swipe from its Demon-Subduing Sword would leave one unable to dodge because of the short distance, likely splitting them in half on the spot.

    Yet the blazing speed of Yan Yu''s Huang Tingjian left him with no concern of being unable to dodge. The sword light dipped suddenly, slipping beneath the Demon-Subduing Pestle''s swing and the attacks of countless Onmyoji from behind, then rushed upwards again like a heaven-shaking white rainbow piercing the sun, striking the Demon God''s third eye right in the forehead!

    This white rainbow piercing move was merely a regular Sword Flight, not the more advanced Sword-Body Union, but the accuracy was so exact, hitting the middle of the eye''s pupil, that the Six-Armed Demon God cried out in agony.

    Suddenly, it raised the Demon-Subduing Dharma Seal and the Demon-Subduing Dharma Vase, smashing the Demon-Subduing Sword and Demon-Subduing Tower to the ground in mayhem, while raising the Demon-Subduing Stupa high to aim at Yan Yu, another hand slamming the Demon-Subduing Pestle down!

    Yan Yu had already retreated swiftly, his sword light plunging into the crowd of pursuing Onmyoji.

    Before they could react, the Demon-Subduing Tower was forcefully smashed down, turning seven or eight Onmyoji around it into nothing but mangled flesh.

    The Huang Tingjian''s sword light shot out from the shockwave, closely followed by the slicing Demon-Subduing Sword, forcing the Onmyoji to halt and use their divine powers to dodge the sword strikes. Yan Yu didn''t slow down, pressing toward Shenyuan Guang yet again, his expression amiable and his teeth bared in a smile.

    His grin was radiant, but Shenyuan Guang was terrified as if he had seen a ghost, and before he could react, his body was seized and thrown by Yan Yu towards the direction of the Demon-Subduing Stupa.

    The Demon-Subduing Pestle slammed down onto the Demon-Subduing Stupa, immediately unleashing endless lightning bolts, transforming into sentient, tracking lightning serpents with bared fangs lunging towards Yan Yu. Midway, however, they were struck by the hurled Shenyuan Guang, instantly erupting into a vast display of lightning radiance!

 Chapter 44 Shark Shark Shark

    ```Lightning flashed like blossoming roses, releasing endless tyrannical energy. Shinyori Guang was right in the center and instantly vaporized without even a scrap of paper fluttering down.

    Yan Yu swept his divine sense again and saw Shinyori Guang reappear on the other side of the battlefield, attempting to hide behind his Onmyoji companions.

    He can''t be killed? Interesting, I want to see how many paper dolls you have.

    The Huang Tingjian accelerated once more, this time skimming the ground as it flew, cutting through anything in its path with such momentum that it didn''t even bother to move sideways.

    The Onmyoji either hurriedly dodged to the side or were slashed by the sword light, suffering broken bones and severed limbs¡ªnone of them dared to attack Yan Yu, not even to delay him for a moment!

    Seeing this, Shinyori Guang realized that their morale was shattered. The Jade-Smashing Tactics could prevent the Onmyoji from fleeing, but it couldn''t change their subconscious behavior¡ªthey might still want to attack, but subconsciously, they thought of dodging when they saw Yan Yu''s sword light! What could he do?

    Finally, Sato Akihide broke free from the restraint of the water and rushed in front of Shinyori Guang, pressing his hand on his sword as he called out:

    "Master, run! I''ll hold him off!"

    "Alright!" Shinyori Guang didn''t hesitate and quickly withdrew.

    Sato Akihide stared intently at Yan Yu''s sword light, ready to sacrifice his life to stop the attack at any moment.

    However, Yan Yu didn''t move to the side to bypass Sato Akihide; instead, the sword light suddenly dipped and cut diagonally into the ground, vanishing without a trace.

    Wall-Penetration Technique.

    Sato Akihide froze at the sight, and the next second, his expression drastically changed.

    Because the Demon-Subduing Clean Bottle, raised by the Six-Armed Demon God, had turned over, pouring out endless flowing lights.

    The light, like a curtain of pearls, quickly spread like water. Any Onmyoji that it touched was immobilized, unable to move as if sealed.

    Sato Akihide also lost control of his body, but a thought suddenly flashed through his mind:

    So he noticed the Clean Bottle above was toppling over, and that''s why he suddenly dived underground to avoid it?

    Why? Why can he single-handedly confront so many Onmyoji and still spare attention for the space above his head?

    Thinking this, he suddenly remembered the past guidance from Weizong Yilang concerning his swordsmanship:

    "...Sato, you have a bright mind and high comprehension. If you had been a ninja, you would have been very successful, but unfortunately, you''re not quite suited to be a samurai. Too many thoughts on the battlefield make you slow, and when facing an enemy far stronger than you, hesitation at a critical moment can be fatal!"

    So, am I just too weak?

    I''m sorry, Master Weizong, I have disgraced you...

    Frozen by the light, Sato Akihide lost even the strength to move his eyes, only to watch as the shadow on the ground suddenly grew larger¡ªthe Demon-Subduing Dharma Seal was crashing down.

    The vast Demon-Subduing Dharma Seal struck the ground like a stone causing ripples. Not only were the twenty or so Onmyoji below crushed to powder, but the surface of the surrounding sea of clouds also fractured inch by inch.

    From within the fissures, a sword light shot out¡ªit was the Huang Tingjian, once again engaging in Sword Flight, catching up to the fleeing Shinyori Guang and piercing through his back once more!

    The paper doll with a broken chest fell to the ground. Yan Yu scanned the surroundings with his divine sense and saw that the girls had all hidden on the edges, avoiding the rampage of the Six-Armed Demon God, and as expected, Shinyori Guang reappeared for the fourth time amidst the people on the opposite side.

    Even though you know I''m hunting you down, and the gatekeeper''s attack closely follows me, you still use your companions as shields without hesitation?

    Indeed, you''re one of their kind. But with your meager strength, you''re far from qualified to be a Demon King.

    Yan Yu sneered inwardly for a moment, then once again transformed into a beam of sword light, continuing his assault on Shinyori Guang.

    "Do something!" Shinyori Guang, now without his Shikigami, staggered as he fled desperately into the distance while frantically yelling at his nearby companions to take command. His expression was completely distorted with terror, like a cornered beast fighting back, "Don''t dodge! Go and kill Yan Zhanlong! Or none of you will live either!"

    The Onmyoji, intimidated by the Huang Tingjian''s sword light and about to scatter and dodge, stopped at his words.

    The military discipline instilled by their intense training in the bureau reawakened their combat instincts as they quickly resumed their attacks on Yan Yu, trying to delay his steps.

    Yan Yu''s sword light suddenly accelerated, leaving the sudden assaults behind him. The Onmyoji were about to continue their pursuit when suddenly someone screamed with all their might:

    "Dodge quickly!"

    Dodge? We can''t! The rules of the Yin Yang Bureau state...

    ```

    Before everyone could make a decision, the Demon-Subduing Tower that was chasing Yan Yu''s sword light descended from the sky once again, smashing those Onmyoji into mush. Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire

    "How could I not dodge?" Yan Yu easily caught up with Shenyuan Guang, grabbing his shoulder with one hand, his fingers curved like an eagle''s claws, crushing his shoulder blade in one squeeze, and said with a gentle smile, "After all, the goalkeeper is chasing me to kill."

    "If they don''t dodge, how can they live?"

    Shenyuan Guang was once again thrown into the air by Yan Yu and struck by the huge thunder serpent that roared towards him, triggering intense flashes of heavenly radiance.

    Watching the splendid and dazzling arc of electricity bloom, Yan Yu slightly narrowed his eyes, his Divine Sense sweeping across the distance around him.

    It didn''t appear, it''s over.

    Died four times, which means... at most only three paper effigies can be used?

    The fourth time, seeing that he couldn''t even run fast, it should mean that he could only die in place of someone else three times, right?

    The Six-Armed Demon God grew even more irate, the Demon-Subduing Sword slashing with a force that seemed to move mountains and overturn seas. Yan Yu laughed heartily and leaped up, once again turning into a sword light shooting up into the sky, stabbing into the Six-Armed Demon God''s forehead!

    Outside the Mysterious Realm, in the command center at the rear, the old man slowly rose to his feet, his face wearing an extremely satisfied smile.

    "You''re not watching anymore?" Li Weiguo asked with concern.

    "No more watching," replied the elder, slowly turning around, laughing heartily, "I''m getting old, staring at the screen for too long makes my eyes sore."

    "Besides, there are a lot of things to do to add a new martial arts medal and honorific title!"

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    After slashing with the Sword Flight several times and bursting its forehead, the Six-Armed Demon God finally collapsed to the ground with a thunderous fall.

    Of course, if this thing had a health bar, most of the damage would likely have been contributed by the Onmyoji. I merely picked up an opportunity.

    Yan Yu''s sword light circled the field once, looking below. There were still about fifty Onmyoji left. After looking around in confusion for a moment, he began to attack the girls.

    He was not in a rush to rescue them, but simply observed from above, planning to let the girls fend for themselves for a while, and only intervene if they really couldn''t handle it.

    Although the Onmyoji seemed as weak as clay dolls before Yan Zhanlong, they were fierce and intimidating when facing the rest of the Zhenghai Team, playing fearlessly and with unrestrained ferocity.

    Even with the girls'' well-coordinated efforts, they still faced great difficulty and danger. Several times they were almost breached, only for Zhao Yuanzhen''s drastic killing to forcefully bring the situation back under control.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress was violent and fierce, alone equating the presence of Qiu Ze and Sun Ziyi from former lives, proving to be the Zhenghai Team''s pillar of stability.

    (As for Yan Yu, he was naturally like the Buddha''s mountain pressing down on the Monkey King, not even on the same level.)

    Watching the girls valiantly battling with heroic poise, Yan Yu''s heart, originally cold as an Asura''s, gradually softened, and the smile on his face lost some of its murderous aura.

    Chopping down enemies is fun for a moment, but for lasting enjoyment, cultivation is key.

    From above, the most active performance was undoubtedly that of Zhao Yuanzhen. Following Chen Lingyun''s commands, she moved about striking here and there, with a Flying Sword, punches, kicks, Impact Curse, Flame Curse, and of course, the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin¡ªusing whatever was at hand. Time and again, she disrupted the enemies'' formation, which made their lines fall into disarray.

    Next was Lin Ning. Sword Flight greatly boosted her ability; she could move along with the Flying Sword, attacking and shifting position all in one go. Although her combat experience was not as seasoned as Zhao Yuanzhen''s... She was the one I cultivated from scratch! Rounding up, she''s my person, and you definitely can''t compare her to the outsider, the Demonic Sect Enchantress.

    However, what surprised Yan Yu the most was Su Yunjin.

    Her Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art held significant control advantages, almost completely countering the Samurai occupation.

    Quick-draw slash? Non-existent. Hurried escape? Impossible. Streams of water would appear out of nowhere, suddenly surging from behind you, above your head, or beneath your feet. The only way to break it was to interrupt her casting or run away in advance, but Samurais naturally had short reach and were slow...

    With Su Yunjin''s True Yuan control and judgment, Yan Yu made a bold estimate: even if the Samurai King Weizong Yilang were here to fight Su Yunjin one-on-one, he might be hard-controlled to death by her¡ªif her True Yuan was enough. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Chen Lingyun, as usual, focused mainly on commanding, occasionally using her Shikigami to help with distractions, or sneaking attacks and striking with the Purple Extreme Sword¡ªa performance that was standard and by-the-book.

    Xie Ruoxi stood by and watched the entire time, her expression tense to the extreme. Yan Yu then landed next to her on his sword, leisurely saying:

    "Do you see? The less sweat in training, the more blood you''ll have to make up for on the battlefield later."

    "Stop saying that!" Xie Ruoxi became even more frightened by his words and pleaded, "I''ll train properly, okay if I train well?"

    "Next fight, I''ll put you in," Yan Yu encouraged her warmly.

 Chapter 45 Playing with the New Magic Treasure

    ```Yin Yang Bureau headquarters.

    As the screen went dark, the five bigwigs each fell silent, their expressions unspeakably ugly.

    Especially the two who had previously supported the Shinyori Clan, their faces were so gloomy they looked like they could drip water.

    The loss of 200 elite Onmyoji was an extremely tough and serious loss for the Yin Yang Bureau to accept.

    But even more troublesome was the death of Shenyuan Guang.

    If the Shinyori Clan wanted to maintain its position as one of the leading families of the Yin Yang Bureau, they must have a top-tier Onmyoji, which is an iron law of power struggle.

    The bastard Shenyuan Simie was uncontrollable and could bite back at any time, so the clan had pushed Shenyuan Guang to the top instead.

    But the result was a hard slap in the face from Yan Zhanlong through the screen.

    Though their faces weren''t physically beaten to a bruised mess, their insides were certainly shaking loose teeth and swallowing blood!

    What''s worse, with the sacrifice of Shenyuan Guang on the battlefield, the Shinyori Clan had no other choice but to pin their noses to the grindstone and adamantly support Shenyuan Simie.

    The thought of that bastard continuing to cause trouble left the bigwigs feeling an unbearable frustration, as if they were being spat in the face yet forced to dry it themselves.

    After about two or three minutes of silence, suddenly someone said in a deep voice:

    "Yan Zhanlong is too dominant. If we don''t eliminate him, he will surely become a huge thorn in our sides!"

    No one responded.

    The reality was right before their eyes. Liu Longtao of the Dingbei Army of Lu Country was indeed strong, but at least his strength was within a range that the Yin Yang Bureau could understand. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But the strength of Yan Zhanlong was, frankly, incomprehensible.

    He defeated the Great Tengu with his fists and cut down the Battle Ghosts of the Heike Clan with his sword. Given that a Cultivator''s Flying Sword lacked sentience, Yan Zhanlong must be multitasking.

    Yet when it comes to multitasking, who could surpass Onmyoji who play with Shikigami? Throwing out three, four, five, six Shikigami at once, they always have to divide their focus to control them. This was their forte!

    Both were fighting on two fronts. Rationally speaking, Shenyuan Guang, an Onmyoji specializing in Shikigami Style, should have been better at this, yet he ended up distracted and overwhelmed, getting literally smashed and slashed by Yan Zhanlong. How could this be explained?

    Sato Akihide''s Iaido Slash was so quick that even the naked eye could hardly catch its trace, yet Yan Zhanlong was able to narrowly evade it, even more than once. How could this be explained?

    The Ninja''s Illusion Smoke Clouds create a thick fog upon release, impenetrable to any probing spells, yet Yan Zhanlong''s sword light could still strike through with deadly precision. How could this be explained?

    Under the relentless pursuit of the Six-Armed Demon God and surrounded by many Onmyoji, his sword light moved as if he were taking a leisurely stroll. Most people would struggle to keep up even with eight eyes, yet Yan Zhanlong not only evaded all attacks but also manipulated the attacks of the Six-Armed Demon God to affect the Onmyoji. How can this be explained?

    There''s no explanation!

    But that is precisely the problem: Yan Zhanlong is too strong. He needs to be eliminated, but who could possibly kill him at this stage?

    "Let''s not talk about Yan Zhanlong for now," another Onmyoji bigwig said, "Have all of you seen the others?"

    "Zhao and Lin, fierce in battle, strong in power, capable of fighting the Demon King; Chen, precise in command, orderly and without haste, seizing opportunities perfectly; the most dangerous is Su, who''s able to release a deluge in silence, waves that reach the sky, the bane of all Samurai."

    Honestly, even when facing a crazed beauty like Zhou Hongyu who likes to wildly blast and burn with the bright light of fire, one can''t really say she''s "the bane of Samurai."

    Because the Samurai, despite having short reach, boast high offense and defense. Even if a direct Flame Spear were to hit, they could simply respond with a cutting slash, taking the brunt of the explosion with their body without much trouble.

    But Su Yunjin''s Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, with hardly any lethal power and mainly strong control, precisely hits the Samurai''s Achilles heel¡ªwater flows are uncuttable.

    As bigwigs of the Yin Yang Bureau, of course they could perceive the threat that Su Yunjin posed to the Samurai, which was in some ways more deadly than Zhao, Lin, or Chen.

    Shortly after, someone slowly said:

    "To kill Yan Zhanlong, we must first clip his wings."

    "Among them all, Su poses the greatest threat and must be dealt with first."

    "Relax the quota restrictions at the various Dao institutes to replenish the losses of the Kyoto Onmyo Academy."

    "As for Yan Zhanlong... a forceful killing is unrealistic, but we can look for a method of sealing."

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The Mysterious Realm atop the clouds, a field strewn with corpses.

    Over 200 people stood tightly packed together. Even in death, they piled up like a mountain. Limbs severed, blood flowing like rivers, it was like hell on earth.

    Xie Ruoxi had been holding back for a long time but finally couldn''t anymore, sneaking off to the side to retch quietly.

    ```

    The girls seemed unfazed, with Lin Ning even borrowing a napkin from Su Yunjin to wipe the blood off her body, her fierce nature undoubtedly showing.

    Yan Yu silently observed, thinking to himself that when the girls had first started fighting and killing, none seemed to feel nausea or the urge to vomit. Could it be that among them all, only Xie Ruoxi was the normal one...?

    The thought, once it surfaced, startled him.

    What did he mean Xie Ruoxi was the only normal person? Could that beautiful but useless girl really be considered normal?!

    It must be because everyone''s adrenaline was pumping during their first battle, whereas that useless Xie Ruoxi could only watch from the sidelines, which was why she couldn''t suppress her nausea and vomiting!

    While he was leisurely daydreaming, he saw Su Yunjin come up to him and, smiling, asked,

    "My performance in the battle, doesn''t the captain have any comments?"

    "Performance, eh," Yan Yu pondered for a moment. "Your timing was good, and the support was on point. Pretty good."

    Even though the truth was "it would''ve been the same with or without your support", Yan Yu felt that he should primarily encourage Secretary Su, instead of frequently crushing her confidence as he did with the trashy princess and the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡ªbecause Secretary Su would really take it to heart.

    "That''s good," Su Yunjin replied with a bright smile. "Then I''m barely keeping up with the captain''s pace. Given time, perhaps I might have the chance to fight side by side with the captain?"

    Though she said, "I want to fight alongside you", the underlying meaning clearly was, "I want to stand by your side". Yan Yu decided to play dumb:

    "Haven''t we been fighting side by side all along?"

    "Ah, that''s true," Su Yunjin''s voice was light and teasing, "but I want to try fighting in tandem with the captain..."

    Before she could finish, Lin Ning popped up from the side and asked with a smile,

    "Are we reviewing the last battle? How did I do?"

    "Your performance was also excellent. The key to the Sword Control technique is positioning, not offense. I''ll explain more when we get back," Yan Yu said earnestly.

    "And me?" Su Yunjin quickly asked. "Will the captain give me pointers on my spells, too?" Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire

    "Of course, of course..." Yan Yu felt the atmosphere suddenly grow tense for some reason and hurriedly placated her too.

    The command center in the rear, where the specialists and staff were watching the screens, all furrowed their brows.

    Some of them wanted to smirk, but they needed to maintain seriousness at their workplace... so they held it in.

    On the screen, the Zhenhai Team took a brief rest before starting to meticulously sweep the battlefield.

    "Don''t touch the Onmyoji corpses," Yan Yu reminded. "Who knows what traps they''ve rigged to harm you as soon as you touch their bodies."

    "Ptui, ptui, ptui, we''re not going to touch any corpses!" the girls responded.

    "I have five ghosts," Chen Lingyun said with a grin.

    Five big dogs emerged from their invisible state and began to scour the corpses¡ªonly to be tormented by various poison gas and explosive traps, howling in distress. But to Chen Lingyun, it seemed like fun.

    Yan Yu moved to the side of the Six-Armed Demon God''s corpse and looked at the weapons thrown on the ground.

    His Divine Sense scanned each one, and he finally sensed something unusual in the Demon-Subduing Pestle.

    The Huang Tingjian was wielded directly, slashing forcefully at the pestle, causing sparks and fragments to scatter.

    The girls stopped what they were doing, curiously converging to watch.

    At last, the Demon-Subduing Pestle was split completely open, revealing its core:

    A cone.

    The cone, made of an unknown metal with a bright luster yet heavy to the touch¡ªnot like gold or iron¡ªmeasured about 25 centimeters in length, roughly the size of an adult man''s hand, with sharp edges and inscribed with tadpole-like inscriptions.

    Yan Yu faintly remembered the Six-Armed Demon God channeling this object by striking it with the Demon-Subduing Pestle... So he turned to examine the pestle and sure enough, found a hammer embedded on the inner side of the head.

    One hammer, one cone. With two lifetimes worth of experience, Yan Yu quickly recalled the legend of the "Nine Heavens Shouldering Element, Thunder God."

    The Nine Heavens Shouldering Element, Thunder God, commonly known as "Lei Gong", was a deity officially listed in the heavenly courts. His weapon was a pair of hammer and cone; striking the hammer against the cone, he would thunder and roar, serving as Heaven''s agent, punishing evil deeds, and expelling demons¡ªin short, it held restraining power over evil things.

    He decided to play around with it.

    With that thought, Yan Yu swung the hammer in his right hand at an empty patch of ground in the distance, and with force, smashed it against the cone in his left hand.

    Without striking, he would never have known; the impact shocked Yan Yu to his core... he felt his True Yuan surge up instantly, like floodwaters released through open gates, rushing wildly toward the cone in his left hand!

 Chapter 46 Public Display of Affection

    With a loud clap of thunder, a bolt of lightning resembling a snake, about 5 centimeters long and as thick as a pinky finger, shot out from the cone, racing forward like a bullet and vanishing in the blink of an eye.What a piece of trash! Not even a dog would play with it.

    Yan Yu carelessly tossed the hammer and awl on the ground (much to the horror of all the experts at the central control center, who felt a shudder run through them and wished they could teleport over to catch it), then silently took out a few True Yuan recovery Elixir Medicines and popped them all like candy.

    Damn, there''s less than one-tenth of my True Yuan left, how is this Thunder Method so terrifying? It''s a major True Yuan consumer!

    However, at this point, Yan Yu had already guessed why Mei Yingxue had specified the Zhenhai Team for this Mysterious Realm.

    It must be a clue she got from somewhere, confirming that there was a treasure related to the Thunder Method in the Black Dragon Isle Mysterious Realm, which was perfect for Xie Ruoxi, the beautiful waste, to play with.

    Because this Thunder Method... unlike Sword Control Technique which requires precise mental control, nor like the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art which needs careful handling, it launches a bolt of thunder that disappears with a snap, how else can it be operated? How can it be controlled?

    The charm of this thing is that it consumes True Yuan and is powerful, something a regular Cultivator wouldn''t even be able to handle. But there''s Xie Ruoxi, the waste of a general, who has powerful True Yuan and isn''t the smartest, making this Thunder Method practically tailor-made for her!

    Teacher Mei, your immense kindness, I will remember it on Xie Ruoxi''s behalf! I''ll have her kowtow to you one of these days! Stay updated via My Virtual Library Empire

    "Pack up these two things," Yan Yu ordered Xie Ruoxi.

    "Oh," Xie Ruoxi went over diligently and picked up the hammer and awl.

    "Make a record," Yan Yu then reminded Chen Lingyun, "After the research is done, give them to Ruoxi for use."

    "I don''t want them!" Xie Ruoxi blurted out subconsciously, "They''re so ugly!"

    "Hm?" Yan Yu immediately glared, which scared Xie Ruoxi into shivering and she instinctively attempted to drop to her knees to apologize.

    Luckily, Yan Zhanlong himself remembered the camera was recording and didn''t want to perform a live dog training for the middle-aged and elderly staff at the control center, but rather he turned his head to ask:

    "Did you find the core of the Mysterious Realm?"

    "Found it." The one in charge of checking the body of the six-armed demon god was Chen Lingyun, who was currently looking disdainfully at the other''s damaged third eye and also turned to ask, "Sister Zhao, may I borrow your sword?"

    "What for?" S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "There''s a treasure inside his eye," Chen Lingyun said.

    Zhao Yuanzhen immediately dashed over like a rabbit, forming hand seals, and the Yin Wind Sword pierced into the third eye, spraying out a large amount of foul blood, and finally dug out the central core of the Mysterious Realm; it was an orange-yellow treasure orb the size of a human head.

    "Sister Zhao, why don''t you refine it?" Chen Lingyun continued with a smile, "Aside from the captain, Sister Zhao made the largest contribution this time."

    "Indeed." Zhao Yuanzhen took the flattery as expected, her demeanor becoming smug, without the slightest thought that Chen Lingyun might find it disgusting; it was actually Su Yunjin who couldn''t stand it and spoke out:

    "Wait, let me clean this orb first, it''s too dirty."

    While they were refining the Mysterious Realm''s core, Yan Yu was also sitting cross-legged, refining the medicine''s effect to recover as much True Yuan as possible.

    "Captain, do you need Elixir Medicines? I have more here." Su Yunjin, who had just finished cleaning the Mysterious Realm''s core, somehow returned to his side, bent down, and took out a bottle, asking with concern.

    Yan Yu opened his eyes to find that from this angle, looking down her neckline, he could just make out the inside of... well, actually, he couldn''t see anything; it was all shadows.

    Su Yunjin, sensing something, discreetly held down her neckline with her left hand to prevent what was never there from spilling out, while her right hand continued to hand him the little bottle.

    "No need, I still have some," Yan Yu declined.

    "Oh." Su Yunjin immediately showed a touch of disappointment, but quickly put on a smile again and asked, "Do you want some water then?"

    Yan Yu intended to refuse again, but considering that he had already declined once, it wouldn''t be good to keep turning her down and possibly strain their relationship, so he nodded slightly in agreement.

    Su Yunjin unscrewed the cap and brought it to his lips, and Yan Yu had just had a sip when he suddenly realized what was happening.

    Shoot, I''ve been played!

    The matter of indirect kissing tends to be significant to women and trivial to men. By deliberately giving her water to him, wasn''t Secretary Su hinting "I don''t mind kissing you"?

    And because she didn''t state it explicitly, he couldn''t outright reject her with a harsh "In your dreams"!

    Terrible, this woman''s schemes are so fearsome, her methods of expressing love so hard to guard against, she''s practically the Casanova version of Yan Zhanlong!

    No, since I claim to be the strongest in this world, I absolutely cannot concede like this on the battlefield of love. I must strike back fiercely!

    "Why does this water have no taste?" Yan Yu suddenly frowned and asked.

    "Huh?" Su Yunjin was immediately surprised, "It''s just ordinary water, let me see."

    She tucked the hair beside her cheek behind her ear and lifted the cup to take a sip¡ªYan Yu noticed that she drank from exactly the same spot where he had, without having turned the cup even slightly.

    "It has no taste," Su Yunjin said nonchalantly, but couldn''t completely hide it, the faint blush on her face betraying her inner emotions, "Why don''t you try drinking again?"

    "No need," Yan Yu coldly shook his head and said, "I only want to drink a sports drink right now."

    "Coca-Cola, right!" Lin Ning popped up from nowhere, excitedly saying, "I also like to drink Coca-Cola after exercising!"

    "Carbonated drinks are not sports drinks, you know," Su Yunjin replied somewhat instinctively irked, but still smilingly said, "Drinking carbonated drinks after exercising can lead to osteoporosis."

    "But we are Cultivators," Lin Ning retorted.

    "There''s no evidence that Cultivators can''t have osteoporosis, right?" Su Yunjin didn''t budge an inch.

    "Shouldn''t we assume innocence until proven guilty?" Lin Ning didn''t want to argue with Su Yunjin, but her quiz enthusiast''s need to be precise kicked in, "Only when ''there is clear evidence that carbonated drinks can lead to osteoporosis'' can we assume that it''s probably true. It''s not rigorous to draw conclusions by blindly making analogies without considering the objective conditions."

    "But we don''t need to be rigorous," Su Yunjin shook her head and smiled, her linguistic logic also a strong point for a literary girl, "When it comes to health, being a bit conservative isn''t too much. Even if it''s unclear, drinking harmless beverages definitely doesn''t do any harm, but drinking harmful beverages is definitely not good."

    "Alright, stop arguing," Yan Yu said with a calm demeanor, "We don''t have Coke here, just two vinegar jars, it doesn''t matter whether I drink or not."

    Lin Ning couldn''t hold back anymore, and said indignantly:

    "What vinegar jars! Who is jealous over you! I''m leaving!"

    She ran away quickly, and Su Yunjin also felt her face losing face, her annoyance flaring up as she questioned him:

    "Does the Captain like watching girls get jealous over you?"

    "Not at all," Yan Yu immediately played dumb, asking blankly, "Why would you say that?"

    Su Yunjin tried to suppress her anger:

    "Who are the two vinegar jars?"

    "Don''t know," Yan Yu pondered, "Probably the girl who forgot she was wearing a camera on her chest."

    Su Yunjin''s face turned pale instantly: Oh no! How could I have forgotten that!!!

    At the main control center in the back, numerous experts listened quietly to the conversation between the two, thinking to themselves, have you only just realized now?

    We''re grown adults, staying up late here to work overtime, and still being force-fed dog food by you young people!

    The realization that she was still being livestreamed finally hit Su Yunjin, and she no longer dared to continue questioning Yan Yu, hastily running off to discuss strategies with Chen Lingyun via secret sound transmission:

    "Ling Yun, save me!"

    "What''s wrong, Yun Jin?"

    "I just went to flirt with the Captain, and I got into a bit of a quarrel with Ningning, completely forgetting about the camera!"

    "Eh, isn''t that very interesting?" Chen Lingyun became interested.

    "It''s not interesting at all, okay!" Su Yunjin said with a crying tone, silently crouching down to hug her legs, burying her face in between her knees¡ªas if she were an ostrich burying her head on the spot, wishing she could hide her whole body as well.

    "Yun Jin, don''t be too shy," Chen Lingyun coaxed soothingly, "This is actually a good thing."

    "A good thing?"

    "Yes~ Think about it, if everyone knows you like Yan Yu, it will create moral pressure on him to respond to your feelings quickly!"

    "But I don''t want everyone to know!" Su Yunjin''s feelings at this moment were simply full of speechlessness.

    "Then let me put it another way," Chen Lingyun continued to tempt her, "Since everyone already knows, instead of being hopelessly regretful, why not use it to your advantage, how about that?"

 Chapter 47 Im Really Not Jealous

    After refining the core of the Mysterious Realm, everyone used teleportation to leave the realm.The Cloud Summit Mysterious Realm was different from the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm. Although both cores were seized by Lu Country, the Three Isles Treasure Ship could still navigate the seas for further exploration, while the Cloud Summit Mysterious Realm was located on land and under the firm control of the Bear People''s Power, so it was best to loot it all in one go.

    Of course, if one really wanted to come back next time to finish the job, it wasn''t impossible, since the core was with Zhao Yuanzhen anyway, and no one else could open it without her.

    Upon exiting the Mysterious Realm, there weren''t many Giliya Bear People outside the entrance, obviously because the Dragon Soar Team was fighting in a nearby city, drawing away the local troops.

    Time to switch homes!

    Yan Yu pressed the communication button on the side of the camera and called Liu Longtao:

    "My team completed the mission, calling Lord Master."

    "... (rustling) My code name is Liu Shao. Please use code names during work, thank you," Liu Longtao''s speechless voice rang out.

    "Where are you, do you need assistance?" Yan Yu took a few steps away from the entrance to the Mysterious Realm, checking if moving away might reduce the signal interference.

    "Assistance my ass," Liu Longtao burst out laughing, "We''ve taken out the leader and deputy leader of the Bear Gang!"

    Yan Yu was initially surprised, but upon further thought, it seemed to be expected.

    Decapitating the Giliya Bear People''s power top and second-in-charge meant that after the Rikoku Cultivator left, the remaining forces would definitely attack each other, scrambling for the sudden power vacuum at the top. This would give the Amur Witch clan a precious time window.

    By the time the Giliya Bear People decided the winner among them, the Amur Witch clan might have already unified the North¡ªso this is what chaotic times are like: either you grow fast enough to consume others, or you don''t grow fast enough and become fodder for someone else.

    But the chaos of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence Era was far crueler than in normal chaotic times. There was very little tolerance and generosity among Transcendents of different professions; they often sought to kill all Transcendents of hostile forces, leaving only ordinary people as production materials.

    "If you don''t need assistance, then we''re heading out," Yan Yu said.

    "Or what? You wanna come over and see Ye Jun?" Liu Longtao teased.

    "Let''s go!" Yan Yu laughed heartily and rose into the air by Sword Control.

    The group flew from Black Dragon Isle toward Lu Country. Due to Lord Master''s last divisive remark, some people were obviously unhappy in the team... Let''s not say who.

    Chen Lingyun, also someone who reveled in chaos, asked with a smile:

    "By the way, aren''t you going to say goodbye to Anna?"

    "It''s not convenient," Yan Yu replied, "The Amur witches must be countering the battle lines now. It''s not nice to disturb her while she''s making her mark."

    "Then why could Lord Master make contact?" Lin Ning also remarked.

    "Are you dumb? Lord Master was providing cover for us," Yan Yu revealed a "Do you even have to ask?" exasperated expression. "If we don''t say a word to him, they''ll think we''re still inside the Mysterious Realm¡ªhow would we leave?"

    "Let''s not talk about that for now. After we get back, let''s rest for a day, and then Chen Lingyun, you get the footage of this fight. We''ll properly review it."

    "This was our first encounter with an Onmyoji, but it definitely won''t be the last. Everyone, pay attention."

    The North.

    On a battlefield strewn with corpses, Anna, covered in blood on one side of her body, suddenly had a premonition and turned to the south.

    He... at this time, he should have left, right...?

    "What''s the matter, Anna?" Anastasia, the leader of the witch clan, asked when she noticed Anna''s strange demeanor.

    "I''m thinking about the Rikoku Cultivator," Anna replied with a hint of loss in her voice.

    Anastasia glanced at her expression and suddenly said:

    "Anna, I plan to have you succeed my position."

    "... What?"

    "The ones capable of destroying the Amur Witch clan aren''t just the Giliya Bear People," Anastasia also looked towards the sky to the south.

    A line of wild geese was flying south in a V-formation, needing to reach a warm place quickly before the cold wave fully hit Siberia.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The group flew along the coast of East Asia on their swords, stopping a few times for True Yuan replenishment, until they reached Jianghai Prefecture, then followed the river back to Jinling Prefecture.

    The girls went home to rest, while Yan Yu took the pair of spike hammers to the school alone, heading to the principal''s office to report.

    Hmm, why is there no one?

    After knocking on the door and finding no response, he guessed someone was out.

    Yan Yu turned to leave but ran into Qi Changping in the corridor. The latter was holding a cloth banner that made him look like a fortune-teller.

    "How did you get back so quickly?" Qi Changping asked in surprise.

    "Came back on a sword flight," Yan Yu answered. "We''ve taken down the Black Dragon Isle Secret Realm. I''ve come to deliver something."

    "Oh, alright then," Qi Changping handed over the banner he was holding, "This is a trophy from the last Changping Secret Realm, it''s probably for Chen Lingyun, right? I''m returning it to you."

    "You''ve researched it pretty quickly," Yan Yu commented with a smile, as he took the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner.

    "Sigh, they say it''s completely incomprehensible," Qi Changping shook his head. "Seems like we might need to refine it to figure it out."

    Discover hidden content at My Virtual Library Empire

    The Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner was a magical treasure, and many of its powers required the owner to refine it for use. But how could researchers casually let a treasure recognize their ownership? That would be a direct waste. At most, they would first hand it over to a team, and then have an Assistant Officer come over with the treasure to assist with experiments and such.

    Yan Yu turned the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner upside down, slowly left the school, and went to a nearby deli to buy some braised foods, preparing to add a meal for the girls in the team.

    The shop assistant was a middle-aged woman in her forties who smiled and asked: S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "What would you like?"

    "Give me six chicken legs, and extra sauce," Yan Yu glanced at the window, "and two boxes of salted duck."

    "Alright." The woman was about to scoop the sauce when she suddenly exclaimed, "Aren''t you that Yan Zhanlong?"

    "Ah?" Yan Yu was taken aback.

    "Yan Zhanlong, it''s you! I''ve seen you on TV!" The woman immediately could hardly contain her excitement and turned to shout, "Husband! Yan Zhanlong is in our shop!"

    Yan Yu also found it hard to keep a straight face when he saw the bald shop owner emerging from the kitchen, looking at him in surprise, then snatching the spoon from his wife''s hand, saying impatiently:

    "Stop bothering people! What a fuss¡­ What would you like?"

    "Uh, six chicken legs and two boxes of salted duck."

    "Hmm." Without another word, the shop owner neatly chopped the duck, plopping it into five large boxes, and said, "Oops, I cut too much! Never mind, I''ll just charge you for two boxes."

    Yan Yu: ......

    "Sorry about that," the shop owner casually picked up the spoon again and fished out eight or nine chicken legs, stuffing them into two large boxes. "I''ll give you a few extra chicken legs as an apology¡ªbe sure to come back next time."

    Yan Yu: ............

    "It''s fine, the auntie will give it to you guys," the woman said eagerly, packing things up and handing a plastic bag to Yan Yu, "You guys have been working hard to protect our country!"

    "What do you mean, give?" The shop owner interrupted her, saying, "I accidentally cut too much! It''s already cut, there''s nothing I can do about it!"

    "Right, right, right, we cut too much!"

    Yan Yu was at a loss for words and silently scanned the QR code to pay, thanked them, and then turned to leave, hearing the shop owner arguing with his wife behind him:

    "Don''t take photos! Not even of the back! Did they agree? Just don''t bother them for no reason¡­"

    Walking down the street with the plastic bag in hand, Yan Yu couldn''t quite describe his feelings.

    The hero who defends his home and country...

    I never intended to become your hero, nor did I want to become your fear and nightmare.

    Forget it, I''ll just go back on my sword.

    The sword light descended in the courtyard. When Yan Yu took out his keys to enter, he saw Lin Ning, wearing a kitchen apron, coming to greet him.

    "Why did you buy so much stuff!" Seeing the several bags of food in Yan Yu''s hand, she complained as if scolding him, "Then all the dishes I cooked are wasted!"

    "It''s okay, we can continue eating them for dinner if we can''t finish," Yan Yu said carelessly, "The shop owner recognized me and insisted on giving me so much."

    "Oh, oh." As soon as she heard it was a gift from a fan, Lin Ning instantly lost her temper and chuckled, "Then you must be really happy, right?"

    "Why would I be happy?"

    "Because someone admires you~"

    "It''s nice being carefree like you," Yan Yu glanced at her sideways.

    "What do you mean? Humph." Lin Ning didn''t quite understand his implication, but she sensed he was teasing her and immediately rolled her eyes, "Put the food on the table and come help me taste the soup for seasoning."

    "Can''t you taste it yourself?"

    "I like strong flavors, I''m afraid you guys won''t like it."

    Yan Yu followed her into the kitchen, watching as Lin Ning turned the stove down to a low flame, scooped a spoonful of soup, and carefully blew on it for a long time until it stopped steaming, then with a smile, brought it to Yan Yu''s lips.

    "It''s indeed too salty," Yan Yu sipped a little and commented.

    "Then I''ll add some more water."

    As Yan Yu turned to leave, he heard Lin Ning suddenly say from behind:

    "Yan Yu, actually, in the Mysterious Realm, I wasn''t jealous or fighting with Yun Jin."

    "I just¡­ don''t know how to explain, but that wasn''t my intention, you understand, right?"

    "Yeah, of course, I understand," Yan Yu turned back to reply, only to see Lin Ning leaning back against the kitchen countertop, her eyes brimming with water as she looked at him.

    In her eyes, there was no softness like Su Yunjin''s, but rather a hard-to-describe, shy attachment, as well as the unease and panic of desperately hiding her feelings, her fingers gripping the countertop so hard they seemed to whiten.

    In the face of the same emotions, some go all out, taking the initiative, while others hesitate and cannot find peace¡ªeven in their sleep. Such is the biological diversity of us humans!

    Yan Yu didn''t quite know how to deal with this, but the strongest of this age was never afraid of facing the unknown. After briefly pondering, he turned back around, placed his hand on Lin Ning''s shoulder, and with a gentle smile, said:

    "It''s alright, Ningning."

    "Just look at my sister. She''s always prideful and will never back down from a challenge."

    "...Huh?" Lin Ning was bewildered.

 Chapter 48 Bonds and Tokens of Belief Collection

    Su Yunjin finished cleaning the second floor and came down, only to see Lin Ning chasing Yan Yu around the house with a soup spoon."Don''t run!"

    "Don''t chase me!"

    "Explain yourself before you leave!"

    "You''re one to talk!"

    "What''s going on with you two?" Su Yunjin saw the two of them shouting joyously and, without changing her expression, sent a telepathic message.

    Although her tone was calm, it seemed to carry an inherent gravitation that immediately quieted the two who were still in pursuit.

    "It''s nothing." Lin Ning concealed the unusual color on her face and said, "The captain irritates me every day, and I need to teach him a lesson."

    "If there''s anything to discuss, sit down and talk it through," Su Yunjin said with a smile. "Fighting won''t solve your problems."

    "...Though there isn''t really any problem to solve," Lin Ning muttered before turning back to the kitchen.

    Su Yunjin watched her leave the living room and then turned back to Yan Yu with a smile:

    "Can the captain stop bullying Ningning?"

    "Don''t listen to her nonsense, I did not bully her," Yan Yu immediately defended himself. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    That Sister Lin suddenly became tsundere in the kitchen, saying something like "I am certainly not jealous for you," and how come I''m wrong when I point it out? It becomes bullying her?

    "You didn''t bully her?" Su Yunjin raised her eyebrows slightly and continued with a smile, "So, is the captain accusing Ningning of lying?"

    Even though her voice was very gentle, an indescribable, heavy pressure still transmitted through the atmosphere.

    Yan Yu stubbornly resisted this pressure, asking with an unchanged expression:

    "Is the second floor cleaned up?"

    "Is the captain trying to divert my question with a different topic?"

    "Answer my question first."

    "But I asked first."

    "True, but I''m the captain."

    "It''s been cleaned," Su Yunjin said, somewhat annoyed. "I even changed your pillowcase and quilt cover."

    "Then, thank you, Yun Jin," Yan Yu deftly changed the subject. "Since that''s the case, how about I teach you the cultivation method for the Tao Transformation?"

    Su Yunjin was silent for a moment, then said:

    "Teach me in my room."

    The second floor of the villa was the living area, with the room at the very end marked with a "Yan" sign. To the right were "Chen" and "Su," to the left were "Zhao" and "Lin," and Xie Ruoxi''s study was next to the stairwell, also given a "Xie" sign.

    There were also five vacant rooms with no signs on the doors, and their interiors were decorated as they were when the villa was purchased, temporarily serving as guest rooms.

    Entering Su Yunjin''s room, the first thing one smelled was a faint, almost imperceptible scent of flowers wafting slowly in from the direction of the balcony, lingering around the nose and not leaving for a long time.

    She still loved flowers as much.

    Su Yunjin made Yan Yu sit by the desk and poured him steaming hot tea. He accepted it, a thought suddenly leaping in his mind:

    Could it be dosed with sleeping pills...

    No, no, Yun Jin wouldn''t do something like that! Right now, Yun Jin''s love for me should still be at a normal level; she wouldn''t go yandere to that extent...

    While Yan Yu was lost in wild thoughts, he saw Su Yunjin stand in front of a towering bookshelf against the wall, take down a book, and hand it over to him:

    "Here."

    Yan Yu looked at the cover title, "Letter from an Unknown Woman," and scratched his head, asking:

    "Are you lending it to me?"

    "I could also give it to the captain," Su Yunjin replied. "I finished reading it in middle school."

    Yan Yu quietly picked up his phone and searched for the book title.

    Ah, it''s about unrequited love...

    "Let''s discuss the Tao Transformation," Yan Yu placed the book on his lap and calmly said.

    The Tao Transformation was unique to the way of spell cultivation.

    Taking Su Yunjin''s practice of the Water Taoism Method as an example, she would first need to cultivate the Gui Water Essence, then the Ren Water Essence, and finally combine them to refine the True Yuan of the Heavenly Water, thus forming the Acquired Water Tao Body where True Yuan could be considered inexhaustible¡ªthree stages in total.

    To refine the Gui Water Essence, one must first collect Rootless Water, meaning rainwater, dew, and melted snow. The rainwater should come from a drizzle blown by a slanting wind, the dew should be the fresh morning dew, and the snow should be from the first snowfall.

    Every day, a drop from each should be gathered and dripped onto the palm to be refined with True Yuan until the Gui Water Essence is formed.

    "The fresh morning dew isn''t too hard to manage," Su Yunjin pondered after listening to Yan Yu''s description. "But this drizzle and water from the first snowfall, we need to wait for specific weather and timing, right?"

    "No need," Yan Yu waved his hand. "Check the weather forecast in advance and then fly over to collect the water. Rain in the east while the sun is in the west, snow in the north with none in the south, running all over the country; you should be able to get it all done within a week. The difficulty mainly lies in the refinement process."

    "Hmm," Su Yunjin fell silent for a moment, then forced a smile. "So, will the captain accompany me to collect the water? I''m worried I might make a mistake on my own and hinder the cultivation."

    Although she spoke in a weak and pitiful tone, Yan Yu was far from succumbing to it and replied immediately:

    "Actually, if it''s just about collecting water, the people from the Environment Department can do it as well. However, the process of collecting it is part of the ritual; if you skip this step, you might face many unnecessary trials in heart refining later on..."

    "Does this ritual require that I go alone?" Su Yunjin wasn''t fooled by his explanation; instead, she keenly seized upon the key issue.

    "¡­No, not necessarily."

    "Can the captain accompany me?" Su Yunjin asked again.

    "Uh, alright then." Yan Yu had no way out and thought that accompanying her to fetch some water was trivial.

    Quack, I am the strongest in this world!

    Of course, fetching water wasn''t as simple as just deciding to do it; morning dew was easy enough, but for rain or snow involving celestial phenomena, it was necessary to go to Pingjing to consult with the Imperial Astronomical Bureau to confirm the weather conditions across the country.

    "I''ll go with you when the time is right," Yan Yu stood up.

    "Okay." Su Yunjin picked up "A Letter from an Unknown Woman" and handed it over, "Don''t forget your book."

    Yan Yu took the book and decided that once he was back home, he would place it in a cabinet as a sacred object, only to be consulted during critical moments¡ªsorry, I don''t like stories with bad endings.

    Back in his room, Yan Yu looked at the empty compartment in his cabinet and wondered if it might be better to fill it with something.

    There were ten compartments in total; filling them all with books seemed odd, as he wasn''t some great author.

    Forget it, let''s talk about this later.

    He looked at the book in his hand, on the bottom right corner of the cover was signed "Su Yunjin" in three characters, written with the naive penmanship of her middle school days, each stroke was written with sincerity, the handwriting was neat and elegant.

    Hmm?

    Yan Yu noticed there seemed to be a bookmark enclosed within the book.

    Pulling the bookmark out from between the pages, he saw a line written in the same naive script:

    "The one she truly loved wasn''t that man, but the reflection he left in the lake of her heart. Therefore, she never dared to reveal her true feelings to him, because once the man truly entered her lake of heart, the first thing to shatter would be the perfect yet illusory reflection she cherished so deeply."

    Yan Yu was momentarily stunned, looking over the handwriting on the bookmark again to confirm that it was indeed from her middle school days and not something she had added recently to hint at something¡ªSecretary Su likely forgot that the bookmark was even there; otherwise, she would have surely taken it out beforehand.

    Heh, a literary girl.

    In one of the ten compartments of the cabinet, he carelessly chose one and placed the book given by Su Yunjin with its cover facing outward.

    Then he tucked the bookmark back into the pages.

    But after thinking for a moment, he deliberately left a small portion of the bookmark sticking out¡ªjust enough so you had to look closely to notice it.

    Hehehe~

    Pleased with his clever scheme, Yan Yu suddenly heard Chen Lingyun''s voice from outside:

    "Yan Yu, are you in your room?"

    "What''s up?" He went over and opened the door.

    Chen Lingyun stood outside, holding the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner he had given her, smiling:

    "Going down to the training ground, could you guide me a bit on how to use this?"

    "Sure." Yan Yu held out one hand, palm facing up, "Tuition fee?"

    Chen Lingyun paused, then took out her phone:

    "Is transferring 200,000 enough?"

    "That''ll do, money means nothing to you and me," Yan Yu stroked his chin, "What I want is the most precious thing you have."

    "Hmm~" Chen Lingyun tilted her head, thinking for a moment, "Do you want my first time?"

    "Young lady, I ask you to have some self-respect." Yan Yu immediately became serious, "Stop thinking about taking advantage of the strong around you all day long; can you make a genuine effort to become stronger?"

    "Then what do you want?"

    "I''ve told you, your most precious thing."

    After thinking, Chen Lingyun stretched her hands to her neck and untied a jade pendant strung on a red thread, upon which was carved the figure of Guanyin:

    "Here, take it."

    "What is this?" Yan Yu frowned.

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    "It''s a protective amulet my mother got for me from the temple when I was a child," Chen Lingyun explained, "It was supposedly blessed by a high-ranking Buddhist monk; wearing it is said to ward off disasters. I''ve worn it up to now, never taking it off even when showering; it''s been almost 20 years."

    "Uh¡­" Yan Yu suddenly felt stuck and didn''t immediately reach for it, hinting at her to reconsider, "This really is precious, why are you willing to give it to me?"

    "Hmm~" Chen Lingyun wasn''t planning to retract her offer, she simply smiled sweetly, "If we are talking about warding off disasters, I think Immortal Venerate Yan is more reliable."

    Yan Yu was silent for a moment, took the jade pendant from her hand, went back into his room, found a shelf to place it on, and then carried the shelf to another compartment of the cabinet.

    "Is that from Yun Jin?" Chen Lingyun stood next to him, eyeing the paper book in the cabinet.

    "Yes," Yan Yu replied.

    "Yun Jin is really endearing~" Chen Lingyun''s eyes curved into a smile, "So are you collecting something like a token of bond from everyone?"

    "Just finding something to fill the space and decorate, that''s all."

    "Oh." Chen Lingyun blinked, hiding whatever thoughts were crossing her mind, her smile growing even more joyful and sweet.

 Chapter 49 Visit Pingjing for Fun

    In the basement, Chen Lingyun was holding the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, while Yan Yu was circling around her, scrutinizing."There''s a problem," he suddenly said.

    "What problem?" Chen Lingyun curiously asked.

    "You''re too short," Yan Yu stretched out his hand to measure and said, "This magic weapon is too long, so it looks unsightly on your shoulder. But if you hold it horizontally, it gives off a petite rifleman vibe, which also isn''t right. How about you get a pair of elevator shoes custom-made, at least four centimeters thick, to push your height to one meter sixty?

    That would make the discordance much less noticeable."

    "I can do that," Chen Lingyun nodded earnestly, "Anything else?"

    "Do you have any other issues?" After habitually giving the princess a round of criticism, Yan Yu finally became serious and asked.

    "This Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner," Chen Lingyun pondered, "has three characters in seal script on it."

    "Correct."

    "How do I activate it?"

    "Start by deciphering."

    "How do I decipher it?"

    "Do I look like someone who can read the divine script of the Nine Heavens Yin Demon?"

    "Hmm, so you don''t understand either," Chen Lingyun reasoned, guessing that in her past life she must have chosen the path of a law practitioner and was probably not destined for the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, so it was normal for Yan Yu not to know, "So, this divine script of the Nine Heavens Yin Demon, is it pictographic or phonetic?"

    "I don''t know."

    "Hmm," Chen Lingyun pondered.

    "Or maybe it''s not even a script at all," Yan Yu suddenly said, "Have you tried probing it with your Divine Sense?"

    "I tried, but it''s uncomfortable," Chen Lingyun replied, "When my Divine Sense touches it, I feel an extreme chill spreading through me, making my whole body uncomfortable."

    "So there is a way to probe it," Yan Yu revealed an ''I-told-you-so'' expression and clapped his hands, "The path is laid out before you, you just have to cross a bottomless abyss."

    "Aside from probing with Divine Sense, there''s no other way to decipher it?" Chen Lingyun raised an eyebrow; her mood seemed somewhat sour.

    "Here''s what you do," Yan Yu advised, "You need to gradually probe with your Divine Sense, retreat immediately when it gets unbearable, you understand? Slowly adapt yourself, don''t force it."

    "Got it," Chen Lingyun nodded, "I''ll need lubrication."

    Yan Yu was silent for a while, then said:

    "Can''t you stop with your puns for even a second?"

    "I won''t die, but it will be unpleasant," said Chen Lingyun.

    "You aggravating woman just begging for a fight..." Yan Yu had barely started speaking when suddenly his phone rang.

    It was Li Weiguo calling.

    "Hello?" Yan Yu answered the phone and casually asked, "What does Old Master Li need with me?"

    "It''s Grandpa Li!" Li Weiguo immediately corrected him, "Be serious! We''re talking business!"

    "Oh, go ahead."

    "You need to bring your team to Pingjing," Li Weiguo said.

    "Sure, when?"

    "You must arrive by tomorrow night at the latest. It''s very important; it''s best if you leave now."

    "Hmm, what about Xie Ruoxi?"

    "Xie Ruoxi has already been approved to join the team, right? Bring her along!"

    Yan Yu hung up, thinking the pretty useless one was indeed lucky, picking up battle honors and rewards for nothing this time.

    "Heading to Pingjing, huh," Chen Lingyun teased from the side, "Looks like it''s time for a medal ceremony. Have you ever been awarded before?"

    "Yup," Yan Yu replied indifferently, "But I''m not fond of medals. I just throw them all in a small paper box."

    "Is it that small paper box in my room?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    "It''s definitely my place," Yan Yu was suddenly at a loss for words, "With your mother''s temper, how could I possibly stand living at your place?"

    "But I''d be there to help you~" Chen Lingyun said, grinning.

    "That''s exactly why it''s no fun, I''d be relying on you for help," Yan Yu waved his hand impatiently, "Enough talk, we leave tonight, spend a day in Pingjing tomorrow, and come back the day after the event."

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    After lunch, Yan Yu announced to everyone that they would be heading to Pingjing in the evening.

    "Going out again?" Lin Ning, holding her bowl and chopsticks ready to wash them, couldn''t help but grumble, "Can''t they just let us rest for a day?"

    "Can''t help it, probably tidying up after Black Dragon Isle''s Mysterious Realm," Yan Yu replied, "The Dragon Soar Team got back to Shengjing at 10 o''clock this morning. I guess they called us over only after both teams had returned."

    "Is there anything good to eat in Pingjing?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked curiously.

    "Three types," Su Yunjin said, enlightening them, "One is the Imperial Cuisine, a few old shops that specialize in palace meals; another is a local cuisine such as Pingjing roast duck; and lastly, the branch offices of restaurants from various places in Pingjing, where you can taste all kinds of flavors and cuisines."

    Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuanzhen immediately stood up and said earnestly,

    "Yan Yu, how about we go to Pingjing first to scout out the various restaurants and see how good they are? It would be better for arranging tomorrow''s meal for the girls..."

    "Sit down!" Yan Yu pressed her down without further ado, but the Demonic Sect Enchantress did remind him of something.

    They were planning to have a day of fun in Pingjing, and if they needed a guide to plan the tour, wasn''t there Lord Master?

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    Yan Yu took out his phone and called Liu Longtao, putting him on speakerphone.

    "Hello?" Liu Longtao''s voice came from the other side, "Old Yan, are you looking for me or Ye Jun? If you''re looking for Ye Jun, I''ll transfer your call."

    The glances from the girls around them turned unfriendly, and Yan Yu quickly replied,

    "Looking for you, looking for you! I mean, for you, we''re coming to Pingjing tonight. What do you say?"

    "Of course we''ll treat you well!" Liu Longtao laughed heartily, "We''re going to Pingjing in the afternoon, just in time, isn''t it? Once you''re all here, we''ll treat you to a meal at the Imperial Kitchen."

    "The Imperial Kitchen? The one that used to cook for the former royal family?" S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Right. It was government-run and later privatized, but because so many people go there, you need to make a reservation. I''ll arrange it for you," Liu Longtao contemplated for a moment, "As for accommodations, how about Xiaotangshan?"

    "Xiaotangshan Wellness Resort?" Yan Yu inquired.

    "The Wellness Resort is boring, full of retired old men," Liu Longtao answered without beating around the bush, "My family has a house there, right next to Huaqing Pool. It''s usually empty and just right for the Zhenghai Team."

    "Alright, then we''ll make do with staying there for one night," Yan Yu agreed.

    Huaqing Pool and the surrounding area used to belong to the emperor''s resort mansion from the previous dynasty¡ªcommoners were not even allowed near it, so its value was self-evident.

    Liu Longtao''s nonchalant "my family has a house there" and Yan Yu''s unruffled "then we''ll make do with staying there for one night" seemed as if they were competing in a swagger contest, leaving the accompanying girls speechless.

    "What about tomorrow?" Liu Longtao continued, "Are you going sightseeing at the scenic spots or shall I find you a leisure club to kill time?"

    "I''d prefer tourism and sightseeing, but I''m afraid of being recognized," Yan Yu sighed, "My face is too well-known now, and wherever I go, there''s trouble."

    Liu Longtao was at a loss for words because his Dragon Cavalry Team hadn''t been on live stream yet. He chuckled and said,

    "Alright then, I''ll arrange a leisure club for you."

    "What''s a leisure club for?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked off to the side.

    "It''s for killing time," Liu Longtao explained from the other side, "Anything goes¡ªeating, drinking, playing, whatever. They have people to take care of you inside."

    "That sounds great," With no restrictions on what to eat, Zhao Yuanzhen was very satisfied, and Xie Ruoxi added from the side,

    "Can you go online to play games and watch anime there?"

    "Of course!" Liu Longtao burst into laughter, "The club even has access to the dark web, so even if you want something not available for download aboveboard, they can get it for you!"

    So the girls roughly got it: Lord Master''s so-called "leisure club" was actually a jack-of-all-trades place specifically catering to Pingjing''s wealthy young masters and ladies. Its main selling point was fulfilling any request at any cost.

    "That works." Yan Yu saw everyone was pleased and agreed, "Fine, we''ll contact you once we''re in Pingjing."

    The phone call with Lord Master proved quite effective, as the girls were already excitedly discussing among themselves, full of anticipation for their Pingjing trip.

    Only Chen Lingyun, although the perfect fake smile still hung on her face, was not truly happy¡ªsomething Yan Yu caught in a glance.

    "What''s wrong? Don''t you want to go to Pingjing?" He telepathically asked her.

    "The club he mentioned should be the one in Shijingshan," Chen Lingyun said faintly, "I don''t really want to go there."

    "Why?" Yan Yu guessed, "Did you get bullied there when you were young and now have a psychological shadow, so you don''t want to go?"

    It was clear nonsense; how could possibly Princess Jiang Hai have been bullied? Who would dare?

    Chen Lingyun rolled her eyes at him wordlessly and said,

    "They keep a lot of dogs there, and I don''t like it."

    "But isn''t it stray cats that you hate?" Yan Yu was slightly taken aback at first, then realized,

    Chen Lingyun had taken in stray cats when she was young, which showed that she definitely preferred cats in terms of aesthetic taste, so that was not a problem.

    "No worries," Yan Yu comforted her gently, "There are many hospitals in a big city like Pingjing. It''s easy to get a rabies vaccine. I can fly you over with Sword Control if necessary, don''t worry."

    "Heh," Chen Lingyun gave him an enchanting roll of her eyes.

 Chapter 50 Its All Because Xi Xi is Too Sensitive

    ```That evening, the group used Sword Control to reach Pingjing, landing near Xiaotangshan.

    At the rendezvous point, two cars were waiting to take the Zhenhai Team to the Liu Family''s villa¡ªresembling an ancient-style building, with hardly any traces of steel-reinforced concrete evident.

    "Old Liu, this villa of yours, why does it look a bit like an imperial vacation palace from a previous dynasty?" Yan Yu remarked on the architecture as he stood at the entrance and casually asked.

    "My ancestors were royal sons-in-law," Liu Longtao replied, "The residence was bestowed by the emperor; have you heard of Princess Xuanming?"

    "No, I''m not good with history." Yan Yu asked again for confirmation, "But it has water and electricity inside, right?"

    "How could it be livable without water and electricity?" Liu Longtao tossed him a set of keys, laughing, "Make yourself at home, throw a party or whatever, just don''t damage the walls¡ªthe cultural heritage bureau comes to check every few years, ugh, so troublesome."

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    He then mounted his sword light and left. Yan Yu turned around, using the keys to open the door.

    Inside, it was less a villa and more a sizable garden estate. Surrounded by tall, red walls outside, the interior featured pavilions, terraces, flowering hedges, and waterside gazebos, layered upon each other as if truly entering the Grand View Garden from Dream of the Red Chamber.

    "There are so many fallen leaves," Su Yunjin sighed beside him, "they''re impossible to clean up."

    "The feng shui layout isn''t bad," Zhao Yuanzhen posed like an expert and assessed, "The artificial hill in the center of the pond is the essence."

    "I really want to do an ancient-style Cos here," Xie Ruoxi agreed, "It would be pretty."

    "Which room are we going to stay in?" Lin Ning looked around, "Isn''t there a map or something?"

    "Typically, directly across from the main entrance would be the central estate," Chen Lingyun said leisurely, "Further back would be where the family lived."

    "Let''s go take a look," Yan Yu said with a wave of his hand.

    The group passed through the main estate and after a long, narrow garden, they finally found two rows of neat and tidy side-rooms that led to a small chamber with steaming hot springs inside.

    This region of Xiaotangshan was indeed famed for its hot springs.

    The ladies exchanged glances, then suddenly spoke in unison:

    "Captain, you haven''t had a good rest yet, have you? You should go to bed early today and not stay up late."

    Yan Yu: ???

    Before he had time to say anything, he was picked up by the group and forcefully thrust into a guest room.

    "Alright!" Lin Ning clapped her hands satisfactorily, "Let''s go soak in the hot springs!"

    "But I didn''t bring a swimsuit," Su Yunjin said hesitantly.

    "Who needs a swimsuit?" Zhao Yuanzhen said carelessly, "There''s no one else around, just go naked."

    The idea of bathing without clothes made the ladies visibly uncomfortable.

    It was only Chen Lingyun who calmly went to the door of the hot spring chamber, checked the lock, and announced:

    "No problem, it can be locked from the inside."

    "If we use Divine Sense to scout, we''ll definitely be aware if someone approaches, right?" Xie Ruoxi added, "How about I do the scouting? I have an abundance of True Yuan."

    After thinking it through, everyone seemed to agree with the logic and, holding hands and cheerfully, headed towards the hot spring room.

    Their conversation outside, of course, was overheard by Yan Yu loud and clear.

    Lucky me, it''s as if someone might really come and peep at you.

    He lay on the bed playing with his phone when he saw in the cultivator group chat someone saying:

    "If Captain Yan is getting a medal, shouldn''t Captain Zhou get one too? They both fought against foreign enemies equally, right?"

    "How could they be the same? Captain Yan killed almost a few hundred people, while Captain Zhou is still in the hospital. The authorities will definitely take strength into account when dishing out recognition..."

    "What happened to Xiao Zhou?" Yan Yu asked in the group chat.

    "Salute to Captain Yan!" A crowd immediately flooded with emoticon packs, most nicknames belonging to students from the other four institutes that Yan Yu didn''t recognize, likely having joined the group after the team system was fully implemented.

    The previous speaker replied:

    "Hello Captain Yan, I''m from Pingxi Academy. Captain Zhou was fighting with a Transcendent from Tianzhu on the highlands, and apparently, she got seriously injured and was rushed to Huaxi for emergency treatment."

    "@Zhang Huaide, is she dead?" Yan Yu directly called out the name.

    "No," Zhang Huaide responded quickly, "she was brought back from the brink."

    Almost simultaneously, a message appeared at the top of the screen:

    "Zhang Huaide" is inviting you to a video call.

    Once Yan Yu accepted the invite, the video showed the background of a hospital''s intensive care unit with a gravely injured Zhou Hongyu wearing an oxygen mask and hospital gown, staring at the camera, eyes locked with Yan Yu''s in a silent confrontation.

    "Uh," Yan Yu felt he should say something and inquired with concern, "Xiao Zhou, where are you hurt? Is it your brain? Did you have any brain damage? Will it affect your intelligence?"

    "Lung penetration injury," Zhang Huaide''s voice came from the side, "Debridement surgery is already done, and it''s not a big problem. For a cultivator, it won''t leave any sequelae. A week of rest should suffice."

    "Captain Zhou can''t speak right now; I''ll translate for her," Tang Xiaolian entered the frame from the edge, exchanged a look with Zhou Hongyu, nodded, then turned and said, "Captain Zhou says, ''What are you looking at? I''ll gouge your eye out.''"

    "Haha, that''s not Nanchuan dialect at all," Yan Yu couldn''t help but chuckle.

    Zhou Hongyu narrowed her eyes as Tang Xiaolian spoke:

    ```

    "I''m not a professional translator, Yan Team Leader, you figure out the idea,"

    "How did she get injured?" Yan Yu asked again.

    "Moved too fast," Zhang Huaide said indifferently.

    Although it was only four words, Yan Yu instantly understood and wanted to mockingly say, "Why is Zhou Hongyu in such a hurry again," but decided against it¡ªafter all, she''d just been rescued from the ICU, and it wouldn''t be good if she fainted from anger again.

    "Zhang, why didn''t you stop her?" Yan Yu asked.

    "I did," Zhang Huaide said in a melancholic tone.

    Just three simple words, yet they conveyed endless bitterness and exhaustion. Such was the fate of being Zhou Hongyu''s deputy team leader.

    Zhou Hongyu blinked again, only to hear Tang Xiaolian saying:

    "I freakin'' feel like bombing anything with that shitty skin color, can''t stand it."

    "That''s enough," Yan Yu said exasperatedly, "Your translations are all wrong. Zhou Hongyu was trying to say ''none of your damn business'' and ''mind your own issues''."

    Zhou Hongyu closed her eyes, adopting an attitude too lazy to speak.

    "Get lost, do you understand Captain Zhou, or do I?" Tang Xiaolian suddenly burst out in rage, "Take this slap!"

    "All right, all right," Yan Yu lost interest and said, "Glad Zhou is okay, I''m leaving, bye~"

    No sooner had he hung up the video than he got up to push the door and go to the bathroom.

    In the hot spring room, the girls were chatting happily when suddenly Xie Ruoxi screamed:

    "Yan Yu is coming!"

    Everyone immediately went into a frenzy, grabbing clothes, diving under the water, and screaming:

    "Ningning, quickly check if the door is locked!" Su Yunjin hastily exclaimed.

    "It''s locked...But it''s useless! Doesn''t he have the Wall-Penetration Technique?" Lin Ning rushed to the door to check and soon started panicking.

    "If he dares to come in, I will slap him to death!" Zhao Yuanzhen gritted her teeth.

    The girls hastily covered their chests and thighs, nervously eyeing the room''s door.

    "Wait." Xie Ruoxi suddenly spoke, "He went to the bathroom."

    The girls instantly breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Xie Ruoxi speechlessly:

    Ruoxi ah, can you not be so panicky? He just left the room to go to the bathroom, and you made it seem like he was about to invade our space.

    "Cough cough." Lin Ning felt she''d been silly just before and quickly laughed it off, "Going to the bathroom, haha, I knew the Captain wasn''t that type of a person, the door lock wouldn''t stop him if he really wanted to barge in."

    "Of course," Su Yunjin also hastily smoothed things over, "The Captain''s character is very proper, he wouldn''t do those despicable acts."

    "He''s heading this way!" Xie Ruoxi shouted again.

    "He must be going back to his room," Lin Ning was still skeptical, how could the same mistake be made twice by someone who solves problems, but to give Yan Yu the benefit of the doubt she added, "Going back to his room is in this direction too, it''s totally normal, Ruoxi, don''t make a big deal out of nothing."

    "It''s not!" Xie Ruoxi quickly said, "He already passed the room''s door, and he''s still walking this way!"

    The hot spring room went quiet for a moment and then became noisy again, with frantic scrambling for clothes, bath towels, diving, and body-covering.

    Yan Yu arrived at the door and knocked, saying loudly:

    "What''s the noise about? Everything okay in there?"

    The noises inside immediately quieted down. After a few moments, Lin Ning''s shy and timid voice came through the door:

    "Do...Do you need something?"

    "Nothing," Yan Yu said, "You were yelling so loudly, I came to see what happened. No one''s gotten heatstroke from the hot spring or suffocated from sitting too long, right?"

    "No, just go back!" Lin Ning yelled.

    "If it''s nothing then keep it down! Making such a fuss for no reason." Yan Yu grumpily said and sauntered back to his room, "Really, what a racket..."

    Inside the hot spring room, everyone gradually calmed down.

    "He''s gone back to his room," Xie Ruoxi whispered.

    The girls silently stared at her.

    After a while, Su Yunjin gently said:

    "Ruoxi, I know you''ve only joined us recently, but the Captain really isn''t a lecherous and indecent man. Aren''t you being a bit too defensive?"

    "Exactly," Lin Ning quickly passed the buck, "See? The Captain only came by because he heard us screaming; he thought something was wrong, he never had any other intentions."

    "I was too nervous," Xie Ruoxi laughed it off, yet she was dismissive in her heart: S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Not lecherous? If he wasn''t lecherous, would he have gone out of his way to send a message and fetch me back all the way from afar without knowing I had spiritual cultivation talent? Handing me 200,000 in cash upon meeting?

    Hmph, when I become a gem in his palm, it''ll be too late for any of you to cry!

 Chapter 51 Memories of a Past Life

    In the midst of vagueness, it felt as if his whole body was drenched in sweat.Yan Yu raised his head with a ferocious expression, his Flying Sword swiftly cutting through the steel forest. The voice of the coordinator came through his earpiece:

    "...continue straight ahead, turn right at the crossroads ahead."

    "Follow the northbound Tongjiangnan Road, 300 meters to reach site number 7, your last mission for today. I wish you success."

    His sword light flew faster and faster, switching from Sword Flight to Sword-Human Unity. The foreign True Yuan, like burning molten lava, was mechanically compressed, pumped out, and injected into his Dantian. It then ignited all of his meridians, making every cell in his body tremble and moan.

    The Military Manor ahead was already a field of corpses.

    The civilian Cultivators had already stormed the Manor, aiming for a batch of Elixir Medicine stored inside. The military Cultivators stationed within were putting up a valiant resistance, but they were few in number and on the verge of being wiped out.

    The sword light suddenly burst onto the battlefield!

    Slash! Chop! Cut! Shave! Slash again! Carve!

    Stab! In the blink of an eye, seven civilian Cultivators were slain.

    Yan Yu altered his hand gesture slightly, shaking off the sticky blood from his sword, and was about to step into the government hall when suddenly he staggered. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    A feeling of indescribable weakness and powerlessness began to slowly spread from his lower abdomen, where the Dantian was located.

    "Is there something wrong with your body?" the coordinator, seeing the data was incorrect, cried out in shock, "I''ve requested a replacement. Go to a safe place and rest!"

    "No, I''ll do it," Yan Yu said, pulling out an injection from his waist and administering it cleanly into his left arm vein. "There are too many enemies; they won''t be able to handle it."

    "Calm down, Comrade Yan!" the coordinator urged in a rush, "You''ve already taken three suppressants today! Another injection won''t last much longer and will only cause your body to collapse!"

    "Then have the emergency team wait for me at the entrance." Yan Yu once again merged with his sword and charged into the Manor, passing through countless corridors and rooms. Blood and sword light interweaved, and cries of agony rose and fell.

    As the number of suppressants injected in the short term increased, the body''s resistance to the medication grew stronger, and the time the Dantian could accommodate external True Yuan grew shorter.

    His body was burning out even more intensely, but his consciousness became colder and clearer. His Divine Sense swept like a relentless radar, frantically scanning and seeking out enemies, laying out numerous potential paths in his mind, dense and numerous, as if branded in his vision, impossible to dispel.

    ...Just need to kill them all before my body collapses...

    Kill them all!

    Suddenly, the wall burst open, and Yan Yu''s sword light thrust forward desperately, barely countered by the Cultivator leader''s Flying Sword. The formidable power of Sword-Human Unity pushed the opponent, smashing through wall after wall, until they burst out of the Manor and onto the artificial lake, creating two towering waves!

    The momentum came to a stop, and sword and man separated. Yan Yu threw a punch directly at the chest, which the opponent dodged by stepping aside. The opponent took several quick steps back and threw out a defensive artifact resembling an umbrella.

    Just as the golden light shield appeared, it was fiercely struck by Yan Yu''s sword light, followed by a punch with the Curved Curse technique, causing cracks to appear on the shield. He then connected with the Eagle Strike sword technique, one two three four five!

    The sword light changed and struck five times in quick succession, all precisely hitting the same spot, eventually smashing the shield to pieces from the outside by brute force!

    As the shield shattered, a thousand dazzling golden flowers burst forth, blindingly bright! Yan Yu instinctively closed his eyes, but his Divine Sense suddenly alarmed, his head jerked aside as if something grazed his cheek. Soon, a faint sting was felt. He immediately opened his eyes, but all he saw were blinding lights and afterimages, unable to clearly see anything.

    Fortunately, his Divine Sense was still working perfectly, it locked onto the enemy''s figure unfailingly. His stepping technique propelling him from the ground, he picked up speed, leapt, and performed a Sword Flight slash!

    The sword light pierced through the Cultivator leader''s chest, then diagonally into the ground ahead. Yan Yu tumbled out of the light, clumsy and disoriented, and fell to the ground. His True Yuan depleted, his strength exhausted, and pain all over his body, his limbs numbed as if they no longer belonged to him.

    With effort, he propped his body up with his arms, but his palms slipped in the muddy soil by the riverbank, and he plunged face down into the mud, the foul and rotting smell invading his mouth and nose. After gasping desperately for a moment, he exerted strength again to push himself off the ground, and finally managed to stagger up.

    Spitting out the mud in his mouth, his other hand grasped the sword hilt. Divine Sense once again sought out enemies to confirm the direction. Dizzily turning around, he dragged the heavy body of the Huang Tingjian, his steps faltering and staggering, to the side of the Cultivator leader.

    The other party was not yet dead, reaching for the Elixir Medicine at his waist, but no longer had the strength. Seeing Yan Yu, broken and blind, approach, he knew his death was certain, yet he said with a malicious smile:

    "Good! Good! Good! You can kill me, but can you exterminate all the Cultivators under the sky! Sooner or later, someone will capture your family, flay them, draw out their tendons, extract their souls, refine their spirits....."

    Before he finished speaking, the Huang Tingjian heavily chopped down!

    The Cultivator leader was still blurting out curses incoherently, but soon it turned to wailing and begging for mercy, and finally, silence ensued. Yan Yu continued to lift the heavy sword rigidly and numbly, chopped down, lifted the sword again, and chopped down... until the body was mutilated beyond any human likeness.

    Only then did he plunge the heavy sword into the ground, his hands barely supporting the sword blade, leaning on it to prevent himself from falling.

    Are there any more enemies...

    His body was on the verge of passing out, his consciousness sinking into an abyss, yet strangely, his rationality seemed to float upwards as if his soul was about to depart from his shell.

    Kill, kill, kill...

    Something landed behind him with a thud. Yan Yu suddenly gripped his sword with both hands and forcefully pulled it out, intending to use the spin of his body to slash at the newcomer. However, for some reason, he missed, and then two pairs of arms firmly held him down from left and right. A somewhat familiar voice rang out:

    "Medical team! Comrade Yan, we''re from the medical team! Don''t be agitated! All the enemies are dead, and we''ve finished clearing the scene. You can rest now... "

    The rest was unclear...

    ......

    Yan Yu slowly opened his eyes, the morning sun streaming through the window grilles casting a subtly warm glow on his face.

    I''m so tired.

    Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire

    Every time he dreamed of a battle memory, he would wake up extremely exhausted¡ªnot with physical soreness and weakness, but a fatigue that stemmed from the soul.

    Can I stop dreaming about battles? I just want to live a peaceful life now!

    Yan Yu sat up in bed, the fragrance left by Zhao Yuanzhen seemed to still linger by the bedside.

    That''s right, last night she soaked in the hot spring too late and only came to find me for dual cultivation and breathing exercises in the middle of the night. We cultivated until two in the morning...

    No wonder I dreamed¡ªwe were still practicing at two in the morning! I was dead tired, and her True Yuan continued to pour into me. How could I not dream?

    Of course, I''d dream about past memories! When I used to store Spiritual Energy in an external device, I had this annoying feeling of being continuously infused with someone else''s True Yuan!

    After washing up in the bathroom, Yan Yu decided the Demonic Sect Enchantress was fully to blame for the nightmare. Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door from outside:

    "Captain! The driver is here to pick us up for the club!"

    Yan Yu went to the door and swiftly opened it, startling Lin Ning who was about to knock again. Regaining her composure, she huffily gave a light kick, which Yan Yu casually dodged.

    "Why do you walk without making a sound?" Lin Ning asked him.

    "Is it possible that it''s your ears that are bad?" Yan Yu countered.

    "Pfft, it''s your ears that are bad!" Lin Ning turned and walked away, throwing back, "Hurry up and gather at the entrance!"

    Yan Yu left the room and arrived at the villa''s entrance, seeing two cars parked there. The girls hadn''t boarded yet and were chitchatting away.

    "The captain''s here," Su Yunjin said with a smile, "Let''s get in the car."

    "Let''s go!" Zhao Yuanzhen said with a flourish of her hand, as she and Xie Ruoxi got into the car.

    The other three girls didn''t move. Su Yunjin and Lin Ning seemed to be plotting something as they looked at Yan Yu.

    Seeing through their scheme, Yan Yu took the front passenger seat in the car with Zhao and Xie, to the great disappointment of the two girls.

    Chen Lingyun watched, amused, then joined the other two girls in the second car, and they all set off for the club.

    The Shijingshan Club doesn''t have an official name to the public. Operating on a members-only basis and expanding clientele solely through member referrals, it has no need for any advertising. The clientele, wealthy and prestigious, proves that membership itself is an indicator of status.

    Upon reaching the club''s entrance, the person taking over the cars turned out to be Ye Jun.

    The girl wore makeup and sunglasses, looking charming and sexy. She greeted the ladies with a smile:

    "Captain Liu had something come up at home today and couldn''t make it. I''ll be hosting you all today, haha."

 Chapter 254 52 chapters They are my Chai Dai

    From the outside, the club appeared to be just an ordinary villa.Despite its rather plain exterior, the interior was exquisitely luxurious and had an artistic flair.

    Passing through the entry hall and walking further in, one would come to the banquet hall where sparse groups of guests were chatting idly by the bar counter or in corners.

    Ye Jun handed out membership cards to everyone and introduced,

    "Your information has been registered. If you want to order food, talk to the suit-wearing manager by the counter. You can order whatever you like, and if it''s not available, they''ll arrange to have it flown in for preparation; it just takes some time, as it cannot be served immediately."

    "Can we ask him to recommend some rare dishes?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked eagerly.

    "Of course," Ye Jun replied with a smile, "treat him as your hired butler; feel free to give him orders."

    So Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi, the two young ladies, immediately strode over to the manager to inquire about the meal service.

    "We can order here, right?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked first, "What''s good to eat?"

    "Yes," the manager replied with a smile, "we can provide anything that people on Earth have eaten; if no one has eaten it, we''ll try our best to source it. If you need to see the menu, we have a record of recent ordering statistics¡­"

    He took out a Pad, swiped a few times, and handed it to Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi.

    The two young ladies began eagerly perusing the menu, while Lin Ning and Su Yunjin made their way to the side of the banquet hall¡ªwhere there was a very beautiful piano.

    "Lanchestian." Su Yunjin was somewhat surprised, "This brand is a bit extravagant. I''ve heard they only accept custom orders, sending people to measure the temperature and humidity at the customer''s home before flying in materials for onsite assembly and tuning. They even provide dedicated maintenance every three months¡­"

    "Does temperature and humidity affect the piano''s quality?" Lin Ning curiously asked.

    "It has a bit of an effect," Su Yunjin replied, sitting down in front of the piano and neatly arranging her hair before starting to play seriously.

    In another corner of the banquet hall, three young men were chatting when they suddenly heard the melodious sound of the piano. Find adventures at My Virtual Library Empire

    "Not bad at all," one of them said, turning his head to look at Su Yunjin in the distance without recognizing her but feeling she indeed looked good. He nudged his companion with his elbow and said, "Hey, looks like a new member."

    "A new member? Or someone''s female companion?" his companion, intrigued, turned his head to look as well.

    Becoming a member of this club wasn''t just about having money; a referral was needed to enter the circle. As for the women who entered as companions of current members, that was relatively easy.

    Some of the female companions brought by members were there expressly to penetrate this circle, with a distinct air of profit-seeking; others had been specifically trained, and without getting into who was behind that training, their demeanor was reminiscent of those slim courtesans of Yangzhou: pleasing at first sight, but ultimately too contrived, feeling artificial with persistent exposure, so they were just for casual amusement.

    However, the young woman playing the piano didn''t have any men by her side and lacked any air of gold-digging subservience... She must have entered through the member''s gateway.

    Since she was a member and also attractive, they definitely had to make acquaintance quickly!

    The three young men exchanged looks, stood up, and made their way towards the piano area. They waited until Su Yunjin finished her piece before smiling and saying,

    "Beautiful lady, are you a new member? Haven''t seen you here before, but you play the piano incredibly well. Are you at a professional''s standard?"

    "You flatter me," Su Yunjin said lightly, "I''m just practicing casually, nothing professional."

    "Should we go check out the garden?" Lin Ning, noticing she wasn''t too keen on chatting, quickly came over to offer an escape.

    "Hmm," Su Yunjin responded and stood up, smoothing out her skirt.

    Despite the young women''s chilly rejection, the three young men did not intend to give up. They followed nonchalantly, looking for another opportunity to strike up a conversation.

    After all, the world is full of pretty women, wealthy ones too, and certainly daughters of prestigious families. But finding someone pretty, wealthy, and of noble birth¡ªall at once¡ªtruly was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

    "I feel like I''ve seen you before; are you perhaps related to the Zhang family in the Ministry of Justice?" one of them asked.

    "At Zhang Rong''s twentieth birthday banquet at Liyun Hotel, right? I remember too," his companion quickly chimed in.

    "Enough already," Lin Ning said, visibly annoyed, "you''ve got the wrong person. We don''t know any Zhang Rong."

    "Well, then tell us your name, let''s see if we know you¡­" the three young men continued chuckling, but suddenly they heard a sweet voice behind them,

    "They are indeed unrelated to Zhang Rong; they''re my friends."

    Turning around, they saw Chen Lingyun standing there with a sweet smile. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Though she was only around five feet tall, tiny and quite adorable, to the three young men, she appeared almost like a deity in human form.

    "Chen¡­ Chen Lingyun?"

    "What''s wrong?" Chen Lingyun raised an eyebrow. "Disappointed that it''s not Zhang Rong but me?"

    "Not at all!" "Of course not!" The three of them, as if having triggered some mechanism, unanimously and simultaneously exclaimed.

    The Governor''s only daughter, Chen Lingyun, was nicknamed Princess Jiang Hai¡ªan undoubtedly derogatory title because no matter how you pursued her, there wasn''t even a one in ten thousand chance of success.

    It was as if a commoner could never marry a princess¡ªthe very template of someone with her nose in the air, sporting a pretentious smile of equal treatment on the surface, while never giving any man the slightest encouragement.

    But why was the title "Princess Jiang Hai" universally acknowledged? Because the men who irrationally attempted to court her were indeed plentiful.

    The Governor''s only daughter, what did that imply? Even if you couldn''t win her over, you certainly couldn''t afford to offend her. At the very least, you had to show that you were making an effort. Otherwise, what would you do if she took umbrage?

    Besides, even if the odds were less than one in ten thousand, what if you were the one to succeed? What if lady luck decided to grace me with her favor?

    Yan Yu was chatting casually with Ye Jun when he turned his head and saw three young men surrounding Chen Lingyun, speaking to her with utmost caution, their desire to please written all over their faces¡ªif they had tails on their rumps, they would certainly be wagging them enthusiastically.

    For a moment, it almost felt like a dream of a past life.

    In her previous life, although Chen Lingyun proclaimed to have a boyfriend, she remained unmarried despite her age, with many shameless men still boldly pursuing her.

    But Yan Yu was utterly confident in her, because her feigned smile was so formidable that it repelled all suitors without exception.

    "Need me to help out?" Ye Jun also noticed Chen Lingyun being bothered and inquired.

    "No need," Yan Yu said with a smile. "Have you forgotten her status? Who would dare to mess with her and not suffer the consequences?"

    "True," Ye Jun quickly realized.

    "Speaking of which, how are things on your end?" Yan Yu continued to ask.

    "Pretty good," Ye Jun said. "The money from the Mysterious Realm is plentiful; I''m quite financially independent now."

    "I was referring to the team..."

    "Oh, oh, oh." Embarrassment crept onto Ye Jun''s face, mainly because her teammates often spread rumors about her and Yan Yu, causing her to subconsciously think that Yan Yu''s question "How are things on your end?" pertained to her personal situation. "That''s still okay, too. The main issue is the frequent emergencies at the border, which require us to head north to defend."

    "I heard that the towns along the border have been evacuated?" Yan Yu continued his inquiry.

    "There were plans to consolidate villages and towns anyway," Ye Jun said after a pause. "It''s just coincidental timing, just taking advantage of the situation."

    "One still has to regularly go out and kill," Yan Yu said indifferently. "Even wild boars in the mountains, if not regularly hunted to control their population, will come down to ravage the farmers'' cornfields. Are Spirit Communicators now less of a threat than wild boars?"

    "Liu from the team said the situation is complex," Ye Jun sighed. "I really don''t understand it. We can only go wherever the Dragon Soar Team is ordered to fight."

    "Things should improve a lot once the Amur witch group stabilizes," Yan Yu mused. Though he couldn''t change the "situation" that even Lord Master found tricky, he was already laying groundwork for the Eclipse Queen thanks to his knowledge from his previous life. "By the way, I have a favor to ask of you."

    "What is it?" Ye Jun asked.

    "I need to check the weather data from across the country," Yan Yu stated earnestly. "Mainly precipitation and snow."

    "Why do you need that?" Ye Jun asked in puzzlement. "Besides, can''t you just look that up on the Meteorological Bureau''s website?"

    "I have special requirements." Yan Yu explained. "The rain needs to be as slight as possible, preferably a drizzle that doesn''t even necessitate an umbrella; the snow must be the first snowfall of this year in that area. Even if there''s been sleet before, it doesn''t count as the first snowfall."

    "Uhh..." Ye Jun was silent for a long time before suddenly asking, "You''re not really doing what Liu said, creating your own version of Jinling''s Twelve Hairpins, are you?"

    "Huh?" Yan Yu was bewildered.

    "The specific rain and snow you''re asking for¡ªit''s similar to the method for making Cold Fragrance Pills in ''Dream of the Red Chamber'' by Xue Baochai, isn''t it?" Ye Jun speculated. "Are you planning to have Su Yunjin play Xue Baochai? I always thought she had the right temperament for it, perhaps forming a Chai-Dai duo with Lin Ning?"

    "Don''t you believe Lord Master''s nonsense!" Yan Yu quickly interjected righteously, "I really need it! It''s not for cosplay, it has a purpose. I can''t go into specifics, which is why I''m asking for your help because you can keep a secret!"

    "Okay." Ye Jun nodded. "I''ll help you ask around."

    She paused for a moment and then added:

    "By the way, it seems like Liu has connections to get the backup costumes from the 1987 TV adaptation of ''Dream of the Red Chamber''. Want me to snag some for you?"

    So he wanted Yun Jin to play Baochai and Ningning to play Daiyu, huh?

    This thought lingered in Yan Yu''s mind for a moment, and it seemed rather amusing...

    "No, wait!" Yan Yu suddenly came to his senses, almost fooled by Ye Jun''s line of thinking, and he hastily clarified his position, "What do I need their costumes for? I''ve already said it''s not for cosplay. Keep this up and I''ll get angry, you know."

    "Yes, yes, yes~" Ye Jun snickered.

 Chapter 53 Public Ownership Boyfriend

    Ye Jun quickly left the clubhouse to check the files at the meteorological bureau.This Jinmen girl was decisive and blunt, straightforward in speech and actions, which greatly appealed to Yan Yu.

    It was a pity she served as the defense buff provider in her team and couldn''t be poached just yet. Yan Yu would have to take his time.

    No rush, he had all the time to spar with Lord Master.

    Yan Yu looked back at the banquet hall; Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi had already taken their seats in the dining area, each enjoying a steak deliciously.

    Su Yunjin and Lin Ning, on the other hand, had run off to the garden area outside to admire the plants.

    Chen Lingyun... Damn!

    There, in the nearby leisure area, Chen Lingyun was sitting on a chair out of boredom, silently staring out the window.

    Surrounding her were the young masters from the clubhouse. Each was politely and cheerfully conversing, striving to subtly show off to Princess Jiang Hai as if they were peacocks spreading their feathers before a peahen.

    No, this...

    Ling Yun, you said you didn''t like the many dogs in the clubhouse, but you never mentioned these human-shaped, fawning dogs!

    At this moment, Yan Yu hadn''t anticipated that Chen Lingyun, who he often found annoying in his previous life, was such a hot commodity in the eyes of these flatterers. Hmm... something seems off?

    On second thought, it seemed there was no issue.

    In his past life, even after Chen Lingyun had established a romantic relationship with Yan Yu, they would sometimes encounter would-be suitors trying to steal her away.

    But she was the kind of woman who was both mean and smart. On one hand, she would mercilessly disgust others with a fake smile, while on the other hand, she would avoid disturbing Yan Yu as much as possible, leaving a deep and possibly troubling impression on him.

    In this life, Princess Jiang Hai didn''t have an official partner yet, and the lurking suitors finally couldn''t hold back any longer¡ªafter all, winning over the Governor''s only daughter wouldn''t just benefit oneself; their families could benefit and advance for decades!

    Moreover, her beauty was exquisite and perfect, a feature no man could find fault with... Which man wouldn''t be moved by such a woman, and which could suppress the impulse to get ahead?

    Licked! Smooth, sleek, hiss hiss! As long as everyone licks, sticking out my tongue and wagging my tail won''t be embarrassing!

    Yan Yu perfectly anticipated the flatterers'' mindset and sneered disdainfully. He was about to head downstairs for hydrotherapy when he suddenly caught Chen Lingyun''s gaze from afar, looking over.

    The moment their eyes met, her fake smile transformed into one filled with genuine warmth and pleasure, as if she had found something sincerely enjoyable¡ªor perhaps amusing. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu immediately felt something was amiss and hurried to head downstairs. But Princess Jiang Hai had already risen and was rapidly approaching.

    Once the princess moved, the pack of suitors naturally swarmed after her, creating a rather overwhelming¡ªno, frightening¡ªsight.

    Yan Yu hurried his steps, Chen Lingyun quickened hers, and the suitors did the same. Everyone in the banquet hall seemed to be having a chase.

    Yan Yu wanted to take the stairs two at a time to descend quickly but didn''t expect that Chen Lingyun, with her short legs pumping like she was about to take flight, finally caught up with him at the staircase¡ªclutching his arm forcefully, she smiled and said:

    "Dear, would you like to go for hydrotherapy?"

    The suitors behind instantly fell silent. Though no one spoke out, most were grappling with the shock, while several faces twisted grotesquely with jealousy.

    "Let go!" Yan Yu, refusing to be duped, tried to shake her hand off, "I don''t know you!"

    "He''s going to be my boyfriend~" Chen Lingyun announced to the crowd, smiling sweetly.

    As a result, facial spasms induced by jealousy dispersed rapidly, and everyone''s faces showed a "I really want to kill you" sort of smile. They mutteringly agreed with remarks like "Ah, truly a match of talent and beauty," and Yan Yu, unable to hold back any longer, simply dragged the arm accessory forcefully downstairs, disappearing from the suitors'' view.

    "Do you have a death wish?" Yan Yu pulled Chen Lingyun off his arm with a displeased expression and forcibly pushed her against the wall.

    Chen Lingyun didn''t answer, but instead leaned in to give him a kiss, spreading a soft and warm sensation across his lips.

    Yan Yu pushed her small head away, impatiently saying:

    "Can a kiss solve the problem?"

    "No." Chen Lingyun replied sweetly, "But it can calm you down."

    Yan Yu: .........

    She wanted to slap her, but then she remembered that in their past life, even though she kept stalling and wouldn''t marry, she had never broken up or cheated in the face of a constant stream of suitors... Which is why in this life, I chose to part on good terms. But why are you coming to please me again?

    Men!

    Yan Yu hated his own tendency to dwell on past relationships. Even though he was determined to be the strongest in this life, he couldn''t even handle his shameless ex-girlfriend who had the nerve to throw herself at him!

    Damn it, if this keeps up, how can I call myself the strongest in this world!

    Time to go for a spa treatment to calm down.

    Yan Yu left her standing there and silently walked towards the SPA area, quickly followed by the sound of hurried footsteps behind him.

    Chen Lingyun tried to grab Yan Yu''s hand, but he shook her off. She didn''t seem upset at all; in fact, her smile grew even sweeter, as if she''d found a new toy to amuse herself with.

    Down in the first-floor garden, Su Yunjin and Lin Ning browsed for a while, encountering many people who came up to chat them up. Your next chapter is on My Virtual Library Empire

    Chen Lingyun had helped them fend off one group, but with both girls'' good looks and presence, it didn''t take long for curious young masters to be drawn to them.

    When some recognized their cultivator status (hadn''t they seen them on TV before?), they eagerly came over to strike up a conversation.

    If they couldn''t get to Chen Lingyun, they thought, why not try their luck with her teammates?

    The top cultivators from the Zhenhai Team surely had bright futures ahead, and opportunities for pursuit were not to be missed.

    Even though it was essentially sucking up, these people were polite in tone and attitude. Seeing that the girls were not interested in talking, they would simply smile slightly and leave. But it was hard to deal with wave after wave of people, even using the same pickup lines several times, like "I''m your fan" or "Can I add you as a friend?", which annoyed both girls.

    While Su Yunjin was relatively good-natured about it, Lin Ning was more short-tempered and finally, unable to bear it any longer yet not wanting to be rude, could only reply with "Sorry, I have a boyfriend," to get them to back off.

    "Where on earth has Yan Yu gone!" Once again having dispatched a few would-be conversationalists, Lin Ning grumbled, her temper flaring.

    At that moment, Su Yunjin also realized something: the members who could enter this clubhouse were all individuals with status and stature¡ªnot necessarily here for leisure, but more for networking.

    As cultivators of the Zhenhai Team, with Liu Longtao as a role model, it was only natural that they became priority connections, even pursuits, for many¡ªit was to be expected.

    Of course, Liu Longtao had anticipated this and specifically arranged for the vice-captain Ye Jun to come and shield the girls from unnecessary trouble.

    But now, with Ye Jun and the captain both absent, it seemed they were probably sent off somewhere else...

    She silently pondered and strategized, while Lin Ning didn''t think too much. More inclined to action than to thought, she had dialed their captain seven or eight times without an answer and was now stubbornly trying again.

    Finally, the call connected!

    "Yan Yu, where have you run off to again!" Lin Ning burst out complaining, "Do you have any idea how many people have been hitting on us up here?"

    "Huh?" Fresh out of the spa, Yan Yu was bewildered by Sister Lin''s tirade upon answering the call, at first clueless and then bursting into laughter, "People hit on you, and you can''t find a quiet place to hide?"

    "Uh..." Lin Ning was suddenly at a loss for words.

    Why didn''t they hide? Because Yun Jin wanted to see the flowers in the garden!

    But she couldn''t complain about that to the captain because he would surely laugh at her and say, "If Yun Jin isn''t in a hurry, why are you?" So she just held back her anger and quickly asked:

    "Where are you?"

    "I''m on the lower level, just finished my spa treatment, it''s relaxing," Yan Yu responded.

    "You need to come up here quick! We''re in the back garden!" Lin Ning insisted angrily.

    "Why should I come up?" Yan Yu asked.

    "Pretend to be our boyfriend so the people hitting on us will see you and think the flowers are taken and stop bothering us!" Lin Ning complained without thinking, originally intending to blame him for their harassment because he was busy with his spa, but then Su Yunjin next to her blushed with embarrassment and hastily called out:

    "Ningning!"

    Lin Ning also quickly realized she had spoken wrongly, her face turning red as she frantically corrected herself:

    "No! I said it wrong, I''m not asking you to pretend to be both our boyfriends! I meant¡ªyou should pretend to be hers... I mean, Yun Jin''s... not that either! Geez!

    Just come here and pretend to be her boyfriend so she can watch the flowers, and I''ll go find a quiet room to hide and play with my phone!"

 Chapter 54 Zhao Yuanzhen, the Family Pet

    The spa service quality was not bad, if only I hadn''t been with Chen Lingyun.What happened to the private, single-person care? How could they let her in too! Just for that, I can only give a passing grade, I can''t rate any higher.

    Upon arriving at the ground-floor garden, Yan Yu saw Su and Lin standing by the pond, feeding the koi with breadcrumbs.

    Based on their appearance and demeanor, neither resembled Chai Dai. Lin Ning was lively and full of vigor, while Su Yunjin was gentle, quiet, and elegantly simple; their characters were entirely different.

    However, having spent so much time with them, Yan Yu knew that underneath Lin Ning''s seemingly extroverted personality was a delicate, sensitive heart that loved to dwell and fuss over things. Yun Jin was typically soft on the outside yet firm on the inside, her gentle speech could carry a heavy force of control; she appeared frail but was actually astute and assertive.

    In a way, could it be that they really did have a bit of Chai Dai''s shadow in them?

    "I''m here," Yan Yu said, hands in pockets, sauntering over to them, "what did you call me for?"

    "We don''t need you anymore," Lin Ning said with annoyance.

    "I heard someone was being hit on and harassed?" Yan Yu laughed, "Now you realize that being pretty has its disadvantages too, huh?"

    Lin Ning immediately spun around to throw a kick, but Yan Yu, having anticipated it, dodged neatly. Su Yunjin then said from the side:

    "Don''t argue with Ningning, come and stand over here."

    Yan Yu stood between the two girls and didn''t say much more. Indeed, for the next while, no one else came over to bother them.

    The reason was simple: the clubhouse was exclusive to members, with a small circle; everyone recognized the existing female members, so if they saw an unfamiliar and alone pretty lady, they''d hurry to make friends and see if there were any chances. But if there was a man next to her, they''d assume she was a guest brought by a member and immediately lose interest.

    Su Yunjin had keenly guessed that was the case when she saw someone pass by with a female companion earlier.

    Yet she was unfazed by being seen as a companion, and instead enjoyed the peace, quietly staying beside Yan Yu, watching the carps swim in the pond.

    "You girls could also try the downstairs spa," Yan Yu suggested, "It''s quite comfortable, and you won''t be disturbed."

    "Will you join us?" Su Yunjin asked faintly.

    "No, I just came back from there," Yan Yu said.

    "Then I don''t want to go," Su Yunjin said.

    In their brief exchange, an invisible gravitational field seemed to form, pressing down on Lin Ning until she couldn''t breathe and forced her to cut in abruptly:

    "You went to the spa downstairs without us, and now you come up here to show off after you''re done!"

    "Nonsense," Yan Yu said inexplicably, "If I don''t try it, how would I know the quality of the service here? I have to make sure everything is fine before I recommend it to you."

    "Hmph," Lin Ning pouted.

    Her response wasn''t so much a complaint against Yan Yu, but an attempt to break the tension between the two. Now that the goal had been achieved, she naturally didn''t say any more.

    Su Yunjin, watching quietly from the side, frowned slightly, feeling an uncomfortable twist in her heart, and suggested:

    "There''s a place for bird-watching over there, come with me to take a look."

    "Okay," Yan Yu agreed.

    "I''ll go too!" Lin Ning quickly followed suit.

    In a corner of the garden, various bird cages hung, most of which belonged to members who left their birds here for the clubhouse to take care of¡ªkeeping birds was a tradition among the old folks of Pingjing, particularly those who sang often and loudly, or could speak auspicious words, which brought them joy.

    "I also want to keep a bird," Su Yunjin suddenly said, "I''ll tell it all the secrets I can''t say out loud."

    The atmosphere suddenly became heavy again. Lin Ning opened her mouth as if to say something but then stopped, only to hear Yan Yu laugh and say:

    "Then you shouldn''t get a parrot. If it learns everything, and suddenly calls out when there are people around: ''Squawk! I''m gaining weight again,'' wouldn''t that be embarrassing?"

    Su Yunjin couldn''t hold back a smile, gave him a light glance, and laughed with her mouth covered:

    "As long as you don''t hear it, it doesn''t matter who it talks to."

    Even though it was a quick glance, mixed with a touch of girlish shyness and reproach, it seemed all the more enchanting.

    Lin Ning, too, caught the look in her eyes and grew even more restless¡ªnot the same strange weight as before, but a new kind of panic and unease that screamed "I don''t fit in here."

    She was just a simple sword immortal, unable to grasp the mysteries of these spells, her only recourse was to bluntly break in with a change of subject:

    "Speaking of pets, I''m thinking of keeping tropical fish."

    "Aren''t fish quite easy to kill?" Su Yunjin remarked lightly.

    "Not really," Lin Ning defended, "We have a big aquarium at home. It''s been years, and they''re all doing well."

    "Which one do you prefer, Captain?" Su Yunjin casually asked, "If you had to choose between the two, bird or fish?"

    The heavy atmosphere descended once more! Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu was no fool and could taste the almost imperceptible tension in the air. If he chose birds, Lin Ning would be unhappy; but if he chose fish, Su Yunjin would be upset... This was no longer about a preference for pets but about the soul-searching question "Whose side are you really on?"

    But why should I choose sides? Do you think you deserve my allegiance?

    Such amateurs, all causing me these trivial problems!

    "Birds need their cages changed, and fish need their water changed, both are troublesome," Yan Yu calmly replied, "I think Sister Zhao is easier to take care of, she can fend for herself, use the toilet on her own, and still provides enough emotional value."

    Su Yunjin: ......

    Lin Ning: ......

    Can you not compare girls to animals, please?!

    "Speaking of which, where has Sister Zhao gone?" Yan Yu suddenly realized it had been a while since they''d seen the Demonic Sect Enchantress.

    "She went to the restaurant with Ruoxi to find something to eat earlier," Lin Ning replied, feeling somewhat helpless inside. The way she said it sounded a bit too much like they were animals...

    "Let''s go have a look," Yan Yu said.

    The three of them left the garden courtyard and returned to the banquet hall inside, where they saw the dining table surrounded by crowds both inside and out. From time to time, cheers could be heard:

    "Great!"

    "Thrilling!"

    "Can they still eat?"

    "Worthy of a cultivator!"

    Yan Yu couldn''t squeeze through the crowd, so he released his Divine Sense to pierce through the throng and saw a table piled with various foods, with two girls eating heartily.

    Xie Ruoxi wolfed down food for a while and then put her hands in front of her and pressed down, channeling True Yuan around her stomach area to speed up digestion¡ªa testament to the woman who could self-taught the art of fasting in her past life. She had also developed a method to digest food.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was even more exaggerated. She lined up the shelled lobsters on the side of the table and then, while squatting and shuffling along, shoved chunks of lobster meat into her mouth and chewed vigorously, drawing continuous exclamations from the surrounding members.

    It was as if they were watching a tiger feed.

    Yan Yu: ......

    When one girl breaks your defenses, there''s always another girl to break through your defenses in kind. Such is the cycle of natural justice, an inescapable retribution!

    Yan Yu could no longer hold back and waved over a suit-clad manager who was standing by, saying:

    "Get rid of their meals, quick."

    "I apologize," the manager replied respectfully but firmly, "It is our duty to satisfy the members'' needs, provided it does not affect other members'' enjoyment of our services."

    "I understand," Yan Yu said indifferently, "Let me rephrase: If you don''t get rid of their meals now, I''m going to smash their dining table. Choose."

    The manager immediately fell silent, with a sudden appearance of cold sweat on his forehead.

    The owner of the club had a very strong background, so strong that ordinary members would not cause trouble here. But the person in front of him was the captain of the Zhenhai Team, and behind him stood that gentleman; if he really did get angry and smash the place, the owner would likely have no recourse against him.

    As everyone knew, when the boss couldn''t handle an opponent, he would take out his frustration on the subordinates who caused the trouble; after all, something would have to be done to appease the anger.

    "How about this," the manager proposed cautiously, "We have a small issue in the kitchen right now, and the food supply may be affected thereafter... When would you find it acceptable for the issue to be resolved?"

    "Tomorrow," Yan Yu understood his hint, saying nonchalantly, "I reckon it definitely won''t be fixed tonight, right?"

    "Yes, please understand." The manager quickly pressed his headset and ordered the kitchen to cut off the water and electricity, creating a malfunction.

    Soon, the food on the table was devoured completely by the two of them.

    More food didn''t arrive, which not only dissatisfied Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi but also upset the members who enjoyed watching the spectacle; they started to make a commotion:

    "Is there more food? Bring it on, quick!"

    Many members ran to the kitchen to urge them on, and Yan Yu finally found a chance to quietly weave through the crowd and came up between Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi, asking gently:

    "Have you had your fill?"

    "How could this little bit be satisfying..." Zhao Yuanzhen said dismissively without looking up.

    Xie Ruoxi, trembling beside her, tugged at her sleeve and whispered:

    "Sister Zhao, that''s Yan... Yan..."

    "Bird''s nest?" Zhao Yuanzhen turned her head, eyes lighting up, "I''m actually thirsty, where''s the bird''s nest?"

    Then she got slapped on the head as Yan Yu transmitted a scold in a low voice:

    "Reincarnation of a starving ghost! Can''t you choose the occasion to eat? Are you proud to be made a clown for others to watch you eat?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen was hit for no reason, but she dared not publicly argue with Yan Yu; she just held her head with both hands, silently seething:

    "What a petty thief! I haven''t eaten your rice; what right do you have to lecture me like this!"

    "You''re cursing me as a reincarnation of a starving ghost, huh? Once I achieve the path of the Demon Lord, I''ll hang that petty thief and in front of him, I''ll eat up all his rice soup!"

    With that thought, a vision came to her mind.

    She saw Yan Yu stripped naked, all his treasures and Flying Swords taken away, with his arms and legs bound by the dragon rope, watching Mrs. Zhao search the house for food and then screaming wildly:

    "Damn it, you can''t! That''s the only food we have left at home! You can''t eat it!"

    "Hee hee hee, didn''t you curse me as a starving ghost? Now you''ll see!" Mrs. Zhao revealed a wicked smile, fumbling from beneath the coffee table for a starch sausage Yan Yu had stashed away, and adeptly unwrapping it, "Today I''ll show you what''s what!"

    "Quack! No, please! I apologize, I was wrong, I shouldn''t have cursed you... Please don''t touch it!"

    "Haha, I''m going to eat your starch sausage!"

    At this point, Zhao Yuanzhen was thoroughly amused, looking at Yan Yu with a mocking and scornful expression as if to say, "We''ve got a long road ahead; just you wait."

    Yan Yu: ?

    Still daring to challenge?

    He reached out again with a large hand, firmly holding Zhao Yuanzhen''s head, and revealed an arrogantly cold smile of a man who suppressed all through the ages.

 Chapter 55 The Witch, Baring Her Heart!

    People came back from the upscale clubhouse feeling far from content.Chen Lingyun was upset due to being surrounded by dogs; Su Yunjin and Lin Ning were bothered by being hit on; Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi were dissatisfied because they hadn''t eaten to their hearts'' content. All in all, everyone had their points of discontent.

    Perhaps only Yan Yu was quite pleased¡ªshe not only enjoyed a spa treatment and accompanied the two ladies in admiring the flowers and birds, but she also taught Zhao and Xie a good lesson, preventing them from making too much of a spectacle of themselves. It could be said that her afternoon was very fulfilling.

    Back at the ancient buildings of Little Tangshan, the moody ladies perked up at the thought of a hot spring on the premises.

    In her room, Yan Yu received a message from Ye Jun.

    It''s done.

    Within the next week, the forecast of precipitation, be it rain or snow, for various parts of the country was clearly marked on the map¡ªdetails including the place, the amount of rainfall, and whether it was the first snowfall of the season.

    After thanking Ye Jun, Yan Yu looked at the map she had sent for a while, and had a rough idea of where to search for rain and snow.

    To refine the essence of water in elemental cultivation, one needs Rootless Water. There are four kinds of Rootless Water: morning dew, drizzling rain, initial melting snow, and originally, there''s also ground frost, which is frost water.

    But Yan Yu, with the advantage of knowledge from her previous life, was aware that frost water often carries a large amount of earthy impurities. If all four types of water are combined for cultivation, while it might be speedy, the refined water essence would not be pure. Later, the impurities would have to be painstakingly removed¡ªit''s pure torment.

    You might be in a rush early on, but sooner or later, you''ll have to doubly compensate for it.

    The key to cultivating the essence of water is its absolute purity. Any contamination with impurities means it''s best to discard it completely without hesitation. It''s like an apple with a rotten spot¡ªmost people would just remove the bad part and use the rest, but Yan Yu knew it was better to throw away the entire apple.

    Otherwise, you''re just saving the time it would take to replace one rotten apple, but when you later juice it with other apples and find a rotten smell, trying to extract the spoiled juice that came from that single apple''s rot will cost you a hundred times more effort.

    Of course, if you''re overly meticulous in choosing the purest Rootless Water for your practice, you''ll face a problem: your progress at the beginning will certainly be slower than others, much slower.

    This is also why Yan Yu prepared in advance for Su Yunjin¡ªsince the beginning is slow, why not get a head start? sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    After playing with her smartphone for a while, feeling somewhat bored, she decided to go out for a walk. Suddenly, she discovered Zhao Yuanzhen standing in the corridor outside, wearing a bathrobe and staring blankly into the dark courtyard.

    "What''s wrong with you?" Yan Yu walked over and asked, "Not joining them for the hot spring?"

    "Nothing." Zhao Yuanzhen glanced at her with little enthusiasm and replied, "The hot spring room is too warm. I came out to cool off."

    "It''s windy outside, go back soon." Yan Yu turned and left.

    "Oh." Zhao Yuanzhen followed her back to the room, silent and sullen.

    Back in her room, Yan Yu noticed Zhao Yuanzhen seemed off and asked again:

    "Is it because I didn''t let you have a good meal today, so you''re here sulking and holding a grudge against me?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen was somewhat at a loss for words. We''re Daoist companions, hey you rascal! In your mind, just how petty do you think I am?

    "No," she said, feeling irritated, "I just suddenly remembered something from my past in the sect."

    "I''m not interested," Yan Yu crossed her legs and sat on the bed, clapped her thighs, and said solemnly, "Less nonsense, come and dual-cultivate with me!"

    Zhao Yuanzhen instantly bristled, pounced onto the bed with a howl, and pinned Yan Yu down, clutching his neck and squeezing him against her, shouting:

    "You better ask me what exactly it is!"

    Yan Yu intended to forcefully push her away, but as his face was being pressed down and he struggled to breathe, he could only communicate through a secret voice transmission:

    "Alright, alright, so what exactly are you worried about?"

    "Sigh," Zhao Yuanzhen let him go, showing a "I can''t take this anymore" expression and sighed, "I just suddenly felt that I might be a bit too stupid."

    Yan Yu: ???

    No, can''t laugh here, or else this Demonic Sect Enchantress will become infuriated and seek mutual destruction with me.

    With his formidable composure from two lifetimes, Yan Yu desperately controlled the muscles of his face to keep from smiling and feigned ignorance:

    "Not at all? Who says you''re stupid?"

    "Sigh," Zhao Yuanzhen hammered her thigh firmly, seriously saying, "Of course, I know I''m not stupid! I''m just... My mentor once assessed my character and said that although I lack a cunning mind, I have the essence of returning to simplicity and truth, which makes for good cultivation potential."

    "But look at me now. I can''t even handle my relationship with my second senior sister. I was unable to see through my first senior sister''s malicious schemes. I was being hunted by Mei Yingxue that day, and if I hadn''t stumbled upon a spatial rift and hidden in it... I... I fear I would have already been dead."

    "Indeed," Yan Yu said seriously.

    "If only I could have united with my second senior sister, my eldest senior sister might not have harbored thoughts of harming me," Zhao Yuanzhen continued, her expression growing even more dejected and desolate, "If only I had seen through my eldest senior sister''s plots and schemes, I wouldn''t have ended up in this world. I admit I''m a bit slow and I accept any punishment, but...

    but I feel sorry for Master, who must be upset not being able to find me."

    As she spoke, tears started to fall. She tried to wipe them away but failed to stop them, simply kept dabbing at the corners of her eyes and said in a sad voice:

    "Little thief, little thief, I miss Master so much, I really miss her... but I can''t go back, I can''t return..."

    Yan Yu, watching her desperately wiping her tears, also felt a measure of pity and sympathy arise in his heart.

    No matter how venomous and ruthless the Demonic Sect Enchantress was, she still carried a hint of childlike reverence in her nature. It probably was a genuine display of emotion... right?

    "Alright, alright, stop crying," he said as he reached out, hugged her, and held her in his arms, "Without a master, don''t you still have me, your Dao companion? There, there, there are still people in this world who are good to you..."

    As he spoke, he found he couldn''t go on because Zhao Yuanzhen had started using his clothes to wipe her tears.

    This wretched woman!

    "Mm." Zhao Yuanzhen nodded, buried her face in his chest, and stopped making a sound.

    After a moment, she sniffled hard and suddenly raised her tear-streaked, pitifully beautiful face to ask:

    "Little thief, how are you going to be good to me?"

    You''re still asking for more, aren''t you?

    Yan Yu intended to say, "But you don''t deserve it," to strike hard at the Demonic Sect Enchantress''s arrogance, but facing her strong feminine allure and the doubled buff of her vulnerability, confronting her head-on was unwise. So, he looked up at the ceiling, pretending to ponder and said:

    "Er, I''ll take you to eat delicious food in the future."

    "That''s not enough," Zhao Yuanzhen said with a pout.

    "If someone offends you, I''ll vent your anger for you."

    "Still not enough."

    "Then when you become famous, I''ll help make your name known throughout Jiangnan and let the whole world know the title of Empress Yuanzhen."

    "Empress Yuanzhen... Mmm, it''s quite domineering, but it''s not enough."

    "That''s still not enough?" Yan Yu thought to himself that at her peak in her previous life she was only at the level of the Eclipse Queen, already having lived a carefree and joyful life, so what more could she possibly want? Was she dreaming of becoming the strongest in this life? Dream on! At best, you''ll become the strongest woman in this world!

    "Not enough, not enough, not enough!" Zhao Yuanzhen clung to him and, seizing the moment when there was no room to escape, she coquettishly asked, "When will you introduce me to your Master?"

    Yan Yu: !!!

    Body, suddenly stiff.

    Thoughts, suddenly frozen.

    Mind, suddenly blank.

    Originally, he had concocted a Master skilled in divination and highly capable because he hadn''t had enough good feelings from the Demonic Sect Enchantress and needed to prevent her from killing him outright.

    Now that his favorability with her had reached a life-saving level, he no longer had to worry about her threatening his life, but where was he supposed to conjure this fictitious Master from?

    The pit he had dug for himself had finally ensnared him!

    If it were any man with insufficient resolve, he would have been sweating profusely by now, but Yan Yu had sworn to be the strongest in this world and wouldn''t be felled by such sudden attacks. Lying came to him as easily as breathing:

    "Since our relationship has reached this point, I''ll be honest with you. My Master isn''t in this world, but imprisoned in some realm beyond the heavens. Using tremendous divine powers, she managed to break through the endless spatial barriers and sent a wisp of divine thought to Earth to take me as her disciple and impart the teachings of karma to me.

    Now you want me to take you to see her, I won''t lie to you, that is something I simply cannot do."

    Zhao Yuanzhen, hearing "Master isn''t in this world," felt some disappointment but then listened to "imprisoned beyond the heavens" "using great divine powers" "sent divine thought to Earth" and immediately became awestruck, even slightly horrified.

    Oh my goodness! Even a Daluo Golden Immortal who has ascended is unable to contact their sect''s descendants from the lower realm!

    Little thief... oh no, my husband, could his Master''s identity possibly be the immortal and indestructible Daluo Golden Immortal of legend?!

 Chapter 56 Refining, First Melting the Snow

    The next morning, Yan Yu and the others were picked up by a private car at the villa''s doorstep, heading towards Lingyan Pavilion.Lingyan Pavilion''s grand conference hall, a place where the soldiers and officers of Lu Country dream of receiving honor, is used for the highest level of medal awarding, commendations, and rewards. Of course, it is also used for other ceremonies, but we will not discuss those here.

    The award ceremony was quite simple: in front of the cameras of the official media journalists, a senior official shook hands with Yan Yu, offered a few words of encouragement, and then personally pinned the medal on him.

    Longcheng Flying General!

    Though it seemed to draw inspiration from the anecdote of the Han general Li Guang, it was actually merely a blend of "Yan Zhanlong" and "famous general," as well as a hope for his continued defense against foreign enemies in the future...

    To be honest, Yan Yu wasn''t dissatisfied and went along with the official''s encouragement, saying a few auspicious phrases with positive energy, much to the relief of Li Weiguo, who was attending the meeting.

    The ladies also lined up to receive their medals, each receiving a badge as well, but their titles were "Longcheng Heroic Generals," presumably representing the spirit of valiant and majestic women.

    Besides the medals, there was of course a cash reward: 40 million yuan for each person.

    This amount actually included the rewards from the previous confrontation with the Flying Dragon Battle Team, combining both into a single disbursement¡ªit also set a clear guiding price for the remuneration system for cultivators nationwide: about 10 million yuan domestically and 20-30 million yuan internationally.

    This was the supremely generous treatment provided to cultivators by the current dynasty!

    Especially for most of the team cultivators at the current stage, they are not involved in the life-and-death struggles abroad (that''s for the most powerful first-generation teams to handle), but domestically, if they fight in ten matches, they''ll immediately have assets over a hundred million¡ªtax-free, pure profit, and the value is self-evident.

    And above all, it wasn''t a loss either. Through commercial operations similar to the Superhero Alliance, currently just the auction of the broadcast rights for the mysterious realms domestically and abroad brings in 1 to 2 billion yuan in revenue per month. After paying the cultivators'' salaries, there''s still profit to be had.

    It was like retracing the path of the Olympic Games (which started off losing money with each edition, until one time it became commercialized and then made a fortune).

    With money and honor all in place, cultivators were naturally eager to pledge their loyalty to the country.

    Only Yan Yu knew that at this stage, neither fame nor profit was the most valuable but cultivation resources...

    The resurgence of Spiritual Energy was like an endless marathon. You might be able to keep up with the large group now, but you never know when you might be completely left behind.

    Moreover, because Lu Country had far fewer Transcendents than the international average, everyone would have to fight desperately on the battlefields later on, and there would be no escape.

    If you managed to get the medal of Longcheng Flying General, you''d better truly maintain the strength of a Longcheng Flying General, because in the future you will definitely be asked to fly around all over the place to put out fires¡ªthe medals aren''t that easy to get, are they?!

    After the award ceremony ended, Zhenhai Team was sent back to Jinling and was not retained for a celebratory feast as was customary.

    It wasn''t for any particular reason, mainly because the international situation was getting increasingly tense, and it was inappropriate to delay their tactical training.

    As everyone took off from Pingjing on their swords, Yan Yu suddenly said,

    "You guys go back to Jinling first, I have some matters to deal with Su Yunjin."

    "Ah?" The girls were all taken aback.

    "It''s official business," Yan Yu emphasized.

    Oh, since it''s not about taking Su Yunjin out for fun, but for official business, then it''s alright.

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi didn''t think too much and nodded in understanding. Chen Lingyun, as always, smiled with her eyes curved, showing no particular emotion.

    Only Lin Ning had a subconscious reaction similar to Zhao and Xie, but soon felt a strange emotion:

    Could it be that the captain really was going to handle official matters, but Yunjin... might take the opportunity to also deal with personal affairs?

    As for what personal affairs, she herself wasn''t clear and didn''t dare to think too deeply about it, just sullenly followed the team as they left.

    "Ningning," Chen Lingyun suddenly moved closer on her sword and whispered, "You look like you are troubled, is there something on your mind?"

    "Haha, what troubles could I possibly have~" Lin Ning didn''t want Chen Lingyun to notice her unhappiness and feebly glossed over it.

    "Mm-hmm, that''s good then," Chen Lingyun''s tone became cheerful, "If there''s something bothering you and you want someone to talk to, you can tell me right away~ I won''t tell anyone else."

    "Oh? Oh..." Lin Ning muttered in confusion.

    The others headed south back to Jinling, while Yan Yu took Su Yunjin northward, flying toward the direction of the Western Regions province.

    According to the meteorological map Ye Jun provided, there were places with rainfall all over the country, but the places with snowfall¡ªespecially the first snow of the year¡ªhad to be sought in the north.

    The north was divided into North China, Northeast, and Northwest. Considering that the goal was to collect Rootless Water as purely as possible, efforts had to be made to avoid chemical substances in the air from dissolving in the rain, which would affect the subsequent distillation of True Yuan from the water.

    North China had industrial clusters, and the Northeast had old industrial bases, both inevitably emitting pollutants, so it was necessary to find the least industrially developed Northwest.

    The two soon reached the Yellow River and then continued upstream. Su Yunjin did not ask much during the journey; she just quietly followed the Sword Flight of Yan Yu.

    According to the meteorological map, the cold air from Siberia was about to reach the provincial capital, Luntai Prefecture, and then be blocked by the Tianshan Mountains stretched across.

    North of Luntai Prefecture lay vast plains, and farther north was a desert basin, with almost no industrial presence, making it an ideal place for collecting the first snow of the season.

    Yan Yu, leading Su Yunjin with Sword Control Technique, arrived in Luntai Prefecture and then headed north. They deliberately avoided the highway and saw only withered grass, bushes, and piles of stones below, scarcely a hint of green to be seen.

    Finally, before reaching the desert area, they began to see snowflakes gradually falling from the sky.

    Surprised, Su Yunjin looked up at the sky and silently took out her phone to take pictures¡ªshe had seen snow only a few times in her life.

    Yan Yu also released his Divine Sense to scan the area.

    The absence of industrial pollution didn''t mean the snow was entirely clean, as the falling snowflakes unavoidably collected dust and haze along the way.

    So they had to fly higher.

    The two controlled their Sword Light and ascended into the high altitude, feeling the surrounding temperature gradually cool down. Su Yunjin shivered a bit but then heard Yan Yu say,

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    "This should be high enough."

    "Listen carefully: To collect Rootless Water, it is best to do so as soon as it appears, to minimize impurity contamination."

    "We do not seek speed or efficiency, only purity. A single drop of pure water is more useful than a hundred drops containing impurities." S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "To collect the water, first expand your Divine Sense as much as possible. This place is a battleground between warm and cold air, where the water vapor will condense into snow upon rapid cooling. Use your Divine Sense to lock onto these tiny snowflakes, and then attract them with the Sword Control Technique.

    Of course, the incantation of that technique is specifically for Sword Control, which isn''t quite suitable for controlling snow, so some parts need to be adjusted."

    He recited several hundred words of modified content, roughly changing the Sword Control incantations into an object control technique, which surprised Su Yunjin. She couldn''t help but ask,

    "Yan Yu, that incantation isn''t in the textbooks, where did you learn it from?"

    "A secret." Yan Yu had anticipated her question and had prepared a "pretext for Su Yunjin," saying nonchalantly, "Everyone has their secrets, but now it''s a secret between the two of us. Don''t tell others, okay?"

    As expected, the moment he played the "exclusive secret between me and Yan Yu that no one else knows," Su Yunjin couldn''t resist and laughed helplessly, saying,

    "Alright, I won''t ask anymore and won''t tell anyone else."

    She closed her eyes and began to extend her Divine Sense in all directions, drawing the surrounding snowflakes toward her.

    "Draw the snowflakes into the palm of your right hand, without processing them further," Yan Yu continued, "Cover the right hand with the left, palms facing each other, leaving half a finger space between them. Use True Yuan to heat the snowflakes, causing them to melt, evaporate into vapor, rise, and condense into water droplets upon touching the left hand.

    This process removes the impurities mixed with the snowflakes, yielding pure melted snow water, which you then draw into the fish border acupoint of the left hand for absorption."

    That was the great advantage of being a prophet. In the previous life, it took Lu Country a full eight years to properly understand how the "Essence of the Five Elements'' purity" was of utmost importance for the "Tao Transformation."

    It might seem that Yan Yu only added one step, but in essence, it was the result of eight years of scientific research, countless sample experiments for comparison, from which the most critical variable was discovered among many cultivation methods¡ªwithout this step, if you find after five or six years of cultivation that your Tao Transformation level is not advancing, then correcting that isn''t just a matter of doubling the work, but rather a hundredfold more effort...

    not an exaggeration at all.

    Su Yunjin did not understand why it had to be done this way, but seeing Yan Yu''s serious expression and tone, she dared not be negligent and put her palms together, spacing them half a finger apart, beginning to focus intensively on refining the Rootless Water.

 Chapter 57 Yan Yu, sweat soaked his back

    Although Yan Yu had prepared himself, because of the high purity requirements, refining the freshly melted snow would be quite slow, but he hadn''t expected it to be so slow.It was relatively simple to draw the snowflakes into the palm of his right hand, after all, Su Yunjin was also known for her True Yuan control, but the next step, vaporizing it by heating, was where problems arose.

    The high altitude was windy, and it was a tug-of-war zone for hot and cold air, so when the snowflakes were evaporated into vapor, they were about to scatter with the wind, with barely one-tenth being caught by the palm of his left hand to condense into liquid.

    After refining for an entire day, he could only manage about a dozen drops of water. At this rate, he estimated it would take at least three months to collect the freshly melted snow water.

    However, refining the Essence of the Five Elements was indeed a painstaking task, and it couldn''t involve the help of external forces or items, otherwise, there would be problems in refining the heart. Therefore, Yan Yu made the related issues clear to Su Yunjin, telling her it was a long-term job and she didn''t need to be too anxious about it.

    "We''ll follow the cold air down south, continue Sword Flight while collecting and refining until we reach Tianshan."

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    Of course, Su Yunjin was not in a hurry now; this was a rare, precious time for her to spend with her Captain!

    There wasn''t any unnecessary disturbance like "What about me?" "What are you talking about?" "I want to go too." I couldn''t wait for it to continue just like this!

    Approaching midnight, the two returned to Luntai Prefecture and looked for a hotel to stay and rest.

    "Two rooms, please..." Yan Yu hadn''t finished speaking when he heard Su Yunjin immediately added, "One room should be enough."

    Yan Yu: ?

    The hotel front desk clerk blinked, having seen all sorts of situations; he immediately picked up on the fact that it was the woman in the couple who was taking the initiative and said straight away:

    "Alright, one king-size bed?"

    "A standard room." Yan Yu quickly said.

    Su Yunjin remained silent. Given her shy nature, asking for one room was her limit, and she couldn''t handle the idea of sharing one bed... A standard room was the best option for her.

    After completing the identification check with their IDs and facial recognition, they got the key cards, and she prepared herself for the Captain''s questions. The answer would be "One room is cheaper," "there are two beds anyway, you sleep on yours and I''ll sleep on mine." If he asked again, she would say, "Surely, Captain, you wouldn''t start to have feelings just from sharing a room with me."

    But Yan Yu didn''t say anything, which made all her prepared excuses fall flat.

    Standing inside the elevator, Yan Yu was watching the floor panel, while Su Yunjin stood silently beside him, occasionally glancing at him.

    Back in the hotel room, she finally mustered up the courage to ask:

    "Do you want to use the bathroom first, or should I?"

    "You first," Yan Yu pulled out his mobile phone, "I need to take a call."

    As Su Yunjin went to the bathroom, Yan Yu picked up the call, only to hear Li Weiguo asking: Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Why haven''t you returned to Jinling?"

    "We''re vacationing here in Luntai," Yan Yu replied.

    "Vacationing..." Li Weiguo was somewhat speechless, "Everyone else has returned, only you and Su Yunjin haven''t. The team isn''t complete. What if there''s a mission requiring full attendance? Never mind, it''s good that you''ve settled down there; it saves you from being talked about as the harem team."

    Yan Yu felt he had misunderstood something, but Li Weiguo didn''t give him the chance to explain and continued:

    "There''s a mission in Jiujiang Province, and I''ve sent Chen Lingyun with a team. You two just happen to be in the Western Regions, where a Mysterious Realm has appeared in Tianshan, and the situation seems quite complicated. Now is not the time for team confrontation, the Pingxi Army has discussed with me¡ªyou two might as well solve it while you''re there."

    "Just the two of us?" Yan Yu asked casually, "The Western Regions are under the jurisdiction of the Pingxi Army, and they''re seeking our help instead of the Huofeng Team, is that alright?"

    "Zhou Hongyu is hospitalized," Li Weiguo stated succinctly.

    "Oh, right, right." Yan Yu also remembered.

    Poor Xiao Zhou was still lying in the hospital. If the Mysterious Realm itself was very difficult and the Pingxi Army were short on people for the time being, it was normal for them to ask for assistance from the top cultivator of the Zhendong Army, who happened to be in the area, and reach out to Li Weiguo.

    "Alright, when do they need us?"

    "Should they pick you up at nine tomorrow morning?"

    "Okay."

    Yan Yu hung up the phone, thinking that this was going to be a bit troublesome.

    The cold air continued to move south and wouldn''t wait for anyone. With the window for collecting early snow lying ahead, who had time to take care of a Mysterious Realm in Tianshan?

    "Might as well let Yun Jin continue working; I''ll go destroy the Mysterious Realm by myself."

    Just as Yan Yu was thinking about ditching Secretary Su to work solo, he saw Su Yunjin coming out of the bathroom, wiping her wet hair.

    "Who called just now?" she asked casually.

    "Nothing important, just a sales call," Yan Yu tried to bluff his way through.

    "Oh," Su Yunjin nodded, then asked nonchalantly, "Since it was a sales call, why did you ask them why they didn''t contact the Huofeng Team?"

    Yan Yu: .........

    This girl gave him the chills.

    He figured that even if she had the full proof of her husband''s infidelity one day, with a fruit knife in her left hand and divorce papers hidden behind her back, she''d still have the nerve to ask her oblivious husband with a smile, "Who just called you?"

    "You heard everything in the bathroom just now?" Yan Yu asked.

    "No," Su Yunjin picked up the hair dryer, "I just happened to hear that part."

    I''d have to see a ghost to believe that! Yan Yu decided not to tell more lies and honestly admitted:

    "Alright, I can''t fool you. It was old man Li calling, asking me to deal with a Mysterious Realm over by the Tianshan mountains."

    "Why did you lie to me just now?" Su Yunjin asked calmly.

    Although she was blow-drying her hair with her head to the side, revealing the soft lines of a woman''s body, and her tone was gentle, she somehow exuded a strong pressure and deterrence. If you happened to be guilty of something, she would make you sweat profusely with her questions.

    "Because I didn''t want to worry you," Yan Yu used a soft approach to counter the strong pressure, deftly deflecting it all back.

    Su Yunjin fell silent for a moment, then asked:

    "So what do you plan to do?"

    "Military orders are like mountains," Yan Yu had already decided, "I''ll go take care of it. You keep collecting the freshly melted snow here."

    "No, I''ll go with you," Su Yunjin decisively refused.

    "Why?" Yan Yu frowned.

    "Does the captain not know why?"

    "I really don''t know why."

    "It''s the same reason I insist on sharing a room with you, captain," Su Yunjin revealed a pure and beautiful smile, "do you still want to ask?"

    "No, no more questions." Yan Yu could not resist any longer and decided to give up the back-and-forth.

    He felt that if he continued to play dumb, Secretary Su would probably come out with a "Because I like you," followed by "What does the captain think of me?" and then deliver the final blow with "Can the captain be with me for a lifetime?" Yan Yu would be completely crushed by the gravity she released, captured, and taken to register for marriage, condemning him to an eternal hell.

    "So, can I accompany the captain to the Mysterious Realm this time?" Su Yunjin continued to ask.

    "Alright, alright," Yan Yu fell silent for a while, then added, "We need to make it quick, so as not to delay your collection of snow water."

    "Mmm," Su Yunjin clasped her hands, her smile becoming genuinely joyful.

    The captain agreed to let me accompany him to the Mysterious Realm! Heehee, I must be the fastest progressing member in the team right now, right?

    With this first time, there will be a second; I can gradually adapt to the captain''s combat rhythm, and later on, even in formal team combat, I can fight alongside the captain!

    Thinking that she might be the first in the team to keep up with and even coordinate with Yan Yu''s pace, Su Yunjin couldn''t help but feel overjoyed. She promptly sat down beside him and earnestly said:

    "I will work hard."

    What are you going to work hard on! But Yan Yu wasn''t aware she was only thinking about coordination in battle and immediately felt a bit overwhelmed: So you''re going to keep releasing your gravity spells, conquer me, and then drag me to marriage registration, right?

    "Yun Jin," he tried to soften his words a bit, expressing his stance while not cornering the other person into a blunt confrontation, "you don''t have to try so hard; some things can''t be forced."

    "The captain doesn''t need to test me with those words," Su Yunjin was brimming with fighting spirit and did not notice Yan Yu''s troubled expression, continuing to insist, "Whether it''s for three years, five years, ten years, or a lifetime... I won''t give up!"

    Yan Yu really started to sweat profusely. Was the heating in this room turned up too high?

 Chapter 58 The Demon of the Heart, Arriving Quietly

    The following dawn.Without having to spend the night dual cultivating with the Demonic Sect Enchantress, Yan Yu''s sleep quality had improved a lot, dreamless throughout the night.

    He woke up groggily, wondering why his phone alarm hadn''t gone off?

    His vision suddenly caught sight of someone squatting by the bed, staring at his face.

    Yan Yu instantly snapped his eyes open, only to see Su Yunjin quickly stand up in a fluster, pretending to fiddle with the plastic bag on the bedside table, then feign surprise, saying,

    "Captain, you''re awake? I''ve brought you breakfast."

    Yan Yu: ......

    Although I''m touched by your thoughtful gesture of bringing me breakfast, the way you were squatting by the bed staring at me was truly frightening. I can''t say for sure whether I should be grateful or scared right now.

    He slowly sat up, rubbed his eyes, and began to eat the breakfast Su Yunjin had brought.

    Plain porridge, baked buns, a small dish of finely chopped vegetables, and milk tea served in a cup. Although it looked lavish, it had already gone nearly cold, seemingly having been left there for at least half an hour.

    So the question arises: From the time the breakfast was placed on the bedside table to the moment I woke up, what had Secretary Su been doing all this while?

    There''s no use in dwelling on this question too much, just like you shouldn''t probe into whether beautiful girls need to use the restroom. Let''s maintain some dignity for each other.

    After finishing breakfast and freshening up, Yan Yu and Su Yunjin went downstairs and met the stationed cultivator troops outside the hotel entrance, who then escorted the pair to the entrance of the Mysterious Realm at Tianzhu Mountain.

    Due to previous events at Changbai Mountain, all major entrances to Mysterious Realms within the country are now heavily guarded to prevent unauthorized entry.

    If the two of them had directly used Sword Flight to go there without the correct friend-or-foe identification code, they would most likely have been riddled with bullets from anti-aircraft machine guns.

    The officer in charge of guarding the entrance to the Mysterious Realm was surnamed Bo, and Yan Yu was not in a hurry to enter. Instead, he inquired about the situation with Officer Bo,

    "Have drones been sent in to scout?"

    "They''ve been in, but all the footage they captured was just white."

    "White?"

    "As if the signal was being interfered with," Officer Bo handed him the video to see.

    Yan Yu carefully watched, noting the video wasn''t the kind of white static you''d get from a TV with no signal. It was simply pure, contentless white.

    This... doesn''t seem like a signal issue, but more like it''s being obscured by some kind of illusionary barrier.

    Heart-refining illusions are also a staple in traditional Lu Country cultivation dramas, and the more pure-minded a person is, the less likely they are to be affected. For example, the Demonic Sect Enchantress, whose mind is full of eating and drinking, or the handsome no-good who is all about fun and games, are the kind who can resist the effects of illusions well.

    On the other hand, someone like Chen Lingyun, with a more complicated mind, even knowing they are within an Illusion Realm, would find it difficult to calm their mind and see through the deception for a while.

    Of course, now that we''re at the entrance to the Mysterious Realm, there''s no need to call those two fools over by phone.

    After a brief moment of contemplation, Yan Yu and Su Yunjin put on their cameras and entered the Mysterious Realm.

    Past the entrance, they saw endless mountains all around, lofty snow peaks without end in sight.

    In front of the two was an extremely tall, massive, and magnificently beautiful "super peak," rising from among the surrounding mountains, stretching upwards so high that its peak was not visible, as if reaching to level with the sky.

    Su Yunjin gaped at the tower-like mountain peak and suddenly couldn''t help shivering.

    Help, my fear of large objects is kicking in.

    Yan Yu, however, wasn''t as sensitive as she was; he just tried Sword Flight.

    As expected, it wouldn''t work.

    In the intermediate-to-advanced stages of the Lu Country Mysterious Realm, there are often restrictions on flight, which is also a kind of demarcation between "high-difficulty Mysterious Realms" and "ordinary Mysterious Realms." For instance, residential communities with security are everywhere, but those where the property management cares about drones are generally a bit more upscale.

    Otherwise, what would you do if a drone flew to your balcony and peeked into your bedroom?

    Flight restrictions are very intricate and complex; ordinary Mysterious Realms wouldn''t bother to set such things up. This only implies that the owner behind the Mysterious Realm certainly puts a lot of effort into display and grandeur.

    Yan Yu continued to gaze into the distance and noted that Tianzhu Mountain''s peak was exceptionally steep. Although it wasn''t completely vertical to the ground, it wasn''t far off from ninety degrees.

    Free climbing was definitely impossible.

    The restrictions prevent Sword Flight, Cloud Ascension Technique, and most methods of ascent, like the flight of bird-like beasts, meaning you''re not allowed to take shortcuts, only permitted to follow the mountain path.

    By the mountain gate at the base of Tianzhu Mountain, there stood a large stele with the words "Kunlun Tianzhu" inscribed.

    Behind the stele, a winding and rugged path led behind Kunlun Tianzhu.

    The mountain path was paved with stone steps, not looking very difficult, but there must be dangers ahead.

    "Shall we go?" Yan Yu turned to ask.

    "Yeah, let''s," Su Yunjin nodded her head. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The two passed the mountain gate and climbed the steps.

    After walking for more than ten minutes without encountering any danger, they saw the mountain path gradually tilting to the right, likely winding up and around Tianzhu Mountain.

    "Yun Jin, be careful," Yan Yu reminded her to prevent any carelessness. "Just because we haven''t encountered any enemies here doesn''t mean the way ahead will be clear."

    "I understand," Su Yunjin secretly rejoiced, nodding her head without showing much on her face.

    During normal team operations, the leader would only say, "Everyone be careful," or even not say anything and leave the reminders to Ling Yun. Where can that compare to now, with his concern directed only at me, and his attention focused solely on me?

    With that thought, her heart grew even sweeter, as if she had eaten honey, and her steps became much more lively and brisk.

    She quietly approached Yan Yu from behind.

    "What''s wrong?" Yan Yu was always scanning the surroundings with his Divine Sense, and Su Yunjin''s movements naturally couldn''t escape him.

    "I think what the captain said makes a lot of sense," Su Yunjin said earnestly, "It''s better if we stay closer together. If anything unexpected happens, we can look out for each other, right?"

    Thinking of Secretary Su''s anxious on-the-spot reactions, Yan Yu had no choice but to agree, so he instructed:

    "Then come closer to me."

    "Okay~"

    Was this girl deliberately acting cute? Yan Yu had his suspicions, but seeing her constantly vigilant gaze scanning the surroundings, he felt like he might have been overthinking.

    Let''s move on, then.

    The two continued for half an hour, and Yan Yu was also somewhat exhausted... Physical strength was one thing, but mental fatigue was another.

    If it weren''t for the changing scenery around them, he really would have thought they''d run into a looping enchantment like ''ghost hitting the wall,'' but looking at these endless stairs with no end in sight made it discouraging.

    "Do you need to rest for a bit?" Su Yunjin asked.

    "Let''s rest for a while," Yan Yu took out his phone, "I''ll set an alarm."

    Su Yunjin found a flat spot near the steps, wiped it with a napkin, and gestured for Yan Yu to sit down.

    The two sat on the steps, feeling the cool but not cold mountain breeze and looking out at the continuous snow-capped mountains, it felt as if the whole world had quieted down.

    It even made them a little sleepy.

    "Yan Yu," Su Yunjin suddenly asked, "do you ever feel... that I''m pretty aggressive?"

    "Not at all," Yan Yu continued to scan the surroundings with his Divine Sense, and said, "What''s up?"

    "Nothing much," Su Yunjin said in a ladylike manner, crossing her legs and placing her hands on her knees, speaking softly, "I''ve never been in a relationship before, so I don''t know how guys view me. I''d like to hear your thoughts."

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    It was another skillfully indirect conversation. It seemed just like asking for an "opinion about me," but the precondition of "I''ve never been in a relationship" was incredibly suggestive.

    However, once you tell her "you''re not my type," she would immediately put on an innocent face, "I haven''t confessed to you," "Why would you say that"...

    Yan Yu''s mind raced, and he knew he had to play dumb and pretend not to catch Secretary Su''s hints, so he replied:

    "I think you''re quite nice."

    "What kind of ''quite nice''?" Su Yunjin stretched out her slender finger, resembling a green onion, and toyed with the little grass growing in the cracks of the stone steps, "Can you be more specific?"

    "You''re quite pretty," Yan Yu said frankly.

    Su Yunjin couldn''t help but chuckle, and with a clear voice she said:

    "Captain, you can''t just compliment a girl on her looks, it would make you appear superficial, as if you only care about her face."

    "Indeed, I remember now," Yan Yu nodded and casually continued the conversation, "I recall you once said to me: you prefer others to focus more on your inner qualities than your appearance."

    "That''s right," Su Yunjin put away her smile, looking gentle yet serious, "So I hope the captain can pay more attention to, and appreciate, my inner qualities, rather than seeing me just as a pretty vase."

    "I don''t think you are a vase."

    "I know."

    ... So, Captain, perhaps that''s why I was initially attracted to you.

    Thoughts running through her mind, Su Yunjin gradually felt sleepy, and she stealthily glanced at Yan Yu''s profile next to her.

    If I pretend to fall asleep and quietly lean my head on his shoulder, would he push me away firmly, or would he let me lean on him?

    Maybe... give it a try?

    ...

    "No, that''s not right," Yan Yu suddenly stood up.

    "Ah?!" Su Yunjin was startled into jumping to her feet, thinking her covert thoughts had been seen through by the captain, her voice trembling, "What''s the matter?!"

    "I set an alarm on my phone," Yan Yu took out his phone, "It shows that it has already gone off. Did you hear it?"

    "No, I didn''t," Su Yunjin calmed down, "So what?"

    "There''s some kind of sensory interference trying to keep us here, to stop us from thinking about moving on!" Yan Yu said with a stern voice.

 Chapter 59 The Girl in Red, Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper

    "What should we do?" Su Yunjin asked anxiously.She tried to examine her heart and discovered that she really didn''t want to continue moving forward¡ªIt was rare to sit side by side with the captain on the mountain steps, to talk sweetly, and even have the chance to lean on his shoulder to sleep. Su Yunjin wished such moments could last longer.

    But what if this thought wasn''t her own, but the result of some external interference at play?

    With this thought, Su Yunjin felt a cold sweat start to form.

    "Keep going," Yan Yu quickly decided. "If it wants to stop us, even deliberately blocking out the sound of the alarm clock, then we''ll do the opposite. Don''t rest, and hurry along the mountain path to reach the end as soon as possible!"

    "Okay!" Su Yunjin immediately replied.

    The two activated their Shifting Technique and began to sprint along the mountain path.

    The mountain path truly wound around Tianzhu Mountain, spiraling upwards. From the scenery around, they had almost made five or six turns, and their altitude had already surpassed most surrounding peaks.

    But looking up, there was still no sign of the mountain''s summit.

    "How tall is Tianzhu Mountain, exactly?" Su Yunjin stared in astonishment. Can we really reach the top?

    "It doesn''t matter," Yan Yu promptly responded. "I made a point of remembering certain terrains we''ve passed along the way, and so far, we haven''t encountered any repetitions."

    "So it''s not a looping illusion," Su Yunjin worriedly said. "But, if the end is very far from us, like three or four months or even half a year away, wouldn''t that be no different from an endless loop? It''s a distance we simply can''t accept."

    "It won''t be that far," Yan Yu switched to communicated through a secret transmission with Su Yunjin. "The restriction against Sword Flight must envelop the entire Mysterious Realm. The larger the Mysterious Realm itself, the larger the restriction required.

    It''s not feasible as you suggest, making this mountain peak extremely tall and long, stretching out the entire space of the Mysterious Realm; that would be totally uneconomical."

    Yan Yu, having lived through one generation before, had fought in many Mysterious Realms, and could deduce that this Mysterious Realm was likely a "test-type realm." Otherwise, if they just put a large group of enemies on the mountain path, coupled with that silent demonic mental manipulation attack, the two of them would already be in a terrible mess.

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    Since it was a test-type realm, then based on the current situation, this place was most likely testing their determination. Otherwise, as soon as their minds were troubled by the inner demons, causing them to stop, it would mean failing the test¡ªeven if one is strong and capable of fighting, succumbing to inner demons means game over!

    With the Shifting Technique propelling them at an incredibly fast speed, much faster than walking, in the blink of an eye, they had circled around the mountain pillar several times,

    As the distant landscape became "all mountains seem small" in their view, the path ahead remained empty. However, Yan Yu became even more vigilant, commanding the Huang Tingjian, sometimes hovering to the left, other times shifting right, ready to confront any enemies that might emerge from the surroundings.

    Suddenly, he heard Su Yunjin cry out:

    "Yan Yu, I can''t go on..."

    "You''re not really unable to go on," Yan Yu urgently transmitted. "It''s the inner demon amplifying the lazy thoughts in your consciousness, tempting you to give up moving forward!"

    Su Yunjin clenched her teeth, trying to keep up with Yan Yu''s speed, but unavoidably, she began to slow down¡ªafter all, her subconscious wanted to rest, and sometimes she would slow her pace without realizing it. Only when she noticed Yan Yu getting farther away would she suddenly wake up and hurriedly rush to catch up.

    Yan Yu noticed her varying pace, guessed that Secretary Su was being harassed by the inner demon, deliberately slowed down and, after she caught up to him, grabbed her left hand forcefully and pulled her along as they continued to sprint forward.

    This hand-in-hand tactic proved to be effective. Su Yunjin, who had previously been distracted with miscellaneous thoughts, found them all disappearing the moment Yan Yu took her hand. It was like she had been fed a mouthful of honey; her heart was filled with nothing but shyness, elation, joy, and intoxication, allowing Yan Yu to lead her in their relentless run.

    The invisible inner demon that failed to bring down Su Yunjin turned to attack Yan Yu, stirring his seven emotions and six desires.

    But Yan Yu, having lived two lifetimes, already possessed extraordinary determination, firmly suppressing all scattered thoughts, and continued to dash forward, dragging Su Yunjin along.

    The higher the two climbed along the mountain path, the more fierce and terrifying the inner demons became, conjuring various things in their Divine Sense to attack them.

    Sometimes Su Yunjin would see her blood-covered parents crying out for her behind them; at other times, she would see her own dead body blocking the way ahead... She shivered with fright, not daring to look forward or backward, focusing solely on the steps under her feet as Yan Yu pulled her along in their flight.

    Because of the many deep dark sides in Yan Yu''s heart, the illusions he saw were a hundred times more cruel than Su Yunjin''s. The images might as well have been of the nine serenities of the netherworld or the unspeakable torments of hell.

    But his endurance surpassed Su Yunjin''s by a thousand times. He had witnessed the living hells on earth not just once or twice in his previous life; how could he fear the false terrors conjured by inner demons?

    Amidst the flash of knives and swords, he ignored them; faced with mountains of corpses and seas of blood, he saw them not!

    The inner demons conjured up the entire Yan family, parents and sister, being held and forced to kneel in a row before being beheaded, their twisted heads rolling around. Yan Yu, however, remained as hard-hearted as iron, completely unmoved, stepping over the bodies with Su Yunjin in tow, continuing to charge forward.

    They then conjured up many girls from Zhenhai Team, all crippled and maimed, writhing on the ground in agony, calling desperately for their captain to save them. Yet Yan Yu turned a deaf ear, stomping on the steps with the art of rapid Shifting Technique, leaving them all behind.

    His stubborn and almost fanatical attitude finally angered all the lurking inner demons at once. From midair, countless demonic heads appeared, each with three heads and six arms, with fierce green faces and sharp fangs, coming to slay Yan Yu and Su Yunjin.

    These were indeed real demons; if one were to dismiss them as illusions and get caught off-guard, a nasty bite would surely result in severe injury... but how could Yan Yu make such a mistake? With one sweep of his Divine Sense, he swung the Huang Tingjian close to his body, repelling and forcing back all the demons in the vicinity.

    Su Yunjin was still charging forward with her head down when suddenly, she heard Yan Yu shout loudly:

    "Won''t you make a move?"

    This thunderous roar finally jerked her from her state of panic and fear. Su Yunjin abruptly lifted her head, saw all sorts of demons swirling around, and without hesitation, struck with the hand seal to activate the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art.

    The torrential waters of Jiaochong surged forth, driving back the encroaching demons once more, followed by a shot of coral tears that passed through several demons. However, not a drop of blood was shed; Yan Yu spoke again:

    "Don''t linger, fight while you move."

    With his reminder, Su Yunjin also realized:

    The demons that were hit by the Flying Sword showed no sign of injury, still hopping and flying around, which clearly meant they were not afraid of physical attacks. To be delayed by them and hinder their progress would be getting their priorities wrong.

    Observing Yan Yu''s swordsmanship, he struck wide and swung broadly, never obsessively chasing down any demon, it was clear his intention was to repel the enemies rather than to kill.

    Escape first!

    The demons were flying everywhere; as soon as they entered the range of the Huang Tingjian''s force, the waters of the heavenly river pushed them back out, leaving them no opportunity but to curse and swear at the two, with a stream of foul language.

    Su Yunjin blushed with embarrassment upon hearing this, but Yan Yu remained unaffected, instead speeding up the pace of his Shifting Technique. Seeing the end of the mountain path approaching, he quickly took hurried steps, pulling Secretary Su and dashing ahead as if flying.

    The demons behind them were all crowded on the last step of the mountain path, as if encountering some invisible barrier, all showing their teeth and making menacingly wicked smiles.

    Ahead lay a majestic and splendid temple, grand and magnificent, like the palaces at the summit of the clouds, the abode of immortals.

    However, when Yan Yu and Su Yunjin swept the area with their Divine Sense, they discovered an invisible barrier in front of the palace, preventing their Divine Sense from probing any further.

    In front of the temple was a stately and expansive white jade plaza.

    In the center of the plaza at some unknown time, a girl in red had appeared.

    When the two of them had arrived, the plaza should have been empty. But as soon as Yan Yu withdrew his Divine Sense from the direction of the palace, he saw the girl in red standing there gracefully, with a long sword in hand, gazing over with a cool, piercing look.

    Both her appearance and her icy demeanor were quite similar to that of the girl in green they had encountered within the Mysterious Realm at Longquan Mountain, but upon closer inspection, there were slight differences.

    The figure in green had been solitary and withered, whereas this girl in red was cold and defiant, her eyes conveying a sense of looking down from a high place.

    "She has no shadow," Su Yunjin whispered, "just like that Chen Mingyan in the Mysterious Realm of Longquan Mountain... likely just a remnant of someone''s Divine Sense and illusion."

    "Let''s try to communicate first," Yan Yu replied in return.

    The person opposite must be the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper controlling the core of the realm. If they could obtain control of the core without fighting, that would be best, though according to past experiences, it seemed unlikely.

    "You¡­" Before Yan Yu could speak up, the girl in red slowly began, her voice filled with chilliness, "The Spell you used just now on the path to ascend to heaven, was it the ''Star River Secret Art''?"

    "Yes," Su Yunjin tentatively asked, "May I ask..."

    "That''s good," the girl in red interrupted her, simply continuing on her own, "I abhor the person who uses that Spell, and by extension, I detest the Spell itself." Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Since you have mastered that Spell, you must be her successor. In which case, it''s only reasonable for me to raise the difficulty of the test, isn''t it?"

    Su Yunjin: .........

    "Let me do it," Yan Yu interrupted, "I''ll take your test."

    "Want to play the hero?" the girl in red said coldly, "That''s not for you to decide."

    "Although the path to ascension was replicated by my mother, it also ensnares numerous inner demons. Completing the ascent signifies that your virtues are barely acceptable."

    "But in this world, mere virtue is far from enough. The test I have here is one of strength: no matter how you join forces or what methods you use, as long as you can defeat this incarnation of my Divine Sense, you will have passed! Everything within this Mysterious Realm, including those demons, is yours to take and do with as you wish."

    "However, if your strength is inadequate and you are killed by me, don''t blame me even in the underworld!"

 Chapter 262 60th chapter Meh, thats all there is to it

    Good news: This time, the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper can communicate.Bad news: The other party has a temper just like Zhou Hongyu''s.

    Yan Yu''s gaze swept around; the area was flat with no obstacles to serve as cover, making it clear that the woman in red was undoubtedly a spellcaster.

    No cover meant that Taoism Methods could be unleashed in any direction, maximizing their advantage for wide-scale attacks. Continue your adventure with My Virtual Library Empire

    To counter the other''s advantage, they would need to engage in close combat as much as possible.

    But would the opponent have anticipated this and set a trap accordingly?

    Yan Yu looked at the Flying Sword in the woman''s palm, its crimson hue as hot as burning iron, brimming with overflowing light and intense heat, even warping the surrounding light as if scorched.

    This girl in red might be proficient in Taoism Methods, but her Sword Control Technique was also undoubtedly strong!

    "I''ll lay out the tactics now." With Chen Lingyun not present, Yan Yu could only arrange the tactics with Su Yunjin, "I''ll engage her in close combat to tie her down, and you just need to support me from a distance. Prioritize your own safety, prioritize creating space, maintain mobility, and look for opportunities to control her. If you can''t control her, don''t force it."

    "Okay." Su Yunjin also realized the urgency and nodded seriously in agreement.

    "Why aren''t they attacking yet?" the girl in red sneered coldly, "It''s still not too late to retreat."

    "Please enlighten me," Yan Yu bowed slightly.

    Since Sword Flight wasn''t allowed here, he had to use the Shifting Technique.

    He suddenly activated the Shifting Technique, moving as fast as a rushing horse towards the girl in red. Su Yunjin also acted immediately, moving laterally to expand her field of vision, her hands already forming Taoism gestures.

    The girl in red responded coldly, with the crimson Immortal Sword in her palm striking first, turning into a streak of red light!

    So fast!

    Yan Yu swiftly parried with the Huang Tingjian, inwardly exclaiming in admiration.

    One could tell an expert by their first move. The girl in red''s swordplay was fast, urgent, accurate, and ruthless, clearly not just any generic Sword Control Technique, but rather it must be derived from a robust and independent sword technique system!

    The swords clashed, sparks flying everywhere. The Huang Tingjian was originally a heavy sword, but in face-to-face combat with that crimson sword light, it was barely gaining an advantage, especially lacking in speed and agility.

    On Yan Yu''s side, he continuously executed sword techniques, pushing the Huang Tingjian constantly harder, only to keep the clashing blades four steps away from the girl in red, unable to press any closer.

    The crimson sword light grew more fierce and dazzling in the fight, not at all falling short against the heavy sword, and even showing a tendency for counter-attacking. The girl in red suddenly spoke:

    "This sword of yours... I recognize it. Why don''t you activate the sword''s prohibition? Oh, afraid that in the Age of Dharma Decline, it''s no longer feasible. With just that little level in swordsmanship, you are far from enough to beat me."

    Listening, Yan Yu sneered inwardly. Having lived two lives, he always presented his brilliance to others; how could he ever allow someone to show off in front of him?

    Without a change in expression, he continued to form the Sword technique with his right hand while secretly flicking his left hand inside his sleeve, secretly launching the Impact Curse.

    As the Huang Tingjian pressed its attack, the girl in red focused on defending, apparently not noticing the sneak attack of the Impact Curse. Suddenly, she sidestepped half a step, showing an astonished look, "Impact Curse? Quite clever, but..."

    Before she could finish her sentence, a giant wave appeared out of nowhere, crashing down hard on her!

    As he launched the sneak attack with the Impact Curse, Yan Yu simultaneously sent a message to Su Yunjin, who was at a distance, to discreetly cast a Taoism Method on the girl in red''s left side.

    As the Impact Curse shot out, and the girl in red dodged ghost-like to the left, seemingly foreseeing his sneak attack, she fell right into Yan Yu''s calculation!

    As Su Yunjin executed Li Fan, it was too late for the girl in red to dodge, and the giant wave struck her directly, knocking her down. The Huang Tingjian turned into a sword light and chopped down from above, aiming to split her head in two!

    Just as the girl in red was knocked down by the water, she tapped her feet sideways in quick succession, shifting backward just enough to avoid the Huang Tingjian''s chop. She then sprang up from the ground, appearing unharmed but completely soaked like a drenched chicken, her hair tangled and matted. She looked at Su Yunjin with hatred and said:

    "Very well, very well. Since you attack me with her Taoism Method, as a mentor, I will teach you what it means to observe hierarchical order and to respect tradition and your teacher!"

    She formed a Taoism gesture with her hands, and then suddenly expelled a massive amount of flames from her mouth and nose!

    Although it closely resembled Zhou Hongyu''s Great Bright Fire Dao Method, the might and scale were much greater. Endless flames swept towards Su Yunjin like a tidal wave, instantly sealing off all her escape routes and threatening to engulf her completely, burning her to ashes!

    On Yan Yu''s side, as he manipulated the Sword technique, the Huang Ting Sword quickly bore down with its crimson sword light, forcing the girl in red to divide her attention and control her sword. Su Yunjin seized the opportunity to use Jiaochong beneath her own feet, creating a water spout that propelled her into the air.

    She then landed outside the border of the sea of fire and immediately cast the Shifting Technique upon touching the ground, urgently distancing herself from the still-burning Great Bright Fire.

    Maternal aunt? So this girl in red is...

    Su Yunjin quickly suppressed any inappropriate thoughts and instead began to cast another Taoism Method, launching Lang Feiyun, sending a barrage of water bullets at the girl in red''s back.

    The opponent''s body moved like a specter, evading the Lang Feiyun with several feints and false steps. All of a sudden, she turned around and spewed out flames again. Fortunately, Su Yunjin was prepared this time, and as soon as her adversary looked back, she sprinted at full speed with the Shifting Technique, leaving the pursuing sea of fire far behind her.

    Yan Yu saw clearly that the opponent was not merely using the Shifting Technique combined with the Cloud Ascension Technique to sprint and change direction but rather a unique set of evasion techniques. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    If Sword Flight was considered a superior version of the Shifting Technique, then evasion techniques would be the superior counterparts to the Cloud Ascension Technique. Like sword techniques, they are monotonous and tedious to cultivate, requiring a great deal of mechanical practice, which is why they are considered a specialty of Sword Immortals.

    This girl in red not only possessed the sword techniques and evasion skills of a Sword Immortal but also wielded a powerful Fire Blazing Dao Method. She was a composite of a Sword Immortal and a magic practitioner, completely disregarding the basic principles of combat professions...

    However, in the previous life, Mei Yingxue did seem to reveal that during ancient times when Spiritual Energy was extremely abundant, there was no distinction between combat professions. Sword Immortals could play with magical treasures, spellcasters could also command Servant Envoys, and there were even those who focused solely on Qi Refinement without skills in combat.

    Only in the later periods when Spiritual Energy became scarce did Cultivators turn inwards, fiercely competing and undermining each other. Then they had to divide the various methods, considering efficiency in killing and conserving True Yuan, selecting the four best-suited combat paths... Which means, this girl in red must come from an earlier time than Mei Yingxue and Zhao Yuanzhen.

    While dividing his attention to ponder, he continued to engage in swordsmanship combat with the girl in red. Su Yunjin provided support from afar, sometimes using Lang Feiyun to suppress the opponent''s surroundings, other times attacking with Jiaochong or Li Fan.

    But the opponent''s evasion techniques were too abnormal; each time at the very last moment, she would precisely move out of the range of the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, leaving Su Yunjin feeling frustrated as if she was sparring with the team captain.

    Looking again at the battle between the lights of the Huang Ting Sword and the crimson sword, they fought so fiercely that it was hard to tell who had the upper hand. Considering that the Huang Ting Sword was heavier and thus had an advantage in frontal combat, did this mean the girl in red''s swordsmanship was even slightly superior to the captain''s?

    As Su Yunjin fretted anxiously, she didn''t dare to message Yan Yu for guidance, fearing it might distract him mid-battle. While hesitating, she suddenly heard Yan Yu''s voice transmit to her:

    "Keep the pressure on, don''t stop."

    "How should we press on?" Su Yunjin quickly asked.

    Yan Yu didn''t answer, which made her worry that she might have asked a stupid question.

    Just as she was about to use the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art again, she heard Yan Yu''s response:

    "Whatever way."

    Whatever way? Su Yunjin was puzzled, but nonetheless, she continued the Taoism Method, directing the water of the heavenly river towards the girl in red.

    The girl in red displayed her evasion techniques once more, easily dodging the water cannon assault of the Lang Feiyun while directing the crimson sword light to parry the chopping attack of the Huang Ting Sword. Suddenly, she heard Yan Yu laugh and say:

    "I see. Your swordsmanship and Taoism Method must have been taught by the same master; but the way you shift and dodge with such agility, it must have been taught by a different master."

    The girl in red hesitated slightly, but her swordsmanship didn''t falter as she replied:

    "What of it?"

    "The coordination between your swordsmanship and Taoism Method is extremely skilled, capable of simultaneously attacking both me and Yun Jin without missing a beat," Yan Yu said with a relaxed smile, "but the way you integrate your step technique with your swordsmanship and Taoism Method is a complete mess.

    What, didn''t the master who taught your step technique teach you how to seamlessly blend all three?"

    The girl in red''s expression turned icy as she retorted:

    "Bold words! You claim there''s a problem with my technique, so why don''t you break it for me to see?"

    As Su Yunjin cast Li Fan once again, the girl in red quickly activated her step technique to instantly evade the huge wave''s crash, but then she heard Yan Yu say:

    "Alright."

    As soon as the words left his mouth, he surged forward in an instant.

    The girl in red was shocked and hurriedly directed her crimson sword light to intercept, but it was precisely met by the Huang Ting Sword.

    In that rapid moment, Yan Yu took the opportunity to break through the defense of the crimson sword light and closed to within two steps of her, activating the Curved Curse to increase his arm strength and landing a powerful Impact Curse punch on her chest, smiling as he said:

    "That''s all."

 Chapter 61 Victory and Settlement

    Yan Yu launched a swift punch and the girl in red hurriedly activated her movement technique, retreating five or six steps away in shock and bewilderment.How did he... how did he get so close?

    Unless one was a sword immortal specializing in physical cultivation, in swordsmanship combat, one always had to be wary of the opponent finding an opportunity to close in for a decisive blow.

    Her original self''s combat experience included how to guard against an opponent''s close-quarters assault. During the crossing of swords, she paid attention to the angle of her strikes, ensuring that the Flying Sword could always break free from Huang Tingjian''s entanglement and block any physical advance from the opponent.

    However, she failed to block him.

    The specific reason was unclear because Yan Yu was already on the attack again, and the girl in red had to forcibly maintain distance with her steps. Caught off guard, she was hit by Lang Feiyun and sent rolling on the ground for a good several meters.

    Yan Yu''s Huang Tingjian quickly pursued her, showing no mercy as it slashed down, only to strike air once more¡ªthe girl''s footwork was indeed remarkable. Even when down, she managed to shift sideways, which would almost shove Newton down in his coffin.

    Although she narrowly escaped death in desperation, her awkward posture as she stood angered the girl in red. She gathered the True Yuan throughout her body, puffed her cheeks, and spat out a slender, dense thread of gold.

    Flame Curse, Nine Phoenixes!

    This technique involved compressing the fire-element True Yuan over and over until it formed a golden-red line as thick as a little finger. She then swung her head to sweep the line across with immense power, capable of melting gold and corroding stone like slicing through rotten leather. Even ordinary flying swords couldn''t withstand it and would be severed in two!

    Upon seeing the golden line sweeping towards her, Su Yunjin''s Divine Sense immediately blared a strong warning, and she hurriedly spurred her form into escape.

    But here, Sword Flight was impossible, and no matter how fast you ran, how could you outpace the speed of someone simply shaking their head? Just as the golden line was about to slice Su Yunjin from behind, Yan Yu suddenly flipped his wrist and pinched a Taoism Method.

    Although the girl in red was mainly attacking Su Yunjin, she constantly kept her senses on Yan Yu. Seeing him gesture with one hand to cast the Fire Blazing Charm, she quickly activated her steps to brake and change direction abruptly.

    Her footsteps shimmered with layered illusions, obscure and unpredictable, dodging the Fire Blazing Charm''s impact point with incredible finesse, causing Yan Yu''s spell to miss its mark. Just as she was secretly pleased with herself, she turned and realized with a shock that the Flame Curse had extinguished, and Su Yunjin had already escaped her clutches.

    That sparked a fleeting enlightenment in the girl in red:

    Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire

    The issue was indeed with her footwork!

    Her original self had followed her mother in cultivation, primarily focusing on the phoenix bloodline, the Fire Blazing Dao Method, and the Kunlun Imperial Sword Technique. The reason for learning the footwork was mainly to escape strong enemies and run home for reinforcements.

    Hence, during her studies, she only concentrated on dodging and never researched how to coordinate it with the Sword Control Technique or Daoism Method to maintain an attack.

    As a result, the moment she used her footwork, her offensive would be interrupted!

    Su Yunjin continued to cast spells without pause, Jiaochong, Li Fan, and Lang Feiyun, one after another, forcing the girl in red to use her footwork to dodge or else be controlled by the massive flood.

    But the moment she dodged, she couldn''t maintain her offensive and could only be passively beaten...

    Thinking of being beaten, the girl in red''s anger flared. A strong unwillingness to admit defeat surged from within her, deciding to maintain high-speed movement with her steps while forcefully casting the Great Bright Fire to continue her assault!

    As she executed her footwork, her casting accuracy was terrible; it sprayed wildly in all directions, causing flames to burn everywhere.

    And yet, this approach was indeed effective, as the sea of flames separated Yan Yu and Su Yunjin completely, even blocking their line of sight, allowing the girl in red to finally catch her breath for a moment.

    Being but a spiritual projection without a soul, her tactical thinking was all derived from the original host''s input and lacked the ability to innovate. Since her original self hadn''t realized the flaws in her own tactic system, naturally, she couldn''t come up with a solution.

    Damn it, what should I do?

    Just as the girl in red was racking her brains for a strategy, she suddenly heard a long laugh from above.

    She abruptly looked up and saw Yan Yu and Huang Tingjian''s light merging into one, descending from the sky, instantly smashing her body to smithereens!

    As the Great Bright Fire gradually dissipated, Yan Yu emerged from the sword light and transmitted a message to Su Yunjin, saying:

    "Nicely done!" Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Su Yunjin remained silent, only pursing her lips in a smile.

    Though flying was forbidden in this place, it didn''t mean other methods of "taking to the sky" were not allowed. Su Yunjin used Jiaochong beneath Yan Yu''s feet to send him into the air with a powerful surge of water, just high enough to cross over the top of the Great Bright Fire. Then Yan Yu performed a Sword Control flying slash.

    The prohibition only meant he couldn''t fly, but the sword light was yanked down by gravity, landing perfectly on the girl in red and killing her on impact.

    While it sounded easy, predicting the distance between Yan Yu and the girl in red and controlling the angle and force of Jiaochong to form a precise and perfect parabolic trajectory for a direct hit could only be achieved by Su Yunjin, who was adept at controlling True Yuan.

    This girl truly maximized her strengths, to the extent that even Yan Yu did not withhold his praise. In his view, being a bit slow in reaction wasn''t really a flaw; finding one''s own track was the key. In that regard, the clever girl had an advantage.

    Yan Yu continued to lower his gaze to where the girl in red had stood and soon found a small token with the character "Xu" inscribed on it.

    "Is this person surnamed Xu?" Yan Yu casually asked.

    "It should be Chen," Su Yunjin expressed disagreement.

    "It doesn''t matter, take it and refine it," Yan Yu threw the token to her.

    "Eh, me?" Su Yunjin was somewhat flustered, "I''ve never refined the core of a mysterious realm before..."

    "No matter, you always have to try," Yan Yu said as he walked to the main entrance of the palace at the back and tried to push the door.

    The door didn''t open, and Divine Sense couldn''t penetrate it, guessing the method to open it must be linked to that token.

    Once Su Yunjin finished refining the token, she swept it at the doorway of the Taoist Palace, and sure enough, the door obediently swung open at her gesture.

    From the outside, the Taoist Palace appeared grand and imposing, but inside was only a small room. Connecting this to what the girl in red said earlier, it became clear the Taoist Palace was likely built by her mother, modeled after some celestial palace, meant to ''distribute rewards'' to cultivators who passed the test, so there was no need to replicate the palace exactly.

    There wasn''t much in the room: three Jade Slips, a bottle of Elixir Medicine, placed on tables to the north, east, and west, without anything more.

    Yan Yu went to pick up a Jade Slip and immersed his Divine Sense into it, seeing the message left by the true body of the girl in red, which said that her world was doomed to destruction in the future, and those cultivators who had not ascended would surely perish, including her own disciples and grandchildren.

    To increase the chances of her lineage surviving, before her ascension, she had her mother create many mysterious realms for her, leaving behind various techniques and treasures, "for those fated to find them."

    If the world were compared to a "big bubble," then these mysterious realms would be "small bubbles" within it. Once the big bubble burst, the small bubbles would still live on for a while in the "endless abyss of chaos," drifting with the currents. If they were lucky enough to encounter another "big bubble" before the collapse, then the items within these realms could see the light of day once more.

    The girl in red further wrote: If you are fortunate enough to inherit my lineage, you don''t need to erect a memorial tablet or offer incense for me, you just have to kneel down and kowtow to the heavens and the earth and take me, Chen Dandan, as your master.

    Yan Yu: .........

    What a beautiful thought, kowtowing and acknowledging a master? We modern people don''t follow those feudal practices!

    Continuing to read on, the three Jade Slips contained different techniques, named ''Kunlun Imperial Sword Technique Overview,'' ''Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step,'' and ''Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire.''

    One was a sword technique, one a step technique, and one a Taoism Method. The quality and usefulness were obviously profound and formidable, as even the girl in red''s incarnation had demonstrated outside, none of them being mere common goods.

    "The sword technique and step technique are suitable for sword immortals and can be left for Ningning. This Taoism Method belongs to the Fire lineage, so it probably doesn''t suit your style," Yan Yu turned his head to speak to Su Yunjin, "However, if you want to try, you can."

    "I''d rather not," Su Yunjin said with a smile, "Indeed, it doesn''t suit me."

    She was still tempted by the immense power of the Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire, but she knew that what Yan Yu said made more sense ¡ª a cultivator''s battle system isn''t like an old granny''s vegetable basket, into which any good thing can be stuffed.

    Her foundation was the ''Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art,'' and she had already decided to cultivate a body suited for Tao Transformation, refining Gui Water Essence to form the ultimate true water essence. Every step on this path was a long and arduous process.

    The Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire was an equally profound Fire Blazing Dao Method, a different path that was even more rugged and difficult to traverse; where would she find the extra time to train in it?

    And even if she spent countless time and effort to achieve mastery in both water and fire, what then?

    The Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire was undoubtedly powerful but also sure to consume a significant amount of True Yuan, which would affect the endurance of the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art. One technique was for breaking through, another for control; how could they be integrated into a cohesive system?

    If she were a solitary cultivator, indeed she would need to master powerful offensive techniques for her own protection. However, she was ultimately part of the Zhenhai Team, with the captain, Sister Zhao, and Ningning all possessing strong offensive abilities; there was no need for her to provide additional offensive power.

    Seeing Su Yunjin''s clear understanding and straightforward refusal, Yan Yu inwardly sighed.

    If Secretary Su had the same terrifying talent as Immortal Venerate Xie, learning an additional Taoism Method wouldn''t be out of the question, but her True Yuan was indeed limited... At present, it was more appropriate to focus on the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art.

    Even if she wanted to develop her skills broadly in the future, that would involve considering Sword Control or cultivating other Water Taoism Methods, while practicing Fire Taoism Methods would be burdensome and thankless.

    Forget it! It''ll just be a gain for Xiao Zhou then, this time Pingxi Army will have to bleed. I must make them trade something of equal value in exchange!

    Finally, Yan Yu looked at the bottle of Elixir Medicine.

    According to the message left in the Jade Slips, it was the ''Nine Revolutions Vermilion Phoenix Pill,'' used to enhance the Golden Core stage.

    This was for those at the Hua Fu Stage; everyone present hadn''t even reached the Marrow Cleansing Stage yet, so even thinking about forming a Golden Core was premature.

    Scanning closely with his Divine Sense, Yan Yu counted the number of Elixir Pills.

    Twelve, corresponding to the twelve Earthly Branches.

    He would have to remind Chen Lingyun to caution her father. It''s okay to use them for scientific research, but not a single one of these twelve Elixir Pills must go missing; the Zhenhai Team would get one each first, as for the other teams who wanted some?

    Just like before: trade something in exchange, or no deal!

 Chapter 62 Xie Ruoxi Refuses to Withdraw from the Team

    Yan Yu and Su Yunjin left the Mysterious Realm and saw not only the stationed troops and Pingxi Army cultivators waiting outside, but also Zhang Huaide, Tang Xiaolian, and Qin Meng from the Huofeng Team had also come."Xiao Zhang, when did you get here?" Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    "Not long ago," Zhang Huaide answered with a smile. "Originally, we wanted to see if you needed support, but it turned out you had already finished the fight. Really impressive."

    "Oh, not at all." Yan Yu heard the implication in his words. It was nothing but the Pingxi Army thinking it wasn''t reliable for just the two of them to enter, so they specially had Zhang Huaide and the others rush over from Nanchuan to help out if anything went wrong within the Mysterious Realm.

    As a result, the three of them just sat outside, watching Yan Yu and Su Yunjin perform their duo clearance, which left them continually mocking with difficulty keeping a straight face.

    The Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper, the red-dressed girl, was strong like a plus super-enhanced version of Zhou Hongyu. Not only was her Fire Blazing Dao Method far superior, but she was also good at footwork positioning and Sword Control Technique. Still, she was ultimately suppressed and defeated by Yan Yu and Su Yunjin working together.

    In the eyes of Zhang Huaide and the others, it seemed as though "Captain Zhou wasn''t here, but she had already lost miserably."

    Of course, despite the mocking, they gained a new understanding of Yan Yu''s strength. Zhang Huaide even asked for a full video of this visit to the Mysterious Realm from the stationed cultivators, planning to take it home for a thorough study and in-depth analysis.

    "Won''t you stay for a meal?" Zhang Huaide invited.

    "No, thank you," Yan Yu declined. "We have some other things to do. As soon as the military duties are finished, we''re out of here."

    "It must be because Captain Zhou didn''t come," Tang Xiaolian quietly suggested to her teammates through a voice transmission. "Captain Yan is not interested in us."

    "Don''t talk nonsense," Qin Meng quickly interrupted. "Captain Yan is not that kind of person!"

    "What kind of person?" Zhang Huaide suddenly asked.

    "Ahem," Qin Meng coughed awkwardly, "Never mind, just consider it rambling."

    "If you know it''s rambling, then don''t say it again next time," Zhang Huaide said lightly. "Although rumors stop with the wise, you know Captain Zhou''s temper. If we talk recklessly within the team and the media outside hear it and start spreading scandalous gossip, what do you think her reaction would be?"

    If Zhou Hongyu heard that she and Yan Yu were rumored to have a scandal by the media outside... wouldn''t she just go straight to their door and blow up the paparazzi tabloid''s editorial office?

    Thinking this, Qin Meng and Tang Xiaolian also realized their mistake and quickly said,

    "We won''t say it anymore, we definitely won''t joke about that again in the future."

    Yan Yu, having declined the Huofeng Team''s invitation to stay, handed over the supplies to the military cultivators for registration and then left Tianshan with Su Yunjin, using the Sword Control Technique to head north again to collect snowy water.

    As Su Yunjin hovered in the air using the Cloud Ascension Technique and collected for almost half an hour, she suddenly heard Yan Yu say,

    "I see you have mastered the whole process now. You won''t need me to accompany you after this, right?"

    "Oh." Su Yunjin felt a sense of loss and sighed, "Does the captain have important matters to attend to?"

    "On the one hand, I need to get back to managing the team. After all, if they don''t practice combat for too long, I''m afraid they''ll get rusty," Yan Yu patiently explained. "On the other hand, as you''ve seen, with Xiao Zhou still in the hospital, whenever any difficult Mysterious Realm appears within the Pingxi Army''s jurisdiction, the first thing they think of is asking for my help."

    "If I continue to stay here, I actually can''t accompany you anyway and will only be at the beck and call of the Pingxi Army, and it would also delay your collection of the essence of Rootless Water."

    Su Yunjin fell silent, although her heart was unwilling to let go, she had to admit that the captain was right.

    "So I''m leaving?" Yan Yu saw her wavering expression and tentatively asked.

    "Wait a moment," Su Yunjin said.

    Yan Yu then waited for her to speak, but after waiting for about ten seconds without hearing Secretary Su say anything, just as he was about to ask, he suddenly felt a waft of fragrant wind rush into his arms.

    Su Yunjin gently embraced him and whispered in his ear,

    "Thank you for accompanying me, Captain."

    In an instant, countless jumbled responses surfaced in Yan Yu''s mind, such as "you too," "maintain your composure," "it''s only right," "make an extra effort"... But when all the words came to his throat, he was left with only one sentence:

    "Come back soon, we''ll be waiting for you in Jinling."

    "Mmm," Su Yunjin nodded vigorously.

    As the seasons changed to late autumn and early winter, the geographic location of the "first snow" would move further south, until the cold air got blocked by the mountain ranges of Tianshan¡ªwith peaks like Bogda Mountain being perennially snow-covered, they could not be considered Rootless Water.

    By then, Su Yunjin would be able to come back.

    Purifying the Essence of the Five Elements was such a hassle, not only did one need to find the right season and location but also it couldn''t be done in one go; multiple collections over time were necessary. The entire process was like grinding a mirror, which could easily take six months, a year, or two years¡ªone simply couldn''t rush it.

    After saying goodbye to Su Yunjin, Yan Yu took off on his sword, heading back.

    Let''s not dwell on the journey of flight. When he returned to the Jinling Villa, he found only Xie Ruoxi at home; the other girls were not there.

    "Where are the others?" Yan Yu asked.

    "They went out on a mission." Xie Ruoxi replied.

    "A mission... Oh, I remember now." Yan Yu recalled that Li Weiguo had mentioned a mission in Jiujiang Province, and Chen Lingyun had been tasked with leading the team there.

    After sending a message to the girls on his phone to report his safety, Yan Yu put on a stern face like a beautiful waste board, assuming the posture of a team leader, he said harshly:

    "In these few days we were absent, have you diligently practiced your daily breathing exercises? How about your Sword Control Technique? And have you refined your Divine Sense with the Soul Refining Technique?"

    "Of course." Seeing his stern expression, Xie Ruoxi cowered as she spoke.

    "Go to the basement and show me!" Yan Yu shouted loudly.

    In the basement training ground, it only took a few exchanges before Xie Ruoxi was knocked to the ground by Yan Yu, rather shamelessly lying there and refusing to get up.

    Seeing her pretending to be gravely injured and refusing to stand, Yan Yu couldn''t be bothered to expose her act; he simply moved a small stool next to her, trapping her waist perfectly with the leg of the stool, then sat on it and said:

    "If you don''t want to get up, just lie there."

    Xie Ruoxi tried to force herself up, but unable to flip over the stool and Yan Yu pressing down on her, she started to grumble unhappily, though it was unclear what she was saying.

    "It''s evident that you have indeed been practicing diligently, without slacking off," Yan Yu first offered some praise.

    Xie Ruoxi''s face showed delight, and she instinctively began to complain:

    "Of course! During this time when Ling Yun and the others weren''t around, I still practiced for an hour every day..."

    "An hour is too little!" Yan Yu immediately contradicted her, saying, "That''s the problem with you right now! You practice, but the time is too short!"

    "Too short?" Xie Ruoxi found it hard to believe.

    "Nonsense, what else? Our Zhenhai Team practices combat for at least four hours in the afternoon, okay?"

    "I only agreed to become a cultivator, I never said I wanted to join the team..." Xie Ruoxi muttered under her breath, but Yan Yu heard her loud and clear, and said deliberately:

    "If you want to leave the team, it''s not impossible."

    He paused deliberately at this point only to see Xie Ruoxi not showing the slightest bit of happiness, instead asking with a wary face:

    "But what''s the price? I''m warning you now, if you threaten me with my mobile game account, I won''t stubbornly act out of spite! I, I, I... I won''t quit the team!"

    Yan Yu: .........

    How do you manage to speak with such a forceful tone when pleading for mercy?

    "Rest assured, I won''t touch your account," Yan Yu said with a smile, "I''ll just make a call to your parents and brother and let them have a good talk with you. After all, quitting your job is a big deal; you have to inform your family, right?"

    Xie Ruoxi immediately had a blank look in her eyes, as if she had been struck dumb.

    Not to mention her brother, she, of course, knew her parents'' characters: one was obsessed with money, and the other wanted face, and the profession of a cultivator had both covered.

    Having accidentally become a cultivator up to this point, she had not dared to tell her parents about it, because the outcome was entirely predictable: her parents would first be stunned by this great news, then they would immediately start blabbering about it to the entire village, to all the distant relatives outside the province, that the daughter of the Xie family had actually become a cultivator!

    Your journey continues at My Virtual Library Empire

    They wouldn''t care at all about how much hardship their poor daughter had to endure to become a cultivator, how much suffering she experienced, how much blood she vomited, and how many tears she shed!

    Nowadays, when her parents call, Xie Ruoxi just lies and says she is working in Jinling, "managing computers in an internet cafe, working day and night shifts, not even earning three thousand a month." Her parents are also sympathetic, sending her money every now and then, worried she might be short of cash, and telling her to learn skills like haircutting and the like...

    All these presumptions are based on their one-sided belief that their daughter is living a tough life.

    If this lie was busted by Yan Yu, her parents would definitely turn hostile. Then, there would be no more sympathy, only endless pressure and demands!

    "Xi Xi, you need to work hard, strive for promotions and military ranks, you need to earn more money."

    "Xi Xi, why aren''t you on TV? The neighbors have all asked about it; everyone wants to see you on television!"

    "Xi Xi, your uncle came asking, saying his son is quite intelligent, just doesn''t study well, can he be brought to see if he has any talent for becoming a cultivator..." S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    As these thoughts overwhelmed her, Xie Ruoxi, dizzy and exasperated, somehow found the strength to suddenly twist her body, flipping Yan Yu to one side and yelled:

    "Total nonsense! You''d better not spread (gang) lies! I... I never said I wanted to leave the team!"

    Yan Yu, who almost fell over, bounced back up and slapped her forehead, pinning the freshly rebellious Xie Immortal Venerate back down under Five Elements Mount:

    "Beast! What nonsense are you spouting!"

 Chapter 63 Behold My Art of Disguise

    Yan Yu finally realized that Xie Ruoxi wasn''t the type to respond to tough methods or soft persuasion; she simply wouldn''t respond at all.This beautiful good-for-nothing was truly impervious to reason!

    If you ignored her, she would definitely just slack off, "No one cares anyway, so why shouldn''t I slack off?"

    But if you pushed her too hard, she would still slack off, "If I can''t do it, I can''t do it. I might as well lie down and give up!"

    In other words, the pressure to motivate her needed to be controlled just right, offering no room for her to slack off without pushing her to the point of giving up entirely... Damn, I can''t believe I have to worry so much even about training this useless person!

    The more Yan Yu thought about it, the more irritated he became, so he simply said to Xie Ruoxi:

    "I want to play a game with you."

    "What game?" Xie Ruoxi first responded with subconscious excitement, then her little face turned deathly pale.

    This game that Yan Zhanlong wants to play with me is definitely not some cute anime game! He might corner me and do all sorts of inappropriate things that aren''t suitable for children!

    She hugged herself tightly across the chest, trembling like a giant rabbit, her eyes wide with fear, adopting a look of "do what you will, I''ll endure the humiliation," which left Yan Yu completely baffled, but he didn''t bother trying to figure out what was going on in her little head and simply said: Find more to read at My Virtual Library Empire

    "I will control my swordsmanship strength to be just a little bit stronger than your upper limit. If you can beat me once, I''ll give you a day off."

    "Really?" Xie Ruoxi asked warily, "When you say ''a little bit,'' do you mean an ''a little bit'' as big as the interstellar gap or some other ''a little bit''?"

    "Could it be bubble tea?" Yan Yu said impatiently, "It means that as long as you give it your all and break through your limits, you''ll immediately be able to beat me!"

    "Okay, then." Xie Ruoxi took out her phone, speaking carefully, "I want a written agreement, a recording..."

    "A recording my ass!" Yan Yu finally lost his patience with her, "Come over here and fight me now!"

    The two stood about ten meters apart, each wielding Huang Tingjian and Heavenly Origin Sword.

    Both swords were heavy, lacking in agility but overflowing with power, and when they clashed, the sound was deafening, like two mammoths locking horns, the force enough to shake the heavens.

    Xie Ruoxi started out tensely on the defensive, but then she realized Yan Yu wasn''t attacking right away and felt a wild joy in her heart.

    Usually in sparring with Lin Ning, revealing even a small gap would lead to an immediate onslaught by the Green Bamboo Sword; sparring with Su Yunjin meant being chased around by her Taoism Method, eventually cornered, and turned into a drenched chicken... How could she be motivated to practice if she was doomed to fail even when she gave her all?

    If you use a mobile game as a metaphor, the kind where you can''t get past level 1-1 no matter what, it''s definitely a trash game beyond question!

    Now that Yan Yu was keeping his word and really controlling his strength to her level, Xie Ruoxi was overjoyed. Then, recollecting herself, all the dissatisfaction and resentment from being thrashed in the past surged up in her heart, bursting out at once.

    This time, I will win!

    Xie Ruoxi gathered her True Yuan, focusing completely on Sword Control; the Heavenly Origin Sword let out a long cry, smashing down on Huang Tingjian like a meteor piercing the sun, immediately sending it flying.

    Yan Yu maintained his composure, skillfully maneuvering his sword technique to stabilize Huang Tingjian, whilst inwardly feeling amazed.

    This beautiful good-for-nothing didn''t use much technique in that strike; it was pure brute force. Yet, she managed to overwhelm Huang Tingjian in a head-on fight... considering that this girl started her Qi Refinement several months after him! It just goes to show that talent really is unfairly distributed.

    Xie Ruoxi, seeing Yan Yu''s Flying Sword being repelled by her own attack, was immensely heartened. Her movements quickening, she manipulated the Heavenly Origin Sword to pursue swiftly!

    I strike!

    I strike!

    I strike, strike, strike!

    Yan Yu kept his word and didn''t exploit her openings (after all, Xie Ruoxi wouldn''t be able to perceive these flaws due to her level) and just quietly directed Huang Tingjian to defend and block. However, his defenses were forced back step by step, and the circle of his sword grew tighter and tighter around him.

    Xie Ruoxi was full of fighting spirit, shouting as she fought, the sword techniques executed in quick succession. Just as she was about to muster her energy and drive the Heavenly Origin Sword through the opposing defenses, knocking the damn captain flat and leaving him searching for his teeth, suddenly, for some reason, she had a shiver of hesitation, and her offensive immediately slowed down.

    Wait a second...

    Yan Yu, does he keep his word?

    He said he would limit his strength to be just a bit stronger than mine, but that''s only if he keeps his word, right? If I beat him too harshly and he gets angry and goes all out, won''t I be the one suffering in the end?

    As Xie Ruoxi zigzagged through this chaotic train of thought, her previously vigorous offense quickly deflated. Yan Yu, with an expressionless face, altered the sword technique, swiftly switching from defense to offense with Huang Tingjian. By the time Xie Ruoxi came to her senses, she had already fallen behind.

    This girl simply lacked combat experience. She could use brute force to win when the wind was at her back, but when facing headwinds, it was a scene of utter chaos and consecutive defeats.

    Yan Yu was in no hurry to press the attack. Instead, he continued to fight at the level of a newcomer, leisurely breaking through the defenses of the Heavenly Origin Sword. It was not until he aimed the sword''s spine at Xie Ruoxi''s forehead and she closed her eyes and braced for impact, that she realized the anticipated pain did not come.

    Upon opening her eyes, she saw Yan Yu frowning and walking over to say,

    "What happened to you? You were doing fine, why did you suddenly go limp?"

    Xie Ruoxi was at a loss for words, and after a long while, she said,

    "I was afraid you wouldn''t keep your word. If I really beat you too badly, you might get angry and bully me."

    Yan Yu: .........

    Am I that kind of person? Where is the trust between people?

    He wanted to scold Xie Ruoxi, but then he realized that this beautiful waste might have built a wall around her heart. Harsh criticism would only backfire, so he could only sigh and say,

    "They haven''t come back yet... Forget it, shall we go out to eat tonight?"

    "Sure," Xie Ruoxi said, still immersed in the regret of a near-win, her voice downcast and listless.

    Given Yan Yu''s increasingly famous name, going out actually carried quite a risk. If recognized by fans, he could immediately end up surrounded and unable to eat¡ªplus, he didn''t have a talent agency to call on burly men to hold back enthusiastic fans, so he might have to resort to the Wall-Penetration Technique to escape.

    Fortunately, Yan Yu was not entirely unprepared. With sunglasses and a mask on, covering his eyes, nose, and mouth, who could recognize him now?

    Xie Ruoxi stood at the front door waiting. When she saw Yan Yu come downstairs fully armed, she asked in amazement,

    "Are you really going out like that?" S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "What else?" Yan Yu retorted, "I''m a celebrity now, you know. We''re going out to eat, not to a fan meet-and-greet."

    "But you''ll have to take off the sunglasses and mask to eat," Xie Ruoxi said. "Won''t you still get recognized?"

    Yan Yu was at a loss for words, realizing that it was indeed a problem:

    "Then what do you suggest we do?"

    "Leave it to me!" Xie Ruoxi rolled up her sleeves.

    She led Yan Yu back to her room and in front of the vanity desk, pulled open a drawer to reveal a bounty of various cosmetics.

    Yan Yu: .........

    Even the ancient disguise techniques were nothing compared to this.

    "We don''t need sunglasses and masks," Xie Ruoxi said calmly as she picked up toner and lotion. "Makeup can change not only facial features but also a person''s aura, making it perfect for a disguise. It''s a shame that now with beauty camera filters, many girls are unwilling to learn makeup¡ªa good makeup job can completely transform someone."

    "Wait, let me remind you," Yan Yu said. "We''re going out to eat, not to a cosplay convention. Don''t make me into a female or one of those pretty boys who ''paint female yet claim male''. Just make sure I''m unrecognizable."

    "Are you doubting my skills?" Xie Ruoxi flared up. "Even if you were wanted and needed to sneak past customs, I could make you so unrecognizable, facial recognition cameras wouldn''t know you!"

    She fluttered around in a flurry, spending nearly half an hour before finally pulling the mirror over and saying with pride,

    "Look!"

    The moment Yan Yu saw himself in the mirror, he was dumbstruck.

    The him in the mirror, while his features had not shifted much, appeared as if he aged by more than twenty years, resembling a mature and ruggedly handsome man.

    Just like Yan Zhanlong in his middle age.

 Chapter 64 My Sister is Kept by a Middle-aged Man

    In my previous life, I was full of ambition, believing that with technology in my grasp, I was invincible against the world. Yet, I still couldn''t withstand the tide of the times.Today, I have returned ten years prior, my brilliance unrestrained. Let''s see which heroes of the world dare to test the sharpness of the Immortal Sword in my palm?

    Yan Yu looked at his reflection in the mirror, silently mouthing words, as if conversing with his former self.

    The things you couldn''t accomplish, I will accomplish for you this time.

    The enemies you couldn''t kill, I will exterminate them for you this time!

    As for those who were supposed to suffer tragic fates, I will one by one reverse their unfortunate destinies. I''ve been reborn to fiercely defy fate itself!

    "Little Xie," Yan Yu couldn''t help but say, "you need to become stronger."

    Xie Ruoxi: ?

    She showed a puzzled expression as if to say "What are you talking about?" and confirmed by asking:

    "Is this okay? No one will connect you with the young Yan Zhanlong from the TV."

    "Indeed," Yan Yu nodded and said, "but they might think that you are keeping me as a sugar baby, considering our age difference is almost a generation."

    "What''s wrong with that?" Xie Ruoxi didn''t mind, "They can also think of you as my father."

    "Nice try, but I don''t have a useless daughter like you."

    "Hey? Why would you say that, that''s too much."

    The two left home and went out to eat at a restaurant. Sure enough, no one recognized them throughout the meal.

    Let''s not dwell on the meal. Suffice it to say, after they had eaten, they strolled leisurely back home, when suddenly Xie Ruoxi''s phone rang.

    "It''s my mom calling." She indicated to Yan Yu to be quiet, then answered the call.

    Time for a dialect conversation.

    The dialect of Jingnan is quite similar to that of Nanchuan, carrying a ruffian air. Girls speaking it add even more fierceness. Xie Ruoxi, usually delicate in appearance and speaking Mandarin in a soft style, transformed completely when she switched to her hometown dialect, her demeanor becoming bold.

    She occasionally rolled her eyes, expressed shock, raised her voice suddenly, and impatiently interrupted her parents.

    After hanging up, Xie Ruoxi let out a sigh and immediately reverted to a helpless little bunny, timidly explaining to Yan Yu:

    "My parents want to send me living expenses, I said no need, but they insisted on transferring money..."

    "My advice is to just transfer ten million to your parents," said Yan Yu calmly, "and completely eliminate this annoyance."

    "Heh," Xie Ruoxi showed a bitter expression, saying sadly, "True, but soon the whole village would know... I don''t want to listen to their gossip, it''s annoying."

    Your adventure continues at My Virtual Library Empire

    "It''s inevitable sooner or later," Yan Yu reminded her, "joining our team means you can''t avoid going on missions forever. Once it''s broadcasted on TV continuously, unless no one in your village watches TV, won''t they recognize you anyway?"

    "Maybe I can stall it for a while," Xie Ruoxi, true to her reputation as a beautiful good-for-nothing, chose to ignore the unsolvable situation for the time being ¡ª deal with it when it happens!

    "By the way!" She suddenly had an idea and asked Yan Yu for advice, "Captain, how do you handle the relationship between work and family?"

    "Very simple," Yan Yu replied, "I call the shots at home, and handle things the way I want."

    Xie Ruoxi: ......

    That was something she couldn''t do because she cared very much about what her parents thought of her, otherwise she wouldn''t be so troubled about it.

    "Actually, you don''t need to be too pessimistic about this matter," Yan Yu said indifferently, "You''re just used to being in a weaker position at home. You know once your cultivator identity is revealed, your status at home will surely skyrocket, jumping to number one, even beginning to direct and influence your parents'' thoughts. And you lack the confidence to manage it well."

    "Exactly, exactly!" Xie Ruoxi was initially dumbfounded, then repeatedly agreed, venting her frustrations, "Captain, you''re absolutely right. I''m just afraid they''ll have too high expectations, and then I won''t perform well... So what should I do?"

    "I''ve already told you," Yan Yu smiled slightly, "transfer ten million to your family and solve all the problems. After all, financial capability is directly proportional to the power of speech. If you can earn big money, it means you are capable and formidable, and of course, everyone should listen to you."

    Xie Ruoxi was tempted by his words, beginning to imagine:

    Her parents, dizzied by the huge sum, would start to see their daughter in a new light. From then on, they would not dare to nag or lecture, but would be respectful and responsive to their daughter''s wishes!

    Her older brother''s university expenses would all be taken care of by her, making him treat her with reverence, going out of his way to please her daily for fear of upsetting her and the money stopping!

    Yan Yu was absolutely right, money did allow one the freedom to do whatever they wished! Mwahahaha!

    Thinking of these delightful prospects, her fingers moved of their own accord... Damn it, the mobile bank won''t allow large transactions!

    First, transfer fifty thousand!

    Xie Ruoxi transferred the money, then eagerly waited in the family chat group, and soon received a voice message from her mother:

    "We got the money. We''re not short of money at home, your monthly salary isn''t much, so it''s not easy to save up like this. You need to look after your health and not overwork yourself, staying up all night is the last thing you should do. How long can you be a waitress in an internet caf¨¦? Your dad said you still need to learn a skill to have a stable job and income..."

    Xie Ruoxi: ?

    "Yan Yu, you lied to me!" She began to wail directly.

    "How did I lie to you?" Yan Yu was also puzzled.

    "I sent money home, and it was completely useless!" Xie Ruoxi showed her phone to him.

    "No kidding," Yan Yu glanced at it and disdainfully said, "I told you to transfer ten million! You transferred fifty thousand, what reaction did you expect from your parents? At most, they might think you''re working hard to save and send money home and won''t change their opinion of you."

    "But the mobile banking app doesn''t allow large transfers!" Xie Ruoxi argued.

    "That''s your problem," Yan Yu sneered, "No one forced you to transfer money now, did they?"

    "Mmm mmm mmm uh uh uh ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!" Xie Ruoxi let out a horrifying scream of frustration.

    All I got for fifty thousand yuan was a lengthy lecture from my mother; it''s like I''m asking for trouble!

    It''s all the team leader''s fault! You owe me for these fifty thousand yuan!

    Of course, the pretty waste doesn''t have the courage to say that, just sullenly following Yan Yu on the way back.

    After a while, another video call came through; it was from Xie Ruoxi''s older brother, Xie Rushan.

    The Xie family placed great emphasis on astrological signs. When the eldest son was born, they had a fortune-teller come over who said he lacked ''earth'' in his elements, so he was named Xie Rushan; and when the daughter was born, they said she lacked ''water,'' hence the name Xie Ruoxi. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The siblings indeed lived up to their names. Xie Rushan was honest and obedient from an early age, studying when told to study, and doing problems when told to do problems, with basically no other interests or hobbies.

    His sister, Xie Ruoxi, on the other hand, didn''t focus on her studies, spending all day with her brain deep in anime and immersed in various mobile games... The parents could only sigh that the name was fitting and regretted they hadn''t named her something like ''Lake'' or ''Sea.''

    "Sis," Xie Rushan, unable to hide his thoughts, directly asked as soon as the video call connected, "did you just transfer fifty thousand yuan to our parents?"

    "Yeah," Xie Ruoxi replied unenthusiastically.

    "Where did you get that much money?" Xie Rushan asked in astonishment, looking at the dark road behind her, "Are you off work?"

    "What else?" Xie Ruoxi replied irritably. "What time is it now?"

    "Sis, listen to me, it''s okay to earn money slowly, just don''t get any bad ideas!" Xie Rushan anxiously advised, "You''re still young, you''ve got a future to work towards!"

    Although his tone was urgent and his love for his sister was clear, Xie Ruoxi only found it tedious and exhausting to listen to.

    It''s too late, everything''s too late.

    I''ve already signed the contract and officially enlisted. Could I really tear up the contract and stuff the True Yuan cultivated in my Dantian back into it?

    Big brother, your sister is a cultivator now, enduring inhumane training and cultivation every day. I can''t... go back anymore.

    "Who is it?" Yan Yu leaned in and asked.

    "It''s nothing, just my brother," Xie Ruoxi showed him the screen.

    As the phone tilted, Xie Rushan caught a fleeting glimpse of a middle-aged man''s handsome face and was shocked nearly to the point of dropping his phone.

    It''s over! My sister''s being kept by a wealthy middle-aged patron!

    He quickly steadied his phone, about to ask more, but found the call had already been disconnected.

    After hanging up the phone on her end, Xie Ruoxi turned on flight mode and complained:

    "Annoying, I don''t want to be interrogated by them, it''s all your fault, team leader, for tricking me into sending money home!"

    "Hey! I told you to transfer ten million, and you only transferred fifty thousand, and now it''s my fault?" Yan Yu ridiculed her, "This is what happens when you''re uneducated. You can''t even understand numbers correctly, scammers love to target fools like you."

    The two of them chatted idly as they walked home, unaware that Xie Rushan was already as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, throwing on his clothes and saying to his roommate:

    "Cover for me at work tomorrow, I need to go out!"

    "Where are you going?"

    "Jinling!"

 Chapter 65 I Just Looked at It Once

    The next day, Yan Yu brought Xie Ruoxi to the school to meet Qi Changping in the archives room, where they encountered a messenger cultivator sent by the Pingxi Army.The messenger took out a Pad, unlocked it, and handed it to Yan Yu; it contained the complete list of Taoism Methods currently in the inventory of the Pingxi Army.

    Yan Yu was not shy about it, scrutinizing the Taoism Methods list thoroughly before suddenly asking,

    "Is it a one-for-one exchange, or one for two?"

    The messenger''s eyes widened in shock, seemingly unable to believe that Yan Zhanlong would make such a shameless proposition. Qi Changping quickly stepped in, explaining,

    "Of course, it''s one-for-one! It''s difficult to assess the value of Taoism Methods, so the default is a one-for-one exchange."

    "But these Methods of yours are kinda lackluster." Yan Yu said with a look of difficulty, complaining, "I''ve been trying to pick out a strong water-related Taoism Method for Yun Jin and can''t seem to find one."

    "Why don''t you look at other types?" the messenger asked patiently, "Exchange for another strong Taoism Method first, then go to Annan or Dingbei to exchange for a water-related one!"

    "That''d be such a hassle." Yan Yu waved his hand and said, "Let''s just make it simple¡ªlet me pick two Methods."

    "That''s not possible!" The messenger didn''t have the authority for such a deal, and quickly refused, "It can only be one-for-one! Comrade Yan Yu, I really can''t make that decision."

    "Forget it, then. We won''t exchange," Yan Yu said impatiently, "When you have a strong water-related Taoism Method, we can talk trade then." Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The messenger immediately turned pale because before departing, his superiors had instructed him, "You must secure the rights to ''Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire.''" He eagerly tried to persuade Yan Yu further but was pulled aside by Qi Changping, who whispered to him urgently,

    "Don''t argue with him. How about we add another Taoism Method to our offer? Let Yan Yu choose two this time and wrap things up quickly."

    "But¡­" The messenger wanted to say "we only intended a one-for-one exchange," but realizing that without Yan Yu''s agreement, even that might not be possible, he could only silently message his superiors for instructions.

    The leader responded quickly: okay.

    Both of them breathed a sigh of relief, turned to Yan Yu, and said,

    "Alright, then pick two Methods."

    "This one and this one," Yan Yu didn''t hesitate and picked directly.

    The messenger and Qi Changping saw that he had chosen the only two Thunder Methods from the inventory list: Jade Pivot Thunder and Divine Sky Thunder. They suddenly realized¡ªYan Zhanlong had never intended to exchange for a water-related Taoism Method; he had been eyeing these two Thunder Methods from the start!

    "Are you sure you want these?" the messenger asked for confirmation, "These are still under academic evaluation and might not be effective."

    Manuscripts plundered from the Mysterious Realm were vast and numerous, and many of the methods contained were merely authors'' "creative ideas" or "armchair strategies" that might not actually be viable for cultivation. Hence, they had to undergo "academic evaluation" by the research departments to be deemed "practicable" before anyone could practice them.

    Since there were tens of thousands of extant manuscripts, it was impossible for researchers to verify each by practicing, so rumor had it that supercomputers and artificial intelligence were being used for the analysis... Yan Yu did not understand the specifics, but he knew that any signature Taoism Methods used by others in his past life were definitely viable!

    "Yes, just these two," Yan Yu confirmed.

    "Okay." The messenger took out a box from his waist, remotely requested an unlock, and with a click, it opened, and he took out a USB drive.

    Qi Changping hurriedly ushered him into the archives room, inserted the USB drive into the computer, and the messenger quickly dragged two files out, verified they were correct, then formatted the USB drive, ejected it, and with a Curved Curse, physically destroyed it.

    Yan Yu: ......

    You could say he wasn''t cautious enough since he at least formatted and destroyed the drive; but if he was being careful... why not use a Jade Slip?

    "Ruoxi!" Once the messenger had left, he waved to call Xie Ruoxi, who was at a distance, "Go inside and learn the Thunder Methods."

    "Copying, taking photos, or smuggling it out, all not allowed," Qi Changping also gave her a worried reminder, "You can only learn it in this room, understand? People can leave, but the Taoism Methods cannot."

    "Ah?" Xie Ruoxi thought, my worst skill is studying, and with a mournful face said, "Then when can I get out?"

    "Whenever you learn it is when you''ll be let out," Yan Yu added viciously from the side, "If you don''t learn it by morning, no lunch for you; if you don''t learn it by the afternoon, no dinner for you; if you don''t learn it by evening, you''ll go hungry until dawn."

    Seeing that Xie Ruoxi''s face had turned white with fear, Qi Changping was about to speak up and explain when he heard Yan Yu''s psychic message:

    "Instructor Qi, don''t interfere too much. Xie Ruoxi is a member of my team, and it''s not your place to meddle with our team affairs."

    With "meddling in team affairs" being mentioned, Qi Changping felt it wasn''t his place to intervene anymore. To Xie Ruoxi, who took Yan Yu''s threatening words to heart, there was no choice but to enter the archive room looking as if she had already died a little inside.

    Yan Yu and Qi Changping stepped outside and chatted idly for a moment until the instructor asked:

    "What''s the deal with this Xie Ruoxi? You were the one who brought her here originally. After all this time, why are you still establishing your authority over her?"

    "Can''t help it with a lazy bone," Yan Yu sighed and said, "Three days without a beating, and she just slacks off."

    "Carrying on like this isn''t a solution," Qi Changping said after a moment of silence, "We have similar slackers in our troops. To be honest, using force doesn''t always work; sometimes you have to be gentle. It''s easier to talk when you''ve drawn closer."

    "How should I be gentle?" Yan Yu countered.

    "Xie Ruoxi has parents, and she has an elder brother," Qi Changping suggested, "Try to work on her family, see if you can find a way to motivate her, to establish the right values in her."

    "She hasn''t told her parents about becoming a cultivator," Yan Yu hesitated, "I think her relationship with her family is quite delicate. Approaching it from this angle, I''m afraid I might backfire if I''m not careful."

    "How delicate?" asked Qi Changping, frowning.

    "Hard to say," Yan Yu shook his head, "She didn''t take the college entrance exams after graduating from high school; guess why?"

    "Hmm," Qi Changping pondered, "I''ve looked over her mock exam scores at school, and if she performed normally, she''d probably struggle even to get into a tier-three university. From this perspective, maybe she just simply didn''t want to study any longer..."

    "You see," Yan Yu spread his hands, "That settles it, doesn''t it? In other families facing such a situation, wouldn''t the parents force the child to at least get a diploma from a technical college? And what if there''s a chance to transfer from a college to a university? I think her family might also be somewhat biased towards males."

    "Wait, this is different," Qi Changping hastily said, "Her academic grades weren''t good, and if she''s discouraged and doesn''t want to study, her parents might also think she''s not cut out for it; giving up on higher education makes sense. But cultivating is different! Her talent for cultivation is excellent. Haven''t you told her?

    Such a waste with such good conditions, that would be unacceptable, right?"

    "How could I say such a thing to her!" exclaimed Yan Yu, his eyes widening, "She''s already slacking off and won''t listen; now you want me to tell her how talented she is, to make her think she''s got grounds to negotiate and argue with me?"

    Qi Changping fell silent.

    He personally believed that you couldn''t keep such things secret forever. If you deceive her, bully her, play tricks on her, and when she finds out she''s actually amazing, wouldn''t she come straight back at you for revenge?

    However, this was an affair of the Zhenhai Team, and Qi Changping couldn''t overstep his bounds. He nodded and said:

    "As long as you are aware..."

    Before his words had faded away, a massive explosion suddenly erupted from the archive room!

    The shockwave instantly broke through the walls, sending countless bricks and stones bursting and scattering. Yan Yu had already soared into the air with his Sword Control like lightning, while Qi Changping, half a beat slower, was completely engulfed by the dust and smoke.

    Yan Yu ascended to avoid the explosion, his Divine Sense sweeping through the dust. He then quickly rushed in, only to find Xie Ruoxi sitting in the ruins dazed... Seeing her captain rushing to her side, she quickly got up and sobbed as she threw herself into his arms:

    "Wahhh, Captain, I was wrong, wahhh!"

    "Wait," Yan Yu quickly checked her from head to toe to ensure she wasn''t injured before asking urgently, "What happened with the explosion just now? Who attacked the archive room?"

    "It was me," Xie Ruoxi said timidly, stammering, "Didn''t you say I could leave only after I had learned the Thunder Method?" Stay updated via My Virtual Library Empire

    "I read through those two articles on Thunder Method, and I wasn''t sure if I understood them correctly, if that counted as having learned it, so I just tried to use it..."

 Chapter 66 Then the School Exploded

    Qi Changping was rushed to emergency care, and the news quickly spread amongst the entire faculty and student body.Rescuing him wasn''t much of an issue, just a concussion from being hit by a brick fragment. Now, with Runescript, there wasn''t even a need for cranial surgery. The hematoma could be directly extracted to treat the injury.

    The issue lay in how to deal with the perpetrator, Xie Ruoxi.

    Blowing up the archive room, along with precious hard drives containing Taoist texts, and incidentally sending the chief instructor to the hospital¡ªwasn''t this worthy of severe punishment, like a serious demerit?

    Li Weiguo developed a headache after receiving the accident report.

    There were no rules against casting spells in the archive room. Normally, everyone would quickly memorize the full text in the archive room and then find somewhere else to practice at leisure... Who would think of casting spells right there?

    Even if there were such eccentrics, Taoist techniques aren''t like arithmetic problems that you can simply apply as soon as you understand them, are they?

    Yet they had encountered the oddball Xie Ruoxi, who thought to "just try it" in the archive room, and upon "trying," successfully performed the spell with extremely potent force ¡ª her talent could almost be considered top-notch among spellcasters.

    That said, if one were to fully assess the damages, they couldn''t be considered extremely severe. The archive room could be rebuilt, the hard drives had secret disaster recovery backups, and Qi Changping didn''t suffer any serious lasting injuries. If an explosion could yield a talent like Xie Ruoxi, Li Weiguo wouldn''t mind a few more blasts... Of course, he couldn''t say that publicly.

    Still, he had to follow procedures and punish her to some extent, otherwise, it would be bad if she turned into another Yan Yu.

    As Li Weiguo was contemplating, he heard Yan Yu knock on the door:

    "Is Grandpa Li in?"

    "Come in."

    Yan Yu pushed the door open and placed an A4 paper on Li Weiguo''s desk.

    "What is this?" Li Weiguo asked, raising an eyebrow.

    "A self-criticism letter," Yan Yu replied. "Handwritten by Xie Ruoxi."

    Li Weiguo: ......

    He picked up the self-criticism letter and read it through, feeling utterly unimpressed.

    The writing was like that of a primary school student... But considering Xie Ruoxi had only recently graduated from high school, it was no wonder she wasn''t the bookish type and wrote such a letter.

    Thinking that she was just an ignorant young girl, Li Weiguo didn''t get angry. Instead, he casually placed the letter aside and asked Yan Yu:

    "What''s the deal with this Xie Ruoxi?"

    "Got a screw loose," Yan Yu succinctly put it. "But her talent is outstanding, very outstanding."

    "Hmm." Li Weiguo pondered for a moment, then asked again, "Can you handle her?"

    "Of course," Yan Yu promptly replied with a serious tone. "I am the captain of the Zhenhai Team. I bear some responsibility for this incident as well, so please punish me accordingly."

    "Mm." Li Weiguo kept a straight face, but he was somewhat surprised inside.

    Yan Yu''s gesture was clear: he was determined to protect Xie Ruoxi.

    Although Li Weiguo had no intention of punishing her severely, since Yan Yu was willing to guard Xie Ruoxi, he could well give him that favor.

    "Alright," Li Weiguo said nonchalantly. "I''ll consider it. You can leave now."

    Without another word, Yan Yu turned and left.

    Outside the principal''s office, Xie Ruoxi immediately rushed up, asking anxiously:

    "What did he say?"

    "Wait for the notice," Yan Yu replied, mimicking Li Weiguo''s indifferent manner.

    Instantly, Xie Ruoxi''s tears started falling again.

    Although she disliked the cultivator training, the improvement in her living conditions was undeniable. If she were expelled from the school, the Zhenhai Team probably wouldn''t keep her either. Then, she''d have no choice but to leave the villa for a rental apartment...

    "Wuwuwu!" She clung to Yan Yu, crying her heart out. "I was wrong! I truly realize my mistake, I didn''t do it on purpose! I didn''t expect it to be so powerful..."

    In the principal''s office, as Li Weiguo re-read her self-criticism letter and listened to the powerful sobs outside, he let go of his worry.

    It was just a timid and fearful young girl; she probably wouldn''t turn into someone as unruly as Yan Yu.

    While Li Weiguo secretly relaxed on his end, outside, Yan Yu was being tormented by her wailing, which was so loud and strong that he couldn''t resist clamping her lips shut with a pinch to silence her.

    "Shut up!" he growled, dragging Xie Ruoxi to the nearby staircase entrance, brandishing his fist threateningly, "Come over here... and no more crying! Cry again and I''ll slap you!"

    Xie Ruoxi resignedly closed her mouth, though tears continued to pitter-patter down, her heart filled with fear of a fall in social status, regret, and irritation, wishing she could run home and cry under her blankets until dawn.

    Yan Yu pulled her back to the team''s training grounds, saying:

    ""

    "Show me that Thunder Method of yours."

    "Oh." Xie Ruoxi was still immersed in her sorrow, her voice choked as she asked, "Should I direct it at you, or..."

    "Of course you aim at the target!" Yan Yu lectured her, "Your spell already blew up the archives room! Can''t you use your brain for once?"

    Strangely enough, hearing Yan Yu mercilessly scolding her, Xie Ruoxi felt an odd sense of security.

    What she feared most was Yan Yu simply saying, "You can go now, don''t come looking for me anymore," then turning away without a hint of pity... If that happened, Magic Girl Ruoxi would instantly become a river of sorrow, ready to flood Jinling Prefecture with her tears. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    His willingness to scold me at least shows that I still hold some value for training in his eyes, doesn''t it?

    Xie Ruoxi wiped her tears fiercely and looked at the target ahead on the training ground.

    The target was made of refined steel with built-in force sensors and mounted on a movable rail below. It was meant for college cultivators to practice their Sword Control Technique. Teams like Zhenhai Team, which didn''t need a target because the captain would personally come out to spar with the members, were a rare few.

    Xie Ruoxi stared at the target, holding her breath while concentrating, her True Yuan surging and gathering at her fingertips. Suddenly, she cast out a green orb tinged with streaks of red, which flew at the speed of lightning and instantly hit the steel target, blasting it to smithereens.

    "Is that the Jade Pivot Thunder?" Yan Yu asked.

    "Yes," Xie Ruoxi replied cautiously.

    Yan Yu''s divine sense scanned the remnants of the target and soon came to a conclusion.

    A single-target attack, pure output, not a wide explosion radius, even smaller than Zhou Hongyu''s Flame Spear, almost similar to the Flying Sword, but its power simply can''t be compared to that of a Flying Sword, extremely lethal, slower than Flying Sword but more hidden¡ªThe Flying Sword''s light is too bright, and Zhao Yuanzhen''s Yin Wind Sword even makes special effects sounds as it flies, which is unbearable.

    "This Jade Pivot Thunder, it''s said to be specifically for solitary souls and wild ghosts," Xie Ruoxi carefully explained, "It''s designed to kill purely yin ghostly beings."

    "Hmm," Yan Yu said with an authoritative tone, "Don''t tell Chen Lingyun. Try the Divine Sky Thunder now."

    Xie Ruoxi did as instructed, once again channeling her True Yuan from her Dantian and aimed at another steel target, quickly tossing out an orb of light.

    Yan Yu narrowed his eyes and saw that the Divine Sky Thunder was a white sphere of light, faster than the Jade Pivot Thunder but making a bigger commotion; it slammed into the target, pulverizing it just the same.

    Scanning the remains of the target again, he noticed it hadn''t shattered as widely as the Jade Pivot Thunder, but the pieces were smaller, indicating its power was more restrained and concentrated.

    "What''s the Divine Sky Thunder for?" Yan Yu asked.

    "It''s for monsters," Xie Ruoxi answered, "The book says, the stronger the physical body, the less it can withstand the Divine Sky Thunder, it''ll what... cause vitality necrosis."

    "Hmm..." Yan Yu pondered once more.

    It was clear that although the Jade Pivot Thunder and Divine Sky Thunder were different types of Thunder Methods, the ancient supreme being who designed these spells had a clear intention: one targets the physical body, the other the soul.

    If it were the tree demons and vine specters from the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm, then the Divine Sky Thunder would be used against them; but if dealing with the ghosts from Shuanggui Mountain or Changping Secret Realm, the Jade Pivot Thunder should be used.

    Too bad he was dealing with a pretty but useless person, who might not know how to eat even when the meal is ready and brought to her lips... In her previous life, this girl used Thunder Methods haphazardly, "tossing out skills in the order they appeared on her skill list," so much so that Yan Yu had never heard of the differences between the Jade Pivot Thunder and Divine Sky Thunder.

    "Do you know how to use these two Thunder Methods?" Yan Yu asked sternly.

    "Uh." Xie Ruoxi wanted to say "I think there''s not much difference, just toss them out," but seeing the captain looking fierce (imagined by her), she earnestly analyzed, "Use Divine Sky Thunder against monsters, Jade Pivot Thunder against ghosts."

    "And what about killing people?" Yan Yu asked again.

    "Hmm..." Xie Ruoxi racked her brains.

    Humans have a physical body and a soul, so which Thunder Method should be used for killing? Eh, the body is on the outside, the soul is on the inside, so should it be...

    "I will first use the Divine Sky Thunder to crush his body," Xie Ruoxi smartly said, "then the Jade Pivot Thunder to destroy his soul!"

    Yan Yu: .........

    "Is there a possibility," he strained to hold back the burgeoning repulsion for stupidity, and asked coolly, "that whether it''s Divine Sky Thunder or Jade Pivot Thunder, just one hit and the opponent is already blown to death by you?"

    "Oh, right!" Xie Ruoxi had an epiphany, "So it doesn''t matter which Thunder Method I use?"

    "Of course, it matters!" Yan Yu finally couldn''t contain himself and started knocking Xie Ruoxi''s head with his knuckles, "I said ''just one hit''! Don''t you understand what ''just one hit'' means? Do you think your opponent will just stand there and let you hit them with your Thunder Method? Where has your mind wandered off to?" Your journey continues at My Virtual Library Empire

    "You''re going to knock my brain out!" Xie Ruoxi quickly covered her head, crying out in a pitiful tone.

    "Divine Sky Thunder is faster, Jade Pivot Thunder is more discreet." Seeing her in such a delicate and pitiful state, Yan Yu once again suppressed his anger and continued to patiently explain, "For sneak attacks, use Jade Pivot Thunder, for direct kills, Divine Sky Thunder, got it?"

    "Got it," Xie Ruoxi nodded and then naively asked, "So when should I sneak attack and when should I go for a direct kill?"

    "That''s more complicated." Yan Yu was about to list 108 different battle situations where different strategies should be employed, then suddenly remembered the intellect of this pretty but useless girl... and lost all interest.

    "So?" Xie Ruoxi was still waiting for his explanation.

    "So just follow Chen Lingyun''s commands," Yan Yu said with a somber expression.

 Chapter 67 You wouldnt want your brother to find out, would you?

    The more Yan Yu tutored Xie Ruoxi in training, the clearer it became that this beautiful waste seemed to be on the opposite ends of the spectrum from himself.He had nearly zero talent for cultivation but maxed out on technical operation and tactical awareness; Xie Ruoxi, however, had spectacular hardware but a complete mess of software... so much so that Yan Yu often got fired up while teaching her: "Damn it, why can''t you even understand this!"

    "Can''t you allocate some of the talent points you invested in your aptitude into your intelligence!"

    The girl Xie Ruoxi wasn''t actually stupid, or she wouldn''t have been able to master two Thunder Methods after just one read-through.

    But the moment it came down to systematic theoretical knowledge requiring logic, she would become utterly lost¡ªthe main problem was her inability to remember, followed by her fondness for impromptu thoughts, and because of her lack of practical experience, most of the strategies she came up with were sure to get her killed.

    Sometimes Yan Yu couldn''t help but think, why not just let her be? With her freakish talent for cultivation, like training a maxed-out wild ball punch, even flailing about wildly wouldn''t make her weak.

    Wait, wasn''t the reason Xie Ruoxi was such a waste in her previous life not because the Annan Army completely ignored her, but because they tried countless disciplinary methods and still couldn''t do anything about her?

    The more Yan Yu thought about it, the more he believed it to be true, and the more desperate he felt. If even the Annan Army of her previous life couldn''t handle her, then what about me...

    Grr! I still refuse to accept this! I''m the strongest in this world!

    "Xie Ruoxi, come here." Yan Yu motioned for her to come over, "I plan to create a custom combat style just for you."

    "What kind of combat style?" Xie Ruoxi asked, trembling with fear.

    Every time Yan Yu said something like "I have an idea," the ideas he came up with were always messed up, serving to torment her to death and beyond without any other effect... Can''t you just stop messing around, captain, please, I''m begging you, is that okay?

    Of course, she only dared to say that last sentence in her mind.

    Yan Yu naturally didn''t know what she was thinking and simply stated seriously:

    "I''ve decided to name it ''Mind-Stream Combat Style.''

    "Mind-Stream?"

    "Right, Mind-Stream." Yan Yu explained, "First, I''ll beat you until you''re sending out an SOS... but don''t cry yet. My plan goes like this."

    How could Xie Ruoxi not cry? As soon as she heard "sending out an SOS," she turned pale, with her eyes reddening and tears already swirling in her eyes.

    "Previously, I taught you ''what to do in what kind of situation, how you should react.'' But you never learn. After some careful reflection, I realized that''s not your problem, it''s mine..."

    "No no no, it''s definitely my problem!" Xie Ruoxi interjected anxiously, "Can we not change it, please? Let''s stick with the original training plan, I will study hard and with diligence..."

    "That''s why I''ve thought of a new method." Yan Yu completely ignored her and continued excitedly, "Every time I knock you down, we''ll replay and rewind to before I made that last hit, reset our positions, fix our stances, like loading a saved game in a video game."

    "After that, I won''t tell you ''how to defend against my last hit,'' and you''ll think of new ways to counter my attack. If you fail to defend again and get knocked down, we go back and do it again, until you find a defensive strategy that suits you..."

    Xie Ruoxi''s tears finally began to fall: Are you even human? Just keep knocking me down, right? Why don''t you plainly say you''re just bullying me?

    Yan Yu took her crying as a sign of joy and consoled her:

    "It''s okay, no need to get excited. This was just a spur-of-the-moment idea, and whether or not it''ll work still has to be seen."

    Xie Ruoxi wiped her tears quickly deciding, I''ll just botch this!

    If I never find a way to defend, then it proves that this idea is completely rubbish!

    But, wait, if I can''t find a way to defend, doesn''t that mean I''ll just keep getting flipped to the ground over and over again?

    And it''s all just so you can beat me up more efficiently! Yan Yu, you... you... you are inhumane!

    "Let''s do it!" Yan Yu encouraged her with enthusiasm, "I''ve meddled with your fighting too much before, and my own experiences may not necessarily suit you. Now I''m giving you the decision-making power. As long as you can stop my attack, you fight however you want!"

    "I..." Xie Ruoxi hemmed and hawed for a long time, finally unable to hold back her plea, "I don''t want to fight anymore!"

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Just as I thought! Worthy of myself!

    After repeatedly feeding Xie Ruoxi moves, Yan Yu finally confirmed his judgment.

    Yes, the crux of the problem is right here!

    Yan Yu, with the experience of two lifetimes, had developed a technique-focused combat style. Its core involved using consciousness and control to enhance the effectiveness of tactical actions as much as possible.

    For example, what if the enemy''s Sword Control is so tight that there''re no gaps? I would first make a feint to mislead them, forcing them to adjust their defense and reveal a flaw, then I''d surge through the gap, straight to the heart of their position.

    But is this style of combat suitable for Xie Ruoxi? Not really.

    Her natural talent for cultivation was incredibly strong, her True Yuan was robust and refined beyond the ordinary, and she wielded the forceful Heavenly Origin Sword. The swordsmanship defenses that Yan Yu couldn''t penetrate, Xie Immortal Venerate would just smash through with a bam. What feints? What tearing at defenses? None needed, just brute force! One bash, and it''s all done!!!

    Though technique can enable the weak to overcome the strong, Xie Immortal Venerate was already powerful. Why should she learn a style designed to turn weakness into strength?

    She didn''t like overly complicated tactics, nor did she understand the meaning behind these maneuvers, because she had never faced an enemy whose Cultivation Realm completely overpowered her, nor had she felt the helplessness and frustration of being unable to make a dent no matter how she fought.

    It is like a rich kid who never worried about food or clothes¡ªyou ask them to learn about budgeting and saving, how well can they truly grasp it? Read exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire

    Damn it! It really is my fault! The more I force the wrong approach, the worse it gets!

    Yan Yu smacked his forehead, resolving not to randomly coach Xie Immortal Venerate any longer¡ªher path of cultivation should be walked by herself!

    I''ll just be responsible for creating a training database for her, simulating various combat scenarios to boost her experience level.

    At that thought, Yan Yu was filled with excitement, as if he had found the correct approach to solving the tough puzzle of the beautiful but wasteful Ruoxi, and he couldn''t wait to start working on it.

    However, Xie Ruoxi didn''t share his high spirits.

    Right now, all she wanted to do was to collapse on the ground.

    Sigh, why does something like Divine Sense even exist? Even faking unconsciousness gets discovered!

    Even though there was no physical damage anywhere, pain was all over her body. Crying was useless¡ªYan Yu, this damned captain, would not show her any tenderness. He would just ruthlessly contort me into all sorts of positions and euphemistically call it "making me move myself"!

    Help, can someone please come and save me¡­

    Just as she was all flustered, her phone suddenly vibrated.

    [Yunshan]: Sis, I have no classes these few days, I''m coming to Jinling to see you. Where are you?

    Upon seeing the message from her brother, Xie Ruoxi almost cried tears of joy and quickly sent her location:

    [Magical Girl Ruoxi]: Big brother, save me!

    [Yunshan]: Call the police?

    [Magical Girl Ruoxi]: No, it''s not that, just hurry over!

    "What are you doing?" Yan Yu suddenly noticed she was messaging someone, "Slacking off again? I told you to rest and recover your strength, not to play with your phone!"

    "It''s like this," Xie Ruoxi got caught red-handed and subconsciously felt a bit guilty, but she quickly mustered courage and responded, "My brother''s come to Jinling, and he wants to check on my condition."

    Captain! My brother is about to arrive! You wouldn''t want him to find out how you''ve been bullying me, right?

    "Your brother is coming?" Yan Yu was momentarily taken aback, then immediately overflowed with joy, "Where is he? Do you want me to pick him up?"

    Instructor Qi had mentioned before we could "try starting with her family," and here her family member was, delivering himself right to our doorstep!

    No more wasting words, seize the moment!

    Seeing how ecstatic Yan Yu was, Xie Ruoxi instantly felt like she had been struck by lightning.

    Ah, why is the captain so happy? He can''t be plotting something again, can he! sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 68 Big Brother, Severely Beat the Useless Sister

    In Xie Ruoxi''s simplistic worldview, the captain''s harsh training was definitely bullying, and as her relative, her brother was bound to stand by her side.Yan Yu''s evaluation of this was: Naive.

    In her previous life, the pretty good-for-nothing only started her career in her thirties and then later rose to become the number one cultivator of the Annan Army. Her power even approached that of Lord Master, but internally, she didn''t even have as much say as Chen Lingyun, which shows her utter lack of social acumen.

    Let me give her a proper lesson!

    At the school entrance, Yan Yu saw Xie Rushan being stopped by the security guards¡ªtall and thin, wearing a nondescript, dusky windbreaker, with a bulging backpack on his back, pacing back and forth with a bottle of mineral water in hand, clearly a poor college student with little money in his pockets.

    Yan Yu quickly approached and asked,

    "Xie Rushan? Xie Ruoxi''s brother?"

    "Yes!" Xie Rushan hurriedly replied, "And you are...?"

    His gaze made a quick sweep across Yan Yu''s face, suspicion gradually appearing.

    The face that had flashed by in his sister''s video last night... However, the person in the video was a middle-aged man, and this one was a youngster, which made Xie Rushan uncertain.

    Yan Yu also noticed the change in his expression and preemptively took control of the situation, saying,

    "You''re here to deal with the matter of your sister injuring someone, right? Come, I''ll take you to see the injured party."

    Xie Rushan felt as if he had been struck by lightning; all his suspicions disappeared, leaving only shock and panic in his mind:

    What, my sister hurt someone?

    "Wait a moment," he quickly caught up with Yan Yu, anxiously asking, "My sister hurt someone? That can''t be! She has been well-behaved since she was little; she has never even had a fight, let alone getting into an argument and blushing!" sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "She never told you?" Yan Yu feigned surprise and said, "Xie Ruoxi has been detected to have cultivation potential and has already signed a cultivation agreement with our military."

    Xie Rushan: !!!

    On the way to the infirmary, Yan Yu didn''t talk about how Xie Ruoxi became a cultivator, only broadly said that "she is learning a Thunder Method," "she operated it indoors against regulations," "blew up the entire building," "the instructor was seriously injured and taken away for emergency treatment." Xie Rushan was so shocked that he was lost and extremely nervous, and nearly immediately called his parents for help.

    "Fortunately, Instructor Qi is now out of life-threatening danger," Yan Yu said nonchalantly, "So we weren''t originally planning to inform her family, but since you were in the area, I thought I''d mention it."

    "Then, about these medical expenses..." Xie Rushan worriedly asked.

    "The medical expenses are not a problem; they can be deducted from her future cultivator''s income," replied Yan Yu.

    Relieved that it wouldn''t ask for money from home, Xie Rushan also breathed a sigh of relief.

    The Xie family had been farming for three generations, working as tenant farmers for landlords and hardly had any savings. Supporting just him at university was already difficult. If his sister caused trouble outside and needed to compensate for hundreds of thousands in medical expenses, they would have to borrow money, but the question was who would be willing to lend it to them?

    Although he didn''t know how much the medical expenses would be or how much his sister''s "cultivator income" would amount to, as long as she could handle it herself without asking the family for money, that was naturally the best outcome¡ªotherwise, his parents would definitely lose sleep for months. Your next journey awaits at My Virtual Library Empire

    Yan Yu led Xie Rushan to the infirmary, where from outside the ward they visited the still sleeping Qi Changping. After asking the head nurse about the current condition of the injured person, the anxious elder brother-in-law finally began to calm down somewhat.

    "However," Yan Yu continued with a sigh, "Xie Ruoxi''s enthusiasm lately has not been very high, she even considered retiring from the service, and we''ve been working on her ideology..."

    Xie Rushan: !!!!!

    He nearly blacked out.

    "Why does she want to retire?" Xie Rushan struggled to hold back his anxious emotion and asked again.

    "She finds it hard and tiresome and wants to quit," Yan Yu explained lightly. "If it were a regular job, resigning wouldn''t be a big deal, but deserting is absolutely unacceptable. Continuing this way will only make the leaders have a negative opinion of her, and I''m also under a lot of pressure."

    "So you are actually..."

    "I''m the captain of her tactical squad," Yan Yu responded, "Yan Yu, ''Yan'' from the word ''swallow'', and ''Yu'' meaning ''abundant''."

    "Oh, I think I''ve heard your name," Xie Rushan replied, feeling it sounded familiar, but he rarely watched the news on TV, so he didn''t think much of it and said in frustration, "Captain Yan, let''s do this, take me to see my sister, and I''ll work on her ideology."

    This elder brother-in-law might be simple, but he wasn''t stupid. After hearing Yan Yu speak so much, he of course understood the implications in his words.

    But he knew his sister''s personality better; she had been unwilling to study even from a young age and was indeed capable of doing something as irrational as "deserting."

    I must give her a good talking-to! That''s it, hasn''t my sister always kept this a secret from home? I''ll start by using our parents to scold her!

    "Ruoxi, you wouldn''t want mom and dad to know you''re not properly fulfilling your duties as a cultivator, would you?"

    Xie Rushan followed Yan Yu to the training ground, and on the way, he quickly thought of what to say. As soon as he entered, he put on a stern face.

    Upon seeing her older brother arrive, Xie Ruoxi was suddenly overwhelmed with grievances of being bullied by Yan Yu recently. Her eyes reddened, a glimmer of tears emerged, and she instantly switched from a helpless big rabbit to a wronged one. She rose to her feet to cry and call out:

    "Old brother!"

    Little did she know that Xie Rushan had already been forewarned by Yan Yu and had turned into an unfeeling elder brother with a heart of stone, and he coldly said:

    "I''ve heard it all from Captain Yan! Ruoxi, you became a cultivator but kept it from our family. We''ll let that pass for now, but I heard that you actually want to quit the team recently? Getting cold feet, thinking of deserting?"

    Xie Ruoxi was struck as if by lightning, her mouth half open, looking as if her soul had slipped out, her whole appearance turning gray.

    "How could you do this!" Xie Rushan continued to berate her out of frustration, "You''ve previously gone to work, to be a photographer, how much money could you make in a month? Mom and Dad have also said it many times, if you''re not planning on going to college, at least you should have a stable source of income. Isn''t being a cultivator in the military good?

    A cultivator is also considered a career track... uh, right?"

    "Of course it''s a career track, a secure job." Yan Yu added fuel to the fire from the side.

    "Right," Xie Rushan immediately felt more confident and continued, "Your cousin Wenwen, after graduating from college, has been trying to pass the civil service exams for three years now and still hasn''t managed it! You''re directly in the system now, what''s there to be dissatisfied with? And now thinking of leaving the service... do you want to anger mom and dad to death?"

    "I..." Xie Ruoxi was on the verge of tears, thinking to herself that her older brother had no idea that her job involved getting beaten every day!

    But Xie Rushan didn''t give his sister the chance to argue further and quickly changed to a sorrowful expression, continuing to say:

    "Sis, you know the family''s situation isn''t good, we''re now at the point where we can''t even afford to get sick. Dad had stomach pains and went to the health clinic, the doctor said he needed a gastroscopy, but he didn''t want to spend the money and didn''t go. When he''s in pain, he just presses a pen against his stomach.

    He hasn''t told you, all because he''s worried that you work too hard and too desperately to make money, and he doesn''t want you to feel pressured, but this..."

    Xie Ruoxi could no longer withstand it and finally burst into tears, sobbing:

    "I won''t leave the battle team, I won''t leave! Brother, I''ll definitely work hard, I''ll send money home right away, tell dad to get treatment quickly..."

    Xie Rushan managed to talk himself into being overcome with emotion. With little ability to earn money himself, he became even more sad as he spoke, and the siblings nearly cried together in each other''s arms.

    Yan Yu watched silently from the side, feeling very satisfied with the older cousin''s on-the-spot performance.

    After such a stern talking-to from her own brother, Xie Ruoxi should now be willing to train properly, right?

    If even this can''t correct her useless disposition, then I''m really out of options.

    After mutual confessions of regret, Yan Yu was quite happy to give Xie Ruoxi half a day off, letting her take her older cousin around Jinling Prefecture, have some good food, and incidentally reinforce the impression that "the family really needs you to earn money."

    As Qi Changping would say, it was "injecting her with chicken blood."

    Inject! Inject her hard!

    With Xie Ruoxi out on leave, and Yan Yu having nothing else to do, he flew home on his sword.

    Time for a long nap!

    After lying on the sofa playing with his phone for a while, he suddenly saw a piece of news in the cultivator group chat:

    The first generation Witch King had appeared.

    As I mentioned before, with the collapse of the secular governments of the southern countries, their civilian supernatural forces also began fighting among themselves, with endless internal strife and killing, which could be described as the "Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms of the Indochina Peninsula." The sorcerers are akin to the military governors, belonging to a lawless and violent class of groups that bring disaster to the country.

    If the North can produce an Eclipse Queen, the South certainly cannot remain in chaos forever. Just like monkey troops in nature will eventually produce a king ¡ª every once in a while, a sorcerer will rise who is powerful enough to begin trying to subjugate and integrate all the sorcerer forces on the southern peninsula. This individual is then called the "Witch King."

    The emergence of the Witch King can be good or bad, but mostly it''s bad, creating a significant threat to border security, which is why the Qing''an Battle Team where Li Minghu belongs has urgently set out from Lingnan Province to stand by in Nanjiang Province.

    The fellow cultivator students in the group chat also began discussing the current situation and predicting the impact of the Witch King''s rise on Lu Country, with the university student cultivators from the Annan National Defense Academy being particularly anxious.

    However, Yan Yu remembered that in his previous life, not long after the first generation Witch King rose to power, he was cursed to death by his deputy.

    The deputy took over as the second-generation Witch King, and to shift internal conflicts, began waging wars everywhere, also setting a path for subsequent Witch Kings... The ordeal of Valkyrie Li Minghu seemed to start from this point.

    Hmm, I should ask her how she''s been feeling lately.

 Chapter 69 Chen Lingyun Went in as Well

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You''ve recently been to Nanjiang?[Yuegua Donghu]: Yes, the border seems unstable, so the higher-ups sent us there to stand by.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: How''s your health?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Much better. Thanks to the increase in my spiritual energy limit, the frequency of my coughs has reduced after my cultivation level went up.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: So cultivation is the best medicine after all. Less fighting, more cultivation.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Speaking of fighting, I heard you defeated an Onmyoji at Black Dragon Isle, and were even honored at Lingyan Pavilion later?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: How did you know that?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Heard it from others, "Longcheng Flying General," unique in all of Lu Country. They said your award ceremony video will be used as an October tribute and will be heavily promoted on TV.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Sigh, it''s just a false reputation, meaningless.

    Yan Yu wasn''t trying to be pretentious here; he truly felt this way¡ªin his past life, he also received numerous medals, all tossed into a small cardboard box, hardly ever bothering to take them out.

    Why consider it a false reputation? Because he was well aware that the title of Longcheng Flying General was actually secured for him by Chen Tianming, partly to woo him and partly to build momentum for him.

    The truly prestigious title is that of "Valkyrie"! After her sacrifice, without any official awards, she was spontaneously remembered and mourned by the people of the seven provinces in the south, even having temples erected and memorial tablets worshipped¡ªtruly recognized by the heartfelt respect of thousands, a title worth being proud of and remembered!

    [Yuegua Donghu]: But it sounds pretty impressive, right?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What, you want a medal too? S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: [Photo].

    [Yuegua Donghu]: It looks pretty good~

    [Yuegua Donghu]: If I get a chance, I''d like to earn one too. But that would require distinguishing oneself on the battlefield, right?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Just to see if there''s a chance this time/cheer up.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Still, safety first.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: If you can''t handle it, come find me, and I''ll help you.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Wouldn''t that be against the rules?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What are you thinking? Of course, not by deploying the Zhenhai Team. It''s just that Longcheng Flying General Yan Yu happened to pass by and saw that Li Minghu of the Qing''an Team was in trouble, so he went over to give a hand.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: That sounds reasonable. But you being in Jinling Prefecture and just happening to pass by Nanjiang sounds a bit hard to explain, doesn''t it?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: No problem, I usually enjoy sword flight, admiring the great rivers and mountains of our country. Just yesterday, I even went to the Western Regions Province.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: You went to the Western Regions? Is the mutton and beef there good?

    The two chatted for nearly half an hour. Obviously, Li Minghu was quite bored on the other side, called to stand by in Nanjiang Province without any battles to fight.

    It could be said that the Annan Army was probably watching the Dingbei Army run themselves ragged on the border and consequently took the matter of the Southeast Asian Witch King very seriously, preferring to prepare in advance, overacting rather than being caught off guard and scrambling at the last minute.

    Of the four armies, it was actually the Zhendong Army that had it the easiest. Although they faced the strongest spiritual power among the surrounding forces¡ªthe Onmyoji¡ªthey were still separated by sea, without a long land border to worry about, and were not afraid of sporadic invasions; just going out for a few big battles each year was enough.

    The Zhendong Army, comfortable!

    After chatting with Li Minghu, Yan Yu turned to chat with Anna, who seemed to have been promoted again recently in the coven circle. She appeared quite pleased with herself, sometimes jokingly telling Yan Yu that she "would snatch people from the south," seemingly getting a bit carried away.

    After speaking with Anna, Yan Yu went to check on Zhou Hongyu to see if she was getting better.

    The hot-tempered Xiao Zhou finally removed her oxygen mask and, sitting on the hospital bed in her patient gown, faced Yan Yu with a cold expression and remained silent.

    After confirming once again that her brain was not injured, Yan Yu reluctantly ended the video call.

    She should be fine now, right?

    As he was thinking this, he suddenly received a call from Lin Ning.

    "Yan Yu!" Her voice sounded anxious, "Ling Yun''s been shot!"

    "Is she dead?" Yan Yu was also taken aback.

    "No, she''s being rescued." Lin Ning''s voice was a bit tearful, and then Yan Yu gave an "oh" and turned to comfort her:

    "No worries, if he''s being resuscitated, then he''s definitely not going to die."

    Cultivators have this advantage: using Runescript for surgery and wound cleaning to stop bleeding is super convenient, with the treatment penetrating directly beneath the skin without any risk of infection spreading.

    "Where are you guys, I''m coming over now," Yan Yu said as he stood up.

    Lin Ning reported the address, and Yan Yu messaged Xie Ruoxi, telling her to quickly arrange for her elder brother to come over. Then he launched into Sword Flight, swiftly heading in the direction of Jiujiang.

    Shot¡­

    Are you trying to make me die of laughter? Where was your Barrier Charm?

    It must have been an ambush by someone in hiding; with Chen Lingyun''s speed, there was no way she could have reacted in time... Tsk, the first time I let you lead a team on your own, and you''ve brought us shame!

    The sword light descended near the hospital, and he went upstairs to reach the inpatient ward where he saw Chen Lingyun sitting on the bed, chatting with Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen who were keeping her company.

    Her complexion was slightly pale, possessing a delicate and fragile beauty. Yan Yu scanned her with his Divine Sense and discovered that her wound was in the abdomen, nothing serious.

    "Heard someone got shot?" Yan Yu walked into the ward and asked, "Did it hit your head?"

    Chen Lingyun looked over and smiled faintly:

    "Sorry to worry you."

    "It''s fine," Yan Yu turned to look at Lin Ning, "What exactly happened, tell me?"

    Lin Ning sighed, explaining the details of the situation. It wasn''t complicated and could be summarized in one sentence:

    Two cultivators from the military manor had defected. The Zhendong Army urgently pursued those two cultivators, cornering them into the deep woods. Chen Lingyun''s team was in charge of the search and ended up being shot in an ambush.

    Yan Yu: .........

    "Although it''s not quite appropriate," he said quietly as he took out his phone, "I think I should call Zhou Hongyu to have a chat with you two wounded, share some experiences¡­"

    "If you know it''s inappropriate, don''t start fanning the flames!" Lin Ning immediately snatched his phone away, venting her frustration.

    "What about those two cultivators?" Yan Yu continued.

    "Haven''t caught them yet," Zhao Yuanzhen said with a sullen tone. "Lingyun got shot, and we couldn''t worry about anything else. We had to rush her back for treatment."

    "Alright," Yan Yu expressed his understanding of the situation, "Let Lingyun stay here to recover. I''ll have Xie Ruoxi take over the mission."

    Explore stories on My Virtual Library Empire

    "What happened to Lingyun?" Xie Ruoxi came in through the door, holding a fruit basket in her hands.

    "You''ve arrived just in time," Yan Yu quickly called her over, "There''s a mission I need to hand over to you now."

    After listening to Lin Ning repeat the briefing, Xie Ruoxi turned completely pale, hurriedly waving her hands and shaking her head:

    "I can''t do it! They have guns!"

    "Don''t you have the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse?" Yan Yu reminded her with a sidelong glance, "With the Barrier Charm up, bullets can''t get through."

    "But I can''t keep the Barrier Charm up all the time, can I?" Lin Ning asked, doubtful, "True Yuan won''t hold up for that."

    "Just because you can''t do it doesn''t mean she can''t, okay?" Yan Yu picked up a cup nearby and poured hot water, "This cup goes on the bedside table, wait for Xie Ruoxi to come back from handling it, then drink."

    "Let''s go!"

    Pushing Xie Ruoxi out of the ward, the good-for-nothing was still muttering something about "I can''t do this" and "you pushing me like this is sending me to die." Yan Yu couldn''t stand it anymore and cut her off:

    "I see you really don''t get it!"

    "Huh?"

    "You utilize Sword Flight the whole time while searching, don''t stop," Yan Yu instructed her, "Bullets can''t penetrate sword light. Once you spot them, hit each one with Thunder Method, and it''s over. It''s foolproof, okay?!"

    Xie Ruoxi: .........

    "Don''t lie to me!" she said suspiciously, "Are you sure there''s no risk?"

    "Why would I lie to you?" Yan Yu said, puzzled, "Look, if you''re really not at ease, I''ll go with you, will that do?"

    "Then you must come with me!" Xie Ruoxi quickly clung to his arm, fearing he might change his mind and escape.

 Chapter 70 Immortal Venerate Xie Tries His Hand

    Yan Yu had a clear plan for Xie Ruoxi''s education.The biggest issue with this waste at present was a lack of persistence for continuous progress, and another was the absence of the courage to dare to fight.

    Therefore, training had to be carried out in two prongs, on one hand, to establish a drive for striving, which Xie Rushan, her eldest maternal uncle, was responsible for; on the other hand, to infuse her with the belief in daring to fight, she''d have to build confidence through actual combat by bullying the weak.

    Ordinary cultivators not from the combat team were just the best whetstones.

    It was certainly unrealistic to let Xie Ruoxi, who had no experience, to go fight those murderous Onmyoji and Curse Technique Masters outside right from the start.

    Start with one that''s less difficult, let her see some blood!

    Yan Yu and Xie Ruoxi rode their swords to the destination. This place was within the Nine Linked Mountains area, with rich vegetation on the ground and a complex terrain environment, perfect for hiding two renegade cultivators inside to evade satellite surveillance and photography.

    If they were fortunate enough to find an entrance to a Mysterious Realm, sneak in to kill generals and seize flags, refine the central pivot, they could hide inside to cultivate until they become sword saints at Ten Li Slope before coming out, and by then, basically no one outside would be able to handle them.

    In the temporary command center for the manhunt operation, Yan Yu found the person in charge of the Zhendong Army to understand the situation.

    It was said that after taking revenge, the authorities still called those two cultivators, telling them "not to be impulsive" and "to surrender themselves", but the two of them just threw their mobile phones at the scene, and then rode their swords flying southwards, presumably planning to flee abroad.

    The Zhendong Army urgently contacted the Annan Army to encircle and intercept from both the south and north directions, forcing these two down into the mountain forests below¡ªafter that came a series of failed attempts at sweeping the ground, and they even fell into an ambush and got counterattacked, injuring three or four people, which was truly a huge embarrassment.

    "Hold on." Yan Yu found it hard to comprehend, "The other side only has two people, and they ambushed so many of you, and they still succeeded?"

    The person in charge was somewhat embarrassingly at a loss for words, explaining that the opponents were too cunning, showing weakness by fleeing desperately, causing the pursuers to think that they had lost the will to attack, then suddenly turning around to launch a surprise attack.

    It just so happened that everyone was gathered in an open area discussing tactics, with a lack of protective cover around them. Luckily, a girl named Lin Ning reacted quickly enough, sending her Flying Sword in time to force the opponents back, preventing more casualties.

    Xie Ruoxi, who was by his side, grew more and more frightened as she listened, saying softly to Yan Yu:

    "The other side consists of extremely vicious murderers, it''s very dangerous for just the two of us to go in! Can''t we just drop a nuclear bomb on them and blast them to death inside?"

    Goddamn drop a nuclear bomb... Yan Yu was too lazy to explain, only asking her back:

    "Who do you think is a bit more vicious, those two or me?"

    Xie Ruoxi originally wanted to say "of course, those two", but the memory of being beaten and force-fed moves by Yan Yu recently rushed to her heart, and she found herself momentarily at a loss for words.

    With a single sentence, Yan Yu burst Xie Ruoxi''s desire to retreat, then turned to the person in charge and said:

    "Alright, we roughly understand the situation now. Just to confirm one last thing, as long as we stop the targets, dead or alive doesn''t matter, right?"

    "Right," the person in charge nodded in response.

    No matter what kind of hardship the other party had, from the moment they refused contact, attempted to flee, and even attacked pursuing personnel, this matter was destined not to be resolved peacefully.

    "Let''s go," Yan Yu said to Xie Ruoxi.

    The two left the temporary command center, pursuing their way toward the endless mountain wilderness.

    Yan Yu did not rashly enter the forest but instead kept riding his sword above the canopy of trees, all the while having Xie Ruoxi expand her Divine Sense to the limit, continuously scanning beneath the forest.

    The other side had specifically targeted Chen Lingyun in their ambush because they feared her Five Ghosts Reconnaissance Technique, which showed that these two were bold and ruthless, not solely fixated on fleeing for their lives, and still thinking of counter-killing. This actually made things much easier.

    What was really feared was the type comparable to a turtle, digging a deep hole on the ground, burying themselves in it, and relying on the Cultivator''s True Yuan to practice Fasting to drag out time¡ªthat would be purely disgusting.

    The two searched from afternoon to evening, from one mountaintop to another, until the sky turned dark, finally locating the trace of the targets¡ªthanks to Xie Ruoxi''s strong True Yuan and Divine Sense scanning for hours without rest. An ordinary person really couldn''t keep up.

    "They''re hiding under that cliff over there," Xie Ruoxi said softly via voice transmission, "and it seems like they haven''t noticed us."

    "Good," Yan Yu quickly descended with his sword light and, landing, cast the Invisibility Technique, leaving behind only the words, "I leave it to you."

    Xie Ruoxi: ?!!!

    Before she had time to say anything, Yan Yu had already vanished without a trace.

    It was over.

    It was completely over!

    Xie Ruoxi immediately became panic-stricken, swiftly scanning her surroundings with Divine Sense, but she couldn''t find Yan Yu''s trace at all¡ªobviously, he had run far away.

    This made her feel frightened all over again.

    But now, with the arrow on the bowstring, she had no choice but to proceed. Xie Ruoxi could think of no other plan, so she cautiously approached the direction of the two renegade cultivators, her mind whirling rapidly, quickly making up her mind:

    The enemy had guns, what if they shot at me? Even if they didn''t use guns but instead attacked me directly with Flying Swords, what then?

    The painful memory of being brutally hammered by Lin Ning and Yan Yu with their Sword Control Technique surfaced in Xie Ruoxi''s mind, prompting her to quickly abandon the idea of confronting the enemy head-on and exchanging blows.

    Fighting Yan Yu, she could "reload" and start over if she got knocked down, but clearly, her opponents wouldn''t give her that chance; losing meant death.

    Her only advantage now was that she hadn''t been discovered by the other side, so I...

    So I''d hit and run!

    I''d go all in with a full-force attack, launching all my Thunder Method at them in the shortest time possible, then escape using Sword Control! Yan Yu had said that my True Yuan was strong, and in a pure contest of speed with Sword Control, these two might not be my match!

    With that thought, Xie Ruoxi no longer hesitated. She tiptoed within attack range, locking on with her Divine Sense to the two cultivators resting beneath a distant cliff.

    Then, her entire body''s True Yuan surged, her left hand formed Jade Pivot Thunder and her right hand readied Lightning Thunder from Heaven, with True Yuan pouring out, lightning scattering wildly as she mercilessly targeted the two cultivators!

    Thunderbolts streaked forth swiftly, as the light from the Heavenly Origin Sword turned and sped away!

    The two cultivators were sitting beneath a cliff, attempting to recover their True Yuan, when they suddenly heard the muffled sound of thunder piercing the air ahead of them. They hurriedly summoned their Flying Swords to intercept the attack, but one''s sword met with the Jade Pivot Thunder and was instantly blasted in half, while the other failed to stop the Lightning Thunder from Heaven.

    The thunder tore through his chest and then exploded, sending electric snakes weaving everywhere, engulfing his companion as well!

    The excess energy burst outward in every direction, and the intense explosion shattered the base of the cliff, causing a small-scale landslide. Countless rocks collapsed from above with a thunderous roar as dust billowed.

    Xie Ruoxi didn''t know that her two full-powered thunder strikes had already blasted the two to smithereens; she just sped away without looking back, flying faster than the lightning, leaving the mountains behind and heading back to the city, rushing to the hospital.

    She burst into Chen Lingyun''s ward, blurted out to the three stunned girls:

    "Sister Lin, Sister Zhao! Hurry, hurry, they''re after me!"

    "Who is?" Lin Ning asked, looking puzzled. "Where''s the captain?"

    "The captain fled!" Speaking of Yan Yu, Xie Ruoxi felt a wave of grievances, "After we found the target, the captain ran off on his own, claiming ''leave it to me''! I was so scared, I threw two Thunder Methods at them and then just ran all the way back. I don''t even know if they''ve followed me..."

    Zhao Yuanzhen stood up, her Divine Sense scanning the hospital corridors outside, and said:

    "Doesn''t seem like anyone''s there."

    "I''ll call him," Lin Ning said, taking out her phone.

    Before she could dial, Yan Yu pushed the door open from outside and asked:

    "Why are you trying to call me?"

    Seeing Yan Yu enter, all of Xie Ruoxi''s pent-up grievances exploded, and she glared at him furiously from behind Lin Ning.

    "Ruoxi says you left her alone at the scene?" Lin Ning wasn''t afraid of Yan Yu and directly confronted him.

    Exactly! Xie Ruoxi nodded vigorously.

    "Nuts," Yan Yu scoffed, "She''s so useless; how could I possibly feel at ease leaving her there? Of course, I was keeping an eye on her from a spot she couldn''t see." Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Lin Ning thought about it carefully and realized it made sense. Although Yan Yu was always offbeat with words, he had never been sloppy with his actions. She turned to comfort Xie Ruoxi:

    "Okay, then the misunderstanding is cleared up."

    Xie Ruoxi was left speechless.

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    Sister Lin! You changed sides too quickly! Even my brother is totally bamboozled by him; don''t just believe whatever he says!

    "Speaking of which, what about the two guys who were after Ruoxi?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked.

    "Dead," Yan Yu answered succinctly, "Mission complete, we can head back."

    "Was it your finishing blow?" Lin Ning asked curiously.

    "No." Yan Yu wasn''t keen on seizing the credit for Immortal Venerate Xie''s accomplishments, replying calmly, "She killed them with her two Thunder Methods, and then for some reason, she just turned tail and ran. I''ve been following her with Sword Control from behind, trying to signal to her ''it''s okay'' but just couldn''t catch up the whole time."

    The girls were initially stunned, but then burst into laughter in the ward.

    Chen Lingyun laughed the hardest, clutching her stomach, in pain yet grinning.

    Lin Ning, thinking she might have aggravated her wound, hurried out to call the head nurse.

 Chapter 71 Chen Lingyun Continues to Stir Things Up

    ```The Runescript''s restoration effect was quick, so Chen Lingyun herself wasn''t seriously harmed, and she was transferred to a hospital in Jinling Prefecture to continue her follow-up observations.

    Once everyone returned home, they learned that Su Yunjin was still collecting snow water in the Western Regions, which again made them sigh with emotion.

    "Yun Jin has already started on the path of Tao Transformation, huh?" Lin Ning badgered Yan Yu, asking, "What about me? Shouldn''t you find me a sword technique now?"

    "Here, take this." Yan Yu handed something over nonchalantly.

    "Oh." Lin Ning took the cellphone, then realized, "Why are you giving me a cellphone?"

    "Memo." Yan Yu said.

    Upon opening the memo app, Lin Ning saw that it contained two notes, one on the Kunlun Imperial Sword Technique and the other on the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step.

    The academy''s archives hard drive had been blown up by Immortal Venerate Xie of the Nine Heavens Thunder Method, and it couldn''t be recovered in a short time, so Yan Yu had to rely on his memory impression from previously viewing the Jade Slip to roughly write out two notes for Lin Ning to study in advance.

    "Isn''t this a violation of the confidentiality agreement?" Lin Ning asked seriously, frowning.

    Answer-focused little sister indeed had different concerns from ordinary people, but Yan Yu was prepared and replied,

    "Yes, so memorize it quickly and then delete it. Every second you delay increases the risk of a leak."

    "Right away!" Lin Ning hurriedly ran to her room with the cellphone.

    "What about me?" Chen Lingyun imitated Lin Ning''s tone, smilingly said. Enjoy more content from My Virtual Library Empire

    "We''ll talk about that after you''re discharged." Yan Yu brushed her off.

    "Is Xie Ruoxi''s Thunder Method really that powerful?" Chen Lingyun suddenly changed the subject and asked telepathically, "Even Flying Swords can''t resist it?"

    "It depends on the grade of the Flying Sword," Yan Yu replied, "But, yes, it''s very strong."

    "If that''s the case, we need to think of a way to tie her to the Zhenhai Team," Chen Lingyun spoke softly, "Otherwise, if she becomes a renegade cultivator, that''s too dangerous."

    "I''ve made contact with her brother." Yan Yu responded calmly, "Her family seems to be the honest and upright rural type. As long as the money is right and the reputation is good, everything should be negotiable."

    "That''s not enough," pondered Chen Lingyun for a moment, then said, "Do you think she''s pretty?"

    "The foundation is not bad I guess, what about it?"

    "Let''s include her in the harem," Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    "First, there''s no such thing as a harem," Yan Yu clarified after a moment of silence, "Second, you can''t expect a marriage without feelings to hold someone down."

    "A marriage without feelings isn''t reliable," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "But what if there are feelings?"

    "You think I can train feelings into her by being harsh all the time?" Yan Yu interrupted bluntly, not taking the idea seriously, "Stop messing around, if you''re really looking for fun, go find your Sister Zhao."

    "Humph," Chen Lingyun, seeing he didn''t want to discuss the topic, tactfully said no more but slightly narrowed her eyes, concealing the amusement in her gaze.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    It was now nine o''clock in the evening. The evening on the team''s schedule was "free time", so everyone was busy with their own things.

    Yan Yu sat on the sofa, somewhat bored, watching TV and occasionally looking down to play with his phone.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was next to him, intently clipping her toenails. Although the posture was indecorous, her toes were indeed round and cute, which Yan Yu found tolerable.

    Lin Ning was holed up in her room, diligently studying the sword techniques and footwork given by Yan Yu. A quizzer''s habit was to memorize first, understand slowly, and then practice by hand.

    Xie Ruoxi, on the other hand, was in the study, watching anime on her computer. Every so often, she burst into naive laughter ¨C for her, immersing herself in the beautiful world of anime was probably one of the few leisurely pastimes that allowed her to forget, momentarily, that she had to continue enduring beatdowns the next day.

    Suddenly, someone knocked on the door from outside.

    "Who is it?" Xie Ruoxi asked crisply.

    "It''s me." Chen Lingyun''s voice sounded.

    "Please come in." Xie Ruoxi quickly got up to invite Chen Lingyun in, and hurriedly pulled out a chair from behind her.

    Her attitude towards Chen Lingyun was quite peculiar; on one hand, she very much wanted to get closer, yet on the other, she felt somewhat unworthy. Especially after hearing about Chen Lingyun''s family background, Xie Ruoxi felt an urge to worship her... no, she was driven to improve herself. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Are you watching an anime?" Chen Lingyun sat down and asked as she looked at the computer screen.

    ```

    "Ahahaha, just bored and randomly checking it out." Xie Ruoxi reflexively tried to hide her identity as an avid anime fan without considering whether it could actually be concealed.

    "Do you mind if I watch with you?" Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    "Not at all, not at all!" Xie Ruoxi quickly made room for her.

    Chen Lingyun calmly turned towards the screen.

    The anime was called "Crimson at Noon," a story about Earth''s primordial clock exploding, scattering each hour into the human realm and parasitizing inside a beautiful girl; then the deity Kami forces the reluctant male protagonist to romance these girls, stripping the parasitic hours from deep within their hearts to restore the clock to its original state.

    The art style was quite good, but the plot was so-so.

    The male protagonist was a classic Rei cherry-style herbivore man; even though he was coerced by the deity to find the heroines and woo them, he couldn''t help himself and got too involved in the act. To Chen Lingyun, it seemed pretty stupid.

    If she were writing the script, it would feature the male lead sweet-talking the heroine and breaking down her defenses, then coldly breaking up with her after retrieving the parasitic hour, all while watching her sadness, rage or even corruption unfold... Extreme plots had sufficient tension. What''s the point of getting too real in a fake scenario?

    Remove the "twelve hours" premise, and the story doesn''t feel inconsistent at all.

    After patiently finishing the episode, Chen Lingyun commented,

    "The art is pretty good."

    "Yeah, this production team is quite established. They usually ensure quality," Xie Ruoxi happily agreed, "unlike certain groups next door that slash the budget as soon as the ratings dip and then the quality drops to abstract art."

    I have something in common with Lingyun, yay!

    "But this... pure love harem, that''s what this genre is called, right?" Chen Lingyun continued, "It''s my first time watching this kind of plot, and I find it a bit strange and uncomfortable."

    "Uh, ahahaha." Xie Ruoxi giggled awkwardly, "That''s true, but there''s no need to look for reality in a fictional world, right? As long as the art is beautiful, the plot interesting, and full of jokes, logical consistency isn''t that important~"

    I was wrong. Lady Lingyun is a normie far beyond the reach of us otakus. I shouldn''t have deluded myself into thinking we could be close friends.

    "Maybe," Chen Lingyun said nonchalantly, "Ruoxi, if you were one of the female leads in this, would you like a guy who was gentle but completely useless otherwise?"

    "Uh, I usually project myself onto the male lead..." Xie Ruoxi thought for a moment, then tilted her head and said, "Although in anime, I can tolerate the kind, harmless puppy male lead. But in the real world, I''d definitely go for someone who is shrewd and capable, someone who can provide a girl with a sense of security."

    "I see," Chen Lingyun nodded, "a guy like Yan Yu, then?"

    "Yes, like Yan Yu," Xie Ruoxi thought the team captain was indeed shrewd and capable, and certainly strong enough to protect her...

    ...Huh?

    "Err, err, err, I don''t mean that I like Yan Yu," she finally caught on and quickly defended herself, "The captain is indeed shrewd and strong, but he has a terrible personality! He''s not considerate to women at all! He enjoys bullying me all the time! I''m not a masochist, how could I possibly fall for him?"

    Of course, if he were to forcefully pursue me, with an aggressive romance, it''s not like I would be able to outright refuse... Xie Ruoxi added softly in her mind.

    "I understand," Chen Lingyun said with a slight smile, "so if he pursued you aggressively, then it wouldn''t count as you liking him on your own initiative, right?"

    Xie Ruoxi was speechless, Lingyun, can you read minds?

    "My understanding," Chen Lingyun said beamingly, "is that Yan Yu fits the criteria you have for a partner, but because he''s usually not nice to you, you haven''t considered him in that way. But if he changed his attitude towards you, that would be a different story, wouldn''t it?"

    "I''m not..." Xie Ruoxi stuttered in denial, and even she felt it was weak.

    Chen Lingyun gracefully stood up, winked at her, and said,

    "Just kidding~ Ruoxi, you don''t actually like him, I could tell from the start."

    "Yeah, yeah..."

    "I''ll be going now, let''s watch an anime together again sometime."

    Chen Lingyun left after pushing the door open; Xie Ruoxi sat silently in front of the computer, her mind teeming with chaotic, complex thoughts.

    Really, don''t like him...?

    If there really were no feelings for Yan Yu, how could she have responded to his message after just one encounter and traveled all the way to Jinling Prefecture to find him?

    Xie Ruoxi remembered when she was young, watching A Chinese Odyssey with her brother on television. What struck her most was Zi Xia Fairy saying, "My ideal man will be a great hero who comes to me on a magic cloud."

    Since then, she too often fantasized in the dead of night about a great hero arriving on a colorful cloud to whisk her away from her poor, backward village to a thriving, bustling city, to live a luxurious and exciting life.

    But...

    I never imagined that after the great hero jumped down from the colorful cloud, he would shove his Golden Cudgel into my hand and force me to learn how to ride the clouds too...

 Chapter 72 Yun Jin Returns, War is on the Horizon!

    October finally arrived.For cultivators, there were two major events.

    First, Yan Yu of the Zhenhai Team appeared on TV again.

    With his award ceremony "broadcasted" live, he once more pushed his fame to a new peak, becoming known to more households¡ªthough certainly there would still be those who didn''t watch TV, but ultimately, the number of those "unfamiliar with his name" was dwindling.

    The title "Yan Zhanlong" had become outdated; his new title was called "Longcheng Flying General," which naturally served as a tremendous inspiration and role model for the vast majority of cultivators.

    Second, Zhou Hongyu of the Huofeng¡ªPingxi Army''s top cultivator¡ªwas discharged from the hospital.

    The reinstatement of the Pingxi Army''s foremost cultivator was a great boost to the spirits of his fellow soldiers, to the point where some were saying, "If Captain Zhou also goes abroad to conquer a Mysterious Realm, maybe he could earn himself a title like Supreme Phoenix or something."

    Then, the cultivators from the Zhendong Army ridiculed this by saying, "Trying to pair up with Commander Yan to form an auspicious dragon and phoenix pairing, huh?" And so that topic was quickly dropped.

    Yan Yu, however, temporarily had no time to care about external praises and fame, because Lin Ning ran into problems while learning the essentials of the Kunlun Imperial Sword Technique¡ªit was all problems.

    "You''re doing it wrong." After knocking Lin Ning''s Green Bamboo Sword out of her hands again, Yan Yu reminded her, "Pay attention to the details!"

    "I''ve been paying attention to the details!" Lin Ning said, frustrated.

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    If introductory Sword Control was likened to Mandarin Chinese, then Kunlun Imperial Sword Technique would be equivalent to a dialect. Some aspects overlapped, others were slightly different, and some were completely distinct.

    The problem Lin Ning currently faced was that her good habits as a diligent student had ingrained the introductory Sword Control Technique deep into her instincts, much like a young person who had spoken Mandarin for over twenty years being told to learn a dialect from scratch¡ªall too naturally, her speech would become a jumble of dialect and Mandarin, an indistinct mishmash. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu, with great patience, pointed out and corrected every detail of her errors one by one, and Lin Ning earnestly took note, saying "mm-hmm" continuously. Then, during the next practice session, she reverted to her memorized habits and used the technique incorrectly again¡­ Enraging her to the point of stomping her feet and grinding her teeth in anger.

    "It''s all your fault!" she said in a fit of rage, "Constant extra practice, making me get the introductory Sword Control Technique so ingrained, now I can''t even change it anymore!"

    "How is this my fault?" Yan Yu was bewildered, "Then you might as well stop practicing the Kunlun Imperial Sword Technique now. Otherwise, if you get an even more powerful sword technique later on and can''t switch over again, it will turn into my fault."

    Lin Ning, of course, knew in her heart that she couldn''t blame the captain¡ªafter all, who knew when a new sword technique might come in the future? The real issue was naturally her own thinking, sticking to habit and not adept at adapting.

    If it were someone else, she wouldn''t have easily vented her anger on them, but the captain... hmph, he deserved to be scolded a bit more!

    "Let''s go again!" she said huffily, forming the sword technique with her hands once more.

    With the technique "Thousand Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix," she feinted a forward thrust assuming the enemy would parry with a Flying Sword, and then seamlessly transitioned into "Phoenix Gracing the Presence" for a block, followed by "Phoenix Dancing to the Heavens" to circle around the defense¡­

    "You''re wrong again." Yan Yu reminded her once more, "For ''Phoenix Dancing to the Heavens'', you need to swish the tail of the sword, and you forgot to do that again."

    "Uh uh uh ah ah ah ah ah wuuuh!" Lin Ning let out a disheartened, bewildered yelp, then argued defiantly, "The sword path is supposed to veer left; the sword''s tail should naturally swing to the right, how could I possibly make it swing left?!"

    "Like this, watch closely." Yan Yu formed the sword technique, and the Huang Tingjian, with agility that belied its heavy blade, executed an extremely elegant diagonal shift to the left. To Lin Ning, it looked like a nimble fat man performing a ballet.

    Compared to this, her Green Bamboo Sword looked as sluggish and lumbering as a turtle, no match for Yan Yu''s Sword Control Technique.

    Lin Ning, feeling unconvinced, continued to maneuver through the sword technique, attempting to replicate those moves.

    Yan Yu let her try gradually and then went to inspect the progress of others.

    Zhao Yuanzhen remained consistent, driving Xie Ruoxi to flee in all directions with her head in her hands.

    Although Zhao didn''t have the same level of talent as Xie Ruoxi, the Demonic Sect Enchantress was after all the one who started cultivating earlier than any of them, and her True Yuan was far more robust, managing to suppress the other in a head-on swordsmanship duel.

    Maybe it was her elder cousin''s warning that had an effect. The beautiful but previously incompetent Xie Ruoxi, who would have resorted to a lackadaisical effort by now, was actually persisting and hadn''t whined, complained, or pretended to faint.

    Good, as long as Xie Ruoxi can train with dedication, with her inhuman learning speed, her rate of progress should be quite noticeable.

    After inspecting everyone''s condition, Yan Yu came to Chen Lingyun''s side, just in time to hear her, watching Lin Ning''s practice, say with a smile:

    "Yun Jin''s Tao Transformation, Ningning''s sword techniques and footwork, and Ruoxi''s Thunder Method... How many more treasures are you hiding?"

    "Far more than you could imagine." Yan Yu answered calmly.

    "Oh." Chen Lingyun''s smile grew sweeter, "So what have you prepared for me?"

    "Where do you get the confidence to think I would have something prepared for you?" Yan Yu raised an eyebrow and retorted.

    "Because you like me." Chen Lingyun''s smile remained sweet.

    "Delusions of grandeur, huh?" Yan Yu mocked her.

    "Not at all." Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "Shall we test it out?"

    "How would you test that?"

    "I''ll kiss you, and if you get excited, it''ll prove you like me."

    Yan Yu: .........

    Let''s not even talk about whether I''m emotionally moved or not, if that trashy princess publicly kissed me, Sister Lin and the Demonic Sect Enchantress would probably fly into a rage and blood would flow like a river right here in the school!

    As the captain of the Zhenhai Team, it''s my duty to maintain a united atmosphere within the team¡ªit''s not like I''m at the mercy of Chen Lingyun!

    "The fact that you were ambushed last time proves there''s a flaw in your Five Ghosts Reconnaissance System," Yan Yu pondered for a moment before saying, "You must have noticed it yourself, right?"

    "The real problem is that the information detected by the Five Ghosts isn''t conveyed to you timely and accurately."

    "If an Envoy relies on Servant Envoys for battle, it''s essential to solve the issue of information transmission. Hence, the cultivation method of ''Heavenly Vision and Hearing'' came about, which fundamentally involves cultivating the Heavenly Ear Technique, Heavenly Vision, and Telepathy."

    "Once you master Heavenly Vision, you can share the field of view with the servicing ghosts; master the Heavenly Ear Technique, and you can listen through them; master Telepathy, and no matter when and where the ghosts are, you can issue them orders, nimble as if moving your own arm."

    "These three divine techniques, I''ve heard similar concepts before," said Chen Lingyun thoughtfully, "Are they the lesser divine techniques of Heavenly Vision, Heavenly Ear Technique, and Telepathy?"

    "Right," Yan Yu nodded, "The three divine techniques you mentioned, although powerful, typically require seventy to a hundred years of cultivation, which I personally think is unnecessary."

    "An Envoy''s Heavenly Vision and Hearing can easily achieve the effects of divine techniques that others need a lifetime to cultivate with a sufficient number of Servant Envoys."

    "Then, how exactly should I cultivate these?" Chen Lingyun pondered and asked.

    "I don''t know," Yan Yu answered.

    "You don''t know?"

    "But I know someone who does," Yan Yu said indifferently, "Over at Mount Wutai."

    "Mount Wutai?" Chen Lingyun pondered, "Are they lay cultivators?"

    "We''ll go there after you reach the Marrow Cleansing Stage," said Yan Yu, "Marrow Cleansing improves the constitution and makes it easier to cultivate these divine techniques."

    "Hmm..." Chen Lingyun mused.

    Among the team, her cultivation progressed the slowest. Even after obtaining the high-grade Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, besides refining ghosts, she hadn''t discovered any other uses thus far.

    Now knowing that she had to wait until the Marrow Cleansing Stage to cultivate Heavenly Vision and Hearing, Chen Lingyun, although fairly resolute, felt somewhat downhearted for the moment.

    Yan Yu saw her expression and was about to say something like "Haha, don''t rush" to comfort her when his phone suddenly rang.

    It was a call from Yun Jin.

    "Yan Yu," said the voice on the other end, "The cold front has already reached the Tianshan Mountains, and we can''t collect the early thawing snowmelt here for the time being. Can I come back now?"

    "Then come back, and we''ll talk about the rest after it starts snowing in other places," replied Yan Yu, "When will you approximately arrive?"

    "Around four or five in the afternoon."

    "Okay," Yan Yu hung up and told the girls, "Keep practicing. Yun Jin will be back tonight, and we''ll go out to eat. Ling Yun, help book a private room."

    "Yay!" The girls cheered, some happy about Yun Jin''s return, others excited about dining out. Regardless of the reason, at least at this moment, the smiles on their faces were genuine, stemming from deep within their hearts.

    That evening, Yun Jin indeed arrived by Flying Sword, landing within the school grounds.

    She had been in the Western Regions for quite a long time, yet she had collected only about one-fifth of the early thawing snowmelt. There was still misty rain and morning dew to collect, and that was just part of the Water Essence... This highlighted how tedious collecting the Essence of the Five Elements was, a process that absolutely could not be rushed.

    With the Zhenhai Team fully assembled again, Jinling''s Culinary God Zhao Yuanzhen personally led the way, and the team strode majestically to the restaurant.

    By now, everyone was somewhat famous. Dining in an open area would definitely draw a crowd, so Chen Lingyun had gotten ahead of things by arranging a private room with the restaurant.

    Everyone took their seats in the room; Yun Jin had just sat down to Yan Yu''s left when she saw Lin Ning quickly secure the spot on his right.

    Her eyes narrowed slightly as she thought to herself that Ningning usually preferred to sit next to Chen Lingyun, so why had she squeezed between the captain and Xie Ruoxi?

    Chen Lingyun''s seat was taken by Lin Ning, but she didn''t seem upset, and with a cheerful smile, she pulled up a chair between Yun Jin and Zhao Yuanzhen and nonchalantly said:

    "Yun Jin, your skin seems a bit off."

    "Ah?" Yun Jin was startled and quickly pulled out her phone to check her skin closely using the camera, "It does look a bit... the air in the Western Regions is too dry, I''ll need to hydrate properly when I get home."

    "Speaking of hydration and moisturizing, I have a brand of face mask that I can recommend to you, it''s really good," Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile.

    "Send me the link," said Yun Jin right away. She had sent half of her prize money home and still had tens of millions left, so she could afford even the most expensive skincare products.

    Secretary Su, who was young and beautiful, never used to think about skin care and maintenance, but now, seeing Lin Ning sitting next to Yan Yu and hearing Chen Lingyun comment about her "deteriorating skin," she instantly felt an inexplicable sense of urgency.

    Chen Lingyun pulled out her phone, found the link in her shopping cart, and just after sending it to Yun Jin, she saw a new message pop up.

    [Ningning]: Send me one too.

    Chen Lingyun looked up and saw Lin Ning intently picking her dishes as if nothing had happened.

    "Sure," she replied with her head down and typed the message, hiding her pleased smile.

 Chapter 73 Six Swords Descend on Nanjiang

    Discover more content at My Virtual Library EmpireAfter dinner, everyone returned home.

    Su Yunjin, who couldn''t stand dirt, grabbed the vacuum cleaner and mop and began cleaning inside and out as soon as she got home.

    Once the cleaning was done, she placed the items in the storage room, then went to the kitchen to wash her hands, only to see Lin Ning drying a cleaned fruit knife, with sliced fruit laid out beside her.

    Hmm, I should cut some for the team leader too.

    "Wait a second, Ningning," Su Yunjin called out, "I need the fruit knife too."

    "Here you go," Lin Ning said.

    Su Yunjin opened the fridge, took out several oranges and a few fragrant pears, washed them under the tap, and was about to start slicing when she saw Lin Ning carrying the fruit plate to the living room, where she approached Yan Yu, who was sitting on the sofa, and said,

    "You taught me sword techniques today, so I won''t let you teach me for nothing. I''m treating you to fruit."

    "Mm, sensible," Yan Yu said deliberately, "but where are the toothpicks? Do you expect me to pick them up with my hands? Even if you''re returning a favor, you should complete the set."

    "Here you go!" Lin Ning suddenly couldn''t contain her annoyance, grabbed a few toothpicks from the coffee table, and forcefully stuck them into the chopped fruit, as if an aggrieved palace maid were taking out her resentment with her needle.

    In the kitchen, Su Yunjin watched as Lin Ning beat her to the punch with delivering fruit, fell silent for a moment, then quietly began to slice the oranges and fragrant pears.

    When she had finished slicing and arranged them on a plate, upon reaching the living room, she saw that Yan Yu had already eaten most of the fruit.

    Just then, Zhao Yuanzhen came down from the second floor, saw Yan Yu eating fruit, and immediately complained,

    "You little thief! You''ve got fruit and you didn''t call me?"

    She quickly sat down on the sofa, forcefully squeezed Yan Yu aside with her substantial rear, and started to gobble down the fruit from the plate.

    Yan Yu raised an eyebrow, ready to scold, when Su Yunjin quickly stepped forward and handed him the neatly cut fragrant pears and oranges, saying with a smile,

    "Team leader, for you."

    "It''s Yunjin who''s sensible," Yan Yu took the fruit plate, set it on the coffee table, and said with satisfaction.

    Zhao Yuanzhen took a closer look and saw that Lin Ning had cut cantaloupe and apples, while Su Yunjin had offered up fragrant pears and oranges, immediately finding it hard to decide.

    Should I continue eating the plate from Lin Ning, or should I snatch the plate from Su Yunjin?

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress, although she had adapted to modern society, scoffed at the so-called "moral constraints of civilized people" and quickly made her decision:

    I want them all!

    "Hand it over!" Taking advantage of Yan Yu''s distraction, she quickly reached out her hand lightning-fast, stabbed a toothpick into a piece of fragrant pear, and deftly popped it into her mouth.

    "Childish," Yan Yu said disdainfully.

    As Zhao Yuanzhen chewed with her mouth full, she muttered unintelligibly,

    "Rebound!"

    Yan Yu didn''t want to play such games with her and turned to talk to Su Yunjin,

    "The temperature difference between day and night has been increasing lately, and dew can be collected. Don''t look for it on grass leaves; there will be impurities from the wood element. You can set up some plastic film."

    "Mhm mhm," Su Yunjin said with a smile.

    "Where is Xie Ruoxi?" Yan Yu turned to ask.

    "She''s upstairs watching animated films," Chen Lingyun replied.

    "Why does this little girl only think about staying at home all day and not actively participate in after-work team building activities?" Yan Yu put on the attitude of a nitpicking boss, had just started his complaint, and then received a phone call.

    It was from Li Weiguo.

    It was well known that a call from Old Li was always a matter of great importance, so Yan Yu quickly gestured to Lin Ning to turn off the TV before picking up the phone.

    Sure enough, Li Weiguo didn''t beat around the bush, speaking just four words:

    "The Witch King has moved."

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    In the original timeline of his previous life, the first Witch King had been overthrown shortly after taking office, without making any notable achievements, by a coup carried out by his subordinate.

    But this time, the flutter of butterfly wings had triggered a storm of fate. Perhaps it was because the Rikoku Cultivators had displayed extraordinarily frightening power during the battle in the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm, that the first Witch King, after ascending to power, quickly proclaimed a full-scale confrontation with the Rikoku Cultivators.

    Everyone began their cultivation this year; why should there be such a huge disparity in strength? It must be because the treasures from the secret realms in Rikoku are far more incredible than ours! The resources of Rikoku''s secret realms must be seized to strengthen our own!

    Of course, setting aside what the Witch King claimed, the Privy Council''s analytical report on the south suggested that with the rapid increase in the number of civilian Sorcerers, the intensity of their internal competition and mutual attrition had also reached a dangerously high level¡ªcomparable to the overwhelming floodwaters that threaten to break the levee, necessitating a release somewhere.

    If they didn''t relieve the pressure by exerting it outward and transferring conflicts, then that bomb would explode internally, blasting the Witch King sitting at the top to smithereens (similar to the backstabbing subordinate in the previous life). Thus, he had to fight, whether he wanted to or not, as conditions didn''t allow for any other choices.

    The Witch King''s domain was bordered to the north by Rikoku and adjacent to Tianzhu to the west, leaving only these two directions for external pressure release.

    Hence, the Privy Council had already set the grand strategy: not only to strike actively but to secure an overwhelming victory!

    The Sorcerers represented a loose, feudal-like alliance; the myriad small boundaries between forces hindered the flow of information. It wasn''t as if defeating the Witch King on your end would instantly spread the news for all to know overnight.

    Therefore, it was necessary to deal a brutally crushing blow to the Witch King, one so fierce that it would capture global attention and compel international media to report extensively, effectively conveying the message to enough Sorcerers that "Rikoku cannot be opposed."

    In a word: to strike hard!

    "The target of the Witch King''s invasion has been confirmed; it''s the Mirror Lake Secret Realm that recently appeared in the Ailao Mountains," Li Weiguo said in conclusion. "Head immediately to Erhai and converge with the Pingxi Army''s garrison troops there, waiting for further orders from your superiors!"

    "Understood," Yan Yu stood up.

    The girls also hurriedly packed their gear, ready to depart, and Lin Ning went upstairs to inform Xie Ruoxi.

    After spending about fifteen minutes packing up their living essentials, the group left the villa, and six streaks of sword light soared into the sky!

    In the bustling downtown area of Jinling, passersby slowly began looking up, only to see six streaks of sword light in colors of green, blue, purple, yellow, black, and white, dazzling and resplendent, tearing through the night sky, commanding the stars, heading straight for the southwestern horizon!

    As the Sword Light Formation sped across the Yangtze River, they collectively picked up speed again. Xie Ruoxi, leading the front with Sword Control, tore through the air to provide slipstream for the others. Yan Yu with the Huang Tingjian was stationed in the center, Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen guarded the flanks, while Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin took up the rear, enjoying the least air resistance.

    "Listen up, everyone," Yan Yu communicated to the group. "If we''re assigned to fight in a secret realm, we''ll use the Dagger Strategy, just like the operation on Black Dragon Isle. However, if we''re to intercept Sorcerers and get involved in large-scale warfare with thousands or tens of thousands of Transcendents, it will be a different matter entirely."

    "The Dagger Strategy emphasizes being swift, accurate, and ruthless, trading space for time to seize the target; large-scale warfare, on the other hand, is the opposite. Completing the task isn''t the priority¡ªif you can''t accomplish it, someone else naturally will¡ªbut you only have one life¡ªsurvival is the top priority, do you understand?"

    "Understood!" The girls, hearing his grave words, promptly responded.

    "In large-scale warfare, no matter how powerful an individual''s strength may be, it can easily be offset by the overwhelming numbers from the other side," Yan Yu shared his war experience from the previous life. "I only have three requirements for everyone: one, stick together! Two, follow commands! Three, respond promptly!"

    "No leaving the group without permission; no disobeying orders; no delays in execution¡ªdid everyone hear me?!"

    "Heard you!" The girls responded once more.

    "Right, there''s one more thing," Yan Yu thought carefully for a moment and suddenly added, "After arriving at Erhai, each of you find time to write a letter to your family, in case of death, and send it to me." S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Everyone: .........

    "Aren''t you being a bit too ominous!" Lin Ning, as expected, spoke up directly to complain.

    "This is no joke!" Yan Yu said seriously. "When you''re on the brink of life and death, the most crucial thing is to conquer the fear of dying!"

    "Simply put, when you go into battle, you must be prepared to die at any moment; that''s when your chances of survival are highest! Do you know why new soldiers who fear death the most tend to die easily? Because they aren''t prepared to face death; their minds are filled with too many distractions when they should be fighting for their lives."

    "Writing a will isn''t about making peace with death but about ensuring that when you''re facing death head-on, you won''t be subconsciously distracted thinking, ''I still haven''t said certain things to my parents,'' and instead, you''ll be able to make the right choice immediately!"

 Chapter 74 Reuniting with Li Minghu

    In the wee hours, the Zhenhai Team arrived in the Erhai area.The military manor here was already overcrowded. Not to mention the vast numbers of cultivators from the troops, even the teams summoned from both Annan and Pingxi amounted to dozens.

    Local defense cultivators were flying around on their swords, arranging accommodations for the newly arrived comrades-in-arms.

    Not long after Yan Yu and his team arrived, he received a text message from Li Minghu:

    "Have you arrived?"

    "Yes."

    "Send me your coordinates."

    "I''ll have Ruoxi cast a lightning, watch for it."

    Yan Yu turned his head and gave the order, and Xie Ruoxi raised her arm and released a divine thunderbolt, strikingly visible in the night sky.

    "Saw it."

    After a while, Li Minghu came over on his sword, leading the Zhenhai Team members to a nearby hotel, and distributed room cards to everyone.

    All the team cultivators were staying in this hotel. Due to the excessive number of people, the standard arrangement was three standard rooms per team; usually, the team leader would occupy one room alone, while the remaining four shared the other two rooms.

    However, when everyone started to distribute the room cards, an unexpected problem arose:

    We have six people!

    "Are there any other rooms available?" Yan Yu asked the front desk.

    "Sorry, we''re fully booked," the front desk replied with difficulty.

    The whole hotel was pre-booked by the Pingxi Army, with specific rooms allocated to each team. The leftover rooms had been arranged for other purposes, leaving no vacancies whatsoever.

    "In that case," Su Yunjin said calmly, "then I''ll share a room with the captain."

    "How can that be?" Lin Ning said incredulously, "Yun Jin, you and the captain aren''t in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, how can you share a room? Don''t you care about your reputation?"

    I''ve already shared a room with the captain before¡­ Su Yunjin looked at Lin Ning indifferently, really wanting to throw this trump card out and kill Ningning once and for all!

    But she held back.

    Lin Ning hasn''t yet decided if she likes the captain. If Su Yunjin rashly provoked her, and it ended up making Lin Ning more determined, wouldn''t she be creating her own rival in love?

    Thus, Su Yunjin simply said:

    "No matter who it is, someone has to share a room with the captain. Ningning, are you volunteering?"

    As a literary girl, her insight into the human heart was naturally on point. Lin Ning indeed couldn''t say "I''ll do it" and could only stand by anxiously with a face full of "I disagree."

    "Then I''ll do it," said Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly. She remembered that she still had to dual cultivate Qi Refinement with Yan Yu, "Anyway, someone has to, so I''ll do it."

    "Then it''ll be Sister Zhao," Yan Yu decisively said. "Yun Jin, you stay with Ningning. Ling Yun can stay with Ruoxi."

    Su Yunjin acknowledged with an "Okay," forcefully suppressing her displeasure, but inside, she was becoming agitated.

    Why not choose me?

    Captain, we''ve lived together before, so why did you pick Sister Zhao this time?

    In what way is she better than me?

    Looking at Zhao Yuanzhen''s figure, Su Yunjin slowly lost her words, her expression growing increasingly gloomy.

    Could it be...

    Lin Ning, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Zhao Yuanzhen had to cultivate with Yan Yu every night, so she didn''t think in other directions, but rather said cheerfully to Su Yunjin:

    "I''ve got the room card. Shall we go, Yun Jin?"

    "Yeah," Su Yunjin replied, her eyelids drooping, utterly unwilling to acknowledge her best friend.

    Yan Yu, over at his room with Zhao Yuanzhen, had already grown accustomed to cohabitation; they didn''t need any communication. The Demonic Sect Enchantress went to freshen up first, while Yan Yu changed into slippers and sat on the bed, beginning to play with his phone.

    Thud, thud, thud! Someone was knocking on the door from outside.

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    Yan Yu went over to take a look and found it to be the siblings from the Li Family.

    He opened the door and welcomed the two into the room. Zhao Yuanzhen also heard the noise and peeked out from the bathroom. Seeing that it was Li Zhaojiang and Li Minghu entering, she turned back to continue washing her face.

    "Tsk, tsk, tsk!" Li Zhaojiang exclaimed, "Comrade Yan, bringing family along to the battlefield? Do you still have the mindset to fight properly?"

    "Don''t you also bring family?" retorted Yan Yu.

    "Nonsense!" Li Zhaojiang first instinctively rebutted, then suddenly realized that the "family" Yan Yu referred to was not a "wife" but a "sister" and quickly defended, "My sister is also a cultivator, how can that be the same?"

    "Isn''t Little Zhao a cultivator too?" Yan Yu countered.

    "My sister is on the same team as me," Li Zhaojiang continued arguing.

    "Aren''t we?" Yan Yu asked again.

    Li Zhaojiang finally admitted defeat and Li Minghu, with a smile, spoke up,

    "We''re intruding so early in the morning because there''s a serious matter we''d like to discuss."

    "Hmm, go ahead," said Yan Yu, gesturing for the two to sit down.

    "There are three top battle teams participating this time: Zhenhai, Huofeng, and us," Li Minghu slowly stated, "The Privy Council''s arrangement is that one team is responsible for seizing the Mysterious Realm in the mirror lake of Ailao Mountain, while the other two teams are tasked with intercepting the Witch King Army."

    "The Pingxi Army wants Zhou Hongyu''s team to handle the Mysterious Realm. What''s your opinion on this, Team Yan?"

    As everyone knows, whoever conquers the Mysterious Realm will have the right to dispose of its harvest. Not to mention the higher risk of intercepting the Witch King Army and comparatively fewer benefits. Naturally, no one would be pleased.

    Yan Yu pondered briefly and chuckled,

    "Who has what duty, isn''t that decided by the higher-ups? Even if the Pingxi Army wants to negotiate, they should be talking to the Zhendong Army, not to our Zhenhai Team."

    "That''s true," Li Minghu replied with a slight smile, "but the response from the Zhendong Army is that they respect the Zhenhai Team''s opinion."

    Yan Yu burst into laughter upon hearing this.

    Lord Li really trusts me, knowing that I would definitely prioritize the greater good, so he deliberately said he respects my opinion, right?

    "It doesn''t matter to our Qing''an Team whether we compete with Zhou Hongyu or not," Li Zhaojiang said indifferently, "The Mysterious Realm is originally within the jurisdiction of the Pingxi Army, so it''s reasonable for them to take it on. Now it''s up to you whether you want to compete with them."

    "There''s nothing to compete for," Yan Yu said calmly, "Given Zhou Hongyu''s capabilities, it''s more appropriate for her to take on the Mysterious Realm. As for the battle... I fear that she might land back in the ICU just after being discharged."

    "That''s also a good point," Li Minghu nodded.

    The words just exchanged, if coming from the Zhendong Army, would be "orders from superiors", and if from the Pingxi Army or the Huofeng Team, might seem like a show of force. Therefore, engaging a third party, the Qing''an Team, to sound out opinions was best, to avoid Yan Yu developing unnecessary thoughts.

    But in a certain sense, it also reflected the upper echelon''s increasing regard for Yan Yu, the "Longcheng Flying General", to such an extent that they even started considering his thoughts and carefully avoiding any misjudgments.

    Li Minghu, with his acute sensitivity, also knew that the other way of saying "regard" was actually "wary".

    It must be because of the recent monk rebellion incident in Jiujiang that the Privy Council started to pay attention to the loyalty issues of top cultivators.

    He who wears a sword may defy the ban; the key isn''t the defiance but possession of the sword. Those two cultivators chose to rebel not only because they had their demands but because they had the martial power. Put simply, as long as individuals have the strength to oppose the collective, rebellion is merely a question of numbers and probability.

    The rebels this time were just cultivators from the Zhendong Army. What about next time? If Yan Yu''s family were hurt, would he bear it and follow protocol, or would he likewise wreak havoc on the enemy''s family?

    If it were me in trouble, would Zhaojiang also...

    Li Minghu shuddered at the thought and suppressed his tumultuous emotions, continuing his discussion with Yan Yu:

    "I''ve heard that even within the Witch King''s faction, there are two camps, the mainstream following the Witch King to Lu Country; the opposition believes it''s more suitable to seek opportunities in Tianzhu." S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "The Annan Army has already started firing at the front lines this morning, attacking self-organized sorcerers from the other side. It''s said that about forty people were killed or wounded."

    "It''s useless," Yan Yu shook his head, "Modern warfare''s approach cannot restrain Transcendents."

    It''s not that modern weapons cannot kill Transcendents, but rather an issue of enemy detection and efficiency.

    For example, a recent intelligence report indicated that Yin sorcerers can temporarily turn their bodies into Yin Ghosts, appearing as a transparent shadow to the naked eye, hard to discern, immune to physical harm, and invisible to cameras, allowing them to sneak into the border and kill unnoticed. If you cannot even locate them, how are you supposed to fight against that?

    If given enough time, allowing science and technology to advance, there might be ways to find more effective methods, didn''t the previous generation also develop True Yuan storage devices, allowing ordinary soldiers to cast spells?

    But now, with only a little over half a year since the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, they haven''t even fully figured out what kind of dark magic the enemy sorcerers possess. Without a clear understanding of the enemy, there''s no use talking about restraint.

    "Indeed," Li Minghu sighed, "Now, the only ones who can effectively intercept Transcendents are Transcendents themselves."

 Chapter 75 I am the Captain

    After the Li siblings had left, Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen sat on the bed and began to cultivate their Qi together through a dual breathing refinement technique.Zhao Yuanzhen''s aptitude for cultivation was by no means as domineering and irrational as that of the Thank Immortal Venerate, but she was the strongest among the girls in the Zhenhai Team. Otherwise, as an orphan, she would not have been picked up by her master in the first place.

    While refining Qi together with her, Yan Yu felt like a tricycle tied to the exhaust pipe of a luxury sports car with an iron chain, forcibly hitting a speed of 120 miles per hour...

    Commonly known as "hitching a speed."

    Hitch! A stark hitch!

    "By the way, how''s your cultivation recovery coming along?" Yan Yu asked.

    "I''m about to reach the peak of the Marrow Cleansing Stage," Zhao Yuanzhen replied.

    Qi Refinement, Marrow Cleansing, Hua Fu. After the transformation of the Purple Mansion comes the Crossing of the Celestial Tribulation and the forming of the Golden Core.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress, before crossing over, was at the Hua Fu Stage, but due to the losses both she and Teacher Mei suffered in their fight and the depletion of her True Yuan, coupled with the insufficient Spiritual Energy of the world, it was like trying to fill an empty swimming pool with a tiny water hose¡ªher recovery of True Yuan was naturally excruciatingly slow.

    Luckily, compared with the Cultivation World on the other side, Earth had a distinct advantage: the supply of Elixir Medicine.

    Because the process of refining elixirs requires specific hand gestures, True Yuan to stoke the flames, and waiting for the right celestial timing, the entire elixir refinement process is not fully automated; however, the cultivation, breeding, and harvesting of raw materials are now on an industrial scale.

    It is said that within the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm, a "Spirit Grass Factory" with numerous hydroponic production lines has been established, which uses the realm''s rich Spiritual Energy to produce medicinal herbs efficiently.

    Plus, with the policy of resource allocation favoring top cultivators, for cultivators of the Zhenhai Team''s stature, Foundation Establishment Pills are supplied as needed, and the supply never stops. Thus, the speed of Zhao Yuanzhen''s recovery of cultivation is so fast.

    As the Demonic Sect Enchantress recovered to the peak of the Marrow Cleansing Stage''s power, Yan Yu, a small Qi Refinement newcomer, once again cultivating together with her, immediately felt a sense of exhilaration, as if being carried by a powerhouse, his abilities improving rapidly as if covering a thousand miles in a day.

    His Qi Refinement stage was also about to reach its peak, and he was about to enter the second stage¡ªthe Marrow Cleansing Stage.

    However, there is a bottleneck between advancing from the Qi Refinement Stage to the Marrow Cleansing Stage, and that is the practice of "Fasting." Even if one has fully mastered Qi Refinement, without mastering Fasting, it is impossible to enter the next stage and begin the process of Marrow Cleansing.

    Fasting refers to the transition of the body''s circulation from being sustenance-dependent to self-sustaining. Ordinary people''s circulation cannot support itself; they need regular intake of grains, vegetables, fruits, and meat to replenish strength. With each meal, impurities from sustenance enter the body, which over time can lead to various illnesses.

    The practice of Fasting draws Spiritual Energy from the outside world into the body, replacing the function of sustenance-induced impurities, allowing a practitioner to be free from hunger without eating and from thirst without drinking. As the body gradually purges foul yin and accumulates pure yang, it marks the first threshold for a common mortal flesh to step onto the path of immortality...

    The above is in the exact words of Teacher Mei, albeit in complete contradiction with contemporary medical knowledge. However, history of science holds that "no matter how fake a ''pseudo-science'' appears, if it''s repeatedly verified by experiments, it certainly belongs to a higher level of scientific principle that we are currently unable to explain."

    Compared with quantum physics, where God plays dice, the study of Fasting is actually quite comprehensible.

    Yan Yu, who had not embarked on the path of cultivation in his previous life, was completely clueless about how to break through this bottleneck. He asked Zhao Yuanzhen, "I feel like I''m about to complete my Qi Refinement. How should I go about cultivating the practice of Fasting?"

    "It''s simple," Zhao Yuanzhen replied. "Don''t eat or drink."

    "Uh," Yan Yu wanted to retort but then remembered that in his previous life, Xie Ruoxi, who stayed at home for extended periods too lazy to order delivery, just persevered until she suddenly achieved Fasting.

    So he frowned and asked again, "If one refrains from eating and drinking and fails to master Fasting, dying of starvation, what then?"

    "Then you die," Zhao Yuanzhen answered matter-of-factly. "If you can''t even train in the practice of Fasting, what''s the point of cultivating immortality?"

    Yan Yu found himself at a loss for words: He had forgotten that this enchantress hailed from the Demonic Sect. The Demonic Sect did not preach safe cultivation practices¡ªif you can''t cultivate, go die! There are plenty of others to continue the practice!

    His Qi Refinement cultivation was nearly complete, and he must practice Fasting to advance. However, a great battle was fast approaching, so he was faced with two choices:

    Option one was to wait until after the battle to cultivate the practice of Fasting. Although slow, it was safe and reliable.

    Option two was to start fasting now, going into battle facing the dual debuffs of hunger and thirst, the danger of which one could easily imagine.

    Was there a need to hesitate? Of course, he would choose the second option!

    Since Yan Yu was determined to be the strongest in this world, he, of course, could not shrink back just because of two debuffs.

    In some ways, cultivation is influenced by a form of idealism; if you choose to retreat in the face of hardships and dangers this time, your resolve would be affected, and later, when it''s time to face the Celestial Tribulation or when a desperate struggle is required, you will likewise harbor life-threatening thoughts of escape and retreat. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ```

    The so-called "one step back, steps back" is what this means.

    "Since that''s the case, from now on, I will practice the fasting technique," Yan Yu quickly made up his mind and declared seriously.

    "Ah?" Zhao Yuanzhen was somewhat puzzled and asked, "But... aren''t we about to go to war? With an empty stomach, how are you going to fight against others?"

    "What does that matter?" Yan Yu haughtily chuckled, "Cultivating the fasting technique is also an essential step on the path of cultivation. How could I interrupt my practice for something like fighting others?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen fell silent. She, of course, understood the principle that in the realm of cultivation, if you do not advance, you retreat.

    But the Demonic Sect never cared much for things like willpower; survival was always the top priority. If there really was a critical moment in fighting others, then stop cultivating for what! If you are at a disadvantage in the fight and get killed by someone, are you going to continue cultivating in the grave?

    Zhao Yuanzhen could understand why Yan Yu chose this path; she definitely wouldn''t have chosen it for herself, and so she nodded and said:

    "Alright, I''ll bring some snacks and bottled water, and if you can''t take it anymore and beg me on your knees, I''ll share my sustenance with you."

    "Beg you? As if you''re worthy!" Yan Yu scoffed contemptuously, "If I really get so hungry that I have no strength left, of course, I''ll have you all fight for me and sweep the enemies around me away! Otherwise, if I consumed food and water, wouldn''t all the hunger and suffering I endured be in vain?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen was left speechless, chuckling. She initially wanted to hold a grudge subconsciously, but thinking about how this despicable thief would soon be enduring hunger, her mood quickly improved, and she laughed:

    "Very well, very well. Since you are so formidable, then go ahead and concentrate on your fasting practice. Not only will I not share my sustenance with you, if they try to feed you, I''ll also dissuade them, how does that sound?"

    "That''s for the best!"

    "Hmph, then it''s settled." Zhao Yuanzhen and he struck palms in agreement, secretly laughing to herself.

    The two faced each other across the bed, palms touching as they operated the Grand Circulation to transfer True Qi.

    Several hours later, Yan Yu slowly raised his hand to end the exchange, only to find that his True Yuan was not increasing as much as it had in previous sessions.

    It wasn''t that the dual cultivation method had stopped working, but rather that the gaseous True Yuan in his dantian was nearing saturation and could hardly take in more True Yuan.

    Practicing the fasting technique to break through this bottleneck was now of the utmost urgency!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The next morning, Yan Yu awoke from his sleep to the sound of someone knocking at the door.

    "Time to get up!" It was that familiar alarm-clock voice again.

    Yan Yu got out of bed, opened the door, and saw Lin Ning standing outside with a breakfast tray, wearing an expression that seemed to say, "Why did you get up so late?", and spoke with disdain:

    "You got up too late today; the hotel''s dining room has already closed! I conveniently brought you breakfast, so hurry up and say ''Thank you, Lin Ning.''

    "Thank you, Lin Ning," Yan Yu said with a strange expression, "I appreciate the gesture, but I''ve started practicing the fasting technique and cannot eat or drink; go give it to them instead."

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    "You''re practicing fasting?" Lin Ning was initially astonished, then realized what was happening and quickly began to persuade, "Even so, you can''t just not eat or drink! We might have to fight later! How can you fight on an empty stomach?"

    "I''ve made up my mind." Yan Yu shook his head with a stern expression, "No need to persuade me further."

    "Don''t be crazy, okay?" Lin Ning was unwilling to give up, continuing to persuade, "What''ll you do if you get hypoglycemic and dizzy during the fight? You don''t need the enemy to kill you; you''ll starve yourself down!"

    Yan Yu still shook his head in silence.

    "You''ll regret this!" Seeing that he was impervious to reason, Lin Ning got even more frustrated, took the breakfast tray, and went to knock on Chen Lingyun''s door next door, intending to complain bitterly to the girls.

    Yan Yu remained indifferent, merely saying coldly:

    "Complaining won''t help; I''m the team leader!"

    With a slam, Lin Ning entered Chen Lingyun''s room and closed the door heavily behind her.

    ```

 Chapter 76 Everyones Last Letters

    Lin Ning''s complaint had been effective; it wasn''t long before all the girls gathered in Yan Yu''s room, chattering nonstop."Must you cultivate the Fasting technique at this precise moment?" Su Yunjin asked with concern, "Can''t it be postponed by half a month or a month, waiting until the warfare stabilizes before continuing?"

    "Advancing in cultivation is like rowing against the current; if you don''t advance, you fall behind. Where is the luxury to waste half a month or an entire month?" Yan Yu scoffed at the notion.

    Chen Lingyun said nothing, but she probably understood why Yan Yu would make such a choice.

    The upper limit of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence had been raised, and everyone was racing against time to enhance their strength, not caring whether you were at war on your side.

    If Yan Yu''s cultivation were to stagnate for half a month or a month, would Lord Master Liu Longtao wait for him? And what about the other Transcendents from abroad? By then, not to mention being the strongest in this world, maintaining a top position would be difficult.

    Of course, enduring the dual debuffs of hunger and thirst and still choosing to fight is a decision not easily made by most people; it only shows that the Longcheng Flying General truly has guts and audacity.

    "Ling Yun, you try to persuade him," Lin Ning said anxiously from the side.

    "It''s no use persuading him," Chen Lingyun said indifferently, "after all, he is the team leader."

    "Smart," praised Yan Yu.

    Of course, although Chen Lingyun could empathize with his thoughts, he still preferred the likes of Su Yunjin and Lin Ning, who worried about him, just as Cao Cao preferred Cao Pi, who would cry before his departure, over Cao Zhi.

    "Um, I also think that cultivating the Fasting technique without eating or drinking before a big battle isn''t a good idea, right?" Xie Ruoxi carefully said, "Although we are to obey the team leader''s decisions, what if we encounter low blood sugar and intense battle at the same time? Shouldn''t we have some emergency measures in place just in case?"

    "I said we should carry food and water with us so we can feed him and save his life at the critical moment," Zhao Yuanzhen said with schadenfreude, "but he said I wasn''t worthy, so there''s nothing I can do."

    "Consuming food and water takes too long to digest, and in a real emergency, we might not have the time," Su Yunjin said after a moment of silence, "I''ll go to the medical room and get some glucose injection fluid..."

    "Wait a minute, injecting glucose is too outrageous," Yan Yu couldn''t help interrupting as their discussion became more and more preposterous, "If I truly have low blood sugar and am performing poorly, I can simply use the Invisibility Technique to hide somewhere, and you can deal with the enemies for me."

    The girls fell into contemplation upon hearing this.

    Although during battles the team leader often acted alone, he would always tie down the most powerful enemy, reducing frontal pressure for the team.

    This time, however, he was going to truly stand by and watch, leaving the girls momentarily devoid of the confidence to say, "Then just watch us from the sidelines"¡ªespecially since the last time Chen Lingyun had led the team alone, she ended up in the ICU, a cautionary tale!

    "You''re right," after a moment, Lin Ning was the first to rally with full fighting spirit, "If the team leader really can''t perform well, we can''t force him to keep protecting us, right? We need to exert ourselves too!"

    Rather than forcing Yan Yu to fight enemies with negative debuffs affecting him, it would be better for me to give it my all, putting forth 200% effort in the fight, even doing his part! sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Indeed," Su Yunjin had no objections, "then let''s protect you."

    Chen Lingyun could think of it, and she too eventually came to realize it after being late to understand.

    Since Yan Yu was adamant about not changing his mind, it was up to us to protect him during this "weak period."

    Zhao Yuanzhen, however, had objections. Previously, the little thief had said, "You''re not worthy," so why should I bother protecting him?

    She rolled her eyes beautifully, about to sarcastically refuse, only to hear Yan Yu say:

    "Protect me? Forget it; I''d be grateful if you can protect yourselves."

    His characteristic arrogance immediately kindled the ire of the Demonic Sect Enchantress, who retorted loudly:

    "Don''t be too much! We''ll see, when a certain someone is so starved that they have no strength, who ends up protecting whom!"

    Hmm, why do I feel like I''ve been subtly tricked... Never mind! Since the little thief looks down on me, I''ll just have to protect him fiercely and slap his face!

    "What about you, Ruoxi?" Su Yunjin turned to ask.

    "I have no objections," Xie Ruoxi shook her head, "If the team leader is in trouble, I definitely won''t stand idly by."

    Ah, I thought I was riding on the seven-colored clouds as the hero; I never expected that I would end up in this role...

    "Since that''s the case, let''s agree on this." Chen Lingyun said with a smiling eye as she stoked the fire, "Once someone is as hungry as a starved dog, we''ll find a place to dig a hole and bury him in it to continue his training."

    "Alright, that''s what we''ll do!" Zhao Yuanzhen exclaimed, clapping in approval.

    "Such unrealistic fantasies; you''re all daydreaming," Yan Yu scoffed coldly, holding no punches, "I am the team leader! Even if I''m not in top form, I can crush you all with one hand!"

    "Then we''ll just wait and see how our hungry leader shows off his divine powers," the girls giggled one after another.

    Seeing them all so disrespectful, rebellious, and dismissive of their elder, Yan Yu too became annoyed and said sternly:

    "Where are the wills? I asked each of you to write a will for me yesterday. Have you all written them?"

    "It''s done." Lin Ning took out her phone and said, "I''ll text it to you... Oh right, no peeking!"

    "I promise I won''t look," Yan Yu said earnestly.

    Lin Ning sent the text, and Yan Yu''s phone immediately popped up with a notification of a new message.

    He didn''t open it in front of Lin Ning but instead brought his phone close to his mouth and ordered:

    "Far ahead, read the text message out loud."

    "Okay," the calm voice of the phone''s smart assistant responded, "Proceeding to read the text message in order. Sender: Ningning. Content of the text..."

    "Wow, you''re really asking for death!" Lin Ning, enraged, lunged over and chased Yan Yu around the sofa, finally snatching his phone away, and shouted with a red face:

    "Stop!!!!!!!"

    Her voice nearly flipped the roof before the smart assistant''s calm voice stated:

    "Okay."

    The girls burst into laughter. They all saw that Yan Yu had purposely let Ningning catch up at the last second - one second later, and he would have read the contents of the message aloud.

    Lin Ning, still not satisfied, launched a deadly thirteen-kick combo at Yan Yu, each kick aimed at the lower part of his body.

    Yan Yu lifted a chair next to him to block all her series of kicks, leaving Lin Ning gasping for breath.

    "I''ll send mine to the leader too," Su Yunjin took out her phone, touched the screen, and said, "I wrote three wills. You can''t read the ones for my dad and mom. The one for the leader, you can read."

    Enjoy more content from My Virtual Library Empire

    Yan Yu was speechless: true to her nature as a literary girl, she actually managed to write three wills, and one was specifically for me... holy shit, are you trying to catch me off guard?

    "Cough cough." He then spoke earnestly, "I''ve said before, writing wills isn''t about showing them to others, it''s to calm one''s heart and spirit so that when the crucial moment comes, one can give their all without fear of death. What about the others?"

    "I''ve written my will," Chen Lingyun said leisurely, "I wrote it before I enrolled in school and left it at home."

    "Oh right," Yan Yu remembered, Chen Lingyun''s whole family were all eccentrics; they had all written their wills long ago, clearly outlining how their possessions should be distributed if they unfortunately passed away, updating them every six months, complete with a dedicated legal team to notarize them promptly.

    Of course, every member of her family did have a whole bunch of assets to deal with; what''s from before marriage, jointly owned after marriage, held on behalf of parents... it''s quite normal for them to update their wills regularly.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, of course, didn''t need to say much; everyone knew Sister Zhao had no worries or attachments, and she wouldn''t care about wills. Everyone just turned their gaze toward Xie Ruoxi.

    "I..." Xie Ruoxi hesitated for a moment before confirming again, "The purpose of writing this will is just to free ourselves from worry, right?"

    "Right," Yan Yu answered.

    "I understand now." Xie Ruoxi finally made up her mind and edited a text message to send to Yan Yu on the spot.

    The content was brief, a single sentence so short it didn''t need to be opened; the complete message already showed up in the phone''s top banner notification.

    [Sender: Ruoxi]

    [Bro, my inheritance is in my bank card, the password hasn''t changed. Have someone format my computer''s hard drive, clear my chat history, and don''t look at it.]

 Chapter 77 Behind Enemy Lines, Corpse-Born Mud Sea

    The day for deployment had at last arrived. A pre-battle oath-taking assembly was held in the camp while the Allied Forces headquarters began assigning tasks.As previously communicated, Huofeng Team was responsible for the conquest of the Mysterious Realm in the Mirror Lake of the Ailao Mountains, and most of the other teams were working with the Pingxi Army to set up defenses, intercepting the enemy forces moving north.

    The opposition was primarily made up of civilian sorcerers, with no limitations on supplies like ammunition, and having suffered heavy losses under the long-range artillery of the Annan Army, they now operated in decentralized tactical teams of three to five, each acting independently, some without even a unified command or coordination...

    This decentralized situation was somewhat bothersome for the headquarters, inducing a feeling of vexation, as if "despite being overwhelmingly more powerful than the enemy, we are dragged down by the endless guerrilla tactics into a quagmire of policing conflict."

    Losing the battle was, of course, out of the question. But even if 99% of the Transcendents were eliminated, allowing the remaining 1% to infiltrate could still cause considerable damage.

    And since the sorcerers possessed various unfathomable and unpreventable spell techniques, there truly wasn''t a better means to deal with this handful of cockroaches, each hard to kill and selected from a hundred miles around.

    To put it in a metaphor, it was like humans dealing with cockroaches in a house¡ªeasy to kill a roach, but cleaning them out completely is quite challenging.

    After discussions and assessments by the superiors of the Privy Council, a rather aggressive tactical plan, codenamed "Champion Marquis," was ultimately developed.

    In imitation of the historical event involving the Champion Marquis Huo Qubing of the Han dynasty, the plan involved penetrating enemy territory to launch a surprise decapitation strike on the Witch King''s headquarters, forcing the Witch King to call back a significant number of troops for defense, thereby greatly relieving the defensive pressure within the borders.

    Of course, the Sorcerer Alliance Army as a whole exhibited a decentralized tendency. Many civilian Transcendents joined the northward movement in pursuit of cultivation resources not to protect the Witch King, so one couldn''t expect a single decapitation strategy to solve everything.

    Find your next adventure on My Virtual Library Empire

    Both the "Champion Marquis Squad," tasked with the decapitation strike, and other teams working in consort with the Annan and Pingxi Armies within the territory, were to face an unprecedented rigorous test.

    The Champion Marquis Squad needed to act like the tip of the spear, and it goes without saying that they required only the best members.

    The Zhenghai and Qingan teams, comprising a total of 11 members, akin to two special forces squads, would cooperate and act in concert.

    Thus, the Privy Council had officially authorized orders, placing "Longcheng Flying General" Yan Yu in charge of leading the team, granting him full authority for all decisions during the operation, with the primary goal of suppressing and beheading the Witch King, permitting lethal action both domestically and abroad.

    Upon receiving this authorization, Yan Yu wasn''t particularly surprised; it was as expected.

    The Privy Council of his former life always adhered to this heroism mindset: in order to protect as many civilians as possible, lower-level cultivators were to intercept the enemy, while higher-level cultivators took on the higher-risk decapitation tasks... The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility¡ªthe hero is expected to give more, even to sacrifice more.

    This mode of thinking diverged sharply from foreign perspectives. For foreign Transcendent powers, the more senior the Transcendent, the more valuable they were considered and the more they needed to be preserved in combat, whereas defenseless civilians could be sacrificed without a second thought.

    It''s hard to say which mode of thinking was superior. Even though Yan Yu himself upheld the heroism of protecting the country, he couldn''t deny that sometimes this mindset was fatal: for instance, the death of the Valkyrie in his previous life was a damn huge loss.

    Enough about that.

    In this life... I will shoulder the burden, I will give permission, I will bear the weight of Lu Country!

    After receiving the orders, everyone quickly left the headquarters and rose into the sky on their swords.

    "Old Yan," Li Zhaojiang said with deep meaning, "we''re following you this time, so you better act the part of the big brother well."

    "Okay," Yan Yu replied indifferently, "First on the battlefield, I''ll send you."

    "What? We trust you as our big brother, yet you want us to bear the brunt when things get tough?" Li Zhaojiang pretended to be dissatisfied, "Rebellion! The brothers will revolt and turn the tables fiercely!"

    "Okay," Yan Yu remained calm, "then I''ll change and send your sister instead."

    "Dammit!" Li Zhaojiang was stunned and exclaimed, "So, making it tough for a woman, huh? You really have the guts, Yan Yu!"

    "Ha, getting worked up again." S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Enough, Ah Jiang, stop joking around," Li Minghu finally spoke, "Yan Yu, what are we going to do next?"

    "Find the Witch King first," Yan Yu answered.

    That said, the problem was that the Witch King wouldn''t be walking around wearing a sign on his head inscribed with "I am the Witch King" in four large Lu Country characters.

    Modern decapitation missions often rely on intelligence infiltration, like having intelligence on someone''s whereabouts and then following that intelligence to carry out a decapitation.

    But conversely, without intelligence, it would be difficult to pinpoint the exact location of the Witch King.

    "I''ll contact the Annan Army for more intelligence support," Li Minghu said in a deep voice.

    "No need," Yan Yu waved his hand, "Don''t trouble the military intelligence personnel at the front line. I have my ways."

    What ways? Shark!

    Don''t underestimate this creature; it''s a precious experience concluded by countless cultivators from a previous life. The principle lies in the fact that the top leader of a Transcendent''s power is often the strongest Transcendent in the group.

    As long as you relentlessly Shark, intensely Shark, chaotically Shark! If you Shark the lower-level Transcendents into a field of corpses, if those above don''t show themselves, morale will crumble; if they do emerge, then you can capture them, follow the leads, and find their heads... In this manner, layer by layer, it would take at most five or six tries to lock onto the very top leader.

    It seems that the structure of Transcendent powers is actually quite flat.

    Hearing Yan Yu explain this, everyone secretly felt relieved.

    Apart from the transcendent skills cultivated, everyone was essentially like college students who had not yet entered society, lacking in life experience and social savvy. Confronted with this kind of situation, they were utterly at a loss, not knowing where to start.

    Yan Yu said we do not need to do anything but Shark. That''s perfect, it''s exactly what we''re best at!

    Thus, everyone''s spirits were lifted, and following the highland terrain, they moved southward, quickly crossing the border line.

    The Southern borderlands were densely forested, with public roads and dirt tracks interwoven, with climbing vegetation severing these paths in places. Some areas still had large craters left by artillery barrages, but there were no signs of current fighting¡ªit may have been traces of battles between mortal armies and civilian Transcendents, with the former now wiped out.

    A heavy fog suddenly arose in the distance, a dark teal color, rolling in with the wind, and in nearly the blink of an eye approached the group.

    "Land," Yan Yu quickly telepathically ordered.

    Everyone immediately descended with their sword light, swiftly dropping below the canopy of trees, the sound of rushing wind and rustling leaves above them as if a tide of countless insects was sweeping past.

    The toxic miasma of Green Saint.

    Similar to the "Eternal Night Curtain" of the Northern borderlands of the past, the Sorcerers of the Southern border had also cultivated almost endless varieties of miasmas, not only to help them shield from satellite surveillance but also to completely lock down air superiority¡ªeven drones entering it would corrode to nothing.

    If a sword-control cultivator carelessly fell into it, they would be reduced to bones instantly.

    Luckily, the miasma seemed to be uncontrolled for now, merely roaming about aimlessly. The group landed in the forest and evaded the pursuit of the Green Saint miasma, only to see that below was a rotting swamp, its stench assaultive.

    Countless dry tree roots twisted and contorted like deformed limbs, winding through the foul and filthy mire, with a mass of bones partially visible within them, swarming with flies as if at a grand feast. This sight sent shivers down the spines of the cultivators and made them feel nauseous.

    Before setting out, they had received intelligence from the command headquarters that this was the "Sea of Corpse Growth" created by the wicked magic of Sorcerers, which was generating the various miasmas that now plagued the Southern borderlands.

    The birth of each Sea of Corpse Growth required the flesh and blood of a large number of mortals as sacrificial offerings. The massive expanse of bones and mire underneath the group''s feet signified that at least tens of thousands of "offerings" had been driven here from nearby villages like cattle, only to be brutally slaughtered by dark and wicked magic.

    Such Seas of Corpse Growth, large and small, now covered every corner of the Southern borderlands, for a reason that was even more brutal and direct: the warring Sorcerer powers, incessantly fighting and killing each other.

    If you have a Sea of Corpse Growth and I do not, you can freely summon the miasmas, launching a war of extermination against me, so I must also create a Sea of Corpse Growth, regardless of the slaughter it entails!

    The girls, witnessing this hellish and tragic sight, all showed signs of disgust, rejection, and sympathy; Li Zhaojiang and the other men, however, were indifferent¡ªafter all, it wasn''t their kin who had been massacred; what did it have to do with them?

    Only Yan Yu slightly frowned, sighing inwardly.

    The wild growth of civilian Transcendents meant endless internal strife and cannibalization. Behind "every person practising and gaining power" lay mountains of the weak and dead. Wasn''t the paradise of a few cultivators a hell for the countless mortals?

    I, Yan Yu, lack great wisdom and can''t design a social system that allows Transcendents and mortals to live together in harmony.

    All I have is a Huang Tingjian sword, ready to send you all to hell. Where is the Witch King?

    He turned his head and signaled, and Xie Ruoxi stimulated her True Yuan, sending a bolt of lightning into the mire ahead, creating a thunderous uproar.

    Son after, a Witchcraft Squad, alarmed, came floating over from the distance on a sullen breeze to find the culprit who had disturbed the Sea of Corpse Growth... Seeing the multitude of suspended sword lights in the air, they were instantly taken aback.

    "Kill," Yan Yu ordered dispassionately.

 Chapter 78 Crumbling Decay, Dew Spreads Everywhere

    Rikoku Cultivators have the "Sword Flight" technique, and sorcerers also possess a similar spell, called "Krahang".As of now, the Privy Council hasn''t provided an accurate translation, but it is known that it involves a Yin sorcerer activating a spell to command a certain type of Yin ghost to lie on a comrade''s back, which enables them to be as light as a feather and take off from the ground, where they pass, there''s always a burst of cold wind¡ªIn a previous life, Rikoku called this spell "Ghost Walking Technique".

    The weakness of the Ghost Walking Technique is quite obvious. For instance, the sorcerer who is possessed can''t control their flight, as the possessing Yin ghost''s movement only follows the commands of the Yin sorcerer. Some sorcerers cleverly use large fans to try to influence the direction of their flight, but it''s actually not very effective.

    That is to say, by simply killing the team''s Yin sorcerer, one could break everyone''s flying spell. Of course, the enemy is surely well aware of this and would definitely focus on using various concealment methods.

    At Yan Yu''s command, everyone immediately launched into action with Sword Control, engaging in a melee with the opposing sorcerers.

    Lin Ning, Li Minghu, and Jiang Hong are all Sword Immortals, the fastest in reaction speed, employing their Sword Flight slashing technique, transforming it into a formidable sword light that instantly killed three opponents.

    The rest of the group also used their divine abilities, hurling spells and magical artifacts at the enemy haphazardly. Only Yan Yu did not join the attack, instead controlling the Huang Tingjian to patrol the battlefield, specifically intercepting threatening attacks from the opposition, to prevent any danger to their own side.

    With the Longcheng Flying General personally providing cover, the others were free to act, and soon the battlefield turned one-sided. Chen Lingyun, positioned at the rear and lazily casting the Impact Curse, suddenly heard Yan Yu transmit a message:

    "Ten o''clock direction, 70 meters, a hidden enemy is trying to escape, with the Prison Banner."

    Chen Lingyun''s eyes lit up, and she quickly activated the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, exerting her full power to employ the Heart Capturing Technique, sweeping forcefully towards the ten o''clock direction.

    Sure enough, in the seemingly empty space between the trees, as soon as the Prison Banner''s radiance swept over, a staggering figure was revealed.

    "Kuntilanak," a former translation in Rikoku for the "Ghost Transformation Technique," is used to let a Yin sorcerer be possessed by a Yin ghost, thus turning into a spirit shadow difficult for the naked eye to discern. Even if discovered by a Cultivator''s Divine Sense, it can still be immune to most physical damage, and its life-saving effect is undeniably strong.

    Unfortunately for him, he was the least lucky to encounter the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, which was the most effective against Yin ghosts. The semi-transparent Resentful Spirit possessing him, hit by the Heart Capturing Technique, suddenly let out a pitiful howl of pain as it was forcibly ripped from the body of the Yin sorcerer and sucked into the Prison Banner.

    Suddenly bereft of the possessing Yin ghost, the Yin sorcerer plummeted unprepared from the sky, only to be pierced through the skull by a White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin fired by Zhao Yuanzhen, falling then and there, as dead as one can be!

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress used to control her physical body with Sword Control for remote puppet killing, and the puppets, known as "the most complex magical artifacts to operate," require meticulous direction for every movement, posture, and attack method.

    Now, with the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, the difficulty of operation had dropped more than a notch, making the Demonic Sect Enchantress''s killing spree all the more thrilling!

    Su Yunjin trapped the opposite target with the South Dipper Star River formation, kill!

    Li Zhaojiang absorbed the enemy''s magical artifact with the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light, kill!

    Chen Lingyun shook the Prison Banner, causing some distant enemy to fall? Never mind the details, just kill! Not a single head would escape my finishing blow!

    Zhao Yuanzhen just focused on finishing off the enemies, but didn''t expect that the death of this Yin sorcerer would trigger a domino effect over the entire field, with all the still alive sorcerers falling from the sky like wing-broken crows, rapidly plummeting into the morass.

    The Sea of Corpse Birth was notoriously poison-filled to the extreme, and those sorcerers, falling helplessly into it, were dissolved by the mud sea within mere moments, reduced to sinister white skeletons.

    "Let''s go." Yan Yu saw the battle''s end and nonchalantly waved his hand, leading the group away from the area.

    There was no need to evaluate the performance in this battle; the opposing sorcerers were just too weak, almost on par with local military manor Cultivators in Rikoku; pitted against the top-tier Cultivator team from the same country, the outcome was naturally one-sided.

    In fact, even without the others'' intervention, just the three Sword Immortals¡ªLin Ning, Li Minghu, and Jiang Hong¡ªgiven more time, could also have killed all the opponents without injury.

    But if the number of adversaries had been several orders of magnitude greater, and the difficulty of the melee had increased accordingly, relying solely on the Sword Immortals would hardly be enough to handle such a large-scale battle, which is why coordination with other magic Cultivators, assistant officers, and envoys was necessary.

    As they continued to seek the next group of sorcerers, Li Minghu took advantage of the calm before encountering new enemies to reflect on the battle, as was the habit of the Qing''an team, saying:

    "Everyone did well just now, but there are a few points to take note of."

    "Jiang Hong, don''t just focus on attacking; a Sword Immortal must have a good overall perspective. There were many attacks you could have intercepted but missed. Yan was the one who had to step in to intercept them. You must adjust your offense and defense rhythm in time according to the overall situation on the battlefield."

    Jiang Hong nodded seriously, indicating he would take it to heart.

    "Haoran, your Qing Shi Chang Jian is a strong control type, it''s not just about waiting for others to coordinate with you, you also need to be aware of providing others opportunities to coordinate with you," Li Minghu continued, "You could learn from Sister Zhao''s ability to seize the right moment."

    Why are you also calling her Sister Zhao? Yan Yu wondered, but then saw Wang Haoran laughingly say:

    "Sister Zhao''s talent in targeting with her artifacts is indeed formidable, and I would appreciate more guidance from her in the future."

    "Naturally," Zhao Yuanzhen, secretly thrilled by the praise, maintained a senior''s posture, and said indifferently.

    "Tao Xingyuan," Li Minghu pondered for a moment, "I''m not very knowledgeable about spells, so you can keep taking advice from Li Zhaojiang on the details. My suggestion is not to panic too much on the battlefield. It''s better to be prepared and wait for the right moment than to strike recklessly without achieving any feats. Observe how Yun Jin selects her targets and gradually learn."

    "Alright," Tao Xingyuan replied earnestly.

    After commenting on the performance of all three team members, Li Minghu did not criticize his younger brother (after all, he needed to maintain his authority as the team leader) but instead turned his gaze to Yan Yu and asked softly:

    "Does Captain Yan have any opinions?"

    "Nothing much," Yan Yu responded, "The enemy is too weak. It''s like the test questions being too simple; you can get a high score even by haphazardly answering them, so it''s meaningless to nitpick and analyze mistakes."

    Daring to say that my sister is nitpicking? Li Zhaojiang was just about to retort when he heard Li Minghu laughingly say:

    "Indeed, I was perhaps too anxious."

    "Everyone else has had their say, but I do have a question for you," Yan Yu suddenly shifted the tone, continuing, "You''re both engaging in Sword Flight across the battlefield and keeping an eye on everyone''s performance. Doesn''t that tire you out?"

    "Discussing whether it''s tiring or not is meaningless," Li Minghu replied tactfully, "Both the team leader and deputy team leader, apart from leading the charge, must also take on the responsibility of leading the entire team. Captain Yan, weren''t you also saving the day throughout the battle?"

    "No, I was just slacking off," Yan Yu earnestly denied, "Just like Li Zhaojiang."

    "How was I slacking off!" Li Zhaojiang immediately became furious, "I was focused on the attack, okay?"

    His Yuan Magnetic Divine Light would interfere with his teammates'' Flying Swords, so he couldn''t use it frequently. Most of the time, he deployed his Sword Control Technique to harm the enemy. Yet now, Yan Yu had described it as "slacking off," which was unbearable for him.

    "Perhaps it''s because the enemy is too weak, and there''s no need for you to go all out," Li Minghu mused.

    "Of course," Yan Yu concluded indifferently, "If a lion had to use all its strength to fight a rabbit, how many rabbits could it catch in a day? Would it be enough to fill its belly?"

    Li Minghu fell silent in thought.

    She discerned the implication of Yan Yu''s words¡ªthe trashy enemy was not worth exhausting herself over; it would be better to rest properly.

    Li Zhaojiang had wanted to quarrel some more, but even Yan Yu''s statement left him at a loss for words.

    In a way, he agreed with the perspective of "not letting sister overexert herself"... although he did not want to openly agree with Yan Yu.

    The group continued on their journey via Sword Flight, when suddenly someone sent a voice transmission to Yan Yu¡ªit was Lin Ning, who couldn''t help but ask:

    "How come you only commented on them? What about me?" sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Didn''t I already say it?" Yan Yu asked, puzzled.

    "Say what?"

    "The enemy is too weak, so there''s no need for you all to go all out, and hence no point in a detailed analysis."

    "Then why did you still help Deputy Team Leader Li with his analysis to find issues?" Lin Ning continued to question.

    "What, are you jealous?" Yan Yu countered.

    "I just can''t stand you playing favorites!" Lin Ning promptly got angry.

    "Shh, don''t make a fuss," Yan Yu soothed her patiently, "I''ll teach you a few powerful moves later."

    Lin Ning wanted to stay annoyed for a while longer, but she couldn''t help breaking into a smile soon after.

    But she didn''t expect her subtle expression to be fully observed by Su Yunjin beside her.

    Although she couldn''t hear their secret voice transmission, the literary girl with a delicate disposition could guess some of it and decided to test Yan Yu by asking:

    "What did the team leader promise Ningning? As the team leader, you treat all team members equally, right?"

    Yan Yu suddenly felt a heavy sense of suffocation and hastily plucked up the courage to say:

    "You too!"

 Chapter 79 Yan Yus Rich Experience

    But everyone had escaped from the Sea of the Dead and continued to move south along the road by Sword Flight, searching for nearby human settlements.This cross-border beheading was a high-risk mission, and if there were any leaks that allowed the Witch King to become aware of the team''s whereabouts, it would pose a serious threat to the cultivators. That''s why no one wore cameras.

    Without the surveillance of cameras, Yan Yu could confidently teach everyone some techniques without worrying that they would be recorded and studied in great detail.

    "Sword Flight is you using True Yuan to stimulate the sword''s light, which then envelops your body and drags you along as it flies, right?" Yan Yu asked telepathically.

    "Right," Lin Ning responded immediately.

    "Don''t you find it strange?" Yan Yu asked persuasively, "Following this logic, the True Yuan for flight is provided by yourself, so why do you need to transfer True Yuan to the Flying Sword first?"

    "Because I am very slow when flying with the Cloud Ascension Technique on my own," Lin Ning replied instinctively, but soon she realized that wasn''t quite right.

    If Yan Yu asked her this, it meant there must be "a better way of Sword Control Flight."

    "Ultimately, it is because you subconsciously see yourself and the Flying Sword as separate entities," Yan Yu attempted to inspire her insight, "Since they are different, the sword can fly fast while you are slow, which is why you need the Flying Sword to drag you."

    "And with the added burden of your weight, even the Flying Sword''s speed and power will be affected, causing the True Yuan you utilize for Sword Flight to not be fully applied to attack. Some of it gets internally dissipated."

    Lin Ning pondered silently for a moment, and then she thought of using her physics knowledge to understand the concept: if she was the power source and the Flying Sword was the electrical appliance, connecting the power source and the appliance with a wire would definitely result in some energy loss along the wire.

    So how could this energy loss be reduced?

    The answer, of course, is to make the wire as short as possible or even better, to directly interface the power source with the appliance, minimizing the resistance in the process!

    "Are you saying..." She suddenly had a flash of inspiration and cleverly said, "If I could fully merge with the sword''s light, becoming one with the sword and the sword one with me, then there would be no ''dragging me along'' loss!

    Previously, learning Sword Flight was about drawing the sword''s light closer until it could envelop me; but if I could get even closer, couldn''t it evolve from ''envelopment'' to ''fusion,'' thereby maximizing the efficiency of the True Yuan driving the Flying Sword?"

    Yan Yu was astonished, because Sister Lin''s deductive result was entirely correct.

    When a Sword Immortal provides True Yuan to a Flying Sword, there''s bound to be some loss. The Sword Control Technique, since it is transmitted by the mind across a distance, results in the greatest loss; while the Sword-Human Unity inside the sword''s light reduces the loss significantly, and its attack power is naturally far stronger than the Sword Control Technique.

    As for the strongest form, Sword-Human Unity, there is no distinction between the cultivator and the Flying Sword, with almost zero loss of True Yuan. When outputting True Yuan at its maximum, the speed and force of the sword''s light are also elevated to an indestructible level.

    This is the best move of the Sword Immortal¡ªSword-Human Unity! Even in the late period of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, Yan Yu frequently chose Sword-Human Unity as his killer move to neatly reap the lives of his opponents.

    Of course, the method of training for Sword-Human Unity had not yet appeared in Teacher Mei''s mandatory Sword Immortal course materials, so Yan Yu could not explain the principles in too much detail to avoid arousing suspicion for no reason.

    But Lin Ning''s sudden burst of intelligence was a huge success, and based on Yan Yu''s verbal hints, she invented the theory of Sword-Human Unity on her own... That''s not my business! She figured it out herself¡ªif there is an investigation, they should look for her!

    Seeing Yan Yu did not rebut but acknowledged her theory, Lin Ning was instantly thrilled.

    Currently, she could only manage to have the sword''s light envelop her; she was far from achieving "fusion with the sword''s light," but since this path was viable, she could, of course, persistently try to bring the sword''s light closer to herself each time until she fully mastered this powerful technique!

    It was like memorizing an English dictionary¡ªlearn a few words every day, and just keep at it!

    Abandon!

    Seeing Lin Ning easily handled, Yan Yu too was reassured.

    Having been a Sword Immortal for nearly a lifetime in his previous life, his memory was packed with plenty of swordsmanship skills that could be imparted to Ningning gradually, so he wasn''t worried about running out of things to teach.

    But what about Yun Jin? I don''t understand Taoism Method at all!

    After careful thought, Yan Yu did come up with an idea:

    Although I don''t understand Taoist methods, my extensive experience in fighting allows me to teach Yun Jin how to fight flexibly!

    "Yun Jin, I remember you mentioned last time," he sent a message to Su Yunjin, asking, "You don''t know how to combine Taoist methods with your Sword Control Technique?"

    "Mhm," Su Yunjin felt a subtle joy, surprised that the captain still had her concerns in mind, "it''s just that once my Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art traps the enemy, the chaotic flows around them also impede my sword, making it inconvenient for me to assassinate or deal the finishing blow. Do you have any good ideas, Captain?"

    "To trap your enemy with your Taoist methods, a sufficient amount of chaotic flows is definitely necessary," Yan Yu analyzed, "If the water flows aren''t chaotic enough, the enemy will find a direction to break free. Therefore, to coordinate with the Sword Control Technique, I can think of two solutions."

    "One is to suddenly cease the Taoist method and at the same time control the Flying Sword to execute a killing strike at the very moment the water prison collapses. Since you control the timing of the cessation of the Taoist method, the operation should be relatively easy.

    But the downside is if you encounter an extremely powerful master, voluntarily dispersing your Taoist method will still provide an opportunity for a counterattack."

    "The second is to deepen your control of the Taoist method. You need to not only master the overall direction of the water flow but also be able to precisely predict the course of a particular undercurrent at a given moment, so that you can time it right and manipulate the sword to follow this undercurrent to execute the assassination... sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Without a doubt, this is very difficult, but if you can truly achieve this, then there won''t be any glaring weaknesses in your tactical system."

    Su Yunjin fell into contemplation. If it were the more laid-back previous self, after weighing the input against the output, she probably would have chosen the former option.

    After all, the latter is like tossing a box of ping pong balls into the air, then needing to at least grasp one ping pong ball''s falling trajectory... ordinary people, even just being able to pick out one specific ball from so many, would already require a lot of effort and practice.

    But...

    "I choose the second option," Su Yunjin said calmly.

    If the captain really becomes the strongest in this world in the future, then I at least have to be a cultivator who can "keep up with the strongest in this world." Otherwise, even if the captain still wishes to keep me in the team by then, how could I have the face to shamelessly be a drag?

    I must stay by the captain''s side to have a chance...

    Yan Yu, although vaguely feeling some sourceless heaviness, simply thought that Su Yunjin''s determination to become stronger was very strong, so far from being scared, he actually quite appreciated it and encouraged her with a smile:

    "It''s actually not difficult to practice this. When you cast your Taoist method to trap the target, just pay attention to the direction of the water flow. The more you observe, the more techniques you''ll grasp. However, how long it specifically takes and how much you can understand depends on your visual acuity, comprehension, and luck; specifically, I can''t say for sure."

    Su Yunjin also understood that the captain was saying: I don''t know, you just go ahead and try.

    However, the captain isn''t a professional in magical laws, so not knowing is normal. That he''s willing to help is already quite rare...

    She silently made excuses for Yan Yu in her heart, then suddenly heard Yan Yu say:

    "We''re here."

    In the current Southern Border, there no longer exists any serious secular authority, nor can one expect that just as you cross the border, the other side can quickly detect and deploy troops to intercept.

    The territories of the sorcerers are fragmented; most are only willing to manage their own land, a few not even willing to manage theirs, preferring to find a place to seclude themselves for cultivation. So even if you''ve resolved to thoroughly defeat them, it''s not necessarily easy to find them.

    But Yan Yu''s experience from his former life is too rich; how could such a matter stump him? First, he led the team along the dirt road, finding a village where not everyone had died yet, then went directly to the largest house in the town.

    To barge in forcefully.

    As sorcerers are not civil servants, lacking both the ability and the intention to manage commoners, they''d surely find a trustworthy commoner to manage their territory¡ªfor previous lifetimes in actual practice, these people usually arranged their relatives to act as the village or town leaders, most commonly their fathers or biological brothers.

    With his careless demeanor, Yan Yu barged in, in front of the other cultivators, gave the town leader residing there a chaotic beating, leaving him with a bruised nose and swollen face, several teeth knocked out, then strutted out of the door and said:

    "Wait here for them to come and meet their death."

    Listening to the miserable wails inside the house, along with the foreign language rattling away, everyone''s expressions ranged from confused to suddenly enlightened to thoughtful.

    After a moment, indeed, a large number of dark clouds could be seen coming from far away, quickly rushing towards the group!

 Chapter 80 When in Doubt, Switch Families

    ```Seeing a large number of Sorcerers rushing toward them, smart individuals like Chen Lingyun, Su Yunjin, or Li Minghu had already seen through the crux of the situation at a glance.

    Sorcerers would arrange for their mortal relatives to manage their territories, so these relatives definitely had a way to contact them, but the Rikoku Cultivators couldn''t communicate with these mortals, and the efficiency of intimidation or enticement wouldn''t be high. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Therefore, Yan Yu chose to beat people up rather than kill them.

    Mortals do not have enough understanding of the Transcendents to judge whether the person beating them up is stronger or weaker than their Sorcerer relatives.

    Considering they likely became village or town heads only after their Sorcerer relatives directly killed the previous leaders, these mortals typically brimmed with overconfidence, acting like a fox that borrows the tiger''s might. The first thing they would do after a beating was to urgently call the Sorcerers for rescue.

    In this way, they could successfully lure the snake out of its hole.

    The Sorcerers approaching from afar with great momentum even thought that the intruders in their territory might be Sorcerers from a neighboring hostile force, so they gathered people immediately to seek revenge, only to be greeted by the Rikoku Cultivators'' swords blazing skyward... At this point, where could they possibly escape to?

    Thud!

    Yan Yu and his group effortlessly wiped out this group of Sorcerers then swiftly left the village or town, tirelessly seeking the next settlement on their list.

    Although there was no surplus of communication, the fact that the tactics were executed so smoothly impressed everyone, who quickly noted down all of Yan Yu''s maneuvers.

    For about ten days, the group continued their assault, unaware of how many Sorcerers they had killed until the news finally reached the Witch King.

    The recent rampages of the Rikoku Cultivators took place in the territory of the Golden Light Sorcerer Suo Wen.

    Suo Wen was a supporter of the current Witch King Long Po Ming and strongly endorsed the plan to move north to plunder Rikoku''s resources, even personally summoning two thirds of his Sorcerers to join the Witch King Allied Forces.

    As a result, the remaining third left to guard their territories had been nearly wiped out by Yan Yu and his group. So much so that upon hearing the news, many quick-tempered Sorcerers wanted to abandon the northern campaign immediately to rush back and defend their homes.

    They must protect their homes! The Rikoku Cultivators mostly left after their attacks without staying for long, but the neighbors wouldn''t be so "kind"! It would be a dreadful outcome to return from the campaign empty-handed only to find the neighboring powers annexed their territories, ultimately losing both wealth and land.

    Suo Wen didn''t lose his head to the bad news like his subordinates. Although he had not heard of the famed "home switching tactic," he was aware that the Rikoku Cultivators were killing left and right exactly to force the Witch King Allied Forces to divide their troops.

    Can''t divide! Dividing is falling for their trap!

    But not dividing was not an option either because the anxious subordinates might rebel.

    Suo Wen could lead them because no one could beat him in single combat, but if these people united against him, the outcome would be uncertain.

    It would be easy for the Witch King to wave his hand and dispose of them all, but the problem remained the same: letting them go back meant losing manpower, disposing of them still meant losing manpower¡ªthere was no difference. It might as well let them return.

    Thus, the Witch King''s forces had to temporarily halt their northern march to discuss how to resolve this problem.

    After discussing for half a day, they finally arrived at a strategy: let Suo Wen hurry back with men to kill off these Rikoku Cultivators, arrange for adequate personnel to stay behind, and then quickly return to support the campaign.

    Although there would definitely be a delay, the Witch King Allied Forces were inherently a decentralized and loose structure, making it difficult to move in unison with strict commands. As such, this was seen as the best possible solution under the current circumstances, minimizing losses within a manageable range.

    "... Since it''s their optimal solution, it''s naturally predictable," Yan Yu said to his team after conquering another town and pausing to speak to the group. "The more Sorcerers we kill, the higher the likelihood that they will muster forces to hunt us down. The confrontation is almost inevitable; it''s just a matter of time."

    ```

    "This is good news," Li Minghu nodded and said, "Whether it''s to delay their progress in the northern campaign or to force them to split their forces, it''s all beneficial."

    "At this point, our strategy has been two-thirds successful," Yan Yu continued, "To take out this batch of troops would be equivalent to severely damaging the Witch King Allied Forces. The Witch King is likely to become restless. If he dares to disregard us, the hard-earned prestige he has built will be lost entirely. What kind of Witch King is he if he can''t even protect his subordinates?"

    "I understand the rationale," Li Zhaojiang said with a wry smile, "But in the end, we still need to defeat their reinforcements, right? And the number and quality of these reinforcements are definitely not on the same level as the enemies we''ve been dealing with these past few days."

    "Of course," Yan Yu admitted unabashedly, simply stating, "No matter how fancy the moves are, once the fighters engage, it inevitably comes down to a contest of inner strength. To employ ''using the slight to defeat the strong,'' you at least need to have the finesse of those critical four ounces to move a thousand pounds."

    Li Zhaojiang fell silent, his expression still filled with worry, as his sister had started coughing again recently.

    Almost a week and a half of Sword Flight and frequent deadly combat, pushing their bodies and depleting their True Yuan daily, even the girls of the Zhenhai Team were showing signs of exhaustion. Li Minghu''s health naturally suffered more, with her lung disease showing ominous signs of worsening.

    Li Zhaojiang was not afraid of deadly battles himself, but he was absolutely unwilling to let Li Minghu suffer any harm. In his anxious concern, his demeanor turned pessimistic and negative without him even realizing it.

    Yan Yu, seeing through the thoughts Li Zhaojiang was reluctant to express, did not waste words trying to soothe his emotions, but instead looked once more at the girls'' faces around him.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was still full of fighting spirit; Lin Ning, though haggard, had eyes as bright as morning stars that remained sharp and spirited.

    Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin both looked pale but managed to support themselves, with their performance in recent battles not falling short.

    As for the Annan Army on the other side, because the boys generally had stronger physiques, they were in better condition than the Zhenhai Team.

    Only Li Minghu, although she stubbornly refused to show her weakness, betrayed her physical condition with the frequency of her coughing.

    "I know everyone is very tired," Yan Yu said, having quickly considered the situation, "We could actually rest now and wait for the enemies to come to us. That way, we would only need to fight two major battles to completely accomplish our mission."

    "No need," Li Minghu spoke out against it, "How long do we have to wait if we rest now for the enemies to make their move? With each passing day, more Sorcerers will enter Nanjiang, and who knows how many people will suffer because of that... people who could have otherwise not died... cough cough cough!"

    Her face turned alarmingly pale as she took out an Elixir Medicine to consume, and her complexion finally regained some color.

    Yan Yu watched her silently, thinking to himself how her spirit of self-sacrifice seemed almost tangible. In his previous life, how had the Annan Army not noticed this? No wonder Li Zhaojiang couldn''t stand it later and turned to the dark side.

    If it were Chen Lingyun leading the team, he would definitely respect her wishes, but I, Yan Yu, am not that type of person.

    Perhaps the Valkyrie could find a secluded place to rest temporarily, and the others could go the extra mile and make a concerted effort. But Li Minghu certainly would not agree to stand by and watch. I need to think of a way to trick... I mean, come up with a reasonable explanation to convince her.

    While Yan Yu was silently pondering, the rest couldn''t bear to watch and began to urge Li Minghu to rest immediately, telling her not to treat Elixir Medicine like a stimulant.

    Li Minghu naturally refused, insisting on staying to fight alongside everyone. It seems that in my past life, all the powerful Sword Immortals had stubborn temperaments. The Valkyrie died rather than retreat, Lin Ning would rather stay single than engage in matchmaking, Lord Master would rather break with his family than not choose his own wife, and Teacher Mei naturally went without saying.

    Sigh, Sword Immortals who handle things flexibly like me are just too rare.

    Just as Yan Yu was wracking his brains to weave words to persuade Li Minghu, suddenly he saw dark clouds gathering in the Northeastern sky. It appeared that a large number of Sorcerers were invoking the Ghost Walking Technique, flying towards them.

    Upon seeing this, Yan Yu immediately rejoiced:

    Good, they''re coming!

 Chapter 1 & 2)

    An ominous wind howled from afar, and the demonic voices thundered through the sky, as if a tide of dark clouds pushed forward, oppressively dark.Stay tuned for updates on My Virtual Library Empire

    In their midst appeared an endless number of sorcerers, flickering in and out of the demonic wind like phantoms!

    With withered hair and haggard looks were the Curse Technique Masters, some controlling ink-black zombies, others manipulating ghostly resentful spirits as dull as snow. Various evil creatures swirled around them, as if they were lords of the underworld.

    The Tattooed Charm Masters bared their chests, their bodies covered in tattooed charms and seals. Their faces wore expressions of wrath, and their eyes bulged in fury, resembling the fierce, ominous deities of legend.

    Sitting cross-legged while forming hand seals were the Curse Technique Masters, emitting four types of divine light¡ªblack, red, green, and yellow¡ªbehind them, symbolizing the four elements of water, fire, wind, and earth. They looked like deities descended to the mortal plane.

    Of course, the most numerous were the "Southeast Asia sword immortals"¡ªthe Curse Technique masters. With palms facing upward, they held their crafted curses, including small spirits, poisonous insects, or other evil entities, all waiting for the moment the masters would utter the word "terror" and immediately fly out to kill.

    Among these four professions, the Curse Technique Masters had the longest attack range. The battle had yet to begin when a barrage of curses came flying like a swarm. Evil spirits cackled, and poisonous insects screamed, quickly sealing off all possible escape routes for everyone.

    "Down," commanded Yan Yu.

    Rapidly diving into the forest, everyone''s sword light sank. Before they could make their next move, Yan Yu''s voice came again:

    "Retreat."

    The collective sword flight reversed, smashing through countless trees. Almost instantly, the spot where they had landed was blanketed by a meteoric rain of fire.

    The Curse Technique Masters'' Vajra Fire Spells were not as violent as Zhou Hongyu''s Great Bright Fire, but with hundreds of fire spells combined, it was enough to turn the forest into charred ruins.

    This was the terror of large-scale battles! It wasn''t just Yan Yu¡ª even Mei Yingxue, standing here facing the bombardment of over a hundred curses, would have nothing to do but flee by sword flight.

    "Invisibility," Yan Yu ordered.

    Everyone hurried to disengage their Sword-Human Unity and instead activated their Invisibility Technique.

    Chen Lingyun and Li Minghu gave meticulous commands, pinpointing coordinates one by one: those above trees concealed in the branches, those behind slopes hid behind them, setting up a classic ambush formation.

    The sorcerers in the sky quickly split into two groups. One continued to patrol the skies to prevent the Rikoku Cultivators from escaping into the air again; the other descended to the site of the Curse Technique bombardment to search for any trace of bodies.

    With no corpses found, it was obvious they had fled.

    But there was nothing surprising about this. The opposition consisted of a dozen people, and they faced an army of thousands; not fleeing would have been the real surprise.

    After a brief exchange in their rapid native tongue, the descending sorcerers quickly organized into teams of twenty, following the direction of the damaged trees in a methodical search.

    Sword Flight was suitable for open areas. It could also be used in the forest, but inevitably, one would collide with trees¡ªthe fallen trees thus became silent markers, showing exactly where you had passed.

    Therefore, the enemy must have stopped their Sword Flight and used other means to flee.

    Chase!

    At this moment, these sorcerers hadn''t considered that their opponents might choose to stay put and set up an ambush. How could a mere dozen people possibly attempt to ambush a thousand?

    The anxiously hiding cultivators also felt the tension. Honestly, facing ten enemies per person might be feasible, but facing a hundred was a bit far-fetched.

    Even employing hit-and-run tactics in favorable terrain, once their tracks were discovered, given the overwhelming numbers of the enemy, a single spell from each would be enough to raze even the largest forest.

    Although we were the strongest individually, they weren''t going to engage in a one-on-one fight! How could we fight?

    After a moment of silence, Yan Yu suddenly spoke:

    "I''ll draw their attention. You guys strike at the outskirts of the battlefield," S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Before Chen Lingyun could respond, Li Minghu hurriedly advised:

    "Don''t be reckless. Even if we split into two groups and scatter the opposition''s forces before picking them off one by one, it would still be better than you risking it alone!"

    "That''s not right," Yan Yu refuted her suggestion, "If no one''s drawing their attention in front, the disappearance of any of our teams will quickly be noticed by them."

    "Moreover, to achieve stealthy, rapid kills, managing two enemies per person is already the limit. If we were to split our forces further and face four per person, the risk factor would become far too great."

    "You''re facing many on your own; isn''t the risk factor even higher?" Li Minghu countered, then incredulously turned to the girls of the Zhenhai Team, "Why aren''t any of you speaking up?"

    The girls fell silent. We know our captain far better than you do¡ªhe''s always been the macho kind of loner hero. Once he decides to leave the team to fight alone, he won''t listen to anyone. How can we persuade him?

    "Are you alright?" Chen Lingyun suddenly asked.

    "What could be wrong with me?" Yan Yu retorted.

    "You know what I''m asking," Chen Lingyun said leisurely.

    Fasting technique.

    Yan Yu practiced the fasting technique; it had been almost a week and a half since the battle began, without a single drop of water or a morsel of food.

    Though he was still alive and outwardly seemed fine, to say his body was unaffected was undoubtedly impossible.

    In truth, starting from the fifth day of complete fasting, even Yan Yu himself felt that while his consciousness remained unimpeded, his core strength and reflexes had roughly dropped to seventy percent of his original level¡ªthis was the body, not yet adept in fasting, involuntarily reducing its functions due to the lack of sustenance.

 Chapter 1 & 2)_2

    But no matter, it''s not important!Even with only seventy percent of our standard abilities, we''re more than capable of making a show of it!

    "It''s fine," Yan Yu said in a deep voice, "I''m confident."

    Speaking of confidence, the girls were reminded of the previous battle in the Mysterious Realm of Black Dragon Isle, where Yan Yu had single-handedly toyed with over a hundred Onmyoji...

    Of course, subsequent video playback and analysis suggested that the Onmyoji had been too arrogant, prioritizing capturing the flag and killing the general over dealing with Yan Yu, which allowed Yan Zhanlong to successfully pull off a "one versus a hundred" trick.

    However, belief in someone is built step by step. If he says he can reach a small goal today and achieves it, then tomorrow when he says he can become the wealthiest, there will be people who believe him, because this guy always delivers on his promises.

    The girls from Zhenhai Team no longer spoke; at least on matters involving the team, they had unconditional trust and obedience to Yan Yu''s judgement.

    Li Minghu wanted to persuade further, but Li Zhaojiang quickly sent a mental message:

    "Sister, we''ve agreed to let Yan Yu lead the team, just go with his decisions! I used to worry about you, and you always told me I was indecisive. Now, why can''t you seem to get it?"

    "If Yan Yu really sacrifices himself because of this, that''s not just a loss for our team, but a loss for the whole Lu Country!" Li Minghu still stood by her point, but seeing that everyone else had already consented, she could only drop the issue.

    Yan Yu left controlling his sword and began the hefty task of kiting a thousand by himself. Chen Lingyun then messaged Li Minghu with a smile:

    "Shall we command together, or should we do it separately?"

    "You take over the command," Li Minghu had no mind to discuss with her and simply handed over all control, deciding to focus on being a Sword Immortal.

    All''s done with that.

    Chen Lingyun, being extremely intelligent, immediately sensed the source of Li Minghu''s frustration. She took over the command of the Zhenghai Team with a smile, and then began silently communicating, arranging the troops.

    The dispersed searching teams of Sorcerers, with their vanguard squad already walking into the ambush.

    Chen Lingyun''s divine sense swept over, scanning the enemy''s formation and hiding places of the Yin Ghosts with clarity.

    She held the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner in her hand, quietly releasing the five ghosts and the mother-and-child resentful spirits.

    Suddenly, like a thunderclap breaking the silence, the radiance of Huang Tingjian''s sword burst forth violently, slashing through the tree canopy and startling all the surrounding Sorcerers.

    The moment the vanguard turned to look towards the sky, Chen Lingyun had already sent a mental command:

    "Attack!"

    As her voice fell, three streaks of sword light were the first to dash out.

    Sword Immortals could stand still and strike the enemy with their Sword Control Technique, or they could use Sword Control to fly and slash, rampaging across the battlefield. The former conserved True Yuan, while the latter boasted mobility and destructive power.

    Lin Ning, Li Minghu, and Jiang Hong turned into streaks of sword light, flying wildly; meeting trees, they would split them, encountering people, they would sever them, capitalizing on the initiative to wreak havoc, and for a while, no one could match them.

    After a few seconds of chaos, the Sorcerers quickly got into combat mode.

    One of the Tattooed Charm Masters clasped his hands in incantation, the tattooed curse characters on his body lighting up as a golden figure of the Immovable Wisdom King, about five meters tall holding a giant demon-subduing whip, emerged from behind him and swept forward directly at Lin Ning''s Green Bamboo sword light.

    Just as Lin Ning was surrounded and fighting off three Curse Technique insects and struggled to break free as a Curse Technique Master desperately entangled her, seeing that she was about to be hit by the demon-subduing whip, a streak of azure light like a thrown ribbon scattered forth, landing on the Immovable Wisdom King, immediately immobilizing it and allowing Lin Ning to finally escape.

    Wang Haoran was manipulating the treasure, the Annals of Green History, managing to immobilize the Immovable Wisdom King''s figure, secretly amazed at the feat.

    Deputy Captain Chen''s command style is completely different from Deputy Captain Li''s. Li Minghu, apart from the key tactical maneuvers, lets everyone judge for themselves and reviews the details afterwards to make improvements.

    On the other hand, Chen Lingyun does the opposite, with an extremely meticulous command style, having him and Su Yunjin stand by her side, directing them on where to attack, issuing orders very frequently.

    With the Qing Shi''s Long Stratagem and the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art both capable of exerting strong control effects on the enemy, Chen Lingyun directed the two as firefighting team members, addressing issues wherever they arose, which proved unfailingly effective.

    The three Sword Immortals fought fiercely at the front, forcing the Sorcerers to hurriedly employ life-preserving techniques. The Onmyoji allowed the Yin Ghosts to possess and vanish, the Tattooed Charm Masters summoned various incarnations, the Curse Technique Masters cast the Pagoda Earth Curse, and the Curse Technique Masters clashed directly with the sword lights.

    In the blink of an eye, the battlefield became incredibly chaotic, with everyone fighting their own battles.

    That''s how it is with lesser Transcendents; they have no concept of partnership. Once the pressure of the battlefield mounts, they show their true colors.

    Chen Lingyun sneered in her heart, commanding Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi to use the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin and Jade Pivot Thunder to take down the Onmyoji, who were likely to escape first.

    Six Onmyoji were killed in a matter of seconds, to the point where the others finally realized something was amiss - the enemy was targeting our Onmyoji!

    Another Tattooed Charm Master pinched a spell between his fingers and tossed a bowl from his sleeve. It spun idly in the air for a moment before rapidly expanding to a radius of seven or eight meters and slammed down on the Sorcerers'' heads.

    Li Minghu assassinated one, then quickly turned and swiftly retreated from the range of the magical artifact''s cover. He twisted the sword light again to strike the bowl, only to produce a dull thud, like metal on metal.

    The bowl turned out to be some kind of defensive artifact, able to resist the Sword Immortals'' Sword Control slash!

    Seeing the Sorcerers protected by the bowl beginning to recover their True Yuan and preparing their deadly moves, Li Minghu was about to attempt another breakthrough when he heard Chen Lingyun''s psychic message:

    "Retreat."

    Without hesitation, she turned her sword light around and retreated with Lin Ning and Jiang Hong. Shortly after, Li Zhaojiang laughed heartily, his hands rubbing together as he cast the Magnet Divine Light, striking directly at the bowl in front.

    The bowl, though large, lost contact with its master after being hit by the Magnet Divine Light, spun a few more circles in the air, shrank, and flew towards Li Zhaojiang.

    The Sorcerers, naturally in a panic, scrambled back to retrieve their artifact, only to be targeted by Xie Ruoxi''s Thunder Method. The two who rushed to the front were shattered to pieces.

    Desperate to turn back and flee, they were intercepted by Chen Lingyun''s Five Ghosts and the Mother and Son Resentful Spirits blocking their path. The crowd hurriedly tried to strike down the Yin Ghosts, only to see a drizzle of ice descend from the sky, each raindrop instantly turning into a sharp ice needle!

    With Thunder Method blocking the way forward and Five Ghosts blocking the retreat, the remaining middle ground was right within Tao Xingyuan''s spell bombardment radius, measured so precisely it seemed pre-calibrated.

    As the ice needles fell, two more were killed instantly, and more importantly, the enemy''s morale was shattered; they were even too lazy to fight back and scattered left and right to escape.

    Lin Ning and the other two Sword Immortals quickly split up to pursue, killing the Sorcerers who lost courage and fled. Chen Lingyun leisurely waved the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, gathering all the masterless Yin Ghosts into the banner, and then said:

    "Invisible, let''s go."

    The group urgently evacuated the scene to avoid enemy attention from the aftermath of the battle, leaving only dozens of corpses behind.

    But as for Yan Yu, he took off on his sword, instantly drawing all the attention from the surrounding area.

    He stimulated all his True Yuan, the sword light soaring through the clouds, and then cruised at that altitude while his Divine Sense swept the area below.

    He quickly located the Sorcerer Suo Wen.

    At this point in time, high-ranking Sorcerers were still arrogant, disliking cooperation with others to face enemies, while low-ranking Sorcerers preferred to stick together, so if there was anyone standing alone on the battlefield, it must undoubtedly be a high-ranking Sorcerer.

    In the future, as more were killed, these high-ranking Sorcerers would learn to stealthily blend in with others to avoid being targeted, but that time had not yet come ¨C Suo Wen merely looked up with disdain, staring at the Green Bamboo Sword light diving from the sky; his right hand spun his rosary, releasing a horde of resentful spirits.

    Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire

    Not a single Yin Ghost, but thousands upon thousands. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 82 One Kite for 1000 People (Two-in-One)

    People upon people, they reach the ground and connect to the sky.From Yan Yu''s perspective, the ground and sky were filled with enemies. A myriad of colored lights, dense and numerous, they didn''t rush to attack but simply surrounded him from all sides.

    Then came the golden light Sorcerer, Suo Wen, who cast a secret technique to transmit his voice. Surprisingly, he spoke in the Lu Country''s language:

    "Longcheng Flying General! I respect you as a hero! Yet now you stoop to serve the orders of mere mortals, driven like cattle and horses! Doesn''t that diminish your heroic spirit?"

    "Why not join the Witch King under my command, and I''ll appoint you as the Grand Marshal to conquer the northern borders! From then on, you can have the wind at your beck and call and the rain on demand, even taking seven or eight wives is no trouble at all, so why insist on bending the knee as a lapdog for those in power!"

    The other party''s Lu Country tongue was not only heavily accented and tonally inverted, but every sentence was also delivered with an exclamation, as if they learned it by watching Lu Country''s fantasy dramas.

    However, Yan Yu didn''t hesitate for a moment, as the light from his Huang Tingjian sword soared into the sky once again, and he laughed:

    "You think you''re in a position to negotiate with me? Pass a Mandarin proficiency test first, then come talk to me!"

    Suo Wen, hearing such a rejection, didn''t show any anger on his face but merely sneered and waved his hand.

    Thus, an overwhelming flood of Curse Techniques, Resentful Spirits, Magic Artifacts, and more burst forth like a breached dam towards the light of the Huang Tingjian sword! S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    If it had been any other Cultivator, they probably wouldn''t have lasted three rounds before being completely submerged by the barrage of spells. But Yan Yu, with his vast experience, spurred his sword light up into the heavens, instantly plunging into the sea of clouds and vanishing, causing the torrential onslaught of attacks to miss altogether.

    Suo Wen narrowed his eyes slightly, gripping the prayer beads in his hand firmly. The Yin Ghosts he had quietly released earlier swiftly surged towards the sea of clouds.

    He had once acquired these "Divine Evil Prayer Beads" by chance. They imprisoned innumerable Resentful Spirits and evil ghosts, all capable of being unleashed to harm and kill others, making them extremely useful.

    Suo Wen, known as the Golden Light Sorcerer, was actually a Curse Technique Master and wasn''t supposed to use Magic Artifacts related to Yin Ghosts. But who among the lay Transcendents would care about the Scholarly Faction''s strict doctrines?

    He immediately treasured it as a precious find and refined it; ever since, he gained the ability to control Yin Ghosts, essentially practicing dual disciplines as a Yin Sorcerer.

    Now that the Longcheng Flying General had hidden above the sea of clouds and was nowhere to be found, he naturally couldn''t use Curse Techniques to strike, and it was the perfect opportunity to employ the Yin Sorcerer''s tactics to seek out his enemy.

    No sooner had the Yin Ghosts entered the sea of clouds than they saw the sky-piercing sword light, like a deep abyss or a towering monument, cutting through layers of cloud cover from above!

    This sword strike came too swiftly, brushing past countless Resentful Spirits and Yin Ghosts in an instant and directly targeting the Golden Light Sorcerer Suo Wen. Even the surrounding Sorcerers were caught off guard and couldn''t react in time.

    Suo Wen threw out the Divine Evil Prayer Beads, which spun half a turn in the air, and suddenly met the oncoming light of the Huang Tingjian sword.

    These prayer beads were no ordinary object, with Mysterious Seal Script carved upon them, capable of locking down all magical and enchanted artifacts, rendering them void of spirit and unable to be activated.

    Yan Yu didn''t know what the prayer beads were, but having lived two lifetimes, he had already developed a set of effective methods for dealing with all kinds of strange and unknown magical artifacts.

    The sword light flew swiftly towards the prayer beads and, just before it was about to hit, abruptly veered downward, instantly avoiding the collision with the beads. Your journey continues on My Virtual Library Empire

    But that slight deviation slowed the rhythm of his attack by half a beat, allowing the surrounding Sorcerers to finally react, swiftly launching various treacherous techniques, the brilliance almost blotting out the sky.

    Leading the charge were the Curse Technique Masters'' ghastly incantations. Numerous little ghosts were laughing, cursing, and wildly clawing their way forward, attacking as swiftly as the wind. Their bodies were as light as a swallow''s, and their speed was even faster than Yan Yu''s Sword Control...

    in truth, it was because Yan Yu''s Fasting practice was not yet complete, which caused blockages in his meridians and True Yuan.

    Following the ghost incantations were the slightly slower insect incantations. Flying snakes, spiders, scorpions, toads, and centipedes, an orchestra of shrieking Poisonous Insects rustling and bustling in unison, ready to pounce on any Cultivator and instantly bite them to death, not leaving even a shred of bone behind.

    With an empty stomach, Yan Yu could not output True Yuan to his fullest potential for Sword Control. Seeing that the sword light was about to be caught up by the little ghosts, he suddenly shifted downwards in a steep angle, revealing his tactical intention to hide within the forest on the ground.

    The little ghosts were quick to react, quickly following the steep downward move, tenaciously chasing the tail of the sword light.

    Yan Yu suddenly changed direction again, the sword light sharply ascending upward, planning to shake off the pursuers trailing him on the vertical axis.

    The little ghosts almost crashed into the forest below, hastily readjusting their direction to chase after Yan Yu as he ascended diagonally... but this change led to a problem!

    First moving diagonally downward and then upward amounted to taking a V-shaped trajectory, which was naturally slower than flying straight.

    The insect incantations, not as quick to respond as the ghost incantations, maintained a straight-line trajectory instead of adjusting to Yan Yu''s changes in flight direction ¨C the result was that the slower-moving second wave of attacks struck the circuitous first wave of attacks!

    Curse Technique Masters can only choose one form among three: ghost, insect, or flying incantations. Those employing ghost incantations and insect incantations were not the same practitioners.

    Coupled with the volatile nature of the Poisonous Insects, which violently barged into the swarm of little ghosts from behind, there was no holding back as they viciously started biting and gnawing at each other.

    The little ghosts, unable to bear the pain, ignored the commands of the Curse Technique Masters and turned to fight the Poisonous Insects in a chaotic melee, with broken wings and dark blood splattering everywhere.

    On the Curse Technique Masters'' side, as their incantations collectively malfunctioned, they could no longer focus on pursuing Yan Yu and had to quickly mobilize their divine thoughts to suppress the incantations'' urge to kill and urgently recall them.

    The third wave of attacks, controlled by Yin Sorcerers, consisted of Resentful Spirits and Yin Ghosts. Because they flew even slower, they were not caught up in the mutual destruction of the ghost and insect incantations.

 Chapter 82 One Kite for 1000 People (Two-in-One)_2

    Under the manipulation of the necromancers, those resentful spirits circled over the battle scene and followed the light of Yan Yu''s Huang Tingjian sword into the sea of clouds.After a while, the sword light pierced through the clouds again, resorting to the same tactic and striking at Suo Wen.

    Although Suo Wen did not spit blood when he saw this, he was extremely depressed in his heart.

    The Curse Technique Masters'' curse techniques were extremely ferocious, and when their killing intent arose they wouldn''t even recognize their own kin. Fooled by the strategy of the Longcheng Flying General, they were now slaughtering each other, and nearly half of them had already been wasted.

    As for the necromancers'' Yin Ghosts, their flying speed was too slow, and they simply couldn''t keep up with the light of the Huang Tingjian sword... While the enemy was almost upon them, those Yin Ghosts were still emerging from the sea of clouds, desperately trying to hustle back.

    The best plan for the moment was to lure him close enough so that he wouldn''t have time to dodge the curse techniques, and then to bomb him collectively with the Curse Technique Masters, using various curse techniques to directly pulverize him!

    Suo Wen calmly clasped his hands, allowing Yan Yu''s sword light to strike close to him.

    700 meters... 600 meters... 500 meters! A little closer, and he would blast him!

    Just as the Huang Tingjian sword light was about to descend to a height where the Curse Technique could not be avoided, Suo Wen''s hands hidden in his sleeves had already formed the light of the Golden Light Subjugation Curse, and suddenly he waved his sleeves, striking out hastily.

    Immediately after, he couldn''t help but roar in rage.

    Damn it! Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But he saw the light of Yan Yu''s sword suddenly shift sideways, performing a drift right at the gate of hell, narrowly and thrillingly evading all the curse techniques at a critical moment.

    Then the sword light shot downward fiercely, completely ignoring the empty-handed Suo Wen, and headed straight into the crowd of Curse Technique Masters.

    Close combat was always the best way to deal with ranged attackers.

    The Curse Technique Masters who could follow Suo Wen were of course also battle-hardened from the Southern Border, and they immediately stopped the curse technique bombardment, scattered, retreated, and opened up the distance, allowing their Tattooed Charm Masters and necromancers to step in.

    Some of the Tattooed Charm Masters activated the tattoos and charms, manifesting various majestic law bodies behind them to protect the retreating Curse Technique Masters. The necromancers, on the other hand, tapped their yin plaques to propel zombies forward, trying to encircle and trap the light of the Huang Tingjian sword to death.

    Yan Yu killed four Curse Technique Masters in a row and then suddenly veered left, attempting to break out of the encirclement. Two law bodies stretched out fan-like giant hands to block him, but the sword light moved down, then up, and down again, performing an ultra-fast Z-shaped maneuver, slipping through the narrow gap between the two law bodies.

    The crowd hurriedly scrambled to adjust their formation, retreating when needed, and closing in to surround, but after all, they were a ragtag army and hadn''t properly trained to deploy troops and arrange formations, so their adjustment speed couldn''t keep up with Yan Yu''s formation-breaking speed.

    Oftentimes, before the encirclement could be fully established, he would burst through the gap, then continue to kill several more, waiting for you to re-establish the encirclement, and then repeat the trick to slip away before it was completed.

    Golden Light Master Suo Wen was watching from above, feeling his blood pressure almost sky-rocketing.

    The situation was becoming ever more clear, that the Sword Flight of the Longcheng Flying General was too fast and too agile. Any attack strategy that couldn''t keep up with his speed, whether it was meant to encircle or to lure the enemy, simply couldn''t hit him.

    Those who could keep up with that speed?

    The Curse Technique Masters took quite some effort but finally managed to suppress the mutually killing cursed beings with their evil methods, and then urgently called them back to go and kill Yan Yu.

    Facing layers upon layers of various curse techniques, Yan Yu was not afraid at all but suddenly revved up his sword light...

    ...and ran away.

    Suo Wen finally spat blood. Fight and run, this Longcheng Flying General really had no sense of martial honor!

    The Curse Technique Masters wanted to again drive the Cursed Techniques to chase and kill but were immediately stopped by Suo Wen:

    "Everyone''s been chased! Do you want to repeat the same process again?"

    Recalling the scene of the cursed beings slaughtering each other, the frantically enraged Curse Technique Masters finally calmed down.

    The nature of the cursed beings was ferocious, and their ability to automatically seek enemies were supposed to be advantages, but somehow the Longcheng Flying General had played some trick, turning these around to be used against them, resulting in severe drawbacks...

    Now, to think of a way to break this situation, we must prevent the Curse Technique from automatically seeking enemies, lest we be led into attacking each other by the enemy. However, if the Curse Technique Master has to direct every Curse Technique, then it cannot fly too far and it would be impossible to catch up with the Longcheng Flying General.

    Suo Wen had already made sense of this conundrum. Although he still could not accept the fact that a thousand of his men were being toyed with by one person on the other side, there was a saying in Lu Country that fit well, "Observation and detail are the precursors to capturing a skilled adversary."

    The current task at hand was that if the entire army were to chase after the Longcheng Flying General, they would be played and delayed by him, falling right into his trap.

    "I, Master of Light Suo Wen, how could I fall for such a low trick?"

    "Forget about the Longcheng Flying General!" Suo Wen quickly ordered, "Continue to blockade high altitudes and spread a net in the woods for a search! Find all the other Cultivators! I refuse to believe that all the Cultivators from Lu Country can achieve the level of the Longcheng Flying General!"

    The Sorcerers were also greatly invigorated. After all, the most enjoyable thing in life is to pick on the weak, and the most painful thing is to have no choice but to collide an egg against a rock, regardless of the nationality.

    Find the other Cultivators from Lu Country!

    In Pingjing Prefecture, Lu Country''s Privy Council.

    Satellite surveillance had already divided into two areas, with the main screen monitoring the war situation in the Southern Border within the territory, and the auxiliary screen tracking the performance of the Champion Marquis squad outside the border.

    The situation in the Southern Border was relatively stable. Beyond the border, permanent herbicides had been deployed, clearing large areas of open isolation zones. Any Sorcerer that appeared was immediately subjected to remote firepower projection.

    The effect could be described as significant but also useless. Significant in that it indeed eliminated enemies, but futile because there were still sporadic Sorcerers entering the Southern Border... with no idea how they managed to infiltrate, presumably through some unknown methods like invisibility.

    Fortunately, the defensive teams within the territory were efficient, able to fly over promptly with Sword Control and eliminate the enemies. So far, there have only been injuries among the populace, with houses and properties damaged, all caught in the aftermath of attacks.

    A more severe issue was the high vegetation coverage in the Southern Border and the massive swarms of miasma that obscured visibility, which meant that the main force of the Witch King had not yet been located.

    Whether the enemy would infiltrate in scattered units or concentrate their forces to break through with protective amulets, was still entirely unknown.

    An extreme solution was proposed by the military advisors: to douse the entire Southern Border with permanent herbicide and remove all the vegetation. After high-level discussions, this was still vetoed because the Southern Border has an area of 4.57 million square kilometers. First, how much herbicide would be needed, and how many airplanes and drones would be required to complete this operation?

    The level of technology in Lu Country of this world was not yet at a point where they could reshape a planetary surface on a large scale, except by using nuclear weapons.

    Let us turn our attention back to the Champion Marquis squad. If they could decapitate the Witch King, then the entire Allied Forces would naturally crumble.

    Of course, Lu Country was not the only one closely monitoring the situation in the Southern Border.

    At the Grand Onmyoji Institute, the bigwigs were also using disguised weather satellites to watch the battles unfolding on the surface of the Southern Border.

    Previously, in the secret battle at Black Dragon Isle, Yan Zhanlong accomplished the feat of fighting one against two hundred. Afterward, the Institute conducted a tactical review and believed that Shenyuan Guang had underestimated Yan Zhanlong''s strength, leading his men to focus on continuing to slay enemy generals and capturing flags.

    If he had mobilized personnel in time to surround and pursue Yan Zhanlong, the defeat would not have been so disastrous.

    Now, Yan Yu was single-handedly kiting a thousand men, and his sword light was still as if entering a realm without adversaries, causing the bigwigs to feel a sense of disarray as if their knowledge was being refreshed once again.

    Damn it! Yan Zhanlong, what kind of Pok¨¦mon are you, to evolve into a Longcheng Flying General? Stay updated with My Virtual Library Empire

    Experience proved that even if a large number of people were mobilized to hunt him down, if the average skill level could not catch up with the Longcheng Flying General, no matter how many there were, it would be in vain.

    To gather a large group of high-level Onmyoji capable of combating the Longcheng Flying General was also unrealistic. Upon careful consideration, one would still need to resort to risky tactics, finding some kind of specialized means to restrict him.

    Such as barriers, such as seals.

    The Grand Onmyoji Institute regarded Yan Yu as the ultimate enemy, but the Superhero Alliance did not share this life-and-death opposition.

    They were currently discussing internally whether or not to negotiate with Lu Country''s Privy Council and sign a cooperation agreement regarding the division of the Pacific Ocean.

    Using the time zones as boundaries, the entire west side of the Pacific belongs to you, just don''t come to the east side!

 Chapter 83 Longcheng Flying General, Thats All There Is To It!

    After wiping out another entire Witchcraft Squad, Li Zhaojiang''s mind began carrying out high-level mathematical calculations.Assuming each squad has 20 people, ten squads make up 200 people, and fifty squads make up 1,000 people.

    The other side should have brought around a thousand people, with about half landing to search for tracks, so that''s roughly 25-30 squads.

    Basing on 30 squads, we''ve already killed 6 squads, so...

    "We''re still killing too slowly," Li Minghu suddenly said. "The enemy isn''t deaf or blind. When one-fifth of their teams lose contact, they will quickly realize we are conducting a counter-annihilation operation."

    "They''ve already realized it," Chen Lingyun confirmed the situation ahead with the Yin Ghost, smiling as she spoke, "They''re just pretending not to know, while secretly setting up a trap for us to fall into."

    "We can''t fall into a trap," Li Minghu frowned as he spoke.

    "Do you have any good ideas?" Chen Lingyun asked with an expectant smile.

    "Do you have a plan?" instead of answering, Li Minghu countered with a question.

    "Why don''t we both write it on our phones?" Chen Lingyun suggested, "We can compare notes and choose the best course of action."

    "Alright."

    The other team members crowded around, watching as the two deputy team leaders typed out their messages and displayed their screens.

    Li Minghu wrote, "Divide and conquer." Discover stories with My Virtual Library Empire

    Chen Lingyun wrote, "Break the whole into parts."

    The two exchanged a glance, nodding to each other as though they had reached a silent understanding... only to hear Li Zhaojiang unable to help asking:

    "Wait, so what exactly did you two communicate?"

    "I''ll explain later," Li Minghu turned his head to give the order, "Qing''an''s combat team, follow me!"

    Zhenghai and Qing''an''s teams quickly split in two and started moving separately.

    Yan Yu''s sword light traveled swiftly in the air, as the sorcerers around him kept shooting attacks his way but refused to personally pursue him.

    As long as he stayed out of the attack range, the enemy continued to patrol on their original route... as if they were merely shooing away an annoying fly.

    Yan Yu: ..........

    No, it was a bit funny.

    Of course, he could understand the reason behind the enemy''s decision, which was nothing more than feeling that the Longcheng Flying General was too cunning and slippery, and that deploying men to chase him would be a waste of time. Instead, they preferred to focus their manpower on hunting down his teammates¡ªthat is, to pick off the low-hanging fruit first.

    And furthermore, if they truly managed to capture one or two individuals, they might even use them as hostages to force him to surrender without a fight...

    Indeed, it was a beautiful thought.

    On the matter of "temporarily ignoring Yan Yu," Shenyuan Guang, who was just disembarking from the ferry at Sanzu River, would probably find common ground with Suo Wen.

    Yan Yu quietly urged on the sword light, aiming straight for the golden light sorcerer, Suo Wen.

    Then I shall go and take off his head!

    Suo Wen watched Yan Yu approach with a cold eye, unafraid, simply sneering.

    This title of Longcheng Flying General was indeed fitting¡ªnothing but flying back and forth from start to finish. If you send men to kill him, he will lead them around like walking dogs, making them run all over the place.

    But if you don''t fall for the trick at all, don''t get fooled, then he can only come and confront you directly.

    It''s just the right time!

    Suo Wen was very confident in his ability to defeat the Longcheng Flying General. After all, he had started from a folk sorcerer and fought his way up the ranks, almost invincible in the Southern Border, and even the current Witch King had spoken highly of his strength.

    Without the confidence of a strong person, how could he have possibly become a great lord in this Southern Border?

    Suo Wen first threw out the Divine Evil Prayer Beads, blocking the offensive momentum of the Huang Ting Sword Light, and then swiftly formed a spell with his hands.

    The prayer beads spun around in mid-air and rapidly released a large number of Yin Ghosts and Resentful Spirits, snarling and pouncing towards the sword light.

    Yin Ghosts were mostly immune to physical damage, and the Flying Swords of the Qi Refinement stage couldn''t deal with them. Therefore, Yan Yu had no intention of getting entangled with them¡ªhe simply dodged downwards to avoid the ghost onslaught and then surged upwards to attack Suo Wen once again.

    Suo Wen had been waiting for this move, scattering a mass of brilliant gold light from his sleeves, which spread like clouds and mist, pouring down right onto Yan Yu''s head.

    This radiant golden light seemed sacred, but inside it was incredibly domineering.

    Whether it shone on Flying Swords or on magical artifacts, it could directly erase their spirit, turning them into scrap; if it shone on a Transcendent, the person would immediately become dazed and senseless, turning into an idiotic waste, respond to commands like a dog or a pig, with not a shred of self-awareness to speak of.

    The trouble was that its range was enormously vast, almost covering the entire 150-degree fan-shaped area directly ahead; there was absolutely no way to evade it using short-distance movements.

    Yan Yu quickly moved his sword light away, dodging that vast expanse of golden light, and with a wide arc, skirted around the attacking Yin Ghosts. To the surrounding Sorcerers, it looked as if Suo Wen casually launched a curse, achieving the effect previously requiring thousands of troops¡ªforcing the Longcheng Flying General to retreat, not daring to approach.

    Excellent, excellent! Truly worthy of our beloved leader!

    Thinking this, everyone''s spirits were invigorated as they began hurling various attacks at Yan Yu, trying to pin down the slippery, erratically-flying Longcheng Flying General.

    Yan Yu''s sword light soared once more, avoiding the tide-like barrage of attacks. Just as the Sorcerers were about to continue the pursuit, Suo Wen quickly reminded them:

    "Don''t act rashly! If everyone chases him, we''ll fall for his cunning plan! Everyone should maintain the original aerial patrol routes. Don''t let any other Rikoku Cultivators have a chance to escape. If you see the Longcheng Flying General enter your attack range, just hit him in passing."

    The Witchcraft Squad quickly received the order and fixed the collective Ghost Walking Technique''s route, ensuring all the Sorcerers continued their patrol.

    Although everyone was monitoring the surroundings, their attention was invariably drawn upwards¡ªseeing the Huang Ting Sword Light circling around the Yin Ghost army, repeatedly launching attacks at Suo Wen, only to be forcefully repelled by a deluge of golden light the next second. Unable to penetrate, he could only roam the periphery, in an evident dilemma of being tied up with no solution.

    Initially, everyone had been led around by the Longcheng Flying General like walking a dog. Now, with the Longcheng Flying General helpless against Suo Wen, the Sorcerers found it very satisfying. They continued to laugh and hurl long-distance attacks at Yan Yu, forcing him to expend more energy dodging, while they casually chatted and laughed among themselves:

    "What Longcheng Flying General? He''s nothing special!"

    "Longcheng Flying General? More like Dog City Crawling General."

    "How much True Yuan does he have left? Wait for him to tire out and get killed, then I will refine his corpse into a slave."

    "No good, no good, better chop off his head instead. My home could use a new chamber pot."

    Seeing his subordinates chatting and joking, Suo Wen suddenly had a hunch that something wasn''t right, but since everyone was still on their patrol routes and any hidden Rikoku Cultivator flying out from the tree sea would not likely go unnoticed even if they were distracted, he continued to focus his attention, dealing with the attacks from the Huang Ting Sword Light.

    But the more he defended, the more something felt off.

    The Longcheng Flying General wasn''t a fool. If he couldn''t break through here, wouldn''t he think of other methods?

    Why would he insist on clashing with me here? Can his True Yuan endure? If my spiritual power was insufficient, I could calmly retreat to my subordinates, rest and recover. What would he do?

    Logically, if he chose to keep clashing, there must be a necessity... definitely not to wage a war of attrition with me.

    Could it be a feint, a trick to lure me into lowering my guard and then allow his Cultivator companions to launch a surprise attack?

    It''s not very likely... Right, how is the search down below going? Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    As Suo Wen continued to maintain a defensive posture, he summoned a Yin Ghost with the Divine Evil Prayer Beads and instructed:

    "Go find Deqin and tell him to descend to the bottom of the trees to check how many Rikoku Cultivators have been captured."

    The Yin Ghost quickly flew to find the deputy and relay the message. Deputy Deqin obeyed and descended through the tree sea to locate the search party below.

    He flew around below for quite a while, but only saw rustling leaves and swaying branches, without a single person in sight. Besides the wind close by, birdsong in the distance, and the rustling sounds of spells flying overhead, he couldn''t hear a thing.

    There were also no shouts of Sorcerers communicating with one another.

    Deqin fell silent for a moment, then released several Resentful Spirits in all directions to search for any traces of the Sorcerers, and took out his cell phone, intending to make a call.

    Could it be that they have chased far away?

    Just as Deqin was pondering the mystery, his field of vision suddenly filled with sword light!

 Chapter 84 The Treacherous Lu Kingdom Sword Immortal

    Deputy Commander Deqin, serving as the assistant to the Golden Light Sorcerer Suo Wen, of course had formidable combat abilities.In fact, within the hierarchy of sorcerers, being an assistant was a dangerous affair. After all, many assistants harbored thoughts of usurping their superiors, who in turn never took them lightly; seizing any opportunity to utterly destroy the assistant, replacing them with someone weaker and less of a threat¡ªit was a position not just any ordinary sorcerer could hold.

    The moment his gaze caught the flash of sword light, Deqin struck the Yin token and summoned the Yin ghost he kept with him.

    The Hungry Ghost!

    Unlike the Hungry Ghosts of Lu Kingdom, those from the Southern Border were extremely tall and long, immensely strong, and forever in a state of furious hunger, making them the best choice for frontline meat shields. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The instant the Hungry Ghost landed, it happened to block the three sword lights charging forward, robustly shielding Deqin behind it.

    Hiding behind the Hungry Ghost, Deqin did not hesitate to tap the Yin token with bent fingers, releasing two more Resentful Spirits to swiftly fly and alert Suo Wen.

    Just as the two semi-transparent Resentful Spirits materialized, they were seemingly attracted by something and pulled by an invisible force towards the distance¡ªChen Lingyun emerged from behind a tree, holding the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, and sucked the two spirits into the banner from afar.

    Seeing this, Deqin felt struck by lightning, finally realizing why the surroundings had fallen eerily silent: The sorcerers who were scouring the ground had been ambushed and wiped out by the Rikoku Cultivators!

    No matter how confident he was in his own abilities, he wasn''t delusional enough to think he could take on ten at once. He quickly urged the Hungry Ghost to lash out in frenzy, hoping to create a large dust cloud and noise to draw the attention of his comrades above.

    Just as the Hungry Ghost was about to pound the ground, it suddenly became immobile; Wang Haoran''s Historical Chronicle emitted a green light that ensnared the creature in place.

    "Quick!" Wang Haoran transmitted anxiously, "I can''t hold on much longer!"

    The duration for which the Historical Chronicle could immobilize an enemy depended on the enemy''s strength and level. The moment the green light restricted the large and powerful body of the Hungry Ghost, Wang Haoran felt the True Yuan within him draining away like water, urging his team to act quickly.

    But just holding it for a moment was enough... Su Yunjin focused on the space behind the Hungry Ghost, silently calculating the distance and executed the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art.

    Waters of the Heavenly River surged forth over a vast area. The immense Hungry Ghost remained unmoved, but Deqin was caught off guard and swept away by the torrent.

    This Yin sorcerer tried to resist desperately but was caught at a disadvantage by Zhao Yuanzhen, who pierced his forehead with the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, felling him instantly on the spot.

    The Hungry Ghost, free from the immobilization of the Historical Chronicle, was frenetically sliced by the controlled swords of Lin Ning and Jiang Hong, quickly torn and broken. It opened its mouth to roar angrily but was struck by Li Minghu''s sword light that entered its mouth and pierced through the back of its head, causing the body to fall lifelessly to the ground.

    Seeing that the Hungry Ghost too had fallen, the group finally breathed a sigh of relief.

    Previously, their strategy of "divide and conquer" and "reducing the whole to parts" involved team members revealing themselves to lure the enemy and then intentionally scattering during their retreat, leading the enemy to divide their troops in pursuit, followed by concentrated ambush attacks¡ªafter the opponent had split their forces multiple times, their numbers advantage significantly diminished, allowing the team to completely annihilate them in just one or two rounds of surprise attacks, which was much faster than the previous "ten people against twenty" slaughter rate.

    These civilian sorcerers were undisciplined, lacking formal academy education and specialized tactical training, relying solely on their numbers. Once their numerical superiority was also compromised, they were easily overrun by the individually stronger Rikoku Cultivators.

    However, the sorcerer who appeared just now was able to react in the moment of ambush, unexpectedly using the Hungry Ghost as a shield, which also surprised everyone... fortunately, it ended without mishap.

    "It should be all of them." Chen Lingyun said with a smile, turning to look at the team, "A break?"

    Li Minghu was already struggling to hold on, consuming Elixir Medicine to recover True Yuan and energy, and the rest appeared utterly exhausted. No blade, even one of the finest steel, could avoid becoming blunted by endless killing, and the tense spirits of the cultivators were not made of iron either.

    "No need to rest." Li Minghu, who was in the worst condition among the team yet took the most aggressive tactical approach, "Yan Team is still engaged in a fierce battle above us, let''s continue our action quickly."

    "That works." Chen Lingyun said leisurely.

    The team had a clear overall strategy: to induce the enemy to divide their forces, thereby reducing the numerical gap. Now that the ground sorcerers had been secretly annihilated, and with roughly 300-400 sorcerers remaining in the sky, their attention nearly all diverted by Yan Yu, it was the perfect time to launch a surprise attack.

    Of course, a sneak attack doesn''t mean charging in blindly¡ªotherwise, what would differentiate us from those amateur sorcerers?

    Chen Lingyun led her team to a group of witchcraft squad members at the edge of the battlefield and asked:

    "Is Ningning ready?"

    "Bring it on," Lin Ning said seriously.

    These sorcerers were patrolling the sky back and forth, watching Yan Yu and Suo Wen tug of war in the distance, when suddenly, cries of alarm rose from below.

    Looking down, they saw a streak of blue sword light frantically flying through the treetops, with five other sorcerers in hot pursuit, shouting and cursing continuously.

    One of them suddenly looked up and called out to them:

    "Stop slacking over there! Come help!"

    The person spoke the local language perfectly, and with an appearance and dress indistinguishable from that of typical sorcerers, the others had no reason to suspect anything and responded jokingly:

    "Coming, coming!"

    The blue sword light once again dived into the jungle, followed by the five pursuers descending, then the witchcraft squad that had been patrolling above, with over ten people following the leading group all plunging into the forest, disappearing from sight.

    Silently meeting their end.

    Looking at the bodies scattered in disarray, the Rikoku Cultivators also began to lament.

    The previous act of pretend pursuit of Lin Ning was performed by five ghosts from within Chen Lingyun''s banner. These five ghosts were adept at various forms of transformation, usually appearing as large dogs, but their ability to mimic the people of the Southern Border was equally lifelike.

    However, what was truly foolproof was that they were able to communicate with the enemy¡ªa feat ghosts from Rikoku couldn''t achieve. It was all thanks to Chen Lingyun''s personal teaching, which allowed the five ghosts to repeat the phrases exactly.

    The fact that Deputy Leader Chen could speak the Southern Border language, and more than one dialect at that... who would have thought? It only goes to show that Zhenhai Team is indeed full of hidden talents.

    With these five ghosts who could speak the Southern Border language and take on its peoples'' appearance, the sorcerers in the sky really had no clue, and were successively lured into the woods to land, and then ambushed and killed. Your next chapter is on My Virtual Library Empire

    The remaining sorcerers were all preoccupied with watching the battle between Yan Yu and Suo Wen and didn''t pay much attention to their comrades at the edge of the battlefield slowly disappearing.

    When the total number of people was reduced below two hundred, it was Suo Wen who first sensed that something was amiss: Why does it seem like there are fewer people around?

    Something''s wrong!

    Just as he was about to call the distant comrades to gather, Yan Yu''s offensive suddenly intensified, and his speed increased by more than a notch.

    With the pressure mounting rapidly, Suo Wen had no choice but to continue deploying his golden light Taoism Method, creating an impenetrable shield in front of him, preventing Huang Tingjian from approaching.

    Finding no way through from the front, Yan Yu quickly shifted directions, launching high-speed attacks from the side and back, moving like lightning, sweeping through like the wind, forcing Suo Wen to exhaust himself in defense, without even a chance to send out a Yin Ghost to relay a message!

    At this point, Suo Wen finally realized belatedly: The adversary had actually been going easy from the start!

    Being of amateur background, the sorcerers lacked experience in combating Lu Kingdom Sword Immortals. Therefore, the enemy cunningly held back on purpose, leading him to mistakenly believe they were evenly matched.

    Now that the enemy had gone full force, the situation quickly went downhill, forcing him to focus on desperate self-defense with no time to give orders. Meanwhile, his subordinates in the distance, having grown complacent, continued to watch the spectacle, thinking victory was in their grasp, completely unaware that disaster was about to strike!

 Chapter 85 Suo Wen Takes the Lead, Alarming the Privy Council

    Yan Yu briefly inspected his Dantian and realized that not much True Yuan remained. He sighed inwardly.

    In my previous life, I relied on others'' True Yuan and repeatedly faced the peril of running out; now that I''ve cultivated my own, to still experience exhaustion of True Yuan is truly speechless.

    No choice, being habituated to turning the tides is just like this, not encountering numerous enemies and dangerous situations is no fun.

    Yan Yu continued to muster his spirits, urging the Huang Tingjian to repeatedly launch assaults against Suo Wen.

    Now no longer conserving his True Yuan, his speed and force were both enhanced from before. Suo Wen was being pressed so hard he was sweating profusely; unable to keep up with his Golden Light Taoism Method, he had to frequently throw out the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Divine Evil Prayer Beads to block the flashes of the sword.

    The distant sorcerers hadn''t noticed yet, watching Suo Wen fend off faster and faster and thought to themselves, could it be their leader was about to use his killer move? To behead the Longcheng Flying General on the spot?

    But soon, some of them realized something was off. It was the Longcheng Flying General who was speeding up the pace, Suo Wen was being forced to quicken his rhythm on the defensive and ultimately, was falling behind.

    Should they go and support him?

    So the question arose. If everyone went to help, Longcheng Flying General would turn and flee, and they''d be back to the previous scenario: hundreds of people chasing after the enemy''s tail, being led around like walking a dog. Furthermore, the Rikoku Cultivators hiding in the forest below might also take the opportunity to escape.

    But if they did not rescue, what if Suo Wen couldn''t hold out?

    The disadvantage of the uncultured civilian routes was exposed again. Once there was a difference in opinions, unless there was a powerful individual who could override everyone''s voice, forget about them arriving at a consensus spontaneously.

    Very quickly, the different Witchcraft Squads started to disintegrate. Those inclined to rescue Suo Wen promptly broke away and rushed over to his side; those who felt it was unnecessary stayed where they were to observe, and yet others continued to patrol the original route... causing the scene to become chaotic at once.

    The opportunity had arrived!

    Hiding in the shadows, Chen Lingyun gave the command, and everyone urged their sword lights forward, killing out of the forest and charging towards the sorcerers above.

    The Rikoku Cultivators, who had been lurking in the dark all along, suddenly appeared and did not choose to flee; instead, they charged at them, causing even more panic amongst the sorcerers. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The brave and daring did not hesitate to meet the charge head-on; the timid and cowardly quickly retreated to find teammates to regroup; the tactically minded swiftly went to inform their respective small leaders since numerical superiority also needed to be exercised through team command¡­ But where were the small leaders? They had run off to save their leader Suo Wen! What to do now?

    And so, several others tried to take the place of the small leaders to command the team, and there were quite a few of them. Some said, "Form a rank first, Tattooed Charm Masters to the front," others said, "Yin Sorcerers activate the Ghost Walking Technique and start maneuvering," while others without any strategic mindset just bellowed, "Charge!

    Kill!", with commands utterly conflicting with one another, leaving no one knowing whose orders to follow, so they simply did their own thing.

    Chen Lingyun''s side, however, was an example of efficient command. Su Yunjin and Tao Xingyuan wielded large-scale Taoism Methods to scatter the enemies who were grouping together; Lin Ning and Li Minghu controlled their swords to strike everywhere, further fragmenting an already fragmented formation.

    Jiang Hong and Li Zhaojiang were responsible for intercepting attacks; the Magnetic Divine Light could attract most magic treasures related to metal, while scattered attacks were intercepted by Jiang Hong''s Sword Control.

    If they were Resentful Spirits or Yin Ghosts, Chen Lingyun would simply wave the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, and the Heart Capturing Technique would immediately draw the opposition into the banner.

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Wang Haoran were on standby the whole time, following Chen Lingyun''s commands to behead the enemy.

    Whenever someone from the opposition stuck their head out and started to integrate the surrounding sorcerers, they would quickly immobilize them with the story of history, and then the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin would strike their vital points¡ªthis method was tried and true, without fail.

    If the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin didn''t finish them off, then Xie Ruoxi would come over, and one blast of Thunder Method would pulverize everything¡ªno matter whether it was a magic treasure or Flying Sword for protection, all would be shattered.

    Although the sorcerers outnumbered them by more than seven or eight times, they were routed by the Rikoku Cultivator squad, and soon people began to flee, rushing towards the forest below.

    The situation was increasingly favorable for Chen Lingyun''s side, but for Yan Yu, it was becoming ever more perilous. The sorcerers who had come to support Suo Wen had already begun their assault on him.

    Dodging these attacks was not difficult, since most were straight-forward Curse Techniques and the like, but with a few Yin Sorcerers shielding him, Suo Wen took the opportunity to attempt an escape with the Ghost Walking Technique; this was unacceptable.

    To knock on the mountain to alarm the tiger, and to alert the Witch King, the Golden Light Sorcerer Suo Wen had to die there!

    Yan Yu swiftily dodged the barrages of attacks and continued the pursuit of Suo Wen, then suddenly glanced towards the distant Chen Lingyun.

    Chen Lingyun also looked over at the same time.

    There was no eye contact or secret communication, but the tacit understanding built over two lifetimes was enough to leave everything unsaid.

    Chen Lingyun quietly waved the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, directing the Heart Capturing Technique at the fleeing Suo Wen, instantly sucking away the flight-enabling Yin Ghosts from him.

    Suo Wen suddenly plunged towards the forest below, his guard squad promptly attempted to save him, and they managed to catch him before he hit the ground.

    Yan Yu''s sword light entered the thick of the forest, scanning the thickness of the foliage with his Divine Sense as he passed through.

    Good, it would definitely block satellite surveillance.

    As the sword light reached the bottom of the forest, in an instant, Sword-Human Unity was achieved, and the sword light surged!

    The sudden burst of majestic sword light swept over three sorcerers, cleanly bisecting them in one stroke.

    Leading the escape, Suo Wen turned his head and saw Yan Yu''s Sword-Human Unity move, and he nearly spewed blood:

    So you''ve been holding back all along, haven''t you! Treacherous Lu Kingdom Sword Immortal!

    This feeling was indescribable. To give an analogy, it was like you believed your opponent had played all his cards, then they slap down another card. That should be the last card, right? And then slap, another one...

    He flung the Golden Light Taoism Method backward, and Yan Yu merely sidestepped in an instant, dodging the method before charging forward, killing two more sorcerers without any obstruction or delay, his rhythm undisturbed.

    The movement speed of Sword-Human Unity was far faster than that of Sword Control slashing.

    Suo Wen quickly realized that if he kept running like this, he would eventually be killed one by one by the opponent''s sword light, so he quickly ordered everyone to stop, turn around, and fight a decisive battle with the Longcheng Flying General!

    This was exactly what Yan Yu intended: his remaining True Yuan could no longer support extended Sword-Human Unity.

    However, the essence of war is mutual deception. The less endurance you have, the more you must appear to be at ease, the more you must make the opponent think you are rich in True Yuan.

    Now that Suo Wen had fallen for the trick by ordering his troops to stop and turn back for a desperate fight, decapitating them became much easier.

    Yan Yu flicked his sleeve and shook out a Silver Pellet, which quickly transformed into a slender-legged beauty with bright eyes and a gleaming smile, her expressions vividly lifelike.

    Suo Wen''s eyes widened in disbelief and he couldn''t help but ask:

    "You... how many more tricks do you have up your sleeve?"

    "Haha!" Yan Yu laughed, "I have far too many cards in my hand!"

    He and the puppet Ah Zhen stood side by side, activating the Shifting Technique simultaneously.

    Charge!

    The Curse Technique Master spurred the Curse Technique, aiming at him, but puppet Ah Zhen rushed forward, her arm blades gleaming coldly, exerting tremendous force from her heart, swiftly severing them all with a swish.

    A Tattooed Charm Master charged from the side, summoning a Vajra Body several meters tall, swinging down his demon-subduing staff fiercely.

    Puppet Ah Zhen instantly sidestepped horizontally to dodge urgently, relying solely on her physical endurance without the Cloud Ascension Technique, dragging two long grooves with her feet on the ground.

    Yan Yu united with his sword in the blink of an eye as well, soaring out of the range of the demon-subduing staff''s strike, driving his sword light into the Tattooed Charm Master''s throat, his head falling to the ground.

    Suo Wen once again raised the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Divine Evil Prayer Beads to strike at Yan Yu but was intercepted halfway by puppet Ah Zhen!

    The Divine Evil Prayer Beads locked onto Ah Zhen''s arms, fiercely permeating them with the Yin Demon Qi.

    If it were any ordinary puppet treasure, just the slightest touch of Yin Demon Qi would immediately damage its essence, losing all spirituality.

    But Ah Zhen''s body contained the Divine Dragon Wood, which deterred all evil, and she did not suffer from the erosion at all. Instead, she firmly held on to the Divine Evil Prayer Beads, rendering them immobile, unable to advance or retreat, futilely rattling and shaking violently as if in a death struggle.

    Suo Wen never expected that after unleashing this treasure, it would be "confiscated" by the opponent. Without time to consider a counterstrategy, he could only display the Golden Light Taoism Method again to force Yan Yu back.

    Yan Yu, in Sword-Human Unity, suddenly rose, narrowly grazing the upper boundary of the Golden Light''s attack range, then swiftly descended at full speed with a diagonal piercing strike, a quick and precise thrust like a rainbow penetrating the sun, viciously piercing through Suo Wen''s chest!

    Separating from the sword, he landed steadily. Puppet Ah Zhen stepped quickly, throwing down the out-of-control Nine Heavens Yin Demon Divine Evil Prayer Beads on the ground, and then dashed off to chase down the remaining scattered sorcerers, with screams occasionally echoing from the depths of the woods.

    Yan Yu quietly took out his phone and snapped a photo of the dead Golden Light Sorcerer Suo Wen''s body, sending it back to the command post at the rear.

    The enemy general has fallen!

    To be honest, taking Suo Wen''s head amid thousands of troops wasn''t difficult, but if he had started with that approach, the remaining sorcerers would have scattered like birds and beasts, and it would have been good to kill even ten percent of them.

    Suo Wen had to die, and so did his sorcerers - all must die!

    Only with substantial deaths could the Witch King be deterred, could he be persuaded to halt his northern campaign and instead turn to quelling internal strife. That was Yan Yu''s strategic goal for this mission!

    Now the goal had been achieved¡ªat the cost of his True Yuan nearly being depleted.

    Well, before the news reaches the Witch King, I can finally have a good rest.

    Yan Yu stayed by Suo Wen''s body until Lin Ning and the others landed. Stay updated through My Virtual Library Empire

    On the other side, the news once it reached the Privy Council, stirred up waves like a stone causing ripples, creating a massive shock and outcry.

    The Golden Light Sorcerer Suo Wen might be unfamiliar to the combat team''s cultivators, but in the intelligence agency, his name was notorious. This man was one of the Witch King Long Po Ming''s chief lieutenants, playing a significant role in the Witch King''s ascension, and was the largest supporter of the "pro-invasion faction" within the Witch King Allied Forces.

    Among the numerous sorcerer lords second only to the Witch King, only Suo Wen was an unwavering supporter of the Witch King. United with the Witch King, he could suppress the other great lords from daring to rebel.

    With Suo Wen''s death, the Witch King''s foundation of rule is unstable. It''s an excellent opportunity to contact other sorcerer lords and incite them to rebel.

    And the first on the intelligence agency''s list is another of the Witch King Long Po Ming''s lieutenants¡ªAjarn Meng.

 Chapter 86 Entering the Marrow Cleansing Stage

    Yan Yu had beheaded Suo Wen, and the news first reached the Privy Council of Lu Country, then was broadcast internationally at a press conference before finally arriving at the Southern Border.

    It''s said that the Witch King, upon receiving the news, was in the middle of throwing a tantrum at a meeting: because a group of people, presumably finding Lu Country hard to deal with, had deserted halfway to attack Tianzhu to the west.

    The Witch King was furious about this, saying, "I''m not saying no one should attack the west, but right now we should all be uniting and pressing north together. What does it mean to change course at this time? Isn''t that a slap in my face?"

    Soon enough, there were plants in the audience saying, "This is a betrayal of the Sorcerer Alliance Army," "If you know anyone, call them back immediately," and "Those who return will not be held accountable."

    The Sorcerer Lords looked at each other, not particularly surprised by this outcome.

    It was not through warfare and conquest that Witch King Long Po Ming had unified the Southern Border but rather because he received the loyalty of Suo Wen and Ajarn Meng, which allowed him to become the foremost among the Sorcerer Lords, and let the others acquiesce to him declaring himself the Witch King.

    To put it plainly, his title as Witch King was fundamentally not that of an emperor but more akin to the leader of a loose alliance¡ªa title lacking the prestige of winning a unifying war.

    Now, with people deserting on their own, the Witch King''s authority took another major hit, and what would follow depended on how he would deal with these people.

    Witch King Long Po Ming didn''t actually plan on troubling these deserters; he was well aware that his base of power was still insufficient. Having gained nothing from the northern invasion and now facing the prospect of punishment, he knew some might mourn the rabbit''s death for fear of the fox¡ªthe seed of treachery was sure to sprout.

    Rather than that, he preferred to invade Lu Country, kill for loot, and seize Mysterious Realms. As long as he could get his hands on resources, with the power to distribute spoils, others would truly and sincerely submit to him.

    Just as Witch King Long Po Ming was secretly planning, someone suddenly rushed in with a report:

    "It''s terrible! Suo Wen is dead!"

    All the Sorcerer Lords were aghast, but Witch King Long Po Ming was suddenly enraged, shouting:

    "Who''s dead? Don''t spout nonsense!"

    "Suo Wen is dead!" the dark sorcerer Messenger cried, "He was killed by the Longcheng Flying General in the Southern Border! His body''s photo is on the news..."

    Before the words were out, the Witch King''s right arm flashed like lightning, sending out a black spirit possession into the messenger''s forehead. The dark sorcerer stood woodenly for a moment, then suddenly fell backward, dead on the ground with a small ghostly handprint on his forehead¡ªingested by one of Long Po Ming''s minions that invaded his mind and consumed his soul.

    "That must be fake news released by Lu Country!" The Witch King, looking at the Sorcerers around him whose expressions had drastically changed, said each word emphatically with a face ashen, "I will call Suo Wen right now!"

    He theatrically took out his mobile phone, dialed a number, put it to his ear, and babbled a few words, then hung up and said:

    "Suo Wen was only injured by the Longcheng Flying General and has not died. He is currently recovering locally and will return in a few days. We will continue with the plan for the northern campaign; the army sets off tomorrow, and no one is allowed to fall out of line, lest they face military law!"

    Having said that, the Witch King got up and left.

    The Sorcerer Lords exchanged glances, mostly disbelieving the Witch King''s performance just now.

    If Suo Wen was really alive, able to answer your call, then why didn''t you put it on speaker? If we could hear Suo Wen''s voice, we certainly wouldn''t doubt anything, but hanging up the call in such a hurry really makes people suspicious.

    As the Sorcerer Lords'' eyes wandered, most of them settled on Ajarn Meng.

    Ajarn Meng, dressed in black, currently served as the Witch King Long Po Ming''s deputy, just like the golden Sorcerer Suo Wen.

    The difference was, Suo Wen was of the Dragon''s Service, a die-hard supporter of the Witch King, whereas Ajarn Meng represented the interests put forward by many Sorcerer Lords and had been a devout monk in the Plaek monastery before his cultivation, enjoying considerable prestige throughout the Southern Border.

    As everyone looked to him for help, the elderly Ajarn Meng did not respond. Instead, he simply lowered his eyelids, fiddled with the blackwood prayer beads in his hand, and silently turned to leave.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    "The situation is a bit dire," Su Yunjin worriedly said after checking Yan Yu''s meridians and Dantian, "The recovery rate of his True Yuan is only half of what it was before, and the quality also leaves much to be desired. My recommendation is that for now, Captain, you should refrain from joining the battles, at least until you have mastered the Fasting skill."

    "Alright, alright," since all the girls on the team insisted he not join the battle, Yan Yu could only surrender with a show of hands, "Then the Witch King is up to you, okay? I''m washing my hands of it."

    "You just rest up here," Li Minghu said with a smile.

    "Old Yan''s already wilted; now it''s up to us," Li Zhaojiang turned and said breezily, "Everyone, perk up, and don''t let Old Yan down."

    "Right!" The men of the Qing''an Battle Team also chorused in agreement.

    The crowd quietly controlled their swords and left, leaving Yan Yu to rest there.

    This place was an uninhabited village, completely abandoned, so there was no worry of enemies finding their way here.

    Yan Yu sat lazily on a wooden chair, watching the outside, quietly circulating his True Yuan through the Grand Circulation inside his body.

    As Su Yunjin had said, with the progress of his Fasting, his body''s endurance was getting worse and worse, no longer suitable for continued fighting.

    Rather than continue following the team while his True Yuan was depleted, it would be better to hand over command to Chen Lingyun and find a place to perfect the Fasting technique.

    Yan Yu yawned and slowly closed his eyes, beginning to doze off.

    Time gradually transitioned from afternoon to evening, and the distant forests fell into darkness, devoid of any light.

    Technology and civilization seemed to have vanished completely from this place.

    In the Southern Border, where Transcendents held all control, mortals were as scarce as wild animals, eventually being reduced to mere production tools and resources to be domesticated by the Transcendents.

    In the previous life, this tide spread globally, similar to how Homo sapiens gradually replaced Neanderthals, until even Lu Country could not escape ¡ª the Transcendents had become the "new human race" of the new era.

    It was just that he had not witnessed the very last moment when the whole world plunged into hell.

    If allowed to recklessly compete amongst themselves, the Transcendents would inevitably turn everything around them into fuel for their own growth because those who did not do so would be eliminated by the stronger ones. However, if someone could become the strongest in this world, they could then remodel the entire world at will according to their own desires, bringing order back to this world.

    Of course, by that time, the strongest in this world would almost certainly be deified, and countless theories would try to prove that they were "naturally superior to all humankind," "the destined ruler of all humanity"...

    It doesn''t matter anymore.

    Could it be worse than the ending of the previous life, where mortals nearly perished?

    Yan Yu suddenly opened his eyes.

    He stepped out of the main entrance of the house, looking at the brilliant Milky Way hanging in the center of the night sky, and took a long breath.

    The goal is the end of the ascension to godhood. Starting today... I am taking the first step.

    Suddenly, Dantian trembled slightly as if unblocking something, and then powerful True Yuan began to emanate from Dantian, traveling through the meridians to the limbs and bones.

    Cleansing, tempering, polishing!

    Muscles, bones, connective tissues... the acquired turbidity hidden in various parts of the body was all being expelled continuously through the pores, washed away by the forceful True Yuan.

    If Yan Yu''s body were to be compared to a house, it was filled with various clutter and old items before Marrow Cleansing, capable of housing only limited things. And Marrow Cleansing would clear out most of the trash.

    When the Marrow Cleansing was completed, the next step would be to transform the Purple Mansion, and form the Golden Core.

    Yan Yu stood silently on the empty ground, the light in his eyes almost growing brighter and his clothes fluttering without wind, rippling as the driving force of the True Yuan burst forth from his pores.

    Suddenly, he began to move lightly.

    The simple stretch of his joints caused a crackling sound throughout his body, like firecrackers or frying beans.

    Yan Yu stretched again, and his body shot up nearly ten centimeters, his arms, shoulders, thighs, chest, and abdomen ¡ª places where the muscles were not very apparent ¡ª gradually displayed clear lines.

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    The True Yuan was not only washing away the turbidity of the five grains from inside his body but also repairing his body. If a sample of his tissues were tested now, it would show his cells growing and differentiating at an astonishing rate, utterly disregarding the Hayflick limit.

    Spiritual Energy Resurgence, it never talks science with you.

    Finally, the changes in his body gradually came to an end.

    Yan Yu''s Marrow Cleansing was nearly 90% complete, although some dead angles in the bones were not yet fully cleaned, such as the pelvic cavity and the joints of the spine. These areas required True Yuan to be used for long-term continuous polishing and washing... which was the practice process of the entire Marrow Cleansing Stage. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Of course, the benefits of completing Marrow Cleansing were obvious.

    Life span was extended, complete fasting was achieved, and one''s root bone was significantly strengthened. Even without activating the Wood Bending Charm, one could easily defeat the top sanda fighters or even the champions among mortals, because their physiques and strength were no longer in the same league.

    Yan Yu pulled at his shirt collar, a stench of decay hanging around him; all were impurities expelled during the Marrow Cleansing process.

    Back in the room, he began to rinse off his body with tap water, which came from the mountain behind the village and therefore felt extra chilly on the skin.

    But Yan Yu was undeterred and simply cleaned his body, then started scrubbing his soiled clothes.

    The mobile phone placed aside suddenly rang; it was a call from Lord Master.

    "Hello?" Yan Yu turned on the speakerphone.

    "Old Yan, I hear you''re practicing that Fasting technique?" Liu Longtao got straight to the point.

    "Yes, what about it?"

    "I entered the Marrow Cleansing Stage this morning," Liu Longtao asked casually, "Do you want me to tell you the tricks?"

    It was the familiar taste of showing off, but Yan Yu patiently listened until the end and responded:

    "No need, I''ve also undergone Marrow Cleansing."

    "What?"

 Chapter 87 After Fasting

    Lord Master was officially promoted to the Marrow Cleansing Stage around 8:30 this morning.

    Top specialists from major hospitals nationwide formed a resuscitation team that watched over him throughout. On one hand, they were afraid of any accidents happening; on the other, they aimed to record data for scientific research.

    After advancing to the Marrow Cleansing Stage, he had been engaged in a full day of experiments without rest. Lord Master submitted the application at nine in the morning, and it wasn''t approved until nine at night.

    As soon as it was approved, he immediately called Yan Yu, much like a man who had struggled mightily to reach the shore, eager to share the good news with his friend who had also taken the public exam. The nature of this act is clear enough without saying more.

    However, Yan Yu replied with "I''ve cleansed my marrow too," instantly dampening half of Liu Longtao''s joy.

    "Ah?"

    "Ah what? Didn''t you know I was fasting?" Yan Yu asked, baffled.

    "But you were fighting a war over there."

    "Fighting doesn''t affect the cultivation of fasting."

    "I see¡­ haha, you really are pushing yourself." Liu Longtao said with a chuckle.

    Yan Yu had long known that Lord Master belonged to that type of person who isn''t comfortable unless he''s teasing others, so he didn''t take it too seriously and said:

    "I''m gonna hang up now."

    "I want to ask you something." Liu Longtao''s tone shifted, suddenly becoming serious. "What do you think about the Sorcerers from the Southern Border?"

    "Not much to think." Yan Yu replied, "They have plenty of strange tricks but lack the strength for a tough fight. Unless they have an overwhelming numerical advantage and coordinated command, they won''t be a match for the Rikoku Cultivators."

    "What about the Tattooed Charm Masters?" Liu Longtao continued, "I heard they tattoo curses on their bodies that enable them to summon various giant divine entities to take on the strike role. That shouldn''t be a problem, right?"

    "Not really." Yan Yu responded succinctly, "Those entities are not nimble enough, and they have short legs, far inferior to Sword Immortals."

    "Hmm¡­" Liu Longtao pondered.

    In fact, throughout all occupations worldwide, it was hard to find roles like Sword Immortals, capable of both fighting fiercely and escaping deftly. Tattooed Charm Masters had short legs, werewolves had short arms, Samurai had both short legs and arms¡­ The deficiencies of other occupations weren''t so obvious, yet they generally couldn''t match up to Sword Immortals.

    "Okay, I''m hanging up now." Yan Yu said.

    "Go ahead and hang up," Liu Longtao said with a chuckle, "Congratulations on reaching Marrow Cleansing, old Yan. Let''s go for a drink in Pingjing sometime."

    After hanging up the call, Yan Yu busied himself cleaning his clothes, then he lit a Flame Curse to start drying them.

    As he was basking in the warmth, bare-skinned, someone suddenly pushed the door open and shouted:

    "Captain! The Witch King is dead! We can go back now¡­ AHHHHHHHHHHH!"

    The moment Lin Ning saw Yan Yu, she immediately screamed, turned her head away, and closed her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest defensively as if she had seen something she shouldn''t have.

    "Why didn''t you knock?" Yan Yu complained.

    "How was I supposed to know you''d be naked inside?" Lin Ning exclaimed, stomping her feet in agitation, "Hurry up and get dressed!"

    Under normal circumstances, she would have kicked him without a second thought.

    But now, with Yan Yu undressed¡­ she couldn''t even bring herself to look, let alone kick.

    "I''ll wait till they''re dry," Yan Yu said leisurely, "They''re still a bit damp."

    "AHHHHHHH I''m still here, can''t you hurry up¡­" Lin Ning turned her head and closed her eyes, her voice filled with an anxious plea that was close to becoming a wail.

    "What''s the rush?" Yan Yu countered, "If you don''t want to see, can''t you just leave?"

    "Oh! Oh! Oh!" Realizing this, Lin Ning spun around and dashed out.

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    Standing outside the door, leaning against the wall, she asked Yan Yu:

    "Why aren''t you wearing any clothes?"

    "After the Marrow Cleansing, in the process of expelling impurities and drawing in freshness, all the pores on my body opened up, and my clothes got dirty." Yan Yu explained.

    "You still shouldn''t be without clothes," Lin Ning insisted. "What if a Sorcerer breaks in? What then?"

    "Not afraid," Yan Yu reassured her. "If they see me without clothes, they''re bound to close their eyes and run out."

    Lin Ning, fuming, picked up a small piece of wood from the ground and hurled it inside towards Yan Yu¡ªbut because she wasn''t aiming, it ended up in the Flame Curse, causing the flames to burn even more fiercely.

    "Why have you come back?" Yan Yu asked.

    "The Witch King is dead." Lin Ning suddenly remembered she was here to deliver the news, "One of his deputies killed him last night, and the Allied Forces have completely dispersed. The rear command post notified us to withdraw personnel."

    "Oh, that''s good." Yan Yu was not surprised by this.

    In his previous life, the first Witch King was assassinated by a deputy, which indicated there were definitely problems with his rule. Yan Yu guessed the reasons for his downfall were probably similar to those of Qin Ershi''s... Without a solid foundation for unification, the opposition from all sides was too great, and then he forcibly pursued wars, which ultimately backfired.

    However, compared to the overt actions of the first Witch King, the second Witch King was a real master of intrigue.

    If Yan Yu had a choice, he definitely would not have allowed the second Witch King to ascend smoothly. But this guy probably had some collaboration with Lu Country. As soon as I sent back the news of defeating Suo Wen to the Privy Council, he immediately assassinated the Witch King. The timing of these events was too swift.

    It doesn''t matter, anyway.

    Even if the second Witch King were to be eliminated now, there would be a third and a fourth to take his place, so there was no need to rush.

    One day, when he causes trouble in the Southern Border, I''ll take some time to kill him!

    "Alright." Yan Yu finished drying his clothes and then rustled as he put them on, "Come in."

    "Have you succeeded in Marrow Cleansing?" Lin Ning returned to the house and looked at him doubtfully, "Hmm..."

    "Yeah." Yan Yu said, "What''s up?"

    "You seem... whiter?" Lin Ning scrutinized his face and reached out to touch it. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Marrow Cleansing and Veins Purification return the acquired state to the innate state, so it''s very normal for the skin to become whiter." Yan Yu brushed away her presumptuous hand, casually saying, "This shows that my previous skin color was from being tanned, not from genetics."

    "So if I undergo Marrow Cleansing and Veins Purification, I can also become whiter, prettier, and more attractive?" Lin Ning suddenly realized the key point.

    "Yeah, that''s why you should work hard at cultivating." Yan Yu thought there was indeed this benefit, which could be used to motivate the girls.

    "Is there a way to speed up cultivation?" Lin Ning started to ponder seriously.

    Yan Yu was quite astonished. Even a diligent student like her was looking for shortcuts, is the allure of becoming beautiful really that strong for a girl?

    "Cough cough cough!" The sound of Su Yunjin''s cough came from outside.

    After making her presence known with the sound, she pushed the door open and entered with a serious expression.

    "Yun Jin!" Lin Ning hurriedly approached and said, "The captain has gotten whiter! He says as long as you undergo Marrow Cleansing, it can improve your skin quality!"

    "Mmm! Eh?" Su Yunjin was about to scold Lin Ning for recklessly flying ahead of the team using Sword Control to return first when she suddenly paid attention to what she was saying, "Whiter?"

    "Yes!"

    "Then we need to figure out how to undergo Marrow Cleansing as soon as possible!" Su Yunjin immediately said.

    Both girls looked at Yan Yu with eager eyes, leaving him feeling quite puzzled: Why are you looking at me to level up quickly?

    The only way to level up is to be diligent in daily chores, breathing exercises, and circulating Qi around the body! If leveling up is slow, sometimes find your own reasons ¡ª have you been cultivating sincerely, or is there a problem with your own talents?

    The three left the house and used Sword Control to meet up with the nearby staying team.

    Hearing that Yan Yu had finally perfected the Fasting technique and entered the Marrow Cleansing Stage, Chen Lingyun and Xie Ruoxi seemed unimpressed, while Zhao Yuanzhen snorted a few times, "It''s about time for Marrow Cleansing," but nobody paid her any attention.

    The cultivators from the Clean Peace squad expressed their envy openly, and Li Minghu was the first to congratulate on behalf of the team:

    "Congratulations on advancing, Captain Yan. You must be the first in the country to reach the Marrow Cleansing Stage, right?"

    "That''s not the case." Yan Yu replied, "Liu Longtao also entered Marrow Cleansing this morning."

    Upon hearing this news, Chen Lingyun''s face visibly soured, but the others didn''t show any surprise, as they all knew about Lord Master''s exceptional cultivation talent early on.

    "Never mind Old Liu." Li Zhaojiang egged on, "Congratulations on advancing to Marrow Cleansing, Captain Yan, you should treat us to a meal!"

    "Exactly, exactly!" The men echoed.

    "I''ve achieved Fasting, and I still have to treat you guys to a meal?" Yan Yu was astonished.

    "Yeah!" Li Zhaojiang laughed heartily, "If you can''t eat because of Fasting, it''s okay to just sit and watch us eat!"

    "Fine then." Yan Yu readily agreed, "To the Palace of Happiness?"

    "We have to return to the command post to report first." Li Minghu reminded.

 Chapter 89 Explain Clearly at My Place

    People from Lu Country, once they have money, the first thing they think of is to buy a house.

    Cultivators are also people from Lu Country, and of course they are no exception. After getting wealthy, Li Family siblings not only bought a team-building base for their team but also bought separate properties for their parents, grandparents, and maternal grandparents in both Xingwang Mansion and Xin''an Economic Zone.

    Then, because of Yan Yu''s family being besieged and interviewed by the media, all the family members of the team''s cultivators were sent to the Military Manor compound for unified resettlement, and all those houses were bought for nothing... nobody lived in them.

    By contrast, the Zhenghai Team was more restrained in their spending thanks to Yan Yu''s warning, and there was no occurrence of team members having several empty houses to their name.

    Of all the houses that the Li siblings bought, it was this mountain villa that saw the most use. It is located deep in Baiyun Mountain Forest Park, with its environment, scenery, and air all being excellent.

    The original drawback was the slightly inconvenient transportation, but as cultivators could fly with Sword Flight, they didn''t have to take the winding mountain roads, making travel very convenient indeed.

    Unlike Zhenghai Team, the Qing''an Team, consisting of four men and one woman, were not keen on housekeeping. Li Minghu didn''t mind cleaning, but Li Zhaojiang worried it would tire her, so they ended up hiring a full team of housekeepers to live in the villa, all aunts above forty years old with years of experience in managing luxury houses in the harbor area, very professional.

    Upon entering the villa, Lin Ning was researching various high-end kitchen appliances in the kitchen when suddenly an auntie popped up from somewhere (actually from a small door next to the kitchen) and asked,

    "Would the guest like to eat something?"

    Lin Ning was immediately bewildered. Seeing her puzzled look, the auntie repeated what she had just said in Lingnan dialect.

    "Uh," Lin Ning finally reacted and said, "I was just seeing what kind of dishes can be made here¡­"

    The auntie immediately understood, oh''d, and said with a smile,

    "Miss, you want to cook, right?"

    In fact, many wealthy ladies in the harbor area are like this: although they normally don''t do any kitchen work, they still have whims where they want to personally cook for their families.

    The housekeepers serving these rich ladies also have a routine: they clean all the ingredients and place them on the cutting board, letting the lady put them in the pot with her own hands, then the ladies play with the spatula, stirring randomly. When they get tired, the housekeepers take over.

    All the seasonings are prepared by the housekeepers in small bowls, and the ladies are only responsible for putting things into the pot... The dish that comes out is credited as "personally made by madam," and when served it earns praise from the family and the husband''s heart.

    "Well..." Lin Ning actually didn''t plan to cook; she had simply seen the high-end kitchenware from afar and came over to look.

    But indeed, the kitchen was stocked with many and complete items... and it was tempting to give them a try.

    "Then let me assist you," the auntie immediately put on an apron and offered eagerly.

    While Lin Ning was busy in the kitchen, Su Yunjin had moved to the backyard.

    The villa''s internal garden in the back harbored some rare flowers from the South China Botanical Garden, obtained through connections by the villa''s previous owner, which intrigued Su Yunjin.

    Xie Ruoxi went to the second-floor study to play on the computer, while Zhao Yuanzhen and Chen Lingyun gravitated towards the bar, one cracking melon seeds, the other brewing coffee.

    In the blink of an eye, the ladies of the Zhenghai Team were scattered to the wind, leaving the men of the Qing''an Team looking at each other¡ªoriginally, they had wanted to cozy up to the ladies, but since they all acted independently, it was inappropriate to follow and continue making conversation.

    The boys sat on the large sofa in the living room, just as Li Zhaojiang picked up the controller and said,

    "Old Yan, how about a game?"

    "What game?"

    "King of Fighters."

    "Isn''t King of Fighters an arcade game?"

    "It''s long been ported to consoles, so are you in or out?"

    "I''ll see if it''s fun first." Yan Yu took the controller, gave it a try, and beat Li Zhaojiang handily.

    "Can you even handle it, captain?" The guys all laughed boisterously.

    "Another round!" Li Zhaojiang said indignantly.

    His style of playing King of Fighters was to randomly mash buttons, relying on the belief that "as long as my hands are fast enough, there''s no special move I can''t pull off." However, facing Yan Yu, who was a genuine "quick-eyed, quick-handed" and "precise" player, his real level was immediately exposed.

    "I''m done." Yan Yu handed back the controller and said proudly, "Ah Jiang, you''re not good enough. Go back and practice some more."

    Li Minghu covered her mouth, laughing at the side.

    The game controllers on the table were quickly seized by Jiang Hong and others who started another round with Li Zhaojiang, the joy of boys being so simple.

    Yan Yu stood up, looking a tad bored, and asked Li Minghu,

    "Besides gaming, what other entertainment do you guys have here?"

    "Are you talking about sports activities?" Li Minghu pondered for a moment, "The basement has a swimming pool, the second floor has a billiard table, and there''s a basketball court if you go out the main entrance and turn left."

    "Never mind, I''ll just go for a walk outside." Yan Yu waved his hand.

    He left the villa''s main entrance, and Li Minghu turned to look at Chen Lingyun, finding her chatting leisurely and smiling with Zhao Yuanzhen, but Sister Zhao couldn''t care less about him, just cracking sunflower seeds and playing with her phone continuously.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Yan Yu strolled leisurely along the road when suddenly he heard someone calling him from behind.

    Turning his head, he saw Li Minghu, dressed in sportswear.

    "Huff, huff." She ran up to Yan Yu''s side and stopped, hands on her knees as she panted, wiping sweat and asked, "How come you walk so fast?"

    "I''m not that fast, you''re just too slow," Yan Yu replied.

    Li Minghu was somewhat speechless, but she could roughly make out the character of Yan Yu¡ªhe wasn''t the type to treat you specially just because you are a pretty woman. He would say whatever needed to be said.

    "Do you usually jog around here?" Yan Yu asked casually.

    "Yeah, the air is good here." Li Minghu jogged alongside him, "Jogging here is good for the heart and lungs."

    "That''s true, I noticed there aren''t many cars around, no exhaust fumes either," Yan Yu said.

    He waited for Li Minghu to speak. The girl had specifically followed him out, so she must have had something to say to him.

    But Li Minghu held her breath well, jogging slowly with Yan Yu for about 1 kilometer and still only chatting about trivial family matters.

    "I heard you don''t have a housekeeper?"

    "It''s not that I don''t hire one, just occasionally."

    "Then how do you handle the everyday household chores and cooking?"

    "Yun Jin takes care of the housework, and Lin Ning is in charge of cooking."

    "That''s pretty good, your own people are always more reliable than someone hired from outside." Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu found himself increasingly unable to keep his composure. You coming over to talk to me like this, you can''t really just want to spend some alone time with me, can you?

    Just speak your mind. All this beating around the bush is useless on me! Haven''t I seen enough of a woman''s sweet talk? Chen Lingyun from my past life was much craftier than you!

    "It looks like you have something to say." He decided not to waste any more time.

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    "Really can''t hide anything from you," Li Minghu said with a wry smile, "Here''s the thing."

    "Do you remember the last time in the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm? The two of us appeared on the camera, we might have been standing a bit close, and then the elders in my family saw it, they mistook that you and I had some kind of relationship¡­ Of course, I''ve already clarified it when I got back home."

    "Oh," Yan Yu nodded, "And?"

    "And¡­ they want to meet you," Li Minghu said candidly.

    "Isn''t that the same as not having clarified at all?" Yan Yu suddenly felt a headache coming on.

    Meet me for what? Isn''t it just because they suspect that I have some relationship with you, wanting to see their prospective son-in-law in advance?

    "I''ve clarified it already," Li Minghu said helplessly, "They¡­ probably still have some doubts, I guess. Mainly because I was quite a good actress when I was younger, they couldn''t tell if I was lying, so they thought to find out the truth from you."

    Valkyrie was really good at acting? Yan Yu thought back carefully and realized it was indeed the case.

    In a past life when she had already run out of ammo and drained of energy on the battlefield, yet the enemy Sorcerer Alliance Army hadn''t noticed at all. With her holding the threat of assassinating the Witch King, she cleaved through them with one sword, frightening them all away¡­ It would be hard to say that her acting wasn''t good.

    But girl, you even deceive your own family, making them distrust you, that really doesn''t put me in the best position to judge.

    "So you want me to go there and clear things up with your family?" Yan Yu confirmed.

    "That''s right," Li Minghu admitted with some embarrassment, "Sorry to trouble you."

 Chapter 90 Quickly Settle the Relationship

    Yan Yu expressed understanding for Li Minghu''s troubles.

    After all, even the market now has services for renting boyfriends/girlfriends specifically for dealing with parents'' interrogations and rushes during the New Year and holiday periods, which shows just how stressful some elders can be.

    Moreover, this situation was ultimately caused by herself in the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm when she provided warmth with her embrace to the drenched Li Minghu, so it made sense for her to help deal with the aftermath.

    "Alright," Yan Yu agreed quickly, "When should we go?"

    "How about, right now?" Li Minghu tentatively asked.

    "Ah?"

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    "We''re going to deal with an interrogation, not to be guests at my home," Li Minghu said with a smile, "A surprise attack is more appropriate. If we tell them in advance that you''re coming, they''ll start preparing early."

    I see you''ve come fully prepared, bringing up the request and immediately luring me to your place, such a smooth combo...

    Well, whatever. She is the Valkyrie, after all.

    "Of course, if you don''t feel comfortable, we can formally visit my home another time," Li Minghu continued observing his expression, "and since we just returned from the battlefield today, we can also say we have to report in the evening, so my family won''t insist on you staying overnight, at most we''ll have dinner."

    "Okay," Yan Yu didn''t have any other plans, and right now, he and Li Minghu were just friends, so he wasn''t worried about her parents interrogating him.

    The two of them rode their swords away, leaving the mountain area and entering the city, finally landing at the entrance of the local military manor courtyard.

    The military manor courtyard is a traditional aspect of Lu Country, mainly to protect the family members of the stationed military officers, so in case enemies infiltrate and threaten the officers by holding their families hostage, there will be the risk of leaking confidential information.

    The military manor in the King''s mansion area from the outside looks like an ordinary six-story residential complex, surrounded by grocery stores and small restaurants, clearly a local native residential area.

    Yan Yu looked at the security guards at the entrance of the complex with his divine sense, discovered they were military cultivators, and knew that the security was lax on the outside but strict on the inside, with all the precautions fully in place.

    Entering the complex and taking the elevator to the fourth floor, Li Minghu approached her front door and knocked, calling out:

    "Mom, I''m back."

    Li''s mother quickly came to open the door, and upon seeing Yan Yu next to Li Minghu, her expression was momentarily stunned, and then she instantly smiled, saying:

    "You must be Yan Yu, the Longcheng Flying General Yan Yu! Come in... You don''t need shoe covers! Wear these slippers."

    Yan Yu greeted her and thought to himself that Li''s mother, being a middle school teacher, indeed spoke very standard Mandarin without a hint of an accent.

    In contrast, Chen''s mother would still sound like a wealthy Jiang Hai wife even if she were reading from a script.

    Li''s mother looked like a thin middle-aged woman with glasses, which reminded Yan Yu of his elementary school homeroom teacher, but her demeanor was far more amiable than his teacher''s. She first invited him to sit on the sofa, then brewed him some tea ¡ª not using loose-leaf tea, but eight-treasure tea made with tea bags.

    "Have some too, daughter," she also made a cup for Li Minghu, "The Southern Border is quite humid, and drinking eight-treasure tea can dispel dampness, and it''s very effective."

    Li Minghu lifted her tea cup, giving Yan Yu a reassuring look, and then began to drink.

    No sooner had Yan Yu taken a sip than Li''s mother came out with a fruit plate, saying eagerly:

    "Come, have some fruit!"

    Li''s mother was just too enthusiastic, and though she didn''t say it outright, her behavior was entirely that of someone treating her son-in-law, leaving Yan Yu somewhat overwhelmed.

    Li Minghu quickly interrupted her mother''s actions:

    "By the way, where''s dad?"

    "Your dad was called to a meeting by the school," Li''s mother immediately pulled out her phone, ready to dial, "I''ll call him to come back right now."

    This is getting more and more exaggerated... Yan Yu also hurriedly said:

    "No need, we''re just popping back for a bit, we still have to go back to our units for a debriefing."

    You ask quickly, then I answer promptly. Once the misunderstanding is clarified, that''s the end of it. What''s the use of saying so much? It''s a waste of time, really.

    "Oh, you have to debrief..." Li''s mother was obviously a bit surprised, but after all, she is a teacher and she knows that you can''t escape this sort of thing at work, so she sat down and said, "Alright, you''ll come back after the debriefing, won''t you?"

    Although she was looking at Li Minghu as she asked, her gaze kept darting over to Yan Yu, with the subtext probably being "keep your boyfriend here too."

    Li Minghu was also speechless and said:

    "I don''t think we''ll be able to come back."

    Li''s mother was silent for a moment, her expression a complex mixture of resignation and pride¡ª it was that look of ''my child is too successful, there''s nothing I can do.'' On one hand, she felt proud and fulfilled, but on the other, she wished they would visit home more often. Yet reason told her that you can''t have it all.

    She calmed her emotions and decided to take this opportunity to make things clear with Yan Yu, saying:

    "Yan Yu, this is the first time Auntie is meeting you, and I normally wouldn''t be so straightforward. But both you and my daughter are busy with your careers, and you can''t come home often, I understand that... So I''m taking this chance to tell you, my daughter actually doesn''t have the best health. She has always been strong-willed since she was little.

    Even when her body can''t take it anymore, she won''t admit it or show it. When you''re by her side, please take care of her..."

    "Mom!" Li Minghu couldn''t take it anymore and blurted out honestly, "I''ve told you many times, Yan Yu and I are just ordinary friends. He serves in the Zhendong Army, I serve in the Annan Army, and we hardly see each other unless it''s for military arrangements."

    Li''s mother suddenly looked a little taken aback as she turned to Yan Yu.

    "Mhm." Yan Yu immediately confirmed as well, after all, he came specifically to say this, "Auntie, your daughter and I are currently just friends."

    Li''s mother finally let out an "Oh" and gave a smile of complete understanding, nodding and saying: sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "I see, I understand now. Yan Yu, help yourself to some fruit... Come here a moment."

    That last "Come here a moment," was directed at Li Minghu.

    Li Minghu stood up and followed her mother into the bedroom.

    The moment they entered, Li''s mother immediately showed the authoritative demeanor characteristic of a headteacher and sternly asked:

    "What''s going on with you? Why is he saying he''s still just a friend?"

    "I''ve already told you..." Li Minghu was somewhat at a loss for words and tried to explain further, but Li''s mother interrupted her:

    "What friends? Ordinary friends don''t hug each other like that on TV. Did you forget what your mother does? I''ve disciplined more students for early love in school than you''ve ever seen in your life! I can tell whether there''s something going on between people at a glance... Besides, you''ve been strong-willed since you were little and always keep your thoughts to yourself.

    If you weren''t interested in him, why would you allow him to hold you like that?"

    Li Minghu was left speechless and after a long while finally said:

    "I do have some feelings for him, but it''s only just that... just feelings."

    Li''s mother immediately dropped her serious expression and smiled, saying:

    "Having feelings is enough. He was on TV during the October celebration, the Longcheng Flying General, and he was personally awarded by ''you know who,'' how prestigious. Your father''s school leadership also said that this man is bound to have a limitless future. It''s great if you''re interested in him, you should hurry and establish a romantic relationship, so you don''t lose him to someone else later.

    Good men these days are harder to find than good schools..."

    "Mom!" Li Minghu couldn''t stand it anymore, "Can you please stop meddling in my affairs?"

    "I''m not meddling!" Li''s mother quickly denied, saying, "I''m just giving you advice because I''m afraid you won''t understand about dating for the first time..."

    "I''m not in the mood for a relationship right now." Li Minghu played her trump card.

    "Then you can pretend to be interested in him and secure the relationship first, then date him when you''re ready to," Li''s mother said persuasively and earnestly. "Secure the spot as his girlfriend!"

 Chapter 91 Saving People isnt a Loss Proposition

    When Li Minghu was harshly reprimanded by his mother in his room, Yan Yu also got up from the sofa and began to wander around leisurely.

    By the time he truly began to rise in his previous life, Li Minghu had already sacrificed himself... or more accurately, it was because of Li Zhaojiang''s rebellion that the higher-ups developed extreme suspicion and wariness towards cultivators, which to a certain extent greatly promoted the special military project of "mortal cultivators" that came afterwards.

    Of course, Yan Yu was inclined to believe that "mortal cultivators" would also appear in this life.

    After all, if left unchecked, the gap between cultivators and mortals would only grow wider, and relying on the cultivators'' own morals for social stability was hardly a reliable act.

    In his previous life, as a "mortal cultivator," Yan Yu carved out his own tactical system, but in many areas, he actually drew inspiration from Li Minghu''s way of fighting.

    The Valkyrie, due to physical limitations, could not engage in prolonged battles, so she had to rely on a large number of detailed maneuvers to enhance the effectiveness of her attacks, and the endurance of mortal cultivators posed a similar issue. Hence, when Yan Yu first saw the manuscripts left by the Valkyrie, he treasured them like wealth, studying them tirelessly all night.

    Without the Valkyrie, there would be no "mortal warrior" Yan Yu of later times!

    In a sense, it could even be said that in his past life, he "grew up sucking the milk of the Valkyrie," although this metaphor was slightly indecent, it wasn''t an exaggeration.

    Of course, in this life, Li Minghu had not yet become the Valkyrie, and even if he knew the cause and effect, he would still not acknowledge Yan Yu as his apprentice.

    But that didn''t prevent Yan Yu from showing her respect, as well as wanting to know more about her.

    He observed around the living room, where a dehumidifier was placed in the corner, several dishes from lunch were covered with a mesh cover on the table. The refrigerator was covered with various magnets: Ultraman and Kamen Rider, as well as Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura.

    Everything had a strong sense of the old days.

    The corridor on the side of the living room led to the bedrooms of Li Minghu''s parents, Li Minghu, and Li Zhaojiang.

    Yan Yu walked to the doorway and glanced inside. Li Minghu''s bedroom door was open, with a bamboo mat laid out on the bed for summer, and a mosquito net hung on the outside. The walls were plastered with various certificates: for being an excellent student, ranking top ten in age group, outstanding class officer, and first place in drama performance competitions.

    The Valkyrie could act in dramas? But with her physical condition, she indeed couldn''t participate in any sports, so acting in dramas was a matter of course... just like how Chen Lingyun chose chess over basketball when she was in junior high.

    Behind him, the sound of a door opening was heard. Li Minghu walked out of her mother''s bedroom, surprised to see Yan Yu standing at the door to her room, but she quickly regained her composure and said,

    "Would you like to come in and sit?"

    "Hmm." Yan Yu didn''t feel any embarrassment at being caught, but calmly accepted the invitation.

    The two entered the room, where her desk by the window was covered with a large sheet of glass.

    Under the glass were various photos, including her childhood pictures, sibling photos with Li Zhaojiang, family portraits, and generational photos, along with some food ration coupons and clippings.

    "Most of the stuff in this room was moved from our old house," Li Minghu explained, "So a lot of it may seem antiquated."

    She moved a stool over for Yan Yu to sit on, which had no backrest and was painted brown, the legs fixed to the seat with nails¡ªindeed, it was an old piece of furniture.

    "It looks like no one has lived here for a while, there''s a smell," Yan Yu detected a faint musty scent in the room... or perhaps it was a damp, dusty smell.

    "It was originally intended for me," Li Minghu replied, "But neither I nor Ah Jiang come home much these days."

    She propped up a mirror on the desk and began combing her split ends.

    "So what did your mother say?" Yan Yu asked.

    "I''ve explained to her," Li Minghu said indifferently, "My mom is still somewhat unwilling to believe. I got a bit irritated, and just let her be."

    "Your mom seems really eager for you to find someone," Yan Yu joked with her, "It''s definitely because your brother is in a relationship. Now that her son is settled down, she''s pushing her daughter."

    "Yeah, maybe," Li Minghu meticulously examined herself in the mirror, continuing, "But that''s something you can''t rush."

    Yan Yu also observed her in the mirror: her clear brows and beautiful eyes, thick hair, and fair skin made for the classic beautiful face of a Hong Kong film heroine, and her delicate and soft figure exuded youthful vitality.

    But honestly, the charm of the Valkyrie wasn''t in her appearance, but in her deeds from the past life¡ªfearlessly burning her life away, standing alone with only her sword to block the Allied Forces at the Southern Border, slaying the Witch King with one strike, parting the sea and driving back the enemy with another... merely thinking about it filled one with awe and aspiration.

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    "Anyway, you really did help me out this time," Li Minghu put down the mirror, pondered for a moment, and suddenly asked, "The thing you said before, it still counts, right?"

    "What?"

    "That is..." She seemed a bit uneasy, looking out the window and saying in a low voice, "You said, if there ever comes a day when I feel like I''m about to die, just..."

    "Hmm," Yan Yu nodded. "Count it."

    "Alright then," Li Minghu paused for a moment, revealing a shallow smile as he stood up and said, "Let''s go back then. Don''t want to make them worry."

    You mean, don''t want them to find out, right? Yan Yu did not expose her euphemism; he just stood up as well:

    "Let''s go back."

    This girl is indeed as her mother said, thoughtful and decisive¡ªan aspect of the Valkyrie I had not understood in my past life.

    Quite good.

    After bidding farewell to Li''s mother, the two flew towards the villa, Sword Control from the balcony.

    Yan Yu sensed a subtle shift in the atmosphere... if he had to describe it, the "psychological distance" between Li Minghu and himself seemed to have closed a bit.

    Probably because of something her mom said that made her think better of me?

    Yan Yu''s guess was not off. Li Minghu appeared calm, but inside she was somewhat troubled.

    Earlier in the bedroom, her mother had said to her:

    "...Your elementary school teacher Mr. Jiang told me you were too aloof, with no children willing to be your friend. It improved a bit in middle school, but not because you opened up, but because you learned to hide your true thoughts. You''ve always been too mature for your age, and with your poor health, you always felt your life wouldn''t be long and didn''t want to burden friends or family, right?"

    "Don''t be hasty to contradict. I''m telling you, with the advancements in science and technology, diseases that couldn''t be treated before might be curable someday. Besides, you''re a cultivator now. Everyone at school is saying that your generation will live forever, so how could something like incomplete lung function not be treatable?"

    "I''m more worried about your personality than your body. I''m afraid that you might get used to going solo and still won''t want to deeply interact with others... It''s rare to have a boy whom you don''t dislike, so why don''t you get to know him better? I think Yan Yu is not bad; when I nagged you to bring him home to explain, he was willing to save your face..."

    Li Minghu could refute the other comments, but the last one, "he was willing to save your face," was irrefutable. She couldn''t shamelessly claim that a favor owed never happened.

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    Maybe I could give him some compensation... but what do I have that could be used as compensation?

    "Yan Yu," Li Minghu said, "I owe you a favor this time."

    "Oh, can do," Yan Yu pondered for a moment, then laughed, "How do you plan to repay it?"

    "What would you like?" Li Minghu asked softly.

    Though she was outwardly composed, she was subconsciously a bit anxious inside. What if he were to say, "I don''t want to wait any longer, be my girlfriend now"? How would I respond?

    "Hmm, I don''t seem to have any needs," Yan Yu mused for a while. "However, Lin Ning in the team is usually paired with me for sword practice, and she''s probably getting used to my style. Could you take my place and spar with her for a while?"

    Li Minghu laughed in disbelief and responded:

    "Sure, but sword practice is beneficial for both parties, so it can''t count as repaying a favor."

    "Then let''s consider it a standing debt for now, and we''ll talk about it next time," Yan Yu said.

    Considering his earlier speculation about her increased fondness for him, if he were to confess to her now, there might really be a chance for success.

    But Yan Yu actually had no intention of pursuing the Valkyrie; his goal from the start was to prevent her from meeting the tragic fate of sacrificing herself in her past life. Saving someone to be thanked as a good person was one thing, but it made no sense to then put himself on the line.

    Even the so-called "a romance before death" was really about going back to stop her from dying.

    Pursuing her was an impossibility, impossible in this lifetime.

    Of course, if the Valkyrie were to be moved and offer herself willingly, that''s a different story to negotiate separately...

    Thinking this way, Yan Yu suddenly noticed that they had arrived at their destination below and brought down the flying sword with Li Minghu.

    No sooner had they landed than they saw Lin Ning standing at the villa entrance, clearly displeased, metal spatula in hand.

    "It''s almost past mealtime, where have you been?" She glanced at Li Minghu, then fixed her eyes on Yan Yu with a somewhat dangerous tone, akin to a wife who caught her husband with a mistress.

    Just as Yan Yu was about to explain, he suddenly felt a heavy aura emanating from Lin Ning, almost suffocating him just by its approach.

    You know this trick too?

 Chapter 92 Lin Ning is not easy to deal with

    Lin Ning, despite her expressionless face, held the metal spatula as if it were the Tai''a Sword, giving off a "explain yourself or I''ll whack your head" vibe.

    Yan Yu was thinking about how to brush off the issue when Li Minghu spoke up with a laugh:

    "Yan was just outside discussing something with me."

    She had seen Yan Yu affected by the Gravity Field Spell, temporarily a bit slow to react, so she took the initiative to defuse the situation.

    "Oh?" Lin Ning drew out the tone, like a cat hissing aggressively, her demeanor turning unfriendly, "What''s so secretive that you can''t discuss it here, needing to go outside with Vice Captain Li for a private conversation?"

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    "Quite simple." Li Minghu was still smiling, "Because he didn''t want you to know."

    Lin Ning: ?

    Fury doubled! Gravity doubled! Murderous intent doubled! Stinky captain, if you don''t explain yourself right now, I''m going to smack you with this spatula...

    "Can I say it?" Li Minghu turned and asked.

    "Sigh, go ahead." Yan Yu, though unsure of what she intended to say, chose to trust her and played along with a helpless sigh.

    "He asked me to accompany you in your sword practice," Li Minghu said earnestly.

    Lin Ning, who was already shaping a Sword technique to lift the spatula and strike Yan Yu on the head, paused in surprise:

    "Huh?"

    "That''s right." Yan Yu was quick to explain, "Usually, it''s me who spars with you all, and you''ve adapted to my style, mainly focusing on defense and counterattacks. This could easily lead to rigid thinking... I figured it would be better to have different people to practice against, exposing you all to various types of opponents."

    "Um, yeah..." Hearing that the captain had arranged this privately with Vice Captain Li for the team''s benefit, Lin Ning''s righteous indignation diminished a bit.

    But considering herself not easily fooled, she continued to press and ask:

    "If that''s the case, why ask in private?"

    "Because I might not have agreed," Li Minghu replied with a smile, "If he had asked in front of everyone and I declined, it would have been awkward. But by asking in private, even if I didn''t agree, it could simply have been as if he never asked."

    "Er, yeah, um..." Lin Ning reflexively sought something more to challenge, but couldn''t think of any doubts, only managing to mutter, "Did you agree then?"

    "Of course," Li Minghu said seriously, "I''m also a manager of the team. I can definitely empathize with Yan''s good intentions for you all."

    Lin Ning was left without a response, her spatula now hidden behind her.

    Yan Yu went out of his way for the team, asking Vice Captain Li for help, and there I was, brandishing a spatula to hassle him; I really am...

    "Um," she looked at Yan Yu again, speaking awkwardly, "I made some Lingnan-style snacks. Would you like to come and try?"

    "Sampling the snacks is fine," said Yan Yu cheerfully, "But first let me ask: were you looking for me to settle a score just now?"

    "Er." Lin Ning was taken aback.

    "Then I''ll head in first," said Li Minghu, noting that Lin Ning was utterly defeated, and excusing herself with a parting word before heading into the villa.

    "I wasn''t looking to settle any score," Lin Ning scrambled for an excuse during the few seconds of her departure, "I was just worried about you. After all, you disappeared suddenly, and nobody answered your phone..."

    "Then why are you holding a spatula?" Yan Yu asked again.

    "Ah, the spatula." Lin Ning hid the spatula with force, "I was looking for you everywhere after cooking, couldn''t find you, so I just waited at the door, forgetting to put it back."

    "Is that so?" Yan Yu asked with a smile, "Not to hit me with it?"

    "Ahahaha, of course not." Lin Ning strained to produce a pure and innocent smile, feeling incredibly embarrassed inside, quickly reaching out her left hand to tug on Yan Yu''s sleeve, "Alright, let''s drop it, I won''t do this again, you should hurry up and try the shrimp dumplings I made, all with live shrimp, I almost exhausted myself peeling them..."

    She led Yan Yu into the villa, towards the kitchen.

    And then let out a bloodcurdling roar. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    On the dining table in the kitchen, two-thirds of the variety of Lingnan-style snacks she and the aunt had made were already devoured by Zhao Yuanzhen... who was gnawing on a tender chicken foot, turned her head upon hearing the scream, with a clear and puzzled look in her eyes.

    "Ah, ah, ah..." Lin Ning wanted to say something but seemed to have lost the ability to speak; her eyes also lost their usual sparkle.

    I went to great lengths to make that... And my shrimp dumplings, Yan Yu hasn''t even tried them yet, how did they turn into empty plates...

    Without a word, Yan Yu stepped forward and executed the Annihilating Grip, grabbing the Demonic Sect Enchantress''s fair neck and revealing an extremely gentle yet sinister smile:

    "You should wait for everyone before eating... Don''t you know manners?"

    "Ooh¡ª" Zhao Yuanzhen felt guilty and tried to explain, "I was just passing by and saw some snacks here, wanted to try a bit, and before I knew it, all the plates were empty. I really don''t know what happened..."

    Yan Yu laughed infuriatingly:

    "Are you going to say you were brain-controlled?"

    "Ah, yes, exactly!" Zhao Yuanzhen hastily replied, "I must have been possessed by a demon! I didn''t mean to eat that much!"

    "Then I would also have been possessed by a demon!" Yan Yu sneered coldly, "Take the family punishment!!!"

    If Xie Ruoxi had been there, she would certainly have been beaten to a pulp by Yan Yu, but the Demonic Sect Enchantress was no kind-hearted creature. If you intend to use force to humiliate me, I will certainly respond with violence!

    The two quickly grappled with each other, and just as quickly, a winner emerged.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was beaten so badly she was left searching for her teeth on the ground.

    She lay on the floor defeated, her face filled with disbelief:

    Why! Damn it! I refuse to accept this!

    Yan Yu got up from her body, dusting himself off with satisfaction.

    In a life-and-death struggle, no holds barred, this enchantress might have an advantage; but in a pure physical fight, how could she possibly be my match? Has she ever practiced any martial arts? Hilarious.

    However, Zhao Yuanzhen on the ground hadn''t realized all this, merely biting her lip tightly, harboring resentment:

    I''ll remember this grudge! When the day comes for me to turn the tables, I''ll repay this humiliation tenfold!

    With this in mind, a scene of a wedding night appeared in her head. She imagined herself straddling a motionless thief, slapping him fiercely left and right! Smack smack smack smack! Hitting him until his face throbbed!

    "Are you going to submit?" Smack smack smack.

    "I submit, I submit! Mercy, my lady!" Smack smack smack.

    "Mercy? Had you been tough, I might have respected you as a man and enjoyed a good fight; but now you beg like a dog, I''m less inclined to spare you!"

    With that, she began to hit even harder! Smack smack smack smack smack!

    Zhao Yuanzhen thought about this, and gradually satisfaction crept in, the rage from being humiliated temporarily subsided.

    Lin Ning was originally a bit displeased and resentful, but seeing Sister Zhao get a thorough lesson from the captain, with a strange smile on her face, her anger dissipated greatly. She went over to help her up, persuading:

    "Let it go, Captain, Sister Zhao probably didn''t mean it..."

    "Have her make you a new batch," Yan Yu said calmly, tossing the remark and then leaving the kitchen.

    "Sister Zhao," Lin Ning asked cautiously, "are you all right?"

    "I''m fine, I''m fine," Zhao Yuanzhen exited her mental theater, tidying up her disheveled clothes and hair, and said embarrassedly, "Sorry, Ningning, I''ll make another batch for you."

    "Okay." Lin Ning then rolled up her sleeves and said, "There should still be some shrimp in the oxygenated water tank over there. Fetch me eight, snip the heads, peel them and hand them to me."

    "All right." Zhao Yuanzhen began to work.

    They say every foodie has a heart for cooking, and the Demonic Sect Enchantress was no exception. Choosing shrimp, snipping heads, peeling shells, deveining¡ªLin Ning taught her once and she got the hang of it immediately, her movements swift and proficient.

    After preparing a live shrimp, Zhao Yuanzhen pinched the crystal-clear shrimp flesh with her fingers, admiring its texture through the light.

    So pretty, might be tasty too... Right, raw shrimp is edible, isn''t it? Isn''t there a dish called sashimi?

    Lin Ning had just got the pastry ready and turned her head when she suddenly screamed:

    "Sister Zhao, no! You can''t eat that! It''s dirty, you can''t eat it!"

 Chapter 93 Yun Jin is Hard to Brush Off

    Yan Yu arrived in the living room and saw the men enthusiastically yelling and cheering as they played FIFA.

    The leader was still Li Zhaojiang, who was furiously pressing buttons on the controller, his body leaning forward with the movements of the game character, as if trying to awaken some hidden motion sensor in the TV.

    Yan Yu was somewhat speechless. When I left, everyone was gaming, and now both your sister and I have met the parents. It''s been so long that even Lin Ning has started to sense that something is off¡ªyet here you are, still gaming! S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Forget it, I''ll say no more. I was young once, too; I understand.

    In his previous life, Yan Yu indeed spent some time gaming during his university days and early years of work.

    But later, when he became an ordinary cultivator, those games of fighting and killing lost all their thrill for him¡ªit all seemed so fake.

    In the end, games are just a simplified sandbox, created for those who lack excitement in reality.

    Even for these men of the Qing''an team, once they have spent a few years on real battlefields and witnessed the horrors of war, I doubt they would find any interest in games anymore.

    Yan Yu did not disturb them; he silently walked around the couch and turned to look for the girls.

    Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin were chatting leisurely in the backyard. Yan Yu approached with a smile and said,

    "I have good news for you: I''ve asked Deputy Team Leader Li to train with us for a limited time event. Do you have any questions?"

    "Training partner?" Chen Lingyun feigned curiosity, "Is she going to fight you with us, or are we going to fight you and her?"

    "Of course, Deputy Team Leader Li and I will be playing against you. What were you thinking?" Yan Yu said with a friendly smile. "Challenging different opponents is a precious training opportunity, you should cherish it."

    Su Yunjin was immediately speechless: So what, you alone beating all of us isn''t enough, you need to bring in Deputy Team Leader Li as well?

    Chen Lingyun smiled broadly and suddenly gave her a wink, saying,

    "By the way, where did you go earlier? Lin Ning seemed quite anxious looking for you."

    "Right." Su Yunjin''s expression also changed, revealing a heavy smile that mysteriously weighed down the atmosphere. "Where had the team leader gone earlier? Why couldn''t we reach you by phone?"

    Yan Yu: ?

    I''ve already dealt with these questions, haven''t I? Why do I have to face them again?!

    "Of course, I went to find Deputy Team Leader Li." He decided to use the same excuse again.

    "I''m off then~" Chen Lingyun completed her instigation and quietly stood up, so as not to prevent Su Yunjin from fully unleashing her gravity spells in the presence of a "third person".

    "I know the team leader went to find Deputy Team Leader Li." Su Yunjin said with a smile, "because apart from the team leader, only Deputy Team Leader Li wasn''t at the villa, but what exactly was it for?"

    "For what I just mentioned, discussing whether she could train with you all." Yan Yu said.

    "Why did it have to be discussed for so long outside?" Su Yunjin asked.

    "Because discussing it in front of you all might make her too embarrassed to refuse." Yan Yu said.

    "You could have used a whispering spell." Su Yunjin said.

    Yan Yu: ............

    Indeed, she''s on a whole different level compared to Sister Lin.

    "Is Yun Jin really concerned about me going to find Deputy Team Leader Li?" Yan Yu asked as he sat down beside her.

    "Yes." Su Yunjin admitted without hesitation.

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    "Why is that?" Yan Yu pressed forward, hoping to make her retreat out of embarrassment.

    "Does the team leader really not know why?" Su Yunjin asked with a smile.

    "I really don''t."

    "It''s because I''m jealous." Su Yunjin said unflinchingly.

    Yan Yu fell silent.

    Such strong fighting spirit! If I''m not careful and keep pressing, she''ll say "I''m jealous because I like you," "Would you like to be my boyfriend?", and then I''d respond "You think you''re worthy?", which would lead to Su Yunjin''s heartbreak as she runs away crying, followed by a resignation letter the next day, and everyone from Qi Changping to Li Weiguo would be shocked and come asking why...

    Okay, let''s stop there. To continue would be impolite.

    "I just went for a visit at her place." Yan Yu said.

    "Oh?" Su Yunjin fell silent for a moment, "Meeting the parents?"

    "Last time during the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm, her parents saw us on the live broadcast," Yan Yu calmly explained, "I went to her house and explained it to her parents."

    "That''s quite strange, isn''t it?" Su Yunjin pondered, "Her parents have a misunderstanding, what does it have to do with you? Shouldn''t she clear it up herself?"

    "Mm." Yan Yu stopped talking.

    Su Yunjin looked at Yan Yu. Her keen literary girl''s instinct immediately made her realize that the captain must be feeling guilty, which was why he''d been taking extra care of her over the Li Minghu incident, showing all sorts of consideration.

    This was problematic because a man''s guilt often becomes his vulnerability, allowing other women to take advantage... Moreover, the more you make a fuss, the more careful and accommodating the other side becomes, tipping the scales of the man''s heart even more in their favor.

    The correct and high-level response should be: to choose to forgive and tolerate, similarly awakening and harnessing his sense of guilt, thereby unobtrusively gaining the upper hand.

    She sighed softly to herself, forcibly suppressing the urge to get angry, and gently said:

    "Forget it, Vice-Captain Li must also have his difficulties. It''s fine as long as the captain goes and explains things clearly."

    Yan Yu was greatly surprised by her words. He had been mentally prepared to be hit on the head by one gravity "spell" after another, but he hadn''t expected Su Yunjin to be so understanding... No, wait, Secretary Su wasn''t someone to be easily dealt with, not with her past character!

    She wasn''t like Sister Lin, who took everything at face value, believing whatever you said and even actively embellishing tales on your behalf.

    Well, the only explanation must be that Secretary Su''s affection for me has reached its peak, even starting to warp her own reason.

    Gosh, her love for me is overflowing, she''s at the point where I can manipulate her as I please!

    "Yes, that''s right," nodded Yan Yu while adopting an imposing and impatient demeanor, "You should stay out of the captain''s affairs. Remember, women who like to be jealous are not lovable."

    Su Yunjin: ???

    She finally snapped out of it, her eyes went wide, her face immediately coated with frost, and she sneered:

    "The captain''s affairs, am I not allowed to manage them?"

    "Of course not."

    "But last time the captain said he wanted me to be the secretary, to take charge of everything."

    "Did I?"

    "If the captain doesn''t want me to manage matters, then I''ll resign from this position," said Su Yunjin as she stood up, speaking coldly, "From now on, for all team affairs, whether it''s form registration or written duty reports or any such procedures, please have the captain find someone more capable to do it."

    Yan Yu was suddenly wide awake, thinking, what, there are such matters too?

    Form registration for claiming supplies, written reports after the conclusion of the secret realm, and various other procedures, of course, all existed and needed to be done.

    Yan Yu had never been fond of these worldly tasks. Since the inception of the team, he had dumped all of it on Lin Ning (which also had Lin Ning running to the school administration building to find Qi Changping every other day), and later he turned it over to Su Yunjin.

    Now that Su Yunjin was about to bail, how could he allow that? He hurriedly grabbed her hand to stop her from leaving on the spot, merely smiling gently as he said:

    "Hold on, Su Yunjin, I spoke out of turn. You are the housekeeper of our team, my personal secretary! There''s no way you can just give up managing without saying so, is there?"

    Su Yunjin felt his grasp on her slender hand, first a shy delight in her heart, then remaining anger wanting to overwhelm the joyous feelings, then being overwhelmed by failure, her heart already completely swamped by sweetness, but she feigned a cold exterior as she asked:

    "So I do have the right to manage?"

    "Yes, yes, of course."

    "So about the captain going to see Vice-Captain Li, can I also inquire about that?"

    "Of course you can, what''s there for us to hide from each other?"

    Su Yunjin finally calmed down completely and sat back down beside Yan Yu, asking:

    "So how does the captain see Vice-Captain Li?"

    "Uh, she is quite strong," Yan Yu intended to make a fair and comprehensive critique of Valkyrie''s overall strength, but Su Yunjin interrupted him without hesitation:

    "I mean, as a woman, what does the captain think of her?"

    "I haven''t really thought about it," said Yan Yu, "We are just friends."

    Of course, what she thinks inside, I don''t know and can''t control.

    "Alright then." Seeing that he frankly admitted to "just being friends," and after carefully comparing it with her memory without finding any contradictions, Su Yunjin temporarily put her mind at ease.

 Chapter 94 Whose Side Are You On, Sister?

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    To say that Su Yunjin''s suspicions had completely dissipated would not be entirely true.

    But the greatest evidence before her was that Yan Yu indeed was a forthright man who disdained lying.

    If he had really fallen for Li Minghu, would he need to lie to the pitiable and lowly Secretary Su?

    There was no need.

    All he needed was to deliver an overbearing and indifferent "You''re not worthy! She is," and Su Yunjin would have been shattered to pieces in the abyss of heartbreak¡ªbut he didn''t.

    From this perspective, the likelihood of Yan Yu''s statement, "She and I are just ordinary friends," being a lie was indeed slim, because there was simply no motive for him to lie.

    Of course, just because she wasn''t suspecting now didn''t mean she would never doubt again in the future.

    I will continue to confirm it with my own eyes!

    After Yan Yu and Su Yunjin left the backyard and returned to the living room, they saw that everyone had stopped playing games and were instead gathered around the television watching a match.

    It was neither-football nor basketball, nor was it esports, but a Cultivator versus match for the Mysterious Realm.

    Today, the cultivator students from the four major martial arts colleges of the southeast, southwest, northeast, and northwest had essentially completed their formation into teams, totaling 76 teams.

    With so many teams battling each other, just setting up the match schedules was a significant effort, hence it was no longer feasible, as it was at the beginning, for the Privy Council to decide match-ups on a whim.

    The higher-ups had recently started working on establishing the "Cultivator Athletic League." They intended to emulate Miti''s mature commercial sports system, keeping defense to defense and athletic competition to athletic competition¡ªdividing the 76 teams into three Levels: A, B, and C. With 8 spots in Level A, 24 in Level B, and an unlimited number in Level C.

    The slots were fixed, with promotion for the superior and elimination for the inferior.

    Similarly, the Mysterious Realms were also categorized into three Levels according to their difficulty: Level A, Level B, and Level C.

    As such, a broad framework was established for which team would tackle which Mysterious Realm and which teams would engage in mock combats with one another.

    Of course, which team belonged to which level had not yet been definitively determined, but by now almost everyone had heard the rumors. Aside from the four leading teams¡ªZhenghai, Dragon Cavalry, Huofeng, Qing''an¡ªthe levels of the other teams were to be decided based on the results of recent matches, which is why every team was going all out in the versus games, showing off their might.

    The match currently being broadcasted on the television was between the Dingbei Army''s Flying Dragon Battle Team and the Zhendong Army''s Golden Wing Battle Team.

    "Flying Dragon Battle Team has won," Yan Yu commented, glancing at the screen as soon as he entered the living room, quickly reaching a conclusion, "Their opponent''s formation is completely scattered."

    "That''s not certain," Li Zhaojiang had a differing opinion and retorted, "Old Yan, look carefully, the Golden Wing Battle Team has a configuration of five Sword Immortals."

    "Oh?" Yan Yu expressed surprise.

    As everyone knows, if one were to ask who had the strongest ability to fight alone, it would unquestionably be the Sword Immortal.

    With high mobility, strong offensive power, and a wide range, they don''t need to beat around the bush¡ªa controlled Flying Sword is all about action.

    Even if they lose team coordination and support, their combat strength won''t be too severely limited¡ªthe commentators on the scene were explaining this to the viewers, essentially saying, "The victory is still undecided; there''s more game to be played."

    Since even the commentators held that belief, Yan Yu, who had originally lost interest in the match, now gave it a few more seconds of his time.

    "It''s apparent the captain of the Golden Wing has some ideas," he commented again, "But it''s no use, they''ll still lose."

    "Why do you say that?" Li Minghu asked casually, walking over from the dining area with a tea cup in hand.

    "They can''t contain Cai Qianlong," said Yan Yu, "Young Cai''s tactical awareness has improved quite a bit."

    Li Minghu turned his gaze to the television screen and took a sip of his tea.

    Indeed.

    During the last battle in the Changping Secret Realm, which was also the first nationally televised Cultivator versus match, the Flying Dragon Battle Team was utterly defeated by the Zhenhai Team. The reason being that the captain, Cai Qianlong, failed to adequately protect the vice-captain, Shen Rui, leading to their command system being disrupted by the Zhenhai Team right from the start.

    After the event, at the press conference, Cai Qianlong openly admitted his fault, and the result was naturally a barrage of criticism from the media.

    Many internet users from the North who originally supported the Flying Dragon Battle Team blamed him for the defeat after the fact. Some even wrote letters to the Dingbei Army, suggesting that the Flying Dragon Battle Team should get a new team leader. For a while, almost the entire internet was against Cai Qianlong.

    Looking back at the match, the formation of the Golden Wing Battle Team had been thoroughly shredded, and the credit went to the vice-captain in charge of commanding, Shen Rui.

    The opposition naturally tried everything they could to take down Shen Rui, but while Cai Qianlong was dueling with the Golden Wing Battle Team''s captain Jin Yupeng in swordsmanship, he still had the spare capacity to deflect several attacks aimed at vice-captain Shen Rui using Sword Control.

    It was evident that this man was not only uninfluenced by the detractors but had indeed learned a profound lesson from the previous defeat.

    "Jin Yupeng didn''t put enough frontal pressure on Cai Qianlong," Li Minghu also concluded.

    "It''s not about the lack of pressure, he got deceived," Yan Yu, however, saw through it with a discerning eye and chuckled, "Haven''t you noticed? Little Cai is now more cunning."

    "Oh?" Li Minghu took a closer look and indeed discovered some clues.

    In terms of swordsmanship level alone, Jin Yupeng was only slightly weaker than Cai Qianlong, but not by much; if it came to a one-on-one duel, the match could have been hard to call.

    However, the match performance told a completely different story. Cai Qianlong''s defense was on the brink of collapse, not only being thrown into disarray by Jin Yupeng but also executing his sword techniques in a chaotic manner, with the entire fight fraught with danger.

    However, it might have been precisely because Cai Qianlong showed weakness that Jin Yupeng believed the other party was affected by negative public opinion and was performing abnormally.

    As a result, Jin Yupeng had a confident look on his face, not only failing to intensify his offensive to pressure the opponent but also using petty and irritating tactics from time to time to play with and provoke the opponent, showing an arrogant demeanor of "a strong person should humiliate the weaker ones."

    This guy was overconfident.

    "I see," Li Minghu had an epiphany, "In that case, the Golden Wing Battle Team indeed has no chance."

    "What do you mean he got deceived?" Li Zhaojiang was confused and interrupted to ask.

    Seeing his sister and Yan Yu talking back and forth, even without a detailed explanation, they had arrived at the same conclusion¡ªWhy can''t I see it?

    "Jiang, your ability to read the game still needs improvement," Li Minghu said with a smile, not offering an explanation.

    Sure enough, as the Golden Wing Battle Team had one player eliminated first and rushed out by the medical team, the Flying Dragon Battle Team finally began to unleash their fury.

    Under Shen Rui''s command, two players took advantage of the numerical superiority and managed to send another opponent off in less than half a minute, turning the situation into a 5 versus 3.

    The Golden Wing Battle Team also realized something was off, as the gap in overall strength widened too quickly. They could only desperately attack, hoping to take down an opponent and even the disadvantage.

    Jin Yupeng hastily brought out his full strength, and the sword light of his Sword Control flying slash surged, attempting to crush the opponent directly.

    But Cai Qianlong''s sword light also surged, promptly suppressing the opponent''s offensive once again.

    Previously, Cai Qianlong was worried that Jin Yupeng would limit his ability to coordinate with his teammates, so he had to pretend to be performing poorly to show weakness. But now, the situation had completely reversed, and it was his turn to fully contain the opponent from aiding his teammates.

    Cai Qianlong had Jin Yupeng so preoccupied that Shen Rui comfortably commanded the other three teammates. With a 4 on 2 advantage, they slowly took care of the two opponents and then joined Cai Qianlong to gang up on Jin Yupeng.

    The commentator guests were stunned for a while, and now they began to find excuses, claiming that the Golden Wing Battle Team had made a blunder, losing two people in an instant, and that the match was no longer contestable with the outcome already decided.

    "See that?" Yan Yu chuckled to Li Zhaojiang, "If the Golden Wing Battle Team hadn''t been configured with five Sword Immortals, and had an Assistant Officer or Envoy to contain the opponent, even with the loss of one person, there would still be a chance to fight back.

    But the methods of Sword Immortals lack versatility; strong is strong, weak is weak, overcoming the strong when weak is too difficult for Sword Immortals."

    "Alright, alright, you''re right," Li Zhaojiang, facing the result of the match, didn''t have the nerve to argue otherwise and could only noncommittally agree.

    "It''s not just about admitting you''re wrong," Li Minghu added sarcastically, smiling, "You also have to take note of what Yan said and reflect on it after you go back." S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Damn, it''s not me who lost!" Li Zhaojiang felt wronged and nearly in tears, "Sis, whose side are you really on?"

    "Of course, I''m on the side of victory," Li Minghu said with a slight smile.

 Chapter 95 The Goals We Set in Those Years

    Li Zhaojiang stood dumbfounded, while Su Yunjin watched with a cold eye.

    Although the captain didn''t show any abnormalities, Li Minghu''s attitude was really too strange, almost as if he had eyes only for the captain.

    Of course, perhaps this was another way to curry favor... Hmph.

    "The snacks are ready," Lin Ning came over and said, "Would you like to come and try some?"

    "Let''s go," Yan Yu rose to his feet and said, "It''s rare for us all to get together, so let''s all show some respect to our team''s Lin Ning, huh."

    "Oh my, how embarrassing~" Though Li Zhaojiang was still making polite remarks, he moved faster than anyone else and in an instant, he was by the dining table, looking at the variety of dishes, ready to reach out and take one, saying, "You''ve made so much, let me try one first..."

    "Ah Jiang!" Li Minghu felt somewhat embarrassed and went over to grab his arm, preventing him from snatching some food first.

    Lin Ning went upstairs to call Chen Lingyun and Xie Ruoxi down, and then everyone sat down at the dining table and began to enjoy the snacks.

    Zhao Yuanzhen used a spoon in her left hand, chopsticks in her right, shuttling food back and forth non-stop; Xie Ruoxi, though only using one hand, was also quick with her chopsticks, her cheeks puffing up as she chewed relentlessly.

    Seeing these two beautiful girls eating so heartily made the men of the Flying Dragon Battle Team drop their reserve and shyness and started eating and drinking heartily as well.

    Lin Ning, having just finished cooking, didn''t have much of an appetite, and like Chen Lingyun, took a small cake and slowly ate it with a little spoon, when suddenly she heard Su Yunjin sending her a mental message:

    "Ningning, what do you think of Li Minghu?"

    "Ah?" Lin Ning swallowed the food in her mouth and replied telepathically, "He seems nice, and he even promised the captain to help train us... What''s wrong?"

    "I think she has feelings for the captain," Su Yunjin mused for a moment and suddenly said.

    Find an ally.

    "...Ah?" This time Lin Ning took noticeably longer to respond, "Yun Jin, how can you tell?"

    "I don''t really have any concrete evidence," Su Yunjin chose her words carefully, "It''s just a feeling."

    Her words seemed a bit mysterious. Informing on someone out of strategy always carried risks. No matter what evidence she presented, Lin Ning would inevitably wonder, "While you''re observing her, could you also be watching me?" Thus, Su Yunjin could only say it was a "feeling," suggesting you can believe it or not, I''m just mentioning it casually.

    If Lin Ning had nothing to hide, faced with Su Yunjin''s "just intuition," she would certainly just laugh it off.

    But Su Yunjin''s assumption about Sister Lin was spot on; after hearing it, she quickly became restless, and without thinking, she anxiously asked,

    "What should we do then? If the captain really falls for her, then... then we can''t do anything about it!"

    Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "The captain and her are just ordinary friends for now, and he doesn''t have any feelings for her beyond that," Su Yunjin said calmly.

    Lin Ning breathed a small sigh of relief but still didn''t realize the slight sense of relief in her heart.

    "But we still have to nip the problem in the bud," Su Yunjin continued, "If the captain really gets together with the vice captain, what will become of our team?"

    Lin Ning suddenly felt it was strange and asked:

    "What does that have to do with our team?"

    "What if there''s a confrontation in the Mysterious Realm?" Su Yunjin said, "Between Zhenhai Team and the Flying Dragon Battle Team, what would the captain do?"

    "He surely wouldn''t side with the opposition," Lin Ning still failed to understand, "He is our captain, after all."

    "Have you forgotten what happened at the Dragon Soar Mysterious Realm last time?" Su Yunjin asked lightly.

    Dragon Soar Mysterious Realm... Oh, right, the captain had defeated Li Minghu last time, but she wasn''t seriously injured, and the captain even invited her to join in capturing flags...

    At the time, Lin Ning didn''t think anything of it, but having heard Su Yunjin phrase it that way, she finally came back to her senses, feeling more and more uncomfortable¡ªthe captain''s attitude towards the vice captain did seem off.

    "But there''s nothing we can do about it," she telepathically sighed, "The captain is free to like whoever he wants."

    "Of course we can only wish him well if the captain has already fallen for someone," Su Yunjin had her response prepared, speaking slowly, "But if the captain''s feelings for her haven''t developed yet, if we can keep them apart and reduce their interactions, we can avoid such a situation."

    "Uh," Lin Ning still felt something was wrong, because her view on love was one of destiny, believing that the progression from meeting, getting to know each other, and falling in love should all happen naturally.

    Hearing Su Yunjin suggesting they interfere with someone else''s destiny naturally felt off, "What I mean is, no matter who the captain likes or wants to develop a relationship with, it''s the captain''s prerogative. If we interfere with his and someone else''s destiny, wouldn''t that be too much?"

    "Not at all," Su Yunjin said tactfully, "Let me give you an example."

    "Suppose there''s a movie tomorrow night that''s garnered high praises online, and both you and Deputy Team Leader Li want to invite the captain to watch it. Even though you''re aware of Deputy Team Leader Li''s intentions, you still decide to ask the captain first. Is that considered interfering with the fate between him and Deputy Team Leader Li?"

    "Of course not," Lin Ning replied without hesitation. "It would be different if they were both interested in each other, but in the example you''ve given, isn''t it just Deputy Team Leader Li who wants to pursue the captain? There''s not even the beginning of a relationship yet, so I don''t need to make way for her in everything... huh?"

    "Right," Su Yunjin said with a smile. "The captain also said that for now, he just sees Deputy Team Leader Li as a friend. There''s no red thread of fate between them yet, so whatever we do, it''s not like we''re cutting their thread of fate¡ªbecause it doesn''t exist at all."

    Her sophistry did not entirely convince Lin Ning. After all, the thinking she had honed from years of solving problems quickly led her to the realization, "Although you''re not trying to cut the thread, you''re deliberately trying to stop them from connecting. What''s the difference? Aren''t you still interfering with other people''s feelings?"

    However, the thought of Yan Yu and Li Minghu possibly being connected by a red thread of fate... Lin Ning immediately felt an indescribable sense of suffocation and, as if possessed by a demon, sent a telepathic message back:

    "Fine."

    "That''s great," Su Yunjin exclaimed joyfully. "Then it''s settled, Ningning. You can''t tell anyone else, okay?"

    Hmph, with Ningning, the easiest to convince on my side, only Ling Yun remains.

    As for Sister Zhao and Ruoxi, their personalities are relatively innocent, so they''re actually not suitable for being involved in such complicated actions¡ªbesides, preventing the captain from being chased away by outsiders is beneficial for them too, so there''s no need to notify them.

    Su Yunjin looked at Chen Lingyun again when suddenly she heard Wang Haoran exclaim in surprise:

    "Holy shit, there''s a fight breaking out in the big chat group!"

    "Who is it?" Li Zhaojiang asked casually.

    "Cai Qianlong and Jin Yupeng," Wang Haoran said.

    Online chat groups are rife with a mix of characters, and arguments and flaming are commonplace, so there was no need to be surprised.

    But for the two teams who had just finished a Mysterious Realm clash, and their team leaders personally engaging in a verbal fight, now that was truly interesting!

    Everyone was so curious they immediately stopped eating and hurriedly pulled out their phones to check the big group chat.

    The Cultivator big group was originally formed by Qiu Ze without restricting members from inviting others. You invite your classmate, I invite mine, and now there were nearly four hundred people, almost all the college student cultivators in the country were in it.

    With so many people talking at once, the cause of the fight was difficult to trace back by scrolling through the chat, but it seemed that Jin Yupeng was a bit unhappy about losing the match, and Cai Qianlong, who liked to show off, somehow got into a conflict with him and they started calling each other out in the argument.

    Jin Yupeng claimed they lost the match because of bad luck; Cai Qianlong retorted that you don''t even understand why you lost, so you''ll continue to lose next time; Jin Yupeng countered by saying your team lost to our Zhengdong Army''s Zhenhai Team last time, so aren''t you destined to lose again the next time you meet; Cai Qianlong replied at least we can beat you... blah blah blah.

    Soon others joined in the ridicule, saying that the Zhenhai Team was the original progenitor god (referring to the first batch of founded teams), and it was unnecessary to compare them to the younger Flying Dragon Battle Team.

    Then someone asked, both being original progenitors, which was stronger between the Dragon Soar Team and Zhenhai Team? Who was the number one cultivator in Lu Country, Liu Longtao or Yan Yu?

    As more and more rubberneckers began to fan the flames, Yan Yu couldn''t stand by and watch any longer. He turned to Chen Lingyun and said:

    "Tell Qiu Ze to impose a chat restriction."

    "I''ll do it," Chen Lingyun said with a slight smile.

    [Chen Lingyun]: @Mighty Peng Spreading Wings, losing is losing, no need to make so many excuses, just take this as a lesson.

    [Mighty Peng Spreading Wings]: Understood.

    Jin Yupeng fell silent, and seeing that Cai Qianlong also stopped since his opponent was playing dead, the atmosphere quickly returned to normal chit-chat.

    Yan Yu: ???

    He watched the chat group settle down and was puzzled. Jin Yupeng was not known for his good temper, otherwise, he wouldn''t have fought with Cai Qianlong, but with just one sentence from Chen Lingyun, Jin Yupeng was silenced. Why? Was he bribed by her financial power?

    Noticing the doubtful gaze from Yan Yu, Chen Lingyun smiled slightly and sent a telepathic message:

    "Surprised, are you?"

    "What are you up to?" Yan Yu asked in return.

    "I''m not up to anything, I''ve told you before," Chen Lingyun said leisurely. "Remember back when we hadn''t yet graduated from high school..."

    "...we set a goal together."

 Chapter 96 I am the Group Owner

    ``` S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    In his past life, when Yan Yu was with Chen Lingyun, this despicable woman was already the "Number One Female Cultivator of the Zhendong Army," so Yan Yu wasn''t quite sure how she had achieved that.

    It must have been either by leveraging her first-mover advantage, using her family background, or flaunting her cunning eloquence... Definitely not by winning others over with her true strength, for reasons that go without saying.

    Of course, if Chen Lingyun didn''t take on the role of leader among the cultivators of the Zhendong Army, the cultivators would form into little cliques on their own, which was neither conducive to unity and camaraderie among themselves nor beneficial for those above to integrate and make use of them.

    Especially as time went on, with more and more cultivators joining the battle teams but not enough resources to go around, conflicts between cultivators would intensify rapidly.

    Having Chen Lingyun managing from above was certainly better than allowing them to form cliques and fight indiscriminately.

    But how exactly did Chen Lingyun manage to do that?

    Facing Yan Yu''s puzzled expression, Chen Lingyun offered a faint smile and sent him an invitation to join a group.

    [Chen Lingyun invites you to join the "Zhendong Army Tactical Discussion Group"]

    Yan Yu clicked to agree and upon entering, he saw that there were about thirty-odd members. The group owner was Chen Lingyun, and the administrator, [Divine Traverser], was Qiu Ze... Huh?

    If I''m not mistaken, the members of this group should all be the captains and vice-captains of the various battle teams.

    Before he could continue browsing, group members had already started queuing up to chat, with all sorts of flattery like "We worship Yan God," "Yan God, notice me," and "We love you Yan God" appearing, causing the messages to scroll up frantically.

    "What are you doing with this group?" Yan Yu asked, perplexed.

    "Guidance," Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    Although she didn''t elaborate, Yan Yu only took a moment to think it through and understood what she meant.

    Although they were all cultivators in battle teams, not everyone was the same.

    The so-called "First-Generation Creator Gods" like the members of the Zhenhai Team, whether it''s the top cultivators from within the country or the formidable Transcendents from abroad, all had extensive combat experience. However, the mainstream group of battle team cultivators consisted of students who had just formed teams.

    Their number of competition entries ranged from zero to one, and their opponents were also newbies of the same level, so naturally, the experience gained wouldn''t amount to much.

    If nothing unexpected happened, the vast majority of battle teams would be classified as third-rate after the ranking. Then, the only opponents they would face would also be third-rate teams. If it''s a case of the blind leading the blind, how can they improve?

    Join Chen Lingyun''s cultivator group, and buy lessons!

    Thinking about this, Yan Yu couldn''t help but admire Chen Lingyun''s keen sense. She had pinpointed the loophole in the current cultivator training system... If I were the captain of a low-tier battle team, I would definitely join this group. Otherwise, everyone else is progressing, and if I''m just marking time, how can that work?

    Yan Yu sent an emoticon as a greeting, and everyone had a laugh and gave some more flattery before starting to discuss today''s match again.

    About the Golden Wing Battle Team''s defeat, there were varied opinions in the group: some said it was because the first two to be taken out had a significant gap in raw strength compared to the opposing Flying Dragon Battle Team, while others pointed to the failure to disrupt the opponent''s command system.

    They all made some sense.

    "What do you think?" Chen Lingyun asked teasingly from the side, "Yan God, won''t you give me some pointers?"

    "What kind of scheme are you devising now... Forget it," Yan Yu started typing.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: None of you have hit the mark. The biggest issue with the Golden Wing Battle Team lies in their team composition of Five Sword Immortals.

    [Great Peng Spreads its Wings]: Yan God, we are the Golden Wing Battle Team...

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Sorry, my autocorrect defaulted to that because of the initials. I didn''t look carefully.

    [Begging for Yan God''s Notice]: Is there an issue with the Five Sword Immortals setup?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: The Sword Immortal is a profession that relies heavily on skill and awareness, but since you''re greenhorns who haven''t fought much in real battles, you can''t bring out the advantages of Sword Immortals. Besides, your team lacks other professions, which limits your tactical flexibility. If you can win, you win; if you can''t, you lose.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Some say the Golden Wing Battle Team lost due to inferior strength; others say they failed to disrupt the opponent''s command system. These aren''t wrong, but they miss the key point. Transcendent combat isn''t about quantifying strength and then comparing numbers. Weaker teams also have the chance to beat stronger teams, but a Five Sword Immortals setup just doesn''t have that chance.

    ```

    [Great Peng Spreading Wings]: Got it, got it, thanks a ton, Yan God! So, how should we tweak our team composition to improve?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You should at least add an Assistant Officer. For your magical items, try to choose those geared towards control or defense. For specific tactical construction, you could refer to Ye Jun, the vice-captain of the Dragon Soar Team.

    Watch more of their game videos and particularly study how Ye Jun uses the light blossoms from the Xuan Guang Ruler to defend and ensure the team''s safety when others are attacking.

    [Yan God Is My Daddy]: As soon as Yan God speaks, it''s all about the Dragon Soar Team. I''m so insignificant I''m sweating profusely. For our level and status, isn''t it inappropriate to learn from the Dragon Soar Team? The grade of magical items that Ye Jun has access to¡ªwe probably couldn''t even get them if we asked our superiors, right?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: It''s not about the grade of the magical items for an Assistant Officer, but the category and application. A skilled Assistant Officer using lower-grade magical items can contribute much more strategically than a foolish Assistant Officer with high-grade magical items.

    [Growing in the Shadow of Yan God]: Can Yan God talk about the most suitable professional mix for our team?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Everyone has their own understanding. Spellcasters and Sword Immortals are more offense-oriented; Assistant Officers and Envoys are more supportive. You need at least two for offense and at least one for support. The exact ratio can vary depending on the situation.

    [Do You Need a Steed, Yan God? I''m a Prime Ox-Horse]: Too much offense narrows the range of tactical options; too little, and you lose out on direct confrontation power. Prioritizing surprise or standard tactics, a combination of both is indispensable¡ªis that what you mean?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You could see it that way, but it always depends on the specifics... what''s with all these bizarre group nicknames?

    The chat group erupted into a flurry of chatter, and Yan Yu noticed Qiu Ze had sent him a private message.

    [Thousand-Mile Sprint]: /wipes sweat. It''s actually not so bad, the group used to be filled with a bunch of sycophants, all desperately fawning over Chen, saying things like "I''m Chen''s dog" and "Chen, pat my doggy head," which was just disgusting. Now, this is just their normal operations.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: ...Can I still leave the group?

    [Thousand-Mile Sprint]: There''s no need for Yan Captain to leave. Just block and blacklist those you don''t like.

    Yan Yu put away his phone and asked Chen Lingyun:

    "So, this was your idea? To create a chat group to win over these battle teams?"

    "It''s not exactly about winning them over," Chen Lingyun looked up, her finger gently supporting her chin, pondering as she said, "I think a more accurate term would be: training dogs."

    Yan Yu: ...........

    "Hey, check this out." Chen Lingyun handed her phone to him with an incredibly sweet smile, "Their shameless bootlicking, doesn''t it remind you of tail-wagging dogs?"

    Yan Yu: ....................... Read new adventures at My Virtual Library Empire

    "Alright, that''s enough," he said, massaging his forehead with resignation, "Don''t be too harsh."

    The whole thing was actually quite disheartening. The cultivator training system in Lu Country, while not as extremely biased towards the elite as the Yin Yang Bureau, was far from fair and just.

    From the start, the most talented cultivators were chosen as the first generation of battle team cultivators, enjoying all kinds of resources and benefits that widened the gap in strength to a point unreachable for latecomers.

    For those who came after, if they wanted to improve under the current system without access to more resources, of course, they would end up fawning over the established big shots... but there was no need to compare them to dogs, right?

    "Fine, I''ll rephrase," Chen Lingyun said leisurely, "It''s really just a matter of mutual needs."

    "They need us for guidance and criticism in the group, offering precious intel and information; and we need them to take a stand, or rather, to be inclined to stand with us at crucial moments in the future."

    "With that time, it would be better to focus on improving your own strength," Yan Yu sighed deeply, knowing that his comment would likely go unheeded.

    "It won''t waste much time," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "Here, let me make you an admin."

    "What admin, give me the group owner!" Yan Yu said.

    "Trying to seize power?"

    "No, it''s just that you don''t deserve it."

    "Haha, that won''t do," Chen Lingyun said with a grin, "I''m the group owner."

 Chapter 97 Breaking Up This Pair of Teachers

    The quarrel in the group of cultivators was undoubtedly just a minor incident for the two combat teams.

    After all, they were top-tier battle teams capable of leaving the border to fight for the country; such petty domestic squabbles¡ªwho won, who lost, who held the primary responsibility¡ªreally couldn''t arouse much interest.

    After dinner, the men went out to play basketball for digestion, while Yan Yu took everyone to the basement to let Li Minghu assess the girls'' proficiency in Sword Control Technique.

    The test results showed that the highest level of swordsmanship was found in Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen, while the other three were mediocre, each just about the same¡ªChen Lingyun and Su Yunjin were simply not quick enough in their reactions, and Xie Ruoxi had purely practiced too little.

    However, even this was quite a bit stronger when compared to the overall grasp of Sword Control Technique among university cultivators.

    "This level of skill should be sufficient for everyday use," Li Minghu said with a smile, "Two are magic cultivators, and one is an Envoy; the core of their combat style is Taoism Method and commanding spirits, not mainly focused on Sword Control Technique. Being able to defend themselves is good enough."

    "The problem is even for self-defense, their current skill level is not enough," Yan Yu stated.

    "Not enough?" Li Minghu asked in surprise, "Even internationally, unless they are facing powerhouses like Liu Longtao one-on-one, they generally wouldn''t be at risk."

    "I''m considering the situation where they have to face strong opponents head-on, they need to be able to survive reliably for a sufficient amount of time," Yan Yu replied.

    Li Minghu: ......... Find more adventures on My Virtual Library Empire

    "Uh." Even though her mind was filled with question marks, she still confirmed by asking, "Yan Yu, you should know that even among the current domestic battle team cultivators, most of those who specialize in Sword Control as Sword Immortals can''t last more than a few minutes against Liu Longtao, right?"

    "You plan to train these few members of your team, who are not Sword Immortals, to withstand the full-on attack of top Sword Immortals using Sword Control Technique?"

    "That''s right," Yan Yu answered unequivocally, "What do you think our chances are?"

    Li Minghu: .........

    No chance at all, you should find someone more capable.

    Among the current four major cultivator professions, Sword Immortal is the most popular and most chosen profession, as seen with teams like Golden Wing Battle Team that have all five Sword Immortals, highlighting the desirability of this profession.

    One could even exaggerate by saying that those cultivators who do not choose the Sword Immortal profession do so not because they are more suited to other professions, but because they do not meet the requirements of becoming a Sword Immortal.

    Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin both had very ordinary reaction speeds and adaptability; Xie Ruoxi''s psychological quality could not withstand pressure, panicking at the first sign of danger, with nearly zero tolerance for stress.

    None of these three girls had the makings of a Sword Immortal; it''s like a student who gets a headache from math problems is now expected to learn science and reach a level to compete with top science students¡ªhow is that possible?

    Even if you spent vast amounts of effort and time to reach that level, what good would it do? Forcing a liberal arts student to study science, or a cultivator of a different profession to specialize in Sword Control Technique¡ªwouldn''t that be putting the cart before the horse, a deviation from the right path?

    After all, I owe him a favor; I still need to try to inform him of this.

    "Yan Yu, I think this is somewhat unrealistic," Li Minghu said in a diplomatic tone, "To achieve that level, it means you''re aiming to transition them into the profession of Sword Immortals. Let alone the feasibility, even if you can afford that cost, wouldn''t the time and effort be better spent on their original professional pathways?"

    "Ah?" Yan Yu was taken aback for a moment, then he realized and clarified with a smile, "Li Minghu, you''ve misunderstood me; I''m not trying to make things unduly difficult."

    "I don''t intend for them to give up their main duties to become Sword Immortals. My idea is, when facing a powerhouse like Liu Longtao, they should be able to use Sword technique with their left hand for defense, to stand their ground; and with their right hand use Taoism Method or command spirits to attack, looking for opportunities to turn defeat into victory.

    In other words, they need to master Sword Control well enough, and their main offensive method has to be unique and unrivaled; reaching this level is what I''m aiming for."

    Li Minghu:...............

    This isn''t just challenging someone; this is forcing them up into the sky!

    I thought you were asking an arts student to switch to the sciences, but it turns out you want her to be in the top ten for sciences and number one in the entire school for arts! Isn''t that a bit... cough, cough! S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Seemingly troubled by the thought, Li Minghu coughed for a moment before sighing and saying:

    "Forget it, I won''t worry about it too much. I''ll train their swordplay to the best of my ability, but as for whether they can grow to the level you''re asking for, I can''t guarantee it."

    "That''s fine," Yan Yu nodded with a smile. "As long as you do your best..."

    His words were still hanging in the air when someone tugged at his sleeve from behind.

    "Captain," Lin Ningruo said nonchalantly, "I have some questions about the ''Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step'' that I don''t understand. Could you come and teach me?"

    "Vice-captain Li," Su Yunjin also called out to Li Minghu, "could I ask you a few questions about swordplay?"

    "Just call me Minghu," Li Minghu quickly replied.

    "Mmhmm, Minghu, come over here, I''ll demonstrate for you," Su Yunjin complied amiably.

    The two instructors hadn''t even talked for a few minutes before they were both called away by their respective students.

    "What don''t you understand about the footwork?" Yan Yu asked.

    "My question is, what''s the point of practicing footwork?" Lin Ning asked puzzledly. "Isn''t Sword Flight faster?"

    "That''s a good question," Yan Yu patiently answered. "Sword Flight is indeed faster than footwork, but that''s assuming the space is large enough to go straight back and forth.

    In smaller spaces like buildings, caves, or Mysterious Realms with flying restrictions, using Sword Flight would split your attention as you guard against bumping into things or triggering restrictions, making it less flexible and convenient than footwork."

    "Besides, you currently use Sword Flight to launch assaults, and most opponents can''t handle that. But if you encounter a defensively skilled enemy in the future and need to engage in close combat, footwork that allows you to dart and weave in short distances is superior to Sword Flight."

    "I see," Lin Ning surreptitiously glanced towards Su Yunjin''s direction, saw she had successfully entangled Li Minghu, and continued to ask, "Then, could you take a look at my footwork and see if there are any issues..."

    She performed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step in front of Yan Yu.

    "No, no, no," Yan Yu immediately corrected her, "Did you just memorize that mechanically? The key to Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step is to subtly align with the numerology of the I Ching''s eight trigrams so the steps you take are ever-changing; if you just memorize without improvisation, you''re not performing footwork, you''re dancing!"

    "Oh! Oh! Oh!" Lin Ning promptly agreed, secretly pleased with herself.

    How could I not know there''s something wrong with the footwork I''m practicing? The reason I came to you for guidance is precisely because there''s a problem!

    If there was nothing wrong on my part and you had nothing to correct, you''d be sticking with Vice-captain Li again!

    "Watch carefully, I''ll go through it once more." But Yan Yu, unaware of her inner thoughts, simply demonstrated and said, "Don''t remember how I move, think about why I move this way!"

 Chapter 98 Quadrilateral Energy Gathering Array

    After playing basketball, the four brothers returned to the villa and went downstairs to observe the girls'' swordsmanship training.

    As they watched, they couldn''t help but feel that something was off: the intensity of the training seemed a tad high.

    There was no need to mention Yan Yu, who had Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen running all over the place; although Li Minghu was up against three, Chen Lingyun, Su Yunjin, and Xie Ruoxi did not use Taoism Method or command ghosts but fought her with Sword Control Technique, exchanging blows back and forth.

    "How is it?" Li Zhaojiang turned his head to ask Jiang Hong.

    In the Zhenghai Team, aside from Li Minghu, Jiang Hong was the only professional Sword Immortal. After watching carefully for a moment, he said:

    "Their level isn''t up to par."

    Exactly! Three against one in swordsmanship combat, and they still couldn''t break through Li Minghu''s defensive sword circle; their level obviously isn''t up to par! S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "So, what''s the purpose of this training?" Li Zhaojiang asked again.

    "They''re probably practicing the Sword Control Technique," Jiang Hong said seriously.

    Li Zhaojiang was momentarily speechless, complaining:

    "Swordsmanship combat, if they''re not practicing Sword Control, what else could they be doing? What I mean is, none of the three of them are Sword Immortals, so why practice the Sword Control Technique?"

    "Could there be a possibility that Vice-Captain Li only knows Sword Control?" Tao Xingyuan pondered and said, "If you ask Vice-Captain Li to practice Taoism Method or command ghosts, she wouldn''t know how."

    "Then she shouldn''t be the one sparring," Li Zhaojiang became suspicious, "Yan Yu must have some ulterior motive."

    So, Captain, this is what you''re fixated on... Everyone was speechless.

    But that''s the way Li Zhaojiang was, seemingly a normal person, with no abnormalities in his behavior¡ªprovided you didn''t mention his sister or Yan Yu to him.

    Last month, when someone in school pursued Vice-Captain Li, Li Zhaojiang went asking for a duel, saying, "If you want to be my brother-in-law, you at least have to beat me," scaring the other party into deleting Li Minghu from their phone on the spot and swearing never to pursue his sister again.

    Later, Li Zhaojiang explained to the team members: "That guy didn''t deserve it!"

    At the time, Tao Xingyuan couldn''t help but ask, "Does Yan Yu deserve it?" and was chased and beaten up by Li Zhaojiang everywhere... As for the answer, it goes without saying; do you think he dared to make Yan Yu delete Li Minghu as a friend? Impossible.

    At most, he''d sarcastically say that Yan Yu "keeps a harem in Jinling and forgets to return home," or delude himself by saying, "Sister is not interested in him."

    Your sister is willingly helping your brother-in-law train the team! How long are you going to fool yourself with your eyes covered?

    "I don''t think there''s any ulterior motive." Jiang Hong, too, couldn''t see it clearly, "Why don''t we ask?"

    Just then, Yan Yu and Li Minghu finished a round of training and each found a place to rest. The crowd gathered around Li Minghu and began to inquire.

    "It''s just Sword Control Technique training," Li Minghu said as she wiped sweat with a towel, coughed a few times, and took the water bottle her brother handed her, gulping down the water.

    "They''re not Sword Immortals, why practice the Sword Control Technique?" Li Zhaojiang asked with a frown. "Could it be a ruse to probe your current true swordsmanship level under the guise of practicing sword technique?"

    "What are you thinking?" Li Minghu looked surprised and chuckled, "My swordsmanship level, after so many battles in the Southern Border, isn''t it already crystal clear to everyone?"

    "Perhaps Yan Yu suspects you''re hiding your true strength," Li Zhaojiang speculated.

    "I''m starting to wonder if your brain has taken in water," Li Minghu sighed, "Ah Jiang, the Zhenghai Team is known for seeking my help to train teams, and what about you? Spending all day either gaming or playing basketball... Don''t you feel any sense of urgency?"

    "I''m sorry, big sis," Li Zhaojiang immediately raised both hands in surrender, "I''ll organize training right away!"

    He turned to call out to Yan Yu:

    "Old Yan, take us for training, will you? How about the four of us spar with you?"

    One should know, Li Zhaojiang''s Yuan Magnetic Divine Light had a miraculous effect on all things made of metal in the world, and most flying swords were no exception. Considering that Yan Yu was publicly known as a Sword Immortal, the cunning intent behind his suggestion was obvious.

    "Sure," Yan Yu said with a smile, "pure Sword Control Technique sparring, huh."

    "Pure my foot!" Li Zhaojiang immediately retorted, "I''m a spell caster, and you want to spar with me using the Sword Control Technique? Do you have no shame?"

    "Why would I be ashamed?" Yan Yu asked in surprise, "Didn''t you say you wanted to take me on four against one? Doesn''t your team still include Jiang Hong?"

    Everyone''s eyes instinctively turned to Jiang Hong, who frowned slightly and said in a low voice:

    "I suggest we not fight."

    Because Sword Immortals lacked diverse tactical methods, if two Sword Immortals were not much different in strength, and one of them had the help of other teammates, the chances of victory were quite high... The question was, considering the gap between Jiang Hong and Yan Yu''s swordsmanship, could Li Zhaojiang, Tao Xingyuan, and Wang Haoran make up for it?

    Jiang Hong himself didn''t think it was likely.

    Li Zhaojiang was also speechless, mainly because the idea of four against one was rather disgraceful. Even if they won, it wouldn''t be well received¡ªthe only benefit would be the chance to give Yan Yu a good thrashing.

    But seeing Jiang Hong also lacked confidence, what if they ganged up on Yan Yu and still lost? Wouldn''t that be incredibly embarrassing?

    "Not coming, huh," Yan Yu said with a chuckle, "Then let''s continue training."

    "Forget it, forget it," Li Zhaojiang decisively chose to back down. Mainly because although his own level of Sword Control Technique was decent, he wasn''t just behind Yan Yu, but also couldn''t compete with Lin Ning or Sister Zhao.

    Wait, hold on. Isn''t Zhao Jiuzhen an Assistant Officer? Her Sword Control Technique is that strong?!

    After resting for a few minutes, Yan Yu''s side resumed training.

    Li Zhaojiang looked over at Yan Yu''s trio. Zhao Yuanzhen was using the Sword Control Technique to face off against Yan Yu directly, as the Yin Wind Sword and Huang Ting Sword clashed again and again.

    Lin Ning, meanwhile, stepped lightly and continuously on the ground, using some sort of mysterious stepping technique that made her move unpredictably as if she were a nimble kite drifting in the breeze, attacking from various directions in conjunction with the Yin Wind Sword.

    What was that?

    The Qing''an Team had never encountered steps like those before and were quite fascinated by Lin Ning''s graceful movements.

    "That''s the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step," Li Minghu explained, having finished discussing the previous round with the three young ladies, now sharing with his teammates.

    "Step technique?" Li Zhaojiang asked.

    "Right, similar to a higher-order version of the Cloud Ascension Technique," Li Minghu replied briefly. "It ignores inertia and gravity and is much faster than the common Cloud Ascension Technique. Its compatibility with the Sword Control Technique should be very high."

    "Since it''s highly compatible with Sword Immortals, we''ll have to develop a stepping technique of our own," Li Zhaojiang made a mental note.

    The group trained until 11 p.m. before returning to their respective rooms to rest.

    As per their usual practice, Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen dual cultivated, sitting cross-legged on the bed facing each other and circulated their breath for a while, until Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly said:

    "After entering the Marrow Cleansing Stage, the speed at which you circulate the Microcosmic Orbit has indeed increased a lot. Unlike before, you''re not dragging me down anymore."

    Speaking of which," Yan Yu suddenly remembered something. "After Marrow Cleansing, can we use puppets to assist in cultivation?"

    "Yes," replied Zhao Yuanzhen. "But the speed of Qi Refinement depends on the grade of the puppet itself. The more heavenly and earthly treasures it contains, the faster it can absorb Spiritual Energy."

    "Our current grade of puppets isn''t high, although they have Celestial River-fixed Treasure Iron as their cores and limbs made of Hundred-Year Divine Dragon Wood, the rest of their parts are still mundane materials. The cultivation enhancement might not be significant."

    "Even the smallest mosquito is still flesh," Yan Yu mused. "Shall we try?"

    The two summoned their puppets, Ah Mi and Ah Zhen, a pair of tall and slender twin beauties¡ªthree if including Zhao Yuanzhen themselves.

    The two puppets extended their arms and each supported Yan Yu''s and Zhao Yuanzhen''s shoulders, forming a square formation, and began the process of breath circulation and Qi refinement.

 Chapter 99 The Mortal Who Can Kill a Cultivator

    The Four Quarters Energy-Drawing Formation is a technique recorded within the String-Pulling Technique.

    Positioning four individuals at the positions of West Metal Geng, East Wood Jia, North Water Ren, and South Fire Bing, the technique follows the principle of "water, fire, wind, thunder cultivating a golden body," incorporating some of the traditional Xuanmen Zhengzong doctrine.

    It slightly surpasses the normal pace of upgrading in dual cultivation between two people ¡ª the incremental progress over time is quite considerable.

    But the issue remains the same: when it''s already difficult to find a completely trusted dual-cultivation partner, how do you find two more individuals and ensure safety?

    If you encounter someone harboring ill intentions, while you''re entering into a meditative state for Qi Refinement, they could quietly raise a hand and send a Flying Sword from their sleeve. With such close proximity, unless you have some sort of protective amulet, it''s pretty much a chill through the heart ¡ª followed by them taking your artifacts, Elixir Medicine, and Flying Sword before fleeing.

    Using puppets avoids this risk. Hence, as told by the Demonic Sect Enchantress, many predecessors in the Qiansi Sect also refine the Heaven, Earth, and Man triplet puppets, adding themselves to make up the four needed specifically for assembling the Four Quarters Energy-Drawing Formation.

    Of course, one must not let the matter of the puppets leak, so Yan Yu had already locked the door to avoid any indiscreet intruders suddenly coming in.

    After about half an hour and feeling that the efficiency of his breathing exercises had only improved by a single-digit percentage, which wasn''t much, he focused on the slow and steady progress... But what if I made ten thousand puppets and created a rational interconnected pathway for Spiritual Energy, would I be able to accumulate the enhancement up to a hundredfold?

    Forget it, that would be too troublesome. It''s simpler to bring Immortal Venerate Xie into the circuit. But the useless pretty one is still untrustworthy for now; we''ll talk about it later.

    At this moment, Yan Yu was in a meditative state, although random thoughts occasionally arose in his sea of consciousness, they soon dissipated.

    No matter the efficiency of the breathing exercises, what''s key is to stay grounded.

    Meanwhile, Lin Ning lay down in her bed, and amidst her drowsiness, suddenly had a nightmare.

    She dreamt that she tirelessly practiced her swordsmanship day and night, finally defeating Li Minghu and turned around full of pride to report the good news to her captain, "See, I''m still more formidable than her."

    Then she saw Su Yunjin affectionately wrapping her arms around Yan Yu''s arm, both of them smiling warmly towards her...

    "Sai Linmu!" Lin Ning abruptly sat up, her black hair cascading over her shoulders, her complexion deathly pale as she sat dazed on the bed for a long while.

    It seemed like a dream...

    She panted heavily for a while before vigorously pulling up the covers and going back to sleep.

    In the next room, Su Yunjin was startled by Lin Ning''s loud shout.

    She quietly listened for a moment and, hearing no further sounds, did not pay much attention and continued reading her book.

    The title of the book was "Psychology of Love," not a collection of internet pop psychology, but a professional psychological treatise with a not-so-low barrier to entry, very abstruse and difficult to understand.

    Outside the window, Chen Lingyun was leaning on the balcony, chatting on the phone with her mother.

    When her parents first heard that their daughter had gone to the Southern Border battlefield, Chen''s mother and father had a huge argument that resulted in smashing everything in the living room, with the mother declaring that unless her daughter returned safely, he shouldn''t bother coming home.

    Chen Tianming, quite staunchly, checked into a hotel.

    Now that Chen Lingyun had returned safely from the team and even became a war hero defending the country, her mother had no more arguments, first arranging for someone to repair the living room and then preparing to ask Chen Tianming to come back ¡ª as for how humbly she needed to act in her pleas, she didn''t have a clue, and could only seek advice from her intelligent daughter who inherited her father''s wisdom. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Chen Lingyun advised her mother not to plead directly. "Dad has work tomorrow, doesn''t he? You should get up early in the morning to cook, and let the family chef guide you to make some homely dishes. Don''t go for expensive ingredients; focus on a balanced diet with both meat and vegetables, and don''t forget the soup.

    Take care of every detail like the insulation bags, and then wait about ten minutes before his lunch break at the office canteen. Don''t attract attention and, when dad arrives, personally deliver his meal. Have lunch with him in front of his colleagues, proactively serving him food and soup."

    If someone asks, just say "My husband has been working so hard these days" "I learned to cook to reward him," and do not mention the argument. By persisting for a few days, dad''s attitude will surely soften, and he will superficially reconcile with you...

    However, to completely mend the damage caused by this argument will require time and emotional effort, it''s not something that can be resolved overnight.

    Chen''s mother was confused, but she always trusted her daughter and thus planned to do as told.

    After Chen Lingyun finished her call with her mother, she called her father, not mentioning the quarrel between her parents at all, but rather reporting in detail her experience in the Southern Border.

    Chen Tianming listened silently, then asked for some specific intelligence about the sorcerers.

    "Yan Yu told me that the newly appointed Witch King Meng is even more dangerous than the former one," Chen Lingyun said at last.

    "There''s nothing we can do if it''s dangerous," Chen Tianming replied indifferently. "Often, we know an action is not feasible but are compelled to take it. Among many choices, we have to pick one that is not the worst."

    "Um-hum," Chen Lingyun expressed her understanding, "So? There''s no choice but to make concessions, right?"

    "The first of next month," Chen Tianming said. "The ''Regulations for the Management of Civilian Cultivators.''"

    "Although the overall trend is irresistible, I agree with Yan Yu on some points," Chen Lingyun pondered for a moment before suddenly adding, "Once the existence of civilian cultivators is permitted, they will inevitably vie for the limited cultivation resources and disrupt the current order. If this continues, dignity will be hard to preserve."

    "What do you think should be done?" Chen Tianming challenged her.

    "In chaotic times, heavy punishments are necessary to stop those who break laws with their martial prowess," Chen Lingyun replied.

    "We need to form a specialized elite force from the existing pool of cultivators, highly familiar with the Rikoku Cultivator system, with the duty of specifically eliminating illegal cultivators causing trouble, thus forming a strong deterrent against the cultivator class."

    "So, what kind of people do we need to recruit?" Chen Tianming asked leisurely.

    Chen Lingyun began to ponder.

    Weak cultivators definitely wouldn''t do; they might not even be able to defeat others when the time came. However, strong cultivators were also unsuitable; quality steel should be used for the blade''s edge, as the main contradiction at the moment lay with national defense rather than public order.

    Additionally, ensuring the loyalty of this "Cultivator Gendarmerie" was another significant issue.

    "In any case, consider this your assignment," Chen Tianming said slowly. "Think it over well, and there''s no need to rush to an answer. Don''t intervene with the matters concerning your mother; I have plans."

    "Okay, bye Dad," Chen Lingyun ended the call.

    She stood up, thought briefly, and decided to go directly for the answers.

    Although working through the problem was interesting, with a reborn husband who possessed memories from a previous life, she found the answer itself much more intriguing.

    Upon arriving at Yan Yu''s door, Chen Lingyun didn''t knock but directly used the Wall-Penetration Technique to enter the room.

    Then she saw Yan Yu and three Zhao Yuanzhens sitting on the bed, either face to face or massaging shoulders, apparently having some kind of mystical gathering.

    "Ah, did I interrupt you guys?" Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile.

    "What are you doing here?" Yan Yu opened his eyes.

    Zhao Yuanzhen also expressed displeasure:

    "Ling Yun, did you know that in our place, Qi Refinement requires the setting up of a formation at the entrance of the cultivation cave? You barge in like this and carelessly, I might just blast you away."

    "It''s okay, I''ll just ask a question and leave," Chen Lingyun said to Yan Yu with a smile, "Yan Yu, if you were to form a gendarmerie specifically to deal with cultivators, what kind of people would be most suitable to select?"

    Yan Yu''s expression suddenly became odd.

    After a long pause, under Chen Lingyun''s expectant gaze, he slowly said:

    "For instance, mortals who can kill cultivators?"

 Chapter 1 Lord Masters Righteous Indignation

    In early November, the Lingyan Pavilion was opened again to hold a collective award ceremony for the cultivators who had participated in the defense battle of the Southern Border.

    The medals were made of pure gold, and considering the current price of gold, they were probably worth a significant amount of money. The medals featured a tropical rainforest background with a soldier holding a gun standing steadfastly in the center of the jungle, his expression solemn and his gaze resolute.

    At the same time, all the cultivators received national certificates and honorary titles: Guardians of Nanjiang.

    Additionally, there was a cash reward of twenty-five million for each person¡ªthis was merely a drop in the bucket for the treasury, since these cultivators actually had very limited spending power. Most of the money would be saved up, kept in the bank vaults; rounding up, it was almost as if this money hadn''t been distributed at all.

    Everyone cherished the pure gold medals and took pride in their honorary titles, but they were indifferent to the cash rewards.

    After all, they really weren''t short on money.

    Investing? No one at home knew how to do business; buying property? Their relatives were all living in the military manor''s compound, there was no need; purchasing luxury goods? They spent all day, every day, cultivating¡ªwhen would they have the time to go shopping and flaunt their wealth?!

    This was a common problem worldwide: Transcendents generally did not participate in the economic production activities of human society.

    They were either cultivating or getting stronger from start to finish, yet they required a large amount of resources¡­ In every country or region where the Transcendent''s regime was dominant, the living standards of ordinary mortals were rapidly declining, with no bottom in sight.

    After the award ceremony had ended, everyone went back to their respective homes.

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    Considering that no war tasks would be assigned in the short term, Su Yunjin went to collect the first melt of snow water again, taking a temporary leave for a period.

    Yan Yu also needed to stay in Pingjing for a few days. As one of the country''s only two cultivators at the Foundation Establishment level, he had to go through the same scientific research treatment that Lord Master had previously undergone.

    Having blood drawn, hair taken, undergoing machine scans...

    As the examination went on, the researchers started to feel that something was off.

    What is the Spirit Root? The Spirit Root is not an actual physical organ but an "affinity of the body towards Spiritual Energy."

    Yan Yu''s affinity for Spiritual Energy was extremely poor, so poor that there was almost no spontaneous qigong effect in a high-density Spiritual Energy environment, leading researchers to repeatedly verify the data... They even brought in another cultivating researcher as a control group for comparison.

    Still, there was no issue; Yan Yu''s cultivation aptitude, according to the instruments, indeed wasn''t great.

    Of course, the results of the instrument tests didn''t represent everything, otherwise, they couldn''t explain the fact that he had already reached the Marrow Cleansing Stage.

    The technical level of instruments is constantly progressing. Take the blood test for the college entrance exams in May of the previous year, for example. A cold, allergies, the female period... all of these things led to an inability to detect Spiritual Energy, which was only slowly discovered and gradually improved upon later.

    Therefore, everyone could only treat Yan Yu as a kind of cultivation aptitude that "the instrument temporarily couldn''t detect," conveniently using it to enrich the database of scientific research cases.

    After today''s research was finished, Yan Yu left the experimental base and saw Liu Longtao and Ye Jun waiting outside for him.

    "Old Yan, you''re quite something," Liu Longtao chuckled, "I heard your cultivation aptitude is average, did you evolve to Foundation Establishment by using ''Wind Spirit''s Shadow''?"

    "That''s about it, you give me a cheat and see," Yan Yu responded.

    "Haha, I don''t need one," Liu Longtao said proudly, "I can level up faster than you without cheats."

    Ye Jun sighed helplessly beside them. Usually, the team leader was a very mature and steady character, but every time he met Yan Yu, he became like a fisherman who often went fishing, always trying to compete and outdo the other, making it hard to know which one of them actually had the issue.

    "Out to eat?" Liu Longtao opened the car door.

    "Let''s go," Yan Yu said.

    The three of them went to a hot pot restaurant to enjoy mutton slices cooked in a copper pot and drank over a dozen little cups of liquor, and with a hearty laugh Liu Longtao said: Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "I remember the first time we had a meal together, you gave me a good scolding, telling me that my personality wasn''t suitable to partner with Ye Jun. What do you think now?"

    "I still hold the same view," Yan Yu said bluntly. "Ye Jun is completely wasted on you."

    Ye Jun, standing to the side, weakly pressed his forehead, having no desire to get involved in their childish conversation.

    "Forget it." Liu Longtao chuckled, "Why don''t you try pursuing her? If you can win her over and make her follow you willingly, I won''t stand in your way."

    "That''s enough." Ye Jun, developing a headache, explained to Yan Yu, "He''s had too much to drink, doesn''t even use ''you'' anymore."

    "I know." Yan Yu narrowed his eyes, looking at Lord Master who was still pouring his own drinks, and suddenly said, "Looks like Lord Master has been under a lot of pressure lately."

    "The Civil Cultivator Management Regulations just came out," Ye Jun explained. "He''s quite annoyed by it."

    Civil cultivators, in the previous Lu Country, were unrecognized. First, you couldn''t come forward, and I would pretend there were no civil cultivators; second, once you did come forward, those who broke the law were killed, and those who didn''t were taken away for management, then we''d continue pretending there were no civil cultivators.

    As time passed during the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, more and more civil cultivators accidentally stumbled upon the path of cultivation. The upper echelons of the Privy Council could no longer turn a deaf ear and were forced to roll out the Civil Cultivator Management Regulations, essentially formalizing what had been discreetly managed before.

    "What''s so annoying about that?" Yan Yu asked in surprise. "Wasn''t it always managed this way before the regulations came out?"

    "It was like that," Ye Jun said. "At the end of last month, a murder occurred in Pingjing. The whole family of the victim was killed, and the murderer was a civil cultivator. Later investigations revealed that this person had excellent qualifications for cultivation, so the Dingbei Army discussed with The Judicial Department and decided not to go through the lawsuit process.

    Instead, they made a compensation agreement with the victim''s family for understanding and then secretly recruited the murderer."

    "Weren''t the whole family killed, where did the family come from?" Yan Yu asked, frowning.

    "He had a distant cousin," Ye Jun sighed.

    If it was a distant cousin, then the relationship was certainly not close, so naturally, they would choose to take the money for peace. Who was going to fight for justice for the deceased family?

    Therefore, that civil cultivator''s cultivation talent must have been genuinely exceptional to the point that the Dingbei Army was even willing to intervene criminally to make The Judicial Department drop the lawsuit.

    "Who is the murderer? What''s his name?" Yan Yu continued to ask.

    "Fan Wentang," Ye Jun replied. "Originally a jobless thug, he was acting as a bouncer in a nightclub. After being splashed in the face with drinks by a patron, he held a grudge, followed the patron home, and then killed him. However, I heard that the patron was not a good person either, having been involved in several fights and arrests..."

    Before she could finish speaking, Liu Longtao, who had been silent, suddenly said:

    "Even if he had a criminal record, his children were innocent, right? To not even spare the kids, he''s fucking worse than a beast."

    Yan Yu also fell silent.

    He had heard of Fan Wentang''s name in his previous life. Perhaps because the Dingbei Army had suppressed the case, he hadn''t known that the other party was discovered by the Dingbei Army because of committing murder.

    This person really did have a poor character, an arrogant and unyielding personality, but his combat strength was indeed formidable. He was an Envoy by profession, the same as Chen Lingyun, playing with Necromancers, and was known as the country''s number one Necromancer. If one set aside his character, his capabilities indeed warranted the Dingbei Army''s efforts to protect him.

    "I can''t take it anymore," Liu Longtao suddenly put down his wine glass, stood up, and said, "Young master is going to teach him a lesson!"

    "Hey, don''t get worked up..." Before Ye Jun could dissuade him, Lord Master had already left the shop with large strides, transforming into a beam of sword light shooting into the sky.

    "Follow?" Yan Yu asked.

    "Of course!" Ye Jun grabbed the satchel beside her and swiftly stood up.

 Chapter 2 If you want to cross-dress, just say so.

    By the time Yan Yu and Ye Jun arrived, Liu Longtao and Fan Wentang had already started fighting.

    Fan Wentang was a lanky young man with a small mustache, prominent veins on his neck, tattoos all over his arms, curly and messy hair, and bloodshot eyes¡ªa born desperado¡ªno wonder he was recruited by nightclubs to keep watch.

    The two were engaged purely in a swordsmanship duel, or to put it another way, it was Liu Longtao overwhelming and tormenting Fan Wentang the entire time.

    After all, Fan Wentang was an Envoy cultivator, who had only received his Flying Sword last month and had learned the Sword Control Technique for less than a week, so naturally, he was no match for Liu Longtao.

    He dared not hastily use his killer move¡ªafter all, as soon as he released his Yin Ghost, it would mean a fight to the death, and Lord Master would have grounds to execute him with Taoism Method, so he just kept taking a beating while cursing nonstop.

    The Dingbei Army cultivators spectating were all verbally trying to break up the fight, but not a single one stepped forward to intervene.

    Given that Fan Wentang was injured but not dead, it was clear that Lord Master had no intention to kill but rather aimed to humiliate, so there was even less need to intervene and risk getting caught by Lord Master and becoming an outlet for his frustration. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Probably guessing that Lord Master wouldn''t kill him, Fan Wentang''s curses were particularly vile, insulting Lord Master''s female relatives with every term under the sun, as if he was determined to get back through his words for every drop of blood he shed, in true hooligan fashion.

    Ye Jun frowned upon hearing this: His manners were terrible.

    Yan Yu wasn''t in a rush to intervene and instead found a Dingbei Army cultivator among the spectators to inquire about Fan Wentang''s background.

    Fan Wentang was a nightclub bouncer who considered himself the lowest of the low in the back alleys, very familiar with the "princesses" of the private rooms.

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    It was rumored that many ladies even recognized him as an elder brother¡ªnot in any other sense, but meaning they were close; they would call him "Brother Fan" all day long and occasionally share a cigarette or lend each other money, which was a common affair.

    A variety of customers came and went at the nightclub, some lonelier than others, eager to share warmth and concern. The princesses in the private rooms had a set script for dealing with such customers: tales of fathers deceased, mothers ill, and brothers in school, with earnings sent back home.

    But some princesses were too naive, wooed by handsome, smooth-talking male patrons¡ªthey would end up being utterly taken advantage of.

    One of the girls experienced just that, deceived in body, heart, and wealth, only to be dumped after the money was gone. She later committed suicide by charcoal burning in her rented apartment. Fan Wentang was close to her, so he gathered some money with the help of other sisters to take care of her affairs.

    When he went back to confront the patron who had deceived her, he ended up having alcohol splashed in his face and was called upon by the supervisor to "fire this security guard."

    After getting an earful from the supervisor behind the scenes, Fan Wentang, filled with pent-up anger, left the club and cast a spell to summon a Yin Ghost to track down the already departed patron and murder the man''s entire family.

    The Dingbei Army, upon hearing his confession and following up with a field investigation, confirmed the veracity of his story. The victim was divorced with a child, too old to find work, conning women under the guise of a romantic relationship purely to support his child¡ªjust the usual sordid mess of the lower strata, all bad seeds with their own hardships, nothing unusual.

    As for why he could cast such spells in the first place, it goes back to his deceased grandfather, who was said to have performed rituals for others in the village... But that, too, is a long story for another time.

    After hearing the Dingbei Army cultivator''s account, Ye Jun was slightly moved. Yan Yu, however, was unaffected; after all, he had seen all manner of human behavior and was simply satisfying his curiosity and making up for the lack of information from his previous life.

    Fan Wentang committed his crime in the name of revenge, not some other evil. This particular brand of underworld loyalty common among the lower class might have been what saved him in the end¡ªthe Dingbei Army probably thought, since he had loyalty, he could be of use to them.

    However, Yan Yu wasn''t fond of this man in his past life; for one, the guy had low quality, was foul-mouthed, dim-witted, defiant of authority, and resented the wealthy, having deliberately provoked and been reprimanded by Chen Lingyun once, which led to animosity.

    This also affected his relationship with Yan Yu, who he insulted with all sorts of offensive names, like "steel wool head", "plaything for the misses", "humanoid double-headed dragon", "big horn Sir", and more.

    On the other hand, having been trained by the Dingbei Army for many years with not too bad conditions, Fan Wentang still chose to follow other cultivators in rebellion during the collapse of the kingdom, only to be personally executed by Yan Yu¡ªa true case of the unteachable nature, a social scum.

    Now in his second life, Yan Yu wasn''t going to go out of his way to make life difficult for him over a grudge from a past life, after all, he never believed in carrying over hatred from one life to the next; it was always about settling matters in the current life.

    But since Lord Master intended to teach him a lesson, Yan Yu was content to watch the spectacle.

    It wasn''t until Liu Longtao had beaten Fan Wentang to the point of losing teeth¡ªliterally knocking several out¡ªthat the leader in charge of the camp hurried over, pulling Liu Longtao aside and pleading with him to "save some face for me".

    Liu Longtao didn''t embarrass the leader, merely saying, "You''ve misunderstood. I was merely exchanging experiences and having a friendly spar with Daoist Fan, and there was no life-and-death struggle."

    The leader, unwilling to buy his excuse, grimaced and argued, "We also support seeking justice for the victims," "But the dead cannot be brought back to life," "Given the shortage of cultivators in the current environment, we should give him a chance to redeem himself and save more civilians in the future," "The bigger picture is important, restraint is patriotic," and so on.

    Although the words were annoying, they were indeed true. Even Yan Yu would admit that in his previous life, Fan Wentang had in fact killed many foreign Transcendents; although he made a fatal mistake at the critical juncture, his overall contributions were greater than his faults.

    Liu Longtao''s face turned an iron blue, his heart saying if he didn''t consider the greater situation as the most important, he would have already chopped this beast into mincemeat!

    Fan Wentang struggled to his feet from the ground, spat out the blood in his mouth, and without speaking, just stared at Lord Master with a cold sneer, his face screaming with the arrogant "come on, kill me if you dare" attitude.

    His leader''s eyes signaled him to quickly say something nice, soften up, and send this Lord Master on his way, but Fan Wentang completely ignored him, just staring darkly at Lord Master, the corners of his mouth silently curling up, his face full of viciousness.

    "I see little Fan hasn''t really had enough of a beating," Liu Longtao sneered, "Why must you insist on dampening our spirits, commander?"

    Seeing Fan Wentang still provoking, the leader was close to losing his mind, and upon noticing Yan Yu and Ye Jun watching the spectacle from the side, he quickly gestured with his eyes for them to come over and help break it up.

    "Let it go, captain, cool off," Ye Jun had no choice but to come over and say, "There''s always tomorrow, there''ll be more chances for exchange of moves."

    "Indeed," Yan Yu also said with a smile, "Old Liu, why stoop to the level of a street dog? It''s beneath you."

    Ye Jun was patiently persuading on the one side, and Liu Longtao didn''t feel much; but Yan Yu was a top-level cultivator of the same rank, recognized by Lord Master in his heart as "the only heroes in this world are you and me," and Yan Yu''s face had to be given.

    So Liu Longtao let out a breath of turbid air, grudgingly saying:

    "Then we''ll fight another time."

    "Old Liu is generous," Yan Yu laughed.

    Ye Jun also breathed a sigh of relief, and the three of them turned to leave, only to hear Fan Wentang suddenly speak up:

    "What? Found you can''t kill me, so you''re tucking tail to scurry away, huh?"

    The camp leader beside them, who had just heaved a sigh of relief, nearly coughed up blood upon hearing this, even having thoughts of executing Fan Wentang on the spot.

    Liu Longtao''s eyes shot fire, just about to speak, when he heard Yan Yu say:

    "How about I have a go at you, pineapple head?"

    Pineapple head?

    Ye Jun looked at Fan Wentang''s messy, curly hair and wanted to laugh, but felt it inappropriate for the moment, struggling to hold it in forcefully.

    The leader beside them was on the verge of fainting. He had just managed to send Liu Longtao away, and now Yan Yu was here too¡ªwhat''s going on? Are you all lining up to torment me?

    "Who are you?" Fan Wentang asked contemptuously, tilting his chin up.

    "A nobody," Yan Yu said with a smile, "No restrictions on methods, just don''t kill anyone. How about it, you in?"

    "I''m in," Fan Wentang said subconsciously, "What''s the bet?"

    "What do you want to bet?"

    Fan Wentang really wanted to say, "Loser kneels down, crawls from under the crotch, and then barks like a dog," but seeing the leader''s fierce, man-eating expression beside him, he couldn''t put forward such an absurd request, and just said coldly:

    "Loser shaves his head clean, puts on women''s clothes, holds up an orchid finger, pitches his voice, and says ''I''m a woman'' three times for the other to record. How''s that?"

    "Sure," Yan Yu smiled.

 Chapter 3 This is Legitimate Self-Defense

    The camp leaders hurried to notify their superiors. After all, they certainly couldn''t stop two deities who had come to find trouble with Fan Wentang.

    The originally indignant Lord Master calmed down at this moment and telepathically advised Yan Yu,

    "Don''t kill."

    "Ah?" Yan Yu let out a chuckle of disbelief, "Old Liu, do I look like some great King of the West to you?"

    "I''m serious." Liu Longtao said solemnly, "The Dingbei Army plans to make him an exemplary case."

    "A model of pacification, is it?" Yan Yu raised an eyebrow.

    "Right, it''s for the civilian cultivators to see." Liu Longtao didn''t deny it but said gravely, "If such a wicked man can live well, other recruited civilian cultivators will naturally feel at ease. His so-called cultivation talent and all that are not irreplaceable, that''s not the fundamental reason to keep him alive."

    "Now I get it." Yan Yu suddenly understood and laughed, "How do you know so much? This work isn''t being orchestrated by the elders of your Liu Family, is it?"

    "Let''s not specify who." Liu Longtao once again emphasized, "I''m not joking, don''t kill. Otherwise, Chen Tianming will have to clean up your mess."

    Yan Yu was momentarily startled and a chill came over him.

    If Chen Tianming had to cover for him, this matter would definitely become leverage in Old Taishan''s hands, ready to pop up at any moment to disgust him...

    The senior leadership of the Dingbei Army weren''t fools; they used Fan Wentang''s situation to exploit him, wielding that leverage to make him work himself to death.

    In his past life, this guy ranked first among the Necromancers in terms of strength but his status and voice were even less than Xie Ruoxi''s. Now it seems that it wasn''t entirely due to his personality. Perhaps from the beginning, he was defined by the higher-ups as a slave and thug who could be squeezed... Huh?

    So, his eventual decision to rebel was also because he hit the glass ceiling and realized his actual situation and status?

    "Hey, are you coming or not?" Fan Wentang sneered.

    Yan Yu quickly gathered his thoughts and stepped into the fray.

    Forget it, everyone has their own path. If you chose it yourself, you can''t blame others.

    "Come on then." He snapped his fingers.

    Fan Wentang took out the Soul Summoning Bell from his waist, gently shook it, and two ghostly creatures emerged from the void.

    On the left was a ghost in white, with a thin figure, a long protruding tongue, a face full of bitter smiles, and holding official documents; on the right was a ghost in black robes, short and stout, with unkempt beard, furious expression, holding chains. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Black and White Impermanence? No, it''s along the lines of Black and White Impermanence.

    In the Age of Dharma Decline, the order of the netherworld was in disarray, with many divine positions left vacant. If Yin Ghosts want to cultivate now, they inevitably aim for those vacancies in the underworld. As a result, there are multiple paths for ghost cultivation: Yanluo, Judge, Yinchai, etc.

    Among them, Yinchai has three routes: Golden Shackles Silver Locks, Ox-Head Horse-Face, and Black and White Impermanence, all known for their prowess in duelling with humans.

    The Soul Summoning Bell passed down in Fan Wentang''s family obviously followed the path of Black and White Impermanence. With White Impermanence assisting and Black Impermanence attacking, it was a combination that was tough to deal with. Especially in a one-on-one situation, summoning two ghosts at once, who work seamlessly together, turned it into a three versus one instantly.

    Without a word, Yan Yu executed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step.

    Although his cultivation talent was poor, his comprehension in the realm of Sword Immortals was astonishing. Otherwise, in his previous life, he couldn''t have built upon the Valkyrie''s theoretical foundation and brought forth innovations.

    Having only obtained the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step in this life, after a period of practice, he had fully mastered its essence and intricacies.

    Seeing this, Fan Wentang''s eyes narrowed slightly, as White Impermanence made the first move. The official document in its hand moved without wind, and instantly it cast a gloomy light to ensnare Yan Yu.

    The eerie light, seemingly blue yet not blue, was called "Soul Hooking Nether Light." Whoever was touched even slightly would immediately be disoriented, their soul damaged, much like an elderly patient with Parkinson''s disease.

    Yan Yu used the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, dodging the Soul Hooking Nether Light by sidestepping to the left. But the blue light seemed to have a will of its own, curving around and pursuing Yan Yu.

    Fan Wentang secretly took pride, and even his face, bloodied by Liu Longtao''s beating, couldn''t help but reveal a smile.

    His Soul Hooking Nether Light, intangible and unable to be blocked, also locked onto the soul automatically. Even if one fled to the ends of the earth, it would still give chase. He was curious to see where Yan Yu could run!

    Shaking the Soul Summoning Bell in his hand once more, Black Impermanence also flung the chains in its hand, hurling them forcefully at Yan Yu.

    The chain he wielded was a "Soul Arresting Chain," which could be used not only to strike people but also to damage the spirituality of flying swords and artifacts, making them malfunction.

    Trapped between the attack of the nether light and the chain from front and back, Yan Yu still refrained from drawing his sword. Instead, he suddenly sidestepped, dodging the flying assault of the Soul Arresting Chain, and continued to charge towards Black Impermanence.

    Fan Wentang''s heart tightened because his two ghostly subordinates had achieved some success in their cultivation, and their forms had solidified to the point that a slash from a flying sword could severely injure their vital energy...

    He hurriedly rang the Soul Summoning Bell again, causing Black Impermanence to immediately pull back the Soul Arresting Chain that had been flung out, ready to defend against the flying sword''s attack.

    Yan Yu was already upon him, still not activating any sword technique, when suddenly he moved sideways to the right, once again widening the distance.

    Is he trying to flee? Fan Wentang secretly panicked, then his expression drastically changed... No, that''s not right!

    Seeing that the soul-hooking nether light constantly chased behind Yan Yu and was very close, his sudden sidestep allowed Black Impermanence, who had been ahead in his path, to be exposed.

    Because the distance was so short, Fan Wentang didn''t have time to command White Impermanence to withdraw the move, and the soul-hooking nether light, unable to brake or change direction in time, struck Black Impermanence directly.

    The latter was hit and knocked back three to four meters, arms hanging limply, the Soul Arresting Chain falling to the ground, his consciousness seemingly bewildered, unable to continue the attack.

    There was no time to regret Black Impermanence''s downfall, for Yan Yu''s sidestep was not arbitrary¡ªhe was charging directly at Fan Wentang!

    Necromancers fear close combat the most, and Fan Wentang quickly employed the Shifting Technique to retreat, while directing White Impermanence to unleash another soul-hooking nether light to block Yan Yu''s close-range assault.

    But then, Yan Yu suddenly leaped into the air, merging with the light of Huang Tingjian, and executed a Sword Flight slash!

    The speed of the sword light was even faster than his steps, instantly reaching in front of Fan Wentang, half a beat quicker than the soul-hooking nether light.

    The camp leader''s expression changed drastically, and he forcefully waved his hand, signaling the surrounding cultivators to rush in for the rescue.

    Without waiting for Liu Longtao''s reminder, Ye Jun quickly deployed the Xuan Guang Ruler, scattering the light to envelop Fan Wentang, preventing Yan Yu from striking him down with Sword Control¡ªotherwise, there would be no end to this affair!

    Even if someone perpetrates countless wrongs, they have not betrayed the country. If a cultivator, driven by personal hatred, kills a comrade, will they turn against their superiors out of resentment in the future?

    Yan Yu, now the Longcheng Flying General, had absolutely no reason to become an enemy of the entire system for the sake of a lowlife cultivator!

    As everyone rushed to the rescue, just as Yan Yu''s sword light was about to hit Fan Wentang, he suddenly separated from his sword and landed.

    Fan Wentang had braced himself for a fight to the death, ready to "clash with the sword light" using the Curved Curse, even if it meant his arm would be ruined, yet unexpectedly, Yan Yu suddenly stopped Sword Flight.

    In astonishment, his punch, already thrown, could not be withdrawn and thunderously struck towards the opponent''s chest. Your next read awaits at My Virtual Library Empire

    Then, Yan Yu grabbed his wrist.

    Yan Yu was much faster in reaction, catching the wrist, halting the punch, and using Curved Curse. Utilizing that arm, he swung Fan Wentang around, completing three-quarters of a whirl, and flung him to collide with the oncoming soul-hooking nether light.

    Fan Wentang was struck by his own White Impermanence''s soul-hooking nether light, immediately collapsing to the ground, unable to stand. The other cultivators, having received the lead''s command, rushed to save him, only to find the man on the ground with his eyes rolled back, drooling from the mouth, clearly suffering soul damage and utterly confused.

    "Make way, make way!" Liu Longtao pushed through the crowd, looked at Fan Wentang, and laughed, "Ah, isn''t he all right? It''s good if there''s no issue!"

    He preemptively set the tone with "no issue," which made the arriving camp leaders almost spit blood. You call this no issue?

    It wasn''t exactly hopeless... As long as he wasn''t dead, with the various methods available to cultivators today, he could be saved, although whether there would be any lingering effects from the soul damage was uncertain; the leaders weren''t too knowledgeable on this.

    Seeing Liu Longtao still taking pictures with his phone, the camp leaders hurriedly waved their hands, signaling everyone to carry Fan Wentang away for emergency treatment.

    "You''re too impulsive," Ye Jun said to Yan Yu, worriedly, "What if his brain is damaged and he can''t be saved?"

    "I can''t help it," Yan Yu said with a helpless expression, sighing, "You saw it, that ghostly light was chasing me. I had to find a meat shield to intercept it, right? Otherwise, I would have been the one hit. I was merely defending myself rightfully."

    The onlookers, including Liu Longtao, all kept expressionless faces, secretly chuckling to themselves.

    It sounded like there really wasn''t a problem, but that last sentence was a bit hard to keep straight faces to.

    You purposefully approached him with a Sword Flight slash, just to force him to use the soul-hooking nether light in defense, right? Otherwise, what''s the difference between a necromancer and being dead if a Sword Immortal gets close?

    A premeditated act of rightful defense is still considered rightful defense, isn''t it?

 Chapter 4 A Sudden Revelation

    The follow-up news arrived late, revealing that Fan Wentang''s life had been saved, but a problem had arisen.

    The man had become a vegetable.

    Fan Wentang''s White Impermanence, whose cultivation realm was not low, could hook a person''s soul and spirit with its ghostly light, resulting in him now having only two souls and six spirits, with his consciousness far from normal.

    The missing soul and spirit? They were with White Impermanence.

    To have White Impermanence return the soul and spirit? It was possible, but the problem was that White Impermanence had no intelligence, and only Fan Wentang, the Necromancer himself, could command it to do so.

    Thus, a dilemma emerged: if Fan Wentang couldn''t regain his senses, he couldn''t order White Impermanence to release the soul and spirit, meaning he couldn''t bring himself back to consciousness... a deadlock!

    It was said that the higher-ups specifically sought out Teacher Mei, asking her to lend a hand.

    Mei Yingxue was also confused. I''m a Sword Immortal, you''re asking me to break a ghost cultivator''s spell... isn''t that a bit much to ask?

    She arrived at the hospital at four in the afternoon, and after assessing the situation, said it wasn''t entirely without solution.

    If there were a sufficiently powerful Necromancer... preferably one from the Golden Core Realm, they could forcibly refine Fan Wentang''s Soul Summoning Bell and coerce White Impermanence into changing allegiance without destroying it.

    In that case, the control over White Impermanence would change hands, and the Golden Core Cultivator could command it to release the soul and spirit, waking Fan Wentang up.

    The Dingbei Army was exasperated by this. With the current limit on Spiritual Energy, where could we possibly find a Golden Core Cultivator?

    When the Spiritual Energy cap reaches that level, all top cultivators will have achieved their Golden Core, so what use would we have for a Qi Refinement stage cultivator like Fan Wentang?

    So, the problem shifted from "how to save him" to "whether to save him" at all. After all, although someone in a vegetative state is still alive, keeping them alive costs money and resources.

    If he no longer possessed any value, then considering the crimes he had already committed, he would be more than deserving of execution several times over. Why bother saving him!

    Liu Longtao was the one who relayed the message; Lord Master was beaming with joy at this moment, vigorously patting Yan Yu on the back, praising him as a "bane of the people''s woes" and a "hero," which left Yan Yu somewhat speechless.

    "So, are you going to save him or not?" Yan Yu asked.

    "Save my ass!" Liu Longtao laughed and cursed, "I made my stance clear with my family, I want him dead! Scum who would attack even children, good riddance!"

    "Huh." Yan Yu sighed deeply and said, "Well, it''s not that I''m insubordinate or undisciplined, I did purposely spare his life. Who would have thought that he wouldn''t be able to counter his own soul-hooking specter light? With tens of thousands of cultivators in Lu Country, including those from the Military Manor, there must be at least ten thousand Necromancers among them, right?

    Is there really not a single one who can save Fan Wentang? I don''t buy it, it''s probably more about the high cost of saving him. The organization prefers to let him sacrifice himself."

    "I can only say that I did not kill Wentang, yet Wentang met his end because of me! Alas!"

    Liu Longtao was momentarily stunned, as if he had never expected Yan Yu to utter such shamelessly bold words: Your next read awaits at My Virtual Library Empire

    You were the one who killed him, you acted as the heavens'' retribution, the people''s savior! Yet you won''t admit it and instead claim that you followed the rules in sparing his life, suggesting that the higher-ups intentionally refused to save him...

    Wow, what a person! Wants all the benefits, but refuses to accept any of the blame, right! sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "For real?" Ye Jun, however, took his words to heart and asked in surprise, "You didn''t plan it this way?"

    "Plan what this way?" Yan Yu asked in confusion.

    "You know, pretending you didn''t know the soul-hooking specter light could steal a person''s soul and spirit," Ye Jun replied thoughtfully, analyzing the situation, "then you disabled Black Impermanence before using your Sword Control technique to force him to act, leaving him no choice but to resort to White Impermanence for rescue...

    and thus, only able to use his soul-hooking specter light to defend himself. You deliberately allowed yourself to be hit by his technique, so it would seem like an accident and you could avoid punishment from the organization."

    "Alas, I don''t kill Wentang, yet Wentang dies because of me! Sigh!"

    ```

    "Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk! Old Yan, oh Old Yan!" Liu Longtao also had a sudden realization, "So that was your design all along! I was wondering, such a good strategy! Not only using another''s hand to kill, but even using the person''s own hand! In this way, the higher-ups can''t say anything about you either.

    After all, the Soul Summoning Bell was released by that thing itself, if it doesn''t step in to block as a meat shield, does that mean you need to take the hit yourself? Even legally speaking, this can be considered an act of emergency defense! Impressive! Brilliant! Admirable!"

    "What are you guys talking about?" Yan Yu showed a puzzled expression, "Do I look like the kind of person who is sly and deceitful?"

    "You are!" Liu Longtao said loudly.

    "I don''t know." Ye Jun shook his head honestly.

    "Then Lord Master, you really misunderstood me." Yan Yu argued seriously, "All that about deliberately crippling Black Impermanence, intentionally provoking him to use the Soul Summoning Bell, and purposely making him fall into his own trap... these were all accidents, unfortunate coincidences, I really didn''t know beforehand!"

    "You really didn''t know?" Ye Jun remained skeptical.

    "Stop pretending, he definitely knew." Liu Longtao was certain.

    "How would I know about the Soul Summoning Bell being able to damage the soul?" Yan Yu spread his hands and said, "Although Chen Lingyun is a Necromancer, her style isn''t this, and I couldn''t have inquired about Fan Wentang''s intelligence in advance, right? Today was the first time I met the person introduced by Ye Jun."

    "That''s true." Ye Jun nodded thoughtfully, "You couldn''t have known beforehand that Fan Wentang''s Soul Summoning Bell could extract people''s souls and cause permanent mental damage. You must have just instinctively tried to dodge the attack, and Fan Wentang happened to be nearby, so you just used him to block the blow."

    "Exactly, exactly, exactly!" Yan Yu immediately felt overjoyed upon hearing this, "This is the truth!"

    "No way!" Liu Longtao still didn''t believe it, "Ye Jun, don''t be fooled by him, Old Yan here is full of tricks and best at playing innocent!"

    "Old Liu, you can''t be unreasonable." Yan Yu pleaded earnestly, "It''s an objective fact that I couldn''t have known about the Soul Summoning Bell''s intelligence beforehand, so I couldn''t have used another to kill. We need evidence when we talk, I had agreed in front of so many people that it was just a sparring, no one should die, so I definitely expected him not to use lethal methods, right?

    If I didn''t know that was a knife, how could I use it to kill? It''s impossible, this was an accident!"

    "Indeed." Ye Jun agreed with his point of view, and continued to persuade Liu Longtao, "The situation with Fan Wentang hasn''t been made public, even if Yan Yu could get intelligence from Chen Lingyun, he had no motive to get information in advance. Unless he could foresee the future and knew that Fan Wentang would suffer soul damage from the blow, but that''s obviously not possible."

    "Alright, alright, alright." Liu Longtao raised his hands in surrender, "Anyway, you say it''s an accident, the organization also decided it''s an accident, I have no problem. I''ll just keep my opinion to myself, shall I? Old Yan is innocent, the beast deserved to die, everyone''s happy! Doesn''t matter if it''s an accident or not, this is good enough."

    "Sigh." Yan Yu showed a helpless look and continued, "Even if it was an accident, I did kill a comrade with my own hands, which makes me very sad. My heart is truly grieving.

    Fan Wentang was a formally recruited Rikoku Cultivator, originally he could have defended our country on the battlefield, killing more foreign invaders, but now he has indirectly died by my hand, how many enemies will survive because of this? The sins of those people in the future, should they be counted on my head?"

    Liu Longtao felt like vomiting. The organization had already determined it was an accident and would not pursue your responsibility, why are you still putting on an act in front of us? Do you really need to appear spotlessly innocent, desperately playing the part of a pure white lotus?

    "Yan Yu, don''t feel too sad." Ye Jun comforted him softly, "There are a limited number of recruitment slots, too many monks and not enough porridge, Rikoku isn''t lacking one Fan Wentang. Forget it if he''s dead, someone else will step up. If he''s not fighting, plenty of others will."

    "Even so, it doesn''t cover the fact that I caused the death of a comrade. What Longcheng Flying General? I''m just a violent person, who would harm his own comrades, nothing but trash." Yan Yu said with a sad expression, "Ye Jun, is there a bar nearby? I want to have a drink, I''ll be going first."

    With these words, he stood up in grief and turned to leave. Ye Jun was also worried, after all, the Longcheng Flying General was now a big celebrity, what if he went to some public bar and got surrounded by a horde of female fans?

    Many bars are quite chaotic!

    "Team Leader Liu, I''ll go check on him." Ye Jun informed Lord Master and quickly stood up to follow after him.

    Liu Longtao chuckled coldly, picked up a wine glass from beside him, and began to pour and drink on his own.

    Whether Old Yan did it on purpose or by accident, in the end that beast is dead, and it counts as a public service!

    Hmm?

    Don''t I have wine right here? Why does he need to go to a bar?

    ```

 Chapter 5 Ill Make Up for the Shortfall in the Book of Life and Death

    The old nightclubs of Pingjing City were rampant, with fairly open public bars and, of course, those bars designed for celebrities, ensuring good privacy.

    Ye Jun brought Yan Yu to this establishment, which was the same one that Liu Longtao had previously brought the Dragon Soar Team to drink at, offering assurances of safety and privacy, preventing any shortsighted individuals from coming over to strike up a conversation or harass.

    After drinking a few glasses, Yan Yu checked his phone, which had messages from Li Weiguo.

    Li was furious upon receiving the news in Jinling Prefecture. The Dingbei Army''s intention to incorporate Fan Wentang was not something he could interfere with, being part of the Zhendong Army; Fan Wentang challenging Yan Yu to a spar was a matter for the youngsters, and as he was not their elder, he could not control it either.

    But what did Fan Wentang mean by using the sinister "Soul Hooking Ghastly Light"?

    If the one struck was not himself but Yan Yu, and it left some sequelae on the soul, would the Longcheng Flying General then be excluded from the ranks?

    The agreement was not to take lives, but you were using underhanded tricks behind the scenes, trying to turn someone into a vegetative state, right?

    Being vegetative doesn''t count as dead, so are you playing word games with me?

    Li immediately made a call to Yang Zhenwei, the Commander-in-Chief of the Dingbei Army, to inquire what exactly he meant.

    Yang had just received the message from his subordinates, and upon receiving Li''s call holding him to account, he too felt overwhelmed.

    In truth, if Yan Yu had been affected, his soul captured by the Soul Hooking Ghastly Light, then ordering Fan Wentang to command White Impermanence to return the soul afterward would have left Yan Yu at worst a little brain-fogged for a few days, and it would not have resulted in anything too serious¡ªFan trapping himself resulted in a mutual lock, and without a ghost-using senior of a higher Cultivation Realm by his side to unlock it, the Dingbei Army''s loss was actually far greater than that of the Zhendong Army.

    Of course, this wasn''t something he could explain to Old Li.

    Li''s preemptive strike was just to seize the initiative. There was no need for the Dingbei Army to insist on holding the Zhendong Army accountable for a crippled man, escalating the issue to the Privy Council with Li Weiguo.

    Of course, if the Longcheng Flying General had intentionally killed someone, it would be a slap in the face of the Dingbei Army, a direct affront to the organization''s authority, and that account would have to be settled, whether one liked it or not.

    But the Soul Hooking Ghastly Light was released by Fan Wentang himself, and starting with excessively sinister means; Yan Yu not recognizing this technique and lacking any subjective intent to murder came after. Reevaluating the entire incident, it indeed seemed like an accident, and it was truly difficult to blame the Longcheng Flying General for malicious intent.

    They couldn''t very well expect him "not to use Fan Wentang as a shield," right? Unless the Soul Hooking Ghastly Light hits any target, it would automatically pursue the soul and lock it. If Fan Wentang didn''t intercept it, then one would either have to run from it or use their own body as a shield... which would be too much to ask of someone.

    Yang Zhenwei spoke with Li Weiguo for a bit, successfully concluding the matter, and the two reached a consensus.

    After speaking with Yang Zhenwei, Li sent Yan Yu a message saying, "Don''t worry too much, your Grandpa Li will certainly have your back."

    There''s even a casualty allotment in training! If someone provokes a challenge and something goes wrong, they can''t possibly blame us for it, can they?

    After reading the message, Yan Yu felt somewhat moved.

    Old Li was genuinely good-hearted, tirelessly cleaning up the mess for that unworthy woman Chen Lingyun in his previous life, and now he says he will have my back¡ªthat''s no idle talk... alas, Li, through the ages! May you live long!

    "You see," Ye Jun said with a smile next to him, comforting, "Everyone still cares about you. Since Commander Li is willing to protect you, things will surely end up being downplayed into nothing~"

    "Alas," Yan Yu said with a sigh of relief despite feeling comforted, "I really feel guilty about involving Old Li in this ordeal because of my mistake. He must be facing great political pressure right now because of me."

    "Er, that shouldn''t be the case," Ye Jun replied, not entirely clear on the intricacies of these matters but obviously unable to offer objective reasoning while trying to comfort someone, "You''re part of the Longcheng Flying General after all. Besides, if you hadn''t acted this time, it might have been Commander Liu who made the mistake, so you could say you stood in for him.

    We should be thanking you."

    "Enough talk, let''s drink," Yan Yu said, clinking his glass against hers.

    Perhaps feeling warm from the alcohol, Ye Jun untied her hairband, letting her beautiful long hair flow freely, her face flushed slightly from tipsiness. With her northern girl''s robust appearance and curvy figure, she looked very attractive and lively.

    Yan Yu discreetly averted his gaze and ordered another cocktail, saying,

    "All in all, we shouldn''t have let our guard down. Once we did, all kinds of monsters and freaks came out."

    "Yeah, but it''s not like we had a choice," Ye Jun said with a wry smile, "Don''t take them to heart. Among the civilian cultivators, there are indeed some who shouldn''t have been incorporated. Now that they''re dead, it''s clean."

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    "You think I did the right thing too?" Yan Yu expressed his surprise.

    "What are you talking about? I''ve always been on your side," Ye Jun laughed, "If you don''t trust me, that''s a penalty drink."

    "Alright, alright, I''ll take a penalty drink, I shouldn''t have doubted you." Yan Yu readily downed a cup.

    Ye Jun called over the bartender to fill it up, when she heard Yan Yu add:

    "Actually, what that leader in the camp said was right, I agree with it."

    "Oh? What''s that?" Ye Jun, with one hand propping up her cheek, looked over with interest.

    As her sleeve slid down due to gravity, a few black wristbands were exposed, making her wrist look even more pale and smooth. Paired with her profile as she propped up her cheek and looked over, she was truly a sight to behold.

    Having such a beautiful and compliant girl as a deputy, how could Lord Master not fancy her? If it weren''t known that she was his wife in a previous life, it would be hard not to doubt his sexual orientation.

    "It''s what that person said, the current environment is short of cultivators. They''re giving him a chance to atone for his merits and potentially save more ordinary people in the future." Yan Yu looked down at his cup, "That''s the truth."

    "Hmm, indeed," Ye Jun slowly swirled her cup, her tone gentle, "So why did you change your mind later on?"

    "Because a human life should not be measured on a balance." Yan Yu lowered his gaze, and his voice dropped as he said solemnly, "A cultivator''s life is no more noble than a commoner''s, and the lives of thousands are not more valuable than one."

    "You say that as if you''re like a hot-blooded male protagonist in a comic," Ye Jun said with a smile, teasing him, "I think, no matter what decision is made, as long as you don''t regret it looking back, not wishing ''if I could do it over, I would choose another path'', then that''s fine."

    "Yes," Yan Yu gazed at the amber liquid in his cup, suddenly feeling somewhat dazed.

    If it were my past life, no matter what about patience for the sake of the country or the greater good, I would have cut him down with one stroke of the sword.

    But it was precisely this version of myself, who, even knowing death was certain at the last moment, still charged forward without hesitation.

    Now, fortunate to be reborn, having lived in two different lives, I should be more mature, more considerate of the larger picture, but in the end, I haven''t changed at all.

    But I won''t regret it.

    Because a Sword Immortal only knows how to control the sword and strike from the sky, not to regret.

    "I feel like I''ve had a bit too much to drink," Yan Yu said, putting down his cup.

    "Then drink less," Ye Jun advised, "Too much alcohol isn''t good anyway."

    "Thanks to you for sharing this drink with me, I''ve just figured out something," Yan Yu said with a beaming smile. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    There was a trace of melancholy on his face, which now had dissipated like the breaking of clouds to reveal the sun, his eyes shining brightly.

    "Oh? What''s the problem?" inquired Ye Jun, immediately engaging.

    Girls from Jinmen are talkative like this, conversing with them is refreshing. Yan Yu appreciated and liked her even more, smiling as he said:

    "If Fan Wentang were still alive, letting him atone and serve the country could perhaps eliminate many foreign Transcendents in the future, saving a lot of ordinary people."

    "Now that he died because of me, shouldn''t I bear this deficit on my account?"

    Ye Jun instinctively wanted to say that''s not right. By your logic, if you let an enemy go on the battlefield and they go on to kill more, should all the resulting blood be on your hands? That would be too harsh.

    But her emotional intelligence wasn''t lacking either, and guessing what Yan Yu meant, she lifted her cup with a smile to her lips:

    "So, how do you plan to make up for this deficit?"

    "Ah, there''s no way," Yan Yu sighed, "I can only kill more in the future, make those enemies who should die do so, and work hard to fill in this deficit in the ledger of life and death."

    "Alright, alright!" Ye Jun was amused by his words, "Then I wish you early achievements and to fill in the deficit! Cheers!"

    "Cheers, cheers, cheers!"

 Chapter 6 Comrade Ye Jun, Please Stand Watch at Night

    Yan Yu was finally carried back to the hotel by Ye Jun.

    Although theoretically, after entering the Marrow Cleansing Stage, one should be immune to all diseases, and as long as True Yuan is circulated, any alcohol can be instantly metabolized, leaving no chance of intoxication.

    However, Yan Yu and Ye Jun were enjoying their conversation so much that he forgot to circulate his True Yuan, and as a result, he became drunk¡ªthis was a perfectly reasonable outcome.

    Even now, if he were to use a breathalyzer, the result would show intoxication; there would be no other possibility.

    Supporting Yan Yu, they arrived at his hotel room, where Ye Jun fished out the room card from his pocket and swiped it to open the door. She then heaved Yan Yu into the room and set him down on a chair.

    The reason she didn''t let him lie on the bed was mainly due to the fear that he might vomit and choke or even suffocate if the vomit blocked his airway¡ªYe Jun''s father often came home drunk, and she had maxed out her nursing experience from taking care of her dad since she was little.

    She fetched a towel from the bathroom, washed and wrung it out, and wiped Yan Yu''s face. After loosening his collar, Ye Jun turned to pour him some hot water.

    She placed the hangover-curing hot water on the coffee table when suddenly her phone rang.

    "Did you send Old Yan back?" Liu Longtao was on the other end of the phone, "Are you still there?"

    "Yes," Ye Jun replied as she walked over to the door, "I''ve just carried him back to the hotel and poured him some water, and I was about to leave."

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    "Wait a moment," Liu Longtao said with a sigh. "Old Yang is asking about his current situation."

    "Well... we went to that bar we visited last time and had some drinks. Then Captain Yan got a bit drunk, and I carried him back," Ye Jun said with a big yawn. "It''s so tiring, sigh."

    "Oh, that''s great." Liu Longtao said, "Ye Jun, could you stay there and keep an eye on Old Yan, please?"

    "What?" Ye Jun was suddenly confused.

    "Old Yang said," Liu Longtao relayed the commander-in-chief''s words, "the Dingbei Army has more than just Fan Wentang among the civilian cultivators it has enlisted. We can''t let the Longcheng Flying General find excuses to challenge them all, right? It''s a hard task, but could you watch over him tonight?

    Tomorrow the scientific research department will announce the experiment has ended, and we''ll quickly send him back to Jinling Prefecture."

    Ye Jun: .........

    Turning to look at the intoxicated Yan Yu, she thought to herself that he was in no condition to seek out civilian cultivators for challenges. Besides, not every civilian cultivator was Fan Wentang.

    But it was probably also a precaution borne of fear from the superiors.

    This approach wasn''t unique to this dynasty; back when monarchy was still in effect towards the end of the previous dynasty, there was a man from Puyang Prefecture infamous for his brashness who, due to a land border dispute with a neighboring landlord, argued for nearly half a year and then claimed he was going to the imperial capital to strike the grievance drum.

    The local magistrate, upon hearing this, was terrified and immediately dispatched runners to guard all major and minor roads to ensure the man was stopped within the county''s jurisdiction.

    However, roadblocks are useless against the Longcheng Flying General. He can fly with his sword. What if tonight, after drinking too much, he becomes delirious and has a brainwave? What if he suddenly curses "All civilian cultivators deserve to be shark''d" and then flies off with his sword to decapitate them one by one? S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Should the military manor''s cultivators try to stop him? Who could beat him?

    High-caliber anti-personnel weapons might stand a chance, but if it really came down to firing guns inside Pingjing City, things would quickly spiral out of control.

    The best and safest method would obviously be to find someone to keep the Longcheng Flying General busy and to ensure he doesn''t cause trouble outside. Then, first thing tomorrow morning, they''d send him away immediately.

    The Zhendong Army also enlisted civilian cultivators. Since the Longcheng Flying General belongs to the Zhendong Army, let him go and make trouble on Zhendong''s turf, and then it''s none of our Dingbei Army''s business.

    "Alright," Ye Jun sighed, "what about the dorm?"

    "I''ll talk to the dormitory supervisor," Liu Longtao assured her. "Don''t worry about the school. The main concern is Old Yan. Make sure he does not leave the room tonight. Plainclothes officers are stationed all around the hotel, and the moment he steps out, it will trigger a chain reaction, which won''t look good if it escalates to higher authorities."

    Ye Jun: .........

    It won''t look good if it gets escalated, but it''ll look fine if you push it onto me?

    I''m still an unmarried single woman of quality, sharing a room and spending the night with Yan Yu. What if my reputation is tarnished? Who would I complain to then?

    Forget it, eating public grain comes with these nuisances, and in critical moments, one must listen to the organization. I''d wade through a mountain of swords or dive into a sea of flames; guarding for one night is a minor matter in comparison.

    Ye Jun turned back to Yan Yu and asked with concern:

    "Yan Yu, do you feel any better?"

    "My head is killing me," Yan Yu moaned with his eyes closed.

    "Then drink some water," Ye Jun offered him the water.

    After gulping down several mouthfuls of the hot water, Yan Yu felt somewhat better. He propped himself up with his arms and slowly opened his eyes.

    Of course, he could circulate his True Yuan to dissipate the effects of the alcohol, but what would be the point of drinking then?

    Since I chose to drink, what I wanted was the feeling of a hangover, like a mortal in a past life who didn''t know his own tolerance¡ªthis is called nostalgia. Once I get back to Jinling Prefecture, I won''t have this opportunity anymore. Even if I go out to a pub and order a draft beer, Ningning will nag me about it, which is really annoying.

    "Hmm..." Yan Yu scratched his head and said, "Ye Jun, you can go back now, I''m awake."

    "I won''t go back." Ye Jun took the towel to the bathroom to wash, saying, "I am staying here tonight."

    "Huh?" Yan Yu was also confused¡ªas if hearing this for the first time, just like Ye Jun''s initial reaction. The response from both of them was exactly the same.

    "The higher-ups said I have to keep an eye on you tonight," Ye Jun explained as she wrung out the wet towel and came out to hand it to him, "Here, wipe your face with this."

    "Ah, so they are afraid I''ll cause trouble," Yan Yu took the towel and wiped his face and neck.

    "At least you''re aware of yourself," Ye Jun said with a touch of melancholy.

    "Haha." Yan Yu put the towel aside, got up, and said, "Then I might as well fly back to Jinling on my sword now to save you all the worry."

    "Don''t do that." Ye Jun quickly stopped him, "Once you step out and take off on your sword, it will be hard to explain. Who''s to say whether you are really going back to Jinling or off to ''exchange pointers'' with other folk cultivators? A whole bunch of people will be running around because of your departure."

    "Then just call them and explain clearly," Yan Yu dismissed the concern.

    "Anyway, you are staying here tonight," Ye Jun insisted, "Don''t go anywhere. Once they''ve settled the folk cultivators tomorrow, no one will care about you anymore."

    Yan Yu was speechless. So, just because of this, the Dingbei Army has lost all trust in me, huh?

    But I can understand it, honestly. Just like in the old days, if you rang the complaint drum to present a royal petition once, they''d intercept you even on a New Year''s visit to relatives out of town¡ªwho knows if you were really visiting or if you were taking a detour to the capital again? You might think the local magistrate was heartless, and yet he''d have to deal with your troublesome antics.

    In the eyes of the current Dingbei Army, Longcheng Flying General is the troublesome one. They''d rather inconvenience Ye Jun, a female comrade, by keeping me here than let me walk out that door!

    "Fine," Yan Yu agreed not to make it difficult for Ye Jun, "Then I''ll stay overnight... But this is a king-sized bed, right?"

    "It''s fine." Ye Jun was quite magnanimous, "Cultivators don''t sleep. We just meditate and practice. It doesn''t matter if you don''t sit on the bed, you can also do it on a chair."

    "Give me a break, the chair is so narrow and has armrests that limit space; you can''t even spread your legs," Yan Yu looked at the armchair, shook his head, and continued, "Just like you said, we''ll meditate and practice on the bed to get through the night."

    "Right." Ye Jun didn''t change her clothes, just took off her shoes and socks and washed her feet in the bathroom.

    After Yan Yu also freshened up, they both sat cross-legged on the bed, closed their eyes, and started diligently channeling their Qi through the cycles.

    About ten minutes later, Yan Yu opened his eyes, feeling helpless.

    Moving Qi through the cycles my ass!

    With my aptitude for cultivation, while others are scooping water with a ladle, I''m like dipping water with chopsticks, so inefficiency it''s infuriating... practicing is just futile, might as well not do it at all.

    Noticing his eyes open, Ye Jun also opened hers and asked:

    "What''s wrong?"

    "What do you mean, ''what''s wrong''?" Yan Yu responded.

    "I saw that you opened your eyes," Ye Jun said.

    "How would you know that I opened my eyes if yours were closed?" Yan Yu countered.

    "All right," Ye Jun admitted with a bitter smile, "I saw it with my Divine Sense."

    "So, you''ve been scanning me with your Divine Sense, huh?" Yan Yu chuckled.

    "I''m just a bit nervous," Ye Jun confessed in a low voice, embarrassed, "It''s not that I suspect you, it''s just... well, I''ve never spent the night in the same room with another man before."

    "I understand," Yan Yu stretched his legs out again, propped a pillow behind him, and said, "Let''s not practice then, how about telling some stories instead?"

    "What stories?" Ye Jun was surprised.

    "Tell me about your story, let''s chat casually. It might help you relax," Yan Yu suggested, leaning back on the pillow.

    "Okay then," Ye Jun nodded and couldn''t help but laugh.

    Indeed, chatting with each other felt more relaxing and pleasant than sitting in silence all night long.

 Chapter 7 Truth or Dare

    Yan Yu and Ye Jun sat on the bed, chatting more and more energetically, and actually talked through the night. It could probably only be attributed to the fact that cultivators simply have more stamina than ordinary people.

    By the next morning, news came from the research base saying that the project on the Marrow Cleansing Stage had concluded, and Comrade Yan could return to his unit.

    "You''d better return to your unit quickly. Military duties are hectic, it really isn''t good to delay you."

    After bidding farewell to Liu Longtao and Ye Jun, Yan Yu left Pingjing via Sword Control.

    The greatest gain from this trip to Pingjing wasn''t finishing off Fan Wentang, but rather truly becoming friends with Ye Jun.

    Originally, the two were just acquaintances and didn''t really understand each other very well. If the relationship had to be quantified, his favorability with Ye Jun wasn''t even as high as with Lord Master. After all, Lord Master directly called him "Old Yan," while Ye Jun used "Yan Yu" or even "Captain Yan," which made their level of closeness self-evident.

    Developing a relationship with a woman needs to be done gradually.

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    The prerequisite for "deepening the relationship" is to "unlock the emotional connection," and the prerequisite for "unlocking the emotional connection" is to "become familiar with each other and let down guard." From acquaintance to friend, to ambiguous relationship, and then to lovers, each step must follow the other, and one cannot be hasty for quick results.

    Some people are too impatient and attempt to skip the "unlocking the emotional connection," jumping directly from friends to lovers, going up to a girl and confessing, then turning around and joining the circus to put on makeup;

    Some are even more impatient than a rushed king, wanting to skip even the "becoming familiar with each other" step. This kind of behavior is commonly known as "blind dating," and in the new era, there is a slang term called "blasting gold coins"...

    Having lived two lifetimes, Yan Yu naturally wouldn''t make these common male mistakes.

    Firstly, he needed to raise Ye Jun''s favorability to the level of a friend, and maybe even get to the point of "friends who can talk about anything." Then, if Ye Jun couldn''t stand being in the team anymore, he could take the opportunity to poach her. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    If the relationship remained that of distant acquaintances who had known each other for a long time, suddenly saying to her, "Stop working with the Dragon Soar Team," would only make her instinctively defensive and likely turn him down politely.

    As for Lord Master saying "Old Yan is chasing after Ye Jun," that was just a rumor with no basis in truth.

    "If you could ensure that Ye Jun stabilizes and shines in the team, would I need to hit on her?"

    What the previous life had proven was that this guy only cared about himself, and didn''t care how Ye Jun was doing... This girl is truly outstanding, it''s too much of a pity to see her talents go to waste, better to let her continue to shine at my place.

    Yan Yu, having returned to Jinling Prefecture via Sword Control, was soon surrounded by the girls of the team, enjoying an unprecedented reception.

    "You weren''t punished, were you?" Lin Ning asked worriedly.

    "Nope, it seems to have been suppressed," Chen Lingyun said nonchalantly, "It''s announced that it was an accidental injury during training."

    "Ah, I think there''s a problem with that," Zhao Yuanzhen casually said, "Are they even daring to recruit such evil cultivators?"

    Yan Yu instantly looked at her in shock. Demonic Sect Enchantress, how dare you say such a thing?

    In your past life, you ran from Lin''an all the way to Nanjiang, killing and silencing people along the way, doing harm to countless innocents. And in the end, weren''t you also taken in by the government... Never mind.

    Zhao Yuanzhen has no memories of the future, and in this lifetime, she indeed hasn''t killed any innocents, so it wouldn''t be fair to judge her by past life actions.

    We''ll just let her keep her pretty little head on her neck for now!

    "Alright, alright," Xie Ruoxi interrupted, "Let''s not talk about state affairs, what are we eating tonight?"

    "How about Northwestern food?" Zhao Yuanzhen suggested.

    "Aren''t we eating at home tonight?" Lin Ning protested in shock, "I''ve already bought the groceries! They won''t be fresh anymore if they stay in the fridge overnight!"

    "Then let''s eat at home," Yan Yu decided, "During my time in Pingjing, I was dragged out to restaurants by Lord Master every day, eating food that''s too oily and salty; I almost threw up... I just want to eat Ningning''s cooking!"

    "Alright, cut it out with the flattery," Lin Ning complained, though she couldn''t help but smile and headed towards the kitchen.

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi went to the living room, lying on the couch to watch TV. Yan Yu was about to follow when he suddenly heard Chen Lingyun ask:

    "Was it Lord Master who told you to kill him?"

    "It was an accidental injury," Yan Yu replied, "The higher-ups didn''t want to save him, it''s not my business."

    "Haha," Chen Lingyun gave a slight smile, ignoring his response, and continued, "I know it was impulsive, but people on the outside won''t know that. They probably see it as a signal of hostility you, as a government-trained cultivator, are sending to the private cultivators."

    "Is it really that complicated?" Yan Yu said with a laugh, "He was bad news to begin with, even Lord Master couldn''t stand him and wanted to beat him up, can''t my actions be out of righteous indignation?"

    "Of course, they can," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "But you can''t deny that there are many bad and stupid people in the world."

    "Stupid people can''t see it, bad people pretend not to see it. The former are easily led by the nose, while the latter actively lead others. Essentially, there isn''t much difference. So there may be some private cultivators who don''t understand the full story, and think you''re hostile towards them...

    Of course, now that you''re the Longcheng Flying General, they probably wouldn''t dare to trouble you, but just be careful all the same."

    "Got it," Yan Yu was indifferent.

    In his previous life, he served in the mobile forces, where he had killed too many cultivators who had done wrong. He killed a betrayer named Zhang San, and then Zhang San''s associate Li Si held a grudge against him ever since, and so on - he had made too many enemies this way, but what of it?

    Even Empress Yuanzhen was taken in by the government, showing that the future was already a nightmare world where the strong rule. The public recruitment of people like Fan Wentang was just the beginning.

 Chapter 7 Truth or Dare_2

    As the resurgence of Spiritual Energy progressed, the voices of the powerful grew louder. Now, Yan Yu needs to borrow a blade to kill someone, but in the future, he won''t even need to borrow one¡ªafter killing, just a phone call to report would suffice¡ªjust like Empress Yuanzhen in the past lifetime, as long as you are willing to protect your home and country, whatever you do at home is up to you.

    After all, if one can''t protect their home, everyone is doomed. The collapse of a country and the loss of homes are an even more terrifying hell. When faced with two evils, one must choose the lesser, it''s an inevitability.

    Thinking this way made him feel anxious again. When would he be able to become the strongest in this world and take away the right to speak from all these cultivators?

    I want to create a world where only what I say goes!

    After dinner, everyone went to rest. Just as Yan Yu was planning to play with his phone, he suddenly received a call from Li Weiguo.

    It''s never good news... Truth be told, old Li has been quite good to me, but every time he calls, it''s to get me to work, which isn''t great.

    "Hello?"

    "Yan Yu, Huofeng Team has emerged from the Mysterious Realm."

    "Oh, do you want me to send a congratulatory message?"

    "No," Li Weiguo said with some exasperation, "as the captain of the Zhenhai Team, do you think I would call you specially just to have you send a congratulatory message?"

    "Definitely not, I just kind of hoped so," Yan Yu replied, "after all, I''ve just returned from Pingjing and haven''t had the chance to rest yet."

    Li Weiguo patiently said:

    "I know, so if it weren''t for something important, I wouldn''t come looking for you. The Zhendong Army has over a dozen teams, many of which haven''t taken on the Mysterious Realm yet and are currently lining up."

    "Oh, so the Huofeng Team hasn''t managed to conquer that Mysterious Realm?"

    "Correct. For specifics, how about you find out once you get there? In Yu Yuan County of Nanjiang, the Pingxi Army will be there to meet you."

    "Okay, we''ll set off right away."

    Yan Yu ended the call, gathered all the girls, and left the house to rise into the sky on his sword.

    Five streaks of sword light sped across the sky, instantly catching the attention of the citizens of Jinling. Many took out their phones to take photos and post on social media with captions like "Longcheng Flying General, taking off!" or "Yan Zhanlong, joining the battle!", some even uploaded short videos with exciting background music, but these are digressions and not the main point for now.

    "So what''s the situation?" In flight, Lin Ning asked curiously, "Is the Southern Border making another advance?"

    "No," Yan Yu said, "Xiao Zhou is just too useless. We fought tooth and nail in the Southern Border, buying time for her to conquer the Mysterious Realm, only for her to fail at taking it... Ling Yun, give them a call and ask about the situation."

    "Sure," Chen Lingyun smiled, "but there''s no cell phone signal at high altitudes, should we descend to make the call?"

    "Forget it," Yan Yu waved his hand dismissively, "we''ll talk about it when we get there."

    If he couldn''t immediately mock Xiao Zhou, then he would have to rush there to mock her to her face!

    Finally, in the dead of night, they arrived at Yu Yuan County in Nanjiang and met up with the cultivators of the Pingxi Army.

    Then they saw the Huofeng Team cultivators, all injured and receiving treatment.

    Among the five members, Zhou Hongyu was in the worst condition, her whole body tightly wrapped in bandages, revealing only her eyes, nose, mouth, and a section of her wrist for the IV drip.

    The rest of them were also wrapped in medical bandages, their faces bearing numerous charred marks. It''s estimated that there was some formidable Fire Blazing Dao Method in the mysterious realm that forced the entire Huofeng Team to make a forced exit, leaving the Zhenhai Team to take over.

    "Ow, Xiao Zhou, what happened to you?" Yan Yu asked with a concerned look, gently inquiring, "Getting new skin? Last time I saw you, you were a patient in an oxygen mask, and now you''ve become a mummy?"

    Zhou Hongyu didn''t have the energy to speak and could only glare at him fiercely, her eyes cold and brimming with murderous intent.

    "Stop joking, Captain Yan." Zhang Huaide said from the next bed, "Captain Zhou has deep burns. Thankfully, we now have cultivator methods, or she really couldn''t have been saved."

    "Was it a fire-breathing dragon?" Yan Yu asked.

    "It was like biogenetic teardrops, I guess," Zhang Huaide sighed, "it''s a long story."

    "Then give us the short version of the long story," Yan Yu said as he pulled up a stool to sit down and listen to Deputy Captain Zhang recount the situation in the mysterious realm. Your journey continues with My Virtual Library Empire

    The mysterious realm was called "Mirror Lake Divine Palace" because there was a mountain within the realm, and atop the mountain lay a lake. The reflection in the lake showed a magnificent palace, but in reality, not even a shadow of a building could be found, nor any enemy.

    The Huofeng Team went in but couldn''t solve the mysteries of the realm, so they went back outside to report to the Pingxi Army.

    The Pingxi Army brought in researchers to tackle the problem, and it wasn''t until this morning that they managed to make a breakthrough, finally solving the mystery of Mirror Lake and sending in the Huofeng Team and others.

    Then, the entire team emerged in the afternoon, each member wounded and unable to continue the fight.

    The worst off was Zhou Hongyu, who had severe burns all over and barely made it back alive¡ªonly thanks to the resurgence of Spiritual Energy and the great enhancement of medical technology through cultivation methods, injuries that were once certain death could now be survived.

    According to the team members'' accounts, opposite Mirror Lake stood a palace in the middle of the lake, but there was no entrance to the buildings above the lake''s surface, nor any way to break in.

    The entrance was below the lake, where there were five small altars. It required five people to stand on them all at once to be transported inside. Upon entering, they would pass through five rooms in sequence, each containing an enemy who not only looked exactly like a member of the team but also had a highly similar attack method and combat style¡ªexcept they were enhanced.

    It was like the final challenge in a Pok¨¦mon game, with the members of the Huofeng Team successively defeating the enhanced Meng Qingxi, enhanced Zhang Huaide, enhanced Tang Xiaolian, and enhanced Qin Meng, but they fell at the last hurdle to the enhanced Zhou Hongyu.

    Because the enhanced Zhou Hongyu was just too terrifying, spewing and exploding all kinds of Fire Blazing Dao Methods, even Zhou Hongyu herself couldn''t withstand it and was the first to be laid out on the ground.

    "I see," Yan Yu summed up, "from the weakest to the strongest, successively cloned. They look the same, the moves are the same, but the power is greater, right?"

    "Not quite," Zhang Huaide shook his head, "the moves are different. For example, that clone of Zhang Huaide had swordsmanship far superior to mine and used many sword techniques that I simply don''t know."

    "It''s like a future version of you," Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    "You could... put it that way," Zhang Huaide frowned, clearly thinking that this future theory was not accurate, "Also, the clones said some pretty strange things."

    "Strange things?" Lin Ning asked.

    "They would fabricate some false dark histories that never existed for the originals, and then announce them in front of our entire team," Tang Xiaolian added, "as a form of mental attack to try to affect our performance."

    "No," Zhang Huaide shook his head, "I don''t think those were made-up lies..." sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "They are made-up!" Qin Meng quickly interrupted, "All of it is fake! Not a single word of truth!"

    "Indeed," Meng Qingxi said seriously, "I swear, that impostor claiming to be me said things that are absolutely irrelevant to me!"

    "Deputy Captain Zhang!" Tang Xiaolian said angrily, "As we''ve said! They''re nonexistent false dark histories!"

    "Regardless of what the clones said," seeing his teammates unanimously objecting and making a commotion, Zhang Huaide could only compromise halfway, without dwelling on the truthfulness, and continued speaking to Yan Yu and the others, "None of you should believe it, nor let it affect the concerned team members."

 Chapter 8 Mirror Lake Divine Palace, The Future Me

    Leaving the infirmary of the Huofeng Team, Yan Yu turned his head towards the girls and asked,

    "So, what do you think?" S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "I think it''s quite interesting," Chen Lingyun said with a full smile.

    "I didn''t ask you that!" Yan Yu waved his hand to interrupt her, "Analyze how we should approach this mysterious realm."

    "According to Deputy Captain Zhang''s description, the combat environment is still relatively spacious, so even large-scale Taoism Methods won''t be restricted," Chen Lingyun said smilingly, "There aren''t many obstacles or covers in the environment, which indicates that the designer doesn''t want us to play tricks. We are asked to defeat the avatars by fighting them head-on in battle."

    "To sum up, it is undoubtedly a test-type mysterious realm, and there won''t be unsolvable puzzles¡ªthe fact that all members of the Huofeng Team were seriously injured but not dead also supports this," she continued.

    "The key lies in how we solve the puzzle," Lin Ning added.

    She looked at the other two, Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi, who remained silent, making Lin Ning somewhat regretful that Yun Jin wasn''t there¡ªotherwise, she might have been able to discern more detailed clues, right?

    No matter, we still have Ling Yun.

    "The avatars will replicate one of the members in our team," Chen Lingyun continued, "and enhance them based on that member. Their specific moves will change, but won''t completely deviate from the original''s fighting style¡ªit''s like moving a version of us with higher cultivation and stronger abilities from the future here."

    "Indeed," Yan Yu nodded, "So what?"

    "Since the avatars are based on us, we can extrapolate their weaknesses from our own," Chen Lingyun continued with a smile, "My weakness is slow reaction speed, so the suitable tactic is surprise attacks, pushing with an ultra-fast offense and defense rhythm to force her to make irrational decisions."

    "My issue is that I''m not adaptable enough when facing unfamiliar situations," Lin Ning analyzed, "So to deal with my avatar, we should try to increase the complexity of moves, burdening her with excessive thinking in response."

    Everyone looked towards Xie Ruoxi.

    "Me?" Xie Ruoxi said uncertainly, "I feel that my biggest weakness is my lack of combat experience..."

    "But if it''s the future you, that might not be a problem," Chen Lingyun said cheerfully, "It''s better to consider weaknesses related to thought patterns or innate talents¡ªflaws that aren''t easily compensated for."

    "Her weakness lies in favoring brute force over finesse," Yan Yu suddenly said, "She''s easily deceived tactically."

    "What about Sister Zhao?" Lin Ning asked.

    "Me?" Zhao Yuanzhen thought for a moment then said with frustration, "I really can''t think of any weaknesses I might have."

    "Sister Zhao''s weakness is an overly strong desire to attack," Yan Yu said deliberately, "which makes her behavior too predictable."

    Zhao Yuanzhen''s nose wrinkled immediately as she silently fumed, keeping grudges in mind, thinking:

    "That jerk actually said I have an overly strong desire to attack, and my behavior patterns¡­ eh? What does ''too predictable'' mean? What''s he getting at?"

    She had intended to retort firmly against Yan Yu''s words, but unexpectedly she found herself too illiterate to understand the criticism, thus unable to imagine how to counterattack in the future, and felt embarrassed to ask him (for fear of revealing her ignorance), so she could only cross her arms and sulk in silence.

    Finally, the group turned toward Yan Yu, and after a collective silence, suddenly, Lin Ning spoke up:

    "I suggest we replace the captain, find a cultivator from the Huofeng Team who isn''t too badly injured, and have them team up with us to tackle this mysterious realm."

    "I agree," Xie Ruoxi hastily said.

    "It would indeed effectively lower the difficulty level," Chen Lingyun concurred.

    "It''s about time for a change!" Zhao Yuanzhen also exclaimed, seizing the chance to avenge the sharp criticism she just faced!

    "Stop joking around," Yan Yu scoffed disdainfully, "Without me, how would you fight the four enhanced avatars in the beginning?"

    "My God!" Lin Ning immediately retorted, "Captain, you really have no shame, actually assuming your avatar would be the strongest and come last!"

    "Otherwise?" Yan Yu frowned, "Am I not the strongest?"

    "You could at least be modest about it!" Lin Ning huffed.

    "Alright, stop arguing," Yan Yu commanded with a grand wave of his hand, "Let''s go in and test the waters. We can always retreat along the same way we came in. Also, think about whether there are any dark secrets that the avatar might spill out."

    At the mention of dark secrets, the girls fell silent, each beginning to introspect and assess.

    Chen Lingyun thought to herself: I have them, but I don''t care, let them be revealed.

    Lin Ning thought to herself: I have them, as long as I firmly deny it, it shouldn''t be a problem.

    Xie Ruoxi thought to herself, "I have, and I don''t want to remember, because every time I do, I feel like dying..."

    Zhao Yuanzhen thought to herself, "...I''m a bit hungry."

    Yan Yu didn''t say anything and led the deep-in-thought girls toward the direction of the Mysterious Realm.

    Passing through the entrance of the Mysterious Realm, the outside world was enveloped by the night sky, yet within it was clear blue skies. Many Military Manor cultivators were moving up and down the mountain paths, transporting various types of equipment.

    This time the Mysterious Realm was rather special: there was no danger outside the Mirror Lake Divine Palace, but even drones couldn''t fly inside. The Huofeng Team was originally equipped with cameras, but as soon as they passed through the lake, the devices were immediately rendered useless. It was only after they emerged and performed a check that they found the chips inside completely burnt out.

    The lake itself was now sealed, waiting for the Zhenhai Team to conquer it. Yan Yu led the team up to the mountaintop, where they saw a huge conical instrument set up on the shore, its point aimed at the center of Mirror Lake, where the water was rapidly swirling into a wild vortex at least twenty meters in diameter.

    The girls were all deeply shocked, taking a careful look at the high-tech device that Lu Country had created with the help of cultivators, while Yan Yu seemed used to it. He went over and said a few words to the person in charge on site and then turned his head to give an order:

    "Sword Control, follow me!"

    Everyone conjured up their sword lights and flew swiftly to the vortex directly above Mirror Lake. Then, with the sword lights hanging upside down, they plunged in headfirst.

    As the world spun around them, gravity had suddenly flipped.

    The sword lights were clearly moving downward, but the moment they passed through the surface of the lake, it transformed into an upward motion.

    Where once the shoreline filled with Military Manor cultivators and the huge device stood, now there was a splendid and lavish celestial palace. The palace, made of jade bricks and glazed roof tiles, was crystal clear and complemented the lake waters below, shining with brilliance.

    "It''s so beautiful," Lin Ning murmured.

    "It looks like a really tough dungeon," Xie Ruoxi couldn''t help saying.

    "It would be great if there were a lot of treasures," Zhao Yuanzhen said, posing as a senior, with composure.

    "How''s it?" Yan Yu asked.

    "All checked." Chen Lingyun, holding the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, had released the Five Ghosts to scout the area and came back saying, "Apart from the altar beneath the water, there is no other entrance."

    "Then that''s good," Yan Yu nodded. "Dive in!"

    Avoiding the whirlpool they had come through, the group entered the calm water and saw, as they approached the bottom near the Mirror Lake Divine Palace, that there were indeed five small altars.

    As Zhang Huaide had said, each person chose an altar to stand on.

    After another bout of the world spinning around them, the group found themselves inside the Mirror Lake Divine Palace, in the midst of a long crystal corridor.

    The front led to a great hall while the back was a dead end, also with five single altars, for transporting the people back the way they came.

    "Come to think of it, who is the weakest in our team?" Lin Ning suddenly asked out of curiosity.

    "Definitely not me," Zhao Yuanzhen said.

    "I suppose that would be me," Chen Lingyun laughed. "Everyone, get ready, we''re about to face ''Chen Lingyun'' soon."

    "Why do you seem so happy about it?" Yan Yu frowned and asked.

    "Because I really want to see what an enhanced version of ''Chen Lingyun'' is like," Chen Lingyun said, her smile beaming like a flower.

    Although her words seemed a bit incendiary, Lin Ning was suddenly inspired by her and had an epiphany, saying:

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    "If it really is a version of myself from the future, or even a more powerful simulation of myself, then studying how she utilizes various methods in combat can offer us valuable guidance and reference, right?"

    "You''re right," said Yan Yu calmly. "For the Huofeng Team, such foresight is indeed precious. But you have me as the team leader to provide high-level guidance and correct directions for cultivation, so it''s not necessary to study how the replicas fight. At most, they serve as a self-motivator¡ªa reminder that ''if I cultivate diligently, I can reach that level in the future''."

    "The Captain is still as narcissistic and shameless as ever," Lin Ning quietly communicated with the girls using a transmission.

    But upon reflection, at least until now, Yan Yu''s guidance and arrangements had never been wrong.

    Lin Ning still remembered the days when she first dabbled in the Three Arts and Five Spells. She had seriously considered "whether to learn close-quarters combat" but was advised by Yan Yu that "it would be more appropriate to practice the Metal-Element Impact Curse."

    Now, as a Sword Immortal, she used the Sword Control Technique as her main means of attack, and the practice in Impact Curses had indeed greatly enhanced her response time and accuracy.

    So what would my future self look like, a dashing and suave female Sword Immortal?

    With this thought, Lin Ning too felt a sense of longing and anticipation.

 Chapter 9 The Beautiful Lady in Palace Attire, Chen Lingyun

    The group proceeded along the corridor and entered the hall.

    Although Zhang Huaide called it a room, it was more like an indoor sports field, with both length and width exceeding a hundred meters and a height of about seven or eight meters, spacious and empty.

    In the very center of the hall stood a life-size upright copper mirror.

    Beyond that, there was nothing else.

    "Spread out, Five Elements Formation," Chen Lingyun quickly transmitted her voice, commanding.

    The Five Elements Formation meant that the five-person team stood in the east, south, west, north, and center. The central striker served as the tank and primary attacker, dealing with and drawing in the guardian''s frontal firepower, usually taken up by the sword immortal most adept at adapting. The other four positioned themselves in the four corners, attacking and restraining the guardian.

    The one standing behind the central striker, also facing the guardian, could be impacted by the opponent''s attacks, hence the battlefield pressure was only second to that of the central striker. As for the three on the sides and the back of the guardian, they could freely use various means without facing the guardian''s direct assaults.

    Of course, the guardian wasn''t a boss in a game; there was no such thing as holding its aggro, so the actual use of the Five Elements Formation involved frequent movement and rotation¡ªif the guardian moved or turned, the formation also had to be immediately adjusted.

    For the Zhenhai Team''s Five Elements Formation, Yan Yu unhesitatingly took the position of the central striker; Lin Ning acted as the deputy striker behind him, while Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi took the left and right flanks, respectively, and the safest rear position naturally went to Chen Lingyun, who bore the responsibility of command.

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    The team arranged their formation and waited for a moment when suddenly the surrounding temperature seemed to drop.

    It wasn''t the body feeling cold, but a kind of chilling cold that seemed to arise from the depths of the heart, as if something terrible was about to descend.

    You could see a petite and delicate girl had stepped out of the upright mirror in the center at some point.

    Her hair was coiled into an extremely intricate cloud bun, adorned with various jade pins and golden ornaments, and she was wearing ancient Chinese Tang-style attire. Her upper body was tightly wrapped in a bodice, a long skirt trailing on the ground, with a large-sleeved cloak worn over it, giving off an ethereal and otherworldly feel.

    However, her garments were in shades of deep black and purple-black, completely lacking the bright and grandiose air of Tang dynasty clothing, adding instead a sense of gloominess and a chilling aura.

    The group noticed that she carried nothing in her hands¡ªneither the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner obtained from the Changping Secret Realm nor the Divine Evil Prayer Beads recently seized from the Southern Border.

    But the face above the neck of the body wrapped in the dark palace attire was undoubtedly Chen Lingyun''s. Her eyebrows and eyes seemed to have gained more maturity and weariness, but it was well-masked by her makeup.

    "Oh my," the eerie beauty in palace attire surveyed her surroundings, her gaze flowing, and smiled, "It''s the Five Elements Formation."

    "Don''t act rashly yet," Chen Lingyun suddenly sent a message to the group. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The palace-dressed beauty gracefully turned her head back, looking at the Chen Lingyun behind her, and said smilingly:

    "You set up the Five Elements Formation to test my identity, whether I am the future you, or some copy that can read your thoughts."

    "Then please enlighten me," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "If it''s the future me, you would surely tell me the answer, right?"

    "Sadly," the palace-dressed beauty continued to smile, though her features were identical, her smile was extremely soft and seductive, making her seem completely different from Chen Lingyun, "it''s neither. Even if I could explain it to you, the current you wouldn''t understand."

    "Are we done yet?" Yan Yu urged, though it wasn''t clear whether he was rushing Chen Lingyun or deliberately provoking the palace-dressed beauty, "Can''t we fight and talk at the same time? There are four others queuing up behind us!"

    "Sure," the palace-dressed beauty turned back, smiling as she said.

    Suddenly, she sat back, and a chair appeared beneath her without warning.

    No, not just a chair.

    What emerged from the floor was an extremely ornate imperial conveyance, carried by four stout ghostly attendants; two ghostly ladies in a maid''s appearance stood behind the beauty, both hands held high, carrying a black satined Nine Phoenix Umbrella to block the sun; two other ghostly ladies on her outer sides held slanting purple-feathered pheasant fans to ward off the wind; and yet another ghostly lady knelt beside her, hand offering a white jade tray with celestial delicacies and divine brews, presented respectfully before her.

    The palace-dressed beauty sat in the center of the conveyance, elegantly crossing one leg, her left arm lazily resting on the armrest, her right index finger seductively placed at the corner of her mouth, revealing a cold and superior smile:

    "Then, try to please me," she said.

    "If you perform well, I might share with you some... little secrets she isn''t willing to share~"

    "Attack!" Chen Lingyun swiftly commanded.

    Yan Yu had already executed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, rushing toward the yin ghost conveyance like lightning.

    But no matter how much he surged forward, the distance to the palace-dressed beauty remained unchanged, as if the space between them was infinitely stretching¡ªyou move forward several steps, and the space extends just as much.

    This was a formation.

    In the moment he realized something was wrong, Yan Yu switched from charging forward to sidestepping and cast his divine sense swiftly around.

    He didn''t understand formations, but he knew how to break them¡ªevery formation must have a pivotal point, just as a house must be built on a foundation.

    Destroy all the pivotal points, and the formation would collapse on its own.

    The moment Yan Yu arrived at this conclusion, he saw four enormous ghostly shadows appear out of thin air in four different directions.

    The minotaur holding a delicate pagoda faced Zhao Yuanzhen, using the pagoda''s spiritual light to pin the Yin Wind Sword down, preventing it from advancing an inch.

    The horse-faced creature wielding a thirteen-foot greatsword faced Lin Ning, blocking the Green Bamboo Sword''s attacks with massive swings, and the clang of metal rang out nonstop.

    The Black Impermanence holding the Ghost-painted Iron Umbrella faced Xie Ruoxi, using the umbrella to withstand the bombardment of Jade Pivot Thunder without suffering any damage.

    The White Impermanence carrying a four-string pipa faced Chen Lingyun, strumming it with a tune that carried a hidden golden murderous aura, forcing Chen Lingyun to constantly move around dodging.

    That gorgeously dressed beauty "Chen Lingyun" simply waved her hands and called forth four high-level Yin Ghosts, each wielding a magical treasure, to match up one-on-one against the four cultivators of the team, leaving only Yan Yu without an opponent.

    Yan Yu didn''t rush to assist his teammates either, but silently stared at the gorgeously dressed woman and pondered inwardly¡ªas she looked back at him from a distance and suddenly said with a smile:

    "Not taking action?"

    To attack her, he must first break the formation. The pivotal points were most likely these minotaur, horse-faced creature, and the Black and White Impermanence...

    "My four pivotal points are the minotaur, horse-face, Black and White Impermanence," said the gorgeously dressed woman casually. "As long as you can break them one by one, resolve my Yin Demon Great Formation, then consider this challenge as passed."

    Upon hearing this, Yan Yu no longer hesitated, executed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, and with a flicker of his form, he suddenly rushed towards the White Impermanence.

    "Choosing to help me first? That makes sense," commented the gorgeously dressed woman with a beaming smile. Her voice was not loud, but all five people on the scene could hear her clearly, "After all, I am the weakest in the team."

    "Yan Yu, do you know? I don''t care no matter how much you mock me usually, because I know you''re just trying to tease me. But you didn''t even bother to clearly understand the situation and subconsciously thought that I needed help the most. It''s this kind of subconscious contempt that bothers me," she continued.

    "Focus," Yan Yu quickly sent a mental message to Chen Lingyun, and they continued to attack the White Impermanence together.

    Chen Lingyun grunted in acknowledgment, concentrated on commanding the Purple Extreme Sword to launch an attack.

    The smile gradually faded from her face.

    "Actually," the gorgeously dressed woman went on, "you all think I usually maintain a cool and collected demeanor, but that''s just a mask I wear."

    "I''m actually someone who''s very afraid of being lonely and alone."

    Yan Yu dodged the pipa''s sword impact, and the White Impermanence flicked its tongue out like an arrow. Yan Yu was about to dodge again when he suddenly heard the gorgeously dressed woman''s words and nearly got distracted and hit.

    Not good, I really want to laugh... This spiritual attack is too terrifying!

    Over on Chen Lingyun''s side, her face had turned ashen. She summoned her True Yuan with all her might, masterfully commanding the Purple Extreme Sword to block every note from the White Impermanence''s pipa.

    Seizing the opportunity, Yan Yu controlled his sword to strike, dodging the White Impermanence''s tongue attack, and a powerful sword light pierced right through its chest.

    After dispatching one target, the two quickly turned to support Zhao Yuanzhen, but then they heard the gorgeously dressed woman say in a haunting voice:

    "My parents'' marriage wasn''t happy; they were just together out of mutual benefit, resulting in my skeptical attitude towards the relationships between people from a young age.

    I depended on the love from my parents, but couldn''t confirm whether they truly loved me or saw me merely as a continuation of their genes; I cherish our friendship, but I also don''t know if you see me as an equal and genuine friend, or if it''s simply because of the benefits I can bring you."

    "Shut up!" Chen Lingyun finally lost her composure and bellowed furiously.

    But the gorgeously dressed woman wouldn''t stop and continued:

    "I can''t even be sure if my feelings for Yan Yu are love, or just an illusion caused by the effects of estrogen hormones in my body. Maybe it''s difficult for pure feelings to exist 100% between people, but I''m convinced that''s exactly what I earnestly desire. Even with a hint of other factors mixed with affection, I wouldn''t want such impurity...

    because I am that kind of girl who pursues perfection in such a stubborn and twisted way."

    Yan Yu felt like he was going to die of laughter, but had to forcibly keep a straight face, mentally communicating to Chen Lingyun:

    "Don''t engage with her, focus on the battle. The sooner we finish, the sooner we''re free."

    Chen Lingyun, trembling with anger, clenched her teeth and activated the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Divine Evil Prayer Beads, forcefully hurling them at the pagoda-carrying minotaur with a ferocity as if she wanted to smash it into minced meat on the spot.

 Chapter 10 Slaying the Four Ghosts, Breaking the Formation with Ease

    Although Chen Lingyun''s face was visibly flushed with warmth, Yan Yu did not get distracted because of that, still calmly observing the entire scene.

    The four Yin Ghosts chosen by the opponent each held a different magic artifact.

    The white impermanent''s pipa sword melody was for long-range attacks, the black impermanent''s ghost-painted iron umbrella was for close-range defense, the horse-faced giant sword was for close-range attacks, and the ox-head''s pagoda could emit large swaths of spiritual light, which seemed more like a type of magic artifact similar to the Xuan Guang Ruler, capable of both defense and control.

    This combination perfectly confirmed Yan Yu''s thinking: he believed that an Envoy Cultivator, especially one who played with ghosts, didn''t need to excel in any particular aspect, but had to be sufficiently versatile.

    To specialize in one thing and to reach the apex was the path Sword Immortals needed to take. A variety of methods, making one impossible to guard against, was the greatest advantage of a Necromancer.

    Judging by the array of Yin Ghosts led by this palace-dressed beauty, it undoubtedly took Yan Yu''s guiding principles to the utmost.

    The only pity was that the strength of these Yin Ghosts seemed to be limited by the current environment''s level cap as well, with only Marrow Cleansing Stage capabilities.

    Logically speaking, with so many ghosts and magic artifacts at Chen Lingyun''s disposal, the earliest time point should have been around the stage of forming the core... It''s a shame that even with the strength of the Hua Fu Stage fully realized, it wouldn''t be so easy to be killed. It would have allowed us to see much more.

    "Kill slower," Yan Yu sent a message to Chen Lingyun, "gather more intelligence."

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    "Okay," Chen Lingyun replied, yet her attacks continued to be full-force, seemingly determined to defy him in secret.

    But she herself wasn''t great in output anyway, so whether she gave her all in direct combat or assisted in finishing off, the efficiency was pretty much the same... With Yan Yu slowing down the offensive, the overall speed of the strategy would slow down, and she couldn''t do anything about it.

    This ox-headed being was holding up a delicate pagoda, emitting large pieces of spiritual light, fluctuating and vivid, like a dream.

    When Zhao Yuanzhen attacked from the left with her Yin Wind Sword, the spiritual light drifted to the left, preventing the Flying Sword from progressing upon contact.

    She recalled her Flying Sword and then attacked from the right, and the spiritual light drifted to the right again, once more holding off the Flying Sword, not allowing it any advance.

    Zhao Yuanzhen simply made her Yin Wind Sword wander everywhere, attracting the pagoda''s spiritual light to drift all over the place. Suddenly, she launched the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin and the ox-head simply raised the pagoda indifferently in front of it, with a click, the hairpin nailed into the pagoda and got stuck in the spiritual light, unable to be pulled out.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress was so furious she almost wished to release her puppet right away. Luckily, Chen Lingyun and Yan Yu jumped into battle right then, helping her keep her anger in check.

    "This pagoda magic artifact has very good control effects," Yan Yu said through message to Chen Lingyun, "Don''t you have a good memory? Take note of its characteristics; when we get out, look in the Fourth Army''s inventory to see if there''s a similar magic artifact."

    "Okay," Chen Lingyun replied dully.

    "The black impermanent and white impermanent, they look like those two from Fan Wentang," Yan Yu continued, "Cajole your dad, use connections or swaps or something to get them together."

    "Okay," Chen Lingyun responded again, without another word.

    From afar, the palace-dressed beauty once again started to speak, her voice trailing softly, as if hanging from the clouds, yet seeming to whisper in the ear:

    "Yan Yu, you are a special existence to me."

    "Pfft!" Yan Yu was just about to form a sword technique, letting the Huang Tingjian attack the ox-headed being from behind, but he stumbled upon hearing this and almost choked.

    "Why are you spitting on me!" Zhao Yuanzhen burst out furiously, vigorously wiping the saliva off her face.

    "Sorry, I couldn''t hold it in," Yan Yu apologized to the Demonic Sect Enchantress, a rare occurrence, "It''s all Lingyun''s fault."

    "Blame me, will you?" Chen Lingyun started to sneer, continuing to drive the Divine Evil Prayer Beads against the pagoda.

    When Suo Wen possessed these prayer beads, they contained thousands of Yin Ghosts, but since their rank was too low, they didn''t have much combat ability, so Chen Lingyun had released them to the research team for containment and study. Now, it was just the prayer beads magic artifact itself clashing with the pagoda.

    If it were a Flying Sword on the other side, wrapping the beads around it would lock it down, preventing it from moving. However, the pagoda could remotely release spiritual light, keeping the prayer beads at bay, thus nullifying their effect.

    The prayer beads attacked the ox-headed monster from the front, the Huang Tingjian sneaked to his backside, the Yin Wind Sword rushed from his right, and on his left was Chen Lingyun shaking the Prison Banner, releasing the mother and child vengeful ghosts who flew invisibly and silently towards the ox-head...

    In the end, the ox-head struck the delicate pagoda forcefully, its spiritual light whirled around, and incredibly blocked all attacks within 360 degrees.

    Once again, the voice of the palace-dressed beauty spoke:

    "You always deliberately provoke me, bully me, wanting to see me make a fool of myself, but I know you don''t really despise me. The barrier between us is not you, but me..."

    Chen Lingyun didn''t say a word, suddenly turned her Purple Extreme Sword to kill the horse face.

    "Follow me," Yan Yu sent a message to Zhao Yuanzhen, likewise directing his sword light toward the black impermanent.

    When the three of them suddenly divided their forces, the ox-headed being, losing its targets, looked around and then decided to move towards the horse face to assist, with the pagoda''s spiritual light rolling towards Lin Ning.

    Lin Ning had been trading blows back and forth with Horseface, but the opponent''s huge sword was swung so densely that not a gust of wind could pass through, and with immense strength, no matter from which angle she attacked, he would counter with a ferocious slash, preventing her Green Bamboo Sword from getting through at all.

    The radiant light on this side rolled towards Lin Ning, forcing her to dodge with her footwork, while the pressure from the Sword Control Technique suddenly decreased, allowing Horseface to break free and lift his giant sword to strike at Lin Ning.

    The situation became two against one, and Lin Ning immediately fell into a disadvantage. However, she refused to call for help, quickly switching from offense to defense.

    She used the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step to circle around Ox-Head and Horseface, restraining them, yet her mind was a mix of different feelings, thinking about the various phrases spoken by the woman in palace attire earlier.

    So... Ling Yun also...

    No, no, no, the Huofeng Team said that whatever these clones say is fake, all lies to deceive us! The purpose is to affect our performance on the battlefield!

    She tried hard to discard all distracting thoughts and not to listen to the faint words of the woman in palace attire, focusing all her attention on her footwork.

    Perhaps subconsciously resisting those words, Lin Ning felt her concentration was unprecedentedly focused, as if she had entered a state where she was oblivious to everything else. Her proficiency with the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step was rapidly improving.

    Very good.

    I can do this!

    While she was handling two opponents alone, Chen Lingyun saw that Lin Ning was more than capable and didn''t require assistance. She turned back once more to attack Black Impermanence.

    "...I don''t dislike you," the woman in palace attire said wistfully. "But I have already told you what I crave... is a completely pure affection. I don''t know how you see me, am I just Chen Lingyun to you? Is there a ''shadow'' of another Chen Lingyun mixed in?"

    "Pfft~ I''m dying of laughter," Yan Yu was bombarding Black Impermanence''s iron umbrella with Flying Sword slashes. Hearing this, he couldn''t help but burst out laughing again and explained to Chen Lingyun through telepathy, "I''m not laughing at you, it''s about that fake; she really knows how to spin a tale."

    "You don''t have to cover up by laughing it off," Chen Lingyun replied coldly through telepathy. "If you want to laugh, then laugh."

    "Let''s focus on the Mysterious Realm, focus on the Mysterious Realm," Yan Yu chuckled awkwardly.

    Xie Ruoxi launched another Jade Pivot Thunder, and Black Impermanence quickly turned the umbrella to block, but unexpectedly Yan Yu suddenly executed Sword-Human Unity, causing the sword light to surge and smash into the side of the iron umbrella, knocking it aside at an angle.

    Just at that tilt, the Jade Pivot Thunder brushed past the edge and shot into Black Impermanence''s body. Its property of vanquishing evil and annihilating demons came into play, instantly blowing his body to smithereens.

    The four of them didn''t stop for a moment and quickly turned to help Lin Ning, who was being attacked from both sides. Just then, Xie Ruoxi suddenly transmitted a message to Yan Yu:

    "Captain, do you like Ling Yun?"

    "Why ask this now?" Yan Yu initially didn''t want to reply. But on second thought, if he didn''t answer now and she harbored a grudge, it might affect their combat performance later, so he decided to give a brief response.

    "Just because," Xie Ruoxi fired another Jade Pivot Thunder at Horseface, which was intercepted by the radiant light of Ox-Head''s treasure pagoda, only to see the thunderbolt tear through the radiant light like a blade through fabric, piercing it straight through, "Yun Jin also likes you, doesn''t she...?"

    Before she finished speaking, Yan Yu called out:

    "Well done! Ruoxi, keep launching the thunder, don''t stop!"

    The treasure pagoda''s radiant light seemed ethereal and elusive, posing difficulties for everyone. Surprisingly, it was of a demonic nature, countered by Xie Immortal Venerate''s Jade Pivot Thunder!

    Feeling unusually upbeat after receiving praise from Yan Yu, Xie Ruoxi, spurred on subconsciously, stopped thinking about the messy problem of how Ling Yun, Yun Jin, and she herself¡ªall liking the captain¡ªwould resolve things. Instead, she excitedly shouted: Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "It''s my turn, yeah! Jade Pivot Thunder! Jade Pivot Thunder! Jade Pivot Thunder!"

    Summoning her True Yuan with all her might, she cast thunder with both hands, left at Ox-Head, right at Horseface, no finesse, just sheer power.

    Ox-Head tried to stave off the thunderbolts with the treasure pagoda''s radiant light, but Horseface was driven back step by step; with each block of the Jade Pivot Thunder, the terrifying force pushed it back several paces. By the time the third hit landed, it could no longer hold onto the giant sword, which flew out of its grip.

    Lin Ning seized the opportunity to execute a Flying Sword slash, piercing through Horseface''s robust chest, then sheathed her sword and turned around, just in time to see Yan Yu''s Huang Tingjian''s light also surging, bursting through the hole torn in the treasure pagoda''s radiant light by the Jade Pivot Thunder, to finally cut down Ox-Head as well.

    The treasure pagoda dissipated into nothingness, and the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin stuck within it became disentangled. The surrounding formation silently collapsed, and the woman in palace attire standing atop the central imperial scepter got to her feet, smiling and saying:

    "So, my wish for you to establish a harem was because I wanted to know..."

    "Go open a harem on your mother''s grave!" Zhao Yuanzhen roared, launching the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin ahead of everyone else, piercing the woman in palace attire''s head in an instant!

    The imperial scepter crashed to the ground, the woman dissolving into a mirage, and lastly, the sound of the mirror shattering echoed clearly throughout the vast hall.

 Chapter 11 The Green-robed Fairy Lin Ning

    The beauty in court attire was impaled through the skull by the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, and her figure shattered into layers in an instant, vanishing from sight.

    The crowd continued to stay on guard momentarily, their Divine Sense scanning to confirm there were no irregularities around, leaving only the large copper mirror on the ground shattered into pieces.

    Chen Lingyun stepped forward, squinting for a closer look, only to see each fragment reflecting an inverted image of herself, as if mockingly laughing at her in silence.

    "Well done," Yan Yu nodded and said, "there are still four doppelgangers to kill, let''s continue."

    "Before we move on, let''s adjust our status first," Chen Lingyun said with a reemerging smile, speaking sweetly, "Deputy Captain Zhang said before that the doppelgangers in this Mysterious Realm will concoct all sorts of nonsensical tales to try to disturb our moral integrity."

    Her smile, although sweet, had a chilling undertone that made everyone nod in agreement without exception.

    "So, let''s just forget what we heard," Chen Lingyun continued with a smile, "even if you remember it after leaving, don''t talk about it carelessly."

    "Don''t worry," Yan Yu kindly reassured her, "aside from Su Yunjin who is not here, I won''t tell the others. There''s no sense in sharing one''s own dark history with outsiders for their amusement¡ªthat would be either mindless or heartless."

    Chen Lingyun narrowed her eyes slightly and asked,

    "Oh, whose dark history?"

    "Isn''t it yours?" Yan Yu played dumb.

    "Alright, alright," Lin Ning interjected uneasily, "we''re all in the same boat here. We''ll have to face our own doppelgangers as well, so let''s just drop it and forget about it."

    "I agree," Xie Ruoxi said nervously.

    "Hmph, I certainly don''t have any dark history," Zhao Yuanzhen stated coldly, "but regarding the issue of establishing a harem, could someone explain to me what exactly is going on?"

    "Explain my foot!" Yan Yu slapped the back of her head, "You believe what a doppelganger says? If your doppelganger later says you kill without blinking and harm the innocent, should I demand an explanation from you too, or should I just chop off your dog head?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen, having been hit for no reason, felt wronged and indignant subconsciously, but she quickly realized the truth. The doppelganger''s words were a mix of truth and lies¡ªif she took them at face value without discernment, wouldn''t she be a fool?

    It would be more fitting to wait for her own doppelganger to appear and see what it would claim, evaluate its credibility, and then compare and deduce the authenticity of the other doppelgangers'' statements.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress made up her mind to not blindly trust everything and to discern and confirm properly.

    Lin Ning and Xie Ruoxi, however, weren''t as naive, thinking to themselves by looking at Ling Yun''s spine-chilling smile, it was very likely that more than eighty percent of what she said was true.

    So she really struggled with the concept of "pure, unblemished emotions", and she indeed harbored special feelings for Yan Yu, but she couldn''t be certain if those feelings amounted to "true love"?

    And she also hoped Yan Yu would establish a harem for her sake?

    Too much information thundered down like a bolt from the blue, weighing heavily on the two girls'' hearts, leaving them with no inclination to continue chitchatting.

    Yan Yu, seeing everyone''s state, had no good solutions and simply waved his hand in a gesture to settle things quickly, leading the girls to the next room.

    Entering from another entrance and traversing a long corridor, they arrived at the second room.

    It was still a spacious hall with nothing inside, a life-size copper mirror standing at the center. From the mirror, a woman in green stepped out, her features delicate with a straight nose and cherry lips, brows arched like wilting willows, her hair bundled into a simple bun behind her, and two crossed Flying Swords on her back¡ªone green and one dark red.

    Lin Ning.

    Although more mature and cold in demeanor, that face was undoubtedly identical to Lin Ning''s.

    For a moment, Sister Lin didn''t know if she should feel indignant because she was the second weakest in the team or fear because it was her turn to have her dark history exposed.

    "Heh heh," the woman in green said after a moment of silence, a bitter smile on her face. She spoke softly, "All of you attack together. The sooner we finish, the sooner we''re free."

    "Okay!" Lin Ning''s mood instantly lifted. Great, my embarrassing past isn''t exposed!

    As if afraid the other would change her mind, she quickly maneuvered her Green Bamboo Sword''s light beam, executing Sword Control to perform a flying slash aimed directly at the woman''s head!

    Her opponent formed a sword technique with her hands, and a greenish sword flew out of its scabbard behind her, instantly clashing with Lin Ning''s sword light.

    Amidst the intertwined sword lights, Lin Ning was sent flying backward once again, while the green sword light continued on relentlessly, chasing after Lin Ning before being intercepted by Yan Yu''s Huang Ting Sword.

    "Ruoxi, Thunder Method," Chen Lingyun began to command. Read the latest on My Virtual Library Empire

    Xie Ruoxi, on the spot, unleashed the Thunder Method. A white light burst forth as swift as a galloping horse. The woman in green did not stand her ground to face the Thunder Method directly but stepped swiftly, turning into an afterimage and rapidly moving to the left to dodge it.

    On Chen Lingyun''s end, the Divine Evil Prayer Beads were tossed out in an attempt to trap the opponent''s green sword light, but the sword light, as nimble as a fish, quickly dodged the beads and turned to attack Xie Ruoxi once again.

    Xie Ruoxi was instantly flustered, no longer able to continue the assault with the Thunder Method and had to urgently raise her Immortal Sword to block it.

    In the end, it was still a lack of combat experience. If you asked her to stay in place and act as an artillery piece, she could perform perfectly, but if you asked her to maintain her attack while simultaneously being distracted to defend herself, she would immediately find it difficult to manage both ends, struggling on both the left and the right.

    "Sister Zhao, save Ruoxi," Chen Lingyun continued to command.

    The opponent was extremely skilled in swordsmanship, and facing her in swordsmanship combat would be completely futile, like an egg striking a stone and asking for trouble. Thus, they could only rely on Sister Zhao, who was more skilled in swordsmanship, to come to the rescue.

    Zhao Yuanzhen spurred her Yin Wind Sword into action, blocking the oncoming green sword light, allowing Xie Ruoxi to finally escape the perilous situation.

    Lin Ning finally steadied herself from the onslaught of the sword light and with her Divine Sense sweeping out again, she saw the green sword light pursuing Xie Ruoxi, intercepted by Sister Zhao, and the opponent continuing to control the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, dodging the five ghosts Chen Lingyun commanded to attack.

    She then urged her deep red sword light to fly out, engaging in combat with Yan Yu''s Huang Ting Sword¡ªcould this clone really multitask to control two swords to fight two battles simultaneously?!

    But now that she had both swords deployed, if I go now to strike her, how would she defend?

    Lin Ning, also the type whose actions were faster than her thoughts, had just made up her mind when she had already moved out with the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, attempting to pressure the woman in green up close.

    In their chase and escape, the woman in green was not only controlling her swords with both hands but also fending off Zhao Yuanzhen and Yan Yu, and her footwork was equally dazzling. She widened the distance from Lin Ning, skillfully evading the surprise attacks of the five ghosts, and then effortlessly dodged Xie Ruoxi''s thunder light.

    In her maneuvering, there was not the slightest hint of clumsiness, as if she was facing five opponents without any difficulty.

    Lin Ning''s heart raced with urgency, thinking how tough it was to deal with just this second clone. What about the three even stronger ones that followed? Wouldn''t that leave them with no chance of winning at all?

    She quickly focused her mind, paying full attention to the opponent''s steps, and unknowingly began to imitate them.

    Both were employing the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, but the level of proficiency was like night and day. Lin Ning pursued and learned, feeling as if she were having an epiphany, and many step-by-step procedures stuck rigidly in her mind suddenly became clear, the stages where she knew how to perform them without understanding why now all came together and made sense.

    Just as she was feeling secretly pleased with herself, the woman in green began to speak slowly, her cool voice identical to hers.

    Although the volume was not loud, everyone present could hear her clearly:

    "I''ve always been serious and competitive by nature, and since childhood, I''ve liked to compare and compete with my peers. They played games for fun, but I played to win. My father said I didn''t behave like a girl. Sometimes I even wondered if I might be a girl who identifies as a male..." sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!" Lin Ning suddenly began emitting extremely high-decibel noises, attempting to completely drown out the woman in green''s words!

 Chapter 12 Battle Cry Nursery Rhyme

    Before the battle, Lin Ning thought that even if some dark history was revealed, as long as she denied everything, it wouldn''t matter.

    After the battle started, Lin Ning realized that she was not just in denial, she was on the verge of exploding with every additional word she heard.

    The Green-clad Sword Immortal was not only capable of multitasking and dual-wielding swords, but her swordsmanship was also strong enough to take on five foes at once. Even Yan Yu was entangled by her deep red sword light and couldn''t break free!

    The other green sword light (Lin Ning recognized it as a copy of her own Green Bamboo Sword) ravaged the field as if into a realm without enemies, pushing Zhao Yuanzhen back step by step, and still had room to harass Xie Ruoxi, preventing her from comfortably using her Thunder Method.

    As for Chen Lingyun and her own offense, they relied on footwork to dodge and weave... The tactical style was clear: contain the strong, kite the weak.

    Fighting this "enhanced Lin Ning," Lin Ning had to admit she had indeed learned a lot, while at the same time desperately wishing to silence her to prevent more dark history from emerging¡ªthere were things that even she had long forgotten, only to be reminded by the Green-clad Sword Immortal, sparking an intense embarrassment and the desperate thought, "I wish I could be reborn, go back in time, and strangle myself."

    I''m going to perish together with you ahhhhhhhh!

    Behind her, Yan Yu leisurely commanded the Huang Tingjian, constantly clashing with the crimson sword light while secretly assessing the Green-clad Sword Immortal''s swordsmanship prowess.

    Previously, when facing the gown-clad beauty "Chen Lingyun," by analyzing the number of Resentful Spirits she commanded and the grade of her magical treasures, combined with memories from a past life, he deduced that her strength was around the period before or after Foundation Establishment.

    Now, observing the Green-clad Sword Immortal "Lin Ning," who could dual-wield swords, manage three tasks at once, and control the entire battlefield with her swordsmanship, it was almost certain she was in the late Hua Fu Stage, before the Golden Core Realm; just one step away from Foundation Establishment.

    Of course, if it were the level of the Golden Core Realm, tying everyone together might still not be enough to win¡ªit would be like a mismatch in weight classes in a boxing match, where your punch leaves the opponent unfazed, making the fight pointless.

    Alas, to be able to fight against a version of myself at the peak of Foundation Establishment, I hope Ningning can learn some valuable lessons, so my efforts won''t be in vain.

    The Green-clad Sword Immortal dodged left and right, occasionally casually shooting out the Metal-Element Impact Curse to force back Lin Ning or a Yin Ghost while continuing to speak:

    "I also know my personality is aggressive and probably not liked by many guys. The older I get, the more intense this feeling becomes. Although my father always nags me to find a boyfriend, annoying me, I know deep down he has a point in his worries..."

    "Err, err, err, yiyi, yiyi, yiyi, ahhh, ahhh, ahhh, lulu, lala, lei!" Lin Ning, who was chasing her, let out incoherent, meaningless shouts, seemingly trying to drown out the voice of the Green-clad Sword Immortal with noise.

    Unfortunately, the opponent''s voice seemed to be amplified by a spell, able to deliver her words clearly to everyone''s ears, no matter how noisy the environment was.

    "Even though I know this is not good, I don''t want to change, because the person I''m waiting for must be as excellent as I am and tolerant of my competitiveness. If I can''t meet him, I''d rather stay single..."

    "Stop talking, stop talking, stop talking, stop talking, stop talking, stop talking¡ª" Lin Ning frantically accelerated her Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, chasing after the Green-clad Sword Immortal relentlessly, her face reddening with a hint of a sobbing tone, as she kept shouting the same three words over and over.

    However, no matter how Lin Ning used her Green Bamboo Sword to attack, the Green-clad Sword Immortal would just lightly step aside, nimbly dodging every move.

    "Stop making noise!" Yan Yu couldn''t take it anymore and transmitted his voice to Lin Ning, "Her voice is enhanced with a spell! Just making noise won''t help you outdo her; it will only interfere with our fight and slow down our progress in defeating her!"

    "Then tell me what to do then!" Lin Ning shouted in self-defeat.

    Her opponent''s voice was penetrating her mind, and she knew her noise could not drown out the other. Her fruitless yelling was only to forcibly suppress her embarrassment and to comfort her fragile heart.

    "So, you understand, right?" The Green-clad Sword Immortal formed a sword technique with her hands, and the deep red sword light that had been entwined with the Huang Tingjian suddenly stopped. Before Yan Yu could react, her voice reached him from a distance, "Although always annoying, but a team captain who is always calm and reliable when it matters?

    If it''s you, who I have always relied on, you should be able to..."

    Her words were once again drowned out by an even more terrifying explosion of sound.

    Lin Ning used all the strength in her chest, shouting with trembling sobs and distinct nasal tones as she screamed:

    "Northwest rain! Falls straight down! Crucian carp! Can''t choose just anyone! Older brother Tai! Beats the drum! S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Matchmaking granny! Mrs. Soil-Louse!"

    Her all-out, desperate shouting actually had an effect, not by overriding the voice of the Green-clad Sword Immortal, but her noise level was so terrifying that it made everyone''s ears buzz and heads ache, completely unable to listen carefully to what the Green-clad Sword Immortal was saying.

    But clearly, the Green-clad Sword Immortal would not be affected by noise. So the green sword light calmly wreaked havoc in all directions, forcing the distracted Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi to retreat simultaneously, while the crimson sword light similarly moved swiftly, leaving Yan Yu in utterly poor shape.

    It wasn''t that his swordsmanship was lacking, but rather that Lin Ning''s incessant noise was so unbearable that it agitated him to the point of frustration.

    "Shut your mouth!" Yan Yu angrily transmitted his voice, "You''re attacking one of our own!"

    But Lin Ning seemed possessed, continuing to shout the dialect nursery rhyme as if chanting, using nearly 120% of her True Yuan to speed up desperately, trying to close the gap with the Green-clad Sword Immortal.

    "Yan Yu..." the voice of the Green-clad Sword Immortal was ethereal, crawling into his mind like an earthworm burrowing through soil, "Although I don''t have the courage to say it out loud, I''ve always hoped that one day you would see this side of me..."

    "The sun dims! No path to find! Hurry, come! Fire-metal lady! Be kind in heart! Shine the way!" Lin Ning''s shouting was so intense she was almost hoarse.

    This won''t do. At this rate, little Ningning is going to snap... She isn''t making use of the rare learning opportunity!

    With a sigh, Yan Yu deliberately revealed a flaw in his swordsmanship, allowing the deep red sword light to rush in. He then performed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step with a z-shaped feint, nimbly avoiding the attack and leaving the sword light behind. At the same time, he transmitted to Chen Lingyun:

    "Watch your positioning."

    What he referred to as "positioning" wasn''t about her own location but a reminder to help restrict the movements of the Green-clad Sword Immortal. Because a Sword Immortal''s strengths lie in their offensive capability and high mobility; if forced to choose one, it would undoubtedly be mobility.

    Chen Lingyun instantly understood and quickly commanded:

    "Sister Zhao, do your best to entangle the Green Bamboo Sword! Ruoxi, use the Thunder Method straight ahead, calculate the lead time."

    Xie Ruoxi, dizzied by Lin Ning''s shouting, didn''t think twice. Taking advantage of the moment when the green sword light was too busy to harass her, she launched the Thunder Method ahead of the Green-clad Sword Immortal.

    At the same time, Chen Lingyun also commanded the five ghosts and the mother and child resentful spirits to besiege the target from different directions. She then once again tossed out the Divine Evil Prayer Beads to block the right side of the Green-clad Sword Immortal.

    Experience new stories on My Virtual Library Empire

    Yan Yu was already enveloped by the Huang Tingjian''s light, and he rushed toward the rear of the Green-clad Sword Immortal with incredible speed.

    Sword-Human Unity!

    At this moment, the Green-clad Sword Immortal''s left was the hall''s wall, and her front, back, and right were blocked by attacks. If she wanted to escape, her only option was to ascend through the clouds.

    However, above was the very trap that Yan Yu had set for her. The Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step was less speedy and nimble in mid-air than on the ground. If she chose to take flight, Yan Yu was confident that she could not escape, and he would execute Sword-Human Unity to slay her on the spot!

    However, the Green-clad Sword Immortal seemed to have seen through this and did not choose to attempt an aerial escape. Instead, she lightly pivoted her steps and continued forward, heading straight into the Thunder Method unleashed by Xie Ruoxi.

    Was she seeking death? No, there was a weakness! Xie Ruoxi, though she had been with the team for a while, ultimately hadn''t participated in the collective training to "team up against the Demon King." She focused only on practicing the basics, and the synergy in critical teamwork moments still lacked¡ªher Thunder Method was too slow.

    That slight delay created a fleeting gap in the combined attack net surrounding the Green-clad Sword Immortal, and the enemy was clearly aiming for that gap.

    Seeing that the opponent was about to find a way out, Yan Yu sighed in his heart and swept the surroundings with his Divine Sense once more, planning to try another blocking tactic. However, what he saw was Lin Ning, still bellowing out nursery rhymes, suddenly unleashing a Sword Flight maneuver, her target being the very gap the enemy sought to escape through!

    With no way out, the Green-clad Sword Immortal confronted the oncoming Green Bamboo Sword without hesitation, saying:

    "So, Captain, I hope that one day, you..."

    "Northwest rain! Pouring straight down! Go to hell!" Lin Ning, full of anger and resentment, delivered a mighty blow that pierced the Green-clad Sword Immortal''s heart, cutting off her last words before they could be finished.

    The figure shattered, the mirrors burst, and silence settled in the hall.

    Lin Ning released her Sword Flight and landed on the ground, her face streaked with tears¡ªher expression was full of embarrassed and indignant beads of sadness. She glanced at Yan Yu, her eyes conveying an indefinable emotion. Then she ran away without looking back, following the same path she had come by.

    Everyone: .........

    "Stay here," Yan Yu moved swiftly using the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, leaving behind a sentence, "I''ll go find her."

 Chapter 13 Rational Explanation

    Yan Yu passed through the first combat hall and returned to the initial corridor entrance, where he saw Lin Ning squatting alone on the teleportation altar, her back to him as she silently wiped away tears while hugging her knees.

    Unfortunately, these altars required a group of five to teleport back, so no matter how long you squatted there, there was no escaping.

    Yan Yu walked up behind her and tentatively called out,

    "Lin Ning?"

    Lin Ning''s body trembled slightly, and she stopped wiping her tears.

    "Cough cough." Yan Yu coughed a few times and spoke in a clear voice, "I came to check on you."

    "What... what''s there to see," though Lin Ning''s voice still carried a hint of sobbing, her tone remained as stubborn as ever, "Are you here to laugh at me?"

    "Laughing at you?" Yan Yu pretended to be clueless. "I don''t understand what you''re talking about."

    "You must be disgusted by how useless I am," Lin Ning sniffed hard and sobbed, "to think that just a few words from that clone would cause me to collapse mentally."

    "Not at all," Yan Yu said calmly, "Psychological warfare is a tactic just like any other, and it isn''t any easier to deal with than conventional strategies. Look at the Huofeng Team, they also got flustered by all those fabricated scandals. It shows that being good or bad at handling psychological warfare has little to do with ''being useful or not'', everyone has their own weaknesses and flaws."

    Lin Ning pulled out a napkin from her pocket, wiped away all the tears on her face, then stood up and said with a sense of grievance,

    "I don''t like you."

    "Right, right," Yan Yu laughed, "The clone was talking nonsense. Don''t worry, I won''t take it seriously."

    Lin Ning suddenly turned around, glaring at Yan Yu fiercely and said seriously,

    "But you can''t dismiss it totally either. What if I really did end up liking you, what would you do? Even though it hasn''t happened, and it might not ever happen in the future, you still need to be prepared and know how to handle it properly. You can''t just brush it off with a ''you''re not good enough'' when the time comes. That would be really hurtful, you know?"

    Yan Yu: .........

    Why is this Minnan girl so nagging? Lucky she''s not my girlfriend right now, otherwise...

    "I get it, I get it," he nodded repeatedly in a perfunctory manner, after all, as long as he could brush it off.

    "Do you really get it?" Lin Ning crossed her arms, skeptical, "Then repeat what I just said."

    "Are you crazy," Yan Yu laughed and scolded, "Are you coming back or not?"

    "I''m coming," Lin Ning said.

    The two of them resumed their walk. Yan Yu walked ahead alone, with Lin Ning trailing two to three steps behind, following his every move.

    "Also," only to hear Lin Ning add, "you can''t talk about this incident to anyone. Even though the clone was spreading rumors, if you repeat it to someone else, it''s like you''re helping to spread the rumors, and you''re responsible too, you know?"

    "Can''t even tell Yun Jin?" Yan Yu was surprised.

    "Of course not!" Lin Ning exclaimed, then frowned and asked, "Why did you suddenly start calling her Yun Jin?"

    "Eh?" Yan Yu was taken aback for a moment, his thoughts racing through his mind, he laughed and said, "We''ve all been in a team for so long, calling her that seems warmer." Read exclusive chapters at My Virtual Library Empire

    "Hmph." Lin Ning was clearly not convinced by this reasoning and proceeded to say seriously, "As the team leader, you must set an example and be fair to everyone, you can''t show favoritism or neglect someone, otherwise how can you maintain unity in the team? Names might seem trivial, but they also reflect the attitude of the leader, whether you''re biased or not.

    Otherwise, if conflicts arise in the team, you won''t even have time to regret and cry, let me tell you..."

    "Mm-hmm, fair treatment for all," Yan Yu interrupted her, "So, shall I call you little Ningning from now on?"

    "Drop the ''Little''." Lin Ning corrected his form of address, and then as if feeling a bit embarrassed, added in a soft voice, "If you use a more affectionate term for them, you can also call me ''Ningning''. But this is just to maintain uniformity in how we address each other within the team, and it doesn''t mean I like you calling me that."

    "You don''t like it?" Yan Yu asked, feigning surprise.

    "...It''s not that I don''t like it." Lin Ning awkwardly argued, "But it''s not that I like it either. It''s just that it doesn''t matter to me what you call me. I don''t care about that. But as a member of the team, I need to keep things consistent with everyone else. So if you want to call me ''Ningning'', I can accept it, but that doesn''t mean I like you calling me by that."

    "Oh, I get it," Yan Yu thought to himself, this tsundere is seriously a disaster-level horror¡ªshe''s only said, "It''s not that I don''t like it", yet she still felt the need to say "But it''s not that I like it" twice to neutralize it.

    If one day we became a couple and I initiated a breakup, this tsundere girl would definitely reveal that kind of sorrowful expression, as if her heart had died. Even though she couldn''t stop tears from flowing, she would still stubbornly say, "I''m not sad, you''re not worth my sadness. It''s just that I''ve got something in my eye, really, I''m not sad.

    We''re broken up now, so don''t worry about whether I''m sad or not. I''ll just live on my own from now on, it''s not a big deal to be alone."

    Haha, I want to see that.

    But no, I''m not some kind of demon. Who am I to find pleasure in others'' pain?

    Walking ahead silently, Yan Yu harbored unspoken, dark thoughts when he suddenly heard Lin Ning say:

    "There''s one more thing."

    "More?!" Yan Yu exclaimed in shock.

    "Don''t tell them I cried just now," Lin Ning said.

    "Oh." Yan Yu quietly breathed a sigh of relief, his wicked sense of humor suddenly welling up. He asked deliberately, "So why were you crying just now?"

    Then he was kicked by Lin Ning.

    "None of your business!" she said angrily as she passed by Yan Yu and walked ahead.

    The kick wasn''t strong; she had used the back of her shoe rather than the sole.

    Yan Yu stopped and bent over to dust off the spot on his pants where he had been kicked. Just then, Lin Ning, who was ahead, also stopped and turned around. She looked back at him as he tended to his leg and asked with concern: S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Did I hurt you with that kick just now?"

    "Not really."

    "Then why did you stop?"

    "To brush off the dust."

    "Hmph," (getting angry again).

    Lin Ning turned and continued walking, with Yan Yu hurriedly catching up from behind.

    After a few steps, perhaps having thought of a good explanation, Lin Ning spoke up:

    "The reason I shed tears earlier was because the clone deliberately twisted my image in your minds. I felt utterly defenseless, worried you would misunderstand me, so I lost control of my emotions¡ªfor later, if they ask, you have to help explain this to them."

    "Sure, sure," Yan Yu said cheerfully, "It was just a loss of control over your emotions."

    "It was because I was worried about being misunderstood by everyone, that''s why I lost control of my emotions," Lin Ning emphasized, adding, "Did you get that?"

    "Got it," Yan Yu thought to himself, of course, I can say that.

    But whether they believe your explanation or continue to think it''s "embarrassment from having a crush on the captain forcefully exposed, unable to save face", that''s beyond my control.

 Chapter 14 Xie Ruoxis Character Design Collection

    Lin Ning and Yan Yu arrived at the second hall and rejoined their team.

    If Su Yunjin were still in the team, she would have definitely been the first to come forward and ask how Sister Lin was doing. With her taking the lead in showing concern, setting a shining example, the other girls naturally wouldn''t find it easy to pick a fight, and perhaps the matter would have just blown over.

    Regrettably, Yun Jin was not in the team.

    Zhao Yuanzhen''s expression turned unpleasant as she was the first to pick a fight:

    "Ningning, what did your clone mean by saying ''hoping Yan Yu will one day see you for what you really are''? What does that even mean?"

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    Her words were laced with jealousy, causing Lin Ning to feel a bit uncomfortable subconsciously.

    But Sister Lin had already prepared her excuse and was ready to use it. She calmly replied:

    "How should I know? That clone was spouting nonsense, trying to make us distrust each other. The more seriously you take her words, the more you''ll be deceived... Don''t tell me you believe her, Sister Zhao?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen, seeing her expressionless face, started having second thoughts.

    As for believing Lin Ning''s words, of course, she didn''t¡ªafter all, Lin Ning had previously lost her composure and lashed out in a frenzy, defeating the woman in green and storming off in tears. Everyone saw it clearly.

    Wasn''t such abnormal behavior the best proof that she had a guilty conscience and the clone had hit a nerve?

    If it were before she had traveled through time, the Demonic Sect Enchantress wouldn''t have bothered asking so many questions, she would have simply killed this little harlot with a palm strike.

    Yet now, having spent a long time together, their relationship was passable, and if she really attacked Lin Ning, not only would Yan Yu and the others not stand by, but the imperial court outside would also be greatly enraged, possibly affecting her own pleasurable life... So she thought better of it.

    Anyway, the genuine partner of the thief can only be me!

    As for Ningning, let''s wait and see if what she says is true. If it is, all is well; if she''s lying to me...

    Humph!

    Zhao Yuanzhen kept quiet, much to Chen Lingyun''s disappointment, who had been hoping to enjoy the drama.

    Yan Yu, on the other hand, was very satisfied. It seemed the Demonic Sect Enchantress had finally been tamed. Comparing her to the "dangerous enchantress" who killed countless people at the same time in his past life... Ha, he truly was tremendously virtuous.

    "Alright, alright, the clone was just rambling on, and the Huofeng Team had already warned us about this," he said with a chuckle, trying to smooth things over. "If you really believe their nonsense, we would start infighting before we''ve even finished the Mysterious Realm, wouldn''t that mean we have a problem with our brains and intelligence?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen didn''t respond but squinted at Lin Ning.

    Lin Ning appeared calm and composed on the surface but was inwardly nervous.

    "Since the misunderstanding has been cleared up, let''s get going," Yan Yu said with a grand gesture, about to lead the way, when suddenly he saw Xie Ruoxi squat down on the spot, clutching her stomach, making a grimace.

    "Ouch! My stomach hurts so much! I can''t walk!"

    "Do you have diarrhea?" Yan Yu asked blankly.

    "I must have eaten something bad yesterday," Xie Ruoxi complained, but then saw Lin Ning''s eyebrows shoot up in anger as she interrogated her:

    "How could you have eaten something bad? The ingredients were fresh and bought this morning, washed clean, without heavy oil or spice. How did it become that my cooking made you sick?"

    "Ah... Sister Ning is right, it must have been because I kicked off the covers while sleeping last night and caught a cold," Xie Ruoxi quickly revised her previous statement. "Let''s hurry and find a restroom. Otherwise, I really can''t continue fighting! It feels like there''s a knife twisting in my intestines right now!"

    "Hmm," Yan Yu extended his hand towards Lin Ning, who took out the packet of napkins she had used to wipe her tears earlier and handed it to him.

    Handing the napkins to Xie Ruoxi, Yan Yu showed a tender and kind expression, and said:

    "Going out is out of the question. The Pingxi Army is waiting outside. What would they think if they asked you why you were going out and found out it was just to use the restroom? Wouldn''t that be losing face for our Zhenhai Team and make them think we''re unreliable and frivolous?"

    "Why don''t you go to the hall where we fought Ling Yun''s clone and find a corner to settle it there?"

    "I..." Xie Ruoxi stammered, "I''m not used to going to the bathroom in places that aren''t restrooms."

    "Should I make one for you right now?" Yan Yu rolled up his sleeves and asked. "If you have other issues like constipation, speak up now. Don''t waste our time."

    "Alright then..." After a moment of silence, Xie Ruoxi, realizing her scheme had been seen through, reluctantly stood up, "My stomach doesn''t hurt anymore. Let''s go."

    The girls didn''t say anything. Both Lin Ning and Chen Lingyun saw through her act. Only Zhao Yuanzhen frowned and asked:

    "How come your stomach was hurting just now and suddenly it''s not? Make sure you don''t start hurting again when we''re fighting the clones, risking us being down a person, okay?"

    ``` Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Everyone: ...........

    "What are you looking at?" Zhao Yuanzhen, seeing everyone''s speechless expressions, inexplicably said, "It''s totally normal for me to be worried, okay..."

    "Alright, alright." Chen Lingyun said with a smile, trying to smooth things over, "Sister Zhao does have a point, but I have more faith that Ruoxi knows her own body best, right? When the battle starts in a bit, Ruoxi won''t let us down, right?"

    Xie Ruoxi really wanted to say that if she encountered her clone, she would definitely screw up big time... but she couldn''t bring herself to say it.

    Feeling faint-hearted before the battle is one thing, but admitting it is another. Although she was still essentially a timid and frightened big bunny at heart, after being trained by Yan Yu for so long, she had developed a little bit of a cultivator''s sense of honor and shame, and she simply couldn''t bring herself to admit her fear.

    Moreover, based on past experience, even if she shamelessly knelt and begged for mercy, Yan Yu wouldn''t be understanding. He would only mercilessly mock her, and then, like herding a duck to the shelf, force her onto the battlefield.

    She might as well bite the bullet!

    "I... I''m fine." Xie Ruoxi closed her eyes and clenched her teeth, as if she were a hero bravely facing execution, and said determinedly.

    "That''s great then." Yan Yu clapped his hands and said, "Let''s go!"

    The group left the second battle hall and moved down the corridor.

    Yan Yu led the way, with Zhao Yuanzhen following closely on his right, Lin Ning quickly caught up with three steps merging into two, walking side by side with Yan Yu on his left.

    Chen Lingyun trailed behind, smiling as she watched the three, blinking and seemingly lost in thought. When she turned her head, she saw Xie Ruoxi next to her, her body trembling slightly, walking stiffly like a puppet, oblivious to her own awkward coordination.

    If one listened carefully, holding their breath, they could hear her whispering prayers as faint as a mosquito''s buzz:

    "Please, not me next... I beg you, not me next..."

    "Ruoxi." Chen Lingyun quietly transmitted her voice, "Actually, if the next clone is you, it would really be the best scenario for you~"

    "Why, why would that be?"

    "Because the further we go, the stronger the clones become, and the harder they are to defeat," Chen Lingyun explained with a smile, "Since they are harder to defeat, the battle will last longer, and more of your dark history will be exposed!"

    Upon hearing this, Xie Ruoxi was taken aback and after giving it some thought, realized that Chen Lingyun was right.

    The five-person team would definitely have to face their own clones. The later it was, the harder the fight, the longer the battle dragged on, the more dark history would be revealed... It was like taking one chop to the head if you stretch it out, but two if you shrink back, so why not just stretch out your neck and take one less chop?

    With that in mind, Xie Ruoxi immediately changed the content of her prayers, muttering silently:

    "Please, let the next one be me... I beg you, let the next one definitely be me..."

    The group passed through the long corridor and entered the third battle hall, where they saw a life-sized bronze mirror standing in the center of the hall.

    Without any need for words, everyone quickly positioned themselves in the Five Elements Formation, ready to gang up on the third clone as soon as it emerged, in the name of justice.

    After a short while, a figure stepped out of the mirror.

    The person had their hair done up, dressed in a light cyan long robe, with a jade pendant and prayer beads hanging at the waist, continuously fanning themselves with a folding fan in the left hand, and the right hand rested on the hip, smiling at the crowd.

    Through clever makeup and costuming, her appearance looked quite handsome, as if she were truly a refined scholar from a classic novel, but everyone present could barely recognize through the makeup:

    It was Xie Ruoxi, cosplaying.

    "Yay! It''s me..." Xie Ruoxi reacted with an instinctive cheer, then her pupils contracted, her mouth slightly open, her body trembling like she had the shakes, pointing at the handsomely dressed beauty, too horrified to utter a word for quite a while.

    "Greetings to all." The refined scholar bowed to the crowd and said with a smile, "I am Qiu Changtian, and I would like to ask for the honor of learning from everyone''s exquisite moves..."

    "Aaaaahhhhhhhh!" Xie Ruoxi''s face turned red, as if possessed. She didn''t wait for Chen Lingyun or Yan Yu to speak up, just clenched her left hand into Jade Pivot Thunder and her right hand into Shifting Technique''s lightning, and went berserk against "Qiu Changtian," shouting madly, "Die, die, die, die, die!!!"

    The handsome scholar activated the Shifting Technique and nimbly dodged the two bolts of lightning, starting to recite the backstory fluently:

    "I am the peerless Immortal Venerate Qiu Changtian, who has traversed from the highest heavens of the Nine Skies. Now, incognito among mortals, I spent some time as a special agent for the Dragon Group, with beloved ladies in every corner of the world.

    Later, tired of fighting with others, I chose to dissolve my form and secretly reincarnated in Jingnan Province, Baoqing Prefecture, taking on the life of a simple countryside girl named Xie Ruoxi."

    "However, as I grew older, the memories of my past life gradually awakened! The cultivation of a peerless Immortal Venerate, the skills of a special forces king, and all my memories of slapping faces of villains and showing off before others slowly started to emerge from within me..."

    "Ah, ah, ahhhh..." Xie Ruoxi, seeing the enemy easily evade her attacks, her own Thunder Method not even grazing the other''s clothing, at first stood dumbfounded, stuttering for a moment, then realizing she couldn''t finish off the opponent quickly, decisively turned and clung to Yan Yu''s arm, tearfully pleading:

    "Captain, please help me take her down quickly!"

    "I''ll do anything!"

    ```

 Chapter 15 The Three Talents Formations Group Assault on the Matchless Immortal Venerate

    Xie Ruoxi begged desperately, but Yan Yu remained unmoved.

    Look at the handsome scholar in the distance, his control over various spells might still be slightly weak, but he was much stronger than the current Xie Ruoxi¡ªthis beautiful good-for-nothing is now just a fixed turret, standing and casting skills is okay, but once she has to move and fight (like when being harassed by a female immortal in green with a Green Bamboo Sword light), her accuracy drops drastically.

    Observing the fighting qualities of this clone had extremely important guiding significance for Yan Yu to adjust Xie Ruoxi''s subsequent training path.

    It wasn''t to listen to the beautiful good-for-nothing''s dark history, which he had plenty of in a previous life... As the number one cultivator in fact of the Annan military, aside from combat ability, Xie Ruoxi really did not match the level of the top cultivator in many aspects.

    Although the Annan military tried hard to suppress public opinion, they couldn''t cover up the various private chat groups that forwarded her scandals all day long.

    Seeing that Yan Yu had a heart of stone, Xie Ruoxi could only turn in despair to launch a desperate charge at her clone, but then she heard Chen Lingyun transmit a message to her:

    "Ruoxi, don''t panic. Follow my command."

    "Lingyun!" Xie Ruoxi was extremely moved, the vice-captain is still good to me!

    Actually, she was mistaken here, because Chen Lingyun was very interested in her dark history and wanted her to be under her command so she could control the timing of defeating the clone¡ªnot leading it to defeat too soon.

    Under Chen Lingyun''s command, Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen were launching the first probing attack, trying to pinch the opponent from left and right.

    The handsome scholar didn''t dodge; he formed two balls of lightning in his left and right hands, and hurled them at the two.

    Although the lightning was not flashy, both had witnessed the might of Xie Ruoxi''s Thunder Method, and dared not take it head-on. Lin Ning quickly shifted sideways to evade, while Zhao Yuanzhen dodged and, at the same time, suddenly raised his hand and sent the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin flying towards the opponent''s throat!

    The handsome scholar still stood in his original spot, flicked his finger, and a silver sword light burst out instantly, blocking the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin.

    Well fought! Yan Yu''s eyes lit up.

    The White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin had no sword light, and being small, fast, and concealable, it was difficult to block. But the opponent did not rashly use Sword Control to intercept, nor did he dodge (after all, the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin could automatically track), but instead kept the sword in front of him.

    The True Yuan Heavy Sword was indeed as thick as a door panel, and with her petite figure, she could be completely shielded by the sword. When facing Zhao Yuanzhen, who didn''t know to manually control the flight of the magic weapon, she could easily block without any need for technique.

    "Ruoxi, do you see that?" he transmitted to Xie Ruoxi, pointing out, "In the future, if you encounter attacks that are difficult to block or dodge, just use the True Yuan Heavy Sword as a shield in front of you, got it?"

    Xie Ruoxi was about to speak, only to hear the handsome scholar continue:

    "My mom doesn''t understand the weight of this unrivaled Immortal Venerate, she actually wants me to help her wash dishes after meals, what a joke! I told her, wait for me to fully restore my cultivation, I will establish a sect on the Divine Land of Lu Country, recruiting thousands of disciples.

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    Then, not to mention doing dishes, even if it''s a full house cleaning, people would queue up to do it for her!"

    "Uh, uh, uh." Xie Ruoxi''s mouth was half-open, and tears involuntarily fell down.

    I want to die...

    I really want to travel back to the past and strangle that braggart version of myself in front of my parents...

    "Don''t pay attention to what she''s saying!" Yan Yu scolded the beautiful good-for-nothing, "Watch how she fights!"

    Xie Ruoxi''s face was ashen, her body shaky, as if her soul might leave her body and ascend to heaven the next second ¡ª no, more like plunge into hell, as heaven doesn''t admit girls with a chuunibyou dark history.

    "Don''t you want her to shut up quickly?" Seeing that she was unmoved, Yan Yu immediately switched to a different approach, "You can''t beat her now, so that''s why you need to learn, right? As long as you learn her moves, what''s left is just one-button attacking!"

    These words did manage to bring a bit of Xie Ruoxi''s consciousness back: Right, I need to take her down quickly, otherwise my dark history will only grow!

    "Lingyun, command." Yan Yu snapped his fingers. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Okay." Chen Lingyun began adjusting the formation.

    "Ningning, turn right 20 steps and stop, launch a long-range Sword Control attack, and be careful to dodge."

    "Understood." Lin Ning quickly moved to his assigned position.

    "Sister Zhao, advance five steps and use the Yin Wind Sword for the attack for now," Chen Lingyun continued to direct.

    "Okay," Zhao Yuanzhen didn''t say much and quickly got into position.

    "Yan Yu," Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    "Going," Although there were no specific commands, Yan Yu had an understanding with her and immediately spotted a gap in the formation between Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen.

    He quickly stepped forward to fill the gap, forming a classic Three Talents Formation.

    Unlike the Five Elements Formation, the Three Talents Formation required three people to stand in an equilateral triangle with the target at the center. Without a designated "main assaulter" to bear the brunt of the attack, every person might endure strikes, making it ideal to form the array with three Sword Immortals for ensured mobility and offensive power.

    Although the Zhenhai Team didn''t have three Sword Immortals, Sister Zhao''s Sword Control Technique was solid enough to set up this formation. Once the three of them took their positions, Sword Control attacks followed.

    Whenever the handsome scholar threw a Thunder Method spell toward anyone, the target would immediately shift aside to dodge. If she chose to move clockwise, Chen Lingyun would direct the other two to also turn clockwise, and vice versa, always maintaining a roughly equilateral triangle formation.

    No matter whom the opponent attacked, there would always be two people who could sneak attack from her left rear and right rear, forcing her into a defensive position where the silver sword light couldn''t fly out, only able to defend with full effort.

    The Huang Tingjian, Yin Wind Sword, and Green Bamboo Sword struck together, compressing the silver sword light into an increasingly smaller circle until the Flying Sword path was nearly impenetrable.

    Xie Ruoxi''s spirits lifted as she asked,

    "Are we going to win?"

    "Not yet," Chen Lingyun instructed her, "The smaller the sword circle, the stronger the defense, and this clone excels in abundant True Yuan. See, the Flying Swords struck by the silver light must fly back a certain distance before stabilizing, showing that despite her rudimentary skill level in swordsmanship, she still has an advantage in Swordsmanship Combat."

    "With the sword circle compressed to this extent, I suspect it''s futile to attack further; we can only wait until her True Yuan is depleted... But do clones run out of True Yuan? What if there''s a Mysterious Realm to sustain her, then we would end up draining ourselves instead."

    Xie Ruoxi fell silent for a moment, for the first time detesting why her natural aptitude for cultivation was so good and why her True Yuan had to be so strong.

    "So what do we do?" she asked anxiously, "Lingyun, think of something!"

    "I am thinking," Chen Lingyun replied with a smile.

    Though she said she was thinking, whether she was actually doing so was another matter. Xie Ruoxi was becoming increasingly frantic when she heard the handsome scholar say,

    "Study? What study? It''s not needed. Even if I finish college, what difference will it make? My destiny is not to sit in an office as a mere cog in the wheel! With my astonishing brilliance and unparalleled beauty, it''s only a matter of time before I''m noticed by a tall, handsome, ascetic husband from one of the Aristocratic Families.

    Then he''ll force me to sign a marriage contract, confine me to a villa, shower me with endless pampering, and I''ll bear him twins until I regain my past life''s memories and the power of an Immortal Venerate. Then I''ll turn the tables and dominate that overbearing husband..."

    Xie Ruoxi made an indistinct hehe sound in her throat as if she would foam at the mouth and faint any second, secretly transmitting a message to the clone, begging,

    "Please stop talking... Don''t make me remember it, I beg you... I was young and foolish, it was just a fantasy for fun, please don''t expose it..."

    But the handsome scholar showed no mercy, continuing to look around with a smug expression of self-satisfaction, saying,

    "See! I really was chosen by Yan Zhanlong!"

    Xie Ruoxi nearly choked on her blood, barely restraining the urge to draw her sword and end herself right then and there, when she heard Chen Lingyun say,

    "Ruoxi, thunder."

    Ahhhhhhhhhhhh I''ll take you down with me! Xie Ruoxi roared in her heart, unleashing her full power and sending a thunder spell brimming with True Yuan flying toward the target.

    The handsome scholar was busy defending against Yan Yu''s Sword Control attack from behind when the thunder spell''s trajectory fell squarely into her blind spot.

    Cultivators did not rely solely on their eyesight, and so she suddenly surged to the left, narrowly evading the thunder spell.

    Had it been Yan Yu standing there, he would have sidestepped with a simple move to avoid the attack, but the scholar''s control was not so skilled, dashing three to four steps to the left and significantly closing the distance to Zhao Yuanzhen¡ª at that moment, the Heavenly Yuan Sword was still entangled with the Huang Tingjian on Yan Yu''s side!

    Zhao Yuanzhen was quick on her feet, swiftly raising her hand and sending a shadow flying from her sleeve - it was the poised White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, aimed straight at the handsome scholar''s heart!

 Chapter 16 Tearing off the Mask

    The clone saw Zhao Yuanzhen raise her hand and knew something bad was coming, but her skills were limited. She only managed to tilt her body to avoid her vital points when she was hit by the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin right below her right shoulder, nailing her in place, and completely paralyzing the entire right arm from bone to muscle to meridians.

    Everyone''s heart leapt with joy: Good! She''s as good as half-dead!

    Zhao Yuanzhen formed a spell with her hands, seizing the opportunity to attack her weakened opponent. She thrust the Yin Wind Sword straight at the enemy''s heart, only to see the handsome scholar suddenly pull out something, and with a slap, he blocked the thrust of the Yin Wind Sword.

    Hmm, what was that... a spike?

    It was the Magic Artifact that they had confiscated from the remains of a gatekeeper in the Mysterious Realm on Black Dragon Isle last time!

    That Magic Artifact was originally a pair of spike-hammers, and now that the handsome scholar''s right arm was disabled, he could only use his left arm to take out the spike artifact and place it horizontally in front of his chest, precisely where the Yin Wind Sword struck.

    Steel clashed with steel, sparks flew, and in an instant, they transformed into electric snakes dancing wildly, forcing the Yin Wind Sword away.

    "Hehehehehehahahahahahaha!" The handsome scholar burst into crazed laughter, "Such petty tricks dare to harm the body of my Immortal Venerate? Bring the sword!"

    The sword imbued with the power of the heavens pushed away the Huang Tingjian, and in a flash, it returned to her hand.

    "Thunder erupts!" Xie Immortal Venerate laughed heartily again.

    Unable to wield the hammer with her disabled right arm, she manipulated it with her left hand, using the sword filled with the righteous energy of heaven as a hammer to strike fiercely at the back of the spike!

    Thunderbolts blossomed violently!

    From the tip of the spike spewed countless electric snakes that in the blink of an eye turned into huge silver pythons, rapidly coiling and rampaging around the arena, forcing the onlookers to dodge backward and retreat from their sharpness.

    The Three Talents Formation was no more, Xie Immortal Venerate began to run around the field wildly, with the heavenly sword moving alongside her, striking the spike every dozen steps or so, shouting,

    "If heaven had not created me, Xie Ruoxi, the path of immortality would be as eternal as the darkest night!"

    With each strike of the spike, a huge electric python wreaked havoc across the field, pushing everyone toward the edges of the hall.

    Yan Yu pushed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step to its limits, narrowly dodging the electric snakes at the very last moment. Though she appeared ragged, she remained unscathed. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The other ladies weren''t so fortunate. Though they weren''t directly hit by the electric pythons, they were still struck by the smaller snakes that the bigger ones sent shooting through the air. Their muscles burned and their hair stood on end. They weren''t bleeding, but pain was etched into every part of their bodies.

    But the electric pythons were endless, just as one disappeared, another emerged!

    "We can''t keep this up!" Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly shouted fiercely, "Otherwise, she''ll kill us all sooner or later!"

    Throwing caution to the wind, she prepared to use her secret technique.

    "Ruoxi!" Yan Yu also called out loudly, "Can you break it?!"

    "I''m trying!" Xie Ruoxi screamed.

    She circulated the Thunder Method secret technique within her body, and thus controlled and neutralized the electric snakes that hit her, so her injuries were not severe.

    But her teammates didn''t have any knowledge of the Thunder Method, and if Xie Ruoxi couldn''t seize control of the electric pythons, the Zhenhai Team would face annihilation right then and there, repeating the fate of the Huofeng Team.

    Xie Ruoxi made all sorts of efforts, which only slightly slowed down the electric pythons'' rampage for a moment, achieving basically nothing. Furious, Zhao Yuanzhen had already thrown her puppet Silver Pellet, ready to go all out, when she suddenly heard Xie Immortal Venerate laughing haughtily:

    "How about it, captain! How do you feel now, how do you feel? This is the power of me, Xie Immortal Venerate!"

    "Shut up!" Xie Ruoxi''s shriek turned into a wail.

    "Captain, you fancied this pretty face of mine, didn''t you?!" Xie Immortal Venerate kept on laughing crazily, continuing his arrogant talk, "I''m going to tell you now! My power is even above my beauty! You coveted my beauty, seducing me to Jinling first. Now it''s time for me to tie you up and take you back to Baoqing to become my Immortal Venerate husband!

    The hen crows at dawn, topsy turvy against the heavens, it all happens today!"

    "I told you to shut up!" Xie Ruoxi started to tremble, realizing that the deepest secrets of her heart, all those unspeakable hidden thoughts about her captain, were about to be ruthlessly revealed by the clone like bloody scars ripped open!

    "Blame yourself for choosing me at my lowest!" Xie Immortal Venerate roared and once again struck the spike artifact hard, "Take it, this is my dowry! I want you to present your bridal gifts!!!"

    The old electric python vanished, and a new one burst forth. But this time, instead of rampaging around the field, it charged straight at Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu''s eyes narrowed slightly, ready to perform the Sword-Human Unity and decapitate the force, but then she heard Xie Immortal Venerate shouting... no, it was the screams of horror from Xie Ruoxi:

    "I told you to shut up aaaaaaaaaa!!!!"

    She pushed her hands forward, fingers slightly spread as if grasping something, and then forcefully tore it aside.

    The massive electric python that lunged at Yan Yu was indeed ripped out of its trajectory by her void pull, as if an invisible hand had grasped it, causing it to lose balance and veer off.

    A perfect opportunity!

    Two swords flashed swiftly, the blue sword light hit the heavenly sword, seizing it for a moment, and the Huang Tingjian''s light struck unimpeded, instantly slicing Xie Immortal Venerate in two.

    The illusion of Xie Immortal Venerate finally shattered, turning into mere bubbles, and the electric pythons rampaging across the field also vanished without a trace.

    The shattered mirror pieces finally fell to the ground, and the sword lights returned. Zhao Yuanzhen roared furiously:

    "I''ll fight you with all I''ve got!"

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress had heard the saying about guarding against fire, theft, and "best friends," but she never quite understood it. Little did she expect that out of everyone, Xie Ruoxi, who she had the closest relationship with, harbored such filthy thoughts deep inside her heart! Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire

    You whore! She was supposed to be your best friend''s partner!

 Chapter 16 Tearing off the Mask_2

    She formed a sword technique with her hands, and the Yin Wind Sword immediately struck down from above, viciously slashing towards Xie Ruoxi''s head.

    Xie Ruoxi instantly placed the True Yuan Sword in front of her like a shield, to take cover behind it, and indeed blocked the Yin Wind Sword head-on.

    The flashes of two sword lights had already circled back, and Yan Yu grabbed Zhao Yuanzhen, while Lin Ning quickly stepped in front of Xie Ruoxi, joining forces to separate the two parties that were about to start fighting.

    "Are you being foolish again?" The Yin Wind Sword had not managed to slash the opponent''s head, but Yan Yu instead slapped Zhao Yuanzhen''s forehead, saying, "You believe the words of a replicant?"

    "Why wouldn''t I believe them?" Zhao Yuanzhen said, aggrieved, "And you''re actually protecting her?!"

    "I am the captain!" Yan Yu said righteously, "When there is a conflict, do you seek the captain to administer justice, or do you take the law into your own hands?"

    "Of course it''s..." Zhao Yuanzhen subconsciously wanted to say "Of course it''s to take revenge first," but stopped short, and then changed her words, "Fine, fine, fine, let''s see how you administer justice! If you can''t make me satisfied, I''ll renounce our ties right here today and kill you along with her!"

    "Heh." Yan Yu thought to himself that he had indeed misconstrued earlier. What ''boundless merit''? The Demonic Sect Enchantress was truly a cat that never grew tame, always thinking of rebelling against her master, saying, "Very well, then let Xie Ruoxi speak."

    "Ruoxi." Chen Lingyun realized that, although it was quite amusing, if Zhao Yuanzhen couldn''t step down, this matter probably couldn''t be resolved, saying, "Now you tell us, do you like Yan Yu?"

    Xie Ruoxi peeked out from behind her back, timidly glanced at Zhao Yuanzhen, and shook her head frantically¡ªhow could she dare to admit it at this moment?

    "Then why did the replicant say she wanted to tie up Yan Yu and take him back to be her husband?" Zhao Yuanzhen pressed.

    "Ultimately, this question boils down to whether the words of a replicant are credible." Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "I guess no matter how I analyze it, I can''t convince you. Why don''t we meet with your replicant, then devise our plans? Whether your replicant is revealing your true feelings or intentionally sowing discord among the team, you should trust your own judgment, shouldn''t you?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen stared at Xie Ruoxi intently for a long while before squeezing out a word through clenched teeth:

    "Fine!"

    Xie Ruoxi, trembling like a frightened rabbit, was pulled aside by Chen Lingyun who then spent a while soothing her with kind words.

    "Since both parties have come to an agreement, let''s set this issue aside for now and return to it later." Yan Yu nodded authoritatively, while secretly giving a thumbs-up to Chen Lingyun.

    If the replicant really broke through the Demonic Sect Enchantress''s defenses, then her hatred would shift entirely onto the replicant, and she would no longer have the heart to settle scores with Xie Ruoxi, would she?

    Women often argue simply by riding on a surge of temper. Once the temper dissipates, the ferocity fades. Some even know this and will deliberately dredge up old grievances during an argument, intending to fan the flames of their anger even higher¡ªa tactic essentially to layer themselves with a buff that enhances their offensive power.

    As for the method of resolution, it''s quite simple... To avoid being accused of padding word count for profit, I won''t say it here. Your journey continues at My Virtual Library Empire

    The group took a brief rest in the great hall, since they had all been injured by the Thunder Method not long before.

    Without Yun Jin here, everyone could only circulate their True Yuan repeatedly, directing it to wherever there was pain.

    True Yuan indeed was the best painkiller. Where it touched a wound, the wound would slowly heal; where it met muscle, the soreness would vanish without a trace. Obviously, this could result in unnoticed lasting injuries, but there was no helping it at the moment.

    Zhao Yuanzhen sat meditating alone next to Yan Yu, resembling a guard dog that protects its master, allowing no other seductress to approach.

    The other three girls each meditated to recover, occasionally glancing at each other¡ªeverything was communicated without words.

    No, that''s not right; everything was communicated through telepathic message.

    "We''re all in the same boat." Chen Lingyun sent a message to the two girls, saying, "We need to join forces to deal with today''s affairs properly, otherwise there will definitely be endless trouble afterward."

    "Deal with what?" Lin Ning was absolutely unwilling to admit anything to Ling Yun, just feigning ignorance as she asked, "Everything has been made clear. Those replicants are merely spreading rumors and instigating conflict, and only Sister Zhao is stubbornly incredulous. Is there anything else that needs further explanation?"

    "Whether Sister Zhao believes it or not is actually not important." Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "The key thing is whether the captain believes it."

    Uh... Lin Ning and Xie Ruoxi were at first puzzled, but soon pictures surfaced in their minds.

    Lin Ning thought:

    Yan Yu lay on the sofa in the villa and called, "I want to eat wonton noodles today."

    In the kitchen, Lin Ning said, "There are no wontons in the fridge, we can only make plain noodles today."

    Yan Yu said, "No wontons? Then use Sword Control to go buy some. Make sure to get them from the Yang''s wonton shop in Cao Du Alley."

    Lin Ning said, "Why should I be the one to go buy them?"

    Yan Yu said, "Aren''t you secretly in love with me? What''s wrong with buying something for your male god to eat? If you don''t try hard to pursue the man you admire, who are you going to marry in the future? Are you planning to go on blind dates?" sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Thinking this, Lin Ning''s fists clenched tightly, wishing she could catch Yan Yu and beat him up right away.

    Xie Ruoxi thought:

    One day in the future, she opened her computer to continue managing her social media account, only to discover that her comment section had been flooded with a barrage of trolls.

    "Wow, that Xie Ruoxi really sucks! How dare she set her sights on my Brother Yan Yu!"

    "Xie Ruoxi, come out and die! It''s so funny, do you even deserve to fantasize about tying Yan Yu down and making him your husband? Stay in your damp and dingy place and don''t come out to disgust everyone, crawl!"

    "By the way, kidnapping someone to marry is a crime, isn''t it? I know she hasn''t done it yet, but just the thought of it makes me sick. Can I report her for attempted crime?"

    Xie Ruoxi, exerting all her efforts, fiercely debated with others online. Despite her brilliant sentences, rigorous logic, sharp rhetoric, and strong tone, which hit the nail on the head, she couldn''t withstand the overwhelming number of opponents. For every comment she countered, a thousand more would appear in the comment section insulting her...

    until Xie Ruoxi suddenly looked up to the sky and let out a pained scream, spitting out a mouthful of blood that stained the screen crimson.

    Then she collapsed onto the keyboard, her arms and legs twitching like a boiled octopus, and soon, she was motionless...

    Please, not that! Xie Ruoxi also screamed inwardly.

    "Do you understand now?" Chen Lingyun, seeing the change in their expressions, smiled and said, "Sister Zhao may or may not believe those so-called ''dark histories'', but after all, she''s just one person. The captain is different, though."

    "You all know how unrestrained the captain''s mouth is. Is he going to tell Yun Jin? And if he does, can we stop him? If not, what right do we have to prevent him from telling others besides Yun Jin?"

    Lin Ning and Xie Ruoxi''s expressions became stern. Was Yan Yu the type to gossip recklessly? Of course not. But Chen Lingyun''s suggestion was even more cunning. She didn''t ask, "Will Yan Yu tell others?", but rather, "Do we have a way to stop him from telling others?"

    The answer was no.

    As everyone knows, "dark histories" are like time bombs. You don''t need the intent to kill me; the mere fact that you''re carrying a bomb makes me scared.

    How many intelligence brokers thrive because they possess copious amounts of dirt on political figures, making them untouchable?

    Now that Yan Yu held their dark histories, and they were helpless against him, it was like a non-nuclear state facing a nuclear state¡ªthe balance of power was not equal.

    Being unequal meant lacking confidence in speaking, meaning they would be subject to his whims in the future, unable to resist...

    "So what do we do?" Lin Ning asked, "Wait for his clone to explode his dark history too, and then we threaten each other into mutual secrecy?"

    "That''s one way to think about it," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "But what if he doesn''t care about his dark history at all?"

    "Then wouldn''t he be invincible?" Xie Ruoxi said in shock.

    Although Yan Yu had never been defeated so far, there''s a difference between being "undefeated" and "invincible."

    "Regardless of whether we can find a way to counter him, what we need to do now is to form an alliance," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "If we can''t come together and instead continue to fight on our own, then we definitely won''t stand a chance against him."

 Chapter 17 Zhao Yuanzhen: I Understand Everything Now

    The other three girls had secretly agreed to cooperate. Zhao Yuanzhen, who knew nothing about this, was trailing behind Yan Yu, while trying to interrogate him through a whisper transmission:

    "So what exactly is your relationship with them?"

    "Comrades-in-arms, of course," said Yan Yu.

    Zhao Yuanzhen didn''t believe him; she just glared at him suspiciously.

    Glare.

    "Even if you manage to find flowers on my face from staring, we are still just comrades-in-arms," Yan Yu continued.

    "So why do they all seem to like you?" Zhao Yuanzhen persisted.

    "How would I know?" Yan Yu retorted, "First off, I don''t even know if the ''true feelings'' spoken by their replicas are real or fake; secondly, even if what they said is all true, what''s that got to do with me? Should I go around slapping each of them twice on the cheeks, saying ''You think you''re worthy of liking me''?"

    "It''s not like you can''t do that," said Zhao Yuanzhen angrily, "Such nauseating talk seems to give you no pressure at all. Why not just directly cut off their hopes? In the end, you''re just enjoying the feeling of being secretly loved."

    "Get real," Yan Yu sighed helplessly, "Not to mention whatever misconceptions you have about me. All the evidence so far comes from one-sided accounts by the replicas. Who breaks off relations with teammates over such baseless allegations? I''m not you!"

    "Hmph!" Zhao Yuanzhen snorted coldly, "Once I see my replica, I''ll be able to verify the truth."

    "Just don''t lose your composure when you see your replica," teased Yan Yu.

    "Ridiculous, what ''black history'' could I possibly have?"

    In your past life, there was a ton of ''black history'', all leading up to being trolled until you broke down and tracked people down offline... Yan Yu really wanted to mock this Demonic Sect Enchantress but he just barely held back.

    The group passed through the long corridor with the atmosphere slightly tense.

    Partly because of the ''black history'', and partly because the strength of the replicas was indeed getting stronger and stronger.

    Having battled only the third replica, it already managed to use area-wide Thunder Method attacks to push everyone to the brink of defeat right there and then; one could hardly bear to consider, dare not even think about, just how monstrously powerful the next two would be.

    Yan Yu, however, was not worried at all.

    Empress Yuanzhen? He had seen her in his last life.

    Sword Immortal of the Eight Min? He had seen them in his last life, too.

    Immortal Venerate of Lightning? He had seen them as well in his last life.

    Chen Lingyun, who plays with ghosts? He hadn''t seen her in his previous life, but in this life, it was Yan Yu''s own proposed cultivation path. Besides, he knew Chen Lingyun too well, so he could fully imagine it.

    They say fear comes from the unknown; if something is anticipated, there''s not much left to fear.

    The only wild card was likely to come from his own replica¡ªhis past self who relied on an external Spiritual Energy storage device to fight. In this life, he didn''t know how formidable a person he might be now that he had become a Cultivator.

    Ha ha, looking forward to it.

    The group reached the fourth combat hall. Ready for action, they soon saw Zhao Yuanzhen emerge from the mirror. Your journey continues at My Virtual Library Empire

    No, that wasn''t Zhao Yuanzhen, it was Empress Yuanzhen.

    They were identical in appearance and beauty, but the demeanor of the Empress was slightly less innocent and pure compared to Zhao Yuanzhen and a bit more enchanting and captivating.

    She wore a deep red dress with wide sleeves, looking like a high-ranking female authority from an ancient painting, such as an empress or a queen. Deep red isn''t easy for most to pull off, being too bright, too garish, but on her it seemed tailor-made, her entire presence like a blazing flame, mercilessly scorching everyone around her without restraint.

    The Zhenhai Team adopted the Five Elements Formation as usual, with Yan Yu taking the position as the main striker, directly confronting the Empress Yuanzhen.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, observing her replica from the side, muttered to herself just before the fight began:

    "What kind of clothes is this woman wearing, what kind of makeup is that? Pretty nice looking, I''ll have to remember that, find a tailor to make it for me later."

    No sooner had that thought crossed her mind than she heard Empress Yuanzhen lift her sleeve, cover her mouth and laugh:

    "My Lord, have you come to see me? And brought so many sisters with you, what is it that you intend to do?"

    Everyone went silent at that, only Zhao Yuanzhen remained composed.

    That''s right, isn''t my relationship with the thief that of martial companions? If I don''t call him my Lord, what should I call him? This imposter, leaving aside other things, got at least this term right without any doubt... Sisters? What sisters?

    "But you know," the Empress continued with her charming smile, "Taking concubines requires the main wife''s consent. I haven''t agreed yet, so how did you put them in the chambers already? That''s not right; it deserves a punishment~"

    All present immediately erupted into commotion. Chen Lingyun smiled faintly, Xie Ruoxi opened her mouth halfway, Lin Ning wore a completely disgusted expression, and Zhao Yuanzhen felt her mind buzz at that moment, followed by a surge of rage, and then she shouted:

    "What taking concubines? No way! Not allowed!"

    "Hehe," The Empress Yuanzhen cuddled her cheek with her sleeve and her eyes rippled with laughter as she looked at Zhao Yuanzhen, but she kept talking to Yan Yu, "My Lord, do you know? Actually, I don''t mind you being with them as long as you let me be the chief consort..."

    "Pfft!" Xie Ruoxi burst out, "What kind of outdated male-lead novel plot twist is this! That''s how people wrote back when I was in grade school, we don''t write like this anymore, come on!"

    Zhao Yuanzhen was also overcome with furious urgency and without waiting for Chen Lingyun''s orders, she charged out ahead. Her Yin Wind Sword took the lead in attacking Empress Yuanzhen as she roared:

    "Shut up! Shut up!"

    Are these the words you are allowed to say? And by saying this, how will my sisters look at me afterward? Will they all think that I allowed a young thief to take concubines and share what I have?

    Thinking this way, the more she thought, the angrier she became, until the rage went straight to her head and her blood seemed to boil over, wishing she could immediately rush over and chop that Empress Yuanzhen into ten or eight pieces.

    With a loud bang, Empress Yuanzhen remained motionless, a deep purple sword light already thrusting sideways, knocking the Yin Wind Sword flying.

    Seeing that the Demonic Sect Enchantress was no match, Yan Yu also executed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step. His figure flickered, leaping more than ten meters away, slashing down with his Huang Tingjian overhead.

    Empress Yuanzhen executed a sword technique, and the deep purple sword light instantly returned to her side, blocking the slicing strike of the Huang Tingjian. The latter, being a heavy sword, surprisingly, did not gain the upper hand in a direct confrontation, indicating that the true yuan strength of this duplicate was already far superior to everyone present at the scene.

    Taking advantage of the deep purple sword light clashing with the Huang Tingjian, Zhao Yuanzhen took the opportunity to throw her White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin. With a clang, the hairpin pierced the body, but Empress Yuanzhen remained unscathed¡ªbefore her stood another "Zhao Yuanzhen," who took the blow from the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, yet her face showed no sign of abnormality.

    Puppet.

    If the duplicate is using puppets, then I won''t hold back either!

    From Zhao Yuanzhen''s sleeve rolled out a Silver Pellet; her String-Pulling Technique sprang into action, instantly transforming her into an equally slim and attractive enchantress. Blade mechanisms shot out from her wrists, and she rushed forward at high speed.

    Puppet Ami!

    The two puppets battled each other, as the Huang Tingjian clashed head-on with the deep purple sword light. Lin Ning seized the opportunity to perform a sword technique with her hands. The Green Bamboo Sword, taking advantage of Yan Yu''s cover, moved closer, suddenly flying out from under his armpit, aiming for Empress Yuanzhen!

    Empress Yuanzhen let out a light chuckle, her cherry lips parted slightly, spewing out a large expanse of pitch-black fog, instantly enveloping her surroundings.

    The Green Bamboo Sword shot towards where she originally stood but struck nothing. Lin Ning scanned with her Divine Sense and before she could find Empress Yuanzhen, she suddenly heard Chen Lingyun urgently cry out:

    "Ruoxi, be careful!"

    Xie Ruoxi immediately retreated, but her reaction was ultimately half a step too slow. Empress Yuanzhen''s hairpin had already pierced her chest, causing her to cry out in pain as she fell backward.

    The five ghosts rushed to her back, transforming into a soft cushion to catch her body, only to see her eyes tightly shut, teeth clenched, having completely fainted.

    "Sister Zhao, come back and help, Ningning, go replace her," Chen Lingyun quickly commanded, her thoughts racing like lightning in her mind.

    The purpose of the Five Elements Formation is to ensure the main assaulter always stands at the forefront, obstructing the opponent''s line of sight, thereby covering the other teammates and ensuring that the firepower delivery is not affected.

    Empress Yuanzhen belched out a black fog, hiding her figure such that everyone couldn''t clearly see her position, let alone judge who she was facing and at whom she was striking next¡­ In this way, the Five Elements Formation lost its meaning.

    That''s why she called Zhao Yuanzhen back, partly to have her remove the hairpin from Xie Ruoxi, and partly to have her cover for herself and Xie Ruoxi, since both of their frontline capabilities were not all that great. They could manage against ordinary Transcendents, but were completely outclassed by Zhao''s clones.

    Although Zhao Yuanzhen was furious, she luckily retained her rationality, knowing that Xie Ruoxi''s Thunder Method was also a powerful output tool and indispensable to the team. She swiftly returned to their side and used the technique for activating the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, trying to extract the hairpin from within Xie Ruoxi. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    If it were anyone else, even if they knew the techniques for manipulating the magical artifact, they wouldn''t be able to move one that had been refined by someone else. But there was no difference between the original and the clone; Xie Ruoxi had already previously forcibly seized control of the clone''s lightning, and Chen Lingyun took note of this, the mechanism immediately becoming clear to her.

    Indeed, as she expected, the hairpin began to slowly extract itself with only a slight tug from Zhao Yuanzhen, and Xie Ruoxi''s breathing became more rapid.

    While she focused on the rescue, Ami''s performance immediately became erratic, but Chen Lingyun had made preparations. Lin Ning''s Green Bamboo Sword light swiftly took over, helping to hold off Empress Yuanzhen''s puppet enemy, so the battle didn''t completely spiral out of control.

    "Ling Yun is really impressive, managing to salvage such a disadvantageous situation," Empress Yuanzhen''s laughter rang out from within the mist. "If I were the queen, I''d appoint you the honored imperial concubine of the Eastern Palace, in charge of the many concubines¡­"

    "Shut your nonsense!" Zhao Yuanzhen roared.

    This position of honored concubine in charge of the harem¡ªNingning could do it, Yun Jin could do it, but I absolutely can''t stand the thought of Chen Lingyun taking up the role! Eh? No... Where are these ludicrous thoughts coming from?

    He''s mine, and nobody can take him! Where did this thought come from? It must be the clone casting a spell, subtly influencing my mind, causing strange thoughts that I would never have!

    In that instant, enlightenment struck Zhao Yuanzhen.

    It wasn''t that the clone could read our thoughts, but that while the clone was fabricating baseless rumors, it was also secretly employing the String-Pulling Technique, making us mistakenly believe that these were our own unspeakable true desires, thus causing our reason to waver, our state to deteriorate, or even to become utterly unhinged with confusion!

    The best evidence was that I never entertained the idea of them laying hands on my man, but then, influenced by the clone''s String-Pulling Technique, the idea of being the chief wife and living a life of luxury while managing my sisters seemed not half bad... Damn it, you deserve to die! How dare you influence my mind; you deserve to be minced and ground to dust by me!

    Lost in erratic thoughts, Zhao Yuanzhen''s mind raced wild. Distracted, the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin slowly started to retreat back in, causing Xie Ruoxi intense pain as she coughed up blood and, regaining consciousness, quickly grabbed Zhao Yuanzhen''s hand and pleaded:

    "Sister, spare my life¡­"

    Seeing her in such a pitiful state, Zhao Yuanzhen was reminded of the happy times they had shared as close friends, eating and drinking together, and her heart softened.

    But then she thought, I actually misunderstood my sister earlier, manipulated by her clone into discord, and her anger flared again. Her True Yuan surged as she exerted all her strength, pulling out the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin with one determined effort, and then turned to say:

    "Ling Yun, have Ningning come back to cover for you. My clone has too many tricks up her sleeve, beyond your current ability to handle."

    "And what about you?" Chen Lingyun asked knowingly.

    "Of course, I''m going to finish her off myself," Zhao Yuanzhen said with a ghostly smile, revealing her eerie white teeth.

 Chapter 18 She Lied About Everything

    Zhao Yuanzhen, who initially didn''t understand the mechanism, was extremely angry.

    Now that she discovered the clone was spouting nonsense, trying to influence her with a heart-demon technique, she instead became calm and composed.

    "In fact, although my husband usually scolds me, yells at me, and bullies me, I also secretly keep a little notebook in my heart," continued Empress Yuanzhen with a laugh amidst the thick fog, "But I actually never planned to seek revenge on him, because I know to evaluate a man, you not only have to look at what he says but also at what he does."

    "His actions have proven that he does treat me with his heart. So no matter how he teases or plays with me in his words, I take it as a little fun between husband and wife, and don''t take it to heart."

    "Bullshit," Zhao Yuanzhen said with contempt, not forgetting to telepathically tell the other team members (including Yan Yu), "Don''t listen to her nonsense. I''m a person who seeks revenge; a delay of ten years is nothing! You stinking thief, just wait, sooner or later I will settle the score with you!"

    Yan Yu couldn''t be bothered with her and concentrated on fighting the deep purple sword light, secretly assessing the swordsmanship level of Empress Yuanzhen.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, who had just arrived in this world, had swordsmanship similar to the famed Empress Yuanzhen from her previous life: a typical wild style, aiming for a kill in one strike. Discover stories at My Virtual Library Empire

    Missed? Strike again. Missed again? Strike yet again... It was basically all offense, no defense, without any fancy feints or deceptions.

    The reason for adhering to such an offensive style was partly because Qiansi Sect didn''t boast swordsmanship as its strength, and partly because she never had the chance to spar and learn from enemies who were adept at swordsmanship. She usually dealt with nobodies, naturally opting for the most efficient killing method available to her.

    Of course, in this life, having to mix with Yan Yu and face top Transcendents from around the world, that wholly offensive wild swordsmanship was utterly useless. If the enemy presented a fake opening to trap her, and she foolishly charged in, how could that work?

    After a brief exchange with Empress Yuanzhen, Yan Yu quickly concluded: there was progress.

    But it was not enough.

    It seemed he would have to increase her daily swordsmanship training...

    Lin Ning retreated to where Chen Lingyun and Xie Ruoxi were. The Green Bamboo Sword flashed suddenly, deflecting a sneak attack from the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin.

    Xie Ruoxi struggled to sit cross-legged, channeling her True Yuan to seal the bleeding from her wound; Chen Lingyun, on the other hand, threw out the Divine Evil Prayer Beads to help Yan Yu lock onto the opponent''s deep purple sword light.

    Empress Yuanzhen didn''t confront them with her Flying Sword directly, but under the change of the sword technique, the deep purple sword light dodged the Prayer Beads and turned to intercept Zhao Yuanzhen, while the puppet charged towards Chen Lingyun and the others.

    Yan Yu immediately stepped back to intercept the puppet''s path, with the Huang Tingjian slashing down overhead.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, in turn, released her puppet Ami to confront the clone''s Flying Sword, while she herself charged into the black fog, quietly operating her technique. The black fog immediately surged.

    A moment later, the black fog abruptly dispersed, revealing the two Zhao Yuanzhens fighting inside.

    The Empress Yuanzhen bit her tongue, spitting out several black blood arrows towards Zhao Yuanzhen, who quickly sidestepped, spreading herself thin, and with a wave of her left hand, a stream of black energy shot from her fingertips, wrapping around like a cord in mid-air, immediately entangling Empress Yuanzhen.

    However, the latter''s right fingernails suddenly elongated, sweeping away casually, severing the black energy... All sorts of techniques, all kinds of methods, dazzled the onlookers in the distance, making them wonder what kind of Taoism Method Sister Zhao was using¡ªit seemed like she was about to perform some impressive trick.

    Yan Yu, watching from afar, knew that these were not Taoism Methods, but instead, Techniques.

    "Tao" and "Technique" are two different levels; the former almost certainly encompasses the fundamental principles of the great Dao, just to varying extents, while the latter often is merely a superficial application of True Yuan.

    Although its power definitely couldn''t compare to Taoism Methods, it is advantageous in its diversity and unpredictability, making it extremely useful in combat against others.

    The Three Arts and Five Spells are just the most basic spells, not quite considered part of the Taoism Method. As for the dark arts currently used by Zhao Yuanzhen, even if Yan Yu watched very carefully, he could probably only recognize about sixty to seventy percent of them.

    For instance, the one where the tongue is bitten is called "Nail Tongue Arrows"; the one where black gas is sprayed from the fingertips is known as "Soul-Snatching Cord"; the one where fingernails suddenly grow long is named "White Bone Claw"...

    Just by the names, it''s clear they are not on the same level as the "Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art," but at the current stage, purely in terms of killing efficiency, they were actually much faster than the Taoism Method. If it were anyone else standing opposite to Empress Yuanzhen, they would have been killed within minutes by the endless emergence of these sinister and unfamiliar dark arts.

    He quickly refocused his attention, allowing Huang Tingjian to present an opening, drawing the opponent''s puppet closer. Then, with a flurry of punches and kicks, he pressed the puppet back, and Huang Tingjian took the chance to strike from behind once again.

    Caught between the pincers, the puppet finally couldn''t hold on and was abruptly decapitated by a gap spotted by Huang Tingjian, its head flying off. In the air, however, it turned into wood¡ªit turned out that Empress Yuanzhen had at some point employed a life-substituting wooden dummy using the "cicada shedding" technique, replacing her combat puppet.

    In his past life, Yan Yu wasn''t skilled in the String-Pulling Technique, and although Huang Tingjian had struck the opponent, he immediately sensed something was amiss. However, due to his lack of experience, he didn''t react right away.

    By the time he realized it was the "cicada shedding" trick, the puppet''s true body had already turned and sprinted away, rushing towards Zhao Yuanzhen''s direction, evidently intending to pincer attack with Empress Yuanzhen from both sides.

    Yan Yu was about to go over to help when he saw the deep purple sword light attack once more, tying him down again.

    Lin Ning couldn''t leave her spot, as the enemy shot White Bone Heart-locking Hairpins at her from time to time¡ªfast, concealed, and deadly. Xie Ruoxi was seriously injured and couldn''t move; Lin Ning could only defend them while occasionally using the Metal-Element Impact Curse to harass the enemy, but to no avail.

    Chen Lingyun threw out her prayer beads, attempting once again to lock down the deep purple sword light, but the opponent immediately switched the Flying Sword with the puppet, evading the Divine Evil Prayer Beads'' blockade.

    She launched the Five Spells and the mother-child Resentful Spirits, constantly circling around the still fighting duo, patiently looking for possible openings in Empress Yuanzhen.

    Suddenly, they heard Empress Yuanzhen laugh and say: Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Ling Yun, there''s no point in wasting your effort. I basically know all your tactical tricks like the back of my hand, and besides, my cultivation realm now far surpasses you all¡ªthose little tricks are useless against me."

    "Whether they work or not, we''ll only know after trying," Chen Lingyun replied calmly.

    "Do you know?" continued Empress Yuanzhen, "I have always admired you."

    "Admire me for what?" Chen Lingyun feigned surprise.

    "For your intelligence~" Empress Yuanzhen said with a cheerful laugh, "I didn''t read much when I was young, and my educational level wasn''t high, I always felt inferior around you. Although I was often harsh to you, it was just out of fear that you''d see through me and look down on me."

    "What a load of bullshit!" Zhao Yuanzhen started to get annoyed and communicated with Chen Lingyun via a secret message, "Don''t you dare believe her nonsense! Admire you? What a joke, with your toothpick height and bean sprout figure, why would I envy you?"

    Chen Lingyun: .........

    "Ningning," Empress Yuanzhen turned her head, smiling radiantly, "I absolutely adore your exquisite cooking skills. I always say I want to order takeout, but it''s not because I don''t like what you cook, it''s just that I don''t want you to become too tired or too busy and grow to disliking it, then refuse to cook for me in the future."

    Lin Ning was quite touched, but Zhao Yuanzhen grew increasingly angry and said disdainfully:

    "What nonsense! You''re too stingy to even add oil and refuse to use MSG, acting as if one extra spoonful would kill you. You''re always fussing over your nutritious meal plans, what''s that compared to the deliciousness of stir-fried dishes from the culinary world outside? Ningning, if you think you can use your cooking skills to tie me down, you''re hopelessly deluded and wildly dreaming!"

    Lin Ning: .........

 Chapter 19 Demonic Sect Enchantress, Yet A Good Person

    Yan Yu was shocked as he listened to Zhao Yuanzhen''s speech, thinking to himself: Could it be that I was mistaken, and Ningning is not the proudest member of our team?

    Is there another ultimate, peerless, proud character?

    No, no! The Empress Yuanzhen of the previous life wasn''t like this at all!

    It''s not that I''m confused by preconceived notions; rather, anyone who had actually seen the Empress Yuanzhen of the previous life in her arrogant state would never believe she''s some kind of "cold on the outside, warm on the inside, seemingly proud but actually kind-hearted girl".

    She, who boasted about her own life in documentaries, whose private scandals were spread everywhere, then straightforwardly tracked down her critics through the Internet to kill them, and after the murder, she even shouted for the Privy Council to clean up her mess¡­ No matter how you look at it, she''s a capricious and insane woman who is ruthless on the outside but frail on the inside and who disregards human life, order, rules, and authority.

    But when her clone revealed her innermost thoughts, it turned out to be a kind-hearted girl who knows right from wrong and is grateful¡­

    Impossible! Absolutely impossible!!!

    The battle between Empress Yuanzhen and Zhao Yuanzhen was still fierce, with various treacherous spells being exchanged in rapid succession. They were evenly matched, with each move met by a counter.

    Due to the concentration of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, her strength was only at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage.

    Zhao Yuanzhen''s actual strength was also at the Hua Fu Stage, the difference between her and Empress Yuanzhen being only that between "not yet complete" and "complete" within the same stage, which in reality wasn''t a significant gap.

    Moreover, the opponent had to split her focus on Flying Swords, puppets or magical treasures, to entangle Yan Yu and put pressure on Lin Ning''s side. Therefore, the fight against Zhao Yuanzhen was in a stalemate, and she was even beginning to fall behind.

    Lacking in strength, she made up for it with her mouth, after professing her feelings in turn to Yan Yu, Chen Lingyun, and Lin Ning, she brought up Xie Ruoxi: S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Ruoxi, among the teammates, the one I have the closest relationship with is you. You and I are like two peas in a pod, and I''ve seen full well the moments of inferiority and loneliness that you sometimes show. Perhaps in this world, there aren''t many who can truly understand me, but fortunately, you are one of them."

    "Sister Zhao!" Xie Ruoxi was still healing, her face contorted in pain, but when she heard Empress Yuanzhen''s touching speech, she immediately became so excited that she burst into tears, unable to help herself from exclaiming, "Sister Zhao! I also think of you as my own sister!"

    "Pfft!" Zhao Yuanzhen almost gagged with disgust, her technique faltering for a moment, nearly allowing Empress Yuanzhen to make a comeback. She quickly steadied her offensive and defensively yelled, "Nonsense! Rubbish!

    The only reason I''ve been hanging out with you is because I saw you were new and timid, like a wild rabbit being taken in for the first time, and I simply took pity on you for having no friends!"

    Xie Ruoxi: .........

    She wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes, her sorrow turning to laughter, and said to Chen Lingyun and Lin Ning beside her:

    "Sister Zhao really likes to say one thing and mean another. If her clone hadn''t said these things herself, I''d never have known that this is what she really thinks."

    "Indeed." Chen Lingyun, always one to enjoy a good disturbance, immediately chimed in with a laugh, "So Sister Zhao actually wants to get close to me, but didn''t dare to say it because she felt inferior. What''s the big deal? Honestly, when I first saw Sister Zhao, I also felt she was as friendly as the girl next door."

    Zhao Yuanzhen was so frustrated she felt like spitting blood, trembling with anger, her performance getting worse and worse, nearly being turned around by Empress Yuanzhen.

    Lin Ning saw her predicament and hurriedly advised:

    "Enough already! Stop picking on Sister Zhao! Keep these words in your heart, don''t say them out loud and affect her performance!"

    "Right, I won''t say anymore."

    "Exactly, just silently be grateful."

    Chen Lingyun and Xie Ruoxi immediately nodded, their agreement falling on Zhao Yuanzhen''s ears like thunder, infuriating her to the point of almost exploding. She threw caution to the wind and launched an all-out assault, pouring all sorts of attack techniques, along with her full fury and resentment, straight toward Empress Yuanzhen!

    With a sound like a silver urn shattering, Empress Yuanzhen staggered back five or six steps, while Zhao Yuanzhen was sent flying.

    Just then, still in the process of healing, Xie Ruoxi suddenly raised her hand and fired a Jade Pivot Thunder!

    The Empress was about to dodge when she suddenly found herself unable to move her feet.

    Yin Ghosts? When did they get so close? Why didn''t my Divine Sense detect them?

    With sudden confusion and surprise, her upper body was struck by the Jade Pivot Thunder and instantly exploded into pieces.

    The deep purple sword light and the puppets all vanished without a trace. Yan Yu immediately went to check on Zhao Yuanzhen''s condition. Thankfully, she was not in danger of losing her life, though she was seriously injured.

    "Well done," he said, turning back to the others.

    "It''s because we worked well together," Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

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    To guard against Chen Lingyun''s stealthy Yin Ghosts, Empress Yuanzhen''s Divine Sense had been continuously scanning the surroundings. However, whenever Chen Lingyun threw the Divine Evil Prayer Beads in an attempt to lock onto her deep purple sword light, the Empress had to switch the positions of her Flying Sword and puppets to avoid being targeted by the beads.

    At that moment, since the Empress was both using the Sword Control Technique and employing the String-Pulling Technique to manage the puppets, as well as facing off against the near Zhao Yuanzhen, she inevitably had no time to use her Divine Sense to scan the area.

    Therefore, Yan Yu intentionally drew the battlefield to the other side. When Empress Yuanzhen moved her sword light and puppets, it allowed the Yin Ghosts to approach her from behind while invisible¡ªconsidering the swift speed of both the sword light and the puppets, which could cross over a dozen meters in less than a second, the window of opportunity for action was incredibly narrow.

    Even a half-second delay could lead to detection on the spot.

    Although Chen Lingyun''s reaction speed was lacking, as long as she wasn''t under the pressure of battle and could wait at leisure, her ability to seize the moment was undoubtedly top-notch. The reason he had Lin Ning come over to act as a dedicated bodyguard seemed like tying down an important combatant but actually created the opportunity for Chen Lingyun''s critical strike.

    Yan Yu briefly explained, and both Lin Ning and Xie Ruoxi had an epiphany.

    After a short period of regulating her breath, Zhao Yuanzhen, with her body covered in wounds, got up from the ground, gritting her teeth and saying:

    "Finally resolved... Hmpf, I thought it would be more formidable than that!"

    "Sister Zhao!" the three girls surrounded her, chattering away, "We had no idea you thought of us that way!"

    "I didn''t! That''s not what I meant! Stop making things up!" Zhao Yuanzhen vehemently denied, her face flushing and ears reddening, wishing she could catch Empress Yuanzhen again and shred her into eighty thousand pieces to vent her frustration.

    "Oh come on, we all know now, no need to be shy about it," Lin Ning cheerfully interjected.

    "Exactly," Xie Ruoxi added, with a satisfied expression that said "Who would have thought you were like this, Sister Zhao," nodding incessantly. "I knew from the very beginning that Sister Zhao is a very gentle and kind-hearted good person."

    "Er... Er... Er... Er... Er..." Struck by the proverbial ''nice guy'' card, Zhao Yuanzhen, who prided herself on being ruthless, couldn''t help but let out groans that sounded like a machine on the verge of breaking down.

    "Since we all know, we can''t keep Yun Jin in the dark," Chen Lingyun delivered the final blow with a gleeful smile. "After we get out of here, we''ll tell her about this so she can also change her perspective on Sister Zhao a little bit."

    Zhao Yuanzhen rolled her eyes and suddenly fell backwards, collapsing.

 Chapter 20 I, Yan Yu, am Open and Aboveboard

    Zhao Yuanzhen collapsed like that, and the girls immediately became flustered.

    Xie Ruoxi fed her water, Lin Ning pinched her philtrum, and Yan Yu sent his Divine Sense into her body for a probe, only to be greatly shocked and horrified.

    Feigning unconsciousness!

    When did this Demonic Sect Enchantress evolve her intelligence? She even mastered the skill of playing unconscious without speaking!

    Lin Ning was still pinching her philtrum, trying to forcibly wake her as she cried out,

    "Sister Zhao! Don''t sleep! You mustn''t fall unconscious!"

    But while you can wake up someone who is truly unconscious, how can you wake someone who''s pretending? No matter how hard she tried, Zhao Yuanzhen just silently endured, her eyes tightly shut, her arms hanging down, completely motionless.

    Yan Yu held her hand down and said gravely,

    "I''ve checked. She''s probably suffered severe injuries, gotten battle stress, and lost her memory. If she wakes up later, nobody should mention anything about the clones. Pretend nothing happened, to avoid further aggravating her injuries."

    Lin Ning: ???

    Just as she was about to ask "How did it become battle stress" "How do you know" "Should we not bring it up now or also not in the future," Zhao Yuanzhen, who had been unresponsive to the pinching, finally came to slowly and said,

    "It hurts so much!... Uh, what happened? Did we win?"

    "Yes, we overcame the fourth clone too." Yan Yu nodded calmly, "How about you? Are you okay?"

    "I''m fine." Zhao Yuanzhen said casually, "I just need to heal up a bit; it''s nothing serious, I can continue on in a moment."

    Seeing she had returned to normal, Lin Ning felt it was not appropriate to ask too much, but Xie Ruoxi didn''t care about that and asked curiously,

    "Sister Zhao, do you not remember anything?"

    "Remember what?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked curiously.

    At this moment, her eyes were clear, and her expression was innocent, as if truly nothing had happened.

    Xie Ruoxi wanted to ask more, but Lin Ning pulled hard on her arm, and she suddenly realized and said obediently,

    "As long as Sister Zhao is fine."

    Everyone begin meditating, checking for injuries on themselves. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The conditions of Xie Ruoxi and Zhao Yuanzhen were not very good; the former had been nailed through the chest by the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, barely missing her heart. It could be considered a stroke of luck¡ªbut considering the Mysterious Realm is a test, it''s possible that hitting this spot was intentional, not accidental.

    Zhao Yuanzhen had foregone defense in order to exchange injuries with Empress Yuanzhen, and her body had been hit by two or three sinister spells, requiring her to expel the foreign True Yuan with her own.

    Both of their conditions weren''t ideal. They could still fight, but how much of their original strength they could exert was really hard to say.

    Besides the main injuries, there were various minor external wounds and the depletion of True Yuan in the Dantian, which there is no need to mention in detail.

    After nearly half a month of drawn-out warfare in the Southern Border, everyone had gained experience in how to treat their injuries to avoid affecting their strength.

    They consumed Elixir Medicine, sat in meditation, absorbed the medicine''s strength, and recovered their True Yuan. Those with severe injuries like Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi had to take another Elixir, dissolve it in water, and smear it around the wounds, letting them absorb it before reapplying, repeating this process.

    Elixir Medicine reserves were abundantly supplied and served as a powerful guarantee for the first group of Cultivators to engage in good battles. In contrast, second and third-tier Cultivators, even those from the Military Manor and civilian Cultivators, had a limited quota for the Elixir Medicines they relied on for daily assistance with their Qi Refinement¡ªit was very limited.

    Thinking about using them for healing? Forget about it.

    It took nearly half an hour to finally adjust things to a satisfactory level.

    Thinking about having to deal with the team captain''s clone at the end, the girls were three parts curious and apprehensive, and seven parts helpless and even afraid.

    To be honest, even if they faced Yan Yu himself, they couldn''t beat him even if they ganged up together. Now that they were about to fight Yan Yu''s strengthened clone, they had a clear and strong premonition of seeking their own death.

    Of course, since Yan Yu himself was on our side, it wasn''t impossible to fight, but it was definitely going to be very difficult.

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    "Which brings us back to the point, captain," Xie Ruoxi asked curiously, "do you have any dark history?"

    "Indeed," Chen Lingyun said with a mischievous smile, fanning the flames, "Now''s your chance to come clean, otherwise your clone will spill the beans later, and then you''ll really have no way to talk your way out of it and lose face!"

    "What dark history could I have?" Yan Yu scoffed, "Aside from anything else, two words describe me¡ªhonest. Whatever I think in my heart, I say with my mouth, never beating around the bush with you guys. What kind of dark history could I have?"

    "Humph," Zhao Yuanzhen also wore a mischievous smile, "You''re being offered a chance, and if you don''t take it, don''t blame us for mocking you mercilessly later."

    "What, you remembered something?" Yan Yu glanced at her sideways.

    Zhao Yuanzhen immediately played dead, pretending to be admiring the surrounding scenery.

    "Heh," Lin Ning also spoke up with a laugh, "I''m very curious about what dark history our captain could have. Could it be that you hid some ''interesting'' books at home, and your parents found them while cleaning?"

    "What, you also want to see me drop my little pearls of wisdom?" Yan Yu asked with raised eyebrows.

    Lin Ning immediately pretended to be concerned about Sister Zhao''s injury and went over to join the Demonic Sect Enchantress.

    "Um," Xie Ruoxi fell silent for a moment, then said with a forced smile, "Captain, how about we make a gentleman''s agreement? Whatever your clone says, I promise to act as if I never heard it and won''t speak of it afterward, but in return, I ask for the same treatment, deal?"

    "Not a good deal," Yan Yu responded, "Whatever my clone says, you can tell anyone freely."

    "But my issues..." Xie Ruoxi''s face paled.

    "What issues?" Yan Yu asked, puzzled, "You mean when you were a kid and you wrote a novel where you fantasized about being the reincarnation of an Immortal Venerate named Qiu Changtian, and you wrote more than half a book full of settings spanning urban, Xianxia, and fantasy genres, even wildly spreading this setting in front of teachers and family members?

    You want me not to mention this to anyone after I leave here?"

    "Uh, uhhhh, ahhh ahhh ahhh ahhh ahhh," Xie Ruoxi''s soul seemed to leave her body, and she couldn''t say a word for a long time, so she quickly pretended to heal with her eyes closed, secretly feeling distressed.

    Chen Lingyun stopped talking, but Yan Yu, having already killed three people metaphorically, certainly didn''t plan to spare her, and said coldly:

    "So, the little girl who pursues perfection, is stubborn and fears loneliness, do you have anything else you''d like to say to me?"

    "You''re not afraid of offending so many of us at once, afraid your clone will reveal something that would embarrass you if we knew and talked about it later?" Chen Lingyun asked, puzzled.

    "Of course, I''m not afraid," Yan Yu said, "Like I said, I don''t have any dark history that can''t be brought up. If you dare to ask, I dare to answer."

    Really?

    Based on his expression, he didn''t seem to be lying, and besides, they were about to face his clone any minute now, so there wouldn''t be any point in lying right now, right?

    Chen Lingyun silently came to a conclusion, her face blossoming into a cheerful smile:

    "Alright then, shall we set off?"

 Chapter 21 The Severe Beating

    The group arrived at the final battle hall.

    The appearance and furnishings of this hall, with a life-size bronze mirror standing in the center, were no different from the previous four halls.

    But everyone felt as if they were facing a formidable enemy, because a Demon King was about to emerge.

    After a moment, they finally saw Yan Yu''s clone step out slowly from within the bronze mirror.

    The girls'' expressions immediately tensed up; unlike before, this clone wasn''t dressed in the classically ornate attire but in plain clothes, holding a Huangting Heavy Sword, as if he were a swordsman straight out of a novel, the kind with little fame in the martial world.

    "You''ve come," the swordsman said.

    "I have," Yan Yu answered.

    "You shouldn''t have come," the swordsman added.

    "Why?" Yan Yu questioned.

    "Once you''re here, you can''t pretend to be deaf and dumb," the swordsman stated.

    "Then I won''t pretend," Yan Yu replied.

    The swordsman''s gaze swept over the crowd, then he suddenly said:

    "Do you all like me?"

    The simple six words made everyone struggle to keep their composure, especially since their clones had already expressed their feelings earlier, it felt somewhat hollow to deny it¡ªonly Lin Ning muttered softly, "Certainly not."

    "There are too many people," the swordsman continued.

    "So what?" Yan Yu was noncommittal.

    "I will only be with the strongest woman," the swordsman coldly stated, "The rest are unworthy!"

    Everyone was speechless.

    Although it sounded outrageous at first, upon reflection, it indeed seemed like something their captain could say.

    "If that''s the case," the swordsman spoke again, "I shall try out your strength and eliminate a batch for you in advance."

    "That''s unnecessary," Yan Yu said, "You don''t need to intervene."

    "That''s not for you to decide," the swordsman insisted, "Heart tempering requires it; it''s a necessary step."

    "How do you plan to test us then?" Yan Yu inquired.

    The girls all looked at Yan Yu in shock: Come on, captain! This is in the Mysterious Realm! What''s with the casual chatter with your clone? And you''re letting him test our strength? What if there really are casualties... Wait, this is a trial-type realm, so it seems no one dies...

    But that''s not the point! There should be clarity between friend and foe, whose side are you really on?!

    "One by one," the swordsman said, "Those who can''t withstand me have no right to be with me."

    "Sounds somewhat reasonable," Yan Yu suddenly changed his tone, "But what gives you the right to overstep your bounds? Their captain is me, not you."

    "The right is earned through combat," the swordsman declared.

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    "Then let''s fight," Yan Yu nodded.

    Suddenly, the sword light crisscrossed and the two were already locked in combat. As the sword light clashed, sparks flew, and soon after, their figures emerged from the momentum, exchanging kicks and punches like a violent storm. The swordsman seized the opening in Yan Yu''s defense after his attack, rushing in with a shoulder strike aimed at his chin, which Yan Yu blocked with crossed hands.

    Yan Yu then grasped the swordsman''s shoulder blade with his left hand, while his right hand slid down, attempting to disable his arm. However, the swordsman shook his arm and broke free from the hold.

    Amidst their fistfight, two streams of sword light were also engaged in a battle of their own, each maintaining dual fronts as if it were as simple as eating and drinking. Suddenly, Yan Yu''s Huang Tingjian sword found an opening and slashed towards the swordsman''s face. The opponent urgently retreated his sword light to block in front, but, caught off guard, he could only brace for the impact.

    As a result, he was sent flying with his sword.

    As his figure flew backward, the swordsman tapped his feet in midair lightning-fast, executing the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, abruptly accelerating towards the young women at the edge of the arena.

    Lin Ning hurriedly performed Sword Control, slashing with her sword, initiating with the technique "White Rainbow Piercing the Sun," drawing a fierce arc with the green sword light.

    Fighting the other people''s replicates, there was no need for fancy sword techniques, as even a "bastard''s fist" could fell the master. But Yan Yu was a master of swordsmanship, and his replicate would not be weaker in this regard. Being careless would only make one an easy target.

    The replicate also stopped his footwork and leaped into the air with Sword Control, countering with the technique "Pine Welcoming Guests."

    The overarching principles of the Kunlun Imperial Sword Technique mentioned that "Phoenix Greeting" was more about defensive counterattacks, with a focus on the counter; while "Pine Welcoming Guests" was relatively more defensive... Flashes of related knowledge went through Lin Ning''s mind, and she immediately decided to intensify her offensive, unleashing "Eagle Soaring the Skies!"

    In the instant the sword lights met, Lin Ning had already switched to "Eagle Soaring the Skies," her sword light descending like a full moon.

    The swordsman''s sword light suddenly retreated, dodging the first strike with precision.

    It wasn''t over yet! Lin Ning roared inwardly, her sword techniques swiftly chaining together. The second strike!

    The angle of the chopping Green Bamboo Sword light subtly shifted, changing direction to cut again, ascending sharply like a dragon emerging from the sea.

    The swordsman''s sword light once again slanted sideways, floating like an autumn leaf blown by the wind, seemingly light and unable to find solid ground but just managing to evade the uppercut''s edge.

    I refuse to believe this! Lin Ning continued to vary her sword techniques, switching to a horizontal slash for the third strike, her Sword Qi seeming to tear open space itself.

    The swordsman''s sword light continued to move backward, dodging the simple and crude horizontal slash. Lin Ning was about to form the fourth strike, but having exhausted the angles for the sword light to cut in, she had no choice but to pull back in haste.

    Then she saw the swordsman''s sword light launch a move "Fierce Tiger Turning its Head," perfectly timed onto her retreat, striking her defenseless Green Bamboo Sword light and forcing it back.

    The force of the Huangting Heavy Sword was already immense, and this blow was nearly lethal for Lin Ning. Hardly five or six meters out, her Sword Control state was forcibly dispelled, and next, her body slammed onto the ground, rolling several times, with who knows how many ribs broken. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    She struggled to stand up and, using Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, hastily retreated. The swordsman also cancelled his Sword Control state and accelerated with the same step to pursue, saying,

    "Is this how you use ''Eagle Soaring the Skies''? Your moves are too rigid, your changes too stiff, your attacks uncontrolled and your withdraws undefended. With such trashy swordsmanship, you still dare to have a crush on me? If you don''t have the guts, better drink more water so as not to embarrass yourself."

    Lin Ning''s body shook with fury. Other replicates would beat up their originals as soon as they appeared, so why did the captain''s replicate come out and start beating on me instead?

    The series of sword exchanges that had just transpired occurred in the blink of an eye. The girls only saw the flashing sword lights clashing, and then Lin Ning was sent flying, without even knowing how she was defeated.

    Xie Ruoxi had already formed a lightning orb in her hand, wanting to shoot but unable to aim accurately¡ªboth the swordsman''s sword light and Lin Ning''s steps were too swift. Though her lightning was fast, it seemed too easy to miss compared to the others.

    "Shall we make our move?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked telepathically.

    "Wait," Chen Lingyun responded succinctly.

    Against an opponent of this level, it was a waste of True Yuan to act rashly. It was more daunting to keep the attack at bay as a threat, forcing the opponent to stay on edge.

    Lin Ning didn''t get far before Yan Yu activated Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, cutting across her path and intercepting the swordsman mid-way, saying,

    "Though her swordsmanship is indeed poor, your words are too hurtful."

    "I only speak what''s already on your mind," the swordsman retorted, "Isn''t it your own thoughts that are too hurtful?"

    "Can''t you watch your tone and choice of words?" Yan Yu shaped his sword techniques, unleashing fierce attacks on the replicate.

    "I can''t," replied the swordsman, "because I am your replicate."

    "That''s also true," Yan Yu nodded in agreement.

 Chapter 22 Continue Torture

    ```

    Seizing the moment his clone was intercepted by Yan Yu, Lin Ning hurriedly withdrew to the girls'' side and then began to catch her breath and heal her wounds.

    "How are you?" Xie Ruoxi asked with concern.

    "Can''t beat him," Lin Ning shook her head.

    The girls were all speechless. You just got beaten up like a dog, of course, we know you can''t win! We''re asking how your body is, can you continue to fight?

    But with Ningning''s competitive nature, even if she was like a candle flickering in the wind, she would stubbornly claim, "I can still fight," so actually, this question seemed rather meaningless...

    Looking back at the field, Yan Yu and the clone were locked in a frenzied struggle. Clashes of their sword lights were fierce as thunder, quick as lightning; their figures swapping places almost to the point of leaving afterimages.

    They moved from the east side of the arena to the west and then to the north, hardly staying in one place for half a second, making it an enormous challenge for the girls to provide long-range support, let alone aim properly.

    "The pace is too fast," Chen Lingyun said softly, "This won''t do."

    When it came to strength, the clone was definitely stronger than the original.

    The advantage for the original side lay in their numbers, with five against one. They needed to use their numerical superiority and tactical coordination to negate the gap in strength between the original and the clone. This was the correct approach to clear the challenge.

    However, a chronic issue for the Zhenhai Team was that when Yan Yu fought with all his might, the pace was too fast, and the rest of the team couldn''t keep up with his speed.

    Supporting fire? Assists? By the time you''re ready to cooperate with his move, he''s already carried out his second and third strikes. It would be a miracle if you could coordinate well under such circumstances.

    This issue wasn''t fatal in ordinary circumstances since Yan Yu could simply fight solo and crush the enemy. But now, facing a clone stronger than the original, he couldn''t manage alone, and the others couldn''t sync with him. In the end, Yan Yu would be the first to be exhausted by the ordeal, then the clone would come and pick off the remaining girls, one by one.

    "Just give me half a second to pin the clone down, and I''ll blast him with my Thunder Method!" Xie Ruoxi exclaimed frantically.

    "Even without the Thunder Method, wouldn''t my White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin do the trick?" Zhao Yuanzhen said irritably, "The problem is the clone''s speed; how do we pin him down!"

    As everyone was at a loss, they heard the Swordsman say:

    "Hanging around with these bugs, you still think about saving Lu Country, isn''t that a bit of a pipe dream?" S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Even the mightiest experts have all grown from novices." Yan Yu replied.

    "You know it in your heart," the Swordsman said, "They don''t have the chance to experience the hardships you''ve endured, so it''s impossible for them to reach your level."

    "I beg to differ," Yan Yu said.

    "As of now, Lin Ning can''t last five seconds against me," the Swordsman scoffed, "No matter how much extra training you give them, it cannot replace actual life-and-death combat. Compared to those formidable Transcendents from abroad who emerged from piles of corpses and seas of blood, your so-called team training is nothing but child''s play."

    Yan Yu remained silent.

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    "The so-called ''you''re not worthy'', is just your subconscious defense mechanism," the Swordsman pointed out mercilessly, "Because deep down you''re afraid. You fear that one day they''ll be killed on the battlefield, and all the emotions you''ve invested in them will turn into a devastating blow to you."

    "That''s enough," Yan Yu finally spoke, "No one is going to die this time."

    "How long will you keep lying to yourself?" The Swordsman flexed his fingers to form a Sword technique, finally penetrating the defenses of Huang Tingjian and striking Yan Yu''s left shoulder, "Only those who have truly lost something precious know the fear of losing it again. But if you''ve never had it, there''s nothing to lose.

    Telling them ''you''re not worthy'' isn''t an insult, it''s the blunt truth¡ªbecause you''re meant to walk the path of the lone and disastrous star."

    The sword light didn''t continue to cut downwards, instead halting as it sliced his arm, because Yan Yu had already activated the Curved Curse, his hands grasping the sword blade tightly and resisting it from above.

    "Damn it, I can''t take this anymore!" Zhao Yuanzhen stood up, "Ling Yun, keep thinking of something. I''m going in!"

    She charged towards the Swordsman with Shifting Technique and threw the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin with a movement of her hand.

    This magic weapon honed in automatically, impossible to dodge, only defendable by something like a Flying Sword. Therefore, the Swordsman formed a Sword technique, and the sword light instantly withdrew from Yan Yu''s shoulder wound, pulling with it a gush of blood like a fountain.

    The White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin was blocked by the sword light, and Zhao Yuanzhen was now in front of Yan Yu, asking softly, "Are you okay?"

    "To find a flaw in my defense," Yan Yu pressed on the acupoint near the wound, injecting True Yuan to stem the bleeding, and lamented, "It seems, in this world, only my clone could achieve that."

    "What''s the point of caring about that now?" Zhao Yuanzhen said anxiously, shaking out Silver Pellets from her sleeve, transforming them into the shape of puppet Ami, eyes fixed on the opponent.

    The Swordsman didn''t rush to attack but spoke in an eerie tone:

    "Look, she''s so anxious and caring about you; it''s clear her feelings for you have taken deep root. Yet as soon as she reveals any closeness to you, you hurry to push her away. Isn''t it because you fear her becoming your concern?"

    Caught off guard by those words, Zhao Yuanzhen was about to retort when she heard Yan Yu from behind her say:

    "You''re wrong,"

    "In what way?"

    "I don''t fear her becoming a concern," Yan Yu stood up, his voice calm, "Because she already is."

    ```

    Zhao Yuanzhen froze for a moment, then suddenly felt a surging passion, as if his entire body was filled with endless strength.

    "I admit what you just said makes some sense," Yan Yu continued in a deep voice, "I''ve always been subconsciously looking down on them, trying to carry the whole team on my own, blocking the entire storm by myself, but as a result, I''ve prevented them from growing."

    "In the end, some setbacks are unavoidable. The suffering that needs to be endured, must be endured; the blood that needs to be shed, must be shed. Even if they can''t win now, they need to go and try for themselves, even if they''re defeated miserably, as long as they don''t die, there will always be a day when they can win."

    "Good, good," the Swordsman finally showed a smile, this time with much more sincerity, "since the creation of the Mysterious Realm, trial-takers who have revealed flaws in their hearts are plenty. Some refuse to admit it, some lose their guard and curse wildly, others remain silent.

    But you are the first one willing to face the flaws in your heart, understand the intricacies, openly acknowledge the problems, and plan to make changes."

    "Come on, let''s complete the last step of the process."

    "Defeat me."

    "Okay." Yan Yu didn''t rush to make a move, but turned to say, "Ling Yun, I''m taking over command. No problems, right?"

    "No problem," Chen Lingyun nodded in agreement.

    "Good," Yan Yu asked further, "How about Ningning?"

    "Of course I can fight!" Lin Ning called out the sword technique loudly in response.

    "Then let''s go," Yan Yu declared.

    Both of them leapt forward simultaneously, wrapped in the light of their swords, and bravely charged at the replica!

    "Well met!" The Swordsman, facing the twin swords'' pincer attack, didn''t advance but retreated, controlling the sword light to intercept them.

    "I''ll take care." Faced with the robust sword light coming at him, Yan Yu quickly communicated with Lin Ning, while he used his Sword Control to intercept, "You go for the beheading."

    Lin Ning was instantly startled by his words. Because if they were to follow past tactical habits, she should be the one holding off the opponent''s Flying Sword, letting the more powerful captain go decapitate the enemy.

    But I''m not afraid either!

    As Yan Yu and the opposing sword light clashed, she took the opportunity to steer her Green Bamboo Sword light towards the replica, just as the Swordsman laughed, "Well met! Little Ningning, what I like most about you is your unreserved, straightforward manner of charging in with your sword!"

    Lin Ning was startled again. What, the captain likes me?

    In that brief moment of hesitation, the replica''s sword light broke free from the clash with Yan Yu, turned around, and retreated back to the Swordsman''s side to prepare its defense¡ªfilling Lin Ning with regret.

    I could have killed him just now while his Flying Sword hadn''t returned!

    "Don''t get distracted!" Yan Yu came chasing with his sword, and said through voice transmission.

    "He said you like me!" Lin Ning complained.

    I''m not one to get easily distracted. It''s mainly his statement that''s shocking.

    "Right." Yan Yu continued transmitting, "But if you mess up again, I won''t like you anymore."

    "I won''t mess up!" Lin Ning instinctively retorted, but then thought it over and realized that her response seemed to carry the implication of not allowing him "not to like her"...

    Forget it, just kill to finish this!

    She once again rallied her sword light and fiercely charged at the opponent. She saw the Swordsman retreat and dodge Xie Ruoxi''s godly Thunder Method bombardment, while simultaneously extending the sword light all around to force Chen Lingyun''s invisible five ghosts back, then suddenly crossed it in front of his chest, blocking Zhao Yuanzhen''s White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin sneak attack.

    Although the numerous attacks did not yield results, they ultimately slowed down the opponent''s mobile steps, allowing Yan Yu and Lin Ning to simultaneously reach his front.

    "I''ll bind the Flying Sword, you kill him," Yan Yu transmitted, "Don''t get distracted this time."

    "I''ve already said I won''t!" Lin Ning protested.

    "Really won''t you?" The Swordsman laughed, "Then what was that just now?"

    Lin Ning gritted her teeth without answering, resolutely pressing forward, silently thinking:

    I don''t care what you say, I want to hear him say it personally!

    Just as the opponent seemed to have no move left, Lin Ning was about to strike with a dazzling sword thrust to pierce through the chest, when suddenly, a figure flashed before her, and someone appeared.

    Sister Zhao?

    But in that moment of distraction, the girl resembling Zhao Yuanzhen flicked out blades from both of her wrists, delivering a swift and sharp cross slash that arrested Lin Ning''s Green Bamboo Sword light.

 Chapter 23 The Torture Temporarily Ends

    The puppet warrior emerged, and everyone was stunned.

    "Isn''t this one of Sister Zhao''s moves?"

    Of course, there was no time to ask Zhao Yuanzhen at this moment, otherwise it would have been possible to get a detailed explanation after defeating the fourth copy just now.

    The current urgent matter was to quickly defeat the captain''s copy, all else were illusions, pushed aside for later!

    As soon as the puppet warrior came out, it attacked Lin Ning. Its left hand blade parried the sword light while the right hand blade slashed swiftly several times, each strike holding the force of a thousand jun, throwing Lin Ning into disarray, unable to steady the sword light.

    From behind, Xie Ruoxi unleashed another thunder orb, forcing the puppet warrior to retreat quickly, and Lin Ning was able to break free.

    The swordsman called back his sword light and the puppet warrior in front of him, saying with a smile,

    "Lin Ning''s temperament is too straightforward and simple, although it''s advantageous on the path of Sword Immortal, it also presents the possibility of being exploited by the enemy."

    "Indeed," Yan Yu nodded in agreement.

    "Whose side are you on, captain!" Lin Ning was so angry that her face began to twitch.

    No, she mustn''t get angry anymore, as anger caused a pain in her chest, probably a true indication that a rib had broken...

    "Continue," said Yan Yu.

    Zhao Yuanzhen shook off the puppet warrior Ami and charged forward alongside Yan Yu, instantly clashing with the swordsman into a frenzy.

    Sword light dazzled as it crisscrossed back and forth while sparks flew from the clashing of metal; the nimble puppet warrior weaved through the fight, the blades in its wrists flashing coldly. Lin Ning controlled her sword light around the perimeter, unable to find an angle to enter the fray and had to stop and wait patiently for Yan Yu''s command.

    After observing for a moment, Chen Lingyun noticed that Yan Yu''s attack rhythm had significantly slowed down.

    In his earlier combat with the copy, whether using fists or swords, his pace had been extremely fast, shifting tactics three or four times in the midst of a single move, making it impossible for his teammates to keep up with his rhythm.

    Now, to coordinate with Sister Zhao, he had deliberately slowed his offensive rhythm, even reducing the frequency of his movements, no longer pursuing his signature "Lightning Triple Strike."

    Although the strength of his own offensive was much reduced, considering that Zhao Yuanzhen was fitting into the battle like a puzzle piece, the overall fluidity of the attack had actually improved.

    After all, no matter how skilled at multitasking one might be, it still couldn''t compare to the power of a combined attack.

    With this realization, Chen Lingyun''s mind cleared, and she sent a message to Lin Ning,

    "Ningning, go for it."

    "I can''t find the opportunity!" Lin Ning anxiously said, "What if I rush into battle and end up dragging us down?"

    Even though Sister Zhao could coordinate with him, I just can''t seem to fit in...

    "It''s alright," Chen Lingyun said with a smile that seemed to see through everything, "You won''t drag us down."

    Before Lin Ning could comprehend the meaning, Yan Yu''s message came through:

    "Sword Control Technique."

    "Okay," Lin Ning readied her Green Bamboo Sword to join the battle, "How should I strike?"

    "You just go," Yan Yu replied.

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    If it were Chen Lingyun, she would at least instruct her on whom to target, like entangling the Flying Sword, striking the puppet warrior, or hitting the original... Eh?

    She peered closely at the battlefield and noticed that in just the past few seconds, the copy had exposed several weaknesses that could be attacked¡ªnot because the copy had decreased in strength, but because Yan Yu, in the process of fighting him, had intentionally or unintentionally allowed these openings.

    I know how to solve this problem!

    Lin Ning''s spirits immediately lifted, her hand flashing with sword techniques, driving the Green Bamboo Sword to attack those exposed weaknesses.

    "Got it now?" Seeing Lin Ning seamlessly integrating into the action, Yan Yu sent a message to Chen Lingyun.

    "Yeah." Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "I didn''t expect you to be so good at supporting and coordinating. Have you ever considered a career change to an Assistant Officer or Envoy?"

    "Not considering it." The Swordsman said.

    Both were startled, realizing it was actually the clone who was speaking.

    "I was used to going solo before, always thinking of solving problems by myself." the clone continued, "Now it seems, it''s not always necessary to go all out. Even if just helping to eliminate a few wrong answers and bringing the difficulty down to your ''noob'' level is enough, that''s the charm of teamwork."

    The girls immediately became furiously angry and messaged Yan Yu in unison:

    "Quick, command us to kill this thing!"

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    Yan Yu, Zhao Yuanzhen, and Lin Ning, each contending with the clone, the Flying Sword, and the puppet. The former led the attack and controlled the pace, while the latter two were responsible for assisting and supporting each other. Though they were no match for the clone individually, together they not only held their own but also gradually gained the upper hand.

    Chen Lingyun and Xie Ruoxi moved around the periphery, following Yan Yu''s commands for ranged attacks¡ªnow throwing prayer beads now casting Thunder Method¡ªfrequently interrupting the clone''s attack rhythms, tipping the balance of the battlefield ever more in their favor.

    As the clone found itself at a disadvantage, it did not struggle desperately. Instead, it began commenting more frequently:

    "Ruoxi, your Thunder Method was lousy, terrible aim. At this level, you''re not fit to be by my side as a consort."

    Xie Ruoxi: ...

    "Long-range sneak attacks should emulate Lingyun; perfect timing and angle. You qualify to compete for the queen''s position in the Eastern Palace."

    Chen Lingyun: ......

    "Ningning, don''t be too rigid. Following commands is one thing, but can''t you find opportunities on your own when there''s no direction? With your test-taker mindset, if you don''t change, you''ll at most compete for the queen''s position in the Western Palace in the future. Once you''re in my harem, you''ll be outdone by Lingyun."

    Lin Ning: .........

    The girls fell silent. The more the clone trash-talked, the more it fueled their anger, vowing to beat the clone to a pulp... and they were willing to beat the original if they still weren''t satisfied after that.

    Finally seizing her chance, Lin Ning''s sword light separated the puppet and the clone, simultaneously blocking the clone''s line of sight.

    The puppet''s feet were ensnared by five ghosts. Just as it used the blade in its hand to drive them off, it was obliterated by Xie Ruoxi''s Thunder Method.

    With one of its two main offensive methods gone, the tide of battle finally turned completely, and the clone was driven to a dead end. Yet, it kept talking:

    "Zhao, you need to try harder. There are so many girls who like me. If you don''t get stronger, they will whisk me away, and you''ll be left alone, weeping silently in regret..."

    "Nonsense! Nonsense! Nonsense!" Zhao Yuanzhen thrust her White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin through the clone''s chest, then wielded the Yin Wind Sword to smash his head to pieces.

    The clone''s form had already shattered layer by layer, vanishing from sight.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress, still unsatisfied, used the Yin Wind Sword to smash the mirror shards on the ground, making a sharp, clattering noise.

    The other girls felt similarly, each turning their gaze to Yan Yu.

    Lin Ning was the first to challenge him:

    "Aren''t you going to explain what the clone said?"

    "Explain what?" Yan Yu appeared puzzled, "You did fight terribly."

    "Terribly your head!" Lin Ning tried to kick him, but a sharp pain in her ribs made her stagger almost falling backward, only to be caught around the waist by Yan Yu.

    Before the other girls could lash out, Yan Yu deftly steadied her and then let go, saying:

    "All right, we''ve dealt with all five clones, let''s keep moving and see what else is inside. Is it possible that the next challenge is five clones coming out together for a group battle against us?"

    "Don''t jinx it!" As soon as the girls considered such a possibility, they all collectively shuddered, even forgetting to pursue the matter of the harem comments, hastily urging their captain to shut his mouth first.

 Chapter 24 The More You Ask, The More Dismal It Gets

    The group passed through five battle halls and entered the depths of the Mirror Lake Divine Palace.

    Lin Ning had a bellyful of questions, such as what the duplicate meant by "I just like your straightforwardness and decisiveness," or "If you join my harem like this, you''ll be under Ling Yun''s thumb," and so on.

    But every time she found an opportunity to ask, she was immediately interrupted by Yan Yu in various ways, like "What is this! Oh¡­ a book," "There''s a figure over there! My mistake, it''s just a statue," and so on.

    After several times, she slowly got the hint and realized that Yan Yu didn''t want to hear her asking too much.

    She kept her mouth shut, but secretly communicated with her sisters through voice transmission.

    "What do you all think?" Lin Ning asked.

    "Haven''t thought much about it," Xie Ruoxi replied, "If the captain wants to open a harem, just let him be."

    "No," Lin Ning said, exasperated, "It''s modern society; how could such things be allowed! Isn''t he afraid of being criticized by public opinion?"

    "He''s probably not afraid," Xie Ruoxi said.

    Where Lin Ning would believe that, she racked her brains and thought about Yan Yu''s character.

    Damn¡­ he really isn''t afraid.

    Before the battle with the Flying Dragon Battle Team, when the Zhenhai Team was criticized for having "too high a female ratio," Yan Yu only reacted with "Haha, idiots," and didn''t even bother to make a statement. It was just she and Sister Zhao battling it out with trolls online¡­

    "Anyway, even if he really opens a harem, I won''t join, so it has nothing to do with me," Xie Ruoxi said nonchalantly, "He can marry as many wives as he wants."

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    Ruoxi, that''s not what your duplicate said. Why do I remember her saying "Once I become powerful, I''ll tie the captain down and marry him"?

    But on second thought, if she truly became strong enough to thrash the captain, and dragged him off to the civil affairs bureau to forcibly register their marriage, wouldn''t that mean he couldn''t start a harem anyway? Since in modern society, to create a harem, one must not register a marriage, because the law doesn''t support polygamy, right?

    "What about Ling Yun and Sister Zhao?" Lin Ning continued to inquire.

    "He can''t open a harem," Zhao Yuanzhen said coldly, "Otherwise, I''ll castrate him!"

    Lin Ning decided to ignore Sister Zhao''s comment, and asked:

    "What does Ling Yun think?"

    "I find it quite interesting," Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    How can that be interesting¡­ Lin Ning was about to fiercely retort when she heard Chen Lingyun ask:

    "Do you girls think the words spoken by Yan Yu''s duplicate really reflect his inner thoughts?"

    "Yes." "Of course." "Definitely." The girls agreed in unison.

    If that wasn''t true, wouldn''t we be spouting nonsense into the void, scaring ourselves? It has to be true!

    "Since that''s the case," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "then the words of our duplicates also must be true, right? Sister Zhao wants to be the lead wife, Ningning has a hidden crush on the captain, Ruoxi wants to forcibly marry the captain, and I want to encourage the captain to start a harem¡­"

    "It''s not true, it''s not true!" The girls were alarmed and quickly denied it.

    Xie Ruoxi even argued unreasonably, babbling:

    "Is there a possibility that this mysterious realm naturally harbors malice toward females? Would the female replicas deliberately talk nonsense to slander our reputations, while male replicas would tell the truth?"

    "I find that highly unlikely," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "The essence of gender is actually the difference in sex chromosomes. If the mechanisms of the mysterious realm were to handle individuals differently based on their sex chromosomes, then what would happen to cultivators with chromosomal abnormalities? Wouldn''t that be a loophole bug?" S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Xie Ruoxi was at a loss for words. She knew it was impossible; her nonsense was just to shut Chen Lingyun up and keep her from talking further.

    "I... I have absolutely no interest in Yan Yu in that way!" Lin Ning felt that a simple denial was not enough and added, "I see Yan Yu as our captain, and I only have the feelings of comradeship and friendship for him. That replica was spouting nonsense, and I was afraid you and the captain might misunderstand. So, I''m explaining again here¡ªdon''t overthink it, okay?"

    "I don''t want to be some sort of grand wife either!" Zhao Yuanzhen likewise protested, "My view on marriage is very traditional and conservative. I can only accept one husband for life and would insist on dismantling the whole harem even if I married an emperor. It''s absolutely impossible for me to accept having several more ''sisters'' at home."

    "So the replicas'' statements are all false," Chen Lingyun concluded, "Yan Yu also never thought about having a harem. The most likely scenario is that the Zhenhai Team was previously hyped by outsiders on gender issues. Though he didn''t care, he might have been somewhat uncomfortable, and then the replica read his mind, intentionally saying those things to fiercely break his defenses. But it failed."

    "Exactly," "It should be so," "There''s no other explanation," the other three girls quickly nodded in agreement.

    Of course, agreeing in the voice transmission channel was one thing; what they actually thought in their hearts was another matter.

    Because this was actually a very simple logical conundrum: as long as my replica tells the truth, Yan Yu''s replica does too; if my replica lies, Yan Yu''s replica lies as well.

    So is what my own replica says true or false? In any case, everyone knows the truth deep down, but no one would openly admit it.

    They had to be lies!

    Since they were all lies, there was no need for everyone to discuss and strategize with each other. The group sullenly followed Yan Yu, and the atmosphere visibly darkened.

    "What''s wrong with you?" Yan Yu turned back in puzzlement when he noticed the low morale, "You are not still secretly messaging to dwell on the replica incident, are you?"

    "No, not at all," "Those were all unfounded lies," "We''re just wondering when the mysterious realm will come to an end," the girls hurriedly explained.

    "Oh." Yan Yu didn''t press them, but simply nodded calmly and said, "That''s good."

    Seeing his straightforwardness, the girls felt even more aggrieved.

    Couldn''t you say something to prove your innocence too? Even if you just said "My replica was lying," whether true or false, it would at least make us feel a bit better after hearing it!

    Zhao Yuanzhen couldn''t hold back and directly asked:

    "Yan Yu, do you intend to have a harem in the future?"

    "How would I know what will happen in the future?" Yan Yu retorted.

    "What about now?" Lin Ning pressed on.

    "Of course, I don''t have such thoughts now," Yan Yu responded with a sneer, "I don''t even plan to find a girlfriend, let alone start a harem. Isn''t asking such questions laughable? It''s like someone who doesn''t even buy lottery tickets dreaming about ''what I would do if I won ten million'' every day."

    Hearing his admission of "not intending to start a harem," the girls collectively breathed a sigh of relief in their hearts.

    But then it hit them, the captain doesn''t even plan to find a girlfriend...

    So the atmosphere turned even colder, and everyone was somewhat downhearted, unable to lift their spirits.

    Leading the group, Yan Yu made sure they checked every room in the depths of the Mirror Lake Divine Palace. Apart from many useless pieces of furniture and utensils, they indeed found a smattering of magical treasures, Elixir Medicines, Spirit Grass, and so on, finally discovering the control center of the mysterious realm¡ªa beautifully crafted small bronze mirror¡ªin one of the rooms.

    "Ningning, take the others and tidy up the items. Ling Yun, come and refine this mirror," Yan Yu ordered, then suddenly looked perplexed, "Why do you all seem so spiritless?"

    "No, it''s just some fatigue after tackling the mysterious realm," the group replied listlessly.

 Chapter 25 Kill You

    Everyone teleported out of the Mirror Lake Divine Palace and saw the five members of the Huofeng Team sitting by Mirror Lake, wrapped up like mummies, waiting for the Zhenhai Team to come out.

    "Is the fight over?" Zhang Huaide was the first to speak.

    The reason they recognized Deputy Captain Zhang was that he was the only one among the five mummified figures wearing glasses, which made him look utterly out of place.

    "It''s over," Yan Yu nodded, turned his head to look at the other four mummies, quickly identified the one with the fiercest eyes, and smilingly spread his arms, "Xiao Zhou, I''ve avenged you, come here for a hug!"

    "Idiot." Zhou Hongyu said coldly, "What revenge? Did you fight my replica?"

    "Haha, they''re all generated by the Mysterious Realm, don''t be so particular about it," Yan Yu laughed, "How are your injuries?"

    "Almost healed, just need to keep an eye on them for a bit longer," Tang Xiaolian suddenly asked, "You guys didn''t get hurt?"

    "Sustained some minor injuries, nothing serious," Yan Yu replied.

    "Any dark histories revealed?" Meng Qingxi asked with a smile, "Did any dark histories come out?"

    His careless remark not only caused the Zhenhai Team''s girls to become alert but even his own Huofeng Team members gave him sharp looks¡ªQin Meng elbowed him from the side, sending him doubling over, holding his stomach, and gasping for air.

    "Nope," Yan Yu laughed heartily, "They were just unsubstantiated rumors that didn''t really affect our morale; nobody believed them."

    "Really?" Tang Xiaolian asked doubtfully.

    She noticed that apart from Chen Lingyun, who always had a fake smile, the other three girls seemed uncomfortable.

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    "Of course it''s true," Yan Yu said calmly, "You''ve fought a replica yourself, don''t you know? What did your replica say?"

    "It said she had a secret crush on her sixth-grade homeroom teacher... Ouch!" Meng Qingxi, always straightforward, barely got half the sentence out before Tang Xiaolian elbowed him again, promptly shutting him up with the pain.

    "My replica was quite honest," Yan Yu laughed, "It pointed out the flaws and gaps in my tactical thinking and even served as a target for us to practice and improve on the spot."

    The members of the Huofeng Team looked at each other, falling into silence involuntarily.

    Something''s not right here!

    Why are our replicas breaking us down mentally, and physically beating us half to death, while your replicas are helping you pinpoint your thought processes and serving as practice targets, helping you refine your strategies?

    Everyone wanted to look for signs of lying on Yan Yu''s face but found none... Yan Yu showed no other signs of damage aside from a wound on his shoulder, and his spirit seemed high, not at all like someone who had just gone through a fierce battle.

    So everyone turned their eyes to the Zhenhai Team''s girls.

    Lin Ning and the others wanted to say "it''s not true," "it''s only the captain''s word," "we''ve been severely tortured too," but then they remembered that admitting to the torture would be akin to confirming the replicas'' words as truth. Thus, they could only force a smile and agreed with Yan Yu, saying:

    "Our replicas didn''t say much, just some trash talk not worth mentioning. After all, it''s a test-type Mysterious Realm, once it''s over, it''s over."

    Everyone fell silent. Zhang Huaide held his glasses with his middle finger, his eyes becoming sharp behind the lenses.

    With his meticulous observation skills, of course, he could tell that Lin Ning and the others were not speaking their minds, whereas Yan Yu was genuinely unaffected.

    Indeed, Yan Yu is impressive.

    A person with great strength is strong in all aspects, which is why they can overcome the challenges in the Mysterious Realm that we cannot.

    Captain Zhou''s combat power is not bad, but her psychological endurance really needs work. That needs to change.

    But that''s not easy to change. Once a person reaches their twenties, their core values are already set, and from there, they only accumulate life experiences. Hoping for changes in character is extremely difficult.

    Zhang Huaide thought quietly to himself when he heard Yan Yu say:

    "Well then, we won''t stay any longer; you all take good care of your injuries."

    The two teams bid each other farewell. The Zhenhai Team left the Mysterious Realm and went for further medical examinations in the infirmary.

    Lin Ning had a cracked rib, Yan Yu had a shoulder injury, and Zhao Yuanzhen had several burns and corrosive injuries, but none were particularly severe.

    Xie Ruoxi was the most seriously injured, with the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin piercing her chest. Although it was promptly treated with True Yuan to prevent bleeding, there was still a risk of pneumothorax. The medical team performed a simple surgery to clean the hematoma and instructed her not to practice Sword Control, to rest for a week before a follow-up exam.

    The only one unscathed was Chen Lingyun, whom Yan Yu teased by saying, "If the sky falls, we tall ones will hold it up." She wasn''t really angry, just took out her phone to arrange flights.

    They had arrived with the grandeur of Sword Control, but now they had to return by plane. In the airport''s VIP lounge, Yan Yu received a call from Su Yunjin.

    "Ningning told me you guys were injured in the Ailao Mountain Mysterious Realm?"

    "Just some minor injuries," Yan Yu replied, "not a big deal."

    "Ruoxi has to recuperate for a week, and you say it''s not a big deal?" Su Yunjin retorted.

    "Ah, her injuries are severe because she''s too weak," Yan Yu said nonchalantly.

    "So you''re weak too, since you injured your shoulder?"

    "It''s because my clone is too strong," Yan Yu paused, then explained, "It''s just a flesh wound. It didn''t even touch the bone."

    "I''m planning to Sword Control back to Jinling Prefecture tonight," Su Yunjin said seriously. "You don''t have to say more, I''ll come over and see for myself."

    Yan Yu suddenly felt a bit sweaty. It was typical of the Gravity Mage Su Yunjin, a few words from her could make it hard to breathe.

    It''s like she would call her husband casually outside a hotel room if she ever had to catch him cheating, and after listening to his excuses, she would suddenly say, "I need to verify it myself," then the door handle would start rattling frantically...

    Scary.

    "Let''s not talk about this now, hang up," Su Yunjin hung up.

    Yan Yu paused for a moment, then silently turned his gaze toward the whistleblower, Lin Ning.

    Lin Ning immediately looked out the window, observing the planes taxiing in the distance.

    Xie Ruoxi chuckled on the side, then suddenly her phone rang.

    She answered the call, murmuring a few "mm-hmms," her complexion turning pale all of a sudden.

    "What''s wrong?" Yan Yu asked.

    "My parents found out about me becoming a Cultivator," Xie Ruoxi said numbly.

    "Oh, wasn''t that bound to happen sooner or later?" Yan Yu said.

    Not to mention anything else, the rosters of the major martial arts teams were publicly available, and with a bunch of fans following them all the time, it was impossible to keep it a secret. It was really more surprising that her parents had just found out now, suggesting that perhaps information was indeed scarce back in Xie Ruoxi''s hometown.

    "They want to come to Jinling to see me," Xie Ruoxi said, her face ashen.

    "That''s great," Yan Yu said. "I''ll give you a day off to take good care of your parents and send them back happy."

    "Aren''t you coming?" Xie Ruoxi hesitantly asked.

    "Your parents are coming to see you, what does that have to do with me?" Yan Yu countered.

    "Um," Xie Ruoxi struggled to speak and after a long pause, she said, "After my brother went back, he seems to have... misunderstood our relationship. I don''t know what he told them, but the main reason my parents are making the trip is to meet you."

    Everyone: .........

    "Xie! Ruoxi!!" Zhao Yuanzhen clenched her teeth and her grip on the armrest creaked.

    If it were before, she might not have minded so much. But now, coming out of the Mysterious Realm and knowing that the other''s clone wanted to "forcefully marry Yan Yu," the sudden mention of a "parent''s visit" made it hard not to suspect Xie Ruoxi''s intentions.

    "Sister Zhao, you''ve got to believe me!" Xie Ruoxi quickly hugged her arm, pleading, "This really has nothing to do with me! Plus, when my parents come, I will definitely explain everything to them!" S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Zhao Yuanzhen narrowed her eyes and after a long while, she let go of her anger and said with a smile:

    "If you don''t explain it clearly, I''ll kill you."

    Xie Ruoxi''s cold sweat poured down instantly.

 Chapter 26 Auntie of the Xie Family

    When it came to meeting the elders of his girlfriend''s family, Yan Yu had quite a bit of experience under his belt.

    Su Yunjin''s parents were senior intellectuals, so he knew he had to be careful with his words and show some cultural refinement; he couldn''t be too crude.

    Chen Lingyun''s father was cunning and shrewd, it was best to be frank with him, no need to beat around the bush; her mother, on the other hand, was both foolish and haughty, so there was no need to be too polite, otherwise, she would look down on him.

    Li Minghu''s parents were middle-class small town folks, school teachers, with a very laid-back and easy-going nature; as long as their daughter and son-in-law were happy, everything was fine.

    Xie Ruoxi''s rural parents, according to Yan Yu''s memories from his previous life, didn''t stir up any scandals even when Ruoxi''s bad reputation was all over the internet, suggesting they weren''t the difficult type¡ªeven if they were, they wouldn''t be a match for Yan Yu.

    Back at Jinling Prefecture, he arranged as usual for the maid to come clean the house at a set time.

    Yan Yu played with his phone on the sofa for a while but then noticed an unusual quietness in the living room, with only Chen Lingyun sitting at the bar making coffee.

    "Where is everyone?" he asked as he stood up.

    "They''re all training in the basement," Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    "Why the sudden enthusiasm?" Yan Yu immediately became suspicious, "Usually, they can''t wait to skip out on extra training, and now, after coming back from the Mysterious Realm and resting for half a day, they''re actually training voluntarily?"

    "Yeah, weird, right?" Chen Lingyun said cheerfully, "What do you think is the reason?"

    "Hmm, it must be a case of ''shamed into bravery''," Yan Yu walked over to Chen Lingyun, took a sip of the coffee she had prepared, and grimaced, "Why is it so bitter?"

    "That''s just how this variety of beans is," Chen Lingyun replied, "Full-bodied and aromatic, with a sweet aftertaste."

    "I don''t taste any sweetness," Yan Yu said, frowning slightly, "Just a sour bitterness. You didn''t put dish soap in here, did you?"

    Chen Lingyun chuckled helplessly and shook her head.

    "You dare to mock the captain?" Yan Yu extended a finger and poked her on the head, "Going against the natural order? Learning from Xie Ruoxi, are you?"

    "Coffee inherently has acidity," Chen Lingyun said calmly, "As long as it''s smooth and not too sharp, it''s fine. If you can''t handle it, you could try something else."

    "Indeed, it must be me," Yan Yu said carelessly, "I can''t be expected to share the same tastes as a little girl who strives for perfection and is stubborn and petty."

    "Mhm," Chen Lingyun didn''t get angry but just smiled and said, "With drinks, you have to find your own favorite. It''s always right to try more options."

    Yan Yu''s brow furrowed instantly. What are you implying? Don''t think I don''t understand!

    He was about to organize his thoughts for a comeback, when he heard the front door being opened from the outside.

    Su Yunjin took off her shoes at the doorway, walked into the living room, and saw Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun chatting.

    "Captain, I''m back," she said with a warm smile.

    "Good to have you back," Yan Yu put on his captain''s air, looked her up and down, and suddenly said, "Did you get a tan?"

    "Did I?" Su Yunjin looked alarmed, quickly took out her phone to take a selfie, and then compared it with her photos from a few months ago.

    Lin Ning and the others were just coming up from the basement staircase when they saw Su Yunjin standing in the entrance hall. They immediately rushed over to surround her, expressing their care and concern:

    "Yun Jin, you''re back?"

    "Sister Yun Jin, I''ve missed you so much!"

    "Yun Jin, you seem a bit thinner."

    After exchanging pleasantries with her sisters for a moment, Su Yunjin smiled and said:

    "Let''s all go to my room. I''ll check on your injuries first. Captain, please wait downstairs for a while."

    The reason she planned to check the women before the men wasn''t due to any superficial spirit of mutual aid, but rather her own little scheme:

    If she checked the captain first, the other girls waiting downstairs might come and hurry her, causing interruptions; therefore, it was better to check everyone else first, leaving the captain for last. That way, the examination could be more thorough and comprehensive, take more time, and give her a chance to chat alone with the captain and foster their relationship...

    The girls went to the second floor and into Su Yunjin''s room, where she proceeded to conduct a detailed Divine Sense inspection for each of them.

    "Ling Yun is fine," said Su Yunjin after a brief check. "Ning Ning has a rib fracture, but it seems to be healing well. Going forward, you need to increase your calcium intake, drink milk, and don''t forget about vitamin D either."

    "I''ve already checked Ruoxi''s condition; there''s nothing wrong. The medical team mentioned the risk of pneumothorax just as a precaution, but in reality, there''s nothing to worry about. Sister Zhao''s injury can''t be exposed to water; it''s best to cover it with a sterile gauze bandage. Let me find some..."

    She turned to search the drawers when they heard Xie Ruoxi sigh and say:

    "Ah, so annoying."

    "Is it because your parents are coming?" Lin Ning asked with concern.

    "Not just my parents," Xie Ruoxi said dejectedly. "My aunt''s family is coming too."

    "Do you not get along with them?" Su Yunjin asked casually as she applied the bandage to Zhao Yuanzhen.

    "I don''t get along with any of my relatives outside," Xie Ruoxi expressed with frustration. "But my aunt''s family... they''re the kind that''s quite troublesome."

    She briefly explained that the aunt in question was actually Xie Mother''s cousin. Because they lived in the same village, they would often visit each other, but their relationship wasn''t very close, and the reason was straightforward: the other party was all too fond of making comparisons and gossiping. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    For instance, how many tables were set for the New Year''s feast, how much money was given out in red envelopes to the younger generation; or how prestigious the university her son or daughter attended was, their monthly salary after graduation, what their partner''s family background was, and so on... Anything that could be compared would be brought up for comparison.

    After the comparison, they wouldn''t stop there but would go on to gossip with neighbors and friends, which Xie Mother and Xie Father both disliked.

    Ordinarily, the visit of Xie Parents to see their daughter had nothing to do with this aunt.

    However, since the aunt''s daughter (Xie Ruoxi''s cousin) happened to work in Jinling Prefecture and heard that Xie Ruoxi was also in Jinling, she took the opportunity to say, "I''m going to visit my daughter and son-in-law, and it just so happens to be on the way," so she booked tickets in the same train carriage as Xie Parents.

    "My cousin works in internet operations, and her husband is in real estate sales. Together, I heard they earn about twenty thousand a month," Xie Ruoxi said with a headache. "Ever since this aunt found out I went to work after high school, she''s always asking about my situation, or bragging about how much dowry her daughter received at her wedding, how much money she''s made since then...

    Both my parents and I dislike this relative."

    The girls looked at each other, understanding the situation.

    "Even if she brags, you have nothing to fear from her!" Lin Ning spoke her mind bluntly. "We live in a big villa, and we have millions lying in our bank books, so how could we be afraid of not measuring up to her?"

    "It''s not about outdoing her; it''s about not wanting to compete," Xie Ruoxi sighed. "If she finds out, she''ll go back to the village and talk about it, and then everyone remotely related will come to my family asking to borrow money..."

    Continue your adventure at My Virtual Library Empire

    "That matter of borrowing money is indeed troublesome," Su Yunjin nodded. "Maybe we should ask the captain what to do?"

 Chapter 27 Yan Yu Battles Secretary Su

    "Asking me what to do?" After listening to Su Yunjin, Yan Yu chuckled and said, "Instead of asking me, why not ask Ruoxi what her plans are for handling it?"

    "It seems to me that Ruoxi wants to send that aunt away sooner rather than later, but at the same time, it would be best if she didn''t let her know that Ruoxi has money now," Su Yunjin replied. "Otherwise people who get to know her afterwards might all come over to borrow money, which would be troublesome."

    "That''s not a problem," Yan Yu shook his head. "University student cultivators have already been organized into combat units, and their families will all be kept under surveillance. Xie Ruoxi joined the team midway, so the process hasn''t reached her yet.

    Eventually, she''ll be brought into the Military Manor courtyard, then no poor relatives will be able to see her, and there''s no need to worry about borrowing money... Oh, her family is in the Annan Army''s jurisdiction, that might be troublesome. I''ll ask Instructor Qi about it someday."

    "As always, the captain has thought of everything," Su Yunjin said with a smile.

    Yan Yu''s brows furrowed slightly, feeling as if "an ancient lady lay beside him whispering suggestions, contentedly saying ''You''ve thought of everything, husband,'' after he agreed, and then she trimmed the candle and started to sleep"...

    Damn, what''s the use of such a vivid imagination? It must be because I caught it from that clone of the Demonic Sect Enchantress in the Mysterious Realm!

    "Captain, raise your hand for a moment," Su Yunjin said.

    Yan Yu sat on the edge of the bed, lifted his left arm high to let Su Yunjin confirm if the injury had affected the tendons and veins.

    Her fingers bearing Runescript, Su Yunjin gently brushed over the area surrounding his wound, bringing a tingling, somewhat itchy sensation.

    "The wound has already healed," Yan Yu said, puzzled. "Do you still need to check it so meticulously?"

    "Of course," Su Yunjin, who had indeed received advanced training with the Zhendong Army medical team, explained in detail. "Torn muscles are like a puzzle torn in half; Runescript is like the glue that sticks them back together. The piecing together is simple, but the edges might not align properly, especially just after returning from the battlefield.

    To stop the bleeding urgently, the medical team wouldn''t have been meticulous enough to match every single muscle fiber before joining them."

    "This won''t pose a problem in the short term, but over time it might affect muscle exertion. It would be more troublesome to deal with later; it''s better for me to take care of it now... It will just take some time, don''t move."

    Yan Yu, who knew nothing about medical matters, let Su Yunjin carry on her talk as she felt around on his body.

    On second thought, something didn''t seem quite right. In my past life, I''ve been through countless battles, and I''ve been dragged back from the brink of death more than once or twice¡ªwhy don''t I remember such an extremely tedious and complicated examination?

    Then again, perhaps I''ve had such examinations without knowing. After all, the hospital''s equipment is more advanced, and surgery is quicker. It''s not necessarily that someone like Secretary Su would be so diligent.

    Thinking it over, I decided to let it be and let her do whatever she wanted.

    With Runescript activated on her hands, Su Yunjin kneaded Yan Yu''s shoulders, seeming both to check the wound and to give a massage. As she did so, she asked, "I heard that during this expedition to the Mysterious Realm, you encountered enemies who could mimic your appearance and read your thoughts, then reveal them in public?"

    "Yeah," Yan Yu said.

    "So what the clone said about wanting to start a harem, that was true too?" Su Yunjin asked casually.

    Here it comes again, the familiar weight of the question!

    Forewarned, Yan Yu laughed and replied, "Of course it''s true. But the clone just reads your mind and deliberately twists it."

    "Is that so? It was twisted?" Su Yunjin continued to massage his shoulder.

    "Yeah, it''s twisted," Yan Yu said.

    "By how much was it twisted?" Su Yunjin pressed on.

    "Twisted by a bit, I suppose."

    "Captain knows that''s not what I''m asking about."

    "I don''t know, what do you want to know?"

    "Then I''ll ask directly: Captain, have you ever thought about starting a harem?"

    "Of course not, I am a gentleman of integrity," he responded.

    "Starting a harem has nothing to do with whether you''re a gentleman," Su Yunjin retorted diplomatically. "Generally, normal boys have such thoughts during puberty. After all, male animals have the instinct to spread their genes as widely as possible."

    She spoke with utmost understanding, as if implying, "Even if you wanted to start a harem, I could comprehend that," but Yan Yu did not alter his statement and instead replied, "I''ve never thought about it. Right now, just managing the team takes up a lot of my time and energy. You''re suggesting I manage romance like a business, to find ten or eight wives¡ªthat''s just asking for trouble.

    It''s too exhausting, totally unnecessary."

    "Hmm." Su Yunjin appeared thoughtful before suddenly asking, "If ten or eight clones are hard to manage, would four or five be alright then?"

    "What do you mean?" Yan Yu was surprised.

    "I heard." Su Yunjin said nonchalantly, "Their clones apparently all said they liked you."

    "Sigh." Yan Yu slowly sighed and, shaking his head, said, "There''s nothing I can do. You see, I''m handsome, capable, and gentle¡ªit''s only natural for girls to fall for me, right? But when it comes to relationships, I have high standards. I would never entertain casual flings just because someone likes me, so it really doesn''t bother me." sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Pfft.

    Su Yunjin couldn''t help but smile. The first two points were passable, but Team Leader, when did your personality ever come close to ''gentle''?

    Rather than gentle, it''s more like you are formidable enough to give a sense of solid reliability...

    Her face turned slightly red as she continued to ask:

    "So, how do you view their affection? For example, Ling Yun, her clone said you are a special existence to her."

    "Let that riddle keep her cool wherever she pleases," Yan Yu said impatiently, "What is a ''special existence'' supposed to mean? We''ll talk about it when she has figured it out."

    "And what about Ningning?" asked Su Yunjin softly, "She seems to have a crush on you."

    "There are many who have a crush on me," Yan Yu said matter-of-factly, "I can''t be expected to deal with every single incident of someone having a crush."

    "It seems Ruoxi kind of admires you like an overbearing CEO," Su Yunjin went on.

    "She''s read too many female-oriented novels, it doesn''t need attention."

    "Sister Zhao directly says you are her husband, you know?"

    "That''s too low. We don''t even have a dating relationship, how could it have gone as far as possession? That''s absurd."

    "Hmm, I think I understand now," said Su Yunjin, her movements slightly forceful, "At first, Team Leader said that the clones deliberately misinterpret your thoughts. Later, when mentioning that their clones like you, Team Leader, you seemed to acknowledge these feelings as real... so, are the clones'' words misinterpretations, or are they true?"

    "Why are Team Leader''s previous and subsequent statements contradictory? Can you tell me why?"

    Yan Yu was momentarily stunned but hadn''t realized Secretary Su had set a logical trap early on and was silently waiting for him to fall into it.

    Indeed, playing word games with a literary girl could never be taken lightly in any form!

    He fell silent for a moment, and just as the atmosphere was getting tense, he suddenly said:

    "As I mentioned, it''s a partial misinterpretation."

    "Oh?"

    "Partial misinterpretation means it only misinterpreted a single person¡ªme," Yan Yu seriously continued the lie, "The so-called ''exposed inner thoughts'' only affect you if they strike a chord. If it''s a deliberate misinterpretation, it''s just stoking the fire and won''t achieve a mental breakdown. See, I don''t mind, but they all seem to care a lot."

    Su Yunjin fell silent, seeming not to have expected Yan Yu''s answer to be so... how should it be described?

    Brazen? But seemingly bulletproof.

    She had asked the other girls beforehand. Everyone was secretive about their own clone''s words, only willing to discuss others, but Yan Yu was different¡ªhe didn''t avoid the issue and his attitude was quite open.

    After a long silence, Su Yunjin, unable to discern the truth, sighed deeply: Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire

    "Ah, if only I had been there at the time."

    Out of nowhere, Yan Yu shuddered.

    If she had been there, her clone exposed her true feelings, then taking advantage of the moment to confess directly...

    Stop! He couldn''t allow himself to imagine any further!

    Mere Secretary Su, there''s no way she could conquer me!

    Quack, I am the strongest in this world!

 Chapter 28 The Strong Stance of Immortal Venerate Xie

    Inside the high-speed train carriage from Baoqing Prefecture to Jinling Prefecture, Xie''s father and mother were seated on the same row of seats, while the aunt and uncle were seated on another row, whispering to each other.

    Xie''s mother was quietly scolding Xie''s father for letting slip some information when he went to buy the tickets, letting the uncle find out about it, which resulted in her cousin''s family insisting on tagging along under the guise of "visiting their daughter," much to Xie''s mother''s irritation.

    To speak of the grievances between the two families, one actually has to go back to when Xie Ruoxi was in the second grade of elementary school.

    At that time, Xie Ruoxi and her cousin were at the same elementary school, and a film crew came to shoot "The Most Beautiful Xiangxi," looking to pick a few students from Baoqing Elementary School to be extras.

    The female producer went around each classroom and selected a few good-looking kids from each grade, then it was up to the teachers to ask these children''s parents whether they would let their children join the film shoot during the summer vacation.

    Xie Ruoxi was chosen, but her cousin was not. After telling her parents, the aunt immediately blew up.

    My daughter is also very pretty, where is she worse than Xie Ruoxi? Why only pick her, are they blind? S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The feud between the two families started from there, and from elementary to middle and high school, the aunt always compared her daughter to Xie Ruoxi whenever something came up.

    The pretty loser herself wasn''t keen either, her academic performance didn''t improve, and she was crazy about all sorts of anime, often making a fool of herself at school, which made the aunt hold her head high with pride, confident when talking behind backs.

    Xie''s mother was also angry about this, but since her daughter was indeed no wallflower and she didn''t want to completely fall out with her cousin, she simply rolled her eyes and spoke harshly to shut down her aunt''s nonsense every time she started complaining.

    For over a decade, the Xie family hadn''t won a single round in this regard, causing both sides to form a fixed mindset:

    Xie Ruoxi, no good! Cousin, good!

    This thought peaked when the cousin graduated from college and got married. The husband worked in real estate sales in Jinling, was good at talking, and could earn a lot of money. The dowry was 188,000 yuan, which made the aunt show off in the village for days...

    At that time, a typical dowry in the village was only twenty to thirty thousand, and only in urban areas of Baoqing Prefecture would it exceed one hundred thousand. At that moment, the aunt seemed to have finally vented all the frustration from the previous decade.

    Could Xie Ruoxi do that?

    In the future, there''d be no need to compare. My daughter has graduated from college and married well, while her daughter only has a high school diploma. They''re not even in the same league anymore, comparing further would be degrading.

    Then came the news that Xie Ruoxi had become a cultivator, striking the aunt''s household like a bolt from the blue.

    The aunt urgently dragged her husband into discussion, demanding their daughter find all related information about the Zhenhai Team, including battle videos and news reports, and to send them to grandma using her phone.

    After watching all the battle videos, the aunt immediately declared she had found the key:

    There was no Xie Ruoxi!

    This wasn''t surprising, since after Xie Ruoxi joined the team, whether it was the Black Dragon Isle battle, the Tianshan Mysterious Realm battle, the Southern Border defense battle, or the Mirror Lake Divine Palace battle, she hadn''t participated in any leagues broadcasted live due to various reasons, so she never had the chance to appear on TV screens.

    The uncle did have some sense, reasoning that the Xie family couldn''t possibly lie about such a big matter. Could a lie last momentarily, let alone a lifetime?

    Your journey continues on My Virtual Library Empire

    But the uncle was also a rural man, not a savvy netizen, and his ability to retrieve information depended entirely on his friends'' circle. He lacked sufficient evidence to convince his wife¡ªthe aunt who had been obsessed for over a decade, how could she be persuaded by such a reason? Therefore, she insisted on confirming it herself.

    Both families took the high-speed train headed towards Jinling Prefecture.

    On the other hand, Yan Yu was still in Su Yunjin''s room, enjoying her massage... no, it should be the injury checkup.

    To be fair, Secretary Su was actually quite gentle when she didn''t use heavy gravity spells. She was pretty, had a good aura, well-cultured, her education level outshone most of her peers, and when chatting, her voice was soft and sweet¡ªthere was nothing one could fault her on.

    Yan Yu still remembered the first time he met her, lamenting her poor ending in her past life, vowing to poach her to be his personal secretary¡ªnow that this small goal has been achieved, it felt like a very fulfilling achievement, wahahaha!

    Why isn''t the checkup done yet? It''s almost been half an hour.

    "Eh, captain," Su Yunjin spoke up, "someone called earlier to ask if our team is interested in taking a commercial endorsement."

    "Commercial endorsement?" Yan Yu was taken aback, "What did the coach say about it?"

    "Instructor Qi said the school won''t interfere with these matters. At most, they''ll just review the contract for any loopholes or traps after we get it," Su Yunjin said softly.

    "Hmm," Yan Yu wasn''t surprised by this outcome either.

    In his past life, the major teams not only took on commercial endorsements, but also participated in celebrity talk shows! The authorities were happy to see these activities, as they could foster a sense of belonging among cultivators toward the society and the common folk. More of this was always seen as beneficial.

    What the authorities feared most were those obsessed with martial practice, who lived in seclusion, practicing day in and day out, completely out of touch with society and without any attachment to the secular world... Such people, if they chose to defect, would have no psychological burden whatsoever.

    "What do you think?" Yan Yu asked.

    "I''m not particularly interested. We can take it or leave it," Su Yunjin replied, "Mainly because we''re not short on money now, we can just pick and choose the media events we like to participate in."

    "I''m relieved to hear you think this way," Yan Yu nodded approvingly, "As cultivators, we should enjoy life as much as possible and not be overly concerned like Lord Master, worrying about this and that..."

    Before he could finish speaking, someone knocked on the door.

    Su Yunjin sighed softly in her heart, thinking to herself that surely some sly fox couldn''t help but come forth.

    Yan Yu got up to open the door and saw Xie Ruoxi standing outside, crying:

    "Captain, save me!"

    "What''s happened again?" Yan Yu frowned.

    "My parents sent me a message," Xie Ruoxi said pitifully, "My aunt and her husband are coming over to grill me. Captain, please help me think of something!"

    "Why is your aunt''s family coming too?" Yan Yu was taken aback.

    So, knowing their daughter has made it big, they''re bringing the whole family over for a free feast, huh?

    "Let me tell you..." Without caring that Su Yunjin was present, Xie Ruoxi detailed the grievances between the two families to Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu was speechless after listening. The secluded rural environment indeed bred many villagers who loved to gossip, compare with others, and hold grudges, but the key instigators that combined all three traits were extreme cases in any rural area.

    There are instigators everywhere, but the problem was that Xie Ruoxi''s mother cared about their reputation and didn''t want to fall out with relatives, which led to the whole family having to endure this relative''s nasty behavior for a long time... So the solution was simple, just move her parents to the Military Manor.

    Problem solved!

    "Alright, I''ll think of something when the time comes," Yan Yu said as he was about to step away, but Xie Ruoxi grabbed his hands.

    The pretty but useless girl didn''t trust the captain''s word. After all, he was the tyrant who, during every training session, would say "I will hold back," only to turn around and beat everyone to the ground.

    He said he would "think about it," not that he would "definitely come up with a solution," maybe he''d just forget about it the moment he turned around, leaving me to be the butt of jokes for his amusement!

    "Let go," Yan Yu said.

    "Captain, please, I''m begging you to help me!" Xie Ruoxi continued to plead, "I really don''t want to be grilled by that annoying relative again, and it''ll upset my mom so much that she''ll end up grilling me just as harshly... But I''m sure you can find a way, Captain!"

    "You should deal with your family issues yourself!" Yan Yu was exasperated with her lack of backbone. You are, after all, Xie Immortal Venerate, a cultivator with one-in-ten-thousand talent. Can''t you show a bit of the cultivator''s backbone and pride?

    I was just in the room with Secretary Su talking about how cultivators should embrace life with passion and deal with grievances as they arise, and here you are, making a show that slaps me in the face?

    "Ruoxi, don''t worry, the captain will surely help you." Seeing Yan Yu being beset by her, Su Yunjin also came over to mediate.

    Xie Ruoxi became even more anxious. She knew Su Yunjin was in cahoots with Yan Yu and, seeing her seemingly about to pull her away, a thought flashed through her mind impulsively. Closing her eyes and steeling her heart, she dropped to her knees, wrapped her arms around Yan Yu''s legs, and adopted a determined stance that said "I won''t leave until you help me."

    Yan Yu! I, Xie Ruoxi, am on my knees here today! You have to help, whether you want to or not!

 Chapter 29 Designing a Play for Immortal Venerate Xie

    Xie Ruoxi''s earth-shattering kneel had Yan Yu bewildered.

    What was the last thing she kneeled for?

    It seemed to be when I was going to delete her gaming account... No, although she did kneel down then, she was propped up on her hands, in a "Coach, I want to play basketball" posture, which strictly speaking, wasn''t too humiliating.

    But this time, it was a genuine kneel-down. How embarrassing, you beautiful mess! Are you completely shameless?

    Wait, something''s off here.

    Xie Ruoxi isn''t someone with much patience. The first thing that showed was her lack of interest in training, always whining about hardship and wanting to give up; then her older brother stepped in to discipline her, which at least got rid of her constant whining, but her performance on the battlefield was still not up to par¡ªespecially compared to Lin Ning.

    She seemed even less proactive, hesitant, and timid.

    Yan Yu had originally thought this was due to her lack of real combat experience, a kind of "timid phase" unique to novices. But now, considering her habit of kneeling at the drop of a hat, it seemed more likely that the reason was deeply rooted in her personality.

    Weakness!

    Herbivorous animals, even when facing carnivores smaller than themselves, think of fleeing first rather than fighting back. Is it because they can''t win? No, it''s actually a problem with their nature.

    To solve this problem, it''s definitely not enough to just increase training; it''s necessary to start with correcting her mindset.

    Time for some strong medicine!

    Yan Yu quickly made up his mind, looked down at Xie Ruoxi kneeling on the ground, and suddenly showed a menacing smile:

    "Here''s the deal, as long as I help you with this problem, you''re willing to do anything, right?"

    Xie Ruoxi instinctively felt a bit scared, but then she thought that maybe the captain was just trying to scare her, so she mustered her courage and said:

    "Of course!"

    "Alright then." Yan Yu waved Su Yunjin over, "Whisper in my ear." Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    After Xie Ruoxi''s parents arrived at the station, the aunt''s family also followed.

    "Aren''t you going to see your Qianqian first?" Xie''s mother tried to send them away.

    "I''ll go see Xixi first." The aunt said with a smile.

    Xie''s mother stopped talking. She cared about her image and couldn''t bring herself to say something as blunt as telling them to leave.

    Xie''s father took a taxi, and everyone hurried to the address given by Xie Ruoxi.

    Along the way, as they moved further from the city center, the aunt gradually relaxed.

    Living so far out and still a cultivator? Aren''t cultivators all part of the government''s establishment? They might even get assigned collective housing, who would live in the suburbs with you?

    "Maybe she got scammed by a pyramid scheme," she quietly said to her husband.

    Xie''s father, sitting on the other side of her husband, faintly overheard what the relative said. He twitched the corners of his mouth, turned to look out the window, and became silent.

    It''s not that he hadn''t spoken up for his daughter. It''s just that every time he did, he ended up being embarrassingly proven wrong by his daughter, to the point where he was almost numb to it.

    It couldn''t really be a pyramid scheme, could it? Hahaha... When we get there, regardless of the actual situation, we''ll first rescue our daughter and then call the police.

    Xie''s mother sat in the passenger seat, oblivious to the relative''s comments, and was quite calm.

    It wasn''t that she had confidence in her daughter, but rather, she believed her son wouldn''t lie to her. Xie Rushan had always been an honest child, hardly ever lying.

    When the taxi arrived at the destination, everyone got out and looked around, only to find that the area was filled with villas?

    "This is the place." Xie''s mother looked at the photo her daughter had sent on her phone and compared it with the house in front, then said.

    And so, the aunt''s smile faded away.

    In their village, every family lived in a three-story building, some quite impressively built, but they all paled in comparison to this villa. With a view of the mountain and sea, a lawn garden, neat and beautiful hedges and fences outside, and even a riverside gazebo in the backyard¡ªit was as grand as the luxurious houses of the rich in Miti''s movies.

    In contrast, the apartment Qianqian and her husband had just bought in Jinling¡ªeven though it was a "subway house" just 2 kilometers from the subway station¡ªseemed utterly insignificant in front of this suburban villa.

    ...Perhaps it was a shared rental.

    As this thought emerged from the depths of her mind, it was like a drowning person suddenly grasping at a straw, giving the aunt a reason to investigate further.

    "Go ahead and go in, I''ll help you with your stuff," she said, eagerly offering help to Xie''s mother.

    Xie''s mother waved her off, indicating she could manage, and then went ahead to the door and knocked.

    "Coming!" a voice from inside called out, Lin Ning''s voice.

    Xie Ruoxi''s voice was the soft and tender type, but the girl responding inside had a clear and vibrant tone, immediately indicating she wasn''t the younger daughter of the Xie family.

    Auntie suddenly got excited, shooting her husband a look that meant, "See, I told you they were cohabiting. Maybe they''re even involved in some sort of pyramid scheme."

    Her husband didn''t catch her drift, merely keeping silent.

    At this moment, Lin Ning, in her usual clothes without any makeup, hurriedly came to open the door. She welcomed the four elders into the house. Once she learned they were Xie Ruoxi''s relatives, she took the initiative to make tea for everyone.

    All four of them seemed uneasy. Xie Ruoxi''s parents were nervous because they hadn''t seen their daughter, while the aunt and her husband looked around, assessing how much it would cost to rent a place like this.

    Enjoy new tales from My Virtual Library Empire

    "Dad, Mom?" Xie Ruoxi called out as she came down from upstairs, "Auntie, Uncle, you''re here?"

    She went to her parents'' side and chatted with them for a bit. Xie Ruoxi''s parents visibly relaxed, but then they heard the aunt ask:

    "Ruoxi, are you sharing this place with others now?"

    "Hmm," Xie Ruoxi nodded and said.

    Just as the aunt was about to ask "How much is the rent here per month," her husband, knowing his wife''s character and wanting to prevent her from being too obvious, quickly interrupted with:

    "Is it far from where you work?"

    "Not far," Xie Ruoxi forced a smile. "It''s just a twenty-minute walk."

    Her strained expression was mainly due to thinking about the content of her usual work: practicing and getting hit.

    But this forced smile in the aunt''s eyes, who already had a paranoid mentality, reinforced her belief that this must be some illegal pyramid scheme or other unspeakable job. After all, who would employ a girl who''d just finished high school? Even housekeeping jobs these days require at least an associate degree!

    So she continued to ask:

    "Then what exactly do you do as a¡­ ''Cultivator''?"

    "Mostly training," Lin Ning answered as she brought over the tea, casually replying.

    Training¡­ The aunt immediately put on a knowing smile, recalling the warning videos in her social media feed:

    Workers standing in two neat rows, led by their manager through various exercise drills, shouting motivational slogans like "The company''s future is my future" and "Always be ready to set out for the development of the Northwest." They were trained until they were completely numb and incapable of independent thinking, then started to solicit shares for the "Northwest Development" project, with each share costing around a hundred yuan, and a twenty yuan cashback for every relative recruited...

    What kind of job requires training instead of education? It has to be a pyramid scheme!

    She stopped asking questions, and then Xie Ruoxi''s mother pulled her daughter aside to ask how she was, mainly about whether her work was hard and if she was eating well, to which Xie Ruoxi obligingly answered.

    Xie Ruoxi''s father wanted to see his daughter''s bedroom, so she led everyone upstairs. As the two men walked ahead, the aunt deliberately lagged behind, whispering in Xie Ruoxi''s mother''s ear:

    "Could it be a pyramid scheme?"

    "How could that be!" Xie Ruoxi''s mother became unhappy upon hearing this and tried to shake off her cousin''s hand, but the aunt gripped it tighter and whispered:

    "I don''t mean to look down on Ruoxi. Think about it, she only has a high school diploma. Why would that ''Cultivator'' company hire her? What did they see in her? Nowadays, you can''t even apply for civil service exams without a bachelor''s degree! Just imagine¡­ I mean just imagine, if she got deceived by pyramid schemes, that would be a big problem!"

    Xie Ruoxi''s mother actually didn''t understand what a ''Cultivator'' was, and given her daughter''s lackluster abilities from a young age, she felt somewhat guilty when she heard this, but still said forcefully:

    "How could it be a pyramid scheme? Do people from pyramid schemes pay for you to live in a big villa like this? She even transferred tens of thousands of yuan to me recently!"

    "Who with a proper job lives in a big villa?" the aunt confidently retorted. "Unless they are businesspeople or stock traders¡­ Can Ruoxi even handle such high-end jobs? Renting a big villa is a way to trick young girls into thinking it''s a quick-money gig, not knowing there''s no such thing as a free lunch!"

    Speechless, Xie Ruoxi''s mother''s breathing quickened at the thought that if it were true, she would have to drag her daughter back home, even if it meant losing face in front of her cousin!

    Seeing that Xie Ruoxi''s mother had stopped talking, the aunt moved forward a few steps, pulling her husband aside to murmur some sarcastic remarks, essentially implying, "I knew she wouldn''t make it," and "Now she''s been deceived, the Xie family is in trouble."

    Uncle also felt uncomfortable, thinking it wasn''t nice for his wife to speak ill of others in their home, so he kept silent.

    Xie Ruoxi led the elders into the study. Before they could even take a look around, she took out a passbook and handed it to her father, saying:

    "After becoming a Cultivator, I completed a few tasks and earned some wages. It''s inconvenient for large transactions, so I might as well give it directly to you, especially since my brother needs money for college."

    These days, most people used debit cards, and passbooks weren''t commonly used anymore. The reason she chose a passbook, however, was specifically requested by Yan Yu, the director.

    Her father silently took the passbook and opened it in front of his wife and relatives, looking at the string of numbers that represented the account balance.

    Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousand, hundred thousand, a million...

    A million?!!

    In that moment, everyone seemed to be holding their breath, eyes glued to the numbers on the passbook.

    Xie Ruoxi''s mother snatched the passbook from her husband''s hands, counting the digits carefully again, her hands starting to shake.

    The aunt stood behind with a frozen smile on her face, her muscles so tense they were starting to ache, her mind a complete blank.

    Just then, a knock at the door sounded, followed by Yan Yu''s serious voice:

    "Comrade Xie Ruoxi, your family has arrived, right? The Military Manor has prepared a reception dinner, and the car is already waiting downstairs."

 Chapter 30 Great Talents are Late Bloomers, Success Can Go to Ones Head

    When it comes to showing off, there are different methods for different occasions and different people.

    For someone who knows cars, slowly stopping in a luxury car in front of them is the best way to show off. However, if the other person knows nothing about cars, then it''s like winking at a blind person¡ªnot effective at all.

    For people like Xie Ruoxi''s parents and relatives, who might not even know how to use mobile banking, they''re unlikely to trust text message reminders from the bank.

    A passbook, on the other hand, is the most visually striking thing.

    As soon as Yan Yu knocked and called out from outside, Xie''s mother snapped out of her daze and immediately panicked, quickly stuffing the passbook back into her daughter''s hand, repeatedly saying:

    "Put it away, put it away! With so much money, how can we just show it off casually?!"

    Her actual thought was "We can''t let your aunt see it, otherwise if the news spreads back to the village, what would we do if everyone comes to borrow money?" But to the aunt''s ears, it sounded like a stark humiliation and mockery.

    Seeing his wife''s demeanor changing, the uncle hurriedly changed the subject, saying:

    "Is that Ruoxi''s colleague outside? I''ll open the door."

    He slid open the door to the study, and Yan Yu walked in from outside.

    This guy usually dresses quite casually, but now he was formally wearing a white shirt with a dark leather jacket on top. His whole attire looked serious and solemn, and he had a stern expression on his face as if he were a young prosecutor from a TV drama.

    Xie''s mother hadn''t reacted yet, but Xie''s father was taken aback and suddenly said:

    "Yan Zhanlong?"

    He hadn''t recognized Lin Ning previously, firstly because he hadn''t looked carefully, and secondly because when the girls of the Zhenhai Team appeared on screen, they usually wore heavy makeup (after all, even beauties looked plain on television without makeup), except for Yan Yu who didn''t wear much makeup.

    Now that the real person was here, identical to the one in the videos, and with an imposing aura to boot, Xie''s father quickly recognized him.

    That call of "Yan Zhanlong" scared the aunt''s soul half away in an instant.

    Yan... Yan... Yan Zhanlong?!!

    Yan Yu walked into the room, greeting everyone with a dignified nod, then turned to Xie Ruoxi and said:

    "Pay attention to your appearance; the General Commander is coming over."

    General Commander... The four elders gasped again.

    While this title might not sound very domineering, it had a more widely known and household name, "Grand Marshal of the Zhendong Army."

    Xie Ruoxi was somewhat speechless. Even if her brain was a bit slow, she could see that the captain was intentionally backing her up to make a statement, but seeing her parents and aunt utterly lost and confused, she still felt a subconscious, vicarious thrill of pretending to be important.

    No, Ruoxi mustn''t laugh! If she laughed here, the atmosphere would completely collapse!

    "Mhmm," she said, also pulling a serious face, and asked, "Can I wear my backless evening gown?"

    Everyone:......... Read chapters at My Virtual Library Empire

    Damn it, an evening gown! Are you also planning to wear high heels and carry a luxury bag? Yan Yu subtly corrected her, saying:

    "No need, just wear something formal but ordinary. The elders can follow me downstairs to sit for a while and wait for her to change clothes."

    Xie''s parents thought that was reasonable and followed Yan Yu downstairs. The aunt was still in a daze and had to be tugged by her husband before numbly following along.

    Only when everyone had left the bedroom did Xie Ruoxi finally allow herself to grin and burst into a hearty laugh.

    She never knew that showing off in front of family and relatives could be such a delightful experience, it felt like gulping down an entire bottle of iced soda on a scorching summer day, as if every pore on her body had opened up to breathe.

    Ever since childhood, the expression her mother showed most often was disappointment, and the most frequent words she said were "Can''t you be a bit more ambitious?" Later, it seemed that she had accepted the fact that "her daughter was a good-for-nothing," and stopped nagging her, only sighing when issues arose.

    To be honest, she would have preferred the nagging! There was always a sense of being completely abandoned by her mother. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Although her father had always been silent and taciturn, never scolding her harshly, whenever she did poorly in school or after a teacher talked to her parents, he would smoke a lot that day, smoking until the ash piled up out of the ashtray.

    As for the relatives, even though they usually refrained from mentioning it to her face, during holiday gatherings, groups of them would gossip behind her back. The occasional disdainful glances they cast her way, though subtly painful, were never as bone-deep as her parents'' numbed expressions. Even though silent, they had been seared deep into her heart.

    Perhaps after graduating from high school, the reason she subconsciously chose to give up studying was also to not continue spending her parents'' money while having to endure their expectations and disappointment...

    Now thinking back to the stunned, speechless expressions on her parents'' faces and her aunt''s disbelief in reality, Xie Ruoxi felt an extreme sense of exhilaration as if she had vented out all the years of frustration.

    Look at me now, I am no longer that failure!

    After picking out the nicest clothes from the wardrobe and putting them on, Xie Ruoxi left her room with pride and walked downstairs. Then she saw all the elders carefully conversing with Yan Yu.

    The fame of Yan Zhanlong spread to the rural areas of Jingnan not after he slayed the dragon, but during the October awarding ceremony when various new media hyped it up, playing the patriotism card, leading rural populations across the country to become aware of this young hero, "a formidable person who was personally honored by a big shot from the Privy Council".

    Now that the formidable person was here, despite a significant age difference, the four elders dared not neglect him at all. They only answered when Yan Yu asked a question, as if the order of seniority had completely reversed.

    Yan Yu wasn''t overbearing. In front of Mr. and Mrs. Xie, he praised Xie Ruoxi extensively, "the absolute main force of the team," "a future hero who is sure to protect the country," "the commander who had personally inquired about her situation," and then he started praising Mr. and Mrs. Xie, "You''ve raised a good daughter," "I want to thank you on behalf of the nation for your effort and hard work."

    These words made Mr. and Mrs. Xie beam with pride, as if they had eaten elixir and been rejuvenated, so much so that they were barely able to speak clearly, stammering.

    Looking at the other two, the uncle by marriage seemed quite proud himself, but the aunt looked as if she had eaten shit, her face full of a crestfallen grayish defeat, seeming to say, "I can''t accept this."

    "Xie Ruoxi has arrived, let''s go," said Yan Yu as soon as he noticed Xie Ruoxi coming down the stairs.

    He led everyone out the door, and Xie Ruoxi had only walked a few steps when Mrs. Xie hugged her tightly, laughing:

    "Ruoxi has really done well this time. I told you that Ru Shan wouldn''t lie, your dad didn''t believe it, he had to come and see for himself, now he finally believes, doesn''t he?"

    Although it seemed like she was mocking her husband, her gaze was on her cousin.

    The aunt''s face immediately turned liver red, unable to speak coherently for quite some time, while the uncle by marriage, being more aware of what was appropriate, hurriedly came forward to smooth things over:

    "Ah, we''ve seen Ruoxi grow up since she was little, we always knew she was a late bloomer. Now that she has finally made a name for herself, we as relatives are very happy too."

    This sounded incredibly fake because who was it that gossiped the most about Xie Ruoxi if not your wife?

    But Mrs. Xie, after all, was someone who cared about appearances. When the relatives flattered her, she couldn''t keep harping on about it without coming off as petty, so she just hummed an acknowledgment and once again lifted her chin to look at her cousin, speaking arrogantly to her husband:

    "Let''s go then."

    The group headed outside. Xie Ruoxi was also jubilant. As she passed by Yan Yu, for some reason, a whim struck her, and she suddenly reached out to take his hand.

    But Yan Yu''s reaction was quicker, slapping her hand away with a snap.

    Only then did Xie Ruoxi come to her senses, sheepishly retracting her hand with an embarrassed look.

    Although others didn''t notice this little gesture, Mrs. Xie was aware of it.

    She didn''t mention it, but internally, a bit of resentment grew.

 Chapter 31 Excessive Expansion, the Counteraction of the Celestial Bodies

    A stretch limousine was parked outside the villa; the girls from the gaming team were already waiting inside.

    In truth, no one really liked riding in such an ostentatious business vehicle, but Yan Yu had already explained to everyone that this time, they needed to bolster Ruoxi''s image in front of her family and relatives (to correct her weak character), so they all kept their objections to themselves, each adopting the poised and proud demeanor of high-class ladies, which paired well with the luxury car.

    Chen Lingyun naturally played the part of a wealthy young lady, while Su Yunjin portrayed the knowledgeable and reasonable type. Zhao Yuanzhen and Lin Ning lacked such experience; the former decided to imitate Chen Lingyun, and the latter followed Su Yunjin''s lead, both maintaining a dignified appearance.

    They were already exceptionally beautiful, and now with their posturing, even the four elders of the Xie family dared not speak too much, and Madam Xie also restrained the joy on her face, showing a cautious expression instead.

    However, Xie Ruoxi was lacking in self-awareness; having become arrogant, she blatantly boasted,

    "Of course, I am the undeniable main force of the team. During the award ceremony at Lingyan Pavilion, there was initially a plan to create a special honor just for me. But I said no, I wanted to maintain consistency with my team. Even though I have indeed made special contributions to the team, I prefer not to be treated differently."

    "Ah yes, yes." The girls mentally rolled their eyes but calmly agreed on the surface, "Ruoxi is indeed our team''s main force. She was supposed to receive a special honor but declined it." S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "It''s indeed not right to make exceptions." Xie''s father, who was the honest and unpretentious type who hated showing off, expressed rare admiration for Xie Ruoxi''s behavior, "Ruoxi, you did the right thing."

    Seeing her normally reticent father also praising her, Xie Ruoxi became even more elated, saying proudly,

    "Of course, I don''t need any title to glorify my achievements. After all, there will be plenty of opportunities for establishing a brilliant career in the future. It''s like that ''something in the bag something''..."

    "Hidden in the bag, its sharpness will show itself," reminded Su Yunjin, "It was said by Mao Sui."

    "Oh right, right! That''s what I meant." Xie Ruoxi showed no self-awareness or shame at her ignorance and confidently continued, "With my strength, I will eventually become known throughout the country. Just wait and watch me on TV!"

    "If that day really comes, mom will enjoy her blessings with you," Madam Xie couldn''t help but beam with happiness. Xie''s father, however, felt his face couldn''t hold up and interrupted his wife, saying,

    "What blessings are you talking about? Children and grandchildren have their own fortunes! It''s enough if Ruoxi herself is doing well."

    "I''ve always been doing well," Xie Ruoxi pretended not to understand her dad''s meaning, and blinked as she said, "I now live in a big villa, with a monthly income of tens of millions, where does dad think I am not doing well?"

    Xie''s father: .........

    Where has my clothes rack gone? Never mind, my daughter has grown up, and I can''t hit her, so I have no choice but to endure.

    He silently looked out the window, remaining quiet.

    This was the first time Xie Ruoxi successfully showed filial piety, silencing her father, which greatly boosted her confidence. She glanced at her aunt who was beside herself with excitement, and continued to boast,

    "We cultivators are different from mortals; we don''t pursue the type of houses we live in or how much money we have in the bank. What we pursue is cultivation, strength, status, the power of speech, leaving our mark on history, whether the world will still remember my name, Xie Ruoxi, hundreds of years later!"

    Everyone: .........

    "Has Ruoxi become a bit too inflated?" Su Yunjin quietly asked Yan Yu through a message, "It feels like she''s getting more and more ludicrous."

    "Let''s observe for a bit," said Yan Yu, "It might not be over-correction to straighten what is crooked."

    Su Yunjin fell silent.

    The car brought everyone to the hotel. The location was chosen by Chen Lingyun, and its opulence far exceeded what the Xie family had imagined.

    Once Xie''s parents were seated, they looked around, quite like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden for the first time. The aunt, however, seemed to be in a state of delirium, with a stiff smile on her face as she quietly asked her husband,

    "It must cost quite a bit to book a feast here, right?"

    "Stop fixating on money all the time," the uncle-in-law found it harder to save face and said in a low voice, "Didn''t you hear what Ruoxi said? She now has a monthly income of tens of millions; money is meaningless to her. She''s after social status, historical evaluation! And here you are, still fussing over money, isn''t it embarrassing?

    When it''s time to offer toasts later, don''t say a word, I''ll do the talking."

    The aunt had received a scolding and was feeling disgruntled, yet she dared not retort and silently went off to wash the dishes and chopsticks with tea water.

    The cold dishes hadn''t even been served yet when a few people arrived from outside.

    Accompanied by his staff, it was none other than the commander-in-chief of the Zhendong Army, Li Weiguo.

    Yan Yu hurriedly greeted him, and although Xie''s father and mother did not recognize who it was, seeing that he was surrounded by several staff members in the center, it was clear that he was a high-ranking figure unapproachable by ordinary people, so they quickly stood up with their cups in hand, so flustered that they didn''t know what to say.

    "Grandpa Li, have you arrived?" Yan Yu asked with a smile, "Will you sit here?"

    "No, I heard that relatives of Xie Ruoxi''s parents had come, so I just wanted to have a look," Li Weiguo nodded and turned his gaze towards Xie Ruoxi''s parents.

    He was specially invited by Yan Yu to show support. On one hand, it was because Xie Ruoxi indeed had exceptional talent, which deserved his special attention; on the other hand, it was because her psychological weaknesses were too apparent, even arguably the weakest link in the entire Zhenhai Team.

    The internal psychological expert team of the Zhendong Army had once conducted a profiling analysis of all members of the team. Currently, Lin Ning held the highest stability score, followed by Zhao Yuanzhen, and then Su Yunjin; these three were all exceptionally outstanding team cultivators.

    The scores of Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun were considered good, as both had obvious tendencies toward arrogance and a desire to control, which slightly reduced their scores, though certainly not to the extent of having a psychological disorder. Discover exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire

    The biggest problem was naturally Xie Ruoxi, with a weak will, lack of perseverance, long-term addiction to virtual networks, a habit to evade reality, and low tolerance for setbacks... Of course, this was not surprising, given her poor academic performance from a young age.

    In the fully academically competitive Lu Country, such a poor student was destined to be subjected to all-around, long-term battering by the environment.

    As for the "personality correction plan" proposed by Yan Yu, which began with her family, it had also gained the approval of Li Weiguo. After all, Xie Rushan had visited once, and Xie Ruoxi had been willing to train properly; the effects were clearly evident.

    Li Weiguo, carrying the authoritative aura of a superior, spoke warmly to Xie''s parents, expressing a hope that they would support Xie Ruoxi from the family''s perspective, allowing her to fight for the country without any worries at home.

    Xie''s parents were naturally overwhelmed by the attention. Xie''s mother was at a loss for words, while Xie''s father''s face turned so red with excitement that no matter what Li Weiguo said, he would respond with "Sure, sure," "Certainly, certainly," "We will definitely keep a close eye on her."

    It wasn''t until after Li Weiguo had left with his people that Xie Ruoxi woke as if from a dream and came back to her senses.

    The commander-in-chief himself had come to back me up!

    Wahaha... It seems my unmatched talent as an Immortal Venerate has finally caught the eyes of the higher-ups!

    "See that?" she boasted to her parents, brimming with pride, "Knowing my family is in Jinling, the Commander-in-Chief himself came to visit! This is my status in the cultivator circles now!"

    Xie''s parents smiled awkwardly, nodding non-stop, at a loss for words and unable to hide their astonishment, feeling a sense of awe and submission towards their daughter for the first time.

    Even the aunt couldn''t hold it together anymore. From the moment Li Weiguo appeared, all her resentment and indignation had been shattered, now only thinking about "I must quickly mend the relationship," her face full of apologetic smiles, not knowing what to say.

    The uncle, on the other hand, was the most daring of the four, raising his glass to toast with a laugh:

    "Ruoxi, let''s not talk anymore. You''ve made something of yourself now, and your uncle toasts to your success wishing you smooth sailing in your career and promotions at every turn! You''ll always be the hope and pride of our entire village!"

    Thinking of the villagers starting to sing her praises and recount her great deeds, Xie Ruoxi was also quite proud, raising her glass to drink it all in one go, laughing:

    "Of course! Leave it to me!"

    She placed the cup in front of Yan Yu, then elbowed him slightly and ordered faintly:

    "Refill."

    Yan Yu: ???

    Good grief, you beautiful good-for-nothing, you really are getting too big for your boots, starting to act like you can order the heavens around, huh?

 Chapter 32 Youre Good at Dodging Punishment

    Yan Yu silently did nothing and filled Xie Ruoxi''s cup to the brim.

    Xie Ruoxi grew increasingly smug, thinking to herself, "The commander supports me, and the captain pours me wine. Could it be that the era belonging to me, Xie, the Immortal Venerate, is truly upon us?" Stay updated via My Virtual Library Empire

    From now on, under the heavens and above the earth, only I shall be revered!!!

    The more she thought about it, the more excited she became, feeling an almost unstoppable urge to stand on the table and howl. But with everyone present, it wasn''t appropriate to go too wild, so she drank the wine poured by Yan Yu in one gulp and, with animated brows and vibrant gestures, bragged to her parents and relatives:

    "Back when I fought in the Mysterious Realm on Black Dragon Isle, there were thousands of Onmyoji on the other side. I stood alone at the back, anchoring the formation, and they didn''t even dare to attack me."

    "Thousands of people?" Xie''s mother was extremely anxious, "Then you..."

    She was about to say be very careful, before recalling that it was an event that had already happened.

    "It''s nothing." Xie Ruoxi said dismissively, "I dealt with them all by myself."

    Everyone fell silent. Was this for real? In which parallel universe did this take place?

    "Ruoxi is truly amazing." An aunt raised her cup with a forced smile and said, "Ruoxi has always been so brave. I remember back in primary school the teacher said that she was the only one in the class who wouldn''t listen..."

    The crowd maintained their silence. Auntie, if you don''t know what to say, it''s better to say nothing at all.

    "Ahem." Xie Ruoxi coughed before continuing to boast, "Why not talk about the battle to defend the Southern Border? Several times when our team almost got wiped out, it was all thanks to my Thunder Method that we were able to turn the tables. The most dangerous time was when we faced the Witch King. Half of our side fell after one of his attacks, and I had to use all my skills and wit to repel him."

    The young women all bowed their heads to eat, hiding the awkward expressions on their faces.

    Only to hear Xie''s father nodding and saying:

    "Mmm, protecting the family and the country, a noble deed."

    "Whether it''s the Onmyoji from the cherry blossoms or the Sorcerers from the Southern Border, none would be a match for me!" Xie Ruoxi, having drunk too much, said proudly, "With my cultivation talent, I''m bound to become the number one Cultivator in the country, the strongest in Lu Country... no, the strongest in this world!"

    "You''ve had too much." Yan Yu calmly took her cup away, "Eat some food."

    "I''m not drunk, I..." Xie Ruoxi was about to throw a little tantrum, but when she looked into Yan Yu''s calm eyes, the wild blaze of arrogance inside her suddenly extinguished.

    I am the strongest in this world? No... no, that''s not right.

    I''m just a pure, cute, delicate, and helpless Ruoxi, hehe~

    She quickly adjusted her demeanor, lowered her head to feign obedience and gentleness, only to hear Yan Yu continue:

    "Uncle and Auntie, you''ve heard it, haven''t you? Xie Ruoxi is now a Cultivator with top-notch abilities in the country, so her safety can''t be taken lightly. As her parents, according to the rules, you need to receive protection from the Military Manor."

    "We have already contacted the Annan Army, and they should be arranging to take you both to a residence within the military compound in Star City."

    "Ah?" Xie''s father and mother were caught off guard by this news, "We have to move to Star City?"

    "The initial plan was to arrange it in Baoqing Prefecture." Yan Yu said indifferently, "The Annan Army believes that the military force of Baoqing Prefecture is inadequate, and given Comrade Xie Ruoxi''s strength level, her family requires a higher level of security protection, hence the provisional choice is Star City."

    "Oh, oh..." The elderly couple didn''t know how to respond. They clearly weren''t keen on moving, but Yan Yu was invoking orders from a higher authority; feeling cornered, they had no choice but to dazedly agree and leave it at that.

    The latter half of the banquet became somewhat dull with the discussion of moving, coupled with Xie Ruoxi''s reconciliation.

    After the meal, Yan Yu offered to stay overnight but was politely declined by Xie''s parents.

    They had never planned to stay for the night, as they didn''t want to burden their daughter, so they had already purchased return tickets for the same day.

    At the train station''s waiting platform, the aunt once again mustered the courage to approach her cousin, smiling and saying:

    "Ruoxi has really made something of herself this time, that..." S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Xie''s mother glanced at her impassively and interrupted her:

    "Aren''t you going to see your daughter?"

    "Uh, she said she was on a business trip, so we won''t visit her." The aunt, interrupted in her momentum, could only weakly find an excuse, and then shrunk back beside her husband.

    But in her mind, she was resolved to get her daughter, who worked and lived in Jinling, to establish a good relationship with Xie Ruoxi.

    Due to over a decade of resentment, even if she were to make a complete 180-degree turn in her attitude now, she guessed Xie''s parents would still not pay her much heed.

    But when Qianqian was a child, she had a fairly good relationship with Xie Ruoxi, and there was another cousin Wenwen. The three of them often played together during the summer holidays... Xie Ruoxi''s parents refused my attempts to curry favor, but surely Xie Ruoxi wouldn''t completely ignore Qianqian, right?

    With this thought, she no longer persisted in entangling Xie Ruoxi''s mother and silently took out her phone to send a message to her daughter.

    Back at Yan Yu''s place, everyone went to wash up and change clothes.

    In the bathroom, Yan Yu was brushing his teeth when he suddenly heard a knock on the door.

    With the toothbrush in his mouth, he went to open the door, only to see Xie Ruoxi standing outside, timorously looking like a pitiful, big-eyed rabbit wanting to beg for mercy but not daring to do so, which immediately made him frown.

    What the hell... weren''t you quite arrogant at the dinner table just now? How come you''ve reverted to your original state after coming back?

    So, all the effort we went to backing you up this time was for nothing, huh?

    "Can I come in?" Xie Ruoxi asked tentatively.

    "Come in," Yan Yu mumbled, "wait for me to finish brushing my teeth."

    He went back into the bathroom, finished brushing his teeth cleanly, bent his head to spit out the toothpaste foam, and immediately a cup of water was held out to him.

    It was handed to him by Xie Ruoxi.

    Faced with her overly obvious attempt to ingratiate herself, Yan Yu sighed inwardly, took the cup and gargled noisily, wiped his mouth with a towel, then turned and left the bathroom saying:

    "So, what do you want?"

    "Captain, I did something wrong." Seeing Yan Yu sitting on the edge of the bed, Xie Ruoxi immediately knelt down in a familiar manner, embracing Yan Yu''s legs, "I got too carried away with pride this time, please don''t beat me, okay?"

    Yan Yu: ???

    Why the hell are you kneeling again?! Kneeling again! You''re truly helpless...

    Just as he was about to express his disappointment with an exasperated kick, he suddenly realized that Xie Ruoxi wasn''t actually kneeling¡ªshe was squatting while hugging his thighs, just like a rabbit, with her hind legs folded under her bottom and her front paws resting on him.

    "Stand up and talk," Yan Yu said impatiently.

    Xie Ruoxi obediently stood up and sat beside Yan Yu, her head down as she stared at the floor, trembling with fear.

    "Why did you get carried away?" Yan Yu asked indifferently.

    "Because I''ve been suppressed too harshly in the past," Xie Ruoxi said after a moment of silence, her voice melancholic, "Captain... all my life, whether at home or at school, I''ve always been the unnoticed one in everyone''s eyes."

    "People only care about who has good grades, who comes from a wealthy family, who is good at making friends. Then look at me¡ªwith terrible grades, a poor family, and a slight social anxiety that makes me afraid to speak loudly. Who would pay attention to a waste like me, really..."

    As she spoke, she thought about the many years of humility and sorrow and started to dab at her tears, dropping them like small pearls.

    But Yan Yu remained unmoved, because this beautiful waste had cried too many times before¡ªher tear ducts were just more active than most people''s, so her crying wasn''t necessarily because she was breaking down. It could have been just a release of emotions, or perhaps an attempt to soften her own heart. In any case, best not to dwell on it for now.

    "I..." Xie Ruoxi choked up, "I started to like the two-dimensional world after my looks developed in the ninth grade and boys began saying I was pretty... Captain, do you know that my looks might be the only thing I have that counts for something? And in this world, only the two-dimensional realm purely appreciates beauty..."

    "Yeah, so what?" Yan Yu asked coldly.

    "So, what I really like isn''t the two-dimensional world, but the feeling of being valued by others." Xie Ruoxi sniffled hard, continuing to sob, "The reason I want to cosplay isn''t that I really like the original characters, but because I hope the fans who like those original characters will pay attention to me, look at me, like me..."

    Lack of love.

    This term suddenly appeared in Yan Yu''s mind.

    But before he could ponder further, he saw Xie Ruoxi turning her head to look at him.

    Her face was wet with tears, looking pitiful and delicate like a rain-drenched pear blossom, yet her expression was serious and solemn... an expression that Yan Yu had never seen her wear since he had known her.

    How can the beautiful waste suddenly become serious? What happened to your persona?

    "Captain," Xie Ruoxi said softly, "I''ve always wanted to thank you."

    "Even at my most worthless times, you didn''t choose to give up on me. You still patiently paid attention to me, watched over me, liked me."

    "I don''t like you," Yan Yu asserted, "Don''t confuse me with your fans. The only reason I trained you is because of your exceptional cultivation talent..."

    "But I like you," Xie Ruoxi suddenly said.

 Chapter 33 Yun Jin cured me as well

    Xie Ruoxi wasn''t boasting. Even without makeup, she truly was beautiful enough.

    Her eyes were large, and although they were single-lidded and prone to tears, when she stared unwaveringly at you, the watery shine within seemed about to overflow, possessing a wonderfully charming allure of immature shyness.

    Her nose and mouth were also delicately petite, quite fitting with the current aesthetic preferences for a youthful look, but the most exquisite feature was actually her skin, soft and creamy, smooth and lustrous like jade, just as adorable as a doll''s.

    But adorable didn''t mean she was suited to liking me, get it?

    "You''re not worthy," Yan Yu said.

    Though he spoke slowly, it was with unwavering firmness, coldness, and finality, leaving no room for reprieve.

    "I know I''m not good enough for you," Xie Ruoxi didn''t show the slightest hint of disappointment, but instead vigorously wiped her tears away and broke into a smile, "But liking you is my own business, you can''t stop me from liking you, can you?"

    "Whatever," Yan Yu continued to say, "I don''t care."

    What responded to him was a lightning-quick kiss.

    Xie Ruoxi kissed the corner of his mouth from the side, like a dragonfly skimming the water, fleeting, and then she stood up, whispering to herself:

    "Captain, your clone once said that you would only be with the strongest woman, right?"

    "Although I used to be quite worthless, I''ll work hard."

    After saying that, she tried again to smile, then hurriedly left. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu stared at the closed door for a long while before finally squeezing out a word through his teeth:

    "Crap."

    It wasn''t that I was faint-hearted, but just now the aura of Xie Immortal Venerate was too intense¡ªyes, the same intense aura as Secretary Su''s.

    How can this thing even be contagious?

    Forget it, don''t scare myself. Even if a beautiful no-good transforms, she won''t suddenly become the ultimate form of a gravity mage. Even if she does manage to do what she said, as long as she becomes a hard worker like Lin Ning, I should be thanking my lucky stars!

    Yan Yu relaxedly stood up, reaching out to wipe the kissed corner of his mouth.

    Hmph, this good-for-nothing''s lips are quite soft.

    Let''s go downstairs to grab something to eat.

    Yan Yu yawned lazily and approached the door to open it, only to see Su Yunjin standing there, giving him a gentle smile.

    ...Eavesdropping?

    That''s not right, if it was eavesdropping, Xie Ruoxi would have discovered her immediately upon leaving the room, unless this young lady had her Invisibility Technique active while squatting by my door... Wow, that''s a bit terrifying, Secretary Su wouldn''t pull that sort of thing.

    "What''s up?" Yan Yu asked nonchalantly.

    "Did Ruoxi come to see you just now?" Su Yunjin asked with a smile.

    Yan Yu: .........

    "Yes," he nodded.

    "Oh," Su Yunjin explained, "I had just come upstairs when I saw her with tears all over her face heading to the bathroom, so I thought maybe Captain Yan you had bullied her again."

    "Why would I bully her?" Yan Yu asked perplexedly.

    "Who knows," Su Yunjin said casually, "For instance, during dinner today, maybe you thought she was getting carried away with the praise and wanted to bring her back down to earth afterwards?"

    "Am I some kind of Demon King?" Yan Yu felt embarrassed.

    "Nope," Su Yunjin said lightly.

    Ah, come on... How do you manage to express strong affirmation through denial?

    "Come in," Yan Yu sighed and said.

    Su Yunjin entered the room and sat down beside Yan Yu''s bed¡ªexactly where Xie Ruoxi had been sitting, giving Yan Yu the subtle impression that "they were taking turns torturing me."

    "So," she said with a curious expression, "What exactly did you talk about?"

    "Sorry, I can''t tell you that," Yan Yu turned her down.

    "So it''s Ruoxi who confessed to you," Su Yunjin deduced, "and then she got ''you''re not worthy'' brutally rejected by you, which is why she left crying, and you''re afraid that talking about it would deepen the secondary damage to her, so you don''t want to tell me, right?"

    Yan Yu: .........

    "You should read fewer detective novels," he could only maintain a non-committal attitude and countered, "Is this why you were looking for me?"

    "No," Su Yunjin said with a smile, "Can''t I come see the captain for no reason?"

    "Of course not, I am very busy," Yan Yu pretended to leave, but Su Yunjin couldn''t hold back and hurriedly called out to him:

    "Alright, alright, no more joking. Let me see how your wound is doing."

    "Hasn''t my injury healed?" Yan Yu expressed confusion.

    "It doesn''t heal that quickly." Su Yunjin helped him take off his clothes and continued to examine the wound with her Divine Sense, kneading and probing, suddenly asking, "Does this hurt?"

    "A little."

    "Know why?"

    "Because you''re pinching me hard."

    "Not exactly," Su Yunjin explained, "It''s because the hidden injury here hasn''t fully healed, so when I touch the nerve endings inside with Runescript True Essence, they send out pain signals because the exposed wound is too large."

    "So you are using True Essence to pinch me," Yan Yu realized.

    "I didn''t... never mind," Su Yunjin was somewhat speechless, "Anyway, this still needs treatment. I will come over at this time every day from now on..."

    Before she could finish speaking, the door was suddenly pushed open from the outside, and Xie Ruoxi came in saying:

    "Captain! I''m going to fast... huh?"

    Her gaze met Su Yunjin''s in shock; the latter still held her pose touching the captain, both speechless.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    After a short while, everyone finally managed to explain the situation.

    "So the captain''s injury from the last trip to the Mysterious Realm hasn''t healed," Xie Ruoxi said.

    "Right," Su Yunjin nodded.

    "So you need to treat him regularly," Xie Ruoxi continued.

    "Right," Su Yunjin kept nodding.

    If I trust you, I must be an idiot! Xie Ruoxi scoffed inwardly.

    The captain has no tea appraisal skills, can I, the clever Ruoxi, be deceived by you?

    "Speaking of which, I think I also have a hidden injury," Xie Ruoxi said, "My chest was pierced by the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin."

    "Oh, right," Yan Yu was reminded by her words and immediately responded, "Ruoxi''s injury is alright, isn''t it?"

    "No, it''s not," Su Yunjin gently explained, "Penetrating injuries are deep and narrow, and as long as you don''t die on the spot, the subsequent healing is not too troublesome."

    "It''s not just a penetrating injury," Xie Ruoxi denied, "At that time, Sister Zhao used the Treasure Controlling Technique to help me pull out the hairpin, and she might not have been very skilled. Plus, the clone was causing interference on the side, and during the process of pulling it out, it stabbed back in again, so there are also some tear marks...

    I''ve been feeling a persistent pain in my chest lately, why don''t you check it out for me, Yun Jin?"

    "Since she''s still in pain, then you should check her out," Yan Yu stood up, adjusting his clothes, "I''ll go find something to eat, I was too busy drinking tonight and got a bit hungry."

    Once Yan Yu had left the bedroom, Xie Ruoxi and Su Yunjin faced each other again, both their smiles vanishing.

    "Ruoxi, do you also like the captain?" Su Yunjin asked first, her tone calm.

    "Mhm," Xie Ruoxi replied coolly, "Has anyone told you what my clone said?"

    "Even if you really feel that way, you have to distinguish between acknowledging it and not," Su Yunjin hinted, speaking tactfully, "If you don''t admit it, then it''s not really liking."

    "Indeed," Xie Ruoxi also understood the implication, "So what now?"

    "A fair competition?" Su Yunjin asked.

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    "Alright, a fair competition," Xie Ruoxi said, "What''s fair in this context?"

    "Even though we''re rivals, we shouldn''t be enemies," Su Yunjin said slowly, "What we need to do is make the captain truly fall for us, not to eliminate the love rival."

    "I agree."

 Chapter 34 Everyone Must Become Stronger

    Yan Yu arrived downstairs and had just opened the refrigerator when a voice sounded from beside him:

    "What are you looking for to eat?"

    "What''s in the fridge?" Yan Yu asked.

    "Gone." Zhao Yuanzhen stated matter-of-factly, "I''ve eaten it all."

    "Then why are you asking me?" Yan Yu was speechless.

    "I''m reminding you that it''s time to restock the fridge... Ouch!" Zhao Yuanzhen got a karate chop from him and immediately scurried away holding her head.

    After rummaging through cabinets for quite a while, Yan Yu confirmed that all the snacks had indeed been devoured by this Demonic Sect''s glutton, not even oatmeal was left for breakfast.

    He had no choice but to pull open a nearby cupboard, and from behind a pile of pots and pans, he retrieved secretly stashed instant noodles.

    Sigh, storing food in this house really isn''t easy...

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    Just as he was putting the noodle cake into cold water, he heard yet another voice beside him:

    "What are you making to eat?"

    "Instant noodles." Yan Yu replied without turning back.

    "Cooking instant noodles like that has no nutrition." Lin Ning began to nitpick, "Dehydrated vegetables already lose a lot of nutrients, they can''t replace fresh vegetables."

    "I know." Yan Yu said, "But it''s convenient to cook them this way."

    "Don''t be so lazy!" Lin Ning fetched vegetables and eggs from the fridge. Then suddenly, she screamed, "Where''s the Spam I put here?!!"

    "I ate it." Zhao Yuanzhen reemerged out of nowhere and replied.

    "Spam needs to be fried." Lin Ning sighed, holding her forehead, "Don''t tell me you..."

    "It''s already cooked." Zhao Yuanzhen defended herself confidently, "I just ate it straight."

    "Next time we buy raw meat." Yan Yu secretly communicated to Lin Ning, "Freeze it in the freezer; she doesn''t know how to thaw it."

    "Yeah." Lin Ning had nothing more to say and took the vegetables to wash and chop. As she reached for the eggs, she heard Zhao Yuanzhen say:

    "I want mine soft-boiled with a runny yolk."

    "I wasn''t planning on making any for you." Lin Ning said, annoyed.

    "Ah, why be like that!" Zhao Yuanzhen immediately hugged her from behind, starting to tickle her, laughing, "Ningning, it''s the same effort cooking one portion or two, help me out~"

    "Alright! Alright! Stop it!" Lin Ning, tickled till her whole body weakened, swayed from side to side and surrendered, "I''ll make it for you! I''ll make it, okay? Captain, go ask if the others want some too."

    "Okay."

    Yan Yu texted in the group chat, and the others replied quickly:

    "Cook one for me too, make it soft and mushy." Chen Lingyun responded.

    "Add more vegetables." Su Yunjin said.

    "I''ll pass, I''m fasting." Xie Ruoxi replied.

    The Immortal Venerate Xie, indeed, had a frightening talent for cultivation; it''s just a pity that she was limited by the speed of the rise of the upper limit brought on by the Spiritual Energy Resurgence. She had to wait obediently for us with lesser aptitudes to catch up once she reached her limit.

    "Okay, just stay out of the living room then, so you won''t be tempted by the smell of food." Yan Yu typed.

    "No worries, I''m in the basement." Xie Ruoxi said.

    "What are you doing in the basement?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked curiously.

    Cultivating the Fasting technique doesn''t conflict with playing video games and watching anime in front of a computer, right?

    "I''m training." Xie Ruoxi said.

    A clatter, Yan Yu''s chopsticks fell to the floor.

    "Didn''t grip them firmly." He calmly bent down to pick them up, but his heart was stirring with shock and awe.

    The beautiful good-for-nothing is actively training?

    Who was it? Who had her sign the Striver''s Agreement? Even if she were only proactive for one day, it would still be considered a miracle in human history.

    All sorts of Xie Ruoxi''s scandals from his past life came to his mind one after another, quickly calming the amazement in Yan Yu''s heart.

    Meh, just a flash-in-the-pan enthusiast.

    Forget it, let her be.

    Lin Ning soon had the late-night snack ready. Ling Yun''s had to be well-cooked, Yun Jin''s doubled on vegetables, and Zhao Yuanzhen''s was a huge bowl of soup with extra noodles. The captain? Not worth the trouble.

    Sneakily added a poached egg for him, buried at the very bottom of his noodles.

    Everyone gathered around the dining table and started eating their noodles.

    Zhao Yuanzhen''s eating was still bold and unfettered, engulfing and inhaling the food; Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin were much more elegant, holding a spoon in their left and chopsticks in their right, seeking to have both noodles and soup at every bite. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Lin Ning had little appetite, picking at her side dishes, she ate only a few bites before noticing Yan Yu also seemed to eat at a sluggish pace.

    "Why?" she quietly transmitted a message over, "Does it not suit your taste?"

    "No," Yan Yu replied, "It''s quite delicious."

    The issue wasn''t with the meal, it was with him.

    After fasting, his body''s need for food had dropped to zero; not eating or drinking wouldn''t affect him in the slightest.

    Naturally, those who had fasted still might crave food, as exemplified by Zhao Yuanzhen, but that wasn''t hunger¡ªit was closer to a desire for treats and an addiction to eating.

    Cultivators who completed the fasting practice no longer felt thirst or hunger and lost their natural ability to feel satisfied and content from being full. Their taste buds became more sensitive to the unique flavors of ingredients, while the pleasure derived from carbs and fats diminished significantly because of their association with satiety...

    Although Yan Yu knew this from his past life, he had never experienced it personally.

    At the previous banquet hosted for relatives of the Xie Family, he didn''t eat much. Now it seemed it was because his appetite had been affected.

    Thinking about it, looking at the Demonic Sect''s gluttonous beasts, they indeed had an exceptional talent for indulgence.

    After hurriedly finishing his meal, Yan Yu left the living room and went to the basement to see how Xie Ruoxi was faring with her practice.

    Arriving below, he saw Xie Ruoxi seated cross-legged on a yoga mat, quietly meditating and practicing Qi Refinement.

    Proactively cultivating yet looking like a beautiful waste... the more he looked, the more it irked him, it was simply too peculiar.

    As he drew closer, wanting a better look, he saw Xie Ruoxi''s head suddenly loll to the side, and her breathing grew heavier.

    She began to snore lightly.

    Yan Yu: ............

    So she was sleeping, huh?

    I knew she couldn''t be that self-disciplined! Hmph, this makes much more sense.

    Yan Yu left the basement quietly and returned to his own room.

    After resting for a moment, his phone suddenly rang.

    It was Anna:

    "Have you heard about the situation in the East Sea?"

    "What situation?" Yan Yu asked back.

    A video was sent over, showing the sea''s depths illuminated in a rolling aurora of seven-colored splendor¡ªa radiance unmatched in beauty, looking almost dreamy and unreal.

    "Where is this?" Yan Yu typed.

    Before Anna could reply, another message arrived, this time from Liu Longtao:

    "East longitude 126 North latitude 30, something unusual beneath the sea."

    Anna''s response also came quickly:

    "The Elders sensed huge magical fluctuations in the Southeast direction; the video was projected using a divination array. Currently, it''s estimated to be within the international waters at the tripoint junction of your, Yin Yang Bureau, and Pear Blossom Courtyard''s influence."

    "If you need help, remember to contact me."

    International waters at the trijunction of three powers... a battle was inevitable, perhaps the witches of the Amur coven could be of use.

    "The situation is not yet clear," Liu Longtao messaged, "Stay alert."

    With a ding, Chen Lingyun also sent a message, this time a weather satellite image.

    A storm''s eye had formed above the East Sea, unlike typical typhoon cloud patterns, this storm''s eye was colorful¡ªthe center resembled a giant soap bubble.

    Yan Yu stood up and went downstairs to the living room, where he found the girls gathered together, discussing the anomaly in the East Sea.

    "It must be the entrance to a Mysterious Realm," Su Yunjin speculated, "and it hasn''t opened yet."

    "Since it''s in international waters, it will surely provoke international contention among the powers of various Transcendents," Lin Ning added with concern.

    "Indeed, and this time both the Yin Yang Bureau of Heavy Sakura and the Pear Blossom Courtyard of Goryeo will most likely join in the contest," Yan Yu came over and said, "You all need to accelerate your cultivation and reach the Marrow Cleansing Stage before this Mysterious Realm completely opens."

    "Okay," the girls hastily responded.

    With the "imminent opening of an overseas Mysterious Realm" as motivation, everyone perked up, getting ready to return to their rooms to cultivate, when they saw Xie Ruoxi coming down to the living room:

    "Is there any food left?"

    "None," Yan Yu pointed at the kitchen, which contained dishes waiting to be washed, "It''s all been eaten... Weren''t you practicing the fasting method?"

    "It''s already done," Xie Ruoxi opened the refrigerator door.

    "You''ve advanced to the Marrow Cleansing Stage?" the girls exclaimed in shock.

    Even the team captain himself took about ten days to master the fasting method, how could you... didn''t you just start practicing?

    "It should be done, since I broke out into a stinky sweat, and I took a bath afterward," Xie Ruoxi searched for a while, then suddenly screamed, "Where are my cheese sticks that I hid in here?!!!"

 Chapter 35 East Sea Departure Palace, Intelligence Disclosure

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    Several days later, news of the strange phenomena in the East Sea quickly spread across the world.

    Foreign media extensively reported the development, claiming that the Miti Strategic Bureau had already initiated a lead to share the Mysterious Realm with both the Yin Yang Bureau and the Pear Blossom Courtyard.

    Guess who wasn''t invited?

    The Privy Council chose to retaliate by marking off a region near the Mysterious Realm and starting long-term military exercises.

    Public opinion abroad immediately erupted, daring the Privy Council to demarcate on international waters?

    The Privy Council said it was a normal exercise and that certain forces shouldn''t be overly tense.

    After several days of criticism, seeing that the Privy Council was unmoved, the Miti Strategic Bureau drew a military zone directly opposite the Privy Council, announcing long-term tripartite military drills with the Yin Yang Bureau and the Pear Blossom Courtyard.

    Everyone knew that the military drill was just a smokescreen, a way to stake a claim on the territory first.

    Once the Mysterious Realm truly opened, it would come down to the Privy Council''s defences blocking and countless foreign Transcendents charging in recklessly.

    How many could be stopped would depend on the courage and strategic resolve of the Privy Council of Lu Country¡ªthe greater the courage and firepower, the more that could be stopped, but of course, the risk of war also would skyrocket; sufficient resolve meant blocking fewer, but at the cost of intense competition for the Mysterious Realm.

    There were reports that Chen Tianming was vigorously advocating for "unrestricted fire," "maximum deterrence," and "complete interception" within the Privy Council, while several others strongly opposed, citing the old reason of "we cannot isolate ourselves from modern society."

    As outside the Mysterious Realm, once naval guns start to clash, it could easily escalate the conflict indefinitely, leaving neither side willing to swallow their pride; S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But inside the Mysterious Realm, it''s each Transcendent for themselves, fate deciding life and death, and thus there is not much risk of war¡ªonce the core hub of the Mysterious Realm is controlled by the adversary, even if you want to flip the table, it won''t change the facts, and the result, of course, is to leave dejectedly without flipping the table.

    Upon hearing this, Yan Yu immediately called to mock Lord Master:

    "Old Liu, I hear your faction cast an abstaining vote at the Privy Council?"

    "How did you know?" Liu Longtao asked in surprise.

    "Chen Lingyun told me that someone played the coward," Yan Yu said succinctly. "Guess who?"

    "Heh," Liu Longtao scoffed, "do you think your father-in-law harbors any goodwill? If there''s an escalation of hostilities with the other side, the Privy Council would have to ramp up its engagement in the Pacific Ocean front, and the Zhendong Army''s influence would increase. And his commander-in-chief and he are from the same faction, see?

    He''s not trying to reduce the supposed ''risk of the Mysterious Realm competition''; it''s purely for his own interest."

    "How could I not understand?" Yan Yu chuckled, "are you saying your family cast an abstaining vote just to choose sides based on interest?"

    "Not really." Liu Longtao claimed, righteous and confident, "our families unanimously think that your father-in-law, not yet involved, is already so aggressive. Once involved, wouldn''t he turn everything upside down? We must restrain, and it''s for his own good too."

    "Restrain, everyone is open to restraint," Yan Yu said indifferently. "He''s not my father-in-law right now."

    "Not now, but perhaps in the future, right?" Liu Longtao laughed heartily. "Old Yan, I''m telling you, during the Privy Council''s joint session, one faction even proposed to bar the Dragon Soar Team from participating in the battle."

    "Really?" Yan Yu was taken aback. "Are they having a stroke or senile dementia? If I don''t join, who will fight for the Mysterious Realm, you?"

    "Hey!" Liu Longtao laughed at him defiantly, "What''s wrong with me? Left fist to punch Pear Blossom Courtyard, right foot to kick Yin Yang Bureau, and in minutes I''ll have them all down, alright?"

    "Forget it then. I won''t join this time; hand it over to your Dragon Cavalry Team, okay?" Yan Yu immediately declared, hands off.

    "Don''t be like that," Liu Longtao said with a smile. "They were just testing the waters, and seeing we all disagreed, they dropped the issue. What I''m saying is, although you don''t consider Chen Tianming your father-in-law, when they''re fighting him, they''ll take the chance to step on you too¡ªunfortunately, your clean slate has already been marked with the label of their Chen Family."

    "It doesn''t matter," Yan Yu also laughed. "Who dares to actually step down, do they not need the Longcheng Flying General to go into battle?"

    "That''s the point," Liu Longtao couldn''t deny, whether Yan Yu participated in battle was crucial to the strategy for conquering the Mysterious Realm. "As long as you''re aware of what needs to be done, that''s enough. I''m hanging up now!"

    After hanging up the phone, Yan Yu fell into contemplation.

    Damn Chen Lingyun, shitty Chen Family. How did I, a promising young man with the surname Yan, become your guy?

    No, I need to take it out on that little mushroom.

    Arriving at the underground training ground, he saw the girls all seizing the time to cultivate their breath and refine their Qi, striving to reach the great perfection stage of Qi Refinement as soon as possible.

    The fastest progress was made by Su Yunjin, followed by Lin Ning, both of whom were vaguely touching their bottleneck, and it was estimated that they could start practicing the Fasting Technique this week.

    "One week from today, there will still be one person in our team who has not started practicing the Fasting Technique," Yan Yu approached Chen Lingyun and asked in a leisurely manner, "May I ask, who would that be?"

    "No rush," Chen Lingyun said with a smile. "The Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng hasn''t opened that soon, there''s plenty of time."

    "You''ve already learned the name?" Yan Yu asked, "Isn''t it still unopened?"

    "The Privy Council is supervising this project, the Space Rupture Technique," Chen Lingyun replied, "which means sending unmanned drones or even cultivators into the realm before it actually opens, to check out the situation inside."

    "Hmm," Yan Yu also understood and nodded, "I heard that by means of this, Lord Master''s family has gained a lot of treasures, the Tian Yuan Qi Sword that Ruoxi uses came this way."

    "This technology is still not mature," continued Chen Lingyun. "Whether sending people or drones, the success rate is only about 50%, otherwise we would be sent in before the Mysterious Realm opens, take over the control core, and end it."

    With a success rate of only 50%, what happens upon failure goes without saying. Yan Yu fell silent for a while, then spoke in detail:

    "If I remember correctly, L¨ªg¨­ng should be a testing-type Mysterious Realm. Testers need to pass through six randomly sequenced trials in a row in order to enter L¨ªg¨­ng and claim their reward."

    "When entering the realm, the initial trial is completely random. Even if a team enters together, they will be scattered and separated."

    "However, each trial''s world map is extremely large. So, even if moving alone, one can easily hide their movements."

    "After passing all six trials, one will be teleported to the Departure Palace Square. Not only is the terrain open here, making it difficult to hide, but it is also the final destination for everyone."

    "That means," Chen Lingyun quickly caught on, "reach the endpoint first, then surround and annihilate the reinforcements."

    "Yes," said Yan Yu, "There is no control core in the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng. After opening, it will automatically close after twelve hours, send everyone out, and then disappear again."

    "If one fails to enter L¨ªg¨­ng to claim their reward, it would mean the trip was in vain, returning empty-handed."

    "Are rewards distributed per individual?" Chen Lingyun asked sharply.

    "Yes, the rewards depend on the performance in the trials and the order of arrival at L¨ªg¨­ng," Yan Yu replied. "In addition, if you''re ranked beyond the tenth place, not only is the reward null, but I''ve heard you''ll also get a good scolding when things are settled."

    "If that''s the case, then what we need to do is very simple," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "race to clear the levels first."

    "Then guard the Departure Palace Gate," Yan Yu said, his voice deepening, "kill anyone who comes until the L¨ªg¨­ng closes."

 Chapter 36 Alliance Team

    Yan Yu revealed the secret information about L¨ªg¨­ng to Chen Lingyun actually with the intention of saving a few lives for Lu Country¡ªrather than having more soldiers risk their lives to obtain intelligence on the mysterious realm.

    But who was Chen Lingyun? She was someone full of cunning schemes and quickly relayed this intelligence to Chen Tianming.

    Father and daughter privately discussed the matter and soon came up with a new plan... Keeping it from everyone else, hence it is not mentioned here for the time being.

    Finally, it was December, and temperatures in Jinling Prefecture dropped further, prompting the team villas to turn on their underfloor heating.

    It was then discovered that the underground training field had no underfloor heating, as that area was originally designed as a garage, so everyone moved their training upstairs to the living room to practice their Qi Refinement and breathing techniques.

    Su Yunjin and Lin Ning had both already begun to practice the Fasting Technique. To support their cultivation, Yan Yu declared a strict fast within the villa, forbidding anyone to eat at home.

    Zhao Yuanzhen expressed strong protest.

    The protest was in vain, and the compromise was to accompany Chen Lingyun for outdoor meals three times a day.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress accepted the resolution.

    Every day, the two would put on makeup and disguise themselves to go out for meals, while the others stayed in the villa to cultivate. During their free time, they would watch live TV broadcasts... As the timing for the opening of the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng was uncertain, the Zhenhai Team had completely stopped all external tasks, staying at home ready for combat at any time.

    It was said that the Dragon Soar Team had also stopped going out, indicating that the lineup for the upcoming expedition to the Departure Palace was already set.

    In contrast, the Qing''an and Huofeng Teams were much more high-profile.

    In early December, the Cultivator Professional Sports League finally declared its establishment, with ten teams including Zhenhai, Dragon Soar, Qing''an, and Huofeng, being designated as first-class teams.

    The other teams were ranked as second-class or third-class, with four second-class teams who were not cultivator students from four major colleges. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    They were civilian cultivators.

    The emergence of civilian cultivator teams meant that besides the military manor cultivators and college student cultivators, a third faction of cultivators had officially stepped onto the historical stage.

    College student cultivators were the favored sons of heaven, receiving the best treatment and conditions. Although there were many military manor cultivators, they were known for their strict discipline and resilience, resulting in minimal conflicts between the two.

    Civilian cultivators were members of society who had embarked on the path of cultivation alone, surrounded by ordinary people, which could result in a sense of being the chosen ones. Such recognition could drastically change their worldview¡ªnot that civilian cultivators were all bad seeds, but the statistics from previous life showed that the proportion of troublemakers was certainly not low.

    The Privy Council''s arrangement was to let these four second-class teams battle against Qing''an and Huofeng Teams to experience the strength of the current top-tier cultivator teams.

    The outcome was as expected. Li Minghu left some face for the opposition, but Zhou Hongyu showed no mercy at all, bombarding them without restraint. In the first match, three opponents were sent directly to the ICU, shocking the national audience in front of their TVs.

    The girls were also surprised: Captain Zhou, it''s one thing to fight against enemies, but to beat up our own people this viciously? That doesn''t leave a good impression, does it?

    After Yan Yu finished watching the match, he silently took out his phone and sent a message to Zhou Hongyu.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Rehab seems to be working quite well, huh? You can even send opponents to the ICU?

    [Zao La]: Trash. Explore stories on My Virtual Library Empire

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You''re cursing the other side, right?

    [Zao La]: What else? Did you think it was for you?

    [Zao La]: Making dirty jokes to Xiao Lian before the match.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Oh, I see, I can''t really comment not knowing the exact words, dear.

    [Zao La]: Trying to trick me into talking?

    [Zao La]: You want me to repeat such indecent stuff?

    [Zao La]: You''re a bad seed, too.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Then you''ve wronged me, Xiao Zhou. If I had to pick on someone from your team, I would definitely choose you over Xiao Tang, that kid admires the strong, and it wouldn''t be good if he got a crush on me.

    [Zao La]: Haha.

    [Zao La]: I''ve mastered a new spell, I''ll kill you the next time you come over.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Is that spell by any chance called "Chi Yu Nine Phoenix Fire"?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Guess who got their hands on it? It was me.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You''re going to use the spell I obtained to go against me?

    [Zao La]: Don''t care, I''ll kick your ass just the same.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: It''s not yet decided who''ll kick whose ass.

    After ending the conversation with Zhou Hongyu, Yan Yu also started to feel wistful.

    It seems like my relationship with her is warming up... but what have I done lately?

    Strange.

    But it''s better for her to be normal, rather than accumulating more and more evil energy until she eventually explodes into pieces.

    After catching up with Zhou Hongyu, Yan Yu sent a message to Li Minghu.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: How are you feeling?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Experience and awareness are definitely lacking, but they''re brave and resolute, and their methods are very different from our Scholarly Faction.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Our Three Arts and Five Spells are cast with clear intentions, while theirs are more like... how should I put this? There''s a sense of eager to unleash the attack to boost their own momentum.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: A habit of street fighting, huh.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: In life, you''re facing harmless people; as soon as you flash a knife, they get scared, so civilian cultivators are used to launching quick attacks to intimidate opponents.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: But that won''t work on us.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: I think civilian cultivators still lack a solid foundation; they won''t become our rivals in a short time.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: In the long run, it still comes down to resources.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Exactly.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What I truly fear is them suddenly whipping out some unseen magical artifact or spell, catching you off guard.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Could that really happen? Aren''t most civilian cultivators basically conscripted by now?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Who knows?

    From my experiences in the previous life, not all civilian cultivators choose to poke their heads out to be officially conscripted.

    In the decade of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, the toughest cultivator to be conscripted was Empress Yuanzhen. Below her were many formidable cultivators who are currently nowhere to be found¡ªI wonder where they are secretly holed up, biding their time.

    Once I have some time, I''ll report their names to Chen Lingyun, and let her dad check the citizen information database¡ªpull all of you out one by one!

    Besides civilian cultivators, there''s another group of people, who should be considered Yan Yu''s "colleagues" from his past life; right now, they''re probably busy with various industries and jobs.

    Uncertain whether the plan has started, Yan Yu doesn''t want to "reminisce" with them. If he had a choice, he''d prefer these people not become so-called "mortal cultivators" in this lifetime.

    "Ugh!" Su Yunjin, sitting opposite on the sofa, suddenly made a strange retching sound.

    She seemed to try to stand up hastily, but it was too late¡ªher clothes were quickly soaked with severe sweat, and the color soon changed, almost turning her into a mud person from head to toe¡ªlike those favored by bathhouse scrubbers in the north.

    Su Yunjin hurried off upstairs. Lin Ning opened her eyes and watched her companion''s back, silently sighing in her heart.

    I didn''t surpass Yun Jin again... Huh, why do I say "again"?

    "Focus on your cultivation," Yan Yu sent a message through sound transmission, "The speed of marrow cleansing is not important; what matters is that every step on the path of cultivation must be taken firmly and steadily."

    "Okay."

    Lin Ning closed her eyes again, struggling hard against hunger and thirst.

    In her chaotic mind, for some reason, the form of Yan Yu emerged.

 Chapter 37 Competitive Ningning

    After Su Yunjin completed her Marrow Cleansing, she not only became much fairer but also grew three centimeters taller, making Xie Ruoxi incredibly envious¡ªWhy didn''t I grow taller when I did my Marrow Cleansing?

    To celebrate Yun Jin''s Marrow Cleansing, Zhao Yuanzhen appropriately suggested that everyone should go out for a meal together as a celebration.

    Xie Ruoxi immediately agreed, stirring up the excitement.

    Su Yunjin worried about Lin Ning and wanted to excuse herself, but seeing her dilemma, Lin Ning took the initiative and said:

    "It''s okay, you all go and enjoy the meal. I should practice at home alone; I can''t expect everyone to starve and fast with me."

    Since Lin Ning had put it that way, Su Yunjin agreed and then turned to look at Chen Lingyun and Yan Yu.

    "I''m fine with it," Chen Lingyun smiled and accepted, but Yan Yu said:

    "I don''t really have an appetite today, you all go ahead, I''ll rest at home."

    Su Yunjin: .........

    Suddenly, she didn''t feel like going anymore.

    However, the situation was beyond her control now. Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi, like two imposing guardians, lifted her up from either side and escorted her out.

    Time to feast!

    Chen Lingyun quickly followed them out, giving Lin Ning a meaningful look as she turned back.

    Lin Ning, however, did not understand and turned to ask Yan Yu:

    "Why aren''t you going?"

    "Didn''t I say I have no appetite?" Yan Yu replied.

    "Humph, if it''s out of pity for me, there''s no need," Lin Ning''s mood slightly improved, but she huffed coldly.

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    "I do pity your brain a bit¡­" Yan Yu hadn''t finished speaking when Lin Ning quickly grabbed a sofa cushion and threw it at his head.

    After placing the cushion aside, Yan Yu started flipping through TV channels with the remote control.

    Lin Ning sat cross-legged on the sofa and continued meditating quietly.

    The key to the Fasting technique lies in the word "restraint," which forces the body to internalize and self-sustain when there is no intake of external substances for a long time.

    This kind of forced endurance is, of course, extremely agonizing and can even be described as defying the body''s instinct to survive. Thus, one can usually try to visualize something else to divert their attention.

    The object of Lin Ning''s visualization was a big fish leaping out of the waves¡ªan original painting that hung on the living room wall of her old home in Qingyuan Prefecture.

    For some reason, though, the waves in her mind''s sea gradually disappeared, and the big fish slowly faded away.

    In their place was Yan Yu''s face.

    Detestable yet dependable.

    A mix of resentment and panic began to grow in Lin Ning''s heart, not understanding why she suddenly thought of him and not wanting to know either. She abruptly opened her eyes and said:

    "Stop changing channels on the TV; you''re disturbing me."

    "Should I go then?" Yan Yu feigned as if he were about to stand up.

    "Humph, no one is stopping you if you want to leave," Lin Ning said coldly.

    Yan Yu fell silent. "No one is stopping you if you want to leave" was actually "don''t leave, but I''m too embarrassed to say it"¡ªSister Lin''s insincerity was becoming more and more outrageous.

    He pretended to head upstairs, walking towards the staircase and stomping up, then deliberately made his footsteps lighter and lighter as he turned and went back downstairs, quietly approaching Lin Ning from behind.

    Lin Ning was unaware of all this, just hearing Yan Yu''s footsteps getting softer and fading away¡ªprobably going back up to his room on the second floor.

    After a moment, she finally opened her eyes and sighed.

    No more wild thoughts, I must focus on my cultivation...

    Lin Ning rubbed her cheeks forcefully with her hands, then slapped them a few times to calm herself down, only to suddenly hear Yan Yu''s voice from behind:

    "Little cat washing her face?"

    Startled, Lin Ning jolted up from the sofa in a flash, only to quickly realize:

    The Captain pretended to leave but was actually observing my expressions behind my back, watching me make a fool of myself! S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    She grabbed another throw pillow from the sofa and tried to use it as a weapon to beat Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu nimbly stepped back and dodged, then dashed upstairs in a flash.

    Lin Ning, relentless, chased him upstairs and with a swift stride, burst into his room.

    Think you can escape?

    Like a tiger pouncing on its prey!

    She tackled the unprepared Yan Yu onto the bed, pinned his shoulders, and prepared to bite him.

    Yan Yu did not resist, but looked at her in astonishment, thinking, When did this girl become so bold, daring to push me onto the bed?

    The next second, Lin Ning let go of him and stood up with a red face, then quickly switched to an impatient expression, folding her arms and saying,

    "What were you running for? I, I saw you fleeing and subconsciously thought you were a bad guy, so I chased you to catch you!"

    "You were going to hit me, shouldn''t I dodge?" Yan Yu retorted.

    "That''s because you deliberately scared me in the living room!" Lin Ning glared at him, like a cat trying to appear threatening.

    "I was simply concerned because you suddenly started sighing and rubbing your face, so I asked," Yan Yu calmly inquired again, "Were you scared?"

    "Not at all!" Lin Ning fell right into his trap. She vehemently denied first, then realizing her slip, she explained, "Although I wasn''t scared by you, you had ill intentions, wanting to scare me, so I need to punish you severely!"

    "And your method of punishing me severely is to tackle me onto the bed when I''m not expecting it?" Yan Yu asked for the third time.

    "I..." Lin Ning was finally at a loss for words.

    Seeing that she might explode again, Yan Yu quickly changed the subject:

    "How''s your Fasting practice coming along? If I remember correctly, you and Yun Jin started practicing around the same time, give or take a day or two."

    "It''s going well, very smoothly," Lin Ning really was sidetracked by his change of topic, too embarrassed to admit that she had "too many distractions in her mind," and simply said, "Just a few more days'' work left."

    "Alright then, hurry up and advance to the next stage," Yan Yu stood up ready to leave, "Departure Palace could open at any time, so it''s better to advance sooner and have peace of mind."

    As he was about to leave the room, he suddenly heard Lin Ning ask from behind:

    "Um, Captain..."

    "Hmm?"

    "When I meditate, I keep getting distracted... Will that affect the efficiency of my Fasting practice?"

    "What exactly are you thinking about?" Yan Yu turned around and asked.

    "It''s just..." Lin Ning fell silent for a moment, "Those really handsome male celebrities on TV and such."

    "Ah, got it, you''re spring feverish," Yan Yu realized.

    "I''m going to kick you!" Lin Ning fumed, grinding her teeth.

    "No worries," Yan Yu replied, "As long as it''s not about food, it''s fine to think about anything. The key is whether it can help you avoid thinking about how hungry you are."

    "Only when you completely rid yourself of the dependence on food and water, both physically and mentally, can you successfully cultivate the art of Fasting... That''s the goal, and the means to achieve it are up to you, don''t be constrained by formalities."

    "Oh." Lin Ning''s voice was soft and timid, as if shy, "So him popping into my head uncontrollably, just because I subconsciously want to distract myself and suppress the impulse to eat, it''s not because I have... those feelings for him, right?"

    Yan Yu found it a bit odd; don''t all you star chasers hope to get close to your idols? Why do you seem somewhat reluctant?

    "That''s right," he nodded, "So which male celebrity is on your mind?"

    For some reason, Lin Ning felt herself getting angry again.

    "None of your business!" she huffed, glared at Yan Yu, then hurriedly fled, running back to her own room and even locking the door behind her.

    "...Absolutely nonsensical." Yan Yu shook his head, chuckling to himself.

    Back in her room, Lin Ning sat on the bed alone, lost in thought for a long time.

    "Alright!" she suddenly stood up, clenched her fist firmly, and declared, "I must cleanse my marrow as soon as possible!"

    I can''t fall behind Yun Jin!

    In every aspect!

 Chapter 38 White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer

    The current concentration of Spiritual Energy on Earth only supports cultivation at the initial stages of the Marrow Cleansing Stage.

    Therefore, the girls who had advanced to the Marrow Cleansing Stage shifted their focus to training.

    Su Yunjin''s Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art had started to cultivate the fourth move: Feichao Fenye.

    Summoning nearly ten meters of surging tides to sweep away enemies in front of her¡ªof course, this would also deplete her own True Yuan drastically. If it hadn''t been for her advancement to the Marrow Cleansing Stage, which significantly improved the quality of her True Yuan, she wouldn''t have been able to use this move at all, even if she drained her Dantian.

    The indoor swimming pool in the side room on the first floor came into play once again; Su Yunjin''s daily training consisted of filling the pool as quickly as possible and then draining it, repeating this cycle to practice her rapid water-filling ability.

    Xie Ruoxi was still practicing basic skills: movement, adaptability, defensive Sword Control Technique, and the accuracy of the Thunder Method.

    Unfortunately, this girl seemed to have inherited both Lin Ning''s "rigid thinking" and Chen Lingyun''s "sluggish response," where luxurious hardware was undercut by a chaotic software, so much so that Yan Yu didn''t hold much expectation for her¡ªjust cultivating the habit of daily training was good enough, regardless of whether there was any improvement.

    Chen Lingyun and Lin Ning''s current top priority was still to cleanse their marrow as quickly as possible, so they had not joined the regular training plan.

    Thus, the issue fell on Zhao Yuanzhen. Her control of the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin was already proficient, leaving little room for improvement, so it was time for her to claim a second magical weapon.

    In the principal''s office, after hearing Yan Yu''s purpose, Li Weiguo reached into a drawer and took out a tablet computer to hand over.

    "Is this just the Zhendong Army''s inventory, or does it include all four armies?" Yan Yu started swiping the screen.

    "All four armies are included," replied Li Weiguo. "Of course, it''s better to first choose from our inventory to avoid communicating with them..."

    He hadn''t finished his sentence when he saw Yan Yu already swiping past the Zhendong Army''s inventory list to start looking at the Annan Army''s inventory.

    Li Weiguo was silent for a moment, then waved his hand in annoyance,

    "Look at that side. Tell me once you''re done."

    Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen moved to a corner of the room, where the Demonic Sect Enchantress asked,

    "What kind of magical weapon are you going to pick for me?"

    "From the perspective of the team, it would be best to choose a defensive type, like Ye Jun''s Xuan Guang Ruler," Yan Yu quickly swiped through the screen. "But defensive types don''t suit your temperament, do they?"

    "Of course not," Zhao Yuanzhen replied proudly. "What do I need defense for? Offense is the best defense. If you meet an enemy who completely overpowers you, you''re ultimately doomed anyway, and using a defensive weapon would just delay the inevitable and add to the suffering. Better to just resolve in suicide quickly."

    "I knew this dumbass knew nothing about tactics," Yan Yu said with contempt. "Ever heard of counterattacking?"

    "How could I not have heard of it?" Zhao Yuanzhen stubbornly said. "That''s what I''m best at¡ªcounterattacking." Discover more content at My Virtual Library Empire

    "You''re good at jack shit!" Yan Yu couldn''t be bothered to argue with her and continued browsing the catalog.

    Zhao Yuanzhen clenched her fists and seethed with secret hatred upon being cursed by him,

    "Today you insult my ability to counterattack, I''ll remember this. When my demonic powers are fully cultivated, I''ll make sure to subdue that little thief, humiliate him thoroughly, and let him show me what ''counterattacking'' is!"

    As she thought this, images came to mind.

    The little thief under her mercy, being ravaged while whimpering. Zhao Yuanzhen''s enjoyment grew, and she laughed wickedly:

    "You''re so knowledgeable about defense and counterattack, huh? Come on then, defend against me~ Counterattack me~ Mmhmm hmm haha hahahaha!"

    Thinking this, she squeezed her shapely legs together with a feeling of glee, wishing she could trample the little thief right then and there, stomping him fifty or sixty times to take her anger out.

    Seeing her smiling with a suggestive expression, Yan Yu had no idea what delusions she was entertaining, so he just continued checking the list of magical weapons.

    Defensive magical weapons are easy to use but difficult to master. Ye Jun was an exception in that her diligence and responsibility made her suitable for the meticulous work of defense. Moreover, her perseverance allowed her to control the Xuan Guang Ruler effortlessly.

    Zhao Yuanzhen''s temperament was not suited for a defensive support role, and her combat style was bold and lacking in finesse. Although the Zhenhai Team effectively needed a defensive player, it wouldn''t make sense to force the Demonic Sect Enchantress into such a role, as it could lead to rebellion.

    Upon careful consideration, it appeared a control-type magical weapon might be a better option.

    As mentioned earlier, there''s a problem with the list of magical weapons: you don''t know their functions until you refine and acknowledge them as your own. But once you do, changing ownership is exceedingly difficult¡ªso while the list included various types of magical weapons, their effects and uses were completely unknown.

    Yan Yu could only rely on his past life''s memory to skim over the array of magical artifacts he had never seen before, then focus on the few he recognized to weight their merits.

    There were many control type artifacts, but excellent ones were very rare; most had to hit the enemy to take effect and were easily blocked during pursuit, which raised a question:

    If you have already hit the enemy, why not just use an offensive artifact?

    Only when the enemy utilized a certain defense would control methods be useful. But at this stage, defensive spells and artifacts were even rarer than control types...

    As Yan Yu pondered silently, suddenly he saw Zhao Yuanzhen stretch out a finger and swiftly scroll up the list all the way to the top:

    "How about this one?"

    "What''s ''how about this one''?" Yan Yu asked, puzzled. "Isn''t that just a hammer?"

    The image that Zhao Yuanzhen pointed out showed a strangely shaped hammer, made of a material that seemed like bone but wasn''t and seemed like ivory but wasn''t either. The hammer was carved with huge skull faces on both sides.

    "Don''t you think this thing''s design looks a lot like my White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin?" Zhao Yuanzhen said.

    She took out the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, and Yan Yu compared them closely.

    Indeed, they did resemble each other.

    On the hairpin of the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, there was also a skull carved, with two holes for eyes, one for the nose, and one large hole for the mouth...

    "Idiot, don''t all skulls look like that?" Yan Yu laughed, amused by her.

    "No, look at the size, arc, and proportions of the skull''s eye sockets!" Zhao Yuanzhen argued.

    Yan Yu looked again and indeed, it was the exact same skull.

    "But that doesn''t really prove anything; it''s possible that the creator of the artifacts used the same technique." He guessed uncertainly.

    "It''s also possible that these two artifacts are a pair." Zhao Yuanzhen said.

    That suggestion got Yan Yu''s heart racing.

    To know, common artifacts were everywhere, but matched sets were hard to come by. Like the "Nine Heavens Yin Demon Artifact Series" in Chen Lingyun''s possession; used alone, they were no different from ordinary artifacts.

    But if one could collect more and extract the Nine Heavens Yin Demon divine inscriptions, it would be possible to derive a series of core Demonic Sect spells, including the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Secret Thunder, with awe-inspiring power.

    If this hammer and the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin were truly a pair, who would care about control artifacts? He would have to get it no matter what!

    "Let''s go with this one!" Yan Yu decided to take the gamble. Even if it turned out to be a mistake, he could just give Li Weiguo a face and let Zhao Yuanzhen choose again.

    Li Weiguo took back the tablet, wrote a note, and then said:

    "Black and White Impermanence have agreed, but now is not the time; Chen Lingyun has to wait a bit more."

    "Alright." Yan Yu took the note.

    He went with Zhao Yuanzhen to the secret warehouse and used the note to collect the hammer. It was palm-sized and could be easily held and lifted with one hand, like a child''s rattle, with an exquisitely carved skull on it that seemed almost lifelike.

    Zhao Yuanzhen grabbed the hammer and placed it next to the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, studying them closely for a long while before suddenly saying:

    "It seems like they just plainly look alike..."

    "Don''t mess with my head!" Yan Yu burst out angrily. "Hurry up and give it back while it''s not yet attuned to you!"

    "Wait, don''t rush, let me check again." Zhao Yuanzhen picked up the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, and after fidgeting on the hammer''s surface for a while, suddenly there was a whoosh sound.

    The White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, as if attracted by a magnet, was drawn straight into the eye socket of the hammer''s skull.

    It was a perfect fit, as if made for it.

    "So they really are a combined artifact?" Yan Yu was immediately stunned. "You lucky fool... what kind of dumb luck is this?" sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "What dumb luck?" Zhao Yuanzhen perked up immediately, protesting, "It''s my discerning eye that recognized the treasure! Watch your mouth or I''ll use this hammer to smash your damn head!"

 Chapter 39 Feeding Techniques in Swordsmanship

    When Zhao Yuanzhen returned to the training ground, she immediately tried to use the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer after refining it.

    Once True Yuan motivated the hammer, it would behave like a Flying Sword; point it east and it struck east, point it west and it struck west. With a mere thought, it could strike down fiercely and swiftly onto an opponent''s head.

    The hammer had a skull on both its front and back, meaning it had four eye sockets. After inserting the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin into one of these sockets, the hammer generated a whistling sound as it flew, its speed and force increasing more than a notch.

    Yan Yu tried to block it with the Huang Tingjian, only to find it quite strenuous. Considering that this magical weapon could strike a target without needing to be directed like a Flying Sword, it was indeed quite suitable for the Demonic Sect Enchantress.

    There were also three additional eye sockets on the hammer, indicating that at least three more magical items could be combined with it¡ªYan Yu had his colleagues in the data library look it up and found out that the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer originated from a small Mysterious Realm on an island in the East Sea; it was produced alongside two volumes of scriptures discussing the methods for refining gods and demons, but there was no more information about other combo magical weapons.

    In any case, the magical weapon was handed over to Zhao Yuanzhen to refine, and once she could summon and retrieve it at will, they could consider adding more offensive methods.

    However... speaking of which, in the previous Mirror Lake Divine Palace Mysterious Realm, her clone did not seem to use hammer-type magical weapons.

    Which meant that the realm did not transport individuals from a future timeline, but merely based on the present state for a "reasonable deduction."

    Yan Yu had some realization in his heart and sent a text to both Li Weiguo and Zhou Hongyu at the same time, saying that if the Mysterious Realm in Fengdu County opened a second layer, they should consider letting the Zhenhai Team help with the conquest again¡ª"we have a need in that area."

    Li Weiguo replied with an "Hmm," while Zhou Hongyu did not respond for a long time.

    But she must have received it.

    While Yan Yu was deeply pondering, he saw Lin Ningruo walk down from the second floor as if nothing had happened and said nonchalantly,

    "I''ve finished fasting."

    "Oh, okay," Yan Yu nodded in acknowledgment and continued to ponder where more combo magical weapons for the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer might be found.

    "What kind of attitude is that?" Lin Ning slightly dissatisfied, said, "I''ve advanced to the Marrow Cleansing Stage, and you don''t even have any reaction?"

    "Wow, that''s so impressive, truly worthy of Lin Ning," Yan Yu blandly recited with an expressionless face.

    "Hmph, not sincere at all," Lin Ning pouted and sat down on the sofa beside her. She picked up an opened bag of chips from the table and started eating.

    After eating one, she spat it out into the trash can next to her, and asked in astonishment,

    "Why are these chips all damp? They''re all soft and mushy."

    "Nonsense," Yan Yu replied without lifting his head, "Would you have found non-stale chips on the coffee table?"

    Lin Ning: ???

    Although she didn''t understand why, it sounded quite reasonable.

    "Since you''ve completed your Marrow Cleansing, it''s a good time to go down and practice your swordsmanship," Yan Yu stood up and said, "Let''s go."

    Following Yan Yu to the underground training field, they saw Xie Ruoxi and Zhao Yuanzhen both in the arena, one practicing her proficiency in the Thunder Method, the other the proficiency of a magical weapon.

    "Don''t worry about them. Our daily training as Sword Immortals requires more than just practicing sword techniques," Yan Yu formed a Sword technique with his hand, controlling the Huang Tingjian as he spoke, "Irrespective of other Cultivation Realms, at the Foundation Establishment''s Marrow Cleansing stage, Sword Immortals are the strongest. Do you know why?"

    "Because Sword Immortals value innate talent the most," Lin Ning, who was a Minyue quiz enthusiast, naturally grasped such basic theoretical knowledge, "The stronger the innate talent, the more robust the True Yuan, and the stronger the force and speed of controlling the Flying Sword."

    "Exactly," Yan Yu manipulated the Huang Tingjian to twirl a sword flower and continued, "The process of Fasting and Marrow Cleansing, which replaces the turbid qi of grains with the primordial Spiritual Energy, can greatly enhance one''s innate talent, and among the four major professions of Cultivators, Sword Immortals benefit the most from this advancement."

    "To put it bluntly, before the Spiritual Energy Resurgence progresses to the next stage, you and I are the mainstays of the Zhenhai Team''s combat power. If we fall even a small step behind our peers, the Sword Immortals, the Zhenhai Team will fall a big step behind other teams. Do you understand?"

    "Understood!" Lin Ning was not afraid of competing with others, and these words only made her ambition burn stronger.

    I will strive for the title of strongest Sword Immortal, and I''ll never slow down the team!

    "Good." Seeing her fighting spirit was incredibly high, Yan Yu said with satisfaction, "No more talking, let''s fence!"

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Continue reading stories on My Virtual Library Empire

    The "Kunlun Imperial Sword Technique Primer" consists of thirty-six sword techniques beyond its theoretical overview of the swordsmanship styles.

    At first glance, these thirty-six techniques appear to be based on simple actions like slashing, lifting, chopping, smearing, scraping, intercepting, and stabbing. However, there are many subtle and intricate variations that make the techniques quicker, sharper, and stronger.

    Lin Ning had already mastered the Kunlun Imperial Sword Technique Primer, and she could deploy its thirty-six moves at will, smoothly and without hesitation.

    But real combat doesn''t allow you to execute moves in a set order. What move to use in any given moment depends entirely on the Sword Immortal''s reaction, insight, and experience.

    While Lin Ning''s reaction speed was very fast, her comprehension was extremely lacking, making her a victim of rote learning. This wasn''t about logical thinking or memory; it was closer to creativity and quick wit when facing unfamiliar situations. Sister Lin, however, was used to reciting by the book, rarely enhancing her comprehension.

    Having no choice, Yan Yu had to personally feed her moves, simulating a variety of swordsmanship combat scenarios to forcibly increase her experience.

    Their sword techniques clashing rapidly, Huang Tingjian and Green Bamboo Sword collided and interweaved. Lin Ning unleashed a move called Hundred Birds Worshiping the Phoenix, the blade of the Green Bamboo Sword vibrating rapidly to create eight sword shadows.

    With Yan Yu''s eyesight and experience, he could naturally see where the real body was among the eight shadows¡ªknowing that if a Golden Core Sword Immortal used it, creating fifty or sixty shadows like a flock of birds was quite normal.

    But for a Marrow Cleansing Stage Sword Immortal, creating eight shadows was considered a powerful skill, and it was more likely that the opponent wouldn''t be able to identify the real one.

    Thus, he pretended not to see it and intercepted one of the shadows with his Welcoming Pine Guest move.

    Welcoming Pine Guest was a diagonal intercepting technique. As soon as it hit the illusion, it missed, and taking advantage of this, Lin Ning hastily performed a sword technique, allowing the Green Bamboo Sword to swiftly breach Huang Tingjian''s defense with a swift strike aimed at Yan Yu, called White Rainbow Piercing the Sun.

    White Rainbow Piercing the Sun was one of the fastest in many sword moves and also the most straightforward offensive technique. Yan Yu dodged to the side, expecting her to change tactics at the end, and sure enough, before White Rainbow Piercing the Sun could finish, the tail of Green Bamboo Sword flicked and suddenly cut diagonally.

    Phoenix Dances in the Heavens!

    The trick and beauty of Phoenix Dances in the Heavens lay in the tail flick determining the direction of the thrust, an action completely different from the usual Flying Sword stance. Lin Ning, who was accustomed to learning by rote, struggled with this move for a long time, and Yan Yu had to demonstrate it repeatedly.

    But now, with the perseverance and willpower of a dedicated learner, she had finally mastered it completely!

    Yan Yu was ready for it and dodged again quickly. Lin Ning, anxious that her feint had failed and trying to follow up with another attack, suddenly felt a sharp pain in her rump.

    Ouch!

    It turned out that Huang Tingjian had quietly circled behind her and delivered a smack with the flat of the blade, which sent Lin Ning tumbling to the ground.

    "I call this move ''Yan-style Tennis''." Yan Yu came over, beaming with pride, "It''s specifically for dealing with fools who are obsessed with swordsmanship offense and forget to protect themselves."

    Lin Ning got up with tears in her eyes, rubbing her sore buttocks, and with an inexplicable surge of anger, suddenly charged at Yan Yu for a real bout of combat. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Then he easily dodged her and with an ape-like arm, wrapped around her waist and spun her to the ground.

    "You dare to compete with me in hand-to-hand combat?" Yan Yu pinned her down with one hand, about to make a few sarcastic remarks, but saw Lin Ning wrap her arms around his right arm and kick wildly like a cat, managing to knock him to the ground as well.

    He landed right on top of her.

 Chapter 40 Surrounded

    Yan Yu''s reaction was actually very quick.

    After being knocked down by Lin Ning, the moment his body pressed onto her, he quickly propped himself up with his hands, twisted his waist, flipped over, and got off her.

    Hmph, you think you deserve to take advantage of me?

    Before Sister Lin even had the chance to get angry, there was no one on top of her, so she just instinctively scrambled up, looking bewildered.

    Xie Ruoxi also looked over, but unfortunately, Yan Yu''s movements were too quick, and she didn''t catch any hints of impropriety, so she simply looked away, thinking thankfully I''m not Lin Ning, who got flipped over by the captain.

    "Did you get it?" Yan Yu pretended as if nothing had happened and lectured her, "Remember actions, not words... When attacking with Sword Control, you must be wary of the opponent''s sneak attacks on your real body, understand?"

    Lin Ning, however, stood there stupefied for quite some time before saying:

    "Why do you reject me so much?"

    "What do you mean, reject you?" Yan Yu was baffled.

    "...Hmph, it''s nothing." Lin Ning finally recovered her senses and replied, "Let''s continue training."

    Although she said it was nothing, her mind couldn''t help but start to wander.

    When practicing swordsmanship, if we accidentally make body contact, do I look like I would mistakenly think you did it on purpose and get angry at you? In your mind, am I just a girl who''s quick to anger and needs to be avoided at all costs?

    Although the more she thought about it, the more upset she became, Lin Ning couldn''t fault Yan Yu''s actions as being inappropriate, so she could only channel all her frustration into her swordsmanship, fiercely attacking her opponent.

    On Yan Yu''s side, he was pleasantly surprised, wondering why Sister Lin suddenly became so aggressive?

    Exactly! The more exchanges in offense and defense, the more likely it is to expose flaws, and the faster the experience in Swordsmanship Combat grows... let me teach you well!

    So another afternoon of being beaten up and fed moves went by, and by around five in the afternoon, Lin Ning was so saturated with moves that she couldn''t remember any of the swordsmanship routines.

    Yan Yu wasn''t a demon, so he stopped everyone''s training and decided to take them all out for dinner.

    By this time, although the Zhenhai Team wasn''t a household name, they had reached the level of being recognized on the street. After a brief discussion, to avoid being surrounded and asked for autographs, they decided to just eat at the school cafeteria.

    Upon arriving at the cafeteria of Zhendong College, as soon as they appeared, they were immediately surrounded by a large number of students.

    Yan Yu: ???

    How come we''re being surrounded even at school?

    But here he was mistaken: although everyone enrolled at the same time, most students had never seen them because they had moved out early.

    Because they were unfamiliar, so came the curiosity. Coupled with the various great deeds of the Zhenhai Team, this sentiment had already turned into admiration and pursuit, so much so that when someone shouted "Longcheng Flying General," nearly all the college students in the cafeteria swarmed over.

    Yan Yu initially tried to remain composed, but soon he couldn''t hold it together because there were just too many people...

    "Captain Yan, are you guys going to challenge The Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng?" someone from the crowd shouted.

    "Captain Yan! When are you going to take down the Onmyoji from Sakura Country?"

    "Captain Yan I''m your fan quack quack quack quack quack¡ª who stepped on the heel of my shoe?!!" It sounded like a female college student.

    "Captain Yan crushes Sakura Country! Sweep East Asia! Create new glory!" Another person started chanting slogans.

    The Zhenhai Team ran away in panic, followed by chanting, college student Cultivators, each one a master of creating chaos, abstract artists, even shouting "Add me to Captain Yan''s harem" in the commotion.

    Yan Yu was running the fastest when suddenly someone pulled him aside, tucking him into a small thicket.

    Divine Sense swept across, and to his surprise, it was Qiu Ze hidden by an Invisibility Technique.

    "What''s going on here?" Yan Yu asked with his shock just settling, "When did our school turn into a fan club?"

    "How long has it been since Yan Team last came to school?" Qiu Ze communicated secretly, "Aren''t you in that training group of ours?"

    Yan Yu thought hard and finally recalled that Chen Lingyun did set up a group, pulling in all the team leaders and deputy team leaders from the entire school... And indeed, the atmosphere in that group was a bit eerie, full of heaven-defying bootlickers; he just didn''t know if the students were doing it on purpose or really going mad.

    But there was actually no difference between the two.

    "So what''s with these people?" Yan Yu asked helplessly with his hand to his forehead, "I thought they were intentionally cosplaying in the group, how come they''re also like this offline?"

    "I think Yan Team might be underestimating your fame a bit." Qiu Ze sighed as well, "Take our Shenxing Battle Team, for instance. Before, with your Zhenhai Team standing in front, we and the other students could communicate properly, often discussing tactics, game plans, and skills. Our relationships were also okay."

    "Later, after the league rated us as a first-tier team, some started to change their tune and butter us up.

    Whenever I show up, it''s ''Qiu God, take me with you,'' ''Qiu God, acknowledge me,'' ''Qiu God, should we rise to wealth and honor, let''s not forget each other.'' It''s not just online, offline too, they''d come over to join in the fun and get close, making it so you can''t even enjoy a meal in peace in the cafeteria... That''s why our team stopped eating there a long time ago."

    "I see." Yan Yu acknowledged the point and exclaimed, "The school is just a microcosm of society."

    "Everyone sees it very clearly." Qiu Ze agreed, "The gap in strength, status, and resources between renowned and non-renowned teams is going to widen to unimaginable extents in the future."

    "It''s only now, while everyone is still in the same school, that there''s a chance for interaction. Once we graduate and go our separate ways, there won''t even be an opportunity to make acquaintance or have a chat."

    "Speaking of which, what are they teaching at the school now?" Yan Yu casually asked.

    "They teach some courses on tactical analysis and such. You in Yan Team are on the frontline, gaining experience from actual combat, so those courses are meaningless for you." Qiu Ze said as he quietly led Yan Yu away, then suddenly spoke, "Wait a moment."

    "What happened?" Yan Yu looked ahead.

    "They''re using Divine Sense to scan," Qiu Ze pointed ahead.

    Far away was the artificial lake behind the cafeteria, a great place for the students to digest their meals after eating. A few female students were seen walking around the lake, their steps light as if they were admiring the fish¡ªDecember''s winter had arrived, and the fish had gone to avoid the cold at the bottom of the lake. What was there to admire?

    "What are these female students doing?" Yan Yu asked via a secret transmission.

    "Hard to say." Qiu Ze shook his head, "Yan Team, do you often receive friend requests from women, which come from our school''s Cultivator groups?"

    "No," Yan Yu replied, "I always have my friend request switch off."

    "I suspect there are female Cultivators at our school," Qiu Ze paused for a moment, then replied via transmission, "who are always thinking about cozying up to powerful male Cultivators or even dating them, in order to exchange for more cultivation resources."

    "Oh, this¡­" Yan Yu initially thought the idea was preposterous, but after some thought, it seemed reasonable.

    The school allocates cultivation resources based on a Cultivator''s strength. But once the resources reach the hands of a Cultivator, the subsequent secondary distribution with their girlfriends was none of the school''s concern¡ªif the Cultivator was too soft-hearted and his girlfriend complained or whined a little, giving her a share of the Elixir Medicine was quite reasonable.

    Alas, everyone''s not focusing on proper cultivation, always thinking of these crooked methods! Luckily, our Zhenhai Team moved out of the school early, not contaminated by these perverse and heretical influences, or else if someone were obsessing over getting me, their captain, to show favoritism, extracting my abilities by deliberately starting a romance, that would be revolting!

    As Yan Yu was lost in his thoughts, he suddenly heard someone exclaiming:

    "Su Yunjin!"

    "Ah! Is it Yun Jin?"

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    "Yun Jin, wait, don''t go! We just want an autograph!"

    The female students all dashed forward together, and Su Yunjin, who was still invisible, knew she was in trouble. Without a word, she turned her head and fled.

    "How should we save her?" Yan Yu asked.

    "Don''t worry," Qiu Ze said, "I''ve already asked Sisi to help." S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 41 The Whole School is Your Fans

    Unlike the Zhenhai Team, which had been in the limelight from the start, Qiu Ze''s Shenxing Battle Team had fought their way up step by step from among all the students, and thus he saw the changes in the campus atmosphere very clearly.

    During the early days of the school term, the relationships among students were very harmonious. Plus, Qiu Ze himself liked to make friends, often inviting three or five people to play basketball or game together, resulting in many of the guys in the dorm becoming acquainted with him. They were used to calling each other brothers and jokingly referring to one another as father and son.

    But all this changed completely after the Shenxing Battle Team was rated Class A.

    Once Runtu realized the clear difference in status between himself and Brother Xun, a sadly impregnable barrier emerged between them¡ªa fitting description for Qiu Ze''s situation as well.

    The buddies who used to play basketball with him started to get "worse" at the game, subtly letting him win; old friends he gamed with, who would normally argue half a day over "who messed up this round", began to crazily assist him and play support roles, showering him with compliments after the game.

    Even some classmates who weren''t that close before, at most offering a greeting when passing by, started to come over brimming with enthusiasm to chat, calling him "Captain Qiu" or "God Qiu," almost as if worshiping and revering Qiu Ze as a deity.

    Even the Shenxing Battle Team could receive such treatment; it was understandable, then, what kind of a sensation the more famous Zhenhai Team would cause upon their return to campus.

    After Qiu Ze spoke with a hint of helplessness, Yan Yu couldn''t help but feel a mix of amusement and pity.

    He hadn''t been a cultivator in his previous life but an obscure "mortal martial artist", so he never experienced this kind of fervent adulation, not to mention Chen Lingyun was the kind of person who could handle anything perfectly, so he never once troubled him with these matters.

    "So, what do we do next?" Yan Yu asked humbly, truly having no past experiences to draw from for this situation.

    "I''ve already sent the team members out to meet you guys," answered Qiu Ze. "These people are particularly sneaky, each one capable of scanning with Divine Sense. Even if we use Invisibility Technique to sneak away, we need to be extremely careful, try not to take main roads or bump into anyone."

    "Alright, you lead the way," Yan Yu, seeing that the guy seemed to have some experience in guerrilla warfare, immediately indicated that he would follow his lead.

    Qiu Ze skillfully chose side paths to avoid the hordes of seeking student fans. Yan Yu, invisible, followed him through twists and turns, even using the Wall-Penetration Technique in several places.

    At the same time, he took out his phone and swiped through it, only to see that in the Rikoku Cultivator school group, everyone was already frequently updating their locations¡ªphrases like "Lin Ning spotted behind the cafeteria," "Su Yunjin appeared on the artificial lake shore" were being posted so densely it was as if they were vying for a server BOSS.

    "Captain Qiu, Lin Ning has been found!" Zhang Yang suddenly sent a message in the team chat.

    "Great, let''s meet up inside the administrative building!" Qiu Ze quickly issued an order.

    "Why the administrative building?" Yan Yu, who was watching, suddenly asked.

    "Because the instructors are in the administrative building. Fans wouldn''t dare to chase stars inside there," Qiu Ze replied.

    "Are the instructors that scary?" asked Yan Yu, puzzled.

    Qiu Ze: ..........

    You''re the one who chats and jokes with the principal all day, treating the instructors like they''re service staff at your beck and call. I''m just a nouveau riche; it''s really hard to explain things clearly to a big deity like you.

    The two arrived behind the administrative building and saw Zhang Yang and Lin Ning already waiting there.

    "This is so scary!" Lin Ning finally let out a sigh of relief when she saw her captain arrive and then complained, "Really, I got recognized buying groceries on the street. I''ve never seen anything so outrageous!"

    "We''ll need to be more cautious on campus in the future," Qiu Ze also sighed. "We''ve also bought a house outside of school recently. We''ll do our group training there from now on."

    "Where''s the house?" Yan Yu asked.

    "Near Xianlin Lake."

    "Isn''t that a bit remote?"

    "It''s not remote, there''s a subway."

    "That''s not the main point right now!" Lin Ning interrupted their casual chat, "The others are still being chased by fans!"

    "Chen Lingyun won''t need to worry," Yan Yu said. "But the others might need some help."

    "Sisi has already reached Yun Jin," Qiu Ze, looking at his phone, suddenly said.

    After a moment, Chang Sisi indeed brought Su Yunjin before everyone, dispersing her invisibility.

    "Yun Jin!" Lin Ning hurried over to call out.

    "I was so scared," Su Yunjin appeared deeply shaken, "a girl I never knew before suddenly rushed over wanting to take a photo with me... I was so frightened I almost jumped into the artificial lake."

    "If I had known, I would not have come to the school cafeteria!" Lin Ning stomped her feet in frustration.

    "We stopped coming here a while ago," Chang Sisi empathized, her face twisted in vexation. "Every time we eat, we get watched, talked to, greeted... I''m practically developing social anxiety."

    "Where are the others?" Yan Yu asked.

    "Song Qiao is looking for Sister Zhao... Holy shit," Qiu Ze suddenly exclaimed. "Look at this!" Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Everyone gathered around to watch the video on his phone. On the small playground next to the cafeteria, dozens of people were crowded around, leaving no way in or out. They could faintly hear Zhao Yuanzhen''s familiar shouting from inside:

    "Those who want an autograph, line up! Where do you want it signed? On your clothes! Okay, done, next! Please line up, one by one!"

    Everyone: .........

    Yan Yu also couldn''t hold back and said:

    "You all go ahead to the administration building, I''ll go find her!"

    He left the group alone and, activating the Invisibility Technique, hurried toward the small playground.

    Along the way, he saw more and more students all heading in the same direction, with intermittent exchanges:

    "Who''s that over there?"

    "Zhao Jiuzhen."

    "Oh, it''s not the Longcheng Flying General?"

    "You dare ask for Yan Yu''s autograph?"

    "If he dares show up before me, I dare ask."

    "Forget it, Zhao Jiuzhen''s autograph is just as good. I heard that on Saltfish, autographs of top Rikoku Cultivators can go for hundreds of thousands!"

    "Only hundreds of thousands? We get over a hundred thousand just for clearing a Mysterious Realm."

    "That''s a low-difficulty Mysterious Realm. How can you compare it to the Zhenhai Team? I heard they make tens of millions from a single realm! I feel like this might be the only chance to get her autograph, we''ll probably have trouble finding her after this."

    "You''re right, get an autograph now and save it for appreciation."

    Yan Yu, despite keeping a distance from his classmates, could vaguely hear their discussions. He felt a mix of annoyance and speechlessness, wanting nothing more than to rush up to the Demonic Sect Enchantress and beat the vain idiot senseless.

    Finally, he reached the small playground. He couldn''t continue to use the Invisibility Technique, so he quickly employed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step undetectable, creating afterimages, and plunged into the sea of people.

    Dashing past like lightning! Phantoms everywhere! Chain dodging through the crowd!

    "Hey, no cutting in line!" someone tried to grab his clothes but only caught an afterimage, standing dumbfounded. Then someone else suddenly shouted:

    "Holy shit! That movement technique! It''s the Longcheng Flying General, Yan Yu!"

    Before any larger commotion could spread, Yan Yu had already kicked Zhao Yuanzhen to the ground face-first. He then bent down to scoop her up around the waist, threw her over his shoulder, and with the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, darted out creating more afterimages, disregarding the obstacles formed by the surrounding crowd and vanished once again.

    The fans weren''t about to give up easily and immediately gave chase¡ªbut could they catch up with the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step? Yan Yu quickly lost them using the terrain to his advantage, so much that some even took to chasing him with Sword Control, performing a low-altitude, Divine Sense grid search.

    Meanwhile, the cafeteria door suddenly opened.

    Xie Ruoxi, carrying her packed meal, peeked around for a bit. Seeing no one, she had just stepped out when someone called out from behind her.

    "Excuse me! Have you seen anyone from the Zhenhai Battle Team?" two female students stopped her to ask, "We got the news and rushed back from outside the campus!"

    "Uh, no," Xie Ruoxi feigned ignorance, "I think they already left."

    "Oh," the female students said, looking disappointed before thanking her and leaving. Continue reading on My Virtual Library Empire

    Xie Ruoxi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but she also felt a delicate sense of loss.

    When will I be able to be on TV with everyone, fervently pursued by fans?

 Chapter 42 Zhao Yuanzhens Shame Spurs Her Courage

    Yan Yu returned to the administrative building and tossed Zhao Yuanzhen to Lin Ning with a sneer,

    "Putting up the sign and selling the head!" Experience exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire

    Lin Ning hurriedly caught Zhao Yuanzhen, only to find that her dantian and the meridians in her limbs had all been sealed by Yan Yu with runescript, leaving her completely immobile.

    As soon as Lin Ning removed the seal for Zhao Yuanzhen, the outraged and flustered Demonic Sect Enchantress immediately bounced up, baring her teeth and raising her claws as if intending to perish together with Yan Yu. Lin Ning and Su Yunjin caught her from the left and the right, repeatedly persuading,

    "Forget it, Sister Zhao! Just let it go! Forget it, forget it!"

    Zhao Yuanzhen was fuming with rage but was helpless and could only squall in frustration.

    Firstly, it wasn''t a fight to the death, she couldn''t beat this rascal.

    Secondly, there were too many people around, and if he turned the tables and beat her up instead, she would undoubtedly be the one embarrassed in the end.

    Thinking this, she immediately pretended to be still furious but, due to the urging of her younger sisters, she reluctantly spared that little thief''s life and haughtily turned away with her arms crossed.

    Yan Yu watched her performance nonchalantly, thinking to himself that this one sure was a drama queen, and turned to ask,

    "Where are Lingyun and Ruoxi?"

    "Lingyun has already left," Su Yunjin said, looking at her phone. "Ruoxi is on her way."

    "Does Ruoxi have someone to pick her up?" Lin Ning immediately became anxious, "She can''t rely solely on the Invisibility Technique, they can all perform spiritual sense scanning!"

    "No need," Yan Yu said, "No one recognizes her."

    "How could no one recognize her?"

    "She hasn''t been on TV..."

    Everyone was speechless. Although Xie Ruoxi was indeed an official member of the Zhenhai Team, she had not yet appeared on television, and most people would not bother to check the official Privy Council website for the member list and then search for pictures by matching names.

    After waiting for quite some time, they saw Xie Ruoxi returning briskly with two large bags in her hands, full of various kinds of food ¡ª truly a cultivator who trained every day in this life, countless times stronger than her previous life as a person who stayed in a rental room doing livestreams all day.

    "You bought so much," Yan Yu turned to ask Qiu Ze, "Shall we find somewhere to eat together?"

    "Sure, let''s mooch a meal," Qiu Ze said with a smile.

    After the Shenxing Battle Team members also arrived, everyone rose into the air with Sword Control from the top floor of the administrative building, leaving the school.

    After sending off the two teams, the instructors also hurried around the campus, urging the still noisy students to settle down as soon as possible.

    When everyone returned to the villa, the men from the Shenxing Battle Team were quite excited, feeling the thrill of being in a beautiful woman''s home.

    But no sooner had they entered when Lin Ning headed to the kitchen to heat up dishes; Su Yunjin went to the bathroom to grab a broom for sweeping; Xie Ruoxi, slightly socially anxious, used training as an excuse to hide in the basement; and Chen Lingyun had been on the second floor in her room and hadn''t come down... The lovely girls scattered in an instant, leaving the place spotless.

    Only Zhao Yuanzhen was left, nonchalantly sprawled on the couch with her legs crossed, watching TV in the living room.

    The handsome battle strength of this big beauty was clear from the time she started signing autographs on the small playing field opposite the cafeteria. The men were eager to chat with a beautiful woman, but not so much with one who was overly formidable, so they looked around for more suitable company.

    Only to find that Chang Sisi was circling Yan Yu, asking some weird questions.

    "Does Captain Yan usually train in the basement?"

    "Mmhmm."

    "Ah, that''s so nice~ Our team''s basement is too small; doesn''t feel like we have enough space to really move."

    "You can remodel and expand it."

    "Then, before the remodeling is finished, can we temporarily come over to your place for training?"

    The men nearly choked on their own blood upon hearing this. They hadn''t even managed to speak with the girls from the opposing side, and here their own girl was already being led away!

    Qiu Ze hurriedly called Chang Sisi back and chastised her in a low voice:

    "Don''t harass Captain Yan, okay!"

    "Exactly, exactly!" The men echoed in agreement, unanimously supporting their captain.

    "How did it turn into me harassing him?" Chang Sisi was incredulous with a laugh, "I am creating opportunities for the team. So that we can get closer and learn from the Zhenhai Team in the future!"

    "Oh, right." The men conceded the point upon hearing her explanation. Of course, it was more valuable to get in good with the great deity Yan Yu than to "get to know the girls from the Zhenhai Team."

    Only the vice-captain, Sun Ziyi, felt something was amiss and quietly asked:

    "Apart from that, did you cling to him and chat for any other reason?"

    "That can''t be said there''s none." Chang Sisi chuckled awkwardly, "I''ve heard Captain Yan is still single with no girlfriend..."

    Everyone was instantly stunned into silence. Don''t use official business as a pretext to settle your personal lifelong matter!

    "Sisi, just forget it. You dare to have designs on Captain Yan?" Zhang Yang teased her, "Just look at the overall attractiveness of the women on the Zhenhai Team and then look at yourself..."

    Before he could finish, Chang Sisi snarled and grabbed his throat, as if he were a chicken about to be slaughtered, flailing and struggling.

    Over with Yan Yu, he approached Zhao Yuanzhen and earnestly educated her:

    "This kind of signature event, you can''t do it again in the future."

    "Why not?" Zhao Yuanzhen was still angry, didn''t lift her head, and retorted coldly, "I sign my name; what does it have to do with you?"

    The truth, of course, was that you''re throwing away your own face, and our battle team''s reputation will also suffer. But he knew he couldn''t say that, or else he would be thought by the Demonic Sect Enchantress as someone who could be manipulated by the team... He pondered for a moment, before gently persuading:

    "Yuanzhen, which do you think will have a higher reputation, ''someone who holds signature events all the time'', or ''someone whose signature is hard to get with lots of money''?"

    "Of course, the one who is hard to get with lots of money..." Zhao Yuanzhen replied without thinking, then suddenly had a moment of realization and fell into contemplation.

    "Exactly." Yan Yu pointed out to her, "The first floor of a commercial complex likes to invite luxury stores to open, aiming for a high-end consumer atmosphere. People are the same. If you go to a school to hold a signature event and sign for anyone who asks, everyone will just think your signature isn''t valuable, and by association, it cheapens your own worth as well."

    "That makes sense." Zhao Yuanzhen mused, "So with that said, I really shouldn''t have given out these signatures."

    "Exactly." Yan Yu said.

    "But I already did." Zhao Yuanzhen frowned, "So what now? Should we lock down the school and get all the signatures back?"

    "God dammit, lock down the school!" Yan Yu was amused and frustrated, "What''s done is done, spilled water can''t be retrieved. You''ve already lost face, and now you want to get it back? Just do less of this stupid stuff next time."

    He sneered as he went upstairs, but the Zhao Yuanzhen in the living room was thinking more and more that something was wrong.

    The thief does make sense! How can I, Zhao Yuanzhen the Fairy''s signature be given away so easily? It should at least go to a global auction, let the international media scramble to report it, and have billionaires line up to bid for it! S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Thinking this, Zhao Yuanzhen was full of regret, thinking that this surely was the thief''s fault. Why didn''t he stop me sooner? He clearly wanted to wait for me to act foolishly, to see me embarrass myself, and then to laugh at me!

    Damn it, I will remember this grudge! If the day comes when I can turn the tables and take charge, I''ll sell all his stuff for a low price, for a bargain, sell it all out!

    In her mind, an image appeared:

    She saw Yan Yu clutching his thighs, weeping and howling, "Don''t sell anymore! Please really don''t sell anymore! I don''t even have underwear left! Now I can only walk around the house naked!!!"

    She then stepped on his head with one foot, laughing wildly:

    "Thief, you''ve got your day too? You didn''t stop me when I was giving out signatures, relishing in my humiliation, and now you think of stopping me?"

    "I''m going to give away all of your property!"

    Heh heh, when the time comes, the penniless thief will only be able to please me, kowtow to me, and spend my money!

    Mwahahaha!

 Chapter 43 Chen Lingyun Strategizes Behind the Scenes

    Upon entering Chen Lingyun''s room, he saw her on the balcony making a phone call.

    Yan Yu waited patiently for her to finish the call, and only when she turned around did he speak up to state his purpose:

    "I recently heard from Anna that a certain piece of gossip has been circulating internationally, claiming that the rewards in The Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng will be distributed based on the order of entry, and that the differences between the rewards for those who enter first and those who enter last will be significant."

    "Mm-hmm," Chen Lingyun nodded and said, "It seems we have a leak inside."

    "So it''s a leak, huh," Yan Yu said, nodding as if he''d just had a revelation, "So what then?"

    "So there''s a problem," Chen Lingyun said with a low chuckle, "Suppose I am the leader of the Yin Yang Bureau, allied with the Pear Blossom Courtyard and the Strategic Bureau to jointly fight against Rikoku Cultivators. If we successfully make it to the Departure Palace Gate, who should enter L¨ªg¨­ng first?"

    Yan Yu pondered for a moment and replied:

    "Of course, the strongest should enter L¨ªg¨­ng first."

    "Then, who is the strongest?" Chen Lingyun continued with a smile, "If I say that the Onmyoji are the strongest and should enter L¨ªg¨­ng first to take the best rewards, would the Pear Blossom Courtyard and the Strategic Bureau agree?"

    "So in the end, a fight is inevitable," Yan Yu followed her analysis, "In that case, the opposing alliance will fall apart on its own."

    "To say it will collapse on its own is an exaggeration," Chen Lingyun''s smile faded, and she said gravely, "The information we released will certainly not be taken entirely at face value by the opposing side. As long as Rikoku Cultivators still block the way, the three forces will inevitably consider an alliance to kick us out of the competition first."

    "And the rift would only appear in the last step," Yan Yu also began to contemplate, "which is when the Rikoku Cultivators can no longer prevent the three forces from entering L¨ªg¨­ng."

    "Exactly," Chen Lingyun said slowly, "That''s when they will turn on each other, fighting to be the first to enter L¨ªg¨­ng."

    "Won''t they be suspicious?" Yan Yu asked, "Suspicious that we fabricated this information purposely to break up their three-way alliance?"

    "Of course they will be suspicious," Chen Lingyun said with a laugh, "But what can they do about it?"

    "If the information is false, then we change to a more common Mysterious Realm model, where L¨ªg¨­ng doesn''t distribute rewards based on order of entry, but like most Mysterious Realms, it contains a core that can be refined. In that case, the Transcendent who refines the core first could directly reap all the benefits, kicking all other Transcendents out of the competition.

    Isn''t that an even more extreme situation than ''distributing rewards based on order''?"

    "That is to say," Yan Yu quickly concluded, "the so-called three-way alliance was doomed from the beginning. Sooner or later, there would be infighting over the spoils of victory, and the information we released was only to bring this hidden issue to the surface, effectively sowing discord between them."

    "That''s one way to put it."

    "But there''s still one problem," Yan Yu said gravely, "If the three parties reach a consensus beforehand and decide to adopt our Rikoku''s distribution mechanism, where all Transcendents who enter L¨ªg¨­ng, regardless of order, have to submit their spoils for a fairer distribution, wouldn''t that prevent the alliance from breaking?"

    "No need for ''if,''" Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "They will definitely try to do that, to avoid being divided by the information we released."

    "So how do we break that?" Yan Yu casually asked, then had an epiphany, "Ah, I get it now!"

    "The Goryeo Sword Saint! Right?"

    "The Goryeo Sword Saint is just one piece in the game," Chen Lingyun''s smile grew sweeter, and she said gently, "Yan Yu, it''s not just three Transcendent groups on the opposite side. They have thousands of intelligence operatives, psychologists, and strategic analysts, the smartest people in the country helping them to plan carefully, watching for any slip-ups we might inadvertently reveal.

    Simple tricks won''t fool them, and if they do, it''s just good luck."

    "And this time, what I want is a foolproof plan."

    "You?" Yan Yu raised his eyebrows slightly, "This matter... your father has given you full authority to handle it?"

    "Right," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "Why, surprised?"

    Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire

    "Not surprised," Yan Yu shook his head, "It''s just a little earlier than the timeline in the previous life."

    "How much earlier?" Chen Lingyun asked curiously.

    "Just a little bit."

    "A year?"

    "Just a little bit more than that."

    "I understand," Chen Lingyun sighed pretentiously, "It seems that the me on the other side, without the advantage of your prophetic foresight, is truly a late bloomer."

    "Hehe," Yan Yu neither affirmed nor denied, "I just hope you can keep public and private matters separate. When it''s time to play the big game, do concentrate on it properly. But when it''s not time to play, withdraw from the identity of the player in time, and don''t treat everyone around you as chess pieces. Otherwise, it will backfire on you sooner or later."

    "I understand," Chen Lingyun nodded.

    Considering she didn''t have a smile on her face at the time, she probably didn''t understand but made a mental note of it anyway.

    "Alright then," Yan Yu glossed over this subject and turned back to the main topic, "I''m not good at planning strategies behind the scenes, but I trust your abilities in this area; otherwise, I wouldn''t have told you this secret."

    "My request is simple, take all the rewards from the Departure Palace, kill as many enemies as possible, and maximize the results of the battle. As long as you can do this, I will leave the matter in your hands, and I have no objections."

    "Hmm, I knew you would trust me~" Chen Lingyun smiled again, speaking in a coquettish tone, "Since you''ve said this, I''ll have to order you around properly~"

    "Feel free to command me."

    "The first thing," Chen Lingyun raised a finger, her smile turning sweet and cloying as if it were silky honey, "I want you to recount to me, in great detail, everything you know about The Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng."

    "Okay," Yan Yu sat down beside her and spoke seriously, "In fact, I have never personally been through the Secret Realm of the Departure Palace. The intelligence partly comes from event archives I''ve seen, and partly from what you''ve told me."

    "The realm opened around 9 a.m. on January 3rd, when the colorful lights under the sea suddenly burst forth, as if the gates to the Dragon Palace at the bottom of the sea had opened..."

    "What about the celestial phenomena?" Chen Lingyun interrupted him.

    "The archives didn''t mention them," Yan Yu recalled carefully, "but from the descriptions, it must have been a mostly cloudless sky; otherwise, the surveillance satellite wouldn''t have been able to capture the specifics of the surrounding sea area, right?"

    "Then, at that time, the Privy Council of Rikoku blockaded the vicinity of the entrance to the realm, but it was still penetrated by the other side. It was later suspected that the Yin Yang Bureau had used some unknown Water Escape Technique to avoid the firepower lines above the sea surface, sending the Transcendents into the depth of the secret underwater realm."

    "Water Escape Technique?" Chen Lingyun raised an eyebrow, "Any concrete evidence?"

    ............

    It took nearly half an hour for Yan Yu to go through all the intelligence about the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng from his past life. If it weren''t for Chen Lingyun constantly interrupting him and asking for more details, it really wouldn''t have taken this long.

    "That''s all," he picked up the water cup from the desk and gulped down several mouthfuls, "Did you get all that? Don''t ask me to repeat it, because I''ll really get annoyed."

    "I got it," Chen Lingyun bent her finger, tapping it on her temple, "But there is a second thing." sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "What is it?" Yan Yu asked.

    "I need a relaxing environment to reorganize and interconnect the intelligence in my mind," Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    "Sure," Yan Yu stood up, "I''ll tell them not to come up and disturb you..."

    "No, that''s not it," said Chen Lingyun with smiling eyes, "I want you to hold me."

    "Ah?"

    "Don''t understand?" Chen Lingyun blinked, speaking playfully, "I mean, I sit on your lap, and then your hands wrap around me, resting on my..."

    "Chest?"

    "Stomach."

    "This is a bit too much to ask," Yan Yu declined firmly, "How can I differentiate the two clearly?"

    Chen Lingyun''s smile immediately turned cold.

 Chapter 44 Longcheng Flying General, For the Country and the People

    Part of the dinner was provided by the canteen, and Lin Ning made a few additional dishes. After everyone had eaten, the men of the Shenxing Battle Team couldn''t stop praising Lin Ning''s cooking skills.

    The girls, however, had little appetite. After fasting, their bodies'' demand for food and water had decreased to the minimum, and they could no longer enjoy the pleasure of feeling full.

    In the eyes of the Shenxing Battle Team, it seemed as if the Zhenhai Team was tired of such delicacies, which immediately sparked a strong desire among them to have their own chef.

    "Sisi, it''s up to you," Zhang Yang sent her a secret message, "Become the divine chef of our Shenxing Battle Team!"

    "Crazy," Chang Sisi replied irritably, "Since when should women be the ones to cook?"

    "Then let''s see how the others cook," Zhang Yang started listing for her, "Captain Qiu loves spicy food, he would put three tons of chili in one ton of meat; Vice-Captain Sun eats egg soup all day, if he cooks, our daily menu would have to align with his; Old Song likes to add crazy amounts of cilantro to his meals, and you can''t stand cilantro; as for me, I can only boil instant noodles..."

    "Then don''t cook, hire a private chef!" Chang Sisi said exasperatedly.

    After confronting her clueless teammate, she quietly sent a message to Lin Ning, trying to curry favor with her:

    "Sister Ning, the food you made is so delicious! How long have you been practicing cooking?"

    "I haven''t formally practiced," Lin Ning replied modestly, "I just helped my mother in the kitchen back home, and after a few years, I gradually got the hang of it."

    "Wow, that''s impressive," Chang Sisi complimented, "I thought you had specially trained for the team, haha."

    "Who would train in cooking for him!" Lin Ning panicked and quickly defended, "He''s lucky to have anything to eat at all, let alone me training in cooking for him! In his dreams! Let him cook whatever he wants to eat himself!"

    Chang Sisi: .........

    Sister, I was talking about "the team," not "Captain Yan"! Did you misunderstand?

    And where did that ancient Tsundere line come from!

    She then sent a message to Su Yunjin, making small talk:

    "Sister Yun Jin, does Captain Yan have a girlfriend?"

    Su Yunjin looked up calmly, glancing at Chang Sisi.

    Just one look made Chang Sisi''s hair stand on end, as if she were a herbivore locked in the predatory gaze of a carnivore, every cell in her body screaming alarm.

    It wasn''t until a while later that she received a response:

    "Nope~"

    "Hahaha, I was just asking casually," Chang Sisi hurriedly explained, "Nothing more."

    "Mhm," Su Yunjin replied indifferently, "I know."

    Is... is it because she knew that she let me off? I have a feeling if there was a misunderstanding, she might have killed me...

    Glancing again at Chen Lingyun, Xie Ruoxi, and Zhao Yuanzhen, Chang Sisi no longer had the courage to strike up a conversation.

    The girls of the Zhenhai Team were really intimidating. Could this be the strength of the Zhendong Army''s top team?

    It''s hard to imagine how Captain Yan can manage such a team...

    After a satisfying meal, the members of the Shenxing Battle Team took their leave.

    Now was the time for evening free activities, and the girls went their separate ways to do their own things.

    Yan Yu played with his phone for a while and, unusually, found that nobody was online to chat with him.

    What''s going on? No new messages? Could my phone be broken?

    Might as well be the one to send a message. Let''s start by asking how Anna is doing.

    "What are you doing?" Yan Yu typed.

    Anna''s response came quickly:

    "Killing someone."

    Yan Yu: .........

    "Who?"

    "The Rakshasa spirit communicator, who else?" Anna replied.

    The woman''s attitude seemed a bit cold, even though just a few months ago she was practically living on the phone with that clingy obsession... Perhaps this was a strategy of pretending to push away what she actually desired?

    It made me laugh, did she really think I''d fall for that?

    Yan Yu calmly typed in response:

    "Alright then, I won''t bother you, you''re busy."

    After closing the chat window with Anna, he opened a conversation with Ye Jun. Just as he was about to type, a message pop-up appeared on the screen:

    "Nonsense! Yan Yu, don''t disgust me. Otherwise, I''ll find time to come to Lu Country and kidnap you."

    "Haha, no rush," Yan Yu typed, "How are things on your end?"

    "Not bad," Anna said, "We''re too far from the Rakshasa''s spirit communication hub, and the expeditionary force hasn''t sent their main forces against us, so we can still hold on for now."

    Yan Yu recalled carefully. Since the establishment of the Rakshasa''s spirit communication hub, there had been three major expeditions launched to completely reclaim the map of Asia.

    The first major attack was on the Siberian plains, turning nearly everything west of the Yenisei River into a no-man''s land, which eventually ended due to lack of reinforcements; the second attack went up to the Siberian Plateau, lasting nearly three years but still failing to capture it.

    The two grand expeditions had greatly diminished the overall strength of the spirit communication hub and the numbers of civilian spirit communicators in central and western Siberia, which ultimately allowed the eastern Amur witches to pick up a bargain.

    In some ways, the Eclipse Queen was indeed blessed with incredible fortune. She had never thought about entering the pass, but as the inside turned into a complete mess, suddenly the gates were flung wide open.

    "Hang in there," Yan Yu typed, "Eat your rice one bite at a time, take the cities one by one. The spirit communication hub can''t possibly come after you first, because even if they take the territory, they can''t connect it."

    "Sigh, it''s just a matter of dying sooner or later," Anna expressed her pessimism with a sigh, "Once the spirit communication army breaks through the entirety of Siberia, then I''ll bring the sisters over to Lu Country to seek asylum. You better take us in."

    "Of course," Yan Yu, knowing that the spirit communication hub didn''t have the strength, freely promised and presented grand visions, "I''ll personally go to Pingjing to lay out the pros and cons for them. If they still refuse to shelter the witches, I''ll just stop my involvement!"

    "Don''t say such foolish things." Anna was quite moved by his words and quickly discouraged him, "You''re now the Longcheng Flying General, since when can you just quit like that? If Lu Country won''t shelter us, it''s not a problem, we can just cross the Bering Strait and join the Miti Strategic Bureau... However, I personally don''t really want to go to Miti.

    It would be nice if I could return to my country in secret and live a life incognito."

    "You don''t need to worry too much," Yan Yu comforted her, "Victory hasn''t been decided yet, just go and fight. Don''t forget, I''ll always have a way out for you here." Enjoy new chapters from My Virtual Library Empire

    "Yeah, I know," Anna''s tone became firm, "I haven''t lost yet, I''ll definitely win this time!"

    "Go for it! Take care of yourself."

    "You too, love you~"

    After the chat ended, Yan Yu closed the message window, deep in thought.

    Although I had offered to provide a way out for the Eclipse Queen, according to the timeline of my previous life, she was never actually in such a desperate situation to need it; she just didn''t know that.

    This favor was certainly a sweet deal.

    But why did elements of romantic feelings have to be mixed in? S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Sigh, it''s all because of my powerful and reliable charm. At the Eclipse Queen''s most helpless moments, I quietly entered her heart!

    I wasn''t after her beauty, but just to provide the spiritual support she needed most. That''s why I didn''t explicitly reject her¡ªnot because I''m unprincipled and morally bankrupt, but because my love for this land and its people is so deep that I am willing to put my reputation on the line, even at the risk of being misunderstood...

    Yan Yu silently moved himself for a while, wiping away the non-existent tears from the corners of his eyes, then continued to message Ye Jun.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Are you there?

    [Zhu Jun]: Yes, what''s up?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What''s the current situation on the northern border?

    [Zhu Jun]: It''s been quite stable recently. Ever since the upper echelons reached an agreement with the Amur witches, they have been trying to control the spirit communicators in their territory. While they can''t achieve 100% control, it has greatly relieved our border defense pressures.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: That agreement, I personally secured it, you know.

    [Zhu Jun]: I know, you have quite a connection with the people from the Amur witches.

    [Zhu Jun]: Is it purely a deal for mutual benefits, or is there some unspeakable transaction? /laugh

    Yan Yu frowned, sensing a subtle probe within the other party''s joking remarks.

 Chapter 45 Ye Jun and Li Minghu

    Ever since their lengthy conversation that night, Ye Jun and Yan Yu had grown much closer.

    The two not only frequently chatted and shared funny videos with each other but occasionally engaged in some mutual favors.

    For instance, as Ye Jun was an Assistant Officer, she needed a second magical artifact besides the Xuan Guang Ruler, and so she had been intensely inspecting the inventory of all four armies.

    Yan Yu could help by keeping an eye out in the Zhendong Army''s inventory or offering some advice on artifact selection¡ªthis wasn''t something you could count on Lord Master for, as he certainly wouldn''t spend the time to study artifacts suitable for Assistant Officers.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What kind of shady deals are you making?

    [Zhu Jun]: That blonde girl last time, her eyes were practically glued to you.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Because I''m a handsome guy.

    [Zhu Jun]: You''ve used up all the handsomeness.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I haven''t seen you sending messages recently, I thought maybe something happened at the border again.

    [Zhu Jun]: Nope, if anything happened, it wouldn''t be our turn. Our team, just like yours, is preparing for the battle at the East Sea Departure Palace, the Southern Border has been completely handed over to the Flying Dragon Battle Team.

    [Zhu Jun]: Cai Qianlong has been in the limelight lately, making huge progress. It''s said that some big shot has the idea of recruiting him as a son-in-law, intending for the first child to take his surname and the second to take the woman''s, and then they''d inherit the family business in that order.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Which big shot?

    [Zhu Jun]: Let''s not discuss state affairs.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: It makes sense, the future belongs to the Cultivators. No one feels comfortable with ordinary people holding high positions.

    [Zhu Jun]: Lord Master laughed himself to death when he heard it, with a sharp comment, "Brought in for breeding, to improve the genes".

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: That''s an exaggeration. Aren''t the Liu Family the same? Back in the day, they had intermarriages with the royal family for generations, claiming to be the "iron-capped kings". Then they realized the dynasty was about to fall and hastily distanced themselves, ending up completely clean.

    [Zhu Jun]: Hey, keep that between us, don''t go telling Lord Master, he''s sensitive about this subject.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I know well that Lord Master is a bit narrow-minded.

    [Zhu Jun]: Anyway, this whole mess is ultimately your fault.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: How did it turn into my fault?

    [Zhu Jun]: Because everyone knows that Chen Tianming sees you as his future son-in-law, his own daughter hasn''t even reached the Marrow Cleansing Stage yet. Given her aptitude for cultivation, they need someone with the nation''s second-best aptitude to improve the Chen Family genes.

    Your next read is at My Virtual Library Empire

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Bah! Nonsense!

    [Zhu Jun]: At least Chen Tianming has a Cultivator daughter. Nowadays, they''re all considering genetic superiority. What are those ordinary families supposed to do? Just sit back and accept their fate?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: It''s all rumors, I have nothing to do with Chen Lingyun.

    [Zhu Jun]: Whether it''s a rumor doesn''t matter, they definitely have to consider and prepare for this possibility.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Then has anyone approached you for a marriage alliance?

    [Zhu Jun]: Yeah.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Who? Can you say?

    [Zhu Jun]: There''s nothing inconvenient to say about it. It''s Lord Master''s father.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Wow, a team romance.

    [Zhu Jun]: Give me a break, they didn''t even ask Lord Master before calling me in for a talk.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: That''s seriously disrespectful.

    [Zhu Jun]: Thinking he''s Lord Master''s father, I didn''t want to embarrass him too much, so I just acted as if I didn''t understand and brushed it off.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Not bad, giving some face to the old man.

    [Zhu Jun]: Later, when Lord Master found out, he went home and made a big fuss, nearly blew the roof off. Almost gave the old guy a heart attack.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: From a joyous event to an almost funeral.

    [Zhu Jun]: Then Lord Master came to me and said, "Ye Jun, I''m at ease with you as the deputy leader, but I wouldn''t trust anyone else."

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Meaning, just do well as the deputy leader and don''t get any other ideas.

    [Zhu Jun]: That''s the idea, but I wasn''t thinking anything else to begin with. Lord Master is way too chauvinistic, he''s the type who needs a wife who''s utterly submissive to him, following his lead.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: But that''s not what you said before.

    [Zhu Jun]: What did I say before?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: When we first met, I pointed out that you two weren''t suitable, and you fiercely argued against it.

    [Zhu Jun]: Well, we weren''t familiar with each other back then, and I didn''t know your intentions. What if you were there to drive a wedge between us?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Now you see that I was right, don''t you?

    [Zhu Jun]: Indeed, only suitable as a teammate.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: That''s the idea.

    [Zhu Jun]: Why did your tone suddenly turn into that of a comic sidekick while you were talking?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Ah, really? S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    [Zhu Jun]: Check the chat history.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Aiyo, I must have caught that Jinmen drawl from you.

    [Zhu Jun]: So it''s all my fault, huh? Let me tell you, I barely spoke Jinmen dialect growing up; the language I was constantly exposed to at home was Mandarin. Don''t even try to pin this on me.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Indeed, I haven''t really heard you speak the Jinmen dialect.

    [Zhu Jun]: So you''re deliberately playing the comic sidekick to amuse me.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: That would be a false accusation against me.

    [Zhu Jun]: Still playing along?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Then I''ll shut up.

    [Zhu Jun]: Scram!

    Yan Yu smiled faintly, closed the chat window with Ye Jun, and turned to message Li Minghu.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: How''s the battle report from the Southern Border?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: An agreement has been signed. The second Witch King seems to be planning to deal with domestic affairs first since his position isn''t necessarily secure.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Oh, so you must not be busy lately. What are you up to?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: I''m looking at your chat history with Ye Jun.

    Yan Yu: ................

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Ah?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Ye Jun says you''re mean, deliberately playing the comic sidekick to tease her.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I''m being falsely accused.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: It''s okay, I''ve looked over the chat history, /covers mouth with a laugh, it was her who started talking to you in the comic sidekick style; you must have been influenced by her. I''ve already cleared it up for you.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Do you guys chat often?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Mhm, we''re both deputy captains of the battle team after all, so there''s a lot of common ground work-wise.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You haven''t been gossiping about me behind my back, have you?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: If I said we haven''t discussed you, would you believe me? After all, you''re the Longcheng Flying General. Any discussion about domestic cultivators surely can''t bypass you, right?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Indeed. How has Li Zhaojiang been lately? Has he reached the Marrow Cleansing Stage yet?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Mhm, he''s at the Marrow Cleansing Stage now.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What about you?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: I need to practice for a while longer.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I thought your cultivation talent was stronger than your brother''s.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: But I have health issues. I have a defect in my foundation, and it''s too dangerous to directly practice fasting. The medical team plans to come up with a conservative plan for me before I start practicing fasting.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Okay then. Marrow Cleansing itself can greatly enhance one''s foundation, so your physical condition should definitely improve by then.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: I hope I won''t be a burden anymore /prays.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You''re not a burden now. Isn''t everyone in the Flying Dragon Battle Team fond of Deputy Captain Li?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Don''t be silly, what use is affection? As long as I don''t hold everyone back on the battlefield, I''ll be satisfied.

    At this point, Yan Yu reflected carefully.

    In his previous life, the Valkyrie, after ascending to the Marrow Cleansing Stage, indeed coughed much less ¡ª it was only natural for the Annan Army to think she was fully recovered.

    But strengthening the foundation was like applying glue and paint over cracks. Just because it wasn''t visible on the surface didn''t mean the real problems inside had been completely solved.

    With an inherent defect, it was difficult to compensate with acquired efforts, and in the end, it was still necessary to use a secret method to reconstruct the body completely and permanently.

 Chapter 46 The Last Bus for Fasting

    Anna, Ye Jun, and Li Minghu, that should be the end of it here.

    No, there''s still Zhou Hongyu.

    Before, if you sent her a message, she''d ignore it and not reply; now she''ll reply to the messages, which shows a significant leap in her favorability towards you, isn''t this the perfect time to contact her more and solidify the relationship?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Are you there? Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Missin'' you, Zhou.

    It took almost twenty seconds before the other side grudgingly replied.

    [Zao La]: Itching for a beating?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Got a question for you.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: How many in your team have cleansed their marrow?

    [Zao La]: None of your damn business.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Come on, just asking.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: It''s not like it''s some top-secret matter, our team''s just missing Chen Lingyun before we''re all at the Marrow Cleansing Stage.

    [Zao La]: 4.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: So, it''s just Meng Qingxi who''s left out, right?

    [Zao La]: Tang Xiaolian.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: That''s not right, Tang Xiaolian''s aptitude for cultivation is pretty good, isn''t it?

    [Zao La]: And you know this how?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I have a secret technique that can tell.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Her aptitude must be better than Chen Lingyun''s, and Lingyun is almost at the point of full Qi Refinement by now, so what''s her status?

    [Zao La]: Can''t resist her piggy cravings, keeps breaking her fast during the Fasting period by sneaking snacks.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: ...Joy, I''m getting d¨¦j¨¤ vu.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: So why haven''t you thought about locking her up where she can''t get to food?

    [Zao La]: Brain damaged?

    [Zao La]: It''s her own cultivation practice. If I rashly intervene and something goes wrong, will you take responsibility?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You have a point there.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: But you could mention my suggestion to her, let her decide herself whether to go into seclusion to cultivate Fasting.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: If she''s determined enough to force herself, that''s her choice, not your responsibility.

    [Zao La]: Got it.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Don''t dump all team affairs on Little Zhang; you as captain have to take responsibility too.

    [Zao La]: Why the hell do you talk so much?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Because I just want to see the look of utter regret on your face, to see you know I''m right but stubbornly refuse to do it, and end up bitterly reaping the consequences.

    [Zao La]: I ought to crack open your skull and see if flies laid eggs in there.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Haha, getting angry again.

    Yan Yu closed the chat window with Zhou Hongyu, thinking isn''t she refusing to block me up to this extent?

    Who exactly is the one with a brain problem?

    After playing with the phone for a while, suddenly a new friend request came in.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling].

    This nickname is... Tang Xiaolian?

    Yan Yu clicked accept, and the other side sent a "Hello Captain Yan," then started typing questions right away.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Captain Yan, Captain Zhou told me you suggested that I find a place where I can''t touch food and go into seclusion to practice Fasting?

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Will it really be helpful?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: The purpose of doing that is to help you reduce the distractions of external temptations.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: If you can''t rid yourself of the need for food and water from both a physical and psychological perspective, you''ll never be able to master the Fasting technique.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: But

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Sigh, I might as well just tell you directly. Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: It''s not because I couldn''t resist the temptation that I broke my fast.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Mainly, I''m afraid of dying.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Ah?

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: You mustn''t tell anyone about this. I believe in Yan Yu''s reputation as the Longcheng Flying General; he wouldn''t gossip about me.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Here''s the thing, my family runs a guesthouse on the grasslands near the border of Sangchuan Prefecture. When I was little, my parents went on a long trip and asked a relative to come over to take care of me, to cook for me.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: But that relative, on the way over that morning, unfortunately suffered a stroke and ended up in the hospital in a coma.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: I was very young at the time and was left at home hungry for several days, nearly starved to death... so I understand hunger better than anyone, and I''m afraid of it too.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: So, what you''re saying is, the reason you haven''t mastered the fasting practice isn''t because you can''t control your cravings, but simply because you have a childhood trauma and can''t stand hunger.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Whenever you reach a critical moment in your cultivation, the memories of nearly starving to death as a child come flooding back, causing you tremendous fear and disrupting your spiritual focus.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Yes, exactly.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Each time I get far into my cultivation, I start to feel an overwhelming fear, as if I''m struggling on the brink of death.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: The feeling gets stronger and stronger until I can no longer restrain myself, lose all reason, and rush out to find something to eat.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: With your extensive experience, Yan Yu, do you have any good suggestions for my situation?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I suggest you go home.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Huh?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Go back to the place that caused your childhood trauma, have your parents leave and stay away for a bit, and take away all the food from home, cut off the water and electricity.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Stay at home by yourself, just like when you were little, embracing the resolve that "if I don''t master fasting, I''ll starve to death," and challenge the fear of death deep inside you once more.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Okay, I''m still a bit lacking in confidence.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: If you want a better chance of success, use a Runescript to seal your Dantian.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Then you won''t be able to use spells and will be more like a normal person, which should yield better results.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Mhm, I understand. It''s about having the courage to burn the boats.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Yes. Look at me, I was one of the first in the country to master the art of fasting. Before that, no one knew how to train for it. What if I trained the wrong way and starved to death before succeeding in fasting? What then?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Speaking of confidence, Lord Master and I had even less confidence than you at the time. We were completely walking a path no one had ever taken before. For us cultivators, courage is far more important than confidence.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: I''ll remember that, thank you, Yan Yu.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I''ll be waiting for your good news.

    Yan Yu silently closed the chat window, thinking that Tang Xiaolian''s situation was indeed troublesome.

    If cultivation were compared to climbing a mountain, and fasting were the sheer cliff that must be scaled, then her problem would be akin to suffering from acrophobia. For her, this step was naturally much more difficult to overcome than for others.

    Moreover, with Zhou Hongyu being such an incompetent team captain, the only person she could probably turn to for help would be the vice-captain, Zhang Huaide.

    Ah, you should disillusion yourself about that Captain Zhou sooner, young lady. Being strong inside is stronger than anything.

    Yan Yu left the room, planning to go downstairs to watch some TV, when he saw Chen Lingyun also coming out the door.

    "I''ve finally reached the pinnacle of the Qi Refinement Stage," she said with a blooming smile.

    "That''s great!" Yan Yu also showed a surprised and delighted expression, "You finally have a chance to stop dragging our team down! Before we officially start practicing fasting, let''s have a little celebration to congratulate you on reaching the pinnacle of the Qi Refinement Stage, how about that?"

    "Hehe." Chen Lingyun smiled, "As long as the speed of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence stays at this level, even if you guys run faster than me, you''ll still have to wait for me to catch up at the limit."

    "That''s true for now, not necessarily later," Yan Yu replied nonchalantly, "Wait until after reaching the Golden Core Realm, then you''ll know the troubles of lacking in potential."

    "So, is there a way to improve one''s cultivation potential?" Chen Lingyun leaned in close.

    "No, don''t know, get lost," Yan Yu immediately fired off the boyfriend''s triple response, trying to shut down any further questions.

    But Chen Lingyun was not deceived. She just gazed at Yan Yu''s eyes, as if trying to see right through his pupils into his soul.

    Suddenly, with a sweet voice, she asked:

    "Yan Yu, your cultivation potential is actually worse than mine, isn''t it?"

    "No comment," Yan Yu said, keeping a straight face.

    "What gave you the ability to cultivate?" Chen Lingyun placed a finger on her lips, showing a charming and seductive smile, "Let me guess..."

    "Is it her?"

 Chapter 47 Intelligence Meeting

    The two descended the stairs, and before they even entered the living room, Yan Yu immediately announced loudly:

    "Attention, everyone! Our Ling Yun has finally reached the pinnacle of Qi Refinement stage and can begin practicing the art of Fasting!"

    "Where''s the applause?"

    In the living room, the girls on the sofa turned around in surprise.

    Lin Ning was the type whose hands moved faster than her brain, so upon hearing this she instinctively started clapping.

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi, on the other hand, didn''t have a clue and began clapping along with Lin Ning... After a few claps, Lin Ning immediately realized what she was doing and hurriedly stopped, while those two continued their ceremonial clapping, saying:

    "Ling Yun is awesome."

    "I''m really happy for Sister Ling Yun." sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Fortunately, Chen Lingyun knew that these two were brainless sisters and wasn''t angry or annoyed; instead, she cheerfully and openly said:

    "I''ve made you all wait."

    "We need to have a celebration feast!" Yan Yu mocked with a follow-up, "To celebrate our entire team''s Marrow Cleansing, we need to do it up big."

    "I support that!" Zhao Yuanzhen immediately shouted.

    "But we just had dinner," Xie Ruoxi said, touching her little belly with a troubled expression.

    "Just channel your spiritual energy to your stomach, and you''ll digest it quickly," Zhao Yuanzhen immediately offered a solution, "If we''re Fasting, and can''t eat when we want, what''s the point of practicing it?"

    "I''m not interested, you guys go ahead," Su Yunjin declared.

    Being the closest to Chen Lingyun, she certainly couldn''t agree to something that seemed like a celebration but was actually a form of mental torture.

    "I''m not feeling it either," Lin Ning also quickly chose her side.

    The three girls formed a little alliance, united against the captain''s tyranny!

    Zhao Yuanzhen was on Yan Yu''s side, so the crucial vote came down to Xie Ruoxi.

    "I..." Xie Ruoxi looked troubled on the surface, but in her heart, she was overjoyed.

    Who would have thought that I''d have a moment where my words and actions are crucial!

    Although joining Ling Yun to oppose the captain seemed fun, one must not betray their true feelings.

    I''m sorry, but my heart belongs to someone else.

    "I support the captain and Sister Zhao," she said seriously, and then was immediately hugged by Zhao Yuanzhen, overflowing with sisterly affection.

    So the vote became three to three, and Yan Yu seized the opportunity to propose:

    "Since some want to celebrate and some don''t, let''s keep it simple. How about we go out for a stroll and grab some bites tonight?"

    "Agreed!" Zhao Yuanzhen immediately said.

    "But wouldn''t we get recognized by people if we go shopping?" Su Yunjin worried.

    "It''d be best to go somewhere with no people." Remembering the scene of being pursued by student fans at school and being blocked everywhere, Lin Ning also felt uneasy.

    "How about this," Xie Ruoxi suggested, "we bring some snacks and camp out on the rooftop of the villa to watch the stars?"

    This was indeed a novel idea. After all, aside from Xie Ruoxi and Zhao Yuanzhen, the rest of them were typical city kids who couldn''t see many stars at night due to light pollution.

    Of course, the light pollution in the suburbs of Jinling Prefecture would only be more serious than other places... but after everyone''s Marrow Cleansing advancement, their constitutions improved and so did their eyesight, so this wasn''t much of an issue anymore.

    The only problem was, where could they find snacks?

    When everyone''s gaze fell upon her, Zhao Yuanzhen finally spoke seriously:

    "I''d gladly share with you all, but I really don''t have a single bag left in my stock."

    "It''s okay," Xie Ruoxi had anticipated this and said, "I have a few packs of shrimp sticks hidden in my room..."

    "Eight packs," Zhao Yuanzhen interjected, "are also gone."

    "How is that possible!" Xie Ruoxi cried out in dismay, "I wanted to save a few packs to snack on this weekend!"

    "Last time I was looking for something in the study, I saw eight packs of unclaimed puffed snacks," Zhao Yuanzhen said righteously, "So, to prevent food waste, I ate them."

    "How could food that ''nobody wanted'' be hidden deep in a cabinet!" Xie Ruoxi tried to accuse her of committing theft.

    "Because it was hidden behind a pile of books, that''s why I thought it had been forgotten," Zhao Yuanzhen explained, trying to defend herself with flowery words.

    "Defense dismissed, Sister Zhao is guilty as charged, and you are punished to go out and buy eight packs of shrimp sticks to return to Xie Ruoxi, and also take care of purchasing this time''s snacks, execute immediately," Yan Yu interrupted their pointless self-defense and announced decisively, "Xie Ruoxi to supervise!"

    "Master Yan is wise beyond measure!" Xie Ruoxi wept for joy.

    "Hmph," Zhao Yuanzhen was not convinced and huffed, "I''ll buy a whole bunch at once, then eat them all up! Only leaving about a dozen bags for Ruoxi!"

    "She even knows to leave about a dozen bags for Ruoxi, what a good relationship they have," Lin Ning quietly snarked with Yun Jin and Ling Yun.

    So the two girls went out to buy snacks, while the others moved chairs to the roof.

    While the Zhenhai Team was observing the night sky, the Dragon Soar Team, on the other hand, attended the latest intelligence meeting at the Privy Council''s military intelligence division.

    After listening to the reports, the leaders all wore serious expressions, and the members were also silent; only Liu Longtao, after reviewing the materials for a long time, suddenly asked:

    "So, you''re saying that if the worst happens, in this battle at The Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng, we will be facing the entire Western world, along with both Yin Yang and Pear Blossom Courtyards?"

    "Yes," the comrade moderating the meeting said, "It has been confirmed that they will extensively recruit Transcendents from Europe to join the competition."

    "I have a question," Ye Jun raised her hand to ask, "What exactly is the relationship between the Superhero Alliance and the Homeland Strategic Bureau?"

    "On the surface, the Superhero Alliance focuses on commercial interests, while the Homeland Strategic Bureau prioritizes national defense," came the reply, "In reality, behind the Homeland Strategic Bureau stand the local conservatives, while the Superhero Alliance is transnational and cross-regional, backed by elite capitalists from the entire Western world."

    "If the Superhero Alliance takes the lead, based on the previous Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm incident, then the goal is to maximize profit: No matter how fiercely they fight on the battlefield, they''ll still reconcile off it, and everything is negotiable."

    "But since it''s the Homeland Strategic Bureau leading this time, the intensity of competition is expected to increase significantly. For them, it''s equally important to curb the growth of Rikoku Cultivators'' power as it is to secure their own interests."

    "L¨ªg¨­ng distributes rewards based on the order of entry, right? How accurate is this intelligence?" Ye Jun continued to inquire, "Under these circumstances, can they still maintain their original alliance relationship?"

    "The intelligence has been confirmed," the comrade moderating the meeting replied, "As for their alliance relationship, it is anticipated that they would prepare for both possibilities¡ªif Rikoku Cultivators stand in their way, then the alliance naturally continues, united in enmity; but if the prize is within reach, it''s first come first served, the latecomers get leftovers, then I doubt anyone would still adhere to any alliance pacts."

    "This is because the opposing forces are too diverse," Liu Longtao mused, "Yin Yang Bureau and Pear Blossom Courtyard are at odds with each other, and Miti from the Homeland Strategic Bureau, along with the foreign Transcendents from Europe brought in by the Superhero Alliance, are not necessarily on the same page."

    "To put it in extreme terms," the other party said, "assuming we do not block the path to L¨ªg¨­ng in advance. Then, before the wide-open gates of L¨ªg¨­ng, the multi-national alliance would collapse on its own, as everyone would be killing each other to be the first to enter."

    "But the cost is that treasures from L¨ªg¨­ng would definitely be lost," Ye Jun noted.

    "Correct, we cannot interfere with the mechanism by which L¨ªg¨­ng distributes treasures, and moreover, after obtaining treasures, one has the option to teleport and leave the realm; as such, even if we desire to kill for those treasures, the operational aspect is low."

    "How come we know so much about the mechanisms of this Secret Realm?" Liu Longtao frowned and asked, "I don''t mean to question your intelligence work, but I need you to take responsibility for its accuracy."

    "We take responsibility for its accuracy," the other party stated with finality.

    Enjoy new stories from My Virtual Library Empire

    Liu Longtao, seeing his certainty, didn''t press the issue any further. After pondering for a while, he proclaimed with conviction:

    "Not a single treasure from L¨ªg¨­ng can be lost; that is the bottom line!"

    "That is to say," Ye Jun added, "we must block the entrance to L¨ªg¨­ng ahead of everyone else and not allow any Transcendent to enter."

    "Kill whoever comes," Liu Longtao said with a cold laugh, "until they''re so afraid that they crumble and retreat!"

 Chapter 48 Beating Lord Master

    Having completed a general analysis of the opposing forces, the meeting moved on to discuss specific "key target individuals," which is to say, those famous, top-tier Transcendents who posed a threat to the cultivators of Lu Country.

    After the increase in the upper limit of Earth''s spiritual energy concentration, there was an overall upward shift in the quality of the country''s top-end cultivators.

    In contrast, the quality and quantity of overseas Transcendents saw a significant improvement and increase.

    So why didn''t the number of domestic cultivators explode in growth? This was a topic off-limits for discussion. Anyway, compared to the top cultivators of the Marrow Cleansing Stage within the country, some previously less known foreign Transcendents had now successfully risen to the top tier and were being highlighted by the global media.

    On the Superhero Alliance side, "Phoenix" Phoenix and "Thunderbird" Margaret were confirmed to go to war, while "Thornbird" Roger claimed he was still recuperating in his country villa and regretfully would miss the Pacific Ocean battlefield this time.

    Apart from the two veteran superheroes, new stars from Europe like "Sabertooth" Langferro, "White Lion" Hamilton, "Devil" Benjamin, and "Preacher" Han George have publicly announced that they would represent the Superhero Alliance in battle and "collectively counter Lu Country''s overbearing and barbaric behavior."

    The Yin Yang Bureau''s Four Great Demon Kings announced that two of them would be deployed: "Formless Ninja" Xiandao Jingyin and "Illusionist" Shenyuan Simie.

    The Pear Blossom Courtyard sent the fewest people, but their promotion was the most high-profile: the focus, of course, was on Park Changmin, who at the time wasn''t yet called the "Goryeo Sword Immortal," but "White Mountain Divine Sword."

    Besides him were "Green-clad Sword" Lee Kyung-joon and "Myriad Leaf Sword" Choi Seung-hyun. Both were currently top Sword Immortals in the country competing with Park Changmin in the ring, and each supported by conglomerates... By the way, these nicknames weren''t officially awarded but were collected through media public selections and voted on by the general populace.

    All the aforementioned Transcendents, when their strength levels were gauged in Lu Country, all ranked on par with the Marrow Cleansing Stage, making them the greatest adversaries for the cultivators of Lu Country this time.

    Under the starry sky, Yan Yu was chatting and laughing with the girls when suddenly his phone began to ring.

    He took it out for a look and his face turned dark: Lord Master had directly dumped dozens of documents over, all containing intelligence analyses of high-threat enemies in the opposing camp that were confirmed to be encountered.

    You''re pulling up a list, huh?

    The meeting on Liu Longtao''s side had just ended, and he''d dumped all the files to Yan Yu before sitting eagerly by his phone, waiting for Yan Yu to provide commentary and analysis.

    After a moment, a message came from the other side:

    "What, scared?"

    Liu Longtao nearly dropped his phone and quickly typed a retort:

    "Me? Haha."

    Upon closer inspection, it seemed a bit too lengthy, which might make him look like he was overreacting, so he quickly deleted the "Haha" to change it to "Me?"

    After looking at it again, why did it become a question? It made him seem uncertain. So he immediately removed the "Me?" leaving just "Me."

    Continuing his scrutiny, he thought it still wasn''t concise enough, so he decided to delete "Me" as well.

    ?

    Perfect, a question mark could express the disdain and indifference of us noble Pingjing lords when faced with such a boring inquiry...

    Before he could finish his thoughts, another message popped up on the screen:

    "You''re taking so long to reply; you must be really scared."

    Liu Longtao firmly pressed the send button, sending out a forceful question mark.

    Yan Yu was typing when suddenly Su Yunjin tugged at his arm:

    "Captain, what star is that?"

    "Which one?" Yan Yu pretended to think hard for a moment, "That''s Sirius."

    Is it though? Right, no, maybe right. Actually, Yan Yu didn''t know what star it was. Continue your saga on My Virtual Library Empire

    But the point is, when girls ask you about stars, they aren''t truly looking to learn about astronomy; saying "I don''t know" would just make you look dumb.

    No matter what you respond, she won''t check to confirm, so why not make something up and appear learned?

    Hahaha, that''s so me!

    Su Yunjin nodded as if suddenly enlightened and said "Oh," but in her mind she thought:

    Isn''t that Polaris?

    Oh dear, so the captain is one of those boys who, even if they don''t know, will blurt out any answer just to fill the gap?

    Cute, I like him even more now~

    "So it''s Sirius. Captain, you know so much," she said with a smile.

    "Hmph," Yan Yu displayed a calmly knowledgeable expression, as if it was all common sense.

    Meanwhile, Lin Ning quietly pressed on her phone, starting to search for Jinling Prefecture''s winter star-gazing map.

    His phone rang again, and Yan Yu unlocked the screen to find several messages popping up immediately.

    [Liu Young Master]: ?

    [Liu Young Master]: You can stop joking. Can rabbits beat lions?

    [Liu Young Master]: I don''t get the humor of people from the south.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Haha, impatient again.

    On the other side of the phone, Liu Longtao: .........

    I''ve been waiting here so long, and that''s the crap you say to me?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Oh, sorry, I typed that wrong.

    [Liu Shao]: A typo?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I often use this phrase to copy and paste replies to Xiao Zhou, so it''s always on the clipboard. Just now I wanted to copy another sentence for you, but I pressed the wrong button.

    This guy even dares to privately chat up Zhou Hongyu, isn''t he afraid that girl will kill him?

    [Liu Shao]: Then what were you originally going to copy?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: ?

    Liu Longtao: ...........

    [Liu Shao]: Just a question mark, too stingy to type, gotta copy and paste my words?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Otherwise?

    [Liu Shao]: Fine, let''s not beat around the bush. Have you looked at the document I sent you earlier about the high threat targets from the opposing faction?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: No.

    [Liu Shao]: Why not?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Because I''m not scared.

    Liu Longtao: ....................

    Damn, I''m getting the urge to shred someone, gonna have to whip out my Liu Family''s ancestral gold knife.

    [Liu Shao]: Lord Yan, do you think this time the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng will be easy to deal with?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Of course not, didn''t you throw dozens of documents at me?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: A whole bunch of Marrow Cleansing Stage enemies coming to kill us, who dares say it''ll be a breeze?

    [Liu Shao]: Then why say "not scared" as if you''re pretending to be tough?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Not being easy to deal with isn''t the same as being scared.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: In the face of great events, one needs to stay calm, understand?

    [Liu Shao]: Do I really need you to teach me that?

    [Liu Shao]: Look, Lord Yan, let''s not talk about that airy stuff, how do you plan to fight in the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng this time?!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Kill!

    [Liu Shao]: Kill!

    [Liu Shao]: I''m asking how to kill.

    [Liu Shao]: Guerilla warfare would be fine, dodge the edge when there are many enemies, butcher any who are alone.

    [Liu Shao]: But this time we have to defend L¨ªg¨­ng, can''t let the enemies get inside, not even one.

    [Liu Shao]: No room for retreat means we have to face the charge of thousands of troops head-on, no dodging, even Ye Jun''s Xuan Guang Ruler might not hold up.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Why can''t we retreat not even one step?

    [Liu Shao]: Otherwise?

    [Liu Shao]: L¨ªg¨­ng in the East Sea, just hearing the name you know it''s Lu Country''s.

    [Liu Shao]: How can Lu Country''s treasures be picked up by foreigners!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: It''s not like it''s never been picked up by others before.

    [Liu Shao]: Trash treasures are a separate matter. A secret realm of L¨ªg¨­ng''s level produces national treasures! Even if we lost one, I''d have to go back to the Liu Family ancestral shrine to kowtow three times and apologize to the ancestors! S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Oh, I see now.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: But my Yan Family doesn''t have that rule.

    [Liu Shao]: ...Damn, is it still possible to apply for another team to replace you guys now?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Keeping the treasures of L¨ªg¨­ng out of the hands of foreign Transcendents isn''t as difficult as you think.

    [Liu Shao]: I''d like to hear more.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: But I''m busy right now and can''t explain.

    [Liu Shao]: ???

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Haha, hanging out with beautiful girls watching the stars, I''m not from your Dragon Soar Team, treating girls as if they were guys to order around.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Talk next time.

    With a crisp "snap," Liu Longtao''s phone screen developed several cracks¡ªhe had squeezed it until it burst.

    "What''s the matter?" Ye Jun, hearing the noise, came over to ask.

    "Nothing." Liu Longtao''s eye twitched as he barely managed a smile, "Lord Yan is just joking with me."

    "Oh." Ye Jun glanced at his phone screen and said, "That''s pretty harsh. I''ll talk to him for you."

    "You''re close with Lord Yan?" Liu Longtao''s eyes lit up, "Go and grill him for me immediately!"

 Chapter 49 The Secret Realm of LÃ­gÅng, Converging with Ye Jun

    Yan Yu read the message from Ye Jun and smiled slightly, not replying.

    Sigh, it''s really not easy being the deputy team leader, always having to endure the team leader''s various unreasonable demands, tsk tsk tsk. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Who are you messaging?" Chen Lingyun teased with a smile, "Ye Jun?"

    The girls immediately looked over.

    "Lord Master asked her to discuss matters with me," replied Yan Yu.

    "Is it about The Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng?" Su Yunjin asked with concern.

    "Hmm," Yan Yu said nonchalantly, "you don''t need to worry, it''s just that Lord Master is a bit lacking in confidence, that''s all."

    "That''s what Lord Master is like," Chen Lingyun also chimed in sarcastically, "Even if he''s a pansy inside, he always pretends to be a tough guy in front of others, puffing up his face even if it swells."

    The fact that Princess Jiang Hai and Lord Master of Pingjing didn''t see eye to eye was no secret within the Zhenhai Team, so everyone tactfully pretended not to hear.

    Lin Ning raised her hand to speak:

    "First of all, if even Lord Master is lacking in confidence, doesn''t that suggest that this mysterious realm is going to be very difficult? We''re not afraid to fight, but at the very least we should have the right to be informed. Not knowing our enemy while knowing ourselves is surely a major taboo in warfare?

    Secondly, I just checked the star map, and the Sirius you mentioned should actually be Polaris."

    "What right to be informed? I''ve just received the intelligence," Yan Yu disregarded the latter half of her words and took on the role of a dismissive shopkeeper, "Ling Yun, I''ve sent you all the documents from Lord Master. Everyone wait for us to sort out the intelligence, then we''ll explain it to you in detail..."

    Before he could finish, the sky in the distance suddenly lit up.

    The night sky to the northeast suddenly brightened as if it were daytime, with multicolored lights soaring upward like a whirl of birds or a group of dragons taking flight, followed by a dazzling radiance!

    Everyone was too preoccupied to continue chatting and quickly used Sword Flight to rise into the high skies above Jinling Prefecture to check the situation.

    Shortly after, everyone''s phones began to ring frantically at the same time!

    In fact, this strange celestial phenomenon was observed not only in Jinling Prefecture but also in Goryeo, Silla, Chongyin, and along the entire coast of East Asia.

    Looking down from the perspective of a weather satellite, the location that was originally the Departure Palace in the East Sea had now exploded with thousands of colorful brilliant lights, piercing directly through the clouds, breaking through the atmosphere, and shooting into space.

    Was the Departure Palace about to open?!

    Yan Yu hurried with his team to the East Sea fleet, while the Dragon Soar Team arrived even earlier and learned that the palace had not yet opened.

    But it was estimated that the opening was not far off.

    The magnetic field in the waters near the palace had surged dramatically, damaging many ships'' electronic systems, and the engineering troops were working overtime to repair them¡ªat least the opposing fleet was similarly afflicted, and for a brief time, an unusually calm and peaceful state prevailed on both sides.

    In the fleet''s meeting room, everyone held an urgent meeting to analyze and discuss the current situation.

    According to the results from the underwater drones, the phenomenon at the Departure Palace was located in the depth zone ranging from 25 meters to over 700 meters.

    The so-called multicolored lights were actually some kind of low-temperature plasma¡ªwhy this phenomenon stably existed on a large scale in seawater and emitted various wavelengths of light was completely unclear, it could only be surmised that it definitely was the entrance to a mysterious realm that had not yet been opened.

    After the phenomenon erupted this evening, the temperature of these plasmas rose quickly, causing the surrounding seawater to continuously boil and vaporize. The high-temperature steam continuously poured through the layers of the sea, as a large number of cooked and carbonized small fish and shrimp floated to the surface, creating a rather ghastly purgatory scene.

    "The water temperature is too high, even a cultivator getting close would be boiled alive," concluded Yan Yu.

    "Is it possible to install a heat-insulating layer on the submersible?" Chen Lingyun inquired.

    "Impossible," Ye Jun denied, "Even if it were technically possible, there is no time. We should consider whether the opposition might have a water-insulating and heat-resistant spell."

    "Can the Xuan Guang Ruler withstand it?" Liu Longtao asked.

    "It should be fine for the outer water temperature," Ye Jun replied, "but if the core temperature inside spikes, I can''t guarantee it will always work, after all, the Xuan Guang Ruler isn''t specifically a treasure for defending against fire and water."

    "The mysterious realm is probably not open yet," said Yan Yu, "let''s continue to observe for the time being."

    If the Departure Palace were indeed a testing type of mysterious realm, of course, it wouldn''t be designed with obstacles near the entrance. Typically, it would lure people into the realm before subjecting them to various tests and torments.

    This meant that if the water temperature started to drop rapidly, then the entrance to the mysterious realm was probably about to open.

    After discussing for half a day, they still could not come up with any strategies and could only go to rest and be on standby.

    Upon leaving the meeting room, Yan Yu secretly transmitted a message to Chen Lingyun:

    "You can start practicing the fasting method."

    "How much longer until the mysterious realm opens?" Chen Lingyun asked through transmission, "If it opens suddenly while I''m at a critical moment in my cultivation, I might not be able to perform my best in combat."

    "No worries, your performance won''t affect the team''s combat power," Yan Yu said, "The exact opening time will probably be within a day or two."

    Chen Lingyun: ..........

    Is that human language?

    Forget it, people from the south are this domineering, I shouldn''t get angry with him.

    Everyone returned to the cabin to start a team meeting, with Chen Lingyun responsible for briefing the intelligence.

    Around five o''clock the next morning, another message came from outside:

    The temperature of the underwater streamers had begun to drop.

    The two teams geared up with live broadcast equipment and quickly entered the underwater submersible, preparing to break into the underwater streamer to explore the entrance of the mysterious realm.

    As for how to prevent the Transcendents from the other side from entering the mysterious realm, that task was left to the fleet above the sea surface, and everyone else did not have time to worry about it any longer.

    In the cramped interior of the underwater submersible, eleven people squeezed together, staring out of the portholes, ready for battle.

    To avoid cramming into the girls from the Zhenhai Team, the four men from Lord Master''s side huddled together, trying to compact their space as much as possible.

    The girls from Zhenhai Team also had their concerns, and likewise huddled tightly, turning Yan Yu into the filling inside a sandwich cookie, almost unable to breathe.

    Luckily, he had already mastered the art of Turtle Breathing and Fasting! Otherwise, he really might have been squeezed to suffocation by them.

    Only Ye Jun stood in the middle, focused on maneuvering the underwater submersible and staring at the data on the dashboard.

    "How do you know how to drive this?" Yan Yu asked.

    "I crammed last night, learned it urgently," Ye Jun replied.

    Yan Yu clicked his tongue in wonder, able to learn it in one night? What kind of last-minute cramming genius?

    "What''s the situation outside?" Liu Longtao also asked.

    "Hard to say," Ye Jun shook his head, not explaining much, only saying, "When the temperature up ahead gets too high and the machine can''t go any further, I''ll protect you with the Xuan Guang Ruler, and we''ll leave the submersible to move forward in the water, getting as far as we can..."

    Before he could finish speaking, the entire submersible was suddenly flipped over by an unexpected external force, spinning the world around!

    Then came the explosion-like radiation of streamers, engulfing everyone and vanishing them from sight.

    ............

    Yan Yu quickly surveyed his surroundings and realized he was no longer inside the submersible.

    Instead, he was within the space of the mysterious realm.

    The ground beneath his feet was as crimson as blood, the clouds above seemed ablaze, and everywhere he looked was a piercing, brilliant red.

    In the distance were rolling mountain ranges, and nearby were plains, with a grand river flowing from left to right in front of him, its waters also a deep red, with dense red algae floating on it.

    Yan Yu extended his Divine Sense around to check for any traces of Transcendents.

    After entering the mysterious realm, team members would be scattered and randomly teleported to one of the six major checkpoints, a fact that had been informed to the girls during last night''s team meeting.

    The mysterious realm itself was not difficult to conquer; the risk lay in the fact that Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin, both of whom specialized in reconnaissance and control, lacked the powerful offensive capacity to defeat enemies. If they found themselves alone against groups of equally ranked hostile Transcendents, being outnumbered would easily put them at a disadvantage.

    Therefore, they needed to conceal their presence as much as possible and look for teammates in the vicinity to regroup as soon as they could. Explore stories at My Virtual Library Empire

    The Dragon Soar Team included three Sword Immortals, one cultivator of Taoism Method, and one Assistant Officer. The combat ability of the Sword Immortals went without saying, Yang Linhui practiced potent offensive Taoism Methods, and Ye Jun''s Xuan Guang Ruler was a surefire life-saving instrument.

    Together with Yan Yu, Zhao Yuanzhen, Lin Ning, and Xie Ruoxi from the Zhenhai Team, there were a total of nine people. If they were spread evenly across the six checkpoints, theoretically, at least one person would be at each checkpoint to meet and form a temporary team with them.

    Of course, should their luck be incredibly poor and the two of them only find each other at the first checkpoint without locating anyone else... as long as they could support each other through this checkpoint, the rest should be manageable.

    Since there was no one around detected by Yan Yu''s Divine Sense, he boldly initiated Sword Flight to ascend into the sky for an unrestricted search.

    He had already made up his mind ¨C if he encountered teammates, he would regroup; if he encountered enemies, he would engage in battle. Even if faced with a dozen or twenty enemies, he would not fear!

    Just as he flew beyond the range of the Red River, he saw a sword light rising from below.

    Allied forces? That sword light is¡­

    Yan Yu focused his eyes and heard Ye Jun''s voice transmission:

    "It''s me."

 Chapter 50 Yan Yus Swordsmanship Performance Show

    Due to the sudden opening of The Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng in the East Sea, neither of the live streaming teams was able to react in time.

    In Lu Country, officials hastily started the official live stream, then moved on to urgent promotion. Major TV stations quickly scheduled program inserts, and internet companies used pop-up notifications to alert users. News spread rapidly across the country as if it had grown wings.

    The public also complained bitterly, as today was a workday!

    Many people had already gone to work before realizing that the raid on The Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng was scheduled for today. Without a chance to come up with an excuse to take leave, they could only secretly watch the live stream on their phones using data.

    The Superhero Alliance also urgently started their live stream and aggressively promoted it to over fifty countries with which they had signed commercial agreements. Many viewers, just after clicking into the live stream, saw a bunch of staff members making preparations¡ªthe Transcendents hadn''t even started their incursion into the mysterious realm yet.

    The reason for the rush to start the global broadcast was simple: Lu Country had already started live streaming. If they fell behind on the work here, viewers would turn to Lu Country''s live stream of the Secret Realm''s exploration. By then, they would completely lose the power to shape the narrative, so it was essential to draw the viewers in first.

    The best example was Tianzhu, where the Yin Yang Bureau, with its conservative and traditional style, hadn''t considered commercialization at all (if they live streamed the whole process and lost, they would have to bow in apology). As a result, most citizens turned to foreign broadcasts...

    to the point that now many don''t even know about the Four Great Demon Kings of their own country, but are well-versed in the likes of the Longcheng Flying General and the B¨¢i Mountain Sword Immortal.

    Inside the mysterious realm, although the cultivators were scattered, the live streaming teams outside could see everything clearly through each person''s camera.

    Su Yunjin and Lin Ning met each other; Chen Lingyun and Zhao Yuanzhen joined forces; Yan Yu and Ye Jun formed a team; Liu Longtao and Xie Ruoxi walked side by side; Yang Linhui and Guo Feiyun fought together. Only Ai Lu was unfortunately left alone.

    The six teams were scattered across six different stages of the mysterious realm, currently expanding their exploration around the area.

    The director switched to each team for about 10 seconds, introduced them in detail, and then cut to Longcheng Flying General to see his and Ye Jun''s performance.

    Yan Yu and Ye Jun had not been using Sword Flight long when they saw two armies engaged in combat ahead in the sky.

    One group dressed lavishly with complicated attire, mostly attacking from a distance, such as archery, flute playing, or throwing circular blades; the other group seemed more barbaric, with bare chests, animal skin around their waists, armed with swords and spears, leaping into the air with flames under their feet, attempting to engage the enemy in close combat.

    "Gods and Asuras," Ye Jun observed closely and said, "It somewhat resembles the mythological system of Tianzhu, but there are many differences in the details. It seems the master of L¨ªg¨­ng has applied some local artistic adaptations."

    "How do you even know about things from Tianzhu?" Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    "I have some understanding," Ye Jun replied, "My family has a book called ''Comprehensive Analysis of Tianzhu Mythology.'' I used to flip through it when I was bored as a kid. It even has illustrations."

    "From the perspective of clearing the mysterious realm, the conflict between the two sides is a hint that we must make a choice: to side with the gods, with the Asuras, or with neither," Yan Yu analyzed, "Since you have read about Tianzhu mythology, which side do you think is better to help?"

    "Uh, I don''t really remember clearly," Ye Jun replied thoughtfully, "I just vaguely recall that in many stories, the gods often end up in a sorry state but, with the protection of the Trimurti, they always manage to have the last laugh; the Asuras are formidable but usually meet unpleasant ends."

    Yan Yu continued to watch for a moment and indeed found that the side of the gods seemed to be losing. Once the ranged fighters were cornered by the melee, they were utterly restrained, with their formation thrown into complete disarray, and their ability to project power greatly hindered.

    If they decided to support the Asuras in their bullying, the early stages would definitely be easier, but according to Ye Jun''s words, the difficulty was likely all waiting further in.

    Our goal is to clear the stage as quickly as possible and be at the Departure Palace Gate to block others; we cannot waste too much time on this first stage. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Then let''s help the gods," Yan Yu declared with a grand gesture, "Let''s go up!"

    He leaped forward, using the "Rainbow Through the Sun" sword move, aiming directly for the head of the leading Asura.

    The opponent stretched out a palm as large as a fan to grab at the Huang Tingjian sword, but the sword''s light suddenly changed moves, instantly switching from "Rainbow Through the Sun" to "Phoenix Seeking the Phoenix," suddenly conjuring more than twenty sword shadows!

    In a villa in Pingjing, Cai Qianlong was sitting in front of the TV with his girlfriend, watching the live stream.

    Seeing Yan Yu''s move "Phoenix Seeking the Phoenix," he couldn''t help but let out an expletive:

    "Damn! What kind of monster is this!"

    "What''s wrong?" his girlfriend asked curiously.

    "You''re not a cultivator, so it''s normal that you don''t understand," Cai Qianlong said without explaining and pushed her away, "Go get me a bottle of beer from the fridge. Such fine swordsmanship should not be wasted without a drink."

    Reluctantly, the girlfriend got up and walked towards the kitchen, thinking to herself, if it weren''t for my father''s strict demand, why would I agree to be with someone as chauvinistic as you?

    Cai Qianlong, however, did not notice his girlfriend''s mood. He was focused on the screen, not wanting to miss any detail of the swordsmanship.

    Meanwhile, in the classrooms of the four major cultivator academies, members of the Sword Immortal profession teams watched the projection, exclaiming continuously.

    Some started to explain to their non-Sword Immortal teammates: "Phoenix Seeking the Phoenix" is actually one of the sword techniques that can create multiple afterimages with Sword Qi, confusing the enemy''s judgment.

    As for how many afterimages one can create depends on the version of the sword technique being studied, as well as the individual''s own level of swordsmanship.

    An ordinary Sword Immortal, using the version of the sword technique taught in schools, can generally produce 2-3 afterimages. If one can produce four, then they can boast about it in front of their classmates for a whole day.

    Five afterimages is about the limit that personal skill can achieve, enough to have an instructor come over to write a recommendation letter, and transfer you to a more powerful team. Experience new stories on My Virtual Library Empire

    Of course, being the captain of the Zhenhai Team and the famous Longcheng Flying General, he definitely used an advanced version of the sword technique, but conjuring over 20 afterimages was just too terrifying; so much so that upon seeing it, the Sword Immortals could hardly keep it together, exclaiming in shock, "Is this even human?"

    More than twenty Sword Qi afterimages filled the sky and shot towards the target, completely covering them from head to toe; the leading Asura was indeed stunned and could only randomly choose one Sword Qi to block.

    As a result, the Sword Qi afterimage dissipated in his hands, while the real Huang Tingjian Sword light pierced straight through his chest and swiftly moved on towards the second Asura.

    This one was holding a long-handled weapon and instantly swung it around creating an impregnable defense, preventing Yan Yu from deploying the same trick.

    Yan Yu didn''t pause for a moment, his sword light met the attack head-on with a clash of metal!

    Eagle Strikes the Heavens!

    The first strike collided directly with the opponent''s weapon, both being repelled by the force of the impact.

    The Asura stumbled backwards slightly, while the Huang Tingjian sword light changed angles, dispelling the momentum and going for another uplift.

    The second strike!

    The Asura hadn''t expected the second attack to come so swiftly and hurriedly tried to press down the weapon that had been knocked back, but it was struck yet again by the sword light and almost slipped out of his grasp.

    The Huang Tingjian sword light did not relent, slightly spinning and changing angles without any sign of a worn-out technique; the third horizontal slash was already upon him.

    This time, even with the Asura''s great strength, he could not maintain his grip on the long handle of the weapon. It was knocked from his hands by the relentless waves of attack, spinning as it flew away.

    And the fourth strike of the Huang Ting sword was closely following, mercilessly piercing the enemy whose guard was wide open, and then going straight for the third Asura.

    Cai Qianlong watched the screen without blinking, even involuntarily holding his breath until Yan Yu finished the ferocious quadruple strike, then he slowly exhaled and turned to his girlfriend to explain,

    "The move the Longcheng Flying General used is called ''Eagle Strikes the Heavens,'' a powerful technique that can deliver multiple layers of attacks in a short duration. Cultivators who are not of the Sword Immortal profession, unless they have some defensive spell or magical treasure, cannot even block this move. They would be decapitated in an instant."

    "For an ordinary Sword Immortal, executing a double strike is actually quite simple. But a triple strike, well, only about 10% of Sword Immortals in the country can achieve that. As for the quadruple strike...hmpf, the technical skill involved is something 99% of Sword Immortals can''t even comprehend, let alone try to imitate and learn."

    "Then what''s the most number of strikes you can execute?" his girlfriend asked curiously.

    "I''ve also executed a quadruple strike," Cai Qianlong replied.

    "Wow, so you''re on the same level as the Longcheng Flying General?" His girlfriend''s eyes shone with admiration, and any slight displeasure she had from being ordered around vanished instantly.

    My Qianlong is actually so formidable!

    Cai Qianlong smiled but said nothing, internally heaving a sigh.

    "Having executed once" and "being able to use it reliably" are completely different matters.

    Watching Yan Yu execute the four consecutive strikes as if flowing like clouds and water, it''s likely that even this quadruple strike wasn''t his limit. It''s just that his opponents couldn''t withstand even that much.

    Of course, now was the time to boast, so there was no need to tell his wife this.

    His thoughts quickly turned, and he suddenly bragged to his girlfriend,

    "The Longcheng Flying General and I are old acquaintances. Back when I fought a fifty-fifty battle against the Dragon Cavalry Team''s captain, Liu Longtao, for nearly half an hour before losing due to the depletion of my True Yuan, he even called me to ask how I did it."

    "We had a great talk on the phone, and ended up considering each other as good friends... See? His number is still lying around in my contacts."

    "So you''re that amazing!" exclaimed his girlfriend, with stars nearly popping out of her eyes, "Then if you faced off against the Longcheng Flying General one-on-one, how many minutes could you last without being defeated?"

    "Uh," Cai Qianlong was momentarily at a loss for words, "within 10 minutes... no, I definitely wouldn''t lose in 15 minutes! If he performed poorly or made a careless mistake, I might even have a chance to counter-kill him!"

 Chapter 1 - 1 Am I right?

    Chapter 1: Chapter 1 Am I right?

    Under the veil of night, two figures, one following the other, were engaged in a chase.

    The black-clad demoness at the front fled nimbly, moving like a specter that flickered unpredictably, leaving a swath of murky mists and fishy clouds in her wake.

    The white-clad fairy in pursuit, though slightly slower, relied on the flying sword in her hand that moved like thunder to repeatedly block the paths of the black-clad woman, barely managing to keep from losing her.

    Finally, the white-clad fairy spotted a lapse in the other¡¯s faltering True Qi and thrust her sword, which flew like a ribbon, piercing through the back of the demoness in an instant.

    The black-clad woman¡¯s body fell to the ground, and the white-clad fairy quickly rushed forward, extending her Divine Sense into the corpse:

    Damn it, she had fallen for a feint¡ªa shell game!

    ...

    What seemed to be the body of the black-clad woman was actually just a puppet dummy she had thrown out!

    Just as the white-clad fairy was about to turn back and continue the search for the demoness along the path she had come from, suddenly sirens blared. The exit behind her was sealed off by several ironclad vehicles; doors burst open, and several uniformed individuals jumped out, pulling out sidearms and aiming them at her as if facing a great enemy:

    ¡°Stop right there!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡±

    ¡°Put your hands up!¡±

    Listening to the distant commotion, Yan Yu tossed the empty cola can he had finished drinking into a nearby trash bin.

    He raised his head once again, gazing into the depths of the gloomy alley.

    From the shadows, a black-clad demoness emerged, clutching her abdomen; it seemed she had suffered serious injuries. Not only was her face bloodless and pale as wax, but her body also wobbled unsteadily, as if she would collapse and die at any moment.

    In fact, she was indeed at the end of her tether.

    That white-clad woman was her archenemy, who had been relentless in pursuit for nearly three days and nights, chasing her from Green Cloud Mountain all the way to the Endless Sea. There, they unfortunately encountered a spatial storm, a rarity of millennia, and both were swept into it.

    Upon emerging, they found themselves in this world.

    This world was filled with strange and bizarre things, unlike anything seen or heard before:

    Everywhere there were towering buildings that soared into the sky like mountains, ironclad carriages that moved on their own without any magical aura, and a multitude of ordinary folk without any magic, donning a variety of flashy and exotic outfits.

    The most fatal aspect was that the concentration of Spiritual Energy here was so thin that casting spells was like trying to light a fire underwater; even the simplest spell required a great deal of True Yuan to execute.

    Even in this strange world, her archenemy relentlessly hounded her like a mad dog, and she could only flee for her life. Finally, seizing a fleeting opportunity, she employed the shell game to successfully shake off her pursuer.

    Next, she needed to find a place to heal her wounds.

    In a world where Spiritual Energy was so scarce, an injury that normally would take barely ten days to heal might now require several years to recover from¡­ Who?

    Seeing the strange young man waiting at the mouth of the alley for her, a flash of murderous intent crossed Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s mind, but her face conveyed a plea for help as she said:

    ¡°Save, save me, please¡­¡±

    Their cross-country flight must have already alerted the local authorities.

    That wretched woman, failing to find me, would likely opt to cooperate with the local regime, deploying a large network of informants to search for my whereabouts.

    To find a secluded place to heal, I must kill all witnesses; it¡¯s imperative that they are not allowed to inform the authorities and lure my archenemy back to my trail!

    With a ruthless mindset, Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s expression became even more frail and pitiable, waiting for the moment the young man came closer to strike with a deadly ambush, leaving no stone unturned.

    It was a pity that her True Yuan was depleted; otherwise, just one spell would have been enough to blast him dead. Why bother with such complications?

    Seeing her in such a pitiful state, Yan Yu did not rush forward, but instead calmly asked:

    ¡°Miss, are you Zhao Yuanzhen, also known as ¡®Miyuan¡¯?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuanzhen was taken aback:

    Who is this person? How does he know me?

    Seeing that she was at a loss for words on the spot, Yan Yu maintained his composed demeanor and said:

    ¡°Your master is the ¡®Venerable Hanxi¡¯ of the Qiansi Sect. You entered the sect at the age of five, and your master highly valued your talent, even going so far as to secretly pass on the String-Pulling Technique to you¡ªa technique meant only for a true disciple. To prevent your elder sisters from harming you out of jealousy, she warned you to never reveal it lightly. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s face went pale. This knowledge of the String-Pulling Technique, something her master had secretly taught her, was not something she had ever revealed before anyone else. How did this man know about it?

    Could he have some kind of Heavenly Vision that could see through a person¡¯s practiced techniques? No, that¡¯s not right! I only memorized the technique from my master and haven¡¯t even successfully practiced it, let alone used it! How could anyone see through it?

    Impossible, impossible! Absolutely impossible!!!

    Seeing her countenance violently disturbed, Yan Yu still wore an expression of unfathomable depth, smiling with profound significance as he said:

    ¡°Did I say something incorrect? Oh, you also have two elder sisters, right? Your second elder sister doesn¡¯t like you at all, often mocking you with spiteful words behind your back, but your eldest sister takes good care of you, doesn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°Furthermore, your senior sister is actually more cunning than your second senior sister,¡± he said. ¡°She saw that master intended to take you as his true disciple, so she deliberately orchestrated your removal. The reason you offended Mei Yingxue of the Sword Sect was also a scheme by your senior sister. Even the news of the secret treasure you received was a fabrication she crafted, all to make you directly confront Mei Yingxue, who was filled with hatred for the Demon Cult after her junior brother had just been killed¡­ Speaking of which, guess who killed her junior brother?¡±

    These words struck Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s ears and linked all the troubling thoughts and doubts in her mind together like lightning:

    It was her! That bitch!

    But compared to ¡°seeking revenge on her senior sister,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was more wary of the unfamiliar young man before her, and she couldn¡¯t suppress the strong sense of fear rising in her heart.

    His words were sharp like swords, his sentences cut like knives; each phrase precisely exposed a secret of her sect, secrets that should and could not possibly be known to anyone!

    The only explanation was that this person¡­ or someone behind him, was a master of divination and fortune-telling!

    The art of divination is the hardest of all methods to cultivate in this world, without equal.

    And because divination involves probing into the heavenly secrets, it often incurs divine punishment, so those cultivators who can be considered ¡°masters of divination¡± are all mighty beings who can command the heavens and earth, reverse the fates, turn clouds with a flip of their hand, and rain with the overturn of their palm. Not even the leader of the Qiansi Sect would dare to offend them.

    Otherwise, such a person could simply calculate your destiny, manipulate your karma, and effortlessly scheme against you. When death is imminent, you wouldn¡¯t even know who is harming you!

    Zhao Yuanzhen pursed her dry lips, feeling her legs weaken, instinctively wanting to collapse on the ground; yet she merely braced herself and bowed, feigning a pitiful demeanor as she said:

    ¡°This humble woman, Miyuan, greets the senior. May I inquire¡­¡±

    But Yan Yu deftly sidestepped, avoiding her courtesy: Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°I dare not accept your greeting. I am merely relaying my master¡¯s words and offering you some advice.¡±

    ¡°Your sudden fall into the spatial rift and arrival in this minor world has already been calculated clearly by my master.¡±

    ¡°When Mei Yingxue cooperates with the royal court, deploying numerous minions to search the mountains and seas, with your body¡¯s waning energy, if she finds you¡­ heh, I fear the odds are against you.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was of course aware that her True Yuan had long been depleted and she was no match for Mei Yingxue. Already at her wit¡¯s end, she trembled as she asked.

    ¡°Then, what should I do, may I ask¡­¡±

    ¡°How can the secrets of heaven be revealed so lightly?¡± Yan Yu¡¯s expression instantly turned serious, and he coldly chuckled, ¡°Would you dare to probe the secrets of heaven, and can you bear the corresponding price?¡±

    Damn it! Zhao Yuanzhen thought with a clench of her heart, I had forgotten!

    Those peerless beings who could calculate the destinies of the world¡ªthey could give advice to others, but who was she to seek their counsel?

    The flustered Zhao Yuanzhen, realizing her mistake, feared that her impetuous plea for help would come off as a great impoliteness and offense in the eyes of that mighty being behind the scenes, and quickly bowed again, pleading:

    ¡°It was presumptuous of me. I was previously pursued and lost control of my emotions, leading me to an impertinent test. Please, have your honorable master forgive my transgression. If there is punishment or discipline, I will accept it without a single complaint!¡±

    In the Cultivation World, the greater the sect, the more rigid the hierarchy. Particularly within the various factions of the Demon Cult, if one encounters an ancient senior who places great importance on propriety and hierarchy, one must hasten to beg for mercy and act humbly; otherwise, if they dislike you, they could just obliterate you into dust and obliterate your soul, with nowhere to go for justice.

    Seeing Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s panicked, groveling, and pitiable appearance, Yan Yu was also secretly surprised and amused.

    Is this really the future Empress Yuanzhen who will shake the entire world and command the winds and clouds?

    No, Yan Yu was not the disciple of any master divinator, but a reborn individual with memories of the future.

    In the original timeline, both Mei Yingxue and Zhao Yuanzhen had traveled to this world concurrently.

    Mei Yingxue, born into an Orthodox Sect, chose to cooperate with the official forces. In this grand era when the Spiritual Energy began to recover, she helped the nation cultivate many cultivators and eventually became a guardian hero revered by countless people.

    On the other hand, Zhao Yuanzhen, with her background in the Demon Cult, was forced to struggle and fight every step of her way. Despite being besieged by Mei Yingxue and the official forces, she survived numerous perilous challenges and eventually became the unfathomable ¡°Empress Yuanzhen,¡± forcing Mei Yingxue to set aside her prejudices to negotiate and ally with her to fight against foreign Transcendents.

    If Yan Yu had a choice, he would certainly use his foreknowledge to assist the amicable and steadfast Mei Yingxue¡ªafter all, she was easier to deal with.

    As for Zhao Yuanzhen, due to her Demon Cult origins, she was the type of capricious, free-spirited femme fatale who regarded the lives of the weak as no more valuable than grass and vermin, and blindly seeking her out was no different from courting death.

    But the real issue was that Yan Yu possessed no Spirit Root.

    For the practice methods promoted by Mei Yingxue from the Orthodox Sect, a Spirit Root was the most basic talent requirement.

    If you don¡¯t have a Spirit Root, what then? I¡¯m sorry, you might not be suited to be a Cultivator.

    However, the ¡°Silken Bond Technique¡± cultivated by Zhao Yuanzhen, although more difficult to practice, did not require any inborn talents for cultivation. Thus, it was Yan Yu¡¯s only option.

    Why did Yan Yu know so much?

    Because the future ¡°Empress Yuanzhen¡± was one to boast, become easily enraged, and loved to brag about herself.

    After reconciling with Mei Yingxue, she even collaborated with a TV station to produce an extremely detailed documentary to promote her own great achievements.

    4

    All those secrets that should not have been known, which Yan Yu now possessed, were disclosed by the future ¡°Empress Yuanzhen¡± herself in the documentary!

    It is these very secrets she recounted herself that now frighten the lightly cultivated Zhao Yuanzhen, making her worship him as if he were a figure of unreachable heights!

 Chapter 2 - 2: The Rebellious Need Polishing

    Chapter 2: Chapter 2: The Rebellious Need Polishing

    The reason the term ¡°demonic¡± is included in the title of the future Empress Yuanzhen is that, by the standards of modern society¡¯s morality, she possessed substantial psychological flaws.

    Firstly, she bullied the weak and feared the strong; secondly, she was cunning and mistrustful; thirdly, her moods were unpredictable.

    Bullying the weak and fearing the strong referred to how she regarded ordinary human lives as worthless, yet she feared Mei Yingxue as one would fear a tiger or a wolf.

    In history, Zhao Yuanzhen, to avoid the official manhunt, fled from Jiangnan Province all the way to Nanjiang Province. Along the way, to prevent her whereabouts from being exposed, she killed the innocent in numbers that could be counted in the thousands, causing an extremely adverse societal impact.

    Being cunning and mistrustful meant that she never trusted anyone else, only valuing her own strength.

    2

    ...

    Even after later accepting the government¡¯s offer of amnesty and dividing the governance of the nation¡¯s internal and external affairs with Mei Yingxue, Zhao Yuanzhen never considered forming her own faction or support base.

    She established no faction, took no disciples, passed on no teachings¡ªher one hobby was to write her autobiography and make documentary films, boasting about how formidable she was.

    1

    Her unpredictable moods were what she was most criticized for.

    Before Zhao Yuanzhen got angry, she would often pretend to speak gently; when she was pleased, she often deliberately showed anger.

    Perhaps she did not want to let others see through her thoughts, but such unpredictable behavior undeniably made those around her feel like they were ¡°on thin ice,¡± making it very hard to have any good feelings toward her.

    Of course, at this time, Zhao Yuanzhen was not yet the reclusive and odd Demonic Empress of the future, but that didn¡¯t mean Yan Yu could take her lightly.

    It was now about one o¡¯clock in the morning, and there were not many pedestrians on the road.

    Although Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s clothing was somewhat eye-catching, at first glance, passersby would only think she was a young lady from the Hanfu circle and would not actually associate her with cultivation.

    The only thing to avoid was the ubiquitous street surveillance cameras¡ªafter all, once the authorities and Mei Yingxue communicated and reached a preliminary cooperation, they would soon start looking for Zhao Yuanzhen, the Demonic Sect Enchantress, so she absolutely could not be caught on camera.

    Yan Yu was a high school senior who commuted from a rented room nearby and had lived there for nearly three years. He had long become familiar with the arrangement of the street cameras. At this moment, he was leading Zhao Yuanzhen through a complex path, sometimes crossing over bridges, sometimes taking small riverside paths, and sometimes even passing through bushes¡­ In short, he was doing his best to avoid the main roads to stay out of the public surveillance cameras¡¯ range.

    If there was no way to avoid a particular area, he would turn around and instruct her to cast the Invisibility Technique, transforming into a black mist to drift past unseen.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was oblivious to the existence of cameras but noticed that Yan Yu¡¯s route was exceedingly peculiar; there were many places where she even needed to become invisible to comply¡­ Could this be some kind of profound formation?

    That¡¯s right, since the mastermind behind him was intent on saving me, he naturally wouldn¡¯t forget to set up corresponding high-level formations to block the paths of the pursuers behind me.

    But why were the steps to disengage the formation so strange?

    They didn¡¯t conform to the Nine Palaces, resembled not the Bagua, didn¡¯t fit into the Seven Absolutes, and were unlike the Liu Ren¡­ It looked like a child wandering around aimlessly.

    No, no, Zhao Yuanzhen, don¡¯t be foolish!

    How could you easily decipher the thought patterns behind the formation steps set by a master tactician? Who do you think you are?

    Just memorize them properly! There will be plenty of time later to study this profound formation. Don¡¯t be distracted by needless concerns right now!

    Yan Yu, however, was unaware of Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s thoughts. Seeing her looking around and desperately trying to remember the route, he couldn¡¯t help but feel amused inside.

    While he didn¡¯t explain the concept of ¡°surveillance cameras¡± to her, had she already sensed that the public environment was not safe enough?

    Indeed, in the original timeline, she managed to escape over 1800 kilometers upstream along the Yangtze River from Jiangnan Province, managing to evade capture for a continuous ten years¡ªher wariness and sense of crisis were far beyond her peers.

    Arriving at the door of the rental, Yan Yu took out his key from his pocket and silently opened the door.

    ¡°Come in,¡± he said.

    Zhao Yuanzhen carefully stepped over the threshold, while glancing at the security door from the corner of her eye.

    The door was actually made of metal, how strange.

    But to a Cultivator, even if it were forged from fine steel, it could not withstand a single spell¡­ No, this residence couldn¡¯t possibly be so unprotected. There must be some powerful prohibitions hidden inside!

    Once back home, Yan Yu carelessly patted the nearby chair:

    ¡°Take a seat.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen cautiously sat down, only half of her rear touching the chair, appearing quite tentative, her gaze not daring to wander.

    Seeing her so proper and well-behaved, Yan Yu felt a sudden urge to laugh.

    The Demonic Empress Yuanzhen naturally bullied the weak and feared the strong. At this moment, misled by the disparity in information, she thought she had the support of a mastermind behind her, so she did not dare to act rashly.

    As time passed, she would soon realize something was amiss and begin to test Yan Yu¡¯s true identity incessantly.

    However, the degree of cunning and suspicion characteristic of the Empress Yuanzhen was almost unparalleled.

    As long as she couldn¡¯t confirm that the alleged tactician ¡°absolutely did not exist,¡± she would not dare to take the risk of offending him by making a move on Yan Yu.

    Combining the above information, the answer to how he should interact with her in the future became clear:

    Endurance.

    The more you suppress and trample her, the more she will believe you are acting boldly, and the more she will dread the possibility of a ¡°great power¡± behind you; Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But if you are excessively polite and attentive to her throughout, it will only make her more suspicious of your identity¡­ As the Empress Yuanzhen herself said in her autobiography documentary, ¡°The Demonic Sect does not value gentleness, respect, thrift, and yield; it¡¯s all about the merciless law of the jungle.¡±

    If you¡¯re not weaker than me, why would you show me kindness?

    Therefore, the logic of a Demonic Sect Enchantress who responds to toughness and not to gentleness, referring to her as a masochist also wouldn¡¯t be too far off.

    With his plan set in mind, Yan Yu nonchalantly crossed his legs, looked at the cowering, trembling, helpless Demonic Sect Enchantress opposite him, and arrogantly instructed:

    ¡°Since you¡¯ve chosen to seek refuge with me, don¡¯t you even understand basic etiquette? Go get a bunch of grapes from that fridge, wash them, and bring them to me.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was taken aback by his words, biting down on her silver teeth in secret, thinking, ¡°Could it be that he¡¯s treating me like a servant?¡±

    1

    Having grown up in the Demonic Sect, she was accustomed to all manner of sycophantic ugliness and knew well the principle of survival through bending or standing firm when necessary.

    Perhaps the reason this person was ordering me around was on the orders of his master, deliberating testing to see if I was obedient enough.

    If I showed the slightest hint of rebellion, I would be deemed ¡°a useless chess piece¡± and discarded without mercy!

    Consequently, she held back her displeasure and crisply responded, walking over to the iron chest that Yan Yu had pointed out.

    Upon opening the chest, a cold draft rushed out. Zhao Yuanzhen clicked her tongue in wonder, thinking this must be some sort of a Storage Magical Treasure for ice, intended for storing fine wines and dishes, but why is it so unwieldy and difficult to carry?

    She had just taken out the grapes when Yan Yu spoke again:

    ¡°The kitchen is over there. Turn on the tap in the sink, and wash the grapes thoroughly. Gently rub them with your hands, make sure there¡¯s not a speck of dust on them, nor any damage to the skin.¡±

    I¡¯ll rub your dog head clean off! Zhao Yuanzhen cursed silently to herself but turned the tap as instructed and saw the tap water gush out, causing her another shock:

    Such an ingeniously designed water pipe! If a channel were to be dug here, turning it into a stream with twists and turns, it would indeed add a touch of Jiangnan elegance.

    Yet Yan Yu, unaware of Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s intentions to rip up his home¡¯s flooring, simply urged her on:

    ¡°Are you done yet? Why are you so slow?¡±

    ¡°Done, done.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, having carefully washed the grapes and plated them on a porcelain dish, presented them to Yan Yu with the respect of a maid.

    Yan Yu lay lazily on the sofa, not even bothering to get up, but simply gestured towards his mouth with his hand.

    Hateful little thief, do you actually want me to feed you? Zhao Yuanzhen was livid.

    1

    But upon reflection, his daring arrogance was surely because he had the support of a powerful spellcaster as his master, right?

    Detestable. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m willing to kneel to you¡ªit¡¯s only out of respect for your powerful master that I¡¯m temporarily yielding.

    Suppressing the anger at being humiliated, Zhao Yuanzhen patiently picked a grape and lightly placed it in his mouth.

    Yan Yu watched her seemingly submissive yet humiliated expression as he ate the washed grapes, finding it increasingly amusing and entertaining.

    However, just like tempering a hawk, he knew there had to be a degree to which he pushed her¡ªknowing when to tighten and loosen his grip. If he pressured her too much, it might drive her to desperation and provoke a violent reaction, which would backfire on him.

    Having wielded the big stick, naturally, it was time for a carrot, so he smiled slowly and said:

    ¡°Don¡¯t bear a grudge because of this. In the art of divination, the most important thing is the cycle of cause, effect, and retribution. Your respectful conduct towards me today¡ªwho knows if I won¡¯t be the one to help you out in the future?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s eyes instantly lit up, and she asked:

    ¡°How will you help?¡±

    The enchantress can¡¯t seem to keep her composure, still unable to change her nature of seeking quick success¡­ Yan Yu then leisurely said:

    ¡°Tell me, do you wish to defeat Mei Yingxue?¡±

    Of course, I do! If not for the vast gap in innate talent and strength, I would have already flayed that wretched woman, ground her bones to dust, seized her soul, and trapped her to torture day and night!

    Thinking of how she had been harmed by Mei Yingxue and ended up in this strange world made Zhao Yuanzhen burn with rage, though her face showed only docility and sweetness as she said:

    ¡°Now, as a humble girl under the protection of your sect, I simply follow the host¡¯s lead. Whatever your master orders me to do, I shall do, only wishing to preserve my life and daring not to think of anything else¡­¡±

    Before her words were finished, her chin was lifted by someone.

    Yan Yu gently took hold of her chin, forcing Zhao Yuanzhen to look directly at him as he said arrogantly:

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to be clever with me, it won¡¯t work.¡±

    ¡°Seeing as how you¡¯ve been so obedient in serving me, I can reveal some of your future fortunes to you. Listen well.¡±

    ¡°Within ten years, you¡¯ll stand no chance against Mei Yingxue; a decade later, your strengths should be closely matched.¡±

    ¡°Twenty years from now, the tables will turn in terms of offense and defense. Whether you wish to kill or flay her, she¡¯ll have no choice but to take it! But this is premised on your acting according to destiny, not on your own whims. Otherwise, if you should perish mid-way, there will be no power to turn back time. Do you understand?¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s tone was profound, his face bearing the mystic smile typical of fortune tellers, which suggested he had revealed as much of destiny as he dared.

    Whether you believe it or not, I¡¯ll paint you a big picture here, sustaining hope within you.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was stunned for a moment, her body trembling violently, her cheeks flushed with excitement as she said in her delicate voice:

    ¡°Is it really as you say, honorable master?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Yan Yu nodded nonchalantly.

    Zhao Yuanzhen quickly put her imagination to work: Could this be the implied suggestion of taking me as a disciple?

    If I comply with the commands of the powerful divinator behind him, he¡¯s willing to nurture me, or even accept me as his disciple, help advance my cultivation bravely and powerfully, teach me art of moving mountains and filling seas, and ultimately have the overwhelming power to easily crush Mei Yingxue!

    In that moment, beneath the layers of caution, defense, and apprehension in Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s eyes towards Yan Yu, there finally emerged a hint of dependence, greed, and longing.

    Yan Yu could see it, but he had no idea about her ¡°disciple imagination¡±; he simply thought her obsession with killing Mei Yingxue had driven her mad, so he smiled enigmatically and said nothing more.

    Of course, he spoke the truth. In her previous life, Zhao Yuanzhen, even with her constant fleeing and hiding as Zhao Running, eventually became a figure on par with Mei Yingxue.

    In this life with his assistance, how could she possibly fail to win against Mei Yingxue?

 Chapter 3 - 3 Come and Train with Me!

    Chapter 3: Chapter 3 Come and Train with Me!

    In the bathroom, Yan Yu, having finished his shower, dried his body, his thoughts also quietly shifting into motion.

    With the arrival of Zhao Yuanzhen and Mei Yingxue, the curtain of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence was set to be gradually lifted.

    In the next three months, the official sector that successfully established a cooperative relationship with Mei Yingxue would use the massive amount of cultivation resources collected nationwide to train the first batch of cultivators internally, adopting a cost-indifferent trial-and-error approach.

    This group of cultivators was mainly composed of military personnel, characterized by absolute loyalty, so it was certain he wouldn¡¯t be able to join them.

    On the national college entrance examination physical on May 12, an additional tube of blood will be drawn during the blood test, aiming to detect the presence of ¡°Spiritual Energy¡± in the bloodline.

    If one is born with a Spirit Root within, even without any cultivation knowledge, the innate energy, the congenital qi, is naturally present in the blood and would be detected by the equipment.

    ...

    Out of the 10 million college entrance examination candidates, only about 400 with Spirit Roots would be sorted out. Then, based on the location of their college entrance examination registration, they would be gathered in Shuzhong Prefecture, Shengjing Prefecture, Jinling Prefecture, and Xingwang Prefecture to be cultivated separately.

    The construction of cultivator academies in the west, north, east, and south preliminarily established the embryonic form of the domestic Cultivation World¡¯s power structure.

    And this first batch of ¡°cultivator undergraduates¡± was like the students who entered university after the resumption of the college entrance examination in 1977; many of them later became influential figures wielding great authority.

    This meant that in three months¡¯ time, Yan Yu must make it through the screening at the college entrance examination physical.

    However, he had no Spirit Root within his body, so he needed to obtain the Silken Bond Technique from Zhao Yuanzhen and cultivate Spiritual Energy in advance.

    In his past life, even with a mere mortal body, he relied on his experiences fighting through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, trying to eradicate the rebellious cultivators, single-handedly saving the day. Yet, he ultimately failed by a single move and died harboring resentment¡­ That missing move might just be the difference between a cultivator and non-cultivator.

    ¡°If I become a cultivator in this life, whoever dares to stand in my way had better check how many heads they have resting on their neck¡ªit might not be enough for me to chop down!¡±

    Yan Yu wiped his damp hair with a towel and pushed open the door to leave the bathroom, only to see Zhao Yuanzhen sitting on the floor, meditating and practicing breath control.

    ¡°You can go and take a shower,¡± Yan Yu said, pointing to the bathroom.

    ¡°Thank you for the kind offer,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen spoke with a bowed head and obedient eyes, ¡°but I have the Purification Spell.¡±

    ¡°With the Spiritual Energy of this world so impoverished, you still have True Yuan to use the Purification Spell?¡± asked Yan Yu with an amused smile.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was silent for a moment, then sighed.

    As Yan Yu had noted, the Spiritual Energy in this world was indeed too thin. Even after prolonged meditation and breath control, she had recovered very little True Yuan¡ªusing it on the Purification Spell was indeed too extravagant.

    With that thought, she obediently nodded and silently got up to take her shower.

    Yan Yu, however, picked up his backpack and began to do his homework. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Although his soul was from an adult in the future, his body was that of a high school senior attending day school.

    Since he was hiding a demonic woman at home, he had to avoid attracting attention.

    Otherwise, if he didn¡¯t turn in his homework and his grades dropped, the teachers would notify his parents. If his parents traveled from home to Lin¡¯an Prefecture and found out that he was hiding a demonic woman, the ensuing situation would become extremely troublesome.

    Of course, he couldn¡¯t explain to his parents, ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry about the college entrance examination; after all, the future belongs to cultivators.¡± Otherwise, they would probably have him sent to a psychological counseling center.

    After hastily finishing his homework, Yan Yu saw Zhao Yuanzhen, freshly bathed and wearing the pajamas he provided.

    The upper part of the pajamas was snugly filled while the lower part hung loose¡ªit was clear that the demonic woman had substantial assets for doing evil. If not strictly supervised, she was sure to bring disaster to the nation and harm to the people.

    ¡°Thankfully, since I¡¯ve taken her into custody, countless lives are spared from her harm¡ªthis is a truly good deed!¡± Yan Yu thought to himself.

    2

    Seeing Yan Yu blatantly sizing up her figure, Zhao Yuanzhen felt a slight displeasure within her heart, but she did not say much.

    Now, forced to depend on someone else¡¯s roof and seeking shelter from her sect to evade Mei Yingxue¡¯s pursuit, this was a time to swallow her pride. Naturally, she couldn¡¯t afford to mess up the grand scheme over her so-called maiden modesty.

    She sat beside Yan Yu and saw him holding a strange pen and writing something, she asked curiously,

    ¡°Are you doing homework?¡±

    ¡°You know about homework?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    ¡°Just joking, I can recognize a few characters,¡± said Zhao Yuanzhen. She picked up the Chinese test paper and saw he didn¡¯t react, then she carefully began to read.

    How odd, why is it all vernacular? So verbose. And the characters, why are there so few strokes?

    ¡°Is Little Master trying for academic honors?¡± she said with a pleasing smile.

    ¡°Just call me Yan Yu,¡± Yan Yu thought to himself that her calling him ¡°Little Master¡± made him sound like a young monk, ¡°Studying is not about seeking fame, but for cultivating one¡¯s moral character. Haha, you¡¯ve been raised in the Demonic Sect since young and don¡¯t understand the ways of the world. I don¡¯t expect you would understand this reasoning.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen felt snubbed and hated him inwardly, but she kept her composure and swallowed her pride, making a mental note to settle the score later:

    ¡°¡­On my first day after crossing over, although Yan Yu helped shelter me on behalf of his sect, he insulted me in every way possible and ordered me around like a servant¡ªutterly hateful!¡±

    ¡°Now that I am under someone else¡¯s roof and power, I can only temporarily feign compliance and preserve my useful self. If there¡¯s a chance someday, I must repay this debt tenfold!¡±

    She had intended to ingratiate herself with this young man, to sweeten his existence with her presence, to grind ink for him, at least to deceive his trust first.

    However, this world was too peculiar: lamps shone without fire, no need for added fragrance; pens did not require ink grinding, automatically producing ink¡­ which left her with nothing to do.

    After much thought, she took the grapes that had been washed beside her, peeled them carefully, and fed them to him.

    As Yan Yu ate her grapes, he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that something was off.

    This demoness was known for her capricious moods, acting on a whim, her temper flipping faster than flipping a book. Now she was currying favor, which definitely meant something was up!

    After finishing the last problem on the test paper, he set the pen aside and asked,

    ¡°Spit it out, what do you want?¡±

    ¡°Cough,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, whose thoughts were abruptly read by him, could only cough and adapt on the fly, saying,

    ¡°I¡¯m just curious, young master¡­ Yan Yu, it seems you have no magical powers, could you be using some secret technique to conceal your cultivation level?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t officially started cultivating yet,¡± Yan Yu thought to himself that he was about to bring it up and she had preemptively asked it, so he responded, ¡°Master said the techniques he practices are not suitable for me.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuanzhen used the insight and instincts cultivated in the Demonic Sect environment to immediately guess the truth.

    What does it mean by ¡®the techniques are not suitable¡¯? Most likely, your master thinks your cultivation talents are inferior and doesn¡¯t plan to pass on the true inheritance to you!

    She threw the grape-containing basin aside, with no intention to continue serving this worthless person anymore. Just as she was about to sneer and mock him, she heard Yan Yu speak again,

    ¡°Master said, the most suitable technique for my cultivation is the ¡®Silken Bond Technique¡¯ on you.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately became panicked.

    If it were a mere mortal peeping at this secret legacy technique, she would have slapped them without a second thought, bringing a Mighty Celestial Dragon down upon them, cracking skulls with her bare hands, showing them what ¡®a toad lusting after swan meat¡¯ truly meant.

    But with a powerful master of strategy and calculation behind Yan Yu, if he was scheming for the ¡®Silken Bond Technique¡¯, how exactly could she refuse?

    It seemed¡­ she couldn¡¯t refuse at all!

    If he had specifically requested this technique, it also meant he had already factored it into his calculations.

    Even if she stubbornly refused, she likely couldn¡¯t resist the ghostly powers of a great strategist, and she might end up trapped in a life-or-death situation one day, crying and screaming to willingly offer the secret technique just to plead for her life.

    Reason told Zhao Yuanzhen that whether she wanted to give up the secret today or not, she had to give it. If she didn¡¯t drink this toast, the next cup would be a penalty.

    But emotionally, the idea of giving up the ¡®Silken Bond Technique¡¯ without gaining any advantages was something she simply couldn¡¯t accept.

    Seeing Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s eyes darting around, Yan Yu also knew what she was struggling with, and immediately pulled out his trump card,

    ¡°Master also mentioned, if I told you this, you would be reluctant, so he asked me to remind you of another matter: the ¡®Silken Bond Technique¡¯ can be practiced alone or with a partner, and theoretically, the speed of progress and power of the technique are far superior when practiced with a partner than alone.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was stunned for a moment, then had an epiphany, as if enlightenment had dawned upon her.

    The Qi Refinement method of the ¡®Silken Bond Technique¡¯, after several refinements, now could use puppetry to complement the practitioner¡¯s lack of natural talent.

    The speed of absorbing and refining Qi is constrained by the innate limitations of the body, hence precious treasures are used to create puppets, ¡°pulling strings¡± to let the puppets refine Qi which then nourishes the cultivator¡¯s True Yuan, thereby bypassing the shackles of inherent cultivation talent.

    The ancestor who created this secret technique was naturally a figure of astonishing brilliance.

    It was said that she fell in love with a man who had no Spirit Root and couldn¡¯t cultivate, living a mere hundred years. The ancestor then exhaustively created this unconventional technique, to grant her beloved cultivation and longevity¡ªthat was why, from the beginning, the ¡®Silken Bond Technique¡¯ was actually a dual cultivation version.

    String-Pulling was not originally about manipulating puppets, but about pulling the strings of affection.

    But dual cultivation comes with a prerequisite: both parties must trust each other without reservations.

    Dual cultivation is not a one-way energy absorption; the True Qi must constantly circulate and carry out cycles between both individuals, leaving them utterly defenseless throughout the process.

    If one harbored malicious intent and struck unexpectedly, the outcome for the other would be dire, if not fatal.

    Given the cutthroat competition of the Demonic Sect, finding a trustworthy dual cultivation partner was exceedingly difficult. As a result, later generations added countless annotations to the original text of the ¡®Silken Bond Technique¡¯, eventually using puppets to circumvent the requirement for a human partner.

    While this reduced the efficiency of Qi Refinement, it was safer and more reliable, to the point that no one even practiced the original version anymore.

    With this realization, Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s mind was enlightened.

    The master strategist had not taught Yan Yu other techniques, not because he did not like him, but because he had already calculated clearly: Yan Yu was to dual cultivate the ¡®Silken Bond Technique¡¯ with me.

    Even his previous guidance to Yan Yu to save me, and the protection from Mei Yingxue¡¯s pursuit afterward, were not out of any ¡°kindness,¡± but rather aimed at this very dual cultivation goal!

 Chapter 4 - 4 Stay Away From Me, Trashy Woman

    Chapter 4: Chapter 4 Stay Away From Me, Trashy Woman

    ¡°`

    The issue I mentioned before with dual cultivation is that once you choose a partner, you must cultivate together from then on and can¡¯t change your method midway.

    However, cultivators from the Demon Cult are mostly selfish individuals with no moral bottom line. Unless bound by life-saving friendships, who would dare entrust their trust lightly to another?

    If your partner suddenly harbors malicious thoughts and seeks to harm you for wealth or life, backstabbing you at a critical moment of dual cultivation, the situation is almost certainly fatal.

    Given Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s nature, she would naturally never trust Yan Yu.

    But the problem is that she¡¯s already caught in the midst of the situation. If she¡¯s unwilling, would Yan Yu¡¯s backing master let her go?

    ...

    Refusing dual cultivation, she¡¯s highly likely not to survive the night.

    Even without any schemes, they would just need to drive her out, let her be found by Mei Yingxue, then a flying sword could strike, and what strength does Zhao Yuanzhen have to defend herself at this time?

    Yet, if she agrees to dual cultivate, first of all, to the powerful being behind Yan Yu, Zhao Yuanzhen, as a disciple¡¯s partner, would hold ¡°sufficient value¡± and there would be no immediate fear of being discarded.

    As for the possibility of betrayal by her partner, that¡¯s a problem for the future. Deal with it later.

    If she can¡¯t even survive today, what future is there to speak of?

    Zhao Yuanzhen, even though cunning and full of doubt, valuing her own life and cautious, was not one to dither or be indecisive. She quickly assessed the situation and gritted her teeth:

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll cultivate with you!¡±

    ¡°Generous!¡± Yan Yu gestured toward the bed, ¡°Please.¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked seriously, ¡°The Silken Bond Technique is a secret method of the Qiansi Sect and should not be disclosed. Since your master has designated this technique, how should the lineage be explained?¡±

    ¡°My master has already clarified this matter,¡± Yan Yu said calmly. ¡°Once you have developed your Golden Core, we will start our own sect. You hold the lineage of Qiansi Sect, and I have the lineage bestowed by my master. Combine the two, and it forms the lineage of our sect!¡±

    ¡°Is that even possible?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was struck dumb.

    In the Cultivation World, as long as one forms a Golden Core, they are qualified to start their own sect. Whether the original sect agrees, and which methods can be passed on, all depends on negotiations and understanding between the two sides.

    But this is a different world! No matter what happens here, how could the Qiansi Sect of the Cultivation World know a thing about it? It doesn¡¯t matter at all!

    ¡°In that case,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen had an epiphany and nodded, ¡°if one day I¡¯m able to form a Golden Core, I¡¯ll rebuild the Qiansi Sect here and fulfill the grace of my sect¡¯s teachings!¡±

    True to being a Demonic Sect Enchantress, her ideological awareness is so adaptable.

    Both climbed onto the bed, sat facing each other, and adopted the position with palms facing upwards towards the sky. Zhao Yuanzhen began to explain:

    ¡°If the Silken Bond Technique is practiced solo, it¡¯s between a cultivator and a puppet performing circulations; but in dual cultivation, it¡¯s between partners. Each Grand Circulation of True Qi can increase it by one tenth; each minor circulation can merge it by one-tenth.¡±

    ¡°If there¡¯s any disruption in the circulation, no matter who causes it, both parties will be greatly harmed. So you must follow my instructions and move your True Qi according to my guidance. You must not act recklessly, heedless of the law. Even if you feel pain, itching, warmth, or cold, you cannot stop the operation of the technique on your own. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± said Yan Yu.

    Seeing that Yan Yu was unusually serious without his usual smile, Zhao Yuanzhen felt somewhat reassured.

    ¡°Next, I¡¯ll recite the mental technique to you.¡±

    ¡°This technique is a secret of my sect¡¯s lineage and should not be put down on paper. It will leave my mouth and enter only your ears, not to be known by a third person. Understand?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡±

    ¡°Good, listen carefully: ¡®The way of heaven takes from what has excess to supplement what lacks, ensuring balance and equitability, and not just thus¡­''¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen recited the Silken Bond Technique¡¯s mental mantra outline¡ª about twenty-thousand characters long¡ªseveral times, until she confirmed Yan Yu had committed it to memory, before finally extending her hands and placing her palms together with his.

    They began dual cultivation.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Traditional Taoist dual cultivation doesn¡¯t necessarily involve bedroom practices.

    However, the Silken Bond Technique was created by the founder for her husband, and so at higher levels, it indeed involves that aspect.

    Luckily, at this moment, they were both novices and hadn¡¯t cultivated to that extent, thus they only touched palms and circulated their True Qi, sitting in silence throughout the entire night.

    The following morning.

    Yan Yu picked up his book bag and cautioned Zhao Yuanzhen, saying:

    ¡°`

    ¡°I¡¯m going out; you stay here and don¡¯t leave the house, don¡¯t open the windows, and keep the curtains drawn. If someone knocks, don¡¯t respond. Just pretend no one is home,¡±

    ¡°What if someone forces their way into the cave residence?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked thoughtfully.

    ¡°You know the Invisibility Technique,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Just become invisible and hide under the bed until they leave.¡±

    ¡°And if they see through it?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked for clarification.

    Yan Yu replied without hesitation:

    ¡°Kill them, search their soul to confirm the situation. You don¡¯t need me to teach you that, do you?¡±

    ¡°No, no need,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen quickly waved his hand, thinking that killing was not uncommon, but the fact that he could mention ¡°search their soul¡± without hesitation showed that my partner was not exactly virtuous, and his master was most likely some hidden giant of the Demonic Path.

    Good thing I wasn¡¯t foolish enough to anger him last night!

    Yan Yu wasn¡¯t overly worried either because, in the original timeline, the officials didn¡¯t fully believe Mei Yingxue¡¯s words at first, until innocent bystanders were killed by Zhao Yuanzhen. Only then did the authorities¡¯ attitude turn severe.

    Now that Zhao Yuanzhen was under his control in time, with no victims at all, the official attitude towards Mei Yingxue would definitely be ¡°We¡¯ve noted what you said, and we will further verify it.¡± S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Good, let them verify slowly!

    Arriving at school, the high school Yan Yu attended was affiliated with Jiangnan University. The academic atmosphere was incredibly strict, and since it was the lower semester of the senior year, the classes were nothing but continuous drills, discussions, and test papers until 9 pm.

    To prevent early romance from affecting the college entrance exam, all students had individual desks; there were no classmates to share desks with, no beautiful class monitors or school beauties from the next class over, just a bunch of glasses-wearing students buried in their work¡­ So the campus life can be described in one word: ¡°boring.¡±

    1

    After silently completing and submitting the test paper given by the teacher, Yan Yu left the classroom, gazing at the outside scenery from the hallway, and zoned out.

    Last night, he and Zhao Yuanzhen cultivated the ¡°Silken Bond Technique¡± together and had successfully cultivated a sense of Qi.

    Next, he had to solidify this faint thread of True Qi to ensure that it would get him through the body check in May for the college entrance exam.

    After that, it was off to the Cultivator¡¯s College in Jinling Prefecture to meet his ¡°old friends¡± from this life whom he had yet to know.

    Qiu Ze, Sun Ziyi, Lin Ning, Su Yunjin, and of course, the toughest one, Princess Jiang Hai, Chen Lingyun¡­ Ah, how I miss them.

    ¡°Hello,¡± a familiar voice came from the side, ¡°Could you tell me how to get to Laboratory Building No. 5?¡±

    Yan Yu turned casually, and at the sight of the person¡¯s features, huh?

    The individual stood petite, not even reaching 1.6 meters tall (seemingly about 1.56 meters in memory). She had soft shoulder-length hair, a white lace-trimmed dress, shiny black shoes, bright watery eyes, a delicate and fine nose, and a standard smile revealing eight perfect teeth.

    Chen Lingyun.

    How did this wretch of a woman run from Jiang Hai to Lin¡¯an?

    ¡°It¡¯s just over there,¡± Yan Yu pointed indifferently to the opposite side, ¡°See that building? That¡¯s the one.¡±

    ¡°Sorry to bother you,¡± Chen Lingyun maintained her charming smile, ¡°I¡¯m a bit lost, would you mind showing me the way?¡±

    Any other boy of his age would have been dazzled by this woman¡¯s smiling assault and would have eagerly led the way for her.

    Although Yan Yu was well aware of her true nature, a refusal now would definitely arouse suspicion, so he leaned on the railing and said in a casually detached manner:

    ¡°All right then.¡±

    Chen Lingyun simply smiled elegantly and followed him:

    ¡°Thank you, then.¡±

    As they left the academic building, Chen Lingyun suddenly asked:

    ¡°By the way, classmate, what¡¯s your name?¡±

    Damn it, Yan Yu internally sneered while walking ahead.

    At first acquaintance, Chen Lingyun liked to pretend she was approachable, yet she was inherently arrogant, never deigning to remember the names of the unremarkable¡ªher asking his name meant that the unusual aura he inadvertently exuded when he turned attracted her strong interest.

    ¡°Sun Ziyi,¡± Yan Yu answered without showing any affect, ¡°What¡¯s your name, classmate? I haven¡¯t seen you around the school before.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Chen Lingyun,¡± she answered frankly, ¡°I¡¯m from the math Olympiad class at Jiang Hai Middle School, here as an exchange student at your Jiangnan Affiliated High.¡±

 Chapter 5 - 5: 3 Techniques and 5 Spells

    Chapter 5: Chapter 5: 3 Techniques and 5 Spells

    If Yan Yu had a ¡°Rebirth Revenge List¡± in his heart, Chen Lingyun¡¯s name would definitely top the chart, without any doubt.

    The reason was simple: this despicable woman had mocked his identity more than once, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s such a pity you¡¯re not a cultivator.¡±

    She said it during meals out, she said it during post-dinner walks, she said it during movie outings, she even said it before the cultivators went off to war¡­ Yan Yu remembered clearly. This despicable woman had mocked him a total of 137 times across various occasions, as if lacking a Spirit Root made him less of a person.

    As a reborn individual, it¡¯s only normal for me to have a better memory, right? It¡¯s not because I¡¯m holding a grudge!

    However, wasn¡¯t this despicable woman an Olympiad exchange student at Jiangnan High School during her senior year? Yan Yu had never heard of this.

    Upon reflection, when Zhao Yuanzhen first transmigrated to Lin¡¯an Prefecture, she killed several bystanders just to keep her mouth shut. That must have been why Jianghai High School, where the despicable woman attended, deemed the exchange unsafe and thus canceled the original plan.

    ... Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Now that the enchantress has been subdued and no killings have occurred, there were no violent security incidents, so naturally, she was sent over as originally scheduled.

    ¡°Are you in the Olympiad class, classmate Sun Ziyi?¡± Chen Lingyun took the initiative to ask.

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu replied. ¡°I¡¯m just an ordinary student.¡±

    ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°My apologies, I¡¯ve got it wrong.¡±

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t respond; he knew she was looking for an excuse to get him to talk. The more he said, the more information he would reveal, and the clearer the ¡°personality portrait¡± she painted in her head would become. He opted instead to play the part of the silent, cool character.

    ¡°Here we are,¡± Yan Yu said as he personally escorted her to the bottom of the laboratory building. ¡°This is the place, goodbye.¡±

    Without any hesitation, he turned and left, while Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t seem to be in a hurry to go upstairs, just smilingly watching his retreating figure.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    School was out.

    As Yan Yu walked home, he noticed that there were many more uniformed officers at the intersections than the day before, checking IDs of people on the streets.

    Although he carried a student ID in his backpack, the officers merely glanced at him and waved him on¡ª it seemed they were specifically looking for young women of a certain age to check.

    Upon arriving home and swiftly closing the door, Yan Yu was promptly greeted by Zhao Yuanzhen. He asked her seriously:

    ¡°How has it been? No one came to the door, right?¡±

    ¡°No one,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen answered honestly.

    Yan Yu tossed his backpack aside and collapsed onto the sofa, motioning with his hand:

    ¡°Come here, my back is hurting; give it a rub for me.¡±

    Inside, Zhao Yuanzhen seethed with resentment. Although they were Taoist companions, it was only in terms of cultivation. Massaging and kneading like a maid or servant¡ªwasn¡¯t that something for subordinates to do?

    She wanted to slap him right there, to kill this wretch who humiliated her, but remembering the powerful master behind him, she forcibly suppressed her rage. She went over to massage Yan Yu¡¯s spine while silently noting this new grievance:

    ¡°Today, upon his return, that scoundrel Yan Yu called me over like a common servant to press his shoulders and knead his back, utterly detestable!¡±

    ¡°I shall note this debt for now. The day I find the opportunity, I will make him toil like an ox and horse for my bidding, to soothe the hatred in my heart!¡±

    ¡°How is it, is the pressure alright?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen relished her thoughts, yet her hands did not cease, and with a sugary voice, she asked, ¡°Should I use a bit more strength?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Yan Yu grew suspicious.

    The Empress Yuanzhen was always cunning and paranoid, so why wasn¡¯t she probing about what I did all day outside? Instead, she¡¯s obediently massaging me here. What¡¯s going on?

    Hmph, she must be planning some vicious scheme while pretending to be submissive on the surface, aiming to lull my vigilance!

    As Yan Yu leisurely enjoyed the massage from the beauty, he suddenly said:

    ¡°Speak.¡±

    ¡°Speak what?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was puzzled.

    ¡°Speak of the thoughts in your heart,¡± Yan Yu said calmly.

    The thoughts in my heart? Zhao Yuanzhen was startled, and her movements halted.

    Did this wretch learn of the grudges I hold in my heart?

    No, he must have ¡°calculated¡± it!

    Even though he didn¡¯t follow his master in Qi Refinement, he must have learned his master¡¯s method of divination¡ªotherwise, how could he possibly know what I¡¯m thinking?!

    Feeling the sudden pause of the hands on his back, Yan Yu knew his conjecture was spot on, and he sneered:

    ¡°What, you have the guts to think it but not the guts to admit it?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s body shook at the words, increasingly certain that his thoughts had been secretly calculated by this little thief. He quickly feigned composure as he explained,

    ¡°I was merely indulging in wild thoughts, not actually planning to act on them. Why do you care so much? As Taoist partners on the path to enlightenment, our glory and losses will be shared in the future. Could you really worry that I would harm you and sever my own path to Taoism?¡±

    Heh, that¡¯s hard to say.

    Yan Yu certainly knew that Empress Yuanzhen was very suspicious and would never completely trust anyone in the world.

    If she knew that there was no powerful master behind her, she might as well decide to snap her own neck in an instant and switch from a dual cultivation to a solo practice¡ªone that, despite injuring her foundation, would completely eliminate the future risk of ¡°Betrayal by a Taoist partner.¡± With Empress Yuanzhen¡¯s character, she was definitely capable of doing such a thing.

    While it was necessary to bide one¡¯s time like taming a hawk, it was also crucial to have the power to protect oneself, because even a peck from the hawk shouldn¡¯t be fatal.

    Yan Yu was noncommittal about Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s defense and said indifferently,

    ¡°Whether you will act on your thoughts or not, do you think I wouldn¡¯t know? But let¡¯s not talk about that for now. Recite the Three Arts and Five Spells to me first.¡±

    ¡°The Three Arts and Five Spells?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen frowned, ¡°What do you want to learn that for?¡±

    The so-called ¡°Three Arts¡± refer to the long-distance high-speed movement of the ¡°Shifting Technique,¡± the short-range teleportation of the ¡°Cloud Ascension Technique,¡± and the ¡°Wall-Penetration Technique,¡± which allows one to move through obstacles.

    As for the ¡°Five Spells,¡± they are the Five Elemental True Character Curse of moisture, flame, bending, image, and surge, each with its unique wonders.

    However, the Three Arts and Five Spells are almost like basic arithmetic in the modern world, regarded as introductory spells that ¡®every cultivator knows¡¯ in the Cultivation World. Why did the thief specifically ask to learn these?

    Seeing the perplexed expression on her face, Yan Yu chuckled and said,

    ¡°With the current level of spiritual energy in this world, even if you learned those super Taoism Methods capable of moving mountains and re-channeling seas, could you actually use them?¡±

    ¡°Zhao Yuanzhen, I advise you to practice the Three Arts and Five Spells well. They will be more useful than anything else this year.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    In a secret military base in Jianghai Prefecture.

    Mei Yingxue stood in the spacious hall, wearing Taoist robes, and meditating with her eyes closed.

    At the top of a wall on one side of the hall, behind several layers of thick bulletproof glass, the relevant officials had all arrived.

    Not only that, multiple cameras were filming from various angles, transmitting the data in real-time over a secure link to Pingjing¡ªwhere higher-ranking individuals were watching a live broadcast.

    ¡°Daoist Mei,¡± the loudspeaker in the corner of the room sounded, ¡°you may begin.¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± Mei Yingxue opened her eyes and spoke indifferently, ¡°The spiritual energy in your world is far too sparse. Many spells I cannot use, so I can only demonstrate the ¡®Three Arts and Five Spells¡¯ for you.¡±

    ¡°This is the Shifting Technique.¡± Her figure disappeared abruptly, then reappeared at the end of the hall.

    Behind the bulletproof glass, the officials wore impassive faces as though their minds had gone blank.

    After a prolonged silence, the Governor of Jianghai, Chen Tianming, was the first to speak,

    ¡°Did you capture all that?¡±

    ¡°Captured,¡± someone hastily operated the computer, slowing down the footage for projection display.

    Through the slow-motion replay, everyone got a clearer view this time: Mei Yingxue stepped forward with her left foot first, then lifted her right foot off the ground, suddenly accelerating towards the hall¡¯s end, putting her left foot down followed by her right foot, and finally taking a few steps to stop the momentum.

    From the movements alone, it looked like she had simply taken one step.

    But according to the motion sensor data, her speed after the step momentarily reached 16 meters per second.

    This super acceleration, almost impossible for a human body to achieve, shattered everyone¡¯s worldview and understanding.

    ¡°She¡­¡± Liu Zhenyuan, the Prefect of Jiangnan, struggled to steady himself and asked for confirmation, ¡°She isn¡¯t wearing any equipment, right?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± someone immediately presented a security inspection report, ¡°She¡¯s only wearing a silk robe; there¡¯s no concealed equipment inside.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget,¡± Huang Wenqing reminded from the side, ¡°Is there any high-tech equipment that can accelerate a person to 16 meters per second in an instant? And she seemed to be perfectly normal.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not rush to conclusions,¡± Governor Chen Tianming said, ¡°Have her demonstrate all the Three Arts and Five Spells.¡±

    After all, with the dark history of the qigong craze in the 1980s, it was essential to be extremely cautious, cautious, and even more cautious in acknowledging non-natural phenomena.

    It would be best if they could find evidence of fraud. If not¡­

    ¡­they would have to send the person to Pingjing to let the experts in the capital study her because Jianghai Prefecture could definitely not come to any conclusions.

 Chapter 6 - 6 I, Yan Yu, Never Hold Grudges

    Chapter 6: Chapter 6 I, Yan Yu, Never Hold Grudges

    ¡°So, you¡¯ve learned them all?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked incredulously.

    ¡°Merely the Three Arts and Five Spells, how much effort could it take?¡± Yan Yu said with a scornful expression, ¡°Isn¡¯t it something one can grasp after hearing it once? Or are you saying it took you a long time back when you learned?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ it didn¡¯t take me long either,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said, forcing herself to speak, ¡°The time it took me to learn the Three Arts and Five Spells was about the same as yours.¡±

    This was a lie, in truth, for example, the ¡°Barrier Charm¡± among the Five Spells had taken her two full days and nights to learn.

    ¡°Right,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen ventured again, ¡°The honorable teacher said that with the current world¡¯s concentration of Spiritual Energy, the Three Arts and Five Spells are the most cost-effective Taoism Method, right?¡±

    ¡°Then when will there be any change?¡±

    ...

    ¡°Probably in a year,¡± Yan Yu glanced at her with a sideways look, ¡°What, you can¡¯t wait?¡± sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°True Yuan recovery is too slow, only able to use the Three Arts and Five Spells, it inevitably feels somewhat unsafe,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said ingratiatingly, ¡°If we encounter a major demon, I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t even have the strength to fight back.¡±

    ¡°In a world where Spiritual Energy only supports the Three Arts and Five Spells, what kind of major demon can emerge?¡± Yan Yu said with a sneer, ¡°The current wildlife doesn¡¯t even have sentient intelligence.¡±

    ¡°You worry too much. Even if the limit of Spiritual Energy increases, and True Yuan recovery speeds up, it will be Mei Yingxue who regains more strength¡­ Now, won¡¯t you hurry to bed with me for dual cultivation?¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen got up from the sofa and hid those secret, unspeakable thoughts deep within her heart.

    Continue to cater to him for now, dulling this little thief¡¯s alertness. When the time comes, all the humiliations I have suffered in the past, I will make him kneel and taste each one!

    No, tenfold!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Another night passed.

    The next day, Yan Yu went to school as usual to continue practicing for the college entrance exam.

    If sleep was about recovery of body and mind, then cultivation was the ¡°charging¡± of body and mind.

    After sitting in meditation and practicing Qi Refinement with Zhao Yuanzhen for an entire night, not only did Yan Yu not feel the slightest bit tired, but he also felt spirited and full of vitality, as if he had slept a full twelve hours.

    Unfortunately, the daily life of a high school senior day student was too dull, especially since he already knew he wouldn¡¯t be taking the college entrance exams, making these practice papers seem even more pointless¡ªit was only to avoid attracting attention.

    As usual, having completed the test papers first, Yan Yu went out to the corridor, idly gazing at the distant scenery.

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± the crisp voice of Chen Lingyun, filled with a hint of laughter, sounded next to him.

    Yan Yu turned his head with a ¡°why is it you again¡± look of annoyance and saw this petite girl who stood at 1.56 meters tall, her face bearing a sweet smile as if not at all upset about being tricked the day before.

    ¡°I had people check the name ¡®Sun Ziyi,''¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°I found it belongs to some first-year student, and also a girl.¡±

    ¡°The reason why I used a fake name,¡± Yan Yu started).

    Chen Lingyun politely closed her mouth, signaling ¡°I¡¯m all ears.¡±

    ¡°Is because I didn¡¯t want to tell you my real name,¡± Yan Yu said seriously.

    ¡°I see,¡± Chen Lingyun narrowed her eyes, continuing to smile, ¡°But if it¡¯s something I¡¯m interested in, I must find out the truth.¡±

    ¡°Now you have already found out my name,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°Are you satisfied?¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Chen Lingyun said, her smile brimming as she looked at him, ¡°I have a premonition.¡±

    ¡°What premonition?¡± Not to mention her premonition, Yan Yu¡ªwho was very familiar with her from his past life¡ªalready began to have a bad feeling.

    ¡°I think you recognize me,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°My first impression of you was: this person seems to know me, but he¡¯s deliberately pretending not to.¡±

    ¡°The process of leading the way later confirmed this: you treated me coldly and even used a fake name, but according to your classmates, student Yan Yu isn¡¯t the indifferent, reclusive, or deliberately asocial type. This means you started acting distant only after recognizing me.¡±

    ¡°First of all, I think it¡¯s pretty unreliable to judge based on intuition,¡± Yan Yu said somewhat helplessly, ¡°Do you also rely on intuition to solve your Olympiad math problems?¡±

    ¡°Furthermore, even if we had met before, so what? Do I have something valuable on me that would make you intentionally approach me?¡±

    ¡°About your first point,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile remained standard, showing exactly eight teeth but it seemed to contain a hint of genuine pleasure, ¡°I don¡¯t need absolutely reliable intuition. A completely solved Olympiad problem is boring, only the puzzles without answers hold the meaning of exploration.¡±

    ¡°As for the second point, I¡¯ve already said it before.¡±

    Yan Yu was slightly taken aback at first, then he immediately realized she was referring to her earlier words, ¡°If it¡¯s something I¡¯m interested in, I have to figure it out.¡±

    ¡°See.¡± Seeing the subtle change in his expression, Chen Lingyun smiled even more joyfully, ¡°You can swiftly understand the subtext in my words, which is not something ordinary people can do. I can think of two possibilities: one is that you and I are of the same kind, with similar levels of intelligence and thought patterns, but I¡¯ve looked into your previous grades a bit, and that seems unlikely.¡±

    ¡°The second possibility is that you not only recognized me long ago but also spent a lot of time with me, so we developed a certain rapport.¡±

    ¡°However, I can be sure that I¡¯ve never seen you before, nor have I encountered anyone with a similar personality to you, and there¡¯s no possibility of an old friend suddenly disappearing and getting plastic surgery. So why do you seem so¡­ familiar with me?¡± she slowly leaned in, staring into Yan Yu¡¯s eyes, her delicate and pretty face sporting a radiant fake smile.

    Yan Yu felt a bit irritated: This damn woman!

    Why¡¯s your curiosity so strong!

    But what was even clearer in Yan Yu¡¯s mind was that he had indeed piqued Chen Lingyun¡¯s interest. Any further disguise or argument would only amuse her more¡ªthis damn woman was a purebred thrill-seeker, treating those around her like toys, never following her train of thought.

    Heh, since you¡¯re asking for trouble, I might as well play along.

    ¡°Alright, I admit it.¡± Yan Yu put on an ¡°I might as well confess¡± look, and said helplessly, ¡°Believe it or not, I actually¡­ am your future husband.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s mouth curled up, not at all angered by the conversational advantage taken, ¡°So you¡¯re a reborn person who¡¯s traveled back to the past? Or did you see the future from somewhere?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not important,¡± Yan Yu waved his hand dismissively, ¡°What matters is that right now, you¡¯re thinking, ¡®He must be lying to me¡¯, ¡®because the decision of my marriage lies in my father¡¯s hands¡¯, ¡®and I have no value that would appeal to my father¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s logical,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile and a nod, ¡°But even if you can guess my current thoughts, it¡¯s not enough to convince me with that.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s talk about something only you know.¡± Yan Yu looked around to make sure there was no one else, then lowered his voice, ¡°When you were six years old, you once took in a stray cat¡ªin the small garden behind your family¡¯s villa.¡±

    ¡°It took you half a month to fully master the cat¡¯s behavior patterns, including when it ate, when it slept, and when it sought affection. Afterward, you completely lost interest in it and left the cat to the care of your maid. A week later, the cat ran away and never came back.¡±

    ¡°Your father comforted you, and you said with a smile to let it go because you didn¡¯t really want to keep it anymore. But actually, you were very angry, you never told anyone that it was the first time you felt unsettled inside because you couldn¡¯t accept the cat choosing to leave you¡ªtheir owner¡ªeven though it was you who neglected it first. You decided to hold this grudge for a lifetime.¡±

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile stiffened on her face, her eyelids dropped slightly, her gaze became slightly obscure, but her gentle tone remained unchanged as she smiled and said:

    ¡°Very interesting¡­ Hmm, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve never told anyone the real thoughts deep inside my heart at that time, so, could you tell me more about how we met and fell in love in the future? I¡¯m quite interested in that.¡±

    ¡°Are you interested in that?¡± Yan Yu revealed a pleased smile, ¡°That¡¯s great, because I don¡¯t intend to tell you.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Chen Lingyun widened her eyes, surprised and laughing, ¡°Aren¡¯t you my future husband?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Yan Yu said, his smile equally gentle, ¡°But in this lifetime, I have no intention of being with you.¡±

    ¡°Just like that cat: You¡¯ve been dumped by me, little Lingyun.¡±

    1

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s fake smile quickly faded from her face, leaving only a dark, cold, and slightly angry look, staring at him without blinking.

    ¡°Oh yes, that¡¯s right!¡± Yan Yu grew more joyful, clapping his hands and exclaiming with praise, ¡°That expression of yours is my favorite! You know, little Lingyun, I also really like your usual condescending, polite fake smile, as if everyone is an idiot to you, but what I like even more is this moment when you can¡¯t maintain your smile and you completely lose it!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! It¡¯s just so endlessly amusing to me!¡±

 Chapter 7 - 7 I, Yan Yu, Do Good Deeds Anonymously

    Chapter 7: Chapter 7 I, Yan Yu, Do Good Deeds Anonymously

    After school.

    Chen Lingyun was sitting in the back seat of the car with an unusually somber expression, devoid of any smile.

    The female driver, looking at her through the rearview mirror and seeing her pensive look, couldn¡¯t help but speak up:

    ¡°Miss, did something happen at school¡­?¡±

    Chen Lingyun lifted her head and reinstated her standard, perfect, impeccable smile of etiquette:

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Sister Liu.¡±

    ...

    ¡°I just encountered some interesting things.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± the driver asked casually, ¡°are they interesting people, or interesting events?¡± S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Are you planning to report to father?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    ¡°That depends on what it is,¡± the driver replied. ¡°If it¡¯s not important, of course, I wouldn¡¯t bother him.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Chen Lingyun mused.

    The annoying face of Yan Yu sprung to mind, and on a whim, she lifted her head again, already wearing a radiant smile:

    ¡°It¡¯s probably not anything important, Sister Liu.¡±

    ¡°I just might have met someone I like.¡±

    The steering wheel jerked suddenly as the startled driver quickly steadied it and then tried to calm herself, stuttering out:

    ¡°Uh¡­ Miss, you are joking, right?¡±

    ¡°I wish I were joking.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile became even more radiant, her eyes sparkling with joy.

    As if a child had seen their favorite toy.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Yan Yu returned to his rented room, and Zhao Yuanzhen hurriedly welcomed him.

    ¡°Someone actually knocked on the door today,¡± she said eagerly. ¡°They were here to collect some kind of¡­ ¡®sobbing fee¡¯?¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t open the door, did you?¡± Yan Yu asked indifferently, raising an eyebrow.

    ¡°No,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied with a flattering smile. ¡°I just prepared the Curved Curse, ready to kill her on the spot if she forced her way in.¡±

    ¡°But she knocked for a while and left after getting no response.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Yan Yu¡¯s gaze swept over the living room, confirming, ¡°What do you usually do at home?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Zhao Yuanzhen thought, you¡¯re supposed to be clairvoyant, so why are you asking me?

    Oh, I get it. You¡¯re feigning ignorance, testing my honesty, you sly little thief!

    She silently took note of this transgression:

    ¡°¡­Today, the thief Yan Yu deliberately provoked and questioned me. I shall temporarily note this grudge, and should the day come when I gain the upper hand, I will make him a slave or a maid, treating him harshly and humiliating him to settle this score!¡±

    ¡°In the morning, I meditated and practiced breathing to restore my True Yuan,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen harbored resentment in her heart, but outwardly she was honest. ¡°In the afternoon, I watched a bit of that¡­ television.¡±

    This enchantress has even learned to watch television? Yan Yu was inwardly on guard.

    They say the TV was left behind by the previous tenant, and the landlord was too lazy to remove it, not expecting that it would now become a channel for the enchantress to gather information about the outside world.

    The more this enchantress knows, the harder it is to deceive and control¡­ I mean, the harder it is to guide her towards goodness, which is detrimental to her growth.

    But if I remove the TV now, it would seem overly deliberate. A powerful student of divination, actually afraid of her watching TV? It really would damage my dignity.

    Well, let her watch, then. I¡¯ll maintain the fa?ade of ¡°having everything under control,¡± allowing her to continue her suspicion and paranoia.

    ¡°So what have you been watching?¡± Yan Yu sat down on the couch, casually inquiring.

    ¡°I watched a folk play, what¡¯s it called¡­ ¡®The Wife¡¯s Lies,''¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said with a forced laugh, ¡°Although it depicts the trivial affairs of mortal housewives, the plot twists and turns are unexpected and quite interesting.¡±

    Yan Yu was stunned for a while before realizing that the so-called ¡°folk play¡± the enchantress was referring to was actually a soap opera targeted at housewives.

    This was very odd. Given the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s usual ferociousness, even if she watched TV shows, she should prefer those with bloody and horrifying themes¡­ Oh, such shows wouldn¡¯t pass the censorship, so never mind.

    In any case, soap operas had little informative content and were only good for passing time, so there wasn¡¯t much to worry about.

    ¡°Yan Yu, did our respected teacher give any instructions today?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked.

    ¡°Nothing special,¡± Yan Yu waved his hand, ¡°The master is busy and hasn¡¯t contacted me.¡±

    ¡°Is that so.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was full of suspicion, wondering if it was really no contact or if the content was not meant for her knowledge.

    Yan Yu noticed her stiff smile and knew that the enchantress must be getting suspicious again, and he spoke leisurely:

    ¡°Even if there were instructions, with your recovery still incomplete, how much could you really help him? Don¡¯t forget, you can¡¯t even leave this door without being discovered. If you go out, you¡¯ll be found, then Mei Yingxue will show up at the door, her Flying Sword will slash twice, and a great beauty will meet her demise, poof!¡±

    ¡°To know it¡¯s impossible yet still willing to attempt, shows the sincerity in my heart,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen responded without embarrassment, expressing her loyalty seriously, ¡°Though my abilities have greatly diminished, if our respected teacher commands, I wouldn¡¯t hesitate to face Mei Yingxue or even brave the mountains of swords and seas of flames. What is this body to me!¡±

    ¡°That flattery is just too fake,¡± Yan Yu said disdainfully, ¡°If Mei Yingxue stood at the door with her sword, you¡¯d probably have jumped out the window by now, forget about waiting for any orders from our teacher¡­¡±

    Before he finished speaking, someone knocked on the door.

    Yan Yu quickly stood up, looking at the door, then turned to look at Zhao Yuanzhen.

    He saw the enchantress also staring wide-eyed, like a startled bird looking toward the door, her hands on the window sill, one foot stepping onto the windowsill.

    Yan Yu quickly shook his head, then pointed under the bed, indicating ¡°roll under the bed.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen immediately rolled to the ground, tumbling under the bed. Yan Yu opened the door from the inside to see two uniformed officers standing outside, saying:

    ¡°Checking for temporary residence permits¡­ Are you the only person living in this room?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu said, nodding and stepping aside so the officers could see the entire room from outside the door.

    The doors to the bathroom and kitchen were open, showing clearly that there was no one inside.

    The only places in the room where someone could hide were under the bed and in the large wardrobe, but checking temporary residence permits doesn¡¯t involve searching wardrobes or looking under beds; that would be too deliberate.

    The two uniformed officers exchanged glances. The instructions they received indicated that ¡°the criminal is extremely vicious and would kill the residents hiding them,¡± so their actual task was to pretend to check the residence permits while mainly inspecting each dwelling in the area to ensure no one had died silently at home.

    As for searching the wardrobes, it could easily cause disputes with residents, so unless there were direct witness reports or leads pointing to it, it wasn¡¯t possible to search every household like that.

    ¡°Student ID¡­ You¡¯re a high school senior? Living alone?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°I¡¯m preparing for the college entrance exams.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± said the uniformed officer, nodding in understanding.

    Being a high school senior was a strong buff; no one dared to disturb a senior¡¯s studying, or else the parents would have their say.

    After confirming once again that there was no issue with the student ID, the two officers turned and left.

    Yan Yu closed the door again, feeling no tension in his heart.

    To be honest, even if the officers had come in and directly searched under the bed, as long as Zhao Yuanzhen spent some residual True Yuan to perform the Invisibility Technique, they wouldn¡¯t have seen anything odd.

    Nevertheless, this inspection was rather lax, nowhere near as intense as the widespread searches from my previous life.

    On reflection, if Zhao Yuanzhen had chosen to find a place nearby to hide and commit murders as in the original timeline, the seriousness would¡¯ve escalated several levels once the bodies appeared, warranting a thorough search.

    Fortunately, I had arrived in time to subdue the enchantress and bring her home for education, not only saving several innocents who would have died in vain but also saving valuable manpower for community security.

    Sigh, I just love to silently contribute to society, without leaving my name or seeking any reward¡ªeven if the enchantress is fierce, for the nation and for the people, I go all out!

    2

    Yan Yu turned around with a sense of accomplishment, only to see Zhao Yuanzhen rolling out from under the bed, her robes, face, and arms all covered with dust.

    ¡°Go wash it off,¡± he said with a tender, doting smile, speaking softly, ¡°If you leave even a speck of dust on you, you¡¯re sleeping in the bathroom tonight.¡±

 Chapter 8 - 8: The Tale of Theft from the Cherry Blossoms

    Chapter 8: Chapter 8: The Tale of Theft from the Cherry Blossoms

    March 25, Saturday.

    Yan Yu climbed out of bed and calmly glanced at the alarm on his cellphone.

    On his reminder list were the words ¡°Qiantang River Tide¡±.

    He silently got dressed, ready to head out, when he suddenly heard Zhao Yuanzhen on the bed ask:

    ¡°Today is Saturday, don¡¯t you have to¡­ you know, do homework?¡±

    Yan Yu was inwardly shocked. This Demonic Sect Enchantress had been here for only three days and now she even knew about ¡°weekends off¡±! Smarter than many private company bosses!

    ...

    ¡°Master asked me to go out for an errand,¡± he said, putting on his shoes at the entrance without turning back.

    ¡°Can I come with you?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s eyes lit up.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of Mei Yingxue?¡± Yan Yu turned and asked with a smirk.

    Mentioning Mei Yingxue, Zhao Yuanzhen indeed wilted like a frostbitten eggplant, sulkily saying:

    ¡°Then¡­ then you must come back early.¡±

    Yan Yu sneered, but didn¡¯t expose the enchantress¡¯s insincerity, and took the subway straight out.

    He was going to watch the tide on the Qiantang River.

    On the original timeline, that is on March 25 this year, something ridiculous happened:

    Two tourists from Chongying Country fell into the water while watching the tide on the Qiantang River and were saved by a local patrol organization after half an hour. Later, this incident was highlighted as a commendable case on the news program ¡°2727 Silver Eye¡±.

    It was only at the beginning of May, when a completely different tide on the Qiantang River revealed the submerged layer tower beneath, that the authorities realized that those two ¡°Chongying tourists¡± were actually civilian onmyojis who had come from afar because they found some information in ancient texts and aimed to steal treasures from the Mysterious Realm.

    These people sneaked into the Mysterious Realm beneath the tides, took the treasures, and just as they surfaced and prepared to forcefully resist the approaching river patrols, they were mistaken for drowning foreign tourists and saved. They were taken to the hospital and received meticulous care, even their medical expenses were reimbursed through public funds¡­ What can I say?

    Apart from ¡°we have always been warm and hospitable to foreigners,¡± there doesn¡¯t seem to be anything else to say.

    2

    If you ask Yan Yu for an opinion, these foreign visitors have come a long way to explore the underwater historical attractions, and you patrol on boats and rashly fish them out, that¡¯s just impolite¡ªYou should have let them admire the underwater scenery as long as they wanted, consistent with our national tradition of warm hospitality!

    It¡¯s up to me to uphold our international image!

    The carriage of Line 5 subway was packed, and Yan Yu, unable to find a seat, could only hold onto a handrail while skillfully pulling out his cellphone to read a novel.

    Change to Line 2, then to Line 9, followed by the intercity railway and finally bus Route 332, the journey taking nearly 3 hours. By the time he arrived at Haiping Tidal Viewing Park, it was already 12 p.m.

    In a nearby Xichuan ramen shop, he ordered a bowl of beef noodles for 18 yuan, topped with only a few beef slices thin as cicada wings. The chef¡¯s knife skills were truly astonishing. When slicing the meat, it¡¯s probable that the cow didn¡¯t even feel it, and a patch could easily cover the cut.

    Yan Yu devoured the noodles in short order, feeling a blazing spirit of combat kindling in his heart.

    I spent a whole morning and even endured a frustrating lunch; if I don¡¯t ensure you stay submerged and are treated generously, I¡¯ll slap my own face three times when I get back!

    Upon reaching Tidal Viewing Park, Yan Yu leaned against the railing with arms folded, his eyes brimming with enthusiasm and hospitality, eying every passerby as if they were Chongying tourists.

    Still, his gaze couldn¡¯t discern nationalities. Only around 1 p.m. did the tide of the Qiantang River begin to surge violently.

    Not far away, two Chongying tourists, wearing sun hats and carrying large backpacks, were also observing the mighty river tides and spoke to each other in whispers using Chongying Language:

    ¡°Tanaka-san, how much longer do we have to wait?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be impatient, Oishi-san. According to the records left by my ancestors, we must wait until the third quarter of the noon hour for the Qiantang tidal bore to split and reveal the submerged pagoda beneath.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure there¡¯s no mistake in those records?¡±

    ¡°Of course, these records have been passed down in my family for generations, and their written date can be traced back to the post-Nara period. It was precisely when a great many wokou were rampant in China, and my family even has celadon looted from China!¡±

    Tanaka Taichi stared at the surging tides and continued,

    ¡°It¡¯s said that during my ancestors¡¯ last raid from the mouth of the Qiantang River at the third quarter of the noon hour, the waters suddenly parted, revealing the inverted pagoda within the tide, startling everyone into hurriedly turning their ships. It was only later discovered to be one of the twin pagodas specially constructed by the monks at the behest of the King of Wuyue, Qian Chu, to suppress the tides. ¡®The Liuhe Pagoda on land, the Liuhe Pagoda submerged beneath the tides¡¯¡ªthis one beneath the waters is the very core of the formation suppressing the tides!¡±

    After a moment of silence, Oishi Mochio spoke,

    ¡°The Age of Dharma Decline has continued to this day, and the Liuhe Pagoda by West Lake has long been empty. What makes you so sure, Tanaka-san, that the treasures in the submerged Liuhe Pagoda have not been pilfered by the ancients of Lu Country in advance?¡±

    ¡°Even if someone had taken them beforehand, you and I would merely have wasted our time and effort, without any substantial loss,¡± Tanaka Taichi was dismissive. ¡°But if the treasures are still there, and considering that Lu Country is still unaware of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, you and I are very likely to get them past customs unnoticed and back to our country! Endless fame and fortune will naturally follow!¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s true; in that case, I¡¯ll take this gamble with you. May the great Amaterasu in the heavens bear witness and bestow good fortune upon me!¡±

    Oishi Mochio clapped his hands lightly three times and closed his eyes to call softly upon the name of Amaterasu.

    The third quarter of the noon hour arrived in a flash, and the Qiantang tide grew even more turbulent. The waters, white as a bolt of silk and bright as frosty snow, suddenly parted and scrubbed the banks on both sides, revealing the murky outline of a stone structure in the middle.

    Now¡¯s the time! Their eyes gleamed as they quickly climbed over the railing. Under the terrified gazes of the surrounding tourists, they jumped into the water.

    Two hundred meters away, Yan Yu¡¯s gaze sharply locked onto the two men.

    I¡¯ve found you!

    He too vaulted the railing and plunged into the water.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Though the Spiritual Energy Resurgence was a global phenomenon, the order in which it occurred was not the same everywhere. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    According to retrospective research by future generations, it seems to be related to the memetic cognition of traditional culture¡ªin simple terms, the more intense the traditional historical and cultural atmosphere of a society, the more rapid the advent of Spiritual Energy Resurgence.

    In a certain sense, the Spiritual Energy Resurgence itself could be considered driven by idealism.

    Lu Country had actually been exposed to the concept of Spiritual Energy Resurgence quite early on, due to Mei Yingxue¡¯s arrival, but for various reasons¡ªsuch as ¡®a big ship is hard to turn around,¡¯ ¡®a child does not speak of wild and supernatural things,¡¯ ¡®hope this isn¡¯t another qigong fad,¡¯ and so on¡ªthe response was actually half a beat too slow.

    The act of treasure-thieving by Chongying Country undoubtedly delivered a heavy blow to the still-confused upper echelons, akin to the attack on Pearl Harbor, swiftly silencing the voices of dissent.

    However, even if this incident held positive significance, Yan Yu had no intention of allowing it to happen.

    It was for a simple reason: the treasure concealed within the Liuhe Pagoda at the riverbed, used by the ancient King of Wuyue to suppress the Qiantang tides, was known as the ¡°Tianhe Stabilizing Divine Heavy Iron,¡± cast during the time of Yu the Great¡¯s efforts in flood control.

    If this object were stolen by Chongying¡¯s Onmyoji, within a few years, the ferocity of the Qiantang tides would rapidly increase. Not only would Haiping County bear the brunt of it, but the entire Jiangnan textile plain would be threatened, eventually forcing the construction of a large sea barrier to barely preserve the Jiangnan textile plain.

    Yan Yu rapidly descended through the water, his gaze fixed on the two figures struggling to swim toward the inverted tower, his face breaking into an enthusiastic smile.

    Our international friends, please hold your steps for a moment, and let me extend the hospitality of a host!

 Chapter 9 - 9 Hosting International Friends

    Chapter 9: Chapter 9 Hosting International Friends

    ¡°Tanaka-san, someone is following us.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s take care of him after we enter the Mysterious Realm.¡±

    ¡­¡­

    Approaching the inverted tower, Yan Yu passed through the shimmering water membrane and steadily landed on the riverbed.

    This division of the tower within the Mysterious Realm had carved out a separate little paradise, complete with breathable air and normal gravity.

    Yan Yu looked forward again, but the two people had already disappeared without a trace.

    ...

    His gaze swiftly scanned the surroundings. Just once, and a rough map of the Mysterious Realm was immediately etched into his mind.

    The area around him was an under-river environment with few places to hide. Those two Onmyoji across from him must have sensed him following, so they entered the Mysterious Realm and rushed into the inverted tower before him.

    A cold smile filled Yan Yu¡¯s mind as he activated the Shifting Technique.

    Let¡¯s go!

    A hundred meters seemed to flicker by in an instant, and he had already reached the base of the inverted tower.

    The structure of the six-segment tower was top-heavy with its narrow end embedded in the soil, and the entrance was atop the broad tower cap.

    Yan Yu used the Shifting Technique to reach the base of the tower, then quickly switched to the Cloud Ascension Technique. With a few steps in the air, he ascended as if defying gravity.

    Soaring up into the emptiness, he climbed higher and higher!

    At the edge of the tower¡¯s entrance, Oishi Mochio formed hand seals, his right eye now a bright red from the ¡°Precognition Technique¡± of the Sakura Secrets, allowing him to see far as if it were near and to discern the finest details as if looking at fire. At that moment, he had Yan Yu firmly locked in his sights.

    ¡°It¡¯s Lu Country¡¯s Thousand-Mile Movement Technique and Wind-Riding Cloud-Ascending Technique,¡± he shouted with a trembling voice, his words tinged with barely concealed agitation. ¡°Tanaka-san! The person coming is an authentic cultivator! Probably ex-military from Lu Country!¡±

    ¡°Whether he¡¯s military or not,¡± Tanaka Taichi pulled out talisman papers from his waist and shouted fiercely, ¡°as long as he dies here at the bottom of the river, who cares about his background!¡±

    ¡°Go, Kamaitachi!¡±

    The talisman paper in his hand ignited without any wind and quickly transformed into a small white mouse. Wrapped in cutting wind, it descended from above, its claws gleaming like knife blades, aiming to kill Yan Yu who was using the Cloud Ascension Technique.

    Seeing the white mouse descending with killing intent, Yan Yu immediately understood.

    Ah, it¡¯s a Pok¨¦mon player¡­ no, an Onmyoji who summons shikigami.

    After the resurgence of spiritual energy, the Onmyoji of Sakura had many schools, among which ¡°Shikigami Style¡± was known for being easy in the early stages but having a low ceiling later on.

    The reason was simple: once the shikigami being controlled died, the Onmyoji would lose a lot of their combat power.

    Yan Yu landed under the inverted eaves at the edge of the tower and pushed off again, disengaging the Cloud Ascension Technique in mid-air and quickly forming hand seals.

    ¡°It¡¯s the Flame Curse! Be careful!¡± Oishi Mochio, reading Yan Yu¡¯s movements with the Precognition Technique, warned his companion loudly.

    The flames that rose out of thin air were perfectly placed in the path of the Kamaitachi, causing the white mouse, which had the instinctive fear of high temperatures of a wild beast, to forcibly halt its high-speed movement.

    Then, it suddenly exploded in the air, its blood and white fur showering down!

    ¡°Impact Curse!¡± Oishi Mochio cried out in horror. ¡°He used the light from the Flame Curse to hide his hand seals, secretly transitioning to the Impact Curse!¡±

    ¡°Damn it!¡± Tanaka Taichi cursed angrily, ¡°Can¡¯t you report faster?¡± S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    His Kamaitachi had been slain in a single encounter, which pained him deeply.

    But Oishi Mochio didn¡¯t retort, his face pale and his heart already considering retreat.

    Metal, Flame, Curved, Barrier, Impact¡ªthe Five Elemental True Character Curses were also recorded in his family¡¯s historical documents.

    They were not difficult to use; the challenge was that the practitioner could only cast one spell at a time.

    Therefore, the key to showing the practitioner¡¯s level of skill was how they combined these Five Spells into a coherent, effective combat strategy.

    The opponent¡¯s combination attack began with the Fire Blazing Charm to deter the Kamaitachi.

    The instant the shikigami ceased its attack, the opponent stopped fueling the Flame Curse. Taking advantage of the moment the flames were about to disperse, he switched the flow of Qi in his body to the Metal-Element Impact Curse.

    The razor-sharp Metal Qi passed unseen through the fading flames. As the light from the fire died down, the Impact Curse shot through without colliding and negating the Flame Curse and struck the Kamaitachi before it had any chance to react, killing it outright!

    Behind this rapid flow of actions was perfect timing in the linkage between the moves.

    Not to mention, the enemy was still in a state of weightlessness, hovering in the air. How strong must one¡¯s eyesight and reaction speed be to precisely blind-fire an Impact Curse and hit a Shikigami through the flames obstructing their vision?

    This person must certainly be a cultivator from the Lu Country military, and definitely one of the toughest elites around¡ªmaybe even a former air force pilot who had transferred to the military!

    Neither he nor Tanaka Taichi had undergone formal military training; they were just civilian Onmyoji from the Land of Cherry Blossoms. How could they contend with someone from the military?

    ¡°Tanaka-san!¡± Seeing Tanaka Taichi still reaching for talisman paper, Oishi Mochio hurriedly spoke, ¡°We should head down into the tower first, then ambush him!¡±

    After pondering for a moment, Tanaka Taichi replied, ¡°Okay!¡±

    He didn¡¯t possess Oishi Mochio¡¯s ¡°Precognition Technique¡± and hadn¡¯t detected the subtlety between the enemy¡¯s two consecutive moves. He just felt that since the enemy had been able to kill his Kamaitachi in a single encounter, the invader must be no ordinary foe. Naturally, it would be best to avoid a head-on confrontation.

    Yan Yu used the Wind-Riding Cloud-Ascending Technique, scaling the inverted eaves to the top of the multi-layered tower in quick bounds. Although he knew the two international friends had hidden inside, his steps did not halt as he swiftly entered through the doorway.

    His vision darkened momentarily as he suddenly moved from the outdoor brightness to the indoor gloom, not yet fully adjusted to the change when a low whooshing sound came from beside his ear.

    Another of Tanaka Taichi¡¯s Shikigami, the fierce-faced, fanged ¡°Yaksha Demon¡± wielding a sharp trident, was lying in wait in the shadows of the doorway. Seizing the moment Yan Yu stepped into the tower, it silently propelled itself from behind, aiming its trident viciously towards the back of his head.

    There was a ¡®ding¡¯ as the trident abruptly halted inches from its target, no matter how the Yaksha Demon roared and snarled, it could not advance an inch further.

    Yan Yu merely extended two fingers, effortlessly blocking the sharp point of the trident.

    The surface of his fingers emitted a dull gray light, reminiscent of the rugged boulders deep within the mountains.

    Barrier Charm, a spell that renders its caster impervious to blades and unaffected by fire and water.

    Tanaka Taichi quickly drew three more talisman papers, pushing his True Yuan to its limit to activate them, ordering the Yaksha Demon to attack with all its might.

    He was well aware that although the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse was invincible, it also consumed a great amount of True Yuan, and the enemy could not maintain such an impervious state indefinitely.

    Oishi Mochio drew his kunai and rapidly executed the Shadow Escape Technique, transforming into an inconspicuous shadow that vanished from Yan Yu¡¯s line of sight.

    ¡­The Shadow Escape Technique, this man is actually a ninja.

    Unperturbed, Yan Yu¡¯s right hand suddenly turned into a claw, nimbly grasping the blunt side of the trident, while his left hand swiftly changed hand signs as quick as lightning.

    Curved Curse, giving the caster immense strength, as a pine tree cracking through rock.

    Under the immense power he had suddenly amplified, the Yaksha Demon stood no chance, and as Yan Yu pulled on the trident¡¯s shaft, he executed an ¡°over-the-shoulder throw¡± that sent the Yaksha Demon crashing directly into Oishi Mochio, who had approached unseen ready to launch a surprise attack.

    Tanaka Taichi, who was observing from a distance, was dumbstruck: Wasn¡¯t the Shadow Escape Technique supposed to render one visually invisible?

    How could he detect Oishi Mochio¡¯s position!

    The impact sent both the man and the Shikigami flying. Yan Yu¡¯s right hand then formed into sword fingers again, and he thrust forward!

    A sharp Metal-Element force, like bullets, shot out, swiftly piercing through the bodies of the Yaksha Demon and Oishi Mochio.

    The former exploded into pieces instantly, while the latter, blood spurting from his chest, staggered backwards, his body immediately engulfed by flames.

    It was right after Yan Yu¡¯s execution of the Impact Curse that he seamlessly transitioned to casting a Flame Curse.

    Fierce flames rose behind Oishi Mochio, and as the thrust from the Impact Curse threw him off balance, he retreated right into the range of the Flame Curse without any chance of evading.

    Oishi Mochio became a man on fire, struggling frantically in agony, crying out miserably as he rolled on the ground.

    Having lost two Shikigami in rapid succession, Tanaka Taichi finally realized the massive gap in strength between them and their opponent. Letting out a scream of utter terror, he abandoned his companion and ran desperately to the lower levels.

    He couldn¡¯t stand a chance! How could he possibly stand a chance!

    The Five Elemental True Character Curse cannot be simultaneously cast¡ªthis is an ironclad rule!

    How could one possibly manage two different True Yuan pathways in one¡¯s body at the same time?

    The seamless switch between ¡°casting the Impact Curse,¡± ¡°interrupting the Impact Curse,¡± and ¡°casting the Flame Curse¡± proved to be like flowing clouds and water for Yan Yu. Taking into account the distinctly different True Yuan pathways for both curses, only someone who had practised the Five Elemental True Character Curse until it became as thoughtless as breathing could accomplish such seamless transitions.

    Against such an opponent, there was no chance at all!

    Tanaka Taichi was petrified, scrambling down several levels in a panic, only to feel a sharp pain in his back as his body was penetrated by the Impact Curse.

    Then his vision too was enveloped by rising flames.

 Chapter 10 - 10: Self-Sealing

    Chapter 10: Chapter 10: Self-Sealing

    After hastily dealing with the scene, Yan Yu finally emerged from the Mysterious Realm, surfacing from the water. Soon a patrol boat came over to confirm his identity.

    When they learned he was not one of the cherry blossom tourists who had fallen into the water, the patrollers seemed somewhat disappointed, but still they pulled him onto the boat and arranged for someone to take him to shore for care.

    Every year, there are accidents where tourists fall into the Qiantang River tide-watching area, so everyone is used to it.

    Seeing how dedicated the patrollers were, Yan Yu didn¡¯t have the heart to tell them that the two international friends had already been laid to rest at the bottom of the Qiantang River, so as not to make them feel bad and blame themselves.

    Sigh, when can I change my gentle nature?

    Drenched like a drowned rat, Yan Yu retrieved his phone from a locker in a nearby supermarket and then silently boarded a bus, transferred to the subway, and then to another subway, completely ignoring the surprised looks of the other passengers.

    ...

    He returned to the residential complex, went upstairs, unlocked the door, and entered his home to find Zhao Yuanzhen had released her Invisibility Technique, clearly relieved to see him.

    ¡°You¡¯re finally back,¡± she said with a smile that was trying to please, tentatively asking, ¡°Was everything smooth on your trip?¡±

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Yan Yu said, locking the door from the inside with a cold laugh, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    He fumbled in his pocket for a moment, pulled out a silver-white stone the size of an egg, and casually tossed it to Zhao Yuanzhen.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked, puzzled.

    ¡°Tianhe Anchoring Divine Treasure Iron,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s hands shook, almost dropping the object, and she asked with a trembling voice:

    ¡°Is this the Tianhe Anchoring Divine Treasure Iron that the ancient Yu the Great used for controlling water?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu nodded and said, ¡°There were two petty characters plotting to get their hands on this thing. On the command of my esteemed master, I eliminated them, and I picked this up as spare material from the Mysterious Realm.¡±

    2

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ¡­¡­

    Esteemed Master! Where did your disciple pick this up, can I also go for a stroll there?

    In the Cultivation World from which she hails, the Tianhe Anchoring Divine Treasure Iron is one of the rarest heavenly materials and earthly treasures.

    Most of them are used to suppress water veins and springs. If removed, they could trigger floods and thereby create extremely terrifying karmic backlashes, which is why everyone is somewhat reluctant to touch them.

    The very few that circulate among Cultivators are mainly ¡°spare materials¡± left in some water vein Mysterious Realms, specifically preserved by the ancient Yu the Great for unforeseen needs¡ªthe likelihood of finding these are not high. Zhao Yuanzhen had never seen such items in marketplaces, likely because they skipped the public sale stage and were secretly purchased by prestigious sects.

    Gazing raptly at the divine iron in her hand, she heard Yan Yu asking:

    ¡°Would this be enough to craft a golem each for us?¡±

    ¡°Enough, more than enough!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen eagerly nodded, ¡°This Tianhe Anchoring Divine Treasure Iron is a wondrous item, it can be as large or as small, as light or as heavy as we wish. Just two ounces used as the core of the golem¡¯s intellect would grant it the mighty strength of a thousand jun, comparable to the might of a Body Cultivating Cultivator.¡± S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°The excess Tianhe Anchoring Divine Treasure Iron can be fused into common iron using a secret method. This will fortify the golem¡¯s skeleton against any water-based techniques¡­¡±

    ¡°Enough!¡± Yan Yu finally couldn¡¯t restrain himself and exclaimed, ¡°You spendthrift woman! To use such heavenly materials for a golem, they ought to be paired with other heavenly materials, not mixed with your ordinary iron¡ªI can¡¯t fathom what you were thinking. Don¡¯t ever mention such foolishness again!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was taken aback, struggling for words:

    ¡°Where would we get enough heavenly materials to make a complete golem?¡±

    ¡°Just because you can¡¯t obtain them doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t,¡± Yan Yu said, arms crossed and speaking arrogantly, ¡°For now, use it as the core and make do with mortal materials for the other parts to finish the golem.

    ¡°Once we have new heavenly materials, we can replace the mortal parts. As for this ¡®grind into powder and mix with common iron¡¯, truly unthinkable¡ªlet¡¯s not speak of this again!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was also shocked¡ªsuch grandiose claims from this young thief!

    Even the Supreme Elders of the Qiansi Sect, who controlled golems, only had about ten percent of their golems¡¯ materials that could be considered heavenly materials. Mostly, they were mixed with common substances to maximize strength.

    From what the young thief implied, it seemed he intended to create a golem made entirely of heavenly materials¡ªsuch audacity! How could his tongue not be twisted from such grand claims!

    Although she had the urge to mock a few words, thinking of the powerful master backing that little thief, she could only swallow her anger for the time being and silently noted in her heart:

    ¡°Today, the little thief went searching for treasures to make my puppet and humiliated me by calling me a spendthrift. I¡¯ll remember this grudge for now, and if the day comes when I rise to power, I¡¯ll be sure to humiliate him in return, making him weep and wail with regret!¡±

    Uh, why does that sound a bit off¡­

    Never mind, the fact that he humiliated me still stands! If I don¡¯t avenge this insult, my name isn¡¯t Zhao!

    Seeing Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s changing expressions, Yan Yu knew all too well that she had started her ¡°fickleness¡± again and said with a cold sneer:

    ¡°What inappropriate thought are you entertaining now?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was startled and quickly tried to sweet-talk her way out with a flattering smile,

    ¡°You and I are partners in cultivation; we should support each other naturally. This time, you brought back divine iron from the Heavenly River for the foundation, I haven¡¯t even had the chance to thank you yet, how could I possibly resent or hate you?¡±

    ¡°I never said you resented or hated me, you just confessed without being pressed!¡± Yan Yu instantly became furious yet laughed instead, reaching out to grab both sides of Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s cheeks and roughly pinched them like putty, ¡°What a Demonic Sect Enchantress that can¡¯t be tamed! I bring you heavenly treasures, become your partner in cultivation, help you in dual cultivation, provide you shelter; which of the wealth, spouse, law, and land has ever been lacking for you? And you dare bear a grudge against me!¡±

    ¡°No, no! I didn¡¯t! I am wronged!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, with her cheeks grabbed, could not speak clearly; she could only whimper and murmur indistinctly, pleading for mercy with tears in the corners of her eyes, her neck to earlobes all turning red.

    The skin of this Demonic Sect Enchantress felt really good to the touch¡ªso delicate it seemed it could break with a puff. Press just a bit harder and it would turn from white to red. This made Yan Yu, who initially had no intention of punishing her excessively, unable to resist pinching her a few more times.

    Zhao Yuanzhen finally broke free from his devilish clutches, feeling angry, resentful, and annoyed inside, but knowing that this guy could guess her thoughts, she did not dare to continue cursing him in her belly. She simply wiped away her tears vigorously, turned around, kicked off her slippers, and climbed into bed, burying herself under the covers.

    You bully me all you want because you have a master supporting you. I can¡¯t handle you, but can¡¯t I just hide away?

    Seeing Empress Yuanzhen choosing to withdraw, Yan Yu laughed heartily for a while before going to the bathroom to take a shower.

    After his shower, dressed in fresh clothes, he came out to find the TV on, with Zhao Yuanzhen huddled under the covers like a turtle, leaving only a small opening to sneakily watch the TV.

    When she saw the bathroom door open, she quickly zipped herself back into the covers with a whoosh and stayed hidden inside again.

    Self-sealing technique, Xuanwu Secret Method!

    Yan Yu was naturally not fooled by the enchantress¡¯s little movements, for he knew all too well that Empress Yuanzhen was a bully to the weak and feared the strong, and was only pretending to be pitiful because she considered herself at a disadvantage.

    If she finds out the truth, this Demonic Sect Enchantress will surely bare her fangs, reveal her fierce nature, and not leave even a bone of her prey¡­ In the end, act as weak and innocent as you want, the moment I feel soft-hearted, I¡¯ll consider it my loss!

    Yan Yu turned off the TV, then sat on the bed and pulled out his phone, wanting to see if ¡°the Cherry Blossom tourist who fell into the Qiantang River tide¡± made the news.

    He didn¡¯t find any news, but someone sent him a friend request. The profile picture was a lively and cute cartoon puppy with the note ¡°Chen Lingyun.¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s eyebrows furrowed¡ªwhat was this annoying woman up to?

    He firmly tapped to decline.

    After a moment, a new friend request arrived.

    Decline!

    Decline, decline, decline!

    Yan Yu declined them all, but Chen Lingyun was persistent, sending him over twenty friend requests, enough to test his patience.

    Forget it, I¡¯ll accept for now.

    [Chen Lingyun]: It¡¯s really hard to add Yan Yu as a friend!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Sorry, I installed an anti-harassment plugin, it might have mistaken you for a tea seller and automatically declined the request.

    [Chen Lingyun]: Is there really such a plugin? Could you send me the installation package as well?

    On the other side of the phone, Chen Lingyun was laughing so hard that her whole body was shaking, and even her eyes curved into crescent moons.

 Chapter 11 - 11 Major Reduction in Jianghai Prefecture

    Chapter 11: Chapter 11 Major Reduction in Jianghai Prefecture

    Chen Lingyun was a person who craved amusement.

    Ever since she was born into this world, her senses had been naturally sharper than the average person, which made her crave happiness more than anyone else.

    But her memory and thinking abilities were also extremely strong, so much so that she often quickly mastered new content and subsequently lost all interest in it¡ªjust like a crossword puzzle that had been completely solved, a Rubik¡¯s Cube completely restored, there was no fun left in it anymore.

    The same was true for her interpersonal relationships.

    Throughout her life, all the people she knew¡ªexactly 526 individuals¡ªshe could effortlessly remember their names, personalities, interests, and thought patterns in a very short time, eventually constructing detailed ¡°personality portraits¡± and storing them in her brain¡¯s ¡°memory database.¡±

    After that, these people became to her like math problems with all the answers filled in. She could predict how they would respond to any statement and how they would react to any situation; everything was within her expectations.

    ...

    Like chewed-up sugarcane pulp, utterly tasteless.

    ¡°So, Yan Yu,¡±

    ¡°If you really are my future husband, then you shouldn¡¯t let me get bored too quickly, right?¡±

    In the rented room on the other side.

    Yan Yu lay on his bed, somewhat bored, while his phone screen lit up with Chen Lingyun relentlessly sending him a dozen messages.

    This damn woman¡­ I don¡¯t recall her being so troublesome in my past life.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What exactly do you want?

    [Chen Lingyun]: I want to know why you broke up with me in this life. Is it because I bullied you in the past life?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Bullied? Do you think you could manage that? In the past life, it was you who were bullied and played with until you cried and begged for mercy, and there was nothing you could do about me!

    [Chen Lingyun]: Heh.

    This damn woman! In an instant, Yan Yu¡¯s fists clenched.

    [Chen Lingyun]: So, choosing to break up with me this time is due to feelings of guilt?

    Yan Yu tossed his phone aside, deciding to leave her hanging for a bit.

    [Chen Lingyun]: Hey, why aren¡¯t you talking?

    [Chen Lingyun poked you]

    [Chen Lingyun]: If you don¡¯t speak up, I¡¯m going to come find you at your house, you know?

    [Chen Lingyun]: You seem to be a high school student who commutes from home, right? If that¡¯s the case, then you must be renting a place near the school. Jiangnan high school requires commuting students to register their home address, and I guess you wouldn¡¯t falsify that. So, if I just ask the head teacher, I could find out Yan Yu¡¯s address.

    As he watched the phone screen on the desk constantly pop up with new messages, Yan Yu¡¯s eyes twitched slightly. Begging the head teacher¡­ I wouldn¡¯t trust anyone else, but this damn woman really has the ability to weave a perfect lie to deceive adults.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I¡¯m asking you one more time, what do you really want to do?

    [Chen Lingyun]: Things that interest me, I must figure out.

    [Chen Lingyun]: Yan Yu, I have many, many questions, and I would like to humbly learn from you~

    [Chen Lingyun]: If you¡¯re free now, why don¡¯t you come out for a walk with me?

    [Chen Lingyun has sent you a location]

    Yan Yu immediately felt a shudder because the location she sent was just outside the residential community, barely 700 meters away in a straight line from him.

    No, no, no, no, no, the complex I¡¯m renting in is full of resettlement housing, which is particularly cheap, so there are naturally many tenants. She must just be guessing based on that¡­ She wouldn¡¯t really go to the head teacher and get my address, would she?

    ¡­Maybe I should move out.

    Yan Yu glanced again at Zhao Yuanzhen, who was wrapped up in the blankets, thinking that if this Demonic Sect Enchantress was found by that damn woman, then there really would be great amusement.

    2

    Forget it, I¡¯ll go out and deal with it for now.

    After advising the blanket-wrapped enchantress not to leave, Yan Yu changed his clothes and went downstairs, silently planning how to handle her.

    At the entrance of a milk tea shop just outside the community, he saw Chen Lingyun standing among other customers waiting for their orders, her beauty standing out as if she were a crane among chickens.

    She wore a grey pleated skirt and canvas shoes on her lower half, and a simple white shirt on her upper half. The collar and cuffs were embellished with delicate lace, and she had tied a simple bow with a ribbon beneath the collar¡ªjust as he remembered, that damn woman always liked little and exquisite things like lace, bows, and brooches.

    Her hair was tied in a refreshingly simple ponytail at the back of her head, and she had the sweet, adorable features unique to young girls. Paired with her practiced standard smile, she seemed like the quintessential ¡°first love¡± heroine straight out of a campus romance drama. But only Yan Yu knew that beneath her pretty-girl exterior lay a soul as murky, scheming, and filthy as a small demon.

    ¡°Hi!¡± Chen Lingyun quickly spotted Yan Yu¡¯s arrival, greeting him with a beaming smile and a wave of her hand, ¡°Been waiting for you for ages!¡±

    In that instant, and perhaps it was just an illusion, Yan Yu felt a secretive wave of hatred from the surrounding male customers, almost as if they were saying, ¡°Dare to possess such a treasure of this world? Kid, you better off yourself!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± he asked, slightly annoyed.

    ¡°A bit bored.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Came to find you for some fun.¡±

    Did you come ¡°to find me for some fun,¡± or ¡°to make fun of me¡±? Did you think I wouldn¡¯t know?

    Yan Yu asked impassively:

    ¡°Today¡¯s Saturday, how do you have time to hang out? Is your Olympiad class that chill?¡±

    Chen Lingyun maintained her graceful smile; although she did not answer, one could almost see a polite question mark floating above her head.

    ¡°What did you order?¡± Yan Yu asked as he glanced at the milk tea shop¡¯s signboard, changing the subject.

    ¡°Guess,¡± Chen Lingyun said playfully, ¡°As my fianc¨¦, you should be able to guess my favorite flavor, right?¡±

    The jealousy and murderous intent around them seemed to grow thicker, and from somewhere came a ¡°tch¡± sound, but when Yan Yu looked carefully, he couldn¡¯t locate the source of the noise.

    ¡°Heh,¡± Yan Yu laughed coldly, ¡°I bet you didn¡¯t order anything at all.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s eyes widened as she asked, ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because you like to stand on invincible ground,¡± Yan Yu said disdainfully. ¡°What you hate most is losing, even just a mere bet.¡±

    ¡°Hmm~¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile grew even more pleasant as she responded with curved eyebrows and eyes, ¡°You¡¯re wrong there. It¡¯s not that I hate losing; I¡¯m just used to putting in all my effort to strive for victory.¡±

    ¡°Heh,¡± Yan Yu disdainfully snorted. What¡¯s your real character? Do you think I have no clue?

    You might fool your dad, but you can¡¯t fool me!

    ¡°What would you like to drink?¡± Chen Lingyun tucked her hair behind her ear, ¡°My treat.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll have a Mango Pomelo Sago,¡± Yan Yu replied unceremoniously and swiftly.

    ¡°Oh, so you dislike surprises.¡± Chen Lingyun nodded in acknowledgment.

    Yan Yu of course understood what she meant. There¡¯s a dizzying variety of milk tea shop brands across the country, each with its signature beverages and unique flavors, but the taste of one particular drink was constant. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    That would be Mango Pomelo Sago.

    If you try unfamiliar drinks that you¡¯ve never had before, they could be a delightful surprise or a disastrous letdown. But Mango Pomelo Sago always has that same unchanging taste, identical no matter where you order it from, so it¡¯s perfect for customers who dislike unpleasant surprises with their drinks.

    ¡°There¡¯s also a chance,¡± Yan Yu said earnestly, ¡°that I simply don¡¯t want you to know about my dietary preferences.¡±

    ¡°Nice, I like mystery,¡± Chen Lingyun said as she gazed at him with a grin, ¡°even if it¡¯s a mystery intentionally maintained.¡±

    She turned her head to the clerk and ordered:

    ¡°Two Mango Pomelo Sagos, please.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of disliking uncertainty, it¡¯s really you who has that trait,¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but retort, ¡°You like to have everything clear and accounted for, despising any uncontrollable factors that fall outside of your plans.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say I wasn¡¯t,¡± Chen Lingyun laughed cheerfully, ¡°And it¡¯s precisely because of that, we¡¯re such a good match, aren¡¯t we?¡±

    Suddenly, a ¡°bang¡± came from nearby, and a male customer¡¯s milk tea had inexplicably burst in his hand.

    He disposed of the milk tea into the trash can beside him emotionlessly, then began to wipe his right hand with a napkin with the precision of an assassin cleaning his weapon.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­

    There was a pervasive feeling that staying here any longer might actually result in getting beaten up. Are men these days so easily beguiled by beauty? What about the ever-declining marriage rates?

    Chen Lingyun, having received her Mango Pomelo Sago from the clerk, handed one to Yan Yu with composure, suggesting:

    ¡°Shall we take a walk in the nearby wetland park?¡±

 Chapter 12 - 12 This Isnt a Date at All

    Chapter 12: Chapter 12 This Isn¡¯t a Date at All

    Going out with a beautiful girl, many would definitely claim ¡°this is a date¡±.

    But what if this beauty is Chen Lingyun?

    Based on Yan Yu¡¯s understanding of her, this was definitely not any kind of date.

    Even from Chen Lingyun¡¯s perspective, it might even be more akin to walking a dog¡­ He remembered in a past life, during a post-dinner stroll, this terrible woman indeed mentioned offhandedly, ¡°If you leave me behind again, I¡¯ll have to tie a leash around you¡±.

    1

    Thinking of this, Yan Yu¡¯s fists clenched once more.

    ...

    A gentleman¡¯s revenge is not too late, even after ages!

    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly asked.

    ¡°Thinking about how to bully you,¡± Yan Yu glanced at her sideways.

    Any other girl would have taken offense at those words, but Chen Lingyun was obviously not normal. In fact, the less Yan Yu played by the rules, the more she found it amusing. She smiled and asked:

    ¡°In our past life as husband and wife, did we also often bicker like this?¡±

    ¡°Bicker?¡± Yan Yu scoffed, ¡°You think too highly of yourself. In the past life, you were constantly mocked and ridiculed by me, without a chance to retort.¡±

    ¡°Hehe,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile remained unchanged.

    Not having a chance to retort, with her personality, was absolutely impossible. He must be lying.

    Tying together his unexplained hostility towards her, a reasonable speculation would be: in the past life after their marriage, she must have bullied him to the point where he couldn¡¯t fight back, hence in this life, he harbored thoughts of leaving her completely.

    Thinking of escaping? Hmph!

    Suppressing her hidden thoughts, Chen Lingyun took a big drink of the mango coconut sago dessert, and looking at the distant lake and trees, she suddenly asked:

    ¡°Yan Yu, do you think¡­ there are immortals in this world?¡±

    This question was so abrupt that Yan Yu almost immediately realized what she was probing:

    If Chen Lingyun knew about the existence of cultivators, it meant that the military had already completed the selection of the first batch of potential cultivators and had begun training.

    At this point in time, there was absolutely no experience in how to train cultivators, resulting in nearly a hundred different theoretical training programs.

    Some were designed according to Mei Yingxue¡¯s descriptions, such as ¡°sitting in meditation in famous mountains and rivers, absorbing spiritual energy¡± or ¡°collecting materials, refining elixir medicine and consuming it¡±. Of course, there were also projects proposed by scholars from technical sciences, like ¡°trying to enrich spiritual energy, creating environments with high concentrations of spiritual energy in small areas¡± or ¡°preparing drugs that promote the absorption of spiritual energy¡±.

    Lu Country, when faced with decisions that affected the nation¡¯s fate, always went all out. They swiftly chose ¡°I want them all¡± ¡ª arranging for judgment and experimentation on all proposals.

    As long as one of these paths proved successful, it wouldn¡¯t be a loss!

    And such large-scale scientific experiments, involving massive manpower, funds, and equipment, naturally couldn¡¯t be kept completely confidential. Given Chen Lingyun¡¯s family background, it wasn¡¯t strange for her to know this.

    Seeing Yan Yu deep in thought without answering, Chen Lingyun made a preliminary judgment. As if speaking to herself, she asked nonchalantly:

    ¡°Cultivation, immortality¡­ Can life really be endless?¡±

    ¡°What if it is?¡± Yan Yu suddenly countered.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, it would be quite interesting,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a light smile.

    ¡°It would be interesting,¡± Yan Yu sighed faintly, ¡°and also very terrifying.¡±

    Chen Lingyun fell silent for a moment, then said cheerfully:

    ¡°Yes, it would also be terrifying.¡± S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But looking at her sweetly smiling face, there wasn¡¯t a trace of fear or dread.

    Yan Yu sighed inwardly again, pondered for a moment, and decided to reveal some secrets to her, then he called out:

    ¡°Chen Lingyun.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like your elitist ideology.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile, ¡°I understand now.¡±

    ¡°Including how I just started speaking and you¡¯ve already totally grasped everything I was about to say.¡± Yan Yu spoke seriously, ¡°I really despise that.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± Chen Lingyun crossed her left arm over her chest, resting her elbow in her hand, her right index finger against her cheek, showing an adorable look of confusion, ¡°I thought it was a rapport we had cultivated as a couple in our past life.¡±

    ¡°We were not a couple in our past life.¡± Yan Yu sighed and denied, ¡°What I said before was to trick you. With so many disagreements between us, how could we possibly end up together?¡±

    ¡°Is this a new game?¡± Chen Lingyun blinked, laughing, ¡°Before you were saying we were a couple, now you¡¯re outright denying it. Are you trying to enjoy seeing me confused and distressed as you toy with me?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Yan Yu shook his head once more, ¡°You must have noticed, right? I actually don¡¯t have any feelings for you.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, your acting is not bad.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile did not change, ¡°Do you still remember that secret you shared with me before? The one about me caring for a stray cat when I was little.¡±

    ¡°What about that secret?¡± Yan Yu suddenly had a bad feeling.

    ¡°You could use the advantage of informational asymmetry to fabricate all sorts of lies, and indeed, I can¡¯t always tell.¡± Chen Lingyun spoke slowly, her smile seeming a few degrees more sincere, ¡°But there¡¯s one thing I am one hundred percent certain of.¡±

    She tiptoed closer to Yan Yu¡¯s ear and whispered,

    ¡°About that secret with the cat, I would only tell it to¡­ the person with whom I¡¯m willing to bare my heart, with nothing hidden.¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s expression froze on his face.

    This damned sweetness!

    Chen Lingyun stood back up straight, her face radiant with a brilliant smile, and said gently,

    ¡°So, don¡¯t think about fooling me in that regard, okay?¡±

    ¡°Dear.¡±

    Time seemed to have passed as long as a century until Yan Yu finally collected his thoughts and said again,

    ¡°People change.¡±

    Don¡¯t try to seduce me, vile woman!

    ¡°But I won¡¯t.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°At least not about this matter.¡±

    ¡°When you told me that secret in our past life, we weren¡¯t even boyfriend and girlfriend.¡± Yan Yu emphasized again, with a contemptuous sneer, ¡°Peoples¡¯ hearts change with different experiences. How can you use your current mindset to assume the thoughts of your past self? Isn¡¯t that laughable?¡±

    ¡°Then how can you use your mindset to judge what the past me was thinking?¡± Chen Lingyun continued to smile, ¡°Or do you believe you understand Chen Lingyun better than I do?¡±

    ¡°We really didn¡¯t have any romantic relationship back then!¡± Realizing he might have taken his ruse too far, Yan Yu continued to explain, ¡°At the very least, you should have some idea about your current standards for choosing a partner, right? Could you really like the present me?¡±

    ¡°I really like the current you, Yan Yu,¡± Chen Lingyun smiled even more sweetly.

    ¡°Are you confessing?¡± Yan Yu feigned great shock.

    ¡°Not at all.¡± Chen Lingyun spoke cheerfully, ¡°So you can¡¯t refuse~¡±

    Yan Yu fell silent again.

    This persistent, annoying demeanor, it¡¯s exactly the same as in the past life, so she was already like this in high school.

    He frowned and spoke in a deep voice,

    ¡°Chen Lingyun, I¡¯m not joking with you. You should also be clear that what you call ¡®liking¡¯ me is not romantic love between a man and a woman.¡±

    ¡°Then what is love?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, ¡°And who has the authority to define it?¡±

    ¡°Sophistry!¡± Yan Yu immediately seized the loophole in her words, his voice firm, ¡°You don¡¯t deny my claim, but instead quibble over the definition of love, which shows you are also clear about the nature of your ¡®liking¡¯ for me! It¡¯s not a woman¡¯s admiration for a man but a manipulative person¡¯s abnormal possessiveness over a toy!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to twist logic, but to express an attitude,¡± Chen Lingyun toned down her smile and spoke calmly, ¡°I don¡¯t care what true love is supposed to be.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you before, haven¡¯t I? When I¡¯m interested in something, I must figure it out; when I¡¯m interested in someone, I won¡¯t let go easily either.¡±

    ¡°If in this lifetime, you want to escape from my side¡­ huh, just go ahead and try.¡±

 Chapter 13 - 13 Empress Yuanzhen Stays at Home

    Chapter 13: Chapter 13 Empress Yuanzhen Stays at Home

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s attitude, upon careful consideration, seemed surprisingly unexpected yet befitting of reason.

    Unexpected in that Yan Yu had not anticipated such a strong fixation from her upon their first encounter;

    Within reason, however, was that this fixation was not love but rather a musician¡¯s longing for music.

    Put simply, it was like a child who had been bored for a long time suddenly finding an extremely interesting toy¡­

    As a result, the plan had to be adjusted accordingly.

    Chen Lingyun, who had a strong interest in him, essentially was a double-edged sword. If handled properly, there was potential to bring her abilities into play.

    ...

    Not to mention, at the very least, the issue with Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s overt identity might now fall on her to resolve.

    Upon returning home, Yan Yu saw Zhao Yuanzhen sitting on the sofa in meditation, her previous mood seemingly fully recovered.

    True to the Demonic Sect Enchantress she was, such a flexible and adaptable attitude was truly remarkable and worth learning from.

    Yan Yu sat down beside her and took out his phone, muttering to himself:

    ¡°What to eat for lunch?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s have chicken hotpot,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied, ¡°and please add some enoki mushrooms, thank you.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking you!¡± Yan Yu¡¯s brow instantly knitted, and he chided, ¡°You¡¯re a cultivator who has undergone fasting, what are you doing eating chicken hotpot!¡±

    ¡°Fasting means not feeling hunger, not that one won¡¯t have cravings,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately scooted closer, hugging his right arm, and cajoled with a smile, ¡°Since we¡¯re both cultivators in a union, you might as well indulge these harmless little requests of mine.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­ S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Scary, it¡¯s been only a week since this Demonic Sect Enchantress arrived, and not only has she already learned the common takeout menus by heart, but she¡¯s also adept at using her charms to cajole, deceive, and bewilder someone as experienced as myself!

    ¡°We¡¯re not having chicken hotpot today, we¡¯re eating braised chicken,¡± Yan Yu declared with authority.

    ¡°Eh!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen let out a disappointed cry, ¡°Didn¡¯t we just have that the night before last?¡±

    ¡°Less talk, take it or leave it!¡± Yan Yu interrupted her impatiently.

    Let you know who¡¯s calling the shots here!

    Zhao Yuanzhen internally cursed, and once again noted in her mind:

    ¡°Today this scoundrel won¡¯t let me have chicken hot pot, insisting on braised chicken, I¡¯ll remember this grudge. When my turn comes to rule, I¡¯ll make sure he eats braised chicken meal after meal until he¡¯s sick of it!¡±

    Seeing her turn her head to snicker, Yan Yu could easily guess what she was thinking¡ªshe was definitely fantasizing about how to get her revenge. So he coldly asked:

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to eat the braised chicken, do you?¡±

    ¡°Ah? No, braised chicken is fine too¡­¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied perfunctorily.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to eat, you don¡¯t have to force yourself. I can handle it alone,¡± Yan Yu continued with a smile, ¡°You just go on with your fasting.¡±

    ¡°How can we, as cultivators in a union, eat separately?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen argued in panic, seeing that he seemed genuinely unwilling to share with her, ¡°There¡¯s a saying that goes, ¡®To marry a chicken, follow the chicken; to marry a dog, follow the dog.¡¯ Whatever you eat, of course, I should eat too!¡±

    ¡°Yuanzhen,¡± Yan Yu narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°¡®Cultivators in a union¡¯ refers to partners who cultivate together, right? It has nothing to do with a worldly marriage, does it? Where does this ¡®to marry a chicken, follow the chicken; to marry a dog, follow the dog¡¯ come from?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s eyes suddenly widened, much like Qin Xianglian seeing the unacknowledging Chen Shimei, and she hurriedly said:

    ¡°Our Dual Cultivation Method includes chapters on bedroom techniques! If that doesn¡¯t count as a marital relationship, wouldn¡¯t I have been fooled by you¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop right there!¡± Yan Yu quickly cut her off when he saw her about to speak indecent words, ¡°First, let me ask you, do you still have your ¡®yuan yin¡¯?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°Without having exchanged the rites of Zhou, how could it be considered a marital relationship?¡± Yan Yu said sharply, ¡°A mere virgin posing as a married woman, isn¡¯t that absurd?¡±

    ¡°But since our Dual Cultivation Method has been achieved, we are destined to exchange¡­¡±

    ¡°Can a child bride even count as a wife?!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen almost didn¡¯t catch her breath at his words, and simply flopped down onto the sofa, using a cushion to cover her face, adopting an ¡°I won¡¯t deal with you anymore¡± attitude, while secretly holding a grudge in her heart, thinking:

    ¡°¡­ Today, this scoundrel mocked my virginity, laughed at me for being a child bride, this is an utter humiliation! If one day, I get to practice the techniques of the bedroom, I will make him kneel by the bed begging for mercy, regretting his actions!¡±

    Yan Yu tried to snatch the cushion away, but after a few tugs realized he couldn¡¯t get it, and simply left her to act like a sullen hamster.

    Another hour passed, and the takeaway finally arrived.

    Yan Yu placed the stewed chicken on the coffee table, lifting the lid to let the aroma waft freely, and deliberately said:

    ¡°Ah, the takeaway has arrived, it smells so good!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen, lying on the sofa, twisted her body slightly, seemingly hesitating about how to respond.

    ¡°Oh, this piece of chicken is so fragrant, so delicious!¡± Yan Yu exaggeratedly exclaimed, ¡°I can¡¯t finish it by myself, what should I do? Perhaps give it to the stray dogs outside¡­¡±

    ¡°How could beasts be worthy of human food!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately sprang up from the sofa, snatching the disposable bamboo chopsticks on the table, ¡°Rather than wasting it in the belly of beasts, better to sacrifice it to the temple of my own organs!¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you only wanted to eat chicken pot?¡± Yan Yu reached out to protect the food.

    ¡°I said from the start that I wanted to eat stewed chicken.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen shamelessly retorted, ¡°What trash is chicken pot? Never heard of such a thing.¡±

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress moved her chopsticks like the wind, quickly picking out a few pieces of chicken leg and stuffing them into her mouth, chewing anxiously while keeping a nervous eye on Yan Yu¡ªfearing he would reach over and snatch the meat.

    Yan Yu was slightly bewildered: Treating a few pieces of chicken leg as treasures, where was the empowering Empress Yuanzhen of the past life?

    You¡¯re acting more like a food-guarding dog!

    Of course, it definitely wasn¡¯t an issue with my teaching methods.

    If one thinks about it carefully, it¡¯s highly likely that she¡¯s deliberately pretending to be this kind of food-guarding, gluttonous girl, aiming to deceive and paralyze me.

    Hmph, as expected of the sly and cunning Empress Yuanzhen! Such a crude trick, how could it possibly fool my keen eyes?

    Yan Yu, having seen through her scheming, couldn¡¯t help but show a contemptuous sneer in his heart.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    Wuwuwu, the stewed chicken is so delicious!

    Sitting beside Yan Yu, the scheming and crafty Zhao Yuanzhen was, at this moment, filled only with pure satisfaction.

    After finishing dinner, Yan Yu instructed Zhao Yuanzhen to tidy up the plastic bags, wipe down the table, and gather the trash to put by the door.

    The enchantress of the Demonic Sect seemed to have adapted well to her new role, working efficiently and without showing too much displeasure.

    Had it been the day she first arrived, she would have certainly needed to suppress her rage, make concessions, swallow her pride, endure the hardship¡­ Asking her to do some house chores would have been like trampling on her dignity.

    ¡°All done!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, having dealt with the trash, collapsed shapelessly onto the sofa, propping her head lazily with her right hand and grabbing the remote with her left to turn on the TV, giggling to herself, ¡°Perfect timing, it¡¯s just the start of ¡®The Wife¡¯s Lies¡¯.¡±

    Yan Yu was rendered somewhat speechless by her; didn¡¯t only 40+ full-time housewives enjoy this kind of drama filled with domestic trivialities?

    Wait a minute, she lives her days at home, and her growing environment seems not that different from a full-time housewife¡¯s.

    Although my goal is to prevent her from becoming the unpredictable and twisted Empress Yuanzhen of her previous life, if she ends up turning into a full-time housewife who only does chores and giggles at the TV, isn¡¯t that also a ¡°cultivation failure¡±?

    In some ways, it might be better to let her be the Empress than a full-time housewife!

    We still need to see when the outside world will loosen the hunt for Zhao Yuanzhen, then take this enchantress out for a walk. It¡¯s indeed easy for one¡¯s character to develop problems if always cooped up at home.

    Since Zhao Yuanzhen hasn¡¯t caused a massacre this life, and the situation out there has changed, memory alone can¡¯t be relied upon as a standard¡­ Looks like I¡¯ll have to seek out that useless woman to feel out the situation, get her to resolve the enchantress¡¯s identity issue.

    Put yourself to use, lazy Ling Yun!

 Chapter 14 - 14: Beg Me

    Chapter 14: Chapter 14: Beg Me

    School, along the corridor.

    ¡°So Zhao Yuanzhen actually exists.¡± Chen Lingyun thought aloud.

    ¡°What, even the higher-ups aren¡¯t sure if Zhao Yuanzhen exists now?¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but chuckle and ask.

    ¡°It¡¯s said that the surveillance footage only captured her chasing a wisp of black mist.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°So the possibility that she staged the whole thing can¡¯t be ruled out.¡±

    ¡°After all ¡®when the birds are gone, the bow is put away¡¯. If there is such a figure as the Demonic Sect Enchantress, then her role as an Orthodox Sword Immortal becomes crucial. It sounds like a reasonable logic, doesn¡¯t it? Yet until today, that Demonic Sect Enchantress only exists in her descriptions, without any concrete evidence to back it up. Even her claim that the Demonic Sect Enchantress ¡®will definitely go on a killing spree and silence others while escaping pursuit¡¯ did not happen.¡±

    ¡°In that case, it¡¯s natural for people to think she¡¯s ¡®bluffing¡¯, ¡®fabricating non-existent enemies to elevate her own value.¡¯ As for when the major search will be thoroughly relaxed, I estimate it will be around mid-April, since the grassroots are not inexhaustible like the mythical beasts Ox and Horse, we couldn¡¯t whip them to keep striving for an intangible target forever, right?¡±

    ...

    ¡°I see.¡± Yan Yu pondered for a while, and then heard Chen Lingyun continue:

    ¡°So when can I arrange a meeting with this Demonic Sect cultivator?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not convenient right now,¡± Yan Yu said perfunctorily, ¡°Next time, for sure.¡±

    ¡°Hmm-hmm.¡± Chen Lingyun was not annoyed, just smiled and said, ¡°The reason you came to me for help is to enable her to go out normally, right?¡±

    ¡°You should know that it¡¯s extremely troublesome to apply for an identification for someone with no ID card, no household registration, no birth certificate¡­¡±

    ¡°But for you, it should only take a word.¡± Yan Yu interrupted her slow speech, ¡°When it comes to issuing IDs for people with no identification, local law enforcement has significant discretionary power.¡±

    ¡°Maybe.¡± Chen Lingyun was noncommittal, ¡°Even if I can help you out, why must I do it for you?¡±

    ¡°Because we were husband and wife in our past lives?¡± Yan Yu ventured to ask.

    ¡°Last time someone clarified that it wasn¡¯t the case.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a light smile.

    ¡°That was to test the rapport between you and me!¡± Yan Yu shamelessly exclaimed, ¡°If you had even the slightest doubt or hesitation at the time, it would have proven that you in this life are not worthy of being with me. It was a necessary test of affection!¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡± Chen Lingyun gave a polite smile, casually tucking her hair behind her ear.

    She didn¡¯t believe a word of Yan Yu¡¯s explanations and reasoning.

    According to the ¡°personality sketch¡± in her mind, her so-called husband from her past life was the type who would do anything to achieve his goals, without the common male pride and dignity.

    When needed, it would be ¡°dear, sweet wife,¡± but when not, he¡¯d instantly turn into ¡°Who are you? I don¡¯t know you,¡± a predictable outcome.

    However¡­

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress, huh? Now that¡¯s interesting!

    ¡°Take me to see her,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°or no deal.¡±

    ¡°For the sake of our marriage¡­¡± Yan Yu still wanted to try, after all, letting this woman meet the Empress Yuanzhen could result in some uncontrollable accidents.

    ¡°What marriage, I don¡¯t know about that.¡± Chen Lingyun touched her lips and looked up at the sky, a puzzled expression on her face, ¡°According to the family registry, I¡¯m a pure and unmarried maiden~¡±

    ¡°Fine then,¡± Yan Yu made a decisive concession, realizing this woman wouldn¡¯t take the bait unless the hare was on the table, ¡°I¡¯ll take you to see her, okay?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, dear.¡± Chen Lingyun immediately smiled sweetly, saying at a relaxed pace, ¡°The issue with her identity, I¡¯ll have someone arrange it, you don¡¯t need to worry about it.¡±

    Yan Yu no longer had the energy to mock this worthless woman, just sighed and said:

    ¡°Once you¡¯ve sorted it out, I¡¯ll find time to arrange for you two to meet¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m free tonight~¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°Tonight¡¯s not good, I need to¡­¡± S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°I just happen to be free tonight~¡± Chen Lingyun continued to smile sweetly.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­..

    Such an annoying feeling! Why do I still have to be manipulated by this trashy woman even after being reborn!

    ¡°Beg me,¡± he suddenly said.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile remained unchanged, but her eyebrows rose slightly, indicating some displeasure in her heart.

    ¡°Beg me,¡± Yan Yu said with a confident expression, calmly continuing, ¡°and I will tell you a big secret.¡±

    ¡°What secret?¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s eyes lit up.

    ¡°A secret that will definitely interest you,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently, ¡°provided that you can move me.¡±

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s mind raced, quickly guessing that the other party was dissatisfied because she had a hold over him, and now sought to exchange that secret for some compensation in dignity.

    As for that, she actually didn¡¯t care.

    After all, that he could become her husband in a previous life meant he must have been deeply compatible with her in certain aspects. And the art of managing a husband was like flying a kite; constantly pulling the string would only make the other person tense all the time, eventually leading to thoughts of slipping from her control.

    In that case¡­

    Once Chen Lingyun had weighed her thoughts, she gently took Yan Yu¡¯s hand, and her smile turned sweet and charming as she pleaded coquettishly:

    ¡°Dear beloved husband~ What is that interesting secret? Please tell your cute little one~ Please, please~¡±

    ¡°Pfft hahahaha!¡± Yan Yu could not help but burst into laughter, doubling over.

    The two were standing at the end of a corridor where there were few students, but his laughter was so exaggerated that students from afar were drawn to the noise.

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s expression darkened as she forcefully let go of his hand, the smile on her face completely gone, replaced by a cold, angry look.

    However, Yan Yu was already satisfied. Knowing that this despicable woman would become a cultivator in the future and that her arrogance and contemptibility would soar, she was privately nicknamed ¡°Princess Jiang Hai,¡± a jibe at her imperious demeanor.

    To make her act coy like a little woman, only this moment in time would do.

    ¡°The secret is, at the mouth of the Qiantang River where it flows into the sea, at the location of the Sea-Watching Tide Park, there¡¯s a mysterious realm with an inverted six-tiered tower at its bottom,¡± Yan Yu said in a lowered voice, ¡°This tower was built by a great figure at the request of the Wuyue King Qian Chu during the Five Dynasties period, to suppress the tides of the Qiantang River. The divine treasure iron at the bottom of the tower, the Heavenly River Anchor, is the core of the realm, with the power to suppress the sea tides and keep the sea level from rising.¡±

    ¡°Some time ago, two Japanese Onmyoji dived into the tidal waters, intending to steal the Heavenly River Anchor from within.¡±

    Chen Lingyun fell silent for a moment, then said:

    ¡°You stopped them?¡±

    ¡°A mysterious guest stopped them,¡± Yan Yu said leisurely, ¡°The bodies were left at the top of the tower.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so you really did make a great contribution,¡± Chen Lingyun said in a low voice.

    Her face had lost its polite smile, clearly recognizing the gravity of the situation.

    From Yan Yu¡¯s description, the Qiantang River Tide-Suppressing Tower seemed akin to the ¡°Three Gorges Dam¡± of the northern Jiangnan Province, and if the Heavenly River Anchor were stolen, it would be as if someone had blown up this dam ¨C the Jiangnan weaving plain would be submerged¡­ This was a matter of life and death!

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Yan Yu shook his head, ¡°It was the mysterious guest who stopped them. I have no idea who he is.¡±

    Chen Lingyun let out a cold laugh, knowing he wanted to hide his identity, and said:

    ¡°If what you¡¯re saying is true, this matter cannot be easily settled. That stretch of river and the nearby embankments will definitely be designated as military no-go zones. And just like the Onmyoji, the mysterious guest has been inside the realm¡­ You understand, right? His identity will definitely be subjected to thorough investigation, and that¡¯s the biggest uncontrollable factor.¡±

    ¡°So, if someone went in ahead of time, cleaned up the scene, and claimed those two bodies,¡± Yan Yu was quite calm, ¡°then the authorities would realize the threat of foreign Transcendents, be sufficiently vigilant, and yet not discover any trace of the mysterious guest.¡±

    ¡°Then cooperation from the Zhendong Army would be needed,¡± Chen Lingyun paused, considering her words.

    ¡°Yes, if there are trustworthy personnel within the Zhendong Army, the matter could easily be resolved,¡± Yan Yu said, a meaningful smile spreading across his face.

    ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± Chen Lingyun replied.

    She said ¡°I¡¯ll try¡± rather than ¡°leave it to me,¡± which meant that she would need to seek assistance from her father, the Governor of Jianghai Prefecture, Chen Tianming.

    A high-ranking official with enough pull within the Zhendong Army, the only difficulty lay in convincing this Governor.

    But given Chen Lingyun¡¯s intelligence and eloquence, Yan Yu had no doubts about her success.

 Chapter 15 - 15 The Scumbag Girl and the Homebody Girl

    Chapter 15: Chapter 15 The Scumbag Girl and the Homebody Girl

    ¡°`

    A consensus on handling the Mysterious Realm of the Qiantang River was reached, and Miss Chen Lingyun had already asked for a ¡°kiss from her dear husband,¡± Yan Yu felt quite satisfied with that. So now, there was only one thing left:

    Meeting Zhao Yuanzhen.

    In fact, this wasn¡¯t entirely because of Chen Lingyun¡¯s playful mood¡­ If she had to be honest, curiosity was probably about ninety percent of her motivation, with the remaining ten percent being to ensure that there were no uncertainties.

    After all, Zhao Yuanzhen herself was the biggest uncertainty. If this woman was a ¡°ditz,¡± ¡°clueless about things,¡± Chen Lingyun would still help her secure an identity but would advise Yan Yu not to let her out, to avoid any unnecessary trouble.

    But if the woman was very smart, cunning almost to the point of being demonic, then Chen Lingyun would be pleased (for she would have a new toy to play with), and of course, she would start taking precautions early on.

    ...

    After all, Yan Yu was currently in a de facto cohabitation situation with the other party, and if he was conned into an affair, she would, of course, find it quite troublesome.

    1

    Walking home together, Yan Yu glanced at the passing traffic on the roadside and suddenly asked,

    ¡°What do you feel like eating tonight?¡±

    ¡°You decide~,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    The response sounded like that of a gentle girl, but in reality, it was not at all the case. Knowing Chen Lingyun as he did, Yan Yu interpreted her words to mean, ¡°Since you were my husband in a past life, you should know what I like to eat.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s have noodles,¡± Yan Yu sighed, ¡°clear soup noodles with a poached egg and some shepherd¡¯s purse.¡±

    Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t speak, but her smile grew even sweeter.

    She loved eating shepherd¡¯s purse that had just sprouted in the spring; the only ones who knew this were her parents and the auntie who cooked at her house.

    Now there was one more person who knew.

    Happy~

    ¡°So, what do Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s looks and figure like?¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly asked.

    ¡°Won¡¯t you know once we¡¯re back?¡± Yan Yu offhandedly replied.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Chen Lingyun elongated the sound.

    An ¡°Hmm¡ª¡± with a smile was her way of expressing dissatisfaction. As for the source of her dissatisfaction, it was probably because she wanted to test the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s standing in her eyes by asking about Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s looks and figure, and she was unhappy that he failed to catch on to this¡­

    Ah, this is annoying! Why do I have to have this kind of understanding with you! Also, isn¡¯t your possessiveness a bit too much?!

    Recalling the ¡°trashy princess¡± Chen Lingyun from his previous life¡ªwho was not his girlfriend but insisted on entangling him with various means¡ªYan Yu¡¯s fists involuntarily clenched harder.

    ¡°Well, despite some flaws in her personality, that Demonic Sect Enchantress really has nothing to complain about regarding her looks and figure,¡± he said seriously, as if appraising something. ¡°Her features are delicate and refined, the epitome of the current mainstream aesthetic of ¡®pale, skinny, and young¡¯; as for her figure, I guess it¡¯s probably 95-50-90, with nothing to pick on¡­¡±

    Chen Lingyun listened in silence, her delicate eyebrows raising slightly as she couldn¡¯t help but speak with a tone of disdain,

    ¡°You¡¯re so nauseatingly infatuated.¡±

    There it was, she was getting impatient! Hahaha!

    As soon as Yan Yu heard her curse in Jiang Hai dialect, he knew that she was somewhat upset, and he was filled with a sense of vengeful pleasure. To prevent Chen Lingyun from noticing, he turned his head to chuckle secretly.

    But of course, such a movement couldn¡¯t escape Chen Lingyun, who was close at hand. After a quick thought, she realized that he was deliberately annoying her.

    However, more than the embarrassment, what she really cared about was something else:

    When was the last time she had lost control of her emotions like this?

    ¡°`

    Ever since she was a child, Chen Lingyun had always been the epitome of an elegant young lady. Even when she was in kindergarten, she was the one child who never cried or fussed. As for elementary, middle, and high school, she was adored by her classmates, so perfect that many felt ashamed of themselves just by standing beside her¡ªof course, it was also a fact that her family background played a role in this.

    Apart from the stray cat incident, who could stir even the slightest ripple in her heart?

    In hindsight, my decision in my previous life to spend the rest of my life with him was even more justified.

    Oh dear, oh dear, I suddenly have this annoying husband, what should I do about it?

    Should I train him first, or should I play with him first?

    Chen Lingyun placed a hand on her cheek and smiled shyly, while Yan Yu, seeing her in such a girlish pose, guessed that she was starting to act coquettish and sneered to himself viciously.

    Worthless woman, the advantage your family background brings in terms of power will become less and less significant as spiritual energy has fully revived.

    When we both become cultivators, we¡¯ll have a proper showdown and see who ends up on top!

    Upon returning home, he saw Zhao Yuanzhen lying on the couch, lazily eating a bag of opened chips, her eyes glued to the TV, as she said:

    ¡°You¡¯re back? We¡¯re out of chips at home, I want cucumber-flavored ones¡­ Who is she?!!¡±

    The moment she saw the face of a stranger, the alarm bells went off in the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯ mind, and she leapt off the couch, quickly forming hand seals.

    ¡°My classmate,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently.

    This indifferent face was intended not only for homebody Zhao Yuanzhen but also for the worthless Chen Lingyun.

    ¡°Hello,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m a friend of Yan Yu, my name is Chen Lingyun.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen maintained her hand seals, eyes warily on Yan Yu, and when she didn¡¯t get any ¡°attack now¡± signals from him, she quietly pulled her hands back into her sleeves, lifted her chin proudly, and said:

    ¡°Qiansi Sect¡¯s Zhao Yuanzhen, you may address me as ¡®Mi Zhen Xianzi¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Pleased to meet you, Mi Zhen Xianzi.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile grew even sweeter, prompting Yan Yu to instantly realize that this woman was starting her antics, ¡°You¡¯re an old friend of the Rainbow Sword Immortal, Mei Yingxue, aren¡¯t you? She seems to have been looking for you lately.¡±

    Upon hearing the title of Rainbow Sword Immortal, Mei Yingxue, Zhao Yuanzhen shuddered, her gaze unintentionally drifting towards the window sill, but she quickly pulled it back and said forcefully:

    ¡°Is that so? I was actually looking to find her, to properly recount our past grudges and affections.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± said Chen Lingyun with a full-faced smile, clapping her hands together, ¡°I¡¯ll give her a call right away. Seeing an old friend after such a long time, she will surely be excited.¡±

    ¡°Hold on!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately couldn¡¯t keep her composure and quickly raised her hand saying, ¡°I! My True Yuan has not yet recovered, and if I were to spar with her, I¡¯m afraid it wouldn¡¯t be satisfying. Next time, let¡¯s talk about it next time!¡±

    ¡°Eh, is Mi Zhen Xianzi not fully recovered?¡± Chen Lingyun covered her mouth with her hand, pretending to be surprised, ¡°Perhaps I could ask the Rainbow Sword Immortal if she has any medicinal pills or prescriptions that could help you recover your cultivation faster.¡±

    ¡°No need! No need!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen became increasingly agitated, and if it weren¡¯t for Yan Yu standing beside her, she would immediately want to strike down this sharp-tongued young lady, ¡°It¡¯s too much trouble to bother outsiders with this! I have my measures; you needn¡¯t concern yourself!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Chen Lingyun laughed, her eyes curving like crescent moons, ¡°Then I¡¯ll just tell her I¡¯ve seen you here, and leave it at that.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare! Don¡¯t you dare!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was so annoyed she stomped her foot, pointing her finger accusingly, ¡°Annoying! Don¡¯t you talk too much! You¡¯re not allowed to say anything!¡± sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Chen Lingyun laughed delightedly and then turned to look at Yan Yu, her eyes conveying, ¡°Oh, this Demonic Sect Enchantress is so amusing!¡±

    Yan Yu silently rolled his eyes back at her, meaning, ¡°If you provoke her too much, I¡¯m not getting involved.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to cook,¡± he said, waving his hand helplessly, ¡°You two have a good chat.¡±

 Chapter 16 - 16 Are You Worthy?

    Chapter 16: Chapter 16 Are You Worthy?

    From a cultivation standpoint, Zhao Yuanzhen could kill ten Chen Lingyuns with just one hand.

    But when it comes to brains, ten Zhao Yuanzhens tied together wouldn¡¯t be able to outplay Chen Lingyun, that trashy woman.

    While Yan Yu was boiling noodles in the kitchen, he could hear Zhao Yuanzhen sighing in the living room, and Chen Lingyun giggling non-stop. He had no idea what those two were actually talking about.

    By the time the noodles were ready, Yan Yu brought them into the living room only to see Zhao Yuanzhen transformed into a burying hamster, lying on the couch with a pillow over her face, silent.

    Chen Lingyun, on the other hand, was sitting next to her, her face full of joyful smiles, gently poking Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s body¡­ wait, where are you poking?

    Leave it to me!

    ...

    Yan Yu set down the bowl of noodles and stopped her, saying:

    ¡°What are you doing?!¡±

    ¡°Mi Zhen Xianzi is ignoring me.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile was unstoppable, and the thick scent of trashiness enveloped her.

    ¡°You¡¯ve done enough.¡± Yan Yu advised helplessly, knowing full well this trashy woman wouldn¡¯t stop unless she grew bored of the game, ¡°It¡¯s good to leave some leeway, you know? Even a cornered rabbit will bite.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile bloomed like a flower, ¡°You¡¯ll protect me, right, hubby?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen, who had still been playing dead under the pillow, suddenly sat up straight as if rising from a coffin.

    ¡°Who are you calling hubby?¡± She looked at Chen Lingyun with a cold expression, asking icily.

    ¡°Him,¡± Chen Lingyun said, wrapping an arm around Yan Yu¡¯s, her eyes twinkling as she added, ¡°Didn¡¯t he tell you? We¡¯re a match made in heaven~¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen turned her gaze back to Yan Yu, her eyes now devoid of sparkle. That look¡­ wasn¡¯t the one that Qin Xianglian had for Chen Shimei, but rather like Kotonoha Katsura¡¯s for Makoto Ito.

    ¡°Stop talking nonsense.¡± Yan Yu forcefully shook off her hand, ¡°Doesn¡¯t it say single on your household registration? Show me!¡±

    ¡°That being said.¡± Chen Lingyun wasn¡¯t upset, but rather asked Zhao Yuanzhen, ¡°What is your relationship with him?¡±

    ¡°I am his Taoist cultivation partner.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said coldly.

    ¡°Cultivation partner, huh.¡± Chen Lingyun showed no signs of jealousy, only asking Yan Yu, ¡°Which takes precedence, a secular marriage or a Taoist sect marriage?¡±

    ¡°First off, there¡¯s no such thing as a Taoist sect marriage.¡± Yan Yu explained patiently, ¡°Cultivation partners are just partners in cultivation. Marriage itself is a secular concept involving a relationship between a man and a woman, which cultivators don¡¯t really care for.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Chen Lingyun got it and lit up with a trashy yet sweet smile, looking at Zhao Yuanzhen as she said, ¡°Looks like we aren¡¯t love rivals anymore.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ¡­¡­

    Arghh! I¡¯m so furious, I could kill somebody!!!

    But since this woman was brought back by Yan Yu, reason told her she couldn¡¯t lash out, and she could only forcefully suppress her anger, silently noting to herself:

    ¡°¡­Today, the little thief brought a woman named Chen Lingyun home, who dared to mock and humiliate me, I won¡¯t forget this vengeance! The day I have control over the universe, I must make the little thief take her as a concubine, making her serve me tea and water every day, at my whim to demean and scold!¡±

    Hmm?

    Wouldn¡¯t that be letting that little thief off too easy?

    Never mind, after all, by then the little thief will be a toy in my hand, hmph!

    Regaining her self-esteem in her fantasies, Zhao Yuanzhen didn¡¯t feel as angry at Chen Lingyun anymore, merely snorting as she asked Yan Yu:

    ¡°What about the noodles you cooked? I want to eat too.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re in the pot, help yourself.¡± Yan Yu said unceremoniously.

    Zhao Yuanzhen glared at him with force.

    Then she got up and walked towards the kitchen¡­ but after a few steps, she felt so annoyed that she turned around and glared at him again.

    Chen Lingyun was also very happy, after all, Yan Yu had specially served her the noodles, and the difference in how he treated her compared to Zhao Yuanzhen was stark, instantly giving her a sense of superiority.

    Just as she was about to receive the noodles with a smile on her face, she saw Yan Yu pull the bowl towards himself, picked up some noodles with his chopsticks, and slurped them up.

    Chen Lingyun: ¡­¡­

    After swallowing the food, Yan Yu looked up at her, puzzled:

    ¡°Go get your noodles, what are you sitting there for?¡±

    ¡°Playing hard to get, huh?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    ¡°Playing hard to get? What do you mean?¡± Yan Yu frowned in confusion.

    ¡°Hehe.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile didn¡¯t waver as she stood up and headed to the kitchen to serve the noodles.

    Upon reaching the kitchen, she saw that the pot was already completely empty¡ªZhao Yuanzhen had poured all the remaining noodles and soup into a large bowl and then, giving Chen Lingyun a sidelong glance as if she had just avenged a great wrong, turned her head high and haughty and left.

    The smile finally disappeared from Chen Lingyun¡¯s face. She silently stared at the empty iron pot, lost in thought.

    After a moment, Yan Yu¡¯s scolding voice came from the living room: Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Can you even finish all those noodles?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a cultivator!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen retorted, ¡°Of course, I can finish them!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a cultivator, not a pig in a pen!¡± Yan Yu tapped her on the head, ¡°Stop throwing a tantrum! Share half with her, off you go!¡±

    Reluctantly, Zhao Yuanzhen got up to fetch a bowl to divide the noodles in the kitchen. Chen Lingyun returned to the living room and, looking at Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s back, asked with a frown:

    ¡°Is that all there is to the Demonic Sect Enchantress? She seems more like a disobedient little maid than anything else.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t let her appearance deceive you.¡± As Yan Yu continued eating his noodles, he said, ¡°In fact, she¡¯s quite ferocious; it¡¯s all thanks to my efforts in restraining her. Otherwise, if she ran loose, there would certainly be havoc.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Chen Lingyun mused thoughtfully.

    She knew that Yan Yu had memories of the future, and according to what Mei Yingxue said, Zhao Yuanzhen indeed was the type who took lives without a second thought¡ªnot that she was innately evil, but the environment of the Demonic Sect had shaped her to regard human lives with indifference, just like ¡°when everyone eats fried chicken, they don¡¯t consider the chicken¡¯s life.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re really protecting the people, taking the weight of the world on your shoulders alone.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile returned as she looked down at her toes, a rough plan already forming in her mind.

    1

    ¡°What kind of devilish idea are you thinking of now?¡± Yan Yu asked with a frown.

    This crafty woman, though fond of feigning smiles, had discernible differences between them. Simply put, smile with curved eyes=happiness, raised eyebrows=displeasure, half-lowered eyelids=contentment, gaze directed downwards=up to no good again.

    ¡°Guess?¡± Chen Lingyun said mischievously.

    ¡°If I guess it right, you¡¯ll tell me, right?¡± Yan Yu chuckled coldly.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile was sweet, her tone sly, ¡°If you guess it right, there¡¯s no need for me to say more, right? And if you guess wrong, why would I tell you?¡±

    From the kitchen, Zhao Yuanzhen, with two bowls of noodles in hand, came back and grumpily placed one of them in front of Chen Lingyun.

    Even though she put it down with such force that the soup splashed, Chen Lingyun wasn¡¯t really upset and simply smiled and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Picking up some noodles with her chopsticks, she tasted them and suddenly said out of the blue:

    ¡°The newly built campus of Jinling University was suddenly requisitioned not long ago.¡±

    Time for the exchange of riddles!

    ¡°Oh.¡± Yan Yu did not show any sign of surprise, ¡°What¡¯s the new school going to be called?¡±

    ¡°Zhendong National Defense Science and Technology College.¡± Chen Lingyun replied, ¡°What do you think of this name?

    ¡°The final name will probably drop the ¡®Science and Technology¡¯ part,¡± Yan Yu answered, ¡°After all, it¡¯s going to be a higher education institution for cultivators; bringing ¡®science and technology¡¯ into it seems a bit far-fetched.¡±

    ¡°Zhendong National Defense College, mmm-hmm.¡± Chen Lingyun nodded with a smile.

    ¡°Cultivators?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s ears perked up, but she didn¡¯t ask anything, merely eavesdropping.

    ¡°That being said,¡± Chen Lingyun continued, ¡°someone suggested that the cultivators should be unified in their education, but in the end, it was decided to establish institutions in four different locations¡ªthe east, south, west, and north¡ªnamely in Jinling Prefecture, Xingwang Prefecture, Shuzhong Prefecture, and Shengjing Prefecture. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Of course, it makes sense.¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°Alma mater connections are natural factions. All the country¡¯s cultivators from the same school¡ªwho would dare propose such a rotten idea?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, alma mater connections are natural factions.¡± Chen Lingyun tapped her lips with her finger, smiling slightly, ¡°So, would you join my faction?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen, who had been scratching her head in confusion listening to their cryptic conversation, bristled at Chen Lingyun¡¯s last sentence; the only thought left in her mind:

    Some shameless person is trying to steal my dao companion!

    Just as she was about to explode in rage and tear into a confrontation, she saw Yan Yu glance sidelong at Chen Lingyun and suddenly smirk:

    ¡°Do you even qualify?¡±

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile froze on her face.

 Chapter 17 - 17: Ill Let You Know If I Am Worthy or Not

    Chapter 17: Chapter 17: I¡¯ll Let You Know If I Am Worthy or Not

    ¡°`

    Having met with Zhao Yuanzhen and promised to help her resolve her identity issue, Chen Lingyun took her leave and went home.

    In the following days, the two maintained frequent communication within the school.

    Yan Yu¡¯s disdainful ¡°you too are worthy?¡± had no impact on Chen Lingyun; instead, it only strengthened her resolve towards a certain idea.

    Of course, with both of them being exceedingly shrewd, they made sure not to let other students catch them during their regular meetings, often choosing secluded places like the end of an empty corridor or the small lawn behind the laboratory building¡­ Their covert meetings resembled those of secret lovers.

    However, at least for now, there have been no sparks of romance between the two.

    ...

    In Chen Lingyun¡¯s eyes, Yan Yu was ¡°my favorite toy,¡± ¡°please entertain me to your fullest,¡± while in Yan Yu¡¯s heart, Chen Lingyun oscillated between a ¡°woman in need of discipline¡± and a ¡°fat sheep ripe for use.¡±

    If one were to talk about interests, Chen Lingyun indeed needed Yan Yu¡¯s prophetic edge to confirm her judgments on the current situation, whereas Yan Yu needed to obtain some information details from Chen Lingyun that he was unclear about in his previous life.

    ¡°The Pingjing Chaoming Medical College came up with a complete testing solution yesterday afternoon,¡± Chen Lingyun said calmly after class, as they met, ¡°It¡¯s possible to confirm whether there is Spiritual Energy within the bloodline through blood tests, thereby determining if one has the qualifications for cultivation.¡±

    Cultivation places great emphasis on talent, a conclusion drawn by the first batch of military cultivators during their training. Experiments have shown that those without talent cannot force cultivation, it isn¡¯t a matter of achieving less with more effort, they simply cannot start to cultivate at all.

    Of course, Yan Yu knew the reality was not like this; the issue mainly lay in the Primordial Unity Scripture offered by Mei Yingxue, which had excessively high requirements for a cultivator¡¯s talent.

    If replaced with Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s String-Pulling Technique, there would be no demand for any cultivation talent, but its requirements for cultivation resources were incredibly high¡ªanother troublesome matter, but at least one wouldn¡¯t be hindered by innate cultivation talents.

    ¡°So you must have had your blood tested in advance, right?¡± Yan Yu asked casually, leaning on the railing.

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°in our circles, only two people have passed the blood test.¡±

    Upon saying this, she paused for a moment and then added with a smile:

    ¡°You know who the other person is, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu said leisurely, ¡°Princess Jiang Hai Chen Lingyun, Pingjing¡¯s number one figure, Liu Longtao, are set to be called the fools of the south and the idiots of the north in the future.¡±

    Chen Lingyun burst into laughter, unable to hold back:

    ¡°¡®Idiot of the north¡¯ is quite fitting. Who came up with ¡®fool of the south¡¯? Tell me their name, I want to remember it.¡±

    ¡°So you do not deny the title of ¡®Princess Jiang Hai,¡¯ do you?¡± Yan Yu asked, looking at her askance.

    ¡°Why deny it?¡± Chen Lingyun said serenely, ¡°As long as I am strong enough, all the ridicule will ultimately turn into praise. Besides, the word ¡®princess¡¯ can carry both positive and negative connotations.¡±

    Yan Yu quietly tugged at the corner of his mouth.

    It had begun.

    Since discovering she was one in ten thousand with the talent for cultivation, this despicable woman¡¯s confidence and degree of despicableness were about to soar.

    How about breaking ties now?

    If ties are cut, I won¡¯t have to deal with her despicableness.

    ¡°I have an idea,¡± Chen Lingyun propped her hands on the railing and stretched her body gracefully like a cat, softly saying, ¡°I want to control all cultivators who hail from Zhendong.¡±

    ¡°All the undergraduate cultivators selected from Jiangbei, Jiang Hai, Jiangnan, Jianghuai, Minhai, and Jiujiang will undergo uniform training at the Zhendong Academy for Cultivators in the future.¡±

    1

    ¡°I want to gather them all under my wing.¡± The girl turned her head back again, her face adorned with a sweet and brilliant smile, ¡°What do you think, my dear?¡±

    Yan Yu looked at her speechlessly.

    Just as expected! With a rapid rise in confidence, this despicable woman was already beginning to dream impossible dreams!

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible,¡± he bluntly stated, ¡°because you¡¯re not strong enough.¡±

    ¡°There are four main elements of cultivation: talent, physique, comprehension, and fate. Aside from the uncontrollable fate, the most important is talent.¡±

    ¡°And your talent, among cultivators, is actually only mediocre.¡±

    Chen Lingyun quieted down, gazing at him silently.

    ¡°Even Liu Longtao, whom you always look down upon,¡± Yan Yu pressed on, ¡°has far superior talent to you; hence, in the future, he will have more say among the Dingbei Army cultivators than you will amongst the Zhendong Army cultivators.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is,¡± Chen Lingyun fell silent for a while, then suddenly seemed somewhat sorrowful, ¡°Is that why you previously said the future of cultivators would be terrifying?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Yan Yu said in a somber tone, ¡°whether it¡¯s the utterly foolish idiots, the worthless scum that are worse than pigs and dogs, or the scoundrels who take lives at will¡­¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°As long as one can cultivate and gain strength, they can control the corresponding secular power. Without regard for character, that¡¯s the most troublesome part.¡±

    Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t answer.

    She boredly grabbed the railing, let her body relax backward naturally, and tilted her head pondering for a moment.

    ¡°What about you?¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly asked, ¡°What if you came to help me?¡±

    ¡°If I were to help you, then there would be no concern for conquering Zhendong or securing Dingbei, no need to worry about pacifying Pingxi or stabilizing Annan,¡± Yan Yu said leisurely.

    ¡°Oh, quite the big talker, aren¡¯t you?¡± Chen Lingyun revealed a teasing smile.

    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Yan Yu extended his right thumb and poked his own chest, asserting as a matter of course, ¡°When it comes to strength, I¡¯m the strongest in this world, okay?¡±

    Chen Lingyun blinked. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    She turned her head toward the distance as if she were daydreaming, or perhaps she was thinking about something.

    ¡°I believe what you say,¡± Chen Lingyun said softly, ¡°But I still want to try, to follow my own plan.¡±

    ¡°If I fail¡­ then I¡¯ll ask for your help. What do you say to us, husband and wife, combining our efforts? I¡¯ll provide the strategy, and you¡¯ll contribute the strength; together we¡¯ll control the world, how about that?¡±

    ¡°My answer is three words,¡± Yan Yu responded calmly.

    ¡°I do?¡± Chen Lingyun revealed an adorable smile.

    ¡°In your dreams!¡± Yan Yu rejected her loudly.

    13

    Before Chen Lingyun could continue to say anything, Yan Yu mercilessly mocked her:

    ¡°I won¡¯t comment on your height, I won¡¯t mention your figure, but just your nasty character alone, always fake-smiling as if everyone else is an idiot, enjoying the discomfort of others for fun, why would I marry you if I¡¯m not a masochist? Wouldn¡¯t I rather find a gentle and lovely girl, or a serious and capable one with black, straight hair? And you¡­¡±

    His voice came to an abrupt halt, for Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile had completely faded from her face, replaced by a terrifying expression akin to that of a demon.

    It was a darker aspect she had never revealed in her previous life.

    ¡°The gentle and lovely girl you mentioned just now,¡± Chen Lingyun asked slowly, enunciating each word as if squeezing them through her teeth, ¡°who is that? And the one with black, straight hair, who is she?¡±

    ¡­¡­

    Yan Yu crouched in the men¡¯s restroom for quite a while.

    Not because he was hiding from anyone, he was just using the restroom, and he had a feeling that it would be very bad to go out now. But he wasn¡¯t hiding from anyone. There was no rush to return to the classroom since the class hadn¡¯t started, nor was he worried someone might come looking for him. Anyway, it¡¯d be better to wait until the bell rang to go out. In any case, he wasn¡¯t hiding from anyone.

    Gosh! I¡¯m the strongest in this world!

    On the other side, in the classroom of Senior Year, Class 3, the students gathered in small groups, resting or chatting leisurely.

    Suddenly, an extremely beautiful female student walked into the classroom of Senior Year, Class 3 from the front door.

    The noise gradually settled down as everyone recognized that the beautiful girl who burst in wasn¡¯t a student from Class 3¡ªafter all, a girl that cute wouldn¡¯t be easily forgotten once seen, right?

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s gaze swept over all the students before she turned to the closest female student with a somewhat pitiful smile:

    ¡°Excuse me¡­ Is Yan Yu here?¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu?¡± The female student immediately showed a look of realization and pointed outside, saying, ¡°He went out as soon as class ended and hasn¡¯t returned yet.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Chen Lingyun lowered her head sadly, her voice faint as her eyes began to redden.

    Then she turned around, seemingly not wanting others to see her upset, but tears still dropped down relentlessly.

    To the nearby female classmates, several keywords immediately sprang to mind:

    Yan Yu, beautiful girl, heartbreak, crying¡­

    Gossip material!

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, are you okay?¡± Without needing any prompting, four or five girls rushed forward to take the still sobbing Chen Lingyun out of the classroom, comforting her in hushed tones in the hallway while trying to find out what happened between her and Yan Yu.

    Another outgoing girl stood at the classroom¡¯s entrance, blocking the male students inside from coming out to eavesdrop on the gossip:

    ¡°Don¡¯t listen! Mind your own business, what does this have to do with you? Go back to your seats!¡±

 Chapter 18 - 18: Official Identity

    Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Official Identity

    Yan Yu had been feeling something strange lately.

    For some reason, starting from some time ago, his classmates began to view him with peculiar opinions¡­ The girls often gossiped about him behind his back, but when Yan Yu asked them, they flat out denied it, allowing him to catch only snippets of words such as ¡°cheating,¡± ¡°player,¡± among half-whispered conversations.

    The boys, on the other hand, would slap him on the back, laugh and joke, throwing around baffling comments like, ¡°When did you get a girlfriend, man?¡± ¡°Not even a word to us, are we still brothers?¡± ¡°With that on your mind, can you still focus on your college entrance exams?¡±

    Though Yan Yu had no proof, he was certain:

    It was definitely Chen Lingyun¡¯s doing!

    Wait, the reason this wretched woman hasn¡¯t contacted me recently wouldn¡¯t be because she¡¯s waiting for me to beg her, would it?

    ...

    Dream on!

    The physical examination for college entrance is about to start, and I will become a Cultivator then. Do you think I would care about what these high school classmates think?

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    About two weeks later.

    One day, after school, as Yan Yu returned home alone, he suddenly saw Chen Lingyun, whom he hadn¡¯t seen for a long time, standing at his doorstep, waiting.

    Today, the young lady was dressed in a simple white dress with high-heeled boots, standing pretty as a freshly blossomed water lily.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Yan Yu took out his keys to open the door, asking in surprise, ¡°How long have you been waiting?¡±

    ¡°Not long,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°Considering the time school ends and the walk here, it¡¯s not difficult to estimate when you¡¯d arrive home.¡±

    ¡°Then come in,¡± Yan Yu sighed and said.

    Once inside the house, they saw Zhao Yuanzhen lying on the bed, sound asleep, with her unladylike white legs shamelessly exposed.

    This Demonic Sect Enchantress isn¡¯t meditating at home, but instead snoozing away here!

    If she keeps this up, her personality is truly going to waste.

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Chen Lingyun gave a faint smile, took out a small bag she carried with her, and pulled out documents such as an ID card and household registration book, raising her eyebrows and saying, ¡°I¡¯ve taken care of everything. Here it is.¡±

    Yan Yu took a look at the ID card, and the name astonishingly read ¡°Zhao Jiuzhen¡±¡ªyou only changed one character!

    ¡°This won¡¯t get recognized, will it?¡± he asked again with a dubious look. ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t mean the moment you enter these into the database, they¡¯ll notice right away, do you?!¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    As for why that wouldn¡¯t happen, she didn¡¯t intend to explain, instead adopting an ¡°believe it or not¡± attitude.

    Yan Yu silently gathered the materials and heard Chen Lingyun say:

    ¡°Senior high students just need to participate in the physical examination for college entrance. For someone like her without school records, a social idler, she needs to go to a specific hospital for certain tests to confirm the presence of Spiritual Energy.¡±

    ¡°Are you planning to get her into the college as well?¡± Yan Yu asked, stroking his chin.

    ¡°The comprehensive cultivation plan due to inter-college competition has been set by the top,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°Since we are planning to enroll at Zhendong College, it¡¯s obviously better for Zhendong College to have as many Cultivators as possible. Besides, she was born in that world. Even if it¡¯s just the knowledge in her mind, it might not be less important than Mei Yingxue.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Yan Yu muttered, deep in thought when suddenly Chen Lingyun leaned in close and asked with breath as fragrant as orchids:

    ¡°Haven¡¯t contacted you recently, did you miss me?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Yan Yu stated bluntly. ¡°But my classmates sure miss you. They¡¯re all very curious why I would date such a wretched ¡®girlfriend¡¯.¡±

    ¡°I went back to Jianghai Prefecture a while ago,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a faint smile, ¡°Today, I¡¯m here to get her physical examination done to ensure she can also enroll smoothly.¡±

    ¡°After this is over, I still have to rush back to Jianghai tonight.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going back tonight?¡± Yan Yu was slightly surprised, ¡°Are you that busy?¡±

    ¡°I knew you can¡¯t bear to part with me,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile, her eyes curving into crescents.

    Yan Yu couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue with her and just listened as she explained:

    ¡°Military cultivators were the first batch of cultivators, and I am part of the second batch, which is university student cultivators. Since I had confirmed my Spirit Root in advance, I have to cooperate with the military cultivators in a series of experiments to see if their training methods in the army are applicable to university students.¡±

    ¡°I remember they didn¡¯t fully use military training methods in the end,¡± Yan Yu pondered solemnly, ¡°The reason seemed to be due to changes in Mitchi Country.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was just at the end of this month that Mitchi Country introduced new policies,¡± Chen Lingyun nodded, ¡°They have publicly announced the recruitment of Transcendents from all over the world and established two organizations. One is the ¡®Superhero Alliance¡¯ and the other is the ¡®Homeland Strategic Bureau¡¯.¡±

    ¡°The Superhero Alliance plans to become a professional league like the NBA, using a large amount of fame and wealth to attract foreign Transcendents to participate in combative spectator sports; whereas the Homeland Strategic Bureau is an official agency and will select elites from the Superhero Alliance to join and become the country¡¯s official military Transcendents.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s so Mitchi Country,¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but remark, despite already knowing the world¡¯s trend, ¡°They have such a developed commercial mindset.¡±

    ¡°In short, ever since Mitchi Country¡¯s Transcendent introduction plan came out, it¡¯s basically thrown the rest of the world into disarray,¡± Chen Lingyun said, chuckling, ¡°Cultivators are different from scientists. If scientific talents are poached by other countries, it won¡¯t cause a fundamental harm, but if cultivators are enticed away by fame and wealth, one issue is the complete leakage of cultivation systems and training models, and the other is the fear that in the later stages of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, some cultivators will possess the terrifying strength to dominate battlefields. In that case, we would certainly lose out big time.¡±

    ¡°So there¡¯s been internal debate lately about whether to continue with strict militarized training or to also introduce fame and wealth to deeply bind cultivators,¡± Chen Lingyun continued thoughtfully, then asked with a smile, ¡°Never mind, let me guess, in the future we will opt for a dual approach, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu replied nonchalantly, ¡°No matter the occupation, if the compensation can¡¯t match that of foreign counterparts, even the most patriotic will have complaints. Plus, with cultivators truly possessing the power to defect forcefully, it would be strange if the authorities felt reassured, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right,¡± Chen Lingyun smiled delightedly, ¡°That means as long as we can become the most powerful cultivators, power, fame, benefits¡ªall will follow suit. Doesn¡¯t that make things even more interesting?¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu responded, though he seemed less than enthusiastic.

    Power, fame, wealth¡ªthey don¡¯t just fall from the sky. You pay a dear price for these things¡­ with your life¡­

    Seeing him like this, Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t ask further but went over to wake Zhao Yuanzhen and planned to take her for a medical checkup.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, half-roused by the push, mumbled in a daze:

    ¡°Stop messing with me~ let me sleep a bit more.¡±

    Chen Lingyun turned around, her face devoid of any smile, and asked indifferently:

    ¡°Oh? How do you usually mess around?¡± S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°The same way you mess around with others,¡± Yan Yu replied just as expressionlessly.

    ¡°I see.¡± Chen Lingyun appeared thoughtful, ¡°Then demonstrate it for me.¡±

    Yan Yu walked over to the bed and pinched Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s nose.

    Zhao Yuanzhen kept her eyes closed, simply opening her mouth to breathe. Yan Yu then covered her mouth, and yet this Demonic Sect Enchantress still didn¡¯t open her eyes¡­ she actually went straight into a state of suspended animation and continued to sleep.

    ¡°Looks like she won¡¯t wake up,¡± Yan Yu let go of her mouth and nose and sighed, ¡°Then it¡¯s just the two of us going for hotpot.¡±

    ¡°Okay, hubby!¡± Chen Lingyun was overjoyed and responded loudly.

    Before the two had even reached the door, Zhao Yuanzhen smacked her lips and suddenly sat up abruptly on the bed, yelling:

    ¡°Who¡¯s going for hotpot without me!¡±

 Chapter 19 - 19 Zhao Yuanzhen is Jealous

    Chapter 19: Chapter 19 Zhao Yuanzhen is Jealous

    The process of taking Zhao Yuanzhen to the hospital for a blood test was far from smooth.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress was afraid of getting hurt and would wriggle about at the sight of a needle. It took Yan Yu a great effort to hold her arm down so the nurse could insert the needle successfully.

    I always feel like this guy¡¯s personality is getting farther and farther from Empress Yuanzhen in her previous life¡­ Crap, didn¡¯t I bring back the wrong person that night?

    Taking Zhao Yuanzhen to eat at Haidilao, however, went incredibly smoothly.

    In front of the hotpot, this Enchantress sprang back to life, personally picking out items like tripe, throat, Basa fish, fatty beef, duck blood, frozen tofu, fried dough sticks, kelp, enokitake mushrooms, noodle soup, shrimp paste, and claypot rice. Watching her, Yan Yu¡¯s eyelids kept twitching, and he nearly wanted to give her an ultimatum right then and there.

    So, you just keep ordering endlessly when it¡¯s not your money, huh!

    ...

    ¡°Isn¡¯t the food here yet, Yan Yu?¡± After finishing her order on the phone, Zhao Yuanzhen began to fidget, sitting restlessly and tapping her foot, ¡°So slow!¡±

    Yan Yu silently pressed her white leg down firmly to prevent her from making a hole in the floor.

    Chen Lingyun sat across the table, laughing, her eyes shaped like crescents and her eyebrows slightly raised. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    So, when this sassy woman¡¯s eyes are crescent-shaped, she¡¯s happy, and when she raises her eyebrows, she¡¯s unhappy. But what does crescent eyes plus raised eyebrows mean?

    Enjoying the pain?

    ¡°I¡¯m going to fix the sauce,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly said, ¡°Get some fragrant vinegar.¡±

    ¡°Make it quick!¡± Yan Yu urged, ¡°If you¡¯re not back in 3 minutes, for every 10 seconds you¡¯re late, I¡¯ll take away one of your dishes!¡±

    ¡°A minute is more than enough!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen retorted coldly, stood up, and with a whoosh, she disappeared.

    Yan Yu was still somewhat worried. This woman had only seen people ordering from Haidilao in short online videos, and now she was about to operate for real. Should be fine, right?

    He craned his neck towards the sauce area, only to hear Chen Lingyun say out of the blue:

    ¡°It seems you two get along quite well.¡±

    ¡°Are you jealous?¡± Yan Yu deflected with a counter-attack.

    ¡°Hehe.¡± Chen Lingyun just supported her cheek with one hand, elbow leisurely propped on the table, smiling as she watched him.

    ¡°If you¡¯re jealous, just come out with it. How would I know if you don¡¯t say it?¡± Yan Yu continued his assault, taunting her, ¡°If I don¡¯t know you¡¯re jealous, how can I make fun of you?¡±

    ¡°The Three Arts and the Five Spells.¡± Unable to bear it anymore, Chen Lingyun changed the subject, asking, ¡°Which should I learn first?¡±

    ¡°You need to learn them all,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    ¡°I¡¯m asking about priority,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a twinkle in her eyes.

    ¡°They¡¯re all priorities,¡± Yan Yu countered, ¡°In arithmetic, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division¡ª which do you think should be learned first? You¡¯re already a cultivator, asking such a basic question. Aren¡¯t you ashamed?¡±

    ¡°Jinling is currently setting up a Cultivator training program,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a light smile. ¡°They think it¡¯s more appropriate to start with the Shifting Technique and the Barrier Charm.¡±

    ¡°Idiots,¡± Yan Yu bluntly judged.

    1

    ¡°Among the Three Arts, the Shifting Technique can boost movement speed; of the Five Spells, the Barrier Charm can make one invulnerable to blades and bullets,¡± Chen Lingyun elaborated slowly. ¡°It¡¯s not unreasonable for them to make that choice.¡±

    ¡°The Shifting Technique is greatly limited by terrain,¡± Yan Yu responded coldly. ¡°In an urban combat environment, if the enemy is sniping from a high-rise building and you don¡¯t have the Cloud Ascension Technique, you¡¯re going to climb dozens of floors up the stairs, right? If the enemy blocks a strategic pass, without the Wall-Penetration Technique, are you going to charge right into a bullet-saturated zone?¡±

    ¡°But there¡¯s the Barrier Charm,¡± Chen Lingyun reasoned, smiling still, with an answer already in mind, ¡°Activate the Barrier Charm, withstand the damage, and charging through isn¡¯t impossible.¡±

    ¡°The Barrier Charm consumes True Yuan,¡± Yan Yu stated disdainfully. ¡°Among the Five Spells, it requires the most energy. How much True Yuan do you think you can afford to waste?¡±

    ¡°Hmm~¡± Chen Lingyun responded noncommittally, ¡°Then among the Five Spells, which is more useful?¡±

    ¡°For offense, the Metal-Element Impact Curse is the best,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°It shoots Sword Qi, penetrating the enemy, with the least True Yuan consumption. If the opponent uses the Barrier Charm and takes the hits, you use hit-and-run tactics against him, firing an Impact Curse every 1-2 seconds, forcing him to maintain his Barrier Charm constantly without letting up. Considering the concept of ¡®metal being born from earth,¡¯ his True Yuan will definitely run out before yours.¡±

    1

    ¡°Since they promote the Barrier Charm and defense above all else, just focus on practicing the Impact Curse. Give them a little ¡®Five Elements shock¡¯.¡±

    ¡°So how should one deal with this kind of continuous Impact Curse tactic?¡± Chen Lingyun pondered.

    1

    ¡°You can use the Flame Curse,¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°Use the blaze to obscure the opponent¡¯s vision, and at the same time, the Impact Curse won¡¯t be able to penetrate the Flame Curse that is being cast. The Metal-Element Sword Qi will be restrained by the fire element.¡±

    ¡°However, the best method is still the Shifting Technique + Cloud Ascension Technique, using precise movements to dodge attacks, and more importantly, to close the distance quickly for an offensive. It¡¯s meaningless to just think about counter tactics; offense is the best defense. As long as you take the opponent down first, whatever tactics they have lined up next are irrelevant.¡±

    ¡°Hmm~¡± Chen Lingyun nodded, her smile turning more joyous, ¡°That means you were quite formidable in your past life, huh?¡±

    ¡°I could pin you to the ground and beat you up without a problem,¡± Yan Yu scoffed and replied.

    ¡°Who are you going to beat up?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen came back with a small bowl of sauce and looked at Chen Lingyun with a hint of malice, ¡°Count me in.¡±

    The waiter served the dishes, and the three of them started to eat.

    It wasn¡¯t until they had their fill and the plates were empty that Chen Lingyun took a sip of tea and suddenly said:

    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m quite looking forward to it.¡±

    ¡°Looking forward to what?¡± Yan Yu lazily asked.

    ¡°Looking forward to you pinning everyone to the ground and giving them a good thrashing,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile brimming with anticipation, ¡°But you still need to pass the physical examination to get your enrollment qualification first.¡±

    She stood up, grabbed her designer handbag, and said:

    ¡°I have to go now, I have a high-speed train ticket for 8 o¡¯clock tonight.¡±

    ¡°Next time we meet, it¡¯ll be in Jinling~¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t it be a video chat?¡± Yan Yu deliberately asked, trying to stir things up.

    ¡°Nope.¡± Chen Lingyun shook her finger naughtily and laughed, ¡°I¡¯ve been really busy lately.¡±

    ¡°See?¡± Yan Yu pointed at the heartless woman across from him and said to Zhao Yuanzhen, ¡°Such a heartless woman, thinking about becoming a faction leader. No one is going to accept her, right?¡±

    ¡°Mhm, mhm, mhm.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was still busy picking the last of the noodles from the pot to eat.

    Though not interested in their conversation, seeing it was on account of the food, she might as well go along with the little thief.

    ¡°Just kidding.¡± Chen Lingyun spoke leisurely, ¡°Remember to video call me, bye-bye~¡±

    She flashed a sweet smile, waved gently, and then left.

    ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to video call her,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said suddenly after finishing the noodles.

    ¡°Why not?¡± Yan Yu asked with an amused smile.

    ¡°You¡¯re my cultivation partner,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said seriously as she wiped her mouth with a napkin, ¡°You can¡¯t be flirting with other women.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you, a cultivation partner is just a companion for cultivating together,¡± Yan Yu chuckled coldly, ¡°It¡¯s not a marriage. Can you get your role straight?¡±

    The jealousy was practically oozing out. Empress Yuanzhen, old vinegar much? We only cultivated together for two months, without practicing any bedroom arts, and already you consider me your possession? A perfectly good cultivation partner, and you¡¯ve turned it into objectification. Disappointing!

    ¡°I still don¡¯t agree,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen huffed, ¡°Am I less attractive than her, or is my figure worse? Since you¡¯ve already cultivated with me, there¡¯s no need to waste time on other women.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not about her looks or figure¡­ forget it, you wouldn¡¯t understand,¡± Yan Yu shook his head helplessly and said, ¡°You should focus on recovering your strength. And speaking of which, where¡¯s our puppet?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s in the works,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said somewhat sulkily, just looking at the still bubbling hot pot, her mind beginning to wander.

    This is so annoying, that damn thief! Can¡¯t he be nice to me for once?

    Hmph, once I fully master my divine power, I¡¯ll capture that Chen Lingyun, soul-snatch her right in front of him!

    I want to see him kneeling and begging me to let her reincarnate!

 Chapter 20 - 20 Admission Agreement

    Chapter 20: Chapter 20 Admission Agreement

    The high school physical examinations soon arrived.

    The majority of seniors were having their first medical checkup, so students could be seen everywhere, holding their examination forms, looking around, and unsure about which queue to join.

    Of course, there were also those who followed their close friends en masse to a spot, utterly clueless about what was being examined there.

    Yan Yu¡¯s goal was clear as he headed straight for the ¡°Liver Function Testing Point,¡± where the queue for blood tests was the shortest.

    When it was his turn, he sat on the chair, exposing his right arm, his gaze fixed on the blood centrifuge behind the nurse.

    Indeed, the centrifuge was already affixed with special talisman paper that had been added to ¡°detect spiritual energy.¡±

    ...

    The nurse used alcohol cotton to disinfect him, and Yan Yu immediately circulated his qi in secret, directing the True Yuan he had cultivated recently towards his right arm.

    Those with a Spirit Root who had never cultivated would have blood infused with a trace of ¡°Innate Energy,¡± also known as ¡°Embryonic Breath.¡± As long as the equipment detected this essence, it would prove that the person had a Spirit Root within and was qualified to become a cultivator.

    Of course, spiritual energy and Spirit Root were not entirely bound together. For instance, those who had colds, allergies, or menstrual irregularities, even if they possessed a Spirit Root, the Innate Energy in their blood would temporarily weaken to a degree undetectable by the equipment.

    Then there were exceptional cases like Yan Yu, who, despite not having a Spirit Root, managed to step into cultivation early with some ¡°extraordinary means.¡± His natural talent for cultivation was not as good as the former, but because his blood contained spiritual energy, he could still be detected by the equipment.

    Hence, an individual¡¯s success often depended more on opportunity and fate. The times when heaven and earth work in unison, and the times when heroes are no longer free to act, are also brutally factual.

    Yan Yu, who had attempted to turn the tide in his previous life, ultimately had to admit to the undeniable power of circumstance and no longer wished to consider so much.

    After all, in this life, I¡¯m also a cultivator, and anyone who dares stand in my way must die!

    The nurse shook the blood she had drawn and placed it in the nearby centrifuge.

    The machine hadn¡¯t even started yet, but the talisman paper on it suddenly lit up slightly.

    A meme suddenly popped into Yan Yu¡¯s mind:

    ¡°Dou Qi, third stage!¡±

    The nurse glanced at it, her expression remaining calm, and merely said,

    ¡°Please wait, there are a few more tubes.¡±

    The needle wasn¡¯t removed yet, and the nurse took three more test tubes, drawing three tubes of blood in succession, placing them one by one into the centrifuge.

    The talisman paper clearly became brighter. Yan Yu watched from behind, but the nurse quickly stood up, blocking his view.

    She took the blood out of the centrifuge, placed it into a sealed box beside her, and turned around to remove the needle and apply a hemostatic patch to Yan Yu, saying,

    ¡°Press down for five minutes.¡±

    Yan Yu held the needle site as he got up, only to see the nurse had already left the window and gone to make a phone call. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    After the physical examination, everyone gradually returned to their classrooms to continue studying.

    In the afternoon math class, the math teacher had been waiting at the podium for a while and asked the class president to distribute the math papers.

    Solve-problems mode, activate!

    Yan Yu had just finished the multiple-choice questions when the class teacher¡¯s voice suddenly rang from outside:

    ¡°Yan Yu, come out for a moment!¡±

    The class teacher nodded to the math teacher, and Yan Yu put down his pen and went out to find the class teacher.

    The class teacher took him to the director of teaching¡¯s office, where three people were already standing:

    The principal, the director of teaching, and a man in casual clothes but looking very well-built and efficient with a buzz cut.

    ¡°Hello, student Yan Yu,¡± said the principal and director of teaching, who didn¡¯t speak, clearly just accompanying, while the buzz-cut man introduced himself crisply, ¡°My last name is Qi. You can call me Qi Changping. I¡¯m a recruitment officer from the Zhendong National Defense Academy stationed in Lin¡¯an Prefecture.¡±

    ¡°Our academy is a national defense college directly associated with the military, and we are responsible for recruiting ¡®talents with special gifts.¡¯ After reviewing and confirming, you have met the qualifications for admission; therefore, we will provide you with a guaranteed spot. As for the specific enrollment terms and the detailed enrollment agreement, they are all here. You can have a look, and if you have any questions, you can ask me.¡±

    Yan Yu picked up the agreement and started reading. It was many pages long, a full 35 pages, but most of it was lengthy legal jargon. The real key content was printed on the first page and was especially circled in red.

    Having the qualifications for cultivation, Party B, ________, responded to the national conscription, voluntarily choosing to study at Zhendong National Defense Academy. After graduation, it is presumed that one will enlist in the Zhendong Army Zone and be commissioned as a ninth-rank military officer.

    The Lu Country military implements a sixteen-rank military system. After graduating from the military academy, officers are usually commissioned as twelfth-rank military officers, but what level is a ninth-rank military officer? It is known as the ¡°military officer ceiling.¡±

    The majority of military officers spend their careers fighting to be promoted from a twelfth-rank officer after graduating from the military academy to a ninth-rank officer by their thirties, after which they retire and return to their hometowns¡ªpromotions consider age; unless exceptionally outstanding and favored by superiors, attaining the rank of ninth-rank officer is the limit after thirty.

    This means, if Yan Yu signs this agreement and chooses to study at Zhendong National Defense Academy, he will obtain a very high starting point upon graduation.

    And this starting point is already the career endpoint for many military officers.

    Of course, considering high school students might not understand the value of this, there is another even more sensational clause below:

    After enlistment, basic monthly salary: 40,000 yuan in total. Subsidies calculated separately.

    This salary is truly frightening. It should be noted that currently, across all military branches and units, the vast majority of ninth-rank military officers earn a salary of about 10,000 to 14,000 yuan¡­ That¡¯s a starting salary four times that of one¡¯s peers¡ªisn¡¯t that impressive?

    But Yan Yu was very clear in his mind that the real income a cultivator could get in the future was not measured in ¡°ten-thousands.¡±

    ¡°How about it?¡± Qi Changping confirmed, asking.

    ¡°I just have one question,¡± Yan Yu asked with a calm expression.

    There was no hesitation in agreeing to enroll, but he had a question hidden in his heart from his past life that he wanted to take advantage of the present to ask.

    ¡°Hmm, you ask,¡± Qi Changping wasn¡¯t surprised.

    Today, in every prefecture of Jiang Hai Province, there were academy enrollment office teachers stationed in urban areas, for the purpose of real-time statistics and estimation of enrollment numbers.

    Up to now, out of the three hundred thousand high school graduates in the province, only 20 students with a Spirit Root had been identified, and after most of them received the enrollment invitation, the most common question they asked was:

    ¡°Is Zhendong National Defense Academy a 985 or 211 institution?¡±

    The standard answer provided from above was:

    ¡°It is not, but we are more suitable for you than 985 or 211, because we can offer you an institutional position with a starting salary of 40,000 yuan per month.¡±

    Once this sentence was said, the vast majority of students and parents no longer hesitated. At most, they would later leverage their connections to inquire whether the school was truly as claimed.

    However, the question Yan Yu posed made everyone in the room tense up instantly:

    ¡°May I ask, if one doesn¡¯t have a girlfriend after graduation, will the unit arrange a marriage for one?¡±

    Qi Changping fell silent because this question was not included in the enrollment plan. The principal wanted to speak up beside him but was interrupted by Qi Changping raising his hand. He answered with a smile:

    ¡°Young student, our country does not have arranged marriages.¡±

    ¡°However, if you truly have this need after graduation, the military can arrange social mixers for you.¡±

    ¡°I believe by that time, many excellent girls will be interested in you.¡±

    This answer was perfectly watertight. Although the state does not have arranged marriages, as long as you have a cultivator status and are willing to start a family, the authorities will certainly mobilize efforts to find a girl who matches your tastes, traditional thinking, love for the country, and willingly marries you¡ªsince it¡¯s voluntary, it naturally counts as free love, not arranged marriage.

    After all, a family man is less likely to defect abroad.

    ¡°Okay, I have no more questions,¡± Yan Yu said as he picked up the pen, ready to sign.

    ¡°Won¡¯t you ask your parents?¡± Qi Changping asked in surprise, finding the young man quite interesting¡ªnot seeming like he was only eighteen.

    ¡°Can you back out after signing?¡± Yan Yu counter-asked.

    ¡°You cannot,¡± Qi Changping replied, ¡°Once you have signed your name, even if you fall ill and are hospitalized, you must complete your studies at the school hospital.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m asking if you could back out,¡± Yan Yu corrected him.

    Qi Changping fell silent again for a moment before replying:

    ¡°We cannot.¡±

    ¡°Then all the more reason to sign on the spot,¡± Yan Yu laughed heartily and nimbly signed his name on the enrollment agreement.

 Chapter 21 - 21: My Puppet Wont Get Hurt

    Chapter 21: Chapter 21: My Puppet Won¡¯t Get Hurt

    ¡°`

    Theoretically, as an 18-year-old adult, Yan Yu had the right to choose which university to attend on his own.

    In reality, of course, he still had to do the proper communication with his parents.

    Having signed his name on the enrollment agreement in front of the principal, the head teacher, and the recruiting officer, Yan Yu had actually shed his identity as a ¡°senior three student¡± and had contributed to the school¡¯s college enrollment rate.

    Therefore, instead of returning to the classroom to continue cramming with his classmates, he went to get his cell phone back from his homeroom teacher and then strutted home.

    The homeroom teacher even considerately allowed him to backdate a month¡¯s leave, to prevent any adverse effects on his normal graduation.

    ...

    As he walked home, Yan Yu took a moment to gather his thoughts before dialing his father¡¯s number.

    Aside from himself, there were three other people in the family. His father, named Yan Nantian, was a regular employee at a state-owned enterprise. It seemed that his grandfather hadn¡¯t read Gu Long¡¯s ¡°The Legendary Siblings¡± when he named his father.

    When he was a child living in the company¡¯s staff dormitory, every time Yan Nantian returned home from work, there would always be neighborhood kids shouting ¡°Silken Bond Technique¡± around him, and Yan Yu would often be caught by his playmates to ¡°pass on the technique in turn¡±.

    Given these memories that Yan Yu preferred to forget, hereinafter, ¡°Yan Nantian¡± will be referred to as ¡°Father Yan¡±.

    His mother, Zhang Yalan, was a primary school Chinese language teacher at a local school, also referred to as ¡°Mother Yan¡±.

    Then there was his younger sister, Yan Jing, who was currently attending a local middle school.

    After Yan Yu called, he roughly explained the situation at school to his dad: direct military sponsorship, enlistment upon graduation, initial military rank, and a monthly salary of 40,000 yuan.

    Father Yan just responded with a series of noncommittal grunts, without asking, ¡°Is that school for real, or is it fake?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask about the school?¡± Yan Yu felt that something was off.

    ¡°No,¡± Father Yan said.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried it might be fake?¡± Yan Yu was even more puzzled.

    ¡°The leader just talked to me,¡± Father Yan answered calmly, ¡°saying that your kid has been noticed by the military, that you must let him attend Zhendong National Defense Academy, also mentioning that a state enterprise is different from a private one, the staff should have enough political awareness¡­ You get it, what else could I say?¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    So it turns out that your recruitment strategy was to work on both the student and the parents at the same time!

    ¡°Alright then.¡± He was about to hang up when his sister Yan Jing¡¯s voice came through the phone, ¡°Big bro! You have a salary of 40,000 yuan, can you buy me a bag?¡±

    ¡°What does a girl your age need a bag for!¡± Mother Yan interjected, ¡°Yan Yu, don¡¯t mind her.¡±

    ¡°Jing Jing, school isn¡¯t out yet, right?¡± Yan Yu asked with narrowed eyes, ¡°How come you¡¯re at home?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my period and it hurts too much today, so I asked the teacher for half a day off,¡± Yan Jing said excitedly. ¡°Big bro, you don¡¯t have a girlfriend, and you can¡¯t spend 40,000 yuan a month, so why not buy a bag for your sister? Chasing a goddess will only get you treated like a lapdog, but buying something for your sister, that¡¯s true sibling love!¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Yan Yu immediately agreed, ¡°I¡¯ll buy you a new backpack right away, filled with middle school exam review questions, you just wait!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re doing every evil thing¡­¡± The sister¡¯s pitiful howl came from the phone, along with Mother Yan¡¯s relentless suppression, and Yan Yu, having successfully played his trick, hung up and walked leisurely home.

    Yeah, he was going to become a cultivator.

    However, there was no real sense of joy, strangely enough.

    Because what he truly longed for was not so much to become a cultivator, but to make amends for the profound regret of the past life, the ¡°almost made it¡± feeling.

    And that tiny gap might just be the difference between a ¡°cultivator¡± and a ¡°non-cultivator¡±.

    That wretched woman, Chen Lingyun, in the past life always liked to say, ¡°Ah, what a pity you¡¯re not a cultivator¡±, aside from deliberately teasing and enjoying his awkwardness, perhaps there actually was a bit of real regret there as well?

    As for the exact proportion, maybe ten percent, couldn¡¯t be any more.

    Upon arriving home, Yan Yu saw two ¡°mannequins¡± standing in the living room, who were the spitting image of Zhao Yuanzhen.

    As for the real Demonic Sect Enchantress, Zhao Yuanzhen, she was sitting at the desk, focused on operating something.

    Seeing that she was probably at a critical point in creating the core components of a puppet, Yan Yu didn¡¯t dare to disturb her, but quietly closed the door and decided to go out for a walk.

    Hm?

    There was a package on the floor, sent from Jianghai Prefecture.

    ¡°`

    When opened, inside was indeed the enrollment agreement for ¡°Zhao Jiuzhen¡± and a handwritten note from Chen Lingyun.

    ¡°Fill it out and send it back to me as soon as possible.¡±

    At the end, she even drew a cartoon of a little dog in simple strokes.

    It¡¯s all sorted out now¡­ Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but sigh.

    This woman, Chen Lingyun, is really useless when she isn¡¯t serious, but incredibly efficient when she is.

    ¡°It¡¯s all sorted out!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s excited voice rang out from inside the room, ¡°Hahaha! I am indeed a genius, Yan Yu, you little thief, what do you have to say now¡­¡±

    Yan Yu quickly pushed the door open and asked coldly,

    ¡°Is it done?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen subconsciously felt guilty, as if she were caught talking behind someone¡¯s back, but quickly regained her composure and declared with pride,

    ¡°The puppet¡¯s core is ready!¡±

    Whether intentionally or not, the enchantress made a conspicuous, surging motion, but luckily, Yan Yu possessed immense strategic composure and was not swayed by her beauty, simply saying,

    ¡°Let me see it!¡±

    After examining the puppet for a long time, Yan Yu finally frowned and said,

    ¡°Why does this puppet look so much like you?¡±

    ¡°Because my appearance and figure are perfect,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen confidently said with one hand on her chest, ¡°Even though it¡¯s a battle puppet for cultivation, if it¡¯s possible to pursue the ultimate in looks, there¡¯s no need to make it ugly, right?¡±

    ¡°Your point makes sense, but it still feels weird,¡± Yan Yu expressed that he couldn¡¯t understand, wondering who in their right mind would create a life-sized puppet that resembled themselves!

    And the proportions of this figure are highly unseemly¡­ you¡¯re asking to get slapped by your mother, right?

    Oh, it seems you don¡¯t have a mother, so never mind.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch it yet, I need to install the core,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen opened the chests of the two puppets and carefully placed the silver-white cores, made of celestial steel needles, inside.

    Then she closed the chest plates.

    ¡°All done!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen clapped her hands and said, ¡°You wanna try?¡±

    Yan Yu calmly stood still and began to operate the String-Pulling Technique.

    An elusive and profound connection formed between his mind and the puppet in front of him. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The beautiful puppet that looked exactly like Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly opened her bright yet emotionless eyes.

    Then, like lightning, she reached out and grabbed Zhao Yuanzhen by the throat.

    The latter, annoyed, swatted the puppet¡¯s arm away, ¡°What are you doing!¡±

    ¡°Just seeing if it could make you pass away,¡± Yan Yu replied calmly.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen didn¡¯t understand, but as a fickle Demonic Sect Enchantress, she quickly cast aside her excess emotions and excitedly said, ¡°These two puppets are so much better than the ones I used before! As long as they¡¯re provided with a constant supply of True Yuan, they can exert immense strength continuously, analogous to a permanent Wood Bending Charm!¡±

    ¡°Mhm, mhm, mhm,¡± Yan Yu responded absently, while his mind instantly flashed with several impressive battle tactics that could be implemented with the help of the puppets.

    ¡°My puppet shall be named ¡®Ami¡¯,¡± continued Zhao Yuanzhen, ¡°What will you name yours?¡±

    ¡°Uh,¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly, ¡°How about ¡®Tuofo¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Why would you choose a Buddhist Sect name?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked angrily. ¡°Even if it¡¯s to match with my puppet, wouldn¡¯t ¡®Ah Zhen¡¯ be much better?¡±

    ¡°The name is not the point,¡± Yan Yu said seriously, ¡°The point is, we can only use our puppets as a trump card at critical moments, do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked, displeased.

    ¡°Because we can¡¯t expose the Silken Bond Technique,¡± Yan Yu said, gazing into her eyes, ¡°After enrollment, we must avoid revealing your identity as much as possible, even the slightest suspicion.¡±

    ¡°This is the order from our master.¡±

 Chapter 22 - 22 Heading to School!

    Chapter 22: Chapter 22 Heading to School!

    The date had arrived at May 24.

    High school students were still in their final, frantic sprint, while over four hundred lucky ¡°Possessors of the Spirit Root,¡± having been selected through the college entrance physical examination, were preparing their bags to head to their respective colleges after receiving their admission notices.

    The four national higher education institutions dedicated to cultivating Cultivators also united in opening their doors to these university-level Cultivators. Among them:

    University students from eastern provinces would head to the ¡°Zhendong National Defense Academy¡± in Jinling Prefecture.

    University students from southern provinces would head to the ¡°Annan National Defense Academy¡± in Xingwang Prefecture.

    University students from western provinces would head to the ¡°Pingxi National Defense Academy¡± in Shuzhong Prefecture.

    ...

    University students from northern provinces would head to the ¡°Dingbei National Defense Academy¡± in Shengjing Prefecture.

    It sounded a bit like the familiar concept of ¡°Hogwarts¡¯ four houses,¡± where everyone belonged to the Wizard camp, yet they were artificially divided into four academies to compete against each other¡­

    In fact, due to the top-level institutional design, the competition among the four Cultivator academies was going to be much fiercer than originally anticipated.

    Zhendong National Defense Academy, located in the Jiangning District of Jinling Prefecture, recruited from Jiang Hai Prefecture, Jiangbei Province, Jiangnan Province, Jianghuai Province, Jiujiang Province, and Minhai Province, with the first cohort consisting of 103 Cultivators.

    Compared to the sprawling campus area, this number of Cultivators clearly wasn¡¯t impressive. Therefore, the dormitory arrangement was luxurious individual rooms, with a living environment surpassing that of many international student dorms at other high schools, and it could even compete with business rooms in many five-star hotels.

    As Chen Lingyun had said, after Mitchi Country took the lead with their ¡°fame and fortune bundle,¡± other countries had no choice but to quickly follow up, offering the best treatments to serve their own Transcendents¡ªmajor issues were at stake, and they couldn¡¯t overly test one¡¯s innate loyalty and consciousness.

    Yan Yu first left his luggage at the guardhouse, then helped Zhao Yuanzhen, along with her luggage, to her assigned single dormitory room.

    It wasn¡¯t to fulfill any duty as a fellow Daoist; mainly, it was to confirm which room this enchantress was in, making it easier to find her later on.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget who you are,¡± Yan Yu once again patiently cautioned her before leaving, ¡°Don¡¯t draw attention to yourself, don¡¯t interact with strangers, don¡¯t let Mei Yingxue become aware of your presence, understand? Otherwise, not even my master could save you!¡±

    ¡°Rubbish! I am not that kind of foolish woman!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said impatiently.

    Even before she had transmigrated within the Qiansi Sect, she mostly stayed in her cave dwelling, focusing on cultivation, and rarely dealt with her fellow female disciples. It was only because her master needed to curry favor that he spoke more to her.

    After reminding the enchantress to remember to lock her door when there was nothing to do, Yan Yu silently left the girls¡¯ dormitory.

    Upon reaching the ground floor, he saw a girl squatting down, gathering her books that were scattered all over the floor.

    This girl had an innocent and lovely appearance, although not as exquisite as Chen Lingyun, her facial features were softer and her demeanor was gentle and demure.

    She brought two suitcases and one luggage bag, from which the underside had torn open, scattering all the contents¡ªvarious paper books, primarily literary novels, both domestic and foreign.

    Without showing the slightest annoyance, the girl simply squatted down, patiently picking up each book and piling them neatly beside her.

    Yan Yu recognized her at first glance, and the related memories from his previous life also surged forth.

    Su Yunjin, originally from Gusu of Jiangbei Province, had parents who were both professors at Gusu University, coming from a scholarly family background.

    An only child in her family, long exposed to the influence of intellectuals, thus her nature was rather gentle and refined. More precisely, she was contented and unambitious, her only hobby being reading.

    In many ways, Su Yunjin seemed like a less intense version of Chen Lingyun.

    In his previous life, not long after starting college, the two indeed quickly established a close friendship. They often went to eat at the cafeteria together, attend classes together, train at the school fields¡­ In public, Su Yunjin was used to standing behind Chen Lingyun, and usually helped her with various tedious matters, hence she was jokingly referred to as ¡°Secretary Su.¡±

    However, in Yan Yu¡¯s estimation, this girl was nearly as clever as Chen Lingyun; it was just that she was way too ¡°Zen¡± when it came to taking initiatives.

    Perhaps it was a common problem among children from intellectual families: they lacked utilitarianism and desire, allowing others to lead or guide them along.

    ¡°Let me help you,¡± Yan Yu offered, going over to help her pick up the books.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Su Yunjin responded, nodding her thanks.

    Many women instinctively refuse in such situations, perhaps due to modesty or pride, but refusing such a simple gesture would seem alienating, and Su Yunjin concealed her surprise well, responding appropriately and gracefully to a stranger, from which one could see that her upbringing was indeed excellent.

    In contrast, a certain despicable woman can¡¯t be said to have been poorly taught, it¡¯s just that she herself grew up to be twisted.

    ¡°Let me help you carry these two suitcases upstairs,¡± Yan Yu picked up two suitcases, ¡°You can hold the books, and we should be able to move everything in one go.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll trouble you,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry.¡±

    What a normal smile that was, Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but exclaim.

    It wasn¡¯t Chen Lingyun¡¯s elegantly sweet but fake smile, nor was it Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s clueless and silly grin, but the normal smile that a girl with a normal personality should have.

    So normal, it was truly touching.

    Yan Yu, carrying the two suitcases, climbed the stairs with Su Yunjin, who held the books, following behind. Seeing his energetic and untiring steps, not showing off, she felt somewhat relieved.

    At the dormitory door, Su Yunjin¡¯s room was 204 (Zhao Yuanzhen was in 207, not far away).

    Yan Yu set the suitcases down at the door, remembered the room number on the doorplate, watched Su Yunjin take out the key card, swipe it to open the door, and then he pushed the suitcases inside.

    ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡± Su Yunjin opened her backpack and took out a bottle of green tea, ¡°Here¡¯s something for you.¡±

    Knowing her nature, Yan Yu didn¡¯t stand on ceremony, took the bottle, twisted off the cap and said,

    ¡°My name is Yan Yu, just like you, I¡¯m a new student.¡±

    ¡°Su Yunjin, ¡®Su¡¯ as in Gusu, ¡®Yun¡¯ as in clouds, and ¡®Jin¡¯ as in brocade,¡± Su Yunjin introduced herself.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve got it,¡± Yan Yu nodded, took out his phone with his left hand, and said calmly, ¡°Let¡¯s add each other as friends, so we can contact each other if there¡¯s an issue.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Su Yunjin agreed.

    After they added each other as friends, Yan Yu noticed that the girl¡¯s profile picture was actually a very common landscape photo, with a close-up of a Chinese rose at the center¡­ Her aesthetic was quite old-fashioned.

    Her nickname was ¡°Yun Jin,¡± which was equally old-fashioned.

    Should he just save her contact as ¡°Auntie Su¡±?

    Yan Yu pushed down the random thoughts in his head and saw Su Yunjin quietly watching him, so he said with a smile,

    ¡°I should go now, goodbye.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s keep in touch when you have time,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile, escorting him to the corridor outside the dorm, just in time to see Chen Lingyun turn the corner of the staircase, followed by two aunts carrying suitcases for her.

    Their eyes met, and Chen Lingyun¡¯s gaze fell on Su Yunjin behind him, her sweet and elegant smile still on her face, only her eyebrows slightly raised. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Oh no, Secretary Su might not be able to become a secretary this life!

    Yan Yu chuckled inwardly, raised his hand, and greeted,

    ¡°Good morning, Ling Yun.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s 1 PM,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°I meant you¡¯ve arrived quite early,¡± Yan Yu gracefully walked past her, ¡°I¡¯m off to get busy, see you next time.¡±

    Chen Lingyun slightly turned her body, watching his figure disappear around the stair corner, then turned back to look at Su Yunjin.

    Feeling somewhat uncomfortable under her gaze, Su Yunjin cautiously nodded and said,

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    ¡°Hello, classmate,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile became even sweeter, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

 Chapter 23 - 23: Come Be My Secretary

    Chapter 23: Chapter 23: Come Be My Secretary

    Yan Yu helped Su Yunjin pick up her books, really without any ill intentions.

    Unlike Chen Lingyun, his impression of Su Yunjin in his past life was quite favorable. A well-behaved Miss from a family of scholars with a sense of propriety¡ªwho would dislike such a person?

    Another reason was¡­ Su Yunjin died too tragically in the end.

    In an era of great contention, not competing means being eliminated. Su Yunjin herself lacked ambition and a utilitarian mindset, and on the battlefield, she tended to overthink yet lacked the decisiveness needed to make swift decisions.

    When given commands, she was the perfect chief of staff. But without leadership, she would fall into the ¡°hesitation conundrum¡± typical of gentler people.

    ¡­ The more she tried to save everyone, the less she was able to save anyone, and in the end, she even lost her own life.

    ...

    In contrast, Chen Lingyun¡¯s decision to give up on her at that time was actually the wisest act of bravery.

    Although it was a pity indeed.

    Hmm, maybe this time around he could find a way to have Su Yunjin become his secretary.

    Chen Lingyun was not exactly a good leader. Her command skills were passable, but her actual strength was a glaring weakness, sometimes failing to protect her subordinates.

    Yan Yu was the type with a strong propensity for action; once he made a decision, he immediately took out his cellphone and sent a message to Su Yunjin:

    ¡°How about joining me?¡±

    On the other end, Su Yunjin, upon receiving the message, was baffled for quite a long time.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°It means exactly what it says,¡± Yan Yu typed, ¡°I need someone to help me deal with some miscellaneous matters, and you just entered school today with no specific goals, right?¡±

    ¡°Actually, I can tell that you don¡¯t really want to attend this university. You¡¯re the type who loves literature, and the Chinese Language and Literature major would have suited you best. It¡¯s just unfortunate that our university is quite special, with those chosen having no right to refuse.¡±

    After about two or three minutes, Su Yunjin replied:

    ¡°So what?¡±

    ¡°So, if you follow me, maybe you could break free from your confusion and find the meaning in studying here,¡± Yan Yu quickly typed.

    1

    Many freshmen experience such a period of confusion: Having been focused on sprinting towards a single goal during their senior year of high school, they feel lost once they get to university not knowing what to do.

    For Su Yunjin, the situation was even more severe, as her goal had always been the Chinese Language and Literature Department of Gusu University. However, her sudden discovery of a Spirit Root forced her to sign an enrollment agreement with Zhendong National Defense University¡ªcompletely crushing her expectations for university life.

    ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯ve been quite confused recently,¡± Su Yunjin replied, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect everyone to notice.¡±

    Yan Yu frowned slightly and typed:

    ¡°Did Chen Lingyun also come to you?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Su Yunjin felt somewhat puzzled, how did he know?

    ¡°She said similar things to me, offering similar advice.¡±

    ¡°And your response?¡±

    ¡°I said,¡± Su Yunjin typed, ¡°that I need to think about it.¡±

    From childhood, she had always followed the trajectory laid out by her parents, never daring to overstep. Now that she had entered this military-affiliated university, her academic-circle parents could no longer be of much help.

    If she didn¡¯t know what to do next, then perhaps it was worth trying to follow in someone else¡¯s footsteps¡­ But whose?

    From a female perspective, of course, she leaned more towards the same gender, Chen Lingyun, after all, constantly being seen with boys could lead to being misunderstood as being in a romantic relationship.

    But Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile made her somewhat uneasy.

    ¡°I see.¡± Yan Yu¡¯s message came through, ¡°Then take your time to think about it. However, if you decide to follow Chen Lingyun, you can¡¯t just always follow her orders, you need to have your own ideas and thoughts.¡±

    Su Yunjin¡¯s next reply, however, leapt to a change of topic:

    ¡°Yan Yu, are you very familiar with Chen Lingyun?¡±

    ¡°Not really,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment before typing, ¡°It¡¯s just an acquaintance.¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s not what she says.¡±

    Yan Yu: ???

    Immediately following, a video chat invitation from the cunning woman popped up at the top of the screen.

    He silently tapped accept, and Chen Lingyun¡¯s sweet smile appeared on the screen, with a visibly embarrassed Su Yunjin at her side, who mouthed a silent apology with a bitter smile.

    Judging by the background in the video, the two of them seemed to be in Su Yunjin¡¯s single room at the dormitory. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a twinkle in her eye, ¡°trying to steal her away from me on the first day of school, huh?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound so dramatic,¡± Yan Yu waved nonchalantly, ¡°She hasn¡¯t agreed to you yet.¡±

    ¡°This kid was my pick first.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile remained steady, ¡°And I issued my invitation before you did. Plus, as a guy, to brazenly invite a girl to hang out with you, it¡¯s hard not to suspect you have ulterior motives, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t unjustly tarnish my reputation!¡± Yan Yu immediately retorted with wide eyes, ¡°I just can¡¯t bear to see her fall into your hands and then be played around by you.¡±

    ¡°How interesting,¡± Chen Lingyun narrowed her eyes and smiled, ¡°So in your heart, I¡¯m the kind of bad woman who bullies her classmates?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to answer a question with a question~¡±

    You two really have a good relationship¡­ Watching their skillful interaction, Su Yunjin really wanted to make a comment, but good upbringing held her back.

    From the content and tone of their conversation, they were clearly more than just friends, but there was no hint of flirtation or intimacy, so what exactly was their relationship?

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to talk to you anymore, I¡¯m going to the dining hall to eat,¡± Yan Yu, noticing Su Yunjin¡¯s odd expression, waved his hand impatiently, ¡°That¡¯s it, hanging up.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re about to go eat too,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°together?¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s first instinct was to refuse, but he quickly reconsidered.

    If Chen Lingyun was actively inviting him to eat, then it definitely wasn¡¯t just for a meal or to cultivate a relationship, but because she had something to discuss with him.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s meet at the dining hall entrance.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The extravagance of the Cultivator Academy¡¯s dining hall couldn¡¯t quite match the dormitories, but most of the cost was actually invested in the kitchen¡ªthe chef team was the same one that had managed the Asian Games at Lin¡¯an Prefecture a few years before.

    Yan Yu met the two girls at the entrance of the dining hall: Chen Lingyun was dressed in a pleated skirt that fell past her knees and a simple blouse, topped with a cute gray beret.

    Su Yunjin had also changed clothes, wearing a blouse, form-fitting pants, and canvas shoes. Though her outfit wasn¡¯t as elaborate as Chen Lingyun¡¯s, she carried a different kind of classical beauty.

    Additionally, when these two girls stood side by side, Chen Lingyun¡¯s petite stature immediately became apparent. Su Yunjin, who was not particularly tall among her peers, was still half a head taller than her; her height of one meter fifty-six was indeed a bit¡­ cute.

    ¡°Oh my, where did this elementary school student come from?¡± Yan Yu teased, finding it amusing as he regarded Chen Lingyun, ¡°Are you coming to eat at the dining hall with your sister?¡±

    ¡°See that?¡± Chen Lingyun wasn¡¯t upset, instead she said to Su Yunjin, ¡°If you chose to follow him back then, you¡¯d now be harassed by such outrageous comments.¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± Su Yunjin said awkwardly, ¡°it¡¯s impolite to joke about someone¡¯s height like that, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°¡­Sorry.¡±

    Facing Chen Lingyun, the cunning woman, Yan Yu could let loose without restraint, but with Su Yunjin, the gentle and kind young lady from a good family, he admittedly felt a bit embarrassed to tease her too much.

    Bullying a virtuous young lady is no fun at all, not nearly as amusing as kneading a cunning woman.

 Chapter 24 - 24 The Gathering of the Three Goddesses

    Chapter 24: Chapter 24 The Gathering of the Three Goddesses

    After grabbing their meals at the cafeteria, the three of them found a table for four and settled down.

    ¡°Speaking of which, have you guys gotten your textbooks?¡± Su Yunjin initiated the conversation, asking softly, ¡°Don¡¯t you think there are too few? There are only three books.¡±

    ¡°Since it¡¯s a military-affiliated school, of course, the focus is on integrating theory with practice, not like most majors which are mostly pure theoretical learning,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely. ¡°Yun Jin, have you looked through these textbooks?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Su Yunjin nodded, ¡°I¡¯ve briefly flipped through all three books.¡±

    Her tone suddenly fell:

    ¡°To be honest, I still feel a bit out of place. I was educated all my life that there are no such things as immortals, Buddhas, gods, or demons, and then one day I suddenly find out that I am actually a cultivator¡­ It always feels like I¡¯m dreaming. Every morning I have to confirm whether it¡¯s real or not. You must have similar feelings, right?¡±

    ...

    ¡°Not at all/nope.¡± Chen Lingyun and Yan Yu responded at the same time.

    Su Yunjin¡¯s expression froze on her face.

    ¡°I understand you haven¡¯t adjusted yet,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely. ¡°So just read those three books thoroughly, and you¡¯ll be fine once you accept reality.¡±

    ¡°Just reading is not enough, practice is also necessary,¡± Yan Yu corrected her, ¡°Even not reading the books wouldn¡¯t be a problem, as long as your practical skills keep improving. Many questions will arise naturally, and it¡¯s still not too late to consult the books for solutions.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, yeah¡­¡± Su Yunjin looked somewhat sorrowful, feeling like a struggling student who accidentally became the butt of top students¡¯ jokes.

    She bowed her head and ate quietly, when suddenly she heard a voice nearby:

    ¡°Hello, is there still a seat available here?¡±

    All three turned their heads to see the newcomer, a girl with long black hair holding a food tray, dressed in a simple shirt, trousers, and sneakers.

    This girl¡¯s beauty was not inferior to Su Yunjin, but her temperament was clearly on the opposite end of the spectrum.

    If Su Yunjin were to be described as a delicate water lily, then this person would be a snow lotus growing on the icy peaks of the Tianshan Mountains¡ªher pretty lips slightly pursed, forming a cold curve, her eyes clear and pure, her demeanor serious and stern, she seemed difficult to get along with.

    Among the three at that moment, probably only Yan Yu knew who she was.

    Lin Ning, from Qingyuan Prefecture in Minhai Province, her family ran a deep-sea fishing company, so she could be considered a rich heiress.

    However, unlike Su Yunjin, Lin Ning didn¡¯t show any signs of being a spoiled rich girl. Instead, she seemed more like a strong-willed girl from a poor family determined to make something of herself, and her deeds in her past life were several times more remarkable than Su Yunjin¡¯s.

    For example, when she was the class president in high school, a male classmate once wrote her a love letter in private, which Lin Ning summoned him to the cafeteria to respond to in person. According to classmates who sneaked in to eavesdrop, Lin Ning not only seriously rejected the boy, but also analyzed ¡°why it was important to focus on studies at this stage,¡± pointed out ¡°which subjects he was weak in,¡± and finally encouraged him to get into the university of his dreams¡­ She turned the confession into a ¡°lecture on studying,¡± and it became a widely told story in school that everyone enjoyed.

    Later, the boy who was rejected truly made a great effort and ranked within the top 400 in the province in the college entrance exams. It was estimated that the mental shadow Lin Ning left on him at that time was indeed quite significant.

    Just like Secretary Su Yunjin, Lin Ning in her previous life was also Chen Lingyun¡¯s right-hand helper.

    Because of her overly serious personality, lack of smiles, and her propensity to lecture, she was nicknamed ¡°Class Teacher Lin Ning.¡± And because she would always timely retort when Chen Lingyun was being frivolous, she was also jokingly called ¡°Dandruff Inhibitor Lin Ning.¡±

    ¡°No one is here,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°Help yourself.¡±

    At the four-seater table, Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin sat opposite each other, and Lin Ning took a seat next to Yan Yu, eating and starting to read a book.

    The book¡¯s title was ¡°Tactics and Strategy Studies for Cultivators,¡± one of the three textbooks distributed at the start of school.

    Yan Yu felt a bit sentimental. To think that on this first day of school, the three beauties of the academy had all gathered at this humble dining table. Should we find a garden full of blooming peach blossoms for a sworn sisterhood ceremony, and I¡¯ll witness for you all¡­

    Then he heard Chen Lingyun suddenly say:

    ¡°They¡¯ve built a spell training ground behind the school. Shall we go take a look later?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Su Yunjin responded reflexively.

    ¡°What, you want to check out my skills?¡± Yan Yu immediately knew what she was thinking.

    Chen Lingyun seemed very pleased with this tacit understanding, smiling:

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to say you can¡¯t, are you?¡±

    Lin Ning suddenly asked out of the blue:

    ¡°The training ground? Can I go with you guys?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Yan Yu said casually even before Chen Lingyun could answer, ¡°It¡¯s a public facility of the school, open to all students.¡±

    Chen Lingyun gave him a meaningful look.

    What Lin Ning really meant was not ¡°Can I go to the spell training ground,¡± but ¡°I want to see how strong you guys are.¡± It seemed as if Yan Yu hadn¡¯t grasped this underlying meaning¡­ But how could that be? He must have understood; he must have done it on purpose.

    Why did he use such a vague expression? Clearly, it was to prevent Su Yunjin and me from refusing, so he rushed to agree first.

    In other words, he sees this girl, who is currently reading, as worth deliberately making an acquaintance with¡­

    Having thought everything through in a flash, Chen Lingyun also wore a sweet and elegant smile, and said to Lin Ning: S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°My name is Chen Lingyun, shall we add each other as friends?¡±

    ¡°Lin Ning. ¡®Lin¡¯ as in double woods, ¡®Ning¡¯ as in lemon.¡± Lin Ning took out her phone and swapped contact details with Chen Lingyun, then turned to look at Su Yunjin.

    ¡°Thank you, my name is Su Yunjin.¡± She rose to her feet in delighted surprise and took out her phone as well.

    After the three girls exchanged contacts, Lin Ning looked toward Yan Yu beside her.

    Yan Yu also pulled out his phone and scanned Lin Ning¡¯s QR code.

    You have sent a friend request to ¡°Ningning.¡±

    Lin Ning seriously asked:

    ¡°Classmate, what¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu.¡±

    ¡°Which specific characters?¡± Lin Ning was the type to note down all her contacts¡¯ real names with compulsive detail, complete with suffixes like ¡°high school classmate.¡±

    ¡°You can guess,¡± Yan Yu teased her on purpose.

    Because Sister Lin took things too seriously, Chen Lingyun, who was his assistant in his previous life, frequently complained about her, making her one of Yan Yu¡¯s sources of amusement. In contrast, characters like Secretary Su, who were too honest to speak out, were not as entertaining.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that,¡± Lin Ning insisted, ¡°Even if I guess correctly, I¡¯d still need to confirm with you before I note it down. So why don¡¯t you just tell me instead?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s because this way is more fun?¡± Yan Yu said leisurely, ¡°Lin Ning, do you know what fun is?¡±

    Lin Ning was silent for a moment, catching the teasing tone in Yan Yu¡¯s voice. She frowned in slight annoyance and put her phone away.

    No need to give his name, and such a frivolous attitude¡­ Forget it, I won¡¯t add him.

    Her reaction and her thoughts were precisely what Yan Yu had anticipated. Now she refused to add him as a friend, but she was sure to regret it later¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s ¡®Yan¡¯ as in the bird, ¡®Yu¡¯ as in abundant.¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly spoke up and ruined his setup, smiling, ¡°Classmate Lin Ning, don¡¯t let him fool you. He¡¯s just trying to annoy you. Now is the time when you should add him and then block him thoroughly.¡±

    Damn, woman, you¡¯re at it again!

    Yan Yu was about to retort when he heard Lin Ning say thoughtfully:

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    She gave Yan Yu a smug smile, then typed ¡°Yan Yu¡± into the remark column, accepted the friend request, and promptly set it to Do Not Disturb mode all in one go.

    ¡°Fine, fine, fine, you like this game, huh?¡± Yan Yu, somewhat vengefully, took out his phone, ¡°Chen Lingyun, I¡¯m about to block you too¡­¡±

    ¡°If you block me, I¡¯ll just go add your sister as a friend,¡± Chen Lingyun said, propping her cheeks with her hands and flashing an extremely sweet smile, ¡°Then I¡¯ll find out all about your dark history from when you were little and spread it all over the school¡¯s forum.¡±

 Chapter 25 - 25: Showcase Skills at the Training Ground

    Chapter 25: Chapter 25: Showcase Skills at the Training Ground

    Yan Yu ultimately did not block Chen Lingyun.

    It wasn¡¯t because he was afraid she would seek out his sister and dig up his embarrassing childhood history, but because he didn¡¯t want to stoop to the level of such a despicable woman.

    After all, if he stooped to another¡¯s level of pettiness, the result would only spiral into greater pettiness, which was really not advisable.

    After the four finished dinner in the cafeteria, they walked slowly along the path outside.

    The combination of one male and three females, especially since all the girls were quite attractive, undoubtedly drew the attention of many passing students and staff members.

    As a leaf among the flowers, Yan Yu also received such curious and inquisitive gazes. Thankfully, they were mostly out of curiosity and investigation, and there were no death stares from single dogs attempting to glare him to death.

    ...

    ¡°Walking with three beauties must be a lot of pressure, right?¡± Chen Lingyun was, as expected, bringing up the awkward subject again, her annoying knack for observing words and colors at play.

    ¡°What are you talking about? There are only two beauties here,¡± Yan Yu glanced at her sidelong.

    Even the gentle and demure Su Yunjin, who never forgot to focus on her reading while walking, and Lin Ning, couldn¡¯t help but prick their ears up quietly from the sidelines.

    Who are you talking about?

    Who has been kicked out of the ranks of beauties?

    It better not be me, or else I will¡­

    ¡°So, who is it that¡¯s not a beauty?¡± Already guessing what he was going to say, Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, ¡°Think carefully before you speak~¡±

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s someone who¡¯s not even 1.6 meters tall,¡± Yan Yu said very calmly, ¡°That height clearly belongs to an elementary school student. Calling her a ¡®young lady¡¯ is really a stretch. If she went to an internet cafe, she wouldn¡¯t even have the chance to show her ID before being kicked out.¡±

    Su Yunjin sighed beside them, as she had already seen that Yan Yu wasn¡¯t really engaging in personal attacks, since Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t look the least bit insulted or hurt.

    To be exact, this seemed to be some sort of ¡°special communication where insulting each other strengthens their relationship.¡± According to the descriptions in novels, this type of conversation typically occurred among very close male friends¡­

    ¡°Judging a woman by her height is petty,¡± Lin Ning interjected suddenly.

    Su Yunjin felt suffocated for a moment. With just one sentence, this child managed to attack two people at once¡ªwas she missing some common sense?

    The smile on Chen Lingyun¡¯s face remained unchanged; she only raised her eyebrows slightly, looking at Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu glanced at Lin Ning and saw her looking down at the path with a cold expression, completely ignoring him. He took a deep breath and then spoke with feeling:

    ¡°Indeed, because physical appearance possesses the charm to make one an appealing member of the opposite sex, confessing without knowing the person¡¯s character is hardly likely to result in a lasting relationship. And let¡¯s not forget, as high school students, our main focus is still supposed to be on studying. I¡¯m happy that you like me, but as the class president, I still need to have a serious talk with you about this¡­¡±

    As Yan Yu recited his deep feelings, Lin Ning¡¯s expression quickly changed from cold to shocked, then from shocked to fearful, and from fearful to wanting to dig a hole to hide in out of embarrassment¡ªand a type of anger that wanted her to annihilate herself and him right there and then, her neck and ears turning completely red.

    ¡°You you you you you! Come here!¡± She yanked Yan Yu¡¯s arm forcefully, dragging him toward a small grove, calling out in embarrassment and anger, ¡°Stop reciting! Come with me!¡±

    The two of them busied themselves going into the grove. Su Yunjin was silent for a moment before sighing and saying:

    ¡°Is it really okay?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile was very cheerful, ¡°I¡¯m confident he knows where to draw the line, and¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­besides, it¡¯s quite interesting, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Less than a minute had passed before Yan Yu and Lin Ning emerged from the grove. The former strutted back with an air of triumph, while the latter wore an expression that screamed, ¡°I¡¯m so mad but have to restrain myself¡± like she had been thoroughly put in her place.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± said Yan Yu, waving his hand.

    Su Yunjin walked beside them, furtively checking if their clothes were disheveled, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

    The Zhendong National Defense Academy¡¯s campus was extremely large; apart from the dormitories, administrative buildings, and lecture halls that are standard for universities, there were outdoor training fields and the mountain behind them.

    Only by following Chen Lingyun deep into the mountain did everyone realize that the inside of the mountain had been hollowed out long ago, and a large number of rooms had been carved out.

    The walls and floor were all lined with steel plates, every room was brightly lit, and there were surveillance cameras everywhere, making it look like the top-secret military laboratory seen in TV shows. It wouldn¡¯t seem out of place if a section of the floor suddenly opened to reveal automatic guns that would mow down everyone as intruders.

    What was even stranger was that there was not a single staff member in sight.

    ¡°We¡­ shouldn¡¯t be considered as illegally breaking in, right?¡± Su Yunjin started to get cold feet.

    ¡°Obviously, we¡¯re not,¡± Yan Yu said, speechless, ¡°When she brought us in, she used a key to open the door.¡±

    ¡°Having a key doesn¡¯t necessarily mean legal entry, right?¡± Lin Ning seriously criticized, ¡°It could be a key obtained through illegal means, or it might be unauthorized entry during a forbidden time period without approval¡­¡±

    ¡°Preaching.¡± Yan Yu said somberly.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll stop preaching!¡± Lin Ning shouted irritably, ¡°Anyway, if we get caught, I am definitely going to tell the truth!¡±

    Seeing her give up on herself, Chen Lingyun had more or less completed her ¡°personality portrait¡± of her and quietly took out her phone, typing out a message.

    Yan Yu also took out his phone and saw the new message from Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°Gentle and delicate little jade? Serious and competent with long black hair?¡±

    Almost smashed my phone¡­ This wretched woman does have a good memory, I had almost forgotten.

    ¡°What, are you jealous?¡± Yan Yu replied and asked.

    ¡°Heh,¡± was the inscrutable response.

    ¡°Alright, this is the place.¡± Chen Lingyun, having put away her phone, led the three of them into a spacious hall, which appeared to be¡­ a shooting range?

    ¡°This is the practice area for the Metal-Element Impact Curse. You can freely shoot at the targets in the distance, but you absolutely must not aim at people~¡± She turned on the control panel nearby, fiddled with it for a while, and the targets in front began to move. There were large and small targets, stationary and moving, straight-line, curved, reciprocating, and irregular in every possible pattern.

    Lin Ning took out her textbook she always carried with her and started to learn and research casting spells on the spot. Su Yunjin leaned in to watch as well.

    ¡°Ah, it looks like you¡¯ve already practiced it,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a covered laugh upon seeing Yan Yu not studying on the spot, ¡°How about giving it a try?¡± S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu replied, hands behind his back, calmly, ¡°Let¡¯s see yours first.¡±

    Chen Lingyun put her two fingers together and extended them forward. Immediately, a muffled sound emerged from the distant target, and the display screen hanging from the ceiling showed ¡°Target 14, Score 7.¡±

    Meanwhile, Su Yunjin and Lin Ning also put down their books. Clearly, compared to cramming on the spot, watching someone else cast spells in person seemed to be more valuable.

    ¡°Your turn to try?¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°Then you¡¯d better watch closely,¡± Yan Yu replied confidently as he walked toward the shooting position.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    While Yan Yu and his companions hadn¡¯t seen any staff when they entered, this was not a normal situation. Rather, it was because, 20 minutes before, the commander-in-chief of the Zhendong Army, Li Weiguo, had made a surprise visit, and most of the staff had gone to the practice field to assist with the demonstrations.

    Leaving the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse training area, Li Weiguo continued to instruct the school principal beside him:

    ¡°¡­With rubber bullets, there¡¯s still a fatal risk if hit in a vital area by accident. Our military has a quota for training casualties, but these university cultivators are far too precious to lose in training accidents, so it¡¯s best to switch to liquid buffer rounds instead.¡±

    ¡°Understood, we¡¯ll make the changes right away.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the next facility we¡¯re inspecting?¡±

    ¡°The central control room. It¡¯s staffed 24 hours a day, and we can see everything happening in all the training fields. If any students get injured, we¡¯ll find out immediately.¡±

    Surrounded by a large group, the commander-in-chief and the school leaders made their way to the central control room. Just as they reached the door, they heard exclamations from the on-duty staff inside:

    ¡°Wow, look at this one!¡±

    ¡°Is that one of the army¡¯s elite snipers?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s clearly a university student. But given that level of skill, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if they were from the military¡­¡±

    Hearing the unrestrained discussion inside, the school leaders¡¯ faces darkened as they hurriedly pushed open the door and coughed loudly.

    The on-duty staff quickly stood up, only to see Li Weiguo stride powerfully into the control room. His gaze swept across the room, and he immediately caught sight of the surveillance screen for the Metal-Element Impact Curse training field.

    His expression turned solemn, and he fell silent, his mind churning with shock and awe.

 Chapter 26 - 26 I Will Become the Strongest in This World

    Chapter 26: Chapter 26 I Will Become the Strongest in This World

    ¡°`

    The method of casting the Metal-Element Impact Curse involves gathering enough True Qi from the Dantian and then following a specific meridian route, passing through the chest, shoulders, and arms, before finally shooting out Sword Qi from the fingertips.

    Why can only one Curse Technique be cast at a time? It is because the meridian routes of different spells conflict with each other. For example, the Wood Bending Charm and the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse both pass through the Spirit Platform acupoint in the chest. If you run both spells at the same time, there will be a Qi collision at the Spirit Platform acupoint.

    The final point of the Impact Curse¡¯s Qi pathway is the fingertip acupoints of the middle and index fingers, which must be brought together in a gesture known as the ¡°Sword Finger¡± when used.

    The method of casting the Impact Curse recorded in the textbook is to raise the arm to eye level, bring up the Sword Finger, slightly bend the elbow, and align the far end, near end of the gap between the two fingers, and the eyes all in a straight line, before firing the Metal-Element¡¯s sharp energy to pierce through the target.

    Because the motion resembles shooting, it is also the favorite Curse Technique of military cultivators, who refer to it as ¡°gun shooting.¡±

    ...

    Li Weiguo, the current commanding officer of the Zhendong Army, although unable to cultivate himself due to the lack of a Spirit Root, had witnessed countless experiments by military cultivators, and he almost immediately noticed that Yan Yu¡¯s casting method was quite different from that of the troops:

    This guy didn¡¯t seem to aim at all when he released the Impact Curse.

    At the training ground, Su Yunjin and Lin Ning were also stunned. The former had her mouth slightly open, while the latter, despite showing no expression, instinctively clenched her fingers around her book.

    Chen Lingyun stood on another side, her smile sweet and radiant, and her eyes seemed to shine.

    Yan Yu¡¯s movements while casting the spell did not resemble ¡°a soldier shooting a gun,¡± but rather ¡°a music conductor.¡± His arms swung rhythmically, moving briskly left and right, up and down in front of him, without ever specifically stopping to aim.

    Yet looking at the continuous ¡°target hit 10-ring records¡± scrolling on the screen like a waterfall presented another, even more incredible fact.

    He wasn¡¯t failing to aim; he didn¡¯t need to aim.

    ¡°Old Wang! Come take a look,¡± Li Weiguo called out without turning his head, from inside the central command room.

    Wang Changshi quickly joined the commanding officer, adjusted his reading glasses, and stared at the figure effortlessly casting spells on screen, inhaling deeply to himself.

    ¡°Strong eyesight and quick reflexes,¡± he said, quickly regaining his composure and making a serious analysis. ¡°He¡¯s got the standard of an active ace.¡±

    ¡°Still not enough,¡± Li Weiguo said gravely.

    ¡°Yes,¡± replied Wang Changshi earnestly. ¡°Most importantly, his rate of True Yuan circulation is very fast, with the ability to launch multiple Impact Curses in a short period of time¡­ the speed¡­ should be more than three times that of active personnel.¡±

    ¡°What is the speed of casting Curse Techniques related to?¡± Li Weiguo asked.

    ¡°Personal physique, casting experience, True Qi control,¡± Wang Changshi answered. ¡°There are indeed active service cases with naturally wide meridians, whose spellcasting speed is about 50% faster than average.¡±

    An individual¡¯s physique can only enhance performance by up to 50%, yet his spellcasting speed was three times that of active personnel, meaning physique wasn¡¯t the main contributing factor.

    As a university student cultivator, it¡¯s certain he didn¡¯t have much casting experience, which left only one thing: True Qi control ability.

    Remarkable eyesight to quickly discern all targets¡¯ positions and trajectories; lightning-fast reflexes to calculate lead times in an instant; and¡­ unparalleled control over True Qi, with a circulation speed more than three times that of active military cultivators, making his spell releases comparable to a machine gun pouring out bullets.

    Liu Zhufu, standing next to him, leaned over and asked for instructions:

    ¡°Should we check his identity?¡±

    Wang Changshi was about to agree when Li Weiguo suddenly raised his hand and said:

    ¡°No need for that yet.¡±

    He looked at Chen Lingyun, who stood next to Yan Yu on the screen, pondered for a moment, and then said:

    ¡°The young man belongs to our Zhendong Army, like meat in our own pot that cannot be snatched away by others. To praise him now would be to put pressure on him prematurely; it¡¯s unnecessary.¡±

    Wang Changshi immediately understood.

    ¡°This matter is a secret of our military, don¡¯t let it out,¡± he warned the surrounding school leaders sternly.

    ¡°Yes!¡± all the school leaders replied in unison.

    The management of the Zhendong International Academy was comprised entirely of civil servants from the Zhendong Army, so their loyalty was beyond question.

    Back at the training ground, Yan Yu finally brought his hands together and then crisply clapped them clean.

    ¡°`

    Yeah, although it¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve practiced, this kind of basic skill really hasn¡¯t become rusty¡­

    No sooner had he turned around than he saw Chen Lingyun looking exhilarated, Su Yunjin staring in disbelief, and only Lin Ning with a look of incredulity, asking in astonishment,

    ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re really amazing! How did you do it?¡±

    ¡°Practice makes perfect,¡± Yan Yu answered offhandedly.

    ¡°What do you mean by practice?¡± Lin Ning still couldn¡¯t understand and pressed on, ¡°We all signed the enrollment agreement before realizing we were cultivators, how much time could you possibly have to practice¡­¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay~¡± Chen Lingyun took her arm, ¡°The self-study time on the training ground is precious; Lin Ning, don¡¯t pester him with questions here, there will be time to figure it out later~¡±

    Lin Ning really wanted to ask clearly, but she had to admit that Chen Lingyun was right.

    Anyway¡­ anyway, now that we¡¯re friends, there will be plenty of time to ask him later¡­

    She quietly took out her phone, turned off the do-not-disturb mode for Yan Yu¡¯s contact, and then immediately remembered another matter.

    Wait a minute! Although it was because of a joke by Chen Lingyun that she had petulantly blocked him, she had originally planned to unblock him tonight when she got back. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But now that she had discovered he was an incredible talent, wouldn¡¯t it be misconstrued as a rather utilitarian gesture if she hastily removed the block to ask him questions? From arrogance to deference, and all that¡­

    Forget it, I¡¯d better not ask him.

    Seeing Lin Ning looking downcast, and combining that with her previous thought process and personality profiling, Chen Lingyun guessed her thoughts fairly accurately and turned to Yan Yu with a smile brimming with pleasure. It was as if to say, ¡°Oh my, this kid is pretty fun!¡±

    Yan Yu, of course, also noticed her dilemma, and with a simple ¡°Lin Ning, there¡¯s no problem, you can ask me whatever you want later,¡± he probably could have gained her goodwill instantly.

    But no, I refuse!

    With a girl as earnest and proud as she, it¡¯s best to tease and play with her now while we¡¯re still strangers; it won¡¯t be as fun once we get to know each other better later.

    ¡°The dorms turn the lights off at night.¡± Yan Yu checked the time on his phone, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to practice?¡±

    ¡°I might as well give it a try,¡± Su Yunjin said first.

    Unlike Chen Lingyun and Yan Yu, this was her first time using curse techniques. Even though it was the simplest Impact Curse among the Five Spells, it took her almost twenty minutes to successfully cast it.

    Lin Ning¡¯s learning efficiency was about the same, and it took her just under half an hour to finally manage the flow of breath.

    ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± Watching them fumble with their spellcasting, Chen Lingyun quietly asked.

    ¡°Lin Ning is a bit rigid,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°Strictly following the textbook in a meticulous manner means she relies heavily on existing experience patterns and lacks the ability to adapt proactively. If she encounters an experienced enemy who¡¯s good at observing, her offensive patterns could be easily seen through in actual combat.¡±

    ¡°Typical test-taker mentality,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°But that¡¯s also quite normal. What about Su Yunjin?¡±

    ¡°Su Yunjin¡­ her situation is a bit more difficult,¡± Yan Yu frowned as he spoke, ¡°She always pauses for a split second at the very end of casting her spell.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean she¡¯s afraid?¡± Chen Lingyun immediately understood.

    ¡°An unconscious aversion to using violence or hurting others, likely tied to her upbringing and environment,¡± Yan Yu replied indifferently, ¡°Such ingrained values are trickier to address, not something that can be corrected overnight, you know? Being a cultivator is essentially a military profession, and her psychological readiness is way off. Lin¡¯s issue is minor in comparison.¡±

    ¡°What about me?¡± Chen Lingyun pointed to herself.

    ¡°You?¡± Yan Yu pondered briefly before replying, ¡°Your judgments are accurate, spellcasting stable, and as of now, I see no obvious faults to criticize. The only problem might be that your aptitude isn¡¯t great. As the resurgence of spiritual energy deepens, you¡¯ll find that your growth will be more strenuous compared to others, and you¡¯ll need to put in more sweat and effort to ensure your cultivation doesn¡¯t fall behind. So, time is your biggest enemy.¡±

    ¡°But aptitude isn¡¯t the only factor determining strength,¡± Chen Lingyun said meditatively, ¡°Awareness, experience, and technique are equally important.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t deny this.

    Speaking of aptitude, his own was even worse than Chen Lingyun¡¯s¡ªhe didn¡¯t have a Spirit Root at all.

    But this didn¡¯t stop him from becoming the strongest in the world.

 Chapter 27 - 27 Im Not Used To Without You

    Chapter 27: Chapter 27 I¡¯m Not Used To Without You

    The training hall announced closing time, and the broadcast system alerted all the students inside that they could leave now.

    Su Yunjin lowered her arms in dejection, thinking that although she enrolled in late May just like Yan Yu, he was already so formidable, while she still stumbled through her incantations¡­

    Maybe she really wasn¡¯t suited to be a cultivator?

    With a somewhat dim expression, she pondered, and Lin Ning, standing beside her, although not displaying much distress on her face, was likely thinking along similar lines.

    Not to mention catching up, we¡¯re not even on the same level, she thought as she looked at her own palm.

    The straight-black-haired beauty who had always been first in her class from elementary to high school was encountering the daunting force of a downgrade strike for the first time.

    ... S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Seeing the two girls experiencing a collapse of their worldviews, Chen Lingyun laughed even more cheerfully and walked over to hook her arm around Lin Ning¡¯s waist, then pinched Su Yunjin¡¯s cheek, saying,

    ¡°Come on, come on~ Don¡¯t look so unhappy. College life is still long, there¡¯s plenty of time to surpass that someone~¡±

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s words had struck a chord with Su Yunjin, who felt somewhat embarrassed, while Lin Ning argued,

    ¡°It¡¯s not because I want to surpass him, it¡¯s just because I¡¯m not learning well, that¡¯s why¡­¡±

    ¡°Little Lin Ning is quite a determined girl,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me Little Lin Ning!¡± Lin Ning protested with embarrassment and annoyance.

    Yan Yu quietly observed from the sidelines, thinking that it was no mere coincidence that these three girls were friends in their past lives.

    Chen Lingyun, this trashy woman, surely hadn¡¯t changed her vile character of toying with others. If it had been a girl who was a little less perceptive, not flipping out on her would have been good enough.

    Those who could be friends with her were either gentle-natured young ladies like Su Yunjin or earnest eccentrics like Lin Ning, who always focused on the main issue and didn¡¯t sweat the small stuff.

    After seeing the three young ladies to the girls¡¯ dormitory building, Yan Yu leisurely headed back to his own dorm.

    On the first day of enrollment, he had added three goddess-level friends, and he had confirmed that his basic skills in combat hadn¡¯t deteriorated. Great.

    A fulfilling day.

    Although he seemed to have forgotten something, it didn¡¯t really matter.

    Back at the dorm, he arrived on the second floor just in time to see several boys chatting in the hallway.

    Yan Yu glanced briefly, recognizing only one of the three boys.

    In the former life at Zhendong International Academy, within the first batch of a hundred or so cultivators, only five left a deep impression on him: apart from Chen Lingyun, Su Yunjin, and Lin Ning whom he already knew, there were Qiu Ze and Sun Ziyi.

    Sun Ziyi was the late bloomer type, truly remarkable not until he acquired the ¡°Formless Sword¡±; Qiu Ze, on the other hand, stood out much earlier, otherwise Chen Lingyun wouldn¡¯t have selected him for the team.

    The guy leaning against the wall with a towel over his shoulder was Qiu Ze. He was extroverted and good at socializing, always speaking with a smirk, a typical ¡°fair-weather friend¡± among the boys. In the past life, he was extremely skilled in the Shifting Technique and Cloud Ascension Technique, which is why Chen Lingyun recruited him for reconnaissance and support roles in her team.

    Suddenly, Qiu Ze turned his head, looked at Yan Yu with a smile, and said,

    ¡°Hey, you live in 202, right?¡±

    It seemed like a casual guess, but it was actually a simple deduction¡ªhe had spent the afternoon getting to know all the neighbors on the second floor, and Yan Yu was the only one he hadn¡¯t seen because he had been out with Chen Lingyun for dinner and training.

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°My name is Yan Yu, and I live in 202.¡±

    ¡°Qiu Ze, room 204,¡± Qiu Ze replied with a friendly smile, ¡°We¡¯re playing games and grouping up tonight in the dorm, want to join us?¡±

    ¡°Gaming is out, it¡¯s already 11 pm,¡± Yan Yu politely declined.

    ¡°Alright, maybe next time,¡± Qiu Ze said with a smile.

    Unlike Chen Lingyun¡¯s taunting ¡°You look like an idiot, you know?¡± smirk, Qiu Ze¡¯s smile was meant to seem approachable and harmless, so Yan Yu didn¡¯t hold any ill will against him.

    After swiping his key card and opening the door to his room, Yan Yu¡¯s expression froze instantly. Seizing the moment before anyone else could notice, he quickly shut the door behind him, firmly locking it.

    I remembered, I know what I had forgotten¡­

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress, Zhao Yuanzhen, was currently sitting at his desk, one leg propped up, hands crossed over her chest, eyes glaring coldly at him with sinister aggression, apparently, she had been stood up for most of the day and was showing signs of going mad with fury.

    Yan Yu instantly felt somewhat guilty, but then he recalled this Demonic Sect Enchantress by nature was extremely malevolent, and was only holding back because she feared the powerful master behind him who, in actuality, didn¡¯t exist. Should he show any weakness, she would immediately sense something was amiss, making it troublesome to suppress her later.

    Therefore, Yan Yu quickly cast aside any guilt he had forgotten her, stating indifferently:

    ¡°I was on a mission from my master. What, you have a problem with that?¡±

    At the mention of ¡°master¡¯s orders,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen instantly deflated, not even daring to mutter a few words of complaint in her heart, only managing to say in a mumbled, aggrieved tone:

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a problem, but as dual cultivation partners, shouldn¡¯t you at least inform me before you leave? This is also my first time joining this sect, I¡¯m unfamiliar with everything around here, and then you weren¡¯t even by my side¡­¡±

    ¡°Ha?¡± Yan Yu revealed a mockingly baffled smile, ¡°What are you talking about, you are a cultivator!¡±

    In the past life, you were pursued by the authorities, fleeing from Jiangnan all the way to Jiujiang, Jingnan, Bajun, Nanchuan, Nanjiang¡­ running 1800 kilometers along the river, killing and slaughtering countless along the way, were you not domineering and brazen then? Now you tell me you¡¯re scared in unfamiliar environments? You must be joking!

    A sly and cunning Demonic Sect Enchantress!

    ¡°I know¡­¡± Zhao Yuanzhen also seemed to lack confidence, trying hard to justify herself, ¡°Although I am a cultivator, I am also a woman, isn¡¯t it normal to feel fear?¡±

    Starting to play the gender card now, are we?

    Yan Yu was not fooled by her seemingly weak demeanor, replying coldly with arms crossed:

    ¡°Really? I don¡¯t believe it.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ¡­¡­¡­

    She didn¡¯t continue speaking, just silently lowering her head, her fists clenched tightly between her legs, thinking resentfully:

    ¡°¡­Today, the scoundrel left me waiting for half a day, I kept vigil in my room without a bite to eat or drink, only to be ridiculed by him for ¡®not seeming like a cultivator,¡¯ this is a great grudge!¡±

    ¡°If one day I turn the tables and take charge, I¡¯ll make sure to tether a dog leash around the scoundrel¡¯s neck, so he won¡¯t be able to step away from me even by half a step!¡±

    Imagining the scoundrel groveling and fawning over her, Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s anger dissipated by a significant amount, and she asked:

    ¡°The seals on the puppets are also ready, would you like to take a look?¡±

    ¡°Show me.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen took out two Silver Pellets, pinched a magic formula, and infused them with True Yuan. The two puppets immediately grew against the wind, reaching a height of 1.7 meters in seconds, standing slim and graceful, delightfully lovely, they looked exactly like Zhao Yuanzhen, like three identical triplet sisters.

    With another pinch of a magic formula, the puppets reverted back into Silver Pellets, spinning nimbly in the palm of her hand.

    ¡°Very well,¡± Yan Yu took a Silver Pellet and stored it away solemnly, ¡°This thing isn¡¯t easy to test out in the open, better keep it for emergencies.¡±

    As for why they couldn¡¯t test it openly, Zhao Yuanzhen now had a rough idea: this world had no sectarian disputes, the Imperial jurisdiction was incredibly strict, requiring all techniques and treasures to be registered and their sources explained clearly.

    Puppetry was the hallmark of the Qiansi Sect, how could they explain its origin? If they registered it with the authorities today, Mei Yingxue would come after them tomorrow.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen hesitated for a moment before suddenly saying, ¡°Yan Yu?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t I just move in with you,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen laid down on his bed, looking at the ceiling, ¡°We have to dual cultivate every evening, always using the Invisibility Technique to come and go, it¡¯s quite bothersome for me.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly,¡± Yan Yu shook his head, ¡°Haven¡¯t you noticed that all the residents here are male cultivators?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I can¡¯t understand why the residences for male and female cultivators have to be separated, it¡¯s absurd,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen commented, ¡°We are all cultivators, yet still bound by the moral and ethical constraints of the mundane world, what kind of archaic and conservative sect is this!¡±

    ¡°Living together now would be too conspicuous,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment before replying, ¡°In a while, when the time is right, we¡¯ll find a place outside to live together.¡±

 Chapter 28 - 28: Boss Takes in a Divine Ability

    Chapter 28: Chapter 28: Boss Takes in a Divine Ability

    As the first university-level cultivator students, the freshman curriculum was rather simple: three theoretical courses and one practical combat course.

    The three theoretical courses were ¡°Ideological Morality and Current Affairs Policy,¡± ¡°Comprehensive Guide to Cultivation,¡± and ¡°Tactics and Strategy Studies for Cultivators.¡± The first course needs no mention, the second, ¡°Comprehensive Guide to Cultivation,¡± mainly introduced ¡°what is the Spiritual Energy Resurgence,¡± ¡°what are the Dantian, meridians, and acupoints,¡± and ¡°how to perform Qi Refinement.¡±

    The Qi Refinement technique was named ¡°National Initial Edition Qi Cultivation Technique,¡± but Yan Yu immediately recognized the content as Mei Yingxue¡¯s ¡°Primordial Unity Scripture,¡± which emphasized ¡°independency from external objects.¡± With sufficient aptitude, one did not need any resources for cultivation and could still maintain a high Qi Refinement efficiency.

    The third course, ¡°Tactics and Strategy Studies for Cultivators,¡± mainly discussed the Three Arts and Five Spells. The Three Arts were ¡°Shifting Technique,¡± ¡°Cloud Ascension Technique,¡± and ¡°Wall-Penetration Technique;¡± the Five Spells were ¡°Metal-Element Impact Curse,¡± ¡°Wood Bending Charm,¡± ¡°Runescript,¡± ¡°Fire Blazing Charm,¡± and ¡°Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse.¡±

    As Chen Lingyun had said, among the key points in the current textbooks, the Three Arts were focused on ¡°Shifting Technique,¡± which allowed for super-fast movement ¡°quick as a running horse,¡± easily covering a thousand meters within a minute.

    Among the Five Spells, ¡°Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse¡± was highly recommended. Once activated, the entire body would be enveloped in hardened earth-element True Qi, which could perfectly defend against bullets and explosive shrapnel at the cost of continuous consumption of True Yuan during activation.

    ...

    From this, it could be seen that military cultivators were still stuck in modern warfare thinking. The reason ¡°Shifting Technique¡± and ¡°Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse¡± were esteemed was because they provided ¡°mobility¡± and ¡°defense,¡± maximally enhancing the combat capabilities of special forces.

    However, cultivators are not special forces¡­

    Though the students were all eager to learn, absorbing the knowledge like sponges, Yan Yu was somewhat disinterested. While others were busy taking notes, he was doodling aimlessly in his notebook with his pen.

    Sitting in front of Yan Yu were Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin. The latter was attentively listening to the lesson, while the former, smiling, had not written a word in her notebook¡­ Clearly, she had decided that her future learning plan would center around ¡°Teacher Yan Yu.¡± S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Lin Ning sat to Yan Yu¡¯s left, her notebook filled with dense notes. Occasionally, she would glance over and notice Yan Yu scribbling on his notes, prompting her to remind him:

    ¡°I won¡¯t lend you my notes before the exams, you know.¡±

    Yan Yu was taken aback and responded:

    ¡°Who asked you?¡±

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you taking notes?¡± Lin Ning¡¯s serious nature began to kick in, entering the beautiful girl¡¯s persuasion mode.

    ¡°Because it¡¯s pointless,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°The most important thing for a cultivator is practical combat. As long as the practical combat results are excellent, theoretical grades can even be ignored.¡±

    ¡°But isn¡¯t it true that understanding the theory well can help with practical combat?¡± Lin Ning pursued the point unwillingly.

    ¡°That¡¯s indeed true,¡± Yan Yu nodded thoughtfully, ¡°So you should study hard.¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡±

    ¡°With my strong combat ability, why do I need to study theory?¡± Yan Yu asked, seemingly confused.

    Lin Ning was immediately frustrated and yet found herself at a loss for words.

    She had seen his performance on the training field earlier and ultimately couldn¡¯t ignore the facts or deny them.

    ¡°What do you plan to do for this afternoon¡¯s training class?¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly sent a message, clearly having heard the conversation between the two in the back row.

    ¡°Just attend the class as normal,¡± Yan Yu replied via text.

    ¡°Oh, not going to try playing possum?¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s message came quickly, ¡°Want me to deliberately get a few boys to give you a hard time, then you can reveal your strength and shock everyone?¡±

    ¡°Forget about it,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°Would you be pleased with yourself for coming in first place in a kindergarten?¡±

    ¡°Fair point,¡± Chen Lingyun thought it over and realized it indeed made sense from Yan Yu¡¯s perspective, ¡°So do you also see me as a kindergarten kid?¡±

    ¡°I see you as a little female demon,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    Zhao Yuanzhen sat to Yan Yu¡¯s right, watching him persistently texting with Chen Lingyun and couldn¡¯t help but puff up her cheeks, silently taking offense:

    ¡°¡­Today I listened to the lecture, this thief ignored his companion the whole time, just chatting idly with another woman, I¡¯ll remember this grudge! If one day I can turn the tables and take charge, I¡¯ll definitely seal his glib tongue, rendering him unable to speak a word!¡±

    The morning was for theoretical classes, and the afternoon was for practical classes. There were two hours of rest at midday, and as soon as the dismissal bell rang, everyone rushed to the cafeteria, ready for lunch.

    Yan Yu found a four-seater table and sat down first.

    Chen Lingyun came over and took a seat across from him effortlessly, with Su Yunjin sitting beside her, and Lin Ning next to Yan Yu, just like the seating arrangement last night.

    Until Zhao Yuanzhen came over with her dinner plate and saw that the area next to Yan Yu was already filled with beautiful girls, she was instantly bewildered:

    ¡°What about me?¡±

    ¡°Just find a place to sit anywhere,¡± Yan Yu said helplessly.

    Even though we¡¯re dual cultivation partners, we don¡¯t have to stick together even while eating, right?

    ¡°I think, it¡¯s better for us girls to sit together,¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly said with a smile, picking up her dinner plate and standing up.

    Su Yunjin and Lin Ning also stood up and, together with Chen Lingyun and Zhao Yuanzhen, the four girls found an empty table not too far away and sat down.

    Yan Yu suddenly found himself alone but didn¡¯t seem to mind (of course, he was not going to fall for the girls¡¯ play-hard-to-get strategy), as he calmly continued to eat.

    ¡°Hey, Yan Yu!¡± Qiu Ze arrived with two other guys, carrying their dinner plates and taking their seats opposite and beside him.

    ¡°Qiu Ze.¡± He nodded in greeting.

    ¡°Look over there.¡± After chatting for a bit, Qiu Ze suddenly gestured for everyone to look at Chen Lingyun¡¯s table and chuckled, ¡°Those four girls, they all look pretty good.¡±

    Starting a conversation with the topic of beautiful girls is a tried-and-true method among guys who have just met.

    The effect is quite simple and effective, after all, admiring beauty is a common topic among all men. The risk is that if the girls in question were to find out they were being rated, it might lead to a collective decrease in their favorability towards those men.

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Another guy commented, ¡°The smallest one, she has a particularly sweet smile when she laughs.¡±

    Yan Yu bit his lip hard, trying not to burst into laughter so much that he sprayed his food out.

    ¡°Uh, Yan Yu, what do you think?¡± Qiu Ze saw him looking like he was struggling to hold something in and thought he had something to say but was too shy, so he quickly encouraged him to speak.

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty close with them, so I can¡¯t really comment,¡± Yan Yu managed to swallow his food and replied calmly.

    Qiu Ze was a little confused by his response, while the guy beside him laughed and teased him, ¡°We all just started school yesterday, and you¡¯re already well-mixed in today, huh?¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Yan Yu admitted with a nod.

    His response silenced everyone as they assumed he was just showing off and didn¡¯t argue with him.

    When Yan Yu saw the change in their expressions, he knew what they were thinking, so he decided to take out his phone and call Chen Lingyun.

    Qiu Ze and the other two guys hadn¡¯t quite realized what was happening when Chen Lingyun¡¯s voice came through the phone:

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    Yan Yu turned on the speakerphone and said:

    ¡°I¡¯m having dinner with some new classmates, and we¡¯ve come across a topic I want to hear your opinion on: who do you think is the prettiest at your table?¡±

    Qiu Ze and the other two boys finally realized who he was calling, and their jaws dropped in unison.

    Wait a second, don¡¯t tell me¡­ you¡¯re not actually¡­

    ¡°Aesthetic appreciation is quite subjective, and the points that women care about usually differ greatly from what guys think,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s cheerful voice came from the phone, ¡°If you really want my opinion, I personally prefer the type like Lin Ning, whose appearance and personality are contrary¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Lin Ning¡¯s protest suddenly erupted, ¡°I told you not to call me ¡®Little Lin Ning¡¯!¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°Pass the phone to Lin Ning, I¡¯ll ask her opinion¡­¡±

    Before he could finish his sentence, Qiu Ze grabbed his arm, his face filled with a pleading sadness:

    ¡°Boss, stop showing off your magic skills! Don¡¯t we believe you already?¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t ask any further! It¡¯s social suicide! They¡¯ve already started looking this way!¡±

 Chapter 29 - 29 Look at Yours

    Chapter 29: Chapter 29 Look at Yours

    ¡°I originally thought you had social anxiety, but it turns out you¡¯re a social terrorist!¡±

    In all his years from childhood to adulthood, Qiu Ze had met countless male peers, but he had never encountered such a peculiar person who would take classmates in front of girls to blow their own cover without any agreement. This was a first for him.

    As for the two boys beside him, they didn¡¯t want to interact with him anymore¡­ They were thinking about getting out of singlehood during their college days, of course, they didn¡¯t dare to offend this brave man easily.

    Therefore, until the practical class in the afternoon, there were no other boys coming to chat with Yan Yu.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    As Yan Yu had told Lin Ning before, being a cultivator is fundamentally a military occupation, which is why practice is far more important than theory.

    ...

    The theoretical classes in the morning were managed by a single instructor, but the first practical class in the afternoon had ten instructors present at the same time.

    All the instructors had uniform crew cuts, camouflage outfits, and military boots. They stood up straight in a row on the drill field, and the atmosphere was extremely serious and formal. So much so that even the most mischievous students did not dare to continue joking around with their classmates.

    Leading the instructors was Qi Changping, the very teacher who had recruited Yan Yu back in Lin¡¯an Prefecture. Standing in front of everyone with his hands behind his back, he said:

    ¡°My name is Qi, the same ¡®Qi¡¯ as in Qi Jiguang. You can call me Instructor Qi from now on.¡±

    ¡°For the next four years, I will be in charge of your practical courses, so let me first lay out the rules here.¡±

    ¡°In my class, I don¡¯t forbid playing with phones, I don¡¯t forbid eating snacks, I don¡¯t forbid whispering with classmates, you can do whatever you want to do as long as you stay at the class. Just one thing,¡± he continued with a tone shift,

    ¡°Of course, there¡¯s a precondition: you must be able to defeat me.¡±

    Everyone was at a loss for words: Defeat the instructor, my god!

    If we had the strength to defeat the instructor, what would we be doing studying here!

    ¡°Of course,¡± Qi Changping continued, ¡°Even if you¡¯re unable to defeat the instructor, as long as you can beat all your classmates around you and get first place in the year¡¯s exams, we have special privileges for the chief.¡±

    ¡°To put it simply, our practical classes are purely based on meritocracy! If you are strong, you call the shots! If you¡¯re not strong enough, just shut up quietly and follow the arrangements set by the stronger ones!¡±

    No one spoke up. Anyone with a bit of intelligence knew this was a power move to intimidate them, who would be foolish enough to stick their neck out at this time?

    ¡°Is there no one who wants to challenge the instructor?¡± Qi Changping looked around the crowd, raising his voice, ¡°If you want to speak, shout ¡®Reporting to the instructor,¡¯ and raise your hand!¡±

    ¡°Reporting to the instructor!¡± Qiu Ze was the first to raise his hand and shout.

    ¡°Step forward!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve just started school and are not familiar with the various spells yet, we can¡¯t defeat the instructor!¡± Qiu Ze said loudly.

    Seeing that the instructor was preparing to intimidate, this fellow directly gave him the microphone, which showed his ability to flatter all too clearly.

    Qi Changping remained noncommittal, simply stating coldly:

    ¡°Not familiar? You got the textbooks just yesterday when you arrived at school, and you had all evening to study. Even the most foolish person should at least have learned one curse technique, right?¡±

    The crowd remained silent. Which college freshman would start studying on their very first day?!

    Qi Changping looked around at the students again, shouting:

    ¡°Those who have mastered at least one spell from the Three Arts and at least one curse technique from the Five Spells, step forward!¡±

    Only Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun stood out.

    Among the more than a hundred students, there were those who had looked over the textbooks beforehand, but except for Su Yunjin and Lin Ning, who knew the training ground, the other students didn¡¯t have a place to practice, so naturally, they couldn¡¯t master the Five Spells.

    The only one who skipped this threshold in her past life was Chen Lingyun, who, upon confirmation of her Spirit Root, was immediately assigned to a military base and had advanced learning of the Three Arts and Five Spells.

    But the students wouldn¡¯t know about this; they would just think Chen Lingyun was a cultivation genius who could master the Three Arts and Five Spells overnight¡­ That¡¯s the power of information asymmetry.

    Therefore, it was quite obvious that the academy was supporting Chen Lingyun from behind, trying to build her prestige among the cultivator classmates of her year, and to make her the ¡°primordial model¡± and ¡°representative of the new generation¡± for the Zhendong Army cultivators¡ªlaying the groundwork early for her to become the team leader later on.

    It¡¯s a well-known fact that the representative of the new students of each college is inevitably the product of behind-the-scenes manipulation, so this case isn¡¯t really an exception.

    However, Yan Yu was more concerned about, after stepping forward with Chen Lingyun, what kind of reaction would those who had intended to support Chen Lingyun have?

    ¡°Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun, follow me,¡± Qi Changping instructed, ¡°The rest of you, stay here and learn the Shifting Technique. In an hour, we will conduct a phase test.¡±

    So everyone quietly opened the textbooks they carried and started to study and research.

    Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun followed the instructors to another training field next to the mountain¡¯s backside and put on specially made metal bracelets with mysterious and beautiful runes on them.

    ¡°These are True Yuan suppression bracelets,¡± Qi Changping explained, ¡°They can suppress the killing output of the Impact Curse, Flame Curse, and Curved Curse, so you won¡¯t cause instantly fatal wounds.¡±

    This was explained for Yan Yu, meaning he didn¡¯t need to hold back in what was to come, while Chen Lingyun obviously already knew what the bracelet was for.

    ¡°Next, you will fight each other here to test your standards,¡± Qi Changping continued, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about harming your opponent; we, the instructors, will watch the whole time, and the medical team will also be on standby¡­ Any questions?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu asked, ¡°Is the purpose of this duel for us to compete, or simply to examine our strength levels?¡±

    ¡°Both to compete and to examine,¡± Qi Changping answered, ¡°You don¡¯t need to concern yourself with so much, just do your best.¡±

    ¡°Well, what I mean is,¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°if it¡¯s about winning or losing, then you won¡¯t be able to assess my strength level.¡±

    ¡°What student Yan Yu means is,¡± Chen Lingyun said with an eyebrow raised and a smile, ¡°that my current strength level isn¡¯t enough to force him to use his full power.¡±

    Qi Changping remained silent, and the other instructors were also unanimously speechless.

    What kind of arrogance is this?

    There¡¯s no need to speak of Chen Lingyun¡¯s strength; after all, she had been studying with the military since April and has already mastered the Three Arts and Five Spells extremely proficiently. Her sheer spell-casting ability is even comparable to that of military cultivators¡ªwhat right does a newcomer have to speak such big words?

    Last night, the instructors hadn¡¯t accompanied the marshal to inspect the training field, so they hadn¡¯t seen Yan Yu¡¯s performance. But as veterans who had seen much, they had encountered many unruly individuals in the troops. Thus, they all managed to keep their expressions well hidden, only to hear Qi Changping laugh and say:

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, you can fight a bit slower and let us see your strength,¡±

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Yan Yu began to move his arms, ¡°I¡¯ll just have to go easy.¡±

    He calmly walked onto the training field, looking at Chen Lingyun who stood opposite him, and asked:

    ¡°You going first?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    She turned nimbly and walked leisurely toward the rear, seemingly measuring how much distance to put between them.

    In the eyes of the instructors, this was seen with much approval and satisfaction: evidently, the girl was very clear on where her weaknesses lay.

    As a cultivator, Chen Lingyun¡¯s time undergoing military training was not long. Her advantage lay in her proficiency with spells, while her weaknesses were her close combat ability and her capacity to respond to sudden situations¡ªthis could be considered a gender disadvantage for women. Without training, they are naturally not as adept at fighting as men. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Once the distance was closed by an opponent, it could result in an inability to cast spells and being confounded by some undisciplined punches. Keeping the distance allows for calm deployment of various spells; that is the most suited combat approach for her.

    Facing Chen Lingyun¡¯s openly displayed tactical intent, Yan Yu had no particular reaction and even yawned lazily.

    Let¡¯s first see the quality of your strength, little Ling Yun.

 Chapter 30 - 30: 30 Chapters: Guiding War

    Chapter 30: 30 Chapters: Guiding WarChen Lingyun, with her hands clasped behind her back, walked to just about fifty steps away. Then she turned around nimbly and revealed a brilliant smile.

    She waved vigorously at Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu did not respond. Instead, he activated the Barrier Charm in an instant.

    Almost simultaneously, he felt the sensation of being hit by an Impact Curse in his chest, causing a slight tremor in the True Qi that flowed throughout his body.

    Pretending to salute before the match, but attacking without notice. Had anyone else been standing there, they might have been caught off guard.

    But not Yan Yu.

    Because he was all too familiar with this wretched woman¡¯s underhanded tactics¡ªto some extent, he even understood her better than Chen Lingyun understood herself at that moment.

    ...

    The instructors standing by did not react, as all training was based on actual combat, which had no rules about ¡°salutes before a match.¡±

    As long as you win in the end, deception and surprise attacks are within the bounds of tolerance.

    However¡­

    ¡°Who saw clearly that Barrier Charm Yan Yu used?¡± Qi Changping suddenly asked.

    The instructors looked at each other and unanimously turned their gaze to Liu Jianjun.

    Selected as university instructors and hailing from the Zhendong Army, these cultivators all possessed a remarkable skill to boast. Liu Jianjun was the one most skilled in the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse in the entire troop, studying this field most deeply out of all the cultivators.

    ¡°I can¡¯t do it.¡± Liu Jianjun stated concisely.

    ¡°Really, Old Liu?¡± someone jeered, ¡°Just going all out, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because you don¡¯t understand the Barrier Charm,¡± Liu Jianjun countered, ¡°The Barrier Charm¡¯s flow of energy traverses all the major acupoints of the body. It¡¯s not like other Curse Techniques that act as a ¡®one-way street,¡¯ and that¡¯s why it takes the longest of the Five Spells to cast.¡±

    ¡°My current best accomplishment is activating the Barrier Charm within 0.2 seconds. But the speed at which classmate Yan Yu just activated it was clearly faster than mine, and I have no idea how he managed to do that.¡±

    Upon hearing this, the other instructors fell silent, while on the dueling field, Yan Yu still stood in place, silently confronting Chen Lingyun fifty steps away.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t they fighting?¡± one instructor asked in confusion.

    ¡°He might be waiting for Chen Lingyun to make her next move,¡± another instructor speculated. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°How can it be a matter of ¡®waiting for the opponent to make a move¡¯?¡± Qi Changping disagreed, countering, ¡°The Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse consumes the most True Yuan, and being hit by an Impact Curse doubles the consumption. If he keeps standing there passively taking hits, his True Yuan will inevitably be depleted before his opponent¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°That might not necessarily be the case,¡± Liu Jianjun continued, ¡°There¡¯s no need to maintain the Barrier Charm the entire time. Just activate it at the instant an attack arrives, cancel it after absorbing the hit, and the actual consumption wouldn¡¯t be that great.¡±

    ¡°But the Metal-Element Impact Curse is silent and invisible. How can he ensure he activates the Barrier Charm in time every time?¡±

    ¡°Pay attention to the opponent¡¯s hand gestures?¡±

    ¡°Then I could simply fake hand gestures without casting a spell, deliberately causing you to burn True Yuan!¡±

    ¡°Not to mention anything else,¡± Liu Jianjun suddenly cut into their discussion, ¡°Look closely, he indeed has managed to do it.¡±

    The instructors focused their attention and only then noticed that the two people on the field, though they were staying in place, were not idling about.

    Chen Lingyun raised her hand at Yan Yu, assumed an aiming stance, and unleashed Impact Curses at unpredictable and irregular frequencies. However, every one was caught by Yan Yu without any harm.

    The signs of activating the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse were minimal. Only with prolonged use would True Yuan start to form a faint grey sheen on the skin¡¯s surface. Even with the instructors watching Yan Yu with full concentration, they saw no such luminescence on him.

    That is to say, it seemed Yan Yu only briefly activated the Barrier Charm to defend and neutralize damage the moment an attack arrived¡ªhow exactly did he manage that?

    They just couldn¡¯t figure it out! The instructors scratched their heads in frustration.

    ¡°Should we record it?¡± Qi Changping suddenly asked, ¡°Since we can¡¯t understand it, why not record it and study it slowly later?¡±

    The startled instructors fumbled for their mobile phones, only to realize they had left them in the office¡ªbringing no phones during training was a habit developed in the army.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get them,¡± Han Zaixian immediately said.

    This instructor specialized in teaching the Shifting Technique. As he cast the spell, his figure quickly vanished from sight.

    On the field, Chen Lingyun too had ceased her assault and began to contemplate in silence, seemingly realizing that such tactics were futile and did not wish to continue wasting her True Yuan anymore.

    ¡°`

    ¡°In terms of tactics, you need to ensure good coordination,¡± Yan Yu leisurely commented, ¡°If your tactic of using the Impact Curse for long-range sniping doesn¡¯t work, what then? Didn¡¯t you consider that beforehand?¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu, you really have a mean streak,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°How about giving me some face in front of the instructors?¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s all you¡¯re capable of, I¡¯d still be disappointed.¡±

    Yan Yu shook his head, then suddenly executed the Shifting Technique, dashing rapidly toward the front.

    Now! Chen Lingyun¡¯s pupils contracted slightly and at the moment Yan Yu was about to charge in front of her, her left hand flicked upwards like lightning.

    The Runescript of the Water Element.

    Being the least used among the Five Spells, the Runescript¡¯s effect is to enter the enemy¡¯s body and block the flow of True Yuan in the meridians. However, its casting range is even shorter than that of the Flame Curse, requiring close contact to be deployed, which raises the soul-searching question: ¡°If I¡¯m already up close, why don¡¯t I use the Flame Curse?¡±

    However, anyone who has faced Yan Yu would no longer have such doubts.

    The initial move for the Flame Curse is to form a hand seal with one hand, use True Yuan to lock the location, and a faint red light appears at the area of effect, followed by the rising of intensely hot flames.

    Although it might be difficult for the average person to catch the fleeting faint red light, Chen Lingyun was certain that with Yan Yu¡¯s reflexes, he would avoid the attack before the flames even rose.

    Only by launching the unsuspected Runescript at the very moment he approached her did she stand a chance to hit him!

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s palm moved rapidly upwards, looking as though it was about to slide past Yan Yu¡¯s chest, but she felt a sense of alarm in her heart.

    The sensation from her True Yuan told her she hadn¡¯t hit the mark.

    The moment she lifted her hand, Yan Yu, as if completely ignoring inertia, switched from charging forward to rapidly retreating backward, perfectly evading Chen Lingyun¡¯s surprise attack.

    The instructors watching from below immediately widened their eyes in utter disbelief.

    The rush of the Shifting Technique comes with inertia, and even if the Spell is canceled midway, the body would continue moving forward at the same speed. To ignore inertia and change direction abruptly, one has to use the Cloud Ascension Technique.

    The Cloud Ascension Technique allows the caster to disregard inertia and gravity, moving in any direction, but it does not enhance speed. If Chen Lingyun does not interrupt her Runescript and keeps stepping forward quickly, she still has a chance of hitting him.

    Thus, Yan Yu¡¯s response at the moment was to ¡°cancel the forward Shifting Technique,¡± ¡°execute the Cloud Ascension Technique to erase inertia,¡± and ¡°re-cast the Shifting Technique to retreat rapidly.¡± If there was even the slightest hint of hesitation or pause in this process, he would have been hit by Chen Lingyun¡¯s Runescript.

    This guy¡­ this guy¡­

    The phrase ¡°This youth is almost demonically strong¡± suddenly popped into Qi Changping¡¯s mind, a line from a novel.

    Although it sounded incredibly dramatic, it seemed apt at that moment: Apart from ¡°demonic,¡± he could think of no other adjective more fitting.

    As he had faintly anticipated, the series of maneuvers that Yan Yu employed next undoubtedly interpreted the term ¡°demonically impressive¡± even more clearly. Despite the instructors¡¯ attempts to suppress their voices, they couldn¡¯t help but exclaim one after another, completely forgetting their initial assessment of Yan Yu as ¡°naive and not knowing the immensity of heaven and earth¡±:

    ¡°Holy shit, left and right double-bow punching!¡±

    ¡°She shouldn¡¯t have used the Barrier Charm to block, this is going to be total suppression!¡±

    ¡°Right, she needs to create some distance¡­ Flame Curse! What kind of prediction is that!¡±

    ¡°Flame Impact Double Kill! No, Triple Kill! Get the medical team ready!!!¡±

    ¡°Wait! It seems like her injuries aren¡¯t serious¡­¡±

    ¡°How could they be light after taking a full Flame Curse and two Impact Curses?!¡±

    ¡°No burns, no bleeding! He didn¡¯t use full force at all!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s holding back, right? Ah, he¡¯s deliberately holding back!¡±

    Ignoring the various shocks and shakes of his colleagues, Qi Changping stared intently at the battle situation on the field. It looked as if Yan Yu was overwhelmingly dominating Chen Lingyun with various flashy moves, but since there were not many injuries on her, it meant that he wasn¡¯t using much True Yuan in his Spells.

    Taking into account the effect of the True Yuan restraining bracelet, he was probably using only about a third of his strength.

    ¡°This is,¡± Qi Changping murmured, ¡°he¡¯s conducting a training battle¡­¡±

    His voice wasn¡¯t loud, but the other instructors heard it distinctly, and the entire field fell into silence.

    A training battle?

    Ah?

 Chapter 31 - 31: Looking Forward to You Becoming the Strongest in This World

    Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Looking Forward to You Becoming the Strongest in This World

    The so-called instructive battle refers to a situation where one party¡¯s strength far surpasses that of their opponent, and they intentionally limit their level to match that of their opponent. By sparring, they simulate various combat scenarios to make the opponent realize their own tactical deficiencies and shortcomings¡ªthis practice is common in the Go industry, for example.

    But Yan Yu¡­ didn¡¯t he enroll at the same time as Chen Lingyun?

    The instructors¡¯ expressions varied, and Chen Lingyun, who had been taking a beating for a long time on the field, finally couldn¡¯t smile anymore.

    Whenever she tried to attack head-on, Yan Yu would unleash a series of left-right Curved Curse punches, overwhelming her without a chance to retaliate, making her realize that ¡°an undisciplined attack is no different from courting death.¡±

    If she tried to retreat to create distance, Yan Yu would execute a series of Flame Curse triple strikes that hit her squarely as she retreated without her guard up, teaching her that ¡°even in retreat, one must plan their movements.¡±

    Every trial tactical move she threw out was met with a more targeted counter-tactic from him, brutally striking back and letting Chen Lingyun realize ¡°this is where I went wrong,¡± while also making her feel the humiliation of being beaten down in front of the instructors, as if she couldn¡¯t hold her head up, her dignity in shreds.

    ...

    I hate this¡­

    I really hate it!

    Even if you¡¯re instructing me¡­ at least leave me some dignity!!!

    Suddenly, Chen Lingyun clenched her fists again and with a forceful swing, aimed her Flame Curse two steps behind Yan Yu.

    If he chose to step back at that moment, he would land right in the midst of the flames that rose up. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But Yan Yu, upon seeing her casting motion, knew exactly where her Flame Curse was located and stepped forward calmly, easily moving out of the spell¡¯s range.

    Yet, without a word, Chen Lingyun suddenly reached out to brush against his chest.

    It was another sneaky Runescript attack, targeting the Danzhong acupoint on his chest, timed perfectly with his approach, making it exceedingly difficult to dodge.

    This wretched woman¡­ indeed just like in her previous life, her timing and psychological assessments were top-notch, but in contrast, her reaction speed and cultivation talent were terribly lacking.

    The most suitable tactic for Chen Lingyun would be the ¡®hit-and-run¡¯ style of a long-range assassin¡ªone strike misses, flee a thousand miles¡ªbut this wretched woman was likely not content with that.

    A thought like this flashed through Yan Yu¡¯s mind as he suddenly extended his right hand lightning-fast, seizing Chen Lingyun¡¯s left hand with force.

    The Runescript True Essence quickly invaded, blocking all the meridians in his right hand in an instant, leaving no room for Qi flow. Before Chen Lingyun could even feel triumphant, a numbness spread through her lower abdomen, where Yan Yu had lightly tapped her Dantian with his left hand employing a Runescript technique.

    Her entire Dantian was sealed, True Yuan entirely shut off, leaving her completely powerless to resist.

    The victor of the battle on the field was finally decided, and the instructors all heaved a sigh of relief. They quickly called the medical team to check for any injuries.

    But looking back, wasn¡¯t the initial purpose of this bout to determine the strength of these two people?

    As a result, Chen Lingyun¡¯s level had been measured, yet Yan Yu¡¯s strength remained unfathomably deep¡­ But the instructors had forgotten their original intention, and as soon as the medical team left, they surrounded Yan Yu, taking turns seeking advice from him.

    ¡°How exactly did you manage that left-right Curved Bow combo?¡± Hu Qing¡¯an, the instructor responsible for teaching the Wood Bending Charm, asked anxiously.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t catch on at first.

    ¡°That move, where you swing a Curved Curse punch with the left, then the right, switching back and forth quickly.¡± Hu Qing¡¯an tried to describe the sequence with body language.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s just switching Qi pathways back and forth,¡± Yan Yu explained nonchalantly. ¡°You go through the left arm Curved Curse route first, cut off Qi after the punch is thrown, then switch to the right arm Curved Curse route¡­¡±

    Hu Qing¡¯an was floored. It was as if he¡¯d asked, ¡°How do you fit an elephant into the fridge?¡± and the person seriously replied, ¡°First open the fridge door, then stuff the elephant in.¡±

    If I could do it, would I be asking you?!]

    By the time his speechlessness wore off, his colleagues had already taken the opportunity to ask their own questions.

    ¡°How were you able to cast that Flame Curse so accurately in your ¡®Triple Flame Assault¡¯ just now?¡± Instructor Shu Weijun, a cultivator specializing in Flame Curse techniques in the military, quickly pushed the dazed Hu Qing¡¯an aside and asked zealously, ¡°Let me add to that question: The Flame Curse you placed behind her, why did it trigger exactly when she stepped backward onto it? If it was cast too early or too late, it wouldn¡¯t have caught her inescapably and burned her outright¡­ Is there some unique trick or technique to it?¡±

    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s no trick to it,¡± Yan Yu replied frankly. ¡°You have to adjust the distance and timing according to the speed at which the other person is retreating. With enough practice against others, you get a feel for it. It mainly relies on practice making perfect.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve only been enrolled for a few days, haven¡¯t you? How did you manage to train for this?¡± asked Shu Weijun, puzzled.

    ¡°I am a genius,¡± Yan Yu said.

    The instructors were once again speechless.

    You could call the student arrogant for not knowing the vastness of heaven and earth, but his performance in the recent combat indeed could be described with the words ¡°remarkable talent.¡±

    But to call this student honest and straightforward¡­ when he clearly could have won swiftly with his overwhelming strength, yet deliberately fought a guiding battle, nearly beating the girl until she dropped her precious pearls, and now she¡¯s still standing on the platform doubting her life choices!

    And looking at Yan Yu, who behaved as if it were nothing serious, how could anyone see even a trace of the honesty and straightforwardness?

    ¡°Chen Lingyun.¡± Instructor Qi Changping, standing on the outskirts, suddenly spoke up, ¡°Not bad, you may come down now.¡±

    Chen Lingyun silently stepped off the combat arena and forced a smile, saying,

    ¡°You¡¯re really amazing, Yan Yu. I¡¯ve learned a lot from this match.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it,¡± Yan Yu said generously, waving his hand. ¡°There¡¯s still so much more I could teach you.¡±

    Chen Lingyun had no interest in talking to him and could only respond with a cold, polite smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m back!¡± Instructor Han Zaixian arrived late with an armful of phones, looking around bewilderedly at his colleagues, ¡°Is it over?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s over,¡± confirmed Qi Changping with a nod.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t get to see anything,¡± Han Zaixian said with a wry smile.

    ¡°No worries, Old Han, we¡¯ll give you a blow-by-blow description later,¡± his colleagues said excitedly, all talking at once.

    Everyone surrounded Yan Yu and headed toward the office, saying there was air conditioning, tea, and computers for playing games. They were willing to let him join as long as Yan Yu was willing ¡°to chat with the instructors about the battle that just took place.¡±

    Chen Lingyun followed silently behind, suddenly turning to look out the window.

    The atmosphere by the end of May was already heating up. The students studying curse techniques outside without an instructor¡¯s order didn¡¯t dare to leave of their own volition, so they could only study under the sun while constantly wiping sweat from their brows.

    Looking at Yan Yu, who was being invited into the cool air-conditioned room, they, as fresh recruits, received treatment that was worlds apart¡­

    ¡°It seems my thinking was correct,¡± Chen Lingyun smiled again, thinking to herself, ¡°The world we live in may flaunt the banner of equality for all, but beneath it all, it¡¯s ruled by the standard of survival of the strongest. Here in this cultivator college, even the most basic fig leaf has been discarded.¡±

    ¡°If cultivators can be ranked superior or inferior just by their strength, how can cultivators and commoners, with even greater disparities in power, continue to coexist in harmony and equality in the future?¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu, even if you say you hate ¡®elitism,¡¯ the objective laws of society never change just because of an individual¡¯s will,¡±

    ¡°Unless you truly become the strongest in this world.¡±

    ¡°To prove me wrong, you can only keep winning like this,¡±

    ¡°Never allowed to fail, you must not fail, just keep on winning forever. Stomp all those non-believers and objectors who don¡¯t recognize or oppose you¡­¡±

    ¡°Right under your feet.¡±

 Chapter 32 - 32: A woman will only affect the speed of my sword draw

    Chapter 32: Chapter 32: A woman will only affect the speed of my sword draw

    ¡°This¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s kind of tricky.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, not easy to deal with¡­¡±

    After consulting with Yan Yu in detail, the instructors found themselves in a state of powerless exasperation.

    It wasn¡¯t that Yan Yu was uncooperative or secretive; in fact, this student was quite amenable, almost always ready with an answer.

    It¡¯s just that the answers were a bit outrageous.

    ...

    Overall, Yan Yu displayed two very obvious traits in this guidance battle.

    First, his spellcasting speed was extremely fast, one second he was casting Spell A, and the next he could interrupt and switch to Spell B.

    Second, his tactical awareness was incredibly strong; he could accurately predict Chen Lingyun¡¯s intentions every time and employ targeted counter-tactics.

    As for Yan Yu¡¯s own explanation:

    ¡°Because I¡¯m a genius.¡±

    This might sound like bragging, but when you think about it, it doesn¡¯t seem out of place.

    Because Yan Yu had just enrolled not long ago, he hadn¡¯t been exposed to cultivation before, and like all the other new students, he started from scratch.

    The only explanation is that his insight in this area is truly astonishing, like the peerless genius in martial arts novels who understands any martial art at a glance and learns it instantly¡­

    But this really can¡¯t be written in the talent evaluation report!

    As for the talent evaluation report, that¡¯s for the instructors to worry about. Anyway, Yan Yu, who had completed his report, was now walking leisurely back to the academy with Chen Lingyun.

    ¡°Congratulations to you,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, no longer showing any signs of displeasure, ¡°With this, you are undoubtedly the number one among our group of Zhendong Army cultivators, right?¡±

    ¡°What, are you jealous?¡± Yan Yu glanced at her again.

    ¡°In your heart, am I that petty?¡± Chen Lingyun raised an eyebrow, her expression turning into a half-smile.

    ¡°Do you want the truth or a lie?¡± Yan Yu asked her in return.

    ¡°What about the lie?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°And the truth?¡±

    ¡°Even more so than that.¡±

    ¡°Hehe,¡± Chen Lingyun countered, ¡°But you don¡¯t mind my nasty character, do you?¡±

    ¡°What now, confessing again?¡± Yan Yu frowned and asked.

    ¡°Nope,¡± Chen Lingyun said, her smile brimming.

    ¡°If it¡¯s not a confession, then I don¡¯t need to answer,¡± Yan Yu snorted.

    ¡°That¡¯s also an answer,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile grew sweeter, ¡°Although you like me in your heart, you¡¯re afraid that admitting it outright would be embarrassing, so you use refusal to respond to cover your true attitude. It¡¯s a typical boy¡¯s pure thought that¡¯s quite easy to understand.¡±

    ¡°The level of your narcissism is pretty exaggerated,¡± Yan Yu sighed heavily, ¡°Maybe you should check your brain at a psychiatric hospital?¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your concern, but only those without assets who admire themselves can be called narcissistic,¡± Chen Lingyun corrected him, ¡°For those with assets, it¡¯s called self-awareness.¡±

    ¡°What assets do you have?¡± Yan Yu asked contemptuously, ¡°Your height that doesn¡¯t reach one meter sixty even with platform shoes?¡±

    ¡°I never expected Yan Yu to be a fan of lolis,¡± Chen Lingyun covered her mouth, feigning surprise, ¡°So you care about the petite stature of girls that much?¡±

    The two of them bantered back and forth leisurely strolling back to the academy. They saw Instructor Han Zaixian organizing the students to practice the Shifting Technique by running laps around the track.

    The principle behind the Shifting Technique was that it took effect the instant both feet left the ground while running, immediately accelerating the cultivator¡¯s forward speed to its peak, then letting inertia carry the body forward.

    From the spectator stands, these cultivators still appeared to be running, only each step miraculously covered a distance of more than ten meters.

    ¡°How does it look?¡± Chen Lingyun stood shoulder to shoulder with Yan Yu, watching the classmates practicing the Shifting Technique, ¡°Are there any standout performances?¡±

    ¡°What do you think constitutes a standout performance?¡± Yan Yu asked her in return.

    ¡°The purpose of using the Shifting Technique is for rapid movement,¡± Chen Lingyun said casually, ¡°so naturally, the faster one runs, the better the performance is considered.¡±

    ¡°Wrong, completely wrong,¡± Yan Yu flatly rejected her claim, ¡°How superficial. Can you only see the surface of things, little Ling Yun?¡±

    ¡°The Shifting Technique only works when both feet are off the ground, which means we need to keep moving our legs to maintain a state of being airborne as much as possible. If you¡¯re moving so fast that you can¡¯t control it, then you won¡¯t be able to lift your rear foot before the front foot lands, and inertia will cause your whole body to tumble forward.¡±

    ¡°Given a cultivator¡¯s ability to control, this extreme speed is probably around 16 to 17 meters per second. After mastering the Shifting Technique, reaching this speed isn¡¯t too difficult; controlling the output of True Yuan is sufficient.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± pondered Chen Lingyun, ¡°then what is the standard by which the Shifting Technique is measured?¡±

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s whether you can initiate and terminate it at will,¡± Yan Yu said without a second thought, ¡°The goal of the Shifting Technique isn¡¯t simply fast movement, but ¡®to move quickly when it¡¯s necessary to move quickly¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Chen Lingyun nodded in agreement, ¡°This isn¡¯t a track and field competition, using the Shifting Technique is for the purpose of tactical movement, not just to run faster.¡±

    ¡°Anyone who can ponder this wouldn¡¯t say ¡®The Shifting Technique is more of a priority than the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse,''¡± Yan Yu said disdainfully.

    ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re right indeed,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s response was tinged with laughter.

    As these two stood leisurely on the sidelines, the students on the field sweating profusely and practicing the Shifting Technique understood the coach Qi Changping¡¯s words about ¡®the supremacy of strength¡¯ more deeply.

    As exceptional students in this school of cultivators, they could indeed consider themselves a cut above the rest.

    ¡°Next, any student with a hint of utilitarianism will probably try to make connections with us,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Yan Yu, are you ready to take the throne of the top student in the academy?¡±

    ¡°Top student in the academy?¡± came Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s suspicious voice from nearby.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress, seeing her partner standing side by side with another woman, could no longer restrain herself and, throwing caution and her previous low-profile strategy to the wind, hurried over.

    Chen Lingyun, aware of the other¡¯s intentions, simply wrapped her arm affectionately around Yan Yu¡¯s and cheerfully said:

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s my classmate Yan Yu.¡±

    Yan Yu immediately shook off her arm and scolded:

    ¡°Wretched woman, have some decency! Even if you¡¯re dying of thirst for me, you should at least have a sense of shame!¡±

    ¡°What sense of shame?¡± Chen Lingyun feigned innocence and continued to cling, not willing to let the fun end so easily, ¡°Didn¡¯t you just compliment me on looking good?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! Even if a dwarf looks good, can she be a match for a prince on a white horse?¡±

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s eyes widened suddenly, her eyebrows raised, and she gasped, struggling to maintain her smiling face.

    Zhao Yuanzhen breathed a sigh of relief, a triumphant look in her eyes as she turned to Chen Lingyun, about to speak, when Yan Yu pointed his finger at her and exclaimed:

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so pleased with yourself, you¡¯re not up to scratch either!¡±

    Students still practicing the Shifting Technique in the distance, upon seeing these two girls confronting one boy, seemed on the verge of World War III erupting. Instantly, those who had claimed to be tired stopped complaining, those who had been running diligently ceased their effort, and all of them flocked to the track closer to watch the drama unfold.

    Before the entire crowd had gathered, they saw Yan Yu unleash a verbal bombardment, wildly demolishing the potential strife by blasting it to rubble! They were all left gaping in shock.

    Wow, a Sigma male with such a steely resolve could attract female pursuers too?!

    Consequently, Chen Lingyun¡¯s judgment was mistaken yet again¡­ S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Before long, it wasn¡¯t the title of ¡°primus inter pares¡± that spread throughout the academy, but rather the name ¡°Swordsman¡± that spread like wildfire. When talking about this matter, people were keen to post a meme of a ¡°Shiba Inu wielding a sword¡± to express their respect and admiration for Yan Yu.

    ¡°Women only slow down my sword-drawing speed.jpg¡±

 Chapter 33 - 33 Who is Slandering Me!

    Chapter 33: Chapter 33 Who is Slandering Me!

    Dinner time.

    The cafeteria was about two-thirds full.

    Yan Yu sat at a corner table, and although some wanted to join him, they were quickly stopped by their companions.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you see who that is?¡±

    The lofty lone swordsman, the abstinent iron-clad martial god, a peerless powerhouse who can¡¯t be budged even by the most brutal battlegrounds!

    Since the semester had just started and everyone was still unfamiliar with each other, the students judged from their first impressions that Yan Yu must be difficult to get along with.

    ...

    If even a beautiful girl is harshly scolded and snubbed by him, what chance do we ordinary people have to interact with him?

    Zhao Yuanzhen, however, didn¡¯t care about that, or rather, the Demonic Sect Enchantress didn¡¯t bother to pay attention to what her sect mates thought, and went straight over with her tray to sit opposite Yan Yu.

    ¡°This is so boring,¡± she complained quietly. ¡°The spiritual energy of this world is so depleted, a dignified cultivator can only practice the Three Arts and Five Spells. If my elder sisters saw me mingling with these mediocre cultivators, they¡¯d surely laugh their teeth off.¡±

    ¡°Take it slow,¡± Yan Yu replied. ¡°The concentration of spiritual energy will rise sooner or later.¡±

    ¡°It had better,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen frowned. ¡°Otherwise, even if I cycle through tens of thousands of celestial circuits, I might not regain my original cultivation level¡­¡±

    She suddenly stopped speaking because Chen Lingyun also came over with a tray and smiled, ¡°Do you mind if I join your table?¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± Yan Yu said offhandedly.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be intruding,¡± Chen Lingyun ignored his rejection and sat down beside him.

    ¡°Where are your two maids?¡± Yan Yu glanced at her and asked, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you eating with them?¡±

    ¡°They are practicing the Shifting Technique in the practice fields,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°And, they are not maids, classmate, you can¡¯t just say things like that~¡±

    With Lin Ning¡¯s serious personality, she probably felt she couldn¡¯t keep up with everyone else, so she decided to stay for extra practice; Su Yunjin, however, had a very laid-back attitude, so expecting her to study extra on her own was out of the question. She probably stayed to keep Lin Ning company¡­ Had Chen Lingyun worked her magic, turning these two into good friends already?

    Girls make friends too quickly, terrifying! sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°By the way,¡± Chen Lingyun had a bite of her meal and suddenly said, ¡°The mysterious realm at the mouth of the Qiantang River has been confirmed. We¡¯re currently negotiating with Chongying Country, and they claim to be completely unaware of it.¡±

    ¡°Mysterious Realm?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen pricked up her ears, ¡°What mysterious realm?¡±

    ¡°The Fixed River Mysterious Realm,¡± Yan Yu raised an eyebrow, ¡°Are you interested?¡±

    ¡°Not interested,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately lost interest upon hearing what it was.

    The so-called mysterious realm is an extremely powerful cultivator¡¯s creation of a subspace world. There are various reasons for creating such realms, such as nearing ascension or the end of one¡¯s life span, with no disciples to pass their legacy onto, leaving their unused techniques and treasures in a hidden world with the intent of ¡°leaving them for the fated,¡± making the exploration of such realms extremely valuable.

    But the Fixed River Mysterious Realm was different. In the distant past, when floods were rampant, Da Yu opened up these kinds of mysterious realms in many places to control the myriad rivers, and by planting a Heavenly River Anchoring Needle inside, he stabilized the water vein¡ªso there¡¯s not much of value in the Fixed River Mysterious Realm except for the Heavenly River Anchoring Needle, which, if removed, would cause the water vein to go berserk, making it a poor trade.

    Moreover, since Yan Yu had already acquired such a treasure for her last time, Zhao Yuanzhen was even less interested.

    ¡°So it seems the story of Da Yu controlling the waters is indeed a myth,¡± Chen Lingyun mused, ¡°What about Noah¡¯s Ark?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s at Mount Ale in Tekki Country,¡± Yan Yu answered, ¡°It probably hasn¡¯t emerged yet.¡±

    ¡°Aah, in Tekki Country, huh,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s eyes narrowed as she laughed, ¡°That could trigger a religious war, right?¡±

    ¡°Well, it has nothing to do with us anyway,¡± Yan Yu cut short her daydreaming, ¡°How is the Qiantang Mysterious Realm being handled?¡±

    ¡°Of course, the surrounding area is sealed off and a restricted zone is established,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°No more watching the tide, then.¡±

    Whether being able to watch the tide or not didn¡¯t matter; Yan Yu wanted to ask, ¡°How were those two bodies handled?¡±, but that despicable woman deliberately pretended not to understand.

    ¡°Speaking of which, I¡¯m also quite curious,¡± Chen Lingyun glanced at Zhao Yuanzhen, then suddenly asked Yan Yu, ¡°Are there many such people?¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± Yan Yu lazily inquired.

    ¡°You know what I mean.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll just say it clearly.¡± Chen Lingyun showed a helpless smile that said ¡°you little rascal¡± and asked, ¡°Why does Chongying Country have cultivators not officially managed by the government, but we don¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°Because they dare not show themselves,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°I see.¡± Chen Lingyun immediately understood, ¡°Then now that spiritual energy is gradually reviving, civilian cultivators will surely increase in future, right?¡±

    ¡°Do you think that¡¯s a good thing or a bad thing?¡± Yan Yu suddenly countered.

    ¡°That must be viewed dialectically¡­¡± Chen Lingyun smoothly stated, only to be interrupted by Zhao Yuanzhen abruptly.

    ¡°Why would that be a bad thing?¡± She looked at Yan Yu, puzzled, having guessed the attitudes of the two¡ªChen Lingyun was optimistic about the increase in the number of civilian cultivators, while Yan Yu was not, ¡°Cultivation should not be controlled by the imperial court, right?¡±

    ¡°Think about it, what is the attitude of independent cultivators towards mortals?¡± Yan Yu asked leisurely.

    Zhao Yuanzhen paused for a moment, then also understood instantly.

    Lu Country cultivators are all officially trained, so everyone has little concept of this, but Zhao Yuanzhen, having come from that world, knew very well the behavior of these independent cultivators.

    To put it nicely, it¡¯s called having no taboos, but if speaking crudely, they are utterly unrestrained. For example, discovering a cultivator¡¯s Mysterious Realm in a remote forest and slaughtering an entire nearby mortal village to prevent the leak of information was nothing out of the ordinary.

    Being raised in the Evil Sect and especially the Qiansi Sect, Zhao Yuanzhen naturally could not take mortal lives seriously. However, the actions of many Evil Sect independent cultivators were such that even she found them disgustingly abominable, which shows how deplorable they truly were.

    She wanted to say more, but then she heard Yan Yu speak solemnly:

    ¡°The so-called order needs strength to maintain it. As soon as strength is dispersed, the order will collapse, and the new order will inevitably be written by those with new power. Do you know what the new order will look like?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen, of course, knew, having come from a world where cultivators could move mountains and fill seas. So actually, Yan Yu was questioning Chen Lingyun.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Chen Lingyun put away her smile and said lightly, ¡°But as you said, this will inevitably happen, regardless of whether we think it¡¯s good or bad, we can only learn to accept it.¡±

    ¡°Be stubborn while you can,¡± Yan Yu let out a cold laugh and did not continue to argue.

    While you can? Does that mean I will regret it in the future? Chen Lingyun¡¯s thoughts turned, but she did not respond; she just looked at him eating with a smiling face.

    After Yan Yu finished eating, he suddenly asked:

    ¡°Is there any regulation from the school about not staying in the dormitory and renting a house outside instead?¡±

    ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Why do you ask? Can¡¯t wait to live with me? Mind you, I haven¡¯t agreed to be with you.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen couldn¡¯t hold back any longer and blurted out angrily:

    ¡°He was talking about living with me!¡±

    The voice of the Demonic Sect Enchantress rang out clear and loud, immediately catching the attention of most people in the cafeteria. The students turned to look.

    After all, they had seen her during the practical class that afternoon. Seeing that it was the same aloof swordsman with two women who tried to influence his sword-drawing speed, everyone calmly turned back and resumed their eating and chatting.

    Yan Yu frowned slightly, feeling that his reputation within the school had somehow been subtly damaged.

 Chapter 34 - 34 Marshal Yan

    Chapter 34: Chapter 34 Marshal Yan

    When it came to the danger posed by freelance cultivators, a typical case was that of Rakshasa Country in Northern Lu Country.

    Rakshasa Country had the largest territory in the world, but most areas were covered with permafrost of ice and snow. Official power was mainly concentrated on the western side, which belonged to Europe, and it was difficult to extend its influence to the vast central and eastern regions of Siberia.

    Therefore, after the resurgence of spiritual energy, many cities and villages within Siberia bred a massive number of ungoverned cultivators (known as Spirit Communicators within the Rakshasa Country), such as werewolves, vampires, necromancer wizards, and so on, almost all of whom were evil wrongdoers who would stop at nothing to become stronger.

    These Spirit Communicators quickly seized control over the majority of the cities, forcing the Rakshasa officials to launch the first, second, and third witch-hunting campaigns. Each time the military suffered heavy losses among their cultivators, until they had no choice but to retract their influence and set up a military defensive line in the Ural Mountains, ceding the territories east of the mountains to the Spirit Communicators.

    After a prolonged and ruthless competition and slaughter among themselves, these Spirit Communicators eventually unified to form the notorious ¡°Blood Moon Alliance¡±. They created a vast canopy of eternal night that shrouded the entire northern part of Asia in a dark energy barrier, turning it into a hunting paradise for dark creatures.

    As Lu Country¡¯s Northeast was adjacent to this area, the Dingbei Army cultivators faced tremendous national defense pressure, and every year, the number of martyrs who fell in the fight against dark creatures was the highest in the nation.

    ...

    What was more heart-wrenching was that the Blood Moon Alliance¡¯s leader, the ¡°Eclipse Queen¡±, had once been a citizen of Lu Country and even had the chance to become a cultivator in the Dingbei Army¡­ but due to a series of unfortunate events, she ultimately took the path that led her to turn against the Dingbei Army.

    The reason Yan Yu considered it all ¡°unfortunate events¡± was that he truly knew the inside story; in fact, neither side was at fault, which was precisely what made it so frustrating.

    Well, I could intervene in advance; after all, this is my mission as a reborn individual!

    ¡°I need to make a trip to Shengjing this weekend,¡± Yan Yu suddenly declared.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Chen Lingyun asked in surprise, ¡°Do you have some fun plans again?¡±

    ¡°Who told you it was something fun?¡± Yan Yu displayed a speechless expression, ¡°I¡¯m on a serious mission, okay? Not everyone is like you.¡±

    ¡°If you need to go to Shengjing, you must apply for it,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a leisurely smile, ¡°Without a valid reason, you can¡¯t just leave the school; after all, we are ultimately a military academy.¡±

    ¡°No kidding, it¡¯s because of the paperwork that I¡¯m telling you,¡± Yan Yu said icily, ¡°Would I come to you if I didn¡¯t have to follow the procedure?¡±

    ¡°Is that your attitude when asking for help?¡± Chen Lingyun raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen chimed in from the side, ¡°He came to you because he respects you, understand?¡±

    ¡°Do you plan to take Yuanzhen with you?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m going alone,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    Zhao Yuanzhen immediately became as dumbfounded as a wooden chicken, before finally saying:

    ¡°Wait, aren¡¯t we supposed to be cultivating partners?¡±

    ¡°So what exactly is your misunderstanding about cultivating partners?¡± Yan Yu asked, baffled, ¡°Cultivating partners are companions in cultivation, not trinkets hanging on a key ring! You don¡¯t need to follow me everywhere I go, right?¡±

    ¡°Exactly because we cultivate together, we can¡¯t give up halfway,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said seriously, ¡°If you go alone, without me to aid your cultivation, how will you manage your daily breathing exercises? One day of play leads to every day of play, eventually resulting in neglect of your cultivation and missing out on the great Dao! When your life ends, you will regret it!¡±

    Because of Yan Yu¡¯s mysterious and inscrutable mentor, she subconsciously guessed, ¡°Could it be that your mentor is arranging for you to gain an advantage again?¡± And the more Yan Yu refused to let her accompany him, the more convinced she became of her suspicion.

    Humph, thinking of ditching me to reap the benefits alone? Dream on!

    Yan Yu was left stupefied by her words and after a long moment, he responded:

    ¡°Enough already, who taught you all this nonsense?¡±

    ¡°How about this.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°If you let me come with you, not only can I get you approved to go to Shengjing, but I can also help you get reimbursed for the travel expenses, how about that?¡± S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Why do you want to tag along?¡± Yan Yu asked, frowning.

    ¡°I¡¯m going for the entertainment,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a playful twinkle in her eye.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­

    ¡°Fine,¡± he struggled with his expression for a moment before conceding with difficulty, ¡°Come to think of it, after all, there are inconveniences when traveling outside.¡±

    After a pause, Yan Yu turned to Zhao Yuanzhen and instructed:

    ¡°Zhao Yuanzhen.¡±

    ¡°Present,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen responded eagerly.

    ¡°During the trip, the task of washing clothes will be yours,¡± Yan Yu said seriously.

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ¡­¡­

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just using the Purifying Spell,¡± she pretended to be nonchalant, but inwardly she began to seethe, and once again made a major note in her book of grudges:

    ¡°Today, the little thief set out on a long journey, initially unwilling to take me with him. Later, he blackmailed me with laundry, treating me as a servant or concubine. I¡¯ve noted this debt! If one day I come to power, I¡¯ll make him wash my clothes and fold my blankets, and he will likewise serve as a manservant attending to chores!¡±

    ¡°As for you,¡± Yan Yu turned his head to look at Chen Lingyun, ¡°the task of handling travel documents and lodging will be yours.¡±

    ¡°Why are you suddenly speaking in half literary and half vernacular Chinese?¡± Chen Lingyun covered her mouth and laughed.

    ¡°Because only by imagining myself as a noble young master from Jiangnan on his way to the capital can I barely accept the fact that I need to travel with two beauties as maids,¡± sighed Yan Yu, ¡°Ah, women are indeed troublesome.¡±

    ¡°Hehe.¡± Chen Lingyun wasn¡¯t angry, just smiling along, ¡°Then please rest assured, my lord, this young lady will arrange everything properly.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, you wench, don¡¯t disappoint me,¡± huffed Yan Yu as he stood up, holding his unfinished tray of food, and walked toward the conveyor belt where dishes were discarded.

    Chen Lingyun watched his retreating figure, the smile gradually fading from her face, turning into a thoughtful expression.

    She looked at Zhao Yuanzhen who was quietly eating across from her and thought that this Demonic Sect Enchantress didn¡¯t have much going on upstairs and probably knew nothing of Yan Yu¡¯s true intentions.

    Why go north?

    Is it to find Mei Yingxue?

    Humph, even if you won¡¯t tell me, I¡¯ll find out.

    Dear, just don¡¯t let me grow tired of you too soon¡­

    Meanwhile, Yan Yu returned to the base of the dorm building, only to see Qiu Ze, clad in basketball attire with his arms bare, joking with a female classmate before finally watching her leave.

    He turned to greet Yan Yu:

    ¡°Yo, Yan the Handsome.¡±

    ¡°What ¡®the Handsome¡¯?¡± Yan Yu asked with a frown.

    ¡°Short for ¡®handsome guy,''¡± Qiu Ze slapped his shoulder, chuckling, ¡°Two out of the four prettiest girls in our program are already interested in you¡­ Yan Yu, you still say you¡¯re not a handsome guy?¡±

    Qiu Ze was really good with words, making Yan Yu unable to help but laugh:

    ¡°Indeed, but is it possible that they¡¯re interested in my talent?¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯re both talented and handsome, how¡¯s that?¡± Qiu Ze burst into laughter, paying a compliment before asking, ¡°Big Handsome, seriously though, you¡¯re too awesome, right? You haven¡¯t been enrolled for long and you already know the Three Arts and Five Spells, how did you do it? Is there some kind of trick to it?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no trick,¡± Yan Yu waved it off, ¡°just diligent study and practice.¡±

    ¡°Got time now?¡± Qiu Ze seized the chance to invite, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the practice field and train. You can give me some pointers too.¡±

    At the end of this afternoon¡¯s training session, the instructor assigned homework for everyone, to master the Shifting Technique within a week, so many students had arranged to practice with their peers in the evening.

    It seemed like a normal invitation, but knowing Qiu Ze as Yan Yu did, he figured the guy probably had a competitive mindset.

    After all, Qiu Ze had exceptional natural talent in the Shifting Technique, the Cloud Ascending Technique, and the Wall Penetrating Technique in their previous life, outstanding even outside the Zhendong Army. He probably had some awareness of this by now.

    But if you¡¯re using me as a standard for comparison, haven¡¯t you picked the wrong person?

 Chapter 35 - 35 Zhao Yuanzhen:

    Chapter 35: Chapter 35 Zhao Yuanzhen: ¡°You are not worthy

    Among the Three Arts and Five Spells, the Three Arts consist of the Shifting Technique that enhances movement speed, the Cloud Ascension Technique that breaks free from the grasp of gravity, and the Wall-Penetration Technique that ignores physical barriers.

    All three Arts are related to a cultivator¡¯s movement, which is the core of any tactics; therefore, mature training methods developed in later generations actually involve creating extremely complex terrain to engage cultivators in comprehensive positioning practice.

    However, at this point in time, the overall theoretical research is still not complete, so the Three Arts are practiced on separate grounds¡ªsuch a design seems rather foolish.

    The training ground for the Shifting Technique is a specially designed track and field stadium, featuring a long straight track, a long curved track, and multiple hairpin turns. The cultivator students ran laps around the track, striving to adapt their bodies to the rhythm of casting the Shifting Technique.

    Yan Yu watched leisurely and noticed that the majority of students had one flaw: they liked to push the speed of the Shifting Technique too high. Soon, they couldn¡¯t keep up the stepping pace with their legs and had to slow down to stabilize themselves before attempting to accelerate to an excessive speed again.

    This cycle of speeding up¡ªlosing control¡ªslowing down¡ªstabilizing¡ªspeeding up again was actually less efficient than maintaining a steady cruising speed; the prerequisite for steady-state cruising is knowing what your maximum controllable speed is¡­ so in the end, it was still a lack of proficiency.

    ...

    Qiu Ze also excitedly ran a few laps. Similar to his talent in a previous life, he could now invoke the Shifting Technique both swiftly and steadily.

    ¡°Coming or not, bro?¡± He stopped beside Yan Yu and said, ¡°How about running a few laps together?¡±

    Yan Yu responded noncommittally. He wasn¡¯t interested in simple running practice, instead, he gestured to the side:

    ¡°Why not practice that.¡±

    Qiu Ze looked over to where he was pointing; it was the training ground for the Cloud Ascension Technique, arranged to resemble an old town district with narrow alleys, low walls, a forest of telephone poles, and obstructive abandoned cars everywhere, with hardly a clear path in sight.

    ¡°You want to practice Cloud Ascension Technique, right?¡± He hesitated slightly.

    ¡°Practice Shifting Technique and Cloud Ascension Technique together.¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°Follow the designated route from the starting point to the endpoint. The total horizontal distance is about a kilometer, right? Let¡¯s aim to complete it within 1 minute and 20 seconds, how about that?¡±

    ¡°1 minute and 20 seconds¡­ How is that even possible!¡± Qiu Ze was immediately startled.

    His exclamation was so loud that the other students practicing the Shifting Technique nearby also came to a halt, looking over with expressions of astonishment.

    A distance of one kilometer¡ªif it were a flat terrain track, Qiu Ze was confident he could run it in 1 minute and 20 seconds. But that was the training ground for the Cloud Ascension Technique! There were hardly any normal paths throughout the course; it was mostly about vaulting over walls, leaping over car roofs, and jumping back and forth on rooftops, etc.

    Some students tried to follow the designated route with the Cloud Ascension Technique, stumbling along the entire distance in roughly 4 and a half minutes. If they became proficient later on, perhaps they could reduce it to 3 and a half minutes, but 1 minute and 20 seconds¡­

    How could that be possible?!

    ¡°Nothing is impossible.¡± Yan Yu knew this guy¡¯s thought process was entirely unopened, reminding him, ¡°Keep the Shifting Technique going continuously as much as possible throughout the course, switch to the Cloud Ascension Technique to overcome obstacles when encountered, and then quickly switch back to the Shifting Technique to continue running. Just try to maintain the speed.¡±

    Qiu Ze: ¡­¡­¡­.

    It was theoretically possible, sure. Just as when a tiger is pouncing towards you, you could indeed manage a slide under its body, and incidentally slice open its belly with a knife.

    It¡¯s just that the difficulty seemed to be a wee bit high.

    Keep in mind, when cultivators employ the Shifting Technique, they can reach speeds of even 60 yards. If you were to have a car charging at you at 60 yards per second, are you one hundred percent certain you could react in time and dodge to the side?

    ¡°Big brother!¡± Qiu Ze couldn¡¯t help but smile wryly; if his previous address of ¡°handsome guy¡± contained flattery, this time ¡°big brother¡± was a genuine plea for mercy, ¡°Your proposal seems a bit unrealistic.¡±

    ¡°How is it unrealistic?¡± Yan Yu furrowed his brows.

    ¡°You mean, to rush forward with Shifting Technique first,¡± Qiu Ze pointed to the low wall ahead of them, ¡°and at the moment of approaching the wall, interrupt the Shifting Technique, and then initiate Cloud Ascension Technique to vault over it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°What if it fails?¡± Qiu Ze looked puzzled.

    ¡°Why would it fail?¡± Yan Yu asked, confused, ¡°Activating the Cloud Ascension Technique allows you to ignore gravity and inertia, you know this, right? No matter how fast you¡¯re moving forward, as soon as you start Cloud Ascension Technique, the forward speed immediately drops to zero¡­¡±

    ¡°But the problem is you need to activate Cloud Ascension Technique on time, every time.¡± Qiu Ze argued somewhat frantically, ¡°When you¡¯re charging towards a wall using Shifting Technique, you¡¯re going at speeds of over ten meters per second at the fastest, right? What if you initiate Cloud Ascension Technique too slowly?¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯ll smash headfirst into the wall.¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°Exactly!¡± Qiu Ze shouted, excited, ¡°Who can guarantee they can activate Cloud Ascension Technique on time every time!¡±

    ¡°I can,¡± Yan Yu said.

    Qiu Ze was once again left speechless by his retort. Due to his previous shouting, a group of students had gradually gathered around, all curious about the commotion.

    ¡°Moreover, you all would need to be capable of doing the same,¡± Yan Yu seriously continued, scanning the students around him, his expression suggesting he was not joking, ¡°It¡¯s meaningless to run one kilometer under one minute on a flat track; at most, it proves you can use the Shifting Technique. Pull someone over from the street who drives a motorcycle, they could do it with the aid of a vehicle, perhaps even faster than you.¡± S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Considering real combat, you¡¯d have to maintain a high speed with the Shifting Technique throughout any complex environment and use the Cloud Ascension Technique for flexible maneuvering. Without integrating both, mastering them by heart, no matter how proficiently or quickly you can run with the Shifting Technique, you¡¯ll just be a moving target on the battlefield.¡±

    He spoke earnestly, uttering uncompromising words that left many students around him displaying indignant expressions.

    So, we¡¯ve been practicing the Shifting Technique on the field all day long, and you¡¯re dismissing it as worthless? Not even the instructor said anything, and you¡¯re here trying to preach?

    Do you think you are better than the instructor?

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why don¡¯t you show us what you¡¯ve got!¡± suddenly someone in the crowd shouted.

    Yan Yu turned his gaze to the source of the voice, recognizing the guy who had eaten with Qiu Ze and him before.

    Being typical college students who feared neither heaven nor earth, the challenger held his ground even under Yan Yu¡¯s gaze, instead urging him on:

    ¡°With all your impressive talk, show us how to run like that so we can learn too!¡±

    ¡°Right!¡±

    ¡°Exactly!¡±

    Several other guys joined in the shouting, giving Qiu Ze meaningful looks.

    Qiu Ze, however, hesitated. He could see that Yan Yu had incited anger in the crowd; after all, college guys hated two kinds of people the most: those who boast and pretend a lot, and those who harm pretty girls. Yan Yu had crossed both lines.

    But he instinctively felt that Yan Yu wasn¡¯t showing off on purpose¡­ Considering that this guy mastered the Three Arts and Five Spells in the few days since the start of the semester, it was possible that his level was indeed higher than ours.

    If he was actually feigning incompetence, this could be a death wish for you all!

    Facing the jeers and heckling of the crowd, Yan Yu did not immediately agree. He simply shook his head and said:

    ¡°I¡¯ve already mastered it; practicing this further is meaningless.¡±

    ¡°So, the big shot thinks it¡¯s beneath him to run, right?¡± The crowd laughed mockingly, taking it as him boasting and then failing to deliver, thereby looking for an excuse to back out.

    The guy who had initially spoken up was about to make a sarcastic comment when he heard Yan Yu turn to him and say:

    ¡°It¡¯s you guys who really need to practice this, not me!¡±

    Everyone was almost ready to burst into laughter at his remark, and the guy got so furious that he confronted Yan Yu:

    ¡°How can we learn if you don¡¯t demonstrate it for us!¡±

    Yan Yu asked him with confusion:

    ¡°The instructor demonstrated the Shifting Technique for you this afternoon. Did I see you running one kilometer in one minute? Even if I showed you on the spot, with your talent, could you really learn it?¡±

    ¡°Damn it!¡± The young man exploded, turning to Qiu Ze and saying, ¡°I can¡¯t take this, Old Qiu!¡±

    ¡°Hey, hey, we¡¯re all classmates¡­¡± Qiu Ze still tried to mediate and keep the peace, only to hear the guy angrily challenge Yan Yu:

    ¡°As you said, run a lap around the Cloud Ascension Technique ground, using the Shifting Technique the whole way without stopping. If you can, I¡¯ll call you Daddy; if you can¡¯t, you be my son!¡±

    Before Yan Yu could even respond, Zhao Yuanzhen burst through the crowd, seething with anger, pointing at the guy, and cursed:

    ¡°Fuck off! You¡¯re not fit to claim kinship with the likes of me!¡±

 Chapter 36 - 36: Setting a Goal for Everyone

    Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Setting a Goal for Everyone

    After dinner, Chen Lingyun went to the playground to find Su Yunjin and Lin Ning.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, on the other hand, went to look for Yan Yu in the boys¡¯ dormitory. Not finding him there, she turned towards the playground, just in time to encounter the scene of Yan Yu pontificating and riling everyone up.

    She hid among the crowd, listening to the boys tease and mock Yan Yu, and initially, she felt a bit of secret pleasure.

    ¡°You little thief! You deserve to be pointed at by thousands and scorned by all!¡±

    It wasn¡¯t until she heard a boy say, ¡°If you can do it, I¡¯ll call you daddy, if not, you¡¯ll be my son,¡± that Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s expression changed. She finally remembered that she was that person¡¯s dao companion.

    If that little thief won, she would have an idiot calling her ¡°mom.¡± She was in the prime of her life, looking as delicate as a flower, so how could she suddenly become a mom?

    ...

    What was even more disgusting was that if the little thief lost, she would suddenly get an unwanted ¡°father-in-law¡± for no reason¡­

    Thinking this, Zhao Yuanzhen could no longer hold back, and immediately came out to stop it, saying,

    ¡°Cut your mom¡¯s crap! Claim kin with your old mother, do you think you¡¯re worthy?¡±

    The boy was suddenly scolded, completely caught off guard, and only after a closer look did he recognize Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s identity. Looking around, the girls were already laughing together.

    Many girls had already gossiped about Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s relationship, so they guessed what she meant, but the boy didn¡¯t catch on, thinking Zhao Yuanzhen was just standing up for her husband. He didn¡¯t want to target her for fear of provoking the ire of the other girls, but his face was ugly as he continued to stare at Yan Yu and challenged,

    ¡°Do you dare? If you¡¯re so capable, then make your claim. You wouldn¡¯t only know how to hide behind a woman and let her take the bullets for you, right?¡±

    Yan Yu was also quite troubled. He felt that his reputation among the boys in his grade was somewhat lacking, definitely because that trashy woman, Chen Lingyun, had used some trickery to incite jealousy among the boys and targeted him.

    And that Demonic Sect Enchantress deliberately stirred up trouble under the pretense of helping, truly deserving to be condemned!

    Just as his expression darkened, the instructor Han Zaixian who had just come over to check on the students¡¯ progress in their cultivation, also learned from the crowd about what had transpired.

    He admitted that what Yan Yu said wasn¡¯t wrong, but teaching still had to respect objective reality ¨C you need to learn to walk before you can run, right? Many students are still not proficient with the Shifting Technique, so asking them to combine it with the Cloud Ascension Technique, that¡¯s just not going to happen.

    Yan Yu is probably suffering from the genius complex, thinking everyone else has the same exceptional talent as him, leading him to make those comments that were misinterpreted as looking down on others.

    However, the military ultimately respects strength, so let him give a demonstration, and set a goal for the other students.

    ¡°Yan Yu.¡± Han Zaixian cleared his throat and said, ¡°Since the students have doubts, why don¡¯t you give them a demonstration.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Yan Yu pondered.

    He looked ahead again; the field simulated an urban combat environment and was quite well-designed. However, Yan Yu preferred practicing combat with others in such complex environments rather than simply showing off with fancy footwork ¨C how boring is that?

    However, considering that even the Shifting Technique and Cloud Ascension Technique are being trained separately in schools now, it proves that the military at this point in time has not realized the true power when the Three Arts are combined. They need a small ¡°shock¡± from him.

    If he could guide the Cultivator teaching program back on track, then the Rikoku Cultivators wouldn¡¯t waste time and effort on the wrong training path like in his previous life, which would be a great kindness! It¡¯s also his mission as a reborn individual!

    ¡°Does anyone have a phone?¡± Han Zaixian asked the students.

    Last time, because he didn¡¯t bring his phone, Han Zaixian missed Yan Yu¡¯s battle with Chen Lingyun. He wouldn¡¯t make the same mistake again.

    ¡°I have one.¡± Someone in the crowd raised their hand, and it was Chen Lingyun ¨C seemingly she had been hiding in the crowd watching the excitement all along. ¡°Want me to record it?¡± Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Yeah, record it.¡± Han Zaixian nodded and said.

    Seeing the instructor¡¯s confidence, it seemed he was certain Yan Yu would be sensational this time. The brother who was known for his hot temper couldn¡¯t help feeling anxious and asked Qiu Ze,

    ¡°That guy can¡¯t really do it, can he?¡±

    ¡°For this afternoon¡¯s training class, everyone else got to skip, what do you say?¡± Qiu Ze patted his shoulder and sighed, ¡°This time you might have to offer a verbal apology, so brace yourself.¡±

    The other person immediately put on a mournful face. A verbal apology¡­ Being embarrassed was the least of his worries; he feared even the right to choose a partner at the university might be gone.

    Chen Lingyun switched her phone to camera mode, aimed at Yan Yu¡¯s back, and crisply said:

    ¡°Ready.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll say start, then you take off,¡± Han Zaixian declared loudly.

    Without turning his head, Yan Yu gave an OK sign.

    ¡°Start!¡±

    As soon as Han Zaixian gave the order, Yan Yu instantly activated his Shifting Technique, surging forward like lightning, instantly reaching his top speed.

    So fast! A thump resounded in most of the students¡¯ hearts.

    The Shifting Technique could take one to top speed in an instant right when both feet left the ground, but this top speed wasn¡¯t fixed. To put it accurately, the more True Yuan you pumped into it, the faster the Shifting Technique became¡ªjust like how a car accelerates faster the more you press on the gas pedal.

    Since the acceleration could be completed in an instant, if too much True Yuan was given and the highest speed exceeded the range of control, once the cultivator¡¯s front foot landed, the back foot would fail to step out in time and continue to surge forward, leading to an inevitable outcome¡ªkneeling on the ground with face braking the fall, a sight too horrible to witness.

    Hence, most students would start cruising at low speed when activating the Shifting Technique and then gradually increase the supply of True Yuan, slowly approaching their controllable speed limit. This was also the practice method emphasized by the instructors.

    But Yan Yu skipped this process. He seemed very clear about his limit of controllable speed, so he pushed it to the maximum from the start. As swift as a galloping horse, quick as lightning, before anyone could react, he had already charged to the location of the first low wall.

    Without slowing down or pausing, his rapidly moving figure defied inertia and gravity, turning almost a 90-degree angle upward along the low wall in an emergency maneuver, making Han Zaixian immediately widen his eyes as if to imprint every one of his movements into his memory.

    Interrupting the Shifting Technique, he instantly started the Cloud Ascension Technique, negating the forward inertia and reassigning upward velocity. If even a fraction of a second was wasted in this sequence of movements, he¡¯d crash into the wall with a bleeding head.

    Yan Yu¡¯s figure soared as if flying, and after he crossed the top of the low wall and began to fall, he suddenly transformed into a bolt of lightning shooting forward, drawing gasps of awe from many classmates.

    His change of speed was so swift that they lost sight of him in a blink.

    Han Zaixian could roughly guess that he had probably canceled the Cloud Ascension Technique right after crossing the top of the low wall. As his body was pulled down by gravity, Yan Yu used the momentum before his feet fully touched the ground to kick off the wall. Taking the forward speed from that and starting the Shifting Technique once again, his speed peaked in an instant. While everyone thought he would continue falling, he was already charging forward at full speed.

    The reason it was only a ¡°rough guess¡± was that Han Zaixian hadn¡¯t seen Yan Yu¡¯s movements clearly either¡ªsuch ¡°slow-to-fast¡± speed transitions were too taxing on the eyes. One couldn¡¯t anticipate when and in which direction he would move; one could only rely on on-the-spot reactions, making Han Zaixian afraid to even blink.

    One blink, and he might lose sight of him entirely.

    Luckily, he had Chen Lingyun record it beforehand. They could review and watch it at a slower pace later¡­ Han Zaixian thought with relief, just as he saw Yan Yu had already jumped onto the high wall, beginning the rooftop route.

    To simulate a real urban close-quarters battle environment, the rooftops of these buildings were also uneven in height.

    Moving between rooftops trained the direction control capability of the Cloud Ascension Technique. After all, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Moving in a straight line to the opposite rooftop with the Cloud Ascension Technique was definitely faster than moving in a zigzag or curved line.

    However, Yan Yu completely ignored the school¡¯s design intent here.

    If the opposite rooftop was lower, he would just activate the Shifting Technique at full speed, sprint and jump straight over in one go.

    But if the opposite rooftop was higher, and a regular jump wasn¡¯t enough, he would abruptly stop at the edge using the Cloud Ascension Technique, calculating the right jumping angle. As he leaped, he would activate the Shifting Technique again, his figure shooting out diagonally upward like an arrow leaving the bow.

    What should have been a leisurely flight over using the Cloud Ascension Technique was forcibly passed at high speed by Yan Yu with the Shifting Technique¡­ The Shifting Technique couldn¡¯t defy gravity, so he still fell downwards mid-air, resulting in a parabolic trajectory.

    But each time he landed just right at the edge of the opposite rooftop, never even close to a misstep.

    As precise as if he had measured it beforehand.

 Chapter 37 - 37: Inter-Quad Tournament

    Chapter 37: Chapter 37: Inter-Quad Tournament

    Not until Yan Yu had followed the designated route and completed an entire lap did Chen Lingyun reluctantly end her filming.

    ¡°How much?¡± Han Zaixian, standing by her side, asked her.

    ¡°1 minute and 11 seconds,¡± Chen Lingyun replied.

    The course, originally designed to be completed in about 3 and a half minutes, was run by Yan Yu in a terrifying 1 minute and 11 seconds, leaving Han Zaixian with nothing but admiration¡ªhe certainly couldn¡¯t have done it himself.

    Of course, the dignity of an instructor must be upheld, especially with all the students watching!

    Han Zaixian didn¡¯t show any hint of ¡°wow, I can¡¯t believe you ran that fast¡± shock. Instead, he put on a confident smile that said, ¡°Haha, I knew you could do it,¡± and patted the returning Yan Yu on the shoulder, laughing as he said:

    ...

    ¡°Yan Yu, you run so well!!! So, do you think there¡¯s still room for improvement on your time?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently, ¡°If I use the Wall-Penetration Technique to go through the obstacles instead of using the Cloud Ascension Technique to go around them, I should be able to get close to 1 minute.¡±

    ¡°It looks like we need to put up a notice,¡± Han Zaixian said cheerfully, ¡°Prohibiting the use of the Wall-Penetration Technique on the Cloud Ascension Technique training grounds.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not necessary,¡± Yan Yu, in front of all the students, bluntly critiqued, ¡°The Three Arts are inherently a single system. Even if everyone practices them separately and masters each one, they¡¯ll still need to be reintegrated and practiced together again. The result of practicing the Three Arts separately is that it produces nothing but test-taking specialists¡ªyou ask them to take a spell exam, and they can use each spell perfectly; but put them on the battlefield, and their performance will be a mess.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s certainly true,¡± Han Zaixian could only agree, having witnessed such a staggering performance. ¡°Actually, the school has already considered this. We¡¯re also in the process of building facilities for the comprehensive practice of the Three Arts.¡±

    ¡°Oh, is it already under construction?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    ¡°Under construction, under construction,¡± Han Zaixian said boldly, thinking to himself that he would suggest it to the leadership as soon as he got back; preparation was part of the process, after all.

    Seeing Yan Yu standing on an equal footing with the instructor and giving directions, the students felt no more resentment or antagonism, but instead, showed an awestruck expression that said, ¡°Wow, he¡¯s really a pro.¡±

    Having all practiced the Shifting Technique, they knew the level of skill Yan Yu¡¯s performance indicated was terrifying.

    Only the boy who earlier proposed the ¡°call me daddy¡± challenge was now looking at Qiu Ze with a gloomy face.

    ¡°I think if you don¡¯t acknowledge it, he probably won¡¯t make things difficult for you,¡± Qiu Ze pondered. ¡°But otherwise, you¡¯re likely to be taunted by others¡­ It¡¯s your decision to make.¡±

    After mulling it over, the boy felt that being labeled ¡°brave in speech but not in action¡± was worse than simply calling someone daddy¡ªas the former would be a moral talking point that could be used against him at any time, while the latter was just a joke that he could ignore if he had thick skin.

    Just as he mustered the courage and was about to step forward and call out ¡°daddy,¡± he suddenly saw Zhao Yuanzhen standing behind Yan Yu, giving him a look as if she was about to kill someone.

    You try calling him that, I dare you!

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    Leaving the training ground, everyone silently headed toward the dormitories.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was visibly annoyed, still caught up in the irritating thought of almost having gained a son.

    Su Yunjin remained calm and collected, as if it didn¡¯t matter to her whether Yan Yu was a top student or a bad one.

    Lin Ning, however, watched Yan Yu¡¯s retreating figure, looking like she had something to say but hesitated.

    ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve made a name for yourself once more,¡± Chen Lingyun said with raised eyebrows and a chuckle.

    ¡°Jealousy makes people ugly,¡± Yan Yu stated flatly.

    ¡°The word ¡®ugly¡¯ will never be associated with me,¡± Chen Lingyun replied, still smiling.

    ¡°I envy you,¡± Yan Yu sighed, ¡°It¡¯s different for me; I have this ugly person who keeps bothering me.¡±

    Chuckle! Su Yunjin turned her head away, her shoulders trembling slightly, and Lin Ning finally couldn¡¯t help but speak up:

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being a bit too harsh with that kind of talk¡­¡±

    ¡°Lin Ning,¡± Yan Yu turned his head and asked, ¡°What was that piece of advice you used to recite? I¡¯ve kind of forgotten, could you remind me?¡±

    Lin Ning immediately blushed and started to stammer about how ¡°early romance is wrong¡± and ¡°high school students should focus on their studies,¡± until Su Yunjin pulled her back and whispered:

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Look, Ling Yun isn¡¯t angry, she might even be enjoying it.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s not right for him to make such a joke¡­¡±

    The two young ladies fell behind, muttering to each other. Chen Lingyun, walking ahead, suddenly said:

    ¡°The matter we discussed last time has been settled.¡±

    ¡°Are you referring to the trip to Shengjing, or the matter of renting a house outside the school?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°To Shengjing.¡± Chen Lingyun smiled slightly, ¡°Although there hasn¡¯t been an official notification yet, it¡¯s essentially settled: this weekend, the four major magical colleges will hold an exchange competition at the Dingbei Cultivator College in Shengjing. Each college will send one representative to show their strength.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment and said, ¡°Is it that the higher-ups want to review the troops?¡±

    ¡°To be precise, they want to reassess the strength and value of the four major colleges,¡± Chen Lingyun corrected, ¡°You know, the resources the nation currently invests in cultivating cultivators have far exceeded the cost of establishing any one type of military branch. With so much money, even if it were thrown into the water, you¡¯d expect to hear a splash, right?¡±

    ¡°Furthermore, budgetary funding projects typically involve a game of one-upmanship; it¡¯s even less likely that the four major colleges would be treated equally. Anyway, as long as you perform excellently in front of the councilors this time, our Zhendong Army will then have more leverage to ask for additional funds for the college.¡±

    ¡°You mean to bring honor to the school, right?¡± Yan Yu realized, glancing at her sideways, ¡°So this was settled a long time ago, and previously you just took advantage of the situation and used the information gap to bluff me?¡±

    ¡°Who knows?¡± Chen Lingyun sang out, ¡°Maybe it was all designed and arranged by me?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have the skill to plot against the cabinet.¡± Yan Yu fell silent for a moment before asking, ¡°The Zhendong Army plans to send me out, what about the other colleges?¡±

    ¡°You should be able to guess the representative from the Dingbei Army,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°Lord Master Liu Longtao?¡± Yan Yu guessed.

    ¡°After all, he also started training a month in advance, and no students of the same year can compete with him,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°Unless the Dingbei Army can produce another unexpected Yan Yu.¡±

    ¡°What about the Annan Army?¡± Yan Yu showed no particular reaction and continued. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Li Zhaojiang,¡± Chen Lingyun replied, ¡°You¡¯re familiar with that name, right?¡±

    ¡°I am,¡± Yan Yu considered and said, ¡°However, when it comes to fighting, his sister Li Minghu should be somewhat stronger.¡±

    ¡°Well, that I don¡¯t know,¡± Chen Lingyun said lightheartedly, ¡°I¡¯ve heard his sister has lung disease.¡±

    ¡°Yes, the kind that currently can¡¯t be cured,¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly, ¡°but that doesn¡¯t affect her strength, which you¡¯ll see in the future.¡±

    Chen Lingyun made a note of the name ¡°Li Minghu¡± to investigate later, and with a smile on her face, she continued:

    ¡°By asking about the representative from the Annan Army first, are you suggesting that the Pingxi Army is relatively less of a concern?¡±

    ¡°If nothing unexpected happens, the representative of the Pingxi Army should be Zhou Hongyu,¡± Yan Yu said slowly, ¡°It means there¡¯s no threat.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯ve heard that this Zhou Hongyu is very strong,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°At least in terms of fame, stronger than Annan Army¡¯s Li Minghu.¡±

    ¡°Fame means nothing.¡± Yan Yu dismissed, ¡°To put it nicely, she has a fatal flaw in her character; to put it rudely, she¡¯s a blockhead¡ªshe deliberately dresses up looking ferocious like a mace, but is actually quite dull.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re confident you can triumph completely this time?¡± Chen Lingyun blinked.

    ¡°Or else?¡± Yan Yu retorted, ¡°Unless you were hoping they could beat me?¡±

    As everyone arrived at the crossroads, only to hear Chen Lingyun say with a laugh:

    ¡°Not at all. Rather, I¡¯m looking forward to seeing your performance, Yan Yu.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll enjoy watching you cutting a swath through your opponents~¡±

    She headed in the direction of the female dormitory, with Su Yunjin and Lin Ning following behind her, bidding farewell to Yan Yu:

    ¡°We¡¯re off then.¡± ¡°Yan Yu, goodbye~¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen wanted to accompany Yan Yu to the men¡¯s dormitory, but was forcibly dragged away by Lin Ning.

    Yan Yu strolled leisurely back to his dormitory. Just as he had said to Chen Lingyun before, no matter how many hidden dragons and crouching tigers there were among these college cultivators, that was a matter for the future.

    At this stage, no one was his match.

 Chapter 38 - 38 Everything I Said Is True

    Chapter 38: Chapter 38 Everything I Said Is True

    Saturday morning.

    A secret flight took off from Jinling Zhendong Airport, bound for Shengjing Airport.

    The composition of the passengers on the flight was somewhat complex, including instructors and students from Zhendong College, high-level officials of the Zhendong Army, and several elite military cultivators responsible for protecting these high-level officials. Yan Yu looked around for a while, and aside from Chen Lingyun and Zhao Yuanzhen, he actually couldn¡¯t see any familiar faces.

    The two girls had taken seats towards the back. To be precise, Chen Lingyun had forcibly pulled Zhao Yuanzhen to sit together, probably planning to chat for fun during the journey. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    If it had been anyone else acting this way, Yan Yu would have inevitably advised them ¡°Don¡¯t play with fire.¡±

    Although the Demonic Sect Enchantress was temporarily bluffed by him, if she were truly provoked to unleash her vicious nature, the cultivators on this entire plane probably wouldn¡¯t be enough to satisfy her killing spree.

    ...

    But Chen Lingyun¡­ This worthless woman was skilled at reading people and knew where to draw the line, so she probably wouldn¡¯t give Zhao Yuanzhen any chance to turn against her.

    Yan Yu from his past life had a deep understanding of this. Whenever he was so irate that he was about to lose control and strike her, his anger never reached the level needed to explode¡ª the worthless woman excelled at hovering near your breaking point, stopping just as you were about to lose it, demonstrating her powerful grasp on the human heart behind her seemingly effortless poise.

    It¡¯s better to sit further away, to avoid bothering me.

    Yan Yu absentmindedly played with his phone while a strange old man suddenly took the seat beside him.

    The man had a full head of white hair but appeared vigorous and energetic, dressed in a thick, dark green jacket, holding in his hand a thick collection of research papers that he was reading.

    Yan Yu naturally recognized this person: the current Commander-in-Chief of the Zhendong Army, General Li Weiguo.

    Glancing at the title on the cover of the papers in his hand, it appeared to be research on a special medicinal drug used by cultivators.

    ¡°Old Li?¡± someone called out to him from the back.

    The old man raised his arm and waved for a moment, signifying ¡°I¡¯m here¡± to those behind him, then turned his head to look at Yan Yu, who was staring at the research paper in his hand, and asked:

    ¡°Do you understand this?¡±

    ¡°Somewhat,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    ¡°Then take a look too,¡± Li Weiguo handed the collection of papers to him.

    Without hesitation, Yan Yu took the papers and started flipping through them.

    The main content of the paper was indeed ¡°using medicinal drugs to speed up the pace of cultivation,¡± and it detailed two possible development paths:

    One is the modern pharmaceutical industry, which has already identified more than 300 chemical molecular formulas that react with Spiritual Energy, and the other is the ancient alchemy process, which judging by the recipe should have been provided by Mei Yingxue.

    Yan Yu glanced at it and quickly confirmed that the formula was indeed the Foundation Establishment Pill of the future.

    Due to the inability to decipher mystical pill recipes with pharmaceutical technology, the maximum production of such Foundation Establishment Pills in the future would also be about 1500 per month, whereas the number of cultivators in the country had already reached several hundred thousand by then¡­ An absolute case of more monks than porridge.

    This was also why Yan Yu had initially strived to join the Zhendong College of Cultivators by taking the college entrance exam and verifying his bloodline:

    Because official cultivators, especially the first batch of college student cultivators, received the most cultivation resources per capita.

    As the second and third batches of cultivators entered school, and the total number of cultivators kept increasing, without an increase in the production of Foundation Establishment Pills, the per capita supply had to be cut down.

    Internationally, facing military pressures from other countries, and considering that the first batch of cultivators were the strongest, it was essential to prioritize their resource supplies to ensure the leading position of high-end forces on the international stage.

    The result was that the first batch of college student cultivators were far ahead of their younger colleagues in strength, which laid the groundwork for future changes in the situation¡­

    ¡°How is it?¡± Li Weiguo, sitting beside him, asked out loud, interrupting Yan Yu¡¯s thoughts, ¡°What do you think about the pathways mentioned in this paper, which one seems more feasible?¡±

    ¡°Alchemy,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°What, you don¡¯t have faith in our current pharmaceutical technology?¡± Li Weiguo asked in surprise.

    ¡°Purely from a theoretical standpoint, modern pharmaceutical technology has ten thousand advantages that can overwhelmingly crush ancient alchemy,¡± Yan Yu replied calmly, ¡°Its processes and principles are clear, production capacity is easy to increase, and opportunities for improvement and enhancement exist¡­ I can only say, if modern pharmaceutical technology was really confirmed to be effective, ancient alchemy wouldn¡¯t even appear in this paper.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Li Weiguo neither agreed nor disagreed, ¡°Continue.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s not much else to say,¡± Yan Yu returned the paper to him, ¡°The process of ancient alchemy is vague and unclear, unsuitable for industrial production, and improvements are even more out of the question; there are simply too many disadvantages.¡±

    ¡°The only reason it appears in this paper is because it has been proven to be useful, whereas modern pharmaceuticals have not been proven effective.¡±

    ¡°If it were up to me to decide where to invest money right now, it would definitely be in ancient alchemy.¡±

    ¡°But as you also said,¡± Li Weiguo picked up the paper and said, ¡°The process of ancient alchemy is completely beyond our comprehension at present, let alone increasing production capacity and making enhancements.¡±

    ¡°If modern pharmaceuticals could be made viable, their advantages in various aspects are beyond what ancient alchemy can compare with.¡±

    ¡°So, we can only gamble here.¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly, ¡°I bet that in the limited future, modern pharmaceutical technology wouldn¡¯t break through, and we will mainly rely on ancient alchemy.¡±

    Anyway, no matter what I say, in the end, the higher-ups will definitely adopt a two-pronged approach. So, it¡¯s harmless to boast a little about my predictive abilities to this old man.

    Li Weiguo nodded silently, sealed the paper into the briefcase beside him, and suddenly changed the topic:

    ¡°Chen Lingyun, that young girl, she told you about the objective of this trip, didn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°She did,¡± Yan Yu did not deny.

    ¡°The military speaks with strength alone,¡± said Li Weiguo, not beating around the bush but stating directly and firmly, ¡°The establishment of the Zhendong, Dingbei, Pingxi, and Annan armies is to meet the needs of national defense. Brothers of one heart can defend against the enemy together, yet competitions among the brothers themselves also exist¡ªthey must establish who is the strongest. Otherwise, you can¡¯t even raise your voice in this big family.¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu, this time you are not only representing the cultivators of Zhendong College but also our Zhendong Army. When you go to Shengjing to participate in the exchange competition, you must show not just style but also skill, and you cannot disgrace our Zhendong Army.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu responded.

    ¡°Are you confident?¡± Li Weiguo raised his eyebrows and asked.

    The kid didn¡¯t respond with ¡°I will do my best¡± or ¡°I guarantee to complete the mission,¡± but with ¡°Of course,¡± as if victory was already in his grasp. He¡¯s a bit arrogant.

    ¡°Confident,¡± Yan Yu said, still looking unfazed.

    ¡°You won¡¯t lose?¡± Li Weiguo sought confirmation again.

    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Do you know who your opponents are?¡± Li Weiguo chuckled.

    It¡¯s normal for young men to be sharp and aggressive; he wasn¡¯t really angry, just continuing to probe the youth¡¯s thoughts.

    ¡°Chen Lingyun has told me,¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    ¡°Your first match is against Li Zhaojiang from the Annan Army; in the second match, you¡¯ll be up against Zhou Hongyu from the Pingxi Army,¡± explained Li Weiguo slowly, his voice growing more powerful, ¡°You must win these two matches. In the third match, when you face Liu Longtao from the Dingbei Army, you must give it your all.¡±

    ¡°Give it your all in the third match¡± implies that ¡°it¡¯s okay if you really can¡¯t beat Liu Longtao, just perform up to your ability and don¡¯t disgrace yourself.¡±

    Yan Yu was slightly silent for a moment before he said:

    ¡°This is a bit difficult, but I¡¯ll try my best.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say you were confident?¡± Li Weiguo immediately laughed.

    He was all confident just a moment ago; why did he waver upon hearing he needed to win the first two matches?

    ¡°Securing victory is easy,¡± Yan Yu calmly explained, ¡°But to give it my all, that¡¯s a bit difficult. Liu Longtao might not be able to withstand it. Plus, injuries or casualties are not allowed in the exchange competition, right?¡±

    Li Weiguo paused for a long time, then burst into laughter:

    ¡°There will be True Yuan suppression bracelets, and there will also be military cultivators supervising. Just give it your all.¡±

    ¡°Since you¡¯ve already spoken so boldly, if you underperform in the heat of the moment and disgrace our Zhendong Army, I will have to hold you accountable when you return. Can you accept that?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Yan Yu said without further words, nodding in agreement.

    ¡°Very good,¡± Li Weiguo said, satisfied.

    He had given him a way out, but he refused to take it, insisting on making a military pledge. Now, it was time to see if he truly had the ability.

    If he really lost to Liu Longtao later, it would be a good opportunity to temper his pride.

    It¡¯s not frightening for young people to make mistakes; what¡¯s frightening is not having the opportunity to correct them. The exchange competition is an excellent opportunity for that.

    Although the bigwigs will all be present to watch the games, and thus the staff below take the competition very seriously, Li Weiguo, who holds the position of General Commander of the Zhendong Army, obviously wouldn¡¯t have such a narrow view.

    With Mei Yingxue¡¯s help, the higher-ups have already come to understand the terrifying potential of cultivators in warfare.

    The future of Zhendong Army isn¡¯t hinged on the outcome of this small competition, but rather on Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun.

    As long as these two promising individuals aren¡¯t spoiled, the farther they can go, the longer the path of Zhendong Army will extend.

 Chapter 39 - 39 First Encounter with the Valkyrie

    Chapter 39: Chapter 39 First Encounter with the Valkyrie

    In the evening, a group of people arrived at Shengjing Prefecture in Liaoyang Province.

    Representatives of the Zhendong Army, led by Li Weiguo, were invited by the Dingbei Army for dinner. After all, it was a high-level meeting, and etiquette was paramount.

    Of course, everyone else was also invited, but whether to go or not was voluntary.

    The civilian staff and military cultivators, upholding their usual spirit of collectivism, thought: If the boss goes, I go too,

    but Chen Lingyun had no plans to attend.

    ¡°That¡¯s because Lord Master will definitely be at the banquet,¡± she said with a grin. ¡°We¡¯ve just arrived in Shengjing, and we can¡¯t spoil our appetites at the sight of that face.¡±

    ...

    ¡°You make some sense,¡± Yan Yu said, stroking his chin. ¡°One Chen Lingyun is enough; another one would indeed be too much to handle.¡±

    Thinking of another ¡°male version¡± of Chen Lingyun, with a forced smile standing in front of him, Zhao Yuanzhen couldn¡¯t help but shiver and exclaimed with crossed arms:

    ¡°Stop it, that¡¯s literally a nightmare!¡±

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile faltered a bit. She raised her eyebrows slightly and stared at Yan Yu:

    ¡°Don¡¯t compare me to him. Although I like to joke around, have fun, and occasionally bully people on purpose, I never go too far. There¡¯s a fundamental difference between me and that boorish guy from the capital, you know?¡±

    Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen both looked at her silently.

    So you actually know you have a terrible personality!!!

    ¡°Could you do that act again?¡± Yan Yu asked in her tone, ¡°The one about ¡®I never go too far¡¯¡­¡±

    ¡°I never go too far,¡± Chen Lingyun emphasized with a smile. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right? When have I ever bullied someone to the point of collapse? Don¡¯t I always stop when it¡¯s appropriate?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there a possibility that the problem lies precisely there?¡± Yan Yu said with an exasperated expression, criticizing, ¡°You always tease around the boundaries of someone¡¯s tolerance, and it seems you stop just before they lose it, which actually feels even worse?¡±

    Chen Lingyun pondered for a moment.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± she said, lightly supporting her elbow and slowly tapping her cheek with her index finger, ¡°but isn¡¯t that what makes it interesting?¡±

    ¡°Not interesting at all!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen exclaimed angrily.

    The three hailed a cab and headed to the local Fumin Road, intending to find some Shengjing specialties like stretched noodles and chicken racks for dinner. Due to the fame of certain eateries and celebrity endorsements, almost every establishment along this road was selling stretched noodles, chicken racks, and marinated goods, making it nearly a gourmet food street.

    Naturally, the street was filled with tourists and foodies, with a line waiting for their number to be called at the entrance of every shop.

    ¡°Trouble ahead,¡± Yan Yu chuckled. ¡°Looks like we¡¯re going to have to queue.¡±

    He knew that if there was one thing the annoying woman hated most, it was queuing. In many famous establishments in Jianghai Prefecture, Chen Lingyun could skip the queue and have the staff secretly usher her in and arrange a seat¡­ but in Shengjing where she was unfamiliar, just the money might not suffice without the shop owner¡¯s goodwill.

    Chen Lingyun absentmindedly fiddled with her phone, her face devoid of its usual smile, and it wasn¡¯t clear what ace she was playing.

    However, both Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen weren¡¯t bothered, the latter due to laziness, the former out of carefreeness, or maybe seeing the annoying woman get frustrated was more interesting than any stretched noodles or chicken racks.

    However, Yan Yu was ultimately disappointed. It only took a few short minutes before Chen Lingyun¡¯s sweet smile returned as she said:

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Sorted it out already?

    Yan Yu sighed internally, guessing that in Chen Lingyun¡¯s circle of second-generation friends, there must be some local heavyweights from Shengjing¡­

    So frustrating, can¡¯t see her get flustered now!

    Damn it, why has society become like this, where cutting in line could be so blatantly done!

    The two followed Chen Lingyun to a nearby store with a fairly long queue. A staff member had already been waiting at the entrance and welcomed the trio into the store, leading them to an empty table.

    ¡°How¡¯s that?¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for me, you guys would have had to line up for an hour, right?¡±

    ¡°Not too bad,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said reservedly.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t make a sound. He couldn¡¯t really blame her for breaking the order after all since the order was determined by the store, and he had benefited from it. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But he didn¡¯t want to feed into this despicable woman¡¯s arrogance, so he pretended not to hear and looked around¡­ Huh?

    Isn¡¯t that the Li siblings?

    At a table not far away, a young man and woman were seated. It was clear they were siblings, as their features were quite similar¡ªtheir hair slightly curly, their skin fair, and the lines of their faces soft. The brother was quite handsome, while the sister was even more gentle and beautiful, her appearance could be considered top-notch.

    But Yan Yu knew better than to judge a book by its cover¡ªboth siblings were actually quite formidable.

    The sister, Li Minghu, would later fall ill yet lead troops into battle at the South Sea where she would single-handedly decimate two-thirds of the invading Allied Forces, causing ¡°every household on the Indochina Peninsula to weep blood,¡± preventing them from daring to invade Lingnan for over ten years. So much so, that whenever the people of Lingnan spoke of her, they had to refer to her as ¡°Valkyrie¡± in awe.

    Her younger brother, Li Zhaojiang, was even more remarkable; following his sister¡¯s death, he launched a vengeful rebellion¡­ Without going into details, let¡¯s just say that the Cultivator factions of the Annan Army suffered a severe blow and this directly led to a worsening of a series of subsequent events.

    Of course, at this point in time, Li Minghu was not yet the Valkyrie on her deathbed, and Li Zhaojiang was just an ordinary brother with a sister complex, not yet worthy of attention.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Chen Lingyun noticed where his gaze was directed and followed his line of sight, ¡°Aren¡¯t those the Li siblings?¡±

    ¡°You know them?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    ¡°After you mentioned them last time, I did a little background check,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°They are from a pretty ordinary middle-class family in Lingnan Province with both parents being middle school teachers. The sister was born with a lung disease, the incurable kind, which set a limit on her strength. But the brother has quite a gift for cultivation, standing out among the first group of cultivators, so this time he was selected to represent the Annan Army in battle.¡±

    ¡°Appearances can be deceiving, you know?¡± Yan Yu said, pointing at them from a distance with his chopsticks, ¡°The brother does indeed have good strength, but it is just ¡®good.¡¯ His sister¡¯s talent is what you call ¡®monstrous.¡¯ I¡¯m not talking about cultivation talent, but rather her talent in combat.¡±

    ¡°Combat talent?¡± Chen Lingyun pondered, ¡°But her cardiopulmonary function is limited, she can¡¯t sustain prolonged intense activities. No matter how strong her combat talent is, how much can she actually make use of?¡±

    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for her physical limitations, she would be even more formidable,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Chen Lingyun stopped questioning and kept staring at Li Minghu across the way, as if she had found some sort of new amusement.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was also paying close attention. Since this rascal could so accurately describe their abilities, it must have been deduced by his powerful master through some divination.

    The fact that a powerhouse had taken special care to calculate this indicated that these two were not to be underestimated. I should also take care to remember them.

    As the two beautiful girls stared intently over, the Li siblings also sensed something was off.

    ¡°Sis, those two girls are looking at you,¡± Li Zhaojiang said with a frown.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, maybe it¡¯s because I keep coughing¡­¡± Li Minghu said quietly, covering her mouth with a tissue and coughing a bit, then commented, ¡°This soup tastes quite good.¡±

    ¡°The chicken cartilage is no good, though,¡± Li Zhaojiang shook his head, ¡°It lacks chicken flavor, reliant totally on spices for seasoning.¡±

    ¡°Chicken cartilage has little meat to begin with; we eat it for the taste of the spices,¡± Li Minghu shook her head, not bothering with disposable gloves, and started gnawing on the cartilage with her hands.

    After eating half of it, she stopped and covered her mouth with a napkin again, coughing weakly a few times.

    Li Zhaojiang sighed. If it weren¡¯t for her lung disease, the position representing the Annan Army in battle should have been his sister¡¯s.

    Hopefully, once Spiritual Energy fully revived, they would find a way to cure her lung disease.

    After coughing for a while, and perhaps feeling a bit apologetic for disturbing the meals of others, Li Minghu turned her head and cast an apologetic glance their way.

    She met Yan Yu¡¯s sympathetic gaze head-on.

    She was long accustomed to such pity, so she merely responded with a resigned smile.

 Chapter 40 - 40 The Golden Retriever that Fell into the Water

    Chapter 40: Chapter 40 The Golden Retriever that Fell into the Water

    Zhao Yuanzhen ate a few bites of the stretched noodles and seemed to find them lacking in flavor, so she grabbed the vinegar pot and poured it vigorously over her noodles.

    Chen Lingyun, however, had the typical tastes of the south, preferring light and savory flavors, and took a spoon to slowly sip her soup.

    Yan Yu put on disposable gloves and began to gnaw on a chicken carcass, only to have Zhao Yuanzhen grab his arm and say,

    ¡°Leave some of that chicken for me, will you?¡±

    ¡°So embarrassing, you!¡± Yan Yu impatiently shook off her arm, disdainfully saying, ¡°Miss Chen is treating us, we can just order more if it¡¯s not enough, what¡¯s the hurry?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen glanced at Chen Lingyun with ill intent and then turned to look at the menu on the wall, about to make an outrageous order when Yan Yu knocked her on the head:

    ...

    ¡°Don¡¯t be dumb!¡±

    Tens of yuan for a bowl of noodles, no matter how many you order, trying to make Chen Lingyun go broke was simply a pipe dream.

    Besides being mocked as a ¡°country bumpkin,¡± it wouldn¡¯t have any other effect.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Yan Yu,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a delighted smile. ¡°Let her order whatever she wants.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen caught on, realizing that this young lady was actually rolling in money, just waiting to see her make a fool of herself! She immediately kept quiet.

    The siblings from the Li family opposite had finished their dinner and were getting ready to leave. Chen Lingyun stared at their departing figures, only to hear Yan Yu suddenly ask,

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to catch up and add them as friends?¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°There will always be opportunities to get acquainted.¡±

    She was probably referring to tomorrow¡¯s exchange competition.

    After a satisfying meal and stepping out the door, the cool breeze outside made Yan Yu immediately feel sweaty.

    But that aside, it was time to take care of serious business.

    ¡°Where are we staying tonight?¡± he asked Chen Lingyun.

    ¡°Rumi Hotel,¡± Chen Lingyun replied languidly. ¡°But I¡¯m not in a hurry to go back.¡±

    ¡°What, planning to hang around outside despite the late hour?¡± Yan Yu glanced at her sideways.

    ¡°Not really,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m accompanying you to take care of business.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­

    It was really annoying not being able to fool this trashy woman.

    ¡°I¡¯m coming too!¡± Seeing Yan Yu¡¯s gaze turn her way, Zhao Yuanzhen assertively wrapped her arms around his arm.

    ¡°Alright, alright!¡± Yan Yu said helplessly. ¡°I¡¯m making it clear¡ªfine to follow, but no revealing your identity, and definitely no interrupting and talking nonsense! If you mess up my plans, you¡¯re on your own.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing/No problem.¡± The two ladies agreed very readily.

    But with one trashy heiress and one Demonic Sect Enchantress, the reliability of these promises was something that merited serious consideration.

    Sitting in the taxi, Yan Yu again organized his thoughts, reviewing his existing memories in his mind.

    The future Eclipse Queen, the Dark Monarch of Siberia, who was now just an ordinary high school student at Shengjing No. 3 Middle School, with a name common overseas, ¡°Anna.¡±

    Anna was from a single-parent family, a mixed-race child, with a father from Lu Country and a mother from Rakshasa Country. After they divorced when Anna was seven, her mother settled back in her home country, while her father stayed in Shengjing to raise his daughter alone.

    Two years ago, when Anna was in her first year of high school, the Shengjing Transportation Trade Association laid off employees due to poor performance. Anna¡¯s father lost his job, and driving cabs wasn¡¯t paying the bills. So, he started contemplating moving overseas to Rakshasa Country to be with his ex-wife.

    However, since Anna didn¡¯t want to go abroad, he gave her two years to decide. If her college entrance exam results were good and she got into a decent school, she could stay in Lu Country; otherwise, she would go to university in Rakshasa Country.

    Considering that Anna¡¯s academic performance was not promising, her father made preparations. He started processing her immigration documents¡ªand that¡¯s where the trouble began.

    During the physical examination for the college entrance exam in May, Anna was discovered to have a talent for cultivation, and the Dingbei Army¡¯s recruitment office sent her an enlistment agreement according to policy. After discussing it with her father and consulting some relatives in the system, she decided to sign the agreement and enroll in school.

    A monthly salary of 40,000 yuan, coveted by Northeasterners for being a system job, not signing up would have been foolish, right?

    However, when Anna went to find the recruitment officer again, she received devastating news:

    She failed the background check and was rejected for enrollment.

    The university¡¯s admission policy for the first batch of student cultivators did not ¡°veto¡± applicants based on their family background, but background checks were certainly necessary.

    The issue with Anna mainly lay in three aspects: first, her mother was a foreigner; second, during the home visit, it was discovered her father was a Run Country national (and had expressed similar sentiments); and third, the most damning was that her family was already arranging for immigration, which to the authorities signalled that this young lady was ready to leave for foreign shores at any moment.

    Although cultivators were scarce, information security was equally vital. If someone who received complete cultivator training within the country suddenly defected abroad a few years later and handed over all intelligence pertaining to cultivator training to the Rakshasa Country, that would be an absolute disaster for the Dingbei Army.

    After the case was reported up the chain of command, the final decision was to deny her admission.

    Of course, this was also reasonable: after all, it¡¯s easy to know a face, but not a heart. Who could tell whether this young girl was truly loyal? With a starting salary of 40,000 a month, it¡¯s not just Run Country nationals who¡¯d become super loyal; even nationals from other countries might as well.

    But what if a few years later, Moska offered you double the price? What if they used your Rakshasa mother to play the kinship card and turn you? Who would dare take the risk, gambling that your pledge of unwavering fidelity would always hold?

    Since there was already an intention to emigrate, the sense of national identity wasn¡¯t strong, making one unsuitable for receiving official cultivator training.

    Purely based on the documentary evidence, the conclusion was quite clear. Anna¡¯s background crossed a red line, leaving no room for negotiation, and not even pleading with the commander-in-chief of the Dingbei Army would help.

    The only issue here was that, in his previous life, the Dingbei Army hadn¡¯t restricted Anna from emigrating.

    However, at present, no country in the world, including Lu Country, had enacted any laws restricting such ¡°citizens with cultivation talent¡± from emigrating.

    Looking abroad, European countries weren¡¯t even managing their own Transcendents migrating to Mitchi Country, so it seemed strict enough that Lu Country could manage and restrict its own cultivators from moving abroad, and it seemed unreasonable to demand control over those with a Spirit Root.

    Yet, what if the ¡°Spirit Root bearer¡± planning to leave was the future ruler of Siberia, the ¡°Eclipse Queen¡±?

    So, many times, neither side made any mistakes; if there¡¯s the need to blame, it¡¯s that this world lacks a ¡°foresight¡±.

    The young girl who believed herself abandoned after many years of fighting in Siberia eventually became the grudge-holding, petty Eclipse Queen. Although she did not turn against Lu Country, she also didn¡¯t consider her former country¡¯s sentiments enough to restrain her subordinates.

    As a result, the Dingbei Army paid a hefty price, and the entire north was under unprecedented defensive pressure until the two sides signed a ceasefire agreement at the border. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The reason Yan Yu made a special trip to Shengjing at this time was to build a good relationship with the Eclipse Queen in advance.

    In the long term, due to the poor civil governance capacity of the Rakshasa Country, the fall of the entire Siberian territory was inevitable.

    If the Eclipse Queen was eliminated in advance, it would just lead to someone like the Werewolf King Belinsky or the Dark Monarch Ivanov taking her place; the threat and pressure on the north would not change whatsoever.

    However, if it was possible to invest in the Eclipse Queen in advance and once she managed to subdue the Spirit Communicators of Siberia, the returns from this long-term investment could be exceedingly fruitful¡ªat the very least, she could be persuaded to instruct her subordinates not to fixate on battling the Northeast but to shift their focus to the Bering Strait and develop ties with Mitchi Country, which shouldn¡¯t be a problem.

    Of course, these potential returns were a separate issue; Yan Yu¡¯s main motivation was to protect the Dingbei Army and avoid future unnecessary sacrifices.

    To the Dingbei Army at this point in time, the significance of his current efforts was likely beyond their comprehension, but Yan Yu didn¡¯t care about that.

    After going to great lengths to subdue the Demonic Sect Enchantress in advance to protect the southern people from harm, he certainly wouldn¡¯t mind recruiting the Eclipse Queen to ensure the safety of the northern populace.

    When asked why he was doing this, Yan Yu would probably only be able to say, ¡°Because my love for this land and its people runs deep¡±¡­

    There¡¯s no time for shedding tears, as the destination had already been reached.

    The taxi pulled up at the entrance of the residential community, and the three of them got out one after another. Chen Lingyun surveyed the entrance to the community, noticing the property management appeared quite run down, with a retired old man sitting at the guard booth playing with his phone.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, however, kept her gaze fixed on Yan Yu, in dread that he might vanish from her sight at any moment.

    ¡°The rest of you, back away a bit more,¡± Yan Yu reiterated. ¡°You may observe, but don¡¯t interfere with my business, or I¡¯ll show no mercy!¡±

    ¡°Back away to where?¡± Chen Lingyun asked.

    ¡°Not too far,¡± said Zhao Yuanzhen.

    ¡°Retreat to that bench behind the flower bed over there,¡± Yan Yu pointed toward the distant municipal green space.

    The two girls moved back as told, their eyes still glued to him, eager to see what trick he was going to pull.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t mind their presence, he just turned his attention to the distance.

    By the riverside, a stranger girl sat on the embankment, lost in thought. Her blonde hair and the deep, aesthetically pleasing profile of her face revealed her distinct mixed heritage.

    The future ruthless ruler of Siberia, known for her cold-bloodedness and iron fist, was at this moment merely a high school girl, somewhat unable to come to terms with being rejected by a university.

    So it seems, fate truly is wonderful¡­ huh?!

    Before Yan Yu could react, he saw that the girl¡¯s figure had already disappeared from sight, accompanied by a ¡°plash¡± sound of someone falling into the water.

 Chapter 41 - 41: The Northern Queens Friend

    Chapter 41: Chapter 41: The Northern Queen¡¯s Friend

    Anna suddenly fell into the water, almost scaring Yan Yu out of his wits.

    He had no desire to deal with Siberia¡¯s werewolves or blood clans. Those Rakshasa Spirit Communicators, to put it nicely, were part of the Fighting Nation; to put it unkindly, they were no different from bandits.

    If the Eclipse Queen were to meet her unfortunate end here, the future situation in the north would spiral completely out of control, becoming chaotic and unmanageable.

    Without hesitation, Yan Yu activated the Shifting Technique and in an instant reached the riverbank, only to see Anna frantically struggling in the water¡ªclearly, the girl couldn¡¯t swim. Her arms were vainly flapping and slapping as she had already swallowed several mouthfuls of river water.

    Yan Yu had no choice but to jump into the river and then swiftly flew to the shore with her in his arms, using the Cloud Ascension Technique.

    Having reached the shore, Anna awkwardly propped herself up on her arms, spitting out a lot of dirty water and gasping for air.

    ...

    Before she could speak, Yan Yu roughly dragged her up from the ground and said, unable to restrain his anger,

    ¡°Are you fucking crazy? Thinking of ending it all by jumping into the river, huh? Polluting the water resources, huh?!¡±

    Stupid woman! Nearly letting you succeed in your suicide and ruining my plan!

    Anna suddenly got agitated as well and shook off his hand, saying,

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to save me!¡±

    ¡­At this point, she certainly couldn¡¯t admit that she had slipped and fallen into the water, as that would surely make her a laughing stock.

    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Yan Yu pointed at the river and said sarcastically, ¡°Then do me a favor and jump again. This time, I¡¯ll stand on the bank and pop open a champagne bottle for you, wishing you a swift death and reincarnation.¡±

    Anna silently got up, tightened her soaking wet clothes around her, and walked away without a word.

    Yan Yu followed her quietly, silently stimulating his True Yuan.

    The Runescript of water, although mediocre in offensive capabilities, was actually best used for support.

    If one were unfortunate enough to be injured, one could apply the Runescript to themselves, cover the injury with water-aligned True Yuan to prevent further deterioration and hasten healing, or cover the body to maintain a constant body temperature¡­ In a sense, healing support was the real strength of the Runescript.

    Seeing the two walking away one after the other, Zhao Yuanzhen quickly wanted to follow them, but was stopped by Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°Do you have any method of concealment?¡±

    ¡°Invisibility Technique.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly realized and immediately applied the spell on both himself and her, causing their figures to swiftly disappear.

    They then stealthily followed behind.

    Yan Yu walked behind Anna for a while, and because he maintained the Runescript, he didn¡¯t feel much cold, yet the drenched Anna was appearing to suffer, sneezing continuously.

    As if she sensed the embarrassment, she angrily turned around and glared at him.

    ¡°Tsk tsk tsk,¡± Yan Yu said mockingly without any sympathy, ¡°True to the Fighting Nation, walking on the road soaked and braving the cold wind, the bodies of the Rakshasa people are truly robust!¡±

    ¡°How many times do I have to tell you I am from Lu Country¡­ Achoo!¡± Anna wanted to retort, but her body was already shivering.

    Yan Yu placed his hand on her shoulder from behind, letting the Runescript seep into her body and dispelling the chill from within.

    Anna also noticed the change in her body and looked back at him in surprise:

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand,¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°This is the spell of a Cultivator.¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Anna¡¯s face visibly fell as she murmured, ¡°So you¡¯re a Cultivator¡­ pretty capable, huh.¡±

    ¡°I see you also have some talent for cultivation,¡± Yan Yu asked knowingly, ¡°Didn¡¯t the Dingbei Army send you an invitation to enlist?¡±

    ¡°They did,¡± Anna said glumly, ¡°but I rejected it.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°No reason,¡± Anna said dismissively, ¡°My dad wants to take me abroad; I¡¯m not planning to stick around here.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Yan Yu said with a tone of admiration, ¡°That¡¯s pretty amazing, actually being able to go abroad! You must be able to attend a great university there, right?¡±

    Anna shuddered and almost bumped into the edge of a flower bed.

    Rakshasa Country¡¯s academia is not well-known internationally, and the quality universities are all located in cities like Moska, Saint Petersburg¡ªplaces close to Europe.

    Yet, she couldn¡¯t get in.

    Her mother was now settled in Amur, located in the so-called ¡°Far Eastern Federal District¡± of Rakshasa Country. The word ¡°Far Eastern¡± implied its remoteness from the political and economic center of Rakshasa Country, where conditions in all aspects were relatively poor. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that her mother and grandfather lived there¡­

    Anna actually had no desire to go abroad, but her father, having had little success at home, had wilfully clung to the idea of ¡°going abroad¡± as a life-saving straw. This, through a series of unfortunate events, had also affected her background check, squandering her chance to become a government-sponsored cultivator.

    So miserable, she didn¡¯t want to talk at all. Couldn¡¯t this person stop following me?

    She turned her head and once again glared fiercely at Yan Yu.

    ¡°Is glaring all you can do?¡± Yan Yu looked puzzled, ¡°Is this some sort of special Curse Technique of the Rakshasa? The ¡®Death Glare¡¯ Technique?¡±

    ¡°I told you, I¡¯m from Lu Country,¡± Anna said through gritted teeth, ¡°Are you sick, huh? Are you? Are you?¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Yan Yu also pondered, ¡°We are complete strangers, but seeing you fall into the water, I jumped in to save you. I must have caught the ¡®savior complex¡¯.¡±

    Anna was speechless with anger and only after a long pause did she say:

    ¡°Follow me.¡±

    ¡°Where to?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask stupid questions.¡±

    The two crossed the street and entered a nearby hotel, where Anna fished out her phone from her soaked pocket and shakily unlocked it.

    Good, it still worked.

    She pulled out her electronic ID, registered for a room at the front desk, and then dragged Yan Yu into the elevator.

    ¡°You¡¯re not planning to repay me with your body, are you?¡± Yan Yu suddenly asked warily, ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t accept one-night stands with strange women¡­¡±

    ¡°Shut your damn mouth!¡± Anna held back her anger, ¡°We¡¯re getting a room just to change out of these wet clothes, so we don¡¯t catch a cold.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you should have said so earlier,¡± Yan Yu clearly relaxed.

    ¡°You never asked!¡±

    Once in the hotel room, they closed the door, and Anna spoke up again:

    ¡°Take off your clothes, I¡¯ll blow dry them for you.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± Yan Yu, without any shyness, just took off his shirt and trousers and hung them on a nearby rack, casually casting a Flame Curse.

    Flame erupted out of nowhere, steadily drying the wet clothes without burning even a corner of the fabric or the floor. If Shu Weijun, the instructor responsible for teaching the Flame Curse at the academy, were here, he would surely pester him with questions on ¡°how to achieve such millimeter-level precision casting of the Flame Curse.¡±

    Anna watched the leaping flames in silence and asked:

    ¡°Is this something a cultivator can use, too?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°So, who are you?¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu.¡±

    ¡°What kind of encounter?¡± Anna paused, ¡°Oh, your surname is Yan, right?¡±

    ¡°What else?¡± Yan Yu retorted, ¡°You held back all this time just to ask me that?¡±

    Anna¡¯s anger surged again. This man¡­ even though they had only just met, why did his words feel like knives stabbing directly into my heart?

    So infuriating!

    ¡°Why did you save me?¡± she asked through her anger.

    ¡°I should go,¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t answer her question but simply extinguished the Flame Curse and straightened his half-dry clothes, ¡°Let¡¯s add each other as friends. I¡¯ll inquire about the cultivator inspection for you later.¡±

    ¡°¡­Oh.¡±

    Once he was dressed, Yan Yu and Anna added each other as friends. Her profile picture was Marvel¡¯s Harley Quinn, and her nickname was [Anna].

    The scourge of Western pop culture! No wonder her background check didn¡¯t pass. You asked for it!

    ¡°I¡¯m leaving,¡± Yan Yu waved at her.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Anna quickly stopped him. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Are you just going to leave? I mean, we¡¯ve met now, why not sit down and have a chat? I haven¡¯t even discussed how to repay you for saving me¡­

    The words to ask him to stay were on the tip of her tongue, but they remained unspoken, as they were still, in truth, not very familiar. But his abrupt goodbye still made Anna feel somewhat lost.

    ¡°Anything else?¡± Yan Yu turned back to ask.

    Seeing Anna opening her mouth but unable to speak, he casually nodded:

    ¡°We¡¯ll be in touch.¡±

    Then he decisively pushed the door open and left.

    It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to get to know Anna better, but Yan Yu hadn¡¯t forgotten that two little firecrackers were still following him.

    His main purpose for this trip was actually just to get hold of her contact information. Now that had been achieved, there was no need to linger any longer; spending an extra hour wasn¡¯t going to bring them any closer.

    Indeed, just as he arrived at the elevator, the coughing of Zhao Yuanzhen and the mocking voice of Chen Lingyun could be heard from behind:

    ¡°You¡¯ve finished already? My, that was quick~ That¡¯s boys for you¡­¡±

    ¡°Shut your mouth,¡± Yan Yu scolded her.

 Chapter 42 - 42 Princess Jiang Hai Is Dating Now

    Chapter 42: Chapter 42 Princess Jiang Hai Is Dating Now

    The Dingbei Army¡¯s accommodations arranged by the Zhendong Army were Rumi brand chain hotels, where most of the people were assigned standard double rooms, meaning two people per room.

    Only a few senior military officers, as well as Yan Yu, Chen Lingyun, and Zhao Yuanzhen, the three cultivators, had the privilege of single occupancy in king-sized rooms, indicating that even though the first batch of cultivators had not yet graduated, they already enjoyed a privileged status within the military.

    After Yan Yu had finished washing up and changed into his pajamas, he was about to play with his phone on the bed when there was a knock on the door.

    Upon opening the door, sure enough, it was Zhao Yuanzhen and Chen Lingyun.

    ¡°I hope I¡¯m not disturbing you,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, however, was not in the mood for pleasantries and strode into the room, asking directly,

    ...

    ¡°Who was that blonde woman before? What were you guys really up to in the room that you¡¯re hiding from me?¡±

    ¡°And what right do you have to question me?¡± Yan Yu sneered back. ¡°Know your place, woman!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was momentarily speechless, not so much intimidated by Yan Yu¡¯s tone and demeanor, but because it suddenly occurred to her that his inexplicable rescue of that woman might actually have been directed by his master¡ªand that explained why he had gone all the way to Shengjing to do such a baffling thing.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress was fiery and temperamental; even with her own Dao partner, she wouldn¡¯t hesitate to create a huge scene if annoyed.

    But dealing with someone cunning in divination, and continuing to brazenly pry into secrets, wouldn¡¯t be much different from courting death.

    Instantly, she deflated and said with a forced smile,

    ¡°Umm¡­ I was just concerned about you, you know? The prettier the woman, the more skilled she is at lying and deceiving. I¡¯m just worried you might get scammed¡­¡±

    The latter part of this, surprisingly, was mostly the truth, which one could tell just by looking at the two women currently in the room. Not to mention the Demonic Sect Enchantress with her cunning and deceitful nature, even the feigned-smiling Chen Lingyun was a master of manipulation, capable of spinning an innocent girl around with just a few words.

    Yan Yu¡¯s expression softened as he explained,

    ¡°There¡¯s not much more to say about this. That girl¡¯s name is Anna; right now, she¡¯s just an ordinary person, but if nothing goes wrong, she¡¯ll become a significant figure in the future, which is why I took the initiative to make contact with her.¡±

    To the two listeners, his explanation took on two different meanings.

    Zhao Yuanzhen understood it to mean that her master had divined that the girl had an extraordinary destiny, which is why he had sent Yan Yu to deliver some karmic link ahead of time¡­ Thinking of this, she immediately felt a tremor of unspeakable thrill and excitement.

    An extraordinary destiny? What kind of influential figure could she become? Could it be someone who defies the heavens and earth, whose commands are unchallengeable and who possesses peerless power?

    Should I¡­ should I also get to know her, make a friend?

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s thoughts were much more complex. First of all, the woman¡¯s appearance was clearly mixed-race, and background scrutiny for cultivators strictly limits foreign lineage within three generations in direct relatives; anyone with a foreign national in their immediate ancestry is barred from enrollment, so it¡¯s highly unlikely that the woman would be a domestic cultivator in the future.

    So is she a foreign cultivator? And one with considerable power and status?

    Should I investigate¡­ Hmm, initiating an inquiry from here probably wouldn¡¯t get past that blockhead from the capital; I¡¯ll have to find another way.

    Seeing them both deep in thought, Yan Yu, familiar with their natures and ways of thinking¡ªneither of whom were the types to stay within bounds¡ªhurriedly warned,

    ¡°This matter does not concern you. If you meddle rashly and ruin my plans, I will not let it go lightly!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I got it,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied impatiently.

    Of course, she wouldn¡¯t be foolish enough to interfere with the plans of such a powerful figure¡ªdid she think her life was too long, or what?

    But the woman next to her with a belly full of scheming, well, that was another story¡­

    Chen Lingyun, with a smile brimming with mischief, purposely asked,

    ¡°Oh~ And just how would you not let it go lightly? I¡¯d like to hear this.¡±

    This cunning woman, believing herself incredibly clever and fearlessly audacious, would retort to threats with remarks such as ¡°My, is your back okay?¡± or ¡°Need any blue pills?¡± no matter how many times you threatened her over and over again.

    But Yan Yu knew her too well and would not be stumped by such questions, simply responding,

    ¡°If you dare mess with my business, I will annihilate all possible delights that might pique your interest, making you live out a life utterly devoid of amusement.¡±

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile froze in an instant, but she quickly recovered, speaking coquettishly,

    ¡°Ah, isn¡¯t that a bit much? Without fun, I might just die, you know.¡±

    ¡°Consider this fair warning!¡± Yan Yu said brazenly, pointing a finger at her nose.

    Since Zhao Yuanzhen and Yan Yu still had their daily dual cultivation and Qi Refinement practice to attend to, Chen Lingyun took her leave first.

    In the hotel corridor, she saw a young man standing in front of her room, reaching out to push the doorbell next to her door.

    ¡°Liu Longtao?¡± Chen Lingyun covered her mouth, feigning surprise.

    ¡°Chen Lingyun.¡± The man turned around, with a warm smile on his face, ¡°Long time no see. Just came over to say hello.¡±

    That smile, so similar to the fake smile Chen Lingyun habitually wore¡ªat least seventy to eighty percent alike¡ªmade her feel nauseated every time she saw his face, as if she were looking into a mirror.

    Could this idiot please just drop dead on the spot? Seriously, so annoying! Buzz off!

    ¡°Indeed, it has been a long time,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a false smile. ¡°Shall we go for a walk?¡±

    ¡°That would be great,¡± Liu Longtao replied enthusiastically.

    As they took the elevator down, Liu Longtao suddenly laughed and asked,

    ¡°I checked tomorrow¡¯s roster for the battle, and your name isn¡¯t on it¡ªwhy is that?¡±

    Chen Lingyun, feeling increasingly irritated inside, laughed and said:

    ¡°Because Yan Yu is better suited for this exchange battle than I am.¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s really too bad.¡± Liu Longtao said with a smile, his face showing no sign of regret, ¡°I was looking forward to crossing a few moves with you.¡±

    ¡°There will be opportunities in the future.¡± Chen Lingyun replied with a smile.

    ¡°I hope so.¡± Liu Longtao smacked his lips and said leisurely with a smile, ¡°With your strength, you will surely stand out in the Zhendong Army sooner or later, so there is no need to rush at this moment.¡±

    This sarcastic tone was not even concealed anymore¡­ Chen Lingyun said with a smile:

    ¡°I don¡¯t really mind that. Yan Yu is far superior to me; I admire him wholeheartedly.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Liu Longtao immediately showed interest, ¡°Could you tell me about him?¡±

    He had come over tonight specifically not just to catch up with Chen Lingyun; his real purpose was to ¡°spy on military intelligence.¡±

    If Chen Lingyun hadn¡¯t become the representative of the Zhendong Army, it meant that this Yan Yu must have completely outclassed her in terms of strength, rendering her background and status utterly ineffective¡­ Just who was this guy?

    Upon reaching the hall on the first floor, Chen Lingyun found a sofa to sit down on but didn¡¯t bring up Yan Yu; instead, she nonchalantly asked:

    ¡°Did you gather information about the other army¡¯s representatives?¡±

    ¡°Li Zhaojiang of the Annan Army.¡± Liu Longtao didn¡¯t play coy and spoke openly, ¡°His strength is moderate, nothing special. As long as you¡¯re stronger, you can just run him over head-on.¡±

    ¡°Zhou Hongyu from the Pingxi Army is daring and fierce, nothing like a lady should be. In facing her, you need to seize the initiative and aim for a quick victory; otherwise, if she recklessly fights you for her life, you could be caught off guard and she might pull off an upset.¡±

    Such intelligence was not difficult to gather, and Liu Longtao believed Chen Lingyun already knew it, so he didn¡¯t beat around the bush and hide anything.

    ¡°And what about Yan Yu?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    ¡°That, I really don¡¯t know.¡± Liu Longtao chuckled, ¡°Li Zhaojiang and Zhou Hongyu aside, the strongest in the Annan and Pingxi armies have been under scrutiny since admission. Miss Chen, you and I were selected by the military for training back in April, so information about the four of us is basically known throughout the military.¡±

    ¡°But that Yan Yu¡­ he¡¯s only enrolled this month, right? Logically, how could he surpass you to compete? Ha, but it has happened, and everyone is perplexed. I guess Pingxi and Annan are scrambling for information now too, but the final list was settled on Thursday¡ªthere¡¯s hardly any time in just one day to figure it out, is there?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s also true.¡± Chen Lingyun nodded and said with a laugh, ¡°But haven¡¯t you already guessed?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Liu Longtao asked curiously.

    ¡°If he could replace me, it means he completely overpowers me in strength, so much so that no one in the military could object.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile grew brighter, as if a wife was boasting about her husband¡¯s career, ¡°And who among you can be sure of defeating me?¡±

    She stood up, stretching lazily with a yawn, and said:

    ¡°No matter what I say, it¡¯s unlikely you¡¯ll win. Better wait for tomorrow¡¯s match and see for yourself.¡±

    Chen Lingyun walked toward the elevator, feeling absolutely delighted. Meanwhile, Liu Longtao sat on the sofa in deep thought, then suddenly asked:

    ¡°Do you really admire him wholeheartedly?¡±

    Miss Chen of Jianghai Prefecture wouldn¡¯t even spare peers from similar social circles a second glance, and now she was admiring an ordinary person from a common family?

    ¡°I find him quite intriguing.¡± Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t look back, ¡°He¡¯s certainly more interesting than any of you.¡±

    What seemed like an innocuous comment to others was like a bolt from the blue to Liu Longtao.

    What? S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Chen Lingyun was interested in a man?

    He was silent for a long, long time until he was sure Chen Lingyun had gone upstairs before he quietly took out his phone and opened the chat group of the princes from the capital.

    ¡°Princess Jiang Hai has taken a liking to a man!¡± Liu Longtao posted in the group with a whole row of exclamation points to convey his shock.

    Several people quickly responded, all in disbelief:

    ¡°Who is it? Is he still alive or did she play him to death?¡±

    ¡°Wait, by ¡®taken a liking,¡¯ do you mean as in dating?¡±

    ¡°Princess Jiang Hai would date a commoner? You¡¯re joking, right¡ªa toy, maybe!¡±

    Liu Longtao replied swiftly on the keyboard:

    ¡°Whether it¡¯s dating or being a toy, that guy is doomed either way.¡±

    This time the group seemed to reach a consensus:

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    ¡°Moment of silence.¡±

    ¡°Really pitiful.¡±

    ¡°May he rest in peace.¡±

    ¡°Amitabha.¡±

 Chapter 43 - 43 The Male Succubus

    Chapter 43: Chapter 43 The Male Succubus

    The training facility of the Shengjing Cultivator Academy was built underground, and the entrance had already been taken over by the Central Guard Corps.

    The bigwigs had arrived.

    Yang Zhenwei, the Commander-in-Chief of the Dingbei Army, was in the tightly guarded box, chatting with the big shots.

    Li Weiguo, the Commander-in-Chief of the Zhendong Army, sat silently, sweeping over the faces of old friends around him.

    Zhang Xiangqian, the Commander-in-Chief of the Annan Army, and Sun Rongxing, the Commander-in-Chief of the Pingxi Army, were also present. It was rare for the four great generals of the east, south, west, and north to gather together for no other reason than to support their own cultivators.

    By now, everyone could confirm that with the deepening of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, cultivators would inevitably become the future of national defense, and thus, substantial resources needed to be invested in their cultivation.

    ...

    But who was more qualified to represent the cultivators and receive the priority in resource cultivation?

    Was it your Zhendong Army cultivator, or his Dingbei Army cultivator?

    Practice was the only criterion for testing truth, and the battlefield was a place where victory and defeat spoke for themselves. There should be no difference in the arena either.

    Li Weiguo¡¯s gaze passed through the glass, looking down at Yan Yu, who was seated in the preparatory area by the field.

    The Commander-in-Chiefs had made a special trip to stand by their side, only to ensure that the final result would not be affected by factors other than victory or defeat, but they could not control the outcome of the battle itself.

    In the end, it all comes down to whether you can win or not, Yan Yu.

    Below, Yan Yu sat calmly in his chair, showing not the slightest bit of nervousness about the upcoming competition. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Although the leaders took this very seriously, in his view, it was like an adult joining a kindergarten martial arts competition. He really couldn¡¯t see any chance of defeat¡­ even if he were running a fever or sneezing, he could take down his opponent with one hand.

    The seating areas were arranged on all four sides of the field, corresponding to the actual stationing directions of the four armies. Chen Lingyun, also a cultivator of the Zhendong Army, naturally sat beside Yan Yu.

    As for Zhao Yuanzhen, fearing that Mei Yingxue might be hiding in the crowd, he didn¡¯t even bother to attend the competition. He was probably out exploring some restaurant and was not concerned about her.

    Chen Lingyun looked around. On the seats of the Annan Army to the left, Li Zhaojiang and Li Minghu were seated. The siblings looked about sixty to seventy percent alike, the man handsome and the woman gentle; it was obvious that they were a contestant and a relative of the contestant, so it was not surprising.

    To the right in the Dingbei Army¡¯s area sat Liu Longtao alone in the center, his arms casually open, lounging on the back of his chair.

    This was the home ground of the Dingbei Army, and it was impossible that Liu Longtao was the only university student cultivator present. The reason no one sat next to him was due to Liu Longtao¡¯s tyrannical and authoritarian leadership style.

    The leader seated in the principal position would not tolerate others by his side.

    Across from them were the seats of the Pingxi Army, where a girl with an icy expression was seated. At a glance, her features were beautiful and brimming with vitality, but a closer look revealed a hint of malice hidden between her brows and eyes.

    Zhou Hongyu, from the Shuzhong Prefecture of Nanchuan Province, was originally enrolled in a local martial arts school, following a sports recruitment route specializing in martial arts and free fighting¡ªsimply put, this girl had combat skills even before she became a cultivator.

    Chen Lingyun felt that if she were to compete, she should be able to defeat Li Zhaojiang, but the outcome was uncertain against Zhou Hongyu.

    As for Liu Longtao, although she was reluctant to admit it, the chances of defeating him were very slim. His talent for cultivation was said to be the best among all the university student cultivators in the country.

    With exceptional talent, advance priority training, and an unobstructed access to various resources, it was no surprise he was thoroughly ahead and able to dominate his peers.

    Disregarding the armies of Dingbei, Annan, and Pingxi, even within the Zhendong Army itself, those leaders who had not witnessed Yan Yu¡¯s strength all believed that Liu Longtao was going to become, or had already become, the number one cultivator in the country.

    ¡°Yan Yu~¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly laughed, calling out in a sweet, coquettish voice.

    ¡°What?¡± Yan Yu looked at her with some annoyance, ¡°Don¡¯t be silly here¡­ nor act coy.¡±

    ¡°When you face the Dingbei Army, beat up that Lord Master for me,¡± Chen Lingyun said seriously, raising her small fist.

    Yan Yu frowned, looking at her pretty face.

    When she dropped that mask-like fake smile, she indeed looked much more pleasant to the eye¡ªwith Chen Lingyun¡¯s delicate beauty, even someone face-blind couldn¡¯t deny she was beautiful.

    Or more accurately, ¡°a pretty young lady.¡±

    ¡°So,¡± Yan Yu withdrew his gaze, speaking indifferently, ¡°what¡¯s the reward?¡±

    ¡°Do you want to hear me whimper and beg you?¡± Chen Lingyun blinked, ¡°Just like last time?¡±

    ¡°No, get lost.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t beat up that blockhead from the capital after the match, I¡¯ll send out a mass message announcing you¡¯re my boyfriend.¡± Chen Lingyun revealed a sweet, radiant smile.

    Yan Yu was about to say ¡°Bring it on, who¡¯s afraid,¡± but then he realized that the mass message Chen Lingyun mentioned would definitely include Zhao Yuanzhen.

    He wasn¡¯t exactly afraid of a bloodbath or anything; it was mainly because he considered that although Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s cultivation hadn¡¯t been restored, she was still the Demonic Sect Enchantress, endowed with demonic skills.

    If Chen Lingyun¡¯s message agitated Zhao Yuanzhen and triggered a frenzy, causing her to come straight here, with Mei Yingxue not present to intervene, it would turn everything upside down¡­ There are so many important people on stage!

    Endure for the sake of the country!

    Let this trashy woman be smug for a little while.

    Seeing that he maintained his silence, the smile on Chen Lingyun¡¯s face became even more joyous and relaxed, she was so happy she could hardly contain herself.

    This scene, witnessed from a distance by Liu Longtao, also made it hard for him to suppress his goosebumps.

    Princess Jiang Hai Chen Lingyun, this nickname was privately given to her by people in the circle. Why call her that? Because she is the only daughter of Governor Chen Tianming from the Jiang Hai Province. With this status on display, she has always had an endless stream of suitors. But whether it¡¯s an open courtship or a secret crush, as soon as someone tries to cross the line of friendship with her, they would soon inexplicably feel like ¡°she looks down on me.¡±

    Of course, there¡¯s no evidence. Chen Lingyun would never offend anyone; her elegant fake smile is a perfect mask, hiding her thoughts very well underneath, until someone overestimates themselves and tries to remove that mask, only to be accidentally pricked by the thorns on it.

    Looking back at the mask, the smile would still be as sweet as ever, as if nothing had happened.

    Over time, those second-generation rich who had been snubbed by her gathered to discuss, and eventually came to accept it as ¡°Princess His Highness is of high status, and we are not worthy of dating her.¡±

    However, now not only was someone in close contact with her, but it even looked like Chen Lingyun was the one actively pursuing him¡­ Terrifying indeed. As the saying goes, ¡°Before disaster strikes, there are strange signs.¡± Could this be signaling the end of the world?

    Without showing any emotion, Liu Longtao picked up his phone and sent another message:

    ¡°Princess Jiang Hai is chatting and laughing with him, but he¡¯s ignoring her.¡±

    Suddenly, the group chat erupted like a school of sardines startled by a catfish, buzzing with activity:

    ¡°Lord Tao, quick, show us the photo.¡±

    ¡°What photo? Watch the video!¡±

    ¡°Could Princess Jiang Hai have been drugged?¡±

    ¡°Does your family¡¯s drug make girls giggle at you?¡±

    ¡°There is such a thing, love potions, right?¡±

    Seeing that the group had started to discuss ¡°whether Chen Lingyun was under the control of a magic potion,¡± Liu Longtao decisively turned off his phone and looked back towards the distant Zhendong Army¡¯s seats.

    Chen Lingyun leaned in with a smile and whispered something into Yan Yu¡¯s ear.

    Without a word, Yan Yu silently moved his buttocks to a farther seat.

    Chen Lingyun wasn¡¯t annoyed; she casually moved along, resettling herself next to Yan Yu, her smile as beautiful and charming as ever.

    Liu Longtao was stunned by this scene. He took a deep breath, attempting to straighten out the whirlwind of thoughts in his mind.

    Probably¡­ it¡¯s a male succubus, right?

 Chapter 44 - 44: Mutual Destruction

    Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Mutual Destruction

    Liu Longtao¡¯s thoughts were actually quite normal.

    The resurgence of Spiritual Energy was already inconceivable enough. If even a fairy (Mei Yingxue) could descend to the world, what was so strange about a mere male demon?

    However, he didn¡¯t have the luxury of time to think more about it, as the start of the tournament was imminent with the referee taking to the stage.

    The first round, Dingbei Army versus Pingxi Army; the second round, Zhendong Army versus Annan Army.

    The reason for this arrangement was, of course, because the higher-ups were more interested in Liu Longtao¡¯s performance. With the Dingbei Army playing on their home ground, they naturally wanted to use this advantage to leave a deep impression on the VIPs from the first round.

    Liu Longtao and Zhou Hongyu stepped onto the stage and exchanged bows. Yan Yu was watching from below. The arena was a platform slightly raised above the ground, flat and open, without any simulation of a real combat environment¡ªprobably designed this way to facilitate the VIPs¡¯ viewing.

    ...

    ¡°Does Zhou Hongyu stand a chance to win?¡± Chen Lingyun asked from the side.

    ¡°Of course, there¡¯s a chance,¡± Yan Yu said leisurely, ¡°it just depends on whether Liu Longtao will give her one.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s interest was piqued.

    ¡°Overall, Liu Longtao is stronger than Zhou Hongyu,¡± Yan Yu calmly replied, ¡°If they were to fight ten rounds, Liu Longtao would definitely win more than he loses.¡±

    ¡°But Zhou Hongyu is aware of this, and her only chance of victory lies in launching a desperate and strong attack, forcing Liu Longtao to defend with all his might and then unleashing her trump card, catching him off guard and blowing him away.¡±

    ¡°Trump card?¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s eyes lit up.

    ¡°You¡¯ll know when you see it,¡± Yan Yu declined to elaborate further.

    ¡°¡­If she really has a trump card, she might not use it at this moment,¡± Chen Lingyun pondered, ¡°because it¡¯s still not a guaranteed win against Liu Longtao, right?¡±

    ¡°Facing an opponent who is stronger in all respects, who would dare to claim a sure win?¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°That settles it,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile, ¡°You¡¯re familiar with the story of Tian Ji¡¯s horse racing, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Yan Yu paused for a moment upon hearing this, then immediately understood her implication.

    The most powerful moment for a trump card is naturally when nobody knows about it.

    Once it¡¯s known, everyone will be on guard, and its subsequent effect won¡¯t be as good.

    Considering that Zhou Hongyu, in the first round, faced off with Liu Longtao, who was touted as the strongest, even if she played her trump card, it wouldn¡¯t guarantee a win¡ªthus, it would be a waste of a great opportunity.

    So the safest plan was, of course, to temporarily give up this most difficult matchup and save the surprise of the trump card for her opponents in the next two rounds, for a better chance at victory.

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s reference to Tian Ji¡¯s horse racing was a hint that the Pingxi Army might be planning for her to conserve her strength in the first round and lose to Liu Longtao, ¡°use the good chariots to match the opponent¡¯s better ones, lose first then win later.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong,¡± Yan Yu suddenly said.

    ¡°Where am I wrong?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    ¡°Even if the Pingxi Army has a Sun Bin, it still depends on whether Zhou Hongyu is willing to play that Tian Ji,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently.

    Chen Lingyun was stunned for a moment, then looked back at the competition in the arena.

    Liu Longtao was nimbly moving around using the Cloud Ascension Technique, continuously attacking with the Metal-Element Impact Curse to pressure his opponent, clearly intending to kite his way to victory and avoid letting Zhou Hongyu get close.

    Zhou Hongyu, hailing from a martial arts school, was most skilled at close combat, so she went all-in with her Barrier Charm to block the attacks while charging at Liu Longtao to close the distance between them.

    Chen Lingyun watched intently, thinking that Liu Longtao seemed to have the upper hand in this situation. His Cloud Ascension Technique and Impact Curse were alternated in use, fighting while on the move; Zhou Hongyu constantly kept up her Barrier Charm to avoid being restrained by the attacks, which no doubt put more strain on her True Yuan consumption compared to Liu Longtao.

    Unless Zhou Hongyu could seize a chance to get close, she would only end up being worn down by her opponent, but would Liu Longtao give her that chance?

    ¡°Liu Longtao is in trouble,¡± Yan Yu suddenly commented, focused on the match.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Chen Lingyun immediately showed interest.

    On the stage, Zhou Hongyu suddenly cut off her Barrier Charm and activated her Shifting Technique, drastically increasing her speed, and rushed towards Liu Longtao like a shooting star.

    The speed of the Cloud Ascension Technique was no match for the Shifting Technique, and to continue avoiding close contact, Liu Longtao had to activate and maintain his own Shifting Technique.

    With the two chasing and fleeing, considering the remaining True Yuan of both sides, in the end, Zhou Hongyu would undoubtedly be worn to death. However, such a match would definitely lack any form of spectator appeal.

    Would the Dingbei Army allow Liu Longtao to win by making the dignitaries in the box watch minutes of a ¡°hawk chasing a chick¡±? Of course not.

    Clearly impossible.

    Chen Lingyun quickly realized the tactic within this scenario and saw that Liu Longtao indeed didn¡¯t dodge or avoid but boldly activated the Wood Bending Charm, his right arm¡¯s muscles swelling rapidly.

    The Wood Bending Charm grants immense strength, tearing tigers and leopards apart easily. Because in the five elements ¡°wood overcomes earth,¡± even the impenetrable Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse would break if hit by the Bending Charm, also blocking True Yuan in the meridians. Hence, the best way to respond isn¡¯t to defend, but to counterattack.

    Zhou Hongyu swiftly closed in, her Shifting Technique rapidly halted, and she too activated the Wood Bending Charm, ready to exchange blows with her fists and feet.

    In a moment of swift motion, Liu Longtao threw a punch, and Zhou Hongyu dodged to the side, grabbing his wrist in return. Liu Longtao twisted his wrist trying to break free, but his heart suddenly leapt in shock.

    Not because he couldn¡¯t break free, but because he had broken free too easily ¡ª the other side didn¡¯t actually have the Bending Charm activated at that moment, having only initiated it to mislead him and then discreetly stopped it.

    So what curse technique was she using now?

    In any case, continuing to fight at close range clearly wasn¡¯t a good idea. Liu Longtao tried to pull away swiftly, but would Zhou Hongyu let him do as he wished?

    She lifted her arm for a Great Stele-Felling Hand, smashing it towards Liu Longtao¡¯s chest.

    Liu Longtao didn¡¯t dodge; the Bending Charm activated again, his right fist shooting out like a cannonball, hitting Zhou Hongyu¡¯s lower abdomen.

    If not for the True Yuan restraint bracelets, the punch, fully powered by the Bending Charm, could blow Zhou Hongyu¡¯s spleen apart, killing her instantly.

    Even so, she instantly hunched over like a shrimp, vomiting a large mouthful of stomach fluid, her face contorting with severe pain.

    As for her Great Stele-Felling Hand, it had already lost most of its force, only barely managing to latch onto his clothes.

    Almost simultaneously, a sudden surge of flames engulfed both of them, who were fighting at close quarters.

    The referee immediately blew the whistle to stop the match, and the cultivators from the Pingxi and Dingbei Armies rushed onto the stage, casting the Water-Element Runescript to extinguish the flames.

    The medical team followed closely, quickly assessing the condition of the two injured. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Liu Longtao was hit directly by the Flame Curse, with the flames bursting from under his feet. Thanks to the True Yuan restraint bracelet, he suffered only varying degrees of burns across different body parts.

    If this were a real combat situation, he would have been burned to a severe degree.

    Zhou Hongyu was in a worse state, having taken a heavy blow to her abdomen and then affected by the Flame Curse. She couldn¡¯t stand up at all but was still gripping Liu Longtao¡¯s chest cloth tightly. It took the army¡¯s cultivators a while to pry her fingers open.

    Anyone unaware of the circumstances might think these two harbored some deep hatred! One must say that this girl¡¯s ferocity was to an extreme.

    ¡°This is really interesting,¡± Chen Lingyun said, clapping her hands with satisfaction, chuckling merrily, ¡°Clearly at a disadvantage in every aspect, yet relying on a burst of courage and risk to one¡¯s life to take down the opponent. A girl with such a brutal personality would die quickly on the battlefield, wouldn¡¯t she? But it¡¯s fine, at least she gave Lord Master a serious burn, and I bet he won¡¯t be able to sleep tonight~.¡±

    The outcome, of course, was clear: Zhou Hongyu had secretly cast the Flame Curse and then, in order not to let Liu Longtao escape the range of the curse, took the risk of grabbing his clothes with the Great Stele-Felling Hand, bravely taking a punch from him to keep him in place.

    In a real combat situation, Zhou Hongyu would likely die from internal organ rupture, but Liu Longtao would also be burned to death by the Flame Curse, resulting in a mutual downfall. Therefore, this battle should be considered a draw.

    A few minutes later, as expected, the referee panel announced the first round as a draw.

    The Dingbei Army contested this, claiming that Zhou Hongyu was hit in the abdomen first and would have inevitably lost the ability to move if it were a real fight, possibly preventing her from continuing to hold Liu Longtao ¡ª he might have had the chance to escape the range of the Flame Curse.

    After reviewing, the referee panel rejected the objection and maintained the original decision.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Chen Lingyun asked again.

    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t have escaped,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°The True Yuan restraint bracelet simultaneously suppresses the temperature and range of the Flame Curse.¡±

    ¡°That means, in real combat, her Flame Curse would cover a larger area than it did here,¡± Chen Lingyun nodded in agreement, then smiled sweetly, ¡°If I were in the arena, I wouldn¡¯t be so foolish. I would definitely activate Shifting Technique and fight Xiao Zhou in a guerrilla battle.¡±

    ¡°Of course, because you have no shame,¡± Yan Yu said with a sidelong glance.

    ¡°Only the victor has the right to dignity,¡± Chen Lingyun argued unfazed, her smile bright, ¡°Don¡¯t lose carelessly in the next round against Li Zhaojiang, my face-saving little brother~¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t think of any possibility that I¡¯ll lose,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, standing up, ready to enter the arena.

 Chapter 45 - 45: Sister Complex, Tone It Down

    Chapter 45: Chapter 45: Sister Complex, Tone It Down

    Zhou Hongyu and Liu Longtao were carried down by the medical team for treatment.

    If the era of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence benefited any field the most, it was the military. The second must surely be the medical field.

    The Water-Element Runescript played a minor role during combat, but it was a huge help in medical support. Medical Cultivators could use the Runescript to inject True Yuan through the skin into the patient¡¯s body, accurately locate the site of injury or disease, and then perform surgery or promote healing.

    Aside from some fatal injuries that still required emergency care in the ICU, most could be handled within a few hours.

    The injuries of the two weren¡¯t serious, just a bit time-consuming to treat. Therefore, representatives from the Dingbei Army and the Pingxi Army were sent to look after them while most people remained sitting in the spectator seats.

    For the second round, Zhendong Army¡¯s Yan Yu would face Annan Army¡¯s Li Zhaojiang.

    ...

    At this point in the past life, among Liu Longtao, Zhou Hongyu, Chen Lingyun, and Li Zhaojiang, the latter was publicly recognized as the weakest of the four.

    Of course, this wasn¡¯t to say his strength was truly lacking; otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have been chosen to fight on behalf of the Annan Army.

    The main reason was that Liu Longtao was well ahead in all aspects, Zhou Hongyu was fierce and daring in his martial arts, and Chen Lingyun was intelligent with excellent tactical thinking. In comparison, the well-rounded Li Zhaojiang lacked any standout features, which made him seem less reliable.

    In reality, there was certainly a discrepancy between the spectators¡¯ perceptions and the actual strength of the contestants; otherwise, Liu Longtao wouldn¡¯t have been forced into a draw with Zhou Hongyu.

    Yan Yu was the first to enter the arena, wondering if he should take a serious stance and crush the opposition, or just casually win the match.

    His gaze swept over the advancing Li Zhaojiang and settled on Li Minghu, who was sitting in the Annan Army¡¯s reserves.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t have much of an impression of the past life¡¯s Li Zhaojiang; he was just a mad sister complex after all.

    But he did hold a certain amount of respect for the woman Li Minghu.

    She fought on the battlefield despite her illness. With her, one sword wiped out legions of the Nanjiang, Lingnan, Lingyou, and Qiongzhou Cultivator Allied Forces, saving countless lives from the Lu Country from suffering¡ªpraising her as a ¡°Valkyrie¡± wasn¡¯t an exaggeration.

    For Li Minghu¡¯s sake, letting her brother lose without too much disgrace seemed the right thing to do.

    In the reserves, Li Minghu coughed into a handkerchief covering her mouth and watched anxiously as her brother stepped into the arena.

    The tragic scene of mutual destruction between Liu Longtao and Zhou Hongyu just now made her worry subconsciously¡ªwould her brother get hurt this time?

    Then her gaze met Yan Yu¡¯s.

    Oh, it was the man she had seen in the noodle shop the night before.

    Thinking back to his sympathetic gaze yesterday, Li Minghu felt somewhat relieved and lowered her head, avoiding his eye contact.

    It¡¯s said that siblings, especially those close in age, often don¡¯t have a strong relationship in their childhood, but the Li siblings were an exception.

    The elder sister Li Minghu was born with a lung disease and believed she wouldn¡¯t live long. Thus, from childhood, she gave her brother all the best things so that one day when she passed away, her brother could keep her parents company and they wouldn¡¯t be overwhelmed by grief.

    Her brother, Li Zhaojiang, who was originally oblivious to these matters, grew up cherished by his family and was naturally extremely close to his sister. When he matured and understood his sister¡¯s involuntary distress, he became even more determined and fiercely protective, turning into a sister-protecting maniac. If Yan Yu looked anywhere else, Li Zhaojiang might not have been so mindful. But as soon as the gaze turned towards his sister, Li Zhaojiang was almost immediately aware.

    Seeing his sister on the field, his rationale began to lose control at the ¡°disgust¡± and ¡°head-turning to conceal.¡±

    Some lecher is eyeing up my sister! Damned pervert, I¡¯m going to kill you!

    Thinking of his poor, sickly sister being eyed greedily by the man opposite, Li Zhaojiang¡¯s fighting spirit surged, skyrocketed, and intensified!

    Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill! His momentum at that moment was ten, no, nine times stronger than ever before!

    Such overpowering determination, such madness¡ªwhat in the world could stand against such a sister-protecting maniac?

    Yan Yu, unaware of his opponent¡¯s mental state, only saw that his demeanor suddenly seemed crazed. He could guess that it was probably because he looked at his sister one too many times, which made the younger brother-in-law urgently react. Yan Yu was both annoyed and amused.

    Crazy! Does every man want to be your brother-in-law?

    The starting pistol sounded, and the match officially began. Li Zhaojiang didn¡¯t hesitate, quickly activating his Shifting Technique to charge forward.

    Clearly, the first match had given a very obvious hint. When you try to close in with the Shifting Technique, the opponent either uses the Shifting Technique as well, initiating a chase-me-if-you-can mode, or they have no choice but to engage in close combat.

    However, because the match was attended by important figures, a monotonous game of tag with no actual combat was clearly not suitable for the stage¡ªit would seem to those in the private boxes that it might be suspected of being war-shy or fearful of battle.

    So the two had to come to blows, and Li Zhaojiang could then harness the one hundred thousand horsepower of protective brotherly force to blow up, annihilate, and pulverize that creep coveting his sister into dust!

    The Shifting Technique was activated, and the distance of several meters was bridged in an instant. Yan Yu really stood his ground without moving; faced with a brother besotted with his sister charging forward like a manic fist-smasher, he simply took up his stance with bored indifference.

    Impact Curse.

    Li Zhaojiang, who had charged in wildly, was sent flying backward, his hands still in the defensive blocking stance, his expression now one of shock.

    He had actually calculated the distance and ended the Shifting Technique prematurely, using the momentum to close in on Yan Yu, and launched the attack right after the Curved Curse was initiated.

    In the contest of the Curved Curse, the most important thing was to take the initiative. If both people activate the Curved Curse at the same time, both possessing immense strength, then whoever manages to break through the defense and hit the opponent first, the other would lose the ability to act and fall to the ground.

    However, his attack had missed.

    Li Zhaojiang didn¡¯t understand why it had missed, but Yan Yu¡¯s counterattack had already followed.

    The same Wood Bending Charm, the same straight Impact Curse, he only had time to cross his arms over his chest, and his whole body was hit and sent retreating backward.

    The exchange between the two was as fast as lightning¡ªmost of the audience hadn¡¯t even realized what had happened yet, but Li Minghu from the reserve seat saw everything clearly.

    The moment his younger brother threw the punch, Yan Yu¡¯s figure retreated sharply for an instant, evading the fist and stepping forward again, so it looked as though he hadn¡¯t moved at all, yet strangely causing his brother¡¯s attack to miss.

    His seemingly simple evasive maneuver was actually astoundingly fast, so much so that even the spectators couldn¡¯t clearly see it¡ªthis speed, that even the naked eye struggled to catch, couldn¡¯t be achieved by physical strength alone and must have involved the assistance of the Shifting Technique.

    The Shifting Technique can instantly accelerate to high speeds, and even if it is interrupted afterwards, the speed would not immediately decrease due to inertia, so he must have used the Cloud Ascension Technique to cancel out the inertia, stopping the momentum.

    This meant that a seemingly simple step back included the operations of ¡°retreating with the Shifting Technique,¡± ¡°interrupting the Shifting Technique,¡± ¡°braking with the Cloud Ascension Technique,¡± and ¡°interrupting the Cloud Ascension Technique,¡± and then stepping forward again for another round¡­ completing a total of eight maneuvers in the blink of an eye, achieving this ghostly evasive effect.

    Li Minghu bowed his head and covered his mouth with a handkerchief, coughing violently again. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Little brother, you probably can¡¯t win this round¡­

    Barely stabilizing his posture, Li Zhaojiang noticed that the pain in his arms was not very pronounced, indicating that the opponent must have deliberately held back.

    He¡¯s trying to ingratiate himself with me, trying to get on the good side of his future brother-in-law, isn¡¯t he? Do you think by going easy on me I will be grateful to you? That after the match I will introduce you to my sister?

    You don¡¯t even know your own limits, you piece of shit!

    Li Zhaojiang erupted once again, raising his arms aimed at the other side, as True Yuan coursed through the Impact Curse energy route, stirring violently within his meridians.

    Impact Curse barrage! Endless bombardment! Ora ora ora ora!

    Sharp energy shot out continuously, but Yan Yu¡¯s figure had already vanished from the spot where he stood.

    He was leaping to the right, rising into the air, using the Cloud Ascension Technique to wipe out his speed, hanging motionless in the air for an instant. His right hand, formed into a sword-like gesture, accurately locked onto Li Zhaojiang¡¯s position.

    Impact Curse, charging.

    The Metal-Element Impact Curse could compress True Yuan within the arms, significantly increasing the damage of a single hit, but the cost was having to hold the arm still while charging.

    Considering the damage of a normal Impact Curse was enough to be fatal to an unguarded cultivator, there was usually no need to waste time charging.

    And Yan Yu¡¯s intention in doing so was also clear, telling Li Zhaojiang straightforwardly: You might as well admit defeat.

    I¡¯ve already given you so much leeway; I just don¡¯t want you to lose too disgracefully.

    Of course, Li Zhaojiang wasn¡¯t about to appreciate the gesture. Accepting his favor meant owing him, and owing him meant that he couldn¡¯t talk back, which would mean even if he were to blatantly pursue his sister in the future, he would only be able to sulk in the background as a mere bag-carrying lackey, unable to openly intervene!

    Ahh ahh ahh ahh die!

    Immediately after, an excruciating pain from a charged Impact Curse hit his chest.

 Chapter 46 - 46 Valkyries Good Friend

    Chapter 46: Chapter 46 Valkyrie¡¯s Good Friend

    Li Zhaojiang was carried off the field by the rushed Annan Army medical team, and his sister, Li Minghu, hurried over anxiously to confirm his condition.

    Accompanying him to the infirmary, she then confirmed that her brother had not suffered much injury, and even had lighter wounds than Liu Longtao from the previous match.

    The reason was self-evident; it was just that someone had deliberately gone easy and hadn¡¯t used their full True Yuan.

    No need to mention the earlier Curved Curse Punch; if the later power-accumulating Impact Curse was really unleashed with full strength, even with the effects of the suppression bracelets, it would have been enough to knock him down right there and then.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Li Zhaojiang struggled to get up, yelling angrily at the medical staff, ¡°What were you rushing in for? I could still fight!¡±

    ¡°Ah Jiang!¡± Li Minghu also rarely got angry, ¡°He was going easy on you! Don¡¯t you see that?¡±

    ...

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask him to go easy!¡± Li Zhaojiang was still stubborn.

    ¡°So you would rather be knocked out as soon as you entered the match, is that it?¡± Li Minghu asked sharply.

    Li Zhaojiang was at a loss for words. As a representative of the Annan Army, even if he was defeated, he could not lose too much face, because it was the face of the entire Annan Army that was at stake.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so stubborn,¡± Li Minghu said, seeing his silence, then softened her tone, ¡°That Yan Yu from Zhendong Army, he¡¯s clearly much stronger than you. The reason he went easy was that he didn¡¯t want you to lose too quickly, to avoid embarrassment in front of the big shots. This is a favor, and we must acknowledge it. Find time tonight, and come with me to invite him for a meal as thanks.¡±

    Li Zhaojiang wanted to cry but had no tears; after a long while, he said:

    ¡°Then¡­ then there¡¯s no need to trouble you, sister. Can¡¯t I just invite him myself?¡±

    ¡°Can you even speak properly?¡± Li Minghu said irritably, ¡°Without me there to watch, you¡¯re bound to turn a meal invitation into a grudge. I will do the talking; you just keep your mouth shut and only speak when I tell you to.¡±

    Li Zhaojiang was utterly defeated, thinking if he had known this would result in his sister inviting him for a meal, he would have been better off being knocked out right from the start!

    I¡¯m filled with regret, hatred, and heartache!

    Seeing her brother¡¯s unwilling face, Li Minghu could only sigh with helplessness in her heart.

    As a representative of the Zhendong Army, Yan Yu had no obligation nor need to hold back in combat.

    Since the other party had deliberately shown kindness, presumably with the intentions of making connections, it was best to respond promptly, to avoid missing this rare opportunity to bond with a peer elite.

    After all, with the other party¡¯s strength, it was only a matter of time before they made a big name for themselves within the military.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The first day¡¯s competitions had ended. Due to the complex injuries of Liu Longtao and Zhou Hongyu, the treatment took longer, and the next round of competition had to wait until tomorrow.

    There were two options for dinner. One was to dine in the cafeteria at Dingbei Cultivator Academy, which was said to be quite tasty but served terrifying portions, with bowls large enough to bury one¡¯s entire head in.

    The other option was to eat out, but that expense would not be reimbursed.

    After being checked by the Zhendong Army medical team and ensuring there were no hidden injuries, Yan Yu stepped out of the infirmary to find Li Minghu and Li Zhaojiang waiting for him outside.

    ¡°Invite me for a meal?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise after hearing Li Minghu¡¯s purpose.

    In his past life, he had not heard of the Valkyrie being so sociable. What, just because I held back a bit in the match, she¡¯s taking this opportunity to connect?

    ¡°Yes,¡± Li Minghu smiled sweetly, slightly bowing her head in salute, ¡°My brother has been under your care this time. Compared to Zhou Hongyu and Liu Longtao, he¡¯s barely hurt at all, and we have to thank you for your mercy.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Yan Yu casually waved his hand, ¡°It¡¯s because he¡¯s strong enough. Otherwise, even if I held back, it would have been to no avail.¡±

    Li Zhaojiang¡¯s face, already hard to look at, darkened even more after hearing this. He found Yan Yu increasingly annoying to look at. Not until Li Minghu elbowed him, did he reluctantly put on a smile and drawled:

    ¡°Tha-thanks a lot¡ª¡±

    ¡°Speak Mandarin!¡± Li Minghu scolded sharply, ¡°Be serious!¡±

    ¡°Sorry for the trouble this time.¡± Li Zhaojiang said with a stiff smile, ¡°Thanks for your mercy.¡±

    ¡°No trouble, no trouble,¡± Yan Yu, unable to restrain a laugh as he watched Li Minghu scold her brother like a child, kept waving his hand, ¡°No need for a treat, but we can have dinner together; I¡¯ll just let my friends know.¡±

    The reason he agreed to have dinner with the sibling duo was, first, to familiarize himself with the future Valkyrie¡¯s face, and secondly, because he had been constantly mixing with despicable women, and the Demonic Sect Enchantress, having to be cautious around the former and wary of the latter, Yan Yu was truly exhausted in both mind and spirit.

    It was time to spend some time with a normal woman¡­

    He sent a message to the two ladies on his phone and then left with the siblings from the Li Family.

    On the other side, Chen Lingyun received the message and raised an eyebrow slightly. Zhao Yuanzhen, however, was grinding her teeth in frustration, certain that this was another instance of Yan Yu going for a feast without her, and she made a mental note:

    ¡°This evening, the little thief attends a banquet and refuses to take me with him, I¡¯ll remember this grudge. When the day comes for me to be in charge, I¡¯ll lock him deep in the cave residence, making him watch me dine out every day, and let him taste this unbearable hunger and thirst!¡±

    In her fantasy, she imagined all sorts of ways to torment Yan Yu until he cried and begged for mercy on his knees, which finally brought her satisfaction.

    Considering she was already practicing fasting, she thought she might as well skip dinner tonight, but then another thought struck her: I¡¯m here alone, dining on wind and sipping on dew while that thief is out there enjoying delicacies. Is that fair?

    The more Zhao Yuanzhen thought about it, the angrier she became, and she decided not to return to the hotel but to check out the academy¡¯s cafeteria first.

    Speaking of Yan Yu and the Li siblings, they found a Cantonese restaurant outside and ordered some dishes before starting to chat leisurely.

    Just as Li Minghu had expected, Yan Yu wasn¡¯t the type that enjoyed making friends. If Li Zhaojiang were the one to invite him to dinner, probably the two men would just sit there, eat quietly, cover their own bill, and then leave without much ado.

    The reason she brought her brother over was to act as a lubricant of sorts, trying to foster a relationship between them as much as possible.

    ¡°Looking at the upcoming schedule, Yan Yu, you are matched against Zhou Hongyu of Pingxi Army tomorrow, right?¡± Li Minghu asked with a smile.

    This girl had thick, slightly curly hair and fair, smooth skin. Her beauty was both striking and durable, somewhat reminiscent of the movie version of the ¡°Purple Cloud Fairy¡±. Unfortunately, because of her poor health, she spoke in a soft and gentle voice, and her smile was frail and delicate, presenting an image of a ¡°fragile elder sister¡±, difficult to associate with a ¡°Valkyrie¡±.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu nodded and said, ¡°Your brother is facing Liu Longtao.¡±

    Li Zhaojiang was already in a bad mood, and upon hearing that he would be up against Lord Master tomorrow, his expression turned even grimmer as he continued to eat his shrimp dumplings in silence.

    Damn it! Just a bunch of yokels; I could eat them alive! he thought as he chomped down fiercely.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Li Minghu said with a smile, ¡°Just do your best and show your style.¡± S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°For your information, I¡¯m not necessarily going to lose,¡± Li Zhaojiang couldn¡¯t help but retort.

    Li Minghu was about to say something mildly humorous, but her complexion changed slightly, and she began to cough softly into a handkerchief.

    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Yan Yu stroked his chin and asked, ¡°what¡¯s wrong with you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Li Minghu replied with a wry smile, ¡°I was born with it. I¡¯ve been to many hospitals, but they can¡¯t diagnose it.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve tried blood tests, CT scans, MRI¡­¡± Saying this, Li Zhaojiang couldn¡¯t stay angry as he spoke in a low voice about his sister¡¯s illness, ¡°Experts from the medical university at Xingwang Mansion said that it¡¯s an unseen gene disease, a congenital problem with the development of lung airways, so there is currently no effective cure, only conservative treatment and gradual health management.¡±

    ¡°They even mentioned applying to the International Health Organization to name the disease after me,¡± Li Minghu said, waving it off with a smile, ¡°But really, it¡¯s nothing much. I just cough frequently and can¡¯t do strenuous exercise, that¡¯s all.¡±

    Yan Yu watched her in silence.

    In the scientific world, diseases that were incurable might not be so in the Cultivation World. Yan Yu even knew secret methods to rebuild the body, though at the current moment, there was no chance to acquire them.

    Actually, Li Minghu¡¯s illness was not so dire. Just as she said, as long as she didn¡¯t overexercise, she could indeed live a long life, long enough for the secret methods to rebuild the body to emerge in the world.

    However, the problem was that as the Spiritual Energy Resurgence intensified, the strength of the unofficial cultivators in the countries to the south of Lu Country, meaning the Indochinese Peninsula countries, was increasing too rapidly.

    Cultivating cultivators wasn¡¯t like producing airplanes, aircraft carriers, or nuclear bombs, which require ¡°advanced scientific research¡±, ¡°strong industrial power¡±, and ¡°wide-reaching national education¡±. Its minimum requirement was just one person with the aptitude for cultivation and a method for practicing it.

    Due to the lack of Lu Country¡¯s grassroots control abilities, many countries on the Indochinese Peninsula simply followed Mitchi Country¡¯s approach by openly sharing cultivation methods at the societal level, ¡°a practice for every person¡±. The result was an explosive increase in the number of unregulated cultivators, which led to large-scale disintegration of domestic order and, concurrently, a dramatic increase in border defense pressure on Lu Country¡¯s southern borders.

    Li Minghu, as a cultivator of the Annan Army, was often compelled to fight the enemy on the frontline due to short staffing.

    As her formidable abilities became apparent, the Annan Army command quickly developed a mindset, whenever they encountered an enemy they couldn¡¯t defeat, their first thought was to deploy Li Minghu.

    Until she collapsed from exhaustion.

    Military service, protecting one¡¯s country, is a bounden duty. You couldn¡¯t possibly persuade Li Minghu to actively avoid combat out of fear ¨C that was certainly out of the question.

    At present, the best Yan Yu could think of was to lend a hand to the Annan Army when they were struggling, to prevent the Valkyrie from being worn down by the endless trivial foes of the Southern Border¡ªspoiling a gem in the dirt, contaminating a spiritual fungus, would be truly regrettable.

    After pondering for a moment, he took out his phone and said:

    ¡°Should we add each other as friends?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Li Minghu replied with a smile, while Li Zhaojiang immediately became alert beside her.

    What¡¯s the deal?! Dining with you isn¡¯t enough, and now you want to keep chatting privately once we¡¯re back!

 Chapter 47 - 47 A Bunch of Friends in the Phone

    Chapter 47: Chapter 47 A Bunch of Friends in the Phone

    Before leaving, the Li Family siblings exchanged contact information with Yan Yu as friends.

    On the way back to the hotel, Li Zhaojiang started to urge persistently:

    ¡°Sister! That Yan Yu clearly has no good intentions. It¡¯s fine that you added him as a friend, but if he comes to chat with you later, you mustn¡¯t be swayed by his sweet talk.¡±

    ¡°How does he have no good intentions?¡± Li Minghu asked in surprise, ¡°Didn¡¯t he let you win during today¡¯s competition?¡±

    ¡°He did not let me win!¡± Li Zhaojiang said indignantly, ¡°He could have won but deliberately dragged out the time; it was clearly a ploy to humiliate me!¡±

    ¡°Alright, you don¡¯t need to worry excessively,¡± Li Minghu sighed, ¡°Your sister is always sickly, so it¡¯s unlikely someone would take an interest in her.¡±

    ...

    Li Zhaojiang was immediately at a loss for words.

    It¡¯s true that he was overprotective of his sister, but he wasn¡¯t the extreme kind that you¡¯d find in a medical drama. Deep down, he actually hoped that his sister would one day find happiness that belonged only to her.

    Of course, to be worthy of my sister, you would at least have to pass 100 tests set by her little brother. Otherwise, how could you claim to really love my sister?

    But seeing his sister in such a state of resignation was exactly what Li Zhaojiang did not want to see.

    So what if she¡¯s ill? My sister is beautiful and has a great personality, and she¡¯s gentle and considerate. As a wife, she¡¯s definitely going to be a good and wise mother. How could any man not like her?

    ¡°Not really,¡± Li Zhaojiang hurriedly backpedaled, ¡°Actually, during dinner just now, Yan Yu kept stealing glances at you. That¡¯s the reason I¡¯m upset¡­ He must have been charmed by you!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Li Minghu questioned skeptically.

    ¡°It¡¯s true!¡± Li Zhaojiang nodded vigorously, ¡°Otherwise, why would he add you as a friend? Sister, just wait and see, he¡¯ll definitely come to chat with you within three days!¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll just wait and see if what you say comes true,¡± Li Minghu said with a slight smile, steering the conversation away.

    After walking for a while longer, Li Zhaojiang began to feel uneasy.

    Wait, what if Yan Yu really doesn¡¯t send my sister a message for three consecutive days?

    Could it be? My sister¡¯s so pretty, and she agreed to add you as a friend, you can¡¯t possibly be indifferent, right?

    Seeing Li Zhaojiang¡¯s alternating expressions of hope and worry, Li Minghu didn¡¯t say anything more, just sighed softly to herself.

    Her brother might not be exceptionally talented, and with his honest and straightforward personality, his path as a cultivator could be unpredictable and fraught with both good and bad fortune.

    She wanted to protect him from the storms of life, but with her body frail from disease, how much further could she go?

    The current generation of cultivators in the Annan Army didn¡¯t have top-notch talents like Yan Yu or Liu Longtao.

    If she could become good friends with Yan Yu, and once she was gone from this world if he became a big shot in the military of Lu Country, she could ask him to look after her brother¡­

    Li Minghu pondered over these guardianship plans and then suddenly pulled out her phone to check WeChat.

    Hmm, she had indeed accepted his friend request, and his nickname was ¡°Win People Over with Virtue.¡±

    Hope he really is a virtuous man worth getting to know better¡­

    Back at the hotel, when Yan Yu used his room card to enter his room, he was greeted by a Demonic Sect Enchantress who had arrived unannounced and was sitting on his bed, looking angry.

    Zhao Yuanzhen.

    Arms crossed and face as cold as frost, she looked like a wife furious over her husband¡¯s absence in the night, which made Yan Yu¡¯s scalp tingle¡ªhow did you get in without a room card?

    Illegally using the Wall-Penetration Technique, I see!

    ¡°Where have you been tonight?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked coldly.

    ¡°Went off to have a good time with women,¡± Yan Yu replied irritably.

    The emphasis was on one having no right to ask, and the other not providing a serious answer.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was taken aback at first, and then her face turned pale with shock:

    ¡°You¡¯ve been drained by someone?¡±

    ¡°¡­You¡¯re crazy,¡± Yan Yu said exasperatedly, his head tingling from her bizarre line of thought, ¡°Didn¡¯t I send a message to you guys? I just went for dinner.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was at a loss for words.

    Thank goodness, as long as you haven¡¯t been drained, that¡¯s fine. If my dao companion, Mi Zhen Xianzi, had his essence stolen by some wild woman ruining my plans for dual cultivation¡­ Even if there¡¯s a risk of being discovered by Mei Yingxue, I would have to obliterate her completely, as that¡¯s the only way to quell the rage in my heart!

    ¡°It¡¯s only nine o¡¯clock in the evening,¡± Yan Yu checked the time, ¡°It¡¯s not time for cultivation yet, so why have you come to my room so early?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve used up all my mobile data,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said indignantly, ¡°You need to buy me some.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    What kind of Demonic Sect Enchantress thinking is this? If you¡¯ve run out of mobile data, just pay for a higher package yourself!

    ¡°The hotel room has WiFi.¡± He casually picked up the sign by the bed and tossed it over.

    ¡°I checked, there wasn¡¯t any¡­ huh? There really is.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen caught the sign and indeed saw the WiFi account and password written in an inconspicuous line at the bottom.

    ¡°What did you do to use up all your data?¡± Yan Yu frowned and asked.

    ¡°When you went out to dinner tonight, I used my phone to watch TV shows in the hotel.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied, ¡°I had finished watching the episodes that I had downloaded earlier, so I just started downloading new ones, and then suddenly, I ran out of data halfway through the download.¡±

    ¡°It seems that you¡¯ve got no brains left!¡± Yan Yu was furious, ¡°Couldn¡¯t you wait until I came back to download them if you couldn¡¯t find the WiFi? You just had to download videos with your data, huh!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know if you were coming back tonight,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said grievously.

    ¡°I told you it was just for a meal!¡± Yan Yu said impatiently, ¡°Would I have to stay overnight at a restaurant for a meal? Do you even think?¡±

    ¡°Maybe they pretended to invite you to dinner, but they were actually plotting to harvest you for nourishment?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen seriously suggested.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough. Why is your brain full of such dirty thoughts? If you can¡¯t restrain yourself, just grab a pillow. We haven¡¯t reached that stage of dual cultivation yet.¡±

    Yan Yu decided not to let her spout any more nonsense. After all, it was reasonable for someone raised in the harsh environment of the Demonic Sect to think differently than ordinary people.

    As long as she didn¡¯t go on a killing spree, he decided to just let her have her eccentric moments.

    ¡°Oh, by the way!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s mind flipped, and she dropped a malicious hint, ¡°Tonight, Chen Lingyun was asked out to dinner by that man called Liu Longtao.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Yan Yu said lazily.

    ¡°Alone with a man, a private rendezvous, there must be something improper going on!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen chuckled coldly, spicing up the story, ¡°What an indecent woman!¡±

    Yan Yu saw through her attempt to stir up trouble and sighed:

    ¡°It¡¯s not a private rendezvous. It¡¯s a group dinner with people from their second-generation circle, about a dozen of them.¡±

    ¡°How do you know?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately became alert.

    ¡°Because she sent me photos.¡±

    ¡°Why would she need to send photos specifically to you?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps because her mobile data is too plentiful, after all, she is the esteemed young mistress from Jianghai Prefecture.¡±

    Yan Yu took off his shoes, laid down on the bed, unlocked his phone, and saw a line of new message notifications.

    Ignoring the spam group messages like ¡°Happy Family¡± or ¡°Zhendong College Cultivators¡±, there were three people who had actually sent him messages.

    There was no need to check Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s messages; he knew they would be her asking, ¡°When are you coming back?¡± since the good quality of a Demonic Sect Enchantress was being suspicious and cunning.

    Chen Lingyun sent a bunch of photos, some of tables and some of friends around her¡­ Yan Yu had no desire to open them, he just scanned them and exited.

    Then there was Anna, who had added him the night before, first asking ¡°Are you there?¡± and then taking the liberty of saying a lot of nonsense, like ¡°We were seen by a neighbor at the hotel entrance,¡± ¡°Dad went to check the registration records over there,¡± ¡°I¡¯m already so annoyed by his questioning¡±¡­

    Why don¡¯t you just tell the truth? Say you fell into the river and I happened to pass by and pull you out! With such a shilly-shallying and indecisive character, how are you going to stand on your own feet in cold, harsh Siberia? sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Think about it, won¡¯t you?

    But ignoring her probably meant losing hard-earned goodwill, because at that point, the two of them were really not close.

    So, Yan Yu had no choice but to suppress his annoyance and patiently edit a message to reassure her:

    ¡°Just tell the truth. If he still doesn¡¯t believe you, tell him to call me, and I¡¯ll explain.¡±

    Meanwhile, Anna locked herself in her room. After her father, who had been nagging at the door, left, she lay down on the bed, spacing out.

    It wasn¡¯t until Yan Yu sent her a message that she picked up her phone and nearly swore out loud.

    What did he mean by ¡°Just tell the truth¡±? If I tell my father that I ¡°fell into the water,¡± won¡¯t he start thinking about suicide attempts?

    And what¡¯s this ¡°I will explain to him¡±? Who is he to me to explain things to my father? So, I suppose the more you explain, the messier it gets, huh!

    Anna stared at the phone for a long time, realizing that she couldn¡¯t convey her ¡°fierce attitude¡± through the device, she simply clicked ¡°video call,¡± planning to straighten things out face-to-face while finding a vent for her pent-up negative emotions.

    In the hotel, Yan Yu saw the video call invitation and immediately clicked ¡°decline¡± firmly.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, the old vinegar jar, was right next to him, how could he possibly video call with you!

 Chapter 48 - 48: The Club Disguised as a Wolfs Tooth Club

    Chapter 48: Chapter 48: The Club Disguised as a Wolf¡¯s Tooth Club

    The next morning.

    The third round of the competition was scheduled for 10 a.m., so Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen left the hotel early to have breakfast at the Town North Defense Academy¡¯s cafeteria.

    The Dingbei Army¡¯s recruitment range includes the three northeastern provinces along with Qilu, northern Hebei, Central Plains, Mongolia, as well as Jinmen Prefecture and Pingjing Prefecture, so the cafeteria was full of northerners, both men and women, who slurped their noodles with gusto.

    Yan Yu leisurely savored his wontons while Zhao Yuanzhen seemed to have little appetite, taking only a light sip of the noodle soup before losing interest in eating anything else.

    ¡°Is there any vinegar?¡± she started looking around for it.

    ¡°Morning,¡± Chen Lingyun greeted with a tray in her hands and a cute smile on her face.

    ...

    ¡°How was it playing with that man last night?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked with ill intentions.

    ¡°We parted ways after dinner.¡± Chen Lingyun, not falling for it, replied with a smile, ¡°Though he seemed quite interested in you, he kept asking me ¡®The girl you¡¯re traveling with, she looks familiar, what¡¯s her background?''¡±

    Yan Yu knew this cunning woman all too well and could tell she was exaggerating, but Zhao Yuanzhen didn¡¯t know that and coldly retorted:

    ¡°How could a mere mortal have ever seen me? He should weigh his thoughts before spouting nonsense.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Chen Lingyun intertwined her fingers, propping up her delicate chin, and chuckled, ¡°Maybe he thought you looked similar to someone he heard described in conversations.¡±

    ¡°Described in conversations? Who?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said disdainfully, her heart suddenly skipping a beat.

    Mei Yingxue?

    She immediately tensed up, scanning the surroundings more frequently, worried that the celestial being from the Demonic Sect might be hidden in the crowd, ready to jump out and shout, ¡°Die, demoness!¡± before striking her down with a sword as if descending from the heavens.

    ¡°Calm down,¡± Yan Yu said, pressing her shoulder, ¡°she¡¯s not here.¡±

    There was no way Pingjing would let Mei Yingxue out. Such a valuable human information source would naturally be assigned to the research department to be thoroughly mined for cultivation knowledge.

    In her previous life, Mei Yingxue was only sent out when the pressure from enemy cultivators had pierced through the borders and directly threatened Pingjing itself, which was when the higher-ups were willing to have her appear officially as a cultivator.

    In plain terms, they were still wary of her status as a visitor from another world.

    But this was something he couldn¡¯t tell Zhao Yuanzhen. Without the looming threat of the celestial being, he couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine how unrestrained and self-indulgent the Demonic Sect Enchantress would become.

    After breakfast, everyone headed to the underground training ground to wait for the 10 a.m. competition to start.

    Spectators, mostly cultivators from the military, had already sparsely filled the seats around the field.

    On the competitors¡¯ side, Liu Longtao and Zhou Hongyu hadn¡¯t arrived yet, but the Li siblings from the Li Family were there early, casually seating in the Annan Army¡¯s reserved area and chatting.

    Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun also took their place in their own camp¡¯s reserved area, battling boredom by playing with their phones.

    A moment later, Li Minghu came over and sat next to Yan Yu.

    ¡°Morning, Yan Yu,¡± she greeted, her gaze shifting to Chen Lingyun before hesitantly adding, ¡°Morning, Chen Lingyun.¡±

    ¡°Good morning,¡± Chen Lingyun responded with her eyes smiling.

    ¡°You guys came so early?¡± Yan Yu asked casually.

    ¡°I have to fight later, so I needed to have an early breakfast to digest a bit,¡± Li Minghu answered.

    Not eating breakfast could lead to low blood sugar, and it wasn¡¯t advisable to exercise right after eating, so it was important to get the timing of breakfast just right.

    From this, it can be seen that Li Minghu¡¯s attention to detail is quite meticulous, which may be one of the factors contributing to her future status as a Valkyrie.

    ¡°By the way,¡± Li Minghu asked again, ¡°do you think my brother has a chance against Liu Longtao?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°Liu Longtao¡¯s strength definitely isn¡¯t at the point of overpowering everyone, so there¡¯s always a chance to win.¡±

    His eyes followed Lord Master as he entered the arena, and he continued:

    ¡°Whether in tactical sense, spell-casting techniques, or True Yuan intensity, Liu Longtao is above average across the board, meaning he has no weak points. As for how to beat him, Zhou Hongyu already demonstrated that yesterday.¡±

    ¡°¡­Put enough pressure on him, and then go for a surprise tactic to win, right?¡± Li Minghu mused.

    Against cultivators well-balanced in all aspects, a direct confrontation offers no chance of victory; only surprise attacks create an opening to defeat them.

    ¡°You see,¡± Yan Yu said without answering, turning instead to speak to Chen Lingyun, ¡°The Annan Army also has such clever female cultivators.¡± S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Chen Lingyun gave a slight smile, took out her phone and said:

    ¡°Li Minghu, shall we add each other as friends?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Li Minghu seemed flattered, hastily taking out her phone.

    After the girls exchanged contact details, Li Minghu returned to her team¡¯s bench to start devising tactics for Li Zhaojiang.

    Chen Lingyun watched the Li siblings from a distance and suddenly asked:

    ¡°Does Li Zhaojiang really stand a chance at victory?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°But you didn¡¯t say that just now,¡± Chen Lingyun couldn¡¯t help but laugh.

    It wasn¡¯t an elegant, forced laugh, but a joyful smile borne of finding amusement.

    ¡°Defeating Liu Longtao is not impossible,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, ¡°But Li Zhaojiang can¡¯t do what it takes.¡±

    ¡°You mean¡­¡± Chen Lingyun pondered, ¡°Li Zhaojiang isn¡¯t Zhou Hongyu, he can¡¯t go to such extremes?¡±

    ¡°He lacks a strong desire to win,¡± Yan Yu answered, ¡°To go to extremes and fight desperately, one must adopt aggressive strategies. Not everyone can do this; it implies susceptibility to injury, and the majority of humans instinctively avoid harm. Any hesitation at the critical moment, and the opportunity silently slips away.¡±

    Across the field, Li Zhaojiang bid farewell to his sister and stepped up to the arena.

    Observing his expression, Chen Lingyun asked:

    ¡°What about you then?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m different from him,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°You¡¯re also the kind who fights desperately?¡± Chen Lingyun laughed again, ¡°Like Zhou Hongyu?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ve undergone professional training,¡± Yan Yu stated indifferently, ¡°Making the right choices in combat has become an instinctual reflex for me, just as you all naturally make choices to avoid injury.¡±

    After a moment of silence, Chen Lingyun ventured:

    ¡°It seems your past life¡¯s profession was no simple matter.¡±

    Avoiding pain is a basic human instinct. What kind of profession would seek to obliterate such an instinct through training?

    Assassin.

    Only assassins would need the resolve to ¡°kill their targets even at risk of death¡±¡­ so what scenario had arisen in the future that forced training cultivators into assassins?

    ¡°Guess away, dear Ling Yun,¡± Yan Yu saw right through her intentions and said smugly, ¡°Even if you guess right, I won¡¯t tell you.¡±

    Chen Lingyun wasn¡¯t upset, she even found it rather interesting.

    Very well, I will gradually uncover the secrets you hold¡­ my dear.

    The situation on the field quickly became clear. It seemed that Li Zhaojiang wanted to emulate Zhou Hongyu¡¯s strong offensive from the day before, but he visibly lacked her fierce resolve. Plus, Liu Longtao was already prepared for it, so Li Zhaojiang soon fell behind. His defeat was just a matter of time.

    ¡°It looks like this match won¡¯t last long,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°In the next round, your opponent is Zhou Hongyu. Are you confident?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Yan Yu glanced at her sideways, ¡°Do you have to ask me every time before I go into a match?¡±

    ¡°I just want to hear how you sharply critique your opponents,¡± Chen Lingyun said, beaming.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already critiqued thoroughly,¡± Yan Yu watched calmly as Li Zhaojiang was brought down by Liu Longtao¡¯s Curved Curse Whip kick and was then carried off by the medical team, he stood up, ready for his own match.

    ¡°Zhou Hongyu¡­ is nothing but a mace pretending to be a spiked club.¡±

 Chapter 49 - 49 Mess with Her Mentality

    Chapter 49: Chapter 49 Mess with Her Mentality

    ¡°`

    When Yan Yu called Zhou Hongyu a ¡°billy club disguised as a mace,¡± he wasn¡¯t just shooting in the dark; he knew her background inside and out.

    Zhou Hongyu¡¯s family background was rather complex. Her father was a minor civil servant in Rongzhou County, Nanchuan Province, and her mother was a preschool teacher from Shuzhong Prefecture. The two had met through a matchmaker and gotten married.

    However, their marriage was a sham from the start. The two who had met through a matchmaker had no feelings for each other ¨C her father had only thought about ¡°living through the days,¡± while her mother had been looking for a ¡°long-term meal ticket.¡±

    When a good-for-nothing met a con artist, the result was inevitably being devoured completely.

    After Zhou Hongyu was born, her mother used ¡°emotional breakdown¡± as a pretext to file for divorce, and after several disputes, they finally separated.

    ...

    Since Zhou Hongyu was still in her swaddling clothes, according to the legal customs of Lu Country, custody was almost always granted unconditionally to the mother. Thus, as her father lost his wife and daughter, he also had to pay his ex-wife a considerable sum in child support every month.

    As for her mother, after gaining custody, she immediately left the child with her own mother to look after and, with the child support money she received from her ex-husband every month, she led a carefree and joyous life, never looking at her daughter again.

    In other words, Zhou Hongyu had never experienced any fatherly or motherly love since she was a child.

    Her grandmother was a reticent rural woman living in the old district of Shuzhong Prefecture. With little in the way of a pension, and unwilling to abandon her pitiful granddaughter, she worked from dawn to dusk every day, single-handedly covering everything from milk powder to school fees.

    Maybe it was out of love for her grandmother that Zhou Hongyu, despite a significant lack of discipline, didn¡¯t turn out completely rotten.

    She didn¡¯t smoke, but she drank. She didn¡¯t date hoodlums, but she fought them¡ªand she fought fiercely. In middle school, she once took on three boys and smashed one¡¯s head with a chair, landing him in the hospital for several stitches¡ªafter all, the key in a fight isn¡¯t physical strength, but rather, the desire to attack and aggressiveness. Even special forces would tremble at the sight of a juvenile delinquent wielding a fruit knife.

    Her grandmother had no solution for her, and since her academic performance was poor, she was sent to a martial arts high school in the hope that she could get recruited for her athletic ability and scrape together a college degree to find a job.

    Just last month, shortly after Zhou Hongyu received her acceptance letter from the Pingxi Army¡¯s cultivator program, her grandmother passed away suddenly at home from a cerebral hemorrhage.

    This event hit Zhou Hongyu hard, so much so that she contemplated suicide several times.

    After enrolling, she quickly caught the leaders¡¯ attention with her daring and fierce demeanor.

    At this time, no one knew that it wasn¡¯t because this girl was naturally brave and fierce, but because with the death of her only loving grandmother, a strong tendency for self-destruction had grown within her.

    Zhou Hongyu stepped onto the stage with an expressionless face. Seeing that Yan Yu on the opposite side also didn¡¯t greet her with a salute, but just stared at her face intensely, she couldn¡¯t help but curse out loud,

    ¡°What the hell are you looking at!¡±

    She had wanted to say ¡°What are you motherf*cking looking at,¡± but after all, with the leadership watching, she subconsciously cleaned it up a bit¡­ though it wasn¡¯t much more polite.

    ¡°I¡¯m looking at a mace,¡± Yan Yu said intently.

    Zhou Hongyu was stunned for a moment, immediately realizing that ¡°mace¡± referred to ¡°spiked club,¡± and became furious. Without waiting for the referee to start the match, she charged straight at Yan Yu.

    The referee was somewhat taken aback, but Yan Yu quickly waved at him forcefully, and he promptly got the hint to exit the area.

    Zhou Hongyu threw a punch, bolstered by the strength of the Curved Curse, aiming directly for the opponent¡¯s face.

    This was the experience she had accumulated from years of group fights: if you aim for someone¡¯s face, they would instinctively feel fear and dodge when they see your fist quickly enlarging in their field of vision.

    Before the punch could even reach him, Zhou Hongyu suddenly felt a pain in her chest as the internal flow of her Curved Curse was disrupted.

    Without the enhancement of the Curved Curse, her fist was easily caught by Yan Yu¡¯s left hand. He said, with a flippant tone,

    ¡°Hasn¡¯t anyone taught you about the mutuality of the Five Elements?¡±

    The interaction of the Five Elements was basic theory, covered in the national textbook ¡°Tactics and Strategy Studies for Cultivators.¡±

    There were two methods to counter the Wood Bending Charm: one was to invoke the ¡°Wood fuels Fire¡± notion and use the Flame Curse to burn the opponent, quickly increasing the expenditure of their True Yuan;

    The second was to use the idea of ¡°Metal overcomes Wood¡± and hit the opponent¡¯s energy channels with the Metal-Element Impact Curse, which could immediately break the charm¡¯s hold and cause the meridians to clog, preventing the immediate use of the charm until the channels were cleared with energy flow.

    The flow of the Curved Curse started from the Dantian in the abdomen, went up through the chest to the corresponding shoulder, passed through the entire arm, and finally converged on the hand that was exerting the force.

    Targeting the arm was cumbersome, as the objective was to hit you while the arm was moving and swinging, making it hard to aim. Hence, to save trouble, it was common to aim the Impact Curse at the chest.

    However, Zhou Hongyu was one who didn¡¯t study¡ªshe slept through the morning theory classes, so how could she be aware of this theory?

    When the Impact Curse hit her chest, her first thought wasn¡¯t ¡°he¡¯s trying to break my Curved Curse,¡± but ¡°he¡¯s trying to take liberties with me.¡±

    With her volatile temperament akin to a powder keg, she couldn¡¯t hold back at this moment and roared with fury.

    Flame Curse!

    Yan Yu calmly took a half-step back. The flames licked at his nostrils, rising up, and the scorching air tore at his face.

    ¡°`

    He seemed to wave his hand carelessly, and the flames scattered like a curtain being lifted, quickly dissipating into sparks carried away by the wind.

    The Water-Element Runescript can counter the Flame Curse with the minimal effort of moving a heavy weight with a slight force, needing only a little bit of True Yuan to extinguish it¡ªbut that doesn¡¯t change the Runescript¡¯s inferior status. After all, fire won¡¯t sprout legs and chase after you. In the eyes of most cultivators, why not just go around it and save on True Yuan?

    Zhou Hongyu was also caught off guard. She had used the Flame Curse to force her opponent back, anticipating that he would bypass the flames and continue the assault from the sides.

    Therefore, she had already lifted her hands early, ready to strike with the Metal-Element Impact Curse at his face, no matter which side he appeared from¡­ But Yan Yu didn¡¯t go around; he extinguished the Flame Curse directly. His figure broke through the flames, coming at her fiercely as if he were a malevolent ghost Shura bathed in fire.

    Zhou Hongyu quickly turned to aim in his direction, and in her haste, she fired an Impact Curse. However, Yan Yu dodged her shot with a slight twist of his body.

    He didn¡¯t even use the Shifting Technique.

    Taking advantage of the close distance, he swung a punch. Zhou Hongyu hurriedly raised her arm to block, instinctively activating the Barrier Charm for defense, yet she forgot that the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse would be broken by the Wood Bending Charm.

    By the time she abruptly realized this, Yan Yu had already landed a punch on her arm, causing her to stagger and retreat.

    Barely stabilizing her stance, Zhou Hongyu had another afterthought: something wasn¡¯t right!

    When two cultivators engage in a brawl with the Curved Curse, it¡¯s basically a matter of whoever breaks through the other¡¯s defense and lands a hit first wins.

    Because the added force of the Curved Curse is so great, even with restrained True Yuan, it can still injure you with a single punch.

    But having been hit by the other¡¯s Curved Curse Punch, and only retreating several steps, it could only prove one thing¡­ Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The other party was deliberately holding back strength, not using full True Yuan.

    Zhou Hongyu paused for a moment, then a surge of raging anger emerged, along with an indescribable sense of humiliation.

    That beautiful and heroic face of hers contorted beyond her control.

    You, you, you¡­ What do you mean by this?!

    By now she also realized that the other¡¯s strength was even greater than Liu Longtao¡¯s¡ªat least that Lord Master couldn¡¯t manage to fight while holding back and still defeat her without giving her a chance to fight back.

    That made this act of holding back even more meaningful. If you would have simply overpowered me with strength and defeated me, that would be the end of it, no complaints¡ªbut why deliberately hold back?

    Do you want to humiliate me by making me give up voluntarily?

    Remembering her earlier experience with the ¡°Impact Curse at the chest,¡± Zhou Hongyu became convinced that his deliberate act of holding back was a ploy to keep her from leaving the stage too soon, seeking to manipulate her under the guise of the competition¡­

    In her mind, the string of reason was on the verge of snapping, seemingly about to break completely at any moment.

    The commander-in-chief of the Pingxi Army, Sun Rongxing, sat in the upper box, watching Zhou Hongyu being completely suppressed by Yan Yu, silently breathing out a sigh of relief.

    The time of the Elders was far too precious. They had watched the four contestants fight each other yesterday afternoon, then boarded a plane back to Pingjing in the evening.

    So Zhou Hongyu¡¯s powerless unlucky demeanor today did not fall into the eyes of those above¡­ Their impression of her was probably still based on her brave victory over Liu Longtao yesterday.

    So, losing a match was also good.

    At least it would let her know that mere reckless bravery was not enough on the battlefield; eventually, she would meet an opponent she couldn¡¯t defeat.

    After this exchange, someone would give her a thorough debriefing. Her tactical awareness was still too simplistic.

    On the other side, Chen Lingyun sat in the waiting seats, observing Yan Yu play with his opponent in various fancy ways but without showing any smile, only silently contemplating.

    With her intelligent mind, of course, she realized that Yan Yu was not conducting an instructive battle.

    An instructive battle is where after you make a move, I immediately counter with a targeted technique, letting you understand the problem with your move.

    The emphasis is on ¡°targeted,¡± in order to stimulate the opponent¡¯s thinking.

    Now looking at the arena, Zhou Hongyu was attacking wildly, like a mad woman; it was clear she had lost her calm and couldn¡¯t think straight.

    If it was an instructive battle, Yan Yu would have temporarily maintained his distance without attacking, allowing his opponent to regain her composure.

    Yet he just kept striking back intermittently without using his full strength, seemingly not intent on driving Zhou Hongyu off the stage, just provoking her¡­

    Yes, it must be to mess with her mindset. That kick he gave Zhou Hongyu earlier didn¡¯t even have the Curved Curse imbued in it, and he didn¡¯t bother to disguise this at all.

    Did these two have some deep-seated grudge from a past life?

 Chapter 50 - 50 Im saving her

    Chapter 50: Chapter 50 I¡¯m saving her

    Yan Yu and Zhou Hongyu, of course, had no deep hatred or significant grudge.

    Old Master Yan was simply kind-hearted, couldn¡¯t stand to see a woman belittle herself, so he wanted to help her find the will to live on¡­ Of course, he didn¡¯t seek any reward, purely out of sympathy and pity.

    For a woman with a strong tendency toward self-destruction, the necessary support for her to keep living must be some intense emotion, such as love, or like hatred.

    Because of the marriage between her parents that was a ¡°great failure¡± from any perspective, Zhou Hongyu completely rejected love and marriage, so hatred had to be used as her motive to live.

    Look at that angry little expression, probably can¡¯t wait to die together with me in vendetta, huh?

    Feeling the time was about right, Yan Yu calmly dodged her ferocious lunge, activated Curved Curse, and with a twist of the body, delivered a knee strike, toppling the irrational Zhou Hongyu to the ground.

    ...

    This time, he didn¡¯t hold back his strength, so she involuntarily curled up after falling, enduring the intense pain coming from her abdomen.

    The Pingxi Army¡¯s medical team was already on standby at the edge of the field.

    Other medical personnel would have rushed onto the field by now to carry the player away, because ¡°loss of the ability to move¡± is the criterion for defeat in a competition.

    But Zhou Hongyu was different; this girl was too tenacious. She could persevere in injuries that others couldn¡¯t bear, even suddenly rising to counter-kill her opponent, so before confirming that she truly admitted defeat, no one dared to interrupt the match on their own.

    Yan Yu walked up to her with composure, pinned Zhou Hongyu¡¯s back with his knee, and said in a low voice,

    ¡°With such strength, better stop embarrassing yourself.¡±

    ¡°If you want revenge, then go back and train hard. I¡¯ll be waiting for you.¡±

    More violent struggling came from beneath the knee, but the girl¡¯s strength had long been exhausted. Like a belly-pressed turtle, she couldn¡¯t turn over, only twisting her head to glare at him with eyes full of bloodshot threads and hatred.

    Yan Yu stood up, looked toward the Pingxi Army¡¯s medical team outside the field, and called out,

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to carry her away yet?¡±

    The crowd hesitated for a moment, then realized Zhou Hongyu really was incapacitated and swiftly swarmed into the field to transport her to the medical ward.

    Calmly returning to the bench, Yan Yu saw Chen Lingyun with a smile asking,

    ¡°Had fun?¡±

    ¡°Pretty boring,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    ¡°The other side definitely doesn¡¯t think so,¡± Chen Lingyun ventured, ¡°Were you two close in a past life?¡±

    ¡°It was okay,¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t plan to hide it from her, ¡°When I knew her, she was already dead.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Chen Lingyun realized suddenly, smiling slightly, ¡°She was one to give herself away on the battlefield, right?¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu sighed, ¡°You guessed right.¡±

    Unlike the Annan Army, which had to bear the pressure of the entire Indochina Peninsula, the Pingxi Army had the Qingzang Plateau and the deserts of the Western Regions. The long geographical depth was their best defense line, and thus the number of people who perished on the battlefield each year was considerably fewer than that of the Annan Army.

    Later, Zhou Hongyu¡¯s sacrifice was largely due to her self-destructive tendency. This girl had a temper like the honey badger of Africa; she never cared whether she could handle the enemies confronting her, charging into battle head-on ¡ª What if she died? Then die!

    Therefore, when the heroism of Zhou Hongyu and Li Minghu was disclosed to the public, many people said, ¡°Had we known earlier,¡± it would have been better to switch the two girls: send Li Minghu to the less fierce western fronts for recuperation, and let Zhou Hongyu unleash her energy freely on the needy southern lines. Perhaps both might have encountered different fates and lives.

    But there¡¯s always that saying: in life, there are no ¡°had I knowns.¡±

    Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun got up, intending to find somewhere nearby to have lunch, but were stopped by Instructor Qi Changping coming over:

    ¡°Yan Yu, come with me for a moment.¡±

    ¡°Hehe~¡± Chen Lingyun, seeing something, smiled and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go find a place to eat on my own?¡± S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t pay attention to this schadenfreude woman and simply followed Instructor Qi Changping toward the direction of the Pingxi Army¡¯s spectator seats, wondering if this was the other side coming to take issue with something?

    Well, it shouldn¡¯t be.

    In the military, known as ¡°strength is supreme,¡± I had defeated Zhou Hongyu in a public competition. Even if the Pingxi Army was unsatisfied, they wouldn¡¯t come to the Zhendong Army in a public setting demanding someone¡­ Doesn¡¯t the Zhendong Army have any pride? Could they tolerate such humiliation?

    Upon reaching the spectator area, Yan Yu saw the Zhendong Army¡¯s Commander-in-Chief Li Weiguo and Pingxi Army¡¯s Commander-in-Chief Sun Rongxing sit in the back rows, having a casual conversation.

    Zhou Hongyu was sitting in the row in front of Sun Rongxing, her face still pale from injuries not fully healed, but her gaze toward Yan Yu was fiery with rage, barely concealed.

    ¡°Come, come, come.¡± Li Weiguo beckoned him over, laughing, ¡°Yan Yu, you fought beautifully in this battle! You won me a bottle of fine wine from Old Sun.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t even mention it.¡± Sun Rongxing waved his hand generously and said, ¡°You¡¯ve been eyeing that bottle of Fengyun Maotai at my place for a long time now, haven¡¯t you? I¡¯ll give it to you this time, just stop dropping by my place so often.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®give it to me¡¯?¡± Li Weiguo glared and said, ¡°I clearly won it in a bet.¡±

    Sun Rongxing didn¡¯t continue to argue with him, but instead asked Yan Yu:

    ¡°You just had a go with Zhou Hongyu, what do you think of her?¡±

    ¡°Classmate Zhou is pretty brave,¡± Yan Yu chuckled.

    Zhou Hongyu¡¯s eyes widened even more, as if she wished she could devour him alive right then and there with her gaze.

    ¡°What, no other evaluation?¡± Sun Rongxing laughed heartily, ¡°Aside from being brave, she¡¯s got nothing to show for, is that what you mean?¡±

    ¡°To be precise, bravery isn¡¯t even her strong suit,¡± Yan Yu said seriously. ¡°The military has three main requirements: dare to fight, know how to fight, and be able to win battles. Daring to fight is just the most basic requirement for a soldier.¡±

    ¡°Do you hear that, Xiao Zhou?¡± Sun Rongxing turned his head and said to Zhou Hongyu, ¡°I¡¯m not trying to dampen your spirits, but you really need to think about where exactly you lost this time.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Zhou Hongyu said expressionlessly, her gaze still fixed intently on Yan Yu.

    ¡°Losing a battle is nothing to fear,¡± Li Weiguo chimed in cheerfully from the side. ¡°If you can reflect and learn from your loss, and eventually grow from it, that¡¯s actually more valuable than winning.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk so dispassionately, Old Li,¡± Sun Rongxing said with a chuckle. ¡°Why don¡¯t you have Yan Yu deliberately lose to Liu Longtao tomorrow? Let him grow a bit too.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t do,¡± Li Weiguo immediately countered. ¡°As soldiers, we must strive for victory with all our might on the battlefield.¡±

    ¡°Xiao Zhou,¡± Sun Rongxing instructed, ¡°take Yan Yu out for lunch and learn from him properly, any problems with that?¡±

    ¡°No problem,¡± Zhou Hongyu continued to stare at Yan Yu, forcing a grim smile.

    Although she tried to look ferocious, her natural beauty and valorous charm made her seem more adorably like a squirrel baring its teeth.

    After they left the training field of the academy, and were out of the commanding officers¡¯ sight, Zhou Hongyu immediately strode ahead, as if she couldn¡¯t wait to leave Yan Yu behind.

    Yan Yu followed with a calm and composed air.

    Arriving at the cafeteria, they joined the line for food, still without exchanging a word with each other.

    Looking at Zhou Hongyu¡¯s emotionless but pretty profile, Yan Yu thought, I recall in my previous life, wasn¡¯t there a guy in the Annan Army who was hopelessly pursuing her?

    Too bad, this girl is an ascetic; she¡¯s destined to be uninvolved¡­

    Zhou Hongyu silently waited for him at the end of the line after getting her lunch.

    Yan Yu glanced at her tray, a dish of Guo Bao Meat, one of crispy pork, stir-fried cabbage, and a full bowl of rice ¨C she had an appetite that belied her delicate feminine appearance.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he said, lifting his tray.

    Zhou Hongyu silently went to a corner of the cafeteria and sat down at a table.

    Sitting across from her, Yan Yu also discerned the attitude of this girl: I¡¯m sitting with you because the boss told me to have lunch with you, so don¡¯t overstep and start chatting with me.

    ¡°Hongyu Jie!¡± A crisp female voice called out from a distance.

    Zhou Hongyu ate her meal in silence, and Yan Yu looked toward the source of the voice to see a young man and woman walking over with their trays.

    The girl was just over 1.6 meters tall, with an innocent and pleasant appearance, her hair tied in twin ponytails, eyebrows curved and eyes smiling, at first glance appearing as a lively and cute beauty¡ªif one thought so, they would fall right into her trap.

    Tang Xiaolian from Sangchuan Prefecture, Nanjiang Province, earned the nickname ¡°Beauty Snake¡±. The ¡°beauty¡± part is self-explanatory, while ¡°snake¡± refers to her prowess in various poisoning techniques, causing not just enemy Cultivators to dread her, but even her own teammates to feel uneasy around her.

    The Cultivators who died by her hand might be fewer than those beaten to death by Zhou Hongyu, but at least the latter would leave behind a whole body. Beauty Snake, on the other hand, didn¡¯t care for life or limb in battle, ensuring the enemy would be left without an intact piece of flesh, with damaged eyes and noses being a common occurrence¡­

    Of course, at this point in time, only a small corner of the curtain of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence had been lifted.

    So Tang Xiaolian hadn¡¯t yet mastered the dazzling array of unguardable poisons; at present, she was just a freshman with mediocre mastery of the Three Arts and Five Spells.

    As for the young man beside her, Yan Yu recognized him too.

    Qin Meng, from Qin Prefecture, Long Right Province, followed the path of body refining.

    Yan Yu remembered him because he finally recalled.

    The man who, in his past life, was hopelessly and unrequitedly in love with Zhou Hongyu, was none other than this fellow right here.

 Chapter 51 - 51: Dinner Invitation

    Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Dinner Invitation

    In the past life of the Pingxi Army¡¯s combat team, there were five members.

    The captain was Zhou Hongyu and the deputy captain Zhang Huaide, followed by Qin Meng, Tang Xiaolian, and Meng Qingxi.

    Zhou Hongyu needs no further introduction, a pure brute type who would launch at the enemy like a missile upon sighting them, with his body reacting faster than his brain. It was only because he was the strongest that he was appointed as captain.

    But if you actually expected her to make any decisions, then the team would probably be annihilated in a matter of days.

    In fact, the one who really took on the captain¡¯s duties was deputy captain Zhang Huaide. He was the brain of the entire team, but since his strength was the weakest in the group, he had to rely on Zhou Hongyu¡¯s prestige to command¡ªif not, the other members would not follow his lead.

    Body Cultivating Cultivator Qin Meng, a straightforward, stubborn, and dedicated man from the northwest, was said to have set his sights on Zhou Hongyu from the very first day of school and since then, could not look at any other woman.

    ...

    It was only after Zhou Hongyu¡¯s sacrifice on the battlefield that the man¡¯s spirit died, and he sank into depression for around three years. Eventually, the army leadership couldn¡¯t stand by any longer; they directly ordered an intervention, forcing him to date until he found a girlfriend¡ªit was said to be a girl from Nanchuan, suspiciously looking like a substitute for his love.

    As for the femme fatale Tang Xiaolian, most discussions were about her miraculously amazing poison skills. Apart from that, there wasn¡¯t much information, only knowing she seemed to be Zhou Hongyu¡¯s little fangirl.

    There¡¯s a saying that after the sacrifice of Zhou Hongyu, the higher-ups of the Pingxi Army finally started paying attention to cultivators¡¯ psychological issues, and the little sister was also arranged by the army to go on blind dates, only to find that she couldn¡¯t find a boyfriend at all.

    Because no one could accept the risk that after an argument with their girlfriend, even drinking water could result in a dose of strong laxative¡­ That¡¯s just the way a chemist is, never offend them, or else you¡¯ll end up guarding your home water dispenser 24/7.

    Compared to these four, the fifth member, Meng Qingxi, was not as well-known. Not because he lacked strength, but because his character wasn¡¯t as standout, and the media didn¡¯t fancy promoting him.

    As Yan Yu thought this over, he saw Tang Xiaolian smiling and asking:

    ¡°There¡¯s no one here, right?¡±

    Since Zhou Hongyu wouldn¡¯t speak up, he had no choice but to say:

    ¡°No one¡¯s here.¡±

    ¡°Thanks~¡± Tang Xiaolian and Qin Meng, holding their trays, sat down beside them.

    Qin Meng¡¯s face was extremely ugly because that morning, in the spectators¡¯ seats, he had watched throughout how his secretly admired goddess was humiliated and abused in various ways by her opponent in the competition.

    Right now, that very opponent sat across from him, still having the audacity to eat with the goddess, and the goddess even acquiesced to this, which made him feel like his world view was collapsing and he couldn¡¯t vent his fury anywhere.

    Yan Yu calmly ate his meal, not caring about the brooding dark face opposite him.

    Truth be told, without mastering the art of Body Cultivating, wasn¡¯t Qin Meng just a joke?

    You get your ¡°Dragon Elephant Nirvana Divine Skill¡± first before talking.

    Tang Xiaolian sat beside him, giggling while sipping her yogurt, her other hand under the table, already quietly fishing out a small pill.

    Zhou Hongyu suddenly looked up, her face expressionless as she looked towards Qin Meng, then at Tang Xiaolian beside him.

    Qin Meng tried to soften his expression while Tang Xiaolian hesitated for a moment and then stuffed the pill back into her pocket.

    ¡°I¡¯ve eaten my fill.¡± Yan Yu stood up, picked up his tray, and said to Zhou Hongyu, ¡°I¡¯ll get going first.¡±

    Zhou Hongyu did not make a sound.

    It wasn¡¯t until Yan Yu left the cafeteria that Tang Xiaolian tentatively asked:

    ¡°Sister Hongyu¡­¡± S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°He is my opponent,¡± Zhou Hongyu said coldly, ¡°You don¡¯t need to meddle.¡±

    Having said that, she too stood up with her tray and left without looking back, leaving both Qin Meng and Tang Xiaolian looking at each other in dismay.

    ¡°You were thinking of drugging him, right?¡± Qin Meng frowned and asked her, ¡°Have you lost your mind? Stay away from me the next time you commit a crime, so you don¡¯t drag me into it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not poison!¡± Tang Xiaolian immediately explained, ¡°It¡¯s a prank lemon pill! Even if it accidentally gets mixed into the food and eaten, it would just cause the person to make a sour face¡­ As for you, with that face looking like you want to hit someone, if it weren¡¯t for Sister Hongyu being there, you would¡¯ve definitely flipped your tray on his head!¡±

    ¡°Bullshit!¡± Qin Meng cursed resentfully, ¡°If Zhou Hongyu can¡¯t beat him, how could I possibly provoke him directly? Wouldn¡¯t I just get publicly beaten to the ground in the cafeteria?¡±

    ¡°Good to know,¡± Tang Xiaolian huffed, ¡°Sister Hongyu said, Yan Yu is her chosen rival, so you better not overestimate yourself. Otherwise, you¡¯ll just lose face for our Pingxi Army.¡±

    She picked up her unfinished meal and moved to a table across.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    After lunch, Yan Yu strolled around for a bit, a sort of post-meal walk.

    The last match was scheduled for three o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Afterwards, the Dingbei Army would arrange a dinner reception, and everybody would take a plane back home after dinner¡ªso today was their last day at the Dingbei National Defense Academy.

    It was early June by now, and the south had already started to warm up, but Shengjing was still enjoying the late spring scenery, with a comfortable and pleasant temperature.

    As Yan Yu walked on the academy¡¯s main road, someone suddenly called out to him from behind:

    ¡°Hey! Are you Yan Yu, a cultivator from the Zhendong Army?¡±

    The voice sounded like a girl¡¯s. Yan Yu turned around and, indeed, saw a girl running over from the opposite side.

    She had a cute short haircut, was very pretty and had an air of elegance about her. Her smile was pure and flawless, and she had an innate affability and was skilled at socializing.

    But Yan Yu also immediately recognized her:

    Ye Jun, from Jinmen Prefecture, whose parents were both ordinary corporate employees, without the extremely complicated background like Zhou Hongyu¡¯s.

    There were two reasons why she was memorable to Yan Yu:

    First, the girl was a great speaker and had ¡°great looks,¡± so she later became the designated spokesperson for the Dingbei Army, beloved by the public.

    Second, she used to serve as Liu Longtao¡¯s deputy team leader.

    For example, taking Zhou Hongyu¡¯s team, she, the leader, excelled in combat, so the deputy leader would be someone like Zhang Huaide, who was more strategic. This illustrates that the deputy leader¡¯s most important duty is to compensate for the leader¡¯s weaknesses.

    Liu Longtao was strong in combat and not lacking in wisdom, without any clear shortcomings. It¡¯s actually very difficult to be his deputy because it¡¯s hard to complement his role. Eventually, you¡¯re most likely to end up doing miscellaneous tasks, having the title of deputy leader, but doing things no different from anyone else, leading to a lack of respect from the team, and at the slightest sign of trouble, you could be replaced by the higher-ups.

    Ye Jun was not only able to become Liu Longtao¡¯s deputy leader but also served for a long time, which isn¡¯t something just anyone could do¡ªactually, in Yan Yu¡¯s opinion, her abilities were really strong, just overshadowed by Liu Longtao.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Although he recognized her at a glance, to avoid arousing suspicion, Yan Yu casually asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m Ye Jun,¡± the girl extended her hand generously, ¡°a cultivator from the Dingbei Army, same batch as you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, hello.¡± Yan Yu casually shook her hand, ¡°What can I do for you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like this.¡± Ye Jun flashed an enthusiastic smile and said straightforwardly, ¡°Last night, you had dinner with Li Zhaojiang from the Annan Army and others, right? Liu Longtao discussed it with me, and as the hosts for this event, we, the cultivators from the Dingbei Army, definitely can¡¯t lack courtesy and be outdone by them. If you and Chen Lingyun are free tonight, you¡¯re welcome to join us for a meal. We¡¯d like to invite you to an old restaurant here in Shengjing for a feast, a chance for everyone to get acquainted and make friends.¡±

    Just an invitation for dinner doesn¡¯t seem like a problem, considering I¡¯ve been getting meal invites these past few days anyway. But why are you the one coming to me?

    So at this point in time, you¡¯re already in cahoots with Liu Longtao and starting to work as his underling?

    Yan Yu said leisurely:

    ¡°There is a reception tonight hosted by the Dingbei Army.¡±

    ¡°Ya, no worries! For us cultivators, the reception is optional, really.¡± Ye Jun¡¯s smile was bright and genuine as she spoke, ¡°Besides, at the formal military receptions, there¡¯s toasting and heavy drinking, which I find quite dull.¡±

    This actually reminded Yan Yu. At military reception banquets, especially the Dingbei Army and Pingxi Army¡¯s drinking rules, the toasting gets exaggerated¡ªalmost as if not getting you utterly drunk would mean they haven¡¯t shown off their prowess.

    Compared to that, having a meal out with young people would clearly be much more relaxing. Considering that he would be in the company of ¡°Lord Master¡± Liu Longtao and ¡°Princess¡± Chen Lingyun, watching the two of them banter at the dinner table¡­

    It seemed like it could be interesting?

    ¡°As long as you¡¯re willing to come, I¡¯ll go invite Chen Lingyun,¡± Ye Jun quickly seized the opportunity, pulling out her phone while speaking earnestly, ¡°Oh, let¡¯s add each other as friends? It would be good for keeping in touch in the future.¡±

 Chapter 52 - 52 Sacrificing Oneself to Charge Ahead

    Chapter 52: Chapter 52 Sacrificing Oneself to Charge Ahead

    Two o¡¯clock in the afternoon.

    Near the competition venue, Chen Lingyun took a seat on the bench and asked Yan Yu in a low voice,

    ¡°How come I didn¡¯t know that someone had arranged a dinner with Liu Longtao for me tonight?¡±

    ¡°Idiot.¡± Yan Yu immediately realized what was happening and mercilessly mocked her, ¡°That Ye Jun was clearly tricking you. You didn¡¯t actually believe her, did you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe her.¡± Chen Lingyun revealed a smile, ¡°But I think that girl is quite interesting. It would be nice to get to know her.¡±

    ¡°Quite interesting?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    ...

    At this point in time, Ye Jun probably only had one advantage, being eloquent, which wasn¡¯t worth Miss Chen¡¯s special attention, right?

    ¡°No, I¡¯m just very curious about how she can tolerate Liu Longtao, that fool.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°If it were me, I would probably get irritated after just a few sentences.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s why.¡± Yan Yu suddenly had an epiphany and laughed heartily, ¡°I happen to know the secret to dealing with that: just hit back hard when the other person shows an annoying fake smile.¡±

    Chen Lingyun seemed thoughtful and suddenly asked,

    ¡°Who did Liu Longtao end up marrying in his previous life?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t Ye Jun.¡± Yan Yu immediately saw what she was suspecting and denied it, ¡°Those two had no affair, just a very ordinary colleague relationship. In the end, Liu Longtao didn¡¯t go for a family-arranged marriage; he found someone on his own. His wife seemed to be a grassroots civil servant from Pingjing, I remember she worked in the financial and tax sector.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly understood.

    Which meant that the future Liu Longtao, with his ¡°top cultivator¡± status, had completely freed himself from family constraints and could choose a spouse according to his own wishes.

    Good. With that being the case, my chances are even better¡­

    While Chen Lingyun was pondering, Zhou Hongyu and Li Zhaojiang had already started their fight on the stage.

    Li Zhaojiang had no confidence in comparing martial skills with Zhou Hongyu, so he could only use the Shifting Technique to dodge around throughout the match, creating distance and taking opportunities to cast Impact Curses at her.

    However, Zhou Hongyu had just been hit in the chest by an Impact Curse from Yan Yu that morning. She was still in a state of ¡°Impact Curse PTSD.¡± Seeing Li Zhaojiang¡¯s Metal-Element Impact Curse coming at her, she immediately became angry like a reflex response, and her Shifting Technique was activated to its fullest extent.

    As is well known, the faster you mobilize your True Yuan while using the Shifting Technique, the greater the speed you can achieve ¡ª even to the point of far surpassing what you can control.

    Then you would lose your balance, fall to the ground, and brake with your face, wiping the floor clean, which is why the textbook emphasized that ¡°True Yuan output must be within controllable limits.¡±

    Of course, that did not bother Zhou Hongyu in the least. If she wasn¡¯t afraid of death, why would she fear losing control of the Shifting Technique?

    The moment she charged out, Li Zhaojiang already sensed something was amiss. But she increased her speed so drastically that before he could even make a dodging maneuver, she had already crashed into his abdomen.

    The two of them were instantly thrown out of the arena, and the medical team waiting outside became frantic. But Li Minghu was quicker; he charged towards the edge of the field with the Shifting Technique and immediately checked on his brother¡¯s condition.

    Li Zhaojiang was unconscious, the weapon being Zhou Hongyu¡¯s high-speed headbutt.

    Zhou Hongyu was also lying on the ground, alive or dead unknown.

    The Annan Army medical team hurried over and carried Li Zhaojiang off to the medical room.

    As for the Pingxi Army medical team¡­ although they arrived at Zhou Hongyu¡¯s side, they did not rush to treat her but opted to observe her condition from a distance.

    After about ten seconds or so, Zhou Hongyu indeed staggered to her feet, standing up by her own strength.

    The penultimate match, Pingxi Army, Zhou Hongyu wins!

    To tell the truth, even though Zhou Hongyu was declared the winner, it was a close victory that was almost akin to a draw. Just look at her, wobbling like a weebly-wobbly, on the verge of falling at any moment, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say she had lost the ability to move.

    But after all, this was a competition, not actual combat. Now that you have fainted, and I¡¯m still standing, it¡¯s clear that I¡¯m the winner.

    The Annan Army did not raise any objections. Instead, it was Sun Rongxing, the commander of the Pingxi Army, who clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction on the stands.

    Clearly, the only lesson Zhou Hongyu learned from her defeat that morning was ¡°I didn¡¯t hit hard enough.¡±

    ¡°`

    As long as I start off with a big move, I can take the opponent down with me¡ªI won¡¯t lose (at worst, it¡¯ll be a draw)! Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    This Xiao Zhou¡­ why is he stubborn like a yak, is his temper beyond help?

    ¡°Interesting,¡± Chen Lingyun said with an amused smile. ¡°Using Shifting Technique as a booster to ram into people, what a genius concept¡­ It would be even better if a circle of timed explosives could be strapped to the body.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, when you get back, you should study this thoroughly,¡± Yan Yu spoke earnestly. ¡°Donate the patent to the nation, we¡¯ll just take the naming rights, and call it ¡®Chen Lingyun Tactics¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Be careful when you go on stage later, watch out for Liu Longtao using this tactic on you,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely.

    ¡°No way, he still cares about his face.¡± Seeing Liu Longtao stepping onto the stage, Yan Yu also stood up, ready to participate in the final round of confrontation.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Let¡¯s digress a bit here: Why is Liu Longtao called Lord Master?

    Because the man is a true-blooded Pingjing native, and even tracing back three generations, his family were all from Pingjing. His grandfather was a noble military officer who commanded the Kaifeng campaign and the Hejian campaign, thwarting the last counterattack of the restorationist forces.

    The old man is still kicking today, and he can even hold his own in a conversation in front of the Elders, a feat that easily outclasses Chen Lingyun.

    Chen Lingyun is called Princess Jiang Hai, but it¡¯s only because of her formidable father. Her ancestry beyond her father were merchants¡ªher grandfather rose to prominence through donation, a common occurrence in the commercially developed South at that time, but to the old folk of Pingjing, ¡°Isn¡¯t that just selling offices and titles?¡±, ¡°It¡¯s nothing to be proud of.¡±

    So for Liu Longtao and his group of buddies, it¡¯s not just a simple resentment towards Chen Lingyun¡¯s standoffishness, but there¡¯s also an underlying scorn from the subconscious level of ¡°What are you bragging about with a merchant background?¡±

    Yan Yu was well aware that albeit Liu Longtao was arrogant to the bone, he was just like his father and grandfather, belonging to the establishment, or what the Western evaluation system would term as ¡°conservative.¡±

    Chen Lingyun, however, was an unequivocal radical, and an extreme one even among radicals. Once such a person became defiant, they were lawless, bold enough to cross any red line¡­ To be honest, there were things from his past life that he didn¡¯t even want to recall, so alarming that speaking of them now would scare people to death.

    Anyway, with me here in this life, Chen Lingyun, whether you¡¯re a dragon or a tiger, you¡¯re going to coil or lie down for me. Don¡¯t even think about stirring up any storms again!

    I declare that the world line has changed! Little Ling Yun, you are no longer the protagonist of the era!

    Of course, as her archenemy, Liu Longtao, the same goes for you. Both of you better face reality soon.

    Yan Yu walked onto the competition field, facing the unruffled Lord Master.

    ¡°Would you like to go first?¡± Liu Longtao gestured gallantly.

    This Lord Master had a peculiar way of speaking, always keen on addressing others as ¡°you¡± in a very formal manner. Don¡¯t get it wrong, it¡¯s not a sign of respect or politeness, but just a hollow social custom¡ªsimilar to Chen Lingyun¡¯s perpetual fake smile¡ªit¡¯s about sweet talking ¡°you¡± up high first, then deciding whether to take a jab at you depending on the situation.

    There was a classic instance in the past, concerning a junior Cultivator from the Dingbei Cultivation Academy challenging Liu Longtao to a private duel, blatantly stating he wanted ¡°to experience the prowess of the number one of the Dingbei Army.¡±

    Before the fight commenced, the Lord Master disingenuously said, ¡°Please hold back a little; don¡¯t make me lose too badly.¡±

    Then they started clashing, with Liu Longtao totally overpowering his opponent, while toying with him as well.

    He even taunted mid-fight, saying, ¡°That move of yours is superb,¡± ¡°Whoa, I almost got hit there,¡± ¡°Your stance is quite elegant, you wouldn¡¯t mind if I learn a thing or two, right?¡±

    After concluding, he added, ¡°Thank you for going easy on me, I was nearly defeated,¡± which infuriated the challenger to the point of fleeing in shame.

    Having no tolerance for Chen Lingyun¡¯s duplicity, Yan Yu certainly didn¡¯t favor Liu Longtao¡¯s behavior either, so without bothering with niceties, he bluntly said:

    ¡°Not taking the first move, huh? Don¡¯t blame me if you get taken down in seconds later.¡±

    Liu Longtao was momentarily stupefied, as the image of Zhou Hongyu defeating Li Zhaojiang flashed through his mind.

    Is he also going to fully charge Shifting Technique? And then perform a ¡°suicidal charge¡±?

    So, you too have a ¡°hard head¡±?

    He concealed his reaction and cast an Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse, then said with a benevolent smile:

    ¡°No problem, you go ahead. I¡¯ll do my best to catch.¡±

 Chapter 53 - 53: You Asked Me to Do It

    Chapter 53: Chapter 53: You Asked Me to Do It

    Liu Longtao¡¯s strength, if evaluated by Yan Yu, could most aptly be described as ¡°not having any weaknesses.¡±

    Fully-rounded excellence.

    His True Yuan was strong, his awareness sharp, and his reactions quick; although he wasn¡¯t completely overwhelming others, it was still enough for him to establish a significant advantage over his fellow cultivators.

    If there was really something lacking, it would have to be combat experience.

    After all, the resurgence of Spiritual Energy only began earlier this year, and the entire world¡¯s cultivation research is still at a theoretical stage, so naturally, there aren¡¯t many opportunities for real combat.

    However, it was unfortunate that his opponent was Yan Yu¡ª I, Yan Yu, am like a bucket with no holes!

    ...

    And the longest plank, no less, is battle experience!

    It¡¯s already the final fight, and Yan Yu didn¡¯t plan to throw the match like in the previous two rounds, but quickly activated his Shifting Technique.

    Seeing that his opponent raised his hand to deploy the Shifting Technique, Liu Longtao silently cursed, ¡°So he¡¯s really going for a body slam,¡± and hurriedly maintained the Barrier Charm to prepare for impact.

    But when Yan Yu shifted in front of him and suddenly came to a stop, switching to the Wood Bending Charm, Liu Longtao¡¯s body jolted.

    To stop abruptly in front of the target after initiating the Shifting Technique must be achieved by switching to the Cloud Ascension Technique, he thought to himself. If he was determined, he reckoned he could manage it¡­ maybe succeed five or six times out of ten.

    But switching to Cloud Ascension Technique before switching to Wood Bending Charm, that doubled the difficulty at least.

    Indeed, being on the field and personally facing such a lightning-fast attack allowed one to fully realize the trouble it presented, compared to merely watching from the sidelines.

    Liu Longtao had no time to ponder how his opponent managed it, because beneath his clothes, Yan Yu¡¯s right arm, with the help of the Curse Technique, was swelling with muscle.

    The Wood Bending Charm wasn¡¯t being activated just to scare someone; it was to beat you up!

    In the blink of an eye, Liu Longtao had made a decision.

    Stand firm and take it!

    The most effective method would, of course, be to quickly interrupt the Barrier Charm and switch to the Shifting Technique to dodge the attack. The prerequisite was that you had to switch in time!

    If the spell-switching motion was just a little slow, you¡¯d end up with the Barrier Charm dispelled and the Shifting Technique not yet cast, leaving you defenseless and getting punched in the face with a Curse Technique, resulting in falling to the ground foaming at the mouth¡­ Better to stand firm with the Barrier Charm! At least you wouldn¡¯t be knocked down with one punch.

    Yan Yu threw his fist forcefully, hitting Liu Longtao¡¯s left arm, which was protecting his chest. The surge of Wood-Element True Qi burst into the meridians of the arm, instantly destroying the channels of the Earth-Element Barrier Curse.

    With his left arm temporarily paralyzed, Liu Longtao retreated with the force of the blow and suddenly raised his right hand like lightning, firing an Impact Curse at Yan Yu¡¯s chest.

    No, dodged?!!

    Yan Yu¡¯s figure shifted like a specter, evading the Impact Curse and quickly doubling back with speed so fast it seemed like teleportation, closing in on the unprepared Liu Longtao and slamming a palm towards his abdomen, a faint white vapor twining around his fingertips,

    The Runescript!

    Runescript True Essence penetrated everything, its control unrivaled. If it landed on the Dantian, it would render the victim utterly unable to mobilize any True Yuan, effectively ruining them.

    Liu Longtao wouldn¡¯t just surrender without a fight, he promptly activated the Earth-Element Barrier Charm¡ªsince among the five elements, earth overcomes water, a cultivator under the Barrier Charm state is directly immune to the Runescript.

    But no sooner had he activated the Barrier Charm than Yan Yu pressed down with a palm on his shoulder, his entire body sinking as he lunged towards him.

    Iron Mountain Lean!

    Liu Longtao tried to retreat, but it was already too late.

    Because Yan Yu had switched Curse Techniques once more in an extremely short amount of time, transitioning from the water-based Runescript to the Wood Bending Charm.

    Powered by the Wood Bending Charm, the force was robust and powerful; the shoulder charge came on so strong that Liu Longtao felt like he was hit head-on by a rhinoceros, sending him flying on impact.

    He flew backward five or six meters, barely managing not to fall on landing. He struggled to stand, feeling pain everywhere, with the meridians in his left arm and chest completely obstructed¡ªthe chaotic True Qi left behind when the Earth-Element Barrier Curse was forcefully broken by the Wood Bending Charm.

    The fight was over.

    Liu Longtao fell silent for a moment, then ruefully raised his intact right hand, signaling his surrender and forfeit of the match. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The entire venue fell silent in a split second, only to erupt into a thunderous wave of noise almost immediately, with a sea of chatter engulfing the underground stadium.

    In the spectators¡¯ section of the Dingbei Army, quite a few cultivators even stood up immediately, craning their necks in disbelieving stares towards the arena, and faintly audible were cries of ¡°This can¡¯t be possible.¡±

    Given the performance of Yan Yu and Liu Longtao in the previous matches, everyone had assumed that when these two finally clashed, it would be a spectacular and closely fought battle¡­

    Who would have thought that Liu Longtao would start by taking a heavy punch, endure a shoulder slam, and then raise his hand to concede?

    It wasn¡¯t that they couldn¡¯t accept Liu Longtao¡¯s defeat, it was that they couldn¡¯t accept the speed of his failure!

    It was even quicker than Yan Yu¡¯s matches against Li Zhaojiang and Zhou Hongyu!

    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Liu Longtao was indeed an authentic cultivator of the Dingbei Army, everyone might suspect the match was rigged.

    The medical team of the Dingbei Army surrounded the edge of the arena, uncertain whether Liu Longtao¡¯s raised hand counted as a surrender and could only hurry to consult the leadership.

    In the observation box, the commander of the Zhendong Army, Li Weiguo, looked as serene as a gentle breeze or light clouds, his face even bearing a hint of ¡°Isn¡¯t it normal for him to win, what on earth is all that noise about¡± perplexity and nonchalance. Yet internally, he was brimming with joy.

    Yan Yu, oh Yan Yu, well done! You didn¡¯t let me down! You lived up to my resolve to stick with you as the representative of the Zhendong Army cultivators, even against the pressure from Chen Tianming! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

 Chapter 54 - 53: You Asked Me to Do It_2

    Chapter 54: Chapter 53: You Asked Me to Do It_2

    As for the commander-in-chief of the Dingbei Army, Yang Zhenwei, he tapped the table moderately and then stood up expressionlessly, leaving the private room without a word to get some fresh air outside.

    The medical team from the Dingbei Army came over to ask for instructions, only to find out the commander-in-chief was not there; so they went to look for the chief secretary Yan¡­ but it turned out that Yan, the chief secretary, was looking for them as well. As soon as they met, he scolded them furiously:

    ¡°Hurry up and remove Liu from the field! How much longer do you want to let him lose face?¡±

    The medical team members suddenly realized and quickly turned to rush down to the field.

    Chief Secretary Yan¡¯s worry was justified. After all, being defeated so swiftly and neatly, Liu Longtao¡¯s pride must be hurting. Staying on the field even a second longer would just push him closer to the edge of exploding, so it was certainly best to bring him down right away for some psychological support.

    But in fact, he was overly concerned; a loss in battle doesn¡¯t mean a loss of composure. Liu Longtao, on the field, didn¡¯t lose his cool but quickly suppressed all the negative emotions in his heart and said with a bitter smile:

    ...

    ¡°I¡¯m not as skilled, I admit defeat. Now I finally understand why Chen Lingyun would like you.¡±

    Yan Yu: ???

    ¡°Understand my ass!¡± he swore immediately.

    So, you¡¯re trying to make me feel disgusted with you after losing on the battlefield? You¡¯re known as the number one guy in Pingjing, and still, you pull such a sly move?

    ¡°Ha, no need to explain, I get it.¡± Seeing him with a look of utter frustration, like he¡¯d swallowed a fly, Liu Longtao suddenly felt all the negative emotions dissipate, and he almost laughed as he said sentimentally, ¡°Personality aside, she does have some nice qualities.¡±

    What the hell does ¡°personality aside¡± mean! How can you just ignore her crappy attitude? Isn¡¯t compatibility of personalities the most important aspect in a relationship? And if you end up in court for a divorce, you¡¯re going to say ¡°let¡¯s not talk about the facts,¡± huh? S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu, boiling with anger but wanting to retort, could only watch as the Dingbei Army¡¯s medical team rushed up and took Liu Longtao away, who, despite his defeat, kept his composure.

    Although he seemed unhurt, his dantian had been struck, so a routine physical examination was still necessary.

    Yan Yu could only leave the field with gloominess, and Chen Lingyun, standing at the side, saw his unhappy face and asked with a chuckle:

    ¡°Why do you look like you¡¯ve lost when you clearly won?¡±

    ¡°He cursed me,¡± Yan Yu said sullenly.

    Chen Lingyun raised an eyebrow slightly. What does that mean?

    You curse people because you can¡¯t beat them? Heh, Liu Longtao actually can¡¯t take a loss, calling you a fool from Jing region really wasn¡¯t wrong at all.

    Chen Lingyun, who was pleasantly amused, found Yan Yu more and more agreeable as she watched him, until he started feeling uneasy under her gaze.

    ¡°What?¡± Yan Yu said, warily, ¡°What nasty plan are you plotting now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just thinking about what to eat for dinner tonight,¡± Chen Lingyun said sweetly, ¡°Yan Yu, being with you just makes me so happy.¡±

    Yan Yu grew even more suspicious and asked, frowning:

    ¡°So, what have you done to feel guilty about, prompting that rare tinge of conscience, making you sweet-talk to cover your shame?¡±

    ¡°Not at all~¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile grew even sweeter, ¡°I mean exactly what I said.¡±

    ¡°¡­Forget it.¡± Yan Yu checked the time, ¡°Dinner is at least two hours away; I¡¯m going back to the hotel for a nap.¡±

    ¡°Want me to keep you company?¡± Chen Lingyun asked playfully, patting her crossed legs, ¡°I can offer a knee pillow.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Yan Yu stood up, saying indignantly, ¡°Just don¡¯t use your Wall-Penetration Technique to disturb me, and I¡¯ll count my blessings.¡±

    Wall-Penetration Technique? Chen Lingyun¡¯s eyelids drooped slightly as she thought that this was indeed an interesting idea.

    If he¡¯s in his room doing something sneaky, thinking he¡¯s locked the door and can¡¯t be disturbed, and then I use the Wall-Penetration Technique to suddenly burst in¡­

    Hmm~

    Maybe I¡¯ll give it a try next time?

    Just as Yan Yu was about to leave the training field, someone else came charging over midway.

    Instructor Qi Changping.

    ¡°Yan Yu¡­¡± As soon as the other party started to speak, Yan Yu let out a sigh and said directly:

    ¡°I know, the higher-ups are looking for me, right? Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Qi Changping couldn¡¯t help but smile wryly. Others would be thrilled to be summoned by the top brass, trying everything to show off their best, and here was this young man, always lazy and impatient!

    Yan Yu was brought to the upper-level VIP box, where he saw Li Weiguo on his cell phone, his expression quite serious:

    ¡°Hmm, okay, we¡¯ll make a good assessment of that.¡±

    Then he turned his gaze, saw Yan Yu enter the room, and hung up the phone, saying:

    ¡°Sit.¡±

    Yan Yu found a spot to sit down haphazardly, only to see Li Weiguo revealing a smile, enthusiastically raising his thumb, not skimping on words of praise:

    ¡°You really fought well this time! Three consecutive victories, bringing home first place! You¡¯ve greatly honored our Zhendong Army!¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s expected,¡± Yan Yu answered calmly.

    Qi Changping, who was watching the door, was starting to feel a tingle on his scalp. Truly a calf not afraid of a tiger!

    Even if you don¡¯t know how to butter up someone by saying ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to the leader¡¯s training¡±, at least spout some polite clich¨¦s like ¡°Honor is at stake, duty-bound¡±!

    What does ¡°it¡¯s expected¡± mean? Is this the attitude you take when speaking with the commander in chief?!

    But Li Weiguo wasn¡¯t angry. In his view, it¡¯s actually quite normal for young people to have a bit of arrogance.

    As long as you can ensure victory, a little pride is tolerable¡ªlet alone throwing the occasional tantrum; why else would they say ¡°Arrogant soldiers, valiant fighters, can win battles¡±?

    ¡°Last time you evaluated Zhou Hongyu,¡± Li Weiguo asked cheerfully, ¡°how do you feel about facing Liu Longtao this time?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s very outstanding in all aspects, without any obvious weaknesses, probably the top amongst this group of cultivators, aside from me,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°Zhou Hongyu merely tying with him before was indeed just a matter of luck.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Li Weiguo asked in surprise, ¡°Then why did the match against Liu Longtao end significantly faster than the previous ones?¡±

    ¡°Because you told me not to hold back and to give him a good thrashing,¡± Yan Yu was also a bit perplexed as he replied, ¡°If I don¡¯t hold back, of course he won¡¯t last beyond three moves, and naturally, the match ends quickly.¡±

    ¡°Did I?¡± Li Weiguo was astounded.

    You can eat recklessly, but you can¡¯t speak recklessly, okay?

    When did I tell you to ¡°give Liu Longtao a good thrashing¡±? If this gets back to the Dingbei Army, especially to old Yang, won¡¯t he come looking for a fight with me?!

    ¡°You really don¡¯t remember?¡± Yan Yu patiently reminded him, ¡°On the flight to Shengjing, you were sitting beside me and gave me the order: ¡®You must win against Li Zhaojiang and Zhou Hongyu; against Liu Longtao, you need to go all out.¡¯ You said it yourself!¡±

    Li Weiguo:¡­¡­

    Oh, now I remember.

    I told you to go all out against Liu Longtao because I thought you couldn¡¯t win; that¡¯s why I asked you to put on a good show, not to lose too quickly!

    I didn¡¯t tell you to hold back when fighting the others and to defeat him in just a snap, disgracing the Dingbei Army!

    Now everyone over there is speculating, saying I deliberately arranged for you to fight like this, to give the Dingbei Army a warning¡­ and I¡¯m being blamed for no good reason!

    Turns out it¡¯s all just a misunderstanding!

 Chapter 55 - 54 You Are Actually So Loyal and Righteous

    Chapter 55: Chapter 54 You Are Actually So Loyal and Righteous

    ¡°`

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Qi Changping, who was guarding the door, could no longer bear to listen and hurried out to offer a remedy, saying, ¡°Do you want me to arrange for a few people to discretely spread some clarifications to them¡­¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± Li Weiguo immediately vetoed, ¡°We won this time! Since when does the winner have to proactively explain to the loser? If the Dingbei Army is unhappy, let Old Yang properly train his men, and they can win it back next time!¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Qi Changping immediately replied.

    Li Weiguo rubbed his hands together in satisfaction and said with a chuckle:

    ¡°They all came to ask me just now, saying that your Zhendong Army¡¯s Yan Yu is very adept at using the Shifting Technique to charge, then abruptly stopping with the Cloud Ascension Technique once in close range, before switching to other Attack Spell Techniques. How exactly did you manage to do that?¡±

    ...

    ¡°Oh.¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment before answering, ¡°The operation is actually quite simple: First, I charge with the Shifting Technique, then I immediately interrupt it once I¡¯m in close range, and rapidly use the Cloud Ascension Technique to brake¡­¡±

    Just as he was about to repeat the general¡¯s question as his own reply, anticipating this, Qi Changping quickly interrupted him, saying:

    ¡°It¡¯s not the process they¡¯re asking about! It¡¯s why others can¡¯t do it, but you can. Is there any trick to it?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no trick,¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°just lots of practice.¡± sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Li Weiguo pondered for a while, then asked Qi Changping:

    ¡°Do we have any training programs for this?¡±

    Qi Changping was also speechless. How do you practice that? Charging at a target with the Shifting Technique and abruptly stopping the spell when close, then quickly switching to the Cloud Ascension Technique for braking?

    What if you can¡¯t brake in time? Wouldn¡¯t you just crash headfirst into the target? Unless everybody wore safety gear and replaced the target with something like a cushion¡­

    Old Han had indeed proposed a similar plan before, but the school leadership considered it too ambitious.

    Currently, the students hadn¡¯t even mastered the Shifting Technique on its own, and they hadn¡¯t even started learning the Cloud Ascension Technique. To advance training content to quickly switch between Shifting Technique and Cloud Ascension Technique was simply impractical!

    Of course, for the higher-ups, you might fail to achieve some plans, but you have to think of them.

    Failure might be due to objective environmental factors, but not thinking of it is a sign of your lack of ability.

    ¡°Yes, we do.¡± After thinking it through, Qi Changping quickly brought forward Han Zaixian¡¯s plan and described it in detail.

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Li Weiguo nodded in approval, ¡°The Shifting Technique and Cloud Ascension Technique indeed need to be practiced together. You¡¯ve also seen Yan Yu¡¯s performance these past few days. The acceleration of the Shifting Technique and the emergency braking of the Cloud Ascension Technique, when skillfully combined, provide the high maneuverability that has strategic value.¡±

    ¡°Without coordination, the Shifting Technique alone isn¡¯t flexible enough, and the speed of the Cloud Ascension Technique isn¡¯t fast enough to be significant.¡±

    ¡°The leader is wise.¡± Yan Yu hastily flattered.

    Look at that strategic insight! How else could he be the chief commander? What the hell is up with the school leadership, always concerned about the teaching schedule¡­ Do they really think they¡¯re running a school?

    Qi Changping was speechless by his side. So turns out this kid does know how to butter someone up, just chooses his moments!

    When the leader agrees with your opinion, you flatter him! What if the leader disagrees, would you silently curse him then?

    ¡­Forget it, forget it, you¡¯ve just won a victory, whatever you say is right.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to flatter me, it¡¯s your own prowess that¡¯s commendable,¡± Li Weiguo pointed at Yan Yu, saying jovially, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for watching your match, I wouldn¡¯t have realized this point.¡±

    ¡°Little Qi, after we return, make sure the related training facilities are set up quickly.¡± He then turned and instructed, ¡°If there are any problems, discuss them more with Student Yan Yu.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Qi Changping quickly complied.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The four-institute exchange competition concluded.

    The Zhendong Army won three consecutive matches, securing first place, leaving Li Weiguo naturally very satisfied.

    Yan Yu was also happy because with Li Weiguo¡¯s support, the school¡¯s teaching plan was finally going to change.

    From his experience in a past life, practicing the Shifting Technique, Cloud Ascension Technique, and Wall-Penetration Technique separately was a sheer waste of time.

    Correcting to the right instructional approach sooner would lead to faster growth in the overall strength of cultivators in the country, ensuring better preparedness for future international changes.

    Returning to his hotel room, Yan Yu saw Zhao Yuanzhen lying on the bed watching TV, teasing as she watched:

    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s the male lead, with the pretty-boy makeup, right? At first, I even thought he was the female supporting character.¡±

    ¡°`

    It¡¯s not dual-cultivation time, why did you come to my room? Yan Yu¡¯s face immediately darkened. Hmm, wait¡­ who is she talking to?

    ¡°Ha! Crap, really acts like a woman,¡± a carefree female voice replied, ¡°Can¡¯t they find a manly man for the domestic TV dramas these days?¡±

    ¡°Manliness requires charisma, which really tests an actor¡¯s skills,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and started munching, ¡°Playing a pretty boy doesn¡¯t need charisma¡ª just slap on some makeup¡­ oh, Yan Yu¡¯s back.¡±

    With an expressionless face, Yan Yu walked into the room, only to see the blonde-haired Anna sitting on the other side of the bed, chatting and cracking seeds with Zhao Yuanzhen¡ªthis was a women-specific ¡°wine and chatter¡± affair.

    When did you two become so close? No, I should ask when did the two of you meet?

    His eye twitched for a moment before he finally asked:

    ¡°Who allowed you to spit sunflower seed shells on my bed?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the big deal?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said indifferently, ¡°One Cleaning Spell and it¡¯s done, right?¡±

    ¡°How about I spit in your face and then give you a Cleaning Spell, huh?¡± Yan Yu asked with a hint of menace.

    ¡°That¡­¡± Anna stood up a bit nervously, cautiously saying, ¡°Sister Zhao said she could teach me spells, so she called me over.¡±

    ¡°What spells could she possibly teach you¡­¡± Yan Yu let out an involuntary retort, then abruptly felt something was off.

    Although this Demonic Sect Enchantress had not yet recovered her cultivation, when it came to the number of spells she mastered, probably no one in the world could compare with her except for Mei Yingxue.

    And if you limit the spells to ¡°dark and evil techniques,¡± even Mei Yingxue would have to admit defeat.

    If she were to teach Anna, couldn¡¯t that result in a new Demonic Sect Enchantress?

    But thinking about it carefully, even if Anna was taught, it would be Siberia that got plagued, not our Lu Country.

    In other words, even without Anna, there¡¯d be plenty of werewolves and vampires over there causing trouble just the same, right?

    It¡¯d be better to teach her various self-defense techniques to prevent her from being bullied over there.

    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea,¡± Yan Yu pondered and said, ¡°If there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t understand, you can ask her or me.¡±

    Great! Zhao Yuanzhen was also secretly delighted.

    She suspected that this Anna was the reincarnation of some great being, anticipated by Yan Yu¡¯s master, which was why he was sent from afar just to form a good karma with her.

    Now it seemed she had successfully entered the game. In the future when Anna encounters a turning point and successfully breaks free from her shackles and achieves enlightenment, wouldn¡¯t she also be able to bask in some of that fortune?

    Hmph hmph hmph, hehehe, hahaha, Yan Yu, you sneaky thief! Bet you didn¡¯t see that I¡¯m leeching off your good fortune!

    If one day I turn the tables and become the master, I will make you suffer all the humiliations you¡¯ve inflicted upon me, tit for tat!

    As she was silently reveling, she overheard Yan Yu speaking to Anna again:

    ¡°But she can only teach you some basics at most. You might as well learn from me,¡± he said.

    ¡°What the!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately protested, ¡°I am also¡­ I¡¯m also very impressive, okay?¡±

    ¡°Can you list a hundred combination battle tactics from the Three Arts and Five Spells?¡± Yan Yu asked with disdain.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was immediately stuck. Three Arts and Five Spells¡­ who would bother studying them!

    Shifting Technique is inferior to Sword Flight, Cloud Ascension Technique is not as good as the Immortals¡¯ stepping methods, and the Five Elemental True Character Curse has better spells that can replace it. These are just rudimentary exercises that cultivator couples teach their kids¡ªwho would take the effort to delve deeply into them!

    Seeing that Zhao Yuanzhen was lost for words, Anna sensed the truth in Yan Yu¡¯s claim and asked somewhat embarrassingly:

    ¡°Would privately teaching me these violate any confidentiality regulations?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Yan Yu said cheerfully, ¡°so if you get caught, don¡¯t rat me out.¡±

    He was just joking, but for some reason, Anna took it seriously and earnestly said:

    ¡°Even if I die, I will not betray you.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­

    They say the Eclipse Queen is brutal and merciless, but who would have thought she could be so loyal and righteous!

 Chapter 56 - 55: Counter General Maneuver

    Chapter 56: Chapter 55: Counter General Maneuver

    About one or two hours before the scheduled meal, Yan Yu took this time to teach Anna the Three Arts and Five Spells in detail.

    ¡°Do you have any difficulties with it?¡± he finally asked to confirm.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Anna said helplessly, ¡°I don¡¯t get any of it¡­ I¡¯m just memorizing the theory here, and I have nowhere to practice!¡±

    ¡°As long as you understand the theory thoroughly, why be afraid you won¡¯t be able to practice later?¡± Yan Yu said indifferently.

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ?

    How do I remember someone saying before: The most important thing for a cultivator is actual combat?

    ...

    ¡°I want to go outside and practice,¡± Anna said eagerly, ¡°but I¡¯m afraid of being discovered and then not being able to explain myself.¡±

    ¡°Then don¡¯t practice outside,¡± Yan Yu said.

    Once we go to Siberia, you¡¯ll have plenty of time to practice.

    Anna immediately felt a bit depressed. This man really didn¡¯t know how to comfort a girl. Shouldn¡¯t he usually say, ¡°Then I¡¯ll help you figure something out¡±?

    ¡°Speaking of ¡®helping,''¡± she suddenly remembered another matter, ¡°about the background check by the Dingbei Army¡­¡±

    ¡°Not likely anymore,¡± Yan Yu shook his head, ¡°The situation is going to become stricter. Those who haven¡¯t signed yet probably won¡¯t be allowed to sign.¡±

    Anna fell silent for a while before asking:

    ¡°So on what basis? Just because my mother is a foreigner?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it,¡± Yan Yu waved his hand, ¡°The main issue is that the first batch of cultivators recruited were too many, and it turned out that there weren¡¯t enough resources for subsequent training; they can¡¯t afford to keep everyone. Next year, they¡¯ll probably cut down on the second batch of cultivators and recruit fewer.¡±

    Anna: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°You¡¯re not fooling me, are you?¡± she asked suspiciously.

    ¡°Nonsense, if anyone¡¯s to blame it has to be you,¡± Yan Yu said bluntly, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you have just signed the enrollment agreement on the spot? Instead, you had to go home and ask your father and relatives¡­ This delay, didn¡¯t it just cause unnecessary complications?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re talking nonsense!¡± Anna said angrily, ¡°That was about going to university! It¡¯s not like picking a restaurant to eat at, who would make a decision on the spot?!¡±

    ¡°Me,¡± Yan Yu said confidently, ¡°I signed on the spot.¡±

    Anna: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to argue with you,¡± the blonde girl said impatiently waving her hand, ¡°If Lu Country doesn¡¯t want me, I¡¯ll just go to Rakshasa Country, and I¡¯ll become a cultivator there.¡±

    ¡°The enrollment requirements for Spirit Communicators in Moscow, it seems, include having Rakshasa citizenship for three generations including parents and grandparents,¡± Yan Yu said slowly, ¡°So you¡¯d better start fabricating your family tree now. For example, your grandfather participated in the Red Square uprising, overthrew the Tsar or something, and then, due to a mix-up, ended up in the Northeast. Body in Lu Country, heart in Rakshasa. Living in Shengjing for twenty years, speaking fluent Rakshasa.¡±

    Anna suddenly looked as deflated as a wilted eggplant, and after a long while, she said:

    ¡°I was joking. Isn¡¯t it because I have no other choice? If the Dingbei Army doesn¡¯t accept me, then I can only emigrate with my dad. It¡¯s not like I can stay in the country while he goes to Amur alone, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°But if you look at it from another angle, if you can¡¯t practice spells at home, can¡¯t you practice once you¡¯re in Amur? It¡¯s a vast and sparsely populated place, and besides, Rakshasa people don¡¯t recognize the Three Arts and Five Spells.¡±

    ¡°So are you really clueless, or just pretending?¡± Anna, crossing her arms, tapped her foot in annoyance, ¡°I don¡¯t want to become a cultivator! My goal is to convince my dad to stay in the country by becoming a cultivator, you get it? I don¡¯t want to go abroad!¡±

    Of course, Yan Yu was pretending to be clueless. But what else could he say?

    Even if Anna truly became a cultivator in the Dingbei Army, what then? Could she compete with people like Liu Longtao for cultivation resources? Could she win?

    Even if she could, her developmental ceiling in the country would only be at the level of someone like Liu Longtao. How could that compare to being ¡°the Queen of Siberia¡±? That was the height her original life trajectory was meant to reach!

    Seeing Yan Yu remained silent, Anna realized that she had lost her composure.

    In the end, the whole thing was a problem with the Dingbei Army¡¯s political review system. How could Yan Yu be at fault? He had saved her when she was in trouble, helped her inquire about information, and even taught her the Three Arts and Five Spells. What reason did she have to take her anger out on him?

    ¡°That¡­,¡± she sighed dejectedly and spoke softly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡­ I had a bad attitude, and I shouldn¡¯t have spoken to you like that.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Yan Yu said magnanimously, waving his hand, ¡°After all, I wasn¡¯t able to help.¡±

    ¡°But you did teach me the Three Arts and Five Spells,¡± Anna said sheepishly, ¡°How about I treat you guys to dinner tonight?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen really wanted to agree when he heard Yan Yu say:

    ¡°I have a dinner engagement tonight, you two go ahead.¡±

    ¡°You have a dinner and you¡¯re not taking me?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately got anxious.

    ¡°Chen Lingyun and Liu Longtao will be there,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, ¡°Imagine, while you¡¯re eating, having two Chen Lingyuns talking to you without stop.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen immediately lost his appetite and quickly said:

    ¡°Anna, where shall we have dinner tonight?¡±

    ¡°Some barbecue?¡± Anna suggested uncertainly.

    ¡°Great, great, let¡¯s have barbecue,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately perked up, glaring triumphantly at Yan Yu, ¡°Let¡¯s not take him!¡±

    Yan Yu was also at a loss for words. Were we there just to eat? No, we were there to get to know each other and network with cultivators from the Dingbei Army!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Network my ass!

    What Yan Yu hadn¡¯t expected was that, just an hour later, he would start to regret it somewhat.

    At a table for four, the boys on one side, and the girls on the other. A copper pot bubbled away in the center, filled with high-quality slices of lamb, yet everyone hesitated to reach in with their chopsticks for the moment.

    ¡°So, Ye Jun, you don¡¯t have a boyfriend now?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, ¡°And no secret crush?¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± Ye Jun, sensing something off about the atmosphere, quickly took over the conversation and chatted with Chen Lingyun, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to find someone¡­ it¡¯s just that¡­ I don¡¯t really feel anything, you know? I, personally, prefer someone with a more mature personality, but all the guys around me are pretty childish. They don¡¯t speak properly, they¡¯re like cats that just loiter around you, primping and posing to get your attention, which I find¡­ uh, uninteresting.¡±

    ¡°Oh, childish?¡± Chen Lingyun laughed, ¡°Does that include Liu Longtao as well?¡±

    Ye Jun immediately realized she had fallen into a trap. You¡¯re setting this up for me to fall into, huh! But she kept her cool and laughed off the implication,

    ¡°Him? No, he¡¯s not childish. He¡¯s just too damn mature and steady. Even though we were in the same class when we started, I¡¯ve always thought of him as my senior! Right, senior?¡±

    The girl effortlessly navigated the dangerous topic. She clarified that she had no relationship with Liu Longtao without emasculating him, and also made the trap Chen Lingyun set with her words fall flat.

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Liu Longtao responded without missing a beat, then began his counterattack, ¡°Yan Yu, do you have a girlfriend right now?¡±

    Yan Yu was already getting tired of it. Did you two really have to butt heads like this? Couldn¡¯t you just speak straightforwardly?

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡± He began to help himself to some lamb in the pot.

    ¡°Hey, Yan Yu, you¡¯re single too?¡± Ye Jun asked in feigned surprise, ¡°No way! You¡¯re hiding it well. With your qualities, I¡¯m sure a lot of girls are after you, right?¡±

    ¡°He must have high standards,¡± Liu Longtao chuckled looking at Chen Lingyun, and said, ¡°If I were Yan Yu, I wouldn¡¯t settle for just any girl either.¡±

    ¡°Just any girl¡± surely wasn¡¯t Ye Jun. So who could it be? Might as well give out the social security number.

    Ye Jun finally realized something: Liu Longtao, you¡¯ve got a private grudge against Chen Lingyun, haven¡¯t you!

    Talking about ¡°let¡¯s have a dinner to get acquainted¡±, but in reality, you came specifically to mess with her!

    ¡°Cough, actually, dating isn¡¯t all about conditions,¡± Ye Jun said, trying hard to smooth things over, and quickly signaled to Yan Yu with her eyes, asking him to help persuade Chen Lingyun as well, ¡°Even if someone isn¡¯t interested, it doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re not good enough. It¡¯s usually just that fate hasn¡¯t come knocking. There¡¯s an older female cousin across the street from my house, she¡¯s over thirty and not yet married, until¡­¡±

    Yan Yu picked up some lamb with his chopsticks, chewed it slowly, and then suddenly asked,

    ¡°So, Ye Jun, how did you come to know Liu Longtao?¡±

    Ye Jun paused for a moment, then replied,

    ¡°We were in the same class¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the higher-ups who are planning to team up cultivators, right?¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t bother waiting for both sides to continue their probing and went straight to the point, ¡°Whether it¡¯s for an experiment or some other purpose. Anyway, in this team, they must have planned for Liu Longtao to be the lead and for you to be his deputy, which is why you got to know each other in advance¡ªalthough you clearly stated that you are not related to him, the way you speak is very careful about preserving his dignity. That doesn¡¯t sound like friendship, it seems more like a subordinate relationship between colleagues.¡±

    Ye Jun was somewhat at a loss for words, while Liu Longtao fell silent for a moment before laughing,

    ¡°Impressive, you actually guessed it.¡±

    Chen Lingyun also quickly caught on: the Dingbei Army had started implementing a team system, and the Zhendong Army would likely follow suit soon, with a high chance of Yan Yu being the team leader and Chen Lingyun the deputy leader.

    So that was why Liu Longtao had arranged this dinner, not purely to get on good terms with Yan Yu, but more so to observe the relationship between Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Considering Chen Lingyun¡¯s strategic capabilities and robust background, if she chose not to follow Yan Yu, there would be significant risks within the team.

    ¡°What¡¯s so hard to guess?¡± Yan Yu continued eating his lamb, casually saying, ¡°We don¡¯t need to keep testing each other like this anymore. Let me put it this way: Chen Lingyun, though she can have a nasty temper, is still responsible, and will follow orders when it counts. And you? Liu Longtao, you hold great authority and have a sufficiently assertive personality; the team will definitely become an echo chamber for you. If you make a mistake, would Ye Jun dare to point it out to your face?¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t she dare?¡± Ye Jun immediately spoke up, ¡°The deputy¡¯s duty is to devise strategies and fill in the gaps for the team leader.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s hope so,¡± Yan Yu replied nonchalantly with a smile, as he stood up, ¡°I¡¯ve got a bit more business to attend to, so let¡¯s call it a day for this meal. Thanks for the invitation. I must be going.¡±

    ¡°Bye-bye~¡± Chen Lingyun also stood up, waving her hand with a beaming smile.

    Having failed to probe successfully and being counter-attacked by Yan Yu, Chen Lingyun couldn¡¯t be happier at that moment. She almost wanted to catch up to Yan Yu and hug him tightly, kissing him fervently.

    Ye Jun quickly stood up, unsure whether to call them back but then saw Liu Longtao sitting silently in his seat, seemingly lost in thought.

    It was then that she suddenly realized¡ªYan Yu mentioned that the purpose of the meal was probing, and Liu Longtao did not deny it.

    However, when Liu Longtao asked her to contact Yan Yu before, he did not tell her the real reason.

    Ye Jun suddenly felt an urge to confront Liu Longtao with, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me the truth?¡±

    But after thinking it over, she never asked the question.

    Because she agreed with what Yan Yu said: Liu Longtao¡¯s personality was too domineering.

    If he decided not to disclose it in advance, then her asking about it after the fact, without understanding the situation, would likely just annoy him.

 Chapter 57 - 56: Returning Home

    Chapter 57: Chapter 56: Returning Home

    Chen Lingyun caught up with Yan Yu from behind, her face full of smiles, eager to say something, but she noticed that Yan Yu¡¯s expression was rather gloomy.

    It wasn¡¯t the usual ¡°annoyed by her¡± gloominess, but one tinged with a hint of melancholy and desolation, a kind of listlessness.

    Being as clever as she was, she immediately guessed what was troubling Yan Yu and tentatively asked,

    ¡°Was Ye Jun someone formidable in his past life?¡±

    ¡°Formidable?¡± Yan Yu was silent for a moment, then sneered, ¡°Of course he was formidable, the spokesperson for the Dingbei Army, isn¡¯t that formidable?¡±

    ¡°Oh my, that¡¯s really¡­¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile bloomed like flowers.

    ...

    A spokesperson, that¡¯s a civilian staff position! Ye Jun, you were at least a cultivator, how did you end up so down on your luck to switch to a bureaucratic job?

    Thinking back to Yan Yu¡¯s attitude just now, Chen Lingyun already had her answer and said with a laugh,

    ¡°Working under the Lord Master, it¡¯s not surprising to encounter such things.¡±

    The main position is too radiant, the deputy will inevitably be overshadowed, that¡¯s the case all over the world.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like she had a choice in the matter.¡± Yan Yu looked at Chen Lingyun speechlessly, ¡°I¡¯ve clashed with her. Ye Jun¡¯s true skill is actually much higher than what the outside world thinks. Even though she¡¯s not on par with the Lord Master, it¡¯s not fair to compare all the cultivators of the Dingbei Army to him, right?¡±

    ¡°So you deliberately provoked the Lord Master just to make him pay attention to his deputy, Ye Jun?¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried that if Liu Longtao really does that, and they become stronger, they might turn around and overpower us?¡±

    ¡°If the Lord Master could really do that, would he be lumped together with you, called ¡®Idiot of the South, Fool of the North¡¯?¡± Yan Yu sighed deeply and said, ¡°Does anyone not know the true strength of their own deputy? Does Liu Longtao not know? I guess in the end, the Lord Master simply doesn¡¯t want a deputy leader at all, so it doesn¡¯t matter to him whether Ye Jun stays or goes.¡±

    But on further thought, although she couldn¡¯t change the personnel decisions of the Dingbei Army, when the time comes, she could poach him using her personal identity!

    Instead of being some kind of press officer, it would be better to persuade Ye Jun to retire and come help me!

    If Chen Lingyun has Secretary Su, why can¡¯t I, Yan Yu, have Secretary Ye?

    Poach! This must be poached!

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve got it.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°So what exactly did you do in your previous life?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve given you so many hints, you still can¡¯t figure it out?¡± Yan Yu raised his eyebrows and asked.

    ¡°Hmm, first of all, I rule out being a university student cultivator.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a clap and a laugh.

    ¡°Why?¡± Yan Yu asked, puzzled.

    ¡°It¡¯s just not that.¡± Chen Lingyun smiled, her eyes curving, ¡°You tell me what you did first and then I¡¯ll tell you my rationale.¡±

    ¡°Forget it, it¡¯s not important.¡± Yan Yu waved his hand helplessly, ¡°The unit I belonged to back then isn¡¯t even established yet.¡±

    ¡°Was it some kind of special forces?¡± Chen Lingyun asked tentatively.

    ¡°No, in terms of responsibility, it would be more like military police.¡± Yan Yu answered.

    Military police¡­ Chen Lingyun was stunned for a moment, then slowly began to understand.

    A special unit dedicated to hunting down cultivators?

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Inside the nearby food stall.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, Yan Yu is super annoying.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, after a few beers, became more talkative, ¡°He never orders my favorite food when he gets takeout!¡±

    ¡°But he¡¯s the one paying for it.¡± Anna reminded her, ¡°He has the right to decide what to eat, doesn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°And another thing!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen continued to complain, ¡°He¡¯s always nagging me to do the housework!¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re sharing an apartment with him but not paying rent, helping out with chores seems fair.¡± Anna kept reminding her.

    ¡°He talks more to Chen Lingyun than he does to me!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said through gritted teeth. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°If he and you were in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, that would indeed be quite improper.¡± Anna hesitated slightly, then asked, ¡°But Yan Yu is still single, right?¡±

    ¡°Whose side are you on?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was close to tears, grabbing Anna¡¯s arm and refusing to let go, ¡°At least join me in cursing him!¡±

    ¡°Who are you cursing?¡± Yan Yu stood behind her, asking with a dark expression.

    Zhao Yuanzhen immediately sat upright and said seriously,

    ¡°Complaining about the boss. They watered down the draft beer at this food stall, it¡¯s tasteless; Anna and I were just griping about how the boss is ripping us off.¡±

    The stall owner, who was still busy grilling, looked up in confusion and glanced this way.

    ¡°Time to go,¡± Yan Yu said coldly, ¡°Time¡¯s up, let¡¯s head to the airport to regroup.¡±

    ¡°You guys are leaving?¡± Anna stood up, asking in astonishment.

    ¡°We¡¯re leaving,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°We¡¯re heading back to Jinling.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll see you off,¡± Anna said hastily.

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu waved his hand, ¡°You can¡¯t get into a military airport.¡±

    Anna lowered her head, looking somewhat disheartened, unsure of what to say.

    She didn¡¯t know how to describe her feelings at the moment. Although they had only known each other for two days (actually, considering from last night, just one day), she truly felt reluctant to see Yan Yu leave. Perhaps because Yan Yu was her first ¡°Cultivator¡± friend?

    Yan Yu noticed her reluctance and her embarrassment in showing her feelings, and said with a smile:

    ¡°Why the long face? It¡¯s not like we can¡¯t keep in touch after I leave. If there are any problems later on, just ask me via mobile.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Anna said.

    ¡°Zhao Yuanzhen, we should go,¡± Yan Yu quickly said when he saw the Demonic Sect Enchantress still stuffing skewers into her mouth, and forcefully pulled her up, ¡°We¡¯ll miss the plane if we¡¯re any later. Anna, you should head back soon too, don¡¯t make your dad worry.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Anna said.

    Zhao Yuanzhen still wanted to take the unfinished skewers with her, but Yan Yu accurately predicted her intention, forcibly dragging her away before she could do anything more embarrassing.

    By the roadside, Chen Lingyun waited with a beaming smile, a taxi beside her with the door open.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to talk to her some more?¡± she asked teasingly, ¡°We should still have a bit of time.¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°So, does this mean you¡¯ve achieved your goal?¡± Chen Lingyun continued smiling, ¡°After all, wasn¡¯t she the main reason for your visit to Shengjing in the first place?¡±

    ¡°Why so many questions?¡± Yan Yu pushed Zhao Yuanzhen into the back seat of the taxi.

    ¡°Mmm-hmm~ I¡¯m just solving the puzzle,¡± Chen Lingyun said happily.

    This useless woman¡­ utterly hopeless.

    Taking a taxi to the outskirts of the airport, they met up with the rest of the Zhendong Army and then boarded the plane back to Jinling.

    On the return flight, Zhao Yuanzhen refused to sit with Chen Lingyun and firmly occupied the seat next to Yan Yu.

    Bored, Yan Yu looked out the airplane window and then took out his phone to check.

    The most satisfying outcome of this inter-academy competition for the Zhendong Army¡¯s higher-ups was Yan Yu¡¯s three straight victories, demonstrating the strength of the Zhendong Army.

    But for Yan Yu himself, the most valuable thing was actually making and acquiring three new friends.

    Li Minghu from the Annan Army, Ye Jun from the Dingbei Army, and most importantly, the ¡°Eclipse Queen¡± Anna.

    Acquiring friends was one thing, but the most important was the acquaintance; that way, if any issues came up later, they could at least talk to each other in time.

    If he hadn¡¯t met them in person, even if Yan Yu tried to add them as friends from memory, most likely he wouldn¡¯t get accepted.

    Yan Yu silently closed his eyes, organizing the memories in his mind.

    It was now the beginning of June, with about a month of rest time ahead.

    When July arrived, there would be a small-scale increase in global Spiritual Energy density. As the baseline was raised, the hidden depths of some of the famous mountains and rivers at home and abroad would progressively open to the public.

    The upper echelons would start team trials in the Dingbei Army, probably anticipating this. After all, at this stage, even the most capable solo Cultivator couldn¡¯t stand against an entire team.

    Once the Zhendong Army started pushing the team system, he¡¯d have to shift his focus to team management.

    To prevent disorderly competition, domestic teams were standardised to five members, for five-on-five combat. Of course, when facing foreign Cultivators, several teams would stand side by side; international righteousness wouldn¡¯t come into play.

    As for which members to recruit, the team configuration of Chen Lingyun¡¯s previous life was there; naturally, her judgment wouldn¡¯t be wrong.

 Chapter 58 - 57: Taming Su Yunjin

    Chapter 58: Chapter 57: Taming Su Yunjin

    A week after returning to Jinling, a notification indeed arrived from above:

    Form a tactical squad.

    ¡°The current intention from above is that you should be the captain, with Chen Lingyun as the vice-captain,¡± Instructor Qi Changping said, ¡°and then you can pick three others from your peers to make up a team of five, forming the Zhendong Army¡¯s first combat team. You need to coordinate with your team members as soon as possible, as there might be combat missions assigned to you at any time. Do you have any questions?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Yan Yu said calmly, ¡°The people I select will also need to be approved by those above before they can officially join the team, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Qi Changping replied, ¡°Everything should be done by the book.¡±

    ¡°I have no issue with the review process being done by the book,¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°but you can¡¯t give me a hard time beyond what the rules prescribe. The people I pick can¡¯t be rejected unless they fail the political screening. Those who join can¡¯t be replaced without my consent unless I raise the issue myself. In short, I must have the final say on personnel matters within the team, otherwise you may as well find someone else.¡±

    ... sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Yan Yu.¡± Qi Changping fell silent for a moment before saying, ¡°The academy certainly supports you, but the academy is also part of the military, and in the military, no one gets to call all the shots. You are the Zhendong Army¡¯s first combat team; do you have any idea how many people are watching your performance around the clock?¡±

    ¡°For instance, victory and defeat are common in military affairs; no one can guarantee an undefeated record. If someone on your team underperforms and leads to a loss in a key battle, what then? If you don¡¯t allow those above to replace him, all the responsibility and pressure from the defeat will fall squarely on you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Yan Yu said with indifference, ¡°Even if we lose just once, I¡¯ll take all the responsibility. Reviews, demerits, dismissal, do as you please. But as long as I¡¯m still the captain, I won¡¯t allow anyone to interfere with internal personnel matters. That¡¯s my bottom line.¡±

    Qi Changping fell silent for a moment, then turned to Chen Lingyun beside him and asked:

    ¡°Chen Lingyun, do you feel the same way?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°I think what Yan Yu says makes sense. If we lose with the people we¡¯ve chosen, it¡¯s our responsibility; if people from above replace them and there¡¯s still a problem, will someone from above take responsibility?¡±

    ¡°Instructor Qi,¡± she continued, ¡°this doesn¡¯t really conform to military regulations, but the biggest rule in the military is ¡®win wars.¡¯ As long as we can win, I think these minor issues shouldn¡¯t be a problem. You can ask Grandpa Li and see what he thinks.¡±

    It took Qi Changping five or six seconds to realize that Chen Lingyun¡¯s ¡°Grandpa Li¡± referred to Li Weiguo, the Commander-in-Chief of the Zhendong Army.

    ¡°Alright then,¡± he said with a mix of amusement and resignation, ¡°I¡¯ll go and ask for instructions.¡±

    After Qi Changping bid farewell and left, Chen Lingyun spoke laughingly:

    ¡°Even if Grandpa Li agrees to your demands, such matters can¡¯t be set in stone publicly; at most, they¡¯ll tacitly agree not to interfere with internal affairs for now.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s alright,¡± Yan Yu said with a grand sweep of his arm, ¡°I¡¯ve made my stance as captain clear for starters. If later on someone foolishly tries to meddle, you, the vice-captain, can take the bullet for me.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Chen Lingyun asked in surprise, ¡°Why me?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense, I don¡¯t have a dad who¡¯s the Governor of Jianghai,¡± Yan Yu said as if it were obvious, ¡°You¡¯re the young miss of an official family. Haven¡¯t you heard ¡®with great power comes great responsibility¡¯? Make yourself useful! What¡¯s the point of you being a vice-captain if you¡¯re useless?¡±

    ¡°So, how do you plan to decide on the team members?¡± Chen Lingyun gently steered the conversation back to the main point.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Yan Yu contemplated, ¡°Su Yunjin and Lin Ning are quite capable, I have no objections to them joining the team. Zhao Yuanzhen is my person, definitely included¡­¡±

    As he said this, he suddenly began to ponder.

    In his past life, the Zhendong Army¡¯s first squad consisted of team captain Chen Lingyun and vice-captain Su Yunjin, with three teammates being Lin Ning, Qiu Ze, and Sun Ziyi¡ªfive people in total with three women and two men, the highest female ratio among the four armies, and thus mockingly called the ¡°Ladies¡¯ Battle Team¡± by outsiders.

    Now with Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen, the obvious replacements would be Qiu Ze and Sun Ziyi. It wasn¡¯t because they were men, but rather an issue of team role assignments.

    To put it in gaming terms: Su Yunjin was support/healer, Lin Ning was a frontline assault, both performed their primary jobs excellently, so there was no need for change. Chen Lingyun, despite being a ranged damager, wasn¡¯t particularly powerful; her main role was to use her brains to identify the enemy¡¯s weaknesses and land critical hits.

    The problem with this trio of girls was a severe lack of direct siege capabilities; once Lin Ning was tied up on the front line and Chen Lingyun couldn¡¯t find an opportunity, the team was at risk of being wiped out. Hence, Sun Ziyi¡¯s explosive damage and Qiu Ze¡¯s supporting offensives were necessary to fortify the team¡¯s overall offensive capabilities.

    This life had a completely different situation. Both Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen were offensively inclined. Yan Yu himself was a jack-of-all-trades, capable of fighting, running, and supporting; Zhao Yuanzhen, as a Demonic Sect Enchantress, never trusted outsiders, and her ability to fight alone was essential for her own survival, with arson and assassination skills that were incredibly refined.

    If the two of them were to be joined by Sun Ziyi and Qiu Ze, the overall team output would be off the charts, while their adaptability would be greatly weakened. Therefore, Sun Ziyi was definitely not needed, and it was a choice between Qiu Ze and Lin Ning.

    Both were assaulters, Qiu Ze specialized in offense, Lin Ning in containment. Since Yan and Zhao¡¯s offense was more than sufficient, Lin Ning was a more suitable choice over Qiu Ze.

    However, doing so would change the team¡¯s gender ratio to 1:4, even more imbalanced than in his previous life.

    No matter, it¡¯s decided. If there is a need to adjust the team later, the first to consider for replacement would be that good-for-nothing woman, Chen Lingyun.

    ¡°I think Lin Ning is fine, and Yun Jin¡­¡± Chen Lingyun contemplated for a moment and said, ¡°As you previously mentioned, isn¡¯t her personality a bit too soft? And she might not be willing to join the team.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just going to talk to her,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently. ¡°See what she¡¯s thinking.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    If Chen Lingyun is the young miss of an official¡¯s family, then Su Yunjin is the young miss of a family steeped in scholarly tradition.

    There¡¯s a saying, ¡°On both banks of the Yangtze River, there¡¯s the only daughter of a household.¡± Jiangbei Province, Jiangnan Province, Jianghai Prefecture¡ªthese places have historically been the homelands of weaving and significant sources of tax revenue. With plenty of money, there are naturally many scholars and officials. If it so happens that there¡¯s an only daughter raised as the young miss in such a family, life is pretty much set to ¡®Easy Mode¡¯; she wouldn¡¯t have to worry for most of her life.

    Su Yunjin, who had barely suffered since childhood, maintained an indifferent and unconcerned attitude toward fame and wealth, influenced by her parents who were university professors.

    Her only hobby was reading books, specifically novels. Not the kind of online fiction used for stress relief by the masses, but serious literary works¡ªthe kind that would immediately induce a strong sense of drowsiness in Yan Yu as soon as he glanced at their contents.

    When Yan Yu found her in the library, Su Yunjin was sitting at a bright and clean spot by herself, quietly reading.

    The pleasant afternoon sunlight streamed through the window grilles, illuminating her black hair, her simple hairband, and her delicately beautiful profile. No matter from which angle it was captured, the scene was beautiful to behold. What was even more precious was that this wasn¡¯t a deliberately posed shot¡ªSu Yunjin¡¯s temperament was naturally like that of a classical beauty who seemed as if she had walked out of a painting, her every frown and smile carrying a delightfully enchanting charm.

    If it weren¡¯t for the nuisance that was the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, this young miss would probably have had an even better life. What a pity.

    Yan Yu walked up to the table, pulled out the chair opposite her, sat down, and looked at the novel in her hands.

    ¡°In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower¡±, the author was Marcel Proust.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t attempt to recall who this author was, as he was absolutely certain that all his knowledge of foreign literature had already been returned to his middle school and high school Chinese teachers.

    ¡°This book is a bit challenging to read,¡± Su Yunjin put down the book and said softly, ¡°Yan Yu, if you¡¯re interested in foreign novels, I suggest you try ¡®The Count of Monte Cristo¡¯ by Dumas.¡±

    ¡°If I have time, I¡¯ll check it out,¡± Yan Yu nodded, although he estimated that he might never find the time, even if he grew old enough to lie in a coffin, ¡°Anyhow, is it convenient to talk now?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Su Yunjin closed the book and pushed it aside, ¡°What would you like to discuss?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to ask about your life aspirations,¡± Yan Yu asked casually, ¡°Hmm¡­ have you ever thought about experiencing a life you never imagined you¡¯d have?¡±

    Su Yunjin blinked at him comically and suddenly burst into laughter before saying:

    ¡°What kind of question is that? I¡¯m living that kind of life right now, you know that I originally wanted to study Chinese Language and Literature, right?¡±

    ¡°I mean, do you want to go a step further?¡± Yan Yu made a hand gesture for ¡®a step further¡¯, ¡°For example, how about we form a team and play around?¡±

    ¡°A team?¡± Su Yunjin pondered for a moment, ¡°Who would be the team leader? You or Ling Yun?¡±

    ¡°Of course, it would be me,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Otherwise, it would be Chen Lingyun sitting here and extending the invitation to you now.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m in.¡±

    She agreed way too quickly¡­ Yan Yu asked without showing any sign of surprise:

    ¡°And if Chen Lingyun was the team leader?¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯d join too,¡± Su Yunjin replied.

    ¡°So, what difference does it make to you who the team leader is?¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but laugh too.

    ¡°There is a difference,¡± Su Yunjin seriously said, ¡°If Ling Yun were the team leader, I¡¯d have my hesitations, but I would agree because I¡¯d be uneasy about her facing danger lightly.¡±

    ¡°But if you were the team leader, I wouldn¡¯t hesitate, because I trust that you wouldn¡¯t let your team members take risks carelessly.¡±

    Yan Yu looked at her in amazement, thinking that he hadn¡¯t known Su Yunjin for that long, how could she trust him so much already?

    ¡°Well, you have a pretty accurate judgment of people,¡± he paused for a moment, then stood up, ¡°Once you join my team, you¡¯re one of my people. I won¡¯t be the team leader if I can¡¯t protect my members.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll look for you again once the paperwork for forming the team is approved.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Su Yunjin nodded with a smile, picked up the novel beside her, and resumed her leisurely reading.

 Chapter 59 - 58: Teasing Lin Ning

    Chapter 59: Chapter 58: Teasing Lin Ning

    If Su Yunjin was nowhere to be seen, one could surely find her at the library.

    Lin Ning was another story. Yan Yu had to send a message to inquire and only then did he learn that she was practicing spellcasting at the Five Spells training ground.

    The Five Spells training ground was located inside a mountain because the Impact Curse, Flame Curse, and Curved Curse were all hazardous, so they had to be practiced in a training ground under 24-hour surveillance. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    In the Curved Curse practice area, Yan Yu saw an exhausted Lin Ning who seemed to have been practicing her punches and kicks at a target just moments before, and now she was bent over, hands on her thighs catching her breath in big gulps.

    Her black hair was tied up at the back of her head in a bun that didn¡¯t hinder her movements, revealing a fair and charming neck. She wore a sports vest and shorts, already soaked with copious amounts of sweat, revealing her graceful and exquisite curves¡ªit was obvious that this girl had been training here for more than an hour.

    Yan Yu recalled a phrase from his past life used to describe Chen Lingyun as ¡°boasting both cats and dogs.¡± What did that mean?

    ...

    It meant Su Yunjin was like an elegant cat, who would accompany Chen Lingyun quietly and gently; Lin Ning was the loyal dog, who would carry out Chen Lingyun¡¯s orders without fail¡­

    Damn, such two fine girls, both ruined by that damned woman!

    ¡°Lin Ning, have you mastered all Five Spells?¡± Yan Yu greeted and asked her.

    ¡°I¡¯ve learned them all, just not very proficient yet,¡± Lin Ning replied.

    ¡°When you¡¯re done practicing, I have something to discuss with you,¡± Yan Yu sat down on the nearby resting bench.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Lin Ning asked directly, stopping her training.

    ¡°I¡¯m forming a battle team and short of hands,¡± Yan Yu invited bluntly, ¡°are you interested?¡±

    ¡°Is it official or private?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s official,¡± Yan Yu replied surprised, ¡°What could a private team do? Help you climb walls to skip classes and hit internet cafes?¡±

    Lin Ning gave a slight smile, then explained,

    ¡°I thought it¡¯s something like a private club, you know, like those popular second element themes nowadays¡­ um, like running a harem club at the university? Where there¡¯s one male lead and all other members are pretty girls.¡±

    ¡°First of all, I believe that theme is usually about high school clubs,¡± Yan Yu corrected her helplessly, ¡°Secondly, it¡¯s not a harem club, I¡¯m not just picking pretty girls to join.¡±

    ¡°So how many girls are there in your team now?¡± Lin Ning raised an eyebrow and asked.

    ¡°You, Chen Lingyun, Su Yunjin, Zhao Jiuzhen, that makes four girls¡­¡± Yan Yu paused momentarily, then defended, ¡°That¡¯s not the point, I value your abilities and potential, it¡¯s just that you all happen to be pretty girls.¡±

    Hmm, why does it feel like I¡¯m digging myself deeper into a hole?

    Lin Ning, however, struggled to contain her laughter, turning her head to say,

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll accept that reason. Tell me more about this team and what exactly I would have to do after joining?¡±

    ¡°The main responsibility of the team is to complete tasks assigned by superiors,¡± Yan Yu said seriously, ¡°The reason we operate as a squad is because the tasks are quite challenging, and the chances of success are not high if tackled alone.¡±

    ¡°I am the team leader, with Chen Lingyun as the deputy, so you members don¡¯t have much to worry about. The tasks from the superiors will be dissected and detailed by us, assigning specific duties to everyone before distributing them among you.¡±

    ¡°So my understanding is,¡± Lin Ning pondered and summarized, ¡°that the team system is still in a trial phase, hence there isn¡¯t a clear procedure and responsibility definition yet.¡±

    ¡°Pretty much,¡± Yan Yu appreciated her comprehension, ¡°On this path towards the unknown, we are the pioneers cutting through the thorns. Should troubles arise from all sides, while other cultivators obey their superiors, our team will definitely be at the forefront of danger, that much is certain.¡±

    ¡°I need to discuss it with my family,¡± Lin Ning pondered, ¡°When do you need my answer by?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re asking me,¡± Yan Yu joked, ¡°you better call them now and then tell me if you¡¯re in or not.¡±

    ¡°Alright then.¡± Lin Ning took his words seriously, directly picked up her phone beside her, and dialed a number, ¡°Hello, dad?¡±

    What followed was a series of encrypted local dialect: all sorts of ¡°good, good,¡± ¡°can do, can do,¡± ¡°don¡¯t rely on demons!¡±¡­ Yan Yu was utterly confused by what he heard, only seeing Lin Ning¡¯s expression go from serious to somewhat embarrassed, and finally, extremely impatient as she hung up the phone.

    Then she looked up, her face void of emotion, and declared,

    ¡°All right, I¡¯m in.¡±

    ¡°¡­Although I don¡¯t understand your local dialect,¡± Yan Yu went silent for a while before speaking up, ¡°Did your dad object to you joining the team?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lin Ning replied tightly, ¡°He¡¯s totally supportive.¡±

    ¡°But from the tone of your conversation, he didn¡¯t seem supportive,¡± Yan Yu expressed his serious doubts.

    ¡°You understand Minnan?¡± Lin Ning asked him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°Then what are you suspicious about?¡± Lin Ning immediately widened her eyes, resembling a growling, baring tigeress, with a fierce expression, ¡°Or do you want me to call again, so you can confirm with him yourself?¡±

    ¡°Forget it, I won¡¯t meddle in your family affairs,¡± Yan Yu raised his hands to surrender, ¡°I¡¯ll look for you again once the team formation procedures are approved.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Lin Ning leaned back against the wall, standing on one foot and looking down without speaking, displaying a ¡°I¡¯m still angry¡± demeanor.

    ¡°Well, Lin Ning,¡± Yan Yu saw her sullen expression and suddenly felt an impulse, smiling as he said, ¡°This weekend, I went to Shengjing with Chen Lingyun for an exchange meeting and met a female cultivator from the Annan Army named ¡®Li Minghu¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, what about her?¡± Lin Ning asked, frowning.

    ¡°You should be careful around her,¡± Yan Yu said seriously, ¡°I¡¯ll go first, not to disturb your practice.¡±

    Lin Ning: ???

    She wanted to ask something more, but Yan Yu had already disappeared in no time.

    So who is ¡°Li Minghu¡±? And why should I be careful of her?

    The more Lin Ning thought about it, the less she understood, and the more puzzled she became, the more she wanted to figure it out, so she directly picked up her phone and messaged Yan Yu to ask him.

    No reply. So she messaged Chen Lingyun, and this time she got a quick response:

    ¡°Oh, Li Minghu is a cultivator from the Annan Army, what¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu told me to be careful of her,¡± Lin Ning typed with a furrowed brow, ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Chen Lingyun sent a smiling face emoji, ¡°Maybe he¡¯s warning you to be careful not to be eaten by her.¡±

    Lin Ning¡¯s frown deepened:

    ¡°A lesbian?¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha.¡± Chen Lingyun sent a row of laughing emojis, ¡°No, just kidding with you, don¡¯t mind it.¡±

    How could I possibly not mind it! Lin Ning quickly displayed her typing speed, sending more probing messages to Chen Lingyun.

    However, Chen Lingyun¡¯s telling her ¡°not to mind¡± was precisely because she knew that Lin Ning would mind, given her character, so why would she explain anything at this point? She deliberately left her messages on read without replying.

    Lin Ning had no other choice but to message Su Yunjin.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know~¡± Su Yunjin replied.

    ¡°You definitely know!¡± Lin Ning became annoyed and indignant, ¡°Yun Jin, every time you want to hide something, you like to end with interjections like ¡®ya¡¯, ¡®ah¡¯, ¡®la¡¯ and the like!¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡± Su Yunjin replied with a smiley face emoji, ¡°I know this is just Yan Yu teasing you, but if I explain it clearly, you will definitely get angry, so isn¡¯t it better to not delve into it?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t get angry,¡± Lin Ning replied.

    ¡°That¡¯s not certain.¡± Su Yunjin typed slowly, ¡°Lin Ning, do you still remember why you went to get a certificate for standard Mandarin?¡±

    Of course Lin Ning remembered. Previously, when Su Yunjin visited her dorm, she found a Grade A, Level One certificate for standard Mandarin on her shelf and had asked her why she wanted the certificate.

    ¡°Because during my first year of high school, I went to Pingjing for a summer camp, and they mocked my Mandarin for not being standard,¡± Lin Ning replied gloomily, ¡°So I had to get the Mandarin certificate to prove them wrong.¡±

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s because they said, ¡®People from Minhai can¡¯t differentiate between the sounds of ¡®fu¡¯ and ¡®hu¡¯, right?¡± Su Yunjin typed back, ¡°Lin Ning, you¡¯re a bit sensitive about regional jokes, but I¡¯m sure Yan Yu meant no harm with his joke, so how about not taking it to heart?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me Little Lin Ning!¡± Lin Ning typed angrily, paused for a moment, then quickly deleted the line, and continued to type:

    ¡°So Yan Yu is making regional digs at me?¡±

    ¡°Uh.¡± Su Yunjin realized she might have made things worse, ¡°No, why would you think that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to find him!¡±

 Chapter 60 - 59: Secretary Lin Is Best at Playing Dumb

    Chapter 60: Chapter 59: Secretary Lin Is Best at Playing Dumb

    When Yan Yu found Zhao Yuanzhen, she was lying in her dormitory, watching videos on her phone.

    ¡°There¡¯s something,¡± Yan Yu said as he came to her bed.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen continued to lie on her bed, lazily adjusted her position, and kept staring at her phone.

    ¡°You talk to me with that attitude?¡± Yan Yu narrowed his eyes.

    ¡°What else?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked absentmindedly.

    A mere thief, now that I¡¯m no longer seeking your protection in your cave abode, what can you hold over me?

    ...

    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, I can only report to Master,¡± Yan Yu turned to leave, ¡°Such an ignorant creature, huh¡­¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen jerked into action, flipping off the bed at lightning speed and grabbing onto Yan Yu¡¯s lower leg.

    ¡°Master has commanded, and this humble girl dares not disobey!¡± She swore and cursed, all but ready to spill her guts on the spot, ¡°Please allow this humble girl to toil like a dog or horse!¡±

    ¡°Bullshit, you also dare to call him ¡®Master¡¯? Just go back and wait for death,¡± Yan Yu disdainfully pushed her hand away. Zhao Yuanzhen took the opportunity to get up, shamelessly wrapped her arms around his waist, and wouldn¡¯t let him go.

    Seeing her clinginess, Yan Yu realized the Demonic Sect Enchantress was indeed afraid, and he softened his tone as he spoke:

    ¡°Master¡¯s predictions encompass heaven and earth, peering into the divine secrets. He foresees that next month, the Linghai will surge, and famous mountains and rivers will emerge one after another. This is the ¡®Bewitching Heart Guardian¡¯ era; the world will become turbulent. He commands us to prepare immediately.¡±

    ¡°I will certainly prepare!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said, her voice filled with excitement as she clenched her fist.

    ¡°Do you know what preparation?¡± Yan Yu scoffed at her, ¡°You don¡¯t know anything and still dare to say ¡®certainly¡¯?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was momentarily speechless at his words, then she hehe laughed and said:

    ¡°You and I are dual cultivation partners. Whatever Master entrusts you with, I¡¯ll follow along.¡±

    Her response was logical and well-founded, and even Yan Yu couldn¡¯t find fault with it, so he said stiffly:

    ¡°If someone from above comes and asks whether you want to join my battle team, just agree to it¡ªdon¡¯t cause me any trouble!¡±

    ¡°Understood, understood,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen nodded repeatedly.

    Only after Yan Yu had left the dorm did her expression suddenly turn serious.

    Bewitching Heart Guardian, an era of great contention¡ªZhao Yuanzhen might not have witnessed it firsthand, but she had already glimpsed some clues from ancient texts.

    With the lands in upheaval and a hundred years¡¯ worth of continents submerged, one has to swim against the tide to fight for that slim chance of survival!

    Mei Yingxue, wait until my demonic skills are fully accomplished, and that will be the day you hand over your life!

    Wahahahahahaha!

    No sooner had Yan Yu left the dormitory building than he saw Lin Ning running over hurriedly from the opposite direction.

    The girl was still dressed in a sports bra and shorts, with a shirt thrown over her shoulders, and her tied-up ponytail had come undone, adding a natural, untamed beauty to her pure appearance.

    ¡°Yan Yu!¡± Lin Ning called breathlessly, ¡°Stop right there!¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning to run,¡± Yan Yu asked with a frown, ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°You, you, you¡­¡± Lin Ning took a while to catch her breath before angrily asking, ¡°What you told me before was about¡­ regional discrimination, wasn¡¯t it (lia)?¡±

    Yan Yu: ???

    ¡°What regional discrimination?¡± he asked, puzzled, ¡°Minhai¡¯s economy is thriving, there are plenty of handsome men and beautiful women, and the Min language sounds pleasant. Plus, Minhai produced you, an outstanding young cultivator like Lin Ning. Why would I discriminate against the people of Minhai? This is nonsensical!¡±

    ¡°Uh.¡± Lin Ning was at a loss for words.

    ¡°Speaking of that, I was actually looking for you,¡± Yan Yu said seriously, ¡°Since you¡¯ve joined our battle team, there are some tasks I need to entrust you with.¡±

    ¡°Our team¡¯s roster is now set, you go report the list to Instructor Qi Changping and then ask him what procedures and processes we need to follow to establish our team and what materials we need. You¡¯ll be responsible for taking care of all of that for me.¡±

    ¡°Ah, right now?¡± Lin Ning asked in surprise.

    ¡°Right now? Where¡¯s your head at!¡± Yan Yu scolded her, ¡°Are you planning on going out soaked in sweat? Hurry back and take a shower and change clothes!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m on it!¡± Lin Ning immediately ran towards the direction of the dormitory building.

    Upon returning to her room and shedding her sweat-drenched clothes, Lin Ning twisted up her long hair at the back of her head, covered it with a shower cap, and then began showering.

    The call with her father hadn¡¯t really touched on much about the military; after all, he couldn¡¯t distinguish between ¡°military academy training¡± and ¡°joining a team,¡± so he just said, ¡°It¡¯s up to you to decide.¡±

    What really irritated Lin Ning was that her father had started asking her again whether she was in a relationship.

    It¡¯s been less than a month since I started school!

    The nudging, always nudging! It makes me want to curse out of irritation. How many times do I have to say it? Right now I only want to become a qualified cultivator as soon as possible; I have no time to think about anything extra, hmph.

    After quickly washing up, Lin Ning stood in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection for a while.

    Alright, I¡¯ve joined the team, I need to work hard too!

    Lin Ning patted her cheeks, and silently made up her mind.

    Cleaned and dressed in simple sports pants, a shirt, and canvas shoes, with her hair tied back into a ponytail, Lin Ning left the dorm building and headed for the administrative building where the instructors were located. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Oh?¡± After hearing Lin Ning¡¯s report, Qi Changping was also very surprised.

    Chen Lingyun, Su Yunjin, Zhao Jiuzhen, and Lin Ning¡ªOi, Yan Yu, is everyone on your team besides yourself a girl?

    This isn¡¯t necessarily a problem. Our Lu Country¡¯s traditional spirit is ¡°Women can hold up half the sky,¡± although your team seems to be holding up two skies, which is indeed a bit outrageous¡­ Oh! I get it now! No wonder you insisted on absolute control over team personnel¡ªit¡¯s for the casting couch, isn¡¯t it?

    Kid, you¡¯re really playing the field!

    Having strong suspicions about this, Qi Changping obviously couldn¡¯t make baseless accusations, so he could only hint subtly to Lin Ning by saying:

    ¡°If you suffer in the team, you can report to us instructors.¡±

    If it were Chen Lingyun or Su Yunjin here, they might have grasped his implication, but Lin Ning, with her straightforward personality, was not one to overthink. Upon hearing this, she responded seriously:

    ¡°Please rest assured, Instructor. As a soldier, no matter how much hardship I face or how tired I get, it¡¯s no excuse for grievance or complaint!¡±

    Qi Changping: ¡­¡­¡­

    He scrutinized Lin Ning¡¯s expression carefully, saw that she apparently had no other intention, pondered for a moment, and quickly came to an understanding.

    This girl¡¯s naivety is almost like being clueless. If Yan Yu were to take a fancy to her, wouldn¡¯t she be devoured without leaving any scraps behind? She might even end up giving herself to him and then ask her family for a dowry.

    ¡°How¡¯s your relationship with Chen Lingyun?¡± Qi Changping asked again.

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty good,¡± Lin Ning responded, not understanding the reason for the question, and then quickly added, ¡°Instructor, about the procedures for establishing the team¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, wait a moment. Let me get a form for you.¡± Qi Changping thought to himself that knowing each other was fine¡ªif anyone in the team could stop Yan Yu, it would definitely be Chen Lingyun, for this girl¡¯s strength lies not within the team, but without. ¡°Fill out this form, have all team members sign at the bottom, and submit it to the archive room in Building 2¡­ No, forget that, I¡¯ll go submit it. Just hand it to me once you¡¯ve gathered all the signatures.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Lin Ning started to study the form.

    ¡°And, tell Yan Yu something for me,¡± Qi Changping continued, ¡°He¡¯ll have the team¡¯s absolute personnel authority if the higher-ups agree to it, on the condition that he wins battles.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Lin Ning, of course, understood what ¡°the team¡¯s absolute personnel authority¡± meant, but she didn¡¯t read too much into it. Or perhaps, up to this point, the impression Yan Yu had left on her wasn¡¯t bad, and it didn¡¯t make her interpret it in that way, ¡°I¡¯ll tell him.¡±

    ¡°Mhmm.¡± Qi Changping sighed inwardly, but he didn¡¯t continue with the hints.

    All he could hope for now was that Yan Yu would behave honorably and not end up causing all the girls in the team to become pregnant, igniting a major scandal, and eventually dragging the instructors into the mess.

 Chapter 61 - 60: Red Horned Creature at 3x Speed

    Chapter 61: Chapter 60: Red Horned Creature at 3x Speed

    Zhendong Army had authorized Yan Yu to form a combat team, and naturally, the other military forces would not fall behind. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Lingnan Province¡¯s Royal Palace of the Annan National Defense Academy soon appointed Li Zhaojiang as the team captain and Li Minghu as the vice-captain. The siblings were tasked with selecting members.

    The first thing to do after the team was formed was to play the recordings of the four-institute exchange matches for everyone, with the vice-captain Li Minghu personally explaining and reviewing the footage.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to watch the other fights.¡± Knowing his brother was thin-skinned and cared about his face, Li Minghu clicked on the video, immediately dragged the mouse to the very end, ¡°I understand everyone¡¯s time is precious, we should only watch the one with the most technical content.¡±

    ¡°The final round bout between Yan Yu and Liu Longtao.¡± Li Zhaojiang nodded with feigned seriousness, ¡°Indeed, it is worth detailed study.¡±

    The team members kept silent. In fact, everyone knew the captain had lost all three of his fights, but no one was foolish enough to point that out.

    ...

    The video quickly came to an end, totaling less than 10 seconds.

    Yan Yu first stepped back to evade the attack, then followed with a Curved Curse Punch that made Liu Longtao stagger.

    Then he pretended to use the Runescript to fool Liu Longtao into casting the Barrier Charm, and then he switched from clapping hands to Iron Mountain Lean, returning to the Curved Curse, sending Liu Longtao flying once more.

    It was over.

    ¡°Now that we have watched it, what are your thoughts?¡± Li Minghu paused the video and summarized with a smile, ¡°I believe Yan Yu¡¯s victory in this battle is due to both conventional and unorthodox factors.¡±

    ¡°The unorthodox factor lies in the fact that his two successful attacks both involved outsmarting Liu Longtao¡¯s Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse using the Wood Bending Charm. With wood overpowering earth, the Barrier Charm is forcibly broken, and the areas it hits will suffer obstructed meridians and sealed acupoints, which unless cleared with the Runescript, hinder the circulation of qi.¡±

    ¡°So in the future, when we cast the Five Spells, we must pay attention to the interplay of the five elements. If your opponent has closed in on you and you still foolishly use the Barrier Charm for defense, a single Curved Curse can have you sprawling on the ground.¡±

    ¡°As for the conventional aspect, the reason he was able to land his attacks was that his sheer capability truly overwhelmed Liu Longtao. Do you know in which aspect?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s his spell switching speed,¡± said Li Zhaojiang with a cool, expressionless face.

    ¡°Exactly, it¡¯s his spell switching speed,¡± Li Minghu said with a smile, dragging the mouse to rewind the footage, ¡°Look here.¡±

    She replayed the video at 0.5x speed for everyone:

    ¡°Here Yan Yu is already in close range, why doesn¡¯t Liu Longtao quickly end the Barrier Charm?¡±

    ¡°Because he is afraid it won¡¯t be fast enough,¡± continued Li Zhaojiang.

    ¡°Yes, even at 0.5x speed, you can see that Yan Yu¡¯s closing speed is extremely fast, something that can¡¯t be achieved by Cloud Ascension Technique alone,¡± said Li Minghu with a nod, ¡°He must have used the Shifting Technique, leveraging its high speed to close in on Liu Longtao, braking with the Cloud Ascension Technique upon getting close, and then switching back to the Curved Curse.¡±

    ¡°All these actions were completed in a flash, so from Liu Longtao¡¯s perspective, there was virtually no gap between Yan Yu closing in and casting the Curved Curse, making it hard to defend in advance.¡±

    ¡°If he then tried to end the Barrier Charm, in all likelihood, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to carry out the next move in time, and would have been hit by the attack from the Curved Curse, hence he was forced to use the Barrier Charm to block. The result was the curse being broken and the meridians becoming obstructed; but what if he had tried to switch spells? Then he¡¯d probably be killed instantly.¡±

    Seeing everyone deep in thought, Li Minghu added:

    ¡°I¡¯ve calculated specifically based on this video. Yan Yu¡¯s spell switching speed is three times faster than the average cultivator. Meaning, in the time it takes us to switch one spell, he could easily switch three.¡±

    ¡°In all martial arts, no defense is indestructible, only speed is unbreakable. With such a rapid change of moves, if you can¡¯t keep up, then no matter what you do, he will instantly switch to a countering technique. In this way, you would have no chance of victory whatsoever.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Seeing his teammates¡¯ expressions of shock and to prevent them from losing their fighting spirit, Li Zhaojiang cracked a joke, ¡°If Yan Yu dyed his hair the eight colors of the gods and styled it into a Xiaolan, wouldn¡¯t he be a red-horned triple-speed?¡±

    This meme was so abruptly put together that none of his teammates got the joke, and Li Minghu quickly explained:

    ¡°Therefore, the main focus of our team¡¯s upcoming training schedule is the joint practice of the Three Arts and Five Spells. Everyone must master the execution of the Three Arts and Five Spells to the point of instinct and use proficiency to increase their speed of improvising new moves¡ªof course, we¡¯re not expecting the freakish level of skill showcased by Yan Yu, but at the very least, when we face him in the future, we shouldn¡¯t be taken down within a few moves.¡±

    The team members all nodded and took note.

    Now that all four armies have formed their teams, there is a subtle relationship between cooperation and competition. With the four-college exchange competition taking place, who¡¯s to say there won¡¯t be friendly matches between the four teams in the future? Using Yan Yu as a training target is most certainly the right decision.

    Under the leadership of Li Minghu, the Annan Army team quickly set its training goals for the near future.

    Meanwhile, at the Pingxi National Defense Academy located in Shuzhong Prefecture of Nanchuan Province, team captain Zhou Hongyu sat in silence, letting vice captain Zhang Huaide play the video to the end.

    ¡°The most impressive thing about Yan Yu is his change-up speed, which far exceeds the average level,¡± Zhang Huaide concluded, ¡°If it¡¯s a one-on-one fight, it¡¯s nearly impossible to beat him, even if one fights desperately¡­¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Seeing him address the uncomfortable truth, Tang Xiaolian hurriedly interrupted him, ¡°We don¡¯t need to talk about one-on-one fights; the power discrepancy is clear. Everyone just needs to practice hard afterwards. Talk about what to do in team combat.¡±

    ¡°Team combat is much simpler,¡± Zhang Huaide replied, ¡°Yan Yu might be able to change moves at triple speed, but his teammates might not be able to keep up with him; that way, they cannot combine their attacks effectively.¡±

    ¡°If he chooses to coordinate with his teammates, then he would have to give up his own advantage, equivalent to handicapping himself; considering his quick move changes, he doesn¡¯t really need to combine attacks with others, so I tend to think that in team fights, he will opt to go solo.¡±

    ¡°Once he goes solo, our tactical focus should be on finding ways to isolate Yan Yu from his teammates. The specific tactics can be adapted to the situation and change according to the circumstances, but generally, they will definitely lean towards this direction.¡±

    ¡°By isolating Yan Yu, whether we choose to first gnaw away at this toughest stone or prioritize knocking his teammates out of the game, we will have a lot of options afterward.¡±

    ¡°Enough,¡± Zhou Hongyu was actually already impatient, but her resentment towards Yan Yu suppressed her impulsive irritation. Now that Zhang Huaide had finished his analysis, she immediately slammed the table and declared, ¡°Regardless of how the tactics change, without strength, it¡¯s all in vain!¡±

    ¡°From now on, everybody needs to practice fiercely!¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± The teammates responded in unison.

    Over at the Dingbei National Defense College, Liu Longtao was sitting alone in his office, watching the video on his computer, dragging the progress bar forward with his right hand, playing it, then dragging it, and playing it again, repeatedly.

    His left hand rested beside the keyboard, silently clenched into a fist.

    Ye Jun brought over some tea, and seeing him watching the video of his own defeat by Yan Yu in two moves, she paused for a moment before placing the tea beside him.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Liu Longtao said softly.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Ye Jun replied quietly.

    She quickly turned to leave the office, and only when she was out did she quietly pull out her phone and opened the video of the four-college exchange competition.

    This video was secretly requested by Ye Jun from the instructor and Liu Longtao was not made aware of it.

    After watching the video several times from beginning to end, she let out a quiet sigh and dragged it into a newly created ¡°Tactics¡± folder, then added a password.

 Chapter 62 - 61: First Round of Girl Group Practice

    Chapter 62: Chapter 61: First Round of Girl Group Practice

    ¡°`

    Chen Lingyun, Su Yunjin, Lin Ning, and Zhao Yuanzhen stood at the front of the Cloud Ascension Technique training ground¡ªthe area behind was scattered with an assortment of low walls, rooftops, and obstacles simulating an urban environment.

    Yan Yu casually strolled past the girls with his hands clasped behind his back, as if he were a general inspecting his troops.

    ¡°Since everyone is already acquainted with one another, we¡¯ll skip the round of introductions this time.¡± Finally, he came to a stop in front of everyone and asked in a deep voice, ¡°Does anyone know the original purpose of establishing our war team?¡±

    ¡°Is it to open your harem?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Yan Yu quickly pointed and ordered coldly, ¡°Cause any more trouble, and you¡¯re out of the team! Lin Ning, you speak.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Yes.¡± Lin Ning immediately answered earnestly, ¡°As military professionals, cultivators have limited ability when fighting alone. The original purpose of our war team was to complete those more difficult, teamwork-requiring, and arduous combat missions. This is my personal understanding.¡±

    ¡°The meaning is more or less the same.¡± Yan Yu nodded slightly and said, ¡°We are the first tactical squad sanctioned by the Zhendong Army to investigate how to more effectively employ organized supernatural force, to defeat, crush, and kill our enemies.¡±

    ¡°To put it bluntly, it¡¯s about winning! Victory alone is the goal we pursue!¡±

    The girls did not speak, merely looking at him quietly.

    Yan Yu paused for a moment before continuing:

    ¡°There¡¯s no feminism on the battlefield, and the enemy won¡¯t go easy on you just because you are women. The higher-ups also won¡¯t adopt more lenient evaluation standards due to your gender.¡±

    ¡°If we win, it¡¯s ¡®women are as good as men, and the girls are all capable¡¯; if we lose, it¡¯s ¡®those women really aren¡¯t cut out for war, and the place for women in battle is in the maternity ward.¡¯¡­ Sorry, I¡¯m just that blunt. But if you lose, there will undoubtedly be those who come to question me, saying I recruited beautiful women into the team ¡®to open a harem.¡¯ That kind of vile remark, I can tolerate, can you?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said loudly, glancing sideways at Chen Lingyun, who was still smiling, and threatening ominously, ¡°If anyone dares to mention harems again, you don¡¯t need to act; I¡¯ll deal with her myself!¡±

    ¡°You shut up too!¡± Yan Yu pointed again and scolded Zhao Yuanzhen, ¡°Who asked you?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen sulked privately, holding a silent grudge:

    ¡°This scoundrel dared to scold and chastise me in front of everyone today; I shall have my revenge! If a day comes when I call the shots, I too shall humiliate him severely in front of everyone. I¡¯ll make him weep bitterly beneath my pomegranate skirt and be unable to lift his head!¡±

    Seeing the Demonic Sect Enchantress bow her head in submission, Yan Yu didn¡¯t continue to berate her to stir up enmity, but casually spoke:

    ¡°Starting today, you won¡¯t need to attend the usual afternoon training sessions. As team leader, I¡¯ve been given the authority to design and organize the team¡¯s training exercises.¡±

    ¡°Considering your current level of strength, I¡¯ve decided to skip actual combat training for the first session, and we¡¯ll start from the simplest exercises.¡±

    Yan Yu turned towards the Cloud Ascension Technique training ground and pointed to a low wall erected there, saying:

    ¡°From this position, initiate Shifting Technique at full sprint towards the low wall, then interrupt the Shifting Technique and come to a stop using the Cloud Ascension Technique.¡±

    ¡°My requirement is that when you come to a stop with the Cloud Ascension Technique, your position must be as close to the low wall as possible¡ªclose enough that with an arm¡¯s length, you could touch the wall. Once you can do that, this training is considered complete.¡±

    Everyone started to ponder the task.

    Once Shifting Technique is initiated, the sprinting speed can reach around 60 yards. Charging towards an obstacle at that speed is extremely risky because even a slight delay in decelerating could result in a direct collision, resulting in a bloody injury.

    Not to mention, the ¡°deceleration¡± Yan Yu referred to is actually two consecutive actions: first, interrupting the Shifting Technique, then activating the Cloud Ascension Technique, instantly making the operation much more difficult.

    However, the girls harbored no complaints.

    Chen Lingyun considered herself extremely clever, and of course, she could see that Yan Yu¡¯s arrangement was meant to train their reaction ability and speed in switching spells.

    Su Yunjin was also smart, thinking that if they really mastered this, it would afford them a considerable advantage in actual combat, as moving at high speed while maintaining precise positioning would be unmatched.

    And Lin Ning was even simpler. With a typical problem-solver mentality, she thought, ¡°You tell me how to train, I train, and that¡¯s it. If I perform poorly in the end, it¡¯s because I didn¡¯t train enough.¡±

    ¡°`

    Everyone had their first try and then looked at each other¡¯s scores: Su Yunjin 2.3 meters, Lin Ning 2.2 meters, Chen Lingyun 1.4 meters¡­ This woman, as Yan Yu knew from his past life, had nearly perfect timing, barely missing touching the wall¡¯s surface with more proficiency.

    However, the most surprising to the three girls was Zhao Yuanzhen.

    She stopped exactly an arm¡¯s length away from the short wall, stretching out her right hand to touch it, and calmly turned her head towards Yan Yu, displaying a disdainful expression:

    ¡°Is this good enough?¡±

    Yan Yu was not surprised by her performance, since Zhao Yuanzhen was, after all, a cultivator who had traveled through from another world and was accustomed to using sword flight for long journeys.

    Because it was sword flight, the grasp of timing and distance had to be perfect; otherwise, one might not be able to stop in time when landing and would end up face-planting into the dirt, completely losing their immortal dignity.

    ¡°Very good,¡± Yan Yu said with his arms crossed over his chest, ¡°You¡¯ve passed the first training exercise.¡±

    Chen Lingyun wasn¡¯t surprised by this, and Su Yunjin appeared indifferent, but Lin Ning felt as if she¡¯d been struck by lightning.

    Not being able to surpass Yan Yu and take first place was one thing, but now Zhao Yuanzhen could leave her far behind?

    Lin Ning looked at the short wall again, her heart now filled with the motivation to continue training, wishing she could treat this exercise like the annual university entrance exam papers of all provinces, brushing through a hundred sets of them first.

    ¡°So what?¡± As expected of the Demonic Sect Enchantress, as Yan Yu predicted, Zhao Yuanzhen started getting carried away. She lifted her delicate chin flirtatiously and asked contemptuously, ¡°What other training is there? Bring it on for me to savor.¡±

    ¡°Easy to say, the second exercise is very simple,¡± Yan Yu sneered, ¡°Fight me.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    On the 10th defeat, Zhao Yuanzhen was struck in the back by Yan Yu¡¯s palm and immediately lost control of her body, staggering forward and almost tumbling to the ground.

    She barely managed to stabilize herself and struggled to regulate her breathing, feeling pain all over her body.

    Yan Yu hadn¡¯t even used the Flame Curse or the Curved Curse, just the Shifting Technique and the Cloud Ascension Technique to control the distance and move laterally, easily confusing and overwhelming Zhao Yuanzhen. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Of course, the Demonic Sect Enchantress didn¡¯t think it was her fault ¨C she blamed the slow resurgence of spiritual energy in this world!

    Zhao Yuanzhen glared at Yan Yu hatefully, not having time to accumulate more resentment toward him in her heart, as her mind instantly conjured up seven or eight cunning spells that could ignore his agile movements and defeat him easily.

    However, she couldn¡¯t use any of them.

    Not only because the current concentration of spiritual energy in the environment was insufficient for their normal potency, but also because even if she cast them, she would have no way to explain to her teammates ¡°where she had learned these spells from.¡±

    The only ones she could use openly were the Three Arts and Five Spells.

    Both the Three Arts and Five Spells were considered basic spells in Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s world of cultivation, consuming very little True Yuan and having mediocre power; usually, only Taoists in rural Taoist temples would practice them to deceive the nearby villagers.

    How maddening! What proper cultivator would specialize in these? And yet I still can¡¯t beat him!

    Wait, could it be that his master taught him some kind of divination skills? Like, predicting my moves in advance¡­ something like that?

    Zhao Yuanzhen was shocked, thinking about the promised fair fight, but this was like cheating with divination!

    With the Five Elemental True Character Curse¡¯s inter-promoting and inter-restricting nature, if you predict my moves in advance, how could I possibly defeat you?

    ¡°No more fighting!¡± she said huffily, ¡°Keep being shameless! Hmph, so what if you win, I still look down on you!¡±

    Yan Yu: ???

    Though he wasn¡¯t sure what the Demonic Sect Enchantress had misunderstood, it seemed best to beat her up first and then inquire what was confused in her mind.

 Chapter 63 - 62 Consulting Teacher Yan

    Chapter 63: Chapter 62 Consulting Teacher Yan

    The first day¡¯s training session consisted of performing precise emergency stops while augmented by the Shifting Technique.

    The second day¡¯s training session still focused on precise emergency stops.

    The third day¡¯s training session was, once again, all about precise emergency stops.

    The fourth day¡­ Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin were fine, but Lin Ning was becoming somewhat restless.

    It wasn¡¯t that she found the exercise boring, but rather because at the public training ground, an instructor had invited combat experts to teach the students military combat techniques.

    As everyone knows, the Wood Bending Charm in the Five Elemental True Character Curse isn¡¯t inherently offensive; it merely bestows strength upon fists and kicks. To unleash its lethal potential, you have to be skilled with your fists and feet.

    ...

    Having strength without technique is useless; if your blows don¡¯t land, it¡¯s all for naught.

    But Yan Yu¡ªwhat was he thinking? At least for now, he didn¡¯t seem to have any plans to let everyone learn hand-to-hand combat and was idly lying on a bench nearby, playing with his phone.

    He didn¡¯t even come over to check on everyone¡¯s progress, appearing completely unconcerned.

    Lin Ning was beginning to get angry, but she tried her best to contain it.

    If Yan Yu knew what was on her mind, he would surely cry out ¡°injustice¡± three times. Because he wasn¡¯t just playing on his phone, he was, in fact, dealing with something much more important.

    The future Eclipse Queen of Siberia, Anna, had already left Shengjing and Lu Country with her father, emigrating to Amur in the Far Eastern region of Rakshasa Country.

    Anna met her mother¡­ But contrary to her expectations, her mother¡¯s attitude was not warm. Though her mother had initially promised her father to help find a job, she now claimed to be ¡°too busy¡± and suggested he ¡°first ask around in the local Chinese community¡±.

    Luckily, Anna still had her aunt¡¯s phone number, and after calling, she learned that recently, her mother had been dating a local Rakshasa man and was preparing for a second marriage.

    The young girl¡¯s guess was that her mother intended to cut ties completely with her ex-husband and daughter, so as not to let her Rakshasa boyfriend notice and get the wrong idea.

    The biggest challenge now facing the father and daughter was whether to return to their country and endure the criticism of relatives and friends, or to struggle to make a living in a foreign land where everything was unfamiliar.

    Anna was extremely fearful of the latter, but her father absolutely refused to choose the former. Both were worrying about what to do next and tacitly avoiding the issue that the father had previously been confident that his ex-wife would help arrange the emigration and jobs, even delaying his daughter¡¯s future because of it, only to eventually find out it was all wishful thinking on his part.

    This turn of events had put a great deal of psychological pressure on Anna, and of course, she dared not vent at her father, knowing that his own mental strain would only be greater than hers. So, she turned to Yan Yu as her confidant.

    Yan Yu silently stared at the phone. In just a few minutes, he had received over 40 messages from Anna. He didn¡¯t even want to look at them.

    Women are such a hassle.

    Of course, since he had decided to maintain a friendship with her, he definitely couldn¡¯t give up halfway; otherwise, all the effort he had put in so far would be wasted.

    Yan Yu, lying back on the bench, responded with half-hearted typing, pressed the send button, set aside his phone, and then saw a pretty face in front of him that had appeared out of nowhere.

    It was Lin Ning¡¯s face, with a look of dissatisfaction.

    Yan Yu¡¯s gaze naturally shifted downward and saw that she was standing at the edge of the bench, hands on her hips, upper body leaning down towards him with a puffed expression, locking eyes with him.

    Today she wore hot denim shorts that highlighted her pale, model-worthy legs that could grace the cover of an online shop, and a sleeveless tank top that revealed half of the sports bra underneath along the edges of the straps. Her shoulders were equally smooth and well-defined, complete with her delicate and slender collarbones.

    Such a beautiful girl could easily have had a comfortable life in this modern society where looks matter so much. Even if she just went to a live streaming platform to become a female broadcaster, she could instantly have the top patron raining down gold coins on her.

    Too bad, she ultimately chose to enter the fiercely competitive and least superficial world of cultivators¡­ Curse you, Spiritual Energy Resurgence! You¡¯ve ruined so many lives!

    Yan Yu was distracted. Perhaps because his gaze lingered too long, Lin Ning self-consciously adjusted her tank top¡¯s strap to cover more skin on her chest, then, still adjusting the strap, she asked,

    ¡°They¡¯re teaching hand-to-hand combat over there; do we not need to learn that?¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    ¡°Why?¡± Lin Ning asked doubtfully. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the skills from hand-to-hand combat be very helpful after learning the Curved Curse?¡±

    ¡°Not really,¡± Yan Yu said dismissively. ¡°What do you think hand-to-hand combat skills are based on?¡±

    ¡°Er, aren¡¯t they summarized from actual combat experience by our predecessors?¡± Lin Ning said uncertainly.

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu nodded. ¡°Whose actual combat? Ordinary people.¡±

    ¡°The hand-to-hand combat techniques used by the military nowadays, instructing you on how to position yourself, how to punch, are all aimed to allow you to make the most of the power of your waist, abdomen, and arms to make your punches stronger and more forceful.¡±

    ¡°But as I have said, these are concerns for ordinary people. With the empowerment of the Wood Bending Charm, a cultivator can greatly enhance their muscle strength. You don¡¯t need to rely on the power of your waist and abdomen; once you activate the charm, a casual punch could shatter an opponent¡¯s skull or rupture their internal organs, causing instant death. Is there any need to go to the trouble of learning the stances and punches of ordinary people then?¡± sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°But what if the opponent is also a cultivator?¡± Lin Ning felt almost convinced but still confirmed, ¡°I remember you said that before practicing the Wood Bending Charm, it would be best to go through the military boxing, right? If both sides are cultivators, fighting in close combat with charms, wouldn¡¯t it come down to whose combat skills are more sophisticated?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± said Yan Yu leisurely. ¡°If you throw punches wildly and can¡¯t even hit the opponent standing in front of you, it¡¯s necessary to at least learn the basics to reach a passing level.¡±

    ¡°But after reaching the passable level, is it necessary to delve deeper into it? This is a question worth discussing. Lin Ning, ask yourself, do you like hand-to-hand combat?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Lin Ning thought to herself that she was a girl; how could she possibly enjoy fistfights, ¡°but isn¡¯t it true that the Wood Bending Charm, which can counter the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse, is a skill that every cultivator must master?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the case now, but it might not be in the future,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, guessing her true answer from her avoidance of the question, ¡°If I tell you now, you wouldn¡¯t understand anyway, just trust me.¡±

    Just as the insects of summer cannot comprehend the ice and snow of winter, early cultivators of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence era couldn¡¯t imagine the extravagant scenes of later periods, with Immortal Swords flying everywhere and Taoism Method sweeping across the battlefield. The Three Arts and Five Spells being studied now are only basic spells, and there will be stronger advanced spells later on, so it¡¯s unnecessary to invest too much effort in researching them.

    The Metal-Element Impact Curse is a precursor to Sword Qi, Wood Bending Charm and Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse are precursors to physical cultivation, while the Water-Element Runescript and Fire Blazing Charm are precursors to Taoism Method. As the spiritual energy gradually recovers, the number of sects and spells will be too numerous to count, which is why it¡¯s crucial for everyone to make choices and sacrifices.

    One cannot simultaneously be a sword cultivator, a spell caster, and a body cultivator, just as a high school student cannot choose both arts and sciences. What good does it do to learn and test in three comprehensive courses in high school? People won¡¯t think you¡¯re amazing; they¡¯ll just think you¡¯re an idiot who has fried their brain with excessive studying.

    In her previous life, Lin Ning was a sword cultivator and performed exceptionally well, so she really didn¡¯t need to delve into hand-to-hand combat skills.

    If the goal now is to maximize the value of training, then it would certainly be best to practice the basics, to improve reaction speed, and to cultivate a sense of distance, direction, and spatial awareness¡ªthese are the things that retain substantial practical value in the later stages of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence.

    Lin Ning came over and asked a flurry of questions but didn¡¯t get any answer; she went back with nothing except a vague assurance of ¡°just trust me.¡±

    Yan Yu continued to play with his phone. Not long after, someone poked his shoulder.

    Putting down his phone, he saw it was Chen Lingyun, that rubbish woman.

    Unlike Lin Ning, who was in a tank top, shorts, and sneakers, Chen Lingyun had chosen a white women¡¯s blouse for the day, with a tie affixed to the shirt by a brooch, and pants with a sense of design, along with canvas shoes that female university students are particularly fond of.

    Her hair was tied into cute twin ponytails, making her look not like she was here for training but rather like she was here for a spring outing. Coupled with her innocent yet insincere smiling face, Yan Yu found her increasingly disagreeable no matter how he looked at her.

    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked deliberately in a threatening and unfriendly tone. ¡°Is your training done? If it¡¯s not, what are you doing here? Slacking off, right? As the assistant squad leader, you dare to be lazy; be careful, or I¡¯ll strip you of your title!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not slacking off; I have a serious question for you,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°As for the assistant squad leader, you can replace me; I don¡¯t care.¡±

    ¡°What serious question?¡± Yan Yu sat up from the bench.

    ¡°Yan Yu, you¡¯ve heard of the ¡®Assistant Enforcer Spellcaster,¡¯ haven¡¯t you?¡± Chen Lingyun blinked.

 Chapter 64 - 63: The Assistant Enforcer of the Sword of Law

    Chapter 64: Chapter 63: The Assistant Enforcer of the Sword of Law

    ¡°Assistant Sword Control Envoy?¡± Yan Yu was slightly surprised, his thoughts whirling. ¡°Is it already time to choose professions? That¡¯s not right, it¡¯s only June!¡±

    ¡°From my understanding, ¡®Taoism Method,¡¯ ¡®Swordsmanship,¡¯ ¡®Assistant,¡¯ and ¡®Enforcer¡¯ refer to four different combat schools within the cultivators.¡± Chen Lingyun sat down beside him, relaying the intelligence she had learned. ¡°The Taoism Method refers to bombardment and suppression through Taoist techniques; Swordsmanship involves attacking with Flying Swords and Sword Control Techniques; Assistant signifies augmenting one¡¯s own combat abilities using treasures, Talismans, Elixir Medicines, and other external aids; Enforcer is about controlling and commanding other external forces in battle, such as spiritual beasts, Poisonous Insects, Demons, ghosts, and so on.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s more or less like that,¡± Yan Yu nodded. ¡°So, you¡¯re here to ask which school is better to choose?¡± S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Yep,¡± Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t bother hiding it. ¡°The concept of these combat schools has already been assigned to an expert group for research.¡±

    ¡°Although I don¡¯t know when we¡¯ll have a systematized theory of professions, in view of the current situation, which is likely to get increasingly worse, the higher-ups may have us make choices before the research is fully understood.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s on your mind, then?¡± Yan Yu asked her.

    ...

    ¡°I want to choose the Taoism Method,¡± Chen Lingyun said straightforwardly.

    ¡°The Taoism Method isn¡¯t suitable for you,¡± Yan Yu replied without hesitation.

    ¡°Oh? Why do you say that?¡± Chen Lingyun raised an eyebrow and smiled.

    ¡°The main combat method of the Taoism Method is Taoist techniques,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently. ¡°Among the four schools, Taoist techniques on average consume the most True Yuan.¡±

    ¡°Your natural talent isn¡¯t high, and your total amount of True Yuan is relatively limited. If you insist on choosing the Taoism Method, when facing cultivators of the same realm, your disadvantage of insufficient True Yuan will be magnified manifold.¡±

    ¡°What you¡¯re saying isn¡¯t wrong,¡± Chen Lingyun was still smiling. ¡°But having insufficient True Yuan isn¡¯t a fatal weakness, right? I can compensate with careful calculation and grasping the right timing.¡±

    ¡°So what?¡± Yan Yu looked at her sidelong, replying with a cold laugh. ¡°A cripple, no matter how fast he can run with the aid of a device, how can he compete on the same stage with a professional athlete? You¡¯re not looking for your strengths, but, instead, you want to strengthen your weaknesses and then insist on competing with others with your weakness. Are you not used to being at a disadvantage, or is your head filled with water that you need to stuff some sanitary pads in it?¡±

    In her previous life, as a Taoism Method practitioner acting from the rear with long-range attacks, Chen Lingyun¡¯s actual combat performance couldn¡¯t be considered bad; in fact, it was quite good. However, the issue of insufficient True Yuan frequently arose, like someone good at science who could score 290 points but chose humanities instead and got 250. You couldn¡¯t say their results were poor, but when there was a better option available, why wouldn¡¯t you choose it?

    ¡°Then what school do you think I should choose?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smiling glint in her eye.

    ¡°Servant Envoy,¡± Yan Yu answered without a moment¡¯s hesitation. ¡°The Servant Envoy school, which involves controlling external entities, truly requires using one¡¯s brain in battle and can maximize your inherent strengths and advantages.¡±

    ¡°But being a Servant Envoy requires having powerful ¡®Servant Envoys¡¯ of your own,¡± Chen Lingyun showed a troubled expression on purpose and said, ¡°Beasts, insects, Demons, ghosts¡­ I don¡¯t have any of these. What should I do? Maybe I should just start with the Taoism Method and then transition later.¡±

    ¡°Transition to what?¡± Yan Yu¡¯s brows furrowed instantly. ¡°If you start with one Taoist technique and later switch to, say, ghost control, could what you learned first and the ghost control connect? Can they form a clear strategy that complements weaknesses and enhances each other? If not, wouldn¡¯t that first Taoist technique be learned in vain?¡±

    ¡°Moreover, finding powerful ¡®Servant Envoys¡¯ isn¡¯t that difficult. There¡¯s a saying: ¡®Southeast for spiritual beasts, southwest for insects, northeast for Demons, northwest for ghosts.¡¯ If you want any type of ¡®Servant Envoys,¡¯ just go to the corresponding Mysterious Realm and search¡­¡±

    At this point, Yan Yu suddenly caught himself and his expression turned suspicious as he looked at Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°Are you trying to trick me?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile was sweet.

    ¡°You were hoping I would give you advice,¡± Yan Yu had his epiphany. ¡°But you were also worried about being laughed at by me, so you pretended to be stubbornly wrong-headed, veering towards the incorrect direction, just to coax the right answer out of me!¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Chen Lingyun was still smiling. ¡°Please don¡¯t let your imagination run wild with scenarios. I simply think that the Taoism Method practitioners, in terms of development potential and trendiness, are superior to the other three schools.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit!¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t sugarcoat his opinion. ¡°A Sword Immortal thrusts forth alone, claiming lives amidst thousands of troops¡ªisn¡¯t that trendy? An Assistant Officer brandishes a sword capable of killing immortals; a flash of silver and heads fall¡ªisn¡¯t that trendy? A Servant Envoy commands Demons and ghosts, riding clouds and mist, leaving a trail of corpses wherever the eerie wind passes¡ªisn¡¯t that trendy?¡±

    ¡°You just keep thinking about that broken Taoism Method all day long, on one hand, you know quite well that you don¡¯t have much True Yuan and aren¡¯t suited to be a Taoism cultivator; on the other hand, you refuse to let go and come to me for advice. If you really trusted me, you could be inquiring about the path of the Envoy now, and I guarantee you that would suit you better than being a Taoism cultivator.¡±

    ¡°Hmm~¡± Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t express agreement or disagreement, but asked, ¡°If I really choose to become an Envoy, what kind of servant should I choose?¡±

    ¡°Demons, of course.¡± Yan Yu said without hesitation, ¡°What about the other types, like controlling poisonous insects? Could you deal with that?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s colorful and gorgeous butterflies, I guess I could,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°See, I knew you were picky,¡± Yan Yu revealed a ¡®just as I thought¡¯ cold smile and then analyzed, ¡°First of all, eliminate the option of using insects because you, as the young lady, can¡¯t stand bugs; second, eliminate using demons because the uglier the demon, the stronger its power. These two actually suit male cultivators better.¡±

    ¡°Regarding beast tamers and ghost handlers, spirit beasts are difficult to raise and train, and they often fight amongst themselves. In actual combat, usually, only one or two beasts fight together, so they don¡¯t require much in terms of commanding skills; with your calculating nature, you are undoubtedly most suited to be a ghost handler. Their methods of attack are tricky and changeable, allowing for collective or even group combat¡ªthis is the career that will let you play to your strengths the most.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Chen Lingyun pondered for a moment and said, ¡°However, in traditional culture, ghosts are ultimately considered an ill omen, wouldn¡¯t being a ghost handler affect my public image?¡±

    ¡°What public image?¡± Yan Yu said with contemptuous disdain, ¡°Public image is crap!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only people over fifty, the old men and women, who might consider such things as ghosts to be evil spirits and shun them; for the majority of young people today, strength is beauty, victory is cool. As long as you¡¯re consistently victorious, who would dare criticize your use of ghosts? If there really are some who can¡¯t see clearly, call upon the people of Jianghai Prefecture to go online, and with one comment per person, they¡¯d take him down.¡±

    Having listened to Yan Yu¡¯s analysis, Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile returned, and she already had an answer in her heart.

    She was of course aware that she wasn¡¯t suited for Taoism cultivation; the fact that her True Yuan was lacking was plain to see. But if not Taoism cultivation, then what?

    Sword Immortals required quick reflexes on the spot, and Chen Lingyun was the type who preferred to strategize before taking action.

    Like how she had been practicing the Shifting Technique for abrupt stops and positioning these past few days¡ªif you let her calculate the distance from the wall, the speed, and the timing for the abrupt stop beforehand, she could get it almost right on the first try. However, if a wall suddenly appeared while she was in the midst of using the Shifting Technique, she would most likely be unable to react in time.

    If Sword Immortal wasn¡¯t an option, that left only Assistant Officer and Envoy.

    An Assistant Officer relied on external items like magical artifacts, Talismans, and Elixir Medicine to enhance their own strength. A large part of a cultivator¡¯s power depended on ¡°how formidable the borrowed item was.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s father did indeed intend for her to choose Assistant Officer, since in the future he could use his influence within the Zhendong Army to prioritize getting her a powerful magical artifact.

    But Miss Chen despised any potential risk of failure and was even less inclined to gamble her future career on ¡°when the military might find a good artifact.¡±

    The situation of an Envoy was between that of a Taoism cultivator and an Assistant Officer. On one hand, the rank of the servant directly determined the strength of the Envoy. Much like the base stats in Pok¨¦mon, if someone brought out a legendary Pok¨¦mon in battle, and you only had a caterpie, you would obviously lose.

    On the other hand, an Envoy also needed to use secret arts to refine their servants, as well as research how to cooperate with the servants to execute various combined attack routines.

    Therefore, among the four major paths, the Envoy was the most complex and troublesome combat style. To use Yan Yu¡¯s words, ¡°It¡¯s the one that truly requires brains in battle.¡±

    After thinking it through thoroughly, Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t reveal her thoughts but merely smiled brightly at Yan Yu, curiously asking,

    ¡°Then what path do you plan to choose?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll see when the time comes.¡± Yan Yu brushed it off, not intending to discuss this matter further with Chen Lingyun.

    In fact, since he had cultivated the Silken Bond Technique with Zhao Yuanzhen, his choice of path had already been decided.

    Even among the diverse category of Assistant Officers, it was a rare and special profession:

    Puppet Master.

 Chapter 65 - 64: The Living Intelligence Repository

    Chapter 65: Chapter 64: The Living Intelligence Repository

    The time entered late June.

    The first training project arranged by Yan Yu had finally reached its conclusion.

    Chen Lingyun, Su Yunjin, and Lin Ning could all abruptly come to a full stop while moving at full speed with the Shifting Technique, ensuring they stopped within a precise range of one meter from the target.

    At first glance, mastering this skill might seem rather unremarkable, amounting to little more than an increase in maneuverability. Achieving Yan Yu¡¯s ¡°Lightning Assault,¡± however, would require the ability to execute an ¡°instant triple-switch¡±, which combines the Shifting Technique with the Cloud Ascension Technique and then an Attack Spell Technique. Currently, the girls could only manage the ¡°initial double-switch.¡±

    Of course, it cannot be denied that mastering the ¡°initial double-switch¡± is a prerequisite for learning the ¡°successive triple-switch,¡± so it wasn¡¯t exactly a waste of time.

    By the way, after Yan Yu unveiled this tactic during the four academies¡¯ exchange tournament, the military had already named it ¡°Lightning Assault.¡±

    ...

    The name might sound a bit unsophisticated, but the Lu Country¡¯s military had never been particularly gifted in the field of naming. Take the names of the serving top special forces units, for example, which generally include leopards, tigers, lions, etc. Thus, ¡°Lightning Assault¡± was already them performing beyond expectations.

    Upon confirming that everyone had mastered the ¡°Shifting Technique switch to Cloud Ascension Technique,¡± Yan Yu did not immediately start the girls on learning ¡°Lightning Assault,¡± but instead, he created different training plans for each one of them.

    ¡°Lin Ning,¡± he instructed, ¡°your second training plan is to learn how to accurately hit a target with the Metal-Element Impact Curse while moving at full speed under the enhancement of the Shifting Technique. I require you to achieve at least four hits out of five shots; your accuracy must be above 80%.¡±

    Lin Ning immediately began pondering.

    A Cultivator could only cast one Curse Technique at a time, so to fire the Metal-Element Impact Curse, it was necessary to break off the Shifting Technique that was currently being invoked.

    Fortunately, even if the Shifting Technique was interrupted, the speed wouldn¡¯t drop to zero instantly. Thus, the goal of her practice would be: to first accelerate to full speed using the Shifting Technique, then immediately interrupt it, and continue moving at high speed using inertia, while in such a state, practice shooting with the Impact Curse¡­

    ¡°Chen Lingyun,¡± Yan Yu left Lin Ning to ponder by herself and turned to Chen Lingyun, ¡°you don¡¯t need to practice combat right now. Go collect information on Transcendents from around the world, preferably with combat videos. We¡¯ll have a small meeting later to explain everything to everyone.¡± Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    Compared to the step-by-step combat training, such intellectual tasks were far too simple for her.

    ¡°Su Yunjin,¡± Yan Yu continued to lay out plans, ¡°you don¡¯t have to practice combat, either. I¡¯ve already spoken to the head of the medical team. From now on, you¡¯ll go to the infirmary every day at 2 p.m. to learn how to treat simple external and internal injuries using the water-based Runescript. Remember to report your progress to me every day.¡±

    ¡°Are you planning to make me the ¡®medic¡¯ of the team?¡± Su Yunjin asked curiously.

    She wasn¡¯t fond of fighting, but if Yan Yu was deliberately arranging for her to avoid frontline combat because of this, Su Yunjin would still be somewhat unhappily unsatisfied.

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Yan Yu denied her assumption, ¡°What the team needs is someone ¡®who knows first aid,¡¯ not a ¡®medic.''¡±

    ¡°I understand now,¡± Su Yunjin sighed with relief.

    ¡°Lastly, Zhao Yuanzhen,¡± Yan Yu looked at the Demonic Sect Enchantress, ¡°your training plan remains unchanged; you¡¯ll still spar with me.¡±

    ¡°Eh!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately protested, indignantly saying, ¡°Why can¡¯t I practice some Curse Technique or study some course like they are?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t,¡± Yan Yu declared.

    ¡°Why!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was incensed. Every time we spar, you beat me like I¡¯m a dog!

    ¡°Because I am the team leader,¡± Yan Yu declared.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was instantly choked with rage, seething inside:

    ¡°Yan Yu, you thief! Using the name of sparring as an excuse to humiliate me in every way possible, if I don¡¯t avenge this, I swear I¡¯m not human! Wait until the day I master the demonic arts, I¡¯ll fight with him every day, I¡¯ll make sure he¡¯s drained of energy, coughing blood and unable to rise, only then will the hatred in my heart be satisfied!¡±

    But the Demonic Sect Enchantress had it wrong: Yan Yu didn¡¯t engage in combat with her just to bully her, he simply didn¡¯t have the time or energy for that.

    The main reason was that Zhao Yuanzhen had been accustomed to fighting in a ¡°high-magic world¡±, and suddenly arriving in this ¡°low-magic world¡± where spiritual energy was just beginning to recover, her past battle experiences had become an obstacle instead.

    It was like asking a soldier accustomed to wielding a gun to take up melee weapons¡ªchances were he wouldn¡¯t fare any better than a beginner, the principle was actually the same.

    Fortunately, the adaptability of the Demonic Sect Enchantress was strong. After each ¡°bullying¡± session, Yan Yu could sense that she was making rapid progress. He estimated that in just over half a month, the Enchantress would be able to completely shed her old thought patterns and thrive in the current thin spiritual energy environment.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    In the cafeteria of Zhendong National Defense Academy, located on the second floor, was a reception room. One of these rooms had been specially requisitioned to serve as ¡°Yan Yu¡¯s Team¡¯s private room¡± so that everyone could dine and gather without being disturbed.

    The reason for this arrangement mainly took into account that team members might discuss sensitive internal team matters over meals, which wouldn¡¯t be preferable for other students to overhear.

    Of course, a certain young lady who preferred to remain unnamed soon exhibited her financial power by adding a television set and a projector to the private room, thus transforming it with just the removal of a dining table into a conference room instantly.

    At this moment, the television on the wall was broadcasting Mitchi Country¡¯s ¡°Superheroes League¡±, officially known as the Superhero Professional League. It was strictly banned from public viewing within the country, with only the military having legal access to the broadcast.

    The purpose of Mitchi¡¯s Superheroes League was to ¡°invite transcendent individuals from all over the world to compete for glory¡±; however, the actual participants were mainly concentrated in various European countries, such as Rakshasa Country¡¯s Spirit Communicators, England¡¯s Wizards, Northern Europe¡¯s Berserkers, Southern Europe¡¯s Will of the Gods Clerics ¡­ and of course, the Clerics who were scattered all over Europe and claimed to be the largest group in scale at present.

    So the question arises, what about Mitchi¡¯s own Transcendents?

    The answer is that they practically don¡¯t exist. It seems that during the stage of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, the Transcendent systems that emerged in each country were related to the ancient mythological and cultural legacies of those nations.

    Mitchi¡¯s issue isn¡¯t just that it has only 400 years of history, but also that the ancient tribes who lived on this land and created these historical myths are now nearly extinct indigenous peoples¡­ It is said that in Arizona and New Mexico, there have emerged local Transcendents who worship the so-called ¡°Mother Nature¡±, and all of them are indigenous ethnicities.

    Hence, it is self-evident why Mitchi is so hastily organizing the Superheroes Professional League and importing a multitude of white Transcendents to the Americas from Europe.

    ¡°Today¡¯s match is between Rakshasa¡¯s Vladimir and England¡¯s Jonas,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Shall we record it for analysis?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°Vladimir¡¯s profession is a werewolf. The cultivators of our future Dingbei Army will be dealing with Rakshasa Country¡¯s werewolves for a long time.¡±

    ¡°As the brother forces, our Zhendong Army cultivators are likely to be called upon to support Dingbei Army at some point, so it¡¯s essential to understand the werewolf profession in advance. However, if possible, everyone should at least have a basic knowledge of all European and American Transcendent systems.¡±

    Upon hearing Yan Yu¡¯s words, Chen Lingyun quickly began to calculate in her mind.

    The Dingbei Army¡¯s main concern was the neighboring Rakshasa Country, hence Rakshasa¡¯s Spirit Communicator system was the primary intelligence the Dingbei was actively investigating.

    The Zhendong Army¡¯s adversaries were Chongying Country and Mitchi Country. Chongying¡¯s Onmyoji system was deeply concealed, with official and civilian cultivators intricately intertwined, making intelligence gathering quite challenging; while Mitchi Country didn¡¯t even recognize its own Transcendent system (or rather did, but did not acknowledge it), to the extent that they had to publicly recruit various Transcendents from Europe massively.

    As a result, to gather intelligence on Mitchi¡¯s cultivators, one would need to understand the entire European Transcendent system¡­ This was an incredibly challenging task for the Zhendong Army.

    Chen Lingyun sneakily glanced at Yan Yu, her face once again lit up with a sweet smile.

    But it probably wouldn¡¯t matter.

    Because our beloved ¡°living intelligence database¡± possesses the advantage of future foresight!

 Chapter 66 - 65 Just Happily All So Beautiful

    Chapter 66: Chapter 65 Just Happily All So Beautiful

    During the lunches and dinners, Yan Yu would watch the live broadcasts of the Superhero League with everyone, and when there wasn¡¯t a live broadcast, they would watch recordings, with Yan Yu explaining as they went along.

    The Spirit Communicators from Rakshasa Country were fierce and brusque, the Wizards from England were tricky and changeable, the Berserkers from Northern Europe grew more ferocious the more they fought, and the variety of godly clerics from Southern Europe was plentiful. In contrast, the Clerics, who were the most numerous, had a basic style: Summon a splendid and dazzling holy scepter and then smash it down mercilessly on the opponent.

    If the opponent couldn¡¯t withstand the attack, they would be defeated, if they did withstand it, they¡¯d counterattack during the Cleric¡¯s attack interval, and then it would be the Cleric¡¯s turn to be unable to withstand.

    Yan Yu had a comprehensive understanding of the five major Transcendent systems in Europe, recalling them as if they were family treasures. No matter what questions the girls had, he could give the most accurate answer without a second thought.

    ¡°The reason why Clerics have such a monotonous style is that those who participate in the Superhero League are generally what you call nominal believers,¡± explained Yan Yu after watching the game recordings. ¡°The really powerful Clerics are currently undergoing austere cultivation in Pope City. For a long time to come, we don¡¯t have to worry about the threat of Clerics.¡±

    Even the Earth, revived with Spiritual Energy, must follow the laws of geopolitics. Lu Country is far away from Europe, bordered on the land route by Rakshasa Country, the Central Asian and Middle Eastern countries, and on the sea route by the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and the whole of the Americas. Hence, European Clerics usually wouldn¡¯t bother to fly across half the Earth to cause trouble in Lu Country.

    ...

    If any really did come over, they¡¯d best be prepared to stay as guests, since Lu Country has always been warm and hospitable to foreign visitors.

    ¡°At this stage, our Zhendong Army Cultivators¡¯ main adversaries are still Chongying Country¡¯s Cultivators, right?¡± Lin Ning confirmed, asking, ¡°Is there any information available on Chongying Country¡¯s Cultivators?¡±

    Speaking of Chongying Country¡¯s Cultivators, several familiar names immediately came to Yan Yu¡¯s mind.

    The Cultivator training system in Chongying Country was very bizarre, being an absolute elitist training regime that made no attempt to hide its nature. Even the most ordinary Cultivators with mediocre talent in Lu Country would at least be organized, guided, and trained before being assigned a job upon graduation. Chongying Country, on the other hand, focused all resources on cultivating ¡®geniuses¡¯ while completely neglecting the ¡®mediocrities,¡¯ even using them as cannon fodder on the battlefield.

    Under such an extreme elitist training regime, the result was that the most formidable first group of Chongying Cultivators not only had considerable renown, but were also formidable enough to hold their own in Lu Country. However, their successors fell short of the mark.

    Having returned to this point in time, Yan Yu had considered slipping into Chongying Country to nip potential threats in the bud.

    Unfortunately, those ¡°old friends¡± were probably undergoing training in some secret base by now, not something outsiders could easily find.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not worry about it for now,¡± Yan Yu calmly answered. ¡°At the present stage, we should focus on improving ourselves first. We¡¯ll analyze any foreign intelligence we can get, but there¡¯s no need to go out of our way looking for it, just let things take their natural course.¡±

    There was a universally applicable truth: as long as your strength was strong enough, it wouldn¡¯t matter who your opponent was¡­ When the time came, regardless of who came, they¡¯d be overwhelmingly crushed, so what was the point of inquiring about the opponent¡¯s information?

    Hearing Yan Yu say this, the girls thought that the strength of Chongying Country¡¯s Cultivators probably wasn¡¯t that great, so they relaxed a bit too.

    In the afternoon training session, everyone continued training according to the original plan. Yan Yu was planning on muddling through as usual, but suddenly, he was approached by Instructor Qi Changping.

    ¡°Someone from the top is looking for you.¡± He spoke succinctly.

    ¡°They¡¯re in a hurry to check on my progress here? It hasn¡¯t even been a month,¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    ¡°What can I say when you¡¯re not training with the team, spending your afternoons sleeping instead?¡± Qi Changping said with a smile.

    ¡°Who said I was sleeping all the time, I¡¯ve been very concerned about their training progress, okay?¡± Yan Yu frowned and argued back, ¡°You can ask Chen Lingyun, I¡¯ve been quite attentive to the team¡¯s preparations.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about,¡± Qi Changping corrected, ¡°Caring about the team¡¯s training progress is your duty as the team leader. But don¡¯t forget, you¡¯re also a Cultivator, and not just anyone, but the most powerful Cultivator in our Zhendong Army.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that Liu Longtao, Zhou Hongyu, Li Zhaojiang, and the others have been training hard and pushing themselves to the limit. Then we look at you, Yan Yu; lately, you haven¡¯t participated in a single training session. It¡¯s only normal for the higher-ups to worry, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°But with my current level, even if I personally participate in training, it would be nothing more than a warm-up at best; the room for improvement is negligible.¡±

    Qi Changping fell silent. Although accustomed to the young man¡¯s way of speaking, he still found his unabashed boasting somewhat hard to stomach.

    ¡°Blowing your own trumpet here is one thing,¡± he said with a stern face, ¡°but when you meet with the Commander-in-Chief, you¡¯d better hold back that unruly attitude. Don¡¯t think you can disregard everyone else just because you¡¯re strong.¡±

    ¡°I got it,¡± Yan Yu sighed internally.

    Maybe it was because he hadn¡¯t made a move in too long, the strong impression he left during the last exchange competition between the four academies had also faded. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    He needed to find an opportunity to show off his skills.

    Upon arriving at the academy¡¯s administrative building, he walked into the principal¡¯s office and saw the commander-in-chief of the Zhendong Army, Li Weiguo, standing by the window smoking a cigarette.

    When he saw Yan Yu arriving at the door, he casually stubbed out the cigarette and said with a smile:

    ¡°Have a seat.¡±

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t stand on ceremony and directly took a seat in front of the office desk, as if he was in his own dorm room.

    Qi Changping¡¯s eye twitched. So, the advice I gave you earlier to be more humble, you didn¡¯t take any of it to heart?

    Fortunately, Li Weiguo waved him off, and Qi Changping immediately felt relieved and quickly turned to leave.

    Otherwise, if he continued to watch Yan Yu being too casual, he might end up with high blood pressure.

    ¡°Would you like some tea?¡± Li Weiguo picked up the teapot from the desk and offered.

    ¡°No need,¡± said Yan Yu bluntly, ¡°What did you want to see me for?¡±

    ¡°Nothing too important,¡± Li Weiguo poured some tea into the cup in front of him while speaking kindly, ¡°Just wanted to check on how the team you¡¯ve assembled is doing.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your concern, Commander-in-Chief,¡± Yan Yu replied with an ¡®I see¡¯ expression, ¡°The team training is progressing steadily according to plan, and we don¡¯t need any additional resources from the army for now.¡±

    I didn¡¯t say I was going to allocate resources for you¡­ Li Weiguo choked for a moment, but decided to cut to the chase and directly asked:

    ¡°I heard that all the teammates you selected are female?¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu acknowledged frankly, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m quite surprised by that as well.¡±

    Li Weiguo fell silent.

    What do you mean?

    You picked all female teammates yourself, and you¡¯re also surprised? So you picked them with your eyes closed, without seeing their faces, not knowing whether they were male or female, pretty or ugly? How come I¡¯ve heard they¡¯re all exceptionally beautiful girls?

    Fortunately, Li Weiguo, after all, had seen a lot and wasn¡¯t shaken by much, and he wasn¡¯t bothered by Yan Yu¡¯s statement, simply saying with a smile:

    ¡°The absolute authority over personnel for the team, I¡¯ve already granted it to you. The combat effectiveness of the team, you must ensure it¡¯s up to standard, otherwise, if we can¡¯t win fights, I will have to take back that authority.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu confidently said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s precisely because we must consider everything from the perspective of winning battles that I completely disregarded gender when selecting members, focusing solely on capability, potential, and suitability. It¡¯s quite unexpected that everyone I picked, apart from myself, turns out to be female. However, because our team¡¯s selection standard values ¡®strength above all,¡¯ we have even more confidence in striving for victories.¡±

    Now that was something Li Weiguo understood: he means that he didn¡¯t select his teammates according to the standards of a harem, but rather as a captain, choosing from the perspective of completing the team¡¯s strength, and it just so happened that the ones he picked were all girls, and they all happened to be very beautiful¡­

    Do you think our army would believe such nonsense?

    Forget it, it¡¯s the same old saying: as long as you can win battles, all is well.

    If you can¡¯t win battles, I¡¯ll disband your team at the first chance! I¡¯m putting this out there now, don¡¯t blame me for being heartless later!

 Chapter 67 - 66: Here Comes the Opportunity to Make a Move

    Chapter 67: Chapter 66: Here Comes the Opportunity to Make a Move

    Not bothering with the matter of the gender ratio in the combat team, Li Weiguo continued:

    ¡°Aside from the team¡¯s affairs, don¡¯t fall behind on your own cultivation progress either. I heard you haven¡¯t been training much lately?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry about that,¡± Yan Yu immediately promised. ¡°Even if the team¡¯s overall strength collapses, my own will not falter. The reason I haven¡¯t trained much recently is mainly because I¡¯m in a bottleneck period.¡±

    ¡°The team¡¯s strength isn¡¯t allowed to collapse either!¡± Li Weiguo immediately bristled and glared sternly, saying, ¡°As for you being in a bottleneck period¡­ what do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°How should I explain this to you?¡± Yan Yu showed a hesitant look. ¡°After all, you¡¯re not a cultivator, right?¡±

    Li Weiguo was amused despite himself and waved his hand, saying:

    ...

    ¡°While I may not be a cultivator, my word carries more weight than that of one, understand? Tell me what resources you need to break through the bottleneck, and I¡¯ll try to satisfy your needs as far as possible.¡±

    ¡°Oh, thank you, Commander-in-Chief,¡± Yan Yu chuckled and said, ¡°I don¡¯t need any resources, mainly just lacking some actual combat experience, feeling that my skills have gotten a bit rusty.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s easy to fix,¡± Li Weiguo said decisively, slapping the table and picking up a sealed document bag from the side. ¡°Take a look at this.¡±

    Yan Yu took the document bag, carefully extracted the documents inside, and started reading intently.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Mysterious Realm.

    As previously mentioned, they are dwelling places specially opened by ancient cultivation experts.

    As for these cultivation experts, from which historical period they originated, and why they haven¡¯t left any records in historical materials¡­ that remains unknown for now.

    No matter what the initial purpose of these Mysterious Realms was, considering the probable storage of cultivation-related classics and resources, they undoubtedly possess extremely high exploration value.

    So, who will be responsible for exploring these Mysterious Realms?

    On June 14th, the authorities had already given preliminary directives:

    Any discovered entrance to an open Mysterious Realm must first be sealed off by the military district in charge, and immediately reported to the military headquarters in Pingjing. Once approved and authorized, they should promptly arrange for exploration and surveying.

    All resources obtained from a Mysterious Realm must be handed over in full. Cultivators from the military district who complete the exploration will be assessed afterwards and can receive recognition, awards, promotions, and cash rewards.

    Yan Yu silently finished reading the document, which explained ¡°what Mysterious Realms are,¡± ¡°how to explore Mysterious Realms,¡± and the ¡°national policies regarding Mysterious Realms.¡± The first two were mainly penned by Mei Yingxue, and the policy aspect was largely consistent with his memory from a previous life.

    Only to hear Li Weiguo ask:

    ¡°Everything obtained from exploring the Mysterious Realm must be handed over to the state once leaving the Realm, without any private retention. What¡¯s your view on this?¡±

    ¡°I wholeheartedly agree,¡± Yan Yu replied earnestly.

    ¡°Really?¡± Li Weiguo asked with a chuckle. ¡°Just be honest with me, it¡¯s fine. Even if you clearly oppose this directive, it won¡¯t leave this office.¡±

    ¡°To be truthful, there¡¯s no need to oppose it,¡± Yan Yu coolly shook his head. ¡°Firstly, the cultivator teams currently capable of completing the exploration of Mysterious Realms are definitely the highest combat forces among our four armies, which means selection would come from the teams of myself, Liu Longtao, Zhou Hongyu, and Li Zhaojiang.¡±

    ¡°Secondly, assuming I obtain any treasure in the Mysterious Realm that suits me, even if it¡¯s handed over to the state after leaving the Realm. Following the principle of making the most out of it, wouldn¡¯t it still be reallocated back to us for use? It¡¯s not like they¡¯d be stored in a museum for display.¡± S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°You¡¯re a clever lad,¡± Li Weiguo laughed heartily. ¡°Your analysis is not far off.¡±

    ¡°All resources obtained from the Mysterious Realm can be categorized into two types. If it¡¯s artifacts, Flying Swords, Elixir Medicines, or other items you cultivators can use, they will, upon registration and completion of the corresponding scientific research, be returned in principle to the military district responsible for the exploration for distribution¡ªso it¡¯s basically ¡®whoever finds it, gets it back¡¯.¡±

    ¡°As for resources that cultivators can¡¯t use, such as mines, herb gardens¡­ which require manpower for development, of course, the property rights can¡¯t be given to you, but we will award you accordingly.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Yan Yu nodded, saying, ¡°Personally, I think there¡¯s no need to be so roundabout. We soldiers are very straightforward; we live for victory and glory. As long as we can win, any method works.¡±

    ¡°If only everyone thought this way,¡± Li Weiguo merely smiled, his expression neither confirming nor denying, then pulled out another sealed document bag from a drawer, casually tossing it to Yan Yu:

    ¡°A Mysterious Realm was discovered in the Nine Dragons Nest of Wuyi Mountains in Minhai Province. After the first batch of military cultivators entered, they lost all contact with the outside world. We need to arrange for rescue and exploration as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave this mission to you. If you can¡¯t handle it, let me know in time.¡±

    ¡°You must be joking,¡± Yan Yu said without even looking as he took the folder in his hand and chuckled, ¡°The team I¡¯ve built is the highest combat force of the Zhendong Army at present. If we can¡¯t handle it, who can?¡±

    He gave Li Weiguo a military salute and then quickly took his leave.

    In his previous life, General Li Weiguo, the chief commander, had not had much interaction with Yan Yu, but because of his special care for Chen Lingyun, Yan Yu had a fairly good understanding of him¡ªthis nearly 70-year-old man could be perfectly described with ¡°In this life, he has nothing else to seek but to serve his country with utmost loyalty.¡±

    Whether you treated him with utmost respect or were casual and lax, the elder wouldn¡¯t mind so much. After all, he could tolerate Chen Lingyun¡¯s crappy attitude, which was enough to show how broad-minded and magnanimous he was, far beyond what ordinary people possessed.

    Once the team members were all gathered, Yan Yu took out the files that Li Weiguo had given him and passed them to Chen Lingyun, saying:

    ¡°Take a look at these.¡±

    The four girls huddled together and quietly read through the documents in the folder.

    ¡°Let me summarize the information from the file,¡± Yan Yu began to explain slowly, ¡°The so-called ¡®Mysterious Realm¡¯ can generally be understood as ¡®small worlds left behind by ancient immortals¡¯ where there may be treasures worth exploring and discovering.¡±

    ¡°In each Mysterious Realm, there is a ¡®Control Hub¡¯ that can control the realm, a ¡®Gatekeeper¡¯ responsible for guarding this ¡®Control Hub,¡¯ and a ¡®Defense Mechanism¡¯ that spans the entire realm.¡±

    ¡°The process of exploring the Mysterious Realm can generally be divided into four steps: First Arrival, Breaching Formations, Slaying the Gatekeeper, and Capturing the Flag.¡±

    ¡°First, if there are multiple competitors exploring the Mysterious Realm, we need to enter the realm before everyone else, which is known as ¡®First Arrival.¡¯

    ¡°Secondly, as uninvited invaders to the Mysterious Realm, we will almost certainly face the realm¡¯s own defense mechanisms during our exploration, which is ¡®Breaching Formations.¡¯

    ¡°Next, we continue to venture deeper until we locate the position of the Mysterious Realm¡¯s Control Hub and eliminate the Gatekeeper guarding it, known as ¡®Slaying the Gatekeeper.¡¯

    ¡°Finally, it is refining and taking control of the Control Hub, manipulating the realm¡¯s Defense Mechanism, allowing our military forces to come in and take over, which is ¡®Capturing the Flag.¡¯

    ¡°First Arrival, Breaching Formations, Slaying the Gatekeeper, Capturing the Flag¡ªyou don¡¯t need to remember these steps. I¡¯ll guide you through the whole process this time, and it¡¯ll be easier next time with the experience¡­ Any questions?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said succinctly, ¡°is it okay to kill people?¡±

    Her question was so fierce that all the other girls instantly turned their heads to look at her, each with a different expression.

    ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be anyone for you to kill this time,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment before replying, ¡°The Mysterious Realm is now guarded by the Zhendong Army. The first batch of army monks who went in to explore have since disappeared. We are the second group authorized to go in, so all we face is the Mysterious Realm itself, without any hostile competing cultivators.¡±

    ¡°Oh, sounds pretty boring,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately lost interest.

    Lin Ning and Su Yunjin were both stunned. Are you saying the mission is boring, or is it ¡°no people to kill¡± that¡¯s boring?

    ¡°When do we set off?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, ¡°Do we need to prepare anything?¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu gestured dismissively, ¡°This Mysterious Realm exploration should pose no risk, just think of it as a tutorial before the main questline of the game starts; all you have to do is perform well with the skills you¡¯ve trained.¡±

    ¡°How can there be no risk when there are already army monks missing inside?¡± Lin Ning protested with agitation, ¡°Even if you want us not to worry too much, at least come up with a better-sounding excuse!¡±

    Yan Yu looked at Lin Ning for a while, sighing:

    ¡°Little Lin Ning,¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Lin Ning asked irritably.

    ¡°Do I really need to spell it out for you?¡± Yan Yu said in a calm and measured tone, ¡°If it were just the four of you exploring the Mysterious Realm, then yes, I¡¯d admit there is some risk.¡±

    ¡°But this time, I am personally leading the team. Do you understand now?¡±

    Lin Ning was left speechless.

    Although you were trying to come across as understated and tactful, why does it still sound so arrogant and asking for a beating?

 Chapter 68 - 67: Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm

    Chapter 68: Chapter 67: Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm

    Wuyi Mountains in Nanping Prefecture, Minhai Province, is a national-level scenic area and a well-known tea distribution center in the country.

    Yan Yu and his team of five arrived deep in the mountain area by helicopter and saw that the Zhendong Army had already set up layers of defense at the entrance to the valley below.

    Not only were several roads into the valley blocked with barbed wire, but there were also drones patrolling the skies above the nearby forests, a clear sign of a tightly guarded area.

    In front of the barbed wire, one could see a dozen or so locals blocking the mountain road, seemingly in a standoff with the stationed soldiers.

    ¡°It looks like the landowners.¡± Lin Ning leaned over to look below, explaining to her teammates, ¡°Many of these mountaintops have been contracted out to nearby villagers for tea cultivation. Now that the military has designated areas around the secret realm as off-limits, it¡¯s inevitable that some landowners¡¯ territories have been included, so conflicts are unavoidable.¡±

    ¡°There should be state compensation, right?¡± Su Yunjin asked with concern.

    ...

    ¡°That¡¯s anybody¡¯s guess,¡± Chen Lingyun replied with a smile, ¡°But these landowners are not just any ordinary country folk. If they really escalate the dispute, it will be a headache for the troops as well.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s none of our business,¡± Yan Yu interrupted the discussion, ¡°Our mission is to explore the secret realm. Let the local troops handle the rest.¡±

    The team reached the sealed-off depths of the valley and saw that command tents of various sizes had already been set up on the open ground by the stream.

    In front of the largest command tent, a certain military official was taking a call on his phone.

    His expression was extremely agitated and frantic, and his tone was exceedingly harsh, nearly roaring into the handset:

    ¡°I can¡¯t control it, I can¡¯t control it, I already said this is a military secret! Secret! Do you even understand what a secret is?! We¡¯re now demanding your unconditional cooperation, and you need to properly handle the local populace and absolutely prevent any further escalation! If you don¡¯t understand anything, call the Minhai Province Governor yourself! You¡¯re not cleared for this level of confidentiality, I can¡¯t answer your questions!!!¡±

    After ending the call with enough force to seemingly crush the phone, the official turned around indifferently to face Yan Yu leading the team of five.

    He seemed to want to maintain an impassive facade of icy indifference, but his wariness and distrust were so painfully apparent that there was no need to try to discern his thoughts at the moment.

    Definitely not a friendly first impression, anyway.

    ¡°Captain Jiang Weiming?¡± Yan Yu cut straight to the point, speaking rapidly, ¡°We are the first tactical team dispatched by the Zhendong International Scholarly Faction, here to confirm the situation inside the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm.¡±

    ¡°Confirm the situation?¡± Captain Jiang Weiming struggled to twitch his mouth into a forced cold smile, ¡°I have already submitted all relevant intelligence reports. What, didn¡¯t you do your homework before coming here?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve looked over the materials you submitted,¡± Yan Yu calmly replied, ¡°There was no intelligence from inside the secret realm.¡± Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°That¡¯s because the cultivators from our military who went inside have all lost contact, so there¡¯s no intelligence to report back,¡± Captain Jiang said coldly, seeming to forcefully suppress his anger, ¡°If you had actually read the documents carefully, you wouldn¡¯t be asking such redundant questions.¡±

    ¡°As a matter of fact, this is precisely one of the questions I wanted to ask,¡± Yan Yu raised his eyebrows slightly, an expression of surprise on his face, ¡°In my understanding, your military cultivators shouldn¡¯t be that weak.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡± Captain Jiang Weiming¡¯s gaze immediately became hostile.

    With subordinates missing and potentially dead; superiors pressing him without any consideration; locals trying to cause trouble; and local officials who seemingly cooperate but actually do nothing¡­ Captain Jiang Weiming¡¯s head had been nearly exploding with all the hassle these past few days, how could he have the patience to play internship games with these ¡°college student cultivators¡± who had just reached adulthood, who had never received proper military training, and who hadn¡¯t even graduated from the academy yet?

    If it wasn¡¯t for the orders from Jinling headquarters demanding cooperation, he would have ordered these college kids to be blasted out of the camp the moment they set foot in it.

    ¡°Captain?¡± Su Yunjin tugged at his sleeve from behind, worried, signaling that he might have provoked Captain Jiang on the other side.

    We are here to explore the secret realm, not to start conflicts with them.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Yan Yu patted her hand and then softened his voice, speaking more gently, ¡°If your military cultivators are really up to the task, then why are they losing contact in the secret realm? Right now, I am quite skeptical of your abilities, and consequently, I doubt the reliability of any information you can provide. Please immediately dispatch three military cultivators to accompany us into the secret realm for an investigation.¡±

    It took Captain Jiang Weiming a full half-minute to restrain himself from smashing his fist into Yan Yu¡¯s nose, only managing to squeeze out one word through gritted teeth:

    ¡°Fine!¡±

    He left in a flurry, and only then did everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Yan Yu, why did you have to provoke him?¡± Lin Ning couldn¡¯t help but complain, ¡°Who starts a conflict with someone we¡¯re supposed to cooperate with as soon as we meet them!¡±

    ¡°I reckon he didn¡¯t have any intention of cooperating in the first place,¡± Yan Yu answered calmly. ¡°Or are you planning to use a beauty trap to persuade him to work with us properly?¡±

    ¡°What beauty trap?!¡± Lin Ning immediately became embarrassed and annoyed, saying angrily, ¡°Keep talking like that, and watch out for my kick!¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which, the other side¡¯s attitude really is problematic,¡± Su Yunjin said tactfully. ¡°If we could communicate well, there might still be room for discussion. But now that we¡¯re short on time, the captain¡¯s use of reverse psychology is not entirely unfounded.¡±

    ¡°If we¡¯re short on time, why not just kill him (Search his soul)?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked abruptly.

    The suggestion of the Demonic Sect Enchantress was so shocking that the other girls were taken aback, unsure of how to respond to the question.

    ¡°That¡¯s not entirely impossible,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°Killing him would be too wasteful, it would be better to beat him half to death and then ask whether he wants to die or cooperate with us.¡±

    ¡°Great, leave it to me,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied eagerly.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Yan Yu said impatiently. ¡°She¡¯s teasing you, can¡¯t you see that?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was taken aback for a moment, then glared angrily at Chen Lingyun.

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong, I¡¯m not joking at all,¡± Chen Lingyun said unafraid, even going as far as to wink at her.

    ¡°Really,¡± Lin Ning said helplessly while holding her forehead. ¡°We¡¯re talking about beating up a military officer in public and using violence to extract information. If we get called out on it later, are we going to push Sister Zhao forward, Ling Yun? You really know how to give advice.¡±

    ¡°Little Lin Ning can even speak sarcastically now,¡± Su Yunjin pretended to be moved on the side. ¡°If you always criticize with a straight face, everyone might get tired of it eventually.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you not to call me Little Lin Ning¡­¡± Lin Ning said weakly.

    The girls chatted and laughed, and the atmosphere gradually became relaxed and cheerful.

    In fact, Yan Yu was not surprised by the hostility shown by Military Officer Jiang.

    In the beginning of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, Lu Country¡¯s plan was to recruit cultivators entirely from the military, but then they found the success rate of recruitment to be extremely low. Only after consulting and communicating with Mei Yingxue did they learn of the existence of ¡°Spirit Root¡±, leading to a change in recruitment to ¡°17-18-year-olds¡±.

    As a result, the current group of cultivators in Lu Country was actually divided into three factions: military cultivators, college student cultivators, and civilian cultivators.

    Considering that civilian cultivators had not yet made a significant appearance, they could be temporarily ignored. Comparing military cultivators with college student cultivators, it became clear that the former was almost entirely behind in terms of treatment.

    The specific reasons were complicated. On one hand, the potential of military cultivators was relatively lower (the older average age meant that their innate endowment was deteriorating), making them unworthy of substantial resources for focused training. On the other hand, military cultivators were more disciplined, obedient, and ideologically aware, eliminating worries about loyalty¡­

    Anyway, due to differences in treatment and the fact that college student cultivators had not yet shown a stronger overall strength, many military cultivators harbored resentment towards them. It was similar to how old colleagues who were promoted within a company would feel upon seeing new employees earn several times more than their own salary¡ªthis was something that could not be more understandable.

    Contrary to the cheerful atmosphere among Yan Yu¡¯s team, the furious Military Officer Jiang had already stormed into the command tent, unable to conceal the anger on his face:

    ¡°Wei Yun! Feng Haiping! Come out with me!¡±

    Wei Yun and Feng Haiping were both assistants in the mission to handle the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm with Jiang Weiming, and they were also among the strongest military cultivators present. Hearing the call, they stood up:

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Old Jiang?¡±

    ¡°Some fearless fools have arrived!¡± Military Officer Jiang said furiously. ¡°They want to explore the Secret Realm as soon as they arrive!¡±

    ¡°The three of us have to accompany them inside, so they don¡¯t get themselves killed and cause us to face disciplinary action!¡±

 Chapter 69 - 68: Priority should be given to the overall situation

    Chapter 69: Chapter 68: Priority should be given to the overall situation

    Even though Staff Sergeant Jiang seemed displeased with him and his group, Yan Yu wasn¡¯t worried that the former would act on personal grudges to sabotage the mission.

    The reason was very simple: the discipline, obedience, and ideological consciousness of Lu Country¡¯s military personnel were unrivaled on this Earth in the current plane of existence¡ªthere was absolutely no exaggeration or boastfulness in that assertion.

    No matter how much one might dislike you, the mission came first, and there would never be a case of personal feelings interfering with public duty.

    As expected, the group didn¡¯t have to wait long before they saw Staff Sergeant Jiang return with two other military cultivators, making a rough hand gesture that signified ¡°Follow me.¡±

    It conveyed both the resolute and efficient quality unique to soldiers and a ¡°I don¡¯t wish to speak with you any longer¡± message.

    Without a word, Yan Yu gestured with his hand, indicating for the girls to quickly follow suit.

    ...

    The scenic area surrounding the Wuyi Mountains was highly developed, but the deeper one went, the more ¡°natural and primitive¡± it became, with the roads becoming rough and rugged. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Deep in the valley, shrouded in thick jungles and the sound of babbling streams, the group eventually saw the heavily guarded entrance to the Mysterious Realm:

    It was a pale purple spatial fissure, like an enormous vertical scar, tearing through the void and radiating twisted scars, yet it was not ugly¡ªin fact, it was quite the opposite. It was as splendid and colorful as the auroras, filled with a bizarre and eerie charm that was indescribable.

    These types of entrances to different spaces were not unique to Lu Country, but with the progression of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, they appeared all over the globe. It¡¯s just that the entrances in other countries led not to a world of cultivation specific to Lu Country.

    The English called it ¡°The Devil¡¯s Kiss,¡± while the people of heavy cherry blossom country revered it as ¡°The Vanishing Rift,¡± names that suggested nothing good lay beyond.

    The three officers watched the entrance to the Mysterious Realm with serious expressions. This thing had devoured the first group of military cultivators sent to explore it and also put Staff Sergeant Jiang and others who were in command on the spot.

    The first group of cultivators hadn¡¯t sent back any news, and sending a rescue team was akin to throwing sheep into a tiger¡¯s mouth; but not attempting a rescue would drastically reduce the chances of survival for the lost cultivators inside, which was completely unacceptable to them.

    Staff Sergeant Jiang covertly glanced over, silently observing the expressions of these university student cultivators.

    Su Yunjin reached from behind to grasp Yan Yu¡¯s sleeve, clearly frightened by the eerie and terrifying appearance of the entrance to the Mysterious Realm.

    Lin Ning wasn¡¯t faring much better, but she was still able to maintain a semblance of calm, although her face was pale from the tension.

    Chen Lingyun reined in her smile and, although there wasn¡¯t much fear on her face, a complicated mix of curiosity and contemplation was present.

    As for Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s reaction, it was completely opposite to the other three girls, seeming to contain a mix of eagerness and, perhaps, a hint of¡­ greed?

    If Staff Sergeant Jiang were to assess, none of the four were in a particularly good state of readiness.

    Fear could limit rational thought, too much tension could impact performance, curiosity and contemplation could indicate underestimation of the enemy, and eagerness, not to mention greed, simply translated to recklessness to some extent.

    This was typical of those who had not undergone long-term military training. Even if you put a rifle into her hands, she might not be able to aim and shoot steadily at the enemy¡­ Jiang really couldn¡¯t fathom why Jinling would send a group of university students, demanding a quick completion of the exploration and rescue in the Mysterious Realm while also expecting unconditional cooperation with these youngsters. Did they not realize that these two orders were contradictory?

    However, out of the five, only Yan Yu had no faults to be found¡ªhe was completely expressionless, almost identical to the three staff sergeants.

    His spirit was focused, his attention highly concentrated, yet not to the point of excessive tension. Such a state was the qualified pre-mission countenance and the standard expected of a professional soldier.

    Staff Sergeant Jiang made his silent judgment, only to hear Yan Yu turn his head and say,

    ¡°Don¡¯t hold too high of hopes; a Mysterious Realm appearing at this time is unlikely to be of much difficulty. I¡¯ll reiterate, just perform as you would in your regular training.¡±

    Shit! Staff Sergeant Jiang immediately overturned his previous conclusion. This man was going to be the biggest variable coming up!

    His face turned an ashen hue as he turned his head and signaled with his eyes to Old Wei and Old Feng, his two deputies.

    Once they entered the Mysterious Realm, they had to keep a close eye on this headstrong young man, not letting him charge forward recklessly and get killed instantly, which would leave no opportunity for rescue.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you leaving yet?¡± Yan Yu urged again, this time addressing Staff Sergeant Jiang.

    As if he hadn¡¯t heard him, Staff Sergeant Jiang turned and gave his orders:

    ¡°Wei Yun, come with me first into the realm. Feng Haiping, you follow them and cover our retreat.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Feng Haiping immediately responded.

    As the two military cultivators were willing to lead the way, Yan Yu naturally had no objections. He watched silently as they headed towards the entrance of the mysterious realm, and were swallowed by the twisted spatial scars, before he spoke to arrange the order:

    ¡°Me, Lin, Chen, Su, Zhao, in that order, let¡¯s go in.¡±

    Afterward, he headed towards the entrance of the mysterious realm.

    His vision warped for an instant before returning to normal.

    Yan Yu, upon entering the mysterious realm, composedly surveyed his surroundings.

    What met his eye was nothing but green waters and verdant mountains, a scene of endless picturesque beauty, without a hint of danger.

    According to memories from his previous life, this blessed land should be called ¡°True Rising into the Mysterious Heavens,¡± created by an ancient cultivator surnamed Liu.

    The reason it emerged early in the period of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence was because the concentration of spiritual energy inside was indeed low, and the average cultivation of the monsters was not high¡­ If he remembered correctly, it seemed to be referred to as a realm of the ¡°Yi Wood of Spring¡¯s Birth¡±?

    Among the five elements, metal and fire are the most ferocious, water and earth next, and wood is the most mild, with Yi wood being gentler than Jia wood; saying that this place had the difficulty of a kindergarten was not an exaggeration.

    As for why the military cultivators had been trapped inside, it might be due to a lack of experience in exploring mysterious realms. Knowing is easier than doing; it has been the same throughout the ages.

    Yan Yu turned to look back at the entrance, waiting until Cultivator Feng Haiping followed Zhao Yuanzhen into the realm, and the whole team had assembled, before turning to Chen Lingyun to ask:

    ¡°How is it?¡±

    Since entering the mysterious realm, Chen Lingyun had quickly been observing the surrounding landscape and already had a conclusion:

    ¡°Let¡¯s go there first.¡±

    She pointed toward the cliff in front of them on the right, firstly because it was close, and secondly, it was elevated. If they used the Cloud Ascension Technique to reach its peak, they could easily observe the farther surroundings.

    ¡°No,¡± Section Chief Jiang immediately objected, ¡°didn¡¯t you see the forest over there? We should follow the river downstream.¡±

    Passing through the dense forest was a necessary route to reach the cliff ahead. Without any intelligence, rashly entering the dense woods was clearly not a wise move. What if there were enemies lying in ambush?

    On the other hand, if they followed the river¡¯s flow towards the rear right, they could reach the sparsely wooded hills far away. Though it was not as high as the cliff, the visibility along the way was good enough, and they didn¡¯t have to worry about ambushes.

    Yan Yu responded noncommittally to his command:

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it common military knowledge to first seize the high ground to scout the terrain in unfamiliar environments?¡±

    ¡°The premise is that the high ground is easy to reach,¡± Section Chief Jiang said coldly, ¡°But the risk of entering that dense forest is obvious.¡±

    ¡°Since we can¡¯t come to an agreement, then we should split up and act separately,¡± Yan Yu suggested with an indifferent smile, ¡°We¡¯ll head towards the cliff, and you follow the river, how about that?¡±

    Split up, my ass! The military order from above demands that we unconditionally coordinate with you!

    Section Chief Jiang¡¯s face immediately turned incredibly sour as he coldly retorted:

    ¡°Splitting up? Great idea. What if you get ambushed in the forest and we can¡¯t provide timely support to your unit? What then?¡±

    ¡°Since you¡¯re worried about falling into an ambush if we split up,¡± Yan Yu revealed an expression as if to say ¡°so you do know,¡± and asked with surprise, ¡°then shouldn¡¯t you avoid leaving the main force to act alone, isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    Jiang Weiming immediately bulged his eyes wide and took a sharp intake of breath, as if he was about to explode at any moment ¡ª the nearby Wei Yun and Feng Haiping saw this and quickly took his arms, one on the left and one on the right, acting as peacemakers and repeatedly urging:

    ¡°Let it go, Old Jiang! Let¡¯s just move together! The mission comes first! We¡¯ll just follow them, alright?¡±

 Chapter 70 - 69: The Swiftness of the Swallow

    Chapter 70: Chapter 69: The Swiftness of the Swallow

    ¡°Regarding the question of which direction to explore first,¡± Yan Yu quickly convinced the three military cultivators to follow his advice with his agile mind.

    Everyone activated their Shifting Technique and raced toward the direction of the cliff like a gale of wind.

    Upon reaching the edge of the dense forest, they all stopped as if by an unspoken agreement.

    An icy wind came from within the woods. When it brushed against them, everyone felt their hair stand on end and couldn¡¯t help but get goosebumps.

    It seems like a demonic wind, doesn¡¯t it? Yan Yu glanced inside and saw the tree crowns blotting out the sky, the light in the forest dim, with chilling winds and ghostly shadows swirling about. It was almost as if there should be a sign outside saying ¡°Demons and ghosts reside within these woods.¡±

    ¡°I see trees moving deep inside; it must be a tree demon.¡± Seeing the ladies look as if facing a formidable enemy, Yan Yu analyzed calmly, ¡°If we enter, it¡¯s easy to be ambushed. Better to lure it out and fight. The tree demon definitely fears fire, we can trap it using the Flame Curse while leaving gaps, then attack and injure it with the Impact Curse. Actually, it¡¯s quite easy to handle.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Trap it with the Flame Curse?¡± Lin Ning immediately asked, ¡°How exactly?¡±

    ¡°Watch closely.¡± Yan Yu decided to demonstrate personally, first selecting a spot to cast the Flame Curse, and flames erupted from the ground, ¡°Chen Lingyun?¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    With just a cursory glance, she had completely memorized the location and size of the fireball.

    ¡°Su Yunjin.¡± Yan Yu interrupted the Flame Curse, then chose a spot not far to the side and released another Flame Curse, ¡°Your Flame Curse should be cast here later.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Su Yunjin stared intently at the ground. She did not have the same confidence in her memory as Chen Lingyun.

    Luckily, the surroundings were originally covered in lush grass, which was now burned away by the Flame Curse to reveal a bald patch of land that was easy to recognize.

    After dispersing the flames with a wave of his hand, Yan Yu selected two more locations, successively releasing the third and fourth balls of flame, perfectly creating a rhombus with the first two flames. He then said to Wei Yun and Feng Haiping:

    ¡°Both of you, once the demon inside the forest is lured out and reaches this position, wait for the right moment to cast the Flame Curse at these two places. The four flames will form a fiery array, trapping the demon in the middle of it. No problem, right?¡±

    ¡°No problem, but¡­¡± Both military cultivators hesitated as if they had more to say.

    Luring the enemy into an ambush is a tactic commonly seen in the ancient military history of Lu Country, but the difficulty in executing it is still quite demanding.

    Not to mention, what if the bait isn¡¯t fast enough and gets eaten? What if running too fast arouses suspicion? And what if you¡¯re wrong, and the demon inside isn¡¯t afraid of fire at all?

    ¡°Very good.¡± Yan Yu ignored the worry in their expressions and continued to plan positioning, saying, ¡°Zhao Yuanzhen and Officer Jiang, please stand at these two spots. Once the tree demon enters the ambush, and the four Flame Curses seal off its paths of escape, fire the Impact Curse through the gaps between the flames at it. No problem, right?¡±

    Fire overcomes metal among the Five Elements; an Impact Curse shot into the range of a Flame Curse would be extinguished into nothingness. But judging from the range of the Flame Curse Yan Yu arranged, the gap between the two flames was completely sufficient for the Impact Curse to pass through ¡ª unless the shooting was so poor they aimed one way and hit another.

    ¡°I have a problem,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen complained, ¡°Isn¡¯t this too much trouble for just a tree demon?¡±

    ¡°Aside from that, is there anything else?¡± Yan Yu asked, swiftly interrupting her with a smile.

    His smile had an unpleasant edge to it, and the Demonic Sect Enchantress was suddenly taken aback as realization dawned on her.

    Without revealing other spells and only allowed to use the Three Arts and Five Spells against the enemy, this tactic of ¡°forming a fiery array and fighting a simple battle¡± was indeed the safest choice.

    Hmph, though I was momentarily careless, that thief dared to threaten me with a veiled smile. I remember this grievance!

    If I have the chance one day, I too will hide a knife within my smile, making him tremble with fear of my displeasure!

    Officer Jiang¡¯s brows were so furrowed they seemed about to tie into knots. To him, the tactic of using four Flame Curses to block the paths seemed indeed not very challenging to implement, after all, the boundaries were marked on the ground, easier than targeting with a hand grenade¡­

    The real question was whether the bait could come out alive and bring the demon precisely into the ambush!

    Although he wanted to protest, Yan Yu gave him no chance to speak and decisively said:

    ¡°Let¡¯s proceed with the plan.¡±

    ¡°What about me?¡± Lin Ning asked anxiously.

    ¡°You¡¯re coming with me to go in and also to learn the Enemy Luring Technique,¡± Yan Yu said with a serious look.

    In Chen Lingyun¡¯s team in his previous life, it was Qiu Ze, who excelled in mobility and positioning, who was responsible for scouting and luring the enemy.

    Now that Qiu Ze hadn¡¯t joined the team, Lin Ning, who was supposed to be the assault specialist, would have to take on that responsibility.

    Of course, Lin Ning had not yet realized the team leader¡¯s good intentions, but her character as a straight-A student made her subconsciously choose to obey authority.

    No matter what kind of test you give me, I¡¯ll just keep my head down and do it.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Lin Ning said, suddenly feeling nervous again at the thought of being assigned the most dangerous task as a decoy.

    ¡°There¡¯s no time to lose, let¡¯s go.¡± Yan Yu was also very decisive in his actions, not giving the military cultivators a chance to question or obstruct, and quickly rushed into the dense forest with the Shifting Technique, followed closely by Lin Ning.

    At this moment, the effects of practicing the ¡°Shifting Technique emergency stop¡± for several weeks became evident.

    The two moved rapidly through the dense forest with the Shifting Technique, and when confronted with obstacles like roots and bushes, they would quickly switch to the Cloud Ascension Technique to stop abruptly and change direction, then switch back to the Shifting Technique to continue sprinting at high speed.

    Yan Yu was naturally flawless in this basic skill operation, and Lin Ning, although a newbie who had just begun to learn, managed to keep up with him, which even made Yan Yu see her in a new light.

    Look at that, keeping up with my speed on her first time, Sister Lin truly has the makings of a good assault trooper.

    Whether it was her innate reaction speed or the Cutting Spell speed she had trained, she had already far surpassed her peer cultivators by a great margin.

    ¡°Don¡¯t focus your attention on moving,¡± Yan Yu instructed as he saw her eyes locked on the ground, ¡°You need to completely integrate this mode of movement into your memory, making it a part of your combat instincts. Your attention should be on your surroundings, with eyes and ears open in all directions.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Lin Ning said nervously.

    ¡°When you can¡¯t sense the enemy¡¯s position,¡± Yan Yu continued instructing, ¡°try to maintain high speed to make enough noise, which can entice the enemy to attack and thereby reveal their position.¡±

    ¡°What if the enemy doesn¡¯t fall for it?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    ¡°Then that¡¯s a different situation,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°The tree demon we¡¯re dealing with this time is of low intelligence and has not yet awakened its spiritual wisdom, so it shouldn¡¯t be too cunning.¡±

    ¡°As long as we enter its territory, it will definitely provoke an attack¡­ here it comes!¡±

    Before he finished speaking, a tree root suddenly blocked their path, lashing out at them like a whip.

    With an abrupt stop and change of direction from Cloud Ascension Technique and a renewed burst of speed with the Shifting Technique, it was just a simple two-step switch that allowed Yan Yu to effortlessly dodge the tree root¡¯s attack, ignoring inertia and darting to the side like a spectral figure. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    As for Lin Ning, although her on-the-spot reaction was half a beat slower than Yan Yu¡¯s, her well-practiced combination of Cloud Ascension Technique and Shifting Technique was instinctive and swift, allowing her to beautifully avoid the tree demon¡¯s attack as well.

    This is the confidence gained from a problem-solver¡¯s routine training!

    After dodging the attack, Lin Ning realized what she had just achieved, and her expression was immediately replaced by disbelief.

    I¡­ I did it!

    ¡°Beautiful!¡± Yan Yu shouted his praise, and with another emergency stop and change of direction, he charged directly at the tree demon.

    He began to execute the Enemy Luring Technique.

    ¡°What should I do next!¡± Seeing that all of the tree demon¡¯s attacks were drawn toward Yan Yu, Lin Ning hurriedly asked loudly.

    Yan Yu had no time to answer, for as he closed the distance rapidly, the tree demon¡¯s hostility reached its peak, and dozens of thick tree roots broke through the soil, smashing down around him.

    However, Yan Yu¡¯s speed completely surpassed them.

    In just three or four seconds, it was impossible to see clearly how many times he had made emergency maneuvers¡ªLin Ning roughly estimated at least more than ten times. Accompanied by his dizzyingly swift dodges left and right, up and down, and back and forth, each sprint only covered a short distance of a single step or even just half a step. After narrowly evading the nearby tree root lashings, he would immediately perform an emergency stop with Cloud Ascension and then accelerate with the Shifting Technique for the next sprint.

    The dozens of tree roots swung and smashed in rotation, their attacks as dense and rapid as a sudden storm, yet Yan Yu, like a futuristic swift, dodged all the tree roots¡¯ lashings with an incomprehensible speed and agility and advanced to within ten meters of the tree demon. He raised his right hand to shoulder height, bringing together his index and middle fingers in a sword gesture, and charged the Metal-Element Impact Curse.

    Fire!

    A 30-centimeter-long gash, with unknown depth, suddenly appeared on the thick trunk of the tree demon.

    Wood chips and sap flew in all directions, and Lin Ning couldn¡¯t help but hold her breath. She saw the tree demon become rigid like it had been electrocuted.

    What followed was a complete loss of control and an outpouring of rage.

    Innumerable tree roots began wildly thrashing around, breaking and snapping many trees. Lin Ning hadn¡¯t yet had time to consider whether to stay put or temporarily retreat to avoid the fray when she saw Yan Yu burst out from the flying dust caused by the tree roots¡¯ thrashing, covered in dirt.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± he shouted to Lin Ning.

 Chapter 71 - 70: The Four-Sided Flame Formation

    Chapter 71: Chapter 70: The Four-Sided Flame Formation

    The two figures weaved rapidly through the dense forest, with a massive tree demon moving its roots and dragging its body to furiously pursue them.

    The tremendous noise and violent tremors caused by the whipping roots followed them like a shadow, preventing them from daring to reduce their speed even slightly.

    ¡°Why did we have to get so close just now?¡± Lin Ning finally regained her composure from the shock and asked puzzledly, ¡°The Metal-Element Impact Curse takes time to charge¡­ Can¡¯t it be launched from a distance as well?¡±

    ¡°Because it would be blocked,¡± Yan Yu answered calmly, ¡°The tree demon is massive and bulky, so it prioritizes defense with its roots, rather than offense.¡±

    ¡°If you shoot the Impact Curse from afar, there¡¯s a high probability that it will raise its roots to block it. But if you get close to the demon¡¯s body first, prompting it to use its roots to intercept you, then break through the encirclement and leave those roots behind, the Impact Curse won¡¯t be intercepted.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lin Ning acknowledged, realizing the strategic consideration she had overlooked, ¡°Then since we were already so close, why couldn¡¯t you take the chance to kill it? Like using the Flame Curse to burn it or something¡­¡±

    ...

    ¡°Because it wouldn¡¯t just sit and wait to die,¡± Yan Yu explained patiently, ¡°Those roots would come back to help quickly.¡±

    ¡°But,¡± Lin Ning was still a bit puzzled, ¡°even if the roots come back to help, can¡¯t you just dodge them all with that¡­ super-fast movement technique, zipping right past them?¡±

    ¡°But that would be very tiring,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°and the True Yuan consumption would also be great.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re not unable to fight it one-on-one, you just don¡¯t want to,¡± Lin Ning sharply realized the key point.

    ¡°Little Lin Ning, this is where teamwork comes in,¡± Yan Yu said meaningfully, ¡°Not everything needs to be done personally.¡±

    ¡°Stop calling me Little Lin Ning,¡± Lin Ning protested in a low voice, glancing back at their pursuer.

    The tree demon¡¯s fury seemed endless, and even though they had reached the edge of the dense forest, it showed no signs of stopping.

    Lin Ning looked straight ahead and suddenly sensed something was amiss.

    She remembered that when she and Yan Yu had entered the forest, there was a half-broken tree on their left. If they were truly retracing their steps, the broken tree should now be on their right.

    However, it appeared not far ahead on their left¡­

    ¡°We¡¯re off course,¡± Lin Ning warned quickly, ¡°The spot where we set up the flame matrix isn¡¯t straight ahead, but to the front left.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Yan Yu wasn¡¯t surprised. After all, navigating a complex environment like a dense forest, who could travel back and forth in a perfectly straight line without deviating at all?

    Sister Lin is quite attentive; you¡¯ve earned your stripes this time.

    ¡°You exit the forest first to confirm the direction; I¡¯ll hold it off,¡± Yan Yu commanded.

    ¡°Hold it off, how?¡± Lin Ning was immediately taken aback, but Yan Yu didn¡¯t answer and just turned around and charged towards the tree demon.

    He started to use that whooshing movement technique again¡­

    Thinking this, Lin Ning quickly dashed out of the forest with the Shifting Technique and found the spot where they had set up the flame matrix indeed to the front left, about 50 meters askew.

    Following the edge, she made her way back to the original path and once again dashed towards where the tree demon and Yan Yu were.

    This time identifying the direction was effortless, because the commotion over there was just too loud, like two giants battling furiously, with swathes of trees being hit in the process, falling like bombed buildings, with dust and dirt billowing into the sky.

    Lin Ning didn¡¯t dare venture further, but from a distance, she started shouting towards the front:

    ¡°Yan Yu!¡±

    After around twenty seconds, Yan Yu¡¯s figure finally emerged from the trees in the distance¡ªhe had heard her call.

    Lin Ning didn¡¯t turn to flee, but continued to watch him tensely.

    The captain was sprinting in her direction, and behind him was a violent cloud of dust and earth that crushed and leveled any tree in its path, like an otherworldly bulldozer forging a path straight through the forest.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go! What are you waiting for?¡± Yan Yu reached her side and, without missing a beat, slapped her forehead.

    Smack!

    The force wasn¡¯t painful, but Lin Ning also reacted, quickly deploying the Shifting Technique to follow closely, her thoughts slightly turning.

    I think I kind of understand now.

    The captain¡¯s ¡°swallow-like high-speed movement¡±, able to dodge 3-4 direction changes within 1 second, is how he managed to evade the tree demon¡¯s multi-strike assault.

    Each time the urgent change of direction was executed, it involved a ¡°disruption of the Shifting Technique, initiation of the Cloud Ascension Technique, disruption of the Cloud Ascension Technique, and reinitiation of the Shifting Technique¡± sequence of four, which meant one had to perform 12-16 changes of energy routes within a second.

    Such an exaggerated high-frequency maneuver is something the subjective reaction of humans absolutely cannot keep up with.

    Only passive body reflexes, or muscle memory, might make it possible.

    When he was dodging the tree demon¡¯s attacks just now, he could still hear my shouting from afar, proving that he was actually paying attention to his surroundings the whole time, and maintaining this high-speed movement without it taking up too much of his focus.

    The reason, just as he mentioned before, must be that he had ¡°thoroughly integrated it into his memory, making it part of his fighting instincts¡±.

    From this, Lin Ning quickly concluded, but she didn¡¯t realize how strategically important this conclusion was behind the scenes.

    In the timeline of her previous life, the seamless switching between the Shifting Technique and the Cloud Ascension Technique was first conceived by the Valkyrie, Li Minghu, thinking it could greatly enhance the mobility of Cultivators. But at that time, the Shifting Technique had been completely replaced by the Sword Control Technique, so this idea naturally didn¡¯t receive much attention¡ªuntil Li Minghu died from illness, then it was even less inquired about.

    It wasn¡¯t until the maturation of external True Yuan storage devices, which allowed ordinary people to use spells in a limited way, that the impactful performances of an unnamed person with the surname Yan brought a little ¡°ordinary shock¡± to those conservative Cultivators¡­ And only then was the entire Cultivation World of Lu Country forced to shift from ¡°pursuing higher-tier techniques and treasures¡± to ¡°pursuing the training of personal skill levels¡±.

    The two hastily returned to the site of the pre-set flame formation, and the massive tree demon also rushed out of the dense forest, instantly startling everyone waiting outside in tight formation.

    Whether it was Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin, or the three military Cultivators, this was the first time they had seen a real, living monster.

    Trees ten meters tall aren¡¯t frightening, but if the other party not only moves at a speed of over ten meters per second but can also swing countless thick roots, smashing everything around into shattered pieces, that is mildly horrific and terrifying.

    Luckily, Yan Yu had drawn up a simple and clear-cut battle plan in advance, so even though everyone was shocked, they didn¡¯t panic to the point of helplessness.

    As soon as the tree demon entered the ambush zone, four Flame Curses erupted like columns of fire from four directions, perfectly trapping the giant tree demon within.

    Those wildly flailing roots contracted as if scorched the moment they touched the Flame Curses, then curled up covering the trunk in layers, instinctively taking a defensive position.

    ¡°Get into position quickly!¡± Yan Yu ordered.

    Apart from the four Cultivators casting Flame Curses and sealing off the exit, Yan Yu, Lin Ning, Zhao Yuanzhen, and Jiang Weiming quickly took their places, directly opposite the gaps between the four Flame Curses, and raised their right arms, charging the Impact Curse.

    One, two, three, four! Four charged Impact Curses were almost released simultaneously, the Metal-Element¡¯s sharp energy comparable to swords, immediately chopping the tree demon¡¯s roots layer by layer, cutting deep wounds into the trunk.

    Even though the tree demon¡¯s consciousness was undeveloped, the intense pain made it aware of the imminent threat of death. The countless roots wrapping the trunk suddenly extended, frantically slapping the surrounding flames, as the body charged directionlessly towards a certain direction.

    As it happened, it was in the direction of Su Yunjin.

    Su Yunjin stood frozen in place, watching as the tree demon topped with flames forcefully broke through her Flame Curse. For a moment, she couldn¡¯t think of how to react, her mind going blank.

    Should she switch to the Shifting Technique to escape? Switch to the Wood Bending Charm to face the enemy? Or increase the Flame Curse¡¯s output? sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The next second, Yan Yu had already launched himself sideways, intercepting the tree demon, swiftly shifting to the Wood Bending Charm, his right arm muscles already bulging.

    Impact punch!

    This punch, enhanced by the charge speed and supported by the power of the Wood Bending Charm, directly hit the base of the trunk, causing the tree demon to sway for a moment, its charging momentum finally forcefully halted.

    Three more Fire Blazing Charms arose from the left, right, and back of the tree demon; it was Chen Lingyun and the two military Cultivators acting swiftly in coordination, readjusting the position of the flame formation.

    Yan Yu, using the recoil of the punch to retreat, quickly pulled away with the Shifting Technique and then launched another Flame Curse, once again imprisoning the tree demon in a cage of flames.

    ¡°Combine attack once more!¡± he shouted loudly, ¡°The tree demon can¡¯t hold on anymore!¡±

 Chapter 72 - 71: First Arrogant, Then Respectful

    Chapter 72: Chapter 71: First Arrogant, Then Respectful

    The tree demon, towering over ten meters high, finally collapsed to the ground with a thunderous crash under the combined attack of the fully charged Impact Curses.

    This tree demon had withstood three rounds of combined attacks in total, truly tough as nails¡ªhad it been a human cultivator, two or three Impact Curses would have blown their head apart.

    But what could it do? The consequence of undeveloped intelligence was that, like a beast that had escaped from the zoo, it was killed by humans using simple encirclement tactics.

    Three military cultivators quickly approached, both to confirm whether the enemy was truly dead and to prevent any feigned death and counterattack from the tree demon.

    The result of the inspection was satisfactory: it seemed to be dead.

    The last round of Metal-Element Impact Curse attacks had pierced into the heart of the tree, delivering the fatal blow.

    ...

    ¡°Sorry.¡± Su Yunjin approached Yan Yu and whispered, ¡°I got scared just now and didn¡¯t react properly.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s normal for the first time,¡± Yan Yu said with a comforting smile. ¡°The fact that you didn¡¯t turn and run is already commendable.¡±

    Secretary Su and the spoiled princess alike, actually have somewhat subpar reflexes in an emergency, but it wasn¡¯t to the extent of being beyond hope.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you praising me?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen interjected proudly from the side. ¡°The final Impact Curse that killed it was launched by me.¡±

    ¡°What kind of praise do you want?¡± Yan Yu looked at her, puzzled. ¡°Should I give you a little red flower?¡±

    ¡°I want a little red flower,¡± Chen Lingyun said, smiling. ¡°The Flame Curse I adjusted just now was accurate, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, we can talk about it after a review of the action!¡± Surrounded by the girls clamoring to talk to him, Yan Yu, who didn¡¯t flinch in the face of the tree demon, now seemed somewhat overwhelmed and simply called out, ¡°We haven¡¯t completed our mission yet, so let¡¯s not dawdle here chatting!¡±

    Elsewhere, three military cultivators stood beside the body of the tree demon, quietly holding a brief meeting.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Wei Yun was the first to speak up persuasively, ¡°Old Jiang, at least you have to admit this, right? The reason the Jinling Military Region headquarters sent these people over and stressed that we provide unconditional collaboration is because they are indeed more skilled than us!¡±

    ¡°I think so too,¡± Feng Haiping agreed. ¡°How else do you explain the brightness of a college student¡¯s brain? The Flame Curse to entrap, the Impact Curse to kill; this tank-like tree demon was beaten like a dog in a cage. I think this tactic could totally be a case study for a textbook, could be used against other large fire-fearing monsters in the future.¡±

    ¡°Stop blowing smoke!¡± Jiang Weiming couldn¡¯t save face and argued. ¡°This tactic isn¡¯t that complex, okay? Given some time, I might have come up with it myself.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the problem? We didn¡¯t have time, right?¡± Wei Yun continued to try to convince him. ¡°Besides, could you have lured the tree demon out of the forest yourself?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯d have ended up as tree fertilizer,¡± Feng Haiping chimed in with a barb. ¡°We would have had to set fire to the forest and dig you out from the ashes of the plants.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough from you two,¡± Jiang Weiming said resignedly. ¡°I admit I wasn¡¯t polite earlier, but I didn¡¯t deliberately oppose them! What¡¯s the point of critiquing me after the fact?¡±

    ¡°But you definitely need to work on that temper of yours,¡± Wei Yun said bluntly. ¡°Before you became a cultivator, why do you think your military rank never increased in the army? Don¡¯t you have any self-awareness?¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine, from now on I¡¯ll keep quiet. Will it satisfy you if I just don¡¯t speak at all?¡± Jiang Weiming raised his hands in surrender, saying in exasperation, ¡°Wei Yun, from here on out you handle the communication with them. I¡¯ll just be your dumb soldier, keeping my head down and charging forward, okay?¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me,¡± Wei Yun patted his shoulder, then walked toward Yan Yu.

    ¡°Young Master Yan?¡± He tilted his head towards the body of the tree demon and asked with a smile, ¡°What should we do with this?¡±

    ¡°Dig out the heart of the tree. Leave the body at the scene for the research department to handle later,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    ¡°Okay, will do,¡± Wei Yun replied cheerfully, by extension indicating his attitude: From now on, we¡¯ll follow your lead.

    Chen Lingyun observed the military cultivators¡¯ reactions and, with a faint smile, approached the tree demon¡¯s body to take a closer look.

    The deepest wound was near a burl, within which one could faintly see an emerald hue.

    Crouching nearby, Feng Haiping pulled out a military dagger and deftly peeled away the outer layer. Then, turning his head towards Yan Yu, he asked for instructions:

    ¡°Should I wear gloves?¡±

    ¡°No need, just take it out,¡± Yan Yu answered, shaking his head. ¡°It¡¯s not corrosive.¡±

    Following the instruction, Feng Haiping extracted the heart of the tree, weighing it in his hand for a moment¡ªit was like a stone, roughly the length and three fingers¡¯ width of a palm, tapered at both ends into sharp cones, with a semi-translucent surface displaying a shade of green, almost like a large piece of high-quality jade.

    The girls eyed it intently, and even the well-traveled Zhao Yuanzhen couldn¡¯t help but be drawn to it.

    ¡°What is this used for?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with interest.

    ¡°For alchemy, crafting artifacts,¡± Yan Yu replied. ¡°You can also eat it directly. One bite, and you need neither food nor drink for three days, nor will you feel any hunger or thirst.¡±

    Incidentally, it was said to taste somewhat like celtuce. But the source of that information couldn¡¯t be explained, so it was best left unmentioned.

    ¡°Oh,¡± the girls said, enlightened.

    Mainly for research purposes¡­ which means, essentially useless to them.

    ¡°This thing needs to be stored in water for long-term preservation,¡± Yan Yu continued. ¡°Otherwise, it will evaporate clean within a few hours.¡±

    ¡°This is easy to handle.¡± Wei Yun took out his military canteen, used the Impact Curse to enlarge the drinking spout, then stuffed the tree core into the canteen before taking out a bandage to wrap and seal it up.

    The group continued to advance toward the direction of the cliff. Since the tree demon had rampaged, destroying the environment, a spacious path had emerged in the dense woods.

    However, everyone remained extremely vigilant, constantly scanning the surroundings as they moved, fearing that roots might suddenly emerge from any place and drag an unsuspecting victim into their grasp.

    Yan Yu, on the other hand, was not worried, as tree demons have a strong sense of territory and do not allow other monsters to survive nearby.

    Indeed, until the group managed to pass through the woods without incident, they encountered no second monster. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    When they reached the base of the cliff, Yan Yu looked up.

    The entire cliff face was bare, which seemed to present considerable difficulty for climbing, but for cultivators, it was not much different from walking on flat ground.

    Everyone used the Cloud Ascension Technique and, controlling their flight, quickly reached the top of the cliff.

    The mountaintop was overrun with wild grass but devoid of any trees. Lin Ning looked at the distant scenery and suddenly asked with curiosity,

    ¡°If there were no such high points in the terrain nearby, wouldn¡¯t one be able to fly high using the Cloud Ascension Technique to observe anyway?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu answered patiently, ¡°but there are two problems with that.¡±

    ¡°First, even if you hover in midair to observe, the Cloud Ascension Technique will continue to consume your True Yuan. To ensure comprehensive scouting, the consumption would be four or even five times that of climbing; second, there are no footholds in the air, and since you must maintain the Cloud Ascension Technique, if you encounter an attack from the ground, or a flying enemy, it would be difficult for you to respond.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not to say it isn¡¯t feasible. If we come to a place without any high points nearby and also lack cover like forests to conceal the ground, then using the Cloud Ascension Technique to fly high for observation can be a good choice. In summary, there¡¯s no absolutely fixed tactic; adaptability and situational judgment are key.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Lin Ning noted down solemnly.

    The three military cultivators nearby did not speak, but also pondered silently to themselves.

    He makes a lot of sense! These college-educated cultivators from the military academy really are smarter than us soldiers!

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s analyze the terrain of this Mysterious Realm,¡± Yan Yu said with a clap, ¡°Lin Ning, I¡¯ll ask and you answer.¡±

    ¡°With the upstream source of the river within our field of vision as the front of our coordinate system, what¡¯s to our front right?¡±

    ¡°A large forest, stretching to the end of our line of sight, blocked by a rugged mountain range,¡± Lin Ning responded as she looked out, also recalling the earlier tree demon, ¡°it could be hiding a large number of monsters.¡±

    ¡°And to our back right?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°A plain,¡± Lin Ning peered into the distance and slowly said, ¡°the river flows downstream in that direction, which is also where Captain Jiang previously advocated for exploration. Both sides of the river are plains, and there are rolling hills at the endpoint. There are not many trees, but the grass is lush.¡±

    ¡°Our back left?¡± Yan Yu continued.

    ¡°Endless, luxuriant forests,¡± Lin Ning observed carefully, ¡°stretching up to a wide lake. There¡¯s no clearing by the shore, and not much detail is visible.¡±

    ¡°And the front left?¡± Yan Yu asked finally.

    ¡°The terrain is flat, with relatively sparse trees,¡± Lin Ning tried to distinguish, ¡°further on is a stretch of plain with hardly any trees¡­ Hmm?¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Yan Yu inquired.

    ¡°There seems to be a thatched cottage?¡± Lin Ning said uncertainly, ¡°It¡¯s too far; I can¡¯t see clearly.¡±

    ¡°Then take your time and look,¡± Yan Yu advised.

    Jiang Weiming coughed beside them, wanting to remind them that ¡°the cultivators we lost earlier still haven¡¯t been found,¡± but under the watchful eyes of Wei Yun and Feng Haiping, he reluctantly held back his words.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine,¡± seeing Yan Yu¡¯s inquiring look, Wei Yun quickly said in a pleasing tone, ¡°Scouting is an important part, and thoroughness takes time, we can wait.¡±

    These three military cultivators, haughty at first and humble later, were as cold and guarded as they could be when they entered the Mysterious Realm, but now their attitude was as humble and flattering as could be, which made Lin Ning feel somewhat embarrassed. So she quickly held her breath and intently watched the distance for about ten seconds.

    ¡°It is indeed a building,¡± Lin Ning concluded promptly.

    ¡°Excellent,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°in the future, observe the terrain in this order, and try not to miss any details.¡±

    ¡°Based on what we know so far, Chen Lingyun, you analyze what we should do next,¡± he commanded.

    ¡°Me?¡± Chen Lingyun raised her eyebrows, her smile making an obvious statement:

    You¡¯re training them just fine; what need is there for me to teach?

    ¡°Yes, you analyze,¡± Yan Yu intentionally pressured her, ¡°if you make a wrong decision, I¡¯ll strip you of your position as vice-captain.¡±

    ¡°As you wish~¡± Chen Lingyun was not at all flustered, she merely stood on tiptoes, straining to see the ¡°thatched cottage¡± Lin Ning mentioned.

 Chapter 73 - 72: Who is Holding Us Back?

    Chapter 73: Chapter 72: Who is Holding Us Back?

    ¡°My conclusion is quite simple.¡± After gazing for a moment, Chen Lingyun smiled and said, ¡°We should first explore that thatched cottage.¡±

    ¡°The reason?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°The Mysterious Realm isn¡¯t naturally formed but man-made,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°Let¡¯s assume there¡¯s a master of this realm who wishes to reside here for a long time. Would they choose to live in a building or, like a wild beast, reside in the forest?¡±

    ¡°See, I told you this realm is kindergarten level,¡± Yan Yu said, turning around satisfied and spreading his hands to the others, ¡°There¡¯s no difficulty in either exploration and puzzle solving or combat.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, a group of military cultivators disappeared here before us,¡± Lin Ning quickly reminded him, ¡°Saying ¡®there¡¯s no difficulty at all¡¯ might be an overstatement, right?¡±

    The three military cultivators fell silent upon hearing this. Although the young girl was just stating facts, why did we still feel humiliated?

    ...

    ¡°Ahem.¡± As a representative of the military cultivators, Jiang Weiming had to stiffen his upper lip and try to save face, ¡°The tree demon we just dealt with, if we hadn¡¯t known the corresponding intelligence and hadn¡¯t formulated targeted tactics, it would actually have been tough. From this, we can infer that the previous group of missing military cultivators likely encountered an unknown demon and suffered from a lack of experience.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Yan Yu spoke earnestly to the girls, ¡°So remember, folks! From now on, no matter what kind of enemy we face, we must carry out pre-combat reconnaissance and devise the appropriate tactics in advance; otherwise, this will be our fate.¡±

    Jiang Weiming: ¡­¡­

    He felt even more frustrated.

    He really wanted to argue, ¡°We military cultivators do carry out reconnaissance, all right?¡± but the fact of the previous group¡¯s disappearance was right there. It was unclear whether they had performed their pre-combat scouting, and Captain Jiang couldn¡¯t clarify.

    Or rather, even if he insisted ¡°They definitely scouted,¡± if someone asked, ¡°Oh, then why did they still disappear?¡± he still wouldn¡¯t have an answer and would only be mocked for being a stubborn dead duck.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that for now,¡± Wei Yun hurriedly interjected, saving the situation, ¡°We have to search for the missing cultivators and complete the exploration of the Mysterious Realm. The tasks are arduous, so let¡¯s quickly arrange our next steps.¡±

    ¡°Now that we¡¯ve confirmed the surrounding environmental terrain, we have two choices moving forward,¡± Yan Yu also smoothly transitioned to the main topic, ¡°One is to start a grid search here to find the missing cultivators; the other is to explore that building to see if we can find the control center of the Mysterious Realm. Any thoughts?¡±

    Everyone looked at each other, thinking, isn¡¯t it obvious?

    Looking down from the mountaintop, vast expanses of forest in every direction, how long would a grid search take? And how many demons encountered will have to be fought?

    But if they found the control center of the Mysterious Realm and took control of it first, the difficulty of any subsequent actions would collectively decrease by a level.

    According to the intelligence provided by Mei Yingxue, once the control center was refined, it would be akin to becoming the master of the realm¡­ If the Mysterious Realm were compared to a chat group, then the master of the realm would be the group admin.

    With management authority in hand, searching for people or removing them would be much easier.

    ¡°Let¡¯s explore that building first,¡± Yan Yu waved grandly, decisively making the decision.

    With the new route set, everyone leapt down from the mountaintop.

    Yan Yu freefell through the air, and just before hitting the ground, he calmly activated the Cloud Ascension Technique to brake, then landed steadily on the ground.

    Next to land was Zhao Yuanzhen. As a Demonic Sect Enchantress accustomed to Sword Control Technique, her ability to grasp distance and timing was naturally strong.

    When the two of them looked up again, they saw the others were using the Cloud Ascension Technique throughout, moving slowly downward.

    Zhao Yuanzhen yawned broadly while Yan Yu continued to watch above, not in a hurry to urge them, but stood by with folded arms waiting.

    Although he was silent, the very act of standing and waiting at the end point was a form of silent urging, wasn¡¯t it?

    Lin Ning couldn¡¯t hold back first, interrupting her Cloud Ascension Technique and freefalling with gravity, then at the right moment, she quickly activated the technique again, landing perfectly unharmed.

    A flawless landing!

    She looked up somewhat proudly, only to find that neither of them was paying her any attention, which made her feel both embarrassed and awkward.

    To relieve her embarrassment, Lin Ning found a topic to ask, ¡°Yan Yu, you said this realm is kindergarten difficulty, so where would the difficulty lie in exploring future realms?¡±

    ¡°Uh,¡± Yan Yu took a moment to think before answering, ¡°Actually, exploration of a realm without competitors is basically not difficult at all. No matter how the realm is designed, it¡¯s ultimately inanimate, and we can always find a way to deal with it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen agreed, ¡°The real challenge isn¡¯t the realm, it¡¯s the people.¡±

    Lin Ning silently lowered her head to ponder.

    So it¡¯s like in games, no matter how hard PvE is, we can always find a guide, but the ever-changing nature of PvP is the real challenge¡­ Is that what it means?

    Yan Yu gave Zhao Yuanzhen a look, meaning could you tone it down a bit and stop acting like an experienced senior? Have you forgotten who you are?

    Zhao Yuanzhen froze for a moment, then his face immediately showed annoyance:

    ¡°So, officials are allowed to start fires, but common people can¡¯t even light a lamp?¡±

    Yan Yu nonchalantly mouthed the words: Mei Yingxue.

    Zhao Yuanzhen fell silent, but he seethed inwardly:

    ¡°Today this little thief shows off, and he doesn¡¯t allow me to do the same, I¡¯ll remember this grudge. If there¡¯s a next time, when I turn the tables and call the shots, I¡¯ll make him¡­¡±

    Hmm? sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°How should I get back at him though?¡±

    ¡°Show off in front of him fiercely, while not allowing him to do the same? That sounds kind of stupid.¡±

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress fell into a wordless contemplation.

    A moment later, Chen Lingyun was the fourth to descend, smiling and speaking to Yan Yu:

    ¡°You¡¯re still as fast as ever.¡±

    Yan Yu could naturally catch the implication in her words and countered:

    ¡°What were you waiting for up there, taking your sweet time? Foreplay?¡±

    Lin Ning: ?

    ¡°Stop!¡± she shouted in embarrassment, ¡°No dirty jokes allowed!¡±

    ¡°What dirty jokes?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked, frowning.

    Lin Ning didn¡¯t know how to explain, so she said sternly with a straight face:

    ¡°Just that they¡¯re not allowed, that¡¯s all.¡±

    After a while, Su Yunjin finally landed, followed by three military cultivators. They only deactivated their Cloud Ascension Technique and jumped down when they saw that they were not far from the ground.

    ¡°Sorry for being late,¡± Su Yunjin said with embarrassment.

    ¡°No problem,¡± Yan Yu waved it off nonchalantly, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The group continued on their swift journey. Su Yunjin seemed to be trailing behind, appearing somewhat downcast.

    Chen Lingyun noticed from the corner of her eye and quietly moved closer to walk alongside her.

    ¡°Ling Yun,¡± Su Yunjin asked softly and awkwardly, ¡°am I slowing you all down?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Chen Lingyun paused for a moment, then said with a beaming smile, ¡°Not at all.¡±

    ¡°If we really have to worry about that, to be honest, we¡¯re all dragging him down.¡±

    ¡°Him?¡± Su Yunjin paused, ¡°You mean the captain.¡±

    ¡°But I think he doesn¡¯t mind,¡± Chen Lingyun continued with a smile, ¡°because we¡¯re bound to catch up sooner or later.¡±

    ¡°And if we can¡¯t catch up?¡± Su Yunjin was still a bit melancholic, ¡°What I mean is¡­ what if, no matter how hard I try, I can¡¯t keep up with the pace of your progress?¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then you¡¯d just have to voluntarily leave the team,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a mischievous smile.

    Su Yunjin immediately showed a look of terror as if the sky had fallen.

    ¡°However,¡± Chen Lingyun enjoyed her reaction long enough before she continued comforting her, ¡°Yun Jin, your concerns are probably unnecessary.¡±

    ¡°Because, you see, if you truly were a person of mediocrity, Yan Yu wouldn¡¯t have allowed you to join the team from the start.¡±

    ¡°But what if he was wrong?¡± Su Yunjin murmured.

    ¡°Whether his judgment of people is accurate or not is something no one can determine,¡± Chen Lingyun said slowly, ¡°The only one who can prove it is you.¡±

 Chapter 74 - 73: Alright, Lets Train the Troops

    Chapter 74: Chapter 73: Alright, Let¡¯s Train the Troops

    Looking down from the peak of the mountain earlier, the surrounding terrain was clear at a glance, and planning a route was no more than simple.

    With Chen Lingyun¡¯s exceptionally strong memory, Yan Yu simply let her lead the way, trying as much as possible to avoid areas dense with trees.

    As the group passed through a flat meadow, moving forward with their Shifting Technique, suddenly Lin Ning let out a sharp cry as her figure was abruptly flung into the air.

    It was a vine concealed within the underbrush that had now firmly entangled her ankle and whipped her into the air with force.

    Her balance lost, Lin Ning gritted her teeth, curled her body with all her might, and within her rapidly spinning and swaying vision, she tried to reach the thing binding her ankle to cut it with a Metal-Element Impact Curse.

    Before she could act, the force on her foot dissipated. She hurriedly applied the Cloud Ascension Technique, and her body came to an abrupt stop in midair, only to find only half a vine remaining on her foot¡ªit was Yan Yu who had reacted immediately, freeing her from the clutches of the monster.

    ...

    ¡°Everyone, gather close to me,¡± Yan Yu said casually, yet his hands did not cease to shoot Impact Curses in all directions around him.

    The frequency of his shots was not rapid, but with every Impact Curse that hit the ground, a section of vine would bounce out of the underbrush, like a pained snake attempting to flee.

    The group quickly huddled next to Yan Yu, with the girls in the inner circle and the three military cultivators on the outside. Lin Ning moved through the air with her Cloud Ascension Technique toward Yan Yu, when she heard him speak again:

    ¡°Alright, disperse, the monster has fled.¡±

    The underbrush around them rustled once more, seemingly something rapidly crawling away, but indeed the shaking was moving farther away.

    ¡°How did you notice it?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, her eyes revealing a hint of surprise.

    Princess Jiang Hai was very confident in her observational skills, yet even with her concentrated efforts, she could only sense movements within the grass in all directions.

    But to, like Yan Yu, accurately discern the position of the vine monster within the underbrush and precisely deploy Impact Curses to sever the foe, she was not capable of doing so.

    The rest also perked up their ears. The girls familiar with his ways thought for sure he would make light of it, probably saying ¡°This is very simple.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re asking about that,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment before saying, ¡°Watch the swaying of the underbrush. First, locate the position where the swaying is most pronounced, then see which direction it moves, and finally, calculate a lead based on the direction of motion¡ªthat¡¯s where the actual body is.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that very complicated!¡± Lin Ning, who had just landed, immediately retorted.

    ¡°Otherwise?¡± Yan Yu asked, confused, ¡°Did you think cultivator battles are simple? Too naive, little Lin Ning!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me little Lin Ning¡­¡± Lin Ning said, deflated.

    Yeah, what was I thinking? Real combat situations are inherently complex and ever-changing; why am I surprised?

    ¡°Have they all gone?¡± Su Yunjin asked uneasily.

    ¡°I suppose so,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Staying wouldn¡¯t make sense; as many as come would be cut down by me. Even without spiritual intelligence, these creatures have the ability to gauge the disparity in strength.¡±

    The three military cultivators also sighed with relief and exchanged glances once more. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    This Yan Yu, though his attitude and words were brash, his skills indeed matched his tone¡­ and on second thought, for a young man with such abilities, a bit of arrogance seemed quite normal.

    So one must remember the lesson: Don¡¯t judge a book by its cover, nor measure the sea with a bushel.

    ¡°Shall we continue on our way?¡± Wei Yun asked, eager to proceed.

    ¡°Or do you want to take a rest?¡± Yan Yu asked in return.

    ¡°No, no need to rest,¡± Wei Yun promptly replied in a firm voice, ¡°The mission is paramount; we must persevere.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go,¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    Having crossed the vine-laden meadow, the group¡¯s spirits were finally lifted.

    They had arrived!

    In front of them was the vast plain they had observed from the mountaintop.

    Now, at a closer look, one could notice the artificially cultivated ridges on the plain, with crops planted at equal distances in neat rows.

    The crops were of an unknown variety, unrecognizable in shape, but evidently cultivated by humans. Some were still growing, while others seemed ripe, bearing full fruits of various colors.

    Beyond the furrows and the unfamiliar crops, a thatched cottage could be seen in the distance.

    Before the group could make their next move, a figure suddenly flew toward them at high speed from afar, arriving above their heads in an instant and deftly landing.

    It was a life-sized wooden puppet, its cylindrical head carved with curved brows, a straight nose, and a flat mouth.

    Unlike its crudely carved head and body, its limbs and joints were exquisitely made, with elbows, wrists, and fingers of the right size and very flexible.

    In the puppet¡¯s right hand was a green bamboo sword.

    Yan Yu raised his eyebrows in surprise, ¡°Isn¡¯t that the Thousand Pines and Bamboo Sword?¡±

    The Thousand Pines and Bamboo Sword, also known as the ¡°Green Bamboo Sword,¡± was the sword¡¯s formal name, whereas Lin Ning had given it that latter nickname.

    Why did Lin Ning name it? Because in her previous life, once she had confirmed her path as a Sword Immortal, this was the sword assigned to her¡­ So it was originally discovered in this Mysterious Realm?

    Well, since my current limit of Spiritual Energy isn¡¯t enough for long-term Sword Control Technique, I might not be able to get the sword back for a while after handing it over.

    I¡¯ll talk to Elder Li when I return, tell him to keep the sword for me.

    Yan Yu pondered silently for a moment and then saw the puppet clack its wrists, not attacking the group but rather pointing its bamboo sword at them. The tip of the sword raised slightly, and an aged laugh followed,

    ¡°Ho ho ho~ A few Qi Refinement scatterbrains managed to find their way here, it seems the vine monsters and tree spirits nurtured by the lord are still a bit too weak.¡±

    The group looked at each other and then unanimously turned towards Yan Yu.

    If anyone was qualified to represent the Cultivators and communicate with the puppet, it had to be their leader, Yan Yu.

    After pondering for a while, Yan Yu looked at the puppet seriously and asked,

    ¡°We had a group of Cultivators come here to explore before, but they lost contact. Have you seen them?¡±

    ¡°I do not recall,¡± replied the puppet. ¡°But the lord is kind-hearted and has long since taught those creatures not to kill indiscriminately, so your friends who intruded here are certainly alive. They must be trapped somewhere, and you may search for them yourselves.¡±

    ¡°I see, then I¡¯ll cut to the chase,¡± Yan Yu nodded and then commanded sternly, ¡°Old wooden head, hand over the core of the Mysterious Realm!¡±

    The group: ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    The puppet was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing,

    ¡°Very well! The lord said that if someone wants the old abode of this place, it¡¯s quite simple.¡±

    He flicked the green Immortal Sword in his hand, flourished it, and declared loudly,

    ¡°A one-on-one duel for practice. Defeat me, and it¡¯s yours. Who wants to go first?¡±

    Yan Yu sneered upon hearing this and turned to give an order,

    ¡°You all heard it, right? Lin Ning, you go ahead and test its strength.¡±

 Chapter 75 - 74: Its Decided, Its You

    Chapter 75: Chapter 74: It¡¯s Decided, It¡¯s You

    Why did they send Lin Ning first?

    Because her role in the team is that of a shock trooper, and in most cases, she¡¯s the first to charge in.

    It¡¯s just right to let Sister Lin get used to combat in advance, which is also Yan Yu¡¯s intention for personally leading the team in this ¡°rookie pass.¡±

    Chosen by Yan Yu to fight first, Lin Ning wasn¡¯t too scared.

    After all, they said it was a ¡°combat drill,¡± which meant they wouldn¡¯t really try to kill her¡­ right?

    Although she felt the risk was not great, nervousness was still inevitable.

    ...

    Lin Ning took a deep breath and activated her Shifting Technique.

    Charge!

    She closed in on the puppet in an instant, abruptly halting with the Cloud Ascension Technique and smoothly transitioning to the Wood Bending Charm, her right arm muscles swelling rapidly.

    ¡°Lightning assault?¡± Su Yunjin was secretly shocked.

    Going from Shifting Technique to Cloud Ascension Technique, then to Attack Spell Technique, and instantly charging to punch you dead, this ultra-fast triple technique chain was Captain Yan Yu¡¯s signature maneuver. He defeated the representatives of the other three forces with it in the Four Institutes Tournament, and all the team members had seen it in the video afterwards, but little did they expect that Sister Lin had already learned it.

    Before she could say anything, Yan Yu suddenly said,

    ¡°Too slow.¡±

    As Lin Ning switched to the Wood Bending Charm, the close-range puppet had already raised its Green Bamboo Sword high and slashed down.

    Because the switch to the charm was half a beat late, counterattacking would surely result in being hit first; Lin Ning could only raise her fist in a hurry.

    Fist against the blade!

    The Wood Bending Charm not only amplified her limb strength but also appropriately protected her limbs from being harmed by the blowback. However, compared to the specialized defensive Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse, the Bending Charm only reduced damage rather than provided immunity, protected only the limb exerting force, and did not nullify pain.

    Although the Green Bamboo Sword seemed to be made of bamboo, its hardness naturally could not be compared with ordinary plants. When her fist struck, the comic scene of ¡°my flesh fist breaking your steel weapon¡± did not occur; instead, Lin Ning stepped back several paces in pain, tears almost coming out.

    Biting back her pain, she quickly activated her Shifting Technique and rapidly retreated sideways, avoiding the puppet¡¯s follow-up slashing, and extended the other hand into a tight fist.

    Flame Curse!

    Fire suddenly erupted from the ground, but the Sword-bearing Puppet, though seemingly cumbersome, was actually agile. It sidestepped the flames the moment they appeared, largely evading the burning range and only leaving slight scorched marks on its surface.

    ¡°The Flame Curse has almost a half-second delay from casting to release, making it quite easy to dodge,¡± Yan Yu explained to the rest on the side. ¡°Such delayed spells must be used in combination with other attacks, like for restricting the enemy¡¯s movement or attacking when they can¡¯t dodge. Remember, using it alone is absolutely the wrong approach.¡±

    While he calmly explained to the others, Lin Ning, now exemplifying what not to do, was being chased around by the puppet, looking very disheveled.

    The Sword-bearing Puppet didn¡¯t move its legs while moving; rather, it was as if it were suspended by invisible threads, then approached like the Shifting Technique, forcing Lin Ning to maintain distance with the same technique.

    Luckily, Lin Ning had also practiced ¡°Propulsion Tactics¡± for a while. She accelerated with the Shifting Technique and then abruptly stopped, continuing high-speed movement with inertia while swiftly seizing the moment to shoot out an Impact Curse, forcing the puppet to use its sword for defense.

    No matter where her Impact Curse was aimed, the puppet merely needed to rotate its wrist to move the Green Bamboo Sword to the corresponding position, effortlessly blocking the curse technique without the sword even wobbling.

    The so-called sharpness of metallic energy, in front of a superior Immortal Sword, was as fragile as an egg.

    ¡°Enough,¡± said Yan Yu, seeing that Lin Ning was about to enter a hit-and-run warfare. ¡°Lin Ning, return to the team! Chen Lingyun, get ready to take over.¡± S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Jiang Weiming and the other three Cultivators exchanged glances and finally realized what Yan Yu intended to do.

    This was training for battle!

    As Lin Ning swiftly ran back, the Sword-bearing Puppet, sure enough, chased her for a distance then suddenly stopped, only continuing to gesture with the sword to the group as if to say ¡°come and fight.¡±

    Chen Lingyun entered the battlefield, keeping some distance from the puppet, and suddenly shot out an Impact Curse to seize the initiative.

    The Sword-bearing Puppet moved swiftly to block the curse aimed at its chest, but at its feet, flames suddenly erupted.

    Her first move was not a single strike; it was a double hit!

    ¡°Do you see?¡± Yan Yu immediately affirmed the action, saying to everyone, ¡°The first strike draws the opponent¡¯s attention, creating an opportunity for the second strike to hit. That¡¯s what I was talking about in terms of move coordination.¡±

    Lin Ning gasped for breath, hands bracing against her knees, and looked ahead with a mix of reluctance and resolve.

    I can do that too! It¡¯s just¡­ I was the first to fight, I just hadn¡¯t thought of it!

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem very useful?¡± Jiang Weiming asked from the side.

    The puppet was hit squarely by the flames that had erupted, but instead of being hindered, it charged out of the fire charred black, rapidly flying toward Chen Lingyun.

    Chen Lingyun stood her ground, ready to engage the enemy. With her smart wit, she could of course see that what Yan Yu had everyone practice was ¡°facing the real pressure of the battlefield.¡± It would be meaningless if she were to activate the Shifting Technique and employ hit-and-run tactics, not letting the sword-bearing puppet get close¡­

    The sword-bearing puppet flew extremely fast, and in no time it reached Chen Lingyun¡¯s position, the Green Bamboo Sword thrusting downward from above.

    Chen Lingyun quickly activated the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse and stretched out her left hand to grab the blade.

    She caught it.

    But it broke free.

    With just a slight twist, the Green Bamboo Sword flicked Chen Lingyun¡¯s fingers open.

    Chen Lingyun wasn¡¯t flustered, or rather, this was still within her expectations. She stepped half a pace forward, almost pressed close against the puppet, and her left hand again brushed toward its sword-wielding wrist.

    The True Yuan of the Water-based Runescript was quickly stimulated, and upon touch, it rushed into the puppet¡¯s wrist. Suddenly, the puppet flew backwards rapidly, creating distance, with the wrist of its sword-wielding hand dangling at an odd angle, seemingly restricted in its movements.

    Hmm, the Runescript really did come in handy.

    Chen Lingyun remained where she was, not rushing to continue the chase, showing a thoughtful and sweet smile on her face, while the onlookers outside the field were dumbstruck.

    In the previous round, Lin Ning had been chased around by the puppet; but now that Chen Lingyun took the stage, the situation reversed immediately, forcing the sword-bearing puppet to retreat?

    Is there really such a big difference in strength between these two?

    ¡°It¡¯s simple,¡± Yan Yu seemed to read the question in everyone¡¯s minds and said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s difficult without information; it¡¯s not difficult once you choose the right tactics.¡±

    Lin Ning was slightly taken aback, then she began to ponder.

    That¡¯s right, judging from the puppet¡¯s performance, the Flame Curse didn¡¯t do much damage, the Impact Curse was easily blocked by the sword, but it couldn¡¯t resist a close-range Runescript; even that sword couldn¡¯t penetrate the defense of the Barrier Charm¡­

    ¡°Su Yunjin, get ready,¡± Yan Yu reminded.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Su Yunjin clenched her fists nervously, her body trembling slightly against her will.

    Seeing this, Lin Ning moved closer and whispered in her ear:

    ¡°It¡¯s not that difficult, just remember to initiate the Barrier Charm first, and it will block its attacks. Don¡¯t counterattack with the Flame Curse, as it doesn¡¯t cause significant damage even if it takes a direct hit¡­¡±

    The sword-bearing puppet on the field raised its right arm, the blade vibrated, and it overcame the obstruction of the Runescript, its wrist becoming agile once again.

    It relaunched its attack, this time with a horizontal slash of the long sword from close behind. Yan Yu, observing from the outside, could see clearly that there was no Sword Control Technique involved, it was just a pure slash.

    Chen Lingyun raised her right arm, initiating the Barrier Charm directly to block, as the Green Bamboo Sword collided with her forearm, emitting a dull thud.

    She repeated her previous maneuver, stepping forward, but this time the puppet didn¡¯t give her the chance to engage in close quarters, quickly pulling back to create distance.

    Yan Yu silently concluded that Sister Lin was good at designing tactics and seizing opportunities, the downside being her on-the-spot reaction to abrupt situations wasn¡¯t strong. However, the puppet¡¯s moves were too simplistic and its speed not fast enough to put any pressure on Chen Lingyun. On the contrary, it was being countered by her and wasn¡¯t effective for training purposes.

    ¡°Come back, Chen Lingyun!¡± He called out without much hesitation, ¡°Next one, go, Su Yunjin!¡±

    As soon as Su Yunjin heard it was her turn, she tensed up immediately.

    But an unexpected comment from the side broke her tense state¡­ She heard Lin Ning unable to resist calling out:

    ¡°This is not the time to be playing Pok¨¦mon!¡±

 Chapter 76 - 75: Yun Jin, Sister, Im Here to Protect You

    Chapter 76: Chapter 75: Yun Jin, Sister, I¡¯m Here to Protect You

    Chen Lingyun used Shifting Technique to exit the field, and Su Yunjin hurriedly took her place to enter.

    Miss Su hailed from a scholarly family, expert at clerical work, but currently, she wasn¡¯t too fit for the battlefield.

    From past life experience, she was more adept at Wood-Element and Water-Element Taoism Methods, and as a spell cultivator, she could perform support tasks well, like restraining enemies or healing allies¡ªas long as someone was in front to shield her, and the pressure didn¡¯t fall on her, she was able to perform consistently.

    But on the real battlefield, situations change rapidly; who could guarantee that the pressure would never fall on her?

    In high-level battles, any weakness in the team would certainly be targeted relentlessly by the enemy.

    Thus, it was necessary for Su Yunjin to train, not requiring her to master skills for close-quarters combat right now, but at least to mentally adapt to the pressures of the battlefield.

    ...

    Su Yunjin entered the puppets¡¯ attack range and immediately activated the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse.

    Too hasty¡ªthe sword-bearing puppet hadn¡¯t even approached her! She seemed afraid she¡¯d get hurt if she activated it any later, indicating a lack of psychological quality.

    As the puppet swung its sword in a chopping motion, Su Yunjin quickly raised her hand to block, and her figure sharply shrank back.

    The girls outside the field fell silent. The opponent¡¯s straightforward sword chop could be completely blocked without damage by the Barrier Charm; don¡¯t be afraid, Yunjin!

    Jiang Weiming and others exchanged meaningful glances in silence. Sending such a fragile girl into the fray clearly showed that Yan Yu was using this puppet for training purposes, and as military cultivators, they theoretically should advise ¡°mission first¡± and not waste too much time here.

    But from a soldier¡¯s perspective, their current leader was Yan Yu, and a superior¡¯s orders must be obeyed.

    They had no choice but to pretend not to have seen anything.

    ¡°Speaking of which, old Jiang,¡± Feng Haiping turned to ask casually, ¡°how old is your daughter now?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s three,¡± replied Jiang Weiming, looking down at the grass, ¡°I don¡¯t know if she has the talent for cultivation.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it said that Spirit Roots can be inherited?¡± Wei Yun chimed in from the side. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°But my wife doesn¡¯t have a Spirit Root,¡± Jiang Weiming replied with a wry smile, ¡°Do you think she¡¯ll inherit from me, or my wife?¡±

    Military cultivators chatted idly by the field, while Su Yunjin faced the enemy on the field.

    At first, she constantly maintained the Barrier Charm to block the sword-bearing puppet¡¯s attacks and only after gathering some courage did she, during a lull in its offense, abruptly switch from the Barrier Charm to Runescript in an attempt to strike at the puppet¡¯s sword-wielding wrist.

    However, the puppet immediately retreated, dodging the Runescript attack. Su Yunjin didn¡¯t dare pursue, hastily transitioning back to the Barrier Charm.

    Hmm? Yan Yu slightly raised his eyebrows.

    This Secretary Su¡¯s switching between curse techniques was quite swift, and it didn¡¯t seem like a skill acquired through later practice; it must be her innate control over True Yuan that was slightly above the average level of cultivators.

    But only slightly above average wasn¡¯t enough to form a tactical advantage; he would continue to observe.

    ¡°Is it my turn yet?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen came over and whispered.

    ¡°Why would you go up?¡± Yan Yu quietly retorted in confusion, ¡°Do you also need to train?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t need to train,¡± the Demonic Sect Enchantress said, sounding somewhat proud, her tail almost lifting itself¡ªif she had one, ¡°but it¡¯s obvious Su Yunjin can¡¯t beat that puppet, right?¡±

    ¡°She can¡¯t beat it,¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t deny, ¡°Let her practice first.¡±

    ¡°If she can¡¯t beat it, why practice?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was puzzled.

    To someone with a fearful and timid nature like hers, if she were in the Qiansi Sect, she would be directly relegated to the ranks of servants, right? There¡¯s utterly no point in cultivating someone like that!

    ¡°I don¡¯t know either,¡± Yan Yu said, dismissing her with an indifferent response.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately became suspicious.

    Could it be his master¡¯s intention?

    The moment Zhao Yuanzhen thought of that enigmatic master of strategy and calculations, he stopped making any comments, yet he made up his mind to befriend Su Yunjin in the future.

    After all, having a mighty protector amounted to soaring from a mere external disciple, or even a servant, to leaping over the dragon¡¯s gate.

    Better to curry favor with the neglected cold stove than the attended hot one! There are plenty of people tending to the hot stove; no need for me to gild the lily!

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s covert thoughts were pressed down unexpressed. Meanwhile, Su Yunjin had been on the field for over five minutes, and Yan Yu had not called a stop, allowing her to continue battling the puppet.

    At first, she was solely defending and shrinking back, but she gradually realized that the puppet truly couldn¡¯t break through the Barrier Charm¡¯s defense; her courage grew, and she began trying to seize opportunities to launch Attack Spell Techniques, with the frequency of her counterattacks increasing.

    She even used the recently practiced Shifting Technique to dash and ascend, attempting to dodge rather than defend against the puppet¡¯s attacks¡ªit hacked in a straightforward manner without feints or improvised changes of attack, making it indeed perfectly suitable for practice.

    Su Yunjin¡¯s improvement was so evident that everyone outside the arena stopped commenting and just watched patiently as she slowly built her confidence.

    ¡°Alright, Su Yunjin, prepare to come back,¡± Yan Yu suddenly called out.

    ¡°Ah?¡± Lin Ning asked puzzledly from the side, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to let her practice for a bit longer? She still has room for improvement, doesn¡¯t she?¡±

    Yan Yu blocked Lin Ning¡¯s question with just one sentence:

    ¡°She¡¯s out of True Yuan.¡±

    Su Yunjin indeed had little True Yuan left; upon hearing Yan Yu¡¯s order, she swiftly dodged the puppet¡¯s attacks, activated the Shifting Technique, and turned tail to run.

    ¡°Your turn,¡± Yan Yu said, patting Zhao Yuanzhen on the shoulder from behind.

    ¡°Sure!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen chuckled coldly, ¡°I¡¯m going to annihilate it in one second!¡±

    Instantaneous annihilation was also internet slang; this Demonic Sect Enchantress, having crossed over for more than three months, had already been completely assimilated in her language habits.

    She activated the Shifting Technique and dashed forward quickly, her figure passing by Su Yunjin¡¯s.

    Before even reaching the Sword-bearing Puppet, she saw the puppet suddenly exclaim:

    ¡°What a witch! Face my sword!¡±

    It swung the Green Bamboo Sword abruptly, and a green Sword Qi tore through the ground coming at her, fortunately, Zhao Yuanzhen quickly changed direction, barely evading the slash of the Sword Qi.

    The onlookers outside the arena were immediately stunned: What¡¯s going on?

    This Sword-bearing Puppet had been using a simple slash against the previous three contestants, so why did it suddenly release Sword Qi this time?

    Only Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun quickly guessed the answer: It¡¯s likely that there was something wrong with Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s techniques or True Yuan, which the puppet had spotted¡ªthe master behind the Mysterious Realm, probably originating from a reputable sect, was quite normal to dislike a witch from the Evil Sect.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, however, didn¡¯t overthink it; she was nearly hit by the Sword Qi and immediately flew into a rage:

    ¡°You despicable puppet! Watch me dismantle you alive!¡±

    ¡­Such a simple and brute force mindset, Chen Lingyun thought to herself.

    The Sword-bearing Puppet swung its sword again, and the green sword light tore through the ground like a shark¡¯s fin breaking through the waves, ferociously charging at her. Zhao Yuanzhen nimbly stepped aside, extending her hand in a sword-finger gesture and shot out an Impact Curse. The puppet immediately used its sword to block, and the Demonic Sect Enchantress seized the moment to close in, raising two fingers in the shape of a sword to stab forward.

    ¡­Not entirely though; her combat awareness was quite developed, Chen Lingyun amended her perception.

    Zhao Yuanzhen first pointed a finger at the puppet¡¯s right elbow, and a metallic sharp energy surged forth, causing the puppet¡¯s forearm along with the Green Bamboo Sword to break off and fall to the ground.

    She quickly spun around, sidestepped, and with a backhanded finger, pointed at the joint where the puppet¡¯s left shoulder and body met.

    Thus, the puppet¡¯s left arm was broken in half, hanging onto the body by a mere thread.

    Before Yan Yu could call out to stop her, Zhao Yuanzhen raised her leg, initiated the Curved Curse, and with two swift movements, kicked the puppet¡¯s knees.

    The puppet with broken legs fell forward to the ground, its head rattling as it turned, seemingly aware of its current predicament, it quickly stopped moving.

    Zhao Yuanzhen stepped on the puppet¡¯s head, snorted with pride, then turned her head to look at Yan Yu, as if to say, ¡°I told you I¡¯d dismantle it alive!¡±

    ¡°Very good.¡± Yan Yu clapped with an emotionless face, ¡°You beat a puppet. How impressive.¡±

    Only then did Zhao Yuanzhen realize¡­ Isn¡¯t it just an uncontrolled puppet? Why did I put so much effort into it? It¡¯s as if I needed to go all out to defeat it!

    Although the Demonic Sect Enchantress wasn¡¯t given to much thought, when it came to matters of ¡°face¡±, her cunning never disappointed. She immediately feigned an angry expression and kicked the puppet once more, declaratively proclaiming:

    ¡°That¡¯s for bullying my sister Yun Jin!¡±

    Su Yunjin: ?

 Chapter 77 - 76 Group Photo Time

    Chapter 77: Chapter 76 Group Photo Time

    After defeating the puppet, the path to the thatched cottage was completely safe.

    Yan Yu found the control mechanism of the Mysterious Realm inside the cottage, which looked like a delicate incense burner, and started to refine it.

    The so-called refinement was simple, involving just infusing True Yuan into it, and infusing it fiercely.

    The amount of True Yuan needed wasn¡¯t much, but the main issue was that refinement took time. Yan Yu roughly estimated that it would take about ten minutes or so to refine the incense burner.

    As the pace of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence increased, the difficulty of the Mysterious Realm would also increase, and the time required to refine the control mechanism would extend, possibly even requiring a few hours of work¡ªif there were enemy cultivator teams present in the Mysterious Realm, one would either have to eliminate all the opponents or carry the control mechanism around aimlessly, delaying until it was completely refined.

    After finishing the refinement of the incense burner, Yan Yu left the cottage and looked at the eagerly waiting crowd, and said:

    ...

    ¡°I checked, the missing soldiers from the military haven¡¯t died. 2.2 kilometers to the east of here, deep in the forest, they¡¯re all hung up on trees by those vine monsters.¡±

    ¡°Can you give a more detailed description of their position?¡± Jiang Weiming let out a sigh of relief and quickly followed up with a question.

    ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Yan Yu held the incense burner in his hands and poured True Yuan into it, ¡°I¡¯ll send everyone out first.¡±

    No sooner had he finished speaking than everyone¡¯s vision started whirling. When they regained focus, they found themselves back in the depths of the Wuyi Mountains.

    Yan Yu tossed the incense burner into Jiang Weiming¡¯s arms, who clumsily caught it, and heard him continue to say:

    ¡°I¡¯ve loosened the control authority, as long as you hold it, you can control the entry and exit of the Mysterious Realm, manipulate the restrictions, command the creatures and monitor the interior of the Mysterious Realm, etc.¡­ The specific functions, you can study slowly, there should be nothing for us here anymore.¡±

    If comparing it to a chat group, Yan Yu was the group owner, and after he loosened the permissions, anyone holding this control mechanism would become an administrator.

    An administrator can do anything in the group except for kicking out the group owner, but the group owner can dismiss the administrator at any time.

    Of course, Yan Yu couldn¡¯t possibly stay near the Wuyi Mountains to cooperate with the local military in developing the Mysterious Realm for a long time, so it was very necessary to loosen the control rights.

    But Zhao Yuanzhen couldn¡¯t understand this matter, after everyone left the valley, she ran to Yan Yu¡¯s side and asked with suspicion:

    ¡°Why did you give the control mechanism to him?¡±

    ¡°Otherwise?¡± Yan Yu asked back, ¡°What use is it to keep it with us?¡±

    ¡°We could sneak in and scavenge all the treasures inside.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen still thought like a traditional cultivator, revealing a somewhat greedy little expression, laughing hehe, ¡°It would all be ours.¡±

    ¡°Shift your perspective a bit.¡± Yan Yu said persuasively, ¡°Imagine you¡¯re the personal disciple of a major sect leader, and the sect leader asks you to hand over all the treasures you obtain from the Mysterious Realm. Then he rewards you in the name of sect contributions. After the treasures are stored in the inner treasury, you apply to the sect leader to use the treasures again¡­ You get it?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was silent for a moment, uncertain:

    ¡°So the treasures go around once, and still end up in our hands, but the sect rewards are free gains.¡±

    ¡°Pretty much.¡± Yan Yu calmly explained, ¡°In cultivation, there are wealth, companions, Dharma, and land; among them, ¡®wealth¡¯ isn¡¯t about having the most, but about having the best. Whether you get three or five Flying Swords in the Mysterious Realm really makes no difference, because eventually, you¡¯ll only use the strongest one among them; the rest will just gather dust in a corner¡­ What we need to ensure is that we can 100% take back that strongest Flying Sword after we submit it.¡±

    ¡°Can this be guaranteed?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked doubtfully.

    ¡°Definitely.¡± Yan Yu smiled, ¡°After the scientific registration is complete, all proceeds from this Mysterious Realm will belong to the Zhendong Army, which will be responsible for allocation. Our team is the strongest in the Zhendong Army, and we can even speak with the principal, so if it¡¯s really something that can increase our combat power, how could we possibly not get it? If you¡¯re really not reassured, I¡¯ll go speak with Old Li, we can reserve it internally in advance, and then it¡¯s all settled.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which, isn¡¯t it too early to go back to Jinling now?¡± Lin Ning suggested, ¡°Maybe we can tour around the Wuyi Mountains?¡±

    ¡°I support that.¡± Su Yunjin said excitedly, ¡°What¡¯s fun around here?¡±

    ¡°There are plenty of places to have fun.¡± Lin Ning, being a local from Minhai Province, stood up to introduce, ¡°You can take a bamboo raft at the Nine-bend River, or climb Tianyou Peak. My dad orders tea from here every year; if you guys want some, I can arrange it with a phone call home.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s enjoy ourselves here for a day.¡± Yan Yu quickly responded to the will of the people, waving his hand grandly, ¡°We¡¯ll go back to Jinling tomorrow.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    When it came to traveling, Yan Yu remembered times in his past life when he and Chen Lingyun had traveled together on many occasions.

    The two were not boyfriend and girlfriend, although they had slept together a few times, it was Chen Lingyun who initiated it¡ªback then, she was just over thirty with no dating experience, and doing such things was probably just out of curiosity, or simply a hormonal impulse. Later, she said it didn¡¯t feel meaningful, so it naturally didn¡¯t continue.

    Yan Yu had to admit that in his past life, he indeed harbored some latent, unspeakable affection for her.

    They say a woman remembers the first man she¡¯s with, this theorem actually applies to men as well, but whether it applied to Chen Lingyun or not was uncertain.

    Over time, this affection gradually faded away¡­ but perhaps there was also a possibility, that it was hidden away?

    What exactly was the relationship between his past self and Chen Lingyun, even Yan Yu himself couldn¡¯t clarify.

    Sometimes he would feel an intense urge to confess to her, other times he loathed her for her ambiguous and evasive ways. His parents would occasionally complain that his matrimonial prospects were delayed because of her, and Yan Yu had no retorts, but until the very end, he had no feelings for any woman other than Chen Lingyun.

    There is an old saying: it¡¯s hard to find water like the ocean once you¡¯ve seen it; with Chen Lingyun¡¯s exceptional beauty and family background, it was indeed tough to find a match. But if he were to lower his standards and look elsewhere, he still felt dissatisfied.

    So should this contemptible woman be considered his white moonlight or his cinnabar mole?

    For now, let¡¯s just assume she¡¯s the white moonlight.

    Then in this life, Yan Yu found it even stranger that he no longer yearned for his white moonlight.

    When he said to her at school, ¡°Little Ling Yun, you have been dumped by me,¡± he actually meant the Chen Lingyun from his past life.

    As for why¡­ maybe it was because he couldn¡¯t stand her trashiness any longer, so after being reborn, he suddenly saw through it all?

    ¡°Yan Yu, come here.¡± Standing by the scenic spot Xian Yu Pool, Chen Lingyun called him over with her phone, ¡°Take a photo for me.¡±

    ¡°Ask Secretary Su to take it for you,¡± Yan Yu said.

    Chen Lingyun glanced to the side, and Yan Yu saw Lin Ning standing at the edge of the mountain railing, smiling brilliantly, embracing and taking pictures with Su Yunjin and Zhao Yuanzhen.

    Seeing the Demonic Sect Enchantress in such high spirits, she seemed not to be forcibly dragged there¡­ No matter, assimilation of ideas, there is no need for alarm.

    ¡°Fine.¡± Yan Yu took Chen Lingyun¡¯s phone and crouched down to find the best angle for the shot.

    The princess¡¯s appearance was indeed both exquisite and perfect, her smile so sweet, it almost overflowed from the screen, like a mix of honey and maple syrup.

    In his past life, he had taken countless pictures of her, and Yan Yu knew her photo preferences like the back of his hand.

    ¡°Done,¡± he said, returning the phone to her.

    Chen Lingyun looked at the photo, pleased with it from every angle and thought to herself, not without reason, he is my ¡°dear¡± from a former life, then suddenly smiled and asked:

    ¡°Do you want to take a few pictures with me here?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not,¡± Yan Yu shook his head, ¡°If you were bathing in Xian Yu Pool, I would be willing to take a group photo with you.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid someone else might see my body?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a beaming smile.

    Before Yan Yu could respond, he was interrupted by Lin Ning¡¯s shout:

    ¡°Yan Yu! Ling Yun! Come over for a group photo!¡± S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡­¡­¡­

    Click!

    ¡­¡­¡­

    As they descended the mountain, Yan Yu pulled out his phone again, looking at the photo Lin Ning posted in the group chat.

    In the center stood the tallest himself, on the left second was Zhao Yuanzhen, confidently smiling with arms crossed, left first was Lin Ning attempting to make a heart gesture and failing, on the right second Chen Lingyun leaned against the railing, lazily smiling, and on the right first Su Yunjin with her arm linked in Chen¡¯s, shyly smiling.

    Hmph.

    This group photo, isn¡¯t it better looking than a couple¡¯s photo?

 Chapter 78 - 77 - Rewards!

    Chapter 78: Chapter 77 ¨C Rewards!

    After spending a whole day in the Wuyi Mountains, everyone returned to Nanping Prefecture¡¯s hotel to spend the night.

    There was nothing much to say about spending the night. There were no girls sneaking in for a night attack, nor were there any pillow parties. It was just completing the daily practice of dual-cultivation breathing with Zhao Yuanzhen before sending her back to her own room¡ªChen Lingyun was sharing a room with Lin Ning, and he was sharing with Su Yunjin. Not returning to their own rooms for the night would definitely raise suspicions.

    Yan Yu lay down on the bed and fell into a deep sleep, his consciousness gradually sinking into a dream.

    In the hazy rain of the night, he stood in the room of an apartment.

    Beneath his feet, in a puddle of blood, lay several bodies, arranged haphazardly. Were there two¡­ or three? He couldn¡¯t quite remember.

    Yan Yu looked toward the slightly ajar bedroom door and walked over with steady steps.

    ...

    Suddenly, a Flying Sword burst out of the door like thunder, and the sword light that came towards him illuminated his icy expression.

    Yan Yu instantly sidestepped, his footwork rapid. In a blink, he was inside the bedroom, his fingers already tightly gripping the attacker¡¯s neck.

    Was it a boy, or a girl?

    It wasn¡¯t clear; it felt like a high school student, but they could have been an adult, just with a youthful face.

    In truth, it didn¡¯t really matter.

    Unauthorized, illegally practicing cultivators among common folk have a unified protocol for handling.

    Just take care of it.

    From behind, a sharp sound of cutting air approached. It was the previously fired Flying Sword, now flying back under the control of its master, aimed at the back of Yan Yu¡¯s head.

    But Yan Yu just silently clamped down on the throat, staring into the other¡¯s eyes.

    In the other¡¯s eyes, there was both the fear of impending death and a bone-chilling intent to kill.

    ¡­¡­¡­

    Awakened by a knock on the door, Yan Yu slowly sat up and yawned.

    Dreaming of a past life is one thing, but why would it be a memory from a mission?

    Really bad luck. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But on closer consideration, there didn¡¯t seem to be any particularly happy memories that left a deep impression on him from his past life.

    Apart from his parents and sister, there was only Chen Lingyun¡­sigh, better stop thinking about it, it just brings more bad luck.

    Yan Yu silently got out of bed, walked over and opened the door, only to see Lin Ning standing outside, hands on her hips, urging him:

    ¡°The hotel breakfast service ends in half an hour, didn¡¯t I tell you to set an alarm?¡±

    ¡°I did set it,¡± Yan Yu said groggily, taking out his phone and glancing at it, ¡°Hmm, it might have gone off, but it didn¡¯t wake me up.¡±

    ¡°Well, hurry up.¡± Seeing his tired face, Lin Ning didn¡¯t continue to blame him and softly said, ¡°We¡¯ve all changed clothes and are waiting in the next room. We¡¯ll go have breakfast together in a bit.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yan Yu said and closed the door.

    Not until he was at breakfast in the restaurant did he finally perk up, but he still looked listless. He tried to pick up a fried egg with his chopsticks twice and failed because he was so distracted.

    ¡°Are you okay, Captain?¡± Su Yunjin asked with concern.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I just didn¡¯t sleep well,¡± Yan Yu said vaguely.

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was smug on the side.

    Without mind-reading, Yan Yu could guess that the Demonic Sect Enchantress was probably thinking, ¡°Without me accompanying you for dual-cultivation, you really can¡¯t sleep well, can you?¡± But Yan Yu couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue with her, he just picked up his bowl and slowly finished the noodles inside.

    After leaving the hotel, the group went to Chong¡¯an Airport to catch a flight back to Jinling College.

    Once on the plane, Yan Yu finally snapped out of his daze and began to look at videos on his phone.

    Zhao Yuanzhen to his right began to feel sleepy and started to snore loudly. Chen Lingyun, seated by the window on his left, looked at him with a smile, noticing that he was watching recordings of the Mitchi Superhero League.

    ¡°Do you have any plans coming up?¡± the woman teased with a light laugh.

    ¡°Training first,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°It¡¯s time for everyone to get into actual combat practice.¡±

    ¡°What about a periodic review?¡± Chen Lingyun continued to ask.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment, then said, ¡°Lin Ning¡¯s standard has reached a preliminary benchmark; what she lacks now is practical experience. I will be providing her with practice partners soon; she should be able to become the fastest-growing person on the team.¡±

    ¡°Su Yunjin, on the other hand, is still lacking in many aspects. Experience, psychology, response¡­ Let¡¯s have her practice movement and evasive maneuvers first, to at least acquire some self-preservation skills.¡±

    ¡°As for you,¡± he glanced at Chen Lingyun¡¯s delicate and sweet smiling face, ¡°to be honest, I haven¡¯t completely figured it out yet.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile grew sweeter.

    ¡°Your strength lies in your brain,¡± Yan Yu tapped his temple and said bluntly, ¡°From the perspective of playing to your strengths, definitely, gaining practical experience like Lin Ning would be the greatest help to your growth in power.¡±

    ¡°But your weakness is also obvious, which is your on-the-spot reaction. For example, in the Mysterious Realm, when we faced that tree demon, it suddenly charged out of the flame formation. I intercepted it, and you and two other military Cultivators deployed the Flame Curse again¡­ Your adjustment was half a second slower than theirs, resulting in a delay in casting the Flame Curse.¡±

    ¡°You were confronted with the tree demon head-on, and yet you still had the time to pay attention to what I was doing,¡± Chen Lingyun said with an unchanged smile, ¡°I¡¯m truly flattered.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the team leader. The performance of the entire team, in the full scope of the battlefield, at all times, is what I need to closely monitor,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a while, ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s up to you to decide whether to prioritize playing to your strengths or addressing your weaknesses.¡±

    ¡°I can do that,¡± Chen Lingyun nodded and said, ¡°What about her?¡±

    ¡°Her?¡± Yan Yu turned his gaze in surprise to look at the sleeping Demonic Sect Enchantress, ¡°She doesn¡¯t need our concern. She has her own methods of cultivation, which I can¡¯t interfere with. At most, I can spar with her to let her grow on her own.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Chen Lingyun said thoughtfully, ¡°Wait, it seems like there¡¯s one more person.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°You~¡±

    Yan Yu was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled:

    ¡°What do I need to train for?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to train?¡± Chen Lingyun revealed a cute and playful smile.

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Yan Yu pretended to contemplate and finally answered, ¡°I¡¯m still looking for the right feel.¡±

    ¡°What feel?¡±

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s the feel of being the strongest person in this world,¡± Yan Yu described casually, ¡°It¡¯s that kind of invincible aura where I don¡¯t even need to speak, but as soon as I appear, everyone will subconsciously think ¡®this is an opponent not to be trifled with.¡¯ Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Chen Lingyun laughed happily, ¡°But when you truly become the strongest in this world, remember to come and find me, so I can properly feel your aura of strength.¡±

    ¡°Certainly,¡± Yan Yu said seriously, ¡°Then you can also learn ¡®Conquest¡¯ and kneel by my side to sing it to me.¡±

    ¡°A song from the 90s, I¡¯m not sure if the current me can handle it,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°Then it¡¯s a deal,¡± Yan Yu nodded and said.

    After the plane arrived in Jinling, as soon as everyone stepped out of the airport, they saw Instructor Qi Changping had already driven there to pick them up.

    ¡°This mission was executed beautifully! Ladies!¡± As soon as they met, Qi Changping exclaimed excitedly. Then he noticed Yan Yu leading the group, laughed, and grabbed his shoulder, ¡°Of course, it¡¯s mainly you, Captain Yan Yu, your contribution this time was indispensable!¡±

    ¡°Instructor, you seem very happy?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m happy,¡± Qi Changping grinned, ¡°What you¡¯ve taken down is the first Mysterious Realm of our entire Lu Country!¡±

    The ladies all cried out in surprise, but Yan Yu wasn¡¯t very excited.

    It couldn¡¯t be the first Mysterious Realm.

    The previous documents obtained from Li Weiguo detailed the process of first entering, formation breaking, enemy slaying, flag capturing, and the entire exploration of the Mysterious Realm. Clearly, this was a complete set of methodologies summarized after Mei Yingxue personally led military Cultivators through the actual exploration of a Mysterious Realm.

    However, the existence of Mei Yingxue still needs to be kept secret. So officially, the credit for capturing the nation¡¯s first Mysterious Realm falls to Yan Yu¡¯s Team.

    ¡°So, are there any rewards?¡± Yan Yu continued to ask.

    ¡°First-Class Merit, it¡¯s been decided,¡± Qi Changping declared jubilantly, as if the honor was his own, ¡°After all, this time you were risking your lives in an adventure between life and death.¡±

    ¡°The honorary title hasn¡¯t been decided yet. It seems that the higher-ups are planning to design a new system of titles specifically for us Cultivators, separate from the ordinary military heroes.¡±

    ¡°Of course, there is also a cash prize. Guess how much it is?¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yan Yu wasn¡¯t surprised about the cash reward. After all, this year Mitchi Country¡¯s superhero league¡¯s postseason top scorer won a total prize of 20 million Mitchi Dollars.

    If Mitchi can be so generous with Transcendents, but our Lu Country is miserly and unwilling to disburse money, it creates a disparity in treatment.

    With a disparity in conditions, loyalty issues arise¡­ Lu Country isn¡¯t a poor nation, why skimp on this expenditure?¡¯

    Not to mention, Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm, being a Mysterious Realm with Wood-based Spiritual Energy, is naturally suitable for cultivating various medicinal herbs. The industrial benefits that could be dug out from here cannot be exchanged for any amount of capital.

    At the mention of ¡°cash reward,¡± the ladies¡¯ attention was immediately drawn, even Zhao Yuanzhen, originally from another world as a Demonic Sect Enchantress, had, after assimilating here, come to appreciate the value of money, with eyes blinking expectantly at Qi Changping.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not guess this one, shall we?¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°Guessing too low shows a lack of insight, guessing too high is overestimating oneself. Instructor, just tell us.¡±

    Qi Changping thought it made sense, so he no longer teased them and announced the correct answer with a smile:

    ¡°8 million yuan, tax-free, directly deposited into your bank accounts.¡±

    ¡°8 million in total?¡± Lin Ning was shocked and apprehensive.

    Her family ran a fishing company, so she had a clearer idea of what 8 million in cash meant. Su Yunjin, who was more aloof from worldly affairs, only felt ¡°Wow, that¡¯s a lot of money.¡±

    ¡°No, 8 million each,¡± Qi Changping said.

 Chapter 79 - 78 Because Im the Strongest in This World

    Chapter 79: Chapter 78 Because I¡¯m the Strongest in This World

    Back at the Zhendong National Defense Academy in Jinling Prefecture, the girls first scattered to their own activities.

    They needed some time to digest the good news¡ªfor instance, now that they had this large sum of money, what should they do with it? Should they tell their families?

    Yan Yu, however, didn¡¯t hurry to leave, as he noticed that Instructor Qi Changping hadn¡¯t left either.

    ¡°The higher-ups are looking for you, let¡¯s go,¡± Qi Changping said with a smile.

    When they arrived at the office, they saw Li Weiguo typing on the computer.

    Contrary to the stereotype that ¡°old people are not good with electronic products,¡± this elderly leader typed slowly but steadily, using all ten fingers instead of just two, occasionally stopping to confirm something, and then clicking the mouse a few times.

    ...

    Then, he noticed the two people who had walked in and slowly swiveled his chair around to face them.

    Having delivered the person, Qi Changping immediately took his leave.

    Li Weiguo, pointing at the chair in front of the office desk, said with a smile:

    ¡°Sit.¡±

    Yan Yu sat calmly on the chair and said:

    ¡°I¡¯ve handed over the control center of the Mysterious Realm to the person in charge of the local troops.¡±

    ¡°I know, I have received the report,¡± Li Weiguo nodded in approval and asked with a smile, ¡°How did it feel to lead the team and fully explore a Mysterious Realm this time?¡±

    ¡°It was very interesting,¡± Yan Yu candidly said, ¡°I am quite curious, what exactly is the origin of the Mysterious Realm?¡±

    ¡°The academic world has not yet confirmed it clearly,¡± Li Weiguo answered, ¡°There are two possibilities: one is that it was left by our predecessors, but then we must explain why they did not leave enough records in the vast historical material; the other is that they come from another world, just like the suddenly appearing¡­ Spiritual Energy.¡±

    Yan Yu knew that beneath his pause lay a hidden name.

    Mei Yingxue.

    As for the source of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, there were also two prevailing guesses in his previous life, named ¡°Prehistoric Theory¡± and ¡°Otherworld Theory.¡±

    ¡°Prehistoric Theory¡± posited that the era of Cultivation took place before the Xia Dynasty, in a so-called ¡°Prehistoric Age,¡± when cultivators widely used Jade Slips capable of storing Divine Sense as information carriers. As the Earth¡¯s Spiritual Energy concentration steadily declined entering the Age of Dharma Decline, Divine Sense became increasingly limited, and Jade Slips began to malfunction. As a result, there was an urgent need to invent writing to save the texts.

    This theory did explain some issues, such as why after the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, many families in East Asian countries began to gradually discover objects related to the Lu Country¡¯s cultivation system¡ªthese were left by the ancestors of the Rikoku Cultivators in prehistoric times, which turned into ordinary antiques due to the Age of Dharma Decline. However, this theory also has many flaws, which I won¡¯t elaborate on here.

    ¡°Otherworld Theory¡± speculated that our world and the world Mei Yingxue came from are actually symmetrical and interconnected at a higher dimensional level. Once the passage between these worlds begins to widen, the Spiritual Energy, Mysterious Realms, and various cultivation items from the other side would continuously project and transfer over.

    This theory could also explain another set of issues, such as why every country in the world has a unique extraordinary cultivation system that corresponds exactly to each country¡¯s mythological legends. In fact, it should be the other way around¡ªancient myths and legends existed because of the symmetry and connection with an extraordinary world. However, once it involved travel between worlds and otherworldly domains, the inexplicable contradictions become even more numerous, and this will not be further discussed here.

    Of course, compared to ¡°where does the source of Spiritual Energy Resurgence lie,¡± the question of ¡°where will the Spiritual Energy Resurgence lead the world¡± is far more important¡­

    Yan Yu pondered for a long while in silence, only to hear Li Weiguo speak again:

    ¡°The Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm has been taken over by the Minhai troops. After the expert group¡¯s preliminary exploration and study, it seems to be divided into three layers: the first layer for planting Spirit Grass, the second layer for concocting Elixir Medicine; and the third layer is the cave dwelling where the original owner of the Mysterious Realm lived.¡±

    ¡°What you explored was only the first layer of the Mysterious Realm. The entrances to the other two layers have not been opened to the public for certain reasons, so let¡¯s leave it at that for now.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Yan Yu pretended to have an epiphany, ¡°So the Mysterious Realm we captured is actually for planting Spirit Grass. After all, it¡¯s rich in Wood-type Spiritual Energy and there are many monsters¡­ no wonder the Wuyi Mountains have such a suitable environment for growing tea leaves.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Li Weiguo said succinctly, ¡°The Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm is very important to the nation, and you¡¯ve done a great service this time.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re referring to the matter of rewards, Instructor Qi has already informed us,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°Yes, I know,¡± Li Weiguo pondered for a moment, then asked suddenly, ¡°Have you ever thought about a question? It¡¯s fortunate that this Mysterious Realm appeared within our borders, so there were no rival cultivators competing with you. What if it appears overseas next time? For instance, near the Nansha Islands, what would happen?¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll have to wrestle with some countries,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°Forget about the Nansha Islands, even if the Mysterious Realm were to appear in Ryukyu, as long as the nation gives the order, I wouldn¡¯t hesitate to lead a team there.¡±

    ¡°Being willing to fight is good,¡± Li Weiguo nodded in satisfaction, took a sip of tea, and said, ¡°But don¡¯t underestimate the opponent. According to some of our intelligence, Chongying Country is carrying out a cost-ignoring elite cultivator cultivation program. You can simply understand that in the future, their overall number of cultivators might not compare to ours, but the top-tiered cultivators among them may well become the greatest adversaries of our Zhendong Army.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Yan Yu put away the smile on his face.

    Of course, I already knew that.

    Those top Chongying cultivators you mentioned, I can not only recite their names, their cultivation schools, their preferred combat methods and strategic weaknesses, but I even know their innermost secrets that they dare not reveal.

    For instance, who is the militarist that harbors an extreme hatred for Lu Country, who is the leftist anti-war activist that pretends to be an aggressive right-winger, who is the nationalist seeking normalization, and who is the separatist wanting to govern the country with cultivators¡­ They are nicknamed ¡°The Four Great Demon Kings,¡± causing shock among nations, each one being exceptional, and certainly bringing unexpected surprises to Chongying!

    Yan Yu adopted a strategically disdainful attitude towards Chongying Country cultivators from his high vantage point as a seer. Li Weiguo, of course, wasn¡¯t as learned and well-informed, but fortunately, the elder had held high office for many years and quickly ceased to worry about these troublesome matters, continuing instead:

    ¡°Therefore, there are going to be some changes to the current policy of allocating mysterious realms.¡±

    ¡°Originally, whichever province a mysterious realm appeared in, it would belong to the corresponding stationed military area for exploration. However, this method of allocation results in a lack of competition, and I worry that you all might lack the combat experience needed to deal with overseas mysterious realms and enemy country cultivators in the future.¡±

    ¡°Taking this into consideration, some mysterious realms with higher concentrations of spiritual energy will be designated by the higher-ups going forward. Two teams will be arranged to explore them, simulating hypothetical confrontational competition.¡±

    ¡°After entering the mysterious realm, you will have to deal with the realm¡¯s own defense mechanisms as well as the competing team of cultivators¡ªof course, even though you¡¯ll be playing enemies, you are essentially allies, so you can¡¯t kill. However, there will be no True Yuan suppressing bracelets this time, so the intensity of the battle will become very high and won¡¯t strictly avoid bloodshed like the last inter-academy exchange competition.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Yan Yu said seriously, ¡°I will adjust our upcoming training schedule to ensure that everyone can ¡®defeat the opponent without endangering their lives¡¯¡­¡±

    ¡°No, no, no, no, that¡¯s not what I mean.¡± Li Weiguo was shocked for a moment and hurriedly corrected, ¡°That¡¯s not the point! *cough* What I mean is, because there are no True Yuan suppressing bracelets, you must take adequate measures for your own safety. It¡¯s fine if you lose, after all, no matter who wins, the mysterious realm will ultimately belong to the nation, but we cannot afford the loss that would come from casualties during internal competition. Remember, the most precious resource of the Zhendong Army is not some powerful manuals, elixir medicines, or treasures, but you, the young cultivators!¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Yan Yu said with emotion, ¡°I will prioritize the safety of the team above all else. As for winning or losing, I¡¯ll just let it be.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that you should just let winning or losing be,¡± Li Weiguo said exasperatedly, quickly correcting himself, ¡°A soldier should strive for victory and honor! You can¡¯t shirk battle just to save personnel¡­ Damn it, how did I get wrapped up in this again?¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s drop it!¡± The old chief stuttered for a moment, and then, not bothering with particulars, sternly ordered, ¡°Yan Yu, I¡¯ll just give you a military command.¡±

    ¡°No one should die, and we must win the battle! Do you understand?!¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡± Yan Yu immediately responded with solemnity, ¡°But there is also something I need to do.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Li Weiguo said with an increasingly stern and austere expression, thinking you better not start going in circles with me again, or I¡¯m really going to lose it.

    ¡°I need to request a resource allocation,¡± Yan Yu stated.

    ¡°What resources?¡± Li Weiguo, upon hearing it was a matter of requisitioning resources, immediately relaxed.

    ¡°It¡¯s about the materials we gathered from the Wuyi Mountains Secret Realm exploration¡­¡± Yan Yu began to ponder, what should I ask for first?

    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s no need to make it so complicated.¡± Seeing him start to deliberate, Li Weiguo simply pulled out a piece of paper from a folder beside him, slapped it on the desk, and pushed it towards Yan Yu, ¡°This is the first list that came in from Nanping Prefecture this morning. It¡¯s the inventory of materials they initially explored and collected after taking over the Wuyi Mountains Secret Realm yesterday. Take a look.¡±

    Yan Yu glanced at the list.

    Since it had only been explored for about a day, the list wasn¡¯t long, and most items were some harvested spirit grass or remnants of magical creatures.

    The Green Bamboo Sword that defeated the final puppet was also conspicuously on the list.

    ¡°I want this,¡± Yan Yu pointed at the Green Bamboo Sword.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Li Weiguo took back the list and circled it with a pen, ¡°Once they¡¯re done studying it, it will be approved for you. What about the rest?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need the rest for the time being,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment, then asked, ¡°By the way, would this be considered a loan? Is there a time limit?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s not a loan; it¡¯s considered an authorization to use national resources,¡± Li Weiguo responded, ¡°There¡¯s no time limit.¡±

    ¡°Of course, even if it¡¯s an indefinite authorization, that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s given to you. If your strength severely declines or even collapses in the future, I can¡¯t guarantee that the nation won¡¯t reclaim these resources and grant them to other cultivators who need them more. Understand? After all, strength speaks here, and even if I want to look after you, some matters aren¡¯t mine to decide alone.¡±

    ¡°Of course I understand,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°Please rest assured.¡±

    ¡°While I don¡¯t often boast, I must make a stance here: I will definitely not cause you any discomfort in the future.¡±

    Li Weiguo raised an eyebrow: Oh? Don¡¯t often boast? sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu ignored his expression and continued with a smile:

    ¡°Because the team I lead must be the strongest in the country¡­ no, the strongest team in the world!¡±

 Chapter 80 - 79 Youre a Little Too Sensitive (1/10)

    Chapter 80: Chapter 79 You¡¯re a Little Too Sensitive (1/10)

    Yan Yu left the principal¡¯s office and took out his cell phone to send a message to everyone.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Where is everyone? Sound off!

    [Ningning]: I¡¯m at the new training ground.

    Seeing that no one else had replied, Yan Yu headed to the training ground to find Lin Ning.

    In this life, because someone had privately spread slander, the school¡¯s training plan had been massively altered¡ªnow it emphasized the combined use of the Three Arts.

    The new training ground was set up with a long wall made of semi-solid fire foam. The collision resilience was impressive, so even hitting it wouldn¡¯t cause bleeding wounds.

    ...

    The instructor commanded the students to wear protective gear and then launch a Shifting Technique charge at the wall, requiring them to switch to the Cloud Ascension Technique and brake sharply when approaching the wall.

    Because the wall was intentionally shaped to look just like a normal concrete wall, the students generally felt a great deal of psychological pressure. When they sprinted over with the Shifting Technique, they braked early, with their stopping points ranging from 3 to 5 meters.

    Amid many difficult-to-watch performances, Yan Yu almost instantly spotted the most dazzling girl¡­ Not only was she beautiful and shapely, but her training results were also outstanding, managing to brake within 1 meter every time.

    Lin Ning, Sister Lin, the problem-solving Lin family member. Her black hair was tied into a ponytail and bunched up with a rubber band at the back of her head; she wore a small sports tank top, shorts that revealed her fit thighs, as well as clean sports shoes and half-length white socks. The unique youthful charm of a young girl attracted the gaze of boys and girls around her like a magnet.

    ¡°Why are you training again?¡± Yan Yu came up to her and asked in surprise.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this afternoon our training time?¡± Lin Ning, already with a slight sweat and breathing rapidly, rested with one hand on her waist and responded to him curiously.

    ¡°But we had a mission yesterday,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t say that we could take the entire next day off after completing the mission,¡± Lin Ning said.

    ¡°So, you only act upon orders, huh?¡± Yan Yu was immediately amused by her, almost as if he were being spoon-fed, ¡°If I told you to rest, you would rest? What if I told you to go out on a date and book a room with me, you would agree without a second thought?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk rubbish and make up stories,¡± Lin Ning gave him a gentle kick and then crossed her arms, asking, ¡°What did you want to see me about?¡±

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s about setting up a new training plan,¡± Yan Yu said, looking towards the students training in the distance, ¡°Your Shifting Technique braking is already within an arm¡¯s reach. There¡¯s no point in practicing it further.¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Lin Ning corrected him, ¡°I can now consistently control it at about one meter; an arm¡¯s reach should be about half a meter.¡±

    ¡°When I first mentioned it, I was talking about one meter,¡± Yan Yu casually replied.

    ¡°You said an arm¡¯s reach,¡± Lin Ning insisted.

    ¡°It was one meter,¡± Yan Yu raised his eyebrows slightly, ¡°Who¡¯s the captain here, you or me? Who decides the training standards?¡±

    Lin Ning was instantly aggravated but left without a retort, secretly thinking to herself that she needed to buy a recording pen next time. She¡¯d record everything he said when setting the training plan, to see how he would argue then!

    ¡°What do you plan to do with this time¡¯s reward money?¡± Yan Yu shifted the subject upon seeing her puff up in anger.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, haven¡¯t decided yet,¡± Lin Ning said, ¡°That much money, I can¡¯t spend it all, so I might as well give it to my family. How about you?¡±

    ¡°I plan to buy a house nearby¡­ but of course, that¡¯s not the point,¡± Yan Yu said, seeing she was no longer angry, then got back to the main topic, ¡°I¡¯ve already fixed your new training plan.¡±

    ¡°What is it specifically?¡±

    ¡°Quite simple, spar with me,¡± Yan Yu said.

    Lin Ning was silent for a moment:

    ¡°I can¡¯t beat you, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°But the purpose of sparring isn¡¯t to win, it¡¯s to help you find out where your issues currently lie through actual combat.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I get it,¡± Lin Ning said, her expression a bit uneasy as she adjusted the strap of her tank top, ¡°Right here? Should I go change into something else?¡±

    I didn¡¯t say we were going to spar right now, and what¡¯s with that little move of pulling at your clothes?

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait until I¡¯ve arranged the entire team¡¯s training plans, and then I¡¯ll come to find you,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°Tell me anytime if you have any ideas.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any thoughts,¡± Lin Ning seemed to let out a sigh of relief, then asked tentatively, ¡°Sparring¡­ is it like when you trained Sister Zhao before?¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhao?¡±

    ¡°Zhao Jiuzhen, because Ling Yun usually calls her Sister Zhao, so we followed and called her that too,¡± Lin Ning explained.

    ¡°Oh, I see,¡± Yan Yu thought to himself that the Demonic Sect Enchantress deserved a good beating, as mischievous as a monkey, the harder you hit her, the more obedient and attentive she became, not like the ordinary girls at all, ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s hard to say specifically.¡±

    ¡°Why is it hard to say?¡± Lin Ning asked, puzzled.

    ¡°Let me use an analogy that you can understand,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment and said, ¡°Imagine there¡¯s a top student and a poor student. The top student has a solid foundation, so you make him do practice tests repeatedly; the poor student doesn¡¯t even remember the formulas, so plunging into a sea of problems will only be counterproductive. Instead, it¡¯s better to start with the knowledge points in the textbook. Do you understand? Everyone¡¯s training plan is different; it varies by person, tailored to their abilities. You really shouldn¡¯t just apply someone else¡¯s training plan to yourself.¡±

    ¡°I see now,¡± Lin Ning suddenly realized, and her expression relaxed quite a bit. Curious, she asked, ¡°So am I considered a top student or a poor student?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Yan Yu countered her question. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want what I think; I want what you think,¡± Lin Ning asked subconsciously, then quickly realized it sounded a bit odd and added, ¡°You¡¯re the captain, your judgment is more meaningful.¡±

    ¡°I said, poor students need to consolidate the basics, while top students, having a solid foundation, can go straight to practical tests,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    Oh, so I¡¯m doing practical sparring, which means I¡¯m a top student¡­ hehe.

    Upon this thought, Lin Ning¡¯s mood instantly lifted, and she said cheerfully:

    ¡°Got it. Let me know when you start training, send me a message.¡±

    ¡°Sure, keep in touch,¡± Yan Yu paused for a moment, then added, ¡°Don¡¯t train by yourself for now, rest up.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Lin Ning nodded.

    Having taken care of Sister Lin, Yan Yu once again took out his phone, only to see two more people had replied with their locations.

    Su Yunjin was in the library, the closest one, so he decided to find her first.

    Upon arriving at the library, Yan Yu was surprised to find that it was not as deserted as the last time but occupied by six or seven boys.

    Looking closer, they were seated around where Su Yunjin was positioned, and each of them held some foreign literature such as Kundera¡¯s ¡°The Unbearable Lightness of Being,¡± Marquez¡¯s ¡°One Hundred Years of Solitude,¡± and Joyce¡¯s ¡°Ulysses¡±¡­

    It seemed like he understood.

    Wake up, guys! A literary girl having a romantic encounter with a boy who loves books is something that only happens in anime and light novels from the Sakura countries!

    Unperturbed by the ¡°surveillance¡± from the surrounding eyes, Yan Yu directly approached Su Yunjin and noticed that she was holding the ¡°Legend of Shushan Swordsmen¡± by the author of Zhuangyuan Tower.

    ¡°You want to understand the cultivation world through classical wuxia novels?¡± Yan Yu sat down in the chair opposite her and asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Su Yunjin shook her head with a smile, ¡°Just to kill time.¡±

    ¡°Then I came at the right time,¡± Yan Yu spoke earnestly, ¡°Based on our trip to the Mysterious Realm, I think you¡¯ve all completed the first phase of training. It¡¯s time to start the second phase.¡±

    ¡°What exactly do we have to do?¡± Su Yunjin closed the book she held and put it aside.

    ¡°What do you think your main weaknesses are currently?¡± Yan Yu slowed down his tone and asked.

    ¡°Um¡­¡± Su Yunjin fell silent for a moment, then said with a wry smile, ¡°I feel like everything is a weakness.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu made no direct comment but instead said, ¡°From my perspective, you have a rather cautious personality, so it¡¯s better to start with self-defense capabilities. If you always hold back for fear of getting hurt, you won¡¯t be able to execute any tactics.¡±

    ¡°Self-defense?¡± Su Yunjin pondered, ¡°Do you mean practice the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse? Or continue working on switching between the Shifting Technique and the Cloud Ascension Technique?¡±

    ¡°The latter, but we¡¯ll need to raise the difficulty,¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly, ¡°For instance, I will launch attacks at you, and you¡¯ll have to keep dodging, which will help you overcome your fear of actual combat more quickly.¡±

    Su Yunjin¡¯s pretty face turned a bit pale as she asked slowly:

    ¡°What if I can¡¯t dodge?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be careful with the force,¡± Yan Yu assured her seriously, ¡°At most, it will be pain, bleeding, getting hurt, that sort of thing¡­ Of course, you don¡¯t have to be overly scared, it¡¯s not the kind of serious injury that would send you to the infirmary for emergency treatment, at worst you¡¯ll just need to bandage it up.¡±

    Su Yunjin fell silent for a moment, then nodded stiffly:

    ¡°Alright, I got it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great¡­¡± Yan Yu felt her reaction was a bit off and decided to find a lighter subject, ¡°What do you plan to do with the prize money we got from the last exploration of the Mysterious Realm?¡±

    ¡°I was planning to give it all to my family,¡± Su Yunjin said distantly, ¡°But I think¡­ I¡¯ll keep some of it for myself, to buy some ointment for bruises and injuries?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a bit too sensitive,¡± Yan Yu said helplessly, ¡°I¡¯m not going to use training as an excuse to batter you seriously.¡±

    ¡°Like Sister Zhao?¡± Su Yunjin counter-questioned.

    ¡°Uh¡­¡±

 Chapter 81 - 80: Grinding Her Temper (2/10)

    Chapter 81: Chapter 80: Grinding Her Temper (2/10)

    In Chen Lingyun¡¯s room.

    ¡°Does my usual sparring practice with Zhao Yuanzhen look brutal and savage?¡± Yan Yu complained.

    ¡°Not at all.¡± Chen Lingyun, rotating the handle of the coffee grinder, smiled and said, ¡°If we ignore the fact that you use training as an excuse to deliberately knock her on the head, kick her butt, and run her ragged, your training style is actually quite gentle, right? At least it doesn¡¯t result in bloodshed or injuries.¡±

    ¡°Her stubborn nature is obvious.¡± Yan Yu argued without justification, ¡°If I don¡¯t toughen up her temperament, how can the special training be effective?¡±

    Empress Yuanzhen, with that one ¡°demonic¡± character, do you think it was casually given by the media from a previous life?

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes.¡± After Chen Lingyun finished grinding, she carefully poured the grounds into the filter cup, then picked up the gooseneck kettle next to her and leisurely started pouring water in a circular motion.

    ...

    ¡°Done.¡± Following some incomprehensible procedures, she placed the coffee cup in front of Yan Yu and elegantly smiled, ¡°Please enjoy.¡±

    Yan Yu took a sip, smacking his lips as he savored it for a moment, and said:

    ¡°My assessment is, it¡¯s not as good as Nescafe¡¯s instant coffee.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s normal to have different tastes.¡± Chen Lingyun was all smiles, her eyes seeming to say, ¡°Look at this country bumpkin.¡±

    ¡°I can understand liking hand-poured coffee.¡± Yan Yu turned his head to look at the vinyl record player by the window, ¡°Could the sound quality of records be better than professional audio equipment?¡±

    ¡°Just think of it as decoration.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile remained.

    ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking,¡± Yan Yu said leisurely, ¡°You¡¯re thinking, ¡®This country bumpkin, obviously not understanding high art, yet still dares to criticize, how annoying¡¯.¡±

    ¡°You guessed wrong~¡± Chen Lingyun paused for a moment, her smile even brighter and sweeter, ¡°What I¡¯m thinking now is, even though our tastes are completely different, we can still accommodate each other. Such emotions are truly sincere and worth cherishing, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    Hmph, cunning woman with her sweet words and numerous tricks!

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t fall for her bait but smoothly changed the subject:

    ¡°What have you considered for the next step of the training plan?¡±

    ¡°Do you have any suggestions?¡± Chen Lingyun asked him in return.

    ¡°How about this.¡± Yan Yu pondered for a while, ¡°Since both Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen are sparring partners, why don¡¯t you join us too? Focus on improving real combat experience first.¡±

    ¡°As for reaction speed, you¡¯ll have to find your own way to slowly train, like playing Whac-A-Mole, Temple Run, or something.¡±

    ¡°I can do that.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Then I¡¯ll give it a try.¡±

    ¡°I should get going.¡± Yan Yu stood up, bidding farewell, ¡°I need to buy a bottle of iced black tea to rinse my mouth.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s another thing.¡± Chen Lingyun picked up the filter cup, examining the residue left inside.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°My dad wants to meet you.¡±

    Yan Yu hesitated for a moment: ¡°But I don¡¯t want to meet him.¡±

    ¡°I figured.¡± Chen Lingyun put down the filter cup, looked back with a pure and flawless smile, markedly different from her usual brilliant fake smile, ¡°That¡¯s why I turned him down for you.¡±

    ¡°Uh, thanks?¡± Yan Yu ventured to ask.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Chen Lingyun said cheerfully, picking up the filter cup and grinder, and went to wash them on the balcony.

    Yan Yu watched her back, hesitating for a moment.

    Here it comes again.

    This annoying feeling, as if she has something to say to you, but you can¡¯t just ask her, because she would never admit it.

    Putting it more artistically, it¡¯s like the sunlight passing through a carved window, casting golden butterfly shadows on the floor tiles. It seems like you could catch them if you just reached out, but deep down you know it¡¯s an illusion; no matter how many times you try, it¡¯s futile.

    Yan Yu exhaled a long breath of turbid air.

    Forget it.

    Having lived two lifetimes, I should have learned to let go by now.

    ¡°Then I¡¯m off, okay?¡± he called out one last time. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    There was no response from the balcony, only the sound of running water.

    Yan Yu had no expectations of receiving an answer and without hesitation, turned around and left.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    So where exactly is the Demonic Sect Enchantress?

    I¡¯m really seething inside, I should go find that enchantress to vent my anger!

    On his way to the school gate, Yan Yu saw Zhao Yuanzhen returning from outside the school, holding a plastic bag.

    Outside the school gate, two young men, wearing earrings and styled with curly hair, were all smiles as they stopped her and said something, seemingly hitting on her for friendship.

    Yan Yu was terrified, his soul nearly flying out of his body. Of all people to hit on, they chose to approach Empress Yuanzhen!

    Zhao Yuanzhen forced a reluctant, impatient smile, as if swatting away flies, continuously waving her hands. With the school security also glancing over, the two young men, though slightly annoyed, sheepishly put away their phones and turned to leave.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Yan Yu hurried to her side and repeatedly said, ¡°Don¡¯t get impulsive, there¡¯s no need to take ordinary mortals too seriously¡­ Remember that guy with the surname Mei!¡±

    ¡°What are you doing!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was startled by the mention of that name and then inexplicably said, ¡°What do I have to be impulsive about?¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t those guys hitting on you?¡± Yan Yu was taken aback, then realized he might have misunderstood.

    ¡°No,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied, ¡°They were advertising a gym, asking me to add their official QR code.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    Gym salesmen¡­ why would gym salesmen approach a girl? Shouldn¡¯t they target those muscle-loving, testosterone-filled guys? Not even understanding your own target audience, no wonder you guys are going bankrupt and absconding with the money!

    Startled by this sudden turn of events and having lost the urge to take his anger out on the Demonic Sect Enchantress, Yan Yu¡¯s gaze fell on the plastic bag in her hand.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°Salted duck,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen lifted the plastic bag, ¡°Want some? I bought too much, I can share half with you.¡±

    Yan Yu looked at her suspiciously.

    The mighty Empress Yuanzhen, a murderous enchantress from a previous life, now acting so kindly and offering to share her food with me?

    There must be a plot! There¡¯s definitely a plot!

    ¡°Did you put poison in this duck?¡± Yan Yu scoffed.

    ¡°Why would I poison it?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was baffled, ¡°I still have to eat it myself!¡±

    ¡°Then why did you suddenly think of me out of the blue when you bought something to eat for yourself?¡± Yan Yu continued to question her.

    ¡°You¡¯re my partner; is it strange that I think of you when I have food?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was also angry, biting her silver teeth fiercely, fuming.

    Yan Yu, you thief! The deli was having a promotion today, and I bought an extra portion for you to get the discount. Who would have thought I¡¯d be subjected to such suspicion and humiliation!

    I¡¯ll remember this grudge, and if I ever catch you off guard in the future, I¡¯ll let you know what it means to provoke without cause, and what it means to lose one¡¯s dignity!

    Seeing the Demonic Sect Enchantress grinding her teeth in anger, all the irritation that had been swirling in Yan Yu¡¯s head gradually dissipated.

    After all, negative emotions don¡¯t resolve themselves, but they can always be transferred to someone else.

    ¡°The team is moving on to the next phase of training,¡± Yan Yu said, leading her towards the inside of the school.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen sounded distinctly unenthusiastic.

    ¡°You¡¯re still going to practice with me, right?¡± Yan Yu observed her expression.

    ¡°No problem,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied sarcastically, ¡°Just bully your partner all you want. How else are you going to show off your prowess?¡±

    ¡°Others will be joining us for practical training as well,¡± Yan Yu continued.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was taken aback, ¡°So how do you plan to arrange the combat order?¡±

    ¡°I told Su Yunjin to practice evading attacks,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Between Chen Lingyun and Lin Ning, pick one, and I¡¯ll take the other.¡±

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s Chen Lingyun,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said without hesitation.

    Although Lin Ning¡¯s attractiveness was a threat too, Chen Lingyun had openly addressed Yan Yu as ¡°hubby.¡±

    I¡¯ll beat her up first!

 Chapter 82 - 81 Maybe I Could Counterkill (3/10)

    Chapter 82: Chapter 81 Maybe I Could Counterkill (3/10)

    ¡°`

    Time finally moved into July, and the temperature was gradually heating up.

    Tracing north from the border of Lu Country, until the perspective reached the distant Amur City, crowds were gathering in the streets.

    This was the seventh murder case in the past two weeks; the victim was the owner of a butcher shop who, after drinking at night on his way home, was brought down by the killer ripping open his throat, and his body wasn¡¯t discovered until the next morning.

    The rakshasa security officers separated the onlooking crowd from the scene. Many in the crowd closed their eyes and fervently crossed themselves at the sight of the tragic state of the body, praying to the Lord for protection against evil.

    Two security officers were conducting a preliminary examination of the body, one responsible for recording, the other for confirming the details:

    ...

    ¡°Name?¡±

    ¡°Vladimir Yuryevich Zukovsky.¡±

    ¡°Age?¡±

    ¡°54 years old.¡±

    ¡°Gender¡­ male, occupation?¡±

    ¡°Butcher shop owner.¡±

    ¡°Physical characteristics?¡±

    ¡°Facial skin is grayish-white, eyeballs sunken, lips and nails are cyanotic, and lividity is relatively light¡ªIt seems a significant amount of blood was lost after death.¡±

    ¡°Injuries on the body?¡±

    ¡°The face and hands bear bite marks, seemingly caused by rodents, non-fatal; there is a contusion on the back of the head, presumably from being struck down, also non-fatal; the throat has been torn open, with traces of sharp teeth ripping, and the trachea and carotid artery are severely exposed, which are fatal wounds.¡±

    ¡°Good, I think that¡¯s about it. It¡¯s another damn vampire murder case.¡±

    ¡°Are you planning to go to church for a cross?¡±

    ¡°No, I only trust my old buddy.¡± The burly rakshasa officer stood up and patted the service gun at his waist, ¡°Do you think those who mimic vampires can take a magazine of my bullets?¡±

    ¡°I doubt it, unless they are real vampires.¡± The other officer also stood up and turned to look at the surrounding crowd, apparently looking for eyewitnesses.

    His gaze settled on a young woman and he suddenly called out:

    ¡°Hey! Little Khitan! How come I see you at every murder scene!¡± S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Anna looked at the rakshasa man with an expressionless face, her eyebrows slightly raised, and asked coldly:

    ¡°So what? You can¡¯t find the murderer, so you plan to pick a scapegoat from the onlookers?¡±

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not framing anyone.¡± The middle-aged rakshasa man cleared his way through the crowd and approached Anna, his smile somewhat murky, ¡°I am just reasonably suspicious as a security officer and want to invite you as an eyewitness to come to our security bureau for a cooperative investigation, that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°Is that right, swine?¡± Anna¡¯s Rakshasa language was already very fluent, mixed with plenty of the local slang and curse words, ¡°I have no intention of cooperating with your corrupt investigation. Unless you can produce a damn arrest warrant and slap the handcuffs directly on my wrists, you¡¯d better roll your pigtail and get the hell out of here early!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not up to you.¡± The rakshasa officer reached out for her shoulder but was counter-grabbed by Anna on his wrist. With the Wood Bending Charm strengthening her grip, his eyeballs instantly bulged, and his face contorted in pain.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± His colleague noticed something was off and stood up.

    Anna released his wrist, stepped back slightly, and prepared herself for another strike.

    The rakshasa officer gritted his teeth and reached for the service gun at his waist only to be promptly stopped by his partner:

    ¡°Calm down. You don¡¯t want to make the news, do you?¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°I was just going to teach her a lesson. Damn Khitan bitch.¡±

    ¡°Not now, though.¡±

    Seeing that the other party didn¡¯t intend to pursue or draw a gun, Anna let out a scornful snicker and then turned her head and disappeared into the crowd.

    It was only on her way home that her expression gradually darkened.

    Owing to the recent spate of murders, the entire city had begun to tense up. Social media was constantly criticizing the Public Security Bureau for its incompetence, while the higher-ups in the bureau were shifting all the pressure onto the ground-level agents, causing them to look at everyone as if they were a murderer.

    Local residents¡¯ unease was also on the rise, with xenophobic incidents becoming increasingly common. The first to bear the brunt were the Kievans and Jews, followed by the people from Lu Country and Goryeo.

    Although Anna couldn¡¯t understand why vampires had to be foreigners, she knew all too well that the rakshasas around here didn¡¯t adhere to any kind of courtesy or restraint. When someone insulted you as being bad seed, you¡¯d better act like one, or you would suffer for it.

    Clenching her teeth, she pulled out her phone and started texting someone.

    In Jinling Prefecture, Jiangbei Province of Lu Country, at the Zhendong National Defense Academy.

    Yan Yu once again received a message from Anna, who seemed to have made him her confidant, probably sending him more messages each day than she spoke to her own father.

    In fact, the deterioration of social order was not limited to Amur.

    As the progress of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence deepened, some people with the talent for practice, the Transcendents, had begun to notice their own differences from others.

    In places like Lu Country where the grassroots order was relatively stable, the public might not feel much yet. But in Siberia, Eastern Europe, North Africa, South America, and those places where official governance was weak, civilian Transcendents had begun to emerge, attempting to challenge the public order that had once constrained them.

    After all, let¡¯s not forget that orders are widely accepted because they have sufficient violence to punish those who violate them. Now that the violence is dispersed¡­ it¡¯s no wonder that order wavers.

    After replying to Anna¡¯s text, Yan Yu stood up and looked over at Lin Ning, who was taking a rest:

    ¡°Continue?¡±

    ¡°Continue!¡± Lin Ning adopted a fighting stance.

    Although Yan Yu had suggested that she needn¡¯t delve too deeply into the intricacies of combat skills, lately, she had seriously watched videos on military boxing, and the posture she posed appeared quite professional.

    But so what, can you beat me, little Lin Ning?

    ¡°Let¡¯s change the way we practice,¡± Yan Yu suddenly called out to her, ¡°from now on, you¡¯re not allowed to use the other four spells, only the Impact Curse to attack me.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Lin Ning immediately showed a puzzled look, ¡°If I can¡¯t use the Wood Bending Charm, then if you just activate the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse, won¡¯t I have no way to respond?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t activate the Barrier Charm either,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°We¡¯ll only use Impact Curse against each other, while using the Three Arts: Cloud Ascension Technique and the techniques to dodge and pass through walls to evade each other¡¯s Impact Curse.¡±

    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s fine,¡± Lin Ning was still a bit confused, ¡°but I¡¯ve been practicing the Metal-Element Impact Curse for a long time now, and there¡¯s hardly any time to practice other Attack Spell Techniques like the Curved Curse, Flame Curse, or Runescript. Isn¡¯t it better to ensure that the Five Spells are all proficiently practiced first?¡±

    Grade-grinders need to tackle problems in all subjects to be at ease; what¡¯s the point of just focusing on one subject?

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it this way then,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°As long as you manage to hit me with the Impact Curse in a real combat simulation, I¡¯ll acknowledge that you¡¯ve fully mastered the skills of the Impact Curse, and I¡¯ll allow you to train in other Curse Techniques. How about that?¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡± Lin Ning immediately became enthusiastic and said with high spirits, ¡°I accept the challenge!¡±

    ¡°As for the combat simulation venue, we¡¯ll set it there,¡± Yan Yu pointed toward the practice area for the Cloud Ascension Technique in the distance.

    It was an environment simulating urban warfare with numerous houses, low walls, alleys, and obstacles, where it would be easy to find cover against the opponent¡¯s Impact Curse shots.

    If it were a duel in an open space, even using only the Impact Curse, I definitely couldn¡¯t beat the captain now. But in that extremely complex battlefield, if I get a bit lucky¡­

    ¡­perhaps I could turn the tables?

 Chapter 83 - 82: I Canâ€™t Coexist with the Petty Thief (4/10)

    Chapter 83: Chapter 82: I Can¡¯t Coexist with the Petty Thief (4/10)

    ¡°`

    That¡¯s hilarious, I couldn¡¯t beat her at all.

    Gathering her courage, Lin Ning suddenly leapt out from her hiding place, sprinting at full speed with the Shifting Technique!

    But then, suddenly her foot gave way, as the Impact Curse struck her right knee.

    If Yan Yu hadn¡¯t held back and had used his full True Yuan, that strike would have been strong enough to shatter her kneecap.

    Instantly losing balance, Lin Ning slumped to the ground at an angle, looking blankly at the sky with an expression that had lost all ¡°I can make a comeback¡± determination, and only showed bewilderment of ¡°Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to be doing?¡±

    ...

    ¡°Still too green, Little Lin Ning,¡± a face appeared in her field of vision, it was Yan Yu crouching down beside her, looking at her with a playful expression.

    Lin Ning no longer had the strength to correct how he addressed her; she simply continued to gasp for breath and stare at the sky, before finally blurting out in a daze,

    ¡°Where exactly did I go wrong?¡±

    ¡°If you really want to know, there were problems everywhere,¡± Yan Yu offered her a hand to help her up. ¡°Let¡¯s do a post-mortem.¡±

    Lin Ning stood up silently, dusting off the dirt from her back.

    ¡°You were very aggressive at the start,¡± Yan Yu said with a laugh. ¡°Though it was a bold style, it wasn¡¯t wrong because against an opponent superior in every aspect, playing it safe means certain defeat, whereas taking extreme risks may lead to a chance of winning.¡±

    ¡°Of course, it doesn¡¯t mean that just going all out guarantees victory. At most, it turns the situation into muddy waters where neither side can perform steadily, and then it¡¯s a bet on ¡®a slim chance of me performing exceptionally well while he slips up.''¡±

    ¡°However, after several setbacks in your attacks¡­ well, I feel it started with the 8th assault, you began to doubt your aggressive strategy due to a string of failures which shook your confidence, and thus, you switched to a more cautious approach: hiding, watching, and waiting for opportunities.¡±

    ¡°Is that a bad thing?¡± Lin Ning asked weakly.

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°it varies from person to person.¡±

    ¡°For me, the more time you give me, the more easily I can move to a position more favorable for me. Speaking of which, did you notice? Ever since you changed your strategy, every place we fought at was an environment unfavorable for you.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Lin Ning said with a wry smile. ¡°But I thought it was because I lost too much, and my combat condition had deteriorated.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯d observed carefully, you¡¯d have noticed that after that it was I who was moving, and you were just being led by me,¡± Yan Yu said with a grin. ¡°By choosing to hide and not making a move straight away, you gained the initiative of ¡®when to fight,¡¯ that is, ¡®the right moment¡¯; however, every advantage has its downside, and by giving up the initiative of ¡®where to fight,¡¯ the ¡®geographical advantage,¡¯ you handed it over to me, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Lin Ning fell deep in thought.

    This self-reflection and contemplation were precisely the response Yan Yu wanted to see.

    So, Yan Yu stayed silent until Lin Ning¡¯s expression gradually turned into one of understanding, then she turned to him again and asked,

    ¡°Am I not suited to this strategy? What I mean is, I feel like Ling Yun is probably better at it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the same answer: it varies,¡± Yan Yu analyzed. ¡°Chen Lingyun doesn¡¯t react as quickly as you. If you have her use a reckless, all-out offensive strategy, she might only be able to perform flawlessly with the initial sneak attack, and will be hit in every subsequent exchange.¡±

    ¡°Who talks like that,¡± Lin Ning immediately laughed, ¡°are you trying to provoke a fight by trash-talking? Ling Yun is not that weak; I¡¯m not going to fall for your tricks.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not praising you by putting her down; I¡¯m just stating the facts,¡± Yan Yu shook his head. ¡°Her strength lies in having a well-thought-out plan before taking action, methodically forcing the enemy into a corner under her control, which is exactly where you fall short¡­ of course, I¡¯m not saying you¡¯re not smart, given that your high school grades speak for themselves.¡±

    ¡°I think you¡¯re simply better suited to direct assaults and strong offensive tactics, that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Lin Ning nodded.

    ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to take my word for it,¡± Yan Yu added, ¡°You should also think for yourself about what kind of fighting style suits you best.¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Lin Ning insisted, ¡°I actually don¡¯t like hiding around, unable to find opportunities, and then when I finally take a shot, I end up getting hit¡­ It¡¯s better to just charge forward from the start. How about we go again?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s rest for a while; I¡¯ll go check how they¡¯re doing with their training,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll come with you,¡± Lin Ning hurriedly said.

    The two left the training area and went to where Chen Lingyun and Zhao Yuanzhen were sparring, only to see Chen Lingyun writing the character ¡°Õý¡± on the nearby blackboard.

    ¡°With that, it¡¯s five to five for now,¡± she said with a beaming smile.

    ¡°`

    Yan Yu stared at the two blackboards on both sides, each bearing the character ¡°Õý¡±, his mouth unintentionally gaping open before he incredulously turned to look at Zhao Yuanzhen.

    No way, sister! Sister Zhao! You¡¯re a proper cultivator, aren¡¯t you? How did you end up tying five to five with the mere Chen Lingyun?

    ¡°I¡­¡± Zhao Yuanzhen opened her mouth to object, ¡°This is a real combat drill, not a life-or-death fight, I obviously didn¡¯t need to go all out.¡±

    ¡°And, I should thank Sister Zhao for going easy on me.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile grew even brighter, her eyes curving into crescent moons.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on with you?¡± Yan Yu pulled Zhao Yuanzhen aside and asked with a frown, ¡°Even if you were holding back, this is too much, five to five? What the hell kind of sparring was that!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know how restrictive I was?¡± Since it was a private conversation, Zhao Yuanzhen no longer feigned strength, directly complaining, ¡°Not allowed to use puppets, not allowed to use spells, only the Three Arts and Five Spells allowed, you might as well have tied up my hands and feet to fight her. Do you know how annoying her Runescript can be when she uses it?¡±

    Yan Yu immediately understood.

    Got it.

    You¡¯re like a college student only doing single digit arithmetic, then getting thrashed by a first-grader who has been practicing mental math for months.

    That¡¯s still embarrassing though! You were Empress Yuanzhen, wah! The Empress Yuanzhen who dominated the scene and forced the entire Lu Country into negotiating with you in your past life, and now you¡¯re being mercilessly thrashed by a Jiang Hai Missy. How did things turn out this way!

    It couldn¡¯t possibly be that I spoiled you into becoming useless, it must be that the Demonic Sect Enchantress got complacent from not being hunted, wasting away, and falling into degeneracy, losing the gutsy determination to fight boldly from your past life. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, you have to take full responsibility for this!

    Seeing Yan Yu¡¯s extremely unpleasant expression, Zhao Yuanzhen felt a bit embarrassed and continued to defend herself:

    ¡°Moreover, I¡¯m not good at holding back my strength. What if I use too much force and kill her? Last time with the puppet, I could have disassembled it in a few moves. So, tell me, am I supposed to dismember Chen Lingyun, taking off all her limbs?¡±

    This excuse was somewhat reasonable. Yan Yu was able to defeat Lin Ning (referring to Lin Ning being unhurt) because he had strong control over his True Yuan, capable of directing the Impact Curse to hit a concrete wall with wound depths accurate to the centimeter level¡ªif he aimed for a few centimeters deep, that¡¯s exactly what he¡¯d achieve.

    But Zhao Yuanzhen hadn¡¯t trained for this. Whether it was in the Cultivation World before crossing over, or on Earth after crossing over, this Demonic Sect Enchantress had always gone all out, aiming straight for killing her opponent. Now, to ask her to not injure the opponent, she would indeed feel somewhat at a loss.

    In other words, the cultivator who spars with her must be strong enough, strong to the point that she couldn¡¯t beat them even if she went full force, only then would the training be effective.

    Not by sending a weakling and telling her to control her power and not to harm the opponent. Supposed to only use a third of her strength, the Enchantress instead cut down to one-tenth, and ended up not being able to win.

    Hmm¡­

    Doesn¡¯t that mean she still has to spar with me?

    Alright, alright, Lin Ning will spar with me, Zhao Yuanzhen will spar with me, Chen Lingyun will also spar with me, guess I¡¯ll just be your full-time private male coach 24 hours a day, not sleeping!

    The more Yan Yu thought about it, the more irked he felt, and he said with sarcasm:

    ¡°Got it, don¡¯t spar with her anymore. If there is a contest for finding excuses next time, I¡¯ll send you up.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was stunned for a moment, and as she came to her senses, she was so angry she nearly crushed her teeth, wishing she could swallow them:

    Yan Yu, you little thief! Underestimating my demonic powers, huh?

    Wait for the day when I turn the tables, I will surely catch you and thoroughly humiliate you, subjecting you to endless torment!

    Although we are cultivation companions, we¡¯ve been dreaming different dreams in the same bed, from today on, we won¡¯t share the same sky!

    ¡°Where¡¯s Yun Jin?¡± Lin Ning asked from the side.

    ¡°I told her to train by herself in the Barrier Charm training ground,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°Not to activate Barrier Charm, but to rely solely on Shifting Technique and Cloud Ascension Technique to dodge liquid bullets shot at her from around.¡±

    ¡°Those bullets actually hurt quite a bit if you don¡¯t activate a Barrier Charm,¡± Lin Ning shivered and turned to leave, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll go find her.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s also about time for dinner,¡± Yan Yu glanced at the time, ¡°Lin Ning, call her over, let¡¯s all meet up at the school gate. We won¡¯t eat in the cafeteria today, we¡¯ve been training pretty hard recently, let¡¯s go out and enjoy something nice¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in! I want to eat beef hotpot!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately raised her hand and shouted, her face flushing with anticipation and excitement, all the resentment and hate wiped away in an instant.

 Chapter 84 - 83 Beef Hotpot (5/10)

    Chapter 84: Chapter 83 Beef Hotpot (5/10)

    At the Barrier Charm practice field, numerous gun muzzles were installed that would shoot into the room at irregular intervals.

    Initially, the bullets were meant to be non-lethal rubber bullets, but given that a hit to a vital spot with a rubber bullet could still be fatal, they were later modified to be even less harmful¡ªliquid bullets.

    Furthermore, trainees were required to wear full-body armor before entering, which meant that even without invoking the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse, there would be no casualties if hit.

    But it would hurt a lot.

    Some tried enduring a hit without activating the Barrier Charm, and even though it struck the armor without breaking the skin, there were still signs of bruising and contusions underneath. Thus, there was a sign outside the training ground that clearly reminded the students:

    [Please activate the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse before entering]

    ...

    Of course, even with such clear signage, there would still be those who ignored it.

    When Lin Ning found Su Yunjin in the practice field, she witnessed the young lady moving around like lightning, which momentarily gave her the illusion that she was watching Yan Yu dodge aggressive tree demons with his swift Swallow¡¯s Flight Technique.

    However, upon closer inspection, it was indeed an illusion.

    It was a short sprint, and Su Yunjin¡¯s Cutting Spell was indeed fast. With each step, she would immediately change direction using the Cloud Ascension Technique, and her speed would increase once more with the Shifting Technique, making her movements as dizzying as Yan Yu¡¯s before.

    But the sound of bullets hitting the armor, ¡®thump, thump,¡¯ was incessant.

    The reason was simple: Su Yunjin¡¯s eyesight and reaction speed couldn¡¯t keep up.

    After the bullet was fired, it was hard to track with the naked eye; even if she could track it, her response was too slow to dodge; and by the time she decided which direction to dodge using the swift Shifting and Cloud Ascension Techniques, there was hardly any time left.

    In light of this, Miss Su resorted to a very clumsy solution.

    If she couldn¡¯t dodge, she¡¯d just endure the hit.

    The result, of course, was quite ghastly. Though there were no visible injuries, the skin beneath the armor was probably already a mottled landscape of blues and purples.

    ¡°Yun Jin!¡± Lin Ning called out anxiously, dashing in front of her with the Shifting Technique, braking quickly with Cloud Ascension, and immediately activating the Barrier Charm to shield her from the surrounding bullets.

    ¡°Little Lin Ning?¡± Su Yunjin said in surprise.

    Her voice was so weak that Lin Ning didn¡¯t even fuss about the ¡°little¡± part, instead speaking with urgent concern:

    ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself too hard!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Su Yunjin said softly, smiling while lifting her arm. ¡°Look, I¡¯m wearing armor.¡±

    But Lin Ning quickly noticed that, although her body was tightly encased in armor, her brows still slightly furrowed for a moment when she raised her arm.

    It probably hurt.

    ¡°Stop training,¡± Lin Ning said. ¡°Yan Yu is treating us to dinner tonight. He¡¯s taking us out for dinner.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Su Yunjin nodded calmly. ¡°I¡¯ll go back and change clothes.¡±

    She left the training ground and walked towards the dormitory.

    Lin Ning carefully followed behind her, wanting to offer support but afraid of touching her wounds, suddenly at a loss for what to do.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    At the school gate, Chen Lingyun pressed her phone and asked suddenly:

    ¡°What are we eating tonight?¡±

    ¡°Beef hotpot,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen answered quickly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Yan Yu. ¡°Let¡¯s wait for everyone to gather and then ask for everyone¡¯s preference.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we just go for beef hotpot?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said again.

    ¡°You¡¯d better decide quickly which restaurant to go to,¡± Chen Lingyun said, glancing at her phone with a faint smile. ¡°I need to make a reservation in advance.¡±

    ¡°How about we go to Ni¨² M¨£n L¨¡o?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen suggested thoughtfully. ¡°Do you have VIP status there?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Chen Lingyun replied, looking up and smiling at Zhao Yuanzhen before looking back down, ¡°but I can get someone to get a number for us.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s get a number from them,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen urged.

    ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been kind of craving barbecue lately,¡± Yan Yu commented offhandedly.

    ¡°But I want to eat beef hotpot,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said disappointedly, attempting to pressure her partner with her gaze.

    ¡°Japanese barbecue or Goryeo barbecue?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, still looking at her phone.

    ¡°Neither, just beef hotpot,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen started to repeat.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Yan Yu shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, let¡¯s discuss it when everyone¡¯s here.¡±

    ¡°But I want to eat¡ª¡± Zhao Yuanzhen kept nagging, only to be suddenly silenced by Yan Yu stretching out a finger to press her pouting lips, saying coldly:

    ¡°Before the group discussion, if you say one more word, beef hotpot will be ruled out immediately.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen immediately kept quiet.

    Chen Lingyun eyed Yan Yu¡¯s fingers, her eyebrows slightly raised.

    Finally, when Lin Ning and Su Yunjin arrived fashionably late, they were both already in different clothes.

    Lin Ning was wearing a white T-shirt and denim shorts. Her hair, previously tied up in a bun, now hung down softly. Slinging a bag over her shoulder, she had transformed from a youthful, sporty girl back into the familiar sight of a college student.

    In contrast, Su Yunjin was dressed much more conservatively, in a dark long-sleeve shirt with a warm-colored overall on top, looking somewhat like a kangaroo.

    Other than pregnant women, who dresses like this in the summer? S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu really wanted to tease her but caught himself at the last moment.

    Teasing is Lin Ning¡¯s characteristic, and I already have enough of my own traits. I don¡¯t need to steal Sister Lin¡¯s thunder.

    However, Lin Ning, unaware of Yan Yu¡¯s thoughts, simply laughed it off:

    ¡°Yun Jin is worried about mosquitoes tonight. She¡¯s afraid of them, so I told her to wear more.¡±

    Chen Lingyun said with a smile,

    ¡°Being afraid of mosquitoes, you indeed need to wear more. Otherwise, getting bitten all over isn¡¯t a nice look.¡±

    Su Yunjin smiled helplessly at her.

    ¡°So, what are we eating tonight, have you guys decided?¡± asked Yan Yu.

    ¡°How about beef hot pot,¡± suggested Su Yunjin with a smile.

    ¡°Hmm, beef hot pot sounds good,¡± Lin Ning agreed.

    Yan Yu immediately shot a questioning look at Zhao Yuanzhen, who quickly hid his phone behind him and pretended to be examining the cicadas chirping in the trees.

    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Yan Yu said with a mix of laughter and helplessness. ¡°Ling Yun, call a cab!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t joke about using other people¡¯s names with the ride-hailing app!¡± Lin Ning¡¯s retort was quick and accurate. ¡°If you want to call a cab, do it yourself!¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Speaking of hot pot, Yan Yu was reminded of the dinner in Shengjing that ended on a sour note.

    In a past life, the duo of Liu Longtao and Ye Jun had once been the center of attention, even hailed as the ¡°golden pair¡± of the Dingbei Army by outsiders.

    Why? Because even though Lord Master seemed mild-mannered, he was actually quite autocratic in his actions, always insisting on having the final word in his team.

    It was quite a feat for Ye Jun to silently fix flaws backstage, perfecting a 90-point tactical plan to 99 points without clashing with Lord Master. Even if someone with better support skills than Ye Jun joined, they might not do a better job than her.

    Unfortunately, nobody expected that this ¡°golden pair¡± would ultimately crumble.

    This goes to show that even strong teams aren¡¯t guaranteed success. The key lies in maintaining good interpersonal relationships within the team.

    As the saying goes, ¡°The receiver of gifts is beholden to the giver,¡± and dining together is a good way to bond.

    Sitting in front of the bubbling hot pot, Yan Yu, bored, rested his chin on one hand and observed Lin Ning stealthily cooking meat for Su Yunjin, Zhao Yuanzhen discreetly gobbling down his food, and Chen Lingyun quietly watching everyone¡¯s expressions.

    ¡°Why is everyone so quiet?¡± he asked, somewhat puzzled.

    ¡°The captain¡¯s treating us, so we¡¯re busy eating,¡± Su Yunjin explained with a smile.

    ¡°Well then, Vice-Captain Chen Lingyun, tell us a joke to lift the spirits,¡± suggested Yan Yu, pointing at her with his chopsticks.

    ¡°Sure.¡± Chen Lingyun clapped her hands and laughed, ¡°Let me tell you a story called ¡®The Legacy of the Bridal Dress,¡¯ about after the hero Yan Nantian retired from the martial world, he had a son named¡­¡±

    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough,¡± Yan Yu quickly grabbed some pickles with his chopsticks and stuffed it into her mouth, while inwardly breaking out in a cold sweat.

    The so-called ¡°Legacy of the Bridal Dress¡± was actually a made-up Wuxia RPG story that the kids from his old neighborhood had concocted. Since his father was named ¡°Yan Nantian,¡± Yan Yu had been forced to become the ¡°Successor of the Bridal Dress Technique,¡± despite his complete unwillingness. His friends went as far as to invent all sorts of ridiculous storylines and drag him into acting them out¡­

    How does she know about this? Who¡¯s been setting me up behind my back?

    ¡°What happened to the son of Yan Nantian?¡± Lin Ning asked out of curiosity.

    ¡°Nothing, don¡¯t ask too much. Oh no! Someone sent me a message on my phone, seems like an urgent mission,¡± Yan Yu deflectively pretended to change the subject, unlocked his phone and looked at it, his expression suddenly becoming serious.

    ¡°What urgent mission?¡± Lin Ning continued to ask.

    ¡°You guys keep eating,¡± Yan Yu stood up. ¡°I need to step out and take a call.¡±

    Stepping outside the restaurant, Yan Yu dialed the number, and the other side picked up quickly:

    ¡°We¡¯re out eating. Do we need to leave right away?¡±

    ¡°No need to rush,¡± Li Weiguo¡¯s voice came from the phone. ¡°Finish your meal first, then head to the airport. The crew is waiting for you there.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Who is our competitor this time?¡±

    ¡°The Annan Army, Li Zhaojiang¡¯s team.¡±

    Got it, this time we¡¯re taking on the Valkyrie.

 Chapter 85 - 84 Imaginary Confrontation (6/10)

    Chapter 85: Chapter 84 Imaginary Confrontation (6/10)

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you eating?¡± Yan Yu returned to the restaurant and saw that the girls hadn¡¯t touched their chopsticks, ¡°Go ahead, eat. Don¡¯t wait for me.¡±

    ¡°Who sent you a message?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smiley face.

    ¡°It¡¯s from above.¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t be bothered to make excuses and said directly, ¡°Eat up. Once we¡¯re done, we¡¯ll head out on a mission.¡±

    ¡°Is it that urgent?¡± Lin Ning was immediately astonished.

    I don¡¯t have a problem, but with all of Yun Jin¡¯s injuries¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. There¡¯s a medical team on the plane.¡± Yan Yu looked towards Su Yunjin, who was forcing a smile, and said, ¡°Someone on the plane can treat you. The bruises can be taken care of quickly with Runescript, and it won¡¯t be an issue.¡±

    ...

    ¡°You noticed?¡± Su Yunjin nervously tugged at her sleeve.

    ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot.¡± Yan Yu pulled out a chair and sat down, ¡°Everyone eat up, we¡¯ll need the energy for the road.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t use lines from TV series that rush people off to their execution!¡± Lin Ning immediately interjected with an excited tone.

    Luckily, her comment lightened the mood, and everyone began to pick up their chopsticks and eat and drink.

    However, upon closer examination, the girls all had different eating manners.

    Lin Ning was preoccupied, eating while zoning out. Su Yunjin didn¡¯t have much appetite, and with her slow eating due to her injuries, it wasn¡¯t helping.

    Chen Lingyun was all grace throughout, choosing to eat less rather than showing any sign of impropriety. Zhao Yuanzhen, on the other hand, was the exact opposite, caring not for appearances. She would shove a piece of meat into her mouth with her chopsticks, then grab another piece to cool in her bowl, then chew, chew, chew, and swallow, displaying the efficient beauty of a seasoned eater.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you eating?¡± Lin Ning suddenly asked him.

    ¡°You guys go ahead, someone sent me a message.¡± Yan Yu took out his phone to check his new message, ¡°I¡¯ll reply to this one.¡±

    The new message was sent by Li Zhaojiang, this guy¡¯s nickname was [Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang], and his avatar was a cartoon main character with a cheeky face.

    [Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang]: I didn¡¯t expect we would have the chance to clash so soon again.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: How has your sister been lately?

    [Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang]: Scram, scram, scram, scram, scram, scram, scram, scram, scram!

    After sending a string of ¡°scram,¡± Li Zhaojiang seemingly not yet satisfied, sent a long string of ¡°cleaver¡± emojis.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Don¡¯t get me wrong, just concerned about her health, after all, she was coughing so badly last time.

    [Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang]: I suggest you worry about yourself first, we won¡¯t lose again this time.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Oh? Your sister has recovered?

    [Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang]: Scram! I¡¯m a completely different person now!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Never mind, I¡¯ll ask her myself.

    [Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang]: You punk, just you wait and see!

    Yan Yu scrolled down the list of friends and quickly found another named [Yuegua Donghu], with an avatar of a transparent glass bottle filled with folded paper stars.

    Thankfully, this pair of brothers and sisters didn¡¯t use coupled avatars; otherwise, Yan Yu might have really questioned their relationship.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Are you there, how¡¯s your health?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Pretty good. I haven¡¯t been coughing much lately. How about you?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I¡¯m fine. So, you¡¯re coming too?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Yep.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Alright then. How about we get together for a meal locally after it¡¯s over?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Scram, scram, scram, scram, scram, scram, scram, scram! The sight of you turns my stomach!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Li Zhaojiang, you¡¯re still in grade school, huh? Speak on your own account.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: I sent you more than a dozen messages, and you didn¡¯t reply to a single one!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Sorry, I have a spam-filtering plugin, it automatically filters out suspected junk messages.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Eat shit!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Haha, the battle hasn¡¯t even started, and I¡¯ve already found your Achilles¡¯ heel.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: What weakness?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: As soon as I mention your sister, you lose your mind and fall into madness, and then you¡¯ll be brutally defeated by us.

    That statement seemed to strike a critical hit, as the other side fell into a deep silence, taking a long time to respond.

    Yan Yu calmly closed the message window, set his phone aside, and let Li Zhaojiang continue to rage helplessly on the other end.

    Su Yunjin pushed a small bowl towards him, filled with freshly cooked beef, and said softly:

    ¡°Captain, you hardly ate anything after sitting down, this bowl¡¯s for you.¡±

    Yan Yu was touched by her warm-hearted gesture, thinking: What is the epitome of a gentle and considerate jade-like woman? This is it!

    She should really be scooped up to be my secretary! Wait a minute¡­ hold on¡­

    Chen Lingyun is now my assistant, and Su Yunjin is a member of my team. How could my team members bypass me, the captain, to be the secretary for my assistant? She¡¯s essentially already my secretary!

    Having quickly understood the relationship, Yan Yu revealed a very satisfied smile and nodded:

    ¡°Not bad, you did well.¡±

    Su Yunjin: ?

    Yan Yu slowly ate the beef in the bowl, then turned to Chen Lingyun and said:

    ¡°See that? Learn from it.¡±

    Chen Lingyun: ?

    Another ten minutes or so passed, and the girls had nearly finished their meal, setting down their cutlery and beginning to sip tea to rinse their mouths.

    ¡°Shall I order some cold noodles for you, packed to go?¡± Su Yunjin asked Yan Yu, ¡°It seems like you didn¡¯t eat enough, Captain.¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu replied, picking up a wet towel to wipe his hands, ¡°Eating too much at night is hard to digest. Everyone¡¯s finished, so let¡¯s head out.¡±

    He went to the front desk to pay the bill, while Chen Lingyun simultaneously went outside to call a business car in advance. The captain and the assistant captain didn¡¯t need verbal communication; their coordination in this regard had reached a high level of tacit understanding.

    After arriving at the airport, the corresponding military flight crew was indeed already waiting. They quickly escorted the five members into the business jet cabin. Also accompanying them was the Zhendong Army¡¯s medical team¡ªthis time they would be entering the Mysterious Realm with them. If any team member lost combat ability during the competition within the Mysterious Realm, they would provide timely off-field aid to prevent unnecessary casualties.

    Compared to the last time they traveled for the quartet exchange competition, the business jet cabin this time was much more comfortable. Everyone had a spacious bed that could fully recline, a refrigerator stocked with various drinks, and a large screen and projector suitable for video conferences.

    The only drawback was that the flight attendants weren¡¯t professional. Their service was attentive, but their attitudes and expressions were a bit stiff. Yan Yu recognized at a glance that they were actually female soldiers in disguise. Obviously, the military also didn¡¯t trust civil aviation personnel to get involved, so to prevent leaks, they simply ¡°chartered¡± all the flight attendants.

    After the flight attendants delivered the meals and left, Yan Yu convened a team meeting to explain their Mysterious Realm exploration mission:

    ¡°The entrance to the Mysterious Realm we will be exploring this time is located in the south of Longquan Prefecture, which is within the jurisdiction of Chuzhou Prefecture in Jiangnan Province.¡±

    ¡°Due to the lessons learned from the previous exploration of the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm, the military hasn¡¯t sent cultivators in this time; instead, they¡¯ve sealed off the surrounding area to prevent unrelated civilians from accidentally entering.¡±

    ¡°Based on the survey data near the entrance of the Mysterious Realm, the concentration of Spiritual Energy inside is clearly lower than that of the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm, which suggests that the overall size of the Longquan Mountain Secret Realm should be smaller, and the exploration process will definitely be shorter.¡±

    ¡°However, we can¡¯t simply conclude that the difficulty of our mission this time will definitely be lower than last time.¡±

    ¡°The reasons are twofold: first, the Mysterious Realm¡¯s master¡¯s attitude towards outsiders varies. An enemy who holds a gun but doesn¡¯t want to kill you, and one who wields a knife aiming directly for your vitals with every stab, the latter¡¯s level of danger isn¡¯t necessarily lower than the former¡¯s, something I believe we all can understand.¡±

    The girls nodded in agreement. Last time in the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm, the sword-bearing puppet showed no intention of killing, which was quite evident to everyone.

    Yan Yu continued in a grave tone:

    ¡°The other reason is that the higher-ups want to simulate actual combat in foreign Mysterious Realms, so they¡¯ve introduced a hypothetical enemy force confrontation into the exploration of domestic Mysterious Realms.¡± S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°This time, our competition is against the Li Zhaojiang team from the Annan Army¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait a second,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen realized something wasn¡¯t right and hurriedly interjected, ¡°You¡¯re not saying that during the exploration, we¡¯re supposed to beat them but also not kill them, are you?¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu nodded in approval, ¡°That¡¯s what the higher-ups mean.¡±

 Chapter 86 - 85 Tactical Deployment (7/10)

    Chapter 86: Chapter 85 Tactical Deployment (7/10)

    If there were no introduction of competing teams, the girls would likely be more relaxed at this time.

    After all, the most challenging part is always the first encounter; having successfully conquered the Mysterious Realm for the first time, the second time would seem easier with experience¡ªnot to mention that this time the Mysterious Realm is smaller in scale, so everyone¡¯s mindset would naturally be more composed.

    But to compete against other teams¡­ who can stay calm about that!

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, everyone,¡± said Yan Yu with a smile, noticing the downtrodden mood within the team, ¡°I¡¯ve fought Li Zhaojiang before, he¡¯s weak; his team, even though I haven¡¯t fought them, won¡¯t be difficult to deal with as long as we have good plans. Chen Lingyun?¡±

    ¡°Just a moment,¡± Chen Lingyun started working on the computer, secretly amazed.

    We didn¡¯t discuss this in advance, so how did he guess that I already had information on our opponents?

    ...

    It seems that in a past life, we must have cooperated many times like this, which explains the high level of unspoken understanding between us.

    Chen Lingyun had a ¡°personality profile database¡± for everyone she knew, but the amount of information on Yan Yu alone was nearly three times more than anyone else¡¯s, and the trend showed no signs of being fully unearthed.

    Is this the substance that qualifies him to be my husband?

    She thought to herself with delight, her face blooming with smiles as she opened the prepared intelligence file, projected it, and said aloud:

    ¡°Their team has a total of five people; Captain Li Zhaojiang, Vice-Captain Li Minghu¡ªthey are siblings. The other three members are Tao Xingyuan, Wang Haoran, and Jiang Hong.¡±

    ¡°First up is Li Zhaojiang. He has unquestionably the strongest ability in the team, otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be the captain. He¡¯s well-rounded in all aspects: he can fight and run, do long-range and close-range combat. If I were to make a comparison, he¡¯s like a weaker version of Yan Yu, but he¡¯s still fit to be the core of a team.¡±

    ¡°Next is the Vice-Captain Li Minghu. She is the brains of the team, responsible for devising training plans and tactical arrangements¡ªshe¡¯s essentially more like the captain in some respects. However, she suffers from a severe lung disease that prevents her from engaging in intense activities for long, or her health will deteriorate.¡±

    ¡°As for the three members, their roles and responsibilities are also very clear.¡±

    ¡°Jiang Hong, his father is a registered criminal officer in Jiangcheng Guanggu¡¯s Public Security Bureau. Initially, his father wanted him to pursue the family vocation, and he planned to attend the local college for public security; it was only later discovered that he had a Spirit Root and he went to the Annan Cultivator College instead. He has trained for several years in criminal officer combat techniques and, after becoming a cultivator, also specialized in Wood Bending Charm. His role is probably that of the team¡¯s hard hitter, meant to punch through the enemy¡¯s line.¡±

    ¡°Wang Haoran, from Liuzhou Prefecture in Lingyou Province; Tao Xingyuan, from Zhucheng Prefecture in Qian¡¯an Province. These two have relatively balanced abilities and can be tentatively identified as the team¡¯s assistants, aiding Jiang Hong in further tearing apart the line and executing the corresponding tactical missions.¡±

    ¡°So,¡± Su Yunjin quickly honed in on the key point, ¡°What you mean, Ling Yun, is that their team has two attack cores.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Initially, Jiang Hong should be the spearhead to break the defense, but once the formation is disrupted, Li Zhaojiang will swiftly take over the core position. I suspect the other teammates will coordinate with him to single out a target from our team for a focused attack.¡±

    ¡°Once we¡¯re down a member, the opponent will have a numerical advantage,¡± Lin Ning realized suddenly, ¡°So who would be the target?¡± S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°There are two possibilities,¡± said Chen Lingyun calmly, with a hint of a smile, ¡°Either Yun Jin or me.¡±

    Everyone fell into thought upon hearing this.

    The team usually trained at the college without specifically setting up isolation belts or warning lines, so the surrounding students could see more or less everything.

    Chen Lingyun was able to gather intelligence on the Annan Army, so naturally, the opposite side could also investigate their team¡¯s composition. That Su Yunjin was the weakest link in the team wasn¡¯t a secret.

    ¡°If they choose me as the point to break through, I can understand,¡± sighed Su Yunjin, ¡°but why might they also choose you, Ling Yun?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m Yan Yu¡¯s partner,¡± Chen Lingyun responded with an unwavering smile, ¡°If they get rid of me first, then Yan Yu would have to take up command.¡±

    Su Yunjin was also very clever and immediately grasped her meaning.

    Targeting the weakest, Su Yunjin, to hopefully reduce the Zhendong Army¡¯s numbers first and thus create a numerical advantage was a quite rational tactical approach.

    But with Captain Yan Yu¡¯s notorious reputation and a Cutting Spell speed three times that of an ordinary person, the Annan Army surely couldn¡¯t ignore his presence¡ªif they truly left him to move freely, who would be down a member first was still up in the air.

    Therefore, another line of thought is to attack Deputy Team Leader Chen Lingyun first.

    If Yan Yu chooses to save Chen Lingyun, then the Annan Army can switch targets at any time and kick Su Yunjin out of the game; if he doesn¡¯t save her, then they¡¯ll take the opportunity to eliminate Chen Lingyun, and her command duties will fall on Yan Yu¡¯s shoulders, inevitably distracting part of his attention.

    Command work is not as simple as ¡°charge with me¡± or ¡°follow me into battle,¡± but involves making a lot of detailed adjustments according to the changing situation on the field. This requires the commander to pay constant attention to the battlefield situation and not casually rush into enemy lines to fight.

    Looking at the current four teams, the fact that the command work is unanimously handled by the deputy team leaders makes it clear that it¡¯s not an easy task.

    ¡°Let¡¯s make a contingency plan,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a leisurely smile. ¡°If they attack Yun Jin first, I think Yun Jin, you can just run away, so at least they have to assign someone to chase you.¡±

    ¡°If they give chase, it¡¯ll be 4 vs. 4, and we still stand to gain; if they don¡¯t chase, you can shoot at them from a distance with the Impact Curse, catching them off guard.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± thought Su Yunjin, that could work. If I can exchange one for one, then I¡¯ll have made the most significant impact possible.

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu suddenly said.

    ¡°Why?¡± asked Chen Lingyun with a smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s not beneficial for her growth,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°We must look at the bigger picture and not focus on a single victory or defeat.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, then I¡¯ll follow your lead,¡± Chen Lingyun went with the flow and tossed the responsibility for devising tactics over to him.

    Now, Su Yunjin had been practicing her movement and evasion for quite a while, but not a single Attack Spell Technique, so she definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to beat anyone in a matchup. Chen Lingyun¡¯s idea of having her run if she¡¯s targeted to directly exchange for someone on the opposing team was indeed a guaranteed profit when carefully calculated.

    After all, if you consider it as a 4v4, with Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen being two strong individuals on this side, it¡¯s uncertain whether Li Zhaojiang and Jiang Hong on the other side could hold their ground.

    However, as the team leader, Yan Yu considered the entire game and naturally thought more deeply.

    Miss Su Yunjin is also a person, after all, already a bit self-conscious due to lagging behind the rest of the team in terms of strength. If you then turn her into a disposable piece in a decoy tactic, aren¡¯t you afraid of causing her psychological distress?

    If the strength isn¡¯t enough, there¡¯s still hope for improvement; but if the spirit breaks, rebuilding it becomes much more troublesome.

    ¡°Whether the enemy focuses on Su Yunjin or Chen Lingyun, it doesn¡¯t really matter anymore,¡± Yan Yu said calmly. ¡°The core principle in making a counter-tactic is that we can¡¯t let the enemy¡¯s strategy lead us by the nose.¡±

    Meanwhile, Annan¡¯s chartered plane took off from the Imperial Airport and flew towards Jiangnan Province.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make a final summary,¡± Li Minghu said as he pulled up the last slide. ¡°The Zhendong Army team has relatively clear role divisions, making them quite predictable. Lin Ning is likely the assault trooper, while Zhao Jiuzhen will probably act as the main attacker. The former is responsible for disrupting formations, while the latter leads the attack rhythm.¡±

    ¡°Chen Lingyun is the commander, but her close defense is said to be quite strong. Su Yunjin seems to have no strengths and is the team¡¯s weak link, but I tend to think this is a trap¡ªthey will definitely be prepared for us to focus on Su Yunjin,¡± he said.

    ¡°Lastly, Team Leader Yan Yu.¡± Li Minghu paused for a moment and said in a grave tone, ¡°Whether we can constrain him is the key to deciding the outcome of this confrontation.¡±

    ¡°Whether we strongly attack Su Yunjin or Chen Lingyun, it doesn¡¯t change one fact¡ªthat as long as we can¡¯t restrain Yan Yu, any tactical advantage we manage to gain early on can be taken back by him at any moment.¡±

    ¡°So, do we focus our attack on Yan Yu first?¡± Li Zhaojiang asked thoughtfully.

    Even though he appeared very arrogant in the chat, Li Zhaojiang was actually very aware of Yan Yu¡¯s skill level.

    ¡°No,¡± Li Minghu said with a slight smile. ¡°If we could deal with him quickly by surrounding him, that would be one thing, but what if we can¡¯t? Wouldn¡¯t that be the same as allowing him to tie up multiple opponents by himself?¡±

    ¡°After we encounter each other, Jiang Hong, you focus on Lin Ning. Whether she takes the initiative or remains as backup support, you must completely tie her down. Xingyuan and Haoran, pay close attention to Zhaojiang¡¯s movements; if he fights Zhao Jiuzhen, you split up to take on Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin. But if he turns his attention to Chen or Su, you must extract yourselves immediately and join Zhaojiang in concentrated fire, aiming to quickly reduce their numbers.¡±

    ¡°As for Yan Yu¡­ leave him to me,¡± he said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll hold him off.¡±

 Chapter 87 - 86 Pre-match Meeting (8/10)

    Chapter 87: Chapter 86 Pre-match Meeting (8/10)

    The night had grown deep, and the enthusiasm for conversation in the cabin had waned; everyone closed their eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.

    Su Yunjin had gone to the rear cabin to find the medical team; she needed a female cultivator to help her use Runescript to treat the bruises covering her body.

    Yan Yu, on the other hand, was checking the tactical wireless earpieces that had been distributed¡ªthey were said to have been tested and to work well within the Mysterious Realm, so they could be used for temporary command communications.

    In fact, in Lu Country¡¯s past, the use of wireless earpieces among cultivators was very short-lived because everyone quickly discovered a more effective secret technique called ¡°Transmitting Sound into Secret.¡±

    ¡°Captain, you¡¯re not sleeping yet?¡± Having dealt with her injuries, Su Yunjin returned to the cabin and asked Yan Yu in a soft voice.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be landing soon,¡± Yan Yu replied with a shake of his head and a smile, ¡°Why sleep now?¡±

    ...

    ¡°Oh,¡± Su Yunjin was silent for a moment before whispering, ¡°Captain.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°If you want me to execute the decoy strategy, I wouldn¡¯t mind,¡± Su Yunjin said softly.

    Yan Yu was silent for a while before responding,

    ¡°Rest assured, it wasn¡¯t just consideration for your feelings that led me to reject Chen Lingyun¡¯s plan.¡±

    ¡°Actually, I think you can provide more value to the team than you could by executing the decoy strategy.¡±

    ¡°More value, eh?¡± Su Yunjin pondered to herself.

    She did not continue to inquire but quietly returned to her seat, secretly watching Yan Yu from a distance.

    After a while, Su Yunjin withdrew her gaze and saw Lin Ning beside her turn over and continue to sleep quietly.

    Once the plane arrived at the Chuzhou airport, everyone had to switch to a car to head for Longquan Prefecture. Even Yan Yu couldn¡¯t hold up and quickly fell asleep against the back of his seat on the road.

    Around 3 a.m., the Zhendong Army Team finally reached Longquan Prefecture and checked into a local hotel.

    At that time, the Annan Army Team had just landed at Chuzhou airport, and they decided to stay overnight in Chuzhou Prefecture and continue their journey to Longquan the next day.

    The urgent journey was uncomfortable for both sides; now it was a matter of seeing who could adjust their condition better.

    The next morning, around 10 a.m.

    Yan Yu gradually woke up and heard someone knocking at the door.

    When he opened the door, it was the human alarm clock Lin Ning urging him to wake up,

    ¡°We¡¯re getting ready to go for breakfast; hurry up and change,¡± she said.

    ¡°Next time if I can¡¯t wake up, you can get breakfast for me,¡± Yan Yu yawned.

    ¡°It¡¯s already 10 a.m.,¡± Lin Ning reasoned with him, ¡°If you don¡¯t wake up, you¡¯ll just have lunch at noon. Why should I get breakfast for you then?¡±

    ¡°Then just bring me lunch back,¡± Yan Yu said as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

    ¡°I¡¯ll bring you leftovers!¡± Lin Ning retorted indignantly.

    The group gathered on the ground floor of the hotel, went to a nearby diner to fill up on dumplings and noodles, and then set off for Longquan Mountain Scenic Area.

    ¡°The local news media don¡¯t seem to have reported that Longquan Mountain is closed off,¡± Su Yunjin said in surprise as she scrolled through her phone.

    ¡°That¡¯s because the Spiritual Energy Resurgence is still not a topic we can discuss openly in the country,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°But¡­¡± Su Yunjin thought for a moment, still finding it strange, ¡°Mitchi Country has already publicly promoted superheroes, so how much longer can we keep this a secret?¡±

    ¡°Until a consensus is reached,¡± Chen Lingyun answered with a smile.

    ¡°A consensus between whom?¡± Su Yunjin asked, puzzled.

    Chen Lingyun did not answer but turned to ask Yan Yu,

    ¡°Has the Annan Army team arrived yet?¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°They will probably have lunch after they get to Longquan Prefecture before heading over.¡±

    ¡°Then why do we have to rush to the entrance of the Secret Realm so early?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen complained.

    ¡°Because we can get some fresh air,¡± Yan Yu replied nonchalantly.

    Everyone was speechless.

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s like this,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°He stayed up late last night, and it took a toll on his health, so he needs to go to the mountains ahead of time to breathe in some oxygen.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Yan Yu played along seriously, ¡°If breathing in the fresh oxygen from the scenic area still doesn¡¯t help me recover, then let Miss Chen lead you guys into battle.¡± sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Stop talking nonsense!¡± Lin Ning finally couldn¡¯t help but shout, ¡°If the leader isn¡¯t participating, we might as well give up right now!¡±

    Upon arriving inside Longquan Mountain, the military blockade was clearly much more organized and thorough compared to the previous Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm.

    At the entrance of the scenic area, large signs had been erected, printed with oversized fonts stating that ¡°a landslide occurred inside¡± and ¡°it is temporarily closed and not open to the public.¡± Several tourists were taking pictures at the entrance of the scenic area.

    They switched to taking a helicopter nearby to enter the mountains, and soon, they could see the camp set up by the military.

    The entrance to the Secret Realm this time was near a winding mountain road, even deeper in was the Wushi Forest Farm.

    At this moment, the road had been cut off by the military, and tents of various sizes were set up, resembling a temporary command center on the front lines of a battlefield.

    In a clearing where the trees had been cleared, the helicopter slowly descended.

    After Yan Yu and the others got off the plane, he let the girls sit in a nearby tent while he followed the military officer in charge to inspect the entrance to the Secret Realm.

    The entrance to the Secret Realm was in the woods beside the road, with purple void scars snarling and dancing, as if they possessed the magic to twist space¡ªin fact, they seemed to, because the trees around had all been snapped, and the breaks didn¡¯t look like they were cut with sharp tools, but rather as if they were violently twisted by an external force.

    ¡°According to the intelligence, if the cultivators enter the Secret Realm through the entrance in different groups, they will appear at random locations within the Secret Realm,¡± Captain Zhang explained, ¡°So, we haven¡¯t gone in to explore. It would be quite troublesome to rescue if we lost contact once inside.¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°Leave it to us.¡±

    In fact, the locations where personnel were teleported after entering the Secret Realm in different batches were not entirely randomly chosen, but selected sequentially from several fixed positions¡ªset by the master of the Secret Realm. So, it was common to immediately experience a very warm welcome from someone with ill intent right upon entering.

    But speaking of which, what exactly is the Secret Realm here in Longquan Mountain again?

    I only remember that it should be related to swords¡­ right, I think?

    After recalling for a while and confirming that he didn¡¯t have much memory related to this Secret Realm, Yan Yu turned and left with Captain Zhang.

    It doesn¡¯t matter, we¡¯ll know once Li Zhaojiang and his team arrive and we go inside.

    Around 1:30 in the afternoon, the Annan Army team finally arrived here.

    As Li Zhaojiang and his men entered the tent, they saw four girls gathered around playing cards, with Yan Yu boredly playing with his phone on the side.

    ¡°Yan Yu, hurry up and bring your people out!¡± Li Zhaojiang shouted arrogantly, ¡°Let¡¯s beat you guys quickly. We still need to rush back to the King¡¯s Mansion for dinner!¡±

    ¡°Ah, Minghu has arrived.¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t even look at him, his gaze falling on Li Minghu who was behind him. He casually pulled a chair beside him and said with a smile, ¡°You must be tired from the trip, why not sit down and rest a bit?¡±

    ¡°Get lost!¡± Li Zhaojiang hurriedly snatched the chair and wiped it a few times with a napkin, then turned and courteously said, ¡°Sis, please sit.¡±

    Li Minghu sat down with a wry smile, and Li Zhaojiang started to press again:

    ¡°Yan Yu, don¡¯t you have any manners? We¡¯ve come from afar, and you only offer one chair?¡±

    ¡°The chairs are outside, help yourself,¡± Yan Yu pointed casually outside.

    After thinking carefully, Li Zhaojiang realized this temporary camp was set up by the military, not by Yan Yu, so indeed he couldn¡¯t demand chairs from him, so he led the others outside to fetch chairs.

    ¡°Are you really okay?¡± Yan Yu asked Li Minghu again.

    The Valkyrie¡¯s attire for combat this time was a sports shirt on top, sports pants on the bottom, and sports shoes on her feet¡ªa standard outdoor trio. She probably wore it to exercise her cardiopulmonary function, usually worn for running, and then this time, news of the Secret Realm came suddenly, and she was called to the airport to board a plane while still halfway through her run.

    ¡°No problem,¡± Li Minghu covered her mouth and coughed softly, ¡°Cough! Cough!¡­ My coughing has actually decreased a lot recently.¡±

    ¡°If you can¡¯t hold on, remember to say so in time,¡± Yan Yu looked at her with concern and advised, ¡°A momentary win or loss is a small matter, but your health is of great importance.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Li Minghu said softly with a smile, ¡°We still have to fight for the win or loss. I¡¯ll try my best to take care of my health.¡±

    As the two made polite conversation, the four girls playing Dou Dizhu (Landlord) had lost all interest in their card game. They used their cards as a cover, stealing glances at the Lingnan girl talking to Yan Yu.

    With fair and smooth skin, dense, slightly curly long hair, and speaking with gentle words, even her occasional dry cough, loud without phlegm, seemed to invoke even more pity. Even Zhao Yuanzhen, who was quite picky about looks and figure, had to admit that Li Minghu was indeed quite charming.

    So, what exactly is her relationship with Team Leader Yan Yu?!!

 Chapter 88 - 87 Valkyrie Surely Wont Be Fooled (9/10)

    Chapter 88: Chapter 87 Valkyrie Surely Won¡¯t Be Fooled (9/10)

    Once Li Zhaojiang and the others brought chairs in, everyone sat there eyeing each other, and they suddenly had nothing to say.

    The four girls on Yan Yu¡¯s side were each more beautiful than the last. Aside from Li Minghu on Li Zhaojiang¡¯s side, all were young male college students with robust vitality. They had no problem talking tough, but to do so with pretty girls they¡¯d just met, needlessly losing their good impression of them, wouldn¡¯t make them look impressive but rather like they were having a fit of hysterics.

    But if they didn¡¯t talk tough, what should they say? After all, the other side was their competition in the upcoming contest. Being too friendly could easily be mistaken for sucking up.

    Nobody wanted to be a brown-noser, nor a Sigma male, so they simply kept silent, crossed their arms, and tried to look like cool, aloof guys.

    Li Zhaojiang also sensed that the atmosphere was a bit off. That Yan Yu was truly devious, having assembled a team of four beautiful girls, while his own team was all guys. The battle hadn¡¯t even started, and they were already at a disadvantage in terms of morale.

    When they entered the Mysterious Realm later, he hoped his teeming teammates wouldn¡¯t start thinking, ¡°I can¡¯t hit a beautiful girl,¡± and sneakily go easy on them without telling him!

    ...

    ¡°Nice one, Yan Yu,¡± Li Zhaojiang decided to call out his sinister intentions with a sneer, ¡°A beauty trap, huh? You think we¡¯ll fall for that?¡±

    ¡°Nicely said,¡± Yan Yu responded coolly, ¡°Just for that comment, you¡¯re bound to be defeated by these beauties.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that now,¡± Li Minghu quickly signaled her brother to shut up. After all, it wasn¡¯t fair to label them as mere showpieces just because they were attractive, right?

    She stood up and said with a smile:

    ¡°This is your home field, so you go into the Secret Realm first. We¡¯ll follow afterwards.¡±

    According to military experiments with Secret Realms, it has been confirmed that if different groups enter at different times, they are randomly transported to different starting points (the ¡°entrances¡± designed by the master of the Secret Realm). The interval for determining different groups is about 1-2 minutes. To be safe, if they enter 3 minutes apart, they will certainly be considered different groups.

    Of course, 3 minutes is ample time for the team that enters first to get familiar with the terrain, or even to readjust their tactics.

    So, although it¡¯s not an official rule, the four major military regions have a mutual agreement: the visiting team, coming to compete on someone else¡¯s territory (equivalent to raiding their resources), consciously waits 3 minutes behind the home team before entering the Secret Realm.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t play coy and decline, but gathered the girls and headed outside the tent.

    Once everyone left the tent, Lin Ning finally huffed:

    ¡°What beauty trap! Why are there always people like this? Just because you¡¯re a little prettier, they assume all your success is due to your looks!¡±

    ¡°Well said,¡± Yan Yu spoke calmly, ¡°So, you have to fight well next. Otherwise, if by any chance we lose, we won¡¯t be able to clear things up with them afterward.¡±

    ¡°I will definitely win this time!¡± Lin Ning pumped her fists, her fighting spirit high.

    Chen Lingyun thoughtfully wondered if Yan Yu was deliberately cultivating Lin Ning¡¯s competitive spirit, harboring some far-reaching and unspeakable plan. Or was it because¡­that was his particular fetish?

    Well, she¡¯d keep an eye on that going forward~

    The teams arrived near the entrance to the Secret Realm, where the medical teams accompanying each side were already in place and on standby.

    Once in the Secret Realm, the military¡¯s medical teams wouldn¡¯t directly intervene in the team battles but would wait on the periphery¡ªuntil the victor was decided, and then they¡¯d go treat the injured from their own team.

    Of course, beyond preventing unnecessary casualties, these people might also serve as ¡°monitors¡± for the military. For example, to ensure the winning team goes to refine and control the central hub, to prevent deliberate damage to the Secret Realm, or to prevent any items from being taken or hidden¡­ Although the military hadn¡¯t confirmed this, some things don¡¯t need to be stated explicitly, as long as everyone understands.

    The person in charge of the Zhendong Army¡¯s medical team was a lady in her forties named Lou, wearing glasses and with a no-nonsense demeanor¡ªChen Lingyun had confided to Yan Yu that this woman was actually one of her father¡¯s people, and by extension, hers, and thus could be trusted.

    Yan Yu nodded at her, then led the team into the Secret Realm.

    As soon as Yan Yu¡¯s team stepped into the Secret Realm, the Annan Army¡¯s medical team took out a stopwatch to begin timing.

    Countdown: 3 minutes.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    After entering the Secret Realm, Yan Yu quickly surveyed the surroundings.

    The area of Longquan Mountain Secret Realm wasn¡¯t large; it was one of those small Secret Realms where you could see the boundary at a glance, probably not even a quarter the size of the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm. The perimeter was made up of steep, towering mountains, and trying to fly over them would encounter spatial air walls.

    In the central valley surrounded by mountains, there were countless broken swords stabbed into the ground.

    There were no trees, just a large number of Flying Swords. Most of them were damaged, chipped, or worn, as if they had been through fierce battles, with both blade and hilt battered and punctured.

    Amidst the multitude of broken swords was a small stream running through the valley and a thatched cottage beside the stream.

    As the team entered the Secret Realm, the Annan Army started timing them. After three minutes, Li Zhaojiang and the others would enter the Secret Realm.

    Consequently, Yan Yu didn¡¯t hesitate and quickly gave the order through the channel:

    ¡°Head towards the cottage, go!¡±

    The team swiftly activated their Shifting Technique, bypassing the surrounding forest of broken swords, rushing toward the direction of the cottage.

    ¡°`

    The environment of this mysterious realm was a valley in the mountains, a flat expanse with the only high ground being a thatched hut. When everyone arrived at this building, they saw a stone stele standing next to the hut¡¯s door.

    There was no writing on the stele, only countless intersecting sword marks. However, if one concentrated on it, four characters would quickly emerge in one¡¯s mind:

    Secluded Cottage.

    ¡°Do we go in?¡± Lin Ning pointed to the entrance of the thatched cottage.

    The control center should be inside, but it was unlikely that there was no guardian watching over it.

    Considering the short three-minute interval between the two teams entering the mysterious realm, if they entered the cottage and alerted the ¡°guardian,¡± and did not manage to deal with them before Li Zhaojiang¡¯s team arrived, they would find themselves in a difficult predicament.

    ¡°No.¡± Yan Yu quickly glanced around and said, ¡°Ling Yun, the roof.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Chen Lingyun employed the Cloud Ascension Technique and swiftly leaped onto the roof, reaching the highest point in the entire mysterious realm.

    ¡°Tactics.¡± Yan Yu continued speaking.

    Chen Lingyun quickly surveyed her surroundings and said:

    ¡°Yun Jin, come to my side.¡±

    Su Yunjin immediately ascended to the roof and stood beside Chen Lingyun.

    ¡°Sister Zhao, guard the door.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen positioned herself by the door of the cottage without attracting attention.

    ¡°Ningning, the stele.¡±

    Lin Ning quickly moved to the side of the stele and, together with Zhao Yuanzhen, guarded the entrance of the cottage from both sides.

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± Chen Lingyun paused for a moment, ¡°behind the house.¡±

    At Chen Lingyun¡¯s words, Yan Yu gave a slight start before quickly running to the back of the cottage, disappearing from everyone¡¯s view.

    He understood what tactics Chen Lingyun intended to use.

    With Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin on the roof, they could comfortably use the Impact Curse to shoot at a distance, not needing to worry about their line of sight being obstructed by various oblique Flying Swords.

    With Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen standing below, it would seem as if they were guarding the main entrance of the cottage. So, if Li Zhaojiang¡¯s team were to teleport in and notice two people on the roof shooting and two guarding the door, with the vital Yan Yu nowhere to be seen, what would they think?

    They would most likely conclude that Yan Yu had already dashed into the cottage at the center of the mysterious realm, trying to deal with the guardian by himself or even secretly refining the control center.

    In that case, if they decided to use their numerical advantage to quickly eliminate the four outside the cottage, Yan Yu could, depending on the situation on the battlefield, suddenly enter from any direction and give Li Zhaojiang¡¯s team a little surprise attack.

    Of course, if the opponents were more aggressive and also sent people into the cottage, possibly alerting the guardian, then that would be very advantageous for Yan Yu¡¯s side.

    However, this ambush strategy had a flaw, due to the mysterious realm¡¯s random teleportation mechanism, you did not know where Li Zhaojiang¡¯s team would appear.

    If they came from the direction facing the main entrance of the cottage, and could not see Yan Yu hiding at the back, then this tactic could work; but what if the teleportation spot was behind the cottage?

    If they entered and the first thing they did not see was Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen, but Yan Yu instead¡­ then they would have to adjust their tactics, and it would depend on whether Chen Lingyun¡¯s quick thinking was sufficient.

    Princess, it¡¯s up to you!

    Yan Yu silently counted seconds in his heart, and when he felt it was about the right time, he suddenly heard Chen Lingyun say in the channel:

    ¡°Coming from 2 o¡¯clock direction.¡±

    Good, they¡¯re coming from the front!

    Yan Yu sneered internally, remaining hidden at the back, biding his time.

    Meanwhile, Li Zhaojiang and his team entered the mysterious realm and, with a sweeping glance over the flat valley, immediately noticed the cottage at the center and the four girls guarding it.

    Where was Yan Yu?

    ¡°Where is Yan Yu?!¡± Li Zhaojiang was instantly alarmed.

    Could this guy have already entered the cottage, taking on the guardian in a one-on-one fight? sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    No, surely he hadn¡¯t already defeated the guardian and begun refining the control center?

    ¡°Don¡¯t panic.¡± Li Minghu said calmly, ¡°Refining the center in 3 minutes is definitely not enough time.¡±

    ¡°Xingyuan, you circle around and check behind the house.¡±

    ¡°`

 Chapter 89 - 88 Valkyrie Draws Her Sword! (10/10)

    Chapter 89: Chapter 88 Valkyrie Draws Her Sword! (10/10)

    Seeing Yan Yu missing, the opponents managed to keep their composure and dispatched someone to scout behind the house, which inevitably caused some panic among the girls.

    Fortunately, the distance was quite far, so there was no need to worry about their facial expressions being discovered; they all just waited for Chen Lingyun to adjust their tactics.

    Chen Lingyun, however, was composed as she asked over the channel:

    ¡°Tao Xingyuan is circling from the right for reconnaissance. Yan Yu, can you hide?¡±

    Without any hesitation, Yan Yu replied, ¡°I can.¡±

    Similarly, there were no trees behind the thatched cottage, but there was a small sword-casting workshop with a forge for melting metal, an anvil for shaping sword blanks, and a water trough for quenching.

    ...

    The water trough was low and shallow, and the anvil was small, neither large enough to conceal a grown man,

    The forge was built against the wall, offering few blind spots to hide in. The interior space was estimated to be sufficient, but the entrance was also narrow, at most allowing an adult to fit an arm through.

    After observing the inside of the forge from the entrance for a moment, Yan Yu then moved to the outer wall and quickly cast the Wall-Penetration Technique, his entire body swiftly ¡°melding¡± into the furnace wall.

    Su Yunjin, who was watching from the rooftop, was secretly shocked but then breathed a sigh of relief.

    How could I forget the Wall-Penetration Technique!

    ¡°Yun Jin, Impact Curse,¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly commanded.

    Tao Xingyuan had already circled to the side of the cottage and saw the anvil, water trough, and forge there.

    From the side, Tao Xingyuan couldn¡¯t see behind the forge due to the blind spot, so he continued to approach using the Shifting Technique, while Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin aimed their Impact Curse from the rooftop, attempting to hit him.

    Seeing the two girls raise their hands, Tao Xingyuan was already on guard. He quickly dispelled the Shifting Technique and switched to the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse, starting to run physically with his legs apart.

    The Impact Curse hit his body, utterly failing to break through his defenses, but the consumption of True Yuan by the Barrier Charm wasn¡¯t small either. Exchanging in such a way was definitely advantageous for the girls.

    Enduring the shooting of the Impact Curse and the consumption of the Barrier Charm, Tao Xingyuan ran diagonally to the direct back of the thatched cottage at high speed. Confirming that no one was hiding on the other side of the forge, he didn¡¯t hesitate to turn around and leave, while reporting the reconnaissance situation in the team channel.

    ¡°Could he be hiding in the water trough?¡± Li Minghu asked.

    ¡°The water trough isn¡¯t tall enough to hide a person.¡± Tao Xingyuan quickly replied, ¡°The forge entry is small, not even a child could crawl through, and I¡¯ve checked the blind spots on both sides too.¡±

    ¡°It looks like he must have really gone into the thatched cottage,¡± Li Zhaojiang quickly inferred, ¡°Sister, shall we attack now?¡±

    Attacking now had two meanings: one was to make use of their numerical advantage to deal with the four girls outside; the other was to send people to rush in and cooperate with the goalkeeper to pincer Yan Yu, or to prevent Yan Yu from refining the core.

    Li Minghu pondered, still feeling something was off: what if they recklessly entered and got entangled with an unknown goalkeeper inside the cottage? The four teammates left outside might not withstand the assaults of the Annan Army cultivators¡ªif I were Yan Yu, I certainly wouldn¡¯t make such a foolish move.

    But since the Wall-Penetration Technique was used so infrequently, she hadn¡¯t actually seen the forge, and she couldn¡¯t think of that at the moment. She simply decided:

    ¡°I will go back and have another look. Zhaojiang, you lead the team to attack the front.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Li Zhaojiang nodded and said, ¡°Jiang Hong, Haoran, you two go attack Lin Ning; Xingyuan, follow me against Zhao Jiuzhen.¡± S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Following Li Zhaojiang¡¯s command, the team quickly split into three.

    Li Minghu circled to the back, Jiang Hong took Wang Haoran on a diagonal path from the right, aiming for Lin Ning near the stele; Li Zhaojiang, on the other hand, charged directly at Zhao Yuanzhen on the left with Tao Xingyuan using the Shifting Technique.

    From the rooftop, Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin once again fired the Impact Curse, only to see the opposing forces suddenly come to a screeching halt to dodge, and then, with the Shifting Technique, accelerate once more towards them.

    Switching between two spells so quickly, although not as skillfully as Yan Yu¡¯s Team, clearly showed they had practiced this¡ªthey were much more advanced than the world line in the previous life. So to whom should this be credited?

    ¡°Lin, move left, Sister Zhao, to the right, lead them away,¡± Chen Lingyun continued to direct.

    Without a thought, Lin Ning immediately activated Shifting and dashed to the left; Zhao Yuanzhen, although inwardly cynical, did not voice any complaints and obeyed the command, rushing to the right.

    With their movements to the left and the right, the unguarded front door of the thatched cottage was directly exposed.

    Li Zhaojiang hesitated for a moment, a sudden impulse arising to have all four of us disregard everything and charge into the cottage to overpower Yan Yu.

    But Sister was still outside the house!

    Remembering this, he quickly suppressed the impulse and ordered:

    ¡°Haoran and Xingyuan, get to the rooftop. Jiang Hong, keep up the chase!¡±

    Thus, the Annan Army¡¯s four men divided their forces again, with Jiang Hong and Li Zhaojiang remaining on the ground, continuing to pursue Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen, who were using hit-and-run tactics.

    Wang Haoran and Tao Xingyuan, however, used the Cloud Ascension Technique to head for Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin on the rooftop.

    Hitting halfway up, the oncoming Impact Curse was already shooting towards the two men from the rooftop.

    Seeing the situation was bad, both Wang and Tao tried to dodge, as the Impact Curse was aimed at their chests, and without any True Yuan suppression bracelets, getting hit would not be a question of whether they could withstand it but more of how many ribs would break.

    They urgently interrupted the Cloud Ascension Technique and immediately switched to the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse, barely blocking two Impact Curses aimed at their chests.

    But without the support of the Cloud Ascension Technique, their bodies were soon pulled down by gravity again.

    ¡°This won¡¯t do,¡± Wang Haoran landed on the ground and immediately said.

    There¡¯s no way we can get up on the roof now. The moment you activate the Cloud Ascension Technique, they¡¯ll hit you with the Impact Curse. If you get hit, you¡¯ll cough up blood. What can you do when you¡¯re in midair?

    You can¡¯t just keep the Barrier Charm on the whole time and climb up with your body alone, can you? Even if you have the skills to climb, when you¡¯re about to reach the roof, they¡¯ll activate the Curved Curse and kick you. How are you going to dodge that?

    Tao Xingyuan also had quick wits, reminding him:

    ¡°Impact Curse!¡±

    If we can¡¯t get up there, then let¡¯s exchange Impact Curses on the ground, competing with them in reaction speed and accuracy!

    Wang Haoran also realized this, and both of them waited for the right moment to suddenly switch from the Barrier Charm to the Impact Curse. The metallic sharpness of the curse tore through the air, hurtling towards Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin.

    But Chen Lingyun was already prepared, and with a slight smile, pulled Su Yunjin down to crouch.

    The thatched cottage roof bulged in the center, sloping on both sides, with eaves at the edges. By crouching down like that, they perfectly avoided being hit by ducking behind the sloped surface of the roof.

    Now Tao Xingyuan was also at a loss. He couldn¡¯t get close to the roof to fight, and Impact Curse exchanges were useless since the enemy had cover. It seemed the only option might be to use the Flame Curse to blast them.

    However, the Flame Curse had a delay, about half a second. Directly casting the Flame Curse wouldn¡¯t work unless the opponent couldn¡¯t see or dodge, so hitting them was still difficult.

    As the two hesitated, they heard Li Zhaojiang speak through the channel:

    ¡°Xingyuan, Haoran, come back.¡±

    Although Li Zhaojiang was chasing Zhao Yuanzhen, he could still hear the conversation between the two in the channel. Confronting someone with a high ground advantage was indeed tricky, so it was better to quickly come over and surround and kill the two who were running wild.

    Receiving the message, Tao Xingyuan and Wang Haoran immediately dropped the issue of the roof and split up to encircle Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen, occasionally using the Impact Curse to force their opponents to change direction.

    Just then, a pained cry suddenly came from behind the house.

    When the cry reached him, Li Zhaojiang was instantly alarmed:

    Oh no! My sister is still over there!

    Going back a short while, let¡¯s talk about Li Minghu, who had initially broken away from the group, taking a detour to circle around to the back of the house.

    She was very astute, always keeping a safe distance from the roof¡ªenough to comfortably dodge an Impact Curse on the side.

    Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t switch her fire to her, simply keeping a watchful eye on her using her peripheral vision.

    Li Minghu wandered in the distance, observing, and found that as Tao Xingyuan had said, the anvil was too small, and the trough was short and shallow; it was impossible for anyone to be hiding inside.

    The furnace stood against the wall, equally without any hiding spots, and the entrance was very narrow; sword molds could be sent in, but it was impossible for a person to fit through.

    Could it be that I was wrong? Did he already rush into the thatched cottage?

    At that moment, Wang and Tao had started their attack on the roof, and Chen Lingyun pulled Su Yunjin down to crouch. Li Minghu no longer hesitated, and using the Shifting Technique, she dashed to the furnace side, then activated the Cloud Ascension Technique to fly towards the roof, planning to coordinate with her teammates on the other side for a pincer attack.

    Halfway through her Cloud Ascension Technique ascent, Chen Lingyun still didn¡¯t turn around. Li Minghu had a bad feeling, and from the corner of her eye, she saw the furnace below. She instantly interrupted her ascent and switched to the Curved Curse, twisting her body in midair to deliver a forceful downward chop with her leg, like a battle-ax slamming down.

    Right below her, Yan Yu quietly emerged from the furnace using the Wall-Penetration Technique and switched to the Cloud Ascension Technique, hoping to sneak attack her. He didn¡¯t expect Li Minghu to react so suddenly, nor did he anticipate her counterattack.

    Ouch, not bad, huh?

    Yan Yu immediately switched to the Wood Bending Charm, with quick reflexes, his right hand shot out like a striking snake, and caught Li Minghu¡¯s descending ankle, forcefully tugging downward.

    Caught by the ankle midair, and with the added force from the Curved Curse, even Li Minghu with all her skills couldn¡¯t react in time. Her body was violently thrown to the ground, causing her to cry out in pain.

    Yan Yu landed steadily not far away, crossing his arms but not rushing to attack, instead, he asked with concern:

    ¡°How¡¯s your body? If you can¡¯t take it, you can surrender, and I¡¯ll call the medical team over.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, but I can still fight,¡± Li Minghu struggled to stand up, coughed painfully a couple of times, and grabbed the sword hilt nearby. She gritted her teeth and pulled the broken sword from the ground.

    Yan Yu was immediately filled with respect.

    Li Minghu held the sword with both hands, assuming a stance ready to charge.

    Although her actions showed no sign of swordsmanship experience,

    her silent, resolute demeanor, unwavering in the face of battle, seemed to overlap subtly in Yan Yu¡¯s memory with that of the Valkyrie from his past life, the one who alone, with sword in hand, stood before the Cultivators¡¯ Allied Forces of the Indochina Peninsula.

 Chapter 90 - 89 Valkyrie Loses

    Chapter 90: Chapter 89 Valkyrie Loses

    Li Minghu gripped his sword with both hands, his center of gravity sinking slightly.

    The broken sword tip pointed diagonally, his body seemingly frozen in place, yet tensed like a spring coiled to its limit.

    His eyes remained unblinking, even his trembling eyelashes appeared completely frozen, with only Yan Yu¡¯s figure reflected in his pupils.

    Yan Yu pondered briefly, then stretched out his right hand and grabbed the hilt of the sword beside him.

    Draw the sword.

    All these Flying Swords were defective, their spirits completely worn away, incapable of being stimulated even with Sword Control Technique, but their material was unquestionable, far surpassing ordinary iron in hardness and toughness, easily capable of blocking an Impact Curse¡¯s assault.

    ...

    He held the sword in one hand, his body slightly turned, as he infused his right arm with the Curved Curse, assuming a combat-ready stance.

    For a moment, the two faced each other, only to hear the anxious shouts of Li Zhaojiang from afar:

    ¡°Sister!¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s gaze shifted slightly, as if to ascertain Li Zhaojiang¡¯s position.

    In that instant, Li Minghu stepped forward, swinging his broken sword down like a storm!

    Although he lacked experience in actual sword fights, the strike was both quick and fierce under the enhancement of the Curved Curse.

    Yan Yu parried with a backhanded lift of his sword. Blades collided, sparking a shower of sparks and emitting a dull, irate sound, before forcefully repelling each other.

    Li Minghu, already weak, attacked with injuries and was forced to step back by the recoil on her arm.

    Yan Yu immediately pressed his advantage, his broken sword falling like torrential rain, his attacks as dense as the biting of tigers and leopards, and his force as savage as an Asura wielding a blade. Yet whenever it seemed Li Minghu was utterly exhausted and defeated, she would somehow muster a bit more strength from her body to barely block his advances with her sword.

    This girl¡­ had no skill or experience to speak of, she was purely defending on instinct and talent.

    Although Yan Yu did not hold back in his offense, he couldn¡¯t help but feel admiration. A talent like hers, a will surpassing others, along with her willingness to work hard¡ªif not plagued by illness, even the Lord Master Liu Longtao might not be her match.

    Tsk, what a pity.

    Li Zhaojiang, hearing the noise, hurriedly dropped Zhao Yuanzhen and rushed over, only to see his older sister being battered by Yan Yu like a willow in the wind, teetering on the brink of collapse, as if her falling dead the next second wouldn¡¯t be surprising.

    How could this brother with sister complex remain restrained? Immediately discarding thoughts of team and victory, he launched an Impact Curse straight at Yan Yu (who dodged by tilting his head) and swiftly shifted to a Shifting Technique toward him.

    Before he could reach Yan Yu, he took an Impact Curse to the back, delivered by Chen Lingyun who seized the opportunity from the rooftop, swiftly striking and knocking the frantic Li Zhaojiang to the ground.

    ¡°Sister Zhao, make your move,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smiley expression.

    With Li Zhaojiang suddenly leaving the battlefield, only Tao Xingyuan was left chasing Zhao Yuanzhen. How could he withstand the Demonic Sect Enchantress?

    Hearing that she finally didn¡¯t need to run anymore and could engage, Zhao Yuanzhen immediately pounced like a hound let out of its cage, halting and spinning mid-run, turning to attack Tao Xingyuan.

    Tao Xingyuan was naturally unafraid, activating the Wood Bending Charm and assuming a close-quarters combat stance.

    I can¡¯t beat Yan Yu, but could I possibly not beat you, a girl?

    How could he know that the girl across from him, who seemed to have an ample bust and long legs, was actually a Demonic Sect Enchantress from another world with a rich experience in lethal combat? After a few exchanges, Tao Xingyuan was caught off guard by a weakness and took a fierce palm strike to the abdomen, which made him vomit everything he had eaten for lunch.

    Zhao Yuanzhen herself jumped at the sight of him falling to the ground in pain.

    She was adept at killing, not so much at pulling punches. Although she had instantly held back her blow the moment she attacked, it was unclear if she had restrained herself sufficiently.

    If this unlucky kid died because of my palm strike, leading to the court opening an investigation, conducting a thorough inquiry, and discovering issues with my identity, resulting in that vile woman Mei Yingxue being summoned, what then would I do?

    Wait, don¡¯t panic! There¡¯s a medical team outside!

    ¡°As long as we end the fight quickly and have them come over to help the injured, we¡¯ll be good!¡±

    With this thought, Zhao Yuanzhen roared and charged towards Jiang Hong and Wang Haoran, who were pursuing Lin Ning on the side.

    Jiang Hong and Wang Haoran were also stunned. Initially, a two-on-one situation had been a sure win; they only needed to handle the Impact Curse attacks from the rooftop and the occasional retaliation from Lin Ning in front. Who could have expected that the other battlefront their captain was responsible for would collapse in the blink of an eye?

    Lin Ning had already turned to counter-attack, and Zhao Yuanzhen had arrived from one side with Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin beginning to unleash attacks at full speed. The barrage of Impact Curses poured in without concern for their True Yuan expenditure. They were now facing a two-versus-four situation, with two close-combatants and two long-range attackers. The scales of victory had completely tipped over¡­ They were out of options!

    Jiang Hong thought that if he was going to die, he might as well take someone with him. He activated the Wood Bending Charm and dashed towards Lin Ning, who had turned to attack.

    The two hadn¡¯t even clashed before he was struck from behind and knocked down by an Impact Curse sneak attack from Chen Lingyun.

    Wang Haoran immediately learned from the lesson. His Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse was constantly activated; the Impact Curses from Su Yunjin kept hitting him but were essentially painless and had no effect.

    But what could he do when Zhao Yuanzhen closed in on him?

    The Barrier Charm couldn¡¯t be stopped; otherwise, he would be brought down by the Impact Curse on the spot. But if he didn¡¯t stop the Barrier Charm, how could he deal with the Curved Curse from Zhao Yuanzhen?

    Even Yan Yu, hailed as ¡°the strongest of this age,¡± if faced with such a brutal situation of being attacked from both close and long range, would have to forcefully keep the Barrier Charm active and use his legs to run, trying to find a window between the barrage of Impact Curses to activate the Shifting Technique and escape.

    Wang Haoran naturally lacked such ability. He was swiftly knocked down by a punch from Zhao Yuanzhen.

    Su Yunjin on the rooftop finally let out a sigh of relief, only to realize that those few seconds of reckless Impact Curse shooting used up more than eight or nine times her True Yuan than the previous few minutes¡ªsuch a ¡°firepower suppression¡± tactic obviously shouldn¡¯t be used lightly, or she would be rendered useless once the True Yuan was depleted.

    Looking behind the thatched cottage, Yan Yu executed three final ¡°overhead slashes,¡± smashing Li Minghu, who was blocking with his sword, forcing him to half-kneel. His body was about to topple over, but Yan Yu extended his arm to steady him.

    ¡°Alright, all your teammates have fallen,¡± said Yan Yu in a deep voice, propping Li Minghu back up and casually reinserting the broken sword into the ground, ¡°Surrender.¡±

    Li Minghu was silent for a moment. Looking at Li Zhaojiang, who was lying motionless in the distance, he threw away his own broken sword.

    It is said that the medical teams from both teams combined immediately after entering the Mysterious Realm and found a place in the distance to stay, always keeping strictly silent.

    After all, if any team had prepared any strategies that were observed by the opposing team¡¯s medical staff, who might secretly signal their own team, it would be against the rules. So both medical groups stayed together, watching each other to ensure they were all clean and compliant throughout, avoiding any disputes that might arise afterward.

    After Li Minghu surrendered by discarding his sword, Yan Yu announced in the channel, ¡°Medics to the field,¡± and only then did both medical groups quickly move out, utilizing the Shifting Technique to rush to the battlefield.

    The medical team from Zhendong Army were in good shape; they just conducted a quick examination of everyone¡¯s health and soon declared there was nothing to do.

    The Annan Army¡¯s workload was much heavier. Li Zhaojiang and Jiang Hong were both struck by the Impact Curse on their backs. Fortunately, it was only a severe soft tissue injury, and Chen Lingyun had clearly held back her strength; Tao Xingyuan and Wang Haoran fared worse, the former with a perforated stomach and the latter with fractured ribs, both courtesy of Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s handy work.

    Thanks to the strong penetrative ability of the Runescript, the medical cultivators were able to complete a ¡°subcutaneous surgery¡± without the need for incisions: they cleaned the abdominal cavity of Tao Xingyuan and repaired the stomach perforation; meanwhile, they carried out a fracture repair for Wang Haoran and stabilized his body.

    Both of them would need to rest for at least a week before undergoing a medical re-examination. Only after being confirmed fit could they rejoin their team. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Li Minghu, who was in the worst physical condition, had not sustained much damage because Yan Yu always measured his strikes, and he was only slightly weakened by overexertion.

    After replenishing with saline, Li Minghu weakly leaned on his arm to watch his four teammates, including his brother, being taken care of by the medical team.

    ¡°This was just a simulation battle,¡± Yan Yu said, standing next to him. ¡°In a real conflict against overseas Transcendents, the defeated wouldn¡¯t have the chance to receive medical treatment. Use this time to review the issues, there¡¯s still time to make changes.¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Li Minghu replied softly.

    ¡°Next, it¡¯s time to explore the Mysterious Realm,¡± Yan Yu continued. ¡°I¡¯m a bit puzzled; this Mysterious Realm seems to have no defensive restrictions, but surely there are guards within the cottage managing the control center. Do you want to come with us?¡±

    ¡°What can I do if I go with you? Look at me now¡ªI am no longer capable of fighting,¡± Li Minghu said with a wry smile. ¡°Indeed,¡± said Yan Yu, scrutinizing her carefully. ¡°But you also have nothing to do if you stay here, right? And besides, I think that even if you don¡¯t participate in the fighting, maybe you can help us with strategy.¡±

    ¡°With Chen Lingyun around, what help could I possibly offer?¡± Li Minghu shook her head, looked at the medical cultivators tending to Li Zhaojiang, and sighed, ¡°If you really want me to come along, I can, but don¡¯t expect too much from me.¡±

 Chapter 91 - 90: Earth Defeats Water (Alliance Leader Li Chengs additional chapter)

    Chapter 91: Chapter 90: Earth Defeats Water (Alliance Leader Li Cheng¡¯s additional chapter)

    The most severely injured, Tao Xingyuan and Wang Haoran, were taken care of by the medical team and went into a deep sleep after their treatments ended.

    Li Zhaojiang and Jiang Hong were awake, though their spirits were obviously not very high.

    Of course, their low spirits were understandable.

    To put it nicely, they were ¡°defeated by Yan Yu¡¯s team,¡± but to put it unpleasantly, they were ¡°unable to beat the ladies.¡± Who could easily accept that?

    ¡°I¡¯m going to go into the thatched cottage with them for a bit,¡± Li Minghu came over and said.

    ¡°Sis?¡± Li Zhaojiang was instantly alarmed.

    ...

    What? I lost this time, and big sis wants to jump ship to another team?

    I¡­ I¡¯m going to go demonic!

    ¡°After all, we fought for this Mysterious Realm for so long, I want to see what¡¯s inside,¡± Li Minghu said diplomatically.

    She didn¡¯t say that Yan Yu had invited her to help out, to avoid Li Zhaojiang overthinking, a display of high emotional intelligence.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Li Zhaojiang thought, relieved, ¡°then you need to be careful, sis. Yan Yu, he¡¯s up to no good! After he added you as a friend last time, he never even chatted with you, obviously trying to string you along!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense,¡± Li Minghu said with a laugh.

    On the other side, Zhao Yuanzhen also began to suspect as she asked:

    ¡°Yan Yu, why did you invite that woman over?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s useful,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°What use is she?¡± The more Zhao Yuanzhen asked, the more jealous she became, continuing to probe, ¡°You couldn¡¯t possibly have developed a fancy for her, could you?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®developed a fancy¡¯?¡± Yan Yu said with dissatisfaction, ¡°Summer insects cannot speak of ice; it¡¯s pointless to explain to you, a fool.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was furious and was about to open the Book of Hatred when she heard Yan Yu add:

    ¡°By the way, aren¡¯t you very fond of making friends? Why not try to establish a relationship with her?¡±

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress was taken aback by these words and immediately started pondering. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Could this Li Minghu also possess great potential?

    No way! I see her coughing day in, day out, clearly showing inherent defects in her physical constitution. Can such a sickly person also grow into something more?

    Humph, I won¡¯t just believe whatever you say; I will confirm it with my own eyes!

    When Li Minghu came back, she nodded at Yan Yu and suddenly noticed a certain young lady staring intently at herself.

    She gave Zhao Yuanzhen a slight nod and a gentle smile.

    Zhao Yuanzhen quickly averted her gaze, feeling as if facing a formidable enemy.

    Such an innocent smile, even I nearly let down my guard for a moment. She¡¯s definitely not some ordinary person!

    ¡°Everyone is here, let¡¯s go,¡± Yan Yu said.

    The group of six people then headed for the thatched cottage. Su Yunjin saw that Li Minghu looked pale and weak and wanted to go over to support her, but was politely declined.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me,¡± Li Minghu said with an awkward smile, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°If there¡¯s a problem, tell me at any time,¡± Su Yunjin said earnestly.

    Yan Yu led the way into the cottage, and the scene before them suddenly changed. It was spacious and bright inside, completely opposite to its outward appearance.

    Could this be¡­ the Mustard Seed Sumi Array?

    Unexpectedly, the original owner of this Mysterious Realm was also an ancient cultivator skilled in formations!

    The interior of the cottage was a large hall, also with countless Flying Swords inserted in the ground.

    However, unlike the broken swords outside, the Flying Swords here were mostly intact, each radiating its unique spiritual luster.

    At the end of the hall, a female figure in green clothes was sitting on her knees.

    That figure slowly turned around and said,

    ¡°My mother forged swords and constructed this cottage here in bygone days. You came here in search of treasure, but you must not disturb the tranquility of this place.¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly, only to hear Li Minghu remind from behind:

    ¡°She is not a real person; it seems she is just an image? Pay attention, there is no shadow on the ground.¡±

    Everyone hurriedly looked, and indeed, there was no shadow at her feet.

    Another long sigh was heard, and the green-clothed female immortal slowly stood up.

    She spun gracefully to face the crowd, her visage blurred as if veiled by a misty gauze, rendering any facial features indiscernible.

    Her left hand gently pinched in the shape of a lotus, while her right hand rose elegantly. A nearby Flying Sword suddenly sprang up, lightly floating into her grasp.

    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case,¡± the female immortal¡¯s voice became even more ethereal, yet was paradoxically crystal clear, ¡°listen well.¡±

    ¡°My mother is known as the Recluse of the Secluded Grotto. If you wish to take her treasures, you had better weigh carefully¡­¡±

    She gripped the Flying Sword in her right hand, flicking a brisk sword flower, and stated coldly:

    ¡°¡­whether you have the ability to do so!¡±

    No sooner had her words fallen, than a loud shout from Yan Yu was heard:

    ¡°Draw swords!¡±

    The ladies had not yet reacted when Yan Yu had already drawn the Immortal Sword at his feet, surging forward with the Shifting Technique.

    He closed the distance in a flash, thrusting his long sword directly at the lady in the azure dress.

    A crisp sound was heard, as the Immortal Swords in their hands collided and were subsequently pushed out of their grasp by the rebounding force.

    Yan Yu¡¯s Immortal Sword spun downward, eventually rolling to a halt at Li Minghu¡¯s feet. The azure-clad lady¡¯s sword also flew backward but stabilized after only a step or two, as if gripped by some invisible hand, then abruptly changed direction, the tip steadily pointing at Yan Yu.

    The venerable Sword Control technique of the Taoist sect Famen Zhengzong!

    The ladies had by now realized what was happening and hurriedly grabbed swords nearby, rushing to support Yan Yu.

    The azure-clad lady stood still, while the Flying Sword transformed into a stream of light, instantly aiming for Yan Yu¡¯s chest¡ªonly for him to swiftly grasp the blade, forcefully arresting its momentum.

    A gray light shrouded Yan Yu¡¯s right hand, revealing he had activated the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse. Otherwise, contact with the Flying Sword would have severed his fingers.

    Even so, the Flying Sword kept clacking in his palm, ready to break free the moment his grip slackened and thrust viciously into his body.

    Lin Ning was the quickest to react and move, dashing over with the Shifting Technique, stopping abruptly with a Wood Bending Charm in effect, extending her hand to help him grasp the sword hilt.

    Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin spread out to the left and right, quickly attacking the azure-clad lady with Impact Curses. Zhao Yuanzhen and Li Minghu closely followed up with the impact curses, brandishing their Immortal Swords as they charged forward.

    Catch the ringleader first to capture all his followers!

    Confronted by the pincer attack from various ranges, the azure-clad lady revealed not a hint of panic. Instead, she formed a Taoist hand gesture with her left hand and chanted aloud:

    ¡°The Southern Dipper governs the sky, beckoning the stars into a river!¡±

    In that moment, from their scalps to the napes of their necks, everyone began to feel an intense tingling.

    Although none of them had yet cultivated Divine Sense, their heightened senses as cultivators immediately detected something invisibly brewing at a rapid pace¡­

    The next second, a tremendous water pressure erupted inside the room.

    Whether it was Zhao Yuanzhen, Li Minghu, Lin Ning, or those further away like Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin, they were all swept up in the sudden, forceful deluge.

    On one hand, the instinctive panic caused by suffocation set in, and on the other, the water pressure was compressing their bodies from all directions, with their eardrums being the initial victims, followed by their nasal cavities and mouths being forcibly expanded by the water¡¯s force¡­

    Yet this all quickly ceased. The turbulent currents lost control and, under the influence of gravity, swiftly plummeted and dispersed, cascading out through the gaps in the doors and the floor.

    The drowning ladies collapsed onto the ground, vomiting water profusely.

    Lin Ning was the first to rise, struggling to focus through blurred vision, and saw Yan Yu¡¯s sword had pierced the azure-clad lady¡¯s abdomen. Her figure was slowly fading away, her voice full of disbelief:

    ¡°How can this be, why¡­¡±

    ¡°A level cap below 10, yet casting a level 50 spell?¡± Yan Yu said disdainfully, pulling out the Immortal Sword, causing the lady¡¯s illusion to completely dissipate.

    Turning back around, he saw the ladies scattered about, all seemingly quite injured.

    The Zhendong Army medical team, three military cultivators who had originally followed in silence as though planning to find a corner to hide in, had unfortunately been struck as well¡­ And because they were cornered when the flood struck, they had nowhere to hide and were violently thrown against the wall, now unable to stand.

    There was no choice but to rely on my foresight.

    ¡°Su Yunjin?¡± Yan Yu asked. ¡°How are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Su Yunjin, who had been standing further away and thus sustained only minor injuries, stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll treat you all.¡±

    The ladies sat where they were, allowing Su Yunjin to check their injuries and administer treatment. After all, she had heeded Yan Yu¡¯s arrangement and seriously learned the art of ¡°Runescript Surgery¡± from the medical team. Even if she wasn¡¯t as skilled as the professionals, she was sufficient for emergency treatments and stabilizing their conditions.

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± Lin Ning spoke up weakly after recovering her spirit a little, ¡°why do you seem unharmed?¡±

    Yan Yu was standing where the azure-clad lady had knelt, examining the cushion beneath her, and replied:

    ¡°I had the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse activated at that moment.¡±

    ¡°Barrier Charm?¡± Lin Ning was surprised.

    ¡°Earth overcomes water, have you forgotten?¡±

 Chapter 92 - 91 In-Class Quiz

    Chapter 92: Chapter 91 In-Class Quiz

    Yan Yu was immune to the attacks of this water-based Taoism Method, and the reason was actually multifaceted.

    The most important, of course, was the mutual conquest of the Five Elements, with earth conquering water. Coupled with the Barrier Charm¡¯s ability to resist knives and fire, it was an expected outcome that he remained unharmed.

    But while he sustained no injuries, why wasn¡¯t he swept away by the water?

    That¡¯s because at the very moment the flood appeared, he immediately activated the Curved Curse and thrust his Immortal Sword forcefully into the ground below.

    So the most advanced methods of attack often just need the simplest way to break them¡­ The key is whether the experience and awareness can keep up. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu studied the meditation cushion for a long time before he discovered that there was indeed no mystery hidden within it.

    ...

    The real mystery was pressed under the cushion, a delicate jade hairpin.

    This object was neither a Magic Artifact nor possessed any glow of Spiritual Energy, but its design was quite elegant, and it would definitely make a great gift for a girl.

    Yan Yu infused it with True Yuan and began to refine it.

    Having finished treating her teammates, Su Yunjin went to check on the medical team in the corner.

    ¡°My ears are still ringing,¡± Lin Ning complained to Zhao Yuanzhen.

    ¡°Direct your True Yuan to the meridians near your ears,¡± the senior Cultivator Zhao Yuanzhen began to show off, reminding everyone, ¡°Stay there for a while, and this discomfort will soon disappear.¡±

    ¡°Really?!¡± Lin Ning said incredulously, ¡°What¡¯s the principle behind this?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no particular principle,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said proudly, ¡°It¡¯s just some little clever uses of True Yuan that I¡¯ve discovered.¡±

    Yan Yu, listening nearby, was speechless. So the widely known techniques for using True Yuan in the Cultivation World are now all your own discovery over here?

    Such a plagiarist, no shame at all!

    After refining the hairpin completely, the Zhendong Army medical team, revived by Su Yunjin¡¯s treatment, heard Yan Yu say:

    ¡°It¡¯s done, I¡¯ll send everyone out.¡±

    Yan Yu teleported everyone away from the Mysterious Realm and tossed the hairpin to Ms. Lou, the head of the medical team.

    She took over the control center of the Mysterious Realm, carefully stored it, and then took her team aside to make a phone call.

    ¡°Are you staying for a meal?¡± Yan Yu asked Li Zhaojiang.

    ¡°Forget it,¡± Li Zhaojiang shook his head, ¡°Both of my teammates are severely injured, how can we eat?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Tao Xingyuan turned to look at the beautiful girls behind Yan Yu and said with a forced laugh, ¡°Actually, having a meal shouldn¡¯t be a problem¡­¡±

    ¡°Exactly, exactly,¡± Wang Haoran also chimed in, grinning mischievously, ¡°It¡¯s rare for us to get together. Captain, why not make some friends?¡±

    ¡°Tao Xingyuan, you¡¯ve got a stomach ulcer and you still want to eat?¡± Li Zhaojiang scolded irritably, ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear the medical team say you should be on a liquid diet for the next few days? And Wang Haoran, your ribs don¡¯t hurt anymore, huh? Thinking about flirting with girls again!¡±

    He turned away, waved his hand impatiently, and said:

    ¡°Let¡¯s go! No need to see us off, next time you come to our home ground, we¡¯ll host you properly!¡±

    Wang Haoran helplessly turned and followed his captain, Tao Xingyuan still wanting to say something, but Jiang Hong forcefully dragged him away.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll take my leave,¡± Li Minghu, the last to stay, said with a smile as she bid farewell to everyone, ¡°Until we meet again.¡±

    The girls all bid her farewell. Although they had only just met, both Lin Ning and Su Yunjin were quite fond of this polite and generous Lingnan girl.

    After the Annan Army team left, Chen Lingyun asked with a smile:

    ¡°Shall we play here for a day or go back to school?¡±

    ¡°Our team is a dictatorship during war, and a democracy after,¡± Yan Yu declared shamelessly, ¡°If you all want to stay, we¡¯ll stay; if no one wants to stay, we¡¯ll go back.¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Chen Lingyun looked at the other girls.

    ¡°Of course, we should play for a day,¡± said the college girls, who were of an age that loved to have fun, who would want to go back to school? As for someone like Zhao Yuanzhen, who had added points to being a ¡°foodie,¡± she was already itching to go to the local snack shops for an ¡°inspection.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go back tomorrow,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°Today¡¯s expenses will all be settled with your vice-captain.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen quickly took out her phone, started looking up local food guides on various apps, and announced loudly:

    ¡°Good! I¡¯ll arrange our next stops, you all follow me!¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    At five o¡¯clock in the afternoon, after a hearty meal, Yan Yu was accompanying the girls shopping when he suddenly received a call from Jinling.

    It was a call from Li Weiguo.

    ¡°Where are you guys?¡± Li Weiguo asked over the phone, ¡°The Mysterious Realm is dealt with, aren¡¯t you hurrying back to school?¡±

    ¡°We are shopping right now.¡± Yan Yu replied.

    There was silence on the other end for a dozen seconds before Li Weiguo¡¯s puzzled voice came through:

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    I guess even this old military leader who¡¯s been through half a life of war had never encountered a young man like Yan Yu who dared to speak such blatant truths.

    But Li Weiguo was after all an elder with rich experiences, and he quickly caught on, continuing to say:

    ¡°Alright then, there¡¯s a new task for you,¡±

    ¡°What task?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a village on your side where people have died,¡± Li Weiguo said succinctly, ¡°The first team of patrol investigators that went in to investigate also lost contact.¡±

    ¡°Is it that serious?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    ¡°The nature of the case is extremely vile.¡± Li Weiguo said seriously, ¡°When criminal investigators lose contact, it¡¯s routine to dispatch the armed forces. But if it is indeed a cultivator who has done this, the armed forces might not be their match, you understand?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°So is our task to kill them or to capture them alive?¡±

    ¡°Capture them alive if possible.¡± Li Weiguo said decisively, ¡°If they cannot be captured, then kill them.¡±

    ¡°Currently, the main force of military cultivators within Yue State¡¯s borders are on an exploration mission in the Dragon Spring Mountain Mysterious Realm. I will have them send a squad to support the scene, ensuring the safety of the armed forces personnel, but since the murderous cultivator¡¯s cultivation level and strength are uncertain, it¡¯s safer to have you handle it, understood?¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°Good, send your location to Lou Ping via your phone, and she will coordinate with the local forces to drive over and pick you up.¡±

    Once the call was over, Yan Yu pondered for a moment, then stopped the girls who were still keen on continuing their shopping spree:

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s it for today¡¯s leave, we¡¯ve been given another task.¡±

    ¡°Another Mysterious Realm?¡± Lin Ning asked in shock.

    Two Mysterious Realms in one day, even an iron man couldn¡¯t handle that!

    ¡°No.¡± Yan Yu said succinctly, ¡°It¡¯s suspected to be a civilian cultivator committing murder.¡±

    ¡°A civilian cultivator?¡± Su Yunjin asked with furrowed brows, ¡°You mean, unofficial¡­¡±

    ¡°Someone who obtained cultivation methods from some source, illegally stepping onto the path of cultivation without authorization.¡± Yan Yu answered, ¡°It¡¯s already confirmed they¡¯re a cruel and evil person, so there¡¯s no need to worry about complication. We won¡¯t need to look for clues or investigate. Once there, find the person, eliminate them, and the task is over.¡±

    ¡°How can we not worry!¡± Lin Ning immediately retorted, ¡°That¡¯s a murderer! A murderer! And even if it¡¯s illegal cultivation,¡±

    ¡°Probably involved in some kind of evil cultivation practice.¡± Chen Lingyun said lightly, ¡°You know, like requiring a certain number of living beings for a blood sacrifice, and if the number needed is too great, they just resort to local resources.¡±

    Su Yunjin¡¯s complexion shifted slightly, obviously startled; Lin Ning also looked a bit distressed, but seeing how calm Zhao Yuanzhen, Yan Yu, and Chen Lingyun were, she didn¡¯t want to seem like a naive girl, so she reluctantly suppressed her disgust and said:

    ¡°So we are going there¡­ to eliminate a threat for the people?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Yan Yu agreed, ¡°That¡¯s the idea.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, cultivators are ultimately a military profession. We will face all sorts of enemies in the future, including demons and monsters, restricted mechanisms, and of course, living cultivators¡ªliving people.¡±

    ¡°Impact Curse, Curved Curse, Flame Curse, so many Attack Spell Techniques are all for defeating enemies faster, or even for killing them.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve studied them for so long, and practiced so many times, just think of this as a pop quiz¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t compare it to a test!¡± Lin Ning couldn¡¯t help but interrupt once more, ¡°Talk seriously about serious matters, can you?!¡±

    Strangely, after her vigorous retort, she seemed to feel less tense. Even Su Yunjin¡¯s expression eased, with a sense of wanting to laugh but forcibly holding it back.

    ¡°Alright, fine.¡± Yan Yu, seeing he had achieved his goal, was amenable and quickly corrected himself, ¡°So, we¡¯re going to eliminate a threat for the people, how about that?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re scared, you can tell me now.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the use of telling you?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, ¡°Are you saying if we¡¯re scared, we can ask for leave and not go?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Yan Yu mused for a moment, then said with a smile, ¡°But I can buy you an ice cream cone.¡±

    ¡°Do you think we¡¯re kids who¡¯d forget our worries with something sweet?¡± Lin Ning asked listlessly.

 Chapter 93 - 92 Its All Yan Yus Fault

    Chapter 93: Chapter 92 It¡¯s All Yan Yu¡¯s Fault

    Atop the military transport.

    The young ladies sat in the troop compartment, each slowly enjoying an ice cream cone.

    Yan Yu, however, was holding a mobile phone, currently looking at the materials report from the Longquan Mountain Mysterious Realm.

    Since the realm itself was not very large and the terrain was simple, the first round of the search did not take too long, and results were available within half a day.

    A large number of discarded swords outside the thatched cottage, which served as study samples for cultivation materials science and casting, need not be mentioned, as the combat team did not require them.

    Inside the thatched cottage, there were many intact Immortal Swords. Since they lacked names, they were only categorized by number, with a detailed list of each sword¡¯s shape, size, color, and weight.

    ...

    As for the level and quality of the Immortal Swords themselves, it seemed current technological levels couldn¡¯t measure them in detail.

    Of course, this wasn¡¯t to say that the quality of the swords was completely unimportant, but at present, it really didn¡¯t hold much significance.

    Firstly, given the low global concentration of Spiritual Energy, the tactical advantage high-quality Immortal Swords could provide was limited and not as tangible as practicing Sword Control Techniques.

    Secondly, the Immortal Swords chosen by Chen Lingyun¡¯s combat team back then were indeed of good quality, something Yan Yu remembered clearly!

    Besides the numerous Immortal Swords, military cultivators found a hidden chamber behind the thatched cottage, containing many tomes.

    The vast majority were about the essential secrets of sword casting. Useless to individual cultivators, but of great value to the nation.

    Next were the Taoist Method tomes, including the spell used by the lady in green that could summon torrents of water out of thin air, which was remarkably listed as the ¡°Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art¡±.

    It was a strange name because ¡°galaxy¡± meant ¡°a river-like dense collection of stars¡±, yet the spell¡¯s actual effect was to summon floods¡­ If not for the fact that the incantations recorded in the tomes matched those chanted by the lady in green, it would be difficult to associate them together.

    But Yan Yu took a particular interest in this spell.

    The reason was simple: it was a pure water-element Taoist Method with effects that leaned towards containment and suppression, both of which suited Su Yunjin well.

    With his past life¡¯s extensive experience, Yan Yu very clearly understood that what mattered with spells and Immortal Swords was not their inherent power level, but rather their compatibility with the cultivator, what¡¯s commonly referred to as the degree of fit.

    If you asked the delicately minded Li Minghu to give up the Flying Sword for blunt Taoist bombardment spells or the fierce Zhou Hongyu to exchange Taoist techniques for the intricate and complex role of Servant Envoy, it wasn¡¯t entirely impossible, but how much of their true strength they could exhibit was uncertain.

    Having sent the message to Li Weiguo, earmarking the ¡°Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art¡± in advance, Yan Yu then silently began to plan.

    Lin Ning was following the Sword Immortal path, the Green Bamboo Sword was already in her possession; once she learned the Sword Control Technique, the next step was to obtain a sword technique for her. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Su Yunjin was on the path of spell cultivation; the water-element Taoist Method ¡°Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art¡± with its spells was enough for her early use.

    Chen Lingyun was on the Servant Envoy path, but she still lacked spirit refining spells and ghosts to command¡­ Not to worry, let the wretched woman wait a bit longer, she¡¯s quite patient.

    Finally, there was himself and Zhao Yuanzhen, the two were practicing the Silken Bond Technique, playing with puppets, which was a variant within the Assistant Officer pathway.

    However, as puppets were trump cards and couldn¡¯t be revealed casually, for the time being, he¡¯d get some magical treasures for Zhao Yuanzhen to play the proper Assistant Officer role later.

    He would also get an Immortal Sword for himself to pretend to be a Sword Immortal like in his previous life, serving as a disguise for his identity.

    Lin Ning¡¯s sword technique, Chen Lingyun¡¯s Servant Envoy and spirit refining spells, Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s magical treasures, and his own Immortal Sword¡­ There was quite a list of things needed.

    Luckily, the resurgence of Spiritual Energy was progressing slowly this year and there was plenty of time left, no rush.

    He hoped that the ¡°village slaughtering culprit¡± they were about to deal with would turn out to be an illegal ghost practitioner who harvested souls for nefarious spells, just as Chen Lingyun had guessed.

    In such a case, Chen Lingyun, who planned to go down the path of using ghosts, might also obtain some suitable items.

    Yan Yu pondered deeply, and without realizing it, he began to feel drowsy. Just as he was about to close his eyes for a nap, he suddenly heard Zhao Yuanzhen beside him ask:

    ¡°Want to sleep on my lap?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Yan Yu immediately became alert.

    ¡°It looked like you wanted to sleep,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen innocently said, patting her own closed, fair, and full thighs. ¡°Isn¡¯t that what they do on TV? Knee pillows and all that¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop right there!¡± As expected, Lin Ning, the commentator, jumped out in time and anxiously explained, ¡°Sister Zhao, knee pillows can¡¯t just be given to any man. They should only be between boyfriends and girlfriends!¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen truly wanted to say, ¡°He and I are already Dao companions, isn¡¯t that like being boyfriend and girlfriend?¡± But then she thought, This little thief will surely spout some nonsense like ¡°Dao companions are not considered dating,¡± using that as an excuse to shame and demean me!

    Humh! I won¡¯t fall for that!

    When Yan Yu heard Lin Ning say ¡°boyfriends and girlfriends,¡± he also anticipated that Zhao Yuanzhen would seize the opportunity to claim her rights, and he was already prepared to ruthlessly crush her with words¡ªhe had even thought of the exact phrases to use. However, the Demonic Sect Enchantress merely uttered an ¡°Oh¡± and nothing more, leaving him feeling like he had swung a punch into the air, devoid of strength.

    Clever Demonic Sect Enchantress! She actually predicted my prediction. Her levels of cunning and deceit have indeed increased!

    I told myself, how could a simpleton who only knew about eating, drinking, and having fun be the notorious Empress Yuanzhen from a previous life?

    And now you¡¯ve accidentally revealed your true colors, haven¡¯t you? Haha! I knew you were pretending!

    Meanwhile, on the airplane back to Imperial Prince Xing¡¯s residence, Li Minghu also began to strategize and debrief the failed mission.

    Since there was no full recording, all she could do was ask each team member to describe what they had seen and then compile everyone¡¯s accounts for analysis:

    ¡°¡­which means, Yan Yu had been hiding in the furnace behind the house from the beginning to deceive and ambush us.¡±

    ¡°I missed it during the reconnaissance. That was my negligence,¡± Tao Xingyuan admitted his error openly.

    ¡°No.¡± Li Minghu shook her head, ¡°The Wall-Penetration Technique is the least used spell among the Three Arts; it¡¯s difficult for most people to think of it. I didn¡¯t consider that aspect either back then.¡±

    Her voice paused for a moment before she suddenly said:

    ¡°The main reason for our failure this time must be attributed to Zhaojiang.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Li Zhaojiang didn¡¯t shirk his responsibility, ¡°Hearing your screams behind the house threw me into confusion. I left the battlefield of my own accord, resulting in Xingyuan being unable to contend with Zhao Jiuzhen, and our position completely fell apart from that point.¡±

    ¡°Then it dragged down the other route, and in the end, the entire situation was beyond salvage,¡± Li Minghu spoke after a moment of silence, ¡°Yan Yu actually warned you beforehand, didn¡¯t he?¡±

    The team members showed surprised expressions: What? Are team leaders now sharing, before the match, ¡°I¡¯ll be using this tactic¡± with each other?

    ¡°Yes.¡± Li Zhaojiang said dejectedly, ¡°Actually, I hadn¡¯t considered that angle. But when he mentioned it, I started suspecting that he might deliberately attack you fiercely during the confrontation, to make me drop my guard. Sister, I was worried your body wouldn¡¯t hold out¡­¡±

    The team members immediately had an epiphany: That¡¯s how it is. It was a tactic targeting the deputy leader¡¯s fragile health! What a filthy strategy!

    ¡°If I couldn¡¯t hold out, I could surrender by raising my hand. You shouldn¡¯t abandon the original plan just to save me,¡± Li Minghu stated calmly, ¡°Do I look like someone who¡¯d be reckless with her own health? Or did you confuse me with Zhou Hongyu?¡±

    Zhou Hongyu from Nanchuan, known for her fiery temper, was infamous for a berserk combat style of ¡°I either kill you or get killed.¡± But, of course, the deputy leader Li Minghu wouldn¡¯t act so recklessly.

    Li Zhaojiang hung his head in dejection and said no more.

    At this point, he also realized the gravity of his mistake.

    The confrontation between Sister and Yan Yu was, after all, internal competition among the Rikoku Cultivators.

    Even if she lost, a simple surrender would have prevented any further harm.

    And judging from the outcome, the sister didn¡¯t even sustain injuries; that guy Yan Yu was clearly showing mercy!

    So why did I lose my composure in the first place? If it weren¡¯t for my rush to aid my sister, the situation wouldn¡¯t have completely collapsed.

    It¡¯s all Yan Yu¡¯s fault! That guy is cunning and deceitful. I absolutely can¡¯t let sister have any private contact with him!

    Not even on the battlefield!

 Chapter 94 - 93 I am Not Invincible Either

    Chapter 94: Chapter 93 I am Not Invincible Either

    The military vehicle carrying Yan Yu¡¯s Team finally arrived at the targeted village beneath the veil of night.

    Since there were no survivors in the village, it was pitch black inside, to the extent that one couldn¡¯t see their own fingers in front of them.

    The staff of the armed forces department brought many high-powered searchlights, managing only to illuminate the roads and houses on the outskirts.

    However, what rendered Yan Yu speechless was that these people had also brought loudspeakers and sound systems, allowing negotiators to shout into the village things like, ¡°Surrender and receive leniency, resist and face severity,¡± and ¡°Confess and your sentence will be reduced, turn back and all shall be well¡±¡­

    The murderers had slaughtered the entire village, even a stay of execution would cause public outrage, and here they were, deceiving by claiming leniency for surrender? Thinking them fools to be trifled with?

    Communication is futile, only killing remains!

    ... sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°You¡¯ve finally arrived.¡± The person in charge of the armed forces department rushed over to lead the way and provide a briefing upon seeing the military¡¯s arrival, ¡°Here¡¯s the situation, our drones captured footage of a person suspected to be the criminal. After comparison, we confirmed he is an old man from the village, last name Xu, 72 years old, a local who had conflicts with the village chief in the past, hence we suspect it¡¯s a personal vendetta that led to this mass killing¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Yan Yu cut him off, ¡°We can talk about the reasons later. Where was he last spotted by the drone?¡±

    In his previous life, Yan Yu had heard nearly a thousand reasons for why civilian cultivators resorted to murder and was thoroughly tired of them.

    After all, in the countryside it¡¯s often about mundane disputes, such as encroaching on your land, poaching fish from your pond, or your dog biting someone¡¯s child¡­

    But in recent years, as rural populations dwindled and young people flocked to the cities, the lack of security forces at the local level made it impossible to rely on constables to deliver justice ¡ª it takes hours just to drive from the town!

    In the village, power inevitably lay in the hands of those who had good relationships with the village head or who had more men in the family.

    Then came the era-defining shift of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, where long-oppressed villagers suddenly gained the power to disrupt the established order, and the follow-up often involved them killing their oppressors and their entire families ¡ª such incidents were far from rare and were only set to increase in the future.

    From Yan Yu¡¯s point of view, if you¡¯ve been oppressed and you kill your oppressor¡¯s entire family, of course, I understand.

    But after the deed, you must die.

    Otherwise, the Dragon Slayer becomes the dragon.

    Commoners who suddenly acquire unprecedented power and have tasted the ¡°benefits of violence¡±, if not apprehended and dealt with by the authorities in time, have an 87% chance of causing a second wave of serious incidents. Moreover, during these second incidents, there are generally no justifiable motives like revenge; the victims are mostly innocent, leaving no room for justification.

    Yan Yu had seen too much of the dark side of humanity in his past life to have any interest in the motives behind civilian cultivators¡¯ murders. However, it was different for the girls; to avoid them getting distracted with wild thoughts before battle, it was better not to hear such reasons.

    Hearing this, the person in charge of the armed forces department was taken aback, but quickly brought out a satellite scan of the village and circled an area encompassing roughly a dozen houses:

    ¡°It¡¯s here. We estimate that he¡¯s hiding somewhere in this area. But there are unidentified dangers around; the first group who went in mentioned encountering an attack before they went missing.¡±

    Yan Yu did not take the map offered to him but turned to ask:

    ¡°Chen Lingyun?¡±

    Chen Lingyun took the map and examined it closely for a moment.

    She then asked the person responsible from the armed forces department for a telescope and directed the searchlights to the indicated area, observing from a distance.

    Following her gaze, Yan Yu indeed noticed unusual movements of light and distortion marks that were indistinct from afar.

    Good, indeed it was a cultivator controlling ghostly entities.

    However, at this stage, the number of ghosts being controlled by the opponent was excessive, indicating reliance on some sort of auxiliary magical artifact.

    Could it be the Soul Summoning Banner?

    ¡°What¡¯s your take?¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly asked.

    ¡°Controlling ghosts,¡± Yan Yu responded tersely, ¡°Ghosts are semi-transparent when not attacking, making them difficult to detect on light-starved nights. The disappearance of the first group of constables after entering the village is clearly a result of being ambushed by these ghosts.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°What if we wait for the sun to come up tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°The strength of the ghosts would slightly diminish,¡± replied Yan Yu, ¡°but the reduction won¡¯t be significant. The main advantage comes from the better lighting conditions during the day, which rob ghosts of their crucial stealth, thereby significantly reducing the difficulty in dealing with them.¡±

    ¡°But we can¡¯t possibly wait all night for the sun to come up before taking action,¡± Chen Lingyun stated leisurely.

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    ¡°What forms of attack do the ghosts employ?¡±

    ¡°All kinds,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment, ¡°But civilian cultivators at this stage are mostly limited to commanding ghosts to attack physically.¡±

    ¡°Can the ghosts fly?¡±

    ¡°They can. You can think of them as possessing the Cloud Ascension Technique permanently, although they can¡¯t stray too far from their master.¡±

    ¡°How far is too far?¡±

    ¡°It depends on the level of cultivation; at this stage, I estimate the limit is around 10-20 meters.¡±

    ¡°That simplifies things,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, marking a circle on the map, ¡°One of these three houses, we choose from them.¡±

    Yan Yu wasn¡¯t surprised she could come to a conclusion so quickly. After all, despite her annoying traits, her mind was indeed useful, or else she wouldn¡¯t have secured the top spot in the Zhendong Army for so many years in her previous life.

    ¡°What about the specific tactics?¡±

    ¡°If it were up to me,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°I would just call for mortar fire nearby and blow up all three houses.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu immediately rejected the idea, ¡°What if the mortars damage their magical artifacts?¡±

    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a surprised smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s probably some kind of Soul Summoning Banner,¡± Yan Yu paused for a moment, ¡°There¡¯s an old saying, do you want to hear it?¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Every cultivator who plays with ghosts should have their own Soul Summoning Banner.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Chen Lingyun neither agreed nor disagreed, simply saying with a smile, ¡°In that case, let¡¯s change the plan.¡±

    She doodled on the map and murmured with Yan Yu for a moment before turning to call over the rest of the girls to start arranging the tactics.

    ¡°I want to ask first,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a charming smile, her voice crisp, ¡°Do we have any directionally challenged people in our team? You know, the kind that can¡¯t tell north from south, east from west, the kind that forgets left and right after being told, and who could get lost even while following a map.¡±

    The three girls looked at each other but none of them spoke.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Chen Lingyun spread the map out on the ground and explained, ¡°Our target this time is a cultivator who commands ghosts. Don¡¯t worry, they are not the kind of ghosts from movies that defy physical laws and are unsolvable; think of them as some sort of translucent thing that can be killed with curse techniques.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll add a tip: Flame Curse and Impact Curse are very effective against ghosts,¡± Yan Yu added from the side.

    ¡°Once the action starts, everyone gather here,¡± Chen Lingyun continued, ¡°Ningning, wait for my command, then immediately run along this route as fast as you can. You¡¯ll definitely be attacked along the way, so be careful to protect yourself. Finally, enter the house here.¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, the enemy will definitely mobilize its forces to chase after you once they are alerted.¡±

    ¡°Try to make good use of the narrow terrain inside the house to avoid being surrounded. If you really can¡¯t hold them off, jump out through a window at the back. I¡¯ll have Yun Jin outside to meet you.¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhao, you¡¯ll lie in ambush here and wait for my command. Then arise from this alley to kill a portion of the enemy, and leave via the opposite alley. I¡¯ll keep an eye on you the whole time and remind you of your specific moves.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re planning to lure the enemy into action, then force them to divide their forces,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was no fool and quickly understood Chen Lingyun¡¯s intentions.

    Lin Ning running around would inevitably attract the enemy to surround her. Zhao¡¯s surprise attack from halfway would change their target from one to two, and typically, they would subconsciously choose to split their forces to pursue.

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Of course, if the enemy doesn¡¯t divide their forces, then Ningning will be under more and more pressure. I give you and Yun Jin permission to retreat along this route to the edge of the village at any time if the situation feels wrong, and the military cultivators will cover your retreat.¡±

    ¡°And if the enemy all come chasing after me?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen continued to ask.

    ¡°Then they¡¯ll find they¡¯ve kicked an iron plate.¡± Chen Lingyun said beamingly.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress was very pleased with this. No matter how numerous the ghostly entities were, what harm could they do to me?

    ¡°Finally, our esteemed team leader,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°This time you¡¯ll be my bodyguard, escorting me to carry out the decapitation mission. No problems, right?¡±

    The reason for choosing a surprise decapitation was, of course, because of the Soul Summoning Banner in the enemy¡¯s hands. Otherwise, if they chose to outright destroy the artifact and then commit suicide upon finding themselves outmatched, that would be a great loss for everyone.

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll escort you,¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    ¡°Ling Yun?¡± Su Yunjin was a bit worried, ¡°Going directly, are you sure it¡¯s okay?¡±

    Chen Lingyun was not like Lin Ning, who had problems with slow reactions in the heat of the moment¡ªa fact Yan Yu had not hidden from the team.

    Now she was going to be on the front line, and it was the most dangerous decapitation mission. Could there be an accident?

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Chen Lingyun reassured her, ¡°Don¡¯t forget, we have our invincible team leader.¡±

    ¡°Invincible is a bit of an overstatement,¡± Yan Yu said seriously, ¡°At this stage, I can probably only defeat 99.99% of the cultivators in this world.¡±

    ¡°Leaving out the 0.01% makes you seem humble, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Lin Ning teased him with a roll of her eyes.

    ¡°Then how about I just go for 99%?¡± Yan Yu sighed deeply, indicating a compromise.

    ¡°There¡¯s practically no difference!¡± Lin Ning exclaimed.

 Chapter 95 - 94 But I Will Ultimately Be Unbeatable

    Chapter 95: Chapter 94 But I Will Ultimately Be Unbeatable

    Night operations are most hindered by limited visibility.

    Ghost creatures naturally possess night vision, something humans cannot achieve, so even if the armed patrol¡¯s constabulary forces a way in, there would inevitably be significant casualties¡ªperhaps this is why the illegal cultivator dares to hold a position in the deserted village.

    But clearly, he was unaware that the nation had long begun training military cultivators.

    Lin Ning took the lead in entering the empty village, and started to sprint according to the predetermined route.

    Wearing a tactical helmet with a searchlight on her head, a casual sweep of the area revealed three or four ghost creatures charging toward her with a ferocious intent to kill.

    These ghost creatures had semi-transparent bodies, and their flying speed was nearly as fast as a human running, but they were clearly no match for a cultivator¡¯s Shifting Technique.

    ...

    With just a few light and nimble changes in direction, Lin Ning shook them all off behind her, and the tension from her initial encounter with the ghost creatures quickly dissipated.

    No, they are just ghost creatures, no different from demons!

    After making a round according to the original route, she finally rushed into the house arranged by Chen Lingyun.

    Calling it a house was perhaps an understatement¡ªit was more of a two-story building. There wasn¡¯t much in the spacious ground floor hall, just a bare cement floor, clutter piled in the corner, and a corpse lying across the center of the hall. It seemed to be a middle-aged woman who lived here, holding bowls and chopsticks at the time of her death, with broken pieces and leftover food scattered everywhere.

    Lin Ning quickly passed over the corpse, skidding to a stop and turning around.

    The first ghost creature had already rushed in and was torn apart by her Impact Curse, letting out a piercing scream.

    Without any hesitation, Lin Ning¡¯s gaze moved beyond the shattered semi-transparent ghost, already seeing countless vengeful spirits undulating in the background, continuously charging toward the house.

    Her fists clenched tightly, her True Yuan surged swiftly from her dantian along her meridians¡ªFlame Curse!

    Flames erupted vehemently at the main entrance, indeed scaring the ghost creatures enough to keep them at bay, with not a single one daring to rush through the fire.

    The position was precise, the range just right to blockade the doorway¡ªit was a Curse Technique well cast!

    Before Lin Ning could take pride in her work, she suddenly heard the sound of breaking glass from upstairs.

    Oh no! They could come in from the second floor!

    Lin Ning wasted no time guarding the front door, hurriedly turning back and rushing to the back room, only to see ghost creatures already descending the stairs.

    The stairway was located in the center between the front and back rooms. To use the Impact Curse against the ghost creatures coming down from the second floor, she would first have to dissolve the route of the Flame Curse running through her body.

    But doing so would leave the ghost creatures at the front door unobstructed by flames, allowing them to charge in en masse.

    Sister Lin¡¯s reaction was quick¡ªshe immediately realized that holding this position meant being trapped, and she absolutely could not continue staying here!

    The back room was a kitchen setup; she swiftly moved into the kitchen, and then immediately produced another Flame Curse, blocking the kitchen¡¯s only doorway.

    The only way left for escape was through the kitchen window behind her.

    Outside, on the roof, Su Yunjin stood quietly at the edge, intently watching the window below.

    She watched Lin Ning move from the front room to the stairway, then retreat to the back room and thought that Ling Yun must have foreseen the current situation in advance, which is why she asked me to guard Lin Ning¡¯s only escape route to prevent her from being trapped in the house.

    Ling Yun¡¯s mind is truly impressive¡­ I also need to step it up and not let down her carefully designed tactics.

    Ghost creatures had already started to enter the lane below¡ªtheir intention seemed to be to encircle and kill by entering through the kitchen window.

    Yet no sooner had they entered the lane than Su Yunjin shot and killed them all with her Impact Curse.

    If one were to consider the three houses Chen Lingyun had designated as the center, at this moment Lin Ning and Su Yunjin were positioned to the north. Looking down from above, a large number of ghost creatures wandering in the village were all converging towards their position, like fish in a lake flocking to someone tossing breadcrumbs.

    Chen Lingyun and Yan Yu, stepping cautiously from the south, infiltrated quietly, only to hear her commanding over the channel:

    ¡°Alright, Sister Zhao can set off now.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s make it quick.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen had long grown impatient and, upon hearing the orders, immediately charged into the battlefield.

    She rushed in from the northeast, instantly intercepting the large number of ghost creatures that were heading towards Lin Ning and quickly engaged them in fierce combat.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Chen Lingyun climbed to the rooftop, barely able to see Zhao Yuanzhen amidst the fray, ¡°Sister Zhao, you can disengage now, stick to the route.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen immediately made a run for it. She darted into the adjacent alley, and casting a glance back, said:

    ¡°They didn¡¯t pursue.¡±

    Obviously, the necromancer behind them must have thought that Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s appearance was to alleviate the pressure on Lin Ning and the others, so he was not lured away by her feint. Instead, his resolve to quickly besiege and kill Lin Ning was strengthened.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a slight smile, ¡°Ningning can go with Yun Jin, and you all should evacuate toward the outskirts of the village.¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhao, continue along the original route; they will soon come after you.¡±

    Yan Yu followed her gaze and saw Lin Ning breaking through a window, joining Su Yunjin on the rooftop with the Cloud Ascension Technique, and the two began to retreat eastward at high speed toward the outskirts of the village.

    As they retreated, they looked back to see the rest of the specters initially in hot pursuit. But soon, as if they received an order, they suddenly turned around and stopped chasing in unison.

    Because Zhao Yuanzhen had already made an arc, approaching the three houses from the north.

    Yan Yu witnessed this and couldn¡¯t help but inwardly exclaim in admiration.

    Lin Ning and Su Yunjin were retreating to the east, leading a large number of ghosts in that direction; at that moment, Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly approached from the north, rapidly closing in on where the necromancer was hiding.

    The army of specters that entered the eastern side of the village had to hastily give up the pursuit to return and protect their master, but they couldn¡¯t get back in time to defend him. So what could the necromancer do?

    He could only use the remaining specters that were patrolling near his hiding place and swiftly send them north to intercept Zhao Yuanzhen, buying time for the returning ghostly army from the east.

    The previously omnipresent ghostly defensive line throughout the village had nearly collapsed by more than half due to Chen Lingyun¡¯s tactical movements to the east and then to the north¡ªif you look closely now, there were absolutely no specters on the south side of the hiding place; all were summoned by the cultivator to the north to block Zhao Yuanzhen!

    ¡°Shall we go?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu replied modestly with a nod.

    She couldn¡¯t praise this cunning woman¡¯s intelligence; otherwise, she would become unbearably arrogant.

    The two ran swiftly on the rooftops, their Shifting Technique so fast it was as if they were flying, and they soon arrived at the location of the three houses.

    ¡°You take left, I take right?¡± Chen Lingyun asked smilingly.

    ¡°I¡¯m the bodyguard,¡± Yan Yu declared proudly.

    ¡°All right.¡± Chen Lingyun chose the house on the right, activated the Curved Curse, and burst through the door, ¡°Ah, what luck~¡±

    Yan Yu also charged into the house and saw an old man cowering in the corner, his eyes filled with panic as he looked over.

    In his hands, he clutched a filthy banner¡ªthe kind fortune-tellers in period dramas like to hold, with the words ¡°Iron Mouth Direct¡± written on it¡ªand then, as if he had made up his mind, he began to shake it vigorously.

    The Heart Capturing Technique.

    The Heart Capturing Technique is a method used by ¡®Envoys¡¯ to sacrifice ghosts. Its effect is to initially control spirits, which can then be refined and made one¡¯s own with ease.

    But such a thing was not effective against cultivators¡­ Chen Lingyun casually stepped forward and slapped a RuneScript onto his Dantian through his clothes, completely subduing the old man.

    She then reached for the Soul Summoning Banner. The old man stubbornly refused to let go until Chen Lingyun, with the Curved Curse still active, chopped at his wrist with a hand knife, causing him to scream in agony and drop the banner.

    ¡°This needs to be cleaned,¡± Chen Lingyun remarked as she picked up the Soul Summoning Banner again, frowning at the black handprint on the pole.

    ¡°Even if it needs cleaning, it won¡¯t be you doing it. The research personnel will take care of it,¡± Yan Yu said, looking at the old man huddled in the corner, clutching his severed right hand and wailing in pain. She spoke in a low voice, ¡°He¡¯s not the first and he won¡¯t be the last.¡±

    ¡°Are you referring to the village massacre?¡± Chen Lingyun feigned ignorance and asked curiously.

    ¡°Take this necromancer as an example,¡± Yan Yu said as she left the house, exhaling a long breath of stale air.

    ¡°Casually killing a person and sacrificing their living soul into a banner results in an additional ghost under one¡¯s control. This costless method of recruiting forces brings a sense of rapid growth in one¡¯s power¡ªhow many people from the lower classes could withstand this, when most can¡¯t even give up the minor pleasure of a cigarette?¡±

    ¡°If we neglect civilian cultivators and don¡¯t manage them, the slaughter of mortals will only increase¡ªthis is my stance on illegal cultivation among civilians.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not disagreeing with you,¡± Chen Lingyun followed her out the door, saying in a light tone, ¡°But what can you do about it?¡±

    ¡°As the resurgence of spiritual energy progresses, more and more civilians will secretly enter the path of cultivation. Currently, there¡¯s no way to completely stop it.¡±

    ¡°Even pessimistically speaking, who can guarantee that the official cultivators, once they have truly grown, will always listen to the authorities in the future?¡±

    ¡°The industrial revolution bred great capitalists, forcing the nobility of the old to step off the stage. If the future belongs to cultivators, even if they are morally corrupt, insane, treat mortals like animals, or even as consumables, yet possess the power to oppose nations¡­ my dear, what can you do about it then?¡±

    ¡°I will become the strongest cultivator in this world,¡± Yan Yu stated with a cold, decisive expression, ¡°and then kill them all!¡±

 Chapter 96 - 95 Awards Ceremony

    Chapter 96: Chapter 95 Awards Ceremony

    After handing over the Soul Summoning Banner and the old man to the military cultivators, Yan Yu and the others took a ride back to Longquan Prefecture.

    The journey there was sweet with ice cream and filled with laughter and cheers; the return trip, however, was dead silent¡­ not for any particular reason, it was mainly because the girls had fought in the Mysterious Realm and performed out-of-bounds duties today, and they were all a bit sleepy.

    Lin Ning leaned on Su Yunjin¡¯s shoulder with her eyes tightly closed, sleeping in a daze. Su Yunjin also rested her head against her, closing her eyes to rest. The two girls looked like a pair of orchids in spring and chrysanthemums in autumn, their auras vastly different yet each excelling in their own way.

    Chen Lingyun was playing with her phone, clearly in a very good mood¡ªthink about it, who wouldn¡¯t be happy after getting a suitable magical treasure?

    Zhao Yuanzhen sat beside her, yawning incessantly, her bored expression contrasting sharply with Chen Lingyun¡¯s pleasure.

    Yan Yu received another message, this time from instructor Qi Changping:

    ...

    You¡¯re awarded another first-class merit, and each person receives 6 million as a reward for conquering the Longquan Mountain Secret Realm.

    The Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm is used for cultivating medicinal herbs for making Immortal Pills, and is almost suitable for all cultivators, so the reward is a bit higher; the Longquan Mountain Secret Realm is mainly for sword forging, and at this stage, Sword Control Technique hasn¡¯t been developed yet, so it¡¯s understandable that the reward is relatively less.

    However, regardless, the per capita funds of Yan Yu¡¯s Team have now reached 14 million, and everyone is a millionaire!

    Yan Yu was originally thinking that after returning, he would have Chen Lingyun use her connections to move out from the school and find a house to live in outside¡­ but now he could already buy a house in Jinling in full cash¡ªhow delightful.

    First, buy a big villa!

    Having a Demonic Sect Enchantress at home means needing a good hiding place, so buying a small villa with two floors, a basement, a garden, and a swimming pool, and with over ten rooms, is quite normal, right?

    ¡°By the way, there¡¯s another thing,¡± Qi Changping continued to send messages, ¡°The second edition of the textbook is entering the final draft stage now, they want you to take a look and offer some suggestions.¡±

    ¡°The second edition of the textbook?¡± Yan Yu was stunned for a moment and then calculated the time; it seems about right¡­

    In the previous life, it should have been around the end of July or beginning of August when the Sword Control Technique started to become widely popular among Rikoku Cultivators.

    Of course, it wasn¡¯t Sword Flight, nor were there any Sword techniques or movements involved, merely the method of using True Yuan to drive the Immortal Sword for attack, using it as the regular equipment for a cultivator, similar to a soldier equipped with a military rifle.

    Now it seems that the Sword Control Technique must be printed in the second edition of the textbook, to be forcibly taught to all Rikoku Cultivators.

    ¡°Will you send it to me online, or should I wait till I get back?¡± Yan Yu texted back.

    ¡°What are you thinking? It¡¯s a confidential document.¡± Qi Changping replied, ¡°Of course, we¡¯ll talk when you get back.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The next day, the group returned to the Zhendong Cultivator¡¯s Academy in Jinling Prefecture.

    Unlike the last time when they returned in obscurity, this time the entire academy held a grand recognition ceremony for Yan Yu¡¯s Team, with all faculty and students present at the meeting.

    Clearly, the higher-ups had also realized that just giving money to the meritorious cultivators is not enough.

    Giving out several million at a time, people simply can¡¯t spend it all; eventually, it just becomes a number, completely intangible¡­ to put it bluntly, even a billion may become a small goal.

    The so-called ¡°bundling of fame and fortune¡± requires not just profit but, more importantly, fame. In this regard, Mitchi Country is the best teacher for Rikoku.

    Their Superhero League championship team is advertised as ¡°nationally adored,¡± aiming to deeply bind the elite Transcendents with the Mitchi populace.

    If one day you decide to betray your country, you would hurt those countless fans who adore you. Even if other countries could offer a higher price to poach you, could they force their own people to support you and be your loyal fans for ten years? Impossible.

    If one were to delve deeper into this matter, it actually targets everyone¡¯s psychological need to be ¡°needed and recognized¡± by society.

    No matter how ignorant Rikoku is of these principles, they still know how to copy Mitchi¡¯s homework¡­ S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Standing on the stage lost in thought, Yan Yu was contemplating while the host on stage had already finished promoting the merits of Yan Yu¡¯s Team, which were:

    Fiercely claiming first place in the Four Academies Exchange Competition.

    The national first-clear of Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm.

    Two successive victories in Longquan Mountain Secret Realm.

    The students below, although not understanding what the ¡°Four Academies Exchange Competition¡± or ¡°Secret Realm¡± was, could still grasp the significance of ¡°first place,¡± ¡°national,¡± and ¡°consecutive victories,¡± and promptly joined the instructors in applauding.

    Yan Yu glanced around again with the corner of his eye. Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin both seemed indifferent. Being a woman of the Demonic Sect meant not easily showing emotions, and Secretary Su genuinely didn¡¯t care about fame or obscurity.

    Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen were much more excited. Ningning was competitive and cared about results; the Demonic Sect Enchantress merely loved to be the center of attention¡ªotherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have made a documentary to boast about herself in her previous life.

    ¡°Next, please let team captain Yan Yu say a few words.¡± The host smiled at last, handing the microphone to Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu: ?

    You guys didn¡¯t notify me beforehand that I had to speak!

    He silently took the microphone, looking down at the hundred or so spectators.

    Should I just spout nonsense?

    ¡°Hello everyone, I am team captain Yan Yu.¡± Yan Yu began spouting nonsense, ¡°When I founded this team, it elicited many inexplicable doubts, such as why, except for me, my team is entirely female. Some even questioned whether I was trying to create a harem¡­¡±

    The audience immediately burst into laughter. Instructor Qi Changping kept a straight face, thinking, I seem to recall only doubting that in my mind. I didn¡¯t actually say it out loud, did I?

    ¡°Now, our team has responded to those doubters with a solid punch through our actions,¡± Yan Yu continued aloud, ¡°Our team, although composed entirely of girls aside from myself, is not just some vase team, nor a harem team. Instead, we¡¯re one of the strongest teams in the whole Lu Country!¡±

    ¡°Good!¡± The students below immediately cheered enthusiastically, especially the girls who shouted the loudest.

    ¡°In the future, we aim to remove that ¡®one of¡¯!¡± Yan Yu¡¯s voice grew louder with each word, ¡°Our goal is to be the strongest team in the whole Lu Country! Even the strongest team in the whole world! We aim to stand on the summit! To have all our enemies kneel at our feet!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, everyone!¡±

    A surge of thunderous applause rose from below. Wang Changshi, in the front row, was clapping and smiling at the commander-in-chief Li Weiguo:

    ¡°This young man Yan Yu sure talks big, huh.¡±

    ¡°Young people, you know,¡± Li Weiguo chuckled, clapping his hands, ¡°Having talent and strength, it¡¯s normal for them to be sharp and outstanding.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because you have good judgment,¡± Wang Changshi pushed up his glasses, smiling, ¡°If it were another commander-in-chief, they might not have tolerated this kid¡¯s showboating.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, Old Wang, you¡¯re flattering me again,¡± Li Weiguo was even more pleased, ¡°But it¡¯s not entirely boasting. Among the four great commanders, I may not have the greatest merits, but when it comes to being accommodating and generous¡­ they can¡¯t compare to me.¡±

    ¡°For a steed to perform, it also needs a Bole to recognize its talent,¡± Wang Changshi expressed thoughtfully.

    After Yan Yu finished speaking on stage, the host was about to take back the microphone when he passed it to vice-captain Chen Lingyun instead.

    It can¡¯t just be me performing on stage!

    ¡°Hello everyone, I am vice-captain Chen Lingyun,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile.

    ¡°Chen Lingyun, I love you!¡± Somewhere in the crowd, a male student hollered, starting a ruckus. Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t bother to look over, simply continuing with a smile, ¡°The team goals and determination have already been laid out by the captain. As the vice-captain, let me just add one thing.¡±

    ¡°Right now, we just want to focus on improving our strength. If anyone wants to pursue one of us, please first consider whether you can even compare to our team captain Yan Yu, okay?¡±

    The crowd suddenly fell silent.

    After a moment, suddenly a voice from the girls rang out:

    ¡°What if someone wants to pursue your captain?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was immediately furious, ready to snatch the microphone from the Demonic Sect Enchantress, when she saw Chen Lingyun flash a dazzling smile and reply:

    ¡°Then you would receive our captain¡¯s standard answer.¡±

    Following that, she handed the microphone to Zhao Yuanzhen.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress paused for a moment, then a wicked sense of humor welled up in her, and holding the microphone, she yelled:

    ¡°You wish!¡±

    The crowd erupted into laughter once more.

 Chapter 97 - 96: Choosing a Sword

    Chapter 97: Chapter 96: Choosing a Sword

    After the award ceremony ended, Yan Yu and the girls did not leave, but instead headed to the president¡¯s office.

    They wanted to see what the second edition of the textbook, as described by Instructor Qi Changping, looked like.

    The textbook was called ¡°Professional System and Basic Tactics,¡± introducing the basic concepts of the ¡°Taoism Method, Sword, and Assistant Enforcer¡± professions, as well as methods of using Sword Control Technique.

    Speaking of Sword Control Technique, we have to mention that woman who haunted Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s dreams, both feared and despised:

    Mei Yingxue.

    The astonishing Sword Immortal Mei Yingxue, who had disappeared without a trace since she went to Pingjing, left Yan Yu with no clue what she was up to.

    ...

    Of course, from his memories of a past life, Mei Yingxue indeed vanished mysteriously in the early stages.

    It was not until the likes of Li Minghu, Zhou Hongyu, Su Yunjin¡­ these pioneer cultivators sacrificed much, and the national defense situation became increasingly dire, that she was played as a trump card by the higher-ups of Lu Country.

    Now, the puzzle that troubled Yan Yu was finally solved:

    Mei Yingxue was compiling textbooks.

    In the book ¡°Professional System and Basic Tactics,¡± the ¡°Taoism Method, Sword, and Assistant Enforcer¡± system, while factually existing in the Cultivation World, had never been systematically classified. Sword Control Technique, on the other hand, was a ¡°mandatory subject¡± that everyone knew.

    The reason was simple: Sword Control Technique had a wide range of applications, but required very little energy to activate.

    Unlike various Taoism Methods that consumed massive amounts of True Yuan, Sword Control Technique used about the same amount of True Yuan as the Metal-Element Impact Curse, but its power far surpassed that of the Impact Curse, and it was not only for offense but also for defense, extremely flexible in use.

    For example, if a tree demon hits you with its roots, or a ghost scratches you with its claws, you just need to call back your Immortal Sword to block physically¡ªsaving much more True Yuan than using an Earth-Element Sturdiness Charm.

    Of course, basic Sword Control Technique is something everyone knows. As for advanced styles and sword techniques, those are ¡°graduate subjects¡± delved into by Sword Immortals.

    Yan Yu flipped through ¡°Professional System and Basic Tactics¡± for a long time, confirming that it indeed contained just the basics of Sword Control Technique, without a trace of any advanced sword styles.

    Or to put it more accurately, Mei Yingxue had specifically eliminated all the profound and sect-related advanced sword moves from her own repertoire of sword techniques, retaining only the most basic and primal sword moves, finally compiling this textbook of Sword Control Technique suitable for novices with zero foundation, allowing all cultivators to learn with peace of mind.

    How touching, Teacher Mei! Your contributions to the educational cause of Lu Country¡¯s cultivation are too great; we will never forget you!

    After finishing his internal rant, Yan Yu made a suggestion to Li Weiguo:

    ¡°I have no objections. If I must say something, swapping these two sections around, explaining Sword Control Technique first and then introducing Taoism Method, Sword, and Assistant Enforcer later, might align better with the principle of progressing from easy to difficult.¡±

    ¡°So you mean to change the book title to ¡®Basic Tactics and Professional System¡¯?¡± Li Weiguo pondered.

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°Teaching Sword Control Technique is an urgent matter that can quickly boost the average combat power of cultivators. Taoism Method, Sword, and Assistant Enforcer belong to wide-reaching systemic concepts that can be gradually understood later on.¡±

    ¡°The main reason for placing Sword Control Technique at the end was actually considered in regards to the supply issue of Immortal Swords,¡± Li Weiguo spoke slowly, ¡°If we¡¯re going to teach Sword Control Technique in the next phase, then at the very least we need to equip each student with a Flying Sword for practical teaching, right?¡±

    ¡°Had it not been for your victory over the Dragon Spring Mountain Secret Realm, gaining a wealth of sword-casting techniques and literature, we wouldn¡¯t have planned to release this edition of the textbook immediately. The reason for placing Sword Control Technique in the latter part of the textbook was also to consider developing the sword-casting industry from now on, so that by the time actual teaching begins, we could at least muster the Flying Swords you¡¯ll need.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, ¡°There¡¯s over a hundred cultivator students at our school, and the total number surpasses four hundred considering the other three institutions. It¡¯s indeed tough to gather enough Flying Swords. But our squad only has five people; how about distributing the Flying Swords in storage to us first, so we can get in some practice beforehand?¡±

    ¡°You sure know how to seize an opportunity!¡± Li Weiguo said with a laugh, ¡°Alright. The majority of Flying Swords in storage now come from your recent victory over the Dragon Spring Mountain Secret Realm, consider it letting you have first pick of the spoils!¡±

    He operated the computer for a moment, then stood up, saying:

    ¡°Take a look.¡±

    Everyone hurriedly gathered around. Yan Yu didn¡¯t hesitate to take the president¡¯s chair, grasped the mouse, and said:

    ¡°I¡¯ve already chosen the Flying Sword for Lin Ning, the Green Bamboo Sword wielded by the guardian sword-carrying puppet in the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm. As for the rest, you can pick for yourselves.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been secretly passing on secrets, haven¡¯t you?¡± Chen Lingyun joked. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Not at all!¡± Lin Ning protested, ¡°I didn¡¯t know before this either!¡±

    But she did not resist Yan Yu¡¯s choice, simply standing at the very back of the group and watching.

    The captain personally picked for me¡­ hmm, it should be good, right?

    ¡°I want this one!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly said, ¡°Don¡¯t fight me for it, ha!¡±

    Yan Yu looked closely and saw that the sword was entirely dark purple with an ominous outline, and there was a skull carving at the guard, clearly very much in line with the aesthetic taste of the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡ªnone of the other girls even wanted to compete with her for it.

    He seemed to remember from his past life memories; the original name of this sword should be the ¡°Wan Gui Xie Jing Sword,¡± right?

    It was said whenever this sword whistled through the air, it would emit a crying and wailing sound, which was why no cultivators ever chose it, feeling its style was too ¡°emo,¡± the kind that only ¡°village scene kids¡± would like.

    Later, this sword appeared on CCTV channel seven¡¯s ¡°Immortal Sword Spectrum¡± show and became well-known among the public.

    After selecting the Wan Gui Xie Jing Sword, Yan Yu continued scrolling down the screen with his mouse, asking,

    ¡°Does anyone else have a preference?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take a look at this one,¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly said, ¡°Mm, I¡¯ll choose it.¡±

    Yan Yu clicked the mouse to select it, and it was a delicate flying sword, entirely purple-red like the evening sky, with an extremely elegant streamline, like an empress among swords, regal and magnificent.

    Zi Ji Han Yuan Sword, Chen Lingyun had chosen the same one in her past life, her aesthetic taste was consistently stable.

    ¡°Yun Jin, want me to pick for you?¡± Seeing Su Yunjin hesitate, Chen Lingyun smiled and offered.

    ¡°Um¡­ okay then.¡± Su Yunjin wasn¡¯t too interested in the attributes of the flying swords but was more concerned with their appearance and design; however, she felt this approach of ¡°judging a sword by its beauty¡± seemed rather unwise, so she was indecisive.

    ¡°What do you want? I¡¯ll do it!¡± Yan Yu simply relied on past life experience, ¡°How about this one?¡±

    The sword that appeared was like the sea, deep blue and clear, with slightly transparent edges resembling ice crystals. Su Yunjin liked it at first sight and immediately nodded, saying,

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll listen to the captain.¡±

    The sword was named ¡°Bing Yu Han Leng,¡± which sounded imposing and powerful, the same flying sword Su Yunjin had chosen herself in her past life.

    Because the name of the sword was originally unknown, Su Yunjin named it ¡°Shan Hu Lei.¡± Even after confirming the original name through research, both the media and netizens generally switched to using the original name (mainly because Bing Yu Han Leng sounded more majestic, while Shan Hu Lei seemed a bit effeminate), yet she always refused to change it.

    Only after Su Yunjin¡¯s sacrifice, when the sword was enshrined in the National Martyrs¡¯ Sword Museum, did they use ¡°Shan Hu Lei¡± as the name on the label.

    After all, it was Su Yunjin¡¯s sword.

    ¡°What about you, captain?¡± Everyone else¡¯s flying swords were chosen, and only Yan Yu was left. Lin Ning, standing at the back, craned her neck to see and asked curiously.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just pick one at random,¡± Yan Yu said casually of ¡°picking randomly,¡± while his mouse wheel continuously scrolled without halt, swiftly stopping at a specific spot.

    This was the flying sword personally picked by Chen Lingyun for him in his past life, and the one he had grown accustomed to for most of his life later on.

    The sword had a thick spine and a dark yellow color, unlike those slender flying swords; it was a heavy sword very suited for a strong man.

    Thanks to its extremely heavy body, it often had an advantage in flying sword duels.

    Long time no see, old buddy.

    Huangting Kunwu Sword.

 Chapter 98 - 97: Sword Practice

    Chapter 98: Chapter 97: Sword Practice

    By the end of July, the daily maximum temperature in Jinling had approached 40 degrees.

    Hardly any students remained in the open-air practice field for the Three Arts.

    In the back mountain, the indoor Sword Control Technique training field had been excavated. However, since the second edition of the textbook had not yet been made public, currently only Yan Yu Squad was training there.

    Everyone had received their Flying Swords last weekend, complete with some of the latest research findings, such as the sword¡¯s elemental attributes, whether it was more suited for slashing or piercing, whether it had a strength advantage or a speed advantage, and so on.

    After receiving them, everyone started to settle on names for their swords¡ªafter all, when these swords were discovered in the Mysterious Realm, they didn¡¯t come with name tags on the blades, so now the sword owners had to come up with names themselves.

    Su Yunjin named her sword ¡°Coral Tear,¡± which, of course, received unanimous praise from the girls. After all, the frosty sword was completely blue and transparent, which absolutely could remind one of the beautiful Great Barrier Reef, and if Yan Yu were to comment, it really did sound a bit better than ¡°Frosty.¡±

    ...

    Lin Ning also wanted to show off her talent for naming, but Yan Yu had already been calling her sword the ¡°Green Bamboo Sword,¡± which, in turn, left her feeling a bit conflicted and speechless¡ªGreen Bamboo, Lin Ning; actually, when you think about it, it did seem quite fitting.

    Zhao Yuanzhen thought for a long time and decided to name her sword ¡°Nine Heavens Ten Earths Demon Slaying God Eradicating Yin Wind Evil Thunder Sword.¡±

    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Yan Yu looked at her with a very speechless sidelong glance. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Not domineering enough?¡± pondered Zhao Yuanzhen.

    ¡°The name¡¯s too long,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Just think about it, if you had to borrow it for scientific research and had to fill out forms, just in the ¡®Sword Name¡¯ column, imagine how many more characters you would have to write than others?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen thought it made sense and asked:

    ¡°Then is there a name that¡¯s both short and domineering?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°How about ¡®Pink Bunny¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was baffled.

    ¡°Because those who die by your sword will be said to have been ¡®killed by the Pink Bunny,''¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    Zhao Yuanzhen hesitated for a moment but shook her head. The name would be great for humiliating the enemy, but she did not want to become the sword master known as ¡°Pink Bunny.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just call it ¡®Yin Wind Sword,''¡± Yan Yu suggested.

    Dying under the Yin Wind Sword¡­ That didn¡¯t seem too bad either?

    So the sword once dubbed the ¡°Malevolent Spirit Wicked Essence Sword¡± was renamed ¡°Yin Wind Sword,¡± leaving only Chen Lingyun and Yan Yu without names for their Flying Swords.

    ¡°Let¡¯s save some time,¡± Yan Yu suggested, pointing to the Purple Extreme Essence-Gathering Sword, ¡°Purple Extreme.¡±

    Then he patted his heavy sword:

    ¡°Huangting.¡±

    ¡°Alright, naming is complete! Let¡¯s start practicing the Sword Control Technique.¡±

    ¡°How casual!¡± Lin Ning couldn¡¯t help but complain, ¡°As casual as my Green Bamboo Sword!¡±

    ¡°The name of a sword isn¡¯t important,¡± Yan Yu said as he deployed the Sword Control Technique. The Huangting Kunwu Sword suddenly flew up and then hovered in front of him.

    He slightly flexed the middle finger of his right hand and lightly flicked the blade, emitting a dull and potent twang as he calmly stated:

    ¡°What¡¯s important is whether it can kill someone.¡±

    The girls had no response.

    ¡°You¡¯d better take this seriously,¡± Yan Yu said, looking at everyone¡¯s expressions as a reminder, ¡°because the Sword Control Technique we¡¯re about to learn is currently the most efficient, convenient killing technique in the world¡­¡±

    With a change in the sword technique in his hand, the Huangting Sword suddenly shot out like electricity, swiftly moving in front of Lin Ning and stopping just three inches from her nose, startling her so much that her eyes bulged and her body hair stood on end.

    But Yan Yu didn¡¯t stop there. The Huangting Sword shifted direction once more and quickly chopped towards the neck of Chen Lingyun who was standing nearby, stopping just before touching her skin.

    Chen Lingyun put away her smile, reached out her finger, and gently pushed the Huangting Sword away, saying coldly:

    ¡°This isn¡¯t fun.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, this isn¡¯t fun,¡± Yan Yu said seriously, ¡°When you¡¯re on the battlefield and attacks are coming at you, can you use that line to persuade the enemy?¡±

    ¡°Law, Sword, Support, Command¡ª the basic concepts of the four professions, you¡¯ve all familiarized yourselves with them from the textbook in advance. To avoid misunderstandings, I must emphasize one point here: It¡¯s not only the Sword Immortal profession that needs to study the Sword Control Technique.¡±

    ¡°In my squad, every member must master the Sword Control Technique. This is to ensure that when you step onto the real battlefield, you will have the basic ability to protect yourselves. Ling Yun, why do you think that is?¡±

    Chen Lingyun looked at the Flying Sword hovering in front of her, and with raised eyebrows, said:

    ¡°Because the Sword Control Technique, unlike the Three Arts and Five Spells, is a rare method that combines offense and defense into a convenient approach.¡±

    ¡°Correct,¡± Yan Yu said in a deep voice, ¡°Lin Ning, if I activated the Flying Sword to kill you, just like earlier, what would you do?¡±

    ¡°Use the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse?¡± Lin Ning tentatively asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s an option,¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°But if my Flying Sword entangles you and the moment you deactivate the Barrier Charm it immediately kills you, wouldn¡¯t you have to keep the Barrier Charm activated for defense all the time?¡±

    Lin Ning silently nodded.

    The Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse was a very effective defensive Curse Technique, with the only issue being its purely passive nature, while a cultivator can only operate one Curse Technique at a time.

    Meaning, if the opponent¡¯s attacks don¡¯t stop, then you won¡¯t be able to deactivate your Barrier Charm, and you¡¯ll end up only being beaten without the ability to counterattack.

    ¡°Chen Lingyun,¡± Yan Yu suddenly said, ¡°Attack me with your Sword Control.¡±

    Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t speak; she simply formed a Sword technique with her hand, and the Purple Extreme Sword immediately shot out like lightning, thrusting at Yan Yu.

    With a ¡°clang,¡± the Huangting Kunwu Sword already intercepted the Purple Extreme Sword horizontally. The blades forcefully collided, emitting a ringing sound akin to iron forging.

    The Purple Extreme Sword was repelled, but the Huangting Kunwu Sword then took the opportunity to strike back towards Chen Lingyun. Before it could reach her, it was intercepted by the Purple Extreme Sword swinging back around, and the swords clashed once more, resounding violently.

    By now, the girls had mostly figured it out: Unlike the passive defense of the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse, the defensive aspect of the Sword Control Technique was ¡°active defense.¡±

    After blocking an attack with the blade, one could immediately switch from defense to offense without the need to change spells or alter one¡¯s breath circulation, merely requiring a thought in one¡¯s mind¡­ and even the consumption of True Yuan was minimal.

    It saved time, effort, and most importantly, peace of mind!

    Of course, whether it saved time or effort may not have made a major impact in low-level combat. However, in high-stakes battles where life and death hung by a thread, even gaining a half-second time advantage or conserving a little more True Yuan could be the difference between defeat and a close victory.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t intend to educate everyone on how dangerous ¡°high-end battles¡± can be. He simply laid out his attitude:

    Everyone must practice the Sword Control Technique!

    The textbook¡¯s Sword Control Technique learning process was divided into three parts:

    First, practice accuracy. Control the Flying Sword to hit a stationary target, aiming to hit as close to the center as possible.

    Second, practice reaction. Propel the Flying Sword at moving targets with various speeds, trying to hit the faster ones.

    Third, practice strength. Each target has a force sensor behind it that displays the exact force figure, so you want to make this number as high as possible.

    Yan Yu declared that all this was nonsense ¡ª his squad wouldn¡¯t stick to these dogmatic rubbish practices.

    If you want to train, then train with actual combat!

    ¡°As the old saying goes,¡± Yan Yu began with his hands clasped behind his back, pacing with ease in front of the girls, ¡°to learn offense, you must first learn defense.¡±

    ¡°I have a question,¡± Lin Ning raised her hand to interject, ¡°where is that saying from? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen that in the textbooks¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind these details,¡± Yan Yu impatiently waved his hand, lecturing her, ¡°Ningning, your problem is you often can¡¯t differentiate between the primary and secondary, always focusing on some trivial things. This habit really isn¡¯t good, and you must change it.¡±

    Lin Ning shut her mouth and silently seethed. So, if you¡¯re wrong in the details, I¡¯m not even allowed to ask?

    ¡°To learn defense is simple,¡± Yan Yu continued to speak confidently, ¡°I¡¯ll be in charge of the offense, and you will take turns defending. As long as you can block my three successive sword strikes using the Sword Control Technique, that will mean you¡¯ve initially mastered it.¡±

    The girls looked at each other.

    ¡°Who¡¯s first?¡± Yan Yu asked as he controlled the Huangting Kunwu Sword into the air, ¡°Hurry up now, let¡¯s not waste time.¡±

    ¡°How about Sister Zhao goes first?¡± Chen Lingyun ventured to ask.

    ¡°Let¡¯s have Sister Zhao go first then,¡± Lin Ning and Su Yunjin quickly echoed.

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ?

 Chapter 99 - 98: Buying a Big Villa

    Chapter 99: Chapter 98: Buying a Big Villa

    The girls were beaten to the point of desperately searching for their teeth.

    Searching for their teeth is just a figure of speech, it doesn¡¯t mean that everyone really lost their teeth¡­ but they were indeed beaten quite miserably.

    Even Zhao Yuanzhen, who had rich combat experience, could not gain the upper hand against Yan Yu in a pure Sword Control Technique fight, with her cultivation not fully recovered and not allowed to use any unorthodox, toxic magic.

    In order to practice defensive Sword Control Technique, Yan Yu¡¯s attack moves were designed to be quite simple, the first strike would always be a slash that you could see coming and block with a horizontal sword strike.

    But his second move would come extremely fast. If, for example, the Yin Wind Sword was struck from the left side by the Huang Tingjian, the recoil would push it to the right side, then Yan Yu would immediately control the Huang Tingjian to stabilize the blade at high speed and slash again from left side like lightning, not giving the Yin Wind Sword any chance to defend.

    Fortunately, the Huang Tingjian was a heavy sword with a blunt edge. Plus, Yan Yu would control his strength in time, so even if someone was hit, they wouldn¡¯t be slashed into two, at most they would be beaten to rolling around on the ground.

    ...

    After being beaten up repeatedly, the girls became numb to the pain and devoted themselves to research, quickly learning how to counter that move:

    At the moment when the two swords clashed, immediately increase the output of True Yuan to stabilize the deflected Flying Sword quickly, that way they could just manage to defend in time.

    After defending the second sword, Yan Yu¡¯s third sword would follow.

    This third sword was even harder to defend against. It wasn¡¯t faster than the second one, but after being deflected it would pause momentarily before suddenly changing direction and slashing again.

    Because Yan Yu¡¯s second strike was extremely fast, the girls often had to concentrate all their attention to quickly block it.

    In such a highly tense state of mind, if Yan Yu had delivered the third strike at the same or even faster speed, they would basically be able to block it. But he deliberately slowed down¡­ this pause would inevitably cause a slight dispersion of their attention, resulting in the Huang Tingjian suddenly changing angles and slashing again, and after such a tightening and relaxing of their reactions, they completely lost the pace.

    ¡°How was it?¡± Seeing Chen Lingyun turned over again, Lin Ning, who was next in line, hurriedly asked anxiously.

    She was up next, and she didn¡¯t want to be embarrassed in front of everyone again¡ªthough she had already been embarrassed many times before.

    ¡°How about trying to attack first?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly suggested.

    ¡°Attack first¡­¡± Lin Ning didn¡¯t have time to ask for clarification before Yan Yu started urging:

    ¡°Hurry up, little Ningning! They are all lining up behind you!¡±

    Damn, we would rather wait a bit longer, okay? The same thought emerged in all the girls¡¯ minds.

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me little Ningning!¡± Lin Ning huffed as she went forward, thinking to herself, whatever, just try it out!

    The first strike, I¡¯ll defend!

    Lin Ning quickly positioned her sword horizontally to block, and the Green Bamboo Sword collided with the Huang Tingjian, before being shaken out of control and flying upward to the right.

    Now¡¯s the moment! Lin Ning quickly increased her True Yuan output to stabilize the Green Bamboo Sword again, and then maneuvered it back into defense, hitting Yan Yu¡¯s high-speed pursuit head-on.

    The second sword, defended!

    The Green Bamboo Sword was once again deflected by the recoil, and Lin Ning forcefully strengthened her output to stabilize the sword¡¯s position, then slashed at the Huang Tingjian¡ªwhich was still pausing and hadn¡¯t managed to change direction¡ªhitting it again and sending it flying even further away.

    The third sword blocked!

    ¡°Very good,¡± Yan Yu finally showed a look of appreciation. ¡°Someone has finally caught my three strikes.¡±

    ¡°So the way to defend against the third sword is actually to counter-attack in advance?¡± Lin Ning couldn¡¯t help but blurt out emotionally, ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree that you would attack and we would defend?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Yan Yu said as a matter of course. ¡°The best defense is a good offense! I¡¯m beginning to doubt whether you just luckily stumbled upon a solution.¡±

    The girls all nearly fainted. They agreed that he would attack and they would defend, and here he was, playing word games¡­ with us, right?

    ¡°Let¡¯s go again!¡± Lin Ning said, huffing.

    If the rules actually allowed attacking, then she wouldn¡¯t hold back against him!

    ¡°Fight what fight? I¡¯m tired,¡± Yan Yu retracted the Huang Tingjian, moving his arms and shoulders. ¡°Moreover, I have to go look at houses, can¡¯t give you extra training today.¡±

    ¡°Buy a house?¡± Lin Ning was taken aback.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°Now that we have the money, we can buy a house near the school. It can also serve as our team¡¯s off-campus activity base in the future.¡±

    ¡°Then shall we all go take a look?¡± Su Yunjin immediately became interested.

    If Yan Yu was buying a house for his own living or investment, it naturally had nothing to do with her, but if it was for the team¡¯s base¡­ Great~ She had just ordered a batch of paper books online, and her dormitory room was almost too cramped to fit them. Temporarily storing them in the team base wouldn¡¯t be a problem, right?

    ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s go,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen also said enthusiastically.

    If she lived off-campus, she wouldn¡¯t need to use the Invisibility Technique every night to sneak into the boys¡¯ dormitory to practice dual cultivation with Yan Yu, yay!

    ¡°Ling Yun, are you going?¡± Seeing Chen Lingyun hadn¡¯t expressed her opinion, Lin Ning asked.

    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, but her mind was still pondering the swordsmanship practice she had just completed.

    Although Yan Yu did not provide detailed theoretical teaching, his sword strikes followed a fixed set of three moves, which clearly directed the battle.

    The first strike needs no explanation; it¡¯s meant to have you watch the path of the sword and block accordingly. The second strike is more sophisticated.

    In the moment when the swords clash, due to the Flying Sword¡¯s substantial force, the resulting collision can cause the sword to become unbalanced, rebound, and be knocked away, leaving the swordsman briefly losing control of the Flying Sword.

    As long as the Sword Control Technique remains active and True Yuan keeps flowing in, this loss of control will quickly end, and the repelled Flying Sword will stabilize in mid-air once again.

    However, in higher-level sword fights, even half a second of lost control could lead to defeat and death. Therefore, during each moment of collision-induced loss of control, one must immediately increase the flow of True Yuan to regain control of the Flying Sword faster than the opponent.

    Whoever can stabilize their uncontrolled Flying Sword more quickly can launch the next attack sooner, seizing the initiative on the battlefield!

    Yes, the initiative.

    Yan Yu¡¯s third strike, transitioning from a high-speed slash to a pause and change of direction, was a rhythm change from fast to slow, which was difficult for the girls with limited combat experience to handle. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But why must you respond to it?

    Once you grasp the essence of the second strike, you¡¯ll understand just how important it is to seize control of the battlefield in a sword fight.

    You want to change the pace from fast to slow, but why should I give you the chance?

    I will go on the offensive! I¡¯ll take back the initiative!

    Thus, linking these three strikes together, the educational significance becomes very clear:

    Struggle for the initiative.

    Chen Lingyun pondered this quietly, filing it away in the sword information library of her mind palace, and then smiled and said:

    ¡°Yan Yu, which villa are you planning to buy?¡±

    ¡°Prioritize one close to the school,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°and then as many rooms as possible, with a big balcony, garden, swimming pool, basement, garage, the more the merrier. Few neighbors, or at least distant ones, would be good. Price is not an issue.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll arrange something,¡± Chen Lingyun said, taking out her phone and starting to type.

    Yan Yu: ?

    What are you arranging?

    After a moment, an unfamiliar account requested to add him as a friend, with the note ¡°Jiang City Group Real Estate Sales, Xiao Fan.¡±

    Yan Yu chatted with the person for a while and, scratching his head, said to the girls:

    ¡°She says she¡¯s driving over to take me to see the house.¡±

    ¡°Wrong,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s us.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The villa¡¯s location was indeed good, with the Qi Xia Mountain to the south and the Yangtze River to the north, truly a ¡°half facing the mountain and half beside the river.¡±

    A big balcony, check.

    A garden, check, and it¡¯s a large lawn in both the front and back yards.

    A swimming pool, check, indoors.

    A basement, check, connected to the underground garage.

    In total, there were fifteen rooms on the ground floor, not including the kitchen, bathrooms, and storage rooms. Yan Yu looked over the layout and deduced there should be ten bedrooms, leaving one study, one walk-in closet, one game room, one movie room, and one gym, making a total of fifteen rooms.

    Isn¡¯t that a bit too many bedrooms?

    ¡°You said you wanted many rooms,¡± Chen Lingyun said cheerfully.

    ¡°What I meant was seven or eight rooms for storing treasures, books, meditating, and watching match videos would be about right,¡± Yan Yu said irritably, scratching his head, ¡°Ten bedrooms! What do I need so many bedrooms for?¡±

    ¡°One master bedroom for the couple, two rooms for the two kids, two more rooms for the parents from both sides,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°A chef, maids, a driver, a butler, guest rooms, aren¡¯t ten rooms just perfect? I think it¡¯s actually not enough.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about, some kind of medieval noble manor lifestyle?¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but retort, ¡°I don¡¯t need as many servants as your place does!¡±

    ¡°No, you need them,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a glowing smile.

 Chapter 100 - 99: The Next Stage, Spiritual Energy Resurgence

    Chapter 100: Chapter 99: The Next Stage, Spiritual Energy Resurgence

    Although Yan Yu felt that the number of rooms in the villa far exceeded actual needs, especially the number of bedrooms which was mysteriously and seriously over the top, Chen Lingyun cleverly initiated an internal team vote for the decision.

    Four votes in favor, the decision was made to buy it.

    ¡°Hold on a second.¡± Yan Yu was rendered speechless by their actions, ¡°It¡¯s the house I¡¯m buying, why do you guys get to vote?!¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t someone say that our team is ¡®dictatorial in war and democratic after war¡¯?¡± Chen Lingyun said with a teasing smile, ¡°We¡¯re not in a state of war now, are we?¡±

    ¡°But this is my house!¡± Yan Yu hadn¡¯t expected a boomerang waiting for him here and hastily argued loudly, ¡°I am purchasing my own private property, team members don¡¯t have decision-making power!¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t someone also say, ¡®It can also serve as our off-campus base of operations¡¯?¡± Lin Ning followed suit with Chen Lingyun¡¯s sly expression, and said with a grin, ¡°When acquiring a team base of operations, team members should have a vote too, right?¡±

    ...

    ¡°Nonsense, did I ever say that?!¡± Yan Yu found that there were more than one boomerang and quickly feigned ignorance, ¡°Provide evidence, baseless claims¡­ are just your word against mine!¡±

    Lin Ning just smiled slightly and took out a recorder pen tucked inside her collar.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­

    ¡°I¡¯ve recorded everything you said during training.¡± Lin Ning scrolled the audio to the end, right up to where Yan Yu said, ¡°What¡¯s all this fighting about? I¡¯m tired, plus I have to go look at houses, there¡¯s no extra training for you guys today,¡± and then started playing the recording publicly:

    ¡°¡­Anyway, we have money now, we can buy a house near the school, which can also serve as our team¡¯s off-campus base of activities.¡±

    Yan Yu was completely dumbfounded.

    Ning, can¡¯t you be less sly? This isn¡¯t your original character, is it?!

    With Secretary Su¡¯s loyal and honest character sitting right there, why don¡¯t you learn from that? Why are you imitating Chen Lingyun¡¯s hypocrisy and trickery?!

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Su Yunjin clapped her hands together and laughed naively, tilting her head, ¡°Well then, as such, the captain should respect everyone else¡¯s opinion, shouldn¡¯t he?¡±

    I¡¯m sorry, Captain, I really do need a library¡­ I¡¯ve bought so many books, I just can¡¯t fit them in my room anymore¡­ wuuu¡­

    Yan Yu looked at her expressionlessly.

    So, you¡¯re in on this too, Su Yunjin?

    ¡°Exactly.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen chimed in lazily.

    My abode as Miyuan the Immortal must be grand and impressive! What¡¯s the point of living in a cramped apartment? It doesn¡¯t reflect the dignity of me, Miyuan the Immortal!

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t want to speak any further; now he was facing a situation of everyone deserting him, standing alone against all odds.

    But!

    I am the strongest in this world!

    A mere four beautiful ladies thinking they could leave me powerless and forced to comply?

    Dream on!

    ¡°Fine.¡± Yan Yu said with a sneer, ¡°But since it¡¯s going to be a team base, there¡¯s no reason for me to be the only one paying, right?¡±

    The four girls frowned, completely unprepared for Yan Yu¡¯s counterattack from this angle.

    ¡°I can contribute money too.¡± Lin Ning immediately said seriously, ¡°But my name needs to be on the property deed!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not possible.¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°For a team base, of course, only the captain¡¯s name can be added. Otherwise, what happens if someone leaves the team in the future? The team base definitely can¡¯t allow those who¡¯ve left to come in, but then your name is on the property deed, isn¡¯t that contradictory?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t leave the team.¡± Lin Ning said without hesitation, ¡°Unless you don¡¯t want me anymore, you don¡¯t have to worry about me leaving the team in the future.¡±

    ¡°Ningning!¡± Su Yunjin interjected quickly.

    Lin Ning¡¯s face turned red, realizing how ambiguous ¡°you don¡¯t want me anymore¡± sounded, and hastily tried to explain:

    ¡°I mean! Ah, it¡¯s like, if I¡¯m not good enough and you, the team leader, want to kick me out, get it? It¡¯s not what you¡¯re thinking!¡±

    ¡°What am I thinking?¡± Yan Yu feigned confusion.

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Knowing that more she said the deeper the hole she¡¯d dig, Lin Ning knew she couldn¡¯t fall for that again and continued, ¡°Anyway, my opinion is, if I contribute money, my name goes on it. What do you guys think?¡±

    ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°And it¡¯s not as if we can¡¯t afford the money.¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± Su Yunjin nodded as she spoke. She had originally hoped to requisition a library here, so it was only natural for her to pay for it, especially since Secretary Su herself wasn¡¯t particularly concerned about money.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about having my name added or not,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said impatiently, ¡°Buy it!¡±

    This Demonic Sect Enchantress¡­ why does she have the vibe of a live-streaming sales host¡­ Yan Yu pondered for a moment.

    Wait, what was my original intention for buying this house?

    It was to live with this enchantress, for the convenience of dual cultivation at night.

    As long as that goal was achieved, how many bedrooms there were, how many girls lived there, whose names were on the property deed¡­ none of that really mattered.

    Just in case something came up later, this place could still serve as the team¡¯s base, and I could just buy a new house in private, right?

    I¡¯ve got plenty of money now!

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Yan Yu stopped dwelling on it, ¡°Let¡¯s split the villa¡¯s cost evenly then.¡±

    ¡°It might be true, but don¡¯t put it in such cringeworthy terms!¡± Lin Ning suddenly interjected with a complaint.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Since the purchase was made in full, the property transaction was completed very quickly.

    After selecting their rooms in the villa, everyone started to fuss over the decoration. Su Yunjin had a pile of paper books to shelve, and Chen Lingyun had quite a few ¡°antique items,¡± so the two of them made an appointment with a renovation company to completely overhaul and remodel their rooms.

    Yan Yu maliciously guessed that Su Yunjin¡¯s room would turn into a library, and Chen Lingyun¡¯s room into a museum.

    Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen didn¡¯t make major changes, just minor ones like changing wallpaper and fixing cabinets.

    Ningning liked a modern style, while Zhao Yuanzhen preferred a newer Chinese style. After the renovations, Yan Yu passed by their doors and glanced inside, finding to his surprise that both rooms looked pretty good.

    You two have good taste!

    Since they had chosen to live in an off-campus villa, they naturally terminated their dormitory rental. Everyone still went to school in the morning for theory classes, practiced in the training grounds in the afternoon, and after dinner, they would ride back to the villa to rest¡ªChen Lingyun had hired a minivan from a rental company, specifically to take care of everyone¡¯s transportation.

    Then one day, Yan Yu was called to the principal¡¯s office.

    Although it wasn¡¯t the first time Li Weiguo had summoned him, Yan Yu still prepared himself for the meeting. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    If the old general said, ¡°Young man, your lifestyle is undisciplined. Before you¡¯re even famous, you¡¯re cohabiting with four female college students. Do you know the negative impact it would have if the media reported on this later?¡± then I would reply with contempt, ¡°You¡¯re wrong this time, General. I have no improper relationship with them. Think about it, with what I have now, which one of them is worthy of me?¡±¡­¡­¡­.

    With this in mind, he swaggered into the principal¡¯s office.

    ¡°Take a seat,¡± Li Weiguo said.

    Yan Yu sat down, only to see Li Weiguo push a small glass bottle across the desk, containing five shimmering elixir pills.

    Is this¡­ a Foundation Establishment Pill?

    ¡°Do you know what this is?¡± Li Weiguo asked with an air of mystery.

    ¡°Elixir Medicine for cultivators?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Correct,¡± Li Weiguo laughed heartily, ¡°This is good stuff indeed.¡±

    Yan Yu, however, remained silent. It was indeed good stuff, no doubt about it. In the future, underground cultivators would rise up in rebellion over this stuff one after another.

    He fell silent for a moment before saying:

    ¡°This thing¡¯s production isn¡¯t high, is it?¡±

    ¡°Only a few dozen a month,¡± Li Weiguo replied loosely, without revealing the actual number, ¡°Call over those few girls in your team secretly and divide up this bottle of Elixir Medicine. Don¡¯t let word get out.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Yan Yu immediately stood up.

    As he left the principal¡¯s office, for some reason, he suddenly felt the sunlight outside to be incredibly blinding.

    If the Foundation Establishment Pill is available now, then¡­

    The next phase of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence must be coming soon, right?

 Chapter 101 - 1 Su Mom Su Dad

    Chapter 101: Chapter 1 Su Mom Su Dad

    July ended, and August had arrived.

    For many students, half of their summer vacation had already passed.

    Though half of the vacation still remained, they couldn¡¯t help but feel occasional pangs of melancholy when they thought of the quietly departed July.

    Yan Yu was delighted to confirm that the four girls in the team had already mastered the basic operations of the Sword Control Technique.

    Even if the lady in green from the Dragon Spring Mountain Mysterious Realm appeared and attacked with the authentic Sword Control Technique of the Taoist sect, the girls could now exchange a few moves with her.

    Not being instantly killed was considered a success!

    ...

    Next, it was time to decide on the four major careers: Law, Sword, Assistant Officer, and Envoy.

    The second edition of the textbook had been distributed, and the instructors were engaging in discussions with each student. Based on their usual performance, they recommended one of the careers for them.

    Of course, the choice ultimately rested in the hands of the students, but in the military, strength was what truly mattered.

    If you chose a career unsuited for you and were unable to display your strengths later on, you would have to bear the consequences yourself.

    There was no need for such discussions in Yan Yu¡¯s Team. He and Zhao Yuanzhen had long been clear about it; both were hidden sects of the Assistant Officer career, known as Puppet Masters, and there was no need to discuss further.

    Chen Lingyun had also communicated with him beforehand, planning to choose the career of Envoy in the ghost-using sect¡­ Ever since she got her hands on the Soul Summoning Banner, she had been studying how to use it, and Yan Yu did not interfere with her research.

    Soon, Lin Ning and Su Yunjin came to him proactively.

    ¡°Yan Yu, are you planning to set me on the path of a Sword Immortal?¡± Lin Ning asked directly.

    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Yan Yu pretended to be surprised.

    ¡°You once told me not to practice unarmed combat.¡± Lin Ning began to list off the details, clearly with the memory of a top student, ¡°You also made me focus on practicing the precursor to the Sword Control Technique, which is the Metal-Element Impact Curse.¡±

    ¡°In the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm, you specifically let me learn the Enemy Luring Technique, which seemed to suggest a role in scouting and assault. Even during the practice of Sword Control, you were tougher on me than on the others¡­¡±

    Yan Yu suddenly laughed helplessly: You even noticed those details? Impressive!

    ¡°So, to summarize, you must have been cultivating me towards becoming a Sword Immortal from the start.¡± Lin Ning concluded in the end.

    ¡°Do you like being a Sword Immortal?¡± Yan Yu neither confirmed nor denied but asked her in return.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Lin Ning responded without hesitation, ¡°After preparing so much for me, it wouldn¡¯t make sense to change paths now, would it? Then all the effort I invested previously would be wasted!¡±

    ¡°That settles it then.¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°If you¡¯ve guessed it and have no objections, why ask me?¡±

    ¡°Just in case. Once it¡¯s confirmed, I can be at ease.¡± Lin Ning then turned to Su Yunjin, reminding her, ¡°Yun Jin, your turn to ask.¡±

    ¡°What are your thoughts, Yun Jin?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t really have any.¡± Su Yunjin spoke softly, ¡°I¡¯m definitely not suited to be a Sword Immortal, but the Assistant Officer and Envoy rely too much on external things, and I¡¯m not sure if they¡¯re right for me.¡±

    ¡°What about being a Cultivator?¡± Yan Yu smiled, ¡°How about the Cultivator who fights from a distance?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s the kind of Cultivator who has to take on the main assault and perform large-scale lethal Taoism Methods, I probably can¡¯t handle it.¡± Su Yunjin had a clear understanding, obviously having thought over this question many times recently, ¡°But if it¡¯s about containment and healing, I will strive to do my best.¡±

    ¡°Alright, then you start on the path of a Cultivator.¡± Yan Yu nodded and then suddenly added, ¡°However, my view differs from yours.¡±

    ¡°A Cultivator using large-scale lethal Taoism Methods for assaults is indeed beyond you now, but that might not be the case in the future.¡±

    He took out an ID and handed it over to Su Yunjin.

    ¡°This is?¡± Su Yunjin opened her eyes wide in surprise.

    ¡°It¡¯s a borrowing permit for the ¡®Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art.¡¯ With this permit, you can collect the Taoism Method scriptures from the school library,¡± Yan Yu answered, ¡°Memorize the mental mantra first and fully understand the theory¡ªthat¡¯s your strength. As for how to cast and apply it in actual combat, I¡¯ll teach you.¡±

    ¡°This ID was tough to get, I really went through a lot to apply for it, so don¡¯t lose it.¡±

    Receiving the ID with solemnity and bidding farewell to Yan Yu, Su Yunjin finally allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief.

    ¡°See, I told you, Yun Jin.¡± Lin Ning also said with a smile, ¡°I knew the captain had a plan for you all along.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Su Yunjin nodded vigorously.

    She was embarrassed to say that she had been having nightmares recently, dreaming that she kept encountering Yan Yu in various places, and then the two of them would interact in all kinds of ways.

    For instance, in the library, Yan Yu would study with her; on the training ground, he would give her pointers on how to train¡­

    However, no matter what the scenario was, when it got to the final stage, he would suddenly drop a bombshell, ¡°Yun Jin, have you considered a job outside of the team?¡±

    Then Su Yunjin would be startled awake.

    She sometimes even found it strange because she had never had a strong motivation to desperately excel at something from her childhood to adulthood¡ªeven her decade-long habit of reading was merely a hobby, and she wouldn¡¯t regret it too much if she were forced to give it up one day.

    But the team¡­

    Su Yunjin didn¡¯t want to leave the team, and she was sure this desire came from her heart.

    Alright, now that she had the goal to learn the ¡°Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art,¡± it was time to work hard!

    After bidding farewell to Lin Ning, Su Yunjin went to the library, planning to fully grasp the theory of this Taoism Method as Yan Yu had arranged before doing anything else.

    After presenting her credentials, the military cultivator in charge of managing the library led Su Yunjin into the inner chamber, confiscated her mobile phone, and then handed her the paper book of the ¡°Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art.¡±

    ¡°You can only read it in this room,¡± the librarian cautioned. ¡°You cannot copy it, take photos, or take it out. There are cameras in the room, so don¡¯t do anything foolish. After you¡¯re done, press the doorbell, and I will come to collect it.¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Su Yunjin nodded vigorously.

    The librarian left with her mobile phone and returned to his desk to enter Su Yunjin¡¯s borrowing information into the computer.

    About half an hour later, Su Yunjin¡¯s phone suddenly rang.

    The librarian answered the call.

    ¡°Hello, Yun Jin?¡± a middle-aged woman¡¯s voice came from the phone.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± replied the librarian, ¡°Comrade Su Yunjin is currently on a confidential mission and cannot take calls. If it¡¯s an emergency, I can relay the message, or you can call back after she has completed her mission.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± The person on the other end was obviously taken aback, ¡°Then¡­ when will the mission be completed?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± the librarian continued, ¡°it¡¯s a confidential mission, so I can¡¯t share any details with you.¡±

    ¡°Here¡¯s the thing,¡± the voice on the other end began arranging her words, ¡°I¡¯m her mother! Her father and I are just outside the school, and we have filed a family visit application. Could you let your military leaders know¡­ the commander, that is, and allow us to come into the school and wait for her?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± the librarian confirmed, ¡°Has your family visit application been approved already?¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± the other party said a bit sheepishly, ¡°We just came up with an urgent matter and came to Jinling Prefecture to find her.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± the librarian mused.

    According to school rules, a family visit application must be submitted three days in advance to allow time for step-by-step approval.

    Without going through successive levels of approval, did you think, as a commoner, you could just walk into our cultivators¡¯ academy? This is a military restricted area! What if you saw things you shouldn¡¯t?

    ¡°Listen to me,¡± the librarian patiently explained, ¡°If you want to visit the school, our institution is a military academy with strict confidentiality regulations, and you must have an approved application to gain entry. A mere submission of an application definitely won¡¯t suffice.¡±

    ¡°However, if you just want to see your daughter, we can ask her to come out to meet you. That way, there won¡¯t be any procedural issues.¡±

    After all, college cultivators have all undergone confidentiality training and know precisely what they can and cannot discuss with relatives and friends. Compared to risking a security breach by allowing parents into the school, it¡¯s safer to have the student file a report and then leave the campus to meet with their parents.

    ¡°But didn¡¯t you say that my daughter is currently on a confidential mission?¡± the other party said with some dissatisfaction, ¡°You can¡¯t even say when she¡¯ll be able to come out.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± the librarian was troubled but then had a sudden inspiration. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Su Yunjin is a member of Yan Yu¡¯s Team, right?

    ¡°How about I ask her team leader for you?¡± the librarian suggested. ¡°Shall I see if he can come out to meet you?¡±

    ¡°Team?¡± The other party paused for quite a while, ¡°What team?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say much about that,¡± the librarian said with a smile, ¡°but I can explain to you: It¡¯s because your daughter is exceptional that she was selected to join this team.¡±

    There was silence on the other end for a long while before finally:

    ¡°Alright then. Please ask that team¡¯s leader if he can spare some time to come out. I appreciate it, thank you.¡±

    Although the voice on the phone was very polite and courteous, there didn¡¯t seem to be any joy at hearing ¡°my daughter is excellent.¡±

 Chapter 102 - 2: The Teams Main Force Su Yunjin

    Chapter 102: Chapter 2: The Team¡¯s Main Force Su Yunjin

    Upon receiving the phone call from the administrator, Yan Yu was also initially dumbfounded.

    ¡°Su Yunjin¡¯s parents are here looking for her¡­ What the hell does that have to do with me?¡±

    After the administrator had explained the situation, he was speechless.

    Su Yunjin was in the secret chamber studying the Taoism Method scriptures, and according to the rules, she should not be disturbed. After all, based on what Mei Yingxue said, if she were in the midst of an epiphany, reaching a state of sudden enlightenment, and someone interrupted her, it would be an incalculable loss for her.

    Therefore, the current rule was that unless she came out herself, she could stay inside as long as she wished. There was a cupboard with food and water, as well as a simple toilet in the quiet room, and the air conditioning maintained a constant temperature 24 hours a day¡ªlet her focus on her studies!

    As for Su Yunjin¡¯s parents waiting at the school gate, it wasn¡¯t appropriate to leave them hanging outside.

    ...

    Looking around, it seemed he had no choice but to step in himself; after all, he was technically Su Yunjin¡¯s ¡°leader.¡±

    Forget it, just go and deal with it.

    At the school gate, Yan Yu met the two uncles and aunts.

    Su Yunjin¡¯s parents, both university professors, at first glance, looked like they had that scholarly aura, ¡°clearly from an intellectual family.¡±

    Of course, a high level of knowledge didn¡¯t necessarily mean they were open-minded, some could be even more difficult to handle than average families, but Yan Yu was not at all intimidated.

    Your daughter is working under me; you weigh that in your own heart!

    ¡°Uncle and Aunt, sorry to have kept you waiting,¡± Yan Yu greeted them as soon as he saw them, a polite remark, ¡°Military duties are hectic, and I apologize for not being able to welcome you sooner.¡±

    Su Yunjin¡¯s mother, originally a bit resentful towards the school for not being able to see her daughter, suddenly didn¡¯t know what to complain about when faced with the daunting premise of ¡°busy military duties¡± from Yan Yu. However, she heard Su Yunjin¡¯s father laughing and saying:

    ¡°No problem. It¡¯s mainly because we came on such short notice, disturbing you.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s find a place to sit down,¡± Yan Yu suggested with a smile.

    In a nearby coffee shop, Yan Yu ordered a few drinks for the uncle and aunt. Perhaps getting impatient, Su Yunjin¡¯s mother couldn¡¯t help but ask directly:

    ¡°How has my daughter been doing at school recently? The school says she¡¯s on a confidential military mission. There¡¯s no danger, is there?¡±

    ¡°Ah, no,¡± Yan Yu immediately denied, ¡°Though it is a confidential task, with Su Yunjin¡¯s student¡¯s intelligence and talents, there is absolutely no risk involved.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s confidential, can it not be dangerous?¡± Su Yunjin¡¯s mother still wasn¡¯t convinced.

    ¡°The risk of military tasks is not dependent on whether it¡¯s confidential or not, but on whether it involves killing,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°The ones involving killing might be dangerous, the ones without killing, generally not.¡±

    Su Yunjin¡¯s father and mother: ¡­¡­

    Finished, they didn¡¯t know how to follow up. This conversation had entered unknown territory.

    ¡°Captain Yan,¡± Su Yunjin¡¯s father managed to respond with a nervous laugh, ¡°It¡¯s a time of peace now, this killing¡­ isn¡¯t that a bit of an exaggeration?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not at liberty to discuss that,¡± Yan Yu replied with a hearty laugh, ¡°It¡¯s confidential, please understand.¡±

    Su Yunjin¡¯s father had nothing more to say, but Su Yunjin¡¯s mother continued unabashedly:

    ¡°Does this mean my daughter isn¡¯t killing yet, but might be involved in such things in the future?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Yan Yu said at a measured pace, ¡°As for the future, who can say for sure? Maybe one day we¡¯ll suddenly be at war with a foreign country. As soldiers, we must protect our homeland, so such things are inevitable.¡±

    Su Yunjin¡¯s mother was left speechless; she couldn¡¯t outright say ¡°Let others protect the homeland, just not my daughter.¡± Su Yunjin¡¯s father became anxious and immediately asked:

    ¡°In the era of nuclear deterrence, there shouldn¡¯t be any large-scale international wars, right?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s hope so,¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°Anyway, whether it¡¯s total war or a local conflict, we soldiers will certainly be at the forefront¡­ Excuse me, I need to take a call.¡±

    He got up to answer the phone and left.

    With Yan Yu gone and no outsiders present, Su Yunjin¡¯s mother immediately started to complain to her husband:

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say Yun Jin was in a technical unit? How did this get to killing people again!¡±

    ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t know why either,¡± Su Yunjin¡¯s father hurriedly explained, ¡°I don¡¯t run the military academy, if they want to assign Yun Jin to a different position, what can I do?¡±

    ¡°We only have one daughter, Yun Jin!¡± Su Yunjin¡¯s mother said through gritted teeth, ¡°If something happens to her, you can let the country support you in your old age!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not impossible,¡± Su Yunjin¡¯s father murmured, ¡°They say, once selected for Hanlin Pavilion, the pension subsidy would at least be¡­¡±

    ¡°What retirement subsidy!¡± Su¡¯s mom instantly flared up, ¡°You¡¯re all set to become scholars, and all you think about is money! When you¡¯re old and seriously ill in the hospital, let¡¯s see if your director will stay up all night to hand you a urinal!¡±

    ¡°Tch, don¡¯t even say such things!¡± Su¡¯s dad also got somewhat annoyed, ¡°Our daughter has her own life to live. What kind of plan is it to rely on her for your retirement?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not relying on her for retirement, I just hope she stays healthy and safe for her whole life.¡± After half a day of complaining, Su¡¯s mom finally revealed her true intent, ¡°You think of a way to get her to quit the military!¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡± Su¡¯s dad gave up on the spot.

    ¡°If you can¡¯t do it, then find a way! Pull some strings! Ask for favors!¡± Su¡¯s mom demanded resolutely.

    Meanwhile, Yan Yu had stepped outside the shop and picked up the phone, where Su Yunjin¡¯s anxious voice came through:

    ¡°Captain, are my parents at your place?¡±

    ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry,¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly, ¡°I¡¯ve taken them to a caf¨¦ to rest.¡±

    ¡°Which caf¨¦?¡±

    ¡°The one 200 meters straight ahead when you come out of the school gate,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°They probably don¡¯t have any urgent matters, just came to see you and ask about how you¡¯re doing.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be right there!¡± The sound of rushing wind came from the other side, as if Su Yunjin had activated her Shifting Technique and was hurrying toward the school gate, ¡°Captain, you didn¡¯t tell them anything, did you?¡±

    ¡°What could I possibly tell them?¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°Your parents are civilians, could I violate confidentiality regulations?¡±

    Su Yunjin breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that; as long as the captain hadn¡¯t said anything¡­ What a relief¡ªno way!!!

    The captain¡¯s mouth could charm Ling Yun into struggling to keep a straight face, provoke Ningning into nonstop complaints, and it was routine business to leave Sister Zhao at a loss for words and fuming.

    When it comes to leading a team in actual combat, of course, there¡¯s absolute trust in the captain; but when it involves social communication, don¡¯t just blabber without thinking¡ªit might lead to some misunderstanding with the parents¡­

    With this in mind, Su Yunjin was extremely anxious, wishing she could fly over on a Sword Control to the school gate right this moment.

    She rushed out of school hurriedly, crossed the road, and made her way to the caf¨¦. Bursting through the door, she scanned the place with her eyes.

    Yan Yu was chatting with her parents.

    Su Yunjin struggled to steady her breathing and then put on an appropriately graceful smile as she walked towards her parents.

    Just as she was about to greet them from a distance, she heard Yan Yu say:

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible, Yun Jin is an absolute key player in our team.¡±

    Su Yunjin: !!!

    So suddenly I¡¯ve become a key player in the team, can¡¯t you stop going off script here and making things up, captain!!!

    She quickly sat down next to Yan Yu, feigning composure as she asked:

    ¡°Dad, Mom, what are you talking about?¡±

    Seeing their daughter finally arrive, Su¡¯s dad visibly relaxed, and Su¡¯s mom¡¯s expression softened, but she soon asked sternly:

    ¡°Yun Jin, why didn¡¯t you tell us about joining the team?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I?¡± Su Yunjin cocked her head and feigned ignorance.

    Her act of playing dumb was so natural that Yan Yu mentally gave her a thumbs-up.

    Seeing his daughter¡¯s clueless expression, even Su¡¯s dad started to feel uncertain, pulling out his phone to check their chat history.

    But Su¡¯s mom didn¡¯t care whether it had been mentioned before; in her mind, if she didn¡¯t remember, it meant it wasn¡¯t discussed, so she continued to press the issue:

    ¡°The team is meant to go to the frontline to fight, right? Can you, a girl, handle the physical demands? You haven¡¯t even killed a chicken before, how can you be expected to go to the battlefield and kill people? Isn¡¯t that asking too much of you?¡±

    Hearing her mom¡¯s rant, Su Yunjin immediately realized what was happening.

    Mom wants me to leave the team!

    ¡°What¡¯s so difficult about that?¡± Su Yunjin showed a look of puzzlement and turned to ask Yan Yu, ¡°Captain, didn¡¯t you tell my parents?¡±

    ¡°Tell them what?¡± Yan Yu joined in the act.

    ¡°I¡¯m now absolutely key to the team, you know,¡± Su Yunjin said calmly. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 103 - 3 Yun Jin, You Are in a Relationship

    Chapter 103: Chapter 3 Yun Jin, You Are in a Relationship

    No matter how gently Su¡¯s mother tried to persuade her, or how fiercely she tried to scare her, Su Yunjin always remained calm and gentle, repeating the same arguments over and over again.

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible for me to quit, I¡¯m the main force of the team! Without me, the team would fall apart.¡±

    ¡°Dangerous? There won¡¯t be any danger, I¡¯m the main force of the team! How could I be the main force without some real ability?¡±

    ¡°Mom, Dad, I know you¡¯re worried about me, but you should actually be proud of me instead.¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m the main force of the team!¡±

    Su¡¯s mother exhausted all her wits, patiently and carefully trying to persuade her, but who would have thought that her daughter, who had never been rebellious from childhood to now, was impervious to both soft and hard tactics, forcing her to give her husband a look that said, ¡°Are you just going to watch our daughter contradict me like this?¡±

    ...

    Su¡¯s father had been quietly observing and listening on the side, and he couldn¡¯t help but feel emotional too.

    From childhood to adulthood, in front of parents, relatives, or teachers, Su Yunjin was always the super obedient ¡°good girl.¡±

    She loved reading, but never demanded her parents to buy her books. She liked clothes, jewelry, makeup too, but similarly, she rarely went shopping on her initiative. In daily life, she only looked up to her parents, going to whatever school they asked, studying liberal arts if they said so, never questioning anything.

    Of course, this acquiescent character was not very good either, and at one point, it had seriously worried Su¡¯s father.

    Now, seeing his daughter finally start to have her own opinions, Su¡¯s father felt a sense of relief on one hand, but on the other, he was more curious about what had changed her.

    Then, Su¡¯s father noticed some details:

    Every time Su Yunjin said, ¡°I¡¯m the main force of the team,¡± her gaze would unconsciously dart quickly toward Yan Yu at her side.

    Su¡¯s father pondered for a good while, then a smile of understanding appeared on his face.

    After all¡­ Yunjin has grown up.

    Perhaps it¡¯s time to trust her judgment of people.

    ¡°Let it be,¡± Su¡¯s father indicated to Su¡¯s mother with his eyes, ¡°Stop interfering so much, our daughter isn¡¯t a little child anymore, you need to respect her opinion.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a matter of opinion,¡± Su¡¯s mother, who hadn¡¯t noticed her daughter¡¯s subtle actions or her husband¡¯s hints, insisted, ¡°Yunjin, you are my only daughter in this lifetime, what am I supposed to do if something happens to you?¡±

    Su Yunjin, a girl with careful thoughts, feeling a twinge of heartache upon hearing her mother¡¯s emotive words almost crumbling into tears, wondered if it was right for her to lightly engage in dangers, causing her parents worry.

    But she quickly remembered another matter.

    In an era of Spiritual Energy Resurgence, Cultivators¡¯ powers would only grow stronger, while ordinary people couldn¡¯t keep up, and this was definitely going to cause problems.

    That village in Longquan Prefecture, an old man who accidentally entered the path of cultivation could wield the power to slaughter the entire village. What if the next illegal Cultivator appears in Gusu Prefecture? If they turn up in the neighborhood where Mom and Dad live, wanting to harvest the souls of the innocent to refine Magic Artifacts, what then?

    Should I strive to enhance my own strength so I can protect Mom and Dad when the time comes? Or should I heed Mom¡¯s advice and try to avoid the frontline, hoping to rely on the captain or other powerful Cultivators to come to the rescue when danger strikes? But what if they can¡¯t save us in time, what then?

    I¡¯m sorry, Mom. I¡¯m really afraid of death, but I¡¯m even more afraid that when the time comes, nobody will be able to save you.

    From the moment I became a Cultivator, I stepped onto this thorny and perilous path with an unknown end.

    I won¡¯t turn back now.

    ¡°Mom.¡± Su Yunjin held the coffee cup, her head bowed as she softly said, ¡°I have made up my mind.¡±

    Upon hearing Su Yunjin say this, Su¡¯s mother was also stunned and silent, not knowing how to react.

    ¡°Yunjin, don¡¯t take it to heart,¡± Su¡¯s father tried to comfort her, ¡°Your mom is just worried about you. But if you¡¯ve really made up your mind, we¡¯ll all stand by your side.¡±

    ¡°Mhmm.¡± Su Yunjin suddenly felt like crying but she held back with all her might.

    ¡°By the way, your dad has finally been elected as a scholar of the Hanlin Academy,¡± Su¡¯s father said with a laugh that bragged, ¡°From now on, you can tell your classmates that you have a scholar as a father.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Su Yunjin exclaimed with joy.

    The Academy of Science, Engineering Academy, Hanlin Academy, collectively known as the three major academies of Lu Country, are the pinnacles of an academic career path. All academicians have a lifetime quota, and the total number is fixed, with vacancies only filled when an old member passes away.

    Su¡¯s father being elected as a scholar to the Hanlin Academy meant his abilities were definitely more than sufficient, but luck played an unmistakably significant part too.

    When her husband¡¯s career achievements were mentioned, even Su¡¯s mother, still concerned about her daughter¡¯s affairs, couldn¡¯t help but show a smile.

    ¡°So, Dad, you have to treat us to a meal now, right?¡± Su Yunjin playfully asked.

    ¡°Of course, why else would I come to find you?¡± Su¡¯s father said proudly, then turned to Yan Yu beside them, ¡°Yan Yu, is there any good restaurant near your school?¡±

    Su Yunjin suddenly felt something was off. To celebrate Dad¡¯s professional success with a family dinner ¨C why ask the captain?

    Of course, it was normal to ask since the captain was sitting right there¡­ but still, it felt odd.

    Dad! Couldn¡¯t you wait until the captain left before mentioning it? It¡¯s weird to ask the captain about our own family dinner!

    ¡°A restaurant, huh.¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment before saying with sudden high EQ, ¡°I¡¯m not very familiar with that, Yun Jin knows much more about eating out than I do.¡±

    Just as Su Yunjin breathed a sigh of relief, ready to recommend a few gourmet spots to Dad, she heard Dad ask with a chuckle:

    ¡°Do you two not go out to eat very often?¡±

    As soon as these words were out, Yan Yu raised his eyebrows, Mom was stunned, and Su Yunjin¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    Hold on! My dad didn¡¯t misunderstand something, did he? S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    She wanted to clarify quickly, but the words stopped on the tip of her tongue.

    Miss Su liked to read, and those who love to read are quick-witted. She quickly realized that the subject ¡°you two¡± in Dad¡¯s sentence could be understood in two ways:

    One was referring to a couple, and if that was the case, the question was loaded. The focus was not the answer itself but the assumption behind it. Whether you answer yes or no, you would be confirming the assumption, so you had to correct it directly.

    The other was referring to team members. You two are on the same team, so don¡¯t you often go out to eat together?

    If Dad meant the latter and she rushed to clarify, it would seem pretty dumb, like trying too hard to cover up something.

    Su Yunjin quickly thought it through and laughed:

    ¡°When it comes to team dinners, we actually do quite¡­¡±

    Before she could finish, she heard Mom quickly look over at Yan Yu, then turn her gaze back to her daughter and exclaimed with delayed shock:

    ¡°Yun Jin, are you dating?!¡±

    Su Yunjin¡¯s smile froze on her face.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    In the end, Su Yunjin did go out to eat with her parents.

    As for how she explained that there was nothing romantic going on between her and her captain, that was her business. Yan Yu chose to trust in Miss Su¡¯s wisdom.

    After a casual dinner outside, Yan Yu had just returned to the school when he received a call from Qi Changping.

    ¡°Hello, is it Old Li looking for me?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Qi Changping said expressionlessly, ¡°but could you please use a different honorific, like addressing him as ¡®commander¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll head to his office right now.¡±

    On his way to the office, Yan Yu silently reflected.

    What does the old commander want with me this time?

    It surely can¡¯t be because he heard about Mom¡¯s misunderstanding with her daughter and especially called me over to ridicule me, can it?

    No, no, no, he shouldn¡¯t be that petty, not like Chen Lingyun! Probably another mysterious realm has appeared.

    Upon arriving at the principal¡¯s office, Yan Yu didn¡¯t wait for Li Weiguo to invite him to sit. He casually pulled up a chair and sat down.

    ¡°You sure don¡¯t stand on ceremony,¡± said Li Weiguo with a smile, holding his teacup.

    ¡°Your time is precious, sir, so I won¡¯t waste any of it,¡± Yan Yu asked bluntly, ¡°Which mysterious realm has appeared this time, and do you want me to take my team to claim it?¡±

    ¡°Oh, not that,¡± Li Weiguo put down his teacup. ¡°There have indeed been several mysterious realms appearing recently, but the higher-ups are still confirming the allocation details. They¡¯ll notify us when it¡¯s settled.¡±

    Lately, Lu Country had gained rich experience in dealing with the sudden emergence of mysterious realm entrances.

    For large mysterious realms like those in the Wuyi Mountains located in Minhai Province, the main team would be the Zhendong Army Team. Then a guest team from one of the other three armies would be chosen for mock combat drills, jointly vying for control of the critical hub of the realm.

    However, for smaller realms like Longquan Mountain, they wouldn¡¯t use a two-team competition system anymore. Whichever province it was in would handle it, to prevent the excessive waste of cultivators¡¯ manpower.

    ¡°However, Liu Longtao¡¯s team has been quite active lately,¡± Li Weiguo continued. ¡°Last week they seized three mysterious realms in one fell swoop and defeated Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Pingxi Army Team, keeping a perfect winning streak so far.¡±

    Three realms in one week? Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but be amazed. Are everyone on the Lord Master¡¯s team training for a triathlon or what?

    Setting aside everything else, just constantly flying around by plane was tiring enough.

    Not to mention the tactical planning before a battle, the contest within the realm, and the debriefing after¡­ Even having five livers wouldn¡¯t be enough to handle it all!

    ¡°So, what do you think?¡± asked Li Weiguo with a smile. ¡°Their historical record has already surpassed yours in the number of victories.¡±

    ¡°Think about what?¡± Yan Yu cautiously confirmed, ¡°If you¡¯re asking what I think about Liu Longtao, then based on past records, he¡¯s my defeated foe; if you¡¯re asking about his team, in my current impression, that¡¯s a team led by my defeated foe¡­¡±

    ¡°Alright, enough,¡± Li Weiguo immediately felt a headache coming on.

 Chapter 104 - 4 Interrupting Spellcasting

    Chapter 104: Chapter 4 Interrupting Spellcasting

    Li Weiguo sighed inwardly.

    ¡°Knowing that this kid is insufferably arrogant, why did I ask for his views on the other teams? Isn¡¯t this just giving him a chance to show off?¡±

    ¡°Have the roles in your team been distributed?¡± Li Weiguo decided to change the subject.

    ¡°They have.¡± Yan Yu nodded and said, ¡°Lin Ning and I are following the Sword Immortal path, Su Yunjin practices spells, Zhao Jiuzhen is the Assistant Officer, and Chen Lingyun is the Envoy.¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Li Weiguo nodded, finding the role distribution quite balanced.

    According to the military¡¯s internal research, Sword Immortals and spell casters tend to be more offensive, while Assistant Officers and Envoys lean more towards restraint.

    ...

    The most reasonable match was three to two, meaning three offensive members to two that focused on restraint.

    Of course, Li Weiguo wouldn¡¯t impose those old scholars¡¯ theories on Yan Yu, dictating ¡°you must match it this way for me.¡±

    But Yan Yu happened to have matched it exactly that way, giving Li Weiguo a subtle sense of relief.

    ¡°Judging from the Sword-Spell-Assistant-Envoy system, how long will it take for your team to complete the transformation?¡± Li Weiguo continued to ask.

    ¡°Lin Ning and I have already adapted to the Sword Immortal role and can begin to exercise some combat power,¡± Yan Yu explained. ¡°Su Yunjin is studying Taoism Method and hasn¡¯t begun to practice yet; both Chen Lingyun and Zhao Jiuzhen are in the same situation, they don¡¯t have the appropriate Servant Envoys or magical treasures at hand.¡±

    His words were partly true and partly false. Yan Yu, having been an ordinary person in his previous life, fought using a True Yuan storage device, so he chose the Sword Immortal, which on average consumed the least True Yuan. Although he used to be a Puppet Master as an Assistant Officer, his combat experience as a Sword Immortal wouldn¡¯t just vanish, making the role of Sword Immortal¡ªwhich heavily relies on technical experience¡ªsecond nature to him.

    As for Zhao Yuanzhen, even though her true occupation was as a Puppet Master, the Qiansi Sect also liked to create malevolent magical treasures for use, so having her pose as an Assistant Officer who specialized in magical treasures wasn¡¯t a problem.

    Li Weiguo, unaware of the nuances in Yan Yu¡¯s words, simply nodded and said:

    ¡°Envoys and Assistant Officers indeed are professions that depend heavily on external objects. If you need any resources, just let me know; if there are relevant Mysterious Realms later on, I will try my best to secure opportunities for you all to join the battle.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    The materials obtained by the military cultivators from exploring low-Level Mysterious Realms were definitely beneath his interest.

    At the very least, it would have to be on the level of Dragon Spring Mountain Mysterious Realm.

    But Mysterious Realms of such a level were basically conquered under my lead for the Zhendong Army! Once we finished a battle, I¡¯d check the inventory list and reserve the materials directly. What was there to choose? S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    So, unless he could dip into the stores of the other three armies, there was no need to pick at all, amounting to a sheer waste of time.

    Ah, when will new Mysterious Realms be available for conquest?

    After leaving the principal¡¯s office, Yan Yu strolled leisurely towards the school¡¯s exit, ready to head home.

    At the school gate, he saw Su Yunjin standing, looking around as if waiting for someone.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Yan Yu approached and asked, ¡°Where are your parents?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve gone back.¡± Su Yunjin replied, ¡°I called a cab. Want to go back together?¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    It¡¯s strange to think, it was just me cohabiting with the witch off campus, how did it suddenly become the entire team moving into the villa?

    But on second thought, it definitely didn¡¯t make sense to live in the school dorms when there was a villa available.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already explained the misunderstanding to my mom,¡± Su Yunjin continued, ¡°Don¡¯t mind it.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I won¡¯t mind,¡± Yan Yu replied with equanimity, ¡°That¡¯s very normal. Every time Lin Ning calls home, her dad asks her if she has found a boyfriend. At least your family isn¡¯t rushing you, right?¡±

    ¡°Hehe.¡± Su Yunjin laughed, covering her mouth, ¡°Indeed, I often hear Ningning complain about it.¡±

    ¡°Nowadays, the marriage rate is getting lower and lower. Young people don¡¯t seem to like dating anymore,¡± Yan Yu went on chatting idly, ¡°There are especially many leftover women in big cities, so it¡¯s normal for your family to be anxious.¡±

    ¡°But from what I see, you don¡¯t actually have to be in a rush.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the reason?¡± Su Yunjin asked.

    ¡°The emergence of ¡®leftover women¡¯ is due to not having a suitable partner that meets one¡¯s standards within their social circle,¡± Yan Yu explained calmly, ¡°But you all are the finest group of cultivators in Lu Country, you will inevitably attract a large number of talented individuals, so there should be no shortage of potential marital prospects.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true,¡± Su Yunjin nodded.

    The cool breeze of the summer night was gently blowing, messing up the hair beside her cheeks. Su Yunjin used her slender fingers to tidy her hair and suddenly asked:

    ¡°Then Captain, you¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, here it is,¡± Yan Yu interrupted, ¡°The car that stopped up there, that¡¯s the one we called, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Su Yunjin glanced at the license plate.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go,¡± Yan Yu said.

    After they got into the back seat of the car, Su Yunjin quietly looked out the window, the scenery was quickly passing by.

    In the reflection of the car window, Yan Yu¡¯s profile was clearly visible; he was looking down at his mobile phone.

    ¡°We should get home by nine-thirty,¡± Su Yunjin spoke up.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu responded.

    ¡°Captain,¡± Su Yunjin continued, ¡°do you ever¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait a moment,¡± Yan Yu suddenly interrupted her.

    He opened the voice message in the chat window and brought the bottom of his phone close to his ear.

    Despite not activating the speaker due to consideration for the driver, Su Yunjin, sitting beside him, could still faintly hear a woman¡¯s voice choked with sobs:

    ¡°¡­Yan Yu, they¡¯re all dead¡­ so many people dead¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t panic,¡± Yan Yu pressed the [Voice Input] button, and said in a deep voice, ¡°Listen carefully. Seal your apartment immediately, block the front door with a cabinet, close the windows, pull the curtains, and if possible, nail wooden boards over them. Turn all your and your father¡¯s mobile phones to silent mode, keeping them with you. The TV also needs to be muted, and remember to cut the phone line if there are calls, don¡¯t open the door for anyone.¡±

    ¡°The food and water reserves in your house should be enough for half a month. After half a month, the situation might improve. Be sure to watch the news on TV every day, and absolutely do not go out unless necessary. At night, remember to place a glass bottle upside down behind the door as a precaution against intruders, and don¡¯t be scared.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s another problem,¡± Anna, nearly breaking down, was hiding in her apartment room in distant Amur City, shaking as she tapped on her mobile keyboard, ¡°My mother is in a residential area far away.¡±

    ¡°Forget about your maternal relatives,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, ¡°What¡¯s most important right now is to save your and your father¡¯s lives. Staying in the apartment is the safest bet.¡±

    ¡°If you really can¡¯t rest assured, you can call your aunt, she still has a good attitude towards you and your father. But remember to call her at least three days later; otherwise, if your aunt asks you and your father to take refuge with her now, considering your father¡¯s personality¡­ I¡¯m not optimistic that he will make the right choice.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Anna quickly hit the send button, then pressed her phone tightly against her chest.

    Her messy blonde hair cascaded down, her face still streaked with the marks of recent tears, as if after a hysterical breakdown from crying.

    But Anna quickly opened her eyes, and this time there was no panic or fear in her gaze, only determination, toughness, and ferocity.

    I know spells, and we have supplies at home¡­

    I won¡¯t die, and neither will Dad¡­

    We, will all survive¡­

    Outside the apartment room, smoke was rising from the distant streets, and bursts of gunfire could be heard from time to time.

    The security officers were setting up defenses, but these lines were quickly broken by the spirit communicators.

    They were originally members of local gangs, as well as low-level workers and the unemployed, but at this moment, they all shared a single identity:

    Illegal spirit communicators.

    Infected with the ¡®lycanthropy virus,¡¯ illegal lycanthrope spirit communicators who no longer feared gunfire.

 Chapter 105 - 5: The Rich Lady Desperately Seeks a Malevolent Ghost

    Chapter 105: Chapter 5: The Rich Lady Desperately Seeks a Malevolent Ghost

    The next morning.

    Yan Yu got up, washed up, and went downstairs to sit on the living room sofa, only to see Lin Ning preparing breakfast in the kitchen.

    The sweltering heat of August was bearing down, with temperatures already in the 30s early in the morning. Because of this, Sister Lin was wearing only a tank top and denim shorts, with a kitchen apron tied in front to shield from the oil splatter, revealing large patches of her fair and healthy skin on her shoulders, arms, thighs, and lower back.

    Yeah, summer is great!

    On the gas stove, a pot was boiling with wonton noodles, a frying pan contained fish cakes, and in the rice cooker was a simmering porridge, next to which stood a buzzing soy milk machine. Lin Ning was preparing breakfast for five people all by herself, yet her movements were orderly and efficient.

    Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Yan Yu watching her, and turned to say,

    ...

    ¡°Breakfast will be ready soon; go call them down to eat.¡±

    ¡°Let the little alarm clock do it,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Who¡¯s the little alarm clock?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    ¡°You.¡±

    ¡°Give it a rest,¡± Lin Ning sighed with resignation, responding with Yan Yu¡¯s catchphrase.

    A moment later, Su Yunjin also came downstairs.

    She went to the sofa, neatly stacked a few books that were lying in disarray on the coffee table, and then heard Lin Ning shout,

    ¡°Yun Jin! Help me call the others down for breakfast. The captain refuses to do it, the meanie.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Su Yunjin replied and then winked at Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t understand what she meant by that, so he simply winked back in the same way.

    Fortunately, Su Yunjin didn¡¯t respond; otherwise, the two of them would have started communicating in eyelid Morse code.

    But¡­

    I somehow feel that today¡¯s Su Yunjin seems more approachable than before?

    Ha ha ha, it¡¯s not like she¡¯s an animal; what does ¡®more approachable¡¯ mean? It¡¯s just that our relationship has grown closer, that¡¯s all.

    The third person to come down was unsurprisingly Zhao Yuanzhen, the gluttonous Devil Emperor from the Demonic Sect. As soon as she came down the stairs, she tiptoed to the kitchen, trying to sneak a bite of the fish cakes Lin Ning was frying in the pan.

    But Lin Ning, a woman on the path of the Sword Immortal, was always alert and had quick reflexes. How could she let Zhao Yuanzhen succeed? In an instant, she flicked her hand with a whoosh and slapped away the stealthy claw.

    Zhao Yuanzhen sheepishly withdrew her hand and turned to see Yan Yu sitting on the sofa, trying to hold back his laughter. She couldn¡¯t help but feel secretly annoyed and mentally took note:

    ¡°Today this thief saw me fail to steal a fish cake and even mocked me. I¡¯ll remember this grudge! When the day comes that I seize power and assume control, I will definitely tie this little thief up in front of food, so he knows the pain of being able to look but not eat!¡±

    Thinking this, she quickly cheered up and sat down next to Yan Yu.

    As for Chen Lingyun, although she usually carried herself with grace and poise, she had a severe case of morning grumpiness, dragging her heels until Su Yunjin finally called her down. sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Everyone gathered around the dining table for breakfast, and afterward, they took a chartered vehicle to the academy for classes.

    The morning was still devoted to theory lessons, which aren¡¯t worth mentioning. The afternoon, however, was reserved for training classes, where the students would follow the instructors to learn. Yan Yu¡¯s Team naturally followed their captain to the back mountain¡¯s exclusive training field to practice.

    ¡°Southern Dipper covers the sky, command the stars to form a river!¡±

    With a delicate shout from Su Yunjin, as her True Yuan coursed through her meridians and surged, the waters of the celestial river also manifested in the air.

    ¡°It¡¯s still too much,¡± Yan Yu suddenly said.

    ¡°Should I compress it more?¡± Su Yunjin immediately stopped circulating her spiritual energy, and the impending waters of the Heavenly River also vanished instantly.

    ¡°Compress it again. Otherwise, your True Yuan won¡¯t last,¡± Yan Yu advised, ¡°The secret art mentions this point, right?¡±

    Su Yunjin fell into contemplation, recalling the annotations of the ¡°Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art¡± she had memorized in the quiet room days ago.

    The annotator was named ¡°Chen Mingyan,¡± who seemed to be the lady in green from Dragon Spring Mountain¡¯s Mysterious Realm encountered in the past.

    At the beginning of the classic, she mentioned that if the original ¡°Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art¡± were executed, it would instantly result in vast expanses of water, overwhelming and boundless, so there was no need for any finesse¡ªjust flood the enemy with the waters of the Heavenly River to finish the job.

    However, as the concentration of spiritual energy in the world was continuously declining, by the Age of Dharma Decline in the future, practitioners would inevitably face the issue of True Yuan sustainability.

    Therefore, she meticulously dissected and recompiled the method, turning the ¡°Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art¡± from merely a brute-force summoning of rivers and floods to attack the enemy, which also caused the True Yuan to drain away wildly like a raging river, into a series of more skillful and tactically valuable moves.

    For instance, the first move ¡°Jiaochong¡± mimics a flood dragon spitting water from the river, summoning pillars of Heavenly River water around the enemy and rapidly gushing vast floods in a specified direction, sweeping the enemy into its deluge.

    The annotator explained in the classic that if you attack the enemy directly, they may easily dodge using immortal steps; but if you use the sudden rush of the Heavenly River¡¯s water to inundate them, causing them to roll helplessly underwater, losing their sense of direction, then it¡¯s easy to decapitate them with a Flying Sword. What¡¯s most commendable is that the consumption of True Yuan is only slightly more than that of the Three Arts and Five Spells.

    But Su Yunjin had been practicing for a long time and still couldn¡¯t control her True Yuan output well. Using it a bit too much caused the diameter of the Jiaochong to be much larger than recorded in the classic, which actually reduced the impact force.

    She needed to train her control of True Yuan, Su Yunjin resolved firmly to herself.

    After inspecting Su Yunjin¡¯s progress, Yan Yu went to practice with Lin Ning.

    As she now had no sword techniques at her disposal, Ningning couldn¡¯t practice the basics alone and had to rely on Yan Yu to feed her moves.

    After sparring with Lin Ning to the point of exhaustion, Yan Yu put away the Huang Tingjian and then went to find Chen Lingyun and Zhao Yuanzhen.

    Zhao Yuanzhen didn¡¯t need to worry; after all, her combat experience was there, and she was naturally more adept at fighting than others. As the concentration of environmental spiritual energy gradually increased, her strength was bound to return slowly.

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s situation was more complicated. She was set on the path of controlling ghosts and had now obtained both the Soul Summoning Banner and the Heart Capturing Technique¡ªyet she lacked suitable spirits to refine and control.

    There were two ways to acquire ghosts:

    One was to improvise¡ªthe capture and killing of people, and after killing them, shaking the Soul Summoning Banner to absorb their living souls, offer sacrifices and torment them until they turned into ferocious and brutal evil spirits.

    But there were many problems with this approach. First, the concentration of ordinary human souls was insufficient for battle, making them easily perishable, and each death greatly weakened the soul force, requiring long-term nurturing within the Soul Summoning Banner; secondly, there was the issue of modern social perceptions. Even if she were to collect the souls of executed criminals, any exposure would still tarnish her reputation.

    The other method was to visit ancient battlefields and seek out long-dead yin soldiers and ghost warriors¡ªthe earlier they died, the more formidable the lingering ghost soldiers would be.

    Given the historical shifts in the population center of Lu Country, the most formidable ghost soldiers were mainly concentrated in the northern provinces of Xichuan and Sanjin, followed by Jibei, Central Plains, Jingbei, and Qilu provinces.

    However, these provinces were within the defense areas of other military forces; as for the Zhendong Military Defense Area¡¯s jurisdiction over five provinces and one prefecture, what they had in abundance was not spirits, but monsters.

    Seeing Chen Lingyun staring at the Soul Summoning Banner for a long time without making sense of it, Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but say,

    ¡°Stop looking. If it really comes to it, we can just take a trip to an ancient battlefield, see if we can find anything overlooked.¡±

    ¡°Find overlooked items?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a gleeful smile, ¡°Are there still unclaimed wandering spirits and lost ghosts in today¡¯s ancient battlefields?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a high probability of none,¡± Yan Yu answered frankly, ¡°Famous ancient battlefields usually have their corresponding secret battle realms, and the powerful ghosts are in those realms.¡±

    ¡°Then why do you want me to look for overlooked items?¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile grew sweeter.

    ¡°I just want to see the look of disappointment on your face when you run around and find nothing,¡± Yan Yu replied with a smile.

 Chapter 106 - 6 Zhou Hongyus Team

    Chapter 106: Chapter 6 Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Team

    Although he mercilessly mocked Chen Lingyun, Yan Yu still took her matters to heart, and sent a message to Old Li specially:

    ¡°If any ancient battlefield mysterious realm appears, like in Changping or Chibi for instance, try to help Zhendong Army secure a chance to fight as the visiting team.¡±

    Nevertheless, such things are ultimately hit or miss.

    In Yan Yu¡¯s past life memories, neither the pitfall mysterious realm of Changping nor the sunken ship mysterious realm of Chibi opened in the first year of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence.

    It would all come down to that worthless woman, Chen Lingyun¡¯s own fortune.

    A few more days passed, and finally, news of a new mysterious realm was spread, but it was different from the past.

    ...

    ¡°The entrance to the mysterious realm hasn¡¯t been found yet?¡± In the principal¡¯s office, Yan Yu frowned and asked, ¡°It¡¯s such a large entrance, surely it can¡¯t be that hard to find.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Li Weiguo said succinctly, ¡°This mysterious realm seems very unstable, and the ghosts inside have escaped, creating significant resistance to the military¡¯s search operations.¡±

    ¡°Resistance?¡± Yan Yu pondered, puzzled, ¡°How troublesome can mere ghosts be to deal with?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not discuss this topic right now.¡± Seeing him getting poetic, Li Weiguo quickly interrupted, ¡°The issue at hand is that the ghosts leaked out near Shuanggui Mountain, only a river away from the nearby Fengdu County, with even a straight-line distance of less than 1.5 kilometers.¡±

    ¡°The military has already sealed off the Yangtze River Second Bridge, but it¡¯s said that water ghosts were spotted on the opposite riverbank, so it¡¯s necessary to get control of the mysterious realm as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°This time the home team is Pingxi Army¡¯s Zhou Hongyu¡¯s team, and you will be going as the visiting team to confront them. Chen Lingyun wants to take the Envoy route and lacks ghosts, right? I¡¯ve secured the opportunity for you, this time you must win, no room for defeat, got it?¡±

    ¡°Haha, look at you,¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°Me losing to Zhou Hongyu? You might as well tie my hands and blindfold me before I fight her.¡±

    ¡°Save the boasting for after you¡¯ve won and returned!¡± Li Weiguo laughed and cursed, ¡°Now scram!¡±

    Yan Yu leisurely left the principal¡¯s office, gathered the girls together, and rushed towards the airport.

    Since he hadn¡¯t added Zhou Hongyu as a friend, he couldn¡¯t directly inquire for information from her, but Chen Lingyun lived up to her title as Princess Jiang Hai, with widespread connections; she still managed to get intel from the other side through some unknown channel.

    Once everyone was on the plane, the aircraft took off and was stably cruising, she pulled up the display screen and projector, and began to explain to everyone:

    ¡°Zhou Hongyu¡¯s team, based on the information we have, plays in a style that can be summed up in one word: reckless.¡±

    ¡°Team leader Zhou Hongyu, from Shuzhong Prefecture, Nanjiang Province, follows the path of explosive magic cultivation. At the end of July in the Kunlun Mountains of Xichuan Province, she acquired a secret technique called ¡®Primordial Sovereign¡¯s True Mysterious Great Bright Fire¡¯, which is said to have the power to burn mountains and boil seas.¡±

    ¡°¡®Burn mountains and boil seas¡¯ is an exaggeration,¡± Yan Yu interrupted, ¡°Su Yunjin¡¯s ¡®Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art¡¯ also claims to create vast oceans! Given the current density of Spiritual Energy, it¡¯s merely an industrial-grade high-pressure water gun, just a bit more powerful than a fire brigade¡¯s hose.¡±

    The girls all burst into laughter.

    ¡°In short,¡± Chen Lingyun continued with a smile, ¡°Zhou Hongyu¡¯s fighting style is characterized by bravery, with an incredibly fast pace. Last week, in a confrontation with Liu Longtao¡¯s team, she actually started with a Great Bright Fire, immediately scattering the unprepared Dingbei Army team.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry,¡± Yan Yu added, ¡°Facing Zhou Hongyu alone would indeed be troublesome, but we are a team. You won¡¯t be left to fight alone.¡±

    ¡°Next up, Vice-Captain Zhang Huaide,¡± Chen Lingyun paused for a moment, then said, ¡°from Chang¡¯an Prefecture in Xichuan Province, he¡¯s following the path of a Sword Immortal. But the focus isn¡¯t on him being a Sword Immortal, but rather that he¡¯s taken the role of the operational core of this combat team.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it always the vice-captain¡¯s job to command?¡± Su Yunjin asked, puzzled.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, but he is the core,¡± Chen Lingyun explained casually, ¡°Usually, the captain sets the overall strategy and the vice-captain is responsible for working out the details. However, the problem with Zhou Hongyu¡¯s team is that the captain¡­ to use someone¡¯s words, is just a mace dressed up as a wolf¡¯s tooth club.¡±

    The girls once again giggled uncontrollably.

    ¡°Expecting Zhou Hongyu to interfere with tactics is absolutely impossible, so Zhang Huaide is in charge of formulating, refining, and executing the tactics. Don¡¯t think of him as a Sword Immortal, but as the command hub of the enemy,¡± Chen Lingyun said indifferently.

    ¡°When necessary, cut it off,¡± Yan Yu made a slashing gesture, ¡°As long as we force Zhang Huaide out, the other side has no substitute for command. Zhou Hongyu is absolutely unreliable in this aspect.¡±

    ¡°The third, Qin Meng,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°from Qin State Prefecture in Longyou Province, following the Sword Immortal path, but he chose the less common physical cultivation school. Currently, he¡¯s practicing the ¡®Dragon Elephant Nirvana Divine Skill,¡¯ so this guy has two methods of attack: his Flying Sword and his own body. You can think of him as an enhanced version of Jiang Hong, similarly responsible for tactical assaults, breaking through, and slicing up the enemy¡¯s formation.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention Jiang Hong,¡± Yan Yu shook his head, ¡°Jiang Hong didn¡¯t exert his real strength last time. But speaking of assault specialists, both Zhou Hongyu and Qin Meng are capable of breaking through formations, which is something we need to pay attention to.¡±

    Lin Ning listened with extra seriousness because she was also an assault specialist in her team, and, naturally, she cared about the strength of other teams¡¯ assault specialists.

    ¡°Fourth, Tang Xiaolian,¡± Chen Lingyun continued, ¡°from Sangchuan Prefecture in Nanjiang Province, taking the path of a Cultivator Envoy, using insects.¡±

    ¡°Eek!¡± The girls all showed expressions of disgust.

    ¡°Quite fits the regional stereotype, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Chen Lingyun said with a slight smile, ¡°In the battle with the Dingbei Army, Tang Xiaolian used a Gu technique called ¡®Peach Blossom Miasma,¡¯ which takes the form of pink smoke, five meters long and two meters wide, that moves slowly. Skin contact causes redness and intense itching, and the Gu insects quickly burrow into the body, blocking the meridians, so the wound must be treated with Runescript straight away to extract the Gu insects, or else you¡¯ll lose your fighting ability.¡±

    ¡°You even got the area of the spell?¡± Yan Yu exclaimed in surprise, ¡°Chen Lingyun, how reliable is this intelligence? Don¡¯t have us go into battle only to find that Tang Xiaolian throws out a ¡®Peach Blossom Miasma¡¯ hundreds of meters across, enveloping us all.¡±

    ¡°I have my sources,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°If you¡¯re worried, treat it as if it¡¯s a few hundred meters. After the fight starts, just retreat a hundred meters, and you won¡¯t have to worry.¡±

    The girls nearly burst out laughing together.

    ¡°Last is Meng Qingxi,¡± Chen Lingyun finally said, ¡°from Ninghai Prefecture in Hehuang Province, likely following the Assistant Officer path, but it¡¯s unknown which magical artifact he uses. In his previous battle with the Dingbei Army, he only used the Three Arts and Five Spells.¡±

    ¡°So, who won their last fight with the Dingbei Army?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°The Dingbei Army,¡± Chen Lingyun replied, ¡°Liu Longtao defeated Zhang Huaide early and made him retreat. The Pingxi Army lost their only commander and were defeated by the Dingbei Army one by one, even forcibly exchanging three of their men before they were defeated.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Yan Yu sighed, ¡°If only we had a recording to watch.¡±

    ¡°We will have that from now on,¡± Lou Ping, the leader of the Zhendong Army medical team, came out from the machine compartment and reminded them, ¡°The day before yesterday, the Central Privy Council issued a document stating that, to promote internal technical and tactical discussions, all subsequent Mysterious Realm simulation confrontations will be recorded by our military medical logistics team using drones. The files will be centrally archived and available for other teams to borrow and review.¡± sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great,¡± Yan Yu said impassively.

    Was this whole combat team confrontation being recorded to facilitate teams learning from each other, or for the imperial Privy Council to grasp the strengths of all major teams, or even to study their weaknesses behind the scenes?

    It didn¡¯t matter. My style is out in the open, there are no secrets. Go ahead and study it at your leisure!

 Chapter 107 - 7 Have a Hot Pot

    Chapter 107: Chapter 7 Have a Hot Pot

    After arriving at Yuzhou Prefecture Airport, it was already evening.

    Considering the amplification of ghastly beings¡¯ powers at night, the military didn¡¯t dare to let the two teams tackle the Mysterious Realm overnight and arranged for them to stay in Yuzhou Prefecture.

    As soon as Yan Yu and the others got off the plane, Chen Lingyun held up her phone and suddenly said,

    ¡°Zhang Huaide has invited us to dinner in the name of the team, what do you think?¡±

    ¡°Since when did you get in touch with Zhang Huaide?¡± Yan Yu glanced at her sideways.

    ¡°Jealous?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a sweet smile.

    ...

    ¡°Wishful thinking.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen snorted coldly beside them.

    Yan Yu was not moved in the slightest but made a gesture at Lin Ning.

    Lin Ning quickly leaned in and took a glance at Chen Lingyun¡¯s phone, explaining,

    ¡°The four deputy team leaders have created a group.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go eat,¡± Yan Yu said without hesitation, ¡°We¡¯re all Cultivators, why not have a meal together? Tell Zhang Huaide that we¡¯re all from the coast and can¡¯t take spicy food, ask them to pick a non-spicy restaurant.¡±

    After Chen Lingyun typed for a while, she smiled and asked,

    ¡°He asked if mild spice is okay?¡±

    Yan Yu pondered.

    The interpretation of ¡°mild spice¡± might differ somewhat from region to region, especially for people from Sichuan and Chongqing.

    Considering his deep friendship with Zhou Hongyu, as well as the high regard the whole team had for Zhou Hongyu, this ¡°mild spice¡± could very well be a linguistic trap¡­ However, based on past experiences, Zhang Huaide seemed to be quite a decent person, unlikely to join Tang Xiaolian and the others in playing pranks.

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Then, can we go take photos in Hongya Cave after dinner?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen eagerly asked.

    ¡°Take photos?¡± Yan Yu¡¯s face immediately turned stern, ¡°We are here on a business trip to carry out a mission! Not to let you check in at popular internet spots and take photos for social media! Each one of you is an active Cultivator, can¡¯t you be a bit more serious?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a leisurely laugh, ¡°but it¡¯s dictatorship during war, democracy after the war¡­¡±

    ¡°All those in favor of taking photos, raise your hands!¡± Lin Ning shouted.

    The four girls raised their hands one after another.

    Yan Yu scratched his head in resignation. Of course, he could use his authority as the team leader to deny the girls¡¯ plans, but the cost would be a plummet in team morale¡­ Clearly, it wasn¡¯t worth it.

    ¡°Forget it,¡± he decided to temporarily concede, ¡°then go by yourselves.¡±

    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t beg the team leader to come anyway,¡± Lin Ning joked with him, ¡°When the beautiful girls are out, there¡¯s no place for a big guy like you.¡±

    Yan Yu snorted. Even if you begged me, I wouldn¡¯t go!

    ¡°But Yan Yu is really good at taking photos,¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly said, taking out her phone with a smile.

    Her eyes curved as she smiled, obviously starting to make trouble, and Yan Yu had a foreboding feeling in his heart.

    ¡°Really?¡± Su Yunjin went over curiously to look, and exclaimed in astonishment.

    So Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen also gathered around, and after the girls had looked for a while, they suddenly looked up at Yan Yu in unison.

    Seeing the situation was not good, Yan Yu started to retreat slowly, saying,

    ¡°I just took them casually, it won¡¯t be that good if I try again, and pretty much anyone who takes them will do¡­¡±

    Damn it, I¡¯m supposed to be the strongest in this world!

    He suddenly turned and ran, with the girls¡¯ shouts following behind him:

    ¡°Don¡¯t run!¡±

    ¡°Team leader, stop right there!¡±

    ¡°Ningning, hurry up and catch him!¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Since the airport was a public place, and Shifting Technique couldn¡¯t be used, Yan Yu eventually was outnumbered and overpowered, caught by his teammates in a junior overriding senior officer situation, and was subsequently escorted onto a taxi.

    Chen Lingyun sat alone in the front seat, while Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen sandwiched Yan Yu into the back seat, one in front and one behind.

    Su Yunjin followed behind, and the four of them squeezed the back of the taxi full.

    The taxi driver glanced in the rearview mirror at the one man and three women and revealed an expression that said, ¡°Is that all? I¡¯ve seen bigger scenes than this,¡± before silently driving off.

    Yan Yu, however, had his own troubles that he couldn¡¯t express. Due to the summer heat, everyone was dressed in cool clothing, and the back seat of the taxi wasn¡¯t very spacious. Three people could squeeze in with some effort, but with four people sitting side by side, it was just a mass of flesh pressing against flesh.

    It disturbs my focus, how annoying!

    He struggled to take out his mobile phone and messaged Lin Ning:

    ¡°Don¡¯t put your leg on mine, it¡¯s heavy.¡±

    Lin Ning¡¯s face immediately turned red, but Su Yunjin on her right had already been squeezed to the point of discomfort and definitely couldn¡¯t move further in that direction, so she decisively replied with a message.

    [Ningning]: Then move your leg to the left a bit, or else I have no place to put mine.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Can¡¯t do. Your Sister Zhao¡¯s chubby leg is on the left.

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s leg wasn¡¯t actually chubby, but her figure was indeed the most voluptuous among the four girls, so she naturally took up the most space.

    Lin Ning sneaked a glance and found that it was as Yan Yu had said; there was indeed no space left on that side, so she could only sigh and continue messaging.

    [Ningning]: There¡¯s also no space on my side, bear with it for now, we¡¯ll be there soon.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You should consider losing some weight.

    The hand Lin Ning held her phone with instantly tensed up.

    She switched her phone to her left hand, and with her right hand stealthily reached behind and pinched the flesh at Yan Yu¡¯s waist.

    [Ningning]: I¡¯ll give you an opportunity to retract your message.

    [Yi De Fu Ren has retracted a message]

    Lin Ning smugly retracted her right hand, unaware that Su Yunjin beside her had quietly witnessed her little maneuver.

    She silently turned her head and gazed out of the window.

    When the taxi finally arrived at its destination, the four in the back rushed out one after another, breathing in the fresh air deeply.

    ¡°What happened to you all?¡± asked Chen Lingyun, feigning ignorance.

    ¡°Chen Lingyun, you¡¯re so cunning!¡± Lin Ning wrapped her arms around her neck from behind, a look of misery on her face as she complained, ¡°We were almost squashed to death in the back.¡±

    ¡°Actually, the front seat could fit two people,¡± Yan Yu chimed in. ¡°Letting Chen Lingyun sit on someone¡¯s lap would have worked. With her height, even if caught by a camera, would be mistaken for a child.¡±

    ¡°A child can¡¯t share a seat with an adult either!¡± Lin Ning immediately retorted, and then quickly realized her mistake, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ling Yun, I didn¡¯t mean to call you a child¡­ It¡¯s all the captain¡¯s fault!¡±

    ¡°Where is the hotpot restaurant?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen looked around.

    ¡°Over there, I think.¡± Su Yunjin pointed the way. ¡°Is that the sign?¡±

    The restaurant Zhang Huaide had chosen specialized in eel and was a famous local hotpot place in Yuzhou Prefecture.

    The restaurant was only on the second floor, and one had to walk up the metal staircase to get there. The hygiene was not worth mentioning; what mattered was the lively atmosphere of the marketplace.

    As the group made their way to the second floor and entered the room, they saw Zhou Hongyu and others occupying half of a large table, which was already full of various dishes, the hotpot bubbling merrily away.

    A yin-yang hotpot with red and white broths? They didn¡¯t set a trap for me?

    Yan Yu carelessly pulled up a chair next to Zhou Hongyu and said with a laugh:

    ¡°Xiao Zhou, long time no see.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian, Qin Meng, Zhang Huaide, and Meng Qingxi, sitting to the left of Zhou Hongyu, immediately felt a sense of foreboding.

    They knew all too well the fiery temper of their captain.

    It was said Zhou Hongyu had a fierce temper since junior high, once beating a classmate so badly they ended up in the hospital, and in high school, she went to a martial arts school, still claiming the throne of the school boss with a temper famously ¡°flammable and explosive.¡±

    Yan Yu not only lacked any friendship with her but also had a pretty substantial past grievance. Yet here he was, sitting right beside her and calling her ¡°Xiao Zhou¡±¡­ Did he tire of living?

    If Zhou Hongyu suddenly stood up the next second, grabbed the hotpot, and dumped it on Yan Yu¡¯s head, no one would find it strange.

    However, contrary to the team members¡¯ expectations, Zhou Hongyu did not explode on the spot, but coldly stated:

    ¡°Sit here by me, you eat from the spicy side.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian took a closer look and inwardly cheered. Because although they ordered a yin-yang hotpot, the spicy side was indeed right in front of Zhou Hongyu.

    Spice-intolerant men, quickly roll away from the captain! Far away!

    ¡°Haha, no worries,¡± Yan Yu said with a relaxed smile, casually picking up the shared chopsticks from the table and placing them on his own bowl.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got long arms.¡±

    S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 108 - 8: Dragon Gate Formation

    Chapter 108: Chapter 8: Dragon Gate Formation

    ¡°`

    After everyone took their seats, the seating arrangement was as follows:

    Meng Qingxi, Zhang Huaide, Qin Meng, Tang Xiaolian, Zhou Hongyu, Yan Yu, Zhao Yuanzhen, Lin Ning, Chen Lingyun, and Su Yunjin.

    The spicy hot pot was situated right in front of Zhou Hongyu, who, true to her name, clearly had no intention of touching the clear broth pot.

    Yan Yu picked up the communal chopsticks and dipped a duck intestine into the spicy pot. After it was cooked, he tasted it.

    Yep, it was extremely spicy.

    ...

    But that was only to be expected. With a divided pot, those who couldn¡¯t handle spice would stick to the clear broth, while the spicy side had to satisfy the chili-lovers with as much heat as they desired.

    ¡°Let¡¯s eat, everyone, eat up,¡± Zhang Huaide said with a smile, seeing Yan Yu begin to eat. ¡°Let¡¯s dig in and drink up, ha!¡±

    By now, everyone was hungry, and since it was a group of young people without too many formalities, they all reached out for the food with their chopsticks.

    Immediately after, Yan Yu felt like he was ¡°caught between two mother bears.¡±

    ¡°Bear¡± didn¡¯t describe their size, but their wild way of eating. Zhao Yuanzhen didn¡¯t need to be mentioned: In her previous life, she was merciless and unscrupulous in killing, and now she handled her chopsticks with the same fearlessness. First sampling every dish on the table to test the flavors, she then began zeroing in on her favorite, the eel.

    The eel was sliced into segments, its blood a deep red, thick like syrup. To girls like Lin Ning and Su Yunjin, they couldn¡¯t help but turn away with a frown of discomfort, but Zhao Yuanzhen wasn¡¯t the least bit disgusted. She scooped up the plate with a whoosh and poured it into the hot pot.

    Zhou Hongyu, though quiet, ate vigorously. She firmly clamped her food with her chopsticks, submerged it in the spicy broth to cook, and upon retrieving it, rolled it in a dish of chili powder until it was coated with a fiery red cloak, before bringing it to her mouth¡ªYan Yu felt spicy just watching her.

    With these two formidable women setting the pace, the men at the table no longer held back and began to really enjoy their food.

    ¡°Come on, pour the drinks,¡± Zhang Huaide tapped the table, and Qin Meng immediately came over to fill his glass. ¡°Us men will drink, but the ladies can do as they please, ha.¡±

    After hearing this, Lin Ning opened the large bottle of soy milk on the table and filled the glasses for the girls nearby.

    ¡°Is Zhou Hongyu still drinking?¡± Tang Xiaolian asked to confirm.

    ¡°Mm,¡± Zhou Hongyu replied coolly, her gaze shifting toward Yan Yu¡¯s glass.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll have a drink too,¡± Yan Yu said.

    The beer was low in alcohol content because they would be facing the Mysterious Realm the next day, and nobody wanted the scandal of someone showing up hungover. Just the thought of upper management inquiring into the matter was enough to know it would be a major hassle.

    Everyone toasted and drank together, and the atmosphere grew much warmer.

    ¡°Captain Yan,¡± Zhang Huaide stood up, speaking with enthusiasm, ¡°this is our first meeting, so here¡¯s a toast to you. I heard that the captain sparred with you before; I hope you won¡¯t hesitate to instruct me tomorrow so I can learn from you.¡±

    While there was a hint of ¡°seeking revenge for past grievances¡±, he didn¡¯t show a trace of hostility. Yan Yu, amused, clinked glasses with him:

    ¡°Sure, what do you want to learn?¡±

    ¡°Of course, your triple-speed lightning assault,¡± Zhang Huaide said, complimenting him.

    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s nothing much to learn there,¡± Yan Yu waved his finger dismissively, looking pleased with himself. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the deputy captain in charge of commanding? How about I teach you some tactical planning instead, how¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°That works too,¡± Zhang Huaide smiled unabatedly, finishing the drink in his glass and subtly watching Yan Yu¡¯s expression.

    It was hard to read¡­ Completely different from the captain.

    ¡°Deputy Captain Chen Lingyun,¡± Tang Xiaolian also stood up, smiling sweetly, ¡°we¡¯re both envoys in the team, how about I toast to you?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Chen Lingyun stood up in response.

    These two girls were sitting right across from each other, and neither was very tall, creating a somewhat comical situation where they had to stretch their arms to clink glasses.

    ¡°Speaking of tomorrow¡¯s Mysterious Realm¡­¡± Tang Xiaolian was about to speak when she suddenly heard Yan Yu say:

    ¡°Alright, alright, this isn¡¯t a private room. We don¡¯t discuss official matters in public places, ha.¡±

    Zhang Huaide subtly shook his head. Seeing this, Tang Xiaolian could only laugh and sit back down.

    The subsequent toasting proceeded much more harmoniously, with everyone chatting about life¡¯s amusements and trending topics online, steering clear of any forbidden sensitive content.

    ¡°By the way,¡± Tang Xiaolian toasted Yan Yu and then asked with a hint of mischief, her gaze roaming over the four girls opposite, ¡°Is Captain Yan single right now, or do you already have a girlfriend?¡±

    The question was tricky to answer. If he lied and said he had one, it would be like blowing one¡¯s own trumpet, inciting ridicule; but if he told the truth that he didn¡¯t, this young lady¡¯s next question would be: Why not? Aren¡¯t there many beautiful girls in the team? Don¡¯t you like any of them?

    It was a trap, much like when Chen Lingyun had asked Ye Jun.

    Naturally, Yan Yu wouldn¡¯t fall for it. He laughed:

    ¡°Why, are you planning to set me up with someone?¡±

    ¡°`

    Tang Xiaolian was momentarily stunned, only to hear Qin Meng suddenly chuckle beside her and say with a napkin to his mouth:

    ¡°Matchmaking¡­ she¡¯s still a single from the womb till now.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Tang Xiaolian, annoyed with her foolish teammate, maintained a generous demeanor and asked, ¡°What type of person does Captain Yan like?¡±

    At this point, not only the girls from the Pingxi Army were all ears, but even Zhao Yuanzhen, who had been eating nonstop, put down her chopsticks and stopped eating, on high alert.

    Right, what was that line the crow guy said in the movie before flipping the table when facing a situation like this?

    Her hands secretly supported the underside of the table, ready to flip it at any moment, but then she heard Yan Yu say in distress:

    ¡°You¡¯ve got me there. I can¡¯t think of any girl who would truly be worthy of me. Alas¡ªsometimes being too outstanding can also be a troubling matter. Enough of this, I¡¯ll finish this drink, and you do as you please.¡±

    He drained the glass in one go and then continued to pour and drink by himself, his face full of endless wistfulness and world-weariness.

    The expression on Tang Xiaolian¡¯s face froze, as Yan Yu¡¯s response was so out of her depth that she didn¡¯t know how to respond at that moment.

    The atmosphere at the dining table suddenly cooled, and Zhou Hongyu slowly turned her head and looked at Yan Yu blankly.

    Her beautiful and heroic face, which had always been covered in layers of unmelting frost, now finally softened and shattered, revealing utter disbelief and amazement beneath.

    ¡­How in the world did I lose to you, this blind and foolish nobody?

    Remembering the last time she was defeated and humiliated, she suddenly lost her appetite. She threw her chopsticks down onto the edge of the bowl and began to drink cup after cup.

    Yan Yu and Zhou Hongyu, each absorbed in their drinking, looked like a couple who had just broken up, leading everyone to suddenly feel they ¡°kinda matched.¡±

    Then they shuddered and quickly discarded the thought: Matched my ass!

    The girls from the Zhendong Army were thinking that if someone proposed matching Zhou Hongyu with Yan Yu, their captain would certainly sneer, ¡°She¡¯s worthy?¡± Meanwhile, the Pingxi side thought that if Yan Yu were to be matched with Zhou Hongyu, she would stand up with her sword and chop the matchmaker into tripe.

    ¡°Captain, why are you drinking sullenly on your own?¡± To break the awkward air, Qin Meng quickly spoke up, ¡°Let me drink with you.¡±

    ¡°No more drinking.¡± Zhou Hongyu put down her cup; this low-proof alcohol tasted like water and was flavorless, and she¡¯d rather have some more food.

    She turned to call the waitress, ¡°Miss, please bring us another plate of eel.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got a good appetite.¡± Seeing Zhou Hongyu start eating again, Yan Yu also put down his cup and smiled, saying.

    ¡°I advise you to eat more too,¡± Zhou Hongyu said indifferently, staring at the hotpot, ¡°because when you lose tomorrow, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t have such a good appetite.¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡± Yan Yu was not offended; he just raised his glass to her and said, ¡°If that day really comes, I will only be happy for you and even more ravenous.¡±

    ¡°Boring.¡± Zhou Hongyu ignored his toast and just stared at the hotpot in silence, then suddenly put down her chopsticks, stood up, and said, ¡°Set up a whole array, didn¡¯t get a bit of intelligence, I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    Seeing the captain taking the lead to leave, the rest of the team also got up, bidding farewell to the Zhendong Army:

    ¡°We¡¯re off then.¡±

    ¡°Enjoy your meal.¡±

    ¡°See you on tomorrow¡¯s mission.¡±

    Regardless of the attitude towards Yan Yu, everyone still had a pretty good impression of the four beautiful girls, so there was no need to put on a nasty face and play the villain at the moment.

    At the counter, Zhou Hongyu glanced to the side, and vice-captain Zhang Huaide conscientiously went to pay the bill.

    Meng Qingxi, who had been silent the whole time, finally couldn¡¯t help but say:

    ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten enough¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop whining; we¡¯ll go eat at another stall,¡± Zhou Hongyu said nonchalantly.

    ¡°Okay, okay, okay.¡± Tang Xiaolian immediately brightened up, hugging Zhou Hongyu¡¯s arm, ¡°Hongyu sister, let¡¯s go have a meal by ourselves, not with them!¡±

    On the other side, Yan Yu calmly continued to add food into the pot and then looked at the silent girls around him, asking:

    ¡°Shall we finish the remaining food before we go?¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Lin Ning sounded somewhat listless.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, tired?¡± asked Yan Yu in surprise, ¡°Don¡¯t want to go to Hongya Cave for pictures? All right then, we¡¯ll head back to the hotel after we¡¯re done¡­¡± S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°We do want to take photos!¡± The mention of sightseeing and taking pictures revitalized the girls, who began to compete eagerly for food.

 Chapter 109 - 9 Joint Opening

    Chapter 109: Chapter 9 Joint Opening

    The next morning.

    Yan Yu was woken up by the alarm clock, got dressed, and went to the bathroom to wash up.

    From outside came Lin Ning¡¯s voice, faintly audible saying, ¡°I¡¯ll go call him.¡±

    Yan Yu immediately stood by the door with toothbrush in mouth, waiting for the first knock to sound, and swiftly pulled the door open.

    Lin Ning, not having enough time to knock a second time, was startled on the spot.

    Regaining her composure and realizing it was the captain¡¯s prank, she kicked him gently¡ª but the kick wasn¡¯t hard, just a tap with the tip of her shoe, conveying more the message that she was not to be trifled with.

    ...

    ¡°Why did you kick me?¡± Yan Yu was bewildered.

    ¡°Because you hid behind the door on purpose to scare me,¡± Lin Ning said huffily.

    ¡°So, you were scared?¡± Yan Yu raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°No!¡± Lin Ning said defiantly, ¡°Hurry up and come out to have breakfast, everyone is waiting for you!¡±

    She stamped her foot and ran off.

    Yan Yu closed the door and went back to the bathroom to continue brushing his teeth.

    Time truly flies. The day he met everyone at the school seemed like yesterday, but when he really thought about it, it had been over three months.

    Now, unlike in his previous life, he had Zhao Yuanzhen as his cultivation partner, Lin Ning, who was serious and often made sarcastic comments, and Su Yunjin, who was gentle, reserved, and silently worked hard. He really didn¡¯t have to hang all his hopes on Chen Lingyun alone.

    Just that the future was bound to be tumultuous, and for the time being, Yan Yu also didn¡¯t have the time to seriously pursue romance with a girl.

    Forget it, let nature take its course.

    After breakfast, they all took a car to Fengdu County.

    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Su Yunjin holding a book, suddenly spoke up, ¡°It¡¯s actually a misconception that the Ghost City is in Fengdu. The Ghost City called Fengdu and this place called Fengdu are two unrelated, independently existing matters.¡±

    ¡°This just proves a point,¡± Chen Lingyun said meaningfully, ¡°If a lie is told often enough and believed by enough people, it ultimately becomes the truth.¡± S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°No way?¡± Lin Ning asked puzzled, ¡°How can a lie become the truth just by being told repeatedly?¡±

    ¡°This Fengdu is not that Fengdu, but say it enough times, and the Ghost City Fengdu seems to appear right here~¡± Chen Lingyun said with an evasive smile.

    ¡°The Luofeng Mountain recorded in history should be located in the far north,¡± Su Yunjin added, ¡°On this point, I agree with Ling Yun. The type and manifestation location of a mysterious realm are likely related to the local folklore and the subjective perceptions of the people here, rather than being an objectively immutable presence.¡±

    Lin Ning furrowed her brows, still feeling a bit confused. In her understanding, the mysterious realm should have been hidden here all along, only to suddenly appear at some point.

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Yan Yu suddenly interjected, ¡°We are here.¡±

    The girls looked outside the car window, only to see the cordoned-off bridge crossing the river ahead, while the mountain across the bridge was enveloped in black mist, barely revealing the silhouette of the mountains.

    Zhou Hongyu and others had already arrived at the bridgehead and were currently standing on the shore looking across.

    ¡°Are there many ghosts?¡± Yan Yu asked Zhou Hongyu, gazing toward the other shore.

    Zhou Hongyu didn¡¯t look at him, while Zhang Huaide explained:

    ¡°Water ghosts have already entered the water. If we can¡¯t control the mysterious realm quickly, I¡¯m afraid this shipping lane will also have to be closed off soon.¡±

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°let¡¯s not delay any further and get going¡­ it¡¯s your home turf this time, do you go first?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go together,¡± Zhang Huaide said with a smile, ¡°There are many ghostly creatures on the way. We¡¯ll cooperate and clear them out as we go, and once we find the entrance to the mysterious realm, we will enter first.¡±

    Chen Lingyun smiled to herself, thinking that Deputy Captain Zhang was really not willing to miss out on any advantage.

    If the Pingxi Army chose to lead the way, they would deplete more True Yuan than the followers and would reveal many subtleties of their combat style to the Zhendong Army trailing behind. But if both teams went together, these concerns wouldn¡¯t exist.

    Taking into account the probing at last night¡¯s dinner, it was clear that Deputy Captain Zhang Huaide had a tactical style that favored collecting intelligence and precise calculation.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t fuss over the details and nodded, ¡°Ling Yun, you¡¯ll command.¡±

    ¡°Okay~¡± Chen Lingyun said cheerfully, ¡°Ningning, lead the way, Sister Zhao, please support. Yan Yu, stay at the back to ensure safety for me and Yun Jin.¡±

    Zhang Huaide, listening from the side, realized that his plan to observe the opposing team¡¯s tactical style under the guise of ¡°jointly clearing the way¡± was unlikely to be successful.

    Because, among the members of Yan Yu¡¯s Team currently, Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin were the least understood.

    Chen Lingyun was going down the path of an Envoy, but her Servant Envoy was a complete unknown. What use was the banner she was holding? Unknown.

    Su Yunjin had chosen a spell-casting profession, but what Taoism Method did she possess? Also unknown.

    In the last confrontation with Li Zhaojiang¡¯s Team, neither of these two had used their treasures or spells, so there was a total lack of intelligence in this aspect.

    Now that Chen Lingyun has openly stated, ¡°Let Yan Yu protect me and Yun Jin¡¯s safety,¡± it means that they don¡¯t plan on taking any action before entering the Mysterious Realm.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Just as Zhang Huaide was deep in thought, he heard Zhou Hongyu say from behind, ¡°Ultimately, it all comes down to strength.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Zhang Huaide said with a relieved smile, ¡°It all comes down to strength.¡±

    ¡°Qin Meng, team up with Lin Ning to lead the way, with Little Tang supporting from the side. Captain, you stay at the rear to cover our backs.¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Zhou Hongyu responded indifferently.

    The group quickly passed through the military defense line and began charging toward the bridge on the other side.

    Lin Ning and Qin Meng killed side by side at the forefront, with Zhao Yuanzhen and Tang Xiaolian covering the flanks, while the rest fell to the back, enclosing the Zhendong and Pingxi armies¡¯ medical teams in the middle for protection, with Yan Yu and Zhou Hongyu as the core forces of the security team.

    Before even crossing half the bridge, the visibility around them had severely decreased. The obstruction of light was not caused by mist made up of tiny droplets, but according to instrument detections, it seemed to be some kind of electromagnetic field that affected light¡­ Yan Yu heard ¡°shasha¡± white noise in his earpiece, but fortunately, communication did not seem to be cut off.

    The medical team took out their equipment and launched reconnaissance drones into the sky. These drones were equipped with highly sensitive thermal imagers, capable of breaking through the surface environment¡¯s dark fog and capturing clear images of distant scenes.

    The red and yellow heat sources, naturally, were the team¡¯s members, while those ghostly creatures in the distance showed up as black silhouettes in the imagers¡ªmeaning that they were the complete opposite of humans, even absorbing the heat radiation from the environment.

    Lin Ning, using her Shifting Technique, sprinted ahead, with the heavy Green Bamboo Sword resting against her back, providing her with a subtle sense of security.

    The next adversaries would be the ghostly creatures. Saying I¡¯m not scared would definitely be a lie.

    But I¡¯m not the same as I used to be¡ªCaptain trained me well!

    Hah! Demons, face my sword!

    A figure emerged from the dark fog ahead. Before Qin Meng could react, Lin Ning had already cast a Sword Technique.

    The Green Bamboo Sword became a gleam of green light, piercing through the figure in an instant.

    Qin Meng watched with a slightly furrowed brow, thinking how quick Lin Ning¡¯s reflexes were!

    The opponent¡¯s body fell forward to the ground, motionless as if it were dead. When the group reached nearby, they saw the deceased ghost, looking like an emaciated person with gray-green, sharply contoured skin, as if carved from wood or stone.

    ¡°How is it?¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly asked.

    Yan Yu knew what she meant; she was asking if this creature was worth collecting into my Soul Summoning Banner. After pondering briefly, he responded in a low voice:

    ¡°This is a ¡®Wraith,¡¯ a ghost from the mountains, with decent defensive strength, but that¡¯s about it.¡±

    ¡°Hmm~¡± Chen Lingyun got his implication in a flash: Just high defense, without the value of cultivation. As a cultivator playing with ghost creatures, one should nurture those with special abilities.

    The group finally crossed the grand bridge over the river and reached the opposite bank.

    Due to the traffic blockade, the road on this side was also empty, with only the occasional bursts of cold wind and the blurry, indistinct human-shaped silhouettes in the distance.

    Qin Meng thought it was his turn to act, about to charge forward at high speed and show off a display of a body-cultivating man tearing apart ghosts, only to see Lin Ning silently accelerating her Sword Technique, urging the Green Bamboo Sword to become a stream of green light, one, two, three times, knocking down all the human-shaped silhouettes.

    Qin Meng: ¡­¡­¡­

    Zhang Huaide observed silently from the back, feeling that Lin Ning¡¯s swordsmanship was truly formidable, not inferior even compared to the strong swordsmen in the Dingbei Army.

    Although Zhou Hongyu¡¯s team had two sword immortals, neither followed the mainstream path of sword immortals. Qin Meng was a Body Cultivating Cultivator, preferring to wield his sword for hacking over Sword Control; Deputy Captain Zhang had much to do and would not usually serve as the main output, more often cooperating with Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Taoism Method for precision strikes.

    That is to say, his own ability in the Sword Control Technique sufficed for finishing moves usually, but if he were to confront a professional sword immortal like Lin Ning in a ranged swordplay offense and defense¡­ he would be inadequate, having suffered in this respect during a previous clash with the Dingbei Army.

    Once the battle in the Mysterious Realm started, a way to restrict Lin Ning¡¯s long-range swordplay was essential; he could not afford to repeat the previous defeat.

    Zhang Huaide quickly made a decision and turned back to whisper to Zhou Hongyu:

    ¡°Plan C.¡±

    Zhou Hongyu silently nodded, aware that Yan Yu was her arch-nemesis and deeply cognizant of his unpredictable and formidable strength. Hence, no amount of caution was excessive before battle.

    On the right side of Pingxi Army¡¯s team, Chen Lingyun also watched the battle ahead closely, silently calculating in her mind.

    Compared to Qin Meng, the body cultivator, Lin Ning, the authentic sword immortal, fully exploited her advantage in reach¡ªjust look at Qin Meng unable to snatch a single monster.

    If things continued this way, by the time they reached the entrance of the Mysterious Realm, Qin Meng¡¯s True Yuan would barely be depleted, and his skill level would remain unproven, while Lin Ning¡¯s capabilities would have been thoroughly exposed to the other side.

    She looked at Yan Yu expressionlessly.

    The glance was quite ambiguous, yet Yan Yu still guessed what she was thinking and said softly:

    ¡°Let Lin Ning perform well.¡±

    Let her perform well? What does that mean?

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s mind raced, quickly arriving at an answer.

 Chapter 110 - 10 Limiting Lin Ning

    Chapter 110: Chapter 10 Limiting Lin Ning

    The Shuanggui Mountain scenic area was not large, but being shrouded in ghostly mists and howling winds gave it a feeling of unfathomable depth, an endless expanse.

    The tourist square in front of the mountain gate was deserted. The main entrance was a small archway, with the ticket office right beside it.

    Lin Ning and Qin Meng halted simultaneously, uncertain whether to continue exploring northward or head into the mountains to the northeast.

    Suddenly, a low growl was heard! S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Qin Meng instinctively activated the Divine Elephant Technique. This method was a ¡°best of both worlds¡± defensive and offensive maneuver in the path of bodily cultivation, combining the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse and the Wood Bending Charm, endowing him with boundless strength and immunity to swords and spears.

    His muscles swiftly swelled, his bones crackling and stretching, and in an instant, he shot up to two meters tall, his T-shirt transforming into a tight tank top.

    ...

    With the Divine Elephant Technique fortifying him, his body was as tough as steel, fearless of attacks from any direction!

    However, the attacker¡¯s target was not him but rather the much slighter¡ªframe Lin Ning at his side¡ªonly to see Lin Ning advancing instead of retreating, her Flying Sword turning into a streak of blue light, slashing upward diagonally, clang!

    The incoming object was cleaved in two, falling to the ground with a thud, and only then did the pair clearly see it was a bone shard.

    The bone had the curvature of a rib but its tip had been sharpened into a lethal spike; should a cultivator fail to activate their Barrier Charm and be struck by it, they would be impaled on the spot.

    Lin Ning was belatedly aware and still shaken, her heart pounding with residual fear.

    In truth, she had not seen what was flying towards her, but having been thrashed hundreds of times by Yan Yu with the Sword Control Technique, she had long cultivated a habit of striking without thinking¡ªanything crossing her field of vision was immediately met with a counterattack, any hesitation would result in being pummeled to the ground by the Huang Ting Sword.

    This forcibly trained ¡°eye-hand coordination¡± muscle memory actually saved her today!

    Zhao Yuanzhen caught up from the side and exclaimed in surprise:

    ¡°Dao Lao Ghost?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Dao Lao Ghost,¡± Yan Yu said through the communication channel. ¡°Its bone needles are poisonous. It¡¯s vulnerable up close.¡±

    No sooner had the voice faded than Lin Ning had already activated the Shifting Technique, charging towards the specter at the mountain gate.

    Qin Meng did not linger either, immediately following behind Lin Ning and charging forward.

    Tang Xiaolian hesitated for a moment before saying to Zhao Yuanzhen beside her:

    ¡°There seem to be ghosts to the northwest as well. I¡¯m afraid this is a diversionary tactic. It would be better if we stayed here¡­¡±

    Before she could finish, Zhao Yuanzhen ignored her and followed Lin Ning toward the mountain gate.

    Angered, Tang Xiaolian stomped her foot and, seeing the others quickly approaching from behind, she could only rush to keep up.

    When the others arrived at the tourist square, Chen Lingyun looked towards the mountain gate where a battle was already raging.

    ¡°Dao Lao Ghost?¡± she asked quietly.

    ¡°Nothing but a Peashooter,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    Chen Lingyun immediately understood¡ªjust a long-range weakling, huh? Not worth my effort to subdue and nurture.

    By the time everyone reached the mountain gate, the battle there was nearly over.

    Many wraith corpses lay on the ground, their emaciated bodies like mountain rocks and their skin a greenish-gray color; lying still on the mountain, they could indeed be easily camouflaged.

    Not far away, Qin Meng pinned a Dao Lao Ghost against the rock wall, breaking its bones with a few punches. Its body hung limply, clearly dead.

    Beside him, Lin Ning pinched her sword technique, nailing the last Dao Lao Ghost to a tree trunk with a burst of blue light.

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Tang Xiaolian were just a few steps slower and did not even manage to claim a single monster before the two efficiently slaughtered them all.

    Zhang Huaide swept over the scene unobtrusively, noting that the number of wraiths cut by sharp weapons far exceeded those killed by blunt force.

    Clearly, Lin Ning¡¯s Sword Control Technique¡¯s lethality was on par with Qin Meng¡¯s fist strength, but the advantage of attack range was fully exploited.

    ¡°Seeing there are so many specters here,¡± Yan Yu pondered, ¡°perhaps the entrance to the Mysterious Realm is on the mountain. Xiao Zhou, what do you think?¡±

    Zhou Hongyu didn¡¯t speak but turned to look at Zhang Huaide.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Zhang Huaide smiled, ¡°let¡¯s head up the mountain steps. If we encounter more and more ghosts, it means we¡¯re heading in the right direction.¡±

    ¡°We should pick up the pace,¡± Yan Yu nodded calmly. ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯m worried her True Yuan might not suffice if this continues.¡±

    Seeing his plan had been seen through, Zhang Huaide deftly went with the flow and commanded through the communication channel:

    ¡°Alright. Qin Meng, come back, I¡¯ll take your place.¡±

    Qin Meng reluctantly returned, complaining:

    ¡°It¡¯s not that we can¡¯t beat them, it¡¯s that we can¡¯t beat them to the punch. Just saw a ghost, and the next second, she¡¯d dealt with it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my fault for the way I allocated tasks beforehand.¡± Zhang Huaide patted his shoulder and then proceeded forward.

    Everyone continued up the mountain steps and, indeed, the number of ghosts kept increasing¡ªthis meant that the entrance to the Mysterious Realm was getting closer.

    Zhang Huaide cleaned up the path ahead with his Sword Control Technique, while covertly paying attention out of the corner of his eye. He quickly noticed Lin Ning¡¯s style of drawing her sword, which was noticeably ¡°fast¡±.

    The ¡°vision¡± to capture the enemy¡¯s target and the ¡°reaction¡± to make swift judgments¡ªher hardware abilities had already exceeded the standard of a regular Sword Immortal.

    By the time it came to actual combat, Zhang Huaide reckoned that if he were to face Lin Ning one-on-one, he would be utterly suppressed by her.

    However, now that it had come to this, he could only think of tactical ways to limit her.

    As they nearly reached the top of the mountain, the group finally found the entrance to the Mysterious Realm.

    It was still the familiar spatial scar, clawing within the pavilion next to the mountain steps, vomiting dense, thick black fog outward like the yin lung of earth veins.

    After clearing out the ghosts in the vicinity, an exhausted Lin Ning quickly sat down to breathe and recuperate on the spot, trying to recover as much True Yuan as possible.

    ¡°You guys go ahead first,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Zhang Huaide nodded and then turned to look at Zhou Hongyu.

    Zhou Hongyu didn¡¯t utter a word and stepped into the Mysterious Realm ahead of the others.

    Following him were Zhang Huaide, Meng Qingxi, Tang Xiaolian, the medical team of the Pingxi Army, and, finally, Qin Meng.

    Once Qin Meng, too, had disappeared, Lou Ping from the Zhendong Army medical group took out a stopwatch and started the countdown.

    Without the Pingxi Army nearby, Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t play games with eye contact anymore, but simply said with a cheerful smile:

    ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll fall for it?¡±

    ¡°Even if they see through it, what can they do?¡± Yan Yu said indifferently, ¡°It¡¯s an obvious strategy. As long as they can¡¯t find a way to break it, they¡¯ll have to follow our design.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lin Ning asked curiously.

    ¡°It means nothing, just praising how strong you are,¡± Yan Yu said with a chuckle, ¡°Zhang Huaide is probably worrying about how to deal with you now.¡±

    Lin Ning immediately felt somewhat proud upon hearing this, but then looked at Yan Yu with suspicion and turned to Chen Lingyun, probing:

    ¡°You¡¯re not just teasing me, are you?¡±

    ¡°Why would we tease you?¡± Chen Lingyun said with a grin, ¡°You are the obvious bait we¡¯ve thrown out. Even if the other side knows there¡¯s a problem, they have no choice but to bite. Sister Zhao and Yun Jin are our hidden trump cards; they¡¯ll give them a big surprise when the time comes.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen, who was originally a bit jealous and indignant, heard that she was a ¡°hidden trump card¡± and immediately perked up, laughing:

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I think that Zhou Hongyu is just a turkey, and I¡¯ll easily take her down when the time comes.¡±

    Meanwhile, within the Mysterious Realm.

    Zhang Huaide quickly scanned the surrounding terrain and said:

    ¡°Follow me.¡±

    Everyone followed swiftly behind him, and Zhou Hongyu asked:

    ¡°How should we adjust our tactics?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve seen Lin Ning¡¯s Sword Immortal strength,¡± Zhang Huaide said while walking, ¡°Quick to react, decisive in action. If we battle her in the open and let her use her Sword Control Technique to assist the entire scene, it will be quite unfavorable for us.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you handle her on your own?¡± Zhou Hongyu sharply caught on to the key point.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say,¡± Zhang Huaide hesitated for a moment, then shook his head, ¡°Just to be safe, let¡¯s move Qin Meng to the front line. As soon as the battle starts, suppress her right away, and don¡¯t give her the chance to assist the entire field.¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me,¡± Qin Meng responded solidly.

    Although Qin Meng had shorter reach, he excelled in close combat and had high resistance to blows. As long as he could cling to Lin Ning and prevent her from comfortably assisting the entire field, that would be problem solved.

    ¡°The rest of the tactics, still following Plan C?¡± Zhou Hongyu asked again.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Zhang Huaide said with a grave voice, ¡°There¡¯s no surefire way to win against someone at Yan Yu¡¯s level; this is our only option.¡±

    ¡°No worries, just try your best to plan the tactics properly,¡± Zhou Hongyu¡¯s voice grew softer, but the ferocity and murderous intent in his eyes became more intense.

    ¡°Leave the desperate fight to me.¡±

 Chapter 111 - 11 The Ghost Princess from Jiang Hai

    Chapter 111: Chapter 11 The Ghost Princess from Jiang Hai

    After the countdown ended, Yan Yu led the team into the Mysterious Realm.

    Within the realm of Fengdu, the visibility had dropped even further compared to the outside¡ªthe outside was a bit like black smoke and haze blocking out the sky, but inside it was simply deep into the night. Only the moonlight above could faintly illuminate the outlines of the nearby mountain peaks.

    At this moment, the team seemed to be in a mountain ravine with unclimbable cliffs on both sides, almost perpendicular to the ground at 90 degrees.

    Of course, they could climb up using the Cloud Ascension Technique, but most likely they would encounter an air wall¡­ Although the Mysterious Realm was created for various purposes, it certainly did not include letting outsiders play sandbox games. A path that¡¯s clearly not meant to be taken, forcing your way through would not reveal any map easter eggs.

    Looking further ahead, the mountain path snaked upward, gradually fading into the night and becoming indiscernible.

    ¡°It seems they have not passed through here,¡± Su Yunjin said, holding a flashlight and shining it on the ground, suddenly speaking. ¡°Look, if they had passed by, there would be footprints on the ground.¡±

    ...

    Everyone looked down to see that their path was not the stone slab steps commonly found in scenic areas, but a somewhat moist and muddy dirt road.

    Even someone as light and supple as Su Yunjin would leave shallow impressions when stepping on it. Zhou Hongyu¡¯s team included a muscular man like Qin Meng, so not leaving footprints was impossible.

    ¡°Could it be that to avoid leaving footprints, the entire team used the Cloud Ascension Technique to fly over?¡± Lin Ning pondered and asked, ¡°Is that a possibility?¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, it would be great,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°Depleting their True Yuan in advance would make our fight a lot easier.¡±

    ¡°No matter whether there¡¯s an ambush ahead or not, let¡¯s just brace ourselves,¡± Yan Yu said in conclusion.

    He was about to lead the team forward when he noticed Chen Lingyun staring silently behind them.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Is there a pond over there?¡± Chen Lingyun asked him in return.

    Yan Yu used his flashlight to illuminate the end of the road, which appeared black and murky under the light¡ªnot like a pond, but rather like a patch of rotten mud.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go over and have a look,¡± he said. ¡°Quickly, let¡¯s not waste too much time.¡±

    The group immediately turned around and after walking a few dozen steps, they quickly arrived at the edge of the muddy ground. They saw an area dense with reeds and a shallow, stagnant pool that smelled awful.

    Further away was a small temple, looking like a local land deity shrine, but instead of housing just one mud statue, there were five.

    Yan Yu took a closer look and exclaimed:

    ¡°Hey, Chen Lingyun, you¡¯ve struck it lucky.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    ¡°It looks like the Five Directions Deities,¡± Lin Ning said nervously. ¡°My dad said if you come across them on the road, don¡¯t worship them or make any wishes carelessly. If they grant your wish and you forget to repay your vow, they will come to collect your life¡­ ¡±

    Before she could finish, five streams of black smoke drifted out from the reeds, transforming into five ghastly, green-faced fiends hovering in the air, each about two meters tall, and bellowed in a fierce voice:

    ¡°Having beheld deities, why do you not kneel!¡±

    Chen Lingyun looked at Yan Yu, who stepped forward and said with a smile:

    ¡°One who attains Dao becomes a deity, one who loses offerings becomes a ghost. There¡¯s no incense or votive offerings in this Mysterious Realm, no faithful believers¡¯ prayers¡ªI think you¡¯re less like deities and more like ghosts.¡±

    ¡°Impudent!¡± the five fiends shouted in unison, and they transformed into weapons¡ªsword, spear, staff, axe, and hammer, ferociously lunging at Yan Yu and the others.

    Before they could get close, two streaks of sword light charged at them.

    One was mysterious yellow, the Huang Tingjian, and the other was verdant green, the Green Bamboo Sword, each piercing through the fiends wielding the sword and spear, who didn¡¯t even manage to block, their forms quickly fading away.

    Chen Lingyun seized the opportunity to activate her Soul Summoning Banner, quickly capturing the two spirits within it, thinking to herself whether these ghosts were a bit too weak?

    Before she could figure it out, the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s Yin Wind Sword struck from the side, effortlessly dispatching one fiend and passing through another. Without further thought, Chen Lingyun hastily collected the falling spirits as well.

    Only the one with the axe remained, landing on the ground bewildered. Seeing that in the blink of an eye only he was left, he threw his axe to the ground and shouted:

    ¡°Fine, fine, fine, come on then, make it quick!¡±

    Even Chen Lingyun couldn¡¯t maintain her composure at this point, as she let out a laugh and stared coldly and disdainfully at Yan Yu. The implication couldn¡¯t be more clear:

    Just like this, as weak as a chicken, you think you¡¯re fit to be my Servant Envoy?

    Yan Yu, however, didn¡¯t argue but instead turned to the evil ghost and asked:

    ¡°Are you a soul practicing Daoism, or a demonic beast that has gained sentience?¡±

    The evil ghost replied with a bitter smile:

    ¡°This place is a Mysterious Realm of the netherworld; where would there be demonic beasts? Any creature with flesh and blood would have long been devoured by a myriad of ghosts. We died too early, at least four or five thousand years ago, and our specific names have been forgotten. Now, we are nothing but solitary and wild ghosts, with very little magical power remaining in us. Daoist master, do as you please.¡±

    ¡°Then there¡¯s no issue,¡± Yan Yu nodded and turned to explain to Chen Lingyun, ¡°Among the numbers of Heaven, twelve is the number, and five represents the Yang within Yin. In ancient times, if solitary and wild ghosts, by some stroke of fate, gathered in a group of five, they had the chance to cultivate using Yin energy, becoming the ¡®Five Ghosts¡¯.¡±

    ¡°The Five Ghosts could cultivate for good or evildo. Those who cultivate for good feed on human offerings and repay with wealth, harnessing the power of wishes to enhance themselves, becoming ¡®Five Manifest Gods¡¯. However, if driven by evil cultivators to steal wealth, or even to take human lives, they become ¡®Five Lesser Demons¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Additionally, there are ¡®False Five Manifest Gods¡¯. Due to the widespread worship of the ¡®Five Manifest Gods¡¯ in the ancient South, some animal spirits and monsters falsely claim their name. They also group in fives, bringing calamity to the common people, debauching men¡¯s wives and daughters¡­ Such beings need not be spared; encountering them, it¡¯s straight to the killing.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve never done such things!¡± The ghost, upon hearing the phrase ¡°need not be spared,¡± hurriedly transformed into the form of a young girl and, weeping, cried out her grievances, ¡°We are just solitary and wild ghosts without physical bodies; how can gender be ascribed to us? To be female or male as desired, why bother harming innocent women, stirring up resentment among the people? We might as well be female ghosts, seducing traveling scholars. How much Yang energy we desire, we have, and he won¡¯t even think to report us to the authorities, happy as can be¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, stop.¡± Chen Lingyun spoke indifferently, and the evil ghost immediately fell silent.

    After a short contemplation, she summoned the Soul Summoning Banner and captured the last evil ghost as well.

    ¡°We¡¯ve wasted a few minutes here; we¡¯ll need to speed up from now on.¡± Yan Yu nodded, and turned to leave.

    Everyone hurried to keep up with his pace. Moments later, Chen Lingyun quickened her steps, coming up beside Yan Yu and asking in a lowered voice:

    ¡°When you said they ¡®could take a life,¡¯ what did you mean exactly?¡±

    ¡°Slashing people with blades and swords,¡± Yan Yu replied. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see just now?¡±

    ¡°Just that?¡± Chen Lingyun raised her eyebrows.

    ¡°The esteemed Princess Jiang Hai, is this the extent of your wit?¡± Yan Yu mocked her ruthlessly, ¡°True, just slashing people with blades isn¡¯t impressive. But the strength of the Five Ghosts is their unpredictability, with Invisibility Technique, with Wall-Penetration Technique. Do you understand now?¡±

    If it were someone as pure-minded as Lin Ning, she likely wouldn¡¯t understand what he meant. But how dirty were Chen Lingyun¡¯s thoughts? She immediately grasped the true utility of the Five Ghosts.

    Like using Wall-Penetration Technique to hide within mountain walls, inside tree trunks, even under the ground, then waiting for an enemy to pass by to spring out, strike from behind with a blade, and then disappear using invisibility¡­

    Perfect, I like it.

    With this in mind, Chen Lingyun again asked with a smile:

    ¡°These Five Ghosts are a bit weak now, disabled by a stab from an Immortal Sword, instantly losing their combat strength. Is there a way to enhance their defenses?¡±

    ¡°Even if there were better ways to refine them, you think I would know?¡± Yan Yu replied with a sneer, ¡°Do I look like someone who plays with such vile things as ghosts? I am a righteous and upright Cultivator!¡±

    Chen Lingyun, not minding being put down, merely smiled and said:

    ¡°So the answer is yes, right?¡± S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t play coy and frankly said, ¡°But there¡¯s no need to. Understand?¡±

    Chen Lingyun instantly got it and said:

    ¡°Because the greatest advantage of ghosts lies in their unpredictability. Rather than improving their defense, it¡¯s better to enhance their concealment.¡±

    ¡°See.¡± Yan Yu clapped his hands in appreciation, ¡°I always knew your crafty and cunning nature made you a natural at dealing with ghosts!¡±

 Chapter 112 - 12 Bull-headed Ghost

    Chapter 112: Chapter 12 Bull-headed Ghost

    ¡°`

    Along the way, Princess Jiang Hai transformed into a diligent student of Jiang Hai, asking Yan Yu about every ghost they encountered, as if she were truly earnest in her studies.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± She pointed at a headless ghost ahead and asked. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°A headless ghost. It¡¯s searching for its head everywhere. If you don¡¯t hit it, it won¡¯t hit you,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    Even if it¡¯s head is lost, it¡¯s not worthy of entering my banner, Chen Lingyun thought to herself, then pointing at a green-throated ghost, she asked:

    ¡°And that one?¡±

    ...

    ¡°A hanged ghost, you can see the marks on its neck,¡± Yan Yu explained. ¡°Its method of attack is strangulation, very weak.¡±

    ¡°So they¡¯re all just small fry?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a slight smile.

    ¡°What else?¡± Yan Yu looked at her helplessly and said, ¡°If we could encounter a formidable ghost every few steps, would we still be able to make it through this mysterious realm? Use your brain, will you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s normal for them to be small fry,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen also put on the airs of an experienced person and said solemnly, ¡°You haven¡¯t seen a truly formidable mysterious realm!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense if you don¡¯t understand,¡± Yan Yu interrupted her, ¡°with the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, low-difficulty mysterious realms appear first, followed by the high-difficulty ones. So, as long as the progress of your cultivation can keep up with the upper limit of Spiritual Energy concentration, the mysterious realm won¡¯t be too difficult to handle.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly had an epiphany: In her Cultivation World, there was no such thing as a Spiritual Energy Resurgence, so whether cultivators could handle a mysterious realm after discovering it was entirely a matter of chance.

    But this place had gone through the Era of Dharma Extinction and was now in the early days of the Era of Resurgence. The emergence of mysterious realms was gradual, so there was no worry about the difficulty of exploration. The main issue was the scarcity of mysterious realms¡ª but why don¡¯t I feel it? Zhao wondered.

    If Chen Lingyun knew what she was thinking, she would definitely start talking about something scary like ¡°exclusive rights.¡± But luckily, Zhao Yuanzhen didn¡¯t ask anything absurd this time, she just pondered quietly to herself.

    The group traveled through the long mountain path and dealt with a number of ghosts blocking the way (most of which were slain by Lin Ning, who was responsible for clearing the path), and finally they reached the middle of the mountain.

    ¡°How much True Yuan do you have left?¡± Yan Yu suddenly asked.

    ¡°About seventy percent,¡± Lin Ning replied.

    ¡°Let¡¯s rest for a while then,¡± Yan Yu instructed.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that they won¡¯t be able to find us and will charge straight to the depths of the mysterious realm, killing the gatekeeper and taking down the control center?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile in her eyes.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°I have a hunch.¡±

    ¡°What hunch?¡± everyone asked curiously.

    ¡°Xiao Zhou will be waiting near the gatekeeper for me,¡± Yan Yu replied indifferently, ¡°It¡¯s a tacit understanding between us team leaders!¡±

    ¡°Tsk!¡± The girls scattered. They had hoped the team leader would say something serious, but it seemed they had expected too much from him.

    Lin Ning quickly sat down on the spot, breathing in and out to regulate his breathing and restore his True Yuan.

    Chen Lingyun took out her Soul Summoning Banner and started to pour True Yuan into it, refining the five ghosts inside.

    Standing at the edge of the mountain path, Yan Yu saw Su Yunjin approaching and whispering:

    ¡°Captain, are you sure Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Team won¡¯t use a rush strategy in the mysterious realm, and what¡¯s your reason?¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you think about it first?¡± Yan Yu asked with a smile.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Su Yunjin pondered seriously. ¡°First, I observed that Ningning¡¯s sword light is relatively easy to identify from a distance in this poorly visible environment.¡±

    ¡°But we have not seen any unfamiliar sword lights along the way, which means our two teams must be far enough apart that we cannot observe each other,¡± she continued.

    ¡°The Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Team must have realized this as well. Therefore, they have two choices: one is to quickly take down the control center of the mysterious realm, and the other is to stop at a certain point and wait for us to come over,¡± she reasoned.

    ¡°If they were to lie in wait,¡± Yan Yu leisurely asked, ¡°where do you think they would choose to be?¡±

    ¡°At the location where the gatekeeper guards,¡± Su Yunjin answered. ¡°Because no matter where our two teams start from, our destination is the control center of the mysterious realm.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu encouraged her. ¡°Also, what would happen if they were attacking the gatekeeper up ahead and we suddenly arrived from behind?¡±

    ¡°They would be caught in a pincer attack!¡± Su Yunjin realized, ¡°Just like the Annan Army¡¯s Team was worried about in the last Dragon Spring Mountain Mysterious Realm!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile. ¡°In simulated combat, which simulates hostile cultivators competing for the control center of the mysterious realm, we would definitely opt to kick them while they are down, rather than help them besiege the gatekeeper.¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°To avoid this situation, if they arrive at the endpoint in advance, they will most likely wait at the gate and ambush us as we pass by, settling things once and for all. This is obviously the safer option¡ªit¡¯s a conclusion that¡¯s easy to arrive at,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said.

    ¡°Most likely, yes¡­ What about the small chance?¡± Su Yunjin asked.

    ¡°The small chance is that the gatekeeper looks weak or Zhou Hongyu loses his cool and wants to go all-in,¡± Yan Yu said languidly, ¡°Neither scenario is very likely. If we really run into that, then we just have to accept our bad luck.¡±

    Su Yunjin nodded her head, then continued to silently ponder.

    The gatekeeper was set up by the previous master of the Mysterious Realm, and since this is a ghost-type Mysterious Realm, it implies that the original master was a heretic cultivator who raised ghosts, so the probability of setting up a weak gatekeeper is indeed not high.

    As for Zhou Hongyu getting hot-headed, it¡¯s not impossible, but the deputy commander, Zhang Huaide, seems to be a very rational type; he probably wouldn¡¯t be so arrogant as to think that after they had gone through great pains to defeat the gatekeeper, they would still have the strength to deal with us waiting in ambush, right?

    With this thought, Su Yunjin secretly breathed a sigh of relief and then looked toward the direction of the mountain.

    After looking for a while, she hesitated and asked:

    ¡°Yan Yu, do you see that over there¡­ Does it look like there¡¯s a palace?¡±

    Yan Yu followed her gaze, pondered for a moment, then turned to ask:

    ¡°Are you all ready?¡±

    ¡°I am ready,¡± Lin Ning stood up, hugging the Green Bamboo Sword in her arms.

    ¡°Shall we go?¡± Chen Lingyun picked up the Soul Summoning Banner.

    The group continued to climb along the mountain path, and as the team ascended higher, the silhouette of the mountain top buildings gradually became clear in the darkness¡ªa complex of palaces built along the contour of the mountain, but upon closer examination, it seemed somewhat strange.

    Rather than a palace complex, it looked more like¡­

    A cluster of tombs?

    Just as Chen Lingyun had said earlier, if there were man-made structures in the Mysterious Realm, the control center was very likely inside them.

    Everyone braced themselves and quickly reached the buildings, only to see a statue standing in the central courtyard.

    The statue was humanoid with the head of a bull, about five meters tall, hefty and well-built with developed muscles, and wielding a wolf-toothed club over three meters long, which it held with both hands resting on the ground, motionless.

    ¡°Be careful,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly said, ¡°This isn¡¯t a statue, it¡¯s a ghost cultivator.¡±

    ¡°A cultivator who commands ghosts?¡± Lin Ning asked curiously.

    ¡°Not a human,¡± Yan Yu stated, ¡°It¡¯s a lonely ghost that got lucky and inherited a named legacy, starting on the path of cultivation¡ªit appears to have received the Bullheaded legacy out of the Bullheaded and Horse-faced ones.¡±

    ¡°It seems he is guarding the main entrance to the palace,¡± Su Yunjin said cautiously, ¡°If we want to enter the palace, we will surely clash with him.¡±

    ¡°So this is the gatekeeper?¡± Lin Ning exclaimed, ¡°Is the control center inside then?¡±

    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°But at least it¡¯s certain that no one has come this way before.¡±

    If Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Team really had come here, they would have definitely started fighting with the bull-headed statue in the courtyard¡­ So they hadn¡¯t been here, a simple deduction.

    ¡°To fight or not?¡± Chen Lingyun asked Yan Yu.

    ¡°Of course, we fight,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a while, ¡°But we don¡¯t necessarily have to fight here.¡±

    Everyone was taken aback at his words, but only Chen Lingyun immediately understood his intent and said with a smile:

    ¡°Lure it inside to fight?¡±

    The outside of the courtyard was open terrain, very suitable for such a large ghost creature to exert its brute strength, swinging its wolf-toothed club all around.

    But if they could lure it into the cramped space of the palace, the long weapon of the bull-headed ghost would be hampered, and Yan Yu¡¯s Team could save a lot of energy.

    ¡°How do we lure it?¡± Lin Ning was still more concerned about the actual operation.

    ¡°Oh, simple,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°I¡¯ll hold it off, you guys go into the palace and wait, then I¡¯ll draw it inside.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the same as not saying anything at all!¡± Lin Ning said angrily.

 Chapter 113 - 13 Yan Yu Im Going to Kill You Ah Ah Ah

    Chapter 113: Chapter 13 Yan Yu I¡¯m Going to Kill You Ah Ah Ah

    Without delay, the group split up and sprang into action.

    Lin Ning took the lead, charging into the palace. Should there be any ghostly creatures hidden within, she would be the first to dispatch her Flying Sword to subdue the enemy.

    Yan Yu, on the other hand, dashed towards the center of the square¡­ Before he could get close, the Bull-headed Ghost suddenly sprung to life, swinging its massive mace.

    A sweeping strike.

    A simple horizontal sweep, yet it seemed to unleash a storm on the flat ground.

    Yan Yu retreated swiftly, dodging the attack. It was clear that he was not hit by the mace, but the tiny shattered stones that flew past grazed his cheek, leaving several gashes.

    ...

    Chen Lingyun followed Lin Ning towards the palace, and catching a glimpse of the formidable presence in the Bull-headed Ghost¡¯s every move out of the corner of her eye, she immediately came to a conclusion:

    It couldn¡¯t be overpowered.

    The Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse was known to be impenetrable to blade and spear, yet it wasn¡¯t truly invincible. When faced with overwhelming forces, it could still be shattered, like the Bull-headed Ghost¡¯s massive mace, which even caused the paving stones of the square to crack and crumble upon mere contact, let alone the flesh of a cultivator.

    The foe swung its mace again, performing a violent series of horizontal sweeps. Once, twice, thrice, each strike devastating vast swathes of the terrain.

    If a person were to take such a blow head-on, they would likely be reduced to a pile of mush instantly.

    But every time, Yan Yu managed to dodge at the last moment, even narrowly evading the flying shards of stone. At first glance, the scene was fraught with danger, yet his consistent evasion made it hard not to suspect that he was actually handling it with ease.

    The group had already retreated into the palace, and Yan Yu did not linger outside, but turned and left immediately.

    The Bull-headed Ghost pursued relentlessly. The main entrance to the palace was large, but it just happened to allow its massive frame to barely squeeze through.

    No sooner had it entered the hall than five streaks of sword light struck simultaneously.

    Green, blue, black, purple, four colors of sword light targeted the limbs of the Bull-headed Ghost. It attempted to swing its giant mace to break the sword light, but as it lifted the mace, it was caught squarely by a nearby pillar, letting out a dull, rough noise.

    Seizing the moment, the four sword lights pierced the limbs of the Bull-headed Ghost, and finally, the Huangting Heavy Sword, in a mysterious yellow color, took advantage of its defenseless state to smash down upon its skull.

    The Bull-headed Ghost was torn apart.

    The massive mace fell to the ground, and Chen Lingyun quickly waved the Soul Summoning Banner in an attempt to capture the deceased Bull-headed Ghost within it, but even the Heart Capturing Technique could barely budge it due to its immense weight, and she had no choice but to release the five ghosts again.

    Upon their release, the five ghosts cheered and rushed to the remains of the Bull-headed Ghost, feasting on it voraciously¡ªwithout chewing or swallowing, continuously inhaling into their mouths just like in ¡°Tom and Jerry¡± in a bragging manner. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Easy peasy!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said with pride, ¡°Was it even necessary to lure it inside for the fight?¡±

    ¡°Then next time, you¡¯ll be the one to lure it,¡± Yan Yu retorted immediately, and the girls all laughed.

    The Bull-headed Ghost was not easy to deal with. Its swing packed the weight of a thousand pounds, and it was likely that even an Immortal Sword would be damaged and deformed if it were hit while in flight, not to mention the flesh of a cultivator.

    But its downfall lay in its lack of intelligence, as it was lured into the palace. The confined space hindered the use of its mace, and in an instant it became fish on the chopping board, there for the taking¡ªit goes to show that the difficulty of conquering a Mysterious Realm is not set in stone, and what really matters is whether you have the wit to do so.

    In the team, although Zhao Yuanzhen was mighty, she never presented herself as sharp or clever. Instead, she was more like a silly older sister who loved to eat and frolic¡­ Otherwise, why would the girls address each other as ¡°Ling Yun,¡± ¡°Yun Jin,¡± or ¡°Ningning,¡± but when it came to her, simply call her ¡°Sister Zhao¡±?

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll do it,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen grumbled, turning to leave, ¡°This time, I¡¯ll lead the way. You all just watch from behind!¡±

    Yan Yu gave the others a meaningful look and hurriedly followed along.

    Without showing any expression, Chen Lingyun observed her surroundings and silently memorized the layout and features of the paths they traversed.

    The palace had a distinctive architectural feature: many areas were deliberately built to be quite spacious, whether it was the main hall or the corridors.

    But it didn¡¯t seem to be for the purpose of flaunting grandeur and splendor as in ancient times. It appeared more to accommodate a large number of¡­ no, not people, but ghosts.

    In other words, were all the ghostly creatures now roaming within and even outside of the Mysterious Realm originally imprisoned within this palace?

    From the outside, the palace complex stretched endlessly into the depths of the mountain, perhaps like the multiple layers of the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm.

    The first layer contained the likes of starving ghosts and labor ghosts¡ªmere small fry. If one continued deeper into the palace, to the next level, they would likely encounter even more formidable ghosts. Moreover, with the ongoing resurgence of Spiritual Energy, there was also the danger of them breaking out of their confinement¡­

    As Chen Lingyun pondered, she suddenly saw Yan Yu ahead holding back Zhao Yuanzhen, signaling everyone to stop moving forward.

    In front of them was an extremely spacious chamber, so large that there were at least thirty or forty columns inside.

    In the distance, there was a large figure moving, or more accurately, floating, between the columns.

    It was about two meters tall, hunched over with a spine curved like a bow, concealed under wide robes and long sleeves. Its hair was gray and disheveled, with a gaunt, bony hand reaching out of the sleeve, holding a white bone tally, floating between the columns.

    That look, that presence, it was far more fashionable than the muscle-bound Bull-headed Ghost outside swinging a mace.

    ¡°Seems like a Judge from the Ghostly Courts,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said uncertainly, her voice tinged with rare wariness.

    The ghosts who practice the ¡°Ghost Mansion Judge¡± Taoism method have a feature called ¡°Impervious to Swords and Spears,¡± which simply means they are immune to physical attacks. With so many spells at her disposal, she now can¡¯t use them in front of her teammates. What should she do?

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say ¡®that¡¯s it¡¯?¡± Yan Yu immediately mocked her.

    ¡°I¡¯m not scared!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen retorted, ¡°Just a mere judge, watch me solo him and finish it in seconds!¡±

    ¡°Okay, stop talking nonsense,¡± Yan Yu interrupted, ¡°This judge must be the gatekeeper of this mysterious realm. Let¡¯s discuss our tactics next.¡±

    ¡°Are we discussing how to fight, or are we discussing whether to fight at all?¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Yan Yu suddenly looked to the right, ¡°It seems we¡¯re out of time.¡±

    No sooner had he spoken than Zhou Hongyu and his team appeared from the entrance on the right side of the palace.

    After they entered, the first thing they saw was the Ghost Mansion Judge floating in the distance. They then noticed Yan Yu and the others at the entrance to the left.

    The palace where the Ghost Mansion Judge wandered was so large that although the two teams were at adjacent entrances, they were still about twenty meters apart from each other and roughly thirty meters from the Ghost Mansion Judge.

    The judge had not yet noticed the teams, so whoever startled or even attracted the attention of this gatekeeper would put their team at a relative disadvantage.

    Zhou Hongyu¡¯s cold gaze fell on Yan Yu, and many old grudges surfaced in her mind, making her feel as if her blood were rushing to her head. But in the end, she refrained from striking first.

    It was obvious that if she used the Fire Blazing Dao Method, Yan Yu and his team would immediately retreat and temporarily avoid the battlefield. Meanwhile, the startled Ghost Mansion Judge would give chase¡­When Zhou Hongyu¡¯s team was nearly worn out from fighting the gatekeeper, Yan Yu would bring his team back to reap the benefits and easily claim victory.

    It was precisely because Zhou Hongyu was so eager to defeat Yan Yu and redeem herself that she couldn¡¯t allow herself to make such a foolish mistake.

    ¡°What should we do?¡± she asked Deputy Captain Zhang in a low voice.

    Deputy Captain Zhang, undisturbed, suddenly shot the Flying Sword toward Yan Yu¡¯s direction.

    The Flying Sword turned into a bright streak of sword light, whistling through the air as it shot towards Yan Yu, creating a noise that stood out in the dark and silent palace, instantly drawing the Ghost Mansion Judge¡¯s gaze.

    Of course, it also turned the judge¡¯s attention towards Yan Yu and his team.

    Without showing any panic, Yan Yu controlled his sword to intercept the attack from the Flying Sword, emitting a clear sound of clashing metal.

    The Ghost Mansion Judge let out a low chuckle and suddenly flew towards Yan Yu¡¯s side, moving much faster than his previous aimless drifting.

    ¡°Retreat!¡± Yan Yu commanded.

    The group immediately began to retreat rapidly along their original path, with the Ghost Mansion Judge relentlessly pursuing them out of the palace.

    ¡°Beautiful!¡± Tang Xiaolian couldn¡¯t help but exclaim in delight.

    If Zhou Hongyu had attacked with the Fire Blazing Dao Method, a long line of fire would have led the Ghost Mansion Judge directly to her. The genius of Zhang Huaide¡¯s move was that he used the Flying Sword. The sword light didn¡¯t reveal the position of the person controlling the sword; it only directed the gaze to the target being attacked.

    When Yan Yu quickly used his Immortal Sword to block, it made a loud sound, convincing the Ghost Mansion Judge to unhesitantly give chase.

    ¡°Quickly find the control hub of the mysterious realm,¡± Zhang Huaide commanded calmly, showing no pride in his trick.

    Everyone responded in unison, scattering throughout the palace to cast a net in search of any suspicious objects.

    ¡°Found anything?¡± A few minutes later, Zhang Huaide asked again.

    ¡°No,¡± Qin Meng answered, ¡°This hall is completely empty. Not only is there no object, but there isn¡¯t even a tea table or cabinet.¡±

    Zhang Huaide paused for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed:

    ¡°No good! The control hub¡­ might be carried by the gatekeeper himself!¡±

    ¡°You mean?¡± Zhou Hongyu also instantly realized, ¡°Yan Yu wasn¡¯t outsmarted by you but knew this all along and deliberately lured the gatekeeper away?¡±

    ¡°They were the first to get here!¡± Zhang Huaide quickly headed in the direction where Yan Yu and his team had retreated, ¡°That¡¯s very likely!¡±

    If it were just to lure away the gatekeeper, the Pingxi Army¡¯s team could give Yan Yu a thumbs up, and it wouldn¡¯t be out of the question to even award them a ¡°Best Brotherhood Team¡± plaque after the match.

    But if they lured away both the gatekeeper and the control hub at once, they would be nothing short of crafty, calculating, and downright ruthless!

    Yan Yu, how heartless of you!

    ¡°It was my mistake this time,¡± Deputy Captain Zhang admitted while chasing after Yan Yu and his team, still reflecting, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have acted so hastily. I should have watched and waited.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not the deputy captain¡¯s fault,¡± Qin Meng added with a deep voice, ¡°If I hadn¡¯t been careless and got injured fighting the gatekeeper¡¯s Bull-headed Ghost, wasting time tending to my wound, the Zhendong Army wouldn¡¯t have had the chance to get here first.¡±

    ¡°Enough!¡± Zhou Hongyu cut off the self-criticism and said sternly, ¡°We¡¯ll review the game after it¡¯s over! That gatekeeper won¡¯t be dealt with in a minute or two. We just need to catch up quickly. Let¡¯s take out Yan Yu and the gatekeeper both!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Everyone responded in unison, and their previously dampened spirits rose again.

 Chapter 114 - 14 Captain Zhou, Donâ€™t Do This

    Chapter 114: Chapter 14 Captain Zhou, Don¡¯t Do This

    Yan Yu and the others rushed along the palace corridor, pursued by the cackling ghosts of the Ghost Court Judges.

    Chen Lingyun, who had memorized the terrain and routes when they came in, provided the group with a lot of conveniences, at least they wouldn¡¯t run into a dead end to be conveniently blocked by Judges.

    ¡°Where are we heading to?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked irritably.

    She didn¡¯t like the feeling of being chased, it seemed to trigger an unpleasant memory of hers.

    ¡°Chen Lingyun?¡± Instead of answering immediately, Yan Yu asked back.

    ¡°Just a few more turns ahead,¡± Chen Lingyun replied with a faint smile.

    ...

    The group continued to sprint along the route, turning corner after corner.

    ¡°What about that Judge?¡± Lin Ning suddenly looked back.

    The Judge from the Ghost Court that had been doggedly pursuing them was nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Chen Lingyun wore a smile that suggested ¡°that¡¯s a good question,¡± and pointed to the left corridor, ¡°Should be over there.¡±

    ¡°But we came from behind,¡± Lin Ning exclaimed in shock.

    ¡°We must have gone in a circle and shaken off that Judge from the Ghost Court,¡± Su Yunjin replied calmly.

    Shaking off the guardians of the gates in the Mysterious Realm was actually quite rare¡ªbecause guardians were often responsible for watching over the vital controls of the Mysterious Realm. If they went too far away, they would immediately return, not giving you a chance to divert their attention.

    ¡°What now?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked.

    ¡°Now, of course, we wait for Zhou Hongyu and the others to come,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile, ¡°and start planning our positions.¡±

    ¡°Lin Ning, behind the first pillar on the left.¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhao, around the corner of the corridor on the right.¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin, at the side of the windowsill on the right.¡±

    Everyone quickly moved to their positions and hid. Only to hear Yan Yu laugh and ask:

    ¡°Where should I stand?¡±

    ¡°Good steel should be used on the edge of the blade that matters most,¡± Chen Lingyun replied with a mysterious smile.

    Meanwhile, Zhou Hongyu and the others were chasing from behind, growing more and more uneasy.

    Logically, if Yan Yu and his team had already engaged with the gate guardians, the commotion should have been significant. However, as they had chased up to this point, they still hadn¡¯t heard any disturbance nearby.

    ¡°Could they have been lured even further away?¡± Pressing down his fighting spirit, Zhou Hongyu coldly asked, ¡°Are they planning to kill the guardian in a secluded spot?¡±

    ¡°Unlikely,¡± Zhang Huaide analyzed calmly, ¡°This palace isn¡¯t that big, the echoes of the battle couldn¡¯t possibly not reach us completely. I¡¯m more inclined to believe that they haven¡¯t yet started fighting with the guardian¡­¡±

    Before he could finish, as if in response to his hypothesis, there finally came loud noises from ahead.

    Immediately revitalized, everyone rushed towards the source of the sound.

    The noise grew closer, seemingly, they would reach it just by turning the corner.

    Qin Meng led the way, after all, the deputy captain had ordered him to suppress Lin Ning as soon as possible; Zhou Hongyu followed close behind, aiming to settle the score with Yan Yu; Tang Xiaolian and Meng Qingxi were in the middle, while Zhang Huaide took up the rear, considering that his Sword Control Technique could provide support across the field, vision was more important than distance.

    As for the Pingxi Army¡¯s medical team, they lagged dozens of meters behind, following the combatants at a distance with quiet drone surveillance, recording without interfering in the battle.

    Suddenly, the drone captured Chen Lingyun hiding behind a pillar.

    Chen Lingyun also saw the drone and cheerfully made a shushing gesture at the camera.

    Medical team: ¡­¡­¡­

    So, it¡¯s an ambush!

    Of course, even if they noticed, it was against the rules to warn Zhou Hongyu.

    Not to mention that there was no time left.

    Zhou Hongyu and Qin Meng turned the corner and came face to face with Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu! S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    As enemies met, their eyes blazed with animosity. Zhou Hongyu did not hesitate, channeling energy through her meridians. Her True Yuan surged, directly invoking the Bright Flame and releasing it!

    Now that the upper limit of Spiritual Energy hadn¡¯t increased, she couldn¡¯t unleash an endless sea of fire that swept over everything. Instead, she exhaled three flames from her mouth and nose, which immediately took the form of long spears in the air, roaring towards Yan Yu.

    The first move of the Bright Flame, Flame Spear.

    Though the name was plain, the killing technique was in the extremely condensed flame. Upon striking the target, it would explode in a small area, completely engulfing the target in a bloom of bright flame¡ªin other words, even if you used the Flying Sword to block this move, the result would be the Flying Sword being fiercely scorched by the Bright Flame, severely damaging its spirit.

    The cultivator who designed this move must have some grudge against swordsmanship or Sword Control Technique; the intention to specifically counter was all too clear.

    At this moment, Yan Yu was cornered by the Judge from the Ghost Court behind a pillar. With a quick glance to the side, he of course knew that this move could only be dodged, not taken head-on.

    He spun and stepped forward rapidly, and with several taps, he defied gravity and rushed up the pillar, avoiding the range of the Flame Spear¡¯s attack.

    The ghost mansion judge remained stationary, his long tongue lashing out of his mouth like a whip towards Yan Yu¡¯s neck. Suddenly, his figure stumbled forward, as Huang Tingjian¡¯s Flying Sword had unexpectedly circled to his back and smashed forcefully against it.

    The judge¡¯s long robe rippled like lake water, dissipating much of the Flying Sword¡¯s impact; the remaining force nudged him to drift forward slightly, seemingly causing little damage to his body.

    Given the current pace of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, a ghost mansion judge appearing in the Mysterious Realm would not yet have reached the Cultivation Realm necessary to master command spells.

    But even limited to physical attacks and relying on their ¡°impervious to blade and spear¡± trait, human cultivators would not be able to kill them quickly.

    He turned swiftly, his fierce and terrifying face filled with an expression of infuriated annoyance, about to swing his tablet to strike Huang Tingjian¡¯s Flying Sword when Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Flame Spear was already hurtling towards him¡ªthe strike from the Flying Sword had just pushed the judge into the Flame Spear¡¯s attack range.

    As the Flame Spear pierced the judge¡¯s robe, it was like a lit lighter falling into natural gas, triggering a massive explosion in an instant.

    Bright flames, evil dispelling, ghostly harm amplified!

    The high-pitched, agonized scream of the ghost mansion judge immediately reverberated throughout the entire palace. The remaining three members of the Pingxi Army team turned the corner just in time to witness the Flame Spear striking the judge.

    Even the calm and composed Zhang Huaide couldn¡¯t help but be deeply shaken at that moment.

    This is bad, we¡¯ve been outmaneuvered!

    Sure enough, the wounded but not yet dead ghost mansion judge instantly abandoned his chase of Yan Yu and, with a spiteful look, rushed towards Zhou Hongyu.

    ¡°Don¡¯t panic, Xiao Zhou, let¡¯s see you handle this!¡± Yan Yu called out from atop a pillar.

    In response, another Flame Spear was launched.

    Yan Yu quickly took cover behind the pillar, dodging the Flame Spear and the subsequent explosion. Qin Meng had already emerged mid-way, blocking the judge¡¯s path, his stance set for a punch, the Dragon Elephant Nirvana Divine Skill already circulating.

    Charge!

    His punch, carrying a forceful might, thundered against the judge¡¯s robe, causing even more ripples, though the damage was still not very evident.

    The ghost mansion judge roared once again, lifting his bony tablet high and forcefully smashing it down toward Qin Meng. But then, several more Flame Spears brutally interrupted his strike.

    This time, Zhou Hongyu¡¯s shots weren¡¯t by mistake but rather indicated a clear stance:

    If I¡¯ve accidentally drawn your ire, then I¡¯ll just have to kill you too!

    Zhang Huaide watched anxiously from behind. Yan Yu¡¯s Team had not even fully revealed themselves yet, and you started fighting with the gatekeeper!

    He was eager to call a halt, yet he remembered Zhou Hongyu wasn¡¯t Yan Yu. Before engaging in combat, he could contain himself, but once the fight started¡­ sorry, but now all I want is to kill you, or be killed by you.

    He wouldn¡¯t listen to reason.

    As his thoughts raced, Deputy Captain Zhang quickly made a decision:

    ¡°Close in on Captain Zhou! Focus fire to kill the gatekeeper!¡±

    If we can¡¯t get the captain to disengage from the gatekeeper and join us, then we have to reverse our approach and group up with the captain. That way, even if the enemy launches an ambush, at least our team can coordinate and respond together.

    But Chen Lingyun wouldn¡¯t give him that chance. No sooner had Zhang Huaide given the order than the girls who had been lying in ambush immediately surged out, with Lin Ning leading with the swiftest speed, as the Green Bamboo Sword transformed into a streak of sword light directly aimed at Tang Xiaolian¡¯s chest.

    Tang Xiaolian hurriedly used her Sword Control Technique to block. In the rush, metal clashed against metal, and her Peach Blossom Tender Sword spun out of her hand.

    Then came another black sword light, Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s Yin Wind Sword, seizing the moment Tang Xiaolian¡¯s Flying Sword was deflected and spun away, her defenses wide open, and shot a lightning-fast thrust toward her chest.

    If this were a one-on-one fight, Tang Xiaolian by now would have been a corpse. Naturally, Meng Qingxi couldn¡¯t abandon her teammate and had to turn and unsheath her sword to save her, swiftly deflecting the Yin Wind Sword. Aware of the ambush, Tang Xiaolian flung her right hand forward as if scattering flowers from the heaven.

    Peach Blossom Poison!

    The ethereal pink miasma spread through the air, in fact composed of countless pink insects floating in the air. Should anyone recklessly enter the miasma, even if they covered their nose and mouth to hold their breath, the insects would burrow into their pores, causing unbearable pain, leaving them with no choice but to writhe on the ground.

    Now that the miasma was unleashed, it immediately created a barrier between the two sides, not only preventing the enemy from crossing but also blocking their line of sight.

    Before Tang Xiaolian could breathe a sigh of relief, another streak of purple sword light tore through the miasma, precisely aimed at Meng Qingxi¡¯s face.

    Meng Qingxi had just made a move to block the sword for Tang Xiaolian, and there was no time to call her Flying Sword back. She was nearly scared out of her wits.

    With a resounding ¡°clang,¡± it was Zhang Huaide who blocked the attack for her, shouting commands:

    ¡°Keep retreating! They can¡¯t see us!¡±

    Peach Blossom Poison could completely obscure vision; surely, the enemy couldn¡¯t see them. They had only targeted Meng Qingxi because they remembered where he was just moments before.

    As long as we keep moving, we¡¯ll be fine!

    Tang Xiaolian and Meng Qingxi hurriedly retreated, and indeed, two more sword lights pierced the miasma, striking the spot where they had been standing, hitting nothing but air.

    Zhang Huaide had just let out a sigh of relief when he suddenly found himself engulfed by a pillar of water that sprang up behind him, plunging headfirst into the Peach Blossom Poison ahead.

    It was Su Yunjin, who had stayed her hand, executing a perfectly timed Jiaochong at Chen Lingyun¡¯s accurately predicted position.

    Water from the Heavenly River materialized out of thin air, the unprepared deputy captain was swept up in the floodwaters, first crashing into the Peach Blossom Poison to be filled with insect toxins, then carried away from the miasma and delivered into Chen Lingyun¡¯s trap.

    Lin Ning¡¯s green sword light was already striking swiftly from the left; Zhao Yuanzhen was coordinating the pincer attack, sealing off Zhang Huaide¡¯s escape on the right.

    The flood from Jiaochong mercilessly carried Zhang Huaide, pushing him towards the surging sword lights ahead!

 Chapter 115 - 15 Many Hands Make Light Work

    Chapter 115: Chapter 15 Many Hands Make Light Work

    ¡°`

    Between lightning and flame, Deputy Captain Zhang had already fallen into peril.

    This was the problem with insufficient intelligence. Had he seen Su Yunjin deploying the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art in battle recordings beforehand, he might not have fallen immediately into this flustered and overwhelmed state when engulfed by the flood.

    But now, Zhang Huaide was completely disoriented by the rushing water, coupled with the poisoning from the Peach Blossom Gu, leaving him temporarily at a loss for what to do.

    Tang Xiaolian quickly recalled her Peach Blossom Gu insects, and the pink miasma obscuring visibility disappeared. Meng Qingxi immediately mounted his Flying Sword and charged forward to rescue Deputy Captain Zhang.

    But faster than Meng Qingxi was Zhou Hongyu¡¯s fire breath!

    ... S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    While coordinating with Qin Meng to confront the Judge of the Demonic Sect, the girl had actually found a moment to turn her head and provide support. The great bright flame transformed into a Flame Spear once again, lashing out at the oncoming Zhao Yuanzhen.

    Zhao Yuanzhen turned sharply to dodge, and the Flame Spear shot past, missing its target and exploding on the ground, instantly igniting a large fireball.

    This sudden surge of flame, with its intense heat boiling over, instantly obscured Su Yunjin¡¯s line of sight.

    Although Miss Su¡¯s vision had lost its target, she continued to exert her effort to manipulate the aqueous Taoism Method. Alas, blind operation lacked precision, eventually allowing Zhang Huaide to seize an opportunity and accelerate using the Shifting Technique to break free from the watery entrapment.

    Meng Qingxi used the Sword Control Technique to parry Lin Ning¡¯s Green Bamboo Sword attacks, and finally caught up to Zhang Huaide¡¯s side with his Shifting Technique, shouting:

    ¡°Go!¡±

    The two men hurriedly fought as they retreated, fully energizing their True Yuan for Sword Control to block around them nonstop. The sound of metal clashing was incessant, as they made a difficult retreat step by step.

    The assault of the Flying Swords from the opposing side was layered and complex. Lin Ning¡¯s green sword light was the most dominant, taking control of the field. On one hand, she pressed Tang Xiaolian so far back that she could barely protect herself with the Peach Blossom Tender Sword, and on the other, she managed to find time to block Zhang Huaide and Meng Qingxi¡¯s retreat.

    Next was Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s black sword light. The Demonic Sect Enchantress had not specialized in Sword Control Technique, but she had a wealth of experience in combat magic, persistently attacking with the Yin Wind Sword and forcing Zhang and Meng to focus entirely on defense, struggling every step.

    Finally, there was Chen Lingyun¡¯s purple sword light. The Purple Extreme Sword meandered leisurely and flexibly, increasing the pressure with Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s Yin Wind Sword. However, when a weakness in Zhang and Meng¡¯s swordsmanship was exposed, she would suddenly lunge with full force, startling the two men into a cold sweat.

    As the tide of battle clearly shifted against them, Zhang Huaide forcefully suppressed his anxiety and began to think intensely of a strategy to turn the tables:

    The tactics of the opponents were not chaotic; everyone had a clear role. Lin Ning¡¯s job was to suppress Tang Xiaolian to prevent her from using the Peach Blossom Miasma, for if the miasma were to obstruct the path and block their vision, the other side¡¯s Sword Control activation couldn¡¯t continue smoothly, and this situation would be broken.

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Chen Lingyun were cooperating with Lin Ning to impose a significant defensive pressure on him and Meng Qingxi. Even a slight gap in their combined assault that could allow an opportunity to turn and retreat with the Shifting Technique would break their setup.

    Su Yunjin¡­ Wait, what was Su Yunjin doing?!

    At the moment this thought arose, Zhang Huaide¡¯s ears, amid the sound of metal clashing, picked up a faint sound of water.

    ¡°Get out of the way!¡± he suddenly cried out in panic, pushing Meng Qingxi away from him while throwing himself to the side with the force.

    Yet, the evasion failed.

    It wasn¡¯t because Zhang Huaide was slow to react, but because both of his legs were firmly grasped by two spectral hands that emerged from the ground¡ªhe even heard two sharp, sneaky chuckles.

    Immediately after, Su Yunjin¡¯s Jiaochong was used again, and the flood engulfed Zhang Huaide and Meng Qingxi together, sweeping them away to a place even farther from Tang Xiaolian¡¯s aid.

    Tang Xiaolian, pressured by Lin Ning into an all-out defense, saw the deputy captain and Meng Qingxi overwhelmed by the flood and couldn¡¯t help growing more anxious.

    Where was the team leader? Could he help?

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Zhou Hongyu, however, was already at her limit.

    She had been coordinating with Qin Meng to encircle the Judge of the Demonic Sect and had also been keeping an eye on the rear. It wasn¡¯t until Zhang Huaide was caught off guard and Tang Xiaolian removed the miasma to let Meng Qingxi attempt a rescue, that she managed to spit out a Flame Spear and help Deputy Captain Zhang escape the engulfing flood.

    Turning around, she saw that Qin Meng had been knocked to the ground.

    Yan Yu moved beyond Qin Meng¡¯s body, nimbly navigating through the Judge¡¯s attacks. The Judge¡¯s board kept slamming down, missing Yan Yu every time but ensuring that Qin Meng was enveloped in the attack range¡ªclearly, his dodging and movement weren¡¯t ¡°accidental.¡±

    Qin Meng practiced the Dragon Elephant Nirvana Divine Skill and was currently invoking the Divine Elephant Technique, possessing immense strength and invincibility against blades and spears. However, with each blow he took, not only could he not stand up, but his True Yuan was also rapidly depleting, and it¡¯s uncertain how much longer he could hold on.

    ¡°`

    We must hurry to rescue Qin Meng!

    Once hit by the Flame Spear, it will explode in a small radius. If we attack Yan Yu with Taoism Method, that crafty bastard would definitely continue to divert his own attacks onto Qin Meng while dodging ours.

    Zhou Hongyu kept her composure, fired another Flame Spear at the Judge of the ghost manor to draw his aggression away from Yan Yu, and with the Chi Yu Sword trailing a blazing path, she charged at Yan Yu.

    ¡°Impressive,¡± Yan Yu blocked her attack with the Huang Tingjian, and said in an admiring tone, ¡°Taking on two at once and still managing to support the rear, Zhou Hongyu, do you think you¡¯re a deity or something?¡±

    Qin Meng had already gotten up and drawn his Vajra Sword, silently striking at Yan Yu¡¯s back.

    But Yan Yu simply turned around, blocked the sneak attack, and then kicked him away with a Curved Curse Whip kick.

    ¡°Who asked you to chime in when team leaders are talking?¡± Yan Yu laughed mockingly, raised his Huang Tingjian again, and clashed with the Chi Yu Sword in midair.

    The advantage of a heavy sword¡¯s great momentum was fully exploited by Yan Yu, sending the Chi Yu Sword flying backward with a tremor, while the Huang Tingjian barely shook.

    Qin Meng, kicked away by Yan Yu and slamming into a pillar, vomited blood and realized that his Dragon Elephant Nirvana Divine Skill had ceased to function¡ªhis True Yuan was completely depleted, leaving him unable to maintain the Body Refinement Secret Art.

    Behind them, the roaring sound of Jiaochong surged once more, with Zhang Huaide and Meng Qingxi being caught in the torrent, unable to break free.

    Tang Xiaolian, left without support, was quickly penetrated through her defenses by Lin Ning, with the Green Bamboo Sword held against her neck.

    Four of the five had fallen, and Zhou Hongyu herself did not know how many Flame Spears she had fired; her Dantian¡¯s True Yuan had long been nearly depleted. Yan Yu ignored Qin Meng and with a now serious expression softly asked,

    ¡°Are we still fighting?¡±

    Zhou Hongyu didn¡¯t speak. The Chi Yu Sword returned to her side, and she once again assumed a combat-ready stance.

    As the Judge from the ghost manor turned to attack Zhou Hongyu, Yan Yu suddenly used his Shifting Technique to appear at his side, smashing a Curved Curse punch into the Judge¡¯s waist, rippling his long robe.

    No sooner had the punch been withdrawn than the Huang Tingjian followed in its assault, the strike landing precisely where the punch had hit. A muffled sound, like an arrow piercing leather, echoed as the Judge from the ghost manor was sent flying, letting out a piercing scream in midair.

    ¡°Don¡¯t rush me.¡± Yan Yu looked at the gruesomely contorted Judge, threw out a cold remark, then turned to Zhou Hongyu, who was still putting up a stubborn resistance, and with a raised eyebrow asked, ¡°What¡¯s the point of this?¡±

    ¡°Cut the crap!¡± Zhou Hongyu shouted fiercely, ¡°Come on, Yan Yu, kill me if you can!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s finish off this Judge from the ghost manor first,¡± Yan Yu said, turning away as if he had no concern about Zhou Hongyu attacking him from behind.

    Zhou Hongyu paused for a moment, then turned to face the Judge from the ghost manor as well, with the Chi Yu Sword shooting out rapidly.

    The Pingxi Army medical team had already arrived on the scene, dragging away Zhang Huaide and the others for emergency treatment. When Chen Lingyun arrived with her team, she saw Yan Yu and Zhou Hongyu joining forces, with their swords besieging the Judge from the ghost manor, beating him miserably.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a chuckle, ¡°Teaming up with the enemy team leader to fight a Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper, is this some sort of traditional act for our team?¡±

    ¡°Last time it was the Deputy Captain Li Minghu,¡± Lin Ning immediately corrected her.

    ¡°Let me rephrase then,¡± Chen Lingyun continued with a smile, ¡°Teaming up with female cultivators from the enemy team?¡±

    ¡°Tang Xiaolian is also a female cultivator,¡± Lin Ning corrected again, ¡°but we didn¡¯t cooperate with her.¡±

    ¡°A formidable female cultivator from the enemy team,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s eyes curved as she smiled.

    This time Lin Ning had nothing to say, but it was Su Yunjin who pressed the earpiece and asked directly,

    ¡°Team leader, are you teaming up with Zhou Hongyu?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Yan Yu responded in the channel, ¡°It¡¯s less effort with an extra person.¡±

    The girls were first taken aback, then fell collectively silent.

    An extra person making it less effort¡­ such a straightforward answer! But indeed, it was something their team leader would say.

    ¡°Since there¡¯s strength in numbers, let¡¯s go up and help too,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile.

 Chapter 116 - 16 Sooner or Later

    Chapter 116: Chapter 16 Sooner or Later

    ¡°`

    With everyone attacking in unison, the ghost mansion¡¯s Judge also didn¡¯t reveal any hidden cards and finally, with a loud crash, fell to the ground.

    It seemed that just as Yan Yu had said, at this point in time, the Mysterious Realms that could be opened basically couldn¡¯t contain any ¡°unsolvable stages.¡±

    The biggest threat still came from the competing teams.

    After the ghost mansion¡¯s Judge had fallen, Yan Yu and Zhou Hongyu exchanged glances briefly, without needing more words, Huang Tingjian and Chi Yu Sword, which had just been fighting side by side, instantly clashed again.

    The ladies gathered around to watch, momentarily unsure whether to intervene.

    ...

    Zhou Hongyu¡¯s eyes were both bloodshot, caught up in the thrill of the fight, she mobilized all her remaining True Yuan, with red light and heat almost spilling from her mouth and nose.

    Phoenix spits fire! One! Two! Three! Three Flame Spears shot out one after another, sealing off all of Yan Yu¡¯s possible escape routes.

    Yan Yu sidestepped calmly and stepped directly into the pillar beside him.

    Didn¡¯t expect that, did you? I know the Wall-Penetration Technique!

    Zhou Hongyu¡¯s expression stiffened, and the Flame Spears already exploded around her. Then Yan Yu stepped out safely from the pillar, easily avoiding the blazing great bright flames and laughed,

    ¡°You should admit defeat now, right?¡±

    In response, she launched an attack with the Chi Yu Sword.

    Yan Yu¡¯s expression remained unchanged as the Huang Tingjian sent it flying away, and then he attacked Zhou Hongyu once more.

    The Chi Yu Sword quickly came to assist, clashing with the Huang Tingjian several times, but then Yan Yu suddenly charged with rapid strides, seemingly deciding not to engage in a swordsmanship duel.

    Zhou Hongyu, not saying a word, poised herself for close combat, her muscles bulging under the empowerment of the Curved Curse, her teeth clenched, eyes wide, ready to fight to the death with him.

    And then she was struck on the back by the Huang Tingjian from behind, falling face down to the ground.

    Yan Yu rushed over to her side, slapped his hand on her lower back, and quickly sealed the Dantian with Runescript True Essence.

    All done!

    Unexpectedly, even with her Dantian sealed, Zhou Hongyu still managed to get up with the energy of a carp flipping over, and swung her fist at Yan Yu with all her might¡ªwithout True Yuan, without spells, just pure mortal fistfighting.

    Yan Yu calmly activated the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse, taking the punch straight to the face, and said composedly,

    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡±

    Zhou Hongyu still wouldn¡¯t listen and continued to punch and kick him. Her fierce expression locked in rage, her eyes filled with bloodshot lines, her face and neck turned beet red, with even her veins visibly bulging.

    Using the words of the older generation, this is called ¡°going berserk.¡±

    However, no matter how frenzied she was, relying merely on mortal fistfighting skills, let alone injuring Yan Yu who had activated the Barrier Charm, she couldn¡¯t even tickle him.

    Yan Yu was getting somewhat impatient and seized the moment to grab her wrist, twist it, flip her over, and press her down on the ground, his knee forcefully pinned against her back. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Zhou Hongyu struggled wildly for a while until she finally ran out of energy and just lay on the ground, gasping for breath.

    Yan Yu kneeled on Zhou Hongyu¡¯s back, raising his right fist high and declared,

    ¡°Haha, I win again!¡±

    The ladies looked at him with disdainful eyes.

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly, ¡°In a competition, you have to win!¡±

    ¡°Let me see how she is,¡± Su Yunjin said as she went to check on Zhou Hongyu¡¯s condition.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be hasty,¡± Yan Yu quickly stopped her, ¡°Right now, she¡¯s like a possessed Zhou Zhiruo, she¡¯ll attack you if you come close. Better wait for the Pingxi Army medical team to take over.¡±

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Su Yunjin had no choice but to look for the medical team. Meanwhile, Chen Lingyun released the five ghosts to consume the Judge¡¯s corpse, and finally managed to find a token inside it.

    ¡°This should be the core of the Mysterious Realm,¡± she turned and asked Yan Yu, who was still restraining Zhou Hongyu, ¡°What do you say, should you refine it?¡±

    ¡°You do the refining,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°After all, we have to hand it over afterward.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll take it,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a cheery smile.

    ¡°Play with it as you like,¡± he replied.

    No sooner had Chen Lingyun left than the Pingxi Army medical team arrived.

    To their surprise, while Zhou Hongyu¡¯s appearance was quite humiliating, she actually wasn¡¯t injured apart from the exhaustion of her True Yuan, and was the only one among the five team members completely unscathed.

    ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± After another ten minutes or so, Chen Lingyun came back and said, ¡°There are six levels to this Mysterious Realm, we are on the first one, the rest aren¡¯t open yet.¡±

    ¡°As expected,¡± Yan Yu looked around, ¡°Mission accomplished, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Chen Lingyun transported everyone out of the Mysterious Realm and back to the pavilion on Shuanggui Mountain.

    After some basic medical treatment, all five members of Zhou Hongyu¡¯s team recovered their ability to move and were currently sitting on the bench recuperating, waiting for the cultivators from the army across the river to come and pick them up.

    ¡°`

    Actually, this period was particularly tough because the girls from the Zhendong Army were sitting opposite them, chattering away about where to go for dinner and take pictures next, as if they hadn¡¯t felt any pressure from the recent battle.

    But on second thought, not only did they not get injured throughout the fight, but they also had the upper hand during the combat, so what pressure could they possibly have? Did they win too quickly? Did we not provide them with enough of a challenge?

    Consequently, the members of Pingxi Army became even more frustrated.

    Deputy Captain Zhang huaide had already noticed that the team¡¯s morale was too low, and if it wasn¡¯t properly handled, it might develop into a psychological shadow.

    At times like these, Captain Zhou Hongyu was the one who should have spoken up. As the team captain and spiritual leader, just a few battle cries, or trading a few harsh words with the opposition, could immediately revitalize the team¡¯s spirit.

    But Zhou Hongyu did not seem to be aware of this. Instead, she was staring daggers at Yan Yu, who sat opposite her with a bored expression, playing with his phone¡ªas if she wanted nothing more than to rush over and perish together with him right then and there.

    I¡¯m going to stare you to death!

    In order to quickly break this silent atmosphere and negative mood, Deputy Captain Zhang stood up, smiled, and said to Yan Yu,

    ¡°Well played.¡±

    ¡°You too,¡± Yan Yu responded.

    ¡°This time¡­ we can hardly be considered to have played well, can we?¡± Zhang Huaide sighed, ¡°From the moment we fell into your ambush, our team was split into two parts, and then they were defeated one by one. Our original tactics didn¡¯t come into play at all¡ªif it wasn¡¯t for that, we wouldn¡¯t have been defeated so quickly.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian, Qin Meng, and Meng Qingxi reflected for a moment, then suddenly felt as if they¡¯d had an epiphany.

    Throughout the whole team confrontation, they had all felt a frustrating inability to apply their strength. Now, hearing Deputy Captain Zhang¡¯s analysis, they immediately realized the cause of their defeat:

    With Captain Zhou and Qin Meng, the two main attackers, tied up in the front by Yan Yu¡¯s gate-keeping generals; and Deputy Captain Zhang, Tang Xiaolian, and Meng Qingxi, none of whom had strong assault capabilities, were aggressively attacked by Chen Lingyun¡¯s four in a situation of outnumbering¡­ wasn¡¯t it very normal to lose?

    It wasn¡¯t that our strength was inadequate, but that the opponent¡¯s ambush strategy was too cunning!

    ¡°This time, your defeat really came from a tactical perspective,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°But we had agreed beforehand that we would teach you about tactical planning, right? If we can¡¯t dominate you in this area, how can we teach you?¡±

    ¡°Did we?¡± Zhang Huaide asked in surprise.

    ¡°Yes, that time we ate hotpot.¡±

    Zhang Huaide silently recalled for a moment and finally remembered that indeed, the other side had said something like that at the hotpot restaurant.

    ¡°Video replays are available now,¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly, ¡°You all better study them well when you go back.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Zhang Huaide responded with a calm smile, ¡°Once we learn, we won¡¯t be defeated next time.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not about not being defeated,¡± Zhou Hongyu suddenly said, her eyes still fixed on Yan Yu, but with a flame of combative desire reigniting in her otherwise lifeless pupils. Words squeezed through her clenched teeth,

    ¡°Next time, I¡¯ll beat you so bad you¡¯ll be picking up your teeth off the ground.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Yan Yu was immediately amused by her, just what he wanted¡ªyou hate me, the more, the better, ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯ll buy a set of dentures in advance and look forward to your beating.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Zhou Hongyu stood up and coldly said to the others, ¡°We¡¯re leaving!¡±

    Everyone immediately rose to their feet and said goodbye to Yan Yu and his group:

    ¡°See you next time.¡±

    ¡°Practice well when you go back.¡±

    ¡°We will take our victory back later!¡±

    As the deputy captain, Chen Lingyun nodded farewell to everyone, her gaze finally resting on Zhang Huaide.

    ¡°I¡¯ve learned a great deal from Deputy Captain Chen¡¯s superb commanding skills this time,¡± Zhang Huaide said with a smile, ¡°It has been extremely beneficial. I will definitely study the replays carefully when I get back.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too kind,¡± Chen Lingyun smiled lightly, ¡°Deputy Captain Zhang might want to think about how to get Captain Zhou to follow commands during critical moments.¡±

    Zhang Huaide could only muster a wry smile.

    While the direct cause of the defeat was the team being ambushed and split into two by Yan Yu¡¯s team. What if Zhou Hongyu hadn¡¯t been hot-headed in her pursuit of Yan Yu at the front, causing the rest of the team to become disjointed¡ªhow then could Chen Lingyun, lying in ambush, have seized the opportunity?

    When Zhang Huaide noticed that the team was splintering, his first thought wasn¡¯t to call Captain Zhou back, but rather to order the rest of the team to move toward her. Why? Because Zhou Hongyu, caught up in the heat of battle, was unlikely to abandon her pursuit to retreat.

    Zhou Hongyu was the tactical core of the team, while Zhang Huaide was the team¡¯s commanding core. Once the tactical core departed from the commanding core, the execution of tactics would immediately encounter problems¡ªand being ambushed this time was just one of the outcomes resulting from the core¡¯s detachment.

    ¡°I can¡¯t refute that,¡± Zhang Huaide shook his head, ¡°But you all are not much different, right? With Yan Yu as a very dominant tactical core, you also need to find a way to work with him.¡±

    In both the previous battle with the Annan Army and this one with the Pingxi Army, Yan Yu had almost always acted alone, engaging the essential characters of the opposing side and drawing them away from their entire team¡¯s tactical system.

    Though his actions had become the key to victory in both confrontations, Zhang Huaide also keenly noticed the underlying problem: that the Zhendong Army¡¯s others were currently unable to fight side-by-side with Yan Yu.

    ¡°There¡¯s no helping it,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile, ¡°We¡¯re just not worthy to stand by his side yet.¡±

    Not worthy? Zhang Huaide pondered. Does it mean¡­ they can¡¯t keep up in terms of strength?

    ¡°But no rush,¡± Chen Lingyun continued with a smile, ¡°there will come a day.¡±

 Chapter 117 - 17 Review and Interview

    Chapter 117: Chapter 17 Review and Interview

    On the flight back to Jinling, the group began their usual post-game analysis.

    With footage shot by Auntie Lou, the replay analysis became much easier.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s take a look at the footage,¡± Yan Yu said calmly as he dragged the mouse, ¡°Our victory this time was mainly due to the successful execution of our segmentation tactics. As everyone saw, Qin Meng and Zhou Hongyu charged ahead; after turning the corner, they became separated from the three in the rear.

    ¡°This separation within the team prevented them from providing good mutual support, thereby creating opportunities for us to isolate and defeat them.¡±

    ¡°May I add a question?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, ¡°Do you guys know why it was Zhou Hongyu and Qin Meng who charged ahead?¡±

    ¡°Is it because those two are good at making breakthroughs?¡± Lin Ning asked subconsciously.

    ...

    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple,¡± Su Yunjin pondered, ¡°Zhou Hongyu was at the very front because her tactical style is just like that, she likes to lead by example. As for Qin Meng¡­ is it because of Ningning?¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡± Yan Yu praised highly, ¡°Secretary Su is indeed the type with a clever mind, it¡¯s because of Lin Ning.¡±

    ¡°Wait, why is it because of me?¡± Lin Ning was suddenly confused.

    ¡°Simple, because their team didn¡¯t have a genuine output-oriented Sword Immortal,¡± Chen Lingyun revealed the answer, ¡°Qin Meng follows the Body Cultivating Cultivator¡¯s path and is not too reliant on Sword Control Technique; Zhang Huaide, as the deputy leader, already bears the burden of command, and since Zhou Hongyu is brainless, he¡¯s the sole planner of the tactics, busy with matters, naturally not having time to specialize in Sword Control.¡±

    ¡°When we were jointly clearing the way outside the Mysterious Realm, Lin Ning fully demonstrated her excessively strong Sword Control ability,¡± Yan Yu continued her analysis, ¡°Fast, agile, and of course long-handed, this would make Zhang Huaide realize that once they entered the team combat phase, Lin Ning¡¯s Sword Control would pose a great threat to them at a distance.¡±

    ¡°Neither Tang Xiaolian nor Meng Qingxi could match Ningning in swordsmanship combat,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Since Zhang Huaide can¡¯t outclass her in swordsmanship and he also has to concentrate on command, the task of containing Ningning falls to either Zhou Hongyu or Qin Meng, but Zhou Hongyu needs to be reserved to deal with our Yan Yu¡­ Understand?¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Lin Ning suddenly had an epiphany, exclaiming in surprise, ¡°So that¡¯s why in the footage, Qin Meng was at the forefront! In their tactical arrangement, he needed to rush over first to contain me!¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Qin Meng practices the ¡®Dragon Elephant Nirvana Divine Skill,¡¯ with excellent endurance, the only shortcoming being his limited reach. If he had started in the back, by the time he reached you, you would have already stricken the entire field with your Sword Control several times.¡±

    ¡°So he had to stand in the front row with Zhou Hongyu, which provided us a tactical window of opportunity, fully isolating Qin and Zhou from the three in the rear.¡±

    ¡°Look at this part here.¡± He continued to drag the mouse, bringing the progress bar forward, ¡°Zhou Hongyu cast the Great Bright Fire Dao Method and then unfortunately hit the ghost mansion¡¯s Judge. At this point, if Qin Meng had chosen to support the rear and leave Zhou Hongyu here¡­ your side of the fight would have been tough.¡±

    The girls stared at the footage, all falling silent. Did she ¡°unfortunately¡± hit the ghost mansion¡¯s Judge?

    Why does it look like Miss Zhou was intending to attack you, but ended up being turned against by you, dragging the ghost mansion¡¯s Judge in as a shield?

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a radiant smile and a slightly mocking tone, ¡°But why did Qin Meng stay by Zhou Hongyu¡¯s side?¡±

    ¡°Why indeed?¡± Yan Yu knew she had seen through the clues, but there was really no need to discuss personal feelings here, so he feigned ignorance, ¡°It¡¯s strange. Although we don¡¯t know his motivation, Qin Meng¡¯s choice here was undoubtedly fatal, because the trio of Zhang Huaide, Tang Xiaolian, and Meng Qingxi didn¡¯t have a strong enough attacker to break through the ambush you four had set up.¡±

    ¡°Forced to deal with the disadvantageous situation of three against four, with their best fighters Zhou Hongyu and Qin Meng unable to assist, it was inevitable that Zhang Huaide¡¯s team would eventually be defeated,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a twinkle in her eye, ¡°The detachment between the front and rear, having all the assaulters in the front row, this was the key factor that decided the outcome of this confrontation.¡±

    ¡°The key factor that decided the outcome of this confrontation, isn¡¯t it me, Yan Yu, the strongest Yan team leader, who alone restrained the ghost mansion¡¯s Judge, Zhou Hongyu, and Qin Meng on the spot in the earlier phase?¡± Yan Yu corrected with a slight frown.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Zhou Hongyu suddenly shot the Flame Spear toward the rear midway through, not only forcing Sister Zhao to move aside but also causing Yun Jin to lose control of Zhang Huaide. Our leader indeed played an indispensable role in this regard.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen joined in. With a rare chance to knock down the thief¡¯s arrogance, she would not hold back, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for that Great Bright Fire attack, I would have taken Zhang Huaide out of the game long ago! The battle was dragged out another ten minutes or so because of Yan Yu¡¯s fault!¡±

    ¡°Bullshit!¡± Yan Yu said with disdainful contempt, ¡°I¡¯m already taking on three by myself, and you expect them not to be able to make a move? Why don¡¯t you just tell me to instantly kill everyone on the field?¡±

    ¡°Oh really?¡± Chen Lingyun covered her mouth with her hand, pretending to be shocked, ¡°Isn¡¯t it normal for the strongest captain in the world to instantly kill everyone on the field?¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s continue with the review of the game,¡± Yan Yu glossed over the comment and said, ¡°Let¡¯s start the analysis one by one. First is your vice-captain¡¯s ambush strategy¡ªthe position she designed, I have one word to describe it, ¡®terrible¡¯! Two words, ¡®very terrible¡¯! Three words, ¡®extremely terrible¡¯!¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t saying ¡®extremely terrible¡¯ a bit too much?¡± Lin Ning couldn¡¯t help but retort, ¡°I mean, we did win the game with that ambush strategy!¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Yan Yu swiftly switched gears, ¡°Based on Lin Ning¡¯s feedback, I¡¯ve decided to change my evaluation to ¡®very terrible¡¯. Why do I say that? Because the positioning was just not clever enough. If I were Zhang Huaide, I would have at least three ways to instantly see through your ambush.¡±

    ¡°If you were Zhang Huaide, I wouldn¡¯t need to design such a position,¡± Chen Lingyun was still smiling, ¡°Because Zhou Hongyu would go straight for a life-or-death internal fight with you.¡±

    ¡°Stop it, you two!¡± Seeing the captain and vice captain starting their usual bickering, Lin Ning finally lost her cool, ¡°Can we just seriously finish reviewing this battle?!¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Back at Jinling Airport, Qi Changping routinely came to pick them up.

    ¡°Let me make this clear,¡± Yan Yu reminded as soon as he got into the car, ¡°Don¡¯t throw some commendation meeting again and drag me up there to speak on short notice.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Qi Changping smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s only done periodically, not after every Mysterious Realm. Otherwise, the students and faculty can¡¯t handle it either.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a relief¡­ So, how much is the prize money this time?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Each person gets 7 million. Why do you ask? You¡¯re not short on money now, are you?¡±

    ¡°I am,¡± Yan Yu said righteously, ¡°I just bought a house near the school, and a big chunk of money went into that. Moreover, I still have to get married and have kids. I need to start saving for things like baby formula.¡±

    ¡°The military should have a unified arrangement for the progeny of you Cultivators, surely there will be great welfare policies,¡± Qi Changping held the steering wheel and said with a laugh, ¡°But instead of thinking about marriage and children, shouldn¡¯t you first find a girlfriend?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Yan Yu immediately became alert, ¡°Is the army planning to set me up on a mixer?¡±

    The conversation among the girls in the back had been lively, but suddenly it fell as silent as a graveyard.

    ¡°Not a mixer, an interview,¡± Qi Changping replied, ¡°There¡¯s a media team within our military forces. They¡¯re planning to interview you in a while, make a special feature¡ªincidentally boosting your popularity in front of Cultivators nationwide.¡±

    ¡°Why interview me?¡± Yan Yu was somewhat bewildered, ¡°Although I am handsome and powerful, wouldn¡¯t it make more sense to go for someone who¡¯s good at talking for an interview?¡±

    ¡°The general thinks that your statements will have a¡­ certain interview effect,¡± Qi Changping said truthfully, ¡°These days, young people don¡¯t like the official-sounding stuff; they prefer your kind of informal speaking style. Didn¡¯t you do pretty well improvising during the last commendation meeting?¡±

    ¡°When have I ever spoken informally?¡± Yan Yu immediately protested, ¡°As a team captain, every word I say is thoroughly thought through, you know?¡±

    ¡°Can I retort to that statement?¡± Lin Ning poked her head forward from the back. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°No, shut up!¡±

 Chapter 118 - 18: White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin

    Chapter 118: Chapter 18: White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin

    Zhao Yuanzhen had been feeling quite bored lately.

    Of course, when she was in the Cultivation World, her daily life was monotonously boring as well: cultivate, perform breathing exercises, stay indoors all day, and only occasionally descend the mountain to purchase supplies. Only if a fellow sister from her sect acquired a clue to a mysterious realm and invited her to assist would she venture on a long trip.

    However, after arriving in this world, everything changed.

    Novels, movies, TV shows¡ªthere were so many entertaining activities that the newly transmigrated Zhao Yuanzhen quickly became addicted to the internet world of information explosion.

    This blissful place, she couldn¡¯t go back now!

    But now,

    ...

    ¡­so boring.

    The novel she liked had an unsatisfactory ending, the movies she was interested in were all caught up, and the TV shows she was following suddenly required an extra fee for VIP members, which annoyed Zhao Yuanzhen so much that she spent a long time looking for pirated versions. After downloading them, she found she didn¡¯t want to watch anymore.

    Forget it, let¡¯s go find my partner for some fun.

    Zhao Yuanzhen went downstairs and saw Su Yunjin in the adjacent gym, practicing her water-based Taoism Method by the swimming pool.

    An indoor swimming pool might sound luxurious, but in reality, such a large pool takes a long time to fill and replace the water, so everyone, considering it troublesome, left it unused¡ªuntil Su Yunjin learned the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, after which the pool finally came into use again.

    ¡°Are you practicing?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen greeted her.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Su Yunjin sighed, ¡°My control over True Yuan is still not good enough.¡±

    The Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, which calls forth the waters of the celestial river to strike at one¡¯s opponent. The more True Yuan used during the spellcasting, the more powerful the summoned water flow.

    But with the Spiritual Energy Resurgence still in its early stages, everyone¡¯s True Yuan capacity was limited, so they had to be economical.

    If a tactical effect that could be achieved with three parts of True Yuan was carelessly executed with four or even five parts, that would be a loss.

    ¡°Sister Yun Jin, you need to practice controlling your True Yuan,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately assumed the role of a senior and began to give her advice, ¡°It¡¯s actually quite simple. I¡¯ll teach you a trick¡­¡±

    As she was finishing her explanation of the trick, she saw Yan Yu pushing the door open and saying,

    ¡°Why are you still here? Come on, it¡¯s time to claim your magical items.¡±

    After all, following the Assistant Officer path, Chen Lingyun had started to play tricks, so how could Sister Zhao go without magical items? Li Weiguo had notified them, asking Yan Yu to bring someone to collect their magical items.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately got excited.

    It wasn¡¯t that Empress Yuanzhen lacked a handy magical item, it was just the habit of loving freebies stirring within her¡ªwho doesn¡¯t love magical items for free?

    The two left the villa and headed to the school, where they went straight to Li Weiguo¡¯s office, as familiar with the route as if they were going home.

    ¡°Here you are,¡± Li Weiguo said while reading a book. Seeing Yan Yu bringing Zhao Yuanzhen in, he turned his laptop to face them, ¡°The list of supplies is all there. Also, the storages of the four armies might need to exchange items soon, with the rule being one-for-one swaps only. So, under our own list, there¡¯s also their inventory. You can browse and see.¡±

    ¡°Their inventory?¡± Yan Yu¡¯s eyes immediately lit up, ¡°If I reserve it, can I get it?¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Li Weiguo said leisurely, ¡°If their own team also wants the items you want to exchange for, they definitely won¡¯t agree to the trade.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yan Yu started to fiddle with his phone.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Li Weiguo asked with a frown.

    ¡°I¡¯m searching for the three captains¡¯ contacts,¡± Yan Yu opened a chat app, ¡°Seems like I haven¡¯t added Zhou Hongyu, but I can reach Zhang Huaide. Once I¡¯ve reserved their inventory, I¡¯ll reach out to their captains to give me some face, so we don¡¯t have conflicts later.¡±

    Li Weiguo: ¡­¡­

    In the mind of the old general, a thought flashed through:

    What do you mean ¡®give me some face¡¯? You¡¯re really using this to show off?

    ¡°Cough, anyhow, you pick first,¡± suppressing the strange thought, Li Weiguo began to drink tea.

    Yan Yu began to scroll with the mouse, and Zhao Yuanzhen leaned over to take a look, suddenly pointing at the screen and saying,

    ¡°How about this?¡±

    ¡°Trash,¡± Yan Yu said without hesitation, as his mouse continued to scroll.

    ¡°What about this one?¡±

    ¡°Trash as well.¡±

    ¡°I think this one seems pretty powerful.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just trash that looks powerful.¡±

    Li Weiguo sipped his tea, and his confusion gradually began to grow.

    The common problem with these magical items produced from the Mysterious Realm was that they had to be refined by their master for activation, and one could only know their use once activated.

    But the problem was that once a magical item recognized a master, it was very troublesome to change hands afterward¡­ Therefore, none of the magical items on the list had recognized a master yet, and the database only had pictures and basic data.

    How was Yan Yu judging whether they were ¡°trash¡± or not, or was he just showing off again?

    Li Weiguo decided to keep quiet and first see what this kid would pick in the end.

    Yan Yu finished browsing through the Zhendong Army¡¯s inventory and then began to flip through the Annan Army¡¯s inventory. Zhao Yuanzhen beside him scratched his head, twirled the hair by his cheek with his fingers and then let go, his mouth slightly open as if about to speak yet he held back, repeating this several times, which made him secretly frustrated:

    ¡°Today this thief is choosing magical items for me, completely disregarding my opinion, just twirling that mouse wheel¡­ Keeping me hanging, how hateful! I¡¯ll remember this grudge, and when I am in charge one day, I¡¯ll make sure to hang him out to dry too, let him see but not touch!¡±

    As for how exactly he would hang Yan Yu out to dry, the Demonic Sect Enchantress did not ponder thoroughly, so let us not delve into that for now.

    Speaking of Yan Yu, after he finished looking at the Annan Army¡¯s inventory and the Pingxi Army¡¯s inventory, he finally stopped on a page in the Dingbei Army¡¯s inventory.

    He touched his chin and silently stared at the screen, pondering something. Zhao Yuanzhen also leaned forward, looking at the screen with equal tension, but before he could see clearly what magical item it was, Yan Yu scrolled past it with the mouse wheel.

    Zhao Yuanzhen withdrew his gaze in disappointment, only to see the screen stop suddenly. He quickly leaned in to look, only for the screen to start scrolling again¡­ Angered, Zhao Yuanzhen gritted his teeth and decided to simply lower his head to play with his phone instead.

    After playing with his phone for a while, Yan Yu suddenly picked up the phone beside him and initiated a voice chat with Liu Longtao.

    ¡°Hey, Old Liu.¡±

    ¡°Old Yan, it¡¯s rare to hear from you, what brings you here?¡± The other side quickly picked up.

    ¡°I¡¯m eyeing one of your Dingbei Army¡¯s magical items for a resource swap, just wondering if your team has any needs.¡±

    ¡°Oh, which magical item?¡± Liu Longtao asked nonchalantly, ¡°I need to check with Ye Jun.¡±

    In fact, Ye Jun had already submitted their team¡¯s needs in advance. The magical items they¡¯d reserved weren¡¯t even on the list provided by the Dingbei Army for the swap.

    ¡°Item number DBR-007.¡± Yan Yu opened the detailed entry and spoke to the person on the phone, ¡°It looks like an ivory hairpin with a miniature white bone skull carved on it.¡± S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°You want that one, huh.¡± Liu Longtao stroked his chin, confirming he had no impression of this so-called White Bone hairpin, ¡°Is that magical item very powerful?¡±

    ¡°Old Liu, that¡¯s boring.¡± Yan Yu said with a laugh, ¡°If I said it was powerful, would you believe me?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I would.¡± Liu Longtao laughed heartily, ¡°As long as you say it¡¯s powerful, I¡¯ll have Ye Jun reserve it right away. Which team wouldn¡¯t need a powerful magical item, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, but it¡¯s not that simple.¡± Yan Yu calmly responded, ¡°These magical items are useless without a master, so who would know whether it¡¯s powerful? It¡¯s basically like opening a blind box, guessing the function based on the appearance. With a hairpin, it¡¯s mostly used for attacking from a distance like a Flying Sword, that¡¯s my guess.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Liu Longtao was well aware of this, and continued to inquire, ¡°But don¡¯t you guys have an Immortal Sword? Why do you need that hairpin?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a safer bet.¡± Yan Yu said openly with a smile, ¡°If you pick a gourd, a mirror, or a vase, who knows what they¡¯re really for? You might find out they¡¯re pretty mediocre once they¡¯re refined, and then it would be a waste of this rare swap opportunity. On the other hand, hairpins are likely used to stab people, less variety, so it¡¯s a safer choice.¡±

    Liu Longtao remained noncommittal, although he didn¡¯t have much doubt¡ªonly Ye Jun in their team followed the Assistant Officer¡¯s path, and for this selection, they had chosen a ruler from the Pingxi Army¡¯s inventory. Why? Because the ruler¡¯s shape is straightforward, probably useful for smacking people, not hard to guess.

    But if you chose a gourd magical item thinking it was for absorbing people and sealing them inside, only to find out after refining it that it endlessly refills your wine¡­ then that would be a waste of the swap opportunity, right?

    ¡°Alright then.¡± Liu Longtao made a quick decision and said straightforwardly, ¡°I just checked with Ye Jun, nobody in the team wants that hairpin, you just go ahead with the procedures on your side.¡±

    ¡°Thanks a lot, we¡¯ll chat another time.¡± Yan Yu ended the call nonchalantly, smiled faintly, and said to Li Weiguo and Zhao Yuanzhen, ¡°Then I¡¯ll reserve this one.¡±

    With Lord Master¡¯s character of valuing face, there¡¯s no way he would go back on his word once it was out there, something wholly unlike the petty women. Moreover, from Liu Longtao¡¯s perspective, it was indeed hard to discern the hairpin¡¯s effect, which was quite normal.

    If one really insisted on quibbling, Yan Yu hadn¡¯t actually lied to him; the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin was indeed for stabbing people.

    It¡¯s just that it stabbed a bit too fiercely.

 Chapter 119 - 19: The Fairy Can Bend and Stretch

    Chapter 119: Chapter 19: The Fairy Can Bend and Stretch

    The White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, as one of the famous magical artifacts of later generations, didn¡¯t have any fancy effects.

    Its usage was very simple: after refining, one simply had to channel their True Yuan into it, aim at the target, and activate it, causing the hairpin to swiftly shoot out.

    Unlike the Immortal Sword, this thing didn¡¯t require a cultivator to be distracted directing its flight; instead, it locked onto the target and followed it persistently.

    If the opponent blocked with a Flying Sword or used a wide-ranging Taoism Method to attack, causing the tracking of the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin to be interrupted, it would return to its user¡¯s side. But, if the target was too slow to defend, and got pierced by the hairpin, they were pretty much doomed¡ªthe hairpin not only sealed meridians and acupoints, preventing the flow of True Yuan, but unless the owner recalled it, it was basically impossible to remove with external force.

    Yan Yu had no doubts about Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s ability to use the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin effectively. The main risk was that the magical artifact indirectly enhanced the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s power¡­ but considering that with the increasing pace of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, even if she were to sleep all day, she would gradually recover her cultivation, it seemed there was no need to deliberately limit her power.

    After all, as long as Zhao Yuanzhen was unable to utilize spells beyond her level, she was not a match for Yan Yu at the current stage.

    ...

    It was essential to keep the Demonic Sect Enchantress in a constantly deterred state, so she would restrain her strength voluntarily.

    After leaving Li Weiguo¡¯s office, Zhao Yuanzhen, still harboring resentment (but not daring to show it too obviously), grumbled:

    ¡°Just a hairpin¡­ a hairpin! Do I lack a single hairpin? If this magical artifact turns out to be trash, I will¡­¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want it, just say so early,¡± said Yan Yu indifferently, ¡°I can give it to someone else.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ?

    Her naturally cunning and suspicious nature suddenly took the high ground in her mind, and her thoughts made a 180-degree turn:

    From the experience in the Cultivation World, there were hardly any famous hairpin-type magical artifacts, and this little thief had admitted over the phone that ¡°choosing this hairpin was for safety,¡± so one could infer that this item was mediocre, at best indicating it wouldn¡¯t be the worst among many unknown artifacts, and naturally, its power wouldn¡¯t be too impressive.

    But¡­

    What if this little thief was deliberately using reverse psychology to deceive me?

    If I gave up this hairpin and later it was given to someone else and proved to be very powerful¡­ then not only would I have lost the magical artifact, but I¡¯d also be mercilessly mocked by this thief! I might not even be able to hold my head up for the rest of my life!

    As they say on TV: even a napkin should have its own value.

    Anyway, I don¡¯t have any other magical artifacts on hand; might as well make do with this one for now, and if it¡¯s really garbage, I can replace it with something better later¡­

    The thoroughly reconsidered Zhao Yuanzhen shamelessly put on another face and sighed:

    ¡°Alas, though I don¡¯t have much expectation for it, since it¡¯s a gift from you, I¡¯ll accept it reluctantly.¡±

    Yan Yu frowned, thinking, I was about to give you a harsh setback, so why did you suddenly go soft?

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to flatter me,¡± he said impatiently, ¡°it doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t fancy this hairpin; there are plenty who do.¡±

    If Yan Yu had kept silent at that moment, Zhao Yuanzhen would have had her doubts, but his apparent indifference only reinforced her suspicions, and she quickly exclaimed:

    ¡°Who said I don¡¯t fancy it? A gift from a Dao companion¡­ it¡¯s a token of commitment! How could it be passed on to someone else?¡± sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Since when did it become a token of commitment?¡± Yan Yu was confused by her logic, ¡°When did I confess to you?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was taken aback for a moment, then realized that their relationship as Dao companions was more of a ¡°marry first, love later¡± type, which indeed had nothing to do with a token of commitment, but the Demonic Sect Enchantress wouldn¡¯t be stumped by such an issue and quickly retorted:

    ¡°Then consider it a betrothal gift, and there¡¯s no reason to give it away.¡±

    God, now it¡¯s a betrothal gift! How did I, a young, promising unmarried man, start being asked for a betrothal gift? Why didn¡¯t you say it¡¯s for the baby shower of our unborn child?

    Seeing Yan Yu¡¯s brows still tightly furrowed, Zhao Yuanzhen immediately took advantage of the moment and, using some crafty trick learned from who knows where, clung to his arm and cooed:

    ¡°Aiya, as long as I become stronger, I can help you more with conquering Mysterious Realms~ Then we can get more magical artifacts, right?¡±

    ¡°Your flawed logic sure is something else, huh?¡± Yan Yu glanced at her skeptically, ¡°Not to criticize you, but this hairpin was actually intended for you from the start. You initially turned your nose up at it, thinking it was garbage and not wanting it, but as soon as you heard I might give it to others, your attitude took an instant 180-degree turn. Don¡¯t you feel the slightest bit embarrassed? Is your skin made of copper, or forged from iron? Or did you eat a Rubber Fruit to be so flexible?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was at a loss for words, with no argument left, and harbored silent rage in her heart:

    ¡°This little thief has insulted me too far! Endure, just keep enduring! If I can¡¯t take it anymore, I¡¯ll fight him to the death! No, I haven¡¯t achieved success in dual cultivation yet, and his master is still watching¡­ It¡¯s not the right time to make a move against him¡­ When the day comes that my opportunity ripens, I won¡¯t just return the humiliation he has inflicted upon me, I¡¯ll return it tenfold, a hundredfold, or else I, Zhao Yuanzhen, will take his surname!¡±

    Imagining herself finally turning the tables and sitting atop Yan Yu, viciously slapping his face and asking him ¡°What material is this cheek made of?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s fantasy slowly quenched her anger, and she continued to tightly hug Yan Yu¡¯s arm closer to her chest, coquettishly saying:

    ¡°Oh, the cheek of a girl is meant to be both thin and tender, don¡¯t ask anymore. Look, I¡¯ve even let my hair grow out, waiting for you to take the hairpin and put it in for me, okay~¡±

    It has to be said that, although she was a cruel Demonic Sect Enchantress, her coquettish demeanor and tone truly carried a style and charm that modern women couldn¡¯t fake.

    But Yan Yu¡¯s determination and will were astonishing, and he would not be easily seduced by such beauty, he replied with a cold laugh:

    ¡°Don¡¯t think you can bluff your way through. Words spoken and water spilled cannot be taken back, understand?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen also grew irritable and coldly responded:

    ¡°I¡¯ve said all the sweet nothings, and you still won¡¯t accept them, so what do you want?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s simple,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Beg me. If you beg me to change my mind, then this hairpin is yours to keep.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen quickly pondered the situation.

    She had done her share of currying favor with her master in her former life. But pleasing women and men were ultimately different matters. With women, you just need to compliment their beauty and all¡¯s well, but with men¡­ especially a tricky character like this little thief, any flattery would probably hit the wrong spot.

    What¡¯s something that all men like, that even this little thief can¡¯t resist?

    After much thought, the Demonic Sect Enchantress suddenly asked:

    ¡°So, wanna get a room?¡±

    Yan Yu: ??????????

    ¡°Hold on,¡± he said, wordlessly raising his hand as if to say, ¡°Don¡¯t say another word,¡± ¡°First off, I admit your appearance and figure are indeed attractive, but don¡¯t get too excited yet!¡±

    Seeing Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s delighted expression upon being complimented, Yan Yu immediately asked with a sneer:

    ¡°But we¡¯re bound to reach that step in dual cultivation eventually, which means your body is ultimately mine. Now you want to use what is already mine to trade with me?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s smile froze on her face, and after a long moment she incredulously cried out:

    ¡°Who said my body is yours! That¡¯s¡­ a perverted possessiveness! Lewd! Indecent!¡±

    This Demonic Sect Enchantress, not knowing where she picked up a whole mess of nonsensical stuff, Yan Yu couldn¡¯t be bothered to get to the bottom of it and said irritably:

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯m indecent. I¡¯ll see if Lin Ning and Su Yunjin want the hairpin¡­¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say you¡¯re indecent, you must have heard wrong.¡± Mention of the hairpin treasure instantly changed Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s face, she adopted Chen Lingyun¡¯s sweet smile and continued to butter him up, clinging to Yan Yu¡¯s arm, ¡°Dear, think about it, this hairpin was originally for me, my yin energy was meant for you, this is an exchange that couldn¡¯t be more fair~¡±

    ¡°What exchange?¡± Yan Yu pretended not to understand, ¡°Is a girl¡¯s body something to be traded with? I would never do such a thing not allowed by law! If we must speak of it, your yin for my yang, allowing both parties to benefit from dual cultivation, now that is a fair and reasonable exchange. So what are you planning to exchange for this hairpin?¡±

    Left with nothing to say, Zhao Yuanzhen could only glare at him furiously, thinking to herself:

    ¡°This little thief has insulted me too far today! Wahhh, when one day I turn the tables, I will definitely turn his shameful acts into a short essay and post it online for a fierce exposure, calling on sisters everywhere to condemn him!¡±

    Well, maybe there¡¯s no need to wait until turning the tables; couldn¡¯t she just start writing now?

    However, the Spiritual Energy Resurgence was not yet declassified, so words like ¡®dual cultivation¡¯ and ¡®magical treasure¡¯ couldn¡¯t be mentioned, making it impossible to clearly describe what had happened¡­ Better to endure for now.

    A true immortal is one who can bend and stretch!

 Chapter 120 - 20 Todays Training

    Chapter 120: Chapter 20 Today¡¯s Training

    Dangling Zhao Yuanzhen with a hairpin was actually not Yan Yu¡¯s original intention.

    The main reason was that if this Demonic Sect Enchantress wasn¡¯t disciplined every three days by ripping off roof tiles, it was necessary to temper her character to prevent her from being too rebellious and disobedient. It¡¯s a very normal educational method, no need to make a fuss over it.

    As the saying goes, ¡°What comes easily won¡¯t be treasured.¡±

    First pique her appetite, wait until the hairpin is exchanged from the Dingbei Army before giving it to her. Only then will she cherish the kindness someone has shown her¡­ If it was promised to her from the beginning, she¡¯d take it for granted, paying it no heed.

    When Yan Yu arrived at the team¡¯s training ground, he saw Chen Lingyun casting the Wood Bending Charm, holding her beloved record player with one hand, looking for a place to set it down.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Yan Yu asked, baffled.

    ...

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for a suitable spot to put my gramophone,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°Why do you need to place a gramophone?¡± Yan Yu asked with a frown, then showed a mischievous expression, ¡°I get it, you want to use it as a target for sword practice, right?¡±

    ¡°Hehe.¡± Chen Lingyun put down the gramophone and suddenly asked, ¡°Have you heard?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t, please tell me.¡±

    ¡°The higher-ups are planning to expand the team soon,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°The preliminary plan is to double the numbers.¡±

    ¡°Pfft, just doubling?¡± Yan Yu said disdainfully, ¡°Why not do it right and directly implement a mercenary system: allowing all cultivators to form teams freely, changing military tasks to a bidding system, rewarding success with payment, and penalizing failure with fines.¡±

    ¡°That does sound somewhat interesting,¡± Chen Lingyun pretended not to notice his sarcasm and considered it seriously, ¡°If the control over the lower ranks collapses entirely in the future, such measures could indeed be taken, using wealth and power to win over the hearts of civilian cultivators.¡±

    Of course, the cost goes without saying. Civilian cultivators fully reliant on mercenary work are definitely the biggest factor in social instability. The reason for adopting such a system is that there is no other choice left¡ªthe collective strength of civilian cultivators is too great to control, so it¡¯s only possible to cede some power to them, letting them fight amongst themselves to prevent uprisings.

    In the West of my previous life, many developed countries later adopted this mercenary system. The top-tier Transcendents were employed by multinational corporations and nations, the second-tier by local councils and big businesses, the third-tier formed private security companies to take on jobs everywhere, the fourth-tier worked for security companies as independent fighters and mercenaries, and the lowest-tier mingled with local gangs to extort protection fees from civilians, and so on.

    In these countries, the social strata did not turn upside down; the upper class solidified their status by employing top-tier Transcendents, while middle-class communities could hire Transcendents to ensure the safety of their property¡­ This era of ¡°coexistence¡± lasted for about a decade until certain top-tier Transcendents realized ¡°starting your own business is better than working for others, better to take what you want than wait to be paid.¡±

    With Chen Lingyun¡¯s intelligence, there was no need to elaborate on these matters, so Yan Yu did not intend to delve further into discussion. Instead, he asked about the task at hand:

    ¡°How¡¯s your ghost summoning technique coming along?¡±

    ¡°Not bad.¡± Chen Lingyun snapped her fingers, and suddenly five large dogs appeared on the ground, circling Yan Yu in chaos.

    Yan Yu looked closely and found that these five dogs were of different breeds: a Border Collie, Golden Retriever, Samoyed, Husky, and a domestic yellow dog from Lu Country.

    ¡°Why dogs?¡± Although these five ghosts had the ability to transform into anything, Yan Yu genuinely didn¡¯t understand Chen Lingyun¡¯s intention behind ¡°making ghosts turn into dogs.¡±

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t like cats,¡± Chen Lingyun said lightly, smiling, ¡°You know the reason, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking that¡­ never mind.¡± Yan Yu decided not to pry any further.

    After all, since the five ghosts had turned into five dogs, it showed that she indeed had completely refined and controlled them at will.

    To advance the five dogs would require more than just everyday training.

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°The five ghosts are very useful for control-type ghostly entities. However, a regular Necromancer should also have an attack-type ghost and a self-protective type ghost¡­ We¡¯ll talk about the rest later. For now, just focus on perfecting your command routines for the ghostly entities.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Chen Lingyun snapped her fingers again, and the Border Collie ran to the gramophone with a record in its mouth, placed the record on the player, wagged its tail a few times, then pushed the stylus onto the record with its paw.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    I told you to practice your combat skills! Not to be pampered and served by ghosts!

    ¡°`

    Thinking about it carefully, if it can be applied effectively in daily life, there shouldn¡¯t be any issues in combat, right?

    Just as Yan Yu was pondering, he saw Lin Ning, Su Yunjin, and Zhao Yuanzhen, three girls, also entering by swiping their cards.

    ¡°What are we practicing today?¡± Seeing the team captain was also in the training area, Lin Ning came over to ask directly, ¡°I¡¯ve been having some problems with my swordsmanship lately; Yan Yu, can you take a look for me?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± In his previous life, Yan Yu was a Sword Immortal. Although in this life he had turned to become a Puppet Master, his expertise in swordsmanship was still intact, so it was no problem to give Lin Ning some pointers. ¡°Show me a few moves so I can see where the problem lies.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lin Ning nodded and then controlled her Green Bamboo Sword to attack Yan Yu, who easily blocked it with his Huang Tingjian. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    After a few exchanges of offense and defense, Yan Yu immediately spotted that Lin Ning¡¯s problem was a lack of variety in her swordsmanship.

    It wasn¡¯t just because she hadn¡¯t learned any advanced sword techniques; rather, it was that she lacked the basic ability to adapt. For example, if her frontal attack was blocked by the opponent, she wouldn¡¯t immediately think to switch to side attacks, but would stubbornly keep trying to power through from the front¡­ displaying a kind of steadfast, unwavering beauty of tenacity.

    Perhaps this was due to always solving problems from a young age.

    Yan Yu engaged her in a swordsmanship duel, providing nearly an hour of guidance in the form of battle, leaving Lin Ning with dazzling eyes, trembling limbs, a pounding head, shaky hands, and full of thoughts that she was an idiot who couldn¡¯t handle a sword and that she would probably say goodbye to Sword Control Technique forever.

    Seeing Lin Ning¡¯s condition was really too poor, and guessing that no amount of cram teaching would continue to infuse her with experience, Yan Yu asked her to sit and rest for a while.

    Looking at the others:

    Chen Lingyun was sitting on a single sofa opposite, leisurely sipping her coffee, with five dogs sitting quietly behind the sofa in a row, not making a sound.

    Su Yunjin was sitting on a bench at the edge of the training area, her straight legs tightly together. A paper book was spread out on her lap, which she was reading intently.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was seated beside her, watching funny videos on her phone with her earphones on, occasionally letting out a boisterous laugh that sounded rather simple-minded.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    Why does this feel like stepping into a slice-of-life daily girls¡¯ love anime?

    We are the strongest team of this era, Yan Yu¡¯s Team! Each and every one of you is so languid and tranquil; what kind of a look is this?!!

    Without a hint of sound, he pointed his sword, and the Huang Tingjian suddenly struck towards Chen Lingyun.

    Chen Lingyun was completely relaxed, savoring her coffee, and not good at dealing with sudden incidents. By the time she reacted, the sword light had already reached her face, causing her to instinctively close her eyes, duck, and summon a Barrier Charm, lifting her coffee cup like a shield to block the sharp edge of the Huang Tingjian.

    But the Huang Tingjian was just a feint. After circling in front of her, it turned and attacked Su Yunjin next to her.

    Su Yunjin sprang up from the bench, quickly activating her Shifting Technique to flee, making sure to tuck her novel under her arm while dodging.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was originally watching a video when suddenly the person beside her disappeared. By the time she looked up, the Huang Tingjian was already upon her¡ªbut as a seasoned fighter of the Demonic Sect, she wasn¡¯t frightened by such tricks.

    She casually threw aside her phone, rolled on the ground, and when she got up, she had already prepared the Sword Control Technique. The Yin Wind Sword quickly unsheathed, blocking the pursuing Huang Tingjian!

    ¡°What are you doing!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen shouted angrily.

    ¡°This is a training ground!¡± Yan Yu showed not the slightest bit of remorse for the sneak attack and justified firmly, ¡°Once you enter the training ground, you have to train!¡±

    ¡°If I see anyone drinking coffee, reading novels, or playing with their phones again¡­ I¡¯ll take that as a lack of training and give you some real combat experience!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was so annoyed she could die. Muttering an incantation, she spurred her Yin Wind Sword to charge directly at Yan Yu, calling out:

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, sisters! Let¡¯s gang up on him!¡±

    ¡°`

 Chapter 121 - 21: This Lin Ning has no backbone either

    Chapter 121: Chapter 21: This Lin Ning has no backbone either

    Zhao Yuanzhen was knocked to the ground by the Huang Tingjian.

    Damn it! Did this little thief choose the Edgeless Heavy Sword from the beginning just for this purpose¡ªto bully us more conveniently?

    Looking back at the others, only Lin Ning was righteously offering her help with Sword Control, who was now being toyed with by Yan Yu wielding the Huang Tingjian.

    As for Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin, they didn¡¯t even make a move and were hiding behind watching the fun.

    ¡°Sorry, Sister Zhao~¡± Su Yunjin said with a wry smile, ¡°Even if we all went at him together, it wouldn¡¯t be possible to defeat the captain, right?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not trying to defeat him; we¡¯re supposed to band together for legitimate defense!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen argued, ¡°He was the one who came to provoke us for no reason!¡±

    ...

    ¡°The result of banding together for defense is getting collectively beaten up,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°so please do me a favor and handle it, you two~¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ???

    She soon had an epiphany: What an idea, sacrificing comrades to save oneself, huh?

    ¡°Sister Zhao, save me!¡± Lin Ning ran frantically with her head in her hands as Yan Yu¡¯s Sword Control Technique overwhelmed her; her Green Bamboo Sword couldn¡¯t defend properly, forcing her to scurry around in panic, she cried out, ¡°I can¡¯t hold on any longer!¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied, then added, ¡°I¡¯ll go get a cup of water and then come save you.¡±

    Lin Ning: !!!

    Stranded and helpless, Sister Lin finally got hit in the buttocks by the Huang Tingjian and tumbled clumsily to the ground.

    ¡°Phew!¡± Yan Yu let out a long breath, feeling refreshed and invigorated, with all his muscles feeling loosened up.

    Then, seeing Lin Ning disheveled and furiously trying to get up from the ground, teeth bared and claws out as if ready to bite him, Yan Yu stood at ease and calmly asked:

    ¡°So, you understand now, right?¡±

    Lin Ning suddenly froze, then hesitantly asked:

    ¡°Understand what?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask me to help you identify the problems with your swordsmanship?¡± Yan Yu looked puzzled, ¡°I¡¯ve already demonstrated the solutions for you personally. Don¡¯t tell me you weren¡¯t seriously learning.¡±

    Lin Ning immediately sensed trouble: Oh no, I was so focused on how to fight back after getting hit hard that I completely forgot about the real issue!

    She then meekly and sheepishly said:

    ¡°I was indeed studying hard, but I¡¯m afraid I might have misunderstood¡­ So please explain it to me again verbally.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Yan Yu gave a ¡°there¡¯s no helping you¡± look of resignation and began to brandish the Huang Tingjian once more, ¡°First, when you attack like this, and I counter like this¡­ don¡¯t you feel troubled, as if there¡¯s no proper way to respond?¡±

    ¡°Exactly, exactly!¡± Lin Ning nodded her head frantically.

    ¡°That¡¯s because my Huang Tingjian has been in this position from the start,¡± Yan Yu carefully explained to her, ¡°Whether you slash or stab, from this direction I can easily defend. To break through, you must approach from another direction¡­¡±

    ¡°What if your sword changes direction along with mine?¡± Lin Ning, a keen problem-solver, swiftly began to extrapolate, ¡°If your sword follows mine to this side, my attack will still be defended against.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s correct, it¡¯s called ¡®the advantage of close-range defense¡¯,¡± Yan Yu expressed satisfaction with her ability to understand, ¡°There¡¯s a mnemonic in Sword Control Technique that goes, ¡®Attack from afar, defend up close.¡¯ Remember that well.¡±

    ¡°What does that mean? It means the farther the Flying Sword is from you, the more advantageous it is for attacking; the closer it is to you, the more it benefits defense.¡±

    ¡°The former case is because every time the Flying Sword changes direction, its speed drops to zero and it requires adequate distance to accelerate again. The longer the flight distance, the faster it can accelerate, and the greater the power when it hits the target. The latter is because the Flying Sword needs to maneuver around you for defense, and the smaller the radius of this defensive circle, the more agile its rotation¡­¡±

    As Yan Yu explained in detail, Lin Ning felt like she was receiving enlightening insights, and the uncertainties that had long clouded her mind were melting away as if they were snow under the sun. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    She absorbed the swordsmanship knowledge like a sponge, thirsty for learning, occasionally asking questions to deepen her memory and understanding.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, on the other hand, was looking at the harmonious teaching scene before her, the pair so in sync, and for a moment, she could hardly believe her own eyes.

    Ningning! Don¡¯t be silly! How could you forgive him just like that? Weren¡¯t you just scattered and thrown to the ground by his beating, eating dust everywhere?

    How did you suddenly make peace? Where¡¯s your dignity? Can you really endure such humiliation?

    Aaaargh! I¡¯m so angry! I¡¯m so furious! Lin Ning is also spineless, it seems I¡¯ll have to take revenge myself!

    Zhao Yuanzhen pondered for a long time, knowing that she was currently weak and alone, and that the girls on her team each had their own ulterior motives and were not worthy of her trust. It seemed that she would have to plan her revenge more carefully.

    She could endure it, so why couldn¡¯t I? Let this little thief be smug for a while longer!

    ¡°Really easy to deal with,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, picking up her coffee cup again¡ªnot knowing whom she was referring to.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    By external standards, Yan Yu¡¯s Team¡¯s training regimen was indeed extremely harsh.

    Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin were another story. One a law practitioner and the other an envoy, both roles were more about testing awareness, judgment, and intellect, so Yan Yu had been somewhat merciful, even though the two of them might not have noticed.

    Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen had it much tougher, to enhance their on-the-spot reaction skills, Yan Yu¡¯s live combat training sessions always ended with him mercilessly beating them both.

    Superficial injuries were common, broken bones happened every so often, and the mental pressure was always at its peak. Any ordinary cultivating college student would have broken down long ago.

    Of course, Lin Ning was extremely strong-willed herself, and could endure the bullying without losing confidence for now; Zhao Yuanzhen was a different story altogether, the Zhao Runner who in a previous life sneaked and escaped across half of Lu Country had absolutely top-notch mental resilience.

    If it were anyone else here, Yan Yu wouldn¡¯t insist on such ruthless hellish training; after all, he wasn¡¯t a big monster.

    In the afternoon training session that day, once it was over, Yan Yu waved them off to find Su Yunjin for treatment.

    Overall, Lin Ning¡¯s combat talent was outstanding; she was just new and unsteady with the basics, requiring more experience to level up.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was the old fox type. Experienced and talented in combat, but unwilling to train properly, only setting to work under pressure from Yan Yu¡ªperhaps this was also influenced by her background in another world, as there was no such thing as ¡°militarized training¡± in that world¡¯s Cultivation World, where cultivators were accustomed to being loose in personal style.

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± Chen Lingyun entered from outside with a smile, ¡°are you ready?¡±

    ¡°Ready for what?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Remember what Teacher Qi mentioned last time? The military media interview¡ªpeople are already at the school gate.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m busy. Deal with them for me.¡±

    ¡°But they specifically requested to interview Yan Yu, the big team leader,¡± Chen Lingyun said smilingly, ¡°How could I overstep my bounds as a vice-captain?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Yan Yu sighed, ¡°What did Teacher Li say? If there are no special requests, let¡¯s talk here on the training ground.¡±

    ¡°Grandpa Li didn¡¯t say anything special, telling you to handle it yourself,¡± Chen Lingyun paused before continuing with a smile, ¡°But Teacher Qi asked me to accompany you the whole time. It seems he¡¯s worried you might say something wrong, and I would be able to make immediate corrections if I¡¯m there.¡±

    ¡°What wrong things could I say? Ridiculous!¡± Yan Yu disdained Qi Changping¡¯s worries, ¡°I am the strongest team leader in this world! It¡¯s their honor to interview me. If they want standard, stable reporting content, why didn¡¯t they go find Liu Longtao?¡±

    ¡°Speaking of that, I did hear something,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile was brilliant, ¡°I heard that the editorial department of their publication originally intended to interview Dingbei Army first before coming to us at Zhendong Army.¡±

    ¡°But the chief editor insisted against the others¡¯ views, demanding to issue a report on Zhendong Army first, so the journalist team skipped the closer Shengjing and took a plane specifically from Pingjing down to Jinling.¡±

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Yan Yu said contemptuously, ¡°Silly office politics. Just speak plainly, I¡¯m not in the mood to play guessing games with you.¡±

    ¡°This interview isn¡¯t just routine,¡± Chen Lingyun kept her smile, ¡°The other party is no small fry. This is for the first issue, the content of which will be presented to the Privy Council, and those few might have a chance to see it. But it¡¯s not the same for the second issue.¡±

    ¡°The competition between Zhendong Army and Dingbei Army isn¡¯t about who gets the first issue spot, but who can make a deeper impression on those few. Although I can¡¯t deny the nature of office politics, you better be spirited, right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s your father¡¯s idea, isn¡¯t it?¡± Yan Yu glanced at her sideways.

    ¡°Mhm~¡± Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t deny it.

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Yan Yu stroked his chin, thoughtfully saying, ¡°I¡¯ll take it seriously then.¡±

 Chapter 122 - 22: Famous host rigorously grills Yan Yu!

    Chapter 122: Chapter 22: Famous host rigorously grills Yan Yu!

    Lu Country¡¯s first comprehensive internal military newspaper is named ¡°The Virtue Gazette.¡±

    The reason for this name is not the ¡°moral thinking¡± of virtue, but rather the virtue described in Laozi¡¯s ¡°Dao De Jing.¡±

    ¡°Dao¡± refers to the ¡°Way of Heaven,¡± while ¡°De¡± refers to the ¡°Virtue of Man.¡± The intention behind the naming is quite clear: it is hoped that while Rikoku Cultivators pursue the Way of Heaven, they will also uphold the virtues of humanity and not become despicable, doing anything for power.

    However, historical experience shows that the more one subjectively hopes not to go in a certain direction, the objective reality often becomes a swift race in that very direction after a few years or even a decade¡­ no matter the dynasty or the country, it¡¯s almost the same.

    In the team¡¯s training field, Yan Yu met with the journalist team responsible for the interview, with both sides making introductions and exchanging pleasantries.

    The ¡°journalist¡± in charge of interviewing Yan Yu was the famous host from the original Pingjing TV station, Lu Zhiyu.

    ...

    Her fame does not stem solely from her deep hosting skills, but also from her conversation style¡ªknown throughout the network for being ¡°adept at catching explosive points¡± and ¡°not afraid to ask anything.¡±

    Yan Yu had watched her ¡°One-on-One Interview¡± before, where she often trapped guests with sharp and incisive questions, unafraid to confront even local magistrates.

    Speculation was rampant that she had a powerful supporter behind her, which explained her fearlessness in the face of guest outbursts. Indeed, this was likely the case¡ªotherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have landed an interview with a military cultivator, as current confidentiality regulations would block 99% of unofficial journalists.

    After the greetings, Lu Zhiyu said with a smile, ¡°Captain Yan, please have a seat. Our stage crew will need a little while longer to set things up.¡±

    ¡°Oh, alright then,¡± agreed Yan Yu, nodding. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll go home for a nap. Call me when you¡¯re ready.¡±

    ¡°Uh,¡± Lu Zhiyu paused, quickly correcting, ¡°Of course, it won¡¯t take that long, we¡¯ll be ready very soon.¡±

    Letting Captain Yan go home to sleep would be risky; who knew if they could even summon him back when the time came.

    With her extensive media experience, host Lu, familiar with all kinds of tricks, knew all too well the principle of ¡°avoiding unnecessary complications.¡± She quickly called over the stage supervisor to confirm in front of Yan Yu that the setup would take about half an hour more.

    ¡°Fine by me,¡± Yan Yu stretched lazily. ¡°I¡¯ll just wait here, then.¡±

    Seeing that he didn¡¯t insist on leaving, Lu Zhiyu inwardly breathed a sigh of relief and went to find the makeup artist for a touch-up.

    Meanwhile, Qi Changping paced his office, still feeling uneasy regardless of his thoughts.

    Although he had entrusted Chen Lingyun to keep an eye on things, what if she couldn¡¯t stop him? Once Yan Yu started acting tough, even if the Chief Commander was sitting opposite, he would remain composed and unflustered.

    No, I need to go have a look.

    Qi Changping arrived at the training field just to see the stage crew setting up a simple photography studio, turning it into an interview reception room.

    After all, the original environment was designed for confidentiality and soundproofing, making it full of the heavy and ugly steel plate cement walls. Even saying ¡°it¡¯s okay¡± would be an overstatement; it was truly unattractive.

    ¡°Hey, Old Qi!¡± The director on site recognized him and immediately came over to greet him.

    ¡°Old Cao? You¡¯re leading the team this time?¡± Qi Changping recognized the old comrade-in-arms with an initial shock, followed by delight, and then a sigh of relief.

    Great, great, great! I didn¡¯t expect Old Cao to be leading the team this time!

    Yan Yu, you little rascal, did you think of this? This time the director is someone I know! No matter how shocking the pompous statements you make on stage are, I just need to tell Old Cao to cut them out of the final edit! It¡¯s completely no big deal!

    With this, everything was perfectly secure! Hahaha!

    Qi Changping stood outside with director Cao Wendan, chatting warmly¡ªthe expression on Instructor Qi¡¯s face was one of relief, relaxation, calmness, and composure, showing none of the previous anxiety from his office.

    In the studio, host Lu Zhiyu sat on the right-side sofa, adjusting the recording equipment pinned to her chest.

    The audio recorded during the interview would be transcribed by the editorial team for review, refinement, and writing before being published in the military¡¯s internal print newspaper. As for the video footage of the show, it would be uploaded to the internal website since the influence of print media was increasingly limited and even the traditionally conservative troops preferred to check the news on their smartphones during their leisure time.

    Yan Yu sat in the ¡°interviewee¡¯s¡± spot on the left-side sofa, absently fiddling with his phone. Chen Lingyun sat next to him, smiling without a word, secretly contemplating.

    Now that the media had started internal trials among cultivators, it stood to reason that a complete lifting of social-level information confidentiality controls was only about a month or two away.

    The choice to lift confidentiality at this time was due to the subjective need to adopt a more proactive approach in response to the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, as well as the objective need to closely follow international trends¡ªafter all, other countries had already fully disclosed, and it was unrealistic to continue hiding the truth from the domestic populace.

    ¡°The photography and lighting are all set up,¡± Lu Zhiyu suddenly asked, ¡°Shall we start then?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    ¡°Hello, dear audience,¡± as the offstage cue was given, Lu Zhiyu turned to the camera with a professional smile and began to recite the script smoothly, ¡°This is ¡®The Virtue Gazette¡¯s¡¯ first special character interview program, and I¡¯m the host, Lu Zhiyu. The gentleman sitting beside me is Zhendong Army¡¯s Cultivator Team Captain, Yan Yu, and next to him is the Deputy Team Captain, Chen Lingyun.¡±

    Yan Yu casually waved at the camera, signaling a greeting. Chen Lingyun nodded slightly, her smile elegant and sweet.

    ¡°Captain Yan, we¡¯ve noticed that most members of your team are female,¡± Lu Zhiyu lived up to her reputation as a professional host by grabbing the biggest talking point, ¡°The Female Warrior Team,¡± to start her questioning, ¡°May I ask what criteria you used to select these female team members?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s quite simple,¡± Yan Yu, who had answered this question before, responded methodically, ¡°The establishment of the war team is to carry out combat missions, so when I select members for the team, I only look at two criteria: one is strength, and the other is potential¡­¡±

    Seeing Yan Yu¡¯s earnest and stable official-like statement, the last bit of worry in Coach Qi Changping¡¯s heart watching from the sidelines completely dissipated.

    This kid, although he often speaks to the commander-in-chief without much respect, seems to be much more proper in front of the camera.

    That¡¯s right, after all, being cautious and conservative in front of public media is a normal and reasonable thing to do. What in the world was I worrying about before?

    Ah, the matters of this world are indeed nonexistent, it¡¯s just the meddlesome people who create their own troubles. It seems I¡¯ve made an unnecessary fuss.

    My mistake!

    With the interview proceeding this way, there definitely won¡¯t be any problems later on. I should head back to the office.

    After exchanging a few more words with Director Cao, Qi Changping was about to excuse himself and leave when he suddenly heard Lu Zhiyu in the studio interrupting:

    ¡°Captain Yan, my impression is that you actually prefer female cultivators, right?¡±

    Yan Yu: ???

    Qi Changping abruptly stopped in his tracks, looking back at the scene with irritation.

    Damn! Just when that kid was making a serious statement for once, I can¡¯t believe this damn host is causing trouble here!

    ¡°Why would you say that?¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t react immediately and asked with a frown.

    ¡°Currently, in the four armies¡¯ war teams, it¡¯s generally a situation of having more men than women,¡± Lu Zhiyu said with folded hands and a gentle smile, ¡°The Annan Army and the Dingbei Army teams each have only one female cultivator. The Pingxi Army has two cultivators, but still fewer than men.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I also believe that in the military ¡®everything is based on strength¡¯. So perhaps the other three team captains believe, or subconsciously tend to think, that male cultivators have higher growth potential and malleability and are more valuable for long-term development.¡±

    ¡°But you have made a completely opposite choice; apart from yourself, all other cultivators in your team are females¡­ So, do you believe that female cultivators are not weaker than males? Or perhaps, are you trying to prove this point to the outside world?¡±

    ¡°Cough cough,¡± Chen Lingyun quietly coughed beside him. Yan Yu and she shared a tacit understanding; he immediately picked up her hint: be careful of the trap within the question.

    After pondering for half a second, he cracked a brilliantly fake Ling Yun-brand smile and asked:

    ¡°Why do you ask that? If I wanted to prove to the outside world that women are stronger than men, then I¡¯d just let Chen Lingyun here be the captain. But does she have the abilities for that? After all, our team speaks through strength, not gender. It doesn¡¯t matter how the captain views you; what matters is whether your strength is up to the challenge. As long as you can fight, it doesn¡¯t matter if your gender is an armed helicopter.¡±

    Hearing this response, Qi Changping¡¯s heart that had been in his throat finally began to settle down.

    This question, after all, touches on gender factors, and no matter how you answer, it will stir unnecessary controversy. So the best way to handle it is not to answer. But if you beat around the bush too much, while you might recover from making a mistake, you¡¯d appear to be someone who can¡¯t grasp the main point and lacks caliber.

    Yan Yu used ¡°I am the captain, and Chen Lingyun can only be the vice-captain¡± as his reply, denying Lu Zhiyu¡¯s leading question while also avoiding the controversial topic of ¡°which gender of cultivator is stronger¡±, which contains implicit opposition. It was a decent and appropriate response.

    However, before Qi Changping could completely relax, he saw Lu Zhiyu, who didn¡¯t know when to stop, continue to probe:

    ¡°So, may I interpret it this way: Captain Yan, do you think that among the male cultivators within the Zhendong Army, aside from yourself, there is not a single one whose strength or potential for growth meets the standards for joining the team? That only female cultivators meet the criteria?¡±

    ¡°Which team are you asking about?¡± Yan Yu calmly responded, ¡°If you mean teams in a broader sense, I believe that the future Zhendong Army will not have just one team. Many excellent male cultivators will certainly be able to quickly stand out by virtue of their strength after joining their respective teams.¡± Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°As for my team, if you want to ask about the entry standards¡­ It¡¯s not just about male cultivators, even extending to the entire Zhendong Army, no one meets the standards I¡¯ve set.¡±

    ¡°To give you an analogy, it¡¯s like a university final exam for a major subject. Everyone¡¯s supposed to pass with 60 points, yet everyone scores only in the teens or twenties, so the professor can¡¯t fail all the students, right? They¡¯ve got to lower the passing line and pick the four who scored in the twenties as passing. Do you get my meaning? In such a case, whether those four who passed are male or female doesn¡¯t really matter. The key issue is why most students performed so poorly, and that is what¡¯s more worth discussing. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±

    Lu Zhiyu was rendered speechless by Yan Yu¡¯s argument and, for a moment, couldn¡¯t find any words to refute him.

    You see, Yan Yu dared to openly say ¡°whether it¡¯s male or female cultivators, they¡¯re all rubbish in my eyes¡± because he is the number one cultivator in the Zhendong Army, and he has the confidence to be arrogant, disdainful, and to offer guidance.

    But if Lu Zhiyu dared to catch onto his words, she would inevitably offend the cultivator factions of the Zhendong Army. Not to mention that even the always agreeable commander of the Zhendong Army, Li Weiguo, might just send an accountability call to her boss¡¯s boss.

    How could she dare to respond to that?!

    ¡°Well¡­ let¡¯s switch to another question and ask Vice Captain Chen,¡± feeling a bit overwhelmed, Lu Zhiyu quickly deployed the host¡¯s ultimate technique of changing the topic.

    Outside, Qi Changping¡¯s face darkened as he asked Director Cao Wendan beside him:

    ¡°Can this segment of the dialogue be cut in post-production?¡±

    ¡°Why cut it out?¡± Cao Wendan asked in puzzlement, ¡°The question is explosive, and the answer was quite brilliant, isn¡¯t it great?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a bit insulting,¡± Qi Changping said implicitly, feeling increasingly helpless inside.

    The strongest cultivator of the Zhendong Army insulting its own cultivators ¨C what kind of situation was this?!

 Chapter 123 - 23: Taking Texts Out of Context is the Ultimate Righteousness

    Chapter 123: Chapter 23: Taking Texts Out of Context is the Ultimate Righteousness

    But Yan Yu, this formidable man, was speaking too much with force, and the host Lu Zhiyu couldn¡¯t keep up, so he decisively played a card to redirect the topic, picking a less tricky question to ask Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°Deputy Captain Chen, as the right hand of Captain Yan Yu, can you talk about the relationship between the two of you?¡±

    ¡°Relationship?¡± Chen Lingyun pretended not to understand and chuckled with her hand covering her mouth, ¡°Isn¡¯t it just the usual deputy and chief relationship?¡±

    ¡°On the job, we¡¯re comrades in arms, of course,¡± Lu Zhiyu said, smiling amiably as he continued, ¡°What about your personal rapport?¡±

    Although her expression was very composed and proper as if she was just talking about something very ordinary, there was indeed an implied gossipy tone. A slight misstep in answering, and the host would seize the opportunity to dig further¡ªthe audiences always love this kind of topic; it¡¯s a classic hot-button issue.

    ¡°Privately,¡± Chen Lingyun drew out her words, ¡°not too bad, we could be called frenemies, I suppose.¡±

    ...

    Lu Zhiyu: ?

    She politely widened her eyes slightly, only to hear Chen Lingyun laugh again:

    ¡°Forget it, it¡¯s a public interview, let¡¯s not bring up personal matters, just cut this part out.¡±

    Lu Zhiyu suddenly felt like she had a date stuck in her throat, not going up nor coming down¡ªit was supremely uncomfortable¡­ What did she mean by ¡°frenemies¡±?

    You could have just not said anything, but since you did, at least clarify it for me! This is material with even more value to dig into than a ¡°romantic relationship¡±!

    What does it mean to leave it hanging after saying only half of it? S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Just as she was about to press for more information, she saw Yan Yu suddenly gesture and said:

    ¡°This ¡®frenemies¡¯ thing, there¡¯s no other meaning. It¡¯s just that she, as the deputy captain, is always overestimating herself, liking to challenge authority. But it¡¯s useless, because our team speaks through strength, and anyone who doesn¡¯t have enough and dares to step out of line will only be severely suppressed, no matter whose official son or daughter you are.¡±

    Lu Zhiyu: ¡­¡­¡­.

    She couldn¡¯t follow up on that, because she truly knew who Chen Lingyun¡¯s father was¡ªalready a level that public media should not mention, and would soon be completely off-limits.

    Offstage, Qi Changping spoke with a numb expression:

    ¡°Cut this part as well.¡±

    ¡°Sure, cut it,¡± Cao Wendan nodded and took out the walkie-talkie to command, ¡°Tell little Lu not to ask Chen Lingyun any more questions.¡±

    The girl¡¯s family background was sensitive and ultimately not something that could be casually discussed on air.

    Having just breathed a sigh of relief, Qi Changping then heard Cao Wendan instruct:

    ¡°Let her focus on asking Yan Yu, as he¡¯s the main guest for this interview.¡±

    This left Qi Changping tied up in knots again. I agree with not asking Chen Lingyun, but telling her to ask Yan Yu¡­

    Lu Zhiyu noticed the cue from offstage and knew that the previous segment would definitely be cut, which made her feel a bit frustrated and helpless.

    However, due to her professional composure of being a host, her demeanor remained unchanged as she switched to another subject to continue the interview:

    ¡°Captain Yan Yu, you and Liu Longtao of the Dingbei Army¡¯s team are considered the two rising stars among military cultivators. As the saying goes, ¡®There¡¯s no first in art, no second in martial arts,¡¯ how would you evaluate Liu Longtao¡¯s strength?¡±

    ¡°Liu Longtao, huh.¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment, ¡°His strength is pretty good, decent.¡±

    ¡°What if you were to compete against him?¡± Lu Zhiyu immediately struck while the iron was hot, asking with a smile, ¡°Do you have the confidence to defeat him in the next simulation exercise?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be asking me that, you should go ask him. After all, he is someone who has lost to me, and these days, he¡¯s probably got his mind full of thoughts about how to beat me.¡±

    Lu Zhiyu was suddenly lost for words. She had done her homework before the interview, and of course, she knew the outcome of the academy exchange competition.

    But that¡¯s all in the past now! The famous mountains and great rivers and mysterious realms have opened across the country, and Liu Longtao is leading his team in sweeping through North China and Northeast, both the Immortal Sword and techniques have been completely renewed, and even the number of mysterious realms conquered by his team has surpassed yours by now!

    If he were to challenge you again, the outcome might still be uncertain, right?

    Of course, you can¡¯t just bluntly question this, otherwise, it would truly be picking a fight. After organizing her thoughts for a brief moment, Lu Zhiyu tactfully said:

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the Dingbei Army managed to consecutively secure three mysterious realms within a week, such a team cannot be considered weak, right?¡±

    ¡°Certainly not weak,¡± Yan Yu looked at her puzzledly, ¡°If you consider Liu Longtao¡¯s strength weak, then the Dingbei Army has no strong cultivators at all.¡±

    Lu Zhiyu: ¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    ¡°But, just now, your evaluation of Liu Longtao¡¯s strength was merely ¡®not bad¡¯ at all,¡± she continued unwillingly, emphasizing the words ¡°not bad¡± to remind Yan Yu that those were his exact words.

    ¡°Evaluations are relative,¡± Yan Yu patiently explained. ¡°Compared to the cultivators of the Dingbei Army or the mainstream cultivators in the country, Liu Longtao is undoubtedly a top-tier contender, and it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say he is among the elite.¡±

    ¡°However, such a high evaluation can be made by anyone except me. Because he was defeated by me, if I brag about him being invincible, then what level does that make my strength? A celestial being from beyond the heavens? Should I still have any shame left? There¡¯s a limit to boasting about oneself.¡±

    Lu Zhiyu: ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.

    ¡°Get it?¡± Yan Yu gave a wry smile, his expression weary as he said, ¡°Alas, in truth, who is stronger and who is weaker is meaningless when debated verbally. Only victory or defeat on the battlefield is the ultimate test of strength.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right,¡± Lu Zhiyu finally composed herself, relying on her strong professional qualities to quickly adjust her stiff expression back to normal and summarizing, ¡°Captain Yan, what you said is correct. In fact, we have discussed many times before that ¡®strength determines everything,¡¯ and also that ¡®victory determines strength.¡¯ As for who will become the number one among the Rikoku Cultivators, only the battlefield of the future will give us the answer.¡±

    ¡°What you said is mostly right, but we don¡¯t need to wait for the future to find out the answer,¡± Yan Yu said with a grand wave of his hand, laughing heartily. ¡°Because during the four-college exchange competition, I defeated them all, so the number one Rikoku Cultivator at the moment is me.¡±

    Lu Zhiyu: ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    Enjoying the stiff expression of the famous hostess, Chen Lingyun couldn¡¯t help but feel pleased and added with a smile:

    ¡°This is the way of result-oriented thinking. If a certain Lord Master doesn¡¯t agree, then he only has the option to challenge our captain again and defeat him.¡±

    ¡°Yes, result-oriented,¡± Lu Zhiyu, not knowing what to say for the moment, but drawing on her rich professional experience, still put on a listening posture, nodding convincingly as if in agreement.

    Offstage, Qi Changping fell silent for a moment, just about to speak, only to hear Cao Wendan suddenly ask:

    ¡°Should this segment be cut as well?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s broadcast without cutting, the Dingbei Army might have some objections,¡± Qi Changping reminded him.

    ¡°If we cut any further, we¡¯ll really have no material left to air,¡± Cao Wendan frowned, ¡°I need to think.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d better take it easy,¡± Qi Changping emphasized. ¡°I remind you, those prominent figures might also see the content of this first interview.¡±

    ¡°Of course I know that,¡± Cao Wendan replied seriously. ¡°Don¡¯t rush me, any interview content unfavorable to the Zhendong Army, I will not let it go out.¡±

    ¡°This Yan Yu guy started off pretty seriously, but why is he acting pretentious again later on!¡± Qi Changping was helpless and couldn¡¯t help voicing his annoyance. ¡°Your host also has issues, bringing up sensitive topics and giving him the space to perform!¡±

    ¡°Lu Zhiyu was working at a local TV station before, and she¡¯s only recently joined the military station, indeed bringing over the extravagant style of blindly pursuing traffic,¡± Cao Wendan explained casually, moving on from the subject. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not possible to replace her now, so we should think of a solution instead.¡±

    ¡°How about we halt for now,¡± Qi Changping suggested. ¡°We can interview again another day. Your side can send over the scripted questions in advance, and after we firm them up, we can have Yan Yu memorize his lines. Then he can just go up on stage and recite the script with Lu Zhiyu.¡±

    ¡°Memorizing the script will definitely be too late,¡± Cao Wendan rejected the idea.¡± Let¡¯s see if we can do some post-production instead, and while retaining enough content, try to polish the meaning conveyed by Captain Yan as best as we can.¡±

    Director Cao, who had once worked for a lengthy period in the cultural troupe, was skilled at extracting audio tracks and scanning them into text, immediately moved to the computer beside him, exporting the recorded interview content into text, and quickly began editing.

    He started by rapidly deleting sensitive content such as the ¡°Zhendong Army cultivator¡¯s strengths are rubbish,¡± ¡°Chen Lingyun and Yan Yu are friends and foes,¡± and ¡°Liu Longtao, a defeated underling, not worth mentioning¡± ¨C frantically deleting, complete deleting! After a long bout with the backspace key, he managed to clear it, and then began piecing together the remaining text.

    Qi Changping watched intently, and soon the document on the screen began to take on this meaning (approximately):

    Lu Zhiyu: ¡°May I ask, what criteria did you have when you chose these female team members?¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡°I choose members for the team based on two criteria: one is strength, and the other is potential. I believe in the future, many excellent male cultivators will also stand out swiftly after they join other teams based on their capabilities.¡±

    Lu Zhiyu: ¡°Vice-Captain Chen, as Captain Yan¡¯s deputy, you have a comradely relationship at work, but how¡¯s your personal relationship?¡±

    Chen Lingyun: ¡°Personally? Not bad¡­ But let¡¯s not get into private matters during a public interview.¡±

    Lu Zhiyu: ¡°How would you evaluate Liu Longtao¡¯s strength?¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡°Liu Longtao is undoubtedly a top-tier contender, even an elite standard would not be an overstatement. In fact, debates about who is stronger or weaker are meaningless. Only victory or defeat on the battlefield can truly measure one¡¯s strength.¡±

    (To be continued)

    Upon reviewing the content that had been pieced together, Qi Changping stood stunned, speechless for a long while.

    Although the context had been cleverly manipulated, it subtly eased one¡¯s concerns. What was going on here?

 Chapter 124 - 24 Successfully Concluded the Interview

    Chapter 124: Chapter 24 Successfully Concluded the Interview

    ¡°`

    Cao Wendan concentrated on post-production below the stage, boldly removing all those inappropriate comments.

    However, Lu Zhiyu on stage was completely oblivious, already feeling utterly defenseless against the seamless back-and-forth between Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun.

    Heaven help me! When has Host Lu ever encountered such a situation in her decades-long career?

    She had always effortlessly controlled the conversation, playing guests who were in an awkward position like they were within the palm of her hand. Unexpectedly, she stumbled this time, repeatedly embarrassed by two young people!

    To avoid letting the guests continue to freestyle, Lu Zhiyu had no choice but to pick out the simpler, more predictable questions from the ones she had prepared in advance to ask.

    ...

    ¡°So, Captain Yan, what are your expectations for the future of this team?¡± she asked with a poised and intellectual demeanor, smiling, ¡°Or rather, what is the team¡¯s long-term goal?¡±

    The sacred duty of a soldier is to protect one¡¯s country and family; you should know how to answer this, right? Give me the standard response!

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s to be the strongest in this world,¡± Yan Yu replied, also maintaining a composed posture, and answered with a smile, ¡°Soldiers pursue victory and honor, and only the strong can achieve victory. Therefore, ¡®the strongest in this world¡¯ is the ultimate honor our team strives for. I believe there will be no other answer to this question.¡±

    Lu Zhiyu:¡­¡­

    Are you some modern-day king of soldiers?!

    Of course, if she continued to push blindly, it would only lead to more shocking and sensational statements. Therefore, Lu Zhiyu wisely switched to another question:

    ¡°Recently, there has been a surge of formidable cultivators abroad. In the event of a geopolitical conflict or international competition, Captain Yan, are you confident of achieving victory and bringing glory to our country?¡±

    I¡¯m asking if you have the confidence to win, surely there can¡¯t be another answer to this, right?

    ¡°Abroad? Which country?¡± Yan Yu countered with disdainful indifference, ¡°If it¡¯s not the Onmyoji nation, other countries¡¯ Transcendents aren¡¯t worth our Zhendong Army¡¯s attention. Miti has that so-called Superhero Legion, but it¡¯s essentially a foreign legion and I¡¯m guessing they haven¡¯t even figured out what they¡¯re doing yet. As for the Onmyoji nation, they definitely can¡¯t beat us now. Do you know where their national Onmyoji dojo is hidden? No idea, right? So why do you think it¡¯s kept secret? No need for me to explain further, right?¡±

    Lu Zhiyu:¡­¡­

    Can you not go into so much detail? Is it that hard to say ¡°we will do our best¡±?

    Offstage, another signal came through, indicating that the interview time was nearly up. Lu Zhiyu was immediately relieved and brought out her prepared final question:

    ¡°Alright, in the end of the program, Captain Yan, what would you like to say to the cultivators of our Lu Country?¡±

    Yan Yu pondered for a moment, turned his head to face the live camera, and seriously said:

    ¡°Although I am destined to be the strongest in this world, you all can vie for the position of the second strongest. The way of heaven is rewarding to those who strive, and gentlemen should never cease to be self-improving. Keep fighting, everyone. The era of great changes is upon us; even carps have the chance to leap over the Dragon Gate now!¡±

    Captain Yan¡¯s final speech was full of passion and conviction, making a resonant impact. Downstairs, Cao Wendan swiftly pressed the delete key, removing the first part ¡°I am destined¡­ you all can vie¡­¡± with a snap, leaving only the latter ¡°The way of heaven¡± part. After reading it several times, she couldn¡¯t help but praise loudly:

    ¡°Well said!¡±

    ¡°See?¡± Yan Yu turned to Chen Lingyun and said, ¡°Even the production crew agrees, this interview went smoothly, didn¡¯t it? I don¡¯t know what Coach Qi was so worried about.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Chen Lingyun smiled, not feigned but genuinely satisfied, as if a person reveling in joy just had their fill of fun.

    Having held back for so long, Lu Zhiyu finally managed to suppress the eloquent and dramatic words in her heart and said, with a polite, forced smile:

    ¡°It has been an honor to interview Captain Yan and Vice-Captain Chen this time. I hope we will have the opportunity to cooperate again.¡±

    Let the deputy editor handle the next interview; anyone who wants to come, let them come. I really wouldn¡¯t dare come back.

    ¡°You see?¡± Yan Yu continued, speaking to Chen Lingyun, ¡°What did I tell you before?¡±

    ¡°You were right.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile was full of charm¡ªshe certainly remembered Yan Yu saying before that ¡°being interviewed by me is already their honor.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Teacher Lu,¡± Yan Yu stood up and politely nodded to Lu Zhiyu.

    Indeed, it was too much for me¡­ Lu Zhiyu¡¯s sense of agitation somewhat subsided, only to hear Yan Yu continue:

    ¡°There might be some sensitive content in this interview, so feel free to cut anything you need to. Just prioritize the publicity goals.¡±

    If you knew it was sensitive content, why say it at all!

    ¡°`

    Lu Zhiyu could barely maintain his composure and had to pretend ¡°someone was calling him from outside¡± as he quickly left the studio.

    Yan Yu had just stretched when suddenly his phone rang.

    [¡°Liu Junior¡± has started a voice chat with you]

    ¡°Hello?¡± Yan Yu answered the call.

    ¡°Old Yan, I heard someone¡¯s been talking smack about me?¡± Liu Longtao asked directly on the other end, ¡°I mean, that¡¯s a bit underhanded, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°You planted a spy on my side?¡± Yan Yu was astonished.

    ¡°Come on, do I need a spy?¡± Liu Longtao chuckled, ¡°They were planning to interview me first, guess why?¡±

    There are people from the Liu Family inside today¡¯s media company, aren¡¯t there? What¡¯s so hard to guess about that?

    Chen Lingyun had mentioned before that ¡°they were originally going to interview the Dingbei Army first, but it was changed to the Zhendong Army at the last minute¡± ¡ª it was obvious that their senior leadership was clashing, with the backing of the elders from both Liu Longtao¡¯s and Chen Lingyun¡¯s families.

    Although the Chen Family won in the end, the Liu Family was not likely to cooperate willingly. Those controversial questions the host started with, would she dare to ask them without the nod from someone in authority above?

    What a joke, thinking they could get the better of me, the strongest in this world!

    ¡°Badmouth you? Am I that kind of person?¡± Yan Yu replied nonchalantly with a smile, ¡°What I said verbatim was, ¡®You are the main man of the Dingbei Army, you¡¯re number two and no one dares to claim number one.¡¯ If you don¡¯t believe me, ask your spy.¡±

    ¡°Forget it.¡± Liu Longtao expressed indifferently, ¡°Old Yan, just enjoy your moment right now.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, have you prepared some secret weapon?¡± Yan Yu asked, grinning.

    ¡°No.¡± Liu Longtao replied calmly, ¡°To deal with your harem team, all fluttery and flirty, where¡¯s the need for any secret weapons?¡±

    ¡°Hey, you can eat whatever you want, but you can¡¯t just say anything.¡± Yan Yu¡¯s tone suddenly became hostile, ¡°Are you suggesting women can only join the team through underhanded means? Just wait, I¡¯ll record this conversation and post it online, let the ladies tear you a new one.¡±

    ¡°Go right ahead.¡± Liu Longtao laughed upon hearing this and asked, ¡°Anyway, can Princess Jiang Hai tolerate you like this, without getting jealous or making a fuss?¡±

    ¡°Whether she can tolerate it or not, what can she do?¡± Yan Yu dismissed, ¡°Don¡¯t forget, I am the captain!¡±

    ¡°Ha, just don¡¯t regret it.¡± Liu Longtao said meaningfully, ¡°With her temper, even her dad can¡¯t handle her.¡±

    ¡°Lord Master.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s sweet voice chimed in nearby, ¡°Talking behind someone¡¯s back, who exactly is the one being underhanded?¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha, caught red-handed, I really need to slip away now.¡± Liu Longtao laughed, ¡°See you, Old Yan! I hope next time we meet, you can still smile as brightly and lively.¡±

    The voice chat was ended.

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s fake smile was dazzling, and one couldn¡¯t see through what was on her mind. Yan Yu, on the other hand, was frowning, seemingly pondering some serious matter.

    ¡°Yan Yu.¡± Chen Lingyun narrowed her eyes, ¡°Don¡¯t think about unpleasant things~ Even I would get angry~¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. I have no mood for your family¡¯s trivial matters.¡± Yan Yu was silent for a while before speaking, ¡°Have you been keeping up with the news from Lord Master recently?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Chen Lingyun replied, ¡°We¡¯ll see when we confirm the fight with them. Why do you ask?¡±

    She revealed a mocking smile and asked:

    ¡°It couldn¡¯t be that he really prepared some ¡®secret weapon¡¯ to deal with you, could it?¡±

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s emphasis on the words ¡°secret weapon¡± made her meaning more than clear:

    Darling, you have the memories of a past life! What sort of secret weapon could possibly be a secret to you? Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°No.¡± Yan Yu shook his head and said, ¡°I just realized, if we have to face off against Lord Master in the next match, our recent training intensity isn¡¯t quite sufficient.¡±

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile quickly faded from her face.

 Chapter 125 - 25 Military Commissioner Yan Yu of Zhenghai Army

    Chapter 125: Chapter 25 Military Commissioner Yan Yu of Zhenghai Army

    In his previous life, Liu Longtao managed to advance from being the ¡°number one in Pingjing¡± to the ¡°number one in Lu Country¡± for various reasons.

    Firstly, his excellent talent and ambition drove him; he was the epitome of a ¡°genius who also worked incredibly hard.¡± Secondly, his family helped him operate behind the scenes, providing him with significant advantages in the allocation of official cultivator training resources. Thirdly, his luck wasn¡¯t bad either, as he obtained a powerful Flying Sword and Taoism Methods early on.

    In the era of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, an early advantage is like a snowball effect: The better your magical artifacts, Flying Swords, and Taoism Methods, the faster your fighting power rises, which improves your standing in the eyes of the VIPs. As a result, they assign you to even more challenging Mysterious Realms, where you find even better magical artifacts, Flying Swords, and Taoism Methods¡­

    It is precisely because of this that almost all the top cultivators of Lu Country¡¯s future generation, especially the most powerful ones, hailed from the ¡°first batch of cultivators.¡±

    There were certainly strong cultivators in later batches, such as the exceptional Xie Ruoxi, but most cultivators couldn¡¯t surpass their senior fellow peers from the first batch because they couldn¡¯t get the snowball rolling as the first batch did.

    After the interview, Yan Yu did not hurry to leave. Instead, he pondered over the subsequent training plans.

    ...

    Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin should practice their reflexes, Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen should provide experience, and then get the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin as soon as possible for the enchantress to familiarize herself with¡­ Hmm?

    Someone patted his shoulder from behind.

    ¡°Go to the principal¡¯s office,¡± Qi Changping said to him.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yan Yu responded without asking why. Since the photography studio at the training ground hadn¡¯t been completely dismantled, training couldn¡¯t proceed right away; it was as good a time as any to see what Li Weiguo wanted.

    Upon arriving at the principal¡¯s office, Yan Yu saw a wooden box on the table.

    The lid was open, and inside lay a bone hairpin carved with a delicate skull on its end.

    The White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin.

    ¡°You got it so quickly?¡± Yan Yu exclaimed in surprise.

    ¡°It¡¯s a funny coincidence,¡± Li Weiguo said, taking a sip of hot tea, ¡°The Annan Army took a liking to an Immortal Sword from our inventory, and then the Dingbei Army specifically wanted something from the Annan Army. Both sides were rather impatient, which made this exchange go smoothly.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Yan Yu nodded, then asked, ¡°So, which sword did the Annan Army go for?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s also one that you all seized in the Dragon Spring Mountain Mysterious Realm,¡± Li Weiguo replied. ¡°Do you remember a sword with a lion relief on the blade?¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu nodded, having guessed who might want that sword.

    The Sky Flash Sword, later identified by its original name ¡°Nine Heavens Thunder Executer,¡± was the Valkyrie Li Minghu¡¯s personal weapon.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already reviewed the interview,¡± Li Weiguo continued, ¡°Having a big mouth isn¡¯t a problem, but if you boast and then lose, you¡¯ll be the laughingstock.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly why we can¡¯t afford to lose,¡± Yan Yu said without hesitation.

    ¡°Recently, Liu Longtao has been unstoppable,¡± Li Weiguo spoke calmly. ¡°In the simulated Mysterious Realm battles, he has successively faced teams from the Pingxi and Annan Armies, and they¡¯ve won quite handsomely. So, the higher-ups plan to arrange another confrontation for you soon to see which team is more elite. After all, the last time the two of you fought, it was single combat; this time it will be team combat.¡±

    ¡°No problem,¡± Yan Yu said without a second thought, ¡°We¡¯ll secure the victory.¡±

    ¡°You, young man, don¡¯t you want to think it over?¡± Li Weiguo scolded him with a laugh, ¡°If anyone else sat here making empty promises, I¡¯d have kicked them out by now.¡±

    ¡°One must disdain the opponent on a strategic level,¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°If you worry about whether you can win before the fight even begins, how can you possibly exert your full strength?¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine, fine. Just as long as you take your opponents seriously on a tactical level, I¡¯ll overlook your strategic attitude,¡± Li Weiguo said as he casually picked up a file from beside him and suggested, ¡°Take a look at this.¡±

    Yan Yu took the file and glanced at it; predictably, it was a notice about expanding the team¡¯s organization.

    Currently, there are four teams in the whole country, one for each army. However, Mysterious Realms don¡¯t care how many teams you have, for lately, they¡¯ve been popping up like mushrooms after rain. Liu Longtao¡¯s team was able to clear three Mysterious Realms in a week because three appeared in the north in a single week, forcing the Dingbei Army to work overtime on clearing them.

    Therefore, considering the current national situation, expanding the team¡¯s organization was inevitable.

    Having mastered the Three Arts and Five Spells and learned the Sword Control Technique, the student cultivators at the academy certainly have the solid skills required; what they lack is the combat experience to apply those skills.

    Sending them to handle some of the simpler Mysterious Realms would not only help them grow quickly but also address the problem of having too many Mysterious Realms ¡ª the only issue being the inevitable casualties. However, this was simply an unavoidable circumstance.

    ¡°What¡¯s your opinion?¡± Li Weiguo asked leisurely.

    ¡°I wholeheartedly support it.¡± Yan Yu put the document notification back on the desk, ¡°Nowadays, there are more and more mysterious realms, and it¡¯s urgent to expand our manpower.¡±

    ¡°Do you know any students at the academy, who you think are quite capable?¡± Li Weiguo asked with a smile, ¡°Feel free to recommend anyone.¡±

    ¡°Qiu Ze and Sun Ziyi,¡± replied Yan Yu, ¡°These two are pretty strong. If it weren¡¯t for the overlapping roles in the team, I would have wanted to recruit them in the first place.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Li Weiguo nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll consider it.¡±

    The two names recommended by Yan Yu were also on the list provided by the instructor team at Qi Changping¡¯s side.

    According to the instructors¡¯ evaluations, Qiu Ze¡¯s strengths were his quick reactions, fast change-up speed, and his ability to fight, run, and support, which made him a candidate that the instructors jointly believed had the potential to become ¡°the next Yan Yu.¡±

    Sun Ziyi, similar to Chen Lingyun, was the kind that looked for opportunities to strike, with very accurate judgment and awareness.

    So if Qiu Ze were to become the captain and Sun Ziyi the vice-captain, it would seem like they were copying the configuration of Yan Yu¡¯s team¡ªconsidering that Yan Yu¡¯s Team did indeed achieve considerable success, it was only natural for the instructors to take note of them.

    ¡°Would you like some tea?¡± Li Weiguo offered as he poured some tea.

    ¡°No, no need.¡± Yan Yu quickly stood up, ¡°I understand the implication of offering tea to see a guest out. Please continue with your work; I won¡¯t disturb you any further.¡±

    He was about to leave the office when he suddenly heard Li Weiguo say from behind:

    ¡°For subsequent publicity needs, all battle teams need to have official team names by the end of the month and report them to the academy instructors for registration.¡±

    ¡°No problem,¡± Yan Yu turned back and said, ¡°I¡¯ll discuss it with Chen Lingyun.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t pick any messy names,¡± Li Weiguo said again as he picked up his cup of tea, speaking slowly, ¡°It will be in the media, so be serious.¡±

    Going into the media¡­ so the secrecy regulations are being completely lifted, huh?

    After leaving the administrative building, Yan Yu called Chen Lingyun: sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Our team needs a name, what do you think?¡±

    ¡°If I were the captain,¡± Chen Lingyun replied, ¡°I¡¯d call it ¡®Spirit Transport Team¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Directly using the captain¡¯s name, huh? Using my name doesn¡¯t seem too good,¡± Yan Yu said dismissively, ¡°Another one?¡±

    ¡°Then what¡¯s your idea?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    ¡°Like ¡®Strongest¡¯ or ¡®Apex¡¯ or something,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°We should lean towards that direction as much as possible.¡±

    ¡°¡®Strongest¡¯ is too tacky, and the ¡®Advertising Law¡¯ doesn¡¯t allow it, oh,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a light laugh, ¡°¡®Apex,¡¯ don¡¯t you think it has a homophony with ¡®Sheep Epilepsy¡¯? It¡¯s like how you don¡¯t want to use your name to call the team ¡®Yan Yu¡¯s Team¡¯.¡±

    ¡°If you want to make associations, any name could be twisted into a bad connotation,¡± Yan Yu wasn¡¯t concerned, ¡°What do you think we should call it then?¡±

    ¡°If you want a name that sounds good, then you have to look to history,¡± Chen Lingyun pondered for a moment and then replied, ¡°Among the many military governors of the Tang Dynasty, Jiangbei and Jiangnan were under the jurisdiction of the ¡®Pinghai Army.¡¯ Later, Qian Liu, who established the Wuyue Kingdom and governed Lin¡¯an Prefecture in Jiangnan Province, was originally the ¡®Military Governor of the Pinghai Army¡¯¡­ What about calling it ¡®Zhenghai Team¡¯?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not bad; after all, we belong to the ¡®Zhendong Army,¡¯ and our future enemies are mainly ¡®overseas¡¯ from the heavy cherry and Miti,¡± Yan Yu thought for a while and then suddenly said with caution, ¡°You¡¯re not implying some malicious metaphor of warlord segmentation at the end of the Tang Dynasty, are you?¡±

    ¡°Not at all~¡± On the other end of the phone, Chen Lingyun said with a laugh, ¡°I just think it¡¯s nice and has a historical reference, or do you have a name you prefer more?¡±

    ¡°Since we¡¯re going to deal with the heavy cherry and Miti,¡± Yan Yu tried to change his line of thinking, ¡°how about ¡®Cherry Blossom Cutting Team¡¯ or ¡®Miti Crushing Team¡¯?¡±

    ¡°So, ¡®Slaughter Cherry and Exterminate Miti,¡¯ huh?¡± Chen Lingyun laughed uncontrollably, ¡°I have no problem, but do you think it will pass the organization¡¯s review?¡±

    ¡°¡­ Then let¡¯s stick to Zhenghai Team.¡±

 Chapter 126 - 26 The Military Governor Speaks Frankly

    Chapter 126: Chapter 26 The Military Governor Speaks Frankly

    Although the team name was preliminarily set, Yan Yu didn¡¯t plan to make the decision unilaterally, so he posted it in the group to ask for the other teammates¡¯ opinions.

    [Yun Jin]: This name is quite good. If you¡¯re worried that the character ¡°Zhen¡± might be taboo, ¡°Pinghai¡± could also work.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: It¡¯s not like we¡¯re ancient people who are concerned about taboos, it¡¯s fine. But ¡°Pinghai Team¡± does sound pretty good too.

    [Yun Jin]: Actually, many ancient military unit names sound very domineering, like ¡°Shenwu,¡± ¡°Dragon Cavalry,¡± ¡°Yingyang,¡± ¡°Cuifeng,¡± ¡°Dingnan,¡± etc.

    [Chen Lingyun]: He originally wanted to call it ¡°Strongest Team.¡±

    [Yun Jin]: ¡°Strongest Team¡± is indeed a bit too straightforward. /smile

    ...

    [Grandma Zhao]: What¡¯s wrong with ¡°Strongest Team¡±? It does sound very domineering.

    [Chen Lingyun]: Okay, that¡¯s two votes for ¡°Strongest Team¡± and two votes for ¡°Zhenhai Team.¡± What about Lin Ning?

    [Yun Jin]: She¡¯s left campus to meet her boyfriend.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    Yan Yu moved his phone away slightly and revealed a face like that of a ¡°subway elder.¡±

    Sister Lin definitely doesn¡¯t have a boyfriend¡­ Although it¡¯s none of my business whether she does or doesn¡¯t, Lin Ning really was a lifelong single in her previous life.

    There was a classic joke where her dad was so anxious about it, he first went to the military. The military said, we¡¯ve arranged dates for her but she didn¡¯t like anyone, then her dad, determined, ran off to Mindu to find Southeast TV station, signing his daughter up for a dating show called ¡°Heart Belongs.¡± The program format was such that the female participant would introduce herself on stage. Then, the male participants¡¯ mothers would take turns asking questions, and in the end, the male participants would choose whether to turn off or keep their lights on.

    Upon learning about it, Lin Ning took leave from the military and flew directly from Jinling to Mindu by Sword Control, stormed into the TV station to find the director, and forcibly had her name removed from the guest list.

    A simple phone call would have solved the issue, but she insisted on flying there personally to settle the matter, which goes to show how desperate Lin Ning was at the time.

    Based on Yan Yu¡¯s understanding of Lin Ning, Sister Lin had a very innocent view on dating. Not to mention blind dates, she even opposed mixers, believing the format was too contrived and both sides had ulterior motives¡ªLin Ning could only accept the kind of relationship depicted in pure romance novels, where the process was ¡°meet, get to know, become close, and fall in love.¡± Consequently, she was stuck at the first step, never meeting a decent man.

    [Ningning]: Yun Jin, stop talking nonsense! It¡¯s just a former classmate who came to see me!

    [Yun Jin]: Oh, a classmate.

    [Chen Lingyun]: Is it one person or a group of people?

    [Ningning]: If it were a group, I¡¯d tell them to have fun on their own!

    [Chen Lingyun]: A boy, coming to Jinling alone to see you, isn¡¯t he pursuing you?

    [Ningning]: I¡¯ll handle it, okay! Don¡¯t make wild guesses for me!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Lin Ning, I¡¯m not interested in your personal affairs, but we have a group training session at four o¡¯clock this afternoon, and you can¡¯t miss it.

    [Ningning]: What four o¡¯clock? Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I just received the notice from the Chief Commander. Why don¡¯t you talk to him and ask him to inform us earlier next time?

    [Ningning]: Wait for me! I¡¯m in the coffee shop, I¡¯ll be right back!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: The one at the school gate, right? Hurry up, the others have gathered at the training ground!

    When everyone arrived at the training ground and had been waiting for about ten minutes, Lin Ning still hadn¡¯t returned.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go pick her up?¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°Let me ask her what¡¯s going on first,¡± Yan Yu was a bit annoyed, ¡°What¡¯s up with Lin Ning? Does she think the team isn¡¯t important or what?¡±

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Why aren¡¯t you here yet? Did someone kneel in the street to confess to you, and the crowd is chanting for you to accept him and not let you go, right?

    [Ningning]: Wuuuuu, Captain, save me!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Don¡¯t tell me I guessed right?

    [Yun Jin]: He won¡¯t let you go? Call 110!

    [Chen Lingyun]: Little Lin Ning is a Cultivator, she must feel embarrassed to leave, right? Otherwise, how could a mere mortal stop her?

    [Ningning]: @Yi De Fu Ren Captain! Come and find me, say there¡¯s an emergency with the team that requires my return!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You owe me a favor.

    [Ningning]: Owe owe owe!

    Yan Yu reluctantly left the training ground, exited the school, and headed straight to the coffee shop where he had met with Su¡¯s parents last time. Sure enough, he saw Lin Ning and an unfamiliar young man sitting at a window seat, drinking coffee and chatting.

    You actually have time for coffee¡­ Wait, don¡¯t rush it.

    Yan Yu, experienced as a two-time human being, didn¡¯t hurry into the coffee shop. Instead, he quietly took out his phone and sent a private message to [Ningning].

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I¡¯m at the entrance of the shop.

    [Ningning]: Hurry up and come in, you don¡¯t need to say anything, just turn left as soon as you walk through the door and head my way!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Wait a moment, are you planning to wait for me to come in, then tell that guy, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my boyfriend came to find me¡± and slip away, hinting at him to give up pursuing you while also saving face for him?

    Ten seconds passed.

    [Ningning]: No, why would you think that?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: If he were just an acquaintance with whom you weren¡¯t on great terms, you could just excuse yourself and leave, right? The main reason you can¡¯t comfortably get away is that you don¡¯t want to damage the relationship between you, yet you can¡¯t accept his feelings. Since you¡¯re out of ideas, you¡¯re resorting to this ¡°fake boyfriend¡± tactic to get him to back off on his own, right?

    [Ningning]: Your brain is the one that¡¯s slow! Big stupid pig Yan Yu!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Be clear on something, you¡¯re the one asking a favor of me. What¡¯s in it for me to be your fake boyfriend? What if that guy loses his cool and decides to hit me, wouldn¡¯t I be at a disadvantage?

    [Ningning]: You¡¯re a cultivator! How could you not be able to beat him? And he wouldn¡¯t hit you, I promise!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: But I shouldn¡¯t have to take that risk, right?

    [Ningning]: Then what do you want, huh!

    Inside the coffee shop, Lin Ning was furiously typing on her phone. The boy sitting across the table noticed her behavior, and asked nonchalantly:

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you have a fight with your boyfriend?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not¡­¡± Lin Ning hesitated to continue.

    If she were a mature master of tea arts, she would have unhesitatingly admitted it to prevent further entanglement. But Lin Ning, after all, was inexperienced, and she instinctively said ¡°It¡¯s not¡± before realizing:

    Maybe I should have said ¡°Yes¡± just now?

    ¡°Oh.¡± The boy chuckled, ¡°I remember now. Your dad has been pushing you to find a boyfriend.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s driving me nuts,¡± Lin Ning sighed. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me he spoke to your dad about it too.¡±

    ¡°He really did,¡± the boy said while holding his paper cup leisurely, ¡°I¡¯m also a bit annoyed because my dad has started to urge me as well.¡±

    Lin Ning looked out of the window, speechless.

    This boy wasn¡¯t just any friend; he was the ¡°childhood friend¡± who had lived next door to her family since they were young. The two families often visited each other, and their parents had jointly invested in a seafood company, making them very close¡ªLin Ning remembered tagging along after the boy during her childhood.

    They had been classmates in elementary school, but went to different schools after junior high and gradually lost contact.

    Lin Ning was sure she didn¡¯t harbor any romantic feelings for him, yet she didn¡¯t want to destroy the precious friendship that had been built since childhood.

    If he really just wanted to hang out and had no intentions of confessing his feelings, it could be extremely awkward if she were to clarify things prematurely. But it wasn¡¯t a solution to drag things out either¡­

    All the commander¡¯s fault!

    Lin Ning grew more and more agitated, wishing she could rush out of the shop and give Yan Yu a good beating.

    Then she saw Yan Yu push the door open and walk her way.

    The captain finally deigned to come in!

    Lin Ning¡¯s spirits immediately lifted, but then she remembered her own unwitting admission, denying ever ¡°having a boyfriend,¡± and felt disheartened again.

    Forget it, forget it; the captain must be wanting me to come back soon anyway. Let¡¯s see what he can do¡­

    ¡°Sorry to interrupt,¡± Yan Yu approached the table without looking at Lin Ning, and instead said to the boy opposite, ¡°You guys can reschedule your meeting, but she needs to come back with me for training.¡±

    ¡°Who are you?¡± the boy asked, surprised. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°My surname is Yan, and I¡¯m the captain of her team,¡± Yan Yu explained curtly, ¡°You know she¡¯s in a military academy, right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m aware, she¡¯s told me,¡± the boy calmly said, ¡°But she¡¯s already applied for leave in advance. Surely the training doesn¡¯t require dragging someone back who¡¯s on leave?¡±

    Yan Yu looked at his expression, then turned to Lin Ning:

    ¡°Get in.¡±

    Lin Ning obediently shifted in her seat to make space for him.

    ¡°How may I address you?¡± Yan Yu asked as he sat down.

    ¡°Qiao Ming,¡± the boy replied.

    ¡°Qiao Ming,¡± Yan Yu got straight to the point, ¡°Are you here to confess your feelings to Comrade Lin Ning and attempt to establish a romantic relationship with her?¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu!¡± Lin Ning exclaimed in frustration.

 Chapter 127 - 27: Love Rival? Youre Not Worthy!

    Chapter 127: Chapter 27: Love Rival? You¡¯re Not Worthy!

    ¡°Yes.¡± Faced with Yan Yu¡¯s direct question, Qiao Ming simply admitted, and he looked toward Lin Ning, asking softly,

    ¡°Lin Ning, do you already have a boy you like? Or are you already dating this Captain Yan?¡±

    Lin Ning hesitated, her mouth opening slightly, unsure whether she should lie to him to let him down easy, remain silent to avoid hurting him, or just directly admit that she did not want to start a relationship yet¡­

    Seeing Sister Lin struggle to find the words, Yan Yu knew this woman was utterly unreliable. He sighed and said,

    ¡°Qiao Ming, the military has its regulations. You are free to pursue a relationship, but she is not.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Qiao Ming frowned slightly.

    ...

    This answer was truly beyond his expectations. What did he mean by the military¡¯s regulations?

    ¡°Comrade Lin Ning is engaged in a classified project.¡± Yan Yu spoke seriously, ¡°She has to report it to her superiors if she wants to establish a romantic relationship. What if her partner is a foreign agent?¡±

    ¡°What a disgusting thought,¡± Qiao Ming suddenly got angry, and said coldly, ¡°Are you insinuating that I¡¯m a foreign agent?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that,¡± replied Yan Yu coldly, ¡°I¡¯m only telling you the rules. The rules were not made by me, you can take it up with the Zhendong Army, or even go back and tell her parents so they can inquire with the military, and get a detailed understanding of the situation.¡±

    Qiao Ming watched Yan Yu with an icy gaze, but he noticed Lin Ning quietly tugged at the other¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Stop causing trouble,¡± Yan Yu turned his head and scolded, ¡°We¡¯re discussing serious matters here!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t argue with him!¡± Lin Ning whispered.

    ¡°Is this a matter to argue about?¡± Yan Yu was amused and irritated by her, ¡°Comrade Lin Ning, if you feel the stirrings of affection, please have the decency to leave the service before pursuing romance. Don¡¯t drag the rest of us into this.¡±

    ¡°What stirrings of affection!¡± Lin Ning was also frustrated, she kicked him hard under the table, ¡°I already told you it¡¯s not a date!¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether it is or not, I¡¯m putting my foot down here. If you get involved in a relationship, your partner will be subjected to a political review. Don¡¯t be an idiot and implicate innocent people!¡± Yan Yu took the kick with a Barrier Charm and then looked toward Qiao Ming, unflustered, ¡°So, Qiao Ming, what do you have to say?¡±

    Seeing Yan Yu treat Lin Ning without pretense, even bordering on harshness, Qiao Ming couldn¡¯t tell if he was Lin Ning¡¯s boyfriend or admirer, and was left with no choice but to say,

    ¡°I can accept a political review.¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu, stop this nonsense!¡± Lin Ning couldn¡¯t help but stand up, ¡°Qiao Ming! That¡¯s enough from you too! I¡¯m not interested in dating right now!¡±

    The atmosphere quickly turned silent.

    Qiao Ming was silent as he watched her, his expression visibly falling into dejection. Then he saw Yan Yu stand up calmly from the table and start laughing coldly as if he had played a successful trick,

    ¡°Had you said that at the start, wouldn¡¯t that have spared us all this time¡­ You have five minutes to wrap things up, then hurry out! The training has been delayed because of you alone!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®wrap things up¡¯! Mind your words!¡± Lin Ning couldn¡¯t resist retorting.

    Yan Yu paid her no attention and simply walked toward the exit of the shop.

    As he left, Lin Ning immediately felt a bit awkward, unsure what to say to Qiao Ming.

    ¡°Lin Ning.¡± Qiao Ming took a deep breath, a bitter smile emerging, ¡°Is it true that you¡¯re involved in a classified project?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true.¡± Lin Ning nodded.

    ¡°So, if you were to date, it could interfere with your career,¡± said Qiao Ming as he stood up gracefully, ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Lin Ning felt that there might have been a misunderstanding, but she also felt that this might be exactly the outcome that Yan Yu had intentionally orchestrated. Trying to clarify could likely make things worse.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me,¡± said Qiao Ming, seeing the concern and conflict in her eyes, he couldn¡¯t help smiling, ¡°Whether or not we¡¯re meant to be, I still wish that you can achieve your dreams¡ªthat¡¯s my greatest wish.¡±

    ¡°Goodbye. Lin Ning, keep going.¡±

    He raised his coffee cup slightly in salute to Lin Ning, then he turned and walked away with a carefree air.

    Stepping out of the coffee shop, Qiao Ming let out a long sigh of relief.

    Although he was somewhat saddened by not catching up with Lin Ning, the thought of his parting words and his decisive departure made him feel incredibly cool. This successfully and gracefully executed show-off dispersed part of his heartache and irritation from the unrequited love.

    Then he saw Yan Yu standing next to the door playing with his phone.

    ¡°Captain Yan.¡± Qiao Ming nodded at him.

    ¡°You guys don¡¯t have more to say?¡± Yan Yu asked without lifting his head. ¡°I gave you five minutes.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± Qiao Ming brushed his bangs aside and smiled nonchalantly. ¡°She has her own life and path, and I won¡¯t be her stumbling block.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re actually more mature than she is,¡± Yan Yu continued on his phone without looking up. ¡°Some things are just beyond help, you have to let go even when you can¡¯t.¡± Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Captain Yan.¡± Qiao Ming suddenly asked tentatively, ¡°It seems like Lin Ning has a pretty good relationship with you? I¡¯ve never seen her kick anyone before.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re on the same team,¡± Yan Yu lifted his head to look at him. ¡°We¡¯ve carried guns together, get it? If the relationship was bad, there would be problems.¡±

    ¡°Right, I understand.¡± Qiao Ming went on to ask, ¡°So does she have feelings for you or maybe for any other guys on the team¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Yan Yu said straightforwardly. ¡°As long as it¡¯s unrequited, nobody cares.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Qiao Ming¡¯s expression finally showed complete relief.

    He crossed the street, hailed a taxi, and left.

    Lin Ning was evidently watching from inside the store, and as soon as the taxi carrying Qiao Ming was out of sight, she immediately ran out to find Yan Yu:

    ¡°What were you doing talking like that just now!¡±

    ¡°Did I say something wrong?¡± Yan Yu looked at her, puzzled. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t said it that way, who knows how long you would have dragged things out before telling the truth! Is it that hard to say ¡®you¡¯re not interested in dating right now¡¯?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t get it!¡± Lin Ning stamped on his foot again with force. ¡°He didn¡¯t start off by saying he liked me! Wouldn¡¯t it make the relationship awkward if I just directly said ¡®I don¡¯t want to date¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Then you could have just said your dad is pressuring you to find a boyfriend and you¡¯re totally not interested in dating, would that not work?¡± Yan Yu ridiculed her without mercy. ¡°To be honest, you¡¯re just too dumb to think outside the box.¡±

    ¡°Your brain is the one that¡¯s dumb!¡± Lin Ning huffed angrily and walked towards the school gate. ¡°I¡¯m leaving!¡±

    Yan Yu quickly followed at her side, as they walked shoulder to shoulder.

    Once inside the school gates, Lin Ning looked down at her toes, following a straight line on the edge of the tiles, when she suddenly asked:

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t you use my initial plan?¡±

    ¡°You mean pretending to be your boyfriend?¡± Yan Yu scoffed. ¡°Do you think you deserve that?¡±

    ¡°How do I not deserve it?¡± Lin Ning flared up instantly. ¡°Tell me, in what way do I not deserve it?¡±

    ¡°Stop asking so many questions,¡± Yan Yu hummed through his nose. ¡°I advise you to be cautious with your words and not act rashly.¡±

    ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t ask.¡± Lin Ning, still annoyed, veered off the straight path and started to stride forward boldly. ¡°If you weren¡¯t the only guy on the team, I wouldn¡¯t even think of asking you!¡±

    ¡°Let me be frank, resorting to someone pretending to be your boyfriend is a lousy idea to begin with,¡± Yan Yu said, following her. ¡°A clear explanation could have solved everything, but instead, you wanted to create a scenario of snatching love, which is escalating the conflict and asking for trouble¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not listening, I¡¯m not listening!¡± Lin Ning plugged her ears with her hands and activated Shifting Technique to run away.

    However, she hadn¡¯t gotten far when Yan Yu, also using the Shifting Technique, caught up with her from the side.

    ¡°Why are you chasing me?¡± Lin Ning¡¯s eyes widened, and then defensively, she complained, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare play out the ¡®chasing with corn syrup¡¯ trope!¡±

    ¡°Idiot, you¡¯re going the wrong way!¡± Yan Yu cursed irritably. ¡°Our training field is that way!¡±

 Chapter 128 - 28: Increase Training Intensity

    Chapter 128: Chapter 28: Increase Training Intensity

    After getting rid of Lin Ning¡¯s admirers, Yan Yu¡¯s mood became somewhat sour.

    Dammit, I¡¯m also a handsome dude with maxed-out looks! Young and handsome, strong too, favored by the Commander-in-Chief, and with a bright future ahead, why didn¡¯t any beautiful and brave girls pursue me during school? For certain, it must be Chen Lingyun pulling some tricks!

    Wait, I remember at the previous team commendation assembly, wasn¡¯t there a girl who asked, ¡°Can I pursue Captain Yan¡±? Then, wasn¡¯t she shut down by someone? Zhao Yuanzhen, you were involved too?

    Since both of these ladies are suspects, the remaining two might not be innocent either.

    Secretary Su has a love for literature and has read widely; she surely has a mind deep with thoughts. Sister Lin originally had no suspicions, but today she suddenly asked me to pose as her boyfriend, isn¡¯t this having a guilty conscience?

    Could it be that they have secretly formed an alliance, aiming to secretly drive away all the women who dare to come close to themselves?

    ...

    Of course, now within Yan Yu¡¯s mind, the ¡°to-do list¡± has far too many critical tasks, and dating is a priority that can¡¯t be raised for the time being. If a beautiful girl were to confess to him, he would have to refuse, though with a heavy heart.

    But! ¡°I can¡¯t accept confessions from others right now,¡± doesn¡¯t mean ¡°you can block others from confessing to me¡±!

    Although this suspicion has no concrete evidence at the moment and is merely Yan Yu¡¯s subjective conjecture¡­ as is well known, as the captain, Yan Yu¡¯s power within the team is limitless.

    I¡¯m not holding grudges or retaliating because I suspect you, but for you to quickly grow in strength, increasing the intensity of the training is quite normal, right?

    ¡­¡­

    Although Yan Yu¡¯s intentions were good, clearly no one appreciated his efforts.

    In the following sparring practice, Su Yunjin, being the weakest, was the first one eliminated.

    She misjudged the necessary output of True Yuan during her block, which caused her Coral Tear to be directly struck flying in the swordsmanship combat, and then Huang Tingjian suddenly switched to its back edge before slashing, volleying the literary girl harshly away like in tennis.

    Su Yunjin didn¡¯t even scream before she flew out and rolled several times on the ground, then lay still¡ªstartling all the other ladies.

    ¡°Get up!¡± Yan Yu commanded without mercy, ¡°Falling down on the battlefield equals suicide¡­ unless you¡¯ve passed out!¡±

    Struggling to prop herself up, Su Yunjin, though in pain everywhere, quickly got into a starting position and forcefully activated the Shifting Technique.

    The next second, Huang Tingjian smashed into the ground where she previously laid; if she had been slower in deploying her Shifting Technique by even half a second, she would have taken the hefty blow. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Lin Ning was about to sarcastically say, ¡°Aren¡¯t you hitting too hard,¡± but the thought died on her lips. After all, cultivators are essentially military professionals. One could lament being handled too roughly in training, but what was one to do when facing the enemy on the battlefield? Beg for mercy?

    ¡°There¡¯s an opening!¡± Yan Yu swiftly made a hand sign for the Sword technique, and Huang Tingjian abruptly changed course, launching a ferocious attack on Lin Ning, ¡°Distracted while sparring with me?¡±

    Luckily, Sister Lin¡¯s reactions were exceptional, and she quickly drew her Green Bamboo Sword to parry. The two swords collided rapidly in the air, the noise resounding like thunder, forcing Lin Ning into disarray as she barely managed to stabilize her defense.

    ¡°The one with the opening is you!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen took the chance to charge forward, with Yin Wind Sword aiming straight for his forehead.

    Unexpectedly, while heavily attacking Lin Ning, Yan Yu suddenly switched to Curved Curse and grabbed the Yin Wind Sword, flinging it aside.

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ?

    ¡°Are you trying to kill me with laughter?¡± Yan Yu, now having rushed to her face with Shifting Technique, reactivated Curved Curse, and punched towards her head, ¡°Who said I only know how to control swords?¡±

    Chen Lingyun watched coolly from the sidelines, seeing Yan Yu brutally beating Zhao Yuanzhen with punches and kicks while Huang Tingjian relentlessly pressured Lin Ning. He managed to maintain absolute advantage on both fronts in a short time¡ªa feat difficult to achieve with Three Arts and Five Spells.

    Three Arts and Five Spells can¡¯t be employed simultaneously, because they require maintaining specific True Yuan courses within the body. Although Yan Yu could compensate for this limitation with his ultra-fast switching speed, if the other side attacked non-stop in numbers, forcing him to keep Barrier Charm activated and without a pause, his only choice would be to flee.

    The Sword Control Technique is different, however; the Flying Sword resembles the gold medal Emissary Batons that follow the Chief Hall Master. As long as the Chief Hall Master gives the command ¡°kill this person¡± or ¡°how to kill,¡± the Flying Sword goes about its business without the need for constant instruction.

    Looking at the situation on the field, Yan Yu¡¯s eyes, while locked in close combat with Zhao Yuanzhen, were not fixated solely on her; his gaze occasionally swiftly flicked to Lin Ning¡¯s direction.

    Each glance, fleeting as it was, could read the situation across and command Huang Tingjian to execute the next perfect strike. The periodic strikes knitted together not only maintained the attack on Lin Ning but also pressed her into complete helplessness. How terrifying was this ability to suppress the battlefield?

    ¡°Chen Lingyun, don¡¯t you surrender!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen finally couldn¡¯t hold back and yelled, ¡°If we lose, you won¡¯t get off easy either!¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t surrendered, you know,¡± Chen Lingyun replied with a drawn-out laugh, ¡°I¡¯m just looking for his weakness~¡±

    Indeed, confronting an opponent of this level head-on offered no chance at victory.

    We must wait for the right moment.

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that while you¡¯re multitasking at high intensity, you can maintain a flawless posture without showing any weaknesses, dear.¡±

    Don¡¯t let me catch the opportunity~

    Suddenly, Chen Lingyun¡¯s hands, which had been behind her back, moved like lightning to form a sword technique.

    The Purple Extreme Sword transformed into a streak of light aiming at Yan Yu, the timing was exactly when he shifted his gaze away from Lin Ning¡ªan instant where the Flying Sword rushed in from the blind spot of his turned vision.

    At the same time, the five ghosts that had taken the form of fierce dogs had already burst through the wall from underground, attempting to bite down hard on his legs¡­no, they missed?

    Yan Yu suddenly lunged forward, avoiding the bite of the five ghosts, and at the same time, had grabbed Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s arms, then with the aid of the Curved Curse¡¯s power, twisted them behind her to use her as a human shield.

    Chen Lingyun made a decisive change in her sword technique, or else if the Purple Extreme Sword injured Zhao Yuanzhen, their relationship with the Demonic Sect Enchantress would be over¡ªand she wasn¡¯t done playing yet!

    As the Purple Extreme Sword slowed down on this side, the princess saw Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s body rapidly enlarging in her field of vision.

    She was hurled towards Chen Lingyun with great force by Yan Yu, who was empowered by the force of the Curved Curse, using her like a cannonball!

    At this point, Chen Lingyun was too late to dodge. She couldn¡¯t keep up with her on-the-spot reaction speed, but a thought suddenly flashed through her mind:

    It was careless of her, given Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s strength, how could she stand up to Yan Yu¡¯s frontal attack for so long?

    ¡­¡­

    Having cleanly knocked down all four team members and finished loosening up his muscles, Yan Yu felt refreshed and clear-headed. Standing in the middle of the field with his arms crossed, he struck a heroic pose as he looked at the battered girls with a cold expression and asked:

    ¡°Do you know where you all failed just now?¡±

    ¡°So, it¡¯s about killing the will along with the body, huh?¡± grumbled Zhao Yuanzhen.

    ¡°Speak up!¡± Yan Yu immediately glared at her and bellowed, ¡°I can¡¯t hear you!¡±

    ¡°Let me say it,¡± said Chen Lingyun lightly. ¡°I thought I had caught your flaw, but it turned out to be a trap you¡¯d set on purpose.¡±

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Yan Yu snorted disdainfully through his nose, commenting, ¡°You¡¯re overly confident in your own intellectual abilities, to the point where you had no defense against other possibilities, it¡¯s hard to believe that such a clumsy tactical error could occur to my deputy team leader.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a resigned smile, ¡°As ¡®your¡¯ deputy team leader, it was indeed a major oversight on my part, and I must admit it.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen looked at her skeptically, feeling that the woman¡¯s words carried an ulterior meaning and were not well-intended.

    ¡°What are you looking at!¡± Yan Yu scolded her again, ¡°What¡¯s your problem?¡±

    ¡°Losing is my problem!¡± declared Zhao Yuanzhen, standing tall.

    ¡°Idiot!¡± Yan Yu immediately scoffed, ¡°You knew well that your strength is not equal to mine, yet you insist on fighting solo. Don¡¯t you ever consider cooperating with your teammates? If you continue to be so headstrong next time, you¡¯ll still end up beaten black and blue by me!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was furious, but unfortunately, her body was already tired, too weak to argue or protest further, and could only secretly bear a grudge:

    This villain has domestically abused me today and shamed me afterward for only knowing how to ¡°fight alone¡±. I¡¯ll remember this! When the day comes that I can turn the tables, I will unite with the other sisters to show you what ¡°overwhelming numbers¡± means, as well as what ¡°beaten black and blue¡± really looks like!

    ¡°What about little Lin Ning?¡± Yan Yu shifted his gaze, asking coldly.

    ¡°My swordsmanship lacks adaptability,¡± replied Lin Ning with no interest in protesting the address, sounding weak and dispirited, ¡°As soon as I face too much pressure in a head-on confrontation, I only think about defending and counterattacking, leading to predictable and unchanging countermeasures that are too easy to read.¡±

    ¡°Correct,¡± Yan Yu nodded authoritatively, ¡°Rather than focusing on improving your adaptability, what you need to prioritize now is the awareness to actively change strategies on the actual battlefield! Combat isn¡¯t like solving problems; enemies won¡¯t intentionally leave you with solutions. You need to be more proactive, ruthless, and aggressive, placing more emphasis on offense than defense. Don¡¯t always think about adapting; instead of solving the puzzles given by others, you need to keep the initiative to change tactics firmly in your own hands!¡±

    ¡°Finally, what about Yun Jin?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± After a moment of silence, Su Yunjin said with a bitter smile, ¡°My problem is probably that I¡¯m too weak.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re weak, then train harder!¡± Yan Yu said impatiently, waving his hand, ¡°Let little Lin Ning accompany you in extra practice! It just so happens that she needs to practice taking the initiative in attacking, and you can work on the basics of defense. The two of you can complement each other perfectly!¡±

    ¡°And the two of you,¡± he looked at Zhao Yuanzhen and Chen Lingyun again, ¡°Deputy team leader, it¡¯s time to use your brain.¡±

    ¡°Teach her how to coordinate tactics. Before the next Mysterious Realm confrontation comes, you must have her well-trained!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all, disband!¡±

 Chapter 129 - 29 An Interlude from the North

    Chapter 129: Chapter 29 An Interlude from the North

    The names of the four great war teams were quickly registered within the Privy Council, and thus were set.

    The Zhendong Army¡¯s Yan Yu¡¯s Team was renamed ¡°Zhenhai Team¡±.

    It can be interpreted both as the Zhendong Army sweeping across the seas and as a nod to the Tang Dynasty¡¯s navy that ruled the eastern seven provinces of Jiangnan, fitting both contemporary and historical contexts, so the name smoothly passed the review.

    The Dingbei Army¡¯s Liu Longtao¡¯s Team was renamed ¡°Dragon Cavalry Team¡±.

    ¡°Cavalry¡± implies the majestic leaping of a steed with its head held high, an emblem of power and magnificence. ¡°Dragon Cavalry¡± could also be translated as ¡°Dragon Soaring¡±, and as for whom this ¡°Dragon¡± refers to, that goes without saying. Those who understand, understand.

    The Pingxi Army¡¯s Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Team was renamed ¡°Huofeng Team¡±.

    ...

    This name was slightly more common, but upon deeper consideration, it was quite fitting. Red feathers, Huofeng, it signifies Captain Zhou¡¯s absolute dominance within the team, with a name that seems to burn with a welding flame.

    The Annan Army¡¯s Li Zhaojiang¡¯s Team was renamed ¡°Qing¡¯an Team¡±.

    This name, proposed by Li Minghu, means ¡°to purge the four seas and pacify the universe¡±, matching the name of the Annan Army. Though it lacks the sharpness of more direct names, it still conveys a positive and proactive stance.

    Besides these, the list of captains and vice-captains for the second batch of war teams had also been submitted for approval.

    The second team from Zhendong Army was to be captained by Qiu Ze with Sun Ziyi as vice-captain. They would start recruiting members once the establishment of the team was approved by higher-ups.

    The increase in the number of war team formations aimed to meet the needs of the constantly changing domestic defense situation, and of course, it would intensify internal competition.

    Although past experiences indicated that the overall strength of the second batch of teams indeed fell short compared to the first batch, to be safe, one shouldn¡¯t underestimate them. Hence, Yan Yu decided, with a heavy heart and tearing eyes, to intensify the girls¡¯ training in the long-term interest and future planning.

    ¡°If you wanted to increase the training, just say it straight!¡± Lin Ning complained again, ¡°No need to find such a long list of excuses!¡±

    ¡°Foolish!¡± Yan Yu rebuked her mercilessly, ¡°Without reason to intensify your training, wouldn¡¯t you curse me to death in your hearts? Isn¡¯t it all to make you understand the good intentions of your team leader?¡±

    So where does that confidence come from that makes you think we aren¡¯t already cursing you behind your back?

    In fact, aside from the team chat that included all five members, there were also groups such as the ¡°Take Down the Captain Group¡± excluding Yan Yu, the ¡°BFF Night Talk Group¡± excluding Chen Lingyun, and the ¡°What to Eat Today Group¡± excluding Zhao Yuanzhen¡­out of which the ¡°Take Down the Captain Group¡± had the most curses, each in their unique way.

    Zhao Yuanzhen would directly attack, such as ¡°Yan Yu, I¡¯m gonna fucking end you, you big idiot¡±.

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s sarcasm was peculiar, like ¡°So being a captain means you can do whatever you want, huh? How dare you disagree with me?¡± and other strange remarks.

    Lin Ning¡¯s complaints were quite ordinary, ¡°Does the captain have hyperthyroidism?¡± ¡°Is he sick, why is he always picking on me?¡± ¡°I really want to kick him up against the wall¡±, etc. Her aggressiveness truly paled in comparison to the first two.

    Su Yunjin usually remained quiet, occasionally echoing in a lukewarm tone, ¡°Exactly, exactly¡±, ¡°Right, right¡±, but she definitely stood on the girls¡¯ side.

    Of course, Yan Yu could not possibly be ignorant of this, but what of it?

    As a strong person, one should thoroughly humiliate the weak!

    Even a stone used for stepping at the roadside squeaks when trodden upon, right? If you bully someone and do not let them complain, that would be too harsh.

    I, Yan Yu, am not someone with a narrow mind. As long as you complete the training tasks with quality and quantity, I allow you to criticize me appropriately!

    This is the benevolence and magnanimity of being a team leader! Start feeling grateful and indebted to me!

    After the training, the girls gathered to rest as usual, each playing with their phones in silence.

    [Miss Zhao]: That thief just took a call and rushed off in a hurry¡ªwhat¡¯s going on?

    [Yun Jin]: I don¡¯t know, and Ling Yun didn¡¯t say, so it¡¯s probably not work-related.

    [Chen Lingyun]: It¡¯s probably his private matter, then? Now that you mention it, I¡¯m kind of curious to know.

    [Ningning]: Ling Yun, don¡¯t do anything illegal!

    [Chen Lingyun]: What counts as something illegal?

    [Ningning]: For example, hiring someone to hack into his account and extract his chat logs¡ªthat would be a violation of his privacy and illegal.

    [Chen Lingyun]: I see. Then if I directly ask the service provider to voluntarily provide Yan Yu¡¯s chat logs, that wouldn¡¯t be illegal, right?

    [Ningning]: It might not be against the law, but that¡¯s even scarier!

    Let¡¯s leave the girls¡¯ chat aside for the moment and say that Yan Yu left the training ground in a hurry and picked up the phone again.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Anna?¡± he asked in a low voice.

    There was no answer, just heavy, trembling breathing from the other end.

    ¡°Take it easy, international long-distance calls are expensive,¡± Yan Yu said earnestly, ¡°It¡¯s better to send a private message with the news¡­¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± the voice from the other end said in a daze, ¡°I¡¯ve killed someone.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yan Yu¡¯s tone grew slightly more serious, ¡°How many did you kill?¡±

    ¡°Is that even the question here?¡± Anna burst out, unable to contain herself anymore, ¡°It¡¯s a human life! I have blood on my hands now! I¡¯ve become a murderer!¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, I got it, don¡¯t get too worked up,¡± Yan Yu moved the receiver a bit further from his ear, ¡°So you didn¡¯t throw up on the spot, did you?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t throw up,¡± Anna said after a moment of silence, ¡°I just feel a bit sick.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s normal,¡± Yan Yu reassured her patiently, ¡°If it gets too much, have a drink and sleep it off, and you¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Yan Yu, have you ever killed anyone?¡±

    ¡°Why would you ask that kind of question?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, forget I asked,¡± Anna fell silent again for a moment before starting to talk about the situation on her end.

    After the riots started to break out in the city, she had been holed up in her apartment room with her father, sustaining themselves on stored food and water, unaware of what was happening outside.

    It wasn¡¯t until the Luo Sha officials finally reacted and deployed the military that order was restored, followed by soldiers going door-to-door, checking and registering the status of the residents.

    Seeing tanks rumbling past their windows, citizens gradually mustered the courage to go out and shop for various necessities for life, and Anna was no exception.

    Then, an unexpected event occurred.

    Who started the rebellion in Amur City, how it was organized, and how it ultimately erupted were things that the Luo Sha military clearly didn¡¯t fully understand, so they entered the city to suppress the rebellion due to political pressure.

    This was a typical characteristic of the era following the Spiritual Energy Resurgence: Former rulers held complete technological, intelligence, and information dominance, making grassroots uprisings nearly impossible; but with the resurgence of Spiritual Energy and all sorts of unheard-of Transcendent powers emerging like bamboo shoots after a rain, maintaining absolute information superiority had become impossible.

    After the military entered the city, a kind of Transcendent secret substance, through some unknown means of propagation, spread rapidly among these soldiers.

    When they returned to their camps outside the city, they brought the unknown back with them.

    It was too late for the commanders to organize a counterattack by the time a large number of werewolves emerged in the camps ¡ª these werewolves had extremely strong vitality, capable of withstanding gunfire, and ran as swiftly as the wind, so human soldiers had to rely on pre-built defensive lines, large caliber machine guns, and long-range bombardment for suppression. Once the lines were breached by the werewolves, and everyone was fighting independently, formal defeat was merely a matter of time.

    The smooth suppression inside the city was just a plot by the Transcendents behind the scenes. Their initial target was not just Amur City, but the subsequent military forces that entered to quell the rebellion were also calculated into their scheme.

    After a whole night of chaotic fighting outside the city, numerous units were disbanded due to lost organization. Some deserters returned to the city, bringing the dreadful news to the citizens.

    Hence, an even greater chaos began to spread again within the city.

    On her way back from shopping, Anna killed several strangers who tried to attack them and rob their supplies to protect her father¡¯s safety¡ªthen she made this call to Yan Yu.

    ¡°So where are you and your father now?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°We¡¯re hiding under a bridge,¡± Anna said in a hushed voice, ¡°Father¡¯s scared out of his wits. I lied to him, saying I¡¯m seeking help from my aunt.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to lie,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Give your aunt a call, see if she can help.¡±

    ¡°My aunt¡­¡± Anna said, lost and bewildered, ¡°Can she really help? I don¡¯t want to get her involved in danger, too.¡±

    ¡°How will you know if you don¡¯t ask?¡± Yan Yu said gravely.

    He actually couldn¡¯t remember when Anna¡¯s aunt became a vampiric Transcendent.

    But looking back at the Eclipse Queen¡¯s life in his past life, the first and most crucial turning point was getting help and guidance from her aunt¡­ otherwise, she would have died in the sewers of Amur City just like her father.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Anna said, reassured by Yan Yu, her tone quickly becoming firm, ¡°I¡¯ll call her right away.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Yan Yu fell silent for a moment, ¡°There¡¯s one more thing.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Try to survive, Anna¡­¡± Yan Yu¡¯s voice paused for a moment.

    ¡°Even if you must kill, always remember,¡± S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Your life is more important than theirs.¡±

 Chapter 130 - 30 Lets go, back to my room

    Chapter 130: Chapter 30 Let¡¯s go, back to my room

    ¡°People overseas live in dire straits.¡± With the continuous advancement of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, this phrase is about to become a broader reality.

    Capital, corporations, armies, governments, bureaucrats, Aristocratic Families¡­ all elements that rely on ¡°higher organizational structure¡± to obtain a dominant position are no match for this sudden rise of transcendent violence; they are like trying to stop a cart with an arm, totally ineffective!

    However, even within the inner circles of transcendent powers, there is still an extremely terrible, cruel, and merciless struggle against each other.

    The wide range between the upper and lower limits of a Transcendent¡¯s strength determines that the gap between top-level Transcendents and the lower-tier ones is even far greater than the gap between the lowest-level Transcendents and ordinary people.

    Quack, the good times are coming!

    Since we can only accept it no matter what, we might as well deceive ourselves into thinking it¡¯s a ¡°good era,¡± at least it allows us to be a bit happier, right?

    ...

    When Chen Lingyun found Yan Yu, he was sitting by the artificial lake in the campus, staring blankly at the koi swimming in the water.

    ¡°Sometimes, I really want to be a koi,¡± Yan Yu said without turning around, his voice remote, ¡°No need to think, no need to worry, just waiting for people to feed you every day.¡±

    ¡°So you asked me to come here just to cosplay as Zhuangzi?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    ¡°No.¡± Yan Yu sighed, ¡°It¡¯s not that I envy the joy of fish, it¡¯s just that life seems too bitter.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Chen Lingyun laughed dismissively, ¡°Maybe, but you¡¯re probably the last person who has the right to say that.¡±

    She sat down next to Yan Yu, picked up a stone, and threw it at the koi in the pond.

    The koi that was hit by the stone flicked its tail as if in pain and quickly swam towards the center of the lake.

    ¡°Do you still envy that koi now, dear?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a radiant smile.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°I¡¯m just expressing my feelings; there¡¯s no need to puncture my fantasy,¡± he said with extreme resignation.

    ¡°Sorry.¡± Chen Lingyun put on an innocent expression and said awkwardly, ¡°Were you actually looking for empathy? Ah, then I probably can¡¯t help you because my starting point is already beyond the finish line of most people in this world.¡±

    ¡°That kind of talk makes you deserving of a smack,¡± Yan Yu said with annoyance, ¡°Can¡¯t you be a bit more humble, Trashy Princess?¡±

    ¡°Tonight? Sure,¡± Chen Lingyun took out her phone and said with a mischievous smile, ¡°Should I book a hotel room?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, geez,¡± Yan Yu sighed.

    He looked at Chen Lingyun next to him. Tonight, she was wearing a pure pink T-shirt inside, casually covered with a silver sports jacket, and white A-line shorts on her lower body, showing off her smooth, slender thighs¡­ But this outfit was not Chen Lingyun¡¯s daily style; the Trashy Princess actually preferred more complicated and delicate attire like shirts, bow ties, pleated skirts, stockings, and little leather shoes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t guess; I didn¡¯t dress up much.¡± Chen Lingyun noticed his gaze and said with a smile, ¡°I had just finished washing and blowing out my hair when a certain person¡¯s phone call pulled me out. I had to quickly choose a few pieces of clothing.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯m truly flattered,¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t believe me?¡± Chen Lingyun pinched a few strands of hair beside her cheek and teased him with a smile, ¡°Smell it, there¡¯s still the scent of shampoo on it~¡±

    ¡°Stop.¡± Yan Yu swatted her hand away, ¡°How is the domestic situation among the common folk now?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Chen Lingyun said casually, ¡°Taoists have already reorganized household registrations to strengthen control. The situation seems to be stable for now, after all, cultivating one¡¯s heart comes before cultivating one¡¯s skill. The likelihood of issues arising in this area is minimal.¡±

    ¡°What about the other channels?¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Like the circulation of ancient artifacts and such?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s something that can¡¯t be strictly controlled,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Even if you shut down Panjiayuan, what then? Those who have ancient objects to sell will only switch to more hidden channels for trading. A large number of antiques will still circulate at the social level, who knows how many objects related to cultivation are mixed in there?¡±

    ¡°But we can¡¯t just do nothing,¡± Yan Yu frowned, ¡°The current method of Spirit Root detection is still too primitive. Although many people¡¯s blood tests might show negative, if they come into contact with ancient objects related to cultivation, there¡¯s still the chance of accidentally stepping onto the path of cultivation. Bearing a blade tends to provoke killing intent; what do we do if something happens?¡±

    ¡°There will definitely be a way to handle that,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile faded, ¡°But what does that have to do with you, Yan Yu?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t ask if it¡¯s not my business?¡± Yan Yu scoffed, ¡°Who do you think those above will send to deal with those illegal cultivators when they emerge in large numbers?¡±

    ¡°You seem very angry,¡± Chen Lingyun shifted the topic smoothly, revealing a seductive smile, ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t need to go to a hotel room with me?¡± Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Forget it,¡± Yan Yu waved his hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t want to answer, I¡¯ve already decided anyway.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°To meet the unpredictable future situations, you all need to improve your strength faster and more intensely!¡± Yan Yu stood up from the bench, swept his hand with a grand gesture, and declared boldly, ¡°Starting tomorrow, we¡¯re going to increase practice!¡±

    Chen Lingyun: ¡­¡­

    When in doubt, just increase training, right? Can¡¯t you just act like a human being?

    Not content with only issuing grand statements, Yan Yu took out his phone and began typing.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Ladies! I¡¯ve just had a talk with your vice-captain, and we feel that the current pace of strength progress is a bit slow, so I am delighted to inform you all, we, the Zhenhai Team, are going to increase our existing training intensity! Let¡¯s train ferociously!

    [The Lady with the Surname Zhao]: Chen Lingyun, you bastard!

    [Ningning]: Haven¡¯t we already increased practice? Why are we adding more?

    [Yun Jin]: I got my period, Captain. I¡¯d like to ask for a day off tomorrow.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: No way! Forget about periods, even if you were pregnant, don¡¯t even think about getting a leave! Will the enemies you face on the future battlefield show you mercy just because you¡¯re on your period, or because you¡¯re pregnant with a big belly? Will they spare your life?

    [Chen Lingyun]: What if it¡¯s your child, can I take a leave then?

    ¡­¡­

    As if someone had pressed the pause button, the scrolling group chat suddenly stopped.

    Yan Yu widened his eyes to look at Chen Lingyun beside him, as if to say, ¡°What kind of nonsense are you spouting here?¡±

    ¡°I was just asking out of curiosity,¡± Chen Lingyun replied with a sweet smile.

    Yan Yu, expressionless, turned his gaze away and continued to type.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Even if it¡¯s my own child, there will be no exceptions! Bring the kid and train together!

    This message dropped like a stone thrown into a lake, and the previously quiet group chat quickly started rolling again.

    [Ningning]: Even if it¡¯s a joke, what you said is too horrifying!

    [Ningning]: Exercising at high intensity while pregnant can increase the risk of miscarriage!

    [Ningning]: Can¡¯t you have a bit of common sense? Girls are not war machines, you know!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Alright, since nobody has any objections, let¡¯s meet at the training field at 6 AM tomorrow.

    [Ningning]: Can¡¯t you see that everyone has objections?!

    Ignoring Lin Ning¡¯s barrage of complaints, Yan Yu put away his phone and asked Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°How much intelligence have we gathered on Lord Master¡¯s Dragon Soar Team?¡±

    ¡°Quite a lot,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a twinkling smile, ¡°They¡¯ve been frequenting the Mysterious Realm recently, so we have several recordings of their excursions. Do you want to see them?¡±

    ¡°Send them to me,¡± Yan Yu said with a nod.

    ¡°They¡¯re on my computer,¡± Chen Lingyun extended an invitation, ¡°Shall we go watch them in my room?¡±

 Chapter 131 - 31: Dragon Soar Team, A Bunch of Nobodies!

    Chapter 131: Chapter 31: Dragon Soar Team, A Bunch of Nobodies!

    As time gradually approached the latter half of August.

    Due to the additional training sessions Yan Yu imposed, the strength and progression levels among the girls began to diverge.

    The one who improved the most, naturally, was Lin Ning, for the Sword Immortal is inherently a ¡°mid-stage¡± dominant profession. As long as one¡¯s Sword Control Technique reaches a state of refined mastery, their combat power soars faster than other professions¡ªthe most typical example of this is Goryeo, where nearly all cultivators focus exclusively on Sword Immortal, treating Taoism Method, spells, and such as mere support, which has led domestic public opinion to jokingly refer to them as ¡°stick swingers (cheap swordsmen).¡±

    Surprisingly, the person who improved the second most was Su Yunjin.

    On one hand, her basic skills indeed improved, such as defense, evasion, and other solid maneuvers; on the other hand, her progress could be attributed to her ¡°Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art.¡±

    This spell¡¯s lethality isn¡¯t strong, unlike Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Grand Light Fire, which could cause injury or even death by mere grazing¡­ but its control ability is excellent.

    ...

    Once engulfed by the heavenly river, one¡¯s sense of direction is entirely disrupted, unable to distinguish up from down, east from west; then, as feet can¡¯t touch the ground and there¡¯s nothing to leverage, it¡¯s impossible to use the Shifting Technique to quickly escape the area; lastly, the drowning brings a series of negative statuses such as ¡°inability to see,¡± ¡°inability to distinguish sounds,¡± ¡°inability to breathe,¡± and so on.

    To effectively use this Taoism Method, what¡¯s tested is the control over True Yuan, attention to detail, and battlefield judgment, and Su Yunjin excels on all three counts. Therefore, even if she doesn¡¯t meet the average standard of top cultivators in hardware terms, she¡¯s no longer seen as a liability in the team, thanks to the control afforded by this Taoism Method.

    Compared to Lin Ning and Su Yunjin, the progress of Zhao Yuanzhen and Chen Lingyun wasn¡¯t as obvious.

    Chen Lingyun had now mastered the Five Ghost Carry Technique, using it to strike from the shadows with ease, but apart from that, there hadn¡¯t been a significant increase in strength¡ªunless she could obtain a new ghost to command.

    The White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin had been handed over to Zhao Yuanzhen, but lacking the strategic thinking, the Demonic Sect Enchantress treated the treasure like a Flying Sword. She would throw it at every opportunity, never keeping it in hand.

    After watching her practice for half a day, Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but say,

    ¡°Have you ever heard a saying, ¡®The sword kept in its sheath is the most deadly¡¯?¡±

    ¡°You mean¡­¡± Zhao Yuanzhen hesitated for a moment, ¡°to use it for a surprise attack?¡±

    ¡°The energy consumption to trigger the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin is much higher than when you use Flying Sword to attack,¡± Yan Yu explained. ¡°Since it requires more True Yuan to use, it should at least do something that the Sword Control Technique can¡¯t do, right?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the advantage of the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin? It¡¯s that once it¡¯s shot, it automatically homes in on its target, making it unavoidable; and upon hitting, it severs the meridians, rendering the wounds untreatable. If you rashly send out the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin and it¡¯s blocked by the opponent using the Sword Control Technique, wouldn¡¯t that be a complete waste? Conversely, when would be the most appropriate time to use the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin? Isn¡¯t it when the enemy has no way to block it?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen pondered this.

    Although Empress Yuanzhen often seemed disengaged in her daily life, her intelligence was always present when it came to combat. Yan Yu patted her on the shoulder, indicating for her to think it over on her own, and then went to inspect the progress of others.

    Training lasted until 11 in the morning, and then it was time to rest and prepare for lunch. On their way to the cafeteria, Yan Yu suddenly received a phone call.

    ¡°Mhm, yes, alright,¡± he rapidly responded a few times, then hung up and turned to give instructions, ¡°Chen Lingyun?¡±

    ¡°Calling for a car right now,¡± Chen Lingyun said, holding her phone.

    Given the experience from the previous three times, everyone naturally wasn¡¯t completely clueless. Lin Ning confirmed, asking,

    ¡°Another Mysterious Realm confrontation, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu nodded. ¡°The Northeast, Changbai Mountain.¡±

    Changbai Mountain Range, located within the Taining Province, one of the three provinces of the Northeast.

    Which means the opponent in this joint struggle for the Mysterious Realm happens to be Liu Longtao of the Dingbei Army¡¯s Dragon Soar Team.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The Zhendong Army¡¯s plane took off from Jinling Airport, heading towards the Changbai Mountain Airport in Baishan, Taining Province.

    As per team routine, deputy leader Chen Lingyun activated the plane¡¯s projector to begin briefing everyone on intelligence.

    ¡°Dragon Soar Team, led by Liu Longtao, with deputy leader Ye Jun, and three members named Ai Lu, Guo Feiyun, and Yang Linhui.¡±

    ¡°Ai Lu, from Shangdu Prefecture of Central Plains Province, a Sword Immortal by profession. Guo Feiyun, from Weihai Prefecture of Qilu Province, also a Sword Immortal. The reason I¡¯m talking about these two together is that during the previous Mysterious Realm confrontations, they demonstrated a high level of tactical cooperation.¡±

    ¡°Guo Feiyun specializes in head-on assaults and is the main attacking force of the Dragon Soar Team; Ai Lu is responsible for coordinating attacks, working together with Guo Feiyun to breach the enemy¡¯s defenses. Taken individually, these two Sword Immortals may not be as strong as Ningning, but their cooperative swordplay even managed to suppress Zhou Hongyu at one point, so their threat should not be underestimated.¡±

    ¡°Yang Linhui, from Shangjing Prefecture of East Sea Province, a spell caster by profession, practices the ¡®Gang Wind Hao Qi True Art,¡¯ capable of summoning knife-like wind that wounds people on the battlefield; more aggressive than Yun Jin¡¯s Star River Secret Art but slightly inferior in terms of control.¡±

    ¡°Ye Jun, from Jinmen Prefecture, Assistant Officer. Her magical artifact is a ruler that reportedly can produce a light that envelops its surroundings with her at the center, forming a shield-like defensive effect capable of blocking Flying Swords and Taoism Method attacks,¡±

    ¡°Lastly, there¡¯s Liu Longtao, from Pingjing, known as ¡®Lord Master¡¯, a profession of Sword Immortal, wielding an Immortal Sword named ¡®Ying Long¡¯¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait a minute!¡± Lin Ning exclaimed in surprise, ¡°Does this mean that their team has three Sword Immortals?¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a twinkling smile, ¡°Actually, from this, you can tell that Lord Master¡¯s team places a very strong emphasis on offense. Excluding the Assistant Officer Ye Jun, each of the three Sword Immortals and the cultivator could be a main force in an assault.¡±

    ¡°But the trade-off is that there¡¯s not much room for tactical play.¡± Seeing the girls become nervous, Yan Yu smiled dismissively and said, ¡°They defeated Zhou Hongyu¡¯s team by relying on Liu Longtao¡¯s absolute power to knock Zhang Huaide out early; defeating Li Zhaojiang¡¯s team was done by Liu Longtao¡¯s aggressive attack on Li Minghu, forcing Li Zhaojiang to go for the rescue.¡±

    ¡°A fierce attack on the command center,¡± Su Yunjin also realized, ¡°Once the command center is disrupted, the rest can only fight independently. This situation is very advantageous for the Dragon Soar Team, which has multiple assaulters.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said Chen Lingyun with a light smile, ¡°Think about it, we have also crossed swords with the other two teams. Huofeng Team has only the vice-captain Zhang Huaide who is suitable for commanding, and Qing¡¯an Team¡¯s vice-captain Li Minghu, once in crisis, the captain Li Zhaojiang will surely rush to the rescue. Both of them are essentially the soft ribs of the teams; once they are targeted, it leads to dysfunction in the team¡¯s operation.¡±

    ¡°But we don¡¯t have such a weakness,¡± Yan Yu added, ¡°Chen Lingyun and I can both take command. Even if we both are out in the endgame, don¡¯t we still have Yun Jin?¡±

    ¡°Ah? I can¡¯t do it,¡± Su Yunjin quickly waved her hands to refuse, ¡°I¡¯ve never commanded before.¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin can do it,¡± said Chen Lingyun with a smile, ¡°Sister Zhao and Ningning are the main combat power, so the only one who can be a temporary command replacement is you.¡±

    ¡°¡­All right,¡± Su Yunjin resignedly accepted.

    Secretary Su¡¯s personality was such: she liked to harmonize. If you told her ¡°there¡¯s an important task for you,¡± her first reaction would definitely be ¡°I can¡¯t do it well, give it to someone else¡±; but if you said ¡°everyone else has more important tasks,¡± then she¡¯d be willing to take on the task.

    Though it¡¯s in her nature, the fact that Chen Lingyun could so effortlessly manipulate Secretary Su showed that she was indeed as shrewd as they come.

    ¡°Yun Jin, you don¡¯t have to worry,¡± Lin Ning consoled her, ¡°With a team captain as bossy and invincible as him, how could he possibly be eliminated early? I bet even if all four of us were down, it¡¯d be him who would stand until the end.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Little Lin Ning who understands me,¡± Yan Yu immediately burst into laughter.

    ¡°Little your head!¡± Lin Ning feigned a punch at him, ¡°So what exactly is the tactic?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s simple,¡± Chen Lingyun explained with a smile, ¡°Yan Yu will tie up Liu Longtao, pulling him out of the opposite team¡¯s tactical framework; Ningning and Sister Zhao will each busy Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun, preventing these two Sword Immortals from coordinating, and then single them out for defeat. Yun Jin and I will together deal with Ye Jun and Yang Linhui, it should be like that.¡±

    Seeing that Chen Lingyun was confident and the tactical arrangement was quite straightforward, everyone finally relaxed and went back to their seats to rest.

    Yan Yu was gazing out the plane window at the clouds when suddenly he received a message from Chen Lingyun on his phone, a private chat.

    [Chen Lingyun]: Not much room for tactical play? Really?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What I mean is, they¡¯re not a team that specializes in tactics; it doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re not good at using tactics. The configuration of three Sword Immortals indeed seems a bit too focused on output, but with a competent command, they can still fight very flexibly.

    [Chen Lingyun]: So they¡¯re still hard to deal with.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: But I can¡¯t say that directly to everyone, it might dampen the spirits a bit.

    [Chen Lingyun]: In fact, I suspect both Liu Longtao and Yang Linhui are holding back their trump cards. Yang Linhui¡¯s Taoism Method is likely both offensive and controlling, and Liu Longtao¡­ I¡¯m just guessing he¡¯s not an ordinary Sword Immortal; otherwise, in the previous life, he couldn¡¯t have reached the status of ¡®Number One Master of Lu Country¡¯ as you mentioned.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Yeah, you wouldn¡¯t miss something like that. Yang Linhui¡¯s Taoism Method indeed combines offense and control, but his control is an all-encompassing strike, not as precise as Su Yunjin¡¯s. As for Liu Longtao, he should be a dual cultivator of spell and sword.

    [Chen Lingyun]: He has learned Taoism Method? S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Right, ¡®Five Directional Dragon¡¯s Purple Sky Scripture¡¯, a pretty awesome Taoism Method.

    [Chen Lingyun]: Dear, please tell me you¡¯ve also kept a trump card for this occasion, okay?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Do I need a trump card to face him? I¡¯m dying of laughter, who do you think I am?

    [Chen Lingyun]: That¡¯s right, you¡¯re the strongest Yan Yu of this world~

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: But you should be a little careful, Ye Jun is not easy to deal with. Her Xuan Guang Ruler is actually more powerful for control than defense, and you shouldn¡¯t get caught in the light.

    [Chen Lingyun]: Since she¡¯s hiding her skill, surely it¡¯s specially prepared for you, what do I have to worry about?

 Chapter 132 - 32: So You Were Looking for Me

    Chapter 132: Chapter 32: So You Were Looking for Me

    After flying over more than half of Lu Country, the Zhenhai Team finally landed at the airport and was subsequently picked up by the Dingbei Army to be taken to Baihe Town.

    Baihe Town, located about 35 kilometers from Changbai Mountain, had an economy that largely depended on tourism. But since the Changbai Mountain tourist area was suddenly closed, the number of visitors had sharply declined, casting a somber mood over the entire town.

    As soon as Yan Yu got off the car, he saw Liu Longtao and Ye Jun already waiting at the parking lot entrance.

    ¡°Old Liu, you came to pick us up personally?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise, ¡°I¡¯m really flattered.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a matter of courtesy, should be done,¡± Liu Longtao said with a smile, then greeted Chen Lingyun who was behind him, ¡°Ah, Ling Yun is here too?¡±

    ¡°What, did you think I wouldn¡¯t come?¡± Chen Lingyun narrowed her eyes.

    ...

    ¡°How could that be? After all, you are the ¡®deputy¡¯ captain of the Zhenhai Team,¡± Liu Longtao chuckled, changing the subject, ¡°The hotel we booked is not far from here, let¡¯s all settle in first.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a hot spring hotel~¡± Ye Jun added with a laugh.

    ¡°A hot spring hotel?¡± The girls behind Yan Yu immediately lit up with excitement.

    Everyone arrived at the hotel by car. The girls hurriedly changed clothes in their rooms and then went to the hot spring area for a bath.

    Yan Yu wasn¡¯t particularly interested in hot springs. He wandered around the lobby in the hotel-issued slippers and happened to see Liu Longtao and Ye Jun coming out of the elevator.

    ¡°¡­So it¡¯s still not confirmed?¡± Liu Longtao asked with a frown.

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Ye Jun sighed, saw Yan Yu in the lobby, and smiled, ¡°Captain Yan, aren¡¯t you going to try the hot springs?¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu waved his hand, ¡°Too lazy to change clothes.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Liu Longtao gave Ye Jun a meaningful look, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll go out and buy some things.¡±

    As he left through the door, Ye Jun found a sofa nearby and sat down, smiling:

    ¡°Captain Yan, want to have a chat?¡±

    ¡°What for?¡± Yan Yu joked with her, ¡°To probe for intelligence?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Ye Jun replied playfully, ¡°It¡¯s a honey trap, let¡¯s see if you dare take it.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Yan Yu sat down on the sofa opposite her, ¡°What do you want to ask?¡±

    His straightforward attitude momentarily stumped Ye Jun.

    But the girl from Jinmen was good at warming up the atmosphere, so she decided not to ask about intelligence right away and smiled:

    ¡°Did you bring enough clothes this time, Captain Yan? It¡¯s still quite cold here in Taining during the summer, not like the south where it¡¯s easily over thirty degrees.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Yan Yu observed her closely, ¡°And you¡¯re not wearing much either, are you?¡±

    Today, Deputy Captain Ye Jun was dressed in a thin white knitted pullover and soft, form-fitting trousers, looking less like a soldier about to go to battle and more like a city woman on vacation, an office executive perhaps.

    Her hairstyle was still the cute short cut from before, and her facial features were precise and charming, but it was evident that she had applied some light makeup to conceal the heavy dark circles beneath her eyes.

    ¡°Well, we are in the hotel, with the heating and air conditioning set high, of course it¡¯s not cold,¡± Ye Jun also laughed, saying, ¡°Wait until we actually head to Changbai Mountain tomorrow, then you¡¯ll see if I wear a padded jacket or not.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard you¡¯ve been staying up late recently,¡± Yan Yu asked nonchalantly.

    Ye Jun asked in surprise:

    ¡°Who did you hear that from?¡±

    ¡°So you don¡¯t deny it,¡± Yan Yu immediately understood.

    ¡°Ah, being the deputy captain,¡± Ye Jun said nonchalantly, ¡°so much to do, so little time, it¡¯s unavoidable.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it because Old Liu dumps all the work on you?¡± Yan Yu pointed out sharply.

    ¡°Now, I don¡¯t like hearing that,¡± Ye Jun said, her smile steady, retorting, ¡°Each captain has their own leadership style. It¡¯s like how Ling Yun often complains about you in the group, and nobody takes it seriously¡­¡±

    ¡°Hold on.¡± Yan Yu suddenly interrupted, his demeanor becoming serious, ¡°What did Chen Lingyun complain about me?¡±

    The deputy captains of the four teams had created a special group for deputy captains, where they exchanged experiences and tips on commanding their teams, something Yan Yu was certainly aware of.

    But Chen Lingyun secretly speaking ill of me behind my back in the group¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I just can¡¯t tolerate that.

    ¡°Uh.¡± Ye Jun suddenly felt a bit guilty, as if she had inadvertently turned into a snitch, and tried to laugh it off in an attempt to bluff her way through, ¡°It¡¯s nothing really, I often complain about Captain Liu being a hands-off manager too, we all just vent in the group¡­ what are you doing?¡±

    Yan Yu had already taken out his phone and dialed Chen Lingyun¡¯s number.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Chen Lingyun, I hear you¡¯ve been talking crap about me behind my back in other groups?¡± Yan Yu coldly asked.

    ¡°Oh?¡± A calm voice responded from the other end, ¡°It was Ye Jun who told you, right?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, Ling Yun,¡± Ye Jun said helplessly from the side, ¡°My lips slipped, it¡¯s all my fault.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a laugh, ¡°Yan Yu, you might have misunderstood, I didn¡¯t speak ill of you.¡±

    ¡°Then what did you say?¡± Yan Yu asked expressionlessly.

    ¡°I merely shared the tactics of your training with the team as an experience for everyone,¡± Chen Lingyun said nonchalantly, ¡°I quoted exactly what I saw, without any exaggeration. That doesn¡¯t count as talking behind your back, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu said grimly, ¡°since you like my training tactics so much, after we return this time, I¡¯ll create a personalized special training program just for you, how about that? Don¡¯t thank me; you deserve it.¡±

    As belittling as Chen Lingyun was, faced with Yan Yu¡¯s ¡®I¡¯m the type to act rather than talk¡¯ aggressive approach, he didn¡¯t know what to say for a moment and just gave a dry laugh. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    While there was silence on the other end, a beautiful woman entered the store from outside, glanced at the unattended counter, and walked towards Yan Yu and Ye Jun, speaking in Lu Country-accented language:

    ¡°Hello, is the owner in?¡±

    A person from Goryeo? Ye Jun thought to herself.

    There were many people from Goryeo in Jinmen Prefecture, especially around the era castle city area, so Ye Jun recognized the accent almost immediately.

    ¡°The owner is in the kitchen,¡± Yan Yu said casually, ¡°just call out and he¡¯ll come out.¡±

    ¡°Okay, thank you.¡± The person bowed deeply, and suddenly a glint of cold light flashed at the neckline.

    In his left hand still holding the phone, Yan Yu¡¯s right hand casually lifted, and between his fingers already appeared a small sword¡ªa sword a few inches long, gripped by his Barrier Charm-activated right hand, still buzzing as it tried to drill inward, like a venomous snake aiming for his face.

    ¡°What, looking for me?¡± Yan Yu smiled.

    The woman suddenly straightened up, forcing the sword to break free from Yan Yu¡¯s hand. The small sword changed direction and stabbed viciously again, but it was knocked away by the Huang Tingjian from the side.

    Ye Jun also reacted, quickly drawing the Xuan Guang Ruler from behind her waist and waving it lightly, sending a burst of light shooting out, casting down upon the woman¡¯s head.

    The woman tried to dodge, but did not anticipate Yan Yu¡¯s coordinated attack as the Huang Tingjian circled behind her, directly knocking her into the range of the light, trapping her instantly, leaving her unable to move.

    ¡°How interesting.¡± Yan Yu calmly stood up, looking at the small sword on the ground that had lost control.

    The small sword was dull in color and only two-thirds the length of an adult¡¯s arm, making it very suitable for concealment on one¡¯s person¡ªit was specifically designed for assassination.

    Yan Yu pondered for a moment and then instructed Ye Jun:

    ¡°Keep an eye on her and call the Dingbei Army over right away.¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡± Ye Jun also hurriedly took out her phone.

    The team captain being attacked by an unknown cultivator was a very serious matter, so serious that Ye Jun didn¡¯t know what would be best to do¡­ But Yan Yu was right, the military needed to be called to handle the situation immediately.

    Yan Yu did not answer, but spoke into his phone instead:

    ¡°Did you hear that? Spa time is over, everyone on battle alert, immediately.¡±

    He hung up the call and then asked Ye Jun again:

    ¡°Where did Old Liu go?¡±

    Shit, Captain Liu was still outside! Ye Jun was suddenly alarmed.

    If even Captain Yan was targeted by an assassin, she wasn¡¯t naive enough to think Liu Longtao could be spared. She was just about to send a message to Lord Master when suddenly a loud bang was heard from outside.

    The fury of the True Dragon, echoing through a thousand miles!

 Chapter 133 - 33: Enemy Nation Cultivator

    Chapter 133: Chapter 33: Enemy Nation Cultivator

    Yan Yu stepped out the door in his slippers, shuffling leisurely in the direction of the sound he had just heard.

    Not far ahead, he saw Liu Longtao standing in the middle of the road. The ground, with him at its center, had caved in all directions, as if struck by a massive hammer.

    Two corpses had toppled around him, with blood oozing from their seven orifices, undeniably dead¡ªtheir Flying Swords lay nearby, similar in style to the short swords from before.

    To tell the truth, if they had chosen an easier target, like Chen Lingyun, perhaps they might have had a chance to succeed.

    However, unfortunately, these assassins had chosen the two strongest individuals in the battle teams, the least likely to fall victim to their attack¡­

    ¡°Nicely done, Old Liu, you resolved it all by yourself,¡± Yan Yu remarked after inspecting the bodies for a moment, and casually asked, ¡°No survivors?¡±

    ...

    ¡°Hm, didn¡¯t pay attention,¡± Liu Longtao composed himself and replied with a frown, ¡°Those two assassins sprang out suddenly, gave me quite a scare, and I went in a bit too hard.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Ye Jun caught one alive,¡± Yan Yu chuckled and said, ¡°Since you¡¯re okay, I¡¯m gonna head back for dinner then.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still in the mood for dinner?¡± Liu Longtao was suddenly taken aback, ¡°Old Yan, why do you think there are foreign cultivators here?!¡±

    In his urgency, he had forgotten the formality of using ¡®you¡¯.

    ¡°They¡¯re here to steal the Changbai Mountain Mysterious Realm, of course,¡± Yan Yu replied with a look that said ¡®what¡¯s so hard to guess¡¯, adding, ¡°In their country, they call Changbai Mountain ¡®Baekdu Mountain¡¯, the ¡®Sacred Mountain of the nation¡¯. Now that the Changbai Mountain Mysterious Realm has opened and is under the actual control of Lu Country, they can¡¯t compete against us by force and can¡¯t let go of their greed either, so sneaking attacks is their only option.¡± S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°So, you knew!¡± Liu Longtao was nearly at a loss for words and anxiously added, ¡°I think so too: their purpose in sending assassins to attack us is to delay our progress, so they can take the lead in exploring Changbai Mountain Mysterious Realm! One quarter of Changbai Mountain¡¯s eastern side falls within Silla¡¯s territory; if they mobilize troops down the eastern slope to attack and seal off the Mysterious Realm, or even send cultivators ahead of us to find the control center, then we¡¯d really be at a disadvantage!¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°So, by ¡®they¡¯, do you mean Northern Silla or Southern Goryeo? Does the top brass know about this?¡±

    Liu Longtao was immediately taken aback.

    Theoretically speaking, it doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s Silla or Goryeo¡ªif anyone dares to contest our Lu Country¡¯s Mysterious Realm, they must be dealt with. However, in practice, it¡¯s not possible to just march over and slaughter them¡­ First, we need to identify who the enemy is, and second, we need authorization from higher-ups before we can make our move.

    Being ambushed and defending oneself is one thing, but initiating an attack on foreign cultivators is another. Without authorization from superiors, regardless of the legitimacy of the reasons, such actions are considered ¡®going solo¡¯ and are a big taboo officially.

    ¡°Right?¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°Even with a swift response from above, it¡¯ll probably take around twenty minutes or so. We might as well have dinner in the meantime. We can go after them once authorization comes through, it won¡¯t be too late then.¡±

    Liu Longtao wanted to argue, what if Changbai Mountain¡¯s Mysterious Realm is so small that it gets taken by the others within twenty minutes? But after all, he was a loyalist with deep-rooted allegiance, understanding the importance of following official protocols, so he repressed his impatient and irritated thoughts and followed Yan Yu into a noodle shop nearby.

    ¡°Boss, a bowl of tomato and egg noodles,¡± Yan Yu ordered, looking at the menu on the wall, then asked, ¡°What will you have, Old Liu?¡±

    ¡°Some little wontons, please,¡± Liu Longtao replied absently, with no appetite.

    As they sat down, Yan Yu called Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°How¡¯s it going over there?¡±

    ¡°All good,¡± Chen Lingyun responded with a smile, ¡°Was at the hot springs for just a short while before being rushed out, then got taken to the Dingbei Army camp to prepare for battle. It couldn¡¯t be any better.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Yan Yu said contentedly, ¡°Eat up while you can, you might have to go out on a mission soon.¡±

    ¡°We are already eating,¡± Chen Lingyun chuckled, ¡°Are you at Lord Master¡¯s place? Was he also targeted?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s fine,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°Not a hair harmed.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Chen Lingyun sighed, sounding a bit regretful.

    ¡°Can I talk to her for a moment?¡± Liu Longtao suddenly asked.

    ¡°Be my guest,¡± Yan Yu placed the phone on the table and pushed it towards him.

    ¡°Chen Lingyun,¡± Liu Longtao inquired seriously, ¡°how¡¯s the situation at Changbai Mountain?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re asking me about your own Dingbei Army¡¯s defenses now, huh~¡± Chen Lingyun teased with a laugh.

    Liu Longtao looked at Yan Yu, and then heard Yan Yu exclaim,

    ¡°Focus on the matter at hand, who¡¯s joking with you? Speak properly!¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Chen Lingyun, unoffended, replied, ¡°I heard it was a sneak attack from the east, about a dozen foreign cultivators broke in with Barrier Charms, and despite machine-gun fire rammed their way through.¡±

    ¡°North, or South?¡± Liu Longtao asked gravely.

    ¡°The North says it¡¯s the South,¡± Chen Lingyun gave a strange answer. ¡°Yan Yu, do you believe that?¡±

    ¡°Of course I believe it, why not?¡± Yan Yu replied without hesitation, ¡°If that¡¯s what they say, then they are not implicitly wanting to be part of the Mysterious Realm dispute. We don¡¯t need to worry about whether those cultivators are actually from the North or South, just kill them all, and that¡¯s that.¡±

    ¡°Right, I was thinking the same,¡± Chen Lingyun pondered for a moment, ¡°Liu Longtao, the rules of the Mysterious Realm competition are going to change this time.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a given,¡± Liu Longtao said coolly.

    The whole point of the Mysterious Realm competition was to simulate a confrontation with the cultivators of enemy countries¡­ Now that the enemy cultivators had actually appeared, there was no reason to keep our guns pointed at our brother teams any longer.

    ¡°What about the distribution?¡± Yan Yu continued to ask.

    ¡°We¡¯ll wait for the Privy Council to determine the plan afterward,¡± Chen Lingyun answered, ¡°Yan Yu, we¡¯ve finished eating, how about you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve only just started eating,¡± Yan Yu looked at the owner bringing out a bowl of noodles from the kitchen.

    ¡°Send me your location,¡± Chen Lingyun laughed, ¡°We¡¯ll come to find you.¡±

    Yan Yu sent the location and then, regardless of Liu Longtao¡¯s expression, started to eat his noodles without any concern.

    He had eaten half of his bowl when suddenly someone patted him on the back.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s cheerful voice rang out, ¡°Authorization has come through, the helicopter is outside, we need to leave immediately.¡±

    ¡°You couldn¡¯t possibly have urged the pilot to rush over just so that I wouldn¡¯t be able to finish my noodles, could you?¡± Yan Yu immediately asked suspiciously, as the arrival seemed too timely.

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Lin Ning said puffily from beside them, ¡°We were eating compact biscuits in the camp, and you were secretly eating noodles here!¡±

    It wasn¡¯t that there were no self-heating military meals in the camp, but everyone thought that the war authorization could come at any time, and once it did, they would have to leave immediately, so nobody was in the mood to cook and just grabbed some compressed biscuits to fill their stomachs.

    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault you guys made a dumb decision,¡± Yan Yu mocked nonchalantly, but very quickly his left arm was held by Lin Ning and his right arm by Zhao Yuanzhen. The two hoisted him up, one on each side, and dragged him toward the helicopter.

    ¡°Captain Liu,¡± Ye Jun came to Liu Longtao¡¯s side, ¡°Everyone is in the cabin now.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Liu Longtao wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood up.

    ¡°Wait, you haven¡¯t paid yet!¡± The owner chased out from the kitchen, and upon seeing the helicopter outside, was left somewhat shocked and speechless.

    ¡°No need for change,¡± Ye Jun had no time to ask about the price and then scan a code to make a transfer. She simply left a hundred-yuan bill and then quickly followed Liu Longtao out.

    Inside the cabin, Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun were informed of what had happened and were speechless.

    The entrance to the Mysterious Realm opened at the northeast side of Heaven Lake at the summit of Changbai mountain, only a few hundred meters in a straight line from Silla territory.

    After the entrance appeared, the Dingbei Army immediately took control of the area around Heaven Lake to prevent tourists from both countries from getting close. Afterwards, Lu Country sent an official note to Silla, implying that since the entrance to the Mysterious Realm appeared within its borders, it belonged to Lu Country¡¯s ¡°natural territorial resources,¡± and they would deploy troops to guard it for security reasons.

    Silla, at that time, did not even know about the appearance of the Mysterious Realm at Changbai Mountain, and began to haggle with Lu Country. The specific details of the negotiations remain unknown, but from Lu Country¡¯s perspective, it seemed like Silla acknowledged the fact that the entrance to the Mysterious Realm was under Lu Country¡¯s control. The only reason they did not formally admit it was due to concerns about domestic public opinion, which is why they dragged their feet.

    As the Dingbei Army sealed off the area around Heaven Lake and evacuated the tourists on Lu Country¡¯s side, the tourists on the other side refused to leave, merely crowding outside the blockade line, shouting, and taking pictures. If you tried to disperse them by force they would flee, but as soon as the dispersion was done, they¡¯d come back. In the end, the Dingbei Army had no choice but to let them stay outside the blockade line, as long as they did not try to break in without permission.

    Then, the unfamiliar cultivators launched their surprise attack.

    Mixed in with the tourists, the cultivators suddenly broke through the blockade line and charged towards the entrance to the Mysterious Realm. There were about thirty of them, all cultivators with clear roles. Some engaged the Dingbei Army cultivators, while others mindlessly rushed towards the entrance, constantly using the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse. Ordinary firearm bullets barely scratched them, causing no damage.

    Thankfully, the on-site commander of the Dingbei Army was shrewd and quickly adopted the confrontation tactics common between the Pingxi Army and Tianzhu along their border: forming a human wall.

    You¡¯re constantly using the Barrier Charm? My bullets can¡¯t kill you, but you also can¡¯t use an Attack Spell Technique. So I¡¯ll let the regular soldiers form a human wall to physically block you outside, and then our military cultivators will take you down one by one.

    If you dare to switch to an Attack Spell Technique, there¡¯s no need for cultivators to act, the precision marksmen staged outside will shoot you dead.

    Using this crude method, the Dingbei Army managed to keep most of the foreign cultivators outside, but still, sixteen or seventeen managed to break into the Mysterious Realm¡ªafter all, the attack was sudden and it was impossible to do any better.

    After listening to Chen Lingyun finish the account, Liu Longtao looked at Ye Jun.

    Ye Jun silently nodded her head, indicating that the information she had obtained was essentially correct and matched the explanation given by the Dingbei Army.

    Liu Longtao¡¯s face darkened as he looked through the helicopter window down at the mountains below and suddenly said,

    ¡°Old Yan, how about a competition?¡±

    ¡°A competition about what?¡± Yan Yu asked curiously, ¡°The combat competition has already been canceled.¡±

    ¡°About who kills more foreign cultivators after we enter the Mysterious Realm,¡± Liu Longtao said with a cold laugh, flashing his white teeth.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not,¡± Yan Yu shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m not interested in a killing game. Defending the country and killing enemies is the duty of a soldier, how can it be treated as a game?¡±

    Liu Longtao was taken aback. But since the other party appealed to greater righteousness, he had no immediate comeback and could only change his proposition,

    ¡°Then let¡¯s see who can reach the core of the Mysterious Realm first, how about that?¡±

    ¡°After we take down those cultivators?¡± Yan Yu pondered with his chin in hand, ¡°That could work, but Old Liu¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You already lost to me once. If you lose again this time, you¡¯ll be okay with that, right? No psychological shadows or anything?¡±

    Liu Longtao:¡­¡­

    ¡°Rest assured,¡± he once again flashed a standard amiable smile, ¡°Just feel free to let me witness your strength.¡±

 Chapter 134 - 34 Wind Blade Frost Sword Formation

    Chapter 134: Chapter 34 Wind Blade Frost Sword Formation

    In the camp near Tianchi, soldiers bustled back and forth, their faces taut with an iron hue.

    It was clear that the defensive line had been forcibly breached, and everyone was simmering with rage inside!

    If the higher-ups hadn¡¯t repeatedly ordered not to engage, they would¡¯ve already pushed the blockade line to the eastern slope controlled by Silla¡­ Now, they could only hastily erect walls to prevent others from forcefully breaking in with their immunity from the Barrier Charm.

    The helicopter arrived at the scene, the team members descending rapidly. Liu Longtao asked the person in charge on the scene about the situation and turned to Yan Yu to confirm,

    ¡°Go in directly?¡±

    ¡°What else?¡± Yan Yu counterquestioned, ¡°We¡¯re not here for a tour.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go in first,¡± Liu Longtao said decisively. ¡°You bring them up from behind.¡±

    In the Mysterious Realm that already housed enemy Cultivators, the team entering first was taking a risk, as they couldn¡¯t guarantee whether there would be an ambush around the ¡°starting point¡±¡­ Though the possibility was low, it was still a risk, so Lord Master naturally took the most dangerous responsibility upon himself.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t fuss about it either but simply turned to the girls with tense expressions and said,

    ¡°Relax, everyone, don¡¯t look so tense. Old Liu is clearing the way for us.¡±

    Liu Longtao nearly stumbled as he walked ahead.

    I¡¯m clearing the way for you all? So I¡¯m the vanguard now?

    He looked back and realized not only were the Zhenhai Team girls anxious, but even members of the Dragon Soar Team like Ye Jun, although they hid it well, were unconsciously revealing a hint of nervousness.

    Indeed, this wasn¡¯t a confrontation in the Mysterious Realm, but a life-and-death struggle against enemy nation Cultivators; it was inevitable for everyone to feel tense.

    Thinking of this, Liu Longtao let go of his captain¡¯s pride completely and said with a smile,

    ¡°Ye Jun, what¡¯s with that expression? And Old Yang, your legs are shaking ¨C are you really that nervous? Fei Yun, make sure to keep an eye on number 26 later; he looks so pale I¡¯m afraid he might bolt.¡±

    ¡°Get lost, duck!¡± Ai Lu immediately became flustered and bellowed, ¡°Captain Liu, I¡¯m going in second right after you, no one else better jump in front of me!¡± S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be the second to enter,¡± Yan Yu said calmly. ¡°Captains first.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯m third,¡± Ai Lu quickly said.

    ¡°After the captain, it¡¯s the vice-captain¡¯s turn,¡± Ye Jun stated seriously. ¡°You stay put and line up for the fifth slot.¡±

    ¡°Damn it!¡± Ai Lu was at a loss, while Guo Feiyun beside him laughed uproariously, smacking the back of his head,

    ¡°Get in line at the back! You go in after I do.¡±

    With their banter and antics, they hardly wasted any time, yet the previously tense mood had relaxed significantly.

    Seeing the troops¡¯ morale stabilize, Liu Longtao turned around and stepped into the Mysterious Realm¡¯s entrance without hesitation.

    Yan Yu followed next.

    Upon entering the Mysterious Realm, they were greeted by a vast expanse of goosefeather-like snowflakes fluttering down, the air filled with a bone-chilling coldness.

    In the distance, snow-capped peaks stood under a swath of palaces surrounded by dazzling, colorful auroras¡­ Not only that, the entire night sky was studded with stars, and multicolored celestial lights unfolded and brushed gently through the clouds like silken drapery.

    But Liu Longtao, who led the way in, had no time to enjoy these beautiful scenes.

    He stood silently in the front like a fierce general guarding the border. The sheathed Ying Long Sword hovered before his head, emitting a colder sword intent than the surrounding ice and snow.

    ¡°Historical debt,¡± Liu Longtao murmured. ¡°Can¡¯t owe it forever.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up, Old Liu?¡± Yan Yu laughed heartily. ¡°You turning into a debt collector now?¡±

    ¡°Even though I can¡¯t compete with you this time, Old Yan,¡± Liu Longtao resumed his smile and said courteously, ¡°it¡¯s my honor to fight alongside you, defending our nation and killing enemies.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not trying to drag me down later, so you¡¯re compensating in advance here, are you?¡± Yan Yu became instantly wary.

    ¡°How¡¯s that possible?¡± Chen Lingyun appeared with Ye Jun, just in time to hear Liu Longtao laugh heartily, ¡°Well, you better watch closely later.¡±

    ¡°What are you all looking at?¡± Princess Jiang Hai¡¯s eyes danced playfully as she looked towards Yan Yu at her side.

    ¡°He said he¡¯s going to show off later,¡± Yan Yu said, glancing behind her, ¡°Is everyone here?¡±

    Soon, the full roster of both combat teams, along with the medical group from each side and the support Cultivators from the Dingbei Army, all appeared within the Mysterious Realm, a bustling crowd of nearly thirty or forty people.

    This was a confrontation between nations, where notions of equal numbers and fair competition were dismissed. If the home team could flood the field with a swarm tactic, why not do it?

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Yan Yu declared grandly, striding forward, ¡°Move out!¡±

    Aside from the quick-to-follow girls of the Zhenhai Team, the others remained where they were, just looking towards Ye Jun and Liu Longtao.

    Yan Yu¡¯s group had already moved out several steps when he looked back and asked:

    ¡°Old Liu, what are you waiting for?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± Liu Longtao adjusted his headset and said over the channel, ¡°Ye Jun will command the team and as for the military side¡­ Captain Zheng, your cooperation, please.¡±

    Captain Zheng was the leader of the medical group of the Dragon Soar Team, and he immediately acknowledged upon hearing this.

    ¡°What about the Zhenhai side?¡± Ye Jun asked for confirmation, ¡°Do we move separately or together? And is command each to their own?¡±

    ¡°We move together, but command separately,¡± Liu Longtao responded, ¡°If something comes up, I¡¯ll discuss it with Yan Yu.¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡± Everyone replied in unison.

    The overall environment of the Mysterious Realm was extremely simple: the center was dominated by a towering and majestic snow peak, surrounded by an endless expanse of white snowfields. Even the dimmest mind knew they had to head towards the mountain.

    What was troublesome was the ceaseless flurry of snow from the sky, and the chilling winds interspersed with pieces of ice, which scraped across one¡¯s face making it difficult to keep the eyes open even after a few steps.

    If one covered their body with Runescript, they could completely nullify the low temperatures, but since they hadn¡¯t yet encountered enemy Cultivators, no one was willing to waste their True Yuan here.

    Yan Yu, however, had no such concerns, boldly activating Runescript and leading the way up front.

    The girls wrapped themselves in clothing and followed behind. Lin Ning shivered from the cold, wanting to ask Yan Yu to slow down, but she knew that enemy Cultivators had entered the Mysterious Realm an hour before them, so she barely held back from making a sound.

    Just as she was pondering whether to activate Runescript for a few seconds, a sharp and abrupt booming sound suddenly emerged from afar¡ªLin Ning was all too familiar with that sound! It was exactly the sharp, brief blast of noise that Huang Tingjian made each time it tore through the air during the actual combat exercise (ai) phase (zhou).

    ¡°Scatter!¡± she cried out in alarm.

    The other girls instinctively acted as well, the moment they heard that noise. They immediately activated the Shifting Technique and scattered in all directions.

    Then, they saw a phantom figure, outlined by snowflakes and ice shards and clad in half-armor, suddenly ripping through the layers of snowstorm, swinging its dazzlingly bright blade towards Yan Yu!

    Yan Yu stood calmly in place, not dodging. Huang Tingjian whistled as it rose obliquely to meet the armored soldier¡¯s steel blade, clashing with a low, crisp ringing sound.

    The opposing soldier, along with its blade, was shattered by the recoil of the weapons¡¯ collision, dispersing into countless pieces of ice and snow that were swept away by the cold wind and vanished from sight.

    ¡°This is¡­¡± Zhao Yuanzhen widened her eyes, ¡°A formation?!¡±

    ¡°Wind Blade Frost Sword Formation,¡± Yan Yu said with a calm expression, ¡°Everyone be careful of attacks masking within the wind and snow.¡±

    ¡°That ice soldier from just now seemed to have only the strength for one strike?¡± Chen Lingyun observed sharply, noting that the sound of metal hitting metal when the soldier¡¯s blade collided with Huang Tingjian indicated that the opponent¡¯s blade would indeed cause harm if it struck a person.

    But the opponent¡¯s body was exceedingly fragile; it couldn¡¯t withstand even the backlash of its own strike and blew itself apart, which was quite laughable indeed.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°But their numbers are endless. Everyone must stay alert while moving without fail, but remember never to stop and defend; that would be playing into the hands of the formation. They can afford countless mistakes, but one error on our part would be costly.¡±

    ¡°No big deal,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said nonchalantly, ¡°If they come, we¡¯ll just block. We¡¯ve all practiced this before, haven¡¯t we?¡±

    This reassured the girls: the Wind Blade Frost Sword Formation might seem difficult to tackle, but if they considered the bladed snow soldiers as Flying Swords, the difficulty seemed to drop instantly. After all, during regular swordsmanship combat training, they had to face Yan Yu¡¯s Huang Tingjian. His heavy sword not only held immense momentum and strength but would also chase them down with relentless strikes; blocking it numerous times was futile as it wouldn¡¯t stop until it had sliced them to the ground. Compared to that, blocking these bladed snow soldiers once and they were gone, it was child¡¯s play.

    They were simply unafraid!

 Chapter 135 - 135: 35 chapters Racing Against Time

    Chapter 135: 35 chapters Racing Against Time

    As they talked, Liu Longtao and his men had caught up from behind.

    ¡°Soldiers formed by snow and holding sabers?¡± Liu Longtao furrowed his brows in thought after Yan Yu gave a brief explanation.

    ¡°After blocking the attack, it shattered by itself,¡± Yan Yu stated directly, ¡°If it was a restriction of the Mysterious Realm, there wouldn¡¯t be just one attack.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Liu Longtao turned his head and spoke, ¡°Everyone needs to be careful, not just focused on hurrying along! Captain Zheng, please pass the message along and have the soldiers be alert.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Captain Zheng started to relay the message through the channel.

    Everyone took a moment to prepare themselves and digest the information regarding the Mysterious Realm¡¯s restrictions before resuming their journey.

    ...

    ¡°So,¡± Ye Jun said, walking between Liu Longtao and Yan Yu, ¡°our enemies entered earlier than we did, and they must have faced the Mysterious Realm¡¯s attacks too.¡±

    ¡°Even more so if we reasonably speculate,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°That the closer one gets to the core of the Mysterious Realm, the more ferocious its defense mechanisms become. Then, they would have encountered more severe obstacles than us.¡±

    ¡°That would be ideal,¡± Liu Longtao said coldly.

    ¡°However, there¡¯s another possibility,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a sly smile, ¡°The deeper one goes, the harder it is to proceed. In such a setup, those who come later can quickly close the gap with the forerunners. If they find the task too challenging, they might not be singly focused on seizing control of the core. Perhaps they¡¯re hiding somewhere right now, waiting to use the Mysterious Realm¡¯s mechanisms to ambush us!¡±

    ¡°Hey, even better,¡± Liu Longtao sneered, ¡°That saves us some time.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not underestimate them too much,¡± Ye Jun said worriedly from the side, ¡°Silla and Goryeo may have similar cultivation systems to ours, but they mainly focus on Sword Immortals and are best at ambushes in these types of environments¡­¡±

    Before she could finish, everyone saw a lump in the snow ahead.

    Upon closer inspection, they found it was a frozen corpse pierced by a sharp object in the abdomen¡ªthe victim had crawled for a while in the snowy wilderness without treatment (behind him was a deep, yet fully uncovered track in the snow), and ultimately succumbed to the extreme cold and blood loss.

    ¡°If we discount internal strife on the enemy¡¯s side, then it¡¯s highly likely that this person was killed by the Mysterious Realm¡¯s restrictions,¡± Liu Longtao mused.

    ¡°And he was abandoned by his companions,¡± Yan Yu remarked with a click of his tongue, ¡°Even if his Dantian was damaged and he couldn¡¯t use spells for a while, he could have survived easily if his companions had used Runescript to stop his bleeding.¡±

    ¡°So their team isn¡¯t all on the same page either,¡± Ye Jun realized immediately.

    ¡°Greedy for quick success,¡± Chen Lingyun narrowed her eyes, observing the expression of the dead, ¡°Or to put it another way, the leader of their team must think it¡¯s most important to get control of the Mysterious Realm as soon as possible, and doesn¡¯t want to waste time saving a companion¡­ These cultivators probably don¡¯t know each other and lack rapport and affection, being hastily assembled just for this mission.¡±

    ¡°That sounds very plausible,¡± Ye Jun nodded in agreement, ¡°Thinking about it carefully, the Mysterious Realm opened within the territory of Lu Country¡ª even if they manage to take control by deceit, wouldn¡¯t they just end up captured by us after they exit the Realm? Considering the worst-case scenario, they are essentially trading the lives of these cultivators for control over this Mysterious Realm, so it¡¯s likely these aren¡¯t the most elite cultivators being groomed as they wouldn¡¯t be too great a loss if abandoned.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Liu Longtao agreed with this judgment, ¡°For them, Changbai Mountain is more of a spiritual symbol than a practical one. As long as they can take control of the Mysterious Realm, even if they can¡¯t exploit it afterwards, they would be satisfied.¡±

    After discussing for a while, everyone noticed that Yan Yu had been silent, and they naturally quieted down.

    Yan Yu wasn¡¯t distracted, but rather reorganizing his memories.

    In his previous life, the Changbai Mountain Mysterious Realm appeared before the loosening of media control, and no information disclosure followed, so he didn¡¯t know what role Silla or Goryeo had played in it, or how Liu Longtao¡¯s team resolved it.

    But he knew that Silla took a secluded and closed-off approach, with cultivators rarely leaving the country or seeking publicity, so there were no internationally famous and formidable cultivators.

    As for Goryeo, there was Park Changmin¡ªif one must mention him¡ªwho, though was cultivated with the nation¡¯s full support, only had the strength to ¡°survive three strikes from Liu Longtao without dying¡±¡­ but Goryeo media hailed him as the ¡°National Sword God¡±, and nearly every citizen believed it without doubt. Park Changmin was also very good at self-promotion and marketing, at his most audacious even claiming, ¡°I am evenly matched with Liu (referring to Lord Master), and we hold each other in high regard.¡±

    Although Lu Country¡¯s side made a judgment that the cultivators who stormed into the mysterious realm definitely couldn¡¯t escape, indicating they were being used as expendable troops by Goryeo, hence certainly not the top elite¡ªthis was a reasonable guess based on facts, provided that the decision-makers from Goryeo had common sense.

    However, based on experiences from his past life, Yan Yu expressed strong doubts about this. After all, in their way of thinking, Yang Wanchun could shoot and blind Li Shimin¡¯s left eye with a single arrow, Park Changmin could fight Liu Longtao to an indistinguishable outcome, and thus a small squad of cultivators seizing control of the Changbai Mountain Mystical Realm, and then smoothly breaking through the encirclement of Lu Country¡¯s military forces¡­ was also not an impossibility!

    ¡°Since they¡¯re not even rescuing their wounded companions or dealing with the bodies, it means they must be advancing against the clock,¡± Yan Yu finally snapped back to reality, reminding everyone, ¡°If they wanted to lay an ambush ahead of us, the more people they have, the better¡ªit wouldn¡¯t make sense to be so resolute otherwise.¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± Liu Longtao said seriously, ¡°If we don¡¯t consider dealing with an ambush, we could also march rapidly.¡±

    The entire team used the Shifting Technique to charge forward, their speed would be several times faster than now, but the cost was that if they encountered the Wind Blade Frost Sword Formation or an ambush from enemy cultivators, the likelihood of being caught off guard and struck would greatly increase.

    ¡°Let¡¯s march rapidly,¡± Yan Yu quickly decided, ¡°Everyone, stay closer while marching, and let Ye Jun protect the main force with her magic artifact.¡±

    Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler could create a barrier of light, shielding those within from external attacks, at the cost of a large consumption of True Yuan to maintain it over a long period; however, considering that the enemy might be advancing rapidly into the mysterious realm, and Liu Longtao was not one to hesitate, he immediately nodded:

    ¡°Okay, Ye Jun?¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me,¡± Ye Jun nodded. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Therefore, the group activated the Shifting Technique and hurriedly surged up the mountain through the snowstorm.

    Perhaps it was because their formation was too impressive, or perhaps it was because they were beginning to advance deeper into the formation, the surrounding snowstorm became increasingly fierce and relentless. About a dozen flying snow soldiers suddenly appeared from within it, swooping down with a howl, wielding their blades in an attack on the group.

    With the protection of Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler, there was no excessive tension; they merely watched these snow soldiers with fierce expressions and aggressive demeanor swing their swords, only to be shattered by the repelling force of the barrier of light¡ªSu Yunjin, standing on the periphery, could even see the ghastly looks of these snow soldiers intent on devouring souls, with snowflake-constructed hair bristling, lifelike and terrifying.

    If I were to use the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art¡­

    No, my True Yuan couldn¡¯t sustain it.

    These snow soldiers were created by the formation, minor pawns that crumbled upon touch, it was too extravagant to use Taoism Method on them. But the light barrier created by this Xuan Guang Ruler, covering three hundred and sixty degrees, wouldn¡¯t really save much True Yuan, would it?

    She asked Yan Yu through the channel, and Yan Yu turned to confirm with Ye Jun:

    ¡°Is your True Yuan endurance okay?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a bit difficult,¡± Ye Jun admitted, ¡°Like this, I can maintain it for a while, but it will be hard to say if more snow soldiers keep coming.¡±

    Liu Longtao listened silently, knowing that activating Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler was like carrying a shield on a battlefield, inherently consuming strength (True Yuan); but if a few enemies attacked, hammering their weapons on your shield (the magic artifact¡¯s protection), naturally, the strength (True Yuan) would be expended even more.

    ¡°This won¡¯t do,¡± he discussed with Yan Yu, ¡°We need someone to help her clear out the snow soldiers, to reduce the consumption.¡±

    Yan Yu nodded and turned to instruct:

    ¡°Lin Ning, you go help.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Lin Ning didn¡¯t say much, just quickly burst out from the cover of the light barrier, with her Green Bamboo Sword ringing out, heading straight for the flying snow soldiers.

    Her sword light was cold and ruthless, even more piercing than the chill in the wind!

 Chapter 136 - 36: Comparing with Lin Ning

    Chapter 136: Chapter 36: Comparing with Lin Ning

    Such a fast sword!

    Seeing Lin Ning¡¯s Green Bamboo Sword turn into a streak of light, the three Sword Immortals from the Dragon Soar Team, Ai Lu, Guo Feiyun, and Liu Longtao, were slightly surprised.

    The Flying Sword and the Shifting Technique are similar in principle, the more True Yuan you provide, the greater its acceleration. Of course, the prerequisite is that you can control it.

    If you can¡¯t control it and you provide too much True Yuan too quickly, the Flying Sword will shoot out of the control range in a flash, losing the Sword Immortal¡¯s supply of True Yuan, and its speed, agility, and accuracy will greatly decrease, which means it would backfire.

    But judging by the sword light of the Green Bamboo Sword and how it pierced through three snow soldiers in a swift and precise arc, it was evident that Lin Ning was truly capable of controlling a sword speed of that caliber.

    In light of this, the initial estimate of her combat power was obviously too low¡­ it was just fortunate that there was no team combat this time, otherwise, we¡¯d definitely be in for an unexpectedly big surprise.

    ...

    ¡°26, if it were a one-on-one fight, could you beat her?¡± Guo Feiyun whispered.

    Ai Lu was silent for a moment before replying:

    ¡°How could I not beat her?¡±

    ¡°Her mastery of swordsmanship is better than yours,¡± Guo Feiyun began to bait, ¡°You would probably be pressed hard in a direct confrontation.¡±

    ¡°Then I could just sneak attack her from behind,¡± Ai Lu sneered.

    ¡°That¡¯s low!¡± Guo Feiyun immediately laughed bitterly, ¡°Big Brother! Rein in the cheap tricks, please, I really can¡¯t handle it.¡±

    ¡°You two have had enough!¡± Liu Longtao couldn¡¯t listen any longer and scolded, ¡°If you want to be cheap, go outside, don¡¯t cause trouble for me here!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Yan Yu chuckled from the side, ¡°Let¡¯s just treat it as listening to a comic dialogue.¡±

    Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin were both covering their mouths and laughing behind them.

    Seeing these two beautiful girls looking over, Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun were somewhat embarrassed¡­ after all, they had joked about sneak attacking their teammate and being overheard was somehow awkward.

    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Yang Linhui suddenly said, ¡°isn¡¯t it unreasonable to let that girl fight on her own?¡±

    The two teams were in a cooperative relationship, and it was only fair that they contribute equally. Strictly speaking, Ye Jun, who maintained the Xuan Guang Ruler, had the greatest consumption, even though Lin Ning, who fought fiercely outside, actually used up less energy than Ye Jun.

    But these things shouldn¡¯t be evaluated only in terms of substance; appearances count too. From the perspective of the soldiers from the Dingbei Army observing from behind, it looked as if the big men of the Dragon Soar Team were huddling behind their defensive shield while the girls from the Zhenhai Team were charging ahead on away ground¡ªthis didn¡¯t look good¡­ Although the soldiers didn¡¯t say anything, they may think to themselves: Why can¡¯t our home team put in a bit more effort? Don¡¯t be so tight-fisted.

    After pondering for a moment, Liu Longtao spoke:

    ¡°Ai Lu, go out and lend a hand.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Ai Lu immediately stepped out of the range of the Xuan Guang Ruler¡¯s protective barrier, and with a twirl of his Verdant Crimson Sword, he killed several snow soldiers who were rushing towards Lin Ning. Then he smiled at Lin Ning and said, ¡°Classmate Lin, I¡¯m here to lend a hand, you don¡¯t mind, do you?¡±

    ¡°I mind,¡± Lin Ning replied, ¡°You¡¯d better move to the other side of the team to clear out enemies. I can handle this side by myself; another person won¡¯t increase efficiency.¡±

    ¡°All right then.¡± Ai Lu was left somewhat speechless, but what she said was indeed correct, so he could only sheepishly turn around and leave.

    ¡°26, are you up to it?¡± Guo Feiyun¡¯s mocking voice came from the team, ¡°Why¡¯d you turn tail and run?¡±

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t want my help,¡± Ai Lu responded.

    ¡°Is it because she finds your strength inadequate?¡± Guo Feiyun continued to mock.

    ¡°Get lost.¡±

    The two Sword Immortals cleared enemies on either side of their team, and amidst the whirl of sword lights, hordes of soldiers shattered at their command, greatly reducing the energy consumed by Ye Jun¡¯s efforts with the Xuan Guang Ruler. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°How about it?¡± Chen Lingyun watched Ai Lu for a moment before quietly asking Yan Yu over the channel.

    ¡°You first,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°His reaction speed isn¡¯t as fast as Lin Ning¡¯s,¡± Chen Lingyun answered, ¡°but he¡¯s accurate, very accurate. Hence, although he strikes less frequently, his efficiency in killing enemies is on par with Lin Ning¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not about accuracy,¡± Yan Yu corrected her, ¡°it¡¯s that he has calculated the angles and trajectories, a rare instance of a Sword Immortal who uses his brain.¡±

    ¡°Like Li Minghu?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    ¡°There¡¯s still a gap compared to her,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment before answering, ¡°Li Minghu and Lin Ning are quite similar, actually, both are intuitive Sword Immortals, but her physical constitution is not up to par, preventing her from attacking recklessly, which forces her to think more¡­ Her computing ability is acquired through training.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Chen Lingyun noted, ¡°So whether it¡¯s intuitive or calculating, there¡¯s no superiority, just different styles of swordsmanship?¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°It varies from person to person, the best style is the one that suits you.¡±

    ¡°What about Lord Master?¡±

    ¡°Him?¡± Yan Yu let out an ambiguous low chuckle, ¡°The strategy we¡¯re discussing is akin to software, he simply rolls over everything with hardware.¡±

    ¡°Pfft.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s laugh was filled with evident ridicule, ¡°So in practicing both magic and swordsmanship, he¡¯s neither proficient in magic nor in sword skills.¡±

    ¡°Or perhaps his talent is too exceptional, and his strength too formidable,¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t deny, ¡°which is why he lacks the interest to delve into the techniques.¡±

    The group quickly advanced to a flat area halfway up the mountain, where they found another three corpses frozen in the snow.

    As they reached this spot, attacks from the Wind Blade Frost Sword Formation became quite frequent. They faced about two waves of attack per minute, each consisting of seven or eight snow soldiers slaying their way towards them with the whistling sound of blades and swords filling the air, making it impossible to discern the direction of the attacks.

    Even with Lin Ning and Ai Lu continuously clearing enemies on both sides, there were still some who slipped through the defenses and crashed violently against the protective barrier of the Xuan Guang Ruler¡­ It was evident that if Yan Yu hadn¡¯t had the foresight to suggest Ye Jun activate the magical treasure, the Lu Country team would have already suffered casualties like the Goryeo Cultivators.

    ¡°Could it be that they will all have been killed by the formation before we even get there?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    ¡°That would be nice,¡± Ye Jun agreed, ¡°It would save us the trouble.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t that she was afraid or avoiding battle, but with the Wind Blade Frost Sword Formation, enemy cultivators, and the guardians at the gate, there were simply too many dangers within this Mysterious Realm.

    If they could eliminate one of those threats, it would significantly reduce the pressure on the Rikoku Cultivators.

    ¡°Tsk tsk,¡± Yan Yu flipped one of the corpses with his foot, ¡°look at this.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Liu Longtao asked seriously, looking at the indistinct wound on the corpse¡¯s throat, ¡°Is this torn by some sharp tool?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but not by a blade or sword.¡± Yan Yu turned to Chen Lingyun, ¡°Call the medical team over.¡±

    Liu Longtao frowned slightly, unsure if they should waste time here¡­ But considering Yan Yu didn¡¯t seem the type to joke about serious matters, he tacitly agreed without a word.

    Soon, the medical teams from both the Zhendong Army and the Dingbei Army arrived.

    After a brief examination of the corpses, they reached a surprising conclusion:

    They were killed by sharp claws that tore open their throats.

    ¡°By a person or a beast?¡± Liu Longtao asked in surprise.

    ¡°Don¡¯t know,¡± the medical team replied succinctly, ¡°The preliminary autopsy determined that the killer did not leave any organic traces in the wounds.¡±

    The variables had increased once more. Cautiously, the group continued their way, utilizing the Shifting Technique.

    ¡°What do you think it is?¡± Chen Lingyun quietly moved closer to Yan Yu and, sheltered by the roaring wind around them, whispered, ¡°Could it be a ghost?¡±

    ¡°The neck bones of the corpse are somewhat deformed,¡± Yan Yu answered, ¡°If it were a specter with overwhelming power, it typically would be quite large and wouldn¡¯t rely on tearing the throat to kill.¡±

    Chen Lingyun thought of the Yin Ghost Mysterious Realm in the past Fengdu County, where neither the Bull-headed Ghost nor the Judge Ghost would attack with precision targeting the neck; they¡¯d just smash down onto your forehead¡­ They indeed wouldn¡¯t aim so accurately at the throat.

    To specifically target the throat and also twist the neck bones, the culprit would likely be an enemy of relatively small size but very fast, and with immense strength.

    ¡°Could it be vampires?¡± Chen Lingyun smirked, ¡°The kind from Twilight City?¡±

    ¡°No, certainly not,¡± Yan Yu immediately felt it was a nonsensical suggestion, ¡°This is Lu Country; where would vampires come from? And what you mentioned is a concept from modern literature¡­ But the answer is quite close.¡±

    ¡°Similar to vampires, but not ghosts,¡± Chen Lingyun pondered for a moment, ¡°Zombies?¡±

    ¡°Correct,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°The people from the Northeast often say: ¡®Beneath Changbai Mountain lies a tomb.''¡±

    ¡°Yun Ding Tian Gong, right?¡± Chen Lingyun smiled in surprise, ¡°So what¡¯s buried inside? The Undead King?¡±

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s the heritage of some corpse cultivation sect,¡± Yan Yu shook his head, ¡°Whether it¡¯s cultivating corpses using living people or through soul torment, they¡¯re essentially inhumane paths of cultivation. That¡¯s why this realm was probably tightly sealed in the previous era; I really don¡¯t recall anything about it.¡±

    ¡°What a pity,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s eyes gleamed with interest, ¡°I¡¯m actually quite curious to know whether corpse cultivators are more formidable or ghost cultivators.¡±

    ¡°Neither are up to par,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently, ¡°At this point in time, any zombie or ghostly creature that appears in the Mysterious Realm cannot be considered ¡®unsolvable¡¯.¡±

    ¡°When you say ¡®not up to par¡¯, you¡¯re comparing them to your own strength, right?¡± Chen Lingyun had gotten a grasp on his pattern of thought and smiled, ¡°What about when compared to us?¡±

    ¡°For you guys, they indeed would be somewhat difficult to handle,¡± Yan Yu calmly stated.

    If it truly was a corpse cultivation sect, then the difficulty of conquering this Mysterious Realm would likely far exceed all previous realms they had encountered.

 Chapter 137 - 37: Still Relying on Me, Zhao Yuanzhen

    Chapter 137: Chapter 37: Still Relying on Me, Zhao Yuanzhen

    In the depths of the mysterious realm, halfway up the mountain. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    A massive stone door was embedded in the mountain wall, forcing the Goryeo cultivators to form a semicircle as if facing a formidable enemy. They established a sword formation to protect their captain inside, who was examining and searching for a way to open the door.

    ¡°We can¡¯t go on like this!¡± Park Changmin, who kept glancing around, lowered his voice and said to Lee Junyong in Korean, ¡°There¡¯s no path ahead, enemies behind us, and frequent attacks from snow demons. If we don¡¯t leave now, we¡¯ll all die here!¡±

    ¡°Where would we go?¡± Lee Junyong asked helplessly, ¡°The military of Lu Country must already be guarding the outside of the mysterious realm. Going out now would be like a turtle caught in a jar.¡±

    ¡°Even being caught is better than dying,¡± Park Changmin said sternly. ¡°Later, I¡¯ll pretend to spot an enemy and shout loudly. You follow me and we make a dash for it. We¡¯ll use the wind and snow as cover and escape along the way we came in.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be foolish!¡± Lee Junyong was immediately terrified. ¡°If Jin Taishan discovers us, we¡¯ll both be subject to military law and killed on the spot!¡±

    ...

    ¡°Staying here is what will get us killed!¡± Park Changmin said fiercely. ¡°I don¡¯t care anymore. If you won¡¯t follow, then I¡¯ll go alone!¡±

    Just then, another sharp warning cry sounded:

    ¡°Enemy!¡±

    Amidst the swirling snowflakes in the air, countless blades of light and sword shadows appeared. Upon closer inspection, they were densely packed wind-borne snow soldiers, wielding ice-crafted broadswords, and fiercely charging with a sky-covering malevolent aura.

    The Goryeo cultivators quickly shot out their Flying Swords, and after the first volley, more than half of the snow soldiers were gone.

    These creatures, made up of ice and snowflakes, had virtually no defense but their numbers were far too great. By the time the Goryeo cultivators recalled their Flying Swords to launch a second attack, the remaining snow soldiers had already reached them.

    After a chaotic battle, all the snow soldiers were finally eliminated, but three of the Goryeo cultivators were wounded¡ªtwo had injured arms, and one had a shoulder injury.

    ¡°Three this time?¡± Team leader Jin Taishan frowned when he heard the casualty report. ¡°Damn it! A bunch of useless things! You can even get hurt fighting those frail snow demons?¡±

    Everyone kept their faces expressionless, pretending not to hear the reprimand.

    Indeed, the snow demons were easily defeated and didn¡¯t even have the sense to dodge attacks, but there were too many of them, more than double the number of the Goryeo cultivators¡­ You kill one with your Flying Sword, and another one takes the chance to rush at you. Moreover, Jin Taishan was studying the stone door inside the formation, demanding that they hold the line and fight to the death without retreating. How could it be possible to avoid injury?

    Although everyone was seething with indignation, they dared not complain aloud, as the military hierarchy was in place; even if a superior spat in your face, you had to wait for them to leave before you were allowed to wipe it off.

    After hastily bandaging the injured cultivators, Jin Taishan turned back to study the stone door.

    Though shaped like a door, the stone door melded seamlessly with the surrounding mountainside, lacking a handle or keyhole, leaving Jin Taishan to tap various parts with his Flying Sword, searching for hollow spaces or mechanisms.

    The Goryeo cultivators forming the formation outside remained silent, but an atmosphere of dead silence and numbness had already begun to permeate the team.

    Park Changmin quickly glanced around and gritted his teeth in secret.

    It was clear from Jin Taishan¡¯s attitude that he treated his subordinates like disposable resources. If they blindly charged out now, they would likely be killed outright by him as deserters, executed by his Flying Sword from a distance.

    He had to find the most suitable moment to quickly disengage from the main force!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Yan Yu and his companions continued to move forward. As the mountain slopes climbed higher, the path rapidly narrowed.

    On the left was a mountain wall, and on the right, a cliff. Below the cliff was a snow valley of unfathomable depth. If someone accidentally fell down¡­ they could use the Cloud Ascension Technique to fly back slowly, which wasn¡¯t a big deal. The problem was if snow soldiers arrived halfway through your flight, it would be difficult to handle.

    Because of the terrain, it wasn¡¯t convenient to sprint using the Shifting Technique, and using the Cloud Ascension Technique or Wall-Penetration Technique drained too much True Yuan. Ye Jun retracted her Xuan Guang Ruler and commanded everyone to form a single-file line, quickly climbing along the narrow mountain path.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like this place,¡± Lin Ning, who had rejoined the group, complained while walking behind Yan Yu. ¡°If the snow soldiers attack, there¡¯s nowhere to hide.¡±

    ¡°Then you can use the Barrier Charm,¡± Yan Yu said methodically. ¡°Let them smash themselves against it.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense!¡± Lin Ning realized instantly and added, ¡°Then why did you ask me to clear them out just now? Everyone could just use the Barrier Charm when they were under attack.¡±

    ¡°Because it saves more True Yuan,¡± Chen Lingyun answered from ahead. ¡°If everyone uses a Barrier Charm, the total consumption of True Yuan is more than if Ye Jun alone activates her Xuan Guang Ruler; and the True Yuan Ye Jun uses is more than if you help to clear out the fodder.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu nodded. ¡°Fighting is really about doing the math, especially with more people involved.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Lin Ning sighed.

    She wasn¡¯t bad at thinking things through; she just preferred direct, close-quarters combat and straightforward assaults¡ªwin or lose, life or death, all determined within a few moves.

    The current situation, being restrained by formation and passively taking hits if an enemy appeared, was really not to Lin Ning¡¯s liking.

    Fortunately, this section of the mountain path wasn¡¯t very long. After some time, the group eventually passed through it and reached a relatively flat gentle slope.

    Looking ahead, they saw an endless snow-covered coniferous forest. The howling wind and snowflakes passing through the trees severely obscured their vision, almost entirely concealing what was within.

    If there were ambushers¡­

    ¡°I¡¯ll continue to lead the way,¡± Liu Longtao suggested to Yan Yu. ¡°Old Yan, would you like to guard the rear?¡±

    Leading the way might mean you encounter the enemy first, and guarding the rear could lead to meeting enemies attempting backstab ambushes. These two most dangerous tasks naturally fell to the strongest cultivators in the team.

    ¡°Good,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°let the Sword Immortals stand on the outside of the formation. If you see anything, don¡¯t hesitate, just send your Flying Swords to strike first and foremost.¡±

    ¡°Proper,¡± Liu Longtao nodded in agreement.

    Everyone quickly adjusted the formation, still moving forward in a tight group. They let Ye Jun open the Xuan Guang Ruler to protect everyone, while Liu Longtao and Yan Yu stood outside the barrier, one in front and one behind, vigilant of their surroundings as they progressed.

    Yan Yu, trailing behind the team, looked around the surroundings with boredom, thinking it was less about covering the rear and more about using me as bait to see if we can draw out any ambushers that might be nearby.

    After all, if there really was an ambush, instead of forcefully attacking Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler barrier, it would obviously be more suitable to sneak attack those outside.

    On that note¡­ Ye Jun has been activating the Xuan Guang Ruler up to now, and she hasn¡¯t run into any issues with her stamina. This girl¡¯s got some skills.

    To maintain such a large magic protection barrier, if she hadn¡¯t consumed Elixir Medicine, it¡¯s estimated that by the time we arrived at the mountain path previously, her True Yuan would¡¯ve nearly been depleted, so Ye Jun undoubtedly must have secretly taken some Qi-supplementing Elixir Medicine.

    Elixir Medicine isn¡¯t like the blue potions in games where you just eat it and immediately recover True Yuan. You need to wrap it in True Yuan in your stomach to refine it, then guide the Qi into your Dantian for it to work.

    This means Ye Jun needs to divide her attention to refine the Elixir Medicine; otherwise, she can¡¯t replenish her True Yuan. Yet, at the same time, she also needs to maintain the barrier of the Xuan Guang Ruler and adjust it in real time to coordinate with the movement of the main force¡­ Actually, there¡¯s quite a lot of knowledge involved here.

    In the future, there¡¯s even a specialized Cultivator course called ¡°Stamina Coordination Studies¡±, which teaches what ¡°safe moments¡± are permissible for a cultivator to momentarily distract themselves during real combat, fitting the ¡°refining of Elixir Medicine¡± process into these safe moments like puzzle pieces. Mastering this stamina skill means that as long as one has enough Elixir Medicine, they can fight for three days and three nights without running out of True Yuan.

    Ye Jun¡¯s flawless activation of the Xuan Guang Ruler for such an extended time indicates she has indeed studied this aspect of endurance. The specific reason isn¡¯t hard to guess; after all, with the four main attackers in the team being strong men, the only role she could play in critical moments was defense and containment, which put enormous pressure on her True Yuan¡­

    Lord Master, this friend of yours, I¡¯m locking this down! If you ever decide you no longer need a vice-captain, would it be good to transfer Ye Jun to me?

    As Yan Yu was lost in his thoughts, he suddenly heard the clanging sound of swords and blades from afar.

    Here they come again, this Wind Blade Frost Sword Formation really doesn¡¯t want to give us a moment¡¯s peace¡­

    Yan Yu leisurely urged the Huang Tingjian, slaying some of the Snow Demon close by while the rest crashed into the barrier of the Xuan Guang Ruler, scattering into innumerable snowflakes that fell to the ground.

    Hm? What¡¯s that¡­

    ¡°Come out, friend,¡± Yan Yu suddenly called out loudly.

    The advancing team immediately stopped, with Liu Longtao also halting in his tracks and squinting into the distance.

    All they saw was the howling cold wind and dense trees, without a single person in sight.

    Liu Longtao fell silent for a moment before, looking back over the team at Yan Yu, calling out:

    ¡°Hey, Liu.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Liu Longtao responded.

    ¡°How do you say ¡®come out quickly¡¯ in Goryeo language?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    Liu Longtao: ¡­¡­

    ¡°I don¡¯t know Goryeo language,¡± he said, seemingly confused.

    ¡°Let me try,¡± Ye Jun took a deep breath and called out into the distance, ¡°neyirinawa!¡±

    After a moment, there was no response from afar.

    ¡°Ye Jun, what you said isn¡¯t right,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°look, they don¡¯t understand it.¡±

    ¡°It should be correct though,¡± Ye Jun said doubtfully, frowning. Although she had taught herself Goryeo language, such a short phrase shouldn¡¯t be incorrect.

    ¡°Don¡¯t waste your time anymore,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly said, ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    Everyone: ?

    Especially the girls from the Zhenhai Team, like Su Yunjin and Lin Ning, who at this moment were staring incredulously with wide eyes.

    Sister Zhao? She actually can speak the Goryeo language?

    Although she indeed enjoyed watching Goryeo TV dramas and variety shows, given her level of intelligence, self-learning¡­ they still found it a bit unbelievable.

    Zhao Yuanzhen walked out of the barrier to Yan Yu¡¯s side and asked:

    ¡°Where did you see the person?¡±

    ¡°Over there,¡± Yan Yu pointed.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen chuckled coldly.

    She drew her sword and charged forward.

 Chapter 138 - 38: Goryeo Sword God Liu Wu Kai

    Chapter 138: Chapter 38: Goryeo Sword God Liu Wu Kai

    Zhao Yuanzhen stormed into the woods, looking left and right.

    In her field of vision, there was no one to be seen.

    But the forest here was dense, with the wind and snow howling, the visibility was indeed low; it was very possible someone was hiding somewhere.

    She brandished her sword and circled around for a moment, but still found nothing. She could only press the button on her earpiece and said:

    ¡°Yan Yu, save me!¡±

    ¡°¡­What happened?¡± S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ...

    ¡°I can¡¯t find anyone,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said with frustration.

    ¡°Fine then,¡± Yan Yu chuckled, unable to help himself, ¡°Let me take a look.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare come over!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen quickly stopped him, ¡°I just put on a big show in front of so many people, charging in here, and now I can¡¯t handle it and need your help. It¡¯s so embarrassing! You are not allowed to come over, just give me some ideas to help me find him!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re nuts!¡± Yan Yu laughed and scolded her, ¡°How can I help you if I don¡¯t come in? With this kind of snowstorm, even if a drone could fly, it wouldn¡¯t be able to film anything, right? Just wait there, I¡¯m coming over.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen wanted to say something more, but the call was already hung up, making her so angry that she kicked viciously at a pine tree next to her.

    Then, thump, a person fell down from the tree.

    Zhao Yuanzhen: !

    Her expression quickly changed from annoyance to astonishment, and then to an ecstatic ¡°Haha, that¡¯s what I expected from you, grandma!¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Turning back the clock for a bit, Park Changmin took advantage of another sudden snow soldier attack. The formation of his teammates got disrupted again, and in that instant, he shouted, ¡°There¡¯s an enemy over there,¡± before activating his Shifting Technique and dashing out.

    The cultivator companions around him were caught off guard. They called out ¡°Park Changmin¡± a few times, but only saw him not even looking back, vanishing in a flash.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Jin Taishan turned around again.

    ¡°Park Changmin ran off,¡± someone said.

    ¡°It¡¯s not necessarily running away; I heard him shouting ¡®there¡¯s an enemy over there,''¡± someone else added.

    ¡°Bullshit, if there¡¯s an enemy, why not hold the line instead of charging out?!¡± Jin Taishan was immediately enraged, but under the current circumstances, it wasn¡¯t possible to split forces and chase after him. With a grim face, he ordered, ¡°Next time anyone dares to leave the line rashly, treat them as deserters and execute them on the spot!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± The cultivators quickly complied, afraid that Jin Taishan would continue to lose his temper. A few who had also thought about fleeing, seeing that most had agreed, had to suppress their impulse to take a risk and venture out.

    Having sprinted madly for a while, Park Changmin saw there were no pursuers behind him and quickly stopped his Shifting Technique. Then he started to run with his legs through the snow.

    He had also roughly figured out some patterns, like the snow demons tended to attack those in larger groups or those casting spells¡­ so he needed to use the Shifting Technique as little as possible and sneak his way back quietly.

    Leaving the platform of the mountain gate behind, there was a vast expanse of gentle slopes and woods. Park Changmin quickly moved through the trees, while anxiously watching his surroundings.

    If one or two snow demons came after him, he still had confidence in dealing with them; but if five or six came at once, then he could only fight desperately for his life.

    However, after walking for nearly ten minutes, he hadn¡¯t encountered a single snow demon.

    Park Changmin didn¡¯t let his guard down; on the contrary, he became even more nervous.

    Because the snow demons weren¡¯t attacking him, there was a very frightening possibility that there was a large group of cultivators nearby, attracting all of them away¡­

    After a moment¡¯s hesitation, Park Changmin decided to stop advancing and climb up to observe his surroundings first.

    He chose a tree nearby, climbed up swiftly with hands and feet, then picked a spot where the branches had a thick accumulation of snow to use as cover, watching carefully.

    Although the snowstorm made it difficult to see clearly, Park Changmin could still vaguely spot the light possibly produced by magic artifacts not far away¡­

    This is bad; surely a large group of Rikoku Cultivators is coming this way!

    From this distance, they would soon cross the forest path slope and reach the mountain gate where senior Jin Taishan stood guard¡ªso that¡¯s why I said, staying there is like waiting to die!

    Of course, if he was discovered by these Rikoku Cultivators, it¡¯s highly likely he would be stabbed to death.

    At this point, Park Changmin had no choice but to cower in the tree, not even daring to let out a loud breath, and hugged the trunk, shivering.

    He dared not use spells, as he was afraid spells would attract snow demons, exposing his location; but not using spells and just hugging the trunk was too tiring, and there was nowhere to step around¡­ If he tried to find another branch to step on, he was afraid that the movement would shake the accumulated snow off the tree. On one hand, he feared alerting the Rikoku Cultivators; on the other hand, he was afraid of losing his cover.

    Therefore, Park Changmin remained utterly still, hugging the tree trunk like a koala, his face nearly turning purple from the cold wind.

    ¡­¡­¡­

    Then, it was Zhao the Demonic Sect Enchantress who angrily kicked the tree, causing Park the deserter to fall by accident, coincidentally from the same tree.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, upon witnessing this unexpected delight, instantly perked up, laughing maniacally as he moved to grab Park Changmin.

    Park Changmin, realizing his grim prospects, quickly rolled over and half rose, shooting his Flying Sword straight at Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s face.

    But the Demonic Sect Enchantress, having been tormented by Yan Yu far too many times, had developed a strong resistance to such sudden attacks.

    She merely activated her Curved Curse and, with quick reflexes, caught the Flying Sword, snarling viciously:

    ¡°How dare you resist!¡±

    Park Changmin tried to channel his True Yuan, but with the sword hilt held by the opponent¡¯s Curved Curse, how could he break free?

    Zhao Yuanzhen, holding the struggling Flying Sword, jabbed it wildly at Park Changmin, taunting as he did so:

    ¡°Run then! Go on and run! Show me a run!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Yan Yu quickly used his Shifting Technique to get to her side, first stopping the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s violent hand, then sealing Park Changmin¡¯s Dantian with Runescript ¡ª though it was also superfluous, as Park Changmin¡¯s body was riddled with sword holes, nearly turning him into a bloody mess, already gasping for air.

    ¡°Medical team, come treat him.¡± Yan Yu instructed through his headset and then, looking at Liu Longtao who had hurried over as well, he smiled and said, ¡°We¡¯re lucky this time, caught a live one.¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Liu Longtao nodded.

    If they could extract information about the Goryeo Cultivators from the prisoner¡¯s mouth, the subsequent battles would be much easier;

    Of course, if this man were ungrateful, they could simply run him through with a sword, putting an end to it ¡ª they held no old Pingjing etiquette towards enemies.

    The medical team acted swiftly, first stopping the blood loss for Park Changmin, then forcing him to drink some hot saltwater and administering an Elixir Medicine. Eventually, they forcefully awoke him.

    With the blood washed from his face, Yan Yu finally recognized him:

    Well, if it isn¡¯t the Goryeo Sword God, Park the Fifth!

    ¡°Does anyone speak Goryeo here?¡± In preparation for an impromptu interrogation, Liu Longtao again confirmed with the team, ¡°Ye Jun, can you?¡±

    ¡°I studied it a bit in college.¡± Ye Jun said uneasily, ¡°I don¡¯t speak it well. To them, it might sound as basic as ¡®what¡¯s your job¡¯ or something.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± Yan Yu came back and said, ¡°He speaks the language of Lu Country. Let Chen Lingyun do the interrogation.¡±

    Park Changmin could speak not only the language of Lu Country but also the language of Chonhon, both very fluently. The reason was that from a young age, he had set himself the ambition of not marrying women from the extremely conservative Goryeo but longing instead for a wife from Lu Country or Chonhon.

    Of course, after he was titled Goryeo Sword God and became a national heartthrob, he had no choice but to settle down with a celebrity from a popular girl group in his own country ¡ª Yan Yu couldn¡¯t remember who it was, but having seen her photos in the media, he had to admit Goryeo¡¯s medical aesthetic technology was indeed quite advanced.

    Dantian sealed and groggily awakening, Park Changmin was quite a tough guy, not only spilling all the intel explicitly but also highlighting the fact that Jin Taishan treated his juniors as expendables. The underlying message was clear: Hurry up and finish off Jin Taishan for me!

    Having obtained the intel, Liu Longtao didn¡¯t share it with the others, only discussing it privately with Ye Jun, Yan Yu, and Chen Lingyun, the four of them deliberating together.

    ¡°So, eliminating Jin Taishan will cause their will to fight to collapse by half.¡± Ye Jun said thoughtfully.

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Chen Lingyun replied cheerfully. ¡°Such power-driven teams have the advantage of maintaining unity while the strong power exists, but the downside is that once that power collapses, the lower ranks fall apart easily.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not always the case,¡± Liu Longtao countered, ¡°The other side may rely on the rule of the strong, but look, there was still a traitor among them. In the end, it doesn¡¯t matter how you lead; the key is to have reliable people underneath who respect the law and aren¡¯t thinking about causing trouble all the time.¡±

    Ye Jun gave them both a suspicious glance: Are you discussing serious matters or taking the chance to make snide remarks at each other?

    ¡°Anyway.¡± She tried to steer the conversation back on track, ¡°What should we do with this prisoner?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s keep him,¡± Yan Yu suddenly said. ¡°A live captor has a different value from a corpse. If we hand him over to the state, we might even negotiate terms with Goryeo.¡±

    Of course, Park Changmin¡¯s real value was not in his swordsmanship prowess, but in his self-promotion and marketing skill that perfectly matched Goryeo¡¯s hero-worshipping trend.

    If they killed him here, it would not stop Goryeo¡¯s hero-making project; another Goryeo Sword God would simply emerge. What if the next one was a true Sword God? Why bring trouble upon themselves?

    Letting Park Changmin become the Goryeo Sword God as per the original timeline, to receive the full support of the national resources, and to boast about ¡°going toe-to-toe with Liu Longtao¡± was undoubtedly the best outcome for Lu Country. There was no need to interfere and change that this life.

    Although Liu Longtao did not know what Yan Yu was thinking, whether to kill a mere prisoner or not was inconsequential ¡ª it was better to give Yan Yu face.

    ¡°Alright,¡± he said, nodding, ¡°I¡¯ll have Captain Jung keep an eye on him.¡±

 Chapter 139 - 39 Annihilation

    Chapter 139: Chapter 39 Annihilation

    After obtaining the information from Park Changmin, there was only one question left:

    Could it be a trap?

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like a trap,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°That person doesn¡¯t seem the type to sacrifice himself.¡±

    If the information were true, Park Changmin still had a chance to survive afterward; if it were false, the Rikoku Cultivators would definitely be the first to kill him on the spot. Therefore, the authenticity of the information essentially depended on whether Park Changmin dared to willingly face death for his country.

    Since Chen Lingyun judged it to be unlikely, then the remaining task was quite simple.

    Take them out!

    ...

    ¡°There¡¯s another thing,¡± Yan Yu suddenly said. ¡°Those cultivators who had their throats ripped open before, did he confess what had attacked them?¡±

    ¡°He did,¡± replied Chen Lingyun, smiling faintly. ¡°They didn¡¯t see clearly, but it seemed to be a very fast black figure.¡±

    A black figure? On hearing this, everyone was momentarily stunned.

    No, not a black figure. Yan Yu immediately realized it must be referring to a body exhibiting decay-like blackness, which indeed is a typical physical feature of a zombie.

    The domestic policy towards ghost cultivators was lenient, but towards corpse cultivators, it was extermination without exception; after all, the ¡°insult to a corpse crime¡± was evident, and the moral red line was not something anyone dared to cross. However, a large number of corpse cultivators called ¡°Necromancers¡± emerged from the Indochina Peninsula in his previous life, so Yan Yu was not entirely ignorant about corpse cultivators.

    Zombies have four levels, dubbed gold, silver, bronze, iron. Above these, entities like Walking Dead Rakshasas and Flying Sky Yakshas have essentially gained spiritual intelligence and are considered a different kind of cultivator, so they are not included in this discussion.

    The kind of zombie that might appear at this stage would likely be an Iron Corpse, which had three main characteristics: fast speed, immense strength, and impervious to swords and spears. Impervious in the literal sense, present-day cultivators would find it very difficult to breach their defense even with Flying Swords¡­ Hmm?

    Wait, what are the thought habits of an Iron Corpse?

    It¡¯s over, it¡¯s been too long since I last fought a low-level zombie, I¡¯m having a hard time remembering¡­

    Due to partial memory loss, Yan Yu could not deduce where the Iron Corpse was hiding or where it would launch an attack first. Rather than ponder too much, he decided to simply continue moving forward with the team.

    Just as Park Changmin had said, after the group passed through a large forest and dealt with two more rounds of attacks from the Wind Blade Frost Sword Formation, they finally reached the summit of the gentle slope.

    Beyond the top of the slope were the Goryeo cultivators, blocked outside by a stone gate.

    Without showing any signs, Chen Lingyun gently waved the Soul Summoning Banner, and a large dog responded by landing on the ground, instantly transforming into a white Arctic fox that charged uphill along the snow slope.

    Ye Jun, watching from behind, thought to herself how indefensible it was to use ghosts for scouting!

    In official Mysterious Realm confrontations, let alone a small animal like a fox, if one transformed into a beetle, a dragonfly¡­ boldly flying over to scout out your tactical layout, how would you defend?

    Could you exterminate all insects in the vicinity?

    Here, Ye Jun was actually overthinking it. Ghosts had restrictions on the size they could transform into, with a fox being the limit; smaller creatures like rabbits were not possible. Transformations like Sun Wukong¡¯s, which could become anything and even sneak into a sister-in-law¡¯s belly, belonged to the extremely advanced techniques of Xuanmen Zhengzong and were not something any random cat or dog could achieve.

    However, at this moment with the snowstorm raging, even if it was a small animal like a fox, who would notice?

    The ghost transformed into a white-haired fox and brazenly ran a circuit atop the slope, taking in the Goryeo cultivators¡¯ formation below in full view, then ran back to the group. It transformed into a stern-faced maid, broke off a branch from the side, and used it to detail the terrain ahead, the number of Goryeo cultivators and their positions, describing and explaining everything thoroughly on the snow-covered ground.

    To put it simply, to prevent attacks from the Wind Blade Frost Sword Formation, the Goryeo cultivators ahead had formed a tight semi-circular formation with their backs against the stone gate, leaving no blind spots in their field of vision. Thus, stealth infiltration was unlikely, and direct confrontation was the only option.

    Seeing the maid transform into a mist and swiftly return to the Soul Summoning Banner, even Liu Longtao, confident in his own team, couldn¡¯t help but ponder: should he let Su Yunjin cross-train as an Envoy?

    He didn¡¯t expect her to command Servant Envoys in battle, but just this scouting ability alone was worth practicing.

    ¡°This simplifies things.¡± Chen Lingyun said cheerily, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Liu Longtao turned to Yan Yu:

    ¡°Shall we split them half and half?¡±

    ¡°Agreed,¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    ¡°Commander Zheng,¡± Liu Longtao turned and instructed, ¡°Please split half of our brothers to take over the perimeter of the site and stand guard, to prevent any unexpected emergence of snow soldiers and other unexpected factors.¡±

    ¡°The rest of you, maintain distance and freely attack with your Flying Swords to keep up the pressure,¡±

    ¡°There are fifteen opponents. The Dragon Soar Team will take care of annihilating the left side, and you, Zhenghai, are responsible for wiping out the right side. I¡¯ll handle the leader, Jin Taishan. How does that sound?¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡± On such trivial details, Yan Yu didn¡¯t want to make things too complicated¡ªwhere in the world is that Iron Corpse hiding?

    ¡°Let¡¯s go with that.¡± Liu Longtao stood up, ¡°Let¡¯s move!¡±

    Everyone swiftly crossed the hilltop and the moment they came into view of the Goryeo Cultivators, they quickly seized the initiative to attack.

    Countless Flying Swords shot towards the enemy. Most were blocked by the Goryeo Cultivators who had managed to react and control their swords, but a few found their marks¡ªYan Yu surveyed the scene quickly, about three had fallen, though it was uncertain if they were dead.

    Even though the Rikoku Cultivators had taken the initiative, dealing with sudden situations is a Sword Immortal¡¯s forte. The fact that the rival team from Goryeo consisted entirely of Sword Immortals did give them an advantage. After overcoming the initial chaos, they quickly began to exchange casualties with the Rikoku side.

    In a battle involving more than forty people, the field changes every second, and commands can¡¯t be refined fast enough. Therefore, Chen Lingyun simply stopped speaking and just signaled for the girls to follow her Purple Extreme Sword.

    The girls worked together flawlessly, honed by frequently teaming up with Yan Yu to gain experience. As soon as Chen Lingyun¡¯s Purple Extreme Sword targeted someone, everyone immediately controlled their swords to focus fire on them, with a speed that was almost inconceivable.

    The Goryeo swordsman who was fighting Lin Ning had just blocked the downward slash of the Green Bamboo Sword with his Flying Sword when he saw two Flying Swords approaching from different angles. Startled, he hastily recalled his Flying Sword, wanting to engage in close defense, only for his vision to suddenly whirl.

    Su Yunjin, who was hiding at the back, stealthily unleashed Jiaochong. The stream of water blasted the Goryeo swordsman into the air, and Chen Lingyun¡¯s Purple Extreme Sword seized the chance to pierce diagonally into his throat, beheading him.

    Lin Ning retracted her Green Bamboo Sword, her peripheral vision catching sight of the Purple Extreme Sword changing direction and striking towards another Goryeo Cultivator on the left¡­

    Without hesitation, she quickly performed a sword technique with her hands, and the Green Bamboo Sword turned into a streak of green light, flanking the target to provide a supporting attack.

    Struggling against the siege of two swords, the Goryeo Cultivator dared not be careless and hurriedly called his Flying Sword to his front for short-axis defense, only to see Zhao Yuanzhen closing in like a specter and with a palm strike, he sent him flying away.

    The Purple Extreme Sword and the Green Bamboo Sword swiftly caught up, each stabbing into one side of his chest and abdomen, rending his internal organs to shreds. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu methodically disposed of his opponent. With a heavy downward slash from the Huang Tingjian, he performed what amounted to a craniotomy on the other.

    Glancing over at his teammates, the cooperation between Chen Lingyun, Lin Ning, and Su Yunjin was impressively tight-knit, truly befitting a group that often outperformed stronger adversaries in their past life. This was the first time the Demonic Sect Enchantress was let loose in battle, and she was thoroughly enjoying the slaughter.

    His gaze quickly scanned the flank and saw that Liu Longtao¡¯s team also had the upper hand on the battlefield.

    The joint attacks of the two Sword Immortals, Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun, were executed with great proficiency. Sometimes Ai Lu would entangle the opposing Flying Swords, allowing Guo Feiyun to carry out the kill. Other times, it was Guo Feiyun who would break through the enemy¡¯s defense with brute force, and Ai Lu would sneak in for the strike.

    Liu Longtao¡¯s swordsmanship was even more simple and brutal. Relying on his excellent innate talent and robust True Yuan, his Sword Control Technique was powerful and heavy, crushing the opposing team¡¯s leader Cultivator.

    Jin Taishan could be the leader of this team because his swordsmanship was significantly better than that of other Goryeo swordsmen, but he was still far from a match for Lord Master. Each time their Flying Swords collided, the Ying Long Sword was barely pushed back while his Flying Sword needed all the force he could muster to barely stabilize.

    With an expressionless face showing no impatience for beating weaker opponents, Liu Longtao methodically used the simplest moves to forcefully breach and penetrate Jin Taishan¡¯s defensive swordsmanship, and then with one strike, he severed his neck bone, splitting the corpse into two.

    Jin Taishan was killed on the spot, and the remaining Cultivators quickly lost their will to fight, forced to retreat while fighting, with their formation rapidly deteriorating.

    In the end, at the cost of seven injured Rikoku military Cultivators, all the foreign Cultivators who had intruded into the Mysterious Realm were annihilated.

    Liu Longtao looked at the bodies littering the ground, his expression finally easing.

    These enemies were not difficult to deal with; the main issue was that they seized the initiative, entering the Mysterious Realm half an hour before the forces from Rikoku, which posed the risk of the control center being stolen¡ªnow, at least, the issue had been resolved.

    Speaking of which, where is the guardian of the Mysterious Realm? And where is the control center?

    He looked at the giant stone door embedded in the cliff face, fitting tightly without any gaps. His first instinct was the same as Jin Taishan¡¯s, to tap it with the Flying Sword in search of hidden mechanisms.

    ¡°Old Yan,¡± Liu Longtao searched aimlessly for a while then turned to speak, ¡°Take a look at this¡­ Huh?¡±

    Among the scattered bodies, unbeknownst to them when, another figure had appeared.

    The person was dressed completely in black and squatting next to a Goryeo Cultivator¡¯s corpse, using sharp nails to slice open the chest and pull out the still-warm heart, cradling it in both hands as he began to devour it greedily.

    Although it was filthy and bloodied flesh, he ate as if it were incredibly sweet, seemingly oblivious to any stench.

 Chapter 140 - 40: Why Not Have a Little More?

    Chapter 140: Chapter 40: Why Not Have a Little More?

    Everyone followed Liu Longtao¡¯s gaze, and immediately felt a chill run through their hearts.

    When had this person arrived?

    Clad head to toe in dark greenish-black hues, one would think he¡¯d be easily spotted against the pure white backdrop of the blizzard, but in reality, he had brazenly appeared beside them without any of them noticing¡­

    Considering that audacious act of corpse eating, it was clear he was not human but some kind of malevolent creature.

    Liu Longtao didn¡¯t speak, only quickly made a hand signal, indicating to Colonel Zheng to quickly lead the men to scatter.

    The cultivators of the Dingbei Army entering this mysterious realm were not here to die; they were to provide Liu Longtao with numerical superiority, to overwhelm and swiftly crush the Goryeo cultivators¡ªwhat the Lord Master pursued was not merely victory, but also a neat and flawless, beyond reproach, perfect victory.

    ...

    But since this creature was able to sneak in undetected, that indicated it moved stealthily and incredibly fast. If the Goryeo cultivators still couldn¡¯t defeat this monster, then the ordinary Dingbei cultivators stood even less of a chance.

    Hasn¡¯t the state invested heavily in training us warriors precisely to deal with such dangerous enemies?

    Colonel Zheng was also astute, quietly issuing orders in the channel, and the soldiers rustled as they quietly stepped back, leaving the battlefield to the Zhenghai and Dragon Soar Teams.

    Throughout this, the zombie squatted beside the corpse, quietly consuming its heart, as if seeing nothing but his meal.

    Liu Longtao gave Yan Yu a look that said, ¡°Shall we make a move?¡±

    Yan Yu nodded.

    Without drawing attention, each of them commanded their Huang Tingjian and Ying Long Swords to rise, then suddenly thrust towards the terrifying zombie.

    The zombie, feasting upon a human heart, suddenly rose to avoid the cleave of the Huang Tingjian, while with its left hand swatted the Ying Long Sword away, and continued chewing its bloody meal. Within its murky irises, blood swiftly seeped through, soon dyeing its eyes a deep red.

    With ¡°iron¡± in the name Iron Corpse, its level was naturally different from ordinary zombies, having been solemnly refined by ancient malevolent cultivators, and thus innate was its counter to Sword Control Technique.

    It swept its sinister gaze over everyone, finally fixing on Su Yunjin.

    She would be the tastiest, eat her first!

    The Iron Corpse staggered, vanishing from its spot almost as quickly as if utilizing the Shifting Technique. Aiming to devour, it pounced towards Su Yunjin with a voracious posture, targeting her delicate and vulnerable neck.

    Yan Yu finally remembered: right, the Iron Corpse loved the flesh of women and children, the younger they were, the more tender the skin, and the more the corpse demon liked to strike!

    He was about to command the Huang Tingjian to save her, but he saw Su Yunjin raise her arm like lightning, already forming the magical hand gestures.

    If this had been the former Secretary Su, she certainly wouldn¡¯t have been able to react in time. But, having been ruthlessly ¡°drilled and drilled some more¡± during this period, her normal ¡°eye-brain-hand¡± sequence had been forcibly twisted by Yan Yu into ¡°eye-hand-brain¡±, much like Lin Ning¡¯s conditioned reflex; whatever it is, before you see clearly, I¡¯ll strike first!

    Jiaochong spouted a large volume of water, instantly washing the Iron Corpse into the air. Followed swiftly by Coral¡¯s Tears, the azure sword light transformed into a full moon, cleanly slicing towards the chest of the Iron Corpse with a dull thud akin to burst leather.

    I¡­ hit it? Su Yunjin came to her senses after the fact, disbelief written all over her face.

    Her combo, which involved using Jiaochong to wrap and trap the opponent, followed by Coral¡¯s Tears for the slash, was designed to counter the team leader. However, thus far, it had never succeeded¡ªYan Yu would deliberately let her Jiaochong hit, then casually escape before Coral¡¯s Tears could strike, as if the disorientation caused by the flood meant nothing to him.

    So why did it hit the Iron Corpse?

    While she was still in disbelief, the Iron Corpse in the air had already freed itself from the water, landed unharmed, and, reviving its speed, turned and pounced towards Chen Lingyun.

    Chen Lingyun, without a change in expression, slightly shook the Soul Summoning Banner, and five ghosts rushed towards the Iron Corpse. But with a mighty effort, it shook them all off, and in the blink of an eye, pounced in front of her, fiercely tearing at her throat.

    Just as this woman was about to be decapitated, a burst of light descended from the sky¡ªit was Ye Jun using the Xuan Guang Ruler, attempting to trap the Iron Corpse. The latter, without hesitation, abandoned its prey, retreated swiftly from the Xuan Guang Ruler¡¯s light flower, and turned again to attack Lin Ning.

    Lin Ning, however, showed no fear as the Green Bamboo Sword transformed into a streak of green light, thrusting towards the Iron Corpse¡¯s dark chest.

    In the barely visible speed of this lightning exchange, the Iron Corpse had already switched targets three times. It seemed that it couldn¡¯t catch any of them, but Liu Longtao knew very well: with its speed akin to that of the Shifting Technique, and defense strong enough to withstand the strikes of Flying Swords, the situation was extremely perilous.

    After all, the enemy could withstand countless setbacks in its attacks, but if any of them made a single mistake and were caught by its claws, that would mean an instant decapitation, nearly impossible to save!

    ¡°Old Yan, aren¡¯t you joining in?¡± he turned towards Yan Yu, who seemed content watching from the sidelines.

    Watching Yan Yu with the Huang Tingjian levitating in front of him, always ready to save someone yet paradoxically motionless, Liu Longtao suddenly recalled something:

    In fact, whether it was Deputy Leader Ye Jun or the Pingxi Army¡¯s Huofeng Team¡¯s Zhang Huaide, they had both analyzed the biggest weakness of the Zhenghai Team:

    That was Yan Yu acting as the tactical core was always detached from the team, usually fighting alone.

    Though Yan Yu¡¯s own strength was overwhelming to the extent that this flaw was largely overshadowed, the problem didn¡¯t vanish¡ªthe pace of his strikes was too fast for anyone to keep up, let alone coordinate with him.

    If we want to resolve this issue, Yan Yu either needs to ¡°slow down¡± to integrate into the team system, or we wait for the girls to grow up. There¡¯s no other way.

    ¡°Old Yan, you¡¯ve got it tough,¡± Liu Longtao suddenly remarked.

    Yan Yu was startled by the comment. What?

    The reason he hadn¡¯t made a move was partly to let the girls practice, but mainly because he was keeping an eye on the surroundings.

    That was because Yan Yu finally remembered that iron corpses typically don¡¯t appear alone. For the Corpse Cultivation Sect, refining one iron corpse is refining; refining ten is still refining. The resource consumption isn¡¯t much different¡ªit mainly costs in setting up the corpse-refining pool. So they usually start refining in batches of dozens. Anything in single digits is a waste of time.

    If you think about it, using iron corpses as the gatekeepers of the first layer of Changbai Mountain¡¯s Mysterious Realm seems highly unreasonable.

    Who uses cannon fodder as gatekeepers?

    Liu Longtao, of course, was unaware of this. However, now that the pressing threat of enemy cultivators was gone, there was no need to rush. Letting the teammates practice wouldn¡¯t hurt.

    The two captains stood on the perimeter, acting as hands-off supervisors. However, their team members were all fully focused, not daring to be the least bit lax. After all, the iron corpses were too fast, leaving no margins for distraction.

    Lin Ning¡¯s Green Bamboo Sword was swift in motion. When the iron corpse reached with its left hand, the sword struck the left hand. When it swiped with its right, the sword struck the right¡­ Repeatedly cutting off the attacks, she fought with a sense of swordsmanship combat, rendering the iron corpse unable to strike back and pushing it into retreat.

    Yan Yu¡¯s teachings of ¡°fighting at a distance, defending up close¡± had indeed reached Sister Lin, who utilized the flexibility of short-axis defense to great effect.

    The iron corpse, unable to breach her defenses, turned to attack Zhao Yuanzhen. How could the Demonic Sect Enchantress hold herself back? If Lin Ning could do it, why couldn¡¯t she?

    Kill, kill, kill!

    The Yin Wind Sword sliced towards the iron corpse¡¯s neck. The opponent did not dodge, relying on its defense to absorb the blow directly.

    But unexpectedly, although Zhao Yuanzhen pretended to be a newbie, she had actually recovered a fraction of her cultivation. And with the iron corpse¡¯s invulnerability to blade and spear, she temporarily forgot to hold back her power in the strike (perhaps subconsciously afraid of embarrassing herself by not affecting it) and decided to unleash a surge of True Yuan. The sword light tore through space like thunderous lightning, dazzlingly filling everyone¡¯s entire field of view in a flash.

    As the sword light circled back, the iron corpse¡¯s head fell to the ground, and its body collapsed soon after, with not a single drop of blood from the severed neck.

    Everyone was stunned.

    Members like Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun had even prepared to face the enemy in turn, but then they saw the iron corpse being one-shotted by Zhao Yuanzhen¡ªwait, is this girl that formidable?

    Others struck with their sword control but left no wound on the iron corpse, yet her single strike detached its head?

    Zhao Yuanzhen also knew she was in trouble; had she accidentally revealed a tip of her iceberg of strength and terrified these country bumpkins?

    Oh no! She was going to get cursed to death by the little thief!

    Though internally shaken and fearful, the Demonic Sect Enchantress was quick-witted. She burst out laughing on the spot:

    ¡°That¡¯s it? A piece of cake! Not even satisfying to kill. Why not send more, huh?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen, stepping on the iron corpse¡¯s body, laughed nervously, not daring to look at Yan Yu, whose eyes were on her. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But Yan Yu¡¯s gaze did not linger on her, instead focusing on the iron corpse¡¯s neck¡ªalthough there was no blood, a dense black vapor began to seep out, taking on the appearance of flowing tassels in the wind and snow, slowly drifting toward the stone gate on the mountain wall.

    Uh, let me think, something similar in my memories¡­

    ¡°Back off!¡± Yan Yu suddenly shouted, ¡°Stay away from the stone gate!¡±

    While the Dragon Soar Team and Dingbei Army cultivators were still dazed, the girls didn¡¯t hesitate and immediately followed Yan Yu in activating their Shifting Technique, moving away from the direction of the stone gate.

    The next second, the stone gate, which had been tightly closed, suddenly pulled open to each side.

    Liu Longtao looked towards it and could no longer maintain his composure. He also cried out urgently:

    ¡°Retreat! Everybody, retreat!¡±

    From the open stone gate emerged a large mass of densely packed corpses, quickly estimated to be in the hundreds.

    These iron corpses moved rapidly, exuding a fierce manner, their skin and hair pitch black, eyes blood-red, sharp teeth fully exposed, with a ferocious look, swarming out of the stone gate like a tide, aggressively rushing toward the Rikoku cultivators.

    Seeing this, everyone was shocked and quickly turned to retreat with Shifting Technique. Amid the chaotic rushing footsteps, someone¡¯s frantic shout rang out:

    ¡°Ahhhh, Sister Zhao, you jinx!¡±

 Chapter 141 - 41: I Admit Youre Good at Fighting, But Not at Choosing a Wife

    Chapter 141: Chapter 41: I Admit You¡¯re Good at Fighting, But Not at Choosing a Wife

    Everyone hastily activated their Shifting Technique and began to retreat from the vicinity of the stone gate, wishing desperately they could tap into all their True Yuan for an insane burst of speed.

    Behind them was a vast swath of dark shadows sweeping across the snowy ground, with each leap covering a distance of over ten meters. The overall posture was agile and nimble, yet the movements were rigid and mechanical, as if the figures were puppets being jerked about on strings from above.

    If there had been only a single Iron Corpse, the group might have relied on their numerical advantage for a fight; but now, with the numbers entirely reversed, a single human faced the challenge of combating three Iron Corpses¡­ No risk assessment was needed to know that certain death was the only outcome.

    As they fled, Yan Yu silently dropped to the rear of the main force and exchanged a nod with Liu Longtao at his side.

    Both of them were acutely aware of their terrain: a gentle slope allowed them to maintain high speed.

    But further ahead lay a narrow mountain trail where the Shifting Technique was prone to missteps and falls off the cliff. Should one fall, they would need to use the Cloud Ascension Technique, but that was much slower. The Iron Corpses needed only to make one high-speed leap to bring down and devour anyone flying in the air.

    ...

    They had to stop the tide of corpses here!

    In the haste of the moment, Liu Longtao had no time for restraint. He halted abruptly, turned to face the enemy, and his hands were already forming seals.

    Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens!

    In the sky above, a sudden emergence of crimson flames soon shaped into a dragon, approximately twenty meters long and over a meter wide. Its eyes like lanterns, its whiskers like long whips, scales all bristling backwards, covered in intense flames that heated the air around it, causing a slight distortion in the light.

    Narrowing his eyes, Yan Yu watched as the dragon circled momentarily before diving down, crashing right into the midst of the horde.

    Where the dragon struck, it was like the sun falling to the earth! The ground within the blast radius sunk in instantly, the thick layer of snow sublimated into vapor, revealing the blackened, melted earth underneath. As for the Iron Corpses within, they were evaporated utterly, not even fragments remained.

    The shockwave and solar wind continued to spread outward, incinerating, tearing apart, and throwing the nearby Iron Corpses into the air, along with trees that snapped and fell all around, becoming torches¡­ what a horrific sight!

    Liu Longtao remained composed as he retracted his seals, calmly folding his hands behind his back amidst the shocked and awed looks from those behind him, and said tranquilly:

    ¡°Heh, it¡¯s fortunate that these Iron Corpses are weak to fire, otherwise they would be quite troublesome to deal with.¡±

    Seeing him stand with his hands behind his back, Yan Yu knew right away that Lord Master, in order to show off, had drawn nearly all the True Yuan from his Dantian to unleash that seemingly earth-shattering blow¡­ He really couldn¡¯t muster a second attack of equal power, which was why he subconsciously ceased his attack.

    As the saying goes: A brother can forgive a debt unpaid, but must never get in the way of an attempt to show off. Not paying back the money might at most end the brotherhood, but preventing the act of showing off could turn buddies into sworn enemies.

    Therefore, Yan Yu didn¡¯t immediately speak out, allowing him a few seconds to bask in his moment, before reminding him:

    ¡°Old Liu, you missed the mark.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Liu Longtao raised an eyebrow, finding it somewhat amusing.

    My Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens was so perfectly executed, so devastatingly powerful, it stopped the horde in their tracks. How could I have missed? Tell me, where did I go wrong¡­ Holy shit!!!

    Suddenly, within that sea of fire, a corpse emerged anew to fight.

    It was tall, with a green face and fierce fangs, moving as swiftly as if flying. Although its appearance closely resembled the Iron Corpses, its speed was significantly faster than the typical ones.

    The residual flames of the Red Dragon licked over its corpse body but only charred its skin black; its movements weren¡¯t slowed in the least ¨C in contrast to the burning and melting Iron Corpses, this Corpse General¡¯s strength was clearly far superior.

    This time, Lord Master finally realized the mistake: he had indeed missed the mark! He hadn¡¯t seen this Corpse General before; otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have had the Red Dragon crash into the horde. It should have been aimed at this Boss all along.

    Now, with most of his True Yuan spent on the lesser foes, and the main enemy unharmed, and being unable to unleash a second strike with equal force, what was he to do?

    Liu Longtao glanced silently at Yan Yu, wanting to say ¡°help me out, Old Yan,¡± but couldn¡¯t bring himself to utter the words. After all, even Lord Master had his pride; he had just made a grand show of his strength before everyone. To ask for help now would be too demeaning¡ªhe¡¯d rather die on the spot than speak such words.

    Yan Yu, however, didn¡¯t hold it against him. He simply thought that Lord Master had unleashed an ultimate move in all its glory, only to hit the rank-and-file ¨C truthfully, it was kind of funny.

    Well then, it looks like it¡¯s up to me.

    Activating his Shifting Technique, Yan Yu moved with astonishing speed to confront the Bronze Corpse, closing the distance in a flash.

    But faster than his approach was the Huang Tingjian!

    The Huangting Heavy Sword, as a heavy sword, didn¡¯t show much brilliance, but its presence was overwhelming. The edge fell like a mountain bearing down, with tremendous force that was hard to withstand.

    The Bronze Corpse let out an earth-shattering roar, and its thick arms formed fists to strike upward, like two cannons firing in rage.

    Sword and fist collided with a thunderous boom. The Bronze Corpse staggered back half a step, and the Huang Tingjian was sent flying backward from the rebound ¨C judging from the extent of their recoil, the Bronze Corpse¡¯s strength was overpowering the Sword Control Technique.

    Before the sword could stabilize and return, Yan Yu had already rushed forward, his right fist clenched, his muscles bulging.

    Curved Curse Punch.

    In a fair fight, even with Curved Curse activated, a Cultivator¡¯s physical strength couldn¡¯t match that of the Bronze Corpse. But as his opponent was reeling from the exchange with the Huangting Heavy Sword, Yan Yu¡¯s punch was impeccably timed, causing the already unsteady Corpse to further lose balance and unable to counter or block.

    Before the Bronze Corpse could regain its footing, another flurry of sword light slashed down¡ªthe Huang Tingjian was relentless! The Corpse General, out of options, could only roar in rage as it tried to lift its arms in defense. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But how could it block in such a staggered state? The heavy sword struck for the second time, sending the Bronze Corpse flying, its body leaning heavily backward. Yan Yu seized the moment to close in again and unleashed another Curved Curse Punch.

    This time, the Bronze Corpse couldn¡¯t even muster a defensive stance; its robust form was sent flying sideways.

    Having broken through the enemy¡¯s defense, Yan Yu did not pursue further, but instead snapped his fingers and called out:

    ¡°Release!¡±

    The Bronze Corpse collapsed to the ground with a thud, rolling several times before coming to a motionless stop.

    Unknown when, a grey and dim hairpin was embedded in its forehead, locking away the clouded consciousness within its spiritual platform for good.

    White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin.

    ¡°Hahahahaha!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, standing behind with hands on his hips, burst into laughter, triumphantly shouting, ¡°How about that for my killer move, spot on, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Not bad,¡± Yan Yu also offered rare praise, ¡°Your aim this time was quite good.¡±

    Liu Longtao¡¯s face looked a bit unsightly. After all, if Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s killer move was spot on, then whose wasn¡¯t?

    But this wasn¡¯t the first time that Liu Longtao had dealt with Yan Yu and come up short. As the saying goes, ¡°Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence,¡± Liu Longtao didn¡¯t wallow in his negative emotions for too long and promptly urged:

    ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here fast!¡±

    Although the Bronze Corpse was nailed on the spot, and many of the corpse horde had been burned, there were still quite a few burning Iron Corpses on the periphery, now trying shakily to get up.

    These Iron Corpses had great strength, speed, and were impervious to swords and spears¡­ Coupled with their numbers, a head-on battle at this moment would undoubtedly lead to significant casualties.

    Considering that the cultivators from Goryeo had been eradicated, there was of course no need to force a fight here and suffer losses. A more cautious approach would be to clean up slowly afterward¡ªLord Master, although he liked to show off too, was fundamentally a cautious and prudent man. Any fool would have ordered a retreat to probe and attack at this point.

    Upon receiving the command, the Rikoku Cultivators quickly continued their escape, swiftly withdrawing along the narrow cliffs.

    Yan Yu and Liu Longtao stayed behind to block the remaining tide of corpses. After depleting most of their True Yuan, Lord Master also refrained from using his impressive Taoist Methods, merely batting away the approaching Iron Corpses with brute force, as if playing baseball.

    ¡°Speaking of which, Old Yan,¡± he casually asked as if making small talk, ¡°that move you used on the zombie a moment ago, could you talk about it?¡±

    Considering the collision between the Huang Tingjian and the Bronze Corpse, it was clearly outmatched in strength; if he had used the Sword Control Technique against it, he would have been at a great disadvantage, so Yan Yu¡¯s technique was definitely worth studying.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°It¡¯s quite simple. All you need to do is time each of your attacks for when the opponent¡¯s center of gravity is most off-balance and hit it. It¡¯s like pushing a swing¡ªit¡¯s easiest to push further when it¡¯s at its highest point.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Liu Longtao nodded.

    Even though Yan Yu explained it lightly, the actual execution was quite difficult. Without further questioning, Liu Longtao continued:

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry we didn¡¯t secure the Mysterious Realm this time, making you come here for nothing.¡±

    If the two teams had cooperated and taken down the Mysterious Realm, the subsequent gains would have likely been split evenly. However, since they failed to conquer the realm and gained nothing, that effectively meant they had come in vain.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine,¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly as he took out a bell from nowhere and casually tossed it in a parabolic arc, ¡°Here, take this, Old Liu.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this¡­¡± Catching the bell, Liu Longtao looked closer and was instantly dumbfounded.

    The core of the Mysterious Realm?

    Having personally led teams to take down several realms and having refined several of their cores, he could tell immediately that the bell was indeed a core Magic Artifact¡­ But where did it come from?

    ¡°You got it from that corpse general?¡± Liu Longtao asked incredulously.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°It was hanging by his waist.¡±

    ¡°And you took it while making your move?¡± Liu Longtao still couldn¡¯t believe it.

    ¡°Right, why else would I bother getting so close to him?¡± Yan Yu asked rhetorically, ¡°Couldn¡¯t I have just smashed him from a distance with my Sword Control Technique?¡±

    ¡°I thought you were just¡­¡± Liu Longtao started to say ¡°I thought you just wanted to show off¡± but quickly held his tongue as he realized (that would¡¯ve been embarrassing), offering a dry chuckle, he corrected himself, ¡°Ahem, since you obtained the core of the Mysterious Realm, that means you win this time. You should refine it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d rather not,¡± Yan Yu waved dismissively, ¡°It reeks of corpse stench, too nauseating. You can have it.¡±

    Liu Longtao: ¡­¡­¡­

    So I¡¯m the one who doesn¡¯t mind getting dirty and smelly?

    Well, it¡¯s fine¡­ at least we took down the Mysterious Realm.

    Yan Yu, you¡¯ve bested me this time, and I concede, for now.

    Next time, after more training, I¡¯ll come to learn from your expertise again.

    Though Liu Longtao thought so, he didn¡¯t verbally concede defeat but instead extended an invitation:

    ¡°After we get out, shall we stay here a few more days?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu laughed heartily, ¡°After all, it¡¯s a national tourist site. It would be a pity not to enjoy it properly for at least a day¡ªthey¡¯d never agree to that.¡±

    ¡°Old Yan, I have to say something about that,¡± Liu Longtao immediately said seriously, ¡°We, as esteemed men and team leaders, should be authoritative both at home and in our teams. How can we act just to please our women? You haven¡¯t even started a relationship and the troubles are already brewing. If you actually married them, wouldn¡¯t that force you to kowtow to them in everything, lest they turn the household upside down and leave no peace?¡±

    Yan Yu: ????

    ¡°Marry who?¡± he asked, utterly confused.

    ¡°Of course, you¡¯d marry a virtuous and kind woman,¡± Liu Longtao earnestly advised, ¡°Those who stir up trouble over nothing are fine for a fling. But for a lifelong companion, you need to find a sincere girl.¡±

 Chapter 142 - 42: Clearly, I Was Here First

    Chapter 142: Chapter 42: Clearly, I Was Here First

    After everyone passed through the narrow mountain path, the strategic conquest of the mysterious realm finally entered the final stage.

    Although the Iron Corpses moved swiftly, they couldn¡¯t actually fly, so to get through this kind of mountain path, they had to proceed one by one.

    Then, they lined up only to be knocked down the mountain by Yan Yu with the Huang Tingjian.

    Seeing his casual, leisurely and composed manner, the people behind him suddenly had a strange illusion¡ªas if these Iron Corpses were not immensely strong and impervious to swords and spears, but rather walking bowling pins, one after another.

    Only the girls of the Zhenhai Team remembered the words Yan Yu had mentioned earlier:

    No matter how the mysterious realm is designed, in the end, it¡¯s inanimate; there¡¯s always a way to deal with it¡­

    ...

    ¡°All set,¡± Liu Longtao said after he finished refining the core of the mysterious realm, ¡°I¡¯ll send everyone out.¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhao, please retract the hairpin,¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    Zhao Yuanzhen gestured with her hand, and the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, which she had already refined, suddenly flew back to her side from afar¡ªat the same time, the freed Bronze Corpses also began to howl pitifully in the distance.

    But the enemy no longer had the chance for revenge because, with Liu Longtao activating the core of the mysterious realm, everyone was transported out, back to the side of Heaven Pool.

    Looking carefully, goodness! The temporary camp haphazardly set up around the entrance to the mysterious realm had now been fortified with thick tactical walls, transforming into a long-term military base.

    The base¡¯s exterior walls were complete with machine-gun turrets and sniper watchtowers; drones patrolled back and forth in the sky, ceaselessly monitoring the surroundings of the base¡ªa clear sign that the imperial court was indeed furious over the Goryeo cultivators¡¯ sudden attack on the mysterious realm within its borders.

    Fully armed soldiers quickly came over, and after confirming the identities of Liu Longtao and the others, they escorted the medical team carrying the core of the mysterious realm away first. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Are you still planning to go to the hot springs?¡± Ye Jun said with a smile, ¡°Just in case, we¡¯ve already booked the inn for a week.¡±

    The girls quickly exchanged glances, and Chen Lingyun asked with a laugh:

    ¡°Since it¡¯s already booked, it would indeed be a waste not to use it, right, Yan Yu, what do you think?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go,¡± Yan Yu said helplessly.

    After all, the last time they had been enjoying the hot springs when they were abruptly pulled away to the barracks to prepare for battle. Now that the matter was concluded, if he found an excuse to prevent their relaxation, he figured that grudge would last a lifetime.

    Yan Yu, having lived two lifetimes, was very clear about this: men mostly care about the end result, and the process isn¡¯t that important to them; but for women, it¡¯s the complete opposite. Even if the result is good, if the process upsets them¡­ just wait and see!

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll contact the inn,¡± Ye Jun said, taking out her phone again.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Back in town, the girls decided to stroll around nearby, buy some snacks, and calm their nerves that had been frightened by the zombies, so Yan Yu went back to the inn alone.

    The hot spring pools here were communal, so guests had to wear swimsuits to enter. But Ye Jun was indeed superb in handling matters, having reserved the entire second floor of the inn, ensuring that other than the Zhenhai Team, no other guests would come over.

    Yan Yu comfortably lounged half-submerged in the pool, beginning to organize his thoughts.

    In his previous life, since not a single word had leaked out about the Changbai Mountain mysterious realm, it must have been tightly sealed by the orders of the Lu Country.

    Although zombies had clear combat advantages, Lu Country still strictly prohibited the existence of corpse cultivation; reasons for this were a subject of much debate in the previous life, especially compared to the treatment of Necromancers who manipulated ghosts, it inevitably seemed quite hypocritical.

    But Yan Yu could guess why. After all, many spirits didn¡¯t exactly look human, and tampering with corpses was considered ¡°against social norms and customs¡±, so to avoid affecting the general public¡¯s perception of cultivators, the authorities decided to put a blanket ban in place from a governance perspective.

    Of course, this was unique to Lu Country alone.

    For example, in Southeast Asia where witchcraft culture thrives, they had no such taboo against corpse cultivation. Their Transcendent system included a profession called ¡°Wizard¡±, specifically referring to those who practice ¡°binding spirits¡± or ¡°refining corpses¡± and other dark arts. Similarly, the Spirit Communicators system in Siberia also had a profession called ¡°Necromancer¡±, which specialized in controlling zombies and ghosts.

    Some things you might deem too evil and ban, yet this doesn¡¯t stop your enemies from learning them, and after they¡¯ve mastered them, they come and use them against you¡­ That¡¯s just the way things are.

    Lounging lazily at the edge of the hot tub, Yan Yu felt the heat of the spring water expanding through his limbs, and suddenly a vague drowsiness enveloped him.

    The Changbai Mountain mysterious realm being sealed meant that the gains within could not be taken out and distributed, thus both teams on this mission had essentially come away empty-handed.

    But for Yan Yu, that wasn¡¯t quite the case.

    Lu Country¡¯s strict prohibition of corpse cultivation meant that domestic cultivators generally lacked experience in dealing with it. When the corpse-controlling Transcendents from other countries grew in strength, and they went to battlefields to face the zombies they command¡ªit was a dreadful thought, foreseeing how brutal it would be.

    Some things just can¡¯t be remembered through spoken or written words. Once they¡¯ve personally fought with zombies, the girls should have a rough understanding of how to deal with such enemies, and then this trip won¡¯t have been in vain¡­

    Yan Yu slowly closed his eyes, but then he heard a faint chatter coming from a distance:

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s so disgusting¡­¡±

    ¡°But why is Sister Zhao so powerful? We couldn¡¯t even make a dent in it.¡±

    ¡°Ha ha ha ha, of course, it¡¯s because I¡¯m very strong!¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhao, isn¡¯t that just stating the obvious?¡±

    ¡°It must be another trick learned from the captain.¡±

    The outside door swung open, and the girls wearing swimsuits walked in. Due to the steamy mist rising inside the room, they didn¡¯t notice Yan Yu in the pool. They were chatting and laughing without a care.

    Yan Yu squinted at them. According to the clich¨¦ in light novels, he should have held his breath and dived under the water, pretending he wasn¡¯t there¡ªbut on second thought, why should I do that?

    I was here first, right? If anyone should leave, it¡¯s you guys!

    The girls were all quite slender, so Yan Yu didn¡¯t let his gaze wander too much; he was just observing the style and colors of their swimsuits.

    Chen Lingyun wore a light blue one-piece swimsuit that had a strapless sleeveless top, showcasing her beautiful shoulders and collarbone. The wavy hem of a flounce skirt accentuating her sweet and delicate temperament, while cleverly concealing any figure flaws.

    Her hair was twisted up behind her head and secured with a clip, carefully enclosed in a tight transparent swim cap, presumably to avoid getting it dirty in the hot spring later.

    Next to her walked Su Yunjin, also in a one-piece dress-style swimsuit, but hers was an elegant pale green without the specific flounce hemline, looking fresh and clean.

    She carried a plastic bag in her hand, which seemed to contain various bottles and jars¡ªYan Yu suddenly remembered that in his previous life, Chen Lingyun would never use the provided toiletries in any hotel she stayed at; she always brought her own, stating that she wasn¡¯t comfortable with ¡°off-brand¡± products.

    Hmm, but the showers are outside, so the bag probably doesn¡¯t contain her shampoo and body wash.

    Leading the pack was Lin Ning, wearing a pure white bikini with no noteworthy details to describe. Her figure was more pronounced than both Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin¡¯s, probably because she exercised regularly. You could see her muscles on her arms and calves, but they were subtle, not compromising the overall softness and slimness of her form.

    As for Zhao Yuanzhen, who lagged behind, her figure was a leap up to a whole new realm; she wasn¡¯t competing in the same ¡®A¡¯ or ¡®B¡¯ league as her companions. As a notorious Demonic Sect Enchantress from her past life, her assets were naturally impressive. Yet her swimsuit was tightly wrapped around her¡ªindicating she hadn¡¯t fully assimilated into modern society¡¯s aesthetics, holding onto the modesty and conservatism characteristic of ancient women.

    Lin Ning was the first to rush to the edge of the pool, dipping her foot to test the water, she exclaimed:

    ¡°Yikes, it¡¯s so hot! Much hotter than last time!¡±

    ¡°If you stand barefoot on the cold tiles, of course, the water will feel hot,¡± Su Yunjin chuckled from behind.

    ¡°That makes sense.¡± Lin Ning sat at the edge of the pool, submerging her legs into the water. As her body gradually adjusted to the temperature, it didn¡¯t seem so unbearable anymore.

    Yan Yu watched her lazily, noticing that Lin Ning¡¯s gaze hadn¡¯t drifted to the side to where he was¡ªshe was leisurely swishing her legs through the water, enjoying herself.

    Su Yunjin placed her plastic bag on a bench nearby and asked everyone:

    ¡°Would you like something to drink?¡±

    It could get quite muggy in the indoor hot spring, making one thirsty after staying for a long time, so she had thoughtfully brought beverages from the hotel lobby.

    Chen Lingyun: ¡°Green Tea.¡±

    Lin Ning: ¡°I want Coke!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ¡°Assam milk tea.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡°Give me a bottle of mineral water.¡±

    The girls: ?

    Almost in an instant, everyone¡¯s gaze turned towards Yan Yu.

    Then their expressions changed dramatically.

 Chapter 143 - 43: Everyone Comes to Please Me

    Chapter 143: Chapter 43: Everyone Comes to Please Me

    ¡°Why are you here!¡± Lin Ning was the first to yell out.

    Be it the training ground, the battlefield, or any other place, Ningning, in her role as the assault leader, was always at the forefront of the charge. There was no particular reason, other than her quick reaction times.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I be here?¡± Yan Yu yawned lazily in response, ¡°This isn¡¯t some women-only hot spring.¡±

    Lin Ning was at a loss for words, but quickly mustered the courage to retort,

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you weren¡¯t interested in hot springs?¡±

    ¡°I take that back,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, ¡°After fighting so many zombies in the Mysterious Realm, it¡¯s pretty normal to want to take a bath to get rid of the stench, right?¡±

    ...

    Seeing that Lin Ning was rendered speechless, Su Yunjin also felt a bit of a headache, so she simply grabbed a bottle of mineral water, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to Yan Yu, saying,

    ¡°It¡¯s fine if the Captain wants to come to the hot springs, but you could at least give us a heads up, otherwise, it¡¯s kind of awkward.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s so awkward about it?¡± Yan Yu took the mineral water and asked, puzzled.

    Just as Su Yunjin was about to explain, she realized she was wearing a swimsuit and bending over, so she quickly covered her neckline with her hand.

    Yan Yu was speechless. Secretary Su, although you¡¯re a bit stronger than Chen Lingyun, it¡¯s not like you need to be that modest, right?

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to explain to him,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Be careful or he might threaten you with more training.¡±

    With that reminder, the girls all fell silent.

    Since everyone was wearing bathing suits at the hot springs, it wasn¡¯t a big deal if the Captain saw them. Besides, this place wasn¡¯t specifically for women only, and there was no reason to drive the Captain away.

    To avoid giving Yan Yu further opportunity to admire their swimsuits, everyone quickly submerged themselves in the hot spring, up to their necks.

    Now, that felt more comfortable.

    Yan Yu gulped down a few mouthfuls of mineral water, then placed the bottle on the edge of the bath, proceeding to survey everyone with his gaze.

    The girls became uncomfortable again. Not that there was any lascivious intent in the Captain¡¯s gaze¡ªif that were the case, it would have been easier to deal with, since none present had issues with their looks; they were often given second glances by passersby of the opposite sex while walking down the street, and from a young age, they were accustomed to it.

    What really made everyone uneasy was that the more Yan Yu looked, the more he frowned, and his expression didn¡¯t seem too pleased, causing a sudden lack of confidence within the group, and their thoughts began to run wild.

    Zhao Yuanzhen thought, ¡°Is this rascal trying to find an excuse to pick on me again?¡± so she quietly brought her hands together under the water, ready to splash hot spring water in his face the moment he started to complain.

    When he would be blinded by the water, she would rush over and pin him down for a wild beating, venting the many deep grudges she accumulated over the past half a year!

    Su Yunjin worried, ¡°Last time, to avoid training, I lied to the Captain about having my period, and now here I am soaking in the hot springs just a few days later. What if he remembers?¡±

    The more she thought, the more frightened she became, nervously submerging herself further in the hot spring, only her eyes peeking out, blinking non-stop.

    I¡¯m wrong, Captain! Just look for someone else, sob sob sob, don¡¯t put pressure on me anymore!

    Lin Ning thought, ¡°Everyone¡¯s wearing one-piece swimsuits, and I¡¯m the only one in a two-piece. Am I showing too much skin? Is that why Yan Yu keeps looking this way?¡±

    She glared fiercely at Yan Yu, unable to tell whether she was annoyed or embarrassed, but she was determined to overpower him in terms of presence.

    Only Chen Lingyun was thinking nothing at all, quietly enjoying the hot spring and letting out a long, comfortable sigh.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you all talking?¡± Yan Yu finally broke the silence, ¡°Were you scared by the horde of zombies in the Mysterious Realm?¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°strong, fast, impenetrable to blades and spears¡­ the design intent to target Cultivators is pretty obvious.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°Cultivators who practice necromancy naturally consider other Cultivators as their hypothetical enemies; ordinary military forces aren¡¯t worth the effort for Cultivators to specifically research evil arts to counter them.¡±

    ¡°Moreover, the most formidable aspect of the necromancy sect is that a single Cultivator can command two to three corpses in battle. If the command standards are lowered, that number could rise to ten or even twenty.¡±

    ¡°So, if you¡¯re dealing with uncommanded, tacticless zombies, you need to be prepared to take on as many as come at you to even meet the minimum standard. As for your performance in the Mysterious Realm this time, to be honest¡­¡±

    The girls instantly grew anxious upon hearing this because, according to the usual pattern, after criticizing their performance, he often smoothly transitioned to, ¡°It looks like we¡¯ll need more training.¡± S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    To prevent him from uttering those diabolical words, Chen Lingyun quickly deployed a topic-changing trick and laughed, ¡°But come to think of it, could there be corpse poison on these zombies?¡±

    ¡°Corpse poison?¡± Yan Yu paused, then answered, ¡°There is such a thing, but at this stage, it¡¯s not something to worry about. With your frail little bodies, if you¡¯re scratched by a zombie, you¡¯d be dead anyway, so why worry about getting infected with corpse poison? The focus should be on being absolutely certain you won¡¯t get scratched. Judging by your performance in the Mysterious Realm, while there¡¯s the factor of being unfamiliar with new things, your ability to deal with emergencies is still relatively weak¡­¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen had already understood the hint and hurriedly pounced over to catch Yan Yu, saying,

    ¡°First, let me check and see if you got scratched, if there¡¯s any residual corpse poison left it¡¯ll be terrible!¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Yan Yu said irritably, ¡°Even if you got scratched to death, I wouldn¡¯t be hurt!¡±

    ¡°Just to be safe. It¡¯s inevitable to get hurt sometimes, and being extra careful never hurts,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen casually said, her hands wandering over Yan Yu¡¯s chest and back, but he caught her wrists, looking at her suspiciously,

    ¡°What are you doing? Ingenuity without cause is either sinister or thievery!¡±

    Being questioned about her motives right in front of everyone, the Demonic Sect Enchantress almost exploded in anger, and she swore silently in her heart:

    ¡°This scoundrel questions my intentions and diminishes my fairy dignity in front of them today, such a towering hatred, I shall not let it go easily! Once I find an opportunity to turn the tables, I must humiliate him thoroughly in front of them to vent the hatred in my heart!¡±

    Su Yunjin was also startled by Zhao¡¯s overly deliberate and exaggerated behavior, which provoked the captain¡¯s suspicions, and she quickly spoke up to smooth things over,

    ¡°Captain, Sister Zhao is just concerned about you. By the way, do you need bath salts? I saw some self-service bath salts at the entrance, should I get some for you?¡±

    ¡°Bath salts?¡± Yan Yu, who trusted Secretary Su more, didn¡¯t think much of it and was just surprised when he asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t bath salts for back scrubbing? You girls can help each other with that. I don¡¯t need it.¡±

    Su Yunjin was immediately deflated, and Lin Ning quickly came to the rescue:

    ¡°No problem, I¡¯ll scrub the captain¡¯s back! Yun Jin, you go get the bath salts!¡±

    In order to divert the captain¡¯s attention, Sister Lin simply went all in.

    Her readiness to sacrifice herself for the cause obviously influenced Su Yunjin, who said ¡°okay¡± with a solemn expression and climbed out of the bath, then wrapped her wet body with a long bath towel and quickly walked outside.

    Yan Yu also felt it was rather odd and asked in confusion,

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you from Minhai? Do people there also have a tradition of scrubbing in baths?¡±

    Lin Ning, who had been somewhat embarrassed about insisting on going through with it, actually got annoyed first when she heard this, and exclaimed,

    ¡°Cut the crap! Turn around!¡±

    Without further ado, she turned Yan Yu around to face his back toward her, then demanded,

    ¡°Towel!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen immediately went to fetch a towel, simultaneously giving Lin Ning a meaningful look that said:

    Scrub hard! Scrub a layer of skin off his back!

    Lin Ning received the towel, rolled it up roughly, and with the vigor of a novice painter, grasped the rolled up towel with both hands and scrubbed up and down along Yan Yu¡¯s spinal column.

    ¡°How¡¯s that?¡± she asked, huffing, ¡°Is the pressure okay?¡±

    ¡°Mm, not bad,¡± Yan Yu commented.

    Of course, it couldn¡¯t compare to the technique of a professional bath scrubber, but the fact that she was willing to exert force was comforting¡ªBut Lin Ning is actually giving me a back scrub!

    What¡¯s going on? Does she want a favor from me? Or did she make some mistake and is trying to lay the groundwork for making amends?

    ¡°The bath salts are here,¡± said Su Yunjin, wrapped in a bath towel, returning with a small bag of milk bath salts, placing it beside Lin Ning¡¯s left hand.

    Seeing Yan Yu enjoying the scrubbing service and seemingly forgetting about the extra training for the moment, she also let out a quiet sigh of relief and smilingly said,

    ¡°Would the captain like to drink something else? I¡¯ll go get it for you.¡±

    ¡°Just pick any beverage,¡± Yan Yu ventured.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Su Yunjin turned and began to pour a drink for Yan Yu.

    Seeing her so obedient and compliant, Yan Yu was finally able to confirm that for some reason, they must be in a state of ¡°wanting to please me.¡±

    So¡­

    ¡°Zhao, come over and give my shoulders a massage. And my arms, too, they¡¯re really sore today,¡± Yan Yu commanded without any hesitation, ¡°Chen Lingyun, go outside and fetch some fruit for me. Grapes, cherry tomatoes, make sure they¡¯re washed clean, peel them for me and put them on a plate to bring back.¡±

 Chapter 144 - 44 The Sorrowful Sister Lin

    Chapter 144: Chapter 44 The Sorrowful Sister Lin

    In the evening, a hotel room.

    Lin Ning suddenly woke up from the bed and felt a lingering soreness in her arms.

    It was probably from scrubbing the team leader¡¯s back for too long in the hot springs¡­ Hmph, it was all the team leader¡¯s fault!

    He thought about nothing but extra practice all day, and even after we¡¯d just finished the mysterious realm, couldn¡¯t he give us a break?

    She got up, slipped into the hotel¡¯s slippers, and decided to make a trip to the restroom.

    As she passed by Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s bed, due to the fact that there were no lights on, Lin Ning accidentally tripped over the foot of the bed and fell onto it.

    ...

    Hmm, empty?

    She reached into the covers to feel around, and indeed found no one there, and there was no warmth to it either; it seemed she had been gone for quite a while.

    Where had Sister Zhao gone?

    After using the toilet, Lin Ning returned to her own bed, but now she found herself unable to fall asleep.

    She checked her phone and saw it was 11:30 p.m.

    Where had Sister Zhao gone?

    Although their relationship hadn¡¯t yet reached a point where they could meddle in each other¡¯s business, Lin Ning was inherently a worrisome character. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to skillfully chant persuasion spells in high school.

    After silently thinking for a good while, Lin Ning finally picked up her phone and sent Zhao Yuanzhen a text message.

    [Ningning]: Where are you?

    [Ningning]: I¡¯m a bit worried about you.

    [Ningning]: Reply when you see this.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, of course, hadn¡¯t seen the message because she was currently dual cultivating with Yan Yu.

    The two of them were sitting opposite each other on the bed, joining palms and transferring True Yuan to each other, performing the dual version of the Grand Circulation.

    As they breathed in and out deeply, wisps of white vapor even started appearing on their foreheads, a sign of True Yuan being refined to an exquisite level.

    After an unknown period, they slowly withdrew their hands and began to breath out the energy.

    Zhao Yuanzhen sneakily glanced at Yan Yu, her thoughts somewhat complex.

    Through their lengthy dual cultivation, she had come to recognize Yan Yu¡¯s aptitude for cultivation, which couldn¡¯t even be described as a lump of mud¡ªit was practically nonexistent.

    On the other hand, what stood out in sharp contrast to his wretched aptitude was his rich combat strength and experience, which didn¡¯t at all resemble that of a low-level cultivator.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress, after observing for some time, was certain that even the battle-renowned senior sisters from her sect wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against her partner in a real fight.

    If the great orthodox sects valued aptitude and foundation, then the Demonic Sect was the very epitome of craving quick success and instant benefits, where being able to fight and kill was paramount. Therefore, she didn¡¯t dwell too much on Yan Yu¡¯s cultivation aptitude, but was instead very curious about how he possessed such strength.

    Hmm, it must have been the nurturing of his master.

    With all the mysterious aspects about Yan Yu that she couldn¡¯t explain, Zhao Yuanzhen attributed them all to that powerful master behind him, and she coveted that mentorship greatly.

    Of course, the rascal Yan Yu was very cautious in this regard, always refusing to reveal the slightest hint, which annoyed and galled Zhao Yuanzhen considerably.

    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± she asked casually, ¡°when are we going to exchange our yuan yang and yuan yin?¡±

    ¡°At the time of the union of the dragon and the tiger, it has the effect of breaking through bottlenecks,¡± Yan Yu had thought about this and answered, ¡°Of course, it¡¯s to be used for attempting to achieve the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment stage.¡±

    This was the anticipated answer. Since it could break through bottlenecks, naturally it would be saved for when they encountered one, to maximize its benefits.

    But Zhao Yuanzhen was still faintly displeased and said with a snort:

    ¡°Waiting for you to reach the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment stage, who knows when that will be!¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t take long,¡± Yan Yu replied calmly.

    In his former life, he had always been a mere mortal, so there was no concern for cultivation levels. But in this life¡­ based on Lord Master¡¯s rate of progress, he had unrivaled talents and an abundance of resources, so he was essentially chasing the tail of the spiritual energy ceiling.

    If I, Yan Yu, am to be the strongest in this world, then I definitely need to keep up with the pace of leveling up, right?

    ¡°You¡¯d better be,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied, her face full of displeasure as she stood up.

    She left Yan Yu¡¯s room, pulling the door closed behind her. As she turned around, she saw Lin Ning standing in utter shock at the doorway of the room they shared:

    ¡°¡­Sister Zhao?¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    After spending a night in the town, the group set off on their return flight to Jinling the next day.

    Since there was no team confrontation, there wasn¡¯t a need for a debrief session. They only had Chen Lingyun send the video recording to everyone for the ladies to watch and analyze on their own.

    Yan Yu, lying in his seat, gazed at the sea of clouds outside the porthole and suddenly felt a bit sentimental.

    In his previous life, after the Spiritual Energy Resurgence had reached the stage of Sword Flight, airplane passengers would occasionally see sword light cutting through the distant clouds from their windows. That was the unique light effect of Rikoku Cultivators performing Sword Flight, a phenomenon exclusive to them, with no other branches worldwide.

    It even led to the popular online ¡°Sword Light Atlas,¡± which detailed what color of sword light indicated which Cultivator was in flight¡­ Although it reflected the public¡¯s support and adoration for Cultivators, it also meant that Cultivators had zero privacy when traveling, as their sword light streaking across the sky couldn¡¯t be hidden¡ªeveryone below saw it.

    As a result, unless absolutely necessary, everyone preferred not to travel by Sword Flight. Step out today, and by tomorrow you¡¯re trending¡ªquite bothersome indeed.

    Yawning, Yan Yu saw Chen Lingyun sit down next to him and smile as she said,

    ¡°I have good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s hear the good news first, then the bad,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently.

    ¡°Oh, why is that?¡± Chen Lingyun blinked curiously.

    ¡°Do I not know you by now?¡± Yan Yu glanced at her scornfully, ¡°You never bring any good news, only bad news and worse news.¡±

    ¡°Humph,¡± Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t argue and simply smiled as she revealed the answer, ¡°The good news is, remember the prisoner we brought back?¡±

    ¡°Mm,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°What about him?¡±

    ¡°His value is greater than we initially thought,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°And the worse news?¡±

    ¡°The bad news is he escaped,¡± Chen Lingyun said meaningfully, ¡°The information from this Mysterious Realm will be strictly sealed and kept top secret¡­ To put it simply, our trip to the Mysterious Realm this time was for naught, and we are not to mention it to anyone ever again.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you let it slip,¡± Yan Yu immediately understood.

    With Park Changmin at the mercy of Lu Country, if he could make it back home and pass the screening, he would of course become an extremely important intelligence agent¡ªof course, at this point in time, Lu Country had not yet realized the true value of the Goryeo Sword Master.

    ¡°So what happened to him later in my previous life?¡± Chen Lingyun asked curiously.

    ¡°He became the Goryeo Sword Master,¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°He was on par with Liu Longtao, a solid fifty-fifty match. Impressive, right?¡±

    ¡°That really is amazing~¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s defense broke, and she laughed until tears came out, ¡°To be on equal footing with the Goryeo Sword Master, Lord Master must feel quite honored.¡±

    As she wiped the tear from laughing from the corner of her eye, she suddenly said,

    ¡°By the way, Ningning seems a bit off, do you know why?¡±

    ¡°Lin Ning? Off mood?¡± Yan Yu looked back at Lin Ning.

    All he saw was Sister Lin sitting in the back row opposite him, one hand resting beside the porthole, as she gazed sorrowfully at the sea of clouds outside. Amazingly, she bore an uncanny resemblance to Sister Lin¡ªnaturally, in the version from Dream of the Red Chamber.

    Yan Yu¡¯s mind instantly conjured up an image, seeing Lin Ning speak like a bitter lemon, saying with a sour tone,

    ¡°I¡¯m not fortunate enough to be so cherished, can¡¯t compare to others who are asked if they¡¯re warm or cold, I¡¯m just a nobody.¡±

    Stop! Hold it right there!

    He quickly averted his gaze and asked Chen Lingyun,

    ¡°What¡¯s up with her?¡±

    ¡°How would I know?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a laugh.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you find a way to know?¡± Yan Yu countered her question with another.

    ¡°Alright, I admit I am a bit curious,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a helpless smile, ¡°but there are more important things lately, so I didn¡¯t have time to figure it out. That¡¯s why I came to ask you.¡±

    ¡°I truly have no idea,¡± Yan Yu said bemused, ¡°We just finished the Mysterious Realm yesterday, and there were no extra practices. How would I know why she¡¯s unhappy? Maybe her relatives came.¡±

    ¡°They didn¡¯t,¡± Chen Lingyun denied, ¡°Her relatives aren¡¯t due until the end of the month¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s about enough,¡± Yan Yu immediately interrupted her, ¡°I don¡¯t want to know about her menstrual cycle, and I also don¡¯t want to know why you know about her menstrual cycle, but I have to remind you of something: Ensuring the mental well-being of our team members is also part of the Vice-Captain¡¯s duties. If she messes up in the upcoming training, I¡¯ll hold you responsible.¡±

    ¡°The Vice-Captain has to manage that, too?¡± Chen Lingyun laughed in surprise, ¡°Is there such a rule?¡±

    ¡°There is,¡± Yan Yu said earnestly, ¡°It¡¯s a rule for our team, which I just made up.¡± S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    COMMENT

 Chapter 145 - 45: Let Old Liu Have a Hard Time

    Chapter 145: Chapter 45: Let Old Liu Have a Hard Time

    After returning to Jinling, what awaited the members of the Zhenhai Team was not a commendation ceremony or any sort of cash reward, but secrecy regulations regarding this mysterious realm.

    ¡°This regulation is extremely important, you must remember it well,¡± Instructor Qi Changping emphasized repeatedly, ¡°especially you, Yan Yu. Don¡¯t accidentally let it slip out just because you¡¯re trying to show off.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®showing off¡¯?¡± Yan Yu asked, puzzled, ¡°If strength is prestige, I see no need for me to pretend deliberately¡­¡± S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough from you,¡± Qi Changping also started to feel a headache, and holding his forehead, he said, ¡°I¡¯m not joking with you, you must never mention anything about this mysterious realm, regardless of whether it¡¯s family or friends asking, or media journalists interviewing you.¡±

    ¡°Then what should we say?¡± Lin Ning asked, ¡°Say ¡®don¡¯t know¡¯ or ¡®can¡¯t say¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Just say ¡®military secret, no comment,''¡± Qi Changping replied.

    ...

    ¡°Got it.¡± Everyone nodded and signed their names on the confidentiality agreement.

    ¡°The rest of you may leave,¡± Qi Changping told the girls, then looked at Yan Yu, ¡°You, come to the principal¡¯s office.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Yan Yu said.

    After every trip to the mysterious realm, Li Weiguo would call him to the office for a chat; it had almost become a team tradition.

    Familiar with the route, he quickly made his way to the administrative building, hastened up the stairs, and as he neared the principal¡¯s office, he suddenly heard a rich, resonant middle-aged man¡¯s voice from inside:

    ¡°¡­Yeah, don¡¯t worry. Alright, my dear, I have my plans.¡±

    Yan Yu immediately furrowed his brow, sensing that things were getting complicated.

    Ah, who could be talking inside there?

    He knocked on the door of the principal¡¯s office, and heard that voice say:

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    Yan Yu pushed the door open and saw a middle-aged man standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, who had just hung up a call on his cell phone.

    The man¡¯s facial features were well-proportioned, and the details in his eyebrows and eyes bore some resemblance to Chen Lingyun, neatly dressed from head to toe, hair combed without a strand out of place, sporting a thick mustache and a beard under his chin (modern men in Lu Country still considered beards to be a sign of beauty)¡ªjust by looking, one could tell this man was definitely mature, reliable, and politically astute.

    Or to be more precise, this middle-aged man present here was none other than Chen Father, the head of the Chen Family, the venerable Elder Chen of Mount Taishan, plus Chen Lingyun, the second-ranked Governor of Jiang Hai, Chen Tianming.

    ¡°Sit,¡± Chen Tianming said to Yan Yu, gesturing with his hand.

    There was always a chair in front of the principal¡¯s desk, which Yan Yu was familiar with; he pulled the chair over and sat down without a word.

    Chen Tianming took out some tea leaves from the cupboard and casually asked:

    ¡°Would you like some tea? I roasted these leaves myself; I brought some for Li Weiguo.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    Chen Tianming brewed the tea and handed a cup to Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu, without being courteous, picked it up and slowly drank, while Chen Tianming sat down in the principal¡¯s chair and said:

    ¡°You¡¯ve done well this time, not only wiping out the enemy cultivators but also capturing the core of Changbai Mountain¡¯s mysterious realm, and incidentally putting the Dingbei Army in its place.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s what we should do,¡± Yan Yu nodded and said.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Chen Tianming interlocked his fingers elegantly and placed his hands on the desk, pondering for a moment, then continued, ¡°Can you guess why the secrecy is necessary?¡±

    ¡°It must be due to considerations regarding international diplomacy,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    The reason he had shared his foresight advantage with Chen Lingyun was firstly that he thoroughly understood her and was sure she wouldn¡¯t talk outside, and secondly, to use her information channels to confirm his own judgments.

    However, Chen Tianming was completely different, a political animal; it was best to avoid entanglements where possible.

    The so-called ¡°speaking deeply on shallow acquaintance¡± has always been a taboo throughout history¡­ The reason Chen Lingyun could be an exception was purely because he had truly formed a deep relationship with her, and Yan Yu was one hundred percent certain of what kind of person she was deep down.

    ¡°Mm¡ª¡± Chen Tianming drew out his words in a meaningful tone, giving Yan Yu an intense and thoughtful look, ¡°That¡¯s one way to put it.¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu, do you usually pay attention to international affairs?¡± He scrutinized Yan Yu¡¯s expression carefully.

    ¡°Not really,¡± Yan Yu denied emphatically, ¡°I¡¯ve never been involved in internet politics.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a pity,¡± Chen Tianming said offhandedly, ¡°I think it¡¯s better for young people to be more informed about current affairs.¡±

    Such thoughts could only come from someone of your level¡­ Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but mentally retort.

    Chen Tianming stared at Yan Yu for a long time before finally continuing:

    ¡°The geopolitical situation in East Asia mainly refers to the triangular relationship between Lu Country, Ying, and Goryeo, with its roots in the overall confrontation between Lu and Miti in the Pacific Ocean region.¡±

    ¡°Our long-term strategy in this area is to dismantle Ying from Miti¡¯s alliance system and prevent the formation of the first island chain. This goal is extremely difficult to achieve because our overall strength is increasing, which tends to make Ying feel threatened and thus more inclined to side with Miti.¡±

    ¡°The requirement for secrecy in the Changbai Mountain Mysterious Realm is also due to the need to dissolve international friction with Goryeo. I hope you and your teammates can understand this point.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Yan Yu readily agreed, ¡°I¡¯ll act as if I never fought in that Mysterious Realm.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Chen Tianming nodded and continued, ¡°After that Goryeo Cultivator returns home, he will claim he defeated Lu Country¡¯s team and captured the central hub of Changbai Mountain¡¯s Mysterious Realm.¡±

    ¡°We will publicly deny this, but since the Changbai Mountain Mysterious Realm is tightly sealed by Lu Country, it will seem to the outside world that we can¡¯t develop the Mysterious Realm. When the time comes, there will certainly be many international rumors favoring the notion that Goryeo captured Changbai Mountain¡­ Speaking of which, you don¡¯t visit foreign forums, do you?¡±

    ¡°Circumventing the firewall is illegal.¡± Yan Yu reminded him with composure.

    Are you trying to fish for information here?

    ¡°That¡¯s good, though. Civilian attempts to bypass the firewall are incessant, so it¡¯s not guaranteed that someone won¡¯t use this to speak ill of you guys in the future,¡± Chen Tianming said slowly, ¡°But then again¡­ A moment¡¯s pride counts for little. Only those who have the last laugh are the true winners. Besides, you are all still very young, and there will be plenty more opportunities to earn glory in the future.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Yan Yu echoed repeatedly, also understanding the intention behind Chen Tianming¡¯s talk with him.

    After all, from the team¡¯s perspective, they had completely annihilated the Goryeo Cultivator and captured the Changbai Mountain Mysterious Realm, yet the other side claimed victory, and they were even unable to win the debate in international public opinion. It felt as frustrating as seeing someone else successfully registering a cultural heritage that belongs to you.

    Loss!

    But after all, Yan Yu had the advantage of foresight, knowing that Park Changmin, the low-quality goods, really became the Sword God of Goryeo later. Relying on his lofty reputation and transcendental status at home, he enjoyed the full support of national resources, yet he couldn¡¯t beat Lu Country in international competition. Considering he had leverage over Lu Country now, many preposterous events from his past life began to make sense¡ªPark Changmin, you don¡¯t want your country, people, and legions of fans to learn about our secret cooperation, do you?

    Lu Country merely surrendered a useless Changbai Mountain Mysterious Realm, and successfully capped Goryeo¡¯s top-tier Cultivation force, eliminating them early from future geopolitical competition. East Asia¡¯s strategic goal, unachievable for decades, was met halfway with this divine maneuver.

    Win! Big win!

    Of course, if facts are to be set aside, Yan Yu personally dislikes such methods.

    After all, the older generation always believed in the maxim ¡°endure suffering before enjoying success.¡± If future happiness was assured, enduring the present was tolerable. But Yan Yu was not comfortable with this approach¡ªif he had a choice, he would prefer to beat Goryeo and Goryeo heavily. You can¡¯t beat me so you resort to huddling with Miti? Then I¡¯ll just go after Miti too and obliterate you all!

    What does ¡®endure suffering before success¡¯ mean? I want ¡®sweet now, sweet later¡¯! I want to win in the future, and I want to win now; damn it, I want to win from start to finish!

    ¡°If we¡¯re going to keep it a secret, can we make it more thorough?¡± Yan Yu suggested proactively, ¡°For instance, erasing the record of the Zhenhai Team¡¯s participation this time?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t want a public defeat on record, huh?¡± Chen Tianming smiled faintly, instantly seeing through Yan Yu¡¯s intent, ¡°If it¡¯s like that, it¡¯s as if let the Dingbei Army bear the brunt of this bad reputation alone¡­ But that can be arranged. Under the Qiantang River is the Six-Fold Pagoda; your achievement might not be mentioned, but rest assured, the state certainly remembers.¡±

    ¡°Then I have no objections,¡± Yan Yu nodded reservedly, thinking to himself, Sorry Old Liu, I really owe you one this time.

    After all, you¡¯ve lost our bet. You lose to me, and you lose to Goryeo either way, so just bear the burden with dignity. ¡®Sacrifice for the sake of the country,¡¯ right?

    ¡°Now that the formalities are out of the way.¡± Chen Tianming stood up and continued to pour tea for Yan Yu, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about something else.¡±

    ¡°What do you think of Ling Yun¡¯s performance in the team?¡±

    ¡°Pretty good, outstanding,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°She perfectly fulfilled her duties.¡±

    This was not just lip service. Chen Lingyun, as a second in command, truly did perform flawlessly. In her previous life, she was mainly a team leader because of insufficient strength; she had to rely on her intellect and strategy to compensate, often giving off the impression of being fragile like ¡°running around causing trouble but then getting knocked out with a direct punch.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± Chen Tianming¡¯s face showed neither happiness nor anger, just a calm contemplativeness.

    After a long pause, he took a sip of tea and asked slowly:

    ¡°The domestic teams are about to expand on a large scale. If I transfer Ling Yun from your team to form her own team, to stand on her own, what would you think?¡±

    ¡°I would wholeheartedly support it,¡± Yan Yu said solemnly.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Chen Tianming chuckled in surprise, ¡°I thought you would ask me to keep her.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need,¡± Yan Yu said candidly, ¡°For the nation, having Chen Lingyun lead a new team and nurturing more elite Cultivators maximizes overall interest; but for her personally, staying on my team will help her improve faster, maximizing personal interest.¡±

    ¡°Both outcomes are irrelevant to my interests, so I support either way. As for what you decide, it depends on your starting point, whether you plan to act as a leader or as her father.¡±

    Chen Tianming¡¯s expression remained unchanged. After listening to Yan Yu, he showed a faint smile and said deliberately:

    ¡°You are mistaken about one thing: as one of the most elite Cultivators, accelerating the improvement of her strength also constitutes a part of the national interest.¡±

    Once Yan Yu heard this, he immediately guessed the answer:

    This old timer never intended to transfer his useless daughter away; he¡¯s just equivocating and testing me!

 Chapter 146 - 46: Failure to Sell Father

    Chapter 146: Chapter 46: Failure to Sell Father

    Leaving the principal¡¯s office, Yan Yu encountered Chen Lingyun at the entrance of the administration building.

    Princess Snob had already changed out of the down jacket she wore in the Northeast. She now wore a white shirt, pleated skirt, and little leather shoes, exposing arms and calves as pale and delicate as jade.

    A delicate velvet hat sat atop her head, and she was holding a parasol, elegantly standing under the shade of trees by the flowerbed, waiting for someone¡¯s return.

    ¡°What is this, a Jiang Hai socialite¡¯s getup?¡± Yan Yu¡¯s expression took on a bit of a squint as he stepped a few paces away from her, ¡°Which nightclub¡¯s VIP room princess are you?¡±>

    ¡°Dear,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile, ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to have a high taste in clothing, but at least you should learn to recognize brands¡­ So what did my dad say to you?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much,¡± Yan Yu sighed deeply, ¡°We talked about why the Mysterious Realm needs to be kept secret, and then he probed our relationship.¡±

    ...

    Impatiently, he moved forward when suddenly his view darkened¡ªChen Lingyun was walking beside him, and her parasol also shielded him from the blazing sun above. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°This is indeed his habit,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°He¡¯s assessing your value, and evaluating potential risks you might bring.¡±

    ¡°The risk he¡¯s worried about is me abducting you,¡± Yan Yu said casually, ¡°But at least it shows he treasures you like a gem.¡±

    ¡°Mhm, of course my dad loves me,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smiling eyes narrowed into crescents.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s more than that,¡± Yan Yu said with a hint of sarcasm, ¡°Your thought patterns, your values, they all match your father¡¯s to a tee. It¡¯s clear he¡¯s grooming you as his successor.¡±

    ¡°After all, I am the only daughter of our family,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile remained unchanged.

    ¡°Which means,¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°that the reason you turned out to be such a snob¡ªbesides your own contribution¡ªis that 99% of the blame falls on your father.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll just take that as ¡®excellent,''¡± Chen Lingyun said with a laugh, ¡°Thank you for the compliment.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°I¡¯ve also made my stance clear to your dad.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d better not play any tricks on him,¡± Chen Lingyun cautioned, ¡°He¡¯s very good at reading people.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Yan Yu said disdainfully, ¡°Even if he doesn¡¯t like me, what can he do? Fire me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible for him to dismiss you,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°but he¡¯s got a thousand ways to make you uncomfortable, so I suggest you don¡¯t deliberately provoke him.¡±

    ¡°Trying to scare me, huh?¡± Yan Yu chuckled coldly and sneered, ¡°Your dad doesn¡¯t care about my attitude toward him, only whether I¡¯m beneficial or harmful to him. As long as I can lead the team to achieve results, he will tolerate all my offenses.¡±

    ¡°Not quite,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile faded as she spoke solemnly, ¡°You said it yourself, he¡¯s grooming me as his successor, so he wouldn¡¯t see his son-in-law as a pawn to be used, but rather as another junior to nurture¡ªor at least, the person must satisfy him.¡±

    ¡°I know, but what does that have to do with me?¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly, ¡°Why doesn¡¯t he pick a son-in-law from those political aristocratic families?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have confidence in yourself?¡± Chen Lingyun covered her mouth in surprise.

    ¡°Don¡¯t presuppose. We¡¯re discussing your dad,¡± Yan Yu said impatiently, ¡°When he¡¯s choosing a son-in-law for you, he must be looking at those in Lord Master¡¯s circle, right?¡±

    ¡°Wrong,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a head shake and a smile, ¡°he ought to be looking in our circle.¡±

    Yan Yu: ?

    ¡°You mean¡­ Cultivators?¡± he asked uncertainly.

    ¡°Right,¡± Chen Lingyun said lightly, ¡°After all, the future belongs to the era of Cultivators.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu frowned deeply, recalling, ¡°Your dad just reached that position, to consolidate his status quickly, he should choose to ally with other factions, and marriage is the best way to form alliances.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t deny, ¡°but don¡¯t forget, I am not only his only daughter but also his successor. Would he really sacrifice my future just for that bit of a political bargaining chip? In fact, don¡¯t forget that there¡¯s another way that is more effective and direct to get what he wants than faction alliances.¡±

    ¡°You mean¡­¡± Yan Yu suddenly realized, ¡°the violence wielded by Cultivators?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s deterrence,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°like nuclear weapons, they are most powerful not when the mushroom cloud blooms but when they lie on the launchpad.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s why your father takes a radical stance,¡± Yan Yu also had a sudden insight, ¡°because only in a chaotic and turbulent situation can he find the best ladder for his ascent! Cultivators will bring about the changes he desires, all he has to do is stir the waters vigorously!¡±

    ¡°Could you read fewer political intrigue novels?¡± Chen Lingyun couldn¡¯t help but sigh, ¡°The resurgence of Spiritual Energy wasn¡¯t caused by my family; my father is just going with the flow.¡±

    ¡°The reason he ¡®goes with the flow¡¯ is also because his own daughter is a top-tier Cultivator, right?¡± Yan Yu said with undisguised sarcasm, ¡°If you were an ordinary person incapable of cultivating, I¡¯m sure his attitude would be different.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not qualified enough as it stands,¡± Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t hide the truth and spoke frankly, ¡°To be a human-shaped nuclear bomb, one must at least possess power that could rival a country.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s dreaming,¡± Yan Yu scoffed again, ¡°A great Cultivator who could rival a country, what kind of woman can¡¯t he find? Why would he be so eager to become your father-in-law and accept the role of being called dad?¡±

    ¡°Of course not now,¡± Chen Lingyun smiled again, ¡°The Spiritual Energy Resurgence hasn¡¯t been around for long; he has plenty of time for long-term investments.¡±

    ¡°So I am also one of his investment targets, aren¡¯t I?¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°A ¡®father-in-law angel fund,¡¯ is that it?¡±

    ¡°One of them,¡± Chen Lingyun corrected him, ¡°In his eyes, you should be the most valuable investment target at the moment, but not the only one.¡±

    ¡°In any case, if I were you, I would try my best to showcase my value in front of him. Who will eventually become his son-in-law, that¡¯s a matter for the future. For now, let¡¯s draw sufficient benefits from the ¡®father-in-law angel fund¡¯ first.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, you make some sense,¡± Yan Yu stroked his chin in thought.

    ¡°Why not take a free advantage?¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile grew even sweeter, ¡°Right?¡±

    ¡°But, I refuse!¡± Yan Yu suddenly declared loudly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t joke around,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile disappeared, and she asked with displeasure in her furrowed brow, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Why wouldn¡¯t you want it? Do you think you have too much of an advantage already and want to add some difficulty to your life ahead?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it,¡± Yan Yu shook his head in denial, ¡°I¡¯m just worried that this is a trick of yours, that if I accept too many favors from your father, I¡¯ll be cornered into marrying you in the future, and that would be troublesome.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Chen Lingyun was both annoys and amused, ¡°Am I going to tie you up and drag you to the registry office or something?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not naive enough not to understand the maneuvers of a rich lolita like you,¡± Yan Yu spoke with a disdainful look, ¡°You use substantial benefits as bait, saying let¡¯s start as friends, then you start playing ambiguous games, like sharing a bed because it¡¯s cold at night, or needing a hug after a nightmare¡­ Anyway, you entice a man to make a mistake and then play innocent afterwards, demanding he take responsibility and trapping him for the rest of his life!¡±

    ¡°Is that how I captured you in my previous life?¡± Chen Lingyun looked bemused.

    That¡¯s not my style at all¡­ Could it be that some other rich lolita played such a game with him?

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense,¡± Yan Yu immediately shook his head in denial, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be deceived to know a scammer¡¯s tricks. With the internet so developed, what kind of scams can¡¯t you find? In the end, as long as you¡¯re not greedy for small gains, you¡¯ll never be deceived and regret it for life.¡±

    Chen Lingyun was momentarily speechless, then said after a while:

    ¡°Do you really have to be so guarded against me? Is being with me that much of an indignity to you?¡±

    The moment the question slipped out, she immediately regretted it: Why did I give him the chance to slam dunk on me¡­

    As expected, Yan Yu quickly adopted an arrogant and indifferent expression as if he had been asked an extremely stupid question, and snorted contemptuously:

    ¡°What a joke! Are you even worthy?¡±

 Chapter 147 - 47 Secretary Su Wants to Take a Walk

    Chapter 147: Chapter 47 Secretary Su Wants to Take a Walk

    The media control over news regarding the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, although everyone knew it would be lifted sooner or later, no one expected it to come so abruptly.

    Because of the heavy-hitting news about ¡°Reclaiming the Sacred Mountain,¡± announced publicly at Gyeongbokgung, it had been frenziedly propagated by major media in the opposing country, and the entire nation seemed to be cheering for it.

    As the news traveled through international channels to the domestic front, the citizens of Lu Country were utterly confused: What? Changbai Mountain is not ours anymore?

    Soon, related topics quickly climbed to the top of major media platforms and trending searches.

    Due to the neighboring country¡¯s disregard for decorum, uncorking champagne in a vacuum, the spokesperson for the Privy Council of Lu Country had to immediately come out to clarify, announcing that the Mysterious Realm had not been lost and was still under the control of Lu Country.

    The lifting of the ban on intelligence about Spiritual Energy Resurgence and the disclosure of information, already planned, also had to be prematurely implemented.

    ...

    Within just a few days, the internet was flooded with countless short videos, articles, and Q&A sessions, explaining to netizens ¡°what is Spiritual Energy Resurgence,¡± ¡°what is a Cultivator,¡± ¡°what is a Mysterious Realm,¡± and so on.

    However, it was of no use.

    The vast majority of citizens didn¡¯t care what Spiritual Energy Resurgence was; they were only concerned with ¡°who occupies Changbai Mountain now,¡± and innumerable voices online were close to creating an uproar.

    ¡°Sometimes I really think that people in our country are protected too well,¡± Anna sighed over the phone, ¡°Can¡¯t they think about it? In a world with magic, realizing you can¡¯t use magic, isn¡¯t that terrifying?¡±

    ¡°Ignorance is a kind of bliss,¡± Yan Yu responded nonchalantly, ¡°Right now, the country is still on the path of sticking to desperate straits, where Cultivators stick to their cultivation, and ordinary people stick to their ordinariness. The two sides are clear-cut, not interfering with each other, and the lives of most citizens are not at all affected by the Spiritual Energy Resurgence. In this context, asking them to think about ¡®relationships between immortals¡¯ is also unrealistic, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re dreaming,¡± Anna scoffed, ¡°I bet you, in less than ten years, there will be a huge upheaval in the country.¡±

    ¡°Ten years?¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°You¡¯re that optimistic?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Anna seemed puzzled, ¡°Then what do you think?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think much of it,¡± Yan Yu said offhandedly, ¡°Whether it gets better or worse, we have no choice but to adapt.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Anna said with a bitter smile and a sigh, ¡°Anyway, it can¡¯t get worse than it is here.¡±

    Though things seemed calm in Lu Country, the north was already a mess after the storm had passed.

    Take Amur City, where Anna lived, as an example. With the official forces strategically retreating to the west, the entire city was quickly divided among various Spirit Communication gangs. The Beast Gang (werewolves) made the northern part of the main urban area their hunting ground, the central market was occupied and defended by the Blood Demon Gang (vampires), and the eastern bank of the Xilinka River became territory for the witches¡¯ group¡ªAnna¡¯s aunt was a high-ranking member of the witches¡¯ group.

    In the domains ruled by the Transcendents, humans had no ¡°human rights¡± at all. Werewolves and vampires regarded humans as food and recruits, while witches and Necromancers used them as spellcasting materials¡­ But with the current degree of Spiritual Energy Resurgence, the power gap between Transcendents and humans had not yet reached an insurmountable level, so armed human organizations would often rise up, set traps, and kill Transcendents.

    Anna, due to her Transcendent abilities and with a guarantee from her aunt, had smoothly joined the witches¡¯ group and was now integrating the human forces within the territory to ensure the witches¡¯ safety.

    The so-called ¡°integration¡± meant either submitting to the witches¡¯ rule and accepting the fate of potentially becoming spellcasting materials at any time or fighting bravely and nobly dying, most likely ending up as spellcasting materials on the spot. There was no third option.

    Yan Yu sighed deeply about this.

    Of course, he utterly disliked such cruel behavior that regarded ordinary people as subhuman.

    But it has to be said, with the current societal collapse on Anna¡¯s side, where it was either kill or be killed, Yan Yu was not some Knight who couldn¡¯t stand the slightest fault; thus, without criticizing or accusing her, he simply consoled her by saying,

    ¡°Well, at least you and your dad are still alive, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯m going to get to work, so I¡¯ll stop chatting.¡±

    ¡°Wait, wait, wait!¡± Anna hurriedly spoke up, seeing that he was about to hang up, ¡°Can we talk a bit more? I bought this international calling package, and I get 30 minutes of free outgoing call time each week, I can¡¯t waste it.¡±

    ¡°Why did you buy an international package?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very expensive to pay by the minute!¡±

    ¡°If you know it¡¯s expensive, then don¡¯t call for such long periods of time!¡±

    ¡°Are you getting tired of me now?¡± Anna immediately became annoyed, ¡°I was sending you messages before, and you said you couldn¡¯t keep up with them, and that it¡¯s better to call!¡±

    ¡°If the genders were reversed, do you know what your behavior would be called?¡± Yan Yu spoke gravely, schooling her, ¡°You¡¯re being a ¡®lick dog,¡¯ you know?¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m a lick dog, I¡¯ll bite you to death,¡± Anna said indignantly, ¡°I¡¯m hanging up!¡±

    She hung up the phone first, and Yan Yu breathed a sigh of relief on the other end.

    To continue the relationship, her calling him frequently for long chats was really too clingy for his liking, and it was a bit too much for him to cope with; but if he kept his distance? He feared she would cut off contact altogether, and his early investment of time and energy would all be in vain.

    Trapped by the sunk cost fallacy!

    If it were a real fight, Yan Yu had a thousand ways to decisively kill the enemy; but dealing with interpersonal relationships, maintaining a connection without letting it cool off too much or overheating it to the point it becomes corrupted¡­ Although Yan Yu had lived through two lifetimes, he was not skilled in these matters. After much deliberation, he decided he had to ¡°treat others with sincerity,¡± speaking his mind openly.

    After chatting with Anna, Yan Yu stepped out of his room and saw Su Yunjin leaning against the second-floor railing, staring blankly at the large living room on the first floor.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Yan Yu joined her, looking down into the living room, which was empty.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Su Yunjin said silently for a moment before sighing and then asking, ¡°Captain, you¡¯re pretty free these days, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s gaze sharpens instantly: What, are you mocking me?

    ¡°If you want to train more, just say it straight, no need to hint around like this. I would definitely arrange that for you.¡±

    However, Su Yunjin was completely unaware that she had just skirted the edge of disaster, and her next words smoothed over the danger: S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°If you¡¯re free, would you walk with me?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Yan Yu checked the time, ¡°Where to?¡±

    ¡°Just around the neighborhood.¡± Su Yunjin released the railing and smiled softly, ¡°The captain is a very busy person, I won¡¯t keep you for too long.¡±

    The two left the villa and walked along the streets of the neighborhood.

    It was getting late, and the temperature wasn¡¯t too hot anymore. They could see the rosy clouds of a sunset, spreading their brilliant and stunning colors across the horizon.

    Su Yunjin took out her phone and snapped a few photos of the sunset. Seeing her in good spirits, Yan Yu asked:

    ¡°It¡¯s about time for dinner, shall we go eat?¡±

    ¡°The captain is always thinking about food,¡± Su Yunjin chuckled.

    ¡°One always has to eat,¡± Yan Yu replied calmly, ¡°If it coincides with a social activity, it saves time.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Su Yunjin nodded, ¡°But I¡¯m not hungry yet. How about we go get some milk tea instead?¡±

    ¡°That works.¡± His strategy of suggesting a meal was deftly countered by her, and as Yan Yu lacked a backup plan, he simply went with the flow.

    The two headed to a milk tea shop across the street. Su Yunjin glanced at the menu and told the staff:

    ¡°A medium-sized Jasmine Guanyin, no ice, less sugar. Captain, what would you like?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t order anything.¡± Yan Yu thought that drinking milk tea now would ruin his appetite as they were going to have dinner soon.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Su Yunjin nodded, ¡°Then you can have some of mine later.¡±

    That might work¡­ huh?

    Yan Yu: ???

    ¡°Sharing one drink between two people,¡± he said slowly, ¡°is that really okay, Yun Jin?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s not quite proper.¡± Su Yunjin nodded without changing her expression, ¡°So what would the captain like to drink?¡±

    It was a feint¡­ no, a counterattack?

    Yan Yu subconsciously felt he couldn¡¯t quite grasp this girl¡¯s thoughts. If it were in combat, facing an unpredictable enemy, one could adopt a cautious tactic of reacting with stillness to avoid falling into a trap laid by the opponent.

    As it¡¯s well-known that combat experience could be applied to other areas, Yan Yu simply said with composure:

    ¡°Then do you have any recommendations?¡±

    ¡°Not really,¡± Su Yunjin smiled faintly.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll have the same as you,¡± said Yan Yu.

    ¡°I prefer lighter flavors,¡± Su Yunjin reminded him, ¡°The captain might want to choose less sugar.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, whatever I drink doesn¡¯t really matter,¡± Yan Yu waved it off.

    Perhaps she had read too many romance novels, a line suddenly popped into Su Yunjin¡¯s head:

    ¡°Next to you, even the bitterest tea tastes sweeter than honey.¡±

    Her lips parted slightly, her mind a whirl of subtle tumult and complexity, but then she heard Yan Yu ask:

    ¡°So what¡¯s really bothering you?¡±

    Su Yunjin: ¡­¡­¡­

    Well, there goes the mood.

    I knew I shouldn¡¯t get my hopes up about the captain.

    ¡°Alright,¡± she sighed deeply, ¡°It¡¯s actually about some family matters.¡±

    ¡°Since it¡¯s a personal issue, I won¡¯t pry,¡± Yan Yu immediately showed tact and stopped pressing, ¡°I believe you can handle it.¡±

    Su Yunjin maintained her composure and continued:

    ¡°Yeah, but it might affect my performance and mood during training afterward.¡±

    ¡°¡­Thinking about it, as the captain, I can¡¯t ignore any negative factors that affect the mental health of my team members.¡± Yan Yu smoothly changed his approach, casually taking the milk tea from the staff, ¡°Let¡¯s go over there and talk in detail.¡±

 Chapter 148 - 48 Secretary Su Excels at Turning the Tables

    Chapter 148: Chapter 48 Secretary Su Excels at Turning the Tables

    Su Yunjin¡¯s family situation was not complicated, and Yan Yu had already understood this from their last conversation.

    Both her parents were university professors, intellectuals, so they didn¡¯t have the common expectations like ¡°you need to be successful,¡± ¡°you need to make a lot of money,¡± or ¡°you need to marry into a good family.¡± They simply wished for her to live a safe and happy life.

    But the problem was that being a Cultivator was obviously not a profession associated with ¡°safety.¡±

    When the resurgence of Spiritual Energy was still under information control, Su Yunjin could find excuses to soothe her family. However, now that the war was being widely promoted, Mr. and Mrs. Su became anxious again.

    Our daughter is also a Cultivator! What if she is sent to the front line during a war with another country? What if she gets injured? And what if, by any chance¡­

    Realizing it was no longer a peaceful era, Mr. Su finally got restless and began to use his connections to inquire if his daughter could be discharged.

    ...

    After asking around, they found some leader from the military who told Mr. and Mrs. Su that not all Cultivators were warriors; there were also civilian scientific researchers who didn¡¯t need to go to the battlefield¡ªalthough in the military system, Cultivators formed their separate branch, not subject to external arrangements, and she could only apply by herself.

    So the order from home came: Yun Jin, talk to your leader immediately, you must apply for a transfer to a civilian scientific research position!

    Hearing Su Yunjin put it this way, Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but be amused.

    The leader that Mr. and Mrs. Su had found was definitely not a high-ranking military leader, so it was normal for them to not have a clear understanding of the situation.

    Lu Country initially trained military Cultivators, requiring at least five years of service and ensuring they were loyal soldiers with the right ideological awareness. They later found this group lacked potential due to advanced age and deteriorating root bones, which is why they began to recruit college students of the appropriate age as combat Cultivators¡­ But scientific research didn¡¯t have these age issues, so for security reasons, selections remained strict and internal to the military.

    In plain terms, it meant that superiors selected you, and you had no room to apply.

    This was something that, even if she asked Chen Lingyun or Li Weiguo for help, was utterly impossible. Scientific research Cultivators weren¡¯t in short supply; it was the powerful combat Cultivators who were scarce¡ªespecially those who could join the battle teams, whom the military cherished like treasures. That they would shower you with millions in cash after conquering a Mysterious Realm already said a lot.

    So, if you say you want to transfer to a civilian job, would those leaders let you go? Only if they had water in their brains.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell your parents about the bonus?¡± Yan Yu suggested.

    ¡°I did,¡± Su Yunjin replied with a sigh.

    ¡°What did they say?¡± asked Yan Yu.

    ¡°My mom said it was blood money,¡± Su Yunjin said, her expression darkening.

    Yan Yu: ¡­

    Mrs. Su was quite astute, hitting the nail on the head.

    Though it was blood money, it was no small sum. Could an ordinary person earn eight million in a lifetime? If the position were open to public recruitment, wouldn¡¯t the line of applicants stretch from Pingjing to Lin¡¯an, filling the banks of the Grand Canal?

    But the problem was that Su Yunjin¡¯s family didn¡¯t care about money. Her scholarly parents considered wealth trivial, which made things difficult.

    ¡°If your parents don¡¯t care about money, what do they care about?¡± Yan Yu asked again.

    ¡°They hope I can live safely and happily,¡± Su Yunjin said helplessly.

    Okay, that was an unsolvable issue.

    Combat Cultivators were meant to be on the frontline of the battlefield, which could never align with the traditional parent¡¯s definition of ¡°safety.¡±

    Turning the cup in his hand and having drunk most of his milk tea, Yan Yu finally came up with a bad idea:

    ¡°How about I find some people to pretend to be rogue Cultivators attacking your home, and then you just happen to be there to save your parents? This way, you can tell them that Lu Country is destined to be rife with crises and war in the future, and you can only survive by becoming stronger¡­¡±

    ¡°Captain,¡± Su Yunjin responded calmly.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Be normal.¡±

    ¡°¡­Alright.¡±

    Seeing that Yan Yu had run out of ideas, Su Yunjin showed a faint smile and softly said:

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Captain. I¡¯ll convince them.¡±

    ¡°How do you plan to convince them?¡± Yan Yu asked, frowning.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s my personal affair,¡± Su Yunjin said with a slight smile, ¡°Do you really want to know, Captain?¡±

    ¡°No, not really,¡± Yan Yu stood up, nodding, ¡°Alright then, resolve this issue quickly, don¡¯t let it affect your performance later.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Su Yunjin also stood up, ¡°Shall we go back?¡±

    ¡°Not going back yet,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Do you want to accompany me for a bit longer?¡± Su Yunjin asked, surprised.

    Hold on, is the Captain finally getting a clue?

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu said firmly, ¡°It¡¯s time for dinner, let¡¯s eat.¡±

    Su Yunjin: ¡­

    I¡¯m an idiot.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Normally, everyone¡¯s daily schedule consisted of tactical studies in the morning and practical training in the afternoon.

    At dinner time, it was convenient to eat at the school cafeteria, though occasionally they would go out to a restaurant as a group.

    But today, having just flown back from Taining Province, Yan Yu had given everyone the day off, so there was no group dinner planned, and everyone was free to manage their own time.

    As for dinner, it was, of course, up to each individual to sort out.

    ¡°What does the captain feel like eating?¡± Su Yunjin asked casually as she strolled along the street with Yan Yu.

    ¡°Anything.¡± Yan Yu answered.

    ¡°Let me check.¡± Su Yunjin pulled out her phone and searched, ¡°There are quite a few places called ¡®Anything.¡¯ Which one is it specifically?¡±

    ¡°¡­You decide.¡± Yan Yu raised his hand in surrender.

    Although she was not as domineering as Chen Lingyun, she was definitely not a simple girl who could be easily taken advantage of, like who and who and who.

    ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s kind of hard to decide.¡± Su Yunjin swiped through her phone, ¡°What does the captain think about barbecue?¡±

    ¡°You want to eat barbecue?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m okay with that.¡± Su Yunjin stared at her phone screen, ¡°But I remember last time the captain wanted to eat barbecue, and then because Sister Zhao wanted beef hotpot, you didn¡¯t get to eat it, right?¡±

    ¡°You remember that?¡± Yan Yu was quite surprised. After all, that was just a minor incident at the time, and he had already forgotten about it.

    ¡°I have a good memory.¡± Su Yunjin replied, handing the phone to Yan Yu, ¡°How about this barbecue set meal for two? The price is okay, and if we use a firm¡¯s credit card, we can get thirty off.¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t have a credit card.¡± Yan Yu said, scratching his head.

    ¡°I do.¡± Su Yunjin said, ¡°I can pay.¡±

    ¡°That would be really embarrassing for me, let me treat you.¡± Yan Yu shook his head.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Su Yunjin pressed a few buttons on her phone, smiling, ¡°I¡¯ve already bought the coupon.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me.¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°I know that coupon can be refunded if unused.¡±

    ¡°Huh? I didn¡¯t expect the captain to have that kind of common knowledge.¡± Su Yunjin said with surprise.

    ¡°Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about me¡­¡± Yan Yu was suddenly baffled.

    In his past life, Su Yunjin, as he recalled, was not this scheming! She was supposed to be a smart and composed secretary-type character, so what¡¯s going on?

    Yes, it must be Chen Lingyun¡¯s fault. Since she couldn¡¯t become the captain this time, she went all out to corrupt Su Yunjin, turning a perfectly good literary girl dark.

    Without a hint of his thoughts showing, Yan Yu discreetly took out his phone and private messaged Chen Lingyun.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Just go ahead and be unscrupulous!

    About ten seconds later, the reply came leisurely.

    [Chen Lingyun]: ?

    Yan Yu ruthlessly blocked her, feeling a bubble of frustration in his chest finally relieved, and his mood improved considerably.

    When they arrived at the restaurant and sat down, and the waiter brought over the grill and served all the dishes included in the set meal, Su Yunjin then took out her phone and started to take pictures of the plates.

    Seeing her continue to type after taking the photos, Yan Yu asked curiously: S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Writing in your diary?¡±

    ¡°Just recording some meaningful daily occurrences,¡± Su Yunjin replied.

    ¡°Like eating?¡±

    ¡°Like eating with the captain.¡±

    Yan Yu instantly became wary and dropped the subject, simply focusing on grilling the meat.

    Su Yunjin quietly watched him and suddenly said:

    ¡°I thought the captain would say ¡®you¡¯re not worthy.¡¯

    ¡°Uh, it¡¯s just a meal.¡± Yan Yu said, his face showing embarrassment, and he chuckled, ¡°I¡¯m not overthinking just a meal, am I?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Su Yunjin said calmly, casually picking up her chopsticks to help with the grilling.

    Her right hand held the chopsticks lightly, spreading the marinated meat slices on the grill, her movements steady and unhurried. Her left hand slowly rolled up the sleeve of her right arm, revealing a fair and flawless forearm that, under the light, gleamed like fine jade¡ªnow, to make it easier for influencers to take pictures and check in, restaurants like to set their lights low and bright, to beautify the food on the table as much as possible.

    And the girl across the table.

    Thanks to the bright light, Yan Yu could clearly see Su Yunjin¡¯s face, plain and unadorned, but without a single flaw. Her eyelids were lowered, her long lashes quivering like dragonfly wings, and underneath were eyes clear as autumn waters, stirring ripples with each glance, all the delicate tenderness characteristic of Jiangnan women.

    Of course, he might be imagining too much¡­ Yan Yu took a sip of lemonade without showing his thoughts, leisurely watching as Su Yunjin finished grilling the meat, then evenly divided it onto both their plates, saying:

    ¡°We can eat now.¡±

    ¡°You have some nice skills, Yun Jin.¡±

    ¡°Barbecue doesn¡¯t require much skill, just wait for the meat to change color,¡± she replied.

    ¡°Yeah, I was just looking for a reason to compliment you.¡±

    Yan Yu ate most of the grilled meat on his plate but noticed that Su Yunjin hadn¡¯t touched her chopsticks.

    She kept staring at him.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°I find watching the captain eat more interesting than eating myself,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile, her demeanor incredibly gentle and soft, truly not an illusion of his imagination.

    But was she teasing him? Yan Yu racked his brains for a long time and couldn¡¯t come up with an answer. Just as he was about to ask again, he suddenly heard a surprised female voice from outside:

    ¡°Oh my, isn¡¯t that Yun Jin?¡±

 Chapter 149 - 49 Secretary Su Anxiously Waits

    Chapter 149: Chapter 49 Secretary Su Anxiously Waits

    ¡°`

    Neither of them had expected to encounter Su Yunjin¡¯s high school classmates here.

    But upon further thought, Su Yunjin was after all from Gusu Prefecture, and most of her high school classmates were also natives of Gusu. It was quite normal for them to come to Jinling Prefecture for some fun during the summer vacation.

    It was dinnertime, and her two classmates were waiting in line outside for a table. When they saw Su Yunjin sitting near the window, they immediately ran in to greet her.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we share a table?¡± one of the girls suggested. ¡°There are still thirty people ahead of us!¡±

    ¡°Qianqian!¡± the other girl quickly tugged at her arm.

    ...

    You really have no sense of situation! Yun Jin is having dinner with her boyfriend, why would we go and be the third wheel?

    ¡°Sure,¡± Yan Yu offered, standing up to take a seat next to Su Yunjin.

    The two girls hesitated for a moment, then sat down opposite them¡ªafter all, Yan Yu had given up his seat, and it wouldn¡¯t be right to continue waiting in line for thirty more tables. Who knew how long that would take?

    The atmosphere was a bit awkward at first, but it seemed like they got along well with Su Yunjin, and they soon started chattering away:

    ¡°Yun Jin, I heard you went to a military school?¡±

    ¡°Is it that ¡®Cultivator¡¯ thing people are talking about online?¡±

    ¡°Can you cast spells? Do you have a Flying Sword?¡±

    ¡°Is this guy next to you your boyfriend?¡±

    ¡°Wow, Yun Jin has a boyfriend! Let me tell you, at least three guys in our class will surely cry themselves to death¡­¡±

    Even the usually placid and composed Su Yunjin couldn¡¯t fend off the relentless questioning from these two gossip enthusiasts, and she hurriedly tried to explain:

    ¡°No, no, the captain is¡­ a university classmate, okay? Please don¡¯t jump to conclusions.¡±

    ¡°Oh, a university classmate¡ª¡± both girls said in unison, dragging out the words before looking at each other knowingly, then bursting into giggles.

    Su Yunjin blushed furiously and couldn¡¯t help but turn and glare at Yan Yu.

    Even though Yan Yu had lived twice as a person, this was the first time seeing Secretary Su show such a charmingly embarrassed expression. If there weren¡¯t other people around, he really should have taken a picture with his phone to keep as a souvenir.

    He gloated and continued drinking water, only for the two girls to suddenly shift their attention to him and start striking up a conversation:

    ¡°What¡¯s the captain¡¯s name?¡±

    ¡°No need for formalities, surname Yan, as in the bird swallow,¡± Yan Yu replied calmly.

    ¡°And your first name? Is it inconvenient to tell us?¡±

    ¡°Qianqian, stop asking, Yun Jin is still here¡­ right, Yun Jin?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®right¡¯?!¡± Su Yunjin was flustered and said fiercely, ¡°If you keep spouting nonsense, I¡¯m going to kick you out!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll stop, we¡¯ll stop,¡± the two girls hastily begged for mercy.

    After a casual chat for a while, Yan Yu got to know that one of the classmates was named Qianqian and the other Ya Ting.

    As for their full names, he didn¡¯t ask. After all, they were Su Yunjin¡¯s high school classmates, and it wasn¡¯t necessary to pry too much.

    Indeed, the two were vacationing in Jinling with no fixed itinerary, mainly enjoying the trip as fate allowed. Running into Su Yunjin was purely coincidental, and running into her with Yan Yu¡­ that was an unexpected joy, a perfect opportunity for a thorough chat.

    ¡°Captain Yan, where are you from?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m from Xin¡¯an Prefecture.¡±

    ¡°Oh, then it will be convenient for you to settle down in Gusu after graduating, right?¡±

    ¡°Ya Ting,¡± Su Yunjin narrowed her eyes, ¡°your meat is ready, eat more.¡±

    Ya Ting picked up a piece of meat with her chopsticks but didn¡¯t rush to eat it. Instead, she smiled and said:

    ¡°Yun Jin, if Captain Yan isn¡¯t your boyfriend, it¡¯s fine for me to get to know him, right?¡±

    Su Yunjin was at a loss for words, because objecting would undoubtedly lead to them claiming she was jealous. But not stopping them¡ªgiven the captain¡¯s unreliable nature, who knew what shocking things he might say, and then it would be even more difficult to clear up the misunderstanding.

    Maybe it¡¯s time to make a run for it?

    She began to seriously consider the possibility of grabbing Yan Yu and making a dash for it. Although doing so would certainly prompt talk of elopement or something of the sort, the extended discomfort didn¡¯t seem worth the risk of staying put with the captain¡­ She then heard Qianqian curiously asking:

    ¡°Captain Yan, do you have a girlfriend?¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    ¡°Then does Yun Jin have a boyfriend?¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°Why do you ask him?¡± Su Yunjin said irritably, ¡°Why not ask me directly?¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin definitely doesn¡¯t have a boyfriend.¡± Ya Ting said with a laugh, ¡°Yun Jin¡¯s standards are really high, remember the summer of our junior year? That tall, rich and handsome guy from class ten¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, I remember!¡± Qianqian exclaimed, ¡°999 champagne roses!¡±

    ¡°Stop talking about it, that guy was crazy,¡± Su Yunjin sighed.

    ¡°Who was the tall, rich and handsome guy?¡± Yan Yu asked, interested.

    ¡°A really wealthy guy from the class next door, his family is in business,¡± Ya Ting explained, ¡°He¡¯s quite tall, over one meter eighty, fairly good-looking, but dresses very well.¡±

    ¡°On the last day before the summer holidays, he confessed to Yun Jin. He parked his convertible at the school gate, wanting to take Yun Jin to the fishing village for fun. He had 999 roses in the car, the backseat was full of them, it looked super beautiful.¡±

    ¡°Then Yun Jin went straight to the disciplinarian.¡± Qianqian giggled again, ¡°The tall, rich and handsome guy saw the teacher coming and hurriedly sped off¡­ We all died laughing at the time.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t make me remember that,¡± Su Yunjin said with a downcast expression, explaining to Yan Yu, ¡°I didn¡¯t know that guy, we had never spoken, then suddenly on the last day of finals he comes with his car to confess, I thought he was a lunatic.¡±

    ¡°But he sent you a love letter, you know,¡± Qianqian reminded her.

    ¡°Really?¡± Su Yunjin asked in surprise.

    ¡°Stop it, Qianqian, Yun Jin gets love letters all the time, she never reads them,¡± Ya Ting intervened, ¡°Only Old Bao would read them.¡±

    ¡°And who is Old Bao?¡± Yan Yu asked curiously.

    ¡°Our Chinese language teacher,¡± Ya Ting replied, ¡°Yun Jin was the Chinese class rep, and she would always receive love letters from other classes, she¡¯d never open them, she just threw them directly into the trash. One time, a love letter got mixed in with the Chinese homework she collected, and she didn¡¯t notice, just handed it straight to Old Bao.¡±

    ¡°Then when Old Bao was marking homework, he found it, opened it and read it aloud, and even graded it like it was an essay.¡± Qianqian, too, laughed uncontrollably, ¡°Afterward, he called that guy from class one to the office, and made him rewrite it¡­ Hahaha, it killed me!¡±

    The two girls laughed until they were falling over, Yan Yu also couldn¡¯t help but snicker, looking at Su Yunjin with a changed expression:

    Very good, very good, so you¡¯re this kind of scheming girl, it¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t discover it in my past life!

    Su Yunjin was greatly embarrassed and quickly tried to clarify to Yan Yu:

    ¡°It was just an accident. I wasn¡¯t at my seat, so I had them put the Chinese homework on my desk, and that guy from class one happened to ask our classmate to pass on the love letter, they just dumped it into the pile of homework on my desk, and later other students put more homework on top, so it got mixed in¡­ I had no clue.¡±

    ¡°I understand, it¡¯s not that bad,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°At least you didn¡¯t call him out to lecture him.¡±

    Su Yunjin finally couldn¡¯t hold back her laughter and turned away to suppress it. The two girls were a bit confused, but they didn¡¯t care too much; instead, they exchanged a knowing look and then teased Yan Yu:

    ¡°So Captain Yan, you need to be careful, Yun Jin is really not easy to chase, the fact that she¡¯s willing to eat with you alone is already a huge victory¡­¡±

    ¡°Enough!¡± Su Yunjin, embarrassed and angry, decided to use a ¡®hurt each other¡¯ tactic, ¡°You think you don¡¯t have any weaknesses, huh? Qianqian, you have been secretly dating Yang Jian, you think I don¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°What!¡± Now it was Ya Ting¡¯s turn to be surprised, ¡°Qianqian, you never told me!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve already broken up, broken up!¡± Qianqian quickly explained, ¡°We split up after the college entrance exam, he went to Xin¡¯an Prefecture for university, we¡¯re not in contact now.¡±

    ¡°And Ya Ting.¡± Su Yunjin said coldly, ¡°How long has Yu Jun been chasing you? You¡¯ve been together in private, thinking I didn¡¯t notice?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, then you¡¯re mistaken,¡± Ya Ting chuckled triumphantly, ¡°Actually, Yu Jun has had a crush on you for a long time, he came to me for advice on how to get your attention.¡±

    ¡°Liar, I don¡¯t believe you,¡± Su Yunjin said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t believe me? I¡¯ll ask him right in front of you¡­¡± Ya Ting pretended to reach for her phone but was quickly grabbed by Su Yunjin.

    She absolutely couldn¡¯t let the whole class find out about her thing with the captain!

    At this point, it¡¯s better to just eat.

    She morosely took the grilled meat from the net and evenly distributed it to everyone¡¯s plates, causing Ya Ting and Qianqian to be somewhat flattered. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The crowd started eating meat, and the situation finally calmed down, but she herself had lost her appetite and just kept her head down, continuously typing.

    Just when Yan Yu had finished off a piece of beef tongue, he saw his phone light up.

    [Yun Jin]: Captain, why did you agree to let them join our table? You don¡¯t even know them and have no idea what kind of people they are, and now look what¡¯s happened, you satisfied now?

    Rarely seeing Secretary Su in a hurry, Yan Yu was delighted and started typing a reply to her message.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I think you seem to get along quite well, sharing a table is fine. By the way, were you the class beauty or the school beauty in high school? How many boys chased after you? That¡¯s so scary, they¡¯re not going to kill me, are they?

    [Yun Jin]: I¡¯ll kill you/knife/knife/knife/knife/knife/knife/knife/knife

    The moment a series of bloodied knife emojis came through, Yan Yu felt someone stomping hard on his left foot.

    Looking up again, he saw Su Yunjin calmly eating her grilled meat, as if nothing had happened.

 Chapter 150 - 50: Secretary Su Is Toyed With in the Palm of Their Hand

    Chapter 150: Chapter 50: Secretary Su Is Toyed With in the Palm of Their Hand

    After parting ways with her high school classmates, on the way back to the villa, Su Yunjin didn¡¯t say a word to Yan Yu. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Are you angry?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    Su Yunjin didn¡¯t reply, simply walking ahead quickly by herself.

    ¡°Are you angry?¡± Yan Yu quickly walked to her side and asked again with a smile.

    Su Yunjin hastened her steps, leaving him behind.

    After walking for a few minutes and realizing there was no one talking beside her, she couldn¡¯t help but turn her head to look, only to see Yan Yu following leisurely, five or six steps behind her.

    ...

    ¡°It seems you are indeed angry.¡± Yan Yu said calmly, ¡°It was my fault for agreeing to share the table with them without asking, but they didn¡¯t mention any of your dark history, did they? Their words were all about how popular you were in high school, right?¡±

    ¡°Does the captain think being excessively popular in school is something to be proud of?¡± Su Yunjin stopped, turned around, and said.

    Her face no longer held its usual calm but was serious with a hint of displeasure as she earnestly spoke:

    ¡°Finding love letters stuffed into your desk every other day, constantly being approached by unfamiliar classmates with inexplicable confessions, and even occasionally having teachers joking about it, can you understand how annoying that is?¡±

    ¡°I cannot understand.¡± Yan Yu answered without hesitation, ¡°Because I was not the school belle in high school.¡±

    ¡°Neither was I!¡± Su Yunjin said, annoyed, ¡°And I really, truly dislike it when boys I don¡¯t even know write me extremely cheesy messages solely because they think I¡¯m pretty, or corner me by the classroom door to spout a bunch of silly words that make me want to run away from embarrassment!¡±

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not just about looking good on the outside.¡± Yan Yu corrected her with a smile, ¡°Your temperament is gentle and elegant; you¡¯re naturally a type many men like. Your family background is good too, and I guess your high school academic performance was not bad either, considering you got into Gusu University, which is a top-tier 211 institution. All things considered, it¡¯s only natural for you to have had many suitors at school.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Captain¡­ but that¡¯s not what I meant.¡± The frustration finally faded from Su Yunjin¡¯s face, replaced by a mix of helplessness and a wry smile, ¡°I hope to be like Ling Yun, to attract people with a strong personal charm, rather than having everyone focus solely on her pretty face.¡±

    So this was why Su Yunjin in her past life was willing to become Chen Lingyun¡¯s secretary.

    Troubled by too many suitors in high school and unsure how to change the situation, she was immediately attracted to Chen Lingyun¡¯s powerful charisma upon their first meeting¡ªafter all, Chen Lingyun was the one who could disgust all her admirers (yes, including me) so they would leave her alone, earning the sarcastic title of ¡°Princess Jiang Hai,¡± a symbol of an independent woman of the new era. It was natural for Su Yunjin, whose personality was traditionally reserved, to subconsciously admire and yearn for that.

    But seriously, come on. You can learn from anyone else, just not her, I beg you, okay?

    Lights dawned on Yan Yu, and then he adopted an extremely grave expression, looking at Su Yunjin seriously as he said:

    ¡°Promise me, Yun Jin¡­ don¡¯t try to emulate Chen Lingyun, okay?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Uh!¡± Caught off guard by his sudden seriousness, Su Yunjin looked somewhat flustered, displaying a slightly panicked yet adorable expression.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to imitate anyone else.¡± Yan Yu said earnestly, his gaze piercing as he looked into her eyes, as if to see right into her soul, his tone strong and resolute, ¡°You need to relentlessly be yourself, that is my demand of you as the team captain. I want to see a mature and independent Su Yunjin with her own mind, not an echo who mimics the vice-captain¡¯s every move. Believe in the strength of your inner character, which is as compelling as your outer beauty.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Su Yunjin grew increasingly flustered, murmuring subconsciously, ¡°I understand. Captain, I will work hard.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Yan Yu nodded with satisfaction.

    I see, so that¡¯s why the past Secretary Su hung on Princess Jiang Hai¡¯s every word¡ªit all stemmed from this issue.

    Ha-ha, watch me cut the red string binding you two! Chen Lingyun, how do you feel about that now?

    Yan Yu walked ahead, filled with a sense of achievement, while Su Yunjin followed him, feeling a subtle warmth on her cheeks.

    In fact, just as she had said earlier, the more people affirmed her outer beauty, the more it seemed to her like a negation of her inner appeal.

    Su Yunjin did not mind being praised for being beautiful; she just didn¡¯t like to be viewed as having nothing beyond ¡°beauty,¡± which was a strong and deeply rooted obsession in the heart of a girl who loved literature.

    ¡­And that¡¯s why I refuse to follow my parents¡¯ wishes to leave the team to find a place that will recognize my inner worth.

    But, Captain, the lines you just said made me cringe too. Aside from in games and novels, there can¡¯t be anyone who would really be won over by those seemingly heart-warming words!

    ¡°Captain.¡± Su Yunjin called softly.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Yan Yu turned around upon hearing her and saw Su Yunjin¡¯s exquisite and pure face enveloped in an area untouched by the streetlight, her features shadowy and indistinct.

    Only her eyes shone brightly, like the dazzling stars in the sky, captivating and beautiful.

    ¡°I will work hard,¡± she said deliberately, ¡°I won¡¯t let you down.¡±

    Yan Yu was silent for a while, then replied:

    ¡°You¡¯d better.¡±

    ¡°Captain.¡± Su Yunjin took a few steps forward, returning to the light of the streetlamp.

    She leaned in towards Yan Yu with a brilliantly fake smile on her face:

    ¡°Would it kill you not to ruin the mood?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a person who considers actions,¡± Yan Yu stepped back half a step, keeping his distance, ¡°not the mood, nor do I trust promises. Your words alone are useless; you need to prove it to me in person.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile.

    She turned and walked back towards the villa, with Yan Yu quickly following behind her and then suddenly asking,

    ¡°Are you mad again?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Su Yunjin replied.

    A moment passed.

    ¡°You are mad, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Why does the captain think I would be mad?¡±

    ¡°Because I ruined the moment, interrupting your self-indulgence?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Su Yunjin¡¯s smile grew even brighter, ¡°After all, I¡¯ve long since known what kind of ¡®goods¡¯ the captain is, so I¡¯m not mad about it.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu pondered, then asked, ¡°But the term ¡®goods¡¯ is supposed to have a derogatory connotation when used to describe a person, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°In our Gusu banter, calling someone ¡®goods¡¯ means complimenting their character,¡± Su Yunjin said with smiling eyes, ¡°Like calling you a ¡®dumb good,¡¯ ¡®nuisance good,¡¯ ¡®settled good,¡¯ ¡®total package good,¡¯ all of these are common terms of praise.¡±

    ¡°Fine, but Yun Jin¡­¡± Yan Yu reminded her, ¡°Your fake smile right now looks a lot like Chen Lingyun¡¯s, you know?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Su Yunjin denied with a laugh.

    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m not imitating Ling Yun.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s a normal smile?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an expression I genuinely want to show the captain.¡±

    ¡°Could you tone it down? It¡¯s a bit scary to look at.¡±

    ¡°I cannot.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°Because the captain said I should be myself.¡±

    ¡°My words aren¡¯t golden rules, you don¡¯t have to take them as absolutes,¡± Yan Yu tried to communicate with her, ¡°And your sarcasm is making me uncomfortable, we¡¯re not strangers after all. Can we just speak plainly?¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Su Yunjin stopped walking, dropped the fake smile from her face, and turned expressionless, ¡°Captain.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Yan Yu also stopped.

    ¡°Feel like rolling into a gutter?¡±

    ¡°Wait! Why are you suddenly so unfriendly, and why say that out of the blue?¡±

    ¡°Then let me phrase it differently: Captain, would you like to review the progress of my Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art?¡±

    ¡°You changed the phrasing, but the result still dives into a gutter!¡± Yan Yu tried to suppress his urge to retort, raised his hands in a conceding gesture, ¡°Okay, I admit that I disrupted the atmosphere just now and made you unhappy. I¡¯m very sorry, Yun Jin.¡±

    ¡°I know why the captain wanted to disrupt the mood,¡± Su Yunjin said calmly after a moment of silence, ¡°That¡¯s why I particularly dislike you right now. Sorry, Captain.¡±

    ¡°Alright, since we¡¯ve both apologized,¡± Yan Yu resumed smiling and said emphatically, clapping his hands together, ¡°let¡¯s forgive each other and get back on good terms.¡±

    No sooner had he spoken than he felt a heavy pressure on his foot¡ªSu Yunjin, having finally broken through his defenses, couldn¡¯t help but step on his shoe.

    Unfortunately, she was too light to cause any pain, even without casting a Barrier Charm to endure it.

    Seeing her still trying hard to twist her heel, Yan Yu had no choice but to go along and exaggerate a few cries of pain, saying,

    ¡°Ouch, that really hurts. Please go easy on my feet, Yun Jin, I¡¯m going to break a bone.¡±

    But Su Yunjin didn¡¯t fall for it, knowing from his melodramatic performance that her stepping on him had no real effect, so she reluctantly withdrew her foot.

    ¡°So, have you calmed down now?¡± Yan Yu brushed the dust off his shoe, asking leisurely, ¡°Does this mean we are reconciled?¡±

    ¡°Why does the captain care whether I¡¯m mad or not?¡± Su Yunjin, running out of energy to sulk, sighed in frustration, ¡°After all, I¡¯m not a match for the captain, am I?¡±

    ¡°What kind of nonsense is that?¡± Yan Yu looked baffled and laughed, ¡°Of course, I care about you, Yun Jin.¡±

    ¡°After all, you are our team¡¯s main force.¡±

 Chapter 151 - 51 Ah, Im going to have fun

    Chapter 151: Chapter 51 Ah, I¡¯m going to have fun

    When history¡¯s wheel reaches a turning point, the vast majority of passengers are unaware.

    On August 27, the ¡°Directive Opinions on the Era of Spiritual Energy Resurgence by Wenyuan Pavilion¡± was officially issued to the six departments of the External Court for implementation. This meant that Lu Country had finally ended the secrecy control phase and formally acknowledged the fact of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence to all sectors of society. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The good times have arrived, spicy!

    This news briefly surged to the top of the hot search lists on all major platforms, only to quickly slide down, replaced by another more explosive hot search:

    What to do with only four days left of summer vacation.

    ¡°Brother!¡± Yan Yu had just picked up the phone call from his sister when Yan Jing¡¯s wailing voice came through, ¡°Summer vacation is ending! I don¡¯t want to go to school, what should I do¡­¡±

    ...

    ¡°What you do at school is none of my business.¡± Yan Yu comforted his sister, ¡°Have you finished your summer homework?¡±

    A sharp intake of breath came from the other side:

    ¡°Big bro, I had just managed to forget about that, can you not remind me?¡±

    ¡°My bad.¡± Yan Yu said gently, ¡°I should have reminded you on the last day of summer vacation.¡±

    ¡°Big bro, don¡¯t be inhumane!¡± Yan Jing wailed again, ¡°I don¡¯t care, I¡¯ve come to Jinling, you have to take me out to have fun for these last few days.¡±

    ¡°What are you doing in Jinling?¡± Yan Yu was immediately startled.

    ¡°Here to have fun.¡± Yan Jing declared boldly, her tone exactly the same as when he said ¡°Let¡¯s do extra training¡± to the girls.

    ¡°Did Mom and Dad agree?¡± Yan Yu quickly asked her.

    ¡°Big bro, I¡¯m sixteen years old, do I still need my parents¡¯ permission to go out?¡± Yan Jing asked him incredulously, ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯re in a feudal society where women can¡¯t leave their boudoirs. You¡¯re still clinging to these antiquated ideas; you¡¯re not going to find a girlfriend that way.¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡± Yan Yu laughed in exasperation, ¡°You¡¯re in Jinling to have fun, so where are you staying?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t know, you arrange it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not on summer vacation, how do I have time to arrange things for you?¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t have time, just give me money,¡± Yan Jing proposed sensibly, ¡°I can arrange it myself.¡±

    ¡°Get lost.¡± Yan Yu hung up the phone vehemently, then turned around to find that all the girls were watching him.

    ¡°What are you looking at me for?¡± He waved his hand impatiently, ¡°Watch the video. Ling Yun, continue with the analysis.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Chen Lingyun began to adjust the projection again.

    This morning¡¯s analysis was still of Miti¡¯s Superhero Alliance match videos.

    On Lu Country¡¯s side, the training and sparring content of cultivators was treated as military secrets; Miti, on the other hand, was the exact opposite¡ªafter all, their situation was special, mainly focused on recruiting and incorporating European Transcendents. Their entire system couldn¡¯t be secretive, so they made everything public, commercial, and entertaining, even having commentators explain the matches, keen on breaking down the superheroes¡¯ tactical systems so that audiences could appreciate the intricacies.

    ¡°¡­In any case, although Miranda won this match, I believe Bruce is actually the better one,¡± Chen Lingyun concluded, ¡°The defeat was due to the mid-game rhythm becoming chaotic.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Yan Yu affirmed her statement, ¡°Fresh troops like these, hesitant in advantage situations, and in disarray when at a disadvantage certainly lack the mental toughness. In a real fight to the death, such people are the first choice for cannon fodder. Everyone must take this as a warning.¡±

    ¡°By the way, Miranda is a Latina from Rio, while Bruce hails from Bristol in England,¡± Chen Lingyun added, ¡°According to big data, Latinos, regardless of their occupation, usually have a more aggressive fighting style, preferring to take the initiative and excel in winning games; the Europeans, on the other hand, tend to be more deceitful, especially the English wizards, who are more accustomed to cunning tactics and striking later.¡±

    ¡°Analyze specific individuals specifically,¡± Yan Yu cut her off, ¡°Big data is meaningless. Our future opponents will inevitably be the renowned great Transcendents. Don¡¯t engage in regional discrimination and stereotypes.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Chen Lingyun said cheerfully, ¡°Let¡¯s then analyze these two superheroes specifically¡­¡±

    Before she could finish, her phone rang.

    ¡°Tactical analysis session and the phone isn¡¯t on silent! Unprofessional!¡± Yan Yu scolded her sternly, ¡°Get out!¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t there someone who also answered his sister¡¯s call just now?¡± Lin Ning whispered to Su Yunjin.

    ¡°Shut up, that¡¯s my privilege as the captain!¡± Yan Yu turned his head and reprimanded her.

    ¡°Just wait for me a moment.¡± Chen Lingyun walked out while cheerfully answering the phone, deliberately pressing the speakerphone, ¡°Hello, Jing Jing?¡±

    ¡°Hello, Sister Lingyun, I have to tell you¡­¡± Yan Jing¡¯s complaining voice came through the phone.

    Yan Yu stood up without a change in his expression and said to the girls:

    ¡°I¡¯ll step out for a bit too.¡±

    He followed Chen Lingyun outside of the training ground and heard the woman say:

    ¡°Mm, okay, that¡¯s settled then.¡±

    Then she hung up the phone.

    ¡°What did my sister tell you?¡± Yan Yu asked directly, ¡°Or rather, when did you two get in touch?¡±

    ¡°Jing Jing said she wants to come to Jinling Prefecture to play for a few days.¡± Chen Lingyun said smilingly, ¡°As for when we met¡­ It should be shortly after the end of the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm venture.¡±

    ¡°That was quite a while ago!¡± Yan Yu complained helplessly, ¡°Since you two already know each other, convince her not to come to Jinling.¡±

    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Chen Lingyun feigned ignorance.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have time to look after her,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Our team¡¯s daily training schedule is packed full.¡±

    ¡°Then let her play on her own.¡± Chen Lingyun dismissed the concern, laughing, ¡°She can stay at our team¡¯s base at night. We do have plenty of rooms, don¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s just that, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± Yan Yu narrowed his eyes with suspicion, ¡°But I always feel like there¡¯s some sort of plotting going on¡­ Speaking of which, Miss Chen, why would my sister suddenly come to Jinling for no reason? And what role do you play in this?¡±

    ¡°Ah, you caught me.¡± Chen Lingyun smiled calmly, ¡°Actually, I asked your sister to steal your household registration book. Once she brings it to Jinling, we¡¯ll go to the civil affairs office to get married.¡±

    ¡°Keep dreaming.¡± Yan Yu was dismissive, seeing right through Princess Jiang Hai¡¯s bluster.

    After all, if there were such a thing as the Chen Lingyun route, the biggest obstacle to conquering this romantic line wasn¡¯t Yan Yu¡¯s own feelings for Chen Lingyun, but her family circumstances.

    Unless her father gave the nod, even if the two went to the civil affairs office to officially register, it could be nullified due to various unspeakable reasons.

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t deny it, saying, ¡°Our interests are aligned now. What could you possibly have that¡¯s worth me scheming over?¡±

    ¡°There is something.¡± Yan Yu smirked, ¡°Like arguing with me, talking back, just to find some amusement from me.¡±

    Chen Lingyun gave a noncommittal answer, changing the subject:

    ¡°The second edition of ¡®Tactics and Strategy Studies for Cultivators¡¯ is out, and it talks about the new Three Arts, namely the Soul Refining Technique, Sound Transmission Technique, and Invisibility Technique. What¡¯s your take on them?¡±

    ¡°Soul Refining Technique is of utmost importance.¡± Speaking of serious cultivation matters, Yan Yu also adopted a solemn demeanor, answering, ¡°Divine Sense is the eyes and ears of a cultivator, as well as the extension of their will, hence mastering the Soul Refining Technique is essential, just like daily Qi Refinement practice. As for Sound Transmission Technique and Invisibility Technique, it¡¯s enough to know how to use them.¡±

    ¡°Is Sound Transmission used as a communicative tool, and Invisibility because it can be detected by Divine Sense?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, ¡°Or because it consumes too much True Yuan when activated?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just that.¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°Once you¡¯re in a state of invisibility, you can¡¯t activate True Yuan at all, neither for casting spells nor controlling swords, unless you willingly cancel the invisibility¡­ You get it, right?¡±

    ¡°That means,¡± Chen Lingyun quickly surmised, ¡°only when one absolutely needs to avoid combat should they choose the Invisibility Technique.¡±

    ¡°And Divine Sense of any cultivator can easily detect it,¡± Yan Yu explained calmly, ¡°Even overall, Invisibility Technique is quite limiting. It doesn¡¯t have superior branches, and there are better alternatives, like the Wood Escape, Water Escape, and Earth Escape of the Five Elements Escape Technique. These not only conceal one¡¯s presence but also allow quick movement to places others can¡¯t reach, essentially outclassing Invisibility Technique.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a bright smile, her eyes filled with longing, ¡°Cultivation sure is interesting. With the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, all sorts of spells are emerging, always something new to discover.¡±

    ¡°Just don¡¯t repeat the mistakes of your past life.¡± Yan Yu warned her coldly, ¡°In the end, every technique comes down to who is stronger.¡±

    ¡°Even if you learn a myriad of techniques, if you can¡¯t withstand a punch from your opponent, what¡¯s the point of all your cultivation?¡±

    ¡°Uh.¡± Chen Lingyun feigned thoughtfulness, venturing a guess, ¡°For fun?¡±

    Yan Yu froze for a moment, then flew into a rage:

    ¡°I¡¯ll blast that ¡®fun¡¯ freak of yours with a punch!¡±

 Chapter 152 - 52: Yan Yuâ€™s Marvelous State Governance Technique

    Chapter 152: Chapter 52: Yan Yu¡¯s Marvelous State Governance Technique

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s intelligence always seemed to be one step ahead of the official reports.

    Before the afternoon had even arrived, Yan Yu was summoned to the headmaster¡¯s office once again.

    Li Weiguo had not returned, and waiting for him in the office was still Chen Tianming, who directly asked for Yan Yu¡¯s opinion on the new Three Arts.

    ¡°My view is that, like the Sword Control Technique, the Soul Refining Technique is of utmost importance in cultivation,¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t intend to hold anything back, and spoke frankly, ¡°As for the Sound Transmission Technique and Invisibility Technique, being able to use them is enough; there¡¯s no need for in-depth research.¡±

    This answer did not surprise Chen Tianming.

    In fact, based on the feedback from the scientific research department, the ultimate result of the Soul Refining Technique ¨C Divine Sense ¨C indeed exhibited a range of exceptional characteristics.

    ...

    It was like a radar on a cultivator¡¯s body, capable of automatically detecting suspicious targets in the vicinity, as well as providing target lock for both Sword Control and spells.

    Moreover, Divine Sense also contained certain intelligence. Researchers discovered by accident in daily life that Divine Sense could scan and mark not only high-threat targets but also other things that the cultivator¡¯s own will desired to search for¡ªfor instance, if you suddenly couldn¡¯t remember where you left your car keys at home, you scan with Divine Sense, and it would highlight them for you right in your field of vision.

    Although it had not been tested in formal combat, the unique value contained within Divine Sense meant that the Soul Refining Technique was highly likely to become a mandatory daily practice for cultivators.

    There was a consensus that the Sound Transmission Technique was a utilitarian spell, and the research department also highly praised the Invisibility Technique, which was completely at odds with Yan Yu¡¯s view that ¡°being able to use it is enough.¡±

    Chen Tianming sized up Yan Yu¡¯s expression and suddenly smiled,

    ¡°You mean, if the Soul Refining Technique is the spear, then the Invisibility Technique is the shield.¡±

    ¡°The best defense is a good offense,¡± Yan Yu said impassively, thinking to himself that this man, who indeed was someone¡¯s father, could actually guess his thoughts so accurately.

    Focusing on the Soul Refining Technique meant enhancing the ability to detect enemies; delving into the Invisibility Technique represented improving concealment abilities.

    The two underlying strategies represented ¡°focusing on offense¡± and ¡°strengthening evasion,¡± respectively.

    Powerful cultivators could treat spells as tools, using the most appropriate method for different situations, but most cultivators were not capable of this¡ªtheir tactics often depended on what cards they held in their hands.

    If they practiced the Soul Refining Technique more and developed their Divine Sense, they would tend to favor seeking out and attacking enemies on the battlefield; if they were more proficient in Invisibility Technique, they would tend toward hiding and ambushing¡ªYan Yu¡¯s attitude was clear: if forced to choose between the two, offense was definitely the priority. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Only the weak would consider hiding themselves; the strong, of course, should be out there wreaking havoc!

    ¡°Take a look at this,¡± Chen Tianming stopped discussing the matter of teaching materials and pointed at the confidential bag on the desk instead.

    The document was inside a confidential bag, sealed with a red stamp marked ¡°Top Secret,¡± but Yan Yu felt no burden about it (what storms hadn¡¯t I seen in my previous life?), he took out the document and casually flipped through it.

    It was a military intelligence brief about Tianzhu. Its information sources and description manner were very concise, even somewhat elusive, so Yan Yu quickly found the key data:

    83 times.

    The number of Transcendents in Tianzhu was reported to be 83 times that of the Rikoku Cultivators.

    Yan Yu closed the document, placed it back on the desk, and listened as Chen Tianming asked,

    ¡°What do you make of this data?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s as expected,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°The current method we use to select cultivators is through blood testing to detect the Spiritual Energy in their bloodlines, and this method has quite significant flaws.¡±

    The number of Transcendents in a country is related to the country¡¯s population base and the prevalence of mysticism. Although Rikoku has a tradition of ¡°children not speaking of monstrous strength and chaos,¡± the number of Transcendents in Tianzhu being a staggering 1:83 could no longer be explained by ¡°a long-standing tradition of materialism.¡±

    The obvious fact was that the method of testing blood to detect a Spirit Root had a serious issue with ¡°missed detection.¡±

    For example, of a hundred Rikoku people with the qualifications for cultivation, blood testing could only identify one, and the remaining ninety-nine, due to reasons of confidentiality control, would not even know that they also had the chance to become cultivators. Out of a hundred qualified people from Tianzhu, due to the government¡¯s lax management methods and the wide circulation of cultivation techniques among the populace, eighty-three of them would learn the techniques.

    Thus, reflected in the numbers, for every eighty-three new Transcendents in Tianzhu, Rikoku could only add one.

    Sufficient quantitative change can lead to qualitative change, even a child could see that continuing this way would definitely lead to major problems.

    ¡°Blood testing is indeed not accurate enough,¡± said Chen Tianming indifferently, ¡°Extremely inaccurate.¡±

    ¡°We are considering adding more methods for screening cultivators. But the fact is, as long as there¡¯s a screening step, there will inevitably be misses.¡±

    His speech was not finished, but the implication was clear: now it¡¯s your turn to decipher my meaning.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t even need to guess. Those with the surname Chen were thinking nothing but to remove the sieve, to completely deregulate the cultivation techniques, ¡°Let everyone have a technique to practice,¡± ¡°Let all who can become Transcendents achieve it.¡±

    Indeed, this would rapidly increase the number of Cultivators in Lu Country, but¡­

    What would be the cost?

    Officially-trained Cultivators required the nation to provide resources for their cultivation, so their numbers inevitably had to be strictly limited. If 100 people became Cultivators and only the strongest one received an official position, what would you do with the remaining 99 Cultivators?

    The Western world, which advocates for small government, says: Let the market take care of it.

    The results of handing over the military-grade weapons to the capital market, was the entire Western world speeding towards a cyberpunk reality.

    If at this moment in time, the big businesses¡¯ methods of commercial warfare were financial infiltration, industrial confrontation, and collusion with the administration, at least they were still willing to compete within a mild order; in the future, the methods of commercial warfare would become transnational conglomerates hiring squads of incredibly powerful Transcendents, to steal their competitors¡¯ equipment and goods, to bomb their office parks, to devour all the innocent employees and bystanders¡­

    For those Transcendents obsessed with power, a world where violence was unrestrained might be exciting enough for them to raise the flag, but for the vast majority of ordinary people? To call it hell is no exaggeration.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal if some fall through the sieve,¡± Yan Yu firmly replied, ¡°The essence of a Cultivator lies in quality, not quantity. One top-notch Cultivator is absolutely incomparable to hundreds or thousands of worthless ones.¡±

    If Commander-in-Chief Li Weiguo were here, he would certainly remind Chen Tianming not to give Yan Yu this opportunity. But unfortunately, Old Li was not here, so Chen Tianming simply replied with a faint smile,

    ¡°Perhaps as the Spiritual Energy Resurgence progresses, the ultimate strength of the Cultivators may indeed become extremely exaggerated, but that would only increase the uncertain risks.¡±

    After all, if the overall number of Cultivators falls behind compared to other nations, who can guarantee that the number of great Cultivators wouldn¡¯t lag as well? Great Cultivators are, after all, grown from ordinary Cultivators.

    ¡°Oh, you misunderstand,¡± Yan Yu said, raising his right thumb and prodding his chest, ¡°What I mean is, having me is enough for Lu Country.¡±

    Chen Tianming: ???

    ¡°So what if Tianzhu has 83 times the number of Transcendents as our country?¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly, ¡°Can 83 archers from the era of cold weapons defeat one mecha pilot? I think this number is actually too small. It would be better to reach three or even four digits, to inflate their confidence enough for them to invade us, then I can go and wipe them out cleanly. Wouldn¡¯t that settle the matter once and for all? Very simple.¡±

    Chen Tianming stared at him for a long time and then suddenly burst into hearty laughter,

    ¡°Old Li said you are very ambitious, and I didn¡¯t believe it before, but now I¡¯ve finally seen it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m ambitious,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m just telling the truth.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Chen Tianming did not express any agreement or disagreement, but picked up a cigarette from the side, did not light it, and held it in his hand, revealing a pensive expression.

    Yan Yu did not disturb his thoughts, just waited until the other¡¯s eyes became increasingly profound and inscrutable.

    ¡°How long will it take?¡± he suddenly asked.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Yan Yu was puzzled.

    ¡°For you to operate the mecha,¡± Chen Tianming asked calmly, ¡°How long?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait until next year,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°We¡¯ll see how the Spiritual Energy Resurgence is progressing.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Chen Tianming casually lit a cigarette, ¡°You go on with your work.¡±

    Yan Yu then stood up and left Old Taishan in the room, enveloped in a haze of smoke, deep in thought.

    Upon leaving the administrative building, he saw Chen Lingyun waiting outside again.

    ¡°Are you so afraid that I¡¯ll say something wrong to your father and anger him?¡± Yan Yu sarcastically teased her, ¡°Ah, I wouldn¡¯t have thought Princess Jiang Hai would also harbor such delicate thoughts of a little housewife.¡±

    ¡°So, what did you say to him?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smiling smile.

    She was already exquisitely beautiful, and with her perfect, unblemished fake smile, she could make any man who liked mature women instantly betray his preferences. But Yan Yu was too familiar with her smile from his previous life; he lost the urge to tease her further and simply replied leisurely,

    ¡°Nothing much. Your old man is worried that if Lu Country doesn¡¯t engage in universal cultivation, we won¡¯t be able to catch up with the number of Cultivators in other countries, and the gap will become more and more pronounced.¡±

    ¡°And what did you say?¡±

    ¡°I said, as long as I periodically wipe out a bunch of Cultivators from other countries, won¡¯t that control the ratio of numbers? Hahaha, I am such a genius~¡±

    Chen Lingyun: ¡­¡­¡­.

 Chapter 153 - 53: Sister Comes to Make a Match

    Chapter 153: Chapter 53: Sister Comes to Make a Match

    Following the official issue of the ¡°Guidance on the Revival of Spiritual Energy¡± by the cabinet, the cultivation teams of the four military branches also saw a new round of expansion.

    With more teams and more people working, the distribution period for Mysterious Realms would be extended, and Yan Yu could finally expect a longer break, allowing him to reorganize the upgrade plan for his own team.

    Lin Ning needed to begin learning sword techniques, Su Yunjin also had to master the second form of the ¡°Southern Dipper River Secret Spell,¡± Chen Lingyun needed a new spirit to complete her system, and Zhao Yuanzhen¡­ The Demonic Sect Enchantress herself was fine, but their puppets hadn¡¯t received any new exotic treasures to upgrade after getting the Celestial River fixed-bottom divine needle iron last time.

    The latter two had to wait for an opportunity. The ¡°Southern Dipper River Secret Spell¡± had a complete, readily available set of instructions, and for sword techniques, Mei Yingxue provided public editions of the Sword Immortal¡¯s specialized training materials. These two could start learning first.

    ¡°Sword techniques are actually just combinations of various sword moves, it¡¯s very simple,¡± said Yan Yu, forming a sword gesture with his hand and commanding the Huang Tingjian, ¡°For instance, this move, ¡®White Rainbow Piercing the Sun¡¯ if used against the person themselves, will definitely make the opponent retract their sword to defend, right? Otherwise, they¡¯d be chopped to death by you, so this move is mainly used to force the enemy to switch from offense to defense.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± said Lin Ning.

    ...

    ¡°What about after the enemy defends?¡± Yan Yu continued changing the sword gestures, ¡°Then you use this move, ¡®Eagle Soaring Through the Sky¡¯. ¡®Eagle Soaring¡¯ is different from ¡®White Rainbow¡¯, where the longer the distance, the stronger the force, making it suitable for the first strike; ¡®Eagle Soaring¡¯, on the other hand, is for close-quarter swordsmanship combat, breaking through the opponent¡¯s defense with multiple instantaneous consecutive strikes. After you practice, you can easily achieve double strikes in a moment, but for triple strikes, you need some skill¡­¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± said Lin Ning.

    ¡°Lin Ning, are you not in good shape today?¡± Yan Yu saw that she was unusually quiet today, not as inquisitive as she usually was, so he asked with concern.

    ¡°No,¡± Lin Ning formed a sword gesture with her hand, and the Green Bamboo Sword turned into a sword light, clashing with the Huang Tingjian. At the moment of a slight rotation in angle, it struck again, producing two sharp sounds in quick succession, ¡°Like this?¡±

    ¡°Right, just like that,¡± thought Yan Yu, impressed with her learning ability. ¡°Aren¡¯t you in good shape?¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± said Lin Ning, ¡°I¡¯ll keep practicing on my own.¡±

    Yan Yu also felt puzzled, but Sister Lin hadn¡¯t been in low spirits just for today; she had been down since coming back from the Northeast¡ªlet¡¯s see if she can adjust on her own.

    He then turned his attention to Su Yunjin¡¯s progress and smiled, ¡°Yun Jin, how¡¯s your learning going? Do you need me to explain it to you?¡±

    The first three forms of the ¡°Southern Dipper River Secret Spell,¡± namely Jiaochong, Li Fan, and Lang Feiyun, could perform many highly effective combination moves.

    ¡°What?¡± Su Yunjin said with a light smile, ¡°Did you hit a wall with Ningning and come here to seek affirmation?¡±

    ¡°Wow, Yun Jin, you really have a sharp eye,¡± said Yan Yu pretending to be surprised, ¡°Since you¡¯re so clever, you should be able to handle a larger daily training volume, right?¡±

    Su Yunjin dropped her smile and ignored him, continuing to practice her spells.

    ¡°Speaking of which, does Ningning have something on her mind?¡± Yan Yu asked Su Yunjin, looking at Lin Ning who was silently practicing sword moves in the distance.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± replied Su Yunjin calmly.

    ¡°That tone of yours sounds so fake,¡± Yan Yu¡¯s suspicions deepened.

    ¡°Even if I knew, I wouldn¡¯t tell the captain,¡± Su Yunjin responded, ¡°If Ningning has something on her mind and she chooses to only tell me, that¡¯s because we¡¯re close. If I then turn around and reveal her secret¡­ Do you think I¡¯m that kind of person?¡±

    ¡°You have a point,¡± thought Yan Yu. Secretary Su¡¯s character is indeed reliable, and for matters like these, one would need to find someone with a questionable character to inquire about them.

    So he went to find Chen Lingyun and just happened to see her putting down her phone, smiling, ¡°Yan Jing has already reached the high-speed train station.¡±

    ¡°My sister is coming?¡± Yan Yu was startled, then became annoyed, ¡°She¡¯s coming and she didn¡¯t tell me first, why did she tell you?¡±

    ¡°Who knows?¡± Chen Lingyun sang, ¡°Maybe there are secrets she can¡¯t tell her brother, like coming over a day early to meet a male net friend or something¡­¡±

    ¡°Damn it!¡± Yan Yu was genuinely scared this time, ¡°What male net friend?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just guessing,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a grin.

    But how could Yan Yu believe that? If his sister was fooled by some Jinling internet cafe¡¯s private room ghostfire boy, and later brought home a boyfriend with a rainbow-colored rooster haircut to meet their parents¡­ Father Yan and Mother Yan would probably twist off his skull cap and yell into it, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you take better care of your sister?¡±

    He hurriedly took out his phone and called Yan Jing.

    Zhao Yuanzhen also came over upon hearing this and asked Chen Lingyun,

    ¡°Has Yan Yu¡¯s little sister arrived?¡± sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Chen Lingyun did not deny, or rather, she even wished everyone knew, ¡°She¡¯s already arrived in Jinling.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen immediately began patting her clothes and pants pockets, thinking that this was the first time she would meet the little thief¡¯s family, and as his daoist partner, she should give some sort of gift upon meeting¡­ Wait, were the little thief¡¯s family cultivators or ordinary people again?

    The girls pricked up their ears and only heard Yan Yu say ¡°okay¡± three times in succession, followed by a final ¡°I¡¯ll come pick you up,¡± after which he put down the phone.

    Then he turned back, expressionless, and instructed,

    ¡°I¡¯ve got some errands to run; you guys practice on your own first, Chen Lingyun is in charge of supervising.¡±

    After saying that, Yan Yu hurriedly turned and left.

    The girls looked once more at Chen Lingyun, casting inquiring glances at her.

    ¡°Why are you looking at me?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a puzzled tilt of her head, ¡°Don¡¯t you all want to follow and check it out?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen urged, ¡°Ling Yun, hurry and call a taxi; I want to see what kind of girl the little thief¡¯s sister¡­ ahem, what kind of girl Yan Yu¡¯s sister is.¡±

    Even Lin Ning, who was in a sullen mood, and Su Yunjin, who was still angry, couldn¡¯t help but become a bit interested. After all, with Yan Yu¡¯s difficult personality, his sister, who had grown up with him, would probably have some experience in ¡°how to deal with Yan Yu,¡± right?

    What were they waiting for! They should quickly go meet her and then ask for advice thoroughly!

    As for Yan Yu, he had taken a taxi to the high-speed train station to find his sister, who had been waiting at the exit for a long time. Yan Jing was wearing a white dress and a sun hat on her head, sitting on a large suitcase playing with her phone.

    ¡°Just one suitcase?¡± Yan Yu approached and asked.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Yan Jing looked up to confirm her brother had arrived and replied, ¡°Isn¡¯t one enough?¡±

    ¡°Enough, enough, enough,¡± Yan Yu breathed a sigh of relief, ¡°I was afraid you wouldn¡¯t bring even one suitcase and would just come here to throw yourself at some guy you met online. I would never tolerate that.¡±

    ¡°Who meets up with their online romances nowadays,¡± Yan Jing said with disdain curling her lips, ¡°The pursuit is of an ambiguous feeling and a hazy beauty; meeting in person would just ruin it all, okay? Brother, don¡¯t you see those people on the internet, why they keep all information about Mysterious Realm figures a secret? What they¡¯re selling is a love fueled by imagination.¡±

    ¡°Stop right there,¡± Yan Yu interrupted, ¡°I don¡¯t understand you young people¡¯s subcultures, and don¡¯t try to clue me in either, I have limited comprehension.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re at the university-going age this year but already disconnecting from young people?¡± Yan Jing laughed teasingly, ¡°No wonder you can¡¯t find a girlfriend. Want me to introduce you to some classmates?¡±

    ¡°Have you lost your mind? Aren¡¯t all your classmates underage?¡± Yan Yu said, pulling her suitcase for her, ¡°Are you trying to set me up for entrapment so you can report me and hog all of our parent¡¯s inheritance?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say you should sleep with them,¡± Yan Jing gave him a ¡®you dumb-ass brother¡¯ look and said, ¡°You could start with nurturing. Brother, you¡¯re earning a monthly salary of forty thousand now, fooling those naive junior high girls should be a breeze, no?¡±

    ¡°Did you look in the mirror before you said that?¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but frown and said, ¡°Who starts setting up their classmates when they¡¯re in junior high?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m setting them up for my brother, not for myself,¡± Yan Jing quickly corrected him, ¡°There are so many guys in big cities who aren¡¯t interested in dating. If brother stays single forever and turns into a gloomy, creeping, homebound otaku, I would find that pretty disgusting too, okay?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s hilarious, how could your brother possibly not find anyone?¡± Yan Yu was amused by her and forcefully ruffled her hair, ¡°The women chasing after me could form a line around West Lake, you know?¡±

    ¡°Getting anxious, brother?¡± Yan Jing brushed away the hand that was messing up her hair, speaking irritably, ¡°You¡¯re not going to tell me you are spending forty thousand yuan a month in mobile games, then show me a gallery saying ¡®all these are my wives,¡¯ right? Wake up, okay? Forget about making a line around West Lake. Even if you had a line of paper-person wives from Shanhai Pass to Jiayuguan Pass, that sort of thing wouldn¡¯t be recognized by the family. I wouldn¡¯t have to worry so much if you just manage to win over Sister Ling Yun¡­¡±

    Before she could finish, a business car stopped by the roadside ahead.

    Lin Ning, Zhao Yuanzhen, Su Yunjin, and Chen Lingyun got out of the car one after another and started walking towards Yan Yu and his sister.

    Four exceptionally beautiful sisters¡­ directly stunned Yan Jing.

 Chapter 154 - 54: If You Cant Play, Then Dont Play, Alright?

    Chapter 154: Chapter 54: If You Can¡¯t Play, Then Don¡¯t Play, Alright?

    Sitting in the business van, Yan Jing, who was usually lively and cheerful, suddenly became strangely restrained when she was surrounded by several beautiful older sisters.

    ¡°Is Jingjing attending middle school?¡± Su Yunjin asked with a smile.

    ¡°She¡¯s talking to you,¡± Yan Yu poked his sister¡¯s head.

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Yan Jing nodded honestly, ¡°I¡¯m in the eighth grade.¡±

    ¡°How are your grades then?¡± Lin Ning asked with interest, joining the conversation.

    ¡°Ningning, who asks about grades when you¡¯ve just met someone?¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. Knowing she had made a faux pas, Lin Ning hastily coughed and said:

    ...

    ¡°Cough, I was just making conversation, forget I asked.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Yan Jing said, ¡°My grades are pretty good, I¡¯m always within the top ten in my grade.¡± Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Wow, so we¡¯ve got a little academic overachiever here.¡± The girls all laughed, looking at her with even more affection.

    Such a sweet and obedient girl, how could she possibly be the sister of Captain Yan? Could it be a genetic mutation?

    ¡°Don¡¯t praise her too much; it¡¯s still too early to talk about grades in the eighth grade,¡± Yan Yu said sternly, ¡°She has to keep it up until the high school entrance exam at least.¡±

    ¡°Tsk,¡± the girls protested in unison.

    Even Zhao Yuanzhen, who had not experienced the exam-oriented education system, naturally aligned with the other girls when it came to resisting Yan Yu.

    ¡°Ignore your brother.¡± She hugged Yan Jing¡¯s arm and said proudly, ¡°Sister will take you to try Jinling¡¯s delicacies later.¡±

    A forced smile appeared on Yan Jing¡¯s face, but inside she was grumbling to herself:

    So big¡­ how did they grow like that? It¡¯s getting a bit annoying.

    She stealthily examined Zhao Yuanzhen; indeed, her figure was nearly perfect, and to top it off, she had a melon-seed shaped face, with arms and shoulders that were not too chubby. They say ¡°great fruits grow on slender branches¡± must not be natural, right? But looking at the shape, they didn¡¯t seem to be surgically implanted prosthetics either¡­

    And this Sister Zhao, when she talked to others, always seemed a bit of an airhead, not the deliberate kind that acted dumb to lure men, but rather a naturally simple-minded kind of ditz ¨C really scary, all her talents must have been spent on chopping men down.

    Yan Jing discreetly shifted her gaze, continuing to survey the other girls around her.

    The sister with the gentle temperament should be Su Yunjin; she was the type of young lady who clearly came from a good upbringing, destined to be a wise and virtuous wife.

    Then there was Lin Ning with her black, straight hair wearing a sports tank top ¨C wow, such volume of hair would make anyone envious! Thick, black, and silky-smooth, you could tell it would feel amazing to touch! I¡¯ll have to ask her what shampoo she uses.

    And there was Chen Lingyun sitting next to me, petite and cute like a doll, and she really knew how to rock that sweet girl style! She was just a little on the short side; I wonder if my brother likes that type.

    Yan Jing¡¯s thoughts drifted far away for a moment, but then she was suddenly pulled back by a horrifying, thrilling thought.

    Wait a minute! If I were my brother, surrounded by these beauties, wouldn¡¯t I end my single life at lightning speed?

    But why doesn¡¯t my brother have a girlfriend yet?

    Could it be that he¡­ No way, right?

    After remaining silent for a while, Yan Jing secretly took out her phone and started texting Yan Yu.

    [Arrogant Monster]: Big brother, if you don¡¯t reproduce properly, Dad will definitely be angered to death by you.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: ???

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Sick? Treatment? Medicine?

    [Arrogant Monster]: Did you know that if a man walks through a garden of flowers without a single leaf sticking to him, we usually call him ¡®brass,¡¯ either the brass of Shaolin Temple¡¯s Wooden Men Lane or the brass of the Big Bird Rotating Bar. So, which kind are you, big brother?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Aside from monks and gays, can¡¯t there be perfectionists with high standards for choosing a spouse? Do you really think any of them are worthy of me?

    [Arrogant Monster]: Why would big brother ask that kind of question? Does our family have a throne for you to inherit that you¡¯re putting on airs and picking a consort? Aren¡¯t you worried that if you¡¯re too slow, others will chase them away?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Then which one do you think is worthy of me?

    [Arrogant Monster]: Socrates once sent Plato to a wheat field to pick the fullest ear of wheat, but he had to keep moving forward, couldn¡¯t turn back, and could only pick once. In the end, Plato came out with nothing because every time he saw a full ear, he worried that there would be a better one later, so he ended up with nothing.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Not bad at memorizing the material for middle school essays, but you¡¯ve got one thing wrong.

    [Arrogant Monster]: Big brother is about to talk nonsense again.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I¡¯m the landlord! All the wheat in my field is mine; I can pick as much wheat as I want!

    [Arrogant Monster]: How about we let mom and dad be the judge of that?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Don¡¯t tell them just yet; it¡¯s too early for that, as things are not even certain yet. I¡¯m just asking for your opinion right now.

    [Tsundere Monster]: I don¡¯t know.

    [Tsundere Monster]: I¡¯ll have to observe carefully.

    [Tsundere Monster]: After all, with a temper as difficult as yours, big bro, I also need to consider whether any of them would actually be interested in you. That¡¯s the most important part.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Then I¡¯ll leave it to you, I want results before we head back.

    Yan Jing slapped her forehead as she read her big brother¡¯s reply.

    I knew I couldn¡¯t rely on big bro at all!

    Others might think big bro is just being a hands-off manager, but as his sister who grew up with him, of course, I know he¡¯s saying that because he can¡¯t make up his mind and wants to hear his little sister¡¯s opinion¡­ You¡¯re already hesitant before you even figure out if they like you?

    Forget it, it¡¯s up to me, apparently a middle-schooler on the outside but actually a love detective on the inside, to step in!

    Yan Jing looked at the four ¡°distinct talents of spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums¡± in the car, her eyes spinning as she quickly formulated a plan in her mind.

    ¡°Big bro.¡± She called out crisply.

    ¡°What?¡± Yan Yu asked back.

    ¡°Do you remember the Qian Qian on the first floor?¡± Yan Jing mentioned casually.

    ¡°I remember, what about her?¡± Yan Yu was somewhat surprised.

    ¡°I heard from mom that she was once betrothed to you as a child.¡± Yan Jing said lightly, quickly scanning the sisters around her from the corner of her eye.

    Facial micro-expression detection radar, activate!

    Sister Ling Yun¡ªexpression unchanged, indifferent. Wait, the corner of her mouth is curling up, is that a smirk? She doesn¡¯t buy it!

    Sister Yun Jin¡ªfrowning slightly, eyelids drooping. Hmm, there seems to be a bit of unhappiness there.

    Sister Lin Ning¡ªlooking out the window, lips pursed. Obviously annoyed, very resistant to what she heard.

    And then there¡¯s the sister best at nourishing others, what was her name again?

    ¡°What childhood betrothal?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly widened her eyes, grabbed Yan Yu¡¯s shoulders, and started shaking him fiercely while gritting her teeth, ¡°Why haven¡¯t you ever told me about this?¡±

    ¡°Let go!¡± Yan Yu shook off her hands, clearly annoyed, ¡°I don¡¯t even know about it! How could I tell you? Jingjing, are you mistaken?¡±

    ¡°Oh, seems like I got it wrong.¡± Yan Jing let out a forced laugh.

    No need to analyze micro-expressions; the nourishing sister blew up immediately.

    Based on this probing, it¡¯s clear the nourishing sister definitely likes big bro, and Sisters Yun Jin and Lin Ning both showed a little emotion, likely having thoughts about big bro, but it¡¯s uncertain whether it amounts to liking. Sister Ling Yun probably saw through my testing, so her expression can¡¯t be trusted. More investigation is needed.

    As Yan Jing organized her thoughts, Lin Ning asked out of the blue:

    ¡°You still have that custom of childhood betrothals over there?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it might just be something the elders say for fun.¡± Yan Jing quickly tried to cover up with a laugh, ¡°We aren¡¯t in the old society anymore, and it¡¯s not like we can be forced into engagement just because our parents made a promise over drinks.¡±

    ¡°Mm, I also think it might just be a precaution.¡± Su Yunjin said in a lingering tone, ¡°Perhaps if both of them haven¡¯t found a partner when they grow up, they arrange a blind date to see if they could match. That might be the idea.¡±

    Lin Ning was silent for a while, then said with a smile:

    ¡°Probably. Elders just like to meddle in these things.¡±

    No one continued the topic. The air inside the car became tenser, heavier, the atmosphere already noticeably more hostile.

    Yan Jing suddenly regretted her words and quickly shot her brother a look seeking help, while Yan Yu also looked over with an annoyed expression.

    See the mess you¡¯ve made! If you don¡¯t know how to play the game, then don¡¯t play, all right?

    ¡°Ahem.¡± He cleared his throat, then sneered unabashedly, ¡°Blind dates? Precautions? Do you need to go to the hospital to wash your brains or what? With my qualifications, do I need blind dates? Do you believe that if I snap my fingers to say I want to date, women from all over the country will flock to Jinling and jam the traffic?¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Chen Lingyun chimed in with a smile, ¡°If he really said that, arrangements would surely be made, after all, there are plenty of eligible unmarried women in agencies across the country.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s still another form of a blind date!¡± Lin Ning couldn¡¯t help retorting, ¡°You¡¯re not even considering free love, are you?¡±

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s because there¡¯s no woman worthy of me in my life.¡± Yan Yu shook his head, putting on airs, ¡°Sigh, being too excellent is also a problem.¡±

    Yan Jing watched her own big brother say those absurdly self-obsessed words, mouth agape. Yet, the other sisters, rather than showing disgust, all seemed strangely eased by his words, and the initially hostile atmosphere dissipated into nothingness.

    Why is this happening! I don¡¯t understand!

 Chapter 155 - 55: The Love Detective

    Chapter 155: Chapter 55: The Love Detective

    ¡°Wow! What a huge villa!¡±

    After returning home, Yan Jing quickly became excited, running around the living room, looking here and there, and turning her head to call out:

    ¡°Big bro, did you buy this villa?¡±

    ¡°We all chipped in to buy it,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    ¡°How much did it cost?¡± Yan Jing naively asked.

    ¡°Little kids shouldn¡¯t ask so many questions,¡± Yan Yu brushed off her inquiry.

    ...

    ¡°Heh,¡± Yan Jing revealed a mocking expression, ¡°Sneaking off to buy a house without telling mom and dad, huh? Then you better get ready to pay me hush money.¡±

    ¡°How about I physically silence you instead?¡± Yan Yu said with a sinister smile, ¡°Which do you think will cause amnesia more easily, a hit to the back of the head or the neck?¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Yan Jing wanted to say, ¡°Then I¡¯ll call the police and get you arrested,¡± but then she remembered her older brother was now in a military academy, beyond the reach of the constables, so she stamped her foot, turned her head, and whooshed up to the second floor.

    Only after his sister had left did Lin Ning incredulously ask:

    ¡°You didn¡¯t tell your family about the prize money you won from the Mysterious Realm?¡±

    ¡°Why should I?¡± Yan Yu counter-questioned her, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you talked to your family about it?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Lin Ning said.

    ¡°Then your dad got even more anxious and started to rush you even harder to find a boyfriend,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°How do you know?¡± Lin Ning was suddenly shocked.

    ¡°Because the more money a girl makes, the higher her standards become,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a laugh from the side, ¡°Those earning five thousand a month expect their partner to make over ten thousand; those making ten thousand will raise their expectations to twenty thousand. The result is that the more you earn, the easier it is to end up single and available.¡±

    ¡°So what if I end up single?¡± Lin Ning countered defiantly, ¡°When I become an old lady, I¡¯ll just go live with Yun Jin, the two of us supporting each other.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t do,¡± Su Yunjin laughed as she shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m going to get married, so I can¡¯t spend my life just with you.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± Lin Ning was taken aback.

    Zhao Yuanzhen listened to their conversation about marriage and fate with an indifferent ¡°heh, so that¡¯s it¡± expression on her face.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress, already with a partner, wasn¡¯t flustered at all, and even wanted to laugh¡ªhaha, leftover ladies, I¡¯ve already landed safely ashore!

    ¡°Big bro, which room do I sleep in?¡± Yan Jing asked, poking her head from upstairs.

    ¡°Whichever room is empty,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    ¡°Which room are you in?¡± Yan Jing pressed on with her question.

    ¡°The one with the plaque on the door,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    Yan Jing continued investigating on the second floor and indeed found that the door of the master bedroom at the end of the hallway had a plaque with the character ¡°Yan¡± on it.

    Although there were many rooms in the villa, it was clearly designed for a single family, so there was only one largest master bedroom with an en-suite bathroom. All other rooms seemed to be secondary bedrooms based on their size.

    Considering the layout, with the secondary bedrooms lacking private bathrooms, one would naturally choose to be closer to the common bathroom¡ªthe fewer nighttime trips, the better. Yet these sisters all chose to stay next to their older brother¡¯s room.

    Hmm¡­

    Yan Jing¡¯s gaze sharpened as she acutely sensed the secret behind everyone¡¯s room choices, likely something unknown even to the people involved.

    Hmph, you can¡¯t hide it from the brain of this detective of love!

    After picking the room closest to the common bathroom, Yan Jing wheeled her suitcase inside, then came out, feigning nonchalance, and went downstairs.

    While still on the staircase, she could already smell the aroma of pickled fish.

    Upon reaching the first floor, she saw Sister Lin attending to the gas stove in the semi-open kitchen, one side simmering with a pot of pickled fish soup and the other sizzling with a frying pan filled with seven or eight chicken wings.

    Sister Su was beside her, chopping vegetables, preparing sides like black fungus, enoki mushrooms, lettuce, and dried bean curd sticks.

    In the spacious living room, her big brother was lying on the sofa playing with his phone, without any intention of helping in the kitchen.

    Sister Zhao was sitting next to him, watching TV and cracking sunflower seeds. The small mountain of seed shells on the table was evidence that this sister¡¯s breastfeeding prowess wasn¡¯t entirely due to genetics; a high intake of fats was a significant factor as well.

    Chen, the most delicate-looking sister, was sitting alone in a wicker chair near the balcony, enjoying the distant river view, leisurely sipping coffee, with a serene and sweet smile on her face.

    So elegant! Just too elegant!

    Seeing this, the detective of love gathered some preliminary intelligence:

    Sister Lin and Sister Su were more suitable for a domestic life, the virtuous type, while Sister Zhao and Sister Chen sought too much personal pleasure, which warranted deductions. However, Sister Zhao had the best figure, and Sister Chen was the most beautiful, which added back points in their favor.

    Hmm, if I were my brother, I too would have a tough time choosing.

    The investigation continues!

    Yan Jing first entered the kitchen, deliberately exclaiming:

    ¡°Wow, it smells so good!¡±

    ¡°Does Jingjing like to eat fish?¡± Lin Ning asked with a smile.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Yan Jing moved closer to her and tentatively said, ¡°Brother also really likes fish.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him,¡± Lin Ning immediately pouted and said, ¡°He doesn¡¯t help out, so whatever we cook, he¡¯ll just have to eat.¡±

    ¡°Brother doesn¡¯t help out?¡± Yan Jing asked knowingly, ¡°Then why do you still cook for him?¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t always order takeout,¡± said Su Yunjin while chopping vegetables.

    Yan Jing: ¡­¡­¡­

    If it were her sharing an apartment with roommates, and the roommates never cooked, she certainly wouldn¡¯t cook for both of them¡ªeven though she definitely wasn¡¯t some kind of saint!

    But to conclude from this that the two older sisters were interested in Big Brother, the evidence was still somewhat insufficient.

    Yan Jing glanced at Big Brother playing with his phone in the living room and decided to go for a direct approach.

    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± she said nonchalantly, ¡°why did Sister Zhao react so strongly when I mentioned in the car that my brother has a childhood betrothal?¡±

    Su Yunjin¡¯s vegetable cutting paused abruptly, while Lin Ning fell silent for a moment before saying:

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, you can ask her.¡±

    There it was, a clear sign of resistance. The two sisters definitely had something to hide.

    Feigning ignorance, Yan Jing continued:

    ¡°Sigh, even if there really was such a betrothal, Big Brother definitely wouldn¡¯t agree.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Lin Ning immediately asked in surprise.

    Su Yunjin, although not turning back, paused in her actions, clearly her attention was drawn as well.

    ¡°Because my brother is super narcissistic,¡± Yan Jing laughed and said, ¡°How could he possibly accept an arrangement by his parents and marry a woman with whom he feels no affection?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Lin Ning and Su Yunjin were quite surprised, but upon further reflection, it indeed seemed consistent with the captain¡¯s character, so they quietly breathed sighs of relief and got back to work.

    Yan Jing, noticing their subtle sense of relief, finally arrived at an answer.

    Even if they hadn¡¯t explicitly expressed liking Big Brother, at the very least they ¡°harbored positive feelings¡± towards him¡ªin other words, as long as Big Brother actively pursued them and didn¡¯t do anything stupid, the odds were high that things would naturally develop.

    As for Sister Zhao, there was no need to mention her. As soon as she heard ¡®childhood betrothal¡¯ she became anxious, which showed that she was already firmly caught by Big Brother.

    So the only one left is you, Sister Chen!

    Yan Jing walked to the balcony, calling out with a beaming smile:

    ¡°Sister Chen.¡±

    ¡°Would you like some coffee?¡± Chen Lingyun stood up.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Chen Lingyun gracefully stood and made a cup of coffee for Yan Jing. The latter held the cup and took a few sips before complimenting:

    ¡°It¡¯s delicious. Sister Chen, your skill could rival a professional barista¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s good,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a slight smile, ¡°I don¡¯t dislike your brother, you know~¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Yan Jing was momentarily taken aback before realizing¡ª the other person had seen through her probing and straightforwardly given an answer.

    ¡°Just ¡®don¡¯t dislike¡¯?¡± she asked with a beaming smile, ¡°Sister Ling Yun, when you reached out to me before, I thought you were interested in my brother.¡±

    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t really tell,¡± Chen Lingyun said slowly, ¡°After all, I¡¯ve never been in love before.¡±

    ¡°I can only say that if the person I spend my life with is him, I think I would be okay with that.¡±

    Yan Jing had never been in love either, but with her extensive knowledge of various novels and TV shows, she fancied herself as experienced as an expert and thus was full of confidence.

    If spending a lifetime together was okay, wasn¡¯t that a confirmed romance for Sister Chen? Many couples who had confirmed their relationship wouldn¡¯t dare say they were ¡°already sure about spending their life with the other person¡±!

    Case closed! To the eyes of this love detective, there¡¯s only one clear truth!

    The four sisters living in this villa all have the potential to be my brother¡¯s love interest!

    Now it¡¯s time to choose the love conquest path!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡°So after all your investigation, you came up with such an obvious conclusion?¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t hide the scorn on his face, ¡°You useless little thing, I knew I couldn¡¯t count on you.¡±

    ¡°What the heck?!¡± Yan Jing protested, ¡°Big Brother, with your freakish level of narcissism, finding four sisters willing to accept you is already incredibly unbelievable, okay? Of course, I had to check carefully!¡±

    ¡°Check my foot!¡± Yan Yu said in disappointment, ¡°Let¡¯s just leave it at that.¡±

    ¡°So who does Big Brother have the highest affection for right now¡­ I mean, which sister do you like the most?¡± Yan Jing shamelessly leaned in to ask.

    ¡°Go away, kids shouldn¡¯t ask so many questions.¡± S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 156 - 56: Lin Nings mood value has risen again.

    Chapter 156: Chapter 56: Lin Ning¡¯s mood value has risen again.

    ¡°Brother.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t a grown man like you start a family?¡±

    ¡°Buzz off.¡±

    ¡°I think that Miss Chen is exquisite and beautiful, with refined taste, a fine match indeed.¡±

    ¡°Miss Chen is arrogant; I don¡¯t like her.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Miss Zhao has a charming figure and is easy to care for, would make a delicate wife.¡±

    ¡°Miss Zhao is stupid; I don¡¯t like her either.¡±

    ¡°Miss Lin can enter the kitchen and wield a spoon with her bare hands, suitable to be a wife.¡±

    ¡°Miss Lin is blunt; I don¡¯t like her either.¡±

    ¡°Miss Su is gentle and understanding, a great choice for a main wife.¡±

    ¡°Miss Su is crafty; I don¡¯t like her either.¡±

    ¡°The reason you¡¯re still single isn¡¯t because they¡¯re arrogant, stupid, blunt, or crafty. It¡¯s because you¡¯ve enclosed yourself in a circle and refuse to step lightly into love.¡±

    ¡°Enough already, now you¡¯re the expert, eh? Go back to your room.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, I¡¯m going to tell mom to pick a daughter-in-law for you.¡±

    ¡°Suit yourself.¡±

    Yan Yu chased his hopping and skipping sister out of the room and sighed helplessly.

    In other families, sisters either diligently pester their older brothers or don¡¯t speak a word to them for half a year. Why is mine always thinking about getting me a sister-in-law? She¡¯s more eager to marry me off than my own parents!

    After freshening up in the bathroom, Yan Yu put on his pajamas and was about to lie down when he suddenly heard an urgent knock on the door.

    A Demonic Sect Enchantress? What time is it now, and she¡¯s already rushing over for dual cultivation?

    When Yan Yu opened the door, it wasn¡¯t Zhao Yuanzhen, but Lin Ning, Sister Lin, wearing a white T-shirt, her hands clutching the hem of her shirt, revealing her fair and tender thighs.

    ¡°Excuse me, I need to use the bathroom.¡± Lin Ning was also very agile, and before Yan Yu could ask, she darted under his arm¡ªit looked like the girl wasn¡¯t wearing pants, only relying on the shirt hem to cover her thighs, which explained why she had to hold it down to prevent exposing herself.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the bathroom outside?¡± he asked casually.

    ¡°It¡¯s occupied,¡± Lin Ning said from inside, having closed the door behind her.

    Not having an en-suite bathroom in the bedroom was inconvenient; if someone was inside and you needed to use it urgently, it could be very troublesome.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t mind letting her use it, though; he just lazily lay in bed, playing with his phone.

    [Shenxing Qianli] invites you to join the chat group, where 6 of your friends are also members.

    Yan Yu: ?

    [Shenxing Qianli] is Qiu Ze¡¯s chat account nickname. He clicked accept without much thought and was quickly added to a group with nearly sixty members. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    [Shenxing Qianli]: @Everyone/Welcome Captain Yan to the group.

    Below, a row of emojis flooded in, either showing reverence or applause, but among them was a discordant voice.

    [Rizhao Zhujiang]: Why didn¡¯t I get such a reception when I joined the group?

    [Shenxing Qianli]: Haha, Captain Yan is our Zhendong Army¡¯s top cultivator; as the group admin, of course, I have to make a big deal of it.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Li Zhaojiang, aren¡¯t you being childish, fussing over this?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: @Yuegua Donghu, Li Minghu come manage your brother.

    [Rizhao Zhujiang]: Scram scram scram scram scram scram scram!

    [Rizhao Zhujiang]: I¡¯m warning you, don¡¯t just @ my sister.

    [Rizhao Zhujiang]: She¡¯s currently at the hospital for check-ups, and doesn¡¯t have time for you.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: @Yi De Fu Ren, what¡¯s up?

    Immediately, the chat was overrun with laughing emojis, as no one had expected a comeback that swift.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Keep an eye on your brother.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Sure, smile.

    Li Zhaojiang stopped talking, apparently so devastated that he went off to sulk.

    [Liu Shao]: How¡¯s Vice-Captain Li¡¯s health?

    [Zhu Jun]: If the Xingwang Residence can¡¯t cure it, you could come to Pingjing to see. Our Dingbei Army can help arrange for experts to consult.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Thanks, it¡¯s an old issue, no serious worries for now.

    Once again, a string of emojis wishing good health cascaded down the chat.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Hey, why hasn¡¯t Xiao Zhou joined the group chat?

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: Captain Zhou probably hasn¡¯t seen the invite yet, I¡¯ll go ask her.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: What Xiao Zhou? Yan Yu, our Captain Zhou was born in the same year as you, even a month earlier, so if you¡¯re going to address her, it should be as Sister.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: There was a mistake in the year on my ID card when it was registered; it¡¯s a year late, so I¡¯m actually older than all of you, remember to call me brother.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Really?

    [Ninghai Old Meng]: Tang Xiaolian, you believe that?

    [Liu Shao]: Judged as fake at first glance.

    Knocking echoed again outside, and then Zhao Yuanzhen pushed the door open, lifted her mobile phone and said,

    ¡°Someone just tried to invite me into a group chat, take a look¡­ should I join?¡±

    ¡°Go ahead and join.¡± Yan Yu glanced at her phone, ¡°It¡¯s probably an internal chat for the cultivators of the team.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen sat down beside his bed and casually tapped ¡®agree.¡¯

    [Grand Dame Surnamed Zhao] joined the chat group.

    ¡°What¡¯s this group for?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen continued to inquire.

    ¡°It¡¯s for cultivators to chat.¡± Yan Yu kept playing with his phone, ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about it.¡±

    ¡°Team cultivators¡­ so it¡¯s the current most powerful cultivators of Lu Country, all in this group, right?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen pondered.

    ¡°Mmm-hmm,¡± Yan Yu replied nonchalantly.

    Zhao Yuanzhen wanted to ask something else but then saw Lin Ning coming out of the bathroom.

    The two women locked eyes, and then their expressions both began to change¡ªDemonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s face turned dark while Sister Lin turned pale.

    ¡°You done in the toilet?¡± Yan Yu raised his head.

    Zhao Yuanzhen then noticed that Lin Ning was properly dressed, and with the sound of the flushing toilet, she could easily guess that it was just a ¡°toilet visit¡± and not ¡°hiding from me after I caught her in a private meeting with Yan Yu,¡± so her expression softened again.

    To cover up her embarrassment at having misunderstood the situation, she quickly showed a smile and pulled Lin Ning to the side of the bed:

    ¡°Ningning, come here, there¡¯s an internal group chat for cultivators, let me pull you in.¡±

    Lin Ning, treated with such zeal by Zhao Yuanzhen, was also puzzled for a moment, but followed her lead in joining the chat group, before she managed a forced smile:

    ¡°I just came to use the toilet, I won¡¯t disturb you two.¡±

    ¡°No disturbance.¡± Yan Yu replied without looking up, ¡°We haven¡¯t started the Qi refinement yet.¡±

    ¡°Qi refinement?¡± Lin Ning asked, surprised.

    ¡°Er,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen hesitated for a moment, thinking that although the matter of dual cultivation needed to be kept secret from outsiders, Sister Lin had joined their team for so long and was now living together with them, which seemed to mean she couldn¡¯t be considered an outsider, so she explained,

    ¡°It¡¯s dual cultivation. Two people practice Qi Refinement together, it¡¯s more efficient¡­ but you must keep it a secret, okay?¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Lin Ning nodded stiffly, and then slowly began to realize the implications.

    The current Qi Refinement technique that everyone used for their practice was the ¡°National Standard Qi Refinement Technique¡± recorded in the Comprehensive Guide to Cultivation (adapted from Mei Yingxue¡¯s Primordial Unity Scripture), which didn¡¯t include any parts about dual cultivation.

    This meant that the captain and Sister Zhao must have gotten hold of another Qi Refinement technique and didn¡¯t want to turn it over to the state, so they gathered every night, secretly practicing dual cultivation without telling anyone¡­ So it wasn¡¯t a secret rendezvous!

    Her mood soon brightened, and she said with a smile:

    ¡°A secret cultivation technique, huh? I won¡¯t tell anyone, heading back now.¡±

    After watching Lin Ning leave the room, Zhao Yuanzhen turned to ask:

    ¡°Hey, can we trust Lin Ning?¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Yan Yu raised his eyebrows, ¡°Besides, she doesn¡¯t know what technique we¡¯re practicing.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen pondered.

    ¡°Actually, living under the same roof and next to each other, it¡¯s only a matter of time before it gets discovered,¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°Lin Ning is simple and straightforward. Being a little open with her, she won¡¯t overthink it. In the future, if you are out on duty, and you two share a room at night, she could help cover for you.¡±

    ¡°You really think of everything.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen gave up on further thought and carefully climbed onto Yan Yu¡¯s bed, ¡°Let¡¯s begin then.¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Yan Yu said.

    He sat up in bed, looking towards the door, and spoke in a low voice,

    ¡°My sister is also at home today, which is a bit risky. It would be safer to wait until after midnight when everyone is asleep to proceed with the dual cultivation.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s better.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen fell silent for a moment, then suddenly said,

    ¡°By the way¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°When you were younger, you really weren¡¯t betrothed?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked doubtfully.

    ¡°Get lost.¡±

 Chapter 157 - 57: Have you heard of the Three Island Treasure Ship?

    Chapter 157: Chapter 57: Have you heard of the Three Island Treasure Ship?

    When Yan Jing was about to come over, Yan Yu once worried whether she could get along well with the team members.

    After all, the emotions among girls can be far more complicated than those among boys. What¡¯s more, many women might take an instant dislike to each other even upon a single meeting without exchanging a word.

    Fortunately, it turned out that her sister¡¯s charisma was not only effective at home but also worked its charm on outsiders.

    Just after one day, all the girls were already affectionately calling her Jingjing and even treating her like their own little sister.

    However, thinking about it, Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin were only daughters in their families, and Lin Ning seemed to only have a brother and a sister. As for the Demonic Sect Enchantress in this world, she was all alone¡ªindeed, none of them had a younger sister, which explained why they all tapped into their sisterly instincts with Yan Jing. This explanation did seem reasonable.

    ¡°Jingjing, do you want to eat this?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen offered her some snacks.

    ...

    ¡°Thank you, sister,¡± Yan Jing sweetly replied.

    Yan Yu watched with a frown from the side. He was well aware of the cunning nature of the Demonic Sect Enchantress, who would never offer favors without an ulterior motive¡ªher kindness was either a ruse or theft. But he was also clear that his own sister was no pushover, so it was hard to say who would end up on the losing side of this contest of mischief.

    ¡°Jingjing, I took the clothes you changed out of last night to the washing machine,¡± Su Yunjin reminded her.

    ¡°Okay, thank you Sister Su,¡± Yan Jing replied with a smile.

    ¡°Jingjing,¡± Lin Ning asked curiously, ¡°are you and Yan Yu really blood siblings?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Jing answered. ¡°Even though my brother is narcissistic, reclusive, and somewhat morally flexible, he is indeed my blood-related brother.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a shame to be Yan Yu¡¯s sister,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a laugh. ¡°Why not come and be my sister?¡±

    ¡°Since I¡¯ve already called Sister Ling Yun, we are of course sisters now,¡± Yan Jing said with a smile, hugging Chen Lingyun. The two were about the same height, standing together made it difficult to tell who looked more like the older sister.

    Yan Yu observed from behind with a cold eye, the more he watched, the more his scalp tingled.

    He was all too familiar with his sister¡¯s ability to climb up the social ladder. Back when they were young and got into trouble in their previous lives, Yan Yu was always the only one who got punished¡­ because as soon as Father Yan picked up a stick, Yan Jing would immediately burst into crocodile tears and act pitiful, so convincingly that even Yan Yu, who knew the truth, couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry for her.

    Having lived two lives, this life¡¯s Yan Yu would not be so despicable and loathed, but it was probably because he was constantly imitating and learning from his mature older brother that Yan Jing¡¯s EQ had soared. At a young age, she had already mastered the skill of ¡°talking to people in their own language,¡± and there wasn¡¯t anyone, whether relatives or teachers and classmates at school, who didn¡¯t like her.

    Hmph, the only one immune to her tricks was her brilliantly intelligent older brother. You may be as cunning as an old ghost, Chen Lingyun, but aren¡¯t you still bewitched by her?

    Yan Yu got up and stretched, and suddenly his phone rang.

    ¡°Hello?¡± Li Weiguo¡¯s voice came through on the other end, ¡°Are you at school? Come to my office.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Yan Yu promptly accepted.

    Ah, so Old Li is finally back.

    ¡°If Chen Lingyun is there, bring her with you,¡± Li Weiguo continued.

    ¡°Got it,¡± Yan Yu hung up the phone and said to Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Where are you going, big brother?¡± Yan Jing asked in surprise.

    ¡°Off to work,¡± Yan Yu replied succinctly.

    Leaving his sister in the care of the other three girls, Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun rushed to school and entered the principal¡¯s office, where they saw Li Weiguo on the phone and Chen Tianming standing with his hands behind his back, staring at the wall.

    The wall, which was once cluttered with many things, had now been cleaned up and fitted with large tactical display screens.

    The screen showed a dynamic shipping map with many arrow symbols representing ships moving in real-time. Judging by the contour of the coastline, it seemed to be¡­ eh, the South Sea?

    Li Weiguo hung up the phone, looked up at Yan Yu, and said:

    ¡°You arrived just in time, there¡¯s something I need to tell you.¡±

    He picked up something resembling a remote control and pressed a few buttons aimed at the display screen. Soon a video window popped up with the progress bar already advanced to the middle. From the sound of it, it seemed to be a military report:

    ¡°At 2:07 PM on August 25, our unit detected an unidentified fleet appearing in the direction of the South Sea, at coordinates 118 degrees east longitude and 14 degrees north latitude, heading north-northeast at a speed of 22 knots¡­¡±

    The video zoomed in quickly to show a fleet of ships cutting through the waves in the distance. The ships had an ancient look, resembling the treasure ships of the Lu Country from antiquity, with wooden hull structures and huge sails, towering and majestic.

    Li Weiguo paused the video and asked Yan Yu:

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    What does he mean, what do I think? Are you the Commander in Chief of the Zhendong Army, or am I?

    Yan Yu was left speechless as well and asked:

    ¡°Have we sent any landing craft over to check it out?¡±

    Li Weiguo did not reply, but instead said:

    ¡°The Miti CVN-144 carrier strike group, originally patrolling near the Strait of Malacca, has arrived at the target area and dispatched military aircraft to conduct a probing bombardment on the fleet.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yan Yu said with a chuckle, ¡°I suppose the fleet must be completely unscathed, otherwise we wouldn¡¯t be standing here discussing it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Li Weiguo nodded, ¡°The target is less than 160 kilometers from the Sulu coast, and given that the fleet¡¯s hull is of an ancient Lu Country model, Sulu mistook it for an invasion by our secret fleet and sought assistance from Miti that same day. Miti, under the guise of defending an ally, intervened and launched an unauthorised attack on the target fleet after confirming the situation with us.¡±

    Hearing this, Yan Yu was also at a loss for words, but it was undeniably Miti¡¯s brash style.

    The South Sea is an absolute Lu Country sphere of influence. Miti keeps instigating Sulu to cause trouble, but knows that it¡¯s impossible to win here, hence they harbour the mindset of ¡°If I can¡¯t have it, neither can you¡± trying to conduct a destructive bombardment on the mysterious fleet.

    ¡°The result was that the bombs detonated at an altitude of 300 meters right above the fleet,¡± continued Li Weiguo as he manipulated the remote, and a 3D modeling diagram popped up on the screen, ¡°We have confirmed that there¡¯s an invisible force field surrounding the fleet, blocking all matter and energy that approaches it.¡±

    ¡°Even the sea water beneath the fleet is completely isolated from the water outside the force field. Penetrating this force field is very difficult, but we have observed that the speed of the target fleet is decreasing, and it is expected to come to a halt by the afternoon of September 1st.¡±

    ¡°The mechanism seems quite simple,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°If we consider the fleet to be a secret realm, then while the fleet is still sailing, the secret realm does not allow outsiders to enter. Hence, we can speculate that when the fleet comes to a complete stop, the situation may change¡ªperhaps the invisible force field will disappear, or perhaps an entrance will appear, allowing external powers to board and explore?¡±

    ¡°We can only say that these possibilities are not ruled out,¡± Li Weiguo said solemnly, ¡°Considering that the situation is quite complex, the Privy Council has decided to dispatch you and the Qing¡¯an squad to go there to assist the Annan Navy in taking over. If the secret realm opens, we must seize the opportunity to land first. The code name for this operation is ¡®Three Isles Treasure Ship¡¯. Do you have any questions?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu asked seriously, ¡°Who are we up against this time?¡±

    ¡°Currently, it¡¯s not certain,¡± Li Weiguo slowly said, ¡°Sulu has publicly claimed ownership of the Three Isles Treasure Ship, so they will definitely send Transcendents to battle. But their military strength is so weak, we can disregard them.¡±

    ¡°Aside from Sulu, there are three other potential forces.¡± S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°First is Miti. Sulu has requested that Miti send Transcendent forces from their homeland to assist; Miti has not yet responded to this. It is currently believed that Miti is highly likely to join this competition, but they may not send their elite forces.¡±

    Yan Yu silently recalled for a moment, remembering that in his previous life, Miti had signed the so-called ¡°Long-Arm Statute,¡± empowering the Homeland Strategic Bureau¡¯s ¡°superheroes¡± the right to intervene in any secret realm located in international waters or within a country¡¯s borders.

    After all, unlike Lu Country, who raises its own, Miti¡¯s ¡°superheroes¡± are all brought in from around the world with money¡ªthey wouldn¡¯t be heartbroken if these recruits died, as they could just crank up the money printer and buy new ones.

    ¡°Second is Southeast Asia. Sulu has already extended invitations to neighboring countries to jointly develop the Three Isles Treasure Ship secret realm,¡± Li Weiguo said with a grave expression, ¡°It¡¯s the old ruse of setting a tiger to fight a wolf, but it¡¯s effective. Luo Yue and Java have already responded, and we are still persuading the other countries. However, just to be safe, we will assume they all will join the battle.¡±

    Yan Yu had no doubt about that. These guys were like sharks in his past life, rushing to take a bite at the scent of blood¡ªtheir motives were completely different from Miti¡¯s.

    Their main issue was that the number of Transcendents within their countries was increasing too rapidly, and the per capita cultivation resources were severely lacking, pushing them to expand outward due to internal pressure. Trying to persuade their ruling classes was futile, as they couldn¡¯t control the massive number of grassroots cultivators who were nearly unable to fend for themselves.

    ¡°Finally, there¡¯s Chongying,¡± Li Weiguo paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°Chongying had originally responded to Sulu¡¯s call for support, but due to the recent emergence of a secret realm on Ezo Island, Chongying will naturally shift their focus northward, and we can consider them out of the race for the Three Isles Treasure Ship.¡±

    Ezo Archipelago, controlled by Rashas and disputed with Chongying, has always been a thorn in the side for Chongying. With Siberia in turmoil cutting off Rashas in the middle, Chongying¡¯s strategic goal will definitely be to seize Ezo¡ªfailure to do so would lead to the entire cabinet committing ritual suicide, so its importance is not overstated.

    ¡°Understood,¡± Yan Yu began to make his calculations, ¡°This time we¡¯re up against Miti and Southeast Asia¡­ Alright. When do we need to depart?¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow afternoon,¡± Li Weiguo asked with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ve given you a whole day to prepare, is that enough?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more than enough,¡± Yan Yu nodded calmly.

    He initially wanted to say, ¡°There¡¯s no need to prepare; I can leave right now.¡± But then he remembered he had a sister at home! It surely wasn¡¯t proper to rush to Jinling Prefecture just yesterday, only to leave her alone at home today.

    Departing tomorrow was also fine; at least he could spend the day with his sister.

    Once Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun left, Li Weiguo¡¯s smile faded and his brows furrowed instead.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Old Li?¡± Chen Tianming asked with a smile, ¡°I see Yan Yu isn¡¯t worried, so why are you getting anxious?¡±

    ¡°This kid, every time I ask him, he¡¯s got to show off on the spot,¡± Li Weiguo said with a wry smile, ¡°Now that he¡¯s suddenly stopped showing off, I¡¯m actually a bit unaccustomed to it.¡±

    ¡°Mmm,¡± Chen Tianming expressed his understanding, ¡°It¡¯s about keeping the troops for a thousand days, and using them at the crucial moment.¡±

    ¡°No matter how rugged and dangerous their path, in the end, they have to walk it themselves.¡±

 Chapter 158 - 58 Splitting 50/50 with Chen Lingyun (New Year Extra 1/2)

    Chapter 158: Chapter 58 Splitting 50/50 with Chen Lingyun (New Year Extra 1/2)

    Walking home, Yan Yu was still pondering and reminiscing when Chen Lingyun suddenly asked:

    ¡°Are there any formidable cultivators in Southeast Asia and Miti?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    ¡°Who specifically?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a slight smile.

    ¡°Hard to say.¡± Yan Yu shook his head.

    ¡°Let me guess,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile became sweeter, ¡°you¡¯re trying to say that those powerful cultivators everyone boasted about in the past life, in your eyes, were actually not worth a single blow, so it¡¯s hard to say which of them were formidable and which were not?¡±

    ...

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­.

    You understand everything already, why ask me?

    What annoyed him most in his previous life was this woman¡¯s personality database. After being with you for a while, she would build a model of your personality in her mind, and she could generally guess what you would say to what you heard and how you would react to what happened; it was like mind reading, and especially irritating.

    Of course, Chen Lingyun¡¯s ability seemed to be hereditary. Her father, Chen Tianming, could remember the complete resumes of all the county-level and above officials in Lu Country, including all those in office and retired. That was truly an astonishing feat.

    Walking ahead, Yan Yu maintained a silent response. Chen Lingyun followed behind him, her voice filled with laughter:

    ¡°Why are you not speaking anymore? Or did I guess right? Hmm, if I guessed wrong, you would have immediately mocked me with your character, so I must have guessed right.¡±

    Yan Yu ignored her because he knew all too well that when this annoying woman got excited, a counterattack had to be a critical hit to be effective; ordinary verbal reprisals would only earn her pleased gaze of ¡°You¡¯re angry, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Are you angry?¡± Chen Lingyun sidled up to him and asked with a laugh.

    Yan Yu remained silent.

    ¡°You¡¯re angry already?¡± Chen Lingyun continued to laugh.

    Yan Yu kept up a dignified silence¡­ Hm, why does this feel somewhat familiar?

    No, this can¡¯t go on like this!

    Yan Yu¡¯s mind began to race! The experiences of dealing with Chen Lingyun from two lifetimes converged in his mind, emerging, surging, exploding! He must counterattack! He would give Chen Lingyun no chance! A great Sigma male, he inherited the iron will of a Sigma man! He intended to obliterate that sweet smile off the despicable princess¡¯s beautiful face!

    ¡°You know,¡± he suddenly stopped and showed a complex expression, and said pensively, ¡°even in this life, she is indeed incomparable to you.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile seemed to freeze suddenly, and her voice turned sickly sweet, ¡°Who are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Forget it.¡± Yan Yu shook his head and continued walking.

    The sound of Chen Lingyun¡¯s footsteps resumed from behind him, no longer light and bouncy like a little deer, but now in the form of hurried, brisk steps.

    ¡°I¡¯m really curious, who is this ¡®she¡¯ you are referring to?¡± she asked again, gently tugging at Yan Yu¡¯s sleeve from behind with a sweet voice.

    This time her tone was much better controlled, no longer awkwardly high-pitched, as if trying to hide her anger as before.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it anymore,¡± Yan Yu replied, struggling to suppress the urge to burst out laughing, with a world-weary tone, ¡°you two are incomparable.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re lying,¡± Chen Lingyun narrowed her eyes, her voice quickly turning cold, ¡°Did you fabricate a non-existent woman just to provoke my jealousy and annoy me?¡±

    ¡°If you say so.¡±

    ¡°Playing mysterious, are you?¡±

    ¡°Would you believe me if I said so?¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good,¡± Yan Yu said no more and continued walking in silence.

    This made Chen Lingyun even more irked. Because the evidence was too scant, even though she could roughly tell that Yan Yu was probably just trying to annoy her, she could never completely rule out the possibility that ¡°Yan Yu had someone else.¡±

    If it were someone else, they would let go if they couldn¡¯t understand something. But Chen Lingyun was, after all, more actively minded than most people; the less she could find an answer, the more she wanted to think about it, and the more she thought about it, the more it felt like a fishbone caught in her throat¡­ What was more infuriating was that all of this was clearly Yan Yu¡¯s open scheme!

    I know you tend to overthink, so I¡¯m using that to irritate you. Ha-ha, what are you going to do, bite me?

    Chen Lingyun suppressed her anger and began to think calmly.

    If he truly fell for another woman¡­ Wait, don¡¯t think about it too much, that¡¯s my mental weakness. I must find a way to counterattack, or else he¡¯ll totally get the better of me.

    When they returned home, as soon as Yan Yu walked into the villa¡¯s lobby, Lin Ning poked her head out from the kitchen wearing an apron and called out:

    ¡°Back already? We made seaweed spare-rib soup and stir-fried water spinach. We¡¯re adding one more dish. What would you like to eat?¡±

    ¡°We have chicken wings and beef,¡± Yan Jing said as she opened the refrigerator without looking back.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s have stir-fried beef strips,¡± Yan Yu said offhandedly.

    Ever since they cleared up the misunderstanding the night before, Sister Lin had finally regained her usual vigor and enthusiasm, even taking the initiative to cook.

    As he was thinking this, he suddenly heard Chen Lingyun from behind, asking with a laugh:

    ¡°I still can¡¯t guess, Yan Yu. So who exactly is the girl you mentioned, the one even I can¡¯t match up to?¡±

    Yan Yu: ???

    Lin Ning was about to turn her attention back to watching the pot when she heard this and was suddenly taken aback, her expression stunned.

    Su Yunjin had just come down from the second floor, squinting at Yan Yu with a smile that was not quite a smile.

    Yan Jing was even more dumbfounded as he turned around, with a look of ¡°Wow, big brother, you actually have gossip,¡±¡­ I mean, do you need to be that surprised?

    The only one who didn¡¯t react was Zhao Yuanzhen in the living room. The Demonic Sect Enchantress was sitting on the couch watching a variety show on TV, emitting a heartless giggle, probably having not heard what Chen Lingyun had said at all.

    Under everyone¡¯s focused gaze, Yan Yu for a moment actually had no solution¡ªespecially for Lin Ning, who had already been feeling gloomy for a long time. Another false alarm might really give her a case of ¡°fragile heart syndrome¡±¡ªso in order not to cause any unnecessary misunderstandings among everyone, he quickly made a wise decision. With a candid laugh, he explained,

    ¡°Nah, I was just joking with Ling Yun.¡±

    ¡°Tsk!¡± The girls immediately felt like they had been deceived and went back to their own business.

    Yan Yu turned back to look at Chen Lingyun, only to see her revealing a sly triumphant smile again, saying leisurely,

    ¡°So it was a joke, huh.¡±

    ¡°Smart move,¡± Yan Yu said with a sneer.

    ¡°Your move isn¡¯t bad either.¡±

    ¡°Flattered.¡±

    As they looked at each other with a competitive gaze, they suddenly felt an odd sensation of meeting a worthy opponent, encountering a capable peer, a sense of mutual appreciation, as if they were equals.

    Fortunately, this strange feeling didn¡¯t last long, for Lin Ning soon stuck her head out and called,

    ¡°Captain, come quickly and help me cut the carrots!¡±

    ¡°Ask Yun Jin to cut them for you,¡± response from Yan Yu was almost instinctual.

    ¡°I¡¯m cleaning!¡± Su Yunjin¡¯s voice came from the inner room.

    ¡°Then¡­¡± Yan Yu was about to name Chen Lingyun or Zhao Yuanzhen, only to be pushed into the kitchen by Yan Jing who had run up behind him,

    ¡°Don¡¯t be lazy, big brother! It¡¯s your duty to cook with Sister Lin!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by my ¡®duty¡¯?!¡± Although Yan Yu saw his sister¡¯s intention at a glance, which was to create a chance for him and Lin Ning to be alone, did you ask if I need your help?

    Even if we were to be alone together, it should be her actively creating opportunities, trying her utmost to spend time alone with me!

    ¡°Stop daydreaming and start cutting.¡± As soon as Yan Yu entered the kitchen, Lin Ning handed him a knife without a word and brought him to the cutting board, ¡°It¡¯s julienne, not slices, okay?¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± grumbled Yan Yu impatiently.

    After a while, Lin Ning leaned over to take a look and was instantly horrified:

    ¡°Why are these cuts all crooked? The thickness is uneven too!¡±

    ¡°Just say whether this is julienned carrot or not,¡± Yan Yu argued defensively.

    ¡°Oh my!¡± Lin Ning, exasperated, stomped her feet and simply came over to grab his hands, teaching him hand-to-hand, ¡°Watch closely, press down with your left hand, curl up the four fingers, stick to the knife, cutting as you move like this¡­ Got it?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t get it,¡± said Yan Yu. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you one more time!¡± Lin Ning continued holding his hand, patiently saying, ¡°You need to learn properly.¡±

    Sister Lin¡¯s hands, true to a Sword Immortal¡¯s hands, didn¡¯t need to directly wield a sword, but had to frequently cast/use sword techniques, thus her fingers were exceptionally nimble, and the skin of her palms was delicate and warm, feeling soft and comfortable to the touch.

    ¡°Got it this time?¡± She operated once more and asked Yan Yu.

    ¡°The brain gets it,¡± Yan Yu admitted candidly, ¡°but the hands don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°How can you still not get it?¡± Lin Ning, growing impatient, hands on hips, suddenly asked suspiciously, ¡°Are you pretending not to know on purpose?¡±

    ¡°You must be joking,¡± Yan Yu immediately showed a mocking expression, saying disdainfully, ¡°Learning knife skills after being taught a few times? Who do you think I am, the culinary genius Yan Yu?¡±

    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Lin Ning suddenly realized as well. If someone had never cooked before, perhaps it wasn¡¯t that they hadn¡¯t grasped the correct technique, but that they lacked the proficiency to handle the knife.

    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯m off.¡± Yan Yu was about to turn around and leave but was pulled back by Lin Ning.

    ¡°Hold on. My soup is almost done; you taste it and tell me if it¡¯s salty enough.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you taste it yourself?¡±

    ¡°If the captain¡¯s tongue can¡¯t talk sense, then at least it should be good for something else.¡±

    Goodness, Sister Lin¡¯s mood has improved, and her offensive has gotten stronger, huh.

 Chapter 159 - 59 Im so excited I cant contain myself

    Chapter 159: Chapter 59 I¡¯m so excited I can¡¯t contain myself

    ¡°`

    After lunch, it was time for training in the afternoon, according to the schedule.

    Yan Jing conscientiously said she would go to the Confucian temple to play and not disturb her older brothers and sisters¡¯ training.

    Yan Yu appreciated her thoughtfulness and silently transferred a thousand to her, telling her to enjoy herself and not come back before dinner.

    Everyone arrived at the school training ground, where Yan Yu stood in the center of the field, laughing heartily:

    ¡°I have some good news to share with you all.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Either way, it¡¯s something about extra practice, right?¡± Lin Ning said jokingly, her eyes half-closed.

    ¡°How could that be!¡± Yan Yu said proudly, ¡°It¡¯s even better than that.¡±

    ¡°No way¡­¡± Su Yunjin moaned weakly, hand on forehead.

    Extra practice was already terrible enough, anything worse than that, I just can¡¯t bear to imagine!

    ¡°Stop beating around the bush,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said impatiently, ¡°A swift cut beheads just as well as a slow one, can¡¯t you just get to the point?¡±

    ¡°Haha, looks like everyone can¡¯t wait,¡± Yan Yu laughed loudly as he revealed the answer, ¡°Tomorrow we are setting off to explore a mysterious realm again!¡±

    The girls looked at each other.

    ¡°And this time we¡¯re heading to the South Sea,¡± Chen Lingyun added with a smile, ¡°We will compete with friends from Southeast Asia and Miti. Are you all excited?¡±

    The girls¡¯ gazes toward the team captain and vice-captain changed, as if they were looking at two demons from hell.

    ¡°What¡¯s there to be excited about!¡± Lin Ning complained again, ¡°This is just war, right? A war between nations, isn¡¯t it!¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu said, full of pride, ¡°The time to make a name for ourselves has come!¡±

    ¡°As for the specifics, we¡¯re still gathering intelligence,¡± Chen Lingyun distributed the new Three Arts textbooks, ¡°Also, new textbooks are out. Everyone should hurry and study them this afternoon, they are quite simple.¡±

    ¡°Start with the Soul Refining Technique and Sound Transmission Technique,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°The Invisibility Technique can wait if there¡¯s no time.¡±

    Since the team leader had assigned the task, everyone stopped thinking about other things and found nearby chairs to sit down and quickly flip through the textbooks.

    People like Zhao Yuanzhen, who had actually learned it a long time ago, also pretended to hold books, but sneakily took out their phones to scroll through short videos.

    Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun left the training field and went to a nearby lounge. The Princess pulled out her laptop and said:

    ¡°I¡¯ve made some edits, take a look.¡±

    Superheroes from Miti (mainly from Europe) didn¡¯t require much analysis, as they broadcast their leagues all the time, with so many videos available that it was overwhelming to watch. Berserkers, Priests, Wizards, and Clerics, their styles and fighting methods had all been largely seen already.

    The main focus was still on the Southeast Asian region, including the Indochinese Peninsula and the Pacific Island nations. Transcendents there generally favored tricks and darkness, and the media generally did not (or dared not) report on them, so gathering and organizing intelligence was quite a feat for Lu Country.

    Whether in Siam or Java, the transcendental professions of each country were more or less the same, and could be simply categorized into four types:

    Curse Technique Masters, Curse Technique Masters, Shadow Masters, and Tattooed Charm Masters.

    ¡°Don¡¯t write in such an elongated and verbose style,¡± Yan Yu browsed through several PPT slides and frowned, ¡°It¡¯s like writing a novel, setting up big chunks of new settings right off the bat, can the readers remember them easily? Similarly, asking Lin Ning and the others to memorize these four new professions from scratch, they won¡¯t be able to remember.¡±

    ¡°You should introduce Southeast Asia¡¯s profession system by comparing it to our Lu Country¡¯s existing profession system, making it easier for them to understand.¡± S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Take Curse Technique Masters, for example, whether it¡¯s medicinal, flying, or ghost descending, it¡¯s all about sending a curse to kill people, much like Sword Immortals, right? Here you could say ¡®Curse Technique Masters are like the Southeast Asian version of Sword Immortals¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Likewise, Southeast Asia¡¯s Curse Technique Masters are very similar to Lu Country¡¯s spell-casters who also use a variety of spells to kill; it¡¯s just the terminology that¡¯s different. Shadow Masters raise little ghosts, and isn¡¯t that just like our Lu Country¡¯s Envoy profession with its own way of dealing with ghosts? Use your own analogies, keep it simple and clear.¡±

    ¡°Only Tattooed Charm Masters are indeed abstract, as they carve magically powerful patterns into their flesh, with each pattern representing a different power, and might not quite fit with the assistant officer¡¯s role¡­ Hm? What are you doing? Pay attention to the lecture!¡±

    Chen Lingyun listened seriously at first, but at some point, she started looking down at her phone.

    ¡°`

    Not until Yan Yu spoke up did she slowly lift her head, revealing an extremely joyous smile:

    ¡°Dear, it looks like some great fun is about to happen.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    If it had been up to Lu Country, they would certainly have subdued the news about the Three Isles Treasure Ship and enforced strict media control.

    Or even if they couldn¡¯t suppress it completely, they would have at least not made such a big fuss, avoiding making it common knowledge among all sectors of society.

    The reason was simple: What if they lost?

    When a wave of public opinion surged among the people, who would take the blame?

    Better to keep things conservative, to shoot quietly without making a fuss over it.

    However, Miti thought very differently.

    After all, their media commercialization was super developed, and their operating experience was rich enough; they could spin black into white, and naturally wouldn¡¯t be so timid like Lu Country¡ªwinning would be ¡°successfully containing Lu Country,¡± and if they lost, they could just blame the shitty Sulu, saying that Miti couldn¡¯t carry these pig teammates.

    So I should promote it vigorously!

    And I would not only promote it domestically; I would also join forces with European countries to turn it into a global Transcendent event, so that people from all over the world would cheer for our Miti¡¯s superheroes!

    Now pre-order your favorite superhero deluxe merchandise, including a specific superhero¡¯s badge, poster, brochure, and special battle robe, all for the discounted price of $324! Hurry to the official Amarei website to grab yours, and if you¡¯re a privileged first-choice member, express delivery service is also provided!

    As the Miti Superhero Alliance launched their expensive propaganda machine, the news spread explosively across the foreign internet in just a few days.

    England, France, Italy¡­ Netizens from various countries were buzzing about the Three Isles Treasure Ship incident. Of course, the story they heard was the version put out by the Miti Superhero Alliance, which was, ¡°The fleet appeared in the backward country of Sulu, but the evil and tyrannical Lu Country wants to send forces to seize it, so Miti¡¯s superheroes have decided to join hands with Sulu and neighboring countries¡¯ Transcendents to fight against the Rikoku Cultivators¡¯ invasion.¡±

    This narrative style was extremely similar to a certain blockbuster movie¡¯s plot, and the effects were naturally almost the same as that movie¡¯s box office, to the point where Lu Country instantly became a target in foreign online public opinion, the intensity of which skyrocketed to nearly uncontrollable levels, even though the major media platforms back home still dared not report it openly. But in some independent media, small forums, and chat groups, it was already spreading like wildfire.

    ¡°Hmm, interesting,¡± Yan Yu said, stroking his chin, ¡°That¡¯s the way with propaganda fronts¡ªif you don¡¯t seize them, there are plenty of others who will. So what¡¯s your dad¡¯s plan?¡±

    ¡°Thanks to this affair,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°they have reached a consensus internally to start promoting our Cultivators actively and vigorously.¡±

    ¡°And here I thought after the last media interview, the court had it all figured out,¡± Yan Yu immediately retorted sardonically, ¡°Turns out they just set a general direction, but there¡¯s still contention over the details, right?¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped,¡± Chen Lingyun stated leisurely, ¡°Nationalism is like an injection of chicken blood¡ªtoo much of it can cause problems. It¡¯s just that now we have no choice¡­¡±

    Her voice paused for a moment, then she suddenly laughed and said:

    ¡°How does it feel?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®how does it feel¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Being branded as ¡®the evil Rikoku Cultivators,¡¯ any thoughts?¡±

    ¡°I find it amusing,¡± Yan Yu scoffed disdainfully, ¡°Using the old Cold War confrontational mindset to fight a public opinion war in the Era of Resurgence? In my view, the Superhero Alliance doesn¡¯t care about winning or losing; they just want to make as much money as possible.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Chen Lingyun replied with a smile, ¡°Traffic is money, and a global event like this generates an astonishing amount of wealth behind the scenes. Even if this batch of superheroes were utterly destroyed, the Superhero Alliance would only earn a few zeros less in endorsement fees.¡±

    ¡°But for us, the pressure is entirely different. Think about it, with the public opinion battle escalating to this degree, it won¡¯t be long before it¡¯s officially announced back home. Then, the hopes and expectations of the entire nation will weigh heavily upon us¡­¡±

    ¡°What, are you scared?¡± Yan Yu glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

    ¡°I am just very happy to see even greater fun unfolding,¡± Chen Lingyun said with eyes sparkling, ¡°And you?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Yan Yu burst into laughter, ¡°Just thinking about those lousy foreign superheroes, bathed in the halo of countless fans¡¯ support, being crushed by me on the battlefield¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m absolutely thrilled!¡±

 Chapter 160 - 160: 60 How Did I Make the News (New Years Extra 2/2)

    Chapter 160: 60 Chapter How Did I Make the News (New Year¡¯s Extra 2/2)

    Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun returned to the training ground, only to see three girls facing each other, silent, with just their lips faintly moving and the hands behind their backs constantly changing.

    Clearly, they were playing rock-paper-scissors using their Divine Sense!

    Unlike light, which can only travel in a straight path, Divine Sense could scan what shape each person was making behind their back. Sound Transmission Technique was a point-to-point communication method, which allowed one to silently send messages directly to the target by locking onto them with Divine Sense.

    ¡°What are you guys talking about?¡± Chen Lingyun tried to join the group chat, sending a private Sound Transmission to the three of them.

    ¡°We¡¯re saying that as long as we use the Sound Transmission Technique, the captain won¡¯t be able to hear us,¡± Lin Ning quickly replied.

    Once again, it must be emphasized that Sound Transmission is a point-to-point communication method. So, even if four girls are standing right next to you, they can communicate without you hearing anything¡ªas long as they don¡¯t include you in their Sound Transmission group, it is just like they¡¯ve started a chat group without you.

    ...

    Yan Yu directly asked aloud:

    ¡°Have you all learned the Sound Transmission Technique?¡±

    The girls hesitated before nodding.

    ¡°Then let me assess you,¡± Yan Yu nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll send you a Sound Transmission first, and then you use Sound Transmission to reply to me.¡±

    He began to perform Sound Transmission, telling the girls:

    ¡°Tonight, we¡¯ll have extra practice.¡±

    The girls quickly shook their heads, indicating they hadn¡¯t received the Sound Transmission.

    ¡°I said we¡¯re adding practice for the Sound Transmission Technique,¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°You can¡¯t even receive a Sound Transmission; what should we do? It looks like we need to practice all night long.¡±

    ¡°We received it, we received it!¡± The girls rushed to reply via Sound Transmission, ¡°We heard you loud and clear!¡±

    Whether it¡¯s the Soul Refining Technique or Sound Transmission Technique, both are easy to start but difficult to master.

    At high levels of Soul Refining Technique, one¡¯s Divine Sense can spread thousands of miles; with a profound mastery of Sound Transmission Technique, one can also communicate with cultivators thousands of miles away. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    However, for the latter, we have a better option: smartphones.

    So as long as one is proficient enough in Sound Transmission Technique, there is no need to spend time mastering it. On the other hand, Soul Refining Technique requires daily diligent practice to lay a solid foundation, just like Shaquille O¡¯Neal had to tip-toe 500 times a day to train his calves.

    The group practiced at the training ground until almost 6 p.m., then leisurely left the school and headed home.

    Perhaps because they had learned a new spell, the girls continuously scanned their surroundings with Divine Sense while using Sound Transmission to communicate with each other on the way home, with Lin Ning being particularly active, often sending Sound Transmissions to everyone:

    ¡°Wow! The screw on that traffic light pole is loose; I couldn¡¯t have noticed it without scanning with Divine Sense.¡±

    ¡°It seems Divine Sense can penetrate through car windows and scan the people inside! Hey, there¡¯s a driver talking on the phone while driving, not following traffic rules!¡±

    ¡°Enough Ningning!¡± Su Yunjin, alternating between laughter and tears, said to her, ¡°You¡¯re acting like a kid who¡¯s going out for the first time.¡±

    ¡°Because Divine Sense is so much fun,¡± Lin Ning said with keen interest.

    It is indeed fun, and even Yan Yu remembered when in his previous life he first installed a Divine Sense emitter, the whole world seemed different¡ªit was like a two-dimensional creature living on a plane, for the first time seeing its world from a high vantage point.

    Fascinating.

    Despite the numerous hardships the Spiritual Energy Resurgence has brought to the world, it must be acknowledged that it indeed has a splendid side.

    Although it only revealed this side to the Transcendents.

    Since it was a bit late after practice, the group didn¡¯t plan to cook at home but ordered takeout on the way, ready to enjoy a feast without the work.

    Just as they arrived at the villa gate, sister Yan Jing came to meet them.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you going out to have fun in the Confucius Temple area?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    ¡°What¡¯s there to enjoy!¡± Yan Jing said anxiously, ¡°You are trending on the hot search!¡±

    Yan Yu: ???

    So, we¡¯re playing at hype, huh? Then let¡¯s have a showdown, see which family¡¯s superhero can laugh last!

    Consequently, the domestic internet directly exploded, with usual topics such as celebrities and popular dramas, which often dominated the charts, now having to step aside.

    Yan Yu carefully read the official announcement. Luckily, it didn¡¯t, like a celebrity management company, attach a personal page complete with photos detailing everything from blood type to preferences.

    After a moment of reflection, he just calmly took out his phone, opened the SIM card management, disabled the connection, then reconnected to the house¡¯s Wifi, and it was done.

    The other girls were still immersed in a state of shock, asking, ¡°What¡¯s this all about?¡± and followed Yan Jing back to the villa, where she kept chattering away:

    ¡°My classmate called me! He said the person mentioned in the Privy Council¡¯s announcement is my brother! I said I didn¡¯t know, and then when I checked, it indeed turned out to be my brother and your names! So what¡¯s going on here¡­¡±

    She hadn¡¯t finished speaking in one breath when everyone had just sat down on the sofa, still staring blankly at their phone screens, when suddenly their ringtones blared out all at once.

    A symphony of various ringtones rang out through the hall, creating a chaotic concert as everyone scrambled to answer their phones:

    ¡°Hello, Dad¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about it later!¡±

    ¡°I also just found out¡­¡±

    Yan Jing too was bombarded with phone calls from home because after Yan Yu¡¯s parents saw the news, they couldn¡¯t get through to their son¡ªso naturally, they could only contact their daughter, right?

    ¡°Big bro!¡± she said irritably as she stood up, ¡°Mom and Dad want you to answer the phone!¡±

    ¡°Give me the phone,¡± Yan Yu said calmly.

    ¡°Here¡­¡± Yan Jing handed over the phone, then did a double-take, ¡°Wait! Why do you need to use my phone?¡±

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t engage in further explanations but instead said into the phone:

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t we reach you on your phone?¡± Father Yan asked steadily.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°I was afraid relatives and friends would keep calling, so I took out my SIM card.¡±

    ¡°Did you see the news on TV?¡± Father Yan continued.

    ¡°Saw it on my phone,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°It¡¯s true. But I can¡¯t say more, it¡¯s confidential. If relatives ask, help me fend them off.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Father Yan was silent for a long while, then said, ¡°Your mother went to the temple nearby tonight to pray for your safety. We¡¯ll send the items over. Will they arrive in time?¡±

    ¡°They won¡¯t,¡± Yan Yu answered, ¡°let her pray anyway, the Buddhas will hear.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Father Yan paused for a moment, then said, ¡°Take care and come back to us safely.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Yan Yu hung up the phone and passed it back to Yan Jing¡ªonly to see his sister¡¯s eyes already brimming with tears.

    ¡°Big bro,¡± she said with a choked voice, ¡°you¡¯re really going, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°are you worried?¡±

    Yan Jing¡¯s tears fell with a plop.

    The other girls were busy dealing with urgent queries from home, and even Chen Lingyun had to repeatedly reassure her panicked mother over the phone, cycling through reassurances like ¡°It¡¯s alright¡± and ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Only Zhao Yuanzhen felt lost in a world without a single family member or friend, and suddenly seeing her little sister-in-law starting to cry, quickly embraced her to comfort her:

    ¡°Oh, Jingjing, it¡¯s okay! I¡¯ll protect your brother!¡±

    ¡°I need your protection?¡± Yan Yu immediately laughed at her, ¡°That¡¯s absurd, just don¡¯t hold me back, and I¡¯ll be grateful.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s eyes widened in indignation, instinctively wanting to retort, but considering Yan Jing¡¯s worry and sorrow right there, if she were to completely put down the young thief, wouldn¡¯t that scare her even more?

    So, she could only clench her silver teeth, her pearly teeth tightly shut, lips firmly pressed together, secretly vowing to herself:

    ¡°This thief today accused me of holding him back¡ªI¡¯ll remember this grudge! If danger arises in the future, in the midst of a crisis, once I save him, I¡¯ll surely ridicule him mercilessly, making him realize who¡¯s actually been holding back whom!¡±

    Chen Lingyun, who had finally finished her phone call, couldn¡¯t keep her smile off her face any longer, showing a wearied ¡°I¡¯m so tired¡± expression before collapsing back on the sofa and silently staring at the ceiling.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Yan Yu teased her, ¡°Doesn¡¯t your dad share his sources of information with your mom?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about this topic,¡± Chen Lingyun said flatly.

    ¡°Hmm-hmm,¡± Yan Yu mimicked her catchphrase, speaking in a higher pitch, ¡°If I¡¯m wrong, with your personality, you¡¯d immediately mock me, so I must be right.¡±

    Chen Lingyun grabbed a cushion from the sofa next to her and threw it hard at his face.

    Yan Yu pretended to be knocked over by the cushion, falling headlong onto the sofa, and then saw Lin Ning also putting down her phone, complaining:

    ¡°Ah, so annoying! Why are they still pushing for marriage?!¡±

    ¡°Duh,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°What if you died? Even if you got married and had a child, at least looking at the kid, your family would have some comfort¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll make you die right now!¡± Lin Ning angrily picked up a cushion and pressed it forcefully against his face, then punched him a few times through it.

 Chapter 161 - 61 Zhao Yuanzhen Wants to Fight

    Chapter 161: Chapter 61 Zhao Yuanzhen Wants to Fight

    Actually, if one really delves into it, the collaboration between the Northeast and Lord Master¡¯s team was the first time they all officially dealt with foreign cultivators.

    Of course, the subsequent battle of the Three Isles Treasure Ship, in terms of intensity, ferocity, and attention, far surpassed the previous Mysterious Realm war.

    Therefore, as Chen Lingyun had anticipated, the girls began to shoulder a lot of psychological pressure.

    Su Yunjin was still on the phone with her family, having been on the call for almost an hour and twenty minutes by now. Although the entire conversation was in encrypted dialect, her tone and demeanor clearly indicated the conversation was not going smoothly.

    Lin Ning had already hung up her phone and was now checking the news on her mobile, her expression growing more troubled the more she read.

    Chen Lingyun was lying on the sofa, feigning sleep, with a curl of hair playfully resting on her fair neck.

    ...

    Perhaps only in this state of genuine tranquility, without any false smiles, could her inherent exquisite beauty shine forth endlessly like the sun radiating warmth and light.

    The carefree Zhao Yuanzhen was still rambling on, trying to console Yan Jing. The Demonic Sect Enchantress, though deceitful and cunning, actually liked the pure-hearted girl like Yan Jing, not because of her being the little thief¡¯s younger sister.

    Yan Jing¡¯s eyes were still somewhat red, but her emotions had clearly stabilized considerably.

    She was of course aware that her brother¡¯s name had made the news, and there was basically no chance of that changing, so she had no choice but to accept it, however reluctantly.

    ¡°Brother,¡± she called out, sounding aggrieved.

    ¡°What?¡± Yan Yu immediately became vigilant.

    Every time his sister spoke in that tone, it was almost certain she was about to ask for something, and he had to be cautious.

    ¡°Can we sleep on the living room floor tonight?¡± Yan Jing asked carefully.

    ¡°Sleep on the floor?¡± Yan Yu was first taken aback, then he understood.

    In the past, when his sister had watched a particularly terrifying horror movie and was too scared to sleep alone at night, she would forcibly drag him to sleep on the floor in the living room.

    In other words, his sister feared that he might not return tomorrow, so she wanted to spend the night together with him¡­ Actually, Yan Yu wanted to say no, but considering it stemmed from their strong sibling bond, his heart softened and he nodded in agreement.

    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Yan Jing immediately beamed with joy and turned to coax Chen Lingyun, ¡°Sister Lingyun, can we all sleep on the floor in the living room tonight?¡±

    Yan Yu: ?

    ¡°Sure,¡± Chen Lingyun said nonchalantly.

    ¡°Sister Zhao¡­¡± Yan Jing turned to persuade another person.

    Soon, she managed to ask everyone, and in the end, all the girls were included in a large living room slumber party, leaving Yan Yu completely dumbfounded.

    Sister, you¡¯re essentially setting up a harem for me¡­ Well, not really, because each of us will have our own quilts; it won¡¯t be a communal blanket, but at most it¡¯s just sleeping in the same room. Considering the size of the living room, it doesn¡¯t feel much different, and maybe the only change is the ability to talk to each other before falling asleep.

    So, everyone started getting busy again. Su Yunjin got up listlessly and cleaned the living room floor once more; Lin Ning went upstairs to help bring down everyone¡¯s spare bedding; Zhao Yuanzhen opened the kitchen cabinets and pulled out a bunch of snacks, preparing them for breakfast tomorrow¡­ That person didn¡¯t plan to help at all, the Demonic Sect Enchantress simply had no intention of lending a hand.

    Quickly, the furniture in the living room was all moved aside, and six quilts were placed in a circular pattern like petals. Yan Jing even purposefully positioned the pillows on the inner side of the circle so everyone could be closer and talk.

    With the lights turned off, darkness soon enveloped the surroundings.

    Yan Yu turned over in his quilt, yawned, then heard his sister not far away say:

    ¡°Brother.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I suddenly remembered: it¡¯s said that in ancient times, when men were conscripted to go to war, their parents would arrange for them to sleep with their wives the night before leaving, fearing they might die on the battlefield and leave the family without an heir¡­¡±

    Although she might not have meant anything else (after all, she was just a middle school girl), the other girls felt a bit strained upon hearing this, and Yan Yu immediately interrupted her:

    ¡°I¡¯ve also heard that on the eve of battle in ancient times, if someone spoke words that could confuse the soldiers¡¯ hearts in the camp, they¡¯d be dragged out and beheaded immediately, did you know that?¡±

    ¡°Hehehe.¡± Yan Jing burrowed into her quilt, laughing, ¡°Big brother wouldn¡¯t bear to behead me.¡±

    ¡°You two siblings have such a good relationship,¡± Su Yunjin remarked.

    ¡°I just don¡¯t bother arguing with her,¡± Yan Yu sighed.

    That was the plain truth. The siblings from his past life, like many other families, didn¡¯t have a great relationship when they were young¡ªespecially since Yan Jing often got into trouble and then used her acting skills to make Yan Yu take the blame in front of their parents. It would be surprising if they got along well.

    Only after struggling in the cold and harsh society do people tend to remember the warmth of family. Yan Yu, having lived a second life, certainly did not bother to hold grudges over trifles with his sister. And although Yan Jing didn¡¯t become some strange sibling-controlled creature like Li Zhaojiang, the affection between the siblings was indeed quite strong, and they hardly ever had problems.

    ¡°How come you like quarreling with me so much?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s voice suddenly rang in her ear.

    ¡°I¡¯m educating you,¡± Yan Yu replied earnestly, ¡°Sisters will eventually get married and are therefore allowed to make mistakes and be foolish. But as my partner for life, you need to be whipped and beaten severely to ensure you don¡¯t rush down the wrong path¡ªunderstand? I¡¯m doing this for your own good; don¡¯t be ungrateful!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was immediately so angry she was practically smoking, her beautiful eyes cold as snow, her lovely face frosted over, silently holding a grudge in her heart:

    ¡°What a little thief! To think he¡¯s saying I¡¯m to be his partner for life¡­ huh, that kind of sounds sweet? No, no, no, what he¡¯s talking about is whipping and beating me severely! This is an outrageous insult; I¡¯ll note it down for now, and when I find the opportunity, I¡¯m going to retaliate fiercely and make you weep and wail for that last remark, regretting your words! Just you wait, you stinking little thief!¡±

    ¡°Damn!¡± Huddled under the covers looking at her phone, Lin Ning suddenly couldn¡¯t help but curse out loud.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Chen Lingyun asked from beside her.

    ¡°Someone online is slandering us!¡± Lin Ning complained indignantly.

    ¡°No way?¡± Su Yunjin also seemed puzzled, ¡°With the national team roster officially announced by the Privy Council, how dare they insult us?¡±

    ¡°But there are people speaking badly about us!¡± Lin Ning huffed, ¡°And there are those praising Miti¡¯s superheroes; let me read it to you!¡±

    ¡°¡­Miti¡¯s superheroes come from all over the world, and just being able to enter the preliminaries is already a one in ten thousand chance. Then they have to survive eighteen rounds of deadly combat¡ªthose who live are battle-hardened ultimate veterans. Our domestic cultivators simply don¡¯t have the experience of life-and-death fighting. It¡¯s like the armchair general Zhao Kuo going up against the mass-murderer Bai Qi; we all know what the outcome would be, only brainless nationalist little pinks would think cultivators could win¡­¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not wrong,¡± Yan Yu suddenly said, ¡°We¡¯ve mainly focused on simulated confrontations in the past; we really don¡¯t have as much experience in life-and-death fighting as Miti¡¯s superheroes, and we have to admit that.¡±

    ¡°Captain!¡± Lin Ning called out, frustrated, ¡°Whose side are you on?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not surprising to see these kinds of comments,¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°Miti¡¯s superheroes are broadcast globally, so everyone can see their strength. Our domestic cultivators¡¯ confrontations are strictly confidential, and the public doesn¡¯t know our level, so it¡¯s inevitable that some blindly hype their power.¡±

    ¡°As long as we win in the Three Isles Treasured Ship battle, these comments will crumble by themselves. Until then, there¡¯s no need to argue with them.¡±

    ¡°But still!¡± Lin Ning could not let it go, questioning, ¡°Even if they don¡¯t know our strength level, as people of Lu Country, shouldn¡¯t they support us instead of siding with Miti?¡±

    ¡°How do you know they¡¯re from Lu Country?¡± Yan Yu countered.

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Lin Ning was stumped.

    ¡°Sister Ningning might not know,¡± Yan Jing joined in, ¡°but outside the wall, there are giants at large, all sorts of strange creatures exist.¡±

    ¡°I also support the captain on this,¡± Su Yunjin spoke, ¡°Ningning, let it go. You can¡¯t expect everyone to support us. Just prove yourself with results when the time comes.¡±

    ¡°But these comments really irritate me!¡± Lin Ning understood the logic, yet she couldn¡¯t suppress her frustration, and soon she began furiously typing on the screen, joining the online discussion fray.

    ¡°Ningning¡­¡± Su Yunjin wanted to persuade her further, but then she heard Chen Lingyun transmit a message:

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, let her go. Little Ningning has always had a strong personality. Having these comments to stir her up before the battle can help her maintain her fighting spirit.¡±

    Su Yunjin was bemused but thought that Chen Lingyun was not wrong.

    ¡°I¡¯m so mad, so mad!¡± After a while, Lin Ning suddenly shouted again.

    ¡°Why are you still fighting?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked in confusion.

    ¡°Because they are being unreasonable!¡± Lin Ning said, cheeks puffed with anger.

    ¡°Send me the link.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen declared boldly, ¡°Her Ladyship requests to enter the fray! Scumbags, your horse is going to die!¡±

    As the mention of ¡°Sima¡± came up, Yan Yu suddenly remembered another incident from his past life.

    It was a much later point in time. Soon after Empress Yuanzhen boasted of her documentary airing, it caused a strong reaction in the realm of public opinion. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    People had seen arrogance before¡ªafter all, it¡¯s a traditional practice for autobiographers to glamorize themselves, but such shameless self-aggrandizement was unprecedented.

    The Lu Country internet was extraordinarily lively, with the ¡°Empress Yuanzhen¡¯s Knights¡± and the ¡°Sober and Rational People of the World¡± constantly bickering, pulling, and alternating between praising and criticizing, debating ¡°just what level is Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s combat power on Earth,¡± dominating major discussion platforms, with classic quotable lines emerging incessantly, people constantly amused or infuriated, many utterly breaking down.

    The conclusion of the event was completely unexpected. It turned out that the leader and the number one fan of those Empress Yuanzhen¡¯s Knights was none other than the Demonic Empress herself running the account.

    After battling with the internet trolls for days and nights and being aggravated by the collective chanting of the Bible from the other side, she actually abused her cultivator powers to coerce the internet regulators into tracking down IP addresses for doxxing and to relieve her anger through murder¡­ The exact number of deaths remained unclear, nor was it allowed to be discussed; after all, the authorities didn¡¯t want to offend Empress Yuanzhen over this. The usually overly protected citizens of Lu Country finally realized the harsh reality of ¡°the difference between immortals and mortals,¡± and wisely opted to collectively shut up.

    The fearsome reputation of Empress Yuanzhen could be seen from this alone!

    Yan Yu¡¯s wariness towards Zhao Yuanzhen and his opposition to cultivators ruling the country were not because of an extreme and peculiar disposition; rather, his past life was indeed filled with countless bizarre occurrences¡­ Of course, the current Empress Yuanzhen had already been disciplined early on by him and was now as tame as a kitten; there was no longer any worry about her lashing out and murdering when she couldn¡¯t win an argument.

    ¡°Don¡¯t stay up too late,¡± he scolded Zhao Yuanzhen, ¡°You have to put down your phone before midnight or I¡¯ll confiscate it for a month!¡±

    ¡°Got it, got it,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, who was busy helping Lin Ning drive a bulldozer to destroy the opposing side¡¯s entire family, had no time to bear a grudge against Yan Yu, and replied impatiently, ¡°Can I set an alarm, okay?¡±

 Chapter 162 - 62: Yan Team, Youre on Fire

    Chapter 162: Chapter 62: Yan Team, You¡¯re on Fire

    For someone like Yan Yu, dealing with trolls was nothing new.

    Thanks to the aggressive marketing by Miti¡¯s Superhero Alliance, what should have been a very solemn event ¨C the national battle of cultivators ¨C became highly commercialized, turned into entertainment and sports. It was quite ironic, to say the least.

    Yet, perhaps it is in human DNA to harbor fragments of cruelty and a thirst for blood.

    Just like the Roman nobles witnessing gladiator games for the first time, people from all over the world were quickly captivated by these brutal and bloody spectacles.

    With nationalism fanning the flames, the popularity of the cultivator national battles soon surpassed all sports leagues, becoming a global phenomena that transcended race, region, and class.

    It also gave rise to countless hardcore fans and trolls.

    ...

    Who you support or slander is strongly associated with where you come from. For example, in my past life, the Southeastern Six Provinces had a massive fan base for the Spirit Transport Team, with Jianghai Prefecture being the most extreme, and, for some unspeakable reasons, it was also the largest ¡°Lord Master hate congregation.¡±

    Take the battle for Mount Tai as an example. When the Spirit Transport Team was defeated by Lord Master in a three-to-one fight, it infuriated the comedian Lu Ming so much that in a public performance at the Jianghai Comedy Center, he blurted out that ¡°northerners are worms in international fights but dragons in domestic ones,¡± earning himself a three-year performance ban from the Media Bureau¡­ He was willing to blacken Lord Master¡¯s name at the cost of his career. It just goes to show, you can never fully get rid of trolls.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t care much for trolls. Even if they were trashing cultivators from Lu Country, or even if they were to say to his face, ¡°You, Yan Yu, are trash,¡± he would just smile slightly, never retort, and watch as his fan club tore the opposition to shreds.

    But Sister Lin clearly didn¡¯t have his level of composure, as she was still grumbling unhappily while brushing her teeth the next morning.

    ¡°Excuse me, I need to use the water,¡± Yan Yu pushed her aside from the sink, ¡°It¡¯s been a whole night; how come you¡¯re still not over it?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about it,¡± Lin Ning said through her toothbrush, her words muffled, ¡°I¡¯ve already let it go.¡±

    ¡°You better have,¡± Yan Yu saw her furrowed brow, the drooping corners of her eyes, and an expression that screamed ¡°I am not happy,¡± and knew she was still being stubborn. He didn¡¯t call her out, simply took his turn to rinse and went on his way.

    After breakfast, everyone headed to the school to prepare for the final training before departure ¨C but first, they had to drop Yan Jing off at the high-speed rail station.

    ¡°Behave and go straight home,¡± Yan Yu patted his sister¡¯s head at the station, ¡°When your brother triumphantly returns from the battlefield, I¡¯ll bring you some spoils, okay?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want spoils,¡± Yan Jing said with a quivering voice, ¡°Big brother, just come back in one piece, without losing any arms or legs. That¡¯s all I want.¡±

    ¡°What nonsense are you talking about,¡± Yan Yu ruffled her hair, smiling, ¡°Your big brother, I¡­¡±

    ¡°But, am not the strongest in this world, okay?¡±

    ¡°Stop messing up my hair, big brother!¡± Yan Jing initially wanted to keep arguing, but then she hesitated.

    I don¡¯t care if big brother is the strongest in this world, I just hope he¡¯s stronger than all the enemies, so he can come back safe and victorious.

    Really, you have to come back, big brother.

    After seeing off his sister, everyone in the car on the way back to school felt a sudden sense of loss and sentiment.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be sad, everyone,¡± Su Yunjin communicated secretly to the girls, ¡°We¡¯ll have the chance to meet again next time.¡±

    ¡°Crap!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly exclaimed, ¡°I forgot to ask her how to deal with little thieves!¡±

    The girls were speechless.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a sweet smile, ¡°I have her good friend on my contact list.¡±

    ¡°Quick, add me!¡±

    ¡°I want to be added too.¡±

    ¡°Pass her contact to me, Ling Yun.¡±

    Yan Yu, watching the girls who were silent, each engrossed in their phones, suddenly felt that something was off.

    Is someone secretly communicating without me? Talking behind my back, huh? Have I been slacking off with our additional training?

    Of course, they were due to depart for the South Sea that afternoon; even if he was a beast, he wouldn¡¯t ruthlessly enforce training on the morning of. He simply took note quietly, preparing to settle scores after the completion of the Three Islands Treasure Ship.

    I, Yan Yu, am not the type to be small-minded. Ensuring everyone maintains a good state of mind before the battle is my responsibility, no need to thank me.

    The girls were, of course, oblivious to his thoughts. They continued to practice the Three Arts in the morning, had lunch at noon, and in the afternoon, they went to the airport to board the plane and begin their journey.

    Near the seas adjacent to the Three Islands Treasure Ship, to maintain a deterrent against Miti¡¯s CVN-144 carrier strike group, the Annan Navy¡¯s ¡°Tailfire Tiger¡± carrier strike group had also arrived at the battlefield. Both parties carried out routine cruising on either side of the Three Islands Treasure Ship, with their daily mission being to challenge each other¡¯s communication, shouting for the other side to make way, all while putting on an aggressive front as if they were about to strike at any moment.

    The military aircraft landed on the deck of the Tailfire Tiger, and Yan Yu and his group finally boarded the aircraft carrier, just in time to see the Three Islands Treasure Ship convoy sailing in the distance.

    It¡¯s not apparent from the videos, but only when you are there can you feel the grandeur of the Three Islands Treasure Ship. The size of this tower ship is on par with that of the aircraft carrier itself, with its tall, sturdy masts rising like mountains, nearly a hundred meters tall, casting enormous shadows over the sea with the sails hanging from them, adorned with giant tadpole script.

    Only the Rikoku Cultivators would instinctively understand the meaning the moment they saw the tadpole script:

    ¡°`

    Isles.

    In this context, ¡°isle¡± refers to an island.

    The Three Isles Treasure Ship represents three ¡°sea islands¡± capable of navigation.

    At the edge of the deck, a media team was broadcasting live, with Lu Zhiyu, an old acquaintance of Yan Yu¡¯s and Chen Lingyun¡¯s, as the host.

    Wearing a safety helmet, Lu Zhiyu was almost blown blind by the fierce and vigorous sea breeze, struggling to shout at the camera:

    ¡°We are currently on the deck of the Tail Fire Tiger aircraft carrier, (turning to the side) and now you can see, that in the distance is our Three Isles Treasure Ship¡­¡±

    The director caught sight of Yan Yu and others disembarking the plane and quickly gestured to Lu Zhiyu, meaning to quickly finish the introduction and then go interview our team members.

    When Lu Zhiyu saw it was Yan Yu¡¯s Team, his heart was quite reluctant. But work was work after all, so he had to rapidly memorize the script and then quickly walked over to intercept Yan Yu with the cameraman.

    ¡°Next, let¡¯s interview the protagonists of this mission, the captain of the Zhenhai Team, Yan Yu, and his teammates,¡± Lu Zhiyu quickly shouted his lines as a warning to Yan Yu that this was a live national broadcast, then asked, ¡°Captain Yan, you are teaming up with the Qing¡¯an Team to combat the Sulu Allied Forces, what preparations have you made for the upcoming battle for the Three Isles Treasure Ship, and how confident are you?¡±

    These two questions were common inquiries posed to military personnel, with standard answers usually being safe but unhelpful platitudes like ¡°We have fully analyzed the intelligence¡± ¡°We have meticulously rehearsed for the battle situation¡± ¡°We will surely achieve victory in the war,¡± enough to reassure the audience in front of the TV.

    However, Yan Yu clearly wasn¡¯t one to give stock responses; he merely frowned slightly (a look that made Lu Zhiyu¡¯s heart skip a beat) before asking the camera in wonder:

    ¡°Fight Sulu, need to prepare?¡±

    With that said, he led the still awkwardly forced-smiling girls straight into the bridge, leaving Lu Zhiyu and the film crew standing on the deck, their expressions blank and disheveled in the wind.

    Inside the bridge, people like Li Zhaojiang were in the command room analyzing intelligence, when they saw Yan Yu bringing his team in.

    ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± Yan Yu found a chair and sat down, ¡°When does the Mysterious Realm open?¡±

    ¡°The current estimate is the afternoon of September 1st,¡± Li Minghu answered soberly.

    ¡°What about the enemy?¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°Which strong ones have arrived, Annan Army on their side must have confirmed as well.¡±

    ¡°We have a suspected list,¡± Li Zhaojiang replied. ¡°It¡¯s on the computer over there, go have a look yourself.¡±

    ¡°Fine then.¡± Yan Yu knew that this kind of intelligence was top secret; once the enemy knew you were aware of their lineup, they might just pull a last-minute substitution¡­ so it had to be stored on a physically disconnected electronic medium to prevent leaks.

    Upon reaching the computer in the corner and waiting for the guard next to him to help unlock it, Yan Yu picked up the mouse and started browsing. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Hmm¡­

    Wow, Miti Team has really splurged this time! They even sent out the Three Birds.

    Phoenix, Roger the ¡°Thorn Bird,¡± and Margaret the ¡°Thunder Bird.¡± In the past life, these three were a famous hero combo from Miti, officially named ¡°Triple Eagle Meric,¡± or ¡°Miti¡¯s Three Eagles.¡±

    However, Rikoku netizens called them ¡°Miti¡¯s Three Birds¡±¡­

    To be remembered and nicknamed by Rikoku netizens, the power level of these three ¡°superheroes¡± was of course substantial. If the prime of Lord Master was set at T1, then these three were at least at T1.5, undoubtedly A-listers in the Superhero Alliance.

    Looking next at Southeast Asia, Yan Yu scrolled the mouse wheel for quite a while, finding only two familiar names:

    The Curse Technique Master Ajarn Luo and the Shadow Magician Mo Ha.

    Unlike Miti and Rikoku, the main force of Southeast Asia¡¯s Transcendents were mainly in the folk, hence there were not many famous ones, but there were plenty of formidable ones, and the turnover rate was astonishingly fast.

    Last month¡¯s infamous Curse Technique Master might be found dead in the gutter the next month, with all his turf and influence taken over by others¡­ So remembering names was of no use; Yan Yu merely had some recollection of these two.

    Hmm, it looked like the upcoming battle was truly going to be tough, more perilous than the previous few.

    Though worried at heart, Yan Yu remained impassive on the surface, slowly scrolled through the list to the bottom, then let go of the mouse, stood up, stretched out, and yawned.

    ¡°How does it look?¡± Chen Lingyun asked from behind him.

    ¡°A motley crew,¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly, ¡°not worth mentioning.¡±

    Seeing the captain making such an assessment, the girls also secretly breathed a sigh of relief¡ªthough their captain had high pride, seeing everyone as if they were a rabble, his evaluation still boosted their morale.

    ¡°Damn!¡± Jiang Hong, who was playing with his phone at the table, suddenly cursed, ¡°Yan, you¡¯ve gone viral!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Li Zhaojiang asked in surprise.

    ¡°Check the trending searches,¡± Jiang Hong instructed.

    Everyone hastily pulled out their phones, only to see topping today¡¯s trending search list were seven words, with a strangely familiar tone:

    Fight Sulu, need to prepare?

 Chapter 163 - 63 Lin Ning Wants to Take a Bite

    Chapter 163: Chapter 63 Lin Ning Wants to Take a Bite

    Since the three-island treasure ship hadn¡¯t come to a complete stop yet, everyone continued to sort through enemy intelligence on board over the following days.

    The internal military analysis estimated that Miti would send around 40 people, while the Southeast Asian side would send around 200. These numbers weren¡¯t necessarily accurate, but even if the actual headcount was cut in half, it was still not a small number and it was impossible to conduct detailed analysis on every single person.

    Therefore, the Annan Army side merely extracted a dozen individuals whom the intelligence department considered ¡°relatively dangerous¡± and presented them to the two squads for reference and study.

    The five individuals Yan Yu had previously noticed were among them, indicating that the intelligence this time was quite accurate.

    Since no messages could be sent to the outside world from the ship, everyone could only play with their phones and surf the internet on the ship¡¯s computers to catch up on the news, relieving some of the tension before the battle.

    Owing to Yan Yu¡¯s remark, ¡°Do we even need to prepare for Sulu,¡± and with the state media following instructions to guide public opinion, the online sentiment had already undergone a massive reversal, completely suppressing those discordant and pessimistic voices.

    ...

    Even today, a trending news piece reported that the internet oversight authorities had captured several rumor-mongers, and all the comments below were calling for ¡°severe punishment without leniency¡± and ¡± satisfying the public¡¯s sense of justice.¡±

    The current fervor of public opinion could now be fully described as ¡°the hopes of the entire people of Lu Country concentrated on these two squads.¡±

    If they won, they would reap both fame and fortune; if they lost, the outcome would depend on how the state media ultimately framed it, but they would certainly not end up in a favorable position.

    Liu, who had won so many track and field gold medals, was still criticized for withdrawing from a competition due to injury, which shows that often the earnest expectations of the masses do not sympathize or reason with you.

    Not to mention the numerous trolls online who, though currently suppressed by the overwhelming trend, were still holding back their malice. If there were indeed a loss, they would certainly come out to stir things up and mock in a gleefully sarcastic manner.

    Lin Ning had said before departure, ¡°I¡¯ve already risen above their level,¡± but it¡¯s impossible for a problem-solver not to care about class rankings, and soon she couldn¡¯t help but go online to check the public opinion.

    And then she saw a flood of Yan Yu-themed rage comic memes, with captions saying, ¡°Do you even need to prepare for XXX?¡±

    For example, ¡°Do you even need to prepare for the postgraduate exams?¡± ¡°Do you even need to prepare to meet the parents?¡± ¡°Do you even need to prepare when looking for a ladyboy?¡± They were generally used in the sense of ¡°pretending to be heroic before doing something very difficult.¡±

    As Lin Ning read on, she started to feel restless.

    Why does everyone think the captain is merely talking big? The captain is actually very powerful, okay?

    Well, if one hadn¡¯t seen the captain in action, merely hearing his statements might indeed seem as if he were putting on an act of bravado¡­

    Lin Ning hurried to the tactical command room, only to see Yan Yu swiping on his phone.

    She quietly crept up behind him and sneaked a peek at his phone screen.

    A novel?

    What are you doing reading web novels at a time like this!

    Lin Ning immediately felt exasperated, thinking she was foolish for worrying about him, and impulsively reached out to snatch his phone.

    But, what was Yan Yu¡¯s reaction speed? Before Lin Ning¡¯s hand could even touch his phone, he moved it down quickly with a swift bend.

    Lin Ning also reacted quickly, leaning forward and stretching out her arm in an attempt to snatch it¡ªresulting in her entire body lying on his back, at last grasping the upper half of the phone.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Yan Yu asked, bewildered.

    ¡°I¡¯m confiscating your phone!¡± Lin Ning said fiercely, ¡°As the captain, you better work properly and stop slacking off!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s off-duty time now, okay? You, the studious one, should at least look at the clock!¡±

    ¡°Is there such a thing as off-duty during wartime?¡± S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu attempted to perform the ¡°dead fish twist¡± to flip the girl off his back.

    However, Lin Ning¡¯s flexibility was remarkable, and she managed to cling to his neck with her arms while holding onto the phone without falling.

    Is Lin eating the wrong pills? Yan Yu was puzzled and used his killer move:

    ¡°It¡¯s transforming.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s transforming?¡± Lin Ning was initially startled, and then immediately her face flushed with embarrassment. She quickly let go of Yan Yu, jumped off him, and with her hands covering her chest, she angrily said, ¡°Shameless!¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu said earnestly, ¡°Suddenly attacking from behind and sticking close is quite shameless.¡±

    Lin Ning became enraged, baring her teeth and making a move to bite Yan Yu, shouting:

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you who¡¯s the shameless one!¡±

    Using the command room¡¯s desk to his advantage, Yan Yu skillfully started using the ¡°Circling around the Pillar¡± skill, while his mouth involuntarily began to taunt:

    ¡°She¡¯s panicking, she¡¯s panicking, she¡¯s getting flustered.¡±

    Lin Ning went into a rage, suddenly activated the Shifting Technique to leap over the conference table, and then tackled Yan Yu to the ground.

    Bite down!

    Yan Yu activated the Barrier Charm! Domineering Body!

    Lin Ning had bitten him for quite a while, yet she couldn¡¯t even leave a teeth mark, which inevitably left her a bit disheartened.

    Yan Yu then held her in a reverse grip, floated up with the Cloud Ascension Technique, and placed the stunned Lin Ning on the conference table, laughing,

    ¡°Cooled down?¡±

    Lin Ning was, of course, still angry, but soon she began to feel a little aggrieved, saying,

    ¡°Yan Yu, do you know that on the internet those people are using you for memes, making fun of you?¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Yan Yu stroked his chin, ¡°If it¡¯s about memes. Don¡¯t worry, everyone will have their turn soon.¡±

    Lin Ning: ?

    ¡°And you¡¯re still reading novels!¡± She continued to protest, ¡°You¡¯re not taking the upcoming war seriously at all!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like you have to stare at the computer all day to be doing something important,¡± Yan Yu said, pulling out his phone to show her the screen, ¡°See this?¡±

    Lin Ning looked at the screen for a moment, and judging from the index, it was a cultivation novel. She hesitated before asking,

    ¡°Are you¡­ trying to deduce the secrets and restrictions of the Three Islands¡¯ Treasure Ship¡¯s Mysterious Realm by researching the settings of cultivation novels?¡±

    Yan Yu paused for a second before answering,

    ¡°I wanted you to look at the subscription list. I¡¯ve subscribed to the entire book and spent the money, so of course, I need to finish it, right?¡±

    Lin Ning suddenly felt like she was choking, with her back teeth grinding involuntarily. Just when she was about to pounce like a famished tiger once again, she suddenly heard the voice of Li Minghu from outside the door:

    ¡°Captain Yan, you¡¯re here. Do you have time to go over some intelligence?¡±

    ¡°Reviewing intelligence? Sure,¡± Yan Yu replied as he turned his head, ¡°Come this way and talk.¡±

    Lin Ning was dumbfounded, feeling like she could no longer suppress the fury in her heart: I ask you to do serious work and you irritate me, she comes to you with intelligence and you¡¯re all business, huh?

    Thinking my Green Bamboo Sword is not sharp enough?

    But with someone else present, she didn¡¯t think it was appropriate to pounce on the detestable captain in front of Li Minghu, so she was forced to swallow her frustration and said with a sneer,

    ¡°Then I won¡¯t disturb you.¡±

    ¡°You stay here too,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you rushing me to do important work? Then let¡¯s do it together.¡±

    Li Minghu looked curiously at them, sensing that the atmosphere between the two was somewhat odd.

    However, she didn¡¯t think too much of it and simply sat down in the chair in front of the ship¡¯s computer and said,

    ¡°The Phoenix, that person, what do you think of him?¡±

    ¡°Since he¡¯s called ¡®Phoenix¡¯, his abilities must be related to fire and he probably has strong life-saving capabilities,¡± Yan Yu sat next to her and gestured for Lin Ning to come closer, ¡°There should be some footage of him from the Annan Army, right?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s one part,¡± Li Minghu brought up the footage, ¡°You¡¯re pretty much right.¡±

    Lin Ning also leaned in out of curiosity, and the three of them quietly finished watching the footage.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Li Minghu finally asked.

    ¡°Troublesome,¡± Lin Ning said with a grave expression, picking up the mouse to drag the progress bar, ¡°Look here: he was clearly injured, but the wound didn¡¯t bleed, and then here¡­ see? Although the resolution is a bit poor, you can still see the wound is healing.¡±

    ¡°If we assume that pure physical damage is ineffective against him¡­¡± Li Minghu concluded, ¡°it means his abilities are a strong counter to Sword Immortals.¡±

    ¡°When did the wound heal?¡± Yan Yu asked leisurely.

    Both girls paused for a moment before catching on.

    ¡°Let me check,¡± Lin Ning said, scrolling to the beginning, playing at 0.5x speed, and then continuously pressing the space bar for frame-by-frame playback.

    ¡°Found it!¡± She pointed to the screen.

    ¡°How much time passed?¡± Yan Yu ordered, ¡°Calculate it.¡±

    ¡°You mean,¡± Li Minghu immediately understood, ¡°he¡¯s not immune to physical damage but has some sort of rapid healing ability, and he needs to actively deploy this ability, which can¡¯t be effective all the time without any limits.¡±

    ¡°Just because he has the nickname ¡®Phoenix¡¯ doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s truly immortal,¡± Yan Yu said with a slight smile, confidently, ¡°In the Western mythological system, the more invincible something is, the simpler its weakness. The hair of Samson, Achilles¡¯ heel, the mistletoe of Baldur¡­ you just have to find it.¡±

 Chapter 164 - 64 Traffic and Interview

    Chapter 164: Chapter 64 Traffic and Interview

    The Miti CVN-144 carrier, originally the resting lounge for officers on the bridge, was now occupied by the film crews of three stars.

    ¡°Phoenix¡± Phoenix, ¡°Thornbird¡± Roger, and ¡°Thunderbird¡± Margaret, although technically part of Miti¡¯s Homeland Strategic Bureau, were also actively involved by the Superhero Alliance in the commercial promotion of the entire event.

    The so-called commercial promotion is actually very simple at its core: exposure.

    While the public¡¯s attention was on them, they aimed to expose themselves as much as possible to boost the popularity of the superheroes and then monetize the merchandise ¡ª after all, once this battle was over and the hot topic period had passed, any publicity efforts would be half as effective.

    During a break in the shooting, the three sat on chairs nearby. Phoenix cracked open two cans of beer and handed one to Thornbird. Thunderbird lit up a slim cigarette.

    ¡°Have you seen the intel on our opponents this time?¡± Thornbird asked as he took the beer.

    ...

    ¡°No.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t.¡± Phoenix and Thunderbird answered simultaneously.

    Thornbird was somewhat rendered speechless and continued to ask:

    ¡°Should we study it tonight?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t make it, I have an interview tonight,¡± Thunderbird said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so serious,¡± Phoenix said in a relaxed tone, ¡°we just need to win.¡±

    It was because of the worry about not being able to win that studying the opponent¡¯s intel was necessary!

    Thornbird really wanted to persuade them further, but ultimately held back.

    He was of English nationality, a Mancunian, with a disposition leaning towards dourness, melancholy, and seriousness; ¡°Phoenix¡± originated from the Mediterranean island of Corfu, reflecting the Mediterranean¡¯s characteristic laid-back and disorganized nature; ¡°Thunderbird¡± Margaret hailed from Helsinki in Northern Europe, careless and yet another extreme¡­ Without established team leadership, it was actually very hard for the three of them to reach a consensus through communication.

    Of course, it was a brainwave of the Superhero Alliance¡¯s business managers to deliberately bring three such disparate Transcendents together, something about ¡°character diversification.¡±

    In Thornbird¡¯s opinion, the idea was downright stupid. After all, he was a wizard, with a fighting style leaning more towards control, stealth, and surprise ¡ª but Phoenix and Thunderbird both favored a head-on confrontation style. Even though they were indeed powerful, they simply were not willing to coordinate with him on the battlefield.

    Brash and stealthy just don¡¯t mix!

    Thornbird silently left the officer¡¯s lounge and along the way saw many other ¡°superheroes,¡± working with their respective agent teams on filming. The entire upper bridge was like a moving ¡°Hollywood,¡± a giant star-making base, where everyone focused on traffic and fame, with no one truly caring about victory.

    ¡­Can we really win against the Rikoku Cultivators with this?

    Of course, it wouldn¡¯t matter if they didn¡¯t win; they could just blame it on Sulu being too weak afterward.

    In the end, the original purpose of establishing the Superhero Alliance was not for victory, but for commercial operations and accumulating wealth, to form an unbreakable community of interests between the superheroes and Miti entrepreneurs ¡ª just a replication of their military-industrial complex strategies.

    Thornbird¡¯s mood grew increasingly bleak until he arrived at the end of the corridor and saw two Asian Transcendents in conversation, speaking an incomprehensible gibberish to him.

    But what they held in their hands were tarot cards, familiar to the European Transcendents, seemingly engaged in divining the fortunes of this battle.

    Unobtrusively narrowing his eyes, Thornbird carefully observed the cards drawn by the other party, quietly activating his own mystical intuition.

    The first card was The Magician, upright. It hinted that the Western camp was about to face a completely unknown challenge from the Rikoku Cultivators, and it also symbolized innovation, freedom, and the pursuit of power.

    Then the second card was¡­ The Tower, upright. There was something terribly frightening in the Mysterious Realm this time; sudden destruction, immense danger, and a path to ruin.

    The two Asian Transcendents visibly panicked, quickly drawing a third tarot card.

    Wheel of Fortune, reversed. A tough struggle, complicated changes, life and death uncertain, also not a good sign.

    The other trembled as they were about to draw a fourth card but were stopped by their companion¡¯s hand.

    The two chattered for a while and then slowly put the three tarot cards back into the deck.

    Thornbird forcefully closed his eyes, exhaled a long breath of stale air to calm the tension brought on by the adrenaline rush.

    Time to scrap the original plan and prioritize survival above all for this battle¡­

    When he opened his eyes again, he found that the two Asians had disappeared.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Though his heart was not in his work, Father Yan was still a state-owned enterprise employee and thus recently forced himself to go to his job.

    The lunch break had just ended, and he was sitting in front of his computer examining blueprints when he suddenly heard whispering discussions arise around him.

    Gossip was a daily routine in state-owned enterprises, a taste not to be missed. So Father Yan grabbed a cup of tea, clutching the scalding disposable paper cup, attempting to join the group engaged in gossip.

    However, to his surprise, the colleagues who had been chatting, upon seeing Father Yan coming over with his tea, immediately stopped their conversation and, with smiling faces, said:

    ¡°Yan Worker, fancy a cup of tea?¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Father Yan looked puzzled. If I don¡¯t drink tea, what am I supposed to do with this cup of water?

    ¡°Yan Worker, my relative sent me a tin of tea leaves, and I can¡¯t finish it all. How about I give it to you?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s really too kind¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I¡¯ve got plenty,¡± said the colleague, going to get the tea leaves. Just then, someone handed him a cigarette, saying,

    ¡°Here.¡±

    Father Yan didn¡¯t refuse this time because the person offering the cigarette was the deputy director.

    After a round of puffing and billowing smoke, the deputy director sighed and said,

    ¡°Yan Worker, your son has made something of himself.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing much.¡± Father Yan chuckled and shook his head. ¡°He¡¯s been disobedient since he was little, and no amount of spanking worked. Eventually, I just let him be.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what¡¯s called a ¡®late bloomer¡¯!¡± a colleague joked, laughing. ¡°Whether you discipline him or not, suddenly, one day, he becomes successful. He¡¯s really soared!¡±

    Everyone laughed.

    After the chat, Father Yan took the tea leaves given by his colleague and returned to his seat, feeling inexplicably puzzled. He frowned, sensing that something was off.

    If they were trying to flatter me, that wouldn¡¯t seem quite right either. But why was there a noticeably warmer attitude towards me today?

    Father Yan discreetly opened his computer browser, ready to look up news related to his son.

    He found the top trending topic, clicked into it, and immediately frowned, leaning away from the screen.

    Because his son¡¯s memes had gone viral. There were all sorts of jokes written about him, stuff like ¡°Sulu monkeys, head on a spike,¡± and ¡°Warm up a cup of wine, come back for a drink after we¡¯re done with the South Sea¡±¡­ Father Yan¡¯s scalp tingled as he read. A fifty-year-old man couldn¡¯t understand the meaning behind these memes at all.

    But he finally understood what was happening. It seemed his son had boasted in front of the camera, in front of the entire nation.

    Did the public believe him? Most certainly not, because what he claimed to be fighting wasn¡¯t just Sulu, but Sulu + Miti + Southeast Allied Forces. If it was only Sulu, there wouldn¡¯t be any need for bragging; Sulu would likely surrender on its own.

    As for Miti superheroes, it could only be said that Miti¡¯s military strength had been number one in the world for many years, and its formidable reputation was deeply rooted in the hearts of people from all nations. Even though Rikoku now has four complete aircraft carrier groups, that¡¯s just one-third of what Miti has.

    If you ask everyone who they hope would win, of course, they¡¯d say they hope the Rikoku Cultivator wins. But if you ask who they think can win, well¡­

    Father Yan wasn¡¯t any sort of military expert, and the more he read, the more anxious he became.

    But anxious or not, the trait of a middle-aged man is to be resigned to his fate. After all, his son was grown up, and if the higher-ups wanted him to go to war, there was nothing to be done. Just let it be.

    Father Yan closed the browser, put on his reading glasses, and continued to look over the blueprints. Suddenly, his phone rang.

    It was his wife calling.

    ¡°Nantian!¡± As soon as he answered the phone, Mother Yan¡¯s voice rang out, ¡°When you get off work, don¡¯t come home right away. There are reporters all over the entrance to our building!¡± Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    She wasn¡¯t lying, because reporters had indeed surrounded the Yan family¡¯s residential building, and the homeowners¡¯ group chat was exploding¡ªall discussing the situation.

    In theory, Yan Yu¡¯s home address shouldn¡¯t have been so easy to locate since the Privy Council had only made his name public, and there were so many people with the same name and surname in the world¡ªwho knew which ¡°Yan Yu¡± it was?

    But coincidentally, when Yan Yu signed the recruitment agreement back in the day, the Zhendong Army conducted a family background check and discovered that Father Yan was a state enterprise worker. They called his workplace¡¯s leadership to better manage parental cooperation, aiming to improve recruitment success rates.

    When Father Yan¡¯s workplace director received a call from the military, he was secretly surprised: Engineer Yan¡¯s son is being recruited by the military as a special forces soldier? The director then took note of it.

    Now, when the Privy Council made the battle team¡¯s roster public, the director saw, goodness gracious, that Engineer Yan¡¯s son was about to go off to war for the country! Coincidentally, the director¡¯s wife was also a well-known anchor at the local TV station, and that¡¯s how the information leaked.

    While Rikoku reporters may not be as unscrupulous as their international counterparts, banging on your front door like mad, they still uphold a basic level of professionalism. The captain of the battle team, Yan Yu, has gone overseas, and we can¡¯t interview him, so how about we interview his family instead?

    The entire nation wants to know about ¡°Yan Yu¡± as such a huge traffic hotspot, how could they not dig into it?

    And most importantly, the superiors never said not to!

    The news reached Li Weiguo, and the commander-in-chief, the old man, immediately flew into a rage.

    Who authorized them to do this?

    Our soldiers are off fighting abroad, and you go and harass their families, huh?

    Everyone get the hell out of here!

 Chapter 165 - 165: 65 Li Minghu Wants to Understand

    Chapter 165: 65 Li Minghu Wants to Understand

    A call was made, and soon the reply came that the reporters at Yan Yu¡¯s doorstep had dispersed.

    Li Weiguo quickly gave instructions: Not only Yan Yu, but also the relatives of all students from the Zhendong National Defense Academy were not allowed to be harassed by reporters!

    Really, who would have thought that after the loosening of media control, we would encounter this kind of situation!

    In previous years¡¯ large-scale military exercises and drills, the media were unresponsive, only willing to report after being allocated the task by administrative orders.

    Now they swarm like dogs that have sniffed out meat!

    After dealing with the reporters, Old Li received a document from the cyber surveillance department.

    ...

    The cyber surveillance monitors hot topics on the Internet daily, focusing on negative comments from foreign IPs on the domestic web. After the Privy Council announced the team roster, a lot of trolls stirred trouble on various social platforms, and it was timely that cyber surveillance notified the relevant departments to have the official media step in and handle it.

    After the official media set the tone, the trolls temporarily laid low, but they¡¯ve become active again recently, crazily sharing Yan Yu¡¯s meme ¡°Fighting Sulu, no preparation needed¡±, writing various nonsensical praise-filled narratives.

    This is actually a baiting tactic. If you hype up someone unrealistically with a main account, there will surely be many so-called neutral onlookers who take the bait and jump out to play the wise man, ¡°You¡¯re spouting nonsense; this person is not that strong¡±, and thus the trolls reach their goal.

    When cyber surveillance asked if these people should be banned, Li Weiguo had quite a headache as well.

    If you talk about banning them, it gives spectators the impression that ¡°the officials are silencing speech supportive of the Rikoku Cultivators,¡± making it seem as if the military side lacks confidence. After all, you can¡¯t expect every netizen to recognize a reverse role-play.

    If you say not to ban them, well, if the battle situation turns unfavorable in the end, it¡¯s easy to imagine how many people will choose to kick someone when they¡¯re down, causing public opinion to spiral out of control¡ªthe harsher one is hyped beforehand, the more miserably they¡¯ll be trampled afterward. In ancient times, Zheng defeated Duan at Yan, and today there are boomerangs all the same.

    Li Weiguo thought it over and over and in the end decided not to intervene.

    Although there are many trolls, they haven¡¯t yet reached the point of making absurd claims. Ultimately, Rikoku¡¯s overall public opinion about you still depends on whether you can win or not.

    As long as we win, everything will get better!

    But if we don¡¯t win, getting cursed is naturally deserved. We can even use it as an opportunity to temper Yan Yu¡¯s edge¡­ Hmm, thinking about it that way is rather pleasant.

    Speaking of which, has this kid been earnestly preparing for battle on the aircraft carrier?

    Curious, Li Weiguo decided to make a call to the Annan Army¡¯s commander-in-chief, Zhang Xiangqian, and asked:

    ¡°Hey, Old Zhang, I¡¯ve got a question for you¡­¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Of course, Yan Yu was busy with serious matters.

    Although he maintained a composed demeanor in front of the ladies, he wouldn¡¯t deny that the difficulty of this battle at the Three Isles Treasure Ship was indeed unprecedented.

    First, look at the number of participants¡ªwe¡¯re at a disadvantage.

    The enemy is an allied force, roughly two hundred people strong, a staggering gap of 20:1 compared to us Rikoku.

    Of course, Rikoku can also muster two hundred Cultivators for battle, but that would certainly increase our casualties¡ªhow many Cultivators do we have to exchange for the losses against so many countries?

    Since we¡¯ve decided on a strategy of elite forces, we have to get used to fighting outnumbered. If we eventually find we truly can¡¯t win, then we¡¯ll have to lift the restrictions, go transcendental, and use the demon army bred from a population of 1.2 billion to ravage the world. Then nobody gets to live.

    Next, consider the high-end combat power¡ªwe¡¯re also at a disadvantage.

    We won¡¯t mention the Southeast Asian countries; each is a mystical sanctuary for cult practices. Even before the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, there were bizarre incidents like ¡°The Security Bureau hiring Wizards for Spirit Communication to solve cases¡± or ¡°Candidates seeking Wizard¡¯s magic for election help,¡± and after the resurgence, the number of Transcendent beings surged dramatically. Moreover, they engaged in deadly conflict among themselves; those who survived were no easy targets.

    As for the Miti¡¯s Three Hawks¡­ although their strength doesn¡¯t match Lord Master, is there only one Lord Master in the world? Although most Cultivators from academy backgrounds have had Secret Realm matchups to simulate real battles, their combat experience definitely can¡¯t compare to that of the Superhero leagues, which involve genuine fighting.

    The Three Hawks truly fought their way out from the masses; there¡¯s no watering down their achievements. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Thinking it over, this time we only have an absolute advantage in the highest level of combat power; otherwise, this battle truly can¡¯t be fought.

    Yan Yu stood on the deck outside the bridge, letting the sea breeze blow as he continued to sort through his long-dormant memories.

    The Three Isles Treasure Ship, there really was such an event in the past life. But at that time, I was in college, participating as a keyboard warrior, mainly fighting against online trolls, so I didn¡¯t have firsthand information about the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm.

    As for joining the system later, that was after, and Yan Yu had no particular interest in revisiting historical stories¡­ If I had known I would be reborn, I would certainly have studied and remembered fiercely last life, but I wasn¡¯t aware, was I?

    Of course, my current weight can¡¯t be considered light as a butterfly, so this life¡¯s battle at the Three Isles Treasure Ship will inevitably have a very different start from the past life. It¡¯s not an exaggeration to suspect, because I, Yan, the strongest in this life, am determined to join the battle, Miti might have deployed more forces to the South Sea this life than in the last one, and that¡¯s a very reasonable assumption to make.

    ¡°Enjoying the sea breeze?¡± A soft voice sounded from Li Minghu beside him.

    ¡°Why are you out here?¡± Yan Yu looked back in surprise, ¡°Be careful; it¡¯s cold outside, and the wind is strong.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Li Minghu said, ¡°I¡¯m wearing a coat.¡±

    Yan Yu looked closely, and it was indeed the case.

    Li Minghu was wearing a navy blue and white camouflage high-collar woolen navy coat, which seemed to be warm clothing issued on a ship, matching perfectly with the soldiers on night watch on the distant deck.

    Her long hair was tied up into a bun at the back of her head, revealing her neck¡ªpale and beautiful. Yan Yu had seen many girls, but none had skin as fair as Li Minghu¡¯s, resembling the creamy luster of white jade. Even though Lingnan Province had plenty of sunshine all year round, it couldn¡¯t bother a Valkyrie who was too sick to bask in the sun for long.

    Alright, alright, I acknowledge you, Li Minghu! I¡¯m willing to call you the fairest of this world!

    Being closely observed by Yan Yu, Li Minghu didn¡¯t react much. Accustomed to various gazes due to her frequent coughing, she continued to stare at the Three Isles Treasure Ship in the distance. The originally magnificent fleet was now but a vague and indistinct silhouette on the sea with extremely low visibility, as if it could fully merge into the night at any moment.

    ¡°I want to ask a question,¡± Li Minghu asked softly.

    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Yan Yu withdrew his gaze from her and looked together with her into the distance.

    ¡°I want to know¡­ what does it feel like to kill someone?¡± Li Minghu asked in a low voice, ¡°Does it really make you vomit? Will you be tormented by guilt, unable to escape the shadow for a long time?¡±

    Yan Yu guessed she would ask about the matters of war but did not expect her to raise such a moral-related question.

    Clearly, although the battle at Changbai Mountain had been kept secret, it was only from the outside world. It was impossible to hide such information from someone at the rank of the commander-in-chief of the four armies. If Li Weiguo could hint at Yan Yu, then Zhang Xiangqian could certainly suggest something to Li Minghu.

    The Zhenhai Team, despite being a group of girls often showing off and flirting, actually had several lives on their hands. The Qingan Team, on the other hand, were genuine innocents, who hadn¡¯t even killed a chicken growing up, so it was understandable that they would have similar worries this time.

    ¡°Yes, it does,¡± Yan Yu answered seriously, ¡°It¡¯s just like how guys get nosebleeds when they see up a woman¡¯s skirt, just as novels and animations depict¡ªit¡¯s all true.¡±

    Li Minghu couldn¡¯t hold back and burst into laughter.

    Perhaps she laughed too hard, for she bent over to cover her mouth with her hand and coughed for a while before regaining some strength to say,

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°It is quite cold out here; why don¡¯t you go back inside?¡± Yan Yu asked with concern.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Li Minghu said after a moment of silence and sighed, ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to know¡­ what it feels like to be dead. Maybe after I really kill someone, I will have a deeper understanding of death, right?¡±

    Yan Yu thought to himself that she had indeed asked the right person. ¡°What does it feel like to kill¡± and ¡°what does death feel like¡±¡ªI¡¯m probably the only person in the world who is qualified to answer both of these questions.

    ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t ask me how I know, I can give you a rough idea.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead, I won¡¯t ask.¡±

    ¡°Killing depends on who you kill,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, ¡°When two opposing cultivators fight to the death, each wishing the other would die immediately, then when you kill your enemy, you¡¯ll only feel an intense surge of relief, glad that the dead person isn¡¯t you. There¡¯s no vomiting or guilt, those are naive fantasies made up by people living in peaceful times.¡±

    ¡°But if you¡¯re killing someone who can¡¯t fight back¡­ well, I guess you¡¯re not likely to do something like that. Never mind, let¡¯s not talk about that.¡±

    ¡°As for death, you can think of it as a longer, dreamless deep sleep. The fear of death is a privilege of those whose natural lifespan has not yet expired. When you are about to embrace death, in reality, you won¡¯t feel much fear. If I must say, it might be more of a reluctance.¡±

    ¡°Cough, cough¡­ Reluctance?¡± Li Minghu coughed a few times and asked curiously.

    ¡°What is the one regret in life you¡¯d most like to make up for if you could live again?¡± Yan Yu smiled wistfully and said, ¡°It¡¯s these things that will flash through your mind like a moving picture show. Then you¡¯ll realize that, no matter how much you don¡¯t want to leave this world, there¡¯s nothing you can do about it. The only thing left for you is to accept it.¡±

    ¡°Did you accept it in the end?¡± Li Minghu asked, intrigued by his serious tone.

    ¡°Hmm¡ª¡± Yan Yu planned to tease her by dragging his words out.

    Seeing Li Minghu looking at him without blinking, he slowly answered,

    ¡°No.¡±

    In my past life, I didn¡¯t accept it.

    That¡¯s why I turned back from the gates of Hell, to send those who deserved to go down there¡­

    To hell in this lifetime.

 Chapter 166 - 66 I Am the Descendant of the Dragon

    Chapter 166: Chapter 66 I Am the Descendant of the Dragon

    Time finally arrived at September 1.

    Just as the research fleets on both sides had monitored, at around 2:40 in the afternoon, the Three Isles Treasure Ship had nearly come to a halt.

    The ship was about to stop!

    The members of the Zhenghai Team and the Qing¡¯an Team had already boarded two landing craft, starting to charge towards the direction of the Three Isles Treasure Ship.

    On the other side, the Superhero Alliance dispatched more than 20 assault boats, carrying a greater number of superheroes and sorcerers, powerfully sailing toward the Three Isles Treasure Ship.

    As they drew closer to the fleet, the Three Isles Treasure Ship in everyone¡¯s sight became ever more towering, like a majestic and formidable mountain.

    ...

    Yan Yu stood alone at the bow, not in the least concerned that the opposing Miti fleet would launch an attack, simply watching the lofty ship¡¯s hull ahead with his eyes slightly narrowed.

    Zhao Yuanzhen walked up to his side and suddenly asked out of curiosity,

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t we bring a medical team this time?¡±

    ¡°What, are you scared?¡± Yan Yu turned his head to ask her.

    ¡°Me, scared?¡± The Demonic Sect Enchantress immediately crossed her arms and said disdainfully, ¡°The ones that should be scared are those people over there!¡±

    ¡°Look at Sister Zhao¡¯s pretentiousness. Doesn¡¯t she remind you of the captain by seventy or eighty percent?¡± Lin Ning and the other girls sent a telepathic message to gossip quietly among themselves.

    ¡°We didn¡¯t bring a medical team because this time we will be engaging in combat with top foreign cultivators,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°The military cultivators are not strong enough; going in would be a suicide mission.¡±

    ¡°In a situation where both sides are dealing deadly blows, a professional medical team won¡¯t have much of an effect,¡± Yan Yu also said seriously, ¡°For non-fatal injuries, leaving them to Yun Jin is enough.¡±

    ¡°Right, I will do my best,¡± Su Yunjin stated earnestly.

    Indeed, considering that the medical teams originally also had the responsibility of recording and supervising, this time, because of the substantial threat from external forces, the imperial court was forced to relax its secretive surveillance and potential wariness of official cultivators and had to grant them greater freedom of action.

    The Tang Dynasty military governors offered their praises.

    Yan Yu turned around to gauge the expressions and demeanors of the girls: Zhao Yuanzhen was as combative as ever, Lin Ning was serious and solemn, Su Yunjin was calm and composed, and there was no need to look at Chen Lingyun, who was always sweetly feigning a smile.

    Hmm, everyone seemed to be in good shape.

    He looked again at the landing craft on the opposite side. Li Zhaojiang and Jiang Hong had expressionless faces, Tao Xingyuan and Wang Haoran seemed somewhat nervous, only Li Minghu was quietly standing in the middle of the team, with drooping eyelids, deep in thought.

    Then, as if sensing something, she turned her gaze to meet his.

    Noticing Yan Yu was watching her, Li Minghu smiled softly.

    Yan Yu looked away, thinking to himself that he didn¡¯t know how powerful the Valkyrie who had obtained the Sky Flash Sword was nowadays, and how she had managed to conquer the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm in her past life.

    But, it didn¡¯t matter anymore.

    This life¡¯s protagonist is me!

    Just as Yan Yu finished his contemplation, he saw the Three Isles Treasure Ship, which had finally come to a complete stop, surrounded by countless hollow spaces on the sea¡¯s surface.

    It was as if there was an invisible wall, not seen by the naked eye, collapsing rapidly.

    At the front of the landing craft were a steering wheel and a control box. Yan Yu grabbed the wheel and turned it, directing the landing craft towards the largest hole ahead.

    The moment they rushed into the hole, endless torrents of water came at Yan Yu from all sides, pressing against him ferociously!

    What¡¯s happening?

    Yan Yu quickly held his breath and steadied his mind, only to realize he had somehow fallen into the water, completely submerged beneath the sea.

    No, I don¡¯t remember falling into the water; this must be the work of the Mysterious Realm¡¯s restrictions.

    Yan Yu calmly turned his head, determining his bearings according to the light and gravity, and began swimming toward the surface.

    Eventually, he surfaced.

    To be precise, he emerged on the water¡¯s surface.

    The location where Yan Yu found himself was a square prison cell. The walls, made of dark bluish-gray bricks, were rough and uneven, with damp moss growing on them.

    The front of the prison was composed of iron bars, through which one could see the outside corridor. There was a large hole dug in the floor, filled with enough seawater to leave no place for prisoners to set foot, forcing them to hold onto the bars to keep their heads above water to breathe.

    It was a water cell, specifically designed to torment people.

    Yan Yu grasped the bars and activated the Wood Bending Charm, straining to bend them apart.

    He could not budge them.

    Clearly, these bars were no ordinary iron since they resisted the power of the charm.

    Yan Yu calmly activated the Wall-Penetration Technique, placing his hand against the wall.

    He couldn¡¯t get through.

    It must be a magic formation designed to prevent escape, specifically countering all kinds of escape techniques. The low-level Wall-Penetration Technique stood no chance of breaking through.

    Yan Yu formed a sword technique with his hands once more, and the Huang Tingjian sword flew out from behind him, smashing towards the bars in front.

    The sword and bars sparked off a series of sparks, emitting a dull yet loud sound.

    The sound of metal striking metal echoed down the corridor from Yan Yu¡¯s water cell, but the surroundings remained quiet, indicating that the girls weren¡¯t being held here.

    Strange.

    However, Yan Yu was experienced, having encountered all manner of mysterious realms in his past life, so he wasn¡¯t particularly startled.

    From the density of the bars, not even shrinking bone techniques would allow one to slip through. The only effective method would probably be the Sky Flash Sword technique, as long as one transformed into a tiny flying bug, they could easily pass through the gaps.

    But the technique for such a transformation was incredibly difficult to acquire and master, so there must be another way to escape, otherwise, how did Li Minghu and the others survive in the past life?

    Yan Yu submerged himself again, examining every inch of the place carefully.

    He found no holes or mechanisms.

    The underwater structure was also built of blue bricks, impervious to the Wood Bending Charm, the Huang Tingjian sword made no dent, and the Wall-Penetration Technique was completely ineffective.

    Near the bottom, however, Yan Yu did find a skeleton.

    The clothing on the skeleton had decayed, and there were no signs of restraints around it, nor were there any other belongings.

    Yan Yu swept the area patiently with his divine sense and discovered near the skeleton¡¯s right hand, countless inscriptions, big and small, neat and sloppy, all reading the same line:

    ¡°I am not a dragon.¡±

    The closer the inscriptions were to the corpse, the more haphazard the handwriting became, suggesting that the deceased¡¯s mental state had almost completely deteriorated towards the end.

    As Yan Yu pondered, he suddenly heard the sound of metal being struck from above, accompanied by a rough, loud shout:

    ¡°Hey, what are you hiding underwater for? Get out here for me!¡±

    Emerging slowly from the water, Yan Yu saw a monster standing outside the prison, impatiently striking the bars with an iron crowbar.

    The creature was fully limbed and muscular. The skin that was exposed revealed scales, and above its thick neck, a large dragon¡¯s head perched, with a long snout and two horns. Its eyes were cloudy, its mouth dripped with saliva, and it spoke with ill intent:

    ¡°Staying under the water that long, boy¡­ you must be a Flood Dragon, right?¡±

    Yan Yu fell silent for a while, then countered:

    ¡°What does it matter if I am a dragon or not?¡±

    ¡°Heh heh,¡± the dragon-headed creature laughed, ¡°If you¡¯re a dragon, I¡¯ll take you out right now, lock you to the Dragon Trapping Pillar, and you can take a swing from the executioner¡¯s blade. In your next life, remember to be reborn as something like a worm or insect; but if you¡¯re not a dragon¡­ why should I believe you¡¯re not? Just stay in this water cell for now, and we¡¯ll verify your true identity later.¡± S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    On hearing this, Yan Yu laughed out loud immediately:

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to check! I am indeed a descendant of the dragon, so take me out to face the blade!¡±

 Chapter 167 - 67: This is the Housewife

    Chapter 167: Chapter 67: This is the Housewife

    Even that monster with the dragon¡¯s head was baffled by Yan Yu¡¯s words and took a moment before speaking:

    ¡°You¡¯re not afraid of death?¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m afraid of dying,¡± Yan Yu stated righteously, ¡°but as a descendant of the dragon, how could I cower and fawn over the fear of death?

    ¡°Hmph, you do have some backbone,¡± the dragon-headed monster said, then reached out to pull the bars apart.

    The door and bars, originally seamless, had not budged even when Huang Tingjian had battered at them, yet the dragon-headed monster, using brute strength, forcibly pried them open, revealing a small path for passage.

    Yan Yu floated calmly in the water, his Divine Sense having scanned the dragon-headed monster from head to toe.

    ...

    It was not an insubstantial phantom, but a creature of flesh and blood.

    Its physique was excessively robust, presumably a beast of the Long Race bloodline with significant strength, but its brain seemed to be somewhat faulty.

    ¡°Come out then,¡± the dragon-headed monster opened the cell door and said, ¡°Don¡¯t make me fetch you personally.¡±

    Yan Yu climbed out of the water, chuckling:

    ¡°Many thanks, many thanks. How may I address your excellency?¡±

    ¡°Call me Gong Er,¡± the dragon-headed monster asked curiously, ¡°You¡¯re on the brink of death and you can still laugh?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s precisely because one can¡¯t laugh after dying that one should laugh more while they can,¡± Yan Yu adeptly responded to its inquiry and continued, ¡°I have a question, Brother Gong Er, that bothers me. Could you resolve it so I can die with a clear mind?¡±

    ¡°Ha, ask away, though I don¡¯t guarantee I¡¯ll answer,¡± the dragon-headed monster sneered.

    ¡°Why must one die just because they are a dragon?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Have you gone stupid from the watery bubble?¡± The dragon-headed monster looked at him as if he were a fool, sizing him up with that gaze before saying, ¡°Humans and demons are inherently opposed, get it?¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Yan Yu feigned sudden understanding, ¡°So, I am a dragon, and you are¡­¡±

    ¡°I am naturally human,¡± the dragon-headed monster said matter-of-factly, ¡°For humans to slay demons and dispel evil is righteous by heaven and earth. You, being a Flood Dragon of demon-kind, at least are granted the use of the dragon-slaying executioner¡¯s blade. For those nameless lesser demons, they are simply killed by hand and tossed into the sea to be devoured by fish and turtles, understand?¡±

    ¡°That makes sense. Marvelous!¡± Yan Yu clapped his hands and chuckled, ¡°To die as one of the dragon kind should be a glorious death; that fits my status indeed. I have to thank you for this!¡±

    ¡°Quite so, quite so,¡± the dragon-headed monster stretched its snout, revealing a ferocious yet satisfied smirk, ¡°Though you¡¯re a demon, you understand how things are, which is truly rare. Later I will speak to the general above and request him to make the blade swift to lessen your suffering.¡±

    ¡°Then I must thank Brother Gong Er,¡± Yan Yu said, following it out of the watery cell and proceeding down the corridor.

    The passageway was dim and dark, and Yan Yu could only judge by the slight swaying underfoot that he must be on a ship, yet not knowing which deck.

    Taking advantage of the fact that no exit could be seen ahead, he continued to make conversation:

    ¡°Speaking of which, Brother Gong Er, since humans and demons are incompatible, isn¡¯t there a spell to distinguish demons?¡±

    ¡°What, you want to pry into the secrets of our Human Race cultivators?¡± the dragon-headed monster asked coldly.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare,¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°What good would that knowledge do me, a dying dragon? Besides, when Brother Gong Er first spoke, you didn¡¯t know whether I was a dragon or not, hence my question.¡±

    The dragon-headed monster pondered for a moment and then said:

    ¡°Since I¡¯ve already mentioned it before, there¡¯s no harm in telling you. There are spells to distinguish demons, but they are unnecessary.¡±

    ¡°If you admit you¡¯re a dragon, you¡¯ll face the executioner¡¯s blade; if you deny it, we won¡¯t bother to investigate whether you¡¯re a dragon or not, and you¡¯ll just stay in the watery cell. Either you admit it and come out, or you rot to death inside.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Yan Yu nodded as if enlightened, ¡°Rather than languishing in the dark and damp cell until the end of life, it¡¯s better to admit it, come out, and seek a swift end.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± the dragon-headed monster nodded.

    ¡°If it were a human, a hundred years would be but a fleeting moment,¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°But what if it were an ordinary lesser demon that, seeking that swift end, falsely claims to be a dragon? What then?¡±

    The dragon-headed monster stopped in its tracks, stunned for a moment, then said:

    ¡°If it¡¯s not a dragon, the executioner¡¯s blade will reveal its true form.¡±

    ¡°But if the executioner¡¯s blade could be wielded at will, then what¡¯s the point of this watery cell?¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°Just take them all straight to the blade, wouldn¡¯t that be better?¡±

    This time the dragon-headed monster was taken aback for even longer, but finally regained its composure and said:

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask too many questions; rest assured, we have our methods.¡±

    ¡°Not to hide from you,¡± Yan Yu, seeing its uneasy expression, promptly said, ¡°as one of dragonkin, I also know others of my kind. Perhaps you could take me on a tour of the other cells, so I could gather all of my kin. It would be nice to have some company on the journey to the netherworld.¡± S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    The dragon-headed monster felt something was off and struggled for words before finally saying, ¡°You really are fraternal to your clan.¡±

    ¡°What about it?¡± Yan Yu smiled, ¡°Lining up for the Dragon-Slaying Guillotine, taking turns getting chopped, would save your Brother Gong Er the trouble.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right,¡± after thinking it over, the dragon-headed monster agreed, ¡°Then come with me.¡±

    It turned around with Yan Yu and headed deep into the water cell.

    Although the water cell was crammed with many chambers, most were vacant. The dragon-headed monster didn¡¯t stop to check but focused on moving forward.

    After about two to three minutes of walking, a dense clanging of metal on metal was heard in the distance, producing a clear echo in the corridor.

    The dragon-headed monster strode over, slammed its iron pick against the bars, and cursed:

    ¡°What¡¯s with all the noise! Be careful, or I¡¯ll flay you alive¡­ You, come take a look.¡±

    Just as Yan Yu stepped forward, he heard a familiar coughing sound from the cell.

    Upon closer inspection, sure enough, it was Li Minghu trapped inside.

    This Valkyrie must have searched her surroundings without finding any mechanisms for escape, so she could only repeatedly strike the bars with her Sky Flash Sword to attract someone from outside.

    The moment she saw the dragon-headed monster, Li Minghu readied herself for battle, but the next second, seeing Yan Yu appear, she exclaimed in shock:

    ¡°Yan Yu?¡±

    The moment the words left her mouth, she realized her slip and hastily sealed her lips shut.

    But the dragon-headed monster looked skeptical, turning and asking:

    ¡°She knows you?¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°She too descends from the Long Race, we are of the same bloodline.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± The dragon-headed monster said coldly, ¡°The Flood Dragon clan takes ¡®Zhao¡¯ as their surname; the Azure Dragon clan takes ¡®Qin¡¯ as theirs. Yet she calls you ¡®Yan Yu,¡¯ what¡¯s the meaning of this?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t hide it from Brother Gong Er.¡± Yan Yu was caught in a slip, but showed no sign of panic; instead, his mind raced to find a solution. To buy time, he evasively said, ¡°It¡¯s not a name, it¡¯s a term of endearment.¡±

    ¡°Term of endearment?¡± The dragon-headed monster was baffled.

    ¡°She¡¯s my wife at home,¡± Yan Yu finally concocted an excuse and smiled, ¡°After getting married, I have been too lazy in our abode, spending all day soaking in briny seawater for prolonged slumbers, neglecting my cultivation. She has always disapproved of me, hence she mocks me as ¡®pickled fish,¡¯ which is rather shameful.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Li Minghu quickly played along with the lie, ¡°This pickled fish¡­ the biggest regret of my life is marrying this lazy pickled fish. He doesn¡¯t cultivate for days on end, not advancing an inch in his abilities. If I had known, I would have been better off marrying a rice noodle dragon!¡±

    ¡°Hehe,¡± the dragon-headed monster seemed to understand and smiled at Li Minghu, ¡°You¡¯re about to die anyway, I¡¯d advise you not to hold grudges. Under the Dragon-Slaying Guillotine, if you become a wedded couple in death, journeying to the netherworld together, it would also be rare.¡±

    Li Minghu¡¯s acting was exquisite; first, she glared angrily at Yan Yu, then her expression changed several times, couldn¡¯t help but cough weakly a few times, and finally sighed deeply, showing a resigned expression and tearfully said:

    ¡°It¡¯s over, it¡¯s over, since I married him, I might as well die with him.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± the dragon-headed monster consoled her in return, ¡°There¡¯s a hundred days¡¯ grace in a day of marriage; why harbor so many grievances? You should know, after he got out, he was still eager to find you.¡±

    He grabbed the iron gate of the bars, exhaled deeply, and with a strong pull, the door which the Sky Flash Sword couldn¡¯t open was torn open by him, issuing a shrill and piercing sound.

    Seeing this, Li Minghu understood that despite not mentioning other abilities, the physical strength of this fiend was definitely fearsome. With this in mind and coughing again, she asked:

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to quickly carry out your wife?¡± The dragon-headed monster, seeing her look frail and noticing Yan Yu behind still unmoved, suddenly asked.

    Yan Yu hurriedly moved forward, plunging into the water without hesitation, snagging her by the crook of her knee with his left arm, the right arm threading beneath her armpit, hands gripping the iron bars, pushing against the rocky wall beneath the water with his feet, and with one kick, his upper body burst out of the water. He then stepped onto the edge and carried Li Minghu out of the water cell.

    Li Minghu was originally wearing a woolen overcoat for warmth, but once soaked, it hindered her movements, so she had already stripped it off along with the sweater underneath and left them in the cell.

    Activating a Runescript to protect her body, she wasn¡¯t afraid of hypothermia, but her thin T-shirt, damp and semi-transparent, left little to the imagination¡ªnot covering her curves, the outline of her undergarments was clearly visible. Although her figure wasn¡¯t as voluptuous as Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s, it was quite substantial and even better than Sister Lin¡¯s.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t have time to appreciate it; as soon as they emerged from the water, he laid her down and quickly took off his outer garment to drape over her.

    Li Minghu nodded but did not rush to let him go. Instead, she silently clung to his arm, presenting the image of a devoted little couple ready to act together.

    The dragon-headed monster saw nothing odd (what¡¯s strange about a couple staying together?), and turned to continue leading Yan Yu.

    As it turned away, Li Minghu pretended to be weak, slowing Yan Yu¡¯s pace to create some distance from the dragon-headed monster. She then silently mouthed words, sending a telepathic message to ask:

    ¡°What¡¯s the situation now?¡±

 Chapter 168 - 68 Want to talk about love?

    Chapter 168: Chapter 68 Want to talk about love?

    In order to prevent the dragon-headed monster from discovering them, Yan Yu was also brief, conveying the situation to Li Minghu through a whisper.

    ¡°There are big problems here,¡± Li Minghu quickly said. ¡°If there was a way to verify one¡¯s nature as a member of the Long Race, why not use it directly? Why detain them in an underwater prison to make them confess on their own? Not to mention that the monster bears a dragon¡¯s head but insists it¡¯s human¡ªa fool¡¯s talk, and its words can¡¯t be completely trusted.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s another point,¡± Yan Yu replied. ¡°Flood Dragons naturally love water; who would use a water prison to detain a Flood Dragon? For humans and other creatures, a water prison is undoubtedly torture, but for a Flood Dragon, a water prison is more like a luxury single room¡ªa big bed room, to be precise. It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±

    ¡°We need to observe for a little longer¡­ ahem, ahem,¡± Li Minghu coughed.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Yan Yu asked with concern. ¡°The seawater is icy, and you¡¯ve been soaked for so long¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Li Minghu replied. ¡°I¡¯m using my True Yuan to resist it.¡±

    ...

    The Valkyrie¡¯s lung disease had already made her blood oxygen exchange capability rather weak. Soaking in the cold seawater, her blood circulation slowed, and the risk of fainting from brain hypoxia was significant.

    Fortunately, cultivators can temporarily sustain hypoxic cells with True Yuan, a practice known as ¡°turtle breathing,¡± which is why Li Minghu was able to hold on until Yan Yu arrived.

    A regular person with the same symptoms would probably have been a corpse by now.

    After leaving the water prison and putting on Yan Yu¡¯s coat, Li Minghu stopped using the Runescript to protect herself, saving her True Yuan.

    But now, with all her clothes soaked through and a chill setting in, she subconsciously clung to Yan Yu, shivering.

    Yan Yu noticed her frailty and wanted to communicate with the dragon-headed monster so that they could dry their clothes before leaving. But then he considered that Flood Dragons enjoy water; how could they possibly fear the cold? If the other party saw through their ruse, it would not be good.

    After some thought, since they were already pretending to be husband and wife, he might as well sacrifice his own reputation¡­ He withdrew his arm from Li Minghu¡¯s embrace and then wrapped it around her again, his posture instantly becoming exceedingly intimate.

    Li Minghu was suddenly embraced by him and felt a little shocked, shy, and uncomfortable, but then she heard Yan Yu whisper:

    ¡°Flood Dragons like water; why would they shiver? Be careful not to give us away.¡±

    It was then that Li Minghu realized the ruse and quickly suppressed the strange feeling in her heart, trying hard to keep her body from shivering.

    Thankfully, Yan Yu¡¯s embrace was indeed warm, and the heat he transferred to her made her feel much more comfortable, as the chill that had spread throughout her limbs faded away significantly.

    So they continued to snuggle up to each other, following the dragon-headed monster until they finally arrived at the third single cell.

    There was no one inside the single cell, but the dragon-headed monster impatiently knocked on the bars and roared:

    ¡°Come out at once! Don¡¯t keep hiding underwater like a turtle!¡±

    Before long, knowing further hiding was futile, someone emerged from the water.

    They had Asian features, but with dark skin and curly hair¡ªYan Yu and Li Minghu didn¡¯t recognize him; he was undoubtedly a cultivator from Southeast Asia.

    The man, seeing Yan Yu and Li Minghu standing with the dragon-headed monster, immediately showed an alarmed and anxious expression, saying a bunch of indistinct words.

    ¡°What is this person saying?¡± the dragon-headed monster wondered aloud.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Yan Yu laughed. ¡°This is a foreigner; he isn¡¯t speaking the language of the Central Lands.¡±

    ¡°Since he is human, it¡¯s simpler to just kill him,¡± the dragon-headed monster nodded and with that, its iron spike suddenly shot out, passing through the iron bars and stabbing straight at the man¡¯s vulnerable throat!

    In his panic, the man uttered a few strange characters, and the water beneath him rapidly surged, forming a translucent small shield before him!

    Vortex Shield, a defensive curse technique for which Curse Technique Masters are famous. Consisting of highly compressed and spinning condensed water, it has strong defensive capabilities against both Immortal Swords and Taoism Methods. In the latter stage of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, a certain Witch King was said to have summoned a Vortex Shield with a radius of several kilometers, withstanding a nuclear airburst without dying. Although this was mainly because the Witch King was powerful, it also showed the formidable defense of this curse technique.

    Of course, it wasn¡¯t the latter stage of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, and the cultivator before them wasn¡¯t the Witch King of Southeast Asia. Thus, the Vortex Shield he conjured was instantly shattered by the dragon-headed monster¡¯s iron spike, followed by his Adam¡¯s apple, trachea, and cervical vertebrae, breaking in two amidst the spurting blood.

    The dragon-headed monster looked down as the man¡¯s body fell into the water and floated up horizontally, not showing any real form of a demonic creature, and finally smiled and said:

    ¡°Sure enough, he was human.¡±

    He continued to walk on. Yan Yu, with Li Minghu in his arms, followed behind it, feeling the stiff body of the lady in his arms relax.

    ¡°It¡¯s very strong,¡± Li Minghu softly transmitted her voice. ¡°The Barrier Charm might not hold.¡±

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t,¡± Yan Yu concurred with more certainty.

    The Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse could withstand bullets head-on, but that didn¡¯t mean immunity to physical attacks. The dragon-headed monster¡¯s iron spike thrust had more force than most close-range bullet shots, enough to pierce through the Barrier Charm¡¯s defenses directly. This meant that in a fight, they couldn¡¯t block its attacks; the only option was to dodge, and failure to do so would mean death.

    ¡°When do you plan to make a move?¡± Li Minghu continued to ask.

    ¡°Before leaving this area,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°That soon?¡± Li Minghu was a bit surprised. ¡°We don¡¯t have a way to open the prison doors.¡±

    ¡°Are you thinking of using it to locate and rescue all of our teammates?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°What else?¡± Li Minghu responded.

    ¡°It¡¯s risky to delay too long,¡± Yan Yu said after a pause.

    ¡°I¡¯m more worried that after killing it, even if we find the others, we would only be staring at the prison doors helplessly,¡± Li Minghu insisted.

    ¡°Hmm, that could work, as long as we act before the Pruning Dragon Guillotine,¡± Yan Yu suddenly changed the subject. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t want to act quickly because you liked being held by me like this.¡±

    Li Minghu fell silent, and after a long while, she finally said:

    ¡°If we have to act, let¡¯s go all the way. Saving them is more important than anything else.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind that, of course, it¡¯s for the best.¡± Yan Yu said, sighing to himself.

    The taste was right again.

    Li Minghu, despite seeming starkly different in personality from Zhou Hongyu, actually shared something fundamental in common¡ªthey both undervalued themselves terribly, never taking themselves seriously.

    In a past life, when the Witch King Achan opened gathered the Southeast Asian Allied Forces to strike at Lu Country¡¯s southern border defenses, Li Minghu singlehandedly, with only a sword, held them back. Even if she had just told the rear lines ¡®I can¡¯t hold on anymore,¡¯ the Annan Army wouldn¡¯t have insisted on her fighting to the death; sending in the army to fight a war of attrition would have been the more reasonable choice. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The Valkyrie ultimately slew the Witch King, drove back the Allied Forces, and died from sheer exhaustion, undeniably saving the lives of many soldiers and countless civilians. But was it all worth it?

    Not to mention, her self-sacrifice led to her brother-complexed Li Zhaojiang going mad with grief, sparking the so-called ¡®Cultivator Awakening¡¯ movement. The end result was the closure of the Annan National Defence College, the eradication of the top combat forces, and the planting of deep-rooted dangers and rifts between the court and the cultivators.

    Li Minghu, you truly were a woman of grave sin!

    In this life, I shall change your fate! I¡¯ll steal away your achievement of killing the Witch King and the glory of driving back the Southeast Asian Allied Forces; I¡¯ll harshly pull you down from the hallowed throne of the Valkyrie!

    I want you, damn it, to live for me!

    Perhaps due to the tumultuous thoughts in Yan Yu¡¯s mind, his hold on her tightened somewhat. Li Minghu, puzzled, communicated telepathically:

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®what¡¯s wrong¡¯?¡±

    ¡°You seem a bit¡­ nervous.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m worried you¡¯ll go and get yourself killed.¡± Yan Yu confessed frankly.

    Li Minghu fell silent for a moment, then coughed softly and said telepathically:

    ¡°I¡­ won¡¯t die easily.¡±

    ¡°Can we remove the ¡®easily¡¯ part?¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    ¡°I feel that,¡± Yan Yu probed nonchalantly, ¡°although you¡¯ve never said it directly, you always give me this pessimistic feeling, like ¡®I¡¯m about to die, I need to hurry and do something.¡¯

    ¡°Haha, you¡¯ve seen through me.¡± Li Minghu paused for a moment, then replied, ¡°I¡¯ve been reading Shi Tiesheng¡¯s essays recently, and perhaps I have been deeply moved emotionally.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ have always been thinking: if a person¡¯s life is destined to be short, what can she do to make her remaining life meaningful enough?¡±

    ¡°Uh, let me think.¡± Yan Yu hesitated for a while, then suddenly suggested, ¡°How about a passionate love affair? How does that sound?¡±

    Li Minghu was stunned, but her body soon began to twitch slightly.

    She was holding back laughter.

    It was a long while before Yan Yu, somewhat concerned that the dragon-like creature in front of them might notice something amiss behind it, received Li Minghu¡¯s belated telepathic reply, said as casually as if she were joking:

    ¡°Alright, if my life one day comes to an end, I will seriously consider your suggestion.¡±

    Yan Yu immediately seized the opportunity and pressed her:

    ¡°Are you saying you¡¯ll consider the suggestion itself or consider me?¡±

    ¡°Both,¡± Li Minghu said with a smile, ¡°Hmm, you took advantage of me today. By then, I suppose it wouldn¡¯t bother you if I took up a little bit of your time, right?¡±

    ¡°Not at all.¡± Yan Yu agreed readily, then cautioned, ¡°Then let¡¯s make that a promise. You can¡¯t just go die inexplicably; otherwise, I¡¯ll go to your grave, write a scathing essay, and burn it for you.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± said Li Minghu, her voice seemingly cheerful, ¡°I have a very good memory.¡±

    Done deal.

    Yan Yu let out a sigh of relief inwardly.

    It¡¯s not that he was particularly keen on dating Li Minghu, nor did he arrogantly believe that Li Minghu was already in love with him. The whole affair didn¡¯t need to be overcomplicated; it was just a small promise between a girl who believed her days were numbered and didn¡¯t want to die alone, and a kind-hearted boy who wanted to help her.

    However, for Yan Yu with the advantage of foresight, this meant that he had the capability to influence the conclusion of Li Minghu¡¯s life.

    Keep in mind, he was not a member of Team Qing¡¯an and could not possibly stay by Li Minghu¡¯s side every day to monitor her health and determine when she would choose self-sacrifice¡­ but Li Minghu herself would certainly be aware.

    As long as she still remembered this promise before becoming the Valkyrie, then with a single phone call, Yan Yu could immediately rush to her side.

    Thereafter, whether it was to persuade her, convince her, leverage her, show her the beauties of the world, rekindle her desire to remain in this world, or even to knock her out and take her home for a slow education, or hand her over to the Annan Army and explain the gravity of the situation¡ªwhatever the choice, the power was in Yan¡¯s hands.

    Mwahaha, this is the power of being the supreme intelligence of this world!

    With his thoughts well-ordered and feeling smug, Yan Yu¡¯s steps seemed to carry a breeze.

    Li Minghu curled up in his embrace, with a faint and indescribable shame washing over her. As her emotions surged, a subtle warmth seemed to rise throughout her body, sweeping away the last vestiges of cold.

    In the last few days of her life, to engage in a passionate romance¡­

    It sounded quite nice, actually.

    She just hoped it wouldn¡¯t cause him any trouble.

 Chapter 169 - 69: Live Streaming Fiercely On-Scene!

    Chapter 169: Chapter 69: Live Streaming Fiercely On-Scene!

    Yan Yu, hugging Li Minghu with a satisfied grin, followed the dragon-headed monster for half a day until they finally reached the fourth cell.

    In the water cell floated a blond man who appeared to be one of Miti¡¯s superheroes, but Yan Yu didn¡¯t recognize his face¡ªhe guessed that in his previous life, the man must have been just an unknown figure.

    The blond man, upon seeing the dragon-headed monster, was instantly ready for battle. Then, seeing Yan Yu beside him, strolling leisurely with a beauty in tow, he was dumbstruck.

    What the hell? What¡¯s going on?

    The dragon-headed monster didn¡¯t speak, but instead turned its head to look at Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu glanced at the camera on the chest of the blond man and gave a slight smile:

    ...

    ¡°Kill him.¡±

    Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, the dragon-headed monster thrust its iron pick quickly, still aiming for the blond man¡¯s throat with deadly precision!

    The blond man let out a furious roar as his muscles swelled rapidly, reaching out with both hands to grab the iron pick.

    His Berserker ability could stimulate a fighting spirit and killing intent at critical moments, causing his strength to increase several times over.

    But even the strength boost of a Berserker couldn¡¯t fend off the dragon-headed monster¡¯s terrifying iron pick.

    The pick brutally tore through his grip, the friction ripping the skin of his palms, and then, under the disbelieving gaze of the blond man, it plunged directly into his neck.

    Blood gushed forth like a fountain.

    The water cell quickly turned a crimson red with blood, and the dragon-headed monster stared for a while before expressing disappointment:

    ¡°Really boring.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile.

    The two of them, along with the beast, left the water cell and continued onwards. Li Minghu transmitted a message again:

    ¡°That thing on his chest, the shirt collar¡ªis that a camera?¡±

    ¡°Most likely,¡± Yan Yu responded nonchalantly, ¡°Just don¡¯t know if it¡¯s for recording or something else.¡±

    In fact, although Miti¡¯s transcendent powers were nothing special, their world-leading scientific and technological capabilities were undeniable. In cooperation with Europe, they had indeed developed several pieces of cutting-edge spy tech. For instance, ¡°phase mapping technology¡± could allow Transcendents within the Mysterious Realm to unidirectionally transmit visual and auditory data from inside to the outside world, thus keeping the outside world updated about the situation within the Mysterious Realm in real-time.

    But using such technology for live broadcasting did seem a bit odd. Okay, considering that communication data could only be transmitted from the inside to the outside world and not allow the outside world to interfere with the inside, it seemed the technology had no other use than live broadcasting. After all, no matter how the situation inside the Mysterious Realm changed, the outside world could only watch anxiously, unable to do anything.

    Yan Yu and Li Minghu, while communicating telepathically, didn¡¯t take the blond man¡¯s camera seriously.

    However, the outside world had already exploded into chaos.

    The phase mapping technology made its debut because the Superhero Alliance planned to make a splash with a big news story by having all superheroes enter the Mysterious Realm equipped with cameras to broadcast the contention for the treasure of the Three Isles live to the outside world.

    And the fact proved that this business gamble was tremendously successful: By four o¡¯clock in the afternoon, the number of domestic TV viewers in Miti Country had surpassed forty million, and this didn¡¯t even include online channels and international broadcasts¡ªthe webcast had crashed twice due to too many incoming users. Although the viewership wasn¡¯t publicly disclosed, it was estimated that the numbers had already far exceeded TV viewers.

    The live broadcast format also took inspiration from traditional sporting events, with TV directors responsible for selecting and switching between cameras, while hosts and technical guests provided commentary.

    At this moment, Phoenix and Thunderbird, two superhero foes, had already escaped the water cell, deceived the dragon-headed monster into opening the door, and then brazenly struck it down, while Thornbird chose to follow the guards and bide his time, waiting for the right moment to make a move, as Wizards weren¡¯t that effective in direct confrontations.

    Just when all three heroes had left the water cell, the broadcast switched to another camera, and the host George Hanson began his explanatory commentary:

    ¡°¡­ Okay, let¡¯s see how the seventh-ranked superhero, the ¡®Roarer,¡¯ is doing¡ªhuh?¡±

    In the frame, Yan Yu, with one arm wrapped around Li Minghu, appeared on screen alongside the dragon-headed monster, entering the Superhero Alliance live broadcast and into the view of the global audience watching the stream.

    Then, his gaze turned to the camera, to the tens of thousands of viewers across the world, and he offered a slight smile:

    ¡°Kill him.¡±

    Upon the command, the dragon-headed monster thrust out its iron pick and the superhero ¡°Roarer¡± was unable to resist and died. The camera, along with the body, tilted towards the ceiling¡­ At that moment, even the broadcast director forgot to switch the camera, the host covered his mouth with both hands, and the technical guest stood up in disbelief, the entire commentary booth too shocked to speak.

    As for the live chat room, it began to explode with frenzied activity, with one Western phrase standing out amidst the barrage:

    OMG (Oh My God)

    ¡°This is cheating!¡± the host George finally recovered his senses and shouted, ¡°This is cheating!¡±

    And so, another high-frequency word was added to the frenetic sea of chatroom messages:

    Cheater

    At the other end of the Earth, inside the principal¡¯s office of the Zhendong National Defense Academy, Li Weiguo had already slammed his hand on the table and exclaimed in anger,

    ¡°Cheating? Do they really think this is some sort of game?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just the same old rhetoric,¡± Chen Tianming said with a smile beside him.

    Li Weiguo was, of course, no stranger to this kind of Western rhetoric¡ªfirst label you ¡°evil,¡± and then they can freely criticize you from a moral high ground. The main reason for his outburst was that he considered Yan Yu as his own junior, and his protective instinct as an elder kicked in.

    ¡°This kid¡­¡± Li Weiguo sat back down sheepishly, his expression one of bafflement as he wondered aloud, ¡°How did he manage it? How could he fool that kind of creature completely?¡±

    Lu Country didn¡¯t have cross-Mysterious Realm communication technology, only being able to watch the livestream from the Superheroes¡¯ side. Naturally, the viewpoint was primarily from the perspective of the Western Transcendents.

    The dragon-head creature spoke in Lu Country¡¯s language, which most of the Western superheroes couldn¡¯t understand, relying on body gestures to guess its meaning. Only the three from Mitchi Country could speak Lu Country¡¯s language, which is why they were among the first to free themselves from captivity.

    However, precisely because they could roughly understand, knowing that the guard intended to take them out and kill them, they unanimously chose to attack.

    But what about Yan Yu¡­ How on earth did he manage to deceive the dragon-head creature into helping him kill the enemy Transcendents?

    At this moment, Li Weiguo wished he could rush into the Mysterious Realm right away, grab a camera, and stick it on Yan Yu, just to see what kind of miraculous maneuver he would perform next.

    Apart from the official channels, there were many people in Lu Country illegally streaming¡ªtaking the live content from the Superhero Alliance and broadcasting it in real time in their own streams using some of the less policy-sensitive small platforms.

    Unlike foreign livestreams flooded with comments like ¡°OMG¡± and ¡°Cheater,¡± the local audience¡¯s messages were a bit longer, such as ¡°hhhhhhhh¡± or ¡°a bustling flurry of activity,¡± creating an even more pronounced effect.

    In the major forums, a few outspoken individuals finally couldn¡¯t help but jump out, attempting to argue the possibility that Yan Yu had ¡°betrayed humanity to side with the creatures,¡± only to be faced with a barrage of insults aimed at their families by the collective netizens.

    Of course, aside from the mainstream voices mocking ¡°our hero killing the opposing heroes with the help of wild monsters,¡± some clueless viewers asked some rather dissonant questions:

    Why was Captain Yan from Zhenhai Team, hugging Vice-Captain Li from Qing¡¯an Team?

    The initial impression the public had of these two stayed within the interview footage on the tailfire tiger aircraft carrier with Lu Zhiyu. One was the smiling Lingnan girl Li Minghu, who spoke in clich¨¦s to the camera, and the other was Yan Yu, the expression pack hero who said, ¡°Do we even need to prepare to fight Sulu?¡±

    Now that they were publicly hugging each other in a Superhero livestream, one could imagine the torrent of new gossip, rumors, and CP allegations this would unleash amongst the public.

    At Yan Yu¡¯s home, Father Yan and Mother Yan sat on the sofa, silently watching their son holding a beautiful girl they didn¡¯t recognize, smiling faintly at the camera.

    The one responsible for casting the online foreign pirate broadcast to the living room TV was his sister Yan Jing, but at that moment, she wished she could travel back in time to tell her parents ¡°I don¡¯t know how to do this.¡±

    ¡°This¡­¡± Mother Yan finally spoke up slowly, asking her daughter, ¡°Is this the Zhao Jiuzhen you mentioned? Or is it Chen Lingyun?¡±

    ¡°Neither of them,¡± Yan Jing said with a resigned chuckle, stiffly adding, ¡°It must be from another team. That¡­ the one who was interviewed on TV before, the Lingnan girl Li Minghu.¡±

    Father Yan, without missing a beat, took out his phone and started searching the name ¡°Li Minghu¡± at a leisurely pace, while Mother Yan was silent for a moment before turning to her husband and saying,

    ¡°I remember the bride price is not really a thing in Lingnan, right?¡±

    Meanwhile, in Lingnan Province, where the average bride price is the lowest, Li Minghu and Li Zhaojiang¡¯s family also had a large group of people watching the livestream.

    The elderly didn¡¯t use the internet, so the grandparents and great-grandparents of the two siblings all came to Li family¡¯s parents¡¯ home, six people crowding around the computer, staring anxiously at the overseas livestream.

    Seeing Li Minghu safe and intact, intimately hugged by Yan Yu on the screen and apparently without any sign of embarrassment or coercion, the elders were unanimously silent.

    After a long while, Grandfather Li finally showed an impatient look and waved his hand as he said elongatedly,

    ¡°Aye, just let Ah Hu choose what she likes~¡±

    Shifting the focus back to the Mysterious Realm, Yan Yu and Li Minghu continued their embrace disguise, following the dragon-head creature¡ªfacing a crisis, they had no time to worry about being captured on camera!

    The two could now see the exit of the water prison passage ahead, a spiral staircase disappearing into the shadows.

    ¡°Minghu, think carefully. If there are more creatures up there, what will we do?¡± Yan Yu once again communicated secretly, ¡°If you¡¯re going to make a move on this creature, now is the last chance.¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Li Minghu was indecisive, tossing the decision back to him.

    ¡°All I can say is,¡± Yan Yu replied calmly, ¡°I trust my teammates wouldn¡¯t just foolishly wait in the water prison for someone to rescue them.¡±

    Li Minghu was silent for a moment before finally making up her mind:

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do it!¡±

    S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 170 - 70: As husband and wife, we are invincible when we work together.

    Chapter 170: Chapter 70: As husband and wife, we are invincible when we work together.

    Having decided to take action, Yan Yu and Li Minghu, both decisive in nature, certainly did not hesitate.

    They drew their swords!

    The moment Huang Tingjian and Sky Flash Sword were unleashed, the two also simultaneously activated the Shifting Technique to rapidly retreat backward.

    At the moment, the most threatening aspect of the dragon-headed monster seemed to be its immense strength, along with its weapon being an iron pick, which made it crucial to avoid close combat.

    Both retreated dozens of meters in an instant, but the dragon-headed monster, sensing something was amiss, had already turned around. Swinging its iron pick like a steel whip, it knocked Huang Tingjian and Sky Flash Sword flying away in no time.

    The Sky Flash Sword, being relatively slender, was expected to fall back in a clash of metals; but Huang Tingjian was a heavy sword, strong and forceful, yet it was also sent flying like a light blade, showing that the strength of the dragon-headed monster was far superior to the Iron Corpse in the Mysterious Realm of days past.

    ...

    Without the need for words, with mutual understanding, Yan Yu and Li Minghu continued to back away, increasing the distance, only to see the dragon-headed monster revealing a ferocious smile, opening its long snout, and unleashing an earth-shattering, high-decibel roar.

    The roaring was so shocking that it even generated a violent wind, causing the iron bars of the fences on both sides to emit a piercing, grating sound as if they were being scraped by a knife.

    Huang Tingjian and Sky Flash Sword stabilized and flew back. Li Minghu hesitated for a moment, only to see Yan Yu not wavering at all, controlling his sword to chop down fiercely at the monstrous figure that loomed like a mountain!

    In what seemed to be empty space directly ahead, Huang Tingjian actually struck something¡ªthe visible ripple of the sound wave shattered, resembling river water crashing against a protruding rock, reluctantly forced to scour and part to its sides.

    Li Minghu finally understood that the roar was not just a sound but some kind of forceful invisible shockwave.

    Unfortunately, her realization came a bit too late, and before her body could react, she was already thrown into the air by the shockwave coming from the side.

    But Yan Yu¡¯s hand was quicker than her reflexes, grasping her left hand like lightning the moment her feet had just lifted off the ground, preventing her from being completely thrown away.

    Li Minghu, out of balance, was tossed sideways like a flag in the wind, her left hand held firm by Yan Yu, her eyes suddenly sharp, her right hand swiftly executing a sword technique.

    The Sky Flash Sword, also sent flying by the shockwave, suddenly accelerated, thrusting forward like a streak of lightning and striking the iron pick thrown by the dragon-headed monster, producing a muffled, dull thud of metal on metal.

    The dragon-headed monster, taking advantage of Yan Yu¡¯s distraction in grabbing Li Minghu, threw its iron pick in a sneak attack aimed to kill him, but it was intercepted midway by the Sky Flash Sword. However, the force on the iron pick was so strong that even though the Sky Flash Sword managed to block it, it only succeeded in slightly deflecting it by a few inches, changing the trajectory from the back of Yan Yu¡¯s head to his ear.

    ¡°Be careful!¡± Li Minghu could only shout these two words, only to see Yan Yu, who was holding onto her, suddenly shift half a step to the side.

    It was the classic speed boost of the Shifting Technique followed by an abrupt halt mid-air¡ªclich¨¦d but still effective, dodging the attack by just the right margin, letting the iron pick graze past his face.

    The iron pick that missed its target embedded itself in the distant ground as if a toothpick was thrust into a block of tofu, sinking in halfway, its tail end trembling uncontrollably.

    The momentum of the Dragon¡¯s Roar Shockwave was halted, Li Minghu finally landed and steadied herself, and before she could catch her breath or cough, she saw the weaponless dragon-headed monster grab hold of the iron bars of a nearby water prison, forcefully tearing off a piece to use as a new weapon.

    New weapon acquired!

    Seeing this scenario unfold, Li Minghu immediately understood that the dragon-headed monster indeed had long-range attack capabilities: it used the roar shockwave to throw its target off, following up with throwing the iron bar to kill from a distance. If the attempt failed, it would simply tear off another piece to use as a weapon and repeat the process.

    They could not retreat any further; they needed to seize the rhythm and counter-attack!

    She quickly looked toward Yan Yu. Without the need for any spoken communication, Yan Yu had already grasped her intentions, quickly executing a sword technique, leading Huang Tingjian to attack the dragon-headed monster head-on.

    The monster once again swung the iron bar, attempting to knock away Huang Tingjian but did not expect that this was precisely Yan Yu¡¯s tactical intent¡ªin the moment it completed its move, the deliberately belated Sky Flash Sword suddenly accelerated into a swift streak of golden light, stabbing through the wide-open gap into its chest.

    Assassinate!

    The Sky Flash Sword retracted, pulling out a swath of golden blood as the dragon-headed monster fell backward with a thud, unable to rise again.

    Li Minghu breathed a sigh of relief but scanned the area with her Divine Sense just to be sure.

    The lifeforce had ceased; it was indeed dead.

    Given the terrifying brute force of the opponent, no Transcendent could withstand a direct hit. The reason they could assassinate this monster so cleanly was mainly due to the perfect coordination between Yan Yu and herself, with the former feigning an attack to draw out its close combat strike, and the latter seizing the moment it left itself open.

    If one had to say, the latter was undoubtedly more challenging, as the window for assassination was fleeting. But instead of feeling pride, Li Minghu found it strange that Yan Yu could understand her tactical intent¡ªOriginally, I wanted to discuss the plan with you through mental communication.

    ¡°Our cooperation is quite in sync,¡± she remarked casually.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t bother explaining to her, ¡°In a past life, my style of fighting was initially influenced by yours. It¡¯s a shame you died too early.¡± Otherwise, Li Minghu would have been utterly baffled.

    Faced with Li Minghu¡¯s probe, he simply smiled and said:

    ¡°It was just that you seized the right moment, it has nothing to do with me.¡±

    No, that¡¯s not it.

    Your seemingly straightforward attack, but the flight path of the Huang Tingjian precisely obscured the slightly behind Sky Flash Sword, preventing the dragon-headed monster from catching a glimpse of the sword light; otherwise, our assassination wouldn¡¯t have gone so smoothly.

    So¡­ cough, cough, cough!

    Li Minghu wanted to ask more, but a sudden bout of coughing interrupted the words she intended to ask. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Quickly dry your clothes,¡± Yan Yu found a corner and released the Flame Curse, ¡°Continuing to fight in wet clothes is too much for me.¡±

    The one who really couldn¡¯t bear it was actually me¡­ Li Minghu knew that Yan Yu was taking care of her dignity, so she didn¡¯t say much, smiled embarrassedly, and began to undress.

    Yan Yu calmly turned away, looking toward the stairs leading to the upper levels, when suddenly he heard Li Minghu¡¯s soft voice from behind, like a kitten scratching at the heart:

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t use Divine Sense to peek, would you?¡±

    ¡°Oh my,¡± Yan Yu feigned a sigh, ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought of it until you reminded me.¡±

    Li Minghu was unconcerned, knowing that since Yan Yu deliberately said so, he definitely wouldn¡¯t peek with Divine Sense.

    She removed all her clothing, trousers, socks, and shoes, leaving only her underwear, then used the heat from the Flame Curse to dry her clothes while sweeping the surroundings with Divine Sense uneasily.

    Although the two had followed the dragon-headed monster and had explored the entire area, ensuring no one else was nearby, it was still better to be safe than sorry.

    The heat from the Flame Curse was intense, quickly drying the moisture.

    Li Minghu quickly redressed, let out a sigh of relief, and said:

    ¡°I¡¯m ready. Here¡¯s your outer garment back.¡±

    Yan Yu turned around, declining:

    ¡°No need. You¡¯re not well; better you keep it on.¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡± It was just a piece of clothing, Li Minghu wasn¡¯t too fussed, and continued, ¡°Your turn to warm up then, do you need¡­ cough, cough, cough, do you need me to turn around?¡±

    ¡°No need, I¡¯m a guy, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Yan Yu started taking off his shirt.

    As he took off his shirt and was about to remove his trousers, Li Minghu¡¯s mind slightly trembled, and she unconsciously turned away.

    She tiptoed nervously, repeatedly tapping her feet on the ground, her hands clasped behind her back at the waist, her fingers continuously trembling interlocked.

    Yan Yu also used Divine Sense to monitor the staircase behind until all of his clothing was dry, then he put them back on and extinguished the Flame Curse.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Li Minghu turned around, her face showing a relieved expression.

    When they reached the stairs, Li Minghu suddenly suggested:

    ¡°I¡¯ll take the lead. My Sky Flash Sword is faster, better suited for sudden situations.¡±

    ¡°I should do it,¡± Yan Yu disagreed, ¡°What matters is not the sword, but the person.¡±

    Li Minghu wanted to say more, but then remembered the Dragon¡¯s Roar Shockwave from the dragon-headed monster earlier; indeed, Yan Yu had reacted faster than her, so she nodded and said:

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll cover you from behind.¡±

    ¡°Be careful, Yan Yu.¡±

 Chapter 171 - 71: Like Jumping for Joy, Right?

    Chapter 171: Chapter 71: Like Jumping for Joy, Right?

    After changing into dry clothes, Li Minghu felt much lighter, and her coughing significantly reduced.

    She looked up, the staircase winding upwards like a serpent, disappearing entirely into the darkness.

    Yan Yu walked ahead of her, his demeanor calm as he ascended step by step, his gait steady and unwavering, giving Li Minghu a sense of security she hadn¡¯t felt in a long time.

    Yes, it had indeed been a long time.

    As the vice-captain of the Qing¡¯an battle team, and with her brother only concerned with fighting and not planning, she often had to manage the whole team by herself, not daring to let her guard down for a moment¡ªshe was responsible for everyone¡¯s lives.

    At some point, she had forgotten what it felt like to ¡°rely on others.¡±

    ...

    Li Minghu took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the weakness that was creeping into her heart.

    I can¡¯t always think about relying on him.

    She strived to concentrate, her Divine Sense swiftly scanning the area ahead, then suddenly communicated with Yan Yu through a private transmission:

    ¡°The staircase ends up ahead, leading to a platform.¡±

    ¡°Mm,¡± Yan Yu had obviously noticed as well.

    ¡°Be careful of an ambush,¡± Li Minghu continued.

    ¡°Got it,¡± Yan Yu responded, and then suddenly asked, ¡°How do you say ¡®got it¡¯ in Lingnan dialect?¡±

    ¡°Ming la,¡± Li Minghu answered. ¡°Why do you suddenly ask this?¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re a little too tense,¡± Yan Yu chuckled. ¡°Relax a bit, nothing will happen.¡±

    Li Minghu smiled helplessly. Of course, she wanted to relax, but in such a perilous Mysterious Realm, where foreign Transcendents would not hesitate to kill, and attacks could come from the most unexpected places, how could she relax? How could she dare to relax?

    Yan Yu did not really expect his words to immediately adjust Li Minghu¡¯s state of mind.

    He just calmly finished climbing the stairs and entered the upper cabin, only to see three foreign Transcendents standing on the opposite side talking.

    The moment their gazes met, Yan Yu recognized the trio as Miti¡¯s Three Hawks¡ªthe one with black curly hair was the ¡°Phoenix¡± Phoenix, the straight-haired man with the hooked nose was ¡°Thornbird¡± Roger, and the only blonde woman was ¡°Thunderbird¡± Margaret.

    Li Minghu stepped out from behind him and quickly summoned the Sky Flash Sword, taking up a battle-ready stance.

    ¡°Wow-wow-wow!¡± Phoenix raised his hands first to indicate no hostility, speaking in the language of Lu Country, albeit with a politically correct accent, ¡°Hey, brother, don¡¯t start a fight! We¡¯re not planning to battle you guys right now!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Thunderbird joined in, much clearer in pronunciation than Phoenix, ¡°With all these monsters around trying to kill us, shouldn¡¯t we humans unite? Or at least avoid killing each other?¡±

    Thornbird did not speak, but he did not voice any opposition either, merely standing silently behind the other two without uttering a word.

    Seeing the other side¡¯s non-hostile demeanor, Li Minghu narrowed her eyes behind Yan Yu, quickly weighing the pros and cons.

    If it were up to her, she would definitely not trust these three ¡°superheroes.¡± However, she also believed that it wouldn¡¯t be wise to start a fight here¡­ Of course, the decision was now up to Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu¡¯s face was expressionless; he only looked at their chests and indeed saw that each of them was wearing a camera.

    ¡°How about this,¡± Phoenix suggested in a negotiating tone, ¡°we work together temporarily until we find the core? If that¡¯s okay with you, then just listen to what I¡¯m saying.¡±

    Yan Yu suddenly burst into laughter. Then, his expression turned cold as he said:

    ¡°Cooperate? Do you think you are worthy?¡±

    As soon as the words fell, Huang Tingjian transformed into a streak of light, attacking Phoenix who was standing on the left.

    Although Li Minghu had not been warned in advance, her response was also extremely fast. Sky Flash Sword followed closely, striking towards Thunderbird next to Phoenix.

    Fight!

    The two of them attacked without a word, naturally shocking the live broadcast audience outside.

    Indeed, both the local and international spectators, as well as the high-ranking members of Lu Country, had been following the camera and saw these three individuals were the first to reach the upper cabin.

    Their stop here was not for rest but was meant to allow Thornbird to set up a magical trap, intending to ambush those who came after.

    Phoenix and Thunderbird were both the type who preferred open confrontation with their adversaries. Moreover, with the global live broadcast ongoing, everyone wanted to see superheroes vanquishing villains, so of course, they wouldn¡¯t ¡°temporarily cooperate with the opponents.¡±

    Those words were merely to buy time so that Thornbird could complete his spell.

    Little did they expect Yan Yu to ignore the stalling tactic, directly replying with a haughty ¡°Do you think you are worthy,¡± and choosing to engage in battle, causing the foreign internet live chat to explode once again.

    Of course, the three superheroes were too busy to care about the show¡¯s impact at the moment.

    Phoenix snapped his fingers, and in an instant, his entire body was engulfed in flames, turning into a man of fire and charging towards the Huang Tingjian slashing at him.

    Shifting Technique: Self-Combustion.

    Thunderbird also let out a shout, leaping high into the air, her hands now gripping a golden lance made of thunder and lightning, hurling it ferociously towards Yan Yu and Li Minghu.

    Thunder Lance!

    Li Minghu was about to quickly retreat when she suddenly heard Yan Yu¡¯s voice in her head:

    ¡°Explode.¡±

    She instantly became alert. Initially, a single step back would have allowed her to avoid the landing spot of the Thunder Lance, but she hastily retreated three steps instead.

    As expected, the moment the Thunder Lance hit the ground, it exploded into countless electric snakes that wildly and viciously danced around the area.

    Li Minghu squinted, a thought flashing through her mind: This move is quite similar to Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Great Bright Fire Flame Spear, creating an explosion at the point of impact to increase the range of damage. Those unfamiliar with it or slow to react would easily fall prey to it.

    The Phoenix, engulfed in flames, charged toward Yan Yu, attempting close-quarters combat while ignoring the approaching Huang Tingjian.

    However, Yan Yu didn¡¯t confront her head-on but accelerated sideways with the Shifting Technique, as Huang Tingjian turned around to strike at the Phoenix.

    Seeing that he wouldn¡¯t engage her in combat, the Phoenix twisted her body and rushed toward Li Minghu. Just as Li Minghu was about to control her sword to respond, she heard Yan Yu¡¯s voice transmission:

    ¡°Ignore her.¡±

    Ignore her? Li Minghu immediately understood, he¡¯s telling me not to get entangled in close combat with the Phoenix.

    Thanks to Yan Yu, nearly all team members now knew the advantages of speeding up with the Shifting Technique and the sudden stop of the Cloud Ascension Technique. Plus, with this being a skill Li Minghu herself proposed in a past life, she was naturally well-practiced in it by now. She similarly accelerated with the Shifting Technique, quickly creating distance from the blazing Phoenix.

    Seeing both opponents unwilling to engage, the burning Phoenix grew secretly frantic.

    His Self-Combustion Divine Technique could provide powerful self-healing, sustained area damage, and physical enhancements. Though he claimed it was the power of the Sun God Helios, it was actually burning his own magical power. Once his magic power was nearly exhausted, the divine flames would instantly backfire and burn him to death.

    Luckily, the divine fire could use his magic power as fuel but also the True Yuan of the enemy. As long as he could successfully burn a Rikoku Cultivator and devour their internal True Yuan, the duration of the Self-Combustion Divine Technique could be extended.

    But with both opponents actively avoiding battle, it was like forcing him to burn himself the entire time¡­ How could this be acceptable?

    ¡°Come and fight, you Rikoku cowards!¡± the Phoenix roared in anger, turning again to rush toward Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu simply ignored her, continuing to widen the distance, while Huang Tingjian¡¯s sword struck down at the Phoenix who had just landed.

    The Phoenix hurriedly propped her hands on the ground, causing a ring of electrical waves to burst forth, blasting away the Huang Tingjian sword coming at her.

    Resistance Electrical Field!

    She had barely heaved a sigh of relief when she saw the Sky Flash Sword attacking from another direction. It timed its assault perfectly as her electrical waves faded, transforming into a blade of light that rapidly closed in.

    That was the last straw for the Phoenix. The opponents weren¡¯t just any ordinary cultivators; they were top-tier Sword Immortals from Rikoku. How could she fend off their pincer attack?

    God damn it, where are my teammates to save me?!

    ¡°Fuck!¡± She had to attach lightning to her feet, hastily fleeing the reach of the Sky Flash Sword¡¯s attack, while yelling furiously at the Phoenix, ¡°Fuck Squid Phoenix! What the hell are you doing?!¡±

    The Phoenix was still pursuing Yan Yu, but being cursed by her teammate like that, she finally came to her senses.

    What use is there in my doggedly chasing when the opponents clearly won¡¯t fall for it?

    She quickly canceled the Self-Combustion Divine Technique, stomping her right foot onto the ground, and a giant Flame Spear nearly two meters long erupted from the ground, viciously slithering toward Li Minghu.

    Li Minghu leaped up with the Shifting Technique and switched to using the Cloud Ascension Technique to hover in the air, neatly dodging the Flame Spear¡¯s strike; the Sky Flash Sword continued its relentless pursuit of the Phoenix.

    The Phoenix couldn¡¯t retaliate at all. She was trapped in a pincer assault by the Huang Tingjian and Sky Flash Sword. One sword forced her back; another resumed the attack, leaving her with no choice but to focus purely on defense, turning to check on the Wizard¡¯s spell progress.

    She almost had a heart attack from what she saw.

    Because Yan Yu had been distancing himself from the Phoenix while directing Huang Tingjian to attack her, but his steps were quietly drawing closer to the Wizard.

    It wasn¡¯t until the Phoenix chose to switch her attack to Li Minghu that he abruptly accelerated with the Shifting Technique, immediately going for the kill toward the Wizard who was still secretly preparing his spell.

    The Wizard, aware of Yan Yu¡¯s approach, had no choice but to prematurely activate the trap he had set, his hands quickly forming a spell seal:

    Demonic Trap!

    As Yan Yu charged with the Shifting Technique, a ring of blue light suddenly appeared under his feet, then exploded violently upwards into a brilliant azure flame, as if it could burn even the air to ashes.

    In the nick of time, Yan Yu had already stopped and side-stepped, narrowly avoiding the burst of azure fury¡ªonly the hem of his clothes was grazed by the flame, instantly vanishing.

    However, the spot where he stepped next suddenly revealed a second ring of blue light. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    As a classic move of a cunning wizard, the invisible Demonic Traps set by the Wizard at the start weren¡¯t solitary; they were part of a calculated chain of traps!

    As the azure flames burst forth again, Yan Yu¡¯s figure didn¡¯t disappear within fire. In the instant before the flames surged, he once again stopped abruptly, turned, and accelerated with the Shifting Technique, taking a lightning-fast step forward, just in time to escape the second Demonic Trap¡¯s blast radius.

    And in doing so, he triggered the third Demonic Trap.

    The third¡­ the fourth, the fifth! The sixth!!! Yan Yu, like a phantom, made his way rapidly across the battlefield, each step a precise ¡°teleport¡± away, each time ¡°just right¡± to leave the bursting azure flames behind him.

    Until even the seventh Demonic Trap had exploded in vain, in the Wizard¡¯s disbelieving, ghost-seeing eyes of despair, within the lens of the small camera on his chest and the live broadcasts watched by audiences worldwide, one saw the consecutively teleporting Yan Yu suddenly appear in front of him, expressionlessly asking:

    ¡°Like playing hopscotch, do you?¡±

    The Wizard had no chance to answer the question.

    Because Yan Yu¡¯s Curved Curse Punch had already pierced through his chest, and the camera attached to it was blasted to smithereens.

 Chapter 172 - 72: A Scene of Carnage is Impossible

    Chapter 172: Chapter 72: A Scene of Carnage is Impossible

    The thorn bird, impaled through its chest, shrieked pitifully.

    The next second, Yan Yu had already lightning-fast withdrawn his arm, while underneath the corpse, blue flames erupted, instantly turning it to ashes.

    At this, both the phoenix and the thunderbird¡¯s expressions immediately fell.

    Was the thorn bird dead? Not dead.

    As good as dead.

    The wizard¡¯s spell schools are myriad and bizarre, boasting a variety of styles. The thorn bird¡¯s choice of tactic was simple, one was to survive, the other to steal.

    ...

    He specialized in this rare spell called ¡°Magic Body¡±, which, as the name implies, is using magic to create a body in advance and hide it somewhere.

    If he suffered a fatal injury in battle, he would instantly switch places with the magic body, leaving it to die on the battlefield¡­ The cost was a period of weakness where his abilities would sharply decline, essentially leaving him crippled, but it would still ensure 100% preservation of his life, hence it was still considered the world¡¯s number one survival technique.

    As for the phoenix and the thunderbird, the dramatic change in their expressions was because they knew the thorn bird¡¯s nature¡ªif this damn wizard used his life-saving technique, then his magic body was definitely not hiding in the mysterious realm, and might not even be within Mitchi Country. Chances were it was stashed in some remote village in Northern Ereland, such as a tiny port fishing village of barely a dozen, in a desolate place unlikely to be hit even in a nuclear war.

    At this point, it could be announced that the thorn bird had honorably left the battlefield!

    Looking back at the state of the battle, what was originally a favorable three-on-two had been forcefully turned into a two-on-two by the opponent, without a scratch¡ªa clear indication that there was a significant disparity in strength between the two sides.

    Although the cameras continued to live-stream, the two superheroes exchanged glances and quickly reached a mutual understanding.

    A strategic retreat is in order.

    Becoming a dead legend is not the kind of legend we wish to be!

    Phoenix again initiated his Self-Combustion divine art, thunderbird launched his lightning speed, and without a trace of reluctance, each turned around, carrying a do-or-die attitude, dashing through the passage away from Yan Yu and company.

    Li Minghu: ¡­

    Yan Yu: ¡­

    ¡°Shall we give chase¡­ Forget it.¡± Li Minghu unconsciously asked a question but quickly realized.

    If Yan Yu intended to give chase, he wouldn¡¯t be standing here, he would have already been in pursuit.

    ¡°Let¡¯s find our teammates first,¡± Yan Yu calmly stated.

    Eliminating Mitchi¡¯s superheroes is good.

    Chasing superheroes to the point where teammates are injured or even killed is not good.

    Since Yan Yu aims to be the strongest in the world, he cannot afford a stain on his illustrious record. There will be plenty of chances to eliminate superheroes in the future, but he can¡¯t resurrect the dead, so he knows well what is more important.

    Li Minghu, of course, had no objections since his brother, Li Zhaojiang, was also missing; naturally, finding teammates was more critical.

    Yan Yu turned to survey the surroundings of the cabin. Since the San Yu treasure ship was much larger than an ordinary boat, the interior cabin space was also geometrically larger. Just this one cabin had 8 spiral staircases leading to the lower levels, and a central staircase to the upper levels.

    Which way to go?

    Before Li Minghu could speak, his face suddenly changed, as loud talking came from the direction of the staircase leading to the upper level.

    Having had encounters with monsters, most Transcendents were unlikely to converse loudly like this, which meant that it was definitely a monster leader talking, and with high probability multiple monsters were approaching.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He quickly grabbed Yan Yu and chose the nearest lower-level spiral staircase, rushing towards it.

    Descending the staircase at speed, Divine Sense continuously scanning behind them, Li Minghu noticed the monster leaders weren¡¯t following the noise and let out a sigh of relief. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Only then did he notice he was still holding Yan Yu¡¯s hand.

    Of course, the situation was urgent before, so he had no time to think and besides, it was not the era of etiquette where a lady¡¯s reputation is ruined by a touch. Thus, he simply let go of Yan Yu¡¯s hand as if it was nothing and was about to say something to relieve the awkwardness, when suddenly he heard Chen Lingyun¡¯s voice not far away:

    ¡°Oh, thank you, Deputy Captain Li, for bringing our captain back~¡±

    As both turned their heads, they saw the sweetly fake smiling Chen Lingyun, the stunned Lin Ning, the expressionless Su Yunjin, and of course, the gritting Zhao Yuanzhen, all four standing at the entrance to the water prison, their gazes burning like angry lionesses who had caught a lion stealing food.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Their experience was actually not complicated. After entering the mysterious realm, Yan Yu and Li Minghu were locked in one level of the water prison, while the girls were locked in another level.

    The intelligence of the monster leaders wasn¡¯t high, and if Yan Yu could trick them, Chen Lingyun certainly wasn¡¯t without strategies. After luring the guards on their level to open all the prison doors, the four girls joined forces to ambush and take down the guard.

    The battle segment was also fraught with peril. Facing the monster leaders¡¯ dragon roar blast and spear throw, the girls were initially caught off guard and lost their balance en masse.

    The only piece of luck was that the subsequent iron spear throw was aimed at Zhao Yuanzhen rather than someone else.

    In a moment of crisis, Zhao Yuanzhen couldn¡¯t afford to keep playing dumb and suddenly turned into black mist to sidestep, avoiding the rival¡¯s mountain-splitting strike.

    After that, they learned from the experience, and with Su Yunjin¡¯s Taoism Method and Chen Lingyun¡¯s ghost manipulation, they managed to distract the monster leader from attacking again, then Lin Ning utilized her Sword Control Technique to break through the front lines, while Zhao Yuanzhen activated the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin for a sneak attack, delivering the final killing blow.

    Yan Yu listened and couldn¡¯t help but break out into a cold sweat: Goodness, while the Valkyrie and I faced three and didn¡¯t feel that tense, now hearing your four-on-one story is truly chilling!

    The monster leader¡¯s iron spear throws were terrifying, and if the target had been the slower-reacting Su Yunjin or Chen Lingyun, the Zhenhai Team might have suffered an immediate casualty.

    ¡°`

    Even if she had chosen Lin Ning, who was quick enough to dodge vitals, she might not have escaped serious injury.

    In the era of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, strength speaks volumes, and being weak means deserving death. Even if the girls really suffered casualties, Yan Yu had nothing to complain about.

    All he could say was, ¡°Thank you, Sister Zhao, for your grace! Lucky for us, you were born with a face that invites mockery!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was still submerged in the unease of having her dark fog spell exposed and didn¡¯t dare to subject Yan Yu to severe interrogation, choosing only to glare at Li Minghu with eyes that seemed capable of murder.

    But some questions didn¡¯t need to be asked by her¡ªeveryone was so unconcerned with what spell Sister Zhao had used that their scrutinizing gazes were now all directed at Li Minghu.

    ¡°Were you and our captain imprisoned together?¡± Su Yunjin asked with a smile.

    ¡°Uh, yes,¡± Li Minghu replied, ¡°Our cells were on the same floor.¡±

    Lin Ning stared silently at her, then suddenly said:

    ¡°That¡¯s the captain¡¯s coat, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Li Minghu startled slightly, then realizing the implication, started to take off the coat sheepishly.

    ¡°She had been soaked in the water cell for too long,¡± Yan Yu explained, ¡°I was worried about her health, so¡­¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not asking about the captain,¡± Chen Lingyun interrupted him.

    Her face still wore a forced smile, but the intense and chilling vibes she gave off were unmistakable.

    Yan Yu instinctively recoiled, a reaction ingrained through millennia into the DNA of men, an instinctive coping strategy titled ¡°Shrink back like a turtle, let her have her way, and soon, all will be well.¡±

    But he was determined to become the strongest man in the world¡ªhow could he be controlled by such despicable, base, shameful garbage genetic instincts?

    Get lost, inferior feelings!!!

    Reason once again overcame instinct, and Yan Yu suddenly stretched out his hand, stopping Li Minghu who was still in the process of undressing, and mocked:

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, you want to teach me how to do things?¡±

    The girls¡¯ unfriendly glances shifted swiftly back to Yan Yu, glaring as if they were ready to tear him to pieces.

    But Yan Yu was fearless! At that moment, he was like a pine weathered by cold winds, rocks battered by waves, the sun surrounded by stars¡ªimmovable! He was determined to shatter this fragile battlefield!

    ¡°Li Vice-captain and I have fought our way here side by side, with seamless cooperation,¡± Yan Yu declared authoritatively, ¡°Li Vice-captain has been a great help, and I acknowledge her strength! From now on, you are to respect Li Vice-captain as you would me, understand? Now is not the time for idle talk. Get ready, we¡¯re heading out soon.¡±

    His words had so many laughable points that the girls were dumbfounded and speechless for a moment.

    However, the perceptive Su Yunjin and the intelligent Chen Lingyun, of course, read between the lines of Yan Yu¡¯s words.

    ¡°I acknowledge her strength,¡± could also mean ¡°What I acknowledge is her strength¡± (not something like love at first sight), so their expressions gradually softened¡ªthinking it over, Yan Yu was always recklessly outspoken, even capable of saying things like ¡°You¡¯re not even worthy,¡± so there really seemed no need for him to lie to us on purpose.

    As for the straightforward Lin Ning and the clear-cut Zhao Yuanzhen, although they still felt uncomfortable as if something precious had been stolen from them, they couldn¡¯t refute Yan Yu¡¯s words either.

    This Mysterious Realm was no private karaoke room where they could sit down to brood over love and longing¡­ After all, once the Realm adventure was over, there¡¯d be plenty of time to grab him, interrogate him from start to finish, and clear things up!

    They had been delayed here slightly longer than planned, so the group quickly returned to the stairs and started moving back up.

    Now that their troop had grown to six people, their overall combat capacity had expanded, permitting bolder tactical choices.

    Enemies they would have previously avoided could now simply be steamrolled.

    Approaching the upper deck, the group suddenly heard violent explosions, the whistling of objects speeding through the air, and the faint sounds of screams and groans from above.

    Another battle was underway!

    Yan Yu gestured for everyone to halt on the staircase before stealthily approaching the upper level himself to use his Divine Sense, furrowing his brows slightly.

    The cabin area, previously empty, now housed at least thirty individuals divided into three groups, fiercely battling each other.

    Three groups¡­ Yan Yu quickly assessed the situation, signaled ¡°action,¡± and then led the charge into the upper cabin.

    True enough, the moment they stepped inside, they saw seven or eight dragon-like beasts rampaging around, with the Mitchi Country Allied Forces retreating, bodies strewn everywhere, and the Rikoku Cultivators, a group of four, in disarray.

    Tao Xingyuan had suffered a shoulder puncture from a spike and was being dragged into a corner by Wang Haoran, while Jiang Hong and Li Zhaojiang were holding the front lines, using their Sword Control Technique and Taoism Method to fend off and sustain the fight.

    Fortunately, the four of them didn¡¯t stand out much, and since the enemy cultists from the allied forces outnumbered them by more than four to one, the dragon-like beasts only sent two to kill them, and their defenses weren¡¯t immediately breached.

    Yan Yu and his team charged in valiantly, delivering a just and stealthy killing strike, instantly coordinating with Jiang Hong to take down one of the dragon-like beasts confronting them.

    The girls quickly rushed out and subdued the other beast.

    Li Minghu hurried back to her team, first rapidly checking on Tao Xingyuan¡¯s injury, then asking Li Zhaojiang for an update.

    But instead of replying, Li Zhaojiang stared intently at his sister¡¯s clothes, exclaiming:

    ¡°Sis, that jacket¡­¡±

    ¡°What time is it to care about clothes!¡± Li Minghu interrupted him sharply, urging.

 Chapter 173 - 73: Li Zhaojiangs Ingenious Strategies

    Chapter 173: Chapter 73: Li Zhaojiang¡¯s Ingenious Strategies

    Zhenghai and Qing¡¯an Teams finally assembled, and everyone¡¯s morale soared.

    Su Yunjin provided preliminary treatment to the injured Tao Xingyuan, while the rest formed a battle line yet didn¡¯t rush to push outward.

    Even now with ten people on Lu Country¡¯s side, they were still far fewer than the Miti Allied Forces.

    Since the dragon-headed monsters were fiercely attacking the other side, it was naturally unnecessary for Rikoku Cultivators to barge into the battlefield, so they quickly communicated via transmission.

    ¡°These dragon-headed monsters are stupidly fixated; once they target an enemy, they¡¯re unlikely to change. We can sit back and watch the tiger fight to weaken our opponents¡¯ strength,¡± Li Minghu calmly said. ¡°The stairs to the upper levels are in the center; crossing the battlefield will draw the monsters¡¯ attention. There¡¯s no need for us to share their firepower.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu said leisurely. ¡°We must head to the upper level as quickly as possible.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Why?¡± Li Minghu asked, frowning.

    ¡°Because being a fisherman is not that easy,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°The Allied Forces won¡¯t sit by and let us stay out of it. Sooner or later, they¡¯ll find a way to drag us into the fray.¡±

    ¡°Moreover, the Allied Forces here are severely outnumbered,¡± Yan Yu added. ¡°What if reinforcements from the lower level come later? What then?¡±

    ¡°But if we find the gatekeeper upstairs and our attack falters, and regardless of who wins or loses down here, the victor will chase us upstairs,¡± Li Minghu insisted on his view. ¡°Then we will be caught between two attacks.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu incisively asked. ¡°So, what are our advantages and disadvantages?¡±

    Li Minghu was suddenly taken aback.

    Lu Country¡¯s current strategy was to use elite troops; their disadvantage lay in not being suited for attrition or drawn-out warfare, fearing death by a thousand cuts through enemy swarms. Their advantage, naturally, was the refinement of their lineup, strong spearhead capabilities, and being adept at small-unit decapitation tactics.

    If it had been a regular team confrontation with equal numbers, they could have broken the opponent first; but with the overwhelming numbers of the Allied Forces, even a 10:1 casualty ratio would be profitable for them. If one cultivator died on their side, it would be painful, so they naturally needed to avoid confrontation with rival forces and focus on conquering the Mysterious Realm wholeheartedly.

    Li Minghu found the answer in his heart and turned to ask his brother:

    ¡°Ah Jiang, you¡¯re the captain, what do you think?¡±

    Li Zhaojiang asked in agony:

    ¡°Sister, that coat is Yan Yu¡¯s, right? I saw him wearing it before¡­¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Li Minghu interrupted him again, ¡°Our Qing¡¯an Team has no objections, let¡¯s go!¡±

    Both sides reached a consensus smoothly, and what followed was action.

    Lin Ning and Li Minghu led the way as the spearhead. The two Sword Immortals, one on each side, instantly charged into the battlefield, tearing open the dragon-headed monsters¡¯ line.

    But the dragon-headed monsters were disorganized and didn¡¯t really form a line, so they mainly served to attract fire right away, ensuring the path ahead was clear¡ªwhether it was Mei Yingxue, the almost-Valkyrie cooperating tacitly with Yan Yu, or little Ningning, specially trained by Yan Yu, both were skilled in movement and dodging attacks.

    Following closely were the main troops, with Li Zhaojiang and Jiang Hong responsible for covering the flanks. Chen Lingyun, Su Yunjin, Tao Xingyuan, and Wang Haoran were tasked with support and suppression, trying their best not to let the surrounding dragon-headed monsters free their hands to throw their iron spears.

    The most dangerous task of covering the rear naturally fell to Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen.

    They stayed at the end of the group, facing the concentrated fire and encirclement from the dragon-headed monsters that had regained their senses.

    Zhao Yuanzhen weaved right and left, dodging frantically. She had been chased by multiple Orthodox Sword Immortals before, and since the dragon-headed monsters couldn¡¯t perform Sword Control Technique, and their thrown iron spears couldn¡¯t turn, she managed to evade desparately yet emerged unscathed.

    Yan Yu, on the other hand, appeared much more at ease, taking half a step to avoid an attack but never a step more. With Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s juxtaposing performance, his elegance and composure stood out all the more, showcasing the demeanor of a strong practitioner.

    And of course, these battle scenes were also recorded by the super heroes present and appeared in the global broadcast outside.

    In a secret underground base in Pingjing, Mei Yingxue, in a researcher¡¯s white lab coat accompanied by a group of scientific experts, watched the live broadcast on the wall television intently.

    Seeing Zhao Yuanzhen personally covering the rear for the team of Rikoku Cultivators, her gaze flickered briefly.

    Then she smiled lightly and asked the old expert beside her:

    ¡°Which team does that female cultivator belong to?¡±

    ¡°She should be from the Zhendong Army¡¯s Zhenghai Team,¡± the old expert responded.

    Within the Mysterious Realm, the two teams finally broke through the battlefield and reached the upper level of the ship.

    Su Yunjin executed the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, sending the dragon-headed monster tumbling down the stairs in its attempt to follow.

    The group quickly looked ahead, finding themselves in a spacious corridor about five meters wide, with single cabins on both sides, all doors firmly shut.

    ¡°Search!¡± Yan Yu swiftly ordered, ¡°Lin Ning, Zhao Jiuzhen, Li Minghu, Jiang Hong! One person per room, break in and confirm, be wary of ambushes, retreat immediately if you encounter the enemy! The rest of you stay outside on standby, move quickly!¡±

    The four assigned immediately chose their rooms and broke in, one to confirm the absence of any guard within, and the other to prevent enemies from hiding inside and then emerging to cut off the team¡¯s path once they reached the center of the corridor, which would result in the team being flanked from both sides¡ªa disadvantageous position.

    As for why Yan Yu chose these four individuals, it was of course because Sword Immortals had the strongest capability to handle emergencies. Only Zhao Yuanzhen, although serving as an Assistant Officer, had indeed fast reactions and formidable strength, and no one objected.

    Yan Yu sat prominently in the middle of the corridor, ready to offer support at a moment¡¯s notice, when he heard Li Zhaojiang¡¯s voice transmission asking:

    ¡°Yan Yu, you¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not discussing the clothing matter,¡± Yan Yu interrupted brusquely.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about the clothes!¡± Li Zhaojiang clenched his teeth, then said solemnly, ¡°During the upcoming strategic room clearing, don¡¯t let my sister take the lead. She spent time in the freezing seawater, which might have left her with some potential health issues. I¡¯m afraid she won¡¯t be able to withstand the intense pressure of a serious battlefield.¡±

    ¡°Comrade Li Zhaojiang,¡± Yan Yu said seriously, ¡°this is a battlefield! Everyone must fight for victory, and if your sister holding back leads to a failure, who will be responsible?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t make a big deal out of nothing,¡± Li Zhaojiang said with a grim face. ¡°With so many people here, does it have to be my sister in front? If this leads to a failure, I¡¯ll take full responsibility.¡±

    ¡°Can you bear such a burden?¡± Yan Yu retorted.

    ¡°If something happens to my sister,¡± Li Zhaojiang said coldly, ¡°no matter who is to bear the responsibility, I absolutely won¡¯t let them off!¡±

    Yan Yu narrowed his eyes, staring at him.

    Indeed, at this point in time, the younger brother-in-law already had a touch of the ¡°willing to destroy the world for his sister¡± madness.

    Although Yan Yu¡¯s fundamental stance was in agreement with him, Li Minghu was far from her last breath at this moment, so he replied indifferently:

    ¡°If Minghu agrees, I have no objections.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s Minghu?¡± Li Zhaojiang¡¯s eyes blazed with even more murderous intent.

    ¡°Your sister doesn¡¯t mind, so what are you worried about?¡± Yan Yu scoffed, ¡°Or are you trying to make decisions for her behind her back?¡±

    Li Zhaojiang erupted, swearing thunderously: S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°It must be you, the bad omen, who deceived my sister with honeyed words!¡±

    ¡°What a joke!¡± Yan Yu said with disdain for his accusation, ¡°If I wanted to deceive your sister, you would have to call me brother-in-law by now!¡±

    ¡°Go to hell!¡± Li Zhaojiang exploded in frustration.

    ¡°Cursing my whole family is the same as including your sister in it!¡± Yan Yu retorted sharply.

    Li Zhaojiang was about to split apart. He took a deep breath and then forcefully expelled the air from his lungs several times. Only after repeating this process a few times did he manage to calm down, staring at Yan Yu in silence while inwardly considering his next move.

    In terms of verbal abuse, he was no match for Yan Yu, who simply had to mention his sister to break his defenses¡ªLi Zhaojiang¡¯s sister was his Achilles¡¯ heel, a sure trigger for his fury, and he was well aware of it.

    Ultimately, it wasn¡¯t that Yan Yu was particularly articulate; it was that he truly had Li Minghu¡¯s favor, which had begun since the last exchange competition between the four institutions.

    If even his sister was willingly on Yan Yu¡¯s side, how could he possibly have the confidence to protect her and drive away this outsider with designs on her?

    He had to convince his sister first!

    A sudden inspiration struck Li Zhaojiang.

    That¡¯s it, if I can¡¯t explain it clearly, I can turn to my parents!

    My parents don¡¯t know what kind of person Yan Yu is! As long as I go back and slander Yan Yu to them, exaggerating the severity of the situation, they will naturally advise my sister to keep her distance from him!

    Muahahaha, that¡¯s so like me!

    Chapter 173: Chapter 73: Li Zhaojiang¡¯s Ingenious Strategies

    Zhenghai and Qing¡¯an Teams finally assembled, and everyone¡¯s morale soared.

    Su Yunjin provided preliminary treatment to the injured Tao Xingyuan, while the rest formed a battle line yet didn¡¯t rush to push outward.

    Even now with ten people on Lu Country¡¯s side, they were still far fewer than the Miti Allied Forces.

    Since the dragon-headed monsters were fiercely attacking the other side, it was naturally unnecessary for Rikoku Cultivators to barge into the battlefield, so they quickly communicated via transmission.

    ¡°These dragon-headed monsters are stupidly fixated; once they target an enemy, they¡¯re unlikely to change. We can sit back and watch the tiger fight to weaken our opponents¡¯ strength,¡± Li Minghu calmly said. ¡°The stairs to the upper levels are in the center; crossing the battlefield will draw the monsters¡¯ attention. There¡¯s no need for us to share their firepower.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu said leisurely. ¡°We must head to the upper level as quickly as possible.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Li Minghu asked, frowning.

    ¡°Because being a fisherman is not that easy,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°The Allied Forces won¡¯t sit by and let us stay out of it. Sooner or later, they¡¯ll find a way to drag us into the fray.¡±

    ¡°Moreover, the Allied Forces here are severely outnumbered,¡± Yan Yu added. ¡°What if reinforcements from the lower level come later? What then?¡±

    ¡°But if we find the gatekeeper upstairs and our attack falters, and regardless of who wins or loses down here, the victor will chase us upstairs,¡± Li Minghu insisted on his view. ¡°Then we will be caught between two attacks.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu incisively asked. ¡°So, what are our advantages and disadvantages?¡±

    Li Minghu was suddenly taken aback.

    Lu Country¡¯s current strategy was to use elite troops; their disadvantage lay in not being suited for attrition or drawn-out warfare, fearing death by a thousand cuts through enemy swarms. Their advantage, naturally, was the refinement of their lineup, strong spearhead capabilities, and being adept at small-unit decapitation tactics.

    If it had been a regular team confrontation with equal numbers, they could have broken the opponent first; but with the overwhelming numbers of the Allied Forces, even a 10:1 casualty ratio would be profitable for them. If one cultivator died on their side, it would be painful, so they naturally needed to avoid confrontation with rival forces and focus on conquering the Mysterious Realm wholeheartedly.

    Li Minghu found the answer in his heart and turned to ask his brother:

    ¡°Ah Jiang, you¡¯re the captain, what do you think?¡±

    Li Zhaojiang asked in agony:

    ¡°Sister, that coat is Yan Yu¡¯s, right? I saw him wearing it before¡­¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Li Minghu interrupted him again, ¡°Our Qing¡¯an Team has no objections, let¡¯s go!¡±

    Both sides reached a consensus smoothly, and what followed was action.

    Lin Ning and Li Minghu led the way as the spearhead. The two Sword Immortals, one on each side, instantly charged into the battlefield, tearing open the dragon-headed monsters¡¯ line.

    But the dragon-headed monsters were disorganized and didn¡¯t really form a line, so they mainly served to attract fire right away, ensuring the path ahead was clear¡ªwhether it was Mei Yingxue, the almost-Valkyrie cooperating tacitly with Yan Yu, or little Ningning, specially trained by Yan Yu, both were skilled in movement and dodging attacks.

    Following closely were the main troops, with Li Zhaojiang and Jiang Hong responsible for covering the flanks. Chen Lingyun, Su Yunjin, Tao Xingyuan, and Wang Haoran were tasked with support and suppression, trying their best not to let the surrounding dragon-headed monsters free their hands to throw their iron spears.

    The most dangerous task of covering the rear naturally fell to Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen.

    They stayed at the end of the group, facing the concentrated fire and encirclement from the dragon-headed monsters that had regained their senses.

    Zhao Yuanzhen weaved right and left, dodging frantically. She had been chased by multiple Orthodox Sword Immortals before, and since the dragon-headed monsters couldn¡¯t perform Sword Control Technique, and their thrown iron spears couldn¡¯t turn, she managed to evade desparately yet emerged unscathed.

    Yan Yu, on the other hand, appeared much more at ease, taking half a step to avoid an attack but never a step more. With Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s juxtaposing performance, his elegance and composure stood out all the more, showcasing the demeanor of a strong practitioner.

    And of course, these battle scenes were also recorded by the super heroes present and appeared in the global broadcast outside.

    In a secret underground base in Pingjing, Mei Yingxue, in a researcher¡¯s white lab coat accompanied by a group of scientific experts, watched the live broadcast on the wall television intently.

    Seeing Zhao Yuanzhen personally covering the rear for the team of Rikoku Cultivators, her gaze flickered briefly.

    Then she smiled lightly and asked the old expert beside her:

    ¡°Which team does that female cultivator belong to?¡±

    ¡°She should be from the Zhendong Army¡¯s Zhenghai Team,¡± the old expert responded.

    Within the Mysterious Realm, the two teams finally broke through the battlefield and reached the upper level of the ship.

    Su Yunjin executed the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, sending the dragon-headed monster tumbling down the stairs in its attempt to follow.

    The group quickly looked ahead, finding themselves in a spacious corridor about five meters wide, with single cabins on both sides, all doors firmly shut.

    ¡°Search!¡± Yan Yu swiftly ordered, ¡°Lin Ning, Zhao Jiuzhen, Li Minghu, Jiang Hong! One person per room, break in and confirm, be wary of ambushes, retreat immediately if you encounter the enemy! The rest of you stay outside on standby, move quickly!¡±

    The four assigned immediately chose their rooms and broke in, one to confirm the absence of any guard within, and the other to prevent enemies from hiding inside and then emerging to cut off the team¡¯s path once they reached the center of the corridor, which would result in the team being flanked from both sides¡ªa disadvantageous position.

    As for why Yan Yu chose these four individuals, it was of course because Sword Immortals had the strongest capability to handle emergencies. Only Zhao Yuanzhen, although serving as an Assistant Officer, had indeed fast reactions and formidable strength, and no one objected.

    Yan Yu sat prominently in the middle of the corridor, ready to offer support at a moment¡¯s notice, when he heard Li Zhaojiang¡¯s voice transmission asking:

    ¡°Yan Yu, you¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not discussing the clothing matter,¡± Yan Yu interrupted brusquely.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about the clothes!¡± Li Zhaojiang clenched his teeth, then said solemnly, ¡°During the upcoming strategic room clearing, don¡¯t let my sister take the lead. She spent time in the freezing seawater, which might have left her with some potential health issues. I¡¯m afraid she won¡¯t be able to withstand the intense pressure of a serious battlefield.¡±

    ¡°Comrade Li Zhaojiang,¡± Yan Yu said seriously, ¡°this is a battlefield! Everyone must fight for victory, and if your sister holding back leads to a failure, who will be responsible?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t make a big deal out of nothing,¡± Li Zhaojiang said with a grim face. ¡°With so many people here, does it have to be my sister in front? If this leads to a failure, I¡¯ll take full responsibility.¡±

    ¡°Can you bear such a burden?¡± Yan Yu retorted.

    ¡°If something happens to my sister,¡± Li Zhaojiang said coldly, ¡°no matter who is to bear the responsibility, I absolutely won¡¯t let them off!¡±

    Yan Yu narrowed his eyes, staring at him.

    Indeed, at this point in time, the younger brother-in-law already had a touch of the ¡°willing to destroy the world for his sister¡± madness.

    Although Yan Yu¡¯s fundamental stance was in agreement with him, Li Minghu was far from her last breath at this moment, so he replied indifferently:

    ¡°If Minghu agrees, I have no objections.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s Minghu?¡± Li Zhaojiang¡¯s eyes blazed with even more murderous intent.

    ¡°Your sister doesn¡¯t mind, so what are you worried about?¡± Yan Yu scoffed, ¡°Or are you trying to make decisions for her behind her back?¡±

    Li Zhaojiang erupted, swearing thunderously:

    ¡°It must be you, the bad omen, who deceived my sister with honeyed words!¡±

    ¡°What a joke!¡± Yan Yu said with disdain for his accusation, ¡°If I wanted to deceive your sister, you would have to call me brother-in-law by now!¡±

    ¡°Go to hell!¡± Li Zhaojiang exploded in frustration.

    ¡°Cursing my whole family is the same as including your sister in it!¡± Yan Yu retorted sharply.

    Li Zhaojiang was about to split apart. He took a deep breath and then forcefully expelled the air from his lungs several times. Only after repeating this process a few times did he manage to calm down, staring at Yan Yu in silence while inwardly considering his next move.

    In terms of verbal abuse, he was no match for Yan Yu, who simply had to mention his sister to break his defenses¡ªLi Zhaojiang¡¯s sister was his Achilles¡¯ heel, a sure trigger for his fury, and he was well aware of it.

    Ultimately, it wasn¡¯t that Yan Yu was particularly articulate; it was that he truly had Li Minghu¡¯s favor, which had begun since the last exchange competition between the four institutions.

    If even his sister was willingly on Yan Yu¡¯s side, how could he possibly have the confidence to protect her and drive away this outsider with designs on her?

    He had to convince his sister first!

    A sudden inspiration struck Li Zhaojiang.

    That¡¯s it, if I can¡¯t explain it clearly, I can turn to my parents!

    My parents don¡¯t know what kind of person Yan Yu is! As long as I go back and slander Yan Yu to them, exaggerating the severity of the situation, they will naturally advise my sister to keep her distance from him!

    Muahahaha, that¡¯s so like me!

 Chapter 174 - 74: As Long as You Can Use the Invisibility Technique

    Chapter 174: Chapter 74: As Long as You Can Use the Invisibility Technique

    Theoretically, Divine Sense could also detect what lies behind the door.

    However, using Divine Sense to detect is neither secure nor time-efficient. It¡¯s unknown when the lower-level battle will end, and pursuers might arrive at any moment. At this stage, everyone is in a race against the clock, and of course, it¡¯s quicker to break in and sweep a glance.

    Yan Yu led the team through the corridor at a steady pace, ready to coordinate with the door-breaking team to handle any emergencies.

    And the emergencies did arrive as expected: Most of the rooms contained dead dragon-headed creatures, while only a few were alive, seemingly hiding behind the doors as if to ambush the group.

    At this time, those outside would assist the door-breakers in killing these creatures.

    Yan Yu narrowed his eyes, sizing up the corpses with a brief sweep of his Divine Sense, and quickly noted the differences from the previous dragon-headed creatures.

    ...

    Simply put, they seemed somewhat underdeveloped.

    The dragon-headed monsters encountered earlier had completely draconian heads, with both horns and whiskers, pupils bright like torches, sharp teeth, and drool dripping everywhere, almost indistinguishable from true Flood Dragons. Their bodies below the neck, although humanoid in limb structure, were essentially covered in scales, and their strength was comparable to that of the Long Race.

    But these creatures in the rooms, some had no horns, some no whiskers, some no teeth, some no scales¡ªit felt like an evolution that had failed halfway through.

    Chen Lingyun, of course, noticed this as well and suddenly walked into an empty room nearby.

    Yan Yu frowned and turned his head, only to see her quickly walk out again, tossing a Jade Slip to Yan Yu.

    ¡°Take a look at this,¡± she said, her face beaming with a smile, clearly enjoying herself.

    Written on the Jade Slip was script in tadpole text. This bizarre Cultivator language was rarely seen outside the Mysterious Realm and wasn¡¯t phonetic or logographic but rather ideographic¡ªrequiring Divine Sense to read, and not the text itself but the author¡¯s thoughts contained within.

    To draw a comparison, each character was like a portable hard drive, capable of storing a certain amount of information. If an ordinary person were to try to read tadpole text, it would be like not having a computer to access the hard drive.

    Reading tadpole text with Divine Sense was quick, so there was no worry about wasting time, hence Yan Yu did not refuse and immersed his Divine Sense into it promptly.

    Hmm.

    Indeed interesting.

    This Jade Slip was a diary, hastily documenting the history and origin of the ¡°Three-Island Treasure Ship¡±:

    It was created by an organization known as the Worship Dragon Cult during an ancient period on a different timeline, in the Vast Wilderness Era when humans and demons coexisted.

    At that time, the Long Race was exceedingly prominent, subjugating all demons and having many humans attached to them. The Worship Dragon Cult was a human sect that worshiped the Long Race, using the Three-Island Treasure Ship to transport tributes to the Long Race¡ªthe reason the internal cabins of the ship were proportionally elongated was to accommodate the enormous size of the Long Race.

    Then came the end of the Vast Wilderness Era.

    Frictions between humans and demons intensified and ultimately escalated into a racial war. The demon race was completely defeated and retreated to parts unknown, and the Human Race¡¯s reckoning with the Worship Dragon Cult finally arrived.

    The author of the diary was one of the Human Race Cultivators who exterminated the Worship Dragon Cult. They boarded the Three-Island Treasure Ship, killed all the human traitors, but discovered that the ship had been secretly launched by the dying Worship Dragon Cult, sailing to the very depths of the Endless Sea.

    The depths of the Endless Sea were rife with danger, and it was impossible for Cultivators to fly back with Sword Control. Only by navigating with the Three-Island Treasure Ship, utilizing Long Race technology, could one travel in such waters.

    But the treasure ship did not recognize any bloodlines apart from the Long Race. The Worship Dragon Cult controlled the ship¡¯s navigation through the blessed blood essence of the Long Race, and these Human Race Cultivators had to find another method¡­

    Yan Yu read up to this point and looked at those incompletely evolved dragon-headed monsters; a sneer couldn¡¯t help but surface within him.

    What the hell?!

    Detest the Long Race, kill the Long Race, understand the Long Race, become the Long Race, is that it? So you¡¯re playing boomerang now?

    If these Human Race Cultivators truly hated the Long Race, or truly clung to their identity as the Human Race, they should have rather died than touch such forbidden bloodline magic¡­ and yet, look at these abnormal corpses all around.

    It shows that whether it¡¯s ¡°demons and humans do not stand together,¡± ¡°the distinction between Immortals and mortals,¡± or even ¡°Cultivators should strive for their own power,¡± they are all just slogans to deceive people into taking sides; ultimately, it all comes down to self-interest.

    He indifferently handed the Jade Slip back to Chen Lingyun and transmitted his voice:

    ¡°Quite the joke.¡±

    Chen Lingyun replied with a smile:

    ¡°Shared joy.¡±

    Yan Yu looked forward once again, only to find Zhao Yuanzhen emerging from the room as well.

    ¡°What is this Demonic Sect Enchantress up to? Didn¡¯t I say to break the door open, take a quick look if no one¡¯s there, and leave?¡±

    ¡°What are you lingering in the room for, hmm? Are you taking my orders lightly? I must punish you, I must punish you severely!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen noticed his disapproving gaze and hurriedly sent a message through a psychic link:

    ¡°Shush, I¡¯ve found something good, it¡¯s not convenient to talk about it here. I¡¯ll show you after we get out.¡±

    Yan Yu imperceptibly nodded, then shifted his gaze away.

    Commands are dead after all, and man is flexible¡ªhow can one be confined by commands?

    Those who do not obey commands are useless, and those who do not cherish their comrades are less than useless!

    The other three strictly followed the ¡°break and leave¡± rule, so the team¡¯s progress was quite fast, and they ultimately cleared all hidden dangers on this floor, arriving at the stairs at the end of the hallway.

    Even without ascending the stairs, everyone could see the daylight and sea of clouds at the top of the stairwell, as well as the briny sea breeze pouring down.

    No mistake, the deck was just above.

    Yan Yu calmly climbed the stairs, with Li Zhaojiang and Li Minghu closely following behind him.

    While the two teams were of equal status, it seemed as though by default, this time it was agreed that Yan Yu would lead the team, perhaps Li Minghu had secretly communicated with everyone via psychic link.

    The ten-person party reached the deck, only to see the sky above blanketed with storm clouds, as if a fierce storm was imminent.

    The sea breeze here was incredibly violent, even more ferocious, forceful, and unruly than that on the deck of the Fiery Tiger Aircraft Carrier! Even more domineering than the sea breeze, however, was the imposing, incomplete corpse of a Flood Dragon sprawled at the bow, mountainous in size, and a towering giant, ceaselessly chewing within the dragon¡¯s corpse.

    The giant stood close to three meters tall, far exceeding the genetic limits of the Human Race, and his back muscles were completely covered with layers of dragon scales. Despite the group¡¯s arrival on the deck, he continued to gnaw at the corpse, as if in this world there was nothing more important than devouring the dragon.

    Without waiting for orders from Yan Yu or Li Zhaojiang, everyone instinctively spread out into formation, finding positions suitable for their individual combat style. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Sword Immortals at the front, Assistant Officers and Envoys next, with the spell casters at the rear.

    Zhenhai Team took the left side, Qing¡¯an Team the right, both prepared to coordinate with each other.

    Finally, the giant stopped chewing and stood up.

    ¡°You¡­¡± The hoarse and bewildered voice emerged, ¡°Are you dragons too?¡±

    ¡°We are humans,¡± Yan Yu replied calmly, ¡°What are you?¡±

    ¡°I am¡­¡± The giant turned around, revealing a bloody and fierce dragon head on his neck, with an extremely abstract expression of confusion, ¡°Am I of the Human Race? Or the Long Race?¡±

    ¡°Stop the nonsense.¡± Seeing he had lost even the capacity to communicate, Yan Yu didn¡¯t want to continue dialoguing with a madman, to avoid the risk of losing dignity.

    He levitated the Huang Tingjian Sword into the air and, following that, cast a sword technique, striking towards the dragon-headed giant.

    This sword strike was like a signal, and the rest of the group quickly launched their attacks¡ªFlying Swords, Taoism Methods, magical treasures¡­ instantly engulfing the dragon-headed giant.

    Despite his enormous size, the giant¡¯s movements were not sluggish or slow. He first leaped back to evade the slashing strike of the Huang Tingjian Sword, then rolled several times, retreating behind the mountainous corpse of the Flood Dragon.

    He was out of reach.

    ¡°Hold,¡± Yan Yu commanded again.

    With the dragon corpse serving as a shield, expecting their attacks to easily penetrate the body was impossible. After all, even in death, a dragon was still a dragon!

    What was more critical was that Chen Lingyun had quietly sent him a psychic message, stating that her ghostly entities placed in the lower deck¡¯s hallway had discovered that the Miti Allied Forces had bypassed the obstructing dragon-headed monstrosity and were now making their way towards the upper deck!

    ¡°Rally at the stern.¡± With time running out and the enemy imminent, Yan Yu swiftly made a decision.

    The group hurried towards the stern of the ship, forming a tight battle line¡ªSword Immortals at the front, spell casters at the back.

    ¡°Invisibility Technique,¡± Yan Yu ordered.

    Without a second word, everyone quickly executed their spells, and their bodies soon became transparent.

 Chapter 175 - 75: Lingnans Morning Tea is Unparalleled

    Chapter 175: Chapter 75: Lingnan¡¯s Morning Tea is Unparalleled

    The number of people rushing up to the deck from below was not small, already close to a hundred, most of them being Southeast Asian practitioners. Each one had tattooed faces, ear and nose piercings, and various Buddhist amulets and magic artifacts clinking at their waists.

    A small part of them were Miti¡¯s superheroes, mostly with high noses and deep-set eyes of Western faces, led by two old acquaintances of Yan Yu¡ªPhoenix and Thunderbird. They also stood tightly grouped together, clearly on guard against the surrounding Southeast Asian practitioners.

    After everyone boarded the deck, most of their attention focused on the Flood Dragon, with only a few glancing around, searching for any traces of the Rikoku Cultivators.

    None found.

    But they didn¡¯t have time to deploy search spells because an eerie and loud chewing noise once again came from within the corpse of the Flood Dragon.

    The crowd immediately became alert.

    ...

    ¡°Wait a moment,¡± Phoenix said in a low voice, signaling to Thunderbird to hold off on taking action.

    This Rikoku dragon was too enormous and, although motionless, who knew whether it was dead or alive?

    More importantly, these Asian Transcendents had no organization among themselves; they were basically fighting independently, and surely someone would not be able to hold back from going forward to investigate. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Just let them test the waters!

    Sure enough, it wasn¡¯t long before a Siam Curse Technique practitioner pushed through the crowd, quickly casting spells at the Flood Dragon.

    Ghost Downfall!

    The Curse Technique transformed into a black light that instantly entered the corpse of the Flood Dragon, vanishing without a trace.

    ¡°Gibberish,¡± he turned back and spoke to his companion, ¡°Blah blah blah.¡±

    Although the meaning was unclear, the Transcendents from other nations could guess roughly:

    Indeed, the Flood Dragon must be dead, otherwise it wouldn¡¯t be unresponsive after being hit by the spells.

    Thus, the Southeast Asian practitioners no longer hesitated, swiftly closing in on the corpse of the Flood Dragon en masse.

    ¡°So, what now?¡± Thunderbird, with arms crossed, asked impatiently within the lineup of superheroes.

    When facing a giant monster, being cautious about not knowing whether the enemy was dead or alive was understandable; but now that the allies had tested it and the monster was indeed dead, continuing to be timid was indefensible.

    Don¡¯t forget we¡¯re live right now! Using cowardly tactics is going to cost us followers!

    If it were Thornbird here, with his cautious approach to survival, he might continue to observe even at the risk of losing followers. But Phoenix did care about his commercial value and nodded in response:

    ¡°Go!¡±

    With the two leaders taking action, the other superheroes naturally hesitated no longer and hurriedly rushed forward.

    With over a hundred Transcendents surrounding the body of the Flood Dragon, some began to search for the source of the strange chewing noise while others tried to cut pieces from the corpse, such as prying off dragon scales, snapping dragon horns, or climbing atop the dragon¡¯s head to flex their muscles in front of their companion¡¯s cameras.

    Meanwhile, in the Lu Country broadcast room streaming the superhero league, angry comments gradually took over the entire screen.

    It wasn¡¯t that everyone was very fond of the Flood Dragon; even if Lu Country cultivators were the ones taking photos with the Flood Dragon, the public might not have said anything. But seeing a group of foreigners standing on the corpse of a Lu Country dragon and showing off was indeed quite displeasing.

    Where are the Lu Country cultivators?

    Come on, cultivators of our Lu Country, hurry up and erase them all!

    Near the stern of the ship, the invisible Li Zhaojiang furrowed his brows and transmitted his voice to ask Yan Yu:

    ¡°Are we just going to stand by and watch?¡±

    He wasn¡¯t upset about the Lu Country dragon being desecrated, it was simply that he didn¡¯t want the dragon material to fall into the opponents¡¯ hands.

    ¡°Don¡¯t rush,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently, ¡°wait and see.¡±

    According to the records on the Jade Slip, human Cultivators who had eradicated the Worship Dragon Cult were looking for a method to acquire the Long Race bloodline.

    Although the exact method wasn¡¯t clearly stated, when Yan Yu saw the giant devouring the corpse of the Flood Dragon, he had more or less guessed the answer¡ªit was probably some flesh and blood secret method, where consuming the shape supplements the shape, you are what you eat!

    Indeed, after a while, the chewing noise finally stopped.

    The Transcendents surrounding the Flood Dragon corpse sensed something was wrong, but before they could react, the huge corpse of the Flood Dragon suddenly began to move.

    It started by violently coiling around itself, with claws tearing through the chests and bellies of seven or eight Transcendents who were too slow to dodge, splattering blood, flesh, and broken limbs all over the place.

    Following that, the Flood Dragon lifted its head, its cold, merciless golden eyes opening as it surveyed the many Transcendents on the deck.

    Hidden at the stern, the invisible Cultivators saw it all too clearly. The giant with the dragon head that had previously been gnawing on corpses, its upper body was now embedded in the wound on the Flood Dragon¡¯s abdomen, only its lower half and two legs dangled in mid-air, shaking and gradually burrowing deeper.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± The Flood Dragon parted its long-snouted jaws, emitting a long, hoarse sigh, its tone exactly the same as the dragon-headed giant¡¯s from before, ¡°I understand now¡­ I have not taken the wrong path, but simply walked too far¡­¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your invasion¡­ and disturbance¡­ Awakening me from a millennium of bewilderment¡­¡±

    ¡°As recompense, I shall¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­eat you all!!!¡±

    The Flood Dragon let out a thunderous roar, and as soon as it finished speaking, it twisted its body and charged forward!

    The Transcendents quickly scattered, but three or four who were half a beat too slow were caught in the onrushing Flood Dragon¡¯s jaws and were ruthlessly crushed to pieces!

    The Flood Dragon circled back again, tilting its head to swallow the flesh in its mouth. Only then did the remaining people snap out of their shock. Some cast Curse Techniques, some directed apparitions, while others launched various magical and weapon attacks, all targeting the massive body of the dragon.

    Dragon scales flew and blood splattered; the wounds seemed to be only skin-deep, but the Flood Dragon still roared in pain, suddenly opening its mouth to expel a beam of white light.

    That was a dart-like white light, striking one of the slower Transcendents, who instantly turned into an ice sculpture before shattering into pieces, falling dead on the spot.

    The Rikoku Cultivators remained invisible and shrunk at the stern. Their rigorous training proved greatly beneficial as not a soul panicked or cried out, even when the aftershocks of the battlefield¡¯s attacks struck just in front of them, a mere shift away from being fatal.

    ¡°If only Ye Jun were here,¡± Li Zhaojiang transmitted his wistful sentiment.

    Ye Jun, the deputy captain of the Dragon Soar Team, with a Xuan Guang Ruler in hand, could provide a protective shield with its light, rendering them undaunted by the battlefield¡¯s ¡°stray bullets,¡± so they could comfortably attack from within the protection of the light.

    Unfortunately, the Assistant Officers of the Zhenhai Team and the Qingan Team, Zhao Yuanzhen with a White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin and Wang Haoran wielding a historical Jade Slip, were not focused on defensive coverage.

    ¡°Stop the nonsense,¡± Li Minghu chided his younger brother in habit, before discussing with Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun, ¡°Maintaining the Invisibility Technique consumes a lot, and if the Flood Dragon can eliminate the enemies for us, that would be ideal. But I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not going to be that simple.¡±

    She had already approximated in her mind that, given the current killing pace of the Flood Dragon and the rate of True Yuan consumption for maintaining the Invisibility Technique, when everyone had about one-third of their True Yuan left, the Flood Dragon might just be able to wipe out all the enemies on the field.

    Of course, the rate of True Yuan consumption is constant, but the speed of killing would change with the battle situation. Usually, the Flood Dragon would start by killing the softer targets, leaving the tough ones for later, making it increasingly difficult to kill, so choosing when to deactivate their invisibility was a tricky decision that required sharp battlefield judgment.

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu agreed, ¡°so we find an opportunity to retrace our steps and go back downstairs.¡±

    All: ???

    Then everyone finally caught on, and admiration secretly filled their hearts.

    As long as they hid downstairs, they wouldn¡¯t need the Invisibility Technique anymore, and could even calmly take Elixir Medicines to recover their True Yuan¡­ Brilliant!

    Yan Yu¡¯s mind works fast!

    Thus, under Yan Yu¡¯s lead and the protection of invisibility, they began to stealthily retreat toward the staircase from the rear of the ship.

    The hardest part of the retreat was not to be discovered by the enemy, and also not to get hit by the aftershocks of the battle; after all, as corpses, they couldn¡¯t use the Invisibility Technique.

    When it came to judging the situation, Yan Yu¡¯s eyesight was naturally top-notch. At his signal to move, everyone swiftly followed closely behind him, stepping quickly forward; at his signal to stop, everyone immediately halted, and then various attacks whooshed by in front, which would have hit them had they continued moving.

    Li Minghu suppressed the urge to cough, her mind racing.

    She could guess how Yan Yu managed it: using Divine Sense and vision to lock onto the relative positioning of every Transcendent and the Flood Dragon on the field, thereby predicting their long-distance attacks on each other and whether their trajectory would intersect with their path.

    Taking into account the constantly changing battle conditions and everyone¡¯s shifting positions, Yan Yu¡¯s on-the-fly decision-making ability seemed even more terrifying¡­ Did his brain have some sort of multi-core CPU embedded in it?

    While pondering internally, she followed Yan Yu, only to be suddenly yanked by the arm and pulled close to his side.

    In the very next second, some Spell exploded two meters from her previous spot, releasing a dark green poisonous fog ¡ª the fog perfectly engulfed the spot where Li Minghu had been standing.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Li Minghu quickly said.

    ¡°Stay focused,¡± Yan Yu admonished her.

    However, the girls of the Zhenhai Team saw it all too clearly: Yan Yu might have chosen a somewhat circuitous path, but he had avoided the main battlefield as much as possible. It was Li Minghu who had been distracted and slightly veered off course, almost walking into the range of the Spell¡¯s aftershock by accident.

    Wait! She had been following closely behind Yan Yu since the beginning. Could it have been a deliberate mistake?

    Wow, how crafty! Pretending to be careless and risking peril to prompt our team leader to play the hero and save the damsel, right?

    Li Minghu realized she had been lost in thought, and with her Divine Sense picking up the piercing looks from behind, as if they were daggers in her back, she mistook the stares as everyone¡¯s concern for her well-being. She quickly rallied her spirits and squeezed closer to Yan Yu in an effort not to cause him any more trouble.

 Chapter 176 - 76: Yan Yus Amazing Leadership

    Chapter 176: Chapter 76: Yan Yu¡¯s Amazing Leadership

    The group finally reached the staircase smoothly and returned to the lower deck, only to find that no one was guarding this area.

    This situation seemed highly unlikely for the Rikoku Cultivators, for the one thing most feared when overcoming the gatekeeper was being flanked from behind; thus, leaving someone to cover the rear or setting an alert was necessary¡ªwith neither being dispensable.

    However, what defined the Allied Forces was precisely their extremely disparate composition.

    Not to mention the difference between superheroes and Southeast Asian sorcerers¡ªlacking a common language and culture, they were merely cooperating temporarily because they shared a common foe.

    The former were primarily concerned with fame and commercial value; staying behind to help keep watch wouldn¡¯t bring them any additional fan popularity, so naturally, no one was willing to stay back.

    As for the latter, there was no organization to speak of; everyone acted purely out of self-interest. How could they possibly be willing to make sacrifices for others?

    ...

    As a result, the Rikoku Cultivators encountered no obstacles on their way back and smoothly retreated to the lower area, where they concealed themselves in nearby cabins.

    With Chen Lingyun¡¯s Five Ghosts in charge of reconnaissance, no one even needed to pay attention to the outside situation. Everyone simply took their Elixir Medicine to recover their True Yuan and even had the mood for idle chit-chat.

    ¡°How is Deputy Team Leader Li feeling now?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, ¡°Can you still hold on?¡±

    ¡°Quite alright,¡± Li Minghu coughed a few times and held her chest, saying, ¡°I¡¯m feeling much better now.¡±

    Her action of holding her chest again drew unkind looks from the girls; it could only be said that when one has a bad impression of someone, it¡¯s like wearing tinted glasses¡ªeverything that person does seems negative.

    ¡°I know a bit of Runescript healing. Let me check,¡± Su Yunjin said, unaffected, as she approached. Her Divine Sense, aided by True Yuan, swiftly scanned Li Minghu¡¯s entire body.

    She wasn¡¯t really injured, just a bit frail with obstructed qi and blood circulation.

    So, her earlier detour was not because her body couldn¡¯t bear it, but rather, she intentionally gave the team leader a chance to come to her rescue, right?

    Secretary Su sighed inwardly for a moment; seeing her still wearing Yan Yu¡¯s coat now, she felt like saying nothing more.

    Tired, let it be destroyed.

    ¡°You have a congenital defect in physique; liver fire attacking the lungs, you¡¯re simply unsuited to be a Cultivator,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen spoke her mind without reserve, drawing a unified glare from the entire Qing¡¯an battle team.

    ¡°Who says my sister isn¡¯t fit to be a Cultivator?¡± Li Zhaojiang protested first, ¡°My sister just has a weaker constitution. Where does her swordsmanship fall short? What lacks in her awareness? Where is she insufficient in field composure?¡±

    With the Annan Army¡¯s past recordings laid out, and everyone being insiders, they had to admit that aside from her physical shortcomings, Li Minghu¡¯s battle qualities were top-notch in all aspects.

    ¡°Sister Zhao¡¯s words are indeed inapt, but you have to admit that on the battlefield, sometimes the enemy will target your weaknesses,¡± Lin Ning, with her straightforward nature, came forward to argue for Zhao Yuanzhen, ¡°In short skirmishes, it might not be an issue, but what if it¡¯s a prolonged or attrition war, what then?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re a team, we don¡¯t expect my sister to fight alone!¡± Li Zhaojiang retorted, ¡°The greatest advantage of a team is to compensate for each member¡¯s shortcomings as much as possible!¡±

    ¡°All right, Ah Jiang,¡± Li Minghu, who was tactful, could certainly sense the emotions of the girls around Yan Yu and said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. Although I¡¯m physically weak, I will try my best to compensate for my weaknesses and make sure not to hold everyone back.¡±

    Even though she spoke gently, the poignant undertone in her words made the girls feel empathetic pity.

    Indeed, how much competitiveness could a frail girl possess? Perhaps the team leader was only looking out for her out of pity, taking her along for convenience, and giving her his coat.

    Looking at Yan Yu, the team leader was staring outside, completely indifferent to defending Li Minghu, prompting the rest to fall silent.

    The atmosphere in the room grew heavy. Following the slight disruption, there was some awkwardness between the two teams, leading to silence; suddenly, Yan Yu broke the quiet:

    ¡°Something¡¯s not right.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    ¡°That Flood Dragon,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°doesn¡¯t its aura seem to be getting stronger?¡±

    ¡°Aura?¡± Chen Lingyun was taken aback.

    That aura was intangible and invisible¡ªwhat exactly are you referring to?

    Though perplexed, she quickly summoned back the Five Ghosts and questioned them, her expression immediately turning grave.

    ¡°The attack strength of the Flood Dragon is indeed intensifying.¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    If the previous Giant with the Dragon Head had been assimilating the Flood Dragon corpse by devouring it, then the longer the time, the deeper the assimilation, and the strength would naturally rise steadily¡ªit was an easy deduction.

    If they continued waiting here, it would only weaken the strength of the Miti Allied Forces while enhancing the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper¡¯s power. Therefore, it wasn¡¯t necessary to wait until everyone above was killed; finding the optimal moment to rejoin the battlefield was essential.

    ¡°How many are left above?¡± Yan Yu asked Chen Lingyun again.

    ¡°Ten,¡± Chen Lingyun replied.

    Originally, there were over a hundred Transcendents, but now ninety percent of them had been directly killed by the Flood Dragon¡ªit just goes to show that if your strength doesn¡¯t meet a certain threshold, all the numbers in the world won¡¯t help. It¡¯s like being mere foot soldiers in a Dynasty Warriors game.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment and then asked, ¡°How do you feel about going into battle now?¡±

    ¡°We have no objections,¡± the girls answered in unison. You¡¯re the captain; whatever you say goes.

    Over at the Qingan team, everyone turned their attention to the captain and the vice-captain.

    Li Zhaojiang hesitated greatly because he was worried about his older sister¡¯s health and wanted her to rest a bit longer¡­ Of course, this reason could not be voiced out loud; after all, the other side had just been talking about how Li Minghu¡¯s staying power was a weakness. If he said the same thing, it would be like admitting it without being pressed. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Li Minghu noticed what her brother was hesitating about and, after a moment of thought, stood up, giving Yan Yu a soft smile:

    ¡°I support you.¡±

    She was well aware that, so far, Yan Yu hadn¡¯t made a single misstep in his decisions. More importantly, now that there were only ten people left on top, the numerical advantage of the Miti Allied Forces was no longer there, and charging into battle now was completely okay.

    As long as she supported Yan Yu, her brother, who always heeded her advice, would surely support Yan Yu as well.

    With that, the two teams would be able to reach a consensus immediately. There was no need to create any discord here.

    However, a remark may be unintentional, but the listener may read more into it.

    Not to mention the girls who had just shaken off their misgivings, even the members of Li Zhaojiang¡¯s team were now vaguely sensing something off.

    Has our vice-captain put too much trust in Captain Yan? Why does it seem like she¡¯s putting him on a pedestal?

    Of course, since they were in the midst of serious tactical decision-making, it wasn¡¯t appropriate to waste time on such trivial matters. So after everyone reflected for a moment, they expressed their agreement.

    ¡°All right,¡± Yan Yu nodded and said, ¡°After we enter the battle, Ling Yun will command our team, and Minghu, your team will take care of itself. Although our command systems are separate, we are in this fight together. If there¡¯s a chance to help each other out, let¡¯s make sure we do.¡±

    His words were actually aimed at the girls. Yan Yu was not the typical insensitive man; he had clearly picked up on the awkwardness and jealously in the girls¡¯ earlier words about Li Minghu.

    You can form your alliances and play your games behind the scenes, but don¡¯t you dare drop the ball on the battlefield!

    Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin picked up on the subtext of his speech. The Princess smiled faintly, her attitude ambiguous; Secretary Su remained expressionless, as she was a kind-hearted girl to begin with, and had not targeted Li Minghu before¡ªnaturally, she had no intention of doing so later.

    Lin Ning had a vague suspicion of his meaning, but since she felt no guilt¡ªher words had been purely factual¡ªshe pursed her lips and stayed silent.

    As for the fearless Demonic Sect Enchantress, Zhao Yuanzhen, although she hadn¡¯t concealed her annoyance at Li Minghu earlier, she was ironically the only one in the team who hadn¡¯t caught on to Yan Yu¡¯s implication, thus she impatiently said:

    ¡°Alright, alright! Wasn¡¯t it the same when we cooperated with the Dingbei Army before? You don¡¯t need to repeat yourself. Stop nagging and spewing nonsense!¡±

    ¡°Fine then,¡± Yan Yu wasn¡¯t sure if she was genuinely oblivious or pretending to be, but since no one had objections, he was ready to opt for a courteous approach before resorting to force.

    With a grand sweep of his arm, he declared boldly:

    ¡°Let¡¯s set off then! Let those foreigners witness for themselves who truly owns the South Sea, where the Treasure Ships of the Three Islands reside!¡±

    When it came to the noble cause of defending the nation¡¯s territory, everyone¡¯s spirits were lifted. They put aside their personal affections, their morale soaring as they responded:

    ¡°Good!¡±

    At this moment, on deck, the battle seemed to have neared its end.

    Among the ten remaining on the field, there were six superheroes from the Miti Allied Forces and four sorcerers from Southeast Asia¡ªall formidable first-rate warriors; otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have survived until then.

    The Flood Dragon, controlled by the giant with the dragon-head, was covered in wounds, bleeding profusely, and its life force had considerably weakened; it wouldn¡¯t have been surprising if it had collapsed dead the next second.

    But the synthesis values of the two had actually climbed to a certain critical point, and now they were merely holding back their strength.

    The global broadcast outside, with the help of some die-hard fans stirring the pot, had already prompted many impassioned citizens of Lu Country to start cursing furiously in the live chat.

    They didn¡¯t want to see the Miti Allied Forces claim the final victory of the Mysterious Realm; their anger had nowhere else to go but to be vented on the Rikoku Cultivators who had yet to appear.

    But precisely because the Rikoku Cultivators hadn¡¯t shown up, the ¡°match¡± seemed not to have reached the point where the outcome was settled beyond a doubt; thus, no matter how annoyed and disgruntled they were, even resorting to complaints and insults, they had no choice but to keep watching, holding their noses.

    Complain they might, but¡­

    ¡­please don¡¯t lose!!!

 Chapter 177 - 77: Heroes Always Arrive Last

    Chapter 177: Chapter 77: Heroes Always Arrive Last

    The battle for the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm, final circle! Only 10 people left!

    During the intense commentary by the hosts and guests of the Superhero Alliance, the identities of these 10 individuals were all exposed once more.

    On the side of superheroes, four remain!

    ¡°Phoenix¡± Phoenix, a professional cleric devoted to the radiant deity, Helios!

    Even if her body was torn open by the Flood Dragon¡¯s claws, she would heal completely the next second. The vast flames she unleashed would scorch the Flood Dragon, wounding it all over!

    ¡°Thunderbird¡± Margaret, a professional Berserker and a Valkyrie wielding Odin¡¯s Eternal Spear!

    ...

    Lightning twined around her feet as she moved with the speed of thunder, constantly hurling the Thunder Lance into the body of the Flood Dragon, causing explosions that left the area a bloody mess!

    ¡°Judge¡± Stevenson, a professional Cleric, the terrestrial saint wielding Divine Wrath!

    In his hands, he held a silver cross pendant blessed by God, capable of summoning endless blades of light that fiercely pierced through the evil Eastern dragon!

    ¡°Sharpshooter¡± Alex, a professional Wizard, an experienced male sorcerer adept in the arcane tomes!

    A barrage of magical arrows followed his incantations, tracking the Flood Dragon wherever it desperately fled, detonating with magical force!

    After introducing the superheroes, the host moved on to introduce the sorcerers currently on the field.

    Curse Technique Master Ajarn Luo! Curse Technique Master Mo Ha! Sorceress An Nongwan! Sorcerer Ah Le! Tattooed Charm Master Ba Yu! Oh no, Tattooed Charm Master Ba Yu has been smashed in half by the Flood Dragon¡¯s tail! There are only four sorcerers left! Okay, now let¡¯s continue to watch the superheroes in action¡­

    As for the blatant bias of the Superhero Alliance¡¯s production in favor of Western superheroes, giving barely any screen time to the sorcerers and merely mentioning their names when absolutely necessary, the Southeast Asian audience expressed great anger.

    But there was no helping it; after all, the main body of the global audience currently watching the live broadcast was from developed Western countries, and they preferred the stories where Western superheroes dominated the battlefield.

    As for the Rikoku Cultivators who had been absent from the camera for a long time, the host had mentioned them a few times earlier, like ¡°Were they eaten by the Eastern dragon before the superheroes arrived on the battlefield?¡± but later on they were no longer brought up.

    The cultivators hadn¡¯t appeared, and the Rikoku audience had also grown numb to it. Although the overall number of live broadcast viewers was still increasing, the comment feed had basically quieted down.

    The occasional screen-filled comments were from newly-arrived viewers from the Rikoku country asking, ¡°Where are our people, where are they?¡± Evidently they had recently entered the live stream. At first, other viewers explained and speculated, but later even those explanations stopped.

    In the principal¡¯s office, Li Weiguo and Chen Tianming were quietly staring at the screen, not speaking.

    Would Yan Yu be eaten by the Flood Dragon? Ridiculous! If he didn¡¯t strip the sinew from the Flood Dragon alive and perform a fancy jump rope routine in front of the global audience, we¡¯d be utterly grateful.

    As the number of fighters on the battlefield dwindled, the best time to pick the spoils was getting closer, and although they were silent, their anticipation grew stronger in their hearts.

    Show yourself, Yan Yu!

    Go dominate the battlefield and claim victory for Rikoku!

    As if heeding the call of the high-ranking officials and countless citizens, the very next second¡­

    Countless sword lights invaded the battlefield!

    In that moment, whether in foreign or domestic live streams, the comment feed instantly exploded with frenzy!

    On the deck of the Three Isles Treasure Ship, Zhao Yuanzhen and Lin Ning stood side by side as they charged forward with the Shifting Technique, only to hear Chen Lingyun¡¯s voice transmission:

    ¡°Left one.¡±

    She immediately split from Lin Ning, her Yin Wind Sword moving rapidly and lethally, striking the first sorcerer on the left.

    Sorcerer Ah Le!

    The opponent was gaunt and long-limbed, facing the oncoming onslaught of the Demonic Sect Enchantress with an expressionless face, merely pointing a finger.

    Instantly, two specters, one large, one small, burst forth from the charm hanging at his waist. The larger one was wretched, the smaller one as translucent as a curtain, both charging straight towards Zhao Yuanzhen.

    This was the ¡°Resentful Mother and Child Spirit¡± (in Siam language, Phi Tai Thang Klom), formed by torturing a pregnant woman of at least three months with Curse Techniques until she dies, allowing the souls of mother and child to gain magical powers due to intense hatred. These spirits could ignore most physical attacks and possess someone else¡¯s body, killing them without shedding blood.

    In Sorcerer Ah Le¡¯s opinion, the opponent would first attempt to cut down the Resentful Mother and Child Spirit with the Flying Sword, only to find that physical attacks were ineffective, and by then it would be too late to flee, allowing the spirits to possess and turn on their allies¡­ just as he had experienced in past battles with other sorcerers.

    Zhao Yuanzhen indeed didn¡¯t give it much thought, simply executing a sword technique that directed the Yin Wind Sword towards the Resentful Mother and Child Spirit.

    As the Yin Wind Sword howled through the air, cries of anguish rose in the wind, reaching the ears of the Resentful Mother and Child Spirit, their faces of hatred and malice quickly turning to fear and dread.

    Immediately after, they disregarded Sorcerer Ah Le¡¯s commands, fleeing headlong in rebellion, daring not to come closer to Zhao Yuanzhen.

    If Yan Yu had witnessed this scene, he would have instantly guessed that it was because of the Yin Wind Sword¡¯s nature; its true name, the Sword of Ten Thousand Evil Spirits, devoured souls and spirits, making it the bane of all ghosts.

    Confused Sorcerer Ah Le: ?

    Before he could react in shock, Zhao Yuanzhen mercilessly changed her sword technique, the Yin Wind Sword swiftly altering its course to cut down the unprepared Sorcerer Ah Le into two.

    Turning to the frantic mother and child spirit trying to escape the Yin Wind Sword, Chen Lingyun had already cornered them with the summoning of five ghosts, before capturing them in the Soul Summoning Banner with a powerful spell.

    Lin Ning, likewise following Chen Lingyun¡¯s command, directed her Green Bamboo Sword at the right side where Sorceress An Nongwan was positioned.

    An Nongwan, a female sorcerer from Sulu, summoned not spirits but Iron Corpses. As Lin Ning pressed on, she shot a black light to fend off the Green Bamboo Sword, while directing the Iron Corpse to attack Lin Ning.

    Before the battle on Changbai Mountain, had Lin Ning seen the ghastly, foul-smelling Iron Corpse leaping towards her to bite, she might have been startled.

    But now, she was no novice to battling zombie-like enemies. Besides, this Iron Corpse was even slower than the Iron Corpse she¡¯d faced before. So, she simply retreated in a calm manner using the Shifting Technique, not allowing the Iron Corpse to get close, her hand rapidly executing successive sword techniques.

    Sword Technique: Eagle Strike the Heavens!

    The Green Bamboo Sword performed a swift slash, colliding with the darkness emanating from the opponent and emitted a dull yet rapid sound. The dark light was forced back by the power of the sword strike, but the green sword light advanced instead of retreating, delivering a second slash in the blink of an eye!

    Two consecutive strikes later, the dark light couldn¡¯t withstand it any longer and dispersed. It turned out to be a flying centipede, roughly the length of a human forearm, its exoskeleton already shattered to pieces, barely clinging to life. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yet Lin Ning¡¯s sword technique did not cease. With another shake of the green sword light, she bisected the flying centipede.

    Eagle Strike Triple Slash!

    Sorcerer An Nongwan was not a Sword Immortal, nor did she understand the technical complexities involved in executing the three consecutive slashes of the Eagle Strike the Heavens. Seeing her own life-preserving flying centipede being slain by three swift slashes from the opponent¡¯s sword, she immediately ceased counterattacking and hurriedly shook the Magic Artifact bell in her hand, signaling the Iron Corpse to quickly return and protect its master.

    But how could the Iron Corpse, which was originally chasing Lin Ning, return immediately upon command?

    Lin Ning would certainly not miss this opportunity. With her Green Bamboo Sword performing a technique resembling a white rainbow piercing the sun, she ruthlessly thrust it through An Nongwan¡¯s chest, killing her instantly.

    Zhao and Lin both burst onto the battlefield and swiftly slew their respective opponents. To the viewers in the global live stream, especially the citizens of Rikoku still watching on their screens, it felt as if a nuclear bomb had been dropped in the chatroom, and it was impossible to make out what the frenzied scrambling of messages were saying.

    Until the Superhero Alliance hurriedly switched the broadcasting perspective.

    Margaret the Phoenix once again clashed with Li Minghu. Leaping high into the air, she continued to hurl Thunder Lances from her arms in rapid succession, attempting to deter the widespread offensive of the Rikoku Cultivators. However, nearly every Thunder Lance shot out was intercepted and exploded in mid-air by Li Minghu¡¯s Sky Flash Sword.

    Conversely, Li Minghu was momentarily held back by Phoenix, allowing the Phoenix on her flank to activate the Self-Combustion Spell. Instantly transforming into a raging fiery figure, she lunged at the Cultivators battling in the front.

    ¡°Su, be careful,¡± Su Yunjin suddenly heard Chen Lingyun¡¯s voice transmission from behind.

    She quickly lifted her head and saw the Phoenix suddenly overflying the front line¡¯s defense, her spread arms of flames forming massive wings as she dove towards Su Yunjin from above.

    Su Yunjin¡¯s expression remained unchanged as she stealthily formed a Spell with her hands, her calm eyes reflecting the fiery silhouette of the Phoenix.

    This ambush is nowhere near the speed of our captain.

    She abruptly summoned her True Yuan, calling forth the water of the Southern Dipper River.

    First technique, Jiaochong!

    A powerful column of water erupted from the ground, instantly engulfing the Phoenix¡¯s flaming form and violently tossing it about.

    That¡¯s not all! Second technique, Li Fan!

    This time, instead of a column, a tsunami-like wave crashed down, as if an invisible hand was forcefully slamming the drowned and struggling Phoenix onto the ground.

    The flames around the Phoenix had already been extinguished, and after being smashed by the wave, it bounced off the ground hard. Su Yunjin¡¯s True Yuan was now at its peak, even her hair floated in the air from the surge of True Yuan, giving her the appearance of a celestial being descending from the nine heavens, majestic, and impervious.

    Third technique, Lang Feiyun!

    A barrage of dense water cannon bullets fired, hitting the Phoenix continuously while still in the air, likening to a home run in baseball, directly knocking the Phoenix out of the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm. She disappeared near the boundary of the Mysterious Realm after crossing a distance of nearly three or four hundred meters.

    On the surface of the real world, the bedraggled Phoenix skipped several times upon the water, barely managing to stabilize her figure. She then summoned her fiery wings to take to the skies again as the flames rapidly healed her wounds, restoring her to her unblemished peak condition, ready to rejoin the battlefield.

    Huh?

    Looking towards the distant Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm, and the fleet of Miti carriers behind it, he suddenly fell into a state of unbelievable stupor.

    I¡­ was forcefully ejected from the Secret Realm by her?

    The Miti superhero ¡°Phoenix¡± Phoenix was solidly defeated by Su Yunjin and left the battlefield!

    Within the Secret Realm, on the deck, as Rikoku Cultivators and Transcendents grappled with each other in close combat, Yan Yu and Li Zhaojiang, the two captains, had already rushed along the edges near the ship¡¯s sides, bypassing the intensely-fought central battlefield, and quickly arrived before the Flood Dragon at the bow of the ship.

    Catch the thief before catching the king!

    The Flood Dragon calmly looked at the two Rikoku Cultivators, raising its upper body high and emitting a dragon cry that shook the heavens.

    The deep, ominous clouds overhead seemed to descend several hundred meters as a result of the dragon cry, as if something was about to emerge from within.

    Li Zhaojiang was about to speak when he suddenly received Yan Yu¡¯s voice transmission:

    ¡°Dodge.¡±

    He hastily retreated using the Shifting Technique. The next second, a beam of golden light descended from the sky and struck where they had just been standing, embedding deeply into the deck of the Three Isles Treasure Ship.

    It was a massive curved scythe, over twenty meters long and shimmering with golden light.

    The Flood Dragon extended its enormous claws, gripping the side of the scythe tightly with enough force to sink the blade deep into its blood-drenched toes, and, despite the intense pain, the dragon¡¯s head seemed even more exhilarated:

    ¡°What does it matter if one is man or dragon? In this world, only power is eternal! Only power¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­is the eternal goal of those who pursue cultivation!¡±

 Chapter 178 - 78: Puppet Ah Zhen, Accompany Me to Slay the Dragon

    Chapter 178: Chapter 78: Puppet Ah Zhen, Accompany Me to Slay the Dragon

    ¡°`

    The idea of a Flood Dragon wielding a dragon-slaying cleaver¡­ sounds utterly ridiculous.

    But those who dare to laugh at it, if they truly stood in front of it at this moment, would certainly not be able to laugh.

    Li Zhaojiang was no longer able to laugh.

    ¡°What the hell!¡± he couldn¡¯t help but blurt out when he saw the Flood Dragon raising its long cleaver.

    Since when do Flood Dragons use weapons?

    ...

    ¡°Scared, are you?¡± sent Yan Yu via a secret transmission, ¡°If you¡¯re scared, just leave, hide behind your sister.¡±

    Provoked by his goading, Li Zhaojiang¡¯s panic instantly dissipated, and he retorted:

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be the one who¡¯s scared?¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll go find your sister for help right now.¡±

    ¡°You dare!¡±

    The way the two exchanged messages, clearly not taking the cleaver-wielding Flood Dragon seriously, infuriated the creature. It swung its cleaver in a powerful lateral chop, sweeping through everything in its path, turning ship¡¯s gunwales, cables, masts, or anything else into smithereens beneath the cleaver¡¯s edge.

    But how could such a coarse and clumsy attack possibly work on them? Yan Yu and Li Zhaojiang simply took a light leap, ascending with the Cloud Ascension Technique, and easily dodged the cleaver that slashed beneath their feet.

    Just then, the Flood Dragon suddenly opened its mouth again, a streak of white light flashing towards Yan Yu¡¯s head.

    Yan Yu was floating in mid-air at this moment with no objects nearby to use for leverage, the white light seemingly about to hit him unavoidably, when suddenly a black beam of light burst from the side, colliding head-on with the dragon¡¯s white light and silently annihilating each other.

    Li Zhaojiang, captain of the Qingan battle team and a professional Spell Cultivator, although usually completely obedient to his older sister Li Minghu within the team, it doesn¡¯t mean he lacks the strength of a team captain. He cultivates a lineage of spells known as the Primordial Magnetism Divine Light Great Method, a unique secret technique that is not part of the five elements and has special effects for both attack and control.

    Li Zhaojiang used the Primordial Magnetism Divine Light to intercept the white light aimed at Yan Yu and immediately sent a taunting transmission:

    ¡°Hahaha, Yan Yu, you owe me one life¡­¡±

    Before he could finish talking, his back was struck by the Green Bamboo Sword, forcing him to lurch forward involuntarily, which just so happened to let him avoid the Flood Dragon¡¯s lethal claw strike from a blind spot.

    ¡°Naive,¡± Yan Yu commented with disdain.

    ¡°Damn damn damn damn damn damn damn!¡± Li Zhaojiang, having fallen beneath the Flood Dragon, communicated his incredibly frustrated feelings through seven hoarse, forceful words sent through a secret transmission.

    ¡°Let¡¯s kill it before we talk,¡± replied Yan Yu.

    Li Zhaojiang then stopped talking further, his gaze fixed intently on the huge Flood Dragon before him, as he began to stir up his True Yuan with high intensity.

    If Yan Yu was just a potential contender for stealing his sister¡¯s affections, then this Flood Dragon was without a doubt the chief culprit for embarrassing him in public. Rather than continue mocking Yan Yu, it was indeed more important to slay the dragon first!

    Primordial Magnetism Divine Light, blow it up for me!

    Li Zhaojiang let out a shout (meaninglessly), clasped his hands together in front of his chest (showing off), and then drew out a majestic black column of light, like the great Sun Wukong lifting his Golden Cudgel, and smashed it down onto the Flood Dragon¡¯s head!

    Unexpectedly, the Flood Dragon raised its cleaver to block. The moment the Primordial Magnetism Divine Light collided with the dragon-slaying cleaver, the latter was immediately attracted, twisted, and bent, forcibly twisted into a twisted shape¡ªthe Primordial Magnetism Divine Light had a remarkable effect against all metallic objects.

    However, by sacrificing its giant cleaver, the Flood Dragon seized the precious moment to counterattack, its tail whipping at Li Zhaojiang like a long whip, bringing a deep whistling wind sound with its fierce motion.

    Li Zhaojiang had no desire to be turned into meat paste by the dragon¡¯s tail, so he had to interrupt his Taoism Method abruptly and retreated swiftly with the Shifting Technique to dodge the tail whip. He then transmitted to Yan Yu:

    ¡°Great, you just stand to one side and enjoy the show, huh?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Yan Yu, who was leisurely watching from the side, shot back, ¡°You¡¯re using Primordial Magnetism Divine Light, what do you expect me to do with Sword Control? Wouldn¡¯t the sword get sucked away by the Primordial Magnetism Divine Light?¡±

    Li Zhaojiang had no comeback, for his Primordial Magnetism Divine Light does indeed uncontrollably attract all metallic objects, so he usually refrains from using it, only employing it when he needs to strike a lethal blow, to avoid affecting Li Minghu and Jiang Hong¡¯s Sword Control Technique.

    He was now rarely fighting side by side with Yan Yu against an enemy and very eager to outdo this villain coveting his sister, so he unleashed the Primordial Magnetism Divine Light with full power¡­ forgetting its adverse effect.

    What was more troublesome was that to play that ¡°Primordial Magnetism Divine Light Golden Cudgel,¡± his True Yuan had also been heavily depleted by now.

    A Spell Cultivator¡¯s way indeed uses up True Yuan the most, and compared to the cost-effective Sword Control Technique, it¡¯s essentially two extremes.

    Watching Yan Yu calmly command the Green Bamboo Sword, striking with ease at various parts of the Flood Dragon, Li Zhaojiang quickly followed suit, summoning the Skyfire Sword and joining in the assault on the Flood Dragon.

    The Flood Dragon had lost its huge cleaver and was unable to block; it was chopped up and bleeding everywhere, suddenly soaring up, attempting to spiral and fly into the sky.

    The dragon was trying to escape!

    None of the group knew how to use Sword Flight, and once the Flood Dragon hid among the clouds, it would essentially become untargetable. Waiting for it to heal its wounds before coming back down¡­ what¡¯s the point in fighting then!

    ¡°`

    Li Zhaojiang couldn¡¯t afford to conserve his True Yuan any longer and was about to cast the Primordial Magnetism Divine Light Great Method again, but then he saw Yan Yu rush onto the dragon¡¯s body using the Shifting Technique, the Green Bamboo Sword deeply embedded into the Flood Dragon¡¯s flesh. He gripped the hilt tightly and refused to let go, forcibly dragging the Flood Dragon into the sky.

    Li Zhaojiang: ???

    Behind him, the battle on the deck was drawing to a close.

    The individual combat capabilities of the Rikoku Cultivators were not poor, and they had the absolute advantage in numbers, so the outcome of the battle was almost a foregone conclusion.

    Li Minghu beheaded Stevenson, and Alex was killed by Zhao Yuanzhen; the thunderbird Margaret was left struggling alone and, after dueling Lin Ning¡¯s Green Bamboo Sword for a moment, realized that all her comrades were gone and promptly surrendered with both hands performing the France military salute.

    The Sorcerers, on the other hand, were much harder and more ruthless. Apart from Ajarn Luo, the Curse Technique practitioner who was controlled by the Five Ghosts spell of Chen Lingyun, the others all fought vehemently against the Qing¡¯an battle team, dying in resistance, with not a single one surrendering to plead for life.

    After sealing the two remaining live captives, everyone just happened to witness the Flood Dragon flying into the sky with Li Zhaojiang standing below, dumbfounded.

    ¡°The dragon?¡± Li Minghu hurriedly asked.

    ¡°The one in the sky,¡± Li Zhaojiang said numbly. ¡°It¡¯s not dead, it flew away.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s our captain?¡± Lin Ning asked in a panic.

    ¡°On the dragon¡¯s back,¡± Li Zhaojiang¡¯s eyes twitched as he replied, ¡°He flew off with it.¡±

    The girls: ???

    Once again, they all looked up together at the Flood Dragon, flying higher and higher, not knowing what to do.

    At the same time, the camera on the body of the slain superhero also managed to capture the Flood Dragon spiraling into the sky, along with Yan Yu who was hanging unsteadily on the dragon¡¯s body, so the live broadcast¡¯s comments were likewise filled with ¡°???????????¡± S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Wait, isn¡¯t this the final battle? According to the usual fantasy drama script, shouldn¡¯t everyone be struggling to kill the Boss and then reap a myriad of spoils of war? How did someone suddenly ride off on the Boss?

    In the school principal¡¯s office, even Li Weiguo and Chen Tianming, confident as they were, couldn¡¯t help but wipe sweat for Yan Yu ascending into the sky.

    After all, gravity doesn¡¯t care about you much; falling from over ten thousand meters high, even if you land in the sea, it could smash you to death outright.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Li Weiguo suddenly said. ¡°The kid has the Cloud Ascension Technique. He can float down slowly.¡±

    Chen Tianming also reacted quickly:

    ¡°No need to float all the way down, just use the Cloud Ascension Technique as soon as he¡¯s about to reach the sea surface to cancel out the velocity.¡±

    ¡°Knowing his stubborn personality, it¡¯s probably just as you said,¡± Li Weiguo breathed a sigh of relief to himself, but his face broke into a hearty laugh, adopting the composed demeanor of ¡°I always knew he wouldn¡¯t fight an unwinnable battle.¡±

    As for who was sweating for Yan Yu just now? Don¡¯t know, not clear, don¡¯t ask.

    The things Li Weiguo and Chen Tianming could think of, the Cultivators within the Mysterious Realm naturally could imagine as well.

    Everyone just watched as the Flood Dragon took Yan Yu into the clouds, completely disappearing from view, unsure of what expression or reaction to show.

    ¡°Darn it, darn it, Team Leader Yan has been dragged up to the sky by the Flood Dragon,¡± would it seem too alarmist?

    ¡°Haha, truly worthy of Team Leader Yan to actually be able to ride a dragon into the sky,¡± would that seem somewhat inappropriate?

    Or should we just smile?

    Above the clouds, Yan Yu was dragged above the sea of clouds by the Flood Dragon, where a sky full of stars hung high, shining brightly.

    The flow of time in the Mysterious Realm was naturally not synchronized with the outside world, and this starry sky was probably just some sort of background texture, which didn¡¯t need to be scrutinized too closely.

    The reason Yan Yu had ridden the Flood Dragon into the skies was obviously not to admire this fake starry sky, but to use the cover of the sea of clouds to shield unnecessary line of sight.

    Here, I¡¯ll stop playing the newbie!

    The Flood Dragon let out a long cry, and seven or eight white lights shot out from its mouth, suddenly turning towards Yan Yu. They came at him like a multitude of swords attacking all at once.

    Yan Yu fell from the Flood Dragon¡¯s body, dodging these frost spells, and the Green Bamboo Sword steadily caught him from below, then wrapped him quickly in sword light.

    Sword Flight!

    Within the sword light, his right hand gave a slight flick, activating the String-Pulling Technique. A Silver Pellet shot out from his sleeve, spinning briefly before instantly transforming into the figure of a tall, slender beauty. Her arms spread wide like a bird¡¯s wings, she glided alongside the sword light, her garments fluttering elegantly in the wind.

    Yan Yu gave a slight smile, looking ahead at the Flood Dragon desperately fleeing.

    Come! Puppet Ah Zhen, join me in slaying the dragon!

 Chapter 179 - 79: Slay the Dragon!

    Chapter 179: Chapter 79: Slay the Dragon!

    Sea of clouds, starry sky, heavenly winds, sword light!

    Yan Yu was eighteen years old this year, and thus it had also been eighteen years since he last experienced Sword Flight.

    But as he witnessed the grand scenes around him, the long-missed experiences and memories quickly surged from the bottom of his heart.

    To travel as light, covering a thousand miles in an instant, this is the true bearing of an immortal like myself!

    It was a pity that the Spiritual Energy Resurgence was still in its early stages and his own Cultivation Realm wasn¡¯t high enough, so he couldn¡¯t afford to fly unrestrained for long periods and could only enjoy it for a brief moment.

    A quick battle it is!

    ...

    Yan Yu quickly spurred on the sword light, and his speed surged once more, finally catching up to the tail of the Flood Dragon.

    Sword Control Slash!

    The Flying Sword rapidly sliced along the body of the Flood Dragon, this time not merely leaving a wound but directly dismembering it! Dragon scales, chunks of flesh, tendons, bones¡­ countless remnants fell like rain.

    Having lost half of its lower body, the Flood Dragon cried out in pain and anger. Suddenly turning its head around, it aimed at Yan Yu and snapped fiercely with its gaping maw!

    The dragon¡¯s teeth were sharp and powerful enough to crush mountains. Not to mention invoking the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse, even Qin Meng using the ¡°Dragon Elephant Nirvana Divine Skill¡± and activating the specialized Body Refinement Secret Art to withstand it would have been bitten in half in an instant!

    The dragon¡¯s biting speed and range were extremely fast and large. If Yan Yu wanted to dodge with his sword light, he could only flee quickly to the side¡ªthereby being forced to abandon his attack.

    But faster than the speed of the dragon¡¯s head was the figure of a graceful and lithe shadow.

    The puppet Ah Zhen.

    Just a second before, she was blocking the dragon¡¯s head; the next, she stepped on the whiskers and quickly moved up, treading rapidly across the scalation of the snout, step by step! The rugged scales under her feet were as if she was walking on flat ground. By the time she reached directly between the dragon¡¯s eyes, a segment of a sword had already protruded from her wrist, with a cold light shining as bright as a mirror.

    Cross Slash!

    The dragon¡¯s eyeball was covered by a nictitating membrane as hard as fine steel, not easily penetrated by ordinary blades. But the puppet Ah Zhen, with her core of ¡°Heavenly River Anchored Divine Metal,¡± could exert the power of a thousand jun, even more ferocious than the usual Flying Swords!

    A horizontal slash! A vertical cut! Amidst the surging sword light, the pupils shattered open, and golden dragon blood burst forth like a volcanic eruption. In pain, the Flood Dragon shook its head violently, flinging the puppet Ah Zhen forcefully to the ground.

    Before it could even catch its breath, its remaining eye was once again completely filled with the mysterious yellow sword light.

    Sword-Human Unity!

    Yan Yu and the Huang Tingjian fused together through a secret spell, transforming into a magnificent sword light and piercing straight into the Flood Dragon¡¯s eyes!

    Blinded, the Flood Dragon could no longer discern directions and plunged headfirst towards the edge of the Mysterious Realm!

    Just like the Phoenix that was beaten out of the Mysterious Realm by Su Yunjin, the blind Flood Dragon wailed as it broke through the Mysterious Realm barrier, chaotically rushing into the South Sea¡¯s sky, and began to flee toward the northwest.

    The puppet Ah Zhen had already reverted to a Silver Pellet, rolling back into Yan Yu¡¯s sleeve.

    After the terrifying expenditure of the Sword Control Slash and the Sword-Human Unity, Yan Yu¡¯s body now had barely one-tenth of his True Yuan remaining. He could only grab onto the ends of the Flood Dragon¡¯s whiskers while continuing to fiercely attack it with the Huang Tingjian.

    The Flood Dragon, now sightless and barely alive, was well aware that Yan Yu¡¯s remaining True Yuan was also running low. Otherwise, if Yan Yu initiated another Sword-Human Unity, it would have already been slain on the spot.

    If it could just hold on until his True Yuan was exhausted, combined with the Flood Dragon¡¯s robust body that wouldn¡¯t easily die¡­ there might still be a chance to turn the tables and kill him!

    It thought bitterly, unaware that in his previous life, Yan Yu started on the path of the Asura as a mere mortal, and being unable to refine True Yuan was always his weak point. In this kind of endgame, how to extract every last bit of True Yuan and maximize its effect, there was probably no one else in the world more skilled than him.

    A fight to the death!

    Man attacking, dragon defending, the struggle relentless. The Flood Dragon soared through clouds and fog, flying as swiftly as a comet, drawing a long tail-like trail in the sky that no one from the outside of the Mysterious Realm could catch up to.

    But the surging of Yan Yu¡¯s sword light was more like Thunder Clap, chasing down the comet with endless brilliance, with every dazzling flash being a heavy blow of the sword body smashing into dragon scales, sparking fierce fire!

    Soon, the Flood Dragon entered into the territory of Lu Country, and by this point, a great number of civilians in Yi¡¯an Prefecture had already witnessed it. Annan Army was so flustered that they didn¡¯t even bother with the South Sea and had to focus all their attention on this uninvited guest.

    After all, if the Flood Dragon targeted a densely populated area and unleashed a spell¡­ it could become an extremely vicious disaster, the severity of which need not be overstated.

    But Zhendong Army¡¯s Yan Yu was still fighting to the death on the dragon, and the frequent flashing of the sword light made it impossible to use anti-aircraft forces to shoot it down.

    Troublesome indeed!

    The Flood Dragon, unaware of the difficulties facing the Annan army, and being completely blind, didn¡¯t expect to randomly hit Yan Yu with its sharp claws or spells. It could only keep charging ahead at full speed, hoping the violent turbulence brought by the fast airflow would exhaust his strength¡ªor True Yuan. As long as it could shake him off, anything would do.

    However, what increasingly terrified it was that although it didn¡¯t know where exactly Yan Yu was, the attacks from the Huang Tingjian sword never ceased. Each strike added deeply painful wounds that overwhelmed its regenerative abilities.

    As its injuries grew more severe, its consciousness also began to falter.

    Yan Yu, of course, could sense that the Flood Dragon was nearing its limit. Its flying altitude was rapidly decreasing, and a forced landing was becoming imminent.

    He pulled on a dragon whisker and looked down, only to see a cityscape with towering buildings clearly ahead.

    After slaying the dragon, the Flood Dragon was bound to plummet quickly. With its size, it would crush a swath of people if it landed on the streets, and even if it hit buildings, the walls would collapse. Cleaning up the aftermath would be extremely troublesome.

    Fortunately, within Yan Yu¡¯s line of sight, he could see a wide river running through the city, with vast open spaces and vegetation along its banks that seemed to be a riverside park.

    While it was regrettable for the citizens enjoying the park, it was still better than directly crashing onto a main traffic road or residential and office buildings. Yan Yu could solve this simple math problem.

    I can¡¯t stop the Flood Dragon from landing, but I can decide when it lands prematurely!

    After roughly estimating the dive point and timing, the Huang Tingjian sword once again flew above the dragon¡¯s head and suddenly chopped down with full force as heavy as a mountain.

    Dragon Slaying!

    The heavy sword didn¡¯t manage to split the dragon¡¯s hard skull, but it did create a crack on it. The residual force pierced through the layers of bone into the brain, scattering its lingering consciousness¡ªthis Flood Dragon was already dead. Even if it was controlled through a secret art by the giant who headed the Long Race, it still couldn¡¯t fully manifest the true power of a dragon.

    Out of control, the dragon¡¯s body, carried by momentum, accelerated in its fall, gliding until most of its body sank into the river, causing nearly ten-meter-high waves, while its head crushed the riverbank guardrail and landed in the less crowded riverside park.

    No one was injured, perfect!

    Yan Yu, having used the Cloud Ascension Technique to escape, leisurely flew onto the dragon¡¯s head, found a protrusion near the dragon horn to sit on comfortably, and started to space out, waiting for the Annan army to come and collect the corpse.

    Given the current state of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, even an incompletely resurrected dragon puppet, with its abnormal vitality and defense, was an extremely difficult enemy to deal with.

    I wonder how the Valkyrie of the previous era managed to fight against it, and what heavy price her team paid¡ªyou can tell by the number of casualties the Miti Allied Forces suffered this time.

    Of course, there¡¯s still that saying, ¡°No need to thank me.¡± I, Yan Yu, have always done good deeds without leaving my name.

    As Yan Yu sat atop the dragon¡¯s corpse and zoned out, he saw on the opposite side of the riverside park, a group of young men and women with colorful wigs and strange clothes, hurrying over to watch the commotion.

    Behind them stood a sports stadium building, and judging by the banners and posters at the entrance, it seemed that some sort of anime convention was taking place.

    Yan Yu, guarding the dragon¡¯s corpse, of course couldn¡¯t leave his post, and was soon surrounded by the intrigued cosplayers. Many photographers even began to fervently snap photos of him and the dragon¡¯s corpse¡­ Hey! I¡¯m not some Coser, stop taking pictures!

    He remained calm and collected under the bombardment of cameras, with his peripheral vision suddenly catching a sneaky pink-haired figure attempting to touch the dragon¡¯s whiskers stealthily.

    With a flick of his finger, the Huang Tingjian sword instantly flew up, embedding itself in the tiles in front of her, startling the pink-haired girl into a jolt.

    But she quickly calmed down, appearing as if she wanted to touch but didn¡¯t dare, and in a crisp voice, she asked Yan Yu,

    ¡°Cultivator big brother, may I touch your sword?¡±

    Nonsense, of course you can¡¯t!

    Yan Yu was about to say ¡°Are you worthy?¡± when his Divine Sense swept over the girl¡¯s face again.

    Huh?

    Wait a second¡­ S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Despite the Asian sorcery of heavy makeup, that face¡­

    Isn¡¯t that Xie Ruoxi?

    At this time, shouldn¡¯t you be working in Xin¡¯an?

 Chapter 180 - 80: Beautiful Waste Xie Ruoxi

    Chapter 180: Chapter 80: Beautiful Waste Xie Ruoxi

    In the previous life, the Annan Army had seen its share of bizarre incidents, like the Sacrifice of the Valkyrie, the Rebellion of Li Zhaojiang, and the life of Xie Ruoxi¡­ These three could be ranked as equally bizarre, with Xie Ruoxi¡¯s life even more so than the first two.

    Who was Xie Ruoxi? Rumor had it she was ¡°Rikoku¡¯s number one in cultivation talent,¡± even surpassing Lord Master, dubbed ¡°Rikoku¡¯s top cultivator,¡± in pure natural aptitude for cultivation¡ªthough this claim was never officially acknowledged.

    She wasn¡¯t part of the first cohort of cultivators, nor the second, or even the third; strictly speaking, she was actually from a non-official cultivator background. It wasn¡¯t until Li Minghu and Li Zhaojiang were long gone that Xie Ruoxi, due to an accident that revealed her existence, was discovered by the Annan Army and drafted as an official cultivator; you could say she started quite late in the game.

    Then, by the age of thirty, her cultivation realm astonishingly caught up with the first generation of cultivators¡­ Considering the awkward relationship between the Annan Army and the imperial court after the Li Zhaojiang incident, Xie Ruoxi¡¯s cultivation definitely didn¡¯t rely much on Elixir Medicine resources, so perhaps the rumors had some credibility.

    Another oddity was that Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t enjoy cultivation, much like a peerless swordsman who has no love for the sword.

    This girl hailed from a farming family in Baoqing Prefecture, Jingnan Province. As everyone knows, Baoqing Prefecture itself is a key town for poverty alleviation in Jingnan, and her rural family created a bit of resistance to the local poverty alleviation efforts.

    ...

    Logically, she should have taken the college entrance exam during the second half of her senior year, been identified as having potential, and then become a cultivator¡­ But Xie Ruoxi¡¯s life was never short of surprises: her brother was also in his senior year, and the family plainly said they could only afford one college student, ¡°you two decide.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi sensibly said, ¡°Brother has better grades than I do, let him go to college.¡±

    So, the family was very touched and didn¡¯t make her take the college entrance exam (nor the blood test, of course); instead, after she got her high school diploma, they scraped together a sum of living expenses, pulled some strings in the village, found a few girls who were going down south to Xin¡¯an Special Economic Zone to work, and had them take Xie Ruoxi along to find a job.

    Several people took a bus to the Xin¡¯an Special Economic Zone, searched for jobs for a while, and found them to be too much work for too little pay; ultimately, the others got employed at KTVs or bath centers, while Xie Ruoxi was still out of work, hanging around aimlessly.

    Logically speaking, a girl with only a high school diploma would likely resort to these survival tactics: receptionist, salesperson, customer service representative, working at a flower shop, pet shop, or coffee shop, becoming a nail artist, eyelash technician, or beautician¡ªthese could easily fill a three-by-three chart.

    But Xie Ruoxi never did follow the beaten path; she started by saving up for a camera and infiltrated the Cosplay circle as a private photographer for female cosplayers.

    Later, she discovered many female cosplayers not only welcomed male photographers but could even get them to work for free. She immediately exclaimed, ¡°This is a dead end!¡± and switched careers to become a cosplayer herself. Eventually, she was promoted to a video website¡¯s up-and-coming host, and then she started live-streaming with plans to make a fortune from the anime fandom.

    Xie Ruoxi was quite pretty and had a good figure, so after entering the live-streaming arena, at the peak of her career, she once had over fifty captains.

    But soon she realized the live-streaming industry was far too competitive. With makeup and beauty filters, whether you¡¯re a four or a six on the attractiveness scale, everyone gets boosted to an eight. The audience¡¯s threshold for beauty had been raised, and without pushing the envelope, it was hard to gain popularity.

    Any ordinary female streamer would feel pressured to push boundaries to make money, no shame in that.

    But Xie Ruoxi once again took the path less traveled: she discovered something called ¡°virtual streamers¡± from Sakura Country. Female streamers would create an anime character avatar and use ¡°motion capture software¡± to let this 2D character replace the real person in the stream.

    Thus, she was reborn as a virtual streamer, just in time to catch the rising wave of the virtual streaming industry in her own country¡­ By the time the Annan Army found her, Xie Ruoxi had already become a major streamer with over a million fans, not only receiving regular tributes from countless captains each month but also generous gifts from top supporters. She would stream only when she felt like it, otherwise spending her time watching shows and playing games, living a rather carefree life.

    As for how she stumbled into cultivation by some fluke, Xie Ruoxi claimed she had no clue, since she spent her days holed up in her rental room streaming, cloaked in the skin of an anime character, telling her fans, ¡°Ruoxi is a little dragon girl who has been cultivating for a thousand years.¡± She relied completely on online shopping for daily necessities and hardly ever went outside¡ªthen suddenly, she realized she hadn¡¯t eaten for a month.

    She had the potential to become a top cultivator, yet she chose to struggle in society for years, and indeed carved out an unconventional path for herself. That was Xie Ruoxi, truly unique among cultivators.

    Yan Yu suddenly jumped down from the dragon¡¯s head (causing a stir of gasps and frenzied camera flashes) and landed in front of Xie Ruoxi, scrutinizing her face closely.

    Hmm, even though the makeup on her face was heavy enough to alter her ethnicity, the facial contours and voice were indeed highly consistent with Xie Ruoxi¡­ But at this point in time, shouldn¡¯t she still be working in Xin¡¯an? S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Being scrutinized so blatantly, the pink-haired girl seemed to shrink back a bit, but probably sensing that there was no malice, she soon regained her composure and revealed an unblemished smile.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Yan Yu decided to verify.

    ¡°Me?¡± The pink-haired girl immediately extended her arms and formed a heart shape in front of her chest, beaming with vitality as she smiled radiantly, ¡°I¡¯m the guitarist of the Mygo band, Chihaya Aine!¡±

    Yan Yu almost kneeled in shock, promptly widening his eyes and rebuking loudly,

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask about the anime character you¡¯re playing! I¡¯m asking for your name!!!¡±

    ¡°Thank you¡­ Xie Ruoxi.¡± The pink-haired girl was obviously frightened by his sternness and hurriedly responded in a stammering, quiet voice.

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Yan Yu finally confirmed everything, and his expression eased.

    Although from his past life¡¯s experience, Xie Ruoxi¡¯s level of education was not high, she was subconsciously a bit insecure, even inferior, and she also had a high concentration of ¡®two-dimensional otaku¡¯, but one couldn¡¯t deny that her talent for cultivation was overwhelmingly impressive!

    And she was also very beautiful.

    Snatch her up?

    After all, the Valkyrie of this life was definitely not going to die, and the Annan Army wasn¡¯t lacking top-notch cultivators now, so it should be okay for me to poach Xie Ruoxi, right¡­

    Wait a second, why am I poaching her?

    To be a secretary or an assistant, honestly, she was just not cut out for it. Neither Su Yunjin¡¯s delicate considerations nor Ye Jun¡¯s organization were within Xie Ruoxi¡¯s abilities. Fundamentally, she was like Li Zhaojiang and Zhou Hongyu, those who trade intellect for martial strength, concerned with fighting more than thinking, and her educational level was even lower than the two of them.

    Even after she became a cultivator for the Annan Army in the future, this girl¡¯s approach to cultivation was sporadic: three days fishing, two days drying nets. In his previous life, it was said that the imperial court once sent a team of psychologists to analyze her personality traits and concluded that she was basically unlikely to rebel.

    Because Xie Ruoxi was the kind of ultimate homebody who, as long as she had a bite to eat, could happily live her whole life at home with just a computer and a phone, never entertaining the active thought that ¡°my life should be lived with more meaning.¡±

    Combining these memories, Yan Yu quickly concluded: due to her upbringing and social experience, this girl had developed a carefree and lax character; it was no longer possible to employ her in any practical job.

    As for treating Xie Ruoxi as a pure fighter like how the Annan Army used her in his past life, while that might be making the best use of her, Yan Yu¡¯s side didn¡¯t lack for fighters at all¡ªafter all, I¡¯m the strongest military force in this world! Even if Xie Ruoxi were strong, could she ever be stronger than me and my team members? Hilarious.

    Sigh, what a chicken rib of a girl. (Note: ¡°chicken rib¡± is a Chinese idiom meaning something of little value or interest; too good to discard but of little use)

    Having her as a secretary wouldn¡¯t be helpful; using her as a fighter wasn¡¯t necessary; and even if considering her as a lover, she wouldn¡¯t be the first choice. I have plenty of beautiful girls living together in that villa, those who are great at cooking, diligent in housework, providing top-tier resources, assisting in Qi Refinement¡­ what place could Xie Ruoxi possibly take? Besides her looks, this girl has nothing to offer, a pure beauty with no substance!

    After pondering, Yan Yu felt that Xie Ruoxi only held some kind of collector¡¯s value for him.

    What is collector¡¯s value? It¡¯s the idea that ¡°She can be useless, but I can¡¯t be without her.¡±

    After all, she was the cultivation prodigy who in his previous life replaced Li Minghu and became the Annan Army¡¯s top cultivator; keeping her at home as a decorative figure who just needs to eat was not a problem. If she really got used to him, he could even try to correct her personality¡ªafter all, she can¡¯t keep on being this reclusive forever, right? With such exceptional talent for cultivation, why would you think about slacking off all the time?

    Of course, not now.

    In his past life, Xie Ruoxi faced many temptations while working, but she never chose to give up her principles, possibly because she steadfastly believed in pure love triumphing over all in her two-dimensional worldview.

    If he wanted to interfere with her fate, he first had to gain her trust, and then wait for an opportune moment¡ªinviting her rashly upon a first meeting would only scare her off.

    Having made up his mind quickly, Yan Yu immediately took out his phone:

    ¡°Add as a friend?¡±

    ¡°Oh, sure.¡± Xie Ruoxi was somewhat flattered. After all, she spent all day surfing the internet intensively and, of course, knew what ¡°Cultivator¡± meant.

    The two exchanged contact information, and then Xie Ruoxi eagerly added:

    ¡°I¡¯ll send you the graphic after it¡¯s finished.¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s vision went dark for a moment: Did I add you as a friend to get your photograph? Such a useless piece of garbage, not even daring to skirt the edges!

    ¡°No need!¡± He refused, speaking with righteous indignation.

 Chapter 181 - 81: Unperturbed by Favor or Disgrace, Yan Zhanlong

    Chapter 181: Chapter 81: Unperturbed by Favor or Disgrace, Yan Zhanlong

    ¡°`

    After getting Xie Ruoxi¡¯s friendship, Yan Yu lost interest in continuing the conversation with her.

    After all, no matter how much more he talked, it was impossible to quickly increase her affection, so he might as well take it slow.

    Ignoring the surrounding female Cosers who squealed ¡°Brother is so handsome, add me as a friend too,¡± Yan Yu flew back to the dragon¡¯s head and calmly sat down on the throne at the dragon¡¯s horn, adopting the classic think pose of The Thinker statue, calmly waiting under the constantly flashing spotlights for the troops to come collect the corpse.

    Photographers outside kept snapping away as if they¡¯d never seen a flood dragon and a dragon-slaying Transcendent before¡­ Well, they probably hadn¡¯t.

    Xie Ruoxi was bold, perhaps because she had exchanged friendship with Yan Yu and assumed she got the permission to take photos; she even posed in various ways leaning on the dragon¡¯s head, asking other photographers to include her in the shots with Yan Yu and the flood dragon.

    ...

    Yan Yu watched indifferently from atop the dragon¡¯s head and decided not to address her presumptuous actions.

    It wasn¡¯t until the local defense department arrived that all the onlookers who had come to enjoy the show, take photos, and try to talk to Yan Yu were dispersed.

    The task of dealing with the flood dragon¡¯s corpse was left to them, and the cutting and transportation were expected to continue for several days. Yan Yu took a taxi to the airport and checked the news on the way.

    The Lu Country Cultivators had secured the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm without sustaining any injuries; the Miti Allied Forces suffered a great defeat with 37 superheroes dead, one escaped, and one captured (the Thornbird was probably not included), only one survivor remained on the Southeast Asia side, delivering a perfect report card to the entire nation.

    The only drawback was that the authorities had not allowed live broadcasting, so the domestic audience had to watch the Superhero Alliance¡¯s illegally broadcasted foreign perspective, and mostly on smaller streaming platforms with less sensitivity to policies, thus limiting the number of viewers who saw the entire event live. The majority of people only learned the outcome after the official news release. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    From his previous life¡¯s experience, Yan Yu knew that Lu Country would soon fill this gap. After all, if the Superhero Alliance broadcasts globally, hiding it doesn¡¯t make sense, since people can always bypass internet restrictions.

    However, topping the hot search list above ¡°Lu Country Cultivators¡¯ Grand Victory¡± was a shorter entry:

    Yan Zhanlong.

    Clicking into it, indeed, were the photos and videos taken by the onlookers at the riverside park.

    In the images, the huge dragon¡¯s head lay defeated by the river bank, still fearsome even in death.

    Yan Yu sat alone atop the dragon horn, his body covered in golden dragon blood, his gaze still sharp and majestic.

    The Huang Tingjian sword was plunged into the ground before the dragon¡¯s head, silently proclaiming that its master had fought an earth-shattering, god-weeping battle with the flood dragon, ending with the dragon¡¯s demise.

    Handsome! Cool! Dominant! Powerful! Absolute! It was the kind of image you could use as your computer wallpaper!

    If only they could Photoshop out that pink-haired girl next to the dragon¡¯s head, what a beautiful waste cluttering my scene, why are you stealing my spotlight?

    Yan Yu silently browsed the news, most of which praised him as a valiant warrior. Initially looking down on this and that, he turned around and slew a flood dragon, proving that Yan someone indeed had the confidence to talk big, deserving the praise of ¡°Brave Warrior of the Country.¡±

    Of course, there were also some trolls who popped up on various platforms, voicing some strange and contrary opinions. Some said that the enemy Transcendents were mainly defeated by other Cultivators, others suggested the flood dragon had already been worn down and Yan Yu had merely snuck in the finishing blow, and still, others simply attacked him without evidence, with comments like ¡°true debasement,¡± ¡°naive believer,¡± and ¡°I feel sick reading his comments,¡± among others.

    Facing this chaotic scene, Yan Yu didn¡¯t bother to argue online like Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen; he just smiled faintly and swiped the trolls¡¯ comments off his screen.

    See, they¡¯re getting irritated again.

    Before the fight, they said you definitely couldn¡¯t win, and after you won, they said it was just luck. They can¡¯t stand praise, they can¡¯t hear the hymns; they must vehemently refute everything to showcase their intelligence and aloofness. Hiding behind their screens, they become invincible, perceiving everyone else as fools.

    There¡¯s no need to quibble with the trolls; what they think is up to them. For now, I just need to do my job with the team, earn money, train my players, and bring glory to my country. That¡¯s all!

    So when will I receive my reward money?

    Yan Yu was about to send a message to Li Weiguo to inquire when he saw a message from Chen Lingyun had also come through:

    [Chen Lingyun]: Feels good to show off in front of the entire nation, doesn¡¯t it?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Not bad, I guess. In the end, it almost smashed into the city, but luckily I was more skilled.

    [Chen Lingyun]: We all saw that.

    ¡°`

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What do you see? My majestic stance standing on a dragon corpse?

    [Chen Lingyun]: I see our dear team leader getting all cuddly and huggy with another team¡¯s deputy leader in a video recording.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    He silently switched his phone to airplane mode, put it back in his pocket, and then stared blankly out of the car window at the scenery.

    After the trouble of finishing a secret realm, wanting to rest properly without taking calls is quite reasonable, right?

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm is quite special; its core is the steering wheel at the bow of the treasure ship. Moreover, even after refining it, one can only control entering and exiting the secret realm and cannot obtain other permissions, such as controlling the ship¡¯s navigation (it seems that one needs the bloodline of the Long Race for complete control).

    Therefore, the people left in the secret realm could only temporarily stay in the South Sea for a few days, cooperating with the Annan Army to continue mopping up the remaining monsters inside the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm¡ªthough there wasn¡¯t any danger, as there were enough numbers to have an absolute advantage. The main thing was some tiring and arduous work.

    Because Yan Yu left early, the Annan Army didn¡¯t call him back, so he simply called Li Weiguo to inform him and then directly flew back to Jinling.

    Returning to Jinling Airport and just getting off the plane, he saw Qi Changping waiting outside to pick him up.

    ¡°How much is the bonus this time?¡± Yan Yu asked as he got into the car.

    ¡°Why are you always thinking about money?¡± Qi Changping, who was driving, laughed and said, ¡°The authorities haven¡¯t decided yet, but I heard it will probably be twenty million.¡±

    Mysterious realms beyond the borders of the land need to be contended over in a life and death struggle with foreigners, so naturally, the reward money would be higher compared to domestic secret realms. This was easy to understand.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t dwell on the matter of money, since now money was just a number to him. He continued to ask:

    ¡°What does the higher-up plan to do with the captives this time?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not decided either.¡± Qi Changping spoke frankly, ¡°They might make agreements with those countries for exchanges.¡±

    ¡°Thunderbird¡± Margaret was strong, but not so strong that Lu Country needed to eliminate her to feel at ease. If they killed her and got nothing, it would be a loss, but if they could exchange her with the Superhero Alliance for resources or technology, that would be pure profit.

    Of course, whether the other side was willing and what price they were ready to offer was another question.

    Looking at the international opinion on the web, the general consensus was that Thunderbird¡¯s defeat was an ¡°innocent failure¡±, as she was the last one fighting before she surrendered, and at the time, she would have died if she hadn¡¯t surrendered. Also, martyrdom wasn¡¯t popular abroad, instead, a group of leftists and fervent fans were waving flags and shouting, calling for ¡°let our superhero return home alive¡± ¡ª so it seems there would be more negotiations to come.

    As for the other one, the Curse Technique master Ajarn Luo, since he wasn¡¯t an official cultivator, Siam¡¯s attitude was ambiguously unclear, so there might not be much room for ransom negotiations, and what would happen afterward was also unknown.

    ¡°Changing the subject,¡± Qi Changping said, pressing the steering wheel with one hand and looking ahead, ¡°Yan Yu, what¡¯s your current relationship with Li Minghu, the deputy leader of that Qing¡¯an combat team?¡±

    ¡°What relationship?¡± Yan Yu looked puzzled. ¡°Of course, we¡¯re comrades-in-arms. What else could it be?¡±

    ¡°Comrades-in-arms?¡± Qi Changping was also surprised. ¡°If it¡¯s just comrades-in-arms, would she hug and hold you in front of the camera, in front of a global audience? It doesn¡¯t look like she suffered any injuries.¡±

    ¡°Psh, Instructor Qi, you¡¯re thinking too much.¡± Yan Yu waved his hand nonchalantly and said, ¡°She has a chronic illness and was soaked in cold water. She looked uninjured, but in reality, she was so weak she could barely stand. I went to help her out a bit; there¡¯s no need to make a big deal out of it, right?¡±

    ¡°Alright then.¡± Qi Changping nodded and said, ¡°Your reasoning makes sense, but not everyone will believe it. After all, people outside don¡¯t know Li Minghu has lung disease. So unless you really want to date her, you should be mindful of your image in the future to avoid being gossiped about¡ªnow you¡¯re a national hero, and the people of Lu Country are very interested in your affairs.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Yan Yu said leisurely, ¡°I just checked the trending searches, and they are all discussing my dragon-slaying exploits; nobody¡¯s talking about the gossip anymore.¡±

    ¡°In terms of public opinion, we have online commentators to manage the discussion. They will guide conversations away from sensitive topics,¡± Qi Changping pondered for a moment before continuing, ¡°There¡¯s one more thing. You¡¯re quite showy by nature, which does attract a lot of fans, but it also means some people will dislike your remarks and say strange things. Don¡¯t take it to heart. Victory is the most powerful rebuttal. We¡¯ve won, so there¡¯s no need to bicker too much with them.¡±

    ¡°Instructor, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Yan Yu laughed heartily, ¡°Just a bunch of trolls, they don¡¯t deserve my attention, right?¡±

    Qi Changping: ¡­¡­¡­

    Although what he said was indeed correct, for some reason, Qi Changping really didn¡¯t want to associate Yan Yu with the phrase ¡°above slander and praise.¡±

 Chapter 182 - 82: Lord Master is Very Depressed

    Chapter 182: Chapter 82: Lord Master is Very Depressed

    After returning to school, Yan Yu still went straight to the headmaster¡¯s office, planning to report to Old Man Li Weiguo.

    However, upon reaching the headmaster¡¯s office and pushing the door open, he saw that both Li Weiguo and Chen Tianming were not there. There was only a white-robed Taoist nun standing by the window, looking out at the college cultivators.

    Mei Yingxue.

    A national hero from a previous life, she was also the key to making Empress Yuanzhen renounce her dark past and embrace the light.

    From this incident alone, it was clear that she held the greater good of the nation in her heart.

    Though I have personal grievances with Zhao Yuanzhen, for the sake of the countless citizens of Lu Country, I can set aside past grievances and join forces with her to protect our nation!

    ...

    In contrast to the Demonic Sect Enchantress Zhao Yuanzhen, who still harbors deep resentment towards Mei Yingxue to this day, even regarding her as a bitter enemy and shrinking from her as if she were a snake or scorpion. In comparison, the superior choice becomes obvious.

    Yan Yu had great respect for such virtuous individuals. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have treated Li Minghu so courteously. Now, his enthusiasm for Mei Yingxue was even greater. He first pulled up the chair he used to sit in and settled down. Then he cheerfully invited her with a laugh,

    ¡°Have a seat, please.¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Mei Yingxue shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m short on time. I just came to see you and then I¡¯ll leave.¡±

    She turned to face him, scrutinizing Yan Yu intently.

    Yan Yu also looked at Mei Yingxue. He had seen this face too many times on television in his previous life. Her features were not stunningly beautiful, merely pleasant and unremarkable. Her attractiveness fell short compared to the female cultivators in his cellphone¡¯s friend list.

    But she was a national hero after all!

    ¡°I am Mei Yingxue,¡± she introduced herself, ¡°You might not know me, but Zhao Yuanzhen¡­ she¡¯s now Zhao Jiuzhen, right? We come from the same place.¡±

    How could I not know you? I know you all too well, Teacher Mei!

    Yan Yu nodded: ¡°Hmm.¡±

    Seeing his brevity, Mei Yingxue wasn¡¯t sure how much he knew about Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s past, so she decided to lay all her cards on the table:

    ¡°Zhao Jiuzhen, she was born into the evil Demonic Sect, showing no mercy and causing harm to the innocent. I intended to act on behalf of heaven and take her down, but she managed to escape after coming here.¡±

    ¡°Now that we¡¯ve met again, seeing her finally following the right path, willing to defend and protect the nation, I too am relieved. Let¡¯s put aside past enmities for now.¡±

    ¡°Meeting you must be the fortune of several lifetimes for her.¡±

    Yan Yu thought to himself, ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right about that,¡± but said,

    ¡°Not at all, I¡¯ve only done a little. The main credit goes to her good heart and willingness to turn over a new leaf.¡±

    Mei Yingxue didn¡¯t believe it. She was sure about Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s evil nature and was convinced that Yan Yu must have made significant efforts and even sacrifices to force the Demonic Sect Enchantress to reform so profoundly. It wasn¡¯t something that could be dismissed as ¡°a little work.¡±

    But since Yan Yu was modest about his role, it only improved her impression of him, and she said gently:

    ¡°Regardless, as long as she continues to act as ¡®Zhao Jiuzhen¡¯, the upper echelons of Lu Country will not delve into her past origins, and you won¡¯t have to worry about her identity being exposed. I can guarantee this myself.¡±

    No, no, no, I wasn¡¯t worried from the start, alright? Plus, I suggest you continue pretending that you know nothing. Keep the pressure on the Demonic Sect Enchantress so she doesn¡¯t revert to her old ways. Otherwise, it might not turn out well.

    After a moment of contemplation, Yan Yu confirmed with a question:

    ¡°Daoist Mei, you truly won¡¯t pursue it further?¡±

    Mei Yingxue shook her head, replying:

    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±

    She continued to gaze out the window, speaking softly:

    ¡°This Lu Country¡­ it¡¯s very similar to the court from where we come, whether it¡¯s the secular authorities, cultural history, or even the characteristics of the people. The only difference is that, over there, there are no warships forcing entry, no hundred-year concessions, no unjust treaties of land cessions and indemnities, and there has not been so much suffering¡­¡±

    Speaking of the recent history of Lu Country¡¯s many tragedies, Yan Yu had nothing to say but remained silent.

    ¡°The resurgence of Spiritual Energy marks an era of great strife. Those who lag behind will be beaten, even slaughtered at will by enemies, who, after the killing, still point at the bodies and say: ¡®Look, they were meant to die,''¡± Mei Yingxue spoke slowly. ¡°As long as I remain in this world, I will not allow the people of Lu Country to fall into such tragic circumstances again.¡±

    ¡°I will do the same,¡± Yan Yu suddenly said.

    ¡°Right, so we have a consensus on this matter, don¡¯t we?¡± Mei Yingxue turned back to him, smiling, ¡°As long as Zhao Yuanzhen is willing to help, I am prepared to look past our previous conflicts, for there are matters more important than personal grievances.¡± sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Please convey this message to her.¡±

    With those final words, Mei Yingxue suddenly transformed into a streak of sword light that shot out the window and disappeared.

    Truly deserving of her status as a preeminent being of another world who is above this world¡¯s level cap, this Sword Flight is so immediate, without the need to worry if there¡¯s enough True Yuan.

    After making sure the office window was locked up tight for Li Weiguo, Yan Yu then slowly made his exit.

    He held Mei Yingxue in high esteem, but as for the message she requested him to pass on, he could only pretend he hadn¡¯t heard it.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, now, is like a wild horse temporarily yielding to the reins, hastily removing her bridle would only allow her the possibility to return to her wild nature.

    Keep enduring, she will understand in the future.

    Returning to his villa, Yan Yu lay down on the sofa and turned off airplane mode on his phone.

    As expected, there were over 99 new messages and missed calls. It¡¯s a good thing I predicted this!

    Yan Yu began leisurely looking through the messages one by one.

    The first were messages from home, saying that to prevent further harassment of the family members of cultivators, the local military command had moved them into the guardhouse, alongside other senior military officers¡¯ families. Apparently, the guards at the gate were armed with loaded guns.

    Father Yan and Mother Yan felt a bit uncomfortable and unaccustomed, while Yan Jing was happy because the new house allocated by the government was much larger than the old one and even came with a small walled garden.

    Yan Yu felt a bit ashamed at this point.

    Here he was, living in a large villa, while his parents and sister continued to stay in the old house back home, which indeed sounded a bit unfilial.

    But he had known for a long time that the guardhouse was the eventual destination for his family, as with his growing power and fame as a cultivator, it was hard to guarantee that external forces wouldn¡¯t attempt to target his family.

    It wasn¡¯t just Yan Yu¡¯s family; Lin Ning¡¯s and Su Yunjin¡¯s families were in a similar situation and would soon have to move into their local guardhouses as well.

    Zhao Yuanzhen had no family, and as for Chen Lingyun¡­ her family¡¯s security was even tighter than the guardhouses, so there was really nothing to worry about.

    Yan Yu replied to the messages from his parents and continued browsing. Next were messages from the girls on his team, densely packed and not a few.

    Skip, will look at them all together later.

    Then there were messages from Anna in Siberia, which had piled up to over 99 again after a few days of no contact, truly terrifying; he would look at them when he had time.

    After that were messages from Liu Longtao¡­ hmm.

    When the Zhenghai Team joined forces with the Qing¡¯an Team to confront the Miti Allied Forces in the South Sea, Lord Master was also in the Mysterious Realm of the Ezo Islands dueling with a Transcendent from Shinkoku. After barely winning and returning, he found that the whole country was concerned with ¡°Yan Zhanlong,¡± so he sent a message to ask.

    [Liu Shao]: Congratulations, Brother Yan, you have really become famous this time. Yan Zhanlong, that¡¯s a grand nickname! With this record and popularity, even if you wanted to marry into the Governor¡¯s family in the future, you would have the qualifications.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Why are you beating around the bush to insult me again? Feeling unbalanced?

    [Liu Shao]: At first a bit, but after watching the live broadcast replay, I realized that Flood Dragon was indeed tough to handle, so your title of Yan Zhanlong is well-deserved, and I truly acknowledge that.

    Look at that, a Flood Dragon that wiped out ninety percent of the Miti forces is merely described as ¡°tough to handle¡± by Lord Master, implying nothing but ¡°if I were there, I could have beaten it too.¡±

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: How about your fight in Ezo?

    [Liu Shao]: Naturally, it can¡¯t compare to the dragon-slaying in the South Sea, but it wasn¡¯t as simple as cutting melons and vegetables. Have you heard the name ¡°Shenyuan Simie¡±?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: No, it sounds very chuuni, definitely not his real name.

    Yan Yu was actually playing dumb. As someone notorious among the Four Great Demon Kings of Shinkoku in his past life, how could he not have heard of the pseudonym Shenyuan Simie?

    However, he only knew that this person¡¯s real surname was ¡°Shinyori,¡± but he didn¡¯t know his given name.

    Just from the moniker ¡°Simie¡± he chose for himself, one could deduce that this was a person with a mental disorder, and indeed that was the case.

    Born into the Shinyori Clan, a historically significant political family, both his father and grandfather held lifetime seats in the upper house, yet he himself was the product of a one night stand. The status of being an illegitimate child made him suffer the torment of his cousins during his childhood in the clan¡¯s mansion, eventually leading to a complete psychological twist, though it remained hidden.

    It was only after he became a Transcendent that Shenyuan Simie finally freed himself from his constraints, embraced his madness, and began to lose control.

    He once beat a sparring partner to death during base training, then danced around the ring holding the corpse; he also frequented Kabukicho, rewarding the courtesan who served him after a spring night, then turned around and killed everyone else working in the pleasure establishment¡­ His behavior was completely illogical and he completely disregarded traditional morals and ethics.

    Despite all this, his talent in cultivation was exceptional, utilizing the Onmyoji¡¯s uncanny strengths to the fullest, his skill with ¡°Shikigami substitution¡± was extraordinary, having been defeated by Lord Master several times in the past but always managing to survive. This forced the elite-oriented Shinkoku to reluctantly cultivate him, always having people on standby to clean up his messes.

    The ultimate end of his life was even more twisted: conspiring with another Demon King to defect, he brazenly attacked the upper house on his own, failed, then returned to the Shinyori family estate and mercilessly wiped out his whole clan. Afterward, he summoned a fiery inferno to incinerate the ancestral home. Before he died, he sat among the roaring flames, holding a shamisen, singing ¡°Life is but Fifty Years¡± until he perished¡­

    Don¡¯t ask why he defected, why he attacked the upper house, or why he killed off his own clan, no one knew what was going through his deranged mind.

    [Liu Shao]: All I know is that he seems to be from the Shinyori family but wasn¡¯t valued by the main house. He was part of a motorcycle gang for a while after coming of age, then got involved with the yakuza, being an extreme social Darwinist and fanatical militarist.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Is he deliberately stacking up a bad guy image? So you encountered him in the Mysterious Realm, did you beat him?

    [Liu Shao]: Alas, it¡¯s really embarrassing to talk about. I won, but didn¡¯t kill him. The guy was slipperier than a mouse, he threw a substitute and vanished.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Oh come on, that¡¯s very normal. I also won against the Thorn Bird in the South Sea, but didn¡¯t kill him, let him escape with magic. Nowadays, which real top-tier Transcendent doesn¡¯t have a few ultimate lifesaving tricks?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Oh, I also slayed a dragon and made the national headlines. That¡¯s all then, you were saying?

    [Liu Shao]: ¡­¡­

    [Liu Shao]: Don¡¯t feel like talking anymore, you go on with your business.

 Chapter 183 - 83 Yan Yu Is Very Busy

    Chapter 183: Chapter 83 Yan Yu Is Very Busy

    After consoling the gloomy Lord Master, Yan Yu turned to check other messages.

    The newly established Shenxing Battle Team of the Zhendong Army, led by Captain Qiu Ze and Vice Captain Sun Ziyi, had recently lost in their home field during a confrontation in the Mysterious Realm of Yandang Mountain to Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Huofeng Team.

    Having lost their first battle, Qiu Ze was also in low spirits and sent a message to Yan Yu asking for the reason.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Isn¡¯t it normal to lose to Xiao Zhou? When did they form their team, and when did you form yours? They have several months of practical experience over you. It would have been an upset if they lost to you, right? What¡¯s there to be surprised about?

    [Shenxing Wanli]: Sigh, I know, but we still lost in the end.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Victory and defeat are common in military affairs, and failure is the mother of success, haven¡¯t you heard? Back when I¡­ S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ...

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: It seems I haven¡¯t lost before, so let¡¯s take Chen Lingyun as an example. Right after she enrolled, her first simulation battle was in front of the instructors against me, and she was beaten so badly she was picking up her teeth. And look at her now; isn¡¯t she still jumping around and beaming with joy?

    [Shenxing Wanli]: I feel like using ¡°jumping around¡± and ¡°beaming with joy¡± to describe a girl isn¡¯t quite right? And Yan Team, mentioning Vice Captain Chen¡¯s embarrassing moments like this¡­ isn¡¯t that great either, right?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: So, you¡¯d prefer I point out your embarrassing moments, huh? Wait a minute, I¡¯ll go download the footage of your battle to see how you got beaten up. Then I¡¯ll give you a good analysis.

    [Shenxing Wanli]: Wait wait wait, let¡¯s go back to talking about Vice Captain Chen. After you defeated her, how did she adjust her mindset?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Then I told her, I am destined to be the strongest in this world. Even if you were defeated by me, you were beaten by the strongest, right? It¡¯s perfectly normal.

    [Shenxing Wanli]: Indeed, as long as you accept the fact that you¡¯re not as good as the other person, you won¡¯t be beaten down.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You¡¯ve lost, and it¡¯s important to admit if you¡¯re outskilled. Analyze the reasons you lost carefully. As long as you grow from it, it¡¯s not a loss in vain.

    [Shenxing Wanli]: I got it, thanks, Yan Team.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: No need to be polite.

    After sending the message to Qiu Ze, Yan Yu turned to find Zhang Huaide.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: How did it go against Qiu Ze and his team?

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: Not bad. Qiu Ze is very strong overall, especially quick in reaction; Sun Ziyi makes precise judgment calls and has a good grasp of timing. Although the other three members don¡¯t have particularly outstanding highlights, they all did their jobs well. The future looks promising.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Then why did they still lose to you?

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: Haha, because we¡¯re stronger.

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: Actually, I think their main problem was being tactically adaptive. Their initial strategy to primarily attack me was fairly clear, but Captain Zhou¡¯s firepower was likely much greater than they had anticipated, causing them to begin doubting themselves midway. First, they switched their attack to Captain Zhou and, finding they couldn¡¯t overcome him, they went after Meng Qingxi. When I sent Tang Xiaolian to act as bait, they took the bait without hesitation, which shows that their tactical thinking in the later stage was completely disordered.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I see. Is it okay if I send your analysis to Qiu Ze?

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: No problem. Is Qiu Ze asking you for advice? I think you would come to the same conclusions if you watched the footage.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I just got back from the South Sea; I haven¡¯t had time to watch it yet.

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: Right, after all, you¡¯re now Yan Zhanlong./smile

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: How¡¯s Xiao Zhou doing lately?

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: We watched the livestream. Captain Zhou said that if you spent less time on romance and love, your strength wouldn¡¯t be just at this level.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Haha, is that jealousy?

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: Mm, I don¡¯t think so. First of all, I explained to Captain Zhou, considering Vice Captain Li¡¯s physical condition, the prolonged soaking in the water dungeon, plus her wearing your jacket, suggests that your holding her was just to prevent her from getting cold and to keep her steady.

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: Secondly, when Captain Zhou said that, she wasn¡¯t concerned about your romantic affairs. She probably wants you to become stronger, so that all the efforts she¡¯s made to defeat you are even more worthwhile.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Xiao Zhang, if you¡¯d understood I was joking, there wouldn¡¯t have been any need to explain so seriously.

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: It still needs to be made clear. After all, it concerns Captain Zhou¡¯s reputation. If our chat records accidentally leaked to the media and they start spinning stories about ambiguous relationships or CPs, Captain Zhou would be furious.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Am I that kind of person?

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: Of course not, Yan Team. This is just my professional habit; please forgive me.

    Yan Yu frowned at his phone, thinking that the meticulous Zhang Huaide might have suspected some ulterior motive regarding the close encounter between him and Li Minghu, which is why he was taking extra precautions regarding anything to do with Zhou Hongyu.

    But it didn¡¯t matter. First, there was nothing between him and Li Minghu as of now, and secondly, he had no improper thoughts about Zhou Hongyu, so it was fine.

    I¡¯m innocent anyway!

    Yan Yu forwarded Zhang Huaide¡¯s analysis to Qiu Ze, and immediately received a string of grateful responses from him.

    Ah, the feeling of doing good deeds is really great, feels like the merit on my shoulders has become heavier again.

    Continued to read messages. Hey, one from Li Zhaojiang¡­

    [Rising Sun Over the Pearl River]: I¡¯m going to kill you!!!!!!!!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Haha, look, you¡¯re in a rush again.

    [Rising Sun Over the Pearl River]: Just kidding, I still have to thank you for taking care of my sister at the start of the Mysterious Realm, her health was indeed very poor then.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: No problem, we¡¯re comrades, it¡¯s what I should do.

    [Rising Sun Over the Pearl River]: I¡¯ve thanked you for taking care of her, now let¡¯s talk about the issue of you taking advantage of her, shall we? Which finger are you planning to chop off as an apology?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I¡¯ve already discussed it with your sister, I will compensate for taking advantage of her in another way.

    [Rising Sun Over the Pearl River]: What way?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Ask her!

    [Rising Sun Over the Pearl River]: Do you think I¡¯m stupid? How could she possibly tell me?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: If she won¡¯t tell you, why should I?

    [Rising Sun Over the Pearl River]: You got me there with that question.

    [Rising Sun Over the Pearl River]: How about coming to the Xingwang Mansion? I¡¯ll treat you to Lingnan cuisine, and we can have a good chat?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I¡¯d love to come, but I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s no such thing as a free lunch.

    [Rising Sun Over the Pearl River]: Come if you want, it¡¯s just to thank you for taking care of my sister.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: And also to urge me to stay away from your sister, right?

    [Rising Sun Over the Pearl River]: You catch on fast, makes it hard for me.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I¡¯ll ask your sister what she thinks.

    Not bothering with Li Zhaojiang, Yan Yu messaged Li Minghu.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Your brother says he wants to treat me to a meal?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Don¡¯t mind him, he¡¯s always fooling around like a kid.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Alright, looks like I¡¯m not getting a meal¡­

    [Yuegua Donghu]: How come you¡¯re always thinking about eating? /laugh

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: It was your brother who brought it up, not me.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Fair enough, if you come visit Lingnan, of course, we will take good care of you.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: That¡¯s very kind. How are things going in the South Sea?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: It¡¯s a bit troublesome, there¡¯s a lot of space left in the lower levels of the Sanyu treasure ship, and it¡¯ll take some time to explore fully. Plus, since the Sanyu treasure ship is located at sea, we need to be wary of other countries coveting it, so the superiors would like us to help finish the exploration of the treasure ship Mysterious Realm before leaving.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Mmm, I was asking about your health.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Thanks for your concern, I can still hold up.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Being cared about by Yan Zhanlong like this, should I feel flattered? /playful smile

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: No need to feel flattered, just get well soon if you can.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: I will do my best. /strive

    [Yuegua Donghu]: However, Yan Yu, you should also check out the messages your teammates sent you.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: I just sent you a message, and Lin Ning happened to see the chat interface as she was passing by.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: ¡­¡­¡­

    Then, an invitation for a voice call from Lin Ning lit up on the screen.

 Chapter 184 - 84 Look, there it goes again

    Chapter 184: Chapter 84 Look, there it goes again

    At the edge of the deck of the Weihu Battleship, a young woman held a mobile phone to her ear with one hand, and irritably placed her other hand on her hip, displaying a huffing expression on her face.

    Her eyes were not very big but were clear and expressive. Her nose was as round and cute as polished jade, and her delicate mouth was pressed together firmly. Even the most critical men had to admit that she was a beauty, quite unlike the grim visage of a ghastly demon.

    But to Yan Yu at the other end, the screen lighting up with ¡°Ningning extends a voice invitation to you,¡± as well as the urgent ringing of the mobile phone, felt almost like a death call from hell.

    However, it didn¡¯t matter.

    What does the strongest fear from hell? Watch me employ the compassion of a bodhisattva and the tactics of an Arhat to save all these evil spirits!

    Yan Yu calmly answered the call, only to immediately hear Lin Ning¡¯s forceful voice:

    ...

    ¡°I messaged you, huh, I sent you so many messages! You didn¡¯t read any, didn¡¯t reply to any! Are you having a heated chat with Deputy Team Leader Li instead? Explain yourself right now!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s so strange about that?¡± Yan Yu replied with a slight smile, ¡°The more important the person, the later I¡¯ll read their messages, taking my time to read carefully.¡±

    Lin Ning: ¡­¡­

    Ningning¡¯s battleship has taken a hit from anti-ship firepower, respiratory system damaged! Voice communication system damaged!

    ¡°Wha-, what!¡± She said incoherently, ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense, what do you mean by ¡®important person¡¯? I, you, I am going to kick you!¡±

    ¡°What don¡¯t you understand?¡± Yan Yu asked curiously, ¡°You are all members of my team. Deputy Team Leader Li is from another team. Do I need to explain who is more important?¡±

    There was no response on the other end of the phone, only the sound of huffing and puffing.

    ¡°Hmm, so what did you think I meant?¡± Yan Yu continued to press.

    ¡°Hmph, don¡¯t bother me.¡± Lin Ning finally regained her composure and continued to scold him, ¡°We are here working hard to clear the Mysterious Realm, and you, as the team leader, are riding dragons, taking photos, and hyping things up! Is this the proper way to behave?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re unhappy about that?¡± Yan Yu asked back.

    Lin Ning: ?!

    Her temper flared up again, the kind that even a dry powder fire extinguisher couldn¡¯t quell.

    Overcome by fury, she pinched a Sword technique in her hand, and the Green Bamboo Sword furiously stabbed into the sea ahead, causing a large splash of water.

    ¡°What¡¯s that sound?¡± Yan Yu asked from the other side, ¡°Did you jump into the sea?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Lin Ning said huffily, ¡°I drowned, now deal with it.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯re doomed,¡± Yan Yu pretended to cry out, ¡°Our team¡¯s most powerful Sword Immortal is gone, what am I supposed to do as the team leader!¡±

    The most powerful Sword Immortal¡­ Lin Ning couldn¡¯t help but smile, only to hear Yan Yu add:

    ¡°Maybe we should poach Li Minghu to fill her position.¡±

    Lin Ning: !!!!!!!!!!

    She was so angry that she lost her impulse to rage, and her voice cooled down:

    ¡°Is that so, that¡¯s great! Li Minghu probably won¡¯t supervise, push, or complain about you all day long, right? She won¡¯t make you feel troubled.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°But she lacks in one aspect compared to you.¡±

    ¡°Where does she lack compared to me?¡± Lin Ning narrowed her eyes.

    I¡¯m at full rage meter now, not someone you can pacify with just a few words!

    ¡°That would be the emotional aspect, of course.¡± Yan Yu replied calmly, ¡°We¡¯ve fought side by side for so long, we¡¯ve developed deep feelings for each other, Li Minghu can¡¯t fill that void.¡±

    Lin Ning: ¡­¡­

    Deep feelings, huh¡­

    Hmph, forget it, I¡¯ll be the bigger person and forgive your pettiness!

    ¡°I won¡¯t hold it against you.¡± She said grumpily, like a cat that had been smoothed out after puffing up, ¡°So you¡¯ve returned home now?¡±

    ¡°Returned home, I¡¯m currently lying on the sofa.¡±

    ¡°Go to my room and help me water the flowers on the balcony.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re keeping flowers too?¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin gave them to me, and she insists on checking them regularly, which is so annoying.¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin keeps flowers?¡±

    ¡°She has so many flowerpots on her balcony, all of them are her own flowers, don¡¯t you know?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t know, I have never been to your rooms.¡±

    ¡°Then this time I am mercifully granting you permission to enter my room.¡± Lin Ning¡¯s anger had completely vanished, replaced by a jubilant tone, ¡°Then look in the fridge to see if there¡¯s anything expired, and clear out anything past its best-before date as we need to make space for some South Sea seafood we¡¯re bringing home.¡±

    ¡°Hold on, one thing at a time, I can¡¯t remember everything if you say it all at once.¡±

    ¡°Then tell me after you¡¯ve watered the flowers¡­¡± Lin Ning said as she turned around, only to suddenly see that Su Yunjin, at some unknown point, had appeared beside her, wearing a faint smile.

    That smile made Lin Ning feel a bit unfamiliar.

    ¡°Yun Jin.¡± Lin Ning smiled awkwardly, ¡°You¡­ when did you get here?¡±

    ¡°From when you said ¡®I have to regularly check your flowers, it¡¯s so annoying.''¡± Su Yunjin replied with a smile, ¡°Ningning, after you two finish talking, could I have a few words with the team leader?¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡­ I don¡¯t have anything else to do either,¡± Lin Ning said with a dry laugh, ¡°Here you go.¡±

    She handed the cell phone to Su Yunjin, who took it and asked:

    ¡°Captain.¡±

    ¡°¡­What¡¯s up, Yun Jin?¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you reply to my message?¡± Su Yunjin asked calmly.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­

    Here it comes, the tag-team barrage! My warrior soul is igniting! Just come at me in waves, please me to your hearts¡¯ content, and watch as I mercilessly grind you all to dust!!!

    ¡°Is it something urgent?¡± Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°How would you know if it¡¯s urgent or not if you don¡¯t look, Captain?¡±

    ¡°How about I look at it now?¡±

    ¡°If it was really urgent, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too late to look at it now?¡±

    ¡°Let me have a look.¡± Yan Yu browsed through the messages she had sent, ¡°Finished reading.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t the Captain have anything to say?¡±

    ¡°Right, Yun Jin, have you seen the recent trending topics? Have you heard about Yan Zhanlong?¡±

    ¡°Captain, isn¡¯t changing the topic too abruptly? What does Yan Zhanlong being trending have to do with not replying to my messages?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s precisely because Yan Zhanlong became a hot topic that I¡¯ve had a ton of stuff to deal with, which is why I didn¡¯t get around to replying to the messages. You understand my situation, don¡¯t you, Yun Jin?¡±

    ¡°You had no time to reply to my messages, but you had time to chat with Vice-Captain Li?¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who came later? How did you know I sent a message to Li Minghu?¡±

    ¡°I hope the Captain can directly answer my question instead of brushing me off with some ¡®important person¡¯ excuse. After all, we are on the same team, aren¡¯t we? What if I need to notify the Captain of something critical but can¡¯t find him, can you understand my concern?¡±

    Hearing this, Yan Yu smiled faintly. Secretary Su¡¯s rank indeed seemed higher than Little Ningning¡¯s, but unfortunately, there¡¯s still a vast gap compared to me, the strongest in this world.

    He answered composedly, with no hint of panic or guilt in his voice:

    ¡°The chat with Vice-Captain Li was because Li Zhaojiang had sought me out before, saying that to thank me for looking after his sister in the Mysterious Realm, he wanted to invite me to the Prince¡¯s Mansion for a meal.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Su Yunjin said after a moment of silence, ¡°If it¡¯s about having a meal, I can understand why you sought Vice-Captain Li out first.¡±

    ¡°Do you mind?¡±

    ¡°Mind what?¡±

    ¡°Do you mind me having a meal with Vice-Captain Li?¡±

    ¡°Of course I don¡¯t mind, I¡¯m just a teammate of yours, Captain. Why would I mind who you have meals with?¡±

    ¡°But I do mind,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, ¡°As the captain, I should, of course, prioritize having meals with my own people over outsiders. That barbecue place we visited last time was quite good. Let¡¯s gather for a meal again after we return, I¡¯ve missed your cooking.¡±

    Su Yunjin: ¡­¡­

    She sighed softly, somewhat helplessly saying:

    ¡°Yan Yu, could you not always activate airplane mode? It¡¯s really worrying when we can¡¯t reach you at all.¡±

    ¡°Mhm, I understand,¡± Yan Yu said honestly, ¡°After Yan Zhanlong trended, my messages and missed calls went over 99+. Not turning on airplane mode was a bit too much to handle. One of these days, I¡¯ll get a new phone and SIM card just for our team, known only to us, and never switch it off, how about that?¡±

    ¡°Err, you don¡¯t need to go to the trouble of getting a new phone,¡± Su Yunjin laughed again, though this time her smile contained less frost, ¡°Alright then¡­ Right, Ningning asked you to water her plants, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, do your plants need watering too?¡±

    ¡°Mhm, on my balcony, the row by the window, water all of them, but don¡¯t do it while the sun is shining on them, do it in the evening. And then go to my room, and for the independent pots placed underneath, just water them thoroughly at once.¡±

    ¡°How many pots are there?¡±

    ¡°Ten pots.¡±

    ¡°Got it, is there anything else?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all, Captain, have a good rest.¡±

    ¡°You too, don¡¯t overdo it.¡±

    Su Yunjin hung up the phone and returned it to Lin Ning, who looked like she had something to say but hesitated.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin.¡± Having witnessed the entire range of Su Yunjin¡¯s facial expressions, Lin Ning also felt a subtle realization creeping in and asked uncertainly, ¡°Do you think in the Captain¡¯s eyes, we are easy to deal with?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Su Yunjin was also taken aback.

    In the villa in Jinling, Yan Yu tossed his phone onto the coffee table beside the sofa and stood up calmly, stretching lazily.

    The true strongest in this world, whether it comes to real combat or social interactions, will forever be the unmatched MVP, invincible!

    Ah, the life of the mighty is indeed as lonely as snow.

 Chapter 185 - 85 This is What Xie Ruoxi is Like

    Chapter 185: Chapter 85 This is What Xie Ruoxi is Like

    Yan Yu was a man of principle.

    Externally, he insisted on ¡°winning people over with virtue.¡± What virtue? Martial virtue.

    Everyone who had sparred with him had to admit that his martial virtue was exceptionally abundant.

    Internally, he valued ¡°treating people with sincerity.¡± What sincerity? Genuine sincerity.

    Telling the truth and using sincere intentions, that was his unchanging principle for uniting the team.

    After dealing with Lin Ning and Su Yunjin, Yan Yu did not become complacent. He continued making calls to Chen Lingyun and Zhao Yuanzhen, simply glanced at their messages, and then one by one privately chatted to comfort them.

    ...

    [Chen Lingyun]: It seems Yan Zhanlong is still riding his dragon high in the sky. No wonder his phone is always on flight mode.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: My mount was lured down by a tang of sourness, flew to Jianghai Prefecture, and discovered that someone in the Governor¡¯s household was steeping in jealousy. That scent was almost wafting to Jinling Prefecture. Got any clue what it¡¯s about?

    [Madam Zhao]: Geez, I¡¯m really done for, help. If you¡¯re not dead, respond dammit! Did both your hands become disabled so you can¡¯t press your phone, huh?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Just spoke with Mei Yingxue. She wants you to clean your neck well; her sword prefers cleanliness.

    Very good, that took care of the whole team.

    Looking at Anna, her original nickname seemed to have been [Anna], but now it had been changed to [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ], and her avatar had changed from Harley Quinn of Marvel to a selfie of herself¡ªtwo words to describe her: blonde and blue-eyed, with an intense aura.

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: Yan Zhanlong¡¯s got some nerve now, huh? Sending you a hundred messages and you don¡¯t reply to a single one.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Busy.

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: Give me a break!

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: Heard you had a fight with Miti?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: In the South Sea. How did you know?

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: You think we¡¯re not connected to the internet over here?

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: If you¡¯re short on manpower, just say the word. I¡¯ll come back and lend a fist.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: So you¡¯ve become more powerful since you switched jobs to become a witch?

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: Absolutely, I¡¯m really strong now. Killing is as easy as eating and drinking.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Looks like it. You¡¯ve changed a lot. Just that your speech still reeks of crudeness.

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: Can¡¯t help it, hanging around a bunch of Rakshasa grandmas all day, I¡¯m almost losing my Lu Country tongue.

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: You¡¯re the only friend I have left back home, so I can only practice my mother tongue with you. You don¡¯t mind, right?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: So now I¡¯m your Lu Country language teacher, is that it?

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: Just be happy about it. Others would kill to teach me!

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: Anyway, if there¡¯s ever trouble in Lu Country, you can always come take refuge with me. I¡¯ve got you covered.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: So I¡¯ll become the pretty boy kept by a rich lady?

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: Wrong, you¡¯ll be the pretty boy taken care of by a witch sister. /Laughter

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: Gotta go, about to fight some werewolves. I¡¯ll contact you after I¡¯ve finished them off.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Stay safe.

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: Not to worry, I¡¯m quite the fighter. /Flex

    It seemed that Anna¡¯s career was finally on the right track, which was good.

    Looking at his now cleared message list, Yan Yu could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

    Being this popular was a bit troublesome; stepping out for a task meant coming back to a myriad of messages and well-wishes, alas.

    Just as Yan Yu was about to take a proper rest, a new message notification popped up.

    [Magical Girl Xixi]: Cultivator big bro, is this you? /Share video

    Yan Yu: ?

    This username should be Xie Ruoxi, the avatar her previous cosplay of the pink-haired guitarist named Aine¡­ Yan Yu didn¡¯t quite understand the anime world, perhaps he could ask his sister about it.

    She had sent him a video from some site, titled ¡°Still Relying on Yan Zhanlong,¡± with a cover image photoshopping Yan Yu¡¯s face onto Zhuge Liang¡¯s head.

    Yan Yu knew just from the cover image that it was a parody video, with no desire to click into it whatsoever.

    Checking the comment section below, it had indeed been stormed by all sorts of unidentified troops.

    There were mindless fans, mindless haters, fans pretending to be dumb, haters pretending to be fans, those who kept repeating phrases like ¡°Still need to prepare?¡± ¡°You think you¡¯re worthy?¡± Those who wrote short essays and quatrains to showcase their talents, and those who took that photo of him sitting on the dragon¡¯s head and photoshopped it into abstract art.

    Yan Yu closed the webpage expressionlessly and sent a message to Xie Ruoxi.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: ???????????????

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: Sorry! I forwarded it to you because I thought it was really fun; I didn¡¯t consider your feelings. I¡¯m so sorry!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: There¡¯s no need to apologize.

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: So you are Yan Yu, right? Yan Zhanlong! That name is so cool!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Yes, it¡¯s me. /Play it cool

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: Please keep being awesome! No matter what other people on the internet say, I¡¯ll always support you!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: That¡¯s not necessary.

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: Huh?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Cultivators protect our country as their duty, they don¡¯t need the support of fans.

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: Oh, right, haha.

    The other side went silent soon after, seemingly intimidated by Yan Yu¡¯s indifferent attitude.

    Taking into account that although Xie Ruoxi was a beautiful waste in his past life, she managed to become the number one cultivator in the Annan Army, Yan Yu felt that perhaps he shouldn¡¯t be too standoffish, so he continued to message her.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: It¡¯s already September, you seem to be of school age, why aren¡¯t you in school?

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: About that, I graduated from high school, didn¡¯t go to university, and came out to work.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Why didn¡¯t you go to university?

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: No money at home.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I can lend you money to go to university, would that work?

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: The college entrance exam is over, I can¡¯t read now.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Then retake the year.

    Once again, there was no response from the other side; obviously, this waste was already becoming unredeemable.

    Fortunately, at this point in time, Xie Ruoxi should still be very poor, in the bitter stage of life where she¡¯s smacked hard by society and needs to count every penny in her pocket, so she might still have the motivation to make money with her brain.

    If things go as they did originally in a few years, once she discovers that dressing up as a leather-clad person can make patrons throw money at her, then Xie Ruoxi would truly be beyond saving, not even the Annan Army could turn her around by then.

    As the saying goes, Yan elder always had a kind heart and couldn¡¯t stand to see someone belittle themselves.

    Rescue! This waste must be saved!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What now, didn¡¯t you say you were my fan and would always support me? Not even listening to your idol¡¯s words, you fake fan! Your true colors showed up pretty quickly, didn¡¯t they!

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: I am really not the studious type.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Then what type do you think you are? What job are you doing now?

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: I¡¯m currently doing private photography, making money by taking photos. Occasionally I also make cosplay videos, and some fans donate money to me and stuff.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: How much can you earn a month?

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: Two to three thousand, I guess.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: That¡¯s assuming you can get the gigs. Without a film company offering you a steady stream of jobs, you¡¯re entirely reliant on referrals from people you know in the circle; if you can¡¯t get gigs, you can only sit around and starve. There¡¯s basically no chance of making it big.

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: Hahaha, don¡¯t kick someone when they¡¯re down, okay? /Cry/Cry/Cry

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You¡¯ll get nowhere with private photo shoots. Come to Jinling, I¡¯ll arrange some work for you.

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: Uh, actually, I have a boyfriend already¡­

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: A two-dimensional boyfriend, right?

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: How did you know?! /Surprised/Surprised/Surprised

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Don¡¯t get the wrong idea, you¡¯re not even worth being kept by me. My team has been on TV before, you can look up the video. Honestly, your level of attractiveness means nothing in my circle, and having only a high school diploma is a serious negative. Don¡¯t overestimate your value.

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: Then¡­ why would you consider hiring me?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: When you win the lottery, do you ask the lottery station why it was you? After I slayed the dragon, you were the first one to reach out to me; I remember you for that. After learning about your situation, I felt a bit sorry for you, but that¡¯s as far as it goes. It¡¯s not as if I have no one else to choose from.

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: Understood.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: In a person¡¯s life, there may only be a few opportunities to change one¡¯s destiny. Don¡¯t force it if it hasn¡¯t come, grasp it with all your might if it does, and don¡¯t regret it if you miss it. As long as you can do these three things, your life won¡¯t be too much of a failure. Think it over and you can contact me anytime. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: Got it, I¡¯ll think about it, thank you.

    Yan Yu closed the chat window with her, thinking that¡¯s all the help he could offer for now.

    If she didn¡¯t seize the opportunity he gave her, then he would have to let go of his desire to help others, have Chen Lingyun dig up her information, and then teach her how to respect destiny.

 Chapter 186 - 86: The Treasure Girl Xie Ruoxi!

    Chapter 186: Chapter 86: The Treasure Girl Xie Ruoxi!

    In the rental room, Xie Ruoxi sat there blankly, staring at the screen of her smartphone.

    She had been hesitating for almost an entire evening.

    Logically speaking, a pie of this size wouldn¡¯t just fall from the sky for no reason; it was more likely that the cultivator had taken a fancy to my attractive three-dimensional skin and wanted to use money and power to force me to my knees and capture me as his female slave.

    Emotionally, isn¡¯t this just the plot of ¡°Overbearing CEO Falls in Love with Me¡±? The other party is the renowned Yan Zhanlong! Handsome, powerful, wealthy, and with a promising future; if he insisted on binding me to him with a marriage contract¡­

    Xie Ruoxi glanced at her phone again, the pitiful numbers in her bank account piercing her heart.

    Every month her brother would secretly transfer money to her, scraping it together from his living expenses, fearing his sister would suffer while working outside. But he was, after all, going to start college this month, and college was expensive. If I could earn money¡­

    ...

    Xie Ruoxi silently hugged her pillow, lying listlessly on her bed as the glow from her phone dimly reflected on her face.

    After all, being kept was absolutely out of the question,

    but if it was decent work that could make money¡­

    She felt she could give it a try.

    ¡°Can you reveal what kind of work it is?¡± Xie Ruoxi steeled her resolve and began typing on her phone in the darkness.

    ¡°Fan community management.¡± The reply from the other side came quickly, so fast she felt as if they were also waiting by their phone for her, but then she thought better of it¡ªit seemed impossible.

    ¡°What exactly does ¡®fan community¡¯ refer to?¡±

    ¡°Fans,¡± came the reply again. ¡°Simply put, it¡¯s being the leader of the fans, managing the fan group for our team.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi: ?

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    In the end, Xie Ruoxi still agreed to come to Jinling, giving Yan Yu a sense of smooth sailing that felt almost dreamy.

    The timing was just perfect. The girls were all at the South Sea and hadn¡¯t returned yet, so Yan Yu could personally interview her without the risk of them interfering.

    Of course, it wouldn¡¯t matter even if they did find out; Yan Yu was confident he could persuade them to let her stay, but they would surely take turns vetting her identity¡ªit would be far simpler to have her move into the villa and start working, creating a fait accompli before dealing with the girls.

    At the arrival time of the flight, Yan Yu, wearing sunglasses, arrived at the airport and stood in the waiting line for the meet and greet, suddenly finding the situation rather amusing.

    He almost always led the team to conquer mysterious realms, and Qi Changping would be at the airport to meet them upon their return. Now it was finally his turn to meet someone else; it was like the wheel of fortune had turned, the worker becoming the boss.

    After a while, he finally received a message from Xie Ruoxi:

    ¡°I¡¯ve arrived.¡±

    Yan Yu immediately sent a selfie in response.

    ¡°Haha, you look like a big star dressed like that,¡± Xie Ruoxi replied as she walked through the terminal.

    Right after sending the message, she felt stupid enough to cry, hurriedly shivering as she quickly tried to backtrack:

    ¡°Sorry, you¡¯re already a big star. I didn¡¯t mean anything by what I just said¡­¡±

    ¡°Come out quickly,¡± Yan Yu urged.

    He had been waiting outside for a long time and finally saw Xie Ruoxi, carrying her luggage, coming out from the throng of passengers who had just disembarked.

    She was about 1.6 meters tall. Although at first glance she was quite petite, she wasn¡¯t as tiny as Chen Lingyun and was of a height that was generally popular among male preferences.

    Her hair was about shoulder-length, neither long nor short. Without any makeup, her facial features were delicate, exquisite, and petite, somewhat reminiscent of Zhao Linger from ¡°The Legend of Sword and Fairy.¡± Overall, her appearance was indeed good-looking and pleasant, but it was a shame that she wore thick glasses and dressed in tacky sports attire, completely covering her inherent allure.

    Yan Yu remembered that his sister had once forced him to watch similar anime. To put it simply, this kind of girl was the ¡°ugly duckling type¡±; usually inconspicuous because her outward appearance didn¡¯t match, but fundamentally very impressive, and could astonish everyone with a proper transformation.

    Of course, Xie Ruoxi could do makeup too, and after cosplaying and retouching the photos with a beauty app, she truly could attract attention. But that was almost tantamount to changing faces; anyone could look good with that, like an ugly duckling forcibly sticking peacock feathers on herself, not showing the potential genes of a swan.

    ¡°Uh,¡± Xie Ruoxi approached Yan Yu, wanting to speak but found herself at a loss for words.

    I¡¯m not wearing makeup now, and my clothes are plain. He won¡¯t think I¡¯m ugly and reject me, right? Maybe I should pretend I didn¡¯t recognize him and just turn around and leave, then say I¡¯ve had second thoughts¡­ Oh no! He only gave me a one-way ticket! I don¡¯t have the money to go back!

    However, Yan Yu had no idea that in the instant they met, so many thoughts had spun through her mind. He just turned his head and motioned:

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Together they reached the airport¡¯s taxi lane. Yan Yu had already hailed a cab, which was waiting nearby with its trunk open.

    Xie Ruoxi stood behind the car, panting as she lugged her suitcase, trying hard to fit it into the trunk.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t help, just stood to the side looking on with interest.

    Hmm, she¡¯s willing to exert effort; not completely useless.

    Come to think of it, it¡¯s true; at this stage, Xie Ruoxi was still the one running around with a camera, doing private photography for female clients. Physical labor was unavoidable, unlike the utterly useless Xie Ruoxi later on, tied up in the fan¡¯s lair at the cultivator¡¯s homestead¡ªtwo entirely different cultivation realms.

    Thinking of this, he intentionally teased the other party:

    ¡°You brought your suitcase as well? What if you don¡¯t pass the interview, are you going to have to lug your suitcase back?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi was struck as if by lightning, completely stunned on the spot.

    Didn¡¯t they say that I would have work as soon as I arrived? Why is there still an interview?

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, get in the car.¡± Seeing that the girl was dumbfounded, Yan Yu didn¡¯t have the heart to tease her further and instructed her.

    They took a taxi to the Yan family villa, and all the way there, Xie Ruoxi was in a kind of dazed state, gripping the car door tightly with both hands, which made the cab driver tense up¡ªwithout a sound, he toggled the child lock on the door, preventing it from being opened from the inside.

    Although Yan Yu was expressionless, considering Xie Ruoxi¡¯s hometown, as well as her quirky personality¡­ he was also secretly prepared to intervene and rescue her if needed.

    Fortunately, Xie Ruoxi wasn¡¯t lacking common sense, and she didn¡¯t really try to jump out of the car suddenly. So, they arrived at their destination without incident.

    Watching the taxi drive away, Yan Yu thought he might be blacklisted by the driver. He turned to Xie Ruoxi and said:

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, head inside first.¡±

    ¡°Is this the office location?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked curiously, looking at the large house in front of her.

    ¡°My house,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    ¡°Ah?¡± Xie Ruoxi stepped back a few paces, looking for an excuse, ¡°I truly have a boyfriend! I¡¯m really sorry!¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the ¡®Little Dragon Girl¡¯ cultivated for a thousand years who cannot possibly have feelings for any man in this worldly realm?¡± Yan Yu mercilessly exposed her lie.

    Seeing Yan Yu pierce through her dark history (which was more or less from middle school, when she had concocted a similar fantasy narrative for herself, filled with magical and over-the-top elements), Xie Ruoxi immediately widened her eyes, covered in sweat and felt an urge to turn around and run away.

    Damn it, it¡¯s a top predator of the food chain! If I don¡¯t run now, I¡¯ll be eaten!

    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside and talk.¡± Yan Yu used an irresistible tone and command, prompting Xie Ruoxi to push her suitcase and robotically move her legs, walking towards the villa.

    Once inside the villa, Xie Ruoxi¡¯s attention was diverted.

    So huge! Just like in the anime! A place where rich people live!

    ¡°Leave your suitcase by the door, and let¡¯s talk over there.¡± Yan Yu led her to the dining table and pulled out a chair for her to sit, ¡°What insights do you have on social media operation?¡±

    In a past life, Xie Ruoxi had been a streamer with a million followers, so she was not just good at, but professional in refining and crystallizing fan engagement.

    But at this point in time, she hadn¡¯t even started as a real-person broadcaster, still a barely visible video uploader, so her ability in this regard was questionable and needed confirmation.

    ¡°Um,¡± Xie Ruoxi tried to calm herself down and then said, ¡°I have managed a Coser interest group and my own fan group on a certain platform, so I do have some experience in this area.¡±

    ¡°Mm, go on.¡± Yan Yu placed his hands on the table, interlaced his fingers, and propped his chin, ready to listen closely.

    Xie Ruoxi took a deep breath, striving to calm her nerves, and then began to speak fluently:

    ¡°The key to managing fans lies in establishing a well-defined idol persona, and then ensuring high-frequency, prolonged exposure to maintain the idol¡¯s recognition among the fans and potential fan base.¡±

    ¡°Fans can be divided into two categories: core fans and fringe fans. Core fans need the idol to provide positive emotional value to induce a preliminary personal worship, then deepen path dependency on this basis to the point where they unconditionally believe in and support the idol, becoming a free marketing resource we can utilize.¡±

    ¡°Fringe fans are comparatively less loyal but have the advantage of being a large group with extensive connections to the general public. So, by using positive exposure, on the one hand, we can attract them to convert to core fans, and on the other hand, we can also get them to convert outsiders, leading to the diffusion and viral growth of fame.¡±

    ¡°I have written a preliminary strategy proposal for operating these two groups, please take a look¡­¡± S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    She nervously, yet deliberately calmly handed over the prepared and bound proposal to Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu took the stack of A4 papers, flipping through them discreetly while in his heart a storm was brewing.

    Holy shit! I¡¯ve struck gold!

    He had thought she was pretty but useless Xie Ruoxi, but it turned out she wasn¡¯t entirely useless; she was willing to put effort into preparing a strategic proposal and taking the interview seriously!

    Reading the content of her proposal, it was indeed full of unconventional and disagreeable tactics!

    Things like regularly hiring someone to disguise as a hater for unfounded criticisms to increase fan solidarity; managing male and female fans separately by building a female fan base first and then using the attraction of female fans to bring in male fans; and schemes like stirring up ambiguous relationships with Li Minghu to attract the couple¡¯s fans for promotion, then later turning around and kicking them to the curb¡­ We¡¯ll leave that aside for now, but your thought process and methods are commendable!

    Although I¡¯m not very knowledgeable about fan operations, the feasibility of your plan looks¡­ absolutely doable! Easily doable!

    Xie Ruoxi, I didn¡¯t see you coming, but you really are a hidden gem!

    Yan Yu set the proposal aside, looked at Xie Ruoxi who was obviously anxious but tried to remain composed, and said with a slight smile:

    ¡°Although according to formal etiquette, I should say ¡®I¡¯ll think about it for a few days and get back to you later,¡¯ since you did come with your suitcase, so¡­¡±

    Xie Ruoxi held her breath unconsciously, only to hear Yan Yu ask:

    ¡°So, I want to confirm one more thing.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to become a Cultivator?¡±

 Chapter 187 - 87: Can You Memorize It?

    Chapter 187: Chapter 87: Can You Memorize It?

    Become a cultivator.

    Xie Ruoxi had never considered such a thing.

    Last night, she had even thought about the plot where if she couldn¡¯t resist the temptation of being kept by Yan Zhanlong, got pregnant, and then suddenly reformed and ran away with the child¡ªthat was the most exaggerated scenario she could come up with.

    But even that wasn¡¯t as crazy as ¡°becoming a cultivator.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi¡¯s breathing quickened, ¡°are you saying that I can also¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Yan Yu said lightly, ¡°We need to confirm, so I¡¯m asking your intentions first.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯d like to!¡± Xie Ruoxi exclaimed eagerly, almost on the verge of tears, about to kneel on the ground, ¡°Master, please accept Ruoxi¡¯s bow! ¡±

    ¡°Hold on!¡± Yan Yu was also shocked by her peculiar thoughts and quickly stopped her, ¡°Have you been reading too many of those teacher-student romance novels?! It¡¯s the state that wants to train you to become a cultivator, not me taking you as a disciple!¡±

    ¡°Oh, oh, oh.¡± Xie Ruoxi did indeed have a moment (she swore it was just a fleeting thought) when she had gone off on a tangent about the popular teacher-student romance theme in cultivation novels. Now that Yan Yu had mercilessly pointed it out, she instantly turned red with embarrassment and humbly said, ¡°I¡¯m fine with that, I¡¯ll follow your arrangements.¡±

    Yan Yu realized this treasure of a girl, although not yet a beautiful waste, was naturally prone to whimsical and erratic thoughts, so he sighed helplessly and continued,

    ¡°The state¡¯s recruitment channels for cultivators have already closed, so we¡¯ll need to use some special connections. The premise is that you absolutely cannot publicize this, understand? Otherwise, even if you have the talent for cultivation, this will fall through.¡±

    ¡°Mmm-hmm-hmm!¡± Xie Ruoxi thought to herself that she was familiar with this scenario, like when the overbearing CEO forces the heroine to sign a marriage contract, he would always threaten her with ¡®you can¡¯t tell anyone¡¯¡­ My mouth can be very tight, zipped up.¡±

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Yan Yu nodded with satisfaction, ¡°Let¡¯s sign a labor contract first, and then I will test your talent.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    However, it should be mentioned that Yan somehow had always been opposed to the proliferation of civilian cultivators, and he had never been hypocritical about it from the start.

    But the emphasis here is on the word ¡°proliferation.¡±

    It¡¯s impossible to completely ban civilian cultivators, just as it¡¯s impossible for the Yellow River to easily stop flowing.

    Yan Yu¡¯s viewpoint stood between the conservatives and the radicals. He believed that the state should control the scale of civilian cultivators as much as possible, allowing a gradual expansion, but not exceeding the administrative capacity¡ªthe quantity of controllable civilian cultivators should be increased step-by-step, considering the society¡¯s capacity to accommodate them.

    Controllable civilian cultivators, officially called ¡°registered cultivators,¡± pose much less danger than ¡°non-registered cultivators.¡± After all, most people have parents. If you commit a crime outside, the court immediately informs your parents, and many people rein themselves in just thinking about that.

    What he really opposed was Chen Family¡¯s attitude of ¡°if you can¡¯t control it, completely let go, let everyone cultivate freely and let natural selection take its course,¡± that was truly deadly.

    Xie Ruoxi, due to a stroke of fate, stepped onto the path of cultivation in her previous life. In theory, she had become a civilian cultivator, but in reality, she was a homebody who rarely left her house. Such civilian cultivators, though unregistered, posed virtually zero threat to society.

    Moreover, in this life, Yan Yu intended to register her with the Zhendong Army early on, so she would no longer be counted as a civilian cultivator.

    I, Yan Yu, am a man of principle!

    He went to retrieve the introductory textbooks issued at the start of school from the dormitory, then picked up some cash on the way home. Only then did Yan Yu leisurely walk back.

    Arriving home and opening the door, he saw Xie Ruoxi sitting stiffly on the living room sofa, not daring to move.

    ¡°Follow me,¡± Yan Yu commanded.

    The villa had a vast basement, originally designed to serve as a parking garage, which was later converted into a training ground by Chen Lingyun for future secretive training sessions. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Such as refining ghosts and the like.

    Yan Yu brought a chair from the underground training room and gestured for Xie Ruoxi to sit, then handed her the textbook he was carrying.

    Xie Ruoxi stared blankly at the book in her hands: ¡°Essential Outline of Cultivation.¡±

    ¡°Read it through,¡± Yan Yu instructed with an indisputable tone, ¡°Memorize the sections on acupoints and Qi Refinement without missing a word. I¡¯ll test you later.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± Xie Ruoxi finally reacted, exclaiming, ¡°Eh, eh, eh, eh!¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to test my cultivation aptitude?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked in panic, ¡°Isn¡¯t it about taking me in front of a testing stone, where I place my hand on it, and it automatically announces my aptitude level and Cultivation Realm?¡±

    ¡°You should read fewer web novels, okay?¡± Yan Yu showed a speechless expression, ¡°First master this textbook completely, then we¡¯ll see if you can refine True Qi. That will tell us about your talent. Having True Qi means you can, not having it means you can¡¯t, everything is result-oriented.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi said with a wry smile, ¡°But memorizing stuff like that, I¡¯m not good at it. And the acupoints and Qi Refinement sections make up three big chapters, that¡¯s so many words¡­¡±

    Yan Yu expressionlessly picked up the leather bag beside him, took out a stack of crisp, new hundred-yuan notes that were redolent of ink, and without a shred of pity, tossed them into her arms:

    ¡°Can you memorize it or not?¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t about money, okay?¡± Xie Ruoxi protested.

    Yan Yu coldly took out another bundle of banknotes and waved it in front of her a few times before roughly smashing it into her embrace:

    ¡°Now, can you memorize it or not?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not lying to you.¡± Xie Ruoxi said weakly, ¡°I¡¯m really not good at memorizing things¡­¡±

    Yan Yu turned the leather bag upside down above her head and shook it hard, letting the cash fall down forcefully, giving Xie Ruoxi a harsh shower of banknotes ¨C¨C washing her into a daze, her eyes lifeless, as if the sudden windfall had damaged her brain.

    ¡°There¡¯s two hundred thousand here.¡± He said with a devilishly tempting voice, ¡°I¡¯ll give you one last chance: can you memorize it? If you can remember it, if you learn it, it¡¯s all yours.¡±

    ¡°Two hundred thousand? All of it for me?¡±

    ¡°All of it for you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll memorize it!¡± Xie Ruoxi clenched her teeth.

    Two hundred thousand in cash, enough not just for her to attend university, but even as a dowry to buy her back for her parents¡­ How many private tutoring jobs would she have to take on to save up two hundred thousand!

    Seeing her begin to study, Yan Yu didn¡¯t leave, but simply sat down by her side and leisurely started reading a novel himself.

    Xie Ruoxi noticed he seemed to be reading a web novel too and really wanted to ask what book he was reading, if they liked the same genres and authors¡­ but then she thought of the two hundred thousand!

    Better to earn money¡­ ah, no, studying is more important!

    Seeing Xie Ruoxi seemingly start studying seriously, Yan Yu might have appeared to be preoccupied with his phone screen, but his mind was filled with doubts.

    He stayed in the basement not out of a desire to be with Xie Ruoxi, but because his portrayal as a beautiful loser in his previous life was simply too horrifying, demanding caution.

    It was said that during one military campaign, as the team leader, she overslept on the day they were set to depart. Why did she oversleep? Because she had been up all night playing video games.

    The Annan Army headquarters were so infuriated they issued a directive for all major gaming companies to ban Xie Ruoxi¡¯s accounts, blocking her phone number, ID number, and internet IP from any gaming services forever.

    With such waste as Xie Ruoxi, even with all the patience in the world, it was hard for Yan Yu to believe she would actually study earnestly.

    Supervision! I must supervise personally!

    About ten minutes later, Yan Yu went upstairs to get takeout, then came down and shared it with Xie Ruoxi as dinner.

    ¡°Yan Yu.¡± Xie Ruoxi asked curiously, ¡°You used to eat takeout too?¡±

    ¡°Otherwise?¡± Yan Yu split a pair of disposable chopsticks and handed them to her, casually asking back.

    ¡°You live in such a big villa; I thought you¡¯d hire a private chef.¡± Xie Ruoxi said admiringly while tasting the saut¨¦ed chicken and immediately exclaimed, ¡°This is so good!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not an aristocrat, why hire a private chef?¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly, ¡°With money, the most I¡¯d do is order expensive takeout without considering the cost, but my quality of life hasn¡¯t improved that much.¡±

    ¡°Heh, that¡¯s probably because you don¡¯t really know how to spend money.¡± Xie Ruoxi probed, watching his facial expression.

    ¡°I might not know how to spend money, but I know how to use people.¡± Yan Yu ferociously grabbed bites of the saut¨¦ed chicken, nonstop, ¡°That¡¯s enough for me.¡±

    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t eat it all yourself, save some for me.¡± Seeing that Yan Yu really didn¡¯t act like a boss, Xie Ruoxi grew bolder and even began to fight him for the food.

    Their chopsticks clashed in a fight for the dishes, and they cleaned up all the meals. Xie Ruoxi patted her little stomach, her heart content as she nodded and swayed, smiling:

    ¡°All filled up, so happy~¡±

    ¡°What, couldn¡¯t you get enough to eat before?¡± Yan Yu looked at her sidelong and asked.

    ¡°Photography has irregular hours.¡± Xie Ruoxi answered, ¡°If a job comes in while you¡¯re eating and you can¡¯t get there in time, someone else snatches it up.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I said, that profession has no future for you.¡± Yan Yu chuckled, and said, ¡°Better study hard, aim to become a cultivator as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Xie Ruoxi set the book aside and suddenly said, ¡°I haven¡¯t started memorizing yet, just read it through once and then practiced it a bit, and it seemed like I managed to produce flowing Qi. Can you check it for me?¡±

    Yan Yu: ?

 Chapter 188 - 88: You Really Are a Sweetie

    Chapter 188: Chapter 88: You Really Are a Sweetie

    ¡°`

    To become a cultivator in Lu Country, there are only two criteria:

    First, refine True Qi.

    Second, learn the Three Arts and Five Spells.

    Refining True Qi isn¡¯t too difficult, especially with Lu Country¡¯s current ¡°blood test selection¡± method, which screens for those who have a Spirit Root¡ªa seedling for cultivation.

    As long as one can clearly remember the pathways of the human meridians and various major acupoints, and tries following the specific routes about ten times, one can basically complete the Grand Circulation and refine True Qi.

    ...

    However, those who haven¡¯t memorized any knowledge, don¡¯t know the route of qi circulation, and can still refine True Qi just by trying randomly are usually called ¡°Innately talented cultivators.¡±

    Yan Yu asked Xie Ruoxi to continue her breathing exercises and Qi Refinement, then he began to scan her body with his Divine Sense.

    Hmm, indeed there is a sensation of Qi.

    The beautiful loser actually didn¡¯t lie and has truly managed to refine True Qi.

    But on second thought, maybe it was her outstanding innate talent for cultivation that made her so nonchalant about her practice, ultimately degrading into a hermit cultivator in her previous life.

    To prevent her from becoming complacent, I can¡¯t praise her; instead, I must push her hard!

    Just like when I guided Zhao Yuanzhen to renounce evil and pursue good, helped Zhou Hongyu establish goals, and made agreements with Li Minghu¡­ in any case, when it comes to helping others, Yan Yu is already quite experienced.

    When to hoodwink and when to go for the kill¡ª he¡¯s well versed in this and won¡¯t stop until he achieves his goals.

    ¡°Hmm, it seems you indeed have the talent to become a cultivator,¡± Yan Yu said with a detached tone.

    Xie Ruoxi had just started to smile sweetly when she heard Yan Yu continue:

    ¡°But your True Qi is too weak, which means your aptitude is poor! You¡¯ll need to train twice as much as others to catch up, so you can¡¯t afford to slack off and must diligently practice every day¡­ Hey!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t bother listening to all that; she quickly wrapped her arms around the pile of cash in the corner and asked guardedly:

    ¡°Yan Yu, you keep your word, right? Is all this money mine now?¡±

    ¡°Uhh.¡± Yan Yu fell silent for a moment, then nodded and said, ¡°Yeah.¡±

    The beautiful loser from the past life with no motivation was truly a pity, but this person right in front of him, who was motivated by money and had eyes that lit up at the sight of it¡­ Why does she not seem like any good either?

    No, this method of using money cannot be used again; going from one extreme to the other is absolutely not okay.

    Yan Yu¡¯s original plan was to first guide Xie Ruoxi to become a cultivator, then slowly let her get the hang of managing social communities, so he would have an assistant good for both intellectual management and martial action.

    But Xie Ruoxi¡¯s talent in cultivation is indeed excellent. If I teach her the Three Arts and Five Spells too quickly, she will become overly reliant on martial strength, which is not conducive to a balanced development in both literature and martial arts.

    Yan Yu thought carefully, thinking it wasn¡¯t because he was afraid that if her martial power grew too quickly, she would become difficult to control¡­ How could he, the strongest in this world, be afraid of her modest cultivation talent?

    Mainly, let¡¯s look at the past life, when Xie Ruoxi replaced the Li siblings and became the number one cultivator of the Annan Army. What came of that? No matter how good at fighting she was, wasn¡¯t she just a top-level fighter? When it came to having her say, she wasn¡¯t even as influential as Chen Lingyun.

    Even trying to sneak in a game during free time would get her noticed by various gaming companies and result in a ban; how pitiful!

    When Sun Quan persuaded Lu Meng to start learning, eventually Lu Meng went from illiterate to ¡°none other than Lu Meng of Wu.¡± Not only do I, Yan Yu, want to be Xie Ruoxi¡¯s Lu Su, but I also want to be her Sun Quan!

    I¡¯m doing this for her sake; she will understand this one day.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough for your cultivation training for now,¡± Yan Yu instructed indifferently, ¡°Find time every day to circulate your Qi and perform the Grand Circulation. I¡¯ll regularly check up on your progress.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Xie Ruoxi looked troubled, ¡°I have to practice every day?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Yan Yu immediately scolded her, ¡°Your talent is already worse than others, and you dare to be lazy? Don¡¯t you want to be a cultivator?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi hung her head and said no more.

    ¡°Once your cultivation progresses to a satisfactory level, I¡¯ll teach you more,¡± Yan Yu waved his hand and said, ¡°Now let¡¯s go upstairs and talk about your living arrangements and work.¡±

    Upon reaching the second floor of the villa, Yan Yu pointed to the rooms on either side of the corridor and introduced:

    ¡°This is the study, that¡¯s the gym, over there is the movie room, and the rest of the rooms, apart from the bathroom and rooms with signs on the doors, are all empty. Pick one for yourself.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi peeked into the study and saw a computer, immediately her eyes lit up:

    ¡°I want to stay in the study!¡±

    ¡°The study is a study, not a bedroom,¡± Yan Yu reminded her, ¡°This study is smaller than the bedrooms, and the lighting isn¡¯t great, plus there¡¯s no balcony.¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    ¡°No problem, no problem,¡± Xie Ruoxi hastened to say, ¡°I just like small rooms that have a computer and don¡¯t get sunlight in the morning.¡± S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    There were five vacant bedrooms, but she insisted on living in the study¡­ Yan Yu couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue with her, after all, it was Xie Ruoxi, the Abstract King of Fans, not doing something bizarre would be the real surprise:

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll arrange for someone to come and set up a bed and wardrobe later.¡±

    ¡°Can I start working now?¡± Xie Ruoxi sat in the office chair, rubbing her hands in anticipation in front of the new computer, her pretty face full of eagerness.

    ¡°Yeah, let me tell you about the work,¡± Yan Yu said as he booted up the computer, speaking calmly, ¡°Before August, the resurgence of spiritual energy was subject to information control and wasn¡¯t allowed to be discussed on domestic networks; most people were unaware.¡±

    ¡°At the end of August, this information started to be massively declassified, followed by the Three Isles Treasure Ship incident, which marked the first time we cultivators officially entered into an event of widespread public fervor.¡±

    ¡°This means that more and more citizens will start to recognize us cultivators. Therefore, the first public impression established in this window of time is incredibly important.¡±

    ¡°You should start by setting up our team¡¯s official accounts on various platforms, get all the necessary verifications done, and then you decide how to manage them. Come to me for funding or materials you need.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t say another word and started fiddling with the mouse and keyboard immediately.

    Yan Yu had little doubt about Xie Ruoxi¡¯s ability to manage a fan base. In her previous life, she had become a streamer with millions of fans, swindling money from them without even showing her face; her talent for manipulating people was clear.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Several days later, the cleanup of the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm was finally drawing to a close.

    The members of the Zhenhai Team and the Qing¡¯an Team were about to finish their work and return to their respective homes.

    Yan Yu called a cleaning service, asking the ladies to clean up the villa inside and out, so the girls could feel comfortable and happy upon their return.

    Soon, a cleaner came downstairs and said:

    ¡°Young man! Go up and call your wife for a moment, she¡¯s squatting in the study not coming out, we can¡¯t clean up like this!¡±

    Yan Yu: ?

    When he reached the second-floor study, he saw Xie Ruoxi with messy hair and heavy dark circles under her eyes, rapidly typing on the computer keyboard.

    ¡°Stop working for now.¡± Yan Yu snapped the monitor off, ¡°Come downstairs with me and let the cleaners tidy up the study.¡±

    ¡°Wait a second¡­ Ah!¡± Xie Ruoxi stood up in annoyance, complaining, ¡°I was just a few keystrokes away from posting that comment!¡±

    ¡°Is that comment really so important?¡± Yan Yu asked casually.

    ¡°Not important,¡± Xie Ruoxi responded, ¡°But posting it would have made me feel better.¡±

    ¡°Young people shouldn¡¯t be so hot-tempered.¡± Yan Yu chuckled disdainfully, ¡°Internet arguments are pointless, getting angry means you¡¯ve lost.¡±

    ¡°That troll said that the essence of the Zhenhai Team is that of a financial conglomerate¡¯s dance troupe.¡± Xie Ruoxi argued, ¡°He also claimed that the female cultivators in the team are all for your selection as concubines, and that you roll dice every night to choose whose card to flip.¡±

    ¡°Classic.¡± Yan Yu chuckled coldly, not bothering to refute, and simply said, ¡°Take a screenshot of the user ID and their comment and send it to me, I¡¯ll have someone up top take care of it.¡±

    ¡°Damn!¡± Xie Ruoxi was stunned at first but quickly burst into a smug grin, nodding incessantly, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it after the study is cleaned. Also, take a look at this video¡­ ¡±

    Yan Yu looked closely and saw that it was a re-uploaded video from a neighboring non-existent platform, featuring an interview with Thornbird¡ªthe superhero had already announced his presence in Northern Ai, relieving many of his compatriots who were concerned about him.

    Last night, he was invited to ¡°Tonight with Morgan,¡± where the host asked about the performance of the Rikoku Cultivator. ¡°Thornbird¡± Roger expressed high praise:

    ¡°¡­Hmm, I don¡¯t want to belittle Rikoku Cultivators due to some internationally popular stereotypes, because a loss is a loss, there¡¯s no need to find excuses to feel better, but¡­ ¡±

    ¡°¡­Yan Yu is a very strong, very strong, very strong Rikoku Cultivator, worth my repeating three times. You all saw the live broadcast, didn¡¯t you? Were there any audience members who haven¡¯t seen the live stream or the recording? From the initiation to the explosion of the ¡®Demons¡¯ Trap¡¯ Spell, the reaction and action time left for anyone was less than 0.4 seconds, and he managed to dodge them all¡­ all of them, a full seven Demons¡¯ Traps!¡±

    ¡°¡­No, I don¡¯t think if I had another chance and chose a different tactic I could turn defeat into victory. There¡¯s currently a gap in strength between me and him, you know? Of course, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll always be behind, I just firmly believe that to surpass an opponent, the first thing to do is to acknowledge them¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Xie Ruoxi dragged the video¡¯s progress bar to the end, saying with pride, ¡°Not wanting to lose face in defeat, he has to forcefully praise you in order to minimize the shame of his loss, his intentions are too obvious.¡±

    ¡°Of course, we have to take advantage of this popularity: I can use the footage of your previous battle with him and edit a highlight video. I¡¯ve already thought of the title, it¡¯ll be called ¡®Intense! Yan Zhanlong Decimates Thornbird, the Ultimate Aesthetic of a Cultivator¡¯s Violence!¡¯ and release it across all major platforms on the internet.¡±

    ¡°First, we get some hired commenters to hype it up, attracting the first wave of traffic. Then, we have a bunch of trolls claim the video is faked, followed by our rational fans disputing them. Lastly, we take screenshots of the intense debate and post them on major forums to attract a lot of smart bystanders to come over and pass judgment.¡±

    ¡°Whether these bystanders support the fans or the trolls, they¡¯ll definitely have to watch the video to judge its authenticity, and that¡¯s how our video will capture a second wave of traffic. Then, I can go anonymously to a few big content creators to buy promotional pieces, get them to help with a deep technical verification, and then have trolls stir trouble in their comment sections, provoking their fans to watch the original video¡­ ¡±

    Her enthusiasm grew as she spoke, but she didn¡¯t notice that Yan Yu¡¯s look towards her was becoming increasingly strange.

    Xie Ruoxi, are you really so adept at marketing and stirring up activity?

    ¡°`

 Chapter 189 - 89 Yan Zhanlongs Fire Spreads Across North and South Jiangnan

    Chapter 189: Chapter 89 Yan Zhanlong¡¯s Fire Spreads Across North and South Jiangnan

    [High-octane! Yan Zhanlong annihilates Thornbird, the ultimate aesthetic of Cultivator¡¯s sheer violence!]

    Although her academic performance wasn¡¯t great, when it came to things she was truly interested in, Xie Ruoxi worked at an exceptionally fast pace. She managed to edit the video in just one afternoon.

    Yan Yu took a look at it and was thoroughly impressed; he couldn¡¯t find any faults.

    The BGM selected was The_Phoenix by the band The Out Boys, the fervent rhythm of the rock music complementing the intense battle scenes perfectly.

    More amusingly, the superhero ¡°Phoenix¡± in the footage, who was walked like a dog by Yan Yu and Li Minghu, is actually a translation of the word Phoenix itself.

    The entire animation scene was chaotically edited. The video started with Thornbird¡¯s quote during an interview, ¡°Yan Yu is a very strong, very strong, very strong Rikoku Cultivator¡±. Then the robust and passionate BGM war song kicked in as the camera panned to the battle scenes, with Thornbird¡¯s camera view as the main perspective, interspersed with shots from two other people¡¯s footage.

    ...

    From a tactical replay perspective, this kind of editing was certainly subpar. Frequent changes in viewpoint made it hard to reconstruct the original sequence of the battle.

    But for the non-professional video audience, the trendiness was seriously off the charts. The dazzling interweaving of the Thunder Lance¡¯s lightning, Phoenix¡¯s flames, and the double sword lights of the Sky Flash Sword and Huang Tingjian, made it so you wished you had eighteen eyes to catch every detail.

    What¡¯s more, Yan Yu noticed that every camera switch was perfectly timed to the beat of the BGM, further enhancing the effect of the rock music and the blood-pumping visuals, making for an even more provocative atmosphere.

    What is talent? This is talent!

    Xie Ruoxi, how did you end up as a beautiful good-for-nothing in your past life? What other treasures am I yet to discover within you?

    Come on, reveal them all to me!

    Seeing the girl¡¯s face beaming with pride, as if saying ¡°please praise me¡±, Yan Yu nodded reservedly and put on an air of authority as he said:

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go ahead and post it. But while video quality is crucial, we can¡¯t neglect follow-up operations. Make sure to track the data and provide feedback in a timely manner, and adjust our strategy accordingly.¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡± She didn¡¯t state it explicitly, but Xie Ruoxi could tell he was very pleased (otherwise, why wouldn¡¯t he have found a single fault?), and she saluted before scampering off. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Post it! Post it ruthlessly! Let those naysayers see just how awesome my solo-promoted Yan Zhanlong is!

    No sooner had Ruoxi released the video than she sought out a click-farm company within the content creator¡¯s circle and bought the largest traffic package available.

    As everyone knows, the process for video recommendations often starts off by providing a small amount of traffic for a trial push. Then, based on the click-through rate, completion rate, and other playback data during the trial period, the amount of traffic for the second push is determined.

    Click-farm companies can make the trial period traffic look good, ensuring that you get a substantial amount of platform traffic for the second batch. Whether this wave of traffic can bring higher conversion rates and lead to subsequent third and fourth rounds of traffic ultimately depends on the quality of your video¡ªyou can¡¯t always buy views, especially since the monetization rate of videos is poor, it would be purely loss-making.

    Ruoxi¡¯s video had the currently hottest keyword, ¡°Yan Zhanlong¡±. Moreover, it was a self-made video posted by a verified official account, which probably caught the platform operator¡¯s attention. Before the click-farm even started to vigorously boost the video, it received a huge traffic boost from the platform itself, and the data began to soar.

    Most video viewers don¡¯t usually watch live streams or bother to visit smaller platforms for pirated broadcasts. Having only heard of ¡°Yan Zhanlong¡±, they had no idea how formidable it was. Once they clicked on the video, they couldn¡¯t pull themselves away.

    On the return trip, the crews of the Zhenhai Team and Qing¡¯an Team ¡ª all Cultivators ¡ª were sitting around two tables playing the card game ¡®Fight the Landlord¡¯.

    With eight people across two tables, and one person taking a break, it was Jiang Hong¡¯s turn to rest. He was idly browsing a video website on the ship¡¯s computer when he suddenly shouted:

    ¡°Holy shit! Looks like Yan¡¯s popularity just won¡¯t stop rolling in, wave after wave!¡±

    Upon hearing that something was up with Yan Yu again, everyone quickly threw down their cards and gathered around the computer to enjoy the fun.

    After silently watching the video, Lin Ning couldn¡¯t help but express:

    ¡°No lies, that was pretty cool.¡±

    Flying kites and walking dogs with Phoenix, the double sword strike on Thunderbird, and then Yan Yu¡¯s sudden ambush on Thornbird, a devilish trap with seven rapid flashes, moving so fast it was almost as if he was teleporting, which nearly filled the whole screen with barrage comments, and the advanced barrage was even more numerous, scrolling fancily with comments like ¡°Disaster is always one step behind me¡±.

    The video¡¯s final scene showed Yan Yu, having completed seven flashes to get in close, with a look of indifferent yet domineering arrogance, leaving the words, ¡°You like Jump Rope, huh?¡± before delivering a killer punch that shattered the camera, followed by a meaningful black screen as the BGM ended abruptly, leaving viewers with a lingering aftertaste as the screen-filling barrage collectively became ¡°You may now breathe¡±.

    Seriously, everyone had indeed held their breath subconsciously just a moment ago.

    Yan Yu wasn¡¯t here, so everyone turned their gaze to another person involved, Li Minghu.

    Li Minghu smiled helplessly and said,

    ¡°The credit is all his, I was just playing a supporting role.¡±

    No matter how much Li Zhaojiang wanted to protect his sister, he had to admit that this kid Yan Yu really stood out on his own. Strictly speaking, it was his sister who was basking in his fame.

    Looking at the comments section of the video, sure enough, the audience¡¯s passion was also ignited. There were cheers, songs of praise, fans enthralled by Yan Zhanlong, and even those who said they were using the video as an accompaniment to their drinks, already starting to toast with their fathers-in-law¡­ In short, the reviews were overwhelmingly positive ¡ª the number of comments had already broken through the thousands, and the number of views had skyrocketed to the hundreds of thousands in no time.

    At Shengjing Prefecture¡¯s Dingbei National Defense Academy, Liu Longtao had just finished practicing swordplay and picked up his phone during the break, only to see that his childhood buddies, the young princes, had sent him a video.

    After watching the video in silence, Lord Master revealed a thoughtful expression.

    Pretty captivating.

    I¡¯ll have to ask Old Yan which studio he hired and get them to make one for me too.

    ¡°Ye Jun!¡± He made up his mind, turned around, and called out, ¡°Come take a look at this.¡±

    In a certain establishment in Shuzhong Prefecture, the Huofeng Team was enjoying hotpot while watching the TV on the wall. Suddenly, the local news station inserted a last-minute news broadcast, headlined ¡°Yan Zhanlong¡¯s compilation video of his battle defeating the Thorns Bird has sparked national attention and heated discussion.¡±

    Although it was a last-minute news story, there was no need to prepare any new materials. The anchor read off the script, and then the camera cut away to play the video, simple and relaxed.

    But the team members watched with rapt attention. Zhou Hongyu was expressionless, not moving an inch. Zhang Huaide frowned slightly, feeling that the angle transitions were too chaotic. Qin Meng dropped his chopsticks without realizing it, while Tang Xiaolian had her mouth slightly agape.

    Only Meng Qingxi was watching the TV and eating hotpot, occasionally lifting his plastic cup to sip some wine along with the music, thoroughly enjoying himself.

    The reason for the local television¡¯s insertion of this program was not due to any keen sense of journalism, but because the Zhendong Army discovered that someone was promoting their affiliated cultivator, Yan Yu. Li Weiguo immediately made a phone call, requesting that local propaganda departments cooperate in drumming up support.

    ¡°Hahaha!¡± He watched the video over and over on the computer, unable to help but exclaim, ¡°Good, good, good! You, young man, should stop showing off in front of me and start showing off in front of all the people of the nation! It should¡¯ve been like this all along!¡±

    Inside the Jinling Villa, Xie Ruoxi logged into the backend of various video sites, and upon seeing the explosive growth of view counts like rockets, she was momentarily captivated and intoxicated.

    Although my video production deserves some credit, it¡¯s really because Yan Zhanlong is just too handsome! Three hundred and sixty degrees of unobstructed handsomeness!

    As the leader of his fans, I wholeheartedly promote him, and there¡¯s not the slightest bit of him paying too much that factors into this!

    She was holding her pretty face, thrilled to no end, when suddenly a new message notification popped up on her screen.

    Looking at the nickname of the sender, it was according to the previous operational plan, where they had intended to hire some trolls to slander the video as fake to create a controversial sensation. Hence, Xie Ruoxi had specially contacted another marketing agency.

    [Tempest Marketing Studio]: Client, we can¡¯t take this job anymore!

    [Tempest Marketing Studio]: Yan Zhanlong is too damn awesome. Now the whole net is his fans, how could we possibly slander him? It would ruin our reputation.

    [Tempest Marketing Studio]: I advise you to start pulling back too. He is the pride of our Lu Country, thoroughly beating the foreigners. It¡¯s really not something we can go against. Business is business, but some things really shouldn¡¯t be touched, with Lord Master watching over us.

    [Tempest Marketing Studio]: We won¡¯t report you, but don¡¯t contact us again.

    [You are not this user¡¯s friend. Please contact him/her to add you as a friend again.]

    Xie Ruoxi stared at the screen for a long time before she realized she had been blocked by them.

    Yan Yu¡¯s popularity had soared to such heights that even the marketing trolls had become his fans, and they were no longer taking business!

    She jumped up from her chair, cheered, and hopped around a few times, releasing her joy. After calming her excitement, she hurried out of her study to share the good news with Yan Yu.

 Chapter 190 - 90: The Four Jing Chas Fight Back to the Villa, Qiao Xixi Tragically Ambushed

    Chapter 190: Chapter 90: The Four Jing Chas Fight Back to the Villa, Qiao Xixi Tragically Ambushed

    After hearing Xie Ruoxi¡¯s description, Yan Yu fell silent too.

    Uh, I did think I would become popular, but isn¡¯t this level of heat a bit too much?

    In fact, Yan Yu¡¯s expectations for making a name for himself weren¡¯t very high, because the situation at this stage was as follows: the officials knew how awesome he was, but they couldn¡¯t do this kind of promotion; they only knew how to write those official articles like ¡°our soldiers performed outstandingly on the South Sea battlefield¡±.

    Of course, there were capable people among the public who could do marketing promotions, but the public didn¡¯t know yet how awesome he was¡­ So although Yan Yu believed in Xie Ruoxi¡¯s abilities, he also thought that managing to get a fan group of a few hundred people would already be quite good.

    Unexpectedly, this pretty but useless person had quietly managed to pull off a big event for him¡­

    Seeing that the video views had already broken three million, Yan Yu stroked his chin and pondered for a moment, then asked Xie Ruoxi,

    ...

    ¡°So, am I considered popular now?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been popular since ¡®Yan Zhanlong¡¯ hit the hot search,¡± Xie Ruoxi said seriously. ¡°Now, it should be about refining fans, turning many fans from those vast numbers of ordinary people who have only heard the name ¡®Yan Zhanlong¡¯ but don¡¯t know the specific details.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, good.¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t have much to say, just continued scrolling through his phone, and then he saw Liu Longtao had sent him a voice message.

    [Liu Shao]: Where did you find that video editing team, Old Yan? Let me borrow them.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Hahaha, envious, aren¡¯t you, Old Liu? It isn¡¯t some outside video editing team that takes commercial orders, but trusted people of my own! If you also want to make a promotional video, it depends on whether she has time and is willing to help you.

    [Liu Shao]: My own people, that¡¯s great! I¡¯ll have Ye Jun prepare some materials for our team and send them to you. No rush, anytime you can help me make it is fine.

    Although Lord Master also had a craving for showing off, he knew better that now was Yan Yu¡¯s time to rise to fame; one only piggybacks off others¡¯ popularity to attract traffic, who would compete face to face with someone in the limelight? Better wait until the hype has died down.

    ¡°Who is that?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked with surprise, ¡°He sounds quite full of himself.¡±

    My Yan Yu is a war hero! Indeed, he beat the opposing superheroes so hard they were looking for their teeth on the ground, and only then could I edit a sufficiently stunning video for him. You want me to help with what some random team got?

    ¡°Just a show-off from Pingjing.¡± Yan Yu casually replied, ¡°When the time comes, we¡¯ll see what materials he sends over. If they can be edited, we¡¯ll edit; if not, just tell me, no worries.¡±

    ¡°Then,¡± seeing that he seemed satisfied, Xie Ruoxi mustered up some courage and said, ¡°does this mean I¡¯ve passed my trial period?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Yan Yu looked at her oddly, ¡°What trial period? From the moment you cultivated True Qi, you¡¯ve been my person! I still need to help you get your Cultivator status! What are you thinking? Now that we¡¯ve discovered you have the qualifications for cultivation, would I send you away? Am I someone who would waste talent like that?¡±

    ¡°Ehehe.¡± Xie Ruoxi was instantly overjoyed, her fingers entwined as she fiddled with them repeatedly before suddenly saying, ¡°Then that computer in my room¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s yours!¡± Yan Yu waved his hand impatiently, ¡°You already said it¡¯s your room, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Xie Ruoxi saluted and then dashed back to her room.

    Yan Yu: ?

    He suddenly realized something was wrong. The study computer belonging to her was fine, but that didn¡¯t mean she could spend all her time playing on the computer, ending up like her previous life¡¯s beautiful but useless person who relied entirely on the internet to live!

    So Yan Yu began to face the problems many bosses face: how to prevent employees from playing games during working hours?

    The ultimate solution: Install monitoring software and then tell her the machine has monitoring on it.

    As for who to ask¡­ Yan Yu remembered that Sun Ziyi from his previous life seemed to be a computer expert, so he sent a message to Qiu Ze, asking him to get Sun Ziyi to make a recommendation.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    A business van stopped in front of the villa.

    The person who got out of the vehicle was a petite and lovely girl.

    She was dressed in a school-style JK jacket, with a white shirt, pleated dress, and a tie inside. Under the short skirt, two slender and cute legs were revealed, and she was holding a parasol for shading, which, combined with her height of about one meter and fifty-six centimeters, made her look like a little mushroom under the sun.

    ¡°Finally back,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile as she looked at the villa.

    Following her out of the van was Su Yunjin, who took the parasol from Chen Lingyun¡¯s hand. Her taste in clothes was very different from Chen Lingyun¡¯s, preferring more simple styles, like solid-color knitted jackets and simple dresses.

    With her calm and gentle face, standing behind Chen Lingyun like that, she resembled an older sister holding an umbrella for her younger sister.

    ¡°Take the stuff from the trunk for me!¡± Lin Ning, in fact, was the first to get out of the car but had walked around to the back, where she was now checking if the frozen seafood brought back from the South Sea had started to thaw.

    She was wearing a knit cardigan (belonging to Su Yunjin), paired with denim hot shorts and beautiful pale legs, clearly rushing back from a tropical area in the south, not yet accustomed to Jinling¡¯s autumn weather.

    ¡°I got it, I got it!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was the last to leave the car, going over to help Lin Ning with the stuff¡ªafter all, the seafood was what she wanted to eat.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress had already spent half a year in this world, and had officially declared herself 100% Earth-adapted. Her low-cut T-shirt clung on perilously, and like Lin Ning, she too wore hot pants that highlighted every curve of her figure in stark detail.

    If one were to describe each girl with a single word following the order mentioned above, they would probably be: exquisite, elegant, energetic, and voluptuous.

    The minivan drove off, and the girls picked up their bags, both large and small, sauntering back home.

    ¡°What do you think Yan Yu is doing right now?¡± Chen Lingyun started the conversation with a smile.

    ¡°Sleeping in,¡± Lin Ning guessed casually.

    ¡°At this time of day, he should be cooking dinner,¡± Su Yunjin projected her own habits onto him, saying uncertainly.

    ¡°Definitely hugging his phone, watching his own show-off videos, hiding somewhere and smugly patting himself on the back,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said carelessly.

    ¡°Hmm, I think you¡¯re all wrong,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a light smile. ¡°That video wasn¡¯t uploaded by an enthusiastic netizen. The uploader¡¯s account has his own verification mark.¡±

    ¡°So he made the video himself?¡± Lin Ning responded quickly, immediately asking.

    ¡°Can¡¯t say for sure, but he definitely knew about it before it was published,¡± Chen Lingyun arrived at the villa¡¯s entrance, gently knocking on the door, ¡°Since his personal video is out, the next step is surely to make a promotional video for our whole team¡­¡±

    Before the knocking sound even stopped, a loud shout came from inside:

    ¡°Leave the takeout at the door, thank you!¡±

    The girls: ???

    Immediately their expressions changed dramatically, drastically, wildly!

    Ah, what an unfamiliar and seductively tender voice!

    Chen Lingyun turned her head, the sweet smile now tinged with a hint of murderous intent, as she quickly signaled a tactical hand gesture.

    Lin Ning rapidly ascended to the second floor with the Cloud Ascension Technique, ready to burst into the villa.

    Zhao Yuanzhen hurried around to the back of the house, preparing to infiltrate from the direction of the yard.

    Su Yunjin was already prepared, just waiting for Chen Lingyun¡¯s command to immediately use the Wall-Penetration Technique, silently passing through the door and catching the cheater in the act!

    ¡°Action,¡± Chen Lingyun ordered, and everyone rushed into the villa!

    Search every room! Inspect every corner! Surround Xie Ruoxi in the living room!

    Xie Ruoxi, who was wearing a pink bunny pajama, didn¡¯t know what had happened, but suddenly found herself encircled by four fierce-looking women, causing her to quickly cradle her head in her hands and curl up on the couch, shivering in fear.

    But Zhao Yuanzhen wasn¡¯t about to be fooled by her pitiful demeanor. She straddled Xie Ruoxi, forcefully prying apart her hands covering her face, and stared into her eyes coldly as she demanded to know,

    ¡°Where is the little thief? What¡¯s your relationship with him? Have you hugged? Have you kissed? Have you slept together? Are you ready to die? Huh?!!!¡±

    ¡°The ¡®little thief¡¯ is Yan Yu,¡± Lin Ning clarified on the side.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it!¡± Xie Ruoxi said in a tearful voice. ¡°I¡¯m an employee he hired, to help manage his fan operations!¡±

    ¡°It seems to be true,¡± Su Yunjin found a paper contract on the coffee table with both their signatures on it, ¡°A labor contract.¡± sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    On hearing this, Zhao Yuanzhen was taken aback, hurriedly got off Xie Ruoxi, and then helped her sit up straight, chuckling awkwardly,

    ¡°Ahahaha, it turns out you work for him¡­ well, hello there, I¡¯m in the same team as Yan Yu, Zhao¡­ Zhao Jiuzhen, pleased to meet you, haha!¡±

    ¡°Sob.¡± Tears were still hanging in the corners of Xie Ruoxi¡¯s eyes, but seeing that the girls were now looking at her more kindly, she finally calmed down and timidly explained,

    ¡°My name is Xie Ruoxi, I have a contract with Yan Yu. You can ask him about it. I live in the study upstairs; I usually work on that computer, and the latest promotional materials are still on it. You can also check the computer if you want.¡±

    The moment they heard she lived in the study and not Yan Yu¡¯s bedroom, the girls¡¯ expressions became a few degrees more credulous¡­ as if!

    God, which company¡¯s network operator doesn¡¯t live in an office cubicle but instead resides in the boss¡¯s luxurious villa? And such a delicate and pretty young girl at that! Who knows what could¡¯ve happened between you two beyond work-related matters?

    This villa isn¡¯t Yan Yu¡¯s sole real estate, but the training and living base for our team. How can we tolerate such contamination and disgrace here!

    Investigate! We must rigorously interrogate to make everything clear! Leave no stone unturned in searching for even the slightest trace of suspicion!

 Chapter 191 - 91 Training the Shenxing Battle Team

    Chapter 191: Chapter 91 Training the Shenxing Battle Team

    ¡°`

    ¡°Ruoxi, where are you from?¡± Su Yunjin sat down next to her, pouring her some tea.

    Xie Ruoxi seemed pleasantly surprised and replied in a quiet voice with a smile:

    ¡°I¡¯m from Baoqing, Jingnan.¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a nice place,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile (though she actually had no idea where it was), ¡°Here, drink some tea.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi took the tea and then heard Su Yunjin continue:

    ...

    ¡°We¡¯ve all watched the ¡®Yan Zhanlong¡¯ video, and you did a great job. Ruoxi, are you a professional video editor?¡±

    ¡°No, not really,¡± Xie Ruoxi replied truthfully, ¡°I¡¯m a photographer.¡± sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°If you¡¯re a photographer, why did Yan Yu hire you for post-production?¡± Lin Ning blurted out curiously.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know either,¡± Xie Ruoxi confessed, ¡°We met at the ¡®Slaying the Dragon¡¯ event, exchanged contacts, and then later he offered me work and had me fly over to Jinling.¡±

    The girls exchanged looks, alarms ringing in their heads.

    So, this girl was just someone Yan Yu picked up along the road?

    Having only met once and being complete strangers before that, how could he possibly know her professional abilities so well, to be aware that she¡¯s skilled at video editing and post-production? Clearly, it was all pretext, just luring her over with false pretenses!

    ¡°So where is Yan Yu?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked with a sneer.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, he¡¯s not at home today,¡± Xie Ruoxi replied, her voice trembling with fear again.

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll just wait for him here at home!¡± Lin Ning declared righteously, as if she couldn¡¯t wait to tear the scoundrel apart herself.

    The girls were sharpening their knives, Xie Ruoxi was quivering in fear, but only Chen Lingyun remained calm and collected, quietly assessing Xie Ruoxi¡¯s appearance.

    Although she¡¯s pretty, sorry, you¡¯re not the prettiest one in this villa.

    Yan Yu could dismiss any girl here with ¡°You¡¯re not worthy,¡± so he surely wasn¡¯t so desperate as to pick someone from the boonies. It¡¯s more likely that, because of his advantage of foresight from past life knowledge, he knew this girl from out of town had some hidden value, which is why he specially bought her a plane ticket to the villa.

    Humph, sorry to say, no one understands Yan Yu better than me.

    Of course, even though she saw right through the nature of this situation, Chen Lingyun had no intention of explaining it to the others.

    What¡¯s fun about the truth? I¡¯m here for the bloodbath!

    ¡°Don¡¯t call him just yet,¡± Su Yunjin said gently, ¡°We wouldn¡¯t want to scare the captain.¡±

    If you call him, he¡¯ll be on his guard and think of excuses on his way back, and we won¡¯t be able to get to the real reason why he¡¯s sheltering Xie Ruoxi.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true.¡± Lin Ning went into the kitchen, returned with a gleaming fruit knife, and Xie Ruoxi on the sofa shuddered again.

    Everyone¡¯s speaking normally, but what¡¯s with this dangerous atmosphere, as if someone might die at any moment?! So this is the ¡®battlefield¡¯ often mentioned in novels, comics, animations, and games, right? How terrifying, why are there so many scary women around Yan Yu!

    Xie Ruoxi trembled in fear, but Lin Ning, holding the fruit knife, ignored her and silently sat down next to Su Yunjin, picking up an apple on the coffee table and started peeling it.

    Zhao Yuanzhen sat on the other side of Xie Ruoxi, legs crossed, a brooding expression on her face as she stared at the front door, leaving no room for Xie Ruoxi to muster the courage to speak to her.

    Such a terrifying scene, so terrifying, wuu wuu wuu, Yan Yu, please come back quickly!

    Meanwhile, Yan Yu¡¯s visit to the school was not for leisure, but rather he headed straight to Shenxing Battle Team¡¯s training ground, where Qiu Ze and his team were waiting for him.

    ¡°Welcome, Captain Yan!¡± He greeted enthusiastically, and everyone came over to shake hands and get acquainted with Yan Yu, like a fan meet-and-greet.

    Naturally, as the number one cultivator of the Zhendong Army, it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration for fellow cultivators to call themselves his fans.

    ¡°No need to be so formal,¡± Yan Yu shook hands with everyone in turn, as they introduced themselves one by one.

    Qiu Ze needed no introduction; he was the captain of the Shenxing Battle Team, an old classmate who had known Yan Yu since the beginning of the school year. His profession is Assistant Officer, his magical weapon is a gourd that releases a whip-like blue light, it¡¯s versatile and agile in both attack and defense.

    The vice-captain, Sun Ziyi, was quiet and subdued, wearing glasses. His profession was Sword Immortal, and he practiced a rare form of Sword Qi cultivation¡ªtheir flying sword, named ¡°Formless Sword,¡± was actually a sword pill, relying on externally emitted Sword Qi for attacking, invisible and colorless, quite interesting.

    Member Zhang Yang, profession Sword Immortal, utilized a standard flying sword.

    Member Song Qiao, a cultivator of Taoism Method, practiced ¡°Secret Qi Dan Yun Fire.¡± Unlike Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Bright Light Fire, Song Qiao¡¯s fire could appear out of thin air at specific locations, similar to an advanced version of Flame Curse with more powerful effects.

    Member Chang Sisi, profession Servant Envoy, followed the commonly chosen by female envoys beast-taming path, currently she had tamed a Night-Watching Lion Dog, a white furred large dog nearly two meters long, majestic and imposing.

    The job distribution in the Shenxing Battle Team matched exactly with the Zhenhai Team. The four major professions were almost fully represented, with an extra Sword Immortal for flexibility and adaptation, whether this composition was directed from above or was the idea of Qiu Ze and Sun Ziyi themselves was unknown.

    ¡°Captain Yan, there¡¯s no time like the present,¡± after some pleasantries, Qiu Ze tentatively asked, ¡°Would you mind giving us some pointers, to see what issues everyone might have?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Yan Yu nodded and said, ¡°Are you guys fighting one by one, or all together?¡±

    His words were brimming with dominance, as ¡°all together¡± implied ¡°I can take on all five of you no problem,¡± but none of the members of the Shenxing Battle Team felt anything amiss¡ªthis was the renowned Yan Zhanlong after all! Have you seen his video or not? Even if the five of us teamed up, could we take down a Flood Dragon?

 Chapter 192 - 91 Training the Shenxing Battle Team_2

    Chapter 192: Chapter 91 Training the Shenxing Battle Team_2

    Chang Sisi smiled and said,

    ¡°Yan Yu, can we each have a turn? The round-robin format allows you to assess our personal strength, while all of us fighting together can demonstrate our tactical coordination.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, that won¡¯t be necessary,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°I can tell how well you coordinate tactically from past videos, I don¡¯t need to comment on that. Mainly, I¡¯m having you all fight together to save time¡­¡±

    Qiu Ze also felt embarrassed when videos were mentioned.

    In the previous preliminary match against the Huofeng Team, they were outright decimated, and their tactical coordination was a complete mess. Did they still need Yan Yu¡¯s advice? Were they even worthy? I don¡¯t want to mention it!

    In order to stop his teammates from making more sensational demands, he quickly said,

    ...

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go with the round-robin format; I¡¯ll go first.¡±

    Half an hour later, everyone had their turn against Huang Tingjian, and sure enough, they were all defeated, not even managing to make Yan Yu take half a step back.

    ¡°Hmm, let¡¯s discuss each of you,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment and then gave his evaluation, ¡°Qiu Ze, you are currently the strongest cultivator in the team, well-rounded in all aspects without any major weaknesses. The main issue is the style of your swordsmanship¡­ You focus too much on evasion, often giving up your chances to attack just to dodge the opponent¡¯s offense.¡±

    ¡°If you were just a regular team member, that wouldn¡¯t be a problem, it might even be considered a strength. But don¡¯t forget, you are the captain; your goal isn¡¯t just to keep yourself from getting hurt, you also need to help the other team members gain a tactical advantage. This requires you to be more aggressive and willing to take risks sometimes.¡±

    ¡°Mhmm,¡± Qiu Ze nodded without changing his expression. There was no sign of surprise on his face, indicating that he was already aware of this issue.

    ¡°Sun Ziyi,¡± Yan Yu continued to evaluate, ¡°your Formless Sword Qi is very well mastered, with excellent timing and prediction, but you have the same issue as Qiu Ze: you are too fixated on finding flaws. Have you considered what you would do if I never presented you with an opportunity?¡±

    Sun Ziyi fell into thought; indeed, he was pressured throughout the fight by Yan Yu, and he hadn¡¯t been able to release much of his Formless Sword Qi. Now it seemed that it was because he was used to reacting rather than acting, thus giving up the tempo of the battle from the start and never being able to regain control.

    ¡°I¡¯ve learned my lesson,¡± he said solemnly with a nod.

    ¡°Zhang Yang,¡± Yan Yu spoke indifferently, ¡°your Sword Control Technique is not bad, and it¡¯s clear you¡¯ve put in the hard work. However, your main problem is a lack of experience, and your style appears somewhat rigid and dogmatic. You should go and study videos of all the powerful Sword Immortals in Lu Country, take some time to analyze and learn from them, it will be good for you.¡±

    ¡°Can I prioritize learning from your techniques?¡± Zhang Yang asked excitedly, ¡°Yan Yu! Of all the Sword Immortals in Lu Country, I admire you the most!¡±

    ¡°My Huang Tingjian is a heavy sword, not really suitable for you to study,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°Try studying Ai Lu from the Dragon Soar Team; his style is more similar to yours.¡±

    ¡°Song Qiao, you have a good grasp of the Fire Blazing Dao Method, and like Zhang Yang, the main issue is a lack of experience.¡± He paused slightly before suddenly asking, ¡°Do you plan to follow an offensive or control style?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the difference between the two?¡± Song Qiao asked for confirmation.

    ¡°The advantage of an offensive style is that it¡¯s impressive, fierce, and strong, easily highlighting your value in the team,¡± Yan Yu explained, ¡°But the problem with the offensive Fire Blazing Dao Method is that Zhou Hongyu of the Huofeng Team will become an insurmountable mountain for you; you might spend your whole life trying to surpass her and never manage to come out from under her shadow. When people mention ¡®the first in the Fire Blazing Dao Method,¡¯ they think of Zhou Hongyu, not you.¡±

    ¡°If you follow a control style, it will be more helpful to the Shenxing Battle Team since both Sun Ziyi and Zhang Yang are already aggressive attackers. The team actually needs more support and control. The cost is that you need not only improve your cultivation realm and your skill with the Taoism Method, but you¡¯ll also need to train your observational skills, strategic thinking, and tactical awareness. Your workload will be greater, but you¡¯ll have fewer chances to stand out.¡±

    ¡°Like senior Su Yunjin?¡± Song Qiao suddenly asked.

    ¡°Yes, like her,¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t deny.

    ¡°But she made quite a splash in the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm,¡± Song Qiao insisted, ¡°She took on the ¡®Phoenix¡¯ herself and knocked him right out of the realm.¡±

    ¡°Even so, she didn¡¯t kill the Phoenix, did she? Just think about it for yourself.¡± Seeing that the other party had a bit of an ¡°I want it all¡± ambition, Yan Yu didn¡¯t insist too much, but said something meaningful and turned to Chang Sisi, the only female member of the team, ¡°Chang Sisi, since you chose beast companionship, remember one thing: it is there to complement your offense, not for you to complement its offense.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Chang Sisi said with a mournful face, ¡°But sometimes the big lion gets so excited, it just won¡¯t listen to me.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s easy.¡± Yan Yu flicked his finger lightly, and Huang Tingjian immediately fell from the sky, landing in front of the Night Guardian Lion Dog, startling the big dog so much that it leaped back, tail tightly tucked between its legs¡ªit had just been brutally hit by this heavy sword.

    Huang Tingjian flew up again, its blade pointing at the opponent from a distance, and Yan Yu shouted:

    ¡°Sit down!¡±

    The Night Guardian Lion Dog immediately sat down, its eyes clear and innocent.

    ¡°Belly!¡±

    The Night Guardian Lion Dog rolled over on the spot, exposing its belly, its tail still wagging as it stuck out its tongue and panted, trying to please Yan Yu.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s quite obedient,¡± Yan Yu put away Huang Tingjian and said to Chang Sisi.

    Chang Sisi:¡­¡­

    ¡°I¡¯ve got it,¡± she said, dejectedly. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Let¡¯s leave the analysis at that, everyone keep it up,¡± Yan Yu concluded, ¡°You guys still have a lot of potential.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Captain Yan,¡± everyone said hastily.

    They all crowded around to see Yan Yu out of the training field, as attentive as if they were seeing off the Emperor. After exiting, Sun Ziyi said to him:

    ¡°Captain Yan, I¡¯ll send you the monitoring software when I get back, you just have to install it then.¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    That was the main purpose of his visit, with the secondary one being to get acquainted with the Shenxing Battle Team members; such things, of course, could not be stated outright or it might hurt feelings.

    Since he had communicated well with Sun Ziyi, next was to return to the villa and reunite with the girls from the South Sea¡­ Hmm?

    Yan Yu took out his phone to take a quick look but found that they hadn¡¯t sent him any messages.

    Something was off.

    Usually, they were all racing to see who could reach 99+ new messages first, why were they all silent now? Checking the time, they should have arrived back at the villa to meet Xie Ruoxi by now; could they really be keeping their composure?

    Humph, an ambush, is it? And they think they can fool me, the strongest in this world?!

 Chapter 193 - 92 Yan Yu Evaluates Various Ladies

    Chapter 193: Chapter 92 Yan Yu Evaluates Various Ladies

    ¡°`

    But speak of the devil, Yan Yu was at the school training the Shenxing Battle Team¡¯s junior members, and the girls waited at the villa, looking left and right for his arrival but to no avail, which left each and every one of them fuming with anger.

    Even Chen Lingyun, who often feigned a sweet smile, no longer had the energy to pretend and just listened quietly as everyone discussed strategies.

    ¡°If you ask me,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen began, inciting discussion with a radical idea, ¡°we should string him up and give him a beating first. Slap him once, and if he refuses to come clean, slap him three or four more times in a row. Let¡¯s see if he prefers to keep his teeth or continue hiding the truth!¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhao, you think you can beat him?¡± Lin Ning expressed her doubt.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was about to say it would be no problem, but then she remembered that if she revealed abilities the others hadn¡¯t seen before, it would surely raise their suspicions. She quickly changed her response and said, ¡°Of course not, but if we unite, we can lay an ambush without raising any alarms. Then, once he gets back, we can take advantage of our numbers and take him down on the spot!¡± Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ...

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Su Yunjin looked at Xie Ruoxi, pondering, and said, ¡°That could work. We can lay an ambush around him, using the Invisibility Technique or hiding our tracks in our own ways, while Ruoxi stays in the living room pretending no one has been here, and see what Yan Yu does and says when he comes back.¡±

    As everyone knows, men often feign propriety in public, but if left alone with a woman, their true colors are likely to show¡ªthis way, when Yan Yu sees Xie Ruoxi, his attitude towards her and his real intention for sheltering her will be clear as day to us.

    ¡°Won¡¯t the Invisibility Technique be detected by Divine Sense?¡± Lin Ning reminded.

    ¡°Don¡¯t rush,¡± Su Yunjin calmly said. ¡°Who would activate their Divine Sense for no reason as soon as they get home? Right, Ling Yun?¡±

    Well, maybe not necessarily¡­ Chen Lingyun said with a vague smile:

    ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s worth a try.¡±

    Since even the most intelligent Chen Lingyun suggested trying it, Lin Ning had no further objections and only instructed Xie Ruoxi:

    ¡°Ruoxi, just stay here and don¡¯t let on that we¡¯ve returned, alright?¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi mustered her courage and said, ¡°If I lie to him and he takes his anger out on me later or even fires me, what should I do?¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t happen,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile. ¡°Yan Yu isn¡¯t like us; he¡¯s quite tolerant.¡±

    So what you¡¯re saying is that you all are less forgiving and hold grudges! Xie Ruoxi thought helplessly, but she could only nod and agree.

    If she offended Yan Yu, she could still appeal to his emotions (beg for mercy) or reason with him (make excuses), but if she offended these girls, she had no means to alleviate the situation¡ªthey were not only Yan Yu¡¯s teammates but also his cohabitants. If they were to speak ill of her to Yan Yu in the future, Xie Ruoxi figured she couldn¡¯t withstand it.

    Seeing Xie Ruoxi did not resist, the girls exchanged glances and quickly dispersed, disappearing from sight in an instant.

    Wall-Penetration Technique!

    Seeing everyone disappear into the walls and vanish from sight, Xie Ruoxi was dumbfounded. These cultivators could even pass through walls? Outrageous!

    But since she was now responsible for being the bait, she wasn¡¯t in a position to question the older sisters. Also, she couldn¡¯t use her phone for fear of being suspected of sending signals to Yan Yu, so she had no choice but to turn on the TV and look for some dramas to pass the time in boredom.

    Having spent half the day away, Yan Yu finally returned to the villa. As he pushed open the door, he saw Xie Ruoxi lying lazily on the couch, eating chips and staring intently at the TV.

    ¡°Why are you here watching TV?¡± he frowned and said immediately, ¡°What about your work? Is it all done?¡±

    From the bathroom, the ceiling, outside the balcony, and behind the railing on the second floor, where the hiding girls were crouched, they instantly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Yan Yu¡¯s unapologetically stern voice.

    That¡¯s a relief, it doesn¡¯t sound like there¡¯s any romantic involvement¡ªwhat kind of man rushes back only to urge his romantic interest to get back to work? Wouldn¡¯t that just kill his likeability?

    ¡°Uh, I¡¯ve finished all my work,¡± Xie Ruoxi quickly sat up straight and answered honestly.

    ¡°`

    ¡°The fan operations are still going on?¡± Yan Yu was immediately amused, ¡°So you¡¯re saying the entire 1.2 billion people of Lu Country are already ¡®fanned out¡¯? There¡¯s not the slightest room for growth left?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly it.¡± Xie Ruoxi hurriedly explained, ¡°Yan Yu, you know the leading actress from ¡®Princess Diaries¡¯, right? She was once voted ¡®the most disliked actress by the Miti audience¡¯. The reason was that too much marketing and excessive exposure by her team made her seem too perfect, which ultimately had the opposite effect.¡±

    ¡°Your popularity is already quite high. In the earlier rounds of promotions, we¡¯ve pretty much covered most of the general public. If we continue to increase the intensity of the promotions, it can lead to these people being bombarded with the same message over and over again, which easily triggers a backlash, causing them to unfollow or even turn into haters. That would be counterproductive.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s no excuse for you to be lazy though.¡± Yan Yu sat down next to her, casually grabbed the chips from her hand, and started eating, ¡°Even if my popularity is high enough, what about the other members of our team? Is all our material prepared? Are the operational strategies in place? Is the next step of the plan ready?¡±

    ¡°Speaking of that, I was just going to ask you.¡± Xie Ruoxi cautiously asked, ¡°I don¡¯t know the other sisters on the team very well, can you tell me about their character settings?¡±

    Good question! The girls hiding in the shadows immediately perked up their ears, eager to hear how Yan Yu really viewed each of them.

    ¡°Character settings, huh.¡± Yan Yu stroked his chin and said, ¡°Although their character settings aren¡¯t as brilliant as mine, they certainly aren¡¯t dull. I¡¯ll give you a brief description.¡±

    ¡°Deputy leader Chen Lingyun, to describe her in three words: short, trashy, affected! She¡¯s only one meter fifty-six, a bottom-tier height among cultivators nationwide. Personality-wise, she¡¯s trashy to the max, taking pleasure in watching other people¡¯s awkwardness. Her face is always plastered with a fake smile, and she talks in a cloying, nasal voice¡­ That¡¯s about it, see what you can do for the promotions.¡±

    Outside on the balcony, Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile faded as her eyes narrowed slightly, a chilling gleam flitted across them.

    ¡°Uh.¡± Xie Ruoxi trembled a bit, after all, the subject herself was eavesdropping from somewhere, ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid to speak ill of someone so recklessly? Aren¡¯t you scared for your life?¡±

    She decided it was best to recast what she¡¯d heard, forcing a laugh as she rephrased, ¡°Got it, so Sister Chen Lingyun¡¯s character is: a cute and petite girl, with a bit of a naughty devil in her personality, a sweet smile, and a particularly pleasant voice¡­ right?¡±

    ¡°Although your descriptions make me feel they¡¯re completely detached from reality, promotion is indeed about turning black into white, so let¡¯s go with what you said.¡± Yan Yu said thoughtfully, ¡°Then there¡¯s Su Yunjin, hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°Su Yunjin is a literary girl. Even though she loves reading, she always chooses deep, profound works of literature. She speaks softly and seems easy to bully, but that¡¯s just a fa?ade she puts on. In reality, she¡¯s tough to deal with and can smile while saying things that send shivers down your spine. Sometimes I really feel sorry for her future husband; he¡¯s definitely going to be eaten alive by her¡­ How about that?¡±

    Behind the railing of the second floor, Su Yunjin quietly listened to Yan Yu¡¯s evaluation of her. Her fingers involuntarily clenched inside her sleeves, and her calm gaze began to frost over.

    ¡°I understand.¡± As if sensing the icy aura descending from above, Xie Ruoxi battled the urge to flee and managed a strained smile, ¡°Uh, so Su Yunjin¡­ Sister Yun Jin is a very intellectual girl with a literary air. She appears delicate but has a strong and determined inner core, plus she¡¯s emotionally intelligent and speaks impressively, like a young lady.¡±

    ¡°From a promotional perspective, we could say that,¡± Yan Yu said, stroking his chin, ¡°Next is Lin Ning, let me think¡­¡±

    ¡°Lin Ning has a serious nature and tends to fuss over various peculiar details. She often criticizes others. She believes in hard work and is a struggler, but because she¡¯s too focused on her goals, she has simple thoughts and is easily swayed by a few words. She¡¯s tough-talking but soft-hearted; the kind of girl who becomes more interesting the more you tease her¡­ Help me polish this up.¡±

    On the rooftop, Lin Ning was so furious her cheeks puffed up, her lips tightly pursed, her fingers subconsciously forming a sword technique, barely holding back from activating her True Yuan.

    ¡°Ahahaha, it sounds like all good qualities to me,¡± Xie Ruoxi half-heartedly joked, her eyes scouting for escape routes, ¡°So Sister Lin Ning has a serious and persistent character, unwavering in what she believes. She may seem tough, but actually has a soft spot in her heart for girls.¡±

    ¡°Oh Xie Ruoxi! It¡¯s lucky you didn¡¯t join the civil service; you would have been a real apple-polisher,¡± Yan Yu laughed heartily, ¡°Finally, there¡¯s Zhao Jiuzhen. Her character setup is actually quite distinct, summed up in four contrasts.¡±

    ¡°Seems crafty, but is actually naive; seems seductive, but is truly innocent; seems tough, but is really mellow; seems fierce, but is actually a complete wimp¡­¡±

    Before he could finish, the enraged Demonic Sect Enchantress, with cheeks flushed in embarrassed anger, burst out of the bathroom and pounced on Yan Yu like a ferocious tigress in full fury!

    ¡°You little thief, I¡¯m going to take you down!!!¡±

    Caught off guard by the sudden attack, instead of looking frightened, Yan Yu burst out laughing:

    ¡°Bring it on!¡±

 Chapter 194 - 194: 93 The peach and plum trees do not speak, yet a path forms beneath them.

    Chapter 194: 93 Chapter The peach and plum trees do not speak, yet a path forms beneath them.

    Yan Yu was certainly doing it on purpose.

    After returning home, Yan Yu, although he had not scanned the girls¡¯ locations, was very aware that they must have been hiding inside the house¡ªthe nonchalant demeanor of Xie Ruoxi said it all.

    The reason for saying those things was to lure the girls into taking the initiative to strike, which would give him a legitimate reason to assess everyone¡¯s true strength.

    Why assess everyone?

    Because after the trip to drop his sister off at the high-speed train station, on the cab ride to the airport, the girls had engaged in silent, secretive message exchanges for a while.

    Even though Yan Yu did not know what they had been discussing behind his back, he could guess it was definitely trash talk about him. If there¡¯s something that can¡¯t be discussed openly in front of me, why the need for secret message exchanges?

    ...

    If I say you guys need extra training, then you need extra training. As the team leader, my word is law, and I must follow through!

    Zhao Yuanzhen approached with her Shifting Technique, her hand suddenly flashing with a grey light, as the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin shot towards his shoulder.

    Good timing! Yan Yu¡¯s eyes lit up in an instant.

    This Demonic Sect Enchantress, due to her past habit of going all out against her enemies, would always use full strength in her attacks. Her control was quite poor, to put it mildly.

    But watching the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin¡¯s speed, which clearly used only about forty percent of her power, showed that she was intentionally holding back her output¡­ Very good, she has made significant progress!

    Of course, although he was inwardly impressed with Zhao Yuanzhen, Yan Yu decided to curb any chance of her becoming overly proud and complacent by continuing to push her.

    With a ¡®ding,¡¯ the Huang Tingjian deflected the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin mid-flight and then charged straight at Zhao Yuanzhen.

    Zhao Yuanzhen quickly intercepted with her Yin Wind Sword, only to see that Yan Yu had somehow closed in on her as if he had truly teleported!

    By the balcony railing, about to enter the room, Chen Lingyun saw everything clearly:

    Yan Yu first accelerated with the Shifting Technique, then stopped short, using the momentum to rush at Zhao Yuanzhen. Seizing the moment she directed her Sword Control to intercept the Huang Tingjian and shifted her gaze away, he stealthily activated the Invisibility Technique and vanished from sight.

    He became invisible, getting right in front of Zhao Yuanzhen, and reappeared while simultaneously halting with the Cloud Ascension Technique¡ªseeing from Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s perspective, it was as if a person had suddenly appeared before her, and of course, she couldn¡¯t react in time.

    ¡°Ning.¡± Chen Lingyun quickly sent a message.

    Yan Yu, taking advantage of the surprise he had given Zhao Yuanzhen at the start, rapidly dismantled her defenses with the Curved Curse Punch. Just as he was about to ¡°strike her down,¡± he suddenly changed direction and retreated urgently.

    Lin Ning¡¯s green sword light descended from the sky!

    The moment she touched down, she used the Cloud Ascension Technique to arrest her fall and immediately lunged forward, the Green Bamboo Sword swinging directly at Yan Yu¡¯s head as if casting a reprimand!

    Take that for saying I¡¯m gullible!

    With a flick of his fingers, Yan Yu¡¯s Huang Tingjian instantly returned to block.

    Now, with the three of them at close range, their swordplay fell within a ¡°short axis¡± distance. The Huang Tingjian needed only a simple sweep to strike both the Green Bamboo Sword and Yin Wind Sword at the same time. Moreover, as a heavy sword renowned for its power, it managed to parry both swords with ease for a time, leaving Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen unable to penetrate his defense.

    As Lin Ning hastily cast her Sword technique, her heart was filled with anxiousness. When she glanced at Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s onslaught, she almost fainted, hurriedly sending a message saying:

    ¡°Sister Zhao, don¡¯t just fight on your own! Work with me¡­¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s an opening!¡± Yan Yu took the chance to lunge forward, swiftly entering from the Green Bamboo Sword¡¯s blind spot and quickly approaching Lin Ning.

    Lin Ning was nearly scared into jumping away. It was too late to recall her Green Bamboo Sword, and she knew she was no match for Yan Yu in a direct confrontation. She quickly rolled backward, landing awkwardly on the ground¡ªa clumsy move, but better than being pummeled into rolling all over the floor!

    Seeing her roll away so resolutely, Yan Yu somehow felt it wasn¡¯t right to strike. By the time he decided to chase after her again, his feet were already entangled by Five Spells, and Su Yunjin¡¯s Coral Tears came slicing down from above at just the right moment.

    The cooperation between Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin was indeed far superior to the unspoken understanding between Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen, prompting Yan Yu to silently praise them in his heart.

    The Huang Tingjian swiftly moved to defend, intercepting the Coral Tears midair, but right then Yan Yu disappeared on the spot again, vanishing without a trace.

    Invisibility Technique again, huh! The girls quickly spurred their Divine Sense, sweeping through the entire living room.

    Never having dealt with an enemy that used Invisibility Technique before, their reactions were a beat behind. By the time they located Yan Yu, he had already rushed out to the balcony, knocked down Chen Lingyun who had sensed danger and was attempting to leave. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    No matter how clever your schemes, if your own strength doesn¡¯t keep up, it¡¯s all for nothing, right?

    The first victim had appeared!

    The beating was just the beginning!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Meanwhile, as soon as Zhao Yuanzhen burst out, Xie Ruoxi quickly took off like a rabbit breaking free, dashing out of the room.

    She ran several hundred meters in one go before realizing she was still in her big rabbit pajamas and fluffy slippers. When she saw the inexplicable looks from passersby, her face turned red once again, and she could only walk back towards the villa slowly.

    Arriving at the villa entrance, Xie Ruoxi first listened carefully, then slowly approached the front door.

    Ensuring that she never heard any sounds of fighting, she turned to sneak into the backyard and quietly looked towards the balcony. There, she saw Yan Yu sitting on the sofa, munching on a peeled apple, while the defeated girls sat beside him, covered in dust and ash, allowing Su Yunjin to treat their wounds one by one, all looking dejected, dispirited, and downcast.

    It¡¯s over? Yan Zhanlong won? Against four?

    Xie Ruoxi carefully walked in and saw Yan Yu turn his head and asked in annoyance,

    ¡°What were you running for just now?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi fell silent for a moment and then laughed, ¡°I thought you guys were doing internal training, which is confidential, so I consciously left the scene, haha.¡±

    ¡°Did you see that?¡± Yan Yu turned to the girls and said, ¡°Even she thinks she¡¯s an outsider. You lot are all doubting this and that, playing little tricks and throwing tantrums with me. Isn¡¯t that embarrassing?¡±

    The girls didn¡¯t pay any attention to him, but Su Yunjin walked over generously, pulled Xie Ruoxi to sit by the couch, and smiled,

    ¡°What¡¯s all this about outsiders? Since you¡¯re going to be responsible for operating and promoting our team, that makes you one of us. By the way, I heard from Yan Yu that you also have a talent for cultivation?¡±

    ¡°Mhmm.¡± Xie Ruoxi nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s just that my aptitude isn¡¯t that great¡­¡±

    ¡°Aptitude isn¡¯t a problem,¡± Yan Yu waved his hand dismissively, cutting off her speech and scolding, ¡°What matters is whether you dare to fight! If your first instinct upon seeing cultivation is to get lazy, and your first instinct upon seeing a fight is to hide, how can you be a good cultivator? Look at them, even though they know they¡¯re no match they still challenge me, getting beaten to the ground and still refusing to admit defeat. This is the spirit and courage that my Yan Zhanlong¡¯s teammates should have!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind him,¡± Lin Ning said from the side, chiming in and shooting Yan Yu a glare, ¡°He likes to play tough and scare people!¡±

    ¡°The way you glare at me really does have some presence, but it¡¯s still not as free-spirited as when you were rolling on the ground just now,¡± Yan Yu said with a laugh.

    Lin Ning¡¯s face turned dark on the spot, and she started grinding her back teeth fiercely, only to hear Chen Lingyun suddenly say,

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk upstairs.¡±

    The five girls got up one after another, hand in hand, and went upstairs, leaving Yan Yu alone and isolated in the living room.

    Although he couldn¡¯t deploy many tactics at home, it was still a proper sparring session, and he had fed the teammates with experiences generously. At this moment, Yan Yu was filled with a sense of accomplishment as a mentor.

    After sighing once more with ¡°As the peaches and plums do not speak, a path forms beneath them,¡± Yan Yu lazily picked up his phone and dialed a number:

    ¡°Hello, Coach Qi.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I have a question I¡¯d like to ask about the current situation with cultivator allocations¡­¡±

    Xie Ruoxi followed the girls to the second floor, feeling increasingly anxious.

    After all, with only a high school education and coming from a poor family, Xie Ruoxi already had a bit of an inferiority complex. Seeing that the girls were all attractive with superior manners and temperaments, she felt completely overshadowed standing next to them, and couldn¡¯t help feeling increasingly self-conscious and intimidated.

    Although she was timid and weak, the girls didn¡¯t hold any negative opinions about her.

    From Yan Yu¡¯s attitude towards her, they were mostly thinking, ¡°As if she¡¯s even worth considering.¡±

    Well then, if no one was worthy, they might as well pull Xie Ruoxi into the ¡°Zhenhai Team Women¡¯s Mutual Assistance Group¡± to discuss how to deal with Yan Yu¡ªthis detestable man really did go too far in sparring, genuinely beating up the girls!

    Everyone sat down on the floor in Chen Lingyun¡¯s room. The princess was particular about quality of life; the whole floor was covered with blankets, comfortable for both sitting and stepping on.

    Lin Ning brought over a fruit plate for the girls to enjoy at their leisure and casually asked,

    ¡°Ruoxi, how does Yan Yu know you have talent for cultivation?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi stuffed a cherry into her mouth and after a while responded, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± The girls were all surprised.

    ¡°He just asked me if I wanted to be a cultivator,¡± Xie Ruoxi said with a bitter face. ¡°Then he threw a book at me and forced me to memorize all about acupoints and qi circulation routes¡­ With so many words, how could I possibly memorize them all!¡±

    ¡°Acupoints and qi circulation routes¡­ isn¡¯t that just three chapters of content?¡± Su Yunjin said uncertainly.

    ¡°About twenty pages,¡± Lin Ning provided a more accurate figure.

    ¡°Exactly!¡± Xie Ruoxi complained indignantly, ¡°A full 20 pages!¡±

    The others almost fainted¡ªwere 20 pages really that hard to memorize with a bit of effort? Sister Zhao must have a rival in intelligence.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, however, was oblivious to everyone else¡¯s thoughts. She had already filled her mouth with cherries, her cheeks bulging like a little hamster, and then she used her nimble tongue to peel off all the fruit flesh and swallow it. Following that, she spat out the pits like a pea-shooter, one after another, before saying,

    ¡°What¡¯s there to memorize? As long as you understand it and can produce qi, isn¡¯t that all that matters?¡±

    ¡°Right, right,¡± Xie Ruoxi nodded eagerly, wholeheartedly agreeing, ¡°I looked at it once and managed to produce qi. Afterwards, Yan Yu didn¡¯t make me memorize it anymore.¡±

    The girls immediately looked astonished.

    To be able to produce True Qi after just one reading, what kind of concept was that?

    A congenital cultivation physique, right? With such cultivation talent, why hadn¡¯t she been selected into the cultivator academy after the high school blood test?

    Chen Lingyun leisurely sipped her tea. While the others found it hard to believe, she had merely had her suspicions confirmed, so she wasn¡¯t overly surprised, and simply asked,

    ¡°Do you know the Three Arts and Five Spells?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi innocently asked,

    ¡°What are the Three Arts and Five Spells?¡±

 Chapter 195 - 94: Making Her a Citizen is a Piece of Cake

    Chapter 195: Chapter 94: Making Her a Citizen is a Piece of Cake

    ¡°You¡¯ve got some capable backers, stirring up such a big commotion.¡± Qi Changping chuckled over the phone, ¡°Who made that video?¡±

    ¡°I had someone make it,¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly, ¡°Why, is there a problem?¡±

    ¡°No, there isn¡¯t,¡± Qi Changping replied, ¡°It¡¯s all cut from publicly available materials online, so there¡¯s no issue with leaking secrets. The commander¡¯s intention is for you to make more videos like that, preferably for the other members of your team as well.¡±

    ¡°That might be a bit difficult,¡± Yan Yu fell silent for a moment, ¡°After all, they¡¯re not like me; they don¡¯t have any impressive achievements to show.¡±

    Ah! You¡¯ve let slip and boasted again!

    Qi Changping was speechless, and after a long pause, he said:

    ...

    ¡°It¡¯s not that you have to make a video right away, just that it¡¯s general guidance. As long as you grasp the spirit of it, that¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll just grasp the spirit. Whether I¡¯ll do it is another matter.¡±

    Qi Changping didn¡¯t dare to pursue that comment and changed the subject:

    ¡°What did you call me for?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve discovered a talent for spiritual cultivation,¡± Yan Yu reported, ¡°I¡¯m looking to get her registered.¡±

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have just taken her directly to the hospital?¡± Qi Changping asked in confusion.

    Most of the current university-level cultivators come from the blood tests carried out during the college entrance examinations in May, but not all of them.

    Some hospitals with a national defense background also have the capability to test for spiritual energy. As long as you have the information and connections, you can go to them and get a special blood test done to find out if someone has a Spirit Root¡ªthis was precisely the route Chen Lingyun had taken to get Zhao Yuanzhen tested.

    As for why this is not open to the public, of course, it¡¯s because once it¡¯s made available, thousands of people would flock to get tested, and these hospitals would be overwhelmed and paralyzed, not to mention the discontent of those unable to get tested.

    The problem is not scarcity but inequality; more precisely, it¡¯s keeping the inequality from becoming evident to those on the lower rungs. This is true both in ancient and modern times.

    Of course, given that the number of Transcendents in Lu Country is significantly lagging behind neighboring countries, this situation might not last long and will undoubtedly need significant changes soon.

    But at least for now, the process is relatively simple: Yan Yu takes the person to the special hospital affiliated with the Zhendong Army, gets a blood test done, and if spiritual energy is found, it¡¯s reported to the Zhendong Army, who will then send someone to take them in.

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu clarified, ¡°I don¡¯t want her to become a military cultivator; I want her to enter the school, to join my team.¡±

    ¡°Uh,¡± Qi Changping began to feel a headache coming on.

    It¡¯s easy to enter the military as a cultivator, but it¡¯s far harder to be accepted into a scholar program. Why? Because the latter has limited spots, and the allocations are tied to the supply of Elixir Medicines.

    The current production count for Foundation Establishment Pills is fixed. First priority is given to academic cultivators, with the leftovers being divided among military cultivators. Each pill less can lead to complaints.

    If you want to secure a spot in the academy for someone, you¡¯re taking away one Elixir Medicine, meaning one less for the military. How do you explain that when asked? It¡¯s all about breaking the rules, although this could be resolved with just a word from the commander-in-chief. But why should the commander-in-chief do that for someone recommended by you, Yan Yu? Do you think too highly of yourself?

    Qi Changping shifted the conversation:

    ¡°Isn¡¯t your team full already?¡±

    ¡°Being full doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t accept new people,¡± Yan Yu argued, ¡°For domestic matches, we could have her as the sixth player, a substitute; for international ones, we just bring her along¡ªmore people, more power.¡±

    ¡°No, ¡®more people, more power¡¯ presumes they have the necessary strength, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Qi Changping sighed, ¡°What¡¯s the person¡¯s name, are they male or female, and how old are they?¡±

    ¡°Xie Ruoxi, female, 18 years old, just graduated high school this year.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t pass the spiritual test during the college entrance exam?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t go for the test.¡± sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Then just take her to the hospital for a test; once you have the results, come back to me.¡±

    ¡°She has already refined True Qi,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Looked at the textbook once, and completed the Grand Circulation directly.¡±

    ¡°No, how can you just show the textbook to outsiders¡­¡± Qi Changping started to lecture about ¡°keeping a firm hold on confidentiality,¡± but then suddenly, he jolted, ¡°She understood the textbook after just one glance?¡±

    ¡°She probably didn¡¯t even memorize the circulation path and acupoints,¡± Yan Yu sighed deeply, ¡°Just followed the book and directly refined True Qi.¡±

    Qi Changping: ¡­¡­¡­..

    This was like glancing at the blueprints for a nuclear weapon and then immediately handcrafting a nuke. If he were talking to anyone other than Yan Yu, he would have hung up the phone right then and there.

    Although Yan Yu always liked to brag, he had always delivered on his tall tales, and even military orders were honored without fail. He wasn¡¯t the type to joke about serious matters.

    ¡°You¡­ bring the person over for me to see,¡± Qi Changping struggled to calm his emotions.

    At any rate, it was better to meet first and take it from there.

    If she really was a prodigious talent for cultivation, it would be worthwhile to seek special permission from the commander-in-chief.

    After hanging up, Yan Yu went upstairs to Chen Lingyun¡¯s bedroom and knocked on the door.

    After a moment, Chen Lingyun¡¯s voice came from within:

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    Why ¡°after a moment¡±?

    Because the girls were imparting critical knowledge to Xie Ruoxi.

    With Ruoxi¡¯s cultivation talent, becoming a cultivator was a natural course of events. Yan Yu¡¯s decision to bring her over was mostly to have her join the Zhenhai Team¡ªthis was official business rather than personal, so it was pretty much a done deal, irreversible.

    Given that, why not welcome the new sister¡¯s joining and simultaneously pull her into a united front against a common foe?

    Normally, the four of them together couldn¡¯t bring down the team captain, but with Ruoxi¡¯s strong support, perhaps they could reverse the tide during practice and end up pressing the captain down!

    Great! Let Chen Lingyun teach her strategies and tactics, let Su Yunjin instruct her in True Yuan manipulation, let Lin Ning pass on to her the secrets of adaptability, and have Zhao Yuanzhen instill in her courage and passion. With this, they would have Xie Ruoxi, a mighty warrior opposing Yan, determined to avenge the humiliation suffered by her sisters in the past!

    Yan Yu, upon entering the room, although unaware of what they were concocting inside, wasn¡¯t worried they would lead Xie Ruoxi astray.

    Hilarious, were the efforts of the previous life¡¯s Annan Army to make her stand out a success? A supervisor had to oversee her daily Qi Refinement practice, otherwise she would slack off and lie about having practiced¡­ The title of ¡®Waste Emperor¡¯ wasn¡¯t for nothing.

    If it wasn¡¯t something she was really interested in, she absolutely wouldn¡¯t put her heart into it.

    ¡°Xie Ruoxi, come with me to the school,¡± Yan Yu ordered calmly, ¡°You all have had enough rest since returning from the South Sea, right? Then gather at the school¡¯s training ground later.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± the girls stood up one after another, shooting meaningful glances at Xie Ruoxi.

    Don¡¯t be scared, Ruoxi! We¡¯ve got your back!

    If the captain bullies you, just tell us!

    Soon, everyone arrived at the school. The girls went to stay at the training ground, while Yan Yu brought Xie Ruoxi to find Qi Changping.

    By this time, Qi Changping had already reported to Li Weiguo, and the Commander-in-chief¡¯s directive was as follows: If this girl truly has a talent for cultivation, then the special channel could indeed be opened for her. But remember, it can¡¯t just be opened for anyone; otherwise, Yan Yu might start thinking he¡¯s got special privileges. This could foster his arrogance, which is definitely not acceptable.

    Little Qi, give the boy a bit of a hard time first to rein him in, then agree to his request!

    ¡°Xie Ruoxi, right?¡± Sitting in front of the computer, Qi Changping clicked the mouse, connecting to The Judicial Department¡¯s household registration database, ¡°Give me your ID number.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi reported her ID number truthfully.

    ¡°You¡¯re from Jingnan?¡± Qi Changping turned around, surprised after seeing the results of the citizen information query, ¡°You¡¯re working in Jinling?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m working for Yan Yu,¡± Xie Ruoxi admitted honestly.

    ¡°Jingzhou¡¯s northern and southern provinces are under the jurisdiction of the Annan Army, right?¡± Yan Yu inquired.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Qi Changping replied with a slow nod, then spoke deliberately, ¡°So it¡¯s going to be complicated. A resident of Jingnan is applying for citizenship in the Zhendong Army¡¯s region, the Annan Army will surely have objections.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s have her voluntarily transfer her registration to Jinling first,¡± Yan Yu immediately suggested, ¡°Then ¡®by coincidence,¡¯ the Zhendong Army discovers her cultivation talent, and we can admit her to our academy.¡±

    ¡°Do you think the Annan Army is foolish?¡± Qi Changping laughed, ¡°Her registration can be transferred, but can the record of the transfer be erased? If someone determined looks into it, won¡¯t we be the ones embarrassed?¡±

    ¡°For the sake of talent, what¡¯s the harm in losing a little face?¡± Yan Yu retorted confidently.

    He was right, and that was precisely the intent of the Commander-in-chief: If she is indeed exceptionally talented, even at the risk of offending the Annan Army, she must be recruited first.

    However, since Qi Changping had received orders to discipline him, he certainly wouldn¡¯t admit that and simply said with a smile:

    ¡°It¡¯s not like the periods of the Three Kingdoms where the origins of heroes weren¡¯t questioned. Even when poaching talents, we have to follow the system and rules. Or else, what do you think the reason is for the court to establish four armies to govern the east, south, west, and north?¡±

    Yan Yu couldn¡¯t agree at all¡ªfor someone with talent as great as Ruoxi¡¯s and a nature so indolent, she definitely needed to stay close to me to utilize her fullest potential.

    If she were to be returned to the Annan Army, wouldn¡¯t she just walk the same futile path as in her previous life? Does the Annan Army have the capability to properly train her?

    ¡°How about this,¡± Yan Yu gritted his teeth, murmured begrudgingly, ¡°I¡¯ll sacrifice myself and marry her in name, so she can join my household registration. With a marriage relationship transfer, the Annan Army shouldn¡¯t have anything to say, right?¡±

    Marital registration transfer is a powerful tool; no matter where you are from, whether you reside long-term, or own property, marrying a Jiang Hai person gets you a Jiang Hai registration, marrying a Pingjing person gets you a Pingjing registration. This foolproof strategy is backed by the simple ethical beliefs of ordinary people ¡ª you can¡¯t separate a married couple, can you? The Annan Army would surely have no grounds to object.

    Yan Yu suggested this purely in the public¡¯s interest, even willing to sacrifice his own reputation, but Xie Ruoxi failed to grasp his deep consideration and her eyes suddenly widened in shock:

    Could it be that it¡¯s happening? I knew it, Yan Zhanlong isn¡¯t smitten with my talent but my beauty! He wants to tie me to his side with a marriage certificate right now¡­

    Before her thoughts could wander further, Qi Changping was already taken aback.

    Wait, why are we suddenly talking about a fake marriage?

    With your current status, popularity, and age, Yan Zhanlong, just showing up at the civil affairs office would instantly cause a media frenzy, you know?

    Instinctively, he waved his hands and said:

    ¡°That¡¯s unnecessary. Besides, neither of you is of legal marriageable age yet. There¡¯s no need to resort to a fake marriage for this matter¡­¡±

    ¡°If there¡¯s another way, then I¡¯ll leave it in your hands, Instructor Qi!¡± Yan Yu immediately stood up joyfully.

    Qi Changping: ¡­¡­

    Wait, did I just fall for one of his tactics?

 Chapter 197 - 96 Secretary Su is the Best

    Chapter 197: Chapter 96 Secretary Su is the Best

    In the training ground, the crowd surrounded the Southeast Asian mother and child spirits, unable to stop watching.

    Setting aside their actual power, the appearance of these mother and child spirits from Southeast Asia was particularly chilling.

    Tall and short in stature, their faces blurred, contours faint and translucent, the mother held the child¡¯s hand, standing quietly in the center of the training ground.

    Just standing there, they exuded an aura of resentment and malevolence. If Chen Lingyun¡¯s Soul Summoning Banner wasn¡¯t controlling them, they would likely choose a victim to devour on the spot.

    ¡°Should we, perhaps, release them?¡± Su Yunjin suggested.

    Ever since learning how such ghostly entities were made, she and Lin Ning were filled with sympathy and compassion for the two victims.

    ...

    ¡°Good idea. I¡¯ll go straight to the Confucian Temple to release them,¡± Chen Lingyun agreed amiably.

    ¡°Not release, silly,¡± Lin Ning immediately corrected, ¡°I mean liberate them, and send them off for reincarnation.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s possible,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°In that case, let¡¯s have Lin Ning recite scriptures a hundred thousand times to dissolve the victims¡¯ resentment.¡±

    Lin Ning promptly kicked him.

    ¡°This is why I say you¡¯re all laymen,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said disdainfully, ¡°Ghosts like these, burdened with heavy resentment, can¡¯t be reincarnated just yet. Usually, the Buddhist Sect would suppress them somewhere, letting time gradually erode their vindictiveness¡­ Don¡¯t even think about anything else before their spite is worn away.¡±

    ¡°So we have to find a temple?¡± Su Yunjin pondered aloud.

    ¡°The Confucian Temple wouldn¡¯t do?¡± Chen Lingyun feigned ignorance.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly,¡± Yan Yu decided firmly, ¡°What temple would dare accept a real ghost?¡±

    The group fell silent.

    If it were some kind of evil creature, some temples might be willing to take them in for liberation, but these were real ghosts¡ªwho wouldn¡¯t be scared? Even monks are made of flesh!

    ¡°Now that Spiritual Energy has resurged, aren¡¯t there any truly accomplished monks who have attained the Way?¡± Lin Ning was still somewhat reluctant to give up.

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask the Religious Affairs Office,¡± Chen Lingyun took out her phone.

    After a few phone calls, she got a response:

    The affairs of cultivators were not their concern.

    Helpless, the group temporarily dropped the topic of liberation and release.

    In fact, Yan Yu did know of a few actual monks who had attained the Way and were currently studying the Buddhist teachings in temples. They might be willing to help suppress the evil spirits. But as Chen Lingyun wasn¡¯t keen and there wasn¡¯t a pressing need, they decided against it.

    In a world teeming with butchers, what was the point of collecting the bodies of the deceased? No matter how diligently you did it, could you keep up with the speed at which killers operated?

    Better to refine the ghosts properly. Every time they killed a Yin sorcerer in the future, they could potentially save dozens, even hundreds, of innocent lives.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Chen Lingyun communicated telepathically with Yan Yu.

    ¡°For offensive purposes, they¡¯re sufficient for the early stages,¡± Yan Yu assessed, ¡°The ability to ignore physical attacks brings a lot of convenience. The problem is that it comes from a foreign supernatural system, and you don¡¯t have the corresponding evil refinement techniques to enhance them. Moreover, even if you had such techniques, refining isn¡¯t easy. Torturing souls has negative public repercussions. So, just regard them as transitional assets for now and consider liberating them for reincarnation when you get better ghosts in the future.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I was thinking too,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a grin.

    Yan Yu wasn¡¯t too worried about Chen Lingyun¡¯s ghost deployment because her value to the team lay more in strategy and commanding on the battlefield. Besides, the duties of an Envoy were typically more relevant in the later stages and they relied on their teammates for early stage support.

    No rush, no rush!

    Turning to look at Lin Ning, she was currently practicing swordsmanship with Zhao Yuanzhen.

    Lin Ning was good at adapting but awkward with wielding power, so Yan Yu had two demands for her: first, to enhance her power-wielding ability, and second, to attack proactively as much as possible.

    The ability to wield power would come from countless battles, there was no need for haste.

    As for an aggressive style, she was gradually adapting. Lin Ning¡¯s nature was competitive and conscientious, and she was quite suited for the straightforward Sword Immortal class. When Yan Yu told her to focus on offense, she cranked up her aggression to the max, even forcing Zhao Yuanzhen to switch to defense at times¡ªZhao Yuanzhen was, after all, a Cultivator who had fought in another world for at least two and a half years. The fact that Lin Ning repeatedly made her defend was impressive.

    Watching for a while, Yan Yu found little to critique. Letting her continue like this was the right move¡ªshe was definitely on track to reach Valkyrie class status in the future.

    Looking further, Su Yunjin had already mastered the first three forms of the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, and her current practice focused on combining Taoism Method with swordsmanship.

    For instance, using Jiaochong to shoot the target into the air, then striking with Coral Tears; or using Li Fan to knock down the target, followed by a Coral Tears-inflicted kill¡­ It was clear she had recognized the issue with her lack of killing power and was consciously strengthening it.

    After inspecting the condition of the team, Yan Yu¡¯s attention suddenly turned to Xie Ruoxi playing with her phone on the side.

    This beautiful useless creature! Qi Changping had already told me the paperwork was through. Although it hadn¡¯t officially been presented to the Privy Council, she was now a cultivator. Yet here she was, being a salted fish!

    ¡°Playing with your phone?!¡± Yan Yu snatched the phone without ceremony, ¡°How dare you slack off on my training ground?¡±

    ¡°Give it back!¡± Xie Ruoxi instinctively tried to snatch it back but then realized she wasn¡¯t tall enough to succeed. So, she changed tack and pleaded, ¡°If I¡¯m not on my phone, I have nothing else to do. I don¡¯t understand what you guys are training¡­¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t understand, can¡¯t you memorize it first?¡± Yan Yu scolded sternly. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°I can¡¯t memorize it!¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t the brain remember? Don¡¯t you know how to take notes?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi was so anxious that tears were about to fall:

    ¡°I¡¯ll use my phone, I¡¯ll use my phone to take notes, that should be fine, right? Just give me back my phone already!¡±

    Although he was teasing the young girl, the way it sounded started to seem like he was chiding her affectionately, causing the surrounding girls to slow down in their training moves without stopping.

    Yan Yu also sensed something was off and scoffed to himself:

    What a joke! As the strongest in this world, would I really create trouble for myself?

    He tossed the phone to Lin Ning, who quickly reached out to catch it, and heard Yan Yu instruct:

    ¡°Lin Ning, you teach her the Three Arts and Five Spells. Make sure she doesn¡¯t slack off.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Lin Ning promptly agreed.

    Although he didn¡¯t expect Lin Ning, the hardworking striver, to inspire the pretty but useless girl to even a bit of initiative, as long as she could be prevented from slacking off, that was enough.

    More importantly, Yan Yu was actually more concerned about how to cultivate Xie Ruoxi in a certain direction.

    In his past life, Xie Ruoxi chose to pursue magic as her profession, and what she practiced was the highly difficult Thunder Method. After all, her talents were exceptional, and her True Yuan was plentiful and fierce, so naturally she should practice powerful magic with high difficulty to maximize her combat strength.

    But the mysterious realms that produced the Thunder Method were either yet to emerge or were exceedingly difficult to conquer¡­

    And in the end, wasn¡¯t it up to me to deal with it! Xie Ruoxi, with all her talent, can¡¯t help at all, so what¡¯s wrong with calling her useless?

    Yan Yu may have cursed in his mind, but after the venting, he started to ponder long-term plans, fitting Xie Ruoxi¡¯s issue into his schedule as well.

    Sigh, how can I, the strongest in this world, be so busy! There must be something wrong here, where¡¯s my secretary?

    I need to find a secretary fast!

    Yan Yu¡¯s gaze swiftly swept over the people present, silently contemplating in his heart.

    Chen Lingyun is someone with a clear background, suitable for strategizing, but can¡¯t be burdened with tasks, lest her temperament lead to trouble eventually.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, on the other hand, is a dual-cultivating partner, lacking in both strategy and prowess, yet her role in cultivation is indispensable.

    That means, for now, the choice for secretary would have to be between Su Yunjin and Lin Ning.

    Lin Ning has a straightforward character, suitable for fighting and killing, but as for handling affairs¡­ There¡¯s always the worry that she might be deceived by others.

    So just like with Chen Lingyun in his past life, it has to be Yun Jin.

    If this decision had to be made a few months earlier, Yan Yu wouldn¡¯t have hesitated in the slightest. But ever since that encounter with Su Yunjin¡¯s classmate, the pure camaraderie between the two seemed to have changed somewhat.

    Would there be a problem if he still chose her as the secretary?

    Yan Yu hesitated only for a moment before making up his mind firmly.

    It¡¯s just Su Yunjin, what¡¯s there to fear?

    Quack, I am the strongest in this world! There¡¯s no one I can¡¯t handle!

    ¡°Yun Jin, come over here after you finish training!¡±

    During the break, the girls relaxed on their own, and Su Yunjin came and sat down beside Yan Yu, asking in confusion:

    ¡°What¡¯s up? Is there something wrong with the way I practice my Taoist methods?¡±

    ¡°Not at all.¡± Yan Yu paused briefly and then asked, ¡°What do you think of Xie Ruoxi?¡±

    After pondering for a moment, Su Yunjin replied:

    ¡°She has very impressive talents.¡±

    ¡°Since we¡¯ve taken her in, we can¡¯t let her down and waste her talents,¡± Yan Yu said firmly.

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Su Yunjin was slightly puzzled; she detected that Yan Yu was probing her and patiently added, ¡°We have to discuss with her and decide on a cultivation path for her. But¡­ I feel she¡¯s not very enthusiastic about cultivation.¡±

    As expected of gentle and kindhearted Secretary Su, she could see at a glance the lazy nature of the pretty good-for-nothing!

    ¡°Right.¡± Yan Yu¡¯s tone cooled down, ¡°She doesn¡¯t understand cultivators yet, so we need to plan for her and be her guiding light.¡±

    Noting his use of ¡°we,¡± Su Yunjin couldn¡¯t help but smile:

    ¡°So there¡¯s something that even you, the captain, can¡¯t handle alone. If you want my help, what¡¯s the benefit for me?¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin.¡± Yan Yu spoke earnestly, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t team members help and care for each other, and love one another? Why bother about personal gains? Don¡¯t you think so?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Su Yunjin asked in surprise, ¡°Captain, do you think our relationship should be one of caring and loving?¡±

    Yan Yu: ?

    Are you focusing on the wrong part of that statement?

 Chapter 198 - 97: Though a Thousand Men Point Their Fingers, I Fear Not

    Chapter 198: Chapter 97: Though a Thousand Men Point Their Fingers, I Fear Not

    Xie Ruoxi really couldn¡¯t take it anymore.

    Cultivators¡¯ Three Arts and Five Spells, shouldn¡¯t they be like skills in a game that, once learned, could be easily used?

    Why is there a need to practice every day to accumulate proficiency!

    Alas, save me, I¡¯m not good at PE classes, nor at playing MOBA games, maybe I¡¯m just not cut out to be a cultivator¡­

    Perhaps, I should just run away?

    Seeing her troubled and downcast expression, Lin Ning thought she was worried about falling behind, not realizing she was considering beating a retreat, so she patiently advised:

    ...

    ¡°Take it easy, take it slowly. You should first practice the Shifting Technique and Cloud Ascension Technique, and then alternate between them to ensure you can switch at any time and any place. Being able to use them is the first step, mastering their use is the second step. Once you can cast them instinctively, as naturally as your heart desires, then I¡¯ll teach you the rest¡­¡±

    Listening with a pained expression, Xie Ruoxi thought to herself that getting dizzy and confused is the first step, becoming disoriented and bemused is the second step, and by the time she¡¯s driven to madness, she¡¯d probably be ready to rest in peace.

    ¡°How long do we usually practice?¡± she asked tentatively.

    ¡°We get to the training field at 9 a.m. to watch videos and discuss tactics, then go for lunch at 11:30,¡± Lin Ning explained. ¡°We start practicing at 1:30 p.m., continue until 5 p.m. for dinner, and have free time in the evening¡­ But don¡¯t you also have fan operations work? You¡¯ll probably only be able to do that at night.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi did the math; so after becoming a cultivator, she would have to wake up at 8:30 a.m., study all morning, practice all afternoon, and then work when she got home at night.

    I might as well kill myself¡­ If there¡¯s no freedom, then life isn¡¯t worth living!

    I absolutely must escape!

    ¡°Sister Lin Ning, you¡¯ve worked hard.¡± She said sweetly with a beaming smile, ¡°You¡¯ve said so much, are you thirsty? I¡¯ll go buy us some drinks.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Lin Ning was somewhat taken aback, as she and Su Yunjin usually took care of preparing the drinks during training, but since Xie Ruoxi was so obligingly volunteering, it would be rude to dampen her spirits, so she cautioned, ¡°I¡¯m fine with any drink. Ling Yun likes tea-based drinks, Yun Jin needs low-sugar ones, Sister Zhao prefers Assam milk tea or Energy Drink, and Yan Yu only drinks mineral water, nothing else.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Xie Ruoxi nodded and walked towards the exit of the training field, ¡°I¡¯ll go buy them.¡±

    Time to slip away! Head to the campus gate and then straight into a taxi, and find somewhere nearby to hide for a few days!

    While she was making a quick getaway, Yan Yu was completely unaware because he had been talking to Su Yunjin for a moment when his phone suddenly rang.

    Hmm, an unfamiliar number calling from Shengjing.

    Yan Yu picked up the call from the stranger, only to hear a male voice over the phone:

    ¡°Hello, Yan Yu?¡±

    ¡°Yes, who is this?¡±

    ¡°Cai Qianlong,¡± the voice on the other end said with an arrogant tone, ¡°The captain of the Flying Dragon Battle Team, heard of it?¡±

    ¡°Oh, seems familiar,¡± Yan Yu casually responded, ¡°Are you the one who had a face-off with Lord Master and then got beaten so badly you were picking up your teeth off the ground?¡±

    ¡°Damn it!¡± the caller exclaimed in shock, ¡°Has the news already spread to Jinling?¡±

    Before Yan Yu could say anything, the caller quickly asserted his own defense:

    ¡°Right now, I¡¯m indeed no match for him, but that may not be the case in the future!¡±

    ¡°Oh, then good luck,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to mock me?¡± Cai Qianlong asked curiously, ¡°Since you know I lost to Liu Longtao, aren¡¯t you going to ridicule me?¡±

    ¡°Why would I do that?¡± Yan Yu was puzzled, wondering if the guy was going nuts from the stress of being publicly defeated by Lord Master, surrounded by negative public opinion.

    ¡°Because before the protagonist soars to the heavens, they always have to endure oppression from the antagonists,¡± Cai Qianlong sneered, ¡°But I don¡¯t care. All the mockery and scorn will become the driving force for me to strive and become stronger!¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­..

    ¡°So you called me just to hear me insult you, to fuel your motivation?¡± he questioned, doubt evident on his face, thinking to himself that he didn¡¯t remember Cai Qianlong being this messed up in his past life.

    Oh right, in his past life, this guy never appeared at press conferences¡­

    ¡°That¡¯s not it, I just wanted to say hi,¡± Cai Qianlong changed the subject, then asked seriously, ¡°And I wanted to ask, why is everyone on your Zhenhai Team, except for you, female?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡±

    ¡°The internet says that Zhenhai Team is your ¡®Selection Team for Concubines¡¯, is that true?¡± Cai Qianlong asked with a frown.

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu was completely speechless, ¡°You believe such a low-level rumor? I¡¯ve explained this in an interview with ¡®Ethical Weekly¡¯, didn¡¯t you see it?¡±

    ¡°I saw it,¡± Cai Qianlong replied, ¡°You said in the interview that it was because only they met your team¡¯s standards.¡±

    ¡°That settles it, right?¡±

    ¡°But Liu Longtao says it¡¯s all excuses, that you just like to play with women and build a harem.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be damned¡­¡± Yan Yu wanted to curse, but he held back, saying coldly, ¡°That¡¯s all slander and defamation! Do you know he has lost to me before? Old Liu has held a grudge against me ever since, looking for ways to bad-mouth me. You actually believe those lies?¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± Cai Qianlong said without hesitation, ¡°because others have said the same.¡±

    ¡°Who else?¡± Yan Yu was shocked.

    ¡°Li Zhaojiang,¡± Cai Qianlong replied. ¡°He says you¡¯re a lecher who¡¯s always looking to take advantage of pretty female cultivators.¡±

    ¡°Li Zhaojiang has also lost to me.¡± Yan Yu restrained his anger and scolded, ¡°When they can¡¯t win, they defame. Such a lack of character!¡±

    ¡°Zhou Hongyu said so as well,¡± Cai Qianlong continued. ¡°She mentioned that if you get lost in romantic entanglements, you might soon find your strength stagnating and make no further progress.¡±

    ¡°Everyone who loses to me bad-mouths me, is that it?¡± Yan Yu finally erupted, ¡°Where did they say it?¡±

    ¡°In the group chat that [Shifting Technique] created,¡± Cai Qianlong clicked his tongue before adding, ¡°I¡¯ve seen the video of Yan Zhanlong. Your skills are indeed impressive. But if you¡¯re getting lost in lust recently, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll regress too quickly. If you can¡¯t give it your all in the Mysterious Realm showdown next week, that would be really boring. That¡¯s why I¡¯m calling you, to remind you not to let women slow down your progress in becoming stronger.¡±

    After hanging up, Yan Yu was disheveled and stayed silent for a while before slowly uttering a word:

    ¡°Shit.¡± S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Chen Lingyun came over and asked.

    She was smiling as she stared at Yan Yu¡¯s expression as if enjoying his chagrined look, but Yan Yu quickly composed himself. He entered the cultivator group chat set up by Qiu Ze and began to search through the chat history in detail.

    The group wasn¡¯t large, but it was full of nonsense. They either forwarded various short videos and chat histories all day or sent a plethora of emoticons¡ªespecially [Miao Border Girl Tang Lingling] and [Clouds Roll and Unroll], these two idiots. The former would constantly post photos of meals at restaurants, while the latter would always ask ¡®where did you eat this¡¯ and ¡®oh, I really want to eat that too¡¯, turning a proper cultivators¡¯ chat into a flood of chatter. Yan Yu was too lazy to even check it.

    Now, with Cai Qianlong¡¯s snitching, Yan Yu searched for keywords in the group, and hey, those three really had talked.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: @Liu Shao, @Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang, @Zao La, you three are being unfair, huh? Talking behind my back in the group, right?

    People in the group quickly began to respond.

    [Liu Shao]: What¡¯s up, Old Yan?

    [Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang]: Sorry, I¡¯ve bad-mouthed you far too many times, which time are you referring to?

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: I think Yan Team is referring to you guys saying he¡¯s starting a harem in the team. I have to say, joking about this is indeed not nice, it¡¯s disrespectful to the ladies.

    [Miao Border Girl Tang Lingling]: Indeed.

    [Lion Dog Da Bao]: Indeed.

    [Clouds Roll and Unroll]: Indeed, but Liu Team was really just joking. Old Yan, cool down, I¡¯ll scold him for you.

    [Liu Shao]: Alright alright, my bad. I spoke out of turn. Sorry, Old Yan.

    [Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang]: Then I¡¯ll also apologize. What I said before was just in jest. Yan Yu, you¡¯re mostly good-hearted.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What about Xiao Zhou?

    [Zao La]: ?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Did you talk behind my back?

    [Zao La]: What the hell is wrong with you.

    [Zao La]: Whoever said you¡¯re running a harem, go find them.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Haha, Xiao Zhou is still so easy to rile up.

    Yan Yu closed the chat window and started to contemplate.

    Even familiar cultivators from the same cohort would joke about this; what more the public opinion out there ¡ª even if they don¡¯t dare to speak openly, in private they would definitely cook up stories however scandalous they can get.

    It doesn¡¯t matter anymore. When I chose this team lineup, I was ready to face criticism.

    I fear nothing!

    As long as I become the strongest in this world, all criticism will vanish!

    Yan Yu quickly steeled his resolve and turned to watch the girls¡¯ training.

    Good, they all look spirited¡­ huh?

    ¡°Where¡¯s Xie Ruoxi?¡± he suddenly exclaimed.

    ¡°She went to buy drinks,¡± Lin Ning paused her sword technique and replied.

    Yan Yu was stunned for a moment, then angrily said:

    ¡°That useless thing is trying to run away! Stop training, everyone, and bring her back to me right now!¡±

 Chapter 199 - 98: Beautiful Waste, Leaving School to Run Away

    Chapter 199: Chapter 98: Beautiful Waste, Leaving School to Run Away

    Everyone rushed out of the training ground in a hurry; Lin Ning was still in disbelief:

    ¡°No way? She said she was going to buy some drinks¡­¡±

    ¡°You believe her just like that!¡± Yan Yu was also done with Sister Lin, ¡°And you said you¡¯re not easily fooled?¡±

    ¡°Why would she want to sneak away?¡± Su Yunjin frowned, puzzled.

    ¡°Probably thought the training was too tiring.¡± Yan Yu said coldly.

    Everyone: ?

    ...

    Wait a minute, was it really that tiring?

    It¡¯s true it hurts, but not to the extent that it¡¯s your problem, Xie Ruoxi! From a timing perspective, it¡¯s from 9 in the morning to 11:30, 1:30 in the afternoon until 5, and even if you work from 7 in the evening to 9. All together, that¡¯s only 8 hours, while people are working at least 10 hours every day with the 996 schedule out there!

    ¡°Don¡¯t use your own thinking to judge her.¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t bother to search the campus but ran directly towards the school gate, explaining as he went, ¡°It¡¯s like a stray cat; you think it won¡¯t run away because you feed it fish and meat, but you don¡¯t realize it isn¡¯t tamed and too wild to reason with!¡±

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s eyebrows twitched, showing a playful expression as she sweetly said:

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying we need to catch her and properly train her, huh?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s catch her first.¡± Yan Yu arrived at the school gate, his mind quickly strategizing.

    Jinling Airport¡­ No, the beautiful waste doesn¡¯t have the guts to make such a clean break. She¡¯s most likely found a place to slack off in secret.

    Where would she go?

    Let me think, where would that waste go¡­

    Fortunately, having past life memories related to Xie Ruoxi, Yan Yu quickly ordered:

    ¡°Chen Lingyun.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°Check all the internet cafes around the school, from the nearest to the furthest.¡±

    ¡°Got it~¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°Lin Ning.¡± Yan Yu continued to command.

    ¡°I¡¯m here.¡±

    ¡°The commercial complexes around here, look up online for those with arcades inside, and check them out.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Lin Ning hurriedly complied.

    ¡°Su Yunjin.¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Tell me.¡±

    ¡°Call her, send messages, even though she¡¯s most likely too scared to reply,¡± Yan Yu said quickly, ¡°If she doesn¡¯t reply, go find Instructor Qi. Don¡¯t mention anything else, just say Xie Ruoxi has been out for a while and we can¡¯t get in touch with her, ask him to help find people.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Su Yunjin knew there was a delicate balance to maintain: to ask Instructor Qi for help in finding someone while not letting him know that Ruoxi had ¡°run away from school.¡± She nodded, ¡°Leave it to me.¡±

    ¡°Zhao¡­¡± Yan Yu suddenly got stuck.

    How could the Demonic Sect Enchantress be of any help? She¡¯s not as resourceful as Chen Lingyun, not as perceptive and responsive as Lin Ning, not as savvy and capable as Su Yunjin. Wouldn¡¯t involving her in the search backfire?

    ¡°What do you need me to do?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, unaware of Yan Yu¡¯s thoughts, urged questioningly.

    Seeing her eagerness, Yan Yu said warmly:

    ¡°You go back and guard our place. If she comes back, definitely don¡¯t let her leave.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got this!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen patted her chest, completely unaware that she¡¯d essentially been fobbed off¡ªXie Ruoxi was decidedly not daring to go back right now.

    Everyone quickly dispersed to their tasks, while Yan Yu stood at the school gate, continuing to contemplate silently.

    Internet cafes, arcades; those two were the most likely places she would go, followed by some maid cafes and anime merchandise stores¡­ But those places are hard to find on maps, and since Xie Ruoxi is from out of town and unfamiliar with the area, she¡¯d likely opt for those easily found, suitable spots to hide and kill time first.

    And then there¡¯s¡­

    Yan Yu suddenly had an epiphany and took out his phone to search.

    Keyword: cosplay convention.

    There! There¡¯s a Fleet Girls Carnival happening here!

    Others might not know, but Yan Yu was well aware that Xie Ruoxi was a seasoned Fleet Girls player who had cosplayed many characters from the game.

    The venue was quite a distance away when viewed on the map, but avid anime fans don¡¯t fear a long journey. Thus, Yan Yu quickly hailed a cab and headed straight for the cosplay convention site.

    Upon arrival, Yan Yu saw various Fleet Girls standees on both sides of the venue entrance, with large ¡°Battle Commencement¡± promotional banners hanging on the facade.

    Upon entering the interior of the venue, the whole place was adorned with elements of ship girls, from the side of the turnstiles to the billboards on load-bearing columns, and the anime standees everywhere, all representing two-dimensional paper dolls with multicolored hair and exaggerated figures.

    Yan Yu just glanced once and lost interest.

    One look at the fake does not compare to the Demonic Sect Enchantress.

    Apart from security, most of the passersby were male, many carrying backpacks, holding bags in their hands, and some even clutching rolled-up posters under their arms; of course, there were women too, but they usually dressed up as ship girls, with various colors of hair, browsing the booths or posing with visitors, making hearts and Vs with their fingers.

    Even if Yan Yu wasn¡¯t well-versed in this area, he knew that cosplay costumes and wigs required preparation in advance and involved a lengthy makeup process, so Xie Ruoxi undoubtedly wouldn¡¯t have had time to perform her face-changing sorcery.

    If she was here, she must have come as a visitor¡ªso there was no need to pay attention to cosplayers, just scan the female visitors!

    He activated his Divine Sense and scanned the surrounding area without restraint.

    This one isn¡¯t her, that one isn¡¯t either, let¡¯s look further ahead¡­

    Yan Yu quickly finished scanning the entrance and was about to move on when suddenly a cosplaying girl called out to him:

    ¡°Eh, aren¡¯t you that¡­ Yan Zhanlong?¡±

    Yan Yu: ?

    Oh, I rushed out and forgot to put on sunglasses.

    ¡°Could you give me an autograph?¡± the girl came over enthusiastically, ¡°I¡¯m a big fan of yours haha, I¡¯ve seen your battle videos before, you¡¯re really cool~¡±

    Yan Yu was about to reject her sternly when a thought struck him. He took the marker pen from her hand and smiled:

    ¡°Where do you want me to sign?¡±

    ¡°Right here~¡± The girl pointed to her chest.

    ¡°Hm?¡± Yan Yu made a face that said ¡°Are you kidding me?¡±

    ¡°Haha, just kidding,¡± the girl quickly corrected herself, ¡°Sign on the waist of my skirt, this is Atago¡¯s bride skin.¡±

    Yan Yu wasn¡¯t in the mood to listen to her explanations. He quickly signed his name, then asked urgently:

    ¡°You¡¯re a cosplayer here, right? I have a friend who might be in the venue. I can¡¯t reach her; have you seen her?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, let me check.¡± The girl looked at the photo on his phone, then said with a puzzled expression, ¡°The Magical Girl Ruoxi?¡±

    ¡°You know her?¡± Yan Yu was surprised.

    ¡°She¡¯s a cosplayer in our circle of enthusiasts,¡± the girl said with a smile, ¡°I remember she likes to cosplay Lexington and North House¡­ I¡¯ll ask my friends if they¡¯ve seen her.¡±

    She pulled out her phone from somewhere and, with dazzling speed, began furiously typing, shaking people down in the Cos enthusiasts group.

    There were also a few photographers standing nearby, waiting for Yan Yu to leave to continue their shoot, and upon hearing the discussion, they curiously asked:

    ¡°Magical Girl Ruoxi is here too? She¡¯s not on the guest list.¡±

    ¡°She might have just come to visit,¡± Yan Yu said calmly.

    ¡°Found her,¡± the girl suddenly announced, ¡°She¡¯s at booth C playing games. I¡¯ll take you there.¡±

    ¡°No, thank you,¡± Yan Yu replied expressionlessly, anger already blazing within him, ¡°I¡¯ll find her myself.¡±

    Fine, fine, fine, so you really are hiding here, you goddamn gorgeous waste! S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    I was just at Instructor Qi¡¯s arguing that I couldn¡¯t possibly hand you over to the Annan Army because they don¡¯t have the skills to tame you, and here you go pulling this stunt!

    Isn¡¯t this a slap in my face?

    Dare to provoke me, the strongest of this age, and even a dragon will be slain by me! How many guts do you have, Xie Ruoxi, to dare challenge me, Yan Zhanlong?

    He turned and used the Shifting Technique, instantly dashing more than ten meters away, startling the surrounding photographers who hastily raised their cameras to shoot, but only caught a series of afterimages.

    At booth C, Xie Ruoxi was standing in front of a machine wielding a hammer, immersed in a whack-a-mole game¡ªexcept the moles had been replaced with models of ¡°Cheshire Cats,¡± and supposedly, scoring 20 points within a set time would win a standee.

    Many tourists were gathered around her, watching her play the game and occasionally offering their comments:

    ¡°You¡¯re running out of time.¡±

    ¡°One more mistake and it¡¯s over.¡±

    But Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t believe in jinxes; her hands moved faster and faster, accuracy increasingly higher¡ªdon¡¯t underestimate the reflexes I¡¯ve honed over a decade of playing bullet hell games!

    Finally, with the last hammer blow, she hit the 20th Cheshire Cat, the machine rang out with a ¡°grand prize¡± bell sound, and the surrounding tourists also gasped in amazement.

    Xie Ruoxi beamed with joy, about to receive the Cheshire Cat standee from the stall worker, when suddenly an earth-shattering, roof-lifting roar sounded from afar:

    ¡°Die, damn you!!!!!!¡±

    Before the words even reached her, Yan Yu had already charged behind her, slamming her head into the hole of the machine.

 Chapter 200 - 99 Borrowing a Sword from Old Liu

    Chapter 200: Chapter 99 Borrowing a Sword from Old Liu

    ¡°Wuuu wuuu waaaah!¡±

    By the time the girls arrived at the scene, they saw Xie Ruoxi bawling her eyes out, tears streaming down her face, a sight that evoked pity.

    Around her neck was a board full of holes, reminiscent of an ancient prisoner¡¯s pillory, and behind her was a partially dismantled machine.

    Yan Yu stood aside with an impatient look, arms folded across his chest, talking to the person in charge of the venue.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Lin Ning asked hurriedly. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu nodded toward Xie Ruoxi and said,

    ...

    ¡°Her head got stuck in a Whac-A-Mole machine hole, and now it can¡¯t be pulled out.¡±

    ¡°How did it get stuck there?¡± Lin Ning was still confused.

    Xie Ruoxi pointed at Yan Yu and wept,

    ¡°He bullied me harshly!¡±

    The girls turned their gaze to Yan Yu, whose expression remained unchanged as he said coldly,

    ¡°Harsh times call for harsh laws; the lazy need strict punishment. Cultivators are military professionals. Do you not know the crime for leaving the military academy without approval? And you even dared to stroll around the anime convention. Take her away!¡±

    Indeed, it was really Xie Ruoxi¡¯s fault to begin with. The girls had no choice but to comfort the sobbing Xie Ruoxi while escorting her out of the anime convention to avoid further public ridicule.

    Finding a secluded corner nearby, Su Yunjin tried to pull the board off.

    It really was stuck and wouldn¡¯t come out.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back wearing this thing¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi was still sniveling and crying, and Lin Ning quickly reassured her,

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll chop it down with Flying Sword.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi immediately stopped crying out of fear: What, chop it down with Flying Sword?

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit risky?¡± Su Yunjin hesitated, ¡°Flying Sword is too sharp, if we¡¯re not careful we could injure her neck¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Chen Lingyun said while checking her phone, smiling, ¡°There¡¯s a hospital nearby, very close. It¡¯ll only take a few minutes for an ambulance to get here.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s face turned completely pale as she stammered,

    ¡°Actually, wearing it for a while is not a problem, maybe we should call the firefighters with the proper equipment to deal with it.¡±

    ¡°Why not use the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly asked, ¡°Afraid of being cut by the sword¡¯s edge, just use a Barrier Charm, right?¡±

    The girls all fell silent.

    ¡°Now you see the importance of the Three Arts and Five Spells?¡± Yan Yu, who had been watching with a detached gaze, finally spoke up, ¡°Keep it on and go back the way you are. Lin Ning, continue teaching her the Three Arts and Five Spells, but teach the Barrier Charm last! Break the board only after she¡¯s learned to use it!¡±

    The girls were about to speak when they suddenly heard Yan Yu¡¯s voice transmitted into their ears,

    ¡°Shut up, all of you! You¡¯re not her mother; why play the overindulgent parent routine? She¡¯s a cultivator now. If she doesn¡¯t change her habit of giving up at the slightest obstacle and being afraid of hardship, it will one day cost her her life!¡±

    ¡°Well, I should say that I am in favor of strict training,¡± Chen Lingyun immediately made her stance clear, ¡°Ruoxi really can¡¯t keep going on like this.¡±

    ¡°Training¡­ Education should still consider the methods used, right?¡± Su Yunjin gently advised.

    ¡°Indeed, I think it¡¯s too lenient,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen stirred the pot, ¡°Why not just beat her up?¡±

    ¡°Hitting someone directly is too extreme!¡± Lin Ning complained excitedly, ¡°Even in the army, it¡¯s not like they hit people directly!¡±

    As they started to argue back and forth again, Yan Yu put his foot down and said,

    ¡°Stop arguing, just take her back and we¡¯ll discuss it there!¡±

    Chen Lingyun called for another minivan. When it arrived, everyone got in one after another. Su Yunjin and Lin Ning sat on either side of Xie Ruoxi in the back row, sandwiching her in the middle, holding her hands and whispering words of comfort.

    The driver glanced at them through the rearview mirror and said with a chuckle,

    ¡°Heh, are you taking a prisoner to the execution ground or what?¡±

    ¡°Kids being kids,¡± Yan Yu said offhandedly from the passenger seat, ¡°She bet she could fit her head in and now she can¡¯t get it out.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± the driver nodded, thinking he had a new story to share with his colleagues. Xie Ruoxi, sitting in the back, wanted to say something, but Su Yunjin quickly silenced her.

    This middle-aged uncle clearly wasn¡¯t familiar with the internet, so he didn¡¯t recognize Yan Zhanlong. He drove skillfully back to the Jinling National Defense Academy. Letting everyone out,

    Qi Changping stood at the school gate, looking puzzled at Lin Ning and Su Yunjin helping Xie Ruoxi out of the car,

    ¡°What are you playing at¡­ Truth or Dare Play?¡±

    ¡°Even you know about Truth or Dare?¡± Yan Yu was surprised.

    ¡°I also know that showing off gets you struck by lightning,¡± Qi Changping said with profound meaning, ¡°Yan Yu, as team captain, managing the team is also your responsibility. It¡¯s no good if a teammate goes missing.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu turned to Xie Ruoxi and said coldly, ¡°It won¡¯t happen again.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi shivered involuntarily and began to despair.

    Dad, Mom, I was wrong, I want to go to university.

    If I hadn¡¯t given up on the college entrance exams, I would probably be in a normal university campus now, skipping classes, watching anime, and staying up all night¡­

    Wuuu wuuu, I don¡¯t want to be a cultivator anymore!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Have her practice the Three Arts and Five Spells, and remember to teach her the Barrier Charm last,¡± Yan Yu instructed Lin Ning once more, ¡°If she does well, break the plank for her; if not, let her wear the plank around her neck and continue practicing until she masters it.¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± Lin Ning nodded.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Yan Yu sighed deeply and went out to use the restroom.

    Waste is like this, the more pressure you apply, the more potential emerges; without any pressure, it¡¯s directly discarded.

    After using the restroom and washing his hands at the sink, Yan Yu leisurely walked back to the training ground, and upon entering, he noticed Xie Ruoxi¡¯s plank was gone.

    ¡°Lin Ning,¡± he beckoned Lin Ning over, ¡°Where¡¯s the plank?¡±

    ¡°I split it,¡± Lin Ning said.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you?¡± Yan Yu¡¯s expression became slightly angry, ¡°You¡¯re taking my words as a breeze past your ears?¡±

    ¡°She knows all of the Three Arts and Five Spells,¡± Lin Ning paused briefly before explaining, ¡°She got them all on the first try.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

    He looked at Xie Ruoxi again, the pretty waste first startled, instinctively hugging her chest and shivering, but soon enough she recovered, wrinkling her nose at him with effort.

    I haven¡¯t done anything wrong now; you can¡¯t keep bullying me, can you? All my sisters are watching!

    Yan Yu walked to her side with an emotionless face, which frightened Xie Ruoxi into cowering again, trembling in fear.

    ¡°With such great talent, why would you choose to slack off?¡± Yan Yu asked her with a complex tone.

    Xie Ruoxi couldn¡¯t speak; all she saw was him waving his hand again, saying:

    ¡°Never mind, don¡¯t answer me. Lin Ning!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Lin Ning came running over.

    ¡°Since she knows all of the Three Arts and Five Spells, take her to practice the wall charge.¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm, alright.¡±

    The wall charge, namely using the Shifting Technique to rush towards a wall, and using the Cloud Ascension Technique to stop abruptly before hitting it, is a subject matter that Yan Yu ¡°originated¡± and that all Cultivators must practice, possessing the triple effects of ¡°cultivating courage,¡± ¡°cultivating reflexes,¡± and ¡°cultivating control.¡±

    Leaving Xie Ruoxi to Lin Ning for training, Yan Yu left the training ground. After some deliberation, he dialed Liu Longtao¡¯s phone number.

    ¡°What¡¯s up, Old Yan?¡± Lord Master picked up quickly.

    ¡°I want to borrow a sword.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°The Heavenly Yuan Qi Sword, it¡¯s with you, right?¡± Yan Yu said impatiently, ¡°Stop pretending, your Liu Family has been secretly developing the Mysterious Realm, and you¡¯ve acquired quite a few treasures, right?¡±

    There was silence on the other end for more than a minute, until Liu Longtao finally spoke:

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t believe and spread rumors; you¡¯ll take responsibility if something goes wrong.¡±

    ¡°Give me the sword, and I¡¯ll neither believe nor spread rumors.¡±

    ¡°How much did Chen Lingyun tell you?¡±

    ¡°Not much.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like this,¡± Liu Longtao sighed and explained, ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as developing it in secret. Some Mysterious Realms weren¡¯t even due to be opened yet, but we forced our way through by other means, which made the development extremely difficult and dangerous. Most explorations are sacrificial, so we¡¯re temporarily not open to the public. Besides, this has nothing to do with my family; the projects are managed and supervised by special appointees from the Privy Council.¡±

    ¡°Mm, I believe that the Privy Council is supervising,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°But the Privy Council isn¡¯t just your family? Rounded up, doesn¡¯t that still mean your family is secretly developing it?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re getting more and more outrageous,¡± Liu Longtao hurriedly explained, ¡°My dad retired long ago and doesn¡¯t manage affairs anymore, okay?¡±

    ¡°Ah? Retirement means not managing anymore? Then let¡¯s have a good talk about that,¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°Let¡¯s start by analyzing the resume of the current Privy Councilor¡­¡±

    ¡°Enough, enough, enough, I beg you!¡± Liu Longtao couldn¡¯t take it anymore and called for a stop, ¡°All right, Old Yan, we¡¯re friends, aren¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°Of course, we¡¯re friends.¡±

    ¡°Solid ones, right?¡±

    ¡°Pure iron.¡±

    ¡°A friend in need is a friend indeed, and I¡¯m bound to help, but you have to tell me the whole story. Don¡¯t you already have that Dragon-slaying Heavy Sword?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not for me; it¡¯s being prepared for Xie Ruoxi.¡±

    ¡°The girl you recently brought in?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®recently¡¯? Just today,¡± Yan Yu paused, then added, ¡°You already know about this, so you should also be aware of her extraordinary talent, right? That Heavenly Yuan Qi Sword is the most suitable for her.¡±

    ¡°I really didn¡¯t know about the extraordinary talent,¡± Liu Longtao chuckled, ¡°I just heard people say that your harem team got a new member¡­ Hey, I didn¡¯t say this, it¡¯s what others were saying, that the girl is really good-looking.¡±

    ¡°Stop your gossip,¡± Yan Yu said impatiently, ¡°Come on Liu, be quick about it, are you going to give it or not? Just say it.¡±

    ¡°I can only say I¡¯ll try,¡± Liu Longtao sighed, ¡°Obviously, it has to go through an application process, and I also have to explain to my family how you got to know about this since it¡¯s a highly confidential project¡­¡±

    ¡°Just say Chen Lingyun let it slip, and that¡¯s how I found out.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense.¡±

 Chapter 201 - 100: Spiritual Energy Eruption

    Chapter 201: Chapter 100: Spiritual Energy Eruption

    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Yan Yu stared, speechless.

    ¡°I have no idea,¡± Lin Ning said awkwardly, ¡°I originally thought she¡­¡±

    Yan Yu looked towards Xie Ruoxi, who lay on the ground unable to get up, and at Su Yunjin beside her, who was checking and treating her. He quickly pieced together the true sequence of events:

    Lin Ning had thought that Xie Ruoxi¡¯s talent for cultivation was exceptional; she had grasped the Three Arts and Five Spells after being taught just once. Subconsciously, Lin Ning assumed Xie Ruoxi could also master the Wall Charge in one go. Xie Ruoxi thought the same, and as a result, she had slammed headfirst into the wall.

    As mentioned before, the Wall Charge requires guts, reaction speed, and control ability¡ªqualities that have absolutely nothing to do with cultivation aptitude.

    In matters related to talent, Xie Ruoxi could crush others with her sheer brutish force, like a two-meter-tall basketball rookie with an astonishing vertical leap dunking fiercely thanks to his physical advantage. But ask him to shoot three-pointers and he would be completely lost.

    ...

    Luckily, Lin Ning was serious enough in her work to have Xie Ruoxi wear protective gear for the practice. Otherwise, the already foolish girl might have ended up brain-damaged from hitting the wall and turned into a disabled little sister.

    The thought of Xie Ruoxi only able to mutter ¡°aba aba eheihei,¡± made Yan Yu suddenly¡­ wait, that hardly seemed different from her current state, did it?

    ¡°It seems that little Xie isn¡¯t the all-rounded genius type,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile beside him, ¡°She still has a lot to learn.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just worried she won¡¯t settle down to truly refine herself,¡± Yan Yu sighed.

    ¡°That¡¯s why she needs to be disciplined,¡± Chen Lingyun said slowly, ¡°By the way, someone accused me of leaking secrets just now, what¡¯s that all about?¡±

    ¡°Leaking secrets, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Yan Yu feigned ignorance, ¡°Who told you that?¡±

    ¡°Humph,¡± Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t confirm or deny it, ¡°I wonder which little troublemaker said that.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re facing the Flying Dragon Battle Team next week, and it¡¯s going to be nationally broadcasted,¡± Yan Yu saw that she didn¡¯t pursue the matter further and quickly changed the subject, ¡°Do you know why?¡±

    ¡°The borderlands are growing restless,¡± Chen Lingyun said lightly, ¡°Something happened, and we need to show our strength.¡±

    ¡°The southwest?¡±

    ¡°Southwest.¡±

    ¡°The world is going to start turning chaotic,¡± Yan Yu sighed.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Chen Lingyun said smilingly, ¡°It¡¯s finally about to start getting chaotic.¡±

    ¡°¡­I really want to punch you in the face,¡± Yan Yu glared at her.

    ¡°So I should thank you for not being domestically violent?¡± Chen Lingyun was still smiling.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t respond to her and started walking towards the outskirts of the training field.

    The sky outside the window was overcast, suggesting it would rain soon, and the air had cooled noticeably. The wind rustled through the surrounding trees.

    ¡°What I¡¯m really worried about is whether you all are prepared,¡± he said, looking at the dark clouds on the horizon without turning back.

    ¡°Everyone has their own destiny,¡± Chen Lingyun said as she emerged from the shadows behind him, a slight smile on her face, ¡°Worrying is useless.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? I don¡¯t believe it,¡± Yan Yu said after a moment of silence,

    ¡°I will change everyone¡¯s destiny.¡±

    ¡°Mhmm,¡± Chen Lingyun nodded, ¡°Many reincarnated souls have a sense of mission like that, feeling that they have lived again to change something.¡±

    ¡°Where did all these reincarnated souls come from?¡±

    ¡°From works of art, of course,¡± Chen Lingyun looked into the distance, standing on her tiptoes as if she wanted to seem taller, ¡°Art reflects the human heart, and the more popular a piece, the truer this is. So I believe that if most people could be reborn and return to the past, they would definitely want to make up for the regrets of their former life.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Yan Yu let out a long breath, ¡°At least I¡­¡±

    Yes, I had many regrets in my previous life.

    I entered the fray too late; many people were already gone, many things had already happened, many situations had become completely irreparable.

    My defeat wasn¡¯t due to the battles I fought.

    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go,¡± Yan Yu turned around.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to see the scenery anymore?¡± Chen Lingyun said cheerfully, ¡°I can help you reflect and understand any insights or feelings.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing more to say,¡± Yan Yu said coldly.

    I am not Cai Qianlong, that idiot¡ªI don¡¯t need setbacks and failures to spur me on; I have had more than my fill of them in my previous life.

    This life, I¡¯ll smash everything to pieces.

    Returning to the training ground, Yan Yu watched expressionlessly from the sidelines as Xie Ruoxi practiced with Su Yunjin.

    Su Yunjin was obviously going easy¡ªshe was not only using the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art but also intentionally holding back her strength and speed, leaving a lot of time for Xie Ruoxi to react.

    But Xie Ruoxi was unbelievably unskilled, her use of Shifting Technique and Cloud Ascension Technique was a complete mess. She switched between techniques too slowly, her ability to seize opportunities was poor, and her demeanor was panicked and disordered, hit repeatedly by the Star River Secret Art, completely soaked as if she were a drenched rabbit, utterly pitiful.

    Yan Yu watched silently as Lin Ning ran over to explain, but he stopped her with a raised hand.

    Hmm.

    Perhaps¡­ this was more suitable?

    He had originally instructed Lin Ning to take charge of Xie Ruoxi, forcing her to repeatedly practice the Wall Charge. Because the movement was mechanically repetitive, the beautiful waste of space would quickly lose interest and start looking for ways to slack off. Lin Ning, in order to supervise her, would also have to neglect her own cultivation.

    What if we switched up the method?

    Let Su Yunjin use Xie Ruoxi as a target for practicing Daoist magic. Her Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art is inherently more about control, and by controlling its power, it won¡¯t cause much lethal effect. Hitting Xie Ruoxi would at most make her uncomfortable.

    To avoid getting hit, Xie Ruoxi would naturally have to dodge with all her might and couldn¡¯t slack off since a moment¡¯s carelessness could leave her overwhelmed and at a loss in the water!

    ¡°Brilliant!¡± Yan Yu, seeing the key to the strategy, clapped his hands in admiration. ¡°Where did you get this idea, Yun Jin? Slacking off means facing the music, and to avoid being hit, you have to give it your all. That¡¯s what real practical combat training is all about!¡±

    The other girls looked at him speechlessly, their expressions seeming to ask, ¡°Do you really not know?¡±

    ¡°What are you all looking at me for?¡± Yan Yu raised an eyebrow and scoffed, ¡°Or maybe we should practice like this too¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine, we¡¯ll go practice on our own.¡± Upon hearing his words, everyone immediately caused a stir and hurriedly scattered like birds and beasts.

    Everyone practiced until around five o¡¯clock, during which Su Yunjin, worried that Xie Ruoxi might catch a cold, even took her to the restroom to dry her clothes several times¡­ and then she was soaked through again. It was just a fate of humiliation that a good-for-nothing could not escape.

    ¡°Are we solving dinner in the cafeteria?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°The cafeteria?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was shocked on the spot. ¡°What happened to the ten promised meals?¡±

    ¡°Fine then, you lead the way.¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t bother to argue with her as he would still need this Demonic Sect Enchantress to change his puppet Ah Zhen¡¯s prosthetic body. For now, he could indulge her smugness for a bit. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Zhao Yuanzhen immediately puffed up with pride, shouting with her head held high, ¡°Sisters, follow me, today Young Master Yan is picking up the tab,¡± and ran ahead to lead the way.

    Everyone initially wanted to see what Sister Zhao felt like eating, but upon leaving the school and reaching the mall, everyone collapsed at the sight of Haidilao.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Haidilao?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen retorted indignantly, ¡°Hotpot is best for a group to enjoy together, alright?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, indeed, no more bickering.¡± Yan Yu explained to everyone, ¡°The first time I took her out to eat, it was at Haidilao.¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a giggly smile, ¡°Sister Zhao almost drank up the entire soup that time.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, initially a bit moved, thinking that the thief actually remembered the first time he took her out to eat, rolled her eyes instantly upon hearing what Chen Lingyun added.

    Damn it, she had forgotten this terrible woman was there at the time too, such a buzzkill!

    Turning to Su Yunjin and Lin Ning, the two were unfazed, clearly indicating that, to them, ¡°Sister Zhao finishing the hotpot soup was totally normal.¡± Only Xie Ruoxi naively asked:

    ¡°Won¡¯t it be too salty if you drink too much soup?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to their nonsense.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen wrapped an arm around Xie Ruoxi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Today¡¯s your first day on the team, you get first pick on the menu. Whatever you want to eat, just ask the waiter to bring it.¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhao seems to really like this little girl from Jingnan.¡± Chen Lingyun stealthily sent a message to the others, ¡°Could it be¡­ she sees herself in her?¡±

    ¡°Are you talking about personality or figure?¡± Lin Ning asked curiously.

    In terms of personality, both seemed a bit simple-minded; in terms of figure, although Xie Ruoxi wasn¡¯t as voluptuous as Zhao Yuanzhen, she was also quite substantial.

    ¡°What does the captain think?¡± Su Yunjin asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s either, don¡¯t guess wildly,¡± Yan Yu rejected both speculations.

    Of course, he knew why Zhao Yuanzhen liked Xie Ruoxi: There was but one reason, that good-for-nothing had sufficiently high talent for cultivation.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress was best at attaching herself to power¡ª whomever showed signs of achieving great things on their path, she¡¯d cling to their coattails in the hope of riding their coattails to heaven!

    Once everyone sat down in the restaurant, Zhao Yuanzhen didn¡¯t go back on her word and handed the menu to Xie Ruoxi first.

    Xie Ruoxi felt honored, asking everyone what they wanted to eat before placing the orders.

    Yan Yu, somewhat bored, was playing with his phone and noticed a message from Qi Changping:

    ¡°Press conference tomorrow at 3 PM to officially announce the news of the Mysterious Realm. A warm-up promotion will follow for about a week. The Mysterious Realm is northwest of Gaodu County in Sanjin Province. Some undead soldiers have emerged from the realm. If the defense pressure in Gaodu County increases subsequently, we might have to advance the simulation confrontation and realm assault preparations. Get ready for it.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°The approval for Xie Ruoxi from the Privy Council hasn¡¯t come through yet, so she can¡¯t participate in combat this time,¡± Qi Changping sent another message. ¡°Let her continue with the fan operations.¡±

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t reply, knowing full well Xie Ruoxi really wasn¡¯t ready for battle yet, but forwarded the previous message to the team chat group.

    ¡°Sanjin Province, Gaodu County,¡± Su Yunjin pondered, ¡°The Changping battle?¡±

    ¡°Probably some ghost cultivator opened a Mysterious Realm nearby to refine the resentful spirits in Changping Defile,¡± Yan Yu casually explained. ¡°Back then, Bai Qi buried 450,000 Zhao soldiers there. The resentment must be soaring sky-high. This realm¡¯s difficulty won¡¯t be low, prepare yourselves mentally.¡±

    ¡°No worries, we have Ling Yun,¡± Lin Ning mentioned, ¡°Her Soul Summoning Banner has a suppressive effect on resentful spirits.¡±

    ¡°And my Yin Wind Sword,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen chimed in competitively.

    ¡°Right, and Sister Zhao,¡± Su Yunjin, who knew how to talk, said with a smile, ¡°Those mother-child resentful spirits last time were really scared of her sword.¡±

    While chatting and laughing, they waited for the food to arrive, showing no signs of nervousness.

    Yan Yu was about to say something when a sudden jolt in his divine sense made him pause. He observed the girls, aside from Xie Ruoxi who hadn¡¯t cultivated divine sense, all had changing expressions.

    How to describe it? Like fish suddenly dropping from shallow water into the depths or birds swiftly flying out of caves into the open, as if the whole world suddenly expanded.

    At that very moment, the concentration of spiritual energy around the globe burst slightly.

    The level cap for Rikoku Cultivators increased.

    Up to the Marrow Cleansing Stage.

 Chapter 202 - 1 Yan Yus Death Threat

    Chapter 202: Chapter 1 Yan Yu¡¯s Death Threat

    What¡¯s the first thing to do after the level cap has been raised?

    Level rush.

    Technique certainly is a major factor affecting the strength, but the cultivation realm can determine the upper and lower limits of strength.

    Instead of betting on whether one¡¯s technique can perform normally during real combat, of course, it¡¯s better to raise the cultivation realm as soon as possible.

    After a hasty meal, everyone rushed back to their villa rooms to each practice their qi refinement, not caring what Xie Ruoxi was doing¡ªnot that they didn¡¯t want to care, but because they needed to rush their cultivation at this critical moment. Even a slight advancement over the Flying Dragon Battle Team could mean an extra advantage in next week¡¯s Mysterious Realm confrontation.

    Qi Refinement involves circulating True Yuan in the Grand Circulation; the first circulation of the day increases cultivation the fastest, then the efficiency of the second round halves, and the third and fourth rounds get progressively worse¡­ That¡¯s why cultivation has the concept of ¡°daily lessons.¡± You must complete the first circulation every day, try to complete the second one, and then go as you please for the rest.

    ...

    The effectiveness of the increase is also related to the cultivator¡¯s talent. For instance, Lord Master Liu Longtao, it is said, circulates at least fifteen times a day since his talent is good. Even when the number of rounds exceeds ten, each round¡¯s increase is still significant.

    For those with talent not as sky-defying as Lord Master, but still of average standard, they usually perform seven to eight circulations. After that, there¡¯s hardly any increase, and it feels like a waste of time to continue practicing.

    Of course, the main thing is the level cap. As long as everyone¡¯s talent isn¡¯t too bad, they will eventually reach the current full level of the realm, no matter how slow the cultivation is, without creating a long-term gap¡ªunless there¡¯s a confrontation next week.

    Xie Ruoxi suddenly found herself free of supervision and naturally enjoyed her leisure. After gaming for half the day in the study, she suddenly heard the doorbell ring from downstairs.

    She went downstairs to open the door and found that Instructor Qi had arrived.

    ¡°Foundation Establishment Pill.¡± Qi Changping took out a bottle. ¡°There are six pills in total; call Yan Yu down to sign for them.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi subconsciously didn¡¯t want to look for Yan Yu and asked,

    ¡°Can¡¯t I just leave it in the living room? He¡¯s cultivating right now, and I don¡¯t want to disturb him.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Qi Changping appraised her with his gaze, then suddenly frowned. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you cultivating?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi prolonged her voice as she quickly concocted an excuse, ¡°I was just about to cultivate, but Yan Yu asked me to wait here for you, Instructor, to deliver this¡­ Foundation Establishment Pill.¡±

    ¡°Fine then.¡± Qi Changping handed her the bottle. ¡°There¡¯s one Elixir Medicine in there for you. Remember not to take it yet; finish your daily lessons first, otherwise it would be a waste.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Xie Ruoxi accepted the bottle and, after seeing Qi Changping off and closing the door, threw the bottle onto the sofa, planning to continue playing games upstairs¡ªas a result, the bottle was caught by Yan Yu, who had suddenly appeared behind her.

    ¡°Do you know what this is?¡± Yan Yu asked with a smile.

    Although he smiled warmly, Xie Ruoxi felt caught red-handed and turned pale as she stuttered,

    ¡°Uh, this is¡­¡±

    ¡°This is called a Foundation Establishment Pill.¡± Yan Yu continued in a genial tone. ¡°The total monthly production for the whole country might be just a few hundred pills, sought after by many cultivators; an absolute treasure. If those non-official cultivators found out you had this thing, they would come to kill you for it, or kidnap your family¡­¡±

    ¡°I was wrong.¡± Xie Ruoxi promptly admitted her fault, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ll go cultivate right away.¡±

    She knelt down so quickly that even Yan Yu was slightly taken aback.

    After all, the two girls who usually got scolded by him, Zhao Yuanzhen had always been the ¡°I¡¯m wrong but won¡¯t admit it¡± type, and Chen Lingyun played the ¡°I don¡¯t know what mistake¡± fool. Now, encountering Xie Ruoxi, who was willing to readily admit her fault, her attitude appeared much more sincere compared to the other two¡­

    Stop! Don¡¯t be fooled by her, this pretty waste is most skilled at giving up. She¡¯s been lectured and says she¡¯ll turn over a new leaf, but be careful or she might find it boring again once back in her bedroom and start slacking off!

    ¡°Come with me.¡± Yan Yu¡¯s smile faded, he said sternly.

    Xie Ruoxi followed him upstairs with trepidation, watching as he distributed the Foundation Establishment Pills to the other girls, before returning to the bedroom.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was meditating on the bed and when she saw Xie Ruoxi follow him in, her eyes widened in surprise.

    Xie Ruoxi was also dumbfounded: Damn, why is Sister Zhao in your room?

    ¡°You¡­¡± Zhao Yuanzhen had just uttered a word when Yan Yu abruptly interrupted her:

    ¡°What do you think of Ruoxi¡¯s talent?¡±

    What do I think of her talent? It¡¯s one in a million, of course!

    Truth be told, even without any real proof, Zhao Yuanzhen suspected Xie Ruoxi¡¯s cultivation talent might be the once-in-ten-thousand-years ¡°Bright Dao Heart¡±:

    It is said that these peerless talents not only cultivate extremely quickly but also learn any Spell at a glance and understand them with a single point¡­ But seeing Xie Ruoxi¡¯s disheartening attitude, it was difficult to associate her with ¡°Bright Dao Heart.¡±

    Wait, why is this sneak asking me this?

    Zhao Yuanzhen paused for a moment, a disbelieving idea emerging in her mind:

    Could it be because he finds my talent inadequate, he wants to switch to dual cultivation with Xie Ruoxi?

    As this idea crossed her mind, it was like she could hear that detestable voice of a petty thief echoing in her head:

    Hehehe! A good servant chooses their master well, a wise bird selects the tree it perches on. Now that I have the help of Immortal Venerate Xie in my cultivation, you are of no use to me! Quickly pack your things and roll out of my cave abode!

    Zhao Yuanzhen stood dumbfounded, a tear glistening down the corner of her eye, when she suddenly exclaimed:

    ¡°Even a wife from humble beginnings should not be abandoned with such ease. If you wish to sever our ties just because my talents don¡¯t match hers, I will not let you off even if I turn into a demon!¡±

    No sooner had she finished speaking than she received a slap on the head from Yan Yu:

    ¡°Dammit, what¡¯s with this wild imagination! I called her over because her talent is so great, it would be a waste if she slacked off alone. That¡¯s why I need to watch over her and make sure she cultivates properly!¡±

    Only then did Zhao Yuanzhen realize she had caused a huge misunderstanding. Her eyes still wet with tears, yet she couldn¡¯t help but start to laugh, not even bothering to wipe her face and compose herself from the sadness, but instead just held onto Yan Yu¡¯s arm and giggled foolishly:

    ¡°You¡¯re right, I was foolish. Hey! Since sister Ruoxi is so exceptionally talented, why not have her do the String-Pulling Ring with her?¡±

    The String-Pulling Ring is a modified version in the Qi Refinement chapter of ¡°Silken Bond Technique¡±.

    The original version involved two people cultivating together, with the speed of Qi refinement based on the talent of the most gifted. Later, because practitioners in the Demonic Sect didn¡¯t want to cultivate with a partner, it was modified to ¡®using a puppet partner¡¯ and thus called ¡®String-Pulling Ring¡¯.

    In simple terms, it means cultivating with a puppet, allowing the puppet to unilaterally replenish the cultivator¡¯s own Qi. The more precious materials and higher the grade on the puppet¡¯s body, the more efficient the Qi refinement assistance.

    When Zhao Yuanzhen said she ¡°wanted to do the String-Pulling Ring with Xie Ruoxi,¡± it meant using Xie Ruoxi as a puppet, utilizing her exceptional talents to refine Qi, thereby increasing the speed of Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s cultivation.

    This wouldn¡¯t actually harm her, but of course, there would be no benefits either, as the True Yuan refined would be a windfall for others, akin to modern-day training through others¡¯ efforts¡­ But Yan Yu could also guess why Zhao Yuanzhen would make such a suggestion, simply feeling that since Xie Ruoxi herself doesn¡¯t want to upgrade, it¡¯s better to let them upgrade using her daily practice experience that would otherwise go to waste.

    Such a wicked Demonic Sect Enchantress! Using a living person as a Qi refinement puppet, allowing her to toil away at cultivation for others for free. Even having lived two lives as a human, I couldn¡¯t conceive of such an evil tactic!

    Yan Yu was about to speak out against it when he heard Xie Ruoxi, out of curiosity, ask:

    ¡°What is the String-Pulling Ring?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s simple.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen laughed hehe, the smile so pure and innocent, without a hint of evil, ¡°You just have to sit beside me and let me connect you with a spell, then you can cultivate. You don¡¯t have to do anything, you can even play on your phone.¡±

    Just sitting and I can cultivate? Is there such a good thing?

    ¡°Count me in for the String-Pulling Ring!¡± Xie Ruoxi called out immediately.

    ¡°Count your head!¡± Yan Yu slapped her again, ¡°Go sit on the bed and practice Qi Refinement with deep breathing! If I don¡¯t get up, you don¡¯t move!¡±

    Even though the slap on her hard forehead wasn¡¯t painful, Xie Ruoxi still imagined herself reeling with dizziness and automatically sat down at the edge of the bed.

    Forget it, he is the tyrannical Immortal Venerate, and I can¡¯t defy him. I¡¯ll just diligently cultivate my Qi!

    After taking off her shoes at the bedside, Xie Ruoxi silently crossed her feet, draped in white socks, into the lotus position, adopting the Five Hearts Facing the Sky posture. Along with Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen, she began to practice Qi Refinement in the Grand Circulation.

    So boring¡­

    Older online novels always liked to write that Qi Refinement led to euphoria, but only those who have really cultivated know how boring it is.

    How to describe it? It¡¯s like using one¡¯s willpower to control a stream of Qi flowing through the meridians, then rotating over and over again, and that¡¯s all there is to it¡­ just rotating over and over.

    After completing the first Grand Circulation, Xie Ruoxi couldn¡¯t sit still anymore, and opened her eyes to speak:

    ¡°I¡¯m thirsty, I¡¯m going to get some water. Would you like some?¡±

    ¡°No way, hold it!¡± Yan Yu, still pressing palms against Zhao Yuanzhen with eyes closed, merely said coldly, ¡°I¡¯m not done yet, and you¡¯re not allowed to stop either!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi had no choice but to continue practicing Qi, and after completing the second Grand Circulation, she again opened her eyes and tentatively said:

    ¡°I need to go to the bathroom¡­¡±

    ¡°Hold it in!¡± S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°I can¡¯t hold it anymore!¡±

    ¡°If you can¡¯t hold it, then just wet the bed!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s eyelids twitched as she thought to herself that this Yan Yu is really impervious! What if I really need to go to the bathroom? Do you actually expect me to wet your bed¡­ Ew, that¡¯s so disgusting, I better not continue that thought.

    Well, how about pretending to suffer from Qi deviation and going mad?

    She began to rack her brains, recalling how her female classmates in high school had demonstrated their acting skills to skip physical education classes, when suddenly she heard Yan Yu say:

    ¡°If you don¡¯t focus on cultivating your Qi properly, I¡¯ll change all the passwords for your phone and computer, and you won¡¯t be able to go online for the entire day.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s pretty face immediately turned pale with shock: What? You want to kill me!

 Chapter 203 - 2: Chen Lingyuns Three Ingenious Plans

    Chapter 203: Chapter 2: Chen Lingyun¡¯s Three Ingenious Plans

    Having completed their daily cultivation practice, each person then took a Foundation Establishment Pill, which dissolved in their stomachs, and the tremendous Spiritual Energy instantly spread to their limbs and bones.

    Continue Qi Refinement! Refine fiercely!

    Xie Ruoxi felt like crying but had no tears, thinking that she wasn¡¯t against staying up late, but wasn¡¯t this overnight cultivation a bit too much like overworking a horse?

    Even if it was staying up all night grinding in a mobile game, although it was at the cost of her health, at least she had fun!

    Breathing and refining Qi¡­ Such tedious and dull affairs were far from interesting, just like an old donkey going round and round in circles. How on earth could you all keep at it for so long?

    But Yan Yu didn¡¯t call a halt, and she didn¡¯t dare to get off the bed on her own, so she just sat there, going through the Grand Circulation over and over again, secretly thinking that when she read CEO novels, she thought the domineering male lead was so handsome and awesome, but reality wasn¡¯t like that at all.

    ...

    How annoying! Can¡¯t you respect my personal wishes?

    It was around five in the morning when Yan Yu finally slowly opened her eyes and temporarily stopped the cultivation.

    The mighty medicinal power of the Foundation Establishment Pill had been initially refined through the primary channels of the twelve regular meridians. There was still a small part scattered in the Eight Extraordinary Meridians that needed the persistent effort of water polishing to be fully absorbed.

    Zhao Yuanzhen got out of bed with slippers on and went to the bathroom to wash his face. Yan Yu turned her head to look at Xie Ruoxi and saw that she was sitting cross-legged without moving. Divine Sense over her revealed that the Grand Circulation was functioning, and her True Yuan was flowing ceaselessly; there was no slacking off.

    Huh, how does this pretty waste have such determination? Wait, let me look again¡­

    Yan Yu scanned again with her Divine Sense and was instantly shocked:

    What the fuck, she¡¯s asleep!

    Could this be the legendary cultivation in dreams?!

    Yan Yu was immediately astounded and didn¡¯t dare to interrupt her meditative state, carefully getting out of bed.

    ¡°Yan Yu.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen poked her head out from the bathroom, ¡°Can¡¯t squeeze any toothpaste out¡­¡±

    Before she could finish, Yan Yu covered her mouth.

    After communicating secretly, the two of them tiptoed to the bed, gazing at Xie Ruoxi on the bed with the reverence one might have for an Immortal Venerate, then exchanged glances.

    ¡°Have you seen this before?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked via secret transmission.

    ¡°No, have you?¡± Yan Yu thought to herself that in her two lifetimes, she had never seen sleep cultivation, truly a prodigy.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that in ancient times, there was a true person who could do it,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen composed herself and said, ¡°He cultivated in Mount Shaohua, each time sleeping for three to five months, breathing and refining Qi day and night without stop.¡±

    ¡°That must be a special Qi Refinement technique!¡± Yan Yu transmitted back, ¡°This must be achieved simply by her talent.¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about that,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen hesitated for a moment before suddenly saying, ¡°Didn¡¯t your master¡­ mention her?¡±

    ¡°Are you joking?¡± Yan Yu countered, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for his old man¡¯s instruction, why would I go to the trouble of bringing a girl from out of town here?¡±

    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen thought indeed. After all, Xie Ruoxi had absolutely no prior experience in cultivation. It could only have been that powerful individual who was adept in divination who could foresee her unparalleled talent in this area.

    Master, oh, master, as Yan Yu¡¯s Dao companion, I have always been faithful to your disciple and never harbored a second thought. Since you, old man, calculate even the smallest details, please arrange some fortune for me in the future as well, Miyuan here thanks you in advance.

    ¡°Yan Yu, are you done¡­¡± Lin Ning¡¯s knock came from outside, quickly pulled in by Yan Yu.

    And so, the group observing Xie Immortal Venerate¡¯s cultivation beside the bed grew to three.

    ¡°Can this way of cultivation be effective?¡± Lin Ning scanned Xie Ruoxi¡¯s body with Divine Sense and felt a tingle on her scalp, ¡°Isn¡¯t it said that after a dozen or so Grand Circulations, the increase in True Yuan is minimal?¡±

    ¡°But what if one cultivates for several hours in a row?¡± Yan Yu said meaningfully, ¡°What about half a day? An entire day? Even if the efficiency of each round drops to one percent of the usual daily increase, if she unknowingly performs a hundred Grand Circulations, doesn¡¯t she still gain a day¡¯s worth of cultivation more than you?¡±

    Lin Ning was at a loss for words. Automatic practice problems in one¡¯s dreams, efficiency aside, the key was fully utilizing the long hours of sleep, a terrifying realm that problem solvers dared not even imagine.

    ¡°I¡¯ll let Yun Jin and Ling Yun know,¡± she said while taking out her phone, ¡°so they keep quiet when they come later, to avoid interrupting Ruoxi¡¯s cultivation.¡±

    Soon, the entire Zhenhai Team gathered in Yan Yu¡¯s bedroom.

    ¡°Why is she in your room?¡± Su Yunjin asked via secret transmission.

    ¡°In her own room, do you think she¡¯d willingly cultivate?¡± Yan Yu retorted.

    ¡°Let her come to my room next time,¡± Su Yunjin continued, ¡°After all, she¡¯s a girl, it¡¯s not good for you to keep her locked in a room like this.¡±

    Secretary Su did have a point, and Yan Yu didn¡¯t want to keep an eye on this pretty waste all the time, the more she saw her lazy, salted fish attitude, the angrier she got. She responded via transmission:

    ¡°Okay, then you will be in charge of her daily practice from now on.¡±

    Seeing that Xie Ruoxi had not yet awakened, everyone went downstairs to the living room to have breakfast first, rest for a moment, and then resume their cultivation after resetting their mental state.

    Chen Lingyun went to grind coffee beans, while Lin Ning headed to the kitchen to make breakfast for everyone. Zhao Yuanzhen sat on the sofa with snacks, starting to prep her stomach for breakfast, and Su Yunjin swept the floor, tapping Yan Yu¡¯s foot:

    ¡°Lift your shoes.¡±

    ¡°Stop sweeping.¡± Yan Yu said exasperatedly, ¡°I just had the cleaner come yesterday to clean up, the floor isn¡¯t dirty at all.¡±

    Su Yunjin tilted her head, and Yan Yu followed her gaze, only to see Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s eyes glued to her phone while she nonchalantly ate chips, crumbs crackling as they fell to the ground.

    Yan Yu¡¯s anger flared up instantly, and he snatched away her chips, saying angrily:

    ¡°Dare to snack before a meal? If you gain weight and slow down because of that, I¡¯ll make you go hungry for three days!¡±

    ¡°How could I get fat when I¡¯m a cultivator!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, driven by her food-guarding instincts, immediately tackled him to take back her chips, but because of her size, she ended up pressing right onto Yan Yu¡¯s face. The chips in his hand also fell to the floor with a smack, scattering everywhere.

    Su Yunjin, still holding the broom, silently watched the added mess on the floor to sweep, Yan Yu being almost suffocated with his face covered, and Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s desperate gaze fixed on the chips on the floor. Suddenly, she displayed a skin-crawling, faux-warm smile that was anything but comforting and instructed:

    ¡°Clean it up.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen got up conscientiously, took the broom from Su Yunjin¡¯s hand, and obediently started to sweep.

    Yan Yu was also taken aback. The fearsome Demonic Sect Enchantress, who even a powerhouse like me had to keep in check with constant reminders, was subdued by a mere sentence from Su Yunjin?

    ¡°Why must the captain pick on Sister Zhao?¡± Su Yunjin looked at Yan Yu, her face still holding a polite smile, and asked in a calm demeanor, ¡°Is it because you have nothing else to do at home?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Yan Yu slowly stood up, ¡°I¡¯ll go help Lin Ning cook.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t that he was scared of her seemingly explosive demeanor; he just thought it wasn¡¯t right for Lin Ning to be busy in the kitchen by herself, so he decided to help her.

    After Chen Lingyun finished making the coffee, she came back with a cup in her hand, only to see Yan Yu and Lin Ning busy in the kitchen, Zhao Yuanzhen sweeping the floor earnestly, and Su Yunjin wiping the furniture, her expression unassuming, but the aura she emanated seemed to freeze the air around her.

    ¡°Why be angry?¡± Chen Lingyun chimed leisurely.

    ¡°I¡¯m not angry,¡± replied Su Yunjin.

    ¡°Then give me a smile,¡± Chen Lingyun teased her.

    Su Yunjin sighed, finally showing a somewhat melancholic expression and said weakly:

    ¡°Stop worrying about me.¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± Chen Lingyun smiled gleefully, ¡°I think some things, instead of keeping them bottled up, it¡¯s better to speak them out.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡± Su Yunjin murmured despondently, ¡°Am I worthy?¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡± Chen Lingyun laughed, some mockery in her smile, ¡°Worthy or not, who gets to decide? Him? Why should he?¡±

    ¡°Not for any reason.¡± Su Yunjin lowered her eyelids, ¡°It¡¯s just that I care.¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯re really asking for trouble.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I said stop worrying about me,¡± Su Yunjin uttered somberly.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Chen Lingyun, holding her coffee cup, walked a circle around her, as if savoring her fragile and gaunt demeanor.

    After she leisurely appreciated it, she spoke with a smile:

    ¡°Even so, there are ways around it.¡±

    ¡°Like what?¡± Su Yunjin looked up in surprise.

    ¡°Yan Yu¡¯s behavior is actually quite easy to understand.¡± Chen Lingyun put out a finger, playfully wagging it, ¡°If you attack, he will defend staunchly.¡±

    ¡°Reverse the thought process, if you don¡¯t want to be forcefully rebuffed, then don¡¯t truly launch an attack.¡±

    ¡°You mean¡­¡± Su Yunjin, sharp as ever, began to look contemplative, feeling as though she had grasped some sort of thread.

    ¡°First keyword: Salami Tactics,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a sweet smile, ¡°slice by slice strategy.¡±

    ¡°Second keyword: Genghis Khan, Mangudai Tactics.¡±

    ¡°Third keyword: Foot In The Door Effect, the doorstep effect.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Su Yunjin pondered, ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re so smart, Yun Jin, you¡¯ll definitely be able to come up with a methodology to deal with him.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, glanced at Yan Yu who was flipping eggs in the kitchen, and added, ¡°You might not beat him on the battlefield, but in certain matters¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­We girls are the ones with the upper hand.¡± sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 204 - 3 Youre always just thinking about yourself

    Chapter 204: Chapter 3 You¡¯re always just thinking about yourself

    ¡°`

    As Xie Ruoxi dozed in and out of sleep, in her groggy state, she completely refined the power of the Foundation Establishment Pill within her body.

    She went through over two hundred Grand Circulations until her capacity for growth stalled completely, and her consciousness slowly resurfaced from slumber, gradually waking up.

    Upon awakening from a deep sleep, her whole body felt sore. She stretched lazily in bed before getting up in a daze to put on her slippers, intending to go to the bathroom to freshen up.

    Huh? Where am I?

    After a moment of confusion, she finally remembered that she had been dragged into the bedroom by the domineering male lead and coerced into cultivating.

    ...

    Like a startled rabbit, Xie Ruoxi¡¯s small head turned left and right rapidly, scanning the entire room.

    No one.

    No one hiding around.

    And no one in the bathroom either.

    So that means Yan Yu isn¡¯t here?

    He escaped! He escaped, he escaped, he escaped, he escaped, he escaped, he escaped, he escaped, he escaped!

    Without any hesitation, Xie Ruoxi quickly dashed to the window and flung it open.

    Yikes, the second floor is so high! Jumping down would break bones, right?

    But no matter, I just learned the Cloud Ascension Technique!

    Meanwhile, in the living room, everyone was gathered around the table eating dinner¡ªthe small outbreak of Spiritual Energy had occurred the evening before last, making it already a full two days.

    ¡°Ruoxi has been cultivating non-stop for 48 hours without even taking a sip of water. This won¡¯t cause any problems, will it?¡± Su Yunjin asked worriedly.

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu picked food for himself, ¡°Performing Grand Circulations causes saliva to generate under the jaw. It¡¯s okay not to eat or drink for several days. If one later trains in the Fasting technique, then there is really no need for eating or drinking at all.¡±

    Of course, not needing to eat or drink doesn¡¯t mean one can¡¯t eat or drink. For example, Zhao Yuanzhen, who had long mastered the Fasting technique, came to Earth where there are plenty of MSG and spices. Yet, he still indulges himself daily in feasting on lavish meals, thoroughly enjoying it.

    ¡°Then what about these rumors for the past few days? What do you plan to do?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    The day before yesterday, Yan Yu burst into the comic exhibition, dunked Xie Ruoxi¡¯s head into a Whack-a-Mole game, and was caught on the venue¡¯s surveillance cameras.

    So a strange rumor emerged alleging that the two were in a romantic relationship. After becoming famous as Yan Zhanlong, he became enraged at his girlfriend for hooking up with Li Minghu from the Qing¡¯an Battle Team. Ex-girlfriend threatened to expose him online, and thus Yan Zhanlong silenced her by murdering her¡­

    Your family uses a Whack-a-Mole game machine to commit murder?

    Nevertheless, this is still regarded as ¡°violent behavior,¡± so many people were happy to criticize from a moral high ground and then share the narrative, enjoying the thrill of ¡°trampling on a cultivator¡¯s reputation.¡±

    Luckily, the Zhendong Army stepped in to intervene in time, blocking content where they could, so there hasn¡¯t been a major uproar yet¡ªbut the rumors keep resurfacing, seemingly with someone circumventing the censors by changing keywords, like substituting ¡°fling¡± or ¡°pickled fish¡± for ¡°Yan Yu¡± and the like.

    Aside from the version about Yan Zhanlong killing his girlfriend, there were other rumors, such as the one about the Flying Dragon Battle Team¡ªconsisting of one male to four females¡ªhinting at some unmentionable dirty desires of the man in charge. This seemed more plausible than murdering a girlfriend and thus sparked even bigger controversy, with female netizens in particular opposing it: What, female cultivators can only join a battle team by seduction? Absurd!

    ¡°Rumors, huh? Don¡¯t bother with them,¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly while eating. ¡°We just need to focus on our own responsibilities.¡±

    The girls exchanged looks.

    ¡°If it were just ordinary spreading rumors, they would have been squashed already,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a slight smile. ¡°The reason this keeps happening despite prohibition is because someone is deliberately working against us, directly opposing the Zhendong Army from behind the scenes.¡±

    ¡°Who could it be?¡± Lin Ning asked impulsively. ¡°The Flying Dragon Battle Team? The Dingbei Army? Or is it foreign forces?¡±

    Su Yunjin pondered.

    No, none of the above.

    Neither the Flying Dragon Battle Team nor the Dingbei Army had any reason to stir up such matters; after all, cultivators speak through victories on the battlefield. Foreign forces? Even less likely¡ªnot that they wouldn¡¯t want to, but they simply can¡¯t.

    The ones orchestrating from behind, just as Ling Yun mentioned, must be of the caliber to go head-to-head with our Zhendong Army.

    Considering Chen Lingyun¡¯s father, Su Yunjin guessed a frightening possibility and imperceptibly shook her head.

    The captain is right. We don¡¯t have to¡ªcan¡¯t¡ªdeal with it.

    Focus on ourselves.

    ¡°We have to win,¡± she suddenly said out loud.

    Lin Ning was taken aback but then nodded vehemently:

    ¡°Right, the best counter to the rumors is to win!¡±

    She stood up quickly, stretching out her hand above the table. Su Yunjin smiled slightly and also placed her hand on top.

    ¡°Count me in,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, who was completely oblivious to the conversation and continued eating with his right hand¡ªhe thought being bad-mouthed was a completely normal occurrence¡ªextended his left hand and added it to the stack.

    Chen Lingyun smiled and placed her hand on top of theirs.

    The girls all turned their gaze to Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu was chewing on the meat in his mouth, but when he saw everyone looking at him, he swallowed his food, stood up, and said:

    ¡°Looking for a sense of ceremony, huh? Come on then.¡±

    ¡°Can you not ruin the moment, Captain!¡± Lin Ning complained vehemently. ¡°As team captain, can¡¯t you lead by boosting our morale!¡±

    ¡°Ha ha, I just think that when facing opponents like the Flying Dragon Battle Team, there¡¯s really no need to boost morale,¡± Yan Yu laughed and stretched out his right hand to join the others.

    ¡°Win!¡± Lin Ning shouted.

    ¡°`

    Everyone pressed down with their hands at the same time, and suddenly saw Xie Ruoxi, who was attempting the Cloud Ascension Technique, wobbling in the air before landing squarely in the middle of the courtyard outside the living room balcony.

    Lin Ning: ¡­

    Su Yunjin: ¡­

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ¡­

    Chen Lingyun: ¡­

    Ruoxi, little sister, we are in the midst of a battle ritual to boost morale here! What do you mean by doing a live demonstration of running away at the side?

    Xie Ruoxi, unaware that her escape had been clearly witnessed by the people in the living room through the balcony glass, simply landed steadily on the ground and triumphantly waved her little fist.

    Safe landing! Completely effortless!

    Next, little Ruoxi was about to escape from the demon¡¯s lair!

    Just as she was about to hurry on, a hand suddenly draped over her shoulder.

    Xie Ruoxi turned stiffly and saw Yan Yu behind her, showing a kind squinting smile and gesturing towards the inside of the house with his thumb.

    Come, follow me back inside.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to escape, I just saw you all weren¡¯t in your rooms, so I came down to look for you!¡± Xie Ruoxi argued.

    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you take the stairs?¡± Su Yunjin asked gently.

    ¡°I wanted to practice the Cloud Ascension Technique,¡± Xie Ruoxi insisted, steeling herself.

    ¡°You think we would believe that?¡± Lin Ning also helplessly held her forehead.

    Even the two who had been indulgent towards Xie Ruoxi, after her repeated attempts to escape, finally lost their temper.

    Xie Ruoxi fell silent, rolling her eyes, turning her head away, and adopting a ¡°do with me what you will¡± attitude of a resigned dead fish.

    Seeing her like this, everyone suddenly had no pity: Just wait and see how Yan Yu will deal with you!

    Yan Yu expressionlessly took out his phone, dialed the number:

    ¡°Hello, Instructor Qi¡­¡±

    Xie Ruoxi remained unmoved, thinking you can call the instructor, but that won¡¯t do any good, if you dare, just expel me from the military academy.

    ¡°¡­ Yes,¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°the child refuses to cultivate properly, loves to play¡­¡±

    Xie Ruoxi sneered to herself. Is it really about loving to play? Or is it that you all want me to be a beast of burden!

    ¡°¡­ so we must take measures¡­¡± Yan Yu said over the phone. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Xie Ruoxi inwardly shouted: No measures will work! I am born free! Better dead than not free!

    ¡°Check the mobile game ranking charts,¡± Yan Yu said composedly, ¡°then send her phone number to the top 200 gaming companies, have them all independently investigate, and if there¡¯s any registration record of hers, immediately cancel and delete the account, and if not, add to the blacklist¡­¡±

    Before he finished speaking, something suddenly clung to his calf.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Xie Ruoxi kneeled on the ground, looking up with teary eyes, begging pitifully, ¡°I really realize my mistake, please don¡¯t delete my game accounts. Please, I¡¯ll do anything.¡±

    Yan Yu looked down upon her as if he was looking at unrecyclable trash.

    Hmph.

    With what kind of determination do you say these words? Are just a few mobile game accounts worth the weight of your life? Do you think being a cultivator is just a regular job?

    If you can¡¯t do something, don¡¯t recklessly make promises.

    Beautiful trash, exactly the same as in your previous life¡­ Always thinking of yourself.

    ¡°Delete them all,¡± Yan Yu said coldly.

    ¡°No!¡± Xie Ruoxi¡¯s wail echoed throughout the living room.

    On the other end of the phone, hearing the clearly female pitiful scream, Qi Changping¡¯s hand holding the phone also shook, instinctively advising:

    ¡°Um, Yan Yu, making the game company delete the account might be too much. Why don¡¯t you communicate with her again? If it really doesn¡¯t work, we can set up a timetable, specifying a maximum amount of time she can play games every day¡­¡±

    From the other end of the phone came a beep beep beep, Yan Yu had already hung up.

    Xie Ruoxi kneeled at his feet, her mouth agape in numbness, as if her soul had left her body.

    The surrounding girls were also shocked by Yan Yu¡¯s demeanor, thinking although they had long known the captain to be ruthless, they had not expected him to land such a critical hit, knocking Xie Ruoxi to the ground.

    For a moment, they felt a sense of sympathy for her and came over one by one to make peace:

    ¡°Alright, alright, captain, let¡¯s leave it at that. Deleting the account is a bit too much. Give her another chance.¡±

    Yan Yu was silent for a moment, then coldly said:

    ¡°Go to Qi Refinement.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi stood up like a puppet, stiffly climbed upstairs, and went to practice Qi Refinement.

 Chapter 205 - 4 Someone named Yan was defamed again

    Chapter 205: Chapter 4 Someone named Yan was defamed again

    It wasn¡¯t until the second week that everyone finally refined about eighty to ninety percent of the Foundation Establishment Pill¡¯s formidable medicinal power.

    At the same time, the rumors outside had already spiraled out of control, with a growing tendency to seal Yan Yu¡¯s reputation once and for all.

    They were comparing the gender ratio of other teams with the Zhenhai Team, alleging that Yan someone was ¡°establishing his harem under the name of the team¡± and claimed he had ¡°barely managed to maintain his integrity and had a lapse in personal morals.¡± sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Far from getting angry, Yan Yu actually found it somewhat amusing upon finding out.

    ¡°Cough, don¡¯t take this to heart.¡± In the principal¡¯s office, Li Weiguo tried to calm his emotions, ¡°You¡¯re very popular right now, so it¡¯s normal to be talked about strangely online, after all, as the saying goes, ¡®Mediocrity is safe from envy.¡¯ Look at Chen Tianming, with his status, there are still keyboard warriors online calling him the ¡®Jiang Hai gang leader,¡¯ and he hasn¡¯t made a fuss about it, has he?¡±

    ¡°Were those who criticized him banned?¡± Yan Yu asked curiously.

    ...

    ¡°Uh.¡± Li Weiguo thought to himself why he was fixated on that, ¡°They were banned, but these kinds of things are endless, so¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all good, Old Li.¡± Yan Yu waved his hand carefreely, ¡°No need to explain, I won¡¯t fuss over it.¡±

    ¡°Why are you calling me Old Li?¡± Li Weiguo burst into laughter and glared, saying, ¡°No respect for your elders!¡±

    ¡°Ah, I thought you were comforting my emotions in the capacity of a senior.¡± Yan Yu explained with a laugh, ¡°So, I couldn¡¯t be too distant, right?¡±

    ¡°Still, don¡¯t call me Old Li.¡± Li Weiguo said with a smile, ¡°Or like Chen Lingyun does, call me Grandpa Li?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Yan Yu nodded, then asked, ¡°So what about the slanderous rumors about me outside, Grandpa Li, are you going to deal with those?¡±

    ¡°Sigh, rest assured, I¡¯ll have someone handle it,¡± Li Weiguo said seriously, putting away his smile.

    Although he said, ¡°I¡¯ll have someone handle it,¡± everyone knew that sigh wasn¡¯t for no reason, and Yan Yu, having lived two lifetimes, could clearly understand its implication. He got up with a smile and said,

    ¡°Alright then, I¡¯m off to prepare for the battle.¡±

    Humming a lively tune, he left the principal¡¯s office and saw Chen Lingyun waiting for him outside.

    ¡°What did he say?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    ¡°No dice,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°Your old man really knows how to make trouble. According to the hints from Old Li, those people see me as ¡®the son-in-law of the Jiang Hai gang leader,¡¯ which is why they¡¯re playing this ¡®pure stream¡¯ criticism game.¡±

    What is ¡°pure stream¡± criticism? Referencing Lu Country¡¯s ancient traditions, it involves constantly attacking someone¡¯s ¡°lack of personal morals¡± until eventually achieving ¡°complete denial of the target¡±¡ªone could look to the Ming dynasty¡¯s factional struggles for specifics.

    Even in the ¡°enlightened¡± modern era, many common folk still judge public figures on a black and white moral scale. Drive economic growth but keep a mistress, corrupt official! Increase average income but accept illegal bribes, corrupt official! Lazy and unproductive but no misconduct found¡­ Okay, that¡¯s mediocre at best, nothing much to criticize.

    ¡°At most, they will only lower your social evaluation,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my dad won¡¯t let anything happen to you.¡±

    Worried? How could Yan Yu possibly be worried? Laughable, really.

    You see, as the Spiritual Energy Resurgence intensified, the influence of social evaluation on cultivators was actually diminishing. It was only because Lu Country still maintained its original order that people attempted to undermine cultivators¡¯ reputations¡­ targeting those willing to play within this framework.

    If genuinely pushed to the limit, I¡¯d smash this framework to pieces. Then let¡¯s see you badmouth me¡ªcan my Flying Sword not sever the necks of your whole family?

    Even if Chen Tianming didn¡¯t intend to intervene, Yan Yu didn¡¯t believe these rumors would have much impact, and he certainly didn¡¯t trust Chen Tianming to protect him with all his might.

    Gauging Old Taishan¡¯s nature, he would likely only ensure that Yan Yu¡¯s courtly status remained unaffected, while his public reputation, the worse the better.

    After all, the more vicious the criticism, the more resentful Yan Yu would become toward those people, and the more inclined he would be to oppose them¡ªto stand with Old Taishan.

    You keep harping on about protecting mortals, don¡¯t you? Now they have started to slander you. How does it feel to be betrayed? Come, stand with the Chen Family, welcome the new era for cultivators!

    Chen Lingyun carefully scrutinized Yan Yu¡¯s face, seeing no change in his expression, she knew he must have seen through everything again, inevitably starting to feel a sense of listlessness.

    The so-called advantage of foresight¡­ heh, it truly is like cheating.

    The two walked side by side on the school¡¯s pathways, silent, yet everything seemed to be communicated without words.

    Passing students eyed them with gossip-hungry glances but none approached to mock them like the typical antagonists in novels¡ªafter all, even if Yan Yu actually had a harem, he was still Yan Zhanlong! No one dared to provoke him rashly.

    ¡°Hang on, need to take a call,¡± Yan Yu said, taking out his ringing phone to see it was a call from Lord Master.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Old Yan, I hear you¡¯ve been bashed pretty badly online recently.¡±

    ¡°Old Liu, you dare to bring that up? I remember you were one of the people claiming I had a harem too,¡± Yan Yu retorted.

    ¡°Haha, indeed,¡± Liu Longtao replied nonchalantly, ¡°But I really don¡¯t see a problem with having a harem. People in my circle have two or three at the same time, it¡¯s free love, no marriage, and not illegal¡ªwho¡¯s going to regulate that?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t corrupt me with the wrong ideas of the privileged class,¡± Yan Yu stated righteously, ¡°No matter how the outside world slanders me, my principles will absolutely not waver.¡±

    ¡°Hold on, don¡¯t rush to distance yourself from us,¡± Liu Longtao immediately laughed, ¡°Old Yan, do you really think you are still the ordinary Joe? Do you still need to worry about cyberbullying or social judgment?¡±

    ¡°From the moment you became the first cultivator of the Zhendong Army, you¡¯ve lost any association with the phrase ¡®ordinary people¡¯!¡±

    ¡°Old Yan, I won¡¯t deny I am from the privileged class, but now you and I are the same, we belong to the same circle,¡± Liu Longtao proclaimed.

    ¡°Stop right there!¡± Yan Yu cut him off, ¡°Why start categorizing species all of a sudden? Old Liu, your method of comforting is quite unique. Alright, message received, no need to say more.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s better,¡± Liu Longtao laughed, ¡°Better safe than sorry, just in case you were really affected by those people, it would drag me down as well. This whole ordeal is quite annoying, let me tell you, our family didn¡¯t enter the fray. It¡¯s the other two families that are after you, and Chen Lingyun knows about it too.¡±

    ¡°Whatever,¡± Yan Yu replied indifferently, ¡°Whoever is behind this, in the end, time will tell. We¡¯ll just see how it goes.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Liu Longtao agreed, ¡°While I can¡¯t get my family to help you, I do know some of their younger generation, and I plan to visit them in the next few days to blow off some steam on your behalf.¡±

    ¡°No need, no need, it has nothing to do with you.¡±

    ¡°How can it have nothing to do with me? I already said, we¡¯re from the same circle,¡± Liu Longtao said, then sneered, ¡°I¡¯m not like that coward Chen Lingyun, who just stands by and enjoys the show when our own is bullied by outsiders. Pah! Embarrassing! We Old Pingjing can¡¯t stand the selfishness of Jiang Hai people!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it, we¡¯ll chat next time.¡±

    After Liu Longtao hung up, Yan Yu turned to Chen Lingyun with a mocking smile,

    ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk, Old Liu even knows to stand up for his brothers, real camaraderie in tough times. Someone here is certainly not even worthy to hold his shoes in this regard.¡±

    Chen Lingyun smiled but did not speak. Although the assault this time was against Yan Yu¡¯s reputation, the real target was her father, and how could she rashly join in to help? Wasn¡¯t that handing a knife to the adversary?

    As an outsider pulling strings from both sides, Liu Longtao could, of course, stir some trouble, cozying up to Yan Yu while taking the opportunity to mock her ¨C a case of speaking without repercussions.

    ¡°So I¡¯m selfish and self-serving then,¡± she said after some time, putting away her faint smile, speaking seriously, ¡°but he¡¯s not really speaking out of righteousness either.¡±

    ¡°The reason those two families have entered the fray is that they don¡¯t have any cultivators among their direct descendants; the Liu Family¡¯s refusal to get involved, even tacitly allowing Liu Longtao to help you, is because they do have a cultivator in the family. It doesn¡¯t mean they side with you.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Yan Yu dismissed her contemptuously, ¡°How could I not understand such simple reasoning? Each big clan is short-sighted and selfish. Even over the issue of loosening control over cultivation, though they claim it¡¯s to avoid ¡®disturbing the order of the universe,¡¯ they surely also fear ¡®stepping over the bones of the nobility.¡¯ So what?¡±

    ¡°Whether it¡¯s them or your father, even though their political stances diverge, they fundamentally both represent the arrogance of the old era, believing they can completely control the power of cultivators. Let¡¯s just wait and see! Let¡¯s see who the tide of the coming era will swallow: those who sail upon the waves, or those who dare to stand on the shore, pointing fingers without understanding the sea!¡±

 Chapter 206 - 5: Posing Preliminaries

    Chapter 206: Chapter 5: Posing Preliminaries

    ¡°`

    Although recently there have been many slanderous rumors circulating about Yan Zhanlong, Yan Yu, the man in question, held an indifferent attitude, which undoubtedly let people close to him, like Li Weiguo and others, secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

    Wait a second, is Yan Yu the only one involved?

    Let¡¯s not even mention Xie Ruoxi for now, her treasured mobile game account that Yan Yu had cherished for many years was now firmly in his grasp. She had turned into an obedient fish, now doing whatever she was asked without having the will to entertain any other thoughts due to the rumors.

    However, as members of the ¡°Demonic Sect Team,¡± Lin Ning and Su Yunjin weren¡¯t so composed.

    Upon learning of the rumors online, their anxious parents promptly called their precious only daughters to inquire whether the Zhenhai Team was really some kind of den of vice.

    ...

    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s not like that,¡± Su Yunjin explained hastily on the phone to her parents, ¡°You mustn¡¯t jump to conclusions, one moment you say it¡¯s not safe to stay in the team, the next you talk about unspoken rules¡­ It¡¯s all nonsense spread by outsiders.¡±

    ¡°No need to come here! Really, there¡¯s no need, I¡¯m fine¡­ Yes, yes, okay, okay, that¡¯s it, hanging up now.¡±

    She hung up the phone exhausted and saw Lin Ning across on the sofa, speaking in a coded dialect to smooth things over with her family.

    ¡°Explained everything?¡± Yan Yu casually asked as he passed by with a cup of water.

    Seeing Yan Yu¡¯s carefree demeanor, Su Yunjin felt a sudden irritation. As the words reached her lips, a thought struck her, and she asked,

    ¡°Didn¡¯t your family ask you about it, captain?¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°My sister handled the explanations on my parents¡¯ side, no big deal.¡±

    ¡°I wish I had a sister,¡± Su Yunjin sighed, ¡°There¡¯s no one at home to reassure my parents.¡±

    ¡°Tell your parents to have another one,¡± Yan Yu suggested.

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible now, they are almost in their fifties,¡± Su Yunjin said with a tender smile, ¡°Or maybe Jingjing can be my sister, haha.¡±

    Yan Yu immediately became vigilant; what was this roundabout way of saying ¡°I want to be your family¡±?

    But Su Yunjin had already gotten up and went to fill her cup at the water purifier.

    ¡°Gosh!¡± Lin Ning abruptly hung up the phone, displaying an ¡°I can¡¯t even deal with this¡± expression.

    ¡°Did your family grill you too?¡± Yan Yu asked cheerfully.

    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business!¡± Lin Ning snapped back.

    Yan Yu: ?

    Right, your family bothering you has nothing to do with me, so why are you taking it out on me?

    Lin Ning got up and scurried upstairs with quick steps. Yan Yu stood there for a moment in confusion, then shook his head with a chuckle.

    This girl must be having her time of the month; I won¡¯t hold it against her.

    He sat down on the sofa with his cup, swiped open the chat group on his phone, and sure enough, the cultivators were all discussing the ¡°Demonic Sect Team¡± matter, given that the gossip had now gone viral.

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: Actually, based on their past performance on the battlefield, there¡¯s no doubt that the entire Zhenhai Team possesses first-rate skills. The ¡°Demonic Sect Team¡± label comes from laymen who don¡¯t understand the professional intricacies; they only focus on gender.

    [Zhu Jun]: Makes sense. But it¡¯s strange that the rumor has blown up this big, has the Zhendong Army been involved?

    [26]: Suggest to execute them all by firing squad.

    [26]: Punching.jpg

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Hope this doesn¡¯t affect the preparations of the Zhenhai Team members.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: But Yan, the captain, doesn¡¯t seem like someone who would be swayed by such trivial public opinion.

    [Fei Long Zai Tian]: Does it really matter if it affects them or not? A man slowed down by too many women can never be a good Sword Immortal.

    Yan Yu took a closer look, and indeed, the person¡¯s profile picture was a selfie of Cai Qianlong, wearing sunglasses and looking very smug.

    [Miao Jiang maiden Tang Lingling]: Sweating soybean.jpg

    [Yun Juan Yun Shu]: Sweating soybean.jpg

    [Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang]: Sweating soybean.jpg

    [Liu Shao]: Sweating soybean.jpg

    [Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang]: Come on, let¡¯s hear from our Capital¡¯s Liu Shao about how to be a good Sword Immortal.

    [Liu Shao]: I¡¯ve got nothing to say, just tag old Yan @Yi De Fu Ren.

    Yan Yu typed leisurely.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: @Fei Long Zai Tian. Cai Qianlong, right? Remember to prepare well for the upcoming nationwide broadcast.

    ¡°`

    [Flying Dragon in the Sky]: Indeed. I¡¯ve heard that, win or lose, you have to attend the post-match press conference. Seems like I need to start thinking about my victory speech in advance.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You could prepare drafts for both victory and defeat.

    [Flying Dragon in the Sky]: Hm, what do you mean? Isn¡¯t this where you¡¯re supposed to say something like, ¡°Someone like you should just focus on explaining your defeat¡±?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Haha, it¡¯s fine, you can prepare for both outcomes, and I¡¯ll just help you with the victory speech when the time comes /Smile.jpg.

    [Liu Shao]: Sweating soybeans.jpg Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    [Clouds Gathering and Scattering]: Sweating soybeans.jpg

    [Sunlight on the Pearl River]: Let¡¯s not talk about the contest for now. I declare Yan Yu the winner of this show-off preliminaries.

    [Flying Dragon in the Sky]: Then please let me have the honor, Senior Yan, to find out whether your Flying Sword is as sharp as your tongue when the time comes.

    [Liu Shao]: Damn, when little Cai challenged me, he wasn¡¯t nearly this polite.

    [26]: What did he say at that time?

    [Liu Shao]: ¡°Today, I¡¯ll take the title of Dingbei Army¡¯s number one cultivator!¡±

    [Sunlight on the Pearl River]: Bust a gut laughing.jpg

    [Last Rays Beyond the Pass]: Bust a gut laughing.jpg

    As Yan Yu looked at the scrolling messages on his phone chat group, suddenly someone tapped on the back of his head from behind.

    ¡°Where are we eating tonight?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen leaned on the sofa from behind (the sofa immediately deformed) and asked, poking her head around to him.

    ¡°Where do you want to eat?¡± Yan Yu asked casually in return, ¡°Don¡¯t I still owe you several meals?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really feel like going out today, eating rich foods every day gets to be too much.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen played with her phone, ¡°How about buying some ingredients and coming back to have hot pot at home?¡±

    ¡°Then you talk to Lin Ning,¡± said Yan Yu.

    ¡°She¡¯s not in a good mood,¡± replied Zhao Yuanzhen, shaking her head, ¡°Seems like her family is pressuring her to get married again. I heard her venting to Yun Jin as I passed by the door.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on with her family, pressuring her to marry right after she starts college?¡± Yan Yu also found it amusing.

    Still, Lin Ning¡¯s father¡¯s apprehension wasn¡¯t unwarranted, considering she remained single well into her thirties in her previous life, having never experienced a first love, let alone a marriage, and staunchly refusing blind dates¡ªany father would be anxious.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be this way,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen mused, ¡°Once one embarks on the path of cultivation, one should transcend beyond the three realms and remain untouched by the mundane. How can one still be troubled by worldly matters? Even if you form a Golden Core, your lifespan would at least extend to a thousand years or more, so why the rush to marry and have children?¡±

    ¡°You know nothing!¡± Yan Yu responded disdainfully, ¡°You can extend your life for a thousand years, but can your dad? He wants to hold his grandson before he dies and see his lineage continue. Is that so hard to understand? Oh, sorry, I forgot you might not have a dad, so never mind.¡±

    Angry and trembling, Zhao Yuanzhen silently clenched her teeth:

    ¡°The scoundrel insults me for having no parents to raise me, and although it¡¯s true, it¡¯s unbearable! How can I reach a clear state of mind if I don¡¯t avenge this? I¡¯ll remember this. One day when I attain the great Dao, I will kidnap this scoundrel¡¯s parents and ask them who it is that has no parents!¡±

    With this thought, an image formed in her mind:

    Inside her own cave abode, she pictured Yan Yu¡¯s captured father making tea for her, his mother cooking meals, and his sister giving her massages. When Yan Yu finally found this place and walked in, he would see his whole family fawning over his dao companion, unable to contain his anger and about to berate them, only to be ordered by his father:

    ¡°What are you doing standing at the doorway! Is your leg broken? Hurry up and come serve your wife!¡±

    Hating this, Yan Yu would be helpless, filial piety being paramount. He would swallow his pride, meekly respond with a ¡°Yes, Father,¡± and then come over to flatter and serve her. At that moment, she would kick off her slippers and rest her silk-stockinged feet atop his shoulders, cruelly playing with him in full view of his family¡­

    Hehe~

    Immersed in her delightful fantasy, Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s smile grew increasingly silly and cute.

    Yan Yu, utterly confused, watched her and thought that the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s brain circuits had malfunctioned again. Just as he was about to snap her out of it, his phone on the coffee table rang.

    It was from Qi Changping.

    Instructor Qi wouldn¡¯t call unless it was important, and if he was calling, something big was up. Yan Yu picked up and switched to speakerphone to hear Qi say:

    ¡°Yan Yu, the Mysterious Realm contest was initially set for Thursday, but it¡¯s been moved to Wednesday. You guys should head to the airport tomorrow at 9 a.m. There will be a pre-contest press interview in Sanjin in the afternoon, not an exclusive one. You can pick someone to represent the team and answer the journalists¡¯ questions, but the whole team must attend. Rest well in the evening. We¡¯ll enter the Mysterious Realm at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, and the Dingbei Army will pick you up at 9 a.m.¡±

    ¡°Mm,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment, ¡°As for the pre-contest press interview, nobody will be inconsiderate enough to ask me some embarrassing questions, right?¡±

    ¡°If there are questions you¡¯re uncomfortable answering, the Dingbei Army¡¯s host will help you skip over them,¡± Qi Changping replied softly, ¡°But just to be safe, you could also prepare some standardized, bureaucratic responses to brush off any issues.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Military secrets, no comment¡­ that¡¯s the way to go, right?¡±

    ¡°Not exactly, what I meant was¡­¡± Qi Changping fell silent for a moment, then continued, ¡°Never mind, it probably won¡¯t matter. Just answer in your own style.¡±

    Let him show off then! If things come to worst, I¡¯ll just have the online reviewers work overtime on the day and compete with the trolls in setting the narrative.

 Chapter 207 - 6 We Must Properly Mock Old Yan

    Chapter 207: Chapter 6 We Must Properly Mock Old Yan

    Tomorrow, September 11th, the first national cultivator simulation battle will take place in the Ancient City Secret Realm located northwest of Gaodu County in Sanjin Province. The event will be officially broadcast live in its entirety.

    The domestic TV live broadcast will be through Central Channel 5, and the internet broadcasting rights have been auctioned to Shi Xun for 600 million RMB (for all mysterious realm battle competitions scheduled from September to December this year). The audio broadcasting rights went to Zh¨±m¨´l¨£m¨£ Company.

    As for the overseas broadcasting rights, it is said that the Court Ministry of Commerce has been communicating with several major foreign platforms for a long time. The most hopeful is Miti Netflix, which already handles the livestreaming of superheroes. They have ready-made technology and equipment and have offered up to 1.4 billion US dollars per year.

    However, Netflix wants to snap up the global broadcasting rights for three years straight (2023, 2024, and 2025 for all countries except Lu Country), while the Ministry of Commerce is only willing to sell the remaining four months of this year. Therefore, it¡¯s said that the two sides have been haggling back and forth for quite a while.

    Rumors are that the ¡°Kyoto Communications¡± of Heavy Sakura also intends to enter the bidding competition. As a financial tycoon, they have always been known to flaunt their wealth. Hence, the Ministry of Commerce has been quite confident, adopting an arrogant attitude of ¡°if you don¡¯t buy it, others will; if worse comes to worst, I simply won¡¯t sell.¡±

    Crazy!

    ...

    Who would¡¯ve thought that our Rikoku cultivators are so formidable? With the Battle of the Three Islands as a precedent, the entire world knows that Rikoku cultivators are more awesome than superheroes. The immense anticipated traffic is just sitting there ¡ª surely we won¡¯t lack buyers!

    This year¡¯s price is set, but next year¡¯s will be different!

    Of course, since the Ministry of Commerce hasn¡¯t officially secured a deal yet, domestically we haven¡¯t started the ¡°far ahead¡± promotions.

    The current hot discussion is mainly about which team has a better chance of winning between the Zhenghai Team and the Flying Dragon Battle Team.

    The fans supporting the Flying Dragon Battle Team have listed the following points:

    First, this event is Dingbei Army¡¯s home ground, so the Flying Dragon Battle Team definitely has an advantage. Although ostensibly the simulation battle is fair to both parties, ¡°cheating is a traditional part of the Three Powers Championship,¡± and ¡°when you play on Hogwarts¡¯ turf, do we even need to say who the professors will help?¡±

    Second, the Flying Dragon Battle Team was established only four months later than the Zhenghai Team. Even if there¡¯s a difference in strength, it¡¯s not going to be so vast as to be crushing.

    Third, the Zhenghai Team has a lot of negative public sentiment recently, which could likely translate into psychological pressure for the cultivators on the team. They may not perform steadily, and just one mistake could lead to a resounding defeat and loss.

    In summary: In terms of geographical advantage, timing, and harmony among people, the Flying Dragon Battle Team either has a significant advantage or at least no serious disadvantage, making their chances of winning seem very strong.

    The fans of the Zhenghai Team, however, responded to each of these points:

    First, no matter how much your Flying Dragon Battle Team cheats, can you slay a dragon? Yan Yu has slain a Flood Dragon before!

    Second, you acknowledge that you were established four months later? When Yan Zhanlong became famous after the battle in the South Sea, your team was still playing house at school!

    Third, talking about psychological pressure, when the ¡°Flying Dragon Battle Team¡± faces ¡°Yan Zhanlong,¡± won¡¯t they feel extreme pressure?

    In summary: We want to see Yan Zhanlong crush the opponent!

    The Zhenghai Team fans refuted the aforementioned points one by one. The Flying Dragon Battle Team fans then countered their refutations one by one again. Thus, the quarrel quickly spread to every forum, leading to a level of hype that it probably didn¡¯t deserve.

    In a bathing house somewhere in Shengjing, Liu Longtao, Ai Lu, Guo Feiyun, and Yang Linhui, four guys, had just finished being scrubbed by the masseur and were now soaking in the pool, playing with their phones.

    ¡°You kidding?¡± Guo Feiyun couldn¡¯t help laughing as he looked at his phone, ¡°Are there really that many fans of the Flying Dragon Battle Team? I can¡¯t imagine Cai Qianlong¡¯s team ever being a match for Yan Yu!¡±

    ¡°They simply don¡¯t understand cultivators,¡± Ai Lu scoffed, ¡°It¡¯s like outsiders trying to understand insiders, pure guessing.¡±

    ¡°You guys just don¡¯t get it,¡± Yang Linhui retorted, ¡°Just check the IP of the fans. Those supporting the Flying Dragon Team are mostly from the provinces of North China and Northeast.¡±

    Surprisingly enough, they were right.

    Since every battle team is affiliated with one of the four regional armies in the Southeast, Northwest, and Northeast, they naturally carry a regional attribute. Take a resident of Pingjing for example. If you ask him whether he supports the Dingbei¡¯s Lord Master Liu Longtao or Zhendong¡¯s Princess Jiang Hai Chen Lingyun, his choice would be obvious.

    ¡°Enough bickering,¡± Liu Longtao suddenly said, ¡°I¡¯m going to call Old Yan and mock him.¡±

    The other three immediately shut up, pricking up their ears, ready to listen to an anticipated performance of comedic banter.

    On the plane, Yan Yu was listening to Chen Lingyun report on the Flying Dragon Battle Team along with the rest of the girls.

    There wasn¡¯t much important information as it was a relatively new team, and the more formidable players had already been chosen by Lord Master Liu Longtao beforehand.

    Cai Qianlong himself was quite capable as a Sword Immortal, although sometimes his way of talking was arrogant and sometimes just offbeat.

    As for his four teammates¡­ it was hard to see anything special about them. At most, Yan Yu had three comments to offer about them: ¡°Solid foundation,¡± ¡°Infinite potential,¡± and ¡°Bright future.¡±

    Ah, there¡¯s a call from Lord Master.

    Yan Yu stepped outside to answer the phone and said without any niceties:

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me when I¡¯m on the airplane, okay? What if there¡¯s a problem? Will you take responsibility?¡±

    ¡°Hey, old Yan.¡± Liu Longtao laughed heartily, ¡°With our military aircraft technology, who¡¯s still afraid of passengers making calls? Here¡¯s the thing, I¡¯ve seen some heated debates online recently and wanted to remind you not to feel too much pressure. The team led by Cai Qianlong, they¡¯re actually not that tough to beat!¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Yan Yu asked with surprise, ¡°But I heard him say that although he lost the one-on-one to you last time, it was basically even throughout, and he only narrowly lost the game to you in the end.¡±

    Liu Longtao: ????????

    No way, I was holding back the entire time to spare him some dignity, to see how capable he was! How did it become ¡°basically even throughout¡± when it came out of his mouth? Were there not loads of classmates watching? Cai, aren¡¯t you ashamed of padding your resume like this?

    Lord Master instinctively felt something was off. But after thinking it over carefully, it seemed to him that Cai Qianlong indeed had this kind of oddball temperament, and a few days ago he had indeed heard about him calling Yan Yu¡­

    Damn it, if he really said that, wouldn¡¯t that just crack Yan Yu up!

    ¡°Old Yan, you didn¡¯t actually believe him, did you?¡± he asked tentatively.

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I believe him?¡± Yan Yu replied, feigning cluelessness, ¡°He¡¯s so cocky when he talks in the group chat, you saw it too. If he didn¡¯t nearly fight you to a draw, where would he get the confidence to talk like that?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡­¡± Liu Longtao was so amused he almost wanted to laugh, trying to explain patiently, ¡°Think about it, old Yan. If little Cai were really that strong, wouldn¡¯t my Dragon Soar Team have made a place for him back then? I was intentionally going easy on him last time!¡±

    ¡°Old Liu, no need to explain, I get it,¡± Yan Yu comforted him, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Winning or losing a one-on-one doesn¡¯t mean much, the real key is the team¡¯s strength and coordination.¡±

    ¡°Old Yan.¡± Liu Longtao felt a bit upset, ¡°You¡¯re being unfair. Don¡¯t you trust in my skills?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I trust your skills.¡± Yan Yu replied earnestly, ¡°The problem is I don¡¯t know about Cai Qianlong¡¯s strength!¡±

    ¡°How could you not know?¡± Liu Longtao was suddenly anxious, raising his voice, ¡°Tell me, what¡¯s his surname?¡±

    ¡°Cai?¡±

    ¡°Lousy!¡±

    ¡°Old Liu, calm down. That¡¯s a bit too broad-brushed; you can¡¯t just say things like that.¡± Yan Yu quickly interrupted him.

    ¡°I¡¯m not attacking all people surnamed Cai, I¡¯m saying Cai Qianlong himself is lousy.¡± Liu Longtao calmed down and explained, ¡°If you were up against him, you¡¯d throw him down with a few slaps. What¡¯s this about breaking even with me? He¡¯s talking nonsense, isn¡¯t he!¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Yan Yu fell silent, ¡°I¡¯ll see for myself then.¡± S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Come on, don¡¯t wait until you see for yourself,¡± Liu Longtao was getting a bit frantic seeing Yan Yu seemingly still unconvinced, ¡°You¡¯ll know when you play tomorrow, do I need to lie to you about this? I¡¯ll put it this way, right now he¡¯s at the same level as that Lin Ning in your team, get it? Lin Ning!¡±

    Perhaps because Lord Master¡¯s voice was loud, Lin Ning¡¯s voice came from behind Yan Yu:

    ¡°Who¡¯s calling me? Yan Yu?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t call you,¡± Yan Yu turned around to manage the situation, ¡°We¡¯re discussing units of measurement here.¡±

    Lin Ning: ?

    Yan Yu turned back and continued to ask:

    ¡°How many Nings?¡±

    ¡°How many Nings can there be?¡± Liu Longtao was simply speechless, responding coldly, ¡°It fluctuates between 0.9 Ning to 1.1 Ning!¡±

    ¡°Seems like he is a bit lousy,¡± Yan Yu pretended to be somewhat skeptical, ¡°So, what did you do when you fought against one Ning?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it because he talked big?¡± Liu Longtao said scornfully, ¡°He came at me with ¡®The number one cultivator of Dingbei Army is going to be replaced.¡¯ If I didn¡¯t play with him a little longer, where would I put my face?¡±

    ¡°Got it, okay.¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Thanks for the intel, I¡¯ve got to go now, hanging up.¡±

    After Liu Longtao hung up the phone, he let out a long sigh of relief, his peripheral vision suddenly catching that the other three teammates were all silently grinning and laughing quietly.

    But when his gaze swept over them, their smiles vanished instantly, and they began to study the patterns on the floor of the bathhouse tiles with earnest seriousness.

 Chapter 208 - 7: Smear Thoroughly, Whitewash Fiercely

    Chapter 208: Chapter 7: Smear Thoroughly, Whitewash Fiercely

    ¡°¡­So, what do you all think?¡± Chen Lingyun finished explaining all the intelligence and asked with a smile.

    The girls exchanged glances.

    Although Chen Lingyun did not come to a direct conclusion, everyone was smart enough to infer that the intelligence pointed to the conclusion that aside from Cai Qianlong, the other four members of the Flying Dragon Battle Team were ¡°of ordinary cultivator standards¡±.

    ¡°In other words,¡± Lin Ning said bluntly, ¡°if we can tie down Cai Qianlong with one person, and quickly take care of the other four, we could directly secure our victory.¡±

    ¡°But Cai Qianlong should also be able to see this point,¡± Su Yunjin, who had a cautious personality, speculated, ¡°He will probably set traps for this. The question is, what kind of traps?¡±

    ¡°Let Yan Yu go one-on-one with Cai Qianlong, no matter what traps he has, just smash them all,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said nonchalantly.

    ...

    Chen Lingyun smiled as she listened to everyone¡¯s opinions and finally turned her gaze to Xie Ruoxi, who was sitting in the corner.

    The rest of the girls followed her gaze.

    Xie Ruoxi sat alone at the back, her petite body clutching the huge Tianyuan Qi Sword, giving her the appearance of a character from a 2D mobile game (girl + greatsword).

    As everyone¡¯s gazes turned to her, she suddenly snapped out of her daze and said:

    ¡°Ah? With Yan Zhanlong¡¯s strength, couldn¡¯t he just steamroll over them?¡±

    Everyone was speechless. This kid had been thoroughly handled by Yan Yu just a few days ago, yet she was still his unabashed fan. Her approval didn¡¯t seem to drop; it probably crystallized already.

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu, who had just finished a phone call, returned to the middle of the group and said, ¡°We need to anticipate what tactics they will use, but don¡¯t put too much pressure on ourselves.¡±

    ¡°Even if our predictions are wrong, with our current raw strength, just steamrolling them at that time will do.¡±

    As he said this, the girls really relaxed, began to chat and laugh.

    Chen Lingyun observed everyone¡¯s expressions and understood that although they hadn¡¯t said it outright, they still felt pressure inside¡ªnot from the Flying Dragon Battle Team, but from external public opinion from all walks of society.

    Many people outside were calling Zhenhai Team the ¡°Harem Team,¡± and naturally, everyone wanted to prove they were not just ¡°harem vases,¡± hence the urgency to ¡°win at all costs.¡±

    However, Yan Yu was indeed right. As long as the Flying Dragon Battle Team didn¡¯t resort to dirty tricks, their chances of winning were actually very slim.

    Reversing the thought process, if the other side wanted the Flying Dragon Battle Team to win, then they would inevitably have to employ underhanded tactics¡­

    Chen Lingyun took out her phone unobtrusively and began to send messages.

    The charter plane arrived at Taihang Mountain Airport at noon, and as soon as the team members disembarked, they saw media teams outside, fiercely snapping photos with their cameras. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Of course, doing interviews at the airport was out of the question. The reporters were pressing the shutter so madly mainly to get the most eye-catching photo for the ¡°Zhenhai Team Arrives in Sanjin Province¡± newsflash.

    This showdown between the Zhenhai Team and the Flying Dragon Battle Team was touted as a national event, with the entire country watching; even a mundane news brief like ¡°team¡¯s arrival¡± could garner a ton of traffic!

    Meanwhile, under the almost boiling public opinion of the whole society, invisible undercurrents were also surging.

    At 11:24 AM, the official Weibo account of ¡°The Daily¡± published an article titled ¡°Who Will Supervise the Battle Team Captain?¡± claiming that currently, the appointment of internal personnel in the cultivator battle teams is entirely up to the team captain¡¯s decision. What if the captain himself is problematic? The battle teams are formed using military funds; who can supervise the captains to ensure these funds are not misused? How can the selection of the team¡¯s talents be fair and just?

    The article stayed on Weibo for only 11 minutes before being retracted at 11:35 AM, but it had already been wildly shared before then. Many Weibo influencers started to stir up attention, accusing someone of ¡°using military funds to create a harem¡± and ¡°turning the military into a party¡±¡­ Although there were barely any direct references, the comment sections all knew who they were talking about.

    The other side had already fired the first shot, sparking a nationwide frenzy of criticism against someone, and naturally, we weren¡¯t made of mud either, beginning to play our hidden cards.

    At 12:00 PM, Shixin Live Streaming started a warming-up event in Jianghai Prefecture, inviting two very famous live streamers: Xu Dongming and Zhou Erhe, to serve as professional commentators for tomorrow¡¯s confrontational match and today¡¯s warming-up program.

    As everyone knows, it¡¯s not easy to find professional commentators for Transcendents¡¯ confrontations. After all, you have to understand their power systems to make accurate judgments based on the real-time battle situation.

    As for these two special guests, Xu Dongming was a professional sports critic and basketball commentator; Zhou Erhe, on the other hand, was an eSports player who later turned into a big game streamer¡ªboth were thoroughly amateurs in this field. So it was obviously suspicious how they could get their hands on so much knowledgeable material related to Cultivators at this stage.

    At this moment, in Shixin¡¯s official live broadcast room, the big screen in the background was playing the popular video ¡°Yan Zhanlong¡¯s Aesthetics of Violence,¡± with the two professional commentators explaining it to everyone.

    ¡°This method of movement from Yan Zhanlong is actually his signature technique,¡± Xu Dongming said earnestly. ¡°We know that a Cultivator has three moving techniques, namely ¡®Shifting Technique,¡¯ ¡®Cloud Ascension Technique,¡¯ and ¡®Wall-Penetration Technique¡¯¡­¡±

    He started off seriously, briefly introducing the Three Arts, and then began to explain Yan Zhanlong¡¯s signature technique. As he spoke, he began bragging habitually, and his voice started rising:

    ¡°The Shifting Technique can accelerate from a standstill to 16 meters per second instantly, and the Cloud Ascension Technique can negate inertia to stop abruptly and return to a standstill. You can think of these two as a car¡¯s gas pedal and brakes.¡±

    ¡°Gas and brakes, not just professional drivers, any driver knows how to use them. But only Fujiwara Takumi can drift around the hairpin turns of Mt. Akina in succession using the throttle, hand brake, and steering wheel combination!¡±

    ¡°So Yan Yu, the captain of the Zhenhai Team, is the only Fujiwara Takumi in the world of Cultivators! He is the real Drift King of Mt. Akina!!!¡±

    ¡°Hold on a minute!¡± Zhou Erhe squinted and grinned, ¡°Comparing Yan Yu to Fujiwara Takumi, isn¡¯t that a bit off? Fujiwara Takumi is an innocent virgin, played by that¡­ what¡¯s her name¡­ Mogi Natsuki. Yan Yu obviously isn¡¯t, right? Everyone outside is saying that Yan Yu is forming a harem team.¡±

    ¡°Ah, what harem team, don¡¯t listen to the nonsense people are spreading,¡± Xu Dongming immediately argued passionately, ¡°Fujiwara Takumi might be an innocent virgin, and that¡¯s as good as his driving gets. But Yan Zhanlong is a Transcendent; do you know how much Superheroes, like those in Miti¡¯s Superhero Alliance, earn each year at his level of combat power? Do you know how many women are in the private lives of those sports stars?¡±

    ¡°If Yan Zhanlong really wanted to start a harem, he wouldn¡¯t make a move on his team members. If he openly called for girlfriends nationwide, just the initial sign-ups would require queuing and lotteries, and he could change partners every day for years without any repeats¡­¡±

    The staff offstage were bewildered, thinking: I asked you to help clear his name, not turn the program into something so vulgar it gets banned! They quickly signaled the crew to stop the broadcast.

    Zhou Erhe, upon receiving the message from offstage, quickly said:

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s leave aside the rumors of a harem team for now. Let¡¯s continue watching the video¡­¡±

    Although the two commentators swiftly moderated their tone, as they were experts in playing up live broadcasts on the internet, those witticisms quickly spread, giving the ¡°Yan Nest¡± fans powerful ammunition for counterarguments.

    ¡°If Yan Zhanlong really wanted to start a harem, why would he only have four people?¡±

    ¡°What an ignorant old peasant, to think that an emperor would use a golden carrying pole to haul manure over crops, that¡¯s hilarious.¡±

    ¡°Yan Zhanlong is now the number one Cultivator in Lu Country, how could he be encumbered by romantic entanglements?¡±

    ¡°Which is more fun than cultivating?¡±

    Yan Yu, however, had no idea that the outside world was in an uproar; he was merely staying at a local hotel with the girls, preparing to attend the afternoon press conference.

    Since they had to appear in front of a large number of media, makeup was naturally an essential step.

    Xie Ruoxi was fully energized at this point and volunteered to take on the role of makeup artist.

    ¡°The spokesperson will be Chen Lingyun; you can handle it, right?¡± Yan Yu casually asked.

    ¡°No problem,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a sweet smile, just after Xie Ruoxi had applied lipstick for her. ¡°But if they specifically ask the captain to answer, I won¡¯t be responsible, okay?¡±

 Chapter 209 - 8 The Much Anticipated Press Conference

    Chapter 209: Chapter 8 The Much Anticipated Press Conference

    In Gaodu County of Sanjin Province, the area has become extremely lively as the focus of the national media fell upon it.

    Countless vehicles surrounded the entrance to the county government office building, clogging the street so tightly that not even water could seep through¡ªbecause the Dingbei Army¡¯s press conference was taking place in the conference room on the top floor of the office building, where both competing teams would face questions from the media.

    The first to attend were naturally the Flying Dragon Battle Team, given that this was Dingbei Army¡¯s home turf.

    Zhong Ming, Peng Yifan, Ma Dawei, the deputy captain Shen Rui, and the confidently swaggering team captain Cai Qianlong took their seats in order.

    Probably facing such a large media crowd for the first time, the four men were somewhat restrained and only Cai Qianlong showed no sign of nervousness; he even had time to use his phone screen as a mirror to adjust his fringe.

    The journalists below were somewhat helpless: Although this was the Flying Dragon Battle Team¡¯s home field, in reality, they were more eager to interview the Zhenhai Team. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ...

    Why? Not because the Zhenhai Team had more beautiful women, but because they had the biggest draw.

    After all, despite the fierce disputes outside between the two camps, on one side were the fans of the Zhenhai Team, while the majority on the other side were not fans of the Flying Dragon Battle Team, but the Zhenhai Team¡¯s detractors¡­ From this, one can see which team¡¯s interviews and reports held more news value.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s start with the questions,¡± the host said.

    After a moment, three or four people raised their hands.

    The host randomly pointed to one, and the selected person stood up and said:

    ¡°Hello, I am a journalist from ¡®Nanchuan Observation.¡¯ I want to ask Captain Cai how he views the Zhenhai Team? Please evaluate the opponent¡¯s strength, thank you.¡±

    Just as Cai Qianlong was about to speak, the host handed the microphone to deputy captain Shen Rui.

    ¡°The Zhenhai Team was established earlier than us, so by convention, they are actually our seniors,¡± Shen Rui replied very smoothly. ¡°We will take the Zhenhai Team as a model, striving to demonstrate our strength, skill, and elegance in this competition and to showcase the demeanor a powerful military team should have to the entire nation.¡±

    The journalist did not continue to press, but her expression clearly showed some disappointment¡ªthis wasn¡¯t the response she was hoping for.

    Clearly, despite the external uproar, the Dingbei Army leaders behind the Flying Dragon Battle Team had a very clear stance.

    They did not buy into the naysayers¡¯ claims that the Flying Dragon Battle Team could rival the Zhenhai Team, and so they had instructed the deputy captain Shen Rui in advance to prepare a steady and safe response to avoid getting caught up in the current public opinion strife.

    The host signaled again, and another journalist stood up to ask:

    ¡°I am a reporter from Rhino Network, can you predict the outcome of this competition?¡±

    No sooner had Cai Qianlong started to speak than Shen Rui, microphone in hand, said:

    ¡°Of course, since we have chosen to join the battle team, we have enough firm confidence and fighting spirit for any battle and believe we will surely secure the final victory.¡±

    Here, Shen Rui had played a bit of word trickery, after all ¡°I am confident I will win¡± indicates a subjective desire, while the journalist was asking for an objective assessment, that is ¡°analyze whether your team can win.¡±

    Just as that journalist was about to follow up, the host said:

    ¡°One question per media outlet, please pass the microphone to the journalist behind you.¡±

    The journalists continued to ask a few more questions, and Shen Rui, indeed, did not let slip any careless remarks, clearly having prepared in advance.

    ¡°Any more questions?¡± The host looked around and nodded silently.

    The higher-ups had already instructed that it was better for the Flying Dragon Battle Team¡¯s portion to take up as little time as possible, leaving more time for the Zhenhai Team who would follow. Thus, he was about to move on to the conclusion of the Flying Dragon Battle Team¡¯s Q&A when suddenly, Cai Qianlong unexpectedly raised his hand and said:

    ¡°I have a question.¡±

    Everyone present instantly facepalmed: You¡¯re not a media journalist, what the hell kind of question could you have!

    However, as if oblivious to everyone¡¯s gazes, Cai Qianlong continued to address the host:

    ¡°The question earlier was directed at me, why did you pass the microphone to Shen Rui?¡±

    It was because they were worried about him making some shocking statement! The host quickly gave a look, and Shen Rui, along with the other team members, rushed over exclaiming ¡°Let¡¯s let you talk next time¡± and ¡°Definitely calling on you next time,¡± as they dragged Cai Qianlong away.

    Cai Qianlong was helpless, only managing to leave behind the words, ¡°I¡¯m the captain!¡± before being carried off by his teammates from the press conference.

    The journalists went crazy with their cameras, thinking the Flying Dragon Battle Team had also managed to cause a blunder, ensuring they certainly wouldn¡¯t lack for news material this time.

    Amid the eager anticipation of the audience, the biggest highlight¡ªthe Zhenhai Team¡ªalso queued up to enter. It was truly one man and four women, the man handsome and the women beautiful, each with stellar looks that captured attention before they even took their seats, as the cameras began to click furiously.

    ¡°Are there any questions?¡± the host asked, and immediately more than thirty hands shot up¡ªa stark contrast to the sparse raising of hands during the Flying Dragon Battle Team¡¯s turn.

    Such was the popularity of the Zhenhai Team at the moment!

    The host pointed at one female journalist who immediately stood up and asked:

    ¡°Hello, I am a reporter from ¡®Lu Country New Youth.¡¯ I¡¯d like to ask Captain Yan¡­ Um, what are your thoughts on some people claiming that the Zhenhai Team is a ¡®Harem Team¡¯? If, in selecting members for the team, physical attractiveness is also taken into consideration, wouldn¡¯t this be a trampling on the protection of women¡¯s rights in Lu Country?¡±

    Yan Yu regarded her steadily, perceiving not anger or distaste in the reporter¡¯s eyes but a hint of nervousness and unease.

    It seemed it was not a question she herself wanted to ask, but a task assigned by superiors.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to remind you,¡± the Dingbei Army host said seriously. ¡°Each journalist may only ask one question, and it must relate to the current competition. We can refuse to answer irrelevant questions.¡±

    He passed the microphone to Yan Yu, hinting that he could decline to answer the question.

    Facing the numerous cameras fixed intently on him, Yan Yu offered a slight smile and handed the microphone to the deputy captain Chen Lingyun.

    ¡°Hello, that¡¯s an interesting question,¡± Chen Lingyun said sweetly. ¡°I believe that if being an attractive female in a battle team means being suspected or even slandered for gaining position ¡®through beauty,¡¯ it certainly is a trampling on the protection of women¡¯s rights in Lu Country.¡±

    She didn¡¯t answer the question directly, but her clever response was greeted by such a surge in camera shutter sounds that it nearly became deafening.

    The female journalist hurriedly explained:

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean, I wanted to ask¡­¡±

    Before she could even speak, Chen Lingyun completely ignored her and directed the host:

    ¡°Next.¡±

    ¡°Please pass the microphone to the gentleman in the red back there,¡± the host ordered without explanation.

    The female reporter stopped struggling, handing the microphone back. After the next journalist took it, he stood up and asked:

    ¡°I¡¯m a reporter from ¡®International Express¡¯. Captain Yan, uh, my question is for Captain Yan, could Deputy Captain Chen pass the microphone to Captain Yan?¡±

    ¡°Is that your question?¡± Chen Lingyun smiled. ¡°My answer is yes.¡±

    The journalist immediately widened his eyes, displaying a shocked expression as if to say, ¡°Are you kidding me?¡±

    The other media reporters around first froze, then quickly swung their cameras around to capture the colleague who had been dismissed by Chen Lingyun.

    Fortunately, after Yan Yu received the microphone, he didn¡¯t dismiss the ¡°already done¡± journalist. The reporter visibly relaxed and continued, saying:

    ¡°Captain Yan, how would you evaluate the viewpoint that ¡®Flying Dragon Battle Team has a good chance of winning against Zhenhai Team¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Haha,¡± Yan Yu laughed. ¡°Humorous, next.¡±

    All the reporters: ???

    ¡°Next.¡± The host was the first to react and immediately said, ¡°The lady in the yellow on the left row.¡±

    She took the microphone, stood up, and asked:

    ¡°How does Zhenhai Team evaluate the strength of Flying Dragon Battle Team?¡±

    The surrounding reporters perked up, internally praising: Good question! Captain Yan described the last question as ¡°humorous,¡± implying he doesn¡¯t think highly of Flying Dragon Battle Team¡¯s strength¡­ This is the direction we should dig into! Make him say more explosive, newsworthy quotes!

    Under the eager gazes of everyone, Yan Yu slowly raised the microphone.

    Then he passed the microphone to Chen Lingyun beside him.

    All the reporters: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Of course, the strength of the Flying Dragon Battle Team is without question,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°They stood out among so many Cultivators across the country and got the Privy Council¡¯s approval to establish a team; they are certainly not weak. Team Captain Cai Qianlong once challenged Liu Longtao of the Dingbei Army one-on-one and lasted over 20 minutes before being defeated. Considering that Liu Longtao is the number one Cultivator in the Dingbei Army, Cai Qianlong¡¯s strength must not be far behind his. In short, I am very much looking forward to our matchup with Flying Dragon Battle Team.¡±

    She gave the host a signal, and the host immediately got the hint and said:

    ¡°Alright! That concludes today¡¯s press conference. Please leave the venue in an orderly manner.¡±

    Even though the reporters wanted to dig deeper, the Zhenhai Team members had already stood up, so they could only exchange glances.

    After everyone left the stage, Lin Ning finally let out a sigh of relief, saying:

    ¡°Phew! I was so nervous, I was holding my breath the whole time! Luckily no one asked me any questions!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not even qualified,¡± Yan Yu glanced at her disdainfully.

    Lin Ning kicked him.

    ¡°How about you, Yun Jin?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile. ¡°Were you nervous?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Su Yunjin said softly. ¡°There was a reporter in the front row who kept taking photos of me, so I just had to keep smiling the whole time.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t the slightest bit nervous,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen laughed. ¡°You guys are just too thin-skinned.¡±

    ¡°Nobody asked you,¡± Yan Yu cut her off.

    Zhao Yuanzhen clenched her teeth, thinking to herself:

    ¡°This scoundrel has made a mockery of me in public again today¡ªunforgettable! And it¡¯s not the first or second time; I have to keep track of all of this to settle the score with him in the future!¡±

    As she thought this, a scene appeared in her mind:

    She imagined the wedding night scene with four bridesmaids¡ªChen, Su, Lin, and Xie¡ªstanding around, each holding a wine cup, candlestick, washbasin, and a jade hairpin. Yan Yu, the groom, had washed his hands in the basin and was about to lift her bridal veil with the jade hairpin, but she had kicked him to the floor.

    This shameless man, still shamelessly crawling towards her while holding onto her leg, begged, ¡°Dear wife, let your husband behold your stunning beauty.¡±

    She stood with one foot on his shoulder, coldly saying, ¡°Mr. Yan, you dare to touch me? Let¡¯s settle the accounts of all these years!¡±

    Hehehehehehe hahaahahaahaha~

    Lost in her fantasy, Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly collided with a piece of equipment, snapping back to reality.

    She saw that up ahead, Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun were walking shoulder to shoulder, and Yan Yu asked:

    ¡°Did you get the message from Lord Master scolding you?¡±

    ¡°I flew out ahead of time,¡± Chen Lingyun replied cheerfully.

    ¡°Trash!¡± Yan Yu assessed.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was silent for a moment, then quickly caught up, inserting herself between them as if nothing had happened, effectively separating them.

 Chapter 210 - 9 As Cultivators, We Disdain Such Acts

    Chapter 210: Chapter 9 As Cultivators, We Disdain Such Acts

    ¡°`

    The members of the Zhenhai Team, after having dinner, returned to their hotel rooms to rest.

    Tomorrow was the official expedition to the Mysterious Realm, and tonight the ladies had planned to go shopping. However, it was rumored that many reporters were lying in ambush on the streets outside the hotel, so the Dingbei Army sent someone to advise them not to go out unless they wanted to be on camera.

    Of course, even if surrounded by reporters for an interview, the Dingbei Army, as the host, would rush to the rescue, but it would still be quite troublesome.

    Yan Yu lay on the bed, playing with his phone, when he suddenly heard knocking at the door.

    When he opened it, he saw Su Yunjin standing outside, holding a fruit platter and saying generously,

    ...

    ¡°I brought you some fruit.¡±

    ¡°Where did you get it from?¡± Yan Yu let her in.

    ¡°The restaurant on the second floor.¡± Su Yunjin placed the fruit platter on the table, ¡°Have you seen the online public opinion after the press conference?¡±

    ¡°No, what are they saying?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°They¡¯re saying, ¡®I didn¡¯t believe you had a harem at first, but after seeing so many beauties, I believe it.''¡± Su Yunjin said with a laugh.

    ¡°Heh.¡± Yan Yu was about to mock netizens with a few words, but the words stopped on his lips.

    Well said, indeed beauties.

    Secretary Su¡¯s face still bore the makeup from attending the afternoon¡¯s press conference, her lips redder and fuller, her eyeliner adding more brilliance, her hair tied into a high ponytail at the back of her head, with a few strands left loose beside her cheeks, which gave her a delicate, yet somewhat flirtatious and cunning feel. No wonder reporters kept taking pictures of her during the press conference.

    If Xie Ruoxi were here, she would certainly explain to Yan Yu that this was called ¡°fairy-like makeup.¡± Unfortunately, the beautiful but useless wasn¡¯t around, and Yan Yu just felt she was pretty and admired her in his mind, reaching for the fruit to eat.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t removed your makeup yet?¡± He asked nonchalantly after eating a grape.

    ¡°I¡¯ll remove it when I go back.¡± Su Yunjin sat down beside his bed, supporting her body with her hands behind her, and elegantly lifting one leg.

    ¡°So what are you doing now?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    With a slight smile, Su Yunjin asked,

    ¡°Does the team leader want to send me away?¡±

    Yan Yu figured he was not Chen Lingyun, that despicable person, and of course, he wouldn¡¯t say something like, ¡°Now that you¡¯ve delivered the fruits, you can leave.¡± He smoothly changed the subject,

    ¡°Why would I send you away? I just thought you had something to ask me.¡±

    ¡°Actually, I do have something to ask the team leader.¡± Su Yunjin said, ¡°I have some doubts about combining Taoism Method and swordsmanship.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ve seen you¡¯ve been practicing this recently.¡± Yan Yu thought quietly.

    There are no textbook answers on how Taoism Methods should combine with swordsmanship. Each Cultivator has their own unique interpretation. For instance, Zhou Hongyu likes to bomb recklessly with Taoism Methods and uses the Flying Sword when the True Yuan is running low; Li Zhaojiang, on the other hand, uses Taoism Methods for long distances and the Flying Sword for mid to close range combat.

    But Su Yunjin¡¯s case was different from theirs. For others, Taoism Methods have sufficient destructive power and the Flying Sword serves merely as a supplemental means of attack. Su Yunjin¡¯s Star River Secret Art is more about strong control with weak damage, so she needs sword techniques to augment her damage output, especially when she lacks team support.

    Although Yan Yu himself was not versed in Taoism Methods, in his previous life he was, after all, a top-tier Sword Immortal and definitely understood sword techniques.

    ¡°I could teach you, but it¡¯s not convenient to watch your demonstration in the hotel,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s wait until we¡¯re back at the school, and I¡¯ll teach you at the training ground.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I recorded a training video.¡± Su Yunjin took out her phone, ¡°Do you want to watch it now?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Since she was so well prepared, Yan Yu agreed to watch it.

    He leaned in to view the video.

    From the video, it was evident that Su Yunjin was quite proficient with the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art¡ªthe control over her True Yuan was incredibly strong; compared to that, her Sword Control Technique was appalling, with significant issues in precision and power.

    But after careful analysis, one could not blame her. Because when the target is hit by the Star River Secret Art, they are enveloped in turbulent flows, and the Flying Sword, to strike the target, must also enter the flow. Both the resistance and the pushing force of the flow affect the trajectory of the Flying Sword. Since her Sword Control mastery was not high, it made sense that her performance was subpar.

    Thus, Su Yunjin¡¯s problem is the poor ¡°compatibility¡± between her Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art and Sword Control. While it was not completely incompatible like Li Zhaojiang¡¯s Element Magnetic Light with sword techniques, if she couldn¡¯t find a suitable solution, it would undoubtedly affect her performance in practice.

    At times like this, the mightiest person in this world had to come up with a solution!

    As Yan Yu was deep in thought, he suddenly felt a waft of fragrance coming closer¡ªit was Su Yunjin leaning in towards him, afraid he couldn¡¯t see the video clearly, and bringing the phone closer to his eyes.

    ¡°Team leader, look here.¡± Though their proximity was somewhat intimate, Su Yunjin seemed completely unaware, focusing only on the phone and saying, ¡°Every time the Flying Sword cuts into the water, its speed and precision both noticeably drop; but if I reduce the True Yuan output and slow the flow, it weakens the control effect of the Taoism Method. So, is there a good solution?¡±

    Suddenly, she turned her head, and her lips almost brushed against Yan Yu¡¯s face. Panic flashed in her eyes, but she quickly composed herself.

    Yan Yu also felt she was too close, several reaction options flashed through his mind:

    Quietly moving back a bit¡ªno, too cowardly, that doesn¡¯t suit the reputation of the mightiest in this world.

    Pretending everything was normal¡ªalso no, too dull, like a love-struck fool who¡¯s never dated.

    Wrapping an arm around her slender waist and giving a rakish smile¡ªdefinitely not, too easy on her! What if Secretary Su takes that as a chance to throw herself at me!

    As Yan Yu was deep in contemplation and Su Yunjin¡¯s heart pounded, a voice suddenly rang out from outside.

    ¡°`

    It was Chen Lingyun¡¯s voice:

    ¡°Yan Yu, are you there?¡±

    Su Yunjin was instantly alarmed and felt the irrational panic of being caught in the act; just as she was about to find a place to hide, she heard Yan Yu call out:

    ¡°Yes. Yun Jin is here too, what¡¯s up?¡±

    Su Yunjin¡¯s eyes widened in shock: No, why are you bringing me up, Captain!!!

    ¡°Open the door~¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s voice turned sweet, as if she had found amusement, and her tone became cheerful.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Yan Yu stood up to open the door for Chen Lingyun.

    When Chen Lingyun entered the room, her makeup was already removed. Seeing Su Yunjin sitting on Yan Yu¡¯s bed with her makeup still perfectly intact, it was clear she guessed what had transpired. Smiling, she teased:

    ¡°Did I interrupt something between you two?¡±

    ¡°No, Ling Yun! We were just¡­¡± Su Yunjin tried to explain when she heard Yan Yu interject:

    ¡°Yeah, so if you knew that, why haven¡¯t you scrammed?¡±

    ¡°¡­We were just discussing cultivation.¡± Su Yunjin finished her explanation weakly, feeling like her excuse was incredibly transparent.

    But Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t press the issue further and simply smiled, saying:

    ¡°Guess what intel I¡¯ve got?¡±

    ¡°Someone sabotaging from the shadows, right?¡± Yan Yu said icily, ¡°I figured as much.¡±

    ¡°Previously, the higher-ups exchanged the prisoner ¡®Thunderbird¡¯ Margaret with Miti for a lot of things,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°among which was the ¡®Mysterious Realm live broadcast technology¡¯.¡±

    ¡°The Dingbei Army had previously used a large number of camera drones for suicidal infiltration recon of the Mysterious Realm, sending back a lot of intel on the interior of the realm.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Su Yunjin also understood, on the side, ¡°Someone leaked the intel to the Flying Dragon Battle Team?¡±

    ¡°They guard this information closely; we couldn¡¯t get our hands on it,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a light smile, ¡°but I could confirm through clues that the Flying Dragon Battle Team got the intel.¡±

    Intel that drones could gather about the interior of Mysterious Realm¡ªenvironmental terrain, restrictions, monsters, and guardians and the like¡ªof course, would provide a significant advantage to the Flying Dragon Battle Team.

    Not to mention, if they start out by heading straight to steal a guardian using the fastest route, or find a favorable terrain to lay ambush to rob from you, what do you do? Even if it¡¯s live streamed throughout, they could just claim ¡°I happened to choose this route¡± and there would be no evidence to conclusively prove they cheated!

    Su Yunjin¡¯s eyebrows knitted tightly, thinking that this was bad. The Flying Dragon Battle Team was already fighting on home turf, entering the Mysterious Realm earlier and thus already had the advantage of time; if they also had prior intel on the realm, they would have the advantage of terrain as well!

    However, Yan Yu showed no concern, merely scoffing:

    ¡°People online said ¡®cheating is a tradition in the tri-top combat dispute¡¯, didn¡¯t think the netizens would actually predict it. But so what? This time, we¡¯re going to show certain people that the gap in absolute strength cannot be changed by petty moves or small tricks.¡±

    ¡°I was thinking the same thing,¡± Chen Lingyun said, smiling, ¡°The reason they resort to underhanded tactics is because there¡¯s no chance of winning otherwise. Now that we know this, then¡­¡±

    Before she could finish, someone suddenly started knocking at the door again.

    Yan Yu went to open the door and saw it was the Flying Dragon Battle Team¡¯s captain, Cai Qianlong ¡ª their team was staying on the third floor, and the Zhenhai Team was on the fifth; what was this guy doing coming up here?

    ¡°Sorry for intruding.¡± Cai Qianlong nodded to Yan Yu, entered the room with pomp, and then noticed Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin were also there. Hesitating, he asked awkwardly, ¡°Did I interrupt something good here?¡±

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Yan Yu asked, not bothering to explain, just closing the door.

    ¡°It¡¯s like this.¡± As Cai Qianlong spoke of his purpose, his expression turned serious, ¡°I wanted to have a heated and exhilarating duel with you, but someone intends to use dirty tricks, influencing the outcome of this confrontation.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say who it is explicitly. I¡¯ve discussed it with my teammates, and if we used outside help to gain an advantage we shouldn¡¯t have, and still lost in the end, wouldn¡¯t that shatter our moral integrity? As cultivators, we disdain such actions; better to fight fair and square. Even if defeated, it would be honorable, with a clear conscience. If necessary, we¡¯ll simply strive to catch up with you afterward!¡±

    He reached into his pocket and pulled out a USB drive, offering,

    ¡°All the intel about the Mysterious Realm is in here! After you finish reviewing it, you can dispose of this USB drive, and we¡¯ll start from the same starting line. I¡¯ve said all that needs to be said, don¡¯t ask more.¡±

    Yan Yu looked at the USB drive in his hand and chuckled,

    ¡°Although you¡¯re not as strong as Lord Master, you do have a bit of his pride. As for this intel, forget it. If we also become familiar with the terrain of the Mysterious Realm, and if those behind the scenes spot any irregularities tomorrow, wouldn¡¯t they immediately suspect your team?¡±

    ¡°And what about it?¡± Cai Qianlong retorted proudly.

    ¡°Nothing much,¡± Yan Yu laughed heartily, ¡°There are some things you disdain to do, and similarly for us.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t need this intel. Once we enter the Mysterious Realm tomorrow, we¡¯ll still crush and defeat you, just like that.¡±

    Cai Qianlong fell silent for a moment before bursting into laughter,

    ¡°Good! Worthy of being Yan Zhanlong, whom even Liu Longtao acknowledges as superior!¡±

    He pocketed the USB drive and turned to leave,

    ¡°Once we enter the Mysterious Realm tomorrow, we won¡¯t be stealing any guardians. Let¡¯s find a place to duel, and we¡¯ll let strength speak for itself!¡± Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 211 - 10: Live Broadcast of the Ancient City Secret Realm

    Chapter 211: Chapter 10: Live Broadcast of the Ancient City Secret Realm

    Cai Qianlong returned to the third floor, gathered his teammates, and recounted the events.

    Upon hearing that Yan Zhanlong refused to accept the intelligence, and even boasted that they could crush them without it, the members of the Flying Dragon Battle Team furrowed their brows.

    ¡°Captain, it must be because your attitude was too poor and provoked Yan Zhanlong¡¯s pride,¡± the vice-captain Shen Rui speculated.

    ¡°Impossible!¡± Cai Qianlong denied flatly, ¡°I¡¯ve always communicated with him in a calm and composed manner, okay? It was only when I entered the room that I saw two girls from his team were also there and realized it was a bit troublesome.¡±

    ¡°Absolutely!¡± Ma Dawei mocked, ¡°How could he possibly accept the intelligence in front of girls! He definitely had to show off and display his heroic spirit in front of the girls!¡±

    ¡°Then how about waiting until those two girls leave, and let the captain go again to deliver the intelligence to Yan Zhanlong alone?¡± Peng Yifan suggested, ¡°Without the girls there, if the captain speaks more earnestly, he should be willing to accept it, right?¡±

    ...

    ¡°How would I know when they are leaving?¡± Cai Qianlong was bewildered.

    ¡°Firstly, we need to figure out what they are doing in the captain¡¯s room,¡± Zhong Ming began to reason, ¡°Let¡¯s first assume they are participating in a threesome¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re incredible, can you also calculate the time for a threesome?¡± Ma Dawei said in amazement.

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Zhong Ming said, ¡°Most guys don¡¯t last more than 30 minutes at a time, and at most three or four times in a night, so a simple calculation is possible.¡±

    ¡°Alright, stop joking around,¡± Shen Rui interrupted their nonsense, ¡°Don¡¯t believe whatever nonsense about the ¡®harem team¡¯ out there. Since Yan Zhanlong refused, the likelihood of him going back on his word is not high, we should still discuss how to fight tomorrow.¡±

    On the other side, due to Chen Lingyun¡¯s presence, Su Yunjin did not find an excuse to stay longer and was politely sent out by Yan Yu.

    On the way back to her room, Su Yunjin broke the silence:

    ¡°Lingyun¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Su Yunjin lowered her head, ¡°Never mind.¡±

    ¡°Yunjin is really shy.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile became even more joyful. Although she was smaller in stature than Su Yunjin and looked like her younger sister when standing together, her presence was the complete opposite, ¡°If I were Yan Yu, I would have eaten you up already.¡±

    ¡°Stop talking nonsense,¡± Su Yunjin said helplessly.

    When the two returned to Chen Lingyun¡¯s room, they found Lin Ning, Zhao Yuanzhen, and Xie Ruoxi sitting on the bed, staring at their phones and bickering with each other.

    ¡°Sister Zhao, stop swearing all the time,¡± Lin Ning said while typing.

    ¡°Is it useful to reason with those trolls?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen retorted.

    ¡°Stop arguing,¡± Xie Ruoxi said loudly, ¡°I¡¯ve posted the message, now come here quickly to play the role of brainless trolls and draw hostility.¡±

    Su Yunjin and Chen Lingyun looked at each other, both speechless.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The next morning arrived.

    Yan Yu was woken up by the alarm clock and sluggishly got out of bed to brush his teeth and wash his face. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Before he could even dry his face with a towel, he heard a knock at the door and Lin Ning¡¯s shouting:

    ¡°Get up now! Get up!¡±

    ¡°Coming.¡± Yan Yu threw the towel into the sink, put on his jacket, and went out.

    As the two were heading to the dining hall downstairs, Lin Ning spoke:

    ¡°Did you sleep well last night?¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I have slept well?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise, noticing she seemed to have dark circles under her eyes.

    ¡°Nervous, I guess.¡± Lin Ning let out an ¡°Oh¡± and snorted, ¡°That¡¯s right, how could you possibly feel pressured.¡±

    ¡°There will always be pressure; it can¡¯t be eliminated,¡± Yan Yu said leisurely, ¡°It¡¯s whether the pressure is transformed into a burden or into kinetic energy, that¡¯s what we need to adjust mentally.¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Lin Ning sighed, ¡°Actually, the opponent isn¡¯t hard to deal with, it¡¯s mainly because this time the whole country is watching, so the pressure is a bit high.¡±

    ¡°But I think for you, having some pressure is a good thing.¡± The elevator arrived, and Yan Yu brought Lin Ning in with him.

    ¡°Why is that?¡± Lin Ning asked curiously.

    ¡°Because the resilience of problem-solvers is very strong,¡± Yan Yu stated seriously.

    Lin Ning was angry and subconsciously kicked at him, but Yan Yu managed to dodge at the last moment with a nimble stride in the cramped elevator, leaving her to kick the air.

    ¡°I¡¯m actually in pretty good shape right now,¡± Yan Yu chuckled.

    Lin Ning fell silent, but she felt an inexplicable sense of relief inside.

    It¡¯s good that the captain is here¡­ nothing should go wrong.

    Everyone had breakfast in the restaurant, and the Flying Dragon Battle Team left first, even coming over to greet Yan Yu and others without mentioning last night¡¯s intelligence.

    After Zhao Yuanzhen finished eating last, the Zhenhai Team members stood up, went downstairs, left the hotel, and took the Dingbei Army¡¯s vehicles to the Mysterious Realm¡¯s location.

    Perhaps having learned from the experience at Changbai Mountain, the surroundings of the Mysterious Realm this time were like an impenetrable fortress, completely sealed off by layers of tight security within the camp; buildings were everywhere, and from the outside, it was impossible to find the entrance to the Mysterious Realm¡ªit felt like Cao Cao¡¯s seventy-two suspected tombs.

    Yan Yu and his team waited in the rest area while the Flying Dragon Battle Team was the first to enter the Mysterious Realm, followed by the medical team, the broadcast team, and the security team.

    Since they had obtained the inside information of the Mysterious Realm, these personnel would find a concealed and safe place to hide, using the Invisibility Technique as much as possible to avoid combat, responsible only for unmanned aerial vehicle filming and medical intervention throughout the process.

    After a while, it was Zhenhai Team¡¯s turn to depart.

    Yan Yu led the team into the Mysterious Realm. Moments later, they appeared in the midst of an ancient city.

    The city walls soared high, the houses were low, closely packed, with crisscrossing streets; they tread on yellow clay roads, while gusts of cold wind blew through the air, chilling one to the bone.

    ¡°To the right,¡± Yan Yu gave a concise order.

    The team quickly found a larger building nearby and charged in.

    This place seemed to be an inn, with many guest rooms on the second floor and two large tables and four or five long benches on the first floor for the traveling guests to rest and have tea.

    It was completely empty.

    Chen Lingyun took out the Soul Summoning Banner, waved it a few times, and five large dogs appeared, leaping into the air and turning invisible as they quietly left the inn to scout.

    This scene, captured by the cameras on their clothing, appeared in the external broadcast room, and Xu Dongming quickly explained:

    ¡°Chen Lingyun¡¯s occupation is a Necromancer. As you can see, Necromancers have a significant advantage in scouting! Ghost creatures are naturally invisible and numerous, tossing them out in all directions like scattering blossoms from the heavens, they can reveal any team¡¯s formation tactics totally exposed! Now let¡¯s check the position of the Flying Dragon Battle Team¡­¡±

    The Flying Dragon Battle Team also refreshed inside the ancient city, taking refuge in an indoor building as well.

    The difference was that they chose a low-lying flat house, hiding in the small space and not coming out again.

    ¡°Both sides have chosen to lie low, so close combat is unlikely,¡± Zhou Erhe also added. ¡°The only possibility now is to see if Chen Lingyun¡¯s invisible ghosts can find the hiding spot of the Flying Dragon Battle Team. If they find it, it¡¯s basically half the battle won since the Flying Dragon Battle Team is unable to detect the ghosts¡­¡±

    ¡°The invisibility of the ghosts can also be discovered through Divine Sense,¡± Xu Dongming corrected.

    ¡°Who would maintain Divine Sense all the time?¡± Zhou Erhe argued, considering that Divine Sense exploration is also a Spell that requires constant attention and consumes True Yuan, which can be very draining over time.

    ¡°No, look, the Flying Dragon Battle Team is taking turns with their Divine Sense exploration, keeping up a continuous relay,¡± said Xu Dongming quickly.

    As the broadcast switched between the cameras worn by the Flying Dragon Battle Team, it was clear that Ma Dawei and Peng Yifan were taking turns standing guard. One would explore the surroundings with Divine Sense, while the other would meditate and recover True Yuan¡ªa seamless handover without any pauses.

    ¡°All right, the Flying Dragon Battle Team is well-prepared; let¡¯s return to the Zhenhai Team¡­¡± Zhou Erhe suddenly exclaimed, ¡°Yan Yu is going out! Yan Zhanlong is going out!¡±

    The four other team members took refuge on the second floor while Yan Zhanlong confidently walked out the door and used the Cloud Ascension Technique to leap onto the rooftop.

    Then he began to sprint with astonishing speed.

    ¡°Has he discovered the position of the Flying Dragon Battle Team?¡± Xu Dongming questioned. ¡°Is he going to fight five people all by himself?¡±

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s five ghosts were invisible, and the drones patrolling the area in fixed aerial routes did not have Divine Sense to detect them, so of course, they could not confirm where the ghosts had run off to.

    However, Yan Yu¡¯s movements were caught on camera. The viewers could see that Yan Yu did not head straight for the Flying Dragon Battle Team¡¯s position but instead went around the roof of the ancient city for what seemed like a complete circuit.

    The ancient city was divided into four districts by two main roads running vertically and horizontally. The buildings in the northern district were generally taller¡ªlikely the residences of the elite; the western district had many shops, forming a marketplace; the east and south districts had a high density of similar and modest buildings, which seemed to be the ¡°residential areas¡± where commoners lived.

    As Yan Yu thought this, he suddenly noticed something was amiss.

    He looked up and saw that the daylight was dimming at a rate visible to the naked eye.

    Night was approaching.

    Gusts of strong wind burst forth, making it difficult to keep one¡¯s eyes open. Narrowing his eyes slightly, Yan Yu gazed at the interwoven network of alleys around him, sensing that something was about to emerge.

 Chapter 212 - 11 Flamboyant Footwork Yan Zhanlong

    Chapter 212: Chapter 11 Flamboyant Footwork Yan Zhanlong

    The sky dimmed, all colors turning silent.

    The entire ancient city soon fell into the deep curtain of night. The drones in the sky switched to night vision mode and continued to capture the scene below along their preset routes.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see what changes have occurred in the Mysterious Realm! The scene has suddenly entered night mode!¡± Xu Dongming said excitedly, ¡°Something is about to come out!¡±

    Suddenly, dim lights lit up in the countless houses around.

    Yan Yu¡¯s Divine Sense swept the surroundings¡­ No, there was no need for Divine Sense, he could see with his naked eyes that a large number of Yin Soldiers had appeared on the streets.

    Fully armored and carrying swords and bows, the Yin Soldiers were rough in appearance and numbered in the hundreds. At the same time, more Yin Soldiers continuously poured out from the alleyways, innumerable at a glance, seemingly endless.

    ...

    Yan Yu stealthily performed the Invisibility Technique, crouching motionless on the rooftop, vanishing from the drone¡¯s vision in the air.

    One of the Yin Soldiers looked up and drew his longbow fully, releasing an arrow with a whoosh, and the drone immediately sparked into flames and fell to the ground.

    ¡°Everyone saw our OB drone has been shot down,¡± Zhou Erhe exclaimed, ¡°That was no ordinary arrow! It was a Flying Sword!¡±

    Realizing his companion had stated the obvious, Xu Dongming hurriedly added:

    ¡°The shooting prowess of these Yin Soldiers¡¯ arrows is on par with that of Flying Swords. Our drone was flying at an altitude of over a hundred meters, no ordinary cold weapon archery could reach that height! Director, switch to the replay of the falling OB¡­ you can see, the arrows shot by the Yin Soldiers have a distinct purple-black glow in their trajectory, resembling the light of Flying Swords, their power must be far superior to that of normal bows and arrows!¡±

    ¡°Okay! The director has switched back to the camera on Yan Zhanlong, and we can see that Yan Zhanlong has timely engaged the Invisibility Technique! The Yin Soldiers have not noticed Yan Zhanlong¡¯s presence! What does professional reaction speed mean? It means at the moment of close combat, I become invisible right in front of you, and you¡¯re just dazzled, completely unable to react¡­¡±

    Xu Dongming was still boasting when he saw several Yin Soldiers charge to the building where Yan Yu was located, pointing upward as if they were saying something.

    One of the Yin Soldiers took out a torch from behind and lit it.

    Wrapped with straw and grass rope, the torch should produce a bright yellow glow, yet as the Yin Soldier lit the torch, the flame was a ghostly blue.

    The ghostly blue light, resembling the maggots of gangrene, shone on the spot where Yan Yu was crouched. His Invisibility Technique was still active, but the Yin Soldiers below were already looking up at Yan Yu in silence.

    Yan Yu slightly narrowed his eyes, aware that his Invisibility Technique had been seen through.

    In the live broadcast room, when those skeleton-like Yin Soldiers raised their heads and stared at the camera with their hollow eye sockets, the barrage of comments exploded:

    ¡°Damn, he¡¯s been spotted!¡±

    ¡°I got so scared I dropped my phone!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s over, Yan Zhanlong can¡¯t stand the jinxing¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop jinxing him!¡± Zhou Erhe urgently called from the commentary desk, ¡°Yan Zhanlong¡¯s Invisibility Technique has been seen through! Now let¡¯s see how he responds! He¡¯s retreating on the rooftop, trying to leave the Yin Soldiers¡¯ line of sight!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Xu Dongming quickly reassured, ¡°This kind of ancient city environment is very complex with many blind spots for visual cover, as long as he shakes off these few Yin Soldiers, Yan Zhanlong still has a chance to remain hidden!¡±

    No sooner had he finished speaking than a desolate horn sounded suddenly.

    The director quickly switched between different perspectives, discovering that whether it was Yan Yu¡¯s camera or those of the Zhenhai and Flying Dragon Battle Teams, all could hear the resounding and powerful sound of the horn¡ªit enveloped the entire city!

    The next second, countless Yin Soldiers who heard the horn started running at full speed on the streets!

    Realizing the situation was dire, Yan Yu quickly disengaged his Invisibility Technique and stood up, his movements swift as lightning as he leaped to the neighboring rooftop.

    Behind him, several long arrows whistled past, emitting piercing explosive noises.

    The broadcast team hiding outside the city once again launched a backup drone, and the night vision lens swept over the city below to see all the Yin Soldiers rushing towards Yan Yu¡¯s position, enemies approaching from all directions, leaving no time to find another hiding spot.

    ¡°Ah, shut up!¡± Zhou Erhe interrupted Xu Dongming again, ¡°Stop talking! Let me do the commentary!¡±

    ¡°`

    He hailed from Lin¡¯an Prefecture in Jiangnan Province, while Xu Dongming currently resided in Jianghai Prefecture. In fact, both of them were fans of the Zhenhai Team. If Yan Zhanlong were to be killed by over-nurturing, it wouldn¡¯t just be a blow to Zhenhai Team¡¯s fans¡ªthey themselves would be greatly dismayed. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s switch to the backup OB!¡± Zhou Erhe quickly said, signaling the director to change to the aerial perspective, ¡°You can see that the recent horn sound has alarmed the entire city, and now the Yin Soldiers are all pursuing Yan Zhanlong¡­ Watch out! Nicely done! Yan Zhanlong makes a sharp stop to dodge the barrage of arrows! I¡¯d like to remind everyone that our OB drone uses night vision lenses, so it can capture the deep purple light of the arrows flying past, but Yan Zhanlong doesn¡¯t have night vision gear¡ªhe actually can¡¯t see it clearly! His evasion from the Yin Soldiers relies primarily on his prediction, his outstanding tactical awareness, and excellent combat intuition!¡±

    ¡°He has Divine Sense scanning though!¡± Xu Dongming exclaimed from the side.

    ¡°Ay, I¡¯ve told you to shut up already!¡± Zhou Erhe interrupted his colleague again, then casually corrected, ¡°With Divine Sense scanning, Yan Zhanlong effortlessly dodges the arrows from the pursuers behind! He¡¯s speeding up! Good, after a few swift moves like a rabbit dodging a hawk, he shakes off the pursuing forces¡­ but there¡¯s a large troop ahead! What is Yan Zhanlong going to do!!!¡±

    Yan Yu took to the rooftops, crossing neighborhoods, and as he shook off the troops behind him, he saw a larger number of Yin Soldiers charging over on the main road ahead.

    The front row suddenly came to a halt and knelt down, while the back row also stopped in place. Two rows of Yin Soldiers drew their longbows fully, and the dark purple glow circulated and condensed around the arrow clusters, forming something akin to energetic whirlpools and torrents aiming at where Yan Yu stood.

    Yan Yu¡¯s Divine Sense swiftly swept across again.

    There was no mistake, it was a spell from the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner.

    In this Mysterious Realm, there was at least one Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, continuously refining these ancient Yin Soldiers¡­

    Before he could fully assess the situation, countless arrows were launched, sealing off his front, back, left, right, and even above¡ªlocking him in completely!

    Yan Yu¡¯s figure suddenly plunged down as he activated the Wall-Penetration Technique in a flash, crashing through the roof and abruptly entering the building interior, thereby avoiding the barrage of arrows¡ªand he also vanished from the drone¡¯s field of vision!

    This move caught even the director off guard; they scrambled and quickly switched to his personal camera view, while the live broadcast chat exploded once more with a myriad of question marks. Xu Dongming began to explain:

    ¡°The Wall-Penetration Technique is the most miraculous spell among the Three Arts. It allows one to pass freely through any terrain without regard for obstacles, but the cost is that it consumes far more True Yuan than the other two arts, so it can only be used in life-saving moments. Yan Zhanlong is very calculating in this regard; unless absolutely necessary, he definitely won¡¯t use the Wall-Penetration Technique lightly. And just now was indeed a critical moment when it was absolutely necessary!¡±

    Finally, the director switched to the camera worn by Yan Yu, but the angle was extremely shaky¡ªhe had fallen from the rooftop into the house, then leaped out the window, twisting in mid-air to dodge several arrows. His speed remained undiminished as he landed and immediately veered left at an oblique angle, bursting out from behind the wall cover. As he turned sharply to retreat, a new wave of arrows flew past where he had been just moments before. Defying the laws of physics, Yan Yu sharply retreated, stopped short, and took cover behind the wall to avoid the arrow rain, then suddenly accelerated forward again. Taking advantage of the Yin Soldiers reaching for more arrows, he brazenly crossed the main road and flew onto the rooftop of the opposite block.

    The live chat began rapidly posting messages again:

    ¡°The camera switches too fast, I¡¯m getting dizzy!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t give Yan Zhanlong the first-person view!¡±

    ¡°Switch to the aerial OB, switch to the aerial OB, switch to the aerial OB, switch to the aerial OB¡­¡±

    The production team also realized their mistake. Since Yan Yu¡¯s quick changes of direction were so frequent, sudden, and disorienting, experiencing it through the first-person perspective was simply too nauseating for the viewers. They had to switch back to the aerial drone perspective quickly.

    ¡°Ah, Yan Zhanlong really is amazing, just watching his first-person view is enough to make me want to vomit,¡± Zhou Erhe commented, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s watch Yan Zhanlong again from the aerial OB view. He moves swiftly onto the rooftop, running fast¡ªthere comes the arrow rain! Good, a sharp stop to dodge, then another dodge, and another¡ªhahaha, they can¡¯t hit him at all! Do you understand how valuable Yan Zhanlong¡¯s movements are, you lost souls and ghosts?¡±

    ¡°Eh, wait!¡± Xu Dongming suddenly said, ¡°Look at the number of Yin Soldiers around! Their encirclement is rapidly shrinking!¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Zhou Erhe also realized the problem and quickly added, ¡°From the aerial view, we can see that although Yan Yu hasn¡¯t been hit, he also hasn¡¯t managed to kill any enemies, so the number of Yin Soldiers around him is indeed getting more and more concentrated, and his space to maneuver is decreasing.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not going to get himself killed, is he?¡± Xu Dongming said anxiously, ¡°Oh no, don¡¯t just go round and round in one place. You should kite them all over the city, make them follow you like a train!¡±

    ¡°Could it be that Yan Yu doesn¡¯t think there are enough Yin Soldiers around him?¡± Zhou Erhe pondered, ¡°He feels he¡¯s still not in enough danger, that he can still manage, that he can still show off his skills for a bit longer.¡±

    ¡°Very likely!¡± Xu Dongming exclaimed, ¡°We¡¯re looking from a God¡¯s point of view, able to overlook the entire scene. But he¡¯s different from us, his perspective is shaking so much, he¡¯s probably just focusing on dodging the arrow rain and may not have had the time to check the number of enemies around him! If this continues, he could get himself trapped to death!¡±

    ¡°Oh dear, this is getting troublesome,¡± Zhou Erhe frowned, ¡°Let¡¯s see what Yan Yu will do next¡­¡±

    In the Palace of the Qing Prince in Lingnan Province, the members of the Qing¡¯an Battle Team were also watching the live broadcast.

    ¡°Yan Yu¡¯s not really going to get himself killed, is he?¡± Li Zhaojiang said in astonishment, ¡°His movements are indeed flashy, but what good is that? With thousands of Yin Soldiers closing in, you¡¯ll soon not even have room to move! Showboating has to be appropriate to the occasion.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to the commentators guessing wildly¡ªhe¡¯s not showboating,¡± Li Minghu suddenly said, ¡°He¡¯s timing his moves.¡±

 Chapter 213 - 12: The 9-Day Yin Demon Prison Banner

    Chapter 213: Chapter 12: The 9-Day Yin Demon Prison Banner

    But the girls on the second floor of the inn noticed the shift from day to night in the mysterious realm in an instant.

    ¡°Lock the door,¡± Chen Lingyun said quickly.

    Lin Ning rushed to close the door. The next second, a muffled noise came from downstairs, as if it was the clanking sound of armor worn by marching soldiers.

    The four girls exchanged silent looks. Chen Lingyun wore a faint smile, Lin Ning¡¯s face was grave, Su Yunjin appeared calm, and Zhao Yuanzhen paced restlessly back and forth like an impatient hound yearning to hunt.

    ¡°How long do we have to wait?¡± she finally couldn¡¯t help asking.

    ¡°Wait for the reconnaissance to return,¡± Chen Lingyun responded.

    ...

    Before long, a dog leaped in through the window, materializing the instant it entered the room.

    Chen Lingyun communicated telepathically with it for a moment before saying to the girls:

    ¡°The intelligence we have so far indicates that the mysterious realm alternates between day and night at set intervals. By day it is eerily quiet, but come nightfall, hundreds of ghosts roam the streets, and Yin Soldiers and ghosts are everywhere, attacking any living creature they see, so it¡¯s best to stay indoors at night to avoid being discovered by the Yin Soldiers.¡±

    ¡°The Flying Dragon Battle Team has not shown up; they¡¯re probably hiding somewhere. As for our captain, he has attracted the attention of many Yin Soldiers and is currently leading them on a wild chase throughout the city!¡±

    ¡°Should we go support him?¡± Lin Ning asked in a hurry, upon hearing that Yan Yu was being pursued by the Yin Soldiers.

    ¡°Not for now,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smiling eye, ¡°The pressing matter at hand is to ascertain the duration of day and night.¡±

    Su Yunjin listened quietly, pondering to herself.

    Rather than saying ¡°leading them on a wild chase,¡± it would be more accurate to say that the sheer number of enemies was so overwhelming that even the captain had to avoid their sharp edge, right? If that¡¯s the case, whether it¡¯s defeating the Flying Dragon Battle Team or besieging the gatekeepers, it would all have to be done during the daytime¡­ Ling Yun was right, understanding the mysterious realm¡¯s day and night restrictions is essential and must be clarified immediately.

    But¡­ can Yan Yu hold out?

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Yan Yu raced across the rooftops, trailing a near tidal wave of arrow barrages behind him.

    Beneath him, the streets were so choked with Yin Soldiers that not a drop could leak through, constantly drawing bows, nocking arrows, and loosing shots, with an incessant howl filling the air. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Even Yan Yu, with his near-divine agility, had to frequently seek cover to shield himself; otherwise, he would inevitably end up as a porcupine bristling with arrows.

    In the external broadcast room, the viewer count continued to surge. The incoming audience could hardly bear to leave, all waiting to see how Yan Yu would deal with so many pursuers¡ªor how he might die.

    The Zhenhai Team and the Flying Dragon Battle Team had both taken refuge inside buildings, not daring to provoke the masses of Yin Soldiers outside. Only Yan Yu was dodging and weaving through layers of pursuit, breaking free from encirclement in unexpected places¡ªonly to be trapped again in the very next second.

    Because the surrounding Yin Soldiers were simply too many.

    ¡°He¡¯s definitely been surrounded to death!¡± Xu Dongming didn¡¯t know how many times he had said this, but Yan Yu¡¯s situation was indeed becoming more perilous, leaving almost no room to maneuver. He pressed down his anxiety and offered words of comfort to reassure his chat audience, ¡°I¡¯m guessing the Dingbei Army will definitely make a move. They can¡¯t possibly just watch Yan Yu be surrounded and killed by these Yin Soldiers. Our country will certainly intervene. Everyone, don¡¯t worry, Yan Zhanlong isn¡¯t going to have any trouble¡­¡±

    However, the chat audience was not worried; they were urging him to ¡°keep jinxing.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Zhou Erhe couldn¡¯t help wanting to laugh at the comments, but the current situation was hardly suitable for laughter, so he maintained a serious demeanor and said, ¡°Okay, we see Yan Yu jumping down from the rooftop into a courtyard! Is he about to use the Wall-Penetration Technique? No, wait, he¡¯s surrounded by Yin Soldiers on all sides; maybe he can break through from the low wall on the eastern side, but it¡¯s risky¡­ Eh! He¡¯s stopped!¡±

    Yan Yu came to a halt in the middle of the courtyard, his hands deftly forming Sword Technique gestures.

    From the drone¡¯s aerial view, the courtyard around Yan Yu was encircled by Yin Soldiers, with the only entrance being the main gate.

    Behind the main gate stood a screen wall, a high barrier placed behind the entryway in ancient residences to prevent passersby from peering directly into inner quarters.

    In his recent evasive maneuvers, Yan Yu had noticed that the ancient city¡¯s architecture seemed to possess a certain quality that prevented it from being damaged by the arrows of the Yin Soldiers.

    This meant that they should also be unable to destroy the screen wall and would have to go around it to attack him.

    On the right of the screen wall was a collapsed stable, impassable; the left side became their only path through. But the passageway was comparatively narrow, allowing only two to pass at a time, ensuring that Yan Yu would not be attacked from all directions by the Yin Soldiers at once.

    As the clanging sound of armor grew nearer, Yan Yu¡¯s Divine Sense detected a large number of Yin Soldiers stepping over the mansion¡¯s main gate, trying to pass through the screen wall passage to enter the courtyard!

    Huang Tingjian, unsheathed!

    The Huang Tingjian was a heavy sword that Yan Yu carried on his back, and it resided in no scabbard.

    But as he pinched the sword technique, the blade flew out, someone in the chat curtain had no idea who brushed a ¡°Dragon-Slaying Sword unsheathed!¡±, and immediately numerous netizens repeated the phrase, flooding the screen.

    Brother Yan Zhanlong¡¯s sword, that¡¯s the one that has slain the Flood Dragon!

    The first two Yin Soldiers had already circled around the shadow wall, and the Huang Tingjian arrived just in time to deliver a powerful horizontal sweep close to the ground.

    Sword Technique¡¤White Crane Spreads Its Wings.

    The feature of White Crane Spreads Its Wings lies in the slash containing a stab, which appears to be a wide-area horizontal cut but at any time can be converted into a thrust. However, Yan Yu here had no intention of changing his moves, as what he needed was the sweeping effect of this sword technique.

    The two Yin Soldiers quickly drew their sabers in an attempt to block, but Yan Yu¡¯s swordsmanship combat experience was so rich. He intentionally sliced close to the ground with this White Crane Spreads Its Wings move, which made the opponent¡¯s saber too short to block the lower section of the attack without bending down¡­ The result was that they were too late to block and were both swept off by the Huang Tingjian, knocking down a large number of chasing Yin Soldiers in the process.

    The live broadcast room exploded once again!

    Inside the Annan National Defense Academy, Li Minghu pinched the mouse and lightly clicked to turn off those annoying rainbow-fart chats like ¡°Yan Zhanlong is so badass¡±, so as not to block everyone from continuing to watch and study Yan Yu¡¯s swordsmanship.

    From the aerial drone¡¯s perspective, it was hard to notice that the move White Crane Spreads Its Wings was actually a lower section attack close to the ground, but Li Minghu¡¯s thoughts were so sharp that he still noticed something amiss from the subtle motion of the two Yin Soldiers bending slightly before being struck by the sword.

    So he was not only stepping on points earlier, but also collecting information on the equipment of these Yin Soldiers?

    While she was pondering carefully, Yan Yu on the other side had already continuously taken down several waves of Yin Soldiers, and a spirited commentary finally rang out in the live broadcast room.

    ¡°Damn, Yan Zhanlong is so badass! The position he chose is really good!¡± Seeing Yan Yu turn danger into safety and the situation becoming clear, Zhou Erhe was the first to change his tune and praise, ¡°Using this narrow terrain to block all the Yin Soldiers outside! Whoever comes will be killed, so many! This is the astonishing wisdom of Yan Zhanlong!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s called ¡®one man holds the pass, ten thousand cannot break through¡¯?¡± Xu Dongming also would not show weakness, puffing up equally, ¡°This is ¡®one man holds the pass, ten thousand cannot break through¡¯! In this position, Yan Zhanlong is like the God Lu Bu at Tiger Prison Pass! No matter if you are the numerous heroes from the east with thousands upon thousands of soldiers, he alone can block them all! As long as he is at Tiger Prison Pass, Yan Zhanlong is invincible!¡±

    ¡°Hold on, don¡¯t jinx it.¡± Zhou Erhe suddenly felt uneasy and quickly spoke up, ¡°He is not invincible. He still has limits on his True Yuan endurance, okay? Although the Sword Control Technique doesn¡¯t consume much True Yuan, there is still consumption. Back in the day, when Lu Bu defended Tiger Prison Pass, he alone fought against Liu, Guan, and Zhang, and even he couldn¡¯t sustain his physical strength.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯ll correct that,¡± Xu Dongming relented smoothly, ¡°As long as Yan Zhanlong has True Yuan, he temporarily descends like a god, the warring spirit of Lu Bu incarnate¡­¡±

    Within the Mysterious Realm, Yan Yu continued to unleash his sword techniques, with the Huang Tingjian striking with wide and powerful swings, using the terrain to rout the Yin Soldiers invading the mansion.

    Outside the Mysterious Realm, the two commentators sang each other¡¯s praises, having to switch from doomsaying to flattering to cover up the awkwardness of their earlier misjudgment (they were already surrounded).

    At the training ground of Shuzhong Prefecture¡¯s school, the Huofeng Team was also watching the live broadcast as a group.

    Probably tired of listening to the commentators boast, Tang Xiaolian couldn¡¯t help saying:

    ¡°Team Yan is indeed formidable, but saying he is invincible is an exaggeration. His weakness is that he does not know the Taoism Method. If our captain went into action, with a single cast of Great Bright Fire, these Yin Soldiers would be pulverized right away, there would be no need to cut them down one by one.¡±

    The vice-captain Zhang Huaide shook his head and said:

    ¡°No. Look at the Yin Soldiers that were knocked down, turning into a puff of gray smoke and disappearing, which shows that they may not have been truly killed. It¡¯s unwise to waste True Yuan on them.¡±

    ¡°Observing Yan Yu¡¯s swordsmanship, which mostly consists of straight chops and horizontal cuts, you know that he did not intend to spend True Yuan to kill them but aimed to block and delay. As for the commentator¡¯s ¡®kills as many as come¡¯, it¡¯s just for show.¡±

    ¡°Even if it¡¯s just blocking and delaying, our captain¡¯s level would not be worse,¡± Tang Xiaolian persisted in her opinion.

    ¡°No.¡± Zhou Hongyu said slowly, ¡°If it was me there, I wouldn¡¯t be able to do what he does.¡±

    She didn¡¯t say this in a spirit of admitting defeat, but rather acknowledged Yan Yu¡¯s mastery in swordsmanship¡ªevery strike could attack where the enemies couldn¡¯t defend, and each hit could knock down a large group of Yin Soldiers. Such efficient and True Yuan-conserving sharp swordsmanship was something Zhou Hongyu, who was accustomed to going all out in attacks, could not achieve.

    With Zhou Hongyu admitting the gap in strengths, Tang Xiaolian could no longer defend her position, only secretly thinking how great it would be if she also had such power. If she could defeat Team Yan in a one-on-one battle, it would certainly make the captain look at her in a new light!

    Before she could even fantasize about herself becoming strong, the situation in the live broadcast suddenly changed drastically!

    From a distance down the street, an uninvited guest hurriedly approached. It was a tall Ghost General sitting atop a deathly warhorse, holding the reins in his left hand and a long halberd in his right, with a banner on his back, dashing at high speed into the crowd of Yin Soldiers, mercilessly cutting down all the obstructing soldiers in his way!

    The obstructing soldiers were deterred by his murderous aura, throwing away their weapons and kneeling on the ground. The Ghost General paid no heed to them and ruthlessly charged through, breaking into the mansion¡¯s main entrance. The deathly warhorse stood up on its hind legs, and with its armored front legs, it forcefully stomped onto the shadow wall!

    The shadow wall exploded and crumbled with a loud bang; the Ghost General leaped into the yard amidst the dust, taking advantage of the horse¡¯s momentum to fiercely thrust the halberd at Yan Yu.

    Despite the unexpected thrust, Yan Yu still reacted on time. He retreated with lightning speed, dodging the halberd¡¯s thrust, and at the same time, his gaze fell on the banner the opponent was carrying on his back.

    On the banner, as on a flag, there were all kinds of Mysterious Seal Script written, surrounded by numerous purple-black glows. It radiated a terrorizing authority like that of a prison, causing all the surrounding Yin Soldiers to prostrate and tremble, daring not to make any rash moves.

    Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner!

    The thought flashed through Yan Yu¡¯s mind when the Ghost General took the banner at his back in his left hand and slammed it into the ground. Amidst the flowing banner glow, a Yin Seal suddenly floated out of the banner¡¯s surface and shot straight at Yan Yu!

 Chapter 214 - 13 Yan Zhanlong Immortal

    Chapter 214: Chapter 13 Yan Zhanlong Immortal

    ¡°`

    Yan Yu once again accelerated with his Shifting Technique, dodging the attack. The character seal struck the ground, slicing into it as easily as if cutting tofu, and continuing straight downward¡ªhis expression finally grew solemn.

    Given the current limit on spiritual energy density, the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner shouldn¡¯t have been able to unleash that character seal, and its power shouldn¡¯t have been this weak either.

    It must be the nighttime bans in this Mysterious Realm that provide a cultivation boost to all specters, enabling the Ghost General to barely meet the minimum requirements to activate the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner.

    Even so, a Ghost General capable of releasing the Nine Heavens Yin Demon character seal was not an opponent that either the Zhenhai Team or the Flying Dragon Battle Team could handle at this stage¡ªnot that they definitely couldn¡¯t win, but even if they did force a victory, the cost would surely be extremely heavy.

    Who was it that conquered this Mysterious Realm in the previous life? It¡¯s vaguely remembered that it seemed like it was led by Lord Master¡­ and it must have been the Lord Master of the future, definitely not the one from the first year after the Spiritual Energy Resurgence.

    ...

    Tsk, tsk, tsk, so the Dingbei Army holds me in such high regard?

    If I can¡¯t defeat this Ghost General either, wouldn¡¯t you be afraid that both teams would perish here? Or is this the result some people are hoping to see?

    Yan Yu spun around and hastily retreated with his Shifting Technique, while the Ghost General continued to wield the Prison Banner, shooting out the Nine Heavens Yin Demon character seal in a black arc, aiming for Yan Yu¡¯s back.

    This divine seal couldn¡¯t be met head-on, nor could it even be allowed to get close, for the explosion¡¯s aftermath could damage a cultivator¡¯s soul. Yan Yu had no choice but to deploy a sword technique, controlling the Huang Tingjian to move sideways and intercept the swift-flying divine seal.

    The black light suddenly exploded, and the Huang Tingjian was immediately sent flying away, with Yan Yu also experiencing a slight disruption to his vital energy¡ªthe True Yuan and Divine Sense on his Huang Tingjian had been scattered a bit.

    Forget it, don¡¯t fight against the unassailable.

    He could possibly still fight the Ghost General if he used all of his powerful moves like the Sword-Body Union or the Puppet Secret Technique, but Yan Yu was not so bold as to expose his true abilities in front of the whole country with a ¡°well, if it¡¯s like this, I won¡¯t pretend any longer.¡± So he decisively chose to flee.

    Ha-ha, see ya~

    Yet the Ghost General would not let him go so easily. The death warhorse beneath him neighed wildly, urging its limbs to chase after Yan Yu at a speed that was much faster than his Shifting Technique.

    In just a few breaths, the Ghost General had already caught up behind Yan Yu, with a swift thrust of his long spear.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t even turn back¡ªhe clenched a sword technique, guiding the Huang Tingjian to slash horizontally through the air at the head of the Ghost General, who opted to pull back his attack last second and block with his long spear.

    That long spear was not ordinary; struck from above by the Huangting Heavy Sword, it remained undamaged.

    Instead, the Ghost General roared aloud, pushing upwards forcefully with his hands, directly shaking off the Huangting Heavy Sword.

    The warhorse had already raised its body, its forelimbs aiming a heavy stomp down towards Yan Yu¡¯s head. But Yan Yu quickly dropped his stance, raced forward, and changed direction¡ªusing a horizontal ¡®V¡¯ shaped trajectory to dodge the warhorse¡¯s stomping, and in a blink, he flashed to the side of the warhorse, and unleashed the Curved Curse, stepping forward with a punch!

    With the force of a cannon punch, even though the warhorse carried the heavy and powerful Ghost General, it was displaced half a meter to the side by Yan Yu¡¯s punch.

    Unexpectedly, the Ghost General swung his long spear backward in a swift and swift counter-attack. Yan Yu barely managed to bring back the Huang Tingjian for defense, only to get both himself and his sword sent flying out of the observers¡¯ view.

    ¡°Yan Zhanlong is blasted away!¡± Both commentators were instantly stunned, with Zhou Erhe even standing up in shock, ¡°Director, switch angles quickly, let¡¯s see how Yan Zhanlong is doing!¡±

    In the Lingnan royal residence, the members of the Qing¡¯an Battle Team were just as astonished. Li Zhaojiang blurted out:

    ¡°No way? That slash just now, he should have been able to dodge it!¡±

    ¡°It was on purpose,¡± Li Minghu calmly reminded from the side, ¡°Wall-Penetration Technique.¡±

    Indeed, as the director switched angles the next second, everyone saw Yan Yu, who had been sent flying, swiftly pass through walls, buildings, and other barriers as if his body was merely an intangible illusion.

    ¡°Very clever!¡± Xu Dongming, who had suddenly caught on, hurriedly explained, ¡°As everyone could just see, the Ghost General on horseback was way faster than him! He wouldn¡¯t have been able to escape in an open terrain, so he purposefully let the Ghost General knock him away, using the momentum and Wall-Penetration Technique to quickly increase the distance!¡±

    ¡°The Ghost General can¡¯t use the Wall-Penetration Technique,¡± Zhou Erhe also said with a laugh, ¡°To catch up, he would need to take a detour, how long would that chase be? I fear he¡¯ll just be toyed with by Yan Zhanlong¡¯s kite-flying tactics¡­¡±

    Before the commentators finished speaking, they saw the Ghost General once again wave the banner, conjuring dense clouds of Yin energy below the horse, lifting both the ghost and the steed high into the sky. Soon after, aiming at Yan Yu¡¯s location, he dispersed the clouds and plummeted down like a meteor!

    Xu Dongming: ¡­¡­¡­.

    Zhou Erhe: ¡­¡­¡­.

    After a moment of silence, Zhou Erhe suddenly had a flash of insight and called out first:

    ¡°Old Xu, you really jinxed it! You dared to jinx Yan Zhanlong?¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense! When did I ever coddle him?¡± Xu Dongming¡¯s eyes bulged, ¡°Who knew it could ride the clouds and fog! My conclusion was based on the situation, logical and proper!¡±

    The crew outside flashed a sign, indicating to the commentators to stop arguing and get back to work.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s continue observing the Mysterious Realm.¡± As the external crew intervened, Zhou Erhe, who had already passed the buck, quickly brought the conversation back on track as if nothing had happened, ¡°The Ghost General rides the clouds and mists to catch up with Yan Yu! A downward strike from the metal halberd! Blocked! A diagonal slash! Blocked! A triple slash! Yan Zhanlong blocks them all! Yan Zhanlong tries to escape, the Ghost General pursues! They clash again!¡±

    Although he tried hard to describe the intensity of the battle, his vocabulary was still too poor, nowhere near as fierce as the actual fighting.

    The Ghost General¡¯s combat skills were extremely strong, his metal halberd aiming to strike vital points at the throat and belly with each blow, powerful enough to even send Huangting Heavy Sword flying. The drawback was its lack of agility, but that was completely compensated for by the underbelly ghost horse.

    Whenever Yan Yu tried to escape, it chased swiftly; when Yan Yu went behind, it turned rapidly; and when the Ghost General¡¯s metal halberd thrust grew sluggish, it would stomp with its forelimbs or kick with its hind legs, preventing Yan Yu from taking the chance to attack from behind.

    So loyal in protecting its master, Yan Yu was moved and decided to avoid the Ghost General for the moment, instead controlling his sword to land several heavy blows on the ghost horse, causing it to stagger, its soul fire flickering in its eyes, infuriating the Ghost General. In rage, he slammed the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner firmly on the ground, activating the countless divine runes on it!

    One, two, three¡ªa total of three Nine Heavens Yin Demon divine runes burst out of the banner, then exploded like thunder striking the ground, transforming into tangible Yin Demon energy, accompanied by shockwaves spreading rapidly in all directions. In an instant, it covered an area of two to three hundred meters in radius, engulfing even Yan Yu, who couldn¡¯t escape with his Shifting Technique in time, completely swallowed by the vast purple-black smoke!

    The Nine Heavens Yin Demon Secret Thunder!

    Then came incessant explosions, as the vast, sea-like Yin Demon energy lashed and coiled amid the purple-black smog, churning, dancing, and strangling! From the aerial drone¡¯s perspective, it was impossible to see the direction of the sinister energy below¡ªonly the surrounding houses exploding! Walls exploding! Floor tiles exploding! Rubble exploding! Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom! As if everything within the smog¡¯s reach, from brick and tile to sand and stone, had been fitted with tiny timed bombs, either being blasted away by the surrounding explosions or being directly hit by the Yin Demon Secret Thunder and shattered to pieces!

    The commentators fell silent, the audience was hushed, and even the incessant barrage of live comments came to a standstill.

    Although no one wanted to believe it, amidst such enormous and frequent explosions, it seemed impossible to imagine anyone surviving.

    How could he survive? Why should he survive?

    Zhou Erhe opened his mouth, wanting to make a conclusion but hesitated. Suddenly, the Ghost General moved within the mist.

    The Ghost General began to spur his horse into a furious sprint! Heading towards the edge of the fog! What could he possibly be chasing? What was worth his pursuit? Could Yan Yu really still be alive?

    ¡°Yan Yu is still alive!¡± Xu Dongming blurted out reflexively, and the live comments woke up like from a dream, the screen filling with a unanimous chant of ¡°Rise again, my Yan Zhanlong brother¡±, until Yan Yu¡¯s figure truly broke through the edge of the Yin Demon energy and the ambiance in the live room boiled over at that moment.

    ¡°Explosions in a chain couldn¡¯t kill him! Yin Soldiers and Ghost Generals couldn¡¯t kill him! Even a Flood Dragon couldn¡¯t kill him!¡± Xu Dongming screamed until he was hoarse, ¡°This is the Zhenhai Team¡¯s Yan Zhanlong! The miracle maker, the unbeatable Yan Zhanlong!¡±

    In front of the big screen, everyone from the Qing¡¯an Battle Team fell silent, until Jiang Hong was the first to snap back to reality and asked in horror,

    ¡°How¡­ How did Yan do that? Can a Barrier Charm block those explosions? Or did he use Wall-Penetration Technique to hide underground?¡±

    It was well known that the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse could withstand most physical damage, such as the slashing and stabs of the Flying Sword, but it was useless against Taoism Method-type damage. As for those dense explosions with obscure mechanisms and a sinister demonic aura, they were clearly not merely physical in nature.

    As for wall penetration, firing it up for half a second to pass through a barrier then turning it off was fine, but to hide underground for so long, the consumption of True Yuan was simply too great, even more impossible.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Li Minghu also couldn¡¯t understand and guessingly said, ¡°These chain explosions seem to cover the entire field, but they don¡¯t cover the entire field at the same time, so he might have used the time difference between them to promptly switch and move to a spot where the explosions hadn¡¯t occurred¡­¡±

    This explanation was too fantastical, to the point where she couldn¡¯t even continue herself, like sliding to avoid a pouncing tiger, or jumping at the moment an elevator hits the ground¡ªit sounded theoretically possible but was practically nonsense.

    As for how exactly he did it, it seemed that they could only wait to ask Yan Yu afterwards.

    Everyone turned back to the screen, only to see Yan Yu having burst out of the ruins, hopping from house to house, swiftly moving along the rooftops. The Ghost General was too heavy to get onto the rooftops and chose to drive his warhorse to smash through everything, regardless of whether it was a courtyard wall or a house¡ªlike a dump truck smashing everything to pieces, closely following right behind Yan Yu.

    A deadly pursuit!

    A Nine Heavens Yin Demon Secret Thunder was shot out, Yan Yu sidestepped as if teleporting, and with a backhand gesture of a sword technique, the Huang Tingjian fell from above. The Ghost General raised his spear to block, but underneath him, the warhorse burst into blood and cried out¡ªit was Yan Yu who had leaped from the rooftop, spinning in mid-air, and with repeated strikes of the Metal-Element Impact Curse, wounded the demon horse, then landed on another rooftop across the street and continued his swift escape, enraging the Ghost General who once more lifted the banner, ready to strike the ground again.

    ¡°He¡¯s going for another big move!¡± Xu Dongming stared intently at the screen and loudly warned, ¡°Every time the Ghost General raises his flag to strike the ground, he¡¯s about to unleash a big move! The longer the pause before striking, the fiercer the big move! He¡¯s still charging up! He¡¯s about to release his ultimate move! Yan Zhanlong, hurry and get ready¡­ Huh?¡±

    ¡°He put the flag back on his back!¡± Zhou Erhe shouted in addition, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    No one needed to answer him, as the abruptly increasing brightness of the screen had already given the answer.

    Dawn approached, as the long night was about to brighten.

    Daylight had come. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 215 - 14 Flying Dragon Battle Team, 70-80!

    Chapter 215: Chapter 14 Flying Dragon Battle Team, 70-80!

    The night retreated, and daylight descended.

    The surrounding Yin Soldiers faded into ash in the strengthening sunlight.

    The Ghost General, though not disappearing, had its purple-black Yin energy dissipated by nearly half. It was clearly becoming languid.

    Yan Yu halted his sprinting pace, turning around leisurely with his hands carefree in his coat pockets, showing no sign of fatigue on his face.

    The live stream opportunistically zoomed in¡ªthe production team gave him a full-body high-definition close-up.

    ¡°It¡¯s daytime now!¡± Xu Dongming shouted, ¡°The Ghost General is weakened! It¡¯s Yan Zhanlong¡¯s turn! Yan Zhanlong is about to unleash divine power! Annihilating! Obliterating! He¡¯s about to¡­¡±

    ...

    Before the professional commentator could finish, Yan Yu casually withdrew a pill, an Elixir Medicine, from his pocket and silently popped it into his mouth.

    ¡°Hey, no need to rush,¡± Zhou Erhe said facetiously next to him, providing cover for him, ¡°although Yan Zhanlong is divine, he also needs to replenish his True Yuan and rest.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Xu Dongming also calmed his excitement, speaking steadily, ¡°everyone, don¡¯t rush, let Yan Zhanlong recover first; his spectacular performance just now exhausted a lot of True Yuan¡­ Eh? Zhenhai Team is coming out!¡±

    Behind Yan Yu, several figures flickered by¡ªthe girls who had left the inn sprang onto the rooftop and positioned themselves on either side of him.

    The unmanned aerial camera adjusted focus once more, slightly narrowing the frame so that all five people were perfectly captured: Yan Yu stood nonchalantly in the center with one hand in his pocket, Chen Lingyun smiling sweetly at the camera while holding the Soul Summoning Banner, Su Yunjin calmly looking forward at the Ghost General, Lin Ning ready to attack with a Sword technique at hand, and Zhao Yuanzhen crossing her arms with a cool demeanor as if finally allowed a breath of fresh air.

    ¡°All set?¡± Yan Yu asked, tilting his head. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Seeing them start to converse, the director quickly switched to the team¡¯s cameras to capture the dialogue¡ªYan Yu¡¯s chest camera was damaged in the previous explosion, so it switched to Chen Lingyun¡¯s perspective.

    ¡°All set,¡± Chen Lingyun confirmed, ¡°the night lasted 12 minutes and 11 seconds; we entered the Mysterious Realm about 9 minutes and 20 seconds before nightfall.¡±

    ¡°Daytime should be the same length as night,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°no matter, you guys take care of Flying Dragon Battle Team.¡±

    ¡°What about you, Captain?¡± Lin Ning asked in surprise.

    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with this gatekeeper,¡± Yan Yu said, looking at the Ghost General regaining strength before him, ¡°if you can¡¯t beat them, then call me.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said impatiently, ¡°we definitely won¡¯t call you, just take care not to capsize yourself.¡±

    ¡°Did you find their location?¡± Yan Yu inquired.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Chen Lingyun replied with a smile, ¡°while you were playing cat and mouse with them, I wasn¡¯t slacking off.¡±

    The audience in the live stream laughed along. The scene of a hundred thousand Yin Soldiers besieging Yan Zhanlong was so grand and perilous, making people believe several times that Yan Yu couldn¡¯t hold on. But now Chen Lingyun referred to it as ¡°cat and mouse¡±¡ªindicating that the deputy captain, despite her small and sweet southern appearance, was just as adept at showing off and stirring up trouble as Yan Yu.

    This also explained why Yan Yu led the Yin Soldiers around in circles¡ªto draw fire and assist the five spirits in completing their reconnaissance mission.

    On the other hand, Flying Dragon Battle Team also swiftly left their hiding place and gathered at a nearby rooftop vantage point.

    They had already spotted Chen Lingyun¡¯s deployed spirits, and naturally knew that Zhenhai Team had confirmed their location. Now that it was daytime, there was no need to hide, and they could have a fair and square battle!

    ¡°Two o¡¯clock position, they¡¯re coming,¡± Deputy Captain Shen Rui alerted the team, with Zhenhai Team approaching them.

    ¡°Charge!¡± Cai Qianlong roared, ¡°Give it your all!¡±

    ¡°Right!¡± the team responded.

    To acknowledge inferiority to Zhenhai Team is self-awareness; to fight with all one¡¯s might against an overpowering foe is self-transcendence! Even if defeated, it would be in the final moment striving for victory!

    Lin Ning, who was leaping across rooftops, heard the shouts ahead and said to her teammates via a secret vocal transmission:

    ¡°Their fighting spirit is quite high.¡±

    ¡°They probably think that without Yan Yu, the four of us girls are easy to bully,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    Easy to bully? The girls were taken aback for a moment, then each became furiously indignant.

    Just wait, we¡¯ll crush you soon!

    ¡°Sister Zhao, focus on Cai Qianlong; Ningning, suppress the other four,¡± Chen Lingyun commanded.

    ¡°Okay!¡± Lin Ning responded through the transmission, her Shifting Technique suddenly accelerating!

    The ultimate acceleration of the Shifting Technique is around sixteen meters per second. Exceeding this limit could easily lead to a stumble. To avoid being distracted by controlling speed, they usually wouldn¡¯t cruise at full throttle.

    Now, Lin Ning pushed to full speed in a burst, quickly leaving her teammates behind. With a flick of her hand, the Green Bamboo Sword performed a ¡°White Rainbow Through The Sun,¡± directly attacking Shen Rui on the right flank.

    Cai Qianlong, positioned at the vanguard of the Charging Arrow Formation, had an excellent overall view of the battlefield and immediately launched the True Yang Sword to intercept.

    Before he could intercept the Green Bamboo Sword, it was cut off halfway by the Yin Wind Sword. Cai Qianlong furrowed his brow, only to hear Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s voice transmitting to him in secret, sounding as if it were right next to his ear:

    ¡°Your opponent is me! Come and meet your fate!¡±

    With Cai Qianlong¡¯s temperament, of course, he couldn¡¯t stand such provocation. Hearing this, his fighting spirit instantly ignited, and he swiftly recalled the True Yang Sword, preparing to engage Zhao Yuanzhen in swordsmanship combat.

    Without Cai Qianlong¡¯s interception, Lin Ning¡¯s Green Bamboo Sword directly attacked the approaching Shen Rui, who parried it with the Profound Iron Sword. Using the force of the rebound, Lin Ning redirected the sword and swiftly stabbed towards Ma Dawei, who was behind.

    This sword technique of ¡°offering a flower in another¡¯s name¡± was a move Yan Yu often liked to play with during routine sparring: pretending to feign an attack at one girl while calculating the entry angle of the flying sword, then switching targets to another girl using the rebound ¡ª everyone subconsciously assumes that the flying sword would be temporarily out of control after being repelled, so their vigilance would inevitably relax at that moment, only to be hit hard as a result.

    Ma Dawei had never encountered such a situation and was in the midst of jumping to another rooftop, so when he was surprised mid-air by the Green Bamboo Sword, he instinctively activated the Barrier Charm to block.

    With a ¡°ding,¡± the Green Bamboo Sword failed to break through the Barrier Charm, but Ma Dawei¡¯s speed was slowed by the force of the sword, and without support in mid-air, he fell straight down.

    Shen Rui scanned the surroundings with his Divine Sense, confirming that team leader Cai Qianlong was entangled by Zhao Yuanzhen (he recognized him as Zhao Jiuzhen, but from now on for the sake of consistency, he will be referred to as Zhao Yuanzhen outside of dialogue, and it won¡¯t be mentioned again). Ma Dawei had temporarily broken ranks due to the ambush, so Lin Ning¡¯s Green Bamboo Sword would likely next target Peng Yifan and Zhong Ming, who were weaker than himself.

    Peng Yifan was a spell cultivator, and Zhong Ming was an envoy; both had decent swordsmanship amongst their fellow cultivators, but even if they joined forces against Lin Ning and the Green Bamboo Sword, it was hard to say, so Shen Rui hurriedly directed his Profound Iron Sword to the rescue.

    Just as the Profound Iron Sword intercepted the Green Bamboo Sword, a flash of purple light streaked by, and it was Chen Lingyun seizing the moment his flying sword was far from him, propelling the Purple Extreme Sword to slice at him.

    Without his flying sword at his side, Shen Rui had to quickly dodge using the Shifting Technique, but as he stepped away, he found himself immobilized on the rooftop as if rooted to the ground ¡ª Chen Lingyun¡¯s Ghoul had stretched its ghostly hand from under the rooftop and tightly wound around his ankle.

    Shen Rui, who had intended to save others, ended up in a crisis himself, with Peng Yifan and Zhong Ming rushing to his aid.

    The former cast a spell, launching three rays of golden light, while the latter shook his sleeves vigorously, dropping a six-armed demon with wings on its back, flapping quickly like a dragonfly. In an instant, it sped through tens of meters, about to grab the Purple Extreme Sword, when suddenly the floodwaters surged around them!

    Su Yunjin¡¯s Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art had trapped the six-armed demon!

    The falling Ma Dawei stabilized his body, used the Cloud Ascension Technique to fly back onto the rooftop, and upon looking closely, was immediately stunned.

    At that moment, team leader Cai Qianlong was still engaged in fierce flying sword combat with Zhao Yuanzhen, as if a life-and-death struggle, unable to extricate himself to help his teammates; deputy leader Shen Rui forcibly broke free of the ghoul¡¯s grasp with the Wood Bending Charm, narrowly avoiding the Purple Extreme Sword¡¯s stab, only to be slashed in the back by Lin Ning with the Green Bamboo Sword. Wounded and bloodied, he rolled off the rooftop and fell down¡­ Considering he was actually fighting three against one including the five ghosts, it was no surprise he was defeated given insufficient strength.

    Zhong Ming¡¯s demon was trapped by the opposing Taoist method, forcing him to use his flying sword to attack Su Yunjin from a distance in an attempt to free his own demon, only for Su Yunjin to easily block and restrain it with Coral Tears.

    Peng Yifan was now the only one not being closely watched. However, with Deputy Captain Shen Rui down and Captain Cai Qianlong unable to divert his attention to command the battle (not that he would be effective if he could), Peng Yifan had no choice but to make his own judgments of the situation. He first shot golden Taoism Method light at Zhao Yuanzhen, who deftly avoided it with a lateral shift, nearly hitting Captain Cai Qianlong instead. So, he turned his attack towards Lin Ning, who sliced through the golden light with the Green Bamboo Sword and then turned to attack him.

    We need to help Peng Yifan first!

    Ma Dawei made a swift decision and directly maneuvered his magical artifact towards Lin Ning, but he heard Peng Yifan¡¯s voice transmission coming through:

    ¡°Help Zhong.¡±

    Peng Yifan saw the situation more clearly than he did. Lin Ning¡¯s swordsmanship was incredibly formidable, and even together with Ma Dawei, it might not be possible to defeat her. On the other hand, Su Yunjin had to maintain the Taoism Method that trapped the demons and also fend off Zhong Ming¡¯s swordsmanship attacks. She was currently multitasking¡ªshe was the most vulnerable link in the Zhenhai Team!

    Ma Dawei quickly turned his attack towards Su Yunjin, but as soon as he launched his magical artifact, it was intercepted by the Purple Extreme Sword. Moreover, five ghosts transformed into ferocious dogs and surrounded him from all sides, forcing him to switch to defense for his own protection.

    With that, the entire tactical system of the Flying Dragon Battle Team was decimated due to Deputy Captain Shen Rui being targeted and taken down from the beginning. Now, completely fragmented, every team member was fighting on their own, with no possibility of mutual support, and there was an overwhelming tendency to be completely crushed by the Zhenhai Team under Chen Lingyun¡¯s command.

    ¡°The Flying Dragon Battle Team has lost,¡± concluded Zhang Huaide, in front of the big screen at the Huofeng Team training ground.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t we know that already?¡± Qin Meng asked in surprise, ¡°How could they possibly defeat the Zhenhai Team?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Zhang Huaide shook his head, ¡°strictly speaking, with Yan Yu not participating in the battle, they actually had a chance of winning at the beginning when it was five against four.¡±

    ¡°The problem lies with Cai Qianlong,¡± Zhou Hongyu hit the nail on the head.

    ¡°Exactly. From the moment Cai Qianlong began swordsmanship combat with Zhao Jiuzhen, they stood no chance,¡± Zhang Huaide said, shaking his head. ¡°As the deputy captain and the core of command, he was definitely the main target for the enemy team. Within the Flying Dragon Battle Team, only Cai Qianlong had the power to match Zhao Jiuzhen and Lin Ning, so he should have stayed close to Shen Rui to ensure the deputy captain¡¯s safety and keep the command structure operational.¡±

    ¡°But Shen Rui failed to realize this as well, didn¡¯t he?¡± Meng Qingxi raised the question.

    ¡°Yes, or it¡¯s possible that Cai Qianlong wouldn¡¯t listen,¡± Zhang Huaide said nonchalantly, ¡°after all, it was their team¡¯s first battle, and Cai Qianlong might not have completely trusted him, especially since they had a dispute during the press conference¡­ In any case, they should recognize this problem after this defeat.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not worry about them,¡± Zhou Hongyu, suddenly introspective, said to Zhang Huaide, ¡°In our Huofeng Team, everything is for the sake of victory. If I ever run into trouble, you must remind me right away, without worrying about my thoughts.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Zhang Huaide nodded, calmly raised a finger to adjust the frame on the bridge of his nose, and said solemnly, ¡°After all, that is the deputy captain¡¯s responsibility.¡±

    ¡°The director has switched the view,¡± Tang Xiaolian remarked after a moment, ¡°The Flying Dragon Battle Team is undoubtedly doomed, so let¡¯s watch Yan Yu¡¯s performance. Deputy Captain Zhang, do you think Yan Yu can take on the goalkeeper on his own?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Zhang Huaide said with a slight smile, ¡°If Yan Yu can slay the Flood Dragon, how could the Ghost General, whose strength is not even comparable to the previous Flood Dragon, possibly be a match for him?¡±

 Chapter 216 - 15 Do you like my puppet Ah Zhen?

    Chapter 216: Chapter 15 Do you like my puppet Ah Zhen?

    The atmosphere of the Ghost General clearly wilted after the mysterious realm transitioned from night to day; it didn¡¯t even charge at Yan Yu immediately, instead choosing to silently recover its strength.

    Yan Yu wasn¡¯t in a hurry to make a move either. He simply stood there, hands clasped behind his back, calmly circulating his True Qi to refine the medicinal power within his stomach, fiercely recovering the True Yuan he had expended before.

    Of course, through the lens of the drones hovering in the sky and in the eyes of the clueless national audience, it seemed as if Yan Yu, much like a hero from a Louis Cha novel, was standing alone and posturing, intimating the Ghost General with his mere aura and deterring it from advancing.

    The might of Yan Zhanlong was that terrifying?!

    Even though the audience seemed to enjoy Yan Zhanlong¡¯s posturing according to the barrage of comments, the live broadcasters couldn¡¯t afford to keep the camera fixed on Yan Yu. It would appear as if the signal was interrupted and the screen had frozen, which wouldn¡¯t look good.

    After the two professional commentators praised Yan Yu for a few moments, they instructed the director to switch the view to the intense team confrontation elsewhere.

    ...

    It wasn¡¯t until the Flying Dragon Battle Team¡¯s defeat seemed certain that Yan Yu had almost finished refining the medicine¡¯s power, and he nonchalantly asked:

    ¡°What are you waiting for?¡±

    The large figure of the Ghost General offered no reply. The obtuseness brought on by death had long robbed him of the ability to speak; even maintaining consciousness was a struggle, barely preserving emotions like anger, pride, restlessness, and a bloodthirst from life.

    ¡°To die yet not fall, how pitiful,¡± Yan Yu sighed deeply, his hands skillfully forming a sword technique, and the Huang Tingjian sword floated up steadily, ¡°Allow me to relieve you of your suffering.¡±

    The Ghost General silently tightened the reins, and the warhorse beneath him anxiously pawed at the ground, as if asking its master whether to flee or fight.

    Yan Yu suddenly realized something was off; he looked down at his chest¡­ Ah, the camera had been destroyed in the earlier Yin Demon¡¯s explosion.

    Then what¡¯s the point of me posturing? The drones above can¡¯t hear my cool lines!

    Yan Yu immediately sneered, thinking that, in that case, he wouldn¡¯t waste any more time.

    Fight!

    He suddenly dashed towards the Ghost General, with the Huang Tingjian sword moving even faster, aiming straight for the warhorse¡¯s head.

    The Ghost General finally made up its mind; the horse spun around instantly and fled away from Yan Yu towards the distance. The long halberd in its hand came swinging back, forcefully knocking away the incoming Huang Tingjian sword.

    Retreat!

    The tides of attack and defense had quickly reversed; now it was Yan Yu pursuing relentlessly from behind, but the Ghost General¡¯s warhorse was faster, quickly widening the gap, not looking back as it rushed towards the distant area¡ªthe direction seemed to be heading toward the palace north of the ancient city.

    Now that the team confrontation had been decided, the directors wanted to switch the view back to Yan Yu, only to see the Ghost General charging into the palace, with Yan Yu, without any hesitation, following closely behind, crossing the palace gates as well.

    And then¡­ there was no follow-up, the outdoor drones couldn¡¯t capture the indoors.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Zhou Erhe asked in confusion in the studio, ¡°Yan Zhanlong¡¯s wearable camera was damaged during the earlier BOSS attack, and we currently can¡¯t view his first-person perspective. So, can we direct the aerial drones to follow him inside for additional coverage?¡± Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°As per the rules, the aerial drones are only allowed to perform fixed-route cruising shots; they¡¯re not permitted to follow the battle teams around,¡± Xu Dongming explained to the viewers, ¡°because in team confrontations we need to ensure fairness. Some teams might use stealth and ambush tactics, but if your drones are filming them, the opposing team will see there are drones in the sky and know that your team is ambushing nearby. This would result in the OB being accused of leaking secrets, so it¡¯s definitely not allowed.¡±

    ¡°However, since the confrontation between the teams has ended, and what follows is the fight against the goalkeeper boss, whether we can follow Yan Zhanlong for filming will depend on the relevant regulations from the Dingbei Army,¡± he glanced at the crew with an inquiring look and continued, ¡°So we will also try to communicate with the Dingbei Army to see if we can better ensure everyone¡¯s right to watch the match¡­¡±

    Ten Swift indeed had reached out to the Dingbei Army for a discussion, after all, they had spent real money on the internet broadcasting rights; how could they accept not being able to fully showcase the program¡¯s effectiveness?

    After consulting with their superiors, the Dingbei Army¡¯s response was a firm ¡°no.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t that the rules were set in stone forbidding it but rather that the current technology only allowed for transmitting information from the inside out, not from the outside in.

    Inside the mysterious realm, the Dingbei Army¡¯s medical, broadcasting, and security teams, not having received any orders from the outside headquarters, didn¡¯t dare to make unilateral decisions about controlling the drones. The outside headquarters, considering that more than half of the second daylight period inside the mysterious realm had passed and it would soon undergo another change from day to night, found it inconvenient to send sentries into the realm again to physically relay orders¡­ at least they¡¯d wait until the next darkness had passed and the third daylight emerged.

    As for Yan Yu, who followed the goalkeeper into the palace, of course, he wouldn¡¯t care about any broadcast effectiveness.

    He casually tore off the broken camera from his chest and threw it onto the stone-bricked ground, his divine sense swiftly scanning the surroundings.

    Within this palace, the decoration and furnishing were all eerily cold, the distinct style of the Demonic Sect unmistakable. Directly behind the main hall was a statue of a female cultivator, stunningly beautiful yet with a gentle yet sinister aura. She held a bone longsword in her hands, her expression between a smile and not, her demeanor growing ever more enchanting and evil.

    Beneath the statue, on a dusty altar laden with incense, was the spirit tablet of the cultivator, inscribed with the eight ancient seal characters ¡°Ancestor of our sect, Fairy Lianshan.¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s Divine Sense merely touched upon the tablet, and immediately, a torrent of information rushed into his sea of consciousness¡ªall of it singing praises of the so-called ¡°Fairy Lianshan¡¯s¡± astonishing feats, such as ¡°achieving heroic deeds with the delicate body of a woman¡±, ¡°wielding the power of an entire sect to command the majesty of the six realms¡±, ¡°upon ascension, ten thousand demons wept, stars dimmed, and the sun and moon lost their light¡±¡­ Yan Yu didn¡¯t believe a half-word of these nonsensical boasts¡ªif he did, he might as well have water in his brain.

    That world¡¯s Demonic Sect factions generally exaggerated their cultivators¡¯ prowess absurdly. For instance, naming rites for their Taoism Methods¡ªthe spell looks fancy? Call it Jiuyin! Too difficult to learn? Xuan Yin! Extremely powerful? Tai Yin! They adopted whatever sounded most impressive, which was entirely unlike Mei Yingxue¡¯s Xuanmen Zhengzong. Xuanmen Zhengzong cultivators valued their reputation; they wouldn¡¯t dare to use names like Taiqing or Yuqing unless their techniques were truly related, for fear of being ridiculed by their peers.

    If Zhao Yuanzhen had not been taken in by a master from the Demonic Sect but had joined Xuanmen Zhengzong instead, perhaps she wouldn¡¯t have developed the vain and profit-driven character she had now.

    Having raced into the side hall on the right with the Ghost General, Yan Yu followed suit. He passed through the side halls, the rear halls, with the ground gradually sloping downward until they arrived in a vast underground palace.

    The area was enormous, nearly half the size of a football field, resembling a huge subterranean cavern.

    Everywhere one looked, heaps of various bones were arranged into incense burners, pagodas, stupas, memorial arches, and even shapes resembling Taoist temples, shrines, and monasteries.

    Everything within this underground palace was unbelievably constructed from bones!

    At the entrance nearest to them, on a massive carapace of some creature, several ancient seal characters were inscribed in a lively and flowing style.

    With just a glance, Yan Yu instinctively understood their meaning:

    Divine Bone Palace.

    Before he could contemplate the meaning of ¡°Divine Bone Palace¡±, the ground beneath his feet suddenly shook violently.

    All the bones around him, whether part of the buildings or scattered in the corners, suddenly flew together as if attracted by a powerful magnetic force, thrumming as they flew toward the front.

    In the depths of the palace, the Ghost General stood with his horse on a clearing as myriads of bones crawled rapidly along the ground, as if alive, swarming up his feet, legs, and torso¡­ In just a few breaths, an endless supply of bones completely enshrouded the Ghost General, transforming him into a colossal half-skeletal giant over twenty meters tall, with a large halberd in hand, eyes blazing with soul fire, and the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner on his forehead, akin to the divine presence of Erlang. The mere sight of it carried immense majesty, shaking the spirit, compelling the impulse to kneel and bow in submission.

    Looking at the gigantic skeleton, Yan Yu laughed to himself, thinking the powerful entity behind this Mysterious Realm must be a Lego enthusiast. Who else would play with bones like building blocks? Do you think bigger means stronger?

    He swung his arm to the side, and a Silver Pellet fell to the ground, swiftly transforming into a beautiful woman with an ample chest and long legs. Though her beauty and figure were not remarkably different from that of the Demonic Sect Enchantress, her eyes and brows lacked the frank and honest demeanor of the original, bearing a tranquility and calmness more akin to Su Yunjin¡¯s.

    The Puppet Ah Zhen, after several days and nights of rushed work by the Demonic Sect Enchantress before entering the Mysterious Realm, was finally ready to make an appearance.

    With a core made of Celestial River Settling Earthly Divine Iron and skeletal structure of Thousand-Year Divine Dragon Wood, whether it was the force of an attack or the capacity to endure damage, it had surpassed any Transcendent being on Earth to date.

    This was also Yan Yu¡¯s sole reliance for not pursuing the path of a top-tier Sword Immortal from his previous life and instead opting to become a Puppet Master in this one.

    The half-giant began roaring fiercely, its soul fire flickering in its eyes like the raging flow of a great river, ceaselessly washing over its eye sockets. It exuded a terrifying majesty, like a king coldly overlooking all beneath heaven, demanding every creature and object in the world to bow before him.

    But Yan Yu¡¯s face showed not the slightest sign of tension. Instead, he lightly flicked the heavy blade of the Huangting Kunwu Sword and proclaimed aloud:

    ¡°Sword light stretches thirty thousand miles, blocks the vast sea, spreaws warm blood!¡± (Note 1)

    ¡°Now stepping boldly toward the heavens, reaching the pinnacle, without looking back!¡±

    Puppet Ah Zhen by his side produced a faint smile, the corners of her mouth appearing to curve upward, though it could be an illusion.

    With a hearty laugh, Yan Yu started to form the Sword technique, boldly saying:

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Ah Zhen!¡±

    Puppet Ah Zhen instantly accelerated, moving as fast as thunder and lightning across the ground, charging towards the half-giant. Her wrist blade shone brightly as a mirror, luminous as the moon.

    Yan Yu, along with the light of the Huang Tingjian, merged into one radiant sight, dazzling as a brilliant dawn, shining brightly as the sun, and in an instant, he launched towards the bizarre center of the giant¡¯s forehead, his immense killing intent soaring straight for the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner!!!

    (Note 1: This line is taken from the elegy by a Jingbei poet for Valkyrie Li Minghu, who died in battle in the South Sea, and published in the ¡°Jingbei Daily¡±, and is now utilized by Yan Zhanlong in this context.)

 Chapter 217 - 16 The True Protagonist Never Looks Back at the Bosss Explosion

    Chapter 217: Chapter 16 The True Protagonist Never Looks Back at the Boss¡¯s Explosion

    The Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner is an extremely formidable treasure.

    However, what¡¯s even more formidable than the treasure itself are actually the three Nine Heavens Yin Demon Divine Inscriptions mingled among the countless seal scripts on the banner.

    Tracing its origins, one can find the ancestral Orthodox Demon Sect Techniques from the ancient desolate era, titled ¡°The Arcane Secrets of the Nine Heavens Yin Demon¡±, divided into an upper and a lower volume.

    The upper volume contains many profound spells and Nine Heavens Yin Demon Divine Inscriptions, and it¡¯s said that by cultivating to a profound level, one could cast aside their physical body, refine their soul into a demon, and achieve supremacy over heaven and earth, which typifies the Demon Sect¡¯s method for eternal longevity.

    The lower volume, on the other hand, is about the crafting methods of various Yin Demon treasures, each with immense power and treacherous effects. The method for crafting the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner can also be found within it.

    Later, when the formidable practitioner of the Demonic Path ascended and took the book with him, he left behind a bunch of disciples who hadn¡¯t fully mastered the cultivation (much like a developer fleeing with the funds, leaving behind a row of unfinished buildings). Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ...

    Some people had learned from the upper volume, forming the divine inscriptions, but hadn¡¯t had the chance to learn the lower volume; others knew the lower volume and had crafted the treasures, but hadn¡¯t looked at the upper volume at all. Those from the former group needed treasures while those from the latter needed divine inscriptions, so the two sides hit it off immediately. In order to fully recreate the supreme demonic techniques of the ancestral master, each pleaded with the other to contribute their years of arduous cultivation, even at the cost of their lives¡­

    In short, the lineage of this cultivation method is now fragmented and scattered, and no one knows how many divine inscriptions there are, nor how many treasures.

    But, without a doubt, their combination, even if just incomplete fragments, can unleash tremendous demonic powers!

    Yan Yu performed the Sword-Body Union and transformed into a sword light, which surged in might and thrust towards the giant¡¯s eyes and brows, only to see the latter exhale a stream of demonic energy, turning into a huge hand in mid-air to grasp at the sword light.

    However, this hand wasn¡¯t a technique from the Demonic Sect but rather mimicked the Buddhist Sect¡¯s ¡°Sumi Ratna Hand,¡± with five fingers clawing towards him as if to crush him on the spot, but unexpectedly, Yan Yu was also familiar with this spell. The sword light halted abruptly in its flight, merely grazing the fingertips, causing his opponent to grasp at air.

    The puppet Ah Zhen had already rushed beneath the giant, suddenly spread her arms, and ascended into the clouds to strike towards the adversary¡¯s head.

    The Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner sensed the threat and abruptly surfaced a pitch-black divine inscription, which smashed down on puppet Ah Zhen¡¯s head¡ªthis thing was actually the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Secret Thunder, capable of destroying the body and eradicating the soul. Had it hit Yan Yu, it would have been an immediate enactment of ¡°Yan Zhanlong¡¯s demise,¡± without the slightest chance of rescue.

    However, Yan Yu had purposely used the Sword-Body Union to draw the giant¡¯s attention, creating an opportunity for puppet Ah Zhen, and of course, he didn¡¯t plan to take it too lightly.

    Ah Zhen, facing the Yin Demon Secret Thunder, didn¡¯t dodge but instead charged forward, speeding up even faster, with her forearms protecting her face, and she charged straight into the Secret Thunder from below!

    Amidst the explosion, fragments flew, and Ah Zhen¡¯s forearms were completely shattered, revealing the white jade-like arm bones inside¡ªthe Divine Dragon Wood, the essence of the best wood, natural at repelling evil, and coincidentally the natural nemesis of such evil spirits as the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Secret Thunder!

    Ah Zhen, once again accelerating out from the dispersing Yin Demon energy, finally reached the giant¡¯s head and grasped the pole of the banner with her finger bones.

    I¡¯ll pull!

    As the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner was violently jerked by her, the giant also let out a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering scream and flailed around with his halberd, striking chaotically¡ªhe didn¡¯t dare to attack Ah Zhen on his forehead, afraid that excessive force would damage the banner, so he instinctively aimed his blows at Yan Yu, seeking to rescue one crisis with another.

    Yan Yu, while mentally urging Ah Zhen to exert force, continued to control his sword flight to dodge the attacks, moving nimbly like a fish in the water. No matter how the halberd hacked and slashed, turning the grand hall upside down, he didn¡¯t receive a single scratch.

    While Yan Yu was fully utilizing his agility to dodge, puppet Ah Zhen, on the other hand, adopted a different mode. No matter how the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner activated the divine inscriptions, producing Secret Thunders to explode, she remained silent and endured, relying on the Divine Dragon Wood¡¯s evil-repelling properties. She withstood about seventy to eighty blasts of Secret Thunder, and finally yanked the banner pole out to its limit with great force.

    However, inside the palace where everything was being turned upside-down; outside the palace, day and night made another silent exchange.

    At the end of the day, the medical and security teams had already arrived, taking away the entire Flying Dragon Battle Team for treatment; as night fell and countless ghosts roamed, the four members of the Zhenhai Team had to find a room indoors to take shelter and wait for the night to end before rushing toward the palace in the north of the city.

    The four girls dashed swiftly, entering the palace, turning into a side hall, descending all the way in search of their team captain. The director also switched the view to their first-person perspective¡ªeven though the shaking was enough to make one nauseous, the bullet comments contained hardly any complaints.

    Everyone only wanted to quickly understand: how is Yan Zhanlong doing after pursuing the gatekeeper all by himself?

    As everyone just descended into the palace corridor, they heard a thunderous explosion from afar.

    Inside the palace, the immense sword light surged in a flash, piercing straight into the forehead of the half-bodied giant and violently erupting out from the back of his head, then, tracing an arc, it landed on the ground, revealing Yan Yu¡¯s figure once again.

    The puppet Ah Zhen, with the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner in hand, landed lightly and gracefully beside him. She casually stuck the banner into the ground, gave a slight smile, and turned into a Silver Pellet to return to his sleeve.

    Yan Yu¡¯s divine sense swept across the field, realizing that the girls were approaching from behind. He casually grabbed the flagpole beside him, sent True Yuan into it, and the uncontrolled Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner no longer condensed runes, its luminous glows on the surface dimming as well.

    Finally, the girls entered the underground palace and saw Yan Yu holding the banner, standing tall. Despite seeming a bit disheveled, there were hardly any injuries on him.

    Looking at the half-skeleton giant opposite him, a dark hole was precisely in the middle of its forehead, the area around the wound rapidly disintegrating.

    Web-like cracks spread quickly, soon reaching the entire skull and then snaking down along the spine¡­ Yan Yu couldn¡¯t be bothered to watch how the gatekeeper BOSS died; he simply turned around while holding the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner in reverse, his expression calmly walking towards the girls.

    Against the grand backdrop of the skeleton giant¡¯s body collapsing and bone fragments raining down like shards, Yan Yu, with his steady stride, carrying the banner and sword, approached the girls. Like a tough guy walking away from an explosion in a movie, he stirred another round of uproar in the live stream comments.

    He handed the flagpole to Chen Lingyun and asked unceremoniously,

    ¡°Why are you so slow? I¡¯ve finished the fight.¡±

    ¡°To give you a chance for a one-on-one with the gatekeeper~¡± Chen Lingyun removed the camera from her collar and aimed it at Yan Yu¡¯s face, smiling sweetly, ¡°Is there anything you¡¯d like to say to the viewers?¡±

    ¡°Tired.¡± Yan Yu yawned, ¡°Let¡¯s pack up and prepare to head back.¡±

    In the studio, watching the dying disintegration of the half-giant BOSS, Zhou Erhe was still baffled:

    ¡°That¡¯s it? It¡¯s finished? I mean, it¡¯s only been about twenty minutes tops outside, and he¡¯s finished down here?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a pity we didn¡¯t get to see the BOSS fight.¡± Now that things were settled and the stagehand was signaling to pacify the crowd outside, Xu Dongming naturally had to come out and explain promptly, ¡°It can only be said that in the martial world, among masters, victory can be determined in an instant. And for a master among masters like Yan Zhanlong, as long as you give him an opportunity in a drawn-out battle, he can strike to kill immediately.¡±

    ¡°How do you explain him being chased around the city by Yin Soldiers and running all over the place from the BOSS, then?¡± Zhou Erhe scoffed coldly.

    ¡°He was probably just gathering intelligence.¡± Xu Dongming explained seriously, ¡°After figuring out the mechanism of the day-night transition and seeing through the BOSS¡¯s attack patterns, what¡¯s left is an easy win. However, the camera damage is indeed an issue, and I hope the Dingbei Army can solve this durability problem in the future. After all, missing out on the most exciting part of the battle is something I believe the audience in front of the screen still finds regrettable¡­¡±

    He patiently soothed the crowd watching the live stream, but the comments didn¡¯t seem to mind missing the BOSS fight; they were all concerned about whether Yan Yu was really tired:

    ¡°Yan Zhanlong, you¡¯ve worked hard.¡±

    ¡°Yan Zhanlong, get some good rest.¡±

    ¡°Yan Zhanlong, when are you coming to Jiang Hai to sign an autograph for me?¡±

    ¡°Does Yan Zhanlong need physical therapy? I have a certificate for it¡­¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Seeing that the comments weren¡¯t hung up on the missed BOSS fight and having received the cue from outside, Zhou Erhe quickly took the opportunity to steer the conversation, ¡°With this, the live broadcast of the contest has come to an end. Next, let¡¯s take a look at the replay of the battlefield. To better analyze the details of the fight for everyone, we¡¯ve specially invited from the Zhendong Army, Cultivator Qi Changping, to come and explain¡­¡±

    Inside the studio, applause thundered¡ª all of it from hired clappers.

    Qi Changping walked onto the stage with a heavy heart, seemingly at a loss for words for a moment.

    From the start of the term to now, had it not been him enduring Yan Yu¡¯s show-offs in silence every time, hoping that he would be a bit more modest, a bit more restrained, a bit more normal?

    Unexpectedly, as time changed, he now had to help that kid show off big time in front of the entire country! Damn it, how did things turn out like this?

    ¡°I heard that Teacher Qi used to be Yan Zhanlong¡¯s teacher at school, right?¡± Zhou Erhe started the conversation.

    Used to? Qi Changping felt a bit annoyed. I am still his teacher, even though I haven¡¯t been able to teach him much, that is.

    ¡°Yes.¡± He put on the air of an insider, speaking calmly and composedly, ¡°Yan Yu, when he first enrolled, I was in charge of admissions. From the first moment I saw him, I realized this person was definitely a once-in-a-millennium cultivation prodigy¡­¡±

 Chapter 218 - 17: Post-Game Press Conference!

    Chapter 218: Chapter 17: Post-Game Press Conference!

    ¡°`

    The junk time was upon them.

    The Dingbei Army cultivators came over to clean up the site, confirming the location of the central hub within the ruins of the Mysterious Realm and carefully extracted it.

    Only after a specialist refined it could the Zhenhai Team and others leave the Mysterious Realm.

    If it had been an esports competition, there would have been thunderous applause outside the Mysterious Realm by now, countless dazzling spotlights shone, and tens of thousands of media cameras would be aimed here, waiting for the team members to step onto the award stage where a heavy trophy¡ªtoo big to be lifted with one hand (designed to be hoisted by the entire team)¡ªwas placed¡­

    But there was none. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ...

    Lin Ning shifted her gaze around, observing that people in the military camp were still methodically going about their work, like precise gears turning in a massive machine.

    This cooled her tiny sense of vain pride from claiming victory just a bit.

    So it seems, the seemingly glamorous cultivators are just a few parts of this colossal machine after all.

    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Su Yunjin noticed her falling behind and stopped to wait for her.

    ¡°No, nothing.¡± Lin Ning hurried to catch up.

    After a while, she suddenly spoke up:

    ¡°The captain clearly stole the show, so why can¡¯t I see a single expression of joy on his face?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps because for him, this really isn¡¯t an achievement worth boasting about,¡± Su Yunjin speculated thoughtfully.

    ¡°Is that so¡­¡± Lin Ning also pondered quietly.

    What then is the true accomplishment that I should seek and strive for?

    After getting checked by the medical team, everyone returned to the hotel they had stayed in the day before to rest and rejuvenate.

    Yan Yu returned to his room, took out his phone, and saw that many friends had sent congratulatory messages. Since there were too many, he decided to set them aside for now and reply when he got home¡­

    Huh?

    [The Proud and Quirky One has sent you a video invite.]

    What does my little sister want?

    Yan Yu, puzzled, tapped to accept the call, and his sister¡¯s face instantly appeared on the screen¡­ the background seemed to be her school.

    Oh, right, school has started again.

    ¡°Big brother,¡± Yan Jing beamed, ¡°you worked hard in this competition.¡±

    Yan Yu instinctively wanted to scoff and say ¡°Worked hard my ass,¡± but on second thought, he wondered, She¡¯s making a video call from school just to tell her big brother he worked hard?

    I don¡¯t buy it! That¡¯s not like her at all!

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Yan Yu asked seriously.

    Yan Jing didn¡¯t disappoint him. She moved her face away from the screen to reveal three or four junior high school girls behind her and boasted:

    ¡°Ta-da! See, this is my brother Yan Zhanlong! I didn¡¯t lie to you, did I?¡±

    Watching the girls¡¯ expressions change from surprised, to astonished, to shocked, and then to eyes gleaming with excitement, Yan Yu was momentarily dumbfounded, then somewhat speechless.

    Damn, Jingjing, you¡¯re only in junior high! How come you¡¯ve started showing off your brother already? Where did you learn this braggadocious trait!!!

    Seeing that Yan Yu didn¡¯t know what to say for a moment, Yan Jing¡¯s face quickly reappeared on the screen and chuckled:

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s it, you can hang up now.¡±

    Yan Yu irritably ended the call, lay back on the bed and played with his phone for a while longer, then he suddenly heard knocking.

    ¡°Yan Yu!¡± Lin Ning called from the other side of the door, ¡°We have a press conference to attend shortly, Ruoxi is calling you over for makeup.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Yan Yu got up.

    Opening the door, he saw that Sister Lin had already put on her makeup. Her makeup was more radiant than Su Yunjin¡¯s, focusing on accentuating eye lines and highlighting plump lips, and her hair, which Lin Ning usually likes to tie into a single ponytail, was now exceptionally let down (styled with a curling iron), adding fashionably playful curves to her innocent face, enhancing her beauty.

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Lin Ning felt a little uncomfortable.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t your makeup a bit too heavy?¡± Yan Yu frowned and asked.

    ¡°Eh, is it?¡± Lin Ning quickly took out her phone to check herself in the selfie camera.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s too much,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°You could compare with the others.¡±

    ¡°Does the captain prefer the no-makeup look?¡± Lin Ning asked tentatively.

    ¡°I like my girlfriend without makeup, so it¡¯s less likely to eat lipstick when kissing,¡± Yan Yu replied nonchalantly.

    ¡°You, you!¡± Lin Ning blushed with embarrassment, kicked out forcefully but was nimbly dodged by Yan Yu. Feeling somewhat aggrieved by the insinuation, she didn¡¯t continue to chase him but rather protested, ¡°How can you say such a thing!¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Yan Yu also showed a baffled expression, ¡°You asked me what type of makeup I like on girls, and I told you. Besides, this is just my personal aesthetic preference, so why did you hit me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to¡ª!¡± It was then that Lin Ning realized something wasn¡¯t right; it seemed like she might have let her imagination run wild¡­ No, he¡¯s trying to trick me!

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask what makeup you like, I was asking what makeup you think looks better on me,¡± she quickly regained her composure and spoke with conviction, ¡°But you brought up things like girlfriends, kissing, eating lipstick¡ª isn¡¯t that making lewd comments and harassing a teammate?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re spouting nonsense!¡± Yan Yu immediately got angry, ¡°You clearly asked about my preference!¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s your proof?¡± Lin Ning stretched out her fair hand and said with a sly smile, ¡°Do you have any evidence? Do you have a recording?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the team captain,¡± Yan Yu declared with authority, ¡°My word is evidence.¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Lin Ning turned her head away, pretending she wanted nothing to do with him, but her eyes stealthily glanced at his facial expression. Seeing Yan Yu didn¡¯t react, she suddenly stretched out her leg like lightning and stepped on him, then quickly dashed away to a distance.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    Are you a grade schooler or what?

    When Lin Ning ran back to Xie Ruoxi¡¯s room, she peeked out to make sure Yan Yu hadn¡¯t followed her, and only then did she slowly relax.

    That annoying captain is always teasing girls with his words! That kick was your punishment!

    ¡°Where¡¯s Yan Yu?¡± Xie Ruoxi was doing Chen Lingyun¡¯s eyebrows when she saw Lin Ning return and asked.

    ¡°He¡¯ll be here in a bit,¡± Lin Ning composed herself, hiding her little emotions and sitting beside Chen Lingyun.

    After a while, she said softly:

    ¡°Ruoxi, I think my makeup is a bit heavy now, I¡¯d like to switch to something lighter.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Xie Ruoxi said nonchalantly, ¡°Which parts would you like to be lighter?¡±

    ¡°I want to change to a natural makeup look,¡± Lin Ning murmured as she looked at herself in the mirror, ¡°No lipstick, just use lip balm instead.¡±

    ¡°How come you¡¯re suddenly making decisions about your makeup?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, ¡°Didn¡¯t you just go along with whatever Ruoxi said last time?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lin Ning replied nonchalantly, ¡°If you put on too much lipstick, it¡¯s bothersome when you eat and some of it gets into your mouth.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    After the match, the Flying Dragon Battle Team still attended the press conference first.

    The home team attends first before the game, but the losers attend first after; since the Flying Dragon Battle Team was the home team that lost, they had to attend first both times¡­ Although it sounds unlucky, considering that the second teams from the other three military branches have gone through the same, there¡¯s no need for special sympathy towards them.

    The journalists were, of course, merciless. As soon as the Q&A session began, someone threw a very sharp question:

    ¡°Who do you think should bear the main responsibility for this defeat?¡±

    Vice-captain Shen Rui, with a microphone in hand, devoid of any dejection or annoyance from defeat, simply said with a smile:

    ¡°Everyone watched the live broadcast, right? The primary reason for the Flying Dragon Battle Team¡¯s defeat was that I was taken out by the opposition too early, leading to the collapse of our team¡¯s command system¡­¡±

    Before he could finish his self-criticism, Cai Qianlong, who could no longer bear it, snatched the microphone away.

    ¡°It¡¯s my responsibility,¡± Cai Qianlong said, suddenly standing up and bowing to the journalists present, ¡°The defeat can¡¯t be blamed on Shen Rui because he wasn¡¯t strong enough to withstand Zhenhai Team¡¯s concentrated fire.¡±

    ¡°Being up five to four at the start, we had the advantage in numbers, but to make the most of it, the command has to be smooth. As the team captain, I should have ensured during the battle that Shen Rui wasn¡¯t targeted by the opposition, and I failed to do that. Therefore, I bear the responsibility for this defeat.¡±

    The journalists silently watched him. In a movie, the entire audience would probably erupt in applause now, admiring the captain¡¯s spirit of taking responsibility.

    But reality is that not everyone might be sympathetic, but they definitely have brains. What you said is correct; the defeat is indeed your responsibility, and your public admission has saved us a lot of effort in writing news articles¡­ So they started to conceptualize their reports, and the atmosphere turned somewhat chilly for a moment.

    ¡°But just because we lost this time, doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯ll lose next time!¡± After admitting defeat, Cai Qianlong suddenly regained his spirit and shouted, ¡°Next time we face Zhenhai Team, we won¡¯t be defeated so easily!¡±

    Now the atmosphere became lively again. Journalists love conflict and tension, and as the host signaled for the next question, immediately seven or eight hands shot up.

    ¡°Captain Cai, Zhenhai Team chose a tactic of four against five this time, with team captain Yan Yu going alone to challenge the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper. Do you think this was an act of contempt towards the Flying Dragon Battle Team?¡± the journalist who got the chance to ask a question instantly fanned the flames.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Cai Qianlong said earnestly, ¡°But that¡¯s the truth. Because our current strength is indeed not the match of Zhenhai Team, and we don¡¯t have the ability to incite team captain Yan Yu¡¯s interest!¡±

    ¡°Captain Cai,¡± another journalist inquired, ¡°how would you evaluate Zhenhai Team¡¯s captain Yan Yu?¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu is very strong,¡± Cai Qianlong stated seriously, ¡°Extremely strong. I once sought guidance from Liu Longtao, the number one person from the Dingbei Army, and of course, he¡¯s also very strong, but I think he¡¯s a notch below Yan Yu. Yan Yu might be currently the strongest Cultivator in the whole Lu Country.¡±

    We should have interviewed Captain Cai earlier! Journalists with the hot quote teared up with joy and eagerly raised their hands, indicating they had more questions.

    In the military academy of Shengjing, everyone watching the live broadcast suddenly fell silent, each stealing glances at Lord Master¡¯s expression, secretly snickering to themselves.

    ¡°It¡¯s not so bad,¡± Ye Jun came out to ease the tension, ¡°At least he didn¡¯t say it was a tie when he fought you.¡±

    Liu Longtao¡¯s face darkened before he finally said:

    ¡°So, everyone is latching onto that, huh?¡±

 Chapter 219 - 18: Return to Jinling, A Visit from an Old Friend

    Chapter 219: Chapter 18: Return to Jinling, A Visit from an Old Friend

    ¡°Are we good to go?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Mhm, very handsome.¡± Xie Ruoxi gave his bangs one final touch-up, took a moment to appraise his face, and then suddenly said shyly, ¡°Extremely handsome.¡±

    ¡°Cool it with the fangirl face, you¡¯re about to drool.¡± Yan Yu pushed her to the side and turned to ask, ¡°Everyone ready? Let¡¯s go!¡±

    The group left the dressing room and arrived at the press conference, where they walked onstage and took their seats in order.

    Before the host even announced the start of the question period, a sea of hands shot up from the crowd below.

    ¡°Headline Daily.¡± The host called out.

    ...

    ¡°Hello.¡± The reporter from Headline Daily stood up, ¡°Why did you choose to play four against five, with Captain Yan taking on the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper alone? What was the reasoning behind this decision?¡±

    ¡°Short on time, thanks.¡± Yan Yu replied nonchalantly. ¡°Next.¡±

    Reporters: ¡­¡­¡­

    It sounded dismissive, but on further reflection, it actually made sense: with the Mysterious Realm transitioning between day and night every fifteen minutes, and nights being patrolled by Yin Soldiers and ghosts with boosted strength, it was impossible to besiege the gatekeeper.

    That is to say, if the Zhenhai Team fought the Flying Dragon Battle Team with all members, there might not be enough daylight left afterwards, and they would have to wait for another day-night cycle, which is why Yan Yu decided to split his forces to save time¡­

    Could your explanation be any more far-fetched?! Just to save a mere ten or so minutes (not even ten hours), is it necessary to have one person take on the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper alone?

    The reporters all had a vague sense that Yan Yu¡¯s choice to go solo was really just a stunt to show off in front of the entire nation¡­ but they had no evidence.

    ¡°Please, Ba Guan News.¡± The host gestured to continue with the questions.

    ¡°Captain Yan, what is your assessment of this match¡¯s opponents¡ªthe Flying Dragon Battle Team?¡± asked the reporter who got the microphone.

    This kind of mirrored question had already been asked during the Flying Dragon Battle Team¡¯s Q&A session. Cai Qianlong¡¯s reply had been ¡°Yan Yu is likely the strongest cultivator in Lu Country currently,¡± a straightforward, no-nonsense answer that carried newsworthy value. In contrast, those like Shen Rui gave standard, insipid, bureaucratic responses that disgusted reporters so much they didn¡¯t even want to ask.

    Of course, Yan Zhanlong seemed more the carefree and unbridled type and was not likely to be as smooth as Shen Rui, so the reporters were all eager to hear how he would critique his opponents¡ªpreferably with criticism, then with praise, or even with a balanced view, as long as it wasn¡¯t some insincere, boring platitude.

    Yan Yu fell silent for a moment before asking:

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    The room went silent.

    ¡°Captain Yan, what is your assessment of the Flying Dragon Battle Team?¡± The Ba Guan News reporter thought he hadn¡¯t heard clearly, so he repeated the question.

    ¡°Sorry.¡± Yan Yu answered seriously, ¡°Haven¡¯t faced them, not familiar. Next.¡±

    That reporter stood there as if struck by lightning, speechless for a long while, and the surrounding crowd all held their foreheads.

    This guy can¡¯t be serious!

    Did Yan Yu really not know about the Flying Dragon Battle Team? Impossible, or else he wouldn¡¯t have sent Chen Lingyun¡¯s team to fight four against five.

    Making such a risky tactical decision meant that he definitely had a clear understanding of the Flying Dragon Battle Team¡¯s strengths! How could he ¡°give no assessment¡±?

    Of course, it wasn¡¯t possible for them to confront the issue head-on and say, ¡°Come on, Captain Yan, we know you understand the Flying Dragon Battle Team; just give us your evaluation.¡± So, unanimously, they became more cautious:

    Yan Zhanlong indeed disdained speaking in clich¨¦s like Shen Rui, but that didn¡¯t mean he was an easy interview subject. They needed to stay sharp!

    ¡°Pound News.¡± The host continued to call out names.

    ¡°Hello, Captain Yan.¡± This reporter was much more respectful, given the failure of the previous two, and he decided to handle Yan Yu with kid gloves, so as not to waste his chance at a question with a flippant response, ¡°First, congratulations to Zhenhai Team on winning this match, and second, due to the camera breakdown, no one saw how you defeated the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper. Could you give us a brief description?¡±

    ¡°Oh, sure.¡± Yan Yu responded openly, ¡°I chased the gatekeeper down to the underground palace, where he suddenly cast some kind of evil spell and transformed into a giant Godzilla made of bones. Then I dodged his attacks for a while and finally seized a crucial opportunity to use my finishing move and killed him in one hit.¡±

    Reporters: ¡­¡­¡­

    The Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper turned into Godzilla, and then you finished him with your ultimate move, right? Why don¡¯t you say you transformed into Ultraman?

    If it had been Qi Changping during the school-starting period, he would certainly have explained to the reporters that while Yan Yu might seem easy to talk to and was willing to answer questions, this didn¡¯t mean he would give the answer you wanted.

    ¡°Does anyone else have a question?¡± the host asked to confirm.

    Incredibly, no one raised their hand. It wasn¡¯t because they had run out of questions, but rather that they were all racking their brains on how to frame their question so that Yan Yu would give a serious answer.

    Luckily, among the reporters were some clever individuals who quickly came up with a strategy:

    ¡°I¡¯d like to ask Vice Captain Chen, there was a lot of negative commentary about the Zhenhai Team before the match. Did the Zhenhai Team choose the risky strategy of four against five in this confrontation to counter these criticisms?¡±

    If Captain Yan was tough to handle, they should be able to ask Vice Captain Chen Lingyun, right?

    ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡± Chen Lingyun took the microphone from Yan Yu, smiling, ¡°It¡¯s to let Yan Yu face the gatekeeper alone to save time.¡±

    Reporters: ¡­¡­¡­

    Some still refused to accept defeat and continued to raise their hands, inquiring:

    ¡°So please tell me, will the Zhenhai Team adopt the same aggressive tactical strategy in the next Mysterious Realm competition?¡±

    ¡°The specific tactics and strategies depend on the specific objective circumstances,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°If the next Mysterious Realm competition¡¯s rule is limited to women brawling, we would definitely exclude our captain Yan Yu as well.¡±

    Reporters: ¡­¡­¡­.

    Well, utter annihilation.

    ¡°That concludes the reception.¡± The host announced swiftly.

    After leaving the highly praised press conference, Yan Yu and the others packed their bags and boarded the flight back to Jinling. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Nowadays, with a large number of media stationed in Gaodu County, those good old days of ¡°finishing the Mysterious Realm and playing locally for a day¡± are probably gone forever.

    ¡°Are we going to debrief this time?¡± Inside the cabin, Lin Ning played with her phone for a while, before suddenly asking.

    It¡¯s like a student who must check their answers after an exam; it would feel awkward not to.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely. ¡°The other side was in their first contest, and regardless of whether they were ready, they certainly didn¡¯t show it well this time. The value of the debrief isn¡¯t significant.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen commented. ¡°Moreover, Cai Qianlong, as the captain, had such unimpressive combat strength; so disappointing.¡±

    The girls were speechless. In fact, Cai Qianlong could become the captain of the battle team; not to mention his brains or awareness, at least his strength was undoubtedly exceptional.

    But the problem lies with Yan Yu, the captain of the Zhenhai Team; his strength is at a superhuman monster level, which inflated the girls¡¯ standards of assessment. How do you compare Cai Qianlong with Yan Yu? Even if you compare Liu Longtao with Yan Yu, the conclusion would be the same, but there¡¯s no point!

    ¡°By the way, during the press conference, Cai Qianlong said that you, Yan Yu, are Lu Country¡¯s strongest Cultivator,¡± Su Yunjin asked curiously. ¡°Is it true?¡±

    ¡°Though I¡¯d rather not admit it, right now it seems no one in the country can beat him,¡± Lin Ning glanced at Yan Yu.

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Yan Yu scoffed. ¡°I have already said I am the strongest in this world, okay?¡±

    ¡°Talking big doesn¡¯t cost money,¡± Lin Ning said cheerfully. ¡°There are so many powerful Transcendents overseas, once you have defeated all of them, then you can claim to be the ¡®strongest in this world¡¯!¡±

    ¡°Naive,¡± Yan Yu expressed his disdain. ¡°Does the world¡¯s richest person need to compare bank account balances with everyone else?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s already too much for you to compare yourself to Lu Country¡¯s richest, how have you suddenly become the world¡¯s richest?¡± Lin Ning directly retorted. ¡°Even counting generously, haven¡¯t we only had one encounter with foreign Transcendents? Where does this confidence come from?¡±

    As she finished speaking, Yan Yu¡¯s phone rang.

    ¡°Hold on, I need to take a call,¡± Yan Yu said as he looked at his phone and answered the call.

    Sitting next to him, Chen Lingyun could see clearly that the caller ID was unknown, only indicating it was a number from East Sea Province.

    ¡°Hello,¡± Anna¡¯s voice came through the phone. ¡°I¡¯m at Lukou Airport, where¡¯s your home?¡±

    ¡°Why are you in Jinling?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    ¡°On a business trip,¡± Anna replied.

    You, a witch practicing illegally without an official job, on a business trip, my foot! Yan Yu said irritably:

    ¡°I¡¯m on my way back to Jinling Prefecture; I¡¯ll give you a call when I arrive.¡±

    After hanging up the phone, he heard Lin Ning immediately ask:

    ¡°Yan Yu, whose call was that?¡±

    Although the other girls didn¡¯t ask, they all pricked up their ears inadvertently, shifting their attention to the matter.

    ¡°Just an international friend,¡± Yan Yu answered nonchalantly. ¡°She says she¡¯s already in Jinling and wants to find me.¡±

    ¡°International friend?¡± Lin Ning asked curiously. ¡°Male or female?¡±

    ¡°Female,¡± Yan Yu paused, then continued, ¡°I¡¯m not sure if it counts as illegal entry; might need to report it to the higher-ups. Chen Lingyun?¡±

    ¡°Is it that person?¡± Chen Lingyun immediately understood.

    ¡°Right,¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    Seeing that Chen Lingyun also knew the caller¡¯s identity, the other girls felt confused and a sense of crisis began to emerge in their hearts.

    ¡°Why do you both know her, but I don¡¯t?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was the first to show her dissatisfaction.

    ¡°You know her as well,¡± Chen Lingyun replied, smiling.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked in bewilderment.

    ¡°Whoever it is,¡± Su Yunjin stated indifferently. ¡°Since she¡¯s come to Jinling, we must give her a good reception.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Lin Ning agreed, quickly seizing the opportunity to clear the air about the visitor¡¯s identity.

 Chapter 220 - 19 I, the Eclipse Queen, Also Need Face

    Chapter 220: Chapter 19 I, the Eclipse Queen, Also Need Face

    ¡°`

    Inside the airport, Anna and her two sisters ordered their food and sat in a Kaifeng cuisine restaurant, casually chatting with each other.

    The eldest sister was named ¡°Sofia,¡± and the second sister was named ¡°Maria,¡± both were the biological daughters of Anna¡¯s aunt and had now all become witches.

    The two cousins were not only over 1.8 meters tall, with large bone structures and especially broad shoulders, but they also had dark purple eyeshadow on their faces, wore silver enchanted nose rings, and had dense tattoos of spells on their arms, necks, and around their belly buttons, which made many men who wanted to come over and chat think twice.

    Only Anna, standing just over 1.7 meters, had put on only bright lipstick and bore no jewelry or tattoos on her body, looking like the naive little sister following her two rebellious elder siblings¡­ although that was far from the truth.

    If someone asked her two cousins, they would certainly argue that ¡°Actually, it¡¯s Anna who¡¯s the most ruthless killer among us.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Has he arrived yet?¡± Sofia asked in Rakshasa language.

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Anna played with her smartphone, ¡°he¡¯ll let me know when he arrives.¡±

    ¡°Natasha has replied,¡± Maria suddenly spoke, ¡°the Northern Army of Lu Country¡¯s attitude is very firm, the likelihood of them changing their mind later is slim, our only hope now lies with the Dragon Slayer.¡±

    Anna said nothing upon hearing this, just stared at the fries in her hand, quietly counting their number.

    In the initial stage of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, Amur City was just like most cities in Siberia: With the official powers ousted, many Transcendents began to join forces to carve up the vacated power cake.

    Then came the ruthless infighting and conquest.

    By early September, the Amur witch coven had finally eliminated nearby gang forces and successfully took control of Amur City and the surrounding areas.

    What followed were even more severe problems: a significant threat from the east.

    Black Dragon Isle, what the Rakshasas called ¡°Sakhalin Island,¡± lay about three hundred kilometers east of Amur City on a large island, now completely overrun by werewolves¡ªor more precisely, a group of werewolf Transcendents known as the Gilyeri Bear people.

    Having taken over the entirety of Black Dragon Isle, the Gilyeri Bear people began attempting to expand toward the mainland. They established many strongholds throughout the Sikhote-Alin mountain range, and had clashed with the Amur witch coven over a dozen times, with significant casualties on both sides, hence a deep-seated vendetta was formed, and a full-scale war seemed to be just a matter of time.

    The Amur witch coven didn¡¯t feel confident about securing a victory, so they sent an envoy to the south to seek help from Lu Country. The official witch delegation, led by ¡°Snow Eye¡± Natasha, engaged in preliminary diplomatic talks with the Dingbei Army, hoping that Lu Country would send Cultivators to join the battle, ¡°resisting the bears, aiding the witches, and forming an eternal alliance.¡±

    As for Anna, it was her initiative to ask to return to the country, under the pretext of seeking aid, but really just to hang out with Yan Yu.

    The Amur witch coven supported this because Yan Zhanlong, known as the Dragon Slayer, was by now a renowned figure internationally. The Rakshasa witches, using their own perspectives to judge, believed that a Transcendent of Yan Zhanlong¡¯s caliber must hold a high and influential position within Lu Country, so having Anna give it a try seemed a good idea.

    This was no fault of the witches for assuming so. After all, the social structure of Lu Country, where ¡°immortals and mortals are distinct, each manages their own affairs, and they do not interfere with one another,¡± was simply unimaginable in Rakshasa-dominated societies where might makes right, and the witches had no idea that Rikoku Cultivators only fought and did not concern themselves with matters of state.

    Due to her frequent ¡°international communications¡± with Yan Yu, Anna was vaguely aware of the situation in Lu Country, but she pretended not to know in order to be able to ¡°travel on public expenses back to her homeland.¡±

    Knowing now that Natasha¡¯s diplomatic mission for aid had failed, and everyone was counting on her to ¡°make a difference,¡± she felt a hard-to-express sense of shame and guilt.

    ¡°Help.¡± She silently sent a message to Yan Yu.

    ¡°I just got off the plane, what¡¯s up?¡± Yan Yu¡¯s reply came back quickly.

    ¡°Can you come with me to Amur City?¡± Anna asked earnestly.

    ¡°Nope,¡± Yan Yu answered without hesitation.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a big ear flick!¡± Anna fumed secretly, continuing to type, ¡°At least say ¡®I¡¯ll consider it¡¯!¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll consider it,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°So how about now?¡± After about half a minute, Anna typed again, asking.

    ¡°Nope,¡± Yan Yu responded.

    Anna quietly crushed the fries in her hand. Sofia and Maria exchanged glances, each reading the concern emanating from the other¡¯s heart.

    According to Natasha, the Dingbei Army¡¯s initial attitude was rather ambiguous; they hosted the witch envoys in a local hotel in Pingjing, saying they would arrange for the Rites Department¡¯s diplomats to discuss matters as soon as possible.

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    The people from the Rites Department didn¡¯t show up, but the reception staff of the Dingbei Army changed their attitude, saying the Privy Council believed it inconvenient to deploy military force to interfere in the north and only wished to engage in regular trade and material support¡ªand this time their stance was much tougher, giving off a ¡°take it or leave it¡± vibe.

    Trade and material support were indeed what the Amur witch coven needed, but the key to defeating the Gilyak bear people lay in transcendent powers. If your people couldn¡¯t beat them on the front lines, no amount of supplies in the logistics warehouses would be of use, so Natasha decided to make another effort to reach out and strengthen relations, and to also urge Anna to push harder, hoping to get Yan Zhanlong¡¯s help as well.

    However, watching Anna¡¯s clenched teeth as she sent messages, her two older cousins couldn¡¯t help but feel that something was off. It didn¡¯t seem like she and Yan Zhanlong had a close relationship!

    After typing for what seemed like forever, Anna finally stood up and said,

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, he took a taxi at the airport entrance and is now waiting for us to head over.¡±

    The three witches left their unfinished food behind and stood up, leaving the restaurant under the curious gazes of the Lu Country¡¯s citizens.

    Walking on the road, Sofia couldn¡¯t help but ask again,

    ¡°Anna, what exactly is your relationship with Yan Zhanlong?¡±

    ¡°I told you, we¡¯re just friends,¡± Anna said, expressionless.

    ¡°Anna, please be honest with us,¡± Maria asked, frowning. ¡°What are the chances that you¡¯ll be able to persuade him this time?¡±

    ¡°Maria,¡± Anna sighed, ¡°I¡¯m his friend, not his girlfriend. Whether I can persuade him to help or not depends on what he thinks, not on whether we are close enough¡ªthere¡¯s no such relationship between us.¡± sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°But what if you established a more intimate relationship with him?¡± Sofia¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°Lu Country men all like virgins, and I remember you¡¯ve never been in a relationship before, right? If you could seduce him into bed¡­¡±

    Anna nearly sprayed her iced cola all over her face, choking back furiously,

    ¡°I am not that kind of person!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be foolish, Sofia,¡± Maria chimed in. ¡°Yan Zhanlong probably isn¡¯t lacking in beautiful women, and besides, Anna won¡¯t be able to stay in Lu Country long-term to be with him¡ªthis plan wouldn¡¯t work.¡±

    That comment immediately petrified Anna.

    Amur City was far from Jinling Prefecture. If Yan Yu had been a cultivator from the Dingbei Army, maybe they could have occasionally met up in a small border town in the north of East Sea Province for a romantic date, but in Jinling Prefecture¡­ video calling seemed more realistic.

    To say Anna had no feelings for Yan Yu would be utter nonsense. Why else would she message and call him every so often, insisting on maintaining the contact for several months without letting go?

    But the problem was Anna¡¯s intuition about men was too accurate. In less than half a year since she had met him, Yan Yu had transformed from ¡°a man¡± to ¡°a god among men,¡± now a Lu Country household name, the superhero Yan Zhanlong. He was undoubtedly outstanding as a man, so outstanding that she almost felt unworthy of him. What was she to do?

    Sometimes, when she thought about it carefully, she realized, oh no, he¡¯s out of my league!

    Of course, she couldn¡¯t bear to give up hope just like that. Deep down, Anna even harbored some unrealistic wishes¡ªif he had absolutely no interest in me, why would he always take my calls? Why would he patiently chat with me?

    But no matter how much affection was nurtured online, it couldn¡¯t fully replace meeting in person, which was why Anna seized the opportunity to return to her homeland this time, to see if she could somehow take this relationship to the next level¡­ or more accurately, to hint at Yan Yu to take it to the next level.

    Despite her fair hair and high nose, she was still a traditionally-minded Lu Country woman at heart, unable to take the initiative to chase after a man or even to express love.

    Too thin-skinned! If she got rejected, she wouldn¡¯t be able to show her face, the thought alone was so embarrassing she¡¯d want to jump into a river.

    But no matter, everytime I call him, he never hangs up, he must have feelings for me¡­

    Anna quietly cheered herself on, arriving at the airport entrance with her two cousins, soon spotting Yan Yu¡¯s business taxi.

    The moment she opened the car door, her heart skipped a beat as if covered by a severe Siberian cold front.

    Yan Yu was sitting in the passenger seat, and in the second row, she recognized Chen Lingyun and Zhao Yuanzhen, but there were three other girls of the same age that she didn¡¯t know, seated in the back. They seemed vaguely familiar (she had actually seen them in the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm live stream), but she couldn¡¯t remember who they were at the moment. All she could tell was that each of them was stunningly attractive.

    With a last sliver of hope, Anna approached the window on the passenger side and quietly asked Yan Yu,

    ¡°Are they carpooling with you?¡±

    Yan Yu: ???

    ¡°`

 Chapter 221 - 20: How about a honey trap?

    Chapter 221: Chapter 20: How about a honey trap?

    The extended business van drove smoothly on the road as Lin Ning, Su Yunjin, and Xie Ruoxi stealthily sized up Anna and her two older cousins in the back seat.

    ¡°An international friend,¡± as Yan Yu had said, should refer to the youngest one. The other two appeared to be in their thirties or older, making it seem unlikely for Yan Yu to call them ¡°friends¡±¡­ Besides, this one had talked to Yan Yu before getting on the van, and despite their conversation taking place outside, how could it have eluded the eyes of those inside the vehicle?

    Anna was also covertly observing these three ¡°southern little potatoes.¡±

    Though the girls from the south were petite, each had her own distinctive charm. Lin Ning had an innocent look, Su Yunjin was serene, and Xie Ruoxi¡­ Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t have much of a presence; if anything, she resembled a timid young girl who hadn¡¯t yet grown up, daring only to sneak peeks at her blonde hair through the reflection in the window.

    Since no one was acquainted, there was no conversation.

    But this was no obstacle for Anna, who silently took out her phone and sent a message to Yan Yu:

    ...

    ¡°Won¡¯t you introduce me to these companions in your car?¡±

    Yan Yu sent back a link.

    Though the Zhenhai Team didn¡¯t have an official website, that didn¡¯t stop fans from creating fan sites. The profiles of all the Zhenhai Team members, including their names, places of origin, photos, occupations, and abilities, were clearly presented on the site.

    Using the photos on her phone screen for comparison, Anna was finally able to confirm that the girls seated in the front were indeed official members of Yan Yu¡¯s Team.

    Sure, they had appeared during the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm live stream before, but with the number of Rikoku Cultivators in the double digits, she couldn¡¯t remember every face.

    ¡°Who¡¯s the one by the window?¡± Anna continued to type, asking about Xie Ruoxi¡¯s identity with a subtle tension in her mood.

    Fearing that Yan Yu would suddenly reply with ¡°My girlfriend,¡± she wasn¡¯t sure she could stop herself from falling apart.

    ¡°The author of this webpage,¡± replied Yan Yu, ¡°the agent who manages my fans for me.¡±

    Anna then completely relaxed, stuffed her phone inside her bosom, and showed a look of immense relief.

    Looking left and right, Sophia and Maria exchanged worried glances after seeing their cousin hug her phone and laugh foolishly after finishing the chat.

    They had intended for their cousin to use her charm to persuade Yan Zhanlong to agree to help the Amur witch group, but looking at her now¡­ it seemed more likely that she was the one who¡¯d been silently conquered.

    Since the relationships on both sides were unfamiliar, there was silence in the van until they reached the villa, where everyone quietly got out. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Back home, large suburban villas are considered big houses only the wealthy can afford, yet it¡¯s different abroad. The two older cousins were not impressed by the grand villa, instead recognizing a different issue.

    ¡°Do they live together?¡± asked Sophia of Anna, ¡°The Dragon Slayer and other women?¡±

    Anna¡¯s face suddenly darkened: Don¡¯t remind me!

    Okay, since they were all team members, living together wasn¡¯t such a big deal. There were many young men and women in the city co-living in shared houses, with separate bedrooms but communal living rooms. This didn¡¯t necessarily imply they had an intimate relationship¡­ She tried hard to convince herself not to be suspicious.

    As soon as they entered the villa, Lin Ning headed towards the kitchen and said:

    ¡°I¡¯ll go cook.¡±

    ¡°Please have a seat, I¡¯ll make some tea for you,¡± Su Yunjin said with a graceful smile.

    ¡°Would you like some snacks?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked Anna, who after meeting her had finally remembered Anna¡¯s identity and had a pretty good impression of the blonde girl, hence she was willing to share her treasured snacks.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Anna with a nod.

    Everyone took a seat on the couch, sitting in silence.

    Sophia and Maria were signaling to Anna with their eyes, and after Anna took a deep breath, she began to speak to Yan Yu:

    ¡°Actually, the purpose of our business trip was to seek you out¡­¡±

    She didn¡¯t shy away from the presence of the other girls, but proceeded to explain in detail the external threats and military crises currently faced by the Amur witch group.

    Chen Lingyun listened with a smile and whispered to Yan Yu via private transmission:

    ¡°What¡¯s the situation with this past life thing?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re so smart, can¡¯t you guess?¡± Yan Yu directly countered her.

    After a moment¡¯s contemplation, Chen Lingyun guessed the answer right away.

    Lu Country had adhered to a strategy of keeping a low profile for a full sixty years, and although the initial intent was to prevent triggering the vigilance and jealousy of the Western world and to secure a precious period for accumulating national strength, the price naturally was a strong political inertia within the country¡ª ¡°Never provoke a border dispute lightly.¡±

    From the conservative party¡¯s perspective, whether it¡¯s the Amur Witch Circle or the Giliya Bear People, both are forces that carve up the North. Who wins and who loses in the end doesn¡¯t have much to do with Lu Country¡­ Even if one were to consider the ramifications if Lu Country were to send troops, what would the Rakshasa officialdom¡¯s reaction be? Could it ruin the strategic cooperative relations between the two parties? Would the Western world see this as a signal of Lu Country¡¯s intention to expand its influence abroad?

    As long as these questions remained unanswered, the conservatives had grounds to oppose, and ultimately, the affair was unlikely to succeed¡ªnow was a republican era without an emperor, and without a consensus among the civilian officialdom, even the prime minister couldn¡¯t act arbitrarily.

    Of course, with Yan Yu sharing his premonition advantage, Chen Lingyun naturally could use the fact that ¡°Anna becomes an important figure in the future¡± as the basis to guess that in a past life, Lu Country chose to refuse to lend a hand, while the Amur Witch Circle eventually won against the Giliya Bear People, and might even have defeated other extraordinary forces in the region, eventually unifying the entire Northern Lu Plate¡ªthen, what their attitude would be towards the southern neighbors who stood by and watched them die, one needn¡¯t hold any expectations.

    ¡°This matter is difficult to manage.¡± Having thought through the cause and effect, Chen Lingyun answered concisely, ¡°I won¡¯t be able to persuade my dad.¡±

    Chen Tianming had no premonition advantage regarding the future, how could he be convinced that the Amur Witch Circle could grow into a giant of the North? Impossible, there are absolutely no signs of it now.

    ¡°In that case,¡± Yan Yu plotted for her, ¡°you put Flying Sword to your neck and tell your dad, ¡®Either support sending troops or lose your beloved daughter,¡¯ and your dad will definitely be persuaded by you.¡±

    ¡°Hehe.¡± Chen Lingyun treated it as if she hadn¡¯t heard and instead said, ¡°Why try to find a way to persuade my dad to support sending troops? I think a more reasonable approach is, ¡®Letting the Amur Witch Circle know that my dad supports sending troops, but he¡¯s unable to overcome the opposition.¡¯

    Yan Yu fell silent for a moment, suddenly taken aback in his heart.

    Wow, that¡¯s pretty low!

    With Chen Lingyun¡¯s words, of course, Yan Yu also immediately understood: first, it would be very difficult to make Lu Country send troops, and even if, after much toil, they succeeded, having the Amur Witch Circle owe them a favor, this favor would be owed to Lu Country as a whole¡ªhow could he secure such a deal when it would erode Chen Tianming¡¯s credibility and let the conservatives also profit? That¡¯s not a viable deal.

    But if they feigned support for sending troops and then failed because of conservative opposition, they would have paid much less in the end. Once the Amur Witch Circle truly became the giant of the North according to the timeline of the past world, Chen Tianming could take the opportunity to dredge up old grievances, seriously damaging their reputation¡­ That would be making a killing!

    ¡°You really dare to say that!¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but angrily rebuke Chen Lingyun through telepathy, ¡°Lu Country must have the Amur Witch Circle owe them a great favor so that in the future there¡¯s a possibility of signing a peace treaty between the two sides; but if you go about it as you suggest, the result would be only your dad benefits, and how many people on the northern border will suffer for it? Have you thought about that?¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°But it¡¯s impossible to send troops, you know that too.¡±

    ¡°How is it impossible?¡± Yan Yu scoffed, ¡°Go kill yourself.¡±

    ¡°No way~¡±

    ¡°Why not? It¡¯s not like you actually have to die, just put on a play to scare your dad.¡±

    ¡°The key is why should I do that? My dad isn¡¯t a fool; he will definitely be suspicious.¡±

    ¡°Then you can pledge sisterhood with Anna, become sworn sisters, so that you have ample motive to help her.¡±

    ¡°Rather than me going to him,¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly said, ¡°it would be better if you talked to him, which would still have some possibility of success.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°Because the value that the identity of Yan Zhanlong can provide is much greater than you think,¡± Chen Lingyun said meaningfully.

    While the two of them were secretly discussing strategies through telepathy, Anna, who had no idea about their conversation, saw that Yan Yu had remained silent for a long time, took his reticence for embarrassment about declining, and simply clenched her teeth, stood up, and said:

    ¡°Sorry, this matter is truly making things difficult for you¡ªjust forget I mentioned it.¡±

    After speaking, she didn¡¯t pay attention to the expressions of her two cousins, but simply turned around intending to leave.

    How could Yan Yu let her leave under a misunderstanding? He quickly called out ¡°Wait,¡± stretched out his hand to grasp her wrist, and tried to pull her back.

    However, Anna was much lighter than he had anticipated, and when pulled, she stumbled backward directly into his embrace.

    At that moment, whether it was Chen Lingyun smiling without a word, Zhao Yuanzhen carrying snacks, Su Yunjin coming over with tea, Xie Ruoxi who was playing with her phone, or Lin Ning who just happened to turn her head from the kitchen¡­

    Their gazes all instantly sharpened.

 Chapter 222 - 21: As Long as the Raw Rice is Cooked into Cooked Rice

    Chapter 222: Chapter 21: As Long as the Raw Rice is Cooked into Cooked Rice

    Anna, being thin-skinned, had accidentally fallen into Yan Yu¡¯s embrace, but she quickly got up in a panic, her face blushing red.

    Everyone¡¯s expressions visibly relaxed, but what they were each thinking was anyone¡¯s guess.

    Yan Yu, on the other hand, didn¡¯t show a hint of embarrassment and even put on an ¡°you¡¯re causing me trouble again¡± attitude, admonishing Anna and saying,

    ¡°Don¡¯t make such a fuss. I haven¡¯t even given my stance yet, why are you already thinking of backing out?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Anna stammered, then, flustered with embarrassment, she blurted out, ¡°Then just say if it¡¯s okay or not! If not, we¡¯ll think of another way!¡±

    ¡°This matter isn¡¯t something I can just say is okay and it¡¯ll be okay. I¡¯ll go and ask the higher-ups tomorrow,¡± Yan Yu waved a hand and said, ¡°For now, let¡¯s eat.¡±

    ...

    ¡°I¡¯ll go get the dishes.¡± Su Yunjin stood up and said.

    Inside the kitchen, Lin Ning was absentmindedly serving the dishes. Seeing her come in, she quickly asked,

    ¡°What¡¯s the verdict? What¡¯s her relationship with the captain exactly?¡±

    ¡°She seems to have feelings for the captain,¡± Su Yunjin candidly said, ¡°But I don¡¯t think the captain feels anything for her.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Lin Ning immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

    There were too many women interested in the captain. Nowadays, even throwing a shoe in the new street market might hit one of Yan Zhanlong¡¯s female fans¡ªbut Yan Yu would only tell them ¡°you¡¯re not even worthy.¡± So as long as the captain wasn¡¯t flirting with her, there was completely no issue.

    Unlike Lin Ning, who was carefree, Su Yunjin¡¯s brows were slightly furrowed, thoughts whirling in her mind.

    In the living room, Anna explained the situation again in Russian to her two older female cousins, Sofia and Maria naturally had no objections. After all, they came to ask for troops, not a loan. It was natural that they couldn¡¯t expect a simple affirmative response, and wasn¡¯t Natasha still hustling around lobbying in the capital of Lu Country?

    Time to eat!

    Part of the dinner was personally cooked by Lin Ning, while the rest was ordered by phone from a nearby restaurant. Anna¡¯s two cousins, although not accustomed to using chopsticks, were very satisfied with the greasy, salty stir-fries, heartily enjoying them with their forks and spoons.

    By comparison, Anna and Su Yunjin, both had their appetites affected by their concerns, only ate a small half bowl of rice before they stopped picking up their chopsticks.

    After dinner, everyone arranged their own leisure time.

    The two cousins planned to explore the night market for snacks, with Zhao Yuanzhen eagerly volunteering to be their guide. Although Anna didn¡¯t want to go out, she had no choice but to follow as a translator since her two sisters couldn¡¯t speak Rikoku.

    Yan Yu stayed at home, idly playing with his phone for a while.

    The Zhenhai Battle Team¡¯s victory in the first public broadcast of the Lu Country Mysterious Realm competition resulted in the fans becoming even more loyal, with more people online praising Yan Zhanlong.

    Of course, that didn¡¯t mean the haters had all disappeared.

    The ¡°Zhenghai hater leaders¡± that Yan Yu had previously paid special attention to had split into two groups: half stopped mentioning the Mysterious Realm competition and pretended nothing had happened recently; the other half became even more obstinate, claiming ¡°Being strong doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t question your character¡±, only to be blasted by the fans until they were skin and bones.

    Hmm, speaking of which¡­

    ¡°By the way, how are things on your dad¡¯s side?¡± he quietly sent a Divine Sense message to Chen Lingyun.

    ¡°It seems they¡¯ve finished talking,¡± Chen Lingyun said languidly, ¡°Because we won so impressively this time, it¡¯s unlikely they¡¯ll waste any more effort on the matter.¡±

    ¡°So, the negative comments online right now are unorganized and spontaneous haters?¡± mused Yan Yu, ¡°Should we let them see the iron fist or not?¡±

    ¡°I suggest not,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Why not keep them as electronic pets?¡±

    ¡°That makes sense.¡± After carefully considering it, Yan Yu agreed with her reasoning.

    No matter how excellent your performance is, you can¡¯t expect to never be targeted by haters. It¡¯s actually better to keep this notorious group of haters¡¯ accounts around; it makes monitoring them easier in the future.

    Yan Yu continued to check other messages.

    As expected, other battle teams sent congratulatory messages for the Zhenghai Team¡¯s victory over the Flying Dragon Battle Team.

    Qiu Ze¡¯s congratulations were the warmest, as they were both part of the Zhendong Army; his Shenxing Battle Team also shared in the glory. Li Minghu and Zhang Huaide were relatively polite and reserved in their responses, while Zhou Hongyu, who was never fond of social interactions, was not to be expected. Only messages from Lord Master seemed somewhat sarcastic¡­ Poor Lord Master, who had been led by public opinion by Chen Lingyun before the match, and casually mentioned by Cai Qianlong after, now probably everyone in Lu Country thought he was evenly matched with Cai Qianlong.

    ¡°Li Minghu is asking how you managed to dodge the massive bombardment from the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper in the competition,¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly asked.

    Su Yunjin sat down beside Yan Yu and brought over a basin full of washed fruit to the coffee table.

    Yan Yu help himself to a jujube without any courtesy and explained to Chen Lingyun through Divine Sense communication:

    ¡°Oh, you mean the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Secret Thunder, right? That one¡¯s quite troublesome; if it hits you, you¡¯re basically done for, so you have to explode it from a distance using the Flying Sword.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Chen Lingyun asked in surprise. ¡°I watched the replay, and the explosions were very dense. Can the Flying Sword really clear a safe space in time?¡±

    ¡°Of course, it can,¡± Yan Yu replied calmly. ¡°You can scan for the Secret Thunder with Divine Sense. As long as you¡¯re fast enough to hit it before it explodes, you can reduce its blast radius and lethality.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ll study it when I get the magical artifact,¡± Chen Lingyun mused thoughtfully.

    The Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner had been taken for research immediately after leaving the Mysterious Realm. But as a war trophy of the Zhenghai Team, it would eventually be returned to Chen Lingyun sooner or later.

    ¡°Yan Yu.¡± Su Yunjin, munching on grapes, casually remarked as if it were nothing, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to actually know Transcendents from overseas.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re talking about Anna, aren¡¯t you?¡± Yan Yu saw through her probing thoughts at a glance. However, his relationship with Anna was currently clear and pure¡ªmore like that between a deity and a stepping stone¡ªso there was nothing to hide, and he candidly explained, ¡°I met her during the last exchange competition between the four academies¡­¡±

    Lin Ning and Xie Ruoxi also just happened to come to the living room and sat down on a nearby sofa, pretending to be engrossed in their phones while subtly listening to Yan Yu¡¯s story.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Meanwhile, Zhao Yuanzhen was leading Anna and the two witches on a food tour around the pedestrian street, gleefully devouring delicious street food, oil smeared around their mouths.

    The supper that night was all paid for by international friends! Food tastes best when it¡¯s free, even for a Demonic Sect Enchantress.

    She walked ahead, full of pride, while Sophia and Maria intentionally lagged behind to speak with Anna in Rasputin:

    ¡°Anna, are you really just ordinary friends with the Dragon Slayer?¡±

    ¡°Otherwise?¡± Anna retorted irritably. ¡°Why would I lie to you?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just too reserved,¡± Sophia complained. ¡°Like you grew up in a devout family.¡± S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Anna denied stubbornly. ¡°I left Lu Country for Amur not long after meeting him, how could I have had time to develop a relationship with him?¡±

    ¡°True,¡± Maria pondered for a moment. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go for a night raid tonight?¡±

    ¡°Stop joking, it¡¯s not funny,¡± Anna said in frustration, pressing her forehead.

    ¡°I¡¯m serious,¡± Maria shared an example with her. ¡°I have a friend in Novy Urengoy who fell in love with a young man from a devout family. His family was very strict, not allowing him to be with any woman before marriage.¡±

    ¡°Later, she got him very drunk on vodka at a party and took him to a hotel¡­ Now their child is almost seven or eight years old.¡±

    ¡°Maria, do Rikoku Cultivators have resistance to alcohol?¡± Sophia suddenly asked.

    ¡°They probably do,¡± Maria mused for a moment before suddenly saying resolutely, ¡°then we¡¯ll use the ¡®Rasputin Spell Curse¡¯!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡± Anna exclaimed in shock. ¡°I would never use that!¡±

    The Rasputin Spell Curse, born during the Romanov Dynasty, was an infamously notorious black magic. It hid two spell words within the pupils and, with a direct gaze into the eyes of the target, would completely capture the target¡¯s mind, leaving them willing to do anything for the spellcaster¡­ The Rasputin witches would use this black magic to have their way with a beloved man and subtly conceive a child.

    But deep down, Anna was a traditional woman of Lu Country, utterly unwilling to resort to such dark magic.

    ¡°Of course, we know you wouldn¡¯t agree,¡± Sophia revealed a knowing smile and said, ¡°Maria and I will cast the spell on him, and all you need to do is go in and enjoy yourself. You can just blame it on the two of us afterward.¡±

    Anna almost choked in astonishment. Was this how you treat your sister? Putting aside everything else, if Yan Yu sleeps with me and doesn¡¯t want to take responsibility, won¡¯t I have lost everything for nothing?

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, walking ahead, heard them chattering away in Rasputin, which he didn¡¯t understand, but he didn¡¯t mind. His mood was buoyant as he spoke to Anna, ¡°Let¡¯s go line up; there¡¯s a grilled squid stall up ahead!¡±

 Chapter 223 - 22 Eclipse Queen, Clingy Golden Retriever

    Chapter 223: Chapter 22 Eclipse Queen, Clingy Golden Retriever

    By the time everyone returned to the villa, it was already 11 p.m.

    Lin Ning, Su Yunjin, and Chen Lingyun all went back to their rooms to sleep. After all, staying up late is beauty¡¯s arch-nemesis.

    Xie Ruoxi was still working in front of the computer. Her biological clock was about 2-3 hours behind the average person, so it was normal for her to go to bed around 1 a.m.

    As for the work content tonight, it mainly involved managing the social media accounts for the Zhenhai Team and increasing the popularity of the other girls¡ªit wasn¡¯t necessary to add fuel to the fire since Yan Zhanlong was already extremely popular. The whole team rising to fame together was the sound approach.

    Due to the insufficient number of exposures, the popularity of the girls hadn¡¯t widened much. If anything had to be said, Sister Zhao was slightly ahead, attracting a portion of fans with ulterior motives with her outstanding figure.

    Xie Ruoxi, deep down, disdained this edge-skirting method of gaining fans.

    ...

    Her current operation strategy was to use Yan Zhanlong¡¯s super IP to bring traffic and exposure to the other girls. That¡¯s the rightful path for fanbase management!

    Downstairs, the sound of opening the door could be heard. Xie Ruoxi went out to look and saw Zhao Yuanzhen returning home with three international friends. She smiled and said,

    ¡°The three guest rooms by the stairs on the second floor have been cleared out by Yan Yu. You can pick any of them. Sister Zhao, come here for a second, I have something to tell you¡­¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen didn¡¯t know what it was about, but she answered and came up the stairs.

    Seeing that Zhao Yuanzhen had left, Sophia and Maria quickly exchanged glances, then suddenly said,

    ¡°Anna, it¡¯s already quite late now. We¡¯re going to rest in the guest rooms. You go and have a good catch-up with your boyfriend.¡±

    ¡°I told you he¡¯s not my boyfriend¡­¡± Anna angrily turned her head, only to meet Sophia and Maria¡¯s eyes, and immediately froze in place, as if under a spell, her divine sense also becoming vacant.

    The witch¡¯s battles were known for their strangeness, and Anna had no guard up against her two cousins; she fell directly into the Rasputin Spell Curse they had cast together.

    ¡°Humph.¡± Sophia said with a cold laugh, ¡°Little Anna is too naive. We can¡¯t take down the Dragon Slayer, but you think we can¡¯t deal with you?¡±

    Earlier on the pedestrian street outside, the two had deliberately said they wanted to put the Rasputin Spell Curse on Yan Yu, but in reality, it was to test Anna¡¯s reaction. Seeing that their cousin was only embarrassed and annoyed, they guessed that she wasn¡¯t averse to becoming more intimate with the man; she was just too proud and too shy to agree.

    Since that was the case, let us sisters give you a push from behind!

    Being a Rikoku Cultivator, the Dragon Slayer might or might not be affected by the curse, but as long as Anna was cursed and threw herself into the Dragon Slayer¡¯s arms, the effect would be more or less the same¡ªour little Anna is cute and has a great figure. How could any man resist not devouring her?

    Go, little Anna! Seize that man with all you¡¯ve got!

    The two of them, guiding the dazed and puppet-like Anna, went upstairs and knocked on the door to Yan Yu¡¯s room.

    As soon as Yan Yu opened the door, they pushed Anna in and then closed the door behind her.

    ¡°So we just stay here now?¡± Maria asked.

    ¡°Of course, you don¡¯t want any other woman to disturb Anna¡¯s first experience, do you?¡± Sophia shrugged.

    Meanwhile, Yan Yu found himself immediately embraced by a bundle of softness and fragrance as soon as he opened the door. The door was then pulled shut from the outside, leaving him quite puzzled.

    But he didn¡¯t have the time to ponder, because Anna had already pounced and pinned him down on the bed, pressing down on his wrists with strength, her eyes glazed and murky, her cheeks flushed, and her breathing fast and feverish as she murmured,

    ¡°Yan Yu, I like you¡­ I like you¡­¡±

    Yan Yu immediately broke free from her grasp, and with a backhand, he slapped her forehead,

    ¡°Wretched beast, what kind of nonsense are you starting!¡±

    Anna¡¯s head was struck, but she showed no sign of backing down. Instead, she clung even more greedily, burying herself in Yan Yu¡¯s neck, kissing and sniffing wildly.

    Yan Yu felt ticklish with her tender breaths on him and was about to kick this annoying golden-haired creature off the bed when a thought suddenly struck him¡­

    Something was amiss.

    Definitely amiss.

    The previous life¡¯s Eclipse Queen was far from this wanton of a character!

    Anna entwined around him like an octopus, her head buried in a mess of movements, her cheeks rubbing against his ears. Yan Yu simply sat calmly on the bed, hugging Anna tightly to prevent her from struggling wildly, carefully scanning her body with his Divine Sense.

    Let¡¯s talk about the past life first. After the Eclipse Queen truly came to power, Lu Country, upon discovering that she even had Lu Country lineage, sent people to try to reconcile with her, discussing the deep connection with the ¡°old country¡± ¡­ and then the Eclipse Queen had a polite chat with the Lu Country envoy.

    What did she say? The Eclipse Queen from the past life said she had made it this far entirely through her own efforts. What had Lu Country given her? They fired my dad, rejected my university offer, and forced my father and me to flee ignominiously to Rasputin. That is truly the ¡°deep connection with the old country.

    You needn¡¯t worry, I have my own principles, I just don¡¯t want to spend my whole life being trampled on by others. Do you think I¡¯m just some pitiful fugitive? I¡¯ve waited for so many years, just for the chance to fight for my dignity, not to prove that I¡¯m amazing. I want to show those people that the dignity I lost in my home country, I will take back with my own hands abroad!

    When the words of the Eclipse Queen spread to the homeland, it made it difficult for the people of Lu Country to criticize her. Middle-aged layoffs and educational hyper-competitiveness were something that nine out of ten Lu Country people could relate to, so no one had grounds to criticize her, and some even sympathized with the girl who had built something for herself in a foreign land. It was from that point that Yan Yu remembered the name of the Eclipse Queen, Anna.

    But looking at the girl in his arms now, pushing and panting, her body burning hot, where was there even a trace of the strong-willed Eclipse Queen from the past life?

    Anna, perhaps tired of rubbing against him, not satisfied through the fabric of his clothes, even began to stuff Yan Yu¡¯s hand into her neckline.

    Yan Yu had no desire to be entangled with her like this. With a resolute pinch, a sharp pain made Anna shiver, and her expression suddenly became much clearer.

    Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do?

    She didn¡¯t stay lucid for long. The light of the Rasputin Spell Curse in her eyes flared up again, quickly dragging her consciousness back into a foggy state.

    But that split second was enough for Yan Yu to catch the unusual light in her eyes.

    Hmph, she really has been cursed with a spell!

    Is it a joke that I, with my masculine charm, need to use a spell to make girls throw themselves into my arms?

    Yan Yu pinned Anna down on the bed, carefully staring into her eyes.

    It looks like there¡¯s a rune inside¡­

    As Anna continued to struggle, Yan Yu could only press her face with his left hand, while gently peeling back her eyelids with his right.

    After a while, his left palm suddenly felt a wet and warm licking sensation.

    You really are like a golden retriever! Yan Yu grabbed her little tongue with his left hand, tried to push it back into her mouth, but Anna just whimpered and took his finger into her mouth¡ªlike a hungry infant sucking on a pacifier, gulping down hungrily.

    Bearing the nausea, Yan Yu finally completed his investigation. He plugged her mouth with his left hand while forming a sword finger with his right, pressed it against her forehead, and exclaimed in a low voice. True Yuan poured fiercely into her mind, causing the spell rune to shatter with a sound!

    A few minutes earlier, Xie Ruoxi had called Zhao Yuanzhen into her room and informed her about the fan situation.

    ¡°¡­So, what¡¯s wrong with attracting fans because you have a good figure?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked, puzzled.

    ¡°Skirting the edges can indeed bring in a short-term surge of fans,¡± Xie Ruoxi explained, ¡°but the cost is that fans¡¯ impression of you will become fixed. They will label you as a ¡®benefit goddess,¡¯ making it virtually impossible for you to change your image later on. Even if you later show that you¡¯re ¡®capable,¡¯ they won¡¯t see you as a ¡®capable cultivator¡¯ but as a ¡®capable benefit goddess¡¯.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was surprisingly quick to grasp this concept, ¡°It¡¯s like what people often say online, ¡®No matter how good the plot is in an adult film, in the end, it¡¯s still an adult film¡¯, right?¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Xie Ruoxi said with surprise, ¡°That¡¯s the idea. For us girls, some labels are absolutely untouchable.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen didn¡¯t hesitate, ¡°Then let¡¯s not operate in that direction.¡± Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Of course, I need Sister Zhao¡¯s agreement,¡± Xie Ruoxi giggled, ¡°I got it. So, if someone compliments your figure later on and tries to start a trend in that direction, I¡¯ll just mute them.¡±

    ¡°Mute away,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen waved her hand dismissively.

    As she left Xie Ruoxi¡¯s room to find Yan Yu for their daily dual cultivation session, she saw two witches sneaking around outside Yan Yu¡¯s room.

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ???

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± she approached and asked.

    Sophia and Maria exchanged glances; the latter immediately put on a full, smiling face, trying to use body language and facial expressions to deflect Zhao Yuanzhen.

    But when it came to her partner¡¯s affairs, the Demonic Sect Enchantress finally had a moment of intellectual clarity. Ignoring what Maria intended to say, she activated the Wood Bending Charm and roughly shoved the two women aside.

    Then she pushed the door open with force.

 Chapter 224 - 23: The Demonic Sect Enchantress, Deep in Love and Loyalty

    Chapter 224: Chapter 23: The Demonic Sect Enchantress, Deep in Love and Loyalty

    Though Yan Yu didn¡¯t understand the method of breaking curses, just as one doesn¡¯t need to know programming to destroy a computer, brute force can solve most problems.

    He injected his True Yuan forcefully, instantly filling Anna¡¯s sea of consciousness and shattering the peculiar spell.

    Anna was still sucking on his finger, but her consciousness began to slowly return, her gaze gradually became clear, and she started to breathe rapidly and in a fluster.

    ¡°How much longer are you going to suck?¡± Yan Yu saw that she was still feigning ignorance, though her movements had stiffened considerably, and asked teasingly.

    Anna quickly spit out his finger and defended herself,

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me! It was my cousin who used black magic on me! They controlled me to make a night attack on you!¡±

    ...

    Recalling the recent memories, she felt weak at the knees and numb all over, her cheeks flushed, her head burning up, and she instinctively collapsed onto the bed like a deflated duck, as if a large amount of steam were about to gush from her ears, while a strong sense of embarrassment in her chest almost choked her.

    The Rasputin Spell Curse could make one lose their reason, but couldn¡¯t make someone conjure feelings out of nothing. Her saying ¡°I like you¡± to Yan Yu, countless times before, wasn¡¯t entirely due to the influence of black magic.

    Maybe I should just jump in the river¡­

    Wait, no matter! As long as I don¡¯t admit it and blame it all on black magic, Yan Yu won¡¯t have any evidence!

    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Yan Yu looked at his sopping wet finger with disgust, sighed helplessly, got out of bed, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t I know you well? A person with lewd thoughts but no courage¡­¡±

    Before he finished speaking, Zhao Yuanzhen pushed the door and entered from outside.

    All six eyes met, they looked at each other, faces hard to keep straight.

    Anna was slumped on the bed, her clothes in disarray, tears in her eyes, her complexion rosy, her hands crossed over her chest, looking like she had been played with and broken. Yan Yu was standing beside the bed, looking impatient, his left hand wet with some fluid¡­ Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s thread of reason in her head snapped on the spot.

    You little thief! You¡¯ve chosen the path to your demise!

    Enraged, she let out a roar and charged at Yan Yu, the Yin Wind Sword unsheathed ahead of her, aiming to strike down this detestable, odious, despicable, and murderable heartbreaker!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s earth-shattering roar immediately startled the two witches outside, the neighboring girls in the next room, and even the neighbors who had already gone to sleep.

    When everyone rushed into Yan Yu¡¯s room, they saw Yan Yu knock down Zhao Yuanzhen with a punch and then, in one smooth motion, he picked up her limp body, tossed it rudely onto the bed, and rolled around with Anna.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Lin Ning was immediately shocked and asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly, ¡°These two women coveted my beauty and wanted to attack me in the middle of the night. Now they have been duly punished.¡±

    ¡°Pfft!¡± The girls had indeed suspected as much, but when Yan Yu bluntly said it, they found it unbelievable¡ªwho would be so foolish as to attack him at night?

    With any other man, if a girl delivered herself to his doorstep in the middle of the night, she would most likely be taken advantage of. But with their captain, she would only be severely humiliated, with responses like ¡°Get lost,¡± ¡°You¡¯re not worthy,¡± ¡°Do you want a beating?¡± ¡°It seems you need more training.¡± Even if Anna didn¡¯t know this, wouldn¡¯t Sister Zhao?

    Besides, the girls¡¯ rooms were right next door. The likelihood of these two staging a night attack was actually not high. It was more probable that Anna had come to visit the captain late at night and was mistakenly assumed by Zhao Yuanzhen to be up to something.

    ¡°Sister Zhao.¡± Su Yunjin gently reminded, ¡°Look at the captain¡¯s clothes, aren¡¯t they properly on?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen looked closely. Eh, indeed.

    Previously, seeing Anna sitting stupefied on the bed with Yan Yu looking suspicious, she had assumed that something indecent had happened between them¡­ Now that she had calmed down, she realized that indeed their clothes were still on and their eyes didn¡¯t show any signs of languor, indicating that they probably hadn¡¯t been sneaking around behind her back. It was just that she had been too hasty and had preemptively thought they were cheating.

    ¡°Ah, it seems to be a misunderstanding,¡± she said with an embarrassed expression. ¡°I thought¡­ never mind, let¡¯s not talk about it.¡±

    ¡°It is indeed a misunderstanding,¡± Anna, still with a trace of red on her face, glared fiercely at her two cousins, and explained, ¡°I came to talk to Yan Yu about something, and didn¡¯t realize how inappropriate it was due to the late hour.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my fault.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen quickly conceded, playing dumb, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for waking everyone up, haha.¡±

    Since they had aired the situation, the girls took another look at Yan Yu and then left the room.

    Of course, even after leaving, everyone had their own thoughts.

    Some like Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen truly believed nothing had happened; others like Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin also believed nothing occurred, but what about the motives? It seemed too convenient that Anna would visit Yan Yu¡¯s room late at night, only to be found by Zhao Yuanzhen and misunderstood. Could it be a mere coincidence?

    Xie Ruoxi fell somewhere in between. She believed it was a misunderstanding, yet still felt something was off. In her innocence, she asked Anna,

    ¡°Anna, what were you going to talk about with Yan Yu in his room late at night?¡±

    Anna was instantly embarrassed, and when she saw the other girls looking over, she hurriedly laughed and said,

    ¡°Ah, that¡­ we were discussing¡­ the barbecue we had before.¡±

    ¡°Barbecue?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked in confusion.

    ¡°Yes, barbecue,¡± Anna began to ramble, ¡°That time¡­ before I went abroad, the last time I met Sister Zhao and Yan Yu, we had barbecue that night. Later, when I went to the icy and snowy Amur, although the food wasn¡¯t bad, I often missed the taste of food from my homeland. So I asked Yan Yu if he could take me out for barbecue one more time before I left Lu Country¡­ Ah, I¡¯m just gluttonous, always thinking about food¡­¡±

    Although she laughed heartily, trying to relieve the awkward atmosphere, the girls just stared at her blankly.

    Honestly, it wasn¡¯t funny.

    After Su Yunjin had probed and asked about Anna¡¯s past, Yan Yu had explained it to everyone: Her father was laid off, he didn¡¯t pass the political screening, and they had to leave their hometown to go to a foreign country, where they ended up in a country plunged into turmoil and war, with life and death uncertain¡­ Any one of these events would be enough to crush a normal person, but Anna had been repeatedly battered by fate, and it was truly hard not to feel compassion.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was particularly moved, thinking back to the barbecue she had with Anna in Shengjing Prefecture, how she had only cared about eating and didn¡¯t notice Anna¡¯s feelings. After they parted ways following the meal, they were worlds apart¡ªZhao suddenly felt a strong sense of guilt, thinking, I really am a beast!

    The sorrow and bitterness of being far from home, who in the world could understand it better than Mi Zhen Xianzi? Since coming to this world, her master, her fellow disciples, the daoist friends she knew¡­ all were gone.

    I should have understood Anna¡¯s pain!

    With that thought, Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s eyes reddened, and she hugged Anna¡¯s shoulders, saying sadly,

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, you little thief¡­ If Yan Yu won¡¯t take you, we¡¯ll go for barbecue ourselves!¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm, it¡¯s a deal,¡± Anna thought she had finally managed to fool them, so she also forced out a bit of sadness and started chatting with Zhao Yuanzhen in a low voice, their intimacy resembling that of sisters.

    Lin Ning and Xie Ruoxi went back to their room, while Su Yunjin remained silent for a moment before secretly messaging Chen Lingyun,

    ¡°Do you think what she said is true?¡±

    ¡°Whether it¡¯s true or not doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Chen Lingyun, who had already enjoyed the drama and was pleased, replied, ¡°What¡¯s certain now is that she¡¯s interested in Yan Yu, and Yan Yu is indifferent to her.¡±

    ¡°¡­Indeed.¡± Su Yunjin pondered for a moment and said, ¡°As long as we know that, it¡¯s enough.¡±

    After chatting with Anna, Zhao Yuanzhen quietly sneaked back to Yan Yu¡¯s room and exclaimed,

    ¡°Anna really has it tough.¡±

    ¡°You understand now?¡± Yan Yu teased her.

    ¡°You have no idea.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen sat down beside the bed and said to Yan Yu, ¡°Anna had a tough time in the north, constantly fighting with people¡­¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you also spend your days fighting with people before you crossed over to this world?¡± Yan Yu countered.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was left speechless and then said,

    ¡°Anyway, if you can, help her out.¡±

    Yan Yu thought to himself that he hadn¡¯t said he wouldn¡¯t help her, why was she playing the good person here?

    But then an idea struck him, and he deliberately adopted a cold demeanor, saying,

    ¡°If you ask me to help her, it¡¯s not impossible¡­¡±

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, seeing him relent, quickly asked.

    Yan Yu sprawled on the bed and said,

    ¡°Just so happens that my shoulders and neck muscles are a bit stiff, I need someone to massage them.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was slightly annoyed but thinking of how her old friend was now so down and out, softened her tone and said,

    ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll relax your muscles for you.¡±

    She diligently sat beside Yan Yu, massaging his muscles, thumping his back, and even using True Qi to loosen his meridians and disperse stagnant energy¡­

    After attending to him for most of the day, Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly remembered something:

    Speaking of which, how did that little thief meet Anna again?

    Oh, it seems his master had told him that Anna would have great fortune in the future, so he instructed him to befriend her in advance¡­

    Then it¡¯s by your master¡¯s order that you¡¯ll certainly help her! And yet you still deliberately tricked me into serving you! Despicable little thief!

    Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly realized the truth, and looking at Yan Yu lying on the bed, enjoying himself with his eyes closed, she was suddenly filled with a surge of anger. She promptly lay on his back, using her body weight to pin him down and prevent him from moving, her right arm wrapping around his neck, and holding his head in her embrace before exerting force and squeezing fiercely!

    ¡°You little thief, prepare to die!!!¡± Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 225 - 24 Shes My Loyal Follower

    Chapter 225: Chapter 24 She¡¯s My Loyal Follower

    The next morning, Yan Yu came down the stairs holding his neck.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Lin Ning was making breakfast in the kitchen and asked curiously when she saw his grimacing expression.

    ¡°I woke up with a crick in my neck,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Lin Ning earnestly admonished him, ¡°Don¡¯t sleep on too soft a pillow, and pay attention to your sleeping position.¡±

    ¡°Mhmm.¡± Yan Yu thought to himself that pillow was indeed too big and too soft, no wonder it caused my neck muscles to ache, Zhao Yuanzhen you really deserve to die!

    Anna and her two cousins had gotten up early and were sitting in the living room chatting in the language of Rakshasa. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ...

    When they saw Yan Yu coming, they gave Anna a meaningful look.

    ¡°Shall we go out for a walk?¡± Anna stood up and said, ¡°Breakfast seems to be a while away still.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Yan Yu noticed she seemed to have something to say to him and nodded.

    The two of them left the villa through the front door and started to stroll around the yard. Su Yunjin had turned the place into a small garden with a gazebo and swing set up in the corners, all very beautiful and elegant.

    ¡°I like it here,¡± Anna broke the silence first, speaking wistfully, ¡°But I can¡¯t stay in Lu Country forever, I will have to go back eventually.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    If he wanted to keep Anna in the country, the best opportunity would have been during the Four Institutes Exchange Competition. All he had to do was prevent her father from taking her out of the country.

    But by doing so, Anna wouldn¡¯t be able to become the Eclipse Queen, and a new, unfamiliar power would rise in the north of Lu Country¡­ All outcomes seemed to be a loss.

    Now that Anna had become a part of the Amur Witch Group, no matter how much she missed her homeland of Lu Country, it couldn¡¯t change the fact that her home and her family and friends were all in Amur.

    She no longer belonged to Lu Country.

    ¡°Last night, it was Sofia and Maria who used the Rasputin Spell Curse on me that can hypnotize the mind,¡± Anna continued to explain, ¡°They wanted me to sleep with you and then use that to make you stand on the side of our witch group, to influence the decisions of the Lu Country¡¯s upper echelons.¡±

    ¡°There is no need for that,¡± Yan Yu calmly answered, ¡°I will also try my best to help you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± said Anna, stopping at the edge of the yard, making sure they couldn¡¯t be seen from the windows of the villa.

    She hesitated for a moment before asking suddenly:

    ¡°Can¡­ can I hug you?¡±

    Yan Yu looked at her in surprise.

    ¡°I¡¯m not under a spell.¡± Anna didn¡¯t know how to express herself, fidgeting with her fingers and stammering, ¡°I just¡­ want a hug, after all¡­ since I¡¯m here, right?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Yan Yu thought to himself that if in this life you can still become the Eclipse Queen, you¡¯d have the privilege to be embraced by me.

    He slowly opened his arms, his Divine Sense on alert, scanning the surroundings. Anna nestled into his embrace, her arms wrapping tightly around his back as if yearning for the warmth of last night.

    Closing her eyes slowly, Anna finally made up her mind and whispered in Yan Yu¡¯s ear:

    ¡°In the Amur Witch Group, only female Transcendents are present, and mortal men have no place to marry among us, and Transcendents are our enemies, so I had already prepared myself for a life of solitude.¡±

    ¡°I know you are a Rikoku Cultivator. But, if in the future¡­ you ever want to leave Lu Country, I will always wait for you in the north, whether I¡¯m thirty, forty, fifty years old¡­ whether my temples are streaked with gray or my hair turned fully silver¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­I will wait forever and ever, until the very last moment.¡±

    After pecking him lightly on the cheek, Anna released him and said forthrightly:

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go back.¡±

    Yan Yu touched the spot on his face where she had pecked him and fell silent for a while before asking:

    ¡°When did it start?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Anna walked ahead, casually replying, ¡°Maybe it was that time I was drowning and you rescued me?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but laugh, ¡°Love at first sight?¡±

    ¡°Who knows?¡± Anna also smiled, ¡°Is that important?¡±

    Indeed, it wasn¡¯t important.

    Love by its very nature defies reason, sometimes it¡¯s love at first sight between strangers, and other times affection grows gradually over countless months of familiarity. Regardless of the scenario, it doesn¡¯t matter, for they are merely beginnings.

    Not all blossoming love leads to fruition, nor do all feelings end in conclusions. Yan Yu helped Anna not for her beauty, but since Anna chose to offer herself, a bit more help didn¡¯t make a difference.

    If the two of them were to further develop their relationship, they first needed to make Lu Country and the Amur Witch Group on good terms or even form an alliance. Moreover, the Amur Witch Group must become the northern overlord to deter neighboring forces from provoking them. Only then would the Eclipse Queen have the opportunity for ¡°friendly visits¡± to Lu Country on a regular basis, allowing for the possibility of their relationship advancing further.

    With that in mind, persuading Chen Tianming to help had become a must-do task.

    The two returned to the villa¡¯s living room. Sofia and Maria looked at Anna, seeing her relieved expression as if her worries had vanished, they couldn¡¯t figure out what had happened and could only communicate their curiosity with questioning glances.

    But Anna refused to satisfy their curiosity, merely pursing her lips and gracing them with a slight smile.

    After breakfast, the members of the Zhenhai Team headed to the academy, leaving Xie Ruoxi at home to host Anna and the other two.

    The girls watched recordings of other teams¡¯ battles at the training ground while Yan Yu, as usual, went to the headmaster¡¯s office to report, and sure enough, saw Chen Tianming there as well.

    ¡°Yan Yu, your timing is perfect,¡± Li Weiguo said with a smile, ¡°With the progress of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence increasing, the higher-ups have sent new instructional material. Take a look.¡±

    The resurgence of spiritual energy increased its concentration globally, and the upper limit of cultivation realms rose, granting cultivators the ability to use more powerful spells¡ªno wonder Mei Yingxue spent all day at the experimental base in Pingjing; after all, she had to write a new textbook every six months.

    Yan Yu flipped through the new material and indeed, after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, Sword Flight had also appeared in the textbooks.

    The so-called Sword Flight involved enfolding oneself in sword light to move at high speed over long distances. To the outside world, it looked like a streak of sword light zipping by, very chic and dashing.

    Similar to the Shifting Technique, the speed of Sword Flight depended on the amount of True Yuan supplied. If a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage used Sword Flight at full speed, they could reach speeds around Mach 1, faster than most commercial airliners.

    Beyond Sword Flight, Mei Yingxue had also composed some material specific to the four major professions of sword and spell Assistant Enforcers, based on her understanding.

    She detailed the effects of each of the Sword Immortal¡¯s techniques most thoroughly and exquisitely. As for the ultimate paths of spell cultivators and Tao transformation, the Assistant Officer¡¯s method of the second divine spirit, and the Envoy¡¯s all-seeing abilities¡­ Unfortunately, as a pure Sword Immortal, Teacher Mei lacked the ability to know everything, so she could only briefly mention what she had heard.

    When moving to the next level, the Hua Fu Stage, Teacher Mei, who had not formed her Golden Core, couldn¡¯t plan out the textbooks from a high vantage point, and it would be up to Rikoku Cultivator researchers to explore further.

    ¡°How is it?¡± Li Weiguo asked again.

    ¡°It¡¯s quite good,¡± Yan Yu closed the textbook.

    In the era of the Three Arts and Five Spells, he was able to offer some suggestions for the textbooks. But now, what determined a cultivator¡¯s strength was mainly their cultivation realm and their unique system of cultivation methods. The general items in the textbooks were no longer as significant.

    Li Weiguo was quite satisfied with his reaction and glanced at Chen Tianming, saying:

    ¡°For the short term, you shouldn¡¯t have any missions. Take this textbook back and get the team to start learning it quickly.¡±

    The Shenxing Battle Team of the Zhendong Army had suffered a crushing defeat against the Huofeng Team soon after it was formed; similarly, the Dingbei Army¡¯s Flying Dragon Team was beaten by the Zhenhai Team. Part of the reason was that the higher-ups wanted to temper the pride of these second-generation team cultivators, but it also highlighted how important experience was to a cultivator¡¯s combat strength¡ªafter all, although the teams were divided into first and second generations, the cultivators themselves all started school at the same time.

    Clearly, college student cultivators who had never experienced battle in mysterious realms and merely attended classes at the academy were much weaker than the seasoned team cultivators.

    Thus, the Privy Council quickly changed its strategy, pushing to implement the team system comprehensively, making all college student cultivators into team cultivators.

    Consequently, the majority of mysterious realms domestically with lower difficulty would become training grounds and test arenas for the many newly formed teams of the four armies. Only secret realms like the three island treasure ships and Changping Shadow Palace, which either had very strong guardians or involved foreign Transcendents, would be left for veteran teams like the Zhenghai Dragon Cavalry to handle.

    The past packed schedule of clearing Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm and then moving to Longquan Mountain Secret Realm soon after, marking the time of insufficient team manpower, would no longer happen!

    Yan Yu naturally welcomed this development. To him, tackling simple mysterious realms held little interest; he would rather spend that time training his teammates properly.

    ¡°Sure, I also have something on my end,¡± he reminded Li Weiguo, ¡°It¡¯s something Chen Lingyun previously reported to you.¡±

    ¡°Mhmm,¡± Li Weiguo nodded, ¡°The Amur witch, Chen Lingyun has already briefed me on it.¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± Chen Tianming suddenly smiled, ¡°Be honest with us, is that witch your friend, or is she your lover?¡±

    Although Old Taishan¡¯s smile was gentle, it concealed a subtle scrutiny and questioning. Yan Yu was about to clarify by saying ¡°We¡¯re just friends,¡± but a rush of memories from his past life about Chen Tianming came to mind, and he had a stroke of inspiration, saying:

    ¡°She may not quite be my lover, but she has long harbored deep feelings for me and confessed her love. Currently, it¡¯s a unilateral commitment where she has entrusted her life to me.¡±

 Chapter 226 - 25 All for Justice, No Personal Affections

    Chapter 226: Chapter 25 All for Justice, No Personal Affections

    Yan Yu actually admitted that ¡°Anna has developed deep feelings for him,¡± which gave both bosses quite a shock.

    Chen Tianming displayed a noticeable expression of displeasure, while Li Weiguo raised an eyebrow and asked:

    ¡°You dare to say that? Aren¡¯t there many beautiful girls in your team that you don¡¯t fancy? What about Chen Lingyun, aren¡¯t you two in a good relationship?¡±

    ¡°Look who¡¯s talking,¡± Yan Yu retorted with a wry smile, ¡°It was Anna who fell in love with me, so how did it become my fault? Why shouldn¡¯t I dare to say it?¡±

    Li Weiguo frowned slightly, and after a moment of contemplation, Chen Tianming suddenly dropped the coldness from his face and asked earnestly:

    ¡°What is her current status within the Amur Witch Clan?¡±

    ...

    ¡°Her aunt is an elder of the Witch Clan,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°The power structure of the Amur Witch Clan is very flat, with only two tiers: elders and ordinary members. Because they have been facing various external threats for a long time, the clan is very united internally, with no significant barriers or conflicts.¡±

    Although Yan Yu only briefly explained in a few words, Chen Tianming, being the astute person he was, could immediately deduce many things from his words:

    A flat power structure implies that the Amur Witch Clan is a newly established Transcendent regime that hasn¡¯t been around for long; no distinct class barriers have been put in place between the upper and lower echelons, and there¡¯s a high degree of mobility; facing constant external threats, power is essentially tied to strength, so everyone naturally supports the most powerful witch.

    All these points indicated one possibility, that is, Lu Country could become a substantial vassal state by providing military aid to support Anna¡ªwho has Lu Country blood and a close relationship with Yan Yu¡ªin becoming the ruler of the Amur Witch Clan.

    It sounded very feasible, but in reality, it was completely impractical, because Lu Country had pursued a policy of peaceful isolationism for many years, which had formed a strong political inertia¡ªor rather, ¡°the general trend.¡±

    Going against this trend was not just a problem of achieving half the result with twice the effort but a slight carelessness could lead to a fall into a bottomless abyss. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    If he could be 100% sure that the Amur Witch Clan would gain a firm foothold in the north, he would naturally be willing to bet all his chips at any cost, but how could such things ever be certain?

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± Chen Tianming asked meaningfully, ¡°do you think Lu Country should provide aid to the Amur Witch Clan?¡±

    ¡°I think doing nothing would be foolish,¡± Yan Yu said bluntly, ¡°The war among Transcendents doesn¡¯t experience logistical pressure and is more akin to a desperate street fight, often ending with the complete obliteration of one side. If we stand by and watch, only for the victor to turn against us later, how would that be any different from being fools?¡±

    ¡°The Rakshasas are preparing to take back Siberia,¡± Chen Tianming said slowly, ¡°If we support the Amur Witch Clan in establishing a strong foothold and later the Rakshasas come to reclaim their lost territory, what then?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Yan Yu fell silent.

    In his previous life, the Rakshasas had a very firm stance on reclaiming Siberia, having initiated three witch-hunting wars as proof of their uncompromising resolve¡­ and also as proof of their lacking strength, as they failed to succeed even after three attempts, who could have foreseen that?

    No wonder Chen Lingyun said this approach was unfeasible. At least at the current point in time, people had not yet realized the true power of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, nor did anyone believe that a rabble could defeat a regular army.

    ¡°I believe,¡± Yan Yu said slowly, ¡°that the only constant in human history is that nothing is eternal. If one prepares in advance, they stand firm; if not, they fall apart. To make assumptions about the future without making contingency plans, and then to rage impotently when things go wrong¡­ that¡¯s not my style, nor can I understand it.¡±

    Li Weiguo wore a thoughtful look, while Chen Tianming stared at him for a long while, then suddenly laughed and said:

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say I wouldn¡¯t make contingency plans, so what¡¯s the hurry?¡±

    Where have I hurried¡­ Lost for words, Yan Yu adopted an attitude of ¡°You¡¯re right; I¡¯m all ears,¡± waiting for Chen Tianming to continue.

    ¡°Deploying Zhendong cultivators is out of the question; I¡¯m telling you upfront not to harbor any excessive hopes,¡± Chen Tianming spoke leisurely, ¡°But not all cultivators are under Lu Country¡¯s control, right?¡±

    Yan Yu was initially startled by the remark, then he took a sharp intake of breath.

    Dammit, you sly old coin!

    What did Chen Tianming¡¯s words mean? It meant that the Zhendong cultivators, having official statuses, were not suitable to be mixed up in such affairs, as exposure on the international stage would create a lot of trouble.

    But civilian cultivators didn¡¯t have this restriction. Since internationally, civilian Transcendents were assumed to be free agents and hard to control, European superheroes could run off to Miti to join the Superhero Alliance, so Rikoku civilian cultivators wandering north to be hired by the Amur Witch Clan would also be perfectly normal, right?

    Considering that Lu Country had always employed strict measures to control civilian cultivation, it made perfect sense for civilian cultivators to flee the country to evade these controls.

    Of course, the calculations didn¡¯t stop there.

    Lu Country has always adopted a policy of strict control and crackdown on civilian cultivators, mainly because civilian cultivation is more detrimental than beneficial to both society and the upper echelons.

    However, Chen Tianming¡¯s strategy cunningly revealed the unique value of civilian cultivators¡ªthey can do certain things that official cultivators find inconvenient to handle.

    With this identity, it¡¯s like tearing a hole in the domestic policy of cracking down on civilian cultivators. Even better, if it¡¯s managed well later on, people will think, ¡°Hey, civilian cultivators are actually quite useful,¡± and then Chen Tianming would have grounds to propose loosening the controls on civilian cultivation.

    By now, Yan Yu had finally understood the meaning behind Chen Lingyun¡¯s words, ¡°The value that Yan Zhanlong can offer is greater than you imagine.¡± What Chen Tianming meant was that helping the Amur Witch Group was not a good deal; they could be destroyed at any time in the future. But in order to get Yan Zhanlong on his side and support his proposition, he was willing to make that investment, even if it meant a total loss.

    Thus, the problem was thrown to Yan Yu. Because with what Chen Tianming had done, he was essentially being forced to make a choice.

    Do you want to continue opposing the relaxation of controls on civilian cultivation, or do you allow civilian cultivators to help your little lover?

    Come on, young man, make your choice!

    This calculation was really shrewd, but the critical mistake made was ignoring one fact: I, Yan Yu, am the strongest in this world; can you really manipulate me so easily?

    Yan Yu pondered for just a moment before saying,

    ¡°The combat team cultivators are off-limits, I understand that. So, you mean if I retire from the Zhendong Army, participate in the northern war as a civilian volunteer cultivator, then return to the country and re-enlist after the battle is over, right?¡±

    Li Weiguo: ???

    Chen Tianming: ???

    ¡°Not at all, not at all.¡± Although this kid was probably joking, Li Weiguo couldn¡¯t ignore the 1% chance he was serious and immediately put on a serious face to deny it, ¡°How can you retire because of this? No way, I won¡¯t approve it!¡±

    ¡°How can you deceive yourself like this?¡± Chen Tianming couldn¡¯t help but laugh, ¡°Is Yan Zhanlong no longer Yan Zhanlong if he retires? With your current status and identity, whatever you do abroad that gets seen by others will still reflect on Lu Country.¡±

    ¡°So, the key isn¡¯t whether you are actually a Rikoku Cultivator or not, but whether you are recognized by others,¡± Yan Yu quickly seized the critical point, clapped his hands and said, ¡°As long as I wear a motorcycle helmet to cover my true face, switch to another Flying Sword, and pretend I¡¯m just an ordinary civilian cultivator from Rikoku, avoiding revealing the identity of Yan Zhanlong, I¡¯m good to go!¡±

    The two bigwigs fell silent again, at a loss for words.

    Is it feasible? It turned out to be quite feasible indeed. Because Sword Immortals differ from law cultivators, Assistant Officers, and Envoys as they don¡¯t possess unique Taoism Methods, magical treasures, or control over spirits that could be recognized; their only conspicuous possession is their personal Flying Sword.

    Once the sword is changed and the external disguise is in place, it would really be impossible to tell who is who¡ªa masked Sword Immortal with hands clasped inside his sleeves forming a Sword technique, not even letting you see the subtle movements, how could you tell them apart? Are you supposed to discern their swordsmanship style? The only one who could identify a person by their fighting moves just from watching is Wang Yuyan! There¡¯s no such all-knowing character in reality; they don¡¯t exist.

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± Chen Tianming said calmly, ¡°If you¡¯re going to disguise yourself, you need to do it thoroughly. With the exception of Anna, none of the other Amur witches can know your identity.¡±

    ¡°But if you do this, what¡¯s the advantage for you? No one will know the merits of Yan Zhanlong, all the prestige and benefits will be taken by Anna¡ªand your relationship with her is just unrequited love after all.¡±

    ¡°If she falls for someone else in the future and cuts off her relationship with you, will these sacrifices have any meaning at that time, aside from moving yourself?¡±

    Yan Yu couldn¡¯t deny that Old Taishan was right. If he didn¡¯t know and trust the character of the Eclipse Queen from his past life, he certainly wouldn¡¯t dare make such an early investment in Anna.

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Yan Yu said with justified earnestness, ¡°But I never expected to gain any benefits from Anna in the first place. If the Amur Witch Group becomes the ultimate victor, if Anna can rise to power smoothly, as long as she¡¯s willing to keep the northern border of Rikoku peaceful, I won¡¯t have any regrets for sweating or bleeding for it!¡±

    This lofty speech was delivered by Yan Yu with such passion, rhythm, and power, that even Li Weiguo and Chen Tianming, two seasoned heavyweights, were momentarily shocked and speechless.

    Could it be that we have misjudged him all along? Does he really possess such a high level of ideological consciousness?

    This thought barely arose in their minds before rationality took over again.

    No, no, no, it¡¯s more likely that he has some closer, private relationship with Anna, one that makes him absolutely sure she will never betray him.

    Look at Chen Lingyun. She was a clever and intelligent girl from a young age, and others often found themselves at a disadvantage when dealing with her. Yet, ever since she met Yan Yu, she¡¯s become so tame and willing to even serve as his deputy!

    That rascal Yan Yu, dealing with girls as if he has a special ability!

 Chapter 227 - 26: Thanks with the Zhao System

    Chapter 227: Chapter 26: Thanks with the Zhao System

    A few days later, Sofia and Maria bid farewell and left.

    Due to the increasingly intense conflicts in the north, Natasha had already given up on diplomatic efforts and planned to take her group back home to join the war.

    The sisters were all resisting the Gillia bears, and Sofia and Maria felt it improper to loaf around in the south, so they went to Pingjing to meet up with Natasha¡¯s envoy group and left Lu Country together.

    Now only Anna remained in Jinling Prefecture, waiting for Yan Yu¡¯s final response.

    Yan Yu too was waiting for Li Weiguo and Chen Tianming to make a decision.

    Yan Zhanlong went to the north to support the witches, a venture that required no cost from Lu Country. The only risk involved was to Yan Zhanlong¡¯s own safety¡­ but that¡¯s just a common issue in modern warfare. Swords and spears have no eyes; one must go into battle prepared to make sacrifices¡ªthere¡¯s really nothing more to say.

    ...

    Better to take this chance to train well!

    ¡°The key to Sword Flight is the mind!¡± Yan Yu explained while teaching on the spacious training field outside, ¡°Focus your Divine Sense on the sword, and wholeheartedly imagine that the sword¡¯s light envelops you! Imagine you are controlling the sword¡¯s light, traveling unfettered throughout the seas and deserts, reaching the highest heavens and the lowest underworld. There¡¯s nowhere in this vast world you can¡¯t go!¡±

    He performed a live demonstration of Sword Flight for everyone, deliberately executing the motions slowly. He rode the Huang Tingjian¡¯s light in a large arc across the sky, eventually landing back at the original spot, sword and body separating:

    ¡°To disengage from Sword Flight is also simple. Once you¡¯ve reached your intended landing spot, just imagine jumping out from the sword¡¯s light.¡±

    ¡°Now, who wants to give it a try?¡±

    ¡°I will!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen volunteered eagerly.

    In her world, Sword Flight was an advanced skill in the Sword Control Technique. Sword Control Technique was a basic skill everyone had, but only about sixty percent could manage Sword Flight. And even more advanced skills like the Sword-Body Union were something only those dedicated to swordsmanship, the Sword Immortals, would learn.

    Zhao Yuanzhen definitely belonged to that sixty percent and had long mastered Sword Flight. Her volunteering now was just to show off; she wrapped herself in the Yin Wind Sword¡¯s light and rose with a whoosh, circling around the school grounds. Almost all the outdoor teachers and students saw her.

    She landed back in front of the girls, hands on hips, sporting a smug and self-satisfied smile.

    ¡°Very good, the rest of you should give it a try too,¡± Yan Yu said, noting some of the girls seemed nervous, and comforted them, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If Sword Flight succeeds, then it¡¯s a success; if it fails, nothing happens, and there¡¯s no danger.¡±

    Once the team leader assured them there was no danger, the girls started to practice according to the manual.

    Yan Yu sat in a chair to the side, watching. Lin Ning was the quickest to get the hang of it, and it didn¡¯t take long before she started to draw the Green Bamboo Sword¡¯s light close to her body, though she hadn¡¯t yet achieved the level of ¡°rising with the light.¡±

    Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin¡¯s progress was much slower. Although they seemed to be concentrating fully, the Purple Extreme Sword and Coral Tear merely circled around them without any signs of transforming into sword light.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid!¡± Yan Yu saw their furrowed brows and promptly reminded them, ¡°Being enveloped by the sword light doesn¡¯t mean it will harm you! I told you, there¡¯s no danger!¡±

    Despite his repeated assurances, the notion of letting the sword light engulf them¡ªwhen it was usually directed at enemies¡ªmade the girls somewhat uneasy.

    Yan Yu watched from the side for quite some time, feeling the exasperation of a driving instructor witnessing a novice driver¡¯s outlandish maneuvers, almost wishing he could take their place.

    Glancing to the side, he saw Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi sitting nearby, giggling while watching a meme video, and immediately glared at them:

    ¡°You two are slacking off again!¡±

    ¡°No, we¡¯re not!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen called out in her own defense, ¡°Didn¡¯t I already master it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still not proficient with the Sword Control Technique¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi said meekly.

    ¡°If you¡¯re not proficient in Sword Control Technique, shouldn¡¯t you be diligently practicing to catch up to everyone else?¡± Yan Yu spoke righteously, then turned and commanded Zhao Yuanzhen, ¡°You teach her swordsmanship! Only when you¡¯ve taught little Xie can you rest freely!¡±

    ¡°You little thief!¡± ¡°Have mercy!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen cursed while Xie Ruoxi cried plaintively. Seeing Yan Yu showed no sign of relenting, they exchanged a glance, and suddenly their wariness skyrocketed.

    ¡°Sister Zhao,¡± Xie Ruoxi quickly distanced herself, her face adopting a flattering smile as she spoke, ¡°We have such a deep sisterly bond, why inflict such harm on each other? I¡¯ll practice diligently; you don¡¯t have to worry too much about me¡­¡±

    ¡°Ruoxi, ah.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s smile carried ill-intent as she laughed, ¡°Of course, I believe you¡¯ll practice diligently. But if I put pressure on you, I trust you¡¯ll learn even faster. Look at how far you¡¯ve fallen behind everyone. I¡¯m doing this for your own good.¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhao, you really don¡¯t need to worry about me.¡± Xie Ruoxi¡¯s gaze shifted, searching for an escape route as she spoke, ¡°You know, my mental strength is actually quite fragile, and pressure will just make me crumble faster. Can you not force me, please?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, mmm, mmm,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen advanced step by step, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ruoxi, I¡¯ll be very gentle and light-handed. Just be a little attentive, and you¡¯ll definitely be able to block my attacks¡­ Behold the sword!¡±

    The clash of the Yin Wind Sword and the Heavenly Origin Sword produced a metallic ring. Although Xie Ruoxi was exceptionally talented and her True Yuan was sturdy, her progress in cultivation was nevertheless falling behind. She was quickly beaten by Zhao Yuanzhen to a point where her face was swollen and battered, and she even began to cry out in pain once again.

    She was naturally delicate and lovely, and her tear-streaked face made her look especially pitiable, just like a pear blossom bathed in rain. Any man would instinctively hold back, but Zhao Yuanzhen was a Demonic Sect Enchantress, utterly devoid of such compassion. She continued to intensify her sword attacks and excitedly shouted:

    ¡°Stop crying! Defend yourself! Will crying help you on the battlefield? Crying by day, crying by night, do you think that will cry the enemy to death? Strike at me! If you kill me, you¡¯ll be saved!¡±

    Yan Yu sat back and watched coldly, thinking that the Demonic Sect Enchantress was true to her cruel nature. Using her against Xie Ruoxi, this pitiful waste of beauty, was utterly perfect.

    As wise as I am, I truly deserve myself!

    After chasing Xie Ruoxi around for a while, probably realising that pretending to be pitiful was utterly useless, Xie Ruoxi could only brace herself and exchange blows with Zhao Yuanzhen.

    After practicing for nearly an entire afternoon, the girls still hadn¡¯t mastered Sword Flight; even Lin Ning, who had the fastest progress, could only manage to whirl her sword aura around herself.

    Under intense pressure, Xie Ruoxi¡¯s Sword Control Technique actually began to take shape; at least she now knew how to block when your sword struck at her.

    When Yan Yu announced the end of training, she immediately plunged into Su Yunjin¡¯s arms, bawling¡ªSecretary Su was the kindest and most maternal figure in the team; that pretty waste had a vicious eye for sympathy.

    Seeing her covered in bruises and injuries, Su Yunjin felt a tad heartbroken, but she also felt it inappropriate to interfere with Yan Yu¡¯s training plan, so she could only comfort Xie Ruoxi gently and treat her wounds.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, having enjoyed bullying her easy target, felt she finally understood the joy of being a team leader, and came over buzzing with excitement saying:

    ¡°From now on, why don¡¯t I just take over Ruoxi¡¯s training?¡± Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Xie Ruoxi immediately lifted her head from Su Yunjin¡¯s embrace, her face pale and her shoulders trembling as she looked at Yan Yu with pleading eyes, her lips quivering.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± Yan Yu pondered, stroking his chin, thinking it wouldn¡¯t be right to let the Demonic Sect Enchantress torment the beautiful waste all the time. After all, Zhao Yuanzhen didn¡¯t know how to pull her punches, and he was afraid that it would leave lasting mental scars.

    What about treating her like the Sword of Damocles, hanging over Xie Ruoxi¡¯s head all the time? If this waste dares to slack off or shirk work, I¡¯ll just threaten her with the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡ªas a complementary deterrent to the ¡°banning of all gaming platforms,¡± to be used in combination.

    Yes, that will do.

    ¡°Where are we eating tonight?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked with great enthusiasm.

    ¡°You decide,¡± Yan Yu replied casually. ¡°How many meals do I owe you now?¡±

    ¡°Fourteen,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to inflate the numbers,¡± Yan Yu said disapprovingly. ¡°I only promised you ten meals in total. How did it suddenly go over?¡±

    ¡°You wrecked the puppet last time, and you think repairing it didn¡¯t cost me anything?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen argued righteously.

    The two of them haggled back and forth, while Su Yunjin took care of Xie Ruoxi¡¯s injuries. Chen Lingyun sat with Lin Ning chatting, when suddenly her phone rang.

    ¡°Lingyun, it¡¯s your phone,¡± Lin Ning reminded her.

    ¡°Mm,¡± Chen Lingyun answered the call and began speaking in dialect.

    Even though Lin Ning didn¡¯t understand exactly what was said, she could roughly guess that the person on the other end must be her mother.

    After hanging up, Chen Lingyun turned around and called out:

    ¡°Yan Yu, let¡¯s not eat out today.¡±

    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°My mother has come to Jinling,¡± Chen Lingyun answered. ¡°She wants to treat our team to a meal.¡±

    Lin Ning keenly noticed that there wasn¡¯t the usual beaming fake smile on her face, but rather an impression of a calm and inscrutable lake surface.

 Chapter 228 - 27 The Mother-in-law Looks at Her Son-in-law

    Chapter 228: Chapter 27 The Mother-in-law Looks at Her Son-in-law

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s mother, who will be referred to as Mother Chen from now on, is the sole daughter of the head of Jianghai Investment Group.

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s grandfather was the largest landlord in Jianghai Prefecture back in the day. During the industrialization era of Lu Country, he directly donated all his land, turning it into state-owned property, in exchange for high praise from the clear streams of Lu Country.

    Chen Tianming was able to rise rapidly through the ranks, and his father¡¯s illustrious reputation was, of course, inseparable from this success.

    What¡¯s more incredible is that although his father converted all his wealth into reputation, causing the family to go from ¡°landed gentry¡± to ¡°impoverished gentry,¡± Chen Tianming quickly married the sole daughter of the head of Jianghai Investment Group, thereby making a remarkable comeback¡ªit¡¯s clear that within the genes passed down in the Chen family, there must be some element of radical speculative opportunism as not going all-in seems to make them uncomfortable.

    Mother Chen was also a local miss of Jianghai, who had studied for her MBA degree in England in her early years, returning to take over the family business. Although rumors had it that the two were love at first sight, Yan Yu highly doubted it.

    Because Chen Tianming was the kind of man whose mind was set on making great achievements and was full of ambition, he barely had any other pursuits, and during busy times, he would even let his secretary buy him a fried dough twist and a pancake to serve as lunch; Mother Chen was the other extreme, pursuing the finest quality in life to such an extent that even saying she ¡®eats only the most refined and finest-tasting food¡¯ would be an understatement.

    ...

    Yan Yu even remembered, from his past life, the first time he went to Chen Lingyun¡¯s home. There were a shoe cabinet and a soft bench outside the door. Chen Lingyun pulled him to a soft bench, lifted her feet, and a maid came out to help them remove their shoes¡­

    At that time, he had been somewhat embarrassed, then Chen Lingyun explained that the maid was ¡°in charge of the hallway,¡± instantly giving him the illusion of having traveled back to ancient times to become a noble consort.

    Of course, this was no longer the feudal era where people were distinguished by rank or status, so the Chen family didn¡¯t have any ¡°servants¡± at home, only ¡°various types of service personnel.¡± For example, just in the kitchen staff alone, there were about twenty chefs specializing in Shandong, Sichuan, and Huaiyang cuisines, as well as Western cuisine, desserts, and coffee¡ªMother Chen was the type who would rather not eat at all than eat anything but the best.

    Yan Yu did not like this kind of person. In his past life, he and Old Taishan merely had a difference in philosophy, while with his mother-in-law, it was pure mutual disdain.

    However, since in this life he had decided not to pursue Chen Lingyun, he naturally need not care about Mother Chen¡¯s impressions or assessments of him. After all, it was fine as long as he simply brought the team to eat.

    The group left the school, and two luxury cars had already stopped at the school gate¡ªYan Yu wasn¡¯t clear just how expensive they were. He didn¡¯t care much for sports cars, since he usually traveled by Sword Control in his previous life.

    The girls were also quite calm about it because everyone knew long ago that the Ling Yun family was indeed wealthy.

    The car stopped in front of the Oasis Hotel, and soon, someone came to open the door and usher everyone into the hotel.

    Yan Yu glanced around casually and knew that Mother Chen must have booked the hotel¡¯s dining area again, then switched in her own team of chefs to cook¡ªwhen Chen Lingyun traveled in her previous life, she stayed at only a select few hotels, bringing her own toiletries and everything else. Guess where she got that habit from?

    So particular! Too particular!

    Upon entering the private room, just as the girls were about to take their seats, Chen Lingyun suddenly said:

    ¡°Wait a moment.¡±

    She whispered to the butler next to her for a moment and began calling out names:

    ¡°Ningning, you sit there.¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin, come to this side.¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhao, sit next to Yun Jin.¡±

    ¡°Ruoxi, sit on Ningning¡¯s left-hand side.¡±

    Yan Yu suddenly jerked in alarm and quickly sent a telepathic message to Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°What the heck, I don¡¯t want to sit next to your mom!¡±

    ¡°Who do you think she¡¯s here for?¡± Chen Lingyun responded to him.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say this was to treat the team to a meal?¡± Yan Yu chose to feign ignorance directly.

    ¡°Be a good boy and sit here, okay~¡± Chen Lingyun coaxed him as if soothing a child, ¡°I¡¯ll sit next to you in a bit, and I¡¯ll help you out if anything comes up.¡±

    ¡°Get lost!¡± Yan Yu was about to berate her fiercely but then thought to himself, I¡¯m not your boyfriend, what¡¯s there to be scared of your mom for?

    Even if your mom continues to treat me like a ¡®crude son-in-law¡¯ or a ¡®dandy in fancy dress¡¯ as she did in the past life, so what?

    What can she do, have her daughter bite me?

    Thinking this, Yan Yu sneered to himself, thinking Chen Lingyun, don¡¯t blame me for this, it was you and your mother¡¯s own choice.

    Everyone took their assigned seats, and the cold dishes started to come in one after another, but nobody picked up their chopsticks.

    It wasn¡¯t long before Mother Chen came in.

    The Chen Family typically embraced late marriage and childbearing, with Mother Chen having had Chen Lingyun in her thirties, so she was nearly fifty now. However, due to proper maintenance, she appeared to be in her early thirties. Her hair was cut very short (completely exposing her ears), starkly different from Lu Country¡¯s traditional aesthetic for women and instead exuded a sense of fashion reminiscent of foreign ladies.

    Mother Chen¡¯s gaze swept across the room, pausing on Yan Yu¡¯s face for three to four seconds before she took a seat right between him and Chen Lingyun, smiled, and said:

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you all eating already?¡±

    ¡°Everyone is waiting for you.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, hugging her arm.

    Yan Yu rolled his eyes in a sickly sweet manner, thinking to himself, why did he feel like he was suddenly witnessing a scene where Wang Xifeng is fawning over Grandmother Jia?

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we all introduce ourselves?¡± Mother Chen suggested warmly.

    The girls honestly took turns introducing themselves. Mother Chen nodded with a smile at each introduction, but Yan Yu noticed that she seemed a bit displeased with Xie Ruoxi and Zhao Yuanzhen, preferring Lin Ning and Su Yunjin instead, lingering on these two a bit longer with her gaze.

    In this regard, although Chen Lingyun was proud, she wasn¡¯t as prejudiced as her mother who seemed to judge people through tinted glasses from the first meeting¡­

    ¡°Hold on.¡± Just as Su Yunjin finished introducing herself, Mother Chen suddenly called out towards the doorway, ¡°Is Xiao Shi there?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± A professional woman dressed in OL attire walked in¡ªit was Shi Meijing, the housekeeper of Chen Lingyun¡¯s family.

    Yan Yu vaguely remembered that this woman¡¯s father had served Chen Lingyun¡¯s grandfather and now she was serving Chen Lingyun¡¯s parents, a veritable ¡°servant for generations.¡±

    ¡°Look at this dish.¡± Mother Chen pointed to a plate of salted vegetables stir-fried with edamame, frowning as she spoke, ¡°It¡¯s cut so small?¡±

    Shi Meijing glanced at it, picked it up, and said:

    ¡°The knife work was from a newbie that Chef Xie recently trained, not done well, I¡¯ll have them redo it.¡±

    ¡°Forget it, forget it, just take it away,¡± Mother Chen said impatiently, waving her hand to have Shi Meijing take away the cold dish.

    Seeing the other girls looking confused, just as Mother Chen was about to speak up, they heard Yan Yu snicker and he explained to everyone:

    ¡°The salted vegetables burnt with edamame, each piece should be cut exactly to a third of the length, no more or less, so it looks good with the edamame¡­ Heh heh, this is how wealthy families are, so particular.¡±

    There was not the slightest attempt in his tone to hide the mockery, causing the girls to tense up. Even the usually calm Chen Lingyun¡¯s face slightly changed colors, fearing that her mother would slam the table and storm out.

    Mother Chen initially felt some subconsciously offended displeasure, but her expression quickly shifted. After examining Yan Yu for a moment, she revealed a satisfied look as if to say ¡°you understand quite well,¡± and explained with a smile to the girls:

    ¡°It¡¯s not that Auntie is being overly fastidious. My father, which is Ling Yun¡¯s grandfather, partnered with others to start a business and we were poor at the time. We often made this dish at home with rice. But he would always cut the salted vegetables nearly as long as the edamame. My father said, we might be poor at home, but not in spirit. Rice must be fluffy, vegetables finely chopped, a nail is a nail, a dowel is a dowel, this principle applies to dealing with people and living life as well.¡±

    The girls listened in awe, their expressions as if they were undergoing some sort of religious revelation. Only Yan Yu, with his hand propping up his chin, thought, yeah yeah yeah, your family also has its reasons for having the maid help with shoes, when you¡¯re rich and have status your logic is the biggest, right?

    ¡°You¡¯re Yan Yu, aren¡¯t you?¡± Mother Chen said pleasantly, ¡°I¡¯ve seen your videos, quite impressive.¡±

    ¡°You flatter me, Auntie.¡± Yan Yu responded coolly, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say impressive, just doing my best.¡±

    ¡°The kid has promise,¡± Mother Chen was even more satisfied, turning to Chen Lingyun she continued, ¡°The boys your father wanted to introduce to you before, they themselves have no real ability, relying entirely on their parents¡¯ fortune, yet each one thinks too highly of themselves. That¡¯s just clueless behavior. If they were all like Yan Yu, would I disagree?¡±

    With Mother Chen¡¯s cards laid on the table, the girls¡¯ expressions also subtly changed. Only Chen Lingyun playfully nudged her mother¡¯s hand, saying with a smile:

    ¡°We rarely get together to eat, why bring this up now, Mom?¡± S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Alright, alright, I won¡¯t talk about it. You¡¯ve always had your own opinions since you were little,¡± Mother Chen said, as the corner of her eyes caught the others¡¯ expressions, deducing the answers in her heart and in private, holding Yan Yu in even higher esteem.

    Her principle was, ¡°everything must be the best,¡± which of course applied to selecting her son-in-law as well.

    Ordinary family background, cautious character, groveling in the face of power, such phoenix men, even if they struggle, Mother Chen would not be impressed¡ªare the things you struggle for your whole life something our Governor¡¯s family would value?

    Even with those from official aristocratic families or born into rich merchants¡¯ households, Mother Chen was still not impressed¡ªgold-plated toilets soiled by waste, those who are incompetent and rely solely on their family to keep up appearances, how could they be worthy of my Ling Yun?

    But then looking at Yan Yu, so young and already a nationally known cultivator, even Chen Tianming looked at him in a different light. And there were so many beautiful girls around him¡­ perfectly normal. You see, outstanding men are like hot commodities in the market; they don¡¯t need any extra promotion, the long line outside the store is the best proof!

    Having so many competitors by his side just proves his excellence!

    With this in mind, Mother Chen grew more determined in her thought: This is my son-in-law!

    With this resolve, her glance at Yan Yu became increasingly inappropriate: how she looked at him, she saw only good points, as if everything about him was perfect.

    Noticing the problem with the length of the salted vegetables proved he had a refined and elegant taste in life, a man well-suited to be a life partner.

    His speech might have been cold and his attitude not the best, but it just proved he wouldn¡¯t bow down to power, a man of dignity and spirit.

    Having a bunch of beautiful girls around him, each seeming to be interested in him, further evidenced he was certainly one of those top-notch men, a natural perfect match for my girl!

    With this thought, Mother Chen didn¡¯t hesitate any longer and straightforwardly asked:

    ¡°Yan Yu, do you have a girlfriend or not?¡±

 Chapter 229 - 28: Chen Lingyuns Weakness

    Chapter 229: Chapter 28: Chen Lingyun¡¯s Weakness

    Facing the direct probing from Chen¡¯s mother, the girls all looked shocked.

    Then they each regained their composure.

    It¡¯s fine, she¡¯s not my mom. It¡¯s not my problem if she loses face in front of the team captain.

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s expression, however, did change, and she quickly grabbed Chen¡¯s mother¡¯s arm, forcing a smile as she said:

    ¡°Mom, who starts a conversation by asking about this¡­¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Yan Yu answered, ¡°I don¡¯t have a girlfriend.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Then, what type of girl do you like?¡± Chen¡¯s mother asked with a friendly smile, like a Jianghai aunt eager to marry off her daughter, ¡°Auntie will see if there¡¯s a suitable young lady around and maybe introduce you to each other~¡±

    ¡°Around,¡± ¡°suitable,¡± ¡°young lady¡±¡ªAuntie, why don¡¯t you just give your daughter¡¯s name directly?

    ¡°I can¡¯t really say what I like,¡± Yan Yu replied coldly. ¡°I can only say what I don¡¯t like: for example, those who always have a fake smile on their face, looking at everyone as if they¡¯re idiots. I don¡¯t like that kind of hypocrisy and arrogance.¡±

    ¡°Mmm,¡± Chen¡¯s mother said as if it were nothing, ¡°Speaking of which, our Ling Yun is actually very innocent and kind at heart. She used to take care of a stray cat at home¡­ ¡±

    ¡°Mom!¡± Chen Lingyun couldn¡¯t hold back anymore and stood up, angrily protesting.

    ¡°Okay, okay, I won¡¯t say more,¡± Chen¡¯s mother conceded upon seeing her daughter¡¯s intense reaction, then turned to say with a smile, ¡°Let¡¯s eat, everyone. Don¡¯t be too restrained, just be casual.¡±

    The girls secretly laughed in their hearts. As expected, the captain not only dared to rebuff Ling Yun but also did not spare her mother¡­ They each started to dish out food and eat.

    ¡°Yan Yu, try this.¡± Chen¡¯s mother personally served Yan Yu a bowl of bamboo shoot and salted pork soup.

    ¡°Thank you, Auntie.¡± Yan Yu, though he found her disagreeable due to past events, could not simply throw cold water in the face of his prospective mother-in-law, who was now showing kindness¡ªAfter all, he wasn¡¯t the craziest man in this life! How could he do something so laughable?

    Seeing him actually give thanks, Chen¡¯s mother¡¯s face lit up with joy.

    This boy is so polite, it¡¯s truly rare. I really didn¡¯t see him wrong~

    She didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong with her thoughts. After all, a murderer who repents becomes a Buddha on the spot, while a lifetime of good deeds followed by a single evil thought leads one to hell¡ªa peculiar yet human nature. In Chen¡¯s mother subconscious, Yan Zhanlong, nationally renowned, should be like Ximen ChuiXue¡ªarrogant and indifferent. Now that he seemed willing to give face to an elder like herself, of course, it was a cause for joy.

    Chen¡¯s mother also stealthily conveyed a message to her daughter with her eyes: Ling Yun, such an excellent man, you must seize the opportunity! S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Chen Lingyun rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed.

    She knew her mother¡¯s personality well and guessed at once why her mother treated Yan Yu differently. It was the same principle as luxury goods; if it was priced even slightly low, Chen¡¯s mother wouldn¡¯t even look at it. But if it¡¯s a global limited edition that will soon be discontinued¡ªsorry, but I must own it.

    Yan Zhanlong is currently the unique ¡°luxury item¡± in the entire Lu Country, naturally becoming Chen¡¯s mother¡¯s most prized candidate for a son-in-law. Even among the Jianghai affluent ladies¡¯ circle, how much face would Chen¡¯s mother gain if she could say, ¡°My son-in-law is Yan Zhanlong¡±? Just for that, she was determined not to let go easily.

    As for the pretty girls in the team, as well as the various rumors about Yan Yu having a harem, they only served to raise Chen¡¯s mother¡¯s evaluation of him¡ªit¡¯s like why men who love married women, love married women. Those who understand, understand; those who don¡¯t, don¡¯t need to ask.

    She silently lowered her eyelids, feeling no appetite for the food on the table. For one thing, she had been eating it since she was a child, and for another, her mood was indeed not good.

    Chen Lingyun enjoyed watching fun, and occasionally didn¡¯t mind becoming the fun herself, but she did not want her parents to become a spectacle in the eyes of others, nor did she want to see her mother humiliated by Yan Yu, with the added indignity of begging him nicely.

    Looking at the other girls, Lin Ning and Su Yunjin were both very well-mannered, eating, pausing, chatting, and laughing, engaging Chen¡¯s mother in conversation and keeping the atmosphere harmonious.

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi, on the other hand, were burying themselves in eating, from time to time picking food for each other, ¡°Ruoxi, this is delicious,¡± ¡°Sister Zhao, try this one,¡± acting like country bumpkins with insatiable appetites, which Chen¡¯s mother would not even bother looking at.

    But just because Chen¡¯s mother didn¡¯t care to look and was annoyed, didn¡¯t mean Yan Yu could bear the antics of these two buffoons. His eyes narrowed, and with a sweep of his divine sense, he sent a telepathic scolding:

    ¡°Even if you like eating, try to restrain yourselves a bit. Don¡¯t let others think you have no manners!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen continued to use her chopsticks like the wind and replied telepathically, ¡°I¡¯m very close with Chen Lingyun. She¡¯ll explain it for me if Auntie misunderstands.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi, not yet skilled in the art of telepathy and with her mouth full of food, was unable to speak, so she simply took out her phone and messaged Yan Yu:

    ¡°I only have a high school diploma, so I¡¯m not well-mannered to begin with.¡±

    Yan Yu forcefully suppressed his anger, and if it weren¡¯t for Chen¡¯s mother being there, he would have already teleported over to dunk their heads into the plates¡­ It was during this pause that Chen¡¯s mother noticed that he had stopped eating and asked:

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Yan Yu? Don¡¯t you like the food?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s delicious,¡± Yan Yu could only answer vaguely, ¡°I¡¯m just full.¡±

    ¡°Good, as long as you¡¯re full,¡± Chen¡¯s mother said cheerfully, ¡°I was worried about not being a good host. She didn¡¯t bother looking at the two gluttons opposite her and turned to Chen Lingyun, ¡°Are you still living in that villa?¡±

    Chen Lingyun said with a smile:

    ¡°Yes, the school dorm¡¯s conditions aren¡¯t good, so most of us live outside.¡±

    Lin Ning and Su Yunjin were speechless as well. Aren¡¯t the school dorms nice? Apart from having to clean up themselves, they are hardly inferior to the single rooms in hotels outside!

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Chen¡¯s mother agreed, ¡°I mentioned last time about sending a few chefs over to your place, why didn¡¯t you want them?¡±

    ¡°Auntie, we all cook for ourselves.¡± Lin Ning quickly explained.

    ¡°Cook for yourselves, huh.¡± Chen¡¯s mother paused for a moment, then assumed an elder¡¯s air and advised, ¡°Young ladies should spend less time in the kitchen. After all, the smoke and fumes are terrible for the skin, and they¡¯re harmful to the eyes and respiratory system as well. Besides, you are all chosen ones; you should spend your time on more important matters. If money can solve a problem, then there¡¯s no need for you to do it yourselves.¡±

    Yan Yu immediately became angry on the side, I¡¯m the captain of the Zhenhai Team! Only I can show off in the team! You¡¯re just a mother-in-law with some dirty money, what superiority are you flaunting here? This isn¡¯t your Jianghai Prefecture!

    He spoke up nonchalantly:

    ¡°Auntie, you¡¯re a mortal, you don¡¯t understand the truth of the matter. We cultivators pay attention to refining our hearts amid the mortal world. Cooking, washing clothes, sweeping floors, and watering plants help us grasp the profound truths of the Great Way through the subtle aspects of life, which is extremely beneficial for our cultivation.¡±

    Though Yan Yu spoke softly, his disdain was evident in his words, ¡°I am a cultivator¡± and ¡°you are a mortal¡±.

    Chen Lingyun clenched her chopsticks silently, but instead of getting angry, Chen¡¯s mother became even happier, nodding and laughing:

    ¡°Exactly, exactly, it was ignorant of me to presume. Well then, let me go take a look at the villa later. Whatever you need for your daily lives, just tell me, and I¡¯ll help you solve it.¡±

    Seeing that Chen¡¯s mother wasn¡¯t even angry over this, Lin Ning and Su Yunjin were dumbfounded, wondering if this was the legendary case of a mother-in-law liking her son-in-law more and more as she sees him?

    But wait! He and Ling Yun aren¡¯t even dating!

    Auntie, you can¡¯t possibly believe that by being nice to the captain, you can persuade him to marry into the family, right?

    We cultivators earn millions on a single trip to the Mysterious Realm, we seriously don¡¯t lack money!

    Though they weren¡¯t worried that Yan Yu would stoop low before the power of money, the thought of Chen¡¯s mother staying at the villa and trying to play matchmaker every day between the captain and her daughter was quite distressing.

    The two exchanged glances silently, and without any telepathic communication, they reached a tacit understanding.

    We need to send Ling Yun¡¯s mom away as soon as possible!

    Xie Ruoxi, having eaten her fill, was quite content when she suddenly heard Chen¡¯s mother say ¡°she was going to check out the villa¡±, and she quickly whispered to Zhao Yuanzhen, who was still heartily eating:

    ¡°Auntie said she¡¯s going to our villa!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s eyes lit up:

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean we can eat these dishes every day?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes!¡±

    Their eyes met, and without needing to say more, they reached an agreement.

    We should encourage Ling Yun¡¯s mom to stay longer!

    Yan Yu, bored, was playing with his phone and heard Chen Lingyun¡¯s telepathic message to him:

    ¡°Are you feeling very smug?¡±

    ¡°What do I have to be smug about?¡± Yan Yu replied irritably.

    ¡°My mom is already treating you like her own son.¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°You were familiar with her temperament in a past life, so it must be even easier for you to please her now, right?¡±

    ¡°Little Ling Yun, don¡¯t flatter yourself too much.¡± Yan Yu scoffed, ¡°It¡¯s precisely because I know what she¡¯s like that I¡¯m completely indifferent to how she sees me.¡±

    Chen Lingyun was taken aback, and then began to ponder: What does he mean? Did Yan Yu and my mother not get along well in their past life?

    ¡°But you have reminded me,¡± Yan Yu suddenly laughed with ill intent, ¡°if I remember correctly, isn¡¯t your mom your Achilles¡¯ heel?¡±

    A feeling of dread flashed through Chen Lingyun¡¯s heart, but she calmly asked, ¡°Oh, what do you mean? I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°You still want to bluff your way through, huh.¡± Yan Yu said triumphantly, seeing through her act, ¡°Have you forgotten that I have experience from a past life?¡±

    After a moment¡¯s silence, Chen Lingyun replied coldly:

    ¡°Go ahead and try it if you think you can!¡±

    ¡°Haha, getting anxious now!¡±

 Chapter 230 - 29 Yan Yu, even if its for me

    Chapter 230: Chapter 29 Yan Yu, even if it¡¯s for me

    Princess Jiang Hai, Chen Lingyun, had always had everything handed to her on a silver platter, seldom moved by anyone or anything.

    Even if you cursed her to her face, she would just respond with a faint smile, not taking offense in the slightest¡ªafter all, insignificant people didn¡¯t deserve her attention.

    But Chen Lingyun had her weaknesses.

    Her worldview was inherited from her father, cold, self-centered, and profit-oriented; her values came from her mother, greedy, vain, and a perfectionist. However, if you reversed this thought process, it would clearly show that in Chen Lingyun¡¯s inner world, her father and mother almost held her everything, and they were her only two weaknesses and vulnerabilities.

    Chen Tianming held a high position with considerable power in Lu Country, and there were few who could pose a threat to him. Therefore, strictly speaking, Chen Lingyun¡¯s mother was her sole vulnerability¡ªif you slandered Chen Lingyun, she would remain indifferent, but if you insulted her mother and caused her pain, Chen Lingyun would be utterly defenseless.

    Sitting in the car, Chen Lingyun looked out the window, silently contemplating.

    ...

    Expecting Yan Yu to show any warmth toward her mother was unlikely; not showing a foul mood was already a win. But with her mother¡¯s unreciprocated affection for him encountering his disdain and indifference, it was even harder for her to bear.

    What should she do?

    Hmm, got it¡­

    Back in the villa, as everyone had just entered the living room, they saw Anna hurrying down the stairs to greet them.

    ¡°Who is this?¡± Chen¡¯s mother asked with a beaming smile.

    ¡°Mom, she¡¯s our friend,¡± Chen Lingyun explained. ¡°She came back from abroad to have fun and will stay here for a few days.¡±

    ¡°Hello, auntie,¡± Anna promptly introduced herself after hearing Chen Lingyun¡¯s introduction.

    ¡°Oh, lovely,¡± Chen¡¯s mother responded. Due to her earlier experiences abroad, her aesthetic tastes were somewhat Westernized, and she was particularly fond of the half-half sweet sister look of blonde Persian cats, sighing with a smile, ¡°Yan Yu has so many beautiful girls around him~¡±

    Chen Lingyun slightly smiled, pretending she hadn¡¯t caught the underlying message from her mother: Daughter, you better seize the opportunity.

    When it came to the ¡°blooming flowers¡± around Yan Yu, Anna¡¯s expression turned somewhat gloomy, but she still forced a smile and said:

    ¡°Thank you for the compliment, Auntie.¡±

    Chen¡¯s mother wanted to probe further, but Chen Lingyun had already anticipated her mother¡¯s intentions and quickly employed the conversation-breaking skill by holding her mother¡¯s arm with a laugh:

    ¡°Mom, let me show you around the house.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Chen¡¯s mother said, even though she was dying to remark, ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s a garden or a courtyard; what¡¯s there to look at in this small villa?¡± But her daughter was so eager to invite her that she couldn¡¯t bear to refuse, so the two walked upstairs arm in arm.

    Yan Yu, on the other hand, lounged lazily on the sofa, playing with his phone. Had Lin Ning or Su Yunjin¡¯s mother visited, he might have behaved more seriously, but for Chen¡¯s mother¡­ Who cares.

    After reading a novel for a while, he suddenly sensed that the atmosphere around him was off.

    The girls each sat on the sofa, not speaking or playing with their phones, merely exchanging glances and looking at each other.

    Typically, in such a situation, one could assume they were secretly communicating with each other; no other explanation was feasible.

    ¡°What secret messages are you passing around?¡± Yan Yu asked languidly.

    ¡°Nothing much,¡± Lin Ning quickly covered up, ¡°we were discussing how young Ling Yun¡¯s mother looks.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Yan Yu scoffed with disdain, ¡°if you spend money to go to a beauty salon twice a week for full-body maintenance, you too would look thirty at fifty.¡±

    Going to the beauty salon twice a week¡­ This was beyond the girls¡¯ comprehension. In their eyes, applying a face mask and some serum before bed was already considered diligent maintenance.

    But now that we have money, maybe we should also find a beauty salon for regular care?

    Seeing them exchange looks, Yan Yu could easily guess what they were secretly discussing and sneered, saying:

    ¡°Beauty salons are for mortals; what do we cultivators need with such trouble?¡±

    The girls: ?

    You¡¯re on a path to self-destruction, Captain!

    The next second, they quickly surrounded Yan Yu, bombarding him with questions about the methods cultivators use to maintain their youthfulness.

    Only Zhao Yuanzhen, who had always been confident about her looks, smiled faintly, completely ignoring their enthusiasm and discussion, and continued her online search for ¡°how to please elderly women.¡±

    Speaking of which, Chen Lingyun took Chen¡¯s mother to her bedroom. Once the door was closed, Chen¡¯s mother stopped holding back and directly reproached her:

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, Ling Yun? Yan Yu is such a good man, don¡¯t you like him, or do you just look down on him?¡±

    ¡°Mom, stop worrying about me,¡± Chen Lingyun said impatiently. ¡°This is my own business, and I know what I¡¯m doing.¡±

    ¡°You know what you¡¯re doing, you know what you¡¯re doing, he already has five or six girls around him, you¡¯d better be clear on it!¡± Chen¡¯s mother rattled on until she finally calmed down a bit and asked earnestly, ¡°Ling Yun, what are you really thinking? Do you like Yan Yu or not?¡±

    ¡°What kind of liking are you referring to?¡± Chen Lingyun countered, ¡°Is it the kind you have for Dad?¡±

    Chen¡¯s mother was suddenly at a loss for words, and after a long pause, she finally said:

    ¡°What have we ever done to you?¡±

    ¡°Nothing to me,¡± Chen Lingyun said indifferently, ¡°I just don¡¯t know what it means to like someone. Dad found another aunty outside, had a child, and you didn¡¯t mind at all. Is that normal like?¡±

    There was a moment of silence from Chen¡¯s mother before she asked in a low voice:

    ¡°Do you know everything?¡±

    ¡°Everyone in the house knows, except for me. Do you really think you can keep it from me?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a cold laugh.

    ¡°Sigh, Lingyun.¡± Chen¡¯s mother pulled her into an embrace, speaking sorrowfully, ¡°You¡¯ve always been very clever. Let me ask you a question.¡±

    ¡°Suppose a man has two sons. He keeps the elder by his side and spares no effort in nurturing him without reservation, while the younger son is given away to another family to raise, and he doesn¡¯t see him once for three to five years. Which one do you think is really his son?¡±

    Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t answer.

    ¡°Your dad¡¯s position right now won¡¯t allow him to be tied down realistically,¡± Chen¡¯s mother continued after a pause, ¡°But he makes a clear distinction between marriage and desire. No matter how many women he has been with outside, no matter how many children he has, Chen Tianming has only ever had one wife and one daughter from the beginning to the end. That¡¯s why I can accept all this calmly.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I find strange,¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly said, ¡°Mom, you consider many things, like status, benefits, reality, but not your own feelings. Do you really not mind Dad doing this, or have you convinced or even deceived yourself not to mind?¡±

    Chen¡¯s mother looked at her silently, hesitating for a long time before saying:

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°Just as I thought, Mom doesn¡¯t know either.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile returned, but now it was filled with nothing but falseness, ¡°Since Mom doesn¡¯t understand what love is, then please don¡¯t interfere with me and Yan Yu anymore, okay?¡±

    ¡°Lingyun!¡± Chen¡¯s mother wanted to say something, but she didn¡¯t know where to start, desperately saying, ¡°Your dad and I are different from you. Our marriage does indeed have elements of a transaction, but that doesn¡¯t mean we don¡¯t have feelings for each other¡­¡±

    No matter how Chen¡¯s mother tried to explain, Chen Lingyun just held her hand, without saying a word, her face wearing a perfect, unimpeachable smile.

    In the living room, Yan Yu finally managed to get rid of the beauty-obsessed girls, then saw Chen Lingyun walking down from upstairs.

    ¡°Lingyun?¡± Su Yunjin sensed something was off with her emotions.

    But Chen Lingyun ignored them and simply walked out of the house, heading towards the backyard.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her,¡± Yan Yu stood up at ease, ¡°I¡¯ll go have a look.¡±

    Upon arriving in the yard, he saw Chen Lingyun sitting in the pavilion, staring blankly at the distant river.

    It was still true: when Chen Lingyun¡¯s face was free of a fake smile, she was actually quite pleasing to look at. Barely five feet two, with delicate and cute features, even the most demanding and critical person would have to admit that her face was a top-tier example of ¡®sweet-girl¡¯ appeal, perfectly aligned with the male preference for vulnerable femininity in their DNA. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But if she put on that perfect, flawless fake smile, it reminded Yan Yu of her past life¡¯s attitude, looking down on everyone as if they were fools, and her devilish enjoyment in playing pranks and finding mischief, slashing the charm of this sweet girl down completely, leaving him utterly uninterested.

    ¡°Why are you here pretending to be a mushroom?¡± Yan Yu walked over and sat beside her.

    ¡°Mushroom?¡± Chen Lingyun glanced at him sideways.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Yan Yu gestured her height with his hand, ¡°Small, dazed, and quiet. If not a mushroom, what else could you be?¡±

    Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t laugh or get angry but just looked at him silently.

    After a while, she turned her head away again, continuing to gaze at the river in the distance.

    ¡°If there¡¯s something bothering you, tell me about it and cheer me up, will you?¡± Yan Yu continued to tease her.

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking,¡± Chen Lingyun said softly, ¡°what exactly is love?¡±

    ¡°I remember someone saying that she didn¡¯t care at all about what true love was, right?¡± Yan Yu raised his eyebrows in surprise and laughed, ¡°What? You want to take back what you said?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Chen Lingyun admitted frankly, ¡°When I said those words, I was sure I didn¡¯t love you, nor did I care whether I did. But now, I¡¯m not so sure.¡±

    ¡°So, it¡¯s because you started to care that you¡¯re now unsure,¡± Yan Yu followed her gaze, seeing the glimmering river, vast and misty, surely a forget-your-sorrows kind of grandeur. No wonder Chen Lingyun always liked to sit by the large floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room, drinking coffee and looking at the scenery.

    ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Chen Lingyun murmured as if talking to herself.

    What¡¯s with this girl? Why isn¡¯t she continuing to play dumb? From a scornful princess to an innocent young girl?

    Yan Yu pondered for a while, then asked:

    ¡°How do you plan to figure it out? You like solving problems, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I have an idea,¡± Chen Lingyun said, looking back at him.

    Staring at Yan Yu for a while, she suddenly became serious and said:

    ¡°Yan Yu, for my sake¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­you should go and start a harem.¡±

 Chapter 231 - 30 Still Want to Try Again

    Chapter 231: Chapter 30 Still Want to Try Again

    What should I do if my ex-girlfriend suddenly asks me to open a harem?

    Yan Yu instinctively wanted to retort, but he couldn¡¯t come up with a comeback on spot.

    ¡°You¡¯re worthy!¡± That seemed a bit off; she wasn¡¯t throwing herself at me now.

    ¡°They are worthy!¡± That¡¯s even stranger; Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t say who to start a harem with. I certainly can¡¯t just set up an imaginary target and hit it myself, can I?

    ¡°None of your damn business!¡± This one is possible¡­ but what¡¯s important now is not to strike back, but to figure out what sort of scheme the shitty princess is up to now.

    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Yan Yu cautiously asked. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ...

    What if this woman had some recording device on her, and she records what I say to make fun of later¡­ I must be on guard.

    ¡°Because I want to see if I would get jealous,¡± Chen Lingyun replied.

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± The sense of discomfort in Yan Yu¡¯s heart grew stronger. He felt like the girl in front of him didn¡¯t resemble Chen Lingyun at all, but rather some kind of demon in sheep¡¯s clothing, behind which was a confused and ignorant young girl, ¡°So what if you get jealous? And so what if you don¡¯t? What does this have to do with your research on love?¡±

    ¡°Because many people say that love is about possession, it¡¯s selfish, and it doesn¡¯t allow a third person to get involved,¡± Chen Lingyun answered, ¡°I want to know if that¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°Do you still need to explore that?¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? Who would want to share the person they love with someone of the same sex?¡±

    ¡°I would,¡± Chen Lingyun said.

    ¡°You?¡±

    ¡°Thinking of you with other girls, I feel nothing,¡± Chen Lingyun candidly said.

    ¡°Uh.¡± Yan Yu was speechless for a moment before asking tactfully, ¡°Do you like wearing a hat?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Chen Lingyun shook her head and said, ¡°I just don¡¯t feel disgusted by it. It¡¯s not that I like it as such¡ªof course, if it could plunge you into a dramatic mess, making the situation interesting enough, then I wouldn¡¯t mind watching.¡±

    ¡°That just shows you don¡¯t love me,¡± Yan Yu quickly concluded, laughing heartily, ¡°You just enjoy watching me make a fool of myself, and over time, it formed a thought path in your mind, making you mistakenly believe you liked me.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps we can test that,¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly suggested.

    She reached backward to encircle Yan Yu¡¯s neck, lifting her swan-like graceful neck, and gently pressed her lips to his.

    Yan Yu¡¯s first instinct was to push her away or simply slap her, followed by a ¡°You¡¯re worthy,¡± thoroughly trampling the princess¡¯s dignity into the dirt¡­ but then memories of his past life suddenly assaulted him.

    In his past life, his first kiss with Chen Lingyun had been in a movie theater. At that time, both were just over thirty, not very young. Chen Lingyun was slightly made up, and sitting beside her, he could smell her light yet rich fragrance.

    She was laughing and explaining to Yan Yu that the top note of the perfume was one type of flower, the middle note was another, and then the base note yet another¡­ Of course, Yan Yu had forgotten by now. One perfume having three different scents¡ªwho could remember that?

    The movie they were watching was an art film about love. Predictably, the story was quite pretentious, and during the emotional parts, many female viewers even cried outright, the room filled with the sound of sobbing and tissues being pulled out, but Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun found it rather dull. The former simply wasn¡¯t interested, while the latter probably couldn¡¯t immerse herself in it, anyway, their minds wandered off.

    In the end, in a snowy landscape, the female lead decides to go south to Xin¡¯an Prefecture to seek her fortune, while the male lead chooses to stay in his rundown, backward hometown, sending the female lead onto a green train. After boarding, she leans out the window to share a gentle kiss with the male lead on the platform¡­

    At that moment, Chen Lingyun said, ¡°Let¡¯s kiss too.¡±

    Breaking free from his reverie, Yan Yu first felt Chen Lingyun¡¯s soft and moist lips, as if coated with sweet honey.

    Although she was ten years younger than in his previous life, that raw skill and flavor were unmistakably the same, her breathing obviously a bit rushed, her breath gently blowing below his nose. Yan Yu could feel her arms, looped around the back of his neck, tightening as though she was afraid he would suddenly bolt.

    But Yan Yu had no intention of bolting. Silently, he looked into Chen Lingyun¡¯s eyes¡ªPrincess Jiang Hai¡¯s eyes were tightly shut, her eyelashes quivering slightly as if they were delicate dragonflies perched on fragile petals.

    Probably sensing his gaze, Chen Lingyun finally let go of him.

    She pursed her lips, which were a bit red from too much force, her eyes swimming with indecipherable complex emotions, as she looked back at Yan Yu.

    ¡°How did it feel?¡± Yan Yu asked her.

    ¡°I was a bit nervous at first,¡± Chen Lingyun pondered for a moment before summarizing, ¡°But then I got used to it and didn¡¯t feel the ¡®bashful yet sweet¡¯ sensation described in novels.¡±

    The answer was exactly the same as the one in the movie theater in his past life.

    Yan Yu felt somewhat disgruntled, but he scoffed and said,

    ¡°See, I told you, you simply don¡¯t understand what love is¡­¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s try again.¡± Chen Lingyun leaned in once more.

    This time she didn¡¯t wrap her arms around his neck, just tilted her body forward, and their lips touched. Yan Yu felt Chen Lingyun pucker her lips slightly, to allow him to kiss her fully with ease¡ªand indeed it was effortless because her lips were very tender and soft.

    After a long while, their lips finally parted.

    Seeing her pleased smile reappear, Yan Yu remembered her reaction and answer from his past life and immediately predicted,

    ¡°So all that stuff in novels is just lies, got it now?¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Chen Lingyun touched her cheek lightly with her finger, smiling thoughtfully, ¡°It really doesn¡¯t have that sweet sensation.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just stop here then.¡± Yan Yu tried to stand up, but his collar was grabbed by her.

    Chen Lingyun tugged at him forcefully, bending him over¡ªa strength that felt like she had activated Curved Curse¡ªand she said with a giggling smile,

    ¡°But I don¡¯t hate it, you know.¡±

    This, however, was not part of past life events, as the second kiss had ended just in time for the movie theater audience to start leaving, making them also rise and exit.

    ¡°Not hating it doesn¡¯t mean liking it,¡± Yan Yu reminded her, frowning.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it counts as liking.¡± Chen Lingyun stared into Yan Yu¡¯s eyes, the light in her pupils became even more warm and moist, as if casting some wonderful unknown enchantment, ¡°But I want to try it one more time.¡±

    She kissed him a third time.

    This time the kiss was even more prolonged, and her eyes stayed open, unblinkingly gazing at Yan Yu with a sly, playful, and endearing smile, as if asking ¡°Do you like kissing me?¡±

    Yan Yu, slightly indignant, reached out to remove her hair tie and let her ponytail fall loose, then deliberately messed up her hair.

    He vaguely remembered Chen Lingyun from his past life saying she didn¡¯t like others touching her hair. After all, Princess Jiang Hai was so picky about only using specific brands of shampoo¡ªwho knew what dirt other people had on their hands?

    ¡°It¡¯ll damage the hair, you know~¡±

    But the Chen Lingyun in front of him did not get angry or jump around; the smile in her eyes turned into a helpless and melancholic sentiment. Her lips remained softly kissing Yan Yu, while she slowly raised her hands to firmly embrace his waist.

    The little sparrow at the edge of the pavilion hopped a few times on the eaves tiles, curiously watching the young man and woman kissing within.

    Then it suddenly flapped its wings and flew towards the reed beds by the distant riverside.

    The reeds there grew splendidly, lush and dense, akin to the endless affection of a young woman freshly in love, swaying gently with riverside breezes and their soft down.

    In the living room of the villa, Xie Ruoxi played with her phone for a while before suddenly hearing Lin Ning express her concern,

    ¡°Ling Yun should be okay, right?¡±

    ¡°Should be,¡± Su Yunjin was also not sure, ¡°She didn¡¯t have a fight with her aunt, did she?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go check.¡± Lin Ning stood up.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go,¡± Xie Ruoxi volunteered.

    ¡°You¡­¡± Lin Ning was about to say ¡°You can go,¡± but suddenly with a start, she suspiciously asked, ¡°Ruoxi, you¡¯re not planning to use checking on Ling Yun as an excuse to sneak off to the internet caf¨¦ outside to play games, are you?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t!¡± Xie Ruoxi responded with a mix of laughter and chagrin, ¡°If I did that, you can have Yan Yu delete all my game accounts!¡±

    ¡°Right, I shouldn¡¯t have doubted you,¡± Lin Ning conceded with a nod and sat back down on the couch.

 Chapter 232 - 31: Dual Channels, Ultimate Experience

    Chapter 232: Chapter 31: Dual Channels, Ultimate Experience

    Xie Ruoxi left the villa and strolled around the yard only to find nobody there, so she walked around to the back to the pavilion to look for people.

    There she saw Chen Lingyun and Yan Yu both sitting in the pavilion, looking at the distant river and talking about something.

    Xie Ruoxi quickened her pace and jogged up to them, saying,

    ¡°Ling Yun, you¡¯re alright? Everyone¡¯s been really worried about you¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m already fine,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a sweet smile, ¡°thanks to Yan Yu enlightening me, my mood is much better now~¡±

    She playfully winked at Yan Yu.

    ...

    Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t notice her small gesture, just breathing a slight sigh of relief before asking,

    ¡°So shall we go back now?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go back,¡± Yan Yu seized the opportunity to quickly stand up.

    This place isn¡¯t to be stayed in any longer.

    If I stay any longer and get hugged and kissed by Princess Jiang Hai for a couple of hours, where would my dignity as the captain of Zhenhai Team be?

    If it weren¡¯t for the need to preserve my Yang energy for dual cultivation with the Demonic Sect Enchantress to break through the bottleneck, would you believe I¡¯d find a way to deal with you right now, make you kneel and beg for mercy!

    Chen Lingyun seemed not to know what Yan Yu was thinking, or perhaps she guessed a bit, just walking behind Xie Ruoxi, now and then glancing at Yan Yu beside her with a sweet smile, playfully tapping her lips with her finger, walking a few steps and tapping again, then winking at him.

    Yan Yu¡¯s expression became even colder, his mind already concocting eighteen methods to deal with such a woman.

    You just wait, Chen Lingyun! You¡¯ll see how formidable I am sooner or later!

    When Chen Lingyun saw his sour face, she couldn¡¯t help but feel more pleased, suddenly asking Xie Ruoxi,

    ¡°Ruoxi, does kissing the opposite sex stir up a sweet feeling in your heart?¡±

    Yan Yu clenched his teeth tightly, while Xie Ruoxi was momentarily stunned before replying with an awkward laugh,

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I haven¡¯t kissed anyone.¡±

    ¡°Is that so,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a slight smile. ¡°Then you might want to try it next time you have a chance¡­¡±

    Before she could finish, Yan Yu interrupted,

    ¡°Try what? If you want to date, you need to do it with marriage in mind! Don¡¯t bring over that dross of ¡®kiss freedom¡¯ from the West. We¡¯re humans, not animals governed by instinct!¡±

    ¡°See?¡± Chen Lingyun winked at Xie Ruoxi, ¡°He cares a lot about who you kiss¡­¡±

    And then she received a slap on the forehead.

    ¡°Stop fanning the flames,¡± Yan Yu said with a cold face, ¡°With so much energy, better vent it on training.¡±

    Although he interrupted in time, Xie Ruoxi was shocked on the spot, thinking to herself that even Ling Yun had noticed that the domineering Immortal Venerate Yan Zhanlong was coveting her beauty?

    Damn it! Knowing that his lust was exposed, would Yan Zhanlong break into my bedroom tonight and force his love on me?

    She felt a mix of indescribable fear and excitement, stealing a glance at Yan Yu before quickly turning her head away, blushing and walking fast without speaking.

    Back at the villa, the girls came to greet her.

    ¡°Ling Yun, huh?¡± Lin Ning noticed that her single ponytail was gone, ¡°Did you change your hairstyle?¡±

    ¡°I untied my hair and let it down in the breeze outside,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Feels much better now.¡±

    ¡°Ling Yun,¡± Su Yunjin said with concern, ¡°Auntie came looking for you just now¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Chen Lingyun nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll talk to her.¡±

    She made her way back up the stairs. The girls, seeing her calm and composed, couldn¡¯t help but feel relieved.

    Yan Yu also sat down on the couch, only to hear Chen Lingyun¡¯s voice suddenly transmitting from the second floor,

    ¡°Keep it up with adding to your harem, I¡¯m really looking forward to that feeling~¡±

    ¡°Shut your mouth!¡±

    Yan Yu scratched his head irritably, wondering if this wretched woman had taken the wrong medicine.

    She wasn¡¯t like this in her previous life¡­ But back then, he hadn¡¯t been involved in her team, so there weren¡¯t many girls around him either.

    Chen Lingyun was not someone to act on a whim; it was more likely that she had harbored such thoughts for some time, then found the opportunity to deliberately tease me¡ªthe opportunity probably came during that time when Zhenhai Team was being called a harem team by the outside world, which suddenly inspired her to have fun in this regard.

    Of course, Yan Yu would not indulge her nonsense. Playing with others¡¯ feelings was a grave sin no matter whether the person was male or female.

    Princess Jiang Hai, you deserve death!

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± Su Yunjin suddenly transmitted, ¡°Ling Yun is really okay, isn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s fine,¡± Yan Yu said coldly, ¡°just had a short circuit in her brain, don¡¯t mind her.¡±

    Su Yunjin: ?

    ¡°Quarreling with one¡¯s mother like that is pretty normal,¡± she suggested tactfully, ¡°as long as there¡¯s good communication in the end.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a quarrel; her mother is trying to convince me to be her son-in-law.¡± Considering that Secretary Su would eventually see through to the truth, Yan Yu didn¡¯t beat around the bush and went straight to the point, ¡°Chen Lingyun doesn¡¯t want her family meddling, so she¡¯s making a scene to force her mother to give in. That¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Su Yunjin was taken aback but quickly understood.

    Indeed, with the captain¡¯s current fame and social status, even being matched with the Governor¡¯s daughter would suffice¡­

    She felt a creeping inferiority complex, as if watching Yan Yu run farther ahead while no matter how hard she chased, she couldn¡¯t catch up.

    Yan Yu, however, was oblivious to Su Yunjin¡¯s internal struggle and simply continued transmitting,

    ¡°This mother and daughter pair are really comical. One treats people like collectibles, the other as toys, the Governor had better straighten out his family conduct, or sooner or later he¡¯s going to trip over his wife and daughter¡­¡± S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Yan Yu.¡± Su Yunjin suddenly asked, ¡°Do you like Chen Lingyun?¡±

    Although it was a telepathic conversation, a kind of indescribable heavy pressure suddenly came over from the other side.

    Yan Yu looked up, only to see Su Yunjin holding her teacup, gently blowing the stems and leaves floating on the tea, as if nothing had happened.

    But the telepathy just now was not a hallucination.

    ¡°Why do you ask that?¡± Yan Yu telepathically countered her question.

    ¡°I want to know.¡± Su Yunjin emphasized.

    If you really like Ling Yun, just tell me sooner. That way, I won¡¯t have to struggle anymore¡­

    He was about to say something when Lin Ning, clearly playing with her phone, her voice also echoed in his mind:

    ¡°Yan Yu, is Ling Yun okay?¡±

    Yan Yu: ???

    So you two are playing a double-barreled attack?

    Telepathy works like this, you lock the Divine Sense onto specific targets (could be singular or plural), and then you can send your voice over, but whether the person is also communicating telepathically with someone else at the same time, that¡¯s something you can¡¯t tell.

    So this thing is indeed a lot like a chat app. You can start a group chat directly, they can also chat with you privately one-on-one, and there¡¯s no way to know if you¡¯ve got several other chat windows open and who you¡¯re privately chatting with.

    ¡°Why do you want to know?¡± Yan Yu first switched to Su¡¯s frequency, applying the tactic of questioning back to buy some time, then quickly switched to Lin¡¯s frequency, making do with a hasty ¡°She should be fine.¡±

    ¡°But it feels a bit odd though,¡± Lin Ning said.

    ¡°When she left, she seemed a bit out of it,¡± Lin Ning said.

    ¡°And when she came back, it was as if nothing had happened, but she also changed her hairstyle, and her hair was messy, was it messed up by the wind?¡± Lin Ning said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know why, Captain?¡± Su Yunjin asked.

    ¡°Was it because you talked to her just now, so did she run into some trouble?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    These two were bombarding him with telepathy from both sides, the frequency on the right from Su, although it only had one sentence, carried a heavy presence, while the atmosphere on the left from Lin was okay but there was too much being said and he had to listen carefully. The telepathic messages from both sides intertwined and echoed together, as if in Yan Yu¡¯s ears two speakers relaying different music were placed, one on each side, giving him a headache and an overwhelming feeling of irritation.

    ¡°Let me think,¡± Yan Yu put Su Yunjin on hold with a delaying tactic, only to hear Lin Ning ask:

    ¡°Is it inconvenient to tell me?¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask her yourself?¡± Yan Yu tried to deflect the problem onto Lin Ning, yet he heard Su Yunjin ask again:

    ¡°What¡¯s there to think about? If you know, you know, if you don¡¯t, you don¡¯t, why do you need to think before answering?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m asking you precisely because it¡¯s inconvenient for me to ask Ling Yun,¡± Lin Ning said.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to answer my question, the Captain can just tell me directly, I can¡¯t do anything to you,¡± Su Yunjin said.

    ¡°Speaking of which, what are we eating tonight? Is Auntie¡¯s chef still cooking for us?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked,

    ¡°I¡¯m not suspecting anything between you, I¡¯m just concerned about Ling Yun¡¯s situation,¡± Lin Ning added.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want the Captain to lie to me. No matter how hurtful the truth might be, I still want to know what you really think,¡± Su Yunjin added.

    The girls were completely immune to his evasive tactics, bombarding him from both sides with relentless attacks, giving Yan Yu such a headache he felt like it was going to explode, and in the midst, some strange words seemed to have snuck in, but he couldn¡¯t make out what was being said at all.

    ¡°And Ling Yun¡¯s mother¡¯s attitude is also very strange!¡± Lin Ning said.

    ¡°It feels like she¡¯s deliberately trying to get closer to you,¡± Lin Ning added.

    ¡°Does the Captain think I¡¯m not qualified to ask this question?¡± Su Yunjin asked.

    ¡°At the dinner table, talking to Ling Yun about suitors, is she intentionally trying to matchmake you two?¡± Lin Ning continued to ask.

    ¡°So what the hell are we eating tonight!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen urged.

    ¡°The Captain can scold me with ¡®you¡¯re not worthy¡¯ if you like, but at least don¡¯t ignore me,¡± Su Yunjin continued.

    ¡°Haha actually, if Auntie is really trying to set you up, I could understand that, but you wouldn¡¯t agree, right?¡± Lin Ning continued her questions.

    ¡°Alright, if the Captain doesn¡¯t want to answer, I can withdraw the question, but please don¡¯t continue to ignore me like this,¡± Su Yunjin went on.

    ¡°So what are we eating for dinner for dinner for dinner for dinner for dinner for dinner for dinner for dinner for dinner for dinner for dinner for dinner for dinner¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m so annoyed!!!¡± Yan Yu suddenly stood up and shouted in a fit of rage.

    The girls all looked up in surprise at him.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to exercise my authority as the Captain here and lay down three rules,¡± Yan Yu struggled to suppress his anger, raising three fingers.

    ¡°First, unless there are outsiders present, no more bothering me with telepathy!¡±

    ¡°Second, I¡¯m currently single, have no girlfriend, and I don¡¯t plan on pursuing anyone, so stop freaking asking!¡±

    ¡°Third, anyone breaking the above two rules volunteers for the maximum amount of extra training the next day. Consider yourselves warned!¡±

    Having said that, he left the villa angrily and went to the pavilion outside in the yard to cool off.

    The girls looked at each other in silence. After a moment, Xie Ruoxi¡¯s baffled voice could be heard:

    ¡°Um¡­ what happened?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied blankly, ¡°So what are we actually eating tonight?¡±

 Chapter 233 - 32 Chens Mother Urges Birth

    Chapter 233: Chapter 32 Chen¡¯s Mother Urges Birth

    ¡°`

    Su Yunjin quietly finished her tea and put down the cup, sighing without changing her expression.

    Am I being too impatient? I had already figured out what to do.

    But if the captain really likes Ling Yun¡­

    I don¡¯t stand a chance.

    Luckily, the captain just made it clear that he is still single, has no girlfriend, and isn¡¯t planning to pursue anyone.

    ...

    That means he won¡¯t take the initiative with anyone, and everyone has a fair chance to compete.

    How cunning you are, Yan Yu. By saying that, aren¡¯t you forcing me¡­

    I have no choice but to keep playing the fool¡­

    Lin Ning, who was sitting beside her with a phone in her hand, wasn¡¯t paying attention to it at all¡ªshe hadn¡¯t swiped the screen for a long time.

    What did the captain mean by what he said just now?

    He¡ªhe wouldn¡¯t misunderstand that I¡¯m jealous, would he?

    Or did I make it too obvious?

    Ah, it¡¯s so annoying, I shouldn¡¯t have asked directly.

    It¡¯s all the captain¡¯s fault! Always acting so secretive, never telling me what he¡¯s thinking¡­

    It¡¯s making me so anxious and uncomfortable.

    I really want to kick him to vent my frustration.

    Xie Ruoxi, however, was unaware of what the two elder sisters were thinking, lost in her own thoughts about what Yan Yu had said before he left.

    Yan Zhanlong said he¡¯s still single, has no girlfriend, and doesn¡¯t plan to proactively pursue anyone. What does that mean?

    Wait, is he hinting at something to me?

    Earlier, outside the villa, Ling Yun said, ¡°Yan Yu really cares about who I kiss,¡± so it¡¯s very likely that Yan Zhanlong is interested in me¡ªthat was already known, or else why would he have added me as a friend and taken me to Jinling? He obviously hasn¡¯t checked my cultivation talent; he must have been smitten with me from the start.

    That means, he just wants to push the other sisters away, like how the male lead in novels tells the second and third female leads ¡°I¡¯m not interested in dating,¡± just to avoid getting caught in someone else¡¯s romantic plot.

    Hehe, there¡¯s really no need to go to such lengths for me.

    Xie Ruoxi thought to herself with delight when suddenly Zhao Yuanzhen stood up.

    ¡°So what are we eating tonight!¡± she blurted out in exasperation, looking at the silent crowd, ¡°Why is no one talking!¡±

    Meanwhile, Chen Lingyun had gone upstairs to her bedroom door and heard her mother on the phone inside, apparently arguing with her father:

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s all your doing!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care what you did, Ling Yun is our daughter, how are you going to deal with her being like this now!¡±

    ¡°How could I possibly be at ease! Chen Tianming, I¡¯m telling you, if something happens to Ling Yun¡­¡± S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Chen Lingyun knocked on the door, and the angry voice inside abruptly stopped.

    A moment later, Chen¡¯s mother hurriedly came to open the door, her face breaking into a smile:

    ¡°Ling Yun, where did you go just now? Mommy couldn¡¯t find you downstairs¡­¡±

    ¡°I went to the yard to clear my head,¡± Chen Lingyun said, maintaining her elegant and perfect smile, obediently adding, ¡°Mom, you don¡¯t have to worry, I¡¯ve figured it all out.¡±

    ¡°If you have figured it out, that¡¯s good.¡± Chen¡¯s mother didn¡¯t know exactly what her beloved daughter had come to terms with, but she carefully agreed first, then asked, ¡°So you¡­¡±

    ¡°I think I like Yan Yu,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°But I don¡¯t want Mom to interfere, this is our own matter.¡±

    Chen¡¯s mother subconsciously interpreted Chen Lingyun¡¯s ¡°our own¡± as ¡°just my daughter and Yan Yu,¡± and finally breathed a sigh of relief, comforting her:

    ¡°Baby, you almost scared mommy to death. In any case, it¡¯s good that you¡¯ve figured things out on your own, mommy won¡¯t meddle with your affairs, and Yan Yu is indeed very outstanding. Your dad just spoke to me, he¡¯s not against you and Yan Yu developing a relationship¡­¡±

    She rambled on, her face filled with affection as she stroked her daughter¡¯s hair, suddenly questioning with curiosity:

    ¡°`

    ¡°Why is your hair such a mess?¡±

    ¡°The river breeze tousled it when I was outside just now.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s answer was flawless.

    ¡°Alright, come here and let mom comb it for you.¡±

    Chen¡¯s mother sat by the vanity, picked up the comb from the table, and looked it over several times:

    ¡°What brand is this wooden comb?¡±

    ¡°Qingyang brand.¡±

    Chen¡¯s mother asked Chen Lingyun to sit down as well and began affectionately combing her hair:

    ¡°Did you buy it or have it custom made?¡±

    ¡°I bought it.¡±

    ¡°If you like this brand, mom can have them custom-make one for you.¡± Chen¡¯s mother gently combed her hair, murmuring habitually, ¡°Combs, shampoo, conditioner¡ªthese things that are used directly on the body shouldn¡¯t just be conveniently bought from stores. Everyone¡¯s hair is different; some get oily quickly, others tangle easily, and hair quality changes with age, which is why it¡¯s important to have regular, targeted hair care¡­ Give me a few strands of your hair, and I¡¯ll have the genetic center in Pingjing run a test to come up with a comprehensive hair care program.¡±

    ¡°Mom.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile bore a hint of helplessness, ¡°We cultivators don¡¯t need those mortal methods.¡±

    Chen¡¯s mother was briefly taken aback, then chuckled:

    ¡°Mom got confused, forgetting you¡¯re a cultivator¡­ Ah, it¡¯s great, Yan Yu is also a cultivator. Both of you have such excellent genes; the babies you¡¯ll have in the future will definitely have great talent for cultivation, right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too early to talk about that.¡± Chen Lingyun just gave a faint smile, ¡°Besides, if one achieves immortality in the end, there¡¯s no need to have children.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t do; you still have to have at least one child.¡± Chen¡¯s mother expressed her disagreement, ¡°When mom was young, I thought the same as you, that enjoying my life was the most important and having kids could wait. But why did I change my mind? At that time, one of my close friends¡­ Her family was also well-off, and then she suddenly got diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer, and passed away within half a year!¡±

    ¡°How heartbroken her parents must have been, with only that one daughter and no other children. It ended up being the case of the elderly sending off the young, and by that time, they couldn¡¯t have more children. Their family¡¯s assets worth billions¡­ When they pass away, with no one to inherit, it¡¯ll either be donated to the state or fall into the hands of strangers. Really, such a thing is¡­¡±

    Chen Lingyun obediently remained silent, clearly understanding her mother¡¯s concerns.

    Although cultivators did have an advantage over mortals in terms of lifespan, their security was far inferior. The most common accidental deaths for mortals were car accidents, but what about cultivators? A clay jar can¡¯t leave the well without breaking, and a general can¡¯t escape death in battle¡ªit¡¯s essentially a profession of fighting and killing. Who could guarantee perpetual victory?

    If one could leave a child behind, then in the unfortunate event of an accidental death, at least there would be a consolation for the parents in their old age, preventing total despair¡­

    ¡°Oh, mom¡¯s just talking.¡± Seeing her daughter remain silent, Chen¡¯s mother hastily backtracked, ¡°We¡¯ll leave it all to you and Yan Yu to decide when the time comes. Just bring him back to meet your dad and me. After you get married, whether or not you want kids is up to you, it¡¯s really none of our business, alright?¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡± Chen Lingyun nodded with a smile.

    ¡°This villa of yours is still a bit subpar.¡± Chen¡¯s mother finished combing her hair, looking around the room, ¡°The family is planning to hire some more staff. Should we send a few over to you? They¡¯re all aunties, and they¡¯d take good care of your daily life¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not necessary.¡± Chen Lingyun tactfully refused, ¡°We cultivators have military backgrounds, and there are some things that aren¡¯t suitable for outsiders to see.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right, your dad mentioned that too.¡± Reminded by her daughter, Chen¡¯s mother remembered and said apologetically, ¡°So there¡¯s nothing I can do to help¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s great that you can come to see me, mom.¡± Chen Lingyun hugged her, smiling, ¡°I¡¯ll also try to visit you in Jiang Hai more often.¡±

    ¡°Just come to see me, no need to visit your dad.¡± Chen¡¯s mother was delighted by the sentiment, then playfully added, ¡°Your dad is always off with old Li. He might as well give up politics and go into the military¡­¡±

    The mother and daughter chatted for a while longer, then, arm in arm, left the room to go downstairs.

    Upon arriving in the living room, four young ladies turned to look in unison.

    Chen Lingyun smiled and nodded to them, then suddenly heard Zhao Yuanzhen telepathically asking her:

    ¡°Ling Yun, what¡¯s for dinner tonight?¡±

    ¡°Mom.¡± Chen Lingyun spoke up, ¡°Are we still eating out tonight?¡±

    ¡°The kitchen here is too small and inconvenient for cooking.¡± Chen¡¯s mother said cheerily, ¡°Shall we go to a restaurant then?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi exchanged glances, both clearly pleased.

    Chen¡¯s mother, however, couldn¡¯t be bothered with the two impolite girls; she just looked around and then suddenly asked:

    ¡°Where¡¯s Yan Yu?¡±

    ¡°The captain went out a moment ago.¡± Lin Ning stood up, ¡°I¡¯ll go find him and bring him back.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that trouble.¡± Chen¡¯s mother, quite fond of the efficient Minnan girl, smiled and said, ¡°First give him a call and ask where he is.¡±

 Chapter 234 - 33 The Expedition Plan is Finalized

    Chapter 234: Chapter 33 The Expedition Plan is Finalized

    Yan Yu sat in the pavilion, watching the torrential river flow eastward, and felt a subtle sense of relaxation.

    Just like this, ceaselessly, day and night.

    Compared with the relentless river of time, what were women? And what was the battlefield?

    Hmph, nothing but fleeting epiphyllum flowers.

    As Yan Yu was immersed in his contemplation, his cell phone suddenly rang.

    Although the incoming number was a string of digits, he recognized the caller immediately.

    ...

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± Chen Tianming said calmly, ¡°an entrance to a Mysterious Realm has appeared on Black Dragon Isle.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yan Yu asked, ¡°so what?¡±

    The emergence of a Mysterious Realm was not a strange occurrence. In this era of Spiritual Energy Resurgence, Mysterious Realms sprouted like mushrooms after rain all over the globe, and it would have been strange had they not appeared.

    After the Rakshasa forces contracted westward, the vast Siberian region was left with numerous and crisscrossing Transcendent forces of varying sizes, constantly warring against each other day and night, too preoccupied to explore or manage Mysterious Realms¡ªso, was there anything particularly noteworthy about a new Mysterious Realm appearing on Black Dragon Isle?

    ¡°That person wishes to investigate it,¡± Chen Tianming continued.

    Yan Yu was initially startled, then quickly realized what was happening.

    Last time Mei Yingxue visited alone, but the meeting place was the principal¡¯s office¡ªhow could Chen Tianming and Li Weiguo be unaware? S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Since Teacher Mei had specifically mentioned this Mysterious Realm, it probably did warrant a detailed investigation.

    Hmm?

    The entrance to the Mysterious Realm being on Black Dragon Isle, the heart of the Gelian Bearmen¡¯s territory, meant that conflict was inevitable.

    Should Rikoku Cultivators attack Black Dragon Isle, the Gelian Bearmen would have no choice but to consolidate their forces to defend their headquarters, perhaps even withdrawing their troops from the mainland to protect themselves.

    In that case, the military crisis facing the Amur Witch Troop would be swiftly resolved.

    What a clever strategy!

    The feint of ¡°saving Zhao by besieging Wei¡± was not unusual; many would think of attacking Black Dragon Isle directly. The key was finding a suitable and justifiable excuse to convince the majority of the domestic factions to agree with the action.

    To pinpoint a precise entry point amidst the chaotic situation, then to extract what one desired from the flames as if using a scalpel¡ªthat was Chen Tianming¡¯s forte. Despite being a man of two lives and deeming himself the strongest in this life, Yan Yu had to admit that in this aspect, he was outdone by Old Taishan. Only Chen Lingyun approached her father¡¯s level.

    ¡°Understood,¡± Yan Yu asked gravely, ¡°when do we leave?¡±

    ¡°The day after tomorrow, in the afternoon,¡± Chen Tianming replied. ¡°The Dragon Soar Team needs one day to prepare. They will set off with you.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡°Xie Ruoxi¡¯s application to join the team has been approved by the Privy Council. Take her with you this time.¡±

    ¡°Her training is not yet complete,¡± Yan Yu had some reservations about this.

    The beautiful but useless person was now like this: hardware that was technically top-notch with corresponding drivers mostly installed. She could use the Three Arts and Five Spells and was close to mastering the Sword Control Technique and developing Divine Sense through the Soul Refining Technique. Now, only voice transmission was left unlearned, but that wasn¡¯t a major issue.

    Her problem mainly lay in the software. Experience, awareness, reaction, and of course, the most crucial, courage¡­ It was like a child with a gun; even if a single shot could blow the enemy¡¯s head off, did they possess sufficient mental fortitude to take aim?

    ¡°Take her with you,¡± Chen Tianming sighed. ¡°There won¡¯t be much time for training in the future.¡±

    This was the first time Yan Yu heard Old Taishan sigh.

    In his previous life, when the situation was on a knife-edge, he had never seen a trace of emotion from Old Taishan¡ªcertainly because at this point in time, Chen Tianming still held a sufficiently optimistic forecast for the future, making him express concern and sigh over certain matters.

    Rest assured, once the tides of the era hit you hard enough, you¡¯ll no longer be so easily startled!

    After hanging up on Old Taishan, Yan Yu opened the cultivator chat group and directly called out a few members.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: @Liu Shao, @Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang, @Zao La, show yourselves!

    [Liu Shao]: What¡¯s up, Old Yan?

    [Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang]: I¡¯m having afternoon tea; don¡¯t disturb me now, I¡¯ll deal with you later.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Where¡¯s Xiao Zhou?

    [Yun Juan Yun Shu]: She doesn¡¯t talk much in the group, right? Captain Zhou, why don¡¯t you try Deputy Captain Zhang?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: @Chuchukengzhang, are you there? If you are, give me a buzz.

    No response, just others continuing to shoot the breeze, guessing what matter Yan Yu needed to discuss with the Huofeng Team.

    After a while, Lord Master sent a message privately.

    [Liu Shao]: Stop looking, the Huofeng Team is off on a mission in the plateau, probably don¡¯t have time to check their phones.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What¡¯s up in Tianzhu?

    [Liu Shao]: It¡¯s been a mess over there for a while, with all sorts of civil sects complicating matters. Since the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, these sects got their own Transcendents and started to attack each other to seize believers¡­ Why do you suddenly ask?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: The Huofeng Team heading to the plateau province, isn¡¯t it because there are Transcendents from Tianzhu infiltrating?

    [Liu Shao]: Maybe, but that¡¯s hardly surprising. We had plenty of border frictions before the Spiritual Energy Resurgence.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Alright¡­

    [Liu Shao]: Old Yan, are you worried about some formidable figure from Tianzhu?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Hard to say, let¡¯s wait and see.

    [Liu Shao]: Hey, you¡¯re still playing coy with me!

    [Liu Shao]: Forget it, see you the day after tomorrow.

    Yan Yu closed the chat window with Lord Master and silently reminisced.

    The number of folk sects in Tianzhu was so great that even Tianzhu natives couldn¡¯t make sense of it; sometimes, a small village with just over twenty followers was enough to constitute a sect.

    After the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, due to the prolonged influence of mysticism, Tianzhu produced more Transcendents than any other country. Fortunately, most of these Transcendents spent their time fighting each other over beliefs¡­ until a nameless destroyer who called himself ¡°Ishana¡± appeared.

    At this time, Ishana was still somewhere battling others, so there was no need to worry about Zhou Hongyu meeting his end at Ishana¡¯s hands. It was likely that Chen Tianming was just worried about the deteriorating security situation in the plateau area.

    Can you stop being so jumpy, old man? If you dare disturb my inner peace, tell your daughter to be careful!

    Yan Yu sighed silently and then suddenly received a new message from Lin Ning.

    [Ningning]: Where are you?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Outside.

    [Ningning]: Oh, Ling Yun¡¯s mom is calling you home.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Something up?

    [Ningning]: She¡¯s a guest, and as hosts, it¡¯s better to entertain her, right?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Fine, I¡¯m on my way back.

    When Yan Yu arrived home, he saw Chen¡¯s mother sitting on the sofa, regal and majestic, surrounded by the girls chatting her up like the Lady Dowager from the Dream of the Red Chamber.

    Of course, even among the girls of the younger generation, there were intimacies and distances.

    Chen Lingyun was naturally the most favored ¡°Jia Baoyu,¡± sticking close to her mother with a winsome smile, monopolizing seven or eight parts of her affection.

    Su Yunjin and Lin Ning were more restrained and polite, answering a few questions from Chen¡¯s mother with polite attitudes but a hint of unease¡ªhowever, Chen¡¯s mother didn¡¯t seem to mind, being quite amiable towards them, like the Lady Dowager towards the other golden hairpins.

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi were very enthusiastic, incessantly striking up conversations with Chen¡¯s mother, with their flattering intent plainly on display.

    But Chen¡¯s mother was visibly tired of these two. They would say a few words, and only then would Chen¡¯s mother reply with a tepid response, much like the Lady Dowager did with Lady Xing, to Yan Yu¡¯s distaste.

    In his previous life, Chen Lingyun had brought him into the family, and this pious old woman looked down on him, never seeing him as good enough, with a nose that didn¡¯t seem like a nose and eyes that weren¡¯t eyes. Now, for some reason, she went through a change of heart, starting to appreciate him to no end; yet seeing how she treated Zhao and Xie, wasn¡¯t it the same old habit of looking down on others?

    ¡°Yan Yu¡¯s back?¡± As soon as Chen¡¯s mother saw him come in, she beckoned him over, ¡°Come here, auntie has brought some fruits. Try them and see if you like them.¡±

    Yan Yu looked toward the center of the coffee table, sure enough, there were several plates of cleaned fruits placed there¡ªthough there were no exotic rarities, the quality was the best and most expensive, large and plump, obviously juicy and delicious.

    Looking at Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi, each with a trash bin beside them, it was clear they weren¡¯t really interested in getting close to Chen¡¯s mother¡­

    Sitting down next to Zhao Yuanzhen, Yan Yu picked up a grape, threw it in his mouth to chew vigorously, and spoke to the Demonic Sect Enchantress telepathically:

    ¡°You¡¯ve got millions to your name now, what can¡¯t you buy? Do you need to suck up for some fruits?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t get it!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said proudly, ¡°The money you earn yourself, how can that compare to the money you get as a gift from an elder? That¡¯s the real joy of spending!¡±

    Yan Yu: ?????

 Chapter 235 - 34 Everyone is Better than My Daughter

    Chapter 235: Chapter 34 Everyone is Better than My Daughter

    The eastern border county town was now deathly silent.

    Suddenly, furious dragon roars erupted, and a massive explosion burst from the main road in the center of town, the shockwave toppling many surrounding houses.

    Liu Longtao stood amidst the dissipating dust, looking coldly and silently at the many mutated wolf-like creatures in the pit.

    Ye Jun hurried over from afar and quickly said,

    ¡°The east side has been cleared. Found three survivors, all old people who couldn¡¯t walk. I told them to hide at home and not to go out.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Liu Longtao paused for a moment before asking, ¡°What about the others?¡±

    ...

    ¡°Ai Lu and Fei Yun are still escorting the civilian convoy, and they haven¡¯t been attacked yet,¡± Ye Jun continued. ¡°Lin Hui is sweeping the net in the north and hasn¡¯t encountered any enemies¡­¡±

    She looked towards the corpses in the pit and said,

    ¡°These should be the last of the enemies.¡±

    ¡°How could these be the last enemies?¡± Liu Longtao sneered, ¡°As long as the chaos in the north doesn¡¯t stop, there will always be Transcendents heading south to make trouble. To make trouble, damn it all!¡±

    With a flick of his finger, the Ying Long Sword plummeted down like a meteor, piercing directly through the remains of a car on the other side, emitting a piercing and deafening noise.

    Ye Jun silently looked into the pit and saw a werewolf creature with its guts ripped open. From the torn stomach, a bloodied little hand emerged¡ªit must have belonged to a four or five-year-old child.

    She knew why Liu Longtao was so angry.

    ¡°The border won¡¯t be safe anymore,¡± Ye Jun sighed. ¡°It¡¯s better to have everyone retreat to the inland.¡±

    ¡°Better my ass,¡± Liu Longtao cursed. ¡°If it were up to me, I¡¯d have the Dingbei Army sweep outside the border, kill every day, kill every month, and slaughter every Transcendent in sight. Then we wouldn¡¯t have all this crap!¡±

    He took a long breath out, then quickly fell back into deep thought.

    After the upper limit of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence increased, these Rakshasa werewolves¡¯ resistance to attacks and self-healing ability were greatly enhanced. Explosives that used to kill could no longer do the job, which caused immediate turmoil at the border.

    The Dingbei Army is urgently refitting the entire forces with more powerful heavy weapons, but it¡¯s clear to anyone with eyes that this is a stop-gap solution¡ªthe Spiritual Energy Resurgence shows no sign of stopping, and Transcendents can level up just by lying there, while on our side, we have to increase military industry input to keep up with them in terms of military strength. The ¡°arms race¡± between the two sides is completely unequal.

    If one day the Spiritual Energy Resurgence reaches the point where a single Transcendent can destroy heaven and earth, could the Dingbei Army really expect its soldiers to each carry a nuclear warhead? Impossible.

    The reason Lord Master spoke such furious words, ¡°slaughter all the Transcendents in the north,¡± was because his father had inadvertently revealed to him that in an urgent and dire situation, it would be necessary to ¡°clean up¡± all human settlements in the north that might harbor Transcendents, and currently there are ¡°enough¡± of them.

    But such action would affect a large number of innocent mortals, shock the world¡¯s nations, and therefore was not something that couldn¡¯t be done, but shouldn¡¯t be done. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    A feasible plan is the one proposed by that person from Jianghai: support the largest Transcendent power in the northern border¡ªthe Amur Witch Coven, thereby shifting the burden of law enforcement to the witches and preventing spillage.

    Opponents believe this is not easy to operate, since a horizontal comparison with the rest of the world reveals that the leadership of Transcendent powers changes very quickly. You may have agreed on a peace treaty with the leader today, but tomorrow the leader could be killed by a quicker-promoted deputy, who then suggests that we negotiate again¡­ which would be quite pointless.

    They prefer negotiating terms with the Rakshasas and joining forces to deal with the Siberian tumor.

    During the time of endless debates in the court, the Dingbei Army was also fighting to maintain public order. Ordinary Transcendent disturbances were handled by the troops; for more severe cases, military Cultivators were called in, and if they weren¡¯t sufficient, it was necessary to deploy battle teams¡ªthe Dragon Soar Team was stationed in the east, and the Flying Dragon Battle Team went to Mongolia, leaving no one to contest the Mysterious Realm within the country. This has resulted in the full implementation of the battle team system, urging other collegiate Cultivators to step up quickly.

    After standing by the pit for a while, Liu Longtao pulled himself out of his thoughts and said,

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, find Lin Hui.¡±

    There¡¯s only a thief for a hundred days, not a guard against thieves for a hundred days, right?

    If the court can¡¯t see clearly, then let me clear the fog with my Flying Sword.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    While Lord Master was voicing his lofty aspirations in the north, Yan Yu was disinterestedly dealing with his mother-in-law in the south.

    ¡°Yan Yu, try this,¡± Chen¡¯s mother earnestly offered food and soup to Yan Yu in the restaurant¡¯s private room, ¡°The chef Lu who made this dish used to cook for state banquets. He retired, and I managed to poach him after a lot of effort. You can¡¯t find this anywhere else.¡±

    Yan Yu was also very irritated. Do I look like I don¡¯t have hands or feet, needing you to wait on me, mother-in-law?

    Hmm, it tastes not bad.

    Chen Lingyun watched from the side with a beaming smile that made it impossible to guess what she was really thinking.

    Yan Yu continued to eat without speaking. On the other side, Su Yunjin noticed and frowned to herself.

    ¡°Sister Zhao,¡± she whispered secretly into the hidden channel, ¡°that dish seems really tasty, huh.¡±

    ¡°Which one, which one?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately perked up like a vigilant meerkat, quickly craning her neck.

    She glanced at where Su Yunjin¡¯s chopsticks were pointing, then skillfully rotated the large plate to bring the dish in front of herself. With three ruthless stabs of her chopsticks, half of the dish was gone.

    Mother Chen from across the table was burning with frustration. She couldn¡¯t even continue serving Yan Yu and could only quietly ask her daughter beside her,

    ¡°Where did that girl come from? She¡¯s so ill-mannered?¡±

    ¡°Mom, Sister Zhao is very straightforward,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°But as a cultivator, she¡¯s quite formidable.¡±

    Mentioning the identity of a cultivator, Mother Chen indeed dared not complain any further, but she doubted,

    ¡°Even so, is she as formidable as Yan Zhanlong?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps put it this way,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a gleaming smile, ¡°Her manners are so unattractive at eating, yet Yan Yu tolerates her. Doesn¡¯t that prove that even Yan Yu has to give her face?¡±

    Mother Chen had a great deal of faith in her daughter, and these words immediately stirred doubts in her mind.

    From the perspective of country folks, a good appetite indeed signifies a strong body and a knack for hard work. Considering that cultivators are a martial occupation, this girl¡¯s capacity to eat and put on weight might surprisingly mean she is good in a fight!

    ¡°Better than you?¡± Mother Chen asked uncertainly again.

    ¡°If it¡¯s a head-on fight, she¡¯s definitely better than me,¡± Chen Lingyun responded.

    At this, Mother Chen had no choice but to take Zhao Yuanzhen seriously. Of course, being the type to judge people based on first impressions, once she had formed a bad opinion upon first meeting, it would not waver easily, so she merely upgraded Zhao Yuanzhen in her mind from ¡°country bumpkin¡± to ¡°country bumpkin not to be offended.¡±

    Let it go, let it go¡ªit¡¯s just one meal. Since she¡¯s a cultivator, let her eat how she wants.

    Mother Chen¡¯s gaze shifted, landing on Xie Ruoxi sitting nearby.

    Xie Ruoxi, after all, was from Lu Country. She had been raised by her parents since childhood, without the wild mannerisms of a Demonic Sect Enchantress. But she too was just eating away, her cheeks puffed out, not speaking a word¡ªas if eating was the most important thing at the dining table, which in Mother Chen¡¯s view was worse than those from Jiangbei.

    ¡°And the girl with the tied hair over there?¡± she continued to ask her daughter.

    ¡°Not as good as me now,¡± Chen Lingyun answered with a smile, ¡°But definitely better than me in the future.¡±

    Mother Chen was a bit distraught. How could these two country girls, as cultivators, be better than my precious daughter!

    ¡°Then Yan Zhanlong¡­¡±

    ¡°Of course, he¡¯s still not as good as Yan Yu,¡± Chen Lingyun said confidently, ¡°After all, he¡¯s the team captain.¡±

    ¡°One sentence, ¡®He¡¯s the team captain,¡¯ immediately gave Mother Chen a reassurance.

    She finally remembered that her husband, Chen Tianming, had indeed mentioned before that Lingyun¡¯s talent for cultivation wasn¡¯t very good; it was just that Mother Chen was always protectively biased and hadn¡¯t really listened.

    Now, with two peers for comparison, Mother Chen finally understood what ¡°not very talented in cultivation¡± meant.

    Thank goodness, at least the son-in-law is formidable, better than them¡­

    Mother Chen¡¯s anxious heart was slightly relieved, but she was definitely still disgruntled and lost the mood to cozy up to Yan Yu anymore, starting to lower her head and busily send messages on her phone.

    Seeing that she had finally stopped ¡®bothering¡¯ the captain, Su Yunjin breathed a sigh of relief, picked up her cup, and took a leisurely sip of tea¡ªonly to hear Lin Ning¡¯s voice coming through,

    ¡°Yun Jin, well done.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean well done?¡± Su Yunjin played dumb.

    ¡°Sister Zhao took a look at you first before she turned the plate of food,¡± Lin Ning said.

    ¡°Ning Ning, you¡¯re overthinking it,¡± Su Yunjin laughed and said, ¡°Sister Zhao was just hungry and looking for something to eat, that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lin Ning did not pursue the matter any further but instead asked, ¡°Then how can we make Auntie ¡®just happen¡¯ to want to return to Jianghai Prefecture?¡±

    Su Yunjin lowered her eyelids, and after a long pause said,

    ¡°That¡¯s a question for the captain.¡±

 Chapter 236 - 35 Yun Jin Looks Very Beautiful

    Chapter 236: Chapter 35 Yun Jin Looks Very Beautiful

    After dinner, everyone returned to the villa to rest.

    Yan Yu wanted to take a nap on the sofa, but then he suddenly heard Su Yunjin¡¯s voice transmission:

    ¡°Shall we go for a walk?¡±

    Chen¡¯s mother was in the living room at the time, making the reason for using voice transmission crystal clear: she didn¡¯t want to be overheard by Chen¡¯s mother.

    To be honest, Yan Yu was a little resistant to the idea of going for a walk with Secretary Su after dinner. After all, during their last walk, out of nowhere a flagpole had suddenly come flying at him, and it was only thanks to his quick wit and deft response that he managed to remove the pole just in time.

    If Secretary Su had actually confessed: to accept would seem like a loss; to refuse might make her cry.

    ...

    Yan Yu was kind-hearted and couldn¡¯t bear to see a girl cry over liking him too much, after all, I¡¯m not some jerk.

    Of course, despite his reluctance, he still had to agree. Otherwise, she might think he was scared of her, which wouldn¡¯t be befitting of his status as the strongest of this world.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°Let¡¯s just take a short walk and come back, okay? There are guests at home, we can¡¯t be absent for too long.¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Su Yunjin agreed, appearing very easy to talk to.

    The two of them left the house one after the other, and outside was a straight main road. The lights cast circles of illumination along the roadside, creating a hazy beauty akin to twilight.

    ¡°My parents go for a walk after dinner every day for about an hour to aid digestion,¡± Su Yunjin said with a light smile. ¡°I think we could give it a try too.¡±

    And there it was, that heavy feeling again!

    Yan Yu thought to himself that he wasn¡¯t opposed to a post-dinner walk; in fact, the habit was quite scientific and healthy. But with her starting off with ¡°my parents go for a walk after dinner,¡± and then ¡°we could try it,¡± isn¡¯t the implication of that comparison a bit too obvious?

    We haven¡¯t even established a relationship yet, Miss Yun Jin! Are you starting off with such a heavy atmosphere?

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit much?¡± he declined tactfully, ¡°A lone man and a single woman walking together. If it happens too often, I¡¯m worried it might affect your reputation.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± Su Yunjin asked in surprise, ¡°The ¡®we¡¯ I mentioned was referring to the entire team~¡±

    Yan Yu:¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°So, captain, you¡¯d prefer to go for a walk with me after dinner?¡± Su Yunjin looked at him with wide, innocent eyes, her gaze pure and untainted.

    No wonder she¡¯s a literary girl! Quite the player with words, aren¡¯t you?

    Yan Yu felt like he was losing ground, but with his reputation as the strongest in this world hanging in the balance, he couldn¡¯t easily admit defeat on either the battlefield or the field of love, so he just smiled lightly and steered the conversation back:

    ¡°Did you specifically ask me out for a walk because there¡¯s something on your mind?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t I ask the captain out for a walk without a particular reason?¡±

    ¡°If you keep being mysterious, I might just turn around and go back, you know?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure how to put it into words,¡± Su Yunjin said as she played with a strand of hair by her cheek, her eyes fixed on the little pebbles on the ground. ¡°Give me a moment to organize my thoughts.¡±

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t rush her, simply watching her profile quietly.

    If Chen Lingyun¡¯s beauty could be likened to a delicate little dress adorned with lace, then Su Yunjin¡¯s beauty was like an elegant long dress. Beautiful as it was, her style was relatively plain, with more focus on character than outward appearance.

    Her eyes weren¡¯t particularly large, but the gentle expression when she looked around gave off a demure charm that Chen Lingyun could never achieve¡ªnot to say that Princess Jiang Hai¡¯s eyes lacked luster, but her watery gaze always carried a seductive, captivating charm, unlike Secretary Su¡¯s girl-like clarity and purity.

    Yes, if there was one word to describe Su Yunjin, it would probably be ¡°clean.¡±

    Su Yunjin was indeed a person who cherished cleanliness. Sweeping, mopping, and wiping the tables were daily tasks for her. She took care of washing and drying everyone¡¯s clothes, handling almost all household chores herself without the need for a maid¡ªbecause she was the type who found satisfaction in seeing things become clean by her own hand.

    Extending from that habit, her sartorial choices were mostly understated and monochromatic as well, like the white cinched-waist long dress she wore now¡­ When had she changed into it?

    It must have been right after dinner when she had returned home and went straight to her room to change.

    ¡°Do you think this dress looks good on me?¡± Noticing Yan Yu¡¯s gaze, Su Yunjin suddenly asked.

    ¡°Quite nice,¡± Yan Yu responded truthfully, ¡°It complements your aura.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Su Yunjin suppressed the joy in her heart, calmly replying, ¡°But it¡¯s easily dirtied, and it¡¯s rather troublesome to wash.¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s heart suddenly clenched.

    Memories of Su Yunjin¡¯s body, battered and lifeless after dying in battle, being frantically retrieved by her teammates, surfaced¡ªThe ceremony at Linyin Pavilion Memorial Hall where she was commemorated was deemed grand.

    But to be honest, seeing her pallid face in the coffin on TV, who cared about the level of the farewell ceremony? She was just in her twenties, so young¡­

    ¡°Yun Jin today, indeed, looks very beautiful,¡± he lifted his head, gazing at the night sky that was gradually darkening. A few particularly bright stars appeared before the night fully descended.

    ¡°It¡¯s rare to hear the captain compliment me on looking good twice,¡± Su Yunjin quipped with her lips pursed, her brows arching into crescent moons of delight, ¡°It seems I can¡¯t return this dress, I bought it less than seven days ago.¡±

    ¡°No need to return it,¡± Yan Yu maintained his sky-gazing pose and slowly said, ¡°It¡¯s quite good as it is.¡±

    Right, what happened to The Four Great Demon Kings who were involved in killing her in the past life?

    Shenyuan Simie self-immolated within his family estate; Xiandao Jingyin was outmaneuvered and slain by Chen Lingyun; the stars of the Great I died in rebellion; and living the longest was Weizong Yilang, who was killed by Yan Yu seven years after Su Yunjin¡¯s sacrifice¡­

    Yes, I remembered, I killed a Demon King.

    But it couldn¡¯t be counted as avenging Su Yunjin. Weizong Yilang was the only pacifist among The Four Great Demon Kings, and he had intentionally held back during the fight that led to her death, making it difficult to consider him a murderer, at most an accessory to the crime. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    For true vengeance, it had to be in this life.

    ¡°I¡¯ve figured out how to say it,¡± Su Yunjin finally spoke, ¡°The reason I asked the captain to go for a walk is because I¡¯m unhappy.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s gotten you unhappy?¡± asked Yan Yu.

    ¡°Ling Yun¡¯s mom is too enthusiastic about you, wanting to scoop you up as the Chen Family¡¯s son-in-law, and so I¡¯ve become unhappy,¡± Su Yunjin turned around, her face a mix of embarrassment and earnest calm as she continued, ¡°Captain, if I¡¯m unhappy, it will affect my training condition for the next couple of days¡­¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll tell her to leave,¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but laugh.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to chase her away,¡± Su Yunjin thought for a moment, correcting him, ¡°Is it possible to have Auntie suggest leaving on her own without offending her? Or maybe get her to go out more, so she¡¯s not always hovering around you.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t expect me to play the villain and yet want me to do the dirty work, that¡¯s too much to ask,¡± Yan Yu said with a detached laugh, ¡°I¡¯m not an omnipotent deity.¡±

    ¡°But I believe the captain surely has a way,¡± Su Yunjin insisted.

    ¡°Why do you trust me so much?¡±

    ¡°Because doesn¡¯t the captain always say ¡®I want to become the strongest in this world¡¯?¡± Su Yunjin placed her hands behind her back and playfully blinked at him, ¡°If you want to be the strongest, then you can¡¯t let anyone trip you up, right? Because of Auntie¡¯s visit today, we didn¡¯t even train this afternoon.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Yan Yu pondered in mock-seriousness for a moment, then said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll think of something.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m confident there¡¯s nothing the captain can¡¯t overcome,¡± seeing Yan Yu agree, Su Yunjin breathed a sigh of relief and clasped her hands together, smiling graciously.

    Yes, in this life, there¡¯s nothing that can stump me.

    ¡­including, saving you.

 Chapter 237 - 36: This Life, I Want to Be Ahead

    Chapter 237: Chapter 36: This Life, I Want to Be Ahead

    The two strolled outside for a while, then leisurely walked back home.

    Yan Yu could understand why Su Yunjin wanted to send Chen¡¯s mother away. Just like most daughters-in-law do not want to live with their mothers-in-law, there is often mutual dislike between women of different generations.

    Not to mention, Chen¡¯s mother was always trying to set her daughter up with connections, it would be strange if Secretary Su could tolerate that.

    As for agreeing to Su Yunjin¡¯s request, of course, it was easy to fulfill¡ªthe day after tomorrow he would set off for East Sea Province, and he would send the old mother-in-law back tomorrow.

    As they approached the villa, Su Yunjin suddenly stopped and said,

    ¡°I have actually always believed in the captain¡­ in every aspect.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Then you do have good judgment,¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    ¡°Mm.¡± Su Yunjin fell silent for a moment and then added, ¡°That¡¯s also why I am not willing to let go.¡±

    Her words seemed quite intriguing. Yan Yu pondered for a while then decided not to ask further, just looking toward the lights coming on at the back of the yard, he said,

    ¡°It¡¯s time to go back.¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm.¡±

    Once they returned home, Lin Ning immediately sent a message asking,

    ¡°How did it go?¡±

    ¡°The captain agreed,¡± Su Yunjin replied.

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± Lin Ning felt a subconscious sense of relief but then remembered something and quickly added, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not that I have something against your auntie. It¡¯s just that we usually need to train on a daily basis, and not entertaining her would seem impolite, while entertaining her would affect our training.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Su Yunjin echoed, ¡°Training is vital to us; we can¡¯t afford to delay it.¡±

    In the exchange of glances, they quickly came to an understanding: not to bring up this matter anymore.

    Just as Yan Yu sat down on the sofa, he heard Chen Lingyun send him a private message,

    ¡°What were you and Yun Jin doing just now?¡±

    ¡°Why, are you jealous?¡±

    ¡°Not at all. And even if you don¡¯t dare to say it, I can guess: you were definitely thinking about how to send my mother away, right?¡±

    ¡°How can you call it ¡®sending away¡¯?¡± Yan Yu argued with her, ¡°We have a mission up north the day after tomorrow, did you know that?¡±

    ¡°Of course I knew.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Who do you think is behind pushing for this matter?¡±

    ¡°Since there¡¯s a mission the day after tomorrow, it¡¯s not about sending your mom away,¡± Yan Yu said confidently, ¡°It¡¯s that we ourselves have to leave. Military duty calls, there¡¯s no helping it. What can be done about that? Right, since you already know, you can inform her.¡±

    ¡°You want me to tell her?¡± Chen Lingyun sighed deeply, ¡°You really know how to avoid the unpleasant tasks.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say you had to go.¡± Yan Yu retorted irritably, ¡°You could talk to your dad¡­¡±

    Before he could finish, the phone rang again.

    ¡°Look, your dad is calling again¡­¡± Yan Yu checked carefully and saw it wasn¡¯t Chen Tianming calling but Liu Longtao.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Old Yan, are you enjoying yourself in Jinling Prefecture?¡± Liu Longtao started sarcastically, ¡°Hey, I just realized, isn¡¯t there the mention of the ¡®Twelve Beauties of Jinling¡¯ in ¡®Dream of the Red Chamber¡¯? Why don¡¯t you also make more efforts over there in Jinling, create a modern version of the Grand View Garden? It would be quite an accomplishment.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Yan Yu replied calmly, ¡°I¡¯ve received your jealousy loud and clear, if there¡¯s nothing else I¡¯m hanging up.¡±

    ¡°Wait, wait, wait,¡± Liu Longtao hurriedly called out, ¡°How can this be jealousy? I¡¯m envious of you! Really, I¡¯m fighting enemies here in East Sea, battling to the point where my Flying Sword is notched and my True Yuan is nearly depleted, then I suddenly think about how your Zhendong Army¡¯s territory doesn¡¯t border any other forces and you don¡¯t have much security pressure. Just thinking about it makes me green with envy¡­¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you border any other forces?¡± Yan Yu countered, ¡°Let¡¯s not even talk about the Superhero Alliance being too far away, what about the Onmyoji? When the Onmyoji come to attack, your Dragon Soar Team will fight for me, right?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Liu Longtao immediately grinned, ¡°Have you heard? The Giliac Bearmen have sought reinforcements from the Heavy Sakura.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Yan Yu was taken aback, ¡°I haven¡¯t heard of it, tell me more.¡±

    ¡°This intelligence was just obtained by the Privy Council a few minutes ago. Even if I didn¡¯t tell you, that person from Jiang Hai would soon find out anyway.¡± Liu Longtao said with a smile, ¡°Do you still remember Park Changmin from Changbai Mountain¡¯s Mysterious Realm, who we let go last time? I¡¯ll just tell it for fun, you decide how believable it is.¡±

    Lord Master began his comedic routine: It is said that the Amur Witches, feeling unable to withstand the Giliac Bearmen, formed an envoy group and ran to seek help from the south. Although people here don¡¯t pay much attention to the witches, the Giliac Bearmen didn¡¯t know that and thought, with so many powerful cultivators and the presence of Yan Zhanlong, if they were to attack, how could we possibly hold them back? So they also formed an envoy group and went to ask the Pear Blossom Courtyard on the peninsula for help.

    The Pear Blossom Courtyard, having just had an encounter with cultivators at Changbai Mountain, knew that cultivators were formidable and not to be trifled with, so they said we are eating hot pot with the troops, but we can ask the Superhero Alliance for you.

    Lately, the Superheroes have also had a skirmish with cultivators in the South Sea, and nearly lost Thunderbird, so they said we¡¯re eating hamburgers and don¡¯t have time, but we¡¯ll ask the Yin Yang Bureau for you.

    The Yin Yang Bureau just happened to have had a recent clash with cultivators too, and moreover, they were severely defeated by Lord Master, so they were somewhat inclined to close their doors and eat sashimi. However, due to historical reasons, they have a strong obsession with Ezo Island and Black Dragon Isle, with the grand cause of ¡°recovering lost territory¡± at stake, they couldn¡¯t refuse, so the Pear Blossom Courtyard took the lead and conducted the three-party talks with the Giliac Bearmen at Juzhi Mountain.

    The third-party mediation representative sent by the Pear Blossom Courtyard happened to be none other than the famous ¡°Sword God Park Changmin¡±¡­ and as a result, the Privy Council immediately got the intelligence.

    According to the intelligence, the Giliac Bearmen are willing to open the entire Black Dragon Isle for the Onmyoji to station and have free passage, and the Mysterious Realm is to be developed jointly by both sides¡ªthis happens to touch the Privy Council¡¯s raw nerve, as Mei Yingxue had once casually mentioned it, and they are resolute in obtaining that Mysterious Realm on the island.

    ¡°So what did the Heavy Sakura say?¡± Yan Yu confirmed.

    ¡°They¡¯re likely to go.¡± Liu Longtao said with a cold laugh, ¡°It¡¯s just a matter of who will lead the team. If it¡¯s that same jerk as last time, Old Yan, let me tell you, don¡¯t compete with me for kills, ha.¡± S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Stop dreaming,¡± Yan Yu said with disdain, ¡°Shenyuan Simie¡¯s paper effigy substitution spell, have you figured out a way to counter it?¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Liu Longtao admitted sheepishly, ¡°I figure no matter how bizarre his spell is, he¡¯s got to at least perform some hand gesture, right? How about I just kill him on sight before he can cast it, how does that sound?¡±

    ¡°Then try it out first,¡± Yan Yu had no choice but to agree. Because in his past life, he really didn¡¯t know how the famous ¡°God of Gods¡± managed to use the paper effigy for substitution¡­ it seemed like the paper effigy was worn like underwear against the skin, and when facing deadly threat, it would automatically substitute itself, just like Orochimaru¡¯s Substitution Jutsu.

    However, this paper effigy substitution technique was not without cost; each substitution would cause an overall decline in condition, and also one less paper effigy on the person.

    So, strictly speaking, the way to kill Shenyuan Simie was not by a quick kill, but by killing repeatedly¡ªhowever many times you substitute, I will kill you that many times. You might as well carry a stack of A4 paper on you, fold as you go, otherwise, I¡¯ll kill you until you collapse.

    Of course, these were just speculations and couldn¡¯t be shared with Lord Master. After all, in his past life, Yan Yu never had a confrontation with that bastard; he just killed himself¡­ let Lord Master do the research first.

    ¡°How is Ye Jun doing?¡± Yan Yu continued to inquire.

    ¡°How else?¡± Liu Longtao was a bit puzzled, and said subconsciously, ¡°She¡¯s just rotating with us on three shifts, running wherever there¡¯s a fire to put out¡­ wait, why do you ask? Are you interested in her? She¡¯s from Jinmen and can¡¯t enter your Jinling harem!¡±

    ¡°What Jinling harem?¡± Yan Yu was speechless with Lord Master¡¯s intervention, ¡°I was just asking¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask anymore.¡± Liu Longtao said earnestly, ¡°You know how important her Xuan Guang Ruler is to our team, right? I can¡¯t afford to hand her over to you; sorry, Old Yan.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not asking for people,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°Look at how nervous you are, it¡¯s just jealousy.¡±

    ¡°What do I have to be jealous about?¡± Although he knew the other party was provoking him, Liu Longtao didn¡¯t want to be defamed and called out, ¡°Ye Jun! Old Yan is looking for you!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Ye Jun came over to take the call, but just as she lifted the phone to her ear, the sound of call forwarding music came from the receiver.

    It was Chen Tianming calling Yan Yu¡¯s side.

    ¡°Hello, Yan Yu,¡± the voice on the other end was concise, ¡°There¡¯s been a change in plans, meet at the airport at 10 tonight, departure is immediate. Adjust the team¡¯s status, don¡¯t worry about her mother¡¯s side.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Yan Yu was also succinct and hung up the call.

    War had started early.

    In my past life, I entered the scene too late and only killed one Demon King.

    This life, let¡¯s try for the whole compendium.

 Chapter 238 - 238: Su Yunjin Extras

    Chapter 238: Su Yunjin Extras

    ¡°`

    (The timeframe should be after the grand finale of this book, which is to say, ¡°things that will happen in the future,¡± so everyone can consider this an IF route.)

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Shall we take a walk?¡± the woman asked.

    ¡°Wait a moment, I¡¯ll talk to the kids.¡±

    From the room came the man¡¯s practiced words, adept at dealing with the children. After promising that ¡°next time for sure¡± he¡¯d take everyone on a sword flight to see the Great Barrier Reef¡¯s Blue Hole, to Africa to see zebras, to Antarctica to see penguins, and even to visit the Lu Country astronauts at the space station¡­ he finally managed to calm the noisy children, with none clamoring to ¡°go for a walk with Mommy Su¡± anymore.

    ...

    ¡°Really now.¡± The man closed the door of the room, griping as he said, ¡°When I was kid, I wasn¡¯t so fussy. Give me a bucket of fried chicken, and I was good whether it was studying or doing housework¡­ Kids these days are too shrewd, not even handheld game consoles can fool them.¡±

    ¡°Are you blaming me for not teaching them well?¡± the woman asked with a laugh, covering her mouth.

    ¡°Not at all, I can¡¯t bring myself to blame you,¡± the man immediately recanted.

    The two of them left the villa and walked along the road towards the distance. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The sky was somewhat dim, the end of the horizon showing intense fiery clouds that looked like a lover¡¯s blushing cheeks.

    The warm, smooth skin of the opposite sex touched the back of his hand. Yan Yu naturally took her hand, skillfully intertwined their fingers, and enveloped her soft and delicate hand.

    ¡°I¡¯ve actually fantasized about this a lot,¡± the woman said.

    ¡°Fantasized about what?¡±

    ¡°Back then¡­ during our team times, when I walked this road home from school at night, I would often fantasize about holding hands with you, walking down this road together¡­ just the two of us.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it just the two of us now?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because they just happen to be absent.¡±

    ¡°When they are around, can¡¯t we hold hands?¡±

    ¡°Hold hands, huh? How many hands do you have to hold?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll always leave one to hold yours.¡±

    The woman¡¯s cheeks reddened. Even though they were an old married couple now, she still had no defense against some of her husband¡¯s words.

    ¡°I¡¯ve changed my mind now,¡± she said, lowering her bashful head, her voice as timid as a mosquito¡¯s.

    But Yan Yu¡¯s hearing was not that of an ordinary person. He immediately caught her barely audible voice and asked:

    ¡°Don¡¯t like holding hands anymore?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± the woman shook her head, ¡°I just realized there are many more romantic things we could do.¡±

    ¡°Like what?¡±

    ¡°Like you said you¡¯d take the kids to the Great Barrier Reef to see the Blue Hole¡­ I kind of want to go too.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±

    ¡°Eh, now?¡±

    ¡°Why not? Sword flight makes the trip convenient.¡±

    ¡°But Guoguo and the others are still at home¡­¡± the woman¡¯s voice stopped abruptly, as Huang Tingjian had already transformed into a sword light soaring into the sky, carrying the two towards the southeast, sweeping past the skies of Liangxi Prefecture, Gusu Prefecture, and Jianghai Prefecture, startling many Lu Country citizens to look up.

    ¡°Is that a meteor?¡±

    ¡°It looks like sword light¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Yan Yu¡¯s Huang Tingjian light! It¡¯s Yan Yu!¡±

    Many people quickly fetched their phones to take pictures. With the status Yan Yu had now, common appearances in the Mysterious Realm and foreign invasions were simply not worth his personal attention¡ªmany people hadn¡¯t even seen Huang Tingjian¡¯s light, it was news worthy of a special snapshot to post with comments on social media.

    The news even alarmed the Zhendong Army, and other system bigwigs called Li Weiguo to inquire if something had happened in East Sea that would require Yan Yu to personally resolve it with sword control.

    ¡°`

    Li Weiguo was also bewildered, ¡°What happened? How come I don¡¯t know about it?¡±

    By this time, Yan Yu had already taken Su Yunjin from Yangshan Town towards the open sea, when suddenly she said:

    ¡°Your phone is ringing.¡±

    ¡°Never mind it, help me dismiss the call.¡±

    ¡°The noise from sword flight is too loud,¡± Su Yunjin sighed, ¡°How will you explain it when they ask later?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll just say I took my wife out for some fun,¡± Yan Yu smiled nonchalantly.

    ¡°No, I mean when they ask you, how will you explain it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll say I took the big wife out for fun.¡±

    ¡°Stop it, when did I become your big wife?¡± Su Yunjin really wanted to punch him hard on the chest, but a thick sweetness welled up inside her, causing her body to soften and become feverish. She wrapped her arms around her husband and whispered in his ear:

    ¡°Stop talking nonsense¡­ just keep me company.¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    Sword Flight made rapid progress, making Thousand miles seem like moments, and soon they arrived at the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in the South Pacific¡ªa place with endless stretches of coral reefs, but because it was nighttime, the view wasn¡¯t clear, which was a bit disappointing.

    ¡°Oops, I forgot.¡± Yan Yu slapped his forehead and said, ¡°There¡¯s a time difference here with Lu Country; it¡¯s already night, so it doesn¡¯t look good.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Su Yunjin smiled tenderly, ¡°Follow me.¡±

    She took her husband¡¯s hand and they descended into the sea, sword in hand, with incantations already forming in her palm.

    The Water Repelling Spell of the Water Escape Technique parted the surrounding seawater, forming a large spherical space without water, enveloping the two of them within.

    ¡°My wife is really capable,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°This water repelling technique, even I must admit I¡¯m inferior.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense talker,¡± Su Yunjin scolded him, ¡°I specialize in water-based magic, how can you compare with me?¡±

    Protected by the Water Repelling Spell, the two drifted slowly along the ocean floor, using Divine Sense to appreciate the surrounding coral reefs and schools of fish.

    Many curious small fish swam towards the large bubble and upon entering the waterless space passed through the bubble¡¯s surface, suddenly lost buoyancy support, fell as they were briefly deprived of oxygen, before heading back into the water from the bottom of the bubble and hastily swam away, still in shock.

    ¡°Are we disturbing them?¡± Su Yunjin watched the panicked fish and sighed, ¡°Let¡¯s go back then.

    ¡°Go back now? For what?¡± Yan Yu opposed the suggestion, ¡°The kids are all at home, and whatever I do, I have to bring them along, which is very inconvenient.¡±

    ¡°The kids like their dad; that¡¯s normal,¡± Su Yunjin purposely made a sad face, ¡°Unlike me, I¡¯m always disciplining them, now they all run away when they see me.¡±

    ¡°Does Mommy Su like daddy just like the kids do?¡± Yan Yu settled onto the sandy ocean floor, embracing his little wife in his arms and began kissing her.

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Su Yunjin was shy again, simply nodding her head.

    ¡°How much do you like me?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ve already had kids for you, what else do you need to ask?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not enough,¡± Yan Yu gently lifted her chin, nibbled at her ear, and said, ¡°Or we could here¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Su Yunjin pushed him surprisingly, but without strength, she didn¡¯t move him.

    ¡°No one¡¯s around!¡± Yan Yu reasoned as if it was obvious, hands mischievously starting to wander, ¡°There are no divers or deep-sea cameras nearby, my Divine Sense is scanning all the time!¡±

    ¡°Still, we can¡¯t!¡± Su Yunjin was both embarrassed and irritated, turning red to her earlobes as she stammered, ¡°We can¡¯t¡­not here¡­this is the wilderness! Let¡¯s just go home.¡±

    ¡°I told you, it¡¯s very inconvenient with the kids at home, and at this depth, there¡¯s virtually no light, no one will find out¡­¡± Yan Yu held her tighter, about to continue his tempting whisper, but then he noticed that her struggles were becoming weaker, and he was immediately overjoyed.

    Su Yunjin sighed, the incantation of the Water Repelling Spell in her hand accelerated, and the waterless spherical space quickly shrank until it barely enclosed the two of them.

    Then she deployed the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, creating hidden currents around them to prevent any unwary marine life from disturbing them.

    Not far from the pair, a protruding underwater geothermal vent suddenly spewed out a hot, sulfur-scented scalding jet of water, which then dissolved into the surrounding warm seawater.

 Chapter 239 - 37 Emergency Additional Practice of Sword Flight

    Chapter 239: Chapter 37 Emergency Additional Practice of Sword Flight

    After receiving the message, the girls immediately began packing up their things, preparing to head out.

    Anna was of course overjoyed, but due to others being present, she couldn¡¯t throw herself into Yan Yu¡¯s arms for a few kisses, so she happily went about packing.

    ¡°Where¡¯s your mom?¡± Yan Yu asked Chen Lingyun as he stopped her.

    ¡°Out shopping, she¡¯ll be back soon,¡± Chen Lingyun replied.

    ¡°No time to wait! You call her later,¡± Yan Yu decisively said, ¡°Xie Ruoxi, you come with us too.¡±

    ¡°Eh, I have to go too?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked in surprise, ¡°I haven¡¯t mastered sound transmission into secrecy yet¡­¡±

    ...

    ¡°Nonsense! You¡¯ll learn on the way!¡± Yan Yu glared and scolded, ¡°Swords! Elixir Medicines! Change of clothes! Take everything you can, five minutes enough? If not, you have three!¡±

    ¡°Right away, right away!¡± Xie Ruoxi hurried upstairs.

    ¡°Yan Yu, the vehicle is parked outside!¡± Lin Ning called from the door.

    It wasn¡¯t the business van Chen Lingyun had ordered, but a troop transport vehicle, indicating that the Privy Council had deemed the situation extremely urgent and was requiring the Zhenhai Team to head north overnight.

    Watching the girls in the living room ready to go, Yan Yu called upstairs:

    ¡°Are you ready?!¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d give me five minutes¡­¡± came Xie Ruoxi¡¯s cry-baby voice from upstairs.

    ¡°Lin Ning, go give her a hand,¡± Yan Yu made a snap decision.

    Lin Ning, acting quickly as well, employed the Shifting Technique and dashed to the second floor; then faint shouts of ¡°You don¡¯t need to bring this¡± and ¡°You don¡¯t need that either¡± were heard.

    Everyone quickly packed their things and rushed onto the troop transport vehicle, reaching Jinling Airport, boarding the plane, and taking off¡ªall went smoothly and without interruption.

    On the plane, Anna went to the back cabin to rest, not disturbing the team as they arranged their plans. Lin Ning lowered the projection screen, Su Yunjin turned on the projector, Chen Lingyun was adjusting the computer, when suddenly she heard Yan Yu say:

    ¡°Your materials are useless, let me explain.¡±

    In his previous life, he had dealt the most with the people from the Yin Yang Bureau and could even say he ¡°knew more about Onmyoji than current Onmyoji.¡± As a result, the fragmented information Chen Lingyun had cobbled together indeed had no value to offer.

    ¡°Our opponents this time are the Giliya Bearmen and Onmyoji,¡± Yan Yu gave a brief explanation, ¡°We¡¯ll talk about the Giliya Bearmen later; let¡¯s start with the Onmyoji.¡±

    ¡°The Kyoto Onmyo Academy adheres to elitism, with internal resources skewed towards top elites. They do not regulate the practice at the social level but require that local cultivators register and enter local Dao academies for cultivation, to be screened and promoted step by step, eventually aggregating at the Kyoto Onmyo Academy.¡±

    ¡°To help you understand the distribution of their strength, I¡¯ll categorize the top cultivators from strongest to weakest into four tiers: T1, Liu Longtao; T2, Li Minghu, Zhou Hongyu; T3, Lin Ning; T4, other team cultivators¡­¡±

    ¡°Hold up, why am I ranked in T3?!¡± Lin Ning immediately protested, ¡°You could have said T1 is super team leader level, T2 is team leader level, T3 is first-line team, T4 is second-line team! There¡¯s no need to name names as examples, right?¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± Yan Yu immediately agreed, ¡°On the Onmyoji side, because of the elite training system, the strongest few are between team leader level and super team leader level, which is about T1.5. But there aren¡¯t many of them, so they likely won¡¯t send all of them here; I reckon sending one over as the leader should suffice.¡±

    ¡°Due to the skewing of resources towards the elites, there is a serious talent gap below team leader level, which means there are very few at Lin Ning¡¯s level. Below that are the second-line teams, and there are actually far more Onmyoji in this range of strength than us because they do not regulate civilian practice; there¡¯s a large base of civilian Onmyoji forming the bottom layer of the pyramid. As long as there are enough ¡®short¡¯ ones, you can find quite a few relatively ¡®tall¡¯ ones, get it?¡±

    ¡°So, their team leaders are a bit stronger than ours, but they¡¯re definitely not as strong as you,¡± Su Yunjin summarized, ¡°The rest of members are weaker than us, but far outnumber us, is that right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± Yan Yu nodded and said, ¡°So if we¡¯re to analyze the risk points, where does the risk lie in combating the Onmyoji?¡±

    The girls exchanged glances for a moment before Chen Lingyun said at leisure:

    ¡°The biggest risk is that during team leader duels, facing numerous but slightly weaker enemies, we could be outnumbered and overwhelmed, leading to the collapse of our battle situation.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu paused for a moment and continued, ¡°Because the combat style of Onmyoji is very different from our domestic cultivators¡­ You know what ¡®Jade-Smashing Tactics¡¯ are, right?¡±

    ¡°Whenever civilian practice regulation is lifted, there¡¯s an inevitable issue: too many Transcendents and not enough resources to go around. What do you do?¡±

    ¡°If this problem isn¡¯t solved, it will result in severe internal strife, and even lead to the subversion of order from the bottom up. The Yin Yang Bureau has designed a battle reward system; if their onmyoji want to advance in rank, they must exchange their military achievements for promotion on the battlefield.¡±

    ¡°The so-called ¡®Jade-Smashing Tactics¡¯ involve treating the lower-ranked onmyoji as cannon fodder on the battlefield. As long as they survive, they get promoted and gain access to more resources. ¡®As long as it¡¯s jade, it¡¯s not afraid of breaking.¡¯

    ¡°That¡­¡± Lin Ning opened her mouth, instinctively wanting to say ¡°Isn¡¯t that like raising gu,¡± but at the last moment changed it to ¡°Won¡¯t they resist?¡±

    ¡°Why would they resist?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked curiously, ¡°Only those who can fight and kill have status and resources. Isn¡¯t that very normal? I actually think that the system in our country is too lenient¡­¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Yan Yu immediately shouted in interruption, ¡°No one asked you!¡±

    In fact, the governance structure of the Yin Yang Bureau is quite similar to that of the Demonic Sect, which has origins in exotic demonesses. First and foremost, they focus on cultivating high-ranking cultivators to ensure their combat prowess can crush those at the lower ranks, creating an absolute deterrence and then using resources as bait to drive the lower ranks into the fray to fight desperately, continually depleting their overall strength to prevent them from becoming a threat to the upper echelons.

    Of course, classical sects and modern society are different. Many strategies can be employed to manage a few thousand people without issue, but when it comes to hundreds of thousands, problems arise incessantly¡­ The Yin Yang Bureau was only able to implement this system temporarily in the early stages.

    In the later stages, it was internally sabotaged by Xie Daiwo, leading directly to its peak and subsequent decline¡­ Therefore, liberating the control over folk cultivation practices inevitably leads to a bottomless abyss, and one must not harbor any delusions of good fortune.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about why they don¡¯t resist,¡± Yan Yu said bluntly. ¡°In any case, as long as you¡¯ve faced them, you¡¯ll know that those onmyoji are like mad dogs with rabies. They¡¯ll fight to the death just to inflict a wound on you, even if it means dying the next second.¡±

    ¡°To deal with this ¡®Jade-Smashing Tactics,¡¯ there¡¯s only one method: Kill! Don¡¯t hold back, don¡¯t be soft-hearted; kill them before they can harm you. Summed up in four words, ¡®eliminate on sight.¡¯ Don¡¯t test them, don¡¯t maneuver around¡ªjust kill with one sword strike upon encounter. If there are any problems, it¡¯s simply because you didn¡¯t kill quickly enough.¡±

    The girls looked at each other once more, only to hear Chen Lingyun add an explanation:

    ¡°The enemy is fearless and numerous; even if their individual strength isn¡¯t a match for ours, a siege situation is still dangerous. The best response is as the captain said, rely on efficient killing to tear through and disrupt their lines, to avoid being besieged. Everyone must absolutely not hold onto any wishful thinking, and be mentally prepared to act decisively and ruthlessly.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Yan Yu said seriously, as the matter was grave and thus didn¡¯t belittle the deputy captain¡¯s prestige as usual. ¡°Next, I will explain how to kill.¡±

    ¡°Their transcendent beings are all referred to as onmyoji. Their internal factions are quite diverse. We categorize them according to combat style. Those who specialize in swordsmanship are singled out and called ¡®samurai,¡¯ whose style is similar to our Sword Immortals¡ªfast, reactive, and their simple and crude form of attack is slashing, but their swords can¡¯t fly. So the main counter-strategy is to avoid close combat and cut them down from a distance.¡±

    ¡°A target bearing a sword isn¡¯t necessarily a samurai; but if a target is without a sword, you can directly rule out the samurai profession. Then look at their offensive means¡ªif they attack using various projectiles, they are called ¡®ninja,¡¯ similar to our assistant officers who use magical treasures for offense.¡±

    ¡°Ninja have strong long-range suppressive capabilities, but unlike samurai, they don¡¯t have integrated offense and defense, which mainly depends on the type of magical treasure: ones with strong attacks tend to have weak defenses¡ªkill them swiftly; ones with strong defenses tend to have weak attacks¡ªcontrol them, be careful to dodge and normally don¡¯t bother with them.¡±

    ¡°If they aren¡¯t samurai or ninja, then they are onmyoji. Within the onmyoji, there are two main branches: one likes to use curse techniques, and the other is accustomed to using shikigami, directly corresponding to our spellcasters and envoys.¡±

    ¡°Curse technique onmyoji have wide-ranging attacks and strong lethality, but virtually no defense. They are the type that needs to be prioritized and killed on any battlefield. Their perception is usually not sharp, and they are easiest to kill from the side or behind.¡±

    ¡°Shikigami onmyoji, their combat style depends on the shikigami, and is often strange and abnormal. Don¡¯t try to kill the core person; they¡¯re sure to have self-preservation measures. First target the shikigami. A shikigami style onmyoji without shikigami is like a samurai without a sword¡ªthey pose no threat¡­¡±

    When it came to ¡°how to efficiently kill onmyoji,¡± Yan Yu spoke with fervor and endless details, so much so that Lin Ning, who was good at memorizing, couldn¡¯t keep up and had to take out her recording pen to record. The more she listened, the more wrong it felt.

    You know this way too well!

    Before she had the chance to complain ¡°How do you know so much,¡± she only heard Yan Yu say:

    ¡°Of course, one must be strong oneself to forge metal.¡±

    ¡°When facing a human wave tactic, the most important thing is mobility. The Shifting Technique offers mobility on a two-dimensional plane, but what to do when enemies surround you on all sides?¡±

    ¡°Therefore, we must completely master Sword Flight before the battle¡­ All of us. Stop looking! That includes you, Xie Ruoxi!¡±

    ¡°But we¡¯re on an airplane, there¡¯s no way to practice here, right?¡± Lin Ning quickly objected, ¡°What if the sword light pierces through the cabin?¡±

    ¡°Who says you can¡¯t practice?¡± Yan Yu said, puzzled, ¡°Practicing Sword Control on an airplane is already the fastest method, okay?¡± Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    I practiced on an airplane in my past life. Now, let me show you what a mature teaching plan of the future is like.

    As the girls looked on in bewildered silence, he walked to the door of the crew rest area, knocked, and said something that made everyone¡¯s face change:

    ¡°Comrade? Can someone help open the airplane cabin door?¡±

 Chapter 240 - 38: Guarding the Kingdom for the Eclipse Queen

    Chapter 240: Chapter 38: Guarding the Kingdom for the Eclipse Queen

    For safety reasons, the plane that the Zhenhai Team took was not a passenger jet, but a modified transport plane.

    Some seats and soft chairs were added to the interior, but the overall layout still resembled that of a transport plane, with features like a jump hatch that supported parachuting.

    When the plane descended to the jump altitude, the crew opened the hatch, and the girls¡¯ complexions changed once again¡­ At this moment, the cold wind raged furiously inside the cabin, the temperature plummeted, and it felt as if the floor was beginning to shake and jitter, whether that was an illusion or not.

    ¡°Jump one by one! After jumping out, try to fly with Sword Flight!¡± Yan Yu shouted near the hatch against the violent wind, ¡°Don¡¯t be too scared! If you can¡¯t learn it in one go, I¡¯ll catch you before you hit the ground!!!¡±

    But the girls¡¯ faces looked even worse. Listen to what the captain was saying, not ¡°I¡¯ll catch you,¡± but ¡°I¡¯ll catch you before you hit the ground.¡± Does that mean they¡¯d have to struggle against the King of Hell¡¯s grasp at death¡¯s door?

    Zhao Yuanzhen was quite amused watching from the side. When she was learning Sword Flight, there were no senior sect members throwing them from the sky¡­ How busy were the elders? They hardly had time to care about the juniors¡¯ cultivation, right?

    ...

    Now that the little thief is willing to take care of you, just silently be grateful!

    ¡°Lin Ning, Su Yunjin, Chen Lingyun!¡± Yan Yu continued to yell, ¡°Come here in this order and line up!!!¡±

    ¡°Seriously.¡± Lin Ning was a bit scared but still managed to retort with a complaint, ¡°If the wind is strong, just use sound transmission, why shout so loud¡­ Ah!!! Ahhhhhhh!!!¡±

    She was directly hurled out of the hatch by Yan Yu.

    ¡°Yan, Yan Yu.¡± Su Yunjin was completely terrified, ¡°You don¡¯t have to push people, right? That, Ningning¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid.¡± Yan Yu comforted her with sound transmission, ¡°It¡¯ll be your turn soon.¡±

    Then he too leaped out of the hatch, turning into a streak of sword light as he went.

    Lin Ning continued to plummet sharply, her vision upside down and chaotic, while her mind was completely dominated by the fear of facing death head-on.

    It took her about ten seconds or so to finally react, attempting to fly with Sword Control.

    Where was Yan Yu?

    Where was Yan Yu? No good, she couldn¡¯t find Yan Yu, she had to save herself¡­

    I must survive!

    Lin Ning fiercely executed the sword techniques with her hands, and the Green Bamboo Sword quickly turned into a streak of sword light, approaching her rapidly.

    ¡°I did it!¡± Finally engulfed in the sword light, Lin Ning shouted excitedly, ¡°I succeeded!¡±

    ¡°What did you succeed at?¡± Yan Yu¡¯s voice came from beside her, ¡°I¡¯m the one guiding your Sword Flight, otherwise, you would¡¯ve fallen to your death already.¡±

    ¡°¡­Eh?¡±

    ¡°You do nothing but stare blankly for nearly ten seconds after being thrown out?¡± Yan Yu taunted her with a chuckle, before suddenly becoming serious, ¡°Hmm, but considering you managed to do that, your performance isn¡¯t too bad. A few more tries and you should have it down.¡±

    The streak of sword light with Lin Ning in tow caught up with the still-flying plane, entered through the open hatch precisely, and ended the flight smoothly upon landing, without damaging the aircraft.

    Lin Ning still seemed a bit shaken, while Yan Yu had already turned his stern gaze towards Su Yunjin:

    ¡°We¡¯re short on time, let¡¯s go, Yun Jin.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Wait¡­¡± Before Su Yunjin could speak, she was pushed out of the hatch by Yan Yu.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Anna came out from the rear cabin, looking puzzled at the open hatch and the pale-faced girls around, and asked in confusion:

    ¡°What are all of you doing?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re practicing,¡± Su Yunjin said with a wry smile.

    After practicing three or four times, Lin Ning had managed to master Sword Flight and was now voluntarily practicing extra, helping Yan Yu train their teammates.

    Despite having practiced around a dozen times, she had only grasped a faint sense of it, barely able to draw the Coral Tears towards her¡­ Why is there such a huge gap in talent between people?

    The streak of sword light suddenly rushed in from outside, dispersed, and revealed Yan Yu¡¯s figure, as well as Xie Ruoxi, whom he had thrown onto a chair.

    Xie Ruoxi was a complete mess, though unharmed, with a vacant stare, twitching shoulders, and completely slumping in her seat, looking as if she had truly free-fallen from ten thousand meters and splattered into mush upon the ground.

    ¡°Seems like I had to scare you to get you to learn,¡± Yan Yu said shaking his head in resignation.

    ¡°Ruoxi has learned it already?¡± Su Yunjin asked in surprise.

    ¡°Yes, she has,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°I lied to her saying she was too heavy, and my True Yuan was insufficient, so we might as well die together¡­ and then she managed to pull it off.¡±

    ¡°Really¡­¡± Su Yunjin was somewhat at a loss for words. She wanted to go and comfort the frightened Xie Ruoxi, but then she remembered that she had already mastered Sword Flight, and suddenly, she didn¡¯t feel like bothering with her anymore.

    ¡°Why did you come out?¡± Yan Yu asked Anna.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, don¡¯t worry about me, you go on with your work,¡± Anna expressed her consciousness as an outsider, indicating she had no intention to pry into the secrets of the Rikoku Cultivator team, and turned to head back to the rear cabin.

    ¡°Yun Jin, shall we go?¡± Yan Yu invited.

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go,¡± Su Yunjin nodded.

    After practicing about ten times, she had basically adapted to the fear of heights, and even felt a subtle sense of security knowing the captain would always save her.

    Of course, that sense of security wasn¡¯t good, as it would slow down her practice¡­ so she still needed to push herself.

    Yeah, I need to push on too!

    Thinking this, Su Yunjin stood at the hatch, looked down, and without needing Yan Yu to push her, she closed her eyes and jumped straight down.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Why is Old Yan still not here?¡± Liu Longtao said impatiently, ¡°Isn¡¯t his surname Yan? Why is he flying so slowly?¡±

    ¡°The plane at ten last night,¡± Ye Jun checked the time. ¡°He should be here soon.¡±

    ¡°Soon?¡± Liu Longtao shook his head, ¡°The Onmyoji crowd has already reached Black Dragon Isle, and we¡¯re still here waiting for Old Yan, waiting until the damn sun is almost rising.¡±

    ¡°Well, to be fair,¡± Ye Jun reminded him, ¡°it¡¯s only about seven hundred kilometers from Beigayi to Black Dragon Isle, but it¡¯s over two thousand kilometers from Jinling Prefecture to here. The distance is three times as much.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± said Liu Longtao with a stern face. ¡°Why can¡¯t he live a bit more to the north? Why does he have to stick around that broken Jinling Prefecture fussing over his Twelve Hairpins?¡±

    ¡°What Twelve Hairpins?¡± inquired Ye Jun curiously.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Liu Longtao realized his slip of the tongue and quickly waved his hands, ¡°Give him a call to hurry him up.¡±

    ¡°I urged him half an hour ago,¡± said Ye Jun reluctantly.

    ¡°Urge him again, tell the pilot to step on it,¡± Liu Longtao waved his hand.

    The other members were snickering, Ye Jun helplessly took out his phone, about to call, when he saw six streaks of sword light slash across the sky, swiftly landing before them.

    Zhenhai Team, all members present.

    ¡°You all can perform Sword Flight?¡± Liu Longtao asked, surprised. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The Dragon Soar Team had three Sword Immortals in its ranks, and Ye Jun was a workaholic; out of five people, four had mastered Sword Flight, now only the spellcaster Yang Linhui lagged behind.

    But the Zhenghai Team¡­ had all the Assistant Officers, Envoys, and spellcasters rushed to master flight techniques?

    Liu Longtao¡¯s gaze swept over Zhao Yuanzhen, Chen Lingyun, and Su Yunjin, finally resting on Xie Ruoxi.

    No way, even the substitute has learned it?

    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived,¡± Yan Yu had just landed on the ground, and without rushing to greet anyone, sent a message to Chen Tianming and Li Weiguo, then looked up and asked:

    ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡±

    ¡°What else can it be? Let¡¯s set out,¡± sighed Liu Longtao indifferently, waving his hand. ¡°First to see the witch.¡±

    It was initially assumed that only Yan Yu and Lin Ning from the Zhenhai Team knew how to perform Sword Flight; that is, out of 11 people, only 6 could fly, meaning each of them had to carry an extra companion¡­ Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun even argued over which girl each would carry.

    Turned out, all girls from the Zhenhai Team could fly, which made the Dragon Soar Team, on the other hand, lag behind, causing Liu Longtao to feel a bit of subtle frustration.

    ¡°Who¡¯s carrying Old Yang?¡± he asked Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun.

    ¡°Ai Lu should,¡± Guo Feiyun promptly stated.

    ¡°I won¡¯t argue with Old Guo; Old Guo has a bit more True Yuan, let him carry,¡± Ai Lu quickly added.

    ¡°You two are big idiots!¡± Yang Linhui was instantly dumbfounded, ¡°Valuing beauty over friendship, huh?¡±

    ¡°Forget it, I¡¯ll do it,¡± Liu Longtao didn¡¯t want to waste words and swept up Yang Linhui in a flash of sword light.

    The remaining three exchanged glances for a moment before turning into streaks of sword light and took to the sky.

    The Zhenhai Team quickly followed suit, with Yan Yu carrying Anna to the forefront of the formation, looking down at the undulating mountains and forests.

    Suddenly, illusions sprang to life in his mind ¡ª as if the one flying with him was not Anna, but the famous Eclipse Queen from years later, giving him a devilish smile:

    ¡°Look down there, Yan Love Concubine, these are the lands I have conquered for you.¡±

    ¡°Pick a forest. From now on, you¡¯ll live here with me, and you won¡¯t be going anywhere else¡­¡±

    Yan Yu shook off the illusion sharply, cursing himself for scaring his own mind.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Anna asked, puzzled.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Yan Yu replied nonchalantly, ¡°The wind got in my eyes.¡±

    ¡°Do you want me to blow it for you?¡± Anna immediately offered, eager to try.

    ¡°No, no, no, flying on a Flying Sword here!¡± Seeing her mouth approaching, Yan Yu quickly stopped her, ¡°Don¡¯t mess around!¡±

 Chapter 241 - 39: Lord Jing Embarrassed Again

    Chapter 241: Chapter 39: Lord Jing Embarrassed Again

    The Ancient Isle Chess House, two sat opposite each other.

    ¡°It seems you¡¯re not at all worried about your brother,¡± Xiandao Jingyin played a piece and suddenly spoke, ¡°During the battle with the Ezo in the past, you suffered a crushing defeat. Now that your brother is leading a team to Black Dragon Isle, aren¡¯t you afraid they might encounter the Dragon Soar Team?¡±

    ¡°Why should I worry?¡± Shenyuan Simie picked up a paper Nuo mask with a smiling face and covered his own face, ¡°I¡¯ve passed on my method of using paper effigies to cheat death to him.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really generous,¡± Xiandao Jingyin was first taken aback, then became surprised.

    ¡°He is my own brother after all,¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you treat your father the same way?¡±

    ...

    ¡°Because he¡¯s not worth it,¡± Shenyuan Simie tapped on the chessboard with his finger, ¡°Xiandao, look here.¡±

    ¡°The world is like a chessboard, and all living beings are like chess pieces. Everyone has a role they must play. In the past, the Shinyori family took pride in their legitimate descendants, looked down on the illegitimates, and treated the children of affairs with the utmost disdain. Why? Because the family head relied on his legitimate wife, favored his concubines, and treated his mistresses like doormats to be discarded at will¡­ In other words, the Shinyori family is like a chessboard, and what role each person plays is ultimately up to the family head. He bestows honor based on the closeness of blood ties, and nothing more.¡±

    ¡°But times have changed; no longer is bloodline prized, but strength is honored,¡± he picked up a chess piece and said with a smile, ¡°My brother has become an Onmyoji, while my father is nothing but a decrepit and useless mortal. It¡¯s obvious who is more worthy.¡±

    ¡°If I am the one making the moves, I will have the old man leave the stage and let the young and vigorous take the lead. No other reason is needed; I am the strongest, I can decide with one word.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too confident,¡± Xiandao Jingyin said sternly, ¡°He¡¯s not just your brother; he¡¯s also taken two hundred men with him, all elite hands from the bureau. If they really get intercepted by Lu Country and are annihilated in the north, even killing him afterward will not make up for the Yin Yang Bureau¡¯s losses.¡±

    ¡°Xiandao, you really are dense,¡± Shenyuan Simie slowly stood up, ¡°Even in chess, we know to exchange pieces, yet why do you not understand calculating losses and gains when it comes to people? Even if we speak purely in terms of cultivation progress, my brother¡¯s strength and value as a high-ranking Onmyoji are incomparable to those two hundred men, even if they were all bound together.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not for my brother to keep those two hundred men safe, but for them to give their lives if necessary, to ensure that my brother doesn¡¯t encounter the slightest harm. The knight can be sacrificed, the bishop can be lost, even the rook may be lost, but only the king must not die.¡±

    ¡°The one who can truly determine the outcome of the game is only the king¡­ only the king! Hahahahaha! To fight for kingship!!!¡±

    Laughing loudly, he strode away, and from a distance, one could still hear his unrestrained singing:

    ¡°Let millions weep, as the jade shatters and the spirit cannot find its way home, crying until dawn¡­¡±

    ¡°This madman!¡± Xiandao Jingyin couldn¡¯t help but curse, taking out a mobile phone to make a call.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve spoken to him. He said he passed the paper effigy technique to Shenyuan Guang.¡±

    ¡°Yes, hmm¡­ He must be confident, I guess; he seems intent on supporting his brother, not pretending.¡±

    ¡°Understood, we will have to see how the other side reacts.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Two teams of Cultivators arrived at Amur City, where the leader of the witch coven, the ¡°Faceless One¡± Anastasia, personally came to welcome them, preparing a lavish banquet and drinks for the Lu Country Cultivators.

    ¡°No need for food,¡± Yan Yu waved his hand, ¡°Military matters are urgent, let¡¯s hurry to Black Dragon Isle, fight, and head back.¡±

    Anastasia was a bit astonished and looked at Anna.

    Anna could only go over to translate and explain that Lu Country was still wary and wanted to make it a swift battle, to avoid getting too entangled¡ªattacking Black Dragon Isle directly to force the Gilyak Bear People to send reinforcements was deemed the quickest solution.

    Although it was somewhat impolite, the Gilyak were indeed a pressing concern for the Amur witch coven, so Anastasia didn¡¯t say much more, simply letting Anna explain the intelligence in Lu Country¡¯s language.

    ¡°The Gilyak Bear People are a branch of the Transcendent werewolf system, mainly originating from animal totem worship,¡± Anna clapped her hands, and two witches brought up a captive bear person.

    The adversary was about two meters tall and extremely hairy when transformed, with arms thicker than the thighs of ordinary people; ordinary ropes simply couldn¡¯t bind him. He was chained up with steel after having his hands and feet broken, pressed to the ground by two sturdy witches, still struggling unwillingly, with a ferocity in his eyes.

    ¡°The threat of the bear people lies in their extremely strong defenses; it¡¯s very difficult to kill them even in human form, and even more so once they¡¯ve transformed,¡± Anna took a handgun from a witch beside her and fired a shot at the bear person¡¯s head.

    The bullet lodged in the adversary¡¯s skull, failing to penetrate completely; the bone density was comparable to reinforced concrete, provoking him to struggle even more.

    ¡°Next up, they have enormous strength.¡± Anna handed the pistol back to her comrade, signaling them to take the captive away and execute him, ¡°A direct hit from him means a fracture at the least, and more likely it¡¯s goodbye to a part of your body.¡±

    ¡°Besides that, there¡¯s the beast poison. If you get scratched or bitten by a bear person, it¡¯s pretty much the same as with werewolves; you get infected and slowly start turning into a beast. The bear people are stronger than werewolves, though, so usually, you¡¯d be dead before an infection could even become an issue.¡±

    Yan Yu fell silent for a bit:

    ¡°Strong defenses, huge strength, nothing else, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all.¡± Was that not enough for Anna¡¯s heart? It was like infantry coming up against a tank; if you can¡¯t break the enemy¡¯s defenses and they can one-shot you, what¡¯s the damn point?

    ¡°How many people are we talking about on the other side?¡± Ye Jun asked.

    ¡°Roughly two thousand, not counting any secret forces,¡± Anna replied, ¡°Some of them are new Transcendents who survived the beast poison transformation; they might not be as strong as a regular bear person, but they¡¯re no pushovers.¡±

    ¡°What about their distribution?¡± Liu Longtao inquired.

    ¡°Half and half,¡± Anna said, ¡°Half are on Black Dragon Isle, the other half came over to the mainland¡­ But we don¡¯t have satellites or anything, we figured this out through divination, so make your own judgement.¡±

    ¡°Old Yan, the numbers she¡¯s giving us are pretty much in line with what the Privy Council¡¯s satellite group reported,¡± Liu Longtao quietly conveyed to Yan Yu, ¡°Actually, the majority of the enemy is concentrated in Sakhalinsk, probably around six or seven hundred people.¡±

    ¡°And the Mysterious Realm?¡± Yan Yu asked, not betraying any emotion.

    ¡°The entrance to the Mysterious Realm we¡¯re heading to is within an eastern lagoon, less than 30 kilometers in a straight line from the city,¡± Liu Longtao replied.

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying, if we can¡¯t deal with the Transcendents in the city, it¡¯s very likely they¡¯ll ambush us on our way into the Mysterious Realm, or even break in and interfere with our mission to slay generals and capture flags,¡± Yan Yu mused.

    ¡°Exactly, my idea is to have these witches launch an attack on the city, using a feint to tie the enemy forces down near the city,¡± Liu Longtao suggested.

    ¡°Bear people are close-combat tanks, witches excel at long-range control; in group combat, the latter might be at a disadvantage,¡± Yan Yu had a sudden epiphany and said to Liu Longtao, ¡°How about this, Old Liu, you stay in the city and support the witches in battle, and I¡¯ll lead the team into the Mysterious Realm?¡±

    ¡°Old Yan, that¡¯s not very fair now, is it?¡± Liu Longtao quickly objected, since the words he wanted to say were taken right out of his mouth, ¡°City warfare is so nasty, and the bear people are all tough as nails. I¡¯d rather go fight in the Mysterious Realm against the Onmyoji.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve got all girls here, and you¡¯re a big, burly man¡ªcan¡¯t you make some concessions?¡± Yan Yu urged earnestly, ¡°Act like a man, don¡¯t be so petty!¡±

    ¡°F*ck, I¡¯m a proponent of equality, emphasizing equality between the sexes, don¡¯t you try that talk on me,¡± Liu Longtao chuckled, ¡°How about you ask your blonde sweetheart? Whichever team she wants for support, that team will stay outside and fight the bear people.¡±

    ¡°How could that work?¡± Yan Yu was definitely not going to agree to that; if Anna got to choose, wouldn¡¯t the answer be obvious? She would definitely want to stay with her dear brother Yan Yu, ¡°Anna, being an international friend and all, how could she be involved in the decision-making of the Lu Country¡¯s teams? It wouldn¡¯t be right, it¡¯d break the rules.¡±

    ¡°International friend, my foot; she ran all the way to Jinling Prefecture just for you, and you¡¯re telling me you¡¯re just ordinary friends?¡± Liu Longtao teased, ¡°Wow, talk about fickle. A girl travels thousands of miles to see you, and you can¡¯t stay outside and keep her company?¡±

    Yan Yu took the boomerang of sarcasm silently, his expression unchanging:

    ¡°The battlefield is no place for personal feelings. Having a distraction when life and death are on the line hampers rational decision-making. No, I can¡¯t stay with her; I have to go fight in the Mysterious Realm.¡±

    ¡°Then what about your private relations with those golden hairpins in your team?¡± S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Shut up, you Jing dog; don¡¯t you slander my integrity!¡±

    The two were at each other¡¯s throats over the transmission, and they got nowhere. Ye Jun, although unaware of the specifics of their argument, could guess they were at it again, sniping at each other, and impatiently conveyed:

    ¡°Stop fighting, if you have a dispute, ask the Privy Council!¡±

    ¡°Now that sounds good to me, I unequivocally support the decisions of the Privy Council,¡± Liu Longtao grinned and pulled out his phone to call his dad.

    Yan Yu watched him from the corner of his eye, staying quietly aside.

    ¡°Hello.¡± Liu Longtao relayed the situation and at first, his face showed disbelief, then a ¡°hold on, let me get this straight,¡± and finally an expression of speechless defeat.

    What did that mean?

    Yan Yu was to lead the team to fight in the Mysterious Realm? And that was the will of whom?

 Chapter 242 - 40 Do Not Discuss Killing

    Chapter 242: Chapter 40 Do Not Discuss Killing

    ¡°` S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Consciousness plunged into an illusory dreamscape, encircled by countless fragments of memories, like flickering lights and fleeting shadows, with illusory sounds echoing endlessly in my ears.

    ¡°Aim at the head and chest when you shoot! Yan Yu, what the hell are you shooting at?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m aiming!¡±

    ¡°Aim at your balls! You hit the target¡¯s abdomen all over, wasting Impact Curse, do you know how much one Impact Curse costs? I said we need a quick kill! One shot to shatter the brain, to break the heart! If you hit the abdomen, you¡¯re giving them time for emergency treatment, understand?¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡±

    ...

    ¡°Aim properly before you shoot! Damn, if Old Qiu were still here to see your crappy shooting, the coffin lid would pop open!¡±

    ¡°Instructor Min, Instructor Qiu¡­ what happened to him?¡±

    ¡°Dead, that malicious attack in March, he foolishly gave his life to save a mother and daughter passing by the scene.¡±

    ¡°Was it done by an illegal cultivator?¡±

    ¡°Stop asking. Right now, it¡¯s more important that you train your basics well. Once you¡¯re on the battlefield, don¡¯t die easily, it¡¯s more important than anything¡­¡±

    Important¡­

    What exactly is most important? The things I antagonize, the things I pursue, the things I protect, the things I¡¯ve let go of¡­

    ¡­It¡¯s innumerable.

    My consciousness rapidly surfaced from sleep, and Yan Yu slightly opened his eyes, feeling the terrain below swiftly receding beneath him.

    Am I practicing Sword Control?

    He instinctively reached behind him to adjust the spiritual energy storage device hanging at his waist, only to touch a soft pillow instead.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Xie Ruoxi screamed.

    But luckily, Yan Yu¡¯s reaction was quicker. The moment he realized something was wrong, he immediately let go and then understood he was caught up in the sword light with Xie Ruoxi.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked blankly.

    ¡°You touched my¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi hesitated.

    ¡°No, I meant what¡¯s the situation right now¡­ Oh.¡± Yan Yu finally remembered.

    Having lived two lives was problematic in this respect: there were some memories he didn¡¯t actually want to keep, but unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t just forget them either. They would occasionally surface unbidden, assailing his consciousness and causing momentary absent-mindedness, even self-forgetfulness.

    ¡°Sorry, I was half asleep just now,¡± Yan Yu belatedly said, ¡°I remember now. Before we set out, you guys said I¡¯d used up too much True Yuan due to the continuous training, so I should rest and meditate to recover, and you would lead the way by performing Sword Flight, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± Xie Ruoxi nodded timidly, feeling somewhat irritated but then a little delighted to think that Yan Yu had actually apologized to her.

    Yan Zhanlong actually apologized to me! Is apologizing not meant to be¡­ well, common sense?

    No no no, Xiaoxi, don¡¯t let the second dimension cloud your mind! Anyhow, I forgave him already, forgiving him is enough, right~ After all, I am a kind and gentle magical girl.

    Yan Yu, however, was unaware of the bizarre ideas spinning in her whimsical little head, and silently watched the scenery below.

    To fight killing with killing was never a good path, never was it so.

    But I no longer have any other path to take.

    Yan Yu closed his eyes once again.

    ¡°Old Yan, we¡¯ve arrived,¡± Liu Longtao¡¯s voice transmitted to him.

    ¡°Mm,¡± Yan Yu replied with closed eyes, ¡°Ruoxi, let me down.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Xie Ruoxi quickly unravelled the sword light, allowing the team captain to descend.

    Yan Yu opened his eyes mid-air and communicated to the girls via transmission:

    ¡°I forgot to mention the Gilia bears earlier, let me add that.¡±

    ¡°The vital spots are the head and chest. Destroy the brain and heart with the Flying Sword for a fatal blow; there¡¯s no need for anything else.¡±

    Suddenly, within the night sky, the brilliance of Huang Tingjian¡¯s sword light exploded to several times its original size, dazzling and astonishing!

    At the central junction of the city area, several untransformed Gilia people leaned against a jeep, smoking and staying up late while casually chatting:

    ¡°It¡¯s our Mysterious Realm, so why should we cede it to those Onmyoji?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re exchanging help in fighting witches, it¡¯s pretty normal.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to fear about witches? I¡¯ve casually killed a couple before.¡±

    ¡°Witches aren¡¯t scary, but what about the cultivators? Have you heard of Yan Zhanlong?¡±

    ¡°Never heard of them. Stop kidding around. ¡®Zhanlong¡¯ as in beheading a dragon, have you ever seen a dragon in this world?¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen the dragon of the East or the dragon of the West,¡± he sneered, ¡°I¡¯ve only got one big dragon between my legs, which leaves the witches crying for their daddies and mamas, heh heh¡­¡±

    His voice had yet to fall when his perspective suddenly soared upwards.

    What is this¡­

    His final gaze landed, and he saw his headless body topple to the ground, while his companions were still clueless about what had happened¡­

    Was that a cultivator?

    Yan Yu, who had dropped amidst the crowd from the sword light, glanced indifferently at him and reversed his hand to conjure another sword technique.

    Run¡­

    He desperately wanted to cry out to his companions, but no words could be summoned; his consciousness swiftly plunged into the profound darkness.

    Yan Yu led the way into the city center street entrance, similarly catching the eye of those still in sword flight, instantly provoking a wave of attention.

    ¡°Holy shit, Yan¡¯s losing it!¡± Liu Longtao blurted out instinctively, ¡°Going for the kill secure!¡±

    Before his words could drop, Yan Yu had already swiftly retreated, and the surrounding Giliya people were just starting to react, beginning to transform into bear people. Suddenly, the Huang Tingjian¡¯s sword light pierced through a nearby car.

    The fuel tank exploded!

    The shockwave flipped the bear people on the ground, while Yan Yu closed in on one of them like lightning.

    Foot stomp!

    The Wood Bending Charm-augmented foot stomp instantly crushed the opponent¡¯s ribs, and the protected heart was smashed to pieces.

    The Huang Tingjian simultaneously executed a ferocious spin slice, decapitating another bear person¡ªThe heavy sword had a natural advantage against these tank-type Transcendents.

    In the blink of an eye, only one of the four Giliya bear people remained¡­ The last one scrambled to his feet, already in robust bear form, fleeing desperately towards the distance, completely bereft of the courage to continue fighting.

    Liu Longtao and the others landed from their sword light, just in time to see Yan Yu snap his fingers; the Huang Tingjian ferociously chased down the fleeing soldier, bursting his head open.

    ¡°Yan¡¯s killing them so fast,¡± Liu Longtao complained, ¡°We might as well leave this whole area for you to handle!¡±

    ¡°You guys hold this area down,¡± Yan Yu wasn¡¯t in the mood to banter with him, ¡°The witches will be here soon.¡±

    The Amur witches could also fly, but their steed was a broom, slower than the cultivators¡¯ sword flight, and since they flew low, they were easy targets for gunshot injuries and casualties. Therefore, it was crucial for Lord Master¡¯s team to initiate the situation, drawing the main force of the enemy army in the city to them, so the witches could descend to join the fight.

    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ve got it,¡± Liu Longtao agreed.

    ¡°Be careful, Team Leader Yan,¡± Ye Jun also cautioned.

    A perfectly normal remark, yet Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun started whispering secretly via transmitted voices:

    ¡°Hey, why did Ye Jun say ¡®be careful¡¯ especially to Yan Yu?¡±

    ¡°Last time Team Leader Yan mentioned Ye Jun on a call with our captain! Maybe there¡¯s something between them¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop talking nonsense,¡± Ye Jun¡¯s transmitted voice suddenly interjected, ¡°Both battlefronts are outnumbered here. We have my Xuan Guang Ruler for defense on our side, while they lack such measures¡ªthat¡¯s why it was merely a friendly reminder.¡±

    ¡°Ye Jun,¡± Guo Feiyun hurriedly defended, ¡°I was discussing with him what to have for dinner tonight, didn¡¯t bring up you and Yan Zhanlong at all.¡±

    ¡°Heh, I hope so,¡± Ye Jun didn¡¯t believe them, but since they refused to admit it, she simply let the matter slide and dropped it.

    Yan Yu led his six team members back into sword flight, heading towards the Eastern Lagoon where the entrance to the Mysterious Realm was.

    ¡°Everybody turn on your cameras and do the lens calibration,¡± Yan Yu instructed.

    So everyone took out their cameras, carefully placing them on their chests.

    This battle was not to be broadcast publicly, but for military intelligence analysis by the Privy Council.

    The reason was the strict and ruthless confidentiality rules of the Yin Yang Bureau, which resulted in scarce information on the Onmyoji¡¯s side. The only intelligence they had was from the previous battle by the Dragon Soar Team in Ezo, where they discovered the life-saving technique of using paper dolls as substitutes¡ªa practice that made the Privy Council particularly vigilant and concerned, urgently necessitating further intelligence gathering.

    ¡°Does something seem to upset you?¡± Chen Lingyun asked Yan Yu directly while doing the camera calibration.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Su Yunjin also expressed concern, ¡°Team Leader, your aura seems a bit low. Do you need to rest a bit?¡±

    ¡°No need, there¡¯s no time,¡± Yan Yu put away his lingering thoughts, shaking his head to decline, ¡°We need to kill them all quickly¡­ Is the calibration done?¡±

    ¡°Done,¡± the girls responded in unison.

    ¡°Zhenhai Team reporting!¡± Yan Yu pressed a button on the side of the camera, directing his sight and Divine Sense into the distance, declaring briskly, ¡°My unit is about to reach the Mysterious Realm!¡±

    ¡°Privy Council¡­ received,¡± the built-in satellite communicator within the camera returned with a distinctly crackling and hoarse voice amidst the static noise¡ªnot entirely clear due to unknown signal interference, but adding a measure of solemnity and reverence, ¡°Privy Council¡­ hereby authorizes Zhenhai Team, during this overseas operation¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­to prioritize taking down enemy leaders and seizing their banners¡­ Team Leader Yan Yu is granted authority for wartime decisions¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Involving all matters¡­ regardless of nationality, identity, numbers, whether they surrender¡­ not protected by international conventions, if necessary¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Kill without discussion.¡±

 Chapter 243 - 41 Longcheng Flying General

    Chapter 243: Chapter 41 Longcheng Flying General

    Xiaguansuo, Yin Yang Bureau headquarters.

    Five eminent figures were already seated inside the secret chamber, staring at the command display on the wall.

    Thanks to the cross-border live broadcast technology of the Superhero Alliance, the Yin Yang Bureau could also observe the movements of Transcendents within the Mysterious Realm.

    However, due to conservative habits, they chose not to broadcast it publicly to exploit commercial profits but simply used it for internal military surveillance and battle analysis.

    This time, the team was led by Shenyuan Guang, who was nicknamed by his colleagues as the ¡°Fifth Demon King¡±¡ªamong the generation of ¡°Generals,¡± he was the most hopeful candidate to step into the ranking of ¡°The Four Great Demon Kings,¡± as a nearly top-tier Onmyoji.

    In fact, the bigwigs also hoped that Shenyuan Guang could enter the ¡°Demon King Sequence,¡± as the current ¡°Four Great Demon Kings¡± indeed had their own issues.

    ...

    Shenyuan Simie need not be mentioned, purely a bastard, completely uncontrollable and unmanageable, constantly causing malignant incidents, which disgusted the higher-ups.

    Chusei Daiga spent all his time lazing around, always finding excuses to shirk duties, with his catchphrase being, ¡°Why isn¡¯t it time for a vacation yet?¡± The bigwigs disliked him as well.

    Weizong Yilang, a samurai-spirit inheriting Onmyoji, was rigid and dull, without the vices of the above two, but he was already in his early forties, presumably with limited potential.

    Xiandao Jingyin was serious and responsible in her duties, meticulous in her attitude, the type most appreciated by the higher-ups. The problem was that she was female, and the style of the Yin Yang Bureau was extremely traditional and conservative, and although they wouldn¡¯t admit it openly, they did not really allow female Onmyoji to become ¡°Chief.¡±

    Therefore, if the ¡°Fifth Demon King¡± could achieve a remarkable feat in the Black Dragon Isle Mysterious Realm, the higher-ups would have a reason to truly promote him into the ¡°Demon King Hierarchy¡± and even to support Shenyuan Guang to become the Chief like Park Changmin was to the Pear Blossom Swordsmanship Academy, to become a model and leader for all the grass-roots Onmyoji¡ªsetting up an ostensibly clear goal for them to strive for.

    Of course, Shenyuan Guang came from one of the Three Imperial Families, the Shinyori Clan, considered as ¡°one of their own¡± by the higher-ups, which was also a very important key. Even the head of the Shinyori family had used his resources to pick 200 capable men from the Yin Yang Bureau headquarters to escort him, which was already an act of serious overreach¡­ One should know that even when Shenyuan Simie faced Rikoku¡¯s Dragon Soar Team in the Battle of Ezo, he only brought about a dozen people.

    One great advantage of having numerous people was that the realm could be conquered swiftly.

    The structure of the Mysterious Realm was very simple, and the environment seemed to be the summit of Cloud Top Peak. The gatekeeper was a giant deity with three heads and six arms, respectively holding the Demon-Subduing Pestle, Demon-Subduing Awl, Demon-Subduing Sword, Demon-Subduing Tower, the Demon-Subduing Dharma Seal, and the Demon-Subduing Vase, sweeping away a large area with each attack.

    Nevertheless, with the numerous Onmyoji on their side and after sacrificing about a dozen lives, they finally gained an understanding of the opponent¡¯s attack patterns.

    Continuing at this pace, as long as there was no external interference, they should be able to successfully slay the gatekeeper.

    At the same time, in the Privy Council across the sea, the central control center was also in urgent operation, with numerous communications officers, electronic communication experts, and data processing experts all in place.

    The central control center is typically activated under three circumstances: a highest-level strategic exercise, an extraordinary disaster relief command, or the launch of a space flight vehicle. Now, a fourth situation had arisen: the Zhenghai Team conquest of the Mysterious Realm.

    Six huge screens hung on the wall, corresponding to the cameras of Yan Yu, Chen Lingyun, Zhao Yuanzhen, Lin Ning, Su Yunjin, and Xie Ruoxi, showing them attacking the defensive camp near the entrance to the Mysterious Realm.

    Li Weiguo was sitting in the back row, pensively staring at the screens in front (mainly observing Yan Yu¡¯s perspective), when he suddenly stood up and looked behind him.

    Accompanied by a crowd of people, Chen Tianming walked into the central control center with an elderly man.

    The elder came to Li Weiguo¡¯s side, glanced at the screens on the wall, and smiled as he asked,

    ¡°Old Li, how are things going?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re about to reach the entrance to the Mysterious Realm,¡± Li Weiguo said gravely, ¡°The Yin Yang Bureau is in a hurry, making an agreement with Gilliard in the afternoon and dispatching a team in the evening. We¡¯re urging the Zhenghai Team to advance quickly¡­¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to urge them,¡± the elder sat down on the bench, smiling, ¡°The general on the field doesn¡¯t have to adhere to all of the monarch¡¯s commands. Directing the frontlines from the rear is a taboo, Yan Yu, this young comrade, is quite reliable. To my knowledge, since his debut, he has never been defeated, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Chen Tianming said with a smile, standing beside him, ¡°He has maintained a perfect victory record so far.¡±

    ¡°A general victorious in every battle,¡± the elder nodded with emotion, ¡°To have such a famous general emerge in chaotic times is the greatest fortune in this era.¡±

    Amid laughter, the scene on the screen showed Yan Yu finally carving a path and shouting,

    ¡°Everyone, get in! Zhao, Lin, Su, Chen, Xie!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was the first to rush into the Mysterious Realm, followed by Lin Ning, Su Yunjin, Chen Lingyun, and Xie Ruoxi, with Yan Yu bringing up the rear. The backgrounds on the six screens changed in turn.

    Cloud Top.

    No matter which screen one viewed, the distant backdrop was an endless sea of clouds.

    At the Cloud Top surrounded by the sea, which resembled an isolated island, there hovered a six-armed Demon God with three heads, furiously attacking groups of Onmyoji around it.

    Its attacks were terrifying, such as the sweeping Demon-Subduing Sword and the striking Demon-Subduing Pestle. Even the purely physical attacks could churn the sea of clouds, overturn heaven and earth, and wreak havoc on the Onmyoji, forcing them into a sorry state.

    Everyone gathered at the edge of the battlefield, appearing without drawing the Six-Armed Demon God¡¯s attention. The Onmyoji had previously arranged sentries to keep watch. It wasn¡¯t long before they spotted the presence of the Rikoku Cultivators in the distance.

    One sentry released a Thousand Paper Cranes, which swiftly traversed a long trajectory and arrived before Shenyuan Guang. It then spontaneously ignited:

    ¡°Cultivators, seven-thirty direction, 210 meters, 6 people, Yan Zhanlong¡­¡±

    A raspy, grating voice emerged from the flames, persisting until the Thousand Paper Cranes was completely consumed.

    ¡°Should we respond?¡± asked Sato Akihide, the deputy.

    ¡°Ignore them,¡± Shenyuan Guang said coldly.

    As long as he could take the initiative to kill generals and capture flags, gaining control of the Mysterious Realm¡¯s core, he could use his subordinates¡¯ willingness to fight to the death to buy time, while he took the opportunity to fully refine the core.

    On the other hand, if they turned back to split their forces to fight the Rikoku Cultivators, not to mention whether they would be able to take them down, it would surely slow the progress of their efforts to kill generals and capture flags.

    Securing this Mysterious Realm for the Yin Yang Bureau was the only thing Shenyuan Guang was considering at the moment, just as a chess player focuses solely on winning the game. As for the lives of other Onmyoji, they were merely pieces to be placed on the chessboard.

    Seeing no response from the Onmyoji, Chen Lingyun narrowed her eyes and swept her Divine Sense across the Six-Armed Demon God.

    With her sharp mind, she immediately came up with two options. One was to cooperate with the gatekeeper in a pincer attack on the Onmyoji. The cost would be, once the Cultivators stepped onto the battlefield, they would not only face the Onmyoji¡¯s counterattack but would also be hit by the gatekeeper¡¯s wide-range bombardment ¡ª after all, the Six-Armed Demon God wouldn¡¯t play complex strategies; they would all be attacked indiscriminately.

    The second option was to stay on the sufficiently safe outskirts, harrying the enemy and killing as many as possible while mainly using the gatekeeper to wear down the Onmyoji¡¯s strength.

    For Chen Lingyun, she naturally favored the second plan. Why go in for a forceful kill when she could weaken the enemy from a safe distance?

    But the current team leader was not her¡­ Chen Lingyun asked with a smile:

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Go in and kill!¡± Yan Yu said without hesitation.

    Chen Lingyun: ¡­¡­¡­.

    ¡°How exactly shall we do this?¡± she asked lightly.

    ¡°You command, I¡¯ll support,¡± Yan Yu said quickly.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to operate outside the command system of the battlefield again?¡± Chen Lingyun teased with a smile.

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®operate outside the command system of the battlefield¡¯?¡± Yan Yu immediately corrected her, ¡°It¡¯s about maximizing my strength without being held back by you guys!¡±

    In the command center behind the lines, listening to the captain and vice-captain of the Zhenhai Team bicker, all the experts present were struggling to keep a straight face.

    If the leaders weren¡¯t here, they could¡¯ve exchanged a smile and made light-hearted jokes like ¡°Ah, youth is wonderful,¡± but the situation was such that everyone¡¯s leader, the leader¡¯s leader, and the leader¡¯s leader¡¯s leader¡­ were all sitting right behind them!

    Li Weiguo also felt a bit awkward, but Chen Tianming remained composed, smiling at the elders:

    ¡°Engaging a superior force without changing color, to steady the troops¡¯ hearts. You¡¯re absolutely right, that youngster Yan Yu does have the air of a great general.¡±

    A few seemingly casual remarks had turned Yan Yu and his daughter¡¯s petty squabble into a sign of ¡°fearlessness in the face of danger¡± and ¡°steadying people¡¯s hearts,¡± which was just another day¡¯s work for Chen Tianming.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± the elder said with a chuckle, ¡°If we could get another rousing victory next, why not bestow upon him the title of great general? Why not?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Li Weiguo hastily objected, ¡°He doesn¡¯t qualify.¡±

    If it were simply a matter of fabrication, that¡¯s one thing; after all, you make the rules. But we indeed have a ¡°great general¡± medal in reality, which only military officers who have commanded large-scale battles to victory can receive ¨C That fellow Yan Yu has only led a team of five or six people; how could he possibly be awarded the title of great general? Mentioning it out loud would surely invite criticism.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± the elder also realized it wasn¡¯t appropriate and turned to ask Chen Tianming, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°He was previously known by the nickname ¡®Yan Zhanlong,''¡± Chen Tianming said with a faint smile, ¡°How about we combine the two? If he wins this time, let¡¯s confer upon him the title of ¡®Longcheng Flying General.¡¯ What do you say?¡± S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Longcheng Flying General,¡± the elder murmured, momentarily lost in thought, ¡°But it will be as if the Longcheng Flying General is present.¡±

    ¡°Good! Let¡¯s do that,¡± he quickly regained focus. A fleeting sharpness seemed to pass through his somewhat hazy eyes, and his tone became indisputable, ¡°If he defeats these Onmyoji, let¡¯s have the Privy Council create a martial honor and bestow upon him the title of ¡®Longcheng Flying General¡¯!¡±

 Chapter 244 - 42 Shark

    Chapter 244: Chapter 42 Shark

    ¡°`

    Messages from outside the Mysterious Realm couldn¡¯t be transmitted into it.

    Therefore, Yan Yu had no idea that his title of ¡°Yan Zhanlong¡± wouldn¡¯t hang around for long and was soon to be changed to ¡°Yan Fei Jiang.¡±

    Of course, even if he had known, he wouldn¡¯t have objected. At most he would have sighed and said, ¡°My titles change too swiftly!¡±

    Putting the matter of titles aside for now, there were still many people he needed to shark.

    Suddenly engaging in Sword Flight, Yan Yu transformed into a torrential sword light as he swiftly swept over the battlefield.

    ... Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Shenyuan Guang? I remember this person was Shenyuan¡¯s brother, it seems. In my past life, he was killed by Lord Master.

    But the problem is, based on my previous life¡¯s experience, those who got involved with that brat basically never had a good end.

    Yan Yu¡¯s sword light suddenly plunged down, aiming straight for Shenyuan Guang at the center of the battlefield!

    ¡°Careful!¡± Deputy commander Sato Akihide hurried to protect his charge, stepping in front of Shenyuan Guang, his body sinking slightly, right hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist, ready to draw his blade and slash out at any moment.

    The sword light was heading straight for Shenyuan Guang, the intense murderous intent almost making Sato Akihide¡¯s hairs stand on end.

    In an instant, his arm burst forth with power from a stationary position, his blade drawn to meet the incoming sword light directly!

    Samurai might not be able to control swords, but their sword-drawing also had a bright and dazzling light. Their extraordinary power surged along the blade, granting this sword slash the mighty force needed to block techniques of Sword Control!

    However, the moment the sword edge swung out, Sato Akihide felt something was wrong because he didn¡¯t feel the sensation of the blade striking flesh.

    Just as Yan Yu was about to enter his attack range, he suddenly shifted angle slightly, so that he just ¡°brushed past¡± the edge of his sword light, killing past his left side instead.

    Behind him, the cries of his comrades resounded. Sato Akihide quickly turned around, only to see two Onmyoji collapsed on the ground, the Huang Tingjian having slit one¡¯s throat and then pierced through the head of the other.

    Sato Akihide¡¯s eyes nearly burst with rage. Being chosen as Shenyuan Guang¡¯s deputy commander, he naturally had a basic tactical awareness. He immediately realized that these two weren¡¯t killed instantly due to being weak¡­ but because the opponent took advantage of the last moment to make an emergency change of direction, using the bright light of his own drawn sword as cover, rendering their comrades unable to see the sword light¡¯s change in direction clearly!

    Once the sword light separated from the sword glare, and everyone could see where the sword light was headed, it was too late to respond urgently.

    Yan Zhanlong was indeed cunning and sly, actually making use of my sword-draw!

    The rules of the Yin Yang Bureau were ¡°absolute supremacy of pure strength¡±. So, theoretically, Sato Akihide shouldn¡¯t think that the enemy was too cunning and sly, but he couldn¡¯t help having such a thought involuntarily.

    Yan Yu on the other side easily killed two people, turned his head expressionlessly, not bothering to speak any scornful words, and again turned into sword light to continue the killing.

    Sato Akihide thought that this time he couldn¡¯t make the same mistake. He had to replace drawing his sword with dodging, so as not to affect his comrades¡¯ line of sight in catching the sword light¡­ No, he must not move!

    Shenyuan Guang was intently commanding his Shikigami to attack the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper. If Yan Zhanlong didn¡¯t alter his sword path this time and killed through the space from which he dodged, what then?

    In the blink of an eye, between the lives of his comrades and the safety of Shenyuan Guang, Sato Akihide subconsciously chose the latter.

    What followed was a sense of powerlessness, a furious rage from having his weakness completely perceived by the opponent.

    Swallowing his humiliation and rage, he drew his sword with all his might. As he was about to meet the incoming sword light, suddenly he stepped forward, and the sword light instantly surged forward again.

    Yet, he still struck emptiness.

    Sato Akihide¡¯s cunning was ineffective. Yan Yu reacted in advance and shifted his sword path, still brushing past his sword glare, now targeting three Onmyoji to his right.

    Having witnessed the tragic fate of their two comrades, these three had already prepared to defend themselves the moment the sword light rushed toward Sato Akihide.

    But even on guard, they were still dazzled by the sword glare, slow to react for a moment, and their options for response were limited.

    The ninja to the left threw a smoke bomb at his feet, his hands forming rapid signs, the mist spreading instantly.

    This mist not only obscured vision but even blocked the divine sense of cultivators. Yet, Yan Yu¡¯s sword light hesitated not one bit as it plunged into the fog before veering out to stab through the chest of the Onmyoji on the right, blood spraying wildly!

    The momentum of the sword light unabated, it thrust directly towards the Samurai standing at the rear.

    The Samurai braced himself, not budging or dodging, concentrated his energy, and roared as he drew his sword to face the Huang Tingjian¡¯s sword light head-on. But in the end, the gap in cultivation realms was too large, and he was struck head-on by Yan Yu, who shattered his sword and sliced both the man and his weapon in twain.

    ¡°`

    Behind the sword light, with no one to spur it on, the bewildering smoke had already dissipated, revealing the corpse of the ninja with his throat slit, crumpled on the ground.

    The surrounding Onmyoji, upon seeing this, were all shaken to their core, their expressions revealing indescribable horror, some even involuntarily felt the impulse to flee.

    This gap in strength¡­ there¡¯s absolutely no way we can win!

    Of course, escaping was not an option. The rules within the Yin Yang Bureau were strict; deserters, even if they survived, would be captured and executed.

    Thus, without needing Sato Akihide to give any orders, everyone around him let out an enraged shout and, disregarding the six-armed demon god, focused all sorts of attacks on Yan Zhanlong.

    It¡¯s a fight to the death!

    Yan Yu instantly increased his ethereal movement, dashing to the right of an Onmyoji¡¯s body that hadn¡¯t completely hit the ground, grabbed her shoulder, and swiftly spun around, blocking all incoming shuriken and crossbow bolts, then transformed into a streak of sword light speeding off, shifting quickly to the left, causing all the spell attacks to trail behind him on the right side.

    The Onmyoji hurriedly calculated where to aim next, setting their sights on his anticipated path. But Yan Yu seemed to have predicted this, suddenly defying physics with an instantaneous change of direction to the right, once again leaving all the attacks behind him.

    ¡°Use area-of-effect spells!¡± someone shouted.

    The Onmyoji who specialized in spells snapped out of their daze, about to quickly unleash massive area spells for indiscriminate bombardment, when they saw Yan Yu abruptly change direction and charge again, heading for the third time towards Sato Akihide¡­ and Shenyuan Guang behind him.

    Shenyuan Guang was still focused on directing his Shikigami to slay, leaving Sato Akihide no choice but to bellow furiously, drawing his sword for the third time in a flying slash!

    Before the sword light could clash with the blade light, a whirling torrent suddenly spun beneath their feet, wrapping around Sato Akihide in an instant, tossing and turning him up into the sky!

    Rolling back time by about ten seconds, Yang Yu, without a word, left behind the phrase ¡°I won¡¯t be held back by you¡± and directly initiated sword flight into the sky, leaving the girls feeling somewhat indignant.

    Sure, we can¡¯t beat you! But to say we¡¯re ¡°holding you back¡± is an exaggeration, isn¡¯t it?

    Someone like Zhao Yuanzhen, who couldn¡¯t stand the slightest provocation, had already taken mental note of this in her heart, vowing revenge in the future¡­ No, wrong! She wanted revenge now! She was going to make sure blood flowed like rivers!

    ¡°Ling Yun!¡± she called out fiercely.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go too,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± the girls cried out in unison, sharing a common enemy.

    ¡°Lin, go left one, Zhao, go right one,¡± Chen Lingyun quickly said, ¡°Ruoxi, you learn first, you¡¯ll join later.¡±

    Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen rapidly surged forward with ethereal movement, alerting the surrounding Onmyoji, who quickly redirected their firepower from the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper to these two girls charging in front.

    A ninja aimed a shuriken at Lin Ning with his right hand, while his left hand swiftly formed a seal. The shuriken split into two, then four, then eight¡­ in an instant it exploded into more than a hundred, densely packed like a hail of arrows, filling all the space around her, sealing off her escape.

    Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique! Although it¡¯s seen as a novice move in anime, the blades were all imbued with corrosive, potent poison, meant to counteract the defense of the Rikoku Cultivators¡¯ Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse.

    But Lin Ning was no ordinary cultivator; her Divine Sense immediately detected the anomaly, and the light from the Green Bamboo Sword burst forth, rapidly swirling around her and propelling her into the sky, evading the rain of blades while fiercely attacking the ninja who unleashed it from behind.

    That ninja hadn¡¯t expected the existence of Sword Flight, a novelty that had only recently appeared; in a panic, he threw down a smoke screen at his feet, and the purple mist quickly spread, completely obscuring his form.

    ¡°Left,¡± Chen Lingyun transmitted her voice individually.

    The azure sword light instantly plunged from the sky, and suddenly, a figure burst from the left side of the smoke¡ªChen Lingyun had directed several invisible dogs to charge into the mist, colliding with the ninja caught off guard and knocking him out into the open¡ªLin Ning did not hesitate to execute a sword flight slash, piercing his chest in an instant.

    To the right, Zhao Yuanzhen faced off against a brawny, well-built samurai, with muscles as strong as those of a Body Cultivating Cultivator from Lu Country, possessing exceptional defense.

    The opponent had already set himself, ready to draw his sword for a head-on clash with the Demonic Sect Enchantress, when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his back.

    Su Yunjin quietly executed Lang Feiyun¡¯s spell, creating a torrent of water that materialized out of thin air, turning into a high-pressure water jet that pushed the samurai from behind. In his confusion, he managed to swing his sword, only to have Zhao Yuanzhen grab his wrist, the power of Curved Curse enhancing her strength, and with a great swing, she spun him up into the air.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress demonstrated astonishing combat wisdom. Having been frequently beaten up close by Yan Yu during training, she had mastered the fighting techniques of the Yan family. First, she spun the samurai around, using him to block the incoming attacks aimed at her, and then with a forceful throw, she hurled him upwards as her left hand quickly changed into a sword technique.

    The Yin Wind Sword whistled down like a vengeful spirit seeking lives, chopping down at the samurai with countless strikes¡­ in an instant, it wasn¡¯t clear how many times she had slashed, but the samurai¡¯s body erupted with blood, shaking violently, as he was cut from the air and slammed to the ground. Before he could recover, the sword light pierced through his chest, passing straight through his heart, pinning him dead to the earth.

    Although Su Yunjin had supported Zhao Yuanzhen, she kept a constant watch on Yan Yu¡¯s situation. Suddenly, she turned around and gave Sato Akihide a surprise attack¡ªJiaochong immediately surged, lifting him high into the sky.

    ¡°Stay focused,¡± Chen Lingyun transmitted, ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about him.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± replied Su Yunjin casually, turning back around.

 Chapter 245 - 43 Shark Shark

    Chapter 245: Chapter 43 Shark Shark

    Su Yunjin suddenly made her move, helping Yan Yu to get rid of Sato Akihide, which was completely beyond his expectations.

    The light of the Huang Tingjian continued to attack Shenyuan Guang, who could no longer continue his assault on the goalkeeper. He pinched a piece of talisman paper between his fingers, which spontaneously caught fire without wind, and a samurai with hair styled in a crescent moon chonmage burst forth from the void, wielding his blade like a ghost or deity, slashing at the sword-light.

    Battle Ghost!

    Yan Yu stopped his Sword Flight, directing the Huang Tingjian to entangle with the Battle Ghost Samurai. With the boost of a divine step, he continued to surge forward, his speed not faltering in the least.

    Shenyuan Guang sneered in contempt, ¡°You can fight on two fronts, with your sword separated from your body, do you think I cannot?¡±

    We Onmyoji who specialize in the Shikigami Style! What we fear least is fighting on multiple fronts!

    ...

    He pinched another piece of talisman paper between his fingers, gently shook it, and it spontaneously combusted without wind, summoning another monster with a long nose, a blue face, and wings at its sides, wielding a curved blade to meet Yan Yu head-on.

    Great Tengu!

    Whether it¡¯s the Battle Ghost or the Great Tengu, they are both high-order Shikigami that ordinary Onmyoji cannot obtain. If there¡¯s an Onmyoji commanding behind them, each one has about 0.8-0.9 ¡®Ning¡¯ of combat power.

    On Yan Yu¡¯s end, the divine steps propelled him quickly forward, changing direction and leaping on the clouds; with two quick turns, he moved lightning-fast to appear behind the Great Tengu.

    Curved Curse Punch.

    Despite the enormous size of the Great Tengu, it turned with exceptional agility, spinning urgently and using the back of its blade to block, retreating half a step from Yan Yu¡¯s Curved Curse Punch. In a flapping of its wings, it regained its balance and counterattacked with a swift and fierce slash!

    In the headquarters of the Yin Yang Bureau, an official watching the screen revealed a composed and faint smile, commenting, ¡°Not bad. If Shenyuan Guang can tie with Yan Zhanlong, he¡¯ll also be eligible for promotion to the Demon King ranking upon his return.¡±

    ¡°If there is any dissension, just let them watch this recording and ask if they can withstand Yan Zhanlong¡¯s offense,¡± another official added.

    The other three officials exchanged glances, each with a sneer in their hearts, not convinced.

    It was clear to any discerning eye that Shenyuan Guang could withstand Yan Zhanlong¡¯s assault mainly because he relied on the combat power of two high-order Shikigami¡ªindeed, the Shenyuan family head really went all in this time.

    There¡¯s no need to elaborate on the mighty and strong Great Tengu, as ordinary Onmyoji can¡¯t even afford to maintain a common Tengu Shikigami. As for the Battle Ghost¡­ judging from the style of the armor and the crest, it seemed to be a samurai from the Heike clan in life, also the best battle ghost one could find in the world.

    The combat power of a Shikigami Style Onmyoji highly depends on the rank of the Shikigami itself. Shenyuan Guang¡¯s own cultivation wasn¡¯t low, and now with two high-order Shikigami, it seemed reasonable that he could hold off Yan Zhanlong.

    Good, very good, once Shenyuan Guang returns victorious, we will grant him the title of ¡°Demon King¡± based on this battle, and support him to become the head of this Yin Yang Bureau!

    Just as the higher-ups were exchanging glances and reaching an unspoken consensus, there was a sudden change in the situation on the field.

    Chen Lingyun and her group were still fighting the Onmyoji on the periphery, apparently in grave danger, but in reality, they steadily progressed¡ªthanks to Shenyuan Guang¡¯s order, most of the Onmyoji were still focusing on attacking the Six-Armed Demon God at the center of the cloud peak; otherwise, even if only half of them came over, they would have overwhelmed these girls long ago.

    Of course, a more likely scenario was the Demonic Sect Enchantress going, ¡°I¡¯m done pretending,¡± and then starting a massacre¡­

    Let¡¯s not talk about them for now. On Yan Yu¡¯s end, he was exchanging blows with the Great Tengu, attacking with Curved Curses, defending with Barrier Charms, charging with divine steps, and halting abruptly with leaps on the clouds. He and the Great Tengu exchanged offense and defense, each giving as good as they got.

    Even if he could occasionally spare a moment to shoot an Impact Curse at Shenyuan Guang, it was easily sidestepped by the latter.

    Shenyuan Guang continued to command the Great Tengu with ease, keeping Yan Yu tightly entangled and unable to escape, thinking with scorn and disdain:

    What so-called Lu Country¡¯s Yan Zhanlong, is this all? Still just on par with my Shikigami¡­

    Huh?

    Wait, what¡¯s wrong with my Shikigami?

    Feeling an unusual sense of loss in his consciousness, Shenyuan Guang abruptly turned his head only to see that the Heike Battle Ghost on the other side had been directly blown up by the Huang Tingjian!

    Without their master¡¯s commands, Shikigami can still fight on their own, but their intelligence is limited after all¡­ Shenyuan Guang was merely distracted for a moment on the side of the Great Tengu, how did the Battle Ghost¡¯s line collapse so suddenly?

    Before he could recover from his shock, he saw the Huang Tingjian turn into sword-light again, shooting straight towards him!

    This sword-light, so much like a celestial being flying across the sky, truly scared Shenyuan Guang out of his wits, nearly costing him six of his seven souls!

    The Flying Sword¡¯s speed was as fast as thunder, its lightning flashes gave him no time to think of anything else, and he hurriedly shook his sleeve to produce another talisman paper.

    Homura!

    The flames stretched out in the air, quickly forming a massive bird with a corporeal form, radiant and breathtaking, its flames blazing fiercely. Under the rushed command of Shenyuan Guang, it managed to firmly intercept the Huang Tingjian.

    The sword light, blocked by the firebird, struggled in vain to break through the defense, allowing Shenyuan Guang to finally breathe a sigh of relief.

    When he returned his attention to Yan Yu, he almost vomited blood:

    In the few seconds he was distracted commanding the Homura, Yan Yu had already broken the samurai¡¯s sword-wielding wrist, and then smashed his head to pieces with a punch! S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Saving the left flank led to the collapse of the right, and saving the right flank led to the collapse of the left¡ªhow could they continue fighting like this?

    Shenyuan Guang was already breaking out in a cold sweat. Turning to look for his deputy Sato Akihide, he saw Sato briefly running his way until a flood, which seemed to appear from nowhere, engulfed and swept him away, pushing him far off again.

    Su Yunjin, though mainly responsible for bolstering Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s output, felt the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s killer instinct kick in stronger as she killed. She became more fierce and unimpeded, occasionally diverting her attention to help her captain clear the battlefield around Yan Yu.

    As a samurai, Sato Akihide was not weak, but his skills were all brute strength; against the intangible yet overwhelmingly difficult to defend flood, he was utterly frustrated. Unable to cut through or escape it, he had no choice but to let the flood sweep him further and further away¡­

    Seeing that his bodyguard was no help, Shenyuan Guang could only grit his teeth and summon two more Shikigami with both hands, sending them to intercept both the Huang Tingjian and Yan Yu, one on each side.

    However, his strongest Shikigami were the Taira Clan¡¯s Battle Ghost and the Great Tengu. Now that both kings had perished, how could the remaining Shikigami hold their own?

    As he split his attention to the right flank, the left was breached by the Huang Tingjian; when he switched to the left, the right was utterly destroyed by Yan Yu. Man and sword unstoppable, his Shikigami were mostly slaughtered, rapidly closing in on Shenyuan Guang himself.

    ¡°I hear those who play with Shikigami are best at multitasking?¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, sending off a Shikigami and rushing towards Shenyuan Guang.

    His words were spoken in the language of Lu Country, which Shenyuan Guang couldn¡¯t understand, nor did he have time to think about it, because Yan Yu¡¯s palm had already split open his chest, the Curved Curse¡¯s reinforced strength ejecting, crushing his heart directly.

    As Shenyuan Guang¡¯s screen turned black, silence fell in the headquarters of the Yin Yang Bureau, where five important figures sat.

    Especially the two who had spoken of ¡°supporting Shenyuan Guang as the fifth Demon King¡± found themselves pale with rage, completely speechless.

    Tie with Yan Zhanlong?

    It was already a miracle he survived!

    Shenyuan Guang¡¯s corpse fell to the ground, and the next second it transformed into a deflated paper effigy.

    Yan Yu¡¯s cold gaze swept over the arena. He saw Shenyuan Guang reappear far away, clutching his chest where he¡¯d been hit, his expression weak, annoyed, and resentful.

    ¡°Kill him!¡± he roared in the language of the Cherry Blossoms, his face contorted and voice spent, ¡°Forget the goalkeepers! Everyone go kill Yan Zhanlong!¡±

    Hearing this, all the Onmyoji paused, then rapidly shifted direction, charging crazily towards Yan Yu.

    A hundred or so people charging at him, magic, sharp weapons, and Shikigami covering the sky and earth like a vast, surging river¡ªbut Yan Yu laughed instead of showing any fear.

    He leaped into the air, merging with the sword light. Sword Flight cleaved downwards, aiming for the central Six-Armed Demon God!

    The Six-Armed Demon God¡¯s attacks were terrifying; even the most robust samurai dared not approach, for a close-range swipe from its Demon-Subduing Sword would leave one unable to dodge because of the short distance, likely splitting them in half on the spot.

    Yet the blazing speed of Yan Yu¡¯s Huang Tingjian left him with no concern of being unable to dodge. The sword light dipped suddenly, slipping beneath the Demon-Subduing Pestle¡¯s swing and the attacks of countless Onmyoji from behind, then rushed upwards again like a heaven-shaking white rainbow piercing the sun, striking the Demon God¡¯s third eye right in the forehead!

    This white rainbow piercing move was merely a regular Sword Flight, not the more advanced Sword-Body Union, but the accuracy was so exact, hitting the middle of the eye¡¯s pupil, that the Six-Armed Demon God cried out in agony. Suddenly, it raised the Demon-Subduing Dharma Seal and the Demon-Subduing Dharma Vase, smashing the Demon-Subduing Sword and Demon-Subduing Tower to the ground in mayhem, while raising the Demon-Subduing Stupa high to aim at Yan Yu, another hand slamming the Demon-Subduing Pestle down!

    Yan Yu had already retreated swiftly, his sword light plunging into the crowd of pursuing Onmyoji.

    Before they could react, the Demon-Subduing Tower was forcefully smashed down, turning seven or eight Onmyoji around it into nothing but mangled flesh.

    The Huang Tingjian¡¯s sword light shot out from the shockwave, closely followed by the slicing Demon-Subduing Sword, forcing the Onmyoji to halt and use their divine powers to dodge the sword strikes. Yan Yu didn¡¯t slow down, pressing toward Shenyuan Guang yet again, his expression amiable and his teeth bared in a smile.

    His grin was radiant, but Shenyuan Guang was terrified as if he had seen a ghost, and before he could react, his body was seized and thrown by Yan Yu towards the direction of the Demon-Subduing Stupa.

    The Demon-Subduing Pestle slammed down onto the Demon-Subduing Stupa, immediately unleashing endless lightning bolts, transforming into sentient, tracking lightning serpents with bared fangs lunging towards Yan Yu. Midway, however, they were struck by the hurled Shenyuan Guang, instantly erupting into a vast display of lightning radiance!

 Chapter 246 - 44 Shark Shark Shark

    Chapter 246: Chapter 44 Shark Shark Shark

    ¡°`

    Lightning flashed like blossoming roses, releasing endless tyrannical energy. Shinyori Guang was right in the center and instantly vaporized without even a scrap of paper fluttering down.

    Yan Yu swept his divine sense again and saw Shinyori Guang reappear on the other side of the battlefield, attempting to hide behind his Onmyoji companions.

    He can¡¯t be killed? Interesting, I want to see how many paper dolls you have.

    The Huang Tingjian accelerated once more, this time skimming the ground as it flew, cutting through anything in its path with such momentum that it didn¡¯t even bother to move sideways.

    The Onmyoji either hurriedly dodged to the side or were slashed by the sword light, suffering broken bones and severed limbs¡ªnone of them dared to attack Yan Yu, not even to delay him for a moment!

    ...

    Seeing this, Shinyori Guang realized that their morale was shattered. The Jade-Smashing Tactics could prevent the Onmyoji from fleeing, but it couldn¡¯t change their subconscious behavior¡ªthey might still want to attack, but subconsciously, they thought of dodging when they saw Yan Yu¡¯s sword light! What could he do?

    Finally, Sato Akihide broke free from the restraint of the water and rushed in front of Shinyori Guang, pressing his hand on his sword as he called out:

    ¡°Master, run! I¡¯ll hold him off!¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡± Shinyori Guang didn¡¯t hesitate and quickly withdrew.

    Sato Akihide stared intently at Yan Yu¡¯s sword light, ready to sacrifice his life to stop the attack at any moment.

    However, Yan Yu didn¡¯t move to the side to bypass Sato Akihide; instead, the sword light suddenly dipped and cut diagonally into the ground, vanishing without a trace.

    Wall-Penetration Technique.

    Sato Akihide froze at the sight, and the next second, his expression drastically changed.

    Because the Demon-Subduing Clean Bottle, raised by the Six-Armed Demon God, had turned over, pouring out endless flowing lights.

    The light, like a curtain of pearls, quickly spread like water. Any Onmyoji that it touched was immobilized, unable to move as if sealed.

    Sato Akihide also lost control of his body, but a thought suddenly flashed through his mind:

    So he noticed the Clean Bottle above was toppling over, and that¡¯s why he suddenly dived underground to avoid it?

    Why? Why can he single-handedly confront so many Onmyoji and still spare attention for the space above his head?

    Thinking this, he suddenly remembered the past guidance from Weizong Yilang concerning his swordsmanship:

    ¡°¡­Sato, you have a bright mind and high comprehension. If you had been a ninja, you would have been very successful, but unfortunately, you¡¯re not quite suited to be a samurai. Too many thoughts on the battlefield make you slow, and when facing an enemy far stronger than you, hesitation at a critical moment can be fatal!¡±

    So, am I just too weak?

    I¡¯m sorry, Master Weizong, I have disgraced you¡­

    Frozen by the light, Sato Akihide lost even the strength to move his eyes, only to watch as the shadow on the ground suddenly grew larger¡ªthe Demon-Subduing Dharma Seal was crashing down.

    The vast Demon-Subduing Dharma Seal struck the ground like a stone causing ripples. Not only were the twenty or so Onmyoji below crushed to powder, but the surface of the surrounding sea of clouds also fractured inch by inch.

    From within the fissures, a sword light shot out¡ªit was the Huang Tingjian, once again engaging in Sword Flight, catching up to the fleeing Shinyori Guang and piercing through his back once more!

    The paper doll with a broken chest fell to the ground. Yan Yu scanned the surroundings with his divine sense and saw that the girls had all hidden on the edges, avoiding the rampage of the Six-Armed Demon God, and as expected, Shinyori Guang reappeared for the fourth time amidst the people on the opposite side.

    Even though you know I¡¯m hunting you down, and the gatekeeper¡¯s attack closely follows me, you still use your companions as shields without hesitation?

    Indeed, you¡¯re one of their kind. But with your meager strength, you¡¯re far from qualified to be a Demon King.

    Yan Yu sneered inwardly for a moment, then once again transformed into a beam of sword light, continuing his assault on Shinyori Guang.

    ¡°Do something!¡± Shinyori Guang, now without his Shikigami, staggered as he fled desperately into the distance while frantically yelling at his nearby companions to take command. His expression was completely distorted with terror, like a cornered beast fighting back, ¡°Don¡¯t dodge! Go and kill Yan Zhanlong! Or none of you will live either!¡±

    The Onmyoji, intimidated by the Huang Tingjian¡¯s sword light and about to scatter and dodge, stopped at his words.

    The military discipline instilled by their intense training in the bureau reawakened their combat instincts as they quickly resumed their attacks on Yan Yu, trying to delay his steps.

    Yan Yu¡¯s sword light suddenly accelerated, leaving the sudden assaults behind him. The Onmyoji were about to continue their pursuit when suddenly someone screamed with all their might:

    ¡°Dodge quickly!¡±

    Dodge? We can¡¯t! The rules of the Yin Yang Bureau state¡­

    ¡°`

    Before everyone could make a decision, the Demon-Subduing Tower that was chasing Yan Yu¡¯s sword light descended from the sky once again, smashing those Onmyoji into mush.

    ¡°How could I not dodge?¡± Yan Yu easily caught up with Shenyuan Guang, grabbing his shoulder with one hand, his fingers curved like an eagle¡¯s claws, crushing his shoulder blade in one squeeze, and said with a gentle smile, ¡°After all, the goalkeeper is chasing me to kill.¡±

    ¡°If they don¡¯t dodge, how can they live?¡±

    Shenyuan Guang was once again thrown into the air by Yan Yu and struck by the huge thunder serpent that roared towards him, triggering intense flashes of heavenly radiance.

    Watching the splendid and dazzling arc of electricity bloom, Yan Yu slightly narrowed his eyes, his Divine Sense sweeping across the distance around him.

    It didn¡¯t appear, it¡¯s over.

    Died four times, which means¡­ at most only three paper effigies can be used?

    The fourth time, seeing that he couldn¡¯t even run fast, it should mean that he could only die in place of someone else three times, right?

    The Six-Armed Demon God grew even more irate, the Demon-Subduing Sword slashing with a force that seemed to move mountains and overturn seas. Yan Yu laughed heartily and leaped up, once again turning into a sword light shooting up into the sky, stabbing into the Six-Armed Demon God¡¯s forehead!

    Outside the Mysterious Realm, in the command center at the rear, the old man slowly rose to his feet, his face wearing an extremely satisfied smile.

    ¡°You¡¯re not watching anymore?¡± Li Weiguo asked with concern.

    ¡°No more watching,¡± replied the elder, slowly turning around, laughing heartily, ¡°I¡¯m getting old, staring at the screen for too long makes my eyes sore.¡±

    ¡°Besides, there are a lot of things to do to add a new martial arts medal and honorific title!¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    After slashing with the Sword Flight several times and bursting its forehead, the Six-Armed Demon God finally collapsed to the ground with a thunderous fall.

    Of course, if this thing had a health bar, most of the damage would likely have been contributed by the Onmyoji. I merely picked up an opportunity.

    Yan Yu¡¯s sword light circled the field once, looking below. There were still about fifty Onmyoji left. After looking around in confusion for a moment, he began to attack the girls.

    He was not in a rush to rescue them, but simply observed from above, planning to let the girls fend for themselves for a while, and only intervene if they really couldn¡¯t handle it.

    Although the Onmyoji seemed as weak as clay dolls before Yan Zhanlong, they were fierce and intimidating when facing the rest of the Zhenghai Team, playing fearlessly and with unrestrained ferocity.

    Even with the girls¡¯ well-coordinated efforts, they still faced great difficulty and danger. Several times they were almost breached, only for Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s drastic killing to forcefully bring the situation back under control.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress was violent and fierce, alone equating the presence of Qiu Ze and Sun Ziyi from former lives, proving to be the Zhenghai Team¡¯s pillar of stability.

    (As for Yan Yu, he was naturally like the Buddha¡¯s mountain pressing down on the Monkey King, not even on the same level.)

    Watching the girls valiantly battling with heroic poise, Yan Yu¡¯s heart, originally cold as an Asura¡¯s, gradually softened, and the smile on his face lost some of its murderous aura.

    Chopping down enemies is fun for a moment, but for lasting enjoyment, cultivation is key.

    From above, the most active performance was undoubtedly that of Zhao Yuanzhen. Following Chen Lingyun¡¯s commands, she moved about striking here and there, with a Flying Sword, punches, kicks, Impact Curse, Flame Curse, and of course, the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin¡ªusing whatever was at hand. Time and again, she disrupted the enemies¡¯ formation, which made their lines fall into disarray.

    Next was Lin Ning. Sword Flight greatly boosted her ability; she could move along with the Flying Sword, attacking and shifting position all in one go. Although her combat experience was not as seasoned as Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s¡­ She was the one I cultivated from scratch! Rounding up, she¡¯s my person, and you definitely can¡¯t compare her to the outsider, the Demonic Sect Enchantress.

    However, what surprised Yan Yu the most was Su Yunjin.

    Her Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art held significant control advantages, almost completely countering the Samurai occupation.

    Quick-draw slash? Non-existent. Hurried escape? Impossible. Streams of water would appear out of nowhere, suddenly surging from behind you, above your head, or beneath your feet. The only way to break it was to interrupt her casting or run away in advance, but Samurais naturally had short reach and were slow¡­

    With Su Yunjin¡¯s True Yuan control and judgment, Yan Yu made a bold estimate: even if the Samurai King Weizong Yilang were here to fight Su Yunjin one-on-one, he might be hard-controlled to death by her¡ªif her True Yuan was enough.

    Chen Lingyun, as usual, focused mainly on commanding, occasionally using her Shikigami to help with distractions, or sneaking attacks and striking with the Purple Extreme Sword¡ªa performance that was standard and by-the-book. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Xie Ruoxi stood by and watched the entire time, her expression tense to the extreme. Yan Yu then landed next to her on his sword, leisurely saying:

    ¡°Do you see? The less sweat in training, the more blood you¡¯ll have to make up for on the battlefield later.¡±

    ¡°Stop saying that!¡± Xie Ruoxi became even more frightened by his words and pleaded, ¡°I¡¯ll train properly, okay if I train well?¡±

    ¡°Next fight, I¡¯ll put you in,¡± Yan Yu encouraged her warmly.

 Chapter 247 - 45 Playing with the New Magic Treasure

    Chapter 247: Chapter 45 Playing with the New Magic Treasure

    ¡°`

    Yin Yang Bureau headquarters.

    As the screen went dark, the five bigwigs each fell silent, their expressions unspeakably ugly.

    Especially the two who had previously supported the Shinyori Clan, their faces were so gloomy they looked like they could drip water.

    The loss of 200 elite Onmyoji was an extremely tough and serious loss for the Yin Yang Bureau to accept.

    But even more troublesome was the death of Shenyuan Guang.

    ...

    If the Shinyori Clan wanted to maintain its position as one of the leading families of the Yin Yang Bureau, they must have a top-tier Onmyoji, which is an iron law of power struggle.

    The bastard Shenyuan Simie was uncontrollable and could bite back at any time, so the clan had pushed Shenyuan Guang to the top instead.

    But the result was a hard slap in the face from Yan Zhanlong through the screen.

    Though their faces weren¡¯t physically beaten to a bruised mess, their insides were certainly shaking loose teeth and swallowing blood!

    What¡¯s worse, with the sacrifice of Shenyuan Guang on the battlefield, the Shinyori Clan had no other choice but to pin their noses to the grindstone and adamantly support Shenyuan Simie.

    The thought of that bastard continuing to cause trouble left the bigwigs feeling an unbearable frustration, as if they were being spat in the face yet forced to dry it themselves.

    After about two or three minutes of silence, suddenly someone said in a deep voice:

    ¡°Yan Zhanlong is too dominant. If we don¡¯t eliminate him, he will surely become a huge thorn in our sides!¡±

    No one responded.

    The reality was right before their eyes. Liu Longtao of the Dingbei Army of Lu Country was indeed strong, but at least his strength was within a range that the Yin Yang Bureau could understand.

    But the strength of Yan Zhanlong was, frankly, incomprehensible.

    He defeated the Great Tengu with his fists and cut down the Battle Ghosts of the Heike Clan with his sword. Given that a Cultivator¡¯s Flying Sword lacked sentience, Yan Zhanlong must be multitasking.

    Yet when it comes to multitasking, who could surpass Onmyoji who play with Shikigami? Throwing out three, four, five, six Shikigami at once, they always have to divide their focus to control them. This was their forte!

    Both were fighting on two fronts. Rationally speaking, Shenyuan Guang, an Onmyoji specializing in Shikigami Style, should have been better at this, yet he ended up distracted and overwhelmed, getting literally smashed and slashed by Yan Zhanlong. How could this be explained?

    Sato Akihide¡¯s Iaido Slash was so quick that even the naked eye could hardly catch its trace, yet Yan Zhanlong was able to narrowly evade it, even more than once. How could this be explained?

    The Ninja¡¯s Illusion Smoke Clouds create a thick fog upon release, impenetrable to any probing spells, yet Yan Zhanlong¡¯s sword light could still strike through with deadly precision. How could this be explained?

    Under the relentless pursuit of the Six-Armed Demon God and surrounded by many Onmyoji, his sword light moved as if he were taking a leisurely stroll. Most people would struggle to keep up even with eight eyes, yet Yan Zhanlong not only evaded all attacks but also manipulated the attacks of the Six-Armed Demon God to affect the Onmyoji. How can this be explained?

    There¡¯s no explanation!

    But that is precisely the problem: Yan Zhanlong is too strong. He needs to be eliminated, but who could possibly kill him at this stage?

    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about Yan Zhanlong for now,¡± another Onmyoji bigwig said, ¡°Have all of you seen the others?¡±

    ¡°Zhao and Lin, fierce in battle, strong in power, capable of fighting the Demon King; Chen, precise in command, orderly and without haste, seizing opportunities perfectly; the most dangerous is Su, who¡¯s able to release a deluge in silence, waves that reach the sky, the bane of all Samurai.¡±

    Honestly, even when facing a crazed beauty like Zhou Hongyu who likes to wildly blast and burn with the bright light of fire, one can¡¯t really say she¡¯s ¡°the bane of Samurai.¡±

    Because the Samurai, despite having short reach, boast high offense and defense. Even if a direct Flame Spear were to hit, they could simply respond with a cutting slash, taking the brunt of the explosion with their body without much trouble.

    But Su Yunjin¡¯s Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, with hardly any lethal power and mainly strong control, precisely hits the Samurai¡¯s Achilles heel¡ªwater flows are uncuttable.

    As bigwigs of the Yin Yang Bureau, of course they could perceive the threat that Su Yunjin posed to the Samurai, which was in some ways more deadly than Zhao, Lin, or Chen.

    Shortly after, someone slowly said:

    ¡°To kill Yan Zhanlong, we must first clip his wings.¡±

    ¡°Among them all, Su poses the greatest threat and must be dealt with first.¡±

    ¡°Relax the quota restrictions at the various Dao institutes to replenish the losses of the Kyoto Onmyo Academy.¡±

    ¡°As for Yan Zhanlong¡­ a forceful killing is unrealistic, but we can look for a method of sealing.¡± Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The Mysterious Realm atop the clouds, a field strewn with corpses.

    Over 200 people stood tightly packed together. Even in death, they piled up like a mountain. Limbs severed, blood flowing like rivers, it was like hell on earth.

    Xie Ruoxi had been holding back for a long time but finally couldn¡¯t anymore, sneaking off to the side to retch quietly.

    ¡°`

    The girls seemed unfazed, with Lin Ning even borrowing a napkin from Su Yunjin to wipe the blood off her body, her fierce nature undoubtedly showing.

    Yan Yu silently observed, thinking to himself that when the girls had first started fighting and killing, none seemed to feel nausea or the urge to vomit. Could it be that among them all, only Xie Ruoxi was the normal one¡­?

    The thought, once it surfaced, startled him.

    What did he mean Xie Ruoxi was the only normal person? Could that beautiful but useless girl really be considered normal?!

    It must be because everyone¡¯s adrenaline was pumping during their first battle, whereas that useless Xie Ruoxi could only watch from the sidelines, which was why she couldn¡¯t suppress her nausea and vomiting!

    While he was leisurely daydreaming, he saw Su Yunjin come up to him and, smiling, asked,

    ¡°My performance in the battle, doesn¡¯t the captain have any comments?¡±

    ¡°Performance, eh,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment. ¡°Your timing was good, and the support was on point. Pretty good.¡±

    Even though the truth was ¡°it would¡¯ve been the same with or without your support¡±, Yan Yu felt that he should primarily encourage Secretary Su, instead of frequently crushing her confidence as he did with the trashy princess and the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡ªbecause Secretary Su would really take it to heart.

    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Su Yunjin replied with a bright smile. ¡°Then I¡¯m barely keeping up with the captain¡¯s pace. Given time, perhaps I might have the chance to fight side by side with the captain?¡±

    Though she said, ¡°I want to fight alongside you¡±, the underlying meaning clearly was, ¡°I want to stand by your side¡±. Yan Yu decided to play dumb:

    ¡°Haven¡¯t we been fighting side by side all along?¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s true,¡± Su Yunjin¡¯s voice was light and teasing, ¡°but I want to try fighting in tandem with the captain¡­¡±

    Before she could finish, Lin Ning popped up from the side and asked with a smile,

    ¡°Are we reviewing the last battle? How did I do?¡±

    ¡°Your performance was also excellent. The key to the Sword Control technique is positioning, not offense. I¡¯ll explain more when we get back,¡± Yan Yu said earnestly.

    ¡°And me?¡± Su Yunjin quickly asked. ¡°Will the captain give me pointers on my spells, too?¡±

    ¡°Of course, of course¡­¡± Yan Yu felt the atmosphere suddenly grow tense for some reason and hurriedly placated her too.

    The command center in the rear, where the specialists and staff were watching the screens, all furrowed their brows.

    Some of them wanted to smirk, but they needed to maintain seriousness at their workplace¡­ so they held it in.

    On the screen, the Zhenhai Team took a brief rest before starting to meticulously sweep the battlefield.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch the Onmyoji corpses,¡± Yan Yu reminded. ¡°Who knows what traps they¡¯ve rigged to harm you as soon as you touch their bodies.¡±

    ¡°Ptui, ptui, ptui, we¡¯re not going to touch any corpses!¡± the girls responded.

    ¡°I have five ghosts,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a grin.

    Five big dogs emerged from their invisible state and began to scour the corpses¡ªonly to be tormented by various poison gas and explosive traps, howling in distress. But to Chen Lingyun, it seemed like fun.

    Yan Yu moved to the side of the Six-Armed Demon God¡¯s corpse and looked at the weapons thrown on the ground.

    His Divine Sense scanned each one, and he finally sensed something unusual in the Demon-Subduing Pestle.

    The Huang Tingjian was wielded directly, slashing forcefully at the pestle, causing sparks and fragments to scatter.

    The girls stopped what they were doing, curiously converging to watch.

    At last, the Demon-Subduing Pestle was split completely open, revealing its core:

    A cone.

    The cone, made of an unknown metal with a bright luster yet heavy to the touch¡ªnot like gold or iron¡ªmeasured about 25 centimeters in length, roughly the size of an adult man¡¯s hand, with sharp edges and inscribed with tadpole-like inscriptions.

    Yan Yu faintly remembered the Six-Armed Demon God channeling this object by striking it with the Demon-Subduing Pestle¡­ So he turned to examine the pestle and sure enough, found a hammer embedded on the inner side of the head.

    One hammer, one cone. With two lifetimes worth of experience, Yan Yu quickly recalled the legend of the ¡°Nine Heavens Shouldering Element, Thunder God.¡±

    The Nine Heavens Shouldering Element, Thunder God, commonly known as ¡°Lei Gong¡±, was a deity officially listed in the heavenly courts. His weapon was a pair of hammer and cone; striking the hammer against the cone, he would thunder and roar, serving as Heaven¡¯s agent, punishing evil deeds, and expelling demons¡ªin short, it held restraining power over evil things.

    He decided to play around with it.

    With that thought, Yan Yu swung the hammer in his right hand at an empty patch of ground in the distance, and with force, smashed it against the cone in his left hand.

    Without striking, he would never have known; the impact shocked Yan Yu to his core¡­ he felt his True Yuan surge up instantly, like floodwaters released through open gates, rushing wildly toward the cone in his left hand!

 Chapter 248 - 46: Public Display of Affection

    Chapter 248: Chapter 46: Public Display of Affection

    With a loud clap of thunder, a bolt of lightning resembling a snake, about 5 centimeters long and as thick as a pinky finger, shot out from the cone, racing forward like a bullet and vanishing in the blink of an eye.

    What a piece of trash! Not even a dog would play with it.

    Yan Yu carelessly tossed the hammer and awl on the ground (much to the horror of all the experts at the central control center, who felt a shudder run through them and wished they could teleport over to catch it), then silently took out a few True Yuan recovery Elixir Medicines and popped them all like candy.

    Damn, there¡¯s less than one-tenth of my True Yuan left, how is this Thunder Method so terrifying? It¡¯s a major True Yuan consumer!

    However, at this point, Yan Yu had already guessed why Mei Yingxue had specified the Zhenhai Team for this Mysterious Realm.

    It must be a clue she got from somewhere, confirming that there was a treasure related to the Thunder Method in the Black Dragon Isle Mysterious Realm, which was perfect for Xie Ruoxi, the beautiful waste, to play with.

    ...

    Because this Thunder Method¡­ unlike Sword Control Technique which requires precise mental control, nor like the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art which needs careful handling, it launches a bolt of thunder that disappears with a snap, how else can it be operated? How can it be controlled?

    The charm of this thing is that it consumes True Yuan and is powerful, something a regular Cultivator wouldn¡¯t even be able to handle. But there¡¯s Xie Ruoxi, the waste of a general, who has powerful True Yuan and isn¡¯t the smartest, making this Thunder Method practically tailor-made for her!

    Teacher Mei, your immense kindness, I will remember it on Xie Ruoxi¡¯s behalf! I¡¯ll have her kowtow to you one of these days!

    ¡°Pack up these two things,¡± Yan Yu ordered Xie Ruoxi.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Xie Ruoxi went over diligently and picked up the hammer and awl.

    ¡°Make a record,¡± Yan Yu then reminded Chen Lingyun, ¡°After the research is done, give them to Ruoxi for use.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want them!¡± Xie Ruoxi blurted out subconsciously, ¡°They¡¯re so ugly!¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± Yan Yu immediately glared, which scared Xie Ruoxi into shivering and she instinctively attempted to drop to her knees to apologize.

    Luckily, Yan Zhanlong himself remembered the camera was recording and didn¡¯t want to perform a live dog training for the middle-aged and elderly staff at the control center, but rather he turned his head to ask:

    ¡°Did you find the core of the Mysterious Realm?¡±

    ¡°Found it.¡± The one in charge of checking the body of the six-armed demon god was Chen Lingyun, who was currently looking disdainfully at the other¡¯s damaged third eye and also turned to ask, ¡°Sister Zhao, may I borrow your sword?¡±

    ¡°What for?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a treasure inside his eye,¡± Chen Lingyun said.

    Zhao Yuanzhen immediately dashed over like a rabbit, forming hand seals, and the Yin Wind Sword pierced into the third eye, spraying out a large amount of foul blood, and finally dug out the central core of the Mysterious Realm; it was an orange-yellow treasure orb the size of a human head.

    ¡°Sister Zhao, why don¡¯t you refine it?¡± Chen Lingyun continued with a smile, ¡°Aside from the captain, Sister Zhao made the largest contribution this time.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen took the flattery as expected, her demeanor becoming smug, without the slightest thought that Chen Lingyun might find it disgusting; it was actually Su Yunjin who couldn¡¯t stand it and spoke out:

    ¡°Wait, let me clean this orb first, it¡¯s too dirty.¡±

    While they were refining the Mysterious Realm¡¯s core, Yan Yu was also sitting cross-legged, refining the medicine¡¯s effect to recover as much True Yuan as possible.

    ¡°Captain, do you need Elixir Medicines? I have more here.¡± Su Yunjin, who had just finished cleaning the Mysterious Realm¡¯s core, somehow returned to his side, bent down, and took out a bottle, asking with concern.

    Yan Yu opened his eyes to find that from this angle, looking down her neckline, he could just make out the inside of¡­ well, actually, he couldn¡¯t see anything; it was all shadows.

    Su Yunjin, sensing something, discreetly held down her neckline with her left hand to prevent what was never there from spilling out, while her right hand continued to hand him the little bottle.

    ¡°No need, I still have some,¡± Yan Yu declined.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Su Yunjin immediately showed a touch of disappointment, but quickly put on a smile again and asked, ¡°Do you want some water then?¡±

    Yan Yu intended to refuse again, but considering that he had already declined once, it wouldn¡¯t be good to keep turning her down and possibly strain their relationship, so he nodded slightly in agreement.

    Su Yunjin unscrewed the cap and brought it to his lips, and Yan Yu had just had a sip when he suddenly realized what was happening.

    Shoot, I¡¯ve been played!

    The matter of indirect kissing tends to be significant to women and trivial to men. By deliberately giving her water to him, wasn¡¯t Secretary Su hinting ¡°I don¡¯t mind kissing you¡±?

    And because she didn¡¯t state it explicitly, he couldn¡¯t outright reject her with a harsh ¡°In your dreams¡±!

    Terrible, this woman¡¯s schemes are so fearsome, her methods of expressing love so hard to guard against, she¡¯s practically the Casanova version of Yan Zhanlong!

    No, since I claim to be the strongest in this world, I absolutely cannot concede like this on the battlefield of love. I must strike back fiercely!

    ¡°Why does this water have no taste?¡± Yan Yu suddenly frowned and asked.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Su Yunjin was immediately surprised, ¡°It¡¯s just ordinary water, let me see.¡± Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    She tucked the hair beside her cheek behind her ear and lifted the cup to take a sip¡ªYan Yu noticed that she drank from exactly the same spot where he had, without having turned the cup even slightly.

    ¡°It has no taste,¡± Su Yunjin said nonchalantly, but couldn¡¯t completely hide it, the faint blush on her face betraying her inner emotions, ¡°Why don¡¯t you try drinking again?¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu coldly shook his head and said, ¡°I only want to drink a sports drink right now.¡±

    ¡°Coca-Cola, right!¡± Lin Ning popped up from nowhere, excitedly saying, ¡°I also like to drink Coca-Cola after exercising!¡±

    ¡°Carbonated drinks are not sports drinks, you know,¡± Su Yunjin replied somewhat instinctively irked, but still smilingly said, ¡°Drinking carbonated drinks after exercising can lead to osteoporosis.¡±

    ¡°But we are Cultivators,¡± Lin Ning retorted.

    ¡°There¡¯s no evidence that Cultivators can¡¯t have osteoporosis, right?¡± Su Yunjin didn¡¯t budge an inch.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we assume innocence until proven guilty?¡± Lin Ning didn¡¯t want to argue with Su Yunjin, but her quiz enthusiast¡¯s need to be precise kicked in, ¡°Only when ¡®there is clear evidence that carbonated drinks can lead to osteoporosis¡¯ can we assume that it¡¯s probably true. It¡¯s not rigorous to draw conclusions by blindly making analogies without considering the objective conditions.¡±

    ¡°But we don¡¯t need to be rigorous,¡± Su Yunjin shook her head and smiled, her linguistic logic also a strong point for a literary girl, ¡°When it comes to health, being a bit conservative isn¡¯t too much. Even if it¡¯s unclear, drinking harmless beverages definitely doesn¡¯t do any harm, but drinking harmful beverages is definitely not good.¡±

    ¡°Alright, stop arguing,¡± Yan Yu said with a calm demeanor, ¡°We don¡¯t have Coke here, just two vinegar jars, it doesn¡¯t matter whether I drink or not.¡±

    Lin Ning couldn¡¯t hold back anymore, and said indignantly:

    ¡°What vinegar jars! Who is jealous over you! I¡¯m leaving!¡±

    She ran away quickly, and Su Yunjin also felt her face losing face, her annoyance flaring up as she questioned him:

    ¡°Does the Captain like watching girls get jealous over you?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Yan Yu immediately played dumb, asking blankly, ¡°Why would you say that?¡±

    Su Yunjin tried to suppress her anger:

    ¡°Who are the two vinegar jars?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t know,¡± Yan Yu pondered, ¡°Probably the girl who forgot she was wearing a camera on her chest.¡±

    Su Yunjin¡¯s face turned pale instantly: Oh no! How could I have forgotten that!!!

    At the main control center in the back, numerous experts listened quietly to the conversation between the two, thinking to themselves, have you only just realized now?

    We¡¯re grown adults, staying up late here to work overtime, and still being force-fed dog food by you young people!

    The realization that she was still being livestreamed finally hit Su Yunjin, and she no longer dared to continue questioning Yan Yu, hastily running off to discuss strategies with Chen Lingyun via secret sound transmission:

    ¡°Ling Yun, save me!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Yun Jin?¡±

    ¡°I just went to flirt with the Captain, and I got into a bit of a quarrel with Ningning, completely forgetting about the camera!¡±

    ¡°Eh, isn¡¯t that very interesting?¡± Chen Lingyun became interested.

    ¡°It¡¯s not interesting at all, okay!¡± Su Yunjin said with a crying tone, silently crouching down to hug her legs, burying her face in between her knees¡ªas if she were an ostrich burying her head on the spot, wishing she could hide her whole body as well.

    ¡°Yun Jin, don¡¯t be too shy,¡± Chen Lingyun coaxed soothingly, ¡°This is actually a good thing.¡±

    ¡°A good thing?¡±

    ¡°Yes~ Think about it, if everyone knows you like Yan Yu, it will create moral pressure on him to respond to your feelings quickly!¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t want everyone to know!¡± Su Yunjin¡¯s feelings at this moment were simply full of speechlessness.

    ¡°Then let me put it another way,¡± Chen Lingyun continued to tempt her, ¡°Since everyone already knows, instead of being hopelessly regretful, why not use it to your advantage, how about that?¡±

 Chapter 249 - 47: Im Really Not Jealous

    Chapter 249: Chapter 47: I¡¯m Really Not Jealous

    After refining the core of the Mysterious Realm, everyone used teleportation to leave the realm.

    The Cloud Summit Mysterious Realm was different from the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm. Although both cores were seized by Lu Country, the Three Isles Treasure Ship could still navigate the seas for further exploration, while the Cloud Summit Mysterious Realm was located on land and under the firm control of the Bear People¡¯s Power, so it was best to loot it all in one go.

    Of course, if one really wanted to come back next time to finish the job, it wasn¡¯t impossible, since the core was with Zhao Yuanzhen anyway, and no one else could open it without her.

    Upon exiting the Mysterious Realm, there weren¡¯t many Giliya Bear People outside the entrance, obviously because the Dragon Soar Team was fighting in a nearby city, drawing away the local troops.

    Time to switch homes!

    Yan Yu pressed the communication button on the side of the camera and called Liu Longtao:

    ...

    ¡°My team completed the mission, calling Lord Master.¡±

    ¡°¡­ (rustling) My code name is Liu Shao. Please use code names during work, thank you,¡± Liu Longtao¡¯s speechless voice rang out.

    ¡°Where are you, do you need assistance?¡± Yan Yu took a few steps away from the entrance to the Mysterious Realm, checking if moving away might reduce the signal interference.

    ¡°Assistance my ass,¡± Liu Longtao burst out laughing, ¡°We¡¯ve taken out the leader and deputy leader of the Bear Gang!¡±

    Yan Yu was initially surprised, but upon further thought, it seemed to be expected.

    Decapitating the Giliya Bear People¡¯s power top and second-in-charge meant that after the Rikoku Cultivator left, the remaining forces would definitely attack each other, scrambling for the sudden power vacuum at the top. This would give the Amur Witch clan a precious time window.

    By the time the Giliya Bear People decided the winner among them, the Amur Witch clan might have already unified the North¡ªso this is what chaotic times are like: either you grow fast enough to consume others, or you don¡¯t grow fast enough and become fodder for someone else.

    But the chaos of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence Era was far crueler than in normal chaotic times. There was very little tolerance and generosity among Transcendents of different professions; they often sought to kill all Transcendents of hostile forces, leaving only ordinary people as production materials.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t need assistance, then we¡¯re heading out,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Or what? You wanna come over and see Ye Jun?¡± Liu Longtao teased.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Yan Yu laughed heartily and rose into the air by Sword Control.

    The group flew from Black Dragon Isle toward Lu Country. Due to Lord Master¡¯s last divisive remark, some people were obviously unhappy in the team¡­ Let¡¯s not say who.

    Chen Lingyun, also someone who reveled in chaos, asked with a smile:

    ¡°By the way, aren¡¯t you going to say goodbye to Anna?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not convenient,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°The Amur witches must be countering the battle lines now. It¡¯s not nice to disturb her while she¡¯s making her mark.¡±

    ¡°Then why could Lord Master make contact?¡± Lin Ning also remarked.

    ¡°Are you dumb? Lord Master was providing cover for us,¡± Yan Yu revealed a ¡°Do you even have to ask?¡± exasperated expression. ¡°If we don¡¯t say a word to him, they¡¯ll think we¡¯re still inside the Mysterious Realm¡ªhow would we leave?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that for now. After we get back, let¡¯s rest for a day, and then Chen Lingyun, you get the footage of this fight. We¡¯ll properly review it.¡±

    ¡°This was our first encounter with an Onmyoji, but it definitely won¡¯t be the last. Everyone, pay attention.¡±

    The North.

    On a battlefield strewn with corpses, Anna, covered in blood on one side of her body, suddenly had a premonition and turned to the south.

    He¡­ at this time, he should have left, right¡­?

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Anna?¡± Anastasia, the leader of the witch clan, asked when she noticed Anna¡¯s strange demeanor.

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking about the Rikoku Cultivator,¡± Anna replied with a hint of loss in her voice.

    Anastasia glanced at her expression and suddenly said:

    ¡°Anna, I plan to have you succeed my position.¡±

    ¡°¡­ What?¡±

    ¡°The ones capable of destroying the Amur Witch clan aren¡¯t just the Giliya Bear People,¡± Anastasia also looked towards the sky to the south.

    A line of wild geese was flying south in a V-formation, needing to reach a warm place quickly before the cold wave fully hit Siberia.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The group flew along the coast of East Asia on their swords, stopping a few times for True Yuan replenishment, until they reached Jianghai Prefecture, then followed the river back to Jinling Prefecture.

    The girls went home to rest, while Yan Yu took the pair of spike hammers to the school alone, heading to the principal¡¯s office to report.

    Hmm, why is there no one?

    After knocking on the door and finding no response, he guessed someone was out.

    Yan Yu turned to leave but ran into Qi Changping in the corridor. The latter was holding a cloth banner that made him look like a fortune-teller.

    ¡°How did you get back so quickly?¡± Qi Changping asked in surprise.

    ¡°Came back on a sword flight,¡± Yan Yu answered. ¡°We¡¯ve taken down the Black Dragon Isle Secret Realm. I¡¯ve come to deliver something.¡±

    ¡°Oh, alright then,¡± Qi Changping handed over the banner he was holding, ¡°This is a trophy from the last Changping Secret Realm, it¡¯s probably for Chen Lingyun, right? I¡¯m returning it to you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve researched it pretty quickly,¡± Yan Yu commented with a smile, as he took the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner.

    ¡°Sigh, they say it¡¯s completely incomprehensible,¡± Qi Changping shook his head. ¡°Seems like we might need to refine it to figure it out.¡±

    The Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner was a magical treasure, and many of its powers required the owner to refine it for use. But how could researchers casually let a treasure recognize their ownership? That would be a direct waste. At most, they would first hand it over to a team, and then have an Assistant Officer come over with the treasure to assist with experiments and such.

    Yan Yu turned the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner upside down, slowly left the school, and went to a nearby deli to buy some braised foods, preparing to add a meal for the girls in the team.

    The shop assistant was a middle-aged woman in her forties who smiled and asked:

    ¡°What would you like?¡±

    ¡°Give me six chicken legs, and extra sauce,¡± Yan Yu glanced at the window, ¡°and two boxes of salted duck.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± The woman was about to scoop the sauce when she suddenly exclaimed, ¡°Aren¡¯t you that Yan Zhanlong?¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Yan Yu was taken aback.

    ¡°Yan Zhanlong, it¡¯s you! I¡¯ve seen you on TV!¡± The woman immediately could hardly contain her excitement and turned to shout, ¡°Husband! Yan Zhanlong is in our shop!¡±

    Yan Yu also found it hard to keep a straight face when he saw the bald shop owner emerging from the kitchen, looking at him in surprise, then snatching the spoon from his wife¡¯s hand, saying impatiently:

    ¡°Stop bothering people! What a fuss¡­ What would you like?¡±

    ¡°Uh, six chicken legs and two boxes of salted duck.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Without another word, the shop owner neatly chopped the duck, plopping it into five large boxes, and said, ¡°Oops, I cut too much! Never mind, I¡¯ll just charge you for two boxes.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­

    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± the shop owner casually picked up the spoon again and fished out eight or nine chicken legs, stuffing them into two large boxes. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a few extra chicken legs as an apology¡ªbe sure to come back next time.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, the auntie will give it to you guys,¡± the woman said eagerly, packing things up and handing a plastic bag to Yan Yu, ¡°You guys have been working hard to protect our country!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, give?¡± The shop owner interrupted her, saying, ¡°I accidentally cut too much! It¡¯s already cut, there¡¯s nothing I can do about it!¡±

    ¡°Right, right, right, we cut too much!¡±

    Yan Yu was at a loss for words and silently scanned the QR code to pay, thanked them, and then turned to leave, hearing the shop owner arguing with his wife behind him:

    ¡°Don¡¯t take photos! Not even of the back! Did they agree? Just don¡¯t bother them for no reason¡­¡±

    Walking down the street with the plastic bag in hand, Yan Yu couldn¡¯t quite describe his feelings.

    The hero who defends his home and country¡­

    I never intended to become your hero, nor did I want to become your fear and nightmare.

    Forget it, I¡¯ll just go back on my sword.

    The sword light descended in the courtyard. When Yan Yu took out his keys to enter, he saw Lin Ning, wearing a kitchen apron, coming to greet him.

    ¡°Why did you buy so much stuff!¡± Seeing the several bags of food in Yan Yu¡¯s hand, she complained as if scolding him, ¡°Then all the dishes I cooked are wasted!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, we can continue eating them for dinner if we can¡¯t finish,¡± Yan Yu said carelessly, ¡°The shop owner recognized me and insisted on giving me so much.¡±

    ¡°Oh, oh.¡± As soon as she heard it was a gift from a fan, Lin Ning instantly lost her temper and chuckled, ¡°Then you must be really happy, right?¡±

    ¡°Why would I be happy?¡±

    ¡°Because someone admires you~¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nice being carefree like you,¡± Yan Yu glanced at her sideways.

    ¡°What do you mean? Humph.¡± Lin Ning didn¡¯t quite understand his implication, but she sensed he was teasing her and immediately rolled her eyes, ¡°Put the food on the table and come help me taste the soup for seasoning.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you taste it yourself?¡±

    ¡°I like strong flavors, I¡¯m afraid you guys won¡¯t like it.¡± S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu followed her into the kitchen, watching as Lin Ning turned the stove down to a low flame, scooped a spoonful of soup, and carefully blew on it for a long time until it stopped steaming, then with a smile, brought it to Yan Yu¡¯s lips.

    ¡°It¡¯s indeed too salty,¡± Yan Yu sipped a little and commented.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll add some more water.¡±

    As Yan Yu turned to leave, he heard Lin Ning suddenly say from behind:

    ¡°Yan Yu, actually, in the Mysterious Realm, I wasn¡¯t jealous or fighting with Yun Jin.¡±

    ¡°I just¡­ don¡¯t know how to explain, but that wasn¡¯t my intention, you understand, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, of course, I understand,¡± Yan Yu turned back to reply, only to see Lin Ning leaning back against the kitchen countertop, her eyes brimming with water as she looked at him.

    In her eyes, there was no softness like Su Yunjin¡¯s, but rather a hard-to-describe, shy attachment, as well as the unease and panic of desperately hiding her feelings, her fingers gripping the countertop so hard they seemed to whiten.

    In the face of the same emotions, some go all out, taking the initiative, while others hesitate and cannot find peace¡ªeven in their sleep. Such is the biological diversity of us humans!

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t quite know how to deal with this, but the strongest of this age was never afraid of facing the unknown. After briefly pondering, he turned back around, placed his hand on Lin Ning¡¯s shoulder, and with a gentle smile, said:

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Ningning.¡±

    ¡°Just look at my sister. She¡¯s always prideful and will never back down from a challenge.¡±

    ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Lin Ning was bewildered.

 Chapter 250 - 48 Bonds and Tokens of Belief Collection

    Chapter 250: Chapter 48 Bonds and Tokens of Belief Collection

    Su Yunjin finished cleaning the second floor and came down, only to see Lin Ning chasing Yan Yu around the house with a soup spoon.

    ¡°Don¡¯t run!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t chase me!¡±

    ¡°Explain yourself before you leave!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re one to talk!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on with you two?¡± Su Yunjin saw the two of them shouting joyously and, without changing her expression, sent a telepathic message.

    ...

    Although her tone was calm, it seemed to carry an inherent gravitation that immediately quieted the two who were still in pursuit.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Lin Ning concealed the unusual color on her face and said, ¡°The captain irritates me every day, and I need to teach him a lesson.¡±

    ¡°If there¡¯s anything to discuss, sit down and talk it through,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile. ¡°Fighting won¡¯t solve your problems.¡±

    ¡°¡­Though there isn¡¯t really any problem to solve,¡± Lin Ning muttered before turning back to the kitchen.

    Su Yunjin watched her leave the living room and then turned back to Yan Yu with a smile:

    ¡°Can the captain stop bullying Ningning?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her nonsense, I did not bully her,¡± Yan Yu immediately defended himself.

    That Sister Lin suddenly became tsundere in the kitchen, saying something like ¡°I am certainly not jealous for you,¡± and how come I¡¯m wrong when I point it out? It becomes bullying her?

    ¡°You didn¡¯t bully her?¡± Su Yunjin raised her eyebrows slightly and continued with a smile, ¡°So, is the captain accusing Ningning of lying?¡±

    Even though her voice was very gentle, an indescribable, heavy pressure still transmitted through the atmosphere.

    Yan Yu stubbornly resisted this pressure, asking with an unchanged expression:

    ¡°Is the second floor cleaned up?¡±

    ¡°Is the captain trying to divert my question with a different topic?¡±

    ¡°Answer my question first.¡±

    ¡°But I asked first.¡±

    ¡°True, but I¡¯m the captain.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been cleaned,¡± Su Yunjin said, somewhat annoyed. ¡°I even changed your pillowcase and quilt cover.¡±

    ¡°Then, thank you, Yun Jin,¡± Yan Yu deftly changed the subject. ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, how about I teach you the cultivation method for the Tao Transformation?¡±

    Su Yunjin was silent for a moment, then said:

    ¡°Teach me in my room.¡±

    The second floor of the villa was the living area, with the room at the very end marked with a ¡°Yan¡± sign. To the right were ¡°Chen¡± and ¡°Su,¡± to the left were ¡°Zhao¡± and ¡°Lin,¡± and Xie Ruoxi¡¯s study was next to the stairwell, also given a ¡°Xie¡± sign.

    There were also five vacant rooms with no signs on the doors, and their interiors were decorated as they were when the villa was purchased, temporarily serving as guest rooms.

    Entering Su Yunjin¡¯s room, the first thing one smelled was a faint, almost imperceptible scent of flowers wafting slowly in from the direction of the balcony, lingering around the nose and not leaving for a long time.

    She still loved flowers as much.

    Su Yunjin made Yan Yu sit by the desk and poured him steaming hot tea. He accepted it, a thought suddenly leaping in his mind:

    Could it be dosed with sleeping pills¡­

    No, no, Yun Jin wouldn¡¯t do something like that! Right now, Yun Jin¡¯s love for me should still be at a normal level; she wouldn¡¯t go yandere to that extent¡­

    While Yan Yu was lost in wild thoughts, he saw Su Yunjin stand in front of a towering bookshelf against the wall, take down a book, and hand it over to him:

    ¡°Here.¡±

    Yan Yu looked at the cover title, ¡°Letter from an Unknown Woman,¡± and scratched his head, asking:

    ¡°Are you lending it to me?¡±

    ¡°I could also give it to the captain,¡± Su Yunjin replied. ¡°I finished reading it in middle school.¡±

    Yan Yu quietly picked up his phone and searched for the book title.

    Ah, it¡¯s about unrequited love¡­

    ¡°Let¡¯s discuss the Tao Transformation,¡± Yan Yu placed the book on his lap and calmly said.

    The Tao Transformation was unique to the way of spell cultivation. Taking Su Yunjin¡¯s practice of the Water Taoism Method as an example, she would first need to cultivate the Gui Water Essence, then the Ren Water Essence, and finally combine them to refine the True Yuan of the Heavenly Water, thus forming the Acquired Water Tao Body where True Yuan could be considered inexhaustible¡ªthree stages in total.

    To refine the Gui Water Essence, one must first collect Rootless Water, meaning rainwater, dew, and melted snow. The rainwater should come from a drizzle blown by a slanting wind, the dew should be the fresh morning dew, and the snow should be from the first snowfall. Every day, a drop from each should be gathered and dripped onto the palm to be refined with True Yuan until the Gui Water Essence is formed.

    ¡°The fresh morning dew isn¡¯t too hard to manage,¡± Su Yunjin pondered after listening to Yan Yu¡¯s description. ¡°But this drizzle and water from the first snowfall, we need to wait for specific weather and timing, right?¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu waved his hand. ¡°Check the weather forecast in advance and then fly over to collect the water. Rain in the east while the sun is in the west, snow in the north with none in the south, running all over the country; you should be able to get it all done within a week. The difficulty mainly lies in the refinement process.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Su Yunjin fell silent for a moment, then forced a smile. ¡°So, will the captain accompany me to collect the water? I¡¯m worried I might make a mistake on my own and hinder the cultivation.¡±

    Although she spoke in a weak and pitiful tone, Yan Yu was far from succumbing to it and replied immediately:

    ¡°Actually, if it¡¯s just about collecting water, the people from the Environment Department can do it as well. However, the process of collecting it is part of the ritual; if you skip this step, you might face many unnecessary trials in heart refining later on¡­¡±

    ¡°Does this ritual require that I go alone?¡± Su Yunjin wasn¡¯t fooled by his explanation; instead, she keenly seized upon the key issue.

    ¡°¡­No, not necessarily.¡±

    ¡°Can the captain accompany me?¡± Su Yunjin asked again.

    ¡°Uh, alright then.¡± Yan Yu had no way out and thought that accompanying her to fetch some water was trivial.

    Quack, I am the strongest in this world!

    Of course, fetching water wasn¡¯t as simple as just deciding to do it; morning dew was easy enough, but for rain or snow involving celestial phenomena, it was necessary to go to Pingjing to consult with the Imperial Astronomical Bureau to confirm the weather conditions across the country.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you when the time is right,¡± Yan Yu stood up.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Su Yunjin picked up ¡°A Letter from an Unknown Woman¡± and handed it over, ¡°Don¡¯t forget your book.¡±

    Yan Yu took the book and decided that once he was back home, he would place it in a cabinet as a sacred object, only to be consulted during critical moments¡ªsorry, I don¡¯t like stories with bad endings.

    Back in his room, Yan Yu looked at the empty compartment in his cabinet and wondered if it might be better to fill it with something.

    There were ten compartments in total; filling them all with books seemed odd, as he wasn¡¯t some great author.

    Forget it, let¡¯s talk about this later.

    He looked at the book in his hand, on the bottom right corner of the cover was signed ¡°Su Yunjin¡± in three characters, written with the naive penmanship of her middle school days, each stroke was written with sincerity, the handwriting was neat and elegant.

    Hmm?

    Yan Yu noticed there seemed to be a bookmark enclosed within the book.

    Pulling the bookmark out from between the pages, he saw a line written in the same naive script:

    ¡°The one she truly loved wasn¡¯t that man, but the reflection he left in the lake of her heart. Therefore, she never dared to reveal her true feelings to him, because once the man truly entered her lake of heart, the first thing to shatter would be the perfect yet illusory reflection she cherished so deeply.¡±

    Yan Yu was momentarily stunned, looking over the handwriting on the bookmark again to confirm that it was indeed from her middle school days and not something she had added recently to hint at something¡ªSecretary Su likely forgot that the bookmark was even there; otherwise, she would have surely taken it out beforehand.

    Heh, a literary girl.

    In one of the ten compartments of the cabinet, he carelessly chose one and placed the book given by Su Yunjin with its cover facing outward.

    Then he tucked the bookmark back into the pages.

    But after thinking for a moment, he deliberately left a small portion of the bookmark sticking out¡ªjust enough so you had to look closely to notice it.

    Hehehe~

    Pleased with his clever scheme, Yan Yu suddenly heard Chen Lingyun¡¯s voice from outside:

    ¡°Yan Yu, are you in your room?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± He went over and opened the door.

    Chen Lingyun stood outside, holding the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner he had given her, smiling:

    ¡°Going down to the training ground, could you guide me a bit on how to use this?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Yan Yu held out one hand, palm facing up, ¡°Tuition fee?¡± S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Chen Lingyun paused, then took out her phone:

    ¡°Is transferring 200,000 enough?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯ll do, money means nothing to you and me,¡± Yan Yu stroked his chin, ¡°What I want is the most precious thing you have.¡±

    ¡°Hmm~¡± Chen Lingyun tilted her head, thinking for a moment, ¡°Do you want my first time?¡±

    ¡°Young lady, I ask you to have some self-respect.¡± Yan Yu immediately became serious, ¡°Stop thinking about taking advantage of the strong around you all day long; can you make a genuine effort to become stronger?¡±

    ¡°Then what do you want?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you, your most precious thing.¡±

    After thinking, Chen Lingyun stretched her hands to her neck and untied a jade pendant strung on a red thread, upon which was carved the figure of Guanyin:

    ¡°Here, take it.¡±

    ¡°What is this?¡± Yan Yu frowned.

    ¡°It¡¯s a protective amulet my mother got for me from the temple when I was a child,¡± Chen Lingyun explained, ¡°It was supposedly blessed by a high-ranking Buddhist monk; wearing it is said to ward off disasters. I¡¯ve worn it up to now, never taking it off even when showering; it¡¯s been almost 20 years.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Yan Yu suddenly felt stuck and didn¡¯t immediately reach for it, hinting at her to reconsider, ¡°This really is precious, why are you willing to give it to me?¡±

    ¡°Hmm~¡± Chen Lingyun wasn¡¯t planning to retract her offer, she simply smiled sweetly, ¡°If we are talking about warding off disasters, I think Immortal Venerate Yan is more reliable.¡±

    Yan Yu was silent for a moment, took the jade pendant from her hand, went back into his room, found a shelf to place it on, and then carried the shelf to another compartment of the cabinet.

    ¡°Is that from Yun Jin?¡± Chen Lingyun stood next to him, eyeing the paper book in the cabinet.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°Yun Jin is really endearing~¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s eyes curved into a smile, ¡°So are you collecting something like a token of bond from everyone?¡±

    ¡°Just finding something to fill the space and decorate, that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Chen Lingyun blinked, hiding whatever thoughts were crossing her mind, her smile growing even more joyful and sweet.

 Chapter 251 - 49: Visit Pingjing for Fun

    Chapter 251: Chapter 49: Visit Pingjing for Fun

    In the basement, Chen Lingyun was holding the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, while Yan Yu was circling around her, scrutinizing.

    ¡°There¡¯s a problem,¡± he suddenly said.

    ¡°What problem?¡± Chen Lingyun curiously asked.

    ¡°You¡¯re too short,¡± Yan Yu stretched out his hand to measure and said, ¡°This magic weapon is too long, so it looks unsightly on your shoulder. But if you hold it horizontally, it gives off a petite rifleman vibe, which also isn¡¯t right. How about you get a pair of elevator shoes custom-made, at least four centimeters thick, to push your height to one meter sixty? That would make the discordance much less noticeable.¡±

    ¡°I can do that,¡± Chen Lingyun nodded earnestly, ¡°Anything else?¡±

    ¡°Do you have any other issues?¡± After habitually giving the princess a round of criticism, Yan Yu finally became serious and asked.

    ...

    ¡°This Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner,¡± Chen Lingyun pondered, ¡°has three characters in seal script on it.¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡± S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°How do I activate it?¡±

    ¡°Start by deciphering.¡±

    ¡°How do I decipher it?¡±

    ¡°Do I look like someone who can read the divine script of the Nine Heavens Yin Demon?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, so you don¡¯t understand either,¡± Chen Lingyun reasoned, guessing that in her past life she must have chosen the path of a law practitioner and was probably not destined for the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, so it was normal for Yan Yu not to know, ¡°So, this divine script of the Nine Heavens Yin Demon, is it pictographic or phonetic?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Chen Lingyun pondered.

    ¡°Or maybe it¡¯s not even a script at all,¡± Yan Yu suddenly said, ¡°Have you tried probing it with your Divine Sense?¡±

    ¡°I tried, but it¡¯s uncomfortable,¡± Chen Lingyun replied, ¡°When my Divine Sense touches it, I feel an extreme chill spreading through me, making my whole body uncomfortable.¡±

    ¡°So there is a way to probe it,¡± Yan Yu revealed an ¡®I-told-you-so¡¯ expression and clapped his hands, ¡°The path is laid out before you, you just have to cross a bottomless abyss.¡±

    ¡°Aside from probing with Divine Sense, there¡¯s no other way to decipher it?¡± Chen Lingyun raised an eyebrow; her mood seemed somewhat sour.

    ¡°Here¡¯s what you do,¡± Yan Yu advised, ¡°You need to gradually probe with your Divine Sense, retreat immediately when it gets unbearable, you understand? Slowly adapt yourself, don¡¯t force it.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Chen Lingyun nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll need lubrication.¡±

    Yan Yu was silent for a while, then said:

    ¡°Can¡¯t you stop with your puns for even a second?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t die, but it will be unpleasant,¡± said Chen Lingyun.

    ¡°You aggravating woman just begging for a fight¡­¡± Yan Yu had barely started speaking when suddenly his phone rang.

    It was Li Weiguo calling.

    ¡°Hello?¡± Yan Yu answered the phone and casually asked, ¡°What does Old Master Li need with me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Grandpa Li!¡± Li Weiguo immediately corrected him, ¡°Be serious! We¡¯re talking business!¡±

    ¡°Oh, go ahead.¡±

    ¡°You need to bring your team to Pingjing,¡± Li Weiguo said.

    ¡°Sure, when?¡±

    ¡°You must arrive by tomorrow night at the latest. It¡¯s very important; it¡¯s best if you leave now.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, what about Xie Ruoxi?¡±

    ¡°Xie Ruoxi has already been approved to join the team, right? Bring her along!¡±

    Yan Yu hung up, thinking the pretty useless one was indeed lucky, picking up battle honors and rewards for nothing this time.

    ¡°Heading to Pingjing, huh,¡± Chen Lingyun teased from the side, ¡°Looks like it¡¯s time for a medal ceremony. Have you ever been awarded before?¡±

    ¡°Yup,¡± Yan Yu replied indifferently, ¡°But I¡¯m not fond of medals. I just throw them all in a small paper box.¡±

    ¡°Is it that small paper box in my room?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s definitely my place,¡± Yan Yu was suddenly at a loss for words, ¡°With your mother¡¯s temper, how could I possibly stand living at your place?¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯d be there to help you~¡± Chen Lingyun said, grinning.

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly why it¡¯s no fun, I¡¯d be relying on you for help,¡± Yan Yu waved his hand impatiently, ¡°Enough talk, we leave tonight, spend a day in Pingjing tomorrow, and come back the day after the event.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    After lunch, Yan Yu announced to everyone that they would be heading to Pingjing in the evening.

    ¡°Going out again?¡± Lin Ning, holding her bowl and chopsticks ready to wash them, couldn¡¯t help but grumble, ¡°Can¡¯t they just let us rest for a day?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t help it, probably tidying up after Black Dragon Isle¡¯s Mysterious Realm,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°The Dragon Soar Team got back to Shengjing at 10 o¡¯clock this morning. I guess they called us over only after both teams had returned.¡±

    ¡°Is there anything good to eat in Pingjing?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked curiously.

    ¡°Three types,¡± Su Yunjin said, enlightening them, ¡°One is the Imperial Cuisine, a few old shops that specialize in palace meals; another is a local cuisine such as Pingjing roast duck; and lastly, the branch offices of restaurants from various places in Pingjing, where you can taste all kinds of flavors and cuisines.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuanzhen immediately stood up and said earnestly,

    ¡°Yan Yu, how about we go to Pingjing first to scout out the various restaurants and see how good they are? It would be better for arranging tomorrow¡¯s meal for the girls¡­¡±

    ¡°Sit down!¡± Yan Yu pressed her down without further ado, but the Demonic Sect Enchantress did remind him of something.

    They were planning to have a day of fun in Pingjing, and if they needed a guide to plan the tour, wasn¡¯t there Lord Master?

    Yan Yu took out his phone and called Liu Longtao, putting him on speakerphone.

    ¡°Hello?¡± Liu Longtao¡¯s voice came from the other side, ¡°Old Yan, are you looking for me or Ye Jun? If you¡¯re looking for Ye Jun, I¡¯ll transfer your call.¡±

    The glances from the girls around them turned unfriendly, and Yan Yu quickly replied,

    ¡°Looking for you, looking for you! I mean, for you, we¡¯re coming to Pingjing tonight. What do you say?¡±

    ¡°Of course we¡¯ll treat you well!¡± Liu Longtao laughed heartily, ¡°We¡¯re going to Pingjing in the afternoon, just in time, isn¡¯t it? Once you¡¯re all here, we¡¯ll treat you to a meal at the Imperial Kitchen.¡±

    ¡°The Imperial Kitchen? The one that used to cook for the former royal family?¡±

    ¡°Right. It was government-run and later privatized, but because so many people go there, you need to make a reservation. I¡¯ll arrange it for you,¡± Liu Longtao contemplated for a moment, ¡°As for accommodations, how about Xiaotangshan?¡±

    ¡°Xiaotangshan Wellness Resort?¡± Yan Yu inquired.

    ¡°The Wellness Resort is boring, full of retired old men,¡± Liu Longtao answered without beating around the bush, ¡°My family has a house there, right next to Huaqing Pool. It¡¯s usually empty and just right for the Zhenghai Team.¡±

    ¡°Alright, then we¡¯ll make do with staying there for one night,¡± Yan Yu agreed.

    Huaqing Pool and the surrounding area used to belong to the emperor¡¯s resort mansion from the previous dynasty¡ªcommoners were not even allowed near it, so its value was self-evident. Liu Longtao¡¯s nonchalant ¡°my family has a house there¡± and Yan Yu¡¯s unruffled ¡°then we¡¯ll make do with staying there for one night¡± seemed as if they were competing in a swagger contest, leaving the accompanying girls speechless.

    ¡°What about tomorrow?¡± Liu Longtao continued, ¡°Are you going sightseeing at the scenic spots or shall I find you a leisure club to kill time?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d prefer tourism and sightseeing, but I¡¯m afraid of being recognized,¡± Yan Yu sighed, ¡°My face is too well-known now, and wherever I go, there¡¯s trouble.¡±

    Liu Longtao was at a loss for words because his Dragon Cavalry Team hadn¡¯t been on live stream yet. He chuckled and said,

    ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll arrange a leisure club for you.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s a leisure club for?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked off to the side.

    ¡°It¡¯s for killing time,¡± Liu Longtao explained from the other side, ¡°Anything goes¡ªeating, drinking, playing, whatever. They have people to take care of you inside.¡±

    ¡°That sounds great,¡± With no restrictions on what to eat, Zhao Yuanzhen was very satisfied, and Xie Ruoxi added from the side,

    ¡°Can you go online to play games and watch anime there?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± Liu Longtao burst into laughter, ¡°The club even has access to the dark web, so even if you want something not available for download aboveboard, they can get it for you!¡±

    So the girls roughly got it: Lord Master¡¯s so-called ¡°leisure club¡± was actually a jack-of-all-trades place specifically catering to Pingjing¡¯s wealthy young masters and ladies. Its main selling point was fulfilling any request at any cost.

    ¡°That works.¡± Yan Yu saw everyone was pleased and agreed, ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll contact you once we¡¯re in Pingjing.¡±

    The phone call with Lord Master proved quite effective, as the girls were already excitedly discussing among themselves, full of anticipation for their Pingjing trip.

    Only Chen Lingyun, although the perfect fake smile still hung on her face, was not truly happy¡ªsomething Yan Yu caught in a glance.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t you want to go to Pingjing?¡± He telepathically asked her.

    ¡°The club he mentioned should be the one in Shijingshan,¡± Chen Lingyun said faintly, ¡°I don¡¯t really want to go there.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Yan Yu guessed, ¡°Did you get bullied there when you were young and now have a psychological shadow, so you don¡¯t want to go?¡±

    It was clear nonsense; how could possibly Princess Jiang Hai have been bullied? Who would dare?

    Chen Lingyun rolled her eyes at him wordlessly and said,

    ¡°They keep a lot of dogs there, and I don¡¯t like it.¡±

    ¡°But isn¡¯t it stray cats that you hate?¡± Yan Yu was slightly taken aback at first, then realized,

    Chen Lingyun had taken in stray cats when she was young, which showed that she definitely preferred cats in terms of aesthetic taste, so that was not a problem.

    ¡°No worries,¡± Yan Yu comforted her gently, ¡°There are many hospitals in a big city like Pingjing. It¡¯s easy to get a rabies vaccine. I can fly you over with Sword Control if necessary, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Heh,¡± Chen Lingyun gave him an enchanting roll of her eyes.

 Chapter 252 - 50 Its All Because Xi Xi is Too Sensitive

    Chapter 252: Chapter 50 It¡¯s All Because Xi Xi is Too Sensitive

    ¡°`

    That evening, the group used Sword Control to reach Pingjing, landing near Xiaotangshan.

    At the rendezvous point, two cars were waiting to take the Zhenhai Team to the Liu Family¡¯s villa¡ªresembling an ancient-style building, with hardly any traces of steel-reinforced concrete evident.

    ¡°Old Liu, this villa of yours, why does it look a bit like an imperial vacation palace from a previous dynasty?¡± Yan Yu remarked on the architecture as he stood at the entrance and casually asked.

    ¡°My ancestors were royal sons-in-law,¡± Liu Longtao replied, ¡°The residence was bestowed by the emperor; have you heard of Princess Xuanming?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not good with history.¡± Yan Yu asked again for confirmation, ¡°But it has water and electricity inside, right?¡±

    ...

    ¡°How could it be livable without water and electricity?¡± Liu Longtao tossed him a set of keys, laughing, ¡°Make yourself at home, throw a party or whatever, just don¡¯t damage the walls¡ªthe cultural heritage bureau comes to check every few years, ugh, so troublesome.¡±

    He then mounted his sword light and left. Yan Yu turned around, using the keys to open the door.

    Inside, it was less a villa and more a sizable garden estate. Surrounded by tall, red walls outside, the interior featured pavilions, terraces, flowering hedges, and waterside gazebos, layered upon each other as if truly entering the Grand View Garden from Dream of the Red Chamber.

    ¡°There are so many fallen leaves,¡± Su Yunjin sighed beside him, ¡°they¡¯re impossible to clean up.¡±

    ¡°The feng shui layout isn¡¯t bad,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen posed like an expert and assessed, ¡°The artificial hill in the center of the pond is the essence.¡±

    ¡°I really want to do an ancient-style Cos here,¡± Xie Ruoxi agreed, ¡°It would be pretty.¡±

    ¡°Which room are we going to stay in?¡± Lin Ning looked around, ¡°Isn¡¯t there a map or something?¡±

    ¡°Typically, directly across from the main entrance would be the central estate,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°Further back would be where the family lived.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look,¡± Yan Yu said with a wave of his hand.

    The group passed through the main estate and after a long, narrow garden, they finally found two rows of neat and tidy side-rooms that led to a small chamber with steaming hot springs inside.

    This region of Xiaotangshan was indeed famed for its hot springs.

    The ladies exchanged glances, then suddenly spoke in unison:

    ¡°Captain, you haven¡¯t had a good rest yet, have you? You should go to bed early today and not stay up late.¡±

    Yan Yu: ???

    Before he had time to say anything, he was picked up by the group and forcefully thrust into a guest room.

    ¡°Alright!¡± Lin Ning clapped her hands satisfactorily, ¡°Let¡¯s go soak in the hot springs!¡±

    ¡°But I didn¡¯t bring a swimsuit,¡± Su Yunjin said hesitantly.

    ¡°Who needs a swimsuit?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said carelessly, ¡°There¡¯s no one else around, just go naked.¡±

    The idea of bathing without clothes made the ladies visibly uncomfortable.

    It was only Chen Lingyun who calmly went to the door of the hot spring chamber, checked the lock, and announced:

    ¡°No problem, it can be locked from the inside.¡±

    ¡°If we use Divine Sense to scout, we¡¯ll definitely be aware if someone approaches, right?¡± Xie Ruoxi added, ¡°How about I do the scouting? I have an abundance of True Yuan.¡±

    After thinking it through, everyone seemed to agree with the logic and, holding hands and cheerfully, headed towards the hot spring room.

    Their conversation outside, of course, was overheard by Yan Yu loud and clear.

    Lucky me, it¡¯s as if someone might really come and peep at you.

    He lay on the bed playing with his phone when he saw in the cultivator group chat someone saying:

    ¡°If Captain Yan is getting a medal, shouldn¡¯t Captain Zhou get one too? They both fought against foreign enemies equally, right?¡±

    ¡°How could they be the same? Captain Yan killed almost a few hundred people, while Captain Zhou is still in the hospital. The authorities will definitely take strength into account when dishing out recognition¡­¡±

    ¡°What happened to Xiao Zhou?¡± Yan Yu asked in the group chat.

    ¡°Salute to Captain Yan!¡± A crowd immediately flooded with emoticon packs, most nicknames belonging to students from the other four institutes that Yan Yu didn¡¯t recognize, likely having joined the group after the team system was fully implemented.

    The previous speaker replied:

    ¡°Hello Captain Yan, I¡¯m from Pingxi Academy. Captain Zhou was fighting with a Transcendent from Tianzhu on the highlands, and apparently, she got seriously injured and was rushed to Huaxi for emergency treatment.¡±

    ¡°@Zhang Huaide, is she dead?¡± Yan Yu directly called out the name.

    ¡°No,¡± Zhang Huaide responded quickly, ¡°she was brought back from the brink.¡±

    Almost simultaneously, a message appeared at the top of the screen:

    ¡°Zhang Huaide¡± is inviting you to a video call.

    Once Yan Yu accepted the invite, the video showed the background of a hospital¡¯s intensive care unit with a gravely injured Zhou Hongyu wearing an oxygen mask and hospital gown, staring at the camera, eyes locked with Yan Yu¡¯s in a silent confrontation.

    ¡°Uh,¡± Yan Yu felt he should say something and inquired with concern, ¡°Xiao Zhou, where are you hurt? Is it your brain? Did you have any brain damage? Will it affect your intelligence?¡±

    ¡°Lung penetration injury,¡± Zhang Huaide¡¯s voice came from the side, ¡°Debridement surgery is already done, and it¡¯s not a big problem. For a cultivator, it won¡¯t leave any sequelae. A week of rest should suffice.¡±

    ¡°Captain Zhou can¡¯t speak right now; I¡¯ll translate for her,¡± Tang Xiaolian entered the frame from the edge, exchanged a look with Zhou Hongyu, nodded, then turned and said, ¡°Captain Zhou says, ¡®What are you looking at? I¡¯ll gouge your eye out.''¡±

    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s not Nanchuan dialect at all,¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but chuckle.

    Zhou Hongyu narrowed her eyes as Tang Xiaolian spoke:

    ¡°`

    ¡°I¡¯m not a professional translator, Yan Team Leader, you figure out the idea,¡±

    ¡°How did she get injured?¡± Yan Yu asked again.

    ¡°Moved too fast,¡± Zhang Huaide said indifferently.

    Although it was only four words, Yan Yu instantly understood and wanted to mockingly say, ¡°Why is Zhou Hongyu in such a hurry again,¡± but decided against it¡ªafter all, she¡¯d just been rescued from the ICU, and it wouldn¡¯t be good if she fainted from anger again.

    ¡°Zhang, why didn¡¯t you stop her?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°I did,¡± Zhang Huaide said in a melancholic tone.

    Just three simple words, yet they conveyed endless bitterness and exhaustion. Such was the fate of being Zhou Hongyu¡¯s deputy team leader.

    Zhou Hongyu blinked again, only to hear Tang Xiaolian saying:

    ¡°I freakin¡¯ feel like bombing anything with that shitty skin color, can¡¯t stand it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Yan Yu said exasperatedly, ¡°Your translations are all wrong. Zhou Hongyu was trying to say ¡®none of your damn business¡¯ and ¡®mind your own issues¡¯.¡±

    Zhou Hongyu closed her eyes, adopting an attitude too lazy to speak.

    ¡°Get lost, do you understand Captain Zhou, or do I?¡± Tang Xiaolian suddenly burst out in rage, ¡°Take this slap!¡±

    ¡°All right, all right,¡± Yan Yu lost interest and said, ¡°Glad Zhou is okay, I¡¯m leaving, bye~¡±

    No sooner had he hung up the video than he got up to push the door and go to the bathroom.

    In the hot spring room, the girls were chatting happily when suddenly Xie Ruoxi screamed:

    ¡°Yan Yu is coming!¡±

    Everyone immediately went into a frenzy, grabbing clothes, diving under the water, and screaming:

    ¡°Ningning, quickly check if the door is locked!¡± Su Yunjin hastily exclaimed.

    ¡°It¡¯s locked¡­But it¡¯s useless! Doesn¡¯t he have the Wall-Penetration Technique?¡± Lin Ning rushed to the door to check and soon started panicking.

    ¡°If he dares to come in, I will slap him to death!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen gritted her teeth.

    The girls hastily covered their chests and thighs, nervously eyeing the room¡¯s door.

    ¡°Wait.¡± Xie Ruoxi suddenly spoke, ¡°He went to the bathroom.¡±

    The girls instantly breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Xie Ruoxi speechlessly:

    Ruoxi ah, can you not be so panicky? He just left the room to go to the bathroom, and you made it seem like he was about to invade our space.

    ¡°Cough cough.¡± Lin Ning felt she¡¯d been silly just before and quickly laughed it off, ¡°Going to the bathroom, haha, I knew the Captain wasn¡¯t that type of a person, the door lock wouldn¡¯t stop him if he really wanted to barge in.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Su Yunjin also hastily smoothed things over, ¡°The Captain¡¯s character is very proper, he wouldn¡¯t do those despicable acts.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s heading this way!¡± Xie Ruoxi shouted again.

    ¡°He must be going back to his room,¡± Lin Ning was still skeptical, how could the same mistake be made twice by someone who solves problems, but to give Yan Yu the benefit of the doubt she added, ¡°Going back to his room is in this direction too, it¡¯s totally normal, Ruoxi, don¡¯t make a big deal out of nothing.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not!¡± Xie Ruoxi quickly said, ¡°He already passed the room¡¯s door, and he¡¯s still walking this way!¡±

    The hot spring room went quiet for a moment and then became noisy again, with frantic scrambling for clothes, bath towels, diving, and body-covering.

    Yan Yu arrived at the door and knocked, saying loudly:

    ¡°What¡¯s the noise about? Everything okay in there?¡±

    The noises inside immediately quieted down. After a few moments, Lin Ning¡¯s shy and timid voice came through the door:

    ¡°Do¡­Do you need something?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°You were yelling so loudly, I came to see what happened. No one¡¯s gotten heatstroke from the hot spring or suffocated from sitting too long, right?¡±

    ¡°No, just go back!¡± Lin Ning yelled.

    ¡°If it¡¯s nothing then keep it down! Making such a fuss for no reason.¡± Yan Yu grumpily said and sauntered back to his room, ¡°Really, what a racket¡­¡±

    Inside the hot spring room, everyone gradually calmed down.

    ¡°He¡¯s gone back to his room,¡± Xie Ruoxi whispered. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The girls silently stared at her.

    After a while, Su Yunjin gently said:

    ¡°Ruoxi, I know you¡¯ve only joined us recently, but the Captain really isn¡¯t a lecherous and indecent man. Aren¡¯t you being a bit too defensive?¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Lin Ning quickly passed the buck, ¡°See? The Captain only came by because he heard us screaming; he thought something was wrong, he never had any other intentions.¡±

    ¡°I was too nervous,¡± Xie Ruoxi laughed it off, yet she was dismissive in her heart:

    Not lecherous? If he wasn¡¯t lecherous, would he have gone out of his way to send a message and fetch me back all the way from afar without knowing I had spiritual cultivation talent? Handing me 200,000 in cash upon meeting?

    Hmph, when I become a gem in his palm, it¡¯ll be too late for any of you to cry!

 Chapter 253 - 51: Memories of a Past Life

    Chapter 253: Chapter 51: Memories of a Past Life

    In the midst of vagueness, it felt as if his whole body was drenched in sweat.

    Yan Yu raised his head with a ferocious expression, his Flying Sword swiftly cutting through the steel forest. The voice of the coordinator came through his earpiece:

    ¡°¡­continue straight ahead, turn right at the crossroads ahead.¡±

    ¡°Follow the northbound Tongjiangnan Road, 300 meters to reach site number 7, your last mission for today. I wish you success.¡±

    His sword light flew faster and faster, switching from Sword Flight to Sword-Human Unity. The foreign True Yuan, like burning molten lava, was mechanically compressed, pumped out, and injected into his Dantian. It then ignited all of his meridians, making every cell in his body tremble and moan.

    The Military Manor ahead was already a field of corpses. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ...

    The civilian Cultivators had already stormed the Manor, aiming for a batch of Elixir Medicine stored inside. The military Cultivators stationed within were putting up a valiant resistance, but they were few in number and on the verge of being wiped out.

    The sword light suddenly burst onto the battlefield!

    Slash! Chop! Cut! Shave! Slash again! Carve! Stab! In the blink of an eye, seven civilian Cultivators were slain.

    Yan Yu altered his hand gesture slightly, shaking off the sticky blood from his sword, and was about to step into the government hall when suddenly he staggered.

    A feeling of indescribable weakness and powerlessness began to slowly spread from his lower abdomen, where the Dantian was located.

    ¡°Is there something wrong with your body?¡± the coordinator, seeing the data was incorrect, cried out in shock, ¡°I¡¯ve requested a replacement. Go to a safe place and rest!¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll do it,¡± Yan Yu said, pulling out an injection from his waist and administering it cleanly into his left arm vein. ¡°There are too many enemies; they won¡¯t be able to handle it.¡±

    ¡°Calm down, Comrade Yan!¡± the coordinator urged in a rush, ¡°You¡¯ve already taken three suppressants today! Another injection won¡¯t last much longer and will only cause your body to collapse!¡±

    ¡°Then have the emergency team wait for me at the entrance.¡± Yan Yu once again merged with his sword and charged into the Manor, passing through countless corridors and rooms. Blood and sword light interweaved, and cries of agony rose and fell.

    As the number of suppressants injected in the short term increased, the body¡¯s resistance to the medication grew stronger, and the time the Dantian could accommodate external True Yuan grew shorter.

    His body was burning out even more intensely, but his consciousness became colder and clearer. His Divine Sense swept like a relentless radar, frantically scanning and seeking out enemies, laying out numerous potential paths in his mind, dense and numerous, as if branded in his vision, impossible to dispel.

    ¡­Just need to kill them all before my body collapses¡­

    Kill them all!

    Suddenly, the wall burst open, and Yan Yu¡¯s sword light thrust forward desperately, barely countered by the Cultivator leader¡¯s Flying Sword. The formidable power of Sword-Human Unity pushed the opponent, smashing through wall after wall, until they burst out of the Manor and onto the artificial lake, creating two towering waves!

    The momentum came to a stop, and sword and man separated. Yan Yu threw a punch directly at the chest, which the opponent dodged by stepping aside. The opponent took several quick steps back and threw out a defensive artifact resembling an umbrella. Just as the golden light shield appeared, it was fiercely struck by Yan Yu¡¯s sword light, followed by a punch with the Curved Curse technique, causing cracks to appear on the shield. He then connected with the Eagle Strike sword technique, one two three four five! The sword light changed and struck five times in quick succession, all precisely hitting the same spot, eventually smashing the shield to pieces from the outside by brute force!

    As the shield shattered, a thousand dazzling golden flowers burst forth, blindingly bright! Yan Yu instinctively closed his eyes, but his Divine Sense suddenly alarmed, his head jerked aside as if something grazed his cheek. Soon, a faint sting was felt. He immediately opened his eyes, but all he saw were blinding lights and afterimages, unable to clearly see anything. Fortunately, his Divine Sense was still working perfectly, it locked onto the enemy¡¯s figure unfailingly. His stepping technique propelling him from the ground, he picked up speed, leapt, and performed a Sword Flight slash!

    The sword light pierced through the Cultivator leader¡¯s chest, then diagonally into the ground ahead. Yan Yu tumbled out of the light, clumsy and disoriented, and fell to the ground. His True Yuan depleted, his strength exhausted, and pain all over his body, his limbs numbed as if they no longer belonged to him.

    With effort, he propped his body up with his arms, but his palms slipped in the muddy soil by the riverbank, and he plunged face down into the mud, the foul and rotting smell invading his mouth and nose. After gasping desperately for a moment, he exerted strength again to push himself off the ground, and finally managed to stagger up. Spitting out the mud in his mouth, his other hand grasped the sword hilt. Divine Sense once again sought out enemies to confirm the direction. Dizzily turning around, he dragged the heavy body of the Huang Tingjian, his steps faltering and staggering, to the side of the Cultivator leader.

    The other party was not yet dead, reaching for the Elixir Medicine at his waist, but no longer had the strength. Seeing Yan Yu, broken and blind, approach, he knew his death was certain, yet he said with a malicious smile:

    ¡°Good! Good! Good! You can kill me, but can you exterminate all the Cultivators under the sky! Sooner or later, someone will capture your family, flay them, draw out their tendons, extract their souls, refine their spirits¡­..¡±

    Before he finished speaking, the Huang Tingjian heavily chopped down!

    The Cultivator leader was still blurting out curses incoherently, but soon it turned to wailing and begging for mercy, and finally, silence ensued. Yan Yu continued to lift the heavy sword rigidly and numbly, chopped down, lifted the sword again, and chopped down¡­ until the body was mutilated beyond any human likeness. Only then did he plunge the heavy sword into the ground, his hands barely supporting the sword blade, leaning on it to prevent himself from falling.

    Are there any more enemies¡­

    His body was on the verge of passing out, his consciousness sinking into an abyss, yet strangely, his rationality seemed to float upwards as if his soul was about to depart from his shell.

    Kill, kill, kill¡­

    Something landed behind him with a thud. Yan Yu suddenly gripped his sword with both hands and forcefully pulled it out, intending to use the spin of his body to slash at the newcomer. However, for some reason, he missed, and then two pairs of arms firmly held him down from left and right. A somewhat familiar voice rang out:

    ¡°Medical team! Comrade Yan, we¡¯re from the medical team! Don¡¯t be agitated! All the enemies are dead, and we¡¯ve finished clearing the scene. You can rest now¡­ ¡±

    The rest was unclear¡­

    ¡­¡­

    Yan Yu slowly opened his eyes, the morning sun streaming through the window grilles casting a subtly warm glow on his face.

    I¡¯m so tired.

    Every time he dreamed of a battle memory, he would wake up extremely exhausted¡ªnot with physical soreness and weakness, but a fatigue that stemmed from the soul.

    Can I stop dreaming about battles? I just want to live a peaceful life now!

    Yan Yu sat up in bed, the fragrance left by Zhao Yuanzhen seemed to still linger by the bedside.

    That¡¯s right, last night she soaked in the hot spring too late and only came to find me for dual cultivation and breathing exercises in the middle of the night. We cultivated until two in the morning¡­

    No wonder I dreamed¡ªwe were still practicing at two in the morning! I was dead tired, and her True Yuan continued to pour into me. How could I not dream?

    Of course, I¡¯d dream about past memories! When I used to store Spiritual Energy in an external device, I had this annoying feeling of being continuously infused with someone else¡¯s True Yuan!

    After washing up in the bathroom, Yan Yu decided the Demonic Sect Enchantress was fully to blame for the nightmare. Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door from outside:

    ¡°Captain! The driver is here to pick us up for the club!¡±

    Yan Yu went to the door and swiftly opened it, startling Lin Ning who was about to knock again. Regaining her composure, she huffily gave a light kick, which Yan Yu casually dodged.

    ¡°Why do you walk without making a sound?¡± Lin Ning asked him.

    ¡°Is it possible that it¡¯s your ears that are bad?¡± Yan Yu countered.

    ¡°Pfft, it¡¯s your ears that are bad!¡± Lin Ning turned and walked away, throwing back, ¡°Hurry up and gather at the entrance!¡±

    Yan Yu left the room and arrived at the villa¡¯s entrance, seeing two cars parked there. The girls hadn¡¯t boarded yet and were chitchatting away.

    ¡°The captain¡¯s here,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile, ¡°Let¡¯s get in the car.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said with a flourish of her hand, as she and Xie Ruoxi got into the car.

    The other three girls didn¡¯t move. Su Yunjin and Lin Ning seemed to be plotting something as they looked at Yan Yu.

    Seeing through their scheme, Yan Yu took the front passenger seat in the car with Zhao and Xie, to the great disappointment of the two girls.

    Chen Lingyun watched, amused, then joined the other two girls in the second car, and they all set off for the club.

    The Shijingshan Club doesn¡¯t have an official name to the public. Operating on a members-only basis and expanding clientele solely through member referrals, it has no need for any advertising. The clientele, wealthy and prestigious, proves that membership itself is an indicator of status.

    Upon reaching the club¡¯s entrance, the person taking over the cars turned out to be Ye Jun.

    The girl wore makeup and sunglasses, looking charming and sexy. She greeted the ladies with a smile:

    ¡°Captain Liu had something come up at home today and couldn¡¯t make it. I¡¯ll be hosting you all today, haha.¡±

 Chapter 254 - 254: 52 chapters They are my Chai Dai

    Chapter 254: 52 chapters They are my Chai Dai

    From the outside, the club appeared to be just an ordinary villa.

    Despite its rather plain exterior, the interior was exquisitely luxurious and had an artistic flair.

    Passing through the entry hall and walking further in, one would come to the banquet hall where sparse groups of guests were chatting idly by the bar counter or in corners.

    Ye Jun handed out membership cards to everyone and introduced,

    ¡°Your information has been registered. If you want to order food, talk to the suit-wearing manager by the counter. You can order whatever you like, and if it¡¯s not available, they¡¯ll arrange to have it flown in for preparation; it just takes some time, as it cannot be served immediately.¡±

    ¡°Can we ask him to recommend some rare dishes?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked eagerly.

    ...

    ¡°Of course,¡± Ye Jun replied with a smile, ¡°treat him as your hired butler; feel free to give him orders.¡±

    So Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi, the two young ladies, immediately strode over to the manager to inquire about the meal service.

    ¡°We can order here, right?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked first, ¡°What¡¯s good to eat?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± the manager replied with a smile, ¡°we can provide anything that people on Earth have eaten; if no one has eaten it, we¡¯ll try our best to source it. If you need to see the menu, we have a record of recent ordering statistics¡­¡± S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    He took out a Pad, swiped a few times, and handed it to Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi.

    The two young ladies began eagerly perusing the menu, while Lin Ning and Su Yunjin made their way to the side of the banquet hall¡ªwhere there was a very beautiful piano.

    ¡°Lanchestian.¡± Su Yunjin was somewhat surprised, ¡°This brand is a bit extravagant. I¡¯ve heard they only accept custom orders, sending people to measure the temperature and humidity at the customer¡¯s home before flying in materials for onsite assembly and tuning. They even provide dedicated maintenance every three months¡­¡±

    ¡°Does temperature and humidity affect the piano¡¯s quality?¡± Lin Ning curiously asked.

    ¡°It has a bit of an effect,¡± Su Yunjin replied, sitting down in front of the piano and neatly arranging her hair before starting to play seriously.

    In another corner of the banquet hall, three young men were chatting when they suddenly heard the melodious sound of the piano.

    ¡°Not bad at all,¡± one of them said, turning his head to look at Su Yunjin in the distance without recognizing her but feeling she indeed looked good. He nudged his companion with his elbow and said, ¡°Hey, looks like a new member.¡±

    ¡°A new member? Or someone¡¯s female companion?¡± his companion, intrigued, turned his head to look as well.

    Becoming a member of this club wasn¡¯t just about having money; a referral was needed to enter the circle. As for the women who entered as companions of current members, that was relatively easy.

    Some of the female companions brought by members were there expressly to penetrate this circle, with a distinct air of profit-seeking; others had been specifically trained, and without getting into who was behind that training, their demeanor was reminiscent of those slim courtesans of Yangzhou: pleasing at first sight, but ultimately too contrived, feeling artificial with persistent exposure, so they were just for casual amusement.

    However, the young woman playing the piano didn¡¯t have any men by her side and lacked any air of gold-digging subservience¡­ She must have entered through the member¡¯s gateway.

    Since she was a member and also attractive, they definitely had to make acquaintance quickly!

    The three young men exchanged looks, stood up, and made their way towards the piano area. They waited until Su Yunjin finished her piece before smiling and saying,

    ¡°Beautiful lady, are you a new member? Haven¡¯t seen you here before, but you play the piano incredibly well. Are you at a professional¡¯s standard?¡±

    ¡°You flatter me,¡± Su Yunjin said lightly, ¡°I¡¯m just practicing casually, nothing professional.¡±

    ¡°Should we go check out the garden?¡± Lin Ning, noticing she wasn¡¯t too keen on chatting, quickly came over to offer an escape.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Su Yunjin responded and stood up, smoothing out her skirt.

    Despite the young women¡¯s chilly rejection, the three young men did not intend to give up. They followed nonchalantly, looking for another opportunity to strike up a conversation.

    After all, the world is full of pretty women, wealthy ones too, and certainly daughters of prestigious families. But finding someone pretty, wealthy, and of noble birth¡ªall at once¡ªtruly was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

    ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve seen you before; are you perhaps related to the Zhang family in the Ministry of Justice?¡± one of them asked.

    ¡°At Zhang Rong¡¯s twentieth birthday banquet at Liyun Hotel, right? I remember too,¡± his companion quickly chimed in.

    ¡°Enough already,¡± Lin Ning said, visibly annoyed, ¡°you¡¯ve got the wrong person. We don¡¯t know any Zhang Rong.¡±

    ¡°Well, then tell us your name, let¡¯s see if we know you¡­¡± the three young men continued chuckling, but suddenly they heard a sweet voice behind them,

    ¡°They are indeed unrelated to Zhang Rong; they¡¯re my friends.¡±

    Turning around, they saw Chen Lingyun standing there with a sweet smile.

    Though she was only around five feet tall, tiny and quite adorable, to the three young men, she appeared almost like a deity in human form.

    ¡°Chen¡­ Chen Lingyun?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Chen Lingyun raised an eyebrow. ¡°Disappointed that it¡¯s not Zhang Rong but me?¡±

    ¡°Not at all!¡± ¡°Of course not!¡± The three of them, as if having triggered some mechanism, unanimously and simultaneously exclaimed.

    The Governor¡¯s only daughter, Chen Lingyun, was nicknamed Princess Jiang Hai¡ªan undoubtedly derogatory title because no matter how you pursued her, there wasn¡¯t even a one in ten thousand chance of success. It was as if a commoner could never marry a princess¡ªthe very template of someone with her nose in the air, sporting a pretentious smile of equal treatment on the surface, while never giving any man the slightest encouragement.

    But why was the title ¡°Princess Jiang Hai¡± universally acknowledged? Because the men who irrationally attempted to court her were indeed plentiful.

    The Governor¡¯s only daughter, what did that imply? Even if you couldn¡¯t win her over, you certainly couldn¡¯t afford to offend her. At the very least, you had to show that you were making an effort. Otherwise, what would you do if she took umbrage?

    Besides, even if the odds were less than one in ten thousand, what if you were the one to succeed? What if lady luck decided to grace me with her favor?

    Yan Yu was chatting casually with Ye Jun when he turned his head and saw three young men surrounding Chen Lingyun, speaking to her with utmost caution, their desire to please written all over their faces¡ªif they had tails on their rumps, they would certainly be wagging them enthusiastically.

    For a moment, it almost felt like a dream of a past life.

    In her previous life, although Chen Lingyun proclaimed to have a boyfriend, she remained unmarried despite her age, with many shameless men still boldly pursuing her.

    But Yan Yu was utterly confident in her, because her feigned smile was so formidable that it repelled all suitors without exception.

    ¡°Need me to help out?¡± Ye Jun also noticed Chen Lingyun being bothered and inquired.

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile. ¡°Have you forgotten her status? Who would dare to mess with her and not suffer the consequences?¡±

    ¡°True,¡± Ye Jun quickly realized.

    ¡°Speaking of which, how are things on your end?¡± Yan Yu continued to ask.

    ¡°Pretty good,¡± Ye Jun said. ¡°The money from the Mysterious Realm is plentiful; I¡¯m quite financially independent now.¡±

    ¡°I was referring to the team¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, oh, oh.¡± Embarrassment crept onto Ye Jun¡¯s face, mainly because her teammates often spread rumors about her and Yan Yu, causing her to subconsciously think that Yan Yu¡¯s question ¡°How are things on your end?¡± pertained to her personal situation. ¡°That¡¯s still okay, too. The main issue is the frequent emergencies at the border, which require us to head north to defend.¡±

    ¡°I heard that the towns along the border have been evacuated?¡± Yan Yu continued his inquiry.

    ¡°There were plans to consolidate villages and towns anyway,¡± Ye Jun said after a pause. ¡°It¡¯s just coincidental timing, just taking advantage of the situation.¡±

    ¡°One still has to regularly go out and kill,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently. ¡°Even wild boars in the mountains, if not regularly hunted to control their population, will come down to ravage the farmers¡¯ cornfields. Are Spirit Communicators now less of a threat than wild boars?¡±

    ¡°Liu from the team said the situation is complex,¡± Ye Jun sighed. ¡°I really don¡¯t understand it. We can only go wherever the Dragon Soar Team is ordered to fight.¡±

    ¡°Things should improve a lot once the Amur witch group stabilizes,¡± Yan Yu mused. Though he couldn¡¯t change the ¡°situation¡± that even Lord Master found tricky, he was already laying groundwork for the Eclipse Queen thanks to his knowledge from his previous life. ¡°By the way, I have a favor to ask of you.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Ye Jun asked.

    ¡°I need to check the weather data from across the country,¡± Yan Yu stated earnestly. ¡°Mainly precipitation and snow.¡±

    ¡°Why do you need that?¡± Ye Jun asked in puzzlement. ¡°Besides, can¡¯t you just look that up on the Meteorological Bureau¡¯s website?¡±

    ¡°I have special requirements.¡± Yan Yu explained. ¡°The rain needs to be as slight as possible, preferably a drizzle that doesn¡¯t even necessitate an umbrella; the snow must be the first snowfall of this year in that area. Even if there¡¯s been sleet before, it doesn¡¯t count as the first snowfall.¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Ye Jun was silent for a long time before suddenly asking, ¡°You¡¯re not really doing what Liu said, creating your own version of Jinling¡¯s Twelve Hairpins, are you?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Yan Yu was bewildered.

    ¡°The specific rain and snow you¡¯re asking for¡ªit¡¯s similar to the method for making Cold Fragrance Pills in ¡®Dream of the Red Chamber¡¯ by Xue Baochai, isn¡¯t it?¡± Ye Jun speculated. ¡°Are you planning to have Su Yunjin play Xue Baochai? I always thought she had the right temperament for it, perhaps forming a Chai-Dai duo with Lin Ning?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you believe Lord Master¡¯s nonsense!¡± Yan Yu quickly interjected righteously, ¡°I really need it! It¡¯s not for cosplay, it has a purpose. I can¡¯t go into specifics, which is why I¡¯m asking for your help because you can keep a secret!¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Ye Jun nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll help you ask around.¡±

    She paused for a moment and then added:

    ¡°By the way, it seems like Liu has connections to get the backup costumes from the 1987 TV adaptation of ¡®Dream of the Red Chamber¡¯. Want me to snag some for you?¡±

    So he wanted Yun Jin to play Baochai and Ningning to play Daiyu, huh?

    This thought lingered in Yan Yu¡¯s mind for a moment, and it seemed rather amusing¡­

    ¡°No, wait!¡± Yan Yu suddenly came to his senses, almost fooled by Ye Jun¡¯s line of thinking, and he hastily clarified his position, ¡°What do I need their costumes for? I¡¯ve already said it¡¯s not for cosplay. Keep this up and I¡¯ll get angry, you know.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes~¡± Ye Jun snickered.

 Chapter 255 - 53 Public Ownership Boyfriend

    Chapter 255: Chapter 53 Public Ownership Boyfriend

    Ye Jun quickly left the clubhouse to check the files at the meteorological bureau.

    This Jinmen girl was decisive and blunt, straightforward in speech and actions, which greatly appealed to Yan Yu.

    It was a pity she served as the defense buff provider in her team and couldn¡¯t be poached just yet. Yan Yu would have to take his time.

    No rush, he had all the time to spar with Lord Master.

    Yan Yu looked back at the banquet hall; Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi had already taken their seats in the dining area, each enjoying a steak deliciously.

    Su Yunjin and Lin Ning, on the other hand, had run off to the garden area outside to admire the plants.

    ...

    Chen Lingyun¡­ Damn!

    There, in the nearby leisure area, Chen Lingyun was sitting on a chair out of boredom, silently staring out the window.

    Surrounding her were the young masters from the clubhouse. Each was politely and cheerfully conversing, striving to subtly show off to Princess Jiang Hai as if they were peacocks spreading their feathers before a peahen.

    No, this¡­

    Ling Yun, you said you didn¡¯t like the many dogs in the clubhouse, but you never mentioned these human-shaped, fawning dogs!

    At this moment, Yan Yu hadn¡¯t anticipated that Chen Lingyun, who he often found annoying in his previous life, was such a hot commodity in the eyes of these flatterers. Hmm¡­ something seems off?

    On second thought, it seemed there was no issue.

    In his past life, even after Chen Lingyun had established a romantic relationship with Yan Yu, they would sometimes encounter would-be suitors trying to steal her away.

    But she was the kind of woman who was both mean and smart. On one hand, she would mercilessly disgust others with a fake smile, while on the other hand, she would avoid disturbing Yan Yu as much as possible, leaving a deep and possibly troubling impression on him.

    In this life, Princess Jiang Hai didn¡¯t have an official partner yet, and the lurking suitors finally couldn¡¯t hold back any longer¡ªafter all, winning over the Governor¡¯s only daughter wouldn¡¯t just benefit oneself; their families could benefit and advance for decades!

    Moreover, her beauty was exquisite and perfect, a feature no man could find fault with¡­ Which man wouldn¡¯t be moved by such a woman, and which could suppress the impulse to get ahead?

    Licked! Smooth, sleek, hiss hiss! As long as everyone licks, sticking out my tongue and wagging my tail won¡¯t be embarrassing!

    Yan Yu perfectly anticipated the flatterers¡¯ mindset and sneered disdainfully. He was about to head downstairs for hydrotherapy when he suddenly caught Chen Lingyun¡¯s gaze from afar, looking over.

    The moment their eyes met, her fake smile transformed into one filled with genuine warmth and pleasure, as if she had found something sincerely enjoyable¡ªor perhaps amusing.

    Yan Yu immediately felt something was amiss and hurried to head downstairs. But Princess Jiang Hai had already risen and was rapidly approaching.

    Once the princess moved, the pack of suitors naturally swarmed after her, creating a rather overwhelming¡ªno, frightening¡ªsight.

    Yan Yu hurried his steps, Chen Lingyun quickened hers, and the suitors did the same. Everyone in the banquet hall seemed to be having a chase.

    Yan Yu wanted to take the stairs two at a time to descend quickly but didn¡¯t expect that Chen Lingyun, with her short legs pumping like she was about to take flight, finally caught up with him at the staircase¡ªclutching his arm forcefully, she smiled and said:

    ¡°Dear, would you like to go for hydrotherapy?¡±

    The suitors behind instantly fell silent. Though no one spoke out, most were grappling with the shock, while several faces twisted grotesquely with jealousy.

    ¡°Let go!¡± Yan Yu, refusing to be duped, tried to shake her hand off, ¡°I don¡¯t know you!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s going to be my boyfriend~¡± Chen Lingyun announced to the crowd, smiling sweetly.

    As a result, facial spasms induced by jealousy dispersed rapidly, and everyone¡¯s faces showed a ¡°I really want to kill you¡± sort of smile. They mutteringly agreed with remarks like ¡°Ah, truly a match of talent and beauty,¡± and Yan Yu, unable to hold back any longer, simply dragged the arm accessory forcefully downstairs, disappearing from the suitors¡¯ view.

    ¡°Do you have a death wish?¡± Yan Yu pulled Chen Lingyun off his arm with a displeased expression and forcibly pushed her against the wall.

    Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t answer, but instead leaned in to give him a kiss, spreading a soft and warm sensation across his lips.

    Yan Yu pushed her small head away, impatiently saying:

    ¡°Can a kiss solve the problem?¡± S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°No.¡± Chen Lingyun replied sweetly, ¡°But it can calm you down.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    She wanted to slap her, but then she remembered that in their past life, even though she kept stalling and wouldn¡¯t marry, she had never broken up or cheated in the face of a constant stream of suitors¡­ Which is why in this life, I chose to part on good terms. But why are you coming to please me again?

    Men!

    Yan Yu hated his own tendency to dwell on past relationships. Even though he was determined to be the strongest in this life, he couldn¡¯t even handle his shameless ex-girlfriend who had the nerve to throw herself at him!

    Damn it, if this keeps up, how can I call myself the strongest in this world!

    Time to go for a spa treatment to calm down.

    Yan Yu left her standing there and silently walked towards the SPA area, quickly followed by the sound of hurried footsteps behind him.

    Chen Lingyun tried to grab Yan Yu¡¯s hand, but he shook her off. She didn¡¯t seem upset at all; in fact, her smile grew even sweeter, as if she¡¯d found a new toy to amuse herself with.

    Down in the first-floor garden, Su Yunjin and Lin Ning browsed for a while, encountering many people who came up to chat them up.

    Chen Lingyun had helped them fend off one group, but with both girls¡¯ good looks and presence, it didn¡¯t take long for curious young masters to be drawn to them.

    When some recognized their cultivator status (hadn¡¯t they seen them on TV before?), they eagerly came over to strike up a conversation.

    If they couldn¡¯t get to Chen Lingyun, they thought, why not try their luck with her teammates?

    The top cultivators from the Zhenhai Team surely had bright futures ahead, and opportunities for pursuit were not to be missed.

    Even though it was essentially sucking up, these people were polite in tone and attitude. Seeing that the girls were not interested in talking, they would simply smile slightly and leave. But it was hard to deal with wave after wave of people, even using the same pickup lines several times, like ¡°I¡¯m your fan¡± or ¡°Can I add you as a friend?¡±, which annoyed both girls.

    While Su Yunjin was relatively good-natured about it, Lin Ning was more short-tempered and finally, unable to bear it any longer yet not wanting to be rude, could only reply with ¡°Sorry, I have a boyfriend,¡± to get them to back off.

    ¡°Where on earth has Yan Yu gone!¡± Once again having dispatched a few would-be conversationalists, Lin Ning grumbled, her temper flaring.

    At that moment, Su Yunjin also realized something: the members who could enter this clubhouse were all individuals with status and stature¡ªnot necessarily here for leisure, but more for networking.

    As cultivators of the Zhenhai Team, with Liu Longtao as a role model, it was only natural that they became priority connections, even pursuits, for many¡ªit was to be expected.

    Of course, Liu Longtao had anticipated this and specifically arranged for the vice-captain Ye Jun to come and shield the girls from unnecessary trouble.

    But now, with Ye Jun and the captain both absent, it seemed they were probably sent off somewhere else¡­

    She silently pondered and strategized, while Lin Ning didn¡¯t think too much. More inclined to action than to thought, she had dialed their captain seven or eight times without an answer and was now stubbornly trying again.

    Finally, the call connected!

    ¡°Yan Yu, where have you run off to again!¡± Lin Ning burst out complaining, ¡°Do you have any idea how many people have been hitting on us up here?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Fresh out of the spa, Yan Yu was bewildered by Sister Lin¡¯s tirade upon answering the call, at first clueless and then bursting into laughter, ¡°People hit on you, and you can¡¯t find a quiet place to hide?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Lin Ning was suddenly at a loss for words.

    Why didn¡¯t they hide? Because Yun Jin wanted to see the flowers in the garden!

    But she couldn¡¯t complain about that to the captain because he would surely laugh at her and say, ¡°If Yun Jin isn¡¯t in a hurry, why are you?¡± So she just held back her anger and quickly asked:

    ¡°Where are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m on the lower level, just finished my spa treatment, it¡¯s relaxing,¡± Yan Yu responded.

    ¡°You need to come up here quick! We¡¯re in the back garden!¡± Lin Ning insisted angrily.

    ¡°Why should I come up?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Pretend to be our boyfriend so the people hitting on us will see you and think the flowers are taken and stop bothering us!¡± Lin Ning complained without thinking, originally intending to blame him for their harassment because he was busy with his spa, but then Su Yunjin next to her blushed with embarrassment and hastily called out:

    ¡°Ningning!¡±

    Lin Ning also quickly realized she had spoken wrongly, her face turning red as she frantically corrected herself:

    ¡°No! I said it wrong, I¡¯m not asking you to pretend to be both our boyfriends! I meant¡ªyou should pretend to be hers¡­ I mean, Yun Jin¡¯s¡­ not that either! Geez! Just come here and pretend to be her boyfriend so she can watch the flowers, and I¡¯ll go find a quiet room to hide and play with my phone!¡±

 Chapter 256 - 54: Zhao Yuanzhen, the Family Pet

    Chapter 256: Chapter 54: Zhao Yuanzhen, the Family Pet

    The spa service quality was not bad, if only I hadn¡¯t been with Chen Lingyun.

    What happened to the private, single-person care? How could they let her in too! Just for that, I can only give a passing grade, I can¡¯t rate any higher.

    Upon arriving at the ground-floor garden, Yan Yu saw Su and Lin standing by the pond, feeding the koi with breadcrumbs.

    Based on their appearance and demeanor, neither resembled Chai Dai. Lin Ning was lively and full of vigor, while Su Yunjin was gentle, quiet, and elegantly simple; their characters were entirely different.

    However, having spent so much time with them, Yan Yu knew that underneath Lin Ning¡¯s seemingly extroverted personality was a delicate, sensitive heart that loved to dwell and fuss over things. Yun Jin was typically soft on the outside yet firm on the inside, her gentle speech could carry a heavy force of control; she appeared frail but was actually astute and assertive.

    In a way, could it be that they really did have a bit of Chai Dai¡¯s shadow in them?

    ...

    ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± Yan Yu said, hands in pockets, sauntering over to them, ¡°what did you call me for?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t need you anymore,¡± Lin Ning said with annoyance.

    ¡°I heard someone was being hit on and harassed?¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°Now you realize that being pretty has its disadvantages too, huh?¡±

    Lin Ning immediately spun around to throw a kick, but Yan Yu, having anticipated it, dodged neatly. Su Yunjin then said from the side:

    ¡°Don¡¯t argue with Ningning, come and stand over here.¡±

    Yan Yu stood between the two girls and didn¡¯t say much more. Indeed, for the next while, no one else came over to bother them.

    The reason was simple: the clubhouse was exclusive to members, with a small circle; everyone recognized the existing female members, so if they saw an unfamiliar and alone pretty lady, they¡¯d hurry to make friends and see if there were any chances. But if there was a man next to her, they¡¯d assume she was a guest brought by a member and immediately lose interest.

    Su Yunjin had keenly guessed that was the case when she saw someone pass by with a female companion earlier.

    Yet she was unfazed by being seen as a companion, and instead enjoyed the peace, quietly staying beside Yan Yu, watching the carps swim in the pond.

    ¡°You girls could also try the downstairs spa,¡± Yan Yu suggested, ¡°It¡¯s quite comfortable, and you won¡¯t be disturbed.¡±

    ¡°Will you join us?¡± Su Yunjin asked faintly.

    ¡°No, I just came back from there,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Then I don¡¯t want to go,¡± Su Yunjin said.

    In their brief exchange, an invisible gravitational field seemed to form, pressing down on Lin Ning until she couldn¡¯t breathe and forced her to cut in abruptly:

    ¡°You went to the spa downstairs without us, and now you come up here to show off after you¡¯re done!¡±

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Yan Yu said inexplicably, ¡°If I don¡¯t try it, how would I know the quality of the service here? I have to make sure everything is fine before I recommend it to you.¡±

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Lin Ning pouted.

    Her response wasn¡¯t so much a complaint against Yan Yu, but an attempt to break the tension between the two. Now that the goal had been achieved, she naturally didn¡¯t say any more.

    Su Yunjin, watching quietly from the side, frowned slightly, feeling an uncomfortable twist in her heart, and suggested:

    ¡°There¡¯s a place for bird-watching over there, come with me to take a look.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Yan Yu agreed.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go too!¡± Lin Ning quickly followed suit.

    In a corner of the garden, various bird cages hung, most of which belonged to members who left their birds here for the clubhouse to take care of¡ªkeeping birds was a tradition among the old folks of Pingjing, particularly those who sang often and loudly, or could speak auspicious words, which brought them joy.

    ¡°I also want to keep a bird,¡± Su Yunjin suddenly said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell it all the secrets I can¡¯t say out loud.¡±

    The atmosphere suddenly became heavy again. Lin Ning opened her mouth as if to say something but then stopped, only to hear Yan Yu laugh and say:

    ¡°Then you shouldn¡¯t get a parrot. If it learns everything, and suddenly calls out when there are people around: ¡®Squawk! I¡¯m gaining weight again,¡¯ wouldn¡¯t that be embarrassing?¡±

    Su Yunjin couldn¡¯t hold back a smile, gave him a light glance, and laughed with her mouth covered:

    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t hear it, it doesn¡¯t matter who it talks to.¡±

    Even though it was a quick glance, mixed with a touch of girlish shyness and reproach, it seemed all the more enchanting.

    Lin Ning, too, caught the look in her eyes and grew even more restless¡ªnot the same strange weight as before, but a new kind of panic and unease that screamed ¡°I don¡¯t fit in here.¡±

    She was just a simple sword immortal, unable to grasp the mysteries of these spells, her only recourse was to bluntly break in with a change of subject:

    ¡°Speaking of pets, I¡¯m thinking of keeping tropical fish.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t fish quite easy to kill?¡± Su Yunjin remarked lightly.

    ¡°Not really,¡± Lin Ning defended, ¡°We have a big aquarium at home. It¡¯s been years, and they¡¯re all doing well.¡±

    ¡°Which one do you prefer, Captain?¡± Su Yunjin casually asked, ¡°If you had to choose between the two, bird or fish?¡±

    The heavy atmosphere descended once more!

    Yan Yu was no fool and could taste the almost imperceptible tension in the air. If he chose birds, Lin Ning would be unhappy; but if he chose fish, Su Yunjin would be upset¡­ This was no longer about a preference for pets but about the soul-searching question ¡°Whose side are you really on?¡±

    But why should I choose sides? Do you think you deserve my allegiance?

    Such amateurs, all causing me these trivial problems!

    ¡°Birds need their cages changed, and fish need their water changed, both are troublesome,¡± Yan Yu calmly replied, ¡°I think Sister Zhao is easier to take care of, she can fend for herself, use the toilet on her own, and still provides enough emotional value.¡±

    Su Yunjin: ¡­¡­

    Lin Ning: ¡­¡­

    Can you not compare girls to animals, please?!

    ¡°Speaking of which, where has Sister Zhao gone?¡± Yan Yu suddenly realized it had been a while since they¡¯d seen the Demonic Sect Enchantress.

    ¡°She went to the restaurant with Ruoxi to find something to eat earlier,¡± Lin Ning replied, feeling somewhat helpless inside. The way she said it sounded a bit too much like they were animals¡­

    ¡°Let¡¯s go have a look,¡± Yan Yu said.

    The three of them left the garden courtyard and returned to the banquet hall inside, where they saw the dining table surrounded by crowds both inside and out. From time to time, cheers could be heard:

    ¡°Great!¡±

    ¡°Thrilling!¡±

    ¡°Can they still eat?¡±

    ¡°Worthy of a cultivator!¡±

    Yan Yu couldn¡¯t squeeze through the crowd, so he released his Divine Sense to pierce through the throng and saw a table piled with various foods, with two girls eating heartily.

    Xie Ruoxi wolfed down food for a while and then put her hands in front of her and pressed down, channeling True Yuan around her stomach area to speed up digestion¡ªa testament to the woman who could self-taught the art of fasting in her past life. She had also developed a method to digest food.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was even more exaggerated. She lined up the shelled lobsters on the side of the table and then, while squatting and shuffling along, shoved chunks of lobster meat into her mouth and chewed vigorously, drawing continuous exclamations from the surrounding members.

    It was as if they were watching a tiger feed.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­ S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    When one girl breaks your defenses, there¡¯s always another girl to break through your defenses in kind. Such is the cycle of natural justice, an inescapable retribution!

    Yan Yu could no longer hold back and waved over a suit-clad manager who was standing by, saying:

    ¡°Get rid of their meals, quick.¡±

    ¡°I apologize,¡± the manager replied respectfully but firmly, ¡°It is our duty to satisfy the members¡¯ needs, provided it does not affect other members¡¯ enjoyment of our services.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently, ¡°Let me rephrase: If you don¡¯t get rid of their meals now, I¡¯m going to smash their dining table. Choose.¡±

    The manager immediately fell silent, with a sudden appearance of cold sweat on his forehead.

    The owner of the club had a very strong background, so strong that ordinary members would not cause trouble here. But the person in front of him was the captain of the Zhenhai Team, and behind him stood that gentleman; if he really did get angry and smash the place, the owner would likely have no recourse against him.

    As everyone knew, when the boss couldn¡¯t handle an opponent, he would take out his frustration on the subordinates who caused the trouble; after all, something would have to be done to appease the anger.

    ¡°How about this,¡± the manager proposed cautiously, ¡°We have a small issue in the kitchen right now, and the food supply may be affected thereafter¡­ When would you find it acceptable for the issue to be resolved?¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow,¡± Yan Yu understood his hint, saying nonchalantly, ¡°I reckon it definitely won¡¯t be fixed tonight, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, please understand.¡± The manager quickly pressed his headset and ordered the kitchen to cut off the water and electricity, creating a malfunction.

    Soon, the food on the table was devoured completely by the two of them.

    More food didn¡¯t arrive, which not only dissatisfied Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi but also upset the members who enjoyed watching the spectacle; they started to make a commotion:

    ¡°Is there more food? Bring it on, quick!¡±

    Many members ran to the kitchen to urge them on, and Yan Yu finally found a chance to quietly weave through the crowd and came up between Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi, asking gently:

    ¡°Have you had your fill?¡±

    ¡°How could this little bit be satisfying¡­¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said dismissively without looking up.

    Xie Ruoxi, trembling beside her, tugged at her sleeve and whispered:

    ¡°Sister Zhao, that¡¯s Yan¡­ Yan¡­¡±

    ¡°Bird¡¯s nest?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen turned her head, eyes lighting up, ¡°I¡¯m actually thirsty, where¡¯s the bird¡¯s nest?¡±

    Then she got slapped on the head as Yan Yu transmitted a scold in a low voice:

    ¡°Reincarnation of a starving ghost! Can¡¯t you choose the occasion to eat? Are you proud to be made a clown for others to watch you eat?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was hit for no reason, but she dared not publicly argue with Yan Yu; she just held her head with both hands, silently seething:

    ¡°What a petty thief! I haven¡¯t eaten your rice; what right do you have to lecture me like this!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re cursing me as a reincarnation of a starving ghost, huh? Once I achieve the path of the Demon Lord, I¡¯ll hang that petty thief and in front of him, I¡¯ll eat up all his rice soup!¡±

    With that thought, a vision came to her mind.

    She saw Yan Yu stripped naked, all his treasures and Flying Swords taken away, with his arms and legs bound by the dragon rope, watching Mrs. Zhao search the house for food and then screaming wildly:

    ¡°Damn it, you can¡¯t! That¡¯s the only food we have left at home! You can¡¯t eat it!¡±

    ¡°Hee hee hee, didn¡¯t you curse me as a starving ghost? Now you¡¯ll see!¡± Mrs. Zhao revealed a wicked smile, fumbling from beneath the coffee table for a starch sausage Yan Yu had stashed away, and adeptly unwrapping it, ¡°Today I¡¯ll show you what¡¯s what!¡±

    ¡°Quack! No, please! I apologize, I was wrong, I shouldn¡¯t have cursed you¡­ Please don¡¯t touch it!¡±

    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m going to eat your starch sausage!¡±

    At this point, Zhao Yuanzhen was thoroughly amused, looking at Yan Yu with a mocking and scornful expression as if to say, ¡°We¡¯ve got a long road ahead; just you wait.¡±

    Yan Yu: ?

    Still daring to challenge?

    He reached out again with a large hand, firmly holding Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s head, and revealed an arrogantly cold smile of a man who suppressed all through the ages.

 Chapter 257 - 55: The Witch, Baring Her Heart!

    Chapter 257: Chapter 55: The Witch, Baring Her Heart!

    People came back from the upscale clubhouse feeling far from content.

    Chen Lingyun was upset due to being surrounded by dogs; Su Yunjin and Lin Ning were bothered by being hit on; Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi were dissatisfied because they hadn¡¯t eaten to their hearts¡¯ content. All in all, everyone had their points of discontent. Perhaps only Yan Yu was quite pleased¡ªshe not only enjoyed a spa treatment and accompanied the two ladies in admiring the flowers and birds, but she also taught Zhao and Xie a good lesson, preventing them from making too much of a spectacle of themselves. It could be said that her afternoon was very fulfilling.

    Back at the ancient buildings of Little Tangshan, the moody ladies perked up at the thought of a hot spring on the premises.

    In her room, Yan Yu received a message from Ye Jun.

    It¡¯s done.

    Within the next week, the forecast of precipitation, be it rain or snow, for various parts of the country was clearly marked on the map¡ªdetails including the place, the amount of rainfall, and whether it was the first snowfall of the season.

    ...

    After thanking Ye Jun, Yan Yu looked at the map she had sent for a while, and had a rough idea of where to search for rain and snow.

    To refine the essence of water in elemental cultivation, one needs Rootless Water. There are four kinds of Rootless Water: morning dew, drizzling rain, initial melting snow, and originally, there¡¯s also ground frost, which is frost water.

    But Yan Yu, with the advantage of knowledge from her previous life, was aware that frost water often carries a large amount of earthy impurities. If all four types of water are combined for cultivation, while it might be speedy, the refined water essence would not be pure. Later, the impurities would have to be painstakingly removed¡ªit¡¯s pure torment. You might be in a rush early on, but sooner or later, you¡¯ll have to doubly compensate for it.

    The key to cultivating the essence of water is its absolute purity. Any contamination with impurities means it¡¯s best to discard it completely without hesitation. It¡¯s like an apple with a rotten spot¡ªmost people would just remove the bad part and use the rest, but Yan Yu knew it was better to throw away the entire apple. Otherwise, you¡¯re just saving the time it would take to replace one rotten apple, but when you later juice it with other apples and find a rotten smell, trying to extract the spoiled juice that came from that single apple¡¯s rot will cost you a hundred times more effort.

    Of course, if you¡¯re overly meticulous in choosing the purest Rootless Water for your practice, you¡¯ll face a problem: your progress at the beginning will certainly be slower than others, much slower.

    This is also why Yan Yu prepared in advance for Su Yunjin¡ªsince the beginning is slow, why not get a head start?

    After playing with her smartphone for a while, feeling somewhat bored, she decided to go out for a walk. Suddenly, she discovered Zhao Yuanzhen standing in the corridor outside, wearing a bathrobe and staring blankly into the dark courtyard.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Yan Yu walked over and asked, ¡°Not joining them for the hot spring?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen glanced at her with little enthusiasm and replied, ¡°The hot spring room is too warm. I came out to cool off.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s windy outside, go back soon.¡± Yan Yu turned and left.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen followed her back to the room, silent and sullen.

    Back in her room, Yan Yu noticed Zhao Yuanzhen seemed off and asked again:

    ¡°Is it because I didn¡¯t let you have a good meal today, so you¡¯re here sulking and holding a grudge against me?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was somewhat at a loss for words. We¡¯re Daoist companions, hey you rascal! In your mind, just how petty do you think I am?

    ¡°No,¡± she said, feeling irritated, ¡°I just suddenly remembered something from my past in the sect.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not interested,¡± Yan Yu crossed her legs and sat on the bed, clapped her thighs, and said solemnly, ¡°Less nonsense, come and dual-cultivate with me!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen instantly bristled, pounced onto the bed with a howl, and pinned Yan Yu down, clutching his neck and squeezing him against her, shouting:

    ¡°You better ask me what exactly it is!¡±

    Yan Yu intended to forcefully push her away, but as his face was being pressed down and he struggled to breathe, he could only communicate through a secret voice transmission:

    ¡°Alright, alright, so what exactly are you worried about?¡±

    ¡°Sigh,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen let him go, showing a ¡°I can¡¯t take this anymore¡± expression and sighed, ¡°I just suddenly felt that I might be a bit too stupid.¡±

    Yan Yu: ???

    No, can¡¯t laugh here, or else this Demonic Sect Enchantress will become infuriated and seek mutual destruction with me.

    With his formidable composure from two lifetimes, Yan Yu desperately controlled the muscles of his face to keep from smiling and feigned ignorance:

    ¡°Not at all? Who says you¡¯re stupid?¡±

    ¡°Sigh,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen hammered her thigh firmly, seriously saying, ¡°Of course, I know I¡¯m not stupid! I¡¯m just¡­ My mentor once assessed my character and said that although I lack a cunning mind, I have the essence of returning to simplicity and truth, which makes for good cultivation potential.¡±

    ¡°But look at me now. I can¡¯t even handle my relationship with my second senior sister. I was unable to see through my first senior sister¡¯s malicious schemes. I was being hunted by Mei Yingxue that day, and if I hadn¡¯t stumbled upon a spatial rift and hidden in it¡­ I¡­ I fear I would have already been dead.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu said seriously.

    ¡°If only I could have united with my second senior sister, my eldest senior sister might not have harbored thoughts of harming me,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen continued, her expression growing even more dejected and desolate, ¡°If only I had seen through my eldest senior sister¡¯s plots and schemes, I wouldn¡¯t have ended up in this world. I admit I¡¯m a bit slow and I accept any punishment, but¡­ but I feel sorry for Master, who must be upset not being able to find me.¡±

    As she spoke, tears started to fall. She tried to wipe them away but failed to stop them, simply kept dabbing at the corners of her eyes and said in a sad voice:

    ¡°Little thief, little thief, I miss Master so much, I really miss her¡­ but I can¡¯t go back, I can¡¯t return¡­¡±

    Yan Yu, watching her desperately wiping her tears, also felt a measure of pity and sympathy arise in his heart.

    No matter how venomous and ruthless the Demonic Sect Enchantress was, she still carried a hint of childlike reverence in her nature. It probably was a genuine display of emotion¡­ right?

    ¡°Alright, alright, stop crying,¡± he said as he reached out, hugged her, and held her in his arms, ¡°Without a master, don¡¯t you still have me, your Dao companion? There, there, there are still people in this world who are good to you¡­¡±

    As he spoke, he found he couldn¡¯t go on because Zhao Yuanzhen had started using his clothes to wipe her tears.

    This wretched woman!

    ¡°Mm.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen nodded, buried her face in his chest, and stopped making a sound.

    After a moment, she sniffled hard and suddenly raised her tear-streaked, pitifully beautiful face to ask:

    ¡°Little thief, how are you going to be good to me?¡±

    You¡¯re still asking for more, aren¡¯t you?

    Yan Yu intended to say, ¡°But you don¡¯t deserve it,¡± to strike hard at the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s arrogance, but facing her strong feminine allure and the doubled buff of her vulnerability, confronting her head-on was unwise. So, he looked up at the ceiling, pretending to ponder and said:

    ¡°Er, I¡¯ll take you to eat delicious food in the future.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not enough,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said with a pout.

    ¡°If someone offends you, I¡¯ll vent your anger for you.¡±

    ¡°Still not enough.¡±

    ¡°Then when you become famous, I¡¯ll help make your name known throughout Jiangnan and let the whole world know the title of Empress Yuanzhen.¡±

    ¡°Empress Yuanzhen¡­ Mmm, it¡¯s quite domineering, but it¡¯s not enough.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s still not enough?¡± Yan Yu thought to himself that at her peak in her previous life she was only at the level of the Eclipse Queen, already having lived a carefree and joyful life, so what more could she possibly want? Was she dreaming of becoming the strongest in this life? Dream on! At best, you¡¯ll become the strongest woman in this world!

    ¡°Not enough, not enough, not enough!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen clung to him and, seizing the moment when there was no room to escape, she coquettishly asked, ¡°When will you introduce me to your Master?¡±

    Yan Yu: !!!

    Body, suddenly stiff.

    Thoughts, suddenly frozen.

    Mind, suddenly blank.

    Originally, he had concocted a Master skilled in divination and highly capable because he hadn¡¯t had enough good feelings from the Demonic Sect Enchantress and needed to prevent her from killing him outright.

    Now that his favorability with her had reached a life-saving level, he no longer had to worry about her threatening his life, but where was he supposed to conjure this fictitious Master from? Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The pit he had dug for himself had finally ensnared him!

    If it were any man with insufficient resolve, he would have been sweating profusely by now, but Yan Yu had sworn to be the strongest in this world and wouldn¡¯t be felled by such sudden attacks. Lying came to him as easily as breathing:

    ¡°Since our relationship has reached this point, I¡¯ll be honest with you. My Master isn¡¯t in this world, but imprisoned in some realm beyond the heavens. Using tremendous divine powers, she managed to break through the endless spatial barriers and sent a wisp of divine thought to Earth to take me as her disciple and impart the teachings of karma to me. Now you want me to take you to see her, I won¡¯t lie to you, that is something I simply cannot do.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen, hearing ¡°Master isn¡¯t in this world,¡± felt some disappointment but then listened to ¡°imprisoned beyond the heavens¡± ¡°using great divine powers¡± ¡°sent divine thought to Earth¡± and immediately became awestruck, even slightly horrified.

    Oh my goodness! Even a Daluo Golden Immortal who has ascended is unable to contact their sect¡¯s descendants from the lower realm!

    Little thief¡­ oh no, my husband, could his Master¡¯s identity possibly be the immortal and indestructible Daluo Golden Immortal of legend?!

 Chapter 258 - 56 Refining, First Melting the Snow

    Chapter 258: Chapter 56 Refining, First Melting the Snow

    The next morning, Yan Yu and the others were picked up by a private car at the villa¡¯s doorstep, heading towards Lingyan Pavilion.

    Lingyan Pavilion¡¯s grand conference hall, a place where the soldiers and officers of Lu Country dream of receiving honor, is used for the highest level of medal awarding, commendations, and rewards. Of course, it is also used for other ceremonies, but we will not discuss those here.

    The award ceremony was quite simple: in front of the cameras of the official media journalists, a senior official shook hands with Yan Yu, offered a few words of encouragement, and then personally pinned the medal on him.

    Longcheng Flying General!

    Though it seemed to draw inspiration from the anecdote of the Han general Li Guang, it was actually merely a blend of ¡°Yan Zhanlong¡± and ¡°famous general,¡± as well as a hope for his continued defense against foreign enemies in the future¡­ To be honest, Yan Yu wasn¡¯t dissatisfied and went along with the official¡¯s encouragement, saying a few auspicious phrases with positive energy, much to the relief of Li Weiguo, who was attending the meeting.

    The ladies also lined up to receive their medals, each receiving a badge as well, but their titles were ¡°Longcheng Heroic Generals,¡± presumably representing the spirit of valiant and majestic women.

    ...

    Besides the medals, there was of course a cash reward: 40 million yuan for each person.

    This amount actually included the rewards from the previous confrontation with the Flying Dragon Battle Team, combining both into a single disbursement¡ªit also set a clear guiding price for the remuneration system for cultivators nationwide: about 10 million yuan domestically and 20-30 million yuan internationally.

    This was the supremely generous treatment provided to cultivators by the current dynasty! Especially for most of the team cultivators at the current stage, they are not involved in the life-and-death struggles abroad (that¡¯s for the most powerful first-generation teams to handle), but domestically, if they fight in ten matches, they¡¯ll immediately have assets over a hundred million¡ªtax-free, pure profit, and the value is self-evident.

    And above all, it wasn¡¯t a loss either. Through commercial operations similar to the Superhero Alliance, currently just the auction of the broadcast rights for the mysterious realms domestically and abroad brings in 1 to 2 billion yuan in revenue per month. After paying the cultivators¡¯ salaries, there¡¯s still profit to be had. It was like retracing the path of the Olympic Games (which started off losing money with each edition, until one time it became commercialized and then made a fortune).

    With money and honor all in place, cultivators were naturally eager to pledge their loyalty to the country.

    Only Yan Yu knew that at this stage, neither fame nor profit was the most valuable but cultivation resources¡­

    The resurgence of Spiritual Energy was like an endless marathon. You might be able to keep up with the large group now, but you never know when you might be completely left behind.

    Moreover, because Lu Country had far fewer Transcendents than the international average, everyone would have to fight desperately on the battlefields later on, and there would be no escape.

    If you managed to get the medal of Longcheng Flying General, you¡¯d better truly maintain the strength of a Longcheng Flying General, because in the future you will definitely be asked to fly around all over the place to put out fires¡ªthe medals aren¡¯t that easy to get, are they?!

    After the award ceremony ended, Zhenhai Team was sent back to Jinling and was not retained for a celebratory feast as was customary.

    It wasn¡¯t for any particular reason, mainly because the international situation was getting increasingly tense, and it was inappropriate to delay their tactical training.

    As everyone took off from Pingjing on their swords, Yan Yu suddenly said,

    ¡°You guys go back to Jinling first, I have some matters to deal with Su Yunjin.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± The girls were all taken aback.

    ¡°It¡¯s official business,¡± Yan Yu emphasized.

    Oh, since it¡¯s not about taking Su Yunjin out for fun, but for official business, then it¡¯s alright.

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t think too much and nodded in understanding. Chen Lingyun, as always, smiled with her eyes curved, showing no particular emotion.

    Only Lin Ning had a subconscious reaction similar to Zhao and Xie, but soon felt a strange emotion:

    Could it be that the captain really was going to handle official matters, but Yunjin¡­ might take the opportunity to also deal with personal affairs?

    As for what personal affairs, she herself wasn¡¯t clear and didn¡¯t dare to think too deeply about it, just sullenly followed the team as they left.

    ¡°Ningning,¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly moved closer on her sword and whispered, ¡°You look like you are troubled, is there something on your mind?¡±

    ¡°Haha, what troubles could I possibly have~¡± Lin Ning didn¡¯t want Chen Lingyun to notice her unhappiness and feebly glossed over it.

    ¡°Mm-hmm, that¡¯s good then,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s tone became cheerful, ¡°If there¡¯s something bothering you and you want someone to talk to, you can tell me right away~ I won¡¯t tell anyone else.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Oh¡­¡± Lin Ning muttered in confusion.

    The others headed south back to Jinling, while Yan Yu took Su Yunjin northward, flying toward the direction of the Western Regions province.

    According to the meteorological map Ye Jun provided, there were places with rainfall all over the country, but the places with snowfall¡ªespecially the first snow of the year¡ªhad to be sought in the north.

    The north was divided into North China, Northeast, and Northwest. Considering that the goal was to collect Rootless Water as purely as possible, efforts had to be made to avoid chemical substances in the air from dissolving in the rain, which would affect the subsequent distillation of True Yuan from the water.

    North China had industrial clusters, and the Northeast had old industrial bases, both inevitably emitting pollutants, so it was necessary to find the least industrially developed Northwest.

    The two soon reached the Yellow River and then continued upstream. Su Yunjin did not ask much during the journey; she just quietly followed the Sword Flight of Yan Yu.

    According to the meteorological map, the cold air from Siberia was about to reach the provincial capital, Luntai Prefecture, and then be blocked by the Tianshan Mountains stretched across.

    North of Luntai Prefecture lay vast plains, and farther north was a desert basin, with almost no industrial presence, making it an ideal place for collecting the first snow of the season.

    Yan Yu, leading Su Yunjin with Sword Control Technique, arrived in Luntai Prefecture and then headed north. They deliberately avoided the highway and saw only withered grass, bushes, and piles of stones below, scarcely a hint of green to be seen.

    Finally, before reaching the desert area, they began to see snowflakes gradually falling from the sky.

    Surprised, Su Yunjin looked up at the sky and silently took out her phone to take pictures¡ªshe had seen snow only a few times in her life.

    Yan Yu also released his Divine Sense to scan the area.

    The absence of industrial pollution didn¡¯t mean the snow was entirely clean, as the falling snowflakes unavoidably collected dust and haze along the way.

    So they had to fly higher.

    The two controlled their Sword Light and ascended into the high altitude, feeling the surrounding temperature gradually cool down. Su Yunjin shivered a bit but then heard Yan Yu say,

    ¡°This should be high enough.¡±

    ¡°Listen carefully: To collect Rootless Water, it is best to do so as soon as it appears, to minimize impurity contamination.¡±

    ¡°We do not seek speed or efficiency, only purity. A single drop of pure water is more useful than a hundred drops containing impurities.¡±

    ¡°To collect the water, first expand your Divine Sense as much as possible. This place is a battleground between warm and cold air, where the water vapor will condense into snow upon rapid cooling. Use your Divine Sense to lock onto these tiny snowflakes, and then attract them with the Sword Control Technique. Of course, the incantation of that technique is specifically for Sword Control, which isn¡¯t quite suitable for controlling snow, so some parts need to be adjusted.¡±

    He recited several hundred words of modified content, roughly changing the Sword Control incantations into an object control technique, which surprised Su Yunjin. She couldn¡¯t help but ask,

    ¡°Yan Yu, that incantation isn¡¯t in the textbooks, where did you learn it from?¡±

    ¡°A secret.¡± Yan Yu had anticipated her question and had prepared a ¡°pretext for Su Yunjin,¡± saying nonchalantly, ¡°Everyone has their secrets, but now it¡¯s a secret between the two of us. Don¡¯t tell others, okay?¡±

    As expected, the moment he played the ¡°exclusive secret between me and Yan Yu that no one else knows,¡± Su Yunjin couldn¡¯t resist and laughed helplessly, saying,

    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t ask anymore and won¡¯t tell anyone else.¡±

    She closed her eyes and began to extend her Divine Sense in all directions, drawing the surrounding snowflakes toward her.

    ¡°Draw the snowflakes into the palm of your right hand, without processing them further,¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°Cover the right hand with the left, palms facing each other, leaving half a finger space between them. Use True Yuan to heat the snowflakes, causing them to melt, evaporate into vapor, rise, and condense into water droplets upon touching the left hand. This process removes the impurities mixed with the snowflakes, yielding pure melted snow water, which you then draw into the fish border acupoint of the left hand for absorption.¡±

    That was the great advantage of being a prophet. In the previous life, it took Lu Country a full eight years to properly understand how the ¡°Essence of the Five Elements¡¯ purity¡± was of utmost importance for the ¡°Tao Transformation.¡±

    It might seem that Yan Yu only added one step, but in essence, it was the result of eight years of scientific research, countless sample experiments for comparison, from which the most critical variable was discovered among many cultivation methods¡ªwithout this step, if you find after five or six years of cultivation that your Tao Transformation level is not advancing, then correcting that isn¡¯t just a matter of doubling the work, but rather a hundredfold more effort¡­ not an exaggeration at all.

    Su Yunjin did not understand why it had to be done this way, but seeing Yan Yu¡¯s serious expression and tone, she dared not be negligent and put her palms together, spacing them half a finger apart, beginning to focus intensively on refining the Rootless Water. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 259 - 57 Yan Yu, sweat soaked his back

    Chapter 259: Chapter 57 Yan Yu, sweat soaked his back

    Although Yan Yu had prepared himself, because of the high purity requirements, refining the freshly melted snow would be quite slow, but he hadn¡¯t expected it to be so slow.

    It was relatively simple to draw the snowflakes into the palm of his right hand, after all, Su Yunjin was also known for her True Yuan control, but the next step, vaporizing it by heating, was where problems arose.

    The high altitude was windy, and it was a tug-of-war zone for hot and cold air, so when the snowflakes were evaporated into vapor, they were about to scatter with the wind, with barely one-tenth being caught by the palm of his left hand to condense into liquid.

    After refining for an entire day, he could only manage about a dozen drops of water. At this rate, he estimated it would take at least three months to collect the freshly melted snow water.

    However, refining the Essence of the Five Elements was indeed a painstaking task, and it couldn¡¯t involve the help of external forces or items, otherwise, there would be problems in refining the heart. Therefore, Yan Yu made the related issues clear to Su Yunjin, telling her it was a long-term job and she didn¡¯t need to be too anxious about it.

    ¡°We¡¯ll follow the cold air down south, continue Sword Flight while collecting and refining until we reach Tianshan.¡±

    ...

    Of course, Su Yunjin was not in a hurry now; this was a rare, precious time for her to spend with her Captain!

    There wasn¡¯t any unnecessary disturbance like ¡°What about me?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°I want to go too.¡± I couldn¡¯t wait for it to continue just like this!

    Approaching midnight, the two returned to Luntai Prefecture and looked for a hotel to stay and rest.

    ¡°Two rooms, please¡­¡± Yan Yu hadn¡¯t finished speaking when he heard Su Yunjin immediately added, ¡°One room should be enough.¡±

    Yan Yu: ?

    The hotel front desk clerk blinked, having seen all sorts of situations; he immediately picked up on the fact that it was the woman in the couple who was taking the initiative and said straight away:

    ¡°Alright, one king-size bed?¡±

    ¡°A standard room.¡± Yan Yu quickly said.

    Su Yunjin remained silent. Given her shy nature, asking for one room was her limit, and she couldn¡¯t handle the idea of sharing one bed¡­ A standard room was the best option for her.

    After completing the identification check with their IDs and facial recognition, they got the key cards, and she prepared herself for the Captain¡¯s questions. The answer would be ¡°One room is cheaper,¡± ¡°there are two beds anyway, you sleep on yours and I¡¯ll sleep on mine.¡± If he asked again, she would say, ¡°Surely, Captain, you wouldn¡¯t start to have feelings just from sharing a room with me.¡±

    But Yan Yu didn¡¯t say anything, which made all her prepared excuses fall flat.

    Standing inside the elevator, Yan Yu was watching the floor panel, while Su Yunjin stood silently beside him, occasionally glancing at him.

    Back in the hotel room, she finally mustered up the courage to ask:

    ¡°Do you want to use the bathroom first, or should I?¡±

    ¡°You first,¡± Yan Yu pulled out his mobile phone, ¡°I need to take a call.¡±

    As Su Yunjin went to the bathroom, Yan Yu picked up the call, only to hear Li Weiguo asking:

    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you returned to Jinling?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re vacationing here in Luntai,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°Vacationing¡­¡± Li Weiguo was somewhat speechless, ¡°Everyone else has returned, only you and Su Yunjin haven¡¯t. The team isn¡¯t complete. What if there¡¯s a mission requiring full attendance? Never mind, it¡¯s good that you¡¯ve settled down there; it saves you from being talked about as the harem team.¡±

    Yan Yu felt he had misunderstood something, but Li Weiguo didn¡¯t give him the chance to explain and continued:

    ¡°There¡¯s a mission in Jiujiang Province, and I¡¯ve sent Chen Lingyun with a team. You two just happen to be in the Western Regions, where a Mysterious Realm has appeared in Tianshan, and the situation seems quite complicated. Now is not the time for team confrontation, the Pingxi Army has discussed with me¡ªyou two might as well solve it while you¡¯re there.¡±

    ¡°Just the two of us?¡± Yan Yu asked casually, ¡°The Western Regions are under the jurisdiction of the Pingxi Army, and they¡¯re seeking our help instead of the Huofeng Team, is that alright?¡±

    ¡°Zhou Hongyu is hospitalized,¡± Li Weiguo stated succinctly.

    ¡°Oh, right, right.¡± Yan Yu also remembered.

    Poor Xiao Zhou was still lying in the hospital. If the Mysterious Realm itself was very difficult and the Pingxi Army were short on people for the time being, it was normal for them to ask for assistance from the top cultivator of the Zhendong Army, who happened to be in the area, and reach out to Li Weiguo.

    ¡°Alright, when do they need us?¡±

    ¡°Should they pick you up at nine tomorrow morning?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Yan Yu hung up the phone, thinking that this was going to be a bit troublesome.

    The cold air continued to move south and wouldn¡¯t wait for anyone. With the window for collecting early snow lying ahead, who had time to take care of a Mysterious Realm in Tianshan?

    ¡°Might as well let Yun Jin continue working; I¡¯ll go destroy the Mysterious Realm by myself.¡±

    Just as Yan Yu was thinking about ditching Secretary Su to work solo, he saw Su Yunjin coming out of the bathroom, wiping her wet hair.

    ¡°Who called just now?¡± she asked casually. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Nothing important, just a sales call,¡± Yan Yu tried to bluff his way through.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Su Yunjin nodded, then asked nonchalantly, ¡°Since it was a sales call, why did you ask them why they didn¡¯t contact the Huofeng Team?¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    This girl gave him the chills.

    He figured that even if she had the full proof of her husband¡¯s infidelity one day, with a fruit knife in her left hand and divorce papers hidden behind her back, she¡¯d still have the nerve to ask her oblivious husband with a smile, ¡°Who just called you?¡±

    ¡°You heard everything in the bathroom just now?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Su Yunjin picked up the hair dryer, ¡°I just happened to hear that part.¡±

    I¡¯d have to see a ghost to believe that! Yan Yu decided not to tell more lies and honestly admitted:

    ¡°Alright, I can¡¯t fool you. It was old man Li calling, asking me to deal with a Mysterious Realm over by the Tianshan mountains.¡±

    ¡°Why did you lie to me just now?¡± Su Yunjin asked calmly.

    Although she was blow-drying her hair with her head to the side, revealing the soft lines of a woman¡¯s body, and her tone was gentle, she somehow exuded a strong pressure and deterrence. If you happened to be guilty of something, she would make you sweat profusely with her questions.

    ¡°Because I didn¡¯t want to worry you,¡± Yan Yu used a soft approach to counter the strong pressure, deftly deflecting it all back.

    Su Yunjin fell silent for a moment, then asked:

    ¡°So what do you plan to do?¡±

    ¡°Military orders are like mountains,¡± Yan Yu had already decided, ¡°I¡¯ll go take care of it. You keep collecting the freshly melted snow here.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll go with you,¡± Su Yunjin decisively refused.

    ¡°Why?¡± Yan Yu frowned.

    ¡°Does the captain not know why?¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t know why.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the same reason I insist on sharing a room with you, captain,¡± Su Yunjin revealed a pure and beautiful smile, ¡°do you still want to ask?¡±

    ¡°No, no more questions.¡± Yan Yu could not resist any longer and decided to give up the back-and-forth.

    He felt that if he continued to play dumb, Secretary Su would probably come out with a ¡°Because I like you,¡± followed by ¡°What does the captain think of me?¡± and then deliver the final blow with ¡°Can the captain be with me for a lifetime?¡± Yan Yu would be completely crushed by the gravity she released, captured, and taken to register for marriage, condemning him to an eternal hell.

    ¡°So, can I accompany the captain to the Mysterious Realm this time?¡± Su Yunjin continued to ask.

    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Yan Yu fell silent for a while, then added, ¡°We need to make it quick, so as not to delay your collection of snow water.¡±

    ¡°Mmm,¡± Su Yunjin clasped her hands, her smile becoming genuinely joyful.

    The captain agreed to let me accompany him to the Mysterious Realm! Heehee, I must be the fastest progressing member in the team right now, right?

    With this first time, there will be a second; I can gradually adapt to the captain¡¯s combat rhythm, and later on, even in formal team combat, I can fight alongside the captain!

    Thinking that she might be the first in the team to keep up with and even coordinate with Yan Yu¡¯s pace, Su Yunjin couldn¡¯t help but feel overjoyed. She promptly sat down beside him and earnestly said:

    ¡°I will work hard.¡±

    What are you going to work hard on! But Yan Yu wasn¡¯t aware she was only thinking about coordination in battle and immediately felt a bit overwhelmed: So you¡¯re going to keep releasing your gravity spells, conquer me, and then drag me to marriage registration, right?

    ¡°Yun Jin,¡± he tried to soften his words a bit, expressing his stance while not cornering the other person into a blunt confrontation, ¡°you don¡¯t have to try so hard; some things can¡¯t be forced.¡±

    ¡°The captain doesn¡¯t need to test me with those words,¡± Su Yunjin was brimming with fighting spirit and did not notice Yan Yu¡¯s troubled expression, continuing to insist, ¡°Whether it¡¯s for three years, five years, ten years, or a lifetime¡­ I won¡¯t give up!¡±

    Yan Yu really started to sweat profusely. Was the heating in this room turned up too high?

 Chapter 260 - 58: The Demon of the Heart, Arriving Quietly

    Chapter 260: Chapter 58: The Demon of the Heart, Arriving Quietly

    The following dawn.

    Without having to spend the night dual cultivating with the Demonic Sect Enchantress, Yan Yu¡¯s sleep quality had improved a lot, dreamless throughout the night.

    He woke up groggily, wondering why his phone alarm hadn¡¯t gone off?

    His vision suddenly caught sight of someone squatting by the bed, staring at his face.

    Yan Yu instantly snapped his eyes open, only to see Su Yunjin quickly stand up in a fluster, pretending to fiddle with the plastic bag on the bedside table, then feign surprise, saying,

    ¡°Captain, you¡¯re awake? I¡¯ve brought you breakfast.¡±

    ...

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­

    Although I¡¯m touched by your thoughtful gesture of bringing me breakfast, the way you were squatting by the bed staring at me was truly frightening. I can¡¯t say for sure whether I should be grateful or scared right now.

    He slowly sat up, rubbed his eyes, and began to eat the breakfast Su Yunjin had brought.

    Plain porridge, baked buns, a small dish of finely chopped vegetables, and milk tea served in a cup. Although it looked lavish, it had already gone nearly cold, seemingly having been left there for at least half an hour.

    So the question arises: From the time the breakfast was placed on the bedside table to the moment I woke up, what had Secretary Su been doing all this while?

    There¡¯s no use in dwelling on this question too much, just like you shouldn¡¯t probe into whether beautiful girls need to use the restroom. Let¡¯s maintain some dignity for each other.

    After finishing breakfast and freshening up, Yan Yu and Su Yunjin went downstairs and met the stationed cultivator troops outside the hotel entrance, who then escorted the pair to the entrance of the Mysterious Realm at Tianzhu Mountain.

    Due to previous events at Changbai Mountain, all major entrances to Mysterious Realms within the country are now heavily guarded to prevent unauthorized entry.

    If the two of them had directly used Sword Flight to go there without the correct friend-or-foe identification code, they would most likely have been riddled with bullets from anti-aircraft machine guns.

    The officer in charge of guarding the entrance to the Mysterious Realm was surnamed Bo, and Yan Yu was not in a hurry to enter. Instead, he inquired about the situation with Officer Bo,

    ¡°Have drones been sent in to scout?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve been in, but all the footage they captured was just white.¡±

    ¡°White?¡±

    ¡°As if the signal was being interfered with,¡± Officer Bo handed him the video to see.

    Yan Yu carefully watched, noting the video wasn¡¯t the kind of white static you¡¯d get from a TV with no signal. It was simply pure, contentless white.

    This¡­ doesn¡¯t seem like a signal issue, but more like it¡¯s being obscured by some kind of illusionary barrier.

    Heart-refining illusions are also a staple in traditional Lu Country cultivation dramas, and the more pure-minded a person is, the less likely they are to be affected. For example, the Demonic Sect Enchantress, whose mind is full of eating and drinking, or the handsome no-good who is all about fun and games, are the kind who can resist the effects of illusions well. On the other hand, someone like Chen Lingyun, with a more complicated mind, even knowing they are within an Illusion Realm, would find it difficult to calm their mind and see through the deception for a while.

    Of course, now that we¡¯re at the entrance to the Mysterious Realm, there¡¯s no need to call those two fools over by phone.

    After a brief moment of contemplation, Yan Yu and Su Yunjin put on their cameras and entered the Mysterious Realm.

    Past the entrance, they saw endless mountains all around, lofty snow peaks without end in sight.

    In front of the two was an extremely tall, massive, and magnificently beautiful ¡°super peak,¡± rising from among the surrounding mountains, stretching upwards so high that its peak was not visible, as if reaching to level with the sky.

    Su Yunjin gaped at the tower-like mountain peak and suddenly couldn¡¯t help shivering.

    Help, my fear of large objects is kicking in.

    Yan Yu, however, wasn¡¯t as sensitive as she was; he just tried Sword Flight.

    As expected, it wouldn¡¯t work.

    In the intermediate-to-advanced stages of the Lu Country Mysterious Realm, there are often restrictions on flight, which is also a kind of demarcation between ¡°high-difficulty Mysterious Realms¡± and ¡°ordinary Mysterious Realms.¡± For instance, residential communities with security are everywhere, but those where the property management cares about drones are generally a bit more upscale. Otherwise, what would you do if a drone flew to your balcony and peeked into your bedroom?

    Flight restrictions are very intricate and complex; ordinary Mysterious Realms wouldn¡¯t bother to set such things up. This only implies that the owner behind the Mysterious Realm certainly puts a lot of effort into display and grandeur.

    Yan Yu continued to gaze into the distance and noted that Tianzhu Mountain¡¯s peak was exceptionally steep. Although it wasn¡¯t completely vertical to the ground, it wasn¡¯t far off from ninety degrees.

    Free climbing was definitely impossible.

    The restrictions prevent Sword Flight, Cloud Ascension Technique, and most methods of ascent, like the flight of bird-like beasts, meaning you¡¯re not allowed to take shortcuts, only permitted to follow the mountain path.

    By the mountain gate at the base of Tianzhu Mountain, there stood a large stele with the words ¡°Kunlun Tianzhu¡± inscribed.

    Behind the stele, a winding and rugged path led behind Kunlun Tianzhu.

    The mountain path was paved with stone steps, not looking very difficult, but there must be dangers ahead.

    ¡°Shall we go?¡± Yan Yu turned to ask.

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s,¡± Su Yunjin nodded her head.

    The two passed the mountain gate and climbed the steps.

    After walking for more than ten minutes without encountering any danger, they saw the mountain path gradually tilting to the right, likely winding up and around Tianzhu Mountain.

    ¡°Yun Jin, be careful,¡± Yan Yu reminded her to prevent any carelessness. ¡°Just because we haven¡¯t encountered any enemies here doesn¡¯t mean the way ahead will be clear.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Su Yunjin secretly rejoiced, nodding her head without showing much on her face.

    During normal team operations, the leader would only say, ¡°Everyone be careful,¡± or even not say anything and leave the reminders to Ling Yun. Where can that compare to now, with his concern directed only at me, and his attention focused solely on me?

    With that thought, her heart grew even sweeter, as if she had eaten honey, and her steps became much more lively and brisk.

    She quietly approached Yan Yu from behind. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Yan Yu was always scanning the surroundings with his Divine Sense, and Su Yunjin¡¯s movements naturally couldn¡¯t escape him.

    ¡°I think what the captain said makes a lot of sense,¡± Su Yunjin said earnestly, ¡°It¡¯s better if we stay closer together. If anything unexpected happens, we can look out for each other, right?¡±

    Thinking of Secretary Su¡¯s anxious on-the-spot reactions, Yan Yu had no choice but to agree, so he instructed:

    ¡°Then come closer to me.¡±

    ¡°Okay~¡±

    Was this girl deliberately acting cute? Yan Yu had his suspicions, but seeing her constantly vigilant gaze scanning the surroundings, he felt like he might have been overthinking.

    Let¡¯s move on, then.

    The two continued for half an hour, and Yan Yu was also somewhat exhausted¡­ Physical strength was one thing, but mental fatigue was another.

    If it weren¡¯t for the changing scenery around them, he really would have thought they¡¯d run into a looping enchantment like ¡®ghost hitting the wall,¡¯ but looking at these endless stairs with no end in sight made it discouraging.

    ¡°Do you need to rest for a bit?¡± Su Yunjin asked.

    ¡°Let¡¯s rest for a while,¡± Yan Yu took out his phone, ¡°I¡¯ll set an alarm.¡±

    Su Yunjin found a flat spot near the steps, wiped it with a napkin, and gestured for Yan Yu to sit down.

    The two sat on the steps, feeling the cool but not cold mountain breeze and looking out at the continuous snow-capped mountains, it felt as if the whole world had quieted down.

    It even made them a little sleepy.

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± Su Yunjin suddenly asked, ¡°do you ever feel¡­ that I¡¯m pretty aggressive?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Yan Yu continued to scan the surroundings with his Divine Sense, and said, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much,¡± Su Yunjin said in a ladylike manner, crossing her legs and placing her hands on her knees, speaking softly, ¡°I¡¯ve never been in a relationship before, so I don¡¯t know how guys view me. I¡¯d like to hear your thoughts.¡±

    It was another skillfully indirect conversation. It seemed just like asking for an ¡°opinion about me,¡± but the precondition of ¡°I¡¯ve never been in a relationship¡± was incredibly suggestive.

    However, once you tell her ¡°you¡¯re not my type,¡± she would immediately put on an innocent face, ¡°I haven¡¯t confessed to you,¡± ¡°Why would you say that¡±¡­

    Yan Yu¡¯s mind raced, and he knew he had to play dumb and pretend not to catch Secretary Su¡¯s hints, so he replied:

    ¡°I think you¡¯re quite nice.¡±

    ¡°What kind of ¡®quite nice¡¯?¡± Su Yunjin stretched out her slender finger, resembling a green onion, and toyed with the little grass growing in the cracks of the stone steps, ¡°Can you be more specific?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re quite pretty,¡± Yan Yu said frankly.

    Su Yunjin couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, and with a clear voice she said:

    ¡°Captain, you can¡¯t just compliment a girl on her looks, it would make you appear superficial, as if you only care about her face.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, I remember now,¡± Yan Yu nodded and casually continued the conversation, ¡°I recall you once said to me: you prefer others to focus more on your inner qualities than your appearance.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Su Yunjin put away her smile, looking gentle yet serious, ¡°So I hope the captain can pay more attention to, and appreciate, my inner qualities, rather than seeing me just as a pretty vase.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you are a vase.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡­ So, Captain, perhaps that¡¯s why I was initially attracted to you.

    Thoughts running through her mind, Su Yunjin gradually felt sleepy, and she stealthily glanced at Yan Yu¡¯s profile next to her.

    If I pretend to fall asleep and quietly lean my head on his shoulder, would he push me away firmly, or would he let me lean on him?

    Maybe¡­ give it a try?

    ¡­

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not right,¡± Yan Yu suddenly stood up.

    ¡°Ah?!¡± Su Yunjin was startled into jumping to her feet, thinking her covert thoughts had been seen through by the captain, her voice trembling, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?!¡±

    ¡°I set an alarm on my phone,¡± Yan Yu took out his phone, ¡°It shows that it has already gone off. Did you hear it?¡±

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t,¡± Su Yunjin calmed down, ¡°So what?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s some kind of sensory interference trying to keep us here, to stop us from thinking about moving on!¡± Yan Yu said with a stern voice.

 Chapter 261 - 59: The Girl in Red, Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper

    Chapter 261: Chapter 59: The Girl in Red, Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper

    ¡°What should we do?¡± Su Yunjin asked anxiously.

    She tried to examine her heart and discovered that she really didn¡¯t want to continue moving forward¡ªIt was rare to sit side by side with the captain on the mountain steps, to talk sweetly, and even have the chance to lean on his shoulder to sleep. Su Yunjin wished such moments could last longer.

    But what if this thought wasn¡¯t her own, but the result of some external interference at play?

    With this thought, Su Yunjin felt a cold sweat start to form.

    ¡°Keep going,¡± Yan Yu quickly decided. ¡°If it wants to stop us, even deliberately blocking out the sound of the alarm clock, then we¡¯ll do the opposite. Don¡¯t rest, and hurry along the mountain path to reach the end as soon as possible!¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Su Yunjin immediately replied.

    ...

    The two activated their Shifting Technique and began to sprint along the mountain path.

    The mountain path truly wound around Tianzhu Mountain, spiraling upwards. From the scenery around, they had almost made five or six turns, and their altitude had already surpassed most surrounding peaks.

    But looking up, there was still no sign of the mountain¡¯s summit.

    ¡°How tall is Tianzhu Mountain, exactly?¡± Su Yunjin stared in astonishment. Can we really reach the top?

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Yan Yu promptly responded. ¡°I made a point of remembering certain terrains we¡¯ve passed along the way, and so far, we haven¡¯t encountered any repetitions.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s not a looping illusion,¡± Su Yunjin worriedly said. ¡°But, if the end is very far from us, like three or four months or even half a year away, wouldn¡¯t that be no different from an endless loop? It¡¯s a distance we simply can¡¯t accept.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t be that far,¡± Yan Yu switched to communicated through a secret transmission with Su Yunjin. ¡°The restriction against Sword Flight must envelop the entire Mysterious Realm. The larger the Mysterious Realm itself, the larger the restriction required. It¡¯s not feasible as you suggest, making this mountain peak extremely tall and long, stretching out the entire space of the Mysterious Realm; that would be totally uneconomical.¡±

    Yan Yu, having lived through one generation before, had fought in many Mysterious Realms, and could deduce that this Mysterious Realm was likely a ¡°test-type realm.¡± Otherwise, if they just put a large group of enemies on the mountain path, coupled with that silent demonic mental manipulation attack, the two of them would already be in a terrible mess.

    Since it was a test-type realm, then based on the current situation, this place was most likely testing their determination. Otherwise, as soon as their minds were troubled by the inner demons, causing them to stop, it would mean failing the test¡ªeven if one is strong and capable of fighting, succumbing to inner demons means game over!

    With the Shifting Technique propelling them at an incredibly fast speed, much faster than walking, in the blink of an eye, they had circled around the mountain pillar several times,

    As the distant landscape became ¡°all mountains seem small¡± in their view, the path ahead remained empty. However, Yan Yu became even more vigilant, commanding the Huang Tingjian, sometimes hovering to the left, other times shifting right, ready to confront any enemies that might emerge from the surroundings.

    Suddenly, he heard Su Yunjin cry out:

    ¡°Yan Yu, I can¡¯t go on¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not really unable to go on,¡± Yan Yu urgently transmitted. ¡°It¡¯s the inner demon amplifying the lazy thoughts in your consciousness, tempting you to give up moving forward!¡±

    Su Yunjin clenched her teeth, trying to keep up with Yan Yu¡¯s speed, but unavoidably, she began to slow down¡ªafter all, her subconscious wanted to rest, and sometimes she would slow her pace without realizing it. Only when she noticed Yan Yu getting farther away would she suddenly wake up and hurriedly rush to catch up.

    Yan Yu noticed her varying pace, guessed that Secretary Su was being harassed by the inner demon, deliberately slowed down and, after she caught up to him, grabbed her left hand forcefully and pulled her along as they continued to sprint forward.

    This hand-in-hand tactic proved to be effective. Su Yunjin, who had previously been distracted with miscellaneous thoughts, found them all disappearing the moment Yan Yu took her hand. It was like she had been fed a mouthful of honey; her heart was filled with nothing but shyness, elation, joy, and intoxication, allowing Yan Yu to lead her in their relentless run.

    The invisible inner demon that failed to bring down Su Yunjin turned to attack Yan Yu, stirring his seven emotions and six desires.

    But Yan Yu, having lived two lifetimes, already possessed extraordinary determination, firmly suppressing all scattered thoughts, and continued to dash forward, dragging Su Yunjin along.

    The higher the two climbed along the mountain path, the more fierce and terrifying the inner demons became, conjuring various things in their Divine Sense to attack them.

    Sometimes Su Yunjin would see her blood-covered parents crying out for her behind them; at other times, she would see her own dead body blocking the way ahead¡­ She shivered with fright, not daring to look forward or backward, focusing solely on the steps under her feet as Yan Yu pulled her along in their flight.

    Because of the many deep dark sides in Yan Yu¡¯s heart, the illusions he saw were a hundred times more cruel than Su Yunjin¡¯s. The images might as well have been of the nine serenities of the netherworld or the unspeakable torments of hell.

    But his endurance surpassed Su Yunjin¡¯s by a thousand times. He had witnessed the living hells on earth not just once or twice in his previous life; how could he fear the false terrors conjured by inner demons?

    Amidst the flash of knives and swords, he ignored them; faced with mountains of corpses and seas of blood, he saw them not!

    The inner demons conjured up the entire Yan family, parents and sister, being held and forced to kneel in a row before being beheaded, their twisted heads rolling around. Yan Yu, however, remained as hard-hearted as iron, completely unmoved, stepping over the bodies with Su Yunjin in tow, continuing to charge forward.

    They then conjured up many girls from Zhenhai Team, all crippled and maimed, writhing on the ground in agony, calling desperately for their captain to save them. Yet Yan Yu turned a deaf ear, stomping on the steps with the art of rapid Shifting Technique, leaving them all behind.

    His stubborn and almost fanatical attitude finally angered all the lurking inner demons at once. From midair, countless demonic heads appeared, each with three heads and six arms, with fierce green faces and sharp fangs, coming to slay Yan Yu and Su Yunjin.

    These were indeed real demons; if one were to dismiss them as illusions and get caught off-guard, a nasty bite would surely result in severe injury¡­ but how could Yan Yu make such a mistake? With one sweep of his Divine Sense, he swung the Huang Tingjian close to his body, repelling and forcing back all the demons in the vicinity.

    Su Yunjin was still charging forward with her head down when suddenly, she heard Yan Yu shout loudly:

    ¡°Won¡¯t you make a move?¡±

    This thunderous roar finally jerked her from her state of panic and fear. Su Yunjin abruptly lifted her head, saw all sorts of demons swirling around, and without hesitation, struck with the hand seal to activate the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art.

    The torrential waters of Jiaochong surged forth, driving back the encroaching demons once more, followed by a shot of coral tears that passed through several demons. However, not a drop of blood was shed; Yan Yu spoke again:

    ¡°Don¡¯t linger, fight while you move.¡±

    With his reminder, Su Yunjin also realized:

    The demons that were hit by the Flying Sword showed no sign of injury, still hopping and flying around, which clearly meant they were not afraid of physical attacks. To be delayed by them and hinder their progress would be getting their priorities wrong.

    Observing Yan Yu¡¯s swordsmanship, he struck wide and swung broadly, never obsessively chasing down any demon, it was clear his intention was to repel the enemies rather than to kill.

    Escape first!

    The demons were flying everywhere; as soon as they entered the range of the Huang Tingjian¡¯s force, the waters of the heavenly river pushed them back out, leaving them no opportunity but to curse and swear at the two, with a stream of foul language.

    Su Yunjin blushed with embarrassment upon hearing this, but Yan Yu remained unaffected, instead speeding up the pace of his Shifting Technique. Seeing the end of the mountain path approaching, he quickly took hurried steps, pulling Secretary Su and dashing ahead as if flying.

    The demons behind them were all crowded on the last step of the mountain path, as if encountering some invisible barrier, all showing their teeth and making menacingly wicked smiles.

    Ahead lay a majestic and splendid temple, grand and magnificent, like the palaces at the summit of the clouds, the abode of immortals.

    However, when Yan Yu and Su Yunjin swept the area with their Divine Sense, they discovered an invisible barrier in front of the palace, preventing their Divine Sense from probing any further.

    In front of the temple was a stately and expansive white jade plaza.

    In the center of the plaza at some unknown time, a girl in red had appeared.

    When the two of them had arrived, the plaza should have been empty. But as soon as Yan Yu withdrew his Divine Sense from the direction of the palace, he saw the girl in red standing there gracefully, with a long sword in hand, gazing over with a cool, piercing look.

    Both her appearance and her icy demeanor were quite similar to that of the girl in green they had encountered within the Mysterious Realm at Longquan Mountain, but upon closer inspection, there were slight differences. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The figure in green had been solitary and withered, whereas this girl in red was cold and defiant, her eyes conveying a sense of looking down from a high place.

    ¡°She has no shadow,¡± Su Yunjin whispered, ¡°just like that Chen Mingyan in the Mysterious Realm of Longquan Mountain¡­ likely just a remnant of someone¡¯s Divine Sense and illusion.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s try to communicate first,¡± Yan Yu replied in return.

    The person opposite must be the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper controlling the core of the realm. If they could obtain control of the core without fighting, that would be best, though according to past experiences, it seemed unlikely.

    ¡°You¡­¡± Before Yan Yu could speak up, the girl in red slowly began, her voice filled with chilliness, ¡°The Spell you used just now on the path to ascend to heaven, was it the ¡®Star River Secret Art¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Su Yunjin tentatively asked, ¡°May I ask¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± the girl in red interrupted her, simply continuing on her own, ¡°I abhor the person who uses that Spell, and by extension, I detest the Spell itself.¡±

    ¡°Since you have mastered that Spell, you must be her successor. In which case, it¡¯s only reasonable for me to raise the difficulty of the test, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Su Yunjin: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Let me do it,¡± Yan Yu interrupted, ¡°I¡¯ll take your test.¡±

    ¡°Want to play the hero?¡± the girl in red said coldly, ¡°That¡¯s not for you to decide.¡±

    ¡°Although the path to ascension was replicated by my mother, it also ensnares numerous inner demons. Completing the ascent signifies that your virtues are barely acceptable.¡±

    ¡°But in this world, mere virtue is far from enough. The test I have here is one of strength: no matter how you join forces or what methods you use, as long as you can defeat this incarnation of my Divine Sense, you will have passed! Everything within this Mysterious Realm, including those demons, is yours to take and do with as you wish.¡±

    ¡°However, if your strength is inadequate and you are killed by me, don¡¯t blame me even in the underworld!¡±

 Chapter 262 - 262: 60th chapter Meh, thats all there is to it

    Chapter 262: 60th chapter Meh, that¡¯s all there is to it

    Good news: This time, the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper can communicate.

    Bad news: The other party has a temper just like Zhou Hongyu¡¯s.

    Yan Yu¡¯s gaze swept around; the area was flat with no obstacles to serve as cover, making it clear that the woman in red was undoubtedly a spellcaster.

    No cover meant that Taoism Methods could be unleashed in any direction, maximizing their advantage for wide-scale attacks. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    To counter the other¡¯s advantage, they would need to engage in close combat as much as possible.

    But would the opponent have anticipated this and set a trap accordingly?

    ...

    Yan Yu looked at the Flying Sword in the woman¡¯s palm, its crimson hue as hot as burning iron, brimming with overflowing light and intense heat, even warping the surrounding light as if scorched.

    This girl in red might be proficient in Taoism Methods, but her Sword Control Technique was also undoubtedly strong!

    ¡°I¡¯ll lay out the tactics now.¡± With Chen Lingyun not present, Yan Yu could only arrange the tactics with Su Yunjin, ¡°I¡¯ll engage her in close combat to tie her down, and you just need to support me from a distance. Prioritize your own safety, prioritize creating space, maintain mobility, and look for opportunities to control her. If you can¡¯t control her, don¡¯t force it.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Su Yunjin also realized the urgency and nodded seriously in agreement.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t they attacking yet?¡± the girl in red sneered coldly, ¡°It¡¯s still not too late to retreat.¡±

    ¡°Please enlighten me,¡± Yan Yu bowed slightly.

    Since Sword Flight wasn¡¯t allowed here, he had to use the Shifting Technique.

    He suddenly activated the Shifting Technique, moving as fast as a rushing horse towards the girl in red. Su Yunjin also acted immediately, moving laterally to expand her field of vision, her hands already forming Taoism gestures.

    The girl in red responded coldly, with the crimson Immortal Sword in her palm striking first, turning into a streak of red light!

    So fast!

    Yan Yu swiftly parried with the Huang Tingjian, inwardly exclaiming in admiration.

    One could tell an expert by their first move. The girl in red¡¯s swordplay was fast, urgent, accurate, and ruthless, clearly not just any generic Sword Control Technique, but rather it must be derived from a robust and independent sword technique system!

    The swords clashed, sparks flying everywhere. The Huang Tingjian was originally a heavy sword, but in face-to-face combat with that crimson sword light, it was barely gaining an advantage, especially lacking in speed and agility.

    On Yan Yu¡¯s side, he continuously executed sword techniques, pushing the Huang Tingjian constantly harder, only to keep the clashing blades four steps away from the girl in red, unable to press any closer.

    The crimson sword light grew more fierce and dazzling in the fight, not at all falling short against the heavy sword, and even showing a tendency for counter-attacking. The girl in red suddenly spoke:

    ¡°This sword of yours¡­ I recognize it. Why don¡¯t you activate the sword¡¯s prohibition? Oh, afraid that in the Age of Dharma Decline, it¡¯s no longer feasible. With just that little level in swordsmanship, you are far from enough to beat me.¡±

    Listening, Yan Yu sneered inwardly. Having lived two lives, he always presented his brilliance to others; how could he ever allow someone to show off in front of him?

    Without a change in expression, he continued to form the Sword technique with his right hand while secretly flicking his left hand inside his sleeve, secretly launching the Impact Curse.

    As the Huang Tingjian pressed its attack, the girl in red focused on defending, apparently not noticing the sneak attack of the Impact Curse. Suddenly, she sidestepped half a step, showing an astonished look, ¡°Impact Curse? Quite clever, but¡­¡±

    Before she could finish her sentence, a giant wave appeared out of nowhere, crashing down hard on her!

    As he launched the sneak attack with the Impact Curse, Yan Yu simultaneously sent a message to Su Yunjin, who was at a distance, to discreetly cast a Taoism Method on the girl in red¡¯s left side.

    As the Impact Curse shot out, and the girl in red dodged ghost-like to the left, seemingly foreseeing his sneak attack, she fell right into Yan Yu¡¯s calculation!

    As Su Yunjin executed Li Fan, it was too late for the girl in red to dodge, and the giant wave struck her directly, knocking her down. The Huang Tingjian turned into a sword light and chopped down from above, aiming to split her head in two!

    Just as the girl in red was knocked down by the water, she tapped her feet sideways in quick succession, shifting backward just enough to avoid the Huang Tingjian¡¯s chop. She then sprang up from the ground, appearing unharmed but completely soaked like a drenched chicken, her hair tangled and matted. She looked at Su Yunjin with hatred and said:

    ¡°Very well, very well. Since you attack me with her Taoism Method, as a mentor, I will teach you what it means to observe hierarchical order and to respect tradition and your teacher!¡±

    She formed a Taoism gesture with her hands, and then suddenly expelled a massive amount of flames from her mouth and nose!

    Although it closely resembled Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Great Bright Fire Dao Method, the might and scale were much greater. Endless flames swept towards Su Yunjin like a tidal wave, instantly sealing off all her escape routes and threatening to engulf her completely, burning her to ashes!

    On Yan Yu¡¯s side, as he manipulated the Sword technique, the Huang Ting Sword quickly bore down with its crimson sword light, forcing the girl in red to divide her attention and control her sword. Su Yunjin seized the opportunity to use Jiaochong beneath her own feet, creating a water spout that propelled her into the air. She then landed outside the border of the sea of fire and immediately cast the Shifting Technique upon touching the ground, urgently distancing herself from the still-burning Great Bright Fire.

    Maternal aunt? So this girl in red is¡­

    Su Yunjin quickly suppressed any inappropriate thoughts and instead began to cast another Taoism Method, launching Lang Feiyun, sending a barrage of water bullets at the girl in red¡¯s back.

    The opponent¡¯s body moved like a specter, evading the Lang Feiyun with several feints and false steps. All of a sudden, she turned around and spewed out flames again. Fortunately, Su Yunjin was prepared this time, and as soon as her adversary looked back, she sprinted at full speed with the Shifting Technique, leaving the pursuing sea of fire far behind her.

    Yan Yu saw clearly that the opponent was not merely using the Shifting Technique combined with the Cloud Ascension Technique to sprint and change direction but rather a unique set of evasion techniques.

    If Sword Flight was considered a superior version of the Shifting Technique, then evasion techniques would be the superior counterparts to the Cloud Ascension Technique. Like sword techniques, they are monotonous and tedious to cultivate, requiring a great deal of mechanical practice, which is why they are considered a specialty of Sword Immortals.

    This girl in red not only possessed the sword techniques and evasion skills of a Sword Immortal but also wielded a powerful Fire Blazing Dao Method. She was a composite of a Sword Immortal and a magic practitioner, completely disregarding the basic principles of combat professions¡­

    However, in the previous life, Mei Yingxue did seem to reveal that during ancient times when Spiritual Energy was extremely abundant, there was no distinction between combat professions. Sword Immortals could play with magical treasures, spellcasters could also command Servant Envoys, and there were even those who focused solely on Qi Refinement without skills in combat.

    Only in the later periods when Spiritual Energy became scarce did Cultivators turn inwards, fiercely competing and undermining each other. Then they had to divide the various methods, considering efficiency in killing and conserving True Yuan, selecting the four best-suited combat paths¡­ Which means, this girl in red must come from an earlier time than Mei Yingxue and Zhao Yuanzhen.

    While dividing his attention to ponder, he continued to engage in swordsmanship combat with the girl in red. Su Yunjin provided support from afar, sometimes using Lang Feiyun to suppress the opponent¡¯s surroundings, other times attacking with Jiaochong or Li Fan. But the opponent¡¯s evasion techniques were too abnormal; each time at the very last moment, she would precisely move out of the range of the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, leaving Su Yunjin feeling frustrated as if she was sparring with the team captain.

    Looking again at the battle between the lights of the Huang Ting Sword and the crimson sword, they fought so fiercely that it was hard to tell who had the upper hand. Considering that the Huang Ting Sword was heavier and thus had an advantage in frontal combat, did this mean the girl in red¡¯s swordsmanship was even slightly superior to the captain¡¯s?

    As Su Yunjin fretted anxiously, she didn¡¯t dare to message Yan Yu for guidance, fearing it might distract him mid-battle. While hesitating, she suddenly heard Yan Yu¡¯s voice transmit to her:

    ¡°Keep the pressure on, don¡¯t stop.¡±

    ¡°How should we press on?¡± Su Yunjin quickly asked.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t answer, which made her worry that she might have asked a stupid question.

    Just as she was about to use the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art again, she heard Yan Yu¡¯s response:

    ¡°Whatever way.¡±

    Whatever way? Su Yunjin was puzzled, but nonetheless, she continued the Taoism Method, directing the water of the heavenly river towards the girl in red.

    The girl in red displayed her evasion techniques once more, easily dodging the water cannon assault of the Lang Feiyun while directing the crimson sword light to parry the chopping attack of the Huang Ting Sword. Suddenly, she heard Yan Yu laugh and say:

    ¡°I see. Your swordsmanship and Taoism Method must have been taught by the same master; but the way you shift and dodge with such agility, it must have been taught by a different master.¡±

    The girl in red hesitated slightly, but her swordsmanship didn¡¯t falter as she replied:

    ¡°What of it?¡±

    ¡°The coordination between your swordsmanship and Taoism Method is extremely skilled, capable of simultaneously attacking both me and Yun Jin without missing a beat,¡± Yan Yu said with a relaxed smile, ¡°but the way you integrate your step technique with your swordsmanship and Taoism Method is a complete mess. What, didn¡¯t the master who taught your step technique teach you how to seamlessly blend all three?¡±

    The girl in red¡¯s expression turned icy as she retorted:

    ¡°Bold words! You claim there¡¯s a problem with my technique, so why don¡¯t you break it for me to see?¡±

    As Su Yunjin cast Li Fan once again, the girl in red quickly activated her step technique to instantly evade the huge wave¡¯s crash, but then she heard Yan Yu say:

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    As soon as the words left his mouth, he surged forward in an instant.

    The girl in red was shocked and hurriedly directed her crimson sword light to intercept, but it was precisely met by the Huang Ting Sword.

    In that rapid moment, Yan Yu took the opportunity to break through the defense of the crimson sword light and closed to within two steps of her, activating the Curved Curse to increase his arm strength and landing a powerful Impact Curse punch on her chest, smiling as he said:

    ¡°That¡¯s all.¡±

 Chapter 263 - 61 Victory and Settlement

    Chapter 263: Chapter 61 Victory and Settlement

    Yan Yu launched a swift punch and the girl in red hurriedly activated her movement technique, retreating five or six steps away in shock and bewilderment.

    How did he¡­ how did he get so close? S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Unless one was a sword immortal specializing in physical cultivation, in swordsmanship combat, one always had to be wary of the opponent finding an opportunity to close in for a decisive blow.

    Her original self¡¯s combat experience included how to guard against an opponent¡¯s close-quarters assault. During the crossing of swords, she paid attention to the angle of her strikes, ensuring that the Flying Sword could always break free from Huang Tingjian¡¯s entanglement and block any physical advance from the opponent.

    However, she failed to block him.

    The specific reason was unclear because Yan Yu was already on the attack again, and the girl in red had to forcibly maintain distance with her steps. Caught off guard, she was hit by Lang Feiyun and sent rolling on the ground for a good several meters.

    ...

    Yan Yu¡¯s Huang Tingjian quickly pursued her, showing no mercy as it slashed down, only to strike air once more¡ªthe girl¡¯s footwork was indeed remarkable. Even when down, she managed to shift sideways, which would almost shove Newton down in his coffin.

    Although she narrowly escaped death in desperation, her awkward posture as she stood angered the girl in red. She gathered the True Yuan throughout her body, puffed her cheeks, and spat out a slender, dense thread of gold.

    Flame Curse, Nine Phoenixes!

    This technique involved compressing the fire-element True Yuan over and over until it formed a golden-red line as thick as a little finger. She then swung her head to sweep the line across with immense power, capable of melting gold and corroding stone like slicing through rotten leather. Even ordinary flying swords couldn¡¯t withstand it and would be severed in two!

    Upon seeing the golden line sweeping towards her, Su Yunjin¡¯s Divine Sense immediately blared a strong warning, and she hurriedly spurred her form into escape.

    But here, Sword Flight was impossible, and no matter how fast you ran, how could you outpace the speed of someone simply shaking their head? Just as the golden line was about to slice Su Yunjin from behind, Yan Yu suddenly flipped his wrist and pinched a Taoism Method.

    Although the girl in red was mainly attacking Su Yunjin, she constantly kept her senses on Yan Yu. Seeing him gesture with one hand to cast the Fire Blazing Charm, she quickly activated her steps to brake and change direction abruptly.

    Her footsteps shimmered with layered illusions, obscure and unpredictable, dodging the Fire Blazing Charm¡¯s impact point with incredible finesse, causing Yan Yu¡¯s spell to miss its mark. Just as she was secretly pleased with herself, she turned and realized with a shock that the Flame Curse had extinguished, and Su Yunjin had already escaped her clutches.

    That sparked a fleeting enlightenment in the girl in red:

    The issue was indeed with her footwork!

    Her original self had followed her mother in cultivation, primarily focusing on the phoenix bloodline, the Fire Blazing Dao Method, and the Kunlun Imperial Sword Technique. The reason for learning the footwork was mainly to escape strong enemies and run home for reinforcements. Hence, during her studies, she only concentrated on dodging and never researched how to coordinate it with the Sword Control Technique or Daoism Method to maintain an attack.

    As a result, the moment she used her footwork, her offensive would be interrupted!

    Su Yunjin continued to cast spells without pause, Jiaochong, Li Fan, and Lang Feiyun, one after another, forcing the girl in red to use her footwork to dodge or else be controlled by the massive flood.

    But the moment she dodged, she couldn¡¯t maintain her offensive and could only be passively beaten¡­

    Thinking of being beaten, the girl in red¡¯s anger flared. A strong unwillingness to admit defeat surged from within her, deciding to maintain high-speed movement with her steps while forcefully casting the Great Bright Fire to continue her assault!

    As she executed her footwork, her casting accuracy was terrible; it sprayed wildly in all directions, causing flames to burn everywhere.

    And yet, this approach was indeed effective, as the sea of flames separated Yan Yu and Su Yunjin completely, even blocking their line of sight, allowing the girl in red to finally catch her breath for a moment.

    Being but a spiritual projection without a soul, her tactical thinking was all derived from the original host¡¯s input and lacked the ability to innovate. Since her original self hadn¡¯t realized the flaws in her own tactic system, naturally, she couldn¡¯t come up with a solution.

    Damn it, what should I do?

    Just as the girl in red was racking her brains for a strategy, she suddenly heard a long laugh from above.

    She abruptly looked up and saw Yan Yu and Huang Tingjian¡¯s light merging into one, descending from the sky, instantly smashing her body to smithereens!

    As the Great Bright Fire gradually dissipated, Yan Yu emerged from the sword light and transmitted a message to Su Yunjin, saying:

    ¡°Nicely done!¡±

    Su Yunjin remained silent, only pursing her lips in a smile.

    Though flying was forbidden in this place, it didn¡¯t mean other methods of ¡°taking to the sky¡± were not allowed. Su Yunjin used Jiaochong beneath Yan Yu¡¯s feet to send him into the air with a powerful surge of water, just high enough to cross over the top of the Great Bright Fire. Then Yan Yu performed a Sword Control flying slash. The prohibition only meant he couldn¡¯t fly, but the sword light was yanked down by gravity, landing perfectly on the girl in red and killing her on impact.

    While it sounded easy, predicting the distance between Yan Yu and the girl in red and controlling the angle and force of Jiaochong to form a precise and perfect parabolic trajectory for a direct hit could only be achieved by Su Yunjin, who was adept at controlling True Yuan.

    This girl truly maximized her strengths, to the extent that even Yan Yu did not withhold his praise. In his view, being a bit slow in reaction wasn¡¯t really a flaw; finding one¡¯s own track was the key. In that regard, the clever girl had an advantage.

    Yan Yu continued to lower his gaze to where the girl in red had stood and soon found a small token with the character ¡°Xu¡± inscribed on it.

    ¡°Is this person surnamed Xu?¡± Yan Yu casually asked.

    ¡°It should be Chen,¡± Su Yunjin expressed disagreement.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, take it and refine it,¡± Yan Yu threw the token to her.

    ¡°Eh, me?¡± Su Yunjin was somewhat flustered, ¡°I¡¯ve never refined the core of a mysterious realm before¡­¡±

    ¡°No matter, you always have to try,¡± Yan Yu said as he walked to the main entrance of the palace at the back and tried to push the door.

    The door didn¡¯t open, and Divine Sense couldn¡¯t penetrate it, guessing the method to open it must be linked to that token.

    Once Su Yunjin finished refining the token, she swept it at the doorway of the Taoist Palace, and sure enough, the door obediently swung open at her gesture.

    From the outside, the Taoist Palace appeared grand and imposing, but inside was only a small room. Connecting this to what the girl in red said earlier, it became clear the Taoist Palace was likely built by her mother, modeled after some celestial palace, meant to ¡®distribute rewards¡¯ to cultivators who passed the test, so there was no need to replicate the palace exactly.

    There wasn¡¯t much in the room: three Jade Slips, a bottle of Elixir Medicine, placed on tables to the north, east, and west, without anything more.

    Yan Yu went to pick up a Jade Slip and immersed his Divine Sense into it, seeing the message left by the true body of the girl in red, which said that her world was doomed to destruction in the future, and those cultivators who had not ascended would surely perish, including her own disciples and grandchildren.

    To increase the chances of her lineage surviving, before her ascension, she had her mother create many mysterious realms for her, leaving behind various techniques and treasures, ¡°for those fated to find them.¡±

    If the world were compared to a ¡°big bubble,¡± then these mysterious realms would be ¡°small bubbles¡± within it. Once the big bubble burst, the small bubbles would still live on for a while in the ¡°endless abyss of chaos,¡± drifting with the currents. If they were lucky enough to encounter another ¡°big bubble¡± before the collapse, then the items within these realms could see the light of day once more.

    The girl in red further wrote: If you are fortunate enough to inherit my lineage, you don¡¯t need to erect a memorial tablet or offer incense for me, you just have to kneel down and kowtow to the heavens and the earth and take me, Chen Dandan, as your master.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    What a beautiful thought, kowtowing and acknowledging a master? We modern people don¡¯t follow those feudal practices!

    Continuing to read on, the three Jade Slips contained different techniques, named ¡®Kunlun Imperial Sword Technique Overview,¡¯ ¡®Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step,¡¯ and ¡®Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire.¡¯

    One was a sword technique, one a step technique, and one a Taoism Method. The quality and usefulness were obviously profound and formidable, as even the girl in red¡¯s incarnation had demonstrated outside, none of them being mere common goods.

    ¡°The sword technique and step technique are suitable for sword immortals and can be left for Ningning. This Taoism Method belongs to the Fire lineage, so it probably doesn¡¯t suit your style,¡± Yan Yu turned his head to speak to Su Yunjin, ¡°However, if you want to try, you can.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d rather not,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile, ¡°Indeed, it doesn¡¯t suit me.¡±

    She was still tempted by the immense power of the Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire, but she knew that what Yan Yu said made more sense ¡ª a cultivator¡¯s battle system isn¡¯t like an old granny¡¯s vegetable basket, into which any good thing can be stuffed.

    Her foundation was the ¡®Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art,¡¯ and she had already decided to cultivate a body suited for Tao Transformation, refining Gui Water Essence to form the ultimate true water essence. Every step on this path was a long and arduous process. The Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire was an equally profound Fire Blazing Dao Method, a different path that was even more rugged and difficult to traverse; where would she find the extra time to train in it?

    And even if she spent countless time and effort to achieve mastery in both water and fire, what then?

    The Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire was undoubtedly powerful but also sure to consume a significant amount of True Yuan, which would affect the endurance of the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art. One technique was for breaking through, another for control; how could they be integrated into a cohesive system? If she were a solitary cultivator, indeed she would need to master powerful offensive techniques for her own protection. However, she was ultimately part of the Zhenhai Team, with the captain, Sister Zhao, and Ningning all possessing strong offensive abilities; there was no need for her to provide additional offensive power.

    Seeing Su Yunjin¡¯s clear understanding and straightforward refusal, Yan Yu inwardly sighed.

    If Secretary Su had the same terrifying talent as Immortal Venerate Xie, learning an additional Taoism Method wouldn¡¯t be out of the question, but her True Yuan was indeed limited¡­ At present, it was more appropriate to focus on the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art. Even if she wanted to develop her skills broadly in the future, that would involve considering Sword Control or cultivating other Water Taoism Methods, while practicing Fire Taoism Methods would be burdensome and thankless.

    Forget it! It¡¯ll just be a gain for Xiao Zhou then, this time Pingxi Army will have to bleed. I must make them trade something of equal value in exchange!

    Finally, Yan Yu looked at the bottle of Elixir Medicine.

    According to the message left in the Jade Slips, it was the ¡®Nine Revolutions Vermilion Phoenix Pill,¡¯ used to enhance the Golden Core stage.

    This was for those at the Hua Fu Stage; everyone present hadn¡¯t even reached the Marrow Cleansing Stage yet, so even thinking about forming a Golden Core was premature.

    Scanning closely with his Divine Sense, Yan Yu counted the number of Elixir Pills.

    Twelve, corresponding to the twelve Earthly Branches.

    He would have to remind Chen Lingyun to caution her father. It¡¯s okay to use them for scientific research, but not a single one of these twelve Elixir Pills must go missing; the Zhenhai Team would get one each first, as for the other teams who wanted some?

    Just like before: trade something in exchange, or no deal!

 Chapter 264 - 62 Xie Ruoxi Refuses to Withdraw from the Team

    Chapter 264: Chapter 62 Xie Ruoxi Refuses to Withdraw from the Team

    Yan Yu and Su Yunjin left the Mysterious Realm and saw not only the stationed troops and Pingxi Army cultivators waiting outside, but also Zhang Huaide, Tang Xiaolian, and Qin Meng from the Huofeng Team had also come.

    ¡°Xiao Zhang, when did you get here?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    ¡°Not long ago,¡± Zhang Huaide answered with a smile. ¡°Originally, we wanted to see if you needed support, but it turned out you had already finished the fight. Really impressive.¡±

    ¡°Oh, not at all.¡± Yan Yu heard the implication in his words. It was nothing but the Pingxi Army thinking it wasn¡¯t reliable for just the two of them to enter, so they specially had Zhang Huaide and the others rush over from Nanchuan to help out if anything went wrong within the Mysterious Realm.

    As a result, the three of them just sat outside, watching Yan Yu and Su Yunjin perform their duo clearance, which left them continually mocking with difficulty keeping a straight face.

    The Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper, the red-dressed girl, was strong like a plus super-enhanced version of Zhou Hongyu. Not only was her Fire Blazing Dao Method far superior, but she was also good at footwork positioning and Sword Control Technique. Still, she was ultimately suppressed and defeated by Yan Yu and Su Yunjin working together. In the eyes of Zhang Huaide and the others, it seemed as though ¡°Captain Zhou wasn¡¯t here, but she had already lost miserably.¡±

    ...

    Of course, despite the mocking, they gained a new understanding of Yan Yu¡¯s strength. Zhang Huaide even asked for a full video of this visit to the Mysterious Realm from the stationed cultivators, planning to take it home for a thorough study and in-depth analysis.

    ¡°Won¡¯t you stay for a meal?¡± Zhang Huaide invited.

    ¡°No, thank you,¡± Yan Yu declined. ¡°We have some other things to do. As soon as the military duties are finished, we¡¯re out of here.¡±

    ¡°It must be because Captain Zhou didn¡¯t come,¡± Tang Xiaolian quietly suggested to her teammates through a voice transmission. ¡°Captain Yan is not interested in us.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense,¡± Qin Meng quickly interrupted. ¡°Captain Yan is not that kind of person!¡±

    ¡°What kind of person?¡± Zhang Huaide suddenly asked.

    ¡°Ahem,¡± Qin Meng coughed awkwardly, ¡°Never mind, just consider it rambling.¡±

    ¡°If you know it¡¯s rambling, then don¡¯t say it again next time,¡± Zhang Huaide said lightly. ¡°Although rumors stop with the wise, you know Captain Zhou¡¯s temper. If we talk recklessly within the team and the media outside hear it and start spreading scandalous gossip, what do you think her reaction would be?¡±

    If Zhou Hongyu heard that she and Yan Yu were rumored to have a scandal by the media outside¡­ wouldn¡¯t she just go straight to their door and blow up the paparazzi tabloid¡¯s editorial office?

    Thinking this, Qin Meng and Tang Xiaolian also realized their mistake and quickly said,

    ¡°We won¡¯t say it anymore, we definitely won¡¯t joke about that again in the future.¡± S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu, having declined the Huofeng Team¡¯s invitation to stay, handed over the supplies to the military cultivators for registration and then left Tianshan with Su Yunjin, using the Sword Control Technique to head north again to collect snowy water.

    As Su Yunjin hovered in the air using the Cloud Ascension Technique and collected for almost half an hour, she suddenly heard Yan Yu say,

    ¡°I see you have mastered the whole process now. You won¡¯t need me to accompany you after this, right?¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Su Yunjin felt a sense of loss and sighed, ¡°Does the captain have important matters to attend to?¡±

    ¡°On the one hand, I need to get back to managing the team. After all, if they don¡¯t practice combat for too long, I¡¯m afraid they¡¯ll get rusty,¡± Yan Yu patiently explained. ¡°On the other hand, as you¡¯ve seen, with Xiao Zhou still in the hospital, whenever any difficult Mysterious Realm appears within the Pingxi Army¡¯s jurisdiction, the first thing they think of is asking for my help.¡±

    ¡°If I continue to stay here, I actually can¡¯t accompany you anyway and will only be at the beck and call of the Pingxi Army, and it would also delay your collection of the essence of Rootless Water.¡±

    Su Yunjin fell silent, although her heart was unwilling to let go, she had to admit that the captain was right.

    ¡°So I¡¯m leaving?¡± Yan Yu saw her wavering expression and tentatively asked.

    ¡°Wait a moment,¡± Su Yunjin said.

    Yan Yu then waited for her to speak, but after waiting for about ten seconds without hearing Secretary Su say anything, just as he was about to ask, he suddenly felt a waft of fragrant wind rush into his arms.

    Su Yunjin gently embraced him and whispered in his ear,

    ¡°Thank you for accompanying me, Captain.¡±

    In an instant, countless jumbled responses surfaced in Yan Yu¡¯s mind, such as ¡°you too,¡± ¡°maintain your composure,¡± ¡°it¡¯s only right,¡± ¡°make an extra effort¡±¡­ But when all the words came to his throat, he was left with only one sentence:

    ¡°Come back soon, we¡¯ll be waiting for you in Jinling.¡±

    ¡°Mmm,¡± Su Yunjin nodded vigorously.

    As the seasons changed to late autumn and early winter, the geographic location of the ¡°first snow¡± would move further south, until the cold air got blocked by the mountain ranges of Tianshan¡ªwith peaks like Bogda Mountain being perennially snow-covered, they could not be considered Rootless Water.

    By then, Su Yunjin would be able to come back.

    Purifying the Essence of the Five Elements was such a hassle, not only did one need to find the right season and location but also it couldn¡¯t be done in one go; multiple collections over time were necessary. The entire process was like grinding a mirror, which could easily take six months, a year, or two years¡ªone simply couldn¡¯t rush it.

    After saying goodbye to Su Yunjin, Yan Yu took off on his sword, heading back.

    Let¡¯s not dwell on the journey of flight. When he returned to the Jinling Villa, he found only Xie Ruoxi at home; the other girls were not there.

    ¡°Where are the others?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°They went out on a mission.¡± Xie Ruoxi replied.

    ¡°A mission¡­ Oh, I remember now.¡± Yan Yu recalled that Li Weiguo had mentioned a mission in Jiujiang Province, and Chen Lingyun had been tasked with leading the team there.

    After sending a message to the girls on his phone to report his safety, Yan Yu put on a stern face like a beautiful waste board, assuming the posture of a team leader, he said harshly:

    ¡°In these few days we were absent, have you diligently practiced your daily breathing exercises? How about your Sword Control Technique? And have you refined your Divine Sense with the Soul Refining Technique?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Seeing his stern expression, Xie Ruoxi cowered as she spoke.

    ¡°Go to the basement and show me!¡± Yan Yu shouted loudly.

    In the basement training ground, it only took a few exchanges before Xie Ruoxi was knocked to the ground by Yan Yu, rather shamelessly lying there and refusing to get up.

    Seeing her pretending to be gravely injured and refusing to stand, Yan Yu couldn¡¯t be bothered to expose her act; he simply moved a small stool next to her, trapping her waist perfectly with the leg of the stool, then sat on it and said:

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to get up, just lie there.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi tried to force herself up, but unable to flip over the stool and Yan Yu pressing down on her, she started to grumble unhappily, though it was unclear what she was saying.

    ¡°It¡¯s evident that you have indeed been practicing diligently, without slacking off,¡± Yan Yu first offered some praise.

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s face showed delight, and she instinctively began to complain:

    ¡°Of course! During this time when Ling Yun and the others weren¡¯t around, I still practiced for an hour every day¡­¡±

    ¡°An hour is too little!¡± Yan Yu immediately contradicted her, saying, ¡°That¡¯s the problem with you right now! You practice, but the time is too short!¡±

    ¡°Too short?¡± Xie Ruoxi found it hard to believe.

    ¡°Nonsense, what else? Our Zhenhai Team practices combat for at least four hours in the afternoon, okay?¡±

    ¡°I only agreed to become a cultivator, I never said I wanted to join the team¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi muttered under her breath, but Yan Yu heard her loud and clear, and said deliberately:

    ¡°If you want to leave the team, it¡¯s not impossible.¡±

    He paused deliberately at this point only to see Xie Ruoxi not showing the slightest bit of happiness, instead asking with a wary face:

    ¡°But what¡¯s the price? I¡¯m warning you now, if you threaten me with my mobile game account, I won¡¯t stubbornly act out of spite! I, I, I¡­ I won¡¯t quit the team!¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    How do you manage to speak with such a forceful tone when pleading for mercy?

    ¡°Rest assured, I won¡¯t touch your account,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll just make a call to your parents and brother and let them have a good talk with you. After all, quitting your job is a big deal; you have to inform your family, right?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi immediately had a blank look in her eyes, as if she had been struck dumb.

    Not to mention her brother, she, of course, knew her parents¡¯ characters: one was obsessed with money, and the other wanted face, and the profession of a cultivator had both covered.

    Having accidentally become a cultivator up to this point, she had not dared to tell her parents about it, because the outcome was entirely predictable: her parents would first be stunned by this great news, then they would immediately start blabbering about it to the entire village, to all the distant relatives outside the province, that the daughter of the Xie family had actually become a cultivator!

    They wouldn¡¯t care at all about how much hardship their poor daughter had to endure to become a cultivator, how much suffering she experienced, how much blood she vomited, and how many tears she shed!

    Nowadays, when her parents call, Xie Ruoxi just lies and says she is working in Jinling, ¡°managing computers in an internet cafe, working day and night shifts, not even earning three thousand a month.¡± Her parents are also sympathetic, sending her money every now and then, worried she might be short of cash, and telling her to learn skills like haircutting and the like¡­ All these presumptions are based on their one-sided belief that their daughter is living a tough life.

    If this lie was busted by Yan Yu, her parents would definitely turn hostile. Then, there would be no more sympathy, only endless pressure and demands!

    ¡°Xi Xi, you need to work hard, strive for promotions and military ranks, you need to earn more money.¡±

    ¡°Xi Xi, why aren¡¯t you on TV? The neighbors have all asked about it; everyone wants to see you on television!¡±

    ¡°Xi Xi, your uncle came asking, saying his son is quite intelligent, just doesn¡¯t study well, can he be brought to see if he has any talent for becoming a cultivator¡­¡±

    As these thoughts overwhelmed her, Xie Ruoxi, dizzy and exasperated, somehow found the strength to suddenly twist her body, flipping Yan Yu to one side and yelled:

    ¡°Total nonsense! You¡¯d better not spread (gang) lies! I¡­ I never said I wanted to leave the team!¡±

    Yan Yu, who almost fell over, bounced back up and slapped her forehead, pinning the freshly rebellious Xie Immortal Venerate back down under Five Elements Mount:

    ¡°Beast! What nonsense are you spouting!¡±

 Chapter 265 - 63: Behold My Art of Disguise

    Chapter 265: Chapter 63: Behold My Art of Disguise

    Yan Yu finally realized that Xie Ruoxi wasn¡¯t the type to respond to tough methods or soft persuasion; she simply wouldn¡¯t respond at all.

    This beautiful good-for-nothing was truly impervious to reason!

    If you ignored her, she would definitely just slack off, ¡°No one cares anyway, so why shouldn¡¯t I slack off?¡±

    But if you pushed her too hard, she would still slack off, ¡°If I can¡¯t do it, I can¡¯t do it. I might as well lie down and give up!¡±

    In other words, the pressure to motivate her needed to be controlled just right, offering no room for her to slack off without pushing her to the point of giving up entirely¡­ Damn, I can¡¯t believe I have to worry so much even about training this useless person!

    The more Yan Yu thought about it, the more irritated he became, so he simply said to Xie Ruoxi:

    ...

    ¡°I want to play a game with you.¡±

    ¡°What game?¡± Xie Ruoxi first responded with subconscious excitement, then her little face turned deathly pale.

    This game that Yan Zhanlong wants to play with me is definitely not some cute anime game! He might corner me and do all sorts of inappropriate things that aren¡¯t suitable for children!

    She hugged herself tightly across the chest, trembling like a giant rabbit, her eyes wide with fear, adopting a look of ¡°do what you will, I¡¯ll endure the humiliation,¡± which left Yan Yu completely baffled, but he didn¡¯t bother trying to figure out what was going on in her little head and simply said:

    ¡°I will control my swordsmanship strength to be just a little bit stronger than your upper limit. If you can beat me once, I¡¯ll give you a day off.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked warily, ¡°When you say ¡®a little bit,¡¯ do you mean an ¡®a little bit¡¯ as big as the interstellar gap or some other ¡®a little bit¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Could it be bubble tea?¡± Yan Yu said impatiently, ¡°It means that as long as you give it your all and break through your limits, you¡¯ll immediately be able to beat me!¡±

    ¡°Okay, then.¡± Xie Ruoxi took out her phone, speaking carefully, ¡°I want a written agreement, a recording¡­¡±

    ¡°A recording my ass!¡± Yan Yu finally lost his patience with her, ¡°Come over here and fight me now!¡±

    The two stood about ten meters apart, each wielding Huang Tingjian and Heavenly Origin Sword.

    Both swords were heavy, lacking in agility but overflowing with power, and when they clashed, the sound was deafening, like two mammoths locking horns, the force enough to shake the heavens.

    Xie Ruoxi started out tensely on the defensive, but then she realized Yan Yu wasn¡¯t attacking right away and felt a wild joy in her heart.

    Usually in sparring with Lin Ning, revealing even a small gap would lead to an immediate onslaught by the Green Bamboo Sword; sparring with Su Yunjin meant being chased around by her Taoism Method, eventually cornered, and turned into a drenched chicken¡­ How could she be motivated to practice if she was doomed to fail even when she gave her all?

    If you use a mobile game as a metaphor, the kind where you can¡¯t get past level 1-1 no matter what, it¡¯s definitely a trash game beyond question!

    Now that Yan Yu was keeping his word and really controlling his strength to her level, Xie Ruoxi was overjoyed. Then, recollecting herself, all the dissatisfaction and resentment from being thrashed in the past surged up in her heart, bursting out at once.

    This time, I will win!

    Xie Ruoxi gathered her True Yuan, focusing completely on Sword Control; the Heavenly Origin Sword let out a long cry, smashing down on Huang Tingjian like a meteor piercing the sun, immediately sending it flying.

    Yan Yu maintained his composure, skillfully maneuvering his sword technique to stabilize Huang Tingjian, whilst inwardly feeling amazed.

    This beautiful good-for-nothing didn¡¯t use much technique in that strike; it was pure brute force. Yet, she managed to overwhelm Huang Tingjian in a head-on fight¡­ considering that this girl started her Qi Refinement several months after him! It just goes to show that talent really is unfairly distributed.

    Xie Ruoxi, seeing Yan Yu¡¯s Flying Sword being repelled by her own attack, was immensely heartened. Her movements quickening, she manipulated the Heavenly Origin Sword to pursue swiftly!

    I strike!

    I strike!

    I strike, strike, strike!

    Yan Yu kept his word and didn¡¯t exploit her openings (after all, Xie Ruoxi wouldn¡¯t be able to perceive these flaws due to her level) and just quietly directed Huang Tingjian to defend and block. However, his defenses were forced back step by step, and the circle of his sword grew tighter and tighter around him.

    Xie Ruoxi was full of fighting spirit, shouting as she fought, the sword techniques executed in quick succession. Just as she was about to muster her energy and drive the Heavenly Origin Sword through the opposing defenses, knocking the damn captain flat and leaving him searching for his teeth, suddenly, for some reason, she had a shiver of hesitation, and her offensive immediately slowed down.

    Wait a second¡­

    Yan Yu, does he keep his word?

    He said he would limit his strength to be just a bit stronger than mine, but that¡¯s only if he keeps his word, right? If I beat him too harshly and he gets angry and goes all out, won¡¯t I be the one suffering in the end?

    As Xie Ruoxi zigzagged through this chaotic train of thought, her previously vigorous offense quickly deflated. Yan Yu, with an expressionless face, altered the sword technique, swiftly switching from defense to offense with Huang Tingjian. By the time Xie Ruoxi came to her senses, she had already fallen behind.

    This girl simply lacked combat experience. She could use brute force to win when the wind was at her back, but when facing headwinds, it was a scene of utter chaos and consecutive defeats.

    Yan Yu was in no hurry to press the attack. Instead, he continued to fight at the level of a newcomer, leisurely breaking through the defenses of the Heavenly Origin Sword. It was not until he aimed the sword¡¯s spine at Xie Ruoxi¡¯s forehead and she closed her eyes and braced for impact, that she realized the anticipated pain did not come.

    Upon opening her eyes, she saw Yan Yu frowning and walking over to say,

    ¡°What happened to you? You were doing fine, why did you suddenly go limp?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi was at a loss for words, and after a long while, she said,

    ¡°I was afraid you wouldn¡¯t keep your word. If I really beat you too badly, you might get angry and bully me.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    Am I that kind of person? Where is the trust between people?

    He wanted to scold Xie Ruoxi, but then he realized that this beautiful waste might have built a wall around her heart. Harsh criticism would only backfire, so he could only sigh and say,

    ¡°They haven¡¯t come back yet¡­ Forget it, shall we go out to eat tonight?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Xie Ruoxi said, still immersed in the regret of a near-win, her voice downcast and listless.

    Given Yan Yu¡¯s increasingly famous name, going out actually carried quite a risk. If recognized by fans, he could immediately end up surrounded and unable to eat¡ªplus, he didn¡¯t have a talent agency to call on burly men to hold back enthusiastic fans, so he might have to resort to the Wall-Penetration Technique to escape.

    Fortunately, Yan Yu was not entirely unprepared. With sunglasses and a mask on, covering his eyes, nose, and mouth, who could recognize him now?

    Xie Ruoxi stood at the front door waiting. When she saw Yan Yu come downstairs fully armed, she asked in amazement,

    ¡°Are you really going out like that?¡±

    ¡°What else?¡± Yan Yu retorted, ¡°I¡¯m a celebrity now, you know. We¡¯re going out to eat, not to a fan meet-and-greet.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯ll have to take off the sunglasses and mask to eat,¡± Xie Ruoxi said. ¡°Won¡¯t you still get recognized?¡±

    Yan Yu was at a loss for words, realizing that it was indeed a problem:

    ¡°Then what do you suggest we do?¡± S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Leave it to me!¡± Xie Ruoxi rolled up her sleeves.

    She led Yan Yu back to her room and in front of the vanity desk, pulled open a drawer to reveal a bounty of various cosmetics.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    Even the ancient disguise techniques were nothing compared to this.

    ¡°We don¡¯t need sunglasses and masks,¡± Xie Ruoxi said calmly as she picked up toner and lotion. ¡°Makeup can change not only facial features but also a person¡¯s aura, making it perfect for a disguise. It¡¯s a shame that now with beauty camera filters, many girls are unwilling to learn makeup¡ªa good makeup job can completely transform someone.¡±

    ¡°Wait, let me remind you,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°We¡¯re going out to eat, not to a cosplay convention. Don¡¯t make me into a female or one of those pretty boys who ¡®paint female yet claim male¡¯. Just make sure I¡¯m unrecognizable.¡±

    ¡°Are you doubting my skills?¡± Xie Ruoxi flared up. ¡°Even if you were wanted and needed to sneak past customs, I could make you so unrecognizable, facial recognition cameras wouldn¡¯t know you!¡±

    She fluttered around in a flurry, spending nearly half an hour before finally pulling the mirror over and saying with pride,

    ¡°Look!¡±

    The moment Yan Yu saw himself in the mirror, he was dumbstruck.

    The him in the mirror, while his features had not shifted much, appeared as if he aged by more than twenty years, resembling a mature and ruggedly handsome man.

    Just like Yan Zhanlong in his middle age.

 Chapter 266 - 64: My Sister is Kept by a Middle-aged Man

    Chapter 266: Chapter 64: My Sister is Kept by a Middle-aged Man

    In my previous life, I was full of ambition, believing that with technology in my grasp, I was invincible against the world. Yet, I still couldn¡¯t withstand the tide of the times.

    Today, I have returned ten years prior, my brilliance unrestrained. Let¡¯s see which heroes of the world dare to test the sharpness of the Immortal Sword in my palm?

    Yan Yu looked at his reflection in the mirror, silently mouthing words, as if conversing with his former self.

    The things you couldn¡¯t accomplish, I will accomplish for you this time.

    The enemies you couldn¡¯t kill, I will exterminate them for you this time!

    As for those who were supposed to suffer tragic fates, I will one by one reverse their unfortunate destinies. I¡¯ve been reborn to fiercely defy fate itself!

    ...

    ¡°Little Xie,¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°you need to become stronger.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi: ?

    She showed a puzzled expression as if to say ¡°What are you talking about?¡± and confirmed by asking: S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Is this okay? No one will connect you with the young Yan Zhanlong from the TV.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu nodded and said, ¡°but they might think that you are keeping me as a sugar baby, considering our age difference is almost a generation.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t mind, ¡°They can also think of you as my father.¡±

    ¡°Nice try, but I don¡¯t have a useless daughter like you.¡±

    ¡°Hey? Why would you say that, that¡¯s too much.¡±

    The two left home and went out to eat at a restaurant. Sure enough, no one recognized them throughout the meal.

    Let¡¯s not dwell on the meal. Suffice it to say, after they had eaten, they strolled leisurely back home, when suddenly Xie Ruoxi¡¯s phone rang.

    ¡°It¡¯s my mom calling.¡± She indicated to Yan Yu to be quiet, then answered the call.

    Time for a dialect conversation.

    The dialect of Jingnan is quite similar to that of Nanchuan, carrying a ruffian air. Girls speaking it add even more fierceness. Xie Ruoxi, usually delicate in appearance and speaking Mandarin in a soft style, transformed completely when she switched to her hometown dialect, her demeanor becoming bold. She occasionally rolled her eyes, expressed shock, raised her voice suddenly, and impatiently interrupted her parents.

    After hanging up, Xie Ruoxi let out a sigh and immediately reverted to a helpless little bunny, timidly explaining to Yan Yu:

    ¡°My parents want to send me living expenses, I said no need, but they insisted on transferring money¡­¡±

    ¡°My advice is to just transfer ten million to your parents,¡± said Yan Yu calmly, ¡°and completely eliminate this annoyance.¡±

    ¡°Heh,¡± Xie Ruoxi showed a bitter expression, saying sadly, ¡°True, but soon the whole village would know¡­ I don¡¯t want to listen to their gossip, it¡¯s annoying.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s inevitable sooner or later,¡± Yan Yu reminded her, ¡°joining our team means you can¡¯t avoid going on missions forever. Once it¡¯s broadcasted on TV continuously, unless no one in your village watches TV, won¡¯t they recognize you anyway?¡±

    ¡°Maybe I can stall it for a while,¡± Xie Ruoxi, true to her reputation as a beautiful good-for-nothing, chose to ignore the unsolvable situation for the time being ¡ª deal with it when it happens!

    ¡°By the way!¡± She suddenly had an idea and asked Yan Yu for advice, ¡°Captain, how do you handle the relationship between work and family?¡±

    ¡°Very simple,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°I call the shots at home, and handle things the way I want.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi: ¡­¡­

    That was something she couldn¡¯t do because she cared very much about what her parents thought of her, otherwise she wouldn¡¯t be so troubled about it.

    ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t need to be too pessimistic about this matter,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently, ¡°You¡¯re just used to being in a weaker position at home. You know once your cultivator identity is revealed, your status at home will surely skyrocket, jumping to number one, even beginning to direct and influence your parents¡¯ thoughts. And you lack the confidence to manage it well.¡±

    ¡°Exactly, exactly!¡± Xie Ruoxi was initially dumbfounded, then repeatedly agreed, venting her frustrations, ¡°Captain, you¡¯re absolutely right. I¡¯m just afraid they¡¯ll have too high expectations, and then I won¡¯t perform well¡­ So what should I do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already told you,¡± Yan Yu smiled slightly, ¡°transfer ten million to your family and solve all the problems. After all, financial capability is directly proportional to the power of speech. If you can earn big money, it means you are capable and formidable, and of course, everyone should listen to you.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi was tempted by his words, beginning to imagine:

    Her parents, dizzied by the huge sum, would start to see their daughter in a new light. From then on, they would not dare to nag or lecture, but would be respectful and responsive to their daughter¡¯s wishes!

    Her older brother¡¯s university expenses would all be taken care of by her, making him treat her with reverence, going out of his way to please her daily for fear of upsetting her and the money stopping!

    Yan Yu was absolutely right, money did allow one the freedom to do whatever they wished! Mwahahaha!

    Thinking of these delightful prospects, her fingers moved of their own accord¡­ Damn it, the mobile bank won¡¯t allow large transactions!

    First, transfer fifty thousand!

    Xie Ruoxi transferred the money, then eagerly waited in the family chat group, and soon received a voice message from her mother:

    ¡°We got the money. We¡¯re not short of money at home, your monthly salary isn¡¯t much, so it¡¯s not easy to save up like this. You need to look after your health and not overwork yourself, staying up all night is the last thing you should do. How long can you be a waitress in an internet caf¨¦? Your dad said you still need to learn a skill to have a stable job and income¡­¡±

    Xie Ruoxi: ?

    ¡°Yan Yu, you lied to me!¡± She began to wail directly.

    ¡°How did I lie to you?¡± Yan Yu was also puzzled.

    ¡°I sent money home, and it was completely useless!¡± Xie Ruoxi showed her phone to him.

    ¡°No kidding,¡± Yan Yu glanced at it and disdainfully said, ¡°I told you to transfer ten million! You transferred fifty thousand, what reaction did you expect from your parents? At most, they might think you¡¯re working hard to save and send money home and won¡¯t change their opinion of you.¡±

    ¡°But the mobile banking app doesn¡¯t allow large transfers!¡± Xie Ruoxi argued.

    ¡°That¡¯s your problem,¡± Yan Yu sneered, ¡°No one forced you to transfer money now, did they?¡±

    ¡°Mmm mmm mmm uh uh uh ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!¡± Xie Ruoxi let out a horrifying scream of frustration.

    All I got for fifty thousand yuan was a lengthy lecture from my mother; it¡¯s like I¡¯m asking for trouble!

    It¡¯s all the team leader¡¯s fault! You owe me for these fifty thousand yuan!

    Of course, the pretty waste doesn¡¯t have the courage to say that, just sullenly following Yan Yu on the way back.

    After a while, another video call came through; it was from Xie Ruoxi¡¯s older brother, Xie Rushan.

    The Xie family placed great emphasis on astrological signs. When the eldest son was born, they had a fortune-teller come over who said he lacked ¡®earth¡¯ in his elements, so he was named Xie Rushan; and when the daughter was born, they said she lacked ¡®water,¡¯ hence the name Xie Ruoxi.

    The siblings indeed lived up to their names. Xie Rushan was honest and obedient from an early age, studying when told to study, and doing problems when told to do problems, with basically no other interests or hobbies.

    His sister, Xie Ruoxi, on the other hand, didn¡¯t focus on her studies, spending all day with her brain deep in anime and immersed in various mobile games¡­ The parents could only sigh that the name was fitting and regretted they hadn¡¯t named her something like ¡®Lake¡¯ or ¡®Sea.¡¯

    ¡°Sis,¡± Xie Rushan, unable to hide his thoughts, directly asked as soon as the video call connected, ¡°did you just transfer fifty thousand yuan to our parents?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Xie Ruoxi replied unenthusiastically.

    ¡°Where did you get that much money?¡± Xie Rushan asked in astonishment, looking at the dark road behind her, ¡°Are you off work?¡±

    ¡°What else?¡± Xie Ruoxi replied irritably. ¡°What time is it now?¡±

    ¡°Sis, listen to me, it¡¯s okay to earn money slowly, just don¡¯t get any bad ideas!¡± Xie Rushan anxiously advised, ¡°You¡¯re still young, you¡¯ve got a future to work towards!¡±

    Although his tone was urgent and his love for his sister was clear, Xie Ruoxi only found it tedious and exhausting to listen to.

    It¡¯s too late, everything¡¯s too late.

    I¡¯ve already signed the contract and officially enlisted. Could I really tear up the contract and stuff the True Yuan cultivated in my Dantian back into it?

    Big brother, your sister is a cultivator now, enduring inhumane training and cultivation every day. I can¡¯t¡­ go back anymore.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Yan Yu leaned in and asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just my brother,¡± Xie Ruoxi showed him the screen.

    As the phone tilted, Xie Rushan caught a fleeting glimpse of a middle-aged man¡¯s handsome face and was shocked nearly to the point of dropping his phone.

    It¡¯s over! My sister¡¯s being kept by a wealthy middle-aged patron!

    He quickly steadied his phone, about to ask more, but found the call had already been disconnected.

    After hanging up the phone on her end, Xie Ruoxi turned on flight mode and complained:

    ¡°Annoying, I don¡¯t want to be interrogated by them, it¡¯s all your fault, team leader, for tricking me into sending money home!¡±

    ¡°Hey! I told you to transfer ten million, and you only transferred fifty thousand, and now it¡¯s my fault?¡± Yan Yu ridiculed her, ¡°This is what happens when you¡¯re uneducated. You can¡¯t even understand numbers correctly, scammers love to target fools like you.¡±

    The two of them chatted idly as they walked home, unaware that Xie Rushan was already as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, throwing on his clothes and saying to his roommate:

    ¡°Cover for me at work tomorrow, I need to go out!¡±

    ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°Jinling!¡±

 Chapter 267 - 65 I Just Looked at It Once

    Chapter 267: Chapter 65 I Just Looked at It Once

    The next day, Yan Yu brought Xie Ruoxi to the school to meet Qi Changping in the archives room, where they encountered a messenger cultivator sent by the Pingxi Army.

    The messenger took out a Pad, unlocked it, and handed it to Yan Yu; it contained the complete list of Taoism Methods currently in the inventory of the Pingxi Army.

    Yan Yu was not shy about it, scrutinizing the Taoism Methods list thoroughly before suddenly asking,

    ¡°Is it a one-for-one exchange, or one for two?¡±

    The messenger¡¯s eyes widened in shock, seemingly unable to believe that Yan Zhanlong would make such a shameless proposition. Qi Changping quickly stepped in, explaining,

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s one-for-one! It¡¯s difficult to assess the value of Taoism Methods, so the default is a one-for-one exchange.¡±

    ...

    ¡°But these Methods of yours are kinda lackluster.¡± Yan Yu said with a look of difficulty, complaining, ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to pick out a strong water-related Taoism Method for Yun Jin and can¡¯t seem to find one.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you look at other types?¡± the messenger asked patiently, ¡°Exchange for another strong Taoism Method first, then go to Annan or Dingbei to exchange for a water-related one!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯d be such a hassle.¡± Yan Yu waved his hand and said, ¡°Let¡¯s just make it simple¡ªlet me pick two Methods.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not possible!¡± The messenger didn¡¯t have the authority for such a deal, and quickly refused, ¡°It can only be one-for-one! Comrade Yan Yu, I really can¡¯t make that decision.¡±

    ¡°Forget it, then. We won¡¯t exchange,¡± Yan Yu said impatiently, ¡°When you have a strong water-related Taoism Method, we can talk trade then.¡±

    The messenger immediately turned pale because before departing, his superiors had instructed him, ¡°You must secure the rights to ¡®Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire.''¡± He eagerly tried to persuade Yan Yu further but was pulled aside by Qi Changping, who whispered to him urgently,

    ¡°Don¡¯t argue with him. How about we add another Taoism Method to our offer? Let Yan Yu choose two this time and wrap things up quickly.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡± The messenger wanted to say ¡°we only intended a one-for-one exchange,¡± but realizing that without Yan Yu¡¯s agreement, even that might not be possible, he could only silently message his superiors for instructions.

    The leader responded quickly: okay.

    Both of them breathed a sigh of relief, turned to Yan Yu, and said,

    ¡°Alright, then pick two Methods.¡±

    ¡°This one and this one,¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t hesitate and picked directly.

    The messenger and Qi Changping saw that he had chosen the only two Thunder Methods from the inventory list: Jade Pivot Thunder and Divine Sky Thunder. They suddenly realized¡ªYan Zhanlong had never intended to exchange for a water-related Taoism Method; he had been eyeing these two Thunder Methods from the start!

    ¡°Are you sure you want these?¡± the messenger asked for confirmation, ¡°These are still under academic evaluation and might not be effective.¡±

    Manuscripts plundered from the Mysterious Realm were vast and numerous, and many of the methods contained were merely authors¡¯ ¡°creative ideas¡± or ¡°armchair strategies¡± that might not actually be viable for cultivation. Hence, they had to undergo ¡°academic evaluation¡± by the research departments to be deemed ¡°practicable¡± before anyone could practice them.

    Since there were tens of thousands of extant manuscripts, it was impossible for researchers to verify each by practicing, so rumor had it that supercomputers and artificial intelligence were being used for the analysis¡­ Yan Yu did not understand the specifics, but he knew that any signature Taoism Methods used by others in his past life were definitely viable!

    ¡°Yes, just these two,¡± Yan Yu confirmed.

    ¡°Okay.¡± The messenger took out a box from his waist, remotely requested an unlock, and with a click, it opened, and he took out a USB drive.

    Qi Changping hurriedly ushered him into the archives room, inserted the USB drive into the computer, and the messenger quickly dragged two files out, verified they were correct, then formatted the USB drive, ejected it, and with a Curved Curse, physically destroyed it.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­

    You could say he wasn¡¯t cautious enough since he at least formatted and destroyed the drive; but if he was being careful¡­ why not use a Jade Slip?

    ¡°Ruoxi!¡± Once the messenger had left, he waved to call Xie Ruoxi, who was at a distance, ¡°Go inside and learn the Thunder Methods.¡±

    ¡°Copying, taking photos, or smuggling it out, all not allowed,¡± Qi Changping also gave her a worried reminder, ¡°You can only learn it in this room, understand? People can leave, but the Taoism Methods cannot.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Xie Ruoxi thought, my worst skill is studying, and with a mournful face said, ¡°Then when can I get out?¡±

    ¡°Whenever you learn it is when you¡¯ll be let out,¡± Yan Yu added viciously from the side, ¡°If you don¡¯t learn it by morning, no lunch for you; if you don¡¯t learn it by the afternoon, no dinner for you; if you don¡¯t learn it by evening, you¡¯ll go hungry until dawn.¡±

    Seeing that Xie Ruoxi¡¯s face had turned white with fear, Qi Changping was about to speak up and explain when he heard Yan Yu¡¯s psychic message:

    ¡°Instructor Qi, don¡¯t interfere too much. Xie Ruoxi is a member of my team, and it¡¯s not your place to meddle with our team affairs.¡±

    With ¡°meddling in team affairs¡± being mentioned, Qi Changping felt it wasn¡¯t his place to intervene anymore. To Xie Ruoxi, who took Yan Yu¡¯s threatening words to heart, there was no choice but to enter the archive room looking as if she had already died a little inside.

    Yan Yu and Qi Changping stepped outside and chatted idly for a moment until the instructor asked:

    ¡°What¡¯s the deal with this Xie Ruoxi? You were the one who brought her here originally. After all this time, why are you still establishing your authority over her?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t help it with a lazy bone,¡± Yan Yu sighed and said, ¡°Three days without a beating, and she just slacks off.¡±

    ¡°Carrying on like this isn¡¯t a solution,¡± Qi Changping said after a moment of silence, ¡°We have similar slackers in our troops. To be honest, using force doesn¡¯t always work; sometimes you have to be gentle. It¡¯s easier to talk when you¡¯ve drawn closer.¡±

    ¡°How should I be gentle?¡± Yan Yu countered.

    ¡°Xie Ruoxi has parents, and she has an elder brother,¡± Qi Changping suggested, ¡°Try to work on her family, see if you can find a way to motivate her, to establish the right values in her.¡±

    ¡°She hasn¡¯t told her parents about becoming a cultivator,¡± Yan Yu hesitated, ¡°I think her relationship with her family is quite delicate. Approaching it from this angle, I¡¯m afraid I might backfire if I¡¯m not careful.¡±

    ¡°How delicate?¡± asked Qi Changping, frowning.

    ¡°Hard to say,¡± Yan Yu shook his head, ¡°She didn¡¯t take the college entrance exams after graduating from high school; guess why?¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Qi Changping pondered, ¡°I¡¯ve looked over her mock exam scores at school, and if she performed normally, she¡¯d probably struggle even to get into a tier-three university. From this perspective, maybe she just simply didn¡¯t want to study any longer¡­¡±

    ¡°You see,¡± Yan Yu spread his hands, ¡°That settles it, doesn¡¯t it? In other families facing such a situation, wouldn¡¯t the parents force the child to at least get a diploma from a technical college? And what if there¡¯s a chance to transfer from a college to a university? I think her family might also be somewhat biased towards males.¡±

    ¡°Wait, this is different,¡± Qi Changping hastily said, ¡°Her academic grades weren¡¯t good, and if she¡¯s discouraged and doesn¡¯t want to study, her parents might also think she¡¯s not cut out for it; giving up on higher education makes sense. But cultivating is different! Her talent for cultivation is excellent. Haven¡¯t you told her? Such a waste with such good conditions, that would be unacceptable, right?¡±

    ¡°How could I say such a thing to her!¡± exclaimed Yan Yu, his eyes widening, ¡°She¡¯s already slacking off and won¡¯t listen; now you want me to tell her how talented she is, to make her think she¡¯s got grounds to negotiate and argue with me?¡±

    Qi Changping fell silent.

    He personally believed that you couldn¡¯t keep such things secret forever. If you deceive her, bully her, play tricks on her, and when she finds out she¡¯s actually amazing, wouldn¡¯t she come straight back at you for revenge?

    However, this was an affair of the Zhenhai Team, and Qi Changping couldn¡¯t overstep his bounds. He nodded and said:

    ¡°As long as you are aware¡­¡±

    Before his words had faded away, a massive explosion suddenly erupted from the archive room! Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The shockwave instantly broke through the walls, sending countless bricks and stones bursting and scattering. Yan Yu had already soared into the air with his Sword Control like lightning, while Qi Changping, half a beat slower, was completely engulfed by the dust and smoke.

    Yan Yu ascended to avoid the explosion, his Divine Sense sweeping through the dust. He then quickly rushed in, only to find Xie Ruoxi sitting in the ruins dazed¡­ Seeing her captain rushing to her side, she quickly got up and sobbed as she threw herself into his arms:

    ¡°Wahhh, Captain, I was wrong, wahhh!¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Yan Yu quickly checked her from head to toe to ensure she wasn¡¯t injured before asking urgently, ¡°What happened with the explosion just now? Who attacked the archive room?¡±

    ¡°It was me,¡± Xie Ruoxi said timidly, stammering, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say I could leave only after I had learned the Thunder Method?¡±

    ¡°I read through those two articles on Thunder Method, and I wasn¡¯t sure if I understood them correctly, if that counted as having learned it, so I just tried to use it¡­¡±

 Chapter 268 - 66: Then the School Exploded

    Chapter 268: Chapter 66: Then the School Exploded

    Qi Changping was rushed to emergency care, and the news quickly spread amongst the entire faculty and student body.

    Rescuing him wasn¡¯t much of an issue, just a concussion from being hit by a brick fragment. Now, with Runescript, there wasn¡¯t even a need for cranial surgery. The hematoma could be directly extracted to treat the injury.

    The issue lay in how to deal with the perpetrator, Xie Ruoxi.

    Blowing up the archive room, along with precious hard drives containing Taoist texts, and incidentally sending the chief instructor to the hospital¡ªwasn¡¯t this worthy of severe punishment, like a serious demerit?

    Li Weiguo developed a headache after receiving the accident report.

    There were no rules against casting spells in the archive room. Normally, everyone would quickly memorize the full text in the archive room and then find somewhere else to practice at leisure¡­ Who would think of casting spells right there?

    ...

    Even if there were such eccentrics, Taoist techniques aren¡¯t like arithmetic problems that you can simply apply as soon as you understand them, are they?

    Yet they had encountered the oddball Xie Ruoxi, who thought to ¡°just try it¡± in the archive room, and upon ¡°trying,¡± successfully performed the spell with extremely potent force ¡ª her talent could almost be considered top-notch among spellcasters.

    That said, if one were to fully assess the damages, they couldn¡¯t be considered extremely severe. The archive room could be rebuilt, the hard drives had secret disaster recovery backups, and Qi Changping didn¡¯t suffer any serious lasting injuries. If an explosion could yield a talent like Xie Ruoxi, Li Weiguo wouldn¡¯t mind a few more blasts¡­ Of course, he couldn¡¯t say that publicly.

    Still, he had to follow procedures and punish her to some extent, otherwise, it would be bad if she turned into another Yan Yu.

    As Li Weiguo was contemplating, he heard Yan Yu knock on the door:

    ¡°Is Grandpa Li in?¡±

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    Yan Yu pushed the door open and placed an A4 paper on Li Weiguo¡¯s desk.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Li Weiguo asked, raising an eyebrow.

    ¡°A self-criticism letter,¡± Yan Yu replied. ¡°Handwritten by Xie Ruoxi.¡±

    Li Weiguo: ¡­¡­

    He picked up the self-criticism letter and read it through, feeling utterly unimpressed.

    The writing was like that of a primary school student¡­ But considering Xie Ruoxi had only recently graduated from high school, it was no wonder she wasn¡¯t the bookish type and wrote such a letter.

    Thinking that she was just an ignorant young girl, Li Weiguo didn¡¯t get angry. Instead, he casually placed the letter aside and asked Yan Yu:

    ¡°What¡¯s the deal with this Xie Ruoxi?¡±

    ¡°Got a screw loose,¡± Yan Yu succinctly put it. ¡°But her talent is outstanding, very outstanding.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Li Weiguo pondered for a moment, then asked again, ¡°Can you handle her?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu promptly replied with a serious tone. ¡°I am the captain of the Zhenhai Team. I bear some responsibility for this incident as well, so please punish me accordingly.¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡± Li Weiguo kept a straight face, but he was somewhat surprised inside.

    Yan Yu¡¯s gesture was clear: he was determined to protect Xie Ruoxi.

    Although Li Weiguo had no intention of punishing her severely, since Yan Yu was willing to guard Xie Ruoxi, he could well give him that favor.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Li Weiguo said nonchalantly. ¡°I¡¯ll consider it. You can leave now.¡±

    Without another word, Yan Yu turned and left.

    Outside the principal¡¯s office, Xie Ruoxi immediately rushed up, asking anxiously:

    ¡°What did he say?¡±

    ¡°Wait for the notice,¡± Yan Yu replied, mimicking Li Weiguo¡¯s indifferent manner.

    Instantly, Xie Ruoxi¡¯s tears started falling again.

    Although she disliked the cultivator training, the improvement in her living conditions was undeniable. If she were expelled from the school, the Zhenhai Team probably wouldn¡¯t keep her either. Then, she¡¯d have no choice but to leave the villa for a rental apartment¡­

    ¡°Wuwuwu!¡± She clung to Yan Yu, crying her heart out. ¡°I was wrong! I truly realize my mistake, I didn¡¯t do it on purpose! I didn¡¯t expect it to be so powerful¡­¡±

    In the principal¡¯s office, as Li Weiguo re-read her self-criticism letter and listened to the powerful sobs outside, he let go of his worry.

    It was just a timid and fearful young girl; she probably wouldn¡¯t turn into someone as unruly as Yan Yu.

    While Li Weiguo secretly relaxed on his end, outside, Yan Yu was being tormented by her wailing, which was so loud and strong that he couldn¡¯t resist clamping her lips shut with a pinch to silence her.

    ¡°Shut up!¡± he growled, dragging Xie Ruoxi to the nearby staircase entrance, brandishing his fist threateningly, ¡°Come over here¡­ and no more crying! Cry again and I¡¯ll slap you!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi resignedly closed her mouth, though tears continued to pitter-patter down, her heart filled with fear of a fall in social status, regret, and irritation, wishing she could run home and cry under her blankets until dawn.

    Yan Yu pulled her back to the team¡¯s training grounds, saying:

    ¡°¡±

    ¡°Show me that Thunder Method of yours.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Xie Ruoxi was still immersed in her sorrow, her voice choked as she asked, ¡°Should I direct it at you, or¡­¡±

    ¡°Of course you aim at the target!¡± Yan Yu lectured her, ¡°Your spell already blew up the archives room! Can¡¯t you use your brain for once?¡±

    Strangely enough, hearing Yan Yu mercilessly scolding her, Xie Ruoxi felt an odd sense of security.

    What she feared most was Yan Yu simply saying, ¡°You can go now, don¡¯t come looking for me anymore,¡± then turning away without a hint of pity¡­ If that happened, Magic Girl Ruoxi would instantly become a river of sorrow, ready to flood Jinling Prefecture with her tears.

    His willingness to scold me at least shows that I still hold some value for training in his eyes, doesn¡¯t it?

    Xie Ruoxi wiped her tears fiercely and looked at the target ahead on the training ground.

    The target was made of refined steel with built-in force sensors and mounted on a movable rail below. It was meant for college cultivators to practice their Sword Control Technique. Teams like Zhenhai Team, which didn¡¯t need a target because the captain would personally come out to spar with the members, were a rare few.

    Xie Ruoxi stared at the target, holding her breath while concentrating, her True Yuan surging and gathering at her fingertips. Suddenly, she cast out a green orb tinged with streaks of red, which flew at the speed of lightning and instantly hit the steel target, blasting it to smithereens. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Is that the Jade Pivot Thunder?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Xie Ruoxi replied cautiously.

    Yan Yu¡¯s divine sense scanned the remnants of the target and soon came to a conclusion.

    A single-target attack, pure output, not a wide explosion radius, even smaller than Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Flame Spear, almost similar to the Flying Sword, but its power simply can¡¯t be compared to that of a Flying Sword, extremely lethal, slower than Flying Sword but more hidden¡ªThe Flying Sword¡¯s light is too bright, and Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s Yin Wind Sword even makes special effects sounds as it flies, which is unbearable.

    ¡°This Jade Pivot Thunder, it¡¯s said to be specifically for solitary souls and wild ghosts,¡± Xie Ruoxi carefully explained, ¡°It¡¯s designed to kill purely yin ghostly beings.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu said with an authoritative tone, ¡°Don¡¯t tell Chen Lingyun. Try the Divine Sky Thunder now.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi did as instructed, once again channeling her True Yuan from her Dantian and aimed at another steel target, quickly tossing out an orb of light.

    Yan Yu narrowed his eyes and saw that the Divine Sky Thunder was a white sphere of light, faster than the Jade Pivot Thunder but making a bigger commotion; it slammed into the target, pulverizing it just the same.

    Scanning the remains of the target again, he noticed it hadn¡¯t shattered as widely as the Jade Pivot Thunder, but the pieces were smaller, indicating its power was more restrained and concentrated.

    ¡°What¡¯s the Divine Sky Thunder for?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s for monsters,¡± Xie Ruoxi answered, ¡°The book says, the stronger the physical body, the less it can withstand the Divine Sky Thunder, it¡¯ll what¡­ cause vitality necrosis.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Yan Yu pondered once more.

    It was clear that although the Jade Pivot Thunder and Divine Sky Thunder were different types of Thunder Methods, the ancient supreme being who designed these spells had a clear intention: one targets the physical body, the other the soul.

    If it were the tree demons and vine specters from the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm, then the Divine Sky Thunder would be used against them; but if dealing with the ghosts from Shuanggui Mountain or Changping Secret Realm, the Jade Pivot Thunder should be used.

    Too bad he was dealing with a pretty but useless person, who might not know how to eat even when the meal is ready and brought to her lips¡­ In her previous life, this girl used Thunder Methods haphazardly, ¡°tossing out skills in the order they appeared on her skill list,¡± so much so that Yan Yu had never heard of the differences between the Jade Pivot Thunder and Divine Sky Thunder.

    ¡°Do you know how to use these two Thunder Methods?¡± Yan Yu asked sternly.

    ¡°Uh.¡± Xie Ruoxi wanted to say ¡°I think there¡¯s not much difference, just toss them out,¡± but seeing the captain looking fierce (imagined by her), she earnestly analyzed, ¡°Use Divine Sky Thunder against monsters, Jade Pivot Thunder against ghosts.¡±

    ¡°And what about killing people?¡± Yan Yu asked again.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi racked her brains.

    Humans have a physical body and a soul, so which Thunder Method should be used for killing? Eh, the body is on the outside, the soul is on the inside, so should it be¡­

    ¡°I will first use the Divine Sky Thunder to crush his body,¡± Xie Ruoxi smartly said, ¡°then the Jade Pivot Thunder to destroy his soul!¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Is there a possibility,¡± he strained to hold back the burgeoning repulsion for stupidity, and asked coolly, ¡°that whether it¡¯s Divine Sky Thunder or Jade Pivot Thunder, just one hit and the opponent is already blown to death by you?¡±

    ¡°Oh, right!¡± Xie Ruoxi had an epiphany, ¡°So it doesn¡¯t matter which Thunder Method I use?¡±

    ¡°Of course, it matters!¡± Yan Yu finally couldn¡¯t contain himself and started knocking Xie Ruoxi¡¯s head with his knuckles, ¡°I said ¡®just one hit¡¯! Don¡¯t you understand what ¡®just one hit¡¯ means? Do you think your opponent will just stand there and let you hit them with your Thunder Method? Where has your mind wandered off to?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to knock my brain out!¡± Xie Ruoxi quickly covered her head, crying out in a pitiful tone.

    ¡°Divine Sky Thunder is faster, Jade Pivot Thunder is more discreet.¡± Seeing her in such a delicate and pitiful state, Yan Yu once again suppressed his anger and continued to patiently explain, ¡°For sneak attacks, use Jade Pivot Thunder, for direct kills, Divine Sky Thunder, got it?¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Xie Ruoxi nodded and then naively asked, ¡°So when should I sneak attack and when should I go for a direct kill?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more complicated.¡± Yan Yu was about to list 108 different battle situations where different strategies should be employed, then suddenly remembered the intellect of this pretty but useless girl¡­ and lost all interest.

    ¡°So?¡± Xie Ruoxi was still waiting for his explanation.

    ¡°So just follow Chen Lingyun¡¯s commands,¡± Yan Yu said with a somber expression.

 Chapter 269 - 67 You wouldnt want your brother to find out, would you?

    Chapter 269: Chapter 67 You wouldn¡¯t want your brother to find out, would you? S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The more Yan Yu tutored Xie Ruoxi in training, the clearer it became that this beautiful waste seemed to be on the opposite ends of the spectrum from himself.

    He had nearly zero talent for cultivation but maxed out on technical operation and tactical awareness; Xie Ruoxi, however, had spectacular hardware but a complete mess of software¡­ so much so that Yan Yu often got fired up while teaching her: ¡°Damn it, why can¡¯t you even understand this!¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you allocate some of the talent points you invested in your aptitude into your intelligence!¡±

    The girl Xie Ruoxi wasn¡¯t actually stupid, or she wouldn¡¯t have been able to master two Thunder Methods after just one read-through. But the moment it came down to systematic theoretical knowledge requiring logic, she would become utterly lost¡ªthe main problem was her inability to remember, followed by her fondness for impromptu thoughts, and because of her lack of practical experience, most of the strategies she came up with were sure to get her killed.

    Sometimes Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but think, why not just let her be? With her freakish talent for cultivation, like training a maxed-out wild ball punch, even flailing about wildly wouldn¡¯t make her weak.

    Wait, wasn¡¯t the reason Xie Ruoxi was such a waste in her previous life not because the Annan Army completely ignored her, but because they tried countless disciplinary methods and still couldn¡¯t do anything about her?

    ...

    The more Yan Yu thought about it, the more he believed it to be true, and the more desperate he felt. If even the Annan Army of her previous life couldn¡¯t handle her, then what about me¡­

    Grr! I still refuse to accept this! I¡¯m the strongest in this world!

    ¡°Xie Ruoxi, come here.¡± Yan Yu motioned for her to come over, ¡°I plan to create a custom combat style just for you.¡±

    ¡°What kind of combat style?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked, trembling with fear.

    Every time Yan Yu said something like ¡°I have an idea,¡± the ideas he came up with were always messed up, serving to torment her to death and beyond without any other effect¡­ Can¡¯t you just stop messing around, captain, please, I¡¯m begging you, is that okay?

    Of course, she only dared to say that last sentence in her mind.

    Yan Yu naturally didn¡¯t know what she was thinking and simply stated seriously:

    ¡°I¡¯ve decided to name it ¡®Mind-Stream Combat Style.¡¯

    ¡°Mind-Stream?¡±

    ¡°Right, Mind-Stream.¡± Yan Yu explained, ¡°First, I¡¯ll beat you until you¡¯re sending out an SOS¡­ but don¡¯t cry yet. My plan goes like this.¡±

    How could Xie Ruoxi not cry? As soon as she heard ¡°sending out an SOS,¡± she turned pale, with her eyes reddening and tears already swirling in her eyes.

    ¡°Previously, I taught you ¡®what to do in what kind of situation, how you should react.¡¯ But you never learn. After some careful reflection, I realized that¡¯s not your problem, it¡¯s mine¡­¡±

    ¡°No no no, it¡¯s definitely my problem!¡± Xie Ruoxi interjected anxiously, ¡°Can we not change it, please? Let¡¯s stick with the original training plan, I will study hard and with diligence¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ve thought of a new method.¡± Yan Yu completely ignored her and continued excitedly, ¡°Every time I knock you down, we¡¯ll replay and rewind to before I made that last hit, reset our positions, fix our stances, like loading a saved game in a video game.¡±

    ¡°After that, I won¡¯t tell you ¡®how to defend against my last hit,¡¯ and you¡¯ll think of new ways to counter my attack. If you fail to defend again and get knocked down, we go back and do it again, until you find a defensive strategy that suits you¡­¡±

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s tears finally began to fall: Are you even human? Just keep knocking me down, right? Why don¡¯t you plainly say you¡¯re just bullying me?

    Yan Yu took her crying as a sign of joy and consoled her:

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, no need to get excited. This was just a spur-of-the-moment idea, and whether or not it¡¯ll work still has to be seen.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi wiped her tears quickly deciding, I¡¯ll just botch this!

    If I never find a way to defend, then it proves that this idea is completely rubbish!

    But, wait, if I can¡¯t find a way to defend, doesn¡¯t that mean I¡¯ll just keep getting flipped to the ground over and over again?

    And it¡¯s all just so you can beat me up more efficiently! Yan Yu, you¡­ you¡­ you are inhumane!

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it!¡± Yan Yu encouraged her with enthusiasm, ¡°I¡¯ve meddled with your fighting too much before, and my own experiences may not necessarily suit you. Now I¡¯m giving you the decision-making power. As long as you can stop my attack, you fight however you want!¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi hemmed and hawed for a long time, finally unable to hold back her plea, ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight anymore!¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Just as I thought! Worthy of myself!

    After repeatedly feeding Xie Ruoxi moves, Yan Yu finally confirmed his judgment.

    Yes, the crux of the problem is right here!

    Yan Yu, with the experience of two lifetimes, had developed a technique-focused combat style. Its core involved using consciousness and control to enhance the effectiveness of tactical actions as much as possible.

    For example, what if the enemy¡¯s Sword Control is so tight that there¡¯re no gaps? I would first make a feint to mislead them, forcing them to adjust their defense and reveal a flaw, then I¡¯d surge through the gap, straight to the heart of their position.

    But is this style of combat suitable for Xie Ruoxi? Not really.

    Her natural talent for cultivation was incredibly strong, her True Yuan was robust and refined beyond the ordinary, and she wielded the forceful Heavenly Origin Sword. The swordsmanship defenses that Yan Yu couldn¡¯t penetrate, Xie Immortal Venerate would just smash through with a bam. What feints? What tearing at defenses? None needed, just brute force! One bash, and it¡¯s all done!!!

    Though technique can enable the weak to overcome the strong, Xie Immortal Venerate was already powerful. Why should she learn a style designed to turn weakness into strength? She didn¡¯t like overly complicated tactics, nor did she understand the meaning behind these maneuvers, because she had never faced an enemy whose Cultivation Realm completely overpowered her, nor had she felt the helplessness and frustration of being unable to make a dent no matter how she fought. It is like a rich kid who never worried about food or clothes¡ªyou ask them to learn about budgeting and saving, how well can they truly grasp it?

    Damn it! It really is my fault! The more I force the wrong approach, the worse it gets!

    Yan Yu smacked his forehead, resolving not to randomly coach Xie Immortal Venerate any longer¡ªher path of cultivation should be walked by herself!

    I¡¯ll just be responsible for creating a training database for her, simulating various combat scenarios to boost her experience level.

    At that thought, Yan Yu was filled with excitement, as if he had found the correct approach to solving the tough puzzle of the beautiful but wasteful Ruoxi, and he couldn¡¯t wait to start working on it.

    However, Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t share his high spirits.

    Right now, all she wanted to do was to collapse on the ground.

    Sigh, why does something like Divine Sense even exist? Even faking unconsciousness gets discovered!

    Even though there was no physical damage anywhere, pain was all over her body. Crying was useless¡ªYan Yu, this damned captain, would not show her any tenderness. He would just ruthlessly contort me into all sorts of positions and euphemistically call it ¡°making me move myself¡±!

    Help, can someone please come and save me¡­

    Just as she was all flustered, her phone suddenly vibrated.

    [Yunshan]: Sis, I have no classes these few days, I¡¯m coming to Jinling to see you. Where are you?

    Upon seeing the message from her brother, Xie Ruoxi almost cried tears of joy and quickly sent her location:

    [Magical Girl Ruoxi]: Big brother, save me!

    [Yunshan]: Call the police?

    [Magical Girl Ruoxi]: No, it¡¯s not that, just hurry over!

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Yan Yu suddenly noticed she was messaging someone, ¡°Slacking off again? I told you to rest and recover your strength, not to play with your phone!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like this,¡± Xie Ruoxi got caught red-handed and subconsciously felt a bit guilty, but she quickly mustered courage and responded, ¡°My brother¡¯s come to Jinling, and he wants to check on my condition.¡±

    Captain! My brother is about to arrive! You wouldn¡¯t want him to find out how you¡¯ve been bullying me, right?

    ¡°Your brother is coming?¡± Yan Yu was momentarily taken aback, then immediately overflowed with joy, ¡°Where is he? Do you want me to pick him up?¡±

    Instructor Qi had mentioned before we could ¡°try starting with her family,¡± and here her family member was, delivering himself right to our doorstep!

    No more wasting words, seize the moment!

    Seeing how ecstatic Yan Yu was, Xie Ruoxi instantly felt like she had been struck by lightning.

    Ah, why is the captain so happy? He can¡¯t be plotting something again, can he!

 Chapter 270 - 68: Big Brother, Severely Beat the Useless Sister

    Chapter 270: Chapter 68: Big Brother, Severely Beat the Useless Sister

    In Xie Ruoxi¡¯s simplistic worldview, the captain¡¯s harsh training was definitely bullying, and as her relative, her brother was bound to stand by her side.

    Yan Yu¡¯s evaluation of this was: Naive.

    In her previous life, the pretty good-for-nothing only started her career in her thirties and then later rose to become the number one cultivator of the Annan Army. Her power even approached that of Lord Master, but internally, she didn¡¯t even have as much say as Chen Lingyun, which shows her utter lack of social acumen.

    Let me give her a proper lesson!

    At the school entrance, Yan Yu saw Xie Rushan being stopped by the security guards¡ªtall and thin, wearing a nondescript, dusky windbreaker, with a bulging backpack on his back, pacing back and forth with a bottle of mineral water in hand, clearly a poor college student with little money in his pockets.

    Yan Yu quickly approached and asked,

    ...

    ¡°Xie Rushan? Xie Ruoxi¡¯s brother?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Xie Rushan hurriedly replied, ¡°And you are¡­?¡±

    His gaze made a quick sweep across Yan Yu¡¯s face, suspicion gradually appearing.

    The face that had flashed by in his sister¡¯s video last night¡­ However, the person in the video was a middle-aged man, and this one was a youngster, which made Xie Rushan uncertain.

    Yan Yu also noticed the change in his expression and preemptively took control of the situation, saying,

    ¡°You¡¯re here to deal with the matter of your sister injuring someone, right? Come, I¡¯ll take you to see the injured party.¡±

    Xie Rushan felt as if he had been struck by lightning; all his suspicions disappeared, leaving only shock and panic in his mind:

    What, my sister hurt someone?

    ¡°Wait a moment,¡± he quickly caught up with Yan Yu, anxiously asking, ¡°My sister hurt someone? That can¡¯t be! She has been well-behaved since she was little; she has never even had a fight, let alone getting into an argument and blushing!¡±

    ¡°She never told you?¡± Yan Yu feigned surprise and said, ¡°Xie Ruoxi has been detected to have cultivation potential and has already signed a cultivation agreement with our military.¡±

    Xie Rushan: !!!

    On the way to the infirmary, Yan Yu didn¡¯t talk about how Xie Ruoxi became a cultivator, only broadly said that ¡°she is learning a Thunder Method,¡± ¡°she operated it indoors against regulations,¡± ¡°blew up the entire building,¡± ¡°the instructor was seriously injured and taken away for emergency treatment.¡± Xie Rushan was so shocked that he was lost and extremely nervous, and nearly immediately called his parents for help.

    ¡°Fortunately, Instructor Qi is now out of life-threatening danger,¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly, ¡°So we weren¡¯t originally planning to inform her family, but since you were in the area, I thought I¡¯d mention it.¡±

    ¡°Then, about these medical expenses¡­¡± Xie Rushan worriedly asked.

    ¡°The medical expenses are not a problem; they can be deducted from her future cultivator¡¯s income,¡± replied Yan Yu.

    Relieved that it wouldn¡¯t ask for money from home, Xie Rushan also breathed a sigh of relief.

    The Xie family had been farming for three generations, working as tenant farmers for landlords and hardly had any savings. Supporting just him at university was already difficult. If his sister caused trouble outside and needed to compensate for hundreds of thousands in medical expenses, they would have to borrow money, but the question was who would be willing to lend it to them?

    Although he didn¡¯t know how much the medical expenses would be or how much his sister¡¯s ¡°cultivator income¡± would amount to, as long as she could handle it herself without asking the family for money, that was naturally the best outcome¡ªotherwise, his parents would definitely lose sleep for months. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu led Xie Rushan to the infirmary, where from outside the ward they visited the still sleeping Qi Changping. After asking the head nurse about the current condition of the injured person, the anxious elder brother-in-law finally began to calm down somewhat.

    ¡°However,¡± Yan Yu continued with a sigh, ¡°Xie Ruoxi¡¯s enthusiasm lately has not been very high, she even considered retiring from the service, and we¡¯ve been working on her ideology¡­¡±

    Xie Rushan: !!!!!

    He nearly blacked out.

    ¡°Why does she want to retire?¡± Xie Rushan struggled to hold back his anxious emotion and asked again.

    ¡°She finds it hard and tiresome and wants to quit,¡± Yan Yu explained lightly. ¡°If it were a regular job, resigning wouldn¡¯t be a big deal, but deserting is absolutely unacceptable. Continuing this way will only make the leaders have a negative opinion of her, and I¡¯m also under a lot of pressure.¡±

    ¡°So you are actually¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the captain of her tactical squad,¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°Yan Yu, ¡®Yan¡¯ from the word ¡®swallow¡¯, and ¡®Yu¡¯ meaning ¡®abundant¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I think I¡¯ve heard your name,¡± Xie Rushan replied, feeling it sounded familiar, but he rarely watched the news on TV, so he didn¡¯t think much of it and said in frustration, ¡°Captain Yan, let¡¯s do this, take me to see my sister, and I¡¯ll work on her ideology.¡±

    This elder brother-in-law might be simple, but he wasn¡¯t stupid. After hearing Yan Yu speak so much, he of course understood the implications in his words.

    But he knew his sister¡¯s personality better; she had been unwilling to study even from a young age and was indeed capable of doing something as irrational as ¡°deserting.¡±

    I must give her a good talking-to! That¡¯s it, hasn¡¯t my sister always kept this a secret from home? I¡¯ll start by using our parents to scold her!

    ¡°Ruoxi, you wouldn¡¯t want mom and dad to know you¡¯re not properly fulfilling your duties as a cultivator, would you?¡±

    Xie Rushan followed Yan Yu to the training ground, and on the way, he quickly thought of what to say. As soon as he entered, he put on a stern face.

    Upon seeing her older brother arrive, Xie Ruoxi was suddenly overwhelmed with grievances of being bullied by Yan Yu recently. Her eyes reddened, a glimmer of tears emerged, and she instantly switched from a helpless big rabbit to a wronged one. She rose to her feet to cry and call out:

    ¡°Old brother!¡±

    Little did she know that Xie Rushan had already been forewarned by Yan Yu and had turned into an unfeeling elder brother with a heart of stone, and he coldly said:

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard it all from Captain Yan! Ruoxi, you became a cultivator but kept it from our family. We¡¯ll let that pass for now, but I heard that you actually want to quit the team recently? Getting cold feet, thinking of deserting?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi was struck as if by lightning, her mouth half open, looking as if her soul had slipped out, her whole appearance turning gray.

    ¡°How could you do this!¡± Xie Rushan continued to berate her out of frustration, ¡°You¡¯ve previously gone to work, to be a photographer, how much money could you make in a month? Mom and Dad have also said it many times, if you¡¯re not planning on going to college, at least you should have a stable source of income. Isn¡¯t being a cultivator in the military good? A cultivator is also considered a career track¡­ uh, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s a career track, a secure job.¡± Yan Yu added fuel to the fire from the side.

    ¡°Right,¡± Xie Rushan immediately felt more confident and continued, ¡°Your cousin Wenwen, after graduating from college, has been trying to pass the civil service exams for three years now and still hasn¡¯t managed it! You¡¯re directly in the system now, what¡¯s there to be dissatisfied with? And now thinking of leaving the service¡­ do you want to anger mom and dad to death?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi was on the verge of tears, thinking to herself that her older brother had no idea that her job involved getting beaten every day!

    But Xie Rushan didn¡¯t give his sister the chance to argue further and quickly changed to a sorrowful expression, continuing to say:

    ¡°Sis, you know the family¡¯s situation isn¡¯t good, we¡¯re now at the point where we can¡¯t even afford to get sick. Dad had stomach pains and went to the health clinic, the doctor said he needed a gastroscopy, but he didn¡¯t want to spend the money and didn¡¯t go. When he¡¯s in pain, he just presses a pen against his stomach. He hasn¡¯t told you, all because he¡¯s worried that you work too hard and too desperately to make money, and he doesn¡¯t want you to feel pressured, but this¡­¡±

    Xie Ruoxi could no longer withstand it and finally burst into tears, sobbing:

    ¡°I won¡¯t leave the battle team, I won¡¯t leave! Brother, I¡¯ll definitely work hard, I¡¯ll send money home right away, tell dad to get treatment quickly¡­¡±

    Xie Rushan managed to talk himself into being overcome with emotion. With little ability to earn money himself, he became even more sad as he spoke, and the siblings nearly cried together in each other¡¯s arms.

    Yan Yu watched silently from the side, feeling very satisfied with the older cousin¡¯s on-the-spot performance.

    After such a stern talking-to from her own brother, Xie Ruoxi should now be willing to train properly, right?

    If even this can¡¯t correct her useless disposition, then I¡¯m really out of options.

    After mutual confessions of regret, Yan Yu was quite happy to give Xie Ruoxi half a day off, letting her take her older cousin around Jinling Prefecture, have some good food, and incidentally reinforce the impression that ¡°the family really needs you to earn money.¡±

    As Qi Changping would say, it was ¡°injecting her with chicken blood.¡±

    Inject! Inject her hard!

    With Xie Ruoxi out on leave, and Yan Yu having nothing else to do, he flew home on his sword.

    Time for a long nap!

    After lying on the sofa playing with his phone for a while, he suddenly saw a piece of news in the cultivator group chat:

    The first generation Witch King had appeared.

    As I mentioned before, with the collapse of the secular governments of the southern countries, their civilian supernatural forces also began fighting among themselves, with endless internal strife and killing, which could be described as the ¡°Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms of the Indochina Peninsula.¡± The sorcerers are akin to the military governors, belonging to a lawless and violent class of groups that bring disaster to the country.

    If the North can produce an Eclipse Queen, the South certainly cannot remain in chaos forever. Just like monkey troops in nature will eventually produce a king ¡ª every once in a while, a sorcerer will rise who is powerful enough to begin trying to subjugate and integrate all the sorcerer forces on the southern peninsula. This individual is then called the ¡°Witch King.¡±

    The emergence of the Witch King can be good or bad, but mostly it¡¯s bad, creating a significant threat to border security, which is why the Qing¡¯an Battle Team where Li Minghu belongs has urgently set out from Lingnan Province to stand by in Nanjiang Province.

    The fellow cultivator students in the group chat also began discussing the current situation and predicting the impact of the Witch King¡¯s rise on Lu Country, with the university student cultivators from the Annan National Defense Academy being particularly anxious.

    However, Yan Yu remembered that in his previous life, not long after the first generation Witch King rose to power, he was cursed to death by his deputy.

    The deputy took over as the second-generation Witch King, and to shift internal conflicts, began waging wars everywhere, also setting a path for subsequent Witch Kings¡­ The ordeal of Valkyrie Li Minghu seemed to start from this point.

    Hmm, I should ask her how she¡¯s been feeling lately.

 Chapter 271 - 69 Chen Lingyun Went in as Well

    Chapter 271: Chapter 69 Chen Lingyun Went in as Well

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You¡¯ve recently been to Nanjiang?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Yes, the border seems unstable, so the higher-ups sent us there to stand by.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: How¡¯s your health?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Much better. Thanks to the increase in my spiritual energy limit, the frequency of my coughs has reduced after my cultivation level went up.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: So cultivation is the best medicine after all. Less fighting, more cultivation.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Speaking of fighting, I heard you defeated an Onmyoji at Black Dragon Isle, and were even honored at Lingyan Pavilion later?

    ...

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: How did you know that?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Heard it from others, ¡°Longcheng Flying General,¡± unique in all of Lu Country. They said your award ceremony video will be used as an October tribute and will be heavily promoted on TV.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Sigh, it¡¯s just a false reputation, meaningless.

    Yan Yu wasn¡¯t trying to be pretentious here; he truly felt this way¡ªin his past life, he also received numerous medals, all tossed into a small cardboard box, hardly ever bothering to take them out.

    Why consider it a false reputation? Because he was well aware that the title of Longcheng Flying General was actually secured for him by Chen Tianming, partly to woo him and partly to build momentum for him.

    The truly prestigious title is that of ¡°Valkyrie¡±! After her sacrifice, without any official awards, she was spontaneously remembered and mourned by the people of the seven provinces in the south, even having temples erected and memorial tablets worshipped¡ªtruly recognized by the heartfelt respect of thousands, a title worth being proud of and remembered!

    [Yuegua Donghu]: But it sounds pretty impressive, right?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What, you want a medal too?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: [Photo].

    [Yuegua Donghu]: It looks pretty good~

    [Yuegua Donghu]: If I get a chance, I¡¯d like to earn one too. But that would require distinguishing oneself on the battlefield, right?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Just to see if there¡¯s a chance this time/cheer up. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Still, safety first.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: If you can¡¯t handle it, come find me, and I¡¯ll help you.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Wouldn¡¯t that be against the rules?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What are you thinking? Of course, not by deploying the Zhenhai Team. It¡¯s just that Longcheng Flying General Yan Yu happened to pass by and saw that Li Minghu of the Qing¡¯an Team was in trouble, so he went over to give a hand.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: That sounds reasonable. But you being in Jinling Prefecture and just happening to pass by Nanjiang sounds a bit hard to explain, doesn¡¯t it?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: No problem, I usually enjoy sword flight, admiring the great rivers and mountains of our country. Just yesterday, I even went to the Western Regions Province.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: You went to the Western Regions? Is the mutton and beef there good?

    The two chatted for nearly half an hour. Obviously, Li Minghu was quite bored on the other side, called to stand by in Nanjiang Province without any battles to fight. It could be said that the Annan Army was probably watching the Dingbei Army run themselves ragged on the border and consequently took the matter of the Southeast Asian Witch King very seriously, preferring to prepare in advance, overacting rather than being caught off guard and scrambling at the last minute.

    Of the four armies, it was actually the Zhendong Army that had it the easiest. Although they faced the strongest spiritual power among the surrounding forces¡ªthe Onmyoji¡ªthey were still separated by sea, without a long land border to worry about, and were not afraid of sporadic invasions; just going out for a few big battles each year was enough.

    The Zhendong Army, comfortable!

    After chatting with Li Minghu, Yan Yu turned to chat with Anna, who seemed to have been promoted again recently in the coven circle. She appeared quite pleased with herself, sometimes jokingly telling Yan Yu that she ¡°would snatch people from the south,¡± seemingly getting a bit carried away.

    After speaking with Anna, Yan Yu went to check on Zhou Hongyu to see if she was getting better.

    The hot-tempered Xiao Zhou finally removed her oxygen mask and, sitting on the hospital bed in her patient gown, faced Yan Yu with a cold expression and remained silent.

    After confirming once again that her brain was not injured, Yan Yu reluctantly ended the video call.

    She should be fine now, right?

    As he was thinking this, he suddenly received a call from Lin Ning.

    ¡°Yan Yu!¡± Her voice sounded anxious, ¡°Ling Yun¡¯s been shot!¡±

    ¡°Is she dead?¡± Yan Yu was also taken aback.

    ¡°No, she¡¯s being rescued.¡± Lin Ning¡¯s voice was a bit tearful, and then Yan Yu gave an ¡°oh¡± and turned to comfort her:

    ¡°No worries, if he¡¯s being resuscitated, then he¡¯s definitely not going to die.¡±

    Cultivators have this advantage: using Runescript for surgery and wound cleaning to stop bleeding is super convenient, with the treatment penetrating directly beneath the skin without any risk of infection spreading.

    ¡°Where are you guys, I¡¯m coming over now,¡± Yan Yu said as he stood up.

    Lin Ning reported the address, and Yan Yu messaged Xie Ruoxi, telling her to quickly arrange for her elder brother to come over. Then he launched into Sword Flight, swiftly heading in the direction of Jiujiang.

    Shot¡­

    Are you trying to make me die of laughter? Where was your Barrier Charm?

    It must have been an ambush by someone in hiding; with Chen Lingyun¡¯s speed, there was no way she could have reacted in time¡­ Tsk, the first time I let you lead a team on your own, and you¡¯ve brought us shame!

    The sword light descended near the hospital, and he went upstairs to reach the inpatient ward where he saw Chen Lingyun sitting on the bed, chatting with Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen who were keeping her company.

    Her complexion was slightly pale, possessing a delicate and fragile beauty. Yan Yu scanned her with his Divine Sense and discovered that her wound was in the abdomen, nothing serious.

    ¡°Heard someone got shot?¡± Yan Yu walked into the ward and asked, ¡°Did it hit your head?¡±

    Chen Lingyun looked over and smiled faintly:

    ¡°Sorry to worry you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Yan Yu turned to look at Lin Ning, ¡°What exactly happened, tell me?¡±

    Lin Ning sighed, explaining the details of the situation. It wasn¡¯t complicated and could be summarized in one sentence:

    Two cultivators from the military manor had defected. The Zhendong Army urgently pursued those two cultivators, cornering them into the deep woods. Chen Lingyun¡¯s team was in charge of the search and ended up being shot in an ambush.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Although it¡¯s not quite appropriate,¡± he said quietly as he took out his phone, ¡°I think I should call Zhou Hongyu to have a chat with you two wounded, share some experiences¡­¡±

    ¡°If you know it¡¯s inappropriate, don¡¯t start fanning the flames!¡± Lin Ning immediately snatched his phone away, venting her frustration.

    ¡°What about those two cultivators?¡± Yan Yu continued.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t caught them yet,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said with a sullen tone. ¡°Lingyun got shot, and we couldn¡¯t worry about anything else. We had to rush her back for treatment.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Yan Yu expressed his understanding of the situation, ¡°Let Lingyun stay here to recover. I¡¯ll have Xie Ruoxi take over the mission.¡±

    ¡°What happened to Lingyun?¡± Xie Ruoxi came in through the door, holding a fruit basket in her hands.

    ¡°You¡¯ve arrived just in time,¡± Yan Yu quickly called her over, ¡°There¡¯s a mission I need to hand over to you now.¡±

    After listening to Lin Ning repeat the briefing, Xie Ruoxi turned completely pale, hurriedly waving her hands and shaking her head:

    ¡°I can¡¯t do it! They have guns!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse?¡± Yan Yu reminded her with a sidelong glance, ¡°With the Barrier Charm up, bullets can¡¯t get through.¡±

    ¡°But I can¡¯t keep the Barrier Charm up all the time, can I?¡± Lin Ning asked, doubtful, ¡°True Yuan won¡¯t hold up for that.¡±

    ¡°Just because you can¡¯t do it doesn¡¯t mean she can¡¯t, okay?¡± Yan Yu picked up a cup nearby and poured hot water, ¡°This cup goes on the bedside table, wait for Xie Ruoxi to come back from handling it, then drink.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Pushing Xie Ruoxi out of the ward, the good-for-nothing was still muttering something about ¡°I can¡¯t do this¡± and ¡°you pushing me like this is sending me to die.¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and cut her off:

    ¡°I see you really don¡¯t get it!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°You utilize Sword Flight the whole time while searching, don¡¯t stop,¡± Yan Yu instructed her, ¡°Bullets can¡¯t penetrate sword light. Once you spot them, hit each one with Thunder Method, and it¡¯s over. It¡¯s foolproof, okay?!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me!¡± she said suspiciously, ¡°Are you sure there¡¯s no risk?¡±

    ¡°Why would I lie to you?¡± Yan Yu said, puzzled, ¡°Look, if you¡¯re really not at ease, I¡¯ll go with you, will that do?¡±

    ¡°Then you must come with me!¡± Xie Ruoxi quickly clung to his arm, fearing he might change his mind and escape.

 Chapter 272 - 70 Immortal Venerate Xie Tries His Hand

    Chapter 272: Chapter 70 Immortal Venerate Xie Tries His Hand

    Yan Yu had a clear plan for Xie Ruoxi¡¯s education.

    The biggest issue with this waste at present was a lack of persistence for continuous progress, and another was the absence of the courage to dare to fight.

    Therefore, training had to be carried out in two prongs, on one hand, to establish a drive for striving, which Xie Rushan, her eldest maternal uncle, was responsible for; on the other hand, to infuse her with the belief in daring to fight, she¡¯d have to build confidence through actual combat by bullying the weak.

    Ordinary cultivators not from the combat team were just the best whetstones.

    It was certainly unrealistic to let Xie Ruoxi, who had no experience, to go fight those murderous Onmyoji and Curse Technique Masters outside right from the start.

    Start with one that¡¯s less difficult, let her see some blood!

    ...

    Yan Yu and Xie Ruoxi rode their swords to the destination. This place was within the Nine Linked Mountains area, with rich vegetation on the ground and a complex terrain environment, perfect for hiding two renegade cultivators inside to evade satellite surveillance and photography.

    If they were fortunate enough to find an entrance to a Mysterious Realm, sneak in to kill generals and seize flags, refine the central pivot, they could hide inside to cultivate until they become sword saints at Ten Li Slope before coming out, and by then, basically no one outside would be able to handle them.

    In the temporary command center for the manhunt operation, Yan Yu found the person in charge of the Zhendong Army to understand the situation.

    It was said that after taking revenge, the authorities still called those two cultivators, telling them ¡°not to be impulsive¡± and ¡°to surrender themselves¡±, but the two of them just threw their mobile phones at the scene, and then rode their swords flying southwards, presumably planning to flee abroad.

    The Zhendong Army urgently contacted the Annan Army to encircle and intercept from both the south and north directions, forcing these two down into the mountain forests below¡ªafter that came a series of failed attempts at sweeping the ground, and they even fell into an ambush and got counterattacked, injuring three or four people, which was truly a huge embarrassment.

    ¡°Hold on.¡± Yan Yu found it hard to comprehend, ¡°The other side only has two people, and they ambushed so many of you, and they still succeeded?¡±

    The person in charge was somewhat embarrassingly at a loss for words, explaining that the opponents were too cunning, showing weakness by fleeing desperately, causing the pursuers to think that they had lost the will to attack, then suddenly turning around to launch a surprise attack. It just so happened that everyone was gathered in an open area discussing tactics, with a lack of protective cover around them. Luckily, a girl named Lin Ning reacted quickly enough, sending her Flying Sword in time to force the opponents back, preventing more casualties.

    Xie Ruoxi, who was by his side, grew more and more frightened as she listened, saying softly to Yan Yu:

    ¡°The other side consists of extremely vicious murderers, it¡¯s very dangerous for just the two of us to go in! Can¡¯t we just drop a nuclear bomb on them and blast them to death inside?¡±

    Goddamn drop a nuclear bomb¡­ Yan Yu was too lazy to explain, only asking her back:

    ¡°Who do you think is a bit more vicious, those two or me?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi originally wanted to say ¡°of course, those two¡±, but the memory of being beaten and force-fed moves by Yan Yu recently rushed to her heart, and she found herself momentarily at a loss for words.

    With a single sentence, Yan Yu burst Xie Ruoxi¡¯s desire to retreat, then turned to the person in charge and said:

    ¡°Alright, we roughly understand the situation now. Just to confirm one last thing, as long as we stop the targets, dead or alive doesn¡¯t matter, right?¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± the person in charge nodded in response.

    No matter what kind of hardship the other party had, from the moment they refused contact, attempted to flee, and even attacked pursuing personnel, this matter was destined not to be resolved peacefully.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Yan Yu said to Xie Ruoxi.

    The two left the temporary command center, pursuing their way toward the endless mountain wilderness.

    Yan Yu did not rashly enter the forest but instead kept riding his sword above the canopy of trees, all the while having Xie Ruoxi expand her Divine Sense to the limit, continuously scanning beneath the forest.

    The other side had specifically targeted Chen Lingyun in their ambush because they feared her Five Ghosts Reconnaissance Technique, which showed that these two were bold and ruthless, not solely fixated on fleeing for their lives, and still thinking of counter-killing. This actually made things much easier.

    What was really feared was the type comparable to a turtle, digging a deep hole on the ground, burying themselves in it, and relying on the Cultivator¡¯s True Yuan to practice Fasting to drag out time¡ªthat would be purely disgusting.

    The two searched from afternoon to evening, from one mountaintop to another, until the sky turned dark, finally locating the trace of the targets¡ªthanks to Xie Ruoxi¡¯s strong True Yuan and Divine Sense scanning for hours without rest. An ordinary person really couldn¡¯t keep up.

    ¡°They¡¯re hiding under that cliff over there,¡± Xie Ruoxi said softly via voice transmission, ¡°and it seems like they haven¡¯t noticed us.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Yan Yu quickly descended with his sword light and, landing, cast the Invisibility Technique, leaving behind only the words, ¡°I leave it to you.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi: ?!!!

    Before she had time to say anything, Yan Yu had already vanished without a trace.

    It was over.

    It was completely over!

    Xie Ruoxi immediately became panic-stricken, swiftly scanning her surroundings with Divine Sense, but she couldn¡¯t find Yan Yu¡¯s trace at all¡ªobviously, he had run far away.

    This made her feel frightened all over again.

    But now, with the arrow on the bowstring, she had no choice but to proceed. Xie Ruoxi could think of no other plan, so she cautiously approached the direction of the two renegade cultivators, her mind whirling rapidly, quickly making up her mind:

    The enemy had guns, what if they shot at me? Even if they didn¡¯t use guns but instead attacked me directly with Flying Swords, what then?

    The painful memory of being brutally hammered by Lin Ning and Yan Yu with their Sword Control Technique surfaced in Xie Ruoxi¡¯s mind, prompting her to quickly abandon the idea of confronting the enemy head-on and exchanging blows.

    Fighting Yan Yu, she could ¡°reload¡± and start over if she got knocked down, but clearly, her opponents wouldn¡¯t give her that chance; losing meant death.

    Her only advantage now was that she hadn¡¯t been discovered by the other side, so I¡­

    So I¡¯d hit and run!

    I¡¯d go all in with a full-force attack, launching all my Thunder Method at them in the shortest time possible, then escape using Sword Control! Yan Yu had said that my True Yuan was strong, and in a pure contest of speed with Sword Control, these two might not be my match!

    With that thought, Xie Ruoxi no longer hesitated. She tiptoed within attack range, locking on with her Divine Sense to the two cultivators resting beneath a distant cliff.

    Then, her entire body¡¯s True Yuan surged, her left hand formed Jade Pivot Thunder and her right hand readied Lightning Thunder from Heaven, with True Yuan pouring out, lightning scattering wildly as she mercilessly targeted the two cultivators!

    Thunderbolts streaked forth swiftly, as the light from the Heavenly Origin Sword turned and sped away!

    The two cultivators were sitting beneath a cliff, attempting to recover their True Yuan, when they suddenly heard the muffled sound of thunder piercing the air ahead of them. They hurriedly summoned their Flying Swords to intercept the attack, but one¡¯s sword met with the Jade Pivot Thunder and was instantly blasted in half, while the other failed to stop the Lightning Thunder from Heaven. The thunder tore through his chest and then exploded, sending electric snakes weaving everywhere, engulfing his companion as well!

    The excess energy burst outward in every direction, and the intense explosion shattered the base of the cliff, causing a small-scale landslide. Countless rocks collapsed from above with a thunderous roar as dust billowed.

    Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t know that her two full-powered thunder strikes had already blasted the two to smithereens; she just sped away without looking back, flying faster than the lightning, leaving the mountains behind and heading back to the city, rushing to the hospital.

    She burst into Chen Lingyun¡¯s ward, blurted out to the three stunned girls:

    ¡°Sister Lin, Sister Zhao! Hurry, hurry, they¡¯re after me!¡±

    ¡°Who is?¡± Lin Ning asked, looking puzzled. ¡°Where¡¯s the captain?¡±

    ¡°The captain fled!¡± Speaking of Yan Yu, Xie Ruoxi felt a wave of grievances, ¡°After we found the target, the captain ran off on his own, claiming ¡®leave it to me¡¯! I was so scared, I threw two Thunder Methods at them and then just ran all the way back. I don¡¯t even know if they¡¯ve followed me¡­¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen stood up, her Divine Sense scanning the hospital corridors outside, and said:

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like anyone¡¯s there.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll call him,¡± Lin Ning said, taking out her phone.

    Before she could dial, Yan Yu pushed the door open from outside and asked:

    ¡°Why are you trying to call me?¡±

    Seeing Yan Yu enter, all of Xie Ruoxi¡¯s pent-up grievances exploded, and she glared at him furiously from behind Lin Ning.

    ¡°Ruoxi says you left her alone at the scene?¡± Lin Ning wasn¡¯t afraid of Yan Yu and directly confronted him.

    Exactly! Xie Ruoxi nodded vigorously.

    ¡°Nuts,¡± Yan Yu scoffed, ¡°She¡¯s so useless; how could I possibly feel at ease leaving her there? Of course, I was keeping an eye on her from a spot she couldn¡¯t see.¡±

    Lin Ning thought about it carefully and realized it made sense. Although Yan Yu was always offbeat with words, he had never been sloppy with his actions. She turned to comfort Xie Ruoxi: Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Okay, then the misunderstanding is cleared up.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi was left speechless.

    Sister Lin! You changed sides too quickly! Even my brother is totally bamboozled by him; don¡¯t just believe whatever he says!

    ¡°Speaking of which, what about the two guys who were after Ruoxi?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked.

    ¡°Dead,¡± Yan Yu answered succinctly, ¡°Mission complete, we can head back.¡±

    ¡°Was it your finishing blow?¡± Lin Ning asked curiously.

    ¡°No.¡± Yan Yu wasn¡¯t keen on seizing the credit for Immortal Venerate Xie¡¯s accomplishments, replying calmly, ¡°She killed them with her two Thunder Methods, and then for some reason, she just turned tail and ran. I¡¯ve been following her with Sword Control from behind, trying to signal to her ¡®it¡¯s okay¡¯ but just couldn¡¯t catch up the whole time.¡±

    The girls were initially stunned, but then burst into laughter in the ward.

    Chen Lingyun laughed the hardest, clutching her stomach, in pain yet grinning.

    Lin Ning, thinking she might have aggravated her wound, hurried out to call the head nurse.

 Chapter 273 - 71 Chen Lingyun Continues to Stir Things Up

    Chapter 273: Chapter 71 Chen Lingyun Continues to Stir Things Up

    ¡°`

    The Runescript¡¯s restoration effect was quick, so Chen Lingyun herself wasn¡¯t seriously harmed, and she was transferred to a hospital in Jinling Prefecture to continue her follow-up observations.

    Once everyone returned home, they learned that Su Yunjin was still collecting snow water in the Western Regions, which again made them sigh with emotion.

    ¡°Yun Jin has already started on the path of Tao Transformation, huh?¡± Lin Ning badgered Yan Yu, asking, ¡°What about me? Shouldn¡¯t you find me a sword technique now?¡±

    ¡°Here, take this.¡± Yan Yu handed something over nonchalantly.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Lin Ning took the cellphone, then realized, ¡°Why are you giving me a cellphone?¡±

    ...

    ¡°Memo.¡± Yan Yu said.

    Upon opening the memo app, Lin Ning saw that it contained two notes, one on the Kunlun Imperial Sword Technique and the other on the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step.

    The academy¡¯s archives hard drive had been blown up by Immortal Venerate Xie of the Nine Heavens Thunder Method, and it couldn¡¯t be recovered in a short time, so Yan Yu had to rely on his memory impression from previously viewing the Jade Slip to roughly write out two notes for Lin Ning to study in advance.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a violation of the confidentiality agreement?¡± Lin Ning asked seriously, frowning.

    Answer-focused little sister indeed had different concerns from ordinary people, but Yan Yu was prepared and replied,

    ¡°Yes, so memorize it quickly and then delete it. Every second you delay increases the risk of a leak.¡±

    ¡°Right away!¡± Lin Ning hurriedly ran to her room with the cellphone.

    ¡°What about me?¡± Chen Lingyun imitated Lin Ning¡¯s tone, smilingly said.

    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about that after you¡¯re discharged.¡± Yan Yu brushed her off.

    ¡°Is Xie Ruoxi¡¯s Thunder Method really that powerful?¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly changed the subject and asked telepathically, ¡°Even Flying Swords can¡¯t resist it?¡±

    ¡°It depends on the grade of the Flying Sword,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°But, yes, it¡¯s very strong.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, we need to think of a way to tie her to the Zhenhai Team,¡± Chen Lingyun spoke softly, ¡°Otherwise, if she becomes a renegade cultivator, that¡¯s too dangerous.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve made contact with her brother.¡± Yan Yu responded calmly, ¡°Her family seems to be the honest and upright rural type. As long as the money is right and the reputation is good, everything should be negotiable.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not enough,¡± pondered Chen Lingyun for a moment, then said, ¡°Do you think she¡¯s pretty?¡±

    ¡°The foundation is not bad I guess, what about it?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s include her in the harem,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°First, there¡¯s no such thing as a harem,¡± Yan Yu clarified after a moment of silence, ¡°Second, you can¡¯t expect a marriage without feelings to hold someone down.¡±

    ¡°A marriage without feelings isn¡¯t reliable,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°But what if there are feelings?¡±

    ¡°You think I can train feelings into her by being harsh all the time?¡± Yan Yu interrupted bluntly, not taking the idea seriously, ¡°Stop messing around, if you¡¯re really looking for fun, go find your Sister Zhao.¡±

    ¡°Humph,¡± Chen Lingyun, seeing he didn¡¯t want to discuss the topic, tactfully said no more but slightly narrowed her eyes, concealing the amusement in her gaze.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    It was now nine o¡¯clock in the evening. The evening on the team¡¯s schedule was ¡°free time¡±, so everyone was busy with their own things.

    Yan Yu sat on the sofa, somewhat bored, watching TV and occasionally looking down to play with his phone.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was next to him, intently clipping her toenails. Although the posture was indecorous, her toes were indeed round and cute, which Yan Yu found tolerable.

    Lin Ning was holed up in her room, diligently studying the sword techniques and footwork given by Yan Yu. A quizzer¡¯s habit was to memorize first, understand slowly, and then practice by hand.

    Xie Ruoxi, on the other hand, was in the study, watching anime on her computer. Every so often, she burst into naive laughter ¨C for her, immersing herself in the beautiful world of anime was probably one of the few leisurely pastimes that allowed her to forget, momentarily, that she had to continue enduring beatdowns the next day.

    Suddenly, someone knocked on the door from outside.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked crisply.

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s voice sounded.

    ¡°Please come in.¡± Xie Ruoxi quickly got up to invite Chen Lingyun in, and hurriedly pulled out a chair from behind her.

    Her attitude towards Chen Lingyun was quite peculiar; on one hand, she very much wanted to get closer, yet on the other, she felt somewhat unworthy. Especially after hearing about Chen Lingyun¡¯s family background, Xie Ruoxi felt an urge to worship her¡­ no, she was driven to improve herself.

    ¡°Are you watching an anime?¡± Chen Lingyun sat down and asked as she looked at the computer screen.

    ¡°`

    ¡°Ahahaha, just bored and randomly checking it out.¡± Xie Ruoxi reflexively tried to hide her identity as an avid anime fan without considering whether it could actually be concealed.

    ¡°Do you mind if I watch with you?¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°Not at all, not at all!¡± Xie Ruoxi quickly made room for her.

    Chen Lingyun calmly turned towards the screen. The anime was called ¡°Crimson at Noon,¡± a story about Earth¡¯s primordial clock exploding, scattering each hour into the human realm and parasitizing inside a beautiful girl; then the deity Kami forces the reluctant male protagonist to romance these girls, stripping the parasitic hours from deep within their hearts to restore the clock to its original state.

    The art style was quite good, but the plot was so-so.

    The male protagonist was a classic Rei cherry-style herbivore man; even though he was coerced by the deity to find the heroines and woo them, he couldn¡¯t help himself and got too involved in the act. To Chen Lingyun, it seemed pretty stupid.

    If she were writing the script, it would feature the male lead sweet-talking the heroine and breaking down her defenses, then coldly breaking up with her after retrieving the parasitic hour, all while watching her sadness, rage or even corruption unfold¡­ Extreme plots had sufficient tension. What¡¯s the point of getting too real in a fake scenario? Remove the ¡°twelve hours¡± premise, and the story doesn¡¯t feel inconsistent at all.

    After patiently finishing the episode, Chen Lingyun commented,

    ¡°The art is pretty good.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, this production team is quite established. They usually ensure quality,¡± Xie Ruoxi happily agreed, ¡°unlike certain groups next door that slash the budget as soon as the ratings dip and then the quality drops to abstract art.¡±

    I have something in common with Lingyun, yay!

    ¡°But this¡­ pure love harem, that¡¯s what this genre is called, right?¡± Chen Lingyun continued, ¡°It¡¯s my first time watching this kind of plot, and I find it a bit strange and uncomfortable.¡±

    ¡°Uh, ahahaha.¡± Xie Ruoxi giggled awkwardly, ¡°That¡¯s true, but there¡¯s no need to look for reality in a fictional world, right? As long as the art is beautiful, the plot interesting, and full of jokes, logical consistency isn¡¯t that important~¡±

    I was wrong. Lady Lingyun is a normie far beyond the reach of us otakus. I shouldn¡¯t have deluded myself into thinking we could be close friends.

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Chen Lingyun said nonchalantly, ¡°Ruoxi, if you were one of the female leads in this, would you like a guy who was gentle but completely useless otherwise?¡±

    ¡°Uh, I usually project myself onto the male lead¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi thought for a moment, then tilted her head and said, ¡°Although in anime, I can tolerate the kind, harmless puppy male lead. But in the real world, I¡¯d definitely go for someone who is shrewd and capable, someone who can provide a girl with a sense of security.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Chen Lingyun nodded, ¡°a guy like Yan Yu, then?¡±

    ¡°Yes, like Yan Yu,¡± Xie Ruoxi thought the team captain was indeed shrewd and capable, and certainly strong enough to protect her¡­

    ¡­Huh?

    ¡°Err, err, err, I don¡¯t mean that I like Yan Yu,¡± she finally caught on and quickly defended herself, ¡°The captain is indeed shrewd and strong, but he has a terrible personality! He¡¯s not considerate to women at all! He enjoys bullying me all the time! I¡¯m not a masochist, how could I possibly fall for him?¡±

    Of course, if he were to forcefully pursue me, with an aggressive romance, it¡¯s not like I would be able to outright refuse¡­ Xie Ruoxi added softly in her mind.

    ¡°I understand,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a slight smile, ¡°so if he pursued you aggressively, then it wouldn¡¯t count as you liking him on your own initiative, right?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi was speechless, Lingyun, can you read minds?

    ¡°My understanding,¡± Chen Lingyun said beamingly, ¡°is that Yan Yu fits the criteria you have for a partner, but because he¡¯s usually not nice to you, you haven¡¯t considered him in that way. But if he changed his attitude towards you, that would be a different story, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi stuttered in denial, and even she felt it was weak.

    Chen Lingyun gracefully stood up, winked at her, and said,

    ¡°Just kidding~ Ruoxi, you don¡¯t actually like him, I could tell from the start.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be going now, let¡¯s watch an anime together again sometime.¡±

    Chen Lingyun left after pushing the door open; Xie Ruoxi sat silently in front of the computer, her mind teeming with chaotic, complex thoughts.

    Really, don¡¯t like him¡­?

    If there really were no feelings for Yan Yu, how could she have responded to his message after just one encounter and traveled all the way to Jinling Prefecture to find him? S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Xie Ruoxi remembered when she was young, watching A Chinese Odyssey with her brother on television. What struck her most was Zi Xia Fairy saying, ¡°My ideal man will be a great hero who comes to me on a magic cloud.¡±

    Since then, she too often fantasized in the dead of night about a great hero arriving on a colorful cloud to whisk her away from her poor, backward village to a thriving, bustling city, to live a luxurious and exciting life.

    But¡­

    I never imagined that after the great hero jumped down from the colorful cloud, he would shove his Golden Cudgel into my hand and force me to learn how to ride the clouds too¡­

 Chapter 274 - 72: Yun Jin Returns, War is on the Horizon!

    Chapter 274: Chapter 72: Yun Jin Returns, War is on the Horizon!

    October finally arrived.

    For cultivators, there were two major events.

    First, Yan Yu of the Zhenhai Team appeared on TV again.

    With his award ceremony ¡°broadcasted¡± live, he once more pushed his fame to a new peak, becoming known to more households¡ªthough certainly there would still be those who didn¡¯t watch TV, but ultimately, the number of those ¡°unfamiliar with his name¡± was dwindling.

    The title ¡°Yan Zhanlong¡± had become outdated; his new title was called ¡°Longcheng Flying General,¡± which naturally served as a tremendous inspiration and role model for the vast majority of cultivators.

    Second, Zhou Hongyu of the Huofeng¡ªPingxi Army¡¯s top cultivator¡ªwas discharged from the hospital.

    ...

    The reinstatement of the Pingxi Army¡¯s foremost cultivator was a great boost to the spirits of his fellow soldiers, to the point where some were saying, ¡°If Captain Zhou also goes abroad to conquer a Mysterious Realm, maybe he could earn himself a title like Supreme Phoenix or something.¡±

    Then, the cultivators from the Zhendong Army ridiculed this by saying, ¡°Trying to pair up with Commander Yan to form an auspicious dragon and phoenix pairing, huh?¡± And so that topic was quickly dropped.

    Yan Yu, however, temporarily had no time to care about external praises and fame, because Lin Ning ran into problems while learning the essentials of the Kunlun Imperial Sword Technique¡ªit was all problems.

    ¡°You¡¯re doing it wrong.¡± After knocking Lin Ning¡¯s Green Bamboo Sword out of her hands again, Yan Yu reminded her, ¡°Pay attention to the details!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been paying attention to the details!¡± Lin Ning said, frustrated.

    If introductory Sword Control was likened to Mandarin Chinese, then Kunlun Imperial Sword Technique would be equivalent to a dialect. Some aspects overlapped, others were slightly different, and some were completely distinct.

    The problem Lin Ning currently faced was that her good habits as a diligent student had ingrained the introductory Sword Control Technique deep into her instincts, much like a young person who had spoken Mandarin for over twenty years being told to learn a dialect from scratch¡ªall too naturally, her speech would become a jumble of dialect and Mandarin, an indistinct mishmash.

    Yan Yu, with great patience, pointed out and corrected every detail of her errors one by one, and Lin Ning earnestly took note, saying ¡°mm-hmm¡± continuously. Then, during the next practice session, she reverted to her memorized habits and used the technique incorrectly again¡­ Enraging her to the point of stomping her feet and grinding her teeth in anger.

    ¡°It¡¯s all your fault!¡± she said in a fit of rage, ¡°Constant extra practice, making me get the introductory Sword Control Technique so ingrained, now I can¡¯t even change it anymore!¡±

    ¡°How is this my fault?¡± Yan Yu was bewildered, ¡°Then you might as well stop practicing the Kunlun Imperial Sword Technique now. Otherwise, if you get an even more powerful sword technique later on and can¡¯t switch over again, it will turn into my fault.¡±

    Lin Ning, of course, knew in her heart that she couldn¡¯t blame the captain¡ªafter all, who knew when a new sword technique might come in the future? The real issue was naturally her own thinking, sticking to habit and not adept at adapting.

    If it were someone else, she wouldn¡¯t have easily vented her anger on them, but the captain¡­ hmph, he deserved to be scolded a bit more!

    ¡°Let¡¯s go again!¡± she said huffily, forming the sword technique with her hands once more.

    With the technique ¡°Thousand Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix,¡± she feinted a forward thrust assuming the enemy would parry with a Flying Sword, and then seamlessly transitioned into ¡°Phoenix Gracing the Presence¡± for a block, followed by ¡°Phoenix Dancing to the Heavens¡± to circle around the defense¡­

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong again.¡± Yan Yu reminded her once more, ¡°For ¡®Phoenix Dancing to the Heavens¡¯, you need to swish the tail of the sword, and you forgot to do that again.¡±

    ¡°Uh uh uh ah ah ah ah ah wuuuh!¡± Lin Ning let out a disheartened, bewildered yelp, then argued defiantly, ¡°The sword path is supposed to veer left; the sword¡¯s tail should naturally swing to the right, how could I possibly make it swing left?!¡±

    ¡°Like this, watch closely.¡± Yan Yu formed the sword technique, and the Huang Tingjian, with agility that belied its heavy blade, executed an extremely elegant diagonal shift to the left. To Lin Ning, it looked like a nimble fat man performing a ballet.

    Compared to this, her Green Bamboo Sword looked as sluggish and lumbering as a turtle, no match for Yan Yu¡¯s Sword Control Technique.

    Lin Ning, feeling unconvinced, continued to maneuver through the sword technique, attempting to replicate those moves.

    Yan Yu let her try gradually and then went to inspect the progress of others.

    Zhao Yuanzhen remained consistent, driving Xie Ruoxi to flee in all directions with her head in her hands.

    Although Zhao didn¡¯t have the same level of talent as Xie Ruoxi, the Demonic Sect Enchantress was after all the one who started cultivating earlier than any of them, and her True Yuan was far more robust, managing to suppress the other in a head-on swordsmanship duel.

    Maybe it was her elder cousin¡¯s warning that had an effect. The beautiful but previously incompetent Xie Ruoxi, who would have resorted to a lackadaisical effort by now, was actually persisting and hadn¡¯t whined, complained, or pretended to faint.

    Good, as long as Xie Ruoxi can train with dedication, with her inhuman learning speed, her rate of progress should be quite noticeable.

    After inspecting everyone¡¯s condition, Yan Yu came to Chen Lingyun¡¯s side, just in time to hear her, watching Lin Ning¡¯s practice, say with a smile:

    ¡°Yun Jin¡¯s Tao Transformation, Ningning¡¯s sword techniques and footwork, and Ruoxi¡¯s Thunder Method¡­ How many more treasures are you hiding?¡±

    ¡°Far more than you could imagine.¡± Yan Yu answered calmly.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile grew sweeter, ¡°So what have you prepared for me?¡±

    ¡°Where do you get the confidence to think I would have something prepared for you?¡± Yan Yu raised an eyebrow and retorted.

    ¡°Because you like me.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile remained sweet.

    ¡°Delusions of grandeur, huh?¡± Yan Yu mocked her.

    ¡°Not at all.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Shall we test it out?¡±

    ¡°How would you test that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll kiss you, and if you get excited, it¡¯ll prove you like me.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    Let¡¯s not even talk about whether I¡¯m emotionally moved or not, if that trashy princess publicly kissed me, Sister Lin and the Demonic Sect Enchantress would probably fly into a rage and blood would flow like a river right here in the school!

    As the captain of the Zhenhai Team, it¡¯s my duty to maintain a united atmosphere within the team¡ªit¡¯s not like I¡¯m at the mercy of Chen Lingyun!

    ¡°The fact that you were ambushed last time proves there¡¯s a flaw in your Five Ghosts Reconnaissance System,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment before saying, ¡°You must have noticed it yourself, right?¡±

    ¡°The real problem is that the information detected by the Five Ghosts isn¡¯t conveyed to you timely and accurately.¡±

    ¡°If an Envoy relies on Servant Envoys for battle, it¡¯s essential to solve the issue of information transmission. Hence, the cultivation method of ¡®Heavenly Vision and Hearing¡¯ came about, which fundamentally involves cultivating the Heavenly Ear Technique, Heavenly Vision, and Telepathy.¡±

    ¡°Once you master Heavenly Vision, you can share the field of view with the servicing ghosts; master the Heavenly Ear Technique, and you can listen through them; master Telepathy, and no matter when and where the ghosts are, you can issue them orders, nimble as if moving your own arm.¡±

    ¡°These three divine techniques, I¡¯ve heard similar concepts before,¡± said Chen Lingyun thoughtfully, ¡°Are they the lesser divine techniques of Heavenly Vision, Heavenly Ear Technique, and Telepathy?¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°The three divine techniques you mentioned, although powerful, typically require seventy to a hundred years of cultivation, which I personally think is unnecessary.¡±

    ¡°An Envoy¡¯s Heavenly Vision and Hearing can easily achieve the effects of divine techniques that others need a lifetime to cultivate with a sufficient number of Servant Envoys.¡±

    ¡°Then, how exactly should I cultivate these?¡± Chen Lingyun pondered and asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°But I know someone who does,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently, ¡°Over at Mount Wutai.¡±

    ¡°Mount Wutai?¡± Chen Lingyun pondered, ¡°Are they lay cultivators?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll go there after you reach the Marrow Cleansing Stage,¡± said Yan Yu, ¡°Marrow Cleansing improves the constitution and makes it easier to cultivate these divine techniques.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Chen Lingyun mused.

    Among the team, her cultivation progressed the slowest. Even after obtaining the high-grade Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, besides refining ghosts, she hadn¡¯t discovered any other uses thus far.

    Now knowing that she had to wait until the Marrow Cleansing Stage to cultivate Heavenly Vision and Hearing, Chen Lingyun, although fairly resolute, felt somewhat downhearted for the moment.

    Yan Yu saw her expression and was about to say something like ¡°Haha, don¡¯t rush¡± to comfort her when his phone suddenly rang.

    It was a call from Yun Jin. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± said the voice on the other end, ¡°The cold front has already reached the Tianshan Mountains, and we can¡¯t collect the early thawing snowmelt here for the time being. Can I come back now?¡±

    ¡°Then come back, and we¡¯ll talk about the rest after it starts snowing in other places,¡± replied Yan Yu, ¡°When will you approximately arrive?¡±

    ¡°Around four or five in the afternoon.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Yan Yu hung up and told the girls, ¡°Keep practicing. Yun Jin will be back tonight, and we¡¯ll go out to eat. Ling Yun, help book a private room.¡±

    ¡°Yay!¡± The girls cheered, some happy about Yun Jin¡¯s return, others excited about dining out. Regardless of the reason, at least at this moment, the smiles on their faces were genuine, stemming from deep within their hearts.

    That evening, Yun Jin indeed arrived by Flying Sword, landing within the school grounds.

    She had been in the Western Regions for quite a long time, yet she had collected only about one-fifth of the early thawing snowmelt. There was still misty rain and morning dew to collect, and that was just part of the Water Essence¡­ This highlighted how tedious collecting the Essence of the Five Elements was, a process that absolutely could not be rushed.

    With the Zhenhai Team fully assembled again, Jinling¡¯s Culinary God Zhao Yuanzhen personally led the way, and the team strode majestically to the restaurant.

    By now, everyone was somewhat famous. Dining in an open area would definitely draw a crowd, so Chen Lingyun had gotten ahead of things by arranging a private room with the restaurant.

    Everyone took their seats in the room; Yun Jin had just sat down to Yan Yu¡¯s left when she saw Lin Ning quickly secure the spot on his right.

    Her eyes narrowed slightly as she thought to herself that Ningning usually preferred to sit next to Chen Lingyun, so why had she squeezed between the captain and Xie Ruoxi?

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s seat was taken by Lin Ning, but she didn¡¯t seem upset, and with a cheerful smile, she pulled up a chair between Yun Jin and Zhao Yuanzhen and nonchalantly said:

    ¡°Yun Jin, your skin seems a bit off.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Yun Jin was startled and quickly pulled out her phone to check her skin closely using the camera, ¡°It does look a bit¡­ the air in the Western Regions is too dry, I¡¯ll need to hydrate properly when I get home.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of hydration and moisturizing, I have a brand of face mask that I can recommend to you, it¡¯s really good,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile.

    ¡°Send me the link,¡± said Yun Jin right away. She had sent half of her prize money home and still had tens of millions left, so she could afford even the most expensive skincare products.

    Secretary Su, who was young and beautiful, never used to think about skin care and maintenance, but now, seeing Lin Ning sitting next to Yan Yu and hearing Chen Lingyun comment about her ¡°deteriorating skin,¡± she instantly felt an inexplicable sense of urgency.

    Chen Lingyun pulled out her phone, found the link in her shopping cart, and just after sending it to Yun Jin, she saw a new message pop up.

    [Ningning]: Send me one too.

    Chen Lingyun looked up and saw Lin Ning intently picking her dishes as if nothing had happened.

    ¡°Sure,¡± she replied with her head down and typed the message, hiding her pleased smile.

 Chapter 275 - 73: Six Swords Descend on Nanjiang

    Chapter 275: Chapter 73: Six Swords Descend on Nanjiang

    After dinner, everyone returned home.

    Su Yunjin, who couldn¡¯t stand dirt, grabbed the vacuum cleaner and mop and began cleaning inside and out as soon as she got home.

    Once the cleaning was done, she placed the items in the storage room, then went to the kitchen to wash her hands, only to see Lin Ning drying a cleaned fruit knife, with sliced fruit laid out beside her.

    Hmm, I should cut some for the team leader too.

    ¡°Wait a second, Ningning,¡± Su Yunjin called out, ¡°I need the fruit knife too.¡±

    ¡°Here you go,¡± Lin Ning said.

    ...

    Su Yunjin opened the fridge, took out several oranges and a few fragrant pears, washed them under the tap, and was about to start slicing when she saw Lin Ning carrying the fruit plate to the living room, where she approached Yan Yu, who was sitting on the sofa, and said,

    ¡°You taught me sword techniques today, so I won¡¯t let you teach me for nothing. I¡¯m treating you to fruit.¡± S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Mm, sensible,¡± Yan Yu said deliberately, ¡°but where are the toothpicks? Do you expect me to pick them up with my hands? Even if you¡¯re returning a favor, you should complete the set.¡±

    ¡°Here you go!¡± Lin Ning suddenly couldn¡¯t contain her annoyance, grabbed a few toothpicks from the coffee table, and forcefully stuck them into the chopped fruit, as if an aggrieved palace maid were taking out her resentment with her needle.

    In the kitchen, Su Yunjin watched as Lin Ning beat her to the punch with delivering fruit, fell silent for a moment, then quietly began to slice the oranges and fragrant pears.

    When she had finished slicing and arranged them on a plate, upon reaching the living room, she saw that Yan Yu had already eaten most of the fruit.

    Just then, Zhao Yuanzhen came down from the second floor, saw Yan Yu eating fruit, and immediately complained,

    ¡°You little thief! You¡¯ve got fruit and you didn¡¯t call me?¡±

    She quickly sat down on the sofa, forcefully squeezed Yan Yu aside with her substantial rear, and started to gobble down the fruit from the plate.

    Yan Yu raised an eyebrow, ready to scold, when Su Yunjin quickly stepped forward and handed him the neatly cut fragrant pears and oranges, saying with a smile,

    ¡°Team leader, for you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Yunjin who¡¯s sensible,¡± Yan Yu took the fruit plate, set it on the coffee table, and said with satisfaction.

    Zhao Yuanzhen took a closer look and saw that Lin Ning had cut cantaloupe and apples, while Su Yunjin had offered up fragrant pears and oranges, immediately finding it hard to decide.

    Should I continue eating the plate from Lin Ning, or should I snatch the plate from Su Yunjin?

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress, although she had adapted to modern society, scoffed at the so-called ¡°moral constraints of civilized people¡± and quickly made her decision:

    I want them all!

    ¡°Hand it over!¡± Taking advantage of Yan Yu¡¯s distraction, she quickly reached out her hand lightning-fast, stabbed a toothpick into a piece of fragrant pear, and deftly popped it into her mouth.

    ¡°Childish,¡± Yan Yu said disdainfully.

    As Zhao Yuanzhen chewed with her mouth full, she muttered unintelligibly,

    ¡°Rebound!¡±

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t want to play such games with her and turned to talk to Su Yunjin,

    ¡°The temperature difference between day and night has been increasing lately, and dew can be collected. Don¡¯t look for it on grass leaves; there will be impurities from the wood element. You can set up some plastic film.¡±

    ¡°Mhm mhm,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile.

    ¡°Where is Xie Ruoxi?¡± Yan Yu turned to ask.

    ¡°She¡¯s upstairs watching animated films,¡± Chen Lingyun replied.

    ¡°Why does this little girl only think about staying at home all day and not actively participate in after-work team building activities?¡± Yan Yu put on the attitude of a nitpicking boss, had just started his complaint, and then received a phone call.

    It was from Li Weiguo.

    It was well known that a call from Old Li was always a matter of great importance, so Yan Yu quickly gestured to Lin Ning to turn off the TV before picking up the phone.

    Sure enough, Li Weiguo didn¡¯t beat around the bush, speaking just four words:

    ¡°The Witch King has moved.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    In the original timeline of his previous life, the first Witch King had been overthrown shortly after taking office, without making any notable achievements, by a coup carried out by his subordinate.

    But this time, the flutter of butterfly wings had triggered a storm of fate. Perhaps it was because the Rikoku Cultivators had displayed extraordinarily frightening power during the battle in the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm, that the first Witch King, after ascending to power, quickly proclaimed a full-scale confrontation with the Rikoku Cultivators.

    Everyone began their cultivation this year; why should there be such a huge disparity in strength? It must be because the treasures from the secret realms in Rikoku are far more incredible than ours! The resources of Rikoku¡¯s secret realms must be seized to strengthen our own!

    Of course, setting aside what the Witch King claimed, the Privy Council¡¯s analytical report on the south suggested that with the rapid increase in the number of civilian Sorcerers, the intensity of their internal competition and mutual attrition had also reached a dangerously high level¡ªcomparable to the overwhelming floodwaters that threaten to break the levee, necessitating a release somewhere.

    If they didn¡¯t relieve the pressure by exerting it outward and transferring conflicts, then that bomb would explode internally, blasting the Witch King sitting at the top to smithereens (similar to the backstabbing subordinate in the previous life). Thus, he had to fight, whether he wanted to or not, as conditions didn¡¯t allow for any other choices.

    The Witch King¡¯s domain was bordered to the north by Rikoku and adjacent to Tianzhu to the west, leaving only these two directions for external pressure release.

    Hence, the Privy Council had already set the grand strategy: not only to strike actively but to secure an overwhelming victory!

    The Sorcerers represented a loose, feudal-like alliance; the myriad small boundaries between forces hindered the flow of information. It wasn¡¯t as if defeating the Witch King on your end would instantly spread the news for all to know overnight.

    Therefore, it was necessary to deal a brutally crushing blow to the Witch King, one so fierce that it would capture global attention and compel international media to report extensively, effectively conveying the message to enough Sorcerers that ¡°Rikoku cannot be opposed.¡±

    In a word: to strike hard!

    ¡°The target of the Witch King¡¯s invasion has been confirmed; it¡¯s the Mirror Lake Secret Realm that recently appeared in the Ailao Mountains,¡± Li Weiguo said in conclusion. ¡°Head immediately to Erhai and converge with the Pingxi Army¡¯s garrison troops there, waiting for further orders from your superiors!¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Yan Yu stood up.

    The girls also hurriedly packed their gear, ready to depart, and Lin Ning went upstairs to inform Xie Ruoxi.

    After spending about fifteen minutes packing up their living essentials, the group left the villa, and six streaks of sword light soared into the sky!

    In the bustling downtown area of Jinling, passersby slowly began looking up, only to see six streaks of sword light in colors of green, blue, purple, yellow, black, and white, dazzling and resplendent, tearing through the night sky, commanding the stars, heading straight for the southwestern horizon!

    As the Sword Light Formation sped across the Yangtze River, they collectively picked up speed again. Xie Ruoxi, leading the front with Sword Control, tore through the air to provide slipstream for the others. Yan Yu with the Huang Tingjian was stationed in the center, Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen guarded the flanks, while Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin took up the rear, enjoying the least air resistance.

    ¡°Listen up, everyone,¡± Yan Yu communicated to the group. ¡°If we¡¯re assigned to fight in a secret realm, we¡¯ll use the Dagger Strategy, just like the operation on Black Dragon Isle. However, if we¡¯re to intercept Sorcerers and get involved in large-scale warfare with thousands or tens of thousands of Transcendents, it will be a different matter entirely.¡±

    ¡°The Dagger Strategy emphasizes being swift, accurate, and ruthless, trading space for time to seize the target; large-scale warfare, on the other hand, is the opposite. Completing the task isn¡¯t the priority¡ªif you can¡¯t accomplish it, someone else naturally will¡ªbut you only have one life¡ªsurvival is the top priority, do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡± The girls, hearing his grave words, promptly responded.

    ¡°In large-scale warfare, no matter how powerful an individual¡¯s strength may be, it can easily be offset by the overwhelming numbers from the other side,¡± Yan Yu shared his war experience from the previous life. ¡°I only have three requirements for everyone: one, stick together! Two, follow commands! Three, respond promptly!¡±

    ¡°No leaving the group without permission; no disobeying orders; no delays in execution¡ªdid everyone hear me?!¡±

    ¡°Heard you!¡± The girls responded once more.

    ¡°Right, there¡¯s one more thing,¡± Yan Yu thought carefully for a moment and suddenly added, ¡°After arriving at Erhai, each of you find time to write a letter to your family, in case of death, and send it to me.¡±

    Everyone: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you being a bit too ominous!¡± Lin Ning, as expected, spoke up directly to complain.

    ¡°This is no joke!¡± Yan Yu said seriously. ¡°When you¡¯re on the brink of life and death, the most crucial thing is to conquer the fear of dying!¡±

    ¡°Simply put, when you go into battle, you must be prepared to die at any moment; that¡¯s when your chances of survival are highest! Do you know why new soldiers who fear death the most tend to die easily? Because they aren¡¯t prepared to face death; their minds are filled with too many distractions when they should be fighting for their lives.¡±

    ¡°Writing a will isn¡¯t about making peace with death but about ensuring that when you¡¯re facing death head-on, you won¡¯t be subconsciously distracted thinking, ¡®I still haven¡¯t said certain things to my parents,¡¯ and instead, you¡¯ll be able to make the right choice immediately!¡±

 Chapter 276 - 74 Reuniting with Li Minghu

    Chapter 276: Chapter 74 Reuniting with Li Minghu

    In the wee hours, the Zhenhai Team arrived in the Erhai area.

    The military manor here was already overcrowded. Not to mention the vast numbers of cultivators from the troops, even the teams summoned from both Annan and Pingxi amounted to dozens.

    Local defense cultivators were flying around on their swords, arranging accommodations for the newly arrived comrades-in-arms.

    Not long after Yan Yu and his team arrived, he received a text message from Li Minghu:

    ¡°Have you arrived?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Send me your coordinates.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have Ruoxi cast a lightning, watch for it.¡±

    Yan Yu turned his head and gave the order, and Xie Ruoxi raised her arm and released a divine thunderbolt, strikingly visible in the night sky.

    ¡°Saw it.¡±

    After a while, Li Minghu came over on his sword, leading the Zhenhai Team members to a nearby hotel, and distributed room cards to everyone.

    All the team cultivators were staying in this hotel. Due to the excessive number of people, the standard arrangement was three standard rooms per team; usually, the team leader would occupy one room alone, while the remaining four shared the other two rooms.

    However, when everyone started to distribute the room cards, an unexpected problem arose:

    We have six people!

    ¡°Are there any other rooms available?¡± Yan Yu asked the front desk.

    ¡°Sorry, we¡¯re fully booked,¡± the front desk replied with difficulty.

    The whole hotel was pre-booked by the Pingxi Army, with specific rooms allocated to each team. The leftover rooms had been arranged for other purposes, leaving no vacancies whatsoever.

    ¡°In that case,¡± Su Yunjin said calmly, ¡°then I¡¯ll share a room with the captain.¡±

    ¡°How can that be?¡± Lin Ning said incredulously, ¡°Yun Jin, you and the captain aren¡¯t in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, how can you share a room? Don¡¯t you care about your reputation?¡±

    I¡¯ve already shared a room with the captain before¡­ Su Yunjin looked at Lin Ning indifferently, really wanting to throw this trump card out and kill Ningning once and for all!

    But she held back.

    Lin Ning hasn¡¯t yet decided if she likes the captain. If Su Yunjin rashly provoked her, and it ended up making Lin Ning more determined, wouldn¡¯t she be creating her own rival in love?

    Thus, Su Yunjin simply said:

    ¡°No matter who it is, someone has to share a room with the captain. Ningning, are you volunteering?¡±

    As a literary girl, her insight into the human heart was naturally on point. Lin Ning indeed couldn¡¯t say ¡°I¡¯ll do it¡± and could only stand by anxiously with a face full of ¡°I disagree.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll do it,¡± said Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly. She remembered that she still had to dual cultivate Qi Refinement with Yan Yu, ¡°Anyway, someone has to, so I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    ¡°Then it¡¯ll be Sister Zhao,¡± Yan Yu decisively said. ¡°Yun Jin, you stay with Ningning. Ling Yun can stay with Ruoxi.¡±

    Su Yunjin acknowledged with an ¡°Okay,¡± forcefully suppressing her displeasure, but inside, she was becoming agitated.

    Why not choose me?

    Captain, we¡¯ve lived together before, so why did you pick Sister Zhao this time?

    In what way is she better than me?

    Looking at Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s figure, Su Yunjin slowly lost her words, her expression growing increasingly gloomy. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Could it be¡­

    Lin Ning, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Zhao Yuanzhen had to cultivate with Yan Yu every night, so she didn¡¯t think in other directions, but rather said cheerfully to Su Yunjin:

    ¡°I¡¯ve got the room card. Shall we go, Yun Jin?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Su Yunjin replied, her eyelids drooping, utterly unwilling to acknowledge her best friend.

    Yan Yu, over at his room with Zhao Yuanzhen, had already grown accustomed to cohabitation; they didn¡¯t need any communication. The Demonic Sect Enchantress went to freshen up first, while Yan Yu changed into slippers and sat on the bed, beginning to play with his phone.

    Thud, thud, thud! Someone was knocking on the door from outside.

    Yan Yu went over to take a look and found it to be the siblings from the Li Family.

    He opened the door and welcomed the two into the room. Zhao Yuanzhen also heard the noise and peeked out from the bathroom. Seeing that it was Li Zhaojiang and Li Minghu entering, she turned back to continue washing her face.

    ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk!¡± Li Zhaojiang exclaimed, ¡°Comrade Yan, bringing family along to the battlefield? Do you still have the mindset to fight properly?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you also bring family?¡± retorted Yan Yu.

    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Li Zhaojiang first instinctively rebutted, then suddenly realized that the ¡°family¡± Yan Yu referred to was not a ¡°wife¡± but a ¡°sister¡± and quickly defended, ¡°My sister is also a cultivator, how can that be the same?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t Little Zhao a cultivator too?¡± Yan Yu countered.

    ¡°My sister is on the same team as me,¡± Li Zhaojiang continued arguing.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we?¡± Yan Yu asked again.

    Li Zhaojiang finally admitted defeat and Li Minghu, with a smile, spoke up,

    ¡°We¡¯re intruding so early in the morning because there¡¯s a serious matter we¡¯d like to discuss.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, go ahead,¡± said Yan Yu, gesturing for the two to sit down.

    ¡°There are three top battle teams participating this time: Zhenhai, Huofeng, and us,¡± Li Minghu slowly stated, ¡°The Privy Council¡¯s arrangement is that one team is responsible for seizing the Mysterious Realm in the mirror lake of Ailao Mountain, while the other two teams are tasked with intercepting the Witch King Army.¡±

    ¡°The Pingxi Army wants Zhou Hongyu¡¯s team to handle the Mysterious Realm. What¡¯s your opinion on this, Team Yan?¡±

    As everyone knows, whoever conquers the Mysterious Realm will have the right to dispose of its harvest. Not to mention the higher risk of intercepting the Witch King Army and comparatively fewer benefits. Naturally, no one would be pleased.

    Yan Yu pondered briefly and chuckled,

    ¡°Who has what duty, isn¡¯t that decided by the higher-ups? Even if the Pingxi Army wants to negotiate, they should be talking to the Zhendong Army, not to our Zhenhai Team.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Li Minghu replied with a slight smile, ¡°but the response from the Zhendong Army is that they respect the Zhenhai Team¡¯s opinion.¡±

    Yan Yu burst into laughter upon hearing this.

    Lord Li really trusts me, knowing that I would definitely prioritize the greater good, so he deliberately said he respects my opinion, right?

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to our Qing¡¯an Team whether we compete with Zhou Hongyu or not,¡± Li Zhaojiang said indifferently, ¡°The Mysterious Realm is originally within the jurisdiction of the Pingxi Army, so it¡¯s reasonable for them to take it on. Now it¡¯s up to you whether you want to compete with them.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to compete for,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, ¡°Given Zhou Hongyu¡¯s capabilities, it¡¯s more appropriate for her to take on the Mysterious Realm. As for the battle¡­ I fear that she might land back in the ICU just after being discharged.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s also a good point,¡± Li Minghu nodded.

    The words just exchanged, if coming from the Zhendong Army, would be ¡°orders from superiors¡±, and if from the Pingxi Army or the Huofeng Team, might seem like a show of force. Therefore, engaging a third party, the Qing¡¯an Team, to sound out opinions was best, to avoid Yan Yu developing unnecessary thoughts. But in a certain sense, it also reflected the upper echelon¡¯s increasing regard for Yan Yu, the ¡°Longcheng Flying General¡±, to such an extent that they even started considering his thoughts and carefully avoiding any misjudgments.

    Li Minghu, with his acute sensitivity, also knew that the other way of saying ¡°regard¡± was actually ¡°wary¡±.

    It must be because of the recent monk rebellion incident in Jiujiang that the Privy Council started to pay attention to the loyalty issues of top cultivators.

    He who wears a sword may defy the ban; the key isn¡¯t the defiance but possession of the sword. Those two cultivators chose to rebel not only because they had their demands but because they had the martial power. Put simply, as long as individuals have the strength to oppose the collective, rebellion is merely a question of numbers and probability.

    The rebels this time were just cultivators from the Zhendong Army. What about next time? If Yan Yu¡¯s family were hurt, would he bear it and follow protocol, or would he likewise wreak havoc on the enemy¡¯s family?

    If it were me in trouble, would Zhaojiang also¡­

    Li Minghu shuddered at the thought and suppressed his tumultuous emotions, continuing his discussion with Yan Yu:

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that even within the Witch King¡¯s faction, there are two camps, the mainstream following the Witch King to Lu Country; the opposition believes it¡¯s more suitable to seek opportunities in Tianzhu.¡±

    ¡°The Annan Army has already started firing at the front lines this morning, attacking self-organized sorcerers from the other side. It¡¯s said that about forty people were killed or wounded.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s useless,¡± Yan Yu shook his head, ¡°Modern warfare¡¯s approach cannot restrain Transcendents.¡±

    It¡¯s not that modern weapons cannot kill Transcendents, but rather an issue of enemy detection and efficiency. For example, a recent intelligence report indicated that Yin sorcerers can temporarily turn their bodies into Yin Ghosts, appearing as a transparent shadow to the naked eye, hard to discern, immune to physical harm, and invisible to cameras, allowing them to sneak into the border and kill unnoticed. If you cannot even locate them, how are you supposed to fight against that?

    If given enough time, allowing science and technology to advance, there might be ways to find more effective methods, didn¡¯t the previous generation also develop True Yuan storage devices, allowing ordinary soldiers to cast spells?

    But now, with only a little over half a year since the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, they haven¡¯t even fully figured out what kind of dark magic the enemy sorcerers possess. Without a clear understanding of the enemy, there¡¯s no use talking about restraint.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Li Minghu sighed, ¡°Now, the only ones who can effectively intercept Transcendents are Transcendents themselves.¡±

 Chapter 277 - 75 I am the Captain

    Chapter 277: Chapter 75 I am the Captain

    After the Li siblings had left, Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen sat on the bed and began to cultivate their Qi together through a dual breathing refinement technique.

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s aptitude for cultivation was by no means as domineering and irrational as that of the Thank Immortal Venerate, but she was the strongest among the girls in the Zhenhai Team. Otherwise, as an orphan, she would not have been picked up by her master in the first place.

    While refining Qi together with her, Yan Yu felt like a tricycle tied to the exhaust pipe of a luxury sports car with an iron chain, forcibly hitting a speed of 120 miles per hour¡­

    Commonly known as ¡°hitching a speed.¡±

    Hitch! A stark hitch!

    ¡°By the way, how¡¯s your cultivation recovery coming along?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ...

    ¡°I¡¯m about to reach the peak of the Marrow Cleansing Stage,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied.

    Qi Refinement, Marrow Cleansing, Hua Fu. After the transformation of the Purple Mansion comes the Crossing of the Celestial Tribulation and the forming of the Golden Core. The Demonic Sect Enchantress, before crossing over, was at the Hua Fu Stage, but due to the losses both she and Teacher Mei suffered in their fight and the depletion of her True Yuan, coupled with the insufficient Spiritual Energy of the world, it was like trying to fill an empty swimming pool with a tiny water hose¡ªher recovery of True Yuan was naturally excruciatingly slow.

    Luckily, compared with the Cultivation World on the other side, Earth had a distinct advantage: the supply of Elixir Medicine.

    Because the process of refining elixirs requires specific hand gestures, True Yuan to stoke the flames, and waiting for the right celestial timing, the entire elixir refinement process is not fully automated; however, the cultivation, breeding, and harvesting of raw materials are now on an industrial scale.

    It is said that within the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm, a ¡°Spirit Grass Factory¡± with numerous hydroponic production lines has been established, which uses the realm¡¯s rich Spiritual Energy to produce medicinal herbs efficiently.

    Plus, with the policy of resource allocation favoring top cultivators, for cultivators of the Zhenhai Team¡¯s stature, Foundation Establishment Pills are supplied as needed, and the supply never stops. Thus, the speed of Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s recovery of cultivation is so fast.

    As the Demonic Sect Enchantress recovered to the peak of the Marrow Cleansing Stage¡¯s power, Yan Yu, a small Qi Refinement newcomer, once again cultivating together with her, immediately felt a sense of exhilaration, as if being carried by a powerhouse, his abilities improving rapidly as if covering a thousand miles in a day.

    His Qi Refinement stage was also about to reach its peak, and he was about to enter the second stage¡ªthe Marrow Cleansing Stage.

    However, there is a bottleneck between advancing from the Qi Refinement Stage to the Marrow Cleansing Stage, and that is the practice of ¡°Fasting.¡± Even if one has fully mastered Qi Refinement, without mastering Fasting, it is impossible to enter the next stage and begin the process of Marrow Cleansing.

    Fasting refers to the transition of the body¡¯s circulation from being sustenance-dependent to self-sustaining. Ordinary people¡¯s circulation cannot support itself; they need regular intake of grains, vegetables, fruits, and meat to replenish strength. With each meal, impurities from sustenance enter the body, which over time can lead to various illnesses.

    The practice of Fasting draws Spiritual Energy from the outside world into the body, replacing the function of sustenance-induced impurities, allowing a practitioner to be free from hunger without eating and from thirst without drinking. As the body gradually purges foul yin and accumulates pure yang, it marks the first threshold for a common mortal flesh to step onto the path of immortality¡­

    The above is in the exact words of Teacher Mei, albeit in complete contradiction with contemporary medical knowledge. However, history of science holds that ¡°no matter how fake a ¡®pseudo-science¡¯ appears, if it¡¯s repeatedly verified by experiments, it certainly belongs to a higher level of scientific principle that we are currently unable to explain.¡±

    Compared with quantum physics, where God plays dice, the study of Fasting is actually quite comprehensible.

    Yan Yu, who had not embarked on the path of cultivation in his previous life, was completely clueless about how to break through this bottleneck. He asked Zhao Yuanzhen, ¡°I feel like I¡¯m about to complete my Qi Refinement. How should I go about cultivating the practice of Fasting?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s simple,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied. ¡°Don¡¯t eat or drink.¡±

    ¡°Uh,¡± Yan Yu wanted to retort but then remembered that in his previous life, Xie Ruoxi, who stayed at home for extended periods too lazy to order delivery, just persevered until she suddenly achieved Fasting.

    So he frowned and asked again, ¡°If one refrains from eating and drinking and fails to master Fasting, dying of starvation, what then?¡±

    ¡°Then you die,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen answered matter-of-factly. ¡°If you can¡¯t even train in the practice of Fasting, what¡¯s the point of cultivating immortality?¡±

    Yan Yu found himself at a loss for words: He had forgotten that this enchantress hailed from the Demonic Sect. The Demonic Sect did not preach safe cultivation practices¡ªif you can¡¯t cultivate, go die! There are plenty of others to continue the practice!

    His Qi Refinement cultivation was nearly complete, and he must practice Fasting to advance. However, a great battle was fast approaching, so he was faced with two choices:

    Option one was to wait until after the battle to cultivate the practice of Fasting. Although slow, it was safe and reliable.

    Option two was to start fasting now, going into battle facing the dual debuffs of hunger and thirst, the danger of which one could easily imagine.

    Was there a need to hesitate? Of course, he would choose the second option!

    Since Yan Yu was determined to be the strongest in this world, he, of course, could not shrink back just because of two debuffs. In some ways, cultivation is influenced by a form of idealism; if you choose to retreat in the face of hardships and dangers this time, your resolve would be affected, and later, when it¡¯s time to face the Celestial Tribulation or when a desperate struggle is required, you will likewise harbor life-threatening thoughts of escape and retreat.

    ¡°`

    The so-called ¡°one step back, steps back¡± is what this means.

    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, from now on, I will practice the fasting technique,¡± Yan Yu quickly made up his mind and declared seriously.

    ¡°Ah?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was somewhat puzzled and asked, ¡°But¡­ aren¡¯t we about to go to war? With an empty stomach, how are you going to fight against others?¡±

    ¡°What does that matter?¡± Yan Yu haughtily chuckled, ¡°Cultivating the fasting technique is also an essential step on the path of cultivation. How could I interrupt my practice for something like fighting others?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen fell silent. She, of course, understood the principle that in the realm of cultivation, if you do not advance, you retreat.

    But the Demonic Sect never cared much for things like willpower; survival was always the top priority. If there really was a critical moment in fighting others, then stop cultivating for what! If you are at a disadvantage in the fight and get killed by someone, are you going to continue cultivating in the grave?

    Zhao Yuanzhen could understand why Yan Yu chose this path; she definitely wouldn¡¯t have chosen it for herself, and so she nodded and said:

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll bring some snacks and bottled water, and if you can¡¯t take it anymore and beg me on your knees, I¡¯ll share my sustenance with you.¡±

    ¡°Beg you? As if you¡¯re worthy!¡± Yan Yu scoffed contemptuously, ¡°If I really get so hungry that I have no strength left, of course, I¡¯ll have you all fight for me and sweep the enemies around me away! Otherwise, if I consumed food and water, wouldn¡¯t all the hunger and suffering I endured be in vain?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was left speechless, chuckling. She initially wanted to hold a grudge subconsciously, but thinking about how this despicable thief would soon be enduring hunger, her mood quickly improved, and she laughed:

    ¡°Very well, very well. Since you are so formidable, then go ahead and concentrate on your fasting practice. Not only will I not share my sustenance with you, if they try to feed you, I¡¯ll also dissuade them, how does that sound?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s for the best!¡±

    ¡°Hmph, then it¡¯s settled.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen and he struck palms in agreement, secretly laughing to herself.

    The two faced each other across the bed, palms touching as they operated the Grand Circulation to transfer True Qi. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Several hours later, Yan Yu slowly raised his hand to end the exchange, only to find that his True Yuan was not increasing as much as it had in previous sessions.

    It wasn¡¯t that the dual cultivation method had stopped working, but rather that the gaseous True Yuan in his dantian was nearing saturation and could hardly take in more True Yuan.

    Practicing the fasting technique to break through this bottleneck was now of the utmost urgency!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The next morning, Yan Yu awoke from his sleep to the sound of someone knocking at the door.

    ¡°Time to get up!¡± It was that familiar alarm-clock voice again.

    Yan Yu got out of bed, opened the door, and saw Lin Ning standing outside with a breakfast tray, wearing an expression that seemed to say, ¡°Why did you get up so late?¡±, and spoke with disdain:

    ¡°You got up too late today; the hotel¡¯s dining room has already closed! I conveniently brought you breakfast, so hurry up and say ¡®Thank you, Lin Ning.¡¯

    ¡°Thank you, Lin Ning,¡± Yan Yu said with a strange expression, ¡°I appreciate the gesture, but I¡¯ve started practicing the fasting technique and cannot eat or drink; go give it to them instead.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re practicing fasting?¡± Lin Ning was initially astonished, then realized what was happening and quickly began to persuade, ¡°Even so, you can¡¯t just not eat or drink! We might have to fight later! How can you fight on an empty stomach?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve made up my mind.¡± Yan Yu shook his head with a stern expression, ¡°No need to persuade me further.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be crazy, okay?¡± Lin Ning was unwilling to give up, continuing to persuade, ¡°What¡¯ll you do if you get hypoglycemic and dizzy during the fight? You don¡¯t need the enemy to kill you; you¡¯ll starve yourself down!¡±

    Yan Yu still shook his head in silence.

    ¡°You¡¯ll regret this!¡± Seeing that he was impervious to reason, Lin Ning got even more frustrated, took the breakfast tray, and went to knock on Chen Lingyun¡¯s door next door, intending to complain bitterly to the girls.

    Yan Yu remained indifferent, merely saying coldly:

    ¡°Complaining won¡¯t help; I¡¯m the team leader!¡±

    With a slam, Lin Ning entered Chen Lingyun¡¯s room and closed the door heavily behind her.

 Chapter 278 - 76: Everyones Last Letters

    Chapter 278: Chapter 76: Everyone¡¯s Last Letters

    Lin Ning¡¯s complaint had been effective; it wasn¡¯t long before all the girls gathered in Yan Yu¡¯s room, chattering nonstop.

    ¡°Must you cultivate the Fasting technique at this precise moment?¡± Su Yunjin asked with concern, ¡°Can¡¯t it be postponed by half a month or a month, waiting until the warfare stabilizes before continuing?¡±

    ¡°Advancing in cultivation is like rowing against the current; if you don¡¯t advance, you fall behind. Where is the luxury to waste half a month or an entire month?¡± Yan Yu scoffed at the notion.

    Chen Lingyun said nothing, but she probably understood why Yan Yu would make such a choice.

    The upper limit of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence had been raised, and everyone was racing against time to enhance their strength, not caring whether you were at war on your side.

    If Yan Yu¡¯s cultivation were to stagnate for half a month or a month, would Lord Master Liu Longtao wait for him? And what about the other Transcendents from abroad? By then, not to mention being the strongest in this world, maintaining a top position would be difficult.

    ...

    Of course, enduring the dual debuffs of hunger and thirst and still choosing to fight is a decision not easily made by most people; it only shows that the Longcheng Flying General truly has guts and audacity.

    ¡°Ling Yun, you try to persuade him,¡± Lin Ning said anxiously from the side.

    ¡°It¡¯s no use persuading him,¡± Chen Lingyun said indifferently, ¡°after all, he is the team leader.¡±

    ¡°Smart,¡± praised Yan Yu.

    Of course, although Chen Lingyun could empathize with his thoughts, he still preferred the likes of Su Yunjin and Lin Ning, who worried about him, just as Cao Cao preferred Cao Pi, who would cry before his departure, over Cao Zhi.

    ¡°Um, I also think that cultivating the Fasting technique without eating or drinking before a big battle isn¡¯t a good idea, right?¡± Xie Ruoxi carefully said, ¡°Although we are to obey the team leader¡¯s decisions, what if we encounter low blood sugar and intense battle at the same time? Shouldn¡¯t we have some emergency measures in place just in case?¡±

    ¡°I said we should carry food and water with us so we can feed him and save his life at the critical moment,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said with schadenfreude, ¡°but he said I wasn¡¯t worthy, so there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡±

    ¡°Consuming food and water takes too long to digest, and in a real emergency, we might not have the time,¡± Su Yunjin said after a moment of silence, ¡°I¡¯ll go to the medical room and get some glucose injection fluid¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait a minute, injecting glucose is too outrageous,¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help interrupting as their discussion became more and more preposterous, ¡°If I truly have low blood sugar and am performing poorly, I can simply use the Invisibility Technique to hide somewhere, and you can deal with the enemies for me.¡±

    The girls fell into contemplation upon hearing this.

    Although during battles the team leader often acted alone, he would always tie down the most powerful enemy, reducing frontal pressure for the team.

    This time, however, he was going to truly stand by and watch, leaving the girls momentarily devoid of the confidence to say, ¡°Then just watch us from the sidelines¡±¡ªespecially since the last time Chen Lingyun had led the team alone, she ended up in the ICU, a cautionary tale!

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± after a moment, Lin Ning was the first to rally with full fighting spirit, ¡°If the team leader really can¡¯t perform well, we can¡¯t force him to keep protecting us, right? We need to exert ourselves too!¡±

    Rather than forcing Yan Yu to fight enemies with negative debuffs affecting him, it would be better for me to give it my all, putting forth 200% effort in the fight, even doing his part!

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Su Yunjin had no objections, ¡°then let¡¯s protect you.¡±

    Chen Lingyun could think of it, and she too eventually came to realize it after being late to understand.

    Since Yan Yu was adamant about not changing his mind, it was up to us to protect him during this ¡°weak period.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen, however, had objections. Previously, the little thief had said, ¡°You¡¯re not worthy,¡± so why should I bother protecting him?

    She rolled her eyes beautifully, about to sarcastically refuse, only to hear Yan Yu say:

    ¡°Protect me? Forget it; I¡¯d be grateful if you can protect yourselves.¡±

    His characteristic arrogance immediately kindled the ire of the Demonic Sect Enchantress, who retorted loudly:

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too much! We¡¯ll see, when a certain someone is so starved that they have no strength, who ends up protecting whom!¡±

    Hmm, why do I feel like I¡¯ve been subtly tricked¡­ Never mind! Since the little thief looks down on me, I¡¯ll just have to protect him fiercely and slap his face!

    ¡°What about you, Ruoxi?¡± Su Yunjin turned to ask.

    ¡°I have no objections,¡± Xie Ruoxi shook her head, ¡°If the team leader is in trouble, I definitely won¡¯t stand idly by.¡±

    Ah, I thought I was riding on the seven-colored clouds as the hero; I never expected that I would end up in this role¡­

    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s agree on this.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smiling eye as she stoked the fire, ¡°Once someone is as hungry as a starved dog, we¡¯ll find a place to dig a hole and bury him in it to continue his training.¡±

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s what we¡¯ll do!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen exclaimed, clapping in approval.

    ¡°Such unrealistic fantasies; you¡¯re all daydreaming,¡± Yan Yu scoffed coldly, holding no punches, ¡°I am the team leader! Even if I¡¯m not in top form, I can crush you all with one hand!¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll just wait and see how our hungry leader shows off his divine powers,¡± the girls giggled one after another.

    Seeing them all so disrespectful, rebellious, and dismissive of their elder, Yan Yu too became annoyed and said sternly:

    ¡°Where are the wills? I asked each of you to write a will for me yesterday. Have you all written them?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± Lin Ning took out her phone and said, ¡°I¡¯ll text it to you¡­ Oh right, no peeking!¡±

    ¡°I promise I won¡¯t look,¡± Yan Yu said earnestly.

    Lin Ning sent the text, and Yan Yu¡¯s phone immediately popped up with a notification of a new message.

    He didn¡¯t open it in front of Lin Ning but instead brought his phone close to his mouth and ordered:

    ¡°Far ahead, read the text message out loud.¡± S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Okay,¡± the calm voice of the phone¡¯s smart assistant responded, ¡°Proceeding to read the text message in order. Sender: Ningning. Content of the text¡­¡±

    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re really asking for death!¡± Lin Ning, enraged, lunged over and chased Yan Yu around the sofa, finally snatching his phone away, and shouted with a red face:

    ¡°Stop!!!!!!!¡±

    Her voice nearly flipped the roof before the smart assistant¡¯s calm voice stated:

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    The girls burst into laughter. They all saw that Yan Yu had purposely let Ningning catch up at the last second ¨C one second later, and he would have read the contents of the message aloud.

    Lin Ning, still not satisfied, launched a deadly thirteen-kick combo at Yan Yu, each kick aimed at the lower part of his body.

    Yan Yu lifted a chair next to him to block all her series of kicks, leaving Lin Ning gasping for breath.

    ¡°I¡¯ll send mine to the leader too,¡± Su Yunjin took out her phone, touched the screen, and said, ¡°I wrote three wills. You can¡¯t read the ones for my dad and mom. The one for the leader, you can read.¡±

    Yan Yu was speechless: true to her nature as a literary girl, she actually managed to write three wills, and one was specifically for me¡­ holy shit, are you trying to catch me off guard?

    ¡°Cough cough.¡± He then spoke earnestly, ¡°I¡¯ve said before, writing wills isn¡¯t about showing them to others, it¡¯s to calm one¡¯s heart and spirit so that when the crucial moment comes, one can give their all without fear of death. What about the others?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve written my will,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°I wrote it before I enrolled in school and left it at home.¡±

    ¡°Oh right,¡± Yan Yu remembered, Chen Lingyun¡¯s whole family were all eccentrics; they had all written their wills long ago, clearly outlining how their possessions should be distributed if they unfortunately passed away, updating them every six months, complete with a dedicated legal team to notarize them promptly.

    Of course, every member of her family did have a whole bunch of assets to deal with; what¡¯s from before marriage, jointly owned after marriage, held on behalf of parents¡­ it¡¯s quite normal for them to update their wills regularly.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, of course, didn¡¯t need to say much; everyone knew Sister Zhao had no worries or attachments, and she wouldn¡¯t care about wills. Everyone just turned their gaze toward Xie Ruoxi.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi hesitated for a moment before confirming again, ¡°The purpose of writing this will is just to free ourselves from worry, right?¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    ¡°I understand now.¡± Xie Ruoxi finally made up her mind and edited a text message to send to Yan Yu on the spot.

    The content was brief, a single sentence so short it didn¡¯t need to be opened; the complete message already showed up in the phone¡¯s top banner notification.

    [Sender: Ruoxi]

    [Bro, my inheritance is in my bank card, the password hasn¡¯t changed. Have someone format my computer¡¯s hard drive, clear my chat history, and don¡¯t look at it.]

 Chapter 279 - 77: Behind Enemy Lines, Corpse-Born Mud Sea

    Chapter 279: Chapter 77: Behind Enemy Lines, Corpse-Born Mud Sea

    The day for deployment had at last arrived. A pre-battle oath-taking assembly was held in the camp while the Allied Forces headquarters began assigning tasks.

    As previously communicated, Huofeng Team was responsible for the conquest of the Mysterious Realm in the Mirror Lake of the Ailao Mountains, and most of the other teams were working with the Pingxi Army to set up defenses, intercepting the enemy forces moving north.

    The opposition was primarily made up of civilian sorcerers, with no limitations on supplies like ammunition, and having suffered heavy losses under the long-range artillery of the Annan Army, they now operated in decentralized tactical teams of three to five, each acting independently, some without even a unified command or coordination¡­ This decentralized situation was somewhat bothersome for the headquarters, inducing a feeling of vexation, as if ¡°despite being overwhelmingly more powerful than the enemy, we are dragged down by the endless guerrilla tactics into a quagmire of policing conflict.¡±

    Losing the battle was, of course, out of the question. But even if 99% of the Transcendents were eliminated, allowing the remaining 1% to infiltrate could still cause considerable damage. And since the sorcerers possessed various unfathomable and unpreventable spell techniques, there truly wasn¡¯t a better means to deal with this handful of cockroaches, each hard to kill and selected from a hundred miles around.

    To put it in a metaphor, it was like humans dealing with cockroaches in a house¡ªeasy to kill a roach, but cleaning them out completely is quite challenging.

    After discussions and assessments by the superiors of the Privy Council, a rather aggressive tactical plan, codenamed ¡°Champion Marquis,¡± was ultimately developed.

    ...

    In imitation of the historical event involving the Champion Marquis Huo Qubing of the Han dynasty, the plan involved penetrating enemy territory to launch a surprise decapitation strike on the Witch King¡¯s headquarters, forcing the Witch King to call back a significant number of troops for defense, thereby greatly relieving the defensive pressure within the borders.

    Of course, the Sorcerer Alliance Army as a whole exhibited a decentralized tendency. Many civilian Transcendents joined the northward movement in pursuit of cultivation resources not to protect the Witch King, so one couldn¡¯t expect a single decapitation strategy to solve everything.

    Both the ¡°Champion Marquis Squad,¡± tasked with the decapitation strike, and other teams working in consort with the Annan and Pingxi Armies within the territory, were to face an unprecedented rigorous test.

    The Champion Marquis Squad needed to act like the tip of the spear, and it goes without saying that they required only the best members.

    The Zhenghai and Qingan teams, comprising a total of 11 members, akin to two special forces squads, would cooperate and act in concert.

    Thus, the Privy Council had officially authorized orders, placing ¡°Longcheng Flying General¡± Yan Yu in charge of leading the team, granting him full authority for all decisions during the operation, with the primary goal of suppressing and beheading the Witch King, permitting lethal action both domestically and abroad.

    Upon receiving this authorization, Yan Yu wasn¡¯t particularly surprised; it was as expected. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The Privy Council of his former life always adhered to this heroism mindset: in order to protect as many civilians as possible, lower-level cultivators were to intercept the enemy, while higher-level cultivators took on the higher-risk decapitation tasks¡­ The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility¡ªthe hero is expected to give more, even to sacrifice more.

    This mode of thinking diverged sharply from foreign perspectives. For foreign Transcendent powers, the more senior the Transcendent, the more valuable they were considered and the more they needed to be preserved in combat, whereas defenseless civilians could be sacrificed without a second thought.

    It¡¯s hard to say which mode of thinking was superior. Even though Yan Yu himself upheld the heroism of protecting the country, he couldn¡¯t deny that sometimes this mindset was fatal: for instance, the death of the Valkyrie in his previous life was a damn huge loss.

    Enough about that.

    In this life¡­ I will shoulder the burden, I will give permission, I will bear the weight of Lu Country!

    After receiving the orders, everyone quickly left the headquarters and rose into the sky on their swords.

    ¡°Old Yan,¡± Li Zhaojiang said with deep meaning, ¡°we¡¯re following you this time, so you better act the part of the big brother well.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Yan Yu replied indifferently, ¡°First on the battlefield, I¡¯ll send you.¡±

    ¡°What? We trust you as our big brother, yet you want us to bear the brunt when things get tough?¡± Li Zhaojiang pretended to be dissatisfied, ¡°Rebellion! The brothers will revolt and turn the tables fiercely!¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Yan Yu remained calm, ¡°then I¡¯ll change and send your sister instead.¡±

    ¡°Dammit!¡± Li Zhaojiang was stunned and exclaimed, ¡°So, making it tough for a woman, huh? You really have the guts, Yan Yu!¡±

    ¡°Ha, getting worked up again.¡±

    ¡°Enough, Ah Jiang, stop joking around,¡± Li Minghu finally spoke, ¡°Yan Yu, what are we going to do next?¡±

    ¡°Find the Witch King first,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    That said, the problem was that the Witch King wouldn¡¯t be walking around wearing a sign on his head inscribed with ¡°I am the Witch King¡± in four large Lu Country characters.

    Modern decapitation missions often rely on intelligence infiltration, like having intelligence on someone¡¯s whereabouts and then following that intelligence to carry out a decapitation.

    But conversely, without intelligence, it would be difficult to pinpoint the exact location of the Witch King.

    ¡°I¡¯ll contact the Annan Army for more intelligence support,¡± Li Minghu said in a deep voice.

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu waved his hand, ¡°Don¡¯t trouble the military intelligence personnel at the front line. I have my ways.¡±

    What ways? Shark!

    Don¡¯t underestimate this creature; it¡¯s a precious experience concluded by countless cultivators from a previous life. The principle lies in the fact that the top leader of a Transcendent¡¯s power is often the strongest Transcendent in the group.

    As long as you relentlessly Shark, intensely Shark, chaotically Shark! If you Shark the lower-level Transcendents into a field of corpses, if those above don¡¯t show themselves, morale will crumble; if they do emerge, then you can capture them, follow the leads, and find their heads¡­ In this manner, layer by layer, it would take at most five or six tries to lock onto the very top leader.

    It seems that the structure of Transcendent powers is actually quite flat.

    Hearing Yan Yu explain this, everyone secretly felt relieved.

    Apart from the transcendent skills cultivated, everyone was essentially like college students who had not yet entered society, lacking in life experience and social savvy. Confronted with this kind of situation, they were utterly at a loss, not knowing where to start.

    Yan Yu said we do not need to do anything but Shark. That¡¯s perfect, it¡¯s exactly what we¡¯re best at!

    Thus, everyone¡¯s spirits were lifted, and following the highland terrain, they moved southward, quickly crossing the border line.

    The Southern borderlands were densely forested, with public roads and dirt tracks interwoven, with climbing vegetation severing these paths in places. Some areas still had large craters left by artillery barrages, but there were no signs of current fighting¡ªit may have been traces of battles between mortal armies and civilian Transcendents, with the former now wiped out.

    A heavy fog suddenly arose in the distance, a dark teal color, rolling in with the wind, and in nearly the blink of an eye approached the group.

    ¡°Land,¡± Yan Yu quickly telepathically ordered.

    Everyone immediately descended with their sword light, swiftly dropping below the canopy of trees, the sound of rushing wind and rustling leaves above them as if a tide of countless insects was sweeping past.

    The toxic miasma of Green Saint.

    Similar to the ¡°Eternal Night Curtain¡± of the Northern borderlands of the past, the Sorcerers of the Southern border had also cultivated almost endless varieties of miasmas, not only to help them shield from satellite surveillance but also to completely lock down air superiority¡ªeven drones entering it would corrode to nothing. If a sword-control cultivator carelessly fell into it, they would be reduced to bones instantly.

    Luckily, the miasma seemed to be uncontrolled for now, merely roaming about aimlessly. The group landed in the forest and evaded the pursuit of the Green Saint miasma, only to see that below was a rotting swamp, its stench assaultive.

    Countless dry tree roots twisted and contorted like deformed limbs, winding through the foul and filthy mire, with a mass of bones partially visible within them, swarming with flies as if at a grand feast. This sight sent shivers down the spines of the cultivators and made them feel nauseous.

    Before setting out, they had received intelligence from the command headquarters that this was the ¡°Sea of Corpse Growth¡± created by the wicked magic of Sorcerers, which was generating the various miasmas that now plagued the Southern borderlands.

    The birth of each Sea of Corpse Growth required the flesh and blood of a large number of mortals as sacrificial offerings. The massive expanse of bones and mire underneath the group¡¯s feet signified that at least tens of thousands of ¡°offerings¡± had been driven here from nearby villages like cattle, only to be brutally slaughtered by dark and wicked magic.

    Such Seas of Corpse Growth, large and small, now covered every corner of the Southern borderlands, for a reason that was even more brutal and direct: the warring Sorcerer powers, incessantly fighting and killing each other. If you have a Sea of Corpse Growth and I do not, you can freely summon the miasmas, launching a war of extermination against me, so I must also create a Sea of Corpse Growth, regardless of the slaughter it entails!

    The girls, witnessing this hellish and tragic sight, all showed signs of disgust, rejection, and sympathy; Li Zhaojiang and the other men, however, were indifferent¡ªafter all, it wasn¡¯t their kin who had been massacred; what did it have to do with them?

    Only Yan Yu slightly frowned, sighing inwardly.

    The wild growth of civilian Transcendents meant endless internal strife and cannibalization. Behind ¡°every person practising and gaining power¡± lay mountains of the weak and dead. Wasn¡¯t the paradise of a few cultivators a hell for the countless mortals?

    I, Yan Yu, lack great wisdom and can¡¯t design a social system that allows Transcendents and mortals to live together in harmony.

    All I have is a Huang Tingjian sword, ready to send you all to hell. Where is the Witch King?

    He turned his head and signaled, and Xie Ruoxi stimulated her True Yuan, sending a bolt of lightning into the mire ahead, creating a thunderous uproar.

    Son after, a Witchcraft Squad, alarmed, came floating over from the distance on a sullen breeze to find the culprit who had disturbed the Sea of Corpse Growth¡­ Seeing the multitude of suspended sword lights in the air, they were instantly taken aback.

    ¡°Kill,¡± Yan Yu ordered dispassionately.

 Chapter 280 - 78: Crumbling Decay, Dew Spreads Everywhere

    Chapter 280: Chapter 78: Crumbling Decay, Dew Spreads Everywhere

    Rikoku Cultivators have the ¡°Sword Flight¡± technique, and sorcerers also possess a similar spell, called ¡°Krahang¡±.

    As of now, the Privy Council hasn¡¯t provided an accurate translation, but it is known that it involves a Yin sorcerer activating a spell to command a certain type of Yin ghost to lie on a comrade¡¯s back, which enables them to be as light as a feather and take off from the ground, where they pass, there¡¯s always a burst of cold wind¡ªIn a previous life, Rikoku called this spell ¡°Ghost Walking Technique¡±.

    The weakness of the Ghost Walking Technique is quite obvious. For instance, the sorcerer who is possessed can¡¯t control their flight, as the possessing Yin ghost¡¯s movement only follows the commands of the Yin sorcerer. Some sorcerers cleverly use large fans to try to influence the direction of their flight, but it¡¯s actually not very effective.

    That is to say, by simply killing the team¡¯s Yin sorcerer, one could break everyone¡¯s flying spell. Of course, the enemy is surely well aware of this and would definitely focus on using various concealment methods.

    At Yan Yu¡¯s command, everyone immediately launched into action with Sword Control, engaging in a melee with the opposing sorcerers.

    Lin Ning, Li Minghu, and Jiang Hong are all Sword Immortals, the fastest in reaction speed, employing their Sword Flight slashing technique, transforming it into a formidable sword light that instantly killed three opponents.

    ...

    The rest of the group also used their divine abilities, hurling spells and magical artifacts at the enemy haphazardly. Only Yan Yu did not join the attack, instead controlling the Huang Tingjian to patrol the battlefield, specifically intercepting threatening attacks from the opposition, to prevent any danger to their own side.

    With the Longcheng Flying General personally providing cover, the others were free to act, and soon the battlefield turned one-sided. Chen Lingyun, positioned at the rear and lazily casting the Impact Curse, suddenly heard Yan Yu transmit a message:

    ¡°Ten o¡¯clock direction, 70 meters, a hidden enemy is trying to escape, with the Prison Banner.¡±

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s eyes lit up, and she quickly activated the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, exerting her full power to employ the Heart Capturing Technique, sweeping forcefully towards the ten o¡¯clock direction.

    Sure enough, in the seemingly empty space between the trees, as soon as the Prison Banner¡¯s radiance swept over, a staggering figure was revealed.

    ¡°Kuntilanak,¡± a former translation in Rikoku for the ¡°Ghost Transformation Technique,¡± is used to let a Yin sorcerer be possessed by a Yin ghost, thus turning into a spirit shadow difficult for the naked eye to discern. Even if discovered by a Cultivator¡¯s Divine Sense, it can still be immune to most physical damage, and its life-saving effect is undeniably strong.

    Unfortunately for him, he was the least lucky to encounter the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, which was the most effective against Yin ghosts. The semi-transparent Resentful Spirit possessing him, hit by the Heart Capturing Technique, suddenly let out a pitiful howl of pain as it was forcibly ripped from the body of the Yin sorcerer and sucked into the Prison Banner.

    Suddenly bereft of the possessing Yin ghost, the Yin sorcerer plummeted unprepared from the sky, only to be pierced through the skull by a White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin fired by Zhao Yuanzhen, falling then and there, as dead as one can be!

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress used to control her physical body with Sword Control for remote puppet killing, and the puppets, known as ¡°the most complex magical artifacts to operate,¡± require meticulous direction for every movement, posture, and attack method.

    Now, with the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, the difficulty of operation had dropped more than a notch, making the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s killing spree all the more thrilling!

    Su Yunjin trapped the opposite target with the South Dipper Star River formation, kill!

    Li Zhaojiang absorbed the enemy¡¯s magical artifact with the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light, kill!

    Chen Lingyun shook the Prison Banner, causing some distant enemy to fall? Never mind the details, just kill! Not a single head would escape my finishing blow!

    Zhao Yuanzhen just focused on finishing off the enemies, but didn¡¯t expect that the death of this Yin sorcerer would trigger a domino effect over the entire field, with all the still alive sorcerers falling from the sky like wing-broken crows, rapidly plummeting into the morass.

    The Sea of Corpse Birth was notoriously poison-filled to the extreme, and those sorcerers, falling helplessly into it, were dissolved by the mud sea within mere moments, reduced to sinister white skeletons.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Yan Yu saw the battle¡¯s end and nonchalantly waved his hand, leading the group away from the area.

    There was no need to evaluate the performance in this battle; the opposing sorcerers were just too weak, almost on par with local military manor Cultivators in Rikoku; pitted against the top-tier Cultivator team from the same country, the outcome was naturally one-sided.

    In fact, even without the others¡¯ intervention, just the three Sword Immortals¡ªLin Ning, Li Minghu, and Jiang Hong¡ªgiven more time, could also have killed all the opponents without injury.

    But if the number of adversaries had been several orders of magnitude greater, and the difficulty of the melee had increased accordingly, relying solely on the Sword Immortals would hardly be enough to handle such a large-scale battle, which is why coordination with other magic Cultivators, assistant officers, and envoys was necessary.

    As they continued to seek the next group of sorcerers, Li Minghu took advantage of the calm before encountering new enemies to reflect on the battle, as was the habit of the Qing¡¯an team, saying:

    ¡°Everyone did well just now, but there are a few points to take note of.¡±

    ¡°Jiang Hong, don¡¯t just focus on attacking; a Sword Immortal must have a good overall perspective. There were many attacks you could have intercepted but missed. Yan was the one who had to step in to intercept them. You must adjust your offense and defense rhythm in time according to the overall situation on the battlefield.¡±

    Jiang Hong nodded seriously, indicating he would take it to heart.

    ¡°Haoran, your Qing Shi Chang Jian is a strong control type, it¡¯s not just about waiting for others to coordinate with you, you also need to be aware of providing others opportunities to coordinate with you,¡± Li Minghu continued, ¡°You could learn from Sister Zhao¡¯s ability to seize the right moment.¡±

    Why are you also calling her Sister Zhao? Yan Yu wondered, but then saw Wang Haoran laughingly say:

    ¡°Sister Zhao¡¯s talent in targeting with her artifacts is indeed formidable, and I would appreciate more guidance from her in the future.¡±

    ¡°Naturally,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, secretly thrilled by the praise, maintained a senior¡¯s posture, and said indifferently.

    ¡°Tao Xingyuan,¡± Li Minghu pondered for a moment, ¡°I¡¯m not very knowledgeable about spells, so you can keep taking advice from Li Zhaojiang on the details. My suggestion is not to panic too much on the battlefield. It¡¯s better to be prepared and wait for the right moment than to strike recklessly without achieving any feats. Observe how Yun Jin selects her targets and gradually learn.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Tao Xingyuan replied earnestly.

    After commenting on the performance of all three team members, Li Minghu did not criticize his younger brother (after all, he needed to maintain his authority as the team leader) but instead turned his gaze to Yan Yu and asked softly:

    ¡°Does Captain Yan have any opinions?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much,¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°The enemy is too weak. It¡¯s like the test questions being too simple; you can get a high score even by haphazardly answering them, so it¡¯s meaningless to nitpick and analyze mistakes.¡±

    Daring to say that my sister is nitpicking? Li Zhaojiang was just about to retort when he heard Li Minghu laughingly say:

    ¡°Indeed, I was perhaps too anxious.¡±

    ¡°Everyone else has had their say, but I do have a question for you,¡± Yan Yu suddenly shifted the tone, continuing, ¡°You¡¯re both engaging in Sword Flight across the battlefield and keeping an eye on everyone¡¯s performance. Doesn¡¯t that tire you out?¡±

    ¡°Discussing whether it¡¯s tiring or not is meaningless,¡± Li Minghu replied tactfully, ¡°Both the team leader and deputy team leader, apart from leading the charge, must also take on the responsibility of leading the entire team. Captain Yan, weren¡¯t you also saving the day throughout the battle?¡±

    ¡°No, I was just slacking off,¡± Yan Yu earnestly denied, ¡°Just like Li Zhaojiang.¡±

    ¡°How was I slacking off!¡± Li Zhaojiang immediately became furious, ¡°I was focused on the attack, okay?¡±

    His Yuan Magnetic Divine Light would interfere with his teammates¡¯ Flying Swords, so he couldn¡¯t use it frequently. Most of the time, he deployed his Sword Control Technique to harm the enemy. Yet now, Yan Yu had described it as ¡°slacking off,¡± which was unbearable for him.

    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s because the enemy is too weak, and there¡¯s no need for you to go all out,¡± Li Minghu mused.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu concluded indifferently, ¡°If a lion had to use all its strength to fight a rabbit, how many rabbits could it catch in a day? Would it be enough to fill its belly?¡±

    Li Minghu fell silent in thought.

    She discerned the implication of Yan Yu¡¯s words¡ªthe trashy enemy was not worth exhausting herself over; it would be better to rest properly.

    Li Zhaojiang had wanted to quarrel some more, but even Yan Yu¡¯s statement left him at a loss for words.

    In a way, he agreed with the perspective of ¡°not letting sister overexert herself¡±¡­ although he did not want to openly agree with Yan Yu.

    The group continued on their journey via Sword Flight, when suddenly someone sent a voice transmission to Yan Yu¡ªit was Lin Ning, who couldn¡¯t help but ask:

    ¡°How come you only commented on them? What about me?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I already say it?¡± Yan Yu asked, puzzled.

    ¡°Say what?¡±

    ¡°The enemy is too weak, so there¡¯s no need for you all to go all out, and hence no point in a detailed analysis.¡±

    ¡°Then why did you still help Deputy Team Leader Li with his analysis to find issues?¡± Lin Ning continued to question. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°What, are you jealous?¡± Yan Yu countered.

    ¡°I just can¡¯t stand you playing favorites!¡± Lin Ning promptly got angry.

    ¡°Shh, don¡¯t make a fuss,¡± Yan Yu soothed her patiently, ¡°I¡¯ll teach you a few powerful moves later.¡±

    Lin Ning wanted to stay annoyed for a while longer, but she couldn¡¯t help breaking into a smile soon after.

    But she didn¡¯t expect her subtle expression to be fully observed by Su Yunjin beside her.

    Although she couldn¡¯t hear their secret voice transmission, the literary girl with a delicate disposition could guess some of it and decided to test Yan Yu by asking:

    ¡°What did the team leader promise Ningning? As the team leader, you treat all team members equally, right?¡±

    Yan Yu suddenly felt a heavy sense of suffocation and hastily plucked up the courage to say:

    ¡°You too!¡±

 Chapter 281 - 79: Yan Yus Rich Experience

    Chapter 281: Chapter 79: Yan Yu¡¯s Rich Experience

    But everyone had escaped from the Sea of the Dead and continued to move south along the road by Sword Flight, searching for nearby human settlements.

    This cross-border beheading was a high-risk mission, and if there were any leaks that allowed the Witch King to become aware of the team¡¯s whereabouts, it would pose a serious threat to the cultivators. That¡¯s why no one wore cameras.

    Without the surveillance of cameras, Yan Yu could confidently teach everyone some techniques without worrying that they would be recorded and studied in great detail.

    ¡°Sword Flight is you using True Yuan to stimulate the sword¡¯s light, which then envelops your body and drags you along as it flies, right?¡± Yan Yu asked telepathically.

    ¡°Right,¡± Lin Ning responded immediately.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you find it strange?¡± Yan Yu asked persuasively, ¡°Following this logic, the True Yuan for flight is provided by yourself, so why do you need to transfer True Yuan to the Flying Sword first?¡±

    ...

    ¡°Because I am very slow when flying with the Cloud Ascension Technique on my own,¡± Lin Ning replied instinctively, but soon she realized that wasn¡¯t quite right.

    If Yan Yu asked her this, it meant there must be ¡°a better way of Sword Control Flight.¡±

    ¡°Ultimately, it is because you subconsciously see yourself and the Flying Sword as separate entities,¡± Yan Yu attempted to inspire her insight, ¡°Since they are different, the sword can fly fast while you are slow, which is why you need the Flying Sword to drag you.¡±

    ¡°And with the added burden of your weight, even the Flying Sword¡¯s speed and power will be affected, causing the True Yuan you utilize for Sword Flight to not be fully applied to attack. Some of it gets internally dissipated.¡±

    Lin Ning pondered silently for a moment, and then she thought of using her physics knowledge to understand the concept: if she was the power source and the Flying Sword was the electrical appliance, connecting the power source and the appliance with a wire would definitely result in some energy loss along the wire.

    So how could this energy loss be reduced?

    The answer, of course, is to make the wire as short as possible or even better, to directly interface the power source with the appliance, minimizing the resistance in the process!

    ¡°Are you saying¡­¡± She suddenly had a flash of inspiration and cleverly said, ¡°If I could fully merge with the sword¡¯s light, becoming one with the sword and the sword one with me, then there would be no ¡®dragging me along¡¯ loss! Previously, learning Sword Flight was about drawing the sword¡¯s light closer until it could envelop me; but if I could get even closer, couldn¡¯t it evolve from ¡®envelopment¡¯ to ¡®fusion,¡¯ thereby maximizing the efficiency of the True Yuan driving the Flying Sword?¡±

    Yan Yu was astonished, because Sister Lin¡¯s deductive result was entirely correct.

    When a Sword Immortal provides True Yuan to a Flying Sword, there¡¯s bound to be some loss. The Sword Control Technique, since it is transmitted by the mind across a distance, results in the greatest loss; while the Sword-Human Unity inside the sword¡¯s light reduces the loss significantly, and its attack power is naturally far stronger than the Sword Control Technique.

    As for the strongest form, Sword-Human Unity, there is no distinction between the cultivator and the Flying Sword, with almost zero loss of True Yuan. When outputting True Yuan at its maximum, the speed and force of the sword¡¯s light are also elevated to an indestructible level.

    This is the best move of the Sword Immortal¡ªSword-Human Unity! Even in the late period of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, Yan Yu frequently chose Sword-Human Unity as his killer move to neatly reap the lives of his opponents.

    Of course, the method of training for Sword-Human Unity had not yet appeared in Teacher Mei¡¯s mandatory Sword Immortal course materials, so Yan Yu could not explain the principles in too much detail to avoid arousing suspicion for no reason.

    But Lin Ning¡¯s sudden burst of intelligence was a huge success, and based on Yan Yu¡¯s verbal hints, she invented the theory of Sword-Human Unity on her own¡­ That¡¯s not my business! She figured it out herself¡ªif there is an investigation, they should look for her!

    Seeing Yan Yu did not rebut but acknowledged her theory, Lin Ning was instantly thrilled.

    Currently, she could only manage to have the sword¡¯s light envelop her; she was far from achieving ¡°fusion with the sword¡¯s light,¡± but since this path was viable, she could, of course, persistently try to bring the sword¡¯s light closer to herself each time until she fully mastered this powerful technique! sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    It was like memorizing an English dictionary¡ªlearn a few words every day, and just keep at it!

    Abandon!

    Seeing Lin Ning easily handled, Yan Yu too was reassured.

    Having been a Sword Immortal for nearly a lifetime in his previous life, his memory was packed with plenty of swordsmanship skills that could be imparted to Ningning gradually, so he wasn¡¯t worried about running out of things to teach.

    But what about Yun Jin? I don¡¯t understand Taoism Method at all!

    After careful thought, Yan Yu did come up with an idea:

    Although I don¡¯t understand Taoist methods, my extensive experience in fighting allows me to teach Yun Jin how to fight flexibly!

    ¡°Yun Jin, I remember you mentioned last time,¡± he sent a message to Su Yunjin, asking, ¡°You don¡¯t know how to combine Taoist methods with your Sword Control Technique?¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Su Yunjin felt a subtle joy, surprised that the captain still had her concerns in mind, ¡°it¡¯s just that once my Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art traps the enemy, the chaotic flows around them also impede my sword, making it inconvenient for me to assassinate or deal the finishing blow. Do you have any good ideas, Captain?¡±

    ¡°To trap your enemy with your Taoist methods, a sufficient amount of chaotic flows is definitely necessary,¡± Yan Yu analyzed, ¡°If the water flows aren¡¯t chaotic enough, the enemy will find a direction to break free. Therefore, to coordinate with the Sword Control Technique, I can think of two solutions.¡±

    ¡°One is to suddenly cease the Taoist method and at the same time control the Flying Sword to execute a killing strike at the very moment the water prison collapses. Since you control the timing of the cessation of the Taoist method, the operation should be relatively easy. But the downside is if you encounter an extremely powerful master, voluntarily dispersing your Taoist method will still provide an opportunity for a counterattack.¡±

    ¡°The second is to deepen your control of the Taoist method. You need to not only master the overall direction of the water flow but also be able to precisely predict the course of a particular undercurrent at a given moment, so that you can time it right and manipulate the sword to follow this undercurrent to execute the assassination¡­ Without a doubt, this is very difficult, but if you can truly achieve this, then there won¡¯t be any glaring weaknesses in your tactical system.¡±

    Su Yunjin fell into contemplation. If it were the more laid-back previous self, after weighing the input against the output, she probably would have chosen the former option.

    After all, the latter is like tossing a box of ping pong balls into the air, then needing to at least grasp one ping pong ball¡¯s falling trajectory¡­ ordinary people, even just being able to pick out one specific ball from so many, would already require a lot of effort and practice.

    But¡­

    ¡°I choose the second option,¡± Su Yunjin said calmly.

    If the captain really becomes the strongest in this world in the future, then I at least have to be a cultivator who can ¡°keep up with the strongest in this world.¡± Otherwise, even if the captain still wishes to keep me in the team by then, how could I have the face to shamelessly be a drag?

    I must stay by the captain¡¯s side to have a chance¡­

    Yan Yu, although vaguely feeling some sourceless heaviness, simply thought that Su Yunjin¡¯s determination to become stronger was very strong, so far from being scared, he actually quite appreciated it and encouraged her with a smile:

    ¡°It¡¯s actually not difficult to practice this. When you cast your Taoist method to trap the target, just pay attention to the direction of the water flow. The more you observe, the more techniques you¡¯ll grasp. However, how long it specifically takes and how much you can understand depends on your visual acuity, comprehension, and luck; specifically, I can¡¯t say for sure.¡±

    Su Yunjin also understood that the captain was saying: I don¡¯t know, you just go ahead and try.

    However, the captain isn¡¯t a professional in magical laws, so not knowing is normal. That he¡¯s willing to help is already quite rare¡­

    She silently made excuses for Yan Yu in her heart, then suddenly heard Yan Yu say:

    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±

    In the current Southern Border, there no longer exists any serious secular authority, nor can one expect that just as you cross the border, the other side can quickly detect and deploy troops to intercept.

    The territories of the sorcerers are fragmented; most are only willing to manage their own land, a few not even willing to manage theirs, preferring to find a place to seclude themselves for cultivation. So even if you¡¯ve resolved to thoroughly defeat them, it¡¯s not necessarily easy to find them.

    But Yan Yu¡¯s experience from his former life is too rich; how could such a matter stump him? First, he led the team along the dirt road, finding a village where not everyone had died yet, then went directly to the largest house in the town.

    To barge in forcefully.

    As sorcerers are not civil servants, lacking both the ability and the intention to manage commoners, they¡¯d surely find a trustworthy commoner to manage their territory¡ªfor previous lifetimes in actual practice, these people usually arranged their relatives to act as the village or town leaders, most commonly their fathers or biological brothers.

    With his careless demeanor, Yan Yu barged in, in front of the other cultivators, gave the town leader residing there a chaotic beating, leaving him with a bruised nose and swollen face, several teeth knocked out, then strutted out of the door and said:

    ¡°Wait here for them to come and meet their death.¡±

    Listening to the miserable wails inside the house, along with the foreign language rattling away, everyone¡¯s expressions ranged from confused to suddenly enlightened to thoughtful.

    After a moment, indeed, a large number of dark clouds could be seen coming from far away, quickly rushing towards the group!

 Chapter 282 - 80 When in Doubt, Switch Families

    Chapter 282: Chapter 80 When in Doubt, Switch Families

    ¡°`

    Seeing a large number of Sorcerers rushing toward them, smart individuals like Chen Lingyun, Su Yunjin, or Li Minghu had already seen through the crux of the situation at a glance.

    Sorcerers would arrange for their mortal relatives to manage their territories, so these relatives definitely had a way to contact them, but the Rikoku Cultivators couldn¡¯t communicate with these mortals, and the efficiency of intimidation or enticement wouldn¡¯t be high.

    Therefore, Yan Yu chose to beat people up rather than kill them.

    Mortals do not have enough understanding of the Transcendents to judge whether the person beating them up is stronger or weaker than their Sorcerer relatives.

    Considering they likely became village or town heads only after their Sorcerer relatives directly killed the previous leaders, these mortals typically brimmed with overconfidence, acting like a fox that borrows the tiger¡¯s might. The first thing they would do after a beating was to urgently call the Sorcerers for rescue.

    ...

    In this way, they could successfully lure the snake out of its hole.

    The Sorcerers approaching from afar with great momentum even thought that the intruders in their territory might be Sorcerers from a neighboring hostile force, so they gathered people immediately to seek revenge, only to be greeted by the Rikoku Cultivators¡¯ swords blazing skyward¡­ At this point, where could they possibly escape to?

    Thud!

    Yan Yu and his group effortlessly wiped out this group of Sorcerers then swiftly left the village or town, tirelessly seeking the next settlement on their list.

    Although there was no surplus of communication, the fact that the tactics were executed so smoothly impressed everyone, who quickly noted down all of Yan Yu¡¯s maneuvers.

    For about ten days, the group continued their assault, unaware of how many Sorcerers they had killed until the news finally reached the Witch King.

    The recent rampages of the Rikoku Cultivators took place in the territory of the Golden Light Sorcerer Suo Wen.

    Suo Wen was a supporter of the current Witch King Long Po Ming and strongly endorsed the plan to move north to plunder Rikoku¡¯s resources, even personally summoning two thirds of his Sorcerers to join the Witch King Allied Forces.

    As a result, the remaining third left to guard their territories had been nearly wiped out by Yan Yu and his group. So much so that upon hearing the news, many quick-tempered Sorcerers wanted to abandon the northern campaign immediately to rush back and defend their homes.

    They must protect their homes! The Rikoku Cultivators mostly left after their attacks without staying for long, but the neighbors wouldn¡¯t be so ¡°kind¡±! It would be a dreadful outcome to return from the campaign empty-handed only to find the neighboring powers annexed their territories, ultimately losing both wealth and land.

    Suo Wen didn¡¯t lose his head to the bad news like his subordinates. Although he had not heard of the famed ¡°home switching tactic,¡± he was aware that the Rikoku Cultivators were killing left and right exactly to force the Witch King Allied Forces to divide their troops.

    Can¡¯t divide! Dividing is falling for their trap!

    But not dividing was not an option either because the anxious subordinates might rebel.

    Suo Wen could lead them because no one could beat him in single combat, but if these people united against him, the outcome would be uncertain.

    It would be easy for the Witch King to wave his hand and dispose of them all, but the problem remained the same: letting them go back meant losing manpower, disposing of them still meant losing manpower¡ªthere was no difference. It might as well let them return.

    Thus, the Witch King¡¯s forces had to temporarily halt their northern march to discuss how to resolve this problem.

    After discussing for half a day, they finally arrived at a strategy: let Suo Wen hurry back with men to kill off these Rikoku Cultivators, arrange for adequate personnel to stay behind, and then quickly return to support the campaign.

    Although there would definitely be a delay, the Witch King Allied Forces were inherently a decentralized and loose structure, making it difficult to move in unison with strict commands. As such, this was seen as the best possible solution under the current circumstances, minimizing losses within a manageable range.

    ¡°¡­ Since it¡¯s their optimal solution, it¡¯s naturally predictable,¡± Yan Yu said to his team after conquering another town and pausing to speak to the group. ¡°The more Sorcerers we kill, the higher the likelihood that they will muster forces to hunt us down. The confrontation is almost inevitable; it¡¯s just a matter of time.¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°This is good news,¡± Li Minghu nodded and said, ¡°Whether it¡¯s to delay their progress in the northern campaign or to force them to split their forces, it¡¯s all beneficial.¡±

    ¡°At this point, our strategy has been two-thirds successful,¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°To take out this batch of troops would be equivalent to severely damaging the Witch King Allied Forces. The Witch King is likely to become restless. If he dares to disregard us, the hard-earned prestige he has built will be lost entirely. What kind of Witch King is he if he can¡¯t even protect his subordinates?¡±

    ¡°I understand the rationale,¡± Li Zhaojiang said with a wry smile, ¡°But in the end, we still need to defeat their reinforcements, right? And the number and quality of these reinforcements are definitely not on the same level as the enemies we¡¯ve been dealing with these past few days.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu admitted unabashedly, simply stating, ¡°No matter how fancy the moves are, once the fighters engage, it inevitably comes down to a contest of inner strength. To employ ¡®using the slight to defeat the strong,¡¯ you at least need to have the finesse of those critical four ounces to move a thousand pounds.¡±

    Li Zhaojiang fell silent, his expression still filled with worry, as his sister had started coughing again recently.

    Almost a week and a half of Sword Flight and frequent deadly combat, pushing their bodies and depleting their True Yuan daily, even the girls of the Zhenhai Team were showing signs of exhaustion. Li Minghu¡¯s health naturally suffered more, with her lung disease showing ominous signs of worsening.

    Li Zhaojiang was not afraid of deadly battles himself, but he was absolutely unwilling to let Li Minghu suffer any harm. In his anxious concern, his demeanor turned pessimistic and negative without him even realizing it.

    Yan Yu, seeing through the thoughts Li Zhaojiang was reluctant to express, did not waste words trying to soothe his emotions, but instead looked once more at the girls¡¯ faces around him.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was still full of fighting spirit; Lin Ning, though haggard, had eyes as bright as morning stars that remained sharp and spirited.

    Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin both looked pale but managed to support themselves, with their performance in recent battles not falling short.

    As for the Annan Army on the other side, because the boys generally had stronger physiques, they were in better condition than the Zhenhai Team.

    Only Li Minghu, although she stubbornly refused to show her weakness, betrayed her physical condition with the frequency of her coughing.

    ¡°I know everyone is very tired,¡± Yan Yu said, having quickly considered the situation, ¡°We could actually rest now and wait for the enemies to come to us. That way, we would only need to fight two major battles to completely accomplish our mission.¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Li Minghu spoke out against it, ¡°How long do we have to wait if we rest now for the enemies to make their move? With each passing day, more Sorcerers will enter Nanjiang, and who knows how many people will suffer because of that¡­ people who could have otherwise not died¡­ cough cough cough!¡±

    Her face turned alarmingly pale as she took out an Elixir Medicine to consume, and her complexion finally regained some color.

    Yan Yu watched her silently, thinking to himself how her spirit of self-sacrifice seemed almost tangible. In his previous life, how had the Annan Army not noticed this? No wonder Li Zhaojiang couldn¡¯t stand it later and turned to the dark side.

    If it were Chen Lingyun leading the team, he would definitely respect her wishes, but I, Yan Yu, am not that type of person.

    Perhaps the Valkyrie could find a secluded place to rest temporarily, and the others could go the extra mile and make a concerted effort. But Li Minghu certainly would not agree to stand by and watch. I need to think of a way to trick¡­ I mean, come up with a reasonable explanation to convince her.

    While Yan Yu was silently pondering, the rest couldn¡¯t bear to watch and began to urge Li Minghu to rest immediately, telling her not to treat Elixir Medicine like a stimulant.

    Li Minghu naturally refused, insisting on staying to fight alongside everyone. It seems that in my past life, all the powerful Sword Immortals had stubborn temperaments. The Valkyrie died rather than retreat, Lin Ning would rather stay single than engage in matchmaking, Lord Master would rather break with his family than not choose his own wife, and Teacher Mei naturally went without saying.

    Sigh, Sword Immortals who handle things flexibly like me are just too rare.

    Just as Yan Yu was wracking his brains to weave words to persuade Li Minghu, suddenly he saw dark clouds gathering in the Northeastern sky. It appeared that a large number of Sorcerers were invoking the Ghost Walking Technique, flying towards them. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Upon seeing this, Yan Yu immediately rejoiced:

    Good, they¡¯re coming!

 Chapter 283 - 81: Ill Lure the Enemy (Combined 1 & 2)

    Chapter 283: Chapter 81: I¡¯ll Lure the Enemy (Combined Chapter 1 & 2)

    An ominous wind howled from afar, and the demonic voices thundered through the sky, as if a tide of dark clouds pushed forward, oppressively dark.

    In their midst appeared an endless number of sorcerers, flickering in and out of the demonic wind like phantoms!

    With withered hair and haggard looks were the Curse Technique Masters, some controlling ink-black zombies, others manipulating ghostly resentful spirits as dull as snow. Various evil creatures swirled around them, as if they were lords of the underworld.

    The Tattooed Charm Masters bared their chests, their bodies covered in tattooed charms and seals. Their faces wore expressions of wrath, and their eyes bulged in fury, resembling the fierce, ominous deities of legend.

    Sitting cross-legged while forming hand seals were the Curse Technique Masters, emitting four types of divine light¡ªblack, red, green, and yellow¡ªbehind them, symbolizing the four elements of water, fire, wind, and earth. They looked like deities descended to the mortal plane.

    Of course, the most numerous were the ¡°Southeast Asia sword immortals¡±¡ªthe Curse Technique masters. With palms facing upward, they held their crafted curses, including small spirits, poisonous insects, or other evil entities, all waiting for the moment the masters would utter the word ¡°terror¡± and immediately fly out to kill.

    ...

    Among these four professions, the Curse Technique Masters had the longest attack range. The battle had yet to begin when a barrage of curses came flying like a swarm. Evil spirits cackled, and poisonous insects screamed, quickly sealing off all possible escape routes for everyone.

    ¡°Down,¡± commanded Yan Yu.

    Rapidly diving into the forest, everyone¡¯s sword light sank. Before they could make their next move, Yan Yu¡¯s voice came again:

    ¡°Retreat.¡±

    The collective sword flight reversed, smashing through countless trees. Almost instantly, the spot where they had landed was blanketed by a meteoric rain of fire.

    The Curse Technique Masters¡¯ Vajra Fire Spells were not as violent as Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Great Bright Fire, but with hundreds of fire spells combined, it was enough to turn the forest into charred ruins.

    This was the terror of large-scale battles! It wasn¡¯t just Yan Yu¡ª even Mei Yingxue, standing here facing the bombardment of over a hundred curses, would have nothing to do but flee by sword flight.

    ¡°Invisibility,¡± Yan Yu ordered.

    Everyone hurried to disengage their Sword-Human Unity and instead activated their Invisibility Technique.

    Chen Lingyun and Li Minghu gave meticulous commands, pinpointing coordinates one by one: those above trees concealed in the branches, those behind slopes hid behind them, setting up a classic ambush formation.

    The sorcerers in the sky quickly split into two groups. One continued to patrol the skies to prevent the Rikoku Cultivators from escaping into the air again; the other descended to the site of the Curse Technique bombardment to search for any trace of bodies.

    With no corpses found, it was obvious they had fled.

    But there was nothing surprising about this. The opposition consisted of a dozen people, and they faced an army of thousands; not fleeing would have been the real surprise.

    After a brief exchange in their rapid native tongue, the descending sorcerers quickly organized into teams of twenty, following the direction of the damaged trees in a methodical search.

    Sword Flight was suitable for open areas. It could also be used in the forest, but inevitably, one would collide with trees¡ªthe fallen trees thus became silent markers, showing exactly where you had passed.

    Therefore, the enemy must have stopped their Sword Flight and used other means to flee.

    Chase!

    At this moment, these sorcerers hadn¡¯t considered that their opponents might choose to stay put and set up an ambush. How could a mere dozen people possibly attempt to ambush a thousand?

    The anxiously hiding cultivators also felt the tension. Honestly, facing ten enemies per person might be feasible, but facing a hundred was a bit far-fetched.

    Even employing hit-and-run tactics in favorable terrain, once their tracks were discovered, given the overwhelming numbers of the enemy, a single spell from each would be enough to raze even the largest forest.

    Although we were the strongest individually, they weren¡¯t going to engage in a one-on-one fight! How could we fight?

    After a moment of silence, Yan Yu suddenly spoke:

    ¡°I¡¯ll draw their attention. You guys strike at the outskirts of the battlefield,¡±

    Before Chen Lingyun could respond, Li Minghu hurriedly advised:

    ¡°Don¡¯t be reckless. Even if we split into two groups and scatter the opposition¡¯s forces before picking them off one by one, it would still be better than you risking it alone!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not right,¡± Yan Yu refuted her suggestion, ¡°If no one¡¯s drawing their attention in front, the disappearance of any of our teams will quickly be noticed by them.¡±

    ¡°Moreover, to achieve stealthy, rapid kills, managing two enemies per person is already the limit. If we were to split our forces further and face four per person, the risk factor would become far too great.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re facing many on your own; isn¡¯t the risk factor even higher?¡± Li Minghu countered, then incredulously turned to the girls of the Zhenhai Team, ¡°Why aren¡¯t any of you speaking up?¡±

    The girls fell silent. We know our captain far better than you do¡ªhe¡¯s always been the macho kind of loner hero. Once he decides to leave the team to fight alone, he won¡¯t listen to anyone. How can we persuade him? S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly asked.

    ¡°What could be wrong with me?¡± Yan Yu retorted.

    ¡°You know what I¡¯m asking,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely.

    Fasting technique.

    Yan Yu practiced the fasting technique; it had been almost a week and a half since the battle began, without a single drop of water or a morsel of food.

    Though he was still alive and outwardly seemed fine, to say his body was unaffected was undoubtedly impossible.

    In truth, starting from the fifth day of complete fasting, even Yan Yu himself felt that while his consciousness remained unimpeded, his core strength and reflexes had roughly dropped to seventy percent of his original level¡ªthis was the body, not yet adept in fasting, involuntarily reducing its functions due to the lack of sustenance.

 Chapter 284 - 81: Ill Lure the Enemy (Combined 1 & 2)_2

    Chapter 284: Chapter 81: I¡¯ll Lure the Enemy (Combined Chapter 1 & 2)_2

    But no matter, it¡¯s not important!

    Even with only seventy percent of our standard abilities, we¡¯re more than capable of making a show of it!

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Yan Yu said in a deep voice, ¡°I¡¯m confident.¡±

    Speaking of confidence, the girls were reminded of the previous battle in the Mysterious Realm of Black Dragon Isle, where Yan Yu had single-handedly toyed with over a hundred Onmyoji¡­ Of course, subsequent video playback and analysis suggested that the Onmyoji had been too arrogant, prioritizing capturing the flag and killing the general over dealing with Yan Yu, which allowed Yan Zhanlong to successfully pull off a ¡°one versus a hundred¡± trick.

    However, belief in someone is built step by step. If he says he can reach a small goal today and achieves it, then tomorrow when he says he can become the wealthiest, there will be people who believe him, because this guy always delivers on his promises.

    The girls from Zhenhai Team no longer spoke; at least on matters involving the team, they had unconditional trust and obedience to Yan Yu¡¯s judgement.

    ...

    Li Minghu wanted to persuade further, but Li Zhaojiang quickly sent a mental message:

    ¡°Sister, we¡¯ve agreed to let Yan Yu lead the team, just go with his decisions! I used to worry about you, and you always told me I was indecisive. Now, why can¡¯t you seem to get it?¡±

    ¡°If Yan Yu really sacrifices himself because of this, that¡¯s not just a loss for our team, but a loss for the whole Lu Country!¡± Li Minghu still stood by her point, but seeing that everyone else had already consented, she could only drop the issue.

    Yan Yu left controlling his sword and began the hefty task of kiting a thousand by himself. Chen Lingyun then messaged Li Minghu with a smile:

    ¡°Shall we command together, or should we do it separately?¡±

    ¡°You take over the command,¡± Li Minghu had no mind to discuss with her and simply handed over all control, deciding to focus on being a Sword Immortal.

    All¡¯s done with that.

    Chen Lingyun, being extremely intelligent, immediately sensed the source of Li Minghu¡¯s frustration. She took over the command of the Zhenghai Team with a smile, and then began silently communicating, arranging the troops.

    The dispersed searching teams of Sorcerers, with their vanguard squad already walking into the ambush.

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s divine sense swept over, scanning the enemy¡¯s formation and hiding places of the Yin Ghosts with clarity.

    She held the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner in her hand, quietly releasing the five ghosts and the mother-and-child resentful spirits.

    Suddenly, like a thunderclap breaking the silence, the radiance of Huang Tingjian¡¯s sword burst forth violently, slashing through the tree canopy and startling all the surrounding Sorcerers.

    The moment the vanguard turned to look towards the sky, Chen Lingyun had already sent a mental command:

    ¡°Attack!¡±

    As her voice fell, three streaks of sword light were the first to dash out.

    Sword Immortals could stand still and strike the enemy with their Sword Control Technique, or they could use Sword Control to fly and slash, rampaging across the battlefield. The former conserved True Yuan, while the latter boasted mobility and destructive power.

    Lin Ning, Li Minghu, and Jiang Hong turned into streaks of sword light, flying wildly; meeting trees, they would split them, encountering people, they would sever them, capitalizing on the initiative to wreak havoc, and for a while, no one could match them.

    After a few seconds of chaos, the Sorcerers quickly got into combat mode.

    One of the Tattooed Charm Masters clasped his hands in incantation, the tattooed curse characters on his body lighting up as a golden figure of the Immovable Wisdom King, about five meters tall holding a giant demon-subduing whip, emerged from behind him and swept forward directly at Lin Ning¡¯s Green Bamboo sword light.

    Just as Lin Ning was surrounded and fighting off three Curse Technique insects and struggled to break free as a Curse Technique Master desperately entangled her, seeing that she was about to be hit by the demon-subduing whip, a streak of azure light like a thrown ribbon scattered forth, landing on the Immovable Wisdom King, immediately immobilizing it and allowing Lin Ning to finally escape.

    Wang Haoran was manipulating the treasure, the Annals of Green History, managing to immobilize the Immovable Wisdom King¡¯s figure, secretly amazed at the feat.

    Deputy Captain Chen¡¯s command style is completely different from Deputy Captain Li¡¯s. Li Minghu, apart from the key tactical maneuvers, lets everyone judge for themselves and reviews the details afterwards to make improvements.

    On the other hand, Chen Lingyun does the opposite, with an extremely meticulous command style, having him and Su Yunjin stand by her side, directing them on where to attack, issuing orders very frequently.

    With the Qing Shi¡¯s Long Stratagem and the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art both capable of exerting strong control effects on the enemy, Chen Lingyun directed the two as firefighting team members, addressing issues wherever they arose, which proved unfailingly effective.

    The three Sword Immortals fought fiercely at the front, forcing the Sorcerers to hurriedly employ life-preserving techniques. The Onmyoji allowed the Yin Ghosts to possess and vanish, the Tattooed Charm Masters summoned various incarnations, the Curse Technique Masters cast the Pagoda Earth Curse, and the Curse Technique Masters clashed directly with the sword lights. In the blink of an eye, the battlefield became incredibly chaotic, with everyone fighting their own battles.

    That¡¯s how it is with lesser Transcendents; they have no concept of partnership. Once the pressure of the battlefield mounts, they show their true colors.

    Chen Lingyun sneered in her heart, commanding Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi to use the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin and Jade Pivot Thunder to take down the Onmyoji, who were likely to escape first.

    Six Onmyoji were killed in a matter of seconds, to the point where the others finally realized something was amiss ¨C the enemy was targeting our Onmyoji!

    Another Tattooed Charm Master pinched a spell between his fingers and tossed a bowl from his sleeve. It spun idly in the air for a moment before rapidly expanding to a radius of seven or eight meters and slammed down on the Sorcerers¡¯ heads.

    Li Minghu assassinated one, then quickly turned and swiftly retreated from the range of the magical artifact¡¯s cover. He twisted the sword light again to strike the bowl, only to produce a dull thud, like metal on metal.

    The bowl turned out to be some kind of defensive artifact, able to resist the Sword Immortals¡¯ Sword Control slash!

    Seeing the Sorcerers protected by the bowl beginning to recover their True Yuan and preparing their deadly moves, Li Minghu was about to attempt another breakthrough when he heard Chen Lingyun¡¯s psychic message:

    ¡°Retreat.¡±

    Without hesitation, she turned her sword light around and retreated with Lin Ning and Jiang Hong. Shortly after, Li Zhaojiang laughed heartily, his hands rubbing together as he cast the Magnet Divine Light, striking directly at the bowl in front.

    The bowl, though large, lost contact with its master after being hit by the Magnet Divine Light, spun a few more circles in the air, shrank, and flew towards Li Zhaojiang.

    The Sorcerers, naturally in a panic, scrambled back to retrieve their artifact, only to be targeted by Xie Ruoxi¡¯s Thunder Method. The two who rushed to the front were shattered to pieces.

    Desperate to turn back and flee, they were intercepted by Chen Lingyun¡¯s Five Ghosts and the Mother and Son Resentful Spirits blocking their path. The crowd hurriedly tried to strike down the Yin Ghosts, only to see a drizzle of ice descend from the sky, each raindrop instantly turning into a sharp ice needle!

    With Thunder Method blocking the way forward and Five Ghosts blocking the retreat, the remaining middle ground was right within Tao Xingyuan¡¯s spell bombardment radius, measured so precisely it seemed pre-calibrated.

    As the ice needles fell, two more were killed instantly, and more importantly, the enemy¡¯s morale was shattered; they were even too lazy to fight back and scattered left and right to escape.

    Lin Ning and the other two Sword Immortals quickly split up to pursue, killing the Sorcerers who lost courage and fled. Chen Lingyun leisurely waved the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, gathering all the masterless Yin Ghosts into the banner, and then said:

    ¡°Invisible, let¡¯s go.¡±

    The group urgently evacuated the scene to avoid enemy attention from the aftermath of the battle, leaving only dozens of corpses behind.

    But as for Yan Yu, he took off on his sword, instantly drawing all the attention from the surrounding area.

    He stimulated all his True Yuan, the sword light soaring through the clouds, and then cruised at that altitude while his Divine Sense swept the area below. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    He quickly located the Sorcerer Suo Wen.

    At this point in time, high-ranking Sorcerers were still arrogant, disliking cooperation with others to face enemies, while low-ranking Sorcerers preferred to stick together, so if there was anyone standing alone on the battlefield, it must undoubtedly be a high-ranking Sorcerer.

    In the future, as more were killed, these high-ranking Sorcerers would learn to stealthily blend in with others to avoid being targeted, but that time had not yet come ¨C Suo Wen merely looked up with disdain, staring at the Green Bamboo Sword light diving from the sky; his right hand spun his rosary, releasing a horde of resentful spirits.

    Not a single Yin Ghost, but thousands upon thousands.

 Chapter 285 - 82: One Kite for 1000 People (Two-in-One)

    Chapter 285: Chapter 82: One Kite for 1000 People (Two-in-One)

    People upon people, they reach the ground and connect to the sky.

    From Yan Yu¡¯s perspective, the ground and sky were filled with enemies. A myriad of colored lights, dense and numerous, they didn¡¯t rush to attack but simply surrounded him from all sides.

    Then came the golden light Sorcerer, Suo Wen, who cast a secret technique to transmit his voice. Surprisingly, he spoke in the Lu Country¡¯s language:

    ¡°Longcheng Flying General! I respect you as a hero! Yet now you stoop to serve the orders of mere mortals, driven like cattle and horses! Doesn¡¯t that diminish your heroic spirit?¡±

    ¡°Why not join the Witch King under my command, and I¡¯ll appoint you as the Grand Marshal to conquer the northern borders! From then on, you can have the wind at your beck and call and the rain on demand, even taking seven or eight wives is no trouble at all, so why insist on bending the knee as a lapdog for those in power!¡±

    The other party¡¯s Lu Country tongue was not only heavily accented and tonally inverted, but every sentence was also delivered with an exclamation, as if they learned it by watching Lu Country¡¯s fantasy dramas.

    ...

    However, Yan Yu didn¡¯t hesitate for a moment, as the light from his Huang Tingjian sword soared into the sky once again, and he laughed:

    ¡°You think you¡¯re in a position to negotiate with me? Pass a Mandarin proficiency test first, then come talk to me!¡±

    Suo Wen, hearing such a rejection, didn¡¯t show any anger on his face but merely sneered and waved his hand.

    Thus, an overwhelming flood of Curse Techniques, Resentful Spirits, Magic Artifacts, and more burst forth like a breached dam towards the light of the Huang Tingjian sword!

    If it had been any other Cultivator, they probably wouldn¡¯t have lasted three rounds before being completely submerged by the barrage of spells. But Yan Yu, with his vast experience, spurred his sword light up into the heavens, instantly plunging into the sea of clouds and vanishing, causing the torrential onslaught of attacks to miss altogether.

    Suo Wen narrowed his eyes slightly, gripping the prayer beads in his hand firmly. The Yin Ghosts he had quietly released earlier swiftly surged towards the sea of clouds.

    He had once acquired these ¡°Divine Evil Prayer Beads¡± by chance. They imprisoned innumerable Resentful Spirits and evil ghosts, all capable of being unleashed to harm and kill others, making them extremely useful.

    Suo Wen, known as the Golden Light Sorcerer, was actually a Curse Technique Master and wasn¡¯t supposed to use Magic Artifacts related to Yin Ghosts. But who among the lay Transcendents would care about the Scholarly Faction¡¯s strict doctrines? He immediately treasured it as a precious find and refined it; ever since, he gained the ability to control Yin Ghosts, essentially practicing dual disciplines as a Yin Sorcerer.

    Now that the Longcheng Flying General had hidden above the sea of clouds and was nowhere to be found, he naturally couldn¡¯t use Curse Techniques to strike, and it was the perfect opportunity to employ the Yin Sorcerer¡¯s tactics to seek out his enemy.

    No sooner had the Yin Ghosts entered the sea of clouds than they saw the sky-piercing sword light, like a deep abyss or a towering monument, cutting through layers of cloud cover from above!

    This sword strike came too swiftly, brushing past countless Resentful Spirits and Yin Ghosts in an instant and directly targeting the Golden Light Sorcerer Suo Wen. Even the surrounding Sorcerers were caught off guard and couldn¡¯t react in time. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Suo Wen threw out the Divine Evil Prayer Beads, which spun half a turn in the air, and suddenly met the oncoming light of the Huang Tingjian sword.

    These prayer beads were no ordinary object, with Mysterious Seal Script carved upon them, capable of locking down all magical and enchanted artifacts, rendering them void of spirit and unable to be activated.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t know what the prayer beads were, but having lived two lifetimes, he had already developed a set of effective methods for dealing with all kinds of strange and unknown magical artifacts.

    The sword light flew swiftly towards the prayer beads and, just before it was about to hit, abruptly veered downward, instantly avoiding the collision with the beads.

    But that slight deviation slowed the rhythm of his attack by half a beat, allowing the surrounding Sorcerers to finally react, swiftly launching various treacherous techniques, the brilliance almost blotting out the sky.

    Leading the charge were the Curse Technique Masters¡¯ ghastly incantations. Numerous little ghosts were laughing, cursing, and wildly clawing their way forward, attacking as swiftly as the wind. Their bodies were as light as a swallow¡¯s, and their speed was even faster than Yan Yu¡¯s Sword Control¡­ in truth, it was because Yan Yu¡¯s Fasting practice was not yet complete, which caused blockages in his meridians and True Yuan.

    Following the ghost incantations were the slightly slower insect incantations. Flying snakes, spiders, scorpions, toads, and centipedes, an orchestra of shrieking Poisonous Insects rustling and bustling in unison, ready to pounce on any Cultivator and instantly bite them to death, not leaving even a shred of bone behind.

    With an empty stomach, Yan Yu could not output True Yuan to his fullest potential for Sword Control. Seeing that the sword light was about to be caught up by the little ghosts, he suddenly shifted downwards in a steep angle, revealing his tactical intention to hide within the forest on the ground.

    The little ghosts were quick to react, quickly following the steep downward move, tenaciously chasing the tail of the sword light.

    Yan Yu suddenly changed direction again, the sword light sharply ascending upward, planning to shake off the pursuers trailing him on the vertical axis.

    The little ghosts almost crashed into the forest below, hastily readjusting their direction to chase after Yan Yu as he ascended diagonally¡­ but this change led to a problem!

    First moving diagonally downward and then upward amounted to taking a V-shaped trajectory, which was naturally slower than flying straight. The insect incantations, not as quick to respond as the ghost incantations, maintained a straight-line trajectory instead of adjusting to Yan Yu¡¯s changes in flight direction ¨C the result was that the slower-moving second wave of attacks struck the circuitous first wave of attacks!

    Curse Technique Masters can only choose one form among three: ghost, insect, or flying incantations. Those employing ghost incantations and insect incantations were not the same practitioners. Coupled with the volatile nature of the Poisonous Insects, which violently barged into the swarm of little ghosts from behind, there was no holding back as they viciously started biting and gnawing at each other.

    The little ghosts, unable to bear the pain, ignored the commands of the Curse Technique Masters and turned to fight the Poisonous Insects in a chaotic melee, with broken wings and dark blood splattering everywhere.

    On the Curse Technique Masters¡¯ side, as their incantations collectively malfunctioned, they could no longer focus on pursuing Yan Yu and had to quickly mobilize their divine thoughts to suppress the incantations¡¯ urge to kill and urgently recall them.

    The third wave of attacks, controlled by Yin Sorcerers, consisted of Resentful Spirits and Yin Ghosts. Because they flew even slower, they were not caught up in the mutual destruction of the ghost and insect incantations.

 Chapter 286 - 82: One Kite for 1000 People (Two-in-One)_2

    Chapter 286: Chapter 82: One Kite for 1000 People (Two-in-One)_2

    Under the manipulation of the necromancers, those resentful spirits circled over the battle scene and followed the light of Yan Yu¡¯s Huang Tingjian sword into the sea of clouds.

    After a while, the sword light pierced through the clouds again, resorting to the same tactic and striking at Suo Wen.

    Although Suo Wen did not spit blood when he saw this, he was extremely depressed in his heart.

    The Curse Technique Masters¡¯ curse techniques were extremely ferocious, and when their killing intent arose they wouldn¡¯t even recognize their own kin. Fooled by the strategy of the Longcheng Flying General, they were now slaughtering each other, and nearly half of them had already been wasted.

    As for the necromancers¡¯ Yin Ghosts, their flying speed was too slow, and they simply couldn¡¯t keep up with the light of the Huang Tingjian sword¡­ While the enemy was almost upon them, those Yin Ghosts were still emerging from the sea of clouds, desperately trying to hustle back.

    The best plan for the moment was to lure him close enough so that he wouldn¡¯t have time to dodge the curse techniques, and then to bomb him collectively with the Curse Technique Masters, using various curse techniques to directly pulverize him!

    ...

    Suo Wen calmly clasped his hands, allowing Yan Yu¡¯s sword light to strike close to him.

    700 meters¡­ 600 meters¡­ 500 meters! A little closer, and he would blast him!

    Just as the Huang Tingjian sword light was about to descend to a height where the Curse Technique could not be avoided, Suo Wen¡¯s hands hidden in his sleeves had already formed the light of the Golden Light Subjugation Curse, and suddenly he waved his sleeves, striking out hastily.

    Immediately after, he couldn¡¯t help but roar in rage.

    Damn it!

    But he saw the light of Yan Yu¡¯s sword suddenly shift sideways, performing a drift right at the gate of hell, narrowly and thrillingly evading all the curse techniques at a critical moment.

    Then the sword light shot downward fiercely, completely ignoring the empty-handed Suo Wen, and headed straight into the crowd of Curse Technique Masters.

    Close combat was always the best way to deal with ranged attackers.

    The Curse Technique Masters who could follow Suo Wen were of course also battle-hardened from the Southern Border, and they immediately stopped the curse technique bombardment, scattered, retreated, and opened up the distance, allowing their Tattooed Charm Masters and necromancers to step in.

    Some of the Tattooed Charm Masters activated the tattoos and charms, manifesting various majestic law bodies behind them to protect the retreating Curse Technique Masters. The necromancers, on the other hand, tapped their yin plaques to propel zombies forward, trying to encircle and trap the light of the Huang Tingjian sword to death.

    Yan Yu killed four Curse Technique Masters in a row and then suddenly veered left, attempting to break out of the encirclement. Two law bodies stretched out fan-like giant hands to block him, but the sword light moved down, then up, and down again, performing an ultra-fast Z-shaped maneuver, slipping through the narrow gap between the two law bodies.

    The crowd hurriedly scrambled to adjust their formation, retreating when needed, and closing in to surround, but after all, they were a ragtag army and hadn¡¯t properly trained to deploy troops and arrange formations, so their adjustment speed couldn¡¯t keep up with Yan Yu¡¯s formation-breaking speed.

    Oftentimes, before the encirclement could be fully established, he would burst through the gap, then continue to kill several more, waiting for you to re-establish the encirclement, and then repeat the trick to slip away before it was completed.

    Golden Light Master Suo Wen was watching from above, feeling his blood pressure almost sky-rocketing.

    The situation was becoming ever more clear, that the Sword Flight of the Longcheng Flying General was too fast and too agile. Any attack strategy that couldn¡¯t keep up with his speed, whether it was meant to encircle or to lure the enemy, simply couldn¡¯t hit him.

    Those who could keep up with that speed?

    The Curse Technique Masters took quite some effort but finally managed to suppress the mutually killing cursed beings with their evil methods, and then urgently called them back to go and kill Yan Yu.

    Facing layers upon layers of various curse techniques, Yan Yu was not afraid at all but suddenly revved up his sword light¡­

    ¡­and ran away.

    Suo Wen finally spat blood. Fight and run, this Longcheng Flying General really had no sense of martial honor!

    The Curse Technique Masters wanted to again drive the Cursed Techniques to chase and kill but were immediately stopped by Suo Wen:

    ¡°Everyone¡¯s been chased! Do you want to repeat the same process again?¡±

    Recalling the scene of the cursed beings slaughtering each other, the frantically enraged Curse Technique Masters finally calmed down.

    The nature of the cursed beings was ferocious, and their ability to automatically seek enemies were supposed to be advantages, but somehow the Longcheng Flying General had played some trick, turning these around to be used against them, resulting in severe drawbacks¡­

    Now, to think of a way to break this situation, we must prevent the Curse Technique from automatically seeking enemies, lest we be led into attacking each other by the enemy. However, if the Curse Technique Master has to direct every Curse Technique, then it cannot fly too far and it would be impossible to catch up with the Longcheng Flying General.

    Suo Wen had already made sense of this conundrum. Although he still could not accept the fact that a thousand of his men were being toyed with by one person on the other side, there was a saying in Lu Country that fit well, ¡°Observation and detail are the precursors to capturing a skilled adversary.¡±

    The current task at hand was that if the entire army were to chase after the Longcheng Flying General, they would be played and delayed by him, falling right into his trap.

    ¡°I, Master of Light Suo Wen, how could I fall for such a low trick?¡±

    ¡°Forget about the Longcheng Flying General!¡± Suo Wen quickly ordered, ¡°Continue to blockade high altitudes and spread a net in the woods for a search! Find all the other Cultivators! I refuse to believe that all the Cultivators from Lu Country can achieve the level of the Longcheng Flying General!¡±

    The Sorcerers were also greatly invigorated. After all, the most enjoyable thing in life is to pick on the weak, and the most painful thing is to have no choice but to collide an egg against a rock, regardless of the nationality.

    Find the other Cultivators from Lu Country!

    In Pingjing Prefecture, Lu Country¡¯s Privy Council.

    Satellite surveillance had already divided into two areas, with the main screen monitoring the war situation in the Southern Border within the territory, and the auxiliary screen tracking the performance of the Champion Marquis squad outside the border.

    The situation in the Southern Border was relatively stable. Beyond the border, permanent herbicides had been deployed, clearing large areas of open isolation zones. Any Sorcerer that appeared was immediately subjected to remote firepower projection.

    The effect could be described as significant but also useless. Significant in that it indeed eliminated enemies, but futile because there were still sporadic Sorcerers entering the Southern Border¡­ with no idea how they managed to infiltrate, presumably through some unknown methods like invisibility.

    Fortunately, the defensive teams within the territory were efficient, able to fly over promptly with Sword Control and eliminate the enemies. So far, there have only been injuries among the populace, with houses and properties damaged, all caught in the aftermath of attacks.

    A more severe issue was the high vegetation coverage in the Southern Border and the massive swarms of miasma that obscured visibility, which meant that the main force of the Witch King had not yet been located. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Whether the enemy would infiltrate in scattered units or concentrate their forces to break through with protective amulets, was still entirely unknown.

    An extreme solution was proposed by the military advisors: to douse the entire Southern Border with permanent herbicide and remove all the vegetation. After high-level discussions, this was still vetoed because the Southern Border has an area of 4.57 million square kilometers. First, how much herbicide would be needed, and how many airplanes and drones would be required to complete this operation?

    The level of technology in Lu Country of this world was not yet at a point where they could reshape a planetary surface on a large scale, except by using nuclear weapons.

    Let us turn our attention back to the Champion Marquis squad. If they could decapitate the Witch King, then the entire Allied Forces would naturally crumble.

    Of course, Lu Country was not the only one closely monitoring the situation in the Southern Border.

    At the Grand Onmyoji Institute, the bigwigs were also using disguised weather satellites to watch the battles unfolding on the surface of the Southern Border.

    Previously, in the secret battle at Black Dragon Isle, Yan Zhanlong accomplished the feat of fighting one against two hundred. Afterward, the Institute conducted a tactical review and believed that Shenyuan Guang had underestimated Yan Zhanlong¡¯s strength, leading his men to focus on continuing to slay enemy generals and capturing flags.

    If he had mobilized personnel in time to surround and pursue Yan Zhanlong, the defeat would not have been so disastrous.

    Now, Yan Yu was single-handedly kiting a thousand men, and his sword light was still as if entering a realm without adversaries, causing the bigwigs to feel a sense of disarray as if their knowledge was being refreshed once again.

    Damn it! Yan Zhanlong, what kind of Pok¨¦mon are you, to evolve into a Longcheng Flying General?

    Experience proved that even if a large number of people were mobilized to hunt him down, if the average skill level could not catch up with the Longcheng Flying General, no matter how many there were, it would be in vain.

    To gather a large group of high-level Onmyoji capable of combating the Longcheng Flying General was also unrealistic. Upon careful consideration, one would still need to resort to risky tactics, finding some kind of specialized means to restrict him.

    Such as barriers, such as seals.

    The Grand Onmyoji Institute regarded Yan Yu as the ultimate enemy, but the Superhero Alliance did not share this life-and-death opposition.

    They were currently discussing internally whether or not to negotiate with Lu Country¡¯s Privy Council and sign a cooperation agreement regarding the division of the Pacific Ocean.

    Using the time zones as boundaries, the entire west side of the Pacific belongs to you, just don¡¯t come to the east side!

 Chapter 287 - 83: Longcheng Flying General, Thats All There Is To It!

    Chapter 287: Chapter 83: Longcheng Flying General, That¡¯s All There Is To It!

    After wiping out another entire Witchcraft Squad, Li Zhaojiang¡¯s mind began carrying out high-level mathematical calculations.

    Assuming each squad has 20 people, ten squads make up 200 people, and fifty squads make up 1,000 people.

    The other side should have brought around a thousand people, with about half landing to search for tracks, so that¡¯s roughly 25-30 squads.

    Basing on 30 squads, we¡¯ve already killed 6 squads, so¡­

    ¡°We¡¯re still killing too slowly,¡± Li Minghu suddenly said. ¡°The enemy isn¡¯t deaf or blind. When one-fifth of their teams lose contact, they will quickly realize we are conducting a counter-annihilation operation.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve already realized it,¡± Chen Lingyun confirmed the situation ahead with the Yin Ghost, smiling as she spoke, ¡°They¡¯re just pretending not to know, while secretly setting up a trap for us to fall into.¡±

    ...

    ¡°We can¡¯t fall into a trap,¡± Li Minghu frowned as he spoke.

    ¡°Do you have any good ideas?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with an expectant smile.

    ¡°Do you have a plan?¡± instead of answering, Li Minghu countered with a question.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we both write it on our phones?¡± Chen Lingyun suggested, ¡°We can compare notes and choose the best course of action.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    The other team members crowded around, watching as the two deputy team leaders typed out their messages and displayed their screens.

    Li Minghu wrote, ¡°Divide and conquer.¡±

    Chen Lingyun wrote, ¡°Break the whole into parts.¡±

    The two exchanged a glance, nodding to each other as though they had reached a silent understanding¡­ only to hear Li Zhaojiang unable to help asking:

    ¡°Wait, so what exactly did you two communicate?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll explain later,¡± Li Minghu turned his head to give the order, ¡°Qing¡¯an¡¯s combat team, follow me!¡±

    Zhenghai and Qing¡¯an¡¯s teams quickly split in two and started moving separately.

    Yan Yu¡¯s sword light traveled swiftly in the air, as the sorcerers around him kept shooting attacks his way but refused to personally pursue him.

    As long as he stayed out of the attack range, the enemy continued to patrol on their original route¡­ as if they were merely shooing away an annoying fly.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­.

    No, it was a bit funny.

    Of course, he could understand the reason behind the enemy¡¯s decision, which was nothing more than feeling that the Longcheng Flying General was too cunning and slippery, and that deploying men to chase him would be a waste of time. Instead, they preferred to focus their manpower on hunting down his teammates¡ªthat is, to pick off the low-hanging fruit first.

    And furthermore, if they truly managed to capture one or two individuals, they might even use them as hostages to force him to surrender without a fight¡­

    Indeed, it was a beautiful thought.

    On the matter of ¡°temporarily ignoring Yan Yu,¡± Shenyuan Guang, who was just disembarking from the ferry at Sanzu River, would probably find common ground with Suo Wen.

    Yan Yu quietly urged on the sword light, aiming straight for the golden light sorcerer, Suo Wen.

    Then I shall go and take off his head!

    Suo Wen watched Yan Yu approach with a cold eye, unafraid, simply sneering.

    This title of Longcheng Flying General was indeed fitting¡ªnothing but flying back and forth from start to finish. If you send men to kill him, he will lead them around like walking dogs, making them run all over the place.

    But if you don¡¯t fall for the trick at all, don¡¯t get fooled, then he can only come and confront you directly. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    It¡¯s just the right time!

    Suo Wen was very confident in his ability to defeat the Longcheng Flying General. After all, he had started from a folk sorcerer and fought his way up the ranks, almost invincible in the Southern Border, and even the current Witch King had spoken highly of his strength.

    Without the confidence of a strong person, how could he have possibly become a great lord in this Southern Border?

    Suo Wen first threw out the Divine Evil Prayer Beads, blocking the offensive momentum of the Huang Ting Sword Light, and then swiftly formed a spell with his hands.

    The prayer beads spun around in mid-air and rapidly released a large number of Yin Ghosts and Resentful Spirits, snarling and pouncing towards the sword light.

    Yin Ghosts were mostly immune to physical damage, and the Flying Swords of the Qi Refinement stage couldn¡¯t deal with them. Therefore, Yan Yu had no intention of getting entangled with them¡ªhe simply dodged downwards to avoid the ghost onslaught and then surged upwards to attack Suo Wen once again.

    Suo Wen had been waiting for this move, scattering a mass of brilliant gold light from his sleeves, which spread like clouds and mist, pouring down right onto Yan Yu¡¯s head.

    This radiant golden light seemed sacred, but inside it was incredibly domineering. Whether it shone on Flying Swords or on magical artifacts, it could directly erase their spirit, turning them into scrap; if it shone on a Transcendent, the person would immediately become dazed and senseless, turning into an idiotic waste, respond to commands like a dog or a pig, with not a shred of self-awareness to speak of.

    The trouble was that its range was enormously vast, almost covering the entire 150-degree fan-shaped area directly ahead; there was absolutely no way to evade it using short-distance movements.

    Yan Yu quickly moved his sword light away, dodging that vast expanse of golden light, and with a wide arc, skirted around the attacking Yin Ghosts. To the surrounding Sorcerers, it looked as if Suo Wen casually launched a curse, achieving the effect previously requiring thousands of troops¡ªforcing the Longcheng Flying General to retreat, not daring to approach.

    Excellent, excellent! Truly worthy of our beloved leader!

    Thinking this, everyone¡¯s spirits were invigorated as they began hurling various attacks at Yan Yu, trying to pin down the slippery, erratically-flying Longcheng Flying General.

    Yan Yu¡¯s sword light soared once more, avoiding the tide-like barrage of attacks. Just as the Sorcerers were about to continue the pursuit, Suo Wen quickly reminded them:

    ¡°Don¡¯t act rashly! If everyone chases him, we¡¯ll fall for his cunning plan! Everyone should maintain the original aerial patrol routes. Don¡¯t let any other Rikoku Cultivators have a chance to escape. If you see the Longcheng Flying General enter your attack range, just hit him in passing.¡±

    The Witchcraft Squad quickly received the order and fixed the collective Ghost Walking Technique¡¯s route, ensuring all the Sorcerers continued their patrol.

    Although everyone was monitoring the surroundings, their attention was invariably drawn upwards¡ªseeing the Huang Ting Sword Light circling around the Yin Ghost army, repeatedly launching attacks at Suo Wen, only to be forcefully repelled by a deluge of golden light the next second. Unable to penetrate, he could only roam the periphery, in an evident dilemma of being tied up with no solution.

    Initially, everyone had been led around by the Longcheng Flying General like walking a dog. Now, with the Longcheng Flying General helpless against Suo Wen, the Sorcerers found it very satisfying. They continued to laugh and hurl long-distance attacks at Yan Yu, forcing him to expend more energy dodging, while they casually chatted and laughed among themselves:

    ¡°What Longcheng Flying General? He¡¯s nothing special!¡±

    ¡°Longcheng Flying General? More like Dog City Crawling General.¡±

    ¡°How much True Yuan does he have left? Wait for him to tire out and get killed, then I will refine his corpse into a slave.¡±

    ¡°No good, no good, better chop off his head instead. My home could use a new chamber pot.¡±

    Seeing his subordinates chatting and joking, Suo Wen suddenly had a hunch that something wasn¡¯t right, but since everyone was still on their patrol routes and any hidden Rikoku Cultivator flying out from the tree sea would not likely go unnoticed even if they were distracted, he continued to focus his attention, dealing with the attacks from the Huang Ting Sword Light.

    But the more he defended, the more something felt off.

    The Longcheng Flying General wasn¡¯t a fool. If he couldn¡¯t break through here, wouldn¡¯t he think of other methods?

    Why would he insist on clashing with me here? Can his True Yuan endure? If my spiritual power was insufficient, I could calmly retreat to my subordinates, rest and recover. What would he do?

    Logically, if he chose to keep clashing, there must be a necessity¡­ definitely not to wage a war of attrition with me.

    Could it be a feint, a trick to lure me into lowering my guard and then allow his Cultivator companions to launch a surprise attack?

    It¡¯s not very likely¡­ Right, how is the search down below going?

    As Suo Wen continued to maintain a defensive posture, he summoned a Yin Ghost with the Divine Evil Prayer Beads and instructed:

    ¡°Go find Deqin and tell him to descend to the bottom of the trees to check how many Rikoku Cultivators have been captured.¡±

    The Yin Ghost quickly flew to find the deputy and relay the message. Deputy Deqin obeyed and descended through the tree sea to locate the search party below.

    He flew around below for quite a while, but only saw rustling leaves and swaying branches, without a single person in sight. Besides the wind close by, birdsong in the distance, and the rustling sounds of spells flying overhead, he couldn¡¯t hear a thing.

    There were also no shouts of Sorcerers communicating with one another.

    Deqin fell silent for a moment, then released several Resentful Spirits in all directions to search for any traces of the Sorcerers, and took out his cell phone, intending to make a call.

    Could it be that they have chased far away?

    Just as Deqin was pondering the mystery, his field of vision suddenly filled with sword light!

 Chapter 288 - 84 The Treacherous Lu Kingdom Sword Immortal

    Chapter 288: Chapter 84 The Treacherous Lu Kingdom Sword Immortal

    Deputy Commander Deqin, serving as the assistant to the Golden Light Sorcerer Suo Wen, of course had formidable combat abilities.

    In fact, within the hierarchy of sorcerers, being an assistant was a dangerous affair. After all, many assistants harbored thoughts of usurping their superiors, who in turn never took them lightly; seizing any opportunity to utterly destroy the assistant, replacing them with someone weaker and less of a threat¡ªit was a position not just any ordinary sorcerer could hold.

    The moment his gaze caught the flash of sword light, Deqin struck the Yin token and summoned the Yin ghost he kept with him.

    The Hungry Ghost!

    Unlike the Hungry Ghosts of Lu Kingdom, those from the Southern Border were extremely tall and long, immensely strong, and forever in a state of furious hunger, making them the best choice for frontline meat shields.

    The instant the Hungry Ghost landed, it happened to block the three sword lights charging forward, robustly shielding Deqin behind it.

    ...

    Hiding behind the Hungry Ghost, Deqin did not hesitate to tap the Yin token with bent fingers, releasing two more Resentful Spirits to swiftly fly and alert Suo Wen.

    Just as the two semi-transparent Resentful Spirits materialized, they were seemingly attracted by something and pulled by an invisible force towards the distance¡ªChen Lingyun emerged from behind a tree, holding the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, and sucked the two spirits into the banner from afar.

    Seeing this, Deqin felt struck by lightning, finally realizing why the surroundings had fallen eerily silent: The sorcerers who were scouring the ground had been ambushed and wiped out by the Rikoku Cultivators!

    No matter how confident he was in his own abilities, he wasn¡¯t delusional enough to think he could take on ten at once. He quickly urged the Hungry Ghost to lash out in frenzy, hoping to create a large dust cloud and noise to draw the attention of his comrades above.

    Just as the Hungry Ghost was about to pound the ground, it suddenly became immobile; Wang Haoran¡¯s Historical Chronicle emitted a green light that ensnared the creature in place.

    ¡°Quick!¡± Wang Haoran transmitted anxiously, ¡°I can¡¯t hold on much longer!¡±

    The duration for which the Historical Chronicle could immobilize an enemy depended on the enemy¡¯s strength and level. The moment the green light restricted the large and powerful body of the Hungry Ghost, Wang Haoran felt the True Yuan within him draining away like water, urging his team to act quickly.

    But just holding it for a moment was enough¡­ Su Yunjin focused on the space behind the Hungry Ghost, silently calculating the distance and executed the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art.

    Waters of the Heavenly River surged forth over a vast area. The immense Hungry Ghost remained unmoved, but Deqin was caught off guard and swept away by the torrent.

    This Yin sorcerer tried to resist desperately but was caught at a disadvantage by Zhao Yuanzhen, who pierced his forehead with the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, felling him instantly on the spot.

    The Hungry Ghost, free from the immobilization of the Historical Chronicle, was frenetically sliced by the controlled swords of Lin Ning and Jiang Hong, quickly torn and broken. It opened its mouth to roar angrily but was struck by Li Minghu¡¯s sword light that entered its mouth and pierced through the back of its head, causing the body to fall lifelessly to the ground.

    Seeing that the Hungry Ghost too had fallen, the group finally breathed a sigh of relief.

    Previously, their strategy of ¡°divide and conquer¡± and ¡°reducing the whole to parts¡± involved team members revealing themselves to lure the enemy and then intentionally scattering during their retreat, leading the enemy to divide their troops in pursuit, followed by concentrated ambush attacks¡ªafter the opponent had split their forces multiple times, their numbers advantage significantly diminished, allowing the team to completely annihilate them in just one or two rounds of surprise attacks, which was much faster than the previous ¡°ten people against twenty¡± slaughter rate.

    These civilian sorcerers were undisciplined, lacking formal academy education and specialized tactical training, relying solely on their numbers. Once their numerical superiority was also compromised, they were easily overrun by the individually stronger Rikoku Cultivators.

    However, the sorcerer who appeared just now was able to react in the moment of ambush, unexpectedly using the Hungry Ghost as a shield, which also surprised everyone¡­ fortunately, it ended without mishap.

    ¡°It should be all of them.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, turning to look at the team, ¡°A break?¡±

    Li Minghu was already struggling to hold on, consuming Elixir Medicine to recover True Yuan and energy, and the rest appeared utterly exhausted. No blade, even one of the finest steel, could avoid becoming blunted by endless killing, and the tense spirits of the cultivators were not made of iron either.

    ¡°No need to rest.¡± Li Minghu, who was in the worst condition among the team yet took the most aggressive tactical approach, ¡°Yan Team is still engaged in a fierce battle above us, let¡¯s continue our action quickly.¡±

    ¡°That works.¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely.

    The team had a clear overall strategy: to induce the enemy to divide their forces, thereby reducing the numerical gap. Now that the ground sorcerers had been secretly annihilated, and with roughly 300-400 sorcerers remaining in the sky, their attention nearly all diverted by Yan Yu, it was the perfect time to launch a surprise attack.

    Of course, a sneak attack doesn¡¯t mean charging in blindly¡ªotherwise, what would differentiate us from those amateur sorcerers?

    Chen Lingyun led her team to a group of witchcraft squad members at the edge of the battlefield and asked:

    ¡°Is Ningning ready?¡±

    ¡°Bring it on,¡± Lin Ning said seriously.

    These sorcerers were patrolling the sky back and forth, watching Yan Yu and Suo Wen tug of war in the distance, when suddenly, cries of alarm rose from below.

    Looking down, they saw a streak of blue sword light frantically flying through the treetops, with five other sorcerers in hot pursuit, shouting and cursing continuously.

    One of them suddenly looked up and called out to them:

    ¡°Stop slacking over there! Come help!¡±

    The person spoke the local language perfectly, and with an appearance and dress indistinguishable from that of typical sorcerers, the others had no reason to suspect anything and responded jokingly:

    ¡°Coming, coming!¡± S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The blue sword light once again dived into the jungle, followed by the five pursuers descending, then the witchcraft squad that had been patrolling above, with over ten people following the leading group all plunging into the forest, disappearing from sight.

    Silently meeting their end.

    Looking at the bodies scattered in disarray, the Rikoku Cultivators also began to lament.

    The previous act of pretend pursuit of Lin Ning was performed by five ghosts from within Chen Lingyun¡¯s banner. These five ghosts were adept at various forms of transformation, usually appearing as large dogs, but their ability to mimic the people of the Southern Border was equally lifelike.

    However, what was truly foolproof was that they were able to communicate with the enemy¡ªa feat ghosts from Rikoku couldn¡¯t achieve. It was all thanks to Chen Lingyun¡¯s personal teaching, which allowed the five ghosts to repeat the phrases exactly.

    The fact that Deputy Leader Chen could speak the Southern Border language, and more than one dialect at that¡­ who would have thought? It only goes to show that Zhenhai Team is indeed full of hidden talents.

    With these five ghosts who could speak the Southern Border language and take on its peoples¡¯ appearance, the sorcerers in the sky really had no clue, and were successively lured into the woods to land, and then ambushed and killed.

    The remaining sorcerers were all preoccupied with watching the battle between Yan Yu and Suo Wen and didn¡¯t pay much attention to their comrades at the edge of the battlefield slowly disappearing.

    When the total number of people was reduced below two hundred, it was Suo Wen who first sensed that something was amiss: Why does it seem like there are fewer people around?

    Something¡¯s wrong!

    Just as he was about to call the distant comrades to gather, Yan Yu¡¯s offensive suddenly intensified, and his speed increased by more than a notch.

    With the pressure mounting rapidly, Suo Wen had no choice but to continue deploying his golden light Taoism Method, creating an impenetrable shield in front of him, preventing Huang Tingjian from approaching.

    Finding no way through from the front, Yan Yu quickly shifted directions, launching high-speed attacks from the side and back, moving like lightning, sweeping through like the wind, forcing Suo Wen to exhaust himself in defense, without even a chance to send out a Yin Ghost to relay a message!

    At this point, Suo Wen finally realized belatedly: The adversary had actually been going easy from the start!

    Being of amateur background, the sorcerers lacked experience in combating Lu Kingdom Sword Immortals. Therefore, the enemy cunningly held back on purpose, leading him to mistakenly believe they were evenly matched.

    Now that the enemy had gone full force, the situation quickly went downhill, forcing him to focus on desperate self-defense with no time to give orders. Meanwhile, his subordinates in the distance, having grown complacent, continued to watch the spectacle, thinking victory was in their grasp, completely unaware that disaster was about to strike!

 Chapter 289 - 85: Suo Wen Takes the Lead, Alarming the Privy Council

    Chapter 289: Chapter 85: Suo Wen Takes the Lead, Alarming the Privy Council

    Yan Yu briefly inspected his Dantian and realized that not much True Yuan remained. He sighed inwardly.

    In my previous life, I relied on others¡¯ True Yuan and repeatedly faced the peril of running out; now that I¡¯ve cultivated my own, to still experience exhaustion of True Yuan is truly speechless.

    No choice, being habituated to turning the tides is just like this, not encountering numerous enemies and dangerous situations is no fun.

    Yan Yu continued to muster his spirits, urging the Huang Tingjian to repeatedly launch assaults against Suo Wen. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Now no longer conserving his True Yuan, his speed and force were both enhanced from before. Suo Wen was being pressed so hard he was sweating profusely; unable to keep up with his Golden Light Taoism Method, he had to frequently throw out the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Divine Evil Prayer Beads to block the flashes of the sword.

    The distant sorcerers hadn¡¯t noticed yet, watching Suo Wen fend off faster and faster and thought to themselves, could it be their leader was about to use his killer move? To behead the Longcheng Flying General on the spot?

    ...

    But soon, some of them realized something was off. It was the Longcheng Flying General who was speeding up the pace, Suo Wen was being forced to quicken his rhythm on the defensive and ultimately, was falling behind.

    Should they go and support him?

    So the question arose. If everyone went to help, Longcheng Flying General would turn and flee, and they¡¯d be back to the previous scenario: hundreds of people chasing after the enemy¡¯s tail, being led around like walking a dog. Furthermore, the Rikoku Cultivators hiding in the forest below might also take the opportunity to escape.

    But if they did not rescue, what if Suo Wen couldn¡¯t hold out?

    The disadvantage of the uncultured civilian routes was exposed again. Once there was a difference in opinions, unless there was a powerful individual who could override everyone¡¯s voice, forget about them arriving at a consensus spontaneously.

    Very quickly, the different Witchcraft Squads started to disintegrate. Those inclined to rescue Suo Wen promptly broke away and rushed over to his side; those who felt it was unnecessary stayed where they were to observe, and yet others continued to patrol the original route¡­ causing the scene to become chaotic at once.

    The opportunity had arrived!

    Hiding in the shadows, Chen Lingyun gave the command, and everyone urged their sword lights forward, killing out of the forest and charging towards the sorcerers above.

    The Rikoku Cultivators, who had been lurking in the dark all along, suddenly appeared and did not choose to flee; instead, they charged at them, causing even more panic amongst the sorcerers.

    The brave and daring did not hesitate to meet the charge head-on; the timid and cowardly quickly retreated to find teammates to regroup; the tactically minded swiftly went to inform their respective small leaders since numerical superiority also needed to be exercised through team command¡­ But where were the small leaders? They had run off to save their leader Suo Wen! What to do now?

    And so, several others tried to take the place of the small leaders to command the team, and there were quite a few of them. Some said, ¡°Form a rank first, Tattooed Charm Masters to the front,¡± others said, ¡°Yin Sorcerers activate the Ghost Walking Technique and start maneuvering,¡± while others without any strategic mindset just bellowed, ¡°Charge! Kill!¡±, with commands utterly conflicting with one another, leaving no one knowing whose orders to follow, so they simply did their own thing.

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s side, however, was an example of efficient command. Su Yunjin and Tao Xingyuan wielded large-scale Taoism Methods to scatter the enemies who were grouping together; Lin Ning and Li Minghu controlled their swords to strike everywhere, further fragmenting an already fragmented formation.

    Jiang Hong and Li Zhaojiang were responsible for intercepting attacks; the Magnetic Divine Light could attract most magic treasures related to metal, while scattered attacks were intercepted by Jiang Hong¡¯s Sword Control. If they were Resentful Spirits or Yin Ghosts, Chen Lingyun would simply wave the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, and the Heart Capturing Technique would immediately draw the opposition into the banner.

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Wang Haoran were on standby the whole time, following Chen Lingyun¡¯s commands to behead the enemy. Whenever someone from the opposition stuck their head out and started to integrate the surrounding sorcerers, they would quickly immobilize them with the story of history, and then the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin would strike their vital points¡ªthis method was tried and true, without fail.

    If the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin didn¡¯t finish them off, then Xie Ruoxi would come over, and one blast of Thunder Method would pulverize everything¡ªno matter whether it was a magic treasure or Flying Sword for protection, all would be shattered.

    Although the sorcerers outnumbered them by more than seven or eight times, they were routed by the Rikoku Cultivator squad, and soon people began to flee, rushing towards the forest below.

    The situation was increasingly favorable for Chen Lingyun¡¯s side, but for Yan Yu, it was becoming ever more perilous. The sorcerers who had come to support Suo Wen had already begun their assault on him.

    Dodging these attacks was not difficult, since most were straight-forward Curse Techniques and the like, but with a few Yin Sorcerers shielding him, Suo Wen took the opportunity to attempt an escape with the Ghost Walking Technique; this was unacceptable.

    To knock on the mountain to alarm the tiger, and to alert the Witch King, the Golden Light Sorcerer Suo Wen had to die there!

    Yan Yu swiftily dodged the barrages of attacks and continued the pursuit of Suo Wen, then suddenly glanced towards the distant Chen Lingyun.

    Chen Lingyun also looked over at the same time.

    There was no eye contact or secret communication, but the tacit understanding built over two lifetimes was enough to leave everything unsaid.

    Chen Lingyun quietly waved the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, directing the Heart Capturing Technique at the fleeing Suo Wen, instantly sucking away the flight-enabling Yin Ghosts from him.

    Suo Wen suddenly plunged towards the forest below, his guard squad promptly attempted to save him, and they managed to catch him before he hit the ground.

    Yan Yu¡¯s sword light entered the thick of the forest, scanning the thickness of the foliage with his Divine Sense as he passed through.

    Good, it would definitely block satellite surveillance.

    As the sword light reached the bottom of the forest, in an instant, Sword-Human Unity was achieved, and the sword light surged!

    The sudden burst of majestic sword light swept over three sorcerers, cleanly bisecting them in one stroke.

    Leading the escape, Suo Wen turned his head and saw Yan Yu¡¯s Sword-Human Unity move, and he nearly spewed blood:

    So you¡¯ve been holding back all along, haven¡¯t you! Treacherous Lu Kingdom Sword Immortal!

    This feeling was indescribable. To give an analogy, it was like you believed your opponent had played all his cards, then they slap down another card. That should be the last card, right? And then slap, another one¡­

    He flung the Golden Light Taoism Method backward, and Yan Yu merely sidestepped in an instant, dodging the method before charging forward, killing two more sorcerers without any obstruction or delay, his rhythm undisturbed.

    The movement speed of Sword-Human Unity was far faster than that of Sword Control slashing.

    Suo Wen quickly realized that if he kept running like this, he would eventually be killed one by one by the opponent¡¯s sword light, so he quickly ordered everyone to stop, turn around, and fight a decisive battle with the Longcheng Flying General!

    This was exactly what Yan Yu intended: his remaining True Yuan could no longer support extended Sword-Human Unity.

    However, the essence of war is mutual deception. The less endurance you have, the more you must appear to be at ease, the more you must make the opponent think you are rich in True Yuan.

    Now that Suo Wen had fallen for the trick by ordering his troops to stop and turn back for a desperate fight, decapitating them became much easier.

    Yan Yu flicked his sleeve and shook out a Silver Pellet, which quickly transformed into a slender-legged beauty with bright eyes and a gleaming smile, her expressions vividly lifelike.

    Suo Wen¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief and he couldn¡¯t help but ask:

    ¡°You¡­ how many more tricks do you have up your sleeve?¡±

    ¡°Haha!¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°I have far too many cards in my hand!¡±

    He and the puppet Ah Zhen stood side by side, activating the Shifting Technique simultaneously.

    Charge!

    The Curse Technique Master spurred the Curse Technique, aiming at him, but puppet Ah Zhen rushed forward, her arm blades gleaming coldly, exerting tremendous force from her heart, swiftly severing them all with a swish.

    A Tattooed Charm Master charged from the side, summoning a Vajra Body several meters tall, swinging down his demon-subduing staff fiercely.

    Puppet Ah Zhen instantly sidestepped horizontally to dodge urgently, relying solely on her physical endurance without the Cloud Ascension Technique, dragging two long grooves with her feet on the ground.

    Yan Yu united with his sword in the blink of an eye as well, soaring out of the range of the demon-subduing staff¡¯s strike, driving his sword light into the Tattooed Charm Master¡¯s throat, his head falling to the ground.

    Suo Wen once again raised the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Divine Evil Prayer Beads to strike at Yan Yu but was intercepted halfway by puppet Ah Zhen!

    The Divine Evil Prayer Beads locked onto Ah Zhen¡¯s arms, fiercely permeating them with the Yin Demon Qi.

    If it were any ordinary puppet treasure, just the slightest touch of Yin Demon Qi would immediately damage its essence, losing all spirituality.

    But Ah Zhen¡¯s body contained the Divine Dragon Wood, which deterred all evil, and she did not suffer from the erosion at all. Instead, she firmly held on to the Divine Evil Prayer Beads, rendering them immobile, unable to advance or retreat, futilely rattling and shaking violently as if in a death struggle.

    Suo Wen never expected that after unleashing this treasure, it would be ¡°confiscated¡± by the opponent. Without time to consider a counterstrategy, he could only display the Golden Light Taoism Method again to force Yan Yu back.

    Yan Yu, in Sword-Human Unity, suddenly rose, narrowly grazing the upper boundary of the Golden Light¡¯s attack range, then swiftly descended at full speed with a diagonal piercing strike, a quick and precise thrust like a rainbow penetrating the sun, viciously piercing through Suo Wen¡¯s chest!

    Separating from the sword, he landed steadily. Puppet Ah Zhen stepped quickly, throwing down the out-of-control Nine Heavens Yin Demon Divine Evil Prayer Beads on the ground, and then dashed off to chase down the remaining scattered sorcerers, with screams occasionally echoing from the depths of the woods.

    Yan Yu quietly took out his phone and snapped a photo of the dead Golden Light Sorcerer Suo Wen¡¯s body, sending it back to the command post at the rear.

    The enemy general has fallen!

    To be honest, taking Suo Wen¡¯s head amid thousands of troops wasn¡¯t difficult, but if he had started with that approach, the remaining sorcerers would have scattered like birds and beasts, and it would have been good to kill even ten percent of them.

    Suo Wen had to die, and so did his sorcerers ¨C all must die!

    Only with substantial deaths could the Witch King be deterred, could he be persuaded to halt his northern campaign and instead turn to quelling internal strife. That was Yan Yu¡¯s strategic goal for this mission!

    Now the goal had been achieved¡ªat the cost of his True Yuan nearly being depleted.

    Well, before the news reaches the Witch King, I can finally have a good rest.

    Yan Yu stayed by Suo Wen¡¯s body until Lin Ning and the others landed.

    On the other side, the news once it reached the Privy Council, stirred up waves like a stone causing ripples, creating a massive shock and outcry.

    The Golden Light Sorcerer Suo Wen might be unfamiliar to the combat team¡¯s cultivators, but in the intelligence agency, his name was notorious. This man was one of the Witch King Long Po Ming¡¯s chief lieutenants, playing a significant role in the Witch King¡¯s ascension, and was the largest supporter of the ¡°pro-invasion faction¡± within the Witch King Allied Forces.

    Among the numerous sorcerer lords second only to the Witch King, only Suo Wen was an unwavering supporter of the Witch King. United with the Witch King, he could suppress the other great lords from daring to rebel.

    With Suo Wen¡¯s death, the Witch King¡¯s foundation of rule is unstable. It¡¯s an excellent opportunity to contact other sorcerer lords and incite them to rebel.

    And the first on the intelligence agency¡¯s list is another of the Witch King Long Po Ming¡¯s lieutenants¡ªAjarn Meng.

 Chapter 290 - 86 Entering the Marrow Cleansing Stage

    Chapter 290: Chapter 86 Entering the Marrow Cleansing Stage

    Yan Yu had beheaded Suo Wen, and the news first reached the Privy Council of Lu Country, then was broadcast internationally at a press conference before finally arriving at the Southern Border.

    It¡¯s said that the Witch King, upon receiving the news, was in the middle of throwing a tantrum at a meeting: because a group of people, presumably finding Lu Country hard to deal with, had deserted halfway to attack Tianzhu to the west.

    The Witch King was furious about this, saying, ¡°I¡¯m not saying no one should attack the west, but right now we should all be uniting and pressing north together. What does it mean to change course at this time? Isn¡¯t that a slap in my face?¡±

    Soon enough, there were plants in the audience saying, ¡°This is a betrayal of the Sorcerer Alliance Army,¡± ¡°If you know anyone, call them back immediately,¡± and ¡°Those who return will not be held accountable.¡±

    The Sorcerer Lords looked at each other, not particularly surprised by this outcome.

    It was not through warfare and conquest that Witch King Long Po Ming had unified the Southern Border but rather because he received the loyalty of Suo Wen and Ajarn Meng, which allowed him to become the foremost among the Sorcerer Lords, and let the others acquiesce to him declaring himself the Witch King.

    ...

    To put it plainly, his title as Witch King was fundamentally not that of an emperor but more akin to the leader of a loose alliance¡ªa title lacking the prestige of winning a unifying war.

    Now, with people deserting on their own, the Witch King¡¯s authority took another major hit, and what would follow depended on how he would deal with these people.

    Witch King Long Po Ming didn¡¯t actually plan on troubling these deserters; he was well aware that his base of power was still insufficient. Having gained nothing from the northern invasion and now facing the prospect of punishment, he knew some might mourn the rabbit¡¯s death for fear of the fox¡ªthe seed of treachery was sure to sprout.

    Rather than that, he preferred to invade Lu Country, kill for loot, and seize Mysterious Realms. As long as he could get his hands on resources, with the power to distribute spoils, others would truly and sincerely submit to him.

    Just as Witch King Long Po Ming was secretly planning, someone suddenly rushed in with a report:

    ¡°It¡¯s terrible! Suo Wen is dead!¡±

    All the Sorcerer Lords were aghast, but Witch King Long Po Ming was suddenly enraged, shouting:

    ¡°Who¡¯s dead? Don¡¯t spout nonsense!¡±

    ¡°Suo Wen is dead!¡± the dark sorcerer Messenger cried, ¡°He was killed by the Longcheng Flying General in the Southern Border! His body¡¯s photo is on the news¡­¡±

    Before the words were out, the Witch King¡¯s right arm flashed like lightning, sending out a black spirit possession into the messenger¡¯s forehead. The dark sorcerer stood woodenly for a moment, then suddenly fell backward, dead on the ground with a small ghostly handprint on his forehead¡ªingested by one of Long Po Ming¡¯s minions that invaded his mind and consumed his soul.

    ¡°That must be fake news released by Lu Country!¡± The Witch King, looking at the Sorcerers around him whose expressions had drastically changed, said each word emphatically with a face ashen, ¡°I will call Suo Wen right now!¡±

    He theatrically took out his mobile phone, dialed a number, put it to his ear, and babbled a few words, then hung up and said:

    ¡°Suo Wen was only injured by the Longcheng Flying General and has not died. He is currently recovering locally and will return in a few days. We will continue with the plan for the northern campaign; the army sets off tomorrow, and no one is allowed to fall out of line, lest they face military law!¡±

    Having said that, the Witch King got up and left.

    The Sorcerer Lords exchanged glances, mostly disbelieving the Witch King¡¯s performance just now.

    If Suo Wen was really alive, able to answer your call, then why didn¡¯t you put it on speaker? If we could hear Suo Wen¡¯s voice, we certainly wouldn¡¯t doubt anything, but hanging up the call in such a hurry really makes people suspicious.

    As the Sorcerer Lords¡¯ eyes wandered, most of them settled on Ajarn Meng.

    Ajarn Meng, dressed in black, currently served as the Witch King Long Po Ming¡¯s deputy, just like the golden Sorcerer Suo Wen. The difference was, Suo Wen was of the Dragon¡¯s Service, a die-hard supporter of the Witch King, whereas Ajarn Meng represented the interests put forward by many Sorcerer Lords and had been a devout monk in the Plaek monastery before his cultivation, enjoying considerable prestige throughout the Southern Border.

    As everyone looked to him for help, the elderly Ajarn Meng did not respond. Instead, he simply lowered his eyelids, fiddled with the blackwood prayer beads in his hand, and silently turned to leave.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡°The situation is a bit dire,¡± Su Yunjin worriedly said after checking Yan Yu¡¯s meridians and Dantian, ¡°The recovery rate of his True Yuan is only half of what it was before, and the quality also leaves much to be desired. My recommendation is that for now, Captain, you should refrain from joining the battles, at least until you have mastered the Fasting skill.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± since all the girls on the team insisted he not join the battle, Yan Yu could only surrender with a show of hands, ¡°Then the Witch King is up to you, okay? I¡¯m washing my hands of it.¡±

    ¡°You just rest up here,¡± Li Minghu said with a smile.

    ¡°Old Yan¡¯s already wilted; now it¡¯s up to us,¡± Li Zhaojiang turned and said breezily, ¡°Everyone, perk up, and don¡¯t let Old Yan down.¡±

    ¡°Right!¡± The men of the Qing¡¯an Battle Team also chorused in agreement.

    The crowd quietly controlled their swords and left, leaving Yan Yu to rest there.

    This place was an uninhabited village, completely abandoned, so there was no worry of enemies finding their way here.

    Yan Yu sat lazily on a wooden chair, watching the outside, quietly circulating his True Yuan through the Grand Circulation inside his body.

    As Su Yunjin had said, with the progress of his Fasting, his body¡¯s endurance was getting worse and worse, no longer suitable for continued fighting.

    Rather than continue following the team while his True Yuan was depleted, it would be better to hand over command to Chen Lingyun and find a place to perfect the Fasting technique.

    Yan Yu yawned and slowly closed his eyes, beginning to doze off.

    Time gradually transitioned from afternoon to evening, and the distant forests fell into darkness, devoid of any light.

    Technology and civilization seemed to have vanished completely from this place.

    In the Southern Border, where Transcendents held all control, mortals were as scarce as wild animals, eventually being reduced to mere production tools and resources to be domesticated by the Transcendents. In the previous life, this tide spread globally, similar to how Homo sapiens gradually replaced Neanderthals, until even Lu Country could not escape ¡ª the Transcendents had become the ¡°new human race¡± of the new era.

    It was just that he had not witnessed the very last moment when the whole world plunged into hell.

    If allowed to recklessly compete amongst themselves, the Transcendents would inevitably turn everything around them into fuel for their own growth because those who did not do so would be eliminated by the stronger ones. However, if someone could become the strongest in this world, they could then remodel the entire world at will according to their own desires, bringing order back to this world.

    Of course, by that time, the strongest in this world would almost certainly be deified, and countless theories would try to prove that they were ¡°naturally superior to all humankind,¡± ¡°the destined ruler of all humanity¡±¡­

    It doesn¡¯t matter anymore.

    Could it be worse than the ending of the previous life, where mortals nearly perished?

    Yan Yu suddenly opened his eyes.

    He stepped out of the main entrance of the house, looking at the brilliant Milky Way hanging in the center of the night sky, and took a long breath.

    The goal is the end of the ascension to godhood. Starting today¡­ I am taking the first step.

    Suddenly, Dantian trembled slightly as if unblocking something, and then powerful True Yuan began to emanate from Dantian, traveling through the meridians to the limbs and bones.

    Cleansing, tempering, polishing!

    Muscles, bones, connective tissues¡­ the acquired turbidity hidden in various parts of the body was all being expelled continuously through the pores, washed away by the forceful True Yuan.

    If Yan Yu¡¯s body were to be compared to a house, it was filled with various clutter and old items before Marrow Cleansing, capable of housing only limited things. And Marrow Cleansing would clear out most of the trash.

    When the Marrow Cleansing was completed, the next step would be to transform the Purple Mansion, and form the Golden Core.

    Yan Yu stood silently on the empty ground, the light in his eyes almost growing brighter and his clothes fluttering without wind, rippling as the driving force of the True Yuan burst forth from his pores.

    Suddenly, he began to move lightly.

    The simple stretch of his joints caused a crackling sound throughout his body, like firecrackers or frying beans.

    Yan Yu stretched again, and his body shot up nearly ten centimeters, his arms, shoulders, thighs, chest, and abdomen ¡ª places where the muscles were not very apparent ¡ª gradually displayed clear lines.

    The True Yuan was not only washing away the turbidity of the five grains from inside his body but also repairing his body. If a sample of his tissues were tested now, it would show his cells growing and differentiating at an astonishing rate, utterly disregarding the Hayflick limit.

    Spiritual Energy Resurgence, it never talks science with you.

    Finally, the changes in his body gradually came to an end.

    Yan Yu¡¯s Marrow Cleansing was nearly 90% complete, although some dead angles in the bones were not yet fully cleaned, such as the pelvic cavity and the joints of the spine. These areas required True Yuan to be used for long-term continuous polishing and washing¡­ which was the practice process of the entire Marrow Cleansing Stage. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Of course, the benefits of completing Marrow Cleansing were obvious.

    Life span was extended, complete fasting was achieved, and one¡¯s root bone was significantly strengthened. Even without activating the Wood Bending Charm, one could easily defeat the top sanda fighters or even the champions among mortals, because their physiques and strength were no longer in the same league.

    Yan Yu pulled at his shirt collar, a stench of decay hanging around him; all were impurities expelled during the Marrow Cleansing process.

    Back in the room, he began to rinse off his body with tap water, which came from the mountain behind the village and therefore felt extra chilly on the skin.

    But Yan Yu was undeterred and simply cleaned his body, then started scrubbing his soiled clothes.

    The mobile phone placed aside suddenly rang; it was a call from Lord Master.

    ¡°Hello?¡± Yan Yu turned on the speakerphone.

    ¡°Old Yan, I hear you¡¯re practicing that Fasting technique?¡± Liu Longtao got straight to the point.

    ¡°Yes, what about it?¡±

    ¡°I entered the Marrow Cleansing Stage this morning,¡± Liu Longtao asked casually, ¡°Do you want me to tell you the tricks?¡±

    It was the familiar taste of showing off, but Yan Yu patiently listened until the end and responded:

    ¡°No need, I¡¯ve also undergone Marrow Cleansing.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

 Chapter 291 - 87: After Fasting

    Chapter 291: Chapter 87: After Fasting

    Lord Master was officially promoted to the Marrow Cleansing Stage around 8:30 this morning.

    Top specialists from major hospitals nationwide formed a resuscitation team that watched over him throughout. On one hand, they were afraid of any accidents happening; on the other, they aimed to record data for scientific research.

    After advancing to the Marrow Cleansing Stage, he had been engaged in a full day of experiments without rest. Lord Master submitted the application at nine in the morning, and it wasn¡¯t approved until nine at night.

    As soon as it was approved, he immediately called Yan Yu, much like a man who had struggled mightily to reach the shore, eager to share the good news with his friend who had also taken the public exam. The nature of this act is clear enough without saying more.

    However, Yan Yu replied with ¡°I¡¯ve cleansed my marrow too,¡± instantly dampening half of Liu Longtao¡¯s joy.

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    ...

    ¡°Ah what? Didn¡¯t you know I was fasting?¡± Yan Yu asked, baffled.

    ¡°But you were fighting a war over there.¡±

    ¡°Fighting doesn¡¯t affect the cultivation of fasting.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ haha, you really are pushing yourself.¡± Liu Longtao said with a chuckle.

    Yan Yu had long known that Lord Master belonged to that type of person who isn¡¯t comfortable unless he¡¯s teasing others, so he didn¡¯t take it too seriously and said:

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna hang up now.¡±

    ¡°I want to ask you something.¡± Liu Longtao¡¯s tone shifted, suddenly becoming serious. ¡°What do you think about the Sorcerers from the Southern Border?¡±

    ¡°Not much to think.¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°They have plenty of strange tricks but lack the strength for a tough fight. Unless they have an overwhelming numerical advantage and coordinated command, they won¡¯t be a match for the Rikoku Cultivators.¡±

    ¡°What about the Tattooed Charm Masters?¡± Liu Longtao continued, ¡°I heard they tattoo curses on their bodies that enable them to summon various giant divine entities to take on the strike role. That shouldn¡¯t be a problem, right?¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡± Yan Yu responded succinctly, ¡°Those entities are not nimble enough, and they have short legs, far inferior to Sword Immortals.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Liu Longtao pondered.

    In fact, throughout all occupations worldwide, it was hard to find roles like Sword Immortals, capable of both fighting fiercely and escaping deftly. Tattooed Charm Masters had short legs, werewolves had short arms, Samurai had both short legs and arms¡­ The deficiencies of other occupations weren¡¯t so obvious, yet they generally couldn¡¯t match up to Sword Immortals.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m hanging up now.¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Go ahead and hang up,¡± Liu Longtao said with a chuckle, ¡°Congratulations on reaching Marrow Cleansing, old Yan. Let¡¯s go for a drink in Pingjing sometime.¡±

    After hanging up the call, Yan Yu busied himself cleaning his clothes, then he lit a Flame Curse to start drying them.

    As he was basking in the warmth, bare-skinned, someone suddenly pushed the door open and shouted:

    ¡°Captain! The Witch King is dead! We can go back now¡­ AHHHHHHHHHHH!¡±

    The moment Lin Ning saw Yan Yu, she immediately screamed, turned her head away, and closed her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest defensively as if she had seen something she shouldn¡¯t have.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you knock?¡± Yan Yu complained.

    ¡°How was I supposed to know you¡¯d be naked inside?¡± Lin Ning exclaimed, stomping her feet in agitation, ¡°Hurry up and get dressed!¡±

    Under normal circumstances, she would have kicked him without a second thought.

    But now, with Yan Yu undressed¡­ she couldn¡¯t even bring herself to look, let alone kick.

    ¡°I¡¯ll wait till they¡¯re dry,¡± Yan Yu said leisurely, ¡°They¡¯re still a bit damp.¡±

    ¡°AHHHHHHH I¡¯m still here, can¡¯t you hurry up¡­¡± Lin Ning turned her head and closed her eyes, her voice filled with an anxious plea that was close to becoming a wail.

    ¡°What¡¯s the rush?¡± Yan Yu countered, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to see, can¡¯t you just leave?¡±

    ¡°Oh! Oh! Oh!¡± Realizing this, Lin Ning spun around and dashed out.

    Standing outside the door, leaning against the wall, she asked Yan Yu:

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you wearing any clothes?¡±

    ¡°After the Marrow Cleansing, in the process of expelling impurities and drawing in freshness, all the pores on my body opened up, and my clothes got dirty.¡± Yan Yu explained. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°You still shouldn¡¯t be without clothes,¡± Lin Ning insisted. ¡°What if a Sorcerer breaks in? What then?¡±

    ¡°Not afraid,¡± Yan Yu reassured her. ¡°If they see me without clothes, they¡¯re bound to close their eyes and run out.¡±

    Lin Ning, fuming, picked up a small piece of wood from the ground and hurled it inside towards Yan Yu¡ªbut because she wasn¡¯t aiming, it ended up in the Flame Curse, causing the flames to burn even more fiercely.

    ¡°Why have you come back?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°The Witch King is dead.¡± Lin Ning suddenly remembered she was here to deliver the news, ¡°One of his deputies killed him last night, and the Allied Forces have completely dispersed. The rear command post notified us to withdraw personnel.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good.¡± Yan Yu was not surprised by this.

    In his previous life, the first Witch King was assassinated by a deputy, which indicated there were definitely problems with his rule. Yan Yu guessed the reasons for his downfall were probably similar to those of Qin Ershi¡¯s¡­ Without a solid foundation for unification, the opposition from all sides was too great, and then he forcibly pursued wars, which ultimately backfired.

    However, compared to the overt actions of the first Witch King, the second Witch King was a real master of intrigue.

    If Yan Yu had a choice, he definitely would not have allowed the second Witch King to ascend smoothly. But this guy probably had some collaboration with Lu Country. As soon as I sent back the news of defeating Suo Wen to the Privy Council, he immediately assassinated the Witch King. The timing of these events was too swift.

    It doesn¡¯t matter, anyway.

    Even if the second Witch King were to be eliminated now, there would be a third and a fourth to take his place, so there was no need to rush.

    One day, when he causes trouble in the Southern Border, I¡¯ll take some time to kill him!

    ¡°Alright.¡± Yan Yu finished drying his clothes and then rustled as he put them on, ¡°Come in.¡±

    ¡°Have you succeeded in Marrow Cleansing?¡± Lin Ning returned to the house and looked at him doubtfully, ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°You seem¡­ whiter?¡± Lin Ning scrutinized his face and reached out to touch it.

    ¡°Marrow Cleansing and Veins Purification return the acquired state to the innate state, so it¡¯s very normal for the skin to become whiter.¡± Yan Yu brushed away her presumptuous hand, casually saying, ¡°This shows that my previous skin color was from being tanned, not from genetics.¡±

    ¡°So if I undergo Marrow Cleansing and Veins Purification, I can also become whiter, prettier, and more attractive?¡± Lin Ning suddenly realized the key point.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why you should work hard at cultivating.¡± Yan Yu thought there was indeed this benefit, which could be used to motivate the girls.

    ¡°Is there a way to speed up cultivation?¡± Lin Ning started to ponder seriously.

    Yan Yu was quite astonished. Even a diligent student like her was looking for shortcuts, is the allure of becoming beautiful really that strong for a girl?

    ¡°Cough cough cough!¡± The sound of Su Yunjin¡¯s cough came from outside.

    After making her presence known with the sound, she pushed the door open and entered with a serious expression.

    ¡°Yun Jin!¡± Lin Ning hurriedly approached and said, ¡°The captain has gotten whiter! He says as long as you undergo Marrow Cleansing, it can improve your skin quality!¡±

    ¡°Mmm! Eh?¡± Su Yunjin was about to scold Lin Ning for recklessly flying ahead of the team using Sword Control to return first when she suddenly paid attention to what she was saying, ¡°Whiter?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Then we need to figure out how to undergo Marrow Cleansing as soon as possible!¡± Su Yunjin immediately said.

    Both girls looked at Yan Yu with eager eyes, leaving him feeling quite puzzled: Why are you looking at me to level up quickly?

    The only way to level up is to be diligent in daily chores, breathing exercises, and circulating Qi around the body! If leveling up is slow, sometimes find your own reasons ¡ª have you been cultivating sincerely, or is there a problem with your own talents?

    The three left the house and used Sword Control to meet up with the nearby staying team.

    Hearing that Yan Yu had finally perfected the Fasting technique and entered the Marrow Cleansing Stage, Chen Lingyun and Xie Ruoxi seemed unimpressed, while Zhao Yuanzhen snorted a few times, ¡°It¡¯s about time for Marrow Cleansing,¡± but nobody paid her any attention.

    The cultivators from the Clean Peace squad expressed their envy openly, and Li Minghu was the first to congratulate on behalf of the team:

    ¡°Congratulations on advancing, Captain Yan. You must be the first in the country to reach the Marrow Cleansing Stage, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the case.¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°Liu Longtao also entered Marrow Cleansing this morning.¡±

    Upon hearing this news, Chen Lingyun¡¯s face visibly soured, but the others didn¡¯t show any surprise, as they all knew about Lord Master¡¯s exceptional cultivation talent early on.

    ¡°Never mind Old Liu.¡± Li Zhaojiang egged on, ¡°Congratulations on advancing to Marrow Cleansing, Captain Yan, you should treat us to a meal!¡±

    ¡°Exactly, exactly!¡± The men echoed.

    ¡°I¡¯ve achieved Fasting, and I still have to treat you guys to a meal?¡± Yan Yu was astonished.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Li Zhaojiang laughed heartily, ¡°If you can¡¯t eat because of Fasting, it¡¯s okay to just sit and watch us eat!¡±

    ¡°Fine then.¡± Yan Yu readily agreed, ¡°To the Palace of Happiness?¡±

    ¡°We have to return to the command post to report first.¡± Li Minghu reminded.

 Chapter 292 - 89: Explain Clearly at My Place

    Chapter 292: Chapter 89: Explain Clearly at My Place

    People from Lu Country, once they have money, the first thing they think of is to buy a house.

    Cultivators are also people from Lu Country, and of course they are no exception. After getting wealthy, Li Family siblings not only bought a team-building base for their team but also bought separate properties for their parents, grandparents, and maternal grandparents in both Xingwang Mansion and Xin¡¯an Economic Zone.

    Then, because of Yan Yu¡¯s family being besieged and interviewed by the media, all the family members of the team¡¯s cultivators were sent to the Military Manor compound for unified resettlement, and all those houses were bought for nothing¡­ nobody lived in them.

    By contrast, the Zhenghai Team was more restrained in their spending thanks to Yan Yu¡¯s warning, and there was no occurrence of team members having several empty houses to their name.

    Of all the houses that the Li siblings bought, it was this mountain villa that saw the most use. It is located deep in Baiyun Mountain Forest Park, with its environment, scenery, and air all being excellent. The original drawback was the slightly inconvenient transportation, but as cultivators could fly with Sword Flight, they didn¡¯t have to take the winding mountain roads, making travel very convenient indeed.

    Unlike Zhenghai Team, the Qing¡¯an Team, consisting of four men and one woman, were not keen on housekeeping. Li Minghu didn¡¯t mind cleaning, but Li Zhaojiang worried it would tire her, so they ended up hiring a full team of housekeepers to live in the villa, all aunts above forty years old with years of experience in managing luxury houses in the harbor area, very professional.

    ...

    Upon entering the villa, Lin Ning was researching various high-end kitchen appliances in the kitchen when suddenly an auntie popped up from somewhere (actually from a small door next to the kitchen) and asked,

    ¡°Would the guest like to eat something?¡±

    Lin Ning was immediately bewildered. Seeing her puzzled look, the auntie repeated what she had just said in Lingnan dialect.

    ¡°Uh,¡± Lin Ning finally reacted and said, ¡°I was just seeing what kind of dishes can be made here¡­¡±

    The auntie immediately understood, oh¡¯d, and said with a smile,

    ¡°Miss, you want to cook, right?¡±

    In fact, many wealthy ladies in the harbor area are like this: although they normally don¡¯t do any kitchen work, they still have whims where they want to personally cook for their families.

    The housekeepers serving these rich ladies also have a routine: they clean all the ingredients and place them on the cutting board, letting the lady put them in the pot with her own hands, then the ladies play with the spatula, stirring randomly. When they get tired, the housekeepers take over. All the seasonings are prepared by the housekeepers in small bowls, and the ladies are only responsible for putting things into the pot¡­ The dish that comes out is credited as ¡°personally made by madam,¡± and when served it earns praise from the family and the husband¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Lin Ning actually didn¡¯t plan to cook; she had simply seen the high-end kitchenware from afar and came over to look.

    But indeed, the kitchen was stocked with many and complete items¡­ and it was tempting to give them a try.

    ¡°Then let me assist you,¡± the auntie immediately put on an apron and offered eagerly.

    While Lin Ning was busy in the kitchen, Su Yunjin had moved to the backyard.

    The villa¡¯s internal garden in the back harbored some rare flowers from the South China Botanical Garden, obtained through connections by the villa¡¯s previous owner, which intrigued Su Yunjin.

    Xie Ruoxi went to the second-floor study to play on the computer, while Zhao Yuanzhen and Chen Lingyun gravitated towards the bar, one cracking melon seeds, the other brewing coffee.

    In the blink of an eye, the ladies of the Zhenghai Team were scattered to the wind, leaving the men of the Qing¡¯an Team looking at each other¡ªoriginally, they had wanted to cozy up to the ladies, but since they all acted independently, it was inappropriate to follow and continue making conversation.

    The boys sat on the large sofa in the living room, just as Li Zhaojiang picked up the controller and said,

    ¡°Old Yan, how about a game?¡±

    ¡°What game?¡±

    ¡°King of Fighters.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t King of Fighters an arcade game?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s long been ported to consoles, so are you in or out?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll see if it¡¯s fun first.¡± Yan Yu took the controller, gave it a try, and beat Li Zhaojiang handily.

    ¡°Can you even handle it, captain?¡± The guys all laughed boisterously.

    ¡°Another round!¡± Li Zhaojiang said indignantly.

    His style of playing King of Fighters was to randomly mash buttons, relying on the belief that ¡°as long as my hands are fast enough, there¡¯s no special move I can¡¯t pull off.¡± However, facing Yan Yu, who was a genuine ¡°quick-eyed, quick-handed¡± and ¡°precise¡± player, his real level was immediately exposed.

    ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± Yan Yu handed back the controller and said proudly, ¡°Ah Jiang, you¡¯re not good enough. Go back and practice some more.¡±

    Li Minghu covered her mouth, laughing at the side.

    The game controllers on the table were quickly seized by Jiang Hong and others who started another round with Li Zhaojiang, the joy of boys being so simple.

    Yan Yu stood up, looking a tad bored, and asked Li Minghu,

    ¡°Besides gaming, what other entertainment do you guys have here?¡±

    ¡°Are you talking about sports activities?¡± Li Minghu pondered for a moment, ¡°The basement has a swimming pool, the second floor has a billiard table, and there¡¯s a basketball court if you go out the main entrance and turn left.¡±

    ¡°Never mind, I¡¯ll just go for a walk outside.¡± Yan Yu waved his hand.

    He left the villa¡¯s main entrance, and Li Minghu turned to look at Chen Lingyun, finding her chatting leisurely and smiling with Zhao Yuanzhen, but Sister Zhao couldn¡¯t care less about him, just cracking sunflower seeds and playing with her phone continuously.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Yan Yu strolled leisurely along the road when suddenly he heard someone calling him from behind.

    Turning his head, he saw Li Minghu, dressed in sportswear.

    ¡°Huff, huff.¡± She ran up to Yan Yu¡¯s side and stopped, hands on her knees as she panted, wiping sweat and asked, ¡°How come you walk so fast?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not that fast, you¡¯re just too slow,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    Li Minghu was somewhat speechless, but she could roughly make out the character of Yan Yu¡ªhe wasn¡¯t the type to treat you specially just because you are a pretty woman. He would say whatever needed to be said.

    ¡°Do you usually jog around here?¡± Yan Yu asked casually.

    ¡°Yeah, the air is good here.¡± Li Minghu jogged alongside him, ¡°Jogging here is good for the heart and lungs.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, I noticed there aren¡¯t many cars around, no exhaust fumes either,¡± Yan Yu said.

    He waited for Li Minghu to speak. The girl had specifically followed him out, so she must have had something to say to him.

    But Li Minghu held her breath well, jogging slowly with Yan Yu for about 1 kilometer and still only chatting about trivial family matters.

    ¡°I heard you don¡¯t have a housekeeper?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t hire one, just occasionally.¡±

    ¡°Then how do you handle the everyday household chores and cooking?¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin takes care of the housework, and Lin Ning is in charge of cooking.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s pretty good, your own people are always more reliable than someone hired from outside.¡±

    Yan Yu found himself increasingly unable to keep his composure. You coming over to talk to me like this, you can¡¯t really just want to spend some alone time with me, can you?

    Just speak your mind. All this beating around the bush is useless on me! Haven¡¯t I seen enough of a woman¡¯s sweet talk? Chen Lingyun from my past life was much craftier than you!

    ¡°It looks like you have something to say.¡± He decided not to waste any more time.

    We Sword Immortals speak plainly; get straight to the point!

    ¡°Really can¡¯t hide anything from you,¡± Li Minghu said with a wry smile, ¡°Here¡¯s the thing.¡±

    ¡°Do you remember the last time in the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm? The two of us appeared on the camera, we might have been standing a bit close, and then the elders in my family saw it, they mistook that you and I had some kind of relationship¡­ Of course, I¡¯ve already clarified it when I got back home.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°And¡­ they want to meet you,¡± Li Minghu said candidly.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same as not having clarified at all?¡± Yan Yu suddenly felt a headache coming on.

    Meet me for what? Isn¡¯t it just because they suspect that I have some relationship with you, wanting to see their prospective son-in-law in advance? sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°I¡¯ve clarified it already,¡± Li Minghu said helplessly, ¡°They¡­ probably still have some doubts, I guess. Mainly because I was quite a good actress when I was younger, they couldn¡¯t tell if I was lying, so they thought to find out the truth from you.¡±

    Valkyrie was really good at acting? Yan Yu thought back carefully and realized it was indeed the case.

    In a past life when she had already run out of ammo and drained of energy on the battlefield, yet the enemy Sorcerer Alliance Army hadn¡¯t noticed at all. With her holding the threat of assassinating the Witch King, she cleaved through them with one sword, frightening them all away¡­ It would be hard to say that her acting wasn¡¯t good.

    But girl, you even deceive your own family, making them distrust you, that really doesn¡¯t put me in the best position to judge.

    ¡°So you want me to go there and clear things up with your family?¡± Yan Yu confirmed.

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Li Minghu admitted with some embarrassment, ¡°Sorry to trouble you.¡±

 Chapter 293 - 90: Quickly Settle the Relationship

    Chapter 293: Chapter 90: Quickly Settle the Relationship

    Yan Yu expressed understanding for Li Minghu¡¯s troubles.

    After all, even the market now has services for renting boyfriends/girlfriends specifically for dealing with parents¡¯ interrogations and rushes during the New Year and holiday periods, which shows just how stressful some elders can be.

    Moreover, this situation was ultimately caused by herself in the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm when she provided warmth with her embrace to the drenched Li Minghu, so it made sense for her to help deal with the aftermath.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Yan Yu agreed quickly, ¡°When should we go?¡±

    ¡°How about, right now?¡± Li Minghu tentatively asked.

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    ...

    ¡°We¡¯re going to deal with an interrogation, not to be guests at my home,¡± Li Minghu said with a smile, ¡°A surprise attack is more appropriate. If we tell them in advance that you¡¯re coming, they¡¯ll start preparing early.¡± S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    I see you¡¯ve come fully prepared, bringing up the request and immediately luring me to your place, such a smooth combo¡­

    Well, whatever. She is the Valkyrie, after all.

    ¡°Of course, if you don¡¯t feel comfortable, we can formally visit my home another time,¡± Li Minghu continued observing his expression, ¡°and since we just returned from the battlefield today, we can also say we have to report in the evening, so my family won¡¯t insist on you staying overnight, at most we¡¯ll have dinner.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t have any other plans, and right now, he and Li Minghu were just friends, so he wasn¡¯t worried about her parents interrogating him.

    The two of them rode their swords away, leaving the mountain area and entering the city, finally landing at the entrance of the local military manor courtyard.

    The military manor courtyard is a traditional aspect of Lu Country, mainly to protect the family members of the stationed military officers, so in case enemies infiltrate and threaten the officers by holding their families hostage, there will be the risk of leaking confidential information.

    The military manor in the King¡¯s mansion area from the outside looks like an ordinary six-story residential complex, surrounded by grocery stores and small restaurants, clearly a local native residential area.

    Yan Yu looked at the security guards at the entrance of the complex with his divine sense, discovered they were military cultivators, and knew that the security was lax on the outside but strict on the inside, with all the precautions fully in place.

    Entering the complex and taking the elevator to the fourth floor, Li Minghu approached her front door and knocked, calling out:

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m back.¡±

    Li¡¯s mother quickly came to open the door, and upon seeing Yan Yu next to Li Minghu, her expression was momentarily stunned, and then she instantly smiled, saying:

    ¡°You must be Yan Yu, the Longcheng Flying General Yan Yu! Come in¡­ You don¡¯t need shoe covers! Wear these slippers.¡±

    Yan Yu greeted her and thought to himself that Li¡¯s mother, being a middle school teacher, indeed spoke very standard Mandarin without a hint of an accent.

    In contrast, Chen¡¯s mother would still sound like a wealthy Jiang Hai wife even if she were reading from a script.

    Li¡¯s mother looked like a thin middle-aged woman with glasses, which reminded Yan Yu of his elementary school homeroom teacher, but her demeanor was far more amiable than his teacher¡¯s. She first invited him to sit on the sofa, then brewed him some tea ¡ª not using loose-leaf tea, but eight-treasure tea made with tea bags.

    ¡°Have some too, daughter,¡± she also made a cup for Li Minghu, ¡°The Southern Border is quite humid, and drinking eight-treasure tea can dispel dampness, and it¡¯s very effective.¡±

    Li Minghu lifted her tea cup, giving Yan Yu a reassuring look, and then began to drink.

    No sooner had Yan Yu taken a sip than Li¡¯s mother came out with a fruit plate, saying eagerly:

    ¡°Come, have some fruit!¡±

    Li¡¯s mother was just too enthusiastic, and though she didn¡¯t say it outright, her behavior was entirely that of someone treating her son-in-law, leaving Yan Yu somewhat overwhelmed.

    Li Minghu quickly interrupted her mother¡¯s actions:

    ¡°By the way, where¡¯s dad?¡±

    ¡°Your dad was called to a meeting by the school,¡± Li¡¯s mother immediately pulled out her phone, ready to dial, ¡°I¡¯ll call him to come back right now.¡±

    This is getting more and more exaggerated¡­ Yan Yu also hurriedly said:

    ¡°No need, we¡¯re just popping back for a bit, we still have to go back to our units for a debriefing.¡±

    You ask quickly, then I answer promptly. Once the misunderstanding is clarified, that¡¯s the end of it. What¡¯s the use of saying so much? It¡¯s a waste of time, really.

    ¡°Oh, you have to debrief¡­¡± Li¡¯s mother was obviously a bit surprised, but after all, she is a teacher and she knows that you can¡¯t escape this sort of thing at work, so she sat down and said, ¡°Alright, you¡¯ll come back after the debriefing, won¡¯t you?¡±

    Although she was looking at Li Minghu as she asked, her gaze kept darting over to Yan Yu, with the subtext probably being ¡°keep your boyfriend here too.¡±

    Li Minghu was also speechless and said:

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be able to come back.¡±

    Li¡¯s mother was silent for a moment, her expression a complex mixture of resignation and pride¡ª it was that look of ¡®my child is too successful, there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡¯ On one hand, she felt proud and fulfilled, but on the other, she wished they would visit home more often. Yet reason told her that you can¡¯t have it all.

    She calmed her emotions and decided to take this opportunity to make things clear with Yan Yu, saying:

    ¡°Yan Yu, this is the first time Auntie is meeting you, and I normally wouldn¡¯t be so straightforward. But both you and my daughter are busy with your careers, and you can¡¯t come home often, I understand that¡­ So I¡¯m taking this chance to tell you, my daughter actually doesn¡¯t have the best health. She has always been strong-willed since she was little. Even when her body can¡¯t take it anymore, she won¡¯t admit it or show it. When you¡¯re by her side, please take care of her¡­¡±

    ¡°Mom!¡± Li Minghu couldn¡¯t take it anymore and blurted out honestly, ¡°I¡¯ve told you many times, Yan Yu and I are just ordinary friends. He serves in the Zhendong Army, I serve in the Annan Army, and we hardly see each other unless it¡¯s for military arrangements.¡±

    Li¡¯s mother suddenly looked a little taken aback as she turned to Yan Yu.

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Yan Yu immediately confirmed as well, after all, he came specifically to say this, ¡°Auntie, your daughter and I are currently just friends.¡±

    Li¡¯s mother finally let out an ¡°Oh¡± and gave a smile of complete understanding, nodding and saying:

    ¡°I see, I understand now. Yan Yu, help yourself to some fruit¡­ Come here a moment.¡±

    That last ¡°Come here a moment,¡± was directed at Li Minghu.

    Li Minghu stood up and followed her mother into the bedroom.

    The moment they entered, Li¡¯s mother immediately showed the authoritative demeanor characteristic of a headteacher and sternly asked:

    ¡°What¡¯s going on with you? Why is he saying he¡¯s still just a friend?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already told you¡­¡± Li Minghu was somewhat at a loss for words and tried to explain further, but Li¡¯s mother interrupted her:

    ¡°What friends? Ordinary friends don¡¯t hug each other like that on TV. Did you forget what your mother does? I¡¯ve disciplined more students for early love in school than you¡¯ve ever seen in your life! I can tell whether there¡¯s something going on between people at a glance¡­ Besides, you¡¯ve been strong-willed since you were little and always keep your thoughts to yourself. If you weren¡¯t interested in him, why would you allow him to hold you like that?¡±

    Li Minghu was left speechless and after a long while finally said:

    ¡°I do have some feelings for him, but it¡¯s only just that¡­ just feelings.¡±

    Li¡¯s mother immediately dropped her serious expression and smiled, saying:

    ¡°Having feelings is enough. He was on TV during the October celebration, the Longcheng Flying General, and he was personally awarded by ¡®you know who,¡¯ how prestigious. Your father¡¯s school leadership also said that this man is bound to have a limitless future. It¡¯s great if you¡¯re interested in him, you should hurry and establish a romantic relationship, so you don¡¯t lose him to someone else later. Good men these days are harder to find than good schools¡­¡±

    ¡°Mom!¡± Li Minghu couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, ¡°Can you please stop meddling in my affairs?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not meddling!¡± Li¡¯s mother quickly denied, saying, ¡°I¡¯m just giving you advice because I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t understand about dating for the first time¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood for a relationship right now.¡± Li Minghu played her trump card.

    ¡°Then you can pretend to be interested in him and secure the relationship first, then date him when you¡¯re ready to,¡± Li¡¯s mother said persuasively and earnestly. ¡°Secure the spot as his girlfriend!¡±

 Chapter 294 - 91 Saving People isnt a Loss Proposition

    Chapter 294: Chapter 91 Saving People isn¡¯t a Loss Proposition

    When Li Minghu was harshly reprimanded by his mother in his room, Yan Yu also got up from the sofa and began to wander around leisurely.

    By the time he truly began to rise in his previous life, Li Minghu had already sacrificed himself¡­ or more accurately, it was because of Li Zhaojiang¡¯s rebellion that the higher-ups developed extreme suspicion and wariness towards cultivators, which to a certain extent greatly promoted the special military project of ¡°mortal cultivators¡± that came afterwards.

    Of course, Yan Yu was inclined to believe that ¡°mortal cultivators¡± would also appear in this life.

    After all, if left unchecked, the gap between cultivators and mortals would only grow wider, and relying on the cultivators¡¯ own morals for social stability was hardly a reliable act.

    In his previous life, as a ¡°mortal cultivator,¡± Yan Yu carved out his own tactical system, but in many areas, he actually drew inspiration from Li Minghu¡¯s way of fighting.

    The Valkyrie, due to physical limitations, could not engage in prolonged battles, so she had to rely on a large number of detailed maneuvers to enhance the effectiveness of her attacks, and the endurance of mortal cultivators posed a similar issue. Hence, when Yan Yu first saw the manuscripts left by the Valkyrie, he treasured them like wealth, studying them tirelessly all night.

    ...

    Without the Valkyrie, there would be no ¡°mortal warrior¡± Yan Yu of later times!

    In a sense, it could even be said that in his past life, he ¡°grew up sucking the milk of the Valkyrie,¡± although this metaphor was slightly indecent, it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration.

    Of course, in this life, Li Minghu had not yet become the Valkyrie, and even if he knew the cause and effect, he would still not acknowledge Yan Yu as his apprentice.

    But that didn¡¯t prevent Yan Yu from showing her respect, as well as wanting to know more about her.

    He observed around the living room, where a dehumidifier was placed in the corner, several dishes from lunch were covered with a mesh cover on the table. The refrigerator was covered with various magnets: Ultraman and Kamen Rider, as well as Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura.

    Everything had a strong sense of the old days.

    The corridor on the side of the living room led to the bedrooms of Li Minghu¡¯s parents, Li Minghu, and Li Zhaojiang.

    Yan Yu walked to the doorway and glanced inside. Li Minghu¡¯s bedroom door was open, with a bamboo mat laid out on the bed for summer, and a mosquito net hung on the outside. The walls were plastered with various certificates: for being an excellent student, ranking top ten in age group, outstanding class officer, and first place in drama performance competitions.

    The Valkyrie could act in dramas? But with her physical condition, she indeed couldn¡¯t participate in any sports, so acting in dramas was a matter of course¡­ just like how Chen Lingyun chose chess over basketball when she was in junior high.

    Behind him, the sound of a door opening was heard. Li Minghu walked out of her mother¡¯s bedroom, surprised to see Yan Yu standing at the door to her room, but she quickly regained her composure and said,

    ¡°Would you like to come in and sit?¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t feel any embarrassment at being caught, but calmly accepted the invitation.

    The two entered the room, where her desk by the window was covered with a large sheet of glass.

    Under the glass were various photos, including her childhood pictures, sibling photos with Li Zhaojiang, family portraits, and generational photos, along with some food ration coupons and clippings.

    ¡°Most of the stuff in this room was moved from our old house,¡± Li Minghu explained, ¡°So a lot of it may seem antiquated.¡±

    She moved a stool over for Yan Yu to sit on, which had no backrest and was painted brown, the legs fixed to the seat with nails¡ªindeed, it was an old piece of furniture.

    ¡°It looks like no one has lived here for a while, there¡¯s a smell,¡± Yan Yu detected a faint musty scent in the room¡­ or perhaps it was a damp, dusty smell.

    ¡°It was originally intended for me,¡± Li Minghu replied, ¡°But neither I nor Ah Jiang come home much these days.¡±

    She propped up a mirror on the desk and began combing her split ends.

    ¡°So what did your mother say?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve explained to her,¡± Li Minghu said indifferently, ¡°My mom is still somewhat unwilling to believe. I got a bit irritated, and just let her be.¡±

    ¡°Your mom seems really eager for you to find someone,¡± Yan Yu joked with her, ¡°It¡¯s definitely because your brother is in a relationship. Now that her son is settled down, she¡¯s pushing her daughter.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, maybe,¡± Li Minghu meticulously examined herself in the mirror, continuing, ¡°But that¡¯s something you can¡¯t rush.¡± S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu also observed her in the mirror: her clear brows and beautiful eyes, thick hair, and fair skin made for the classic beautiful face of a Hong Kong film heroine, and her delicate and soft figure exuded youthful vitality.

    But honestly, the charm of the Valkyrie wasn¡¯t in her appearance, but in her deeds from the past life¡ªfearlessly burning her life away, standing alone with only her sword to block the Allied Forces at the Southern Border, slaying the Witch King with one strike, parting the sea and driving back the enemy with another¡­ merely thinking about it filled one with awe and aspiration.

    Beautiful young ladies are common, but the Valkyrie¡­ there was only one in all of Lu Country!

    ¡°Anyway, you really did help me out this time,¡± Li Minghu put down the mirror, pondered for a moment, and suddenly asked, ¡°The thing you said before, it still counts, right?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°That is¡­¡± She seemed a bit uneasy, looking out the window and saying in a low voice, ¡°You said, if there ever comes a day when I feel like I¡¯m about to die, just¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu nodded. ¡°Count it.¡±

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Li Minghu paused for a moment, revealing a shallow smile as he stood up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go back then. Don¡¯t want to make them worry.¡±

    You mean, don¡¯t want them to find out, right? Yan Yu did not expose her euphemism; he just stood up as well:

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    This girl is indeed as her mother said, thoughtful and decisive¡ªan aspect of the Valkyrie I had not understood in my past life.

    Quite good.

    After bidding farewell to Li¡¯s mother, the two flew towards the villa, Sword Control from the balcony.

    Yan Yu sensed a subtle shift in the atmosphere¡­ if he had to describe it, the ¡°psychological distance¡± between Li Minghu and himself seemed to have closed a bit.

    Probably because of something her mom said that made her think better of me?

    Yan Yu¡¯s guess was not off. Li Minghu appeared calm, but inside she was somewhat troubled.

    Earlier in the bedroom, her mother had said to her:

    ¡°¡­Your elementary school teacher Mr. Jiang told me you were too aloof, with no children willing to be your friend. It improved a bit in middle school, but not because you opened up, but because you learned to hide your true thoughts. You¡¯ve always been too mature for your age, and with your poor health, you always felt your life wouldn¡¯t be long and didn¡¯t want to burden friends or family, right?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be hasty to contradict. I¡¯m telling you, with the advancements in science and technology, diseases that couldn¡¯t be treated before might be curable someday. Besides, you¡¯re a cultivator now. Everyone at school is saying that your generation will live forever, so how could something like incomplete lung function not be treatable?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m more worried about your personality than your body. I¡¯m afraid that you might get used to going solo and still won¡¯t want to deeply interact with others¡­ It¡¯s rare to have a boy whom you don¡¯t dislike, so why don¡¯t you get to know him better? I think Yan Yu is not bad; when I nagged you to bring him home to explain, he was willing to save your face¡­¡±

    Li Minghu could refute the other comments, but the last one, ¡°he was willing to save your face,¡± was irrefutable. She couldn¡¯t shamelessly claim that a favor owed never happened.

    Maybe I could give him some compensation¡­ but what do I have that could be used as compensation?

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± Li Minghu said, ¡°I owe you a favor this time.¡±

    ¡°Oh, can do,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment, then laughed, ¡°How do you plan to repay it?¡±

    ¡°What would you like?¡± Li Minghu asked softly.

    Though she was outwardly composed, she was subconsciously a bit anxious inside. What if he were to say, ¡°I don¡¯t want to wait any longer, be my girlfriend now¡±? How would I respond?

    ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t seem to have any needs,¡± Yan Yu mused for a while. ¡°However, Lin Ning in the team is usually paired with me for sword practice, and she¡¯s probably getting used to my style. Could you take my place and spar with her for a while?¡±

    Li Minghu laughed in disbelief and responded:

    ¡°Sure, but sword practice is beneficial for both parties, so it can¡¯t count as repaying a favor.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s consider it a standing debt for now, and we¡¯ll talk about it next time,¡± Yan Yu said.

    Considering his earlier speculation about her increased fondness for him, if he were to confess to her now, there might really be a chance for success.

    But Yan Yu actually had no intention of pursuing the Valkyrie; his goal from the start was to prevent her from meeting the tragic fate of sacrificing herself in her past life. Saving someone to be thanked as a good person was one thing, but it made no sense to then put himself on the line.

    Even the so-called ¡°a romance before death¡± was really about going back to stop her from dying.

    Pursuing her was an impossibility, impossible in this lifetime.

    Of course, if the Valkyrie were to be moved and offer herself willingly, that¡¯s a different story to negotiate separately¡­

    Thinking this way, Yan Yu suddenly noticed that they had arrived at their destination below and brought down the flying sword with Li Minghu.

    No sooner had they landed than they saw Lin Ning standing at the villa entrance, clearly displeased, metal spatula in hand.

    ¡°It¡¯s almost past mealtime, where have you been?¡± She glanced at Li Minghu, then fixed her eyes on Yan Yu with a somewhat dangerous tone, akin to a wife who caught her husband with a mistress.

    Just as Yan Yu was about to explain, he suddenly felt a heavy aura emanating from Lin Ning, almost suffocating him just by its approach.

    You know this trick too?

 Chapter 295 - 92 Lin Ning is not easy to deal with

    Chapter 295: Chapter 92 Lin Ning is not easy to deal with

    Lin Ning, despite her expressionless face, held the metal spatula as if it were the Tai¡¯a Sword, giving off a ¡°explain yourself or I¡¯ll whack your head¡± vibe.

    Yan Yu was thinking about how to brush off the issue when Li Minghu spoke up with a laugh:

    ¡°Yan was just outside discussing something with me.¡±

    She had seen Yan Yu affected by the Gravity Field Spell, temporarily a bit slow to react, so she took the initiative to defuse the situation.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Lin Ning drew out the tone, like a cat hissing aggressively, her demeanor turning unfriendly, ¡°What¡¯s so secretive that you can¡¯t discuss it here, needing to go outside with Vice Captain Li for a private conversation?¡±

    ¡°Quite simple.¡± Li Minghu was still smiling, ¡°Because he didn¡¯t want you to know.¡±

    ...

    Lin Ning: ?

    Fury doubled! Gravity doubled! Murderous intent doubled! Stinky captain, if you don¡¯t explain yourself right now, I¡¯m going to smack you with this spatula¡­

    ¡°Can I say it?¡± Li Minghu turned and asked.

    ¡°Sigh, go ahead.¡± Yan Yu, though unsure of what she intended to say, chose to trust her and played along with a helpless sigh.

    ¡°He asked me to accompany you in your sword practice,¡± Li Minghu said earnestly.

    Lin Ning, who was already shaping a Sword technique to lift the spatula and strike Yan Yu on the head, paused in surprise:

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Yan Yu was quick to explain, ¡°Usually, it¡¯s me who spars with you all, and you¡¯ve adapted to my style, mainly focusing on defense and counterattacks. This could easily lead to rigid thinking¡­ I figured it would be better to have different people to practice against, exposing you all to various types of opponents.¡±

    ¡°Um, yeah¡­¡± Hearing that the captain had arranged this privately with Vice Captain Li for the team¡¯s benefit, Lin Ning¡¯s righteous indignation diminished a bit.

    But considering herself not easily fooled, she continued to press and ask:

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why ask in private?¡±

    ¡°Because I might not have agreed,¡± Li Minghu replied with a smile, ¡°If he had asked in front of everyone and I declined, it would have been awkward. But by asking in private, even if I didn¡¯t agree, it could simply have been as if he never asked.¡±

    ¡°Er, yeah, um¡­¡± Lin Ning reflexively sought something more to challenge, but couldn¡¯t think of any doubts, only managing to mutter, ¡°Did you agree then?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Li Minghu said seriously, ¡°I¡¯m also a manager of the team. I can definitely empathize with Yan¡¯s good intentions for you all.¡±

    Lin Ning was left without a response, her spatula now hidden behind her.

    Yan Yu went out of his way for the team, asking Vice Captain Li for help, and there I was, brandishing a spatula to hassle him; I really am¡­

    ¡°Um,¡± she looked at Yan Yu again, speaking awkwardly, ¡°I made some Lingnan-style snacks. Would you like to come and try?¡±

    ¡°Sampling the snacks is fine,¡± said Yan Yu cheerfully, ¡°But first let me ask: were you looking for me to settle a score just now?¡±

    ¡°Er.¡± Lin Ning was taken aback.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll head in first,¡± said Li Minghu, noting that Lin Ning was utterly defeated, and excusing herself with a parting word before heading into the villa.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t looking to settle any score,¡± Lin Ning scrambled for an excuse during the few seconds of her departure, ¡°I was just worried about you. After all, you disappeared suddenly, and nobody answered your phone¡­¡±

    ¡°Then why are you holding a spatula?¡± Yan Yu asked again.

    ¡°Ah, the spatula.¡± Lin Ning hid the spatula with force, ¡°I was looking for you everywhere after cooking, couldn¡¯t find you, so I just waited at the door, forgetting to put it back.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Yan Yu asked with a smile, ¡°Not to hit me with it?¡±

    ¡°Ahahaha, of course not.¡± Lin Ning strained to produce a pure and innocent smile, feeling incredibly embarrassed inside, quickly reaching out her left hand to tug on Yan Yu¡¯s sleeve, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s drop it, I won¡¯t do this again, you should hurry up and try the shrimp dumplings I made, all with live shrimp, I almost exhausted myself peeling them¡­¡±

    She led Yan Yu into the villa, towards the kitchen.

    And then let out a bloodcurdling roar.

    On the dining table in the kitchen, two-thirds of the variety of Lingnan-style snacks she and the aunt had made were already devoured by Zhao Yuanzhen¡­ who was gnawing on a tender chicken foot, turned her head upon hearing the scream, with a clear and puzzled look in her eyes.

    ¡°Ah, ah, ah¡­¡± Lin Ning wanted to say something but seemed to have lost the ability to speak; her eyes also lost their usual sparkle.

    I went to great lengths to make that¡­ And my shrimp dumplings, Yan Yu hasn¡¯t even tried them yet, how did they turn into empty plates¡­

    Without a word, Yan Yu stepped forward and executed the Annihilating Grip, grabbing the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s fair neck and revealing an extremely gentle yet sinister smile:

    ¡°You should wait for everyone before eating¡­ Don¡¯t you know manners?¡±

    ¡°Ooh¡ª¡± Zhao Yuanzhen felt guilty and tried to explain, ¡°I was just passing by and saw some snacks here, wanted to try a bit, and before I knew it, all the plates were empty. I really don¡¯t know what happened¡­¡±

    Yan Yu laughed infuriatingly:

    ¡°Are you going to say you were brain-controlled?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, exactly!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen hastily replied, ¡°I must have been possessed by a demon! I didn¡¯t mean to eat that much!¡±

    ¡°Then I would also have been possessed by a demon!¡± Yan Yu sneered coldly, ¡°Take the family punishment!!!¡±

    If Xie Ruoxi had been there, she would certainly have been beaten to a pulp by Yan Yu, but the Demonic Sect Enchantress was no kind-hearted creature. If you intend to use force to humiliate me, I will certainly respond with violence!

    The two quickly grappled with each other, and just as quickly, a winner emerged.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was beaten so badly she was left searching for her teeth on the ground.

    She lay on the floor defeated, her face filled with disbelief:

    Why! Damn it! I refuse to accept this!

    Yan Yu got up from her body, dusting himself off with satisfaction.

    In a life-and-death struggle, no holds barred, this enchantress might have an advantage; but in a pure physical fight, how could she possibly be my match? Has she ever practiced any martial arts? Hilarious.

    However, Zhao Yuanzhen on the ground hadn¡¯t realized all this, merely biting her lip tightly, harboring resentment:

    I¡¯ll remember this grudge! When the day comes for me to turn the tables, I¡¯ll repay this humiliation tenfold!

    With this in mind, a scene of a wedding night appeared in her head. She imagined herself straddling a motionless thief, slapping him fiercely left and right! Smack smack smack smack! Hitting him until his face throbbed! S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Are you going to submit?¡± Smack smack smack.

    ¡°I submit, I submit! Mercy, my lady!¡± Smack smack smack.

    ¡°Mercy? Had you been tough, I might have respected you as a man and enjoyed a good fight; but now you beg like a dog, I¡¯m less inclined to spare you!¡±

    With that, she began to hit even harder! Smack smack smack smack smack!

    Zhao Yuanzhen thought about this, and gradually satisfaction crept in, the rage from being humiliated temporarily subsided.

    Lin Ning was originally a bit displeased and resentful, but seeing Sister Zhao get a thorough lesson from the captain, with a strange smile on her face, her anger dissipated greatly. She went over to help her up, persuading:

    ¡°Let it go, Captain, Sister Zhao probably didn¡¯t mean it¡­¡±

    ¡°Have her make you a new batch,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, tossing the remark and then leaving the kitchen.

    ¡°Sister Zhao,¡± Lin Ning asked cautiously, ¡°are you all right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen exited her mental theater, tidying up her disheveled clothes and hair, and said embarrassedly, ¡°Sorry, Ningning, I¡¯ll make another batch for you.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Lin Ning then rolled up her sleeves and said, ¡°There should still be some shrimp in the oxygenated water tank over there. Fetch me eight, snip the heads, peel them and hand them to me.¡±

    ¡°All right.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen began to work.

    They say every foodie has a heart for cooking, and the Demonic Sect Enchantress was no exception. Choosing shrimp, snipping heads, peeling shells, deveining¡ªLin Ning taught her once and she got the hang of it immediately, her movements swift and proficient.

    After preparing a live shrimp, Zhao Yuanzhen pinched the crystal-clear shrimp flesh with her fingers, admiring its texture through the light.

    So pretty, might be tasty too¡­ Right, raw shrimp is edible, isn¡¯t it? Isn¡¯t there a dish called sashimi?

    Lin Ning had just got the pastry ready and turned her head when she suddenly screamed:

    ¡°Sister Zhao, no! You can¡¯t eat that! It¡¯s dirty, you can¡¯t eat it!¡±

 Chapter 296 - 93 Yun Jin is Hard to Brush Off

    Chapter 296: Chapter 93 Yun Jin is Hard to Brush Off

    Yan Yu arrived in the living room and saw the men enthusiastically yelling and cheering as they played FIFA.

    The leader was still Li Zhaojiang, who was furiously pressing buttons on the controller, his body leaning forward with the movements of the game character, as if trying to awaken some hidden motion sensor in the TV.

    Yan Yu was somewhat speechless. When I left, everyone was gaming, and now both your sister and I have met the parents. It¡¯s been so long that even Lin Ning has started to sense that something is off¡ªyet here you are, still gaming!

    Forget it, I¡¯ll say no more. I was young once, too; I understand.

    In his previous life, Yan Yu indeed spent some time gaming during his university days and early years of work.

    But later, when he became an ordinary cultivator, those games of fighting and killing lost all their thrill for him¡ªit all seemed so fake.

    ...

    In the end, games are just a simplified sandbox, created for those who lack excitement in reality.

    Even for these men of the Qing¡¯an team, once they have spent a few years on real battlefields and witnessed the horrors of war, I doubt they would find any interest in games anymore.

    Yan Yu did not disturb them; he silently walked around the couch and turned to look for the girls.

    Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin were chatting leisurely in the backyard. Yan Yu approached with a smile and said,

    ¡°I have good news for you: I¡¯ve asked Deputy Team Leader Li to train with us for a limited time event. Do you have any questions?¡±

    ¡°Training partner?¡± Chen Lingyun feigned curiosity, ¡°Is she going to fight you with us, or are we going to fight you and her?¡±

    ¡°Of course, Deputy Team Leader Li and I will be playing against you. What were you thinking?¡± Yan Yu said with a friendly smile. ¡°Challenging different opponents is a precious training opportunity, you should cherish it.¡±

    Su Yunjin was immediately speechless: So what, you alone beating all of us isn¡¯t enough, you need to bring in Deputy Team Leader Li as well?

    Chen Lingyun smiled broadly and suddenly gave her a wink, saying,

    ¡°By the way, where did you go earlier? Lin Ning seemed quite anxious looking for you.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Su Yunjin¡¯s expression also changed, revealing a heavy smile that mysteriously weighed down the atmosphere. ¡°Where had the team leader gone earlier? Why couldn¡¯t we reach you by phone?¡±

    Yan Yu: ?

    I¡¯ve already dealt with these questions, haven¡¯t I? Why do I have to face them again?!

    ¡°Of course, I went to find Deputy Team Leader Li.¡± He decided to use the same excuse again.

    ¡°I¡¯m off then~¡± Chen Lingyun completed her instigation and quietly stood up, so as not to prevent Su Yunjin from fully unleashing her gravity spells in the presence of a ¡°third person¡±.

    ¡°I know the team leader went to find Deputy Team Leader Li.¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile, ¡°because apart from the team leader, only Deputy Team Leader Li wasn¡¯t at the villa, but what exactly was it for?¡±

    ¡°For what I just mentioned, discussing whether she could train with you all.¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Why did it have to be discussed for so long outside?¡± Su Yunjin asked.

    ¡°Because discussing it in front of you all might make her too embarrassed to refuse.¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°You could have used a whispering spell.¡± Su Yunjin said.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    Indeed, she¡¯s on a whole different level compared to Sister Lin.

    ¡°Is Yun Jin really concerned about me going to find Deputy Team Leader Li?¡± Yan Yu asked as he sat down beside her.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Su Yunjin admitted without hesitation.

    ¡°Why is that?¡± Yan Yu pressed forward, hoping to make her retreat out of embarrassment.

    ¡°Does the team leader really not know why?¡± Su Yunjin asked with a smile.

    ¡°I really don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m jealous.¡± Su Yunjin said unflinchingly.

    Yan Yu fell silent.

    Such strong fighting spirit! If I¡¯m not careful and keep pressing, she¡¯ll say ¡°I¡¯m jealous because I like you,¡± ¡°Would you like to be my boyfriend?¡±, and then I¡¯d respond ¡°You think you¡¯re worthy?¡±, which would lead to Su Yunjin¡¯s heartbreak as she runs away crying, followed by a resignation letter the next day, and everyone from Qi Changping to Li Weiguo would be shocked and come asking why¡­

    Okay, let¡¯s stop there. To continue would be impolite.

    ¡°I just went for a visit at her place.¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Su Yunjin fell silent for a moment, ¡°Meeting the parents?¡±

    ¡°Last time during the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm, her parents saw us on the live broadcast,¡± Yan Yu calmly explained, ¡°I went to her house and explained it to her parents.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s quite strange, isn¡¯t it?¡± Su Yunjin pondered, ¡°Her parents have a misunderstanding, what does it have to do with you? Shouldn¡¯t she clear it up herself?¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡± Yan Yu stopped talking.

    Su Yunjin looked at Yan Yu. Her keen literary girl¡¯s instinct immediately made her realize that the captain must be feeling guilty, which was why he¡¯d been taking extra care of her over the Li Minghu incident, showing all sorts of consideration.

    This was problematic because a man¡¯s guilt often becomes his vulnerability, allowing other women to take advantage¡­ Moreover, the more you make a fuss, the more careful and accommodating the other side becomes, tipping the scales of the man¡¯s heart even more in their favor.

    The correct and high-level response should be: to choose to forgive and tolerate, similarly awakening and harnessing his sense of guilt, thereby unobtrusively gaining the upper hand.

    She sighed softly to herself, forcibly suppressing the urge to get angry, and gently said:

    ¡°Forget it, Vice-Captain Li must also have his difficulties. It¡¯s fine as long as the captain goes and explains things clearly.¡±

    Yan Yu was greatly surprised by her words. He had been mentally prepared to be hit on the head by one gravity ¡°spell¡± after another, but he hadn¡¯t expected Su Yunjin to be so understanding¡­ No, wait, Secretary Su wasn¡¯t someone to be easily dealt with, not with her past character! She wasn¡¯t like Sister Lin, who took everything at face value, believing whatever you said and even actively embellishing tales on your behalf.

    Well, the only explanation must be that Secretary Su¡¯s affection for me has reached its peak, even starting to warp her own reason.

    Gosh, her love for me is overflowing, she¡¯s at the point where I can manipulate her as I please!

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right,¡± nodded Yan Yu while adopting an imposing and impatient demeanor, ¡°You should stay out of the captain¡¯s affairs. Remember, women who like to be jealous are not lovable.¡±

    Su Yunjin: ???

    She finally snapped out of it, her eyes went wide, her face immediately coated with frost, and she sneered:

    ¡°The captain¡¯s affairs, am I not allowed to manage them?¡± sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Of course not.¡±

    ¡°But last time the captain said he wanted me to be the secretary, to take charge of everything.¡±

    ¡°Did I?¡±

    ¡°If the captain doesn¡¯t want me to manage matters, then I¡¯ll resign from this position,¡± said Su Yunjin as she stood up, speaking coldly, ¡°From now on, for all team affairs, whether it¡¯s form registration or written duty reports or any such procedures, please have the captain find someone more capable to do it.¡±

    Yan Yu was suddenly wide awake, thinking, what, there are such matters too?

    Form registration for claiming supplies, written reports after the conclusion of the secret realm, and various other procedures, of course, all existed and needed to be done.

    Yan Yu had never been fond of these worldly tasks. Since the inception of the team, he had dumped all of it on Lin Ning (which also had Lin Ning running to the school administration building to find Qi Changping every other day), and later he turned it over to Su Yunjin.

    Now that Su Yunjin was about to bail, how could he allow that? He hurriedly grabbed her hand to stop her from leaving on the spot, merely smiling gently as he said:

    ¡°Hold on, Su Yunjin, I spoke out of turn. You are the housekeeper of our team, my personal secretary! There¡¯s no way you can just give up managing without saying so, is there?¡±

    Su Yunjin felt his grasp on her slender hand, first a shy delight in her heart, then remaining anger wanting to overwhelm the joyous feelings, then being overwhelmed by failure, her heart already completely swamped by sweetness, but she feigned a cold exterior as she asked:

    ¡°So I do have the right to manage?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, of course.¡±

    ¡°So about the captain going to see Vice-Captain Li, can I also inquire about that?¡±

    ¡°Of course you can, what¡¯s there for us to hide from each other?¡±

    Su Yunjin finally calmed down completely and sat back down beside Yan Yu, asking:

    ¡°So how does the captain see Vice-Captain Li?¡±

    ¡°Uh, she is quite strong,¡± Yan Yu intended to make a fair and comprehensive critique of Valkyrie¡¯s overall strength, but Su Yunjin interrupted him without hesitation:

    ¡°I mean, as a woman, what does the captain think of her?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t really thought about it,¡± said Yan Yu, ¡°We are just friends.¡±

    Of course, what she thinks inside, I don¡¯t know and can¡¯t control.

    ¡°Alright then.¡± Seeing that he frankly admitted to ¡°just being friends,¡± and after carefully comparing it with her memory without finding any contradictions, Su Yunjin temporarily put her mind at ease.

 Chapter 297 - 94 Whose Side Are You On, Sister?

    Chapter 297: Chapter 94 Whose Side Are You On, Sister?

    To say that Su Yunjin¡¯s suspicions had completely dissipated would not be entirely true.

    But the greatest evidence before her was that Yan Yu indeed was a forthright man who disdained lying.

    If he had really fallen for Li Minghu, would he need to lie to the pitiable and lowly Secretary Su?

    There was no need.

    All he needed was to deliver an overbearing and indifferent ¡°You¡¯re not worthy! She is,¡± and Su Yunjin would have been shattered to pieces in the abyss of heartbreak¡ªbut he didn¡¯t.

    From this perspective, the likelihood of Yan Yu¡¯s statement, ¡°She and I are just ordinary friends,¡± being a lie was indeed slim, because there was simply no motive for him to lie.

    ...

    Of course, just because she wasn¡¯t suspecting now didn¡¯t mean she would never doubt again in the future.

    I will continue to confirm it with my own eyes!

    After Yan Yu and Su Yunjin left the backyard and returned to the living room, they saw that everyone had stopped playing games and were instead gathered around the television watching a match.

    It was neither-football nor basketball, nor was it esports, but a Cultivator versus match for the Mysterious Realm.

    Today, the cultivator students from the four major martial arts colleges of the southeast, southwest, northeast, and northwest had essentially completed their formation into teams, totaling 76 teams.

    With so many teams battling each other, just setting up the match schedules was a significant effort, hence it was no longer feasible, as it was at the beginning, for the Privy Council to decide match-ups on a whim.

    The higher-ups had recently started working on establishing the ¡°Cultivator Athletic League.¡± They intended to emulate Miti¡¯s mature commercial sports system, keeping defense to defense and athletic competition to athletic competition¡ªdividing the 76 teams into three Levels: A, B, and C. With 8 spots in Level A, 24 in Level B, and an unlimited number in Level C. The slots were fixed, with promotion for the superior and elimination for the inferior.

    Similarly, the Mysterious Realms were also categorized into three Levels according to their difficulty: Level A, Level B, and Level C. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    As such, a broad framework was established for which team would tackle which Mysterious Realm and which teams would engage in mock combats with one another.

    Of course, which team belonged to which level had not yet been definitively determined, but by now almost everyone had heard the rumors. Aside from the four leading teams¡ªZhenghai, Dragon Cavalry, Huofeng, Qing¡¯an¡ªthe levels of the other teams were to be decided based on the results of recent matches, which is why every team was going all out in the versus games, showing off their might.

    The match currently being broadcasted on the television was between the Dingbei Army¡¯s Flying Dragon Battle Team and the Zhendong Army¡¯s Golden Wing Battle Team.

    ¡°Flying Dragon Battle Team has won,¡± Yan Yu commented, glancing at the screen as soon as he entered the living room, quickly reaching a conclusion, ¡°Their opponent¡¯s formation is completely scattered.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not certain,¡± Li Zhaojiang had a differing opinion and retorted, ¡°Old Yan, look carefully, the Golden Wing Battle Team has a configuration of five Sword Immortals.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Yan Yu expressed surprise.

    As everyone knows, if one were to ask who had the strongest ability to fight alone, it would unquestionably be the Sword Immortal.

    With high mobility, strong offensive power, and a wide range, they don¡¯t need to beat around the bush¡ªa controlled Flying Sword is all about action. Even if they lose team coordination and support, their combat strength won¡¯t be too severely limited¡ªthe commentators on the scene were explaining this to the viewers, essentially saying, ¡°The victory is still undecided; there¡¯s more game to be played.¡±

    Since even the commentators held that belief, Yan Yu, who had originally lost interest in the match, now gave it a few more seconds of his time.

    ¡°It¡¯s apparent the captain of the Golden Wing has some ideas,¡± he commented again, ¡°But it¡¯s no use, they¡¯ll still lose.¡±

    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Li Minghu asked casually, walking over from the dining area with a tea cup in hand.

    ¡°They can¡¯t contain Cai Qianlong,¡± said Yan Yu, ¡°Young Cai¡¯s tactical awareness has improved quite a bit.¡±

    Li Minghu turned his gaze to the television screen and took a sip of his tea.

    Indeed.

    During the last battle in the Changping Secret Realm, which was also the first nationally televised Cultivator versus match, the Flying Dragon Battle Team was utterly defeated by the Zhenhai Team. The reason being that the captain, Cai Qianlong, failed to adequately protect the vice-captain, Shen Rui, leading to their command system being disrupted by the Zhenhai Team right from the start.

    After the event, at the press conference, Cai Qianlong openly admitted his fault, and the result was naturally a barrage of criticism from the media.

    Many internet users from the North who originally supported the Flying Dragon Battle Team blamed him for the defeat after the fact. Some even wrote letters to the Dingbei Army, suggesting that the Flying Dragon Battle Team should get a new team leader. For a while, almost the entire internet was against Cai Qianlong.

    Looking back at the match, the formation of the Golden Wing Battle Team had been thoroughly shredded, and the credit went to the vice-captain in charge of commanding, Shen Rui.

    The opposition naturally tried everything they could to take down Shen Rui, but while Cai Qianlong was dueling with the Golden Wing Battle Team¡¯s captain Jin Yupeng in swordsmanship, he still had the spare capacity to deflect several attacks aimed at vice-captain Shen Rui using Sword Control. It was evident that this man was not only uninfluenced by the detractors but had indeed learned a profound lesson from the previous defeat.

    ¡°Jin Yupeng didn¡¯t put enough frontal pressure on Cai Qianlong,¡± Li Minghu also concluded.

    ¡°It¡¯s not about the lack of pressure, he got deceived,¡± Yan Yu, however, saw through it with a discerning eye and chuckled, ¡°Haven¡¯t you noticed? Little Cai is now more cunning.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Li Minghu took a closer look and indeed discovered some clues.

    In terms of swordsmanship level alone, Jin Yupeng was only slightly weaker than Cai Qianlong, but not by much; if it came to a one-on-one duel, the match could have been hard to call.

    However, the match performance told a completely different story. Cai Qianlong¡¯s defense was on the brink of collapse, not only being thrown into disarray by Jin Yupeng but also executing his sword techniques in a chaotic manner, with the entire fight fraught with danger.

    However, it might have been precisely because Cai Qianlong showed weakness that Jin Yupeng believed the other party was affected by negative public opinion and was performing abnormally. As a result, Jin Yupeng had a confident look on his face, not only failing to intensify his offensive to pressure the opponent but also using petty and irritating tactics from time to time to play with and provoke the opponent, showing an arrogant demeanor of ¡°a strong person should humiliate the weaker ones.¡±

    This guy was overconfident.

    ¡°I see,¡± Li Minghu had an epiphany, ¡°In that case, the Golden Wing Battle Team indeed has no chance.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean he got deceived?¡± Li Zhaojiang was confused and interrupted to ask.

    Seeing his sister and Yan Yu talking back and forth, even without a detailed explanation, they had arrived at the same conclusion¡ªWhy can¡¯t I see it?

    ¡°Jiang, your ability to read the game still needs improvement,¡± Li Minghu said with a smile, not offering an explanation.

    Sure enough, as the Golden Wing Battle Team had one player eliminated first and rushed out by the medical team, the Flying Dragon Battle Team finally began to unleash their fury.

    Under Shen Rui¡¯s command, two players took advantage of the numerical superiority and managed to send another opponent off in less than half a minute, turning the situation into a 5 versus 3.

    The Golden Wing Battle Team also realized something was off, as the gap in overall strength widened too quickly. They could only desperately attack, hoping to take down an opponent and even the disadvantage.

    Jin Yupeng hastily brought out his full strength, and the sword light of his Sword Control flying slash surged, attempting to crush the opponent directly.

    But Cai Qianlong¡¯s sword light also surged, promptly suppressing the opponent¡¯s offensive once again.

    Previously, Cai Qianlong was worried that Jin Yupeng would limit his ability to coordinate with his teammates, so he had to pretend to be performing poorly to show weakness. But now, the situation had completely reversed, and it was his turn to fully contain the opponent from aiding his teammates.

    Cai Qianlong had Jin Yupeng so preoccupied that Shen Rui comfortably commanded the other three teammates. With a 4 on 2 advantage, they slowly took care of the two opponents and then joined Cai Qianlong to gang up on Jin Yupeng.

    The commentator guests were stunned for a while, and now they began to find excuses, claiming that the Golden Wing Battle Team had made a blunder, losing two people in an instant, and that the match was no longer contestable with the outcome already decided.

    ¡°See that?¡± Yan Yu chuckled to Li Zhaojiang, ¡°If the Golden Wing Battle Team hadn¡¯t been configured with five Sword Immortals, and had an Assistant Officer or Envoy to contain the opponent, even with the loss of one person, there would still be a chance to fight back. But the methods of Sword Immortals lack versatility; strong is strong, weak is weak, overcoming the strong when weak is too difficult for Sword Immortals.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, you¡¯re right,¡± Li Zhaojiang, facing the result of the match, didn¡¯t have the nerve to argue otherwise and could only noncommittally agree.

    ¡°It¡¯s not just about admitting you¡¯re wrong,¡± Li Minghu added sarcastically, smiling, ¡°You also have to take note of what Yan said and reflect on it after you go back.¡±

    ¡°Damn, it¡¯s not me who lost!¡± Li Zhaojiang felt wronged and nearly in tears, ¡°Sis, whose side are you really on?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m on the side of victory,¡± Li Minghu said with a slight smile.

 Chapter 298 - 95: The Goals We Set in Those Years

    Chapter 298: Chapter 95: The Goals We Set in Those Years

    Li Zhaojiang stood dumbfounded, while Su Yunjin watched with a cold eye.

    Although the captain didn¡¯t show any abnormalities, Li Minghu¡¯s attitude was really too strange, almost as if he had eyes only for the captain.

    Of course, perhaps this was another way to curry favor¡­ Hmph.

    ¡°The snacks are ready,¡± Lin Ning came over and said, ¡°Would you like to come and try some?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Yan Yu rose to his feet and said, ¡°It¡¯s rare for us all to get together, so let¡¯s all show some respect to our team¡¯s Lin Ning, huh.¡±

    ¡°Oh my, how embarrassing~¡± Though Li Zhaojiang was still making polite remarks, he moved faster than anyone else and in an instant, he was by the dining table, looking at the variety of dishes, ready to reach out and take one, saying, ¡°You¡¯ve made so much, let me try one first¡­¡±

    ...

    ¡°Ah Jiang!¡± Li Minghu felt somewhat embarrassed and went over to grab his arm, preventing him from snatching some food first.

    Lin Ning went upstairs to call Chen Lingyun and Xie Ruoxi down, and then everyone sat down at the dining table and began to enjoy the snacks.

    Zhao Yuanzhen used a spoon in her left hand, chopsticks in her right, shuttling food back and forth non-stop; Xie Ruoxi, though only using one hand, was also quick with her chopsticks, her cheeks puffing up as she chewed relentlessly.

    Seeing these two beautiful girls eating so heartily made the men of the Flying Dragon Battle Team drop their reserve and shyness and started eating and drinking heartily as well.

    Lin Ning, having just finished cooking, didn¡¯t have much of an appetite, and like Chen Lingyun, took a small cake and slowly ate it with a little spoon, when suddenly she heard Su Yunjin sending her a mental message:

    ¡°Ningning, what do you think of Li Minghu?¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Lin Ning swallowed the food in her mouth and replied telepathically, ¡°He seems nice, and he even promised the captain to help train us¡­ What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I think she has feelings for the captain,¡± Su Yunjin mused for a moment and suddenly said.

    Find an ally.

    ¡°¡­Ah?¡± This time Lin Ning took noticeably longer to respond, ¡°Yun Jin, how can you tell?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really have any concrete evidence,¡± Su Yunjin chose her words carefully, ¡°It¡¯s just a feeling.¡±

    Her words seemed a bit mysterious. Informing on someone out of strategy always carried risks. No matter what evidence she presented, Lin Ning would inevitably wonder, ¡°While you¡¯re observing her, could you also be watching me?¡± Thus, Su Yunjin could only say it was a ¡°feeling,¡± suggesting you can believe it or not, I¡¯m just mentioning it casually.

    If Lin Ning had nothing to hide, faced with Su Yunjin¡¯s ¡°just intuition,¡± she would certainly just laugh it off.

    But Su Yunjin¡¯s assumption about Sister Lin was spot on; after hearing it, she quickly became restless, and without thinking, she anxiously asked,

    ¡°What should we do then? If the captain really falls for her, then¡­ then we can¡¯t do anything about it!¡±

    ¡°The captain and her are just ordinary friends for now, and he doesn¡¯t have any feelings for her beyond that,¡± Su Yunjin said calmly.

    Lin Ning breathed a small sigh of relief but still didn¡¯t realize the slight sense of relief in her heart.

    ¡°But we still have to nip the problem in the bud,¡± Su Yunjin continued, ¡°If the captain really gets together with the vice captain, what will become of our team?¡±

    Lin Ning suddenly felt it was strange and asked:

    ¡°What does that have to do with our team?¡±

    ¡°What if there¡¯s a confrontation in the Mysterious Realm?¡± Su Yunjin said, ¡°Between Zhenhai Team and the Flying Dragon Battle Team, what would the captain do?¡±

    ¡°He surely wouldn¡¯t side with the opposition,¡± Lin Ning still failed to understand, ¡°He is our captain, after all.¡±

    ¡°Have you forgotten what happened at the Dragon Soar Mysterious Realm last time?¡± Su Yunjin asked lightly.

    Dragon Soar Mysterious Realm¡­ Oh, right, the captain had defeated Li Minghu last time, but she wasn¡¯t seriously injured, and the captain even invited her to join in capturing flags¡­

    At the time, Lin Ning didn¡¯t think anything of it, but having heard Su Yunjin phrase it that way, she finally came back to her senses, feeling more and more uncomfortable¡ªthe captain¡¯s attitude towards the vice captain did seem off.

    ¡°But there¡¯s nothing we can do about it,¡± she telepathically sighed, ¡°The captain is free to like whoever he wants.¡±

    ¡°Of course we can only wish him well if the captain has already fallen for someone,¡± Su Yunjin had her response prepared, speaking slowly, ¡°But if the captain¡¯s feelings for her haven¡¯t developed yet, if we can keep them apart and reduce their interactions, we can avoid such a situation.¡±

    ¡°Uh,¡± Lin Ning still felt something was wrong, because her view on love was one of destiny, believing that the progression from meeting, getting to know each other, and falling in love should all happen naturally. Hearing Su Yunjin suggesting they interfere with someone else¡¯s destiny naturally felt off, ¡°What I mean is, no matter who the captain likes or wants to develop a relationship with, it¡¯s the captain¡¯s prerogative. If we interfere with his and someone else¡¯s destiny, wouldn¡¯t that be too much?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Su Yunjin said tactfully, ¡°Let me give you an example.¡±

    ¡°Suppose there¡¯s a movie tomorrow night that¡¯s garnered high praises online, and both you and Deputy Team Leader Li want to invite the captain to watch it. Even though you¡¯re aware of Deputy Team Leader Li¡¯s intentions, you still decide to ask the captain first. Is that considered interfering with the fate between him and Deputy Team Leader Li?¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Lin Ning replied without hesitation. ¡°It would be different if they were both interested in each other, but in the example you¡¯ve given, isn¡¯t it just Deputy Team Leader Li who wants to pursue the captain? There¡¯s not even the beginning of a relationship yet, so I don¡¯t need to make way for her in everything¡­ huh?¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile. ¡°The captain also said that for now, he just sees Deputy Team Leader Li as a friend. There¡¯s no red thread of fate between them yet, so whatever we do, it¡¯s not like we¡¯re cutting their thread of fate¡ªbecause it doesn¡¯t exist at all.¡±

    Her sophistry did not entirely convince Lin Ning. After all, the thinking she had honed from years of solving problems quickly led her to the realization, ¡°Although you¡¯re not trying to cut the thread, you¡¯re deliberately trying to stop them from connecting. What¡¯s the difference? Aren¡¯t you still interfering with other people¡¯s feelings?¡±

    However, the thought of Yan Yu and Li Minghu possibly being connected by a red thread of fate¡­ Lin Ning immediately felt an indescribable sense of suffocation and, as if possessed by a demon, sent a telepathic message back:

    ¡°Fine.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± Su Yunjin exclaimed joyfully. ¡°Then it¡¯s settled, Ningning. You can¡¯t tell anyone else, okay?¡±

    Hmph, with Ningning, the easiest to convince on my side, only Ling Yun remains.

    As for Sister Zhao and Ruoxi, their personalities are relatively innocent, so they¡¯re actually not suitable for being involved in such complicated actions¡ªbesides, preventing the captain from being chased away by outsiders is beneficial for them too, so there¡¯s no need to notify them.

    Su Yunjin looked at Chen Lingyun again when suddenly she heard Wang Haoran exclaim in surprise:

    ¡°Holy shit, there¡¯s a fight breaking out in the big chat group!¡±

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Li Zhaojiang asked casually.

    ¡°Cai Qianlong and Jin Yupeng,¡± Wang Haoran said.

    Online chat groups are rife with a mix of characters, and arguments and flaming are commonplace, so there was no need to be surprised.

    But for the two teams who had just finished a Mysterious Realm clash, and their team leaders personally engaging in a verbal fight, now that was truly interesting!

    Everyone was so curious they immediately stopped eating and hurriedly pulled out their phones to check the big group chat.

    The Cultivator big group was originally formed by Qiu Ze without restricting members from inviting others. You invite your classmate, I invite mine, and now there were nearly four hundred people, almost all the college student cultivators in the country were in it.

    With so many people talking at once, the cause of the fight was difficult to trace back by scrolling through the chat, but it seemed that Jin Yupeng was a bit unhappy about losing the match, and Cai Qianlong, who liked to show off, somehow got into a conflict with him and they started calling each other out in the argument.

    Jin Yupeng claimed they lost the match because of bad luck; Cai Qianlong retorted that you don¡¯t even understand why you lost, so you¡¯ll continue to lose next time; Jin Yupeng countered by saying your team lost to our Zhengdong Army¡¯s Zhenhai Team last time, so aren¡¯t you destined to lose again the next time you meet; Cai Qianlong replied at least we can beat you¡­ blah blah blah.

    Soon others joined in the ridicule, saying that the Zhenhai Team was the original progenitor god (referring to the first batch of founded teams), and it was unnecessary to compare them to the younger Flying Dragon Battle Team. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Then someone asked, both being original progenitors, which was stronger between the Dragon Soar Team and Zhenhai Team? Who was the number one cultivator in Lu Country, Liu Longtao or Yan Yu?

    As more and more rubberneckers began to fan the flames, Yan Yu couldn¡¯t stand by and watch any longer. He turned to Chen Lingyun and said:

    ¡°Tell Qiu Ze to impose a chat restriction.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a slight smile.

    [Chen Lingyun]: @Mighty Peng Spreading Wings, losing is losing, no need to make so many excuses, just take this as a lesson.

    [Mighty Peng Spreading Wings]: Understood.

    Jin Yupeng fell silent, and seeing that Cai Qianlong also stopped since his opponent was playing dead, the atmosphere quickly returned to normal chit-chat.

    Yan Yu: ???

    He watched the chat group settle down and was puzzled. Jin Yupeng was not known for his good temper, otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have fought with Cai Qianlong, but with just one sentence from Chen Lingyun, Jin Yupeng was silenced. Why? Was he bribed by her financial power?

    Noticing the doubtful gaze from Yan Yu, Chen Lingyun smiled slightly and sent a telepathic message:

    ¡°Surprised, are you?¡±

    ¡°What are you up to?¡± Yan Yu asked in return.

    ¡°I¡¯m not up to anything, I¡¯ve told you before,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely. ¡°Remember back when we hadn¡¯t yet graduated from high school¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­we set a goal together.¡±

 Chapter 299 - 96 I am the Group Owner

    Chapter 299: Chapter 96 I am the Group Owner

    ¡°`

    In his past life, when Yan Yu was with Chen Lingyun, this despicable woman was already the ¡°Number One Female Cultivator of the Zhendong Army,¡± so Yan Yu wasn¡¯t quite sure how she had achieved that.

    It must have been either by leveraging her first-mover advantage, using her family background, or flaunting her cunning eloquence¡­ Definitely not by winning others over with her true strength, for reasons that go without saying.

    Of course, if Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t take on the role of leader among the cultivators of the Zhendong Army, the cultivators would form into little cliques on their own, which was neither conducive to unity and camaraderie among themselves nor beneficial for those above to integrate and make use of them.

    Especially as time went on, with more and more cultivators joining the battle teams but not enough resources to go around, conflicts between cultivators would intensify rapidly.

    Having Chen Lingyun managing from above was certainly better than allowing them to form cliques and fight indiscriminately.

    ...

    But how exactly did Chen Lingyun manage to do that?

    Facing Yan Yu¡¯s puzzled expression, Chen Lingyun offered a faint smile and sent him an invitation to join a group.

    [Chen Lingyun invites you to join the ¡°Zhendong Army Tactical Discussion Group¡±]

    Yan Yu clicked to agree and upon entering, he saw that there were about thirty-odd members. The group owner was Chen Lingyun, and the administrator, [Divine Traverser], was Qiu Ze¡­ Huh?

    If I¡¯m not mistaken, the members of this group should all be the captains and vice-captains of the various battle teams.

    Before he could continue browsing, group members had already started queuing up to chat, with all sorts of flattery like ¡°We worship Yan God,¡± ¡°Yan God, notice me,¡± and ¡°We love you Yan God¡± appearing, causing the messages to scroll up frantically.

    ¡°What are you doing with this group?¡± Yan Yu asked, perplexed.

    ¡°Guidance,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    Although she didn¡¯t elaborate, Yan Yu only took a moment to think it through and understood what she meant.

    Although they were all cultivators in battle teams, not everyone was the same.

    The so-called ¡°First-Generation Creator Gods¡± like the members of the Zhenhai Team, whether it¡¯s the top cultivators from within the country or the formidable Transcendents from abroad, all had extensive combat experience. However, the mainstream group of battle team cultivators consisted of students who had just formed teams. Their number of competition entries ranged from zero to one, and their opponents were also newbies of the same level, so naturally, the experience gained wouldn¡¯t amount to much.

    If nothing unexpected happened, the vast majority of battle teams would be classified as third-rate after the ranking. Then, the only opponents they would face would also be third-rate teams. If it¡¯s a case of the blind leading the blind, how can they improve?

    Join Chen Lingyun¡¯s cultivator group, and buy lessons!

    Thinking about this, Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but admire Chen Lingyun¡¯s keen sense. She had pinpointed the loophole in the current cultivator training system¡­ If I were the captain of a low-tier battle team, I would definitely join this group. Otherwise, everyone else is progressing, and if I¡¯m just marking time, how can that work?

    Yan Yu sent an emoticon as a greeting, and everyone had a laugh and gave some more flattery before starting to discuss today¡¯s match again.

    About the Golden Wing Battle Team¡¯s defeat, there were varied opinions in the group: some said it was because the first two to be taken out had a significant gap in raw strength compared to the opposing Flying Dragon Battle Team, while others pointed to the failure to disrupt the opponent¡¯s command system.

    They all made some sense.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Chen Lingyun asked teasingly from the side, ¡°Yan God, won¡¯t you give me some pointers?¡±

    ¡°What kind of scheme are you devising now¡­ Forget it,¡± Yan Yu started typing.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: None of you have hit the mark. The biggest issue with the Golden Wing Battle Team lies in their team composition of Five Sword Immortals.

    [Great Peng Spreads its Wings]: Yan God, we are the Golden Wing Battle Team¡­

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Sorry, my autocorrect defaulted to that because of the initials. I didn¡¯t look carefully.

    [Begging for Yan God¡¯s Notice]: Is there an issue with the Five Sword Immortals setup?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: The Sword Immortal is a profession that relies heavily on skill and awareness, but since you¡¯re greenhorns who haven¡¯t fought much in real battles, you can¡¯t bring out the advantages of Sword Immortals. Besides, your team lacks other professions, which limits your tactical flexibility. If you can win, you win; if you can¡¯t, you lose.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Some say the Golden Wing Battle Team lost due to inferior strength; others say they failed to disrupt the opponent¡¯s command system. These aren¡¯t wrong, but they miss the key point. Transcendent combat isn¡¯t about quantifying strength and then comparing numbers. Weaker teams also have the chance to beat stronger teams, but a Five Sword Immortals setup just doesn¡¯t have that chance. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°`

    [Great Peng Spreading Wings]: Got it, got it, thanks a ton, Yan God! So, how should we tweak our team composition to improve?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You should at least add an Assistant Officer. For your magical items, try to choose those geared towards control or defense. For specific tactical construction, you could refer to Ye Jun, the vice-captain of the Dragon Soar Team. Watch more of their game videos and particularly study how Ye Jun uses the light blossoms from the Xuan Guang Ruler to defend and ensure the team¡¯s safety when others are attacking.

    [Yan God Is My Daddy]: As soon as Yan God speaks, it¡¯s all about the Dragon Soar Team. I¡¯m so insignificant I¡¯m sweating profusely. For our level and status, isn¡¯t it inappropriate to learn from the Dragon Soar Team? The grade of magical items that Ye Jun has access to¡ªwe probably couldn¡¯t even get them if we asked our superiors, right?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: It¡¯s not about the grade of the magical items for an Assistant Officer, but the category and application. A skilled Assistant Officer using lower-grade magical items can contribute much more strategically than a foolish Assistant Officer with high-grade magical items.

    [Growing in the Shadow of Yan God]: Can Yan God talk about the most suitable professional mix for our team?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Everyone has their own understanding. Spellcasters and Sword Immortals are more offense-oriented; Assistant Officers and Envoys are more supportive. You need at least two for offense and at least one for support. The exact ratio can vary depending on the situation.

    [Do You Need a Steed, Yan God? I¡¯m a Prime Ox-Horse]: Too much offense narrows the range of tactical options; too little, and you lose out on direct confrontation power. Prioritizing surprise or standard tactics, a combination of both is indispensable¡ªis that what you mean?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You could see it that way, but it always depends on the specifics¡­ what¡¯s with all these bizarre group nicknames?

    The chat group erupted into a flurry of chatter, and Yan Yu noticed Qiu Ze had sent him a private message.

    [Thousand-Mile Sprint]: /wipes sweat. It¡¯s actually not so bad, the group used to be filled with a bunch of sycophants, all desperately fawning over Chen, saying things like ¡°I¡¯m Chen¡¯s dog¡± and ¡°Chen, pat my doggy head,¡± which was just disgusting. Now, this is just their normal operations.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: ¡­Can I still leave the group?

    [Thousand-Mile Sprint]: There¡¯s no need for Yan Captain to leave. Just block and blacklist those you don¡¯t like.

    Yan Yu put away his phone and asked Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°So, this was your idea? To create a chat group to win over these battle teams?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not exactly about winning them over,¡± Chen Lingyun looked up, her finger gently supporting her chin, pondering as she said, ¡°I think a more accurate term would be: training dogs.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­..

    ¡°Hey, check this out.¡± Chen Lingyun handed her phone to him with an incredibly sweet smile, ¡°Their shameless bootlicking, doesn¡¯t it remind you of tail-wagging dogs?¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough,¡± he said, massaging his forehead with resignation, ¡°Don¡¯t be too harsh.¡±

    The whole thing was actually quite disheartening. The cultivator training system in Lu Country, while not as extremely biased towards the elite as the Yin Yang Bureau, was far from fair and just.

    From the start, the most talented cultivators were chosen as the first generation of battle team cultivators, enjoying all kinds of resources and benefits that widened the gap in strength to a point unreachable for latecomers.

    For those who came after, if they wanted to improve under the current system without access to more resources, of course, they would end up fawning over the established big shots¡­ but there was no need to compare them to dogs, right?

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll rephrase,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°It¡¯s really just a matter of mutual needs.¡±

    ¡°They need us for guidance and criticism in the group, offering precious intel and information; and we need them to take a stand, or rather, to be inclined to stand with us at crucial moments in the future.¡±

    ¡°With that time, it would be better to focus on improving your own strength,¡± Yan Yu sighed deeply, knowing that his comment would likely go unheeded.

    ¡°It won¡¯t waste much time,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Here, let me make you an admin.¡±

    ¡°What admin, give me the group owner!¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Trying to seize power?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just that you don¡¯t deserve it.¡±

    ¡°Haha, that won¡¯t do,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a grin, ¡°I¡¯m the group owner.¡±

 Chapter 300 - 97: Breaking Up This Pair of Teachers

    Chapter 300: Chapter 97: Breaking Up This Pair of Teachers

    The quarrel in the group of cultivators was undoubtedly just a minor incident for the two combat teams.

    After all, they were top-tier battle teams capable of leaving the border to fight for the country; such petty domestic squabbles¡ªwho won, who lost, who held the primary responsibility¡ªreally couldn¡¯t arouse much interest.

    After dinner, the men went out to play basketball for digestion, while Yan Yu took everyone to the basement to let Li Minghu assess the girls¡¯ proficiency in Sword Control Technique.

    The test results showed that the highest level of swordsmanship was found in Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen, while the other three were mediocre, each just about the same¡ªChen Lingyun and Su Yunjin were simply not quick enough in their reactions, and Xie Ruoxi had purely practiced too little.

    However, even this was quite a bit stronger when compared to the overall grasp of Sword Control Technique among university cultivators.

    ¡°This level of skill should be sufficient for everyday use,¡± Li Minghu said with a smile, ¡°Two are magic cultivators, and one is an Envoy; the core of their combat style is Taoism Method and commanding spirits, not mainly focused on Sword Control Technique. Being able to defend themselves is good enough.¡±

    ...

    ¡°The problem is even for self-defense, their current skill level is not enough,¡± Yan Yu stated.

    ¡°Not enough?¡± Li Minghu asked in surprise, ¡°Even internationally, unless they are facing powerhouses like Liu Longtao one-on-one, they generally wouldn¡¯t be at risk.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m considering the situation where they have to face strong opponents head-on, they need to be able to survive reliably for a sufficient amount of time,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    Li Minghu: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Uh.¡± Even though her mind was filled with question marks, she still confirmed by asking, ¡°Yan Yu, you should know that even among the current domestic battle team cultivators, most of those who specialize in Sword Control as Sword Immortals can¡¯t last more than a few minutes against Liu Longtao, right?¡±

    ¡°You plan to train these few members of your team, who are not Sword Immortals, to withstand the full-on attack of top Sword Immortals using Sword Control Technique?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Yan Yu answered unequivocally, ¡°What do you think our chances are?¡±

    Li Minghu: ¡­¡­¡­

    No chance at all, you should find someone more capable. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Among the current four major cultivator professions, Sword Immortal is the most popular and most chosen profession, as seen with teams like Golden Wing Battle Team that have all five Sword Immortals, highlighting the desirability of this profession.

    One could even exaggerate by saying that those cultivators who do not choose the Sword Immortal profession do so not because they are more suited to other professions, but because they do not meet the requirements of becoming a Sword Immortal.

    Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin both had very ordinary reaction speeds and adaptability; Xie Ruoxi¡¯s psychological quality could not withstand pressure, panicking at the first sign of danger, with nearly zero tolerance for stress. None of these three girls had the makings of a Sword Immortal; it¡¯s like a student who gets a headache from math problems is now expected to learn science and reach a level to compete with top science students¡ªhow is that possible?

    Even if you spent vast amounts of effort and time to reach that level, what good would it do? Forcing a liberal arts student to study science, or a cultivator of a different profession to specialize in Sword Control Technique¡ªwouldn¡¯t that be putting the cart before the horse, a deviation from the right path?

    After all, I owe him a favor; I still need to try to inform him of this.

    ¡°Yan Yu, I think this is somewhat unrealistic,¡± Li Minghu said in a diplomatic tone, ¡°To achieve that level, it means you¡¯re aiming to transition them into the profession of Sword Immortals. Let alone the feasibility, even if you can afford that cost, wouldn¡¯t the time and effort be better spent on their original professional pathways?¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Yan Yu was taken aback for a moment, then he realized and clarified with a smile, ¡°Li Minghu, you¡¯ve misunderstood me; I¡¯m not trying to make things unduly difficult.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t intend for them to give up their main duties to become Sword Immortals. My idea is, when facing a powerhouse like Liu Longtao, they should be able to use Sword technique with their left hand for defense, to stand their ground; and with their right hand use Taoism Method or command spirits to attack, looking for opportunities to turn defeat into victory. In other words, they need to master Sword Control well enough, and their main offensive method has to be unique and unrivaled; reaching this level is what I¡¯m aiming for.¡±

    Li Minghu:¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

    This isn¡¯t just challenging someone; this is forcing them up into the sky!

    I thought you were asking an arts student to switch to the sciences, but it turns out you want her to be in the top ten for sciences and number one in the entire school for arts! Isn¡¯t that a bit¡­ cough, cough!

    Seemingly troubled by the thought, Li Minghu coughed for a moment before sighing and saying:

    ¡°Forget it, I won¡¯t worry about it too much. I¡¯ll train their swordplay to the best of my ability, but as for whether they can grow to the level you¡¯re asking for, I can¡¯t guarantee it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Yan Yu nodded with a smile. ¡°As long as you do your best¡­¡±

    His words were still hanging in the air when someone tugged at his sleeve from behind.

    ¡°Captain,¡± Lin Ningruo said nonchalantly, ¡°I have some questions about the ¡®Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step¡¯ that I don¡¯t understand. Could you come and teach me?¡±

    ¡°Vice-captain Li,¡± Su Yunjin also called out to Li Minghu, ¡°could I ask you a few questions about swordplay?¡±

    ¡°Just call me Minghu,¡± Li Minghu quickly replied.

    ¡°Mmhmm, Minghu, come over here, I¡¯ll demonstrate for you,¡± Su Yunjin complied amiably.

    The two instructors hadn¡¯t even talked for a few minutes before they were both called away by their respective students.

    ¡°What don¡¯t you understand about the footwork?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°My question is, what¡¯s the point of practicing footwork?¡± Lin Ning asked puzzledly. ¡°Isn¡¯t Sword Flight faster?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good question,¡± Yan Yu patiently answered. ¡°Sword Flight is indeed faster than footwork, but that¡¯s assuming the space is large enough to go straight back and forth. In smaller spaces like buildings, caves, or Mysterious Realms with flying restrictions, using Sword Flight would split your attention as you guard against bumping into things or triggering restrictions, making it less flexible and convenient than footwork.¡±

    ¡°Besides, you currently use Sword Flight to launch assaults, and most opponents can¡¯t handle that. But if you encounter a defensively skilled enemy in the future and need to engage in close combat, footwork that allows you to dart and weave in short distances is superior to Sword Flight.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lin Ning surreptitiously glanced towards Su Yunjin¡¯s direction, saw she had successfully entangled Li Minghu, and continued to ask, ¡°Then, could you take a look at my footwork and see if there are any issues¡­¡±

    She performed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step in front of Yan Yu.

    ¡°No, no, no,¡± Yan Yu immediately corrected her, ¡°Did you just memorize that mechanically? The key to Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step is to subtly align with the numerology of the I Ching¡¯s eight trigrams so the steps you take are ever-changing; if you just memorize without improvisation, you¡¯re not performing footwork, you¡¯re dancing!¡±

    ¡°Oh! Oh! Oh!¡± Lin Ning promptly agreed, secretly pleased with herself.

    How could I not know there¡¯s something wrong with the footwork I¡¯m practicing? The reason I came to you for guidance is precisely because there¡¯s a problem!

    If there was nothing wrong on my part and you had nothing to correct, you¡¯d be sticking with Vice-captain Li again!

    ¡°Watch carefully, I¡¯ll go through it once more.¡± But Yan Yu, unaware of her inner thoughts, simply demonstrated and said, ¡°Don¡¯t remember how I move, think about why I move this way!¡±

 Chapter 301 - 98 Quadrilateral Energy Gathering Array

    Chapter 301: Chapter 98 Quadrilateral Energy Gathering Array

    After playing basketball, the four brothers returned to the villa and went downstairs to observe the girls¡¯ swordsmanship training.

    As they watched, they couldn¡¯t help but feel that something was off: the intensity of the training seemed a tad high.

    There was no need to mention Yan Yu, who had Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen running all over the place; although Li Minghu was up against three, Chen Lingyun, Su Yunjin, and Xie Ruoxi did not use Taoism Method or command ghosts but fought her with Sword Control Technique, exchanging blows back and forth.

    ¡°How is it?¡± Li Zhaojiang turned his head to ask Jiang Hong.

    In the Zhenghai Team, aside from Li Minghu, Jiang Hong was the only professional Sword Immortal. After watching carefully for a moment, he said:

    ¡°Their level isn¡¯t up to par.¡±

    ...

    Exactly! Three against one in swordsmanship combat, and they still couldn¡¯t break through Li Minghu¡¯s defensive sword circle; their level obviously isn¡¯t up to par!

    ¡°So, what¡¯s the purpose of this training?¡± Li Zhaojiang asked again.

    ¡°They¡¯re probably practicing the Sword Control Technique,¡± Jiang Hong said seriously.

    Li Zhaojiang was momentarily speechless, complaining:

    ¡°Swordsmanship combat, if they¡¯re not practicing Sword Control, what else could they be doing? What I mean is, none of the three of them are Sword Immortals, so why practice the Sword Control Technique?¡±

    ¡°Could there be a possibility that Vice-Captain Li only knows Sword Control?¡± Tao Xingyuan pondered and said, ¡°If you ask Vice-Captain Li to practice Taoism Method or command ghosts, she wouldn¡¯t know how.¡±

    ¡°Then she shouldn¡¯t be the one sparring,¡± Li Zhaojiang became suspicious, ¡°Yan Yu must have some ulterior motive.¡±

    So, Captain, this is what you¡¯re fixated on¡­ Everyone was speechless.

    But that¡¯s the way Li Zhaojiang was, seemingly a normal person, with no abnormalities in his behavior¡ªprovided you didn¡¯t mention his sister or Yan Yu to him.

    Last month, when someone in school pursued Vice-Captain Li, Li Zhaojiang went asking for a duel, saying, ¡°If you want to be my brother-in-law, you at least have to beat me,¡± scaring the other party into deleting Li Minghu from their phone on the spot and swearing never to pursue his sister again.

    Later, Li Zhaojiang explained to the team members: ¡°That guy didn¡¯t deserve it!¡±

    At the time, Tao Xingyuan couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Does Yan Yu deserve it?¡± and was chased and beaten up by Li Zhaojiang everywhere¡­ As for the answer, it goes without saying; do you think he dared to make Yan Yu delete Li Minghu as a friend? Impossible. At most, he¡¯d sarcastically say that Yan Yu ¡°keeps a harem in Jinling and forgets to return home,¡± or delude himself by saying, ¡°Sister is not interested in him.¡±

    Your sister is willingly helping your brother-in-law train the team! How long are you going to fool yourself with your eyes covered?

    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any ulterior motive.¡± Jiang Hong, too, couldn¡¯t see it clearly, ¡°Why don¡¯t we ask?¡±

    Just then, Yan Yu and Li Minghu finished a round of training and each found a place to rest. The crowd gathered around Li Minghu and began to inquire.

    ¡°It¡¯s just Sword Control Technique training,¡± Li Minghu said as she wiped sweat with a towel, coughed a few times, and took the water bottle her brother handed her, gulping down the water.

    ¡°They¡¯re not Sword Immortals, why practice the Sword Control Technique?¡± Li Zhaojiang asked with a frown. ¡°Could it be a ruse to probe your current true swordsmanship level under the guise of practicing sword technique?¡±

    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Li Minghu looked surprised and chuckled, ¡°My swordsmanship level, after so many battles in the Southern Border, isn¡¯t it already crystal clear to everyone?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps Yan Yu suspects you¡¯re hiding your true strength,¡± Li Zhaojiang speculated.

    ¡°I¡¯m starting to wonder if your brain has taken in water,¡± Li Minghu sighed, ¡°Ah Jiang, the Zhenghai Team is known for seeking my help to train teams, and what about you? Spending all day either gaming or playing basketball¡­ Don¡¯t you feel any sense of urgency?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, big sis,¡± Li Zhaojiang immediately raised both hands in surrender, ¡°I¡¯ll organize training right away!¡±

    He turned to call out to Yan Yu:

    ¡°Old Yan, take us for training, will you? How about the four of us spar with you?¡±

    One should know, Li Zhaojiang¡¯s Yuan Magnetic Divine Light had a miraculous effect on all things made of metal in the world, and most flying swords were no exception. Considering that Yan Yu was publicly known as a Sword Immortal, the cunning intent behind his suggestion was obvious.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°pure Sword Control Technique sparring, huh.¡±

    ¡°Pure my foot!¡± Li Zhaojiang immediately retorted, ¡°I¡¯m a spell caster, and you want to spar with me using the Sword Control Technique? Do you have no shame?¡±

    ¡°Why would I be ashamed?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to take me on four against one? Doesn¡¯t your team still include Jiang Hong?¡±

    Everyone¡¯s eyes instinctively turned to Jiang Hong, who frowned slightly and said in a low voice:

    ¡°I suggest we not fight.¡±

    Because Sword Immortals lacked diverse tactical methods, if two Sword Immortals were not much different in strength, and one of them had the help of other teammates, the chances of victory were quite high¡­ The question was, considering the gap between Jiang Hong and Yan Yu¡¯s swordsmanship, could Li Zhaojiang, Tao Xingyuan, and Wang Haoran make up for it?

    Jiang Hong himself didn¡¯t think it was likely.

    Li Zhaojiang was also speechless, mainly because the idea of four against one was rather disgraceful. Even if they won, it wouldn¡¯t be well received¡ªthe only benefit would be the chance to give Yan Yu a good thrashing.

    But seeing Jiang Hong also lacked confidence, what if they ganged up on Yan Yu and still lost? Wouldn¡¯t that be incredibly embarrassing?

    ¡°Not coming, huh,¡± Yan Yu said with a chuckle, ¡°Then let¡¯s continue training.¡±

    ¡°Forget it, forget it,¡± Li Zhaojiang decisively chose to back down. Mainly because although his own level of Sword Control Technique was decent, he wasn¡¯t just behind Yan Yu, but also couldn¡¯t compete with Lin Ning or Sister Zhao.

    Wait, hold on. Isn¡¯t Zhao Jiuzhen an Assistant Officer? Her Sword Control Technique is that strong?!

    After resting for a few minutes, Yan Yu¡¯s side resumed training.

    Li Zhaojiang looked over at Yan Yu¡¯s trio. Zhao Yuanzhen was using the Sword Control Technique to face off against Yan Yu directly, as the Yin Wind Sword and Huang Ting Sword clashed again and again. Lin Ning, meanwhile, stepped lightly and continuously on the ground, using some sort of mysterious stepping technique that made her move unpredictably as if she were a nimble kite drifting in the breeze, attacking from various directions in conjunction with the Yin Wind Sword.

    What was that?

    The Qing¡¯an Team had never encountered steps like those before and were quite fascinated by Lin Ning¡¯s graceful movements.

    ¡°That¡¯s the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step,¡± Li Minghu explained, having finished discussing the previous round with the three young ladies, now sharing with his teammates.

    ¡°Step technique?¡± Li Zhaojiang asked.

    ¡°Right, similar to a higher-order version of the Cloud Ascension Technique,¡± Li Minghu replied briefly. ¡°It ignores inertia and gravity and is much faster than the common Cloud Ascension Technique. Its compatibility with the Sword Control Technique should be very high.¡±

    ¡°Since it¡¯s highly compatible with Sword Immortals, we¡¯ll have to develop a stepping technique of our own,¡± Li Zhaojiang made a mental note.

    The group trained until 11 p.m. before returning to their respective rooms to rest.

    As per their usual practice, Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen dual cultivated, sitting cross-legged on the bed facing each other and circulated their breath for a while, until Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly said:

    ¡°After entering the Marrow Cleansing Stage, the speed at which you circulate the Microcosmic Orbit has indeed increased a lot. Unlike before, you¡¯re not dragging me down anymore.¡±

    Speaking of which,¡± Yan Yu suddenly remembered something. ¡°After Marrow Cleansing, can we use puppets to assist in cultivation?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± replied Zhao Yuanzhen. ¡°But the speed of Qi Refinement depends on the grade of the puppet itself. The more heavenly and earthly treasures it contains, the faster it can absorb Spiritual Energy.¡±

    ¡°Our current grade of puppets isn¡¯t high, although they have Celestial River-fixed Treasure Iron as their cores and limbs made of Hundred-Year Divine Dragon Wood, the rest of their parts are still mundane materials. The cultivation enhancement might not be significant.¡±

    ¡°Even the smallest mosquito is still flesh,¡± Yan Yu mused. ¡°Shall we try?¡± S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The two summoned their puppets, Ah Mi and Ah Zhen, a pair of tall and slender twin beauties¡ªthree if including Zhao Yuanzhen themselves.

    The two puppets extended their arms and each supported Yan Yu¡¯s and Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s shoulders, forming a square formation, and began the process of breath circulation and Qi refinement.

 Chapter 302 - 99 The Mortal Who Can Kill a Cultivator

    Chapter 302: Chapter 99 The Mortal Who Can Kill a Cultivator

    The Four Quarters Energy-Drawing Formation is a technique recorded within the String-Pulling Technique.

    Positioning four individuals at the positions of West Metal Geng, East Wood Jia, North Water Ren, and South Fire Bing, the technique follows the principle of ¡°water, fire, wind, thunder cultivating a golden body,¡± incorporating some of the traditional Xuanmen Zhengzong doctrine. It slightly surpasses the normal pace of upgrading in dual cultivation between two people ¡ª the incremental progress over time is quite considerable.

    But the issue remains the same: when it¡¯s already difficult to find a completely trusted dual-cultivation partner, how do you find two more individuals and ensure safety?

    If you encounter someone harboring ill intentions, while you¡¯re entering into a meditative state for Qi Refinement, they could quietly raise a hand and send a Flying Sword from their sleeve. With such close proximity, unless you have some sort of protective amulet, it¡¯s pretty much a chill through the heart ¡ª followed by them taking your artifacts, Elixir Medicine, and Flying Sword before fleeing.

    Using puppets avoids this risk. Hence, as told by the Demonic Sect Enchantress, many predecessors in the Qiansi Sect also refine the Heaven, Earth, and Man triplet puppets, adding themselves to make up the four needed specifically for assembling the Four Quarters Energy-Drawing Formation.

    Of course, one must not let the matter of the puppets leak, so Yan Yu had already locked the door to avoid any indiscreet intruders suddenly coming in.

    ...

    After about half an hour and feeling that the efficiency of his breathing exercises had only improved by a single-digit percentage, which wasn¡¯t much, he focused on the slow and steady progress¡­ But what if I made ten thousand puppets and created a rational interconnected pathway for Spiritual Energy, would I be able to accumulate the enhancement up to a hundredfold?

    Forget it, that would be too troublesome. It¡¯s simpler to bring Immortal Venerate Xie into the circuit. But the useless pretty one is still untrustworthy for now; we¡¯ll talk about it later.

    At this moment, Yan Yu was in a meditative state, although random thoughts occasionally arose in his sea of consciousness, they soon dissipated.

    No matter the efficiency of the breathing exercises, what¡¯s key is to stay grounded.

    Meanwhile, Lin Ning lay down in her bed, and amidst her drowsiness, suddenly had a nightmare.

    She dreamt that she tirelessly practiced her swordsmanship day and night, finally defeating Li Minghu and turned around full of pride to report the good news to her captain, ¡°See, I¡¯m still more formidable than her.¡±

    Then she saw Su Yunjin affectionately wrapping her arms around Yan Yu¡¯s arm, both of them smiling warmly towards her¡­

    ¡°Sai Linmu!¡± Lin Ning abruptly sat up, her black hair cascading over her shoulders, her complexion deathly pale as she sat dazed on the bed for a long while.

    It seemed like a dream¡­

    She panted heavily for a while before vigorously pulling up the covers and going back to sleep.

    In the next room, Su Yunjin was startled by Lin Ning¡¯s loud shout. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    She quietly listened for a moment and, hearing no further sounds, did not pay much attention and continued reading her book.

    The title of the book was ¡°Psychology of Love,¡± not a collection of internet pop psychology, but a professional psychological treatise with a not-so-low barrier to entry, very abstruse and difficult to understand.

    Outside the window, Chen Lingyun was leaning on the balcony, chatting on the phone with her mother.

    When her parents first heard that their daughter had gone to the Southern Border battlefield, Chen¡¯s mother and father had a huge argument that resulted in smashing everything in the living room, with the mother declaring that unless her daughter returned safely, he shouldn¡¯t bother coming home.

    Chen Tianming, quite staunchly, checked into a hotel.

    Now that Chen Lingyun had returned safely from the team and even became a war hero defending the country, her mother had no more arguments, first arranging for someone to repair the living room and then preparing to ask Chen Tianming to come back ¡ª as for how humbly she needed to act in her pleas, she didn¡¯t have a clue, and could only seek advice from her intelligent daughter who inherited her father¡¯s wisdom.

    Chen Lingyun advised her mother not to plead directly. ¡°Dad has work tomorrow, doesn¡¯t he? You should get up early in the morning to cook, and let the family chef guide you to make some homely dishes. Don¡¯t go for expensive ingredients; focus on a balanced diet with both meat and vegetables, and don¡¯t forget the soup. Take care of every detail like the insulation bags, and then wait about ten minutes before his lunch break at the office canteen. Don¡¯t attract attention and, when dad arrives, personally deliver his meal. Have lunch with him in front of his colleagues, proactively serving him food and soup.¡±

    If someone asks, just say ¡°My husband has been working so hard these days¡± ¡°I learned to cook to reward him,¡± and do not mention the argument. By persisting for a few days, dad¡¯s attitude will surely soften, and he will superficially reconcile with you¡­ However, to completely mend the damage caused by this argument will require time and emotional effort, it¡¯s not something that can be resolved overnight.

    Chen¡¯s mother was confused, but she always trusted her daughter and thus planned to do as told.

    After Chen Lingyun finished her call with her mother, she called her father, not mentioning the quarrel between her parents at all, but rather reporting in detail her experience in the Southern Border.

    Chen Tianming listened silently, then asked for some specific intelligence about the sorcerers.

    ¡°Yan Yu told me that the newly appointed Witch King Meng is even more dangerous than the former one,¡± Chen Lingyun said at last.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do if it¡¯s dangerous,¡± Chen Tianming replied indifferently. ¡°Often, we know an action is not feasible but are compelled to take it. Among many choices, we have to pick one that is not the worst.¡±

    ¡°Um-hum,¡± Chen Lingyun expressed her understanding, ¡°So? There¡¯s no choice but to make concessions, right?¡±

    ¡°The first of next month,¡± Chen Tianming said. ¡°The ¡®Regulations for the Management of Civilian Cultivators.''¡±

    ¡°Although the overall trend is irresistible, I agree with Yan Yu on some points,¡± Chen Lingyun pondered for a moment before suddenly adding, ¡°Once the existence of civilian cultivators is permitted, they will inevitably vie for the limited cultivation resources and disrupt the current order. If this continues, dignity will be hard to preserve.¡±

    ¡°What do you think should be done?¡± Chen Tianming challenged her.

    ¡°In chaotic times, heavy punishments are necessary to stop those who break laws with their martial prowess,¡± Chen Lingyun replied. ¡°We need to form a specialized elite force from the existing pool of cultivators, highly familiar with the Rikoku Cultivator system, with the duty of specifically eliminating illegal cultivators causing trouble, thus forming a strong deterrent against the cultivator class.¡±

    ¡°So, what kind of people do we need to recruit?¡± Chen Tianming asked leisurely.

    Chen Lingyun began to ponder.

    Weak cultivators definitely wouldn¡¯t do; they might not even be able to defeat others when the time came. However, strong cultivators were also unsuitable; quality steel should be used for the blade¡¯s edge, as the main contradiction at the moment lay with national defense rather than public order.

    Additionally, ensuring the loyalty of this ¡°Cultivator Gendarmerie¡± was another significant issue.

    ¡°In any case, consider this your assignment,¡± Chen Tianming said slowly. ¡°Think it over well, and there¡¯s no need to rush to an answer. Don¡¯t intervene with the matters concerning your mother; I have plans.¡±

    ¡°Okay, bye Dad,¡± Chen Lingyun ended the call.

    She stood up, thought briefly, and decided to go directly for the answers.

    Although working through the problem was interesting, with a reborn husband who possessed memories from a previous life, she found the answer itself much more intriguing.

    Upon arriving at Yan Yu¡¯s door, Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t knock but directly used the Wall-Penetration Technique to enter the room.

    Then she saw Yan Yu and three Zhao Yuanzhens sitting on the bed, either face to face or massaging shoulders, apparently having some kind of mystical gathering.

    ¡°Ah, did I interrupt you guys?¡± Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Yan Yu opened his eyes.

    Zhao Yuanzhen also expressed displeasure:

    ¡°Ling Yun, did you know that in our place, Qi Refinement requires the setting up of a formation at the entrance of the cultivation cave? You barge in like this and carelessly, I might just blast you away.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll just ask a question and leave,¡± Chen Lingyun said to Yan Yu with a smile, ¡°Yan Yu, if you were to form a gendarmerie specifically to deal with cultivators, what kind of people would be most suitable to select?¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s expression suddenly became odd.

    After a long pause, under Chen Lingyun¡¯s expectant gaze, he slowly said:

    ¡°For instance, mortals who can kill cultivators?¡±

 Chapter 303 - 1: Lord Masters Righteous Indignation

    Chapter 303: Chapter 1: Lord Master¡¯s Righteous Indignation

    In early November, the Lingyan Pavilion was opened again to hold a collective award ceremony for the cultivators who had participated in the defense battle of the Southern Border.

    The medals were made of pure gold, and considering the current price of gold, they were probably worth a significant amount of money. The medals featured a tropical rainforest background with a soldier holding a gun standing steadfastly in the center of the jungle, his expression solemn and his gaze resolute.

    At the same time, all the cultivators received national certificates and honorary titles: Guardians of Nanjiang.

    Additionally, there was a cash reward of twenty-five million for each person¡ªthis was merely a drop in the bucket for the treasury, since these cultivators actually had very limited spending power. Most of the money would be saved up, kept in the bank vaults; rounding up, it was almost as if this money hadn¡¯t been distributed at all.

    Everyone cherished the pure gold medals and took pride in their honorary titles, but they were indifferent to the cash rewards.

    After all, they really weren¡¯t short on money.

    ...

    Investing? No one at home knew how to do business; buying property? Their relatives were all living in the military manor¡¯s compound, there was no need; purchasing luxury goods? They spent all day, every day, cultivating¡ªwhen would they have the time to go shopping and flaunt their wealth?!

    This was a common problem worldwide: Transcendents generally did not participate in the economic production activities of human society. They were either cultivating or getting stronger from start to finish, yet they required a large amount of resources¡­ In every country or region where the Transcendent¡¯s regime was dominant, the living standards of ordinary mortals were rapidly declining, with no bottom in sight.

    After the award ceremony had ended, everyone went back to their respective homes.

    Considering that no war tasks would be assigned in the short term, Su Yunjin went to collect the first melt of snow water again, taking a temporary leave for a period.

    Yan Yu also needed to stay in Pingjing for a few days. As one of the country¡¯s only two cultivators at the Foundation Establishment level, he had to go through the same scientific research treatment that Lord Master had previously undergone.

    Having blood drawn, hair taken, undergoing machine scans¡­

    As the examination went on, the researchers started to feel that something was off.

    What is the Spirit Root? The Spirit Root is not an actual physical organ but an ¡°affinity of the body towards Spiritual Energy.¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s affinity for Spiritual Energy was extremely poor, so poor that there was almost no spontaneous qigong effect in a high-density Spiritual Energy environment, leading researchers to repeatedly verify the data¡­ They even brought in another cultivating researcher as a control group for comparison.

    Still, there was no issue; Yan Yu¡¯s cultivation aptitude, according to the instruments, indeed wasn¡¯t great.

    Of course, the results of the instrument tests didn¡¯t represent everything, otherwise, they couldn¡¯t explain the fact that he had already reached the Marrow Cleansing Stage.

    The technical level of instruments is constantly progressing. Take the blood test for the college entrance exams in May of the previous year, for example. A cold, allergies, the female period¡­ all of these things led to an inability to detect Spiritual Energy, which was only slowly discovered and gradually improved upon later.

    Therefore, everyone could only treat Yan Yu as a kind of cultivation aptitude that ¡°the instrument temporarily couldn¡¯t detect,¡± conveniently using it to enrich the database of scientific research cases.

    After today¡¯s research was finished, Yan Yu left the experimental base and saw Liu Longtao and Ye Jun waiting outside for him.

    ¡°Old Yan, you¡¯re quite something,¡± Liu Longtao chuckled, ¡°I heard your cultivation aptitude is average, did you evolve to Foundation Establishment by using ¡®Wind Spirit¡¯s Shadow¡¯?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s about it, you give me a cheat and see,¡± Yan Yu responded.

    ¡°Haha, I don¡¯t need one,¡± Liu Longtao said proudly, ¡°I can level up faster than you without cheats.¡±

    Ye Jun sighed helplessly beside them. Usually, the team leader was a very mature and steady character, but every time he met Yan Yu, he became like a fisherman who often went fishing, always trying to compete and outdo the other, making it hard to know which one of them actually had the issue.

    ¡°Out to eat?¡± Liu Longtao opened the car door.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Yan Yu said.

    The three of them went to a hot pot restaurant to enjoy mutton slices cooked in a copper pot and drank over a dozen little cups of liquor, and with a hearty laugh Liu Longtao said:

    ¡°I remember the first time we had a meal together, you gave me a good scolding, telling me that my personality wasn¡¯t suitable to partner with Ye Jun. What do you think now?¡±

    ¡°I still hold the same view,¡± Yan Yu said bluntly. ¡°Ye Jun is completely wasted on you.¡±

    Ye Jun, standing to the side, weakly pressed his forehead, having no desire to get involved in their childish conversation.

    ¡°Forget it.¡± Liu Longtao chuckled, ¡°Why don¡¯t you try pursuing her? If you can win her over and make her follow you willingly, I won¡¯t stand in your way.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Ye Jun, developing a headache, explained to Yan Yu, ¡°He¡¯s had too much to drink, doesn¡¯t even use ¡®you¡¯ anymore.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Yan Yu narrowed his eyes, looking at Lord Master who was still pouring his own drinks, and suddenly said, ¡°Looks like Lord Master has been under a lot of pressure lately.¡±

    ¡°The Civil Cultivator Management Regulations just came out,¡± Ye Jun explained. ¡°He¡¯s quite annoyed by it.¡±

    Civil cultivators, in the previous Lu Country, were unrecognized. First, you couldn¡¯t come forward, and I would pretend there were no civil cultivators; second, once you did come forward, those who broke the law were killed, and those who didn¡¯t were taken away for management, then we¡¯d continue pretending there were no civil cultivators.

    As time passed during the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, more and more civil cultivators accidentally stumbled upon the path of cultivation. The upper echelons of the Privy Council could no longer turn a deaf ear and were forced to roll out the Civil Cultivator Management Regulations, essentially formalizing what had been discreetly managed before.

    ¡°What¡¯s so annoying about that?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it always managed this way before the regulations came out?¡±

    ¡°It was like that,¡± Ye Jun said. ¡°At the end of last month, a murder occurred in Pingjing. The whole family of the victim was killed, and the murderer was a civil cultivator. Later investigations revealed that this person had excellent qualifications for cultivation, so the Dingbei Army discussed with The Judicial Department and decided not to go through the lawsuit process. Instead, they made a compensation agreement with the victim¡¯s family for understanding and then secretly recruited the murderer.¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t the whole family killed, where did the family come from?¡± Yan Yu asked, frowning.

    ¡°He had a distant cousin,¡± Ye Jun sighed.

    If it was a distant cousin, then the relationship was certainly not close, so naturally, they would choose to take the money for peace. Who was going to fight for justice for the deceased family? sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Therefore, that civil cultivator¡¯s cultivation talent must have been genuinely exceptional to the point that the Dingbei Army was even willing to intervene criminally to make The Judicial Department drop the lawsuit.

    ¡°Who is the murderer? What¡¯s his name?¡± Yan Yu continued to ask.

    ¡°Fan Wentang,¡± Ye Jun replied. ¡°Originally a jobless thug, he was acting as a bouncer in a nightclub. After being splashed in the face with drinks by a patron, he held a grudge, followed the patron home, and then killed him. However, I heard that the patron was not a good person either, having been involved in several fights and arrests¡­¡±

    Before she could finish speaking, Liu Longtao, who had been silent, suddenly said:

    ¡°Even if he had a criminal record, his children were innocent, right? To not even spare the kids, he¡¯s fucking worse than a beast.¡±

    Yan Yu also fell silent.

    He had heard of Fan Wentang¡¯s name in his previous life. Perhaps because the Dingbei Army had suppressed the case, he hadn¡¯t known that the other party was discovered by the Dingbei Army because of committing murder.

    This person really did have a poor character, an arrogant and unyielding personality, but his combat strength was indeed formidable. He was an Envoy by profession, the same as Chen Lingyun, playing with Necromancers, and was known as the country¡¯s number one Necromancer. If one set aside his character, his capabilities indeed warranted the Dingbei Army¡¯s efforts to protect him.

    ¡°I can¡¯t take it anymore,¡± Liu Longtao suddenly put down his wine glass, stood up, and said, ¡°Young master is going to teach him a lesson!¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t get worked up¡­¡± Before Ye Jun could dissuade him, Lord Master had already left the shop with large strides, transforming into a beam of sword light shooting into the sky.

    ¡°Follow?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Of course!¡± Ye Jun grabbed the satchel beside her and swiftly stood up.

 Chapter 304 - 2 If you want to cross-dress, just say so.

    Chapter 304: Chapter 2 If you want to cross-dress, just say so.

    By the time Yan Yu and Ye Jun arrived, Liu Longtao and Fan Wentang had already started fighting.

    Fan Wentang was a lanky young man with a small mustache, prominent veins on his neck, tattoos all over his arms, curly and messy hair, and bloodshot eyes¡ªa born desperado¡ªno wonder he was recruited by nightclubs to keep watch.

    The two were engaged purely in a swordsmanship duel, or to put it another way, it was Liu Longtao overwhelming and tormenting Fan Wentang the entire time.

    After all, Fan Wentang was an Envoy cultivator, who had only received his Flying Sword last month and had learned the Sword Control Technique for less than a week, so naturally, he was no match for Liu Longtao.

    He dared not hastily use his killer move¡ªafter all, as soon as he released his Yin Ghost, it would mean a fight to the death, and Lord Master would have grounds to execute him with Taoism Method, so he just kept taking a beating while cursing nonstop.

    The Dingbei Army cultivators spectating were all verbally trying to break up the fight, but not a single one stepped forward to intervene.

    ...

    Given that Fan Wentang was injured but not dead, it was clear that Lord Master had no intention to kill but rather aimed to humiliate, so there was even less need to intervene and risk getting caught by Lord Master and becoming an outlet for his frustration.

    Probably guessing that Lord Master wouldn¡¯t kill him, Fan Wentang¡¯s curses were particularly vile, insulting Lord Master¡¯s female relatives with every term under the sun, as if he was determined to get back through his words for every drop of blood he shed, in true hooligan fashion.

    Ye Jun frowned upon hearing this: His manners were terrible.

    Yan Yu wasn¡¯t in a rush to intervene and instead found a Dingbei Army cultivator among the spectators to inquire about Fan Wentang¡¯s background.

    Fan Wentang was a nightclub bouncer who considered himself the lowest of the low in the back alleys, very familiar with the ¡°princesses¡± of the private rooms. It was rumored that many ladies even recognized him as an elder brother¡ªnot in any other sense, but meaning they were close; they would call him ¡°Brother Fan¡± all day long and occasionally share a cigarette or lend each other money, which was a common affair.

    A variety of customers came and went at the nightclub, some lonelier than others, eager to share warmth and concern. The princesses in the private rooms had a set script for dealing with such customers: tales of fathers deceased, mothers ill, and brothers in school, with earnings sent back home. But some princesses were too naive, wooed by handsome, smooth-talking male patrons¡ªthey would end up being utterly taken advantage of.

    One of the girls experienced just that, deceived in body, heart, and wealth, only to be dumped after the money was gone. She later committed suicide by charcoal burning in her rented apartment. Fan Wentang was close to her, so he gathered some money with the help of other sisters to take care of her affairs. When he went back to confront the patron who had deceived her, he ended up having alcohol splashed in his face and was called upon by the supervisor to ¡°fire this security guard.¡±

    After getting an earful from the supervisor behind the scenes, Fan Wentang, filled with pent-up anger, left the club and cast a spell to summon a Yin Ghost to track down the already departed patron and murder the man¡¯s entire family.

    The Dingbei Army, upon hearing his confession and following up with a field investigation, confirmed the veracity of his story. The victim was divorced with a child, too old to find work, conning women under the guise of a romantic relationship purely to support his child¡ªjust the usual sordid mess of the lower strata, all bad seeds with their own hardships, nothing unusual.

    As for why he could cast such spells in the first place, it goes back to his deceased grandfather, who was said to have performed rituals for others in the village¡­ But that, too, is a long story for another time.

    After hearing the Dingbei Army cultivator¡¯s account, Ye Jun was slightly moved. Yan Yu, however, was unaffected; after all, he had seen all manner of human behavior and was simply satisfying his curiosity and making up for the lack of information from his previous life.

    Fan Wentang committed his crime in the name of revenge, not some other evil. This particular brand of underworld loyalty common among the lower class might have been what saved him in the end¡ªthe Dingbei Army probably thought, since he had loyalty, he could be of use to them.

    However, Yan Yu wasn¡¯t fond of this man in his past life; for one, the guy had low quality, was foul-mouthed, dim-witted, defiant of authority, and resented the wealthy, having deliberately provoked and been reprimanded by Chen Lingyun once, which led to animosity. This also affected his relationship with Yan Yu, who he insulted with all sorts of offensive names, like ¡°steel wool head¡±, ¡°plaything for the misses¡±, ¡°humanoid double-headed dragon¡±, ¡°big horn Sir¡±, and more.

    On the other hand, having been trained by the Dingbei Army for many years with not too bad conditions, Fan Wentang still chose to follow other cultivators in rebellion during the collapse of the kingdom, only to be personally executed by Yan Yu¡ªa true case of the unteachable nature, a social scum.

    Now in his second life, Yan Yu wasn¡¯t going to go out of his way to make life difficult for him over a grudge from a past life, after all, he never believed in carrying over hatred from one life to the next; it was always about settling matters in the current life.

    But since Lord Master intended to teach him a lesson, Yan Yu was content to watch the spectacle.

    It wasn¡¯t until Liu Longtao had beaten Fan Wentang to the point of losing teeth¡ªliterally knocking several out¡ªthat the leader in charge of the camp hurried over, pulling Liu Longtao aside and pleading with him to ¡°save some face for me¡±.

    Liu Longtao didn¡¯t embarrass the leader, merely saying, ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood. I was merely exchanging experiences and having a friendly spar with Daoist Fan, and there was no life-and-death struggle.¡±

    The leader, unwilling to buy his excuse, grimaced and argued, ¡°We also support seeking justice for the victims,¡± ¡°But the dead cannot be brought back to life,¡± ¡°Given the shortage of cultivators in the current environment, we should give him a chance to redeem himself and save more civilians in the future,¡± ¡°The bigger picture is important, restraint is patriotic,¡± and so on.

    Although the words were annoying, they were indeed true. Even Yan Yu would admit that in his previous life, Fan Wentang had in fact killed many foreign Transcendents; although he made a fatal mistake at the critical juncture, his overall contributions were greater than his faults.

    Liu Longtao¡¯s face turned an iron blue, his heart saying if he didn¡¯t consider the greater situation as the most important, he would have already chopped this beast into mincemeat!

    Fan Wentang struggled to his feet from the ground, spat out the blood in his mouth, and without speaking, just stared at Lord Master with a cold sneer, his face screaming with the arrogant ¡°come on, kill me if you dare¡± attitude.

    His leader¡¯s eyes signaled him to quickly say something nice, soften up, and send this Lord Master on his way, but Fan Wentang completely ignored him, just staring darkly at Lord Master, the corners of his mouth silently curling up, his face full of viciousness.

    ¡°I see little Fan hasn¡¯t really had enough of a beating,¡± Liu Longtao sneered, ¡°Why must you insist on dampening our spirits, commander?¡±

    Seeing Fan Wentang still provoking, the leader was close to losing his mind, and upon noticing Yan Yu and Ye Jun watching the spectacle from the side, he quickly gestured with his eyes for them to come over and help break it up.

    ¡°Let it go, captain, cool off,¡± Ye Jun had no choice but to come over and say, ¡°There¡¯s always tomorrow, there¡¯ll be more chances for exchange of moves.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu also said with a smile, ¡°Old Liu, why stoop to the level of a street dog? It¡¯s beneath you.¡±

    Ye Jun was patiently persuading on the one side, and Liu Longtao didn¡¯t feel much; but Yan Yu was a top-level cultivator of the same rank, recognized by Lord Master in his heart as ¡°the only heroes in this world are you and me,¡± and Yan Yu¡¯s face had to be given.

    So Liu Longtao let out a breath of turbid air, grudgingly saying:

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll fight another time.¡±

    ¡°Old Liu is generous,¡± Yan Yu laughed.

    Ye Jun also breathed a sigh of relief, and the three of them turned to leave, only to hear Fan Wentang suddenly speak up:

    ¡°What? Found you can¡¯t kill me, so you¡¯re tucking tail to scurry away, huh?¡±

    The camp leader beside them, who had just heaved a sigh of relief, nearly coughed up blood upon hearing this, even having thoughts of executing Fan Wentang on the spot.

    Liu Longtao¡¯s eyes shot fire, just about to speak, when he heard Yan Yu say:

    ¡°How about I have a go at you, pineapple head?¡± S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Pineapple head?

    Ye Jun looked at Fan Wentang¡¯s messy, curly hair and wanted to laugh, but felt it inappropriate for the moment, struggling to hold it in forcefully.

    The leader beside them was on the verge of fainting. He had just managed to send Liu Longtao away, and now Yan Yu was here too¡ªwhat¡¯s going on? Are you all lining up to torment me?

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Fan Wentang asked contemptuously, tilting his chin up.

    ¡°A nobody,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°No restrictions on methods, just don¡¯t kill anyone. How about it, you in?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in,¡± Fan Wentang said subconsciously, ¡°What¡¯s the bet?¡±

    ¡°What do you want to bet?¡±

    Fan Wentang really wanted to say, ¡°Loser kneels down, crawls from under the crotch, and then barks like a dog,¡± but seeing the leader¡¯s fierce, man-eating expression beside him, he couldn¡¯t put forward such an absurd request, and just said coldly:

    ¡°Loser shaves his head clean, puts on women¡¯s clothes, holds up an orchid finger, pitches his voice, and says ¡®I¡¯m a woman¡¯ three times for the other to record. How¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Yan Yu smiled.

 Chapter 305 - 3 This is Legitimate Self-Defense

    Chapter 305: Chapter 3 This is Legitimate Self-Defense

    The camp leaders hurried to notify their superiors. After all, they certainly couldn¡¯t stop two deities who had come to find trouble with Fan Wentang.

    The originally indignant Lord Master calmed down at this moment and telepathically advised Yan Yu,

    ¡°Don¡¯t kill.¡± S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Ah?¡± Yan Yu let out a chuckle of disbelief, ¡°Old Liu, do I look like some great King of the West to you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡± Liu Longtao said solemnly, ¡°The Dingbei Army plans to make him an exemplary case.¡±

    ¡°A model of pacification, is it?¡± Yan Yu raised an eyebrow.

    ...

    ¡°Right, it¡¯s for the civilian cultivators to see.¡± Liu Longtao didn¡¯t deny it but said gravely, ¡°If such a wicked man can live well, other recruited civilian cultivators will naturally feel at ease. His so-called cultivation talent and all that are not irreplaceable, that¡¯s not the fundamental reason to keep him alive.¡±

    ¡°Now I get it.¡± Yan Yu suddenly understood and laughed, ¡°How do you know so much? This work isn¡¯t being orchestrated by the elders of your Liu Family, is it?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not specify who.¡± Liu Longtao once again emphasized, ¡°I¡¯m not joking, don¡¯t kill. Otherwise, Chen Tianming will have to clean up your mess.¡±

    Yan Yu was momentarily startled and a chill came over him.

    If Chen Tianming had to cover for him, this matter would definitely become leverage in Old Taishan¡¯s hands, ready to pop up at any moment to disgust him¡­

    The senior leadership of the Dingbei Army weren¡¯t fools; they used Fan Wentang¡¯s situation to exploit him, wielding that leverage to make him work himself to death.

    In his past life, this guy ranked first among the Necromancers in terms of strength but his status and voice were even less than Xie Ruoxi¡¯s. Now it seems that it wasn¡¯t entirely due to his personality. Perhaps from the beginning, he was defined by the higher-ups as a slave and thug who could be squeezed¡­ Huh? So, his eventual decision to rebel was also because he hit the glass ceiling and realized his actual situation and status?

    ¡°Hey, are you coming or not?¡± Fan Wentang sneered.

    Yan Yu quickly gathered his thoughts and stepped into the fray.

    Forget it, everyone has their own path. If you chose it yourself, you can¡¯t blame others.

    ¡°Come on then.¡± He snapped his fingers.

    Fan Wentang took out the Soul Summoning Bell from his waist, gently shook it, and two ghostly creatures emerged from the void.

    On the left was a ghost in white, with a thin figure, a long protruding tongue, a face full of bitter smiles, and holding official documents; on the right was a ghost in black robes, short and stout, with unkempt beard, furious expression, holding chains.

    Black and White Impermanence? No, it¡¯s along the lines of Black and White Impermanence.

    In the Age of Dharma Decline, the order of the netherworld was in disarray, with many divine positions left vacant. If Yin Ghosts want to cultivate now, they inevitably aim for those vacancies in the underworld. As a result, there are multiple paths for ghost cultivation: Yanluo, Judge, Yinchai, etc. Among them, Yinchai has three routes: Golden Shackles Silver Locks, Ox-Head Horse-Face, and Black and White Impermanence, all known for their prowess in duelling with humans.

    The Soul Summoning Bell passed down in Fan Wentang¡¯s family obviously followed the path of Black and White Impermanence. With White Impermanence assisting and Black Impermanence attacking, it was a combination that was tough to deal with. Especially in a one-on-one situation, summoning two ghosts at once, who work seamlessly together, turned it into a three versus one instantly.

    Without a word, Yan Yu executed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step.

    Although his cultivation talent was poor, his comprehension in the realm of Sword Immortals was astonishing. Otherwise, in his previous life, he couldn¡¯t have built upon the Valkyrie¡¯s theoretical foundation and brought forth innovations.

    Having only obtained the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step in this life, after a period of practice, he had fully mastered its essence and intricacies.

    Seeing this, Fan Wentang¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly, as White Impermanence made the first move. The official document in its hand moved without wind, and instantly it cast a gloomy light to ensnare Yan Yu.

    The eerie light, seemingly blue yet not blue, was called ¡°Soul Hooking Nether Light.¡± Whoever was touched even slightly would immediately be disoriented, their soul damaged, much like an elderly patient with Parkinson¡¯s disease.

    Yan Yu used the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, dodging the Soul Hooking Nether Light by sidestepping to the left. But the blue light seemed to have a will of its own, curving around and pursuing Yan Yu.

    Fan Wentang secretly took pride, and even his face, bloodied by Liu Longtao¡¯s beating, couldn¡¯t help but reveal a smile.

    His Soul Hooking Nether Light, intangible and unable to be blocked, also locked onto the soul automatically. Even if one fled to the ends of the earth, it would still give chase. He was curious to see where Yan Yu could run!

    Shaking the Soul Summoning Bell in his hand once more, Black Impermanence also flung the chains in its hand, hurling them forcefully at Yan Yu.

    The chain he wielded was a ¡°Soul Arresting Chain,¡± which could be used not only to strike people but also to damage the spirituality of flying swords and artifacts, making them malfunction.

    Trapped between the attack of the nether light and the chain from front and back, Yan Yu still refrained from drawing his sword. Instead, he suddenly sidestepped, dodging the flying assault of the Soul Arresting Chain, and continued to charge towards Black Impermanence.

    Fan Wentang¡¯s heart tightened because his two ghostly subordinates had achieved some success in their cultivation, and their forms had solidified to the point that a slash from a flying sword could severely injure their vital energy¡­ He hurriedly rang the Soul Summoning Bell again, causing Black Impermanence to immediately pull back the Soul Arresting Chain that had been flung out, ready to defend against the flying sword¡¯s attack.

    Yan Yu was already upon him, still not activating any sword technique, when suddenly he moved sideways to the right, once again widening the distance.

    Is he trying to flee? Fan Wentang secretly panicked, then his expression drastically changed¡­ No, that¡¯s not right!

    Seeing that the soul-hooking nether light constantly chased behind Yan Yu and was very close, his sudden sidestep allowed Black Impermanence, who had been ahead in his path, to be exposed.

    Because the distance was so short, Fan Wentang didn¡¯t have time to command White Impermanence to withdraw the move, and the soul-hooking nether light, unable to brake or change direction in time, struck Black Impermanence directly. The latter was hit and knocked back three to four meters, arms hanging limply, the Soul Arresting Chain falling to the ground, his consciousness seemingly bewildered, unable to continue the attack.

    There was no time to regret Black Impermanence¡¯s downfall, for Yan Yu¡¯s sidestep was not arbitrary¡ªhe was charging directly at Fan Wentang!

    Necromancers fear close combat the most, and Fan Wentang quickly employed the Shifting Technique to retreat, while directing White Impermanence to unleash another soul-hooking nether light to block Yan Yu¡¯s close-range assault.

    But then, Yan Yu suddenly leaped into the air, merging with the light of Huang Tingjian, and executed a Sword Flight slash!

    The speed of the sword light was even faster than his steps, instantly reaching in front of Fan Wentang, half a beat quicker than the soul-hooking nether light.

    The camp leader¡¯s expression changed drastically, and he forcefully waved his hand, signaling the surrounding cultivators to rush in for the rescue.

    Without waiting for Liu Longtao¡¯s reminder, Ye Jun quickly deployed the Xuan Guang Ruler, scattering the light to envelop Fan Wentang, preventing Yan Yu from striking him down with Sword Control¡ªotherwise, there would be no end to this affair!

    Even if someone perpetrates countless wrongs, they have not betrayed the country. If a cultivator, driven by personal hatred, kills a comrade, will they turn against their superiors out of resentment in the future?

    Yan Yu, now the Longcheng Flying General, had absolutely no reason to become an enemy of the entire system for the sake of a lowlife cultivator!

    As everyone rushed to the rescue, just as Yan Yu¡¯s sword light was about to hit Fan Wentang, he suddenly separated from his sword and landed.

    Fan Wentang had braced himself for a fight to the death, ready to ¡°clash with the sword light¡± using the Curved Curse, even if it meant his arm would be ruined, yet unexpectedly, Yan Yu suddenly stopped Sword Flight.

    In astonishment, his punch, already thrown, could not be withdrawn and thunderously struck towards the opponent¡¯s chest.

    Then, Yan Yu grabbed his wrist.

    Yan Yu was much faster in reaction, catching the wrist, halting the punch, and using Curved Curse. Utilizing that arm, he swung Fan Wentang around, completing three-quarters of a whirl, and flung him to collide with the oncoming soul-hooking nether light.

    Fan Wentang was struck by his own White Impermanence¡¯s soul-hooking nether light, immediately collapsing to the ground, unable to stand. The other cultivators, having received the lead¡¯s command, rushed to save him, only to find the man on the ground with his eyes rolled back, drooling from the mouth, clearly suffering soul damage and utterly confused.

    ¡°Make way, make way!¡± Liu Longtao pushed through the crowd, looked at Fan Wentang, and laughed, ¡°Ah, isn¡¯t he all right? It¡¯s good if there¡¯s no issue!¡±

    He preemptively set the tone with ¡°no issue,¡± which made the arriving camp leaders almost spit blood. You call this no issue?

    It wasn¡¯t exactly hopeless¡­ As long as he wasn¡¯t dead, with the various methods available to cultivators today, he could be saved, although whether there would be any lingering effects from the soul damage was uncertain; the leaders weren¡¯t too knowledgeable on this.

    Seeing Liu Longtao still taking pictures with his phone, the camp leaders hurriedly waved their hands, signaling everyone to carry Fan Wentang away for emergency treatment.

    ¡°You¡¯re too impulsive,¡± Ye Jun said to Yan Yu, worriedly, ¡°What if his brain is damaged and he can¡¯t be saved?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t help it,¡± Yan Yu said with a helpless expression, sighing, ¡°You saw it, that ghostly light was chasing me. I had to find a meat shield to intercept it, right? Otherwise, I would have been the one hit. I was merely defending myself rightfully.¡±

    The onlookers, including Liu Longtao, all kept expressionless faces, secretly chuckling to themselves.

    It sounded like there really wasn¡¯t a problem, but that last sentence was a bit hard to keep straight faces to.

    You purposefully approached him with a Sword Flight slash, just to force him to use the soul-hooking nether light in defense, right? Otherwise, what¡¯s the difference between a necromancer and being dead if a Sword Immortal gets close?

    A premeditated act of rightful defense is still considered rightful defense, isn¡¯t it?

 Chapter 306 - 4 A Sudden Revelation

    Chapter 306: Chapter 4 A Sudden Revelation

    The follow-up news arrived late, revealing that Fan Wentang¡¯s life had been saved, but a problem had arisen.

    The man had become a vegetable.

    Fan Wentang¡¯s White Impermanence, whose cultivation realm was not low, could hook a person¡¯s soul and spirit with its ghostly light, resulting in him now having only two souls and six spirits, with his consciousness far from normal.

    The missing soul and spirit? They were with White Impermanence.

    To have White Impermanence return the soul and spirit? It was possible, but the problem was that White Impermanence had no intelligence, and only Fan Wentang, the Necromancer himself, could command it to do so.

    Thus, a dilemma emerged: if Fan Wentang couldn¡¯t regain his senses, he couldn¡¯t order White Impermanence to release the soul and spirit, meaning he couldn¡¯t bring himself back to consciousness¡­ a deadlock!

    ...

    It was said that the higher-ups specifically sought out Teacher Mei, asking her to lend a hand.

    Mei Yingxue was also confused. I¡¯m a Sword Immortal, you¡¯re asking me to break a ghost cultivator¡¯s spell¡­ isn¡¯t that a bit much to ask?

    She arrived at the hospital at four in the afternoon, and after assessing the situation, said it wasn¡¯t entirely without solution.

    If there were a sufficiently powerful Necromancer¡­ preferably one from the Golden Core Realm, they could forcibly refine Fan Wentang¡¯s Soul Summoning Bell and coerce White Impermanence into changing allegiance without destroying it.

    In that case, the control over White Impermanence would change hands, and the Golden Core Cultivator could command it to release the soul and spirit, waking Fan Wentang up.

    The Dingbei Army was exasperated by this. With the current limit on Spiritual Energy, where could we possibly find a Golden Core Cultivator?

    When the Spiritual Energy cap reaches that level, all top cultivators will have achieved their Golden Core, so what use would we have for a Qi Refinement stage cultivator like Fan Wentang?

    So, the problem shifted from ¡°how to save him¡± to ¡°whether to save him¡± at all. After all, although someone in a vegetative state is still alive, keeping them alive costs money and resources.

    If he no longer possessed any value, then considering the crimes he had already committed, he would be more than deserving of execution several times over. Why bother saving him!

    Liu Longtao was the one who relayed the message; Lord Master was beaming with joy at this moment, vigorously patting Yan Yu on the back, praising him as a ¡°bane of the people¡¯s woes¡± and a ¡°hero,¡± which left Yan Yu somewhat speechless.

    ¡°So, are you going to save him or not?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Save my ass!¡± Liu Longtao laughed and cursed, ¡°I made my stance clear with my family, I want him dead! Scum who would attack even children, good riddance!¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡± Yan Yu sighed deeply and said, ¡°Well, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m insubordinate or undisciplined, I did purposely spare his life. Who would have thought that he wouldn¡¯t be able to counter his own soul-hooking specter light? With tens of thousands of cultivators in Lu Country, including those from the Military Manor, there must be at least ten thousand Necromancers among them, right? Is there really not a single one who can save Fan Wentang? I don¡¯t buy it, it¡¯s probably more about the high cost of saving him. The organization prefers to let him sacrifice himself.¡±

    ¡°I can only say that I did not kill Wentang, yet Wentang met his end because of me! Alas!¡±

    Liu Longtao was momentarily stunned, as if he had never expected Yan Yu to utter such shamelessly bold words:

    You were the one who killed him, you acted as the heavens¡¯ retribution, the people¡¯s savior! Yet you won¡¯t admit it and instead claim that you followed the rules in sparing his life, suggesting that the higher-ups intentionally refused to save him¡­

    Wow, what a person! Wants all the benefits, but refuses to accept any of the blame, right!

    ¡°For real?¡± Ye Jun, however, took his words to heart and asked in surprise, ¡°You didn¡¯t plan it this way?¡±

    ¡°Plan what this way?¡± Yan Yu asked in confusion.

    ¡°You know, pretending you didn¡¯t know the soul-hooking specter light could steal a person¡¯s soul and spirit,¡± Ye Jun replied thoughtfully, analyzing the situation, ¡°then you disabled Black Impermanence before using your Sword Control technique to force him to act, leaving him no choice but to resort to White Impermanence for rescue¡­ and thus, only able to use his soul-hooking specter light to defend himself. You deliberately allowed yourself to be hit by his technique, so it would seem like an accident and you could avoid punishment from the organization.¡±

    ¡°Alas, I don¡¯t kill Wentang, yet Wentang dies because of me! Sigh!¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk! Old Yan, oh Old Yan!¡± Liu Longtao also had a sudden realization, ¡°So that was your design all along! I was wondering, such a good strategy! Not only using another¡¯s hand to kill, but even using the person¡¯s own hand! In this way, the higher-ups can¡¯t say anything about you either. After all, the Soul Summoning Bell was released by that thing itself, if it doesn¡¯t step in to block as a meat shield, does that mean you need to take the hit yourself? Even legally speaking, this can be considered an act of emergency defense! Impressive! Brilliant! Admirable!¡±

    ¡°What are you guys talking about?¡± Yan Yu showed a puzzled expression, ¡°Do I look like the kind of person who is sly and deceitful?¡±

    ¡°You are!¡± Liu Longtao said loudly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Ye Jun shook his head honestly.

    ¡°Then Lord Master, you really misunderstood me.¡± Yan Yu argued seriously, ¡°All that about deliberately crippling Black Impermanence, intentionally provoking him to use the Soul Summoning Bell, and purposely making him fall into his own trap¡­ these were all accidents, unfortunate coincidences, I really didn¡¯t know beforehand!¡±

    ¡°You really didn¡¯t know?¡± Ye Jun remained skeptical.

    ¡°Stop pretending, he definitely knew.¡± Liu Longtao was certain.

    ¡°How would I know about the Soul Summoning Bell being able to damage the soul?¡± Yan Yu spread his hands and said, ¡°Although Chen Lingyun is a Necromancer, her style isn¡¯t this, and I couldn¡¯t have inquired about Fan Wentang¡¯s intelligence in advance, right? Today was the first time I met the person introduced by Ye Jun.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Ye Jun nodded thoughtfully, ¡°You couldn¡¯t have known beforehand that Fan Wentang¡¯s Soul Summoning Bell could extract people¡¯s souls and cause permanent mental damage. You must have just instinctively tried to dodge the attack, and Fan Wentang happened to be nearby, so you just used him to block the blow.¡±

    ¡°Exactly, exactly, exactly!¡± Yan Yu immediately felt overjoyed upon hearing this, ¡°This is the truth!¡±

    ¡°No way!¡± Liu Longtao still didn¡¯t believe it, ¡°Ye Jun, don¡¯t be fooled by him, Old Yan here is full of tricks and best at playing innocent!¡±

    ¡°Old Liu, you can¡¯t be unreasonable.¡± Yan Yu pleaded earnestly, ¡°It¡¯s an objective fact that I couldn¡¯t have known about the Soul Summoning Bell¡¯s intelligence beforehand, so I couldn¡¯t have used another to kill. We need evidence when we talk, I had agreed in front of so many people that it was just a sparring, no one should die, so I definitely expected him not to use lethal methods, right? If I didn¡¯t know that was a knife, how could I use it to kill? It¡¯s impossible, this was an accident!¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Ye Jun agreed with his point of view, and continued to persuade Liu Longtao, ¡°The situation with Fan Wentang hasn¡¯t been made public, even if Yan Yu could get intelligence from Chen Lingyun, he had no motive to get information in advance. Unless he could foresee the future and knew that Fan Wentang would suffer soul damage from the blow, but that¡¯s obviously not possible.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, alright.¡± Liu Longtao raised his hands in surrender, ¡°Anyway, you say it¡¯s an accident, the organization also decided it¡¯s an accident, I have no problem. I¡¯ll just keep my opinion to myself, shall I? Old Yan is innocent, the beast deserved to die, everyone¡¯s happy! Doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s an accident or not, this is good enough.¡±

    ¡°Sigh.¡± Yan Yu showed a helpless look and continued, ¡°Even if it was an accident, I did kill a comrade with my own hands, which makes me very sad. My heart is truly grieving. Fan Wentang was a formally recruited Rikoku Cultivator, originally he could have defended our country on the battlefield, killing more foreign invaders, but now he has indirectly died by my hand, how many enemies will survive because of this? The sins of those people in the future, should they be counted on my head?¡±

    Liu Longtao felt like vomiting. The organization had already determined it was an accident and would not pursue your responsibility, why are you still putting on an act in front of us? Do you really need to appear spotlessly innocent, desperately playing the part of a pure white lotus?

    ¡°Yan Yu, don¡¯t feel too sad.¡± Ye Jun comforted him softly, ¡°There are a limited number of recruitment slots, too many monks and not enough porridge, Rikoku isn¡¯t lacking one Fan Wentang. Forget it if he¡¯s dead, someone else will step up. If he¡¯s not fighting, plenty of others will.¡±

    ¡°Even so, it doesn¡¯t cover the fact that I caused the death of a comrade. What Longcheng Flying General? I¡¯m just a violent person, who would harm his own comrades, nothing but trash.¡± Yan Yu said with a sad expression, ¡°Ye Jun, is there a bar nearby? I want to have a drink, I¡¯ll be going first.¡±

    With these words, he stood up in grief and turned to leave. Ye Jun was also worried, after all, the Longcheng Flying General was now a big celebrity, what if he went to some public bar and got surrounded by a horde of female fans?

    Many bars are quite chaotic!

    ¡°Team Leader Liu, I¡¯ll go check on him.¡± Ye Jun informed Lord Master and quickly stood up to follow after him.

    Liu Longtao chuckled coldly, picked up a wine glass from beside him, and began to pour and drink on his own.

    Whether Old Yan did it on purpose or by accident, in the end that beast is dead, and it counts as a public service!

    Hmm? sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Don¡¯t I have wine right here? Why does he need to go to a bar?

    ¡°`

 Chapter 307 - 5: Ill Make Up for the Shortfall in the Book of Life and Death

    Chapter 307: Chapter 5: I¡¯ll Make Up for the Shortfall in the Book of Life and Death

    The old nightclubs of Pingjing City were rampant, with fairly open public bars and, of course, those bars designed for celebrities, ensuring good privacy.

    Ye Jun brought Yan Yu to this establishment, which was the same one that Liu Longtao had previously brought the Dragon Soar Team to drink at, offering assurances of safety and privacy, preventing any shortsighted individuals from coming over to strike up a conversation or harass.

    After drinking a few glasses, Yan Yu checked his phone, which had messages from Li Weiguo.

    Li was furious upon receiving the news in Jinling Prefecture. The Dingbei Army¡¯s intention to incorporate Fan Wentang was not something he could interfere with, being part of the Zhendong Army; Fan Wentang challenging Yan Yu to a spar was a matter for the youngsters, and as he was not their elder, he could not control it either.

    But what did Fan Wentang mean by using the sinister ¡°Soul Hooking Ghastly Light¡±?

    If the one struck was not himself but Yan Yu, and it left some sequelae on the soul, would the Longcheng Flying General then be excluded from the ranks?

    ...

    The agreement was not to take lives, but you were using underhanded tricks behind the scenes, trying to turn someone into a vegetative state, right?

    Being vegetative doesn¡¯t count as dead, so are you playing word games with me?

    Li immediately made a call to Yang Zhenwei, the Commander-in-Chief of the Dingbei Army, to inquire what exactly he meant.

    Yang had just received the message from his subordinates, and upon receiving Li¡¯s call holding him to account, he too felt overwhelmed.

    In truth, if Yan Yu had been affected, his soul captured by the Soul Hooking Ghastly Light, then ordering Fan Wentang to command White Impermanence to return the soul afterward would have left Yan Yu at worst a little brain-fogged for a few days, and it would not have resulted in anything too serious¡ªFan trapping himself resulted in a mutual lock, and without a ghost-using senior of a higher Cultivation Realm by his side to unlock it, the Dingbei Army¡¯s loss was actually far greater than that of the Zhendong Army.

    Of course, this wasn¡¯t something he could explain to Old Li.

    Li¡¯s preemptive strike was just to seize the initiative. There was no need for the Dingbei Army to insist on holding the Zhendong Army accountable for a crippled man, escalating the issue to the Privy Council with Li Weiguo.

    Of course, if the Longcheng Flying General had intentionally killed someone, it would be a slap in the face of the Dingbei Army, a direct affront to the organization¡¯s authority, and that account would have to be settled, whether one liked it or not.

    But the Soul Hooking Ghastly Light was released by Fan Wentang himself, and starting with excessively sinister means; Yan Yu not recognizing this technique and lacking any subjective intent to murder came after. Reevaluating the entire incident, it indeed seemed like an accident, and it was truly difficult to blame the Longcheng Flying General for malicious intent.

    They couldn¡¯t very well expect him ¡°not to use Fan Wentang as a shield,¡± right? Unless the Soul Hooking Ghastly Light hits any target, it would automatically pursue the soul and lock it. If Fan Wentang didn¡¯t intercept it, then one would either have to run from it or use their own body as a shield¡­ which would be too much to ask of someone.

    Yang Zhenwei spoke with Li Weiguo for a bit, successfully concluding the matter, and the two reached a consensus.

    After speaking with Yang Zhenwei, Li sent Yan Yu a message saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, your Grandpa Li will certainly have your back.¡±

    There¡¯s even a casualty allotment in training! If someone provokes a challenge and something goes wrong, they can¡¯t possibly blame us for it, can they?

    After reading the message, Yan Yu felt somewhat moved.

    Old Li was genuinely good-hearted, tirelessly cleaning up the mess for that unworthy woman Chen Lingyun in his previous life, and now he says he will have my back¡ªthat¡¯s no idle talk¡­ alas, Li, through the ages! May you live long!

    ¡°You see,¡± Ye Jun said with a smile next to him, comforting, ¡°Everyone still cares about you. Since Commander Li is willing to protect you, things will surely end up being downplayed into nothing~¡±

    ¡°Alas,¡± Yan Yu said with a sigh of relief despite feeling comforted, ¡°I really feel guilty about involving Old Li in this ordeal because of my mistake. He must be facing great political pressure right now because of me.¡±

    ¡°Er, that shouldn¡¯t be the case,¡± Ye Jun replied, not entirely clear on the intricacies of these matters but obviously unable to offer objective reasoning while trying to comfort someone, ¡°You¡¯re part of the Longcheng Flying General after all. Besides, if you hadn¡¯t acted this time, it might have been Commander Liu who made the mistake, so you could say you stood in for him. We should be thanking you.¡±

    ¡°Enough talk, let¡¯s drink,¡± Yan Yu said, clinking his glass against hers.

    Perhaps feeling warm from the alcohol, Ye Jun untied her hairband, letting her beautiful long hair flow freely, her face flushed slightly from tipsiness. With her northern girl¡¯s robust appearance and curvy figure, she looked very attractive and lively.

    Yan Yu discreetly averted his gaze and ordered another cocktail, saying,

    ¡°All in all, we shouldn¡¯t have let our guard down. Once we did, all kinds of monsters and freaks came out.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s not like we had a choice,¡± Ye Jun said with a wry smile, ¡°Don¡¯t take them to heart. Among the civilian cultivators, there are indeed some who shouldn¡¯t have been incorporated. Now that they¡¯re dead, it¡¯s clean.¡±

    ¡°You think I did the right thing too?¡± Yan Yu expressed his surprise.

    ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯ve always been on your side,¡± Ye Jun laughed, ¡°If you don¡¯t trust me, that¡¯s a penalty drink.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll take a penalty drink, I shouldn¡¯t have doubted you.¡± Yan Yu readily downed a cup.

    Ye Jun called over the bartender to fill it up, when she heard Yan Yu add:

    ¡°Actually, what that leader in the camp said was right, I agree with it.¡±

    ¡°Oh? What¡¯s that?¡± Ye Jun, with one hand propping up her cheek, looked over with interest.

    As her sleeve slid down due to gravity, a few black wristbands were exposed, making her wrist look even more pale and smooth. Paired with her profile as she propped up her cheek and looked over, she was truly a sight to behold.

    Having such a beautiful and compliant girl as a deputy, how could Lord Master not fancy her? If it weren¡¯t known that she was his wife in a previous life, it would be hard not to doubt his sexual orientation.

    ¡°It¡¯s what that person said, the current environment is short of cultivators. They¡¯re giving him a chance to atone for his merits and potentially save more ordinary people in the future.¡± Yan Yu looked down at his cup, ¡°That¡¯s the truth.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, indeed,¡± Ye Jun slowly swirled her cup, her tone gentle, ¡°So why did you change your mind later on?¡±

    ¡°Because a human life should not be measured on a balance.¡± Yan Yu lowered his gaze, and his voice dropped as he said solemnly, ¡°A cultivator¡¯s life is no more noble than a commoner¡¯s, and the lives of thousands are not more valuable than one.¡±

    ¡°You say that as if you¡¯re like a hot-blooded male protagonist in a comic,¡± Ye Jun said with a smile, teasing him, ¡°I think, no matter what decision is made, as long as you don¡¯t regret it looking back, not wishing ¡®if I could do it over, I would choose another path¡¯, then that¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu gazed at the amber liquid in his cup, suddenly feeling somewhat dazed.

    If it were my past life, no matter what about patience for the sake of the country or the greater good, I would have cut him down with one stroke of the sword.

    But it was precisely this version of myself, who, even knowing death was certain at the last moment, still charged forward without hesitation. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Now, fortunate to be reborn, having lived in two different lives, I should be more mature, more considerate of the larger picture, but in the end, I haven¡¯t changed at all.

    But I won¡¯t regret it.

    Because a Sword Immortal only knows how to control the sword and strike from the sky, not to regret.

    ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve had a bit too much to drink,¡± Yan Yu said, putting down his cup.

    ¡°Then drink less,¡± Ye Jun advised, ¡°Too much alcohol isn¡¯t good anyway.¡±

    ¡°Thanks to you for sharing this drink with me, I¡¯ve just figured out something,¡± Yan Yu said with a beaming smile.

    There was a trace of melancholy on his face, which now had dissipated like the breaking of clouds to reveal the sun, his eyes shining brightly.

    ¡°Oh? What¡¯s the problem?¡± inquired Ye Jun, immediately engaging.

    Girls from Jinmen are talkative like this, conversing with them is refreshing. Yan Yu appreciated and liked her even more, smiling as he said:

    ¡°If Fan Wentang were still alive, letting him atone and serve the country could perhaps eliminate many foreign Transcendents in the future, saving a lot of ordinary people.¡±

    ¡°Now that he died because of me, shouldn¡¯t I bear this deficit on my account?¡±

    Ye Jun instinctively wanted to say that¡¯s not right. By your logic, if you let an enemy go on the battlefield and they go on to kill more, should all the resulting blood be on your hands? That would be too harsh.

    But her emotional intelligence wasn¡¯t lacking either, and guessing what Yan Yu meant, she lifted her cup with a smile to her lips:

    ¡°So, how do you plan to make up for this deficit?¡±

    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s no way,¡± Yan Yu sighed, ¡°I can only kill more in the future, make those enemies who should die do so, and work hard to fill in this deficit in the ledger of life and death.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright!¡± Ye Jun was amused by his words, ¡°Then I wish you early achievements and to fill in the deficit! Cheers!¡±

    ¡°Cheers, cheers, cheers!¡±

 Chapter 308 - 6 Comrade Ye Jun, Please Stand Watch at Night

    Chapter 308: Chapter 6 Comrade Ye Jun, Please Stand Watch at Night

    Yan Yu was finally carried back to the hotel by Ye Jun.

    Although theoretically, after entering the Marrow Cleansing Stage, one should be immune to all diseases, and as long as True Yuan is circulated, any alcohol can be instantly metabolized, leaving no chance of intoxication.

    However, Yan Yu and Ye Jun were enjoying their conversation so much that he forgot to circulate his True Yuan, and as a result, he became drunk¡ªthis was a perfectly reasonable outcome.

    Even now, if he were to use a breathalyzer, the result would show intoxication; there would be no other possibility.

    Supporting Yan Yu, they arrived at his hotel room, where Ye Jun fished out the room card from his pocket and swiped it to open the door. She then heaved Yan Yu into the room and set him down on a chair.

    The reason she didn¡¯t let him lie on the bed was mainly due to the fear that he might vomit and choke or even suffocate if the vomit blocked his airway¡ªYe Jun¡¯s father often came home drunk, and she had maxed out her nursing experience from taking care of her dad since she was little.

    ...

    She fetched a towel from the bathroom, washed and wrung it out, and wiped Yan Yu¡¯s face. After loosening his collar, Ye Jun turned to pour him some hot water.

    She placed the hangover-curing hot water on the coffee table when suddenly her phone rang.

    ¡°Did you send Old Yan back?¡± Liu Longtao was on the other end of the phone, ¡°Are you still there?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Ye Jun replied as she walked over to the door, ¡°I¡¯ve just carried him back to the hotel and poured him some water, and I was about to leave.¡±

    ¡°Wait a moment,¡± Liu Longtao said with a sigh. ¡°Old Yang is asking about his current situation.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ we went to that bar we visited last time and had some drinks. Then Captain Yan got a bit drunk, and I carried him back,¡± Ye Jun said with a big yawn. ¡°It¡¯s so tiring, sigh.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great.¡± Liu Longtao said, ¡°Ye Jun, could you stay there and keep an eye on Old Yan, please?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Ye Jun was suddenly confused.

    ¡°Old Yang said,¡± Liu Longtao relayed the commander-in-chief¡¯s words, ¡°the Dingbei Army has more than just Fan Wentang among the civilian cultivators it has enlisted. We can¡¯t let the Longcheng Flying General find excuses to challenge them all, right? It¡¯s a hard task, but could you watch over him tonight? Tomorrow the scientific research department will announce the experiment has ended, and we¡¯ll quickly send him back to Jinling Prefecture.¡±

    Ye Jun: ¡­¡­¡­

    Turning to look at the intoxicated Yan Yu, she thought to herself that he was in no condition to seek out civilian cultivators for challenges. Besides, not every civilian cultivator was Fan Wentang.

    But it was probably also a precaution borne of fear from the superiors. This approach wasn¡¯t unique to this dynasty; back when monarchy was still in effect towards the end of the previous dynasty, there was a man from Puyang Prefecture infamous for his brashness who, due to a land border dispute with a neighboring landlord, argued for nearly half a year and then claimed he was going to the imperial capital to strike the grievance drum. The local magistrate, upon hearing this, was terrified and immediately dispatched runners to guard all major and minor roads to ensure the man was stopped within the county¡¯s jurisdiction.

    However, roadblocks are useless against the Longcheng Flying General. He can fly with his sword. What if tonight, after drinking too much, he becomes delirious and has a brainwave? What if he suddenly curses ¡°All civilian cultivators deserve to be shark¡¯d¡± and then flies off with his sword to decapitate them one by one?

    Should the military manor¡¯s cultivators try to stop him? Who could beat him?

    High-caliber anti-personnel weapons might stand a chance, but if it really came down to firing guns inside Pingjing City, things would quickly spiral out of control.

    The best and safest method would obviously be to find someone to keep the Longcheng Flying General busy and to ensure he doesn¡¯t cause trouble outside. Then, first thing tomorrow morning, they¡¯d send him away immediately.

    The Zhendong Army also enlisted civilian cultivators. Since the Longcheng Flying General belongs to the Zhendong Army, let him go and make trouble on Zhendong¡¯s turf, and then it¡¯s none of our Dingbei Army¡¯s business.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Ye Jun sighed, ¡°what about the dorm?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to the dormitory supervisor,¡± Liu Longtao assured her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the school. The main concern is Old Yan. Make sure he does not leave the room tonight. Plainclothes officers are stationed all around the hotel, and the moment he steps out, it will trigger a chain reaction, which won¡¯t look good if it escalates to higher authorities.¡±

    Ye Jun: ¡­¡­¡­

    It won¡¯t look good if it gets escalated, but it¡¯ll look fine if you push it onto me?

    I¡¯m still an unmarried single woman of quality, sharing a room and spending the night with Yan Yu. What if my reputation is tarnished? Who would I complain to then?

    Forget it, eating public grain comes with these nuisances, and in critical moments, one must listen to the organization. I¡¯d wade through a mountain of swords or dive into a sea of flames; guarding for one night is a minor matter in comparison.

    Ye Jun turned back to Yan Yu and asked with concern:

    ¡°Yan Yu, do you feel any better?¡±

    ¡°My head is killing me,¡± Yan Yu moaned with his eyes closed.

    ¡°Then drink some water,¡± Ye Jun offered him the water.

    After gulping down several mouthfuls of the hot water, Yan Yu felt somewhat better. He propped himself up with his arms and slowly opened his eyes.

    Of course, he could circulate his True Yuan to dissipate the effects of the alcohol, but what would be the point of drinking then?

    Since I chose to drink, what I wanted was the feeling of a hangover, like a mortal in a past life who didn¡¯t know his own tolerance¡ªthis is called nostalgia. Once I get back to Jinling Prefecture, I won¡¯t have this opportunity anymore. Even if I go out to a pub and order a draft beer, Ningning will nag me about it, which is really annoying.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Yan Yu scratched his head and said, ¡°Ye Jun, you can go back now, I¡¯m awake.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t go back.¡± Ye Jun took the towel to the bathroom to wash, saying, ¡°I am staying here tonight.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Yan Yu was also confused¡ªas if hearing this for the first time, just like Ye Jun¡¯s initial reaction. The response from both of them was exactly the same.

    ¡°The higher-ups said I have to keep an eye on you tonight,¡± Ye Jun explained as she wrung out the wet towel and came out to hand it to him, ¡°Here, wipe your face with this.¡±

    ¡°Ah, so they are afraid I¡¯ll cause trouble,¡± Yan Yu took the towel and wiped his face and neck.

    ¡°At least you¡¯re aware of yourself,¡± Ye Jun said with a touch of melancholy.

    ¡°Haha.¡± Yan Yu put the towel aside, got up, and said, ¡°Then I might as well fly back to Jinling on my sword now to save you all the worry.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t do that.¡± Ye Jun quickly stopped him, ¡°Once you step out and take off on your sword, it will be hard to explain. Who¡¯s to say whether you are really going back to Jinling or off to ¡®exchange pointers¡¯ with other folk cultivators? A whole bunch of people will be running around because of your departure.¡±

    ¡°Then just call them and explain clearly,¡± Yan Yu dismissed the concern.

    ¡°Anyway, you are staying here tonight,¡± Ye Jun insisted, ¡°Don¡¯t go anywhere. Once they¡¯ve settled the folk cultivators tomorrow, no one will care about you anymore.¡± S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu was speechless. So, just because of this, the Dingbei Army has lost all trust in me, huh?

    But I can understand it, honestly. Just like in the old days, if you rang the complaint drum to present a royal petition once, they¡¯d intercept you even on a New Year¡¯s visit to relatives out of town¡ªwho knows if you were really visiting or if you were taking a detour to the capital again? You might think the local magistrate was heartless, and yet he¡¯d have to deal with your troublesome antics.

    In the eyes of the current Dingbei Army, Longcheng Flying General is the troublesome one. They¡¯d rather inconvenience Ye Jun, a female comrade, by keeping me here than let me walk out that door!

    ¡°Fine,¡± Yan Yu agreed not to make it difficult for Ye Jun, ¡°Then I¡¯ll stay overnight¡­ But this is a king-sized bed, right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Ye Jun was quite magnanimous, ¡°Cultivators don¡¯t sleep. We just meditate and practice. It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t sit on the bed, you can also do it on a chair.¡±

    ¡°Give me a break, the chair is so narrow and has armrests that limit space; you can¡¯t even spread your legs,¡± Yan Yu looked at the armchair, shook his head, and continued, ¡°Just like you said, we¡¯ll meditate and practice on the bed to get through the night.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Ye Jun didn¡¯t change her clothes, just took off her shoes and socks and washed her feet in the bathroom.

    After Yan Yu also freshened up, they both sat cross-legged on the bed, closed their eyes, and started diligently channeling their Qi through the cycles.

    About ten minutes later, Yan Yu opened his eyes, feeling helpless.

    Moving Qi through the cycles my ass!

    With my aptitude for cultivation, while others are scooping water with a ladle, I¡¯m like dipping water with chopsticks, so inefficiency it¡¯s infuriating¡­ practicing is just futile, might as well not do it at all.

    Noticing his eyes open, Ye Jun also opened hers and asked:

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®what¡¯s wrong¡¯?¡± Yan Yu responded.

    ¡°I saw that you opened your eyes,¡± Ye Jun said.

    ¡°How would you know that I opened my eyes if yours were closed?¡± Yan Yu countered.

    ¡°All right,¡± Ye Jun admitted with a bitter smile, ¡°I saw it with my Divine Sense.¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯ve been scanning me with your Divine Sense, huh?¡± Yan Yu chuckled.

    ¡°I¡¯m just a bit nervous,¡± Ye Jun confessed in a low voice, embarrassed, ¡°It¡¯s not that I suspect you, it¡¯s just¡­ well, I¡¯ve never spent the night in the same room with another man before.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Yan Yu stretched his legs out again, propped a pillow behind him, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s not practice then, how about telling some stories instead?¡±

    ¡°What stories?¡± Ye Jun was surprised.

    ¡°Tell me about your story, let¡¯s chat casually. It might help you relax,¡± Yan Yu suggested, leaning back on the pillow.

    ¡°Okay then,¡± Ye Jun nodded and couldn¡¯t help but laugh.

    Indeed, chatting with each other felt more relaxing and pleasant than sitting in silence all night long.

 Chapter 309 - 7 Truth or Dare

    Chapter 309: Chapter 7 Truth or Dare

    Yan Yu and Ye Jun sat on the bed, chatting more and more energetically, and actually talked through the night. It could probably only be attributed to the fact that cultivators simply have more stamina than ordinary people.

    By the next morning, news came from the research base saying that the project on the Marrow Cleansing Stage had concluded, and Comrade Yan could return to his unit.

    ¡°You¡¯d better return to your unit quickly. Military duties are hectic, it really isn¡¯t good to delay you.¡±

    After bidding farewell to Liu Longtao and Ye Jun, Yan Yu left Pingjing via Sword Control.

    The greatest gain from this trip to Pingjing wasn¡¯t finishing off Fan Wentang, but rather truly becoming friends with Ye Jun.

    Originally, the two were just acquaintances and didn¡¯t really understand each other very well. If the relationship had to be quantified, his favorability with Ye Jun wasn¡¯t even as high as with Lord Master. After all, Lord Master directly called him ¡°Old Yan,¡± while Ye Jun used ¡°Yan Yu¡± or even ¡°Captain Yan,¡± which made their level of closeness self-evident.

    ...

    Developing a relationship with a woman needs to be done gradually. The prerequisite for ¡°deepening the relationship¡± is to ¡°unlock the emotional connection,¡± and the prerequisite for ¡°unlocking the emotional connection¡± is to ¡°become familiar with each other and let down guard.¡± From acquaintance to friend, to ambiguous relationship, and then to lovers, each step must follow the other, and one cannot be hasty for quick results.

    Some people are too impatient and attempt to skip the ¡°unlocking the emotional connection,¡± jumping directly from friends to lovers, going up to a girl and confessing, then turning around and joining the circus to put on makeup;

    Some are even more impatient than a rushed king, wanting to skip even the ¡°becoming familiar with each other¡± step. This kind of behavior is commonly known as ¡°blind dating,¡± and in the new era, there is a slang term called ¡°blasting gold coins¡±¡­

    Having lived two lifetimes, Yan Yu naturally wouldn¡¯t make these common male mistakes.

    Firstly, he needed to raise Ye Jun¡¯s favorability to the level of a friend, and maybe even get to the point of ¡°friends who can talk about anything.¡± Then, if Ye Jun couldn¡¯t stand being in the team anymore, he could take the opportunity to poach her.

    If the relationship remained that of distant acquaintances who had known each other for a long time, suddenly saying to her, ¡°Stop working with the Dragon Soar Team,¡± would only make her instinctively defensive and likely turn him down politely.

    As for Lord Master saying ¡°Old Yan is chasing after Ye Jun,¡± that was just a rumor with no basis in truth.

    ¡°If you could ensure that Ye Jun stabilizes and shines in the team, would I need to hit on her?¡±

    What the previous life had proven was that this guy only cared about himself, and didn¡¯t care how Ye Jun was doing¡­ This girl is truly outstanding, it¡¯s too much of a pity to see her talents go to waste, better to let her continue to shine at my place. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu, having returned to Jinling Prefecture via Sword Control, was soon surrounded by the girls of the team, enjoying an unprecedented reception.

    ¡°You weren¡¯t punished, were you?¡± Lin Ning asked worriedly.

    ¡°Nope, it seems to have been suppressed,¡± Chen Lingyun said nonchalantly, ¡°It¡¯s announced that it was an accidental injury during training.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I think there¡¯s a problem with that,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen casually said, ¡°Are they even daring to recruit such evil cultivators?¡±

    Yan Yu instantly looked at her in shock. Demonic Sect Enchantress, how dare you say such a thing?

    In your past life, you ran from Lin¡¯an all the way to Nanjiang, killing and silencing people along the way, doing harm to countless innocents. And in the end, weren¡¯t you also taken in by the government¡­ Never mind.

    Zhao Yuanzhen has no memories of the future, and in this lifetime, she indeed hasn¡¯t killed any innocents, so it wouldn¡¯t be fair to judge her by past life actions.

    We¡¯ll just let her keep her pretty little head on her neck for now!

    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Xie Ruoxi interrupted, ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about state affairs, what are we eating tonight?¡±

    ¡°How about Northwestern food?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen suggested.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we eating at home tonight?¡± Lin Ning protested in shock, ¡°I¡¯ve already bought the groceries! They won¡¯t be fresh anymore if they stay in the fridge overnight!¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s eat at home,¡± Yan Yu decided, ¡°During my time in Pingjing, I was dragged out to restaurants by Lord Master every day, eating food that¡¯s too oily and salty; I almost threw up¡­ I just want to eat Ningning¡¯s cooking!¡±

    ¡°Alright, cut it out with the flattery,¡± Lin Ning complained, though she couldn¡¯t help but smile and headed towards the kitchen.

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi went to the living room, lying on the couch to watch TV. Yan Yu was about to follow when he suddenly heard Chen Lingyun ask:

    ¡°Was it Lord Master who told you to kill him?¡±

    ¡°It was an accidental injury,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°The higher-ups didn¡¯t want to save him, it¡¯s not my business.¡±

    ¡°Haha,¡± Chen Lingyun gave a slight smile, ignoring his response, and continued, ¡°I know it was impulsive, but people on the outside won¡¯t know that. They probably see it as a signal of hostility you, as a government-trained cultivator, are sending to the private cultivators.¡±

    ¡°Is it really that complicated?¡± Yan Yu said with a laugh, ¡°He was bad news to begin with, even Lord Master couldn¡¯t stand him and wanted to beat him up, can¡¯t my actions be out of righteous indignation?¡±

    ¡°Of course, they can,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°But you can¡¯t deny that there are many bad and stupid people in the world.¡±

    ¡°Stupid people can¡¯t see it, bad people pretend not to see it. The former are easily led by the nose, while the latter actively lead others. Essentially, there isn¡¯t much difference. So there may be some private cultivators who don¡¯t understand the full story, and think you¡¯re hostile towards them¡­ Of course, now that you¡¯re the Longcheng Flying General, they probably wouldn¡¯t dare to trouble you, but just be careful all the same.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Yan Yu was indifferent.

    In his previous life, he served in the mobile forces, where he had killed too many cultivators who had done wrong. He killed a betrayer named Zhang San, and then Zhang San¡¯s associate Li Si held a grudge against him ever since, and so on ¨C he had made too many enemies this way, but what of it?

    Even Empress Yuanzhen was taken in by the government, showing that the future was already a nightmare world where the strong rule. The public recruitment of people like Fan Wentang was just the beginning.

 Chapter 310 - 7 Truth or Dare_2

    Chapter 310: Chapter 7 Truth or Dare_2

    As the resurgence of Spiritual Energy progressed, the voices of the powerful grew louder. Now, Yan Yu needs to borrow a blade to kill someone, but in the future, he won¡¯t even need to borrow one¡ªafter killing, just a phone call to report would suffice¡ªjust like Empress Yuanzhen in the past lifetime, as long as you are willing to protect your home and country, whatever you do at home is up to you.

    After all, if one can¡¯t protect their home, everyone is doomed. The collapse of a country and the loss of homes are an even more terrifying hell. When faced with two evils, one must choose the lesser, it¡¯s an inevitability.

    Thinking this way made him feel anxious again. When would he be able to become the strongest in this world and take away the right to speak from all these cultivators?

    I want to create a world where only what I say goes!

    After dinner, everyone went to rest. Just as Yan Yu was planning to play with his phone, he suddenly received a call from Li Weiguo.

    It¡¯s never good news¡­ Truth be told, old Li has been quite good to me, but every time he calls, it¡¯s to get me to work, which isn¡¯t great.

    ...

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu, Huofeng Team has emerged from the Mysterious Realm.¡±

    ¡°Oh, do you want me to send a congratulatory message?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Li Weiguo said with some exasperation, ¡°as the captain of the Zhenhai Team, do you think I would call you specially just to have you send a congratulatory message?¡±

    ¡°Definitely not, I just kind of hoped so,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°after all, I¡¯ve just returned from Pingjing and haven¡¯t had the chance to rest yet.¡±

    Li Weiguo patiently said:

    ¡°I know, so if it weren¡¯t for something important, I wouldn¡¯t come looking for you. The Zhendong Army has over a dozen teams, many of which haven¡¯t taken on the Mysterious Realm yet and are currently lining up.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so the Huofeng Team hasn¡¯t managed to conquer that Mysterious Realm?¡±

    ¡°Correct. For specifics, how about you find out once you get there? In Yu Yuan County of Nanjiang, the Pingxi Army will be there to meet you.¡±

    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll set off right away.¡±

    Yan Yu ended the call, gathered all the girls, and left the house to rise into the sky on his sword.

    Five streaks of sword light sped across the sky, instantly catching the attention of the citizens of Jinling. Many took out their phones to take photos and post on social media with captions like ¡°Longcheng Flying General, taking off!¡± or ¡°Yan Zhanlong, joining the battle!¡±, some even uploaded short videos with exciting background music, but these are digressions and not the main point for now.

    ¡°So what¡¯s the situation?¡± In flight, Lin Ning asked curiously, ¡°Is the Southern Border making another advance?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Xiao Zhou is just too useless. We fought tooth and nail in the Southern Border, buying time for her to conquer the Mysterious Realm, only for her to fail at taking it¡­ Ling Yun, give them a call and ask about the situation.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Chen Lingyun smiled, ¡°but there¡¯s no cell phone signal at high altitudes, should we descend to make the call?¡±

    ¡°Forget it,¡± Yan Yu waved his hand dismissively, ¡°we¡¯ll talk about it when we get there.¡±

    If he couldn¡¯t immediately mock Xiao Zhou, then he would have to rush there to mock her to her face!

    Finally, in the dead of night, they arrived at Yu Yuan County in Nanjiang and met up with the cultivators of the Pingxi Army.

    Then they saw the Huofeng Team cultivators, all injured and receiving treatment.

    Among the five members, Zhou Hongyu was in the worst condition, her whole body tightly wrapped in bandages, revealing only her eyes, nose, mouth, and a section of her wrist for the IV drip. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The rest of them were also wrapped in medical bandages, their faces bearing numerous charred marks. It¡¯s estimated that there was some formidable Fire Blazing Dao Method in the mysterious realm that forced the entire Huofeng Team to make a forced exit, leaving the Zhenhai Team to take over.

    ¡°Ow, Xiao Zhou, what happened to you?¡± Yan Yu asked with a concerned look, gently inquiring, ¡°Getting new skin? Last time I saw you, you were a patient in an oxygen mask, and now you¡¯ve become a mummy?¡±

    Zhou Hongyu didn¡¯t have the energy to speak and could only glare at him fiercely, her eyes cold and brimming with murderous intent.

    ¡°Stop joking, Captain Yan.¡± Zhang Huaide said from the next bed, ¡°Captain Zhou has deep burns. Thankfully, we now have cultivator methods, or she really couldn¡¯t have been saved.¡±

    ¡°Was it a fire-breathing dragon?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°It was like biogenetic teardrops, I guess,¡± Zhang Huaide sighed, ¡°it¡¯s a long story.¡±

    ¡°Then give us the short version of the long story,¡± Yan Yu said as he pulled up a stool to sit down and listen to Deputy Captain Zhang recount the situation in the mysterious realm.

    The mysterious realm was called ¡°Mirror Lake Divine Palace¡± because there was a mountain within the realm, and atop the mountain lay a lake. The reflection in the lake showed a magnificent palace, but in reality, not even a shadow of a building could be found, nor any enemy.

    The Huofeng Team went in but couldn¡¯t solve the mysteries of the realm, so they went back outside to report to the Pingxi Army.

    The Pingxi Army brought in researchers to tackle the problem, and it wasn¡¯t until this morning that they managed to make a breakthrough, finally solving the mystery of Mirror Lake and sending in the Huofeng Team and others.

    Then, the entire team emerged in the afternoon, each member wounded and unable to continue the fight.

    The worst off was Zhou Hongyu, who had severe burns all over and barely made it back alive¡ªonly thanks to the resurgence of Spiritual Energy and the great enhancement of medical technology through cultivation methods, injuries that were once certain death could now be survived.

    According to the team members¡¯ accounts, opposite Mirror Lake stood a palace in the middle of the lake, but there was no entrance to the buildings above the lake¡¯s surface, nor any way to break in.

    The entrance was below the lake, where there were five small altars. It required five people to stand on them all at once to be transported inside. Upon entering, they would pass through five rooms in sequence, each containing an enemy who not only looked exactly like a member of the team but also had a highly similar attack method and combat style¡ªexcept they were enhanced.

    It was like the final challenge in a Pok¨¦mon game, with the members of the Huofeng Team successively defeating the enhanced Meng Qingxi, enhanced Zhang Huaide, enhanced Tang Xiaolian, and enhanced Qin Meng, but they fell at the last hurdle to the enhanced Zhou Hongyu. Because the enhanced Zhou Hongyu was just too terrifying, spewing and exploding all kinds of Fire Blazing Dao Methods, even Zhou Hongyu herself couldn¡¯t withstand it and was the first to be laid out on the ground.

    ¡°I see,¡± Yan Yu summed up, ¡°from the weakest to the strongest, successively cloned. They look the same, the moves are the same, but the power is greater, right?¡±

    ¡°Not quite,¡± Zhang Huaide shook his head, ¡°the moves are different. For example, that clone of Zhang Huaide had swordsmanship far superior to mine and used many sword techniques that I simply don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like a future version of you,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°You could¡­ put it that way,¡± Zhang Huaide frowned, clearly thinking that this future theory was not accurate, ¡°Also, the clones said some pretty strange things.¡±

    ¡°Strange things?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    ¡°They would fabricate some false dark histories that never existed for the originals, and then announce them in front of our entire team,¡± Tang Xiaolian added, ¡°as a form of mental attack to try to affect our performance.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Zhang Huaide shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t think those were made-up lies¡­¡±

    ¡°They are made-up!¡± Qin Meng quickly interrupted, ¡°All of it is fake! Not a single word of truth!¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Meng Qingxi said seriously, ¡°I swear, that impostor claiming to be me said things that are absolutely irrelevant to me!¡±

    ¡°Deputy Captain Zhang!¡± Tang Xiaolian said angrily, ¡°As we¡¯ve said! They¡¯re nonexistent false dark histories!¡±

    ¡°Regardless of what the clones said,¡± seeing his teammates unanimously objecting and making a commotion, Zhang Huaide could only compromise halfway, without dwelling on the truthfulness, and continued speaking to Yan Yu and the others, ¡°None of you should believe it, nor let it affect the concerned team members.¡±

 Chapter 311 - 8: Mirror Lake Divine Palace, The Future Me

    Chapter 311: Chapter 8: Mirror Lake Divine Palace, The Future Me

    Leaving the infirmary of the Huofeng Team, Yan Yu turned his head towards the girls and asked,

    ¡°So, what do you think?¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s quite interesting,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a full smile.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you that!¡± Yan Yu waved his hand to interrupt her, ¡°Analyze how we should approach this mysterious realm.¡±

    ¡°According to Deputy Captain Zhang¡¯s description, the combat environment is still relatively spacious, so even large-scale Taoism Methods won¡¯t be restricted,¡± Chen Lingyun said smilingly, ¡°There aren¡¯t many obstacles or covers in the environment, which indicates that the designer doesn¡¯t want us to play tricks. We are asked to defeat the avatars by fighting them head-on in battle.¡±

    ¡°To sum up, it is undoubtedly a test-type mysterious realm, and there won¡¯t be unsolvable puzzles¡ªthe fact that all members of the Huofeng Team were seriously injured but not dead also supports this,¡± she continued.

    ...

    ¡°The key lies in how we solve the puzzle,¡± Lin Ning added.

    She looked at the other two, Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi, who remained silent, making Lin Ning somewhat regretful that Yun Jin wasn¡¯t there¡ªotherwise, she might have been able to discern more detailed clues, right?

    No matter, we still have Ling Yun.

    ¡°The avatars will replicate one of the members in our team,¡± Chen Lingyun continued, ¡°and enhance them based on that member. Their specific moves will change, but won¡¯t completely deviate from the original¡¯s fighting style¡ªit¡¯s like moving a version of us with higher cultivation and stronger abilities from the future here.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°So what?¡±

    ¡°Since the avatars are based on us, we can extrapolate their weaknesses from our own,¡± Chen Lingyun continued with a smile, ¡°My weakness is slow reaction speed, so the suitable tactic is surprise attacks, pushing with an ultra-fast offense and defense rhythm to force her to make irrational decisions.¡±

    ¡°My issue is that I¡¯m not adaptable enough when facing unfamiliar situations,¡± Lin Ning analyzed, ¡°So to deal with my avatar, we should try to increase the complexity of moves, burdening her with excessive thinking in response.¡±

    Everyone looked towards Xie Ruoxi.

    ¡°Me?¡± Xie Ruoxi said uncertainly, ¡°I feel that my biggest weakness is my lack of combat experience¡­¡±

    ¡°But if it¡¯s the future you, that might not be a problem,¡± Chen Lingyun said cheerfully, ¡°It¡¯s better to consider weaknesses related to thought patterns or innate talents¡ªflaws that aren¡¯t easily compensated for.¡±

    ¡°Her weakness lies in favoring brute force over finesse,¡± Yan Yu suddenly said, ¡°She¡¯s easily deceived tactically.¡±

    ¡°What about Sister Zhao?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    ¡°Me?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen thought for a moment then said with frustration, ¡°I really can¡¯t think of any weaknesses I might have.¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhao¡¯s weakness is an overly strong desire to attack,¡± Yan Yu said deliberately, ¡°which makes her behavior too predictable.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s nose wrinkled immediately as she silently fumed, keeping grudges in mind, thinking:

    ¡°That jerk actually said I have an overly strong desire to attack, and my behavior patterns¡­ eh? What does ¡®too predictable¡¯ mean? What¡¯s he getting at?¡±

    She had intended to retort firmly against Yan Yu¡¯s words, but unexpectedly she found herself too illiterate to understand the criticism, thus unable to imagine how to counterattack in the future, and felt embarrassed to ask him (for fear of revealing her ignorance), so she could only cross her arms and sulk in silence.

    Finally, the group turned toward Yan Yu, and after a collective silence, suddenly, Lin Ning spoke up:

    ¡°I suggest we replace the captain, find a cultivator from the Huofeng Team who isn¡¯t too badly injured, and have them team up with us to tackle this mysterious realm.¡±

    ¡°I agree,¡± Xie Ruoxi hastily said.

    ¡°It would indeed effectively lower the difficulty level,¡± Chen Lingyun concurred.

    ¡°It¡¯s about time for a change!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen also exclaimed, seizing the chance to avenge the sharp criticism she just faced!

    ¡°Stop joking around,¡± Yan Yu scoffed disdainfully, ¡°Without me, how would you fight the four enhanced avatars in the beginning?¡±

    ¡°My God!¡± Lin Ning immediately retorted, ¡°Captain, you really have no shame, actually assuming your avatar would be the strongest and come last!¡±

    ¡°Otherwise?¡± Yan Yu frowned, ¡°Am I not the strongest?¡±

    ¡°You could at least be modest about it!¡± Lin Ning huffed.

    ¡°Alright, stop arguing,¡± Yan Yu commanded with a grand wave of his hand, ¡°Let¡¯s go in and test the waters. We can always retreat along the same way we came in. Also, think about whether there are any dark secrets that the avatar might spill out.¡±

    At the mention of dark secrets, the girls fell silent, each beginning to introspect and assess.

    Chen Lingyun thought to herself: I have them, but I don¡¯t care, let them be revealed.

    Lin Ning thought to herself: I have them, as long as I firmly deny it, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem.

    Xie Ruoxi thought to herself, ¡°I have, and I don¡¯t want to remember, because every time I do, I feel like dying¡­¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen thought to herself, ¡°¡­I¡¯m a bit hungry.¡±

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t say anything and led the deep-in-thought girls toward the direction of the Mysterious Realm.

    Passing through the entrance of the Mysterious Realm, the outside world was enveloped by the night sky, yet within it was clear blue skies. Many Military Manor cultivators were moving up and down the mountain paths, transporting various types of equipment.

    This time the Mysterious Realm was rather special: there was no danger outside the Mirror Lake Divine Palace, but even drones couldn¡¯t fly inside. The Huofeng Team was originally equipped with cameras, but as soon as they passed through the lake, the devices were immediately rendered useless. It was only after they emerged and performed a check that they found the chips inside completely burnt out.

    The lake itself was now sealed, waiting for the Zhenhai Team to conquer it. Yan Yu led the team up to the mountaintop, where they saw a huge conical instrument set up on the shore, its point aimed at the center of Mirror Lake, where the water was rapidly swirling into a wild vortex at least twenty meters in diameter.

    The girls were all deeply shocked, taking a careful look at the high-tech device that Lu Country had created with the help of cultivators, while Yan Yu seemed used to it. He went over and said a few words to the person in charge on site and then turned his head to give an order:

    ¡°Sword Control, follow me!¡±

    Everyone conjured up their sword lights and flew swiftly to the vortex directly above Mirror Lake. Then, with the sword lights hanging upside down, they plunged in headfirst.

    As the world spun around them, gravity had suddenly flipped.

    The sword lights were clearly moving downward, but the moment they passed through the surface of the lake, it transformed into an upward motion.

    Where once the shoreline filled with Military Manor cultivators and the huge device stood, now there was a splendid and lavish celestial palace. The palace, made of jade bricks and glazed roof tiles, was crystal clear and complemented the lake waters below, shining with brilliance.

    ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful,¡± Lin Ning murmured.

    ¡°It looks like a really tough dungeon,¡± Xie Ruoxi couldn¡¯t help saying.

    ¡°It would be great if there were a lot of treasures,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said, posing as a senior, with composure.

    ¡°How¡¯s it?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°All checked.¡± Chen Lingyun, holding the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, had released the Five Ghosts to scout the area and came back saying, ¡°Apart from the altar beneath the water, there is no other entrance.¡±

    ¡°Then that¡¯s good,¡± Yan Yu nodded. ¡°Dive in!¡±

    Avoiding the whirlpool they had come through, the group entered the calm water and saw, as they approached the bottom near the Mirror Lake Divine Palace, that there were indeed five small altars.

    As Zhang Huaide had said, each person chose an altar to stand on.

    After another bout of the world spinning around them, the group found themselves inside the Mirror Lake Divine Palace, in the midst of a long crystal corridor.

    The front led to a great hall while the back was a dead end, also with five single altars, for transporting the people back the way they came.

    ¡°Come to think of it, who is the weakest in our team?¡± Lin Ning suddenly asked out of curiosity.

    ¡°Definitely not me,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said.

    ¡°I suppose that would be me,¡± Chen Lingyun laughed. ¡°Everyone, get ready, we¡¯re about to face ¡®Chen Lingyun¡¯ soon.¡±

    ¡°Why do you seem so happy about it?¡± Yan Yu frowned and asked.

    ¡°Because I really want to see what an enhanced version of ¡®Chen Lingyun¡¯ is like,¡± Chen Lingyun said, her smile beaming like a flower.

    Although her words seemed a bit incendiary, Lin Ning was suddenly inspired by her and had an epiphany, saying:

    ¡°If it really is a version of myself from the future, or even a more powerful simulation of myself, then studying how she utilizes various methods in combat can offer us valuable guidance and reference, right?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± said Yan Yu calmly. ¡°For the Huofeng Team, such foresight is indeed precious. But you have me as the team leader to provide high-level guidance and correct directions for cultivation, so it¡¯s not necessary to study how the replicas fight. At most, they serve as a self-motivator¡ªa reminder that ¡®if I cultivate diligently, I can reach that level in the future¡¯.¡±

    ¡°The Captain is still as narcissistic and shameless as ever,¡± Lin Ning quietly communicated with the girls using a transmission.

    But upon reflection, at least until now, Yan Yu¡¯s guidance and arrangements had never been wrong.

    Lin Ning still remembered the days when she first dabbled in the Three Arts and Five Spells. She had seriously considered ¡°whether to learn close-quarters combat¡± but was advised by Yan Yu that ¡°it would be more appropriate to practice the Metal-Element Impact Curse.¡±

    Now, as a Sword Immortal, she used the Sword Control Technique as her main means of attack, and the practice in Impact Curses had indeed greatly enhanced her response time and accuracy.

    So what would my future self look like, a dashing and suave female Sword Immortal?

    With this thought, Lin Ning too felt a sense of longing and anticipation.

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 Chapter 312 - 9: The Beautiful Lady in Palace Attire, Chen Lingyun

    Chapter 312: Chapter 9: The Beautiful Lady in Palace Attire, Chen Lingyun

    The group proceeded along the corridor and entered the hall.

    Although Zhang Huaide called it a room, it was more like an indoor sports field, with both length and width exceeding a hundred meters and a height of about seven or eight meters, spacious and empty.

    In the very center of the hall stood a life-size upright copper mirror.

    Beyond that, there was nothing else.

    ¡°Spread out, Five Elements Formation,¡± Chen Lingyun quickly transmitted her voice, commanding.

    The Five Elements Formation meant that the five-person team stood in the east, south, west, north, and center. The central striker served as the tank and primary attacker, dealing with and drawing in the guardian¡¯s frontal firepower, usually taken up by the sword immortal most adept at adapting. The other four positioned themselves in the four corners, attacking and restraining the guardian.

    ...

    The one standing behind the central striker, also facing the guardian, could be impacted by the opponent¡¯s attacks, hence the battlefield pressure was only second to that of the central striker. As for the three on the sides and the back of the guardian, they could freely use various means without facing the guardian¡¯s direct assaults.

    Of course, the guardian wasn¡¯t a boss in a game; there was no such thing as holding its aggro, so the actual use of the Five Elements Formation involved frequent movement and rotation¡ªif the guardian moved or turned, the formation also had to be immediately adjusted.

    For the Zhenhai Team¡¯s Five Elements Formation, Yan Yu unhesitatingly took the position of the central striker; Lin Ning acted as the deputy striker behind him, while Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi took the left and right flanks, respectively, and the safest rear position naturally went to Chen Lingyun, who bore the responsibility of command.

    The team arranged their formation and waited for a moment when suddenly the surrounding temperature seemed to drop.

    It wasn¡¯t the body feeling cold, but a kind of chilling cold that seemed to arise from the depths of the heart, as if something terrible was about to descend.

    You could see a petite and delicate girl had stepped out of the upright mirror in the center at some point.

    Her hair was coiled into an extremely intricate cloud bun, adorned with various jade pins and golden ornaments, and she was wearing ancient Chinese Tang-style attire. Her upper body was tightly wrapped in a bodice, a long skirt trailing on the ground, with a large-sleeved cloak worn over it, giving off an ethereal and otherworldly feel.

    However, her garments were in shades of deep black and purple-black, completely lacking the bright and grandiose air of Tang dynasty clothing, adding instead a sense of gloominess and a chilling aura.

    The group noticed that she carried nothing in her hands¡ªneither the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner obtained from the Changping Secret Realm nor the Divine Evil Prayer Beads recently seized from the Southern Border.

    But the face above the neck of the body wrapped in the dark palace attire was undoubtedly Chen Lingyun¡¯s. Her eyebrows and eyes seemed to have gained more maturity and weariness, but it was well-masked by her makeup.

    ¡°Oh my,¡± the eerie beauty in palace attire surveyed her surroundings, her gaze flowing, and smiled, ¡°It¡¯s the Five Elements Formation.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t act rashly yet,¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly sent a message to the group.

    The palace-dressed beauty gracefully turned her head back, looking at the Chen Lingyun behind her, and said smilingly:

    ¡°You set up the Five Elements Formation to test my identity, whether I am the future you, or some copy that can read your thoughts.¡±

    ¡°Then please enlighten me,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°If it¡¯s the future me, you would surely tell me the answer, right?¡±

    ¡°Sadly,¡± the palace-dressed beauty continued to smile, though her features were identical, her smile was extremely soft and seductive, making her seem completely different from Chen Lingyun, ¡°it¡¯s neither. Even if I could explain it to you, the current you wouldn¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°Are we done yet?¡± Yan Yu urged, though it wasn¡¯t clear whether he was rushing Chen Lingyun or deliberately provoking the palace-dressed beauty, ¡°Can¡¯t we fight and talk at the same time? There are four others queuing up behind us!¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± the palace-dressed beauty turned back, smiling as she said.

    Suddenly, she sat back, and a chair appeared beneath her without warning.

    No, not just a chair.

    What emerged from the floor was an extremely ornate imperial conveyance, carried by four stout ghostly attendants; two ghostly ladies in a maid¡¯s appearance stood behind the beauty, both hands held high, carrying a black satined Nine Phoenix Umbrella to block the sun; two other ghostly ladies on her outer sides held slanting purple-feathered pheasant fans to ward off the wind; and yet another ghostly lady knelt beside her, hand offering a white jade tray with celestial delicacies and divine brews, presented respectfully before her.

    The palace-dressed beauty sat in the center of the conveyance, elegantly crossing one leg, her left arm lazily resting on the armrest, her right index finger seductively placed at the corner of her mouth, revealing a cold and superior smile:

    ¡°Then, try to please me,¡± she said.

    ¡°If you perform well, I might share with you some¡­ little secrets she isn¡¯t willing to share~¡±

    ¡°Attack!¡± Chen Lingyun swiftly commanded.

    Yan Yu had already executed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, rushing toward the yin ghost conveyance like lightning.

    But no matter how much he surged forward, the distance to the palace-dressed beauty remained unchanged, as if the space between them was infinitely stretching¡ªyou move forward several steps, and the space extends just as much.

    This was a formation.

    In the moment he realized something was wrong, Yan Yu switched from charging forward to sidestepping and cast his divine sense swiftly around.

    He didn¡¯t understand formations, but he knew how to break them¡ªevery formation must have a pivotal point, just as a house must be built on a foundation.

    Destroy all the pivotal points, and the formation would collapse on its own.

    The moment Yan Yu arrived at this conclusion, he saw four enormous ghostly shadows appear out of thin air in four different directions.

    The minotaur holding a delicate pagoda faced Zhao Yuanzhen, using the pagoda¡¯s spiritual light to pin the Yin Wind Sword down, preventing it from advancing an inch.

    The horse-faced creature wielding a thirteen-foot greatsword faced Lin Ning, blocking the Green Bamboo Sword¡¯s attacks with massive swings, and the clang of metal rang out nonstop.

    The Black Impermanence holding the Ghost-painted Iron Umbrella faced Xie Ruoxi, using the umbrella to withstand the bombardment of Jade Pivot Thunder without suffering any damage.

    The White Impermanence carrying a four-string pipa faced Chen Lingyun, strumming it with a tune that carried a hidden golden murderous aura, forcing Chen Lingyun to constantly move around dodging.

    That gorgeously dressed beauty ¡°Chen Lingyun¡± simply waved her hands and called forth four high-level Yin Ghosts, each wielding a magical treasure, to match up one-on-one against the four cultivators of the team, leaving only Yan Yu without an opponent.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t rush to assist his teammates either, but silently stared at the gorgeously dressed woman and pondered inwardly¡ªas she looked back at him from a distance and suddenly said with a smile:

    ¡°Not taking action?¡±

    To attack her, he must first break the formation. The pivotal points were most likely these minotaur, horse-faced creature, and the Black and White Impermanence¡­

    ¡°My four pivotal points are the minotaur, horse-face, Black and White Impermanence,¡± said the gorgeously dressed woman casually. ¡°As long as you can break them one by one, resolve my Yin Demon Great Formation, then consider this challenge as passed.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Yan Yu no longer hesitated, executed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, and with a flicker of his form, he suddenly rushed towards the White Impermanence.

    ¡°Choosing to help me first? That makes sense,¡± commented the gorgeously dressed woman with a beaming smile. Her voice was not loud, but all five people on the scene could hear her clearly, ¡°After all, I am the weakest in the team.¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu, do you know? I don¡¯t care no matter how much you mock me usually, because I know you¡¯re just trying to tease me. But you didn¡¯t even bother to clearly understand the situation and subconsciously thought that I needed help the most. It¡¯s this kind of subconscious contempt that bothers me,¡± she continued.

    ¡°Focus,¡± Yan Yu quickly sent a mental message to Chen Lingyun, and they continued to attack the White Impermanence together.

    Chen Lingyun grunted in acknowledgment, concentrated on commanding the Purple Extreme Sword to launch an attack.

    The smile gradually faded from her face.

    ¡°Actually,¡± the gorgeously dressed woman went on, ¡°you all think I usually maintain a cool and collected demeanor, but that¡¯s just a mask I wear.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m actually someone who¡¯s very afraid of being lonely and alone.¡±

    Yan Yu dodged the pipa¡¯s sword impact, and the White Impermanence flicked its tongue out like an arrow. Yan Yu was about to dodge again when he suddenly heard the gorgeously dressed woman¡¯s words and nearly got distracted and hit.

    Not good, I really want to laugh¡­ This spiritual attack is too terrifying!

    Over on Chen Lingyun¡¯s side, her face had turned ashen. She summoned her True Yuan with all her might, masterfully commanding the Purple Extreme Sword to block every note from the White Impermanence¡¯s pipa. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Seizing the opportunity, Yan Yu controlled his sword to strike, dodging the White Impermanence¡¯s tongue attack, and a powerful sword light pierced right through its chest.

    After dispatching one target, the two quickly turned to support Zhao Yuanzhen, but then they heard the gorgeously dressed woman say in a haunting voice:

    ¡°My parents¡¯ marriage wasn¡¯t happy; they were just together out of mutual benefit, resulting in my skeptical attitude towards the relationships between people from a young age. I depended on the love from my parents, but couldn¡¯t confirm whether they truly loved me or saw me merely as a continuation of their genes; I cherish our friendship, but I also don¡¯t know if you see me as an equal and genuine friend, or if it¡¯s simply because of the benefits I can bring you.¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Chen Lingyun finally lost her composure and bellowed furiously.

    But the gorgeously dressed woman wouldn¡¯t stop and continued:

    ¡°I can¡¯t even be sure if my feelings for Yan Yu are love, or just an illusion caused by the effects of estrogen hormones in my body. Maybe it¡¯s difficult for pure feelings to exist 100% between people, but I¡¯m convinced that¡¯s exactly what I earnestly desire. Even with a hint of other factors mixed with affection, I wouldn¡¯t want such impurity¡­ because I am that kind of girl who pursues perfection in such a stubborn and twisted way.¡±

    Yan Yu felt like he was going to die of laughter, but had to forcibly keep a straight face, mentally communicating to Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°Don¡¯t engage with her, focus on the battle. The sooner we finish, the sooner we¡¯re free.¡±

    Chen Lingyun, trembling with anger, clenched her teeth and activated the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Divine Evil Prayer Beads, forcefully hurling them at the pagoda-carrying minotaur with a ferocity as if she wanted to smash it into minced meat on the spot.

 Chapter 313 - 10: Slaying the Four Ghosts, Breaking the Formation with Ease

    Chapter 313: Chapter 10: Slaying the Four Ghosts, Breaking the Formation with Ease

    Although Chen Lingyun¡¯s face was visibly flushed with warmth, Yan Yu did not get distracted because of that, still calmly observing the entire scene.

    The four Yin Ghosts chosen by the opponent each held a different magic artifact. The white impermanent¡¯s pipa sword melody was for long-range attacks, the black impermanent¡¯s ghost-painted iron umbrella was for close-range defense, the horse-faced giant sword was for close-range attacks, and the ox-head¡¯s pagoda could emit large swaths of spiritual light, which seemed more like a type of magic artifact similar to the Xuan Guang Ruler, capable of both defense and control.

    This combination perfectly confirmed Yan Yu¡¯s thinking: he believed that an Envoy Cultivator, especially one who played with ghosts, didn¡¯t need to excel in any particular aspect, but had to be sufficiently versatile.

    To specialize in one thing and to reach the apex was the path Sword Immortals needed to take. A variety of methods, making one impossible to guard against, was the greatest advantage of a Necromancer.

    Judging by the array of Yin Ghosts led by this palace-dressed beauty, it undoubtedly took Yan Yu¡¯s guiding principles to the utmost.

    The only pity was that the strength of these Yin Ghosts seemed to be limited by the current environment¡¯s level cap as well, with only Marrow Cleansing Stage capabilities.

    ...

    Logically speaking, with so many ghosts and magic artifacts at Chen Lingyun¡¯s disposal, the earliest time point should have been around the stage of forming the core¡­ It¡¯s a shame that even with the strength of the Hua Fu Stage fully realized, it wouldn¡¯t be so easy to be killed. It would have allowed us to see much more.

    ¡°Kill slower,¡± Yan Yu sent a message to Chen Lingyun, ¡°gather more intelligence.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Chen Lingyun replied, yet her attacks continued to be full-force, seemingly determined to defy him in secret.

    But she herself wasn¡¯t great in output anyway, so whether she gave her all in direct combat or assisted in finishing off, the efficiency was pretty much the same¡­ With Yan Yu slowing down the offensive, the overall speed of the strategy would slow down, and she couldn¡¯t do anything about it.

    This ox-headed being was holding up a delicate pagoda, emitting large pieces of spiritual light, fluctuating and vivid, like a dream.

    When Zhao Yuanzhen attacked from the left with her Yin Wind Sword, the spiritual light drifted to the left, preventing the Flying Sword from progressing upon contact.

    She recalled her Flying Sword and then attacked from the right, and the spiritual light drifted to the right again, once more holding off the Flying Sword, not allowing it any advance.

    Zhao Yuanzhen simply made her Yin Wind Sword wander everywhere, attracting the pagoda¡¯s spiritual light to drift all over the place. Suddenly, she launched the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin and the ox-head simply raised the pagoda indifferently in front of it, with a click, the hairpin nailed into the pagoda and got stuck in the spiritual light, unable to be pulled out.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress was so furious she almost wished to release her puppet right away. Luckily, Chen Lingyun and Yan Yu jumped into battle right then, helping her keep her anger in check.

    ¡°This pagoda magic artifact has very good control effects,¡± Yan Yu said through message to Chen Lingyun, ¡°Don¡¯t you have a good memory? Take note of its characteristics; when we get out, look in the Fourth Army¡¯s inventory to see if there¡¯s a similar magic artifact.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Chen Lingyun replied dully.

    ¡°The black impermanent and white impermanent, they look like those two from Fan Wentang,¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°Cajole your dad, use connections or swaps or something to get them together.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Chen Lingyun responded again, without another word.

    From afar, the palace-dressed beauty once again started to speak, her voice trailing softly, as if hanging from the clouds, yet seeming to whisper in the ear:

    ¡°Yan Yu, you are a special existence to me.¡±

    ¡°Pfft!¡± Yan Yu was just about to form a sword technique, letting the Huang Tingjian attack the ox-headed being from behind, but he stumbled upon hearing this and almost choked.

    ¡°Why are you spitting on me!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen burst out furiously, vigorously wiping the saliva off her face.

    ¡°Sorry, I couldn¡¯t hold it in,¡± Yan Yu apologized to the Demonic Sect Enchantress, a rare occurrence, ¡°It¡¯s all Lingyun¡¯s fault.¡±

    ¡°Blame me, will you?¡± Chen Lingyun started to sneer, continuing to drive the Divine Evil Prayer Beads against the pagoda.

    When Suo Wen possessed these prayer beads, they contained thousands of Yin Ghosts, but since their rank was too low, they didn¡¯t have much combat ability, so Chen Lingyun had released them to the research team for containment and study. Now, it was just the prayer beads magic artifact itself clashing with the pagoda.

    If it were a Flying Sword on the other side, wrapping the beads around it would lock it down, preventing it from moving. However, the pagoda could remotely release spiritual light, keeping the prayer beads at bay, thus nullifying their effect.

    The prayer beads attacked the ox-headed monster from the front, the Huang Tingjian sneaked to his backside, the Yin Wind Sword rushed from his right, and on his left was Chen Lingyun shaking the Prison Banner, releasing the mother and child vengeful ghosts who flew invisibly and silently towards the ox-head¡­ In the end, the ox-head struck the delicate pagoda forcefully, its spiritual light whirled around, and incredibly blocked all attacks within 360 degrees.

    Once again, the voice of the palace-dressed beauty spoke:

    ¡°You always deliberately provoke me, bully me, wanting to see me make a fool of myself, but I know you don¡¯t really despise me. The barrier between us is not you, but me¡­¡±

    Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t say a word, suddenly turned her Purple Extreme Sword to kill the horse face.

    ¡°Follow me,¡± Yan Yu sent a message to Zhao Yuanzhen, likewise directing his sword light toward the black impermanent.

    When the three of them suddenly divided their forces, the ox-headed being, losing its targets, looked around and then decided to move towards the horse face to assist, with the pagoda¡¯s spiritual light rolling towards Lin Ning.

    Lin Ning had been trading blows back and forth with Horseface, but the opponent¡¯s huge sword was swung so densely that not a gust of wind could pass through, and with immense strength, no matter from which angle she attacked, he would counter with a ferocious slash, preventing her Green Bamboo Sword from getting through at all.

    The radiant light on this side rolled towards Lin Ning, forcing her to dodge with her footwork, while the pressure from the Sword Control Technique suddenly decreased, allowing Horseface to break free and lift his giant sword to strike at Lin Ning.

    The situation became two against one, and Lin Ning immediately fell into a disadvantage. However, she refused to call for help, quickly switching from offense to defense. She used the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step to circle around Ox-Head and Horseface, restraining them, yet her mind was a mix of different feelings, thinking about the various phrases spoken by the woman in palace attire earlier.

    So¡­ Ling Yun also¡­

    No, no, no, the Huofeng Team said that whatever these clones say is fake, all lies to deceive us! The purpose is to affect our performance on the battlefield!

    She tried hard to discard all distracting thoughts and not to listen to the faint words of the woman in palace attire, focusing all her attention on her footwork.

    Perhaps subconsciously resisting those words, Lin Ning felt her concentration was unprecedentedly focused, as if she had entered a state where she was oblivious to everything else. Her proficiency with the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step was rapidly improving.

    Very good.

    I can do this!

    While she was handling two opponents alone, Chen Lingyun saw that Lin Ning was more than capable and didn¡¯t require assistance. She turned back once more to attack Black Impermanence. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t dislike you,¡± the woman in palace attire said wistfully. ¡°But I have already told you what I crave¡­ is a completely pure affection. I don¡¯t know how you see me, am I just Chen Lingyun to you? Is there a ¡®shadow¡¯ of another Chen Lingyun mixed in?¡±

    ¡°Pfft~ I¡¯m dying of laughter,¡± Yan Yu was bombarding Black Impermanence¡¯s iron umbrella with Flying Sword slashes. Hearing this, he couldn¡¯t help but burst out laughing again and explained to Chen Lingyun through telepathy, ¡°I¡¯m not laughing at you, it¡¯s about that fake; she really knows how to spin a tale.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to cover up by laughing it off,¡± Chen Lingyun replied coldly through telepathy. ¡°If you want to laugh, then laugh.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s focus on the Mysterious Realm, focus on the Mysterious Realm,¡± Yan Yu chuckled awkwardly.

    Xie Ruoxi launched another Jade Pivot Thunder, and Black Impermanence quickly turned the umbrella to block, but unexpectedly Yan Yu suddenly executed Sword-Human Unity, causing the sword light to surge and smash into the side of the iron umbrella, knocking it aside at an angle.

    Just at that tilt, the Jade Pivot Thunder brushed past the edge and shot into Black Impermanence¡¯s body. Its property of vanquishing evil and annihilating demons came into play, instantly blowing his body to smithereens.

    The four of them didn¡¯t stop for a moment and quickly turned to help Lin Ning, who was being attacked from both sides. Just then, Xie Ruoxi suddenly transmitted a message to Yan Yu:

    ¡°Captain, do you like Ling Yun?¡±

    ¡°Why ask this now?¡± Yan Yu initially didn¡¯t want to reply. But on second thought, if he didn¡¯t answer now and she harbored a grudge, it might affect their combat performance later, so he decided to give a brief response.

    ¡°Just because,¡± Xie Ruoxi fired another Jade Pivot Thunder at Horseface, which was intercepted by the radiant light of Ox-Head¡¯s treasure pagoda, only to see the thunderbolt tear through the radiant light like a blade through fabric, piercing it straight through, ¡°Yun Jin also likes you, doesn¡¯t she¡­?¡±

    Before she finished speaking, Yan Yu called out:

    ¡°Well done! Ruoxi, keep launching the thunder, don¡¯t stop!¡±

    The treasure pagoda¡¯s radiant light seemed ethereal and elusive, posing difficulties for everyone. Surprisingly, it was of a demonic nature, countered by Xie Immortal Venerate¡¯s Jade Pivot Thunder!

    Feeling unusually upbeat after receiving praise from Yan Yu, Xie Ruoxi, spurred on subconsciously, stopped thinking about the messy problem of how Ling Yun, Yun Jin, and she herself¡ªall liking the captain¡ªwould resolve things. Instead, she excitedly shouted:

    ¡°It¡¯s my turn, yeah! Jade Pivot Thunder! Jade Pivot Thunder! Jade Pivot Thunder!¡±

    Summoning her True Yuan with all her might, she cast thunder with both hands, left at Ox-Head, right at Horseface, no finesse, just sheer power.

    Ox-Head tried to stave off the thunderbolts with the treasure pagoda¡¯s radiant light, but Horseface was driven back step by step; with each block of the Jade Pivot Thunder, the terrifying force pushed it back several paces. By the time the third hit landed, it could no longer hold onto the giant sword, which flew out of its grip.

    Lin Ning seized the opportunity to execute a Flying Sword slash, piercing through Horseface¡¯s robust chest, then sheathed her sword and turned around, just in time to see Yan Yu¡¯s Huang Tingjian¡¯s light also surging, bursting through the hole torn in the treasure pagoda¡¯s radiant light by the Jade Pivot Thunder, to finally cut down Ox-Head as well.

    The treasure pagoda dissipated into nothingness, and the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin stuck within it became disentangled. The surrounding formation silently collapsed, and the woman in palace attire standing atop the central imperial scepter got to her feet, smiling and saying:

    ¡°So, my wish for you to establish a harem was because I wanted to know¡­¡±

    ¡°Go open a harem on your mother¡¯s grave!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen roared, launching the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin ahead of everyone else, piercing the woman in palace attire¡¯s head in an instant!

    The imperial scepter crashed to the ground, the woman dissolving into a mirage, and lastly, the sound of the mirror shattering echoed clearly throughout the vast hall.

 Chapter 314 - 11 The Green-robed Fairy Lin Ning

    Chapter 314: Chapter 11 The Green-robed Fairy Lin Ning

    The beauty in court attire was impaled through the skull by the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, and her figure shattered into layers in an instant, vanishing from sight.

    The crowd continued to stay on guard momentarily, their Divine Sense scanning to confirm there were no irregularities around, leaving only the large copper mirror on the ground shattered into pieces.

    Chen Lingyun stepped forward, squinting for a closer look, only to see each fragment reflecting an inverted image of herself, as if mockingly laughing at her in silence.

    ¡°Well done,¡± Yan Yu nodded and said, ¡°there are still four doppelgangers to kill, let¡¯s continue.¡±

    ¡°Before we move on, let¡¯s adjust our status first,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a reemerging smile, speaking sweetly, ¡°Deputy Captain Zhang said before that the doppelgangers in this Mysterious Realm will concoct all sorts of nonsensical tales to try to disturb our moral integrity.¡±

    Her smile, although sweet, had a chilling undertone that made everyone nod in agreement without exception.

    ...

    ¡°So, let¡¯s just forget what we heard,¡± Chen Lingyun continued with a smile, ¡°even if you remember it after leaving, don¡¯t talk about it carelessly.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Yan Yu kindly reassured her, ¡°aside from Su Yunjin who is not here, I won¡¯t tell the others. There¡¯s no sense in sharing one¡¯s own dark history with outsiders for their amusement¡ªthat would be either mindless or heartless.¡±

    Chen Lingyun narrowed her eyes slightly and asked,

    ¡°Oh, whose dark history?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it yours?¡± Yan Yu played dumb.

    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Lin Ning interjected uneasily, ¡°we¡¯re all in the same boat here. We¡¯ll have to face our own doppelgangers as well, so let¡¯s just drop it and forget about it.¡±

    ¡°I agree,¡± Xie Ruoxi said nervously.

    ¡°Hmph, I certainly don¡¯t have any dark history,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen stated coldly, ¡°but regarding the issue of establishing a harem, could someone explain to me what exactly is going on?¡± S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Explain my foot!¡± Yan Yu slapped the back of her head, ¡°You believe what a doppelganger says? If your doppelganger later says you kill without blinking and harm the innocent, should I demand an explanation from you too, or should I just chop off your dog head?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen, having been hit for no reason, felt wronged and indignant subconsciously, but she quickly realized the truth. The doppelganger¡¯s words were a mix of truth and lies¡ªif she took them at face value without discernment, wouldn¡¯t she be a fool?

    It would be more fitting to wait for her own doppelganger to appear and see what it would claim, evaluate its credibility, and then compare and deduce the authenticity of the other doppelgangers¡¯ statements.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress made up her mind to not blindly trust everything and to discern and confirm properly.

    Lin Ning and Xie Ruoxi, however, weren¡¯t as naive, thinking to themselves by looking at Ling Yun¡¯s spine-chilling smile, it was very likely that more than eighty percent of what she said was true.

    So she really struggled with the concept of ¡°pure, unblemished emotions¡±, and she indeed harbored special feelings for Yan Yu, but she couldn¡¯t be certain if those feelings amounted to ¡°true love¡±?

    And she also hoped Yan Yu would establish a harem for her sake?

    Too much information thundered down like a bolt from the blue, weighing heavily on the two girls¡¯ hearts, leaving them with no inclination to continue chitchatting.

    Yan Yu, seeing everyone¡¯s state, had no good solutions and simply waved his hand in a gesture to settle things quickly, leading the girls to the next room.

    Entering from another entrance and traversing a long corridor, they arrived at the second room.

    It was still a spacious hall with nothing inside, a life-size copper mirror standing at the center. From the mirror, a woman in green stepped out, her features delicate with a straight nose and cherry lips, brows arched like wilting willows, her hair bundled into a simple bun behind her, and two crossed Flying Swords on her back¡ªone green and one dark red.

    Lin Ning.

    Although more mature and cold in demeanor, that face was undoubtedly identical to Lin Ning¡¯s.

    For a moment, Sister Lin didn¡¯t know if she should feel indignant because she was the second weakest in the team or fear because it was her turn to have her dark history exposed.

    ¡°Heh heh,¡± the woman in green said after a moment of silence, a bitter smile on her face. She spoke softly, ¡°All of you attack together. The sooner we finish, the sooner we¡¯re free.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Lin Ning¡¯s mood instantly lifted. Great, my embarrassing past isn¡¯t exposed!

    As if afraid the other would change her mind, she quickly maneuvered her Green Bamboo Sword¡¯s light beam, executing Sword Control to perform a flying slash aimed directly at the woman¡¯s head!

    Her opponent formed a sword technique with her hands, and a greenish sword flew out of its scabbard behind her, instantly clashing with Lin Ning¡¯s sword light.

    Amidst the intertwined sword lights, Lin Ning was sent flying backward once again, while the green sword light continued on relentlessly, chasing after Lin Ning before being intercepted by Yan Yu¡¯s Huang Ting Sword.

    ¡°Ruoxi, Thunder Method,¡± Chen Lingyun began to command.

    Xie Ruoxi, on the spot, unleashed the Thunder Method. A white light burst forth as swift as a galloping horse. The woman in green did not stand her ground to face the Thunder Method directly but stepped swiftly, turning into an afterimage and rapidly moving to the left to dodge it.

    On Chen Lingyun¡¯s end, the Divine Evil Prayer Beads were tossed out in an attempt to trap the opponent¡¯s green sword light, but the sword light, as nimble as a fish, quickly dodged the beads and turned to attack Xie Ruoxi once again.

    Xie Ruoxi was instantly flustered, no longer able to continue the assault with the Thunder Method and had to urgently raise her Immortal Sword to block it.

    In the end, it was still a lack of combat experience. If you asked her to stay in place and act as an artillery piece, she could perform perfectly, but if you asked her to maintain her attack while simultaneously being distracted to defend herself, she would immediately find it difficult to manage both ends, struggling on both the left and the right.

    ¡°Sister Zhao, save Ruoxi,¡± Chen Lingyun continued to command.

    The opponent was extremely skilled in swordsmanship, and facing her in swordsmanship combat would be completely futile, like an egg striking a stone and asking for trouble. Thus, they could only rely on Sister Zhao, who was more skilled in swordsmanship, to come to the rescue.

    Zhao Yuanzhen spurred her Yin Wind Sword into action, blocking the oncoming green sword light, allowing Xie Ruoxi to finally escape the perilous situation.

    Lin Ning finally steadied herself from the onslaught of the sword light and with her Divine Sense sweeping out again, she saw the green sword light pursuing Xie Ruoxi, intercepted by Sister Zhao, and the opponent continuing to control the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, dodging the five ghosts Chen Lingyun commanded to attack. She then urged her deep red sword light to fly out, engaging in combat with Yan Yu¡¯s Huang Ting Sword¡ªcould this clone really multitask to control two swords to fight two battles simultaneously?!

    But now that she had both swords deployed, if I go now to strike her, how would she defend?

    Lin Ning, also the type whose actions were faster than her thoughts, had just made up her mind when she had already moved out with the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, attempting to pressure the woman in green up close.

    In their chase and escape, the woman in green was not only controlling her swords with both hands but also fending off Zhao Yuanzhen and Yan Yu, and her footwork was equally dazzling. She widened the distance from Lin Ning, skillfully evading the surprise attacks of the five ghosts, and then effortlessly dodged Xie Ruoxi¡¯s thunder light. In her maneuvering, there was not the slightest hint of clumsiness, as if she was facing five opponents without any difficulty.

    Lin Ning¡¯s heart raced with urgency, thinking how tough it was to deal with just this second clone. What about the three even stronger ones that followed? Wouldn¡¯t that leave them with no chance of winning at all?

    She quickly focused her mind, paying full attention to the opponent¡¯s steps, and unknowingly began to imitate them.

    Both were employing the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, but the level of proficiency was like night and day. Lin Ning pursued and learned, feeling as if she were having an epiphany, and many step-by-step procedures stuck rigidly in her mind suddenly became clear, the stages where she knew how to perform them without understanding why now all came together and made sense.

    Just as she was feeling secretly pleased with herself, the woman in green began to speak slowly, her cool voice identical to hers.

    Although the volume was not loud, everyone present could hear her clearly:

    ¡°I¡¯ve always been serious and competitive by nature, and since childhood, I¡¯ve liked to compare and compete with my peers. They played games for fun, but I played to win. My father said I didn¡¯t behave like a girl. Sometimes I even wondered if I might be a girl who identifies as a male¡­¡±

    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!¡± Lin Ning suddenly began emitting extremely high-decibel noises, attempting to completely drown out the woman in green¡¯s words!

 Chapter 315 - 12 Battle Cry Nursery Rhyme

    Chapter 315: Chapter 12 Battle Cry Nursery Rhyme

    Before the battle, Lin Ning thought that even if some dark history was revealed, as long as she denied everything, it wouldn¡¯t matter.

    After the battle started, Lin Ning realized that she was not just in denial, she was on the verge of exploding with every additional word she heard.

    The Green-clad Sword Immortal was not only capable of multitasking and dual-wielding swords, but her swordsmanship was also strong enough to take on five foes at once. Even Yan Yu was entangled by her deep red sword light and couldn¡¯t break free!

    The other green sword light (Lin Ning recognized it as a copy of her own Green Bamboo Sword) ravaged the field as if into a realm without enemies, pushing Zhao Yuanzhen back step by step, and still had room to harass Xie Ruoxi, preventing her from comfortably using her Thunder Method.

    As for Chen Lingyun and her own offense, they relied on footwork to dodge and weave¡­ The tactical style was clear: contain the strong, kite the weak.

    Fighting this ¡°enhanced Lin Ning,¡± Lin Ning had to admit she had indeed learned a lot, while at the same time desperately wishing to silence her to prevent more dark history from emerging¡ªthere were things that even she had long forgotten, only to be reminded by the Green-clad Sword Immortal, sparking an intense embarrassment and the desperate thought, ¡°I wish I could be reborn, go back in time, and strangle myself.¡±

    ...

    I¡¯m going to perish together with you ahhhhhhhh!

    Behind her, Yan Yu leisurely commanded the Huang Tingjian, constantly clashing with the crimson sword light while secretly assessing the Green-clad Sword Immortal¡¯s swordsmanship prowess.

    Previously, when facing the gown-clad beauty ¡°Chen Lingyun,¡± by analyzing the number of Resentful Spirits she commanded and the grade of her magical treasures, combined with memories from a past life, he deduced that her strength was around the period before or after Foundation Establishment.

    Now, observing the Green-clad Sword Immortal ¡°Lin Ning,¡± who could dual-wield swords, manage three tasks at once, and control the entire battlefield with her swordsmanship, it was almost certain she was in the late Hua Fu Stage, before the Golden Core Realm; just one step away from Foundation Establishment.

    Of course, if it were the level of the Golden Core Realm, tying everyone together might still not be enough to win¡ªit would be like a mismatch in weight classes in a boxing match, where your punch leaves the opponent unfazed, making the fight pointless.

    Alas, to be able to fight against a version of myself at the peak of Foundation Establishment, I hope Ningning can learn some valuable lessons, so my efforts won¡¯t be in vain.

    The Green-clad Sword Immortal dodged left and right, occasionally casually shooting out the Metal-Element Impact Curse to force back Lin Ning or a Yin Ghost while continuing to speak:

    ¡°I also know my personality is aggressive and probably not liked by many guys. The older I get, the more intense this feeling becomes. Although my father always nags me to find a boyfriend, annoying me, I know deep down he has a point in his worries¡­¡±

    ¡°Err, err, err, yiyi, yiyi, yiyi, ahhh, ahhh, ahhh, lulu, lala, lei!¡± Lin Ning, who was chasing her, let out incoherent, meaningless shouts, seemingly trying to drown out the voice of the Green-clad Sword Immortal with noise.

    Unfortunately, the opponent¡¯s voice seemed to be amplified by a spell, able to deliver her words clearly to everyone¡¯s ears, no matter how noisy the environment was.

    ¡°Even though I know this is not good, I don¡¯t want to change, because the person I¡¯m waiting for must be as excellent as I am and tolerant of my competitiveness. If I can¡¯t meet him, I¡¯d rather stay single¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop talking, stop talking, stop talking, stop talking, stop talking, stop talking¡ª¡± Lin Ning frantically accelerated her Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, chasing after the Green-clad Sword Immortal relentlessly, her face reddening with a hint of a sobbing tone, as she kept shouting the same three words over and over.

    However, no matter how Lin Ning used her Green Bamboo Sword to attack, the Green-clad Sword Immortal would just lightly step aside, nimbly dodging every move.

    ¡°Stop making noise!¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t take it anymore and transmitted his voice to Lin Ning, ¡°Her voice is enhanced with a spell! Just making noise won¡¯t help you outdo her; it will only interfere with our fight and slow down our progress in defeating her!¡±

    ¡°Then tell me what to do then!¡± Lin Ning shouted in self-defeat.

    Her opponent¡¯s voice was penetrating her mind, and she knew her noise could not drown out the other. Her fruitless yelling was only to forcibly suppress her embarrassment and to comfort her fragile heart.

    ¡°So, you understand, right?¡± The Green-clad Sword Immortal formed a sword technique with her hands, and the deep red sword light that had been entwined with the Huang Tingjian suddenly stopped. Before Yan Yu could react, her voice reached him from a distance, ¡°Although always annoying, but a team captain who is always calm and reliable when it matters? If it¡¯s you, who I have always relied on, you should be able to¡­¡±

    Her words were once again drowned out by an even more terrifying explosion of sound.

    Lin Ning used all the strength in her chest, shouting with trembling sobs and distinct nasal tones as she screamed:

    ¡°Northwest rain! Falls straight down! Crucian carp! Can¡¯t choose just anyone! Older brother Tai! Beats the drum! Matchmaking granny! Mrs. Soil-Louse!¡±

    Her all-out, desperate shouting actually had an effect, not by overriding the voice of the Green-clad Sword Immortal, but her noise level was so terrifying that it made everyone¡¯s ears buzz and heads ache, completely unable to listen carefully to what the Green-clad Sword Immortal was saying.

    But clearly, the Green-clad Sword Immortal would not be affected by noise. So the green sword light calmly wreaked havoc in all directions, forcing the distracted Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi to retreat simultaneously, while the crimson sword light similarly moved swiftly, leaving Yan Yu in utterly poor shape. It wasn¡¯t that his swordsmanship was lacking, but rather that Lin Ning¡¯s incessant noise was so unbearable that it agitated him to the point of frustration.

    ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± Yan Yu angrily transmitted his voice, ¡°You¡¯re attacking one of our own!¡±

    But Lin Ning seemed possessed, continuing to shout the dialect nursery rhyme as if chanting, using nearly 120% of her True Yuan to speed up desperately, trying to close the gap with the Green-clad Sword Immortal.

    ¡°Yan Yu¡­¡± the voice of the Green-clad Sword Immortal was ethereal, crawling into his mind like an earthworm burrowing through soil, ¡°Although I don¡¯t have the courage to say it out loud, I¡¯ve always hoped that one day you would see this side of me¡­¡±

    ¡°The sun dims! No path to find! Hurry, come! Fire-metal lady! Be kind in heart! Shine the way!¡± Lin Ning¡¯s shouting was so intense she was almost hoarse.

    This won¡¯t do. At this rate, little Ningning is going to snap¡­ She isn¡¯t making use of the rare learning opportunity!

    With a sigh, Yan Yu deliberately revealed a flaw in his swordsmanship, allowing the deep red sword light to rush in. He then performed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step with a z-shaped feint, nimbly avoiding the attack and leaving the sword light behind. At the same time, he transmitted to Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°Watch your positioning.¡±

    What he referred to as ¡°positioning¡± wasn¡¯t about her own location but a reminder to help restrict the movements of the Green-clad Sword Immortal. Because a Sword Immortal¡¯s strengths lie in their offensive capability and high mobility; if forced to choose one, it would undoubtedly be mobility.

    Chen Lingyun instantly understood and quickly commanded:

    ¡°Sister Zhao, do your best to entangle the Green Bamboo Sword! Ruoxi, use the Thunder Method straight ahead, calculate the lead time.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi, dizzied by Lin Ning¡¯s shouting, didn¡¯t think twice. Taking advantage of the moment when the green sword light was too busy to harass her, she launched the Thunder Method ahead of the Green-clad Sword Immortal.

    At the same time, Chen Lingyun also commanded the five ghosts and the mother and child resentful spirits to besiege the target from different directions. She then once again tossed out the Divine Evil Prayer Beads to block the right side of the Green-clad Sword Immortal.

    Yan Yu was already enveloped by the Huang Tingjian¡¯s light, and he rushed toward the rear of the Green-clad Sword Immortal with incredible speed.

    Sword-Human Unity!

    At this moment, the Green-clad Sword Immortal¡¯s left was the hall¡¯s wall, and her front, back, and right were blocked by attacks. If she wanted to escape, her only option was to ascend through the clouds.

    However, above was the very trap that Yan Yu had set for her. The Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step was less speedy and nimble in mid-air than on the ground. If she chose to take flight, Yan Yu was confident that she could not escape, and he would execute Sword-Human Unity to slay her on the spot! S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    However, the Green-clad Sword Immortal seemed to have seen through this and did not choose to attempt an aerial escape. Instead, she lightly pivoted her steps and continued forward, heading straight into the Thunder Method unleashed by Xie Ruoxi.

    Was she seeking death? No, there was a weakness! Xie Ruoxi, though she had been with the team for a while, ultimately hadn¡¯t participated in the collective training to ¡°team up against the Demon King.¡± She focused only on practicing the basics, and the synergy in critical teamwork moments still lacked¡ªher Thunder Method was too slow.

    That slight delay created a fleeting gap in the combined attack net surrounding the Green-clad Sword Immortal, and the enemy was clearly aiming for that gap.

    Seeing that the opponent was about to find a way out, Yan Yu sighed in his heart and swept the surroundings with his Divine Sense once more, planning to try another blocking tactic. However, what he saw was Lin Ning, still bellowing out nursery rhymes, suddenly unleashing a Sword Flight maneuver, her target being the very gap the enemy sought to escape through!

    With no way out, the Green-clad Sword Immortal confronted the oncoming Green Bamboo Sword without hesitation, saying:

    ¡°So, Captain, I hope that one day, you¡­¡±

    ¡°Northwest rain! Pouring straight down! Go to hell!¡± Lin Ning, full of anger and resentment, delivered a mighty blow that pierced the Green-clad Sword Immortal¡¯s heart, cutting off her last words before they could be finished.

    The figure shattered, the mirrors burst, and silence settled in the hall.

    Lin Ning released her Sword Flight and landed on the ground, her face streaked with tears¡ªher expression was full of embarrassed and indignant beads of sadness. She glanced at Yan Yu, her eyes conveying an indefinable emotion. Then she ran away without looking back, following the same path she had come by.

    Everyone: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Stay here,¡± Yan Yu moved swiftly using the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, leaving behind a sentence, ¡°I¡¯ll go find her.¡±

 Chapter 316 - 13 Rational Explanation

    Chapter 316: Chapter 13 Rational Explanation

    Yan Yu passed through the first combat hall and returned to the initial corridor entrance, where he saw Lin Ning squatting alone on the teleportation altar, her back to him as she silently wiped away tears while hugging her knees.

    Unfortunately, these altars required a group of five to teleport back, so no matter how long you squatted there, there was no escaping.

    Yan Yu walked up behind her and tentatively called out,

    ¡°Lin Ning?¡±

    Lin Ning¡¯s body trembled slightly, and she stopped wiping her tears.

    ¡°Cough cough.¡± Yan Yu coughed a few times and spoke in a clear voice, ¡°I came to check on you.¡±

    ...

    ¡°What¡­ what¡¯s there to see,¡± though Lin Ning¡¯s voice still carried a hint of sobbing, her tone remained as stubborn as ever, ¡°Are you here to laugh at me?¡±

    ¡°Laughing at you?¡± Yan Yu pretended to be clueless. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°You must be disgusted by how useless I am,¡± Lin Ning sniffed hard and sobbed, ¡°to think that just a few words from that clone would cause me to collapse mentally.¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, ¡°Psychological warfare is a tactic just like any other, and it isn¡¯t any easier to deal with than conventional strategies. Look at the Huofeng Team, they also got flustered by all those fabricated scandals. It shows that being good or bad at handling psychological warfare has little to do with ¡®being useful or not¡¯, everyone has their own weaknesses and flaws.¡±

    Lin Ning pulled out a napkin from her pocket, wiped away all the tears on her face, then stood up and said with a sense of grievance,

    ¡°I don¡¯t like you.¡±

    ¡°Right, right,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°The clone was talking nonsense. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t take it seriously.¡±

    Lin Ning suddenly turned around, glaring at Yan Yu fiercely and said seriously,

    ¡°But you can¡¯t dismiss it totally either. What if I really did end up liking you, what would you do? Even though it hasn¡¯t happened, and it might not ever happen in the future, you still need to be prepared and know how to handle it properly. You can¡¯t just brush it off with a ¡®you¡¯re not good enough¡¯ when the time comes. That would be really hurtful, you know?¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    Why is this Minnan girl so nagging? Lucky she¡¯s not my girlfriend right now, otherwise¡­

    ¡°I get it, I get it,¡± he nodded repeatedly in a perfunctory manner, after all, as long as he could brush it off.

    ¡°Do you really get it?¡± Lin Ning crossed her arms, skeptical, ¡°Then repeat what I just said.¡±

    ¡°Are you crazy,¡± Yan Yu laughed and scolded, ¡°Are you coming back or not?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m coming,¡± Lin Ning said.

    The two of them resumed their walk. Yan Yu walked ahead alone, with Lin Ning trailing two to three steps behind, following his every move.

    ¡°Also,¡± only to hear Lin Ning add, ¡°you can¡¯t talk about this incident to anyone. Even though the clone was spreading rumors, if you repeat it to someone else, it¡¯s like you¡¯re helping to spread the rumors, and you¡¯re responsible too, you know?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t even tell Yun Jin?¡± Yan Yu was surprised.

    ¡°Of course not!¡± Lin Ning exclaimed, then frowned and asked, ¡°Why did you suddenly start calling her Yun Jin?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± Yan Yu was taken aback for a moment, his thoughts racing through his mind, he laughed and said, ¡°We¡¯ve all been in a team for so long, calling her that seems warmer.¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Lin Ning was clearly not convinced by this reasoning and proceeded to say seriously, ¡°As the team leader, you must set an example and be fair to everyone, you can¡¯t show favoritism or neglect someone, otherwise how can you maintain unity in the team? Names might seem trivial, but they also reflect the attitude of the leader, whether you¡¯re biased or not. Otherwise, if conflicts arise in the team, you won¡¯t even have time to regret and cry, let me tell you¡­¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm, fair treatment for all,¡± Yan Yu interrupted her, ¡°So, shall I call you little Ningning from now on?¡±

    ¡°Drop the ¡®Little¡¯.¡± Lin Ning corrected his form of address, and then as if feeling a bit embarrassed, added in a soft voice, ¡°If you use a more affectionate term for them, you can also call me ¡®Ningning¡¯. But this is just to maintain uniformity in how we address each other within the team, and it doesn¡¯t mean I like you calling me that.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t like it?¡± Yan Yu asked, feigning surprise.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t like it.¡± Lin Ning awkwardly argued, ¡°But it¡¯s not that I like it either. It¡¯s just that it doesn¡¯t matter to me what you call me. I don¡¯t care about that. But as a member of the team, I need to keep things consistent with everyone else. So if you want to call me ¡®Ningning¡¯, I can accept it, but that doesn¡¯t mean I like you calling me by that.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I get it,¡± Yan Yu thought to himself, this tsundere is seriously a disaster-level horror¡ªshe¡¯s only said, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t like it¡±, yet she still felt the need to say ¡°But it¡¯s not that I like it¡± twice to neutralize it.

    If one day we became a couple and I initiated a breakup, this tsundere girl would definitely reveal that kind of sorrowful expression, as if her heart had died. Even though she couldn¡¯t stop tears from flowing, she would still stubbornly say, ¡°I¡¯m not sad, you¡¯re not worth my sadness. It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve got something in my eye, really, I¡¯m not sad. We¡¯re broken up now, so don¡¯t worry about whether I¡¯m sad or not. I¡¯ll just live on my own from now on, it¡¯s not a big deal to be alone.¡±

    Haha, I want to see that.

    But no, I¡¯m not some kind of demon. Who am I to find pleasure in others¡¯ pain?

    Walking ahead silently, Yan Yu harbored unspoken, dark thoughts when he suddenly heard Lin Ning say:

    ¡°There¡¯s one more thing.¡±

    ¡°More?!¡± Yan Yu exclaimed in shock.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell them I cried just now,¡± Lin Ning said.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Yan Yu quietly breathed a sigh of relief, his wicked sense of humor suddenly welling up. He asked deliberately, ¡°So why were you crying just now?¡±

    Then he was kicked by Lin Ning.

    ¡°None of your business!¡± she said angrily as she passed by Yan Yu and walked ahead.

    The kick wasn¡¯t strong; she had used the back of her shoe rather than the sole.

    Yan Yu stopped and bent over to dust off the spot on his pants where he had been kicked. Just then, Lin Ning, who was ahead, also stopped and turned around. She looked back at him as he tended to his leg and asked with concern:

    ¡°Did I hurt you with that kick just now?¡± Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Not really.¡±

    ¡°Then why did you stop?¡±

    ¡°To brush off the dust.¡±

    ¡°Hmph,¡± (getting angry again).

    Lin Ning turned and continued walking, with Yan Yu hurriedly catching up from behind.

    After a few steps, perhaps having thought of a good explanation, Lin Ning spoke up:

    ¡°The reason I shed tears earlier was because the clone deliberately twisted my image in your minds. I felt utterly defenseless, worried you would misunderstand me, so I lost control of my emotions¡ªfor later, if they ask, you have to help explain this to them.¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± Yan Yu said cheerfully, ¡°It was just a loss of control over your emotions.¡±

    ¡°It was because I was worried about being misunderstood by everyone, that¡¯s why I lost control of my emotions,¡± Lin Ning emphasized, adding, ¡°Did you get that?¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Yan Yu thought to himself, of course, I can say that.

    But whether they believe your explanation or continue to think it¡¯s ¡°embarrassment from having a crush on the captain forcefully exposed, unable to save face¡±, that¡¯s beyond my control.

 Chapter 317 - 14 Xie Ruoxis Character Design Collection

    Chapter 317: Chapter 14 Xie Ruoxi¡¯s Character Design Collection

    Lin Ning and Yan Yu arrived at the second hall and rejoined their team.

    If Su Yunjin were still in the team, she would have definitely been the first to come forward and ask how Sister Lin was doing. With her taking the lead in showing concern, setting a shining example, the other girls naturally wouldn¡¯t find it easy to pick a fight, and perhaps the matter would have just blown over.

    Regrettably, Yun Jin was not in the team.

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s expression turned unpleasant as she was the first to pick a fight:

    ¡°Ningning, what did your clone mean by saying ¡®hoping Yan Yu will one day see you for what you really are¡¯? What does that even mean?¡±

    Her words were laced with jealousy, causing Lin Ning to feel a bit uncomfortable subconsciously.

    ...

    But Sister Lin had already prepared her excuse and was ready to use it. She calmly replied:

    ¡°How should I know? That clone was spouting nonsense, trying to make us distrust each other. The more seriously you take her words, the more you¡¯ll be deceived¡­ Don¡¯t tell me you believe her, Sister Zhao?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen, seeing her expressionless face, started having second thoughts.

    As for believing Lin Ning¡¯s words, of course, she didn¡¯t¡ªafter all, Lin Ning had previously lost her composure and lashed out in a frenzy, defeating the woman in green and storming off in tears. Everyone saw it clearly.

    Wasn¡¯t such abnormal behavior the best proof that she had a guilty conscience and the clone had hit a nerve?

    If it were before she had traveled through time, the Demonic Sect Enchantress wouldn¡¯t have bothered asking so many questions, she would have simply killed this little harlot with a palm strike.

    Yet now, having spent a long time together, their relationship was passable, and if she really attacked Lin Ning, not only would Yan Yu and the others not stand by, but the imperial court outside would also be greatly enraged, possibly affecting her own pleasurable life¡­ So she thought better of it.

    Anyway, the genuine partner of the thief can only be me!

    As for Ningning, let¡¯s wait and see if what she says is true. If it is, all is well; if she¡¯s lying to me¡­

    Humph!

    Zhao Yuanzhen kept quiet, much to Chen Lingyun¡¯s disappointment, who had been hoping to enjoy the drama.

    Yan Yu, on the other hand, was very satisfied. It seemed the Demonic Sect Enchantress had finally been tamed. Comparing her to the ¡°dangerous enchantress¡± who killed countless people at the same time in his past life¡­ Ha, he truly was tremendously virtuous.

    ¡°Alright, alright, the clone was just rambling on, and the Huofeng Team had already warned us about this,¡± he said with a chuckle, trying to smooth things over. ¡°If you really believe their nonsense, we would start infighting before we¡¯ve even finished the Mysterious Realm, wouldn¡¯t that mean we have a problem with our brains and intelligence?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen didn¡¯t respond but squinted at Lin Ning.

    Lin Ning appeared calm and composed on the surface but was inwardly nervous.

    ¡°Since the misunderstanding has been cleared up, let¡¯s get going,¡± Yan Yu said with a grand gesture, about to lead the way, when suddenly he saw Xie Ruoxi squat down on the spot, clutching her stomach, making a grimace.

    ¡°Ouch! My stomach hurts so much! I can¡¯t walk!¡±

    ¡°Do you have diarrhea?¡± Yan Yu asked blankly.

    ¡°I must have eaten something bad yesterday,¡± Xie Ruoxi complained, but then saw Lin Ning¡¯s eyebrows shoot up in anger as she interrogated her:

    ¡°How could you have eaten something bad? The ingredients were fresh and bought this morning, washed clean, without heavy oil or spice. How did it become that my cooking made you sick?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ Sister Ning is right, it must have been because I kicked off the covers while sleeping last night and caught a cold,¡± Xie Ruoxi quickly revised her previous statement. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry and find a restroom. Otherwise, I really can¡¯t continue fighting! It feels like there¡¯s a knife twisting in my intestines right now!¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu extended his hand towards Lin Ning, who took out the packet of napkins she had used to wipe her tears earlier and handed it to him.

    Handing the napkins to Xie Ruoxi, Yan Yu showed a tender and kind expression, and said:

    ¡°Going out is out of the question. The Pingxi Army is waiting outside. What would they think if they asked you why you were going out and found out it was just to use the restroom? Wouldn¡¯t that be losing face for our Zhenhai Team and make them think we¡¯re unreliable and frivolous?¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go to the hall where we fought Ling Yun¡¯s clone and find a corner to settle it there?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi stammered, ¡°I¡¯m not used to going to the bathroom in places that aren¡¯t restrooms.¡±

    ¡°Should I make one for you right now?¡± Yan Yu rolled up his sleeves and asked. ¡°If you have other issues like constipation, speak up now. Don¡¯t waste our time.¡±

    ¡°Alright then¡­¡± After a moment of silence, Xie Ruoxi, realizing her scheme had been seen through, reluctantly stood up, ¡°My stomach doesn¡¯t hurt anymore. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The girls didn¡¯t say anything. Both Lin Ning and Chen Lingyun saw through her act. Only Zhao Yuanzhen frowned and asked:

    ¡°How come your stomach was hurting just now and suddenly it¡¯s not? Make sure you don¡¯t start hurting again when we¡¯re fighting the clones, risking us being down a person, okay?¡±

    ¡°`

    Everyone: ¡­¡­¡­..

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, seeing everyone¡¯s speechless expressions, inexplicably said, ¡°It¡¯s totally normal for me to be worried, okay¡­¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, trying to smooth things over, ¡°Sister Zhao does have a point, but I have more faith that Ruoxi knows her own body best, right? When the battle starts in a bit, Ruoxi won¡¯t let us down, right?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi really wanted to say that if she encountered her clone, she would definitely screw up big time¡­ but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to say it.

    Feeling faint-hearted before the battle is one thing, but admitting it is another. Although she was still essentially a timid and frightened big bunny at heart, after being trained by Yan Yu for so long, she had developed a little bit of a cultivator¡¯s sense of honor and shame, and she simply couldn¡¯t bring herself to admit her fear.

    Moreover, based on past experience, even if she shamelessly knelt and begged for mercy, Yan Yu wouldn¡¯t be understanding. He would only mercilessly mock her, and then, like herding a duck to the shelf, force her onto the battlefield.

    She might as well bite the bullet!

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡± Xie Ruoxi closed her eyes and clenched her teeth, as if she were a hero bravely facing execution, and said determinedly.

    ¡°That¡¯s great then.¡± Yan Yu clapped his hands and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    The group left the second battle hall and moved down the corridor.

    Yan Yu led the way, with Zhao Yuanzhen following closely on his right, Lin Ning quickly caught up with three steps merging into two, walking side by side with Yan Yu on his left.

    Chen Lingyun trailed behind, smiling as she watched the three, blinking and seemingly lost in thought. When she turned her head, she saw Xie Ruoxi next to her, her body trembling slightly, walking stiffly like a puppet, oblivious to her own awkward coordination.

    If one listened carefully, holding their breath, they could hear her whispering prayers as faint as a mosquito¡¯s buzz:

    ¡°Please, not me next¡­ I beg you, not me next¡­¡±

    ¡°Ruoxi.¡± Chen Lingyun quietly transmitted her voice, ¡°Actually, if the next clone is you, it would really be the best scenario for you~¡±

    ¡°Why, why would that be?¡±

    ¡°Because the further we go, the stronger the clones become, and the harder they are to defeat,¡± Chen Lingyun explained with a smile, ¡°Since they are harder to defeat, the battle will last longer, and more of your dark history will be exposed!¡±

    Upon hearing this, Xie Ruoxi was taken aback and after giving it some thought, realized that Chen Lingyun was right.

    The five-person team would definitely have to face their own clones. The later it was, the harder the fight, the longer the battle dragged on, the more dark history would be revealed¡­ It was like taking one chop to the head if you stretch it out, but two if you shrink back, so why not just stretch out your neck and take one less chop?

    With that in mind, Xie Ruoxi immediately changed the content of her prayers, muttering silently:

    ¡°Please, let the next one be me¡­ I beg you, let the next one definitely be me¡­¡±

    The group passed through the long corridor and entered the third battle hall, where they saw a life-sized bronze mirror standing in the center of the hall.

    Without any need for words, everyone quickly positioned themselves in the Five Elements Formation, ready to gang up on the third clone as soon as it emerged, in the name of justice.

    After a short while, a figure stepped out of the mirror.

    The person had their hair done up, dressed in a light cyan long robe, with a jade pendant and prayer beads hanging at the waist, continuously fanning themselves with a folding fan in the left hand, and the right hand rested on the hip, smiling at the crowd.

    Through clever makeup and costuming, her appearance looked quite handsome, as if she were truly a refined scholar from a classic novel, but everyone present could barely recognize through the makeup:

    It was Xie Ruoxi, cosplaying.

    ¡°Yay! It¡¯s me¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi reacted with an instinctive cheer, then her pupils contracted, her mouth slightly open, her body trembling like she had the shakes, pointing at the handsomely dressed beauty, too horrified to utter a word for quite a while.

    ¡°Greetings to all.¡± The refined scholar bowed to the crowd and said with a smile, ¡°I am Qiu Changtian, and I would like to ask for the honor of learning from everyone¡¯s exquisite moves¡­¡± S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Aaaaahhhhhhhh!¡± Xie Ruoxi¡¯s face turned red, as if possessed. She didn¡¯t wait for Chen Lingyun or Yan Yu to speak up, just clenched her left hand into Jade Pivot Thunder and her right hand into Shifting Technique¡¯s lightning, and went berserk against ¡°Qiu Changtian,¡± shouting madly, ¡°Die, die, die, die, die!!!¡±

    The handsome scholar activated the Shifting Technique and nimbly dodged the two bolts of lightning, starting to recite the backstory fluently:

    ¡°I am the peerless Immortal Venerate Qiu Changtian, who has traversed from the highest heavens of the Nine Skies. Now, incognito among mortals, I spent some time as a special agent for the Dragon Group, with beloved ladies in every corner of the world. Later, tired of fighting with others, I chose to dissolve my form and secretly reincarnated in Jingnan Province, Baoqing Prefecture, taking on the life of a simple countryside girl named Xie Ruoxi.¡±

    ¡°However, as I grew older, the memories of my past life gradually awakened! The cultivation of a peerless Immortal Venerate, the skills of a special forces king, and all my memories of slapping faces of villains and showing off before others slowly started to emerge from within me¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, ah, ahhhh¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi, seeing the enemy easily evade her attacks, her own Thunder Method not even grazing the other¡¯s clothing, at first stood dumbfounded, stuttering for a moment, then realizing she couldn¡¯t finish off the opponent quickly, decisively turned and clung to Yan Yu¡¯s arm, tearfully pleading:

    ¡°Captain, please help me take her down quickly!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do anything!¡±

    ¡°`

 Chapter 318 - 15: The Three Talents Formations Group Assault on the Matchless Immortal Venerate

    Chapter 318: Chapter 15: The Three Talents Formation¡¯s Group Assault on the Matchless Immortal Venerate

    Xie Ruoxi begged desperately, but Yan Yu remained unmoved.

    Look at the handsome scholar in the distance, his control over various spells might still be slightly weak, but he was much stronger than the current Xie Ruoxi¡ªthis beautiful good-for-nothing is now just a fixed turret, standing and casting skills is okay, but once she has to move and fight (like when being harassed by a female immortal in green with a Green Bamboo Sword light), her accuracy drops drastically.

    Observing the fighting qualities of this clone had extremely important guiding significance for Yan Yu to adjust Xie Ruoxi¡¯s subsequent training path.

    It wasn¡¯t to listen to the beautiful good-for-nothing¡¯s dark history, which he had plenty of in a previous life¡­ As the number one cultivator in fact of the Annan military, aside from combat ability, Xie Ruoxi really did not match the level of the top cultivator in many aspects. Although the Annan military tried hard to suppress public opinion, they couldn¡¯t cover up the various private chat groups that forwarded her scandals all day long.

    Seeing that Yan Yu had a heart of stone, Xie Ruoxi could only turn in despair to launch a desperate charge at her clone, but then she heard Chen Lingyun transmit a message to her:

    ¡°Ruoxi, don¡¯t panic. Follow my command.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Lingyun!¡± Xie Ruoxi was extremely moved, the vice-captain is still good to me!

    Actually, she was mistaken here, because Chen Lingyun was very interested in her dark history and wanted her to be under her command so she could control the timing of defeating the clone¡ªnot leading it to defeat too soon.

    Under Chen Lingyun¡¯s command, Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen were launching the first probing attack, trying to pinch the opponent from left and right.

    The handsome scholar didn¡¯t dodge; he formed two balls of lightning in his left and right hands, and hurled them at the two.

    Although the lightning was not flashy, both had witnessed the might of Xie Ruoxi¡¯s Thunder Method, and dared not take it head-on. Lin Ning quickly shifted sideways to evade, while Zhao Yuanzhen dodged and, at the same time, suddenly raised his hand and sent the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin flying towards the opponent¡¯s throat!

    The handsome scholar still stood in his original spot, flicked his finger, and a silver sword light burst out instantly, blocking the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin.

    Well fought! Yan Yu¡¯s eyes lit up.

    The White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin had no sword light, and being small, fast, and concealable, it was difficult to block. But the opponent did not rashly use Sword Control to intercept, nor did he dodge (after all, the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin could automatically track), but instead kept the sword in front of him.

    The True Yuan Heavy Sword was indeed as thick as a door panel, and with her petite figure, she could be completely shielded by the sword. When facing Zhao Yuanzhen, who didn¡¯t know to manually control the flight of the magic weapon, she could easily block without any need for technique.

    ¡°Ruoxi, do you see that?¡± he transmitted to Xie Ruoxi, pointing out, ¡°In the future, if you encounter attacks that are difficult to block or dodge, just use the True Yuan Heavy Sword as a shield in front of you, got it?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi was about to speak, only to hear the handsome scholar continue:

    ¡°My mom doesn¡¯t understand the weight of this unrivaled Immortal Venerate, she actually wants me to help her wash dishes after meals, what a joke! I told her, wait for me to fully restore my cultivation, I will establish a sect on the Divine Land of Lu Country, recruiting thousands of disciples. Then, not to mention doing dishes, even if it¡¯s a full house cleaning, people would queue up to do it for her!¡±

    ¡°Uh, uh, uh.¡± Xie Ruoxi¡¯s mouth was half-open, and tears involuntarily fell down.

    I want to die¡­ S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    I really want to travel back to the past and strangle that braggart version of myself in front of my parents¡­

    ¡°Don¡¯t pay attention to what she¡¯s saying!¡± Yan Yu scolded the beautiful good-for-nothing, ¡°Watch how she fights!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s face was ashen, her body shaky, as if her soul might leave her body and ascend to heaven the next second ¡ª no, more like plunge into hell, as heaven doesn¡¯t admit girls with a chuunibyou dark history.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want her to shut up quickly?¡± Seeing that she was unmoved, Yan Yu immediately switched to a different approach, ¡°You can¡¯t beat her now, so that¡¯s why you need to learn, right? As long as you learn her moves, what¡¯s left is just one-button attacking!¡±

    These words did manage to bring a bit of Xie Ruoxi¡¯s consciousness back: Right, I need to take her down quickly, otherwise my dark history will only grow!

    ¡°Lingyun, command.¡± Yan Yu snapped his fingers.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Chen Lingyun began adjusting the formation.

    ¡°Ningning, turn right 20 steps and stop, launch a long-range Sword Control attack, and be careful to dodge.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Lin Ning quickly moved to his assigned position.

    ¡°Sister Zhao, advance five steps and use the Yin Wind Sword for the attack for now,¡± Chen Lingyun continued to direct.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen didn¡¯t say much and quickly got into position.

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°Going,¡± Although there were no specific commands, Yan Yu had an understanding with her and immediately spotted a gap in the formation between Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen.

    He quickly stepped forward to fill the gap, forming a classic Three Talents Formation.

    Unlike the Five Elements Formation, the Three Talents Formation required three people to stand in an equilateral triangle with the target at the center. Without a designated ¡°main assaulter¡± to bear the brunt of the attack, every person might endure strikes, making it ideal to form the array with three Sword Immortals for ensured mobility and offensive power.

    Although the Zhenhai Team didn¡¯t have three Sword Immortals, Sister Zhao¡¯s Sword Control Technique was solid enough to set up this formation. Once the three of them took their positions, Sword Control attacks followed.

    Whenever the handsome scholar threw a Thunder Method spell toward anyone, the target would immediately shift aside to dodge. If she chose to move clockwise, Chen Lingyun would direct the other two to also turn clockwise, and vice versa, always maintaining a roughly equilateral triangle formation. No matter whom the opponent attacked, there would always be two people who could sneak attack from her left rear and right rear, forcing her into a defensive position where the silver sword light couldn¡¯t fly out, only able to defend with full effort.

    The Huang Tingjian, Yin Wind Sword, and Green Bamboo Sword struck together, compressing the silver sword light into an increasingly smaller circle until the Flying Sword path was nearly impenetrable.

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s spirits lifted as she asked,

    ¡°Are we going to win?¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Chen Lingyun instructed her, ¡°The smaller the sword circle, the stronger the defense, and this clone excels in abundant True Yuan. See, the Flying Swords struck by the silver light must fly back a certain distance before stabilizing, showing that despite her rudimentary skill level in swordsmanship, she still has an advantage in Swordsmanship Combat.¡±

    ¡°With the sword circle compressed to this extent, I suspect it¡¯s futile to attack further; we can only wait until her True Yuan is depleted¡­ But do clones run out of True Yuan? What if there¡¯s a Mysterious Realm to sustain her, then we would end up draining ourselves instead.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi fell silent for a moment, for the first time detesting why her natural aptitude for cultivation was so good and why her True Yuan had to be so strong.

    ¡°So what do we do?¡± she asked anxiously, ¡°Lingyun, think of something!¡±

    ¡°I am thinking,¡± Chen Lingyun replied with a smile.

    Though she said she was thinking, whether she was actually doing so was another matter. Xie Ruoxi was becoming increasingly frantic when she heard the handsome scholar say,

    ¡°Study? What study? It¡¯s not needed. Even if I finish college, what difference will it make? My destiny is not to sit in an office as a mere cog in the wheel! With my astonishing brilliance and unparalleled beauty, it¡¯s only a matter of time before I¡¯m noticed by a tall, handsome, ascetic husband from one of the Aristocratic Families. Then he¡¯ll force me to sign a marriage contract, confine me to a villa, shower me with endless pampering, and I¡¯ll bear him twins until I regain my past life¡¯s memories and the power of an Immortal Venerate. Then I¡¯ll turn the tables and dominate that overbearing husband¡­¡±

    Xie Ruoxi made an indistinct hehe sound in her throat as if she would foam at the mouth and faint any second, secretly transmitting a message to the clone, begging,

    ¡°Please stop talking¡­ Don¡¯t make me remember it, I beg you¡­ I was young and foolish, it was just a fantasy for fun, please don¡¯t expose it¡­¡±

    But the handsome scholar showed no mercy, continuing to look around with a smug expression of self-satisfaction, saying,

    ¡°See! I really was chosen by Yan Zhanlong!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi nearly choked on her blood, barely restraining the urge to draw her sword and end herself right then and there, when she heard Chen Lingyun say,

    ¡°Ruoxi, thunder.¡±

    Ahhhhhhhhhhhh I¡¯ll take you down with me! Xie Ruoxi roared in her heart, unleashing her full power and sending a thunder spell brimming with True Yuan flying toward the target.

    The handsome scholar was busy defending against Yan Yu¡¯s Sword Control attack from behind when the thunder spell¡¯s trajectory fell squarely into her blind spot.

    Cultivators did not rely solely on their eyesight, and so she suddenly surged to the left, narrowly evading the thunder spell.

    Had it been Yan Yu standing there, he would have sidestepped with a simple move to avoid the attack, but the scholar¡¯s control was not so skilled, dashing three to four steps to the left and significantly closing the distance to Zhao Yuanzhen¡ª at that moment, the Heavenly Yuan Sword was still entangled with the Huang Tingjian on Yan Yu¡¯s side!

    Zhao Yuanzhen was quick on her feet, swiftly raising her hand and sending a shadow flying from her sleeve ¨C it was the poised White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, aimed straight at the handsome scholar¡¯s heart!

 Chapter 319 - 16 Tearing off the Mask

    Chapter 319: Chapter 16 Tearing off the Mask

    The clone saw Zhao Yuanzhen raise her hand and knew something bad was coming, but her skills were limited. She only managed to tilt her body to avoid her vital points when she was hit by the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin right below her right shoulder, nailing her in place, and completely paralyzing the entire right arm from bone to muscle to meridians.

    Everyone¡¯s heart leapt with joy: Good! She¡¯s as good as half-dead!

    Zhao Yuanzhen formed a spell with her hands, seizing the opportunity to attack her weakened opponent. She thrust the Yin Wind Sword straight at the enemy¡¯s heart, only to see the handsome scholar suddenly pull out something, and with a slap, he blocked the thrust of the Yin Wind Sword.

    Hmm, what was that¡­ a spike?

    It was the Magic Artifact that they had confiscated from the remains of a gatekeeper in the Mysterious Realm on Black Dragon Isle last time!

    That Magic Artifact was originally a pair of spike-hammers, and now that the handsome scholar¡¯s right arm was disabled, he could only use his left arm to take out the spike artifact and place it horizontally in front of his chest, precisely where the Yin Wind Sword struck.

    ...

    Steel clashed with steel, sparks flew, and in an instant, they transformed into electric snakes dancing wildly, forcing the Yin Wind Sword away.

    ¡°Hehehehehehahahahahahaha!¡± The handsome scholar burst into crazed laughter, ¡°Such petty tricks dare to harm the body of my Immortal Venerate? Bring the sword!¡±

    The sword imbued with the power of the heavens pushed away the Huang Tingjian, and in a flash, it returned to her hand.

    ¡°Thunder erupts!¡± Xie Immortal Venerate laughed heartily again.

    Unable to wield the hammer with her disabled right arm, she manipulated it with her left hand, using the sword filled with the righteous energy of heaven as a hammer to strike fiercely at the back of the spike!

    Thunderbolts blossomed violently!

    From the tip of the spike spewed countless electric snakes that in the blink of an eye turned into huge silver pythons, rapidly coiling and rampaging around the arena, forcing the onlookers to dodge backward and retreat from their sharpness.

    The Three Talents Formation was no more, Xie Immortal Venerate began to run around the field wildly, with the heavenly sword moving alongside her, striking the spike every dozen steps or so, shouting,

    ¡°If heaven had not created me, Xie Ruoxi, the path of immortality would be as eternal as the darkest night!¡±

    With each strike of the spike, a huge electric python wreaked havoc across the field, pushing everyone toward the edges of the hall.

    Yan Yu pushed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step to its limits, narrowly dodging the electric snakes at the very last moment. Though she appeared ragged, she remained unscathed.

    The other ladies weren¡¯t so fortunate. Though they weren¡¯t directly hit by the electric pythons, they were still struck by the smaller snakes that the bigger ones sent shooting through the air. Their muscles burned and their hair stood on end. They weren¡¯t bleeding, but pain was etched into every part of their bodies.

    But the electric pythons were endless, just as one disappeared, another emerged!

    ¡°We can¡¯t keep this up!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly shouted fiercely, ¡°Otherwise, she¡¯ll kill us all sooner or later!¡±

    Throwing caution to the wind, she prepared to use her secret technique.

    ¡°Ruoxi!¡± Yan Yu also called out loudly, ¡°Can you break it?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying!¡± Xie Ruoxi screamed.

    She circulated the Thunder Method secret technique within her body, and thus controlled and neutralized the electric snakes that hit her, so her injuries were not severe.

    But her teammates didn¡¯t have any knowledge of the Thunder Method, and if Xie Ruoxi couldn¡¯t seize control of the electric pythons, the Zhenhai Team would face annihilation right then and there, repeating the fate of the Huofeng Team.

    Xie Ruoxi made all sorts of efforts, which only slightly slowed down the electric pythons¡¯ rampage for a moment, achieving basically nothing. Furious, Zhao Yuanzhen had already thrown her puppet Silver Pellet, ready to go all out, when she suddenly heard Xie Immortal Venerate laughing haughtily:

    ¡°How about it, captain! How do you feel now, how do you feel? This is the power of me, Xie Immortal Venerate!¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Xie Ruoxi¡¯s shriek turned into a wail.

    ¡°Captain, you fancied this pretty face of mine, didn¡¯t you?!¡± Xie Immortal Venerate kept on laughing crazily, continuing his arrogant talk, ¡°I¡¯m going to tell you now! My power is even above my beauty! You coveted my beauty, seducing me to Jinling first. Now it¡¯s time for me to tie you up and take you back to Baoqing to become my Immortal Venerate husband! The hen crows at dawn, topsy turvy against the heavens, it all happens today!¡±

    ¡°I told you to shut up!¡± Xie Ruoxi started to tremble, realizing that the deepest secrets of her heart, all those unspeakable hidden thoughts about her captain, were about to be ruthlessly revealed by the clone like bloody scars ripped open!

    ¡°Blame yourself for choosing me at my lowest!¡± Xie Immortal Venerate roared and once again struck the spike artifact hard, ¡°Take it, this is my dowry! I want you to present your bridal gifts!!!¡±

    The old electric python vanished, and a new one burst forth. But this time, instead of rampaging around the field, it charged straight at Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly, ready to perform the Sword-Human Unity and decapitate the force, but then she heard Xie Immortal Venerate shouting¡­ no, it was the screams of horror from Xie Ruoxi:

    ¡°I told you to shut up aaaaaaaaaa!!!!¡±

    She pushed her hands forward, fingers slightly spread as if grasping something, and then forcefully tore it aside. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The massive electric python that lunged at Yan Yu was indeed ripped out of its trajectory by her void pull, as if an invisible hand had grasped it, causing it to lose balance and veer off.

    A perfect opportunity!

    Two swords flashed swiftly, the blue sword light hit the heavenly sword, seizing it for a moment, and the Huang Tingjian¡¯s light struck unimpeded, instantly slicing Xie Immortal Venerate in two.

    The illusion of Xie Immortal Venerate finally shattered, turning into mere bubbles, and the electric pythons rampaging across the field also vanished without a trace.

    The shattered mirror pieces finally fell to the ground, and the sword lights returned. Zhao Yuanzhen roared furiously:

    ¡°I¡¯ll fight you with all I¡¯ve got!¡±

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress had heard the saying about guarding against fire, theft, and ¡°best friends,¡± but she never quite understood it. Little did she expect that out of everyone, Xie Ruoxi, who she had the closest relationship with, harbored such filthy thoughts deep inside her heart!

    You whore! She was supposed to be your best friend¡¯s partner!

 Chapter 320 - 16 Tearing off the Mask_2

    Chapter 320: Chapter 16 Tearing off the Mask_2

    She formed a sword technique with her hands, and the Yin Wind Sword immediately struck down from above, viciously slashing towards Xie Ruoxi¡¯s head.

    Xie Ruoxi instantly placed the True Yuan Sword in front of her like a shield, to take cover behind it, and indeed blocked the Yin Wind Sword head-on.

    The flashes of two sword lights had already circled back, and Yan Yu grabbed Zhao Yuanzhen, while Lin Ning quickly stepped in front of Xie Ruoxi, joining forces to separate the two parties that were about to start fighting.

    ¡°Are you being foolish again?¡± The Yin Wind Sword had not managed to slash the opponent¡¯s head, but Yan Yu instead slapped Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s forehead, saying, ¡°You believe the words of a replicant?¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I believe them?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said, aggrieved, ¡°And you¡¯re actually protecting her?!¡±

    ¡°I am the captain!¡± Yan Yu said righteously, ¡°When there is a conflict, do you seek the captain to administer justice, or do you take the law into your own hands?¡±

    ...

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s¡­¡± Zhao Yuanzhen subconsciously wanted to say ¡°Of course it¡¯s to take revenge first,¡± but stopped short, and then changed her words, ¡°Fine, fine, fine, let¡¯s see how you administer justice! If you can¡¯t make me satisfied, I¡¯ll renounce our ties right here today and kill you along with her!¡±

    ¡°Heh.¡± Yan Yu thought to himself that he had indeed misconstrued earlier. What ¡®boundless merit¡¯? The Demonic Sect Enchantress was truly a cat that never grew tame, always thinking of rebelling against her master, saying, ¡°Very well, then let Xie Ruoxi speak.¡±

    ¡°Ruoxi.¡± Chen Lingyun realized that, although it was quite amusing, if Zhao Yuanzhen couldn¡¯t step down, this matter probably couldn¡¯t be resolved, saying, ¡°Now you tell us, do you like Yan Yu?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi peeked out from behind her back, timidly glanced at Zhao Yuanzhen, and shook her head frantically¡ªhow could she dare to admit it at this moment?

    ¡°Then why did the replicant say she wanted to tie up Yan Yu and take him back to be her husband?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen pressed.

    ¡°Ultimately, this question boils down to whether the words of a replicant are credible.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°I guess no matter how I analyze it, I can¡¯t convince you. Why don¡¯t we meet with your replicant, then devise our plans? Whether your replicant is revealing your true feelings or intentionally sowing discord among the team, you should trust your own judgment, shouldn¡¯t you?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen stared at Xie Ruoxi intently for a long while before squeezing out a word through clenched teeth:

    ¡°Fine!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi, trembling like a frightened rabbit, was pulled aside by Chen Lingyun who then spent a while soothing her with kind words.

    ¡°Since both parties have come to an agreement, let¡¯s set this issue aside for now and return to it later.¡± Yan Yu nodded authoritatively, while secretly giving a thumbs-up to Chen Lingyun.

    If the replicant really broke through the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s defenses, then her hatred would shift entirely onto the replicant, and she would no longer have the heart to settle scores with Xie Ruoxi, would she?

    Women often argue simply by riding on a surge of temper. Once the temper dissipates, the ferocity fades. Some even know this and will deliberately dredge up old grievances during an argument, intending to fan the flames of their anger even higher¡ªa tactic essentially to layer themselves with a buff that enhances their offensive power.

    As for the method of resolution, it¡¯s quite simple¡­ To avoid being accused of padding word count for profit, I won¡¯t say it here.

    The group took a brief rest in the great hall, since they had all been injured by the Thunder Method not long before.

    Without Yun Jin here, everyone could only circulate their True Yuan repeatedly, directing it to wherever there was pain.

    True Yuan indeed was the best painkiller. Where it touched a wound, the wound would slowly heal; where it met muscle, the soreness would vanish without a trace. Obviously, this could result in unnoticed lasting injuries, but there was no helping it at the moment.

    Zhao Yuanzhen sat meditating alone next to Yan Yu, resembling a guard dog that protects its master, allowing no other seductress to approach.

    The other three girls each meditated to recover, occasionally glancing at each other¡ªeverything was communicated without words.

    No, that¡¯s not right; everything was communicated through telepathic message.

    ¡°We¡¯re all in the same boat.¡± Chen Lingyun sent a message to the two girls, saying, ¡°We need to join forces to deal with today¡¯s affairs properly, otherwise there will definitely be endless trouble afterward.¡±

    ¡°Deal with what?¡± Lin Ning was absolutely unwilling to admit anything to Ling Yun, just feigning ignorance as she asked, ¡°Everything has been made clear. Those replicants are merely spreading rumors and instigating conflict, and only Sister Zhao is stubbornly incredulous. Is there anything else that needs further explanation?¡±

    ¡°Whether Sister Zhao believes it or not is actually not important.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°The key thing is whether the captain believes it.¡±

    Uh¡­ Lin Ning and Xie Ruoxi were at first puzzled, but soon pictures surfaced in their minds.

    Lin Ning thought:

    Yan Yu lay on the sofa in the villa and called, ¡°I want to eat wonton noodles today.¡±

    In the kitchen, Lin Ning said, ¡°There are no wontons in the fridge, we can only make plain noodles today.¡±

    Yan Yu said, ¡°No wontons? Then use Sword Control to go buy some. Make sure to get them from the Yang¡¯s wonton shop in Cao Du Alley.¡±

    Lin Ning said, ¡°Why should I be the one to go buy them?¡±

    Yan Yu said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you secretly in love with me? What¡¯s wrong with buying something for your male god to eat? If you don¡¯t try hard to pursue the man you admire, who are you going to marry in the future? Are you planning to go on blind dates?¡±

    Thinking this, Lin Ning¡¯s fists clenched tightly, wishing she could catch Yan Yu and beat him up right away.

    Xie Ruoxi thought:

    One day in the future, she opened her computer to continue managing her social media account, only to discover that her comment section had been flooded with a barrage of trolls.

    ¡°Wow, that Xie Ruoxi really sucks! How dare she set her sights on my Brother Yan Yu!¡±

    ¡°Xie Ruoxi, come out and die! It¡¯s so funny, do you even deserve to fantasize about tying Yan Yu down and making him your husband? Stay in your damp and dingy place and don¡¯t come out to disgust everyone, crawl!¡±

    ¡°By the way, kidnapping someone to marry is a crime, isn¡¯t it? I know she hasn¡¯t done it yet, but just the thought of it makes me sick. Can I report her for attempted crime?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi, exerting all her efforts, fiercely debated with others online. Despite her brilliant sentences, rigorous logic, sharp rhetoric, and strong tone, which hit the nail on the head, she couldn¡¯t withstand the overwhelming number of opponents. For every comment she countered, a thousand more would appear in the comment section insulting her¡­ until Xie Ruoxi suddenly looked up to the sky and let out a pained scream, spitting out a mouthful of blood that stained the screen crimson.

    Then she collapsed onto the keyboard, her arms and legs twitching like a boiled octopus, and soon, she was motionless¡­

    Please, not that! Xie Ruoxi also screamed inwardly.

    ¡°Do you understand now?¡± Chen Lingyun, seeing the change in their expressions, smiled and said, ¡°Sister Zhao may or may not believe those so-called ¡®dark histories¡¯, but after all, she¡¯s just one person. The captain is different, though.¡±

    ¡°You all know how unrestrained the captain¡¯s mouth is. Is he going to tell Yun Jin? And if he does, can we stop him? If not, what right do we have to prevent him from telling others besides Yun Jin?¡±

    Lin Ning and Xie Ruoxi¡¯s expressions became stern. Was Yan Yu the type to gossip recklessly? Of course not. But Chen Lingyun¡¯s suggestion was even more cunning. She didn¡¯t ask, ¡°Will Yan Yu tell others?¡±, but rather, ¡°Do we have a way to stop him from telling others?¡±

    The answer was no.

    As everyone knows, ¡°dark histories¡± are like time bombs. You don¡¯t need the intent to kill me; the mere fact that you¡¯re carrying a bomb makes me scared.

    How many intelligence brokers thrive because they possess copious amounts of dirt on political figures, making them untouchable?

    Now that Yan Yu held their dark histories, and they were helpless against him, it was like a non-nuclear state facing a nuclear state¡ªthe balance of power was not equal. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Being unequal meant lacking confidence in speaking, meaning they would be subject to his whims in the future, unable to resist¡­

    ¡°So what do we do?¡± Lin Ning asked, ¡°Wait for his clone to explode his dark history too, and then we threaten each other into mutual secrecy?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s one way to think about it,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°But what if he doesn¡¯t care about his dark history at all?¡±

    ¡°Then wouldn¡¯t he be invincible?¡± Xie Ruoxi said in shock.

    Although Yan Yu had never been defeated so far, there¡¯s a difference between being ¡°undefeated¡± and ¡°invincible.¡±

    ¡°Regardless of whether we can find a way to counter him, what we need to do now is to form an alliance,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°If we can¡¯t come together and instead continue to fight on our own, then we definitely won¡¯t stand a chance against him.¡±

 Chapter 321 - 17 Zhao Yuanzhen: I Understand Everything Now

    Chapter 321: Chapter 17 Zhao Yuanzhen: I Understand Everything Now

    The other three girls had secretly agreed to cooperate. Zhao Yuanzhen, who knew nothing about this, was trailing behind Yan Yu, while trying to interrogate him through a whisper transmission:

    ¡°So what exactly is your relationship with them?¡±

    ¡°Comrades-in-arms, of course,¡± said Yan Yu.

    Zhao Yuanzhen didn¡¯t believe him; she just glared at him suspiciously.

    Glare.

    ¡°Even if you manage to find flowers on my face from staring, we are still just comrades-in-arms,¡± Yan Yu continued.

    ...

    ¡°So why do they all seem to like you?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen persisted.

    ¡°How would I know?¡± Yan Yu retorted, ¡°First off, I don¡¯t even know if the ¡®true feelings¡¯ spoken by their replicas are real or fake; secondly, even if what they said is all true, what¡¯s that got to do with me? Should I go around slapping each of them twice on the cheeks, saying ¡®You think you¡¯re worthy of liking me¡¯?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like you can¡¯t do that,¡± said Zhao Yuanzhen angrily, ¡°Such nauseating talk seems to give you no pressure at all. Why not just directly cut off their hopes? In the end, you¡¯re just enjoying the feeling of being secretly loved.¡±

    ¡°Get real,¡± Yan Yu sighed helplessly, ¡°Not to mention whatever misconceptions you have about me. All the evidence so far comes from one-sided accounts by the replicas. Who breaks off relations with teammates over such baseless allegations? I¡¯m not you!¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen snorted coldly, ¡°Once I see my replica, I¡¯ll be able to verify the truth.¡±

    ¡°Just don¡¯t lose your composure when you see your replica,¡± teased Yan Yu.

    ¡°Ridiculous, what ¡®black history¡¯ could I possibly have?¡±

    In your past life, there was a ton of ¡®black history¡¯, all leading up to being trolled until you broke down and tracked people down offline¡­ Yan Yu really wanted to mock this Demonic Sect Enchantress but he just barely held back.

    The group passed through the long corridor with the atmosphere slightly tense.

    Partly because of the ¡®black history¡¯, and partly because the strength of the replicas was indeed getting stronger and stronger.

    Having battled only the third replica, it already managed to use area-wide Thunder Method attacks to push everyone to the brink of defeat right there and then; one could hardly bear to consider, dare not even think about, just how monstrously powerful the next two would be.

    Yan Yu, however, was not worried at all.

    Empress Yuanzhen? He had seen her in his last life.

    Sword Immortal of the Eight Min? He had seen them in his last life, too.

    Immortal Venerate of Lightning? He had seen them as well in his last life.

    Chen Lingyun, who plays with ghosts? He hadn¡¯t seen her in his previous life, but in this life, it was Yan Yu¡¯s own proposed cultivation path. Besides, he knew Chen Lingyun too well, so he could fully imagine it.

    They say fear comes from the unknown; if something is anticipated, there¡¯s not much left to fear.

    The only wild card was likely to come from his own replica¡ªhis past self who relied on an external Spiritual Energy storage device to fight. In this life, he didn¡¯t know how formidable a person he might be now that he had become a Cultivator.

    Ha ha, looking forward to it.

    The group reached the fourth combat hall. Ready for action, they soon saw Zhao Yuanzhen emerge from the mirror.

    No, that wasn¡¯t Zhao Yuanzhen, it was Empress Yuanzhen.

    They were identical in appearance and beauty, but the demeanor of the Empress was slightly less innocent and pure compared to Zhao Yuanzhen and a bit more enchanting and captivating.

    She wore a deep red dress with wide sleeves, looking like a high-ranking female authority from an ancient painting, such as an empress or a queen. Deep red isn¡¯t easy for most to pull off, being too bright, too garish, but on her it seemed tailor-made, her entire presence like a blazing flame, mercilessly scorching everyone around her without restraint.

    The Zhenhai Team adopted the Five Elements Formation as usual, with Yan Yu taking the position as the main striker, directly confronting the Empress Yuanzhen.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, observing her replica from the side, muttered to herself just before the fight began:

    ¡°What kind of clothes is this woman wearing, what kind of makeup is that? Pretty nice looking, I¡¯ll have to remember that, find a tailor to make it for me later.¡±

    No sooner had that thought crossed her mind than she heard Empress Yuanzhen lift her sleeve, cover her mouth and laugh:

    ¡°My Lord, have you come to see me? And brought so many sisters with you, what is it that you intend to do?¡±

    Everyone went silent at that, only Zhao Yuanzhen remained composed.

    That¡¯s right, isn¡¯t my relationship with the thief that of martial companions? If I don¡¯t call him my Lord, what should I call him? This imposter, leaving aside other things, got at least this term right without any doubt¡­ Sisters? What sisters?

    ¡°But you know,¡± the Empress continued with her charming smile, ¡°Taking concubines requires the main wife¡¯s consent. I haven¡¯t agreed yet, so how did you put them in the chambers already? That¡¯s not right; it deserves a punishment~¡±

    All present immediately erupted into commotion. Chen Lingyun smiled faintly, Xie Ruoxi opened her mouth halfway, Lin Ning wore a completely disgusted expression, and Zhao Yuanzhen felt her mind buzz at that moment, followed by a surge of rage, and then she shouted:

    ¡°What taking concubines? No way! Not allowed!¡±

    ¡°Hehe,¡± The Empress Yuanzhen cuddled her cheek with her sleeve and her eyes rippled with laughter as she looked at Zhao Yuanzhen, but she kept talking to Yan Yu, ¡°My Lord, do you know? Actually, I don¡¯t mind you being with them as long as you let me be the chief consort¡­¡±

    ¡°Pfft!¡± Xie Ruoxi burst out, ¡°What kind of outdated male-lead novel plot twist is this! That¡¯s how people wrote back when I was in grade school, we don¡¯t write like this anymore, come on!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was also overcome with furious urgency and without waiting for Chen Lingyun¡¯s orders, she charged out ahead. Her Yin Wind Sword took the lead in attacking Empress Yuanzhen as she roared:

    ¡°Shut up! Shut up!¡±

    Are these the words you are allowed to say? And by saying this, how will my sisters look at me afterward? Will they all think that I allowed a young thief to take concubines and share what I have?

    Thinking this way, the more she thought, the angrier she became, until the rage went straight to her head and her blood seemed to boil over, wishing she could immediately rush over and chop that Empress Yuanzhen into ten or eight pieces.

    With a loud bang, Empress Yuanzhen remained motionless, a deep purple sword light already thrusting sideways, knocking the Yin Wind Sword flying.

    Seeing that the Demonic Sect Enchantress was no match, Yan Yu also executed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step. His figure flickered, leaping more than ten meters away, slashing down with his Huang Tingjian overhead.

    Empress Yuanzhen executed a sword technique, and the deep purple sword light instantly returned to her side, blocking the slicing strike of the Huang Tingjian. The latter, being a heavy sword, surprisingly, did not gain the upper hand in a direct confrontation, indicating that the true yuan strength of this duplicate was already far superior to everyone present at the scene.

    Taking advantage of the deep purple sword light clashing with the Huang Tingjian, Zhao Yuanzhen took the opportunity to throw her White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin. With a clang, the hairpin pierced the body, but Empress Yuanzhen remained unscathed¡ªbefore her stood another ¡°Zhao Yuanzhen,¡± who took the blow from the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, yet her face showed no sign of abnormality.

    Puppet.

    If the duplicate is using puppets, then I won¡¯t hold back either!

    From Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s sleeve rolled out a Silver Pellet; her String-Pulling Technique sprang into action, instantly transforming her into an equally slim and attractive enchantress. Blade mechanisms shot out from her wrists, and she rushed forward at high speed.

    Puppet Ami!

    The two puppets battled each other, as the Huang Tingjian clashed head-on with the deep purple sword light. Lin Ning seized the opportunity to perform a sword technique with her hands. The Green Bamboo Sword, taking advantage of Yan Yu¡¯s cover, moved closer, suddenly flying out from under his armpit, aiming for Empress Yuanzhen!

    Empress Yuanzhen let out a light chuckle, her cherry lips parted slightly, spewing out a large expanse of pitch-black fog, instantly enveloping her surroundings.

    The Green Bamboo Sword shot towards where she originally stood but struck nothing. Lin Ning scanned with her Divine Sense and before she could find Empress Yuanzhen, she suddenly heard Chen Lingyun urgently cry out:

    ¡°Ruoxi, be careful!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi immediately retreated, but her reaction was ultimately half a step too slow. Empress Yuanzhen¡¯s hairpin had already pierced her chest, causing her to cry out in pain as she fell backward.

    The five ghosts rushed to her back, transforming into a soft cushion to catch her body, only to see her eyes tightly shut, teeth clenched, having completely fainted.

    ¡°Sister Zhao, come back and help, Ningning, go replace her,¡± Chen Lingyun quickly commanded, her thoughts racing like lightning in her mind.

    The purpose of the Five Elements Formation is to ensure the main assaulter always stands at the forefront, obstructing the opponent¡¯s line of sight, thereby covering the other teammates and ensuring that the firepower delivery is not affected.

    Empress Yuanzhen belched out a black fog, hiding her figure such that everyone couldn¡¯t clearly see her position, let alone judge who she was facing and at whom she was striking next¡­ In this way, the Five Elements Formation lost its meaning.

    That¡¯s why she called Zhao Yuanzhen back, partly to have her remove the hairpin from Xie Ruoxi, and partly to have her cover for herself and Xie Ruoxi, since both of their frontline capabilities were not all that great. They could manage against ordinary Transcendents, but were completely outclassed by Zhao¡¯s clones.

    Although Zhao Yuanzhen was furious, she luckily retained her rationality, knowing that Xie Ruoxi¡¯s Thunder Method was also a powerful output tool and indispensable to the team. She swiftly returned to their side and used the technique for activating the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, trying to extract the hairpin from within Xie Ruoxi.

    If it were anyone else, even if they knew the techniques for manipulating the magical artifact, they wouldn¡¯t be able to move one that had been refined by someone else. But there was no difference between the original and the clone; Xie Ruoxi had already previously forcibly seized control of the clone¡¯s lightning, and Chen Lingyun took note of this, the mechanism immediately becoming clear to her.

    Indeed, as she expected, the hairpin began to slowly extract itself with only a slight tug from Zhao Yuanzhen, and Xie Ruoxi¡¯s breathing became more rapid.

    While she focused on the rescue, Ami¡¯s performance immediately became erratic, but Chen Lingyun had made preparations. Lin Ning¡¯s Green Bamboo Sword light swiftly took over, helping to hold off Empress Yuanzhen¡¯s puppet enemy, so the battle didn¡¯t completely spiral out of control.

    ¡°Ling Yun is really impressive, managing to salvage such a disadvantageous situation,¡± Empress Yuanzhen¡¯s laughter rang out from within the mist. ¡°If I were the queen, I¡¯d appoint you the honored imperial concubine of the Eastern Palace, in charge of the many concubines¡­¡±

    ¡°Shut your nonsense!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen roared.

    This position of honored concubine in charge of the harem¡ªNingning could do it, Yun Jin could do it, but I absolutely can¡¯t stand the thought of Chen Lingyun taking up the role! Eh? No¡­ Where are these ludicrous thoughts coming from?

    He¡¯s mine, and nobody can take him! Where did this thought come from? It must be the clone casting a spell, subtly influencing my mind, causing strange thoughts that I would never have! S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    In that instant, enlightenment struck Zhao Yuanzhen.

    It wasn¡¯t that the clone could read our thoughts, but that while the clone was fabricating baseless rumors, it was also secretly employing the String-Pulling Technique, making us mistakenly believe that these were our own unspeakable true desires, thus causing our reason to waver, our state to deteriorate, or even to become utterly unhinged with confusion!

    The best evidence was that I never entertained the idea of them laying hands on my man, but then, influenced by the clone¡¯s String-Pulling Technique, the idea of being the chief wife and living a life of luxury while managing my sisters seemed not half bad¡­ Damn it, you deserve to die! How dare you influence my mind; you deserve to be minced and ground to dust by me!

    Lost in erratic thoughts, Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s mind raced wild. Distracted, the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin slowly started to retreat back in, causing Xie Ruoxi intense pain as she coughed up blood and, regaining consciousness, quickly grabbed Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s hand and pleaded:

    ¡°Sister, spare my life¡­¡±

    Seeing her in such a pitiful state, Zhao Yuanzhen was reminded of the happy times they had shared as close friends, eating and drinking together, and her heart softened.

    But then she thought, I actually misunderstood my sister earlier, manipulated by her clone into discord, and her anger flared again. Her True Yuan surged as she exerted all her strength, pulling out the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin with one determined effort, and then turned to say:

    ¡°Ling Yun, have Ningning come back to cover for you. My clone has too many tricks up her sleeve, beyond your current ability to handle.¡±

    ¡°And what about you?¡± Chen Lingyun asked knowingly.

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m going to finish her off myself,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said with a ghostly smile, revealing her eerie white teeth.

 Chapter 322 - 18 She Lied About Everything

    Chapter 322: Chapter 18 She Lied About Everything

    Zhao Yuanzhen, who initially didn¡¯t understand the mechanism, was extremely angry.

    Now that she discovered the clone was spouting nonsense, trying to influence her with a heart-demon technique, she instead became calm and composed.

    ¡°In fact, although my husband usually scolds me, yells at me, and bullies me, I also secretly keep a little notebook in my heart,¡± continued Empress Yuanzhen with a laugh amidst the thick fog, ¡°But I actually never planned to seek revenge on him, because I know to evaluate a man, you not only have to look at what he says but also at what he does.¡±

    ¡°His actions have proven that he does treat me with his heart. So no matter how he teases or plays with me in his words, I take it as a little fun between husband and wife, and don¡¯t take it to heart.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said with contempt, not forgetting to telepathically tell the other team members (including Yan Yu), ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her nonsense. I¡¯m a person who seeks revenge; a delay of ten years is nothing! You stinking thief, just wait, sooner or later I will settle the score with you!¡±

    Yan Yu couldn¡¯t be bothered with her and concentrated on fighting the deep purple sword light, secretly assessing the swordsmanship level of Empress Yuanzhen.

    ...

    Zhao Yuanzhen, who had just arrived in this world, had swordsmanship similar to the famed Empress Yuanzhen from her previous life: a typical wild style, aiming for a kill in one strike.

    Missed? Strike again. Missed again? Strike yet again¡­ It was basically all offense, no defense, without any fancy feints or deceptions.

    The reason for adhering to such an offensive style was partly because Qiansi Sect didn¡¯t boast swordsmanship as its strength, and partly because she never had the chance to spar and learn from enemies who were adept at swordsmanship. She usually dealt with nobodies, naturally opting for the most efficient killing method available to her.

    Of course, in this life, having to mix with Yan Yu and face top Transcendents from around the world, that wholly offensive wild swordsmanship was utterly useless. If the enemy presented a fake opening to trap her, and she foolishly charged in, how could that work?

    After a brief exchange with Empress Yuanzhen, Yan Yu quickly concluded: there was progress.

    But it was not enough.

    It seemed he would have to increase her daily swordsmanship training¡­

    Lin Ning retreated to where Chen Lingyun and Xie Ruoxi were. The Green Bamboo Sword flashed suddenly, deflecting a sneak attack from the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin.

    Xie Ruoxi struggled to sit cross-legged, channeling her True Yuan to seal the bleeding from her wound; Chen Lingyun, on the other hand, threw out the Divine Evil Prayer Beads to help Yan Yu lock onto the opponent¡¯s deep purple sword light.

    Empress Yuanzhen didn¡¯t confront them with her Flying Sword directly, but under the change of the sword technique, the deep purple sword light dodged the Prayer Beads and turned to intercept Zhao Yuanzhen, while the puppet charged towards Chen Lingyun and the others.

    Yan Yu immediately stepped back to intercept the puppet¡¯s path, with the Huang Tingjian slashing down overhead.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, in turn, released her puppet Ami to confront the clone¡¯s Flying Sword, while she herself charged into the black fog, quietly operating her technique. The black fog immediately surged.

    A moment later, the black fog abruptly dispersed, revealing the two Zhao Yuanzhens fighting inside.

    The Empress Yuanzhen bit her tongue, spitting out several black blood arrows towards Zhao Yuanzhen, who quickly sidestepped, spreading herself thin, and with a wave of her left hand, a stream of black energy shot from her fingertips, wrapping around like a cord in mid-air, immediately entangling Empress Yuanzhen. However, the latter¡¯s right fingernails suddenly elongated, sweeping away casually, severing the black energy¡­ All sorts of techniques, all kinds of methods, dazzled the onlookers in the distance, making them wonder what kind of Taoism Method Sister Zhao was using¡ªit seemed like she was about to perform some impressive trick.

    Yan Yu, watching from afar, knew that these were not Taoism Methods, but instead, Techniques.

    ¡°Tao¡± and ¡°Technique¡± are two different levels; the former almost certainly encompasses the fundamental principles of the great Dao, just to varying extents, while the latter often is merely a superficial application of True Yuan. Although its power definitely couldn¡¯t compare to Taoism Methods, it is advantageous in its diversity and unpredictability, making it extremely useful in combat against others.

    The Three Arts and Five Spells are just the most basic spells, not quite considered part of the Taoism Method. As for the dark arts currently used by Zhao Yuanzhen, even if Yan Yu watched very carefully, he could probably only recognize about sixty to seventy percent of them.

    For instance, the one where the tongue is bitten is called ¡°Nail Tongue Arrows¡±; the one where black gas is sprayed from the fingertips is known as ¡°Soul-Snatching Cord¡±; the one where fingernails suddenly grow long is named ¡°White Bone Claw¡±¡­ Just by the names, it¡¯s clear they are not on the same level as the ¡°Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art,¡± but at the current stage, purely in terms of killing efficiency, they were actually much faster than the Taoism Method. If it were anyone else standing opposite to Empress Yuanzhen, they would have been killed within minutes by the endless emergence of these sinister and unfamiliar dark arts.

    He quickly refocused his attention, allowing Huang Tingjian to present an opening, drawing the opponent¡¯s puppet closer. Then, with a flurry of punches and kicks, he pressed the puppet back, and Huang Tingjian took the chance to strike from behind once again.

    Caught between the pincers, the puppet finally couldn¡¯t hold on and was abruptly decapitated by a gap spotted by Huang Tingjian, its head flying off. In the air, however, it turned into wood¡ªit turned out that Empress Yuanzhen had at some point employed a life-substituting wooden dummy using the ¡°cicada shedding¡± technique, replacing her combat puppet.

    In his past life, Yan Yu wasn¡¯t skilled in the String-Pulling Technique, and although Huang Tingjian had struck the opponent, he immediately sensed something was amiss. However, due to his lack of experience, he didn¡¯t react right away.

    By the time he realized it was the ¡°cicada shedding¡± trick, the puppet¡¯s true body had already turned and sprinted away, rushing towards Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s direction, evidently intending to pincer attack with Empress Yuanzhen from both sides.

    Yan Yu was about to go over to help when he saw the deep purple sword light attack once more, tying him down again.

    Lin Ning couldn¡¯t leave her spot, as the enemy shot White Bone Heart-locking Hairpins at her from time to time¡ªfast, concealed, and deadly. Xie Ruoxi was seriously injured and couldn¡¯t move; Lin Ning could only defend them while occasionally using the Metal-Element Impact Curse to harass the enemy, but to no avail. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Chen Lingyun threw out her prayer beads, attempting once again to lock down the deep purple sword light, but the opponent immediately switched the Flying Sword with the puppet, evading the Divine Evil Prayer Beads¡¯ blockade. She launched the Five Spells and the mother-child Resentful Spirits, constantly circling around the still fighting duo, patiently looking for possible openings in Empress Yuanzhen.

    Suddenly, they heard Empress Yuanzhen laugh and say:

    ¡°Ling Yun, there¡¯s no point in wasting your effort. I basically know all your tactical tricks like the back of my hand, and besides, my cultivation realm now far surpasses you all¡ªthose little tricks are useless against me.¡±

    ¡°Whether they work or not, we¡¯ll only know after trying,¡± Chen Lingyun replied calmly.

    ¡°Do you know?¡± continued Empress Yuanzhen, ¡°I have always admired you.¡±

    ¡°Admire me for what?¡± Chen Lingyun feigned surprise.

    ¡°For your intelligence~¡± Empress Yuanzhen said with a cheerful laugh, ¡°I didn¡¯t read much when I was young, and my educational level wasn¡¯t high, I always felt inferior around you. Although I was often harsh to you, it was just out of fear that you¡¯d see through me and look down on me.¡±

    ¡°What a load of bullshit!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen started to get annoyed and communicated with Chen Lingyun via a secret message, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare believe her nonsense! Admire you? What a joke, with your toothpick height and bean sprout figure, why would I envy you?¡±

    Chen Lingyun: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Ningning,¡± Empress Yuanzhen turned her head, smiling radiantly, ¡°I absolutely adore your exquisite cooking skills. I always say I want to order takeout, but it¡¯s not because I don¡¯t like what you cook, it¡¯s just that I don¡¯t want you to become too tired or too busy and grow to disliking it, then refuse to cook for me in the future.¡±

    Lin Ning was quite touched, but Zhao Yuanzhen grew increasingly angry and said disdainfully:

    ¡°What nonsense! You¡¯re too stingy to even add oil and refuse to use MSG, acting as if one extra spoonful would kill you. You¡¯re always fussing over your nutritious meal plans, what¡¯s that compared to the deliciousness of stir-fried dishes from the culinary world outside? Ningning, if you think you can use your cooking skills to tie me down, you¡¯re hopelessly deluded and wildly dreaming!¡±

    Lin Ning: ¡­¡­¡­

 Chapter 323 - 19: Demonic Sect Enchantress, Yet A Good Person

    Chapter 323: Chapter 19: Demonic Sect Enchantress, Yet A Good Person

    Yan Yu was shocked as he listened to Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s speech, thinking to himself: Could it be that I was mistaken, and Ningning is not the proudest member of our team?

    Is there another ultimate, peerless, proud character?

    No, no! The Empress Yuanzhen of the previous life wasn¡¯t like this at all!

    It¡¯s not that I¡¯m confused by preconceived notions; rather, anyone who had actually seen the Empress Yuanzhen of the previous life in her arrogant state would never believe she¡¯s some kind of ¡°cold on the outside, warm on the inside, seemingly proud but actually kind-hearted girl¡±.

    She, who boasted about her own life in documentaries, whose private scandals were spread everywhere, then straightforwardly tracked down her critics through the Internet to kill them, and after the murder, she even shouted for the Privy Council to clean up her mess¡­ No matter how you look at it, she¡¯s a capricious and insane woman who is ruthless on the outside but frail on the inside and who disregards human life, order, rules, and authority.

    But when her clone revealed her innermost thoughts, it turned out to be a kind-hearted girl who knows right from wrong and is grateful¡­

    ...

    Impossible! Absolutely impossible!!!

    The battle between Empress Yuanzhen and Zhao Yuanzhen was still fierce, with various treacherous spells being exchanged in rapid succession. They were evenly matched, with each move met by a counter.

    Due to the concentration of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, her strength was only at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage.

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s actual strength was also at the Hua Fu Stage, the difference between her and Empress Yuanzhen being only that between ¡°not yet complete¡± and ¡°complete¡± within the same stage, which in reality wasn¡¯t a significant gap.

    Moreover, the opponent had to split her focus on Flying Swords, puppets or magical treasures, to entangle Yan Yu and put pressure on Lin Ning¡¯s side. Therefore, the fight against Zhao Yuanzhen was in a stalemate, and she was even beginning to fall behind.

    Lacking in strength, she made up for it with her mouth, after professing her feelings in turn to Yan Yu, Chen Lingyun, and Lin Ning, she brought up Xie Ruoxi:

    ¡°Ruoxi, among the teammates, the one I have the closest relationship with is you. You and I are like two peas in a pod, and I¡¯ve seen full well the moments of inferiority and loneliness that you sometimes show. Perhaps in this world, there aren¡¯t many who can truly understand me, but fortunately, you are one of them.¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhao!¡± Xie Ruoxi was still healing, her face contorted in pain, but when she heard Empress Yuanzhen¡¯s touching speech, she immediately became so excited that she burst into tears, unable to help herself from exclaiming, ¡°Sister Zhao! I also think of you as my own sister!¡±

    ¡°Pfft!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen almost gagged with disgust, her technique faltering for a moment, nearly allowing Empress Yuanzhen to make a comeback. She quickly steadied her offensive and defensively yelled, ¡°Nonsense! Rubbish! The only reason I¡¯ve been hanging out with you is because I saw you were new and timid, like a wild rabbit being taken in for the first time, and I simply took pity on you for having no friends!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi: ¡­¡­¡­

    She wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes, her sorrow turning to laughter, and said to Chen Lingyun and Lin Ning beside her:

    ¡°Sister Zhao really likes to say one thing and mean another. If her clone hadn¡¯t said these things herself, I¡¯d never have known that this is what she really thinks.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Chen Lingyun, always one to enjoy a good disturbance, immediately chimed in with a laugh, ¡°So Sister Zhao actually wants to get close to me, but didn¡¯t dare to say it because she felt inferior. What¡¯s the big deal? Honestly, when I first saw Sister Zhao, I also felt she was as friendly as the girl next door.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was so frustrated she felt like spitting blood, trembling with anger, her performance getting worse and worse, nearly being turned around by Empress Yuanzhen.

    Lin Ning saw her predicament and hurriedly advised:

    ¡°Enough already! Stop picking on Sister Zhao! Keep these words in your heart, don¡¯t say them out loud and affect her performance!¡±

    ¡°Right, I won¡¯t say anymore.¡±

    ¡°Exactly, just silently be grateful.¡±

    Chen Lingyun and Xie Ruoxi immediately nodded, their agreement falling on Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s ears like thunder, infuriating her to the point of almost exploding. She threw caution to the wind and launched an all-out assault, pouring all sorts of attack techniques, along with her full fury and resentment, straight toward Empress Yuanzhen!

    With a sound like a silver urn shattering, Empress Yuanzhen staggered back five or six steps, while Zhao Yuanzhen was sent flying.

    Just then, still in the process of healing, Xie Ruoxi suddenly raised her hand and fired a Jade Pivot Thunder!

    The Empress was about to dodge when she suddenly found herself unable to move her feet.

    Yin Ghosts? When did they get so close? Why didn¡¯t my Divine Sense detect them?

    With sudden confusion and surprise, her upper body was struck by the Jade Pivot Thunder and instantly exploded into pieces.

    The deep purple sword light and the puppets all vanished without a trace. Yan Yu immediately went to check on Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s condition. Thankfully, she was not in danger of losing her life, though she was seriously injured.

    ¡°Well done,¡± he said, turning back to the others.

    ¡°It¡¯s because we worked well together,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    To guard against Chen Lingyun¡¯s stealthy Yin Ghosts, Empress Yuanzhen¡¯s Divine Sense had been continuously scanning the surroundings. However, whenever Chen Lingyun threw the Divine Evil Prayer Beads in an attempt to lock onto her deep purple sword light, the Empress had to switch the positions of her Flying Sword and puppets to avoid being targeted by the beads.

    At that moment, since the Empress was both using the Sword Control Technique and employing the String-Pulling Technique to manage the puppets, as well as facing off against the near Zhao Yuanzhen, she inevitably had no time to use her Divine Sense to scan the area.

    Therefore, Yan Yu intentionally drew the battlefield to the other side. When Empress Yuanzhen moved her sword light and puppets, it allowed the Yin Ghosts to approach her from behind while invisible¡ªconsidering the swift speed of both the sword light and the puppets, which could cross over a dozen meters in less than a second, the window of opportunity for action was incredibly narrow. Even a half-second delay could lead to detection on the spot.

    Although Chen Lingyun¡¯s reaction speed was lacking, as long as she wasn¡¯t under the pressure of battle and could wait at leisure, her ability to seize the moment was undoubtedly top-notch. The reason he had Lin Ning come over to act as a dedicated bodyguard seemed like tying down an important combatant but actually created the opportunity for Chen Lingyun¡¯s critical strike.

    Yan Yu briefly explained, and both Lin Ning and Xie Ruoxi had an epiphany.

    After a short period of regulating her breath, Zhao Yuanzhen, with her body covered in wounds, got up from the ground, gritting her teeth and saying:

    ¡°Finally resolved¡­ Hmpf, I thought it would be more formidable than that!¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhao!¡± the three girls surrounded her, chattering away, ¡°We had no idea you thought of us that way!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t! That¡¯s not what I meant! Stop making things up!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen vehemently denied, her face flushing and ears reddening, wishing she could catch Empress Yuanzhen again and shred her into eighty thousand pieces to vent her frustration.

    ¡°Oh come on, we all know now, no need to be shy about it,¡± Lin Ning cheerfully interjected.

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Xie Ruoxi added, with a satisfied expression that said ¡°Who would have thought you were like this, Sister Zhao,¡± nodding incessantly. ¡°I knew from the very beginning that Sister Zhao is a very gentle and kind-hearted good person.¡±

    ¡°Er¡­ Er¡­ Er¡­ Er¡­ Er¡­¡± Struck by the proverbial ¡®nice guy¡¯ card, Zhao Yuanzhen, who prided herself on being ruthless, couldn¡¯t help but let out groans that sounded like a machine on the verge of breaking down.

    ¡°Since we all know, we can¡¯t keep Yun Jin in the dark,¡± Chen Lingyun delivered the final blow with a gleeful smile. ¡°After we get out of here, we¡¯ll tell her about this so she can also change her perspective on Sister Zhao a little bit.¡± sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Zhao Yuanzhen rolled her eyes and suddenly fell backwards, collapsing.

 Chapter 324 - 20 I, Yan Yu, am Open and Aboveboard

    Chapter 324: Chapter 20 I, Yan Yu, am Open and Aboveboard

    Zhao Yuanzhen collapsed like that, and the girls immediately became flustered.

    Xie Ruoxi fed her water, Lin Ning pinched her philtrum, and Yan Yu sent his Divine Sense into her body for a probe, only to be greatly shocked and horrified.

    Feigning unconsciousness!

    When did this Demonic Sect Enchantress evolve her intelligence? She even mastered the skill of playing unconscious without speaking!

    Lin Ning was still pinching her philtrum, trying to forcibly wake her as she cried out,

    ¡°Sister Zhao! Don¡¯t sleep! You mustn¡¯t fall unconscious!¡±

    ...

    But while you can wake up someone who is truly unconscious, how can you wake someone who¡¯s pretending? No matter how hard she tried, Zhao Yuanzhen just silently endured, her eyes tightly shut, her arms hanging down, completely motionless.

    Yan Yu held her hand down and said gravely,

    ¡°I¡¯ve checked. She¡¯s probably suffered severe injuries, gotten battle stress, and lost her memory. If she wakes up later, nobody should mention anything about the clones. Pretend nothing happened, to avoid further aggravating her injuries.¡± sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Lin Ning: ???

    Just as she was about to ask ¡°How did it become battle stress¡± ¡°How do you know¡± ¡°Should we not bring it up now or also not in the future,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, who had been unresponsive to the pinching, finally came to slowly and said,

    ¡°It hurts so much!¡­ Uh, what happened? Did we win?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we overcame the fourth clone too.¡± Yan Yu nodded calmly, ¡°How about you? Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said casually, ¡°I just need to heal up a bit; it¡¯s nothing serious, I can continue on in a moment.¡±

    Seeing she had returned to normal, Lin Ning felt it was not appropriate to ask too much, but Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t care about that and asked curiously,

    ¡°Sister Zhao, do you not remember anything?¡±

    ¡°Remember what?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked curiously.

    At this moment, her eyes were clear, and her expression was innocent, as if truly nothing had happened.

    Xie Ruoxi wanted to ask more, but Lin Ning pulled hard on her arm, and she suddenly realized and said obediently,

    ¡°As long as Sister Zhao is fine.¡±

    Everyone begin meditating, checking for injuries on themselves.

    The conditions of Xie Ruoxi and Zhao Yuanzhen were not very good; the former had been nailed through the chest by the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, barely missing her heart. It could be considered a stroke of luck¡ªbut considering the Mysterious Realm is a test, it¡¯s possible that hitting this spot was intentional, not accidental.

    Zhao Yuanzhen had foregone defense in order to exchange injuries with Empress Yuanzhen, and her body had been hit by two or three sinister spells, requiring her to expel the foreign True Yuan with her own.

    Both of their conditions weren¡¯t ideal. They could still fight, but how much of their original strength they could exert was really hard to say.

    Besides the main injuries, there were various minor external wounds and the depletion of True Yuan in the Dantian, which there is no need to mention in detail.

    After nearly half a month of drawn-out warfare in the Southern Border, everyone had gained experience in how to treat their injuries to avoid affecting their strength.

    They consumed Elixir Medicine, sat in meditation, absorbed the medicine¡¯s strength, and recovered their True Yuan. Those with severe injuries like Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi had to take another Elixir, dissolve it in water, and smear it around the wounds, letting them absorb it before reapplying, repeating this process.

    Elixir Medicine reserves were abundantly supplied and served as a powerful guarantee for the first group of Cultivators to engage in good battles. In contrast, second and third-tier Cultivators, even those from the Military Manor and civilian Cultivators, had a limited quota for the Elixir Medicines they relied on for daily assistance with their Qi Refinement¡ªit was very limited. Thinking about using them for healing? Forget about it.

    It took nearly half an hour to finally adjust things to a satisfactory level.

    Thinking about having to deal with the team captain¡¯s clone at the end, the girls were three parts curious and apprehensive, and seven parts helpless and even afraid.

    To be honest, even if they faced Yan Yu himself, they couldn¡¯t beat him even if they ganged up together. Now that they were about to fight Yan Yu¡¯s strengthened clone, they had a clear and strong premonition of seeking their own death.

    Of course, since Yan Yu himself was on our side, it wasn¡¯t impossible to fight, but it was definitely going to be very difficult.

    ¡°Which brings us back to the point, captain,¡± Xie Ruoxi asked curiously, ¡°do you have any dark history?¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a mischievous smile, fanning the flames, ¡°Now¡¯s your chance to come clean, otherwise your clone will spill the beans later, and then you¡¯ll really have no way to talk your way out of it and lose face!¡±

    ¡°What dark history could I have?¡± Yan Yu scoffed, ¡°Aside from anything else, two words describe me¡ªhonest. Whatever I think in my heart, I say with my mouth, never beating around the bush with you guys. What kind of dark history could I have?¡±

    ¡°Humph,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen also wore a mischievous smile, ¡°You¡¯re being offered a chance, and if you don¡¯t take it, don¡¯t blame us for mocking you mercilessly later.¡±

    ¡°What, you remembered something?¡± Yan Yu glanced at her sideways.

    Zhao Yuanzhen immediately played dead, pretending to be admiring the surrounding scenery.

    ¡°Heh,¡± Lin Ning also spoke up with a laugh, ¡°I¡¯m very curious about what dark history our captain could have. Could it be that you hid some ¡®interesting¡¯ books at home, and your parents found them while cleaning?¡±

    ¡°What, you also want to see me drop my little pearls of wisdom?¡± Yan Yu asked with raised eyebrows.

    Lin Ning immediately pretended to be concerned about Sister Zhao¡¯s injury and went over to join the Demonic Sect Enchantress.

    ¡°Um,¡± Xie Ruoxi fell silent for a moment, then said with a forced smile, ¡°Captain, how about we make a gentleman¡¯s agreement? Whatever your clone says, I promise to act as if I never heard it and won¡¯t speak of it afterward, but in return, I ask for the same treatment, deal?¡±

    ¡°Not a good deal,¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°Whatever my clone says, you can tell anyone freely.¡±

    ¡°But my issues¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi¡¯s face paled.

    ¡°What issues?¡± Yan Yu asked, puzzled, ¡°You mean when you were a kid and you wrote a novel where you fantasized about being the reincarnation of an Immortal Venerate named Qiu Changtian, and you wrote more than half a book full of settings spanning urban, Xianxia, and fantasy genres, even wildly spreading this setting in front of teachers and family members? You want me not to mention this to anyone after I leave here?¡±

    ¡°Uh, uhhhh, ahhh ahhh ahhh ahhh ahhh,¡± Xie Ruoxi¡¯s soul seemed to leave her body, and she couldn¡¯t say a word for a long time, so she quickly pretended to heal with her eyes closed, secretly feeling distressed.

    Chen Lingyun stopped talking, but Yan Yu, having already killed three people metaphorically, certainly didn¡¯t plan to spare her, and said coldly:

    ¡°So, the little girl who pursues perfection, is stubborn and fears loneliness, do you have anything else you¡¯d like to say to me?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not afraid of offending so many of us at once, afraid your clone will reveal something that would embarrass you if we knew and talked about it later?¡± Chen Lingyun asked, puzzled.

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not afraid,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Like I said, I don¡¯t have any dark history that can¡¯t be brought up. If you dare to ask, I dare to answer.¡±

    Really?

    Based on his expression, he didn¡¯t seem to be lying, and besides, they were about to face his clone any minute now, so there wouldn¡¯t be any point in lying right now, right?

    Chen Lingyun silently came to a conclusion, her face blossoming into a cheerful smile:

    ¡°Alright then, shall we set off?¡±

 Chapter 325 - 21: The Severe Beating

    Chapter 325: Chapter 21: The Severe Beating

    The group arrived at the final battle hall.

    The appearance and furnishings of this hall, with a life-size bronze mirror standing in the center, were no different from the previous four halls.

    But everyone felt as if they were facing a formidable enemy, because a Demon King was about to emerge.

    After a moment, they finally saw Yan Yu¡¯s clone step out slowly from within the bronze mirror.

    The girls¡¯ expressions immediately tensed up; unlike before, this clone wasn¡¯t dressed in the classically ornate attire but in plain clothes, holding a Huangting Heavy Sword, as if he were a swordsman straight out of a novel, the kind with little fame in the martial world.

    ¡°You¡¯ve come,¡± the swordsman said.

    ...

    ¡°I have,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have come,¡± the swordsman added.

    ¡°Why?¡± Yan Yu questioned.

    ¡°Once you¡¯re here, you can¡¯t pretend to be deaf and dumb,¡± the swordsman stated.

    ¡°Then I won¡¯t pretend,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    The swordsman¡¯s gaze swept over the crowd, then he suddenly said:

    ¡°Do you all like me?¡±

    The simple six words made everyone struggle to keep their composure, especially since their clones had already expressed their feelings earlier, it felt somewhat hollow to deny it¡ªonly Lin Ning muttered softly, ¡°Certainly not.¡±

    ¡°There are too many people,¡± the swordsman continued.

    ¡°So what?¡± Yan Yu was noncommittal.

    ¡°I will only be with the strongest woman,¡± the swordsman coldly stated, ¡°The rest are unworthy!¡±

    Everyone was speechless.

    Although it sounded outrageous at first, upon reflection, it indeed seemed like something their captain could say.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case,¡± the swordsman spoke again, ¡°I shall try out your strength and eliminate a batch for you in advance.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s unnecessary,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to intervene.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not for you to decide,¡± the swordsman insisted, ¡°Heart tempering requires it; it¡¯s a necessary step.¡±

    ¡°How do you plan to test us then?¡± Yan Yu inquired.

    The girls all looked at Yan Yu in shock: Come on, captain! This is in the Mysterious Realm! What¡¯s with the casual chatter with your clone? And you¡¯re letting him test our strength? What if there really are casualties¡­ Wait, this is a trial-type realm, so it seems no one dies¡­

    But that¡¯s not the point! There should be clarity between friend and foe, whose side are you really on?!

    ¡°One by one,¡± the swordsman said, ¡°Those who can¡¯t withstand me have no right to be with me.¡±

    ¡°Sounds somewhat reasonable,¡± Yan Yu suddenly changed his tone, ¡°But what gives you the right to overstep your bounds? Their captain is me, not you.¡±

    ¡°The right is earned through combat,¡± the swordsman declared.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s fight,¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    Suddenly, the sword light crisscrossed and the two were already locked in combat. As the sword light clashed, sparks flew, and soon after, their figures emerged from the momentum, exchanging kicks and punches like a violent storm. The swordsman seized the opening in Yan Yu¡¯s defense after his attack, rushing in with a shoulder strike aimed at his chin, which Yan Yu blocked with crossed hands. Yan Yu then grasped the swordsman¡¯s shoulder blade with his left hand, while his right hand slid down, attempting to disable his arm. However, the swordsman shook his arm and broke free from the hold.

    Amidst their fistfight, two streams of sword light were also engaged in a battle of their own, each maintaining dual fronts as if it were as simple as eating and drinking. Suddenly, Yan Yu¡¯s Huang Tingjian sword found an opening and slashed towards the swordsman¡¯s face. The opponent urgently retreated his sword light to block in front, but, caught off guard, he could only brace for the impact. As a result, he was sent flying with his sword.

    As his figure flew backward, the swordsman tapped his feet in midair lightning-fast, executing the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, abruptly accelerating towards the young women at the edge of the arena.

    Lin Ning hurriedly performed Sword Control, slashing with her sword, initiating with the technique ¡°White Rainbow Piercing the Sun,¡± drawing a fierce arc with the green sword light.

    Fighting the other people¡¯s replicates, there was no need for fancy sword techniques, as even a ¡°bastard¡¯s fist¡± could fell the master. But Yan Yu was a master of swordsmanship, and his replicate would not be weaker in this regard. Being careless would only make one an easy target.

    The replicate also stopped his footwork and leaped into the air with Sword Control, countering with the technique ¡°Pine Welcoming Guests.¡±

    The overarching principles of the Kunlun Imperial Sword Technique mentioned that ¡°Phoenix Greeting¡± was more about defensive counterattacks, with a focus on the counter; while ¡°Pine Welcoming Guests¡± was relatively more defensive¡­ Flashes of related knowledge went through Lin Ning¡¯s mind, and she immediately decided to intensify her offensive, unleashing ¡°Eagle Soaring the Skies!¡±

    In the instant the sword lights met, Lin Ning had already switched to ¡°Eagle Soaring the Skies,¡± her sword light descending like a full moon.

    The swordsman¡¯s sword light suddenly retreated, dodging the first strike with precision.

    It wasn¡¯t over yet! Lin Ning roared inwardly, her sword techniques swiftly chaining together. The second strike!

    The angle of the chopping Green Bamboo Sword light subtly shifted, changing direction to cut again, ascending sharply like a dragon emerging from the sea.

    The swordsman¡¯s sword light once again slanted sideways, floating like an autumn leaf blown by the wind, seemingly light and unable to find solid ground but just managing to evade the uppercut¡¯s edge.

    I refuse to believe this! Lin Ning continued to vary her sword techniques, switching to a horizontal slash for the third strike, her Sword Qi seeming to tear open space itself.

    The swordsman¡¯s sword light continued to move backward, dodging the simple and crude horizontal slash. Lin Ning was about to form the fourth strike, but having exhausted the angles for the sword light to cut in, she had no choice but to pull back in haste. Then she saw the swordsman¡¯s sword light launch a move ¡°Fierce Tiger Turning its Head,¡± perfectly timed onto her retreat, striking her defenseless Green Bamboo Sword light and forcing it back.

    The force of the Huangting Heavy Sword was already immense, and this blow was nearly lethal for Lin Ning. Hardly five or six meters out, her Sword Control state was forcibly dispelled, and next, her body slammed onto the ground, rolling several times, with who knows how many ribs broken.

    She struggled to stand up and, using Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, hastily retreated. The swordsman also cancelled his Sword Control state and accelerated with the same step to pursue, saying, Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Is this how you use ¡®Eagle Soaring the Skies¡¯? Your moves are too rigid, your changes too stiff, your attacks uncontrolled and your withdraws undefended. With such trashy swordsmanship, you still dare to have a crush on me? If you don¡¯t have the guts, better drink more water so as not to embarrass yourself.¡±

    Lin Ning¡¯s body shook with fury. Other replicates would beat up their originals as soon as they appeared, so why did the captain¡¯s replicate come out and start beating on me instead?

    The series of sword exchanges that had just transpired occurred in the blink of an eye. The girls only saw the flashing sword lights clashing, and then Lin Ning was sent flying, without even knowing how she was defeated.

    Xie Ruoxi had already formed a lightning orb in her hand, wanting to shoot but unable to aim accurately¡ªboth the swordsman¡¯s sword light and Lin Ning¡¯s steps were too swift. Though her lightning was fast, it seemed too easy to miss compared to the others.

    ¡°Shall we make our move?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked telepathically.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Chen Lingyun responded succinctly.

    Against an opponent of this level, it was a waste of True Yuan to act rashly. It was more daunting to keep the attack at bay as a threat, forcing the opponent to stay on edge.

    Lin Ning didn¡¯t get far before Yan Yu activated Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, cutting across her path and intercepting the swordsman mid-way, saying,

    ¡°Though her swordsmanship is indeed poor, your words are too hurtful.¡±

    ¡°I only speak what¡¯s already on your mind,¡± the swordsman retorted, ¡°Isn¡¯t it your own thoughts that are too hurtful?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you watch your tone and choice of words?¡± Yan Yu shaped his sword techniques, unleashing fierce attacks on the replicate.

    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± replied the swordsman, ¡°because I am your replicate.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s also true,¡± Yan Yu nodded in agreement.

 Chapter 326 - 22 Continue Torture

    Chapter 326: Chapter 22 Continue Torture

    ¡°`

    Seizing the moment his clone was intercepted by Yan Yu, Lin Ning hurriedly withdrew to the girls¡¯ side and then began to catch her breath and heal her wounds.

    ¡°How are you?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked with concern.

    ¡°Can¡¯t beat him,¡± Lin Ning shook her head.

    The girls were all speechless. You just got beaten up like a dog, of course, we know you can¡¯t win! We¡¯re asking how your body is, can you continue to fight?

    But with Ningning¡¯s competitive nature, even if she was like a candle flickering in the wind, she would stubbornly claim, ¡°I can still fight,¡± so actually, this question seemed rather meaningless¡­

    ...

    Looking back at the field, Yan Yu and the clone were locked in a frenzied struggle. Clashes of their sword lights were fierce as thunder, quick as lightning; their figures swapping places almost to the point of leaving afterimages. They moved from the east side of the arena to the west and then to the north, hardly staying in one place for half a second, making it an enormous challenge for the girls to provide long-range support, let alone aim properly.

    ¡°The pace is too fast,¡± Chen Lingyun said softly, ¡°This won¡¯t do.¡±

    When it came to strength, the clone was definitely stronger than the original.

    The advantage for the original side lay in their numbers, with five against one. They needed to use their numerical superiority and tactical coordination to negate the gap in strength between the original and the clone. This was the correct approach to clear the challenge.

    However, a chronic issue for the Zhenhai Team was that when Yan Yu fought with all his might, the pace was too fast, and the rest of the team couldn¡¯t keep up with his speed.

    Supporting fire? Assists? By the time you¡¯re ready to cooperate with his move, he¡¯s already carried out his second and third strikes. It would be a miracle if you could coordinate well under such circumstances.

    This issue wasn¡¯t fatal in ordinary circumstances since Yan Yu could simply fight solo and crush the enemy. But now, facing a clone stronger than the original, he couldn¡¯t manage alone, and the others couldn¡¯t sync with him. In the end, Yan Yu would be the first to be exhausted by the ordeal, then the clone would come and pick off the remaining girls, one by one.

    ¡°Just give me half a second to pin the clone down, and I¡¯ll blast him with my Thunder Method!¡± Xie Ruoxi exclaimed frantically.

    ¡°Even without the Thunder Method, wouldn¡¯t my White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin do the trick?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said irritably, ¡°The problem is the clone¡¯s speed; how do we pin him down!¡±

    As everyone was at a loss, they heard the Swordsman say:

    ¡°Hanging around with these bugs, you still think about saving Lu Country, isn¡¯t that a bit of a pipe dream?¡±

    ¡°Even the mightiest experts have all grown from novices.¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°You know it in your heart,¡± the Swordsman said, ¡°They don¡¯t have the chance to experience the hardships you¡¯ve endured, so it¡¯s impossible for them to reach your level.¡±

    ¡°I beg to differ,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°As of now, Lin Ning can¡¯t last five seconds against me,¡± the Swordsman scoffed, ¡°No matter how much extra training you give them, it cannot replace actual life-and-death combat. Compared to those formidable Transcendents from abroad who emerged from piles of corpses and seas of blood, your so-called team training is nothing but child¡¯s play.¡±

    Yan Yu remained silent.

    ¡°The so-called ¡®you¡¯re not worthy¡¯, is just your subconscious defense mechanism,¡± the Swordsman pointed out mercilessly, ¡°Because deep down you¡¯re afraid. You fear that one day they¡¯ll be killed on the battlefield, and all the emotions you¡¯ve invested in them will turn into a devastating blow to you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Yan Yu finally spoke, ¡°No one is going to die this time.¡±

    ¡°How long will you keep lying to yourself?¡± The Swordsman flexed his fingers to form a Sword technique, finally penetrating the defenses of Huang Tingjian and striking Yan Yu¡¯s left shoulder, ¡°Only those who have truly lost something precious know the fear of losing it again. But if you¡¯ve never had it, there¡¯s nothing to lose. Telling them ¡®you¡¯re not worthy¡¯ isn¡¯t an insult, it¡¯s the blunt truth¡ªbecause you¡¯re meant to walk the path of the lone and disastrous star.¡±

    The sword light didn¡¯t continue to cut downwards, instead halting as it sliced his arm, because Yan Yu had already activated the Curved Curse, his hands grasping the sword blade tightly and resisting it from above.

    ¡°Damn it, I can¡¯t take this anymore!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen stood up, ¡°Ling Yun, keep thinking of something. I¡¯m going in!¡±

    She charged towards the Swordsman with Shifting Technique and threw the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin with a movement of her hand.

    This magic weapon honed in automatically, impossible to dodge, only defendable by something like a Flying Sword. Therefore, the Swordsman formed a Sword technique, and the sword light instantly withdrew from Yan Yu¡¯s shoulder wound, pulling with it a gush of blood like a fountain.

    The White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin was blocked by the sword light, and Zhao Yuanzhen was now in front of Yan Yu, asking softly, ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°To find a flaw in my defense,¡± Yan Yu pressed on the acupoint near the wound, injecting True Yuan to stem the bleeding, and lamented, ¡°It seems, in this world, only my clone could achieve that.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the point of caring about that now?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said anxiously, shaking out Silver Pellets from her sleeve, transforming them into the shape of puppet Ami, eyes fixed on the opponent.

    The Swordsman didn¡¯t rush to attack but spoke in an eerie tone:

    ¡°Look, she¡¯s so anxious and caring about you; it¡¯s clear her feelings for you have taken deep root. Yet as soon as she reveals any closeness to you, you hurry to push her away. Isn¡¯t it because you fear her becoming your concern?¡± S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Caught off guard by those words, Zhao Yuanzhen was about to retort when she heard Yan Yu from behind her say:

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong,¡±

    ¡°In what way?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t fear her becoming a concern,¡± Yan Yu stood up, his voice calm, ¡°Because she already is.¡±

    ¡°`

    Zhao Yuanzhen froze for a moment, then suddenly felt a surging passion, as if his entire body was filled with endless strength.

    ¡°I admit what you just said makes some sense,¡± Yan Yu continued in a deep voice, ¡°I¡¯ve always been subconsciously looking down on them, trying to carry the whole team on my own, blocking the entire storm by myself, but as a result, I¡¯ve prevented them from growing.¡±

    ¡°In the end, some setbacks are unavoidable. The suffering that needs to be endured, must be endured; the blood that needs to be shed, must be shed. Even if they can¡¯t win now, they need to go and try for themselves, even if they¡¯re defeated miserably, as long as they don¡¯t die, there will always be a day when they can win.¡±

    ¡°Good, good,¡± the Swordsman finally showed a smile, this time with much more sincerity, ¡°since the creation of the Mysterious Realm, trial-takers who have revealed flaws in their hearts are plenty. Some refuse to admit it, some lose their guard and curse wildly, others remain silent. But you are the first one willing to face the flaws in your heart, understand the intricacies, openly acknowledge the problems, and plan to make changes.¡±

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s complete the last step of the process.¡±

    ¡°Defeat me.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t rush to make a move, but turned to say, ¡°Ling Yun, I¡¯m taking over command. No problems, right?¡±

    ¡°No problem,¡± Chen Lingyun nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Good,¡± Yan Yu asked further, ¡°How about Ningning?¡±

    ¡°Of course I can fight!¡± Lin Ning called out the sword technique loudly in response.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go,¡± Yan Yu declared.

    Both of them leapt forward simultaneously, wrapped in the light of their swords, and bravely charged at the replica!

    ¡°Well met!¡± The Swordsman, facing the twin swords¡¯ pincer attack, didn¡¯t advance but retreated, controlling the sword light to intercept them.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take care.¡± Faced with the robust sword light coming at him, Yan Yu quickly communicated with Lin Ning, while he used his Sword Control to intercept, ¡°You go for the beheading.¡±

    Lin Ning was instantly startled by his words. Because if they were to follow past tactical habits, she should be the one holding off the opponent¡¯s Flying Sword, letting the more powerful captain go decapitate the enemy.

    But I¡¯m not afraid either!

    As Yan Yu and the opposing sword light clashed, she took the opportunity to steer her Green Bamboo Sword light towards the replica, just as the Swordsman laughed, ¡°Well met! Little Ningning, what I like most about you is your unreserved, straightforward manner of charging in with your sword!¡±

    Lin Ning was startled again. What, the captain likes me?

    In that brief moment of hesitation, the replica¡¯s sword light broke free from the clash with Yan Yu, turned around, and retreated back to the Swordsman¡¯s side to prepare its defense¡ªfilling Lin Ning with regret.

    I could have killed him just now while his Flying Sword hadn¡¯t returned!

    ¡°Don¡¯t get distracted!¡± Yan Yu came chasing with his sword, and said through voice transmission.

    ¡°He said you like me!¡± Lin Ning complained.

    I¡¯m not one to get easily distracted. It¡¯s mainly his statement that¡¯s shocking.

    ¡°Right.¡± Yan Yu continued transmitting, ¡°But if you mess up again, I won¡¯t like you anymore.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t mess up!¡± Lin Ning instinctively retorted, but then thought it over and realized that her response seemed to carry the implication of not allowing him ¡°not to like her¡±¡­

    Forget it, just kill to finish this!

    She once again rallied her sword light and fiercely charged at the opponent. She saw the Swordsman retreat and dodge Xie Ruoxi¡¯s godly Thunder Method bombardment, while simultaneously extending the sword light all around to force Chen Lingyun¡¯s invisible five ghosts back, then suddenly crossed it in front of his chest, blocking Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin sneak attack.

    Although the numerous attacks did not yield results, they ultimately slowed down the opponent¡¯s mobile steps, allowing Yan Yu and Lin Ning to simultaneously reach his front.

    ¡°I¡¯ll bind the Flying Sword, you kill him,¡± Yan Yu transmitted, ¡°Don¡¯t get distracted this time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already said I won¡¯t!¡± Lin Ning protested.

    ¡°Really won¡¯t you?¡± The Swordsman laughed, ¡°Then what was that just now?¡±

    Lin Ning gritted her teeth without answering, resolutely pressing forward, silently thinking:

    I don¡¯t care what you say, I want to hear him say it personally!

    Just as the opponent seemed to have no move left, Lin Ning was about to strike with a dazzling sword thrust to pierce through the chest, when suddenly, a figure flashed before her, and someone appeared.

    Sister Zhao?

    But in that moment of distraction, the girl resembling Zhao Yuanzhen flicked out blades from both of her wrists, delivering a swift and sharp cross slash that arrested Lin Ning¡¯s Green Bamboo Sword light.

 Chapter 327 - 23 The Torture Temporarily Ends

    Chapter 327: Chapter 23 The Torture Temporarily Ends

    The puppet warrior emerged, and everyone was stunned.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this one of Sister Zhao¡¯s moves?¡±

    Of course, there was no time to ask Zhao Yuanzhen at this moment, otherwise it would have been possible to get a detailed explanation after defeating the fourth copy just now.

    The current urgent matter was to quickly defeat the captain¡¯s copy, all else were illusions, pushed aside for later!

    As soon as the puppet warrior came out, it attacked Lin Ning. Its left hand blade parried the sword light while the right hand blade slashed swiftly several times, each strike holding the force of a thousand jun, throwing Lin Ning into disarray, unable to steady the sword light.

    From behind, Xie Ruoxi unleashed another thunder orb, forcing the puppet warrior to retreat quickly, and Lin Ning was able to break free.

    ...

    The swordsman called back his sword light and the puppet warrior in front of him, saying with a smile,

    ¡°Lin Ning¡¯s temperament is too straightforward and simple, although it¡¯s advantageous on the path of Sword Immortal, it also presents the possibility of being exploited by the enemy.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Whose side are you on, captain!¡± Lin Ning was so angry that her face began to twitch.

    No, she mustn¡¯t get angry anymore, as anger caused a pain in her chest, probably a true indication that a rib had broken¡­

    ¡°Continue,¡± said Yan Yu.

    Zhao Yuanzhen shook off the puppet warrior Ami and charged forward alongside Yan Yu, instantly clashing with the swordsman into a frenzy.

    Sword light dazzled as it crisscrossed back and forth while sparks flew from the clashing of metal; the nimble puppet warrior weaved through the fight, the blades in its wrists flashing coldly. Lin Ning controlled her sword light around the perimeter, unable to find an angle to enter the fray and had to stop and wait patiently for Yan Yu¡¯s command.

    After observing for a moment, Chen Lingyun noticed that Yan Yu¡¯s attack rhythm had significantly slowed down.

    In his earlier combat with the copy, whether using fists or swords, his pace had been extremely fast, shifting tactics three or four times in the midst of a single move, making it impossible for his teammates to keep up with his rhythm.

    Now, to coordinate with Sister Zhao, he had deliberately slowed his offensive rhythm, even reducing the frequency of his movements, no longer pursuing his signature ¡°Lightning Triple Strike.¡±

    Although the strength of his own offensive was much reduced, considering that Zhao Yuanzhen was fitting into the battle like a puzzle piece, the overall fluidity of the attack had actually improved.

    After all, no matter how skilled at multitasking one might be, it still couldn¡¯t compare to the power of a combined attack.

    With this realization, Chen Lingyun¡¯s mind cleared, and she sent a message to Lin Ning,

    ¡°Ningning, go for it.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t find the opportunity!¡± Lin Ning anxiously said, ¡°What if I rush into battle and end up dragging us down?¡±

    Even though Sister Zhao could coordinate with him, I just can¡¯t seem to fit in¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile that seemed to see through everything, ¡°You won¡¯t drag us down.¡±

    Before Lin Ning could comprehend the meaning, Yan Yu¡¯s message came through:

    ¡°Sword Control Technique.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Lin Ning readied her Green Bamboo Sword to join the battle, ¡°How should I strike?¡±

    ¡°You just go,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    Lin Ning: ???

    If it were Chen Lingyun, she would at least instruct her on whom to target, like entangling the Flying Sword, striking the puppet warrior, or hitting the original¡­ Eh?

    She peered closely at the battlefield and noticed that in just the past few seconds, the copy had exposed several weaknesses that could be attacked¡ªnot because the copy had decreased in strength, but because Yan Yu, in the process of fighting him, had intentionally or unintentionally allowed these openings.

    I know how to solve this problem!

    Lin Ning¡¯s spirits immediately lifted, her hand flashing with sword techniques, driving the Green Bamboo Sword to attack those exposed weaknesses.

    ¡°Got it now?¡± Seeing Lin Ning seamlessly integrating into the action, Yan Yu sent a message to Chen Lingyun.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so good at supporting and coordinating. Have you ever considered a career change to an Assistant Officer or Envoy?¡±

    ¡°Not considering it.¡± The Swordsman said.

    Both were startled, realizing it was actually the clone who was speaking.

    ¡°I was used to going solo before, always thinking of solving problems by myself.¡± the clone continued, ¡°Now it seems, it¡¯s not always necessary to go all out. Even if just helping to eliminate a few wrong answers and bringing the difficulty down to your ¡®noob¡¯ level is enough, that¡¯s the charm of teamwork.¡±

    The girls immediately became furiously angry and messaged Yan Yu in unison:

    ¡°Quick, command us to kill this thing!¡±

    Yan Yu, Zhao Yuanzhen, and Lin Ning, each contending with the clone, the Flying Sword, and the puppet. The former led the attack and controlled the pace, while the latter two were responsible for assisting and supporting each other. Though they were no match for the clone individually, together they not only held their own but also gradually gained the upper hand.

    Chen Lingyun and Xie Ruoxi moved around the periphery, following Yan Yu¡¯s commands for ranged attacks¡ªnow throwing prayer beads now casting Thunder Method¡ªfrequently interrupting the clone¡¯s attack rhythms, tipping the balance of the battlefield ever more in their favor.

    As the clone found itself at a disadvantage, it did not struggle desperately. Instead, it began commenting more frequently:

    ¡°Ruoxi, your Thunder Method was lousy, terrible aim. At this level, you¡¯re not fit to be by my side as a consort.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi: ¡­

    ¡°Long-range sneak attacks should emulate Lingyun; perfect timing and angle. You qualify to compete for the queen¡¯s position in the Eastern Palace.¡±

    Chen Lingyun: ¡­¡­

    ¡°Ningning, don¡¯t be too rigid. Following commands is one thing, but can¡¯t you find opportunities on your own when there¡¯s no direction? With your test-taker mindset, if you don¡¯t change, you¡¯ll at most compete for the queen¡¯s position in the Western Palace in the future. Once you¡¯re in my harem, you¡¯ll be outdone by Lingyun.¡±

    Lin Ning: ¡­¡­¡­

    The girls fell silent. The more the clone trash-talked, the more it fueled their anger, vowing to beat the clone to a pulp¡­ and they were willing to beat the original if they still weren¡¯t satisfied after that.

    Finally seizing her chance, Lin Ning¡¯s sword light separated the puppet and the clone, simultaneously blocking the clone¡¯s line of sight. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The puppet¡¯s feet were ensnared by five ghosts. Just as it used the blade in its hand to drive them off, it was obliterated by Xie Ruoxi¡¯s Thunder Method.

    With one of its two main offensive methods gone, the tide of battle finally turned completely, and the clone was driven to a dead end. Yet, it kept talking:

    ¡°Zhao, you need to try harder. There are so many girls who like me. If you don¡¯t get stronger, they will whisk me away, and you¡¯ll be left alone, weeping silently in regret¡­¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! Nonsense! Nonsense!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen thrust her White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin through the clone¡¯s chest, then wielded the Yin Wind Sword to smash his head to pieces.

    The clone¡¯s form had already shattered layer by layer, vanishing from sight.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress, still unsatisfied, used the Yin Wind Sword to smash the mirror shards on the ground, making a sharp, clattering noise.

    The other girls felt similarly, each turning their gaze to Yan Yu.

    Lin Ning was the first to challenge him:

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to explain what the clone said?¡±

    ¡°Explain what?¡± Yan Yu appeared puzzled, ¡°You did fight terribly.¡±

    ¡°Terribly your head!¡± Lin Ning tried to kick him, but a sharp pain in her ribs made her stagger almost falling backward, only to be caught around the waist by Yan Yu.

    Before the other girls could lash out, Yan Yu deftly steadied her and then let go, saying:

    ¡°All right, we¡¯ve dealt with all five clones, let¡¯s keep moving and see what else is inside. Is it possible that the next challenge is five clones coming out together for a group battle against us?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t jinx it!¡± As soon as the girls considered such a possibility, they all collectively shuddered, even forgetting to pursue the matter of the harem comments, hastily urging their captain to shut his mouth first.

 Chapter 328 - 24 The More You Ask, The More Dismal It Gets

    Chapter 328: Chapter 24 The More You Ask, The More Dismal It Gets

    The group passed through five battle halls and entered the depths of the Mirror Lake Divine Palace.

    Lin Ning had a bellyful of questions, such as what the duplicate meant by ¡°I just like your straightforwardness and decisiveness,¡± or ¡°If you join my harem like this, you¡¯ll be under Ling Yun¡¯s thumb,¡± and so on.

    But every time she found an opportunity to ask, she was immediately interrupted by Yan Yu in various ways, like ¡°What is this! Oh¡­ a book,¡± ¡°There¡¯s a figure over there! My mistake, it¡¯s just a statue,¡± and so on.

    After several times, she slowly got the hint and realized that Yan Yu didn¡¯t want to hear her asking too much.

    She kept her mouth shut, but secretly communicated with her sisters through voice transmission.

    ¡°What do you all think?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    ...

    ¡°Haven¡¯t thought much about it,¡± Xie Ruoxi replied, ¡°If the captain wants to open a harem, just let him be.¡± S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°No,¡± Lin Ning said, exasperated, ¡°It¡¯s modern society; how could such things be allowed! Isn¡¯t he afraid of being criticized by public opinion?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s probably not afraid,¡± Xie Ruoxi said.

    Where Lin Ning would believe that, she racked her brains and thought about Yan Yu¡¯s character.

    Damn¡­ he really isn¡¯t afraid.

    Before the battle with the Flying Dragon Battle Team, when the Zhenhai Team was criticized for having ¡°too high a female ratio,¡± Yan Yu only reacted with ¡°Haha, idiots,¡± and didn¡¯t even bother to make a statement. It was just she and Sister Zhao battling it out with trolls online¡­

    ¡°Anyway, even if he really opens a harem, I won¡¯t join, so it has nothing to do with me,¡± Xie Ruoxi said nonchalantly, ¡°He can marry as many wives as he wants.¡±

    Lin Ning: ¡­¡­

    Ruoxi, that¡¯s not what your duplicate said. Why do I remember her saying ¡°Once I become powerful, I¡¯ll tie the captain down and marry him¡±?

    But on second thought, if she truly became strong enough to thrash the captain, and dragged him off to the civil affairs bureau to forcibly register their marriage, wouldn¡¯t that mean he couldn¡¯t start a harem anyway? Since in modern society, to create a harem, one must not register a marriage, because the law doesn¡¯t support polygamy, right?

    ¡°What about Ling Yun and Sister Zhao?¡± Lin Ning continued to inquire.

    ¡°He can¡¯t open a harem,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said coldly, ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯ll castrate him!¡±

    Lin Ning decided to ignore Sister Zhao¡¯s comment, and asked:

    ¡°What does Ling Yun think?¡±

    ¡°I find it quite interesting,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    How can that be interesting¡­ Lin Ning was about to fiercely retort when she heard Chen Lingyun ask:

    ¡°Do you girls think the words spoken by Yan Yu¡¯s duplicate really reflect his inner thoughts?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Definitely.¡± The girls agreed in unison.

    If that wasn¡¯t true, wouldn¡¯t we be spouting nonsense into the void, scaring ourselves? It has to be true!

    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°then the words of our duplicates also must be true, right? Sister Zhao wants to be the lead wife, Ningning has a hidden crush on the captain, Ruoxi wants to forcibly marry the captain, and I want to encourage the captain to start a harem¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not true, it¡¯s not true!¡± The girls were alarmed and quickly denied it.

    Xie Ruoxi even argued unreasonably, babbling:

    ¡°Is there a possibility that this mysterious realm naturally harbors malice toward females? Would the female replicas deliberately talk nonsense to slander our reputations, while male replicas would tell the truth?¡±

    ¡°I find that highly unlikely,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°The essence of gender is actually the difference in sex chromosomes. If the mechanisms of the mysterious realm were to handle individuals differently based on their sex chromosomes, then what would happen to cultivators with chromosomal abnormalities? Wouldn¡¯t that be a loophole bug?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi was at a loss for words. She knew it was impossible; her nonsense was just to shut Chen Lingyun up and keep her from talking further.

    ¡°I¡­ I have absolutely no interest in Yan Yu in that way!¡± Lin Ning felt that a simple denial was not enough and added, ¡°I see Yan Yu as our captain, and I only have the feelings of comradeship and friendship for him. That replica was spouting nonsense, and I was afraid you and the captain might misunderstand. So, I¡¯m explaining again here¡ªdon¡¯t overthink it, okay?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be some sort of grand wife either!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen likewise protested, ¡°My view on marriage is very traditional and conservative. I can only accept one husband for life and would insist on dismantling the whole harem even if I married an emperor. It¡¯s absolutely impossible for me to accept having several more ¡®sisters¡¯ at home.¡±

    ¡°So the replicas¡¯ statements are all false,¡± Chen Lingyun concluded, ¡°Yan Yu also never thought about having a harem. The most likely scenario is that the Zhenhai Team was previously hyped by outsiders on gender issues. Though he didn¡¯t care, he might have been somewhat uncomfortable, and then the replica read his mind, intentionally saying those things to fiercely break his defenses. But it failed.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± ¡°It should be so,¡± ¡°There¡¯s no other explanation,¡± the other three girls quickly nodded in agreement.

    Of course, agreeing in the voice transmission channel was one thing; what they actually thought in their hearts was another matter.

    Because this was actually a very simple logical conundrum: as long as my replica tells the truth, Yan Yu¡¯s replica does too; if my replica lies, Yan Yu¡¯s replica lies as well.

    So is what my own replica says true or false? In any case, everyone knows the truth deep down, but no one would openly admit it.

    They had to be lies!

    Since they were all lies, there was no need for everyone to discuss and strategize with each other. The group sullenly followed Yan Yu, and the atmosphere visibly darkened.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Yan Yu turned back in puzzlement when he noticed the low morale, ¡°You are not still secretly messaging to dwell on the replica incident, are you?¡±

    ¡°No, not at all,¡± ¡°Those were all unfounded lies,¡± ¡°We¡¯re just wondering when the mysterious realm will come to an end,¡± the girls hurriedly explained.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t press them, but simply nodded calmly and said, ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±

    Seeing his straightforwardness, the girls felt even more aggrieved.

    Couldn¡¯t you say something to prove your innocence too? Even if you just said ¡°My replica was lying,¡± whether true or false, it would at least make us feel a bit better after hearing it!

    Zhao Yuanzhen couldn¡¯t hold back and directly asked:

    ¡°Yan Yu, do you intend to have a harem in the future?¡±

    ¡°How would I know what will happen in the future?¡± Yan Yu retorted.

    ¡°What about now?¡± Lin Ning pressed on.

    ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t have such thoughts now,¡± Yan Yu responded with a sneer, ¡°I don¡¯t even plan to find a girlfriend, let alone start a harem. Isn¡¯t asking such questions laughable? It¡¯s like someone who doesn¡¯t even buy lottery tickets dreaming about ¡®what I would do if I won ten million¡¯ every day.¡±

    Hearing his admission of ¡°not intending to start a harem,¡± the girls collectively breathed a sigh of relief in their hearts.

    But then it hit them, the captain doesn¡¯t even plan to find a girlfriend¡­

    So the atmosphere turned even colder, and everyone was somewhat downhearted, unable to lift their spirits.

    Leading the group, Yan Yu made sure they checked every room in the depths of the Mirror Lake Divine Palace. Apart from many useless pieces of furniture and utensils, they indeed found a smattering of magical treasures, Elixir Medicines, Spirit Grass, and so on, finally discovering the control center of the mysterious realm¡ªa beautifully crafted small bronze mirror¡ªin one of the rooms.

    ¡°Ningning, take the others and tidy up the items. Ling Yun, come and refine this mirror,¡± Yan Yu ordered, then suddenly looked perplexed, ¡°Why do you all seem so spiritless?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just some fatigue after tackling the mysterious realm,¡± the group replied listlessly.

 Chapter 329 - 25 Kill You

    Chapter 329: Chapter 25 Kill You

    Everyone teleported out of the Mirror Lake Divine Palace and saw the five members of the Huofeng Team sitting by Mirror Lake, wrapped up like mummies, waiting for the Zhenhai Team to come out.

    ¡°Is the fight over?¡± Zhang Huaide was the first to speak.

    The reason they recognized Deputy Captain Zhang was that he was the only one among the five mummified figures wearing glasses, which made him look utterly out of place.

    ¡°It¡¯s over,¡± Yan Yu nodded, turned his head to look at the other four mummies, quickly identified the one with the fiercest eyes, and smilingly spread his arms, ¡°Xiao Zhou, I¡¯ve avenged you, come here for a hug!¡±

    ¡°Idiot.¡± Zhou Hongyu said coldly, ¡°What revenge? Did you fight my replica?¡±

    ¡°Haha, they¡¯re all generated by the Mysterious Realm, don¡¯t be so particular about it,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°How are your injuries?¡±

    ...

    ¡°Almost healed, just need to keep an eye on them for a bit longer,¡± Tang Xiaolian suddenly asked, ¡°You guys didn¡¯t get hurt?¡±

    ¡°Sustained some minor injuries, nothing serious,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°Any dark histories revealed?¡± Meng Qingxi asked with a smile, ¡°Did any dark histories come out?¡±

    His careless remark not only caused the Zhenhai Team¡¯s girls to become alert but even his own Huofeng Team members gave him sharp looks¡ªQin Meng elbowed him from the side, sending him doubling over, holding his stomach, and gasping for air.

    ¡°Nope,¡± Yan Yu laughed heartily, ¡°They were just unsubstantiated rumors that didn¡¯t really affect our morale; nobody believed them.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Tang Xiaolian asked doubtfully.

    She noticed that apart from Chen Lingyun, who always had a fake smile, the other three girls seemed uncomfortable.

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s true,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, ¡°You¡¯ve fought a replica yourself, don¡¯t you know? What did your replica say?¡±

    ¡°It said she had a secret crush on her sixth-grade homeroom teacher¡­ Ouch!¡± Meng Qingxi, always straightforward, barely got half the sentence out before Tang Xiaolian elbowed him again, promptly shutting him up with the pain.

    ¡°My replica was quite honest,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°It pointed out the flaws and gaps in my tactical thinking and even served as a target for us to practice and improve on the spot.¡±

    The members of the Huofeng Team looked at each other, falling into silence involuntarily.

    Something¡¯s not right here!

    Why are our replicas breaking us down mentally, and physically beating us half to death, while your replicas are helping you pinpoint your thought processes and serving as practice targets, helping you refine your strategies?

    Everyone wanted to look for signs of lying on Yan Yu¡¯s face but found none¡­ Yan Yu showed no other signs of damage aside from a wound on his shoulder, and his spirit seemed high, not at all like someone who had just gone through a fierce battle.

    So everyone turned their eyes to the Zhenhai Team¡¯s girls.

    Lin Ning and the others wanted to say ¡°it¡¯s not true,¡± ¡°it¡¯s only the captain¡¯s word,¡± ¡°we¡¯ve been severely tortured too,¡± but then they remembered that admitting to the torture would be akin to confirming the replicas¡¯ words as truth. Thus, they could only force a smile and agreed with Yan Yu, saying:

    ¡°Our replicas didn¡¯t say much, just some trash talk not worth mentioning. After all, it¡¯s a test-type Mysterious Realm, once it¡¯s over, it¡¯s over.¡±

    Everyone fell silent. Zhang Huaide held his glasses with his middle finger, his eyes becoming sharp behind the lenses.

    With his meticulous observation skills, of course, he could tell that Lin Ning and the others were not speaking their minds, whereas Yan Yu was genuinely unaffected.

    Indeed, Yan Yu is impressive.

    A person with great strength is strong in all aspects, which is why they can overcome the challenges in the Mysterious Realm that we cannot.

    Captain Zhou¡¯s combat power is not bad, but her psychological endurance really needs work. That needs to change.

    But that¡¯s not easy to change. Once a person reaches their twenties, their core values are already set, and from there, they only accumulate life experiences. Hoping for changes in character is extremely difficult.

    Zhang Huaide thought quietly to himself when he heard Yan Yu say:

    ¡°Well then, we won¡¯t stay any longer; you all take good care of your injuries.¡±

    The two teams bid each other farewell. The Zhenhai Team left the Mysterious Realm and went for further medical examinations in the infirmary.

    Lin Ning had a cracked rib, Yan Yu had a shoulder injury, and Zhao Yuanzhen had several burns and corrosive injuries, but none were particularly severe.

    Xie Ruoxi was the most seriously injured, with the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin piercing her chest. Although it was promptly treated with True Yuan to prevent bleeding, there was still a risk of pneumothorax. The medical team performed a simple surgery to clean the hematoma and instructed her not to practice Sword Control, to rest for a week before a follow-up exam.

    The only one unscathed was Chen Lingyun, whom Yan Yu teased by saying, ¡°If the sky falls, we tall ones will hold it up.¡± She wasn¡¯t really angry, just took out her phone to arrange flights.

    They had arrived with the grandeur of Sword Control, but now they had to return by plane. In the airport¡¯s VIP lounge, Yan Yu received a call from Su Yunjin.

    ¡°Ningning told me you guys were injured in the Ailao Mountain Mysterious Realm?¡±

    ¡°Just some minor injuries,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°not a big deal.¡±

    ¡°Ruoxi has to recuperate for a week, and you say it¡¯s not a big deal?¡± Su Yunjin retorted.

    ¡°Ah, her injuries are severe because she¡¯s too weak,¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly.

    ¡°So you¡¯re weak too, since you injured your shoulder?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because my clone is too strong,¡± Yan Yu paused, then explained, ¡°It¡¯s just a flesh wound. It didn¡¯t even touch the bone.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m planning to Sword Control back to Jinling Prefecture tonight,¡± Su Yunjin said seriously. ¡°You don¡¯t have to say more, I¡¯ll come over and see for myself.¡±

    Yan Yu suddenly felt a bit sweaty. It was typical of the Gravity Mage Su Yunjin, a few words from her could make it hard to breathe.

    It¡¯s like she would call her husband casually outside a hotel room if she ever had to catch him cheating, and after listening to his excuses, she would suddenly say, ¡°I need to verify it myself,¡± then the door handle would start rattling frantically¡­

    Scary.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this now, hang up,¡± Su Yunjin hung up.

    Yan Yu paused for a moment, then silently turned his gaze toward the whistleblower, Lin Ning.

    Lin Ning immediately looked out the window, observing the planes taxiing in the distance.

    Xie Ruoxi chuckled on the side, then suddenly her phone rang.

    She answered the call, murmuring a few ¡°mm-hmms,¡± her complexion turning pale all of a sudden.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°My parents found out about me becoming a Cultivator,¡± Xie Ruoxi said numbly.

    ¡°Oh, wasn¡¯t that bound to happen sooner or later?¡± Yan Yu said.

    Not to mention anything else, the rosters of the major martial arts teams were publicly available, and with a bunch of fans following them all the time, it was impossible to keep it a secret. It was really more surprising that her parents had just found out now, suggesting that perhaps information was indeed scarce back in Xie Ruoxi¡¯s hometown.

    ¡°They want to come to Jinling to see me,¡± Xie Ruoxi said, her face ashen.

    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a day off to take good care of your parents and send them back happy.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you coming?¡± Xie Ruoxi hesitantly asked.

    ¡°Your parents are coming to see you, what does that have to do with me?¡± Yan Yu countered.

    ¡°Um,¡± Xie Ruoxi struggled to speak and after a long pause, she said, ¡°After my brother went back, he seems to have¡­ misunderstood our relationship. I don¡¯t know what he told them, but the main reason my parents are making the trip is to meet you.¡±

    Everyone: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Xie! Ruoxi!!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen clenched her teeth and her grip on the armrest creaked.

    If it were before, she might not have minded so much. But now, coming out of the Mysterious Realm and knowing that the other¡¯s clone wanted to ¡°forcefully marry Yan Yu,¡± the sudden mention of a ¡°parent¡¯s visit¡± made it hard not to suspect Xie Ruoxi¡¯s intentions.

    ¡°Sister Zhao, you¡¯ve got to believe me!¡± Xie Ruoxi quickly hugged her arm, pleading, ¡°This really has nothing to do with me! Plus, when my parents come, I will definitely explain everything to them!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen narrowed her eyes and after a long while, she let go of her anger and said with a smile:

    ¡°If you don¡¯t explain it clearly, I¡¯ll kill you.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s cold sweat poured down instantly.

    S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 330 - 26 Auntie of the Xie Family

    Chapter 330: Chapter 26 Auntie of the Xie Family

    When it came to meeting the elders of his girlfriend¡¯s family, Yan Yu had quite a bit of experience under his belt.

    Su Yunjin¡¯s parents were senior intellectuals, so he knew he had to be careful with his words and show some cultural refinement; he couldn¡¯t be too crude.

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s father was cunning and shrewd, it was best to be frank with him, no need to beat around the bush; her mother, on the other hand, was both foolish and haughty, so there was no need to be too polite, otherwise, she would look down on him.

    Li Minghu¡¯s parents were middle-class small town folks, school teachers, with a very laid-back and easy-going nature; as long as their daughter and son-in-law were happy, everything was fine.

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s rural parents, according to Yan Yu¡¯s memories from his previous life, didn¡¯t stir up any scandals even when Ruoxi¡¯s bad reputation was all over the internet, suggesting they weren¡¯t the difficult type¡ªeven if they were, they wouldn¡¯t be a match for Yan Yu.

    Back at Jinling Prefecture, he arranged as usual for the maid to come clean the house at a set time.

    ...

    Yan Yu played with his phone on the sofa for a while but then noticed an unusual quietness in the living room, with only Chen Lingyun sitting at the bar making coffee.

    ¡°Where is everyone?¡± he asked as he stood up.

    ¡°They¡¯re all training in the basement,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°Why the sudden enthusiasm?¡± Yan Yu immediately became suspicious, ¡°Usually, they can¡¯t wait to skip out on extra training, and now, after coming back from the Mysterious Realm and resting for half a day, they¡¯re actually training voluntarily?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, weird, right?¡± Chen Lingyun said cheerfully, ¡°What do you think is the reason?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, it must be a case of ¡®shamed into bravery¡¯,¡± Yan Yu walked over to Chen Lingyun, took a sip of the coffee she had prepared, and grimaced, ¡°Why is it so bitter?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just how this variety of beans is,¡± Chen Lingyun replied, ¡°Full-bodied and aromatic, with a sweet aftertaste.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t taste any sweetness,¡± Yan Yu said, frowning slightly, ¡°Just a sour bitterness. You didn¡¯t put dish soap in here, did you?¡±

    Chen Lingyun chuckled helplessly and shook her head.

    ¡°You dare to mock the captain?¡± Yan Yu extended a finger and poked her on the head, ¡°Going against the natural order? Learning from Xie Ruoxi, are you?¡±

    ¡°Coffee inherently has acidity,¡± Chen Lingyun said calmly, ¡°As long as it¡¯s smooth and not too sharp, it¡¯s fine. If you can¡¯t handle it, you could try something else.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, it must be me,¡± Yan Yu said carelessly, ¡°I can¡¯t be expected to share the same tastes as a little girl who strives for perfection and is stubborn and petty.¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t get angry but just smiled and said, ¡°With drinks, you have to find your own favorite. It¡¯s always right to try more options.¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s brow furrowed instantly. What are you implying? Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t understand!

    He was about to organize his thoughts for a comeback, when he heard the front door being opened from the outside.

    Su Yunjin took off her shoes at the doorway, walked into the living room, and saw Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun chatting.

    ¡°Captain, I¡¯m back,¡± she said with a warm smile.

    ¡°Good to have you back,¡± Yan Yu put on his captain¡¯s air, looked her up and down, and suddenly said, ¡°Did you get a tan?¡±

    ¡°Did I?¡± Su Yunjin looked alarmed, quickly took out her phone to take a selfie, and then compared it with her photos from a few months ago.

    Lin Ning and the others were just coming up from the basement staircase when they saw Su Yunjin standing in the entrance hall. They immediately rushed over to surround her, expressing their care and concern:

    ¡°Yun Jin, you¡¯re back?¡±

    ¡°Sister Yun Jin, I¡¯ve missed you so much!¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin, you seem a bit thinner.¡±

    After exchanging pleasantries with her sisters for a moment, Su Yunjin smiled and said:

    ¡°Let¡¯s all go to my room. I¡¯ll check on your injuries first. Captain, please wait downstairs for a while.¡±

    The reason she planned to check the women before the men wasn¡¯t due to any superficial spirit of mutual aid, but rather her own little scheme: Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    If she checked the captain first, the other girls waiting downstairs might come and hurry her, causing interruptions; therefore, it was better to check everyone else first, leaving the captain for last. That way, the examination could be more thorough and comprehensive, take more time, and give her a chance to chat alone with the captain and foster their relationship¡­

    The girls went to the second floor and into Su Yunjin¡¯s room, where she proceeded to conduct a detailed Divine Sense inspection for each of them.

    ¡°Ling Yun is fine,¡± said Su Yunjin after a brief check. ¡°Ning Ning has a rib fracture, but it seems to be healing well. Going forward, you need to increase your calcium intake, drink milk, and don¡¯t forget about vitamin D either.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already checked Ruoxi¡¯s condition; there¡¯s nothing wrong. The medical team mentioned the risk of pneumothorax just as a precaution, but in reality, there¡¯s nothing to worry about. Sister Zhao¡¯s injury can¡¯t be exposed to water; it¡¯s best to cover it with a sterile gauze bandage. Let me find some¡­¡±

    She turned to search the drawers when they heard Xie Ruoxi sigh and say:

    ¡°Ah, so annoying.¡±

    ¡°Is it because your parents are coming?¡± Lin Ning asked with concern.

    ¡°Not just my parents,¡± Xie Ruoxi said dejectedly. ¡°My aunt¡¯s family is coming too.¡±

    ¡°Do you not get along with them?¡± Su Yunjin asked casually as she applied the bandage to Zhao Yuanzhen.

    ¡°I don¡¯t get along with any of my relatives outside,¡± Xie Ruoxi expressed with frustration. ¡°But my aunt¡¯s family¡­ they¡¯re the kind that¡¯s quite troublesome.¡±

    She briefly explained that the aunt in question was actually Xie Mother¡¯s cousin. Because they lived in the same village, they would often visit each other, but their relationship wasn¡¯t very close, and the reason was straightforward: the other party was all too fond of making comparisons and gossiping.

    For instance, how many tables were set for the New Year¡¯s feast, how much money was given out in red envelopes to the younger generation; or how prestigious the university her son or daughter attended was, their monthly salary after graduation, what their partner¡¯s family background was, and so on¡­ Anything that could be compared would be brought up for comparison. After the comparison, they wouldn¡¯t stop there but would go on to gossip with neighbors and friends, which Xie Mother and Xie Father both disliked.

    Ordinarily, the visit of Xie Parents to see their daughter had nothing to do with this aunt. However, since the aunt¡¯s daughter (Xie Ruoxi¡¯s cousin) happened to work in Jinling Prefecture and heard that Xie Ruoxi was also in Jinling, she took the opportunity to say, ¡°I¡¯m going to visit my daughter and son-in-law, and it just so happens to be on the way,¡± so she booked tickets in the same train carriage as Xie Parents.

    ¡°My cousin works in internet operations, and her husband is in real estate sales. Together, I heard they earn about twenty thousand a month,¡± Xie Ruoxi said with a headache. ¡°Ever since this aunt found out I went to work after high school, she¡¯s always asking about my situation, or bragging about how much dowry her daughter received at her wedding, how much money she¡¯s made since then¡­ Both my parents and I dislike this relative.¡±

    The girls looked at each other, understanding the situation.

    ¡°Even if she brags, you have nothing to fear from her!¡± Lin Ning spoke her mind bluntly. ¡°We live in a big villa, and we have millions lying in our bank books, so how could we be afraid of not measuring up to her?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not about outdoing her; it¡¯s about not wanting to compete,¡± Xie Ruoxi sighed. ¡°If she finds out, she¡¯ll go back to the village and talk about it, and then everyone remotely related will come to my family asking to borrow money¡­¡±

    ¡°That matter of borrowing money is indeed troublesome,¡± Su Yunjin nodded. ¡°Maybe we should ask the captain what to do?¡±

 Chapter 331 - 27 Yan Yu Battles Secretary Su

    Chapter 331: Chapter 27 Yan Yu Battles Secretary Su

    ¡°Asking me what to do?¡± After listening to Su Yunjin, Yan Yu chuckled and said, ¡°Instead of asking me, why not ask Ruoxi what her plans are for handling it?¡±

    ¡°It seems to me that Ruoxi wants to send that aunt away sooner rather than later, but at the same time, it would be best if she didn¡¯t let her know that Ruoxi has money now,¡± Su Yunjin replied. ¡°Otherwise people who get to know her afterwards might all come over to borrow money, which would be troublesome.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem,¡± Yan Yu shook his head. ¡°University student cultivators have already been organized into combat units, and their families will all be kept under surveillance. Xie Ruoxi joined the team midway, so the process hasn¡¯t reached her yet. Eventually, she¡¯ll be brought into the Military Manor courtyard, then no poor relatives will be able to see her, and there¡¯s no need to worry about borrowing money¡­ Oh, her family is in the Annan Army¡¯s jurisdiction, that might be troublesome. I¡¯ll ask Instructor Qi about it someday.¡±

    ¡°As always, the captain has thought of everything,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile.

    Yan Yu¡¯s brows furrowed slightly, feeling as if ¡°an ancient lady lay beside him whispering suggestions, contentedly saying ¡®You¡¯ve thought of everything, husband,¡¯ after he agreed, and then she trimmed the candle and started to sleep¡±¡­

    Damn, what¡¯s the use of such a vivid imagination? It must be because I caught it from that clone of the Demonic Sect Enchantress in the Mysterious Realm!

    ...

    ¡°Captain, raise your hand for a moment,¡± Su Yunjin said.

    Yan Yu sat on the edge of the bed, lifted his left arm high to let Su Yunjin confirm if the injury had affected the tendons and veins.

    Her fingers bearing Runescript, Su Yunjin gently brushed over the area surrounding his wound, bringing a tingling, somewhat itchy sensation.

    ¡°The wound has already healed,¡± Yan Yu said, puzzled. ¡°Do you still need to check it so meticulously?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Su Yunjin, who had indeed received advanced training with the Zhendong Army medical team, explained in detail. ¡°Torn muscles are like a puzzle torn in half; Runescript is like the glue that sticks them back together. The piecing together is simple, but the edges might not align properly, especially just after returning from the battlefield. To stop the bleeding urgently, the medical team wouldn¡¯t have been meticulous enough to match every single muscle fiber before joining them.¡±

    ¡°This won¡¯t pose a problem in the short term, but over time it might affect muscle exertion. It would be more troublesome to deal with later; it¡¯s better for me to take care of it now¡­ It will just take some time, don¡¯t move.¡±

    Yan Yu, who knew nothing about medical matters, let Su Yunjin carry on her talk as she felt around on his body.

    On second thought, something didn¡¯t seem quite right. In my past life, I¡¯ve been through countless battles, and I¡¯ve been dragged back from the brink of death more than once or twice¡ªwhy don¡¯t I remember such an extremely tedious and complicated examination?

    Then again, perhaps I¡¯ve had such examinations without knowing. After all, the hospital¡¯s equipment is more advanced, and surgery is quicker. It¡¯s not necessarily that someone like Secretary Su would be so diligent.

    Thinking it over, I decided to let it be and let her do whatever she wanted.

    With Runescript activated on her hands, Su Yunjin kneaded Yan Yu¡¯s shoulders, seeming both to check the wound and to give a massage. As she did so, she asked, ¡°I heard that during this expedition to the Mysterious Realm, you encountered enemies who could mimic your appearance and read your thoughts, then reveal them in public?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°So what the clone said about wanting to start a harem, that was true too?¡± Su Yunjin asked casually.

    Here it comes again, the familiar weight of the question!

    Forewarned, Yan Yu laughed and replied, ¡°Of course it¡¯s true. But the clone just reads your mind and deliberately twists it.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? It was twisted?¡± Su Yunjin continued to massage his shoulder.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s twisted,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°By how much was it twisted?¡± Su Yunjin pressed on.

    ¡°Twisted by a bit, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°Captain knows that¡¯s not what I¡¯m asking about.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, what do you want to know?¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll ask directly: Captain, have you ever thought about starting a harem?¡±

    ¡°Of course not, I am a gentleman of integrity,¡± he responded.

    ¡°Starting a harem has nothing to do with whether you¡¯re a gentleman,¡± Su Yunjin retorted diplomatically. ¡°Generally, normal boys have such thoughts during puberty. After all, male animals have the instinct to spread their genes as widely as possible.¡±

    She spoke with utmost understanding, as if implying, ¡°Even if you wanted to start a harem, I could comprehend that,¡± but Yan Yu did not alter his statement and instead replied, ¡°I¡¯ve never thought about it. Right now, just managing the team takes up a lot of my time and energy. You¡¯re suggesting I manage romance like a business, to find ten or eight wives¡ªthat¡¯s just asking for trouble. It¡¯s too exhausting, totally unnecessary.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Su Yunjin appeared thoughtful before suddenly asking, ¡°If ten or eight clones are hard to manage, would four or five be alright then?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Yan Yu was surprised.

    ¡°I heard.¡± Su Yunjin said nonchalantly, ¡°Their clones apparently all said they liked you.¡±

    ¡°Sigh.¡± Yan Yu slowly sighed and, shaking his head, said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do. You see, I¡¯m handsome, capable, and gentle¡ªit¡¯s only natural for girls to fall for me, right? But when it comes to relationships, I have high standards. I would never entertain casual flings just because someone likes me, so it really doesn¡¯t bother me.¡±

    Pfft.

    Su Yunjin couldn¡¯t help but smile. The first two points were passable, but Team Leader, when did your personality ever come close to ¡®gentle¡¯?

    Rather than gentle, it¡¯s more like you are formidable enough to give a sense of solid reliability¡­

    Her face turned slightly red as she continued to ask:

    ¡°So, how do you view their affection? For example, Ling Yun, her clone said you are a special existence to her.¡±

    ¡°Let that riddle keep her cool wherever she pleases,¡± Yan Yu said impatiently, ¡°What is a ¡®special existence¡¯ supposed to mean? We¡¯ll talk about it when she has figured it out.¡±

    ¡°And what about Ningning?¡± asked Su Yunjin softly, ¡°She seems to have a crush on you.¡±

    ¡°There are many who have a crush on me,¡± Yan Yu said matter-of-factly, ¡°I can¡¯t be expected to deal with every single incident of someone having a crush.¡±

    ¡°It seems Ruoxi kind of admires you like an overbearing CEO,¡± Su Yunjin went on.

    ¡°She¡¯s read too many female-oriented novels, it doesn¡¯t need attention.¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhao directly says you are her husband, you know?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s too low. We don¡¯t even have a dating relationship, how could it have gone as far as possession? That¡¯s absurd.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I think I understand now,¡± said Su Yunjin, her movements slightly forceful, ¡°At first, Team Leader said that the clones deliberately misinterpret your thoughts. Later, when mentioning that their clones like you, Team Leader, you seemed to acknowledge these feelings as real¡­ so, are the clones¡¯ words misinterpretations, or are they true?¡±

    ¡°Why are Team Leader¡¯s previous and subsequent statements contradictory? Can you tell me why?¡±

    Yan Yu was momentarily stunned but hadn¡¯t realized Secretary Su had set a logical trap early on and was silently waiting for him to fall into it.

    Indeed, playing word games with a literary girl could never be taken lightly in any form!

    He fell silent for a moment, and just as the atmosphere was getting tense, he suddenly said:

    ¡°As I mentioned, it¡¯s a partial misinterpretation.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°Partial misinterpretation means it only misinterpreted a single person¡ªme,¡± Yan Yu seriously continued the lie, ¡°The so-called ¡®exposed inner thoughts¡¯ only affect you if they strike a chord. If it¡¯s a deliberate misinterpretation, it¡¯s just stoking the fire and won¡¯t achieve a mental breakdown. See, I don¡¯t mind, but they all seem to care a lot.¡±

    Su Yunjin fell silent, seeming not to have expected Yan Yu¡¯s answer to be so¡­ how should it be described?

    Brazen? But seemingly bulletproof.

    She had asked the other girls beforehand. Everyone was secretive about their own clone¡¯s words, only willing to discuss others, but Yan Yu was different¡ªhe didn¡¯t avoid the issue and his attitude was quite open.

    After a long silence, Su Yunjin, unable to discern the truth, sighed deeply:

    ¡°Ah, if only I had been there at the time.¡± Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Out of nowhere, Yan Yu shuddered.

    If she had been there, her clone exposed her true feelings, then taking advantage of the moment to confess directly¡­

    Stop! He couldn¡¯t allow himself to imagine any further!

    Mere Secretary Su, there¡¯s no way she could conquer me!

    Quack, I am the strongest in this world!

 Chapter 332 - 28: The Strong Stance of Immortal Venerate Xie

    Chapter 332: Chapter 28: The Strong Stance of Immortal Venerate Xie

    Inside the high-speed train carriage from Baoqing Prefecture to Jinling Prefecture, Xie¡¯s father and mother were seated on the same row of seats, while the aunt and uncle were seated on another row, whispering to each other.

    Xie¡¯s mother was quietly scolding Xie¡¯s father for letting slip some information when he went to buy the tickets, letting the uncle find out about it, which resulted in her cousin¡¯s family insisting on tagging along under the guise of ¡°visiting their daughter,¡± much to Xie¡¯s mother¡¯s irritation.

    To speak of the grievances between the two families, one actually has to go back to when Xie Ruoxi was in the second grade of elementary school.

    At that time, Xie Ruoxi and her cousin were at the same elementary school, and a film crew came to shoot ¡°The Most Beautiful Xiangxi,¡± looking to pick a few students from Baoqing Elementary School to be extras. The female producer went around each classroom and selected a few good-looking kids from each grade, then it was up to the teachers to ask these children¡¯s parents whether they would let their children join the film shoot during the summer vacation.

    Xie Ruoxi was chosen, but her cousin was not. After telling her parents, the aunt immediately blew up.

    My daughter is also very pretty, where is she worse than Xie Ruoxi? Why only pick her, are they blind?

    ...

    The feud between the two families started from there, and from elementary to middle and high school, the aunt always compared her daughter to Xie Ruoxi whenever something came up.

    The pretty loser herself wasn¡¯t keen either, her academic performance didn¡¯t improve, and she was crazy about all sorts of anime, often making a fool of herself at school, which made the aunt hold her head high with pride, confident when talking behind backs.

    Xie¡¯s mother was also angry about this, but since her daughter was indeed no wallflower and she didn¡¯t want to completely fall out with her cousin, she simply rolled her eyes and spoke harshly to shut down her aunt¡¯s nonsense every time she started complaining.

    For over a decade, the Xie family hadn¡¯t won a single round in this regard, causing both sides to form a fixed mindset:

    Xie Ruoxi, no good! Cousin, good!

    This thought peaked when the cousin graduated from college and got married. The husband worked in real estate sales in Jinling, was good at talking, and could earn a lot of money. The dowry was 188,000 yuan, which made the aunt show off in the village for days¡­ At that time, a typical dowry in the village was only twenty to thirty thousand, and only in urban areas of Baoqing Prefecture would it exceed one hundred thousand. At that moment, the aunt seemed to have finally vented all the frustration from the previous decade.

    Could Xie Ruoxi do that? S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    In the future, there¡¯d be no need to compare. My daughter has graduated from college and married well, while her daughter only has a high school diploma. They¡¯re not even in the same league anymore, comparing further would be degrading.

    Then came the news that Xie Ruoxi had become a cultivator, striking the aunt¡¯s household like a bolt from the blue.

    The aunt urgently dragged her husband into discussion, demanding their daughter find all related information about the Zhenhai Team, including battle videos and news reports, and to send them to grandma using her phone.

    After watching all the battle videos, the aunt immediately declared she had found the key:

    There was no Xie Ruoxi!

    This wasn¡¯t surprising, since after Xie Ruoxi joined the team, whether it was the Black Dragon Isle battle, the Tianshan Mysterious Realm battle, the Southern Border defense battle, or the Mirror Lake Divine Palace battle, she hadn¡¯t participated in any leagues broadcasted live due to various reasons, so she never had the chance to appear on TV screens.

    The uncle did have some sense, reasoning that the Xie family couldn¡¯t possibly lie about such a big matter. Could a lie last momentarily, let alone a lifetime?

    But the uncle was also a rural man, not a savvy netizen, and his ability to retrieve information depended entirely on his friends¡¯ circle. He lacked sufficient evidence to convince his wife¡ªthe aunt who had been obsessed for over a decade, how could she be persuaded by such a reason? Therefore, she insisted on confirming it herself.

    Both families took the high-speed train headed towards Jinling Prefecture.

    On the other hand, Yan Yu was still in Su Yunjin¡¯s room, enjoying her massage¡­ no, it should be the injury checkup.

    To be fair, Secretary Su was actually quite gentle when she didn¡¯t use heavy gravity spells. She was pretty, had a good aura, well-cultured, her education level outshone most of her peers, and when chatting, her voice was soft and sweet¡ªthere was nothing one could fault her on.

    Yan Yu still remembered the first time he met her, lamenting her poor ending in her past life, vowing to poach her to be his personal secretary¡ªnow that this small goal has been achieved, it felt like a very fulfilling achievement, wahahaha!

    Why isn¡¯t the checkup done yet? It¡¯s almost been half an hour.

    ¡°Eh, captain,¡± Su Yunjin spoke up, ¡°someone called earlier to ask if our team is interested in taking a commercial endorsement.¡±

    ¡°Commercial endorsement?¡± Yan Yu was taken aback, ¡°What did the coach say about it?¡±

    ¡°Instructor Qi said the school won¡¯t interfere with these matters. At most, they¡¯ll just review the contract for any loopholes or traps after we get it,¡± Su Yunjin said softly.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu wasn¡¯t surprised by this outcome either.

    In his past life, the major teams not only took on commercial endorsements, but also participated in celebrity talk shows! The authorities were happy to see these activities, as they could foster a sense of belonging among cultivators toward the society and the common folk. More of this was always seen as beneficial.

    What the authorities feared most were those obsessed with martial practice, who lived in seclusion, practicing day in and day out, completely out of touch with society and without any attachment to the secular world¡­ Such people, if they chose to defect, would have no psychological burden whatsoever.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not particularly interested. We can take it or leave it,¡± Su Yunjin replied, ¡°Mainly because we¡¯re not short on money now, we can just pick and choose the media events we like to participate in.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m relieved to hear you think this way,¡± Yan Yu nodded approvingly, ¡°As cultivators, we should enjoy life as much as possible and not be overly concerned like Lord Master, worrying about this and that¡­¡±

    Before he could finish speaking, someone knocked on the door.

    Su Yunjin sighed softly in her heart, thinking to herself that surely some sly fox couldn¡¯t help but come forth.

    Yan Yu got up to open the door and saw Xie Ruoxi standing outside, crying:

    ¡°Captain, save me!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s happened again?¡± Yan Yu frowned.

    ¡°My parents sent me a message,¡± Xie Ruoxi said pitifully, ¡°My aunt and her husband are coming over to grill me. Captain, please help me think of something!¡±

    ¡°Why is your aunt¡¯s family coming too?¡± Yan Yu was taken aback.

    So, knowing their daughter has made it big, they¡¯re bringing the whole family over for a free feast, huh?

    ¡°Let me tell you¡­¡± Without caring that Su Yunjin was present, Xie Ruoxi detailed the grievances between the two families to Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu was speechless after listening. The secluded rural environment indeed bred many villagers who loved to gossip, compare with others, and hold grudges, but the key instigators that combined all three traits were extreme cases in any rural area.

    There are instigators everywhere, but the problem was that Xie Ruoxi¡¯s mother cared about their reputation and didn¡¯t want to fall out with relatives, which led to the whole family having to endure this relative¡¯s nasty behavior for a long time¡­ So the solution was simple, just move her parents to the Military Manor.

    Problem solved!

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll think of something when the time comes,¡± Yan Yu said as he was about to step away, but Xie Ruoxi grabbed his hands.

    The pretty but useless girl didn¡¯t trust the captain¡¯s word. After all, he was the tyrant who, during every training session, would say ¡°I will hold back,¡± only to turn around and beat everyone to the ground. He said he would ¡°think about it,¡± not that he would ¡°definitely come up with a solution,¡± maybe he¡¯d just forget about it the moment he turned around, leaving me to be the butt of jokes for his amusement!

    ¡°Let go,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Captain, please, I¡¯m begging you to help me!¡± Xie Ruoxi continued to plead, ¡°I really don¡¯t want to be grilled by that annoying relative again, and it¡¯ll upset my mom so much that she¡¯ll end up grilling me just as harshly¡­ But I¡¯m sure you can find a way, Captain!¡±

    ¡°You should deal with your family issues yourself!¡± Yan Yu was exasperated with her lack of backbone. You are, after all, Xie Immortal Venerate, a cultivator with one-in-ten-thousand talent. Can¡¯t you show a bit of the cultivator¡¯s backbone and pride?

    I was just in the room with Secretary Su talking about how cultivators should embrace life with passion and deal with grievances as they arise, and here you are, making a show that slaps me in the face?

    ¡°Ruoxi, don¡¯t worry, the captain will surely help you.¡± Seeing Yan Yu being beset by her, Su Yunjin also came over to mediate.

    Xie Ruoxi became even more anxious. She knew Su Yunjin was in cahoots with Yan Yu and, seeing her seemingly about to pull her away, a thought flashed through her mind impulsively. Closing her eyes and steeling her heart, she dropped to her knees, wrapped her arms around Yan Yu¡¯s legs, and adopted a determined stance that said ¡°I won¡¯t leave until you help me.¡±

    Yan Yu! I, Xie Ruoxi, am on my knees here today! You have to help, whether you want to or not!

 Chapter 333 - 29 Designing a Play for Immortal Venerate Xie

    Chapter 333: Chapter 29 Designing a Play for Immortal Venerate Xie

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s earth-shattering kneel had Yan Yu bewildered.

    What was the last thing she kneeled for?

    It seemed to be when I was going to delete her gaming account¡­ No, although she did kneel down then, she was propped up on her hands, in a ¡°Coach, I want to play basketball¡± posture, which strictly speaking, wasn¡¯t too humiliating.

    But this time, it was a genuine kneel-down. How embarrassing, you beautiful mess! Are you completely shameless?

    Wait, something¡¯s off here.

    Xie Ruoxi isn¡¯t someone with much patience. The first thing that showed was her lack of interest in training, always whining about hardship and wanting to give up; then her older brother stepped in to discipline her, which at least got rid of her constant whining, but her performance on the battlefield was still not up to par¡ªespecially compared to Lin Ning. She seemed even less proactive, hesitant, and timid.

    ...

    Yan Yu had originally thought this was due to her lack of real combat experience, a kind of ¡°timid phase¡± unique to novices. But now, considering her habit of kneeling at the drop of a hat, it seemed more likely that the reason was deeply rooted in her personality.

    Weakness!

    Herbivorous animals, even when facing carnivores smaller than themselves, think of fleeing first rather than fighting back. Is it because they can¡¯t win? No, it¡¯s actually a problem with their nature.

    To solve this problem, it¡¯s definitely not enough to just increase training; it¡¯s necessary to start with correcting her mindset.

    Time for some strong medicine!

    Yan Yu quickly made up his mind, looked down at Xie Ruoxi kneeling on the ground, and suddenly showed a menacing smile:

    ¡°Here¡¯s the deal, as long as I help you with this problem, you¡¯re willing to do anything, right?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi instinctively felt a bit scared, but then she thought that maybe the captain was just trying to scare her, so she mustered her courage and said:

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    ¡°Alright then.¡± Yan Yu waved Su Yunjin over, ¡°Whisper in my ear.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    After Xie Ruoxi¡¯s parents arrived at the station, the aunt¡¯s family also followed.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to see your Qianqian first?¡± Xie¡¯s mother tried to send them away.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go see Xixi first.¡± The aunt said with a smile.

    Xie¡¯s mother stopped talking. She cared about her image and couldn¡¯t bring herself to say something as blunt as telling them to leave.

    Xie¡¯s father took a taxi, and everyone hurried to the address given by Xie Ruoxi.

    Along the way, as they moved further from the city center, the aunt gradually relaxed.

    Living so far out and still a cultivator? Aren¡¯t cultivators all part of the government¡¯s establishment? They might even get assigned collective housing, who would live in the suburbs with you?

    ¡°Maybe she got scammed by a pyramid scheme,¡± she quietly said to her husband.

    Xie¡¯s father, sitting on the other side of her husband, faintly overheard what the relative said. He twitched the corners of his mouth, turned to look out the window, and became silent.

    It¡¯s not that he hadn¡¯t spoken up for his daughter. It¡¯s just that every time he did, he ended up being embarrassingly proven wrong by his daughter, to the point where he was almost numb to it.

    It couldn¡¯t really be a pyramid scheme, could it? Hahaha¡­ When we get there, regardless of the actual situation, we¡¯ll first rescue our daughter and then call the police.

    Xie¡¯s mother sat in the passenger seat, oblivious to the relative¡¯s comments, and was quite calm. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    It wasn¡¯t that she had confidence in her daughter, but rather, she believed her son wouldn¡¯t lie to her. Xie Rushan had always been an honest child, hardly ever lying.

    When the taxi arrived at the destination, everyone got out and looked around, only to find that the area was filled with villas?

    ¡°This is the place.¡± Xie¡¯s mother looked at the photo her daughter had sent on her phone and compared it with the house in front, then said.

    And so, the aunt¡¯s smile faded away.

    In their village, every family lived in a three-story building, some quite impressively built, but they all paled in comparison to this villa. With a view of the mountain and sea, a lawn garden, neat and beautiful hedges and fences outside, and even a riverside gazebo in the backyard¡ªit was as grand as the luxurious houses of the rich in Miti¡¯s movies.

    In contrast, the apartment Qianqian and her husband had just bought in Jinling¡ªeven though it was a ¡°subway house¡± just 2 kilometers from the subway station¡ªseemed utterly insignificant in front of this suburban villa.

    ¡­Perhaps it was a shared rental.

    As this thought emerged from the depths of her mind, it was like a drowning person suddenly grasping at a straw, giving the aunt a reason to investigate further.

    ¡°Go ahead and go in, I¡¯ll help you with your stuff,¡± she said, eagerly offering help to Xie¡¯s mother.

    Xie¡¯s mother waved her off, indicating she could manage, and then went ahead to the door and knocked.

    ¡°Coming!¡± a voice from inside called out, Lin Ning¡¯s voice.

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s voice was the soft and tender type, but the girl responding inside had a clear and vibrant tone, immediately indicating she wasn¡¯t the younger daughter of the Xie family.

    Auntie suddenly got excited, shooting her husband a look that meant, ¡°See, I told you they were cohabiting. Maybe they¡¯re even involved in some sort of pyramid scheme.¡±

    Her husband didn¡¯t catch her drift, merely keeping silent.

    At this moment, Lin Ning, in her usual clothes without any makeup, hurriedly came to open the door. She welcomed the four elders into the house. Once she learned they were Xie Ruoxi¡¯s relatives, she took the initiative to make tea for everyone.

    All four of them seemed uneasy. Xie Ruoxi¡¯s parents were nervous because they hadn¡¯t seen their daughter, while the aunt and her husband looked around, assessing how much it would cost to rent a place like this.

    ¡°Dad, Mom?¡± Xie Ruoxi called out as she came down from upstairs, ¡°Auntie, Uncle, you¡¯re here?¡±

    She went to her parents¡¯ side and chatted with them for a bit. Xie Ruoxi¡¯s parents visibly relaxed, but then they heard the aunt ask:

    ¡°Ruoxi, are you sharing this place with others now?¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Xie Ruoxi nodded and said.

    Just as the aunt was about to ask ¡°How much is the rent here per month,¡± her husband, knowing his wife¡¯s character and wanting to prevent her from being too obvious, quickly interrupted with:

    ¡°Is it far from where you work?¡±

    ¡°Not far,¡± Xie Ruoxi forced a smile. ¡°It¡¯s just a twenty-minute walk.¡±

    Her strained expression was mainly due to thinking about the content of her usual work: practicing and getting hit.

    But this forced smile in the aunt¡¯s eyes, who already had a paranoid mentality, reinforced her belief that this must be some illegal pyramid scheme or other unspeakable job. After all, who would employ a girl who¡¯d just finished high school? Even housekeeping jobs these days require at least an associate degree!

    So she continued to ask:

    ¡°Then what exactly do you do as a¡­ ¡®Cultivator¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Mostly training,¡± Lin Ning answered as she brought over the tea, casually replying.

    Training¡­ The aunt immediately put on a knowing smile, recalling the warning videos in her social media feed:

    Workers standing in two neat rows, led by their manager through various exercise drills, shouting motivational slogans like ¡°The company¡¯s future is my future¡± and ¡°Always be ready to set out for the development of the Northwest.¡± They were trained until they were completely numb and incapable of independent thinking, then started to solicit shares for the ¡°Northwest Development¡± project, with each share costing around a hundred yuan, and a twenty yuan cashback for every relative recruited¡­

    What kind of job requires training instead of education? It has to be a pyramid scheme!

    She stopped asking questions, and then Xie Ruoxi¡¯s mother pulled her daughter aside to ask how she was, mainly about whether her work was hard and if she was eating well, to which Xie Ruoxi obligingly answered.

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s father wanted to see his daughter¡¯s bedroom, so she led everyone upstairs. As the two men walked ahead, the aunt deliberately lagged behind, whispering in Xie Ruoxi¡¯s mother¡¯s ear:

    ¡°Could it be a pyramid scheme?¡±

    ¡°How could that be!¡± Xie Ruoxi¡¯s mother became unhappy upon hearing this and tried to shake off her cousin¡¯s hand, but the aunt gripped it tighter and whispered:

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to look down on Ruoxi. Think about it, she only has a high school diploma. Why would that ¡®Cultivator¡¯ company hire her? What did they see in her? Nowadays, you can¡¯t even apply for civil service exams without a bachelor¡¯s degree! Just imagine¡­ I mean just imagine, if she got deceived by pyramid schemes, that would be a big problem!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s mother actually didn¡¯t understand what a ¡®Cultivator¡¯ was, and given her daughter¡¯s lackluster abilities from a young age, she felt somewhat guilty when she heard this, but still said forcefully:

    ¡°How could it be a pyramid scheme? Do people from pyramid schemes pay for you to live in a big villa like this? She even transferred tens of thousands of yuan to me recently!¡±

    ¡°Who with a proper job lives in a big villa?¡± the aunt confidently retorted. ¡°Unless they are businesspeople or stock traders¡­ Can Ruoxi even handle such high-end jobs? Renting a big villa is a way to trick young girls into thinking it¡¯s a quick-money gig, not knowing there¡¯s no such thing as a free lunch!¡±

    Speechless, Xie Ruoxi¡¯s mother¡¯s breathing quickened at the thought that if it were true, she would have to drag her daughter back home, even if it meant losing face in front of her cousin!

    Seeing that Xie Ruoxi¡¯s mother had stopped talking, the aunt moved forward a few steps, pulling her husband aside to murmur some sarcastic remarks, essentially implying, ¡°I knew she wouldn¡¯t make it,¡± and ¡°Now she¡¯s been deceived, the Xie family is in trouble.¡±

    Uncle also felt uncomfortable, thinking it wasn¡¯t nice for his wife to speak ill of others in their home, so he kept silent.

    Xie Ruoxi led the elders into the study. Before they could even take a look around, she took out a passbook and handed it to her father, saying:

    ¡°After becoming a Cultivator, I completed a few tasks and earned some wages. It¡¯s inconvenient for large transactions, so I might as well give it directly to you, especially since my brother needs money for college.¡±

    These days, most people used debit cards, and passbooks weren¡¯t commonly used anymore. The reason she chose a passbook, however, was specifically requested by Yan Yu, the director.

    Her father silently took the passbook and opened it in front of his wife and relatives, looking at the string of numbers that represented the account balance.

    Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousand, hundred thousand, a million¡­

    A million?!!

    In that moment, everyone seemed to be holding their breath, eyes glued to the numbers on the passbook.

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s mother snatched the passbook from her husband¡¯s hands, counting the digits carefully again, her hands starting to shake.

    The aunt stood behind with a frozen smile on her face, her muscles so tense they were starting to ache, her mind a complete blank.

    Just then, a knock at the door sounded, followed by Yan Yu¡¯s serious voice:

    ¡°Comrade Xie Ruoxi, your family has arrived, right? The Military Manor has prepared a reception dinner, and the car is already waiting downstairs.¡±

 Chapter 334 - 30: Great Talents are Late Bloomers, Success Can Go to Ones Head

    Chapter 334: Chapter 30: Great Talents are Late Bloomers, Success Can Go to One¡¯s Head

    When it comes to showing off, there are different methods for different occasions and different people.

    For someone who knows cars, slowly stopping in a luxury car in front of them is the best way to show off. However, if the other person knows nothing about cars, then it¡¯s like winking at a blind person¡ªnot effective at all.

    For people like Xie Ruoxi¡¯s parents and relatives, who might not even know how to use mobile banking, they¡¯re unlikely to trust text message reminders from the bank.

    A passbook, on the other hand, is the most visually striking thing.

    As soon as Yan Yu knocked and called out from outside, Xie¡¯s mother snapped out of her daze and immediately panicked, quickly stuffing the passbook back into her daughter¡¯s hand, repeatedly saying:

    ¡°Put it away, put it away! With so much money, how can we just show it off casually?!¡±

    ...

    Her actual thought was ¡°We can¡¯t let your aunt see it, otherwise if the news spreads back to the village, what would we do if everyone comes to borrow money?¡± But to the aunt¡¯s ears, it sounded like a stark humiliation and mockery.

    Seeing his wife¡¯s demeanor changing, the uncle hurriedly changed the subject, saying:

    ¡°Is that Ruoxi¡¯s colleague outside? I¡¯ll open the door.¡±

    He slid open the door to the study, and Yan Yu walked in from outside.

    This guy usually dresses quite casually, but now he was formally wearing a white shirt with a dark leather jacket on top. His whole attire looked serious and solemn, and he had a stern expression on his face as if he were a young prosecutor from a TV drama.

    Xie¡¯s mother hadn¡¯t reacted yet, but Xie¡¯s father was taken aback and suddenly said:

    ¡°Yan Zhanlong?¡±

    He hadn¡¯t recognized Lin Ning previously, firstly because he hadn¡¯t looked carefully, and secondly because when the girls of the Zhenhai Team appeared on screen, they usually wore heavy makeup (after all, even beauties looked plain on television without makeup), except for Yan Yu who didn¡¯t wear much makeup.

    Now that the real person was here, identical to the one in the videos, and with an imposing aura to boot, Xie¡¯s father quickly recognized him. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    That call of ¡°Yan Zhanlong¡± scared the aunt¡¯s soul half away in an instant.

    Yan¡­ Yan¡­ Yan Zhanlong?!!

    Yan Yu walked into the room, greeting everyone with a dignified nod, then turned to Xie Ruoxi and said:

    ¡°Pay attention to your appearance; the General Commander is coming over.¡±

    General Commander¡­ The four elders gasped again.

    While this title might not sound very domineering, it had a more widely known and household name, ¡°Grand Marshal of the Zhendong Army.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi was somewhat speechless. Even if her brain was a bit slow, she could see that the captain was intentionally backing her up to make a statement, but seeing her parents and aunt utterly lost and confused, she still felt a subconscious, vicarious thrill of pretending to be important.

    No, Ruoxi mustn¡¯t laugh! If she laughed here, the atmosphere would completely collapse!

    ¡°Mhmm,¡± she said, also pulling a serious face, and asked, ¡°Can I wear my backless evening gown?¡±

    Everyone:¡­¡­¡­

    Damn it, an evening gown! Are you also planning to wear high heels and carry a luxury bag? Yan Yu subtly corrected her, saying:

    ¡°No need, just wear something formal but ordinary. The elders can follow me downstairs to sit for a while and wait for her to change clothes.¡±

    Xie¡¯s parents thought that was reasonable and followed Yan Yu downstairs. The aunt was still in a daze and had to be tugged by her husband before numbly following along.

    Only when everyone had left the bedroom did Xie Ruoxi finally allow herself to grin and burst into a hearty laugh.

    She never knew that showing off in front of family and relatives could be such a delightful experience, it felt like gulping down an entire bottle of iced soda on a scorching summer day, as if every pore on her body had opened up to breathe.

    Ever since childhood, the expression her mother showed most often was disappointment, and the most frequent words she said were ¡°Can¡¯t you be a bit more ambitious?¡± Later, it seemed that she had accepted the fact that ¡°her daughter was a good-for-nothing,¡± and stopped nagging her, only sighing when issues arose.

    To be honest, she would have preferred the nagging! There was always a sense of being completely abandoned by her mother.

    Although her father had always been silent and taciturn, never scolding her harshly, whenever she did poorly in school or after a teacher talked to her parents, he would smoke a lot that day, smoking until the ash piled up out of the ashtray.

    As for the relatives, even though they usually refrained from mentioning it to her face, during holiday gatherings, groups of them would gossip behind her back. The occasional disdainful glances they cast her way, though subtly painful, were never as bone-deep as her parents¡¯ numbed expressions. Even though silent, they had been seared deep into her heart.

    Perhaps after graduating from high school, the reason she subconsciously chose to give up studying was also to not continue spending her parents¡¯ money while having to endure their expectations and disappointment¡­

    Now thinking back to the stunned, speechless expressions on her parents¡¯ faces and her aunt¡¯s disbelief in reality, Xie Ruoxi felt an extreme sense of exhilaration as if she had vented out all the years of frustration.

    Look at me now, I am no longer that failure!

    After picking out the nicest clothes from the wardrobe and putting them on, Xie Ruoxi left her room with pride and walked downstairs. Then she saw all the elders carefully conversing with Yan Yu.

    The fame of Yan Zhanlong spread to the rural areas of Jingnan not after he slayed the dragon, but during the October awarding ceremony when various new media hyped it up, playing the patriotism card, leading rural populations across the country to become aware of this young hero, ¡°a formidable person who was personally honored by a big shot from the Privy Council¡±.

    Now that the formidable person was here, despite a significant age difference, the four elders dared not neglect him at all. They only answered when Yan Yu asked a question, as if the order of seniority had completely reversed.

    Yan Yu wasn¡¯t overbearing. In front of Mr. and Mrs. Xie, he praised Xie Ruoxi extensively, ¡°the absolute main force of the team,¡± ¡°a future hero who is sure to protect the country,¡± ¡°the commander who had personally inquired about her situation,¡± and then he started praising Mr. and Mrs. Xie, ¡°You¡¯ve raised a good daughter,¡± ¡°I want to thank you on behalf of the nation for your effort and hard work.¡±

    These words made Mr. and Mrs. Xie beam with pride, as if they had eaten elixir and been rejuvenated, so much so that they were barely able to speak clearly, stammering.

    Looking at the other two, the uncle by marriage seemed quite proud himself, but the aunt looked as if she had eaten shit, her face full of a crestfallen grayish defeat, seeming to say, ¡°I can¡¯t accept this.¡±

    ¡°Xie Ruoxi has arrived, let¡¯s go,¡± said Yan Yu as soon as he noticed Xie Ruoxi coming down the stairs.

    He led everyone out the door, and Xie Ruoxi had only walked a few steps when Mrs. Xie hugged her tightly, laughing:

    ¡°Ruoxi has really done well this time. I told you that Ru Shan wouldn¡¯t lie, your dad didn¡¯t believe it, he had to come and see for himself, now he finally believes, doesn¡¯t he?¡±

    Although it seemed like she was mocking her husband, her gaze was on her cousin.

    The aunt¡¯s face immediately turned liver red, unable to speak coherently for quite some time, while the uncle by marriage, being more aware of what was appropriate, hurriedly came forward to smooth things over:

    ¡°Ah, we¡¯ve seen Ruoxi grow up since she was little, we always knew she was a late bloomer. Now that she has finally made a name for herself, we as relatives are very happy too.¡±

    This sounded incredibly fake because who was it that gossiped the most about Xie Ruoxi if not your wife?

    But Mrs. Xie, after all, was someone who cared about appearances. When the relatives flattered her, she couldn¡¯t keep harping on about it without coming off as petty, so she just hummed an acknowledgment and once again lifted her chin to look at her cousin, speaking arrogantly to her husband:

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±

    The group headed outside. Xie Ruoxi was also jubilant. As she passed by Yan Yu, for some reason, a whim struck her, and she suddenly reached out to take his hand.

    But Yan Yu¡¯s reaction was quicker, slapping her hand away with a snap.

    Only then did Xie Ruoxi come to her senses, sheepishly retracting her hand with an embarrassed look.

    Although others didn¡¯t notice this little gesture, Mrs. Xie was aware of it.

    She didn¡¯t mention it, but internally, a bit of resentment grew.

 Chapter 335 - 31 Excessive Expansion, the Counteraction of the Celestial Bodies

    Chapter 335: Chapter 31 Excessive Expansion, the Counteraction of the Celestial Bodies

    A stretch limousine was parked outside the villa; the girls from the gaming team were already waiting inside.

    In truth, no one really liked riding in such an ostentatious business vehicle, but Yan Yu had already explained to everyone that this time, they needed to bolster Ruoxi¡¯s image in front of her family and relatives (to correct her weak character), so they all kept their objections to themselves, each adopting the poised and proud demeanor of high-class ladies, which paired well with the luxury car.

    Chen Lingyun naturally played the part of a wealthy young lady, while Su Yunjin portrayed the knowledgeable and reasonable type. Zhao Yuanzhen and Lin Ning lacked such experience; the former decided to imitate Chen Lingyun, and the latter followed Su Yunjin¡¯s lead, both maintaining a dignified appearance.

    They were already exceptionally beautiful, and now with their posturing, even the four elders of the Xie family dared not speak too much, and Madam Xie also restrained the joy on her face, showing a cautious expression instead.

    However, Xie Ruoxi was lacking in self-awareness; having become arrogant, she blatantly boasted,

    ¡°Of course, I am the undeniable main force of the team. During the award ceremony at Lingyan Pavilion, there was initially a plan to create a special honor just for me. But I said no, I wanted to maintain consistency with my team. Even though I have indeed made special contributions to the team, I prefer not to be treated differently.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Ah yes, yes.¡± The girls mentally rolled their eyes but calmly agreed on the surface, ¡°Ruoxi is indeed our team¡¯s main force. She was supposed to receive a special honor but declined it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s indeed not right to make exceptions.¡± Xie¡¯s father, who was the honest and unpretentious type who hated showing off, expressed rare admiration for Xie Ruoxi¡¯s behavior, ¡°Ruoxi, you did the right thing.¡±

    Seeing her normally reticent father also praising her, Xie Ruoxi became even more elated, saying proudly,

    ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t need any title to glorify my achievements. After all, there will be plenty of opportunities for establishing a brilliant career in the future. It¡¯s like that ¡®something in the bag something¡¯¡­¡±

    ¡°Hidden in the bag, its sharpness will show itself,¡± reminded Su Yunjin, ¡°It was said by Mao Sui.¡±

    ¡°Oh right, right! That¡¯s what I meant.¡± Xie Ruoxi showed no self-awareness or shame at her ignorance and confidently continued, ¡°With my strength, I will eventually become known throughout the country. Just wait and watch me on TV!¡±

    ¡°If that day really comes, mom will enjoy her blessings with you,¡± Madam Xie couldn¡¯t help but beam with happiness. Xie¡¯s father, however, felt his face couldn¡¯t hold up and interrupted his wife, saying,

    ¡°What blessings are you talking about? Children and grandchildren have their own fortunes! It¡¯s enough if Ruoxi herself is doing well.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always been doing well,¡± Xie Ruoxi pretended not to understand her dad¡¯s meaning, and blinked as she said, ¡°I now live in a big villa, with a monthly income of tens of millions, where does dad think I am not doing well?¡±

    Xie¡¯s father: ¡­¡­¡­

    Where has my clothes rack gone? Never mind, my daughter has grown up, and I can¡¯t hit her, so I have no choice but to endure.

    He silently looked out the window, remaining quiet.

    This was the first time Xie Ruoxi successfully showed filial piety, silencing her father, which greatly boosted her confidence. She glanced at her aunt who was beside herself with excitement, and continued to boast,

    ¡°We cultivators are different from mortals; we don¡¯t pursue the type of houses we live in or how much money we have in the bank. What we pursue is cultivation, strength, status, the power of speech, leaving our mark on history, whether the world will still remember my name, Xie Ruoxi, hundreds of years later!¡±

    Everyone: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Has Ruoxi become a bit too inflated?¡± Su Yunjin quietly asked Yan Yu through a message, ¡°It feels like she¡¯s getting more and more ludicrous.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s observe for a bit,¡± said Yan Yu, ¡°It might not be over-correction to straighten what is crooked.¡±

    Su Yunjin fell silent.

    The car brought everyone to the hotel. The location was chosen by Chen Lingyun, and its opulence far exceeded what the Xie family had imagined.

    Once Xie¡¯s parents were seated, they looked around, quite like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden for the first time. The aunt, however, seemed to be in a state of delirium, with a stiff smile on her face as she quietly asked her husband,

    ¡°It must cost quite a bit to book a feast here, right?¡±

    ¡°Stop fixating on money all the time,¡± the uncle-in-law found it harder to save face and said in a low voice, ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what Ruoxi said? She now has a monthly income of tens of millions; money is meaningless to her. She¡¯s after social status, historical evaluation! And here you are, still fussing over money, isn¡¯t it embarrassing? When it¡¯s time to offer toasts later, don¡¯t say a word, I¡¯ll do the talking.¡±

    The aunt had received a scolding and was feeling disgruntled, yet she dared not retort and silently went off to wash the dishes and chopsticks with tea water.

    The cold dishes hadn¡¯t even been served yet when a few people arrived from outside.

    Accompanied by his staff, it was none other than the commander-in-chief of the Zhendong Army, Li Weiguo.

    Yan Yu hurriedly greeted him, and although Xie¡¯s father and mother did not recognize who it was, seeing that he was surrounded by several staff members in the center, it was clear that he was a high-ranking figure unapproachable by ordinary people, so they quickly stood up with their cups in hand, so flustered that they didn¡¯t know what to say.

    ¡°Grandpa Li, have you arrived?¡± Yan Yu asked with a smile, ¡°Will you sit here?¡±

    ¡°No, I heard that relatives of Xie Ruoxi¡¯s parents had come, so I just wanted to have a look,¡± Li Weiguo nodded and turned his gaze towards Xie Ruoxi¡¯s parents.

    He was specially invited by Yan Yu to show support. On one hand, it was because Xie Ruoxi indeed had exceptional talent, which deserved his special attention; on the other hand, it was because her psychological weaknesses were too apparent, even arguably the weakest link in the entire Zhenhai Team.

    The internal psychological expert team of the Zhendong Army had once conducted a profiling analysis of all members of the team. Currently, Lin Ning held the highest stability score, followed by Zhao Yuanzhen, and then Su Yunjin; these three were all exceptionally outstanding team cultivators.

    The scores of Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun were considered good, as both had obvious tendencies toward arrogance and a desire to control, which slightly reduced their scores, though certainly not to the extent of having a psychological disorder.

    The biggest problem was naturally Xie Ruoxi, with a weak will, lack of perseverance, long-term addiction to virtual networks, a habit to evade reality, and low tolerance for setbacks¡­ Of course, this was not surprising, given her poor academic performance from a young age. In the fully academically competitive Lu Country, such a poor student was destined to be subjected to all-around, long-term battering by the environment.

    As for the ¡°personality correction plan¡± proposed by Yan Yu, which began with her family, it had also gained the approval of Li Weiguo. After all, Xie Rushan had visited once, and Xie Ruoxi had been willing to train properly; the effects were clearly evident.

    Li Weiguo, carrying the authoritative aura of a superior, spoke warmly to Xie¡¯s parents, expressing a hope that they would support Xie Ruoxi from the family¡¯s perspective, allowing her to fight for the country without any worries at home.

    Xie¡¯s parents were naturally overwhelmed by the attention. Xie¡¯s mother was at a loss for words, while Xie¡¯s father¡¯s face turned so red with excitement that no matter what Li Weiguo said, he would respond with ¡°Sure, sure,¡± ¡°Certainly, certainly,¡± ¡°We will definitely keep a close eye on her.¡± Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    It wasn¡¯t until after Li Weiguo had left with his people that Xie Ruoxi woke as if from a dream and came back to her senses.

    The commander-in-chief himself had come to back me up!

    Wahaha¡­ It seems my unmatched talent as an Immortal Venerate has finally caught the eyes of the higher-ups!

    ¡°See that?¡± she boasted to her parents, brimming with pride, ¡°Knowing my family is in Jinling, the Commander-in-Chief himself came to visit! This is my status in the cultivator circles now!¡±

    Xie¡¯s parents smiled awkwardly, nodding non-stop, at a loss for words and unable to hide their astonishment, feeling a sense of awe and submission towards their daughter for the first time.

    Even the aunt couldn¡¯t hold it together anymore. From the moment Li Weiguo appeared, all her resentment and indignation had been shattered, now only thinking about ¡°I must quickly mend the relationship,¡± her face full of apologetic smiles, not knowing what to say.

    The uncle, on the other hand, was the most daring of the four, raising his glass to toast with a laugh:

    ¡°Ruoxi, let¡¯s not talk anymore. You¡¯ve made something of yourself now, and your uncle toasts to your success wishing you smooth sailing in your career and promotions at every turn! You¡¯ll always be the hope and pride of our entire village!¡±

    Thinking of the villagers starting to sing her praises and recount her great deeds, Xie Ruoxi was also quite proud, raising her glass to drink it all in one go, laughing:

    ¡°Of course! Leave it to me!¡±

    She placed the cup in front of Yan Yu, then elbowed him slightly and ordered faintly:

    ¡°Refill.¡±

    Yan Yu: ???

    Good grief, you beautiful good-for-nothing, you really are getting too big for your boots, starting to act like you can order the heavens around, huh?

 Chapter 336 - 32 Youre Good at Dodging Punishment

    Chapter 336: Chapter 32 You¡¯re Good at Dodging Punishment

    Yan Yu silently did nothing and filled Xie Ruoxi¡¯s cup to the brim.

    Xie Ruoxi grew increasingly smug, thinking to herself, ¡°The commander supports me, and the captain pours me wine. Could it be that the era belonging to me, Xie, the Immortal Venerate, is truly upon us?¡±

    From now on, under the heavens and above the earth, only I shall be revered!!!

    The more she thought about it, the more excited she became, feeling an almost unstoppable urge to stand on the table and howl. But with everyone present, it wasn¡¯t appropriate to go too wild, so she drank the wine poured by Yan Yu in one gulp and, with animated brows and vibrant gestures, bragged to her parents and relatives:

    ¡°Back when I fought in the Mysterious Realm on Black Dragon Isle, there were thousands of Onmyoji on the other side. I stood alone at the back, anchoring the formation, and they didn¡¯t even dare to attack me.¡±

    ¡°Thousands of people?¡± Xie¡¯s mother was extremely anxious, ¡°Then you¡­¡±

    ...

    She was about to say be very careful, before recalling that it was an event that had already happened.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Xie Ruoxi said dismissively, ¡°I dealt with them all by myself.¡±

    Everyone fell silent. Was this for real? In which parallel universe did this take place?

    ¡°Ruoxi is truly amazing.¡± An aunt raised her cup with a forced smile and said, ¡°Ruoxi has always been so brave. I remember back in primary school the teacher said that she was the only one in the class who wouldn¡¯t listen¡­¡±

    The crowd maintained their silence. Auntie, if you don¡¯t know what to say, it¡¯s better to say nothing at all.

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Xie Ruoxi coughed before continuing to boast, ¡°Why not talk about the battle to defend the Southern Border? Several times when our team almost got wiped out, it was all thanks to my Thunder Method that we were able to turn the tables. The most dangerous time was when we faced the Witch King. Half of our side fell after one of his attacks, and I had to use all my skills and wit to repel him.¡±

    The young women all bowed their heads to eat, hiding the awkward expressions on their faces.

    Only to hear Xie¡¯s father nodding and saying:

    ¡°Mmm, protecting the family and the country, a noble deed.¡±

    ¡°Whether it¡¯s the Onmyoji from the cherry blossoms or the Sorcerers from the Southern Border, none would be a match for me!¡± Xie Ruoxi, having drunk too much, said proudly, ¡°With my cultivation talent, I¡¯m bound to become the number one Cultivator in the country, the strongest in Lu Country¡­ no, the strongest in this world!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve had too much.¡± Yan Yu calmly took her cup away, ¡°Eat some food.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not drunk, I¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi was about to throw a little tantrum, but when she looked into Yan Yu¡¯s calm eyes, the wild blaze of arrogance inside her suddenly extinguished.

    I am the strongest in this world? No¡­ no, that¡¯s not right.

    I¡¯m just a pure, cute, delicate, and helpless Ruoxi, hehe~

    She quickly adjusted her demeanor, lowered her head to feign obedience and gentleness, only to hear Yan Yu continue: S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Uncle and Auntie, you¡¯ve heard it, haven¡¯t you? Xie Ruoxi is now a Cultivator with top-notch abilities in the country, so her safety can¡¯t be taken lightly. As her parents, according to the rules, you need to receive protection from the Military Manor.¡±

    ¡°We have already contacted the Annan Army, and they should be arranging to take you both to a residence within the military compound in Star City.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Xie¡¯s father and mother were caught off guard by this news, ¡°We have to move to Star City?¡±

    ¡°The initial plan was to arrange it in Baoqing Prefecture.¡± Yan Yu said indifferently, ¡°The Annan Army believes that the military force of Baoqing Prefecture is inadequate, and given Comrade Xie Ruoxi¡¯s strength level, her family requires a higher level of security protection, hence the provisional choice is Star City.¡±

    ¡°Oh, oh¡­¡± The elderly couple didn¡¯t know how to respond. They clearly weren¡¯t keen on moving, but Yan Yu was invoking orders from a higher authority; feeling cornered, they had no choice but to dazedly agree and leave it at that.

    The latter half of the banquet became somewhat dull with the discussion of moving, coupled with Xie Ruoxi¡¯s reconciliation.

    After the meal, Yan Yu offered to stay overnight but was politely declined by Xie¡¯s parents.

    They had never planned to stay for the night, as they didn¡¯t want to burden their daughter, so they had already purchased return tickets for the same day.

    At the train station¡¯s waiting platform, the aunt once again mustered the courage to approach her cousin, smiling and saying:

    ¡°Ruoxi has really made something of herself this time, that¡­¡±

    Xie¡¯s mother glanced at her impassively and interrupted her:

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to see your daughter?¡±

    ¡°Uh, she said she was on a business trip, so we won¡¯t visit her.¡± The aunt, interrupted in her momentum, could only weakly find an excuse, and then shrunk back beside her husband.

    But in her mind, she was resolved to get her daughter, who worked and lived in Jinling, to establish a good relationship with Xie Ruoxi.

    Due to over a decade of resentment, even if she were to make a complete 180-degree turn in her attitude now, she guessed Xie¡¯s parents would still not pay her much heed.

    But when Qianqian was a child, she had a fairly good relationship with Xie Ruoxi, and there was another cousin Wenwen. The three of them often played together during the summer holidays¡­ Xie Ruoxi¡¯s parents refused my attempts to curry favor, but surely Xie Ruoxi wouldn¡¯t completely ignore Qianqian, right?

    With this thought, she no longer persisted in entangling Xie Ruoxi¡¯s mother and silently took out her phone to send a message to her daughter.

    Back at Yan Yu¡¯s place, everyone went to wash up and change clothes.

    In the bathroom, Yan Yu was brushing his teeth when he suddenly heard a knock on the door.

    With the toothbrush in his mouth, he went to open the door, only to see Xie Ruoxi standing outside, timorously looking like a pitiful, big-eyed rabbit wanting to beg for mercy but not daring to do so, which immediately made him frown.

    What the hell¡­ weren¡¯t you quite arrogant at the dinner table just now? How come you¡¯ve reverted to your original state after coming back?

    So, all the effort we went to backing you up this time was for nothing, huh?

    ¡°Can I come in?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked tentatively.

    ¡°Come in,¡± Yan Yu mumbled, ¡°wait for me to finish brushing my teeth.¡±

    He went back into the bathroom, finished brushing his teeth cleanly, bent his head to spit out the toothpaste foam, and immediately a cup of water was held out to him.

    It was handed to him by Xie Ruoxi.

    Faced with her overly obvious attempt to ingratiate herself, Yan Yu sighed inwardly, took the cup and gargled noisily, wiped his mouth with a towel, then turned and left the bathroom saying:

    ¡°So, what do you want?¡±

    ¡°Captain, I did something wrong.¡± Seeing Yan Yu sitting on the edge of the bed, Xie Ruoxi immediately knelt down in a familiar manner, embracing Yan Yu¡¯s legs, ¡°I got too carried away with pride this time, please don¡¯t beat me, okay?¡±

    Yan Yu: ???

    Why the hell are you kneeling again?! Kneeling again! You¡¯re truly helpless¡­

    Just as he was about to express his disappointment with an exasperated kick, he suddenly realized that Xie Ruoxi wasn¡¯t actually kneeling¡ªshe was squatting while hugging his thighs, just like a rabbit, with her hind legs folded under her bottom and her front paws resting on him.

    ¡°Stand up and talk,¡± Yan Yu said impatiently.

    Xie Ruoxi obediently stood up and sat beside Yan Yu, her head down as she stared at the floor, trembling with fear.

    ¡°Why did you get carried away?¡± Yan Yu asked indifferently.

    ¡°Because I¡¯ve been suppressed too harshly in the past,¡± Xie Ruoxi said after a moment of silence, her voice melancholic, ¡°Captain¡­ all my life, whether at home or at school, I¡¯ve always been the unnoticed one in everyone¡¯s eyes.¡±

    ¡°People only care about who has good grades, who comes from a wealthy family, who is good at making friends. Then look at me¡ªwith terrible grades, a poor family, and a slight social anxiety that makes me afraid to speak loudly. Who would pay attention to a waste like me, really¡­¡±

    As she spoke, she thought about the many years of humility and sorrow and started to dab at her tears, dropping them like small pearls.

    But Yan Yu remained unmoved, because this beautiful waste had cried too many times before¡ªher tear ducts were just more active than most people¡¯s, so her crying wasn¡¯t necessarily because she was breaking down. It could have been just a release of emotions, or perhaps an attempt to soften her own heart. In any case, best not to dwell on it for now.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi choked up, ¡°I started to like the two-dimensional world after my looks developed in the ninth grade and boys began saying I was pretty¡­ Captain, do you know that my looks might be the only thing I have that counts for something? And in this world, only the two-dimensional realm purely appreciates beauty¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, so what?¡± Yan Yu asked coldly.

    ¡°So, what I really like isn¡¯t the two-dimensional world, but the feeling of being valued by others.¡± Xie Ruoxi sniffled hard, continuing to sob, ¡°The reason I want to cosplay isn¡¯t that I really like the original characters, but because I hope the fans who like those original characters will pay attention to me, look at me, like me¡­¡±

    Lack of love.

    This term suddenly appeared in Yan Yu¡¯s mind.

    But before he could ponder further, he saw Xie Ruoxi turning her head to look at him.

    Her face was wet with tears, looking pitiful and delicate like a rain-drenched pear blossom, yet her expression was serious and solemn¡­ an expression that Yan Yu had never seen her wear since he had known her.

    How can the beautiful waste suddenly become serious? What happened to your persona?

    ¡°Captain,¡± Xie Ruoxi said softly, ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to thank you.¡±

    ¡°Even at my most worthless times, you didn¡¯t choose to give up on me. You still patiently paid attention to me, watched over me, liked me.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like you,¡± Yan Yu asserted, ¡°Don¡¯t confuse me with your fans. The only reason I trained you is because of your exceptional cultivation talent¡­¡±

    ¡°But I like you,¡± Xie Ruoxi suddenly said.

 Chapter 337 - 33 Yun Jin cured me as well

    Chapter 337: Chapter 33 Yun Jin cured me as well

    Xie Ruoxi wasn¡¯t boasting. Even without makeup, she truly was beautiful enough.

    Her eyes were large, and although they were single-lidded and prone to tears, when she stared unwaveringly at you, the watery shine within seemed about to overflow, possessing a wonderfully charming allure of immature shyness.

    Her nose and mouth were also delicately petite, quite fitting with the current aesthetic preferences for a youthful look, but the most exquisite feature was actually her skin, soft and creamy, smooth and lustrous like jade, just as adorable as a doll¡¯s.

    But adorable didn¡¯t mean she was suited to liking me, get it?

    ¡°You¡¯re not worthy,¡± Yan Yu said.

    Though he spoke slowly, it was with unwavering firmness, coldness, and finality, leaving no room for reprieve.

    ...

    ¡°I know I¡¯m not good enough for you,¡± Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t show the slightest hint of disappointment, but instead vigorously wiped her tears away and broke into a smile, ¡°But liking you is my own business, you can¡¯t stop me from liking you, can you?¡±

    ¡°Whatever,¡± Yan Yu continued to say, ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±

    What responded to him was a lightning-quick kiss.

    Xie Ruoxi kissed the corner of his mouth from the side, like a dragonfly skimming the water, fleeting, and then she stood up, whispering to herself:

    ¡°Captain, your clone once said that you would only be with the strongest woman, right?¡±

    ¡°Although I used to be quite worthless, I¡¯ll work hard.¡±

    After saying that, she tried again to smile, then hurriedly left.

    Yan Yu stared at the closed door for a long while before finally squeezing out a word through his teeth:

    ¡°Crap.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t that I was faint-hearted, but just now the aura of Xie Immortal Venerate was too intense¡ªyes, the same intense aura as Secretary Su¡¯s.

    How can this thing even be contagious?

    Forget it, don¡¯t scare myself. Even if a beautiful no-good transforms, she won¡¯t suddenly become the ultimate form of a gravity mage. Even if she does manage to do what she said, as long as she becomes a hard worker like Lin Ning, I should be thanking my lucky stars!

    Yan Yu relaxedly stood up, reaching out to wipe the kissed corner of his mouth.

    Hmph, this good-for-nothing¡¯s lips are quite soft.

    Let¡¯s go downstairs to grab something to eat.

    Yan Yu yawned lazily and approached the door to open it, only to see Su Yunjin standing there, giving him a gentle smile.

    ¡­Eavesdropping?

    That¡¯s not right, if it was eavesdropping, Xie Ruoxi would have discovered her immediately upon leaving the room, unless this young lady had her Invisibility Technique active while squatting by my door¡­ Wow, that¡¯s a bit terrifying, Secretary Su wouldn¡¯t pull that sort of thing.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Yan Yu asked nonchalantly.

    ¡°Did Ruoxi come to see you just now?¡± Su Yunjin asked with a smile. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Yes,¡± he nodded.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Su Yunjin explained, ¡°I had just come upstairs when I saw her with tears all over her face heading to the bathroom, so I thought maybe Captain Yan you had bullied her again.¡±

    ¡°Why would I bully her?¡± Yan Yu asked perplexedly.

    ¡°Who knows,¡± Su Yunjin said casually, ¡°For instance, during dinner today, maybe you thought she was getting carried away with the praise and wanted to bring her back down to earth afterwards?¡±

    ¡°Am I some kind of Demon King?¡± Yan Yu felt embarrassed.

    ¡°Nope,¡± Su Yunjin said lightly.

    Ah, come on¡­ How do you manage to express strong affirmation through denial?

    ¡°Come in,¡± Yan Yu sighed and said.

    Su Yunjin entered the room and sat down beside Yan Yu¡¯s bed¡ªexactly where Xie Ruoxi had been sitting, giving Yan Yu the subtle impression that ¡°they were taking turns torturing me.¡±

    ¡°So,¡± she said with a curious expression, ¡°What exactly did you talk about?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t tell you that,¡± Yan Yu turned her down.

    ¡°So it¡¯s Ruoxi who confessed to you,¡± Su Yunjin deduced, ¡°and then she got ¡®you¡¯re not worthy¡¯ brutally rejected by you, which is why she left crying, and you¡¯re afraid that talking about it would deepen the secondary damage to her, so you don¡¯t want to tell me, right?¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°You should read fewer detective novels,¡± he could only maintain a non-committal attitude and countered, ¡°Is this why you were looking for me?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile, ¡°Can¡¯t I come see the captain for no reason?¡±

    ¡°Of course not, I am very busy,¡± Yan Yu pretended to leave, but Su Yunjin couldn¡¯t hold back and hurriedly called out to him:

    ¡°Alright, alright, no more joking. Let me see how your wound is doing.¡±

    ¡°Hasn¡¯t my injury healed?¡± Yan Yu expressed confusion.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t heal that quickly.¡± Su Yunjin helped him take off his clothes and continued to examine the wound with her Divine Sense, kneading and probing, suddenly asking, ¡°Does this hurt?¡±

    ¡°A little.¡±

    ¡°Know why?¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re pinching me hard.¡±

    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Su Yunjin explained, ¡°It¡¯s because the hidden injury here hasn¡¯t fully healed, so when I touch the nerve endings inside with Runescript True Essence, they send out pain signals because the exposed wound is too large.¡±

    ¡°So you are using True Essence to pinch me,¡± Yan Yu realized.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ never mind,¡± Su Yunjin was somewhat speechless, ¡°Anyway, this still needs treatment. I will come over at this time every day from now on¡­¡±

    Before she could finish speaking, the door was suddenly pushed open from the outside, and Xie Ruoxi came in saying:

    ¡°Captain! I¡¯m going to fast¡­ huh?¡±

    Her gaze met Su Yunjin¡¯s in shock; the latter still held her pose touching the captain, both speechless.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    After a short while, everyone finally managed to explain the situation.

    ¡°So the captain¡¯s injury from the last trip to the Mysterious Realm hasn¡¯t healed,¡± Xie Ruoxi said.

    ¡°Right,¡± Su Yunjin nodded.

    ¡°So you need to treat him regularly,¡± Xie Ruoxi continued.

    ¡°Right,¡± Su Yunjin kept nodding.

    If I trust you, I must be an idiot! Xie Ruoxi scoffed inwardly.

    The captain has no tea appraisal skills, can I, the clever Ruoxi, be deceived by you?

    ¡°Speaking of which, I think I also have a hidden injury,¡± Xie Ruoxi said, ¡°My chest was pierced by the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Yan Yu was reminded by her words and immediately responded, ¡°Ruoxi¡¯s injury is alright, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not,¡± Su Yunjin gently explained, ¡°Penetrating injuries are deep and narrow, and as long as you don¡¯t die on the spot, the subsequent healing is not too troublesome.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just a penetrating injury,¡± Xie Ruoxi denied, ¡°At that time, Sister Zhao used the Treasure Controlling Technique to help me pull out the hairpin, and she might not have been very skilled. Plus, the clone was causing interference on the side, and during the process of pulling it out, it stabbed back in again, so there are also some tear marks¡­ I¡¯ve been feeling a persistent pain in my chest lately, why don¡¯t you check it out for me, Yun Jin?¡±

    ¡°Since she¡¯s still in pain, then you should check her out,¡± Yan Yu stood up, adjusting his clothes, ¡°I¡¯ll go find something to eat, I was too busy drinking tonight and got a bit hungry.¡±

    Once Yan Yu had left the bedroom, Xie Ruoxi and Su Yunjin faced each other again, both their smiles vanishing.

    ¡°Ruoxi, do you also like the captain?¡± Su Yunjin asked first, her tone calm.

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Xie Ruoxi replied coolly, ¡°Has anyone told you what my clone said?¡±

    ¡°Even if you really feel that way, you have to distinguish between acknowledging it and not,¡± Su Yunjin hinted, speaking tactfully, ¡°If you don¡¯t admit it, then it¡¯s not really liking.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Xie Ruoxi also understood the implication, ¡°So what now?¡±

    ¡°A fair competition?¡± Su Yunjin asked.

    ¡°Alright, a fair competition,¡± Xie Ruoxi said, ¡°What¡¯s fair in this context?¡±

    ¡°Even though we¡¯re rivals, we shouldn¡¯t be enemies,¡± Su Yunjin said slowly, ¡°What we need to do is make the captain truly fall for us, not to eliminate the love rival.¡±

    ¡°I agree.¡±

 Chapter 338 - 34: Everyone Must Become Stronger

    Chapter 338: Chapter 34: Everyone Must Become Stronger

    Yan Yu arrived downstairs and had just opened the refrigerator when a voice sounded from beside him:

    ¡°What are you looking for to eat?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s in the fridge?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Gone.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen stated matter-of-factly, ¡°I¡¯ve eaten it all.¡±

    ¡°Then why are you asking me?¡± Yan Yu was speechless.

    ¡°I¡¯m reminding you that it¡¯s time to restock the fridge¡­ Ouch!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen got a karate chop from him and immediately scurried away holding her head.

    ...

    After rummaging through cabinets for quite a while, Yan Yu confirmed that all the snacks had indeed been devoured by this Demonic Sect¡¯s glutton, not even oatmeal was left for breakfast.

    He had no choice but to pull open a nearby cupboard, and from behind a pile of pots and pans, he retrieved secretly stashed instant noodles.

    Sigh, storing food in this house really isn¡¯t easy¡­

    Just as he was putting the noodle cake into cold water, he heard yet another voice beside him:

    ¡°What are you making to eat?¡±

    ¡°Instant noodles.¡± Yan Yu replied without turning back.

    ¡°Cooking instant noodles like that has no nutrition.¡± Lin Ning began to nitpick, ¡°Dehydrated vegetables already lose a lot of nutrients, they can¡¯t replace fresh vegetables.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°But it¡¯s convenient to cook them this way.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so lazy!¡± Lin Ning fetched vegetables and eggs from the fridge. Then suddenly, she screamed, ¡°Where¡¯s the Spam I put here?!!¡±

    ¡°I ate it.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen reemerged out of nowhere and replied.

    ¡°Spam needs to be fried.¡± Lin Ning sighed, holding her forehead, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s already cooked.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen defended herself confidently, ¡°I just ate it straight.¡±

    ¡°Next time we buy raw meat.¡± Yan Yu secretly communicated to Lin Ning, ¡°Freeze it in the freezer; she doesn¡¯t know how to thaw it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lin Ning had nothing more to say and took the vegetables to wash and chop. As she reached for the eggs, she heard Zhao Yuanzhen say:

    ¡°I want mine soft-boiled with a runny yolk.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning on making any for you.¡± Lin Ning said, annoyed.

    ¡°Ah, why be like that!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately hugged her from behind, starting to tickle her, laughing, ¡°Ningning, it¡¯s the same effort cooking one portion or two, help me out~¡±

    ¡°Alright! Alright! Stop it!¡± Lin Ning, tickled till her whole body weakened, swayed from side to side and surrendered, ¡°I¡¯ll make it for you! I¡¯ll make it, okay? Captain, go ask if the others want some too.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Yan Yu texted in the group chat, and the others replied quickly:

    ¡°Cook one for me too, make it soft and mushy.¡± Chen Lingyun responded.

    ¡°Add more vegetables.¡± Su Yunjin said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll pass, I¡¯m fasting.¡± Xie Ruoxi replied.

    The Immortal Venerate Xie, indeed, had a frightening talent for cultivation; it¡¯s just a pity that she was limited by the speed of the rise of the upper limit brought on by the Spiritual Energy Resurgence. She had to wait obediently for us with lesser aptitudes to catch up once she reached her limit.

    ¡°Okay, just stay out of the living room then, so you won¡¯t be tempted by the smell of food.¡± Yan Yu typed.

    ¡°No worries, I¡¯m in the basement.¡± Xie Ruoxi said.

    ¡°What are you doing in the basement?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked curiously.

    Cultivating the Fasting technique doesn¡¯t conflict with playing video games and watching anime in front of a computer, right?

    ¡°I¡¯m training.¡± Xie Ruoxi said.

    A clatter, Yan Yu¡¯s chopsticks fell to the floor.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t grip them firmly.¡± He calmly bent down to pick them up, but his heart was stirring with shock and awe.

    The beautiful good-for-nothing is actively training?

    Who was it? Who had her sign the Striver¡¯s Agreement? Even if she were only proactive for one day, it would still be considered a miracle in human history.

    All sorts of Xie Ruoxi¡¯s scandals from his past life came to his mind one after another, quickly calming the amazement in Yan Yu¡¯s heart.

    Meh, just a flash-in-the-pan enthusiast.

    Forget it, let her be. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Lin Ning soon had the late-night snack ready. Ling Yun¡¯s had to be well-cooked, Yun Jin¡¯s doubled on vegetables, and Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s was a huge bowl of soup with extra noodles. The captain? Not worth the trouble.

    Sneakily added a poached egg for him, buried at the very bottom of his noodles.

    Everyone gathered around the dining table and started eating their noodles.

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s eating was still bold and unfettered, engulfing and inhaling the food; Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin were much more elegant, holding a spoon in their left and chopsticks in their right, seeking to have both noodles and soup at every bite.

    Lin Ning had little appetite, picking at her side dishes, she ate only a few bites before noticing Yan Yu also seemed to eat at a sluggish pace.

    ¡°Why?¡± she quietly transmitted a message over, ¡°Does it not suit your taste?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°It¡¯s quite delicious.¡±

    The issue wasn¡¯t with the meal, it was with him.

    After fasting, his body¡¯s need for food had dropped to zero; not eating or drinking wouldn¡¯t affect him in the slightest.

    Naturally, those who had fasted still might crave food, as exemplified by Zhao Yuanzhen, but that wasn¡¯t hunger¡ªit was closer to a desire for treats and an addiction to eating.

    Cultivators who completed the fasting practice no longer felt thirst or hunger and lost their natural ability to feel satisfied and content from being full. Their taste buds became more sensitive to the unique flavors of ingredients, while the pleasure derived from carbs and fats diminished significantly because of their association with satiety¡­ Although Yan Yu knew this from his past life, he had never experienced it personally.

    At the previous banquet hosted for relatives of the Xie Family, he didn¡¯t eat much. Now it seemed it was because his appetite had been affected.

    Thinking about it, looking at the Demonic Sect¡¯s gluttonous beasts, they indeed had an exceptional talent for indulgence.

    After hurriedly finishing his meal, Yan Yu left the living room and went to the basement to see how Xie Ruoxi was faring with her practice.

    Arriving below, he saw Xie Ruoxi seated cross-legged on a yoga mat, quietly meditating and practicing Qi Refinement.

    Proactively cultivating yet looking like a beautiful waste¡­ the more he looked, the more it irked him, it was simply too peculiar.

    As he drew closer, wanting a better look, he saw Xie Ruoxi¡¯s head suddenly loll to the side, and her breathing grew heavier.

    She began to snore lightly.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    So she was sleeping, huh?

    I knew she couldn¡¯t be that self-disciplined! Hmph, this makes much more sense.

    Yan Yu left the basement quietly and returned to his own room.

    After resting for a moment, his phone suddenly rang.

    It was Anna:

    ¡°Have you heard about the situation in the East Sea?¡±

    ¡°What situation?¡± Yan Yu asked back.

    A video was sent over, showing the sea¡¯s depths illuminated in a rolling aurora of seven-colored splendor¡ªa radiance unmatched in beauty, looking almost dreamy and unreal.

    ¡°Where is this?¡± Yan Yu typed.

    Before Anna could reply, another message arrived, this time from Liu Longtao:

    ¡°East longitude 126 North latitude 30, something unusual beneath the sea.¡±

    Anna¡¯s response also came quickly:

    ¡°The Elders sensed huge magical fluctuations in the Southeast direction; the video was projected using a divination array. Currently, it¡¯s estimated to be within the international waters at the tripoint junction of your, Yin Yang Bureau, and Pear Blossom Courtyard¡¯s influence.¡±

    ¡°If you need help, remember to contact me.¡±

    International waters at the trijunction of three powers¡­ a battle was inevitable, perhaps the witches of the Amur coven could be of use.

    ¡°The situation is not yet clear,¡± Liu Longtao messaged, ¡°Stay alert.¡±

    With a ding, Chen Lingyun also sent a message, this time a weather satellite image.

    A storm¡¯s eye had formed above the East Sea, unlike typical typhoon cloud patterns, this storm¡¯s eye was colorful¡ªthe center resembled a giant soap bubble.

    Yan Yu stood up and went downstairs to the living room, where he found the girls gathered together, discussing the anomaly in the East Sea.

    ¡°It must be the entrance to a Mysterious Realm,¡± Su Yunjin speculated, ¡°and it hasn¡¯t opened yet.¡±

    ¡°Since it¡¯s in international waters, it will surely provoke international contention among the powers of various Transcendents,¡± Lin Ning added with concern.

    ¡°Indeed, and this time both the Yin Yang Bureau of Heavy Sakura and the Pear Blossom Courtyard of Goryeo will most likely join in the contest,¡± Yan Yu came over and said, ¡°You all need to accelerate your cultivation and reach the Marrow Cleansing Stage before this Mysterious Realm completely opens.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± the girls hastily responded.

    With the ¡°imminent opening of an overseas Mysterious Realm¡± as motivation, everyone perked up, getting ready to return to their rooms to cultivate, when they saw Xie Ruoxi coming down to the living room:

    ¡°Is there any food left?¡±

    ¡°None,¡± Yan Yu pointed at the kitchen, which contained dishes waiting to be washed, ¡°It¡¯s all been eaten¡­ Weren¡¯t you practicing the fasting method?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s already done,¡± Xie Ruoxi opened the refrigerator door.

    ¡°You¡¯ve advanced to the Marrow Cleansing Stage?¡± the girls exclaimed in shock.

    Even the team captain himself took about ten days to master the fasting method, how could you¡­ didn¡¯t you just start practicing?

    ¡°It should be done, since I broke out into a stinky sweat, and I took a bath afterward,¡± Xie Ruoxi searched for a while, then suddenly screamed, ¡°Where are my cheese sticks that I hid in here?!!!¡±

 Chapter 339 - 35 East Sea Departure Palace, Intelligence Disclosure

    Chapter 339: Chapter 35 East Sea Departure Palace, Intelligence Disclosure

    Several days later, news of the strange phenomena in the East Sea quickly spread across the world.

    Foreign media extensively reported the development, claiming that the Miti Strategic Bureau had already initiated a lead to share the Mysterious Realm with both the Yin Yang Bureau and the Pear Blossom Courtyard.

    Guess who wasn¡¯t invited?

    The Privy Council chose to retaliate by marking off a region near the Mysterious Realm and starting long-term military exercises. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Public opinion abroad immediately erupted, daring the Privy Council to demarcate on international waters?

    The Privy Council said it was a normal exercise and that certain forces shouldn¡¯t be overly tense.

    ...

    After several days of criticism, seeing that the Privy Council was unmoved, the Miti Strategic Bureau drew a military zone directly opposite the Privy Council, announcing long-term tripartite military drills with the Yin Yang Bureau and the Pear Blossom Courtyard.

    Everyone knew that the military drill was just a smokescreen, a way to stake a claim on the territory first.

    Once the Mysterious Realm truly opened, it would come down to the Privy Council¡¯s defences blocking and countless foreign Transcendents charging in recklessly. How many could be stopped would depend on the courage and strategic resolve of the Privy Council of Lu Country¡ªthe greater the courage and firepower, the more that could be stopped, but of course, the risk of war also would skyrocket; sufficient resolve meant blocking fewer, but at the cost of intense competition for the Mysterious Realm.

    There were reports that Chen Tianming was vigorously advocating for ¡°unrestricted fire,¡± ¡°maximum deterrence,¡± and ¡°complete interception¡± within the Privy Council, while several others strongly opposed, citing the old reason of ¡°we cannot isolate ourselves from modern society.¡±

    As outside the Mysterious Realm, once naval guns start to clash, it could easily escalate the conflict indefinitely, leaving neither side willing to swallow their pride;

    But inside the Mysterious Realm, it¡¯s each Transcendent for themselves, fate deciding life and death, and thus there is not much risk of war¡ªonce the core hub of the Mysterious Realm is controlled by the adversary, even if you want to flip the table, it won¡¯t change the facts, and the result, of course, is to leave dejectedly without flipping the table.

    Upon hearing this, Yan Yu immediately called to mock Lord Master:

    ¡°Old Liu, I hear your faction cast an abstaining vote at the Privy Council?¡±

    ¡°How did you know?¡± Liu Longtao asked in surprise.

    ¡°Chen Lingyun told me that someone played the coward,¡± Yan Yu said succinctly. ¡°Guess who?¡±

    ¡°Heh,¡± Liu Longtao scoffed, ¡°do you think your father-in-law harbors any goodwill? If there¡¯s an escalation of hostilities with the other side, the Privy Council would have to ramp up its engagement in the Pacific Ocean front, and the Zhendong Army¡¯s influence would increase. And his commander-in-chief and he are from the same faction, see? He¡¯s not trying to reduce the supposed ¡®risk of the Mysterious Realm competition¡¯; it¡¯s purely for his own interest.¡±

    ¡°How could I not understand?¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°are you saying your family cast an abstaining vote just to choose sides based on interest?¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡± Liu Longtao claimed, righteous and confident, ¡°our families unanimously think that your father-in-law, not yet involved, is already so aggressive. Once involved, wouldn¡¯t he turn everything upside down? We must restrain, and it¡¯s for his own good too.¡±

    ¡°Restrain, everyone is open to restraint,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently. ¡°He¡¯s not my father-in-law right now.¡±

    ¡°Not now, but perhaps in the future, right?¡± Liu Longtao laughed heartily. ¡°Old Yan, I¡¯m telling you, during the Privy Council¡¯s joint session, one faction even proposed to bar the Dragon Soar Team from participating in the battle.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Yan Yu was taken aback. ¡°Are they having a stroke or senile dementia? If I don¡¯t join, who will fight for the Mysterious Realm, you?¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Liu Longtao laughed at him defiantly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me? Left fist to punch Pear Blossom Courtyard, right foot to kick Yin Yang Bureau, and in minutes I¡¯ll have them all down, alright?¡±

    ¡°Forget it then. I won¡¯t join this time; hand it over to your Dragon Cavalry Team, okay?¡± Yan Yu immediately declared, hands off.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that,¡± Liu Longtao said with a smile. ¡°They were just testing the waters, and seeing we all disagreed, they dropped the issue. What I¡¯m saying is, although you don¡¯t consider Chen Tianming your father-in-law, when they¡¯re fighting him, they¡¯ll take the chance to step on you too¡ªunfortunately, your clean slate has already been marked with the label of their Chen Family.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Yan Yu also laughed. ¡°Who dares to actually step down, do they not need the Longcheng Flying General to go into battle?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the point,¡± Liu Longtao couldn¡¯t deny, whether Yan Yu participated in battle was crucial to the strategy for conquering the Mysterious Realm. ¡°As long as you¡¯re aware of what needs to be done, that¡¯s enough. I¡¯m hanging up now!¡±

    After hanging up the phone, Yan Yu fell into contemplation.

    Damn Chen Lingyun, shitty Chen Family. How did I, a promising young man with the surname Yan, become your guy?

    No, I need to take it out on that little mushroom.

    Arriving at the underground training ground, he saw the girls all seizing the time to cultivate their breath and refine their Qi, striving to reach the great perfection stage of Qi Refinement as soon as possible.

    The fastest progress was made by Su Yunjin, followed by Lin Ning, both of whom were vaguely touching their bottleneck, and it was estimated that they could start practicing the Fasting Technique this week.

    ¡°One week from today, there will still be one person in our team who has not started practicing the Fasting Technique,¡± Yan Yu approached Chen Lingyun and asked in a leisurely manner, ¡°May I ask, who would that be?¡±

    ¡°No rush,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°The Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng hasn¡¯t opened that soon, there¡¯s plenty of time.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve already learned the name?¡± Yan Yu asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t it still unopened?¡±

    ¡°The Privy Council is supervising this project, the Space Rupture Technique,¡± Chen Lingyun replied, ¡°which means sending unmanned drones or even cultivators into the realm before it actually opens, to check out the situation inside.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu also understood and nodded, ¡°I heard that by means of this, Lord Master¡¯s family has gained a lot of treasures, the Tian Yuan Qi Sword that Ruoxi uses came this way.¡±

    ¡°This technology is still not mature,¡± continued Chen Lingyun. ¡°Whether sending people or drones, the success rate is only about 50%, otherwise we would be sent in before the Mysterious Realm opens, take over the control core, and end it.¡±

    With a success rate of only 50%, what happens upon failure goes without saying. Yan Yu fell silent for a while, then spoke in detail:

    ¡°If I remember correctly, L¨ªg¨­ng should be a testing-type Mysterious Realm. Testers need to pass through six randomly sequenced trials in a row in order to enter L¨ªg¨­ng and claim their reward.¡±

    ¡°When entering the realm, the initial trial is completely random. Even if a team enters together, they will be scattered and separated.¡±

    ¡°However, each trial¡¯s world map is extremely large. So, even if moving alone, one can easily hide their movements.¡±

    ¡°After passing all six trials, one will be teleported to the Departure Palace Square. Not only is the terrain open here, making it difficult to hide, but it is also the final destination for everyone.¡±

    ¡°That means,¡± Chen Lingyun quickly caught on, ¡°reach the endpoint first, then surround and annihilate the reinforcements.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± said Yan Yu, ¡°There is no control core in the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng. After opening, it will automatically close after twelve hours, send everyone out, and then disappear again.¡±

    ¡°If one fails to enter L¨ªg¨­ng to claim their reward, it would mean the trip was in vain, returning empty-handed.¡±

    ¡°Are rewards distributed per individual?¡± Chen Lingyun asked sharply.

    ¡°Yes, the rewards depend on the performance in the trials and the order of arrival at L¨ªg¨­ng,¡± Yan Yu replied. ¡°In addition, if you¡¯re ranked beyond the tenth place, not only is the reward null, but I¡¯ve heard you¡¯ll also get a good scolding when things are settled.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then what we need to do is very simple,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°race to clear the levels first.¡±

    ¡°Then guard the Departure Palace Gate,¡± Yan Yu said, his voice deepening, ¡°kill anyone who comes until the L¨ªg¨­ng closes.¡±

 Chapter 340 - 36: Alliance Team

    Chapter 340: Chapter 36: Alliance Team

    Yan Yu revealed the secret information about L¨ªg¨­ng to Chen Lingyun actually with the intention of saving a few lives for Lu Country¡ªrather than having more soldiers risk their lives to obtain intelligence on the mysterious realm.

    But who was Chen Lingyun? She was someone full of cunning schemes and quickly relayed this intelligence to Chen Tianming.

    Father and daughter privately discussed the matter and soon came up with a new plan¡­ Keeping it from everyone else, hence it is not mentioned here for the time being.

    Finally, it was December, and temperatures in Jinling Prefecture dropped further, prompting the team villas to turn on their underfloor heating.

    It was then discovered that the underground training field had no underfloor heating, as that area was originally designed as a garage, so everyone moved their training upstairs to the living room to practice their Qi Refinement and breathing techniques.

    Su Yunjin and Lin Ning had both already begun to practice the Fasting Technique. To support their cultivation, Yan Yu declared a strict fast within the villa, forbidding anyone to eat at home.

    ...

    Zhao Yuanzhen expressed strong protest.

    The protest was in vain, and the compromise was to accompany Chen Lingyun for outdoor meals three times a day.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress accepted the resolution.

    Every day, the two would put on makeup and disguise themselves to go out for meals, while the others stayed in the villa to cultivate. During their free time, they would watch live TV broadcasts¡­ As the timing for the opening of the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng was uncertain, the Zhenhai Team had completely stopped all external tasks, staying at home ready for combat at any time. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    It was said that the Dragon Soar Team had also stopped going out, indicating that the lineup for the upcoming expedition to the Departure Palace was already set.

    In contrast, the Qing¡¯an and Huofeng Teams were much more high-profile.

    In early December, the Cultivator Professional Sports League finally declared its establishment, with ten teams including Zhenhai, Dragon Soar, Qing¡¯an, and Huofeng, being designated as first-class teams.

    The other teams were ranked as second-class or third-class, with four second-class teams who were not cultivator students from four major colleges.

    They were civilian cultivators.

    The emergence of civilian cultivator teams meant that besides the military manor cultivators and college student cultivators, a third faction of cultivators had officially stepped onto the historical stage.

    College student cultivators were the favored sons of heaven, receiving the best treatment and conditions. Although there were many military manor cultivators, they were known for their strict discipline and resilience, resulting in minimal conflicts between the two.

    Civilian cultivators were members of society who had embarked on the path of cultivation alone, surrounded by ordinary people, which could result in a sense of being the chosen ones. Such recognition could drastically change their worldview¡ªnot that civilian cultivators were all bad seeds, but the statistics from previous life showed that the proportion of troublemakers was certainly not low.

    The Privy Council¡¯s arrangement was to let these four second-class teams battle against Qing¡¯an and Huofeng Teams to experience the strength of the current top-tier cultivator teams.

    The outcome was as expected. Li Minghu left some face for the opposition, but Zhou Hongyu showed no mercy at all, bombarding them without restraint. In the first match, three opponents were sent directly to the ICU, shocking the national audience in front of their TVs.

    The girls were also surprised: Captain Zhou, it¡¯s one thing to fight against enemies, but to beat up our own people this viciously? That doesn¡¯t leave a good impression, does it?

    After Yan Yu finished watching the match, he silently took out his phone and sent a message to Zhou Hongyu.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Rehab seems to be working quite well, huh? You can even send opponents to the ICU?

    [Zao La]: Trash.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You¡¯re cursing the other side, right?

    [Zao La]: What else? Did you think it was for you?

    [Zao La]: Making dirty jokes to Xiao Lian before the match.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Oh, I see, I can¡¯t really comment not knowing the exact words, dear.

    [Zao La]: Trying to trick me into talking?

    [Zao La]: You want me to repeat such indecent stuff?

    [Zao La]: You¡¯re a bad seed, too.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Then you¡¯ve wronged me, Xiao Zhou. If I had to pick on someone from your team, I would definitely choose you over Xiao Tang, that kid admires the strong, and it wouldn¡¯t be good if he got a crush on me.

    [Zao La]: Haha.

    [Zao La]: I¡¯ve mastered a new spell, I¡¯ll kill you the next time you come over.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Is that spell by any chance called ¡°Chi Yu Nine Phoenix Fire¡±?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Guess who got their hands on it? It was me.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You¡¯re going to use the spell I obtained to go against me?

    [Zao La]: Don¡¯t care, I¡¯ll kick your ass just the same.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: It¡¯s not yet decided who¡¯ll kick whose ass.

    After ending the conversation with Zhou Hongyu, Yan Yu also started to feel wistful.

    It seems like my relationship with her is warming up¡­ but what have I done lately?

    Strange.

    But it¡¯s better for her to be normal, rather than accumulating more and more evil energy until she eventually explodes into pieces.

    After catching up with Zhou Hongyu, Yan Yu sent a message to Li Minghu.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: How are you feeling?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Experience and awareness are definitely lacking, but they¡¯re brave and resolute, and their methods are very different from our Scholarly Faction.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Our Three Arts and Five Spells are cast with clear intentions, while theirs are more like¡­ how should I put this? There¡¯s a sense of eager to unleash the attack to boost their own momentum.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: A habit of street fighting, huh.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: In life, you¡¯re facing harmless people; as soon as you flash a knife, they get scared, so civilian cultivators are used to launching quick attacks to intimidate opponents.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: But that won¡¯t work on us.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: I think civilian cultivators still lack a solid foundation; they won¡¯t become our rivals in a short time.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: In the long run, it still comes down to resources.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Exactly.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What I truly fear is them suddenly whipping out some unseen magical artifact or spell, catching you off guard.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Could that really happen? Aren¡¯t most civilian cultivators basically conscripted by now?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Who knows?

    From my experiences in the previous life, not all civilian cultivators choose to poke their heads out to be officially conscripted.

    In the decade of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, the toughest cultivator to be conscripted was Empress Yuanzhen. Below her were many formidable cultivators who are currently nowhere to be found¡ªI wonder where they are secretly holed up, biding their time.

    Once I have some time, I¡¯ll report their names to Chen Lingyun, and let her dad check the citizen information database¡ªpull all of you out one by one!

    Besides civilian cultivators, there¡¯s another group of people, who should be considered Yan Yu¡¯s ¡°colleagues¡± from his past life; right now, they¡¯re probably busy with various industries and jobs.

    Uncertain whether the plan has started, Yan Yu doesn¡¯t want to ¡°reminisce¡± with them. If he had a choice, he¡¯d prefer these people not become so-called ¡°mortal cultivators¡± in this lifetime.

    ¡°Ugh!¡± Su Yunjin, sitting opposite on the sofa, suddenly made a strange retching sound.

    She seemed to try to stand up hastily, but it was too late¡ªher clothes were quickly soaked with severe sweat, and the color soon changed, almost turning her into a mud person from head to toe¡ªlike those favored by bathhouse scrubbers in the north.

    Su Yunjin hurried off upstairs. Lin Ning opened her eyes and watched her companion¡¯s back, silently sighing in her heart.

    I didn¡¯t surpass Yun Jin again¡­ Huh, why do I say ¡°again¡±?

    ¡°Focus on your cultivation,¡± Yan Yu sent a message through sound transmission, ¡°The speed of marrow cleansing is not important; what matters is that every step on the path of cultivation must be taken firmly and steadily.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Lin Ning closed her eyes again, struggling hard against hunger and thirst.

    In her chaotic mind, for some reason, the form of Yan Yu emerged.

 Chapter 341 - 37 Competitive Ningning

    Chapter 341: Chapter 37 Competitive Ningning

    After Su Yunjin completed her Marrow Cleansing, she not only became much fairer but also grew three centimeters taller, making Xie Ruoxi incredibly envious¡ªWhy didn¡¯t I grow taller when I did my Marrow Cleansing?

    To celebrate Yun Jin¡¯s Marrow Cleansing, Zhao Yuanzhen appropriately suggested that everyone should go out for a meal together as a celebration.

    Xie Ruoxi immediately agreed, stirring up the excitement.

    Su Yunjin worried about Lin Ning and wanted to excuse herself, but seeing her dilemma, Lin Ning took the initiative and said:

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, you all go and enjoy the meal. I should practice at home alone; I can¡¯t expect everyone to starve and fast with me.¡±

    Since Lin Ning had put it that way, Su Yunjin agreed and then turned to look at Chen Lingyun and Yan Yu.

    ...

    ¡°I¡¯m fine with it,¡± Chen Lingyun smiled and accepted, but Yan Yu said: sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°I don¡¯t really have an appetite today, you all go ahead, I¡¯ll rest at home.¡±

    Su Yunjin: ¡­¡­¡­

    Suddenly, she didn¡¯t feel like going anymore.

    However, the situation was beyond her control now. Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi, like two imposing guardians, lifted her up from either side and escorted her out.

    Time to feast!

    Chen Lingyun quickly followed them out, giving Lin Ning a meaningful look as she turned back.

    Lin Ning, however, did not understand and turned to ask Yan Yu:

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you going?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say I have no appetite?¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°Humph, if it¡¯s out of pity for me, there¡¯s no need,¡± Lin Ning¡¯s mood slightly improved, but she huffed coldly.

    ¡°I do pity your brain a bit¡­¡± Yan Yu hadn¡¯t finished speaking when Lin Ning quickly grabbed a sofa cushion and threw it at his head.

    After placing the cushion aside, Yan Yu started flipping through TV channels with the remote control.

    Lin Ning sat cross-legged on the sofa and continued meditating quietly.

    The key to the Fasting technique lies in the word ¡°restraint,¡± which forces the body to internalize and self-sustain when there is no intake of external substances for a long time.

    This kind of forced endurance is, of course, extremely agonizing and can even be described as defying the body¡¯s instinct to survive. Thus, one can usually try to visualize something else to divert their attention.

    The object of Lin Ning¡¯s visualization was a big fish leaping out of the waves¡ªan original painting that hung on the living room wall of her old home in Qingyuan Prefecture.

    For some reason, though, the waves in her mind¡¯s sea gradually disappeared, and the big fish slowly faded away.

    In their place was Yan Yu¡¯s face.

    Detestable yet dependable.

    A mix of resentment and panic began to grow in Lin Ning¡¯s heart, not understanding why she suddenly thought of him and not wanting to know either. She abruptly opened her eyes and said:

    ¡°Stop changing channels on the TV; you¡¯re disturbing me.¡±

    ¡°Should I go then?¡± Yan Yu feigned as if he were about to stand up.

    ¡°Humph, no one is stopping you if you want to leave,¡± Lin Ning said coldly.

    Yan Yu fell silent. ¡°No one is stopping you if you want to leave¡± was actually ¡°don¡¯t leave, but I¡¯m too embarrassed to say it¡±¡ªSister Lin¡¯s insincerity was becoming more and more outrageous.

    He pretended to head upstairs, walking towards the staircase and stomping up, then deliberately made his footsteps lighter and lighter as he turned and went back downstairs, quietly approaching Lin Ning from behind.

    Lin Ning was unaware of all this, just hearing Yan Yu¡¯s footsteps getting softer and fading away¡ªprobably going back up to his room on the second floor.

    After a moment, she finally opened her eyes and sighed.

    No more wild thoughts, I must focus on my cultivation¡­

    Lin Ning rubbed her cheeks forcefully with her hands, then slapped them a few times to calm herself down, only to suddenly hear Yan Yu¡¯s voice from behind:

    ¡°Little cat washing her face?¡±

    Startled, Lin Ning jolted up from the sofa in a flash, only to quickly realize:

    The Captain pretended to leave but was actually observing my expressions behind my back, watching me make a fool of myself!

    She grabbed another throw pillow from the sofa and tried to use it as a weapon to beat Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu nimbly stepped back and dodged, then dashed upstairs in a flash.

    Lin Ning, relentless, chased him upstairs and with a swift stride, burst into his room.

    Think you can escape?

    Like a tiger pouncing on its prey!

    She tackled the unprepared Yan Yu onto the bed, pinned his shoulders, and prepared to bite him.

    Yan Yu did not resist, but looked at her in astonishment, thinking, When did this girl become so bold, daring to push me onto the bed?

    The next second, Lin Ning let go of him and stood up with a red face, then quickly switched to an impatient expression, folding her arms and saying,

    ¡°What were you running for? I, I saw you fleeing and subconsciously thought you were a bad guy, so I chased you to catch you!¡±

    ¡°You were going to hit me, shouldn¡¯t I dodge?¡± Yan Yu retorted.

    ¡°That¡¯s because you deliberately scared me in the living room!¡± Lin Ning glared at him, like a cat trying to appear threatening.

    ¡°I was simply concerned because you suddenly started sighing and rubbing your face, so I asked,¡± Yan Yu calmly inquired again, ¡°Were you scared?¡±

    ¡°Not at all!¡± Lin Ning fell right into his trap. She vehemently denied first, then realizing her slip, she explained, ¡°Although I wasn¡¯t scared by you, you had ill intentions, wanting to scare me, so I need to punish you severely!¡±

    ¡°And your method of punishing me severely is to tackle me onto the bed when I¡¯m not expecting it?¡± Yan Yu asked for the third time.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Lin Ning was finally at a loss for words.

    Seeing that she might explode again, Yan Yu quickly changed the subject:

    ¡°How¡¯s your Fasting practice coming along? If I remember correctly, you and Yun Jin started practicing around the same time, give or take a day or two.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s going well, very smoothly,¡± Lin Ning really was sidetracked by his change of topic, too embarrassed to admit that she had ¡°too many distractions in her mind,¡± and simply said, ¡°Just a few more days¡¯ work left.¡±

    ¡°Alright then, hurry up and advance to the next stage,¡± Yan Yu stood up ready to leave, ¡°Departure Palace could open at any time, so it¡¯s better to advance sooner and have peace of mind.¡±

    As he was about to leave the room, he suddenly heard Lin Ning ask from behind:

    ¡°Um, Captain¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°When I meditate, I keep getting distracted¡­ Will that affect the efficiency of my Fasting practice?¡±

    ¡°What exactly are you thinking about?¡± Yan Yu turned around and asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡± Lin Ning fell silent for a moment, ¡°Those really handsome male celebrities on TV and such.¡±

    ¡°Ah, got it, you¡¯re spring feverish,¡± Yan Yu realized.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to kick you!¡± Lin Ning fumed, grinding her teeth.

    ¡°No worries,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°As long as it¡¯s not about food, it¡¯s fine to think about anything. The key is whether it can help you avoid thinking about how hungry you are.¡±

    ¡°Only when you completely rid yourself of the dependence on food and water, both physically and mentally, can you successfully cultivate the art of Fasting¡­ That¡¯s the goal, and the means to achieve it are up to you, don¡¯t be constrained by formalities.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Lin Ning¡¯s voice was soft and timid, as if shy, ¡°So him popping into my head uncontrollably, just because I subconsciously want to distract myself and suppress the impulse to eat, it¡¯s not because I have¡­ those feelings for him, right?¡±

    Yan Yu found it a bit odd; don¡¯t all you star chasers hope to get close to your idols? Why do you seem somewhat reluctant?

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± he nodded, ¡°So which male celebrity is on your mind?¡±

    For some reason, Lin Ning felt herself getting angry again.

    ¡°None of your business!¡± she huffed, glared at Yan Yu, then hurriedly fled, running back to her own room and even locking the door behind her.

    ¡°¡­Absolutely nonsensical.¡± Yan Yu shook his head, chuckling to himself.

    Back in her room, Lin Ning sat on the bed alone, lost in thought for a long time.

    ¡°Alright!¡± she suddenly stood up, clenched her fist firmly, and declared, ¡°I must cleanse my marrow as soon as possible!¡±

    I can¡¯t fall behind Yun Jin!

    In every aspect!

 Chapter 342 - 38: White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer

    Chapter 342: Chapter 38: White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer

    The current concentration of Spiritual Energy on Earth only supports cultivation at the initial stages of the Marrow Cleansing Stage.

    Therefore, the girls who had advanced to the Marrow Cleansing Stage shifted their focus to training.

    Su Yunjin¡¯s Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art had started to cultivate the fourth move: Feichao Fenye.

    Summoning nearly ten meters of surging tides to sweep away enemies in front of her¡ªof course, this would also deplete her own True Yuan drastically. If it hadn¡¯t been for her advancement to the Marrow Cleansing Stage, which significantly improved the quality of her True Yuan, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to use this move at all, even if she drained her Dantian.

    The indoor swimming pool in the side room on the first floor came into play once again; Su Yunjin¡¯s daily training consisted of filling the pool as quickly as possible and then draining it, repeating this cycle to practice her rapid water-filling ability.

    Xie Ruoxi was still practicing basic skills: movement, adaptability, defensive Sword Control Technique, and the accuracy of the Thunder Method.

    ...

    Unfortunately, this girl seemed to have inherited both Lin Ning¡¯s ¡°rigid thinking¡± and Chen Lingyun¡¯s ¡°sluggish response,¡± where luxurious hardware was undercut by a chaotic software, so much so that Yan Yu didn¡¯t hold much expectation for her¡ªjust cultivating the habit of daily training was good enough, regardless of whether there was any improvement.

    Chen Lingyun and Lin Ning¡¯s current top priority was still to cleanse their marrow as quickly as possible, so they had not joined the regular training plan.

    Thus, the issue fell on Zhao Yuanzhen. Her control of the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin was already proficient, leaving little room for improvement, so it was time for her to claim a second magical weapon.

    In the principal¡¯s office, after hearing Yan Yu¡¯s purpose, Li Weiguo reached into a drawer and took out a tablet computer to hand over.

    ¡°Is this just the Zhendong Army¡¯s inventory, or does it include all four armies?¡± Yan Yu started swiping the screen.

    ¡°All four armies are included,¡± replied Li Weiguo. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s better to first choose from our inventory to avoid communicating with them¡­¡±

    He hadn¡¯t finished his sentence when he saw Yan Yu already swiping past the Zhendong Army¡¯s inventory list to start looking at the Annan Army¡¯s inventory.

    Li Weiguo was silent for a moment, then waved his hand in annoyance,

    ¡°Look at that side. Tell me once you¡¯re done.¡±

    Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen moved to a corner of the room, where the Demonic Sect Enchantress asked,

    ¡°What kind of magical weapon are you going to pick for me?¡±

    ¡°From the perspective of the team, it would be best to choose a defensive type, like Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler,¡± Yan Yu quickly swiped through the screen. ¡°But defensive types don¡¯t suit your temperament, do they?¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied proudly. ¡°What do I need defense for? Offense is the best defense. If you meet an enemy who completely overpowers you, you¡¯re ultimately doomed anyway, and using a defensive weapon would just delay the inevitable and add to the suffering. Better to just resolve in suicide quickly.¡±

    ¡°I knew this dumbass knew nothing about tactics,¡± Yan Yu said with contempt. ¡°Ever heard of counterattacking?¡±

    ¡°How could I not have heard of it?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen stubbornly said. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m best at¡ªcounterattacking.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re good at jack shit!¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue with her and continued browsing the catalog.

    Zhao Yuanzhen clenched her fists and seethed with secret hatred upon being cursed by him,

    ¡°Today you insult my ability to counterattack, I¡¯ll remember this. When my demonic powers are fully cultivated, I¡¯ll make sure to subdue that little thief, humiliate him thoroughly, and let him show me what ¡®counterattacking¡¯ is!¡±

    As she thought this, images came to mind.

    The little thief under her mercy, being ravaged while whimpering. Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s enjoyment grew, and she laughed wickedly:

    ¡°You¡¯re so knowledgeable about defense and counterattack, huh? Come on then, defend against me~ Counterattack me~ Mmhmm hmm haha hahahaha!¡±

    Thinking this, she squeezed her shapely legs together with a feeling of glee, wishing she could trample the little thief right then and there, stomping him fifty or sixty times to take her anger out.

    Seeing her smiling with a suggestive expression, Yan Yu had no idea what delusions she was entertaining, so he just continued checking the list of magical weapons.

    Defensive magical weapons are easy to use but difficult to master. Ye Jun was an exception in that her diligence and responsibility made her suitable for the meticulous work of defense. Moreover, her perseverance allowed her to control the Xuan Guang Ruler effortlessly.

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s temperament was not suited for a defensive support role, and her combat style was bold and lacking in finesse. Although the Zhenhai Team effectively needed a defensive player, it wouldn¡¯t make sense to force the Demonic Sect Enchantress into such a role, as it could lead to rebellion.

    Upon careful consideration, it appeared a control-type magical weapon might be a better option.

    As mentioned earlier, there¡¯s a problem with the list of magical weapons: you don¡¯t know their functions until you refine and acknowledge them as your own. But once you do, changing ownership is exceedingly difficult¡ªso while the list included various types of magical weapons, their effects and uses were completely unknown.

    Yan Yu could only rely on his past life¡¯s memory to skim over the array of magical artifacts he had never seen before, then focus on the few he recognized to weight their merits.

    There were many control type artifacts, but excellent ones were very rare; most had to hit the enemy to take effect and were easily blocked during pursuit, which raised a question:

    If you have already hit the enemy, why not just use an offensive artifact?

    Only when the enemy utilized a certain defense would control methods be useful. But at this stage, defensive spells and artifacts were even rarer than control types¡­

    As Yan Yu pondered silently, suddenly he saw Zhao Yuanzhen stretch out a finger and swiftly scroll up the list all the way to the top:

    ¡°How about this one?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s ¡®how about this one¡¯?¡± Yan Yu asked, puzzled. ¡°Isn¡¯t that just a hammer?¡±

    The image that Zhao Yuanzhen pointed out showed a strangely shaped hammer, made of a material that seemed like bone but wasn¡¯t and seemed like ivory but wasn¡¯t either. The hammer was carved with huge skull faces on both sides.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think this thing¡¯s design looks a lot like my White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said.

    She took out the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, and Yan Yu compared them closely.

    Indeed, they did resemble each other.

    On the hairpin of the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, there was also a skull carved, with two holes for eyes, one for the nose, and one large hole for the mouth¡­

    ¡°Idiot, don¡¯t all skulls look like that?¡± Yan Yu laughed, amused by her.

    ¡°No, look at the size, arc, and proportions of the skull¡¯s eye sockets!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen argued. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu looked again and indeed, it was the exact same skull.

    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t really prove anything; it¡¯s possible that the creator of the artifacts used the same technique.¡± He guessed uncertainly.

    ¡°It¡¯s also possible that these two artifacts are a pair.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said.

    That suggestion got Yan Yu¡¯s heart racing.

    To know, common artifacts were everywhere, but matched sets were hard to come by. Like the ¡°Nine Heavens Yin Demon Artifact Series¡± in Chen Lingyun¡¯s possession; used alone, they were no different from ordinary artifacts. But if one could collect more and extract the Nine Heavens Yin Demon divine inscriptions, it would be possible to derive a series of core Demonic Sect spells, including the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Secret Thunder, with awe-inspiring power.

    If this hammer and the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin were truly a pair, who would care about control artifacts? He would have to get it no matter what!

    ¡°Let¡¯s go with this one!¡± Yan Yu decided to take the gamble. Even if it turned out to be a mistake, he could just give Li Weiguo a face and let Zhao Yuanzhen choose again.

    Li Weiguo took back the tablet, wrote a note, and then said:

    ¡°Black and White Impermanence have agreed, but now is not the time; Chen Lingyun has to wait a bit more.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Yan Yu took the note.

    He went with Zhao Yuanzhen to the secret warehouse and used the note to collect the hammer. It was palm-sized and could be easily held and lifted with one hand, like a child¡¯s rattle, with an exquisitely carved skull on it that seemed almost lifelike.

    Zhao Yuanzhen grabbed the hammer and placed it next to the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, studying them closely for a long while before suddenly saying:

    ¡°It seems like they just plainly look alike¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mess with my head!¡± Yan Yu burst out angrily. ¡°Hurry up and give it back while it¡¯s not yet attuned to you!¡±

    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t rush, let me check again.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen picked up the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, and after fidgeting on the hammer¡¯s surface for a while, suddenly there was a whoosh sound.

    The White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, as if attracted by a magnet, was drawn straight into the eye socket of the hammer¡¯s skull.

    It was a perfect fit, as if made for it.

    ¡°So they really are a combined artifact?¡± Yan Yu was immediately stunned. ¡°You lucky fool¡­ what kind of dumb luck is this?¡±

    ¡°What dumb luck?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen perked up immediately, protesting, ¡°It¡¯s my discerning eye that recognized the treasure! Watch your mouth or I¡¯ll use this hammer to smash your damn head!¡±

 Chapter 343 - 39 Feeding Techniques in Swordsmanship

    Chapter 343: Chapter 39 Feeding Techniques in Swordsmanship

    When Zhao Yuanzhen returned to the training ground, she immediately tried to use the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer after refining it.

    Once True Yuan motivated the hammer, it would behave like a Flying Sword; point it east and it struck east, point it west and it struck west. With a mere thought, it could strike down fiercely and swiftly onto an opponent¡¯s head.

    The hammer had a skull on both its front and back, meaning it had four eye sockets. After inserting the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin into one of these sockets, the hammer generated a whistling sound as it flew, its speed and force increasing more than a notch.

    Yan Yu tried to block it with the Huang Tingjian, only to find it quite strenuous. Considering that this magical weapon could strike a target without needing to be directed like a Flying Sword, it was indeed quite suitable for the Demonic Sect Enchantress.

    There were also three additional eye sockets on the hammer, indicating that at least three more magical items could be combined with it¡ªYan Yu had his colleagues in the data library look it up and found out that the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer originated from a small Mysterious Realm on an island in the East Sea; it was produced alongside two volumes of scriptures discussing the methods for refining gods and demons, but there was no more information about other combo magical weapons.

    In any case, the magical weapon was handed over to Zhao Yuanzhen to refine, and once she could summon and retrieve it at will, they could consider adding more offensive methods.

    ...

    However¡­ speaking of which, in the previous Mirror Lake Divine Palace Mysterious Realm, her clone did not seem to use hammer-type magical weapons.

    Which meant that the realm did not transport individuals from a future timeline, but merely based on the present state for a ¡°reasonable deduction.¡±

    Yan Yu had some realization in his heart and sent a text to both Li Weiguo and Zhou Hongyu at the same time, saying that if the Mysterious Realm in Fengdu County opened a second layer, they should consider letting the Zhenhai Team help with the conquest again¡ª¡±we have a need in that area.¡±

    Li Weiguo replied with an ¡°Hmm,¡± while Zhou Hongyu did not respond for a long time.

    But she must have received it.

    While Yan Yu was deeply pondering, he saw Lin Ningruo walk down from the second floor as if nothing had happened and said nonchalantly,

    ¡°I¡¯ve finished fasting.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay,¡± Yan Yu nodded in acknowledgment and continued to ponder where more combo magical weapons for the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer might be found.

    ¡°What kind of attitude is that?¡± Lin Ning slightly dissatisfied, said, ¡°I¡¯ve advanced to the Marrow Cleansing Stage, and you don¡¯t even have any reaction?¡±

    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s so impressive, truly worthy of Lin Ning,¡± Yan Yu blandly recited with an expressionless face.

    ¡°Hmph, not sincere at all,¡± Lin Ning pouted and sat down on the sofa beside her. She picked up an opened bag of chips from the table and started eating.

    After eating one, she spat it out into the trash can next to her, and asked in astonishment,

    ¡°Why are these chips all damp? They¡¯re all soft and mushy.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Yan Yu replied without lifting his head, ¡°Would you have found non-stale chips on the coffee table?¡±

    Lin Ning: ???

    Although she didn¡¯t understand why, it sounded quite reasonable.

    ¡°Since you¡¯ve completed your Marrow Cleansing, it¡¯s a good time to go down and practice your swordsmanship,¡± Yan Yu stood up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Following Yan Yu to the underground training field, they saw Xie Ruoxi and Zhao Yuanzhen both in the arena, one practicing her proficiency in the Thunder Method, the other the proficiency of a magical weapon.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them. Our daily training as Sword Immortals requires more than just practicing sword techniques,¡± Yan Yu formed a Sword technique with his hand, controlling the Huang Tingjian as he spoke, ¡°Irrespective of other Cultivation Realms, at the Foundation Establishment¡¯s Marrow Cleansing stage, Sword Immortals are the strongest. Do you know why?¡± S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Because Sword Immortals value innate talent the most,¡± Lin Ning, who was a Minyue quiz enthusiast, naturally grasped such basic theoretical knowledge, ¡°The stronger the innate talent, the more robust the True Yuan, and the stronger the force and speed of controlling the Flying Sword.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu manipulated the Huang Tingjian to twirl a sword flower and continued, ¡°The process of Fasting and Marrow Cleansing, which replaces the turbid qi of grains with the primordial Spiritual Energy, can greatly enhance one¡¯s innate talent, and among the four major professions of Cultivators, Sword Immortals benefit the most from this advancement.¡±

    ¡°To put it bluntly, before the Spiritual Energy Resurgence progresses to the next stage, you and I are the mainstays of the Zhenhai Team¡¯s combat power. If we fall even a small step behind our peers, the Sword Immortals, the Zhenhai Team will fall a big step behind other teams. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡± Lin Ning was not afraid of competing with others, and these words only made her ambition burn stronger.

    I will strive for the title of strongest Sword Immortal, and I¡¯ll never slow down the team!

    ¡°Good.¡± Seeing her fighting spirit was incredibly high, Yan Yu said with satisfaction, ¡°No more talking, let¡¯s fence!¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The ¡°Kunlun Imperial Sword Technique Primer¡± consists of thirty-six sword techniques beyond its theoretical overview of the swordsmanship styles.

    At first glance, these thirty-six techniques appear to be based on simple actions like slashing, lifting, chopping, smearing, scraping, intercepting, and stabbing. However, there are many subtle and intricate variations that make the techniques quicker, sharper, and stronger.

    Lin Ning had already mastered the Kunlun Imperial Sword Technique Primer, and she could deploy its thirty-six moves at will, smoothly and without hesitation.

    But real combat doesn¡¯t allow you to execute moves in a set order. What move to use in any given moment depends entirely on the Sword Immortal¡¯s reaction, insight, and experience.

    While Lin Ning¡¯s reaction speed was very fast, her comprehension was extremely lacking, making her a victim of rote learning. This wasn¡¯t about logical thinking or memory; it was closer to creativity and quick wit when facing unfamiliar situations. Sister Lin, however, was used to reciting by the book, rarely enhancing her comprehension.

    Having no choice, Yan Yu had to personally feed her moves, simulating a variety of swordsmanship combat scenarios to forcibly increase her experience.

    Their sword techniques clashing rapidly, Huang Tingjian and Green Bamboo Sword collided and interweaved. Lin Ning unleashed a move called Hundred Birds Worshiping the Phoenix, the blade of the Green Bamboo Sword vibrating rapidly to create eight sword shadows.

    With Yan Yu¡¯s eyesight and experience, he could naturally see where the real body was among the eight shadows¡ªknowing that if a Golden Core Sword Immortal used it, creating fifty or sixty shadows like a flock of birds was quite normal.

    But for a Marrow Cleansing Stage Sword Immortal, creating eight shadows was considered a powerful skill, and it was more likely that the opponent wouldn¡¯t be able to identify the real one.

    Thus, he pretended not to see it and intercepted one of the shadows with his Welcoming Pine Guest move.

    Welcoming Pine Guest was a diagonal intercepting technique. As soon as it hit the illusion, it missed, and taking advantage of this, Lin Ning hastily performed a sword technique, allowing the Green Bamboo Sword to swiftly breach Huang Tingjian¡¯s defense with a swift strike aimed at Yan Yu, called White Rainbow Piercing the Sun.

    White Rainbow Piercing the Sun was one of the fastest in many sword moves and also the most straightforward offensive technique. Yan Yu dodged to the side, expecting her to change tactics at the end, and sure enough, before White Rainbow Piercing the Sun could finish, the tail of Green Bamboo Sword flicked and suddenly cut diagonally.

    Phoenix Dances in the Heavens!

    The trick and beauty of Phoenix Dances in the Heavens lay in the tail flick determining the direction of the thrust, an action completely different from the usual Flying Sword stance. Lin Ning, who was accustomed to learning by rote, struggled with this move for a long time, and Yan Yu had to demonstrate it repeatedly. But now, with the perseverance and willpower of a dedicated learner, she had finally mastered it completely!

    Yan Yu was ready for it and dodged again quickly. Lin Ning, anxious that her feint had failed and trying to follow up with another attack, suddenly felt a sharp pain in her rump.

    Ouch!

    It turned out that Huang Tingjian had quietly circled behind her and delivered a smack with the flat of the blade, which sent Lin Ning tumbling to the ground.

    ¡°I call this move ¡®Yan-style Tennis¡¯.¡± Yan Yu came over, beaming with pride, ¡°It¡¯s specifically for dealing with fools who are obsessed with swordsmanship offense and forget to protect themselves.¡±

    Lin Ning got up with tears in her eyes, rubbing her sore buttocks, and with an inexplicable surge of anger, suddenly charged at Yan Yu for a real bout of combat.

    Then he easily dodged her and with an ape-like arm, wrapped around her waist and spun her to the ground.

    ¡°You dare to compete with me in hand-to-hand combat?¡± Yan Yu pinned her down with one hand, about to make a few sarcastic remarks, but saw Lin Ning wrap her arms around his right arm and kick wildly like a cat, managing to knock him to the ground as well.

    He landed right on top of her.

 Chapter 344 - 40 Surrounded

    Chapter 344: Chapter 40 Surrounded

    Yan Yu¡¯s reaction was actually very quick.

    After being knocked down by Lin Ning, the moment his body pressed onto her, he quickly propped himself up with his hands, twisted his waist, flipped over, and got off her.

    Hmph, you think you deserve to take advantage of me?

    Before Sister Lin even had the chance to get angry, there was no one on top of her, so she just instinctively scrambled up, looking bewildered.

    Xie Ruoxi also looked over, but unfortunately, Yan Yu¡¯s movements were too quick, and she didn¡¯t catch any hints of impropriety, so she simply looked away, thinking thankfully I¡¯m not Lin Ning, who got flipped over by the captain. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Did you get it?¡± Yan Yu pretended as if nothing had happened and lectured her, ¡°Remember actions, not words¡­ When attacking with Sword Control, you must be wary of the opponent¡¯s sneak attacks on your real body, understand?¡±

    ...

    Lin Ning, however, stood there stupefied for quite some time before saying:

    ¡°Why do you reject me so much?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, reject you?¡± Yan Yu was baffled.

    ¡°¡­Hmph, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Lin Ning finally recovered her senses and replied, ¡°Let¡¯s continue training.¡±

    Although she said it was nothing, her mind couldn¡¯t help but start to wander.

    When practicing swordsmanship, if we accidentally make body contact, do I look like I would mistakenly think you did it on purpose and get angry at you? In your mind, am I just a girl who¡¯s quick to anger and needs to be avoided at all costs?

    Although the more she thought about it, the more upset she became, Lin Ning couldn¡¯t fault Yan Yu¡¯s actions as being inappropriate, so she could only channel all her frustration into her swordsmanship, fiercely attacking her opponent.

    On Yan Yu¡¯s side, he was pleasantly surprised, wondering why Sister Lin suddenly became so aggressive?

    Exactly! The more exchanges in offense and defense, the more likely it is to expose flaws, and the faster the experience in Swordsmanship Combat grows¡­ let me teach you well!

    So another afternoon of being beaten up and fed moves went by, and by around five in the afternoon, Lin Ning was so saturated with moves that she couldn¡¯t remember any of the swordsmanship routines.

    Yan Yu wasn¡¯t a demon, so he stopped everyone¡¯s training and decided to take them all out for dinner.

    By this time, although the Zhenhai Team wasn¡¯t a household name, they had reached the level of being recognized on the street. After a brief discussion, to avoid being surrounded and asked for autographs, they decided to just eat at the school cafeteria.

    Upon arriving at the cafeteria of Zhendong College, as soon as they appeared, they were immediately surrounded by a large number of students.

    Yan Yu: ???

    How come we¡¯re being surrounded even at school?

    But here he was mistaken: although everyone enrolled at the same time, most students had never seen them because they had moved out early.

    Because they were unfamiliar, so came the curiosity. Coupled with the various great deeds of the Zhenhai Team, this sentiment had already turned into admiration and pursuit, so much so that when someone shouted ¡°Longcheng Flying General,¡± nearly all the college students in the cafeteria swarmed over.

    Yan Yu initially tried to remain composed, but soon he couldn¡¯t hold it together because there were just too many people¡­

    ¡°Captain Yan, are you guys going to challenge The Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng?¡± someone from the crowd shouted.

    ¡°Captain Yan! When are you going to take down the Onmyoji from Sakura Country?¡±

    ¡°Captain Yan I¡¯m your fan quack quack quack quack quack¡ª who stepped on the heel of my shoe?!!¡± It sounded like a female college student.

    ¡°Captain Yan crushes Sakura Country! Sweep East Asia! Create new glory!¡± Another person started chanting slogans.

    The Zhenhai Team ran away in panic, followed by chanting, college student Cultivators, each one a master of creating chaos, abstract artists, even shouting ¡°Add me to Captain Yan¡¯s harem¡± in the commotion.

    Yan Yu was running the fastest when suddenly someone pulled him aside, tucking him into a small thicket.

    Divine Sense swept across, and to his surprise, it was Qiu Ze hidden by an Invisibility Technique.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Yan Yu asked with his shock just settling, ¡°When did our school turn into a fan club?¡±

    ¡°How long has it been since Yan Team last came to school?¡± Qiu Ze communicated secretly, ¡°Aren¡¯t you in that training group of ours?¡±

    Yan Yu thought hard and finally recalled that Chen Lingyun did set up a group, pulling in all the team leaders and deputy team leaders from the entire school¡­ And indeed, the atmosphere in that group was a bit eerie, full of heaven-defying bootlickers; he just didn¡¯t know if the students were doing it on purpose or really going mad.

    But there was actually no difference between the two.

    ¡°So what¡¯s with these people?¡± Yan Yu asked helplessly with his hand to his forehead, ¡°I thought they were intentionally cosplaying in the group, how come they¡¯re also like this offline?¡±

    ¡°I think Yan Team might be underestimating your fame a bit.¡± Qiu Ze sighed as well, ¡°Take our Shenxing Battle Team, for instance. Before, with your Zhenhai Team standing in front, we and the other students could communicate properly, often discussing tactics, game plans, and skills. Our relationships were also okay.¡±

    ¡°Later, after the league rated us as a first-tier team, some started to change their tune and butter us up. Whenever I show up, it¡¯s ¡®Qiu God, take me with you,¡¯ ¡®Qiu God, acknowledge me,¡¯ ¡®Qiu God, should we rise to wealth and honor, let¡¯s not forget each other.¡¯ It¡¯s not just online, offline too, they¡¯d come over to join in the fun and get close, making it so you can¡¯t even enjoy a meal in peace in the cafeteria¡­ That¡¯s why our team stopped eating there a long time ago.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Yan Yu acknowledged the point and exclaimed, ¡°The school is just a microcosm of society.¡±

    ¡°Everyone sees it very clearly.¡± Qiu Ze agreed, ¡°The gap in strength, status, and resources between renowned and non-renowned teams is going to widen to unimaginable extents in the future.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only now, while everyone is still in the same school, that there¡¯s a chance for interaction. Once we graduate and go our separate ways, there won¡¯t even be an opportunity to make acquaintance or have a chat.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which, what are they teaching at the school now?¡± Yan Yu casually asked.

    ¡°They teach some courses on tactical analysis and such. You in Yan Team are on the frontline, gaining experience from actual combat, so those courses are meaningless for you.¡± Qiu Ze said as he quietly led Yan Yu away, then suddenly spoke, ¡°Wait a moment.¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡± Yan Yu looked ahead.

    ¡°They¡¯re using Divine Sense to scan,¡± Qiu Ze pointed ahead.

    Far away was the artificial lake behind the cafeteria, a great place for the students to digest their meals after eating. A few female students were seen walking around the lake, their steps light as if they were admiring the fish¡ªDecember¡¯s winter had arrived, and the fish had gone to avoid the cold at the bottom of the lake. What was there to admire?

    ¡°What are these female students doing?¡± Yan Yu asked via a secret transmission.

    ¡°Hard to say.¡± Qiu Ze shook his head, ¡°Yan Team, do you often receive friend requests from women, which come from our school¡¯s Cultivator groups?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°I always have my friend request switch off.¡±

    ¡°I suspect there are female Cultivators at our school,¡± Qiu Ze paused for a moment, then replied via transmission, ¡°who are always thinking about cozying up to powerful male Cultivators or even dating them, in order to exchange for more cultivation resources.¡±

    ¡°Oh, this¡­¡± Yan Yu initially thought the idea was preposterous, but after some thought, it seemed reasonable.

    The school allocates cultivation resources based on a Cultivator¡¯s strength. But once the resources reach the hands of a Cultivator, the subsequent secondary distribution with their girlfriends was none of the school¡¯s concern¡ªif the Cultivator was too soft-hearted and his girlfriend complained or whined a little, giving her a share of the Elixir Medicine was quite reasonable.

    Alas, everyone¡¯s not focusing on proper cultivation, always thinking of these crooked methods! Luckily, our Zhenhai Team moved out of the school early, not contaminated by these perverse and heretical influences, or else if someone were obsessing over getting me, their captain, to show favoritism, extracting my abilities by deliberately starting a romance, that would be revolting!

    As Yan Yu was lost in his thoughts, he suddenly heard someone exclaiming:

    ¡°Su Yunjin!¡±

    ¡°Ah! Is it Yun Jin?¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin, wait, don¡¯t go! We just want an autograph!¡±

    The female students all dashed forward together, and Su Yunjin, who was still invisible, knew she was in trouble. Without a word, she turned her head and fled.

    ¡°How should we save her?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Qiu Ze said, ¡°I¡¯ve already asked Sisi to help.¡±

 Chapter 345 - 41: The Whole School is Your Fans

    Chapter 345: Chapter 41: The Whole School is Your Fans

    Unlike the Zhenhai Team, which had been in the limelight from the start, Qiu Ze¡¯s Shenxing Battle Team had fought their way up step by step from among all the students, and thus he saw the changes in the campus atmosphere very clearly.

    During the early days of the school term, the relationships among students were very harmonious. Plus, Qiu Ze himself liked to make friends, often inviting three or five people to play basketball or game together, resulting in many of the guys in the dorm becoming acquainted with him. They were used to calling each other brothers and jokingly referring to one another as father and son.

    But all this changed completely after the Shenxing Battle Team was rated Class A.

    Once Runtu realized the clear difference in status between himself and Brother Xun, a sadly impregnable barrier emerged between them¡ªa fitting description for Qiu Ze¡¯s situation as well.

    The buddies who used to play basketball with him started to get ¡°worse¡± at the game, subtly letting him win; old friends he gamed with, who would normally argue half a day over ¡°who messed up this round¡±, began to crazily assist him and play support roles, showering him with compliments after the game.

    Even some classmates who weren¡¯t that close before, at most offering a greeting when passing by, started to come over brimming with enthusiasm to chat, calling him ¡°Captain Qiu¡± or ¡°God Qiu,¡± almost as if worshiping and revering Qiu Ze as a deity.

    ...

    Even the Shenxing Battle Team could receive such treatment; it was understandable, then, what kind of a sensation the more famous Zhenhai Team would cause upon their return to campus.

    After Qiu Ze spoke with a hint of helplessness, Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but feel a mix of amusement and pity.

    He hadn¡¯t been a cultivator in his previous life but an obscure ¡°mortal martial artist¡±, so he never experienced this kind of fervent adulation, not to mention Chen Lingyun was the kind of person who could handle anything perfectly, so he never once troubled him with these matters.

    ¡°So, what do we do next?¡± Yan Yu asked humbly, truly having no past experiences to draw from for this situation.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already sent the team members out to meet you guys,¡± answered Qiu Ze. ¡°These people are particularly sneaky, each one capable of scanning with Divine Sense. Even if we use Invisibility Technique to sneak away, we need to be extremely careful, try not to take main roads or bump into anyone.¡±

    ¡°Alright, you lead the way,¡± Yan Yu, seeing that the guy seemed to have some experience in guerrilla warfare, immediately indicated that he would follow his lead.

    Qiu Ze skillfully chose side paths to avoid the hordes of seeking student fans. Yan Yu, invisible, followed him through twists and turns, even using the Wall-Penetration Technique in several places.

    At the same time, he took out his phone and swiped through it, only to see that in the Rikoku Cultivator school group, everyone was already frequently updating their locations¡ªphrases like ¡°Lin Ning spotted behind the cafeteria,¡± ¡°Su Yunjin appeared on the artificial lake shore¡± were being posted so densely it was as if they were vying for a server BOSS.

    ¡°Captain Qiu, Lin Ning has been found!¡± Zhang Yang suddenly sent a message in the team chat.

    ¡°Great, let¡¯s meet up inside the administrative building!¡± Qiu Ze quickly issued an order.

    ¡°Why the administrative building?¡± Yan Yu, who was watching, suddenly asked.

    ¡°Because the instructors are in the administrative building. Fans wouldn¡¯t dare to chase stars inside there,¡± Qiu Ze replied.

    ¡°Are the instructors that scary?¡± asked Yan Yu, puzzled.

    Qiu Ze: ¡­¡­¡­.

    You¡¯re the one who chats and jokes with the principal all day, treating the instructors like they¡¯re service staff at your beck and call. I¡¯m just a nouveau riche; it¡¯s really hard to explain things clearly to a big deity like you.

    The two arrived behind the administrative building and saw Zhang Yang and Lin Ning already waiting there.

    ¡°This is so scary!¡± Lin Ning finally let out a sigh of relief when she saw her captain arrive and then complained, ¡°Really, I got recognized buying groceries on the street. I¡¯ve never seen anything so outrageous!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll need to be more cautious on campus in the future,¡± Qiu Ze also sighed. ¡°We¡¯ve also bought a house outside of school recently. We¡¯ll do our group training there from now on.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s the house?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Near Xianlin Lake.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit remote?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not remote, there¡¯s a subway.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the main point right now!¡± Lin Ning interrupted their casual chat, ¡°The others are still being chased by fans!¡±

    ¡°Chen Lingyun won¡¯t need to worry,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°But the others might need some help.¡±

    ¡°Sisi has already reached Yun Jin,¡± Qiu Ze, looking at his phone, suddenly said.

    After a moment, Chang Sisi indeed brought Su Yunjin before everyone, dispersing her invisibility.

    ¡°Yun Jin!¡± Lin Ning hurried over to call out.

    ¡°I was so scared,¡± Su Yunjin appeared deeply shaken, ¡°a girl I never knew before suddenly rushed over wanting to take a photo with me¡­ I was so frightened I almost jumped into the artificial lake.¡±

    ¡°If I had known, I would not have come to the school cafeteria!¡± Lin Ning stomped her feet in frustration.

    ¡°We stopped coming here a while ago,¡± Chang Sisi empathized, her face twisted in vexation. ¡°Every time we eat, we get watched, talked to, greeted¡­ I¡¯m practically developing social anxiety.¡±

    ¡°Where are the others?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Song Qiao is looking for Sister Zhao¡­ Holy shit,¡± Qiu Ze suddenly exclaimed. ¡°Look at this!¡±

    Everyone gathered around to watch the video on his phone. On the small playground next to the cafeteria, dozens of people were crowded around, leaving no way in or out. They could faintly hear Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s familiar shouting from inside:

    ¡°Those who want an autograph, line up! Where do you want it signed? On your clothes! Okay, done, next! Please line up, one by one!¡±

    Everyone: ¡­¡­¡­

    Yan Yu also couldn¡¯t hold back and said:

    ¡°You all go ahead to the administration building, I¡¯ll go find her!¡±

    He left the group alone and, activating the Invisibility Technique, hurried toward the small playground.

    Along the way, he saw more and more students all heading in the same direction, with intermittent exchanges:

    ¡°Who¡¯s that over there?¡±

    ¡°Zhao Jiuzhen.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not the Longcheng Flying General?¡±

    ¡°You dare ask for Yan Yu¡¯s autograph?¡± sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°If he dares show up before me, I dare ask.¡±

    ¡°Forget it, Zhao Jiuzhen¡¯s autograph is just as good. I heard that on Saltfish, autographs of top Rikoku Cultivators can go for hundreds of thousands!¡±

    ¡°Only hundreds of thousands? We get over a hundred thousand just for clearing a Mysterious Realm.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a low-difficulty Mysterious Realm. How can you compare it to the Zhenhai Team? I heard they make tens of millions from a single realm! I feel like this might be the only chance to get her autograph, we¡¯ll probably have trouble finding her after this.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right, get an autograph now and save it for appreciation.¡±

    Yan Yu, despite keeping a distance from his classmates, could vaguely hear their discussions. He felt a mix of annoyance and speechlessness, wanting nothing more than to rush up to the Demonic Sect Enchantress and beat the vain idiot senseless.

    Finally, he reached the small playground. He couldn¡¯t continue to use the Invisibility Technique, so he quickly employed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step undetectable, creating afterimages, and plunged into the sea of people.

    Dashing past like lightning! Phantoms everywhere! Chain dodging through the crowd!

    ¡°Hey, no cutting in line!¡± someone tried to grab his clothes but only caught an afterimage, standing dumbfounded. Then someone else suddenly shouted:

    ¡°Holy shit! That movement technique! It¡¯s the Longcheng Flying General, Yan Yu!¡±

    Before any larger commotion could spread, Yan Yu had already kicked Zhao Yuanzhen to the ground face-first. He then bent down to scoop her up around the waist, threw her over his shoulder, and with the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, darted out creating more afterimages, disregarding the obstacles formed by the surrounding crowd and vanished once again.

    The fans weren¡¯t about to give up easily and immediately gave chase¡ªbut could they catch up with the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step? Yan Yu quickly lost them using the terrain to his advantage, so much that some even took to chasing him with Sword Control, performing a low-altitude, Divine Sense grid search.

    Meanwhile, the cafeteria door suddenly opened.

    Xie Ruoxi, carrying her packed meal, peeked around for a bit. Seeing no one, she had just stepped out when someone called out from behind her.

    ¡°Excuse me! Have you seen anyone from the Zhenhai Battle Team?¡± two female students stopped her to ask, ¡°We got the news and rushed back from outside the campus!¡±

    ¡°Uh, no,¡± Xie Ruoxi feigned ignorance, ¡°I think they already left.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± the female students said, looking disappointed before thanking her and leaving.

    Xie Ruoxi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but she also felt a delicate sense of loss.

    When will I be able to be on TV with everyone, fervently pursued by fans?

 Chapter 346 - 42 Zhao Yuanzhens Shame Spurs Her Courage

    Chapter 346: Chapter 42 Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s Shame Spurs Her Courage

    Yan Yu returned to the administrative building and tossed Zhao Yuanzhen to Lin Ning with a sneer,

    ¡°Putting up the sign and selling the head!¡±

    Lin Ning hurriedly caught Zhao Yuanzhen, only to find that her dantian and the meridians in her limbs had all been sealed by Yan Yu with runescript, leaving her completely immobile.

    As soon as Lin Ning removed the seal for Zhao Yuanzhen, the outraged and flustered Demonic Sect Enchantress immediately bounced up, baring her teeth and raising her claws as if intending to perish together with Yan Yu. Lin Ning and Su Yunjin caught her from the left and the right, repeatedly persuading,

    ¡°Forget it, Sister Zhao! Just let it go! Forget it, forget it!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was fuming with rage but was helpless and could only squall in frustration.

    ...

    Firstly, it wasn¡¯t a fight to the death, she couldn¡¯t beat this rascal.

    Secondly, there were too many people around, and if he turned the tables and beat her up instead, she would undoubtedly be the one embarrassed in the end.

    Thinking this, she immediately pretended to be still furious but, due to the urging of her younger sisters, she reluctantly spared that little thief¡¯s life and haughtily turned away with her arms crossed.

    Yan Yu watched her performance nonchalantly, thinking to himself that this one sure was a drama queen, and turned to ask,

    ¡°Where are Lingyun and Ruoxi?¡±

    ¡°Lingyun has already left,¡± Su Yunjin said, looking at her phone. ¡°Ruoxi is on her way.¡±

    ¡°Does Ruoxi have someone to pick her up?¡± Lin Ning immediately became anxious, ¡°She can¡¯t rely solely on the Invisibility Technique, they can all perform spiritual sense scanning!¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°No one recognizes her.¡±

    ¡°How could no one recognize her?¡±

    ¡°She hasn¡¯t been on TV¡­¡±

    Everyone was speechless. Although Xie Ruoxi was indeed an official member of the Zhenhai Team, she had not yet appeared on television, and most people would not bother to check the official Privy Council website for the member list and then search for pictures by matching names.

    After waiting for quite some time, they saw Xie Ruoxi returning briskly with two large bags in her hands, full of various kinds of food ¡ª truly a cultivator who trained every day in this life, countless times stronger than her previous life as a person who stayed in a rental room doing livestreams all day.

    ¡°You bought so much,¡± Yan Yu turned to ask Qiu Ze, ¡°Shall we find somewhere to eat together?¡±

    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s mooch a meal,¡± Qiu Ze said with a smile.

    After the Shenxing Battle Team members also arrived, everyone rose into the air with Sword Control from the top floor of the administrative building, leaving the school.

    After sending off the two teams, the instructors also hurried around the campus, urging the still noisy students to settle down as soon as possible.

    When everyone returned to the villa, the men from the Shenxing Battle Team were quite excited, feeling the thrill of being in a beautiful woman¡¯s home.

    But no sooner had they entered when Lin Ning headed to the kitchen to heat up dishes; Su Yunjin went to the bathroom to grab a broom for sweeping; Xie Ruoxi, slightly socially anxious, used training as an excuse to hide in the basement; and Chen Lingyun had been on the second floor in her room and hadn¡¯t come down¡­ The lovely girls scattered in an instant, leaving the place spotless.

    Only Zhao Yuanzhen was left, nonchalantly sprawled on the couch with her legs crossed, watching TV in the living room.

    The handsome battle strength of this big beauty was clear from the time she started signing autographs on the small playing field opposite the cafeteria. The men were eager to chat with a beautiful woman, but not so much with one who was overly formidable, so they looked around for more suitable company.

    Only to find that Chang Sisi was circling Yan Yu, asking some weird questions.

    ¡°Does Captain Yan usually train in the basement?¡±

    ¡°Mmhmm.¡± sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s so nice~ Our team¡¯s basement is too small; doesn¡¯t feel like we have enough space to really move.¡±

    ¡°You can remodel and expand it.¡±

    ¡°Then, before the remodeling is finished, can we temporarily come over to your place for training?¡±

    The men nearly choked on their own blood upon hearing this. They hadn¡¯t even managed to speak with the girls from the opposing side, and here their own girl was already being led away!

    Qiu Ze hurriedly called Chang Sisi back and chastised her in a low voice:

    ¡°Don¡¯t harass Captain Yan, okay!¡±

    ¡°Exactly, exactly!¡± The men echoed in agreement, unanimously supporting their captain.

    ¡°How did it turn into me harassing him?¡± Chang Sisi was incredulous with a laugh, ¡°I am creating opportunities for the team. So that we can get closer and learn from the Zhenhai Team in the future!¡±

    ¡°Oh, right.¡± The men conceded the point upon hearing her explanation. Of course, it was more valuable to get in good with the great deity Yan Yu than to ¡°get to know the girls from the Zhenhai Team.¡±

    Only the vice-captain, Sun Ziyi, felt something was amiss and quietly asked:

    ¡°Apart from that, did you cling to him and chat for any other reason?¡±

    ¡°That can¡¯t be said there¡¯s none.¡± Chang Sisi chuckled awkwardly, ¡°I¡¯ve heard Captain Yan is still single with no girlfriend¡­¡±

    Everyone was instantly stunned into silence. Don¡¯t use official business as a pretext to settle your personal lifelong matter!

    ¡°Sisi, just forget it. You dare to have designs on Captain Yan?¡± Zhang Yang teased her, ¡°Just look at the overall attractiveness of the women on the Zhenhai Team and then look at yourself¡­¡±

    Before he could finish, Chang Sisi snarled and grabbed his throat, as if he were a chicken about to be slaughtered, flailing and struggling.

    Over with Yan Yu, he approached Zhao Yuanzhen and earnestly educated her:

    ¡°This kind of signature event, you can¡¯t do it again in the future.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was still angry, didn¡¯t lift her head, and retorted coldly, ¡°I sign my name; what does it have to do with you?¡±

    The truth, of course, was that you¡¯re throwing away your own face, and our battle team¡¯s reputation will also suffer. But he knew he couldn¡¯t say that, or else he would be thought by the Demonic Sect Enchantress as someone who could be manipulated by the team¡­ He pondered for a moment, before gently persuading:

    ¡°Yuanzhen, which do you think will have a higher reputation, ¡®someone who holds signature events all the time¡¯, or ¡®someone whose signature is hard to get with lots of money¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Of course, the one who is hard to get with lots of money¡­¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied without thinking, then suddenly had a moment of realization and fell into contemplation.

    ¡°Exactly.¡± Yan Yu pointed out to her, ¡°The first floor of a commercial complex likes to invite luxury stores to open, aiming for a high-end consumer atmosphere. People are the same. If you go to a school to hold a signature event and sign for anyone who asks, everyone will just think your signature isn¡¯t valuable, and by association, it cheapens your own worth as well.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen mused, ¡°So with that said, I really shouldn¡¯t have given out these signatures.¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°But I already did.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen frowned, ¡°So what now? Should we lock down the school and get all the signatures back?¡±

    ¡°God dammit, lock down the school!¡± Yan Yu was amused and frustrated, ¡°What¡¯s done is done, spilled water can¡¯t be retrieved. You¡¯ve already lost face, and now you want to get it back? Just do less of this stupid stuff next time.¡±

    He sneered as he went upstairs, but the Zhao Yuanzhen in the living room was thinking more and more that something was wrong.

    The thief does make sense! How can I, Zhao Yuanzhen the Fairy¡¯s signature be given away so easily? It should at least go to a global auction, let the international media scramble to report it, and have billionaires line up to bid for it!

    Thinking this, Zhao Yuanzhen was full of regret, thinking that this surely was the thief¡¯s fault. Why didn¡¯t he stop me sooner? He clearly wanted to wait for me to act foolishly, to see me embarrass myself, and then to laugh at me!

    Damn it, I will remember this grudge! If the day comes when I can turn the tables and take charge, I¡¯ll sell all his stuff for a low price, for a bargain, sell it all out!

    In her mind, an image appeared:

    She saw Yan Yu clutching his thighs, weeping and howling, ¡°Don¡¯t sell anymore! Please really don¡¯t sell anymore! I don¡¯t even have underwear left! Now I can only walk around the house naked!!!¡±

    She then stepped on his head with one foot, laughing wildly:

    ¡°Thief, you¡¯ve got your day too? You didn¡¯t stop me when I was giving out signatures, relishing in my humiliation, and now you think of stopping me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to give away all of your property!¡±

    Heh heh, when the time comes, the penniless thief will only be able to please me, kowtow to me, and spend my money!

    Mwahahaha!

 Chapter 347 - 43 Chen Lingyun Strategizes Behind the Scenes

    Chapter 347: Chapter 43 Chen Lingyun Strategizes Behind the Scenes

    Upon entering Chen Lingyun¡¯s room, he saw her on the balcony making a phone call.

    Yan Yu waited patiently for her to finish the call, and only when she turned around did he speak up to state his purpose:

    ¡°I recently heard from Anna that a certain piece of gossip has been circulating internationally, claiming that the rewards in The Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng will be distributed based on the order of entry, and that the differences between the rewards for those who enter first and those who enter last will be significant.¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± Chen Lingyun nodded and said, ¡°It seems we have a leak inside.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s a leak, huh,¡± Yan Yu said, nodding as if he¡¯d just had a revelation, ¡°So what then?¡±

    ¡°So there¡¯s a problem,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a low chuckle, ¡°Suppose I am the leader of the Yin Yang Bureau, allied with the Pear Blossom Courtyard and the Strategic Bureau to jointly fight against Rikoku Cultivators. If we successfully make it to the Departure Palace Gate, who should enter L¨ªg¨­ng first?¡±

    ...

    Yan Yu pondered for a moment and replied:

    ¡°Of course, the strongest should enter L¨ªg¨­ng first.¡±

    ¡°Then, who is the strongest?¡± Chen Lingyun continued with a smile, ¡°If I say that the Onmyoji are the strongest and should enter L¨ªg¨­ng first to take the best rewards, would the Pear Blossom Courtyard and the Strategic Bureau agree?¡±

    ¡°So in the end, a fight is inevitable,¡± Yan Yu followed her analysis, ¡°In that case, the opposing alliance will fall apart on its own.¡±

    ¡°To say it will collapse on its own is an exaggeration,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile faded, and she said gravely, ¡°The information we released will certainly not be taken entirely at face value by the opposing side. As long as Rikoku Cultivators still block the way, the three forces will inevitably consider an alliance to kick us out of the competition first.¡±

    ¡°And the rift would only appear in the last step,¡± Yan Yu also began to contemplate, ¡°which is when the Rikoku Cultivators can no longer prevent the three forces from entering L¨ªg¨­ng.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Chen Lingyun said slowly, ¡°That¡¯s when they will turn on each other, fighting to be the first to enter L¨ªg¨­ng.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t they be suspicious?¡± Yan Yu asked, ¡°Suspicious that we fabricated this information purposely to break up their three-way alliance?¡±

    ¡°Of course they will be suspicious,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a laugh, ¡°But what can they do about it?¡±

    ¡°If the information is false, then we change to a more common Mysterious Realm model, where L¨ªg¨­ng doesn¡¯t distribute rewards based on order of entry, but like most Mysterious Realms, it contains a core that can be refined. In that case, the Transcendent who refines the core first could directly reap all the benefits, kicking all other Transcendents out of the competition. Isn¡¯t that an even more extreme situation than ¡®distributing rewards based on order¡¯?¡±

    ¡°That is to say,¡± Yan Yu quickly concluded, ¡°the so-called three-way alliance was doomed from the beginning. Sooner or later, there would be infighting over the spoils of victory, and the information we released was only to bring this hidden issue to the surface, effectively sowing discord between them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s one way to put it.¡±

    ¡°But there¡¯s still one problem,¡± Yan Yu said gravely, ¡°If the three parties reach a consensus beforehand and decide to adopt our Rikoku¡¯s distribution mechanism, where all Transcendents who enter L¨ªg¨­ng, regardless of order, have to submit their spoils for a fairer distribution, wouldn¡¯t that prevent the alliance from breaking?¡±

    ¡°No need for ¡®if,''¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°They will definitely try to do that, to avoid being divided by the information we released.¡±

    ¡°So how do we break that?¡± Yan Yu casually asked, then had an epiphany, ¡°Ah, I get it now!¡±

    ¡°The Goryeo Sword Saint! Right?¡±

    ¡°The Goryeo Sword Saint is just one piece in the game,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile grew sweeter, and she said gently, ¡°Yan Yu, it¡¯s not just three Transcendent groups on the opposite side. They have thousands of intelligence operatives, psychologists, and strategic analysts, the smartest people in the country helping them to plan carefully, watching for any slip-ups we might inadvertently reveal. Simple tricks won¡¯t fool them, and if they do, it¡¯s just good luck.¡±

    ¡°And this time, what I want is a foolproof plan.¡±

    ¡°You?¡± Yan Yu raised his eyebrows slightly, ¡°This matter¡­ your father has given you full authority to handle it?¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Why, surprised?¡±

    ¡°Not surprised,¡± Yan Yu shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s just a little earlier than the timeline in the previous life.¡±

    ¡°How much earlier?¡± Chen Lingyun asked curiously.

    ¡°Just a little bit.¡±

    ¡°A year?¡±

    ¡°Just a little bit more than that.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Chen Lingyun sighed pretentiously, ¡°It seems that the me on the other side, without the advantage of your prophetic foresight, is truly a late bloomer.¡±

    ¡°Hehe,¡± Yan Yu neither affirmed nor denied, ¡°I just hope you can keep public and private matters separate. When it¡¯s time to play the big game, do concentrate on it properly. But when it¡¯s not time to play, withdraw from the identity of the player in time, and don¡¯t treat everyone around you as chess pieces. Otherwise, it will backfire on you sooner or later.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Chen Lingyun nodded.

    Considering she didn¡¯t have a smile on her face at the time, she probably didn¡¯t understand but made a mental note of it anyway.

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Yan Yu glossed over this subject and turned back to the main topic, ¡°I¡¯m not good at planning strategies behind the scenes, but I trust your abilities in this area; otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have told you this secret.¡±

    ¡°My request is simple, take all the rewards from the Departure Palace, kill as many enemies as possible, and maximize the results of the battle. As long as you can do this, I will leave the matter in your hands, and I have no objections.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I knew you would trust me~¡± Chen Lingyun smiled again, speaking in a coquettish tone, ¡°Since you¡¯ve said this, I¡¯ll have to order you around properly~¡±

    ¡°Feel free to command me.¡±

    ¡°The first thing,¡± Chen Lingyun raised a finger, her smile turning sweet and cloying as if it were silky honey, ¡°I want you to recount to me, in great detail, everything you know about The Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Yan Yu sat down beside her and spoke seriously, ¡°In fact, I have never personally been through the Secret Realm of the Departure Palace. The intelligence partly comes from event archives I¡¯ve seen, and partly from what you¡¯ve told me.¡±

    ¡°The realm opened around 9 a.m. on January 3rd, when the colorful lights under the sea suddenly burst forth, as if the gates to the Dragon Palace at the bottom of the sea had opened¡­¡±

    ¡°What about the celestial phenomena?¡± Chen Lingyun interrupted him.

    ¡°The archives didn¡¯t mention them,¡± Yan Yu recalled carefully, ¡°but from the descriptions, it must have been a mostly cloudless sky; otherwise, the surveillance satellite wouldn¡¯t have been able to capture the specifics of the surrounding sea area, right?¡±

    ¡°Then, at that time, the Privy Council of Rikoku blockaded the vicinity of the entrance to the realm, but it was still penetrated by the other side. It was later suspected that the Yin Yang Bureau had used some unknown Water Escape Technique to avoid the firepower lines above the sea surface, sending the Transcendents into the depth of the secret underwater realm.¡±

    ¡°Water Escape Technique?¡± Chen Lingyun raised an eyebrow, ¡°Any concrete evidence?¡±

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    It took nearly half an hour for Yan Yu to go through all the intelligence about the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng from his past life. If it weren¡¯t for Chen Lingyun constantly interrupting him and asking for more details, it really wouldn¡¯t have taken this long.

    ¡°That¡¯s all,¡± he picked up the water cup from the desk and gulped down several mouthfuls, ¡°Did you get all that? Don¡¯t ask me to repeat it, because I¡¯ll really get annoyed.¡±

    ¡°I got it,¡± Chen Lingyun bent her finger, tapping it on her temple, ¡°But there is a second thing.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°I need a relaxing environment to reorganize and interconnect the intelligence in my mind,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Yan Yu stood up, ¡°I¡¯ll tell them not to come up and disturb you¡­¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it,¡± said Chen Lingyun with smiling eyes, ¡°I want you to hold me.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t understand?¡± Chen Lingyun blinked, speaking playfully, ¡°I mean, I sit on your lap, and then your hands wrap around me, resting on my¡­¡± S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Chest?¡±

    ¡°Stomach.¡±

    ¡°This is a bit too much to ask,¡± Yan Yu declined firmly, ¡°How can I differentiate the two clearly?¡±

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile immediately turned cold.

 Chapter 348 - 44 Longcheng Flying General, For the Country and the People

    Chapter 348: Chapter 44 Longcheng Flying General, For the Country and the People

    Part of the dinner was provided by the canteen, and Lin Ning made a few additional dishes. After everyone had eaten, the men of the Shenxing Battle Team couldn¡¯t stop praising Lin Ning¡¯s cooking skills.

    The girls, however, had little appetite. After fasting, their bodies¡¯ demand for food and water had decreased to the minimum, and they could no longer enjoy the pleasure of feeling full.

    In the eyes of the Shenxing Battle Team, it seemed as if the Zhenhai Team was tired of such delicacies, which immediately sparked a strong desire among them to have their own chef.

    ¡°Sisi, it¡¯s up to you,¡± Zhang Yang sent her a secret message, ¡°Become the divine chef of our Shenxing Battle Team!¡±

    ¡°Crazy,¡± Chang Sisi replied irritably, ¡°Since when should women be the ones to cook?¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s see how the others cook,¡± Zhang Yang started listing for her, ¡°Captain Qiu loves spicy food, he would put three tons of chili in one ton of meat; Vice-Captain Sun eats egg soup all day, if he cooks, our daily menu would have to align with his; Old Song likes to add crazy amounts of cilantro to his meals, and you can¡¯t stand cilantro; as for me, I can only boil instant noodles¡­¡±

    ...

    ¡°Then don¡¯t cook, hire a private chef!¡± Chang Sisi said exasperatedly.

    After confronting her clueless teammate, she quietly sent a message to Lin Ning, trying to curry favor with her:

    ¡°Sister Ning, the food you made is so delicious! How long have you been practicing cooking?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t formally practiced,¡± Lin Ning replied modestly, ¡°I just helped my mother in the kitchen back home, and after a few years, I gradually got the hang of it.¡± sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s impressive,¡± Chang Sisi complimented, ¡°I thought you had specially trained for the team, haha.¡±

    ¡°Who would train in cooking for him!¡± Lin Ning panicked and quickly defended, ¡°He¡¯s lucky to have anything to eat at all, let alone me training in cooking for him! In his dreams! Let him cook whatever he wants to eat himself!¡±

    Chang Sisi: ¡­¡­¡­

    Sister, I was talking about ¡°the team,¡± not ¡°Captain Yan¡±! Did you misunderstand?

    And where did that ancient Tsundere line come from!

    She then sent a message to Su Yunjin, making small talk:

    ¡°Sister Yun Jin, does Captain Yan have a girlfriend?¡±

    Su Yunjin looked up calmly, glancing at Chang Sisi.

    Just one look made Chang Sisi¡¯s hair stand on end, as if she were a herbivore locked in the predatory gaze of a carnivore, every cell in her body screaming alarm.

    It wasn¡¯t until a while later that she received a response:

    ¡°Nope~¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, I was just asking casually,¡± Chang Sisi hurriedly explained, ¡°Nothing more.¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Su Yunjin replied indifferently, ¡°I know.¡±

    Is¡­ is it because she knew that she let me off? I have a feeling if there was a misunderstanding, she might have killed me¡­

    Glancing again at Chen Lingyun, Xie Ruoxi, and Zhao Yuanzhen, Chang Sisi no longer had the courage to strike up a conversation.

    The girls of the Zhenhai Team were really intimidating. Could this be the strength of the Zhendong Army¡¯s top team?

    It¡¯s hard to imagine how Captain Yan can manage such a team¡­

    After a satisfying meal, the members of the Shenxing Battle Team took their leave.

    Now was the time for evening free activities, and the girls went their separate ways to do their own things.

    Yan Yu played with his phone for a while and, unusually, found that nobody was online to chat with him.

    What¡¯s going on? No new messages? Could my phone be broken?

    Might as well be the one to send a message. Let¡¯s start by asking how Anna is doing.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Yan Yu typed.

    Anna¡¯s response came quickly:

    ¡°Killing someone.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°The Rakshasa spirit communicator, who else?¡± Anna replied.

    The woman¡¯s attitude seemed a bit cold, even though just a few months ago she was practically living on the phone with that clingy obsession¡­ Perhaps this was a strategy of pretending to push away what she actually desired?

    It made me laugh, did she really think I¡¯d fall for that?

    Yan Yu calmly typed in response:

    ¡°Alright then, I won¡¯t bother you, you¡¯re busy.¡±

    After closing the chat window with Anna, he opened a conversation with Ye Jun. Just as he was about to type, a message pop-up appeared on the screen:

    ¡°Nonsense! Yan Yu, don¡¯t disgust me. Otherwise, I¡¯ll find time to come to Lu Country and kidnap you.¡±

    ¡°Haha, no rush,¡± Yan Yu typed, ¡°How are things on your end?¡±

    ¡°Not bad,¡± Anna said, ¡°We¡¯re too far from the Rakshasa¡¯s spirit communication hub, and the expeditionary force hasn¡¯t sent their main forces against us, so we can still hold on for now.¡±

    Yan Yu recalled carefully. Since the establishment of the Rakshasa¡¯s spirit communication hub, there had been three major expeditions launched to completely reclaim the map of Asia.

    The first major attack was on the Siberian plains, turning nearly everything west of the Yenisei River into a no-man¡¯s land, which eventually ended due to lack of reinforcements; the second attack went up to the Siberian Plateau, lasting nearly three years but still failing to capture it.

    The two grand expeditions had greatly diminished the overall strength of the spirit communication hub and the numbers of civilian spirit communicators in central and western Siberia, which ultimately allowed the eastern Amur witches to pick up a bargain.

    In some ways, the Eclipse Queen was indeed blessed with incredible fortune. She had never thought about entering the pass, but as the inside turned into a complete mess, suddenly the gates were flung wide open.

    ¡°Hang in there,¡± Yan Yu typed, ¡°Eat your rice one bite at a time, take the cities one by one. The spirit communication hub can¡¯t possibly come after you first, because even if they take the territory, they can¡¯t connect it.¡±

    ¡°Sigh, it¡¯s just a matter of dying sooner or later,¡± Anna expressed her pessimism with a sigh, ¡°Once the spirit communication army breaks through the entirety of Siberia, then I¡¯ll bring the sisters over to Lu Country to seek asylum. You better take us in.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu, knowing that the spirit communication hub didn¡¯t have the strength, freely promised and presented grand visions, ¡°I¡¯ll personally go to Pingjing to lay out the pros and cons for them. If they still refuse to shelter the witches, I¡¯ll just stop my involvement!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say such foolish things.¡± Anna was quite moved by his words and quickly discouraged him, ¡°You¡¯re now the Longcheng Flying General, since when can you just quit like that? If Lu Country won¡¯t shelter us, it¡¯s not a problem, we can just cross the Bering Strait and join the Miti Strategic Bureau¡­ However, I personally don¡¯t really want to go to Miti. It would be nice if I could return to my country in secret and live a life incognito.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry too much,¡± Yan Yu comforted her, ¡°Victory hasn¡¯t been decided yet, just go and fight. Don¡¯t forget, I¡¯ll always have a way out for you here.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± Anna¡¯s tone became firm, ¡°I haven¡¯t lost yet, I¡¯ll definitely win this time!¡±

    ¡°Go for it! Take care of yourself.¡±

    ¡°You too, love you~¡±

    After the chat ended, Yan Yu closed the message window, deep in thought.

    Although I had offered to provide a way out for the Eclipse Queen, according to the timeline of my previous life, she was never actually in such a desperate situation to need it; she just didn¡¯t know that.

    This favor was certainly a sweet deal.

    But why did elements of romantic feelings have to be mixed in?

    Sigh, it¡¯s all because of my powerful and reliable charm. At the Eclipse Queen¡¯s most helpless moments, I quietly entered her heart!

    I wasn¡¯t after her beauty, but just to provide the spiritual support she needed most. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t explicitly reject her¡ªnot because I¡¯m unprincipled and morally bankrupt, but because my love for this land and its people is so deep that I am willing to put my reputation on the line, even at the risk of being misunderstood¡­

    Yan Yu silently moved himself for a while, wiping away the non-existent tears from the corners of his eyes, then continued to message Ye Jun.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Are you there?

    [Zhu Jun]: Yes, what¡¯s up?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What¡¯s the current situation on the northern border?

    [Zhu Jun]: It¡¯s been quite stable recently. Ever since the upper echelons reached an agreement with the Amur witches, they have been trying to control the spirit communicators in their territory. While they can¡¯t achieve 100% control, it has greatly relieved our border defense pressures.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: That agreement, I personally secured it, you know.

    [Zhu Jun]: I know, you have quite a connection with the people from the Amur witches.

    [Zhu Jun]: Is it purely a deal for mutual benefits, or is there some unspeakable transaction? /laugh

    Yan Yu frowned, sensing a subtle probe within the other party¡¯s joking remarks.

 Chapter 349 - 45 Ye Jun and Li Minghu

    Chapter 349: Chapter 45 Ye Jun and Li Minghu

    Ever since their lengthy conversation that night, Ye Jun and Yan Yu had grown much closer.

    The two not only frequently chatted and shared funny videos with each other but occasionally engaged in some mutual favors.

    For instance, as Ye Jun was an Assistant Officer, she needed a second magical artifact besides the Xuan Guang Ruler, and so she had been intensely inspecting the inventory of all four armies. Yan Yu could help by keeping an eye out in the Zhendong Army¡¯s inventory or offering some advice on artifact selection¡ªthis wasn¡¯t something you could count on Lord Master for, as he certainly wouldn¡¯t spend the time to study artifacts suitable for Assistant Officers.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What kind of shady deals are you making?

    [Zhu Jun]: That blonde girl last time, her eyes were practically glued to you.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Because I¡¯m a handsome guy.

    ...

    [Zhu Jun]: You¡¯ve used up all the handsomeness.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I haven¡¯t seen you sending messages recently, I thought maybe something happened at the border again.

    [Zhu Jun]: Nope, if anything happened, it wouldn¡¯t be our turn. Our team, just like yours, is preparing for the battle at the East Sea Departure Palace, the Southern Border has been completely handed over to the Flying Dragon Battle Team.

    [Zhu Jun]: Cai Qianlong has been in the limelight lately, making huge progress. It¡¯s said that some big shot has the idea of recruiting him as a son-in-law, intending for the first child to take his surname and the second to take the woman¡¯s, and then they¡¯d inherit the family business in that order.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Which big shot?

    [Zhu Jun]: Let¡¯s not discuss state affairs.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: It makes sense, the future belongs to the Cultivators. No one feels comfortable with ordinary people holding high positions.

    [Zhu Jun]: Lord Master laughed himself to death when he heard it, with a sharp comment, ¡°Brought in for breeding, to improve the genes¡±.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: That¡¯s an exaggeration. Aren¡¯t the Liu Family the same? Back in the day, they had intermarriages with the royal family for generations, claiming to be the ¡°iron-capped kings¡±. Then they realized the dynasty was about to fall and hastily distanced themselves, ending up completely clean.

    [Zhu Jun]: Hey, keep that between us, don¡¯t go telling Lord Master, he¡¯s sensitive about this subject.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I know well that Lord Master is a bit narrow-minded.

    [Zhu Jun]: Anyway, this whole mess is ultimately your fault.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: How did it turn into my fault?

    [Zhu Jun]: Because everyone knows that Chen Tianming sees you as his future son-in-law, his own daughter hasn¡¯t even reached the Marrow Cleansing Stage yet. Given her aptitude for cultivation, they need someone with the nation¡¯s second-best aptitude to improve the Chen Family genes.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Bah! Nonsense!

    [Zhu Jun]: At least Chen Tianming has a Cultivator daughter. Nowadays, they¡¯re all considering genetic superiority. What are those ordinary families supposed to do? Just sit back and accept their fate?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: It¡¯s all rumors, I have nothing to do with Chen Lingyun.

    [Zhu Jun]: Whether it¡¯s a rumor doesn¡¯t matter, they definitely have to consider and prepare for this possibility.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Then has anyone approached you for a marriage alliance?

    [Zhu Jun]: Yeah.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Who? Can you say?

    [Zhu Jun]: There¡¯s nothing inconvenient to say about it. It¡¯s Lord Master¡¯s father.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Wow, a team romance.

    [Zhu Jun]: Give me a break, they didn¡¯t even ask Lord Master before calling me in for a talk.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: That¡¯s seriously disrespectful.

    [Zhu Jun]: Thinking he¡¯s Lord Master¡¯s father, I didn¡¯t want to embarrass him too much, so I just acted as if I didn¡¯t understand and brushed it off.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Not bad, giving some face to the old man.

    [Zhu Jun]: Later, when Lord Master found out, he went home and made a big fuss, nearly blew the roof off. Almost gave the old guy a heart attack.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: From a joyous event to an almost funeral.

    [Zhu Jun]: Then Lord Master came to me and said, ¡°Ye Jun, I¡¯m at ease with you as the deputy leader, but I wouldn¡¯t trust anyone else.¡±

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Meaning, just do well as the deputy leader and don¡¯t get any other ideas.

    [Zhu Jun]: That¡¯s the idea, but I wasn¡¯t thinking anything else to begin with. Lord Master is way too chauvinistic, he¡¯s the type who needs a wife who¡¯s utterly submissive to him, following his lead.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: But that¡¯s not what you said before.

    [Zhu Jun]: What did I say before?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: When we first met, I pointed out that you two weren¡¯t suitable, and you fiercely argued against it.

    [Zhu Jun]: Well, we weren¡¯t familiar with each other back then, and I didn¡¯t know your intentions. What if you were there to drive a wedge between us?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Now you see that I was right, don¡¯t you?

    [Zhu Jun]: Indeed, only suitable as a teammate.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: That¡¯s the idea.

    [Zhu Jun]: Why did your tone suddenly turn into that of a comic sidekick while you were talking?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Ah, really?

    [Zhu Jun]: Check the chat history.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Aiyo, I must have caught that Jinmen drawl from you.

    [Zhu Jun]: So it¡¯s all my fault, huh? Let me tell you, I barely spoke Jinmen dialect growing up; the language I was constantly exposed to at home was Mandarin. Don¡¯t even try to pin this on me.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Indeed, I haven¡¯t really heard you speak the Jinmen dialect.

    [Zhu Jun]: So you¡¯re deliberately playing the comic sidekick to amuse me.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: That would be a false accusation against me.

    [Zhu Jun]: Still playing along?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Then I¡¯ll shut up.

    [Zhu Jun]: Scram!

    Yan Yu smiled faintly, closed the chat window with Ye Jun, and turned to message Li Minghu. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: How¡¯s the battle report from the Southern Border?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: An agreement has been signed. The second Witch King seems to be planning to deal with domestic affairs first since his position isn¡¯t necessarily secure.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Oh, so you must not be busy lately. What are you up to?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: I¡¯m looking at your chat history with Ye Jun.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Ah?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Ye Jun says you¡¯re mean, deliberately playing the comic sidekick to tease her.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I¡¯m being falsely accused.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ve looked over the chat history, /covers mouth with a laugh, it was her who started talking to you in the comic sidekick style; you must have been influenced by her. I¡¯ve already cleared it up for you.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Do you guys chat often?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Mhm, we¡¯re both deputy captains of the battle team after all, so there¡¯s a lot of common ground work-wise.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You haven¡¯t been gossiping about me behind my back, have you?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: If I said we haven¡¯t discussed you, would you believe me? After all, you¡¯re the Longcheng Flying General. Any discussion about domestic cultivators surely can¡¯t bypass you, right?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Indeed. How has Li Zhaojiang been lately? Has he reached the Marrow Cleansing Stage yet?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Mhm, he¡¯s at the Marrow Cleansing Stage now.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What about you?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: I need to practice for a while longer.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I thought your cultivation talent was stronger than your brother¡¯s.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: But I have health issues. I have a defect in my foundation, and it¡¯s too dangerous to directly practice fasting. The medical team plans to come up with a conservative plan for me before I start practicing fasting.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Okay then. Marrow Cleansing itself can greatly enhance one¡¯s foundation, so your physical condition should definitely improve by then.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: I hope I won¡¯t be a burden anymore /prays.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You¡¯re not a burden now. Isn¡¯t everyone in the Flying Dragon Battle Team fond of Deputy Captain Li?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Don¡¯t be silly, what use is affection? As long as I don¡¯t hold everyone back on the battlefield, I¡¯ll be satisfied.

    At this point, Yan Yu reflected carefully.

    In his previous life, the Valkyrie, after ascending to the Marrow Cleansing Stage, indeed coughed much less ¡ª it was only natural for the Annan Army to think she was fully recovered.

    But strengthening the foundation was like applying glue and paint over cracks. Just because it wasn¡¯t visible on the surface didn¡¯t mean the real problems inside had been completely solved.

    With an inherent defect, it was difficult to compensate with acquired efforts, and in the end, it was still necessary to use a secret method to reconstruct the body completely and permanently.

 Chapter 350 - 46: The Last Bus for Fasting

    Chapter 350: Chapter 46: The Last Bus for Fasting

    Anna, Ye Jun, and Li Minghu, that should be the end of it here.

    No, there¡¯s still Zhou Hongyu.

    Before, if you sent her a message, she¡¯d ignore it and not reply; now she¡¯ll reply to the messages, which shows a significant leap in her favorability towards you, isn¡¯t this the perfect time to contact her more and solidify the relationship?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Are you there?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Missin¡¯ you, Zhou.

    It took almost twenty seconds before the other side grudgingly replied.

    ...

    [Zao La]: Itching for a beating?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Got a question for you.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: How many in your team have cleansed their marrow?

    [Zao La]: None of your damn business.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Come on, just asking.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: It¡¯s not like it¡¯s some top-secret matter, our team¡¯s just missing Chen Lingyun before we¡¯re all at the Marrow Cleansing Stage.

    [Zao La]: 4.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: So, it¡¯s just Meng Qingxi who¡¯s left out, right?

    [Zao La]: Tang Xiaolian.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: That¡¯s not right, Tang Xiaolian¡¯s aptitude for cultivation is pretty good, isn¡¯t it?

    [Zao La]: And you know this how?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I have a secret technique that can tell.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Her aptitude must be better than Chen Lingyun¡¯s, and Lingyun is almost at the point of full Qi Refinement by now, so what¡¯s her status?

    [Zao La]: Can¡¯t resist her piggy cravings, keeps breaking her fast during the Fasting period by sneaking snacks.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: ¡­Joy, I¡¯m getting d¨¦j¨¤ vu.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: So why haven¡¯t you thought about locking her up where she can¡¯t get to food? sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    [Zao La]: Brain damaged?

    [Zao La]: It¡¯s her own cultivation practice. If I rashly intervene and something goes wrong, will you take responsibility?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You have a point there.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: But you could mention my suggestion to her, let her decide herself whether to go into seclusion to cultivate Fasting.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: If she¡¯s determined enough to force herself, that¡¯s her choice, not your responsibility.

    [Zao La]: Got it.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Don¡¯t dump all team affairs on Little Zhang; you as captain have to take responsibility too.

    [Zao La]: Why the hell do you talk so much?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Because I just want to see the look of utter regret on your face, to see you know I¡¯m right but stubbornly refuse to do it, and end up bitterly reaping the consequences.

    [Zao La]: I ought to crack open your skull and see if flies laid eggs in there.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Haha, getting angry again.

    Yan Yu closed the chat window with Zhou Hongyu, thinking isn¡¯t she refusing to block me up to this extent?

    Who exactly is the one with a brain problem?

    After playing with the phone for a while, suddenly a new friend request came in.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling].

    This nickname is¡­ Tang Xiaolian?

    Yan Yu clicked accept, and the other side sent a ¡°Hello Captain Yan,¡± then started typing questions right away.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Captain Yan, Captain Zhou told me you suggested that I find a place where I can¡¯t touch food and go into seclusion to practice Fasting?

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Will it really be helpful?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: The purpose of doing that is to help you reduce the distractions of external temptations.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: If you can¡¯t rid yourself of the need for food and water from both a physical and psychological perspective, you¡¯ll never be able to master the Fasting technique.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: But

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Sigh, I might as well just tell you directly.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: It¡¯s not because I couldn¡¯t resist the temptation that I broke my fast.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Mainly, I¡¯m afraid of dying.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Ah?

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: You mustn¡¯t tell anyone about this. I believe in Yan Yu¡¯s reputation as the Longcheng Flying General; he wouldn¡¯t gossip about me.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Here¡¯s the thing, my family runs a guesthouse on the grasslands near the border of Sangchuan Prefecture. When I was little, my parents went on a long trip and asked a relative to come over to take care of me, to cook for me.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: But that relative, on the way over that morning, unfortunately suffered a stroke and ended up in the hospital in a coma.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: I was very young at the time and was left at home hungry for several days, nearly starved to death¡­ so I understand hunger better than anyone, and I¡¯m afraid of it too.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: So, what you¡¯re saying is, the reason you haven¡¯t mastered the fasting practice isn¡¯t because you can¡¯t control your cravings, but simply because you have a childhood trauma and can¡¯t stand hunger.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Whenever you reach a critical moment in your cultivation, the memories of nearly starving to death as a child come flooding back, causing you tremendous fear and disrupting your spiritual focus.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Yes, exactly.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Each time I get far into my cultivation, I start to feel an overwhelming fear, as if I¡¯m struggling on the brink of death.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: The feeling gets stronger and stronger until I can no longer restrain myself, lose all reason, and rush out to find something to eat.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: With your extensive experience, Yan Yu, do you have any good suggestions for my situation?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I suggest you go home.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Huh?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Go back to the place that caused your childhood trauma, have your parents leave and stay away for a bit, and take away all the food from home, cut off the water and electricity.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Stay at home by yourself, just like when you were little, embracing the resolve that ¡°if I don¡¯t master fasting, I¡¯ll starve to death,¡± and challenge the fear of death deep inside you once more.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Okay, I¡¯m still a bit lacking in confidence.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: If you want a better chance of success, use a Runescript to seal your Dantian.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Then you won¡¯t be able to use spells and will be more like a normal person, which should yield better results.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Mhm, I understand. It¡¯s about having the courage to burn the boats.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Yes. Look at me, I was one of the first in the country to master the art of fasting. Before that, no one knew how to train for it. What if I trained the wrong way and starved to death before succeeding in fasting? What then?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Speaking of confidence, Lord Master and I had even less confidence than you at the time. We were completely walking a path no one had ever taken before. For us cultivators, courage is far more important than confidence.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: I¡¯ll remember that, thank you, Yan Yu.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I¡¯ll be waiting for your good news.

    Yan Yu silently closed the chat window, thinking that Tang Xiaolian¡¯s situation was indeed troublesome.

    If cultivation were compared to climbing a mountain, and fasting were the sheer cliff that must be scaled, then her problem would be akin to suffering from acrophobia. For her, this step was naturally much more difficult to overcome than for others.

    Moreover, with Zhou Hongyu being such an incompetent team captain, the only person she could probably turn to for help would be the vice-captain, Zhang Huaide.

    Ah, you should disillusion yourself about that Captain Zhou sooner, young lady. Being strong inside is stronger than anything.

    Yan Yu left the room, planning to go downstairs to watch some TV, when he saw Chen Lingyun also coming out the door.

    ¡°I¡¯ve finally reached the pinnacle of the Qi Refinement Stage,¡± she said with a blooming smile.

    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Yan Yu also showed a surprised and delighted expression, ¡°You finally have a chance to stop dragging our team down! Before we officially start practicing fasting, let¡¯s have a little celebration to congratulate you on reaching the pinnacle of the Qi Refinement Stage, how about that?¡±

    ¡°Hehe.¡± Chen Lingyun smiled, ¡°As long as the speed of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence stays at this level, even if you guys run faster than me, you¡¯ll still have to wait for me to catch up at the limit.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true for now, not necessarily later,¡± Yan Yu replied nonchalantly, ¡°Wait until after reaching the Golden Core Realm, then you¡¯ll know the troubles of lacking in potential.¡±

    ¡°So, is there a way to improve one¡¯s cultivation potential?¡± Chen Lingyun leaned in close.

    ¡°No, don¡¯t know, get lost,¡± Yan Yu immediately fired off the boyfriend¡¯s triple response, trying to shut down any further questions.

    But Chen Lingyun was not deceived. She just gazed at Yan Yu¡¯s eyes, as if trying to see right through his pupils into his soul.

    Suddenly, with a sweet voice, she asked:

    ¡°Yan Yu, your cultivation potential is actually worse than mine, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°No comment,¡± Yan Yu said, keeping a straight face.

    ¡°What gave you the ability to cultivate?¡± Chen Lingyun placed a finger on her lips, showing a charming and seductive smile, ¡°Let me guess¡­¡±

    ¡°Is it her?¡±

 Chapter 351 - 47 Intelligence Meeting

    Chapter 351: Chapter 47 Intelligence Meeting

    The two descended the stairs, and before they even entered the living room, Yan Yu immediately announced loudly:

    ¡°Attention, everyone! Our Ling Yun has finally reached the pinnacle of Qi Refinement stage and can begin practicing the art of Fasting!¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s the applause?¡±

    In the living room, the girls on the sofa turned around in surprise.

    Lin Ning was the type whose hands moved faster than her brain, so upon hearing this she instinctively started clapping.

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi, on the other hand, didn¡¯t have a clue and began clapping along with Lin Ning¡­ After a few claps, Lin Ning immediately realized what she was doing and hurriedly stopped, while those two continued their ceremonial clapping, saying:

    ...

    ¡°Ling Yun is awesome.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really happy for Sister Ling Yun.¡±

    Fortunately, Chen Lingyun knew that these two were brainless sisters and wasn¡¯t angry or annoyed; instead, she cheerfully and openly said:

    ¡°I¡¯ve made you all wait.¡±

    ¡°We need to have a celebration feast!¡± Yan Yu mocked with a follow-up, ¡°To celebrate our entire team¡¯s Marrow Cleansing, we need to do it up big.¡±

    ¡°I support that!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately shouted.

    ¡°But we just had dinner,¡± Xie Ruoxi said, touching her little belly with a troubled expression.

    ¡°Just channel your spiritual energy to your stomach, and you¡¯ll digest it quickly,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately offered a solution, ¡°If we¡¯re Fasting, and can¡¯t eat when we want, what¡¯s the point of practicing it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not interested, you guys go ahead,¡± Su Yunjin declared.

    Being the closest to Chen Lingyun, she certainly couldn¡¯t agree to something that seemed like a celebration but was actually a form of mental torture.

    ¡°I¡¯m not feeling it either,¡± Lin Ning also quickly chose her side.

    The three girls formed a little alliance, united against the captain¡¯s tyranny!

    Zhao Yuanzhen was on Yan Yu¡¯s side, so the crucial vote came down to Xie Ruoxi.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi looked troubled on the surface, but in her heart, she was overjoyed.

    Who would have thought that I¡¯d have a moment where my words and actions are crucial!

    Although joining Ling Yun to oppose the captain seemed fun, one must not betray their true feelings.

    I¡¯m sorry, but my heart belongs to someone else.

    ¡°I support the captain and Sister Zhao,¡± she said seriously, and then was immediately hugged by Zhao Yuanzhen, overflowing with sisterly affection. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    So the vote became three to three, and Yan Yu seized the opportunity to propose:

    ¡°Since some want to celebrate and some don¡¯t, let¡¯s keep it simple. How about we go out for a stroll and grab some bites tonight?¡±

    ¡°Agreed!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately said.

    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t we get recognized by people if we go shopping?¡± Su Yunjin worried.

    ¡°It¡¯d be best to go somewhere with no people.¡± Remembering the scene of being pursued by student fans at school and being blocked everywhere, Lin Ning also felt uneasy.

    ¡°How about this,¡± Xie Ruoxi suggested, ¡°we bring some snacks and camp out on the rooftop of the villa to watch the stars?¡±

    This was indeed a novel idea. After all, aside from Xie Ruoxi and Zhao Yuanzhen, the rest of them were typical city kids who couldn¡¯t see many stars at night due to light pollution.

    Of course, the light pollution in the suburbs of Jinling Prefecture would only be more serious than other places¡­ but after everyone¡¯s Marrow Cleansing advancement, their constitutions improved and so did their eyesight, so this wasn¡¯t much of an issue anymore.

    The only problem was, where could they find snacks?

    When everyone¡¯s gaze fell upon her, Zhao Yuanzhen finally spoke seriously:

    ¡°I¡¯d gladly share with you all, but I really don¡¯t have a single bag left in my stock.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Xie Ruoxi had anticipated this and said, ¡°I have a few packs of shrimp sticks hidden in my room¡­¡±

    ¡°Eight packs,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen interjected, ¡°are also gone.¡±

    ¡°How is that possible!¡± Xie Ruoxi cried out in dismay, ¡°I wanted to save a few packs to snack on this weekend!¡±

    ¡°Last time I was looking for something in the study, I saw eight packs of unclaimed puffed snacks,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said righteously, ¡°So, to prevent food waste, I ate them.¡±

    ¡°How could food that ¡®nobody wanted¡¯ be hidden deep in a cabinet!¡± Xie Ruoxi tried to accuse her of committing theft.

    ¡°Because it was hidden behind a pile of books, that¡¯s why I thought it had been forgotten,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen explained, trying to defend herself with flowery words.

    ¡°Defense dismissed, Sister Zhao is guilty as charged, and you are punished to go out and buy eight packs of shrimp sticks to return to Xie Ruoxi, and also take care of purchasing this time¡¯s snacks, execute immediately,¡± Yan Yu interrupted their pointless self-defense and announced decisively, ¡°Xie Ruoxi to supervise!¡±

    ¡°Master Yan is wise beyond measure!¡± Xie Ruoxi wept for joy.

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was not convinced and huffed, ¡°I¡¯ll buy a whole bunch at once, then eat them all up! Only leaving about a dozen bags for Ruoxi!¡±

    ¡°She even knows to leave about a dozen bags for Ruoxi, what a good relationship they have,¡± Lin Ning quietly snarked with Yun Jin and Ling Yun.

    So the two girls went out to buy snacks, while the others moved chairs to the roof.

    While the Zhenhai Team was observing the night sky, the Dragon Soar Team, on the other hand, attended the latest intelligence meeting at the Privy Council¡¯s military intelligence division.

    After listening to the reports, the leaders all wore serious expressions, and the members were also silent; only Liu Longtao, after reviewing the materials for a long time, suddenly asked:

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that if the worst happens, in this battle at The Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng, we will be facing the entire Western world, along with both Yin Yang and Pear Blossom Courtyards?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± the comrade moderating the meeting said, ¡°It has been confirmed that they will extensively recruit Transcendents from Europe to join the competition.¡±

    ¡°I have a question,¡± Ye Jun raised her hand to ask, ¡°What exactly is the relationship between the Superhero Alliance and the Homeland Strategic Bureau?¡±

    ¡°On the surface, the Superhero Alliance focuses on commercial interests, while the Homeland Strategic Bureau prioritizes national defense,¡± came the reply, ¡°In reality, behind the Homeland Strategic Bureau stand the local conservatives, while the Superhero Alliance is transnational and cross-regional, backed by elite capitalists from the entire Western world.¡±

    ¡°If the Superhero Alliance takes the lead, based on the previous Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm incident, then the goal is to maximize profit: No matter how fiercely they fight on the battlefield, they¡¯ll still reconcile off it, and everything is negotiable.¡±

    ¡°But since it¡¯s the Homeland Strategic Bureau leading this time, the intensity of competition is expected to increase significantly. For them, it¡¯s equally important to curb the growth of Rikoku Cultivators¡¯ power as it is to secure their own interests.¡±

    ¡°L¨ªg¨­ng distributes rewards based on the order of entry, right? How accurate is this intelligence?¡± Ye Jun continued to inquire, ¡°Under these circumstances, can they still maintain their original alliance relationship?¡±

    ¡°The intelligence has been confirmed,¡± the comrade moderating the meeting replied, ¡°As for their alliance relationship, it is anticipated that they would prepare for both possibilities¡ªif Rikoku Cultivators stand in their way, then the alliance naturally continues, united in enmity; but if the prize is within reach, it¡¯s first come first served, the latecomers get leftovers, then I doubt anyone would still adhere to any alliance pacts.¡±

    ¡°This is because the opposing forces are too diverse,¡± Liu Longtao mused, ¡°Yin Yang Bureau and Pear Blossom Courtyard are at odds with each other, and Miti from the Homeland Strategic Bureau, along with the foreign Transcendents from Europe brought in by the Superhero Alliance, are not necessarily on the same page.¡±

    ¡°To put it in extreme terms,¡± the other party said, ¡°assuming we do not block the path to L¨ªg¨­ng in advance. Then, before the wide-open gates of L¨ªg¨­ng, the multi-national alliance would collapse on its own, as everyone would be killing each other to be the first to enter.¡±

    ¡°But the cost is that treasures from L¨ªg¨­ng would definitely be lost,¡± Ye Jun noted.

    ¡°Correct, we cannot interfere with the mechanism by which L¨ªg¨­ng distributes treasures, and moreover, after obtaining treasures, one has the option to teleport and leave the realm; as such, even if we desire to kill for those treasures, the operational aspect is low.¡±

    ¡°How come we know so much about the mechanisms of this Secret Realm?¡± Liu Longtao frowned and asked, ¡°I don¡¯t mean to question your intelligence work, but I need you to take responsibility for its accuracy.¡±

    ¡°We take responsibility for its accuracy,¡± the other party stated with finality.

    Liu Longtao, seeing his certainty, didn¡¯t press the issue any further. After pondering for a while, he proclaimed with conviction:

    ¡°Not a single treasure from L¨ªg¨­ng can be lost; that is the bottom line!¡±

    ¡°That is to say,¡± Ye Jun added, ¡°we must block the entrance to L¨ªg¨­ng ahead of everyone else and not allow any Transcendent to enter.¡±

    ¡°Kill whoever comes,¡± Liu Longtao said with a cold laugh, ¡°until they¡¯re so afraid that they crumble and retreat!¡±

 Chapter 352 - 48: Beating Lord Master

    Chapter 352: Chapter 48: Beating Lord Master

    Having completed a general analysis of the opposing forces, the meeting moved on to discuss specific ¡°key target individuals,¡± which is to say, those famous, top-tier Transcendents who posed a threat to the cultivators of Lu Country.

    After the increase in the upper limit of Earth¡¯s spiritual energy concentration, there was an overall upward shift in the quality of the country¡¯s top-end cultivators.

    In contrast, the quality and quantity of overseas Transcendents saw a significant improvement and increase.

    So why didn¡¯t the number of domestic cultivators explode in growth? This was a topic off-limits for discussion. Anyway, compared to the top cultivators of the Marrow Cleansing Stage within the country, some previously less known foreign Transcendents had now successfully risen to the top tier and were being highlighted by the global media.

    On the Superhero Alliance side, ¡°Phoenix¡± Phoenix and ¡°Thunderbird¡± Margaret were confirmed to go to war, while ¡°Thornbird¡± Roger claimed he was still recuperating in his country villa and regretfully would miss the Pacific Ocean battlefield this time.

    Apart from the two veteran superheroes, new stars from Europe like ¡°Sabertooth¡± Langferro, ¡°White Lion¡± Hamilton, ¡°Devil¡± Benjamin, and ¡°Preacher¡± Han George have publicly announced that they would represent the Superhero Alliance in battle and ¡°collectively counter Lu Country¡¯s overbearing and barbaric behavior.¡±

    ...

    The Yin Yang Bureau¡¯s Four Great Demon Kings announced that two of them would be deployed: ¡°Formless Ninja¡± Xiandao Jingyin and ¡°Illusionist¡± Shenyuan Simie.

    The Pear Blossom Courtyard sent the fewest people, but their promotion was the most high-profile: the focus, of course, was on Park Changmin, who at the time wasn¡¯t yet called the ¡°Goryeo Sword Immortal,¡± but ¡°White Mountain Divine Sword.¡±

    Besides him were ¡°Green-clad Sword¡± Lee Kyung-joon and ¡°Myriad Leaf Sword¡± Choi Seung-hyun. Both were currently top Sword Immortals in the country competing with Park Changmin in the ring, and each supported by conglomerates¡­ By the way, these nicknames weren¡¯t officially awarded but were collected through media public selections and voted on by the general populace.

    All the aforementioned Transcendents, when their strength levels were gauged in Lu Country, all ranked on par with the Marrow Cleansing Stage, making them the greatest adversaries for the cultivators of Lu Country this time.

    Under the starry sky, Yan Yu was chatting and laughing with the girls when suddenly his phone began to ring.

    He took it out for a look and his face turned dark: Lord Master had directly dumped dozens of documents over, all containing intelligence analyses of high-threat enemies in the opposing camp that were confirmed to be encountered.

    You¡¯re pulling up a list, huh?

    The meeting on Liu Longtao¡¯s side had just ended, and he¡¯d dumped all the files to Yan Yu before sitting eagerly by his phone, waiting for Yan Yu to provide commentary and analysis.

    After a moment, a message came from the other side:

    ¡°What, scared?¡±

    Liu Longtao nearly dropped his phone and quickly typed a retort:

    ¡°Me? Haha.¡±

    Upon closer inspection, it seemed a bit too lengthy, which might make him look like he was overreacting, so he quickly deleted the ¡°Haha¡± to change it to ¡°Me?¡±

    After looking at it again, why did it become a question? It made him seem uncertain. So he immediately removed the ¡°Me?¡± leaving just ¡°Me.¡±

    Continuing his scrutiny, he thought it still wasn¡¯t concise enough, so he decided to delete ¡°Me¡± as well.

    ?

    Perfect, a question mark could express the disdain and indifference of us noble Pingjing lords when faced with such a boring inquiry¡­

    Before he could finish his thoughts, another message popped up on the screen:

    ¡°You¡¯re taking so long to reply; you must be really scared.¡±

    Liu Longtao firmly pressed the send button, sending out a forceful question mark.

    Yan Yu was typing when suddenly Su Yunjin tugged at his arm:

    ¡°Captain, what star is that?¡±

    ¡°Which one?¡± Yan Yu pretended to think hard for a moment, ¡°That¡¯s Sirius.¡±

    Is it though? Right, no, maybe right. Actually, Yan Yu didn¡¯t know what star it was.

    But the point is, when girls ask you about stars, they aren¡¯t truly looking to learn about astronomy; saying ¡°I don¡¯t know¡± would just make you look dumb.

    No matter what you respond, she won¡¯t check to confirm, so why not make something up and appear learned?

    Hahaha, that¡¯s so me!

    Su Yunjin nodded as if suddenly enlightened and said ¡°Oh,¡± but in her mind she thought:

    Isn¡¯t that Polaris?

    Oh dear, so the captain is one of those boys who, even if they don¡¯t know, will blurt out any answer just to fill the gap?

    Cute, I like him even more now~

    ¡°So it¡¯s Sirius. Captain, you know so much,¡± she said with a smile.

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Yan Yu displayed a calmly knowledgeable expression, as if it was all common sense.

    Meanwhile, Lin Ning quietly pressed on her phone, starting to search for Jinling Prefecture¡¯s winter star-gazing map.

    His phone rang again, and Yan Yu unlocked the screen to find several messages popping up immediately.

    [Liu Young Master]: ?

    [Liu Young Master]: You can stop joking. Can rabbits beat lions?

    [Liu Young Master]: I don¡¯t get the humor of people from the south.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Haha, impatient again.

    On the other side of the phone, Liu Longtao: ¡­¡­¡­

    I¡¯ve been waiting here so long, and that¡¯s the crap you say to me?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Oh, sorry, I typed that wrong.

    [Liu Shao]: A typo?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I often use this phrase to copy and paste replies to Xiao Zhou, so it¡¯s always on the clipboard. Just now I wanted to copy another sentence for you, but I pressed the wrong button.

    This guy even dares to privately chat up Zhou Hongyu, isn¡¯t he afraid that girl will kill him?

    [Liu Shao]: Then what were you originally going to copy?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: ?

    Liu Longtao: ¡­¡­¡­..

    [Liu Shao]: Just a question mark, too stingy to type, gotta copy and paste my words?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Otherwise?

    [Liu Shao]: Fine, let¡¯s not beat around the bush. Have you looked at the document I sent you earlier about the high threat targets from the opposing faction?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: No.

    [Liu Shao]: Why not?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Because I¡¯m not scared.

    Liu Longtao: ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    Damn, I¡¯m getting the urge to shred someone, gonna have to whip out my Liu Family¡¯s ancestral gold knife.

    [Liu Shao]: Lord Yan, do you think this time the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng will be easy to deal with?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Of course not, didn¡¯t you throw dozens of documents at me?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: A whole bunch of Marrow Cleansing Stage enemies coming to kill us, who dares say it¡¯ll be a breeze?

    [Liu Shao]: Then why say ¡°not scared¡± as if you¡¯re pretending to be tough?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Not being easy to deal with isn¡¯t the same as being scared.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: In the face of great events, one needs to stay calm, understand?

    [Liu Shao]: Do I really need you to teach me that?

    [Liu Shao]: Look, Lord Yan, let¡¯s not talk about that airy stuff, how do you plan to fight in the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng this time?!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Kill!

    [Liu Shao]: Kill!

    [Liu Shao]: I¡¯m asking how to kill.

    [Liu Shao]: Guerilla warfare would be fine, dodge the edge when there are many enemies, butcher any who are alone.

    [Liu Shao]: But this time we have to defend L¨ªg¨­ng, can¡¯t let the enemies get inside, not even one.

    [Liu Shao]: No room for retreat means we have to face the charge of thousands of troops head-on, no dodging, even Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler might not hold up.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Why can¡¯t we retreat not even one step?

    [Liu Shao]: Otherwise?

    [Liu Shao]: L¨ªg¨­ng in the East Sea, just hearing the name you know it¡¯s Lu Country¡¯s.

    [Liu Shao]: How can Lu Country¡¯s treasures be picked up by foreigners!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: It¡¯s not like it¡¯s never been picked up by others before.

    [Liu Shao]: Trash treasures are a separate matter. A secret realm of L¨ªg¨­ng¡¯s level produces national treasures! Even if we lost one, I¡¯d have to go back to the Liu Family ancestral shrine to kowtow three times and apologize to the ancestors!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Oh, I see now.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: But my Yan Family doesn¡¯t have that rule.

    [Liu Shao]: ¡­Damn, is it still possible to apply for another team to replace you guys now? S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Keeping the treasures of L¨ªg¨­ng out of the hands of foreign Transcendents isn¡¯t as difficult as you think.

    [Liu Shao]: I¡¯d like to hear more.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: But I¡¯m busy right now and can¡¯t explain.

    [Liu Shao]: ???

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Haha, hanging out with beautiful girls watching the stars, I¡¯m not from your Dragon Soar Team, treating girls as if they were guys to order around.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Talk next time.

    With a crisp ¡°snap,¡± Liu Longtao¡¯s phone screen developed several cracks¡ªhe had squeezed it until it burst.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Ye Jun, hearing the noise, came over to ask.

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Liu Longtao¡¯s eye twitched as he barely managed a smile, ¡°Lord Yan is just joking with me.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Ye Jun glanced at his phone screen and said, ¡°That¡¯s pretty harsh. I¡¯ll talk to him for you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re close with Lord Yan?¡± Liu Longtao¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°Go and grill him for me immediately!¡±

 Chapter 353 - 49: The Secret Realm of LÃ­gÅng, Converging with Ye Jun

    Chapter 353: Chapter 49: The Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng, Converging with Ye Jun

    Yan Yu read the message from Ye Jun and smiled slightly, not replying.

    Sigh, it¡¯s really not easy being the deputy team leader, always having to endure the team leader¡¯s various unreasonable demands, tsk tsk tsk.

    ¡°Who are you messaging?¡± Chen Lingyun teased with a smile, ¡°Ye Jun?¡±

    The girls immediately looked over.

    ¡°Lord Master asked her to discuss matters with me,¡± replied Yan Yu.

    ¡°Is it about The Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng?¡± Su Yunjin asked with concern.

    ...

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly, ¡°you don¡¯t need to worry, it¡¯s just that Lord Master is a bit lacking in confidence, that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what Lord Master is like,¡± Chen Lingyun also chimed in sarcastically, ¡°Even if he¡¯s a pansy inside, he always pretends to be a tough guy in front of others, puffing up his face even if it swells.¡±

    The fact that Princess Jiang Hai and Lord Master of Pingjing didn¡¯t see eye to eye was no secret within the Zhenhai Team, so everyone tactfully pretended not to hear.

    Lin Ning raised her hand to speak:

    ¡°First of all, if even Lord Master is lacking in confidence, doesn¡¯t that suggest that this mysterious realm is going to be very difficult? We¡¯re not afraid to fight, but at the very least we should have the right to be informed. Not knowing our enemy while knowing ourselves is surely a major taboo in warfare? Secondly, I just checked the star map, and the Sirius you mentioned should actually be Polaris.¡±

    ¡°What right to be informed? I¡¯ve just received the intelligence,¡± Yan Yu disregarded the latter half of her words and took on the role of a dismissive shopkeeper, ¡°Ling Yun, I¡¯ve sent you all the documents from Lord Master. Everyone wait for us to sort out the intelligence, then we¡¯ll explain it to you in detail¡­¡±

    Before he could finish, the sky in the distance suddenly lit up.

    The night sky to the northeast suddenly brightened as if it were daytime, with multicolored lights soaring upward like a whirl of birds or a group of dragons taking flight, followed by a dazzling radiance!

    Everyone was too preoccupied to continue chatting and quickly used Sword Flight to rise into the high skies above Jinling Prefecture to check the situation.

    Shortly after, everyone¡¯s phones began to ring frantically at the same time!

    In fact, this strange celestial phenomenon was observed not only in Jinling Prefecture but also in Goryeo, Silla, Chongyin, and along the entire coast of East Asia.

    Looking down from the perspective of a weather satellite, the location that was originally the Departure Palace in the East Sea had now exploded with thousands of colorful brilliant lights, piercing directly through the clouds, breaking through the atmosphere, and shooting into space.

    Was the Departure Palace about to open?!

    Yan Yu hurried with his team to the East Sea fleet, while the Dragon Soar Team arrived even earlier and learned that the palace had not yet opened.

    But it was estimated that the opening was not far off.

    The magnetic field in the waters near the palace had surged dramatically, damaging many ships¡¯ electronic systems, and the engineering troops were working overtime to repair them¡ªat least the opposing fleet was similarly afflicted, and for a brief time, an unusually calm and peaceful state prevailed on both sides.

    In the fleet¡¯s meeting room, everyone held an urgent meeting to analyze and discuss the current situation.

    According to the results from the underwater drones, the phenomenon at the Departure Palace was located in the depth zone ranging from 25 meters to over 700 meters. The so-called multicolored lights were actually some kind of low-temperature plasma¡ªwhy this phenomenon stably existed on a large scale in seawater and emitted various wavelengths of light was completely unclear, it could only be surmised that it definitely was the entrance to a mysterious realm that had not yet been opened.

    After the phenomenon erupted this evening, the temperature of these plasmas rose quickly, causing the surrounding seawater to continuously boil and vaporize. The high-temperature steam continuously poured through the layers of the sea, as a large number of cooked and carbonized small fish and shrimp floated to the surface, creating a rather ghastly purgatory scene.

    ¡°The water temperature is too high, even a cultivator getting close would be boiled alive,¡± concluded Yan Yu.

    ¡°Is it possible to install a heat-insulating layer on the submersible?¡± Chen Lingyun inquired.

    ¡°Impossible,¡± Ye Jun denied, ¡°Even if it were technically possible, there is no time. We should consider whether the opposition might have a water-insulating and heat-resistant spell.¡±

    ¡°Can the Xuan Guang Ruler withstand it?¡± Liu Longtao asked.

    ¡°It should be fine for the outer water temperature,¡± Ye Jun replied, ¡°but if the core temperature inside spikes, I can¡¯t guarantee it will always work, after all, the Xuan Guang Ruler isn¡¯t specifically a treasure for defending against fire and water.¡±

    ¡°The mysterious realm is probably not open yet,¡± said Yan Yu, ¡°let¡¯s continue to observe for the time being.¡±

    If the Departure Palace were indeed a testing type of mysterious realm, of course, it wouldn¡¯t be designed with obstacles near the entrance. Typically, it would lure people into the realm before subjecting them to various tests and torments.

    This meant that if the water temperature started to drop rapidly, then the entrance to the mysterious realm was probably about to open.

    After discussing for half a day, they still could not come up with any strategies and could only go to rest and be on standby.

    Upon leaving the meeting room, Yan Yu secretly transmitted a message to Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°You can start practicing the fasting method.¡±

    ¡°How much longer until the mysterious realm opens?¡± Chen Lingyun asked through transmission, ¡°If it opens suddenly while I¡¯m at a critical moment in my cultivation, I might not be able to perform my best in combat.¡±

    ¡°No worries, your performance won¡¯t affect the team¡¯s combat power,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°The exact opening time will probably be within a day or two.¡±

    Chen Lingyun: ¡­¡­¡­.

    Is that human language? Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Forget it, people from the south are this domineering, I shouldn¡¯t get angry with him.

    Everyone returned to the cabin to start a team meeting, with Chen Lingyun responsible for briefing the intelligence.

    Around five o¡¯clock the next morning, another message came from outside:

    The temperature of the underwater streamers had begun to drop.

    The two teams geared up with live broadcast equipment and quickly entered the underwater submersible, preparing to break into the underwater streamer to explore the entrance of the mysterious realm.

    As for how to prevent the Transcendents from the other side from entering the mysterious realm, that task was left to the fleet above the sea surface, and everyone else did not have time to worry about it any longer.

    In the cramped interior of the underwater submersible, eleven people squeezed together, staring out of the portholes, ready for battle.

    To avoid cramming into the girls from the Zhenhai Team, the four men from Lord Master¡¯s side huddled together, trying to compact their space as much as possible.

    The girls from Zhenhai Team also had their concerns, and likewise huddled tightly, turning Yan Yu into the filling inside a sandwich cookie, almost unable to breathe.

    Luckily, he had already mastered the art of Turtle Breathing and Fasting! Otherwise, he really might have been squeezed to suffocation by them.

    Only Ye Jun stood in the middle, focused on maneuvering the underwater submersible and staring at the data on the dashboard.

    ¡°How do you know how to drive this?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°I crammed last night, learned it urgently,¡± Ye Jun replied.

    Yan Yu clicked his tongue in wonder, able to learn it in one night? What kind of last-minute cramming genius?

    ¡°What¡¯s the situation outside?¡± Liu Longtao also asked.

    ¡°Hard to say,¡± Ye Jun shook his head, not explaining much, only saying, ¡°When the temperature up ahead gets too high and the machine can¡¯t go any further, I¡¯ll protect you with the Xuan Guang Ruler, and we¡¯ll leave the submersible to move forward in the water, getting as far as we can¡­¡±

    Before he could finish speaking, the entire submersible was suddenly flipped over by an unexpected external force, spinning the world around!

    Then came the explosion-like radiation of streamers, engulfing everyone and vanishing them from sight.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    Yan Yu quickly surveyed his surroundings and realized he was no longer inside the submersible.

    Instead, he was within the space of the mysterious realm.

    The ground beneath his feet was as crimson as blood, the clouds above seemed ablaze, and everywhere he looked was a piercing, brilliant red.

    In the distance were rolling mountain ranges, and nearby were plains, with a grand river flowing from left to right in front of him, its waters also a deep red, with dense red algae floating on it.

    Yan Yu extended his Divine Sense around to check for any traces of Transcendents.

    After entering the mysterious realm, team members would be scattered and randomly teleported to one of the six major checkpoints, a fact that had been informed to the girls during last night¡¯s team meeting.

    The mysterious realm itself was not difficult to conquer; the risk lay in the fact that Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin, both of whom specialized in reconnaissance and control, lacked the powerful offensive capacity to defeat enemies. If they found themselves alone against groups of equally ranked hostile Transcendents, being outnumbered would easily put them at a disadvantage.

    Therefore, they needed to conceal their presence as much as possible and look for teammates in the vicinity to regroup as soon as they could.

    The Dragon Soar Team included three Sword Immortals, one cultivator of Taoism Method, and one Assistant Officer. The combat ability of the Sword Immortals went without saying, Yang Linhui practiced potent offensive Taoism Methods, and Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler was a surefire life-saving instrument. Together with Yan Yu, Zhao Yuanzhen, Lin Ning, and Xie Ruoxi from the Zhenhai Team, there were a total of nine people. If they were spread evenly across the six checkpoints, theoretically, at least one person would be at each checkpoint to meet and form a temporary team with them.

    Of course, should their luck be incredibly poor and the two of them only find each other at the first checkpoint without locating anyone else¡­ as long as they could support each other through this checkpoint, the rest should be manageable.

    Since there was no one around detected by Yan Yu¡¯s Divine Sense, he boldly initiated Sword Flight to ascend into the sky for an unrestricted search.

    He had already made up his mind ¨C if he encountered teammates, he would regroup; if he encountered enemies, he would engage in battle. Even if faced with a dozen or twenty enemies, he would not fear!

    Just as he flew beyond the range of the Red River, he saw a sword light rising from below.

    Allied forces? That sword light is¡­

    Yan Yu focused his eyes and heard Ye Jun¡¯s voice transmission:

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±

 Chapter 354 - 50: Yan Yus Swordsmanship Performance Show

    Chapter 354: Chapter 50: Yan Yu¡¯s Swordsmanship Performance Show

    Due to the sudden opening of The Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng in the East Sea, neither of the live streaming teams was able to react in time.

    In Lu Country, officials hastily started the official live stream, then moved on to urgent promotion. Major TV stations quickly scheduled program inserts, and internet companies used pop-up notifications to alert users. News spread rapidly across the country as if it had grown wings.

    The public also complained bitterly, as today was a workday!

    Many people had already gone to work before realizing that the raid on The Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng was scheduled for today. Without a chance to come up with an excuse to take leave, they could only secretly watch the live stream on their phones using data.

    The Superhero Alliance also urgently started their live stream and aggressively promoted it to over fifty countries with which they had signed commercial agreements. Many viewers, just after clicking into the live stream, saw a bunch of staff members making preparations¡ªthe Transcendents hadn¡¯t even started their incursion into the mysterious realm yet.

    The reason for the rush to start the global broadcast was simple: Lu Country had already started live streaming. If they fell behind on the work here, viewers would turn to Lu Country¡¯s live stream of the Secret Realm¡¯s exploration. By then, they would completely lose the power to shape the narrative, so it was essential to draw the viewers in first.

    ...

    The best example was Tianzhu, where the Yin Yang Bureau, with its conservative and traditional style, hadn¡¯t considered commercialization at all (if they live streamed the whole process and lost, they would have to bow in apology). As a result, most citizens turned to foreign broadcasts¡­ to the point that now many don¡¯t even know about the Four Great Demon Kings of their own country, but are well-versed in the likes of the Longcheng Flying General and the B¨¢i Mountain Sword Immortal.

    Inside the mysterious realm, although the cultivators were scattered, the live streaming teams outside could see everything clearly through each person¡¯s camera.

    Su Yunjin and Lin Ning met each other; Chen Lingyun and Zhao Yuanzhen joined forces; Yan Yu and Ye Jun formed a team; Liu Longtao and Xie Ruoxi walked side by side; Yang Linhui and Guo Feiyun fought together. Only Ai Lu was unfortunately left alone.

    The six teams were scattered across six different stages of the mysterious realm, currently expanding their exploration around the area.

    The director switched to each team for about 10 seconds, introduced them in detail, and then cut to Longcheng Flying General to see his and Ye Jun¡¯s performance.

    Yan Yu and Ye Jun had not been using Sword Flight long when they saw two armies engaged in combat ahead in the sky.

    One group dressed lavishly with complicated attire, mostly attacking from a distance, such as archery, flute playing, or throwing circular blades; the other group seemed more barbaric, with bare chests, animal skin around their waists, armed with swords and spears, leaping into the air with flames under their feet, attempting to engage the enemy in close combat.

    ¡°Gods and Asuras,¡± Ye Jun observed closely and said, ¡°It somewhat resembles the mythological system of Tianzhu, but there are many differences in the details. It seems the master of L¨ªg¨­ng has applied some local artistic adaptations.¡±

    ¡°How do you even know about things from Tianzhu?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    ¡°I have some understanding,¡± Ye Jun replied, ¡°My family has a book called ¡®Comprehensive Analysis of Tianzhu Mythology.¡¯ I used to flip through it when I was bored as a kid. It even has illustrations.¡±

    ¡°From the perspective of clearing the mysterious realm, the conflict between the two sides is a hint that we must make a choice: to side with the gods, with the Asuras, or with neither,¡± Yan Yu analyzed, ¡°Since you have read about Tianzhu mythology, which side do you think is better to help?¡±

    ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t really remember clearly,¡± Ye Jun replied thoughtfully, ¡°I just vaguely recall that in many stories, the gods often end up in a sorry state but, with the protection of the Trimurti, they always manage to have the last laugh; the Asuras are formidable but usually meet unpleasant ends.¡±

    Yan Yu continued to watch for a moment and indeed found that the side of the gods seemed to be losing. Once the ranged fighters were cornered by the melee, they were utterly restrained, with their formation thrown into complete disarray, and their ability to project power greatly hindered.

    If they decided to support the Asuras in their bullying, the early stages would definitely be easier, but according to Ye Jun¡¯s words, the difficulty was likely all waiting further in.

    Our goal is to clear the stage as quickly as possible and be at the Departure Palace Gate to block others; we cannot waste too much time on this first stage.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s help the gods,¡± Yan Yu declared with a grand gesture, ¡°Let¡¯s go up!¡±

    He leaped forward, using the ¡°Rainbow Through the Sun¡± sword move, aiming directly for the head of the leading Asura.

    The opponent stretched out a palm as large as a fan to grab at the Huang Tingjian sword, but the sword¡¯s light suddenly changed moves, instantly switching from ¡°Rainbow Through the Sun¡± to ¡°Phoenix Seeking the Phoenix,¡± suddenly conjuring more than twenty sword shadows!

    In a villa in Pingjing, Cai Qianlong was sitting in front of the TV with his girlfriend, watching the live stream.

    Seeing Yan Yu¡¯s move ¡°Phoenix Seeking the Phoenix,¡± he couldn¡¯t help but let out an expletive:

    ¡°Damn! What kind of monster is this!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± his girlfriend asked curiously.

    ¡°You¡¯re not a cultivator, so it¡¯s normal that you don¡¯t understand,¡± Cai Qianlong said without explaining and pushed her away, ¡°Go get me a bottle of beer from the fridge. Such fine swordsmanship should not be wasted without a drink.¡±

    Reluctantly, the girlfriend got up and walked towards the kitchen, thinking to herself, if it weren¡¯t for my father¡¯s strict demand, why would I agree to be with someone as chauvinistic as you?

    Cai Qianlong, however, did not notice his girlfriend¡¯s mood. He was focused on the screen, not wanting to miss any detail of the swordsmanship.

    Meanwhile, in the classrooms of the four major cultivator academies, members of the Sword Immortal profession teams watched the projection, exclaiming continuously.

    Some started to explain to their non-Sword Immortal teammates: ¡°Phoenix Seeking the Phoenix¡± is actually one of the sword techniques that can create multiple afterimages with Sword Qi, confusing the enemy¡¯s judgment.

    As for how many afterimages one can create depends on the version of the sword technique being studied, as well as the individual¡¯s own level of swordsmanship.

    An ordinary Sword Immortal, using the version of the sword technique taught in schools, can generally produce 2-3 afterimages. If one can produce four, then they can boast about it in front of their classmates for a whole day.

    Five afterimages is about the limit that personal skill can achieve, enough to have an instructor come over to write a recommendation letter, and transfer you to a more powerful team.

    Of course, being the captain of the Zhenhai Team and the famous Longcheng Flying General, he definitely used an advanced version of the sword technique, but conjuring over 20 afterimages was just too terrifying; so much so that upon seeing it, the Sword Immortals could hardly keep it together, exclaiming in shock, ¡°Is this even human?¡±

    More than twenty Sword Qi afterimages filled the sky and shot towards the target, completely covering them from head to toe; the leading Asura was indeed stunned and could only randomly choose one Sword Qi to block.

    As a result, the Sword Qi afterimage dissipated in his hands, while the real Huang Tingjian Sword light pierced straight through his chest and swiftly moved on towards the second Asura.

    This one was holding a long-handled weapon and instantly swung it around creating an impregnable defense, preventing Yan Yu from deploying the same trick.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t pause for a moment, his sword light met the attack head-on with a clash of metal!

    Eagle Strikes the Heavens!

    The first strike collided directly with the opponent¡¯s weapon, both being repelled by the force of the impact. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The Asura stumbled backwards slightly, while the Huang Tingjian sword light changed angles, dispelling the momentum and going for another uplift.

    The second strike!

    The Asura hadn¡¯t expected the second attack to come so swiftly and hurriedly tried to press down the weapon that had been knocked back, but it was struck yet again by the sword light and almost slipped out of his grasp.

    The Huang Tingjian sword light did not relent, slightly spinning and changing angles without any sign of a worn-out technique; the third horizontal slash was already upon him.

    This time, even with the Asura¡¯s great strength, he could not maintain his grip on the long handle of the weapon. It was knocked from his hands by the relentless waves of attack, spinning as it flew away.

    And the fourth strike of the Huang Ting sword was closely following, mercilessly piercing the enemy whose guard was wide open, and then going straight for the third Asura.

    Cai Qianlong watched the screen without blinking, even involuntarily holding his breath until Yan Yu finished the ferocious quadruple strike, then he slowly exhaled and turned to his girlfriend to explain,

    ¡°The move the Longcheng Flying General used is called ¡®Eagle Strikes the Heavens,¡¯ a powerful technique that can deliver multiple layers of attacks in a short duration. Cultivators who are not of the Sword Immortal profession, unless they have some defensive spell or magical treasure, cannot even block this move. They would be decapitated in an instant.¡±

    ¡°For an ordinary Sword Immortal, executing a double strike is actually quite simple. But a triple strike, well, only about 10% of Sword Immortals in the country can achieve that. As for the quadruple strike¡­hmpf, the technical skill involved is something 99% of Sword Immortals can¡¯t even comprehend, let alone try to imitate and learn.¡±

    ¡°Then what¡¯s the most number of strikes you can execute?¡± his girlfriend asked curiously.

    ¡°I¡¯ve also executed a quadruple strike,¡± Cai Qianlong replied.

    ¡°Wow, so you¡¯re on the same level as the Longcheng Flying General?¡± His girlfriend¡¯s eyes shone with admiration, and any slight displeasure she had from being ordered around vanished instantly.

    My Qianlong is actually so formidable!

    Cai Qianlong smiled but said nothing, internally heaving a sigh.

    ¡°Having executed once¡± and ¡°being able to use it reliably¡± are completely different matters.

    Watching Yan Yu execute the four consecutive strikes as if flowing like clouds and water, it¡¯s likely that even this quadruple strike wasn¡¯t his limit. It¡¯s just that his opponents couldn¡¯t withstand even that much.

    Of course, now was the time to boast, so there was no need to tell his wife this.

    His thoughts quickly turned, and he suddenly bragged to his girlfriend,

    ¡°The Longcheng Flying General and I are old acquaintances. Back when I fought a fifty-fifty battle against the Dragon Cavalry Team¡¯s captain, Liu Longtao, for nearly half an hour before losing due to the depletion of my True Yuan, he even called me to ask how I did it.¡±

    ¡°We had a great talk on the phone, and ended up considering each other as good friends¡­ See? His number is still lying around in my contacts.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re that amazing!¡± exclaimed his girlfriend, with stars nearly popping out of her eyes, ¡°Then if you faced off against the Longcheng Flying General one-on-one, how many minutes could you last without being defeated?¡±

    ¡°Uh,¡± Cai Qianlong was momentarily at a loss for words, ¡°within 10 minutes¡­ no, I definitely wouldn¡¯t lose in 15 minutes! If he performed poorly or made a careless mistake, I might even have a chance to counter-kill him!¡±

 Chapter 355 - 51 Top Support Ye Jun

    Chapter 355: Chapter 51 Top Support Ye Jun

    Yan Yu¡¯s sword light cut down two Asuras with the speed of lightning, instantly boosting the morale of the viewers in the live stream.

    As expected of Lu Country¡¯s Longcheng Flying General! Snapping his fingers, he killed two monsters in a row, like a hot knife through butter!!!

    Can the Transcendents from other countries do this?

    The commentators in charge of this live stream were still the professionals hired by Shi Xun, Xu Dongming, and Zhou Erhe.

    The two guests had recently commented on many Grade B and C Cultivator combat leagues, and with their significantly increased knowledge reserves, their confidence in commentating had also notably improved. This time, it was said that they had signed a bet agreement with the production team before the match, ensuring that the mistakes from the last live stream would not occur again¡ªthe previous Changping Secret Realm broadcast was basically a series of incorrect predictions, resulting in some embarrassingly off-target commentary.

    The video was later clipped and shared widely by netizens, making it the butt of many jokes, and some even called Military Manor to complain they were intentionally misleading viewers, ¡°Can you please get more professional commentators to educate the public?¡±¡­ Of course, they couldn¡¯t. How could Shi Xun Group, having spent a fortune on broadcast rights, simply hand it over to someone else?

    ...

    The Shi Xun Group was actually quite helpless too because the community of Cultivators was still too niche and talent was hard to find. Real experts well-versed in theory were all in the army and not likely to be poached with fat paychecks (Army: What do you think you¡¯re doing?), so they had no choice but to train knowledgeable commentators from scratch.

    Currently, among the human resources available, these two commentators were chosen because they started early, had a better starting point, and were diligent and serious in their studies. Their rich commentating experience made them stand out from the rest¡­ Hence, despite their not-so-upstanding record from the Changping Secret Realm comments, they were still appointed to commentate on this assault on the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng.

    As Yan Yu initiated the ¡°Hundred Birds Toward the Phoenix¡±, Zhou Erhe began explaining to the audience ¡°how amazing it is to produce 20 residual images.¡±

    Before he could finish, the first Asura had already met its end. Huang Tingjian¡¯s sword light moved on to the second Asura, executing the ¡®Eagle Strikes the Heavens¡¯ four consecutive strikes, which broke the enemy¡¯s defenses like pulling rotting wood away¡­ Xu Dongming quickly interrupted Zhou Erhe¡¯s endless talking to praise ¡°what level the ¡®Eagle Strikes the Heavens¡¯ four consecutive strikes is among the domestic Sword Immortals¡±.

    To prevent the two from speaking without restraint in front of the national audience, the production team specifically invited Chief Martial Instructor Wen from the Annan Cultivator Academy to oversee and judge whether there was any discrepancy between the live situation and the commentating.

    If there was even a minor issue with the commentary, signals would immediately be sent from off-stage, prompting the commentators to promptly shift the topic to avoid any serious mistakes, which could later lead to ridicule or even complaints to official quarters¡­ Ridicule is one thing, but complaints to the officials could be dire.

    While Zhou Erhe and Xu Dongming were fervently extolling the Longcheng Flying General, the director below urgently looked towards Chief Martial Instructor Wen.

    Chief Instructor Wen nodded his head and said,

    ¡°The tone may be a bit exaggerated, but there¡¯s no issue with the accuracy. Longcheng Flying General¡¯s ¡®Hundred Birds Toward the Phoenix¡¯ and ¡®Eagle Strikes the Heavens¡¯ are indeed world-class techniques.¡±

    Relieved by his words, the director thought that this time, they probably wouldn¡¯t encounter any problems.

    While the commentators praised and promoted extensively, Yan Yu was slaying fiercely, cutting down five Asuras in one go. The remaining Asuras finally reacted, no longer contending with the gods but turning their heads to deal with this uninvited guest.

    These foes stepped through voids as if treading on fire, their speed scarcely slower than Sword Flight, and quickly surrounded Yan Yu.

    ¡°Oh no, that¡¯s not good.¡± Zhou Erhe had been praising just a second ago, but as soon as he saw the turn of events, he immediately put away his joyful smile, sobered up, and said, ¡°The enemy has completed the encirclement, what is Longcheng Flying General going to do! It seems too late to escape now; was he lured deep into enemy territory just now?¡±

    The director hurriedly looked towards Chief Martial Instructor Wen.

    Chief Instructor Wen also furrowed his brows. In fact, he would have advised withdrawal three seconds earlier, as soon as the Asura crowd began to turn back. Yan Yu should have chosen to retreat by then.

    But now that he was trapped, regret was too late; it seemed he could only resort to using Sword Flight to see if he could break out by force.

    ¡°Ah, they¡¯ve gotten surrounded like this.¡± Xu Dongming hesitated slightly and glanced outside the arena. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Seeing that neither the academic instructor nor the executive director had spoken, his confidence surged, and he began to speak fluently as he analyzed,

    ¡°Now, with Longcheng Flying General in the air, surrounded tightly on all sides by Asuras, it¡¯s nearly impossible for them to move freely. Their only option seems to be using Sword Flight to forcefully carve out a path. Can the teammate on the outside, Ye Jun, rescue them? Okay, switch to Ye Jun¡¯s perspective¡ªlooks like it¡¯s very difficult, the view is completely blocked by the Asuras, and even with the defensive treasure, the Xuan Guang Ruler, it¡¯s impossible to pass through the masses and accurately lock onto Yan Yu¡¯s location. We can only see if her swordsmanship can help distract some of the enemies¡­ Holy shit!¡±

    Just then, Ye Jun held the Xuan Guang Ruler aloft with her right hand, and as her left hand¡¯s incantations changed, a blossom of light suddenly split off, fluttering in the wind as fast as a sudden gust, instantly piercing through the ranks of Asuras and accurately enveloping Yan Yu.

    The next second, the various attacks of the surrounding Asuras all landed on the sword light of Yan Yu¡ªstubbornly resisted by the blossom of light from the Xuan Guang Ruler.

    The live studio went silent for a moment, and the executive director immediately showed an expression as if he had eaten shit, his heart that had just settled now racing again.

    Fuck, didn¡¯t they say she couldn¡¯t use the Xuan Guang Ruler? And now you¡¯re getting slapped in the face right after saying it?

    This must be another live broadcast accident!

    He incredulously looked at the academic instructor, only to find the academic instructor beside him was also dumbfounded, shaking his head and saying,

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand it either.¡±

    The executive director suddenly felt a strong urge to perform a public suicide to regain his reputation, while Xu Dongming on the stage could no longer keep up appearances and hurriedly stood up, shouting,

    ¡°I¡¯ve got it! Director, switch to the first-person view of Ye Jun activating the magical artifact just now!¡±

    The director swiftly switched back and froze the frame. Xu Dongming¡¯s eyes bulged as he watched for half a second and exclaimed,

    ¡°Look here! When Longcheng Flying General was surrounded by the Asuras, their battle formation was disrupted by the ceaseless struggle of the sword light¡­ It was in that instant, from Ye Jun¡¯s first-person perspective, that Longcheng Flying General¡¯s figure at this spot just happened to emerge from behind six or seven Asuras, revealing about the size of a shoulder!¡±

    ¡°Even though it was only for about half a second! And it was only a shoulder that was exposed! Yet, Ye Jun managed to cut through all the interference in time, using her Divine Sense to accurately lock onto Yan Yu¡¯s distant figure and then activated the Xuan Guang Ruler to shield him! This is the visual acuity and awareness of a top-tier national service defensive support, a super move comparable to an ace sniper!¡±

    The director also quickly zoomed in on the location that Xu Dongming had pointed out and then drew a striking red circle to remind viewers of how Ye Jun was able to lock onto Yan Yu from afar.

    The executive director slowly breathed a sigh of relief, and his heart, once lifted, sank down again.

    Thank goodness, they turned it around.

    ¡°Ye Jun is indeed top-notch when it comes to controlling magical artifacts,¡± the academic instructor also began to save face, saying awkwardly, ¡°Such response and precision really did take me by surprise.¡±

    The Annan Cultivator Academy¡¯s Qing¡¯an team watched the commentators circle the location and were left in awe of Ye Jun¡¯s control over magical artifacts.

    ¡°That¡¯s not right,¡± Li Minghu suddenly said, ¡°It¡¯s not that Ye Jun¡¯s judgment was precise. That fleeting window of opportunity¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­If my intuition is correct, it must have been intentionally provided by Yan Yu.¡±

 Chapter 356 - 52 What Lord Master, I, Immortal Venerate Xie, do not accept!

    Chapter 356: Chapter 52 What Lord Master, I, Immortal Venerate Xie, do not accept!

    With the defense enhancement of the Xuan Guang Ruler, Yan Yu¡¯s Huang Tingjian sword light became even more reckless during its swift and fierce thrusts, creating an escape path and breaking out of the encirclement to make a quick getaway¡ªthe light from the Xuan Guang Ruler around him just happened to extinguish at that moment.

    ¡°Good!¡± Zhou Erhe lavished praise, ¡°Worthy of the Longcheng Flying General, even the timing of the magic treasure¡¯s influence was so precise! Made a round trip in front of the gates of hell as if he was strolling in a leisurely courtyard, but what¡¯s the point of that? Xu Dongming, what do you think was his purpose in letting himself be surrounded?¡±

    Xu Dongming immediately cursed inwardly: How would I know what the Longcheng Flying General is thinking? Maybe he just misjudged the situation and got encircled? Or perhaps he just wanted to show off?

    As he hesitated, unsure of what conclusion to draw, he saw Yan Yu fly back on his sword to Ye Jun¡¯s side and say:

    ¡°Did you see that?¡±

    ¡°Thick-skinned and immensely strong,¡± Ye Jun said.

    ...

    ¡°And they move fast, plus they can fly,¡± Yan Yu added. ¡°If you get surrounded by them, you¡¯re done for.¡±

    ¡°But didn¡¯t you just kill your way out?¡± Ye Jun said with a smile.

    ¡°Who else has my kind of ability? Plus, I had the protection of the Xuan Guang Ruler.¡± Yan Yu winked at her and chuckled, ¡°How about that probing move I just made, precise, right?¡±

    ¡°Precise,¡± Ye Jun agreed, ¡°Amidst layers of enemy cover, suddenly a shoulder pops out. Good thing I reacted quickly¡­ But if I hadn¡¯t caught the opportunity this time, what would you have done?¡±

    ¡°I already probed three times,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t seized them, I could only continue to create opportunities for you.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Ye Jun suddenly felt embarrassed, as she had actually not seen the first two at all¡­

    The live commentary guests outside the field also fell silent. Three times?

    We didn¡¯t see them at all, did we?

    In the livestream¡¯s chatroom, comments were flashing by, with many people claiming they saw it once, or even twice, but since the chat couldn¡¯t post pictures or timestamps, there was no way to verify the truth.

    Inside the Pingxi Army Academy, except for Tang Xiaolian who went back home to close up and cultivate through fasting, the rest gathered around the screen to watch the live broadcast.

    ¡°Did you guys make out which three times?¡± Qin Meng asked.

    Zhou Hongyu kept silent, indicating he didn¡¯t see it even once.

    ¡°No,¡± Meng Qingxi spoke up, ¡°If the commentator hadn¡¯t pointed it out, I wouldn¡¯t have known Yan had intentionally probed to appear in Ye Jun¡¯s field of vision.¡±

    ¡°I saw it twice,¡± Zhang Huaide said while pushing up his glasses. ¡°One was at 32 seconds after the fight started and at 37 seconds. There¡¯s another time I¡¯m not sure about.¡±

    Everyone was speechless, and Qin Meng immediately asked in shock:

    ¡°The director¡¯s camera has been on Yan since the start of the fight, how did you see that?¡±

    ¡°Every action must have strategic significance,¡± Zhang Huaide replied. ¡°There were two of Yan¡¯s actions I didn¡¯t understand at first. After he mentioned it, I got it.¡±

    ¡°Well, just because there are actions you didn¡¯t understand doesn¡¯t necessarily mean they were probes for Ye Jun to catch his position, right?¡± Meng Qingxi scratched his head. ¡°Maybe they were just meaningless actions?¡±

    ¡°Others might do so, but not Yan,¡± Zhang Huaide said seriously. ¡°Besides, when you¡¯re being attacked from all sides, every second counts, and you can¡¯t afford to waste any time.¡±

    Okay, but still, being able to specify the exact seconds, isn¡¯t that a bit obsessive? Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The crowd continued to watch the TV where Xu Dongming was currently offering an impassioned commentary:

    ¡°The reason Longcheng Flying General deliberately let himself be entrapped was to test the mettle of the enemy! If they were formidable foes, then he and Ye Jun would play it safe, but if they were rookies and cannon fodder, there¡¯s no point in wasting so much time with them. Just mow them down directly. And indeed, it turns out these Asura are rather strong, not only thick-skinned and immensely strong but their flying speed is also comparable to sword control¡­¡±

    It sounded credible, logical, and quite convincing, essentially repeating what Yan Yu had said. The director down below didn¡¯t go to the martial arts officer to confirm but suddenly indulged in an unrealistic fantasy:

    What if the Longcheng Flying General could fight and do his own live commentary for the audience, sharing his combat intentions¡ªhow wonderful that would be¡­

    As Yan Yu and Ye Jun casually chatted, the Asura didn¡¯t come in pursuit, but instead continued to clash in battle against the remote attacking deities.

    ¡°What do we do next?¡± Ye Jun asked.

    ¡°Kill,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°We should kill,¡± Ye Jun agreed, saying, ¡°But we need a plan.¡±

    ¡°You saw what just happened,¡± Yan Yu said, pointing forward with his sword, ¡°If we charge in like that, the slightest mistake could get us surrounded.¡±

    ¡°That was a close call,¡± Ye Jun nodded.

    ¡°But if we move away,¡± Yan Yu said, gesturing behind them, ¡°they can¡¯t keep chasing after us, especially with the Heavenly Gods attacking from behind.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t just take a beating for nothing,¡± Ye Jun echoed.

    ¡°So we should use the sausage-slicing tactic,¡± Yan Yu made a slicing gesture with his hand, ¡°Keep the distance, advance when the enemy retreats, retreat when the enemy advances.¡±

    ¡°Fast and steady,¡± Ye Jun said.

    ¡°Do you have any objections?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Ye Jun said, surprised.

    ¡°Then why¡­ never mind, let¡¯s not waste any more time,¡± Yan Yu was engulfed in the light of his sword once again and started to control his sword to fly and slash, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    The sausage-slicing tactic might seem cowardly, requiring both hitting and running, but with Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler protecting them, many attacks that would normally require movement to dodge could be taken head-on. Therefore, Yan Yu could fight extremely freely, like slicing through melons and vegetables.

    Slicing through melons and vegetables was enjoyable to watch, but continuous viewing of the same could lead to aesthetic fatigue. As a result, the director temporarily switched to the positions of the other team members.

    The challenge for Su Yunjin and Lin Ning had, for some reason, turned the two into animal forms.

    The former had turned into a sleek white fox, while the latter was a leopard cat with mottled fur. The two animals dashed through the jungle, searching for a way to return to their human forms, but for the moment no clues were found.

    Chen Lingyun and Zhao Yuanzhen, on the other hand, were caught up in an onslaught of countless illusions. Despite the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s extensive battle experience, the endless enemies left her at a loss, and she followed Chen Lingyun around in chaos.

    The most intense battle, however, was on Liu Longtao and Xie Ruoxi¡¯s end.

    They were in an environment similar to the netherworld, right in front of the gates of hell as they started, surrounded by chilling winds and the ethereal sounds of ghostly wails.

    As soon as they neared the bottom of the pass, a guardian emerged to interrogate them.

    Before Liu Longtao could speak, Xie Ruoxi had already unleashed a Jade Pivot Thunder, instantly bursting the guardian to pieces.

    This explosion was like stirring up a hornet¡¯s nest, prompting countless Yin Soldiers and Ghost Generals to stream out from the towers on each side of the pass and crazily rush to attack them.

    ¡°Damn it! Could you at least ask before you hit?¡± Liu Longtao was unable to hold back; as he controlled the Ying Long Sword to fend off the attack, he furiously complained to Xie Ruoxi.

    ¡°Wandering spirits and stray ghosts, what¡¯s there to ask about?¡± Xie Ruoxi showed no sign of agreement. The guardian had a green face and sharp fangs, exuding an eerie presence¡ªclearly not a good sort. I took him down in one move, what¡¯s there to complain about?

    Although both team captains of cultivators, only the Longcheng Flying General has my respect. As for the Dragon Cavalry Team¡¯s Lord Master¡­ wanting to command me? Have you asked if Yan Yu agrees?

    The more she thought about it, the more displeased she became, so she pinched her fingers together and continuously launched Jade Pivot Thunder blasts with both hands, as if they cost her nothing.

    Watching the black mass of Yin Soldiers and Ghost Generals rapidly approaching, Liu Longtao was about to use widespread Taoism Method spells when he saw a bolt of lightning sweep through the air, falling into the enemy formation and exploding rapidly, turning the surrounding five or six stray ghosts into dust.

    Then another bolt of lightning, then another, and another¡­ as densely packed as volleys of rockets, saturating the area with destructive force that held the ghostly army firmly within the gates, killing as many as emerged.

    Liu Longtao¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of his head.

    What¡­ what priceless treasure is this?

    Doesn¡¯t your Thunder Method consume any True Yuan?

 Chapter 357 - 33 Yun Jin cured me as well

    Chapter 337: Chapter 33 Yun Jin cured me as well

    Xie Ruoxi wasn¡¯t boasting. Even without makeup, she truly was beautiful enough.

    Her eyes were large, and although they were single-lidded and prone to tears, when she stared unwaveringly at you, the watery shine within seemed about to overflow, possessing a wonderfully charming allure of immature shyness.

    Her nose and mouth were also delicately petite, quite fitting with the current aesthetic preferences for a youthful look, but the most exquisite feature was actually her skin, soft and creamy, smooth and lustrous like jade, just as adorable as a doll¡¯s.

    But adorable didn¡¯t mean she was suited to liking me, get it?

    ¡°You¡¯re not worthy,¡± Yan Yu said.

    Though he spoke slowly, it was with unwavering firmness, coldness, and finality, leaving no room for reprieve.

    ...

    ¡°I know I¡¯m not good enough for you,¡± Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t show the slightest hint of disappointment, but instead vigorously wiped her tears away and broke into a smile, ¡°But liking you is my own business, you can¡¯t stop me from liking you, can you?¡±

    ¡°Whatever,¡± Yan Yu continued to say, ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±

    What responded to him was a lightning-quick kiss.

    Xie Ruoxi kissed the corner of his mouth from the side, like a dragonfly skimming the water, fleeting, and then she stood up, whispering to herself:

    ¡°Captain, your clone once said that you would only be with the strongest woman, right?¡±

    ¡°Although I used to be quite worthless, I¡¯ll work hard.¡±

    After saying that, she tried again to smile, then hurriedly left.

    Yan Yu stared at the closed door for a long while before finally squeezing out a word through his teeth:

    ¡°Crap.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t that I was faint-hearted, but just now the aura of Xie Immortal Venerate was too intense¡ªyes, the same intense aura as Secretary Su¡¯s.

    How can this thing even be contagious?

    Forget it, don¡¯t scare myself. Even if a beautiful no-good transforms, she won¡¯t suddenly become the ultimate form of a gravity mage. Even if she does manage to do what she said, as long as she becomes a hard worker like Lin Ning, I should be thanking my lucky stars!

    Yan Yu relaxedly stood up, reaching out to wipe the kissed corner of his mouth.

    Hmph, this good-for-nothing¡¯s lips are quite soft.

    Let¡¯s go downstairs to grab something to eat.

    Yan Yu yawned lazily and approached the door to open it, only to see Su Yunjin standing there, giving him a gentle smile.

    ¡­Eavesdropping?

    That¡¯s not right, if it was eavesdropping, Xie Ruoxi would have discovered her immediately upon leaving the room, unless this young lady had her Invisibility Technique active while squatting by my door¡­ Wow, that¡¯s a bit terrifying, Secretary Su wouldn¡¯t pull that sort of thing.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Yan Yu asked nonchalantly.

    ¡°Did Ruoxi come to see you just now?¡± Su Yunjin asked with a smile.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Yes,¡± he nodded.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Su Yunjin explained, ¡°I had just come upstairs when I saw her with tears all over her face heading to the bathroom, so I thought maybe Captain Yan you had bullied her again.¡±

    ¡°Why would I bully her?¡± Yan Yu asked perplexedly.

    ¡°Who knows,¡± Su Yunjin said casually, ¡°For instance, during dinner today, maybe you thought she was getting carried away with the praise and wanted to bring her back down to earth afterwards?¡±

    ¡°Am I some kind of Demon King?¡± Yan Yu felt embarrassed.

    ¡°Nope,¡± Su Yunjin said lightly.

    Ah, come on¡­ How do you manage to express strong affirmation through denial?

    ¡°Come in,¡± Yan Yu sighed and said.

    Su Yunjin entered the room and sat down beside Yan Yu¡¯s bed¡ªexactly where Xie Ruoxi had been sitting, giving Yan Yu the subtle impression that ¡°they were taking turns torturing me.¡±

    ¡°So,¡± she said with a curious expression, ¡°What exactly did you talk about?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t tell you that,¡± Yan Yu turned her down.

    ¡°So it¡¯s Ruoxi who confessed to you,¡± Su Yunjin deduced, ¡°and then she got ¡®you¡¯re not worthy¡¯ brutally rejected by you, which is why she left crying, and you¡¯re afraid that talking about it would deepen the secondary damage to her, so you don¡¯t want to tell me, right?¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°You should read fewer detective novels,¡± he could only maintain a non-committal attitude and countered, ¡°Is this why you were looking for me?¡± Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°No,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile, ¡°Can¡¯t I come see the captain for no reason?¡±

    ¡°Of course not, I am very busy,¡± Yan Yu pretended to leave, but Su Yunjin couldn¡¯t hold back and hurriedly called out to him:

    ¡°Alright, alright, no more joking. Let me see how your wound is doing.¡±

    ¡°Hasn¡¯t my injury healed?¡± Yan Yu expressed confusion.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t heal that quickly.¡± Su Yunjin helped him take off his clothes and continued to examine the wound with her Divine Sense, kneading and probing, suddenly asking, ¡°Does this hurt?¡±

    ¡°A little.¡±

    ¡°Know why?¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re pinching me hard.¡±

    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Su Yunjin explained, ¡°It¡¯s because the hidden injury here hasn¡¯t fully healed, so when I touch the nerve endings inside with Runescript True Essence, they send out pain signals because the exposed wound is too large.¡±

    ¡°So you are using True Essence to pinch me,¡± Yan Yu realized.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ never mind,¡± Su Yunjin was somewhat speechless, ¡°Anyway, this still needs treatment. I will come over at this time every day from now on¡­¡±

    Before she could finish speaking, the door was suddenly pushed open from the outside, and Xie Ruoxi came in saying:

    ¡°Captain! I¡¯m going to fast¡­ huh?¡±

    Her gaze met Su Yunjin¡¯s in shock; the latter still held her pose touching the captain, both speechless.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    After a short while, everyone finally managed to explain the situation.

    ¡°So the captain¡¯s injury from the last trip to the Mysterious Realm hasn¡¯t healed,¡± Xie Ruoxi said.

    ¡°Right,¡± Su Yunjin nodded.

    ¡°So you need to treat him regularly,¡± Xie Ruoxi continued.

    ¡°Right,¡± Su Yunjin kept nodding.

    If I trust you, I must be an idiot! Xie Ruoxi scoffed inwardly.

    The captain has no tea appraisal skills, can I, the clever Ruoxi, be deceived by you?

    ¡°Speaking of which, I think I also have a hidden injury,¡± Xie Ruoxi said, ¡°My chest was pierced by the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Yan Yu was reminded by her words and immediately responded, ¡°Ruoxi¡¯s injury is alright, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not,¡± Su Yunjin gently explained, ¡°Penetrating injuries are deep and narrow, and as long as you don¡¯t die on the spot, the subsequent healing is not too troublesome.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just a penetrating injury,¡± Xie Ruoxi denied, ¡°At that time, Sister Zhao used the Treasure Controlling Technique to help me pull out the hairpin, and she might not have been very skilled. Plus, the clone was causing interference on the side, and during the process of pulling it out, it stabbed back in again, so there are also some tear marks¡­ I¡¯ve been feeling a persistent pain in my chest lately, why don¡¯t you check it out for me, Yun Jin?¡±

    ¡°Since she¡¯s still in pain, then you should check her out,¡± Yan Yu stood up, adjusting his clothes, ¡°I¡¯ll go find something to eat, I was too busy drinking tonight and got a bit hungry.¡±

    Once Yan Yu had left the bedroom, Xie Ruoxi and Su Yunjin faced each other again, both their smiles vanishing.

    ¡°Ruoxi, do you also like the captain?¡± Su Yunjin asked first, her tone calm.

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Xie Ruoxi replied coolly, ¡°Has anyone told you what my clone said?¡±

    ¡°Even if you really feel that way, you have to distinguish between acknowledging it and not,¡± Su Yunjin hinted, speaking tactfully, ¡°If you don¡¯t admit it, then it¡¯s not really liking.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Xie Ruoxi also understood the implication, ¡°So what now?¡±

    ¡°A fair competition?¡± Su Yunjin asked.

    ¡°Alright, a fair competition,¡± Xie Ruoxi said, ¡°What¡¯s fair in this context?¡±

    ¡°Even though we¡¯re rivals, we shouldn¡¯t be enemies,¡± Su Yunjin said slowly, ¡°What we need to do is make the captain truly fall for us, not to eliminate the love rival.¡±

    ¡°I agree.¡±

 Chapter 358 - 34: Everyone Must Become Stronger

    Chapter 338: Chapter 34: Everyone Must Become Stronger

    Yan Yu arrived downstairs and had just opened the refrigerator when a voice sounded from beside him:

    ¡°What are you looking for to eat?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s in the fridge?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Gone.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen stated matter-of-factly, ¡°I¡¯ve eaten it all.¡±

    ¡°Then why are you asking me?¡± Yan Yu was speechless.

    ¡°I¡¯m reminding you that it¡¯s time to restock the fridge¡­ Ouch!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen got a karate chop from him and immediately scurried away holding her head.

    ...

    After rummaging through cabinets for quite a while, Yan Yu confirmed that all the snacks had indeed been devoured by this Demonic Sect¡¯s glutton, not even oatmeal was left for breakfast.

    He had no choice but to pull open a nearby cupboard, and from behind a pile of pots and pans, he retrieved secretly stashed instant noodles.

    Sigh, storing food in this house really isn¡¯t easy¡­

    Just as he was putting the noodle cake into cold water, he heard yet another voice beside him:

    ¡°What are you making to eat?¡±

    ¡°Instant noodles.¡± Yan Yu replied without turning back.

    ¡°Cooking instant noodles like that has no nutrition.¡± Lin Ning began to nitpick, ¡°Dehydrated vegetables already lose a lot of nutrients, they can¡¯t replace fresh vegetables.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°But it¡¯s convenient to cook them this way.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so lazy!¡± Lin Ning fetched vegetables and eggs from the fridge. Then suddenly, she screamed, ¡°Where¡¯s the Spam I put here?!!¡±

    ¡°I ate it.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen reemerged out of nowhere and replied.

    ¡°Spam needs to be fried.¡± Lin Ning sighed, holding her forehead, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s already cooked.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen defended herself confidently, ¡°I just ate it straight.¡±

    ¡°Next time we buy raw meat.¡± Yan Yu secretly communicated to Lin Ning, ¡°Freeze it in the freezer; she doesn¡¯t know how to thaw it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lin Ning had nothing more to say and took the vegetables to wash and chop. As she reached for the eggs, she heard Zhao Yuanzhen say:

    ¡°I want mine soft-boiled with a runny yolk.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning on making any for you.¡± Lin Ning said, annoyed.

    ¡°Ah, why be like that!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately hugged her from behind, starting to tickle her, laughing, ¡°Ningning, it¡¯s the same effort cooking one portion or two, help me out~¡±

    ¡°Alright! Alright! Stop it!¡± Lin Ning, tickled till her whole body weakened, swayed from side to side and surrendered, ¡°I¡¯ll make it for you! I¡¯ll make it, okay? Captain, go ask if the others want some too.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Yan Yu texted in the group chat, and the others replied quickly:

    ¡°Cook one for me too, make it soft and mushy.¡± Chen Lingyun responded.

    ¡°Add more vegetables.¡± Su Yunjin said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll pass, I¡¯m fasting.¡± Xie Ruoxi replied.

    The Immortal Venerate Xie, indeed, had a frightening talent for cultivation; it¡¯s just a pity that she was limited by the speed of the rise of the upper limit brought on by the Spiritual Energy Resurgence. She had to wait obediently for us with lesser aptitudes to catch up once she reached her limit.

    ¡°Okay, just stay out of the living room then, so you won¡¯t be tempted by the smell of food.¡± Yan Yu typed.

    ¡°No worries, I¡¯m in the basement.¡± Xie Ruoxi said.

    ¡°What are you doing in the basement?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked curiously.

    Cultivating the Fasting technique doesn¡¯t conflict with playing video games and watching anime in front of a computer, right?

    ¡°I¡¯m training.¡± Xie Ruoxi said.

    A clatter, Yan Yu¡¯s chopsticks fell to the floor.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t grip them firmly.¡± He calmly bent down to pick them up, but his heart was stirring with shock and awe.

    The beautiful good-for-nothing is actively training?

    Who was it? Who had her sign the Striver¡¯s Agreement? Even if she were only proactive for one day, it would still be considered a miracle in human history.

    All sorts of Xie Ruoxi¡¯s scandals from his past life came to his mind one after another, quickly calming the amazement in Yan Yu¡¯s heart.

    Meh, just a flash-in-the-pan enthusiast.

    Forget it, let her be.

    Lin Ning soon had the late-night snack ready. Ling Yun¡¯s had to be well-cooked, Yun Jin¡¯s doubled on vegetables, and Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s was a huge bowl of soup with extra noodles. The captain? Not worth the trouble.

    Sneakily added a poached egg for him, buried at the very bottom of his noodles.

    Everyone gathered around the dining table and started eating their noodles.

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s eating was still bold and unfettered, engulfing and inhaling the food; Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin were much more elegant, holding a spoon in their left and chopsticks in their right, seeking to have both noodles and soup at every bite.

    Lin Ning had little appetite, picking at her side dishes, she ate only a few bites before noticing Yan Yu also seemed to eat at a sluggish pace.

    ¡°Why?¡± she quietly transmitted a message over, ¡°Does it not suit your taste?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°It¡¯s quite delicious.¡±

    The issue wasn¡¯t with the meal, it was with him.

    After fasting, his body¡¯s need for food had dropped to zero; not eating or drinking wouldn¡¯t affect him in the slightest.

    Naturally, those who had fasted still might crave food, as exemplified by Zhao Yuanzhen, but that wasn¡¯t hunger¡ªit was closer to a desire for treats and an addiction to eating.

    Cultivators who completed the fasting practice no longer felt thirst or hunger and lost their natural ability to feel satisfied and content from being full. Their taste buds became more sensitive to the unique flavors of ingredients, while the pleasure derived from carbs and fats diminished significantly because of their association with satiety¡­ Although Yan Yu knew this from his past life, he had never experienced it personally.

    At the previous banquet hosted for relatives of the Xie Family, he didn¡¯t eat much. Now it seemed it was because his appetite had been affected.

    Thinking about it, looking at the Demonic Sect¡¯s gluttonous beasts, they indeed had an exceptional talent for indulgence.

    After hurriedly finishing his meal, Yan Yu left the living room and went to the basement to see how Xie Ruoxi was faring with her practice.

    Arriving below, he saw Xie Ruoxi seated cross-legged on a yoga mat, quietly meditating and practicing Qi Refinement.

    Proactively cultivating yet looking like a beautiful waste¡­ the more he looked, the more it irked him, it was simply too peculiar.

    As he drew closer, wanting a better look, he saw Xie Ruoxi¡¯s head suddenly loll to the side, and her breathing grew heavier.

    She began to snore lightly.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    So she was sleeping, huh?

    I knew she couldn¡¯t be that self-disciplined! Hmph, this makes much more sense.

    Yan Yu left the basement quietly and returned to his own room.

    After resting for a moment, his phone suddenly rang.

    It was Anna:

    ¡°Have you heard about the situation in the East Sea?¡±

    ¡°What situation?¡± Yan Yu asked back.

    A video was sent over, showing the sea¡¯s depths illuminated in a rolling aurora of seven-colored splendor¡ªa radiance unmatched in beauty, looking almost dreamy and unreal.

    ¡°Where is this?¡± Yan Yu typed.

    Before Anna could reply, another message arrived, this time from Liu Longtao:

    ¡°East longitude 126 North latitude 30, something unusual beneath the sea.¡±

    Anna¡¯s response also came quickly:

    ¡°The Elders sensed huge magical fluctuations in the Southeast direction; the video was projected using a divination array. Currently, it¡¯s estimated to be within the international waters at the tripoint junction of your, Yin Yang Bureau, and Pear Blossom Courtyard¡¯s influence.¡±

    ¡°If you need help, remember to contact me.¡±

    International waters at the trijunction of three powers¡­ a battle was inevitable, perhaps the witches of the Amur coven could be of use.

    ¡°The situation is not yet clear,¡± Liu Longtao messaged, ¡°Stay alert.¡±

    With a ding, Chen Lingyun also sent a message, this time a weather satellite image.

    A storm¡¯s eye had formed above the East Sea, unlike typical typhoon cloud patterns, this storm¡¯s eye was colorful¡ªthe center resembled a giant soap bubble.

    Yan Yu stood up and went downstairs to the living room, where he found the girls gathered together, discussing the anomaly in the East Sea.

    ¡°It must be the entrance to a Mysterious Realm,¡± Su Yunjin speculated, ¡°and it hasn¡¯t opened yet.¡±

    ¡°Since it¡¯s in international waters, it will surely provoke international contention among the powers of various Transcendents,¡± Lin Ning added with concern.

    ¡°Indeed, and this time both the Yin Yang Bureau of Heavy Sakura and the Pear Blossom Courtyard of Goryeo will most likely join in the contest,¡± Yan Yu came over and said, ¡°You all need to accelerate your cultivation and reach the Marrow Cleansing Stage before this Mysterious Realm completely opens.¡± Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Okay,¡± the girls hastily responded.

    With the ¡°imminent opening of an overseas Mysterious Realm¡± as motivation, everyone perked up, getting ready to return to their rooms to cultivate, when they saw Xie Ruoxi coming down to the living room:

    ¡°Is there any food left?¡±

    ¡°None,¡± Yan Yu pointed at the kitchen, which contained dishes waiting to be washed, ¡°It¡¯s all been eaten¡­ Weren¡¯t you practicing the fasting method?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s already done,¡± Xie Ruoxi opened the refrigerator door.

    ¡°You¡¯ve advanced to the Marrow Cleansing Stage?¡± the girls exclaimed in shock.

    Even the team captain himself took about ten days to master the fasting method, how could you¡­ didn¡¯t you just start practicing?

    ¡°It should be done, since I broke out into a stinky sweat, and I took a bath afterward,¡± Xie Ruoxi searched for a while, then suddenly screamed, ¡°Where are my cheese sticks that I hid in here?!!!¡±

 Chapter 359 - 35 East Sea Departure Palace, Intelligence Disclosure

    Chapter 339: Chapter 35 East Sea Departure Palace, Intelligence Disclosure

    Several days later, news of the strange phenomena in the East Sea quickly spread across the world.

    Foreign media extensively reported the development, claiming that the Miti Strategic Bureau had already initiated a lead to share the Mysterious Realm with both the Yin Yang Bureau and the Pear Blossom Courtyard. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Guess who wasn¡¯t invited?

    The Privy Council chose to retaliate by marking off a region near the Mysterious Realm and starting long-term military exercises.

    Public opinion abroad immediately erupted, daring the Privy Council to demarcate on international waters?

    The Privy Council said it was a normal exercise and that certain forces shouldn¡¯t be overly tense.

    ...

    After several days of criticism, seeing that the Privy Council was unmoved, the Miti Strategic Bureau drew a military zone directly opposite the Privy Council, announcing long-term tripartite military drills with the Yin Yang Bureau and the Pear Blossom Courtyard.

    Everyone knew that the military drill was just a smokescreen, a way to stake a claim on the territory first.

    Once the Mysterious Realm truly opened, it would come down to the Privy Council¡¯s defences blocking and countless foreign Transcendents charging in recklessly. How many could be stopped would depend on the courage and strategic resolve of the Privy Council of Lu Country¡ªthe greater the courage and firepower, the more that could be stopped, but of course, the risk of war also would skyrocket; sufficient resolve meant blocking fewer, but at the cost of intense competition for the Mysterious Realm.

    There were reports that Chen Tianming was vigorously advocating for ¡°unrestricted fire,¡± ¡°maximum deterrence,¡± and ¡°complete interception¡± within the Privy Council, while several others strongly opposed, citing the old reason of ¡°we cannot isolate ourselves from modern society.¡±

    As outside the Mysterious Realm, once naval guns start to clash, it could easily escalate the conflict indefinitely, leaving neither side willing to swallow their pride;

    But inside the Mysterious Realm, it¡¯s each Transcendent for themselves, fate deciding life and death, and thus there is not much risk of war¡ªonce the core hub of the Mysterious Realm is controlled by the adversary, even if you want to flip the table, it won¡¯t change the facts, and the result, of course, is to leave dejectedly without flipping the table.

    Upon hearing this, Yan Yu immediately called to mock Lord Master:

    ¡°Old Liu, I hear your faction cast an abstaining vote at the Privy Council?¡±

    ¡°How did you know?¡± Liu Longtao asked in surprise.

    ¡°Chen Lingyun told me that someone played the coward,¡± Yan Yu said succinctly. ¡°Guess who?¡±

    ¡°Heh,¡± Liu Longtao scoffed, ¡°do you think your father-in-law harbors any goodwill? If there¡¯s an escalation of hostilities with the other side, the Privy Council would have to ramp up its engagement in the Pacific Ocean front, and the Zhendong Army¡¯s influence would increase. And his commander-in-chief and he are from the same faction, see? He¡¯s not trying to reduce the supposed ¡®risk of the Mysterious Realm competition¡¯; it¡¯s purely for his own interest.¡±

    ¡°How could I not understand?¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°are you saying your family cast an abstaining vote just to choose sides based on interest?¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡± Liu Longtao claimed, righteous and confident, ¡°our families unanimously think that your father-in-law, not yet involved, is already so aggressive. Once involved, wouldn¡¯t he turn everything upside down? We must restrain, and it¡¯s for his own good too.¡±

    ¡°Restrain, everyone is open to restraint,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently. ¡°He¡¯s not my father-in-law right now.¡±

    ¡°Not now, but perhaps in the future, right?¡± Liu Longtao laughed heartily. ¡°Old Yan, I¡¯m telling you, during the Privy Council¡¯s joint session, one faction even proposed to bar the Dragon Soar Team from participating in the battle.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Yan Yu was taken aback. ¡°Are they having a stroke or senile dementia? If I don¡¯t join, who will fight for the Mysterious Realm, you?¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Liu Longtao laughed at him defiantly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me? Left fist to punch Pear Blossom Courtyard, right foot to kick Yin Yang Bureau, and in minutes I¡¯ll have them all down, alright?¡±

    ¡°Forget it then. I won¡¯t join this time; hand it over to your Dragon Cavalry Team, okay?¡± Yan Yu immediately declared, hands off.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that,¡± Liu Longtao said with a smile. ¡°They were just testing the waters, and seeing we all disagreed, they dropped the issue. What I¡¯m saying is, although you don¡¯t consider Chen Tianming your father-in-law, when they¡¯re fighting him, they¡¯ll take the chance to step on you too¡ªunfortunately, your clean slate has already been marked with the label of their Chen Family.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Yan Yu also laughed. ¡°Who dares to actually step down, do they not need the Longcheng Flying General to go into battle?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the point,¡± Liu Longtao couldn¡¯t deny, whether Yan Yu participated in battle was crucial to the strategy for conquering the Mysterious Realm. ¡°As long as you¡¯re aware of what needs to be done, that¡¯s enough. I¡¯m hanging up now!¡±

    After hanging up the phone, Yan Yu fell into contemplation.

    Damn Chen Lingyun, shitty Chen Family. How did I, a promising young man with the surname Yan, become your guy?

    No, I need to take it out on that little mushroom.

    Arriving at the underground training ground, he saw the girls all seizing the time to cultivate their breath and refine their Qi, striving to reach the great perfection stage of Qi Refinement as soon as possible.

    The fastest progress was made by Su Yunjin, followed by Lin Ning, both of whom were vaguely touching their bottleneck, and it was estimated that they could start practicing the Fasting Technique this week.

    ¡°One week from today, there will still be one person in our team who has not started practicing the Fasting Technique,¡± Yan Yu approached Chen Lingyun and asked in a leisurely manner, ¡°May I ask, who would that be?¡±

    ¡°No rush,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°The Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng hasn¡¯t opened that soon, there¡¯s plenty of time.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve already learned the name?¡± Yan Yu asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t it still unopened?¡±

    ¡°The Privy Council is supervising this project, the Space Rupture Technique,¡± Chen Lingyun replied, ¡°which means sending unmanned drones or even cultivators into the realm before it actually opens, to check out the situation inside.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu also understood and nodded, ¡°I heard that by means of this, Lord Master¡¯s family has gained a lot of treasures, the Tian Yuan Qi Sword that Ruoxi uses came this way.¡±

    ¡°This technology is still not mature,¡± continued Chen Lingyun. ¡°Whether sending people or drones, the success rate is only about 50%, otherwise we would be sent in before the Mysterious Realm opens, take over the control core, and end it.¡±

    With a success rate of only 50%, what happens upon failure goes without saying. Yan Yu fell silent for a while, then spoke in detail:

    ¡°If I remember correctly, L¨ªg¨­ng should be a testing-type Mysterious Realm. Testers need to pass through six randomly sequenced trials in a row in order to enter L¨ªg¨­ng and claim their reward.¡±

    ¡°When entering the realm, the initial trial is completely random. Even if a team enters together, they will be scattered and separated.¡±

    ¡°However, each trial¡¯s world map is extremely large. So, even if moving alone, one can easily hide their movements.¡±

    ¡°After passing all six trials, one will be teleported to the Departure Palace Square. Not only is the terrain open here, making it difficult to hide, but it is also the final destination for everyone.¡±

    ¡°That means,¡± Chen Lingyun quickly caught on, ¡°reach the endpoint first, then surround and annihilate the reinforcements.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± said Yan Yu, ¡°There is no control core in the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng. After opening, it will automatically close after twelve hours, send everyone out, and then disappear again.¡±

    ¡°If one fails to enter L¨ªg¨­ng to claim their reward, it would mean the trip was in vain, returning empty-handed.¡±

    ¡°Are rewards distributed per individual?¡± Chen Lingyun asked sharply.

    ¡°Yes, the rewards depend on the performance in the trials and the order of arrival at L¨ªg¨­ng,¡± Yan Yu replied. ¡°In addition, if you¡¯re ranked beyond the tenth place, not only is the reward null, but I¡¯ve heard you¡¯ll also get a good scolding when things are settled.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then what we need to do is very simple,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°race to clear the levels first.¡±

    ¡°Then guard the Departure Palace Gate,¡± Yan Yu said, his voice deepening, ¡°kill anyone who comes until the L¨ªg¨­ng closes.¡±

 Chapter 360 - 36: Alliance Team

    Chapter 340: Chapter 36: Alliance Team

    Yan Yu revealed the secret information about L¨ªg¨­ng to Chen Lingyun actually with the intention of saving a few lives for Lu Country¡ªrather than having more soldiers risk their lives to obtain intelligence on the mysterious realm.

    But who was Chen Lingyun? She was someone full of cunning schemes and quickly relayed this intelligence to Chen Tianming.

    Father and daughter privately discussed the matter and soon came up with a new plan¡­ Keeping it from everyone else, hence it is not mentioned here for the time being.

    Finally, it was December, and temperatures in Jinling Prefecture dropped further, prompting the team villas to turn on their underfloor heating.

    It was then discovered that the underground training field had no underfloor heating, as that area was originally designed as a garage, so everyone moved their training upstairs to the living room to practice their Qi Refinement and breathing techniques.

    Su Yunjin and Lin Ning had both already begun to practice the Fasting Technique. To support their cultivation, Yan Yu declared a strict fast within the villa, forbidding anyone to eat at home.

    ...

    Zhao Yuanzhen expressed strong protest.

    The protest was in vain, and the compromise was to accompany Chen Lingyun for outdoor meals three times a day.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress accepted the resolution.

    Every day, the two would put on makeup and disguise themselves to go out for meals, while the others stayed in the villa to cultivate. During their free time, they would watch live TV broadcasts¡­ As the timing for the opening of the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng was uncertain, the Zhenhai Team had completely stopped all external tasks, staying at home ready for combat at any time.

    It was said that the Dragon Soar Team had also stopped going out, indicating that the lineup for the upcoming expedition to the Departure Palace was already set.

    In contrast, the Qing¡¯an and Huofeng Teams were much more high-profile.

    In early December, the Cultivator Professional Sports League finally declared its establishment, with ten teams including Zhenhai, Dragon Soar, Qing¡¯an, and Huofeng, being designated as first-class teams.

    The other teams were ranked as second-class or third-class, with four second-class teams who were not cultivator students from four major colleges.

    They were civilian cultivators.

    The emergence of civilian cultivator teams meant that besides the military manor cultivators and college student cultivators, a third faction of cultivators had officially stepped onto the historical stage.

    College student cultivators were the favored sons of heaven, receiving the best treatment and conditions. Although there were many military manor cultivators, they were known for their strict discipline and resilience, resulting in minimal conflicts between the two.

    Civilian cultivators were members of society who had embarked on the path of cultivation alone, surrounded by ordinary people, which could result in a sense of being the chosen ones. Such recognition could drastically change their worldview¡ªnot that civilian cultivators were all bad seeds, but the statistics from previous life showed that the proportion of troublemakers was certainly not low.

    The Privy Council¡¯s arrangement was to let these four second-class teams battle against Qing¡¯an and Huofeng Teams to experience the strength of the current top-tier cultivator teams.

    The outcome was as expected. Li Minghu left some face for the opposition, but Zhou Hongyu showed no mercy at all, bombarding them without restraint. In the first match, three opponents were sent directly to the ICU, shocking the national audience in front of their TVs.

    The girls were also surprised: Captain Zhou, it¡¯s one thing to fight against enemies, but to beat up our own people this viciously? That doesn¡¯t leave a good impression, does it?

    After Yan Yu finished watching the match, he silently took out his phone and sent a message to Zhou Hongyu.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Rehab seems to be working quite well, huh? You can even send opponents to the ICU?

    [Zao La]: Trash.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You¡¯re cursing the other side, right?

    [Zao La]: What else? Did you think it was for you?

    [Zao La]: Making dirty jokes to Xiao Lian before the match.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Oh, I see, I can¡¯t really comment not knowing the exact words, dear.

    [Zao La]: Trying to trick me into talking?

    [Zao La]: You want me to repeat such indecent stuff?

    [Zao La]: You¡¯re a bad seed, too.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Then you¡¯ve wronged me, Xiao Zhou. If I had to pick on someone from your team, I would definitely choose you over Xiao Tang, that kid admires the strong, and it wouldn¡¯t be good if he got a crush on me.

    [Zao La]: Haha.

    [Zao La]: I¡¯ve mastered a new spell, I¡¯ll kill you the next time you come over.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Is that spell by any chance called ¡°Chi Yu Nine Phoenix Fire¡±? S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Guess who got their hands on it? It was me.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You¡¯re going to use the spell I obtained to go against me?

    [Zao La]: Don¡¯t care, I¡¯ll kick your ass just the same.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: It¡¯s not yet decided who¡¯ll kick whose ass.

    After ending the conversation with Zhou Hongyu, Yan Yu also started to feel wistful.

    It seems like my relationship with her is warming up¡­ but what have I done lately?

    Strange.

    But it¡¯s better for her to be normal, rather than accumulating more and more evil energy until she eventually explodes into pieces.

    After catching up with Zhou Hongyu, Yan Yu sent a message to Li Minghu.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: How are you feeling?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Experience and awareness are definitely lacking, but they¡¯re brave and resolute, and their methods are very different from our Scholarly Faction.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Our Three Arts and Five Spells are cast with clear intentions, while theirs are more like¡­ how should I put this? There¡¯s a sense of eager to unleash the attack to boost their own momentum.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: A habit of street fighting, huh.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: In life, you¡¯re facing harmless people; as soon as you flash a knife, they get scared, so civilian cultivators are used to launching quick attacks to intimidate opponents.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: But that won¡¯t work on us.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: I think civilian cultivators still lack a solid foundation; they won¡¯t become our rivals in a short time.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: In the long run, it still comes down to resources.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Exactly.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What I truly fear is them suddenly whipping out some unseen magical artifact or spell, catching you off guard.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Could that really happen? Aren¡¯t most civilian cultivators basically conscripted by now?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Who knows?

    From my experiences in the previous life, not all civilian cultivators choose to poke their heads out to be officially conscripted.

    In the decade of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, the toughest cultivator to be conscripted was Empress Yuanzhen. Below her were many formidable cultivators who are currently nowhere to be found¡ªI wonder where they are secretly holed up, biding their time.

    Once I have some time, I¡¯ll report their names to Chen Lingyun, and let her dad check the citizen information database¡ªpull all of you out one by one!

    Besides civilian cultivators, there¡¯s another group of people, who should be considered Yan Yu¡¯s ¡°colleagues¡± from his past life; right now, they¡¯re probably busy with various industries and jobs.

    Uncertain whether the plan has started, Yan Yu doesn¡¯t want to ¡°reminisce¡± with them. If he had a choice, he¡¯d prefer these people not become so-called ¡°mortal cultivators¡± in this lifetime.

    ¡°Ugh!¡± Su Yunjin, sitting opposite on the sofa, suddenly made a strange retching sound.

    She seemed to try to stand up hastily, but it was too late¡ªher clothes were quickly soaked with severe sweat, and the color soon changed, almost turning her into a mud person from head to toe¡ªlike those favored by bathhouse scrubbers in the north.

    Su Yunjin hurried off upstairs. Lin Ning opened her eyes and watched her companion¡¯s back, silently sighing in her heart.

    I didn¡¯t surpass Yun Jin again¡­ Huh, why do I say ¡°again¡±?

    ¡°Focus on your cultivation,¡± Yan Yu sent a message through sound transmission, ¡°The speed of marrow cleansing is not important; what matters is that every step on the path of cultivation must be taken firmly and steadily.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Lin Ning closed her eyes again, struggling hard against hunger and thirst.

    In her chaotic mind, for some reason, the form of Yan Yu emerged.

 Chapter 361 - 37 Competitive Ningning

    Chapter 341: Chapter 37 Competitive Ningning

    After Su Yunjin completed her Marrow Cleansing, she not only became much fairer but also grew three centimeters taller, making Xie Ruoxi incredibly envious¡ªWhy didn¡¯t I grow taller when I did my Marrow Cleansing?

    To celebrate Yun Jin¡¯s Marrow Cleansing, Zhao Yuanzhen appropriately suggested that everyone should go out for a meal together as a celebration.

    Xie Ruoxi immediately agreed, stirring up the excitement.

    Su Yunjin worried about Lin Ning and wanted to excuse herself, but seeing her dilemma, Lin Ning took the initiative and said:

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, you all go and enjoy the meal. I should practice at home alone; I can¡¯t expect everyone to starve and fast with me.¡±

    Since Lin Ning had put it that way, Su Yunjin agreed and then turned to look at Chen Lingyun and Yan Yu.

    ...

    ¡°I¡¯m fine with it,¡± Chen Lingyun smiled and accepted, but Yan Yu said:

    ¡°I don¡¯t really have an appetite today, you all go ahead, I¡¯ll rest at home.¡±

    Su Yunjin: ¡­¡­¡­

    Suddenly, she didn¡¯t feel like going anymore.

    However, the situation was beyond her control now. Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi, like two imposing guardians, lifted her up from either side and escorted her out.

    Time to feast!

    Chen Lingyun quickly followed them out, giving Lin Ning a meaningful look as she turned back.

    Lin Ning, however, did not understand and turned to ask Yan Yu:

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you going?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say I have no appetite?¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°Humph, if it¡¯s out of pity for me, there¡¯s no need,¡± Lin Ning¡¯s mood slightly improved, but she huffed coldly.

    ¡°I do pity your brain a bit¡­¡± Yan Yu hadn¡¯t finished speaking when Lin Ning quickly grabbed a sofa cushion and threw it at his head.

    After placing the cushion aside, Yan Yu started flipping through TV channels with the remote control.

    Lin Ning sat cross-legged on the sofa and continued meditating quietly.

    The key to the Fasting technique lies in the word ¡°restraint,¡± which forces the body to internalize and self-sustain when there is no intake of external substances for a long time.

    This kind of forced endurance is, of course, extremely agonizing and can even be described as defying the body¡¯s instinct to survive. Thus, one can usually try to visualize something else to divert their attention.

    The object of Lin Ning¡¯s visualization was a big fish leaping out of the waves¡ªan original painting that hung on the living room wall of her old home in Qingyuan Prefecture.

    For some reason, though, the waves in her mind¡¯s sea gradually disappeared, and the big fish slowly faded away.

    In their place was Yan Yu¡¯s face.

    Detestable yet dependable.

    A mix of resentment and panic began to grow in Lin Ning¡¯s heart, not understanding why she suddenly thought of him and not wanting to know either. She abruptly opened her eyes and said:

    ¡°Stop changing channels on the TV; you¡¯re disturbing me.¡±

    ¡°Should I go then?¡± Yan Yu feigned as if he were about to stand up.

    ¡°Humph, no one is stopping you if you want to leave,¡± Lin Ning said coldly.

    Yan Yu fell silent. ¡°No one is stopping you if you want to leave¡± was actually ¡°don¡¯t leave, but I¡¯m too embarrassed to say it¡±¡ªSister Lin¡¯s insincerity was becoming more and more outrageous.

    He pretended to head upstairs, walking towards the staircase and stomping up, then deliberately made his footsteps lighter and lighter as he turned and went back downstairs, quietly approaching Lin Ning from behind.

    Lin Ning was unaware of all this, just hearing Yan Yu¡¯s footsteps getting softer and fading away¡ªprobably going back up to his room on the second floor.

    After a moment, she finally opened her eyes and sighed.

    No more wild thoughts, I must focus on my cultivation¡­

    Lin Ning rubbed her cheeks forcefully with her hands, then slapped them a few times to calm herself down, only to suddenly hear Yan Yu¡¯s voice from behind:

    ¡°Little cat washing her face?¡±

    Startled, Lin Ning jolted up from the sofa in a flash, only to quickly realize:

    The Captain pretended to leave but was actually observing my expressions behind my back, watching me make a fool of myself!

    She grabbed another throw pillow from the sofa and tried to use it as a weapon to beat Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu nimbly stepped back and dodged, then dashed upstairs in a flash.

    Lin Ning, relentless, chased him upstairs and with a swift stride, burst into his room.

    Think you can escape?

    Like a tiger pouncing on its prey!

    She tackled the unprepared Yan Yu onto the bed, pinned his shoulders, and prepared to bite him.

    Yan Yu did not resist, but looked at her in astonishment, thinking, When did this girl become so bold, daring to push me onto the bed?

    The next second, Lin Ning let go of him and stood up with a red face, then quickly switched to an impatient expression, folding her arms and saying,

    ¡°What were you running for? I, I saw you fleeing and subconsciously thought you were a bad guy, so I chased you to catch you!¡±

    ¡°You were going to hit me, shouldn¡¯t I dodge?¡± Yan Yu retorted.

    ¡°That¡¯s because you deliberately scared me in the living room!¡± Lin Ning glared at him, like a cat trying to appear threatening.

    ¡°I was simply concerned because you suddenly started sighing and rubbing your face, so I asked,¡± Yan Yu calmly inquired again, ¡°Were you scared?¡±

    ¡°Not at all!¡± Lin Ning fell right into his trap. She vehemently denied first, then realizing her slip, she explained, ¡°Although I wasn¡¯t scared by you, you had ill intentions, wanting to scare me, so I need to punish you severely!¡±

    ¡°And your method of punishing me severely is to tackle me onto the bed when I¡¯m not expecting it?¡± Yan Yu asked for the third time.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Lin Ning was finally at a loss for words.

    Seeing that she might explode again, Yan Yu quickly changed the subject:

    ¡°How¡¯s your Fasting practice coming along? If I remember correctly, you and Yun Jin started practicing around the same time, give or take a day or two.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s going well, very smoothly,¡± Lin Ning really was sidetracked by his change of topic, too embarrassed to admit that she had ¡°too many distractions in her mind,¡± and simply said, ¡°Just a few more days¡¯ work left.¡±

    ¡°Alright then, hurry up and advance to the next stage,¡± Yan Yu stood up ready to leave, ¡°Departure Palace could open at any time, so it¡¯s better to advance sooner and have peace of mind.¡±

    As he was about to leave the room, he suddenly heard Lin Ning ask from behind:

    ¡°Um, Captain¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°When I meditate, I keep getting distracted¡­ Will that affect the efficiency of my Fasting practice?¡±

    ¡°What exactly are you thinking about?¡± Yan Yu turned around and asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡± Lin Ning fell silent for a moment, ¡°Those really handsome male celebrities on TV and such.¡±

    ¡°Ah, got it, you¡¯re spring feverish,¡± Yan Yu realized.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to kick you!¡± Lin Ning fumed, grinding her teeth.

    ¡°No worries,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°As long as it¡¯s not about food, it¡¯s fine to think about anything. The key is whether it can help you avoid thinking about how hungry you are.¡±

    ¡°Only when you completely rid yourself of the dependence on food and water, both physically and mentally, can you successfully cultivate the art of Fasting¡­ That¡¯s the goal, and the means to achieve it are up to you, don¡¯t be constrained by formalities.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Lin Ning¡¯s voice was soft and timid, as if shy, ¡°So him popping into my head uncontrollably, just because I subconsciously want to distract myself and suppress the impulse to eat, it¡¯s not because I have¡­ those feelings for him, right?¡±

    Yan Yu found it a bit odd; don¡¯t all you star chasers hope to get close to your idols? Why do you seem somewhat reluctant? sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± he nodded, ¡°So which male celebrity is on your mind?¡±

    For some reason, Lin Ning felt herself getting angry again.

    ¡°None of your business!¡± she huffed, glared at Yan Yu, then hurriedly fled, running back to her own room and even locking the door behind her.

    ¡°¡­Absolutely nonsensical.¡± Yan Yu shook his head, chuckling to himself.

    Back in her room, Lin Ning sat on the bed alone, lost in thought for a long time.

    ¡°Alright!¡± she suddenly stood up, clenched her fist firmly, and declared, ¡°I must cleanse my marrow as soon as possible!¡±

    I can¡¯t fall behind Yun Jin!

    In every aspect!

 Chapter 362 - 38: White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer

    Chapter 342: Chapter 38: White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer

    The current concentration of Spiritual Energy on Earth only supports cultivation at the initial stages of the Marrow Cleansing Stage.

    Therefore, the girls who had advanced to the Marrow Cleansing Stage shifted their focus to training.

    Su Yunjin¡¯s Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art had started to cultivate the fourth move: Feichao Fenye.

    Summoning nearly ten meters of surging tides to sweep away enemies in front of her¡ªof course, this would also deplete her own True Yuan drastically. If it hadn¡¯t been for her advancement to the Marrow Cleansing Stage, which significantly improved the quality of her True Yuan, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to use this move at all, even if she drained her Dantian.

    The indoor swimming pool in the side room on the first floor came into play once again; Su Yunjin¡¯s daily training consisted of filling the pool as quickly as possible and then draining it, repeating this cycle to practice her rapid water-filling ability.

    Xie Ruoxi was still practicing basic skills: movement, adaptability, defensive Sword Control Technique, and the accuracy of the Thunder Method. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ...

    Unfortunately, this girl seemed to have inherited both Lin Ning¡¯s ¡°rigid thinking¡± and Chen Lingyun¡¯s ¡°sluggish response,¡± where luxurious hardware was undercut by a chaotic software, so much so that Yan Yu didn¡¯t hold much expectation for her¡ªjust cultivating the habit of daily training was good enough, regardless of whether there was any improvement.

    Chen Lingyun and Lin Ning¡¯s current top priority was still to cleanse their marrow as quickly as possible, so they had not joined the regular training plan.

    Thus, the issue fell on Zhao Yuanzhen. Her control of the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin was already proficient, leaving little room for improvement, so it was time for her to claim a second magical weapon.

    In the principal¡¯s office, after hearing Yan Yu¡¯s purpose, Li Weiguo reached into a drawer and took out a tablet computer to hand over.

    ¡°Is this just the Zhendong Army¡¯s inventory, or does it include all four armies?¡± Yan Yu started swiping the screen.

    ¡°All four armies are included,¡± replied Li Weiguo. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s better to first choose from our inventory to avoid communicating with them¡­¡±

    He hadn¡¯t finished his sentence when he saw Yan Yu already swiping past the Zhendong Army¡¯s inventory list to start looking at the Annan Army¡¯s inventory.

    Li Weiguo was silent for a moment, then waved his hand in annoyance,

    ¡°Look at that side. Tell me once you¡¯re done.¡±

    Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen moved to a corner of the room, where the Demonic Sect Enchantress asked,

    ¡°What kind of magical weapon are you going to pick for me?¡±

    ¡°From the perspective of the team, it would be best to choose a defensive type, like Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler,¡± Yan Yu quickly swiped through the screen. ¡°But defensive types don¡¯t suit your temperament, do they?¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied proudly. ¡°What do I need defense for? Offense is the best defense. If you meet an enemy who completely overpowers you, you¡¯re ultimately doomed anyway, and using a defensive weapon would just delay the inevitable and add to the suffering. Better to just resolve in suicide quickly.¡±

    ¡°I knew this dumbass knew nothing about tactics,¡± Yan Yu said with contempt. ¡°Ever heard of counterattacking?¡±

    ¡°How could I not have heard of it?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen stubbornly said. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m best at¡ªcounterattacking.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re good at jack shit!¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue with her and continued browsing the catalog.

    Zhao Yuanzhen clenched her fists and seethed with secret hatred upon being cursed by him,

    ¡°Today you insult my ability to counterattack, I¡¯ll remember this. When my demonic powers are fully cultivated, I¡¯ll make sure to subdue that little thief, humiliate him thoroughly, and let him show me what ¡®counterattacking¡¯ is!¡±

    As she thought this, images came to mind.

    The little thief under her mercy, being ravaged while whimpering. Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s enjoyment grew, and she laughed wickedly:

    ¡°You¡¯re so knowledgeable about defense and counterattack, huh? Come on then, defend against me~ Counterattack me~ Mmhmm hmm haha hahahaha!¡±

    Thinking this, she squeezed her shapely legs together with a feeling of glee, wishing she could trample the little thief right then and there, stomping him fifty or sixty times to take her anger out.

    Seeing her smiling with a suggestive expression, Yan Yu had no idea what delusions she was entertaining, so he just continued checking the list of magical weapons.

    Defensive magical weapons are easy to use but difficult to master. Ye Jun was an exception in that her diligence and responsibility made her suitable for the meticulous work of defense. Moreover, her perseverance allowed her to control the Xuan Guang Ruler effortlessly.

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s temperament was not suited for a defensive support role, and her combat style was bold and lacking in finesse. Although the Zhenhai Team effectively needed a defensive player, it wouldn¡¯t make sense to force the Demonic Sect Enchantress into such a role, as it could lead to rebellion.

    Upon careful consideration, it appeared a control-type magical weapon might be a better option.

    As mentioned earlier, there¡¯s a problem with the list of magical weapons: you don¡¯t know their functions until you refine and acknowledge them as your own. But once you do, changing ownership is exceedingly difficult¡ªso while the list included various types of magical weapons, their effects and uses were completely unknown.

    Yan Yu could only rely on his past life¡¯s memory to skim over the array of magical artifacts he had never seen before, then focus on the few he recognized to weight their merits.

    There were many control type artifacts, but excellent ones were very rare; most had to hit the enemy to take effect and were easily blocked during pursuit, which raised a question:

    If you have already hit the enemy, why not just use an offensive artifact?

    Only when the enemy utilized a certain defense would control methods be useful. But at this stage, defensive spells and artifacts were even rarer than control types¡­

    As Yan Yu pondered silently, suddenly he saw Zhao Yuanzhen stretch out a finger and swiftly scroll up the list all the way to the top:

    ¡°How about this one?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s ¡®how about this one¡¯?¡± Yan Yu asked, puzzled. ¡°Isn¡¯t that just a hammer?¡±

    The image that Zhao Yuanzhen pointed out showed a strangely shaped hammer, made of a material that seemed like bone but wasn¡¯t and seemed like ivory but wasn¡¯t either. The hammer was carved with huge skull faces on both sides.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think this thing¡¯s design looks a lot like my White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said.

    She took out the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, and Yan Yu compared them closely.

    Indeed, they did resemble each other.

    On the hairpin of the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, there was also a skull carved, with two holes for eyes, one for the nose, and one large hole for the mouth¡­

    ¡°Idiot, don¡¯t all skulls look like that?¡± Yan Yu laughed, amused by her.

    ¡°No, look at the size, arc, and proportions of the skull¡¯s eye sockets!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen argued.

    Yan Yu looked again and indeed, it was the exact same skull.

    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t really prove anything; it¡¯s possible that the creator of the artifacts used the same technique.¡± He guessed uncertainly.

    ¡°It¡¯s also possible that these two artifacts are a pair.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said.

    That suggestion got Yan Yu¡¯s heart racing.

    To know, common artifacts were everywhere, but matched sets were hard to come by. Like the ¡°Nine Heavens Yin Demon Artifact Series¡± in Chen Lingyun¡¯s possession; used alone, they were no different from ordinary artifacts. But if one could collect more and extract the Nine Heavens Yin Demon divine inscriptions, it would be possible to derive a series of core Demonic Sect spells, including the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Secret Thunder, with awe-inspiring power.

    If this hammer and the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin were truly a pair, who would care about control artifacts? He would have to get it no matter what!

    ¡°Let¡¯s go with this one!¡± Yan Yu decided to take the gamble. Even if it turned out to be a mistake, he could just give Li Weiguo a face and let Zhao Yuanzhen choose again.

    Li Weiguo took back the tablet, wrote a note, and then said:

    ¡°Black and White Impermanence have agreed, but now is not the time; Chen Lingyun has to wait a bit more.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Yan Yu took the note.

    He went with Zhao Yuanzhen to the secret warehouse and used the note to collect the hammer. It was palm-sized and could be easily held and lifted with one hand, like a child¡¯s rattle, with an exquisitely carved skull on it that seemed almost lifelike.

    Zhao Yuanzhen grabbed the hammer and placed it next to the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, studying them closely for a long while before suddenly saying:

    ¡°It seems like they just plainly look alike¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mess with my head!¡± Yan Yu burst out angrily. ¡°Hurry up and give it back while it¡¯s not yet attuned to you!¡±

    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t rush, let me check again.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen picked up the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, and after fidgeting on the hammer¡¯s surface for a while, suddenly there was a whoosh sound.

    The White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, as if attracted by a magnet, was drawn straight into the eye socket of the hammer¡¯s skull.

    It was a perfect fit, as if made for it.

    ¡°So they really are a combined artifact?¡± Yan Yu was immediately stunned. ¡°You lucky fool¡­ what kind of dumb luck is this?¡±

    ¡°What dumb luck?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen perked up immediately, protesting, ¡°It¡¯s my discerning eye that recognized the treasure! Watch your mouth or I¡¯ll use this hammer to smash your damn head!¡±

 Chapter 363 - 59: Sealing Liu Longtao!

    Chapter 363: Chapter 59: Sealing Liu Longtao!

    Yan Yu quietly maneuvered the Flying Sword¡¯s light, trailing behind the Asura King and his Asura followers and saw that they had already engaged in battle with the Transcendents.

    On the opposing side were six superheroes, whose tactical cooperation was extremely skilled. The Berserker held the front line to contain the enemy, the Wizard cast long-range attacks from the rear, and the Cleric summoned various mythological creatures, shattering the battlefield into fragments and obstructing the Asuras¡¯ overwhelming sea of fire from spreading.

    The leader was a Cleric with a pair of wings on his back, wielding a great sword, circling around the Asura King unpredictably, adeptly dodging his fiery hammer and axe swings, moving with agility comparable to a Sword Control Cultivator.

    Upon closer inspection, Yan Yu recognized that this individual¡¯s professional path was the exceedingly rare ¡°Angel Incarnation Sect¡± within the Clerics.

    Simply put, it was the Western version of ¡°Inviting the Spirit Possession,¡± invoking so-called ¡°Heavenly Realm Angels¡± to possess ones body, thereby obtaining a comprehensive boost in combat strength. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    However, this Transcendent path had various problems, such as losing recognition of friends during battle, unable to distinguish between friend and foe, emotions gradually becoming numb and disappearing, consciousness being eroded and overtaken by the angel, and so on¡­ It was said that to the Heavenly Realm¡¯s messengers who descended, ¡°all humans have original sin flowing in their veins,¡± all are sinful, all must be destroyed¡ªthey must die, including the human body they occupied.

    ...

    Yan Yu wasn¡¯t exactly sure about the specifics since he hadn¡¯t deliberately collected information on Clerics (this crappy profession has at least twenty different branches, arguably the world¡¯s largest professional system), but in his past life, he had indeed encountered Clerics from the Angel Incarnation Sect, each feeling like a killing machine. The stronger they were, the less self-awareness they had, much like irrational madmen, truly difficult to handle.

    The Asura King, extremely irritated, simply opened his mouth and spat upward¡ªnot flames, but a large amount of magma.

    As this magma sprayed into the air, fire rain began to drizzle down shortly after, every drop of magma carrying an extremely high temperature, capable of setting fire to the slightest touch of cloth.

    The five superheroes promptly retreated, leaving only the Angel-possessed Cleric circling in the midst of the fire rain. Suddenly, during the instant the Asura King had yet to lower his head, the Cleric¡¯s wings vibrated, and he charged with his sword raised!

    The dazzling white radiance of the great holy sword surged mightily, striking halfway into the Asura King¡¯s throat before it could go no further.

    Because the Asura King had already extended his left hand, grasping the blade, preventing it from penetrating further. His right hand took the chance to grab the Cleric¡¯s wings and violently threw him into the magma flowing on the ground.

    Go to ????????????????????.co

    A short, pained scream was heard, and the Angel-incarnate Cleric turned into a flaming figure, struggling to crawl out of the magma, but the surroundings darkened suddenly¡ª the Asura King, close at hand, lifted his foot and brutally stomped down.

    Crack!

    Yan Yu¡¯s Divine Sense quickly swept over, and it would be an understatement to say he was broken and battered¡­ more accurately, he was flattened into a pancake.

    The Cleric was slain on the spot, the rest of the superheroes¡¯ morale was greatly damaged, and devoid of the will to fight, they hurriedly turned tail and fled.

    The Asura followers swiftly leapt through the fire into the air, doggedly chasing after them. The Asura King also wanted to step forward, but blood gushed from his throat like a fountain, and he had to press his neck with his hand in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

    Suddenly, he heard someone calling from behind:

    ¡°Leader!¡±

    The Asura King, with his left hand covering his throat wound and his right hand holding his fiery hammer and axe, staggered around, his vision in that instant completely filled with the surging light of Sword-Human Unity!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Meanwhile, Xie Ruoxi and Liu Longtao had left the Naihe Bridge and continued on their way for a while when they saw the mountain trail winding upward, the terrain growing noticeably steeper.

    Around the mountain path, numerous wild dogs roamed back and forth, their eyes gleaming green as they growled menacingly at the two, radiating ferocity.

    Xie Ruoxi felt somewhat scared, and silently transmitted a message to Liu Longtao:

    ¡°Kill them or not?¡±

    ¡°They are just a few wild dogs.¡± Liu Longtao said indifferently, ¡°Keep walking. If they become too troublesome, then kill them all.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Xie Ruoxi nodded, holding the Jade Pivot Thunder in her hand, ready to show no mercy if these wild dogs were to pounce on them.

    The Jade Pivot Thunder was specifically designed to counter Yin Ghosts, and as these wild dogs were transformations of various Yin Ghosts, they naturally feared the Jade Pivot Thunder, instinctively tucking their tails between their legs, not daring to cause trouble lightly.

    As the two delved deeper into the mountains, little did they know that a group of Onmyoji from the Yin Yang Bureau had quietly caught up behind them.

    Rikoku Cultivators entered the Mysterious Realm first, seizing the initial advantage; although the Transcendents from abroad were behind in progress, they also benefited: the enemies along the way had been cleared by the forerunners, greatly reducing their number and making them easy to handle.

    They quickly broke through the Ghost Gate and crossed the Naihe Bridge, arriving at the foothills of Black Dog Ridge.

    Among them, a Ninja formed a hand seal and suddenly spat out a large amount of powder, which sprinkled onto the ground and revealed a set of footprints ¡ª those left behind by Liu Longtao and Xie Ruoxi.

    The leader looked for a moment and asked,

    ¡°How long ago?¡±

    ¡°5 minutes,¡± the Ninja provided a precise number.

    ¡°Concealment mode!¡± the leader commanded with a wave of his hand.

    Apart from Samurai, both Ninja and Onmyoji in the Yin Yang Bureau had secret methods for stealth movement. Coupled with the eerie and strange surroundings and the low visibility, everyone quickly utilized various techniques to completely blend into the night.

    The team leader was the deputy to Xiandao Jingyin, named Sato Hiroshi. As he led his squad silently along the mountain path, his mind was also secretly scheming.

    Before entering the Mysterious Realm, the Yin Yang Bureau had made its intentions clear to everyone: the main strategy was covert operation, trying to avoid conflicts with Rikoku Cultivators until reaching the final stage.

    The implication was to let the Lihuayuan Swordsmen and the superheroes take the lead, mutually depleting each other with the Rikoku Cultivators, while they conserved their strength for the final treasure snatch.

    Although the superiors had a good plan, it couldn¡¯t prevent those below from having different ideas.

    Sato Hiroshi himself was of the Ninja occupation and, while serving as the deputy to Xiandao Jingyin, he always harbored the thought of usurping her.

    Xiandao Jingyin was not only extraordinarily talented but also descended from the ancient and wealthy Xiandao conglomerate. Simply having the conglomerate¡¯s backing ensured that she would always have access to the best cultivation resources at the Yin Yang Bureau headquarters.

    Sato Hiroshi considered his cultivation talent equal to hers and was convinced that Xiandao Jingyin¡¯s family background was the only reason she surpassed him. Therefore, he had long resolved to take advantage of the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng to make a name for himself, thus winning the favor of the bigwigs in the Yin Yang Bureau and contesting with Xiandao Jingyin for the title of ¡°God of Ninjas.¡±

    Defeating the widely known Liu Longtao of Rikoku was key to his plan.

    Of course, Liu Longtao was a top-ranking Rikoku Cultivator who, during the War of Ezo, made one of The Four Great Demon Kings, Shenyuan Simie, scurry around like a stray dog. Even with high self-esteem, Sato Hiroshi didn¡¯t think he could win against him in direct combat.

    But a Ninja¡¯s way is to move in secrecy and strike from the shadows!

    The reason he dared to formulate this plan was his confidence in a magical treasure he possessed¡ªa Talisman Paper in appearance, called the ¡°Myojin Gate Talisman.¡±

    Once he cast this Myojin Gate Talisman quietly onto the target, it would instantly become a colossal Myojin Gate, suppressing the opponent in the phantom realm behind the gate.

    No matter how formidable your Sword Control or Taoism Method, once sealed into the phantom realm to vanish, what can you do?

    Could you possibly shatter the void and break free? Hahahaha.

    Before entering the Mysterious Realm, Sato Hiroshi briefly took out his phone to peek at a live broadcast from Rikoku, confirming that Liu Longtao and an unknown female cultivator were in a sinister level of the Mysterious Realm.

    After entering the Mysterious Realm and recognizing the terrain around him, he immediately decided to lead his team alone, intending to seal Liu Longtao and use this triumph to climb the ranks!

    If he could seal his opponent, even if he had to report back to the Yin Yang Bureau later, he could claim it was ¡°discovery and forced combat.¡± Would not the higher-ups blame their meritorious servant?

    As for how to make Liu Longtao fall into the trap and underestimate the enemy, Sato Hiroshi also had a determined plan to use his teammates as bait.

    The specifics need not be mentioned at the moment¡ªthe success or failure hinged on this one action!

    He was staking everything on it!

 Chapter 364 - 60: Slaying the Asura King

    Chapter 364: Chapter 60: Slaying the Asura King

    Yan Yu unleashed the Sword-Human Unity ultimate move, cleaving into the Asura King¡¯s neck, instantly severing it two-thirds of the way through.

    The sword light swiftly turned back, only to see that the opponent had not fallen breathless to the ground but had rapidly transformed into a form with three heads and six arms, using one arm to clutch his neck, keeping the head from falling off the severed neckline. The other five arms summoned various weapons made of flames, beginning to spin violently around their owner as the axis.

    His spinning was so fast that the five weapons formed a high-temperature fiery tornado, and the heat waves surged toward all directions.

    Yan Yu had intended to continue the execution, but the impact of these heat waves was too intense, and he could only quickly inject his True Yuan, striving to keep his own sword light stable and not swept away by the heat waves¡ªlike a small boat in a storm.

    As the Asura King spun faster, the rising heat formed thick, black clouds above, which did not fall as rain but instead pressed lower and lower, creating a web of intersecting lightning in the sky. The thunder rumbled like war drums, thunderous sounds filling the sky, which even made Yan Yu feel a bit overwhelmed, thinking to himself, isn¡¯t this weather a bit too exaggerated? Isn¡¯t the current limit Foundation Establishment?

    It was downright frightening, like undergoing a tribulation.

    ...

    Through the camera on his chest, the live stream chat was flooded with messages, and the number of viewers skyrocketed.

    ¡°Is he about to transcend tribulation?¡±

    ¡°Done for! The Longcheng Flying General is defying the heavens, now ascending in broad daylight!¡±

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s start betting! Will the heaven¡¯s tribulation strike the Asura King or the Longcheng Flying General? Place your bets now, no change given!¡± S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°I¡¯m betting on the Longcheng Flying General! If it hits the Asura King, I¡¯m happy; if it hits the Flying General, I make money!¡±

    ¡°Win-win, huh? You¡¯re planning to win it all.¡±

    Go to ????????????????????.co

    Although the live stream was rife with speculation, Yan Yu knew that if the thunder came crashing down, it would definitely be targeting him.

    Because the Asura King was designed by the Mysterious Realm on purpose, to make numerous trial participants join forces against him. Now that he had found a shortcut and dealt a heavy blow to his opponent, the resulting terrifying heavenly phenomenon was also geared towards the level of all trial participants¡ªthat was why there was such terrifying momentum and scale.

    As he contemplated how to deal with it, suddenly a blossom of light enveloped him.

    A familiar feeling¡­ Ye Jun?

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Let¡¯s rewind time slightly, to where Ye Jun was trapped in the Heavenly Palace, boredly watching the performances of the musicians and witches.

    To be honest, they were too subtle and gentle, and she really couldn¡¯t appreciate them.

    The Departure Palace in the East Sea was a trial-type Mysterious Realm, where all levels were designed to test the abilities of the trial-takers, so she had guessed that this was probably a test of her social interaction skills.

    Connections are certainly an essential resource for cultivators. Moreover, since there seemed to be no internet or chat software in the world of cultivation, attending such banquets was the main way for cultivators to meet a lot of peers.

    When it came to social networking, Ye Jun was certainly not afraid.

    She had been articulate since childhood, even winning first place in a ¡°storytelling contest¡± in kindergarten, the type that could chat with anyone she met.

    But with the Heavenly Emperor acting as an elder, being overly troublesome, and always asking her about her personal life, Ye Jun also found it a bit difficult to cope.

    ¡°Fellow Daoist needn¡¯t worry too much,¡± the Heavenly Emperor said, ¡°Although the Asura King is brave, he considers himself superior. Unless someone pushes him to a dead end, he won¡¯t use his trump cards, so your husband definitely won¡¯t be in mortal danger.¡±

    Ye Jun showed a puzzled expression and asked:

    ¡°Why are you so sure that the Asura King won¡¯t be pushed to a dead end? Didn¡¯t you send him to assassinate the Asura King?¡±

    ¡°The Asura King is powerful, beyond the capability of your husband alone to contend with,¡± the Heavenly Emperor said with a smile while stroking his beard, ¡°As for the assassination, that was merely a jest.¡±

    Ye Jun: ¡­¡­

    Damn it, is it still possible to defect to the Mortal Realm now?

    ¡°As long as your husband dares to make the attempt on the Asura King¡¯s life, even if he fails and retreats, it will still prove that he is a friend rather than a foe,¡± continued the Heavenly Emperor, ¡°As for how to eliminate the Asura forces, relying on just the two of you is insufficient. We need to plan this out in the long term.¡±

    Ye Jun fell silent, merely hoping inwardly that Yan Yu would be rational and cautious, and not foolishly confront what he couldn¡¯t defeat.

    ¡°Now that everyone is here waiting, it¡¯s rather dull,¡± a guest spoke up with a laugh, ¡°Why not share with us how you and your husband formed your marital connection and achieved this wonderful union?¡±

    I¡¯ll share your head with a wild dog! Ye Jun cursed silently in her heart, not wanting to bother with him, but then heard the Heavenly Emperor laugh and say:

    ¡°I too am curious to know.¡±

    Ye Jun: ¡­

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing much,¡± she said with feigned indifference, not willing to elaborate. ¡°Met through a matchmaking session.¡±

    ¡°A matchmaking session, eh,¡± the guests nodded in agreement, ¡°That¡¯s in accordance with the parents¡¯ wishes and the matchmakers¡¯ words. It¡¯s proper human relations, very good, very good.¡±

    Ye Jun sighed inwardly and then heard Emperor Di say,

    ¡°Have you had any children?¡±

    Now they are even rushing me to have kids! Ye Jun raged inside, but managed to say reluctantly,

    ¡°Not yet.¡±

    ¡°Being cultivators, we enjoy long lives; there¡¯s no need to rush into extending the family lineage,¡± Emperor Di said with understanding.

    Ye Jun lamented secretly, hoping Yan Yu would come back soon; she could hardly take it any longer.

    Just then, a thunderous boom sounded from below, and Emperor Di¡¯s expression drastically changed. He rose from his imperial seat and said,

    ¡°That Asura King wants to struggle to the death!¡±

    Without further hesitation, Ye Jun said,

    ¡°I¡¯ll go help him.¡±

    She hastily left those words behind, enveloping herself in a sword light and swiftly departing from the Heavenly Palace, heading towards the surface.

    Finally, I can leave this place!

    Below the Heavenly Realm, the sky was filled with dark clouds. Unknown forces stirred endless thunder and fire, and the signs of heaven and earth shattering were becoming increasingly apparent.

    Ye Jun, anxious, swiftly maneuvered her sword towards the center of the thunder and fire, took out the Xuan Guang Ruler, and from afar, she protected Yan Yu¡¯s Huang Tingjian with a burst of light, forming a protective bloom.

    With the support of the Xuan Guang Ruler, Yan Yu felt more assured. He urged the sword light into Sword-Human Unity again and bravely plunged into the fiery tornado! Lightning bolts fiercely struck down from the sky, hitting him but being blocked by the light of the Xuan Guang Ruler, creating a deep, bell-like clash.

    Kill!

    The Asura King ceased his swirling dance and began slashing with his fiery weaponry. The hot wind whirled wildly, the earth trembled, and every movement carried immense power.

    But Yan Yu was fearless, starting with the move ¡°Rainbow Through the Sky¡± as he aimed at the opponent¡¯s head.

    The Asura King parried with his sword, retaliating towards the Huang Tingjian sword light. Yan Yu quickly withdrew his move and changed to ¡°Phoenix Dancing in the Heavens¡±¡ªthe sword light suddenly tilted downward, dodging the counter-slash!

    The enemy raised two arms again, the axe and halberd crisscrossing to block the path of the sword light. Yan Yu advanced instead of retreating, his sword light striking against the fiery axe and halberd and instantly transforming into ¡°Eagle Soaring in the Sky.¡± He dissolved the recoil force at a slight angle and rapidly delivered consecutive strikes!

    One, two, three, four, five! Five continuous slashes in an instant finally forced apart the fiery axe and halberd, and the sword light charged forward once more, executing ¡°Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix.¡± In an instant, it split into more than twenty sword qi after-images.

    The Asura King couldn¡¯t distinguish the real from the fake and swept away with his fiery hammer and axe, only to find that all the after-images vanished instantly.

    All fakes?

    In a flash of thought, a sharp pain struck the back of his neck again.

    When did¡­

    The live broadcast viewers were in an uproar as well. The director skillfully switched to split-screen footage, slowing down to replay the scene captured from Ye Jun¡¯s perspective, locking onto the position of Yan Yu¡¯s sword light.

    Yan Yu first executed ¡°Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix,¡± creating countless sword light after-images. Yet, he did not attack during this diversion but dissolved Sword-Human Unity, stepping backward in the air on the Huang Tingjian to borrow force and quietly appearing on the ground through the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step. He then cast the Invisibility Technique and vanished.

    As the Asura King¡¯s vision was occupied with the after-images of ¡°Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix,¡± and he slashed them with the fiery hammer and axe, the invisible Yan Yu appeared behind his neck. Just as his form emerged, he re-entered Sword-Human Unity.

    Slash!

    Sword Control flying slash was similar to the Sword Control Technique; the longer the flight distance, the stronger the strike. With a close-ranged attack, Yan Yu failed to make an impact on the Asura King¡¯s tough physical defenses, merely opening a small cut.

    But he was extremely skilled in swordsmanship, smoothly transitioning to ¡°Eagle Soaring in the Sky,¡± striking five times in a flash of lightning, forcibly breaking through the strong physical defense and severing one-third of the Asura King¡¯s neck. The massive head fell, blood gushing like a fountain and sprinkling like rain.

 Chapter 365 - 61: Lord Master Full of Confidence

    Chapter 365: Chapter 61: Lord Master Full of Confidence

    The Asura King crashed to the ground, and Yan Yu sheathed his sword and turned back to Ye Jun¡¯s side, asking,

    ¡°How did you get here?¡±

    ¡°Did you really just slaughter the Asura King?¡± Ye Jun was also stunned.

    Hadn¡¯t the Emperor of Heaven said that the Asura King couldn¡¯t be matched by a single person?

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Yan Yu said casually, ¡°just took a bit of a shortcut.¡±

    The ¡°Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix¡± creates a multitude of sword Qi afterimages, which are usually used to conceal the true form of the sword light, providing cover for the Sword Immortal to attack. Therefore, it also leads to a fixed way of thinking, that is, ¡°the opponent¡¯s true form must be hidden among the sword light afterimages.¡±

    ...

    Targeting this kind of habitual thinking, one could intentionally do the opposite, leaving the range of the sword Qi afterimages with their true form and sneak up behind the enemy to attack using an Invisibility Technique. In a past life, this tactic among Sword Immortals had a name that was famous far and wide, known as the ¡°Rabbit Trick¡±¡ªjust like a magician deliberately attracts your attention with flamboyant maneuvers, while secretly slipping a rabbit into a hat.

    Of course, in truly high-level Sword Immortal duels, what is emphasized is the art of emptiness becomes solid, and substance becomes void.

    If you see the ¡°Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix¡± and immediately think the opponent is trying to attack from behind, they could just as well hide within the sword Qi afterimages and launch a direct frontal assault¡­ In short, although there are only two variations, when executed by masters, they too can achieve an unpredictable effect.

    In the live broadcast room, the director replayed Yan Yu¡¯s ¡°Rabbit Trick¡± over and over again:

    Sword Qi turns into shadows! Sky-stepping reversal! Landing and vanishing! Flashing behind! One hit, one kill!

    Five tactical movements executed seamlessly in one breath, with a total duration of just two seconds. Even under slow-motion replay, they maintained a flowing speed and elegance, making the viewers in the live broadcast room erupt with excitement, with tons of astonished comments flooding the screen like waterfalls.

    Go to ????????????????????.co

    ¡°It¡¯s really¡­ really¡­¡± Zhou Erhe stuttered for quite a while, temporarily at a loss for words of praise, cursing his own limited vocabulary.

    ¡°Magnificent!¡± Xu Dongming suddenly exclaimed.

    ¡°Right, magnificent!¡± Zhou Erhe snapped out of his trance and sharply commented, ¡°Five extremely concise tactical moves compressed into a two-second seamless execution, still retaining an ultimate sense of magnificence even under a slow-motion camera. At normal speeds in reality, probably no one could react in time!¡±

    ¡°This is the peak power of the Longcheng Flying General!¡± Xu Dongming didn¡¯t want to be outdone, quickly continuing, ¡°Dear viewers in front of the TV, do you still remember the Longcheng Flying General¡¯s lightning-fast ¡®Gale Three Consecutive Strikes,¡¯ and how he nonchalantly walked through a minefield with explosions trailing behind him in the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm? In this world of martial arts, nothing is indestructible except for speed, and once again today the Longcheng Flying General has proven that his mobility has reached a peak of perfection! From now on, his signature move won¡¯t be the ¡®Gale Three Consecutive Strikes,¡¯ but the ¡®Gale Five Consecutive Strikes¡¯!¡±

    ¡°So the ¡®Three Consecutive Strikes¡¯ evolved into the ¡®Five Consecutive Strikes,¡¯ huh?¡± Zhou Erhe teased.

    ¡°Letting countless sword Qi afterimages remain in front, then flashing behind you for a second¡¯s kill, you tell me if that¡¯s frightening!¡± Xu Dongming shouted loudly.

    ¡°But what if the opponent sees the ¡®Gale Five Consecutive Strikes¡¯ and subconsciously defends their back?¡± Zhou Erhe joked.

    ¡°Then I just won¡¯t attack you from behind,¡± Xu Dongming immediately argued, ¡°I could attack from the left, from the right, or even jump above your head, what would you do then?¡±

    In the Annan National Defence Academy, hearing the commentators discuss countermeasures to the ¡°Gale Five Consecutive Strikes,¡± the members of the Qingan Team also fell into contemplation.

    Li Zhaojiang spoke after a moment of silence,

    ¡°Launching an attack with Invisibility Technique actually isn¡¯t hard to deal with, as divine sense scanning can break invisibility.¡±

    ¡°The key is his speed is too fast,¡± Li Minghu agreed, ¡°you see him deploy ¡®Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix¡¯ and conceal his figure, and before you have time to initiate a divine sense scan, he might have already circled behind you.¡±

    After a moment of careful thought, everyone felt it was really difficult to handle.

    As the commentators said, in the world of martial arts, speed is unbreakable. You can understand all the mechanics, but what can you do if your reaction speed can¡¯t keep up?

    You either learn from Ye Jun of Dragon Soar Team, whip out a Xuan Guang Ruler, and create a defensive shell covering 360 degrees around you, no matter from which direction the attack comes, or you simply have to train your reaction speed so as not to fall behind the rhythm of Longcheng Flying General in the future. Whether or not it¡¯s possible to train that is another question¡ªafter all, reaction speed is something that heavily relies on innate talent.

    ¡°Haoran¡¯s second magical weapon should be one for defense,¡± Li Zhaojiang decided.

    While the Qingan Team was making tactical adjustments, the Huofeng Team was collectively silent.

    Zhang Huaide didn¡¯t say much, after all, the mechanics had been explained by the commentators, and their analysis had no issues.

    But Captain Zhou¡­

    Her eyes casually glanced at Zhou Hongyu behind her glasses, only to see that though her face was expressionless, her hands clasped into fists on her knees hinted at the intense frustration brewing within her.

    It seemed Captain Zhou had always regarded Captain Yan as the one to chase after. Now, the difference in their strengths was clearly visible, and there appeared to be no hope in the foreseeable future for her to catch up and surpass Captain Yan.

    One could only hope that it wouldn¡¯t affect her subsequent performance.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    While Yan Yu and Ye Jun passed the first hurdle, Liu Longtao and Xie Ruoxi, unaware, continued along the mountain path of Black Dog Ridge.

    Intimidated by the Jade Pivot Thunder in Xie Ruoxi¡¯s hand, the stray dogs formed from lonely ghosts dared not approach. However, they sneakily followed behind the two, their numbers growing larger and larger.

    Seeing the situation turn dire, Liu Longtao knew that once these creatures amassed in enough numbers, they would eventually overcome their fear and swarm them¡ªit would be safer to start fighting now while there were fewer of them.

    ¡°Get ready to make a move.¡± He whispered to Xie Ruoxi.

    Xie Ruoxi hummed in acknowledgment and took out an elixir medicine from her bag, popping it into her mouth and letting it dissolve slowly under her tongue.

    Liu Longtao watched in surprise and thought to himself, ha, your True Yuan must be running out too, right? He snarkily transmitted his voice again, ¡°If your True Yuan can¡¯t keep up, just say so. We can take a break. Don¡¯t fail us when the real fight starts.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Xie Ruoxi replied, ¡°My True Yuan is plentiful.¡±

    ¡°Plentiful True Yuan?¡± Liu Longtao scoffed, ¡°Then why are you taking that elixir medicine?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not elixir medicine.¡± Xie Ruoxi took out a corner of the packaging to show him, ¡°It¡¯s Maltesers.¡±

    Liu Longtao: ¡­¡­¡­

    Seeing his defeated look, Xie Ruoxi instantly became more alert, quickly stuffed the packaging back into her pocket, and whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t you start asking me for any, I only have two or three pieces left, and I don¡¯t have enough for myself.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯d want your crappy snacks!¡± Liu Longtao almost blurted out, but managed to suppress the urge to scoff, continuing to whisper, ¡°Prepare to kill dogs.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    The two moved forward several dozen steps, then suddenly turned around and began their attack.

    Liu Longtao demonstrated his swordsmanship, cleanly slicing several wild dogs in half. Xie Ruoxi was even more nonchalant, wherever there were more dogs, she casually tossed the Jade Pivot Thunder, killing three to four times more wild dogs than Liu Longtao, leaving even Lord Master speechless.

    Aren¡¯t you going to save even a little bit of your True Yuan?

    These ghosts disguised as wild dogs, with minds similar to animals, were caught off guard by the sudden attack, and immediately scattered like birds and beasts, disappearing in the blink of an eye, leaving behind only a few corpses and a rusty nail.

    Liu Longtao scanned with his Divine Sense and found that the nail was actually a magical artifact, so he casually pocketed it.

    They continued along the mountain path, unaware that the noise from the fight had reached far away, alerting the Onmyoji team led by Sato Hiroshi.

    The group picked up the pace and moved stealthily to the spot, rounding a bend and, indeed, saw two figures walking ahead on the mountain road from a distance.

    The man on the left, who had an oppressive presence even from behind, was the captain of Lu Country¡¯s Dragon Soar Team, Liu Longtao. He was known as the ¡°Demon King of the Ferocious Dragon¡± by the Heavy Sakura, which couldn¡¯t be more telling¨DLiu Longtao had the combat prowess of a Demon King.

    The female cultivator on the right¡­ who is she? Don¡¯t recognize her. She¡¯s probably a minor character. Anyway, any slightly formidable cultivator from Lu Country would have been thoroughly researched by the Yin Yang Bureau, and he was sure he had never seen this person.

    ¡°One team, take a detour ahead and set up traps!¡± Sato Hiroshi quickly ordered, ¡°Second team, follow from behind and maintain distance!¡±

    ¡°Maintaining distance¡± meant staying outside the range of the Rikoku Cultivators¡¯ Divine Sense scan. Onmyoji preferred to fuss over details in combat, and even the most straightforward Samurai class liked to meticulously consider the angle and force of every sword strike.

    The first team, consisting of four Onmyoji, silently summoned their Shikigami and led their team to climb the rocks and ascend the cliff in order to intercept the two Rikoku Cultivators ahead; the second team continued to move stealthily forward, trailing behind Liu Longtao and Xie Ruoxi at the maximum distance their Divine Sense could scan¨Dthis distance depended mainly on the cultivator¡¯s own cultivation level. The higher the level, the greater the scanning range.

    Even though Xie Ruoxi was at the Marrow Cleansing Stage, her innate talent for cultivation was so exaggerated that her Divine Sense¡¯s scanning range was slightly broader than that of other same-stage Rikoku Cultivators.

    She was on guard against the previous pack of wild dogs when she suddenly became aware of several sneaky, strange Transcendents who had entered her Divine Sense scanning boundary from behind.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got enemies.¡± She suddenly stopped and whispered to Liu Longtao, ¡°Seems like Onmyoji.¡± sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Don¡¯t stop, keep walking.¡± Liu Longtao reacted even faster and swiftly replied, ¡°Pretend we haven¡¯t noticed them.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Xie Ruoxi continued walking.

    ¡°Get your act together.¡± Liu Longtao quickly reminded her.

    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Xie Ruoxi immediately adjusted.

    ¡°You¡¯re not very calm, are you?¡± Liu Longtao finally found an opportunity to tease, whispering, ¡°How did Yan Yu train you? You¡¯re still nervous at a time like this? Weren¡¯t you all imposing when you were killing your way here earlier?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi thought to herself, what do you know, PvE and PvP aren¡¯t the same, are they?

    Back in the team¡¯s internal training, she had never won against Lin Ning or Su Yunjin. She was nearly traumatized by Yan Yu, and now she had to fight life-and-death battles against top Transcendents from other countries. It would be strange if she wasn¡¯t nervous.

    ¡°Just relax, we¡¯ll win.¡± Liu Longtao laughed heartily, ¡°When it comes to experience fighting those scum, not even Yan Yu holds a candle to me.¡±

    ¡°Ha!¡± As soon as Yan Yu was mentioned, Xie Ruoxi was distracted again, replying irritably, ¡°You think you can do better than our captain?¡±

    ¡°Just watch me.¡± Liu Longtao boasted.

 Chapter 366 - 62: Teammates Gather, Lord Master Makes a Move!

    Chapter 366: Chapter 62: Teammates Gather, Lord Master Makes a Move!

    After slaying the Asura King, Yan Yu and Ye Jun had a brief chat, when suddenly they felt the world spinning round and round.

    When they came to, they were no longer in the same place but had automatically been transported to the next challenge¡¯s realm.

    This place was a valley filled with dense forests and the gentle babbling of rivers, an environment far better than the previous level¡¯s blood-red sky and earth.

    Yan Yu was surveying his surroundings when he suddenly sensed something amiss. Looking down, he saw his chest covered with fine bird feathers.

    Huh? How did I turn into a swallow?

    After scanning himself from head to toe with Divine Sense, Yan Yu confirmed that this was not an illusion but a very orthodox Taoist transformation technique¡­ The specific principle was unclear since transformation techniques were both rare and difficult to master. Take Sun Wukong, who had to become the disciple of the renowned Patriarch Bodhi to be eligible to learn those seventy-two transformations. You would know that this thing is a top-notch super spell, which can even be used to cunningly avoid heavenly tribulations once mastered.

    ...

    If someone casts a transformation spell on you during a duel, turning you into a pig or a sheep, for instance, you can¡¯t even muster a Sword Technique or a Spell. That would leave you utterly at the mercy of others.

    But Yan Yu knew that his bird transformation was definitely a Mysterious Realm mechanism, so as long as he completed the challenge, he would be restored to human form; therefore, he wasn¡¯t in any rush and began to flap his wings to take off.

    No sooner had he flown out of the thicket than he saw a lark flying towards him not far away.

    The lark¡¯s call was melodious and pleasant to the ear, but although Yan Yu was a swallow, he didn¡¯t understand the language of birds, so he had no idea what she was chirping. He could only transmit a message to ask,

    ¡°Ye Jun?¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Finally, the lark realized and quickly replied with Sound Transmission Technique, ¡°So, the Sound Transmission Technique can be used, huh? Yan Yu, why have we all turned into birds, do you have any clue?¡±

    Go to ????????????????????.co

    ¡°It should be the Mysterious Realm mechanism,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°It¡¯ll be fine once we pass the challenge.¡±

    ¡°After turning into birds, we¡¯ve also lost our clothes,¡± Ye Jun flapped her wings and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know if the camera can still function.¡±

    ¡°Whether it can or not, just act as if we still have the camera and continue to look for a way to pass the level,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Ye Jun replied, ¡°So, how do we find the way to complete the challenge?¡±

    ¡°Now that we¡¯ve turned into birds, although we still have True Yuan and can use Divine Sense, Sword techniques, Spells, and Taoism Methods that require hand seals are all unusable due to the lack of hands,¡± Yan Yu pondered carefully, ¡°Thus, this challenge certainly isn¡¯t about combat.¡±

    ¡°Indeed so,¡± Ye Jun added.

    ¡°We only have one option before us, which is to explore the environment everywhere,¡± Yan Yu analyzed.

    ¡°It¡¯s obvious,¡± Ye Jun said.

    ¡°The risk is that this place might not just have us two ¡®animals¡¯,¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°We have to watch out for predators of birds, like felines, serpents, and naturally, carnivorous hawks and falcons.¡±

    ¡°We do need to be careful,¡± Ye Jun agreed.

    ¡°Why are you echoing me again?¡± Yan Yu interrupted, ¡°We¡¯re discussing how to find the method to pass the challenge, not performing a comedy routine.¡±

    ¡°No, I really have no idea,¡± Ye Jun flew around Yan Yu, ¡°My head is full of chirp and chatter, and I feel like singing.¡±

    ¡°Instincts of a bird, eh?¡± Yan Yu mused, ¡°Why don¡¯t I feel something similar?¡±

    ¡°Swallows, compared to larks, aren¡¯t that vocal, I guess,¡± Ye Jun remarked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Yan Yu decided to observe first, ¡°You fly with me for now. Remember to use your Divine Sense to scan around on the way, and don¡¯t let your guard down¡ªthe swallow and the lark are pretty low in the bird food chain.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s be careful and off we go,¡± Ye Jun seemed somewhat excited, soaring up and down around Yan Yu, unclear if she took the words to heart.

    She followed Yan Yu as they flew forward. Although she managed to hold back on chirping, she couldn¡¯t stop transmitting messages:

    ¡°Yan Yu, did you know that as a child, the animal I most wanted to become was a bird?¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°Because birds can fly, you know? Just fly wherever you want to go, how cool is that.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    ¡°I know I talk a lot, but I¡¯m just excited that a dream came true. Hey! Do you think that in the later stages of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, there will be a spell to transform into a bird?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if there is a spell to turn into a bird, but I do know one to shut you up.¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯ll stop talking, I¡¯ll zip it.¡± Flying Sword replied.

    The two birds, feeling somewhat tired from flying, scanned the area with their Divine Sense to ensure there were no carnivorous animals around before descending to rest on the treetops below.

    Yan Yu raised his wings and started to comb the feathers that had been ruffled by the wind with his beak.

    It wasn¡¯t that he had a bird¡¯s consciousness, but rather that having his feathers ruffled was quite uncomfortable¡ªmuch like the feeling of messy hair upon waking up that simply needed to be tidied to feel right.

    Ye Jun glanced around for a moment, then suddenly hopped along the branch towards Yan Yu and began to use her beak to help him straighten his feathers.

    ¡°Hey, what are you doing!¡± Yan Yu was startled.

    ¡°I¡¯m helping you comb your feathers,¡± Ye Jun said with a chuckle, ¡°Wow, your feathers are so soft~¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, mind your own business.¡± Yan Yu flapped a wing to push her away.

    This lady from Jinmen usually seemed quite serious, so how come she turned into such a lively bird once transformed? Could it be that some bird-loving gene from her ancestral Pingjing bloodline had awakened?

    Ye Jun was about to say something else when her tone suddenly became tense:

    ¡°An animal is coming.¡±

    Yan Yu also released his Divine Sense and detected a white-furred fox and a spotted leopard cat climbing a hill far away, looking in their direction.

    Despite the trees obscuring the view between them, it was clear that the creatures were focusing on them¡ªYan Yu knew then that these two were also cultivators capable of scanning with Divine Sense.

    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± He quickly sent a telepathic message.

    The response came back with a surprised delight:

    ¡°Captain?¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Liu Longtao and Xie Ruoxi climbed up the hillside and noticed that the pack of wild dogs had regrouped and were peering at them from about ten meters away.

    ¡°They¡¯re still following us?¡± After Liu Longtao scanned the area with his Divine Sense and didn¡¯t find any enemy aside from the wild dogs, he telepathically asked Xie Ruoxi again.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Xie Ruoxi replied, ¡°They¡¯re behind us, just past the gorge we just crossed.¡±

    ¡°Your Divine Sense can reach that far?¡± Liu Longtao was immediately astonished.

    ¡°Ah?¡± Xie Ruoxi seemed puzzled. ¡°Can¡¯t you?¡±

    Her simple four-word reply was like a heavy hammer smashing down on Lord Master¡¯s head, who always prided himself on his exceptional talents. It left him nearly seeing stars, and he almost fainted before barely steadying his mind and replying:

    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this now. So they¡¯re still keeping their distance, right?¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Xie Ruoxi said, ¡°It looks like they¡¯re waiting for something.¡±

    ¡°In that case, let¡¯s do the opposite of what they expect,¡± Liu Longtao pondered for a moment before saying coldly, ¡°Let¡¯s hit them back!¡±

    ¡°Ah, are we going to confront them?¡± Xie Ruoxi tensed up again.

    ¡°What else?¡± Liu Longtao retorted. ¡°Right now, what they¡¯re waiting for is either for that pack of wild dogs to attack us again, or for some other kind of trap for us to step into. If we don¡¯t take the initiative now, the situation will only get worse as time drags on!¡± sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Oh, I see,¡± said Xie Ruoxi, still feeling helpless, ¡°but what exactly should we do¡­?¡±

    ¡°Follow me!¡± Liu Longtao suddenly turned, his body enveloped in the glow of his sword, and boldly charged back down the path they had come from.

    Sword Control slash!

    Xie Ruoxi was startled and quickly activated her Shifting Technique, following the swift Ying Long Sword¡¯s light, heading straight towards the gorge where the Onmyoji were hidden.

 Chapter 367 - 63: Understanding, Divinity, Gateway

    Chapter 367: Chapter 63: Understanding, Divinity, Gateway

    Lord Master said, ¡°When it comes to dealing with these scumbags, old Yan doesn¡¯t know as much as I do,¡±¡ªof course, he wasn¡¯t just talking big without a basis.

    Among the many cultivators of Lu Country, only he had experience clashing with the four great Demon Kings of the Yin Yang Bureau, whereas Yan Yu, though he had fought in the battle of Black Dragon Isle, had faced Shinyori Guang who was not of Demon King level. That¡¯s why Liu Longtao considered himself the one with the richest combat experience against Onmyoji among the cultivators of Lu Country.

    Xie Ruoxi felt afraid and tense, which was, of course, understandable.

    The biggest difference between PvP and PvE is that when you attack, the latter usually opts to tank it directly, whereas the former will come up with targeted strategies.

    In the usual team practice, Su Yun Jin would use the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art to restrict her movements and vision; Lin Ning would use the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step to make it difficult for her to aim; and the most mischievous Yan Yu would always pretend to almost get hit by her, forcing her to use 120% of her strength before ruthlessly defeating her without mercy.

    After such training over time, although Xie Ruoxi¡¯s skills improved rapidly, her confidence dwindled more and more.

    ...

    I can take on monsters, but when it comes to fighting people, I¡¯m really not good at it!

    But with Lord Master already engaging in fierce battle, she had no other choice but to steel herself and follow him with her swift movements.

    Seeing the two ahead suddenly turn around and charge, the Onmyoji hiding behind the mountain stream were all confused: Have we been exposed?

    But they didn¡¯t have time to think further because Liu Longtao had already raised his hand.

    Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens!

    The flaming dragon traced a scorching trajectory, diving straight toward the Onmyoji¡¯s position.

    Go to ????????????????????.co

    In an instant, all Onmyoji scattered in all directions, perfectly avoiding the range of the dragon¡¯s explosion.

    Liu Longtao instantly got furious, immediately guessing the situation: These scumbags from the Yin Yang Bureau had calculated the blast radius of my Taoism Method based on past battles and live broadcast footage, then went through targeted dodge training!

    In the external live broadcast, noticing that Liu Longtao had engaged with the Onmyoji, the director quickly switched the screen over.

    ¡°Oh no!¡± Zhou Erhe shouted, ¡°Liu Longtao¡¯s big move missed!¡±

    ¡°No problem!¡± Xu Dongming immediately corrected, ¡°Though he didn¡¯t hit the enemy, he has scattered their formation!¡±

    The executive director quickly looked at the cultural officer beside him, who nodded in agreement, signaling that he was correct.

    If you¡¯re in a one-versus-many situation, disrupting the enemy¡¯s formation is a crucial tactical step. If you do nothing, the enemy just needs to line up and attack you without restraint, meaning you¡¯ll spend most of your time and effort dodging and moving around.

    Although Liu Longtao¡¯s Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens missed, it left a large area of flames on the ground, completely scattering the enemies and preventing them from quickly mounting a counterattack¡ªnow was the perfect time to annihilate the enemy!

    He manipulated the Sword technique in his hands, and once again merged his figure with the sword light, slashing with Sword Control!

    ¡°Takahashi!¡± Sato Hiroshi quickly ordered.

    The Samurai, Takahashi, swiftly confronted him, a sword in each hand, blocking the way.

    Although the training system of Rikoku shares the three main professions of Samurai, Ninja, and Onmyoji, it is collectively known as the ¡°Onmyoji system,¡± implying that Onmyoji are the main element, with Samurai and Ninja as auxiliaries. Among them, Samurai bear the duty of protecting Onmyoji, characterized by being short on reach but extremely tough, like the shell of a tortoise.

    Liu Longtao had no intention of entangling with him, so his sword light suddenly changed course, targeting another side.

    This time he chose an Onmyoji. The opponent flipped his hand, and between his fingers was already a Talisman Paper¡ªthat thing was almost like a Pok¨¦ Ball, storing the Shikigami controlled by the Onmyoji.

    The Talisman Paper ignited without wind and transformed into a giant cyclopean monk wielding a wooden staff and striking down forcefully.

    But the speed of Liu Longtao¡¯s sword light was faster. Renowned for his robust True Yuan, by merely directing extra twenty percent more True Yuan, the speed of his sword light surged instantly, piercing into the cyclops¡¯s eye before the staff could swing down, and then penetrated through the back of its head, charging down mercilessly.

    The Onmyoji had not expected their giant cyclopean monk to be killed in a split second, hastily reaching for another Talisman Paper. Yet before he could activate and ignite it, the sword light had already pierced through his chest.

    Liu Longtao killed a man face-to-face, then suddenly heard Xie Ruoxi transmit a message:

    ¡°More people are coming from behind!¡±

    Through Xie Ruoxi¡¯s perspective, the audience outside the live broadcast could see clearly that four onmyoji were charging ferociously from the front!

    ¡°New enemies have joined the battlefield!¡± Zhou Erhe exclaimed rapidly, ¡°It turns out the onmyoji had split into two groups early on, one quietly following behind, and the other waiting in ambush in front! Fortunately, Liu Longtao saw through the enemy¡¯s tricks! But it¡¯s no use, he¡¯ll still be caught in a pincer attack!¡±

    This time, there was no need to consult the literary officer. The executive director quickly made a hand gesture, and someone outside hurriedly held up a sign:

    Confidence.

    Upon receiving the signal, Xu Dongming immediately interrupted his colleague, saying:

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry! In a fight, it¡¯s about quality, not the number of enemies. Those soldiers who got instantly killed by Liu Longtao during a face-off, even if there were forty or four hundred of them, it would be useless!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, that¡¯s right!¡± Zhou Erhe also realized and quickly corrected himself, ¡°Just like Guan Yunchang fighting through five passes and slaying six generals, what use are lots of foot soldiers? They¡¯re just targets for a fierce general to chop like cutting vegetables!¡±

    ¡°If Yan Yu is Lu Bu reincarnated, then Liu Longtao is Guan Yu of Lu Country, he is Liu Yunchang.¡± As soon as Zhou Erhe made comparisons to Three Kingdoms characters, Xu Dongming also began to boast, ¡°Liu Yunchang might be slightly less powerful than Yan Fengxian, but taking out seven or eight Hua Xiongs would be no problem at all.¡±

    ¡°Hey, Hua Xiong was also quite powerful, okay?¡± Zhou Erhe interrupted with a laugh, ¡°I think these onmyoji aren¡¯t even as good as Hua Xiong.¡±

    ¡°Exactly!¡± Xu Dongming immediately spoke up, ¡°When Guan Yunchang cut down Hua Xiong, Hua Xiong still managed to exchange a few blows. When Liu Yunchang cuts down onmyoji, the opponents don¡¯t even last one move, at best they are like the ordinary Cao soldiers slain by Zhao Yun, charging in and out seven times as if in an uninhabited territory¡­¡±

    The two were crazily boasting about Liu Longtao, causing the executive director to frown as well, feeling it was a bit too much.

    And looking at the barrage, it was unanimously telling them to stop jinxing it, clearly the live broadcast audience couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Hey, what I¡¯m saying is the truth!¡± Xu Dongming was unconvinced and argued with the barrage, ¡°During the Battle of Ezochi, Liu Longtao made Shinyori Simie, one of the Four Great Demon Kings of the Yin Yang Bureau, flee in panic, and Simie even had to resort to the technique of substituting a paper dummy for his death to barely escape. As one of the Four Great Demon Kings, isn¡¯t Simie slaughtering these onmyoji grunts like unparalleled grass-cutting? If we round it up, isn¡¯t it equivalent to Liu Yunchang¡¯s unparalleled grass-cutting? My judgment is based on facts, okay? Those who say I¡¯m jinxing it should go watch the live broadcast video of the Battle of Ezochi, alright?¡±

    But the barrage was relentless, with people starting to spam comments like ¡°If you dare jinx him to death, I¡¯ll knife you.¡±

    ¡°He won¡¯t get jinxed to death!¡± Xu Dongming got even more excited and shouted, ¡°Liu Yunchang can kill one in two seconds, so for eight people, it¡¯ll only take him sixteen seconds. Can¡¯t you do elementary school math? If you can¡¯t, then press the damn calculator! I can bet with the audience friends, Liu Yunchang will end the battle within five minutes, and if it takes longer, I¡¯ll eat this microphone in front of me!¡±

    Meanwhile, back at the scene, Xie Ruoxi sent a psychic message to report, and Liu Longtao immediately responded:

    ¡°Hold on for a while, and run towards me if you can¡¯t withstand it any longer.¡±

    As soon as the words were out, Xie Ruoxi immediately started running towards him.

    Liu Longtao: ¡­¡­¡­

    Great, you act all fierce like a tiger when fighting monsters, but turn into a timid mouse when facing humans, huh?

    He really didn¡¯t know what to say, thinking he¡¯d just have to kill faster on his end and then go back to help her.

    Liu Longtao transformed into a beam of sword light once more, heading straight for Sato Hiroshi, who was coming from behind.

    Sato Hiroshi made a quick retreat gesture, throwing a smoke bomb on the ground to cover himself with smoke.

    Even though the smoke could shield his divine sense, Liu Longtao relied on his swift sword light. Before the enemy had time to leave his original position, he thrust fiercely towards the location of the enemy in his memory.

    Slay!

    His sword pierced into flesh, but something felt off¡ªit must have hit a ninja¡¯s straw dummy.

    Just as Liu Longtao was about to withdraw his sword and leave, he suddenly saw a piece of talisman paper flying towards him from the side. Taking advantage of the smoke cover, it silently flew to his side and stuck onto his back.

    Before Lord Master could even exclaim ¡°Damn,¡± a divine gate suddenly descended from the void. In an instant, it sucked in all the smoke and Liu Longtao, who was amongst it, into the space behind the gate.

 Chapter 368 - 64: Little Ruoxi, With Such Courage

    Chapter 368: Chapter 64: Little Ruoxi, With Such Courage

    ¡°`

    Statisticians have done some calculations, and so far, Rikoku Cultivators have maintained a perfect victory record in all external conflicts.

    Conspiracy theorists dispute this claim, arguing that if Rikoku Cultivators were to lose, would they really extensively publicize that loss for you to know and include in the statistics?

    The statisticians counter, saying, ¡°My statistics are based on live broadcasts of the conflicts. Can you predict whether you¡¯ll win or lose before the broadcast starts?¡±

    Indeed, predictions are definitely impossible; everyone can only rely on estimates.

    For example, in conflicts at the Southern Border where the enemy-to-ally ratio is extremely disproportionate, and we don¡¯t have the advantage, of course, we wouldn¡¯t engage in any redundant operations.

    ...

    The reason why the East Sea Mysterious Realm is being broadcast live is twofold, first because the authorities have a lot of confidence in Yan Yu and Liu Longtao¡¯s combat team, as these two are currently the strongest cultivators in Rikoku; second, aside from the Yin Yang Bureau, the Pear Blossom Courtyard and Superhero Alliance are also broadcasting the entire event, and the international audience base is too large¡ª even if you don¡¯t broadcast it domestically, you can¡¯t completely block it. The public would attempt to get information through unofficial channels, in which case the overall situation becomes uncontrollable.

    Of course, everyone, both the authorities and the public, only want to see victories, not defeats.

    Winning not only boosts morale and stabilizes public sentiment but also deters the transcendent forces in neighboring regions, letting many petty players know that Rikoku¡¯s martial virtues are profound. If we lose ¡­ it¡¯s the same as a failed rocket launch; it¡¯s inevitable and not grounds for criticism, and everyone should act as if nothing happened.

    When Liu Longtao was sealed by the Myojin Gate Talisman, the command center of the Privy Council, closely monitoring the inside of the Mysterious Realm, immediately entered an emergency state.

    First, whether to cut the live broadcast?

    The live broadcast had a time delay. Cutting it off urgently means that the external audience would no longer see it.

    Go to ????????????????????.co

    The leader waved a big hand, cut!

    Second, whether to initiate a rescue?

    Rikoku had many emergency plans prepared, such as the five hundred Military Manor cultivators hidden within the fleet outside the Departure Palace in the East Sea.

    At a critical moment, at the command, five hundred people would rush into the Mysterious Realm, carrying out a costly human wave tactic to rescue the hero, and then crudely capture the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng.

    However, the problem with this approach is: if you win with human wave tactics this time, then to prevent you from repeating the same tactic, other forces will definitely adopt the same human wave tactics, escalating the intensity of the war indefinitely. Everyone bears high casualties, enduring to see who can last ¡­ Considering the number of transcendent beings in Rikoku is far less than those abroad, it¡¯s highly likely that Rikoku would not be able to endure and would be forced to relax the controls on cultivation practices. A massive population of over a billion people would take up immortal cultivation, and we would unroll the scroll!

    Following this path, Rikoku would certainly win in the end, but which generation of Rikoku¡¯s people would enjoy the fruits of victory is uncertain¡ª looking at the current situation at the Southern Border, this strategy is like the Seven Injuries Fist; before inflicting ten million points of damage on the outside, one must first sustain eight million points to oneself. Even families like Yan Yu¡¯s Chen Family and Liu Longtao¡¯s Liu Family cannot guarantee they could survive the damage from the Seven Injuries Fist, to say nothing of others.

    After some contemplation, the leaders decided to hold their position and ordered everyone to be on standby.

    Because Xie Ruoxi was still on the scene!

    Although Liu Longtao was sucked into the Myojin Gate, his death was not confirmed. If Xie Ruoxi could withstand the attack or even counter and save Liu Longtao, that would be the best outcome; but as soon as she showed the slightest sign of being overpowered, they would flip the table.

    As the signal was cut by the Privy Council, there was an immediate uproar in the live broadcast room.

    The two commentators seemed to have realized something. Although they were asking the director ¡°Is there a problem with the signal?¡± and reassuring the audience by saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, our technical staff is working on it urgently,¡± the expressions on their faces were already very serious, lacking the previous ease and casual attitude.

    The live broadcast room also initiated a site-wide mute, leaving the audience to watch the studio staff busily walking around, making noise, and pretending to be occupied.

    Xie Ruoxi, unaware of what was happening outside, saw Liu Longtao suddenly get sucked into the Myojin Gate and her expression turned to one of shocked horror.

    This is bad!

    This is really bad, Liu Longtao has capsized in the gutter too. Maybe I should just run for it¡­

    Run, run, run¡­ No, I can¡¯t run!

    Xie Ruoxi forcefully suppressed the urge to flee because a thought suddenly rose in her mind:

    If it were my team leader who got sealed, and I chose to run away at this moment, wouldn¡¯t that doom him¡­

    With that thought, a slight yet resilient courage began to grow in her chest:

    ¡°`

    What are you running for? I¡¯m going all out against you guys!

    Sato Hiroshi had no idea that in the mere blink of an eye, her mentality had shifted from a timid, scared rabbit to a fierce and brutal man-eater, he was simply concentrating all his effort on controlling the Myojin Gate Talisman, and gave the order:

    ¡°Second team, come assist me, first team, finish her off quickly!¡±

    Liu Longtao seemed to be sealed inside the Myojin Gate, struggling in vain to break free, but in reality, he was inside, bombarding with Taoism Method, trying to escape his confines.

    The Myojin Gate Talisman was not a high-grade magical treasure, naturally lacking the earth-shattering divine powers and grandeur of a Mysterious Realm, and as Liu Longtao used the Taoism Method to bombard it, cracks appeared instantaneously on the talisman.

    Sato Hiroshi could only barely maintain the control over the Myojin Gate Talisman to prevent it from being broken through but had no extra strength to suppress and strangle Liu Longtao, thus urgently calling his companions for help.

    With one person down, the remaining two in the second team hurried over to assist Sato Hiroshi, channeling their True Qi into the Myojin Gate Talisman to contest with Liu Longtao inside.

    The four from the first team charged towards Xie Ruoxi with immense ferocity, only to see her suddenly displaying the Shifting Technique.

    And started sprinting.

    The Thousand-Mile Movement Technique of Rikoku Cultivators enabled one to run on flat ground as fast as a galloping horse. For example, it was mentioned in ¡°Water Margin¡± that the swift messenger Dai Zong could travel eight hundred miles in a day, all thanks to a pair of leg bindings styled like a horse¡¯s armor.

    Xie Ruoxi, who was commonly trained by Yan Yu, was used to being beaten during practice. Although she started late and her natural talent was lacking, making her mobility somewhat inferior to Su Yunjin¡¯s, she had already far surpassed ordinary Rikoku Cultivators. Her rapid movements, sudden stops, and turns, though executed with proper form, made it hard for the four opponents to aim accurately.

    In the command center of the Privy Council, everyone was watching Xie Ruoxi¡¯s perspective, swift as lightning and constantly shifting, they were speechless.

    Why won¡¯t you use your Thunder Method! The Longcheng Flying General specifically went to the Pingxi Army to¡ªnot to beg, but to exchange¡ªfor that crucial technique for you, why don¡¯t you use it!

    Although everyone was internally criticizing, no one dared to rush her out loud, instead discreetly observing their leader¡¯s expression.

    The leader wore a serious look and made a firm decision:

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait for her a little longer!¡±

    ¡°A little longer¡± could mean any length of time, and one would be wise to not ask, because it was the leader who made the call on timing and shouldered the responsibility. Everyone merely shut their mouths and prayed silently:

    Go Xie Ruoxi¡­

    Wipe them out!

    However, Xie Ruoxi couldn¡¯t hear their thoughts, her running growing more vigorous, leaving all the attacks flailing behind her, and she wondered:

    Huh, these guys¡­ seem pretty weak, don¡¯t they?

    Hehe, they can¡¯t even hit me.

    With her confidence surging, she suddenly stopped in her tracks without turning, her hands already forming a ball of lightning, and hurled it directly at the nearest person.

    That person was a ninja known for their agility and swiftness, who quickly dodged to the side upon seeing the attack. The lightning bolt whizzed past where he¡¯d just been, shooting towards the samurai behind him.

    The samurai didn¡¯t dodge or avoid, raising his sword high above his head and shouted a thunderous cry, the blade shining brilliantly as he chopped down mightily! Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    He actually intended to slice through the thunder itself!

    With a flash of the blade, the light scattered¡ªIn the moment that the samurai¡¯s sword met the divine thunder, it shattered into more than a dozen metal fragments, while the divine thunder remained completely unscathed, striking him directly on the head.

    The prideful defense of the samurai crumbled under the assault of the Thunder Method.

    His head was blown to pieces, akin to a watermelon split by a wooden sword.

 Chapter 369 - 65 Only I, Immortal Venerate Xie, Above Heaven and Beneath Earth

    Chapter 369: Chapter 65 Only I, Immortal Venerate Xie, Above Heaven and Beneath Earth

    Xie Ruoxi cast a Thunder Method spell, shattering a samurai to pieces and startling the three nearby onmyoji so badly that they jumped in fright.

    What?

    The battlefield is ever-changing, and there¡¯s no time for second thoughts. Therefore, the three quickly adjusted their strategy:

    The opponent is highly mobile; hitting them with precision is too difficult¡­ Switch to wide-area attacks!

    Two onmyoji scattered to either side, forming hand seals and opening their mouths slightly.

    Subdue Demon Fire!

    ...

    The spell took the form of pure blue flames, shooting out in a rapid spray like machine-gun bullets. When it hit its target, it would continue burning the practitioner¡¯s spiritual power, which was particularly disadvantageous to transcendents of Lu Country who heavily relied on True Yuan.

    The remaining ninja leapt high into the air, about three meters up, formed hand seals and, with a swing of hands, launched a large volley of shuriken that sealed off all directions around Xie Ruoxi. Each shuriken was laced with a fast-acting poison that could paralyze muscle and nerve; a mere scratch would slow the victim down, and then they would become stationary targets for the Subdue Demon Fire. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t realize how exquisitely the three opponents coordinated their tactics. Seeing their attack coming like a storm, she quickly commanded the Heavenly Origin Sword to fly up and fiercely stabbed it into the ground before her!

    Take cover behind the sword!

    The three adversaries took a closer look and almost spat blood on the spot.

    The Heavenly Origin Sword was an oversized heavy sword, much like a door panel. Xie Ruoxi, being quite petite herself, hid behind it as if she were shielded by an ancient Roman tower shield, revealing not a sliver of her body.

    The swarm of shuriken was the first to hit the ground, making the Heavenly Origin Sword clatter, followed by the blue Subdue Demon Fire rain, both firmly blocked by the sword.

    The ground all around was a total mess, with flames burning everywhere and steel debris scattered about.

    Behind the Heavenly Origin Sword, Xie Ruoxi was unhurt, her expression neither sorrowful nor joyous, as if she were a high monk who had seen through the vicissitudes of life.

    ¡­Why did she inexplicably recall those terrible past memories when using this tactic?

    Once the enemies¡¯ attack ended, Xie Ruoxi immediately dashed out, forming a sword technique with her left hand to lift the Heavenly Origin Sword again while her right hand clenched a ball of lightning.

    My turn! Attack!

    In the usual battle team drills, her swordsmanship was mainly taught by Lin Ning, while Taoist techniques were imparted by Su Yunjin. Hence, Xie Ruoxi¡¯s combat style embodied traits of both girls. She unleashed Lin Ning¡¯s favored technique, the White Rainbow Pierces the Sun, and aimed first at the onmyoji on the far left.

    According to Lin Ning, the opening sword move should not be hesitant, the faster, the better¡ªto seize the initiative!

    White Rainbow Pierces the Sun was the fastest among all moves, striking the onmyoji in the blink of an eye.

    Caught off guard, the onmyoji¡¯s head was immediately crushed by the Heavenly Origin Sword, leaving Xie Ruoxi stunned.

    Oh, too weak!

    When I spar with Sister Ningning, no matter when I use White Rainbow Pierces the Sun, it never hits her!

    In her right hand, she had clenched a Divine Sky Thunder, originally planning to use it for a follow-up strike once the opponent dodged, but she hadn¡¯t expected the opposition to be unable to withstand even her swordsmanship.

    She casually threw the Divine Sky Thunder toward the onmyoji on the right, simultaneously dodging the second wave of the enemy¡¯s attacks. Her sword technique in hand changed swiftly as she attacked the ninja with the Phoenix Dances in the Heavens.

    Phoenix Dances in the Heavens depended on a ¡°tail follows the head¡± concept; seemingly moving left when actually moving right, effectively confusing the enemy¡¯s visual judgment. However, Xie Ruoxi¡¯s swordsmanship was so poor that the Heavenly Origin Sword followed a very awkward path, akin to a diver from Rikoku entering the water back-first.

    Such a clumsy posture couldn¡¯t deceive the ninja, who instantly saw through her sword path and dodged to the left, grabbing the onmyoji, who was still trying to avoid the lightning, and performed the Substitution Straw Man Technique.

    Xie Ruoxi was unaware, and upon seeing the two evade the lightning, she promptly directed the Heavenly Origin Sword to intersect their path, only to end up smashing the substitution straw man to pieces.

    Oops! Misjudged!

    The ninja, along with the onmyoji, dodged the lightning and sword light, swiftly cast a handful of smoke to the ground that created a vast cloud hiding them from the divine sense.

    Miasma Cloud Luo Technique!

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s divine sense swept over but found it completely blocked from the outside, and she suddenly recalled Su Yunjin¡¯s advice:

    ¡°The Taoist method must hit to be effective. When my spell aiming was poor, I would intentionally expand the attack range to ensure hitting the enemy.¡±

    Yun Jin¡¯s Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art could flood a larger area the more True Yuan was infused into it; my Thunder Method is different, though, where True Yuan only increases the lethality of the spell, not the attack range.

    Ugh, this is frustrating.

    I can only throw few more spells of Thunder Method to try and make up for the lack of accuracy.

    The two opposite were hiding in the clouds and fog, and Xie Ruoxi¡¯s Divine Sense couldn¡¯t scan it, so there was no such thing as accuracy to speak of. She simply cast spells with both hands, Jade Pivot Thunder in her left and Divine Thunder in her right, launching an onslaught!

    Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh! Two Jade Pivot Thunder and two Divine Thunder spread out in a wide fan shape, completely covering the area shrouded in smoke!

    In the mist, both the Ninja and Onmyoji were shocked and discolored. The former immediately took out a life-saving amulet, smaller than the palm of the hand, and activated it to create a golden barrier in front of him.

    The latter took out a Talisman Paper and summoned a gigantic toad Shikigami monster, which stood in front of them like a small hill.

    The first Jade Pivot Thunder hit the golden barrier, instantly shattering it along with the amulet that dimmed quickly; the second Divine Thunder struck the toad Shikigami, and its massive body immediately burst like a balloon, with flesh and blood exploding and flying everywhere.

    The third Jade Pivot Thunder and the fourth Divine Thunder hit the ground to the left and right of the two, exploding into countless lightning snakes, instantly enveloping the bodies of the two.

    Thunder roared mightily, unrivaled in its divine presence, blowing up half of the unguarded bodies of the two, killing them instantly on the spot, and the Miasma Cloud Luo Technique that was maintaining by their spiritual power also dissipated.

    This rapid exchange of offense and defense, seen by the people in the Privy Council¡¯s headquarters, was as exhilarating as a great victory on the battlefield, greatly boosting morale.

    Although the battle wasn¡¯t won yet, the atmosphere felt as if it had been won, and some people even began asking the leaders whether it was time to resume live streaming.

    Xie Ruoxi turned out to be so formidable, could there still be a possibility of turning the tables next?

    ¡°Resume it,¡± the leader nodded calmly, ¡°Adjust the timeline, and continue from where it stopped broadcasting earlier.¡±

    The original broadcast delay, coupled with the time it stopped, was nearly a full minute¡ªWith this one-minute delay, no matter what surprises came up later, they could cover it up. After all, the opposing Onmyoji wasn¡¯t wearing a camera, wasn¡¯t it up to them to edit the footage however they wanted?

    Thus, the live broadcast resumed, and the long-silent barrage of comments began rolling again.

    As soon as the people in the studio saw that the live streaming had restarted, they knew that something must have turned the tide during the time it stopped broadcasting.

    Zhou Erhe and Xu Dongming were also revitalized, with the latter even considering crushing his microphone to apologize to the nation right there and then. He quickly spoke:

    ¡°Okay, the live broadcast is finally back! Now let¡¯s continue to watch the performance of our Rikoku Cultivators¡­¡±

    Let¡¯s put aside the reactions of everyone outside the arena for now. Speaking of Xie Ruoxi, she had just disposed of four Onmyoji and not even half a minute had passed.

    On Sato Hiroshi¡¯s side, it took the combined spiritual power of three to suppress Liu Longtao trapped within the Myojin Gate Talisman. Just as he was about to apply a spell to strengthen the seal and secure victory, he saw the other side¡¯s battlefield completely collapse and couldn¡¯t help but feel a tremor in his heart.

    Under the emotional upheaval, his spiritual power output was unstable. Sato Hiroshi quickly focused on maintaining the suppression and turned his head to shout:

    ¡°Takahashi! Watanabe! Stop her!¡±

    Samurai Takahashi and Onmyoji Watanabe, who were Sato Hiroshi¡¯s personal guards, immediately stood in front of him, blocking Xie Ruoxi¡¯s line of sight with their bodies and slowly advancing towards her.

    Xie Ruoxi had just finished unleashing her barrage of thunder, and her True Yuan had dropped to a dangerously low level. She quietly took out an Elixir Medicine and popped it into her mouth, concentrating on refining the medicinal power in her stomach. At the same time, she turned to look at the two approaching, but casually kept her hands behind her back, quickly adopting the demeanor of an Immortal Venerate, attempting to intimidate her opponents with her presence and buy time for herself to refine the medicine and restore her True Yuan.

    Flashes of video footage of Yan Yu being impressively imposing, spliced with over ten years of her own cosplay experiences, melded in her mind, and Xie Ruoxi¡¯s aura was skyrocketing! Soaring! Surging!

    Pangu was first, then came heaven, I stood shoulder to shoulder with Hongjun!

    I am the unrivaled Xie Immortal Venerate of heaven and earth!

    She held her head high, chest out, chin slightly up with scorn, a smile on her face, and her eyes looking down with playful amusement as she said indifferently,

    ¡°Do you need me to go easy on you for a few moves?¡±

    Takahashi and Watanabe were immediately taken aback, and the latter immediately went on high alert, wary of a sneak attack during the conversation. The former, a straightforward man, answered in heavy Japanese with a grave voice,

    ¡°I do not understand the language of Lu Country; I am not sure what you mean.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi: ?

    Even though I don¡¯t understand what it means, it feels like they¡¯ve been intimidated by my aura.

    Good, just keep being imposing!

 Chapter 370 - 66 Immortal Venerate Xie Massacres in All Directions

    Chapter 370: Chapter 66 Immortal Venerate Xie Massacres in All Directions S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The atmosphere in the live stream had already reached a boiling point.

    Although the feed was playing footage from a minute ago, the audience still felt the excitement and tension of witnessing a miracle unfold. Many of them had never even heard the name ¡°Xie Ruoxi¡± before, so as soon as it was mentioned by the commentator, everyone¡¯s first reaction was to hastily search the internet.

    As more and more viewers who had searched ¡°Who is Xie Ruoxi?¡± came back to inform the others. The dominant comments in the live stream quickly evolved:

    An unknown female Cultivator instantly kills an enemy upon encounter!

    Xie Ruoxi of the Zhenhai Team, using sword technique to kill another enemy!

    Xie Ruoxi, the upcoming General of Lu Country¡¯s Zhenhai Team, uses Thunder Method to blast two more enemies to death!

    ...

    Xie Ruoxi, the newly appointed Immortal Venerate of Lu Country, contemptuously asks the opponents if they need her to hold back, her imposing aura suppressing everyone in the vicinity!

    Meanwhile, Xie Ruoxi had no idea about the commotion outside; She just continued to stand there with her hands behind her back, remaining cool and brash while secretly running her True Yuan to its limits, rapidly refining the remaining medicinal strength.

    Because her talent for cultivation was rare in the world, she refined it faster than ordinary people. The dangerously low True Yuan was quickly recovering, as if a dam within her Dantian was releasing water.

    The two facing her showed hesitation in their expressions, unsure of what to do at the moment.

    Master Sato Hiroshi¡¯s command was ¡°Stop her.¡± Taking it literally meant that as long as they were standing in front of her, preventing her from attacking, it could be said that they had indeed stopped her, buying Sato Hiroshi time to continue repairing the seal.

    But based on their understanding of Sato Hiroshi¡¯s character, what he probably meant was ¡°hurry up and deal with her,¡± which meant they should actually be attacking her by now.

    The problem was, could they win?

    The opponent had annihilated four members of the second squad without a scratch, which meant her strength was clearly close to that of a Demon King level, if not there already.

    We¡¯re not afraid of death; if we rush in and then get killed by her, the Master will have no one to guard him! It would be better to stand our ground, intimidating the opponent and deterring any attack¡­

    Sato Hiroshi was hurrying to repair the last phase of the seal. After the recent combined infusion of spiritual power, Liu Longtao, trapped inside the Myojin Gate Talisman, was finally at a disadvantage, and no matter how wildly he bombarded and destroyed, the seal was gradually becoming more secure.

    Yet when he looked up after a brief moment of repair, his two guards were standing there doing nothing. Sato Hiroshi immediately shouted:

    ¡°What are you waiting for!¡±

    Sighing inwardly, the samurai Takahashi whispered to his comrade Watanabe:

    ¡°I¡¯ll charge at her to distract her, you do the long-range attacks.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Understanding the formidable attack power of the opponent, the Onmyoji Watanabe knew that if left uncontrolled and allowed to bombard at will, they might be wiped out instantly.

    Taking a deep breath, Takahashi charged towards Xie Ruoxi with his sword drawn.

    In the current phase, samurai without the means to increase their speed lacked any secret techniques for it. Therefore, Takahashi relied solely on his physical strength to sprint, and although his speed was also award-winning in the Olympics, it was completely inadequate in Xie Ruoxi¡¯s eyes.

    She simply used Shifting Technique to back away while drawing a Sword technique, directing the Heavenly Origin Sword towards her opponents.

    ¡°The opponent isn¡¯t using Thunder Clap. Is she holding back deliberately?¡± Takahashi thought to himself. ¡°True to a Demon King level figure from Lu Country, I must also show the same respect in swordsmanship.¡±

    He stopped swiftly, steadied himself, took a deep breath, concentrated all his strength, took aim at the Flying Sword, swung with both hands, and shouted silently.

    Kasaya Slash!

    A streak of cold light sliced across, colliding violently with the Heavenly Origin Sword, creating a thunderous sound.

    The Flying Sword was forced back half a step, but Takahashi, in his horse stance, didn¡¯t retreat a single step. His heels, however, were wedged firmly into the ground, carving out a half-meter long trench from the sheer force.

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s True Yuan was already incredibly powerful, and she was known for using a heavy sword known for its brute strength. That the opposition could counter her with swordsmanship had caught her off guard.

    Not even our team leader has beaten me in a direct swordsmanship confrontation!

    However, at this moment she was still secretly recovering her True Yuan, naturally happy to engage with the least costly Sword Control Technique, therefore she only showed a marginally approving expression and said indifferently:

    ¡°Not bad, not bad. Your swordsmanship, to me, is like the light of a firefly compared to the bright moon, but the fact that you can shine even a faint light in this world means you deserve a moment¡¯s glance from me, be grateful.¡±

    Although Takahashi did not understand what she was saying, his talent for reading the room kicked in, and he said solemnly in the language of the Sakura Empire:

    ¡°You flatter me.¡±

    Watanabe behind him was also speechless. How could you even chat with an enemy?

    Seeing that the enemy did not attack him, he quickly took out three talisman papers, which burst into flame in his hands.

    Three prajna ogres materialized from the void and leaped out, one with a laughing face, one red-faced, and one white-faced, all three splitting up and charging towards Xie Ruoxi.

    Xie Ruoxi, whose True Yuan had not fully returned, was frightened by the sight of the three prajna ogres and, disregarding the need to hide her strength any longer, she was already forming the Jade Pivot Thunder in her hand.

    I¡¯ll fight!

    Watanabe commanded the prajna ogre to dodge the Thunder Method and continue the charge, with the red prajna being the fastest and most fierce. In the blink of an eye, it was right in front of Ruoxi, stretching out its hand to grab her head, but then its body was blown to pieces by the thunder method.

    Xie Ruoxi had nearly been torn apart by the red prajna, and in a moment of life-or-death crisis, her thoughts whirled and inspiration flashed through her mind:

    These prajna ogres are fast, and my long-range casting isn¡¯t very accurate; it would be better to avoid them for now and focus on their Onmyoji master first. But the Onmyoji is standing too far away; the thunder light won¡¯t reach him in time, so I should use the faster Sword Control Technique. The Heavenly Origin Sword is currently entangled with the Samurai, so I must first take care of the Samurai¡­

    Ugh, what a headache! My mind isn¡¯t sharp enough to bother with this!

    Xie Ruoxi, becoming fierce, simply bypassed the prajna ogres and charged directly at the Samurai, Takahashi.

    Takahashi was in the midst of exchanging blows with the Heavenly Origin Sword and, seeing Ruoxi herself charging over, he had an epiphany that this was his last moment in life and smiled:

    ¡°Life comes with death, a warrior regrets nothing!¡±

    He raised his sword as if to strike, but was then killed by a blast of Heavenly Thunder.

    With the Heavenly Origin Sword freed, it immediately went after Watanabe, the Onmyoji in the distance.

    Watanabe hastily called for the fastest laughing prajna to come to his aid. Halfway through the charge, another thunder method struck from behind, blasting the laughing prajna into pieces. With the path cleared, the Heavenly Origin Sword ruthlessly struck down towards Watanabe, smashing his skull to bits. The surviving shikigami, the white prajna, let out a cry and immediately vanished without a trace.

    Takahashi died first, followed by Watanabe, with no more than five seconds between them. Sato Hiroshi had not even had the chance to react. How could both men fighting their opponent have perished in a single second?

    Seeing Xie Ruoxi look over, Sato Hiroshi was suddenly terrified and wanted to stop casting to face the enemy. But if he stopped managing the ritual, Liu Longtao would surely break the seal and escape from the Myojin Gate Talisman. Caught between two difficult choices, he didn¡¯t know what to do.

    Xie Ruoxi, however, didn¡¯t care about that much, her Immortal Venerate airs not yet put away, and she sighed and shook her head out of habit:

    ¡°Ah, is this all there is? I haven¡¯t fully enjoyed myself yet¡­ Oh well, time to send you on your way.¡±

    She formed the Jade Pivot and Heavenly Thunder in her left and right hands, respectively, and casually struck at Sato Hiroshi.

    What else could Sato Hiroshi do but interrupt the spiritual supply to the Myojin Gate Talisman and hastily perform the Substitution Straw Man Technique¡­ only to be half a moment too late and get struck by thunder on both sides, his body immediately reduced to ashes from the dual thunder assault.

    The two pillars of the Myojin Gate were also completely destroyed by the thunder. Liu Longtao finally escaped from his confinement, his figure revealed, veins popping on his forehead, and he roared angrily:

    ¡°Damn it, those damned Onmyoji bastards die¡­ huh?¡±

    He saw bodies scattered all around; the Onmyoji were all lying dead on the ground, while Xie Ruoxi put her hands behind her back again and said with composure:

    ¡°Why did it take you so long to break free? Never mind, they were just some minor nuisances; I¡¯ve already taken care of them. Go rest for a bit.¡±

    Liu Longtao: ¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    When had the stout men of Pingjing ever suffered such humiliation? Realizing what had transpired during his sealing and recalling the whole event was live-streamed to the entire nation, he was suddenly overwhelmed with an urge to cry.

 Chapter 371 - 67: Immortal Venerate Xies Fame Shakes the World

    Chapter 371: Chapter 67: Immortal Venerate Xie¡¯s Fame Shakes the World

    Xie Ruoxi took down four enemies, five, six, seven! It wasn¡¯t until Sato Hiroshi¡¯s body fell to the ground and Liu Longtao emerged unscathed that the atmosphere in the live stream reached its peak.

    It started with someone spamming ¡°Immortal Venerate Xie!¡±, and then the barrage was filled with a neat queue of praise for the title of Immortal Venerate. In no time, the screen was filled with praises for the Immortal Venerate.

    ¡°I originally thought that Zhenhai Team only had one god-level player, the Longcheng Flying General, but I didn¡¯t realize I was blind to Immortal Venerate Xie!¡± Zhou Erhe had a beaming smile as he started to rave in the live stream, thinking that since the opposing Onmyoji team had been completely wiped out, his continued praise wouldn¡¯t capsize, ¡°Immortal Venerate Xie¡¯s divine power is unmatched in the world!¡±

    ¡°The saying goes, a single trick, if fresh, is all you need. What¡¯s really formidable about Immortal Venerate Xie is her Thunder Method!¡± Xu Dongming also wouldn¡¯t be outdone and began to analyze the Venerate¡¯s awesomeness on a deeper level, ¡°I don¡¯t know if our audience friends have noticed, but Xie Ruoxi¡¯s strength is completely different from that of the Longcheng Flying General.¡±

    ¡°The Longcheng Flying General goes for a technical style, with the ever-changing Dugu Jiujian, with a counter for whatever move you make; Immortal Venerate Xie, on the other hand, goes for internal strength, with the upright and forthright Dragon-Subduing Palm. No matter what methods you use, I strike you with a thunderous blow. Any enemy that stands in my way must die, all must die.¡±

    ¡°The strength of Immortal Venerate Xie is simple and unadorned; it¡¯s pure and refined; it¡¯s written on the face for all to see. Even viewers who don¡¯t understand any techniques at all can see the terrifying power of Immortal Venerate Xie!¡±

    ...

    ¡°So, who do you think is stronger, Immortal Venerate Xie or Liu Longtao, the number one of Dingbei?¡± Zhou Erhe stoked the fire maliciously.

    Xu Dongming immediately chuckled, was there even a need to ask?

    Currently, Liu Longtao of Dingbei Army is doubtlessly the nation¡¯s number one, with the Longcheng Flying General being the top contender for that position, currently holding the second spot nationally.

    In comparison to the Longcheng Flying General, Xie Ruoxi definitely falls short, and she probably doesn¡¯t quite measure up to Liu Longtao either.

    Liu Longtao cultivates both swordsmanship and Taoism Method; his strength has been proven in several live-streamed match-ups. Xie Ruoxi¡¯s technique is subpar, especially her aim with Thunder Method, often relying on saturation coverage to ensure hit rate. If it were Liu Longtao, these attacks would certainly not miss.

    But he couldn¡¯t answer like that on-site, because the audience had just witnessed the mighty display of Immortal Venerate Xie, while Liu Longtao had been sealed by the Ming Divine Gate throughout the match¡­ Though a single match cannot prove who is superior, obviously, most people won¡¯t be rational and will question whether your commentary is professional based on their first impression.

    ¡°I can only say that their styles of combat are different, and they are not on the same track,¡± said Xu Dongming, eloquently elaborating and providing a very smooth evaluation, ¡°It¡¯s like Huang Zhong is good at shooting arrows, and Zhang Fei is skilled with a spear. If it comes to close combat, Huang Zhong would lose to Zhang Fei due to lower martial strength, but if it¡¯s about archery, Zhang Fei definitely can¡¯t beat Huang Zhong. We can only look forward to future domestic Mysterious Realm simulation matches, where these two would have the chance to clash, so the audience friends can have a deeper understanding of their strength.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that utter nonsense?¡± Qin Meng from the Huofeng Team training ground said bluntly, ¡°Xie Ruoxi is indeed strong, but at least for now, she surely can¡¯t beat Lord Master, right?¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Zhang Huaide nodded, ¡°The power of Thunder Method is strong, and its sustainability is also extraordinarily outstanding, but in other areas¡­¡±

    ¡°A complete mess,¡± Zhou Hongyu stated coolly.

    ¡°However, saying they are on different tracks seems to be not wrong,¡± Meng Qingxi interjected, ¡°Looking at Xie Ruoxi¡¯s fighting style, it seems similar to what our captain does.¡±

    Zhang Huaide fell silent.

    What was Zhou Hongyu¡¯s approach? It was the Fire Blazing Dao Method that sweeps through the battlefield, breaking enemy formations and taking out key targets ¡ª an ironclad team¡¯s lead striker, capable of becoming the soul of any team, allowing the entire team to coordinate around her tactical maneuvers.

    As for Liu Longtao, his approach actually more closely resembles Yan Yu; they¡¯re not lead strikers but all-rounders.

    They would strike when needed, assist and support when required, protect teammates, or restrain the enemy¡­ capable of doing any task, moving to wherever the need was greatest. Such a versatile player doesn¡¯t need the whole team to revolve around him, but rather, he complements the team, strengthening it as a whole.

    The weaknesses in areas other than output for Xie Ruoxi are too apparent, yet her offensive capability is tremendously overpowering, which clearly indicates she¡¯s being cultivated as a key striker.

    However, by doing so, Zhenhai Team now boasts four offensive players including Yan Yu, Xie Ruoxi, Lin Ning, and Zhao Yuanzhen, matching Dragon Soar Team in number of strikers.

    Currently, Huofeng Team only has Zhou Hongyu and Qin Meng as strikers, while Zhang Huaide, Meng Qingxi, and Tang Xiaolian play supportive roles with no possibility of changing classes.

    If they take cues from these two strong teams, perhaps they could also add another offensive player, resulting in a broader range of tactical options.

    Thinking this, Zhang Huaide stealthily took out his phone and sent a message to team captain Zhou Hongyu, and the two secretly started discussing.

    If the Huofeng Team could see this, it would naturally not escape the notice of the Privy Council.

    The leaders were continuing to monitor the situation on the Mysterious Realm battlefield when the secure phone suddenly received a message with just two words and a punctuation mark:

    ¡°`

    ¡°How is it?¡±

    He pondered silently for a few minutes before typing a reply:

    ¡°Half-finished product.¡±

    What he meant was that with Xie Ruoxi¡¯s current strength level, she wasn¡¯t yet suitable for heavy promotion like Yan Yu and Liu Longtao.

    However¡­

    ¡­the half-finished product of the Zhenhai Team was already emitting the unique radiance of a peerless treasure and had even caught the eye of that one person.

    If given time and with Yan Yu¡¯s continued dedicated training, perhaps she could really become the second Longcheng Flying General.

    How fortunate Lu Country was to have so many talented young people.

    The leader sighed silently in his heart as his secure phone flashed with another message.

    The sender wasn¡¯t that person, but instead was Zhang Xiangqian, the Commander-in-Chief of the Annan Army.

    Meanwhile, at Jiangcheng University.

    Within the School of Engineering students¡¯ dormitory, a thunderous roar suddenly erupted, as though ready to lift the roof¡ª it had been a long time since there¡¯d been such an exaggerated scene since the last time the LOL national team had won the World Cup.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on! What¡¯s happening!¡± An auntie who was watching TV in her office hurriedly ran up the stairs, shouting at the corridor full of cheering male students, ¡°Why are there so many people here? Isn¡¯t there class today? What are you making noise for?¡±

    But the male students did not answer her, only crowding around Xie Rushan as they reached the stairwell. He was so excited that his face was flushed, as if he himself had won the championship for the national team, holding a phone in his right hand and pointing at the screen with his left, shouting excitedly to the dormitory supervisor:

    ¡°This is my sister! This is my sister! Xie Immortal Venerate is my own little sister!!!¡± S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The dormitory supervisor paused, then suddenly looked shocked:

    ¡°Xie Ruoxi is your sister?¡±

    But Xie Rushan was too busy to talk, as his classmates quickly lifted him up and rushed out of the dormitory to celebrate with drinks.

    Shifting the perspective to the south, in a rural village within Baoqing Prefecture of Jingnan Province, deafening firecracker noises suddenly erupted.

    Many villagers started setting off firecrackers right outside their homes, while young people flocked to the entrance of the Xie family home to take photos and post them online with captions boasting:

    ¡°Xie Ruoxi is from our village!¡±

    Friends and family from the neighboring villages forwarded the posts and liked them, spreading the news like a virus, quickly reaching Baoqing County.

    Upon hearing the news, the county official took great pride, marveling that a national hero came from their small county. He immediately ordered the editor of the public account ¡°Baoqing Dispatch¡± to stay late and write an article with the headline:

    ¡°The widely celebrated Xie Immortal Venerate is actually from our Baoqing Prefecture!¡±

    After the article was published, the county official shared it himself, demanding that the entire prefectural staff share and like the post.

    Thus, the news spread rapidly from one to ten, ten to a hundred, finally reaching the provincial level. Half an hour later, a public account called ¡°This is Jingnan¡± also released an article, with a familiar headline:

    ¡°Did you know? The widely celebrated Xie Immortal Venerate is actually from our Jingnan Province.¡±

    ¡°`

 Chapter 372 - 68: Somethings Off, I Am the Strongest in This World

    Chapter 372: Chapter 68: Something¡¯s Off, I Am the Strongest in This World

    If Yan Yu knew what had happened to Xie Ruoxi, he would certainly have exclaimed:

    ¡°This beautiful good-for-nothing, I was not attentive for a moment, and actually let you do such a big thing alone!¡±

    But he had no mind to think about the outside world at this time, because he, Ye Jun, Su Yunjin, and Lin Ning, all four of them, were trapped in this level of the Mysterious Realm.

    ¡°¡­So, the content of the last level was roughly these.¡± Ye Jun, in the form of a skylark, detailed the specifics of the Asura level to Yun Jin and Ningning, so that when they subsequently entered the Asura level, it was as if they came with their own guide, which would make clearing the level much faster.

    ¡°How nice.¡± Lin Ning couldn¡¯t help but sigh, ¡°Although the Asura level is tough to fight, at least there¡¯s a target to deal with. But in this level, we simply have no idea where to start, not even a direction for solving it.¡±

    Yan Yu also became contemplative, continuing to organize the available intelligence in his mind:

    ...

    From high above, this place should be a valley, surrounded by mountain ranges.

    Yun Jin and Ningning had run a circle around the perimeter of the valley and confirmed there were no caves for exit; the method to break through was within this valley.

    However, while Yan Yu and Ye Jun were tackling the previous level, the two of them had also thoroughly searched the interior of the valley and had not found any suspicious places.

    Apart from the river that cut through the middle of the valley, and the small lake to the south, the remaining ground was covered only with various woody and herbaceous plants. Lin Ning even braved her natural aversion to getting her fur wet inherent to leopard cats and dived into the rivers and lakes to search for clues, only to come up with nothing in the end.

    ¡°¡­Surely we are not expected to examine every single tree in detail,¡± Su Yunjin said with a sigh.

    ¡°Impossible,¡± Yan Yu flatly denied, ¡°Every trial in a Mysterious Realm has a plausible intent behind it. If the Asura level tests our ability to handle faction wars, then what does searching trees in this level test? Our grasp of botany?¡±

    ¡°Could it be observational skills?¡± Lin Ning speculated.

    ¡°I have confidence in your observational skills,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°If even with your meticulous observations you can¡¯t find any clues in this Mysterious Realm, then that means the clue for passing the level is definitely not on the surface of the environment.¡±

    No sooner had his voice fallen than the white fox Yun Jin and the leopard cat Ningning simultaneously narrowed their eyes, showing comfortable expressions with a slight hint of smugness.

    However, seeing animals displaying such anthropomorphized expressions still felt a bit odd.

    Yan Yu hopped a few times on the ground and continued:

    ¡°Anyway, we should think of some other method¡­¡±

    Before he could finish speaking, a warm breath suddenly came from behind him¡ªsomething had apparently snatched him up.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Lin Ning released her grip quickly, shuffling the Yan Yu in his swallow form between her two front legs and communicated telepathically, ¡°Seeing you hop around made me unable to resist playing with you.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Ningning, you can¡¯t do that,¡± Su Yunjin came over, using her front leg to nudge Yan Yu in front of her, ¡°You can¡¯t bully the leader in his little swallow form.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Enough already,¡± he said, quite helplessly, ¡°Becoming animals is not for fun, having no defense at all. If we encounter carnivorous beasts, Ye Jun and I could fly away, but what about you?¡±

    ¡°I can climb trees,¡± Lin Ning said.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll burrow,¡± Su Yunjin added.

    ¡°But when we searched the valley before, we also encountered some animals with rather strange behaviors,¡± Lin Ning suddenly recalled, ¡°Like squirrels, frogs, and sparrows, gathered together chirping, croaking, and twittering.¡±

    ¡°We speculate they might be Transcendents from abroad,¡± Su Yunjin said worriedly, ¡°So we didn¡¯t dare to approach them.¡±

    ¡°Wait, squirrels, frogs, and sparrows?¡± Ye Jun suddenly thought of something, ¡°All small animals? So this level isn¡¯t about us killing each other, otherwise, it should be set with beasts.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Ye Jun and I are both birds and can¡¯t go underwater, so the way to pass definitely isn¡¯t underwater. Yun Jin can¡¯t climb trees, so it surely isn¡¯t in the trees.¡±

    Su Yunjin¡¯s fox face drooped slightly, seemingly a tad unhappy, as she continued telepathically:

    ¡°So it¡¯s not underwater, not in the trees; thus, it must be near the ground, right?¡±

    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°The ground is the most obvious place, but haven¡¯t you still found no clues?¡±

    The two birds and two beasts sat facing each other, all at their wit¡¯s end.

    Ye Jun flapped her wings, hopped onto the fox head of Su Yunjin, and said,

    ¡°Could it be that we have to wait for a certain moment when the level will suddenly change and provide the clues for passing through?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a possibility, but not a big one,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°The challenges of the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng are about permutations and combinations, and everyone enters at different times. If clues only appeared at fixed times, then anyone entering the Secret Realm after the clues had appeared would waste less time compared to other challengers, which would be obviously unfair¡­ Lin Ning, what are you doing!¡±

    Lin Ning had been stealthily getting up and circling to the back, trying to sneak up on Ye Jun perched atop Su Yunjin¡¯s head. Hearing this, she immediately lay down and said,

    ¡°Nothing, I just can¡¯t sit still, just walking around.¡±

    ¡°If I were the designer of this level,¡± Ye Jun summarized, ¡°since you¡¯ve all turned into animals, it¡¯s unlikely you would fight each other, and you¡¯d surely be exploring the Mysterious Realm.¡±

    ¡°After you¡¯ve explored the whole map and found nothing, you¡¯d definitely find a place to stay and then think or discuss strategies with each other. Of course, without any clues, you wouldn¡¯t be able to come up with any strategy, so you can only wait for time to progress to a certain moment when suddenly¡­ the clue appears.¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡± Yan Yu suddenly said, ¡°What did you just say? Say it again.¡±

    ¡°I said, without any clues, it¡¯s impossible to come up with any strategies,¡± Ye Jun repeated.

    ¡°Before that.¡±

    ¡°After finding nothing, find a place to stay?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°If we are to find a place to wait, what would everyone do?¡±

    ¡°Different animals would do different things,¡± Lin Ning said, ¡°If it¡¯s a cat, it would probably lie down or wander around.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not about the animals, what the Captain is talking about is ¡®something that everyone would do,''¡± Secretary Su, ever so meticulous, pondered for a moment then suddenly said, ¡°Cultivate?¡±

    ¡°First, let¡¯s see if we can cultivate,¡± Yan Yu said.

    So the four creatures each closed their eyes to rest and began circulating their cultivation techniques. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu herself entered tranquility and silently started performing the String-Pulling Technique, only to find that even in her bird body, the True Yuan flowed without hindrance.

    As she was circulating her energy through her meridians, she suddenly heard what seemed to be celestial music and voices singing, but the sound was too faint to make out.

    ¡°Someone¡¯s singing!¡± Ye Jun suddenly opened her eyes, excitedly saying, ¡°And it sounds pretty good.¡±

    ¡°Magnificent is the Palace of Seven Treasures, naturally producing lotus flowers,¡± Su Yunjin also transmitted her voice, ¡°The lyrics have quite the ambiance.¡±

    ¡°I heard a line: Shining flow illuminates the dark void, an army conquers ten thousand demons,¡± Lin Ning added.

    ¡°Magnificent is the Palace of Seven Treasures, naturally producing lotus flowers~ Brightly opening night¡¯s radiance, vaguely illuminating the Divine Household~¡± Ye Jun started twittering and singing.

    Yan Yu:¡­¡­¡­

    Why am I the only one who can¡¯t hear it clearly?

    The group continued circulating their energy and discussing the mysterious lyrics, becoming more convinced that this was the key to passing this part of the Secret Realm.

    Only Yan Yu kept not being able to make out what was sung, feeling an urge to scratch her head in frustration, but as a swallow, she had no hands, only wings, so while she was fretting about this, suddenly she saw the white fox Yun Jin turn into a white light and vanish.

    Did she pass the level? Move to the next one?

    Before Yan Yu could react, she saw both the leopard cat Ningning and the skylark Ye Jun also disappear.

    Fuck!

    Why is it suddenly just me left?!

    Damn it, I¡¯m supposed to be the strongest in this world!

 Chapter 373 - 69 The Servant

    Chapter 373: Chapter 69 The Servant

    Yan Yu swiftly flew up the branches, loudly chirping.

    I won¡¯t accept this! Chirp chirp, I won¡¯t accept it!

    What kind of idiotic, trash mysterious realm challenge is this? It doesn¡¯t test combat ability, nor does it assess adaptability and wit, it actually only looks at cultivation aptitude? S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Cultivation aptitude is worthless!

    Having cursed the designers of the mysterious realm¡¯s ancestors for many generations, Yan Yu could only continue to think about strategies to pass the challenge.

    Firstly, why would one hear singing while cultivating?

    ...

    The mysterious realm is not a game instance, and the design of its mechanisms must still follow the physical laws related to cultivation ¡ª otherwise, the designers could just write ¡°here cultivation speed is multiplied by a thousand,¡± then squatting in the mysterious realm for cultivation would make one invincible.

    Since one must absorb Spiritual Energy to be able to hear the singing, it goes to say that the singing must be related to the Spiritual Energy.

    The Spiritual Energy in the mysterious realm comes from the outside, transported, filtered, and purified by wards, hence the starting point has to be the wards.

    Yan Yu randomly picked a direction and arrived at the edge of the mysterious realm¡¯s boundaries, at the mountain range, and as expected, encountered an air wall there.

    Flying around the air wall in a complete circle, through the changing flows of Spiritual Energy, one could determine that there were sixteen main streams of Spiritual Energy being transported into the realm from the outside by wards.

    Damn it, if only I could also learn array formation design, then I could set up wards around my home, collecting sixteen hundred main streams of Spiritual Energy into my house; who would need that Demonic Sect Enchantress then? No need! With a concentration of Spiritual Energy sixteen hundred times denser, I¡¯m afraid even the tables in my house would sprout and gain sentience.

    Unfortunately, even in Lu Country from my past life, this was akin to something far more complicated than quantum physics, with maybe less than thirty people nationwide even able to get a start in it, right?

    Bear in mind, cultivators live for hundreds or thousands of years, and have enough time to slowly get into any field of study, but according to what Empress Yuanzhen disclosed in the past life, even among cultivators, those who could learn array formation were one in ten thousand, which shows the enormity of its difficulty.

    Yan Yu was always a seize-every-moment kind of person, and naturally, had no time to waste on array formations. Although he set aside time to dabble in array formation knowledge in his past life, he only learned the basics of ¡°how to break formations¡± rather than ¡°how to set up formations.¡±

    Based on the locations of the sixteen main streams of Spiritual Energy, one could deduce the convergence point of Spiritual Energy within the mysterious realm, which should be¡­ darn, almost forgot all about topology, try to recall it quickly.

    Got it, there is a river that runs across the center of the mysterious realm. Rivers denote low-lying terrain and in array formations belong to the dispersing rather than gathering of energy; this suggests that nearby there must be some ¡°negative dregs¡± of the main streams of Spiritual Energy that require dispersing. From the direction of the river flow¡­

    Yan Yu swiftly flew up high, using the direction of the river below to fly back and forth. Eventually, he found an area where the Spiritual Energy was especially dense, approximately only ten cubic meters in size.

    Damn, that was not easy! If I weren¡¯t particularly insensitive to Spiritual Energy, even passing through it might not have made me realize something was amiss ¡ª like finding a black dot on a white paper, which is much simpler than finding a black dot on grey paper.

    Stopping at the convergence point of Spiritual Energy, Yan Yu flapped his wings non-stop to maintain his altitude while quickly circulating the Qi Refinement technique inside his body.

    As expected, the sound was much clearer this time.

    The volume went from the level of a breeze brushing the willow leaves to the level of a mosquito buzzing by one¡¯s ear!

    Victory!

    Yan Yu quickly focused his will, fully concentrated, held his breath to listen quietly, and heard the singing voice chanting:

    ¡°How great the Seven Treasures Palace is, naturally giving birth to lotus blossoms. Its dazzling light opens through the night, hazily illuminating the divine abode. Looking up at the Mystical Reality Platform, the cloudy edifices towering impressively. Light flowing, shining the mystical void, the soldiers set out to vanquish thousands of demons¡­¡±

    I can hear it now!

    He wanted to cheer for his own intelligence.

    What¡¯s so impressive about a strong man lifting barbells? It¡¯s truly remarkable when a child can lift the barbells, doing what others can¡¯t, that is what defines the strongest in the world!

    After hearing the last sentence of the song, Yan Yu suddenly felt the world spinning around him, a flash of white light, and then he appeared at the third challenge.

    ¡°`

    Only to see here a blood-red sky and matching scarlet earth, it looked quite similar to the first trial, except the environment and climate were even more hostile.

    Lava flowed like rivers, sparks fell like rain, and the sky was thick with dark clouds, with scorching winds assaulting the face from time to time; the temperature was conservatively estimated to be at least forty degrees Celsius.

    Ordinary people standing here would be drenched in sweat in a mere moment. However, Yan Yu had already reached the Marrow Cleansing Stage, with improved foundational strength, so he only felt a slight discomfort and wasn¡¯t too greatly affected.

    His Divine Sense swept the surroundings, and he saw three streaks of sword light speeding by in the distance. They were black, purple, and gold, belonging to Zhao Yuanzhen, Chen Lingyun, and Ye Jun respectively, and were still shrouded in the light of the Xuan Guang Ruler.

    Yan Yu immediately flew over on his sword to meet up with the ladies, asking,

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen appeared to be in a sorry state, with her arm limp from what appeared to be a fracture. She was channeling True Yuan into it to stabilize her injury; Chen Lingyun too looked disheveled, covered in dust and with messy hair, like a schoolgirl who had been bullied.

    Ye Jun was the only one among the three whose complexion seemed relatively good. Upon seeing Yan Yu, she reacted with joy and quickly waved the Xuan Guang Ruler, trying to enshroud him in its protective light.

    ¡°Run! Escape with us!¡±

    ¡°Escape?¡± Yan Yu thought to himself in disdain, thinking what in the world could make me flee? Before the light from Ye Jun could reach him, a blinding white light suddenly streaked from afar, crossing a thousand miles in an instant and striking right before him!

    Damn!

    Yan Yu barely had time to place the Huang Tingjian horizontally in front of him. The word ¡°Damn¡± had barely escaped his lips when he, along with his sword, was sent flying a great distance away.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Meanwhile, Liu Longtao wore a glum expression as he followed Xie Ruoxi, continuing through the mountains.

    After passing through Black Dog Ridge, they arrived at Golden Rooster Mountain. The creatures they faced were no longer ghostly wild dogs but ghastly figures of over one meter tall, like evil rooster ghosts with sharp beaks and talons as tough as iron. They were at least demonic creatures that had cultivated for two and a half years. Even a peck could cause flesh to rip and skulls to burst open.

    Having regained her confidence and vigor after the previous battle with the Onmyoji, Xie Ruoxi led the way with her head held high, unleashing a Beacon of White Rainbow with every sighting of the rooster ghosts.

    Her True Yuan was strong and the Heavenly Origin Sword was a heavy blade. Using rapid and straightforward sword techniques like the Beacon of White Rainbow perfectly aligned with the principle ¡°A heavy sword without edge carries a mighty force.¡± She slaughtered the ghosts so fiercely that it was a scene of utter chaos, resulting in countless casualties.

    Liu Longtao was secretly anxious; he was hoping for more of these rooster ghosts to gather so that he could perform a glamorous Taoism Method area cleanse and redeem his dignity in front of a national live streaming audience. However, with Xie Ruoxi killing them one by one, the ghosts couldn¡¯t mass together to form a larger group.

    It wouldn¡¯t demonstrate his true strength to merely use the Ying Long Sword to aid in the slaughter. Lord Master had no choice but to discreetly transmit his voice,

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think this method of killing is a bit inefficient?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± said Xie Ruoxi. ¡°I¡¯m killing them quickly, one with each strike.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Liu Longtao coaxed. ¡°Killing them one by one? That¡¯s so slow! It would be faster to wait until they gather and then use a Taoism Method to wipe them out neatly in one go.¡±

    ¡°But it also takes time for them to naturally come together, does it not?¡± Xie Ruoxi argued back. ¡°With that time, if I kill them one by one, I might eliminate more of them.¡±

    Liu Longtao hurriedly said,

    ¡°We can use a strategy to lure the enemy: we¡¯ll circle around and draw them all in, then use a Taoism Method to deal with them in bulk. It will definitely be faster than your one-by-one approach.¡±

    ¡°That could work,¡± Xie Ruoxi agreed. ¡°Go ahead and try luring the enemy.¡±

    ¡°Okay! Just you watch,¡± Liu Longtao was thrilled. ¡°Here I go ¡­ huh?¡±

    What¡¯s going on here?

    ¡°`

 Chapter 374 - 70: Formidable Enemy

    Chapter 374: Chapter 70: Formidable Enemy

    Yan Yu was sent flying by the Sword Control attack, his heart filled with horror.

    Was that white light¡­ Mei Yingxue?

    Moreover, it was not Mei Yingxue of this life but the one from the previous lifetime who had fought desperately to save the country, decimating Transcendents and causing rivers of blood to flow, the Golden Core Realm Jinghong Sword Immortal!

    However, he had no time to think further because Mei Yingxue¡¯s sword light was coming even faster, and in a flash, it was upon him again.

    Baihong Gua Ri!

    The very first move of the first chapter written in the Lu Kingdom Sword Immortal¡¯s teaching materials, also the most common and useful sword technique¡ªThe straight thrust. Depending on the Sword technique cultivated, the execution could vary.

    ...

    Lin Ning was cultivating the ¡°Kunlun Imperial Sword Technique Primer,¡± His Baihong Gua Ri was imposing and forceful, packing a lot more punch than the textbook¡¯s version of the move; but when Mei Yingxue unleashed her strike, its hallmark was extreme speed.

    A relentless, ultimate speed!

    Yan Yu only had time to position his sword for a defensive block in front of him before Baihong Gua Ri sent him flying again, vanishing from everyone¡¯s sight.

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Ye Jun were both dumbfounded, and even the usually composed Chen Lingyun¡¯s eyes revealed a look of disbelief.

    You can block that too?

    The speed of the three girls¡¯ reactions were simply no match for Mei Yingxue¡¯s sword speed. The Demonic Sect Enchantress served as the best example; overestimating her abilities and attempting to cross swords with Mei Yingxue, her Flying Sword had barely left its sheath, its speed not yet gathered, when it was struck by the Jinghong Sword, sent flying back to break her arm¡ªif not for the Yin Wind Sword deflecting the blow, the Jinghong Sword would have pierced right through her body.

    With Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s lesson in mind, the girls realized that their opponent was entirely out of their league and that they could not defeat her. Just managing to defend themselves required their utmost effort, so Ye Jun activated the Xuan Guang Ruler, covering the trio in a protective shell, taking the hits head-on when they couldn¡¯t react in time.

    Due to the limit on spiritual energy, although Mei Yingxue was the previous life¡¯s Golden Core Realm version of the Jinghong Sword Immortal, apart from the swordsmanship experience of a Golden Core level, she did not bring over her True Yuan and Cultivation Realm, otherwise a single strike would have been enough to forcefully breach the defense of the Xuan Guang Ruler and skewer the three girls.

    To think that Yan Yu was still able to react defensively under Mei Yingxue¡¯s onslaught genuinely frightened the three girls.

    Mei Yingxue seemed to have her attention drawn as well, and disregarding the trio, she focused solely on pursuing Yan Yu.

    ¡°What do we do?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen hesitantly asked.

    ¡°First, we find a place to stabilize the injury on your arm,¡± Chen Lingyun said coolly.

    ¡°No way!¡± Ye Jun immediately objected, ¡°Without the protection of the Xuan Guang Ruler, if Yan is hit once, he¡¯s finished!¡±

    ¡°You going won¡¯t make a difference,¡± Chen Lingyun replied, ¡°You can¡¯t catch up.¡±

    ¡°I have to try to find out!¡± Ye Jun argued back no further but turned and soared away with her sword light.

    As she flew swiftly after Yan Yu, she soon saw the white light pursuing the Huang Tingjian light, like a hawk chasing a swallow. The Huang Tingjian light didn¡¯t even have the time to dodge and could only adjust its angle to receive the hits on the strongest defensive points.

    Seeing this, Ye Jun grew even more anxious and hurried at full speed with her Sword Control.

    But she couldn¡¯t catch up¡­

    The Jinghong Sword light was just too fast, capable of attacking three to four times every second. Yan Yu had to dissipate the force each time just to barely block, which meant he was being sent flying at least three times per second, his passive speed even surpassing her full-speed Sword Control.

    There was nothing Ye Jun could do but to sigh as she watched the sword light, and then she turned back to where Chen Lingyun was, only to see them fighting with a group of foreign Transcendents.

    Enemies again?!

    Fortunately, they were just ordinary Transcendents, not the kind they couldn¡¯t handle at all.

    Ye Jun¡¯s heart settled somewhat, and she activated the Xuan Guang Ruler, forming two protective light flowers around them. Then she joined the battlefield with her Sword Control.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Yin Ghost Pass, Golden Chicken Mountain.

    Liu Longtao and Xie Ruoxi split up to lure the enemy, planning to draw a large number of chicken ghosts that were following them to one location, then use Taoism Method to wipe them out cleanly. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Thunder Method is a small-scale spell, so logically, this cleanup task could only let Lord Master¡¯s Five Directions Dragon Zixiao Secret Technique take the stage, to exhibit its divine power in front of the national audience through the live broadcast, which would produce a salvaging effect.

    Liu Longtao ran around, attracting all the nearby Yin Ghosts. Seeing him alone, they swarmed toward him at once, being led on a chase by Lord Master as if pulling a train.

    Back at the designated rendezvous point, Liu Longtao calmly and leisurely made his rounds, leading about twenty Yin Ghosts on a merry chase while wondering how Xie Ruoxi was still not here.

    Truth be told, after the battle with the Onmyoji, although he never said it aloud, he had come to recognize Xie Ruoxi¡¯s strength.

    This woman¡¯s combat capabilities were there, it¡¯s just that her brain was seriously undercharged. If she were to face someone like Princess Jiang Hai, she would definitely be played in circles unless they happened to meet in a tight spot for a close-quarters fight.

    Fortunately, these Yin Ghosts didn¡¯t possess much intelligence, and luring the enemy didn¡¯t require any brains, so he thought there shouldn¡¯t be any problem.

    After waiting for a long time, suddenly there was a loud crowing sound from a distance, piercing and shrill, almost shattering the darkness of the night.

    Liu Longtao: ?

    Before he could dwell on his confusion for long, Xie Ruoxi came back with the Yin Ghost ¡ª nearly astonishing Lord Master to a stupor.

    All he saw was the Yin Ghost behind her, as tall as a three-story building, with a robust and vast body, flapping wings, swinging claws, and a beak sharp like a sword continually smashing into the ground, trying to peck Xie Ruoxi to death on the spot.

    Xie Ruoxi scurried beneath it like an ant being chased by a rooster, hurrying toward this side, and transmitted her voice:

    ¡°I lured a big one!¡±

    What have you lured, good heavens! Liu Longtao was too exhausted to criticize, and hurriedly launched Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens, blasting to death all the Yin Ghosts behind him before quickly charging at the giant chicken, fingering the sword technique, firing the Ying Long Sword straight at its throat.

    The giant Yin Ghost swung its beak and directly knocked the Ying Long Sword away.

    Liu Longtao quickly urged his True Yuan, swiftly stabilizing the Ying Long Sword, and continued his tangle with the giant chicken.

    The giant Yin Ghost had a hooked beak like sickles and feathers like steel, impervious to sword and spear. Just simple head swinging and wing flapping could directly knock away the Ying Long Sword.

    Liu Longtao wasn¡¯t anxious, patiently controlling the Ying Long Sword in the standoff, secretly searching for the giant chicken¡¯s weak spot, planning to deliver an elegant, killing blow.

    Taking advantage of the moment when the giant chicken was handed over to Lord Master, Xie Ruoxi quickly rushed to his side, asking:

    ¡°Is the lure over? Can we kill it now?¡±

    ¡°Kill it.¡± Liu Longtao regretted a bit, he shouldn¡¯t have emphasized following orders with her. This woman¡¯s brain must be made of single-celled neurons, with no flexibility at all. Now she had to ask for instructions on everything. He really couldn¡¯t figure out how Yan Yu usually trained her. It couldn¡¯t possibly be like how a kindergarten teacher treats children, right? ¡°Naptime,¡± ¡°Time for a meal,¡± ¡°Don¡¯t eat your hands,¡± like that?

    ¡°Ah, finally I can kill.¡± Xie Ruoxi sighed with relief, rolling up her sleeves, pinching out a Jade Pivot Thunder, and threw it hard at the giant chicken.

    The corner of the giant chicken¡¯s eye caught the thunderball, trying to deflect it with a wing, unaware that while its defense was strong, the power of the Jade Pivot Thunder was even more tyrannical, coupled with its specific efficacy against Yin Ghosts. The two clashed like snow meeting the warmth of spring, instantly vaporizing the mass of hard feathers and the soul within, thanks to the lightning.

    Without losing momentum, the Jade Pivot Thunder struck the front side of the giant chicken¡¯s neck and exploded thunderously inside it.

    The gold mountain collapses, the jade pillar shatters!

    The giant chicken¡¯s enormous and terrifying body, under the force of the Jade Pivot Thunder, looked as if made of paper mache and was instantaneously blown into fragments. Countless feathers fluttered down, before slowly transforming into fragmented spirits and dissipating.

    Liu Longtao: ¡­¡­

    ¡°Sigh, it really wasn¡¯t challenging at all,¡± Xie Ruoxi habitually placed her hands behind her back, shook her head and lamented, ¡°It couldn¡¯t even handle one of my moves. With secret realm creatures of this level, is it really necessary to lure them all together before killing them? I think it would be better not to get entangled with them at all, and just focus on traveling. If they want to gather in groups and attack us, just let me wipe them all out in one move. How could the lowly ants by the road impede my progress?¡±

    Liu Longtao: ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Eh, something dropped,¡± Xie Ruoxi said as she picked up a magical artifact from the disintegrating remnants of the giant chicken: It looked like an ancient commanding sword, with dark chicken feathers stuck on it.

    She tossed the item to Lord Master, who subconsciously caught it, just to hear Xie Ruoxi add:

    ¡°Keep it safe, don¡¯t lose it.¡±

    Bloody hell, she really thinks I¡¯m her flunky, huh? Liu Longtao fumed with rage.

 Chapter 375 - 71 Liu Longtao Convinced Wholeheartedly

    Chapter 375: Chapter 71 Liu Longtao Convinced Wholeheartedly

    ¡°`

    The Ying Long Sword had been entangled in battle with the giant chicken ghost for a good while, trading blows back and forth. However, Xie Ruoxi launched a Jade Pivot Thunder and immediately blasted the giant chicken ghost to smithereens, causing the barrage of comments in the live stream to explode once again. Where the army of the Immortal Venerate went, no grass would grow¡ªthere were no other normal comments to be seen.

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    ¡°Ha ha ha,¡± Zhou Erhe said with a kind smile, ¡°the Immortal Venerate¡­ well, how should I put it, she¡¯s just too damn awesome.¡±

    ¡°`

    ...

    ¡°`

    The on-site executive director immediately signaled for the staff to raise a sign:

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    Swearing warning.

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    Realizing his slip of the tongue, Zhou Erhe quickly shut up. Xu Dongming came to the rescue from the side:

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    ¡°The Thunder Method of the Immortal Venerate is indeed powerful, and its specialty lies in the fact that if it hits the target, it¡¯s a guaranteed kill or injury. But its disadvantages are also very clear: slow flight speed, small range, and easy to dodge.¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    ¡°If it hadn¡¯t been for Liu Longtao keeping the enemy occupied with the Ying Long Sword, the Immortal Venerate¡¯s Thunder Method wouldn¡¯t have hit so smoothly,¡± Zhou Erhe added in agreement. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, during the confrontation with the Onmyoji, Xie Ruoxi¡¯s Thunder Method needed to be in close quarters or to have multiple coverages to ensure a hit rate; once the distance increased, her accuracy dropped significantly, and several times her attacks were dodged¡­¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    In the midst of their commentary, the two actually helped Liu Longtao regain some dignity.

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    But the live comments didn¡¯t see it that way, with most viewers having a very simplistic value judgment: victory brings honor, defeat brings disgrace. Whoever wins is awesome, as for why they win¡­ don¡¯t make us think, we don¡¯t have the brains for it.

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    In the vast live stream room, no one mentioned Lord Master¡¯s prestige anymore; all praises were sung for the Immortal Venerate now.

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    Liu Longtao was unaware of the change in public opinion outside. He finally realized that Xie Ruoxi was essentially a big cannon.

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    No skills, no operations, no positioning, no blocking, just flat out normal attacks¡ªthe entirety of her talents were put into attack power!

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    For a cannon, the most important thing is the firing environment. If even a ranged attacker kept harassing her from a distance non-stop, Xie Ruoxi would have to hide behind her sword, unable to move her legs or strike back.

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    It just so happened that the Onmyoji treated her like some obscure nobody, trying to conserve spiritual power while exchanging blows with her, and the result was that she pushed them around and showed off in front of the whole country.

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    I, Liu Longtao, don¡¯t mind others showing off in front of me. Look at Old Yan; he often lifts me up high in praise, but Xie Ruoxi doesn¡¯t understand the rules of the game. She uses me as a stepping stone, how can I tolerate that?

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    I must find an opportunity to wash away the shame! Let her know how formidable I, the master of Pingjing, am!

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    As the two passed over the Golden Rooster Mountain, they saw a city in the distance.

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    Outside the city was a village made up of many thatched houses, with countless wandering spirits among them, appearing as old people, children, and women, all emaciated with dim eyes.

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    Afraid that Xie Ruoxi would steal the kill again, Liu Longtao said nothing, unceremoniously sending the Ying Long Sword out, skewering two ghosts nearby through the heart.

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    The group of ghosts was thrown into chaos, frantically fleeing far away. Liu Longtao began to perform the Taoism Method, casting Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens and instantly targeting the area with the most wild ghosts. The fire dragon danced wildly, limbs flew in all directions, fortunately, there were no gory scenes, and the wild ghosts that died quickly dissipated into nothingness.

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    After killing most of the wild ghosts, and with the rest having fled, Liu Longtao also crossed his arms in an attempt to act superior, turning to Xie Ruoxi with a smug look and said:

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    ¡°Ha! Mere shrimps and crabs, no match at all.¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    Xie Ruoxi was silent for a moment, then asked:

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we try to communicate first?¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    Struck by his own boomerang, Liu Longtao was stunned for a moment, then immediately put on a haughty expression and shook his head:

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    ¡°I gave them an opportunity to communicate.¡± Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    ¡°Did you?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked skeptically, ¡°Weren¡¯t you just going in for the kill with your Sword Control the moment you saw them?¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    ¡°Before my Flying Sword got to them, they had a chance to say a word,¡± Liu Longtao said coldly. ¡°That was their only opportunity to speak. Since they didn¡¯t seize the chance, naturally, I didn¡¯t need to let them waste any more of my time.¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    Xie Ruoxi nodded as if she understood, then shook her head.

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    Nodding because she felt ¡°what you said does make some sense,¡± and shaking her head because ¡°that¡¯s not what you said before.¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    If it had been Chen Lingyun in this situation, she would definitely have started with the sarcasm and teasing. But Ruoxi was a girl with simple thoughts and didn¡¯t intentionally try to undermine Lord Master; instead, she swept her Divine Sense around and suddenly said:

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    ¡°There¡¯s something on the ground over there.¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    Liu Longtao went to look and found a red string.

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    This red string seemed to be made of ordinary material, but under the scan of Divine Sense, it was emitting a dark spiritual glow, making it clear that it was not an ordinary item but a magical artifact.

    ¡°`

    ¡°The previous two items seemed to be similar,¡± Xie Ruoxi suggested with a gamer¡¯s mind, ¡°Let¡¯s take a look.¡±

    ¡°Do I need you to tell me that?¡± Liu Longtao was somewhat annoyed but admitted she was right, and he brought out the earlier obtained Black Dog Nail and Chicken Feather Arrow, placing them together.

    No sooner had they been laid out than the three items began to fuse on their own: the Black Dog Nail transformed into an iron plaque, the Chicken Feather Arrow carved itself upon it, and the red string melted into ink, resulting in a token¡ªYin on one side, Yang on the other.

    Yin Yang Order.

    ¡°This thing¡­¡± Liu Longtao pondered, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°The craftsmanship is rather exquisite,¡± Xie Ruoxi commented, ¡°Metal luster is always attractive. Acrylic can¡¯t achieve this effect.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask if it looked good.¡± Liu Longtao was speechless, thinking to himself how could she understand this, ¡°This item should be useful next.¡±

    ¡°Do I need you to say that?¡± Xie Ruoxi, always blunt, said whatever was on her mind without a second thought for the other person¡¯s feelings, ¡°These are things that dropped from this Mysterious Realm. Of course, they¡¯re meant to be used here. Spielberg once said, ¡®If there¡¯s a gun on the wall, later on, that gun is bound to be fired.¡¯ Ever heard of it?¡±

    ¡°That was Chekhov,¡± Liu Longtao said.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Xie Ruoxi showed not a hint of embarrassment on her face, ¡°No problem, I¡¯m illiterate. As long as you get my point.¡±

    Liu Longtao was beyond words. This girl was clearly the complete opposite of Princess Jiang Hai, so why were their annoying traits identical?

    As the two crossed the desolate Wild Ghost Village and neared the outskirts of the city, they saw the city walls stretching endlessly to both sides. Only in the center stood a temple with three big characters embossed on the signboard: Temple of Lost Souls.

    Entering the temple, they saw a tall figure seated in the highest seat, speaking coldly,

    ¡°To enter Fengdu, do you have the token?¡±

    Speaking of token, Liu Longtao immediately thought of the recently acquired Yin Yang Order, just about to say ¡°Yes,¡± when Xie Ruoxi, without a second word, pinched the Jade Pivot Thunder and hurled it.

    Struck in the face by the Jade Pivot Thunder, the tall figure¡¯s head exploded on impact, his headless body suddenly standing up, angry roars echoing from all directions.

    ¡°Without the Yin Yang Order, and refusing to drink the Soul-Losing Water, you are sentenced to death!¡±

    ¡°Are you freaking insane?!¡± Liu Longtao finally lost his temper, shouting, as he formed the Sword technique with his hands, and commanded the Ying Long Sword into action.

    No sooner had the Flying Sword taken flight than vast amounts of white mist sprayed out from all directions, carrying an odd sweet scent.

    The moment Liu Longtao held his breath, it was already too late; he accidentally inhaled a hint of it and instantly felt dizzy and bloated, hurriedly transmitting his voice to Xie Ruoxi,

    ¡°Hold your breath! It¡¯s poisonous!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi, however, had taken a deep breath of the Soul-Losing Fragrance and was now so confused that she had to quickly grab onto a nearby pillar.

    Seeing her staggering, Liu Longtao panicked internally, and could only unleash Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens with full force before him.

    He had aimed at the headless torso but due to his dizziness, he was far from precise. The fiery dragon veered far downward, striking the incense table before the figure, blowing the table to smithereens.

    The headless torso reached for a divining cylinder that had rolled aside, drew a sharp divination stick, and with a sudden throw, it turned into a Flying Sword aiming for Lord Master¡¯s head.

    Lord Master, not about to sit and wait for death, pushed through his unclear mind and weakly activated Sword Control, driving the Ying Long Sword to intercept.

    The Ying Long Sword clashed with the divination stick in mid-air. The latter had not a shred of swordsmanship skill, merely crashing about, yet the former¡¯s movements were also embarrassingly flawed due to the dizziness of its controller¡ªan utterly mismatched and clumsy fight.

    Liu Longtao felt increasingly awful, his only option being to signal Xie Ruoxi to retreat quickly, so the two could leave the Temple of Lost Souls and find a place to recuperate and expel the poison.

    Yet there stood Xie Ruoxi, who had been leaning against the pillar, suddenly standing upright with an unknown burst of strength, shouting,

    ¡°I¡¯m going all out with you!¡±

    Channeling lightning with both hands, she was back to her familiar double-gun rapid-fire Gatling, blasting wildly ahead.

    Due to the disorientation from the Soul-Losing Fragrance, Xie Ruoxi¡¯s aim was even worse, but the sheer volume of her Thunder Method compensated for that¡ªin a wild flurry, about sixteen or seventeen thunder orbs were thrown: some exploded on the floor, others hit the walls, some collided with the steps, another rammed the ceiling, and one coincidentally struck the chest of the headless torso, obliterating it into nothingness.

    Liu Longtao stood agape, in utter disbelief, unable to accept reality, questioning his existence, forcibly calming down, his heart still pounding, reflecting carefully, powerless and thoroughly convinced.

    Enough! Time to make peace with her!

 Chapter 376 - 72 Hard to Handle

    Chapter 376: Chapter 72 Hard to Handle

    The two of them practiced their techniques inside the Temple of Lost Souls for a moment and managed to clear all of the befuddling fragrance that had invaded their bodies.

    Liu Longtao let out a long breath of turbid air and then revealed his trademark Lord Master¡¯s pleasant smile, asking,

    ¡°Little Xie, why did you strike out just like that earlier?¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t that what you said?¡± Xie Ruoxi was confused.

    ¡°What did I say?¡± Liu Longtao asked in surprise.

    ¡°Give him the chance to utter a single word.¡± Xie Ruoxi imitated Liu Longtao¡¯s posturing from Wild Ghost Village, speaking with hands behind his back, ¡°If he couldn¡¯t seize that opportunity, it shows he¡¯s not worth my time.¡±

    ...

    ¡°But the man on stage spoke eight words.¡±

    Liu Longtao: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Is there a possibility,¡± he struggled to keep a calm and composed expression, ¡°that he wanted us to hand over the Yin Yang Order?¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± said Xie Ruoxi.

    ¡°After handing it over, it¡¯s possible we could¡¯ve passed the challenge directly,¡± Liu Longtao said.

    ¡°Ah?¡± Xie Ruoxi inquired.

    ¡°Do you have something you don¡¯t understand?¡± Liu Longtao asked.

    ¡°But we don¡¯t have the Yin Yang Order,¡± Xie Ruoxi pointed out.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the Yin Yang Order?¡± Liu Longtao took out the Yin Yang Order they had merged before.

    ¡°This is the Yin Yang Order?¡± Xie Ruoxi was skeptical.

    Liu Longtao suddenly fell silent.

    Indeed, although this thing had the character for ¡®yang¡¯ on one side, ¡®yin¡¯ on the other, and was even a token, it wasn¡¯t necessarily the Yin Yang Order that man mentioned¡ªafter all, we have nothing like an identification technique to slap onto this object and have a frame pop out labeling it ¡°Yin Yang Order.¡±

    If we¡¯re unsure, why not just ask him? As long as he says yes, we can hand over the token and leave without a fight¡­ Huh?

    Wait a moment, if we were originally supposed to hand over the Yin Yang Order to get through, then having forcibly fought our way through, wouldn¡¯t that mean we get to keep this Yin Yang Order treasure with us instead?

    Liu Longtao had an epiphany! Hey, there¡¯s actually this layer of strategy! I didn¡¯t expect you to be so cunning¡­ wait, hold on, this fool might not have actually planned this, it¡¯s more likely he stumbled into it by mistake.

    Nevertheless, having acquired a new magical artifact, Lord Master¡¯s previous displeasure was swept away clean, and the smile on his face became much more genuine,

    ¡°Alright then! I was overthinking it, let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°You really are odd,¡± Xie Ruoxi spoke honestly, ¡°one moment you tell me not to act and to communicate first; the next moment, you initiate the fight yourself; one moment you want me to follow your commands; then the next, you¡¯re impatient when I ask questions¡­ Ling Yun never changes her instructions so frequently.¡±

    Liu Longtao fell silent for a while before saying, Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Can we not do this comparison thing? I¡¯m the team leader responsible for leading the group, and she¡¯s the deputy leader in charge of command; how can you compare the two?¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu also commands better than you,¡± Xie Ruoxi said.

    ¡°You are so right,¡± Liu Longtao, resolved to make amends, naturally wouldn¡¯t quarrel with this naive mountain girl who could only thunder, ¡°Indeed, I¡¯m not as good as those two on your team. Normally, I just give casual commands, and they¡¯re quick to understand and carry out the actions, so my commanding is indeed a bit rough.¡±

    Although he was being sarcastic in a roundabout way, Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t catch it and felt a bit embarrassed, thinking she might have dented his confidence. She quickly tried to smooth things over,

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Like you said, you¡¯re the leader, so it¡¯s normal not to be good at commanding, and once we get out, I¡¯ll have Ling Yun teach you.¡±

    Liu Longtao swallowed his pride and, after a long while, said,

    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. We¡¯ve delayed at this stage for too long; let¡¯s keep moving.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi had no objection. The two passed through the Temple of Lost Souls, entered Fengdu City, and along the way, chilling winds blew and a ghostly atmosphere pervaded, with the ash of completely burned spirit money littering the streets and even the scent of charring lingering in the wind.

    Liu Longtao, expressionless, led Xie Ruoxi through the streets, and soon saw a one-horned scale tiger sprawled out in the center of the city.

    The tiger licked its paw, turned its head, and suddenly said,

    ¡°Don¡¯t attack just yet.¡±

    Both had already formed their magic seals and, upon hearing the words, stopped outputting True Yuan, waiting to hear what it wanted to say.

    ¡°Our ten Fengdu trials test cultivators¡¯ ability to travel long distances and distribute True Yuan reasonably,¡± the tiger spoke, ¡°The two of you haven¡¯t used any shortcuts and have fought your way through, even slaying ¡®Meng Po¡¯ and ¡®Yanluo,¡¯ who you didn¡¯t even have to battle. Now your True Yuan is still abundant; there¡¯s no need for me to fight you in this trial.¡±

    After a moment of silence, Xie Ruoxi quietly sent a message to Liu Longtao:

    ¡°Could this be some kind of trick?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine if we don¡¯t fight,¡± Liu Longtao said, disregarding her and speaking directly to the white-striped tiger, ¡°Take us to the next trial.¡±

    ¡°Certainly,¡± the tiger paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°That Yin Yang Order is a fine treasure, but it¡¯s a pity you don¡¯t follow the necromancer¡¯s path. Otherwise, if you properly understood its mysteries, it would be infinitely useful for you.¡±

    So it was an artifact specifically for necromancers¡­ Hearing this, Liu Longtao¡¯s vision darkened momentarily as he felt his internal True Yuan nearly taking a wrong turn.

    The slight joy he had felt at obtaining the Yin Yang Order faded completely.

    Xie Ruoxi, who was utterly oblivious, tried to console him:

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. If we can¡¯t use it, Lingyun will surely be able to. It won¡¯t go to waste.¡±

    ¡°Enough already,¡± Liu Longtao regained his composure, knowing she didn¡¯t mean any harm, and generously decided not to make an issue of it, ¡°Send us to the next trial then.¡±

    A flash of white light later, the two arrived in a treacherous landscape.

    This place was a river of lava, with dense clouds of fire in the sky, but let¡¯s not go into details. As they scanned their surroundings with Divine Sense, suddenly a streak of sword light flashed from afar.

    ¡°Captain!¡± Xie Ruoxi recognized that it was Huang Tingjian¡¯s sword light. She was both shocked and delighted, ready to rush over and regroup with Yan Yu, when another streak of white light, even faster, appeared and violently struck sending Huang Tingjian¡¯s sword light flying off course.

    Xie Ruoxi was stunned; Liu Longtao¡¯s expression turned serious as he wondered, how could that white sword light be so fast?

    It was unlike anything he had ever seen or heard of!

    If it were him facing that sword light, he figured he would be completely breached within two to three minutes, decapitated and dismembered. Poor old Yan had such bad luck to encounter such an overpowered adversary¡­Damn it, didn¡¯t I also run into Xie Ruoxi, this treasure trove of trouble?

    Forget it, I¡¯ll go help Yan hold off for a while, we can take turns dealing with the enemy.

    Just as he was about to spur the Ying Long Sword light forward, both heard Yan Yu sending a message:

    ¡°Stay back.¡±

    Stay back? Both were slightly startled. Was he telling us not to join the battle?

    ¡°Damn it, old Yan,¡± Liu Longtao sent a message back, ¡°Can you handle it?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu sent the message.

    ¡°You can only manage to say one word in your message.¡± This was serious, no joke, Liu Longtao still needed clear confirmation, ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it, okay? If there¡¯s a problem, just say it and I¡¯ll cover for you for a while.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    Great, he was able to send back stable messages, so it seemed there was no immediate problem.

    ¡°Go find,¡± Yan Yu added.

    ¡°Find what?¡± Xie Ruoxi hurriedly asked.

    ¡°Lingyun.¡± After a while, Yan Yu finally replied.

    ¡°Lingyun is here too?¡± Xie Ruoxi was overjoyed.

    But Yan Yu did not reply, as he had already flown too far¡­ the signal was outside the service area.

    ¡°Damn, old Yan is seriously badass,¡± Liu Longtao exclaimed, sending a message, ¡°Let¡¯s go find Princess Jiang Hai and figure out how to deal with this enemy.¡±

    ¡°Who is Princess Jiang Hai?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked.

    ¡°Chen Lingyun, isn¡¯t she from Jiang Hai?¡± Liu Longtao answered casually.

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°Facing such an unstoppable enemy, we can only look to her for solutions,¡± Liu Longtao said seriously.

 Chapter 377 - 73: The Mortal World

    Chapter 377: Chapter 73: The Mortal World

    After Lin Ning and Su Yunjin left the animal world, they did not end up at the same checkpoint as Ye Jun, but suddenly found themselves back at their own homes.

    ¡°Where is this?¡± Looking around at the familiar furnishings, Lin Ning¡¯s face changed dramatically.

    How did I return home?

    She had moved to Qingyuan Prefecture when she was in middle school, and this place was the old house left by her grandfather¡ªin a small fishing village along the coast of the county.

    As everyone knows, when the Mysterious Realm morphs into a place you¡¯re familiar with, it means it¡¯s time to¡­ not torture, but test the strength of your will.

    Therefore, she quickly prepared herself mentally and secretly mustered her spirit to be on guard.

    ...

    Before long, Lin¡¯s mother came out with a plate of food, surprised to see her daughter.

    ¡°Why are you back?¡±

    Lin Ning remained silent.

    She swept Lin¡¯s mother with her Divine Sense again and again, confirming this was definitely not a real person but an illusion. As such, she didn¡¯t want to respond and give the people watching the livestream something to gossip about¡­ Where¡¯s my camera? Why is it gone?

    Seeing that her daughter was not speaking, Lin¡¯s mother put the food on the dining table in the main hall and went back into the kitchen.

    This way, I can¡¯t continue the challenge. Lin Ning could only helplessly follow her into the kitchen and said:

    ¡°I¡¯ve come back suddenly, aren¡¯t you happy, Mom?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lin¡¯s mother shook her head, but her face did not look pleased, ¡°As long as you¡¯re happy.¡±

    ¡°As long as you¡¯re happy¡± is another way of saying, ¡°I can¡¯t handle you; I can¡¯t be bothered with you,¡± Lin Ning was helpless. Taking advantage of the blocked live broadcast camera, she asked:

    ¡°Mom, why are you upset again?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not upset,¡± said Lin¡¯s mother. ¡°You¡¯re almost forty, and you don¡¯t even have a boyfriend, nor will you consider matchmaking. I don¡¯t have the energy to get angry with you; I¡¯ve resigned myself.¡±

    Lin Ning: ¡­¡­¡­

    Wait, first of all, this is just an illusion, I¡¯m not almost forty and single!

    Secondly, are you trying to challenge my views on love? Thinking that I set my sights too high, purposefully designing this scenario, hoping to make me lose my composure, right?

    It must be said that after the experience in the Mirror Lake Maze, Lin Ning¡¯s mental strength had greatly improved, not feeling the slightest embarrassment, but merely thinking calmly.

    If it¡¯s about challenging my views on love, as long as I can ¡°convince the Mysterious Realm¡± in this regard, affirming my own beliefs, I should be able to break through this challenge.

    After thinking things through, Lin Ning said gently:

    ¡°Mom, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t plan to find a boyfriend, it¡¯s just that I want to find someone I like.¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh, uh-huh,¡± Lin¡¯s mother was entirely unmoved, ¡°So what type do you like? I call you to go on blind dates, but you refuse; I ask you to find someone on your own, but you can¡¯t, when asked about what type of man you like, you hem and haw, unable to articulate. I think you just like being alone for the rest of your life.¡±

    Lin Ning helplessly explained:

    ¡°Mom, no, that¡¯s not it. I¡¯m not making excuses!¡±

    ¡°Then you can tell Mom now,¡± Lin¡¯s mother didn¡¯t even turn around, busying herself gutting a fish by the sink, ¡°What are your thoughts?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already thought it through,¡± Lin Ning patiently said, ¡°I like the type who is shrewd and capable, assertive, and who makes me feel secure when I¡¯m with them. The matchmaking candidates you previously found for me all spoke too effeminately; I don¡¯t like that.¡±

    ¡°Men like that tend to be very dominant, which might make them difficult to get along with,¡± Lin¡¯s mother replied.

    ¡°Not at all!¡± Lin Ning quickly defended, ¡°Being strong does not mean they are tactless in speech and actions! A man with assertiveness surely knows where your bottom line is. They might seem domineering and hard to get along with, but in fact, they consider your feelings in everything they do, making sure you¡¯re not uncomfortable. What you¡¯re talking about is chauvinists who don¡¯t care about their wives at all, that¡¯s a completely different thing from what I¡¯m describing.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Lin¡¯s mother bowed her head, continuing to work on the fish, and said, ¡°If he¡¯s really as outstanding as you describe, why would he choose you? You¡¯re thirty-six or thirty-seven, why wouldn¡¯t he go for a woman in her twenties, why bother with someone your age?¡±

    Lin Ning suddenly became angry and subconsciously put herself into her thirty-six or thirty-seven-year-old self, arrogantly saying:

    ¡°So what if I¡¯m in my thirties? As long as he¡¯s still single, of course I can wait for him to make up his mind! If he dares to choose another girl over me, then I¡¯ll just hang around his house all day long, eat his food, use his stuff, and see what he can do about it!¡±

    Lin¡¯s mother fell silent for a while, then suddenly said:

    ¡°So, you¡¯ve got someone you like?¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Lin Ning was stunned.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    However, the Illusion Realm that Su Yunjin found herself in was not at home, but in a hotel. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Chen Lingyun was seen wearing a bridal gown, having her makeup done by a makeup artist. Su Yunjin, on the other hand, was dressed in bridesmaid attire, constantly comforting herself in her mind:

    ¡°It¡¯s all an illusion¡­ It¡¯s to test the steadiness of my heart¡­¡±

    But still, it was so infuriating!

    She glanced at the wedding invitation on the table. The groom¡¯s name, glaringly written as ¡°Yan Yu,¡± gave Su Yunjin the urge to have a heart attack right there and turn the joyous occasion into a funeral.

    I wish I could just kill myself now and ruin your wedding!

    Of course, that was just a momentary impulse.

    Even if this really happened in reality, given Su Yunjin¡¯s disposition and upbringing, she probably could only swallow her grievances temporarily and bury all her feelings deep down in her heart.

    Of course, I still have to be a friend.

    When the team leader has his seven-year itch and argues with Lingyun, goes silent, separates, and then divorces, I¡¯ll use the excuse of ¡°comforting the team leader¡± to ask him out on a trip, accompany him to travel, see flowers, enjoy the scenery, roam around Lu Country for two or three months, and then find a place to confess decisively. It must be in a setting and atmosphere where he can¡¯t refuse!

    Ah, but that¡¯s too shameless. What if the team leader doesn¡¯t really like me and is just with me to fill a void in his heart? That would be too unfair to me.

    Su Yunjin¡¯s thoughts raced as she sat restlessly, only to hear Chen Lingyun say with a laugh:

    ¡°Yun Jin, I¡¯m really happy that you could come this time.¡±

    Su Yunjin ignored her.

    Her Divine Sense confirmed that this Chen Lingyun before her eyes was just a fake conjured by the Mysterious Realm¡ªof course, it was fake. The real Lingyun would never say such hurtful things on purpose, and she even wanted to start a harem for the team leader.

    Such a strange idea, why did she want to do that?

    ¡°Sigh.¡± Seeing that she was ignored, Chen Lingyun suddenly sighed deeply, ¡°I was actually thinking about finding him a few more girlfriends. I didn¡¯t expect that he would be in such a hurry to marry me, sigh. To suddenly call you all over like this, I really feel bad, but we had an agreement, right? Whichever one of us gets married, the other four must be her bridesmaids.¡±

    There was no such agreement! Su Yunjin screamed in her mind.

    Of course, if it¡¯s me marrying the team leader, you four coming to be bridesmaids, that¡¯s not out of the question, but if you don¡¯t want to, could I really force you?

    If you¡¯re already married to the team leader, don¡¯t keep flaunting it and hurting the sisterly bond!

    She sat quietly on the side, secretly forming hand seals, fantasizing about flooding the entire hotel, only to hear Chen Lingyun continue with a smile:

    ¡°Actually, Yun Jin, I really didn¡¯t expect you to be willing to come. Sister Zhao and Ningning both said they were busy.¡±

    ¡°Do you find this amusing?¡± Su Yunjin asked coldly.

    ¡°Are you angry?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you tell?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t see it,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°I gave you a chance, Yun Jin. Before Yan Yu and I became a couple.¡±

    Now Su Yunjin was truly angry and retorted:

    ¡°Don¡¯t wear her appearance and speak these malicious words! The real Lingyun would never deliberately jab at someone¡¯s sore spot like this!¡±

    ¡°So you admit it¡¯s a sore spot for you,¡± said Chen Lingyun with a smile. ¡°You like him, Yun Jin. But you¡¯re afraid of being rejected, so you never dared to truly confess. You¡¯ve always used various methods to hint at him, provoke him, hoping he¡¯d understand your feelings on his own.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why you fail. Because you never considered, from Yan Yu¡¯s point of view¡­ he has so many options, many of whom are as good as you. And many men will subconsciously choose the one that¡¯s easiest to win.¡±

    ¡°Remember my words, Yun Jin. Either take the initiative and give it your all, or pin your hopes on the elusive luck. You can¡¯t choose the final win or loss, but at least you can choose not to regret in the future, thinking ¡®I should have been more proactive back then¡¯.¡±

 Chapter 378 - 74 Borrowing a Knife to Kill

    Chapter 378: Chapter 74 Borrowing a Knife to Kill

    ¡°`

    Rikoku Cultivators were battling within the Mysterious Realm. Outside the Mysterious Realm, from the Privy Council to Shixun Group, a large number of staff and a complete set of professional administrative and business teams were handling matters related to the live broadcast.

    Actually, if Rikoku had a choice, they would definitely choose not to broadcast. Winning would certainly stabilize public sentiment, but if they lost several battles, the pressure of public opinion would be overwhelming.

    But the problem is that if you don¡¯t broadcast yourself and can¡¯t stop your opponent from doing it, then you¡¯re essentially driving all the viewers to the other side. If Rikoku Cultivators suffer defeat and the opponents produce a few stylishly edited, all-angle videos, the propaganda effect would be explosive¡ªunless Rikoku follows the example of a certain neighbor and decides to isolate itself from the world, only then could they completely block out foreign news and avoid unrest among their citizens.

    After all, the information sphere is like the biosphere, and it also has what¡¯s called an ¡°ecological niche.¡± If domestic live broadcasting occupies the ecological niche of the information source, the public will lose interest in foreign sources of information.

    The reverse is also true: when domestic short video apps make inroads in foreign lands and take up much of the international netizens¡¯ time, they get used to checking these platforms for news and grow lazy to seek out ¡°authoritative messages¡± through official channels. This is truly a matter of life and death, one absolutely cannot let go easily.

    ...

    The live broadcast data was sent back to the Privy Council in real-time, with eleven people looking at a total of eleven screens, each monitored by a dedicated team, including military experts, intelligence experts, linguists, ethnologists, psychologists, and so on. They had to keep a sharp eye on everything, from the pattern on a pillar far within the Mysterious Realm, to the minute tactical movements of the Cultivators themselves.

    At this moment, more than half of the screens on the main control wall focused on Inferno Pass. The Rikoku Cultivators gathered together, with Ye Jun personally activating the Xuan Guang Ruler nonstop to protect the group, in case a sudden white light struck like a clap of thunder and chopped someone down on the spot.

    The other two screens, representing Su Yunjin and Lin Ning respectively, showed a loss of signal.

    This was not unusual. For instance, Mirror Lake Divine Palace and the previous animal level had both experienced signal loss as soon as cultivators entered.

    This was not due to issues with communication technology, but rather the restrictive spells within the Mysterious Realm acted like a firewall, which so far no country in the world could crack, leaving them no choice¡­ But still, the teams responsible for these two screens had to keep watching the black screen, as required by their job.

    These two teams had it relatively easy, as they could rest their eyes. The team responsible for Yan Yu was more exaggerated; although there was no black screen, the perspective was continuously rotating left, right, up, and down, accompanied by high-speed advances and retreats, nearly making everyone sick.

    The leaders were also worried about Yan Yu¡¯s situation and kept asking the expert team every couple of minutes if the Longcheng Flying General was still holding up.

    Their reply was, ¡°We don¡¯t know.¡± S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Because they couldn¡¯t keep up with what they were seeing! How could they make any judgments if they couldn¡¯t even see clearly?

    As they worried, the screens for Lin Ning and Su Yunjin suddenly lit up.

    The two had finally cleared the Illusion Realm level and entered the second level: surprisingly, it was again the Inferno Pass level. The members of the Zhenghai Team finally gathered together.

    However, this also meant that since everyone was indeed unable to find a solution to Inferno Pass, they all got stuck there.

    Lin Ning and Su Yunjin entered the level one after the other and, after exchanging glances for a moment, greeted each other without asking ¡°how did you pass the last level?¡±

    Lin Ning was subconsciously guilty and didn¡¯t dare to ask; Su Yunjin was more thoughtful, wondering why Ningning seemed off and whether she had encountered the same thing as her.

    In any case, as the Mysterious Realm had not been completely conquered, it was inappropriate to dwell on personal emotions at this time.The gathered superheroes, Onmyoji, and Lihuayuan Swordsmen quickly sent representatives to find a place to exchange views upon the suggestion of Xiandao Jingyin.

    ¡°Find a way to restrain him,¡± Xiandao Jingyin stated, ¡°He can only confront the white sword light head-on by relying on his reaction speed. Even if we delay his actions by half a beat, the white sword light would be able to kill him.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not acceptable,¡± Park Changmin objected, ¡°The risk is too high.¡±

    The swordsmen of Lihuayuan can fly and are fast. If they decide to take action against Yan Yu, even for the sake of justice, they would definitely be the ones sent into battle, meaning they¡¯d have to face the risks of confronting Yan Yu and the white sword light directly.

    The representative of the superheroes, ¡°Judge¡± Stevenson, a priest-dressed foreigner, fell silent for a moment before suddenly speaking:

    ¡°The speed of the white sword light is indeed very fast, absolutely beyond our capability to handle. His own mobility isn¡¯t enough to match the white sword light, and he¡¯s only relying on reaction speed and control to barely avoid defeat. But how long can he last like this?¡±

    Although he posed it as a question, his stance was clear: the superheroes believed that Yan Yu couldn¡¯t hold out for long against such a formidable enemy and that they should just wait for him to self-destruct. There was no need to go to any extra lengths.

    Xiandao Jingyin had nothing to say and simply turned and walked away without any hesitation.

    She had seen clearly that though the three factions had joined forces under the threat from Rikoku Cultivators, they could at most maintain superficial cooperation. Privately, they were still wary and guarded against each other, even ready to fight. Even the Michi Country¡¯s Soil Defense Bureau, which led this tripartite cooperation, couldn¡¯t fully handle its own superheroes. In crucial moments, these people still acted as if ¡°the general is outside, the emperor¡¯s orders can be ignored¡±.

    After all, everyone wants the Departure Palace treasures. Heroes are here to fight with their lives for the treasures to boost their capabilities, not for some ¡°international strategy¡± or ¡°limiting Lu Country¡±¡­ Although they wouldn¡¯t say this openly, their actions are still primarily selfish.

    With the heroes drifting apart, now they could only wait until the Departure Palace Gate to settle the matter!

    As long as the Rikoku Cultivator seals the gate, attempting to monopolize the Departure Palace¡¯s treasures, they will inevitably become the target of everyone¡¯s arrows. At that time, these people would have to join forces, even if they harbored ulterior motives!

    Yan Yu, unaware of the Onmyoji¡¯s plan to besiege him, which hadn¡¯t fully formed before prematurely collapsing due to the superficial unity and substantial disunity among the three parties.

    He was merely silently coping with the assault of the white sword light while reflecting and recalling the past in secret.

    Chen Lingyun from his previous life had not elaborated much on the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng, probably due to some confidentiality requirement. But one thing was certain, each of the six stages had its theme and specific requirements to pass.

    Mei Yingxue at the Golden Core Realm level, even if only her speed was at that level, was not someone the present day Transcendents could beat¡ªthus, the requirement to pass shouldn¡¯t be to defeat her.

    Another suspicious thing was that, currently, only he was enduring Mei Yingxue¡¯s attacks.

    Why is she only targeting me?

    Yan Yu decided to conduct an experiment.

    Once again, lightning-fast, he adjusted his blocking angle to intercept Mei Yingxue¡¯s attack, only to be predictably sent flying.

    His body was thrown through the air by the formidable force, his viewpoint wildly spinning. Ordinary people would have long lost sense of direction, but Yan Yu felt no dizziness whatsoever. His Divine Sense quickly spread to the furthest reaches around him, then he once again used Sword Control to position himself just right to intercept the following strike from Mei Yingxue.

    Again, he was sent flying by the impact force, but this time he had calculated the direction of his flight¡ªhis body shot straight toward the ground like a cannonball, covering a few hundred meters in an instant.

    There, several Onmyoji who had used some technique to hide their presence, were trying to pass by ¡°quietly¡± without disturbing the fierce battle in the sky. Yan Yu suddenly appeared, startling everyone.

    Before they could attack him, Mei Yingxue¡¯s sword light also descended from the sky!

 Chapter 379 - 75: Diverting Trouble Eastward

    Chapter 379: Chapter 75: Diverting Trouble Eastward

    Being blasted to the ground like a cannonball, most cultivators would not know how to respond, but Yan Yu was an exception.

    His combat experience from his previous life was simply too rich, practically a ¡°Transcendent combat textbook,¡± and he had a method for dealing with this kind of situation. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    In the instant before reaching the ground, he released the Sword Control state.

    Man and sword separated!

    With nowhere to land in mid-air, one can only press against the Huang Ting Sword to borrow strength, while forming hand seals to stabilize the Flying Sword, using it as a stepping platform.

    Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step! He landed steadily!

    ...

    In his previous life, he did not know this step technique. Ordinary warriors had their own solutions, but Yan Yu had to admit that the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step was indeed superior in terms of metrics.

    Seeing that Yan Yu had finally escaped the high-speed state of being battered in a chain of home runs, all members of the Privy Council control room felt a surge of spirit¡ªfinally, they could properly enjoy his performance!

    As for the commercial live broadcast rooms outside, the audience had already grown accustomed to it. Even if the director occasionally switched to his perspective, they could only silently watch the chaotic, almost nausea-inducing, high-frequency rotating image, frantically sending bullet comments for the director to quickly change the angle.

    But the Longcheng Flying General was the trademark of Lu Country, and it had to be promoted since there was a demand from the Zhendong Army. Now that they saw Yan Yu had finally shaken off the pursuit, the director felt like he¡¯d been granted amnesty and hurriedly switched the camera to him.

    Yan Yu¡¯s figure flashed, and in an instant, he reached the ground, moving flexibly like a fish, in an inconceivable posture and angle, instantly circling to the back of an Onmyoji.

    Mei Yingxue¡¯s sword light followed closely behind, piercing through that Onmyoji¡¯s body in an instant, also scaring his comrades out of their wits.

    You bastard! Are you using someone else¡¯s hand to kill?

    In a mix of shock and rage, everyone¡¯s techniques were unleashed, covering the sky and earth as they attacked Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu¡¯s feet tapped swiftly on the ground, a simple Z-shaped maneuver allowing him to shake off all attacks to either side.

    Mei Yingxue, ignoring the surrounding Onmyojis, tightly followed behind him. Even when the aftershock of attacks covered and affected her, and even slowed down the movement speed of her sword light, she just took it all head-on, persistently pursuing Yan Yu.

    This gave Yan Yu plenty of rich ideas¡­ of course, further probing was needed.

    In the live broadcast room, the audience watched intently through Yan Yu¡¯s perspective, and the amount of bullet comments rapidly decreased¡ªthey¡¯d forgotten to type.

    Although Yan Yu¡¯s Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step was also as fast as a running horse, quick as a darting rabbit, compared to the state of being knocked around before, at least now they could barely make out his movements.

    They saw the Longcheng Flying General speeding along, nimbly circumventing the Onmyoji¡¯s bombardment range. Mei Yingxue¡¯s sword light, however, born of the Mysterious Realm and lacking much sentience, forced its way in a straight line into the center of the bombardment. As a result, it got bogged down by various attacks, moving even slower than Yan Yu¡¯s arcing sprint.

    Yan Yu¡¯s feet moved left and right without pause, flashing behind another Onmyoji in an instant.

    The opponent was immediately terrified and attempted to flee, only to be pierced through by Mei Yingxue¡¯s sword light¡ªa chilling through-and-through hit¡ªneither ¡°exhausted runner¡± Yan Yu nor ¡°straight shooter¡± Mei Yingxue¡¯s speeds were something the Onmyojis could match.

    Soon, this group of Onmyojis was wiped out cleanly by Mei Yingxue. Yan Yu leaped quickly into the air, merging with his sword, and once again transforming into a sword light cannonball, getting a boost from Mei Yingxue¡¯s launcher to be shot flying out.

    The audience was stunned.

    ¡°This is using another¡¯s hand to kill!¡± Zhou Erhe exclaimed in astonishment.

    ¡°An almost perfect use of another¡¯s hand to kill!¡± Xu Dongming loudy praised, ¡°The speed of Longcheng Flying General may not match the white sword light, but it is above these Onmyojis! Before, he needed to use swordsmanship to kill the enemy, now he doesn¡¯t even need swordsmanship! Without spending a trace of True Yuan, he can make the enemy¡¯s body fall apart!¡±

    These words weren¡¯t entirely accurate because the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step actually does consume a trace amount of True Yuan¡ªjust a bit less than the Sword Control Technique.

    But the audience didn¡¯t know that much, and the bullet comments quickly filled with powerful lines like ¡°Why use a Yan sword to kill a chicken¡± and ¡°Why would I need to act,¡± as if everyone in the live broadcast room had turned into the Longcheng Flying General¡¯s support team, transforming it into a sea of joy.

    Although some had their doubts, questioning if the Longcheng Flying General¡¯s using another¡¯s hand to kill compromised his prestige, they were quickly overwhelmed by a united barrage from others¡ªYan Yu¡¯s strength has been evident to all of us for a long time, now to appreciate his use of plots and schemes is another flavor altogether.

    Compared to the optimistic mood of the Lu Country citizens, the Onmyojis within the Mysterious Realm were not feeling quite as wonderful.

    One of the Onmyojis, before his death, released a signaling Thousand Paper Cranes, sending the message back to the Onmyoji main force¡¯s hands.

    Xiandao Jingyin, upon receiving the news, reacted as if facing a formidable enemy because, contrary to the superheroes¡¯ expectations, the Longcheng Flying General was obviously not ¡°running out of steam anytime soon.¡± The fact that he had the spare capacity to divert trouble elsewhere meant he was far from being pushed to his limits.

    ¡°What should we do?¡± she bit her nails anxiously, while Shenyuan Simie, who had been silent all this time, suddenly said leisurely:

    ¡°If we can¡¯t beat him, why not just avoid him?¡±

    ¡°Avoid him?¡± Xiandao Jingyin narrowed her eyes, seeming to have no other choice.

    ¡°Moreover, if I were you,¡± Shenyuan Simie said with a smile, ¡°aren¡¯t you currently troubled by the alliance¡¯s unity being only skin-deep? Why not simply draw the disaster toward them instead?¡±

    ¡°The more the Longcheng Flying General kills, the more inclined the survivors will be to band together. Although this will weaken the alliance¡¯s overall strength, an alliance of fewer but united parties will be more advantageous to our subsequent strategies than a numerically superior but disjointed one.¡±

    In fact, the Yin Yang Bureau was even more wary of the Rikoku Cultivators than the distant Superhero Alliance, for reasons that go without saying.

    Xiandao Jingyin nodded her head, signifying her agreement with this ¡°diverting disaster westward¡± plan.

    Thus, it didn¡¯t take long before several Onmyoji squads went to discuss the next course of action with the Pear Blossom Courtyard and the Superhero Alliance.

    Yan Yu continued with his experiments, but something soon felt off.

    Why were these Onmyojis mingling with members of the Pear Blossom Courtyard and the superheroes?

    Combining his knowledge from his previous life about the Yin Yang Bureau, he instantly guessed the answer:

    I use others to kill for me, and you divert the disaster eastward, right?

    Sure enough, except for that old man Weizong Yilang who sticks to the samurai code, everyone in the Yin Yang Bureau is a bunch of scheming bastards!

    No matter, kill now or die later, they all have to die, kill!

    Without hesitation, Yan Yu continued to use the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step to move circuitously, treating these people as human targets to block Mei Yingxue¡¯s sword light.

    Mei Yingxue was even more ruthless, rushing through with her sword light and killing indiscriminately, regardless of whether they were Onmyojis or superheroes!

    The news of casualties spread quickly, causing shock and anger among the other two parties.

    They were shocked that the Longcheng Flying General was playing a game of using others to kill for him, enticing the white sword light to help him slash his enemies; they were naturally enraged that the Onmyojis had played a trick by diverting the disaster to them, causing them to suffer losses as well.

    Park Changmin immediately ordered: everyone was to change locations at once! If any Onmyojis were to follow, they were to be warned off at the first instance! If they disobeyed, they would be killed without mercy!

    Lee Kyung-joon and Choi Seung-hyun expressed their objections because the cooperation with the Yin Yang Bureau was mandated by the leadership of the Pear Blossom Courtyard, and if they acted against their allies on their own, how would they explain it after leaving the Mysterious Realm?

    Park Changmin said coldly:

    ¡°I am the chief supervisor for this mission, and I will shoulder all responsibilities afterward. You just need to follow orders.¡±

    Since Park Changmin had publicly declared he would take the blame, the two did not press the issue further, secretly hoping instead that the situation would escalate, ideally leading to Park Changmin being ousted afterwards.

    However, they were unaware that his comments had been broadcasted live and had already caused a major stir in Goryeo.

    Due to historical issues, the Goryeo people hated the Yin Yang Bureau far more than they hated the Rikoku Cultivators. Even though they were being pressured to cooperate with the bureau under the rationale of ¡°the weak banding together to resist a powerful enemy,¡± the majority of the public was still discontented with this arrangement.

    Park Changmin¡¯s direct statement of killing any following Onmyojis without mercy was like giving a shot of adrenaline to the already suppressed national pride of the people.

    Human nature is universal. Just as the audience in Rikoku enjoyed watching the Longcheng Flying General slaughter on all fronts, the Goryeo audience naturally liked Park Changmin¡¯s decisive action. Compared with the other two¡¯s hesitation and timidity, many neutral viewers instantly became his fans, advocating for him in the live streams, and even declaring Park as their ultimate bias and lifetime support.

    Indeed, only our ¡°White Mountain Divine Sword,¡± Park Changmin, can be a national hero!

    No, he¡¯s not just the White Mountain Divine Sword; he is our Goryeo Divine Sword!

 Chapter 380 - 76: The Answer is to Fight With All Ones Might

    Chapter 380: Chapter 76: The Answer is to Fight With All One¡¯s Might

    ¡°`

    The Onmyoji¡¯s actions clearly intended to drag the other two parties into the fray.

    Park Changmin cut off communication between allies and concealed himself with his followers, thus, all the pressure was passed on to the superheroes.

    ¡°Sabertooth¡± Langferro didn¡¯t believe in curses and took four teammates to ambush Yan Yu, but they were all brutally crushed by Mei Yingxue; he himself narrowly escaped death at the cost of his left arm¡ªbecoming the first lucky bastard among the tripartite alliance to confront Mei Yingxue and survive.

    After stopping the blood from his severed left arm and with his face pale, Langferro spoke to the other superheroes about the situation:

    ¡°The white sword light was constantly chasing after Yan, and it never showed any intention to attack us from beginning to end. But it has no capacity for thought and only follows the shortest direct path in pursuit. Yan exploited this by quickly moving behind our members, coercing the white sword light to charge and slash at them.¡±

    ...

    ¡°If you can be outflanked by Yan, then even without exploiting that sword light, he could easily kill you,¡± ¡°White Lion¡± Hamilton said disdainfully, insinuating that Langferro was exaggerating. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Idiot,¡± Langferro snorted, not bothering to argue, but continued to the others, ¡°I paid the price for my reckless probing, and those who don¡¯t believe can go and try for themselves.¡±

    Everyone looked at each other, but no one dared to take up the challenge.

    In the inner circle, it was well known that Langferro, as the current top Berserker, had incredible physical strength and should not be defenseless even when someone got the drop on him.

    According to his explanation, the reason the team was wiped out so quickly was not due to the Rikoku Cultivator Yan Yu, but rather the white sword light.

    Longcheng Flying General Yan Yu could be as highly-praised by Lu Country as they wanted, but after all, his body was still made of flesh; if you attacked, he had to guard or dodge. The two sides would vie for the rhythm of offense and defense and, based on skill, either could win or lose, with chances to turn the tables even if at a disadvantage.

    But that white sword light was different; it was an existence that the Transcendents at the present stage could not contend with. Too fast to dodge; its defense too solid, unflinching in the face of an assault, it would keep coming at you through the barrage of gunfire to cut you down¡­ How could anyone fight against that?

    The reason Langferro survived in the end, whether he used his teammates as bait and abandoned them, or employed some trick to slip through the crisis, no one inquired too closely. They just exchanged looks for a moment, each recognizing the intention to retreat in the other¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°We should retreat for now,¡± finally, someone made a statement, ¡°If it were fighting against Rikoku Cultivators, I¡¯d be the first to charge in; but facing this kind of deadly, unbeatable NPC, I have no interest in giving up my life for nothing.¡±

    Once he said this, many people immediately agreed.

    The Superhero Alliance is not an authoritarian institution like the Yin Yang Bureau or Pear Blossom Courtyard with a nation standing behind it. ¡°Judge¡± Stevenson was the leader of this mission in name, but he couldn¡¯t dictate orders in the team. Seeing that most people were not keen to fight, he decided:

    ¡°Retreat! Everyone find a place to hide on your own; do not clump together. If you get caught by Yan Yu with the white sword light, handle it yourself, and you¡¯re absolutely not allowed to deliberately lead it to other teammates!¡±

    That¡¯s exactly what they were waiting to hear! So the superheroes dispersed, each employing their powers to find a place to hide.

    This Mysterious Realm challenge area is a volcanic environment, full of volcanic caves made from lava rock, making it easy to find hiding spots, but a time-consuming task to search them out.

    Yan Yu, accompanied by Mei Yingxue, wandered around for a long while without encountering a single foreign Transcendent, and guessed that they must have found themselves unable to cope and had been forced to temporarily avoid the sharp edge.

    Sigh, what a pity¡­ too few are headstrong, and I haven¡¯t had my fill of killing!

    Now, how should I deal with my persistent pursuer, Teacher Mei?

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Turn back the clock five minutes. In the main control room of the Privy Council, a new, unfamiliar visitor arrives.

    Although she was wearing a mask and a white lab coat like an ordinary scientific worker, the leader was extremely polite to her, asking softly:

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    She observed the screen for a long time before saying:

    ¡°This is a transformation of the Mysterious Realm; the strength and cultivation realm are designed according to the Golden Core Realm, but the quality of True Yuan is constrained by the limit of the external Spiritual Energy.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± the leader agreed, which the experts had already pointed out.

    ¡°To be honest about this level of opponent,¡± she continued her analysis, ¡°not one of the superheroes on the scene could beat her, not even Yan Yu.¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°Is it because of the gap in cultivation realm?¡± the leader asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± She gave an affirmative answer, ¡°So the condition to clear this level is definitely not to defeat her.¡±

    ¡°What is your view?¡± the leader asked again.

    She continued to stare at the screen, and after watching for nearly two and a half minutes, she replied:

    ¡°I think it should be a desperate struggle.¡±

    ¡°A desperate struggle?¡± the leader raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°Faced with a formidable enemy that cannot be opposed, at the very brink of life and death, it¡¯s about whether one dares to stake their life in a fight to the death, instead of turning around to flee or treasuring their own life cautiously.¡± she said, ¡°If one can have such a great will and determination on a mental level, one should be able to clear the level ¡ª it certainly won¡¯t require you to actually defeat her.¡±

    ¡°Then why hasn¡¯t Yan Yu been able to clear the level?¡± the leader furrowed his brows and inquired, ¡°It¡¯s been almost half an hour, and he has never even taken half a step back in retreat.¡±

    ¡°Because he hasn¡¯t reached the brink of life and death,¡± she responded.

    Leader: ¡­¡­¡­

    Umm, well, oh¡­

    Finally understanding, damn! The Longcheng Flying General is kind of horrifically strong!

    In the eyes of the average person, Yan Yu being attacked three or four times a second by that white sword light, each time sent flying without the ability to retaliate, clearly appeared to be at a severe disadvantage. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if he were to be broken through and beheaded in the next second.

    But according to her, despite Yan Yu seeming powerless to retaliate, he was actually still able to protect himself with ease.

    The best proof of this was that he had managed to hold out for nearly half an hour under her relentless attacks and was still unharmed to this point.

    The leader, belatedly realizing this, was immersed in his own shock when he heard her say again:

    ¡°Against such insurmountable enemies, normal Transcendents are often completely overwhelmed within a few exchanges, pushed to the brink of life and death. What follows is either clearing the level or being killed, all within an extremely short time, after which she would turn around to find other contenders to test their mentality.¡±

    ¡°So, in actuality, it¡¯s enough just to generate such a powerful enemy for this level.¡±

    ¡°But the sticking point here is that: the creator of the Mysterious Realm believed her strength could crush all contenders, without foreseeing someone like Yan Yu, who could hold his ground entirely through skill and awareness.¡±

    ¡°That is to say,¡± the leader quickly grasped her meaning, ¡°we¡¯re dealing with a BUG.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± she nodded, ¡°She can¡¯t push Yan Yu to the brink of life and death, and thus can¡¯t verify whether his mentality reaches the conditions for clearing the level, nor will she switch to other test subjects. On the contrary, Yan Yu can use this to lure her into killing foreign Transcendents¡­ These people are not her test subjects, so even if they fight with the determination to face death, she won¡¯t hold back at all.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± the leader nodded seriously, ¡°So theoretically, Yan Yu could use her to eliminate all his opponents, just like we¡¯ve seen happen before.¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s not actually possible,¡± she negated the idea.

    ¡°Because Yan Yu won¡¯t be able to hold out for too long?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Whether it¡¯s the remaining capacity of his True Yuan or the highly strained state of his mind.¡±

    ¡°Once Yan Yu can hold out no longer, then he will reach what is called ¡®the brink of life and death¡¯.¡± the leader had a sudden realization, ¡°And then he will be able to clear the level.¡±

    ¡°After Yan Yu clears the level, she will switch to a different test subject, so the others won¡¯t be stuck here either.¡±

    The two returned their gaze to the large screen, where Yan Yu¡¯s perspective was still rapidly shifting, fast enough to make any 3D motion sickness sufferer vomit last night¡¯s dinner.

    So the question was, when would he be pressured to his limit?

 Chapter 381 - 77: Full of Energy

    Chapter 381: Chapter 77: Full of Energy

    ¡°`

    With everyone stuck on a long-term hurdle, the director had run out of interesting perspectives to switch to, so they simply made Yan Yu¡¯s perspective into a small window and fixed the main screen in the studio. They let the two commentators perform a double act to keep the atmosphere lively on site.

    The number of bullet screen comments had also been plummeting; people were starting to relax a bit.

    It¡¯s almost been half an hour already¡­

    What¡¯s declining even faster than the number of comments is the number of viewers online. The production team watched with anxiety but were helpless and could only pray secretly that Longcheng Flying General would quickly exhibit his divine might for a stunning comeback. He needed to shatter that white sword light fiercely to save our precarious online viewership.

    However, in the control room of the Privy Council, their thoughts were the complete opposite.

    ...

    Since they had already roughly analyzed the mechanism for clearing this level, all they had to do was wait for Yan Yu¡¯s True Yuan to be insufficient, forced into a desperate fight when about to be shattered by the white sword light. Then their long-standing problem would naturally be solved.

    But how much longer would it take?

    The expert group had calculated it, Yan Yu¡¯s current tactical operation was actually very simple, just Sword Control then blocking, with none of the complex maneuvers of sword techniques. Considering the meager True Yuan consumption of the Sword Control Technique, it was roughly estimated that without consuming any Elixir Medicine, he could last about 16.25 hours.

    The leaders read the report and were speechless. Sixteen hours¡­ I might as well wait for him to run out of energy!

    In everyone¡¯s minds, they were silently praying: Yan Yu, General Yan, Lord Yan, stop wasting away there with a phantom NPC of the Mysterious Realm¡ªrush to your last fight!

    Inside the Mysterious Realm, all the Rikoku Cultivators gathered together, with the Dragon Soar Team also fully assembled, meeting with the girls of the Zhenghai Team to discuss.

    The conclusion that even the control room could deduce from the live broadcast viewpoint had been analyzed by Chen Lingyun through Five Ghosts Scouting more than ten minutes ago.

    ¡°So you just need to remain unyielding until death,¡± Lin Ning said.

    ¡°How confident are you in this conclusion?¡± Liu Longtao asked with a chuckle.

    ¡°Is there a need to even ask?¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°You can neither defeat it nor escape. In fact, your options are not many; you only really have ¡®begging for mercy¡¯ and ¡®fighting at death¡¯s door.¡¯ Since it¡¯s a test-type Mysterious Realm, the designer definitely hopes that the challenger would prefer death over submission. Of course, if Lord Master here wants to try begging for mercy, I¡¯m also curious to see what will happen.¡±

    ¡°Expecting Old Yan to beg for mercy? That¡¯s impossible,¡± Liu Longtao said, ignoring her latter words, and fell into silence, ¡°If the condition for clearing the level is ¡®fighting at death¡¯s door,¡¯ does that mean Old Yan has been able to drag this out because he hasn¡¯t reached that point yet?¡±

    Everyone fell silent, especially the Dragon Soar Team members, who had already idolized Yan Yu in their hearts. Liu Longtao was mostly among Sword Immortals, and they all knew just how unfathomable the swordsmanship level of that white sword light was¡ªYan Yu being able to withstand such attacks and not die was somewhat miraculous.

    ¡°With that said, let¡¯s hurry and inform Leader Yan,¡± Ye Jun immediately suggested.

    ¡°Not so fast,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°When doing things, one should plan before taking action. Instead of rushing, we should first consider what we will do after Yan Yu clears the level.¡±

    ¡°What else can we do? Fight with her and then clear the level ourselves,¡± Liu Longtao had only said half of it when he instantly reacted.

    Mei Yingxue would only attack a single person and wouldn¡¯t actively kill anyone outside of her target. It was not too difficult to deduce this. Now, if we are attacked by Mei Yingxue in the Mysterious Realm, what will happen if the foreign Transcendents ambush us from the sides? Not all of us have the skill of Yan Yu to turn enemies against each other. Being attacked from both sides is more likely to result in misfortune than fortune.

    Seeing the open mockery on Chen Lingyun¡¯s face, Liu Longtao became somewhat irritated: It¡¯s not that I¡¯m too stupid to figure it out, just that I¡¯ve been influenced by Xie Ruoxi¡¯s intellect after working with her for a while!

    ¡°A short while ago, Yan Yu used others to kill off those foreign Transcendents. He made them hide,¡± Chen Lingyun said calmly, ¡°Therefore, after Yan Yu clears the level and before the others notice his absence, we need to seize this time window and clear the level as quickly as possible, all together.¡±

    ¡°Of course, being stuck on this level is not without its benefits. At the least, it brought us together, allowing everyone to discuss the levels they¡¯ve experienced and provide strategy reference for the others.¡±

    Upon hearing her analysis, everyone understood the importance of sharing intelligence and began sharing their information in turn without delay.

    After everyone had shared their information, they all simultaneously engaged in Sword Flight, leaving their hiding spots to search for Yan Yu.

    ¡°Found him!¡± Ye Jun quickly notified everyone.

    As they all headed toward Ye Jun¡¯s location, they could see Yan Yu in the distance, still playing the ¡°try to hit me¡± game with the white sword light.

    Sword Flight was not invulnerable. If you do not control the Flying Sword to perform a blocking maneuver, allowing the opponent¡¯s attack to hit from a direction other than your block, the counter-shock could still damage the Sword Immortal within the sword light.

    ¡°`

    In other words, Yan Yu was able to block Mei Yingxue¡¯s attacks for nearly half an hour at almost 3 blocks per second, nearly 200 blocks per minute, accumulating over six thousand instances of swordsmanship blocks without a single mistake¡­

    Guo Feiyun and Ai Lu, two sword immortals from the Dragon Soar Team, had already started calling Yan Yu ¡°Yan God.¡± Liu Longtao had also approved of this nickname, as even Lord Master himself reckoned that if he were to face the challenge, he would probably last no more than five minutes.

    ¡°Old Yan,¡± he projected his voice from a distance, ¡°still going strong?¡±

    ¡°Full of energy,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°Damn!¡± Liu Longtao exclaimed in shock, ¡°Didn¡¯t you used to have time to reply with just one word before? So, after fighting for so long, you¡¯re telling me you¡¯re getting stronger as it goes?¡±

    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s not difficult,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°I truly can¡¯t compare to you in showing off, I willingly concede,¡± Liu Longtao admitted with genuine admiration, ¡°How did you do it?¡±

    ¡°Figured out her attack patterns,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°So you gave her a good fight for three hundred rounds and then completely understood her moves?¡± Liu Longtao mused, ¡°If I had your ability, would I even need to ask?¡±

    While he was casually chatting with Yan Yu, Chen Lingyun was also communicating with Yan Yu through voice transmission.

    ¡°How much longer can you hold on?¡± Chen Lingyun asked. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°A few hours,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    ¡°That enduring?¡± Chen Lingyun immediately laughed, ¡°Can you win?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± said Yan Yu.

    ¡°Do you know the mechanism for passing the level?¡± Chen Lingyun asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve guessed it,¡± said Yan Yu.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great,¡± Chen Lingyun, sparing the effort to explain, succinctly said, ¡°Go all out on your side, fight her to the death. After passing the level, we will take over immediately and try to get through this challenge collectively as quickly as possible.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve communicated all the information on the six levels with everyone. When you pass the level, make sure to ask Ye Jun; I will have her go up second.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Yan Yu knew this meant he was to take Ye Jun to snatch the first and second place in passing the Departure Palace, and therefore he readily agreed.

    ¡°Go for it,¡± Chen Lingyun said.

    Without a word, the instant Yan Yu was knocked flying by Mei Yingxue again, he suddenly cancelled his Sword Flight state!

    He stomped on the sword¡¯s body using the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step to borrow force and shot forward rapidly to increase the distance, while at the same time, with a pinch of his sword technique, the Huang Tingjian flew back even faster. Mei Yingxue quickly pursued, only to see Yan Yu reinitiate Sword Flight and, merging with the sword light, he turned around, and leveraging the increased distance, he accelerated once more and charged straight at Mei Yingxue¡¯s sword light!

    Triple Cloud Strike!

    As the sword lights from both sides collided fiercely, Yan Yu was the first to falter, being shaken by the terrifying impact and sent flying, but he used the momentum to make a large turn and crashed into Mei Yingxue¡¯s sword light again. After a second clash, he was propelled even further, turning in an even bigger arc, speed and power both amassed to their limits, his True Yuan also being fully expended with no reservations, attacking Mei Yingxue with maximum force for a third time!

    It was as if thunder roared and the earth shattered, the light from the Huang Tingjian had turned into white light and vanished, while Mei Yingxue finally couldn¡¯t maintain her Sword Control state and was sent flying by the overwhelming force of Triple Cloud Strike combined with Sword-Human Unity.

    Her face was covered in blood, her hair disheveled, and she was in a sorry state; her right hand hung limply, likely having broken bones inside, relying only on her uninjured left hand to rapidly perform sword techniques, calling back the white Flying Sword to her side. Just as she reentered the Sword Control state, a flower of light from the Xuan Guang Ruler floated towards her, catching her squarely and trapping her within it!

    She was trapped for less than half a second when the white sword light used the Eagle Strike Sky Sword Style, violently slashing at the same spot multiple times to forcefully break through the light flower of the Xuan Guang Ruler, then turned the sword light and charged straight at Ye Jun.

    ¡°Ye Jun, face her,¡± Chen Lingyun transmitted rapidly, ¡°Ningning, get ready, everyone else queue up in order! Liu Longtao, watch the perimeter, don¡¯t let anyone take advantage by stirring trouble!¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡± the cultivators all responded in unison.

 Chapter 382 - 78 Longcheng Flying General Begins Speedrun!

    Chapter 382: Chapter 78 Longcheng Flying General Begins Speedrun!

    ¡°`

    Half an hour of torment left the viewers in the live broadcast room without the strength to continue sending bullet comments, so they chose to watch online in standby mode.

    It wasn¡¯t until the cultivators from Lu Country suddenly gathered around that the director quickly gathered his wits and swiftly switched to Liu Longtao¡¯s perspective.

    The two commentators also sprang back to life, with Xu Dongming shouting first:

    ¡°Hey! What¡¯s happening? Is the final battle starting, eh?¡±

    ¡°Everyone¡¯s getting together; they¡¯re probably going to gang up on the BOSS!¡± Zhou Erhe chimed in, inciting excitement.

    ...

    The stagehands had already displayed the ¡°Warm-up¡± reminder sign, and Xu Dongming, picking up on the signal, immediately began yelling:

    ¡°The six major sects are gathering at the peak of brightness, and the battle is about to erupt! Friends from the east, south, west, and north! Wake up! Zhang Wuji, the leader of the Ming Sect, is about to make a move!¡± S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    In the live stream room, the bullet comments started to slowly increase, signaling that some viewers were alerted by the commentators¡¯ shouts and refocused their attention on the stream.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see how the Longcheng Flying General makes his move¡­ Keep your distance! Sword light surges back!¡± Just as Zhou Erhe was about to set the scene, Yan Yu suddenly disengaged from combat, turned around, and launched an attack, shocking him into an abrupt halt mid-sentence as he glued his eyes to the screen, ¡°Flung away! The Longcheng Flying General is outmatched! But, he curves back for another strike! The second hit!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the Triple Cloud Strike!¡± Xu Dongming exclaimed with excitement, ¡°The Triple Cloud Strike is a more powerful version of the Eagle¡¯s Flight; it¡¯s not about hitting multiple times at close range, but instead using the recoil to pursue the target multiple times over a long distance, with each strike stronger and faster than the last!¡±

    ¡°The second hit misses, let¡¯s see the third! Eh? What¡¯s going on!!! The Longcheng Flying General has disappeared! Director, switch to Yan Yu¡¯s perspective¡­ He¡¯s through! The Longcheng Flying General is the first to clear this stage!¡±

    Yan Yu was the first to pass through Inferno Pass, and after being transported, he took a closer look and saw that this fourth stage resembled the second, situated in a valley surrounded by mountains, except with the desolation of withered leaves and a chilling autumnal wind hinting at the imminent winter.

    Suddenly, the woods around him teemed with cultivators shouting curses and rushing at Yan Yu with their Sword Control techniques.

    Oh? What is this¡­

    Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but laugh; weren¡¯t these his old friends from ten years later?

    Oh my, how could you choose them for the transformation? Are you out of tricks, you poor Mysterious Realm?

    In my past life, even moments before death, I could kill them all. In this life, would I possibly start fearing them?

    He laughed heartily, casually popping an Elixir Medicine in his mouth, not caring that he had just entangled with Teacher Mei for half an hour and hadn¡¯t fully recovered in body or spirit. He fearlessly charged towards those mishmash foes, feeling neither sorrow nor fear, only yearning for the thrill of chaotic slaughter.

    The Mysterious Realm that once trapped the Demonic Sect Enchantress and Chen Lingyun couldn¡¯t scare him one bit.

    With a single pass of the Huang Tingjian, he had slain more than twenty illusions. The rest of the cultivators exchanged glances, then suddenly turned tail and fled.

    Yan Yu, far from willing to let them go, rapidly pursued them with Sword Flight. Not even five minutes later, everything spun around him, and to his surprise, he had jumped directly to the fifth stage.

    After a moment¡¯s thought, his face drained of color. Not good!

    I¡¯ve cleared the stages too fiercely and forgot to meet up with Ye Jun!

    As for Ye Jun, who was the second to face Mei Yingxue, she quickly overcame her fear of death thanks to being mentally prepared, and soon after, she entered the fourth stage.

    Where¡¯s Team Yan?

    Just as she was about to rise on her sword, she saw countless ferocious dogs suddenly bursting forth from the surroundings. Each of them was the size of a lion, their eyes blazing red, drool flowing from their mouths as they fiercely lunged at her.

    Ye Jun¡¯s face paled instantly, the painful memories of being bitten by the neighbor¡¯s bad dog as a child and then taken to get tetanus and rabies shots resurfaced. She quickly activated her Shifting Technique to flee, her Divine Sense frantically scanning the surroundings.

    Where¡¯s Yan Yu, where¡¯s Yan Yu, where¡¯s Yan Yu, somebody come save me!

    The very person who had stood up Ye Jun, at this moment, was standing in front of Ghost General, completely baffled.

    The progression was too fast; his teammates hadn¡¯t kept up. Should he wait for her?

    Forget it, time is of the essence. I¡¯ll wait for her at the Departure Palace Gate¡­ I believe in Secretary Ye¡¯s abilities!

    Meanwhile, Yan Yu charged towards the Ghost General with Sword Flight, just to see the Ghost General emerge from the gates. He had barely asked, ¡°Who goes there,¡± when the light from the Huang Tingjian had already whizzed past, swiftly heading into the distance.

    ¡°`

    The Ghost General instantly became infuriated. Each one who came here barged through violently (foreign Transcendents couldn¡¯t speak the language of Lu Country; not to mention Xie Ruoxi and Liu Longtao, who didn¡¯t say a word). This time, there was no way he would let you pass!

    At his signal, a whistle sounded from his mouth, and a horde of soldiers charged from atop the city walls, tailing Yan Yu with lethal intent.

    But with Yan Yu¡¯s level of Sword Control and speed, which in all of Lu Country no one could confidently surpass, he immediately left the Yin Soldiers and Ghost Generals far behind, driving straight through the sprawling wild grass and ancient graves, until at last he arrived at the banks of the River of Forgetfulness.

    At the riverfront, Granny Meng set up her stall, kind-eyed and benevolent. She gestured with a wave of her hand and the glowing light of Yan Yu¡¯s sword immediately fell, unable to rise again.

    He immediately guessed that there must be a restriction ahead that prevented flying, so he simply walked forward and asked,

    ¡°May I cross the bridge?¡±

    ¡°Drink this soup, and you may cross the bridge,¡± Granny Meng said with a smile.

    ¡°This soup won¡¯t cause amnesia or turn me into an idiot, will it?¡± Yan Yu picked up the soup bowl, smelled it from a distance, and asked dubiously.

    ¡°It will only benefit you,¡± Granny Meng said with a smile, ¡°You carry too many burdens and your malevolent energy is too heavy. You need this soup to dissolve the barriers in your heart.¡±

    In a testing Mysterious Realm like this, they wouldn¡¯t harm me¡­ Yan Yu thought to himself as he lifted the soup bowl and drained it in one gulp.

    In an instant, memories of his past life flashed through his mind like a galloping horse.

    Studying, graduating, working, living through rebellion, being conscripted as a mortal warrior, training, fighting enemies, comrades sacrificing one after another, the tide of the era ebbing away, chaos rising, knowing full well that the torrent of the times could not be reversed, yet still choosing to swim against the current, ultimately buried by the remnants of the old era¡­

    The past swept over him, his spiritual platform became gradually clearer, and Yan Yu slowly regained his senses, with a more stable Dao heart and even more resolute will.

    Even if he had sacrificed himself in the past, he harbored no regrets or hatred. Fortunate to be alive today, he still sought to rise against adversity and fight the whole world once more!

    Either kill me or be killed by me, line up one by one!

    Thinking this, Yan Yu felt as if all blockages in his chest dissipated, the invisible gloom also scattered, and under the sublimation of his mindset, even the circulation speed of the energy in his body seemed to increase slightly, filling him with great joy.

    Not only could this soup stabilize the mind, but it could also slightly improve one¡¯s natural talent?

    Oh, that¡¯s right. I remember Teacher Mei once mentioned somewhere in my previous life that cultivation talent and state of mind are actually closely related. For example, Xie Ruoxi and Zhao Yuanzhen, these two fools, would appear to cultivators as ¡°clear-minded¡± and ¡°top-notch talent,¡± whereas someone like Chen Lingyun with her complicated thoughts and filthy motives would be considered ¡°dull in talent.¡±

    Hmph, who would have thought that a bowl of Granny Meng¡¯s soup in the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng could have the power to elevate the mindset and improve talent? The benefits are indeed substantial.

    Luckily, those foreign Transcendents barely understand the language of Lu Country and wouldn¡¯t dare drink this soup. As for the cultivators from Lu Country, on one hand, they speak the same language, and on the other, they are aware this is a testing Mysterious Realm; surely, there would be no fools who would refuse the soup, right?

    Yan Yu put down the soup bowl, nodded in thanks, and then turned and walked away.

    As he stepped onto the Bridge of Helplessness, countless twisted ghosts¡¯ hands reached out toward him. Yan Yu didn¡¯t dodge or avoid, walking casually on the bridge as the Huang Tingjian sword swung from side to side, effortlessly intercepting the numerous ghostly hands.

    The hands grew more numerous the more they were cut down, multiplying after each batch was severed. Initially, the Huang Tingjian sword had a clear advantage, but it soon began to falter, almost overwhelmed by the sheer number.

    Finally, his sword technique defense was forcibly broken through, but it coincided with Yan Yu¡¯s descent from the Bridge of Helplessness. The mass of ghostly hands reached for him, clawing and snapping, but at the edge of the bridge, they stretched to their limits, too short to reach and soon retracted weakly.

    That wasn¡¯t too difficult, haha.

    Ahead lay majestic mountains with only a narrow mountain trail. Since Sword Flight was impossible, Yan Yu activated his Shifting Technique and began sprinting through the mountain path.

    The mountain path was treacherous, the terrain challenging, with many places formed of cliffs and ravines, where even ordinary walking speed required care. A simple misstep could easily lead to a fall.

    Yan Yu, however, had no such concerns. Could the mortal warriors of his past life who didn¡¯t know the art of movement, reliant solely on their heavily trained reactions and skill, possibly slip here?

    Whether it was a cliff slope nearing ninety degrees or a trail so narrow that one had to sidestep through, he sped throughout with the full velocity of Shifting Technique without stopping once!

    Suddenly, the barking of dogs echoed, as if wild dogs were encircling and converging on both his front and back.

    Yan Yu¡¯s feet did not stop, the Huang Tingjian sword hung in front of him, and seeing dark shadows in front, he executed a Sword technique, launching the controlled sword fiercely into them!

 Chapter 383 - 79: I Dont Even Need to Make a Move

    Chapter 383: Chapter 79: I Don¡¯t Even Need to Make a Move

    If time wasn¡¯t of the essence, Yan Yu might still be in the mood to slowly explore the checkpoint and see what the fighting capacity of these wild dogs was like.

    But after being trapped by Teacher Mei at the third checkpoint for too long, even Yan Yu had run out of patience and simply bulldozed his way through, non-stop.

    Wherever he could walk, he walked; where he could not, he carved out a path with his blade. And with his own mobility being incredibly strong, the pack of dogs tried time and again to encircle him, but Yan Yu cut through their ranks and moved on, leaving them behind in a frenzied, impotent rage, barking madly.

    As he continued climbing the mountain road, the dog pack somehow turned into a flock of chickens.

    Yan Yu still ignored them, keeping on his way. If any daredevil chicken charged at him, it would be met with his sword and killed.

    Before long, a giant chicken flapped its wings and rushed at him from a distance, viciously pecking at Yan Yu.

    ...

    Although the chicken¡¯s movements were swift, it had a habitual action of shaking its neck before attacking, which to an old hand like Yan Yu, was glaringly obvious.

    With just a few steps, he effortlessly moved to the chicken¡¯s blind spot behind it, and his Huang Tingjian shot out like lightning, striking the feathers on the back of its neck and emitting a muffled sound like hitting metal.

    This defense¡­ was quite strong; regular Sword Control Technique couldn¡¯t break through, and even Sword-Human Unity would not make for a quick kill.

    Forget it, there¡¯s no time to waste here with you.

    Yan Yu couldn¡¯t be bothered to tangle with it, as he was busy trying to get through the checkpoint, so he turned around and activated his Shifting Technique to make an escape.

    The giant chicken pursued relentlessly, sometimes closing the gap and, at other times, falling behind. The audience in the live stream was initially anxious, but as the giant chicken chased Yan Yu for a long time without being able to shake it off or catch up, they suddenly realized what was happening.

    Playing keep away with the BOSS, huh? That¡¯s so like you!

    ¡°A viewer is asking, ¡®Why doesn¡¯t he speed up to shake off the giant chicken?''¡± Xu Dongming, too, was speaking at length, analyzing, ¡°For top cultivators, every bit of True Yuan needs careful management. The faster you run, the more True Yuan you expend per unit of distance. It¡¯s actually not cost-effective just to shake off the adversary, so maintaining the lowest cruising speed to ensure the other can¡¯t catch up is the most True Yuan-efficient method¡­¡±

    He went on in great detail with his analysis, only to see that Yan Yu had already left the range of the Golden Chicken Mountain and entered the Wild Ghost Village on the periphery of the Temple of Lost Souls.

    Many wild ghosts inhabited Wild Ghost Village, all of whom were evildoers incapable of passing through the Temple of Lost Souls after death; now they wielded swords and knives to rob Yan Yu¡ªonly to see the relentless giant chicken behind him and immediately lose their nerve.

    Isn¡¯t that the soul-devouring monster chicken from Golden Chicken Mountain? Why has it come here?

    The wild ghosts scattered in terror, each fleeing for their lives, and Yan Yu was pleased to have no one entangle with him, swiftly rushing toward the Temple of Lost Souls ahead and slipping inside.

    The Temple of Lost Souls was not particularly large, and while ordinary people could enter without issue, the chicken was too big to get through the door. It could only stretch its neck as far as it could into the entrance, still undeterred in its attempt to peck at Yan Yu.

    Just as Yan Yu entered the Temple of Lost Souls, he saw someone sitting on the high seat, with a blurred face, who asked coldly,

    ¡°To enter Fengdu City, do you have the token¡­ Ah?!!¡±

    His words had not finished when he saw Yan Yu swiftly dodge to the side, the giant chicken pecked at empty air, its sharp beak piercing into the floor. Then, with a forceful jerk of its head upwards, it plucked itself out, striking the person above it.

    ¡°You evil beast!¡± The man above flew into a rage and reached for a handful of tallies, hurling them as he shouted, ¡°How dare you abandon your post!¡±

    The tallies scattered across the sky, then suddenly turned into swords with a life of their own, raining down from the air. Seventy percent of them focused on the giant chicken like a torrential downpour, while the remaining thirty percent aimed at Yan Yu.

    The narrow confines of the Temple of Lost Souls were especially suited for the swordsmanship of a Sword Immortal. One could only catch glimpses of Yan Yu stepping rapidly on the floor, his body dodging like a phantasm, flawlessly weaving through the shower of tallies and slipping into the rear hall.

    Just as that person was about to rise and chase after him, the giant chicken, now resembling a porcupine full of tallies, pecked furiously in pain and resentment. It struck him down to the ground and flailed wildly.

    Yan Yu¡¯s actions had left the live streaming audience stunned.

    Xu Dongming, who had just been theorizing that ¡°Longcheng Flying General didn¡¯t shake off the giant chicken to conserve True Yuan,¡± could not deny at this point that Yan Yu was ¡°using the chicken to kill the ghost.¡± If he failed to recognize that, he couldn¡¯t really be considered a professional.

    Despite feeling extremely embarrassed, he maintained a composed expression and shifted the topic, saying,

    ¡°What a move, the Grand Shift of Universe! He lured the giant chicken all the way from the mountain top to its base, prompting it to fight against the judge above. Meanwhile, he quietly bypassed the boss-guarded checkpoint, aiming for the quickest completion! What does it matter if Immortal Venerate Xie can kill the judge with a thunder strike? Our Longcheng Flying General didn¡¯t even need to lift a finger! One clears the level by killing, the other without killing¡ª which is more difficult is crystal clear! That is the terrifying strength of the Longcheng Flying General!¡±

    The chat of the live stream also erupted into noise. Indeed, clearing a level without killing the boss was more challenging than simply killing it, as it required the decisive strength to toy with the enemy.

    However, some viewers astutely pointed out that Yan Yu likely didn¡¯t know the exact method to clear this level, having previously made tentative attacks on the giant chicken, only to find his Sword Control technique utterly unable to penetrate its defense.

    So, it was more probable that he couldn¡¯t be bothered with the giant chicken and simply led it to the Temple of Lost Souls. Facing two bosses at once, he quite conveniently took advantage of the situation¡­ If it were Immortal Venerate Xie, a couple of Thunder Method strikes would have blasted both bosses to smithereens, arguably possessing more lethality than Yan Yu.

    But how numerous were the fans of Longcheng Flying General? They quickly overwhelmed their opposition in arguments, ¡°Do you think a Sword Immortal only knows Sword Control?¡± ¡°Watch more videos of Longcheng Flying General before coming here to criticize!¡±

    ¡°Damn it!¡± Li Zhaojiang exclaimed angrily, ¡°Do these people have any clue? Telling me to watch more videos? If they knew who I am, they¡¯d be groveling at my feet immediately!¡±

    ¡°Then you could reveal your identity,¡± Li Minghu suggested beside him.

    ¡°¡­Forget it.¡± Li Zhaojiang, of course, didn¡¯t dare to do such a thing. What kind of cultivator would go online to argue with ordinary people? Do I not care about my face at all!

    Let¡¯s put aside the offstage topics for the moment. Not long ago, Ye Jun had just managed to conquer the illusion and entered the fifth level. Looking around and not seeing Yan Yu anywhere, she had to hurry forward to catch up.

    The guard of Ghost Gate came down to question her as usual, but Ye Jun was in a rush to proceed. Who had time for idle chat?

    Since Liu Longtao had already shared the tips for clearing the level, without another word, she took to Sword Flight and left!

    The commander instantly flew into a rage, quickly summoning thousands of troops to pursue Ye Jun.

    After finally shaking off the pursuers, she controlled her sword to the edge of the Bridge of Helplessness and was immediately stopped by Meng Po:

    ¡°You must first drink the soup¡­¡±

    Meng Po had only said three words when Ye Jun, in her urgency, interrupted her:

    ¡°Sister, have you seen a man? About this tall, of average build, skilled in sword control, who came by here not long ago¡­¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re saying he was here not long ago, why ask me?¡± Meng Po asked with a smile, ¡°Drink the soup first.¡±

    ¡°That was a guess!¡± Seeing that Meng Po was playing coy, Ye Jun had no patience left. She quickly lifted the bowl of soup and gulped it down. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Then she stood rooted to the spot.

    By the time she snapped out of her realization, she only heard Meng Po leisurely say:

    ¡°There, that empty bowl next to you, is what he left behind. If you go after him now, you might still catch up.¡±

    Ye Jun¡¯s heart settled at once, knowing for certain that Yan Yu had been here. She expressed her thanks and immediately set off.

    Charging onto the Bridge of Helplessness, countless ghostly hands twisted and attacked. Ye Jun had no time to entangle with them and simply shook the Xuan Guang Ruler to activate protection, braving the onslaught and forcing her way across the bridge!

    Black Dog Ridge, Golden Rooster Mountain, she stormed through!

    After traversing two mountain roads, Ye Jun was thoroughly exhausted, thinking how could Yan Team not know about the situation at this checkpoint? How was he able to advance so swiftly!

    Passing through Wild Ghost Village, she saw the huge chicken with disheveled feathers, sticking its head into the Temple of Lost Souls and pecking chaotically, embroiled in various battles with the Judges inside.

    Helpless, Ye Jun could only use her Invisibility Technique, trying to sneak past the battlefield. However, her invisibility was seen through by the Judge who, with a wave of his hand, hurled countless sharp talismans like a downpour!

    The Xuan Guang Ruler in her hand, truly a top-tier defensive treasure, simply scattered petals of light to protect her body, making all those sharp talismans hit the golden light barrier without piercing through.

    Taking advantage of the Judge being held up by the giant chicken, Ye Jun slipped into Fengdu City with greased heels, hurriedly popping an Elixir Medicine in her mouth. She then rushed along the streets, finally seeing at the end of the road Yan Yu engaged in a fierce battle with a unicorn lion.

    That was the final boss of this checkpoint!

    Ye Jun finally caught up with Yan Yu and immediately urged the Xuan Guang Ruler, sending a cluster of light petals to bolster his defenses.

    Before the light petals could reach him, Yan Yu had already achieved Sword-Human Unity, piercing and slaying the unicorn lion straight through!

    ¡°Yan¡­¡± Before Ye Jun could finish speaking, she felt the world spinning around her.

    When she came to her senses, she found herself in her own living room.

    The last checkpoint. According to what Lin Ning and Su Yunjin had said, this checkpoint was supposed to test one¡¯s nature.

    After clearing this checkpoint, she would reach the end of the journey at the Departure Palace. There, she would rendezvous with Yan Team, and then the two of them would enter the palace first to claim the treasure before setting up defenses outside.

    If those who followed were Cultivators from Lu Country, they would be let through; if they were Transcendents from other countries, they would be stopped outside at all costs to prevent the Departure Palace¡¯s treasures from leaving the country!

    As Ye Jun¡¯s thoughts raced, she suddenly saw Yan Yu sitting across from her, with an odd expression surveying the surroundings.

    Hmm? This Yan Yu¡­ isn¡¯t an illusion?

    Didn¡¯t those two say they were experiencing their own illusion realms separately?

    Ye Jun scanned Yan Yu with her Divine Sense continuously, only to hear him transmit a message:

    ¡°Don¡¯t rush, I¡¯m thinking.¡±

    ¡°Listen closely,¡± Ye Jun said quickly, ¡°Lin Ning and Su Yunjin have cleared this checkpoint. The test involves your state of mind, and the way to pass is to follow your true heart, not trying to deny it¡­¡±

    Her voice abruptly ceased as Liu Longtao happened to walk back in from the balcony, holding a phone and seemingly talking to someone.

    ¡°Alright, good¡­¡± He hung up the phone and then turned to Ye Jun, his expression seemingly hard to articulate.

    With a sweep of her Divine Sense, Ye Jun knew this Lord Master was an illusion. She transmitted to Yan Yu:

    ¡°Fake.¡±

    Yan Yu frowned slightly, just as Liu Longtao said gravely:

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ye Jun.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been decided above. For the position of deputy team leader of the Dragon Soar Team¡­ they¡¯re arranging someone else.¡±

    ¡°You can rest well at home during this time. I¡¯ll inquire further, see if there are any other opportunities for redress.¡±

 Chapter 384 - 80 Ye Juns Early Retirement Plan

    Chapter 384: Chapter 80 Ye Jun¡¯s Early Retirement Plan

    I¡­ was expelled from the team?

    The Ye Jun who had just advised Yan Yu to remain true to his heart and not to be deceived by illusions was now completely stunned on the spot.

    ¡°Why?¡± she asked incredulously, her voice trembling slightly.

    ¡°The higher-ups have adjusted the positioning of the Dragon Soar Team,¡± Liu Longtao said after a moment of silence, ¡°They need us to become a sharp sword for the country, so the output must be maximized. As a defensive and control-type Assistant Officer, you do not fit with the team¡¯s future plans and assessments.¡±

    Ye Jun fell silent immediately, while Yan Yu stood by, silently sighing to himself.

    This phase of the Illusion Realm content was clearly derived from his own past life memories, aligning with the greatest flaw in Ye Jun¡¯s innermost depths¡ªif detailed, his initial encounter with her and pointing out that Liu Longtao might not get along well with her had probably already driven a thorn into her heart.

    ...

    In her past life, the reasons for Ye Jun¡¯s ejection from the team were never publicly disclosed.

    The explanation given to the public was that Ye Jun was tired and wanted to take a break from the team for a while before planning her career path again.

    Within the inner circles of official Cultivators and ordinary martial artists, however, it was rumored that Liu Longtao¡¯s brilliance completely overshadowed Ye Jun, leading the higher-ups to feel that with Lord Master in the Dragon Soar Team, there was no need for a Vice-Captain in charge of defense and control. Another output role might be more suitable.

    Of course, if Yan Yu were to assess the situation, defensive roles in the mid-to-late phases really weren¡¯t the best to mix into.

    As the Spiritual Energy Resurgence progressed further, an increasingly varied range of attack methods emerged, such as some magical treasures with armor-piercing properties that Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler¡¯s light shield couldn¡¯t defend against, forcing her to augment her defenses further, ultimately leading her onto the path of specialized defense¡ªafter all, four of the five members of the Dragon Soar Team were pure assault types, incapable of defense and control tasks, making her burden incredibly heavy.

    The role of a defender is to increase the team¡¯s margin for error, but it¡¯s difficult to quantify the value of this margin. As Cultivators¡¯ personal combat experience grows and they become more adept at handling various sudden enemy situations, it¡¯s inevitable that the higher-ups would prefer a team without defensive roles.

    In summary, it was the Dragon Soar Team¡¯s disproportionate early career ratio that forced Ye Jun to become a unique screw, filling the team¡¯s defensive shortcomings. Once the team members became capable of standing on their own in the later stages, and their own weaknesses were addressed, Ye Jun, that unique screw, was naturally phased out.

    Alas, how tragic! Lord Master must take full responsibility for this matter!

    As the Captain of the Dragon Soar Team, he failed to remind the Vice-Captain to adjust her career planning in time, and he also failed to persuade the old masters not to interfere with the team¡¯s personnel, a fault he surely cannot evade!

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Liu Longtao said again before turning to Yan Yu, ¡°Old Yan, could you perhaps¡­¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu replied with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ve been envious of Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler for a long time. Since you guys are making personnel changes, why not let Ye Jun join my side?¡±

    ¡°What do you think, Ye Jun?¡± Liu Longtao asked.

    Ye Jun was silent for a moment before she stood up and said with a bitter smile:

    ¡°Never mind. I wouldn¡¯t fit in with the Zhenhai Team either.¡±

    The Dragon Soar Team needed her as a defensive role to balance the four offensive players.

    Does the Zhenhai Team need her? Chen Lingyun¡¯s ghost commanding, Su Yunjin¡¯s Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, both could coordinate with other teammates to execute extremely diverse tactics, already having a high margin for error. Yan Yu himself is an even more versatile Cultivator than Liu Longtao, capable of strategizing, controlling, and firefighting, so indeed there is no need for a specialized defensive role.

    Just as he was about to say something else, Ye Jun had already quietly returned to her room.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­..

    You told me ¡°this is the Illusion Realm,¡± and yet now you can¡¯t help but get breached by the Illusion Realm¡¯s plot, which just goes to show that despite Comrade Ye Jun¡¯s usual poised and graceful social interactions, she¡¯s still a sensitive and fragile soul at heart.

    After Liu Longtao bid him farewell and left, Yan Yu stood quietly in the living room and counted to 300, estimating that she should have calmed down by then. He then leisurely approached the door to her room and knocked.

    ¡°The door¡¯s not locked,¡± came the reply from inside.

    ¡°Under normal circumstances, shouldn¡¯t you say ¡®please come in¡¯? What¡¯s with ¡®the door isn¡¯t locked, enter if you wish¡¯? Are you tsundere too?¡±

    Yan Yu pushed the door open and saw Ye Jun sitting at the edge of the bed, staring blankly out the window.

    There were no tear stains on her face, so at least no tiny pearls had fallen. That¡¯s good, her mood seems stable.

    ¡°I¡¯ve given it some thought, and if you join the Zhenhai Team, you wouldn¡¯t be entirely out of place,¡± Yan Yu sat down beside her and said, ¡°Chen Lingyun¡¯s reaction time is crap, and Xie Ruoxi is a scaredy-cat who gets rattled when someone gets close.¡±

    ¡°With the help of the Xuan Guang Ruler, their combat environment would definitely improve a lot¡­¡±

    Yan Yu was speaking comforting words when he suddenly heard Ye Jun ask:

    ¡°If I didn¡¯t have the Xuan Guang Ruler, would I be completely worthless?¡± S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    For a moment, Yan Yu was at a loss for words. No, Comrade Ye Jun, an Assistant Officer¡¯s strength is not solely based on magical treasures, why do you insist on ¡®excluding magical treasures¡¯?

    ¡°I know this is an Illusion Realm,¡± Ye Jun continued, speaking to herself, ¡°but I had actually anticipated this. When the Dragon Soar Team was first formed, and the instructor asked me about joining, there was already a hint¡ªI was chosen because I¡¯m patient and meticulous enough to serve as the bodyguard for the whole team.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re a Cultivator, you can¡¯t be someone¡¯s bodyguard forever,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Ye Jun paused briefly, sighing, ¡°but if not a bodyguard, what else can I do? My abilities in other areas are quite average; patience and meticulousness are my only strengths. If I abandon this path, let alone the Dragon Cavalry Team, I¡¯m afraid I wouldn¡¯t even be able to stay in a first-rate battle team.¡±

    Yan Yu was once again at a loss for words.

    It¡¯s not the foolish ones you fear, but those who are too aware; they are harder to console and deceive.

    Now, to join a first-rate battle team, a Cultivator must not only meet the talent requirement but also have at least one or two outstanding strengths.

    Those good at seizing the moment, like Chen Lingyun; those with an excellent overall strategy, like Su Yunjin; those with a quick enough reaction, like Lin Ning; those with meticulous thoughts and good at calculating, like Li Minghu; and of course, those who are simply talented enough, like Xie Ruoxi and Liu Longtao¡­ There are exceptions, such as Li Zhaojiang, who doesn¡¯t have any particularly prominent strengths, but also has no weaknesses, performing above the average level for Cultivators. With Li Minghu¡¯s assistance, he too can secure a first-rate position.

    If Ye Jun set aside her patience and meticulousness, the rest of her skills¡ªlike reaction speed, talent, and calculating ability¡ªwere probably a bit inferior to Li Zhaojiang¡¯s. She was enough to lead a second-rate team, but wouldn¡¯t cut it in the first-rate league.

    Now, it seemed she was well aware of these things, which is why she focused on the Xuan Guang Ruler, opting to take the specialized defensive route.

    It¡¯s a pity that path was particularly difficult, and in the previous life, she ended up retiring from the first-rate league and went to serve as the spokesperson for the Dingbei Army.

    Seeing Yan Yu unable to respond, Ye Jun smiled and in turn comforted him:

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I was prepared for this and should let go. While I can still shine and contribute, I¡¯ll work hard for a few more years, save up a substantial amount of money, retire when I can¡¯t do it anymore, find a man to marry, settle down and have kids. The standard of living would already be better than 99% of the world.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Yan Yu thought about strategies internally, but temporarily agreed with her, ¡°Marriage and children are also a path. Life doesn¡¯t have to be grand; peaceful days can be a pleasant experience too.¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡± Ye Jun suddenly asked.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Regarding marriage and children, what do you think?¡± Ye Jun tucked her hair behind her ear as if asking casually.

    ¡°Me?¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but laugh and thought, do I even have a choice?

    There are some things, if I don¡¯t do them, no one else in this world can¡­

 Chapter 385 - 81: Yan Yus Hoe

    Chapter 385: Chapter 81: Yan Yu¡¯s Hoe

    Seeing that Yan Yu did not respond to her probing, Ye Jun felt a bit embarrassed, but she quickly regained her composure and teased him:

    ¡°I was being presumptuous, wasn¡¯t I? As the captain of the Zhenhai Team, the second-to-none Longcheng Flying General, you naturally don¡¯t need to consider retiring early to get married and have kids, do you?¡±

    ¡°What are you joking about?¡± Yan Yu pretended to be displeased, ¡°Am I someone who hasn¡¯t accomplished anything significant and has no interest in starting a family?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not,¡± Ye Jun said with a smile, ¡°but with your value, the higher-ups would never let you sit idle.¡±

    Yan Yu was rendered speechless again. Secretary Ye, who spent all day working with Liu Longtao, might not have cultivated the abilities of other cultivators, but she had certainly grasped the rules of the system.

    ¡°Oh dear,¡± Ye Jun stretched with a yawn, smiling as she said, ¡°I¡¯ve discovered that I¡¯m invincible as long as I set my mind on lying flat.¡±

    ...

    ¡°So it¡¯s negligent governance then?¡± Yan Yu said with a deliberate glare, ¡°I¡¯ll report this immediately!¡±

    ¡°Scared,¡± Ye Jun playfully crossed her arms across her chest, ¡°Please don¡¯t report me! I¡¯ll do anything!¡±

    Seeing that she was still in the mood to joke, she did not seem to be brooding over it.

    But if she had truly let go, why hadn¡¯t she automatically passed the trial?

    As Yan Yu pondered quietly, he suddenly heard Ye Jun say:

    ¡°Speaking of which, Yan Yu, with so many beautiful girls around you, haven¡¯t you taken a liking to any of them?¡± S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Yan Yu quickly denied.

    ¡°How so?¡± Ye Jun said with a smile, ¡°Are they all too familiar to make a move?¡±

    ¡°You can guess,¡± Yan Yu teased.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ye Jun really began to guess, ¡°Chen Lingyun is quite a good girl, but her family background is too prominent; being with her must be very stressful, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu agreed, although most of that stress probably came more from the girl¡¯s difficult personality rather than her family, but that wasn¡¯t something he needed to explain to Ye Jun.

    ¡°Su Yunjin and Lin Ning, though their family backgrounds can¡¯t compare to Chen Lingyun¡¯s, are also quite favorable,¡± Ye Jun continued, ¡°The difference is probably in their personalities. I think Su Yunjin is gentler and smarter, while Lin Ning is relatively more naive and lively¡­ You don¡¯t have feelings for either of them?¡±

    ¡°Keep guessing,¡± Yan Yu neither confirmed nor denied.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t had much contact with Zhao Yuanzhen,¡± Ye Jun said with a smile, ¡°She must be the naive and carefree type, right? Xie Ruoxi is more introverted and shy¡­ Now that I think about it, you have all types of girls in your team! If you don¡¯t fancy this one or that one, could it be that you like men?¡±

    Her probing was too obvious that Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but laugh aloud:

    ¡°None of the above. I am 100% heterosexual, and I like girls who are good-looking, well-shaped, and smart. As for why I wouldn¡¯t consider my teammates, the answer is simple: I am only nineteen years old, in the prime of my youth, so why the rush to date?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Ye Jun breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing him admit he was heterosexual, and her mind started to calculate again.

    Good-looking, well-shaped, smart? Do I count? How does Yan Yu see me?

    Just as she wanted to continue the casual chat and probe further, suddenly, they heard a shrill air raid siren from outside the window.

    The two of them were startled and immediately flew out of the open window using their Sword Control, only to see black smoke spreading everywhere around them.

    A vast number of unidentified civilian cultivators were fighting and killing each other in the streets, creating chaos as crowds fled in panic.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Ye Jun, who had never seen such a scene, cried out in shock.

    This was Jinmen Prefecture! The accompanying capital of three dynasties, the gateway to the Bohai Sea, how could the authorities allow turmoil here?

    Yan Yu, however, was slightly taken aback and then quickly realized.

    Is this my heart demon? Hilarious.

    In a past life, after the civil strife in Jinmen was quelled, the official report claimed that over two thousand warriors had died, but the actual death toll was definitely upwards of three thousand. Originally part of Squad Six, after the first day of fighting, I was reorganized into Squad Eighteen; on the second day, I ended up in Squad Fifty-Six¡­ Why? Because the members of my original squad were all gone, killed, leaving nothing but the squad number!

    If it hadn¡¯t been for this turmoil, ordinary warriors might have become the third major pillar supporting Lu Country, just like the cultivators from the Military Manor and those from the teams. But this one incident led to heavy losses among veteran warriors, one in ten new recruits surviving, with all the instructors dead as well, followed by a frantic influx of new recruits and inexperienced new instructors, causing a rapid decline in overall quality that was inevitable.

    Sigh, this really doesn¡¯t count as a heart demon; even if you remind me about it here, it only annoys me.

    So annoying! Let¡¯s end this quickly!

    ¡°Ye Jun, how¡¯s your swordsmanship?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Uh, it¡¯s so-so,¡± Ye Jun replied, somewhat embarrassed.

    The Dragon Soar Team, consisting of five members with four taking offensive roles and three as Sword Immortals, naturally didn¡¯t need her sword technique, which was why Ye Jun hardly ever practiced it.

    ¡°Come on, give it a try,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s just an illusion; it doesn¡¯t matter whether you can beat it or not. Just give it a shot.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Ye Jun thought that made sense and nodded in agreement.

    As the two descended, they saw a group of ordinary martial artists being slaughtered on the main road below by civilian cultivators¡­ All were faces familiar to Yan Yu.

    But Yan Yu was unfazed, his mind as still as an ancient well.

    They¡¯re illusions, what do they have to do with me? Besides, even if it were real, it wouldn¡¯t bother me.

    Now that the Longcheng Flying General has been reborn, would I let my brothers lose their lives for nothing again?

    Huang Tingjian cleanly and decisively killed off the civilian cultivators, leaving only the strongest Sword Immortal. Then, turning to Ye Jun, he said via telepathy:

    ¡°Here, this one¡¯s for you. Have a go at it.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Ye Jun then attacked with her controlled sword.

    Her swordsmanship skills truly weren¡¯t very impressive, about the same level as Yun Jin¡¯s. She was too slow in her reactions, lacking in aggression, and completely devoid of skill. It didn¡¯t take long for her to engage the civilian cultivator on equal footing¡ªan expected outcome, given the mediocre skills of the civilian cultivators, who were all self-taught.

    But Yan Yu was thoroughly enjoying the fight, continuing to offer comments and guidance through telepathy:

    ¡°Speed up the rhythm.¡±

    ¡°Use the ¡®White Rainbow Through the Sun¡¯ to strike at his face.¡±

    ¡°Triple ¡®Eagle Soars into the Sky¡¯! Too late, no problem, keep fighting.¡±

    ¡°This guy has a flaw in his sword technique habits. When he turns left, he likes to trace an arc and lags half a beat.¡±

    ¡°First attack his left side, then suddenly switch to the right to catch him off guard.¡±

    ¡°Right, just like that.¡±

    Ye Jun executed the strategy of feinting one way and attacking another, forcing the opposing civilian cultivator into a complete retreat. He could not fend her off, and it left her quite amazed.

    What¡¯s happening? Could it be that I also have the talent of a Sword Immortal?

    Engrossed in these thoughts, the opponent made an error; his flying sword was knocked away in a frontal clash, exposing a vulnerability.

    ¡°White Rainbow Through the Sun!¡± Yan Yu called out.

    Ye Jun executed the sword technique, and the Tianwen Sword shot forward, decapitating the opponent.

    ¡°I won!¡± She couldn¡¯t help exclaiming in surprise.

    Although it happened in the Illusion Realm, her opponent¡¯s swordsmanship level wasn¡¯t weak (in her opinion), and this was also the first time she had won a pure Sword Control Technique duel without using any magical treasures against a professional Sword Immortal!

    ¡°Not bad, not bad,¡± Yan Yu said with feigned surprise. ¡°I had no idea you actually had a talent for swordsmanship, Sword Immortal Ye Jun! One really cannot judge a book by its cover!¡±

    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m surprised myself,¡± Ye Jun humbly replied, ¡°but it¡¯s all thanks to your guidance.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. If you weren¡¯t capable yourself, all my advice would have been pointless,¡± Yan Yu said, seeing the clouds lift from her face and continuing with compliments. ¡°I still suggest you try pursuing other career paths; don¡¯t just fixate on defensive roles. You¡¯re a cultivator, not a corporate cog; there¡¯s no need to limit your career development for the team.¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± Ye Jun pondered seriously. ¡°Maybe I should try dual-classing in swordsmanship?¡±

    ¡°That could work,¡± Yan Yu immediately agreed. ¡°After all, there¡¯s no cost to giving it a try.¡±

    Did Ye Jun really have a talent for swordsmanship? Obviously not; her victory was because the opposition was weak.

    But if Ye Jun wanted to follow in Lord Master¡¯s footsteps and attempt to cultivate two professions, she certainly couldn¡¯t tell the team (as she knew permission from above would be unlikely). So, if she encountered problems while practicing swordsmanship, who else could she turn to but me for advice?

    Haha, Liu Longtao, I¡¯m about to have an affair with your deputy captain! My axe is ready to swing!

 Chapter 386 - 82 Two-handed Sword Control Technique

    Chapter 386: Chapter 82 Two-handed Sword Control Technique

    The two of them joked and laughed as they slaughtered left and right in the Illusion Realm.

    Despite the hellish battlefield scene, Ye Jun wasn¡¯t the least bit nervous or scared because, firstly, she knew it was fake, and secondly, she had the great deity Yan Yu by her side to give guidance. She just kept using the Sword Control Technique, relentlessly killing enemies from all directions.

    As for the Xuan Guang Ruler, which she usually held in her hands, ready to activate at any moment, she now casually hung it at her waist.

    For an Assistant Officer, a magic artifact in battle must be kept ready to be activated at all times, so strictly speaking, her behavior was against the rules¡ªbut Ye Jun didn¡¯t care anymore.

    I¡¯m not gonna be an Assistant Officer anymore! Starting from today, my secret identity is that of a Sword Immortal!

    Seeing her in high spirits, Yan Yu was also infected by her radiant smile, feeling an indescribable joy¡­ although the Privy Council and the audience friends in front of the TVs who were still monitoring the live broadcast suffered for it.

    ...

    Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t take long before the Illusion Realm challenge collapsed with a loud bang.

    Returning to their senses, the two found themselves standing at the entrance to the Departure Palace square.

    Right in front was the East Sea Departure Palace, built with giant clam columns, gold and jade bricks, glazed stones, and coral tiles, and adorned with colorful clouds and sea-sky lights that hung down like pearl curtains, resembling the East Sea Dragon Palace and exuding an air of otherworldly charm.

    Excited by the sight of such a magnificent classical building, Ye Jun couldn¡¯t help but push Yan Yu from behind.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside and take a look.¡±

    ¡°No rush,¡± Yan Yu said, waving his hand, ¡°I¡¯ll take a look at our surroundings, you just wait here.¡±

    He looked around and quickly gathered some basic information.

    Unsurprisingly, flying was prohibited here.

    One could use Sword Flight or the Cloud Ascension Technique, but not go higher than 2 meters above the ground¡ªan enormous restriction for a Cultivator.

    The square in front of the Departure Palace Gate was very spacious and had no cover.

    This meant that the square area was not conducive to Rikoku Cultivators fighting outnumbered, as attacks could come from all directions making it hard to dodge and move about.

    Moving from the square towards the palace, one first had to ascend nine steps. There was a clear difference in elevation between the top and bottom of the stairway, and on both sides were deeper ponds filled with seaweed and lotuses, encircled by white jade railings to prevent people from falling in.

    Yan Yu tried attacking the railings only to find his Flying Sword couldn¡¯t leave a mark, which indicated that the Mysterious Realm¡¯s prohibition rendered them indestructible¡ªmeaning the defenders could take advantage of the high ground and railing cover to hold their position and attack enemies below, but the enemies below would have to use projectile attacks to stand a chance, as the railings would likely block anything else.

    The entire foundation of the Departure Palace rose from the ground, surrounded by a ring of railings and ponds, with only three sets of stairs directly in front of the main door allowing access: the stairs to the left and right were narrow, allowing only single-file passage; the central stairs were the widest, making them more difficult to defend.

    Yan Yu, leading Ye Jun, stepped onto the stairs and discovered another ring of open space between the outer walls of the palace and the perimeter railings for passage.

    However, there were no windows on the walls, which shared the indestructibleness, thus everyone had to enter through the main door; circling to the side or back walls was pointless.

    The main door of the Departure Palace was a colossal wooden gate. Yan Yu took a deep breath and pushed the door open to enter.

    From the outside, it looked splendid, but the inside was incredibly vast. Four pillars stood in each corner, a scroll depicting the ethereal Nine Heavens Profound Lady hung on the central wall, and below it were an incense table and a meditation cushion.

    ¡°So to claim the rewards, we have to worship Buddha, huh?¡± Ye Jun teased.

    Yan Yu looked around briefly, then knelt on the cushion, bowed his head, and silently prayed.

    Shortly after, an ethereal female voice resonated within the palace:

    ¡°Cultivator Yan Yu, having passed six trials, you are the first to clear this challenge, with excellent results.¡±

    ¡°Choose one of the three rewards: ¡®Long Eyebrow Immortal¡¯s Outline of the Two-handed Sword Control Technique Heart Dharma,¡¯ ¡®Huashan Sect¡¯s Secret Fiery Thunder Sound Sword Formation,¡¯ or a Water-Repelling Divine Pearl produced by a bivalve spirit with three thousand years of cultivation.¡±

    Yan Yu listened carefully, quietly pondering his decision.

    The first two rewards were undoubtedly tailored to my Sword Immortal profession. The Two-handed Sword Control Technique could be understood by referencing the methods of the Mirror Lake Divine Palace¡¯s azure-robed female immortal. It was a one-to-many secret technique, allowing the user to simultaneously control two swords, one for attack and the other for defense, representing an all-around enhancement of combat capabilities; the sword formation likely involved joint attacks with multiple combatants, such as the three Sword Immortals from the Dragon Soar Team, who could consider adopting a sword formation approach to combat.

    As for the Water-Repelling Divine Pearl, it was a heavenly material and earthy treasure that could be used in the crafting of magic artifacts, though it was also a magic artifact in its own right¡ªI guess it realized I had a puppet on me.

    ¡°Disciple chooses ¡®The Long Eyebrow Immortal¡¯s Exposition on the Two-handed Sword Control Technique Fundamentals¡¯,¡± Yan Yu stated decisively in a deep voice.

    No sooner had he spoken than a multitude of information flooded his mind.

    He found himself standing on a mountain peak, with an elderly man with extremely long and white eyebrows and a haughty demeanor in front of him, explaining the essentials of the Two-handed Sword Control Technique:

    ¡°What do you think is the key to the Two-handed Sword Control Technique?¡±

    ¡°Uh,¡± Yan Yu hesitated, ¡°divided attention between two tasks?¡±

    ¡°Wrong! Terribly wrong!¡± The Long Eyebrow Immortal rebuked, ¡°What¡¯s so difficult about divided attention? Don¡¯t you also divide your attention when you eat while reading a book?¡±

    Yan Yu couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue with him and said with a bow:

    ¡°The junior is dull-witted. Please enlighten me, senior¡­¡±

    ¡°You should call me master!¡± The Long Eyebrow Immortal knocked on his head, saying irritably, ¡°Even though I¡¯ve only left a divine consciousness here, and my true self does not know you, you have inherited my teachings, thus you must acknowledge our mentor-disciple relationship, understand?¡±

    The immortal old man is so fussy; good thing he¡¯s not my real master in reality, or else¡­ Yan Yu complained inwardly but outwardly replied:

    ¡°The disciple remembers.¡±

    ¡°The crux of the Two-handed Sword Control lies in training your swordsmanship to the point where your fingers can wield the swords as if they were your own arms, fundamentally testing your level of swordsmanship, not some fanciful divided attention!¡± the Long Eyebrow Immortal spoke earnestly, ¡°You should not think about controlling another flying sword with divided attention while you are wielding one. That would lead you astray. Rather, consider the two swords as your two hands. When your right hand holds chopsticks to pick up rice, and your left hand flips through a book, do you need to specifically practice divided attention? No! The same principle applies to the Two-handed Sword Control Technique!¡± S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°The disciple understands,¡± Yan Yu said impatiently, ¡°I can eat with my right hand and read with my left, yet I cannot control two swords with both hands. Please, master, dispel my confusion.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, the reason you cannot control two swords with your hands is because the meridian channels in your left and right arms are different,¡± the Long Eyebrow Immortal said coldly, ¡°The meridian channels of the left hand are connected to the heart, liver, and kidneys, whereas those of the right hand are connected to the lungs, spleen, and life gate. Thus, if you wish to circulate qi through both hands simultaneously, you must follow separate circulation paths that do not interfere with each other¡­¡±

    Dammit, it¡¯s these circulation paths I want to learn, why are you going on about divided attention!?

    Yan Yu¡¯s inner monologue was filled with vehement scoffing, yet he concentrated more intently and memorized the circulation paths taught by the Long Eyebrow Immortal.

    Hmm, interesting¡­ It¡¯s quite a clever design, splitting one qi circulation path into two, with each capable of independent existence¡­ It¡¯s a pity I didn¡¯t acquire the Two-handed Sword Control Technique in my previous life. Otherwise, in my last battle, I might have been able to turn the tide and come back against the wind¡­

    ¡°Have you memorized it?¡± asked the Long Eyebrow Immortal after concluding his explanation.

    ¡°The disciple has memorized it,¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    ¡°Very good,¡± the Long Eyebrow Immortal paused for a moment and then suddenly asked, ¡°Aside from the Two-handed Sword Control Technique, this old man has other teachings to pass on. Do you wish to learn them?¡±

    What does he mean? Isn¡¯t the Departure Palace supposed to only issue one reward?

    With his vast experience, Yan Yu immediately realized that this ¡°Long Eyebrow Immortal¡± had placed his own teachings into the Departure Palace¡¯s reward inventory and then snuck in some personal goodies, guiding his disciples to seek his other inheritances.

    But the problem is, the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng is not in this world! The things you left behind are mostly hidden in some mysterious realm, and it¡¯s uncertain if they will ever appear on this version of Earth. If they were in Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s Cultivation World, then I might try to search for them.

    Yan Yu dismissed the idea internally with disdain, but nevertheless said:

    ¡°The disciple wishes to learn. Please instruct me, master.¡±

    The Long Eyebrow Immortal nodded in satisfaction and then uttered four locations, followed by a clap of his hands.

    Startled, Yan Yu suddenly realized he was still kneeling on the cushion in the Departure Palace, and Ye Jun was looking at him with curiosity.

 Chapter 387 - 83: Everyone Gathers the Treasure

    Chapter 387: Chapter 83: Everyone Gathers the Treasure

    Ye Jun knelt on the cushion and began to receive her award.

    Yan Yu silently reviewed the Two-handed Sword Control Technique that the Long-browed Old Man had passed on to him, thinking the more he contemplated it, the more ingenious and limitless in utility it seemed.

    In the previous lifetime¡¯s journey to the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng, why had nobody managed to acquire the Two-handed Sword Control Technique?

    Could it be that only top-tier swordsmanship experts like myself, a god-level talent, were eligible to unlock it?

    While he was lost in thought, he heard a female voice announcing Ye Jun¡¯s rewards. It was still a choice of three:

    The Demon-Subduing Vajra, the Purple Gold Bowl, and the Glazed Lamp.

    ...

    ¡°Why are they all Buddhist Sect treasures?¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but complain.

    ¡°Amitabha.¡± With her hands pressed together, Ye Jun replied with a kind and compassionate smile, ¡°Benefactor, which one do you think would be more appropriate for me to choose?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll share my guess,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°The Demon-Subduing Vajra is obviously geared toward offense, straightforward in smiting one¡¯s enemies; the Purple Gold Bowl is likely a control-type treasure, perhaps emitting a light to immobilize others; as for the Glazed Lamp¡­ I¡¯m not sure. The essence of a lamp treasure lies in its flame, but is this flame damaging or controlling? I think there¡¯s a higher chance it¡¯s meant to harm, similar to Taoism Methods.¡±

    ¡°So,¡± Ye Jun pondered carefully, ¡°the Purple Gold Bowl is for control, the Demon-Subduing Vajra is for single-target attacks, and the Glazed Lamp is likely for area attacks, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s one way to look at it,¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°If you¡¯re considering teamwork in battle, choose the Purple Gold Bowl; to strengthen personal power, choose the Demon-Subduing Vajra. I¡¯m not certain about the Glazed Lamp; it could have a wide range between its highest and lowest potential, so if you want to play it safe, go with the Vajra.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll choose the Glazed Lamp,¡± Ye Jun declared without a second thought, ¡°I¡¯ll take a gamble. If it doesn¡¯t meet my expectations, I¡¯ll turn it over to the Dingbei Army and exchange it for something like the Demon-Subduing Vajra that specializes in single-target attacks.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Yan Yu agreed, ¡°then select the lamp.¡±

    No sooner had Ye Jun made her choice than a Glazed Lamp appeared in her hand, topped with a red silk knot, which allowed her to carry it with ease.

    ¡°How is it?¡± Yan Yu inquired, ¡°Shall we start refining it now?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Ye Jun was enamored with the Glazed Lamp, admiringly turning it over in her hands, clearly satisfied with its crystal-clear appearance, ¡°I¡¯ll start refining it now. You keep watch for me outside.¡±

    Yan Yu walked towards the main entrance, when the female voice spoke again:

    ¡°Having received the reward, do you wish to be transported out of the Secret Realm?¡±

    Without needing further discussion, both of them said in unison:

    ¡°No!¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The third person to arrive at the Departure Palace was none other than Liu Longtao, appearing in the center of the square, with the Ying Long Sword floating and ready for any surprise attacks.

    Then he saw Yan Yu standing on higher ground in front of the Departure Palace Gate, standing with his hands behind his back, looking down at him from above.

    His feelings were mixed: on one hand, there was the sting of being bested by ¡®Old Yan¡¯ again, and on the other, a sense of relief that ¡®Old Yan¡¯s presence meant everything would be alright.

    Lord Master quickly approached the Departure Palace Gate and asked:

    ¡°How did it go?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re third,¡± Yan Yu answered, ¡°Ye Jun is inside as well.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Liu Longtao sighed in relief. As long as no Transcendents from foreign lands had come in, it was all good.

    Rikoku Secret Realm, the treasures of L¨ªg¨­ng, must not be allowed to fall into foreign hands!

    Official matters take precedence. As for having conceded a few moves to ¡®Old Yan¡¯ this time, letting him get first place, that was trivial, not worth fussing over; he¡¯d win it back next time.

    Lord Master strode into the Departure Palace, while Yan Yu stood in the middle of the steps, from where he could easily overlook the entire square.

    Wondering who the fourth to arrive would be¡­

    ¡­Ah, here they come.

    In the middle of the square, another flash of white light appeared as two women, one tall and one short, materialized simultaneously¡ªit was Zhao Yuanzhen and Chen Lingyun.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress, her hands forming sword techniques, still on guard, brightened at the sight of Yan Yu in front of her and quickly ran up to ask:

    ¡°Where is the Departure Palace? Where do we go to claim the treasure?¡± sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Go inside and kneel,¡± Yan Yu pointed behind him.

    ¡°Why should I!¡± the Demonic Sect Enchantress raged, ¡°Is the Departure Palace your personal property? Do I have to kneel to you to take a treasure?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a cushion inside,¡± Yan Yu really wanted to slap her on the forehead, but remembering that he was currently live-streaming, he patiently explained, ¡°Kneel on it and get the treasure.¡±

    ¡°Oooh!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s anger instantly dissipated, and she revealed a beautiful smile once more, eagerly asking, ¡°How long do I have to kneel? Do I have to kowtow? Do I need to make a loud knocking sound?¡±

    ¡°No need, just bow once is enough,¡± Yan Yu said.

    The viewers in the live stream were already laughing their heads off. Although everyone felt the atmosphere was quite inappropriate, given that the Rikoku Cultivators had gathered at the gate of the Departure Palace, and the final battle was about to begin¡ªit was the tense moment before the storm¡­ Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s careless words still made everyone burst into laughter like thunder.

    ¡°How¡¯s it looking?¡± Chen Lingyun also came forward and asked telepathically.

    ¡°You¡¯re in fifth place,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile brightened, ¡°Then there shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±

    What even Rikoku did not know until now was that only the top ten in the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng could obtain treasures. So as long as the Rikoku Cultivators took the top ten spots, they could easily reap all the fruits of victory.

    But for her, this was only a basic requirement. Since she had personally taken action in this scheme, she not only wanted to maximize her own side¡¯s gains but also ensure the other side suffered the most severe losses¡­ Without achieving this, how could she prove her prowess to her father?

    ¡°I¡¯ll go in first,¡± she said with a beaming smile, ¡°Sister Zhao needs to choose a reward, don¡¯t you want to help her with the selection?¡±

    ¡°That works,¡± Yan Yu was initially planning to have Chen Lingyun watch over things. But after thinking it over, if the Demonic Sect Enchantress started causing trouble on the spot, this princess might not be able to handle her, so he turned around, intending to return to the Departure Palace¡ªjust in time to encounter Lord Master and Ye Jun, who had taken their treasures and were coming out to guard the gate.

    Inside the Departure Palace, Zhao Yuanzhen rushed to the altar, slid into a kneel on the cushion, and bowed without hesitation, saying:

    ¡°This junior has gone through myriad hardships to pass the Departure Palace trials, I implore the senior to grant me a treasure!¡±

    The woman¡¯s voice seemed somewhat speechless, taking a while before finally ringing out slowly:

    ¡°Cultivator Zhao Yuanzhen, you have passed six trials, being the fourth person to do so, with good performance.¡±

    ¡°Given your background in the Demon Cult¡¯s peripheral Taoism Method, you¡¯re not qualified to receive rewards in the Departure Palace. It¡¯s a pity that in the Age of Dharma Decline, cultivators are increasingly scarce, I hope you will restrain your temperament, pursue virtue and goodness, and not stray into the wrong path, seeking your own death, wasting this precious opportunity!¡±

    This woman¡¯s voice directly outed the full name and background of the Demonic Sect Enchantress. Yan Yu slightly frowned upon hearing this but then thought it didn¡¯t matter. She had used a false name before to guard against Mei Yingxue, but now that Teacher Mei had expressed her resolution to reconcile, and with Chen Tianming pulling strings from the higher-ups, there was no need to keep the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s true identity a secret anymore.

    As for explaining it to the public, it was quite simple¡ªjust say that she had recently changed her name.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, however, didn¡¯t think so far ahead. She felt that the woman¡¯s voice showed disdain for her own sect, Qiansi Sect, and immediately her anger was evident in her expression:

    If you dare to shortchange me of the reward I deserve, I¡­ will tear down this Departure Palace!

    ¡°You may choose one from three rewards: Yellowstone White Jade Marrow, Wanzai Hanpo Ice, or Qian Spirit True Muddled Fire,¡± the woman¡¯s voice said indifferently.

    The three rewards given to the Demonic Sect Enchantress were all heavenly materials and earthly treasures¡ªit was obvious they recognized her puppetry as the core of her fighting style and were furnishing her with materials here!

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s eyes lit up, and without a second thought, she blurted out:

    ¡°Can I have them all?¡±

    The woman on the other side clearly choked on her words, taking a while before she started speaking again, her voice turning colder:

    ¡°Greedy and insatiable, the nature of a thief is hard to change!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± Yan Yu finally lost his patience and slapped the back of the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s head, ¡°Stop the chatter and quickly choose a reward!¡±

    ¡°Then I choose the Qian Spirit True Muddled Fire,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately said.

    Seeing that she did not hesitate at all and seemed very confident, Yan Yu, not being too knowledgeable about crafting, watched the Demonic Sect Enchantress receive a stone box, carefully pocketing it before turning to say:

    ¡°Ling Yun, your turn.¡±

    ¡°Yes, alright,¡± Chen Lingyun stepped in front of the cushion and gracefully knelt down.

    After a moment, the woman¡¯s voice once again rose, but this time with a tone of surprise and doubt:

    ¡°Cultivator Chen Lingyun, you have passed six trials and are the fifth person to do so¡­ The Arcane Secrets of the Nine Heavens Yin Demon? Having practiced the major methods of the Demon Cult, why bother coming to the Departure Palace for a reward? There is nothing here for you, away with you, away!¡±

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile froze on her face.

 Chapter 388 - 84 Enemy Attack

    Chapter 388: Chapter 84 Enemy Attack

    ¡°`

    When did I learn ¡°The Arcane Secrets of the Nine Heavens Yin Demon¡±?

    And it¡¯s even the orthodox spell of the Demonic Sect, how come I don¡¯t know about it myself?

    Although Chen Lingyun found it hard to accept, the female voice from the Departure Palace was clearly not going to reason with her and soon fell silent.

    She silently turned her head and saw Zhao Yuanzhen taking pleasure in her misfortune, while Yan Yu looked pensive.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Chen Lingyun quickly regained her composure and said with a smile.

    ...

    ¡°You¡¯re just going to accept it like that?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s expression immediately turned to one of disbelief.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress, who tended to judge others by her own standard, would have gone on a wild rampage in the palace if the Departure Palace¡¯s mechanisms dared to treat her this way, destroying everything until she flipped the incense tables and burnt the wall hangings to relieve her anger!

    Chen Lingyun wasn¡¯t exactly a magnanimous person. Could it be that she would just swallow her anger?

    Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

    The trio left the main gate of the Departure Palace and saw Yang Linhui and Guo Feiyun arriving at the same place.

    Since the Inferno Pass had been blocked by Yan Yu for a time, allowing the Rikoku Cultivators to take the lead, after Yan Yu passed through, they immediately queued for the next trial, so it was normal for them to be the first to reach the final destination, the Departure Palace.

    Ye Jun quickly used a sound transmission to summon the two over, urging them to go into the Departure Palace to claim the treasure and secure the sixth and seventh places¡­ to be precise, considering Chen Lingyun¡¯s disqualification for reasons that couldn¡¯t be disclosed, it was actually the fifth and sixth places.

    ¡°Now, there are also our team¡¯s Ai Lu, and your team¡¯s Lin Ning, Su Yunjin, and Xie Ruoxi who haven¡¯t arrived yet,¡± Liu Longtao transmitted to Yan Yu.

    The implication was clear: our team has four members here, and your team has only three. At this moment, our Dragon Soar Team is in the lead!

    Sorry, old Yan. I¡¯m going to win!

    Yan Yu, however, wasn¡¯t even thinking about competing with him and instead asked back:

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Xie Ruoxi enter the Mysterious Realm with you? How come you left her behind and came here alone?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re misunderstanding me,¡± Liu Longtao hurriedly defended, ¡°there¡¯s a trial in this Mysterious Realm that tests one¡¯s mental state by pulling them into an illusionary realm it creates. You remember, right?¡±

    ¡°Xie Ruoxi and I entered that trial at the same time but were separated into our own memory illusions. After I passed that trial, I didn¡¯t see her at the next transfer point, and I couldn¡¯t wait any longer, guessing she must¡¯ve gotten stuck at the previous one. That¡¯s the only reason I had to come alone! If it weren¡¯t for the fact that I spent quite a while waiting for her, that first place at the Departure Palace might not have been yours to take!¡±

    ¡°Heh,¡± Yan Yu expressed contempt for the latter part of his statement. Still¡­

    Lord Master certainly wouldn¡¯t stoop to lying about this sort of thing, so could it be that Xie Ruoxi was indeed trapped in the memory illusion?

    Wait, that kind of illusion can cause someone to get stuck? You beautiful waste, can¡¯t you pull yourself together?

    And considering Xie Ruoxi¡¯s waste of a performance inside Mirror Lake Divine Palace, Yan Yu didn¡¯t feel like saying much more.

    Guess it¡¯s better to wait for Yun Jin and Ningning¡­ Ah, here they come!

    Upon the plaza, large swaths of white light shone up, on the left without surprise were Su Yunjin and Lin Ning, and on the right was¡­

    An Onmyoji?

    Lin Ning was the quickest to react, her hands moved with a Sword Technique, and the Green Bamboo Sword¡¯s light struck towards the opposite side as she turned and pulled Su Yunjin to swiftly escape using the Shifting Technique. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Caught up in the moment, Su Yunjin unconsciously ran alongside her, taking a second to realize before hastily forming a spell with her free hand:

    Star River Secret Art, Feichao Fenye!

    In a split second, what was an empty plaza was suddenly overwhelmed by reverse-flowing rivers; endless streams of water surged in, instantly covering half the plaza and forcefully scattering the Onmyoji¡¯s formation.

    Lin Ning, having struck down one adversary with the Green Bamboo Sword, was about to apply Sword Technique on a second one when she suddenly heard Yan Yu¡¯s sound transmission:

    ¡°Retreat.¡±

    The two girls quickly turned and dashed, only to see an armored Samurai emerge fiercely from the river waters, cutting off their path ahead as he attacked with his long blade.

    The vast amounts of water from Feichao Fenye continued to churn violently, yet the Samurai seemed to have used some secret technique, leveraging the weight of his body and armor, as each step he took sank deep into the ground, and he was not carried away by the currents.

    ¡°`

    Fortunately, Yan Yu had given an early warning, and the Green Bamboo Sword was already retracted in front of him.

    Lin Ning was about to form the sword technique with her hands and go up to block, but she just saw a burst of light from behind flying toward her, instantly enveloping the samurai and trapping him inside.

    When the samurai forcefully shattered the light with his blade, he was faced with Lord Master¡¯s Ying Long Sword, piercing through the air in a direct slash toward his chest and abdomen. In haste, he used his blade to block, and ultimately, the force of the sword sent him flying into the raging currents.

    But Yan Yu saw clearly that the samurai had not sustained much damage, the advantage of Body Refinement Secret Art was fully displayed in this situation.

    For the Flying Sword to break through defenses is troublesome, the best way is to use the Taoism Method¡­ so why isn¡¯t the pretty waste coming yet?

    Su Yunjin and Lin Ning had already rushed up the steps, and Yan Yu quickly gestured with his hand for the two girls to enter the palace, urgently saying:

    ¡°Kneel on the meditation cushions to select the treasures, Yun Jin first, then Ningning, take them and come out immediately, quick quick quick quick quick!¡±

    The two young ladies also knew the urgency of the situation, because from the corner of their eye they saw a mass of white light reappearing in the Departure Palace plaza behind them.

    Clearly, it was not a coincidence that so many foreign Transcendents broke through the six gates at the same time, but these people knew that the Rikoku Cultivators would be blocking them at the Departure Palace Gate, so they deliberately lingered at the last gate, gathering a large force, intending to overpower the Rikoku Cultivator¡¯s blockades and storm into the Departure Palace to claim the treasures!

    Charging into the Departure Palace, right in the center were the meditation cushions, and without any hesitation, Su Yunjin knelt down and heard the female voice inside the palace say:

    ¡°Cultivator Su Yunjin, you have passed through the six trials, ranking as the seventh to clear them, your performance is passable.¡±

    ¡°The art you cultivate is the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, which requires the Golden Core Realm to unleash its full power. Hence, I shall reward you with the following: six Blood Coagulant Ruby Pills, which can directly complete your Marrow Cleansing; Taiwei Hook Chen Star Sand, mixed with the water from the celestial river it can increase its power; Hundred Li Water Vein Shifting Technique, which is a water escape method, allowing you to move freely in the celestial river water, unimpeded.¡±

    Su Yunjin pondered for a moment. Behind her, Yan Yu was controlling his sword to block the enemy¡¯s attack from below, when suddenly, he turned his head and sent a telepathic message:

    ¡°Star Sand.¡±

    Su Yunjin immediately said:

    ¡°I choose the Taiwei Hook Chen Star Sand.¡±

    She could figure it out too: the Blood Coagulant Ruby Pills were definitely not needed since the current concentration of Spiritual Energy on Earth did not yet support complete Marrow Cleansing¡ªwhat use would they be?

    The Taiwei Star Sand and the Water Vein Shifting Technique, one enhanced attack, the other aided survival, indeed made Su Yunjin hesitate. But since her team leader had spoken, she had no further doubts and made her choice straight away!

    A small bag of Star Sand was placed in a cloth pouch and fell into her hands, and the method to use it automatically flowed into her sea of knowledge.

    It was only when Su Yunjin regained her senses that she realized the Star Sand in her hands was not complete, it was actually a small portion given by an immortal to their disciple for protection.

    The full quantity of the Taiwei Hook Chen Star Sand, when activated, could cover the sky and obstruct anything, shielding the user from elements like water and fire, and even cutting through swords. Thrown at a target, it could grind a Flying Sword¡¯s magical artifacts to dust. Such high-grade treasures were absolutely impossible for the Departure Palace to award to someone who was ¡°merely the seventh person to clear¡± the trials.

    However, this small pouch of Star Sand, not to mention defending oneself, was hardly enough to even wrap around an enemy¡¯s Flying Sword. At most, it could be used like diamond dust, mixed into the celestial river¡¯s water to evolve a particular move into a ¡°high-pressure water blade,¡± leveraging speed for cutting attacks.

    Su Yunjin, having acquired the Star Sand, didn¡¯t have time to refine it further. She tucked it into her pocket, got up, and went out the door to support Yan Yu outside.

    Lin Ning was close behind and knelt on the meditation cushion; she then heard the female voice say:

    ¡°Cultivator Lin Ning, you have passed through the six trials, ranking as the eighth to clear them, your performance is passable.¡±

    The eighth place¡­ Lin Ning felt a bit bitter in her heart. It was all because she lingered too long in the Illusion Realm, which also affected Yun Jin¡¯s ranking.

    Perhaps because she was only ranked eighth, there was much less that the female voice had to say to her, only speaking indifferently:

    ¡°Choose one of the following three rewards: ¡®East Sea Jade Coral Swordsmanship,¡¯ Zhenze Sword Box, or Duan Yu Hook Sword.¡±

    Lin Ning subconsciously wanted to choose the first option; after all, she neither needed a sword box nor a second Flying Sword¡­ But still, she telepathically asked Yan Yu:

    ¡°What should I choose?¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°You help Yun Jin choose but won¡¯t help me? I am furious! Quick, I don¡¯t have time to waste with you! Swordsmanship, Sword Box, or Flying Sword, which do I choose?¡± Lin Ning immediately became extremely angry.

    ¡°Then choose the Sword Box.¡± Yan Yu said.

 Chapter 389 - 85: The Alliance of All Parties, Harboring Ulterior Motives

    Chapter 389: Chapter 85: The Alliance of All Parties, Harboring Ulterior Motives

    In Yan Yu¡¯s view, the three choices Lin Ning had were all passable, representing a standard type and not an overwhelmingly powerful must-have like the ¡°Two-handed Sword Control Technique.¡±

    Considering he had just acquired the Two-handed Sword Control Technique and would teach it to Lin Ning upon his return, he should have let her choose the Duan Yu Hook Sword, which would allow her to start practicing the two-handed technique right away.

    But then he suddenly remembered the woman in green from the Mirror Lake Divine Palace.

    She wielded a pair of swords, one of which was clearly the Green Bamboo Sword, while the other emitted a dark red light, supposedly a fire-attributed Flying Sword ¡ª and as for the Duan Yu Hook Sword, just by its name, one could tell it was metallic.

    Flying Swords are ultimately easy to replace; those of poor quality wouldn¡¯t be used for long. Although Storage Magical Treasures had a ¡°Mysterious Realm drop rate¡± similar to Flying Swords, with a thousand different kinds, finding one that a Sword Immortal could use was not easy.

    Better to choose the sword box!

    ...

    Following his advice, Lin Ning smoothly acquired the Zhenze Sword Box, which had the appearance of an unadorned black ebony box, with lacquer paintings that depicted stormy winds and rains.

    The method of use flowed into her mind: The box didn¡¯t need to be activated; simply placing a Flying Sword inside for a moment would nurture three layers of Metal Lightning Qi, adding substantial power when slashing.

    If she were to strike at an enemy from afar, the Metal Lightning Qi on the sword could be transformed into Sword Qi and shot out, with a force nearly equal to normal Sword Control, yet as invisible and colorless as the Metal-Element Impact Curse, making it difficult to guard against.

    However, Lin Ning had always been one to follow set patterns in her thinking. If a teacher told her ¡°how to use this sword box,¡± she could quickly become proficient through extensive practice; but if left to figure out the method on her own, she would subconsciously feel puzzled and could only carry the sword box on her back and let the Green Bamboo Sword fly into it to begin nurturing.

    Upon leaving the Departure Palace, Lin Ning¡¯s gaze became sharp once more.

    She saw that on the edge of the plaza outside the Departure Palace, seventy to eighty foreign Transcendents had already gathered, maintaining a standoff distance where neither side could attack the other.

    The Cultivators firmly held the three steps leading up, hiding behind the railings and preparing for a possible siege.

    ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± Lin Ning approached Yan Yu and asked.

    ¡°We¡¯re just missing Xie Ruoxi and Ai Lu,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    Two people had yet to arrive¡­ Lin Ning looked towards the plaza below and suddenly inhaled sharply.

    This is bad!

    With so many foreign Transcendents already in the plaza, should the two of them suddenly teleport over, they would be immediately ambushed from all directions, caught off guard. The slightest mishap could lead to a dire situation!

    But there was no helping it now; she could only hope that they were vigilant enough not to blunder into such an obvious trap¡­ On second thought, given Ruoxi¡¯s personality, she might not even be aware of this aspect.

    The perspective shifted to the plaza, where Transcendents from three factions had gathered without rushing into action.

    Why? The reason was simple: If they broke through the Lu Kingdom Cultivators¡¯ defenses and opened the way to the Departure Palace, who would enter first, and who would follow?

    Those who entered first would feast, while those who came after had to settle for leftovers. The current problem was that everyone wanted the feast and wished to leave the scraps for others. This was exactly the intention behind Lu Kingdom¡¯s calculated leak of ¡°better rewards for those who enter the Departure Palace first,¡± which was clearly meant to create discord among the three factions.

    Everyone was wise: without consensus on this issue, once the path to the Departure Palace entrance was opened, it would be a moment when allies could turn on each other ¡ª before even entering the Departure Palace, the three factions might fight each other, targeting whoever was at the forefront. Wouldn¡¯t that be playing right into the hands of the Lu Kingdom Cultivators?

    ¡°Our demands are simple,¡± Xiandao Jingyin spoke up first, ¡°to join forces and fully defeat the blockade by the Lu Kingdom Cultivators.¡±

    ¡°After breaking through, who enters or exits the Departure Palace first will be based on individual ability. Whatever one gets is theirs, but we absolutely will not tolerate attacks on allies.¡±

    ¡°I object,¡± Park Changmin expressed dissent on behalf of Lihuayuan, ¡°If we truly break through the Lu Kingdom¡¯s defense, they will inevitably fight desperately to halt us. You Onmyoji from the Cherry Blossoms are the best at concealment; escaping the opposition and entering the Departure Palace is far easier for you than for us ¡ª your proposal is clearly most beneficial to you.¡±

    Xiandao Jingyin scoffed at this, thinking everyone proposed terms that were in their favor.

    But since Park Changmin had bluntly raised his point, she countered:

    ¡°Then, what are your suggestions?¡±

    ¡°Each faction sends some people,¡± suggested Park Changmin, ¡°to engage the Lu Kingdom Cultivators, creating opportunities for the rest to rush into the Departure Palace.¡±

    ¡°Agreed,¡± Xiandao Jingyin nodded.

    ¡°Unacceptable,¡± Stevenson, from the Superheroes, flatly denied, ¡°The group responsible for suppressing the Lu Kingdom Cultivators are doing the heaviest and most dangerous work; entering the Departure Palace later than their teammates for inferior spoils is unfair to them.¡±

    ¡°Secure the treasures of the Departure Palace first; afterward, feel free to redistribute within your factions,¡± suggested Xiandao Jingyin.

    ¡°That won¡¯t work,¡± Stevenson still shook his head, ¡°We can¡¯t force the Superheroes to relinquish their spoils; it would damage the honor of the heroes.¡±

    The Yin Yang Bureau and Lihuayuan, fundamentally, are still state institutions, and the Transcendents are currently obeying orders from above. Those who enter the Departure Palace first can hand over their spoils for secondary distribution later on, compensating teammates who contributed more.

    However, Miti has its unique national circumstances; most of the Superheroes come from freelance mercenaries in Europe, bound only by commercial interests held by the Superhero Alliance, showing little adherence to the Homeland Strategic Bureau.

    You want me to spit out the treasures I¡¯ve already secured for redistribution? Impossible! If you dare to pressure me with your commands, I¡¯ll just terminate my contract and go back to my country; no longer will I stay in your worthless place!

    It was precisely because Stevenson knew his mercenaries¡¯ temperaments that he dismissed the proposal as ¡°detrimental to honor,¡± preferring everyone to scramble for the treasures even if it meant fierce competition. At least whoever secured the treasures kept them, establishing a fait accompli on the spot that wouldn¡¯t cause much of a stir afterward.

    Park Changmin, seeing the Superhero Alliance unwilling to agree, reluctantly shrugged his shoulders, while Xiandao Jingyin frowned and said:

    ¡°Then, what is the opinion of the Superhero side?¡±

    ¡°We have only one goal for this trip,¡± Stevenson said calmly, ¡°which is to obtain the spoils of war inside the Departure Palace. We don¡¯t care about anything else.¡±

    Xiandao Jingyin and Park Changmin were startled and immediately cursed the shamelessness in their hearts.

    The other party was actually putting on pressure with implications: You from the Yin Yang Bureau and Lihuayuan are adjacent to Rikoku, hence you have the need to weaken Rikoku Cultivators¡¯ power while we, across the Pacific Ocean, do not have these scruples. We just want to get our hands on the treasures of the Departure Palace¡ªif you get less, we won¡¯t participate. You figure it out!

    But let¡¯s not forget, it was the Homeland Strategic Bureau of Miti who took the initiative to organize this tripartite alliance! So you play the good cop, and we play the bad cop, wanting to have both face and inside advantage, huh!

    Considering the greater picture, Xiandao Jingyin could only swallow his anger and asked coldly: Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°If everyone acts on their own, Lihuayuan disagrees; if we divide the work and cooperate, the Superheroes disagree; but we must come up with a plan, right? The Rikoku Cultivators won¡¯t just kindly make way for us.¡±

    Stevenson didn¡¯t express any agreement or disagreement. In fact, he was rather in favor of Xiandao Jingyin¡¯s plan in his heart. Even if Onmyoji excelled at stealth and infiltration to gain an advantage and secure better spoils of war, that was their own skill. At most, his mercenary teammates might grumble a few weird complaints, but it wouldn¡¯t lead to a fallout and a fierce fight with their allies.

    However, according to Park Changmin¡¯s plan, with some people outside restraining the opponents and others taking the opportunity to enter and seize treasures, the superheroes knew what their teammates were worth and certainly no one would want to stay on the outside to distract. But if you asked them to all go in first to get the treasures, the Yin Yang Bureau and Lihuayuan would definitely disagree.

    This is a tough one.

    Just as Stevenson was about to state his position and endorse Xiandao Jingyin¡¯s plan, he heard Park Changmin say again:

    ¡°In that case, I have an idea.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your thought?¡± asked Xiandao Jingyin.

    ¡°We still rush into the Departure Palace in batches, but we add a process of turning everything in and subsequently redistributing it,¡± Park Changmin spoke confidently, ¡°Those outside are responsible for restraining the opponents. Whatever those who enter capture, they are not allowed to hide anything. After they come out, they must turn everything over to the alliance, and only then will we negotiate and split the spoils of war among the three parties.¡±

    ¡°What if someone insists on hiding things?¡± Stevenson asked with a sneer, ¡°How can you ensure that the first batch to rush into the Departure Palace will fulfill the agreement later, bringing out the best spoils of war for redistribution with the other two parties?¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± said Xiandao Jingyin, as if he had an epiphany, and explained, ¡°If anyone dares to break the agreement, we all rise together to attack them without mercy. Is that the idea?¡±

    Stevenson then also understood and started calculating in his mind.

    The superheroes were undisciplined and profit-driven, posing a high risk of breaking their promises. But if the Lihuayuan and Yin Yang Bureau were to enter the Departure Palace first, since they had strict hierarchies and strict rules internally, in theory, it was possible to demand everyone to turn in all spoils of war for redistribution by the tripartite alliance.

    Of course, in reality, there was also the possibility that these two parties could renege on their agreements afterward, but as Xiandao Jingyin said, ¡°Anyone who dares to renege and break the agreement, just kill them, and that¡¯s the end of it.¡±

    Any party present could not withstand the combined attack of the other two, plus with Rikoku Cultivators watching like tigers, even if someone intends to breach the agreement, they would have to think carefully if they can survive and leave the Lu Kingdom¡¯s seas with the spoils of war.

    Additionally, this plan had another benefit: in the stage of secondary redistribution later on, who gets which piece of the spoils of war would be up for negotiation, increasing this captain¡¯s say in the matter, right?

    ¡°I agree,¡± Stevenson finally said.

    The three parties finally reached a consensus, and Xiandao Jingyin also breathed a sigh of relief, asking:

    ¡°So, what¡¯s the order of entry?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll go in first,¡± Park Changmin volunteered.

    ¡°No way,¡± Stevenson quickly vetoed, ¡°Your swordsmen are too fast.¡±

    The swordsmanship lineage of the Lihuayuan Swordsmen, essentially, derived from the Lu Kingdom Sword Immortal, it¡¯s just that they refuse to admit it. If the Lihuayuan Swordsmen decide to renege after grabbing the treasures, and flee at full speed using Sword Control, the other two parties would indeed have trouble intercepting them all.

    ¡°Then the Superheroes go first?¡± Xiandao Jingyin showed a willingness to compromise.

    ¡°Let your Onmyoji go in first,¡± Stevenson suggested.

    After all, if the Lihuayuan Swordsmen had the capital to renege, the superheroes had the strong will to do so. You can¡¯t predict if one of those idiots would risk their lives after the fact, insisting on taking down something against everyone¡ªthese fools could really pull it off.

    ¡°That works,¡± Xiandao Jingyin nodded.

    ¡°The Onmyoji aren¡¯t bringing live streaming cameras, right?¡± Park Changmin said with a sneer, ¡°If they take something and afterward hand over half while hiding the rest, what do we do? We have no way to verify it.¡±

    ¡°We are willing to be searched,¡± Xiandao Jingyin said, ¡°After coming out, we will immediately turn in the spoils of war and also undergo another search to ensure there is no private hoarding.¡±

    ¡°What if there are Storage Magical Treasures¡­¡± Park Changmin wanted to question further but was interrupted by Stevenson:

    ¡°Do you have evidence? Proof that they brought Storage Magical Treasures with them?¡±

    Of course, there was no evidence. Thus Park Changmin could only scoff again and fell silent.

 Chapter 390 - 390: 86 Chapter: Inviting Shinyori

    Chapter 390: 86 Chapter: Inviting Shinyori

    ¡°They¡¯ve made their move,¡± Lin Ning suddenly said.

    Yan Yu looked down from the main entrance of the Departure Palace and saw the three allied forces starting to mobilize.

    The Lihuayuan Swordsmen and the superheroes began to extend the battle line to both flanks, preparing to launch firepower projections towards the high ground in front.

    The Onmyoji gathered together, with the heavily armored samurai serving as the vanguard of the phalanx, ready to withstand the cultivators¡¯ firepower and charge up the highlands to cover the other Onmyoji¡¯s entry into the Departure Palace.

    ¡°Yun Jin, Lin Hui,¡± on the cultivators¡¯ side, Chen Lingyun had also begun to deploy troops and formations, ¡°you two go to the left and right stairs, respectively. Liu Longtao, you will defend the central stairs. Any problems with that?¡±

    ¡°Haha,¡± Liu Longtao was also straightforward, casually standing in the center of the central stairs, arms folded, looking down at the allied forces with a disdainful sneer.

    ...

    Having arranged for the three magicians, Chen Lingyun continued to command:

    ¡°Lin Ning, Guo Fei Yun, the two of you please take your respective places to the left and right of the stairs and watch over the two entrances of the stairs on your sides, cooperating with the magicians¡¯ spells for interception¡­ priority on interception, with killing as secondary.¡±

    ¡°Received!¡± The two Sword Immortals also quickly took their positions.

    ¡°Ye Jun,¡± Chen Ling Yun paused for a moment and smiled, ¡°Your task is the heaviest, to bestow Xuan Guang Ruler¡¯s defensive buffs on everyone. Also, if necessary on the battlefield, you might need to provide control and support, so pay attention to sustaining your True Yuan.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Ye Jun nodded solemnly.

    On one hand, she had to maintain the defense on time, and on the other, she had to follow commands for control support; this was certainly a huge test of her concentration and the endurance of her True Yuan. Fortunately, if Secretary Ye had any virtues, it was her natural seriousness and meticulousness. During middle school and high school, her essays in Chinese class were always flawlessly written, with not a single mistake from start to finish, devoid of any traces of corrections¡ªshe was best at this kind of mechanical, detail-oriented work.

    ¡°Lastly, Yan Yu, Zhao Yuanzhen,¡± Chen Ling Yun said with a smile, ¡°the two of you will stand to my left and right, ready to act as fire-fighting team members at any moment, alright?¡±

    Yan Yu had no objections, but Zhao Yuanzhen protested:

    ¡°Everyone is fighting at the front, yet you want me to stay back here playing house with you? That makes no sense. Rather, let that Lord Master withdraw, and I alone can defend the central stairs.¡±

    With his back to everyone, Liu Longtao overheard Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s complaints clearly but said nothing more about it.

    Idiot. Lord Master thought to himself internally.

    In the past, he would have openly mocked her, but after traveling with Xie Ruoxi, his character and self-control had greatly improved.

    ¡°No way, Sister Zhao,¡± Chen Ling Yun said with a beaming smile, ¡°I have an extremely dangerous and important mission that only someone of Sister Zhao¡¯s strength can complete.¡±

    ¡°What mission?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked, raising an eyebrow.

    ¡°Shortly, Ai Lu and Ruoxi could be teleported into the enemy ranks at any moment,¡± Chen Ling Yun explained with a smile, ¡°To charge into the midst of thousands of troops and rescue the two of them, this is something only Sister Zhao can do.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was indeed satisfied, nodding in agreement:

    ¡°Sigh, there¡¯s really no helping it; I¡¯ll just stay here, then. Call me if they can¡¯t hold out.¡±

    Yan Yu silently watched the Demonic Sect Enchantress, thinking to himself, it¡¯s been almost a year since you crossed over, how are you still being manipulated by this worthless woman?

    Oh, right, there¡¯s a genetic gap in intelligence, never mind then.

    ¡°Everyone, please hold your positions!¡± Seeing the Onmyoji forces charging forward, Chen Ling Yun put away her smile and declared with authority, ¡°Be ready for my ghostly commands at any time!¡±

    Over on Ye Jun¡¯s side, she waved the Xuan Guang Ruler and immediately generated six light blossoms, enveloping the frontline magicians, Sword Immortals, and herself.

    In the distance, as the Onmyoji forces accelerated their advance, the allied forces quickly split into two.

    The ranged firepower base composed of the Lihuayuan Swordsmen and superheroes began to barrage the Rikoku Cultivators stationed on the high ground with crazy firepower. Most of the shots were blocked by the indestructible railings of the Departure Palace due to the distance, and the few stray bullets that hit the Rikoku Cultivators were blocked by the light blossoms from Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler.

    But the cultivators had no time to care about their long-range harassment as the first wave of samurai had already rushed up.

    A total of eight, two from the left, two from the right, and four taking the wide central stairs, trying to break through, were soon restrained by the Taoist magicians ¡ª Su Yun Jin used a massive wave to wash them away, Yang Linhui froze them solid with snow, and Liu Longtao, who was defending the central stairs, was the most domineering, his Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens technique roasted the central samurais, armor and all, on the spot.

    Unable to break through the first wave, Xiandao Jingyin immediately ordered the forces to retreat temporarily, turning to speak to Shenyuan Simie who had been arms-folded and watching from the side:

    ¡°Charging head-on is too costly in casualties, we need someone to disrupt the other side.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing,¡± Shenyuan Simie said with a mischievous smile.

    He cast his invisibility technique and silently disappeared from the battlefield.

    The Departure Palace was surrounded by deep pools on all sides, with only three sets of steps at the front entrance one could ascend.

    Shenyuan Simie circled to the back of the Departure Palace, casually summoning a large Tengu, only to find that it could wildly flap its wings at a height of two meters but could not fly due to the flight restriction magic. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    A flight restriction mechanism.

    With a slight smile, Shenyuan Simie withdrew the Tengu back into the talisman and summoned a giant ape over two meters tall, riding atop its neck.

    The giant ape nimbly leaped over the railing and dug its nails into the crevices of the green bricks, thus carrying Shenyuan Simie and climbing upwards with bare hands.

    At the front gate of the Departure Palace, where Chen Lingyun was subtly directing the battlefield, suddenly sent a voiced message to Yan Yu saying:

    ¡°Someone is coming from behind.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Yan Yu turned and walked away.

    Shenyuan Simie successfully climbed over the railing and arrived at the back of the Departure Palace, muttering to himself:

    ¡°Easy peasy.¡±

    No sooner had he finished speaking than the giant ape suddenly swung its arm towards the right!

    Almost in the next second, a severed right arm flew out, the light of Huang Tingjian¡¯s sword smashed the giant ape aside, and the composed Yan Yu appeared before Shenyuan Simie, initiating the Curved Curse with a punch aimed at his skull, chuckling:

    ¡°Hello!¡±

    The fist struck, but it hit a straw man.

    Ninja¡¯s Substitution Straw Man Technique? No, it must be a similar artifact. Given this scum¡¯s extreme emphasis on survival, it¡¯s not surprising.

    Shenyuan Simie reappeared five or six steps away, summoned the Tengu in front of him, and asked in rough Rikoku language:

    ¡°Longcheng Flying General?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Yan Yu used the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step to rush up like a specter, and the sword of Huang Tingjian directly slashed at the Tengu, ¡°Surprised?¡±

    ¡°Surprised,¡± Shenyuan Simie replied nonchalantly.

    He pinched a talisman paper in his hand and quietly surveyed the surroundings, sensing trouble.

    The space between the walls and railings of the Departure Palace were not spacious, unable to take advantage of the Shikigami Style¡¯s surrounding attack strength; they could only line up one by one¡ªwasn¡¯t that equivalent to handing over heads to the Longcheng Flying General?

    The Tengu brandished its naginata, trying to decapitate Yan Yu with one strike. Yan Yu retreated to dodge the blade and quickly propelled the Flying Sword to strike down, a rainbow piercing towards the Tengu¡¯s head.

    The opponent hurriedly raised the naginata to block, while Yan Yu changed his sword technique, shifting to the Phoenix Soars to the Heavens, and the Huang Tingjian made an extremely suave ¡°drifting¡± maneuver, bypassing the naginata¡¯s defense from below and cleaving the Tengu¡¯s abdomen, instantly splitting it in two.

    The Shikigami vanished in a blaze. Yan Yu strode towards Shenyuan Simie and suddenly asked:

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you resist?¡±

    ¡°Resistance is futile,¡± Shenyuan Simie was not only unafraid but even smiled, ¡°It¡¯s better to die generously.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you have the talisman paper of substitution death, right?¡± Yan Yu was not fooled and simply laughed, ¡°I remember now, Lord Master mentioned it to me beforehand.¡±

    ¡°Lord Master?¡±

    ¡°Liu Longtao, he told me that if I encountered you this time, to not easily deliver a killing blow, otherwise the talisman paper of substitution death would be automatically triggered on your body and teleport your true body back to your base.¡±

    Shenyuan Simie¡¯s smile froze on his face.

    ¡°Right,¡± Yan Yu suddenly asked curiously, ¡°If I beat you up first, will it trigger the talisman paper of substitution death?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to answer me. I just want to experiment for myself, starting with the lightest damage and gradually increasing the intensity to see what triggers your spell¡­ uh, it¡¯s really not good for us to stand talking like this, let¡¯s tie you up first.¡±

 Chapter 391 - 87 The Usage of the Demon King

    Chapter 391: Chapter 87 The Usage of the Demon King

    After repulsing the third wave of attacks, Liu Longtao still stood at the top of the central staircase, hands behind his back, calmly looking down and quietly regulating his True Yuan to recover.

    ¡°Damn it, they¡¯re just like cockroaches¡ªno matter how many you kill, the same number comes back¡­¡±

    As Lord Master was cursing inwardly, he suddenly heard a ghoul¡¯s voice beside his ear:

    ¡°Master said, please conserve a bit of your True Yuan and don¡¯t squander it too fiercely.¡±

    ¡°Heh,¡± Liu Longtao said with a cold laugh, ¡°I still have at least seventy percent of my True Yuan.¡±

    He disdainfully glanced downward and began to calculate again in his mind.

    ...

    Though the Samurai profession within the Onmyoji system had short limbs, with the enhancement to the Marrow Cleansing level of external Spiritual Energy density, this profession¡¯s rugged and durable characteristics were further strengthened. Unless struck directly by Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens, it was basically impossible to kill them on the spot.

    Considering the high consumption of Taoism Method, merely injuring or even repelling the Samurai was undoubtedly unprofitable¡ªI may have abundant True Yuan, but that doesn¡¯t mean I can waste it like this.

    What¡¯s more, if the enemy notices that our True Yuan is waning, they will definitely intensify their offense quickly.

    Princess Jiang Hai should have anticipated this point, right¡­?

    Liu Longtao remained silent, circulating his heart method secretly, and summoned a red fire dragon once more, crashing it down toward the staircase in front of him in a sweeping motion.

    Chen Lingyun stood at the front gate of Departure Palace, calmly observing the battles to the front, front left, and front right, holding the Divine Evil Prayer Beads in her hand, slowly rotating them without saying a word.

    Although the enemy seemed to be focusing their main attack at the front, where Liu Longtao was, they had been frequently probing both the left and right staircases all along.

    If Su Yunjin and Yang Linhui showed even the slightest sign of True Yuan deficiency, the enemy would surely immediately divert forces from the center to launch a full-on fierce attack on the flanks.

    So, should I deliberately lure the enemy deeper in?

    With this thought in mind, Chen Lingyun gently tapped the Prison Banner on the ground, and soon a ghost hurried back to her side.

    ¡°Go see how Yan Yu is doing,¡± she instructed.

    Behind Departure Palace, Yan Yu was toying with his opponent with ease.

    Every time Shenyuan Simie summoned a Shikigami, it would be destroyed by Yan Yu within half a minute. Although his summoned creatures were carefully selected and of high quality, most of their combat power lay in their mutual coordination and cooperation¡ªsummoning magic, of course, was to play the numbers strategy.

    However, the environment here was far too cramped and flight was prohibited; even if two Shikigami were summoned at the same time, only one could engage in close combat with the enemy, completely unable to utilize the tactical advantages of the Shikigami Style.

    Shenyuan Simie could only retreat while fighting, continuously summoning new Shikigami to attempt to delay and obstruct Yan Yu¡¯s aggressive momentum, already harboring thoughts of withdrawal.

    Although the paper effigy substitution technique was available, it would, after all, waste a paper effigy¡ªif escape was possible¡­

    Shenyuan Simie suddenly vaulted over the railing next to him and leaped toward the pond below, already drawing out a talisman paper and pinching it between his fingers.

    Support me, Niu Gui!

    A burly Shikigami emerged below and looked up to support Shenyuan Simie in mid-air, then forcefully twisted its neck to throw him outside the pond area.

    Ha-ha, I¡¯m out of here!

    Just as Shenyuan Simie felt assured of his escape, being thrown out, he suddenly took a heavy hit on his back, nearly making him vomit his lunch.

    He crashed hard onto the ground, wanting to roll up and get to his feet urgently, but was stepped on by Yan Yu, who sealed his meridians with Runescript and then bound him tightly with rope.

    The Huang Tingjian sword flew back to Yan Yu¡¯s side from afar. As soon as Shenyuan Simie vaulted the railing and pretended to fall into the pond, Yan Yu had seen through his intentions and commanded the Huang Tingjian sword to fly out, lying in wait like a hunter for a rabbit.

    When he was pushed out by the Shikigami, the Huang Tingjian sword, like hitting a baseball, struck him right back. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu sealed his True Yuan, tied up his limbs, and then dragged him straight back to the front gate of Departure Palace.

    Zhao Yuanzhen exclaimed in surprise, curious to know:

    ¡°Who is this?¡±

    ¡°A nobody!¡± Yan Yu answered.

    ¡°A nobody then just kill him, why drag him over here?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately lost interest.

    Shenyuan Simie, lying on the ground tied up in ropes, revealed a sneering and disdainful smile:

    Pretend, keep pretending! Pretending not to know me, huh?

    ¡°This is a big fish, we can¡¯t kill him.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°If we killed him, we¡¯d be letting him off too easy.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked curiously, ¡°Are you going to flay and debone him, seize his soul and spirit, and torture him slowly?¡±

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile stiffened because she knew the Demonic Sect Enchantress wasn¡¯t joking with the latter half of her sentence.

    ¡°Let me think about how to deal with this.¡± Yan Yu, one foot on Shenyuan Simie¡¯s back, pondered aloud, ¡°How about we chop off one hand first and see if it triggers the straw-man death-replacement spell?¡±

    ¡°You can give it a try.¡± Shenyuan Simie said with a smile, still speaking in that awkward Lu Country accent.

    Yan Yu hesitated for a moment. This guy¡¯s combat ability wasn¡¯t actually that strong; what really reached the level of a Demon King was his ability to cling to life¡ªfor example, the straw-man death-replacement spell. If he were to chop off his arm and it triggered the spell, allowing this guy to slip away, that would be unfortunate.

    Hmm, could he be bluffing?

    While he was still pondering, he heard Liu Longtao¡¯s telepathic message coming from ahead:

    ¡°How did you all end up capturing this bastard?¡±

    ¡°This guy was trying to sneak up on us from behind, but I caught him.¡± Yan Yu suddenly had an epiphany, ¡°I got it! I just thought of a historical anecdote!¡±

    He beckoned Ye Jun over and gave him instructions via telepathy, then shouted:

    ¡°Old Liu, move aside, I¡¯m about to throw a bomb!¡±

    Liu Longtao instinctively retreated to the side, only to see Shenyuan Simie, bound in ropes, rolling down the steps¡ªanother end of the rope was held in Yan Yu¡¯s hand.

    The samurai below were getting ready to charge again, but were stunned to see someone rolling down from above. They thought the Rikoku Cultivators had invented some sort of ¡°meat bomb chariot technique.¡± One of them hastily lifted his samurai sword, ready to strike, only to be forcibly pulled aside by a companion who scolded:

    ¡°Are you crazy? That¡¯s Lord Shenyuan!¡±

    Dressed in the alternating red and white, wide-sleeved garb of an Onmyoji, Shenyuan Simie was almost as recognizable as the samurai in their armor and helmets, so everyone quickly recognized him and rushed to catch him.

    But then Yan Yu tugged on the rope, and Shenyuan Simie¡¯s momentum stopped, and he was quickly pulled back up.

    The samurai couldn¡¯t just stand by. If they didn¡¯t show utmost effort in rescuing him, Lord Shenyuan might take revenge afterwards. After all, the Demon King was notoriously fickle, and with the straw-man death-replacement spell, he was sure to survive and settle scores later.

    Without thinking, three or four samurai made a dash to snatch Shenyuan Simie, only to be struck squarely by Liu Longtao¡¯s Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens, all of them turned to char.

    Somebody reported the situation to Xiandao Jingyin, which enraged her, and she roared:

    ¡°Kill Shenyuan! What is everyone doing?! He has the straw-man death-replacement spell. If you kill him, he¡¯ll just come back. If you don¡¯t and he suffers at the enemy¡¯s hands, it will be your fault!¡±

    Ninja and Onmyoji quickly sprang into action, no longer rushing to attack the cultivators above the steps, focusing all their firepower on Shenyuan Simie instead.

    Yan Yu unleashed a Curved Curse and, with a powerful pull on the ropes, rapidly dragged Shenyuan Simie back, throwing countless attacks onto those below and leaving Shenyuan Simie battered, unable to utter a single cry.

    ¡°Massive attack!¡± Xiandao Jingyin ordered again.

    Thus, everyone unleashed their stored up spiritual energy, sending sword swarms and various spells en masse, creating a dense barrage. Unbeknownst to any observer, it might have looked like Xiandao Jingyin and Shenyuan Simie had a feud, with her commanding the Onmyoji to mutilate him without mercy.

    Shenyuan Simie also struggled ceaselessly, trying to catch the steps to prevent being dragged back by Yan Yu.

    Just as he was a short distance from the top and about to be struck by the attacks, suddenly, a barrier of light enclosed him, guarding him tightly!

    That¡¯s when Shenyuan Simie truly coughed up blood: he had already intimately collided face-first with the stairs, losing a few teeth, and now he simply spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, looking angrily at the incoming attacks that threatened to topple the barrier of the Xuan Guang Ruler.

    Hmm? Looks like it might break?

    Hope ignited in his heart as the barrier finally shattered under the onslaught.

    However, in the next second, Yan Yu exerted all his strength and in one swift motion, dragged the helpless Shenyuan Simie back to the top step and flung him behind a railing where the enemy couldn¡¯t reach, saying:

    ¡°This method won¡¯t work. I originally thought we could use him as a shield to force the Onmyoji to hold back. Turns out they were keen to kill him first thing.¡±

    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s turn their plan against them,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°We might as well use him to attract their firepower, what do you think?¡±

    Yan Yu was utterly amazed: I envy how quickly your mind works!

    ¡°This girl has some wickedly devious thoughts,¡± Liu Longtao quietly telepathed to Yan Yu, ¡°Watch out, Old Yan, don¡¯t let her sweet exterior fool you.¡±

 Chapter 392 - 88: Shinyori Piloting the Plane

    Chapter 392: Chapter 88: Shinyori Piloting the Plane

    Rikoku Cultivators united to defend the Departure Palace, while the situation with the Allied Forces varied.

    The Lihuayuan Swordsmen were relatively straightforward, being all sword cultivators with strong long-range projection power, so they could focus on the attack; the superheroes, however, were all Transcendents from Europe, with professions ranging from melee to ranged, and those with ranged abilities could contribute to fire support, but the melee professionals had nothing to do, idling about in anxiety.

    This was especially true for the Berserkers, most of whom were primarily melee combatants. After wandering bored around the ranged positions for half a day, led by ¡°White Lion¡± Hamilton, they approached Captain Stevenson, the commander, to protest and request to join the frontline battle.

    Could Stevenson agree? Once these men charged into the Departure Palace with the Onmyoji and got their hands on the spoils of war, getting them to cough it up would be an insurmountable challenge, an utter fantasy, simply impossible!

    Thus, he could only patiently pacify them by saying that he had already worked it all out with them, letting the Onmyoji go in first to take the treasures, which would then be handed over for everyone to divide up afterward¡ªif they reneged on the deal later, we¡¯d just unite with the Lihuayuan Swordsmen and kill them all, then the treasures would still be ours, with far fewer people to share.

    But if we violate the agreement now and cause infighting within the Allied Forces, failing to break through the defensive line of Rikoku Cultivators, then everyone would end up with nothing, having invested in vain.

    ...

    This simple logic, all of you should understand it.

    Of course, the Berserkers understood, but they were pretending not to at the moment, hoping to leverage this to demand priority in the subsequent distribution of loot. They surrounded Stevenson and started to clamor: We didn¡¯t get the chance to fight to our satisfaction, and as captain, you need to provide an explanation for us, or else we will find our own explanation!

    Xiandao Jingyin was already frustrated with issues concerning Shenyuan Simie and found that problems had arisen at the rear position, feeling downright murderous at the moment, and could only quickly send a messenger back to urge Stevenson to swiftly suppress his subordinates and not to affect the major offensive strategy.

    No sooner had someone been dispatched to the rear than news came from the frontlines: Shenyuan Simie had been thrown out by Rikoku Cultivators! S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Xiandao Jingyin hurriedly looked and was immediately shocked and speechless.

    It turned out that Yan Yu had tied Shenyuan Simie to the Huang Tingjian and then manipulated the sword light to fly chaotically everywhere, allowing all the Onmyoji to appreciate the carefree stance of ¡°Sword-Human Unity¡± of Lord Shinyori.

    The Huang Tingjian was a heavy sword, broad and thick, and therefore able to carry the weight of Shenyuan Simie, even though the speed inevitably decreased.

    Xiandao Jingyin promptly ordered everyone to attack Shenyuan Simie¡ªkilling him would trigger his paper effigy substitution technique, allowing his real body to be successfully teleported back to our formation, then plans could be made.

    But how well did Yan Yu understand the Onmyoji? He knew their attack methods, approximately how powerful their strikes were, even clearer than they did themselves. So, he intentionally lowered the height of the Huang Tingjian, placing Shenyuan Simie in a position that seemed within reach but was actually completely unattainable.

    Shenyuan Simie did not know this and only knew that with every second he remained trapped, he was losing more face amidst the cheers and laughter of the world¡¯s people, and urgently yelled out in Japanese:

    ¡°Kill me! Kill me!¡±

    With both Demon Kings issuing orders, how could the Onmyoji not obey? They immediately ceased their attack on the Departure Palace and instead directed their firepower at the Huang Tingjian soaring above them.

    The Rikoku Cultivators also felt the pressure of defense lighten all at once and quickly each consumed an Elixir Medicine, concentrating on refining and restoring their True Yuan, every bit they could recover mattered.

    ¡°You¡¯re making the mockery too obvious.¡± Chen Lingyun commented, ¡°Your intentions are too clear, they¡¯ll soon realize something¡¯s wrong.¡±

    ¡°Then what do you propose?¡± Yan Yu replied, the ruler ready to humbly accept the beauty¡¯s admonishment during the time of war.

    ¡°At the very least, you should let them land a few hits, to give the impression that you¡¯re ¡®not very skilled at judging distance¡¯,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Of course, as long as Shenyuan Simie isn¡¯t killed, they will sooner or later realize it, but at least we can delay that moment.¡±

    ¡°Agreed.¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    He manipulated the light of the Huang Tingjian to lower its height, deliberately exposing himself to the firepower range of the Onmyoji below.

    Without the protection of Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler, Shenyuan Simie was swiftly hit by blades¡ªhis body was impaled with more than a dozen shuriken and throwing knives, even poisoned, and he felt no pain from the wounds, or rather, had lost all sensation.

    Good, just like that, kill me quickly! Shenyuan Simie screamed inwardly.

    Seeing someone finally make a successful attack, Xiandao Jingyin also breathed a sigh of relief, stealthily producing the Eight-feet Mirror from behind.

    This object was a replica created using the divine power of the Yata Mirror, possessing endless marvelous applications. Xiandao Jingyin quietly activated it, and instantly, a celestial crane flew out, blending into the attacks and rushing towards the Huang Tingjian.

    But Yan Yu had exceptionally sharp eyes, and his hand¡¯s sword technique immediately changed, manipulating the Huang Tingjian to rapidly retreat.

    However, they only saw the celestial crane flying faster and faster, eventually turning into a streak of silver light and directly hitting the Huang Tingjian!

    Before the Onmyoji could take a breath of relief, they saw the Huang Tingjian that was sent flying, return to Yan Yu¡¯s side¡ªShenyuan Simie was still tied on it, gasping for breath weakly, and not killed by the strike.

    In the instant before the celestial crane hit, Yan Yu turned the blade 180 degrees, allowing the Huang Tingjian to take the hit for Shenyuan Simie.

    ¡°That¡¯s pretty miserable,¡± Liu Longtao commented, ¡°It¡¯s just that there are quite a few wounds.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t let him die,¡± Yan Yu, bringing the Huang Tingjian over to Su Yunjin, transmitted, ¡°Yun Jin, stop his bleeding.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Su Yunjin extended two fingers, pressing on several of Shenyuan Simie¡¯s major acupoints, forcibly stopping his bleeding.

    With his condition stabilized once more, Shenyuan Simie¡¯s heart sank to the bottom, only to glare at Su Yunjin with a sour look and said in halting Rikoku language:

    ¡°For today¡¯s grace, a tenfold return must be paid in the coming days.¡±

    Su Yunjin paid no attention to his threats, simply taking out a Detoxification Pill and flicking it into his mouth while he was speaking, replying indifferently:

    ¡°We shall see.¡±

    ¡°What nonsense are you talking there!¡± Yan Yu, seeing him even trying to chat up Yun Jin, quickly called the Huang Tingjian back to his side, smiling insincerely, ¡°Your next flight is about to take off, don¡¯t delay.¡±

    ¡°Wait a moment!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly said.

    ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll shave his head,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen laughed, ¡°I wonder if your method of using straw effigies to avoid death would allow his hair to grow back.¡±

    Shenyuan Simie¡¯s face instantly turned pale. The method of using straw effigies to transfer all ¡°damages¡± could divert them onto effigies, but cut hair was not considered ¡°damage,¡± and even if he were taken back to the main formation, the haircut would remain.

    ¡°I¡¯ll shave you bald first,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen took out the Yin Wind Sword, about to do the deed himself, but heard Chen Lingyun suggest:

    ¡°Bald doesn¡¯t look good. Better to shave the top clean and leave a ring around it, creating a classic middle-aged, balding man¡¯s Mediterranean look.¡±

    ¡°Great idea!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately agreed.

    ¡°Or, how about we put some makeup on him?¡± Ye Jun also came over to join in the fun, ¡°Apply some lipstick so that when he flies the plane later, he¡¯ll stand out more.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to do makeup,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said dejectedly, ¡°If only Ruoxi were here.¡±

    ¡°No worries, you don¡¯t need to know how,¡± Ye Jun handed over an eyeliner pencil and a lipstick to Zhao Yuanzhen, ¡°After all, he¡¯s not asking to look good, just freestyle it. They are attacking again over there, I have to go back.¡±

    Freestyle, huh? Zhao Yuanzhen fell silent for a moment, then suddenly revealed a maliciously evil grin.

    Shenyuan Simie, on the other hand, fell into a state of fear.

 Chapter 393 - 89 Saving the Soldier

    Chapter 393: Chapter 89 Saving the Soldier

    Amid the internal turmoil of the superheroes, there was also some instability among the Onmyoji.

    Everyone had agreed to join forces in attacking the Departure Palace with the goal of plundering. They all had high morale and were full of zeal. However, halfway through the battle, Lord Shenyuan Simie was captured by the enemy, and despite our desperate efforts to ¡°introduce a mistake¡± to rescue him, we could not succeed, causing a clear decline in morale.

    Xiandao Jingyin also noticed the issue with morale and could only have his attendants convey a message:

    ¡°If we can rescue Shenyuan Simie, after this battle, each person will be rewarded with an Imperial Hand Pill.¡±

    The Onmyoji were immediately invigorated and got to work with renewed vigor.

    Xiandao Jingyin had also figured out where the Elixir Medicine would come from: let the Shenyuan family bear the cost.

    ...

    Under urgent circumstances, the blunder was initially Shenyuan Simie¡¯s own, and the bigwigs would surely acknowledge this expense afterward.

    Now that the troops were motivated, Xiandao Jingyin was about to order another charge when he suddenly heard his subordinates cry out in alarm:

    ¡°Lord Shenyuan has appeared again! No, wait, who is that?¡±

    Bound to the Huang Tingjian and flying out this time was a person wearing Shenyuan Simie¡¯s clothes, but he was unrecognized.

    He had a large bald spot on the top of his head, sporting the typical hair loss pattern of male pattern baldness, and his eyes were painted with extremely thick eyeshadow. His lips were smeared with a heavy layer of lipstick, and his makeup looked like that of a middle-aged hostess¡ªan obasan¡ªor like a middle-aged uncle who had undergone a gender transformation. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Many of the Onmyoji looked away almost instantly. Although they all felt nauseated, they were still in the midst of war and had to forcefully suppress their reactions.

    Xiandao Jingyin was also stunned on the spot, and for a moment even had the impulse to kill everyone present to silence them. After a long time, he bellowed:

    ¡°Kill him! Kill him quickly!¡±

    The face of the Yin Yang Bureau¡¯s Demon King was about to be completely disgraced by this idiot!

    Yan Yu continued to maneuver the Sword Flight, allowing Shenyuan Simie to endure non-fatal saturation attacks before pulling him back for treatment.

    ¡°It seems that this paper effigy substitution technique indeed requires a fatal blow to be activated,¡± mused Ye Jun thoughtfully.

    ¡°Ye Jun,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen called out to her, ¡°here are your eyeliner pencil and lipstick back.¡±

    ¡°Uh, no need to keep them,¡± Ye Jun said, feeling a bit queasy at the thought of them being used by Shenyuan Simie, ¡°just throw them into the pond.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re coming again!¡± Lin Ning alerted.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be right there!¡± Ye Jun hastily went to provide a defense shield for everyone.

    Having been toyed with by Yan Yu several times, Xiandao Jingyin now began to doubt, should he prioritize killing Shenyuan Simie and rescuing him, or ignore the enemy¡¯s tactical intentions and continue to organize an assault on the Departure Palace, to put pressure on the Rikoku Cultivators?

    The sensible course of action would be to rescue Shenyuan Simie first. Firstly, although he had made a blunder this time by getting captured, he still possessed Demon King-level eerie arts which would certainly be a great help if he could be rescued. Secondly, failing to make a concerted effort to rescue him and causing him to lose face in the battle of the Departure Palace would surely draw criticism from the Shenyuan family afterward.

    But the problem was that they had tried several times without success. The enemy had long guessed that we would attempt a rescue, hence they used Shenyuan Simie as a kite to distract us¡­ If we delayed the assault on the Departure Palace because of this, it would be absolutely unacceptable.

    As Xiandao Jingyin weighed his options, a messenger from the Pear Blossom Courtyard came to urge:

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you continuing the attack on the Departure Palace?¡±

    ¡°I command the attack formation; you just need to provide supporting fire,¡± Xiandao Jingyin spoke with an icy expression, which translated to ¡°mind your own business.¡±

    The messenger from Pear Blossom Courtyard was not surprised, as the relationship between the two parties had never been good. He mocked in a roundabout way with a sneer:

    ¡°Of course, we had no intention of interfering in your affairs. After all, the one ¡®Sword Controlling¡¯ in the sky isn¡¯t one of our Pear Blossom Courtyard swordsmen.¡±

    Xiandao Jingyin was so angry he almost ground his molar teeth, and after a long pause, he said:

    ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, please leave.¡±

    After dispatching the messenger from Pear Blossom Courtyard, Xiandao Jingyin made his decision:

    Assault the Departure Palace!

    Of course, the assault on the Departure Palace was just a front. If the enemy felt too much direct pressure, they would likely release Shenyuan Simie again to attract our fire, and then we might get an opportunity to rescue him.

    The Onmyoji charged out once again, with the Samurai, who had the strongest defense, leading the charge, while the Ninjas and Onmyoji provided suppressive fire from the rear.

    The Rikoku Cultivators had a more direct response strategy: the Taoist Method practitioners used large-scale Taoism Methods for bombardment to delay the enemy, while the Sword Immortals struck the enemies down one by one, either injuring or killing them.

    With Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler for protection, everyone was generally unharmed; the price paid was the inevitable pouring out of True Yuan like water.

    ¡°Should I fly another kite?¡± Yan Yu suggested, ¡°You all can take the opportunity to eat Elixir Medicine and recover.¡±

    ¡°Not necessary right now,¡± Chen Lingyun said, shaking her head as she observed the offensive below, ¡°they¡¯re all waiting for you to fly a kite.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu observed carefully for a moment, ¡°they haven¡¯t gone all out yet.¡±

    ¡°Rather than that, worry more about Ruoxi,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°later, when she teleports to the Departure Palace square and finds enemies on all sides, given her character, she¡¯s definitely going to panic.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, ¡°even if she throws her Thunder Method spells indiscriminately, she won¡¯t be killed on the spot. Sister Zhao and I will go to rescue her in time.¡±

    ¡°Hope we make it in time¡­ Huh?¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly paused.

    Yan Yu followed her gaze, and saw a flash of white light in the square.

    Who?

    Where the white light passed, Ai Lu¡¯s figure emerged.

    The Rikoku Cultivators, standing on the high ground of the Departure Palace, were watching the square below every moment and also took note of Ai Lu¡¯s arrival.

    The moment this guy appeared, he immediately merged with the sword light and took off in Sword Flight!

    However, less than half a second later, he was forcibly removed from the Sword Control state and fell to the ground, looking bewildered.

    ¡°Oh no, this fool¡­¡± Liu Longtao immediately covered his face.

    If you could use Sword Flight here, wouldn¡¯t you see swords clashing in the sky as you entered? Use your brain!

    Although the Allied Forces were a beat slower, they quickly reacted as well, especially the front-line professions of the superhero camp who were most excited¡ªfinally an enemy comes! They swarmed toward Ai Lu.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go save him,¡± Yan Yu said to Zhao Yuanzhen, and the two of them charged down directly from the front steps, colliding head-on with the Onmyoji team that was attempting to move up.

    Two armored Samurai wielding long blades met the enemy and were flung backward on impact! Zhao Yuanzhen activated the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer, smashing an armored Samurai with a single blow; Yan Yu executed the Triple Cloud Strike, shattering both the person and the armor together.

    ¡°Focus fire!¡± Xiandao Jingyin immediately issued the instruction.

    Forget the Departure Palace for now, keeping Longcheng Flying General here would have much greater strategic value than any treasures obtained from the Departure Palace!

    As the Onmyoji focused their attacks, Yan Yu felt the intensifying pressure of battle and telepathically told Zhao Yuanzhen:

    ¡°You go save him, I¡¯ll distract them here.¡±

    Without hesitation, Zhao Yuanzhen dashed toward the edge of the arena, brandishing the Yin Wind Sword, to rescue Ai Lu.

    Yan Yu, executing the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, agilely weaved through enemies, dodging wave after wave of attacks.

    Xiandao Jingyin could naturally see that he was delaying time. You want to save your teammate, and we want your life¡­ so, how about we all take a step back? We let go of your teammate, and you die here, deal?

    ¡°Everyone else retreat, Shikigami forward!¡± she ordered.

    The Samurai and Ninjas all pulled back in unison, while Onmyoji practicing Shikigami Style stepped forward, each pulling out a Shikigami Talisman Paper.

    In an instant, dozens of Shikigami of various forms appeared¡ªflying birds, massive beasts, demons, monsters¡­ all charging at Yan Yu from every direction!

    The one leading the charge was a Shikigami that looked like a woman. Her head shook, and suddenly it was a white-boned skull spewing a large amount of greenish smoke at Yan Yu, which would cause anyone it touched to ulcerate.

    Right behind him, a black-furred old cat approached stealthily, its mouth full of double rows of sharp teeth opened wide to bite ferociously at his neck.

    But Yan Yu¡¯s Divine Sense was scanning his surroundings constantly. As he executed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, his figure suddenly dove forward, dodging the cat¡¯s bite and sliding beneath its belly as if he had skateboards beneath him.

    When the cat missed its bite, it raised its head only to plunge into the poisonous fog blown by the Shikigami woman, and the corrosive agony immediately made it rage, slapping the Shikigami woman to pieces with one swing of its paw.

 Chapter 394 - 90: Yan God Needs to Take Action

    Chapter 394: Chapter 90: Yan God Needs to Take Action

    Onmyoji can possess multiple Shikigami, but the number of Shikigami they can command at the same time is limited.

    If they do not issue commands and leave the Shikigami to attack freely based on instinct, facing the world¡¯s first-rate Transcendents would be no different from courting death.

    Therefore, to maximize the advantage of a summoned creature horde, it is necessary to have at least ten or more Shikigami coordinate their attacks to form a sufficiently powerful threat.

    However, the corresponding problem also follows: Shikigami from different Onmyoji do not consider each other when attacking and will not intentionally avoid harming each other.

    It was not until the Yin Yang Bureau later developed the ¡°Hundred Ghosts Night Parade Great Formation¡± that this issue was resolved.

    Of course, at this point in time, the Hundred Ghosts Night Parade Great Formation is probably still a theoretical concept, nowhere near the research and development stage. Yan Yu, who even has experience dealing with the Hundred Ghosts Night Parade Great Formation, finds handling the current, more primitive combined Shikigami attacks far too easy.

    ...

    He swept under the cat spirit and had just raised his head when he saw countless birds suddenly swooping toward him.

    The Inner Nestling Bird attacks with invisible winds, mingled with tiny eggs invisible to the naked eye that can permeate human skin through pores. Within half a minute, they hatch inside the body, killing the target as they break out from the shell.

    If it were an ordinary Cultivator who was not familiar with this Shikigami, they would probably be caught off guard on the spot.

    But Yan Yu would not be fooled. With a light push off the ground with his feet, he returned the same way from under the belly of the cat spirit.

    The cat spirit had just turned its head to capture Yan Yu, who had dodged behind it, only to be hit in the face by the Inner Nestling Bird¡¯s demonic wind, crying out in pain and wildly scratching at the Inner Nestling Bird with its paws.

    The Inner Nestling Birds frantically fled, but in the Mysterious Realm, with a flight-restriction mechanism in place, they couldn¡¯t fly high and were caught squarely by the cat spirit, with bird carcasses raining down like a shower.

    ¡°Idiots!¡± The Onmyoji could no longer contain themselves and collectively scolded the owner of the cat spirit Shikigami, ¡°Quickly take that idiot back!¡±

    Who would have thought that the robust and fierce cat spirit could be used by Longcheng Flying General as a shield? The owner of the cat spirit inwardly grumbled and hurriedly recalled his Shikigami.

    As the huge black cat disappeared on the spot, Yan Yu was indeed left with no cover. Suddenly, a creature with the body of a raccoon and the face of a monkey charged at him, aiming straight for his face with its paws extended.

    Yan Yu dodged the ghostly old woman¡¯s cleaver strike and abruptly activated the Wood Bending Charm, tightly grasping the creature¡¯s legs and swinging it around, taking all the attacks from the surroundings, before throwing it toward the ghostly old woman.

    The ghost woman, caught off guard, swung her vegetable knife to kill the creature, but was pinned to the ground by its desperate struggle and clawed at her shoulders. The two Shikigami then started to fight each other fiercely.

    Xiandao Jingyin watched from behind, secretly amazed.

    The greatest advantage of the art of combined Shikigami attack lies in the asymmetry of information. The various strange and diverse Shikigami, with their myriad attacking methods, quickly surround and assault the enemy. Even the quickest-responding Cultivator could be taken by surprise if unfamiliar with these Shikigami.

    However, facing the number one from Lu Country, Longcheng Flying General, they could not play any advantages at all. All sneak attacks seemed to be fully anticipated by the opponent, even turning the tables and using the situation to make the Shikigami fight among themselves¡­

    She instructed the Ninja standing beside her:

    ¡°Take a team and chase after that woman we saw earlier. Make as much noise as possible.¡± S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Since you want to buy time for your companion, I will have people attack your companion and see if you will reveal any flaws in your anxiousness!

    However, no sooner had Zhao Yuanzhen broken free from the encirclement of the Onmyoji than he saw Ai Lu being collectively assaulted by the Berserkers.

    While Sword Immortals attack fiercely, their physical bodies are extremely fragile. And with the Berserkers¡¯ robust physical qualities, even if their hands and feet were slashed by the Flying Sword, they would still charge forward heedlessly. As a result, Ai Lu dared not let the Flying Sword stray too far from himself and could only fend off attacks within a half-meter radius.

    But the Flying Sword¡¯s principle is ¡°the farther, the stronger.¡± When close, although it is convenient to protect oneself, there is not enough time for the sword to accelerate in flight, which means the force it carries is greatly diminished. As a result, Ai Lu was constantly pressured by the Berserkers and was already on the brink of danger.

    What Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer feared the least was such tough-skinned opponents. Without any hesitation, he struck straight at the face with his hammer, causing the enemy to burst open, with flesh torn and bones shattered.

    After finally carving through the Berserkers, I made it to Ai Lu¡¯s side, only to hear him, with tears welling up in his eyes, say:

    ¡°Sister Zhao! I can never repay you for saving my life!¡±

    If it had been Ye Jun here, he would definitely have scolded him, ¡°What are you blabbering about at a time like this?¡± But Zhao Yuanzhen was actually quite taken with this, and she immediately responded with a laugh:

    ¡°To you, it may be a lifesaving grace, but to me, it¡¯s just a trifle¡­ Still daring to launch a sneak attack? You¡¯re seeking death!¡±

    With a backhanded move, she knocked over another Berserker, then quickly realized that they were still trapped and urgently urged:

    ¡°No time to talk now! Let¡¯s get moving!¡±

    The two of them immediately fought as they made their escape. Ai Lu¡¯s Sword Control Technique was certainly technically solid, but unfortunately, each Berserker was tough as steel, practically unfazed by his attacks, bleeding yet charging as if nothing had happened, which put him under immense pressure.

    Looking at the Demonic Sect Enchantress, her White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer possessed the ability to break through armor. Even if it hit a Body Cultivating Cultivator, the force could penetrate their exterior defense and cause a counter-shock injuring their internal organs. Thus, the Berserkers dared not take the blows head-on and could only attempt to block them with their weapons.

    Blocking and getting pushed back, the original encirclement of ten directions now became eight or even nine, creating gaps in their defense line.

    Just as they were nearing the steps of the Departure Palace, Ai Lu suddenly spotted a squadron of Onmyoji rushing over from a distance, which scared him witless, and he lamented inside at the Rikoku Cultivators on the high ground, unable to assist, wondering why he had teleported right into the center of the enemy ranks?

    The site of our forces was right before our eyes, yet untouchable. Alas, I, Ai Lu, haven¡¯t even had the chance to overcome and seize the title of the first Sword Immortal of the Dingbei Army, and yet today, I¡¯m going to die here!

    Having not achieved success before my death, it¡¯s enough to make a heroic figure weep!

    The Onmyoji approaching from a distance were mainly made up of Ninjas. Faced with Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer, they didn¡¯t block like the Berserkers but instead avoided the blows with their outstanding agility, infuriating the Demonic Sect Enchantress who cursed loudly and wielded her Yin Wind Sword wildly, slashing in disarray.

    Ai Lu, stopping his sorrow, hurriedly sent a telepathic message to her:

    ¡°My swordsmanship is suited to dealing with these highly agile enemies. You just hold off the pursuers from behind!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen didn¡¯t like the Ninjas either, so she willingly let Ai Lu take on the Onmyoji while she continued to focus on beating down the Berserker pursuers.

    Although they fought desperately, the enemy numbers were increasing, and the two of them were being pushed farther away from the Departure Palace, much to the frustration of the Demonic Sect Enchantress who wailed:

    ¡°Killing like this, the more we fight, the less hope we have of escaping. I can¡¯t take it anymore, I¡¯m going to use my ultimate move!¡±

    ¡°You have an ultimate move?¡± Ai Lu¡¯s eyes lit up immediately, ¡°Hurry, sister! Use your ultimate to wipe out all the enemies at once!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not quite enough to wipe out everyone on the field¡­¡± Zhao Yuanzhen really wanted to retort, but ultimately, the pressure of the battlefield was too great, leaving no time to explain further. She simply flicked her sleeve, clutching the puppeteering Silver Pellet in her hand, ready to throw it and wreak havoc, when suddenly a voice rang out from afar. It sounded like music to Ai Lu¡¯s ears:

    ¡°Hold on! I¡¯m on my way!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Yan God! Only Yan God is reliable!¡± Ai Lu was so excited he was nearly in tears. He drove back two approaching Ninjas with another spell-assisted sword strike and dodged the incoming shuriken storm. Turning his head to look, his heart sank.

    He saw Yan Yu advancing with the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Steps, quickly coming to support them.

    However, hot on his heels were groups of Onmyoji coming to kill them, at least five to six times their number.

    Ai Lu: ¡­¡­¡­

    Maybe it¡¯s better if you don¡¯t come over.

 Chapter 395 - 91 I Can Replace It

    Chapter 395: Chapter 91 I Can Replace It

    Upon the steps of the Departure Palace, Lin Ning once again launched her Flying Sword, piercing directly through the throat of the ninja below.

    Thanks to their regular training, her coordination with Su Yunjin was exceedingly tacit. As the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art had just fiercely flung the enemy from the steps, Lin Ning seized the moment their balance was lost, accurately striking a vital point with her Green Bamboo Sword.

    The number of ninjas and Onmyoji she had killed had reached seven, but compared to the total number of enemies below, it was still a mere drop in the bucket. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    If it were one-on-one combat, Lin Ning was confident that she could defeat each of them. However, once their numbers stacked up, even with Su Yunjin¡¯s mass control providing protection, Lin Ning often found herself with a heart-racing fear.

    Dealing with enemies like Onmyoji was very different from the sorcerers of the Southern Border.

    Although they did not have the numbers or strength of the southern sorcerers or the battle skills of the Rikoku Cultivators, falling squarely in the middle, their well-trained nature alone could maximize their numerical advantage during combat, which homegrown sorcerers could not.

    ...

    Why couldn¡¯t Lu Country learn to nurture talents like the Yin Yang Bureau¡­ Such a thought flashed through Lin Ning¡¯s mind, but she quickly suppressed it.

    Putting aside the feasibility, the Yin Yang Bureau¡¯s approach involved elite training from the top echelons, using a mix of stick and carrot for non-elites, who had to trade their lives as cannon fodder on the battlefield for cultivation resources.

    If Lu Country also adopted this system, then someone like me, who is not on the level of Yan Yu or Liu Longtao, would surely have to struggle fiercely like these fearlessly charging cannon fodder for better Elixir Medicines and Flying Swords¡­

    At this thought, Lin Ning¡¯s fighting spirit became even more resolute.

    The Southern Border¡¯s hands-off approach, letting civilian cultivators grow wildly, is definitely a dead end!

    The Yin Yang Bureau¡¯s focus on nurturing elite cultivators and suppressing ordinary ones is also completely wrong!!

    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.?¦Ï

    Having received the training of a Lu Country Cultivator, I must defeat them! Topple them all! I have to prove that only Lu Country¡¯s way is the viable path!

    As a strong sense of cultural pride surged in her chest, Lin Ning¡¯s focus grew even sharper as she targeted the tough warriors.

    These samurai were fully armored, but for the sake of agility, the joints and similar areas were left unprotected.

    My Flying Sword can penetrate their armor, but the protection greatly reduces the damage inflicted, making it difficult to deliver a fatal blow. I should aim for their vulnerable spots instead!

    Of course, the enemy would guard their weak points, but it didn¡¯t matter! I have Yun Jin!

    Su Yunjin coordinated with Lin Ning to trap the enemies while unobtrusively dividing her Divine Sense to covertly keep an eye on the situation with Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu plunged into his pursuers as if entering a realm without adversaries. Raising his Huang Tingjian, he delivered a crushing blow akin to Mount Tai bearing down, shattering the skull of an approaching Berserker, followed by a swift turn with Phoenix Dance to the Heavens, attacking the ninja waiting to strike.

    The ninja hastily retreated, forming a Substitution Straw Man Technique in mid-air, just as his hand seals were about to complete, sharp pain shot through his wrist¡ªit was Yan Yu¡¯s precise Metal-Element Impact Curse, interrupting the final step of his spell.

    The Huang Tingjian seized the opportunity with a blazing thrust, cleaving the ninja into two halves in the air.

    Although Ai Lu felt immense pressure from the battlefield, the sight of Yan Yu¡¯s exquisite tactical maneuvers still compelled him to spare a fraction of his Divine Sense: two Berserkers roared towards him, one swinging diagonally, the other with a horizontal strike, effectively blocking his path.

    About to warn Yan Yu, Ai Lu saw Yan Yu suddenly ascend with his Sword Control, evading the diagonal and horizontal strikes. Upon reaching the height limit of the flight ban, he forcefully disengaged Sword-Human Unity, and upon landing, instantly unleashed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, lightning-fast, circling behind one of them, activated Curved Curse, and delivered a fierce blow to the elbow!

    The Berserker, still in the motion of a horizontal strike, had his elbow viciously hit, causing his right hand to uncontrollably thrust the massive sword forward, stabbing into his ally¡¯s chest.

    Yan Yu leaped again, twisted his body, and with a back kick, the Berserker couldn¡¯t stabilize his core and stumbled forward, driving the sword deeper into his comrade. Yan Yu, meanwhile, took advantage of the momentum to soar higher, clearing the crowd, and neatly landed in front of Ai Lu and Zhao Yuanzhen.

    ¡°Yan God!¡± Ai Lu exclaimed with joy. If it weren¡¯t for the ongoing battle, he looked as if he wished to prostrate himself on the ground in reverence.

    ¡°You took so long to get here!¡± The Demonic Sect Enchantress, ever blunt, complained, ¡°If you¡¯d been later, I would have killed them all by now!¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you being chased around like a dog just now?¡± Yan Yu teased, making her laugh, ¡°Alright, alright, I won¡¯t lift a finger, go on and finish them all yourself.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen secretly seethed, thinking if only I weren¡¯t concerned about exposing my puppetry techniques, could these small-fry stand a chance against me? This thief knows my true strength and yet pretends ignorance, publicly ridiculing me before the national audience, despicable!

    The national audience¡­ Hm? Something seems off?

    She subconsciously felt as if she had neglected a very important issue, but the battlefield conditions were not yet safe, and she also lacked the time to ponder it thoroughly. She simply urged,

    ¡°Quick, break out of the encirclement with us!¡±

    ¡°Easy as pie!¡± Yan Yu let out a hearty laugh and, looking at the Onmyoji swarming in from afar, he said loudly, ¡°I¡¯ll clear the way, you all follow closely!¡±

    He performed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step once more, charging left and right in the front, and commanded the Huang Tingjian to execute the Triple Cloud Strike.

    The essence of the Triple Cloud Strike was in its accelerating arc, with each consecutive strike stronger than the last. The Onmyoji caught in its path couldn¡¯t dodge in time, and one was cleaved in the head by his sword. The Huang Tingjian continued its relentless path, grazing the ground in an arc, abruptly rising to strike another Ninja.

    That Ninja meant to use the Substitution Straw Man Technique to escape, but his spell was interrupted again by a Metal-Element Impact Curse. His jaw, hit unexpectedly by the Huang Tingjian, twisted and broke his neck completely.

    The Huang Tingjian soared high, gathering the speed and power from the previous two attacks, and descended with the might of thunder, targeting the closest Berserker squad leader¡ªLukarl.

    Although Captain Lukarl was not wearing armor, baring his torso, his chest muscles were marked with runes symbolizing ¡°Tenacity¡± and ¡°Protection,¡± which could even withstand small-caliber bullet shots head-on.

    Facing the crushing force of the Huang Tingjian like a mountain bearing down, he channeled the blood energy in his chest and let out an earth-shattering roar, hacking upwards with both hands wielding his sword.

    He intended to chop the yellow-skinned Flying Sword in half by sheer force!

    However, at the moment of the metallic clash, the Berserker felt an almost irresistible mighty force transmitted through the blade, nearly causing the hilt to fly from his grip. In a panic, he could only hold onto the hilt with all his might, turning the intended hack into a block.

    Even as he put forth all his strength, the terrifying pressure on the blade surged, pressing on him so hard that Lukarl clenched his teeth, almost squeezing blood from his gums.

    All of a sudden, the force in his hands went slack, and before he could react, the Huang Tingjian had chopped into his right shoulder.

    My sword¡­ broke?

    Lukarl could hardly believe it as he looked down to see a piece of the broken blade on the ground, followed by a sudden shift in his point of view as he fell.

    He, marked with the runes of ¡°Tenacity¡± and ¡°Protection,¡± had been cut into two along with his sword by the opponent?

    Is this¡­ the strength¡­ of the Longcheng Flying General?

    Lukarl¡¯s consciousness quickly slipped into darkness, as Yan Yu kicked away his remains, with the Huang Tingjian swiftly returning before him.

    As he looked up again, the circle of Berserkers around him dared not meet his gaze, many of them even stepping back half a step in the shadows, watching to see if any of their comrades would take the initiative to step forward.

    But as they retreated, the remaining comrades were naturally left ¡°exposed¡± at the front.

    Seeing their companions stepping back, these comrades finally snapped to attention and hastily retreated along with them. Not one dared to face the edge of the Longcheng Flying General!

    Xiandao Jingyin, watching from afar with an ashen face, hurriedly urged the Onmyoji to step forward and fill the gaps the Berserkers had left.

    But the nearby Onmyoji had already been slain by Ai Lu and Yan Yu, and this gap was not something that could be filled so easily.

    Taking advantage of the time when not a single Berserker dared to step forward, Yan Yu calmly broke through the encirclement and headed towards the Departure Palace. He even had the leisure to turn his head back to Ai Lu and Zhao Yuanzhen and laugh,

    ¡°Haha, didn¡¯t I say it would be a piece of cake?¡±

    Ai Lu was thoroughly impressed, standing beside Yan Yu as if filled with boundless confidence. Even the Onmyoji when approached no longer seemed threatening.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, however, was deeply moved and thought to herself:

    ¡°Although this rascal is showing off, he is showing off impressively! A supreme being should act just like this!¡±

    ¡°Given time, I will surely be able to take his place!¡±

 Chapter 396 - 92: Xie Ruoxis Mount

    Chapter 396: Chapter 92: Xie Ruoxi¡¯s Mount

    On the way to the Departure Palace, Ai Lu fought fiercely with the Onmyoji while discreetly using his Divine Sense to observe Yan Yu¡¯s swordsmanship.

    Though being distracted on a battlefield is a great taboo, his style of swordsmanship is based on calculation; beholding Yan Yu¡¯s godlike techniques was like an artist seeing a masterpiece¡ªhe just couldn¡¯t tear his gaze away.

    As he watched, he couldn¡¯t help mumbling to himself:

    ¡°Ah! Yan Yu¡¯s swordsmanship is truly an art form!¡±

    ¡°This ¡®White Rainbow Piercing the Sun¡¯ move, the angle of the sword is the essence of finesse!¡±

    ¡°Eagle Strike Sky Five-hit Combo? I would be over the moon if I could perform a four-hit combo¡­¡±

    ...

    Zhao Yuanzhen, listening by his side, was sick of it and couldn¡¯t help but curse:

    ¡°Will you ever stop? Does sucking up with these disgusting flatteries kill the enemies instantly?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Ai Lu said confidently, ¡°but Yan Yu¡¯s godlike swordsmanship can.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was left speechless and complained:

    ¡°I don¡¯t see what¡¯s so great about him.¡±

    ¡°Hehe,¡± Ai Lu laughed, ¡°Sister Zhao, you¡¯re not a professional Sword Immortal, right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not, so what?¡±

    ¡°But I am.¡± Ai Lu stuck out his thumb, poking his own chest proudly.

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ¡­¡­¡­

    You¡¯re proud that you can¡¯t beat that thief, and you dare to step on my face to praise him?

    She subconsciously reached for the Book of Hatred but then thought better of it; this book was reserved exclusively for the thief, and she couldn¡¯t record someone else¡¯s deeds, or else the memories might get mixed up.

    I¡¯ve decided! I¡¯ll put this on the thief¡¯s tab! He¡¯s encouraging his fans to attack me personally!

    I¡¯ll remember this grudge, and when I take his place, I¡¯ll arrange for seven, eight, maybe nine of my die-hard fans to be around him every day, solely to mock him!

    With these thoughts, an image formed in her mind:

    She saw several girls surrounding Yan Yu, all avid fangirls and ¡°data laborers,¡± who sarcastically praised and trampled on Yan Yu:

    ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t this the Longcheng Flying General? How did you fall so low?¡±

    ¡°Longcheng Flying General? Who¡¯s that? I only know of Empress Yuanzhen. Please don¡¯t bring up has-beens for attention, I really would appreciate it!¡±

    ¡°Bloatfish face, you think you can be our Empress¡¯s partner with that level? Could greasy men please hide away and bow their heads in some corner? Coming out and grossing people out really makes me want to vomit.¡±

    Yan Yu was insulted in various ways by these girls, yet he was powerless to rebuke, clenching his fists and holding back tears, biting his tongue, and waiting to go home to please carefully¡­ Wahahaha!

    As Zhao Yuanzhen fought, she indulged in her fantasy, and her originally jealous and warped mindset began to beautify with plastic surgery.

    Suddenly, she felt a thump on her forehead. Yan Yu had taken a moment amidst the chaos to turn back and give her a forehead flick:

    ¡°Stay focused during the fight!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen angrily collected her daydreams and redirected her resentment onto the enemies, making her White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer and Yin Wind Sword even more fierce and murderous.

    Eventually, the group made it to the steps of the Departure Palace; all they had to do was charge up the stairs and Lord Master would naturally let them through.

    ¡°You guys go first,¡± Yan Yu quickly transmitted his voice, ¡°Ai Lu, as soon as you get up there, enter the Departure Palace, kneel on the cushion, and receive your reward.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Ai Lu hurriedly asked, ¡°What about you, Yan Yu?¡±

    Yan Yu did not respond immediately, but suddenly turned his head.

    A bright light rose again in the square, revealing Xie Ruoxi¡¯s figure emerging from it.

    The pretty waste has arrived!

    With that, the top ten spots for the Departure Palace were confirmed, no worries from now on!

    Just as Yan Yu was about to rush towards Xie Ruoxi, he saw her scanning the surroundings like a startled rabbit. With so many foreign Transcendents around, she was overwhelmed with shock until her gaze finally landed on him. Her expression immediately shifted from fear to joy as she shouted out loud:

    ¡°Captain, save me!¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    Suddenly he didn¡¯t want to rescue her anymore, what should he do?

    You¡¯re supposed to be a top-level cultivator, for goodness¡¯ sake! When Ai Lu got transported here alone, she knew to attempt Sword Flight to escape right away, and when she found out that it was impossible, she desperately defended herself while waiting for help. How come it¡¯s ¡°Captain, save me¡± when it comes to you?

    Useless people never change, embarrassing!

    Although Yan Yu harshly criticized her in his mind, naturally he wouldn¡¯t really leave her to fend for herself¡ªafter all, defense and self-preservation tend to require more technical operations, while attacking just involves mindlessly throwing things at the opponent. With Xie Ruoxi currently in her fragile cannon form, her ability to deal damage was completely overpowered, while her ability to defend herself was extremely lacking.

    As soon as Xie Ruoxi cried out for help, the nearby superheroes, though they didn¡¯t understand the language of Lu Country, immediately sensed an easy target and swarmed in chaotically.

    Then they were viciously struck by the Thunder Method. Whether they tried to block with their swords or attempted to headbutt, they were all blown to bits by the Jade Pivot Thunder and Divine Thunder.

    Yan Yu, who was rushing to support her, observed the scene and couldn¡¯t help but feel amazed: Thunder Method, although it has countless weaknesses, such as being difficult to control, consuming a lot of True Yuan, having a small attack range, slow flight speed that¡¯s easy to dodge, and explosions being too close that can easily injure oneself, it also has some very real advantages.

    When it hits, the power is truly terrifying!

    Taking into account that Xie Ruoxi¡¯s talent is insanely strong, has an abundance of True Yuan, is as timid as a rabbit, has slow reflexes, lacks technical awareness, and isn¡¯t the brightest, Thunder Method seems tailor-made for her¡ªany other swordsmanship or Taoism Method, she really couldn¡¯t handle it.

    The Berserkers surged forward, scaring Xie Ruoxi to the point of losing all color in her face. She threw Thunder Methods around in a panic and managed to blast numerous gaps in the nearly complete encirclement. Yan Yu quickly seized the opportunity to slip through them and arrived by Xie Ruoxi¡¯s side, urging,

    ¡°Follow me.¡± S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°I-I-I-I-I¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi stumbled after him, calling out, ¡°My legs are a bit wobbly!¡±

    ¡°Wobbly legs, just use Thunder Method to blast them!¡± Yan Yu shouted, ¡°Blow their legs off, and we can run slower, no problem!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi found this reasoning sound and quickly suppressed her panicked emotions, flinging Thunder behind her with both hands.

    The Berserkers, who had just been wailing like babies from the Thunder Method, didn¡¯t dare to take it head-on and hurriedly retreated back to their formation to seek help from Stevenson.

    Stevenson was craving for them to seek his help. Upon hearing the call, he immediately waved his hand and the long-range battery composed of Wizards, priests, and Clerics swiftly redirected their firepower¡ªstarting to saturate Yan Yu and Xie Ruoxi with attacks.

    Although these attacks were frequent and dense, they were obviously untrained and without command, leaving plenty of space for maneuvering. Yan Yu performed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step with ease, dodging them effortlessly.

    Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t have his elegant and smooth evasive skills and could only plant her Heavenly Yuan Sword into the dirt, hiding behind the blade, trembling, and calling out:

    ¡°Captain, save me!¡±

    Seeing she couldn¡¯t cope, Yan Yu quickly turned back to her side and scooped her up around the waist.

    Xie Ruoxi let out a startled cry! Although she knew it was inappropriate on the battlefield, she still felt a sense of bewildered sweetness and fantasy fulfillment¡­ The captain was giving her a princess carry, hehehe.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be dazed.¡± Yan Yu, holding her as he moved through the barrage of attacks, said with an expressionless face, ¡°Don¡¯t stop the Thunder Method.¡±

    ¡°Oh oh.¡± Xie Ruoxi tried her best to peek over his shoulder, aiming to lock onto the surrounding enemies.

    But as seen from the live-streaming perspective of Yan Yu, they were constantly spinning left, moving right, retreating, and advancing every second. Just watching was enough to make one dizzy and nauseous, let alone aiming at a target.

    ¡°Slow down, slow down a bit!¡± Xie Ruoxi called out helplessly.

    ¡°Can¡¯t slow down.¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°We¡¯ll get hit.¡±

    ¡°But I can¡¯t aim properly!¡±

    ¡°As if you could aim properly standing still.¡± Yan Yu scoffed, ¡°Don¡¯t you have a powerful True Yuan? Just blast away randomly!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi had no comeback, and though she mentally protested that her aim wasn¡¯t that bad, she didn¡¯t have the courage to say it out loud. Instead, she closed her eyes and, reaching her hands over Yan Yu¡¯s shoulders, smashed Jade Pivot Thunder and Divine Thunder behind him.

    Yan Yu immediately adjusted his path, deliberately exposing his back towards nearby enemies. Sure enough, every single shot hit its mark, killing them all.

    As a result, a bizarre notion unexpectedly sprang up in his mind: Could this tactic have any potential for future use? For example, if we encounter enemies with high defense in the future and Sword Control Technique can¡¯t break through, I could just carry this beautiful good-for-nothing, and she would only need to cast Thunder Method straight back. I would handle the aiming and positioning¡­

    No way! Would I become her mount then?

    That¡¯s outrageous, does she even deserve it? Absolutely not! I am the strongest in this world, after all!

 Chapter 397 - 93: Watch Carefully, This is How to Use the Immortal Venerate

    Chapter 397: Chapter 93: Watch Carefully, This is How to Use the Immortal Venerate

    Despite the Allied Forces¡¯ best efforts to block them, Yan Yu¡¯s movement combined with Xie Ruoxi¡¯s output managed to push through the encirclement and then retreat back to the stairs of the Departure Palace.

    ¡°It seems we¡¯ve come up with a new tactic,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s worth further investigation.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Yan Yu immediately straightened his face, ¡°Useless stuff with no value for research.¡±

    I have my own offensive capabilities; I don¡¯t need a pretty waste to assist me!

    ¡°Hehe.¡± Chen Lingyun instructed Xie Ruoxi, ¡°Enter the Departure Palace, kneel on the meditation cushion, and choose one reward out of three. If you don¡¯t know how to choose, ask Yan Yu.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Xie Ruoxi entered the Departure Palace, and Yan Yu came to Chen Lingyun¡¯s side, asking in a low voice:

    ...

    ¡°How¡¯s the situation?¡±

    ¡°Not too bad,¡± Chen Lingyun said nonchalantly, ¡°The current configuration makes it difficult for the enemy to attack.¡±

    ¡°Assuming True Yuan endurance isn¡¯t an issue,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°But that¡¯s not possible,¡± Chen Lingyun said.

    The Allied Forces employed a shift-based attacking rhythm; one group would charge, another prepared to charge, and a third would retreat to regroup, cycling through in shifts, which made their endurance very strong.

    The Rikoku Cultivators, although holding the high ground at the Departure Palace with average individual combat capabilities above the enemy and Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler to safeguard them, had too little time to consume Elixir Medicines, refine their power, and restore True Yuan. Once everyone¡¯s True Yuan began to falter, the enemy would definitely intensify their attack, and that would be when the real fight began.

    ¡°Everyone must be constantly aware of their True Yuan reserves,¡± Yan Yu said seriously, ¡°Calculations should be your area of expertise.¡±

    ¡°Ask every ten minutes,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a calm smile, ¡°Currently, Ye Jun is under the most pressure with endurance.¡±

    ¡°Everyone needs her defenses; the pressure is indeed huge,¡± Yan Yu pondered, ¡°Do you need my help?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Chen Lingyun blinked, ¡°First, take care of Ruoxi¡¯s issue, and we¡¯ll talk more when you come out.¡±

    As soon as Yan Yu turned to enter the Departure Palace, he heard Xie Ruoxi say:

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll choose Da Dong Lei.¡±

    Yan Yu: ?

    ¡°Are you trying to revolt!¡± He went over and pressed down on Xie Ruoxi¡¯s head, displaying a terrifying expression like a Yin Ghost, ¡°Choosing a reward without asking for my opinion? Don¡¯t you respect me as your team leader?¡±

    ¡°No no no!¡± Xie Ruoxi hurriedly shook her head, explaining, ¡°It¡¯s because she told me that I practice Thunder Method, and there¡¯s only one reward available to me, which is that Da Dong Lei¡­ What else could I choose?!¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Only one reward?¡± Yan Yu instinctively doubted her claim, but then he considered that even the trashy princess Chen Lingyun could be left without any reward, so it seemed plausible that Xie Ruoxi had only one.

    ¡°So what is Da Dong Lei exactly?¡± he continued to ask, ¡°Briefly explain it to me.¡±

    ¡°Uh, it¡¯s similar to Jade Pivot Thunder and Divine Thunder,¡± Xie Ruoxi replied, ¡°Jade Pivot Thunder is used against Yin Ghosts, it can damage a person¡¯s soul; Divine Thunder is for defeating monsters, good at cutting off life; Da Dong Lei is said to be for dealing with demons, but as for what exactly a demon is, although she explained a bit using classical Chinese, I didn¡¯t quite understand.¡±

    Yan Yu was shocked. At this point in time, only about three people in the whole world would know what a ¡°demon¡± was.

    This thing, likely to emerge in large numbers during the latter stages of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, was known as the ¡°civilization¡¯s enemy¡± to mankind. The Yin Yang Bureau called them ¡°evil spirits,¡± while in Europe they were termed ¡°demons.¡± They seemed to be some kind of high-dimensional beings with formalized rules, indestructible, and even the Transcendents often faced a fate of more harm than good; ordinary people encountering them was tantamount to certain death.

    The Da Dong Lei that Xie Ruoxi obtained, even if it couldn¡¯t kill the demons outright, as long as it could restrain them, it would be more than good. The problem was that at the current time, there weren¡¯t any demons around, resulting in the awkward situation of having the means to slay dragons but no dragons to slay.

    ¡°All right, come out with me,¡± Yan Yu called her.

    The two had barely left the Departure Palace when they saw Ye Jun sitting beside Chen Lingyun, legs crossed, in the posture of ¡®five hearts facing the sky¡¯, with wisps of white vapor rising from her forehead¡ªa sign of True Yuan running at full speed, meaning she would be fully engaging in refining the Elixir Medicine to replenish True Yuan.

    Without Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler¡¯s protection, the front line became perilously uncertain. Many attacks couldn¡¯t be taken head-on but had to be dodged; and in the act of dodging, gaps were exposed, allowing the enemy to seize the opportunity to charge up, further compromising the high ground.

    Not able to dodge in time on the left flank, Su Yunjin received a scratch on the cheek by a magic missile from a distant position, her face nearly a bloody mess.

    But instead of taking time to heal the wound, she continued to use the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art in tandem with Lin Ning to obstruct and repel the charging enemies, fighting bloodily and expressionlessly, a picture of utter bravery.

    On the right flank, Yang Linhui was struck in the waist by a shuriken. He nonchalantly pulled it out, intending to keep fighting, but the shuriken was poisoned¡­ and soon found he was too weak to stand, so Guo Feiyun quickly had Ai Lu take him back to take a Detoxification Pill, while he took over the position.

    ¡°I should go back,¡± said Ye Jun who couldn¡¯t sit still any longer, ¡°I¡¯ve regained a third of my True Yuan; that should suffice.¡±

    ¡°Continue to recover,¡± Chen Lingyun said indifferently, ¡°Ruoxi, take over for Lin Hui for a while.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay,¡± Xie Ruoxi hurriedly dashed towards the right steps, comforting herself secretly, There¡¯s nothing to it, nothing to it. Just think of it as playing one of those tower defense games.

    But before she even reached the right steps, she saw all kinds of attacks raining down like a storm, which scared her so much that her face went pale. She quickly hid behind the railing, carefully formed the Thunder Method with her hands, and without looking, threw it out blindly like tossing a hand grenade.

    ¡°Sister, at least look where the enemy is!¡± Seeing several bolts of lightning tossed into the lake, Guo Feiyun couldn¡¯t stand it any longer, ¡°Isn¡¯t this a waste of True Yuan?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a professional Sword Immortal!¡± Xie Ruoxi yelled back, ¡°If I go out there, I¡¯ll be dead in seconds!¡±

    Guo Feiyun really wanted to point out their teammate Yang Linhui was also a mage, so why could he defend with Sword Control in one hand and cast spells with the other, while she couldn¡¯t do the same?

    But of course, this wasn¡¯t the right time to discuss that, so he shouted out:

    ¡°Just keep throwing! I¡¯ll use my swordsmanship to block the attacks for you!¡±

    Only then did Xie Ruoxi cautiously grip the railing and peek out with half her head to observe.

    Seeing Guo Feiyun indeed using his Flying Sword to intercept all the attacks aimed at her, she finally mustered the courage to start aiming and throwing lightning below.

    A bolt of Jade Pivot Thunder struck down, shattering the front-line Samurai charging at them into pieces.

    The rest of the Samurai turned tail and ran, leaving Guo Feiyun also stunned:

    ¡°Holy shit, that was badass, sister!¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Xie Ruoxi saw the enemy fleeing and immediately became proud, her initial panic and fear gone.

    Yang Linhui, having just finished detoxifying urgently, hurried back and called out:

    ¡°Can you hold on, Old Guo? I¡¯m coming to help you!¡±

    ¡°No need!¡± Guo Feiyun waved his hand expansively, ¡°Ruoxi and I are perfectly coordinated. It¡¯s a piece of cake to hold this position. You go support somewhere else.¡±

    Yang Linhui: ¡­¡­

    So brotherhood can disappear, huh?

    He silently turned around and sent a telepathic message to Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°If Ruoxi is guarding this place, I don¡¯t need to stay here, right?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± replied Chen Lingyun, ¡°She¡¯s just standing in temporarily. You are still needed to guard that spot.¡±

    Although Xie Ruoxi and Guo Feiyun felt good about their cooperation, Chen Lingyun saw at a glance that the Samurai were not fleeing in defeat but were urgently recalled by the Xiandao Jingyin.

    After all, even though Samurai are known for their tough skins and toughness, they¡¯re not good at nimble evasions and are naturally vulnerable to the Thunder Method. Even as cannon fodder, it¡¯s not worth wasting them like this.

    As expected, it wasn¡¯t long before the Xiandao Jingyin rearranged their troops and sent in a Ninja Team to charge.

    Xie Ruoxi wanted to repeat her previous tactic, but she found that this time the enemy was too slippery, and her Thunder Method couldn¡¯t hit them at all.

    ¡°Ruoxi, come back,¡± Chen Lingyun telepathically instructed her.

    Xie Ruoxi could only give her position back to Yang Linhui and silently returned to Chen Lingyun¡¯s side, only to hear her say:

    ¡°Go guard the left steps, so Yunjin can take some time to heal herself.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Xie Ruoxi, devoid of her earlier smugness, walked away quietly.

    She went to Su Yunjin¡¯s side and with one Thunder Method, blasted the Samurai charging at them to death¡ªSu Yunjin took the opportunity to take a breath and started treating the wound on her head.

    When Xiandao Jingyin got the news from the front lines, he immediately felt overwhelmed and hastened to call back the Samurai charging on the right flank, sending in the Ninja Team instead. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Ruoxi, come back!¡± Chen Lingyun telepathically called out again.

 Chapter 398 - 94 Chen Lingyuns Strategy

    Chapter 398: Chapter 94 Chen Lingyun¡¯s Strategy

    Since Chen Lingyun wasn¡¯t commanding, Yan Yu took an Elixir Medicine, both to breathe and recover his True Yuan and to watch the frontline battle.

    Yang Linhui was defending the right flank, Liu Longtao the center, with Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun simultaneously reinforcing both flanks¡ªa dual Sword Immortal configuration, stable as can be.

    On the left flank, it was Su Yunjin and Lin Ning on defense. Although the two coordinated seamlessly, they were ultimately short on hands, showing signs of weariness and just managing to hold on. Therefore, Chen Lingyun sent Zhao Yuanzhen to their flank for reinforcement.

    Xie Ruoxi seemed more like a fire-fighting squad member, at one moment Chen Lingyun dispatched her to the left flank, then sent her rushing to the right, back and forth.

    But her repeated running back and forth wasn¡¯t meaningless. The opposing samurai had high offense and defense, and with no room to maneuver on the roadways of L¨ªg¨­ng, their power when charging formations was simply too strong.

    As a result, whenever Immortal Venerate Xie arrived, the enemy would quickly shift their samurai to another flank. Although it didn¡¯t allow her to reap any heads, at least the strategic value of delaying the enemy¡¯s assault rhythm was perfectly achieved. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ...

    It was just tiring for Immortal Venerate Xie.

    Chen Lingyun wasn¡¯t feeling any guilt about making Immortal Venerate Xie run around and was even humming something about ¡°pushing and pulling¡± to themselves, seemingly proud of their command over the deployment of forces.

    Well, as long as it doesn¡¯t come down to me, let her be.

    Yan Yu yawned, only to hear Chen Lingyun¡¯s voice transmission:

    ¡°You look quite idle.¡±

    ¡°A secret weapon must look like a secret weapon,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently with his hands behind his back, ¡°As long as I don¡¯t take action, the opposition will definitely be wary.¡±

    ¡°But you have already made your move just now,¡± Chen Lingyun pointed out leisurely.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­

    ¡°My move just now was to save someone,¡± he argued vehemently, ¡°To save, not to kill¡ªdo I need to use my full strength for that? Let me tell you, if I put forth all my strength, even I would be scared. Why wouldn¡¯t the other side be wary of the secret ace I might be hiding?¡±

    ¡°That makes a little bit of sense,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    After all, everyone had seen how Yan Yu dealt with Mei Yingxue at Inferno Pass¡ªblocking three times per second for nearly half an hour without a single mistake.

    Compared to that, this current situation was indeed a small scene for him. The pressure he had to endure on the battlefield was nowhere near what Mei Yingxue applied, but¡­

    ¡°Are you tired?¡± Chen Lingyun asked abruptly.

    ¡°Tired? Why would I be tired?¡± Yan Yu countered.

    ¡°You withstood the onslaught from Immortal Venerate Jinghong for almost half an hour. Aren¡¯t you tired?¡± Chen Lingyun continued.

    ¡°It was just Sword Control blocking,¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°It doesn¡¯t use up much True Yuan.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m talking about your mental state,¡± Chen Lingyun said gravely, ¡°Can you still concentrate your attention?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t maintain peak performance,¡± Yan Yu admitted after a pause, ¡°But executing at sixty percent is no problem.¡±

    ¡°Not enough,¡± Chen Lingyun said flatly, ¡°You go rest inside L¨ªg¨­ng. If there¡¯s a need, I¡¯ll call you.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem right,¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°While you¡¯re all fighting desperately at the front, it¡¯s not appropriate for me to be blatantly slacking in the back, right?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Chen Lingyun reassured, returning to a smile, ¡°Everyone saw your performance earlier. Even if we now say you should rest, everyone in the live stream will only comment saying ¡®Yan God, have a good rest¡¯.¡±

    After finishing her sentence, indeed, the live broadcast room outside began to flood with the message ¡°Yan God, have a good rest,¡± causing both commentators to sigh internally, ¡°The deputy captain really knows how to play up the show.¡±

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Yan Yu stretched lazily, and transmitted to everyone around, ¡°You guys keep fighting. Call me if you can¡¯t hold on any longer.¡±

    The crowd immediately responded, some sarcastically and others sincerely:

    ¡°Tsk!¡±

    ¡°Captain, rest well.¡±

    ¡°Old Yan, you just go to sleep. By the time you wake up, we¡¯ll have finished the battle.¡±

    Yan Yu returned to the inside of L¨ªg¨­ng, dragged the meditation cushion to use as a pillow, lay down on the spot, and closed his eyes to doze off.

    ¡°Would you like to be transported out now?¡± the female voice from L¨ªg¨­ng suddenly asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu said.

    After about half an hour, the voice of the Departure Palace suddenly asked:

    ¡°Would you like to be teleported away now?¡±

    ¡°No, not leaving,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°I¡¯ll find you when I need to leave.¡±

    ¡°Why not leave?¡± the female voice suddenly asked.

    ¡°What, you¡¯re interested in this?¡± Yan Yu was immediately surprised.

    ¡°Though I have no soul, I possess a certain spiritual intelligence,¡± the female voice said. ¡°Can¡¯t I ask?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that you can¡¯t ask,¡± Yan Yu realized suddenly. ¡°Since you have spiritual intelligence, does that mean you¡¯re not a divine remnant left by a mighty one, but an artifact spirit?¡±

    The female voice did not confirm nor deny, and asked again:

    ¡°What is the situation outside?¡±

    ¡°Foreign Transcendents are trying to enter the Departure Palace to take treasures,¡± Yan Yu replied. ¡°We¡¯re trying to stop them from getting in, so there¡¯s a magical battle happening outside.¡±

    ¡°Only the top ten may obtain treasures within the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng,¡± the voice of the Departure Palace said somberly. ¡°It wasn¡¯t like this before, but¡­ since the Era of Dharma Extinction, many treasures here have lost their spiritual nature, so I can no longer lavish rewards as before.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Yan Yu replied. ¡°But they don¡¯t. So, we¡¯re going to use this opportunity to wipe them out as much as we can.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± the voice of the Departure Palace understood at once. ¡°My physical form is the painting on the wall; other than speaking and distributing treasures, I can¡¯t help with anything else.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment, then inspiration struck. ¡°Since you can communicate, could you do me a favor?¡±

    ¡°What kind of favor?¡± the female voice from the Departure Palace asked.

    Her not refusing outright meant there was room for negotiation. Yan Yu¡¯s spirits lifted, and he said:

    ¡°Listen, if any foreign Transcendents enter later, you say this¡­¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    After reaching an agreement with the painting¡¯s artifact spirit, Yan Yu continued to close his eyes and feign sleep, eventually really drifting off.

    Within the Mysterious Realm, day and night made no difference; when he slowly awoke from his sleep, he had no idea how many hours he had been out for.

    The sounds of clashing metal and exploding spells were still coming from outside, but they were now louder and more frequent than before.

    Yan Yu stepped out calmly, only to see chaos unfolding outside.

    Enemies repeatedly breached the defenses on the left, right, and central stairs, rushing forward, only to be desperately repelled by the combined efforts of the Cultivators. Even Chen Lingyun couldn¡¯t sit back and direct any longer; she took up the Soul Summoning Banner and prayer beads to join the fray, patching gaps wherever needed.

    Looking at the state of the Cultivators, nearly everyone bore injuries, and their morale was far from the spirited vigor they had started with¡ªmarked by severe depletion of True Yuan, causing them to hesitate to go all out in their attacks.

    ¡°Why have you come out?¡± Chen Lingyun, surveying the whole scene, was the first to spot Yan Yu emerging from the Departure Palace. ¡°Never mind, I was about to call for you.¡±

    ¡°How much time is left in the Departure Palace?¡± Yan Yu asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t bring my phone.¡±

    ¡°Soon, less than twenty minutes left,¡± Chen Lingyun replied. ¡°I pretended to expose a weak point on purpose, allowing Shenyuan Simie to be snatched up and killed by them in a decoy move. They probably all think we¡¯re about to collapse, so they¡¯ve started a full-on assault.¡±

    Yan Yu extended his Divine Sense to scan the area and indeed saw the Onmyoji at the front, followed by the super-heroes, and then the Lihuayuan Swordsmen, all attacking the three sets of stairs in waves, aiming to prevent the Rikoku Cultivators from having time to recover their True Yuan.

    ¡°They¡¯re planning to let the Onmyoji enter the Departure Palace first to claim treasures?¡± Yan Yu continued to speak through a spiritual link.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Chen Lingyun replied. ¡°They want to distribute the treasures after leaving the Mysterious Realm.¡±

    ¡°If the Onmyoji enter the Departure Palace in full view of everyone, and then emerge with no treasures to redistribute¡­¡± Yan Yu said slowly. ¡°Then the other two factions would surely think the Onmyoji have turned their backs on the agreement, intending to monopolize the trove.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a hint of surprise. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the plan we initially agreed upon?¡±

    ¡°I just had a chat with the artifact spirit of the Departure Palace¡­ the female voice,¡± Yan Yu smiled. ¡°Through my personal charm, I have persuaded her to cooperate with us to make this plan even more foolproof.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Chen Lingyun was first stunned, then immediately overjoyed.

    If the artifact spirit from the Departure Palace joined in, the success rate of the plan would reach ninety percent¡­ no, a full hundred percent!

    ¡°Remember this,¡± she said quickly. ¡°We need to adjust the original plan like this. When the Onmyoji rush into the Departure Palace later, you have the artifact spirit say this¡­¡±

 Chapter 399 - 95: Lord Master Was Shocked

    Chapter 399: Chapter 95: Lord Master Was Shocked

    Su Yunjin¡¯s True Yuan was almost exhausted, and her heart was filled with anxiety.

    The number of cultivators from Lu Country was lower than that of the enemy, but their individual strength was higher, so the most suitable tactic was decapitation¡ªavoid the majority of the enemy¡¯s forces and directly assassinate their high-level officers.

    Conversely, the most unfavorable situation was the current one: having to hold a position and repeatedly engage in head-on confrontations, which would eventually lead to being worn down by the enemy.

    To draw an analogy, it was like the ancient, costly heavy cavalry, who should be used decisively at critical moments. Who would use heavy cavalry to defend a city?

    Su Yunjin sighed and said to Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen,

    ¡°I¡¯m running out of True Yuan, cover for me for a while, I need to take some medicine.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Alright,¡± the two replied.

    Su Yunjin hid behind the balustrade, took the Elixir Medicine, and quickly refined the medicinal power to restore her True Yuan.

    Below, another Ninja Team started their charge. Zhao Yuanzhen quickly stood in her place, activated the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer, and smashed it down on the heads of these ninjas.

    No sooner had the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer smashed down than a ninja reached to his waist, pulling out a¡­ samurai sword?

    ¡°Not right!¡± Lin Ning exclaimed, ¡°It¡¯s a samurai! Disguised as a samurai!¡± sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress, though not keen on strategizing, was quick to understand things related to combat.

    The enemy had played a trick of ¡°the real is fake, the fake is real,¡± allowing samurai to remove their armor and mix with the ninja troops, quietly charging with them!

    Su Yunjin¡¯s True Yuan was exhausted, and she was still refining the medicinal power, unable to cast Taoism Method. As a large number of enemies surged forward, the two could not stop them. They could only pull Su Yunjin along and retreat urgently to the rear.

    As Liu Longtao in the center wanted to turn around to assist, his opponents also intensified their offensive, forcing Lord Master to fully engage in blocking them. Consequently, the overall defensive line became precarious as the left flank lost control.

    ¡°Pretty good,¡± Yan Yu communicated to Chen Lingyun, ¡°It¡¯s about time~¡±

    ¡°We still need to keep up the act, to avoid suspicion from the other side,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°You and Xie Ruoxi go and intercept.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Yan Yu communicated to Xie Ruoxi, ¡°Ruoxi, let¡¯s support the left flank!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi hurried over. Seeing a large group of enemy troops charging up the left flank and three teammates retreating, she was immediately shocked into pale terror.

    But thinking that the team leader would be with her, she suddenly felt endless courage, as if the victory was already securely within grasp.

    Seeing her spirited expression, Yan Yu just smiled silently.

    He was the strongest in this world, not a destroyer of worlds. Being the strongest meant he was unbeatable in hand-to-hand combat, not that he could snap his fingers and instantly turn the enemies to dust. Moreover, Xie Ruoxi¡¯s Thunder Method, though powerful, was also a singular attack method, so the two of them definitely couldn¡¯t stop so many enemies.

    But if they lowered their aim to ¡°kill as many as possible,¡± that would be much easier to accomplish!

    The two rushed to the vicinity of the left flank, meeting up with Lin Ning, Su Yunjin, and Zhao Yuanzhen, and saw an enormous number of Shikigami opening the way, samurais in the middle, ninjas, and Onmyoji flanking from the rear, all pushing forward toward the main gate like a sea of people.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Su Yunjin finally recovered some True Yuan, once again casting the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, attempting to block the advance of the Onmyoji.

    The tide divides the field!

    An enormous amount of heavenly river water poured out from the void, drenching the Onmyoji.

    Just then, the Shikigami suddenly split to either side, standing grim-faced in the center, Shenyuan Simie with talisman papers in his hands self-combusting, summoning a Shikigami.

    That Shikigami, disheveled with only one eye showing, held a tattered cloth bag, opened the bag, and immediately unleashed an endless tornado, forcefully blowing the heavenly river water to both sides, unable to strike at the main formation of the Onmyoji.

    In just a moment of spell exchange, Su Yunjin¡¯s True Yuan was once again insufficient, forcing her to abruptly interrupt her spell.

    The tornado instantly blew back, forcing everyone to stagger back, unable to open their eyes. Xie Ruoxi, in fright, ducked her head down, and suddenly, Yan Yu grabbed her right arm.

    ¡°Shenxiao!¡± he shouted rapidly.

    Without a second thought, Xie Ruoxi swiftly circulated her True Yuan with her right hand, condensing the Shenxiao Thunder and grasping it in her hand.

    Yan Yu grabbed her arm and flung it forward with all his might while shouting:

    ¡°Release!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi, who fully trusted Yan Yu, immediately loosened the binds of the Thunder Method, and saw the thunder light shoot straight through the overwhelming hurricane, hitting the Shikigami in the chest precisely and shattering it on the spot.

    Shenyuan Simie was instantly terrified, hastily retreated behind the Samurai, and the Shikigami surged forward again, thoroughly shielding the Onmyoji ranks.

    The wild hurricane finally ceased, and only then could everyone barely open their eyes and hurry back near the main entrance of Departure Palace, only to see Chen Lingyun had already withdrawn everyone from the middle and right paths of the Dragon Soar Team to the door, where they tightened the defensive line and began to secretly discuss strategies internally through voice transmission.

    ¡°Enter Departure Palace, guard the main entrance,¡± Liu Longtao said rapidly, ¡°The main entrance is small, we can defend it.¡±

    The members of the Dragon Soar Team echoed one after another.

    ¡°No,¡± Chen Lingyun denied, ¡°Do we want to be caught like turtles in a jar?¡±

    ¡°Then where to?¡± Ye Jun asked.

    ¡°Right path,¡± Chen Lingyun answered, ¡°Attack and blockade the enemy.¡±

    ¡°Attack and blockade, can¡¯t stop everyone,¡± Liu Longtao voiced his dissent, ¡°Some will always break through.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if they break in,¡± Chen Lingyun said.

    Liu Longtao formed a spell, launching a Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens to the left side, forcing the enemy back for a while, and said vehemently:

    ¡°We cannot lose any of Departure Palace¡¯s treasures!¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t lose them,¡± Yan Yu finally seized the moment to respond, ¡°Only the top ten can obtain the treasures.¡±

    Everyone: ?

    Then, except for Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun, the expressions on everyone¡¯s faces immediately underwent complex changes.

    Lord Master had the most violent fluctuations. He slowly opened his mouth wide, his eyes bulged like brass bells, and his face completed a rollercoaster of emotions, as if Fan Jin had just been humiliated by his father-in-law a second ago and then found out he had finally passed the imperial examinations¡­ It was less a surprise and more intense shock and disbelief.

    ¡°No way,¡± Lord Master stumbled in his question, ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Tuck that dumb expression away,¡± Chen Lingyun seemed very pleased with his silly look, ¡°We are communicating via voice transmission, don¡¯t let others notice and become suspicious.¡±

    Only then did Liu Longtao snap back to reality, swiftly switching to an expressionless face, continuing to cast spells attacking the approaching Onmyoji, and inquiring without any change in his voice:

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me beforehand?¡±

    ¡°Only a few people knew,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°If everyone knew, could you have performed the feeling of desperately struggling and resisting till the end?¡±

    Lord Master was utterly speechless, even more convinced that this was this despicable woman¡¯s deliberate act, reveling in the pleasure of manipulating everyone.

    ¡°Since only the top ten can obtain the treasures, which means even if they break into Departure Palace, they won¡¯t get any treasures,¡± Ye Jun mused, ¡°Then we can actually enter Departure Palace and teleport away now.¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s not enough,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Not enough?¡± Liu Longtao asked gravely, ¡°So, what is our goal?¡±

    ¡°To break apart their alliance,¡± Chen Lingyun said smilingly, ¡°Make them turn on each other and self-destruct.¡±

 Chapter 400 - 96 Where is My Reward?

    Chapter 400: Chapter 96 Where is My Reward?

    The group quickly retreated to the steps on the right side and then launched a fierce attack towards the main gate.

    Since there was no one guarding the main gate anymore, the Allied Forces stopped attacking the Lu Country cultivators and desperately tried to break into the Departure Palace.

    ¡°Wind and snow,¡± Chen Lingyun directed.

    Yang Linhui quickly activated the Taoism Method, and a fierce wind and snow swirled near the main gate of the Departure Palace, blocking the path of the Allied Forces.

    The Onmyojis immediately counterattacked, launching various spells trying to force a path through the storm.

    ¡°Lang Feiyun,¡± Chen Lingyun continued to direct.

    ...

    Su Yunjin, who had slightly recovered her True Yuan, immediately pinched a Taoist Incantation and released the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art; countless high-pressure water bullets shot through the wind and snow, carrying numerous tiny ice particles, pushing back the samurai who tried to withstand it.

    ¡°Thunder,¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly said. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Hit who?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked anxiously. Just as she spoke, Yan Yu grabbed her arm again.

    She quickly condensed a spell while Yan Yu held her arm, raised it, and with a forceful swing, shouted:

    ¡°Release!¡±

    An opening had just cleared in the crowd on the opposite side where Shenyuan Simie had released three bulky Shikigami to block the onslaught of magic for the Onmyojis and force a path. However, a precise strike of Shenxiao Thunder went right through the gaps between the Shikigami, shattering it instantly.

    Its body turned into a fluttering confetti, and the three Shikigami also exploded violently.

    ¡°Red Dragon,¡± Chen Lingyun snapped her fingers.

    Liu Longtao released the Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens, and a giant fire dragon soared up, crashing towards the Onmyoji¡¯s position. Suddenly, a pillar of light lit up within their ranks, blocking the fire dragon in midair and preventing it from landing.

    Xiandao Jingyin activated a magic mirror to counter the Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens, Shenyuan Simie had just resurrected using the paperman death-substituting technique and hadn¡¯t yet reached the frontline when the others, battling through the wind and snow, were beaten to death by several Sword Immortals¡ª the closest one had almost crossed the threshold of the Departure Palace, nearly teleporting inside, when he was struck directly on the forehead by Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer, instantly splitting his head open and falling dead.

    Shenyuan Simie finally made it back to the frontline just in time to see Xiandao Jingyin defeating the fire dragon and then took Elixir Medicine to replenish his spiritual power.

    ¡°This won¡¯t do,¡± he whispered. ¡°Before, the Lu Country cultivators were defending in three different places, with their firepower spread out; now they are focusing all their firepower on the Departure Palace¡¯s main gate, their magic¡¯s range completely covers and concentrates, making it much harder to break through the defense.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Xiandao Jingyin had also realized this.

    ¡°This way, our casualties are too heavy,¡± Shenyuan Simie sinisterly said. ¡°The Pear Blossom Courtyard swordsmen and the Superhero Alliance can preserve their strength. Isn¡¯t this bad?¡±

    ¡°Do you want them to join the charge too?¡± Xiandao Jingyin immediately saw through his stirring intent.

    ¡°I just think that it shouldn¡¯t only be our people who needlessly shed blood and sacrifice themselves,¡± Shenyuan Simie said with a smile.

    ¡°No,¡± Xiandao Jingyin decisively responded, ¡°If they join the charge as well, how can we ensure that we enter the Departure Palace first later on? Not to mention, if anyone among them can¡¯t restrain themselves and tries to get ahead into the Departure Palace, the agreement we had will immediately be void, and everyone will end up in a situation where they hold each other back, or even turn against each other violently.¡±

    ¡°So what?¡± Shenyuan Simie said with a sinister laugh. ¡°If the situation really turns into a mess, we can just use our hiding techniques to fish in troubled waters, and it will certainly be more of our people who manage to enter the Departure Palace.¡±

    ¡°Even if we benefit more this time, what about next time?¡± Xiandao Jingyin still disagreed, ¡°Lu Country is strong, and it takes a joint effort from three parties to prevail. If the alliance breaks now, how can it be united next time? You should not be concerned about the small immediate gain; can you consider the bigger picture? Don¡¯t cause trouble for the big shots.¡±

    Shenyuan Simie sneered coldly and, without a word, retreated back into the crowd.

    Among the Four Great Demon Kings, Xiandao Jingyin and Kazuya Ichirou were typical representatives of the establishment, brainwashed loyalists by the big shots, always talking about ¡°the greater good¡± and ¡°national endurance,¡± which to Shenyuan Simie, seemed utterly foolish.

    If I could rise to power¡­

    Such thoughts sprouted from the bottom of his heart, like planting a seed of a poisonous tree, making some of his ideas uncontrollable.

    The superheroes and Pear Blossom Courtyard swordsmen also projected long-range firepower from above the high ground.

    But since the Lu Country cultivators had given up defending the three sets of steps and instead huddled behind one set, their harassment was greatly diminished.

    ¡°The casualties must be significant by now, but these Onmyojis seem to be able to keep their cool,¡± the Green-clad Sword Lee Kyung-joon said coldly, ¡°It¡¯s as if they are the loyal dogs of the Superheroes.¡±

    ¡°We should not make comments that are detrimental to unity,¡± Park Changmin said calmly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with sacrificing their lives to charge for the Allied Forces?¡±

    ¡°Why do I remember someone proactively suggesting that we take the lead?¡± the Yoruba Sword Choi Seung-hyun said with ill intent.

    Park Changmin didn¡¯t bother with his disparagement, thinking, ¡°I had anticipated that the Superhero Alliance would not agree, saying such things was merely to sell a brave reputation; how could a fool like you understand my thoughts?¡±

    He turned to look towards the opposing Superhero front and indeed saw another disturbance beginning there.

    Seeing that the Departure Palace¡¯s main gate was now unguarded, the Onmyoji were completing the final charge, and many superheroes could no longer hold back. They surrounded Stevenson, the ¡°Judge¡±, demanding that he tear up the agreement and let everyone charge towards the Departure Palace to get their share.

    Stevenson naturally disagreed. The plan for the Onmyoji to enter the Departure Palace first and seek treasures was agreed upon from the beginning; there was no reason to backtrack on that now!

    One must focus on the bigger picture!

    But his heartfelt persuasions failed to convince his subordinates, the superheroes. These mercenaries did not like to follow a collective plan; they turned and began to disobey orders, leading the charge up the main steps of the Departure Palace.

    Chen Lingyun, seeing this from above, immediately furrowed her brows.

    In her plan, the Onmyoji had to enter the Departure Palace collectively first, so they would end up in a situation where none could defend themselves afterwards. Even if all Onmyoji insisted they acquired nothing, others would merely think they were in cahoots¡­ But if the superheroes stirred things up, it could throw the whole plan into jeopardy.

    ¡°Magic Cultivators, pretend your True Yuan is insufficient and slow down the attack, let the Onmyoji enter the Departure Palace!¡± she almost immediately decided, loudly commanding, ¡°Yan Yu, block those superheroes, don¡¯t let a single one up!¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Yan Yu executed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, instantly rushing into the blizzard that engulfed the main gate, disappearing from sight.

    Yang Linhui and Su Yunjin both began to reduce their force, causing the blizzard and floods to slowly recede, while Liu Longtao simply stopped using the Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens and just wielded the Ying Long Sword in a chaotic manner.

    To Xiandao Jingyin watching, this clearly demonstrated a major blunder by the Lu Country Cultivators¡ªwhat¡¯s happening? Improper coordination of Elixir Medicine for sustenance, causing three Magic Cultivators to experience insufficient True Yuan simultaneously?

    ¡°Push forward the Shikigami in the front lines to block their firepower! Ninja Team, seize the chance to enter the Departure Palace first! Samurai, form up to protect!¡± she ordered swiftly.

    The Onmyoji immediately pulled out their stored Talisman Paper, summoning a large number of Shikigami and pushing forward to block the Lu Country Cultivators¡¯ path of attack.

    Under the protection of the Samurai team, the agile Ninja Team was the first to enter the Departure Palace, searching the surroundings.

    Xiandao Jingyin and Shinyori Simie also rushed into the hall, quickly surveying the internal environment, finally resting their eyes upon a cushion in front of a scroll on an incense table.

    ¡°Masao!¡± instructed Shinyori Simie, ¡°Kneel on the cushion and pray for treasures.¡±

    The Onmyoji named Masao did as told, kneeling on the cushion, bowing repeatedly and closing his eyes to pray.

    Indeed, within moments, a female voice rose within the palace:

    ¡°Cultivator¡­ Masao Yuto, pass through six trials, rank as the eleventh successful applicant, score qualified.¡±

    ¡°Now for the rewards, choose one of three: ¡®The Essentials of Mixed Yuan Pill Refining,¡¯ ¡®The Secret Law of Samadhi True Fire,¡¯ ¡®Kan-Li Dragon and Tiger Breathing Scripture.¡¯

    Masao Yuto looked towards the two Demon Kings, Xiandao Jingyin narrowed her eyes, contemplating.

    She, like Shinyori Simie, could somewhat understand the language of Lu Country, especially familiar with the naming by the Taoist Sect. ¡®The Essentials of Mixed Yuan Pill Refining¡¯ must be some Alchemy method, ¡®The Secret Law of Samadhi True Fire¡¯ is clearly an offensive Taoist Incantation, and ¡®Kan-Li Dragon and Tiger Breathing Scripture¡¯ is definitely associated with Cultivation¡­ They must pick the third option then! After all, the foundation of cultivation is core!

    ¡°Choose the third one,¡± she said indifferently.

    ¡°Disciple chooses the third one,¡± Masao Yuto stated in Chongying language.

    ¡°Reward granted,¡± the Departure Palace¡¯s female voice stated coldly, ¡°Would you like to be transported out of the Mysterious Realm now?¡±

    Masao Yuto: ¡°???¡±

    The reward was granted?

    Why didn¡¯t I hear a single word?

    After a moment of silent trembling, he began frantically patting himself, checking if the Mysterious Realm had secretly tucked any scripture or secret scroll in his pocket.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Shinyori Simie asked, frowning.

    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± Masao Yuto fumbled for a while, sweating profusely, his face deathly pale, and his lips quivering, ¡°I didn¡¯t hear the content of the mental method¡­ I didn¡¯t receive the reward¡­¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Xiandao Jingyin¡¯s face filled with rage as she shouted in reprimand, ¡°Daring to hide the content of the mental method, do you wish to die? Masao! Even if you momentarily lost your way, think about your wife and children!¡±

 Chapter 401 - 97: One Man Holds the Pass

    Chapter 401: Chapter 97: One Man Holds the Pass

    The Onmyoji, Asou Yuuto, who just retrieved the treasure, claimed he didn¡¯t receive any reward from the Departure Palace. Is what he said true or false?

    Shenyuan Simie tends to think he¡¯s lying, as he has always been inclined to suspect the worst of everyone around him.

    Xiandao Jingyin felt he wasn¡¯t lying. However, whatever the actual situation, she had to proceed as if ¡°Asou had lied.¡±

    The reason was simple: if the Departure Palace transferred the Taoism Method¡¯s knowledge directly into the recipient¡¯s mind instead of giving out scrolls, then only the recipient would know whether the reward had been received or not.

    If they chose to believe Asou¡¯s statement and did not administer a severe punishment, then the subordinates who retrieved the treasures afterward might be tempted to follow suit, claiming adamantly that ¡°there¡¯s a problem with the Departure Palace mechanism¡± or ¡°I did not receive the reward¡±¡­ In such a case, things would become completely unmanageable.

    This loophole cannot be allowed!

    ...

    Therefore, regardless of whether Asou was lying, from the moment he said ¡°I did not receive the reward,¡± he was doomed to face severe punishment.

    Xiandao Jingyin simply waved her hand, and two ninjas lifted the limp Asou Yuuto from the ground, planning to drag him to a corner for a harsh interrogation.

    Asou Yuuto¡¯s face turned pale, and suddenly he clenched his teeth, turning into a beam of white light and disappearing.

    Disappeared?

    Xiandao Jingyin and Shenyuan Simie were slightly taken aback, then their expressions changed drastically.

    That bastard! He¡¯s teleported out of the Mysterious Realm!

    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã0

    According to the Departure Palace¡¯s female voice just now, it is known that any Transcendent who has taken a treasure can choose to be teleported out of the Mysterious Realm at any time.

    The principle is the same, whether Asou Yuuto has fled with the treasure intending to keep it all for himself, or if he indeed did not receive any treasure and did not want to be tortured to death¡­ In any case, once he teleported out of the Mysterious Realm without permission, he committed an unquestionable act of treason.

    ¡°Asou Yuuto has fled with the treasure,¡± Xiandao Jingyin said indifferently. ¡°This is treason. After leaving here, we shall proceed to a military tribunal for trial and he shall be severely punished without mercy.¡±

    Shenyuan Simie let out a slight smile, looking around at everyone, and reminded:

    ¡°Kill his entire family.¡±

    Though the phrase ¡®kill the entire family¡¯ may be a bit exaggerated, it is imaginable that as long as Asou Yuuto remains hidden outside for one day, his family will suffer indescribable torture until he can no longer endure the torment of his conscience and chooses to show himself.

    The other Onmyoji were as pale as death, silent as cicadas in winter, only to hear Xiandao Jingyin speak again:

    ¡°Matsushima Kouhei, it¡¯s your turn to retrieve the treasure.¡±

    Although he was the second among them to receive a reward, the ninja named Matsushima Kouhei had a look of utter despair and dared not defy Xiandao Jingyin¡¯s command, silently kneeling on the cushion to pray.

    The female voice of the Departure Palace sounded again, offering a choice between three forms of the Taoism Method.

    Matsushima Kouhei, following Xiandao Jingyin¡¯s command, selected one of the Qi Refinement techniques. Then he waited with an ashen face for a long time before carefully shaking his head.

    This made Xiandao Jingyin about eighty percent sure that there actually was a problem with the Departure Palace mechanism¡­ because Matsushima Kouhei was a reliable confidant arranged for her by her family, with very little chance of betrayal.

    Of course, this possibility could not be completely ruled out, so she waved her hand, commanding her subordinates to take Matsushima Kouhei away for interrogation.

    ¡°Furuta Yancun, you retrieve the treasure,¡± said Shenyuan Simie coldly.

    The samurai Furuta, with an expression of resigned determination, knelt on the cushion and bowed three times, praying for the treasure.

    Again the choice between three forms of the Taoism Method was given, and again after the selection was made, the claim ¡°the reward has been issued¡± was pronounced, but Furuta Yancun just silently checked himself all over before stating:

    ¡°I have not received anything, nor have I heard any sound.¡±

    The onmyoji present exchanged glances, feeling in their hearts that they believed about eighty percent of what was said and quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Since the samurai from Gu Tian were acknowledged by Lord Iwai Ichiro and known for their obstinate integrity and meticulous attention, it was highly improbable that they would lie about a Taoism Method¡ªwhat use did a samurai have for spells? It¡¯s not like they could switch professions to become an onmyoji!

    Xiandao Jingyin once again waved her hand, signaling her subordinates to bring Matsushima Kouhei back. Just as she was about to speak, the voice of Shenyuan Simie cut in:

    ¡°Even if we consider Matsushima and Gu Tian to have not lied for now, it doesn¡¯t mean Aisou is without issue.¡±

    Upon hearing this, the onmyoji who had just let down their guard tensed up again: Damn Aisou! Why did he teleport away without permission?!

    ¡°Let everyone else try in order as well,¡± Xiandao Jingyin ordered, ¡°Asai, make the arrangements.¡±

    Handing over the task of organizing the treasure search to her deputy, Xiandao Jingyin and Shenyuan Simie moved to a corner of the hall, their expressions darkening simultaneously.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been played,¡± said Xiandao Jingyin with a grim face.

    ¡°No matter how the cultivators from Lu Country managed to lock down the mechanism of Li Palace so it wouldn¡¯t release the treasures,¡± Shenyuan Simie also said somberly, ¡°the top priority is to have everyone take their turn quickly. If we confirm that there truly are no treasures, we must hasten to teleport out of The Secret Realm of Li Palace.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t leave,¡± Xiandao Jingyin said after a moment of silence, suddenly speaking up, ¡°If we leave now, we will lose all chance of explaining ourselves.¡±

    ¡°And can we explain if we stay?¡± Shenyuan Simie sneered mockingly, ¡°If you were Stevenson or Park Changmin, and I told you we got no treasures, so the original agreement to submit and redistribute cannot be carried out, would you believe me?¡±

    ¡°I would be skeptical,¡± answered Xiandao Jingyin, ¡°and then I would have my people enter Li Palace to check as well.¡±

    ¡°But the cultivators from Lu Country must have foreseen this,¡± said Shenyuan Simie, narrowing his eyes, ¡°If this is a trap they¡¯ve set up, why would they leave us any room to explain?¡±

    ¡°But if we teleport away now, that will only confirm the accusations of us stealing the treasures and fleeing, and then we¡¯ll never be able to clear things up,¡± insisted Xiandao Jingyin, ¡°If we go out and explain ourselves now, even if we can¡¯t convince them and avoid a conflict, at least we¡¯ve shown our stance. There might still be room to turn things around.¡±

    ¡°So what if it¡¯s confirmed?¡± Shenyuan Simie said viciously, ¡°The Westerners and the mixed breeds never intended to ally with us to begin with. This so-called tripartite alliance, from the moment we entered The Secret Realm of Li Palace, has proven that everyone harbors their own schemes. Can¡¯t you see that?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve already fallen into the big pit the cultivators from Lu Country have dug for us. Instead of thinking about climbing out quickly, you want to fight them to the death in this pit. Isn¡¯t that exactly what the cultivators from Lu Country want?¡±

    ¡°Now, if we break off ties with the other two factions, causing the tripartite alliance to completely collapse and lose any chance of coming together to resist Lu Country in the future, that¡¯s precisely what the cultivators from Lu Country are hoping for,¡± said Xiandao Jingyin coldly, ¡°Success on a tactical level must not overshadow a failure on a strategic level!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve made up my mind. Immediately invite the representatives from Superhero Alliance and Pear Blossom Courtyard to try for the treasures and let them verify that the mechanism is malfunctioning. There¡¯s no need to discuss it further.¡±

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Shenyuan Simie sneered, seeing that she didn¡¯t take his advice, ¡°Xiandao, you will regret this.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget,¡± Xiandao Jingyin retorted coldly, ¡°I am the leader of this expedition.¡±

    Shenyuan Simie walked to the side, folding his arms and watching the onmyoji line up to kneel on the cushions, only to show expressions of disappointment one by one.

    Xiandao Jingyin meanwhile, approached the gates of Li Palace and peered stealthily outside.

    The cultivators from Lu Country were still bombarding the main entrance of Li Palace, thwarting the group of onmyoji that had yet to enter¡ªthe onmyoji attempted to storm the high ground of Li Palace from the left staircase, trying to push towards the main entrance, the progress proving to be arduous.

    Beneath the right staircase were the swordsmen from Pear Blossom Courtyard, conducting raids up to the high ground with Flying Swords. The cultivators from Lu Country dispatched Guo Feiyun, Ai Lu, and Ye Jun, who engaged in a swordsmanship dismantle across the staircase with them¡ªnot quite a deadlock, as it was clear that the swordsmen from Pear Blossom Courtyard were not putting in their full effort.

    And the superheroes?

    Xiandao Jingyin looked again to see all the superheroes gathered at the main staircase, frantically charging the formation above.

    But they couldn¡¯t break through! S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Because Yan Yu, the Longcheng Flying General, stood alone with his sword, firmly guarding the main staircase and ensuring not a single superhero could advance!

    One man holds the pass, ten thousand cannot break through!

 Chapter 402 - 98: No Man Can Open

    Chapter 402: Chapter 98: No Man Can Open

    The gateway to the Departure Palace faced a wide staircase that could almost accommodate three or four people walking side by side.

    But this staircase was also very narrow because Longcheng Flying General, guarding it alone, had been slaughtering the superheroes, and so far, no one had managed to break through!

    ¡°White Lion¡± Hamilton, wielding a giant sword and with a fierce expression, frantically hacked at Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu continuously performed sword techniques, using Huang Tingjian¡¯s Eagle Strikes the Sky with left slashes and right chops in four consecutive attacks. He forcefully interrupted Hamilton¡¯s momentum, then suddenly jumped forward and delivered a kick right to his face.

    Hamilton fell backward, the White Lion tumbling down the steps, knocking down his comrades behind him. Yan Yu, taking advantage of the momentum, executed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, swiftly returned up several steps, and caught up with ¡°Devil¡± Benjamin, who had just overtaken two others and was trying to storm into the Departure Palace.

    Benjamin chanted a spell silently, snapped his fingers, and several azure light bullets suddenly appeared, shooting like lightning toward Yan Yu¡¯s face.

    ...

    But Yan Yu was faster than him, his figure vanishing from sight. The magic missiles passed through where he had stood, knocking down several clerics charging from behind.

    This turn of events left Benjamin dumbfounded. As a wizard, a profession known for calculative tactics, many thoughts flashed through his mind like bolts of lightning.

    How did he do it?

    He must have foreseen that I would use magic missiles, so he intentionally lined himself up with me and the clerics behind us, turning my attack into a means to block others¡­ But how could he have foreseen my attack?

    Before he could figure it out, a rushing wind sounded from behind his head.

    Guessing that Yan Yu had circled to his back, ¡°Devil¡± Benjamin quickly formed a magic triangle with his hands and conjured a floating azure shield from behind.

    There was another heavy sound as some attack struck the floating shield, Benjamin quickly turned around, placing his right hand on the shield.

    Magic Spike!

    The smooth surface of the shield suddenly sprouted dozens of blue spikes, viciously stabbing toward the empty air in front of him!

    Empty air?

    As Benjamin realized what had happened, his arm, which was casting Magic Spike, was already clamped from behind by Yan Yu, who then fiercely pulled it sideways¡ªsweeping all the superheroes trying to storm up the nearby steps into two pieces, their blood spurting from the severed ends.

    ¡°Benjamin!¡± A furious voice called from below, sounding like someone he knew, ¡°What kind of attack was that? Can¡¯t you fight?¡±

    Benjamin¡¯s face turned ashen. He dare question whether I can fight?

    You go ask the 23 opponents defeated by my hand in the superhero league, more than half of whom my Magic Spikes pierced through the organs, forcing them to be hospitalized for emergency treatment¡ªask them how I earned my ¡°Devil¡± title?!

    But he had no time for verbal retaliation, as he was now facing an opponent he had never encountered before¡ªa terrifying adversary whose dominating presence on the battlefield seemed more like an indestructible demon!

    Yan Yu, holding his right arm, twisted it nearly 180 degrees, perfectly covering the rear steps. Benjamin discreetly performed a spell with his left hand, about to congeal a magic missile for a surprise attack, when he suddenly took a knee strike in the chin, breaking his neck, his body tumbling down the steps.

    Inside the Departure Palace, Xiandao Jingyin, utterly horrified, couldn¡¯t speak at what he saw unfolding before him.

    He had actually¡­ truly prevented all the superheroes from ascending the stairs? Not even one could come up?

    If the superheroes and Pear Blossom Courtyard swordsmen couldn¡¯t enter the Departure Palace to confirm the situation, then the so-called ¡°treasure bug¡± inside would become a complete claim only maintained by the Onmyoji, and one can imagine the disastrous and complete blow it would inflict on the triple alliance afterward!

    We absolutely cannot let Yan Yu succeed!

    Xiandao Jingyin quietly took out the magic mirror and secretly aimed at Yan Yu¡¯s distant figure from behind.

    True Scripture Tian Vo-Sword!

    The surface of the magic mirror shone brilliantly, transforming into a two-meter-long light spear, with lightning swirling around it, and molten heat, dazzling to the extreme. In a moment of negligence, it crossed the distance of more than ten meters and struck directly towards Yan Yu¡¯s back!

    At the critical moment, Yan Yu suddenly sidestepped to the left, narrowly missing the lethal attack¡ªit was a literal close shave, his sleeve completely torn and scorched, revealing the unscathed skin beneath, without a scratch on it.

    Below, ¡°Judge¡± Stevenson and ¡°Preacher¡± Han George were collaborating at the forefront to cast a holy barrier spell to clear the way for the superheroes behind them. Suddenly, Yan Yu dodged to the side, revealing a light spear hurtling towards them, aimed directly at Han George¡¯s head.

    Even as Han George tried to evade, the distance was too close, and it was too late. The light spear tore through the holy barrier, pierced his forehead, and instantaneously vaporized his entire head, leaving his headless body to collapse on the steps, bleeding profusely.

    Stevenson was stunned for a moment, recognized that it was Xiandao Jingyin¡¯s doing, and immediately turned around and rushed back into the crowd, shouting upwards in fury:

    ¡°Fuck, fuck, fuck! Damn Onmyoji bitch, what are you doing in the Departure Palace! Are you planning to tear up our agreement?¡±

    Xiandao Jingyin was immediately astonished, quickly conjured a Thousand Paper Cranes, and threw it outside, trying to send a message to Stevenson. But as soon as it entered the blizzard, it was caught by a large dog that leapt up, grabbed it, and ran off.

    Shikigami? No, it must be some kind of ghost¡­

    Xiandao Jingyin¡¯s expression darkened slightly, following the direction of the dog¡¯s run, she saw Chen Lingyun standing behind the cultivators, holding the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, giving her a polite, slight smile.

    Stevenson, already unable to contain his anger among the crowd. From his perspective, that light spear was fast and sudden, and with it being a sneak attack from behind, Longcheng Flying General couldn¡¯t possibly have dodged it¡ªthe reason he was able to react must be because Xiandao Jingyin had secretly collaborated with him, casting a spell to alert him to dodge in coordination!

    ¡°Preacher¡± Han George was Stevenson¡¯s close friend for nearly ten years, he was well aware of his capabilities. If it weren¡¯t for the Longcheng Flying General deliberately blocking his view, and only at the last moment dodging to reveal the primed light spear behind him¡­ how could Han George have been hit!

    Even if he dodged a bit later, Longcheng Flying General would have been hit by the light spear; if he had moved aside a bit earlier, Han George would have had time to react and cast a life-saving spell. But it happened precisely at the moment he couldn¡¯t react, and it definitely wasn¡¯t just some damn coincidence!

    Within the Departure Palace, Xiandao Jingyin also realized the misunderstanding was huge. The general inclination of the superheroes was already towards non-cooperation, it was Stevenson, as the team leader, who had pushed against the majority to promote this tripartite alliance.

    If Stevenson, because of his comrade¡¯s death by friendly fire, lost his composure in anger, it would be even more troublesome to explain later¡­ She quickly turned around and asked urgently:

    ¡°Has everything been confirmed?¡±

    ¡°Not yet.¡± Shenyuan Simie said indifferently, ¡°But so far, no one has successfully retrieved the treasure, including myself.¡± sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°We need to fight our way out and bring our allies into the palace!¡± Xiandao Jingyin stated decisively, ¡°If we can¡¯t show them that there¡¯s a malfunction in the Departure Palace¡¯s mechanisms, we¡¯ll be left unable to defend ourselves afterwards!¡±

    ¡°Are you sure we can still fight our way out?¡± Shenyuan Simie asked with a cold laugh, ¡°If I were a Lu Country cultivator, and you guys now wanted to fight your way out, I would definitely do everything to block you, making you shed a layer of skin in the process!¡±

    ¡°We must fight our way out even if we can¡¯t!¡± Xiandao Jingyin said urgently, ¡°This venture into the Mysterious Realm has already been fruitless, we cannot afford to further offend our allies and let the Yin Yang Bureau become the target of public criticism and attacks!¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Shenyuan Simie replied languidly, ¡°I will follow your orders. After all, you¡¯re the team leader.¡±

    Seeing his sarcastic demeanor, Xiandao Jingyin suppressed her anger and coldly stated:

    ¡°Pick an elite team. Let the others attack the Lu Country cultivators, the elite will follow me to fight out of the Departure Palace, through the bombardment of Lu Country¡¯s cultivators, and coordinate with the superheroes to intercept Longcheng Flying General!¡±

 Chapter 403 - 99 The Fall of Xiandao Jingyin

    Chapter 403: Chapter 99 The Fall of Xiandao Jingyin

    ¡°How much longer?¡± Yan Yu asked through a voice transmission.

    ¡°Seven minutes,¡± Chen Lingyun responded.

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°Can you still hold on?¡±

    ¡°Of course, who do you think I am?¡± Yan Yu retorted.

    ¡°You are the strongest in this world~¡± Chen Lingyun said slowly.

    ...

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t respond to that comment but swiftly surveyed the entire battlefield with his divine sense.

    The swordsmen of the Pear Blossom Courtyard were attacking the high ground from the right side of the steps while the Sword Immortal of Lu Country was responsible for counteracting their sword techniques, and the Magic Cultivators focused their firepower on the main entrance of the Departure Palace.

    Inside the Departure Palace, the Onmyoji repeatedly attempted to break out but were forced back inside by the concentrated firepower of the four Magic Cultivators.

    In summary, the current situation could be described as ¡°The enemy¡¯s large forces divided into three routes; the Sword Immortal holding one, the Magic Cultivators another, and the Longcheng Flying General standing alone against one.¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s sword technique changed, and the Huang Ting Sword unleashed the Triple Cloud Strike, swift as lightning and heavy as thunder. The first strike cut a priest of the gods in half at the waist from the side; the second strike hit a Berserker from behind ¡ª the enemy turned abruptly and tried to block with his sword, but both he and his sword were broken and tumbled down the steps.

    The third strike was the most powerful, sweeping across the steps and forcing all the superheroes in its path to hastily retreat. Some even retreated too quickly, missed a step, and fell down.

    Such was the terror of a single strike!

    Yan Yu burst into laughter, reminded of the past when the Valkyrie had slain the Witch King with one strike in the sky above the South Sea and then pushed back the Allied Forces of the Southern Border with another.

    Li Minghu, look at the might and dominance I wield now, how does it compare to your prime in the past life?

    While he dominated the battlefield, someone finally lost their patience and made their way through the crowd. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Phoenix¡± the Phoenix!

    Last time in the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm, united with three eagles yet forcefully killed by Yan Yu and later bombarded out of the secret realm by Su Yunjin¡¯s Triple Lang Feiyun Strike, Phoenix had been harboring a grudge and was determined to use this opportunity to redeem his honor and reclaim his worth!

    He made a gesture towards Yan Yu, signaling a challenge for a ¡°one-on-one¡± fight.

    Yan Yu naturally ignored him. A madman! You challenge me to a duel while your comrades try to rush and join the Onmyoji, right?

    Seeing that Yan Yu ignored him, Phoenix immediately became furious.

    Fuck! Don¡¯t you recognize me? I¡¯m Phoenix! The superhero ¡°Phoenix¡± who has fought you before!

    Blinded by rage, he snapped his fingers, and flames enveloped him instantly. Spreading his arms like a Phoenix, he glided up the steps!

    The surrounding superheroes exchanged looks and immediately used their own skills to quickly ascend the steps!

    Yan Yu knew that Phoenix¡¯s self-combustion technique was quite troublesome. If even a bit touched him, that divine fire would burn on him, fueled by his own True Yuan¡­ Theoretically speaking, it severely restricted professions like Magic Cultivators who required a lot of True Yuan.

    As a Sword Immortal, Yan Yu didn¡¯t have high demands for sustaining True Yuan. His combat style involved meticulous management of every bit of True Yuan, so he certainly wouldn¡¯t let Phoenix¡¯s scheme succeed. He merely performed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, walking in a zigzag pattern around the opponent. The wildly burning self-combustion flames splashed around but missed the Longcheng Flying General, instead setting several superheroes who couldn¡¯t dodge in time aflame.

    In the external broadcast room, it had been broadcasting live for over twenty hours, and the staff were visibly exhausted.

    But none complained. After all, the cultivators at the frontline had been fighting intensively without rest, battling through for six to seven hours, with the battle for the Departure Palace lasting over ten hours, not even having time for a break ¡ª staff at least could take turns going to the restroom!

    ¡°The Longcheng Flying General faces off against ¡®Phoenix¡¯ Phoenix!¡± Xu Dongming¡¯s voice had become hoarse, yet he still refused to lower his volume and shouted, ¡°Other superheroes are seizing the opportunity to rush up from both sides! But they can¡¯t make it! Every movement of Yan Yu is calculated, forcing the chasing Phoenix to spread flames everywhere, leaving no safe passage! The affected superheroes have reached 6! 7! 8!¡±

    ¡°Phoenix has obviously lost his mind!¡± Zhou Erhe followed with a shout, ¡°He is completely unaware that the divine fire technique on his body is instead scorching his allies and hindering their advance! The Longcheng Flying General still maintains absolute control of the battlefield, able to turn everything around him to his advantage, even the attacks from enemies!¡±

    ¡°We are witnessing the birth of a miracle!¡± Xu Dongming yelled, his voice cracking, ¡°With one man forcing seventy to eighty foreign Transcendents to be blocked at the base of the stairs! Who else in the world could achieve such a terrifying record? This is truly a case of one man holds the pass, ten thousand cannot break through! Here, there are no grand passes, only the Longcheng Flying General! He alone equals Hu Lao Pass! Si Shui Pass! Shanhai Pass!¡±

    Fuck, all three of those grand passes were eventually breached! The outside director was too exhausted to criticize the commentator¡¯s choice of words, but didn¡¯t bother to correct it. Because Yan Yu truly was single-handedly holding down an entire battlefront¡­

    ¡°Hey! What¡¯s happening?¡± Zhou Erhe suddenly exclaimed, ¡°An Onmyoji has burst out!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Xiandao Jingyin!¡±

    At this moment, the level of bombardment at the main gate of the Departure Palace by the cultivators of Lu Country was brutally devastating. Storms, floods, fire dragons, and thunderbolts raged; the so-called elite squad organized by Xiandao Jingyin couldn¡¯t breach this deadly area.

    She activated a magical mirror to create a protective barrier around herself, but just a few steps into the bombardment, Xie Ruoxi¡¯s lightning shattered it. She had no choice but to use a life-saving spell, leaving an illusory double in her place, while her true body barely made it a few steps before the double was shredded by the Green Bamboo Sword shot by Lin Ning.

    Every split of this mirror incarnation halved its existing spiritual power and consumed the original power of the magic mirror to create an identical physical appearance, undetectable even by the cultivators¡¯ divine sense¡­ yet it was wasted in such a place, causing Xiandao Jingyin immense pain.

    But she knew that now was not an ordinary time, the Onmyoji had fallen into a large pit dug by the Lu Country cultivators. If she didn¡¯t take the time to explain clearly now, what would happen after leaving the Mysterious Realm when others asked for treasures? How could she produce them?

    Now that Lu Country¡¯s power was formidable, and with heroes like the Longcheng Flying General, only a tripartite alliance could control the situation! For long-term considerations, for the sake of the nation, the tripartite alliance could not afford to fail!

    Xiandao Jingyin once again split off a mirror incarnation to stay in place to attract fire, while her true body finally escaped the bombardment range of Lu Country¡¯s cultivators.

    At this point, only about 20 percent of her True Yuan remained, and the magic mirror was even more covered with cracks, greatly damaged. Xiandao Jingyin forcibly mobilized her remaining spiritual power, activated the magic mirror, and shot out a light sword attacking Yan Yu, while secretly forming a paper crane for transmission, sending it flying towards Stevenson in the crowd behind.

    Stevenson knew some Chongying language, and seeing Xiandao Jingyin¡¯s paper crane flying towards him, he subconsciously reached out to catch it. The paper crane landed in his big hand, its beak opening and closing, voicing a female tone:

    ¡°There are problems inside the Departure Palace! Those treasures¡­¡±

    The speech abruptly halted, and looking again at Xiandao Jingyin on the steps, her throat was pierced unknowingly, her eyes wide open, but she could not make a sound.

    The one who killed her was a slim-legged girl, a blade protruding from her wrist, skewering Xiandao Jingyin¡¯s corpse, then flinging it forcefully, tossing it down the steps like a broken rag. She then leaped to Yan Yu¡¯s side and suddenly disappeared.

    Yan Yu quietly flipped his wrist, stowing the Silver Pellet transformed from the puppet Ah Zhen, then looked down at the ¡°Phoenix¡± Fenix coming to hunt him again, and smiled, saying,

    ¡°Goodbye.¡±

    His figure turned into a white light, along with Lu Country¡¯s cultivators on the high steps, and all chose to teleport out of the Mysterious Realm, disappearing completely.

    Inside the Departure Palace, the Onmyoji finally sprinted out of the palace, only to hear suddenly a squeak from behind; the grand doors of the Departure Palace closed by themselves without any wind, firmly shut. At the same time, an ancient and ethereal female voice resounded in everyone¡¯s ears:

    ¡°Twelve hours have passed, the trial of the Departure Palace is over. In one incense stick¡¯s time, everyone will be automatically transported out of the Mysterious Realm.¡±

    Shenyuan Simie rushed to inspect Xiandao Jingyin¡¯s corpse below the steps.

    It was too late; she was thoroughly dead.

    Pitiful, lamentable, and tragic, Xiandao Jingyin! With your Demon King level strength, if not bound by duties to your nation, repeatedly expending vast amounts of spiritual power and even the magic mirror¡¯s origin, trying desperately to break through, how could you have ended up like this, easily killed by the Longcheng Flying General and discarded here?

    And what could the message you sacrificed so much to send change? Now, with your death, all the responsibility for this venture¡¯s defeat could be placed entirely on your shoulders, how tragic!

    ¡­No, not just tragic, but also hateful and laughable.

    At the end of the day, the so-called Four Great Demon Kings are just the great men¡¯s four loyal hounds. As a Transcendent, if you cannot transcend mundane powers and completely control your own destiny, the end is no different than Xiandao Jingyin ¨C dying for some illusory thing, not even seeing your loved ones for the last time.

    Shenyuan Simie stood up expressionlessly, only to see Stevenson and Park Changmin rush up to him, urgently questioning him:

    ¡°What happened? Why did the Departure Palace suddenly close? What did you do inside?¡±

    No answer.

    Shenyuan Simie just stared straight at them, then suddenly began to laugh wildly, bizarrely, and unrestrainedly.

    ¡°Better to return!¡± He turned and walked up the stairs, laughing, ¡°The mortal world is full of suffering! Better to return!¡±

    Stevenson tried to grab him from behind, but only caught a white light.

    Shenyuan Simie teleported away.

    Following that, the Onmyoji on the steps also teleported and disappeared in unison.

    Seeing this, the superheroes and Pear Blossom Courtyard swordsmen were stunned for a moment, then anger surged in each of their faces, almost predatory!

    Stevenson didn¡¯t exchange a word with Park Changmin, only looking back at the superheroes, his eyes cold and murderous as he squeezed out a few words through his teeth:

    ¡°Kill them all!¡±

    The superheroes transformed into white lights and disappeared.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always said, these Onmyoji are not to be trusted!¡± Park Changmin also turned away, saying fiercely to the furious swordsmen, ¡°Pretending to talk about a tripartite alliance, but secretly colluding with Lu Country cultivators to steal treasures!¡±

    Even though Lee Kyung-joon and Choi Seung-hyun were habitually contrary to him, they could not stand on the Onmyoji¡¯s side this time. Considering that Pear Blossom Courtyard¡¯s swordsmen had gained nothing, while more than half of the Onmyoji had been inside the Departure Palace¡­ just thinking about this made them furious.

    ¡°Kill!¡± someone among the swordsmen shouted.

    ¡°Kill!¡± Park Changmin gritted his teeth, ¡°Since there are no gains in this venture, let¡¯s replace them with military achievements! I want to see, these Onmyoji who dare to break the agreement and monopolize the treasures, how many can live to bring the treasures home!¡±

 Chapter 404 - 100 I am a Great Hero

    Chapter 404: Chapter 100 I am a Great Hero

    The livestream room of Lu Country was already boiling over with excitement!

    ¡°Longcheng Flying General has slain Xiandao Jingyin!¡± Zhou Erhe shouted, ¡°Longcheng Flying General has slain Xiandao Jingyin! The Four Great Demon Kings of the Yin Yang Bureau are nothing before him, unable to withstand a single round!¡±

    Xu Dongming subconsciously felt that something was amiss, because Xiandao Jingyin had shown great strength in previous encounters.

    ¡­Maybe it was because he had forcefully broken out of the Departure Palace earlier, bombarded specifically by the cultivators, that he had expended too much energy?

    Of course, analyzing the so-called ¡°value of the kill¡± at this time would be a buzzkill, so he went along with Zhou Erhe, boasting in front of the camera:

    ¡°I¡¯ve always told you all, numbers aren¡¯t important, quality is what truly matters! Some viewers asked me before, saying that the Yin Yang Bureau has the Four Great Demon Kings, why doesn¡¯t Lu Country have four Flying Generals? I said why need four Flying Generals? It¡¯s no longer the age where ¡®more people means victory¡¯! One Longcheng Flying General is worth a thousand troops from abroad¡­¡±

    ...

    Meanwhile, the said ¡®thousand troops¡¯ abroad had already started a massacre near the East Sea.

    The battleships carrying the Onmyoji were fleeing eastwards, while the superheroes were in hot pursuit, continuously unleashing a hail of fire in the direction of the Onmyoji.

    All sorts of firing.

    Seeing the fierce battles in the distance, it seemed likely that neither side would cease fighting to return to the negotiation table any time soon.

    Mission accomplished.

    Yan Yu turned and left the deck, heading back to the bridge. As he turned a corridor corner, he saw a jet of water spray towards him.

    With swift and nimble reflexes, he dodged by leaping back twice, only to realize that the Dragon Soar Team members and ladies were standing opposite him. Liu Longtao stood at the forefront, holding a shaken champagne bottle that had just been opened, apparently hoping to douse Yan Yu unexpectedly.

    ¡°Jeez! Your reaction time is a bit fast, Old Yan!¡± Lord Master said, astonished, ¡°You¡¯ve already come out of the Mysterious Realm and still you¡¯re on full alert?¡±

    ¡°What alert?¡± Yan Yu spoke irritably as he stepped over the puddle of alcohol on the floor, ¡°You¡¯re popping champagne before we even return to the country?¡±

    ¡°Although things haven¡¯t settled completely, there are unlikely to be any changes now,¡± Ye Jun said with a smile, ¡°The treasures of the Departure Palace haven¡¯t leaked, the tripartite alliance has crumbled, and the losses are heavy¡­ Xiandao Jingyin has already fallen. From any angle, it¡¯s an unquestionable victory, which is why everyone thought to celebrate a little early.¡±

    ¡°Fine then,¡± Yan Yu said as he walked over and patted their shoulders, ¡°You guys drink up, I¡¯m off to sleep.¡±

    ¡°Sleep?¡± Ai Lu asked incredulously, ¡°Didn¡¯t the God of Yan already get a few hours of sleep in the Departure Palace?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it,¡± Su Yunjin suddenly said, ¡°The captain¡¯s fighting style is indeed very economical in terms of True Yuan, but it consumes a lot of attention.¡±

    Everyone suddenly fell silent without a word.

    After they had left the Mysterious Realm, they had seen the popular online comments about the battle: Magic Cultivators holding out on one front, Sword Immortals on another, with Longcheng Flying General holding yet another alone.

    While the people of Lu Country gave generous praise to Yan Yu, attributing his battle record to ¡°because he is the Longcheng Flying General,¡± this was undoubtedly a typical misunderstanding unique to outsiders.

    In truth, to stop all the oncoming superheroes, Yan Yu¡¯s fighting style may appear effortless but was actually very exhausting.

    While engaging any superhero, he also had to maintain his Divine Sense to scan his surroundings, making sure he wasn¡¯t hit by any ranged attacks. He had to keep track of how many were trying to bypass him and rush upwards, and decide on the best actions to intercept those slipping through¡ªhe wasn¡¯t exaggerating even if it seemed like multitasking at four levels.

    Sustaining such a state of intense concentration, most people couldn¡¯t endure even three to four minutes, let alone Yan Yu, who maintained it for how much longer? Not to mention, earlier in the Inferno Pass alone, he had shouldered the brunt of that white sword light for a full half-hour¡­

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t answer their questions, simply walking toward the cabin without looking back, casually waving his hand as a signal.

    ¡°Anyway, let him rest for a while,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, her eyes showing a rare touch of softness.

    ¡°After all, he¡¯s the hero of this victory.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Compared to the feigned sleep in the Departure Palace, this time Yan Yu really had a profound slumber.

    As he finally came to, he realized he was lying in his villa¡¯s bedroom, already changed into his pajamas.

    Su Yunjin sat by the bed, casually peeling an apple with a fruit knife.

    ¡°Who carried me back here?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Zhao,¡± Su Yunjin replied, ¡°Ningning originally wanted to wake you up, but Ling Yun said you were too tired and let you sleep a bit longer. Later, Zhao flew you back here from the port using Sword Control.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yan Yu sat up from the bed only to hear Su Yunjin nonchalantly ask:

    ¡°By the way, Captain, that puppet you summoned in the last moments inside the Mysterious Realm¡­ looked just like Zhao, didn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Because she personally made it,¡± Yan Yu replied. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Su Yunjin was taken aback, she thought the captain might evade the question, but he admitted it outright.

    ¡°So, it¡¯s a secret weapon?¡± After a moment of silence, she ventured to ask.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°A secret weapon¡¯s true power is greatest when nobody knows of its existence.¡±

    ¡°If Xiandao Jingyin knew I had this puppet, then even if he saw me dueling with the Phoenix, he might not dare get that close.¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Su Yunjin nodded, her fruit knife finishing off the last bit of peel.

    She tossed the continuous strip of peel into the trash can, thoughtfully pondered for a moment, then smiled and said:

    ¡°Captain, you¡¯ve really worked hard this time, here¡¯s an apple for you.¡±

    ¡°Hey, if you¡¯re taking care of a patient, you should at least cut the fruit into pieces and stick them with toothpicks.¡± Yan Yu casually remarked.

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Standing up, Su Yunjin said softly, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go to the kitchen and cut it, Captain just stay in bed and don¡¯t move.¡±

    She took the apple and knife and left. Yan Yu picked up his phone and indeed saw a bunch of messages sent to him by a lot of people.

    Most were of course congratulating him for the successful completion of his mission to the Mysterious Realm; others inquired about his health and whether he got hurt.

    Additionally, Yan¡¯s mother sent a message saying she had already taken early retirement, with the school still paying her salary and making her what they called an ¡°Honorary Teacher¡±; Yan¡¯s father had also joined the expert group at his workplace, now having almost nothing to do, spending his days drinking tea, reading the newspaper, and feeling restless.

    With nothing much to do, the elder couple planned to go traveling to the Great Northwest tomorrow and would not return until winter break to pick up Yan Jing after school.

    Yan Yu was slowly going through the messages when he suddenly heard a knock on the door.

    ¡°Is the captain awake?¡± Lin Ning asked from outside the door, ¡°Then can I come in?¡±

    ¡°Please come in.¡±

    The door opened, revealing Lin Ning with oven mitts on her hands, carrying a clay pot as she carefully walked in.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°What¡¯s with that expression?¡± Lin Ning put the clay pot on the bedside table and said with dissatisfaction, ¡°Humph! If it weren¡¯t for the captain working so hard this time, I wouldn¡¯t bother cooking especially for you! Do you know how much time and effort I spent to stew this Eight Treasures Duck Soup?¡±

    ¡°The smell of medicinal herbs is a bit strong, isn¡¯t it?¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°I haven¡¯t even had the soup yet, and I can already smell it in my nose.¡±

    ¡°Cut the chatter, this is after all a winter recommended dietary tonic.¡± Lin Ning scooped up a bowl of duck soup, blew on it to cool it down, then impatiently fed it to his mouth, ¡°Just drink it up and then thank Ningning!¡±

    ¡°Thank you Ningning¡ª¡± Yan Yu elongated his voice, then took a sip.

    ¡°How is it?¡± Lin Ning asked expectantly.

    ¡°It¡¯s all medicine, but it¡¯s barely palatable.¡±

    ¡°Because you were so exhausted this time, I increased the dosage of the medicine.¡± Lin Ning counted on her fingers, ¡°After leaving the Mysterious Realm, you¡¯ve been asleep for ten hours, you know?¡±

    ¡°Was it that long?¡± Yan Yu was surprised.

    ¡°Of course, you can ask Yun Jin if you don¡¯t believe me¡­¡± Lin Ning had not finished speaking when she saw Su Yunjin pushing the door open with a small bowl in her hand, filled with freshly cut apple pieces, with three or four toothpicks sticking out slantly.

    Seeing Lin Ning by the bed, Secretary Su, being the astute person she was, instantly knew Lin Ning must have guessed the captain was awake since she herself had just gone to the kitchen to cut the fruit, hence the hasty delivery of soup to take care of him.

    Hmph, just some petty tricks. After all, I was the first one the captain saw when he woke up!

    I was the one who had been by his bedside for so long!

    ¡°I could smell the aroma of Ningning¡¯s duck soup when I came in,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile, ¡°but isn¡¯t it not good to drink soup right after the captain has woken up from such a long sleep? Has Ningning ever heard of the saying ¡®the weak cannot benefit from nourishment¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Not really,¡± Lin Ning also smiled and said, ¡°I knew the captain might not have much appetite after sleeping for more than ten hours, which is why I made this Qi-boosting nutritious meal, and all the essence is in the soup. You don¡¯t need to eat the meat, just drink it down like water¡­ Was the apple that Yun Jin cut taken out of the fridge? I remember those apples were bought last Tuesday, they¡¯ve been there a long time, the nutritional value could have been lost, you know.¡±

    ¡°My apples are fresh from the nearby fruit store,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile, ¡°The apples in the fridge were all eaten up by Sister Zhao long ago.¡±

    The two girls looked at each other for a moment, suddenly feeling an admiration for each other¡¯s matching talents, then felt that as close friends, they probably shouldn¡¯t be so competitive. Thus, they both turned their gaze towards Yan Yu on the hospital bed.

    ¡°Do you want to continue with the soup?¡± Lin Ning picked up the spoon.

    ¡°Or do you want to start with the apple?¡± Su Yunjin held up the small bowl.

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Yan Yu furrowed his brow slightly, thinking to himself, I¡¯m a hero returning from the battlefield, just woken from such a long sleep and not yet fully awake, and you¡¯re giving me this gravity field situation?

    And since Cultivators practicing Fasting won¡¯t be hungry, I indeed don¡¯t have much appetite for these things.

    Anyway, it¡¯s their thoughtful gesture, so ¡°I want them all!¡±

    Just as Yan Yu was about to smile and speak, the door was suddenly pushed open for the third time from the outside.

    ¡°Where is that delicious smell from?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s little head peeked into the door, with her delicate nostrils flaring slightly as she sniffed the air a few times, ¡°Do you smell that fragrance¡­¡±

    Su Yunjin and Lin Ning¡¯s expressions immediately changed.

 Chapter 405 - 1: Have a Quick Meal

    Chapter 405: Chapter 1: Have a Quick Meal

    The three things I need to do recently.

    1. Go to Pingjing to attend the award ceremony.

    2. Visit the location given by the old Longbrow.

    3. Prepare to go home for the New Year.

    The first matter is the most urgent but also the least important.

    The military medals and honorary titles for everyone have been decided, called ¡°Divine General Dinghai¡±.

    ...

    In addition, Yan Yu, due to his outstanding performance at Inferno Pass and finally at the gate of Li Palace, has a different honorary title from others, called ¡°Divine General Dinghai¡±¡­ It seems that someone high up wants to create a ¡°series of famous general titles¡± for him.

    First of all, rule out Chen Tianming; Old Tai Shan isn¡¯t the type to do meaningless things. As for who it actually is, Yan Yu is clueless, and too lazy to clarify, so he simply doesn¡¯t bother to ask Chen Lingyun.

    After the awarding ceremony, there was a monetary reward.

    To be honest, for the people of Dragon Soar Team and Zhenghai today, tens of millions in cash didn¡¯t mean much; in Lord Master¡¯s words, it was just ¡°accepting a gesture¡±¡­

    We, top cultivators, treat tens of millions of cash just as a little token.

    Taking off from Pingjing via Sword Flight, the ladies were still gossiping with sound transmission.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was talking about which dishes were the tastiest at the state banquet, Lin Ning disagreed, saying she could cook those dishes too, then Chen Lingyun egged on the bet, saying if Ningning could recreate the banquet dishes, Sister Zhao would have to accept the wager and so on and so forth¡­

    ¡°What is the captain thinking about?¡± Su Yunjin suddenly asked through sound transmission.

    ¡°I have to make a trip to Nanjiang soon,¡± Yan Yu saw no need to hide it from her, ¡°The old man who gave me the treasures in Li Palace and taught me the Two-handed Sword Control Technique also left an additional divine sense, directing me to seek his Lineage Succession there.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Su Yunjin pondered for a moment and said, ¡°But going to Nanjiang doesn¡¯t necessarily mean you¡¯ll find it, right?¡±

    ¡°If the Mysterious Realm is a reflection of another world in ours, then even if we know the location of a cultivator¡¯s treasure-filled cave, we have to wait until this cave becomes a Mysterious Realm and the entrance appears in our real world before we can enter it to explore and search.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°but it¡¯s just a look-around. If I find nothing, so be it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Su Yunjin smiled and said, ¡°then I can accompany the captain¡­¡±

    ¡°Have you finished finding all your Rootless Water?¡± Yan Yu glanced at her sideways.

    ¡°I can accompany the captain while collecting the Rootless Water I need along the way,¡± Su Yunjin replied unfazed.

    ¡°Forget it, it doesn¡¯t snow all year round in Nanjiang,¡± Yan Yu earnestly advised her, ¡°At your age, you should focus more on your cultivation and not waste time and energy on trivial matters. Otherwise, you¡¯ll regret it later in life.¡±

    A girl¡¯s pure first love is hardly a trivial matter. Besides, if the captain is pursued by another girl, that would truly lead to lifelong regret and remorse for me¡­

    Thinking about the Illusion Realm stage in the Secret Realm of Li Palace where she had to attend Ling Yun and the captain¡¯s wedding as a bridesmaid, Su Yunjin felt another surge of heartache.

    But she was, after all, a well-bred young lady from a respectable family, and did not rashly express her emotions. Instead, she smiled innocently and said:

    ¡°Then, when does the captain think would be the appropriate time to consider this kind of thing?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Yan Yu pondered for a while, ¡°At least until the third year of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, I suppose?¡±

    Taking into account that the first year of Spiritual Energy Resurgence happens to be the year I graduate from high school, does that mean the captain wants to wait until my junior year of college to start dating?

    After everyone returned to the Jinling Villa, Zhao Yuanzhen started urging again:

    ¡°So what are we eating tonight?¡±

    ¡°You ate all of my Bazhen Duck last time; I haven¡¯t settled the score with you yet!¡± Lin Ning said angrily.

    ¡°Yan Yu doesn¡¯t have much of an appetite to begin with, and I saved you from wasting food, isn¡¯t that a good thing?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen patted her flat stomach and said proudly, ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to replicate the state banquet dishes today; just make another duck like last time.¡±

    ¡°No stewed duck,¡± Lin Ning replied expressionlessly. ¡°If you want some, go buy saltwater duck yourself.¡±

    Seeing that she was impervious to persuasion, Zhao Yuanzhen surreptitiously sent a telepathic message to Yan Yu:

    ¡°Yan Yu, I want the Eight Treasures Duck we had last time.¡±

    ¡°Then let Ningning make it for you,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°She won¡¯t. I can¡¯t do anything about it,¡± the Demonic Sect Enchantress was quite clear on this point. ¡°But, if you say you want it, she¡¯ll definitely make it for you.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s in it for me if I do this?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°If you tell her you want stewed duck, tonight a very powerful female cultivator will come to your room for some dual cultivation and to Circulate the Heavens with you,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said earnestly. ¡°She¡¯ll also help you with the puppet maintenance and updates.¡±

    Yan Yu was immediately amused by her offer.

    Enchantress! You actually dare to negotiate with me using something that already belongs to me?

    However, the mention of puppet updating did remind Yan Yu that the Demonic Sect Enchantress indeed obtained a certain heavenly treasure from The Secret Realm of Li Palace, which seemed to be called ¡°Qianling True Dusk Fire.¡±

    In recent days, everyone had been in Pingjing to attend the award ceremony, and all the gains from the trip to Li Palace had already been submitted to the department of science for recording and cataloging to develop corresponding research plans. Once those items were returned, he would use the Qianling True Dusk Fire for the puppet transformation.

    Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s ownership of the puppets had already been reported privately to Chen Lingyun by Chen Tianming, who would ¡°legitimize¡± the matter at the higher levels.

    After Mei Yingxue decided not to pursue past grievances with the Demonic Sect Enchantress, there was no longer a need to hide the existence of the String-Pulling Technique, and it could gradually make its way into the public eye¡­ As the intelligence was increasingly disclosed, the puppets¡¯ secrecy as a ¡°secret weapon¡± would naturally fade, and more enemies would become cautious. Therefore, the puppets needed constant upgrading to strengthen them.

    Well then, he would have many future uses for this witch! He might as well fulfill her wish this time!

    ¡°Ningning,¡± Yan Yu began, ¡°do we still have the ingredients at home to make that stewed duck from last time?¡±

    ¡°Does the captain want to eat it?¡± Lin Ning first looked delighted and proud, but quickly became suspicious and glanced at Zhao Yuanzhen before telepathically asking, ¡°The one who wants to eat is Sister Zhao, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Yan Yu admitted openly. ¡°After she tried your stewed duck last time, everything else she¡¯s eaten lately has tasted bland, so she secretly asked me to plead with you.¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Lin Ning was completely unconvinced and snorted coldly. ¡°Didn¡¯t she enjoy the feast last night? My cooking can¡¯t compare to that of a national chef. Let the banquet chef make it for her!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how your Sister Zhao is,¡± Yan Yu said with a laugh. ¡°All tough talk, but becomes incredibly soft when eating. Hey, why don¡¯t you do this? Make the dish again, put it in front of her¡­ Make her admit that Ningning¡¯s culinary skills are unmatched, and she can¡¯t eat unless she admits it! Don¡¯t forget to record it with a voice recorder, and see how she keeps up her tough act after eating.¡±

    Lin Ning¡¯s mood immediately improved, and she smugly said:

    ¡°My cooking isn¡¯t the best in the world; I just know how to make some home-cooked dishes. Hmph, stewed duck takes too much time, I won¡¯t make it for her. But I carefully noted which dishes she liked at last night¡¯s banquet. I¡¯ll recreate them when I get back and see what she has to say!¡±

    Seeing that Lin Ning had finally agreed, Yan Yu didn¡¯t say more and sat on the couch to watch TV.

    ¡°Captain,¡± Lin Ning suddenly telepathically said again, ¡°the New Year is coming next month.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, so what?¡± Yan Yu asked. ¡°You want to go home to spend it with your family, right? I know.¡± S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Right, it¡¯s for the New Year.¡± Lin Ning fell silent for a moment, then abruptly asked, ¡°Do you have any time recently to accompany me on a trip to Qingyuan Prefecture?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Yan Yu immediately became vigilant. ¡°You¡¯re not trying to get me to pretend to be your fake boyfriend again, are you?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡± Lin Ning hurriedly defended. ¡°And last time you refused anyway! I mean¡­ my dad said you are the team leader, and he wanted me to build a good relationship with you, so I thought I¡¯d invite you to have a meal at my place, especially since Sword Flight makes it very convenient to travel now¡­ Right? Of course, if you don¡¯t want to come, that¡¯s fine too, I¡¯ll just explain to my dad¡­¡±

    Although she repeatedly emphasized, ¡°it¡¯s okay even if you don¡¯t come,¡± Yan Yu could easily hear what she meant: it was an awkward way of saying ¡°I really hope you can come.¡± He responded directly:

    ¡°Sure. As the team leader, I don¡¯t mind going for a casual meal. When do you want to set it up?¡±

    ¡°Noon on New Year¡¯s Eve,¡± Lin Ning replied quickly.

    Yan Yu: ?

 Chapter 406 - 2: New Years Itinerary

    Chapter 406: Chapter 2: New Year¡¯s Itinerary

    The New Year¡¯s Eve dinner refers to the dinner on the evening of the last day of the lunar year.

    However, if the families of both spouses are not together, and if transportation allows, it¡¯s common to have lunch at the bride¡¯s home and dinner at the groom¡¯s, counting both as New Year¡¯s Eve dinners¡ªif it¡¯s the case where the groom joins the bride¡¯s family, then it¡¯s the other way around.

    So, the moment Yan Yu heard it was ¡°lunch on New Year¡¯s Eve,¡± he immediately widened his eyes in surprise:

    Hey! What relationship do we have that I should come to your house for New Year¡¯s Eve dinner?

    Stared down by Yan Yu, Lin Ning awkwardly turned her head away, mumbling:

    ¡°I didn¡¯t force you, it was my dad who wanted to invite you over for dinner, not my idea. Of course, I¡¯m not opposed to the captain coming, but I¡¯m not particularly eager either. It¡¯s better if the captain comes, but it¡¯s no big deal if he doesn¡¯t.¡±

    ...

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­..

    So troublesome, why not just say ¡°please, captain, come to my house for dinner¡±?

    No, no, no, I can¡¯t just agree willy-nilly. It¡¯s New Year¡¯s Eve! In what capacity should I go? And what if all her relatives are there? Damn, what if her old man suddenly calls me ¡®son-in-law¡¯ and sticks me with it!

    Seeing Yan Yu silent for a long time, Lin Ning seemed a bit disheartened and quickly said:

    ¡°Forget it, you don¡¯t have to come. I know it¡¯s not appropriate and didn¡¯t mean to put you on the spot. Just pretend I never said anything.¡±

    That¡¯s more like it! Yan Yu immediately breathed a sigh of relief, glad not to be forced to say ¡°you wish.¡±

    Lin Ning went to cook, and Yan Yu continued watching TV to pass the time.

    Currently, the talk of society focused mainly on The Secret Realm of Li Palace. Even those completely ignorant of cultivator systems could understand from the analysis and hype just how stunning Zhenghai and Dragon Cavalry Team¡¯s performances were at the gates of Li Palace, and just how¡­ exaggerated Yan Yu¡¯s record was.

    Single-handedly blocking an entire wave of attacks!

    The news even spread abroad, so much so that Anna specifically sent a message to comfort him, congratulating him for ¡°showing off your prowess in front of the national public¡± once again.

    Li Minghu also sent a congratulatory message, casually asking if ¡°Dual Sword Control¡± could be exchanged.

    Of course, it could. If the Valkyrie could master Dual Sword Control, dealing with the monkeys at the Southern Border would be more assured.

    After replying to Li Minghu, Yan Yu scrolled through more messages and indeed saw one from Zhang Huaide also asking about Dual Sword Control¡ªindeed, the Sword Immortals of top-level teams could see the value of Dual Sword Control in an instant.

    That implies, besides teaching Ningning Dual Sword Control, I still need to get her and myself another Flying Sword.

    Noting these tasks on his to-do list, suddenly he heard Su Yunjin calling everyone to the dining room:

    ¡°Dinner¡¯s ready, captain and everyone else, come quick!¡±

    Yan Yu made his way to the dining table and had just sat down when the sound of breaking porcelain came from the kitchen.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Su Yunjin went to ask.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Lin Ning shook her head. ¡°I wasn¡¯t holding it steady, and a plate broke.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you clean it up.¡± Su Yunjin brought a broom over.

    The two were cleaning up the broken dinnerware in the kitchen, and Chen Lingyun also came downstairs, glanced at the table, and suddenly asked Yan Yu:

    ¡°Have you eaten yet?¡±

    ¡°Not yet, why?¡± Yan Yu responded.

    Before Chen Lingyun could reply, Zhao Yuanzhen hurried out of the restroom, mumbling something about ¡°everybody sit down, I¡¯ll start for us,¡± then grabbed chopsticks and scooped food into her mouth.

    A second later, she turned and spat it out, frantically shouting:

    ¡°Water! Water! Water!¡±

    Yan Yu calmly handed her a teacup, and Zhao Yuanzhen gulped down a large sip of tea, finally showing a ¡°back from the brink¡± expression, grimacing and sticking out her tongue while saying:

    ¡°So salty! How much salt did they put in here!¡±

    ¡°Is it very salty?¡± Lin Ning came out of the kitchen, took a bite to taste, calmly spat the food out, picked up the dish, and said, ¡°It might be too much salt; I¡¯ll go add some water to dilute it.¡±

    She left for the kitchen, looking exhausted, while Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun exchanged glances. Zhao Yuanzhen, undeterred, reached for another dish, gingerly tasting it.

    ¡°This dish is too bland, no flavor at all,¡± the Demonic Sect Enchantress sighed, resting her chopsticks on the edge of the table, ¡°I really can¡¯t summon any appetite.¡±

    Yan Yu was suddenly horrified: What happened? Even Zhao Yuanzhen ¡°lost her appetite,¡± how awful could these dishes possibly be!

    ¡°Ningning seems a bit out of sorts,¡± Chen Lingyun quietly messaged him, ¡°do you have any clue what¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any clue¡­¡± Yan Yu looked back to see Lin Ning absent-mindedly pouring the dishes back into the soup pot, added half a bowl of boiling water, then incessantly stirred, just stirred,

    like a numb, mechanical cement mixer. Hey, you didn¡¯t even turn on the stove underneath!

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Ningning?¡± Su Yunjin also returned to the dining table, concernedly asking, ¡°She seems a bit off.¡±

    Although it seemed like she was asking everyone, her gaze was fixed on Yan Yu, clearly implying, ¡°captain, what did you do to her?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi also came down from the second floor and saw Lin Ning busying herself in the kitchen, with a group of people gathered around the dining table, none of them having touched their chopsticks. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Even Zhao hadn¡¯t touched hers!

    She slowly made her way to the dining table and after looking for a long while, hesitated before asking,

    ¡°Are these dishes¡­ poisoned?¡±

    ¡°Forget it.¡± Yan Yu stood up, ¡°I¡¯ll ask.¡±

    He walked into the kitchen, approached Lin Ning, and while scanning the girls standing behind him out of the corner of his eye, he quietly asked Lin Ning,

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ve been a bit tired lately,¡± Lin Ning replied softly, ¡°This dish might be beyond saving, maybe we should just eat out tonight.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­.

    If it had been someone else, he would really think it was intentional retaliation. But Ningning¡¯s emotions were all written on her face¡ªheadline being ¡°I¡¯m not happy¡±, content being ¡°Because the captain refused to come over to my house for dinner, I¡¯m a bit upset now and can¡¯t bring myself to cook properly¡±.

    Cooking is one thing, but what about training? Would things also start falling apart? In poor form, performing abnormally?

    Yan Yu was silent for a while before saying,

    ¡°I¡¯m busy on New Year¡¯s Eve, how about a few days earlier? The 29th or 28th?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lin Ning frowned, and her melancholy quickly turned to irritation as she frowned and asked,

    ¡°Are you pitying me, captain? I don¡¯t want your pity, I¡¯ll explain things to my dad myself.¡±

    You really are difficult to deal with¡­ Yan Yu thought to himself, but he smiled and said,

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just a normal visit, just like how leaders in other units also visit the families of outstanding employees during the New Year. But if you don¡¯t want to, then forget it.¡±

    Perhaps the term ¡°outstanding employee¡± struck a chord with her, Lin Ning no longer resisted and just stared at the soup pot for a moment before finally pouting and saying,

    ¡°Hmph, if the captain insists on visiting my home, then there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡±

    She seemed to want to maintain her original depressed state, but her eyebrows and eyes soon couldn¡¯t help but relax.

    Seeing that he finally managed to sort it out, Yan Yu breathed a sigh of relief and returned to the dining table to announce,

    ¡°We¡¯re eating out tonight.¡±

    The girls then all got up, preparing to leave.

    As Yan Yu was about to go back to his room to change clothes, he suddenly heard Su Yunjin¡¯s voice transmission asking,

    ¡°Captain, when do you plan to visit Ningning¡¯s house next month?¡±

    ¡°Ah, this¡­¡± Yan Yu was also startled, after a moment he asked, ¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°I saw Ningning talking to you just now, and her lips seemed to form the words ¡®come to my house,''¡± Su Yunjin said with a light smile, ¡°So, are you planning to pretend to be her boyfriend and spend the New Year with her family?¡±

    Although her tone was light-hearted, a sense of heavy seriousness spread with her voice transmission, as if it could crush all the air around.

    ¡°No, no.¡± Yan Yu immediately denied, ¡°It¡¯s just that her dad wants to thank me for looking after his daughter this year, so he invited me for a meal¡ªI¡¯m going as the captain of the team, definitely not pretending to be any boyfriend.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Su Yunjin mused, ¡°Coincidentally, my parents also want to thank the captain for my training this year. You should be able to spare one day next month to visit my home, right?¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Yan Yu was dumbfounded, ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°But why do I feel like this is something you just thought of on the spur of the moment? You haven¡¯t even called your parents about it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s something my parents had mentioned a while ago,¡± Su Yunjin lied seriously, ¡°I originally thought it was too much of a disturbance to the captain, so I didn¡¯t want to say anything. But since you¡¯ve already accepted Ningning¡¯s invitation, I¡¯d like the same treatment.¡±

    No, no, no, in reality this has nothing to do with your parents, it¡¯s just that you want the same treatment, right! You ended up saying what was on your mind, didn¡¯t you?

    Yan Yu also felt overwhelmed. Considering that the strongest in this world never fears any challenges, he could only agree for now and deal with it when the New Year approached.

    ¡°Yan Yu.¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly transmitted her voice, ¡°Do you have any free time recently¡­¡±

    ¡°No, your house is the only one I will not visit!¡± Yan Yu immediately refused decisively.

    ¡°¡­to help me check my Prison Banner.¡± Chen Lingyun revealed a sweet smile, ¡°Come to think of it, was it Ningning who invited you to her house? Oh, it¡¯s almost the New Year, going to meet relatives, right? Because you refused, she was unhappy, and only now has she cheered up¡­ because you relented, right?¡±

    ¡°Even if you guessed it, it¡¯s of no use,¡± Yan Yu emphasized, ¡°And I¡¯ll say it again, I will not visit your house during the New Year.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile, ¡°I can come to your house.¡±

    At this, Yan Yu was startled, images of New Year¡¯s Eve with this princess firmly controlling her parents and sister flashed through his mind, causing his hair to stand on end.

 Chapter 407 - 3 Game PLAY

    Chapter 407: Chapter 3 Game PLAY

    ¡°Hey Captain Yan,¡± Yan Yu typed, asking, ¡°I have a question for you.¡±

    Zhou Hongyu did not reply, but Yan Yu did not wait foolishly for her response and quickly typed out the question.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: As a team leader, how do you treat all members equally?

    After a while, a question mark came from the other side.

    [Zao La]: ?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Let me give you an example. It¡¯s January now, and soon it¡¯ll be the Chinese New Year. If Qin Meng and Tang Xiaolian both invite you to their homes for the New Year¡¯s Eve dinner at the same time, what would you do?

    ...

    [Zao La]: Get lost.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: That direct and harsh? What if you upset them so much they can¡¯t eat or sleep, and it affects their daily training too? That would be problematic, wouldn¡¯t it?

    [Zao La]: I¡¯m telling you to get lost.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Although you replaced one word with five, the meaning hasn¡¯t changed, has it?

    The other side stopped replying. After a while, Zhang Huaide suddenly sent a message.

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: Does Captain Yan have a personal issue? Captain Zhou is busy. If Captain Yan wouldn¡¯t mind, you can discuss it with me.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Did Captain Zhou send you? Oh, it¡¯s like this. I¡¯m thinking about how, as a team leader, to treat everyone equally.

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: Captain Yan, with all due respect, that¡¯s impossible.

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: Everyone¡¯s values are different. Even if the treatment is identical, some team members might feel grateful, while others might feel shortchanged. If the goal is to satisfy everyone, the right strategy definitely isn¡¯t to treat everyone equally.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Tell me more in detail, Zhang.

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: The truly effective strategy is to give each person the treatment they desire, not the same treatment.

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: From a management perspective, managers need to effectively manage ¡®subordinates¡¯ expectations,¡¯ then judge how to meet them more economically. Some demands can be met directly, others might look for a cheaper ¡°alternative,¡± and some requests need to be rejected outright. Of course, specific issues require specific analysis. I can only offer a general idea.

    Yan Yu pondered thoughtfully.

    So, I need to manage their expectations, right?

    What does Yun Jin desire? Probably a sense of security, considering she¡¯s the only child, perennially single, and a romantic at heart with wild but impractical fantasies. Occasionally giving her sweet nothings to fool her into feeling an increasing closeness should do the trick.

    As for Ningning, who never says what she feels and vehemently denies everything, she probably needs a sort of push-pull relationship. You can¡¯t get too close and trigger her tsundere nature, but you also can¡¯t stay too far or she¡¯ll secretly shed tears. Just keeping a steady back-and-forth distance should be fine.

    Got it! Got it, got it, got it¡ªthis isn¡¯t so hard, haha!

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Thanks, Zhang. Although this approach might feel a bit unethical, there¡¯s no better option. I¡¯ve decided to adopt your approach!

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: ¡­Having reviewed our chat, I am certain I did not provide any ¡®unethical strategies.¡¯

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Don¡¯t sweat the details¡ªI¡¯ve got to go, you stay busy.

    Yan Yu put away his phone, looked up, and saw the girls looking at each other in silent communication, probably telepathically chatting about something again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t just sit there,¡± he said, picking up his chopsticks. ¡°Let¡¯s eat, let¡¯s eat.¡±

    The restaurant was chosen by Chen Lingyun due to the commotion at the school last time. It was clear they couldn¡¯t dine in the school cafeteria anymore without being watched by all the students, hence the selection of this VIP room in a restaurant rumored to be very discreet, spacious enough not only for eating, drinking, gaming, partying, but also equipped with beds for sleeping. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Strange, why would they put a big bed in the VIP room? Do customers have that kind of need?

    After dinner, Yan Yu took out a toothpick to clean his teeth when he saw Xie Ruoxi running to the TV, grabbing the game controller, and starting to play Goose Duck Kill.

    Probably because they were full and a bit bored, and didn¡¯t want to go home right away, the girls gathered around to watch.

    ¡°This is just like Werewolf Kill,¡± Lin Ning commented with a frown. ¡°It relies on lying and deceiving to win¡ªwhat¡¯s the point of a game like that? The better someone is at this game online, the more I¡¯d want to stay away from them offline.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi chuckled nervously; she had already won five rounds in a row, managing to win every time.

    ¡°Let me have a go,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said, quite interested. Although the Demonic Sect Enchantress of this timeline hadn¡¯t yet committed any heinous acts, she still had a natural, intense interest in wrongdoing.

    ¡°Hold on, let me finish this level,¡± Xie Ruoxi quickly said, ¡°It¡¯s about to start the statement phase.¡±

    In this level, her role was the goose, a so-called ¡°good faction¡± member. She needed to persuade her teammates to trust her and identify the ¡°liars¡± from other factions. After watching for a while, Yan Yu roughly understood how the game worked.

    He also understood why Xie Ruoxi had been able to win five rounds in a row. In the virtual online environment, she was very talkative, skillful at hinting and pretending to be naive. Completely different from her socially anxious offline persona, male players were often deceived by her, and female players also had a fifty percent chance of being tricked.

    The participants took turns analyzing the situation at length, and finally, it was Xie Ruoxi¡¯s turn.

    She was weighing her words when she suddenly heard Su Yunjin say,

    ¡°The first person who spoke is lying.¡±

    ¡°Ah, why?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked curiously.

    ¡°I¡¯m quite sensitive to people¡¯s vocal tones,¡± Su Yunjin said. ¡°His voice trembled a bit, probably because he was holding back a laugh.¡±

    ¡°Sister, that¡¯s not fair!¡± the man who spoke first shouted desperately, ¡°You can¡¯t bring in outsiders to cheat!¡±

    ¡°Ah, Ruoxi, is your mic on?¡± Su Yunjin quickly covered her mouth, ¡°Sorry, I was just reminding you, not talking to them.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, what Yun Jin said is exactly what I was going to say,¡± Xie Ruoxi shamelessly yelled out, ¡°Let¡¯s vote him off!¡±

    So, the first round of voting ended smoothly, and the player who Su Yunjin pointed out as ¡°holding back a laugh¡± was indeed voted out.

    The game continued for a few more minutes, and soon it was time for the second round of voting, when suddenly someone said,

    ¡°That¡­ Magic Girl Ruoxi, right? I heard you calling someone Yun Jin earlier, and she called you Ruoxi. Are you two from the Zhenghai Team, Xie Ruoxi and Su Yunjin?¡±

    The girls looked at each other.

    The next second, Xie Ruoxi, quick as a flash, exited the game!

    ¡°Hahaha, we were almost recognized,¡± she said sheepishly as she stood up. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t have used our real names.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t played yet,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen lamented, on the brink of tears, ¡°We agreed I¡¯d take the next game¡­¡±

    ¡°No worries, I¡¯ll set up an account for you,¡± Xie Ruoxi consoled her, when suddenly she heard Chen Lingyun laugh and say,

    ¡°What¡¯s the fun in playing with strangers online? We have six people here; we can just play a game, right?¡±

    ¡°What do you want to play, Lingyun?¡± Su Yunjin asked curiously.

    ¡°Werewolf Killer, UNO cards, King¡¯s Game, or Truth or Dare,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m good with any of those.¡±

    Yan Yu, who had been silent up to that point, suddenly shivered. The painful memory of playing games with his girlfriend in his previous life flashed through his mind.

    ¡°No Truth or Dare!¡± he exclaimed sharply.

 Chapter 408 - 4 The Boasting Conference

    Chapter 408: Chapter 4 The Boasting Conference

    ¡°I propose we play King¡¯s Game,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not play King¡¯s Game,¡± Yan Yu immediately chimed in with malicious intent, warning the girls, ¡°Think about it, if Ling Yun were to draw the King card, wouldn¡¯t she play us to death?¡±

    After giving it some thought, the girls unanimously agreed, hastily saying:

    ¡°We don¡¯t want to play King¡¯s Game.¡±

    ¡°Then what do you all want to play?¡± Chen Lingyun wasn¡¯t surprised by their reaction and smiled, ¡°Everyone, state your preference.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m up for UNO cards,¡± Lin Ning expressed her opinion, ¡°But I¡¯m okay with other games too.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Werewolf Kill,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen suggested, still thinking about the video game they had just played.

    ¡°Truth or Dare,¡± Su Yunjin declared.

    Everyone was immediately taken aback as they looked at her.

    Su Yunjin forced herself to remain calm, because Chen Lingyun had just telepathically communicated with her, suggesting that she could use the guise of the game to ask Yan Yu the questions she normally didn¡¯t dare to¡­ This had truly touched Secretary Su.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to play Truth or Dare, how about we just play Werewolf Kill,¡± Xie Ruoxi shook her head, her own shady past was a cause for fear at the mere thought of it.

    With Xie Ruoxi standing with Zhao Yuanzhen, Werewolf had two votes. Su Yunjin was growing anxious, but then she saw Chen Lingyun smiling at Xie Ruoxi, seemingly communicating telepathically with her.

    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.?¦Ï

    The next second, Xie Ruoxi changed her mind and said:

    ¡°Although, Truth or Dare might be fun too, we should play something exciting at night, right?¡±

    ¡°Truth or Dare isn¡¯t exactly what I¡¯d call an exciting game¡­¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was about to complain but then heard Chen Lingyun say:

    ¡°I¡¯m for Truth or Dare, so let¡¯s settle on that.¡±

    Yan Yu sighed on the side, thinking that they had no idea how terrifying Chen Lingyun could be. Look, she had already had everyone in the palm of her hand just in the voting phase of the game; how could they possibly stand a chance against her once the game started?

    Fortunately, I have my own countermeasures¡­ he silently poured himself a large cup of tea, preparing to gather strength.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go over the rules,¡± Chen Lingyun said as she took out two decks of cards and a die, smiling as she explained, ¡°Starting with me, we¡¯ll go clockwise and number each person from 1-6. Whoever the die lands on will have to choose, whether it¡¯s Truth or Dare. They¡¯ll draw a card from the corresponding deck and either perform what¡¯s written on it or answer the question.¡±

    ¡°Agreed,¡± the girls nodded in unison.

    ¡°Hold on! I want to inspect the decks,¡± Yan Yu said.

    From past life experiences, one can never be too cautious!

    After closely inspecting the decks, Yan Yu finally confirmed that these were all Lu Country¡¯s special edition. Because if they were from countries abroad which are more open, questions like ¡°How long did your first time last?¡± or ¡°Do you have any experience with multiple partners?¡± would come up¡­ which would surely scare the girls away.

    However, his intuition felt even worse because given Chen Lingyun¡¯s confidence, she must already know the content on these cards, making her all the more suspicious.

    Damn it, where did she rig the game?

    ¡°If there¡¯s nothing wrong with the inspection, then let¡¯s begin,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Who¡¯ll throw the die?¡±

    ¡°Me!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen eagerly volunteered.

    She took the die from Chen Lingyun and looked at everyone mischievously, purposely fiddling with the die in her hand.

    Chen Lingyun smiled in response, Su Yunjin wore a calm expression, Lin Ning feigned composure, Xie Ruoxi closed her eyes and silently prayed over and over ¡°not to roll a 4¡±, while Yan Yu leisurely sipped his tea, seemingly not nervous in the slightest.

    Hence, Zhao Yuanzhen rolled the die¡­ It landed on six.

    ¡°It¡¯s the captain!¡± While the girls breathed a sigh of relief, they also braced themselves.

    ¡°Wait! I want to inspect the die,¡± Yan Yu suddenly raised his hand.

    ¡°You suspect I¡¯m cheating?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen glared at him immediately.

    Clever little thief! The Enchantress did not target you, dare you doubt the integrity of her dice throwing skills?

    Thinking this, the Demonic Sect Enchantress grew even more angry, making a mental note:

    Today, the little thief doubted me for cheating with the die, smearing my innocence. I¡¯ll remember this grudge! One day, when I become the Demon Lord, I will give him trouble over this issue, making him pay a bitter price, regretting his actions!

    Images began to surface in his mind:

    He saw two people practicing the String-Pulling Technique together, and right at the most crucial moment, he suddenly blurted out:

    ¡°You little thief, you dared to suspect me of cheating during Truth or Dare in the hotel private room? Today is the time for you to atone for your sins!¡± S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± the little thief immediately became nervous, wanting to run away but realized that their True Yuan were tightly intertwined, leaving no chance for escape.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to suck all your True Yuan dry!¡± he sneered sinisterly and unleashed the Demon Lord¡¯s cultivation, bringing it to a full one hundred percent. The String-Pulling Technique operated vigorously, instantly draining, desiccating, and exhausting his Dantian!

    Zhao Yuanzhen indulged in this delightful fantasy when he heard Yan Yu speak leisurely:

    ¡°I didn¡¯t suspect you. You don¡¯t have the smarts to cheat.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, at least you¡¯re sensible,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen let his guard down but then felt something was amiss and frowned suspiciously.

    After checking the dice and finding no bias in weight, Yan Yu rolled them several times on the table, confirming the outcomes appeared random.

    Could it really be that Zhao Yuanzhen, this complete idiot, just casually threw the dice and hit me on his first try?

    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Lin Ning commented with a smirk, ¡°If the captain can¡¯t find anything wrong, let¡¯s not drag this out any longer. You lost the bet; accept it gracefully.¡±

    Yan Yu returned the dice to Chen Lingyun and said:

    ¡°I choose truth.¡±

    Dare was too troublesome; answering questions seemed safer.

    ¡°Draw a card,¡± Chen Lingyun picked up the deck, then said with a teasing smile, ¡°Want to check the deck again? Or would you prefer to draw the card yourself?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll shuffle, to save our captain from his paranoia,¡± Lin Ning took the deck from her, shuffled and cut the cards quickly, then spread them out for Yan Yu to draw.

    Yan Yu drew a card at random, revealing it for everyone to see. It read:

    ¡°Tell the player directly opposite you all of your impressions and thoughts about them.¡±

    The group exchanged glances. With numbers 1 to 6 representing Chen, Su, Lin, Xie, Zhao, and Yan respectively, the player directly opposite Yan Yu was¡­ Ningning?

    Lin Ning was also stunned on the spot; she had not expected that her own shuffling would drag her into this.

    The captain¡¯s¡­ impressions and thoughts about me?

    She started to feel uneasy, instinctively wanting to dodge the question, but since she had just said ¡°accept it gracefully¡± herself, it wouldn¡¯t look good to contradict her earlier statement. Therefore, she sat up straight, her expression tense and seemingly serious yet betraying her nervousness, as she waited for Yan Yu¡¯s response.

    Yan Yu inwardly sneered at the question:

    What impression? A serious and tsundere little sister, of course!

    But he couldn¡¯t respond like that; after all, just moments ago, little Zhang had reminded him to manage the psychological expectations of the team members¡­ With that in mind, he formulated his answer.

    ¡°My impression of Lin Ning is¡ª¡± he deliberately dragged out his words, indeed seeing Lin Ning barely holding on, even the area beneath her ears began blushing slightly, before he continued slowly, ¡°She¡¯s a good girl.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t just play the good guy card,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Truth means you have to ¡®tell all your impressions.¡¯ So, you must share all your thoughts about her. After knowing her for so long, you surely don¡¯t think of her just as a good kid, right?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I haven¡¯t finished yet,¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°Ningning is very pretty, but her personality is a bit too serious. When we first met, she gave off a vibe of ¡®wanting to get to know her but also worrying it won¡¯t be easy¡¯.¡±

    Lin Ning felt a bit disheartened and recalled their first meeting in the cafeteria. Because she disliked his frivolous attitude, she deliberately added him as a friend only to block him afterward¡­ So the captain still held a grudge about the unpleasant incident?

    ¡°Being overly serious is her flaw, but also her merit,¡± Yan Yu¡¯s tone shifted, adding, ¡°Because being serious means ¡®reliable.¡¯ I¡¯m not saying no one else is reliable, but within our team, ¡®you can always trust Ningning.¡¯ Ling Yun, who¡¯s in charge of commanding, must feel the same, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    Lin Ning¡¯s mood immediately lifted, and she chuckled bashfully, ¡°I¡¯m not as good as you make me out to be, I just like to do things to the best of my ability, that¡¯s all.¡±

    Su Yunjin watched from the sidelines with a cold eye, thinking to herself how the captain first complimented her on being ¡°pretty,¡± then critiqued her for being ¡°overly serious,¡± and as Ningning became disheartened, he spun ¡°overly serious¡± into ¡°reliable and trustworthy¡±¡­ Pulling her back and forth like this, he had her completely wrapped around his finger, making her forget that what the captain said were actually objective assessments, without mentioning his subjective feelings for Ningning at all!

    If I were in Ningning¡¯s shoes, I certainly wouldn¡¯t let the captain get away with such evasion!

 Chapter 409 - 5: Completely Outclassing Chen Lingyun

    Chapter 409: Chapter 5: Completely Outclassing Chen Lingyun

    ¡°The captain always seems suspicious of the dice,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°How about you throw them this time?¡±

    Yan Yu took them without a change in expression and casually threw a one.

    So there¡¯s nothing wrong with the dice? The trick must be in the deck¡­ No, Lin Ning was the one who shuffled earlier. Damn, you even anticipated that I would suspect this, which is why you purposely let Lin Ning shuffle, right?

    ¡°This time I choose Dare,¡± Chen Lingyun continued smiling, ¡°Please, Captain, shuffle the cards for me.¡±

    Yan Yu picked up the deck for Dare, shuffled it unhappily, feeling like the magician on stage who says, ¡°Shuffle these for me, I definitely haven¡¯t tampered with them.¡±

    I¡¯d stand on my head and eat mustard if you hadn¡¯t tampered with them!

    ...

    ¡°Done,¡± he said as he slowly spread the deck, then suddenly suggested, ¡°How about Zhao picks one for you?¡±

    Maybe there¡¯s invisible ink on the cards, and she¡¯s wearing glasses that can see through it¡­ Better scan with Divine Sense first.

    ¡°That works,¡± Chen Lingyun was still smiling, seemingly unconcerned about Yan Yu scanning her with Divine Sense.

    No colored contacts indeed¡­

    ¡°Alright!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen rolled up her sleeves, ¡°I¡¯ll pick a tough one!¡±

    She carefully selected a card and played it crisply.

    [Choose a player present, and kiss them.]

    Everyone stared at the card in shock, until they heard Su Yunjin say:

    ¡°There¡¯s no restriction on where to kiss, so the back of the hand should count, right?¡±

    ¡°No, I want a kiss on the cheek,¡± Chen Lingyun said mischievously, holding her lips, in a sugary sweet tone.

    The girls were all shocked! So, she¡¯s making her move on the captain now?

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s reaction was a beat too slow, first with a laugh as if she was ready to enjoy the show, then suddenly, whether she figured something out or Xie Ruoxi covertly tipped her off, her expression drastically changed to a menacing ¡°lay a hand on me and you¡¯re dead.¡±

    Chen Lingyun was slightly at a loss for words due to the Enchantress¡¯s fierceness, knowing that she indeed might make a move.

    She intentionally said with a laugh:

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to switch places, how about choosing someone nearby instead?¡±

    Her nearby choices were only Yan Yu and Su Yunjin¡­ Zhao Yuanzhen immediately glared, looking ready to devour someone.

    Su Yunjin, however, just sighed. Sure enough, Chen Lingyun¡¯s gaze hovered over Yan Yu¡¯s face for a while before she suddenly turned and grabbed Su Yunjin¡¯s arm, planting a kiss on her cheek.

    Lin Ning and Xie Ruoxi visibly relaxed, while Zhao Yuanzhen snorted and turned her head away.

    She knows her place, and I¡¯ll spare this wretch¡¯s life!

    Yan Yu noticed Su Yunjin¡¯s face seemed a bit red, and he mentally lamented the deadly charm of this troublesome woman, absolutely lethal to both men and women.

    If she were only a bit nicer, she¡¯d be unbeatable.

    ¡°I¡¯ll throw the dice this time,¡± Xie Ruoxi volunteered eagerly.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Chen Lingyun nodded.

    Yan Yu scanned the dice again, seeing Xie Ruoxi let go, the dice spun on the table for a while and finally landed on six.

    Why is it always me! She must have cheated, but where did she tamper?

    ¡°Which person does the captain wish to shuffle and draw cards this time?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    ¡°Let Ruoxi handle it all,¡± Yan Yu gave Xie Ruoxi a death glare mixed with a friendly smile, as if to say ¡°You know what to do.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi immediately turned into a trembling bunny, shut her eyes tightly, shuffled the cards wildly, then drew a card, slapped it on the table, and looked at Yan Yu, not daring to communicate any other way, only signaling with her eyes:

    I definitely didn¡¯t tamper with them!

    ¡°Wait, shouldn¡¯t we choose between Truth and Dare first?¡± Lin Ning suddenly realized something was off.

    ¡°Never mind, I¡¯ll check.¡± Yan Yu flipped the card over, and upon a closer look, it was indeed a Dare card, which read:

    [Hold the player second to your left until the next round ends.]

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    This card is way too outrageous! It would be okay if it were two girls, but a guy and a girl? Isn¡¯t that just forcing a romantic moment? And what if both players are guys, wouldn¡¯t hugging mean¡­ uh, back-patting might still be okay, though.

    Su Yunjin also turned pale; she had never had even slightly intimate contact with any male her entire life, and she reflexively declined:

    ¡°How about we forget it? Didn¡¯t the captain initially not choose truth or dare? It would make sense to draw again.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s draw once more then,¡± Yan Yu was about to sneak by, when suddenly Chen Lingyun laughed:

    ¡°Is the captain worried about hugging a girl, or just specifically about hugging Yun Jin?¡±

    There it goes! The bitchy act of fanning the flames!

    Although her intention to incite was more than obvious, Su Yunjin still flinched, showing a deeply sad expression after.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I have anything against Yun Jin,¡± Yan Yu hastily defended, ¡°but it¡¯s not just a hug. It¡¯s about maintaining the hug for the entire duration of the game. That would be overly intimate, wouldn¡¯t it? I don¡¯t think Yun Jin would be comfortable with it¡­¡±

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s fine,¡± Su Yunjin suddenly whispered.

    Lin Ning immediately showed a shocked and frightened expression. Zhao Yuanzhen was also slightly stunned and were about to flip the table in anger when he suddenly turned his head towards Chen Lingyun, apparently listening to her telepathic message.

    ¡°I mean, isn¡¯t physical touch between teammates normal?!¡± Su Yunjin noticed the change in their expressions and hurriedly explained, ¡°If it¡¯s on the battlefield, like being incapacitated, letting the captain carry you is quite reasonable, right? In the Departure Palace Guard Battle, when Ruoxi was just transported in, didn¡¯t she let the captain carry her? Surely you can¡¯t say there was too much intimacy between Ruoxi and the captain, right?¡±

    ¡°Ahahaha, this¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi turned her head uncomfortably, thinking how she indeed was entirely engulfed in ambiguous and na?ve feelings when the captain was carrying me haha, and of course, I would never admit to this.

    ¡°Or is that?¡± Su Yunjin cocked her head towards Yan Yu, showing a gentle smile, ¡°The captain is okay with carrying Ruoxi but not me?¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­ sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Cornered!

    If I explicitly refuse, it might deeply hurt Secretary Su, but allowing everyone to think I¡¯m favoring Ruoxi over others, would I, as the captain, lose face? How would I even talk, or lead the team in the future?

    ¡°That¡¯s not the case.¡± He also wore the same gentle smile, replying, ¡°If Yun Jin doesn¡¯t mind, of course, I have no problem.¡±

    Yun Jin, you brought this up; don¡¯t end up too shy to handle it later.

    Su Yunjin stood up, plucking up courage to walk towards Yan Yu.

    Her heart was somewhat bashful, but¡­ as Ling Yun whispered to me just now, if the captain was going to hold someone else, and she agreed to it, I would just have to silently suffer and withdraw.

    Better to have the captain hold me than that¡­ Modesty and shyness aren¡¯t insurmountable mental blocks after all!

    Yan Yu shifted to make space, preparing his left arm to wrap around her as Su Yunjin took a seat beside him.

    But Su Yunjin, whose mind was fixated on ¡°overcoming barriers, defeating oneself,¡± didn¡¯t notice Yan Yu¡¯s slight movement and mustered up the courage to sit directly on his lap.

    Well, the captain¡¯s thighs are quite sturdy, but isn¡¯t this uncomfortable for him? I think I¡¯m not too heavy¡­

    As Su Yunjin was lost in her thoughts, she suddenly got hugged by Yan Yu from behind, barely holding back a yelp, her mind cleared of its random thoughts, leaving only inexplicable shyness and joy.

    Oh! The captain¡­ the captain is holding me!

    This means he¡¯s not opposed to intimate contact with me, right!

    He must also have a strong, distinct fondness for me!

    Can I declare my love immediately after the game, and isn¡¯t it bound to be successful?

    Lin Ning was staring at her, his facial muscles tense as if he had bitten into an extremely sour lemon.

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s eyes were curved in a smile, Xie Ruoxi turned her head away, and Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s face was dark, his eyes slightly narrowed, evidently pondering something.

    Since Su Yunjin in his arms blocked his view, Yan Yu did not notice the expression on Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s faces, but he was thinking to himself:

    ¡°She¡¯s definitely larger than Chen Lingyun, one meter sixty really doesn¡¯t feel the same as one meter fifty, the latter always feels like holding a child. The scent of shampoo feels familiar, probably the same brand she uses, her waist seems a bit more plump and soft, but not to the extent of appearing fat, overall tactile impression is a total win over Chen Lingyun¡­¡±

    ¡°Captain,¡± Su Yunjin suddenly communicated telepathically.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°Are you getting shy? If you¡¯re shy, get up from my lap quick.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch recklessly!¡± Su Yunjin reproached with embarrassment, ¡°Keep your hands properly on my legs!¡±

 Chapter 410 - 6: Princess Carry and Twister Fun

    Chapter 410: Chapter 6: Princess Carry and Twister Fun

    From the back, Su Yunjin¡¯s body curves and touch were excellent.

    She usually loved eating vegetables and fruits, disliked carbs and greasy food, so there wasn¡¯t much excess fat on her body. The slim parts were slim and the fuller parts¡­ let¡¯s leave that for now. From the average standard of women from Jiangnan, there really was no need to be too picky about Secretary Su.

    Her black hair cascaded down, both thick and smooth, clearly well-maintained.

    No, I kind of want to stroke it.

    But since everyone was here, I could only forcefully hold myself back.

    Held in Yan Yu¡¯s arms like that, Su Yunjin, although putting on a calm face, was also slightly blushing.

    ...

    To distract from the strange feelings in her heart, she pretended to be nonchalant and asked,

    ¡°Who¡¯s rolling the dice next?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said coldly.

    She grabbed the dice and threw them without a glance.

    The ladies quickly looked, only to see the dice roll a few times and settle on a five.

    ¡°Zhao rolled for herself, so she picks¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi hadn¡¯t finished speaking when Zhao Yuanzhen interrupted her,

    ¡°Truth or dare! Hurry up and draw a card for me!¡±

    Lin Ning knew she wanted to end this round quickly, to get Su Yunjin off the captain¡¯s body, so she quickly handed over the deck and reminded,

    ¡°They¡¯re already shuffled.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen quickly drew a card and slammed it on the table.

    Everyone crowded to see; it read:

    [Choose one person present to carry them around everyone for a round or be carried by them instead.]

    Su Yunjin paused for a moment, thinking the design was quite reasonable, because the person who drew the card could be a man or a woman; thus, they could choose to carry or be carried¡­ only to hear Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly point at Yan Yu and shout angrily,

    ¡°I choose him!¡±

    ¡°So are you carrying me, or am I carrying you?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    The first thought that jumped into Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s mind was to lift the little thief, carry him around the field, then throw him hard on the ground, since the card¡¯s content only required carrying someone around once without specifying how to put them down.

    But Chen Lingyun quickly reminded everyone,

    ¡°This game isn¡¯t over, so Yunjin can¡¯t get off the captain¡¯s body. And you can¡¯t use Curved Curse to cheat, since it¡¯s a regular human game. So, it¡¯s either Zhao carries the captain and Yunjin around, or the captain carries Zhao and Yunjin.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s eyes lit up, great idea!

    ¡°I choose to have you carry me,¡± she said to Yan Yu with a beaming smile, her tone laden with the arrogant satisfaction of getting her way, ¡°Of course, just as Lingyun said, Yunjin can¡¯t get off, and you can¡¯t use Curved Curse to cheat.¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s face darkened, trying to make things difficult for me, right?

    Su Yunjin wasn¡¯t very heavy, but the Demonic Sect Enchantress definitely wasn¡¯t light, and together they probably weighed around two hundred kilograms. Carrying them in a princess hold around the table was like holding a 50kg dumbbell in each arm, certainly no easy task.

    Though I couldn¡¯t use Curved Curse, there was still a sneaky way; consuming an Elixir Medicine. This stuff was used on the battlefield by cultivators, equivalent to a large dose of adrenaline, capable of temporarily enhancing a cultivator¡¯s strength.

    I¡¯ll pretend I drank too much tea, go to the bathroom to secretly take the Elixir Medicine, perfect plan!

    Wait and see how I carry both of you stacked together, easily running back and forth several rounds!

    ¡°Ah, I drank too much tea.¡± Yan Yu pushed the teacup in front of him showing only tea leaves left, ¡°I¡¯ll go to the toilet and then come back to carry you.¡±

    ¡°But the game isn¡¯t over yet, so Yunjin can¡¯t get off,¡± Chen Lingyun reminded again.

    Su Yunjin¡¯s face turned from red to white. What, the captain intends to carry me to the toilet?

    ¡°How can that be!¡± She hadn¡¯t even spoken yet when Lin Ning from the opposite side couldn¡¯t contain herself anymore, ¡°To the toilet! Who carries a girl to the toilet! Captain, you endure until the next round to go!¡±

    Yan Yu frowned slightly. Chen Lingyun, was this also in your calculations?

    ¡°I can¡¯t hold it anymore.¡± He then picked up Su Yunjin and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±

    The two entered the toilet, Yan Yu locked the door, and only heard Su Yunjin speak with a trembling voice,

    ¡°I¡¯ll close my eyes.¡±

    ¡°Come on, no one is watching us now.¡± Yan Yu was amused by her, ¡°You can get down now.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Su Yunjin clung to him, ¡°Hurry up and finish in the toilet so we can go back.¡±

    Yan Yu looked at Su Yunjin in surprise. The girl was tightly closing her eyes, her breath slightly rapid, her pale skin blushing beautifully, and her hands tightly wrapped around his neck, securing herself firmly, showing no intention of getting down.

    He discreetly swallowed the Elixir Medicine and said,

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go back.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Su Yunjin opened her eyes, confusedly looking at him, ¡°But you haven¡¯t even taken off your pants¡­¡±

    ¡°Suddenly, I don¡¯t feel like peeing anymore.¡± Yan Yu picked her up and said, ¡°Or did you want to hear me pee?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say such perverted things.¡± Su Yunjin bit her lower lip, annoyed.

    You¡¯ve been in my arms for so long now, why fuss over such things¡­ Yan Yu also felt speechless, carrying Su Yunjin out of the toilet and back to the group of girls, his expression resigned,

    ¡°Let¡¯s do this!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen couldn¡¯t wait any longer, and before Su Yunjin could adjust her posture, she forcefully squeezed into Yan Yu¡¯s embrace.

    So heavy!

    Yan Yu conservatively estimated that the Demonic Sect Enchantress was at least ten pounds heavier than Secretary Su. Fortunately, the power of the elixir was spreading in his abdomen, as if endless strength was surging out, sparing his arms from feeling any soreness.

    His right arm passed under Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s knees and his left hand supported Su Yunjin¡¯s butt, as he walked briskly. With the two ladies sitting in his arms and facing each other, seeing Su Yunjin cling to Yan Yu¡¯s neck, Zhao Yuanzhen, not to be outdone, pulled his head into her embrace from the right.

    Yan Yu was completely overwhelmed, his right eye totally obscured ¡ª vision completely blocked!

    Zhao Yuanzhen didn¡¯t mind, and instead proudly thrust out her chest. Su Yunjin bit her lower lip, unwilling to be outdone as she hugged Yan Yu¡¯s neck, unable to help feeling silently sullen.

    Though Yan Yu was burdened in both arms and could hardly see, but still being the strongest of this age, he managed to carry the two girls around the table by relying on his exceptional sense of balance and strong will, before finally setting them down.

    Much better.

    The two ladies returned to their seats. Zhao Yuanzhen had a triumphant look on her face, while Su Yunjin felt defeated, a sense of reluctant loss washing over her.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t concern himself with their feelings and just sat down to flex his arms, saying:

    ¡°Who¡¯s next?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± Lin Ning rolled the dice.

    Six.

    Definitely rigged! Yan Yu glared at Chen Lingyun, who merely smiled back at him.

    ¡°Truth.¡± Yan Yu said.

    Lin Ning quickly shuffled the deck, allowing the team captain to draw a card.

    Yan Yu glanced at his card before showing it to everyone:

    [Talk about your first love.]

    ¡°None, skip.¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly.

    ¡°Really none?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    ¡°Really none,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Really really none?¡± Chen Lingyun still smiling.

    ¡°Really really none, don¡¯t make me say it a third time,¡± Yan Yu said decisively.

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t press further, just saying, ¡°I¡¯ll roll this time.¡±

    She elegantly tossed the dice, while Yan Yu¡¯s divine sense scanned repeatedly, suddenly feeling something off about the dice¡¯s tumbling.

    But there was nothing unusual in the dice, and no electromagnets under the table, so why?

    Three.

    ¡°Is it my turn?¡± Lin Ning began to hesitate.

    People who didn¡¯t enjoy the game and wanted it to end quickly usually chose truth since it just involved answering questions. However, Lin Ning knew her own personality too well; she might force herself to act, but admitting something verbally was more difficult than killing her.

    Proud, insincere¡­ that¡¯s just the kind of person I am.

    ¡°I suggest you choose dare,¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly transmitted, ¡°otherwise, if you draw a ¡®who do you like¡¯ type of question, will you tell that kind of lie that everyone can see through, or will you go all out to confess?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like anyone, I¡¯ll just say the truth if it comes up.¡± Lin Ning hastily replied to Chen Lingyun, but couldn¡¯t help feeling uneasy. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    My ability to lie is tragically bad; if it really comes to that, what¡¯s the difference between denying and confessing?

    ¡°I choose dare,¡± she said quickly.

    ¡°Draw a card,¡± Xie Ruoxi offered to shuffle the deck.

    Lin Ning drew a card and placed it on the table, her expression somewhat baffled because it read:

    [Find someone of the opposite sex from the room and play Twister]

    ¡°What is Twister?¡± Lin Ning asked curiously.

    Yan Yu¡¯s eyes twitched for a moment, only to see Chen Lingyun rise gracefully, and say with a smile:

    ¡°Let me explain the rules to you.¡±

    She took out a cloth from under the coffee table, which was drawn with many squares of different colors, then she spread it on the floor.

    ¡°Here are two spinner boards,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°one will decide whether it¡¯s ¡®left hand¡¯, ¡®right hand¡¯, ¡®left foot¡¯, or ¡®right foot¡¯, and the other will decide if it¡¯s ¡®red¡¯, ¡®yellow¡¯, ¡®green¡¯, or ¡®blue¡¯.¡±

    ¡°After the spinner stops, for example, the outcome is ¡®left hand¡¯ and ¡®red¡¯, then you must immediately press your left hand on the red square. If you succeed, you move to the next round.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s this simple.¡± Lin Ning rolled up her sleeves, full of confidence, ¡°I will definitely win!¡±

    However, Su Yunjin¡¯s expression changed slightly.

    She saw that the cloth wasn¡¯t big, and if the captain and Ningning were to play on it, bodily contact was inevitable, and getting entwined was also not impossible¡­

    ¡­Nevermind, it¡¯s just a game after all, just like how the captain hugged me earlier, it wasn¡¯t his personal desire, and it doesn¡¯t prove anything.

    ¡°I need to use the bathroom,¡± she calmly stood up, saying, ¡°You guys play first, don¡¯t mind me.¡±

    Out of sight, out of mind!

 Chapter 411 - 7: Confronted by Ningning

    Chapter 411: Chapter 7: Confronted by Ningning

    Despite repeatedly convincing herself ¡°It¡¯s just a game,¡± Su Yunjin, to prevent a heart attack, still chose to take a temporary leave to the bathroom¡ªit was better not to watch.

    The rest of the group came to the colorful mat of Twister, forming a circle around it.

    At this time, Lin Ning was still immersed in the thought ¡°I must win this game,¡± moving her hands and feet to limber up, while carefully eyeing the four-colored mat.

    This game was less about strategizing which square to choose and more about testing one¡¯s eyesight and reaction speed, as the squares were quite small. If one person covered a square with their hand, there wasn¡¯t much space left for another person¡ªunless they propped themselves up with a karate chop or even just a few fingers, as if doing gymnastics on a tightrope.

    But when it came to eyesight and reaction speed¡­ hmph, even if the captain were here, I wouldn¡¯t be afraid!

    Zhao Yuanzhen watched for a moment, then asked Xie Ruoxi:

    ...

    ¡°If I have my eye on a red square, but it¡¯s pressed by the opponent first, can I push their hand away and press it myself?¡±

    ¡°Of course, you can¡¯t do that,¡± Xie Ruoxi felt like sweating a little. Sister Zhao¡¯s aggressiveness seemed a bit strong, it¡¯s just a game, isn¡¯t it?

    ¡°Are you all ready?¡± Chen Lingyun placed two spinners on the table and asked with a smile.

    ¡°Yun Jin is still in the bathroom,¡± Lin Ning asked casually, ¡°Should we wait for her?¡±

    ¡°No need, she also said not to wait for her, right?¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile was beaming. ¡°By the time this round is over, she¡¯ll probably be back.¡±

    Maybe Yun Jin has a stomachache, everyone is waiting for her here, and indeed, that would put pressure on her¡­ Lin Ning twisted her shoulders and neck, and turned to ask Yan Yu:

    ¡°Is the captain ready?¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu was noncommittal.

    He was considering whether to win or not.

    Firstly, if he pretended to make a mistake and fall to concede, Lin Ning would most likely see through it¡ªNingning, the Sword Immortal, was my personally trained female disciple, with very strong eyesight.

    Given Lin Ning¡¯s serious nature, she definitely wouldn¡¯t be happy because I let her win; on the contrary, she would become annoyed, feeling that I was looking down on her, and then my good intentions would go unappreciated.

    But if I play seriously with her, and there ends up being a lot of physical contact, she¡¯ll surely come to realize it. The lighter outcome would be her blushing and feeling shy; the more severe one would be her acting haughty and getting upset. Then, what would I do?

    He couldn¡¯t help but cast a harshly reproachful look at Chen Lingyun: Look at the trouble you¡¯ve stirred up for me!

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s expression became even more joyful as she said with a laugh:

    ¡°Since everyone is ready, let¡¯s start. Please stand on the mat.¡±

    Yan Yu and Lin Ning then took off their shoes and stood on the mat.

    In order not to hinder movement and to be able to compete for spots flexibly, Lin Ning even took off her jacket, leaving only a sports vest, her face showing a determined expression of ¡°I will go all out to win.¡±

    Yan Yu silently sized her up. It had to be said that Lin Ning¡¯s figure was indeed much better than Su Yunjin¡¯s, and while he could remain unmoved holding Secretary Su, he couldn¡¯t guarantee the same composure if he got tangled with Lin Ning.

    He¡¯d better be mindful of his posture later on.

    ¡°Then everyone is ready,¡± Chen Lingyun operated the spinners with both hands.

    Red! Left foot! S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Both were quick off the mark, their feet shot out at the same time, landing on the same square.

    Yan Yu looked at Lin Ning¡¯s white socks and asked Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°Part of her sock is outside the square, does that count?¡±

    ¡°As long as you can touch the red, it¡¯s fine,¡± Chen Lingyun replied cheerfully.

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Lin Ning displayed a slightly smug expression, provocatively tilting her chin up at Yan Yu, her eyes gleaming like water.

    This haughty little sister¡­ makes one want to really bully her, to make her pearls fall.

    While Yan Yu was entertaining unspeakable thoughts, the two spinners came to a halt again:

    Green! Left hand!

    Lin Ning was quick to act, swiftly getting down to press her left hand on a green square¡ªimmediately after, Yan Yu¡¯s left hand also pressed down, interlocking fingers with hers, both firmly pressing on the green square.

    ¡°What are you doing!¡± Lin Ning exclaimed in embarrassment and annoyance, ¡°Following me like a shadow, huh?¡±

    ¡°I originally planned to press on this spot; you just got there before I did,¡± Yan Yu defended himself.

    ¡°Humph humph.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen came up with a bad idea from the sidelines, ¡°Ningning, arch the back of your hand to prevent his hand from touching the green and getting out!¡±

    However, Lin Ning did not do so. She was the type who preferred to win fair and square, and didn¡¯t like to use underhanded tactics, so she warned Yan Yu:

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare aim for the same square as me in the next round.¡±

    The captain¡¯s hand was a bit warm. Holding it was quite comfortable¡­ Forget it, it¡¯s just a game, no need to be so sensitive.

    Anyway, I¡¯m going to win!

    Chen Lingyun spun the wheel, and the result of the third round was quickly revealed:

    Red! Right hand!

    Yan Yu quickly scanned the area. His left hand and foot remained unmoved, and his right hand reached under Lin Ning, finding the nearest red square to press down on.

    Lin Ning, on the other hand, was a beat slower. By the time she realized it, the red squares had already been taken by Yan Yu. She had no choice but to stretch further to reach a distant square.

    She stretched her arms as far as she could, barely managing to touch it¡­ But by doing so, her entire body pressed down on top of Yan Yu, her chest flush against his back.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move around,¡± Lin Ning quickly transmitted a message to him, ¡°It¡¯s just a game, don¡¯t overthink it!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got it all wrong,¡± Yan Yu responded immediately, ¡°It¡¯s me who benefits from this situation. Why wouldn¡¯t I think about it?¡±

    ¡°You, you!¡± Lin Ning tried to tell herself it was only a game, but Yan Yu¡¯s response made her realize just how intimate their position was. She quickly tried to push herself up to avoid touching his back.

    But with the left hand and right foot¡¯s squares being too far apart, and her reach limited, her struggle to push herself up only made her right arm numb and nearly caused her to fall. Yan Yu used his back to steady her once again.

    ¡°If you can¡¯t hold on, just give up,¡± Yan Yu transmitted to her, ¡°Winning or losing isn¡¯t important.¡±

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you give up?¡± Lin Ning¡¯s competitive spirit flared up instantly.

    ¡°Why would I give up if I have the upper hand?¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°Just wait and see; I¡¯ll turn the tables in the end!¡± Lin Ning said angrily.

    On the sidelines, Chen Lingyun had a pleased smile, Xie Ruoxi sighed, and Zhao Yuanzhen already felt that something was off; how had these two suddenly gotten so close?

    However, the game¡¯s rules necessitated touching the corresponding colored squares, and body contact was inevitable¡­ So go for it, Ningning! Press down hard and push the little thief out of the game!

    Yet Lin Ning was unaware of the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s silent cheering; now fully alert, she still wanted to win but didn¡¯t want to continue giving the captain any advantages, so her gaze rapidly scanned for a square in the four colors nearby.

    If the next spin lands on blue, and I steal this spot, he won¡¯t be able to reach those two blue squares far away with his current posture, and I¡¯ll win!

    Chen Lingyun spun the wheel again, and the pointer began to whirl speedily.

    Right foot!

    Lin Ning kept a close watch on the second wheel¡¯s outcome, noticing the pointer quickly slowing down.

    Blue! Victory!

    She moved like lightning, keeping her left hand, left foot, and right hand firmly in place, while her right foot swiftly stepped diagonally downwards, landing on the blue square she had her eyes on!

    ¡°You¡¯re not wearing underwear?¡± Yan Yu abruptly asked through a transmitted message.

    Lin Ning had just hit the blue square when she heard this and instantly froze, then quickly realized what he meant. Embarrassed, angry, annoyed, and flustered, she subconsciously reached out to pinch Yan Yu. But as soon as her right hand lifted, she lost her balance. In the ensuing panic, she desperately grabbed onto Yan Yu, pulling him down with her as she fell.

    ¡°Does this mean they are both out at the same time?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked curiously.

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s a draw, I guess.¡±

    Of course, if one were to get technical, it was Ningning who had given up first, but girls should help each other out, and it was okay to side with her own at times like these.

    Yan Yu, true to form, didn¡¯t make a fuss about who won or lost or who tied. He tried to rise from the ground, but Lin Ning, lying behind him, wouldn¡¯t let him go. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, digging her knees fiercely into his waist, her face flushed with embarrassment as she yelled:

    ¡°Die, die, die, die!¡±

 Chapter 412 - 8 Drive Them Away

    Chapter 412: Chapter 8 Drive Them Away

    After everyone had clumsily pulled the two apart, Yan Yu reluctantly got up and saw that Lin Ning¡¯s face was still flushed with humiliation and tears of anger, her defiant eyes shimmering with water, looking incredibly cute.

    I knew it¡­ Playing Twister, it¡¯s definitely Chen Lingyun¡¯s scheme, it could never end well.

    When Su Yunjin felt it was about time, she pushed open the restroom door, saw Lin Ning¡¯s disheveled clothes and puffed cheeks, and guessed what had happened. She exchanged a look with Yan Yu, sighed helplessly, and went to comfort little Ningning.

    ¡°I¡¯m not playing anymore.¡± Lin Ning, still furious, stomped her foot fiercely and turned to watch TV on the other side of the room.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s stop here for today,¡± Chen Lingyun said as she put away the cards.

    Everyone then left the game table and gathered around the TV, except for Xie Ruoxi who remained seated, suddenly wondering: sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ...

    ¡°What about me?¡±

    Although not being embarrassed is a good thing, what¡¯s with this feeling of being excluded after everyone else has had a turn!

    Yan Yu sat in the middle of the sofa, covertly observing Lin Ning¡¯s expression across from him, seeing her mix of shame, anger, and even a bit of¡­ grievance? Was it just my imagination?

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, captain,¡± Su Yunjin whispered beside him, ¡°I¡¯ve talked to her. She¡¯s just having trouble swallowing her pride, so she definitely won¡¯t deal with you tonight, but she should calm down by tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Thanks a lot, Secretary Su,¡± Yan Yu immediately rejoiced.

    The difference between Secretary Su and Secretary Ye is that Secretary Ye is concise and efficient, better with tasks; whereas Secretary Su, with a gentle and compassionate nature, excels at dealing with people¡ªmanaging team morale, liaising with schools and instructors, etc., often handling meticulous personnel tasks for Chen Lingyun in a previous life.

    ¡°Still thinking of having me as your secretary?¡± Su Yunjin asked with a light laugh.

    ¡°I never gave up, okay?¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°At the start of last year, if Chen Lingyun hadn¡¯t meddled, you might have agreed to it already.¡±

    Su Yunjin paused for a moment feeling a bit regretful in her heart.

    If only I had known I would develop feelings for the captain during our time together, I would have agreed right from the start¡­ Unfortunately, life doesn¡¯t offer do-overs, and back then I had no idea I would join the team.

    ¡°Is it too late to agree now?¡± she quickly pulled herself together and joked.

    ¡°Too late now,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°You¡¯re already a member of my team, and it¡¯s only natural for team members to work for their captain without any room for bargaining.¡±

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Su Yunjin wasn¡¯t surprised.

    If the captain were so easy to win over, he wouldn¡¯t be the captain.

    Alright, I must also try harder!

    ¡°Captain, would you like some fruit?¡± she asked, picking up the fruit plate.

    Lin Ning sat alone on the single sofa opposite, her eyes glued to the TV, but her mind was in turmoil.

    It¡¯s all the captain¡¯s fault!

    It was just a game, if you hadn¡¯t said anything, I wouldn¡¯t have been so embarrassed¡­ but you made it clear to me, if I didn¡¯t get really angry, wouldn¡¯t it seem like I didn¡¯t care about having contact with you?

    Why can¡¯t you see things from a girl¡¯s point of view?

    But Yunjin was right, making a scene like that, everyone must think I can¡¯t take a joke.

    Sigh, it¡¯s all the captain¡¯s fault.

    But surely the captain is regretting now, having spoiled our relationship¡­ Nevermind, I¡¯ll pretend nothing happened tomorrow and greet him then.

    Lin Ning secretly made excuses for Yan Yu in her heart. Unfortunately, Yan Yu wasn¡¯t feeling any regret, he was quietly whispering with Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°So what exactly did you do?¡±

    ¡°Guess,¡± Chen Lingyun said playfully.

    ¡°The dice wasn¡¯t hollow or weighted,¡± Yan Yu pondered, ¡°There¡¯s nothing under the table either, so let¡¯s rule out external interference¡­ Was it a specially trained throwing technique?¡±

    ¡°Nope, guess again,¡± Chen Lingyun continued with a smile.

    ¡°I can¡¯t guess,¡± Yan Yu was too lazy to think harder, ¡°Just reveal the answer!¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give you a hint,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°the material of the dice.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Damn, this dice is a Magic Treasure!¡± Yan Yu was immediately shocked.

    ¡°It¡¯s not exactly a Magic Treasure, but it¡¯s made almost the same way as the Flying Swords,¡± Chen Lingyun revealed the answer, ¡°so after refining it, I just need to activate my True Yuan quietly, and it can roll or even jump up to hit someone according to my thoughts, though of course, it won¡¯t be as lethal as the Flying Swords.¡±

    ¡°Someone hasn¡¯t cheated this way before, have they?¡± Yan Yu asked in dismay.

    ¡°They have,¡± Chen Lingyun said nonchalantly, ¡°In the underground gambling dens in Lingnan, there are unregistered Transcendents who use similar methods to manipulate steel ball roulette wheels to cheat money. Rival competitors sent gambling masters to mess with them, but they couldn¡¯t crack their cheating methods, so they simply reported them ¡ª and that¡¯s how we caught them.¡±

    ¡°What about the cards?¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°How did you make everyone draw the card you wanted?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t rig that part,¡± Chen Lingyun admitted candidly, ¡°A game with some uncertainty is more fun.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it,¡± Yan Yu was skeptical.

    ¡°Believe it or not,¡± Chen Lingyun smiled smugly.

    Yan Yu wanted to say more, but suddenly heard Zhao Yuanzhen asking him telepathically:

    ¡°You little thief! Why do I always feel like all the girls in this team have a thing for you?¡±

    Are you just realizing that? Yan Yu was too exhausted to retort. I thought our last trip to the Mirror Lake Divine Palace made that clear.

    Oh, wait, the Demonic Sect Enchantress seemed unwilling to accept the explanation about her clone at the time, even deluding herself with ¡°the clone is messing with my mind,¡± so no big deal then.

    ¡°Why do you think that?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen frowned, ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ don¡¯t you think I¡¯ve been getting jealous more frequently lately than before?¡±

    ¡°It seems so,¡± Yan Yu said seriously, ¡°but it might not necessarily be their fault, could it possibly be your issue?¡±

    ¡°What problem could I have?!¡± the Demonic Sect Enchantress snapped angrily, ¡°Whose Daoist couple are you? Whose side should you be on? Think carefully before you speak!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to criticize you,¡± Yan Yu said lightly, ¡°I¡¯m just suggesting a possibility: perhaps you care about me more than before, which is why you¡¯re more prone to jealousy.¡±

    Me? Care about you?

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress scoffed in her heart: Impossible!

    ¡°The reason I get jealous is not because I like or care about you that much,¡± she declared emphatically, ¡°but because since you¡¯re my Daoist couple, regardless of whether we have feelings or not, I need to drive away any vixen near you. Otherwise, if people start saying that Miyuan the Fairy has a green hat, wouldn¡¯t I lose face? This has nothing to do with love; it¡¯s purely possessiveness!¡±

    Hey, possessiveness is way dirtier than love, you know!

    Yan Yu responded casually:

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, go ahead and drive them away then.¡±

    The speaker didn¡¯t intend much, but the listener took it seriously; the Demonic Sect Enchantress immediately began to consider if this was the little thief suggesting that she should go ahead, and he would cover for her afterward.

    So, who should I drive away?

    Ruoxi is out of the question; she is my best friend. Ningning is also out; her cooking perfectly suits my taste. Yun Jin, let¡¯s keep her on probation for now, for her diligent cleaning and sweet talk, and put her on the backup list.

    Then there¡¯s only one answer left! Ling Yun, get out of my Daoist couple¡¯s team!

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress looked at Chen Lingyun with malicious intent, about to telepathically taunt her, when suddenly she heard her stand up and say with a laugh:

    ¡°Who wants a midnight snack? There¡¯s a newly opened treasure of a pickles shop nearby that we can order delivery from.¡±

    ¡°I want some!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately raised his hand, eager to respond.

 Chapter 413 - 9 Inventory of Harvests

    Chapter 413: Chapter 9 Inventory of Harvests

    As mid-January arrived, the commotion surrounding the battle in The Secret Realm of Li Palace gradually faded, disappearing from most media¡¯s trending search lists.

    Among the three parties, the Onmyoji suffered the most severe losses. With the fall of Xiandao Jingyin, the Kyoto Yin Yang Institute¡¯s manpower was cut in half; the headquarters had to call in personnel from local branches to replenish their ranks, which significantly increased the local branches¡¯ influence¡ªsome even began to challenge the authority of Kyoto.

    Next were the casualties from the Superhero Alliance. A large number of foreign heroes had been sacrificed at the gates of Li Palace, mostly slain by the Longcheng Flying General, leading to a surge of admiration for Yan Yu in Mitchi Country. Numerous media outlets dubbed Yan Yu as an ¡°Anti-hero,¡± meaning ¡°though aligned with enemy forces, he still qualifies as a superhero¡±¡ªa charming antagonist, indeed.

    The lightest losses were undoubtedly those of the Pear Blossom Courtyard swordsmen. They stuck to long-distance attacks throughout and did not attempt to charge the steps to Li Palace and engage the Cultivators of Lu Country in close combat, resulting in Gyeongbokgung praising Park Changmin for his ¡°composure in danger¡± and ¡°calm decisiveness.¡± They even considered honoring him with a medal.

    The public was also jubilant. Although no benefits were reaped from this venture to Li Palace, there is a saying, ¡°the misfortunes of others are my gain.¡± Just look at the neighboring Yin Yang Bureau! They suffered considerable losses, much to everyone¡¯s delight!

    Under the official agenda and popular acclaim, Park Changmin¡¯s domestic reputation soared to new heights; even the media within Lu Country caught wind and copied the Peninsula¡¯s praise¡ªleading Liu Longtao to laugh heartily and share the joy in a private chat with Yan Yu.

    ...

    However, Yan Yu had no time for idle chat with Lord Master, as the loot from The Secret Realm of Li Palace had been returned to the team.

    Lin Ning¡¯s Sword Box of Zhenze, after testing, was confirmed to require fifteen seconds to nurture the Flying Sword. Once unsheathed, the Green Bamboo Sword¡¯s first three strikes dealt increased damage (capable of unleashing long-range Sword Qi), with a strength about twenty percent above the normal standard. An unpretentious Magic Treasure without any fancy effects, it simply enhanced the hard power of a Sword Immortal, extremely excellent.

    Despite Su Yunjin¡¯s Tai Wei Hook Chen Yao Po Star Sand being incomplete, its integration with the water of the Milky Way truly had a miraculous effect. The Milky Way¡¯s torrent enhanced by the star sand amplified the propelling force of both the Jiao surge and the Carp Flip, transforming Lang Feiyun from merely a high-pressure water gun into a lethal high-pressure water blade. Yet, the greatest beneficiary would be the fourth technique, Tidal Deluge Divergence¡ªthe water from both sides wrapped the enemy within, with the star sand-mixed currents causing intense, abrasive scouring, enough to peel off a layer even from a Body Cultivating Cultivist trapped within.

    In contrast, the gains of Xie Ruoxi and Zhao Yuanzhen were harder to assess. While Dazhong Lei was indeed effective against Heavenly Demons, at the current stage, Earth hardly harbored any high-dimensional demons, leading to a feeling of wielding a dragon-slaying artifact with no dragons to slay; the Qian Ling True Smoldering Fire chosen by Zhao Yuanzhen also required further modification and testing before its usefulness could be determined¡ªleaving the Demonic Sect Enchantress unable to come to a conclusion yet.

    However, if everyone¡¯s gains were to be compared openly, the most impressive would undoubtedly be the Two-handed Sword Control Technique acquired by Yan Yu.

    With his previous life¡¯s lofty Sword Immortal experience, Yan Yu could see the learning difficulty of this Dual Sword Control Technique was incredibly high, just as the elder with the long brows said, ¡°It¡¯s not mere superficial multitasking. Essentially, it still tests your swordsmanship.¡±

    Dual Sword Control involved operating through different meridian pathways, so one must first practice the Sword Control¡¯s Qi circulation route for the dominant hand until it becomes effortless and fully responsive. Then, while managing the main sword with the dominant hand, one should try to operate the secondary sword with the non-dominant hand¡ªat first, most attention will undoubtedly be on the non-dominant hand, possibly without the spare capacity to respond to any change in combat situations.

    Only when both hands can ¡°operate at will¡± and ¡°act intuitively¡± can the Dual Sword Control Technique be considered mastered.

    Most Sword Immortals have trained only their dominant hand, but Yan Yu¡¯s case is special; in his previous life, to deal with extremely adverse situations, he could proficiently perform Sword Control with both arms.

    Of course, this is like marrying two wives. It¡¯s one thing to marry Yun Jin or Ningning individually, but that doesn¡¯t mean managing both without issue; if both are in the same house, there would be jealousy¡ªDual Sword Control works on the same principle. Being able to Sword Control with each hand doesn¡¯t mean you can do it simultaneously with both. Often when Yan Yu is concentrating on controlling the left-hand sword, suddenly his strokes become distorted and twisted because his brain has inadvertently mixed in commands for the right-hand sword.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t I give it a try?¡± Lin Ning saw him frowning in thought and, unable to resist the temptation, enthusiastically offered her help. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll get it on the first try and then teach you in return.¡±

    As for the embarrassment, discomfort, and chagrin from playing Twister last time, Lin Ning had completely forgotten about it.

    ¡°How would you try?¡± Yan Yu shook his head. ¡°You don¡¯t have a second Flying Sword.¡±

    ¡°I could borrow Yun Jin¡¯s,¡± Lin Ning said eagerly. ¡°You borrowed Ling Yun¡¯s Purple Extreme Sword, didn¡¯t you? Just let me have a go.¡±

    Yan Yu continued to maintain his thoughtful pose, quietly reaching out with his left hand to grab the notebook on the bench and passed it without looking up.

    ¡°Eh, is this notebook for me?¡± Lin Ning was surprised, as she had thought that Yan Yu would dictate for her to recite.

    Flipping through the notebook, she saw it was filled with dense handwriting, a considerable number of corrections, and additional paragraphs, making the entire page look dirty.

    But Lin Ning did not disdain it; instead, she was overjoyed: The team leader made the notes so detailed, it must be for me, right? It¡¯s to facilitate my learning later on, isn¡¯t it! S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    No, no, this isn¡¯t the time to be thinking about that, I also need to delve into this dual sword control technique and help relieve the team leader¡¯s worries.

    She sat down beside Yan Yu, quietly flipping through the notes, preparing to consult and discuss in detail with Yan Yu shortly.

    Yan Yu was still contemplating the intricacies when he suddenly heard Chen Lingyun¡¯s voice transmission asking:

    ¡°Why did you suddenly start taking notes? This is not your style.¡±

    ¡°There are quite a few knowledge points that need understanding,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°Ningning is a problem solver with a diligent personality, and would come to ask me about even the slightest memory uncertainty, so it¡¯s better to write it down for her to look at slowly rather than be annoyed.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is.¡± Chen Lingyun watched Lin Ning¡¯s gentle expression as she read, thinking that she had definitely misunderstood Yan Yu¡¯s intention, then asked again, ¡°What about the secondary sword? Are you planning to fetch one, or have you already thought about which mysterious realm to draw a sword from?¡±

    ¡°How can that be planned in advance?¡± Yan Yu said with a wry smile, ¡°In any case, since the Huang Tingjian is a heavy sword known for its great force and weight, I would prefer the secondary sword to be a smaller, more agile, and faster flying rapier, but I still need to consider the specifics.¡±

    ¡°Right, speaking of the mysterious realm, I¡¯m planning to take a trip to Nanjiang next week, you guys should know about it, right?¡±

    ¡°Did you ask for leave from the authorities?¡± Chen Lingyun asked leisurely.

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Yan Yu said proudly, ¡°I am the Longcheng Flying General! Even if it¡¯s just for a few days of leave, the authorities have to consider the period I¡¯m gone, thinking about who to scramble to replace me to handle emergencies¡­ so this leave might be difficult to get approved any time soon.¡±

    ¡°So you plan to leave without notice,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°Wrong!¡± said Yan Yu, ¡°I plan to throw the hot potato to you¡­ you go speak to your dad, and if the authorities ask, just say that Chen Tianming has specially approved it!¡±

    ¡°I know my dad would definitely not approve,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°but if you can take me with you, I can help you sort it out.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s out of the question,¡± Yan Yu immediately refused, ¡°What about the daily affairs of the Zhenhai Team? Who will oversee everyone¡¯s training?¡±

    ¡°Leave it to Secretary Su,¡± Chen Lingyun said nonchalantly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t just casually shove the vice-captain¡¯s job onto someone else!¡±

 Chapter 414 - 10 Raiders of the Lost Ark

    Chapter 414: Chapter 10 Raiders of the Lost Ark

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t remember that in his past life, Chen Lingyun had such a ¡°clingy¡± trait, following him everywhere he went to meddle.

    Of course, it might have been because when they met in the previous life, the captain of Spirit Transport Team, Chen Lingyun, was already a woman in her early thirties, a singleton with a youthful face, and had long been in a high position with great authority over the team, which naturally made her more independent and assertive.

    Whereas the current girl, not even twenty years old, although her disagreeable character had fully taken shape, was still a playful and curious young person, so she didn¡¯t hesitate to show her youthful side in front of him.

    Regardless, having her tag along with him was out of the question.

    There were six people in the Zhenhai Team, and in total, only a captain and a vice-captain were in charge. Now both of the leaders had run off, Li Weiguo was sure to be furious¡ªit was a completely different scenario from having only the captain absent, with a seriousness that was worlds apart.

    Therefore, Yan Yu specially chose an auspicious morning when everyone was still asleep to make his escape!

    ...

    About five minutes into his Sword Control flight, his cellphone suddenly rang.

    [Chen Lingyun]: You left this early?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: You noticed that quickly?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: I was afraid you¡¯d shamelessly follow me. Tell everyone I¡¯ll come back after I finish scouting the place.

    [Chen Lingyun]: Yeah, but it¡¯s highly likely you¡¯ll come up empty-handed.

    [Chen Lingyun]: An object of interest to you might not necessarily mean the Mysterious Realm will quietly activate. Pingxi Army¡¯s national territory surveillance isn¡¯t that negligent.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: I know, I¡¯m just going to confirm it.

    [Chen Lingyun]: Do you have any clues about the first location given by Long Eyebrow Immortal?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Not yet, even though I was given the location information, it was really just an image transmitted into my Sea of Consciousness. Without exact coordinates, there¡¯s no way to know the place.

    [Chen Lingyun]: If you could draw, you could sketch it out and take it to experts for identification. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: But I can¡¯t, so I can only describe it verbally.

    [Chen Lingyun]: Why don¡¯t you ask Huofeng Team to arrange a local guide for you?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: That¡¯s the plan.

    Yan Yu immediately sent a message to Zhou Hongyu.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Need a favor.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Preferably someone familiar with Nanjiang or the Qingzang area, and make it snappy.

    Zhou Hongyu didn¡¯t reply, but after a few minutes, Tang Xiaolian did send a message.

    [Miaojiang Girl Tang Lingling]: Captain Yan, you need something?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: I¡¯m looking for a place approximately a thousand miles southwest of Shushan, where you can see snowy mountains, canyons, and a large waterfall. I heard you¡¯re from Nanjiang; do you have any ideas about this?

    After a long wait, the reply from the other end was slow to come.

    [Miaojiang Girl Tang Lingling]: Captain Yan, aren¡¯t you a Jiangnan local? Now, if you ask me to find a mountain in your province with trees, flowers, and springs¡­ Understand? Your request is just like that, how could I possibly find it?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: I can¡¯t help it, I only have an image, no specific coordinates or clear place names.

    [Miaojiang Girl Tang Lingling]: Send me the image.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: It¡¯s in my head.

    [Miaojiang Girl Tang Lingling]: Ah?

    [Miaojiang Girl Tang Lingling]: Then you should draw it, as detailed as possible.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: I can¡¯t draw.

    [Miaojiang Girl Tang Lingling]: ¡­Then why don¡¯t you ask the leaders of Zhendong Army to arrange a professional artist for you? It should be simple for them. And with a geographic intelligence team, they could locate it directly from the drawing. You wouldn¡¯t even need to search by yourself.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: It¡¯s a personal matter and not appropriate to report to the higher-ups, which is why I turned to you guys from Huofeng Team for help.

    [Miaojiang Girl Tang Lingling]: Sigh, for the sake of Captain Yan¡¯s guidance during my Marrow Cleansing last time, I¡¯ll reluctantly offer my assistance this time, but no guarantees of success, okay?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Thanks a lot, next time we compete with Huofeng Team, I¡¯ll go easy on you for a few moves.

    [Miaojiang Girl Tang Lingling]: There¡¯s no need for that. Captain Zhou will thrash you /fist /fist.

    [Miaojiang Girl Tang Lingling]: [Location Coordinates]

    [Miaojiang Girl Tang Lingling]: Is Captain Yan coming over by Sword Control? Find me here.

    Yan Yu opened the coordinates and saw they were for a guesthouse in the Sangchuan Prefecture of Nanjiang Province, called ¡°Brocade Sheng Tang Guesthouse¡±.

    Such a tacky name¡­ If I saw this name on a review app, I wouldn¡¯t even click on it, right?

    After searching the name on the review app, Yan Yu was surprised to find that it had a high rating, all five stars, but the comments were a mix of praise and criticism.

    The praises mentioned the beautiful scenery surrounding the guesthouse, breathtaking everywhere, while the criticisms were about the high prices, its distance from the city center of Sangchuan Prefecture, and the owner¡¯s daughter having a very sulky face among other things¡­ Who is the last comment talking about?

    Haha.

    Yan Yu, controlling his sword, headed westward and could clearly see the terrain of the entire landmass gradually rising, with increasingly more mountains and rivers.

    Chen Lingyun said that Pingxi Army¡¯s national land screening is very strict, and although I don¡¯t disbelieve her, how strict can it really be? The Hengduan mountain range is so vast, how many hidden valleys, caves, and plant life exist beneath? Neither surveillance satellites nor patrolling drones are effective here.

    In my previous life, those civilian cultivators who were not under official control, without formal training, where did they get their cultivation resources from? Isn¡¯t it obvious? Of course, they obtained them through various odd clues and explorations in remote locations far from the cities.

    Now, I, Yan Yu, am about to transform into Indiana Jones and embark on a thrilling treasure hunt!

    Following the positioning on his phone, Yan Yu finally arrived at Sangchuan Prefecture and descended at the location Tang Xiaolian had given him.

    He easily found the Brocade Sheng Tang Residence because it stood alone amidst vast grasslands, impossible to miss even if one wanted to.

    Walking inside, he saw a woman in her forties sitting behind the front desk, smiling and asking:

    ¡°Checking in? Do you have a reservation?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for Tang Xiaolian,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re the friend Xiaolian mentioned,¡± the woman immediately showed understanding, ¡°She¡¯s in the yard taking photos with guests.¡±

    The so-called open-air yard was just an enclosure made with a fence around the outside of the guesthouse.

    Yan Yu¡¯s gaze through the large glass balcony door spotted Tang Xiaolian wearing minority ethnic clothes, with bright makeup, holding a small sheep that was grazing, and taking pictures with two young female guests.

    Pretending to be Princess Wen Cheng, are you?

    He wasn¡¯t in a rush to approach her and simply sat down in a nearby chair, casually stroking the large dog lying at his feet.

    However, Tang Xiaolian soon noticed him, said a few words to the guests, let go of the sheep¡¯s neck strap, and jogged over with her hands lifting her skirt.

    ¡°Captain Yan,¡± she greeted him, ¡°you¡¯ve arrived.¡±

    ¡°Just continue with your work, don¡¯t mind me,¡± Yan Yu said lazily while enjoying the distant scenery.

    ¡°It¡¯s not exactly work,¡± Tang Xiaolian waved her hand and said, ¡°My parents are now living in the Military Manor, unable to tend to the guesthouse here, so I just come back occasionally to help out.¡±

    ¡°So your so-called helping out is to dress up as a minority ethnic girl and take commemorative photos with the guests?¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°Why not add a khata to the act?¡±

    ¡°I did that before,¡± Tang Xiaolian laughed, ¡°but I don¡¯t know how to wrap it properly. One time I almost strangled a guest, so I was strictly forbidden from doing it afterward.¡±

    She checked her phone and suddenly said:

    ¡°Sister Lu is almost here, I¡¯ll go welcome her.¡±

    ¡°Sister Lu is?¡±

    ¡°From Nanjiang Academy of Fine Arts.¡±

    Oh, an artist.

    Yan Yu continued to wait, and soon saw Tang Xiaolian returning with a female university student.

    This student was tall and slender, wearing black-framed glasses, and seemed to have a quiet temperament; however, the moment she saw Yan Yu, she lost her composure, exclaiming, ¡°Captain Yan, I am your fan,¡± and ¡°Captain Yan, please give me an autograph,¡± leaving Yan Yu speechless but obliging with a personalized autograph and a photo session to calm her excitement.

    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t Sister Lu want my autograph and photo?¡± Tang Xiaolian was dumbfounded.

    ¡°How can you compare with Captain Yan?¡± The university student rolled her eyes at her.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you here to fangirl!¡± Tang Xiaolian snapped back, pushing her, ¡°Get to work now!¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± the university student took out her sketching tools and began drawing on-site based on Yan Yu¡¯s description of the situation.

 Chapter 415 - 11: The Divine Waterfall Ravine

    Chapter 415: Chapter 11: The Divine Waterfall Ravine

    ¡°` sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu was in charge of describing, while the female college student was sketching with her pencil on paper, frequently pausing to discuss with Yan Yu, erasing and rewriting.

    ¡°How can you remember so clearly?¡± Tang Xiaolian asked in surprise.

    ¡°When it comes to matters of Spiritual Energy, don¡¯t ask too many details,¡± Yan Yu evaded the question.

    Tang Xiaolian did not continue to pursue the matter and simply frowned silently, watching the landscape take shape on the paper that her senior was drawing.

    Snow mountains, secluded valleys, and a grand waterfall.

    ...

    ¡°Speaking of snow mountains, could it be the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain?¡± Tang Xiaolian pondered.

    ¡°Nanjiang isn¡¯t just about the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain,¡± the senior laughed, ¡°Here we have double digits of famed snow-covered peaks. But, judging from the orientation of the mountain range, I think it should be Meili Snow Mountain.¡±

    ¡°You can even discern that?¡± Yan Yu was instantly shocked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been studying landscape painting recently. Remembering lines is just the basics of the basics,¡± the senior said proudly, ¡°It¡¯s like ordinary people think all eggs look the same, but Da Vinci¡¯s eggs would have their unique traits. Essentially, it¡¯s just being more sensitive to the details in the lines.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay, you¡¯re amazing,¡± Tang Xiaolian conceded, opening her phone¡¯s map, ¡°So, let¡¯s pinpoint a location. The snow mountain is in the middle, and then there are mountains on both sides¡­¡±

    ¡°That reminds me, I think I¡¯ve seen similar scenes before,¡± the senior mused, ¡°Hmm, where did I see it?¡±

    She fell silent, deep in thought. Yan Yu and Tang Xiaolian looked at each other, clueless outsiders who could not be of any help. They could only make tea and fetch snacks, careful not to disturb her reminiscing.

    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Yan Yu came over with a cup of tea, quietly using a voice transmission to ask Tang Xiaolian, ¡°Is your senior tight-lipped?¡±

    ¡°She was taught by Teacher Feng Xianmin,¡± Tang Xiaolian replied, avoiding the question.

    ¡°Ah?¡± Yan Yu was taken aback.

    ¡°A national treasure of a master oil painter!¡± Tang Xiaolian revealed an expression that read ¡®how have you not heard of him¡¯, ¡°If she had poor character, how could she have been accepted as a disciple by a great master?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d better not have misjudged her,¡± Yan Yu said grudgingly.

    ¡°I remember now!¡± the senior suddenly exclaimed, clapping her hands, ¡°It¡¯s Yubeng Village! I¡¯ve been there before to do some sketching!¡±

    ¡°Alright, thank you,¡± Yan Yu collected the drawing, ¡°I have to go.¡±

    ¡°Can you get me Su Yunjin¡¯s autograph?¡± the senior quickly called after him, ¡°In your team, Yun Jin is my favorite¡­ haha, I mean, besides you.¡±

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll introduce you to her as her friend.¡± Yan Yu took out his phone.

    ¡°Lulu, you¡¯re clearly from Nanjiang, but you don¡¯t support a Cultivator who¡¯s also from Nanjiang. You don¡¯t love your hometown!¡± Tang Xiaolian exclaimed sadly.

    ¡°Haha, maybe it¡¯s because this Cultivator from Nanjiang is too familiar to me. Distance makes the heart grow fonder,¡± the senior joked with her.

    After bidding farewell to the two of them, Yan Yu tucked away the drawing and hurried out the door, pulling up the location on his phone.

    He hadn¡¯t flown far when a pink Sword Control light approached from behind; it was Tang Xiaolian.

    ¡°Captain Yan, wait for me!¡± She sent her voice from a distance.

    ¡°Why are you following me?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to explore the Mysterious Realm, right?¡± Tang Xiaolian said cheerfully, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    ¡°No way, forget about it,¡± Yan Yu firmly refused.

    ¡°Why not!¡±

    ¡°Because we¡¯re not close.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s really saddening,¡± Tang Xiaolian feigned tears, wiping the corner of her eyes, and spoke sorrowfully, ¡°Just now I was exhausting my wits for Captain Yan, and right after getting all the value squeezed out of me, you cold-heartedly abandon me without hesitation!¡±

    ¡°¡­What you call ¡®exhausting your wits¡¯ was just asking a friend,¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help retorting, ¡°And that¡¯s not even how ¡®cold-heartedly abandon¡¯ is supposed to be used, alright? That¡¯s enough; if you keep bothering me, I¡¯ll go complain to your Captain Zhou.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right!¡± Tang Xiaolian suddenly had a stroke of insight and chuckled, ¡°Captain Yan, you want this matter to remain a secret, don¡¯t you? If you don¡¯t take me with you, and when I get back Captain Zhou or Deputy Captain Zhang ask me, ¡®Xiaolian, what did Captain Yan want you for?¡¯, I might accidentally let something slip.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead, go ahead!¡± Yan Yu immediately laughed, ¡°Captain Zhou definitely won¡¯t ask, okay? She couldn¡¯t care less about what I¡¯m up to. And even though Deputy Captain Zhang is likely to inquire, I trust that he¡¯s tight-lipped and won¡¯t go snitching to the military.¡±

    Left without options, Tang Xiaolian could only angrily withdraw her Sword Control light and turn away.

    Yan Yu continued on his Sword Control flight towards Meili Snow Mountain, following the navigation on his phone app, and landed near a local village.

    ¡°`

    ¡°Hello,¡± he casually stopped an elderly man passing by and showed him the drawing paper, ¡°Have you seen a place like this nearby?¡±

    The old man stared at the drawing paper for a moment and said:

    [Encrypted dialect].

    Yan Yu: ???

    ¡°Let me talk to him for you, Captain Yan,¡± Tang Xiaolian popped up from somewhere and muttered to the old man in dialect for a bit, then turned back and said, ¡°Go down there, in the direction of the waterfall.¡±

    ¡°How did you follow me here?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise, ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to snitch on me to your captain?¡±

    ¡°That was obviously a joke,¡± Tang Xiaolian defended, ¡°Do I look like the type of person who hurts others without benefiting myself?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know about that.¡± Grateful for the girl¡¯s help, Yan Yu didn¡¯t hold the previous incident against her. He simply cautioned her, ¡°Your traditional ethnic minority dress might make it difficult to move later on.¡±

    ¡°No problem,¡± Tang Xiaolian lifted the hem of her garment, ¡°I¡¯ve got layers underneath! I can just take it off when the time comes.¡±

    Yan Yu said no more and simply let her follow him.

    Although this was a remote mountain village, it was common to see backpacking travelers or locals herding mule trains to transport goods.

    ¡°Have you never been here before?¡± Yan Yu randomly asked as he saw her taking pictures with her phone.

    ¡°No,¡± Tang Xiaolian asked him in return, ¡°Don¡¯t you like the scenery here, Captain Yan?¡±

    ¡°The scenery is fine, but that¡¯s not why I¡¯m here this time,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°I see.¡± Tang Xiaolian didn¡¯t inquire further, busy running around taking pictures from different angles.

    After a few minutes, she suddenly exclaimed in surprise,

    ¡°Captain Yan! Look over there¡­ doesn¡¯t that look like the place you¡¯re searching for?¡±

    Yan Yu took out the drawing paper to compare and nodded, saying:

    ¡°It does resemble it, let¡¯s go have a look.¡±

    The two once again rose on their swords, flying straight regardless of the terrain, circling overhead for a moment before finally descending.

    ¡°This is it!¡± Yan Yu had just taken out the drawing paper when Tang Xiaolian leaned in to compare it to the distant scene for a moment, ¡°It must be the right place.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu pondered as well.

    They had found the place, but there was no sign of an entrance to a Mysterious Realm¡­

    Never mind, perhaps the Mysterious Realm hadn¡¯t appeared yet.

    ¡°What do we do next?¡± Tang Xiaolian asked.

    Yan Yu was about to answer when suddenly, a loud explosion sounded from afar, like a bolt from the blue!

    The two hurriedly rose on their swords again, following the sound to the waterfall depicted in the painting, only to see that the rock face hidden behind the waterfall had cracked open a large fissure, with stones continuously tumbling down, indicating that the crack had just recently appeared.

    ¡°I¡¯m going in,¡± Yan Yu suddenly declared.

    ¡°Eh, you want to go in now?¡± Tang Xiaolian asked in shock.

    ¡°If not now, then when?¡±

    ¡°I mean, shouldn¡¯t we notify the Pingxi Army first?¡± Tang Xiaolian was still hesitant, but seeing that Yan Yu was already heading towards the waterfall, she could only reluctantly lift her dress and silently follow.

    The two passed through the waterfall and entered the fissure. Their hair and tops were soaked and they began to feel the chill, but fortunately, they had undergone Marrow Cleansing and wouldn¡¯t fall ill because of it.

    ¡°So, where are we heading¡­¡± After walking for several minutes, Tang Xiaolian couldn¡¯t help but start to complain, when suddenly she saw Yan Yu stop ahead.

    ¡°We¡¯re trapped,¡± he said.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re trapped in some kind of Formation,¡± Yan Yu looked up at the thin sliver of sky and tried to rise on his sword.

    He failed.

 Chapter 416 - 12: You are a Duck

    Chapter 416: Chapter 12: You are a Duck

    The crevice was narrow, allowing only one person to pass through. The walls on both sides were uneven, appearing no different from a typical cliff, with nothing unusual.

    But since there was a flight restriction here, it was certain that the two of them were already inside a Mysterious Realm ¡ª considering they hadn¡¯t passed through anything like an entrance to this realm before, they could only speculate that perhaps the waterfall held some peculiar properties.

    Yan Yu, resting his chin on his hand, was deep in thought when suddenly someone patted him from behind.

    ¡°It¡¯s so cold,¡± Tang Xiaolian complained. ¡°Captain Yan, which way should we go next?¡±

    ¡°Either way is the same,¡± Yan Yu replied. ¡°We must be within a Formation now, so our sense of space and direction is completely disrupted.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t quite understand,¡± Tang Xiaolian inquired, puzzled. ¡°What would happen if we turned back the way we came?¡±

    ...

    Although Yan Yu didn¡¯t understand the way of Formations, he had experienced countless Mysterious Realms in his past life and had accumulated a lot of experience in dealing with such Formations. He answered calmly:

    ¡°If you turn back and I stand still here, there are three possibilities.¡±

    ¡°First, you keep walking back without turning around, but end up coming back from directly in front of me. This is called the Upside-Down Formation, where front becomes back, and back becomes front. No matter how far you walk, you¡¯re just walking in circles.¡±

    ¡°Second, you walk back, no matter how long, then turn around to walk toward me, it might only take ten minutes to get back here. This is called the Stretchable Ruyi Formation, where it extends as long as you want, or shrinks as short as you want. The space stretches in the direction you move, and no matter how you walk, you¡¯re just staying in place.¡±

    ¡°Third, the further you go back, walking thousands or tens of thousands of kilometers, you still cannot find the exit. This is called the Mustard Seed Formation, seemingly tiny but actually vast, with the entire Formation¡¯s volume reaching astronomical units. Continuous movement will never reach the boundary.¡±

    ¡°Captain Yan, how could you know this so clearly?¡± Tang Xiaolian was stunned.

    ¡°Nonsense, I am the captain,¡± Yan Yu stated matter-of-factly. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I know more than you?¡±

    ¡°Captain Zhou is also a captain,¡± Tang Xiaolian retorted instinctively. ¡°But she knows nothing except about fighting.¡±

    Ha-ha, that¡¯s true, but you best not let Zhou Hongyu hear you say that. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s not the point,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°The point is that we must find a way to break the Formation, otherwise we¡¯ll be trapped here.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t we ask the Pingxi Army outside for help?¡± Tang Xiaolian became slightly scared as she said this. ¡°I really don¡¯t want to stay in a place like this!¡±

    ¡°How would you contact them?¡± Yan Yu countered. ¡°You didn¡¯t bring a live broadcasting camera.¡±

    ¡°But you must have a way, right, Captain Yan?¡± Tang Xiaolian asked hopefully. ¡°You are the captain.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Yan Yu just hummed, not addressing her further and continued pondering with his chin in hand.

    Tang Xiaolian grew increasingly uneasy, thinking that if Captain Zhou were here, although she might not have a good solution either, at least she would say something encouraging. Captain Yan¡¯s silence was truly frightening!

    If I and Captain Yan are stuck here indefinitely, like for three or five years¡­ We wouldn¡¯t die, since I have mastered Fasting and don¡¯t need food or drink, but surely I¡¯d go stir-crazy.

    If Captain Yan were overcome by primal urges and sought to entertain himself in disgraceful ways, how could I refuse?

    It seems I couldn¡¯t refuse, after all, I can¡¯t beat him!

    Should I use sorcery on him now?

    How could I! If I incapacitated Captain Yan, there¡¯d be even less chance of getting out of here by myself!

    ¡°Ah, ah,¡± seeing Yan Yu remained silent, Tang Xiaolian called out a few times. ¡°Ah, ah, ah, ah.¡±

    ¡°Stop it, I¡¯m thinking.¡±

    ¡°Has Captain Yan thought of anything yet?¡± Tang Xiaolian asked.

    ¡°With you disturbing me like this, I definitely can¡¯t think of anything,¡± Yan Yu responded.

    ¡°If you hadn¡¯t rushed in here recklessly, I wouldn¡¯t have had to follow and we both wouldn¡¯t be trapped in this Mysterious Realm now!¡± Tang Xiaolian started freaking out.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you say, if you hadn¡¯t followed me, none of this would have happened?¡± Yan Yu glanced sideways.

    ¡°Fine, fine, it¡¯s all my fault,¡± Tang Xiaolian resigned herself, no longer caring about dirtying her clothes, and just sat down on a moss-covered rock, covering her face and pretending to wipe tears.

    Yan Yu observed her discreetly. Despite her whining, there were no tears on her face, and she was secretly peeking at him through her fingers.

    Turning his gaze back to the front, since the elder with long eyebrows had sent him here, this Mysterious Realm must be related to swordsmanship and was likely a testing type. It wouldn¡¯t pose unsolvable problems.

    A test¡­ A test?

    A test for a Sword Immortal, then?

    Yan Yu secretly pinched the Sword technique, and the Huang Tingjian sword suddenly flew out from behind, hacking around at the surrounding cliffs.

    Tang Xiaolian was immediately startled by his action, half expecting Captain Yan to next say, ¡°Annoying woman! Watch me not chop you up,¡± and instinctively covered her head with her hands, crying out in defense, only to hear another sound like a mountain splitting and the earth shattering.

    She hurriedly opened her eyes, only to see Yan Yu on one side of a rock wall, forcefully shattering it with the Sword Control Technique and revealing a deep cave entrance.

    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Yan Yu observed the cave entrance for a moment, nodding in satisfaction. ¡°I said, why the rock wall here is different from other places, why it¡¯s especially smooth¡ªturns out it was a stone door, just previously covered with moss and not visible.¡±

    He calmly walked forward, and Tang Xiaolian quickly got up to follow.

    The cave was very deep and without any source of light, so Yan Yu turned on his phone¡¯s flashlight mode to lead the way ahead.

    Following behind, Tang Xiaolian, scared by the creepy atmosphere, couldn¡¯t help but reach for Yan Yu¡¯s arm, then, feeling it was too forward, grabbed onto his sleeve instead.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Yan Yu asked without turning his head.

    ¡°Watch out, there might be an ambush ahead.¡± Tang Xiaolian, embarrassed to admit she was scared, said solemnly, ¡°It¡¯s better for the two of us to stick close together, so we can look out for each other.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Yan Yu thought this made sense since he wasn¡¯t afraid of any ambush or sneak attacks, but as a cultivator of insects, well-known for the weak Envoy profession that heavily relies on teammates¡¯ protection, her instinct to stick close to him was only natural.

    He continued marching forward briskly, Tang Xiaolian unable to keep up with his pace, pleaded:

    ¡°Slow down a bit, Captain Yan, slow down!¡±

    ¡°Or you could walk a bit faster,¡± Yan Yu suggested.

    ¡°I¡¯m wearing a skirt, it¡¯s inconvenient to walk fast!¡±

    ¡°Then take off your skirt.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian, left without a choice, started rustling as she took off her skirt in the surrounding darkness.

    ¡°Don¡¯t use your Divine Sense to scan me secretly,¡± she suddenly reminded.

    ¡°What¡¯s there to scan?¡± Yan Yu frowned, ¡°Aren¡¯t you wearing clothes inside? Just removing the outer one will do, and nothing will be exposed!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid the sound of me undressing might provoke improper thoughts in you,¡± Tang Xiaolian explained.

    ¡°Are you always this troublesome in the team?¡± Yan Yu curiously asked.

    ¡°Of course not!¡± Tang Xiaolian defended. ¡°In the team, everyone takes care of me!¡±

    ¡°Well, you should know¡ªI¡¯m not the type of captain who looks after his teammates,¡± Yan Yu chuckled coldly.

    ¡°Then what type of captain are you?¡± Tang Xiaolian, having removed her skirt, casually asked.

    ¡°My leadership style is primarily strict,¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°A little misstep during regular practice means either beating or cursing, no mercy shown! Later, if we encounter any situation, you must follow my command. Don¡¯t think of crying after causing trouble and getting forgiven¡ªthat won¡¯t work with me, got it?¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Tang Xiaolian tied her skirt around her waist, securing a knot that wouldn¡¯t hinder movement, and muttered under her breath.

    Beating or cursing? I don¡¯t buy it. How could you be harsh with the girls in your team?

    Hmm, speaking of which, Captain Yan came to explore this Mysterious Realm alone; why didn¡¯t he bring his teammates along?

    ¡°Captain Yan, Captain Yan.¡± After following Yan Yu for a while, Tang Xiaolian couldn¡¯t hold back her curiosity and asked, ¡°Why did you come here alone this time?¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯s quieter to work alone,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    ¡°Not really, I think more people would be safer, able to handle all kinds of emergencies,¡± Tang Xiaolian objected.

    ¡°Too many girls get noisy, giving me a headache,¡± Yan Yu remarked.

    ¡°So in your eyes, am I also one of those noisy types?¡± Tang Xiaolian asked.

    ¡°You¡¯re the kind that goes ¡®quack quack quack quack,''¡±

    ¡°What, Captain Yan, do you think I sound like a duck?¡± Tang Xiaolian expressed her dissatisfaction.

    ¡°I mean you¡¯re not helpful at all in a situation, just going ¡®quack quack quack,¡¯ waiting for me to randomly kill,¡± Yan Yu teased her.

    Tang Xiaolian puffed up her cheeks in anger, but recalling her performance while they were trapped in the rift, she indeed didn¡¯t have much to argue with.

    Hmph, later I must perform well and make you take back those disrespectful words, Captain Yan!

 Chapter 417 - 13: Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu

    Chapter 417: Chapter 13: Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu

    The two of them walked along the tunnel, and although they had gone a considerable distance, the air was not the least bit stuffy.

    ¡°There seems to be something on the wall,¡± Tang Xiaolian suddenly said.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu used his flashlight to illuminate the wall and indeed saw many murals carved on the cave wall.

    These murals intersected with the natural patterns of the cave wall, making them appear as a mass of intricate, meaningless lines under the scan of Divine Sense. However, if light shone from a certain angle, a portion of the lines started to reflect brightly, outlining images with clearly defined meanings¡ªthis was a visual mechanism that only the human eye could clearly perceive.

    The test had already begun from here. Was it testing whether I had enough vision for the environment around me?

    ¡°How about that, I¡¯m quite helpful, aren¡¯t I?¡± Tang Xiaolian put her hands on her hips, waiting for Yan Yu to praise her.

    ...

    But Yan Yu did not pay her any mind, instead bringing his phone¡¯s light source closer to take a careful look at the contents of the carvings on these murals.

    Seeing that he ignored her, Tang Xiaolian puffed up her cheeks, and her gaze also fell on the murals, suddenly exclaiming:

    ¡°Is this a Sword Technique?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s a Sword Move,¡± Yan Yu corrected.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t a Sword Technique the same as a Sword Move?¡± Tang Xiaolian asked, puzzled.

    ¡°They are quite different,¡± Yan Yu said intently, staring at the murals, ¡°A Sword Move refers to individual moves with clear meanings, like Cang Song Ying Ke, Bai Niao Chao Feng, White Rainbow Across the Sky, for example, they are like words.¡±

    ¡°A Sword Technique, on the other hand, is about modifying and connecting Sword Moves to form a complete set of Sword Control combat systems, akin to sentences and articles composed of many words, understand?¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Tang Xiaolian realized, ¡°So this is like a dictionary carved on the wall.¡±

    ¡°You could say that,¡± Yan Yu paused for a while, ¡°But these Sword Moves¡­ I¡¯m a bit unable to understand them.¡±

    ¡°Captain Yan, you¡¯re a professional Sword Immortal, and even you can¡¯t understand them?¡± Tang Xiaolian teased.

    ¡°If you had seen advanced textbooks on Sword Control Technique, you would know that the commonly recognized Sword Moves consist of thirty-six moves,¡± Yan Yu said without turning his head, ¡°But looking at the quantity of these murals, it far exceeds thirty-six¡­¡±

    He suddenly laughed dryly, adding:

    ¡°What am I telling you all this for? You¡¯re not a Sword Immortal.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for not being a Sword Immortal!¡± Tang Xiaolian got angry again.

    But getting angry was useless, as Captain Yan clearly didn¡¯t take her bait. She could only take out her phone to help light up the area, so Yan Yu could see more clearly.

    Yan Yu walked along the corridor of murals, occasionally stopping to look, and soon reached the end of the corridor.

    ¡°Did you figure anything out?¡± Tang Xiaolian asked curiously.

    ¡°A total of fifty-four moves,¡± Yan Yu pondered, ¡°Besides the known thirty-six, eighteen more moves were added. The sword paths are rather complex and odd, not very versatile.¡±

    ¡°That seems normal,¡± Tang Xiaolian agreed, ¡°If they were useful, why not widely recruit disciples to pass them on, instead of secretly carving them in this sunless place?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not a Sword Immortal, you wouldn¡¯t understand,¡± Yan Yu glanced at her again, ¡°Looking at the style of the sword paths, the existing thirty-six moves should have been simplified from these fifty-four. Many details were omitted, which is why the threshold for mastering Sword Control Technique significantly decreased.¡±

    ¡°But in fact, if swordsmanship were to reach a higher level, it would actually require simplifying the complex back to these original fifty-four moves to have a chance of further progress.¡±

    Old man with long eyebrows, is this why you led me here? Anticipating that your Lineage Succession would undergo reductions and simplifications in the Age of Dharma Decline, so you specifically left an original copy here?

    ¡°There seems to be another stone door here,¡± Tang Xiaolian suddenly said, ¡°Just like the one we broke from the outside earlier.¡±

    Yan Yu went over to confirm for a moment, his hand forming a Sword Technique, and Huang Tingjian struck the stone door.

    Only a muffled sound was heard, and the stone gate remained immovable, completely unscathed.

    ¡°Ah? Why doesn¡¯t it work?¡± Tang Xiaolian, taking pleasure in the misfortune, said with a mischievous smile, ¡°Is that all a professional Sword Immortal is capable of?¡±

    Yan Yu ignored her and took out a light source, shining it briefly before noticing two seal characters carved on each side of the stone gate.

    On the left was ¡°White Rainbow¡± and on the right, ¡°Across the Sky.¡±

    He altered his sword technique once more and executed the White Rainbow Across the Sky. As expected, the stone gate shattered in response.

    Tang Xiaolian stared, dumbfounded. How could the hardness of this stone gate change? Earlier, it hadn¡¯t even shown a mark from the strike, and now it¡¯s as brittle as tofu.

    ¡°This is what a professional Sword Immortal is,¡± Yan Yu stated indifferently, walking in with his hands behind his back.

    Damn it, he managed to show off!

    Tang Xiaolian followed closely behind, and the two passed through a corridor, indeed encountering a second stone gate with four seal characters carved from right to left: ¡°Cang Song Ying Ke.¡±

    So that¡¯s how it is. The mural earlier taught fifty-four moves, and the subsequent stone gates were there to test them. One must master all the moves to pass through. If one is not a Sword Immortal Cultivator capable of performing the complete fifty-four moves, they would inevitably have to leave in disgrace.

    With a sudden insight, Yan Yu led Tang Xiaolian with unstoppable momentum, breezing through fifty-three stone gates, until light finally became visible ahead.

    They were out!

    Upon suddenly seeing the light of day again, Tang Xiaolian could not help but tears filled her eyes, following Yan Yu out of the cave, only to see a picturesque valley outside.

    Distant steep mountains surrounded the area, coniferous forests dense as silk, with great rivers flowing down from the mountains, nourishing the fields on both sides of the secluded valley and everywhere golden flower fields in bloom.

    In the middle of the flower field, a winding path led all the way to the majestic palace on the side of a distant mountain.

    Tang Xiaolian, unable to wait any longer, urged Yan Yu to set off quickly. The two walked down the mountain path, entering the golden flower field, only to smell a sweet scent, unlike the rich fragrance of flowers¡­ In fact, it was somewhat reminiscent of the aroma of grilled steak fats.

    ¡°This flower has a strange scent.¡± Curious, Tang Xiaolian went to smell it, and before she could get close to the golden flowers, Yan Yu suddenly pulled her back.

    She staggered and lost balance, plunging into Yan Yu¡¯s arms, just about to scold in embarrassment, but then saw Yan Yu forcefully pulling her behind him with his left hand while his right hand was continuously forming sword techniques. The Huang Tingjian sword shot out, clashing with a metallic clang.

    Only then did Tang Xiaolian see clearly that at her previous standing spot, a golden beetle had been sent flying by the Huang Tingjian sword, yet it remained unscathed and angrily buzzed for a moment before diving again in a different direction.

    What kind of Gu Insect is this! It¡¯s not even afraid of being chopped by the Flying Sword?

    Tang Xiaolian¡¯s expression turned to one of great alarm, and though Yan Yu¡¯s face was expressionless, he was also fully on guard internally. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    He recognized this golden beetle as none other than the infamous Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu from his previous life!

    Impervious to knives and fire, capable of devouring metal fully, ordinary Cultivators bitten by this ferocious bug, even if they escaped immediately, would succumb to the poison and die within three quarters of an hour.

    In his past life, there was a famous folk Cultivator called Dai Zongwei, known as ¡°Insect Emperor,¡± who staved off many with just three Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gus. Later, he was recruited by the Annan Army and remained arrogantly rampant, claiming he wanted to become the foremost Cultivator of the Annan Army ¡ª until Immortal Venerate Xie¡¯s Thunder Method shattered his views, turning him into a loyal follower of the Immortal Venerate, tirelessly serving without a grudge.

    After being recruited, this man had never betrayed them and was considered straightforward. Moreover, since there were no Gu-using Cultivators in Yan Yu¡¯s group, he hadn¡¯t intuitively targeted those Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gus. Yet, unexpectedly, he encountered a mature one here!

    The Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu could only be tamed during its egg stage; once hatched, there was no chance of domesticating it again. In addition to its immunity to most physical attacks and spell damage, it consequently became the natural enemy of most Transcendents.

    Yan Yu maneuvered his sword technique, executed a Cang Song Ying Ke to intercept the raging Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, then turned and said:

    ¡°Run.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Tang Xiaolian was perplexed.

    ¡°Run fast!¡± Seeing her still dazed, Yan Yu didn¡¯t have time for explanations, continuing to use the Huang Tingjian sword to intercept the Golden Silkworm Gu with his right hand, while grabbing Tang Xiaolian¡¯s hand with his left and sprinting forward along the flower field path.

 Chapter 418 - 14: Be Mine

    Chapter 418: Chapter 14: Be Mine

    ¡°`

    In his past life, the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu could cause most cultivators to lose their courage upon hearing its name, but Yan Yu regarded it as nothing to fear.

    The insect¡¯s methods of attack were nothing more than pouncing, and it did not even know how to move in arcs or feint; it was far too simplistic and mechanical. Without a cultivator to command it from behind, defending against its attacks was not difficult.

    But Tang Xiaolian could not do it.

    One fears not the god-like opponent but the pig-like teammate. Considering the girl¡¯s reaction speed and level of swordsmanship, it was likely she could not even take a single hit from the Golden Silkworm Gu¡ªYan Yu had no choice but to use most of his energy to protect her, attempting to quickly get her through the flower field.

    When the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu attacked, it first hovered in the air, shrieking for a moment, its fierce maw opening and closing, then it transformed into a streak of golden light, pouncing viciously. If it collided with a person, it would immediately bore a bloody hole. The poison would permeate through the wound, circulating through the meridians to spread across the body and finally reach the heart, killing the person in an instant.

    ...

    Seeing the ferocious insect repelled by Huang Tingjian each time it pounced, Tang Xiaolian, initially a bit frightened, gradually calmed down. She grew bolder and continued to hold Yan Yu¡¯s hand, asking curiously,

    ¡°Captain Yan, can you kill it?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu shook his head.

    ¡°Why not?¡± Tang Xiaolian couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°Aren¡¯t you able to defend against all its attacks?¡±

    ¡°I have no means of counterattack,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    Impervious to knife and fire, it is destined that the only things in this world that can counter the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu are either some sort of sealing and trapping method or an extraordinary divine Immortal Sword or magic. Even Xie Ruoxi¡¯s Shenxiao Thunder, known for its full-on lethal power and suppression of physical vitality, might not be effective against the Gu considering her current Marrow Cleansing Stage of cultivation¡ªYan Yu was unsure whether she could overcome the Golden Silkworm Gu.

    Even with the demon¡¯s terrifying might, I remain undefeated¡ªa powerful stand!

    As Yan Yu was lost in thought, he suddenly heard a strange female voice by his ear,

    ¡°For the second trial of combat, your level of swordsmanship has passed, but your companion has not made a move. Such trickery might deceive the stone gate challenge, but it won¡¯t get past me.¡±

    ¡°I am the one pursuing the Long Eyebrows¡¯ legacy,¡± Yan Yu replied gravely. ¡°She is not.¡±

    The woman¡¯s voice chuckled lightly and continued,

    ¡°Since she entered with you, she must face the trial of swordsmanship; these are the rules here. You either figure out a way to get her through the combat, or you leave with her and come back alone next time.¡±

    Yan Yu remained silent for a moment, then turned to Tang Xiaolian and said,

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    ¡°At least let me try!¡± Tang Xiaolian suddenly became frantic, forcibly pulling away his hand. ¡°My swordsmanship isn¡¯t bad. Why declare I can¡¯t win without even trying?¡±

    ¡°Then you try,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°I will try.¡± Tang Xiaolian performed a sword technique, and the Peach Blossom Tender Sword transformed into a streak of pink light, advancing to attack the incoming Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu.

    Another ringing clang of metal rang out, the Golden Silkworm Gu¡¯s advance was intercepted by Huang Tingjian, and the streak of pink light struck nothing but air, freezing in place, just like Tang Xiaolian¡¯s expression.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    Tang Xiaolian: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back,¡± Yan Yu said again, this time with much more determination.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to!¡± Tang Xiaolian refused to admit defeat, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked at him and begged coquettishly, ¡°Captain Yan, help me, please! You¡¯re so powerful, give me some pointers on my swordsmanship, let me get through this trial, please, will you?¡±

    ¡°Please!¡±

    Yan Yu also felt a headache coming on. After all, one should first show some¡­ no, that is, you¡¯re not even from our team, nor are you a Sword Immortal by profession, so what¡¯s the point of insisting on getting through this swordsmanship trial?

    However, upon further thought, there were indeed some benefits to helping the young girl.

    It is well known that Zhou Hongyu was an incredibly tenacious fighter, stronger in the face of powerful enemies, recklessly courting death in battle. If Li Minghu was said to have been worn down by attrition, then she had thrown herself into her own demise, cutting the tragic intensity in half and adding a layer of humor.

    At present, my relationship with Li Minghu is quite good, and it would be easy to intercede and change her fate later on, but Zhou Hongyu remained stubborn, possibly not replying even after three messages. Although I have some relationship with her, I still have no steady confidence in how to alter her tragic ending.

    If I could cultivate Tang Xiaolian as one of my own¡­ like inside the Huofeng Team, secretly giving me intelligence, helping me to improve my relationship with little Zhou, or even calling me to the rescue at critical moments?

    ¡°`

    Alright, let¡¯s do that!

    ¡°I can give you pointers,¡± Yan Yu said.

    Tang Xiaolian¡¯s face lit up with joy, but then she heard him continue:

    ¡°But I can¡¯t give you pointers for free.¡±

    ¡°But I helped you find this place,¡± Tang Xiaolian quickly retorted.

    ¡°That was to repay the debt of gratitude for me teaching you the Marrow Cleansing technique,¡± Yan Yu replied as he once again used his sword to knock away the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, correcting her at the same time.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so petty, you¡¯re a grown man!¡± Tang Xiaolian exclaimed.

    ¡°What did you say? I can¡¯t hear you,¡± Yan Yu feigned, ¡°Oh no, the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu is attacking again, I have to defend against it and have no time to talk to you anymore.¡±

    With her cheeks puffed out, Tang Xiaolian huffed and pondered for a while before tentatively asking:

    ¡°So, can I owe Captain Yan another favor, would that be okay?¡±

    Yan Yu had originally intended to have Tang Xiaolian owe him a favor, and surprisingly, she offered it herself ¨C this girl was quite clever!

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± he nodded with a reserved air.

    Tang Xiaolian secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Captain Yan had no romantic interest in me, thank goodness, I would never betray Captain Zhou¡­ Even though Captain Yan was indeed powerful, domineering, dependable, and also of the opposite sex, in life, I belong to the Huofeng Team, and in death, I will be the ghost of the Huofeng Team!

    However, now that I owed Captain Yan another favor, it was an opportunity to cultivate a good relationship with him¡ªI mean, a friendship. After all, the more friends you have, the more paths you have; and with Captain Yan¡¯s strength and status, being friends with him would surely open thousands of paths to me, letting my life get broader and broader.

    ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± Tang Xiaolian stated solemnly, her hands forming a Sword Technique.

    Sensing the golden light rushing toward him again, Yan Yu uttered deeply:

    ¡°White Rainbow Across the Sky.¡±

    ¡°What is White Rainbow Across the Sky?¡± Tang Xiaolian asked. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu nearly stumbled on the spot, quickly urging the Huang Ting Sword to intercept the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu as he asked:

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, you don¡¯t even read the Sword Control Technique materials?¡±

    ¡°No, why would I?¡± Tang Xiaolian asked, puzzled, ¡°I¡¯m not a Sword Immortal, why bother with that?¡±

    Yan Yu was speechlessly choked and after a long pause, he solemnly advised her:

    ¡°You need to read it. For cultivators who aren¡¯t in the Sword Immortal profession, I don¡¯t expect you to master the Sword Control Technique, but you should at least know the four basic Sword Techniques. For offense, use White Rainbow Across the Sky; for containment, use Bai Niao Chao Feng; for interception, use Cang Song Ying Ke; and for parrying, use Night Battle in All Directions. These four Sword Techniques, once mastered, will do you nothing but good.¡±

    ¡°Captain Zhang also mentioned these four basic moves,¡± Tang Xiaolian recalled, explaining to Yan Yu, ¡°But he said, Magic Cultivators and Sword Immortals need to learn them, but Assistant Officers and Envoys don¡¯t have to, since our duties aren¡¯t about output. Learning them is just icing on the cake, not a necessary aid.¡±

    ¡°Captain Zhang doesn¡¯t know jack!¡± Yan Yu immediately swore, ¡°He can¡¯t even beat our team¡¯s Ningning and yet dares to mislead others! Without mastering these four basic moves, how will you protect yourself if you¡¯re ever alone? Do you think the enemy will go easy on you just because you¡¯re not a damage-dealing profession?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Tang Xiaolian laughed awkwardly and continued, ¡°Captain Zhang also explained that if we end up on our own, it signifies a major tactical error in the team. Even if we learned the basic moves, we might not be able to hold our own against damage-dealing professions, so it¡¯s better to spend our limited time and energy improving our own abilities to better coordinate with the team¡¯s strategy. Once we have spare time, we¡¯ll gradually learn the basics of Sword Control Technique.¡±

    ¡°And what if the team system gets abolished in the future?¡± Yan Yu scoffed, ¡°If teams are disbanded and you have to fight alone on the battlefield, how will you protect yourself?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Xiaolian was befuddled, ¡°The teams won¡¯t be disbanded, right?¡±

    Yan Yu fell silent for a moment, then changed the subject:

    ¡°Nevermind, I¡¯ll demonstrate it for you. The so-called White Rainbow Across the Sky is actually very simple; it¡¯s a long-distance thrust. This technique has three variations: a pure straight line, a curved approach followed by a straight thrust, and a straight approach followed by a curved thrust. The pure straight line is the fastest engagement with the enemy; the curved approach followed by a straight thrust has even more killing power due to a longer acceleration distance; the straight approach followed by a curved thrust is for making a sudden turn in the sword path¡¯s latter half, usually used for deceitful tactics like feinting and distraction, sort of a trickery strategy.¡±

    ¡°Hold on, let me write this down!¡± Tang Xiaolian quickly pulled out her phone and started typing, murmuring to herself, ¡°White Rainbow Across the Sky, three variations¡­¡±

    ¡°What are you writing for!¡± Yan Yu snatched away her phone, ¡°You won¡¯t have time to take notes on the battlefield! Raise your Flying Sword and mimic my sword movements to make the moves!¡±

    ¡°Watch carefully, this is White Rainbow Across the Sky!¡±

 Chapter 419 - 15 Please, Im Begging You

    Chapter 419: Chapter 15 Please, I¡¯m Begging You

    ¡°White Rainbow Across the Sky is a long-range thrust, do you even know what ¡®long-range¡¯ means?¡±

    ¡°The key to Cang Song Ying Ke lies in the bending strike, which can start with a downward slash followed by an upward swipe, or vice versa. Are you saying it¡¯s no longer Cang Song Ying Ke if done in reverse?¡±

    ¡°You got the direction of the tail swing in Bai Niao Chao Feng all wrong! It¡¯s like drifting a car, you¡¯ve seen drifting, right? Never watched ¡®Initial D¡¯? You must have at least played Mario Kart!¡±

    ¡°Night Battle in All Directions¡­ Forget it, with your swordsmanship talent, you wouldn¡¯t understand even if I explained it to you. Just practice the other three techniques for now.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian was so angry that she clenched her teeth and fumed, her hands fiercely performing the sword technique as she recklessly attacked the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu.

    This Gu insect flew at high speeds and was even more agile than flying swords. Therefore, she was able to hit it only about three or four times out of ten attempts¡­ what was more infuriating was that every time she missed, Yan Yu would either sharply point out her mistake or say nothing but let out a long sigh, making her feel like a complete idiot.

    ...

    Back in school, I was called a genius, for goodness¡¯ sake!

    Yan Yu, responsible for teaching, was also speechless, thinking it¡¯s no wonder you chose to be an Envoy, with these skills you couldn¡¯t become a Sword Immortal even if you were reborn and went back to the past! Her reflexes and vision were mediocre at best, and her understanding of swordsmanship even more so. The Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu is not a target one can handle carelessly, so rather than expecting her to pass the test alone, it might be more realistic to consider having her perform a live sword swallowing act.

    Perhaps cheating is the way to go?

    ¡°Listen to me,¡± Yan Yu sent a telepathic message to Tang Xiaolian, ¡°You¡¯re not a professional Sword Immortal anyway, you can take it slow with the swordsmanship lessons, let me teach you how to speed through this level.¡±

    ¡°I refuse!¡± Tang Xiaolian firmly rejected, ¡°I want to pass this level fair and square, without resorting to any underhanded methods!¡±

    Yan Yu was simply at his wit¡¯s end. Do I not wish for you to pass this level fair and square? The problem is, do you have the ability to?

    ¡°Be sensible, passing the level is currently the top priority.¡± He tried to reason with her patiently, ¡°You can¡¯t become fat with just one bite.¡±

    ¡°No! I want to pass it with my own strength!¡± Tang Xiaolian stubbornly declared.

    Yan Yu had no choice but to use his trump card, he said with a cold smile: S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Fine, then you stay here to deal with the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, I¡¯ll continue moving forward.¡±

    ¡°Captain Yan, spare my life!¡± Seeing him about to leave her behind, Tang Xiaolian quickly grabbed his arm, and with a cry in her voice said, ¡°If you¡¯re not here to protect me, I¡¯ll be killed by that insect!¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to pass with your own strength?¡± Yan Yu pretended not to understand her meaning, encouraging her, ¡°Go on, defeat it with your upright swordsmanship!¡±

    ¡°Without Captain Yan¡¯s guidance, my swordsmanship is crap.¡± Tang Xiaolian quickly chose to back down, bowing her noble head, she pleaded, ¡°Captain Yan, I was wrong, please stay and keep an eye on me~¡±

    ¡°Heh.¡± Yan Yu turned to look toward the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu which kept buzzing not far away and instructed, ¡°To make you improve your swordsmanship in a short period of time is difficult; but to have you defeat this insect is not hard.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian posed ready to listen attentively, nodding continuously.

    ¡°Watch closely.¡± Yan Yu performed several sword techniques in succession, blocking all of the Golden Silkworm Gu¡¯s lunges, then turned and asked, ¡°Did you get it?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± Tang Xiaolian cautiously asked, ¡°Could you tell me specifically what I should observe?¡±

    ¡°Observe its flight patterns!¡± Yan Yu said.

    After watching for a moment, Tang Xiaolian suddenly had an epiphany and said:

    ¡°This little insect has no spiritual wisdom, so it can only attack in a straight line, either targeting me or the flying sword!¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡± Yan Yu showed a look of approval and satisfactorily asked, ¡°Anything else?¡±

    ¡°Its sprinting burst is very powerful, it can speed up from a standstill in an instant.¡± Tang Xiaolian continued, ¡°But before it sprints, it will first turn its body in the direction it plans to dash.¡±

    ¡°So,¡± Yan Yu induced gently, ¡°as long as you pay attention to its orientation and the target of its charge¡­¡±

    ¡°I can avoid being pounced on by it!¡± Tang Xiaolian clapped her hands and said.

    Yan Yu¡¯s hand came down like a knife on her forehead as he bellowed,

    ¡°You can predict its flight path! That way, even if your swordsmanship is a pile of shit, you can easily intercept it!¡±

    ¡°Calling me trash is a bit too much,¡± said Tang Xiaolian, holding her head in distress before turning to attack the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu again.

    Indeed, once she could predict its lunging trajectory, her success rate in intercepting with the sword increased dramatically, from three hits out of ten strikes to seven, instantly boosting her confidence.

    My swordsmanship isn¡¯t that stinky after all!

    Yan Yu watched with a cold eye, thinking to himself that her talent in swordsmanship was indeed trash. I had completely analyzed the opponent¡¯s attacking path for you, yet you could only achieve a 70% interception rate¡­ But compared to another piece of trash on my team, she seems barely acceptable.

    If that beautiful piece of trash were here, with the speed of the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu¡¯s flight, she might have trouble making three hits out of ten.

    ¡°Does this mean I can pass the level?¡± Tang Xiaolian quietly transmitted to him.

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°You have to be able to handle its attacks alone, without me, meaning the interception rate must reach 100%. After all, missing just one attack means death for you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s too difficult,¡± Tang Xiaolian lamented, ¡°I can predict its attack path, but oftentimes my eyes and reaction can¡¯t keep up. Just as I clearly see its direction, before I can command the sword to intercept, it has already surged forward.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t have a good solution either. After all, eye strength and reaction speed are innate. It¡¯s not impossible to improve them later in life, but it definitely takes a lot of energy and time¡ªit¡¯s not something that can be done in a short time.

    Seeing him lost in thought, Tang Xiaolian tentatively asked,

    ¡°Do you have any way to deal with this, Captain Yan?¡±

    ¡°How about we head back?¡± Yan Yu suggested, ¡°I¡¯ll come alone next time.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t start beating a retreat at the last moment!¡± Tang Xiaolian couldn¡¯t help but cry out, ¡°You¡¯ve already taught me so much, just give me a little more push to get through this hurdle!¡±

    ¡°While you¡¯re not wrong, the one who needs to push harder is you, not me. What¡¯s the use of shouting at me?¡± Yan Yu was silent for a moment, ¡°Do you have any other offensive means that could delay or even slow its movements?¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± This reminded Tang Xiaolian, who reached into the pouch at her waist and tossed a large cloud of red mist forward, buzzing towards the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu.

    Yan Yu¡¯s Divine Sense scanned everything, and the red mist turned out to be many winged Flying Fire Ants, about the size of the tip of a toothpick, their bodies high-temperature red, swarming and colliding against the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu in a frenzy of bites.

    The Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, claimed to be impervious to blades and resistant to fire and water, naturally wasn¡¯t bothered by the bites and burns of these Gu Insects. However, it was extremely distressed by them, and because the tiny Flying Fire Ants were too small to bite effectively, its frenzy and rage increased even more, lunging and snapping wildly at the nearby Peach Blossom Tender Sword¡ªthe golden wing-cases glowed red in the heat, and its flight speed indeed slowed.

    Tang Xiaolian, upon seeing this, grew more confident. She manipulated the Peach Blossom Tender Sword to strike at the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, her demeanor becoming proud.

    Yan Yu stood behind her with crossed arms, thinking that this was a passable way to cope, but she had taken a shortcut. He wondered if the Mysterious Realm would accept it.

    ¡°Are you a Gu Insect Cultivator?¡± A female voice from the Mysterious Realm suddenly asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Tang Xiaolian hastily pleaded, ¡°Senior! I¡¯m not a professional Sword Immortal, okay? Getting to this point is already my limit! Please, please let me pass, alright? Pretty please~¡±

    ¡°Fine, consider it as you passing,¡± the female voice seemed to be swayed by her soft entreaties, and the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu suddenly let out a shriek, burrowing into the Golden Flower Field and disappearing in an instant.

    The two continued towards the distant palace, Tang Xiaolian secretly transmitting to Yan Yu,

    ¡°How was that? My performance was pretty good, right?¡±

    ¡°Swordsmanship 20 points, quick wit 10 points, talking back deducts 8 points.¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment, ¡°Whining 60 points.¡±

    ¡°Whining is a skill too, okay!¡± Tang Xiaolian retorted, ¡°Choosing the right tone, the right words, and the right moment to plead requires a lot of thought! Hmm? Why are there deducted points? Doesn¡¯t that mean I only have 82 points in total?¡±

    ¡°Did you really expect a perfect score for that performance?¡± said Yan Yu, shaking his head in disbelief, ¡°The remaining 18 points, I¡¯ll reward you in the form of ¡®666¡¯.¡±

 Chapter 420 - 16 There Must Be Generous Rewards

    Chapter 420: Chapter 16 There Must Be Generous Rewards

    In a scoring system out of 100, Yan Yu gave Tang Xiaolian a 20 for her swordsmanship, which of course, seriously underestimated her ability.

    Any cultivator capable of entering one of the four top teams wouldn¡¯t have any glaring weaknesses in their overall talents. Even Chen Lingyun, whom Yan Yu had deemed ¡°too lacking in talent,¡± was only considered such when compared to the average level of the leading cultivators in the four top teams.

    However, if one were to rank all of the first-generation cultivators based on their cultivation talent from highest to lowest, Chen Lingyun would be around the top 40%, which actually couldn¡¯t be considered poor.

    Of course, Mr. Yan¡¯s standards were too high, his evaluation of cultivation talents gauged against the likes of Xie Ruoxi and Liu Longtao, so naturally, he didn¡¯t think much of Chen Lingyun.

    His requirements for swordsmanship levels were even tougher. For instance, Lin Ning¡ªbased solely on swordsmanship¡ªwould have a somewhat tough time being placed in the top three domestically, but she¡¯d face no stress getting into the top five. Even Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun of the Dragon Soar Team might not be her match, yet in Yan Yu¡¯s eyes, she was just ¡°so-so¡± and ¡°an inflexible piece of rotten wood.¡±

    Similarly, Tang Xiaolian was actually quite beautiful, with bright eyes and clean skin, especially with the advantages of a slim waist and a sweet voice that added significantly to her external charm. Otherwise, why would everyone in the Huofeng Team look after her?

    ...

    Yet Yan Yu, spoiled by the standards of the Zhenhai Team members, saw her appearance as merely ¡°average¡± and ¡°barely passable,¡± never considering her to be a particularly pretty girl, let alone having any inclination to take care of her appropriately.

    Tang Xiaolian had realized that Captain Yan didn¡¯t harbor even the slightest sympathy or chivalry toward her. Her good looks had been recognized by those around her all her life; otherwise, her parents wouldn¡¯t have let her wear traditional costumes to promote their family¡¯s guesthouse¡ªthere was even an internet celebrity studio that contacted her after seeing her photos, intending to build her image as a Miaojiang fairy!

    Could Captain Yan be gay? She couldn¡¯t help wondering to herself.

    The two walked through a large expanse of golden flowers and arrived at the foot of the mountain where the palace was situated, seeing a winding stone path leading upward.

    ¡°Captain Yan, Captain Yan,¡± Tang Xiaolian called crisply, ¡°Since entering the Mysterious Realm until now, we¡¯ve passed through ¡®Gorge Skyline,¡¯ ¡®Mountain Cave Stone Gate,¡¯ and ¡®Golden Flower Field.¡¯ Each of these environments is a test, pertaining respectively to observation, learning ability, and defensive capability.¡±

    ¡°So, does that mean there is likely to be some sort of test along this mountain path as well, one that relates to the qualities required of a Sword Immortal, right?¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Yan Yu looked at her with surprise, ¡°Aren¡¯t you quite clever?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always been clever!¡± Tang Xiaolian retorted angrily. Not only do you not praise me, but you also mock me?

    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you show a hint of intelligence in the previous tests?¡± asked Yan Yu.

    ¡°Because I have full trust in Captain Yan¡¯s ability to handle things, which led me to lazily stop thinking for a while,¡± Tang Xiaolian justified herself stoutly.

    ¡°Then I hope you carry your brains with you for what¡¯s to come,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently, ¡°You also heard what that female voice from the Mysterious Realm said just now: all who enter must face tests. What will you do if we are suddenly teleported apart at the next test?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll wait for Captain Yan to come and save me,¡± Tang Xiaolian replied without a second thought.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you be a little more ambitious?¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but laugh.

    ¡°This is not about being lazy,¡± Tang Xiaolian explained, ¡°The tests in this Mysterious Realm focus on content related to Sword Immortals, and in this regard, I am very likely to fail. Instead of recklessly trying and getting myself into more dangerous situations, thus becoming a burden that needs rescuing, why not wait honestly for Captain Yan to find me and then proceed together?¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­

    Speechless, she made such a sound argument!

    So why did I bring her to this Mysterious Realm in the first place?

    ¡°So, who should go up this mountain path first, you or me?¡± asked Yan Yu.

    ¡°Captain Yan should just decide,¡± said Tang Xiaolian obediently.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go first,¡± Yan Yu stepped forward and had just set foot on the first step when something felt off.

    My body¡­ has it become heavier?

    The increase in weight was minuscule, but his control over his body was so refined that he instantly sensed something was wrong and immediately turned back.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Tang Xiaolian asked, a bit worried.

    Yan Yu did not respond but instead instructed:

    ¡°You go up and try.¡±

    He didn¡¯t want to share his speculation, allowing Tang Xiaolian to form her preconceptions, but she obviously misunderstood his intent and said earnestly:

    ¡°You know, Captain Yan,¡± Tang Xiaolian said, ¡°I have complete trust in you, that¡¯s why I¡¯m willing to follow your command. If you use this to make me look foolish and laugh at me, I¡¯ll never trust you again.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Yan Yu was both amused and frustrated, ¡°I have absolutely no intention of bullying you. I just want to see if my guess is correct, that¡¯s all.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian looked at him skeptically for a long moment before finally taking her gaze away and carefully stepping onto the first stair.

    Hmm? Nothing feels different.

    ¡°What now?¡± she asked, turning her head back.

    ¡°Go up a few more steps,¡± Yan Yu instructed.

    Tang Xiaolian took four steps up in quick succession, her expression filled with confusion, and then turned back:

    ¡°Still nothing unusual, it¡¯s just like any normal staircase.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t feel your body getting heavier?¡± Yan Yu asked, surprised.

    ¡°Heavier?!¡± Tang Xiaolian cried out in shock, ¡°Is this the kind of staircase that makes you gain weight like crazy?¡±

    ¡°¡­No,¡± Yan Yu was left speechless by her, ¡°I¡¯m talking about gravity. Don¡¯t you feel that the further you go up, the heavier your body becomes?¡±

    Tang Xiaolian, who was frantically feeling her body to make sure she hadn¡¯t suddenly gained any excess fat, first breathed a sigh of relief at his words, but then became annoyed: S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Damn it! So it¡¯s not a restriction problem with the Mysterious Realm! I¡¯ll just have to diet and exercise properly once I get out of here.

    ¡°Since that¡¯s not the case, let¡¯s keep going,¡± Yan Yu thought to himself, deciding to continue on since the girl didn¡¯t seem to have much perception of the phenomenon; it was worth investigating further.

    He led Tang Xiaolian up the mountain towards the palace situated higher up.

    After covering about half the distance, the sensation of gravity finally became noticeable to the extent that Tang Xiaolian began to sweat, her legs felt as if they were filled with lead, but fortunately, her physical condition had improved somewhat since entering the Marrow Cleansing Stage, so she was just able to cope.

    ¡°This is the ¡®Ascending Heaven Stairs,''¡± the female voice of the Mysterious Realm echoed around them once again, ¡°modeled after the ¡®Ascending Heaven Path¡¯ of the Kunlun Tai Qing Sect.¡±

    ¡°In the Kunlun Heavy Heart State, the Ascending Heaven Path is fraught with Heart Demons. But our sect values a strong foundation even more, so the further one climbs on these Ascending Heaven Stairs, the heavier the gravitational pull becomes, and even if one¡¯s foundation can withstand it, one needs an extremely strong will to reach the end.¡±

    ¡°Sister~¡± Tang Xiaolian whined, her face twisted in distress, ¡°I¡¯m no Sword Immortal, it¡¯s understandable if my foundation is a bit weaker, right? Can you reduce the gravity coefficient for me a little? If I keep going, my legs are going to break!¡±

    ¡°No,¡± the female voice declined, ¡°You¡¯ve not yet achieved Perfection in the Marrow Cleansing Stage, and as long as you don¡¯t stay on the Ascending Heaven Stairs for more than a quarter of a hour, it won¡¯t cause irreversible damage to your body. Besides, cultivation is, after all, an act against nature; the Sword Immortals may be the best at charging ahead without looking back, but is it not possible for other Cultivator professions to go against the current?¡±

    ¡°Although this Mysterious Realm was created to preserve the inheritances of the Sword Immortals, it also contains some treasures that you can use. If you can¡¯t endure it, it just proves that you¡¯re not worthy of the treasures. You can still leave now if you¡¯d like.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian inwardly complained, thinking to herself that since she had already been told there were treasures for her, how could she possibly give up midway?

    She clenched her teeth and continued forward, trying hard to keep up with Yan Yu¡¯s pace.

    Yan Yu was also affected by the gravitational pressure, but his determination was unwavering, so despite sweating profusely, he kept moving forward step by step, his stride seemingly unaffected.

    Eventually Tang Xiaolian could no longer keep up and nearly toppled forward. In her panic, she quickly grabbed Yan Yu¡¯s arm and whispered urgently:

    ¡°Captain Yan, save me!¡±

    ¡°Everyone said, if you can¡¯t endure, then go back,¡± Yan Yu said helplessly while supporting her arm, ¡°You owe me another favor now, huh.¡±

    With his support, Tang Xiaolian felt the burden on her body lighten and she hurried to whisper back:

    ¡°Thank you, Captain Yan, I¡¯m truly grateful! I¡¯ll repay this great kindness with a generous reward!¡±

    ¡°As long as it¡¯s not a promise to be a cow or a horse in the next life,¡± Yan Yu quipped.

    Tang Xiaolian was instantly amused by him and couldn¡¯t help but let out a snicker, her laughter ringing like a silver bell as she said:

    ¡°I won¡¯t dodge the debt!¡±

 Chapter 421 - 17 DuÃ n XiÇŽoliÃ¡n and WÃ¡ng YÃ¹yÃ n

    Chapter 421: Chapter 17 Du¨¤n Xi¨£oli¨¢n and W¨¢ng Y¨´y¨¤n

    The higher we climbed, the more astonishing the increase in gravity became with each step. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Tang Xiaolian originally had the energy to converse and joke with Yan Yu, maintaining a strong front as if to say ¡°I can still hold on.¡± However, as time passed, she gradually became weak and breathless until her tongue almost lolled out.

    Yan Yu was also drenched in sweat, with every effort to climb one more step causing his bones to creak as if they were about to break.

    Suddenly, the weight in his right hand increased; it was Tang Xiaolian finally fainting. Had Yan Yu not reacted quickly, her head would have collided intimately with the stairs.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t they say¡­ it¡¯s a test of willpower?¡± Yan Yu gasped slightly and asked, ¡°How could she faint then?¡±

    ¡°It is a test of willpower indeed,¡± the ethereal female voice from the Mysterious Realm said, ¡°She didn¡¯t withstand this challenge, hence she has fallen unconscious.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Unconsciousness is a protective mechanism inherently in the body, much like involuntarily closing one¡¯s eyes when a blade stabs at you, or instinctively withdrawing your hand when burned. Essentially, it¡¯s life¡¯s profound fear of death.¡±

    ¡°Without a will resilient enough to overcome death, one cannot counter the body¡¯s own protective mechanism. Her falling unconscious is the best proof of insufficient willpower.¡±

    ¡°However, since she has been eliminated, I can offer you two choices,¡± the Mysterious Realm¡¯s female voice suddenly shifted in tone, becoming more indifferent, ¡°First, abandon her.¡±

    ¡°The difficulty of carrying the weight of two people up the Ascending Heaven Stairs is worlds apart from doing it alone. You could even get injured as a result.¡±

    ¡°Second, continue with her. Of course, even if you do make it, I won¡¯t give you any additional reward.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t hesitate for long and replied, ¡°Though there are two choices, I have already promised to make her owe me a favor, and therefore cannot go back on my word.¡±

    ¡°She is unconscious,¡± the female voice said, ¡°No matter what you choose, she won¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°But I am still awake,¡± Yan Yu said.

    He slightly bent down to pull Tang Xiaolian¡¯s arm from around his neck, straightened his back, and then hoisted her body up with effort.

    Tang Xiaolian was quite slender, especially at the waist, which seemed it could be encircled with a single hand, but the augmented weight was not to be underestimated, forcing Yan Yu to take out an Elixir Medicine and pop it into his mouth.

    The female voice from the Mysterious Realm seemed indifferent to this or perhaps had tacitly allowed him to use the power of the Elixir Medicine for a slight advantage, provided he did not abandon his companion.

    The higher they climbed, the closer to his physical limits Yan Yu became, and he eventually understood why Tang Xiaolian had fainted¡ªthe bones in his entire body, each muscle, each cell seemed to be lamenting, all trembling uncontrollably under the unbearable weight, causing the string of reason within his mind to teeter on the brink of collapse.

    He was simply holding on to a breath of air, fiercely rallying the remaining strength within his body to ascend. If he were even slightly slower or if his spirit slackened for a moment, and he let that breath escape, he would immediately be crushed to the ground, passing out.

    But Yan Yu had also extremely rich experience in breaking through his own limits and suppressing his bodily functions¡­ the specific reasons are not mentioned.

    He simply looked on silently as the weights of both himself and Tang Xiaolian increased dramatically, staunchly continuing upwards, like an iron man that knew neither fatigue nor fear of damage.

    Finally!

    Yan Yu stepped onto the last tier of the Ascending Heaven Stairs and the suddenly disappearing gravity allowed his body to relax.

    He gently set Tang Xiaolian down on the ground and then lay down beside her.

    So tired, where¡¯s the medical team¡­ oh, there¡¯s no medical team here to rescue us anymore.

    Yan Yu slowly closed his eyes to let his nearly spent body rest and recover.

    After what seemed like about ten minutes, he suddenly felt someone pushing him.

    ¡°Captain Yan!¡± Tang Xiaolian¡¯s crying voice gradually became clear in his ears, ¡°You mustn¡¯t die! Don¡¯t die on me, Captain Yan!¡±

    Even completely drained, Yan Yu could not restrain a vein from popping on his forehead as he suddenly opened his eyes and roared:

    ¡°Stop making noise! I¡¯m just resting for a bit!¡±

    Tang Xiaolian was stunned for a while and then broke into a laugh, wiping away tears and saying:

    ¡°But they always say on TV that if you collapse from exhaustion and fall asleep, you really will die¡­¡±

    Yan Yu couldn¡¯t be bothered with this silly girl and sat up, only to feel that all the muscles in his body were sore, numb, and lacked the strength to exert any force.

    ¡°Tang Xiaolian,¡± he said hoarsely.

    ¡°What is it, Captain Yan?¡± Tang Xiaolian promptly responded.

    ¡°I temporarily have no strength,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Mhm, I can see that, you should rest well,¡± Tang Xiaolian said tenderly and considerately, ¡°We¡¯re not in a hurry to keep moving forward.¡±

    ¡°How can we not be in a hurry?¡± Yan Yu revealed an irritated expression as if saying, ¡°I can¡¯t explain it to you,¡± ¡°I¡¯m not you! As the captain of the Zhenhai Team, my vacation time is extremely precious and can¡¯t be wasted here! Moreover, we are currently in a Mysterious Realm, and calls cannot come in from outside. If too much time passes, there¡¯s bound to be problems¡­ Sigh, you won¡¯t understand. Just help me up quickly.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian¡¯s eye twitched. She was annoyed but still maintained a smile, after all, he had indeed carried her up here.

    ¡°If I support you and we continue on, does that count as returning a favor?¡± She supported Yan Yu as he slowly stood up and tentatively asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t bring up those meaningless words,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°It would spoil the good impression I have of you.¡±

    ¡°All right, all right,¡± sighed Tang Xiaolian, ¡°But Captain Yan, in your current condition, you probably won¡¯t be able to fight, right? My condition isn¡¯t great either¡­¡±

    ¡°Then you will fight in my stead,¡± Yan Yu declared.

    ¡°I say!¡± Tang Xiaolian exclaimed, ¡°I¡¯m not in good condition either! I just fainted a moment ago!¡±

    ¡°I know, you don¡¯t need to remind me that ¡®you¡¯ve rested for a longer time than I have¡¯,¡± Yan Yu said with a gentle smile, completely ignoring her protest and mused to himself, ¡°As for fighting, well, I think we can adopt the Duan Yu mode.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian was momentarily stunned and gave a dry laugh,

    ¡°How could I be Duan Yu? We¡¯re of different genders, at best I¡¯d play Wang Yuyan.¡±

    ¡°Wang Yuyan could move her lips to give Duan Yu pointers in combat, can you?¡± Yan Yu looked at her with surprise, as if to say ¡°do you have any self-awareness,¡± ¡°Frankly, you might not even perform well as Duan Yu, but we don¡¯t have a more suitable candidate at the moment anyway.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian fell silent, and then heard Yan Yu exclaim with a laugh,

    ¡°I just remembered, Duan Yu hails from the Kingdom of Dali, located in Nanjiang, and Wang Yuyan¡¯s birthplace is in the Wu-speaking region¡­ How coincidental, isn¡¯t it? Haha.¡±

    ¡°Captain Yan just told me not to speak trivially, and now you¡¯ve started saying things that leave one speechless,¡± sighed Tang Xiaolian.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Miss Duan,¡± Yan Yu said with an unconcerned smile, giving the order, ¡°Accompany me in exploring this palace.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian supported him as they approached the palace, only to see that the main gate was six or seven meters tall¡ªcloaked in gold, iron, and copper, it shone brilliantly.

    Before even entering, they felt a draft blowing directly against them, as if countless tiny blades were skimming past, causing a slight sting on their cheeks.

    ¡°What formidable metallic killing energy,¡± Yan Yu exclaimed in awe, ¡°There¡¯s either some kind of metal-based Magic Treasure inside, or it¡¯s hiding an extremely formidable Immortal Sword.¡±

    ¡°Given our current condition, even if we find a treasure, we wouldn¡¯t have enough strength to refine it,¡± Tang Xiaolian rolled her eyes.

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°If there really is an Immortal Sword inside, just laying eyes on it would be worth it for us Sword Immortals, even if it meant dying on the spot!¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not a Sword Immortal,¡± Tang Xiaolian complained, ¡°nor do I care about any Immortal Sword. It¡¯s only because she said there was something for me; otherwise, I would have turned back long ago.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± She suddenly became alarmed and urged Yan Yu, ¡°I can follow your lead in combat, but whether or not we fight, you must listen to me! I¡¯m afraid Captain Yan¡­ if you happen to see some Immortal Sword and let your adrenaline take over, disregarding our physical condition to charge into battle! If we end up dead and without the treasure, then we would truly be at a loss!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Yan Yu said seriously, noting her earnestness, ¡°If there¡¯s an Immortal Sword inside, I¡¯ll definitely get my hands on it!¡±

    ¡°Your understanding is the complete opposite of what I meant!¡± Tang Xiaolian said helplessly, correcting him once again, ¡°Let me repeat: life comes first!¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu affirmed gravely, ¡°What I mean is¡­ to get it while we¡¯re alive, not to be buried with it.¡±

    ,

 Chapter 422 - 18 Liang Yi Micro Dust Sword Array

    Chapter 422: Chapter 18 Liang Yi Micro Dust Sword Array

    Tang Xiaolian supported Yan Yu as they entered the palace, only to see that the interior was not overly decorated but filled with weapon racks displaying various Flying Swords.

    However, a scan with Divine Sense revealed that they all lacked luster, seemingly having lost their Spirituality and reduced to mere iron.

    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Tang Xiaolian suddenly asked, ¡°Why are they all Flying Swords? Aren¡¯t there spears, knives, or hammers that can fly?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there are,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°but the mainstream is still Flying Swords.¡±

    ¡°So why is that?¡±

    ¡°Because they are convenient, I guess.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Convenient?¡±

    ¡°Knives and hammers are more suited for slashing, while spears are only good for thrusting,¡± Yan Yu explained. ¡°Swords can slash and thrust simultaneously¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s also a factor,¡± a female voice from the Mysterious Realm suddenly said, ¡°but it is not the main reason.¡±

    ¡°Then, senior,¡± Tang Xiaolian asked curiously, ¡°what is the main reason?¡±

    ¡°Because they are easier to forge and save on materials,¡± the Mysterious Realm female voice replied.

    Both of them: ¡­¡­¡­..

    ¡°Come inside,¡± the Mysterious Realm female voice continued, ¡°I am waiting for you in this main hall.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian supported Yan Yu into the main hall and saw a white-robed female immortal standing in the center of the hall, holding a sword in her right hand and supporting it with her left as though she was examining something closely.

    Suddenly, she swung a beautiful flourish with her sword, holding it behind her right arm with a backhand grip, and looked up at Yan Yu to ask:

    ¡°Are you the one seeking the legacy of the long-eyebrowed mentor?¡± sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu replied, leaning on Tang Xiaolian.

    ¡°In that state, how will you withstand the final test?¡± Despite her face being a blur, the female immortal¡¯s tone of voice made it clear she was slightly frowning and somewhat displeased.

    ¡°Could she undergo the test on my behalf?¡± Yan Yu pushed Tang Xiaolian forward, who immediately showed a nervous expression that read ¡°What, can I really do it?¡± ¡°Since the previous stage allowed me to bring her along, this one should also be manageable with her leading me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible, but¡­¡± the white-robed female immortal chuckled softly, ¡°her swordsmanship skills might not be enough to pass.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian remained silent, sensing that the ¡°might not¡± from the other¡¯s mouth was actually giving her a lot of face.

    That means I really can¡¯t pass, right?!

    ¡°You flatter me too much,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile. ¡°With her level of swordsmanship, there is no chance at all.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian: ¡­¡­¡­..

    ¡°But with my guidance, that might not be the case,¡± Yan Yu noted. ¡°Shall we give it a try first?¡±

    ¡°No problem,¡± the white-robed female immortal said meaningfully as she eyed them both, suddenly waving her Immortal Sword.

    Immediately, countless lines appeared around them, enveloping the space from all directions, resembling the laser security grids one might see in a sci-fi movie.

    ¡°This is the Liang Yi Micro-Dust Sword Array,¡± the female immortal mentioned casually. ¡°Each line here is a strand of Sword Qi, capable of cutting through metal and stone without difficulty. When thousands of strands of Sword Qi form the Sword Array and are fully activated, they can split mountains, part seas, and even fracture space¡­ Of course, that was the original capability.¡±

    ¡°Before ascending, the long-eyebrowed mentor sealed this sword, so the power it can unleash now is less than one percent of its original. Even the lines you see around you are merely the illusions of Sword Qi and possess no lethal power.¡±

    ¡°The final test is quite simple: endure within the illusion of this Liang Yi Micro-Dust Sword Array for the time it takes an incense stick to burn without being touched by these illusions of Sword Qi, and you will have passed.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Since these strands of Sword Qi had no lethal force, could she just keep trying until she got it right? Yay!

    Yan Yu, however, frowned, as this test of the Liang Yi Micro-Dust Sword Array seemed tailor-made for him, who had mastered the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step. But his body had been too drained in the Ascending Heaven Stairs stage, and he had not recovered much, making it unwise to attempt the test immediately.

    For the time being, he would learn from Wang Yuyan and guide Tang Xiaolian, this ¡°Duan Yu from Dali,¡± to pass this challenge. If that still didn¡¯t work, he would have to push himself to fight through it.

    ¡°Since there¡¯s no lethal force, Xiaolian, go and give it a try,¡± Yan Yu instructed warmly.

    Tang Xiaolian was stunned, how did Captain Yan suddenly start calling me ¡°Xiaolian¡±?

    Forget it¡­ After all, we¡¯ve fought side by side up to this point, perhaps it¡¯s what the characters in the books described as a ¡®life-and-death bond¡¯? Maybe calling me by my name isn¡¯t too much¡­ So should I also change how I address him and not call him Captain anymore?

    ¡°Tang Xiaolian?¡± Yan Yu saw her spaced out and called out again.

    ¡°Oh, yes! Alright!¡± Tang Xiaolian snapped back to reality, chuckling nervously in her mind.

    So, he was just talking off the cuff just now, and now he¡¯s switched back, making me overthink everything.

    ¡°Then I want to give it a try!¡± She puffed her chest out and bravely stepped forward.

    The woman in white waved her Immortal Sword, and immediately surrounding lines swarmed, slicing towards her from all directions.

    Tang Xiaolian hastily controlled the Peach Blossom Tender Sword, just cleaving the lines coming from the front, when she suddenly heard the woman in white say,

    ¡°Struck from behind, you¡¯re out.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    But the outcome wasn¡¯t unexpected; one couldn¡¯t expect a novice to get through the Sword Array on their first try, so he only showed a gentle expression and smiled asking,

    ¡°Xiaolian, didn¡¯t you watch your back?¡±

    ¡°How could I watch it?¡± Tang Xiaolian said nervously, ¡°The lines were slicing from the front, I was too busy defending there to turn around and check behind.¡±

    ¡°Divine Sense scan,¡± Yan Yu said lightly.

    Tang Xiaolian¡¯s face instantly flushed, thinking, how did I forget about the Divine Sense scan?

    Argh, it¡¯s all the team¡¯s fault! When we venture into Mysterious Realms during usual team battles, scanning duties are handled by Deputy Captain Zhang, so I never got used to performing Divine Sense scans!

    Efficiently blaming Deputy Captain Zhang in her mind, Tang Xiaolian seriously added,

    ¡°This time there won¡¯t be a problem, I will keep scanning the surroundings with Divine Sense the whole time!¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Yan Yu looked at the woman in white and said, ¡°Go again.¡±

    The woman in white waved her Immortal Sword, reactivating the Sword Array, creating a dense network of countless lines attacking towards the center where Tang Xiaolian was.

    Tang Xiaolian hastily waved the Peach Blossom Tender Sword, spinning around, slashing all the Sword Array lines, but the next wave of Sword Qi followed immediately¡­ forcing her into disarray, her only choice being to desperately control her sword everywhere fighting off the flames, when suddenly she heard the woman in white say,

    ¡°Right shoulder struck, you¡¯re out.¡±

    ¡°These Sword Qi keep increasing!¡± Tang Xiaolian turned to convey by voice transmission, complaining to Yan Yu, ¡°I was defending so well in the beginning, but each wave of Sword Qi was denser than the last. Although I don¡¯t know how long an incense stick burns, how could I possibly hold them all off?¡±

    ¡°Your sword techniques have a problem,¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°Too many waste motions.¡±

    ¡°Waste motions?¡±

    ¡°How can I explain this to you?¡± Yan Yu hesitated for a moment, ¡°Never mind, you don¡¯t need to understand.¡±

    ¡°I have basically figured out this Sword Array. Next, you¡¯ll break the array following my instructions.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    The third attempt began, facing the overwhelming attack of the Sword Array, Tang Xiaolian was about to strike when she heard Yan Yu say,

    ¡°Cang Song Ying Ke.¡±

    She immediately executed Cang Song Ying Ke, slashing all the Sword Qi approaching from the front and then heard Yan Yu say,

    ¡°Move forward two.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian hurriedly stepped forward two paces, but then heard Yan Yu say,

    ¡°Too much, step back half a step.¡±

    She was just about to hastily turn and retreat when an outburst of Sword Qi phantom exploded right in her face. Although it had no lethal force, it startled her, making her body jolt violently, instinctively shrinking back.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Your commands need to be more precise!¡± Tang Xiaolian regaining her composure, complained, ¡°It¡¯s so urgent on-site, there¡¯s no time to correct you! You can¡¯t give ineffective commands, okay!¡±

    ¡°The command was fine, it was you who took two and a half steps,¡± Yan Yu said flatly.

    ¡°I did not take two and a half steps! I clearly took only two steps!¡±

    ¡°Actually, it was two and a half,¡± the woman in white suddenly said, ¡°you were too tense and started with a small step, which counts as an extra half step.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian was speechless, suddenly feeling an odd illusion as if Yan Yu and the woman in white, these two Sword Immortals, were actually conspiring together.

    Shameless! Teaming up to bully me, a swordsmanship newbie!

 Chapter 423 - 19 Hands-on Teaching

    Chapter 423: Chapter 19 Hands-on Teaching

    ¡°Right two.¡±

    ¡°White Rainbow.¡±

    ¡°Left three.¡±

    ¡°Hundred Birds, followed by a backward jump, landing as the Pine of Frost.¡±

    ¡°Move straight on the right four¡­ Stop! All directions!¡±

    Yan Yu stood on the sidelines, continuously giving instructions through voice transmission, commanding non-stop.

    ...

    Tang Xiaolian, like a puppet on strings, followed his commands to the letter, her swordplay and footwork meticulous¡­ Although she was in the midst of the Sword Array, repeatedly falling into danger, she kept turning peril into safety, the subtleties of which she couldn¡¯t comprehend at all.

    Of course, more than understanding ¡°how she could turn peril into safety,¡± she was even more puzzled by Yan Yu¡¯s method of command, an entirely new and novel experience for her.

    In the team, the vice-captain was responsible for tactical command, and each vice-captain¡¯s commanding style differed. For example, Li Minghu and Ye Jun would issue direct tactical orders, such as ¡°go entangle the enemy ahead,¡± but as for how to do it, that was up to you, a common habit among most vice-captains.

    On top of that, Zhang Huaide¡¯s command was a bit more detailed; while telling you to ¡°go entangle the enemy ahead,¡± he would remind you to ¡°use more gu arts to ensure the obstruction of sight,¡± ¡°don¡¯t let them have a chance to attack our team,¡± and so on, offering clearer tactical commands and explanations.

    The one who took this approach to the extreme was Chen Lingyun, whose commands were extremely detailed and meticulous, reportedly precise to ¡°how many meters to advance,¡± sparking heated debates in the cultivator community as to whether such micromanagement was necessary in commanding a team.

    At this moment, Yan Yu¡¯s method of command was undoubtedly similar to Chen Lingyun¡¯s¡­ No, it was even more exaggerated than Vice-Captain Chen¡¯s.

    If Chen Lingyun¡¯s command was like playing chess, then Yan Yu¡¯s was like manipulating puppets, playing with puppets, with the attitude of ¡°even if you¡¯re a brainless fool, just understanding and following my orders is enough¡± kind of step-by-step teaching.

    Dammit! Am I that stupid?

    Inside, Tang Xiaolian felt unhappy but didn¡¯t dare to complain out loud; instead, she continued to ¡°dance to the voice,¡± seriously carrying out the tactical orders transmitted by Yan Yu.

    Compared to Yan Yu¡¯s distrust in her abilities, she had absolute, undoubted full trust in Yan Yu¡¯s abilities. Even if there was a Flying Sword in front of her, if Yan Yu ordered her to crash into it, she would close her eyes in fright and then crash into it head-on.

    Although she hated to admit it¡­

    The feeling of not having to think was quite nice! Just do as told and nothing will go wrong, so relaxing~

    ¡°Sky Light Piercing Clouds,¡± Yan Yu suddenly said.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Xiaolian was momentarily stunned and subconsciously executed a White Rainbow Across the Sky.

    The Peach Blossom Tender Sword shot out, breaking most of the Sword Array¡¯s lines, but still left a few that slipped through. It was too late to recall the Flying Sword to defend¡­ Then they heard the female Sword Immortal suddenly say:

    ¡°Hit in the neck by a sword, out of the game.¡±

    ¡°Captain Yan!¡± Tang Xiaolian hurried over to Yan Yu¡¯s side and complained, ¡°What Sky Light Piercing Clouds? I don¡¯t know that one!¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you learned it?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t learned it!¡± Tang Xiaolian stressed.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t we see it in the cave when we entered the Mysterious Realm? Isn¡¯t it already depicted on the wall painting?¡± Yan Yu reminded her.

    ¡°But¡­¡± Tang Xiaolian lamented tearfully, ¡°But I didn¡¯t learn it.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the kind of thing you just get by looking at it?¡± Yan Yu was utterly puzzled.

    Tang Xiaolian: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Captain Yan.¡± She pretended to be pitiful and said with a wry smile, ¡°I know you are a swordsmanship genius, but I¡¯m not, okay? I¡¯m just a clumsy girl with no talent for swordsmanship. I really can¡¯t ¡®learn any sword technique with just one glance.¡¯ How about you teach me?¡±

    ¡°Alright, then.¡± Since she put it that way, Yan Yu looked embarrassed and slowly said, ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll just have to treat you like an idiot.¡±

    You¡¯re the idiot! Tang Xiaolian grumbled inwardly, but outwardly she seemed more obedient, all ears.

    ¡°When I first saw that wall painting, I was quite surprised; I thought some techniques were really eccentric.¡± Yan Yu looked again toward the Sword Immortal in white and said solemnly, ¡°But now, after seeing the Liang Yi Dust Sword Array, I realize¡ªthose Sword Techniques were meant for extreme situations.¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡± The female Sword Immortal sounded quite satisfied, ¡°For instance, Sky Light Piercing Clouds is an advanced version of White Rainbow Across the Sky. It¡¯s faster, more powerful, and also more difficult to execute.¡±

    ¡°If White Rainbow Across the Sky could fell an enemy, why would there be any need for Sky Light Piercing Clouds? The reason why most Sword Immortals think this way is because they severely lack the experience of fighting with unbeatable foes, and when they actually encounter such situations, they die too quickly to have time for regrets.¡±

    ¡°Sky Light Piercing Clouds, Sword Dividing Mountains and Seas¡­ these Sword Techniques are designed to be used against formidable enemies, with some consuming True Yuan on a scale that can rival the Taoism Method. If you can¡¯t master these Sword Techniques, you will definitely not be able to endure within the Liang Yi Microcosm Sword Array, even if it is an incomplete version of the array.¡±

    ¡°The problem is, I have already mastered those Sword Techniques,¡± Yan Yu said with a wry smile, ¡°but it is she who needs to pass the test.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not my problem,¡± the woman in white said with a laugh. ¡°Figuring out how to cultivate and support your juniors is also an important aspect of being a Sword Immortal. Just treat it as an extra test for you.¡±

    Yan Yu thought that he had no other choice at the moment, so he called Tang Xiaolian over and said:

    ¡°Although I can learn those Sword Techniques just by looking at them once, they might be a bit too difficult for you. If you were to learn them on your own, it could probably take as long as I need to rest and recover.¡±

    ¡°What should I do then?¡± Tang Xiaolian asked worriedly.

    ¡°Come here and stand with your back to me,¡± Yan Yu instructed. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Just as Tang Xiaolian turned around, Yan Yu suddenly embraced her from behind.

    She instantly panicked, about to struggle, when suddenly she heard Yan Yu¡¯s deep voice:

    ¡°Circulate Qi with Sword Control!¡±

    His right hand pressed his fingers against Tang Xiaolian¡¯s, impressing upon her the gesture of a Sword technique, while his left hand, formed into a sword finger, tapped several large acupoints on her abdomen, chest, shoulders, and right arm, sealing off these meridians with Runescript.

    With several meridians sealed, completely unable to circulate Qi, there was only one path left for Qi circulation, leaving no other option.

    Subconsciously following this sole path, Tang Xiaolian¡¯s right hand went through a series of Sword techniques¡ªmore precisely, it was Yan Yu guiding her hand through the motions, ending with a grasp on her index and middle fingers, pulling them out to form a sword finger and thrusting forward forcefully.

    Suddenly, the Peach Blossom Tender Sword transformed into a beam of light, shooting straight forward with a speed that was even faster than White Rainbow Across the Sky, and its sword light was even more majestic!

    Sky Light Piercing Clouds!

    ¡°Like this,¡± Yan Yu asked. ¡°Did you get it?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Tang Xiaolian finally came to her senses, and with a mixture of shame and annoyance, she pushed him away and then wrapped her arms around herself in a fluster, saying, ¡°Not at all!¡±

    ¡°Then there¡¯s nothing that can be done,¡± Yan Yu said, stroking his chin, pondering. ¡°Let¡¯s leave for now. Once I¡¯ve recovered, I can come back in and tackle this challenge on my own.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian was silent for a moment, her expression wavering with hesitation and struggle.

    Being touched and prodded by Yan Yu, she was certainly unwilling; yet, the idea of missing out on the treasure due to her pride was even more regrettable and difficult to accept.

    Stepping back a moment, whether it was touching of hands or acupoint stimulation, on further consideration, it wasn¡¯t that unacceptable.

    After all, if one were to see a Chinese medicine practitioner, they would have to be subjected to pulse-taking and acupressure too¡­ It¡¯s not like we¡¯re in some feudal era, and Captain Yan isn¡¯t some inappropriate man, so being touched by him doesn¡¯t seem to be a big issue.

    Under the lure of the treasure and the trust she had in Yan Yu, Tang Xiaolian finally completed her self-deception and clarified:

    ¡°No, no! I was just a bit nervous just now and didn¡¯t learn it in one go.¡±

    She bit her lip and said with embarrassment:

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it again!¡±

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t say much more, and once again embraced her from behind to guide her hands through the Sword technique.

    ¡°Did you get it this time?¡±

    ¡°Not yet¡­¡± Tang Xiaolian said, feeling somewhat ashamed.

    She wasn¡¯t annoyed this time, but still felt very embarrassed. Captain Yan¡¯s hands were warm, and she had been so focused on the sensation of his touch that she hadn¡¯t remembered how to perform the sword gestures at all.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll teach it again¡­ You wouldn¡¯t be deliberately making me do this a few more times, would you?¡± Yan Yu suddenly asked with suspicion.

    ¡°Pfft, absolutely not!¡± Tang Xiaolian immediately reacted as if she were a cat whose tail had been stepped on, jumping up at once, ¡°Teach it again! This time I¡¯ll definitely learn it in one go!¡±

 Chapter 424 - 20 So You Like Captain Zhou

    Chapter 424: Chapter 20 So You Like Captain Zhou

    Although Tang Xiaolian thought she disguised it well, how rich was Yan Yu¡¯s life experience? He quickly realized that this young girl was a bit off.

    Seemingly outgoing and articulate, who would have expected her to be so conservative to the point where even a touch of the hand would make her blush¡­ Was she some traditional woman who had traveled through time from an olden era?

    ¡°Have you learned it all?¡± Yan Yu asked in a deep voice after teaching the last sword technique.

    ¡°I should have,¡± Tang Xiaolian nervously replied, ¡°I can try.¡±

    She was nervous about going into battle or perhaps because of shyness.

    Yan Yu sighed quietly to himself. In fact, learning a sword technique was quite simple¡ªmemorize the route for circulating Qi, the incantations, and that was basically it.

    ...

    The real difficulty lay in knowing what sword technique to use and how to apply it in various situations¡­ these could only be accumulated through extensive real combat experience, and there was no fast track for that.

    But no matter! Tang Xiaolian, you just worry about using the Six Meridian Excalibur. As for when to strike, where, and how¡ªleave that to me, Yan Yu, to handle!

    Yet Tang Xiaolian didn¡¯t share his confidence. It wasn¡¯t that she worried Yan Yu would call the wrong shots, but she feared making a mistake herself, which would lead to his scorn and belittlement.

    Although she had already been mocked by Captain Yan!

    I may consider my swordsmanship to be poor, but even someone as slow as Guo Jing can become competent with Huang Rong¡¯s help. With the assistance of Longcheng Flying General, how could I not get through this incomplete sword array?

    She quickly gathered her thoughts, focusing her will, and said to the woman in white:

    ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±

    The woman in white waved her sword, activating the incomplete sword array, summoning countless sword Qi phantoms, which enveloped Tang Xiaolian rapidly like a heavenly net falling to earth.

    The reason it was called an incomplete version was not only because the sword Qi was made of harmless shadows, but also because the pattern of their emergence was completely fixed. Thus, as long as one memorized the detailed steps to counter it, even without understanding the purpose of each move, they could mimic the method and break the array.

    On Yan Yu¡¯s side, he calmly called out instructions¡ªwhen to strike with the sword, when to move¡ªall in a clear tone. If Tang Xiaolian could execute it precisely, there would be no problems breaking the array.

    Of course, even if she made a mistake, it was no big deal; they could always try again.

    Following the given instructions, Tang Xiaolian¡¯s performance was surprisingly good this time, without a single error, and she maintained stable progress throughout.

    Just as there was only one fifth of an incense stick¡¯s time left, the woman in white suddenly transmitted a message to Tang Xiaolian, whispering:

    ¡°Remember, I said I had something to give you?¡±

    Tang Xiaolian ignored her, focusing on Yan Yu¡¯s instructions, intently executing her moves and strikes.

    The woman in white continued with a smile:

    ¡°The item I want to give you is an egg of the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu left by my brother here. After refining it, it will recognize you as its master, at your command. As for its power, you¡¯ve seen its effects outside.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian was startled but did not falter, continuing to follow the commands to slice through the sword Qi, methodically breaking the formation.

    ¡°But what if I say that I have to choose between giving him the Liang Yi Dust Sword and giving you the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, and you can only pick one?¡± the woman in white said ethereally, ¡°If you can¡¯t break this array, forcing him to return home, I will stealthily give you the silkworm egg before you leave the Mysterious Realm, ensuring that he won¡¯t find out.¡±

    These were words designed to probe her heart. Since Tang Xiaolian had no use for the Liang Yi Dust Sword, and the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu was useless to Yan Yu, if she had to choose one, the benefits were clearly conflicting.

    Without responding, Tang Xiaolian heard the woman in white say:

    ¡°He wants to become the successor of the Orthodox Sword Immortal, and even if he fails to pass this test, he can come back and try again for the sword. But for your Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, if you miss this chance, there will be no next time.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian remained silent, continuing to precisely execute the moves to break the formation. The woman in white didn¡¯t give up and went on:

    ¡°If you¡¯re worried about pretending to be ignorant and being discovered by him? I see he doesn¡¯t think highly of you either; even if you make consecutive mistakes, he won¡¯t suspect you, only thinking that you¡¯re hopeless.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian completely ignored her, letting the woman in white¡¯s temptations go in one ear and out the other. She finally used up the entire incense stick¡¯s time, stepped out of the sword array, and stood with her hands on her hips, proudly saying to Yan Yu:

    ¡°How did I do?¡±

    ¡°Impressive,¡± Yan Yu genuinely praised.

    Although she was just following orders, fifteen minutes is a long time, and with his constant instructions, maintaining focus without a single mistake required a high level of concentration.

    This girl¡­ wasn¡¯t entirely without merit. If she were to become a chief surgeon, she¡¯d probably be quite suitable.

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Tang Xiaolian then turned to look at the woman in white and exclaimed, ¡°I don¡¯t want any Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu! Bring out that Liang Yi Dust Sword now!¡±

    Yan Yu listened, bewildered, but saw the woman in white say with a smile:

    ¡°I was just testing you. When we ascended the Heaven Stairs earlier, he endured the gravitational force meant for two, stubbornly carrying you all the way. He didn¡¯t abandon you.¡±

    ¡°We Sword Immortals have always been quick to act, neither failing others nor suffering loss. If you had betrayed him just now for your own benefit, forget about that Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, this palm-sized Immortal Sword of mine would have been the first to not spare you!¡±

    ¡°`

    Tang Xiaolian stood with her mouth half open, stunned for quite a while, before suddenly feeling a strong surge of fear. Yan Yu, although previously unaware of the messages between the two, could now more or less guess what had happened, and immediately laughed and said:

    ¡°Don¡¯t let her scare you. The worst that can happen in a trial is not receiving a reward¡ªthere¡¯s no reason to kill a participant. Only the Demonic Sect would kill disciples for not meeting expectations. This white-clothed Sword Immortal looks like an upstanding person. How could she behave like the Demonic Sect?¡±

    The white-clad female immortal snorted without denying anything and threw two items, one falling into each of their hands.

    In Yan Yu¡¯s hand was an Immortal Sword. The blade was narrow, about the length of his forearm, and immaculate white, as if made from beautiful jade.

    Additionally, the first layer of the unlocking method for the Liang Yi Micron Sword was automatically transferred into his Sea of Consciousness.

    Tang Xiaolian received a golden egg, the size of a quail¡¯s, glittering and translucent. In the light, she could make out the undeveloped larva inside, like a golden beetle larva, curled up with its plump white body¡ªit would be disgusting for those who feared insects, but she felt no aversion and even found it cute.

    The method to refine and acknowledge the master was also imparted into her mind. However, according to the white-clothed female immortal, this Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, being a living creature, found it harder to withstand the test of time. Although it survived with its strong vitality, its origin had suffered greatly. Even if it hatched, it would not possess its peak ferocity.

    As for how to replenish its origin, there was indeed a secret method, but whether she could find the corresponding item depended on her luck.

    Before they could react, they felt the world spin around them.

    When they came to, they found themselves in front of a waterfall.

    Looking behind the waterfall at the cliff, it was intact, showing no signs of the earlier crack. It appeared that the white-clad female immortal loved to test one¡¯s heart, speaking in a mix of truths and lies. Her statement about ¡°heading home and returning next time¡± might also not be entirely reliable.

    Yan Yu, looking at the Liang Yi Micron Sword in his hand, suddenly heard Tang Xiaolian ask from beside him:

    ¡°Captain Yan, I forgot to ask before: why didn¡¯t you just leave me behind during the Ascending Heaven Stairs?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you owed me a favor and exchanged it for me to take you up?¡± Yan Yu asked her in return.

    ¡°But¡­but it wasn¡¯t worth wrecking your body like that,¡± Tang Xiaolian said, seeing that he was still somewhat unstable. She hurried over to support him, speaking with concern, ¡°Even if you really couldn¡¯t hold on and abandoned me midway, I wouldn¡¯t blame you¡ªafter all, it¡¯s not like I would die.¡±

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Yan Yu scoffed with a laugh, ¡°That white-clad female immortal also deliberately tested me. The pretext was exactly the same as yours, implying it would be more advantageous to leave you behind. Knowing her, an Orthodox Sword Immortal, she despises betrayal and ingratitude the most. If I had done something of that sort, she¡¯d surely look down on me, and it wouldn¡¯t be impossible for her to fail me directly¡ªI¡¯m not an idiot!¡± S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Tang Xiaolian paused for a moment, then suddenly asked:

    ¡°So Captain Yan, did you only choose to carry me through the stairs to align with her mindset?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, what else?¡± Yan Yu asked her, ¡°The reward is yours, and the body is mine. Why would I exhaust myself for you to get a reward? Do I look like a fawning dog?¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Tang Xiaolian muttered, disheartened, continuing to support Yan Yu as they walked along, saying, ¡°Captain Yan, with the state of your body now, don¡¯t rush to use Sword Control to get back. Can I take you to stay at my family¡¯s guesthouse for a few days to recover?¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu shook his head and said, ¡°Don¡¯t feel too bad about it. Me helping you through also benefited my sword retrieval. Just remember you owe me a favor, and repay it next time.¡±

    ¡°Humph,¡± Tang Xiaolian fell silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed and said, ¡°Captain Yan keeps reminding me about the favor I owe you, and you¡¯re afraid I might feel too guilty to repay it quickly. Could it be you have other intentions, wanting to maintain a long-term relationship? That¡¯s fine by me. Actually, I know even if that white-clad female immortal hadn¡¯t tested you, Captain Yan, you wouldn¡¯t have easily abandoned me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too gullible,¡± Yan Yu immediately scoffed, ¡°What¡¯s so special about you that I should maintain any long-term relationship? Do you really think so?¡±

    ¡°Captain Yan likes Captain Zhou, right?¡± Tang Xiaolian said with a sweet smile, ¡°I¡¯ve felt for some time that there was something off about you, Captain Yan. Who else would keep sending messages to our Captain Zhou, especially when she¡¯s so tough and prickly, and still be scolded by her?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Yan Yu laughed, amused by her words, ¡°Do you have any idea how many beautiful ladies we have on the Zhenhai Team? Why would I go out of my way to pursue Zhou?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, Captain Yan,¡± Tang Xiaolian said with a beaming smile, ¡°Captain Zhou is gorgeous and strong. She seems difficult to approach, yet she¡¯s stubborn on the outside but soft on the inside. Just like durian fruit¡ªthorny on the outside but sweet within. People who hate durians find them abhorrent, but those who like them adore this kind. You must have a taste for this, right, Captain Yan?¡±

    ¡°Enough.¡± Yan Yu gestured with his hand for her to stop, ¡°I¡¯m feeling weak right now. Don¡¯t deliberately talk nonsense or you¡¯ll laugh me to death.¡±

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Tang Xiaolian gave him a look as if she saw right through him and deliberately said, ¡°So, Captain Yan, you don¡¯t need me to secretly pass along messages from Captain Zhou, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not exactly it¡­¡±

    ¡°Captain Yan still says you don¡¯t like Zhou?¡±

    ¡°I have other plans concerning her,¡± Yan Yu simply admitted, ¡°It¡¯s complicated to explain¡­ but it¡¯s not that I like her.¡±

    Sigh, I rescue people for the country and yet end up being doubted by this young lady. My life is truly not easy!

    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Tang Xiaolian didn¡¯t continue to probe and just smiled, saying, ¡°Remember to keep in touch with me, Captain Yan¡­¡±

    Before she finished speaking, Yan Yu¡¯s phone suddenly began to ring.

    Unlocking the screen, he saw 99+ missed calls. Even Yan Yu, who remained unfazed after climbing the stairs, inhaled sharply at the sight.

    Tang Xiaolian leaned in to take a look and was also a bit shocked by the number, laughing awkwardly:

    ¡°Then I won¡¯t disturb you, Captain Yan¡­¡±

    Before she could finish, Yan Yu had already grabbed her arm, his voice serious:

    ¡°Take me to stay at your family¡¯s guesthouse for a few days.¡±

    ¡°`

 Chapter 425 - 21: Meeting with Huofeng Team

    Chapter 425: Chapter 21: Meeting with Huofeng Team

    Within the 99+ incoming calls, there were ones from Li Weiguo, Qi Changping, also from Yan¡¯s dad, Yan¡¯s mom, and Jingjing, and of course, there were those from the members of the Zhenhai Team as well. Everyone contributed to the ¡°finding Yan Yu¡± act.

    Although Yan Yu himself couldn¡¯t figure it out, he had already explained to Chen Lingyun, so why was everyone still calling¡­ It must be that wretched woman meddling again.

    Lying in the guesthouse of Tang Xiaolian¡¯s home, Yan Yu comfortably lounged in a soft chair, covered with a brightly colored knitted blanket, leisurely reporting the loot of this trip to Li Weiguo.

    ¡°Yan Yu, don¡¯t do this again next time,¡± Li Weiguo seemed to have some complaints about his ¡°vacation first, ask for leave later¡± behavior, but then again, considering Yan Yu¡¯s strategic value within the Zhendong Army at present, anything goes as long as he doesn¡¯t rebel.

    He could have secretly visited a mysterious realm, quietly taken treasures and chose to say nothing; yet, he was still willing to follow the procedure and report. With such considerations, it was indeed hard to reprimand him too much. If someone clung to the matter of leave procedure, it would merely be intentional nitpicking that could lead to trouble.

    Therefore, Li Weiguo just casually mentioned a few words to Yan Yu, which amounted to ¡°How could I not approve your leave,¡± and then lightly moved on.

    ...

    Such an official reaction was anticipated, but inquiries from the team members required a bit more careful response.

    Chen Lingyun was already informed, and Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t have the guts; these two didn¡¯t need any attention. Zhao Yuanzhen and Lin Ning were a bit upset, scolding him over the phone, and Yan Yu just chuckled, truly sorry but daring to do it again next time.

    What was strange was the response from Su Yunjin; Yan Yu had prepared himself for another climb up the rankings, yet the secretary lady unexpectedly showed understanding, saying, ¡°The captain didn¡¯t want me to know, probably for fear of my worrying, so I won¡¯t ask more, but you must be careful,¡± which left Yan Yu somewhat speechless.

    Not good, feeling a bit guilty, felt like he owed Yun Jin.

    But then, wait¡­ if you think about it from another angle, could it be her newly developed ¡°guilt spell¡±? That¡¯s a bit scary when you think about it, haha.

    Turning to look at the continuous mountains outside the window, Yan Yu slightly bent his fingers and the Liang Yi Dust Sword beside him deftly took flight, nimbly spinning in the air as if it was a pet bird accustomed to his home.

    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï

    As the second sword in the dual sword control technique, this Liang Yi Dust Sword perfectly met all of Yan Yu¡¯s requirements: light, swift, and its grade was not inferior to the Huang Ting Kunwu Sword. It was slightly less powerful in head-to-head combat due to its lighter weight, but it was definitely superior in maneuvering and containing the opponent.

    Although he had only acquired one sword this trip, due to the high value of this sword to himself, he felt a profound sense of accomplishment, as if he had returned full of bounty.

    ¡°Captain Yan, Captain Yan!¡± Tang Xiaolian hurriedly dashed out of the room, hands cradling the eggs of the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, rushing up to him and saying, ¡°Look at my bug! Has its color changed?¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like it,¡± Yan Yu glanced briefly.

    ¡°Look here!¡± Tang Xiaolian pointed at the egg, and then brought out her phone to show him the photo from yesterday.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that exactly the same?¡± Yan Yu asked lazily.

    ¡°The color is definitely lighter than yesterday!¡± Tang Xiaolian argued, ¡°Once it becomes completely transparent, it can hatch for sure!¡±

    ¡°Have you done the bonding yet?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I feed it a drop of blood every day.¡± Tang Xiaolian placed the egg on the counter and turned with a brilliant smile, ¡°It will definitely be very close to me when it hatches.¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t get why you, being a girl, like bugs so much,¡± Yan Yu teased.

    ¡°A person who doesn¡¯t like bugs wouldn¡¯t have become a bug-controlling cultivator to begin with,¡± Tang Xiaolian reasoned, leaving him with no retort.

    Just then, a sound of a door opening came from outside.

    ¡°Captain Yan.¡± The first to enter was Zhang Huaide, who nodded to Yan Yu with courtesy.

    Then there was Zhou Hongyu with her expressionless face, still pairing a beautiful visage with a ¡®keep out¡¯ cold demeanor, which somehow lent her an odd charm of a chaste goddess.

    Seeing Yan Yu lying down on the chaise, she lowered her gaze and suddenly asked,

    ¡°I heard you became a cripple?¡±

    ¡°To save your little Xiaolian,¡± Yan Yu picked up his teacup and took a sip.

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Zhou Hongyu turned to Tang Xiaolian, ¡°Where is the egg?¡±

    Tang Xiaolian pointed to the counter.

    Then Zhou Hongyu went to see the egg with Zhang Huaide. Maybe it was an illusion, but Yan Yu felt that, in the moment she turned around, the corners of her mouth seemed to curve up slightly.

    ¡°Let me tell you in secret,¡± Tang Xiaolian sent a message to Yan Yu, ¡°Captain Zhou loves seeing you deflated. During the live broadcast of the Secret Realm of Li Palace, she was really attentive every time you charged into the enemy ranks or were surrounded, ignoring us completely.¡±

    ¡°It could also be that he wants to learn my fighting style, attempting to find a way to defeat me,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Maybe, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s very likely,¡± Tang Xiaolian said with a sigh, ¡°When it comes to fighting, if someone can be rushed to death, they will be; if they can¡¯t, they¡¯ll never be beaten that way.¡±

    Yan Yu was instantly taken aback and said:

    ¡°You¡¯re not Tang Xiaolian, who are you? The Tang Xiaolian I know would never say anything bad about her beloved Captain Zhou!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t speak ill of her! I just¡­¡± Tang Xiaolian fell silent for a moment, suddenly shocked.

    How could I look down on Captain Zhou? How could I actually look down on Captain Zhou? What¡¯s wrong with me?

    While she was there questioning her life, Qin Meng walked in with Meng Qingxi and another boy she hadn¡¯t seen before.

    ¡°Captain Yan,¡± he greeted Yan Yu, ¡°Are you feeling better?¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t much hurt to begin with, just drained,¡± Yan Yu replied with a smile.

    ¡°Let me introduce you to the sixth member we¡¯ve just recruited into our team,¡± Qin Meng nodded and called the boy behind him over, ¡°Hou Qing.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Captain Yan.¡± Hou Qing looked like a rich second generation, wearing very tasteful clothes and with well-styled hair. He glanced at Tang Xiaolian without a trace and said to Yan Yu with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m Hou Qing, a Sword Immortal by profession, and I will need to learn a lot from Captain Yan in the future.¡±

    Yan Yu nodded in response, but then heard Tang Xiaolian transmit a message to him:

    ¡°This guy has been pestering me lately, so annoying. Captain Yan, help me think of a way to handle him.¡±

    ¡°So should I wish you both a hundred years of bliss?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll tell him I¡¯m actually harboring a crush on Captain Yan!¡± Tang Xiaolian was suddenly furious.

    ¡°Spreading rumors about me, huh?¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°I¡¯ll go and hang you on the little red tree right now.¡±

    ¡°Hey, this method might actually work,¡± Tang Xiaolian pondered suddenly, ¡°After all, Captain Yan, you are so outstanding, any man compared to you would feel ashamed, right? If I say my type is someone like you, it might make Hou Qing back off.¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you really go through with it,¡± Yan Yu quickly warned her, ¡°You can¡¯t just say you like this person or that person without thinking it through!¡±

    Seeing the two exchange looks without a word, Hou Qing could guess that they were chatting through message transmission and immediately felt stifled, but he didn¡¯t dare to be presumptuous in front of Captain Yan, so he quietly went to find Deputy Captain Zhang.

    The members of the Huofeng Team gathered around the eggs of the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, staring at the eggs for a long time, only to hear Meng Qingxi say:

    ¡°So how do we hatch it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s said that you need to drip a drop of blood every day and nourish it with True Yuan,¡± Zhang Huaide replied, ¡°After forty-nine days, when the larva is full, it will hatch.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s too long,¡± Zhou Hongyu shook her head.

    ¡°There¡¯s no other way,¡± Zhang Huaide replied in a low voice, ¡°Haste makes waste.¡± sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°By the way,¡± Hou Qing suddenly interjected, ¡°What¡¯s the relationship between Tang Xiaolian and Captain Yan? Why did she go to explore the Mysterious Realm with him instead of taking us with her?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s said that Captain Yan discovered the Mysterious Realm first,¡± Qin Meng glanced at him and replied blandly, ¡°Xiaolian just thickened her skin and followed, taking advantage of the situation.¡±

    ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case,¡± Hou Qing said, ¡°exploring the Mysterious Realm on their own without reporting to the Military Manor is problematic, right?¡±

    No one paid any attention to him, thinking he was being rather nonsensical. However, Zhang Huaide extended his middle finger, gently propping up his spectacles as a cold light flashed across the lenses, and suddenly transmitted a message privately:

    ¡°Hou Qing.¡±

    ¡°What is it, Deputy Captain Zhang?¡±

    ¡°During discussions of official matters, do not involve personal emotions.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes, understood,¡± Hou Qing replied.

 Chapter 426 - 22 You are Not the Captain

    Chapter 426: Chapter 22 You are Not the Captain

    Before the advent of the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, insect-controlling cultivators actually faced a rather awkward status: they were too easily restrained by Taoism Method. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Take Tang Xiaolian¡¯s Peach Blossom Miasma and the Flying Fire Ants, for example. They look numerous, overwhelming, and quite frightening. But with a single ¡°Tidal Division¡± from Su Yunjin, a deluge of water could instantly scatter them to the winds.

    Compared to the physically strong Demons and Spirit Beasts, Gu Insects are too fragile, and they aren¡¯t as adept at stealth as Yin Ghosts. Therefore, current military foresight research generally believes that the future of insect-controlling cultivators lies in reconnaissance and providing support, rather than taking on the role of the main attacker.

    The emergence of the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu completely changed this perception.

    Impervious to blades and fire, it meant neither Flying Swords nor Taoism Method could inflict any damage, and its strategic significance was self-evident.

    Of course, the current stage of the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu is not invincible. For instance, Qing An Team¡¯s Assistant Officer Wang Haoran, whose magic treasure is an Annals of History Scroll, can emit a vast expanse of Qing Guang that can immobilize people or Flying Swords. In battle, when he fixes the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu with Qing Guang, he can effectively render it invisible¡ªa lone insect must be extremely cautious of such controlling techniques.

    ...

    ¡°Of course, from another perspective, it¡¯s like forcing the opponent to use up one of their control-type offensive methods,¡± Zhang Huaide analyzed for everyone. ¡°On the battlefield, being immobilized means being at the mercy of others, so you have to be on guard against his control techniques all the time. But if you use the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu as an exchange piece, then our tactical execution will be much more at ease.¡±

    ¡°This Gu insect is of great significance to us,¡± Zhou Hongyu concluded.

    ¡°On this matter, it¡¯s not just Xiaolian who owes Captain Yan a favor; our entire team does,¡± Zhang Huaide continued. ¡°Considering that the incident started with Xiaolian insisting on following Captain Yan into the Mysterious Realm, even though he now appears nonchalant about it, we should still try to do our best in aftercare.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been trying hard to make up for it,¡± Tang Xiaolian quickly said. ¡°I have been working on building rapport with him all this time!¡±

    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s building rapport, not harassing him?¡± Qin Meng retorted.

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Tang Xiaolian rolled her eyes. ¡°Captain Yan is a person whose inside matches his outside. If he¡¯s annoyed with you, he is annoyed with you. If I dared to bother him, he would have scolded me long ago.¡±

    ¡°Xiaolian, you need to maintain a good relationship with Captain Yan because you are the biggest beneficiary this time. Of course, the specifics are up to you,¡± Zhang Huaide said gravely. ¡°Captain Zhou, I¡¯ll go with you to thank Captain Yan in person.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± Zhou Hongyu frowned slightly, obviously reluctant.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, your Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire was also obtained for you by Captain Yan,¡± Zhang Huaide reminded.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it an equal exchange with the Thunder Method from the Zhendong Army?¡± Hou Qing questioned.

    ¡°What equal exchange?¡± Tang Xiaolian immediately scoffed. ¡°The Thunder Method has stringent cultivation conditions and requires an extremely strict True Yuan capacity. There¡¯s no suitable candidate within the entire Pingxi Army to cultivate it, whereas the Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire is extremely needed by our captain. To exchange a method we can¡¯t utilize for one we desperately need is clearly a huge advantage for us. How could we have the nerve to talk about an equal exchange? With Xie Ruoxi from their team being a Magic Cultivator with abundant True Yuan, it¡¯s not like she has to hang herself on the Thunder Method tree. Even if she cultivated the Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire, it would work for her. What¡¯s the need for her to insist on exchanging with us?¡±

    Hou Qing¡¯s face turned pale, then green, then pale again before he finally said in a muffled voice:

    ¡°I was mistaken.¡±

    ¡°Enough,¡± Zhou Hongyu signaled Tang Xiaolian to stop and then said to Zhang Huaide, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    When the two approached Yan Yu, who was napping with a blanket over him, they heard Zhang Huaide laugh and say,

    ¡°Captain Yan, our team owes you a big thanks for Xiaolian obtaining the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu. We really appreciate your help.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Zhou Hongyu said succinctly.

    Yan Yu slowly opened his eyes, first smiling at Zhang Huaide,

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Zhang. It¡¯s too formal to say it like that.¡±

    Then he turned to Zhou Hongyu, his smile fading slightly as he remarked,

    ¡°Just a thank you? Isn¡¯t there a cup of tea or something for me?¡±

    Zhou Hongyu, expressionless, picked up a cup from the table and then went to the counter to ask Tang Xiaolian,

    ¡°Where¡¯s the floral tea?¡±

    Everyone was shocked: was Captain Zhou really going to make tea for Captain Yan?

    ¡°Over there, on the top shelf,¡± Tang Xiaolian pointed and added, ¡°Captain Yan prefers jasmine tea.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s the jasmine tea?¡± Zhou Hongyu asked again.

    Everyone was shocked again: was Captain Zhou really going to make jasmine tea for Captain Yan?

    ¡°In the top right compartment,¡± Tang Xiaolian said.

    ¡°Well done, Tang Xiaolian!¡± Qin Meng said in surprise. ¡°You¡¯ve even figured out Captain Yan¡¯s tea preferences!¡±

    ¡°What else?¡± Tang Xiaolian retorted. ¡°I have helped run a family guesthouse before, you know?¡±

    Zhou Hongyu brewed a cup of jasmine tea and placed it on the table in front of Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu kept his arms wrapped in the blanket and said with a faint smile,

    ¡°You¡¯ve only made me tea, what about yourself?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not thirsty,¡± Zhou Hongyu shook his head.

    ¡°Sit,¡± Yan Yu indicated the seat opposite him.

    Zhou Hongyu didn¡¯t refuse but sat down in the chair across from him, opting not to lean back. Instead, he sat up straight, hands on his knees, his cold gaze fixed on Yan Yu as if to say, ¡°I¡¯m watching what you¡¯re going to pull next.¡±

    From the counter where he stood chatting with others, Captain Zhou saw Zhou Hongyu sitting with perfect posture on the other side and heaved a silent sigh.

    Forget it, I can¡¯t manage and have no way to manage interactions between captains.

    Yan Yu calmly observed Zhou Hongyu¡¯s pretty face, while the latter met his gaze with a stubborn and defensive look in her eyes.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Yan Yu suddenly showed a smile, ¡°You seem to be afraid of me?¡±

    ¡°Afraid of you!¡± Zhou Hongyu instantly got angry, first with a growl, then feeling her reaction might have been too intense, she quickly switched to a cold, scornful tone, and retorted, ¡°Afraid of you?¡±

    ¡°Otherwise?¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Right now, you¡¯re like a little kid who just started kindergarten, having to sit up straight because they¡¯re scared of being scolded by the teacher¡­¡±

    Before he could finish, Zhou Hongyu leaned back in her chair and looked out the window, casually saying:

    ¡°You sure know how to pick a nice place.¡±

    The meaning of changing the subject was, if you keep spouting nonsense about me being scared of you, I might really lose my composure.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t press further and just said:

    ¡°The location of Xiaolian¡¯s homestay has nothing to do with me, if you want to compliment, compliment her.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Zhou Hongyu responded with a sound but had nothing more to say.

    ¡°The reason why I helped her was purely coincidental.¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°Before entering the Mysterious Realm, I didn¡¯t know it would have Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Zhou Hongyu said.

    ¡°As for my current condition, it¡¯s because I overreached myself in the Mysterious Realm.¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°See? This is what happens when you insist on being too strong.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Zhou Hongyu said.

    ¡°Are you getting a bit impatient?¡± Yan Yu asked tentatively.

    ¡°No.¡± Zhou Hongyu said.

    Yan Yu immediately laughed helplessly. Given Zhou Hongyu¡¯s lone star-like character, it seemed she disdained lying: if she¡¯s annoyed, she¡¯s annoyed; if she¡¯s not, she¡¯s not. No need to say one thing when she means another.

    That is to say, she didn¡¯t want to talk more, but rather¡­ didn¡¯t know what to talk about with him?

    Interesting woman.

    ¡°Ding Ding~¡± Tang Xiaolian suddenly appeared above Yan Yu, holding onto the top of his recliner with both hands, a bright smile on her face as she spoke to the two, ¡°It¡¯s tea time in the afternoon! What would the two guests like to have? Would you like to start with cupcakes, crispy meat, cherry tomatoes, or¡­¡±

    ¡°Not eating you, thank you.¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°I¡¯m allergic to you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s mean!¡± Tang Xiaolian hit him on the head, chiding, ¡°Captain Yan, no mean talk allowed! So, Captain, what do you want to eat?¡±

    ¡°Fried crispy meat.¡± Zhou Hongyu said.

    ¡°How much?¡± Yan Yu asked, ¡°Not telling the price, are you planning to rip us off?¡±

    ¡°Today¡¯s afternoon tea will be on Miss Tang.¡± Tang Xiaolian hummed, ¡°If you don¡¯t choose now, you¡¯ll miss out.¡±

    ¡°So, is it still okay to choose now?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Too late!¡±

    Tang Xiaolian brought a lot of food from the kitchen to treat the teammates of the Huofeng Team.

    Everyone gathered to eat and drink, laughing and chatting, pretending not to see Captain Zhou and Captain Yan in the distance.

    Zhou Hongyu held a plate of fried crispy meat, dipping it in chili powder and eating slowly with chopsticks. Yan Yu sat opposite her, and although Tang Xiaolian joked that he had no part in it, in the end, she brought over a plate of cupcakes (one of each color), a plate of crispy meat, and a fruit platter mixed with tomatoes and blueberries, which looked very plentiful.

    ¡°Would you like some, Captain Zhou?¡± Yan Yu leisurely sipped his tea, pushing the plate of cakes a bit closer to the opposite side.

    ¡°I already have some.¡± Zhou Hongyu said.

    ¡°Really?¡± Yan Yu pretended to be shocked, ¡°Whose is it?¡±

    Zhou Hongyu gave him a cold glare.

    ¡°Just a joke.¡± Yan Yu laughed it off, ¡°You looked so serious, just trying to lighten the mood.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just how I am.¡± Zhou Hongyu said, ¡°If you¡¯re not used to it, don¡¯t bother me so often.¡±

    ¡°I can testify that Captain Zhou is indeed like this.¡± Tang Xiaolian popped up out of nowhere again, smiling, ¡°But I¡¯m not, you know, if Captain Zhou doesn¡¯t bother with you, Captain Yan, you can still come to me~¡±

    ¡°You?¡± Yan Yu looked her over, ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll do¡­¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Tang Xiaolian¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°You¡¯re not a captain.¡± Yan Yu said.

    Tang Xiaolian puffed up her cheeks in frustration, then turned her pleading eyes towards Zhou Hongyu, only to see her head down, eating her crispy meat again, making her facial expression unclear.

 Chapter 427 - 23: Returning to Routine

    Chapter 427: Chapter 23: Returning to Routine

    After returning to the Shuzhong Prefecture squad headquarters, Zhang Huaide began redesigning the tactics.

    Compared to other teams, the Huofeng Team¡¯s weakness lay in the lack of a regular Sword Immortal. Qin Meng¡¯s attack range was too short, and Zhang Huaide had to be distracted by commanding, so that¡¯s why they recruited the dedicated Sword Immortal Hou Qing to strengthen the team and coordinate with the main assault expert Zhou Hongyu for combat.

    But if Tang Xiaolian could refine even one Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, she would be enough to qualify for the position of deputy assault expert. This would significantly expand the tactical operation space of the Huofeng Team. Now, many strategies that were previously not considered have become viable options.

    Well, however, the design on paper still needs to be adjusted according to actual data.

    After preparing several theoretical plans, Zhang Huaide went to the training field, planning to ask the team members for their opinions.

    Only to see Tang Xiaolian practising Sword Control Technique with Hou Qing at the training field, her sword techniques rapidly changing, forcing Hou Qing into a continuous retreat.

    ...

    Zhang Huaide: ?

    Before, not long after everyone had returned to Shuzhong Prefecture, Hou Qing found Tang Xiaolian in the training field and mentioned, ¡°I¡¯d like to learn some swordsmanship from Sister Xiaolian.¡±

    Hou Qing¡¯s pursuit of Tang Xiaolian wasn¡¯t a secret in the Huofeng Team. The guy was fairly decent-looking, paid great attention to his appearance, and most importantly, his family was very wealthy; it was said he had been involved with a double-digit number of girlfriends during high school, and had all sorts of tricks for chasing girls, totally unlike Qin Meng¡¯s straightforward and honest demeanor of ¡°Captain, tell me who to hit, and I¡¯ll hit them.¡±

    However, Tang Xiaolian had absolutely no interest in him, saying she ¡°doesn¡¯t like his type of look.¡± As for the money¡­ now, who in the Huofeng Team doesn¡¯t have several tens of millions in cash in their bank cards? Money really was just a number to top cultivators.

    It seems that yesterday¡¯s interaction between Yan Yu and Tang Xiaolian gave Hou Qing some subtle hint, leading him to think that Tang Xiaolian liked ¡°mighty cultivators,¡± and therefore, under the pretext of ¡°asking for swordsmanship guidance,¡± he wanted to showcase his own level of swordsmanship.

    It¡¯s just that a dedicated Sword Immortal like yourself practicing swordsmanship against someone who uses insects for cultivation, is really somewhat shameless.

    Meng Qingxi wanted to speak out and stop them, but then he heard Tang Xiaolian laugh and say:

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Confident in his superior swordsmanship skills, Hou Qing showed off his gentlemanly demeanor and said with a smile:

    ¡°Sister Xiaolian, you make the first move.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Tang Xiaolian nodded, her hands forming sword gestures, and the Peach Blossom Tender Sword quickly turned into a stream of light, rushing straight at him.

    Sky Light Piercing Clouds!

    Hou Qing revealed a smile as if he had expected this since 99% of cultivators who are not Sword Immortals usually start with White Rainbow Across the Sky¡­ for the simple reason that it¡¯s easy to use.

    Just as he was about to intercept with Cang Song Ying Ke, he suddenly felt something was terribly wrong.

    This isn¡¯t White Rainbow Across the Sky!

    As a superior Sword Technique to White Rainbow Across the Sky, Sky Light Piercing Clouds¡¯s path was almost the same, focusing primarily on a direct stab, and could also deviate slightly in the first or second half. The difference lay in the altered Qi circulation route, switching from the Lesser Yang Meridian to the stronger Yang Brightness Meridian. This increased True Yuan consumption dramatically and, at the same time, power and difficulty to control surged remarkably.

    Hou Qing tried to intercept with Cang Song Ying Ke; blocking White Rainbow Across the Sky was almost a guarantee, but it was wishful thinking to block Sky Light Piercing Clouds. As a result, his Flying Sword was instantly knocked flying, spinning backward, thrown awry, and the Peach Blossom Tender Sword seized the opportunity, attacking towards his face. Under the control of Tang Xiaolian, it stopped just at his throat.

    ¡°You¡¯ve lost,¡± Tang Xiaolian said with a cold laugh. ¡°The way of swordsmanship is endless. Go study harder!¡±

    Meng Qingxi and Qin Meng on the side were completely stunned.

    ¡°I¡¯ve lost,¡± Hou Qing gritted his teeth. ¡°Can you continue to enlighten me?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Tang Xiaolian snickered inwardly.

    The two continued to duel in a few matches until Zhang Huaide arrived; by then, they were already in the fifth match.

    With Deputy Captain Zhang¡¯s professional expertise, it was clear that overall, Hou Qing had the advantage in swordsmanship skills. After all, he was a professional Sword Immortal selected for the Huofeng Team, surely someone with real skills.

    But the odd thing was that even though Tang Xiaolian was evidently put at a disadvantage in just a few moves, she would always suddenly display an unseen Sword Technique, instantly turning the situation around and putting Hou Qing in disarray.

    Zhang Huaide watched for a while and confirmed that he had indeed never seen those sword moves before. They were either astonishingly powerful or treacherously executed, carrying a sense of ¡°unorthodox approach¡± and ¡°winning with strangeness.¡±

    Yet she truly did not master them, just mechanically executing without any variation. Ironically, Hou Qing had developed a psychological shadow from these moves. Every time she used such unfamiliar Sword Styles, he would immediately defend with all his might, completely ceding initiative and rhythm on the battlefield¡­ Thus, even though his swordsmanship was stronger, he couldn¡¯t overcome Tang Xiaolian for a long time.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Zhang Huaide suddenly spoke, ¡°let¡¯s stop here for now. Xiaolian, come here with me.¡±

    The match was halted, and Tang Xiaolian left the training ground somewhat reluctantly, following behind Deputy Captain Zhang. Suddenly, she said:

    ¡°Actually, I could have won that round.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s meaningless,¡± Zhang Huaide said indifferently, ¡°Any sword technique that is unfamiliar, after I watch you execute it eight or ten times, becomes familiar. Even if you could win this round, what about the next one? You¡¯re bound to lose sooner or later.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll quit while I¡¯m ahead,¡± Tang Xiaolian nodded and said.

    ¡°Did Captain Yan teach you that sword technique?¡± Zhang Huaide asked for confirmation.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Tang Xiaolian nodded, ¡°Without his permission, I can¡¯t disclose it to others.¡± S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to steal it,¡± Zhang Huaide mused for a moment before suddenly asking, ¡°Xiaolian, do you¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­have an interest in studying swordsmanship on the side? I mean, to become a versatile cultivator who can both control swords and use insects.¡±

    Meanwhile, Yan Yu, who had recovered substantially, traveled a long distance via sword flight and returned to the team¡¯s villa in Jinling Prefecture.

    As soon as he entered the room, he smelled the rich aroma of meat. Without a second thought, after changing his shoes and passing through the foyer, he indeed saw Lin Ning busying herself in front of the stew pot in the kitchen.

    ¡°Beef stew?¡± Yan Yu leaned in to ask.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Lin Ning got such a fright that she recoiled. Once she realized what was happening, she immediately turned around in annoyance and tried to hit him with the ladle, exclaiming, ¡°You scared me to death!¡±

    The ladle smacked onto Yan Yu, and Lin Ning froze:

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you dodge?¡±

    Yan Yu gave a wry smile, then suddenly his eyes rolled back, and he fell back, causing Lin Ning to rush over in alarm to support him, carefully laying him on the sofa before asking anxiously:

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, I forgot about your injury this time. Where are you hurt?¡±

    ¡°My whole body is injured,¡± Yan Yu said feebly, then detailed to Lin Ning what had happened in the ¡°Ascending Heaven Stairs¡± trial in the Mysterious Realm.

    ¡°So that¡¯s what happened,¡± Lin Ning¡¯s expression mixed with distress and guilt, ¡°This geomagnetic force¡­ Ah, it¡¯s all my fault for going too hard. I¡¯ll go find Yun Jin to take a look at you.¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu quickly stopped her, ¡°Didn¡¯t I rest for a day after coming out of the Mysterious Realm? My body has mostly recovered.¡±

    ¡°Then why did you just collapse¡­¡± Lin Ning was puzzled.

    ¡°Just messing with you.¡±

    Smelling the aroma of the beef stew, Zhao Yuanzhen hurried down the stairs and saw the stew pot in the kitchen bubbling away, while on the sofa, Lin Ning, with a flushed face, sat astride Yan Yu, using a cushion to fiercely smack his head, angrily shouting:

    ¡°That¡¯s for bullying me! That¡¯s for bullying me! I¡¯m going to flatten you!¡±

    In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through the mind of the Demonic Sect Enchantress:

    The steak might as well be spoiled in the pot if I don¡¯t eat it now, but if I don¡¯t save the little thief right away, Ningning might just kill him.

    No, that¡¯s not right. If I don¡¯t eat the steak now, it might get snatched away by another sister later, and Ningning couldn¡¯t really beat the little thief if he got serious, right? It must be just an act, no worries.

    Still not right, maybe the steak isn¡¯t tender enough yet, it hasn¡¯t reached the peak of deliciousness; and if the little thief and Ningning stick together like that, even if it¡¯s just a joke, an accident could easily happen, would that not cuckold me?

    The feeling still seemed incorrect¡­ the steak¡­ the little thief¡­

    Her mind buzzing, she suddenly had an epiphany, no longer hesitated, and rushed over like the wind, dragging Lin Ning off of Yan Yu, and asked seriously:

    ¡°Is the steak done yet?¡±

    ¡°Er, not yet,¡± Lin Ning instinctively felt a sense of embarrassment as if her domestic mishap had been witnessed, and even though she wanted to explain further, she heard Zhao Yuanzhen instead say:

    ¡°Ningning, I¡¯ll help you hit him, you just take care of the steak in the kitchen.¡±

    No sooner had she spoken than she sat down hard on Yan Yu, almost making him run out of breath.

 Chapter 428 - 24 The Determination to Take Down the Captain

    Chapter 428: Chapter 24 The Determination to Take Down the Captain

    In the room, Su Yunjin was discussing the year¡¯s affairs with her parents¡ªand then they had a big argument.

    ¡°I¡¯ve said it!¡± Su Yunjin said angrily, ¡°It¡¯s just inviting the captain over for a meal at our house! And besides, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s scheduled for New Year¡¯s Eve, so what misunderstanding could there be?¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin,¡± her mother pleaded patiently on the other end of the phone, ¡°I told you, your aunt¡¯s family is going to come over and stay for a few days, and they¡¯ve already arranged it with us¡­¡±

    ¡°So let them stay for a few days, that doesn¡¯t conflict with us inviting the captain over for dinner!¡± Su Yunjin said.

    ¡°So when we invite your captain for dinner, should your aunt¡¯s family join us or not?¡± her mother asked her, ¡°Or should we entertain your captain outside and let your aunt¡¯s family fend for themselves?¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s eat together!¡± Su Yunjin said.

    ...

    ¡°And when someone asks ¡®Who is this young man?¡¯ how should we explain?¡± her mother¡¯s tone also grew irritable, ¡°Even if it were a couple, it would be strange to meet the girl¡¯s relatives during the New Year if they haven¡¯t reached the stage of discussing marriage, let alone the fact that you two aren¡¯t even in a relationship.¡± S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Su Yunjin also started feeling a headache and asked again:

    ¡°Can¡¯t we just ask my aunt to change their visit to another time?¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask your captain to change the time then?¡± her mother retorted, ¡°Which is more important, your relatives or your captain?¡±

    ¡°Of course, the captain is more important,¡± Su Yunjin replied without a second thought.

    ¡°Yun Jin!¡± her mother exasperated, ¡°Do you actually have feelings for your what¡¯s-his-name captain¡­¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± her father immediately intervened, ¡°Don¡¯t argue with the kid, I¡¯ll talk to her, you go do your thing. Didn¡¯t you say you haven¡¯t reviewed that student¡¯s thesis yet? Hurry up and go take care of it¡­¡±

    He sent her mother away on the other end of the phone, and then he spoke to his daughter:

    ¡°Yun Jin, Dad is not against this, but we don¡¯t know the specifics of your situation. Let me ask you first, is it your captain who wants to visit us, or do you want him to come over?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s me, I want him to come over,¡± Su Yunjin answered.

    ¡°But there¡¯s a problem,¡± her father said, ¡°Is your captain willing to come over?¡±

    Su Yunjin fell silent for a moment. She certainly didn¡¯t want to admit that she had cajoled Yan Yu into agreeing, and so she responded with a calm tone:

    ¡°Of course, he¡¯s willing. I have a good relationship with the captain, and he probably has already wanted to visit my home for a while.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s like having a good colleague from your workplace come over as a guest, which is no problem. I¡¯ll go explain it to your aunt,¡± her father paused, then continued, ¡°But if you have feelings for your captain and you¡¯re using meeting the girl¡¯s parents as a way to pressure him, it will likely backfire. Dad wants to make that clear to you¡­¡±

    ¡°Dad!¡± Su Yunjin, feeling both guilty and annoyed, exclaimed, ¡°How could I possibly do such a thing!¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin, do you remember in high school, there was a boy who kept writing you love letters and was persistent for a long time,¡± her father said, ¡°Eventually you deliberately mixed the love letters with your Chinese homework and handed it in, so your head teacher accidentally saw them. That led to the school summoning that boy and his parents, as well as us, and I remember the boy just broke down on the spot¡­¡±

    ¡°That was an accident,¡± Su Yunjin said weakly, ¡°He left the love letter on top of the homework stack, and others put more papers on top, that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t see it.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, Dad believes it was an accident,¡± her father immediately changed his tune and said, ¡°I just want to remind you, many times little accidents of yours, although they might conveniently achieve your goal, could bring significant hurt to others, so make sure to think things through before you say or do anything.¡±

    Su Yunjin was silent for a long while, then suddenly asked:

    ¡°Dad, if I really do like the captain, would you oppose it?¡±

    Her father also felt an indescribable heaviness coming through from the other end of the phone and quickly forced a laugh saying:

    ¡°No, no, on this matter, Mom and Dad will definitely respect your feelings first and foremost.¡±

    ¡°That would be great,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile. ¡°Dad believes that I¡¯ll definitely handle my relationship with the captain well, right?¡±

    How could he respond to that? Could he actually say, ¡°Daddy doesn¡¯t believe you can handle it¡±? Father Su could only agree repeatedly:

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Good, about mother, please help me to explain it to her,¡± Su Yunjin added at last. ¡°I still have things to do here, I will call you again next time.¡±

    After hanging up the phone, Father Su pondered for a while, then turned to look for Mother Su.

    Mother Su sat on the sofa watching TV, her expression clearly unhappy. Father Su sat down next to her and after a silent moment, suddenly said:

    ¡°Yun Jin must like her captain.¡±

    ¡°How could I possibly not notice?¡± Mother Su said irritably. ¡°She likes someone, but does that person like her? I¡¯m afraid that she might chase after him and end up hurt herself in the end.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s her choice.¡± Father Su consoled his wife, saying, ¡°When it comes to love, everyone must walk their own path; as parents, we can¡¯t help.¡±

    ¡°With Yun Jin being so beautiful and outstanding, having so many people liking her since she was young, what kind of partner couldn¡¯t she find? Why must she focus on that Longcheng Flying General?¡± Mother Su was still extremely dissatisfied and complained, ¡°I asked around today, and they told me that with the status of Longcheng Flying General, he is bound to be arranged for a political marriage by those above. The vice-captain of her team is the daughter of the Governor of Jianghai Prefecture. How can Yun Jin compete with the Governor¡¯s daughter?¡±

    Father Su was at a loss for words, after a long pause, he finally said:

    ¡°It also depends on whether the Longcheng Flying General accepts it. If he also likes Yun Jin, those above can¡¯t force him to marry by pressing down on his head; his status now is not something that can be manipulated. What I¡¯m worried about is Yun Jin being too anxious and messing things up¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± Mother Su scoffed confidently. ¡°Yun Jin is so smart and sensible. If I were that Longcheng Flying General, I would have been with her a long time ago.¡±

    Seeing his wife entering a protective mode again, Father Su did not say more, just let out a deep sigh.

    He had said everything that needed to be said to his daughter. As for who his daughter would end up with and whether she could get her wish, that would be left to fate.

    Some things couldn¡¯t be forced by human effort, in the end, it depends on destiny.

    As for Su Yunjin, after hanging up the phone, she sat alone in her room feeling gloomy for a long time before she got up and went to the bathroom to wash her face, trying to calm herself down.

    Wiping the extra water from her face with a washcloth, she carefully examined her reflection in the mirror.

    Pure, delicate, any words used to describe a young and beautiful woman could be applied to the lovely face in the mirror.

    She was, at this moment, in the prime of her life, the most golden years for a woman, with the strongest attraction to the opposite sex.

    For some reason, Su Yunjin suddenly remembered the Illusion Realm challenge in The Secret Realm of Li Palace, how she had to watch the captain marry Ling Yun, how she could only silently endure until they argued and even divorced after their marriage, and then she could find an opportunity to enter his life and fulfill her desires¡­

    I don¡¯t want that.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to wait,¡± she affirmed, staring at herself in the mirror.

    I must make the captain fall in love with me!

    Outside the room, Xie Ruoxi¡¯s voice suddenly sounded:

    ¡°Yun Jin, it seems like the captain is back, are you coming down?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Su Yunjin replied clearly, ¡°I¡¯ll be right out.¡±

    She patted her cheeks, then looked into the wall mirror again, revealing a tender, lovely, and flawlessly pure smile.

 Chapter 429 - 25 Steak and Treatment

    Chapter 429: Chapter 25 Steak and Treatment

    ¡°Having handed over the Liang Yi Microparticle Sword for research and registration, Yan Yu welcomed a new vacation¡ªsince he wasn¡¯t armed with the dual swords, his power couldn¡¯t be fully realized; therefore, apart from ¡®urgent missions that only he could handle,¡¯ Li Weiguo would certainly wait until the Liang Yi Microparticle Swordsmanship was returned before considering sending Yan Yu into battle again, an easily deducible conclusion.¡±

    ¡°Thus, Yan Yu could calmly plan the next stage of the team¡¯s training schedule.¡±

    ¡°Su Yunjin needed to collect the Rootless Water in preparation for her Water Element Tao Transformation. Lin Ning had even more to learn; mastering the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step and the Two-handed Sword Control Technique as soon as possible was imperative.¡±

    ¡°Chen Lingyun would wait for the arrival of Ox-Head and Horse-Face from the Dingbei Army as well as continue researching the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Divine Seal Technique; Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t have anything new to learn, but her basics in all areas were so lacking that she needed to catch up urgently.¡±

    ¡°As for the Demonic Sect Enchantress, Zhao Yuanzhen, first set aside the training and such, and hurry up with the puppet upgrades¡ªthat trip to Nanjiang, her puppet wasn¡¯t with her but left with Zhao Yuanzhen for modifications.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which, during the Departure Palace event broadcasted live worldwide, using the puppet as a trump card and then boldly killing the caught-off-guard Xiandao Jingyin, there wasn¡¯t a subsequent need to keep it a strict secret.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Just use it when necessary.¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu was typing on his phone, organizing his to-do list into notes when he suddenly heard Lin Ning call out:¡±

    ¡°¡®All right, everyone, come eat!''¡±

    ¡°As for Zhao Yuanzhen, who had vowed to ¡®beat up Yan Yu¡¯ on Lin Ning¡¯s behalf, she had already become restless with the increasingly aromatic smell from the kitchen, rushing over with a vow to eat the first slice of braised beef steak out of the pot.¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu rose from the couch just in time to see Xie Ruoxi and Su Yunjin come down from the second floor. In the kitchen, Lin Ning was holding Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s waist tightly, preventing her from lifting the stew pot¡¯s lid, crying out.¡±

    ¡°¡®Another minute to simmer! Sister Zhao, just one more minute!''¡±

    ¡°¡®Captain.¡¯ Xie Ruoxi greeted him.¡±

    ¡°¡®You look a bit pale.¡¯ Su Yunjin transmitted her voice to him, ¡®I will come to your room later to check on you.''¡±

    ¡°This was another subtle move from Secretary Su: If she checked in her room, Yan Yu might soon say ¡®Okay, I have to get going¡¯; but if she checked in Yan Yu¡¯s room, how long the two of them could stick together was for her to decide.¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu didn¡¯t see through her little trick and readily agreed.¡± Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Chen Lingyun was the last to come downstairs; the girl was still in her pajamas, seemingly just woken up from a nap, rubbing her eyes as she came down, glancing at Yan Yu without saying a word.¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu went over to the dining table to see Lin Ning carefully wearing oversized oven mitts and straining to bring over the stew pot filled with juicy, bone-in beef steak.¡±

    ¡°¡®Try it and see, it¡¯s my first time making this,¡¯ she said humbly, ¡®I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s good.''¡±

    ¡°Zhao Yuanzhen had already lifted the lid, quickly grabbing a piece for her bowl and began to gnaw on it.¡±

    ¡°The girls all reached out their chopsticks for some, and Yan Yu tried a piece too¡ªit tasted good.¡±

    ¡°¡®How is it?¡¯ Lin Ning looked at him expectantly, her eyes shining with an inexplicable light, ¡®Give me your comment.''¡±

    ¡°¡®Tender and flavorful.¡¯ Zhao Yuanzhen answered, ¡®But the portion of meat is too small, you should pay attention when selecting the ingredients next time.''¡±

    ¡°¡®I wasn¡¯t asking you!¡¯ Lin Ning retorted irritably.¡±

    ¡°¡®Ningning, this pot of beef steak was especially stewed for you,¡¯ Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡®Hearing that you¡¯re coming back today, she went to the market early in the morning to buy ingredients.''¡±

    ¡°¡®That¡¯s not true!¡¯ Lin Ning immediately paled with shock, quickly retorted, ¡®The beef steak was of course stewed for everyone! It¡¯s just that I thought since the captain was injured, he needed plenty of high-quality protein during recovery, so I chose to make a pot of braised beef, but that doesn¡¯t mean I made it especially for the captain, right? If I were making it special for him, I wouldn¡¯t have brought it to the dining table, I would have just taken it straight to the captain¡¯s room, wouldn¡¯t I? Of course, I wouldn¡¯t do that!''¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu did not respond to her defense, simply saying:¡±

    ¡°¡®It¡¯s quite delicious, I¡¯ll have another bowl.''¡±

    ¡°¡®I¡¯ll get it for you.¡¯ Su Yunjin stood up.¡±

    ¡°¡®Hey, I¡¯m talking to you.¡¯ Lin Ning wanted to kick him, but fearing that she might hurt him, she could only huff, ¡®It¡¯s not made especially for you, you should know!''¡±

    ¡°¡®I know, I know.¡¯ Yan Yu took the small bowl from Su Yunjin, ¡®Thanks, Yun Jin.''¡±

    ¡°Seeing this, Lin Ning grew even angrier: ¡®What about me? Don¡¯t you thank me?''¡±

    ¡°¡®I did want to thank you,¡¯ Yan Yu replied, ¡®but this pot of beef wasn¡¯t made especially for me.''¡±

    ¡°The girls immediately burst into laughter, Lin Ning appeared crestfallen, and Chen Lingyun, as if that wasn¡¯t enough, added salt to the wound:¡±

    ¡°¡®Since it¡¯s made for everyone, let¡¯s all thank Ningning together.''¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Ningning,¡± Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t catch on and immediately echoed in response, ¡°Big Sis Ning makes the best beef.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Ningning,¡± Su Yunjin also said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s hard work.¡±

    Lin Ning forced a smile. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t want to hear everyone¡¯s thanks, but the person she wanted to hear from hadn¡¯t said anything¡­

    The phone beside her suddenly lit up with a new message:

    [Win Over with Virtue]: No matter who you cooked it for, it was really delicious, thanks Ningning.

    Lin Ning immediately felt better and waved her hands saying:

    ¡°No need for thanks, no need. I cook for you guys every day, what¡¯s with the mushy talk, let¡¯s eat, let¡¯s eat¡­ Zhao sis! Slow down with the eating! Leave some for everyone!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen had been quietly battling her food since earlier, and there was already a large pile of bones at the edge of her bowl.

    Everyone quickly continued to reach for food with their chopsticks, eating and drinking, and soon the big pot of steak was gone.

    After a meal and wine, everyone moved to the sofa to rest and entertain themselves, while Su Yunjin headed to the second floor, calling out to Yan Yu privately:

    ¡°Come up, I¡¯ll take a look at you.¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Yan Yu followed her upstairs.

    Once in the room, all that could be heard was Su Yunjin saying:

    ¡°Alright, take off your clothes.¡±

    Yan Yu stripped off his clothes, leaving only his shorts, revealing a body with clearly defined muscles. Su Yunjin concentrated the Runescript True Essence at her fingertips and cautiously slid them over the surface of his skin, suddenly feeling her heartbeat quicken and her cheeks heat up.

    ¡°Hmm, many muscle fibers are torn,¡± she said, forcefully suppressing her romantic feelings and calmly continuing, ¡°It probably happened because of overexertion.¡±

    ¡°In the Ascending Heaven Stairs challenge, we used geomagnetic force to replace gravity and increase amplification,¡± Yan Yu explained, ¡°so every step put a lot of strain on the body.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Su Yunjin paused for a moment before adding, ¡°Logically speaking, high gravity should primarily cause damage to the legs and cardiovascular system, but why are your arms also so heavily worn out?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s because Tang Xiaolian from the Huofeng Team went with me,¡± Yan Yu casually explained, ¡°She was pinned down during the Ascending Heaven Stairs challenge, and later I had to carry her up, so probably that¡¯s why my arms got injured too.¡±

    ¡°I see, that explains it,¡± Su Yunjin said as she started to massage and knead him, infusing the area with Runescript True Essence for tissue repair, and then asked, ¡°Speaking of which, I¡¯m actually a bit curious.¡±

    ¡°Captain, you wanted to explore that Mysterious Realm on your own, not wanting to put us at risk for your personal affairs, which I can understand. But why did you take Tang Xiaolian with you?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yun Jin.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Has the gravity in this room increased?¡±

    ¡°Stop joking, this isn¡¯t some Heavenly Ladder,¡± Su Yunjin quickly reined in her pressure and gently said, ¡°I don¡¯t mean to criticize the captain. You must¡¯ve thought things through and weighed all options when deciding who to take to the Mysterious Realm, I just want to know why.¡±

    ¡°Uh, I didn¡¯t really think or consider much,¡± Yan Yu laughed bitterly, ¡°I didn¡¯t know my way around there, and Tang Xiaolian happened to be a local, so I asked her to lend me a hand.¡±

    ¡°Now I understand,¡± Su Yunjin said dispassionately, ¡°So you brought her along because she could be of help to you.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu suddenly realized something and quickly added, ¡°I don¡¯t mean that you wouldn¡¯t be helpful, it¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t want to trouble you guys, after all, it¡¯s not a mission from the authorities.¡±

    ¡°But the captain got hurt, huh,¡± Su Yunjin continued, ¡°Exploring a Mysterious Realm alone, isn¡¯t there a risk of getting injured? What would you do in case you encounter another Heavenly Ladder Challenge next time?¡±

    ¡°Uh, I¡¯ll just be more careful?¡± Yan Yu tentatively answered.

    ¡°Next time, take me with you,¡± Su Yunjin revealed a beautiful smile, speaking tenderly yet firmly, ¡°If we encounter a situation like this, I can help treat your injuries right away.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what the situation might be next time,¡± Yan Yu explained, ¡°and it¡¯s not even certain if there will be a next time¡­¡±

    ¡°You just need to promise me for now,¡± Su Yunjin interrupted.

    Quack, there¡¯s the gravity again!

 Chapter 430 - 26: Digging a Pit Here First

    Chapter 430: Chapter 26: Digging a Pit Here First

    Jiangbei, Jiangnan, Jianghai ¡ª these three regions generally boast affluent households. Paired with Lu Country¡¯s traditional custom of pampering daughters, women from these areas tend to be quite independent and opinionated. Or to quote a Liu surnamed netizen from the North who wishes to remain anonymous, each one is a ¡°real piece of work.¡±

    Of course, it¡¯s quite normal for Mr. Liu to make such biased and unfair judgments due to his own personal grudges and systematic regional discrimination against women from the Wu-speaking areas.

    Having had extensive interactions with Su Yunjin, Chen Lingyun, and his sister Yan Jing, Yan Yu considered himself quite qualified to speak on this matter. To call them ¡°real pieces of work¡± was exaggerated; a more accurate description would be ¡°full of ideas.¡±

    Of course, having dealt with Chen Lingyun in his previous life, Secretary Su of the Gravity Envoys could hardly be considered troublesome.

    As the strongest in this life, he aimed to be unbeaten on the battlefield and always victorious in love! Watch how effortlessly I unravel her Gravity Spell!

    Yan Yu, keeping his composure, smiled and said,

    ...

    ¡°Yun Jin wants to come with me?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Su Yunjin nodded and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t want to cause trouble for the team leader, but to help the team leader¡­ You understand what I mean, right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you think that way,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°but can you help me now?¡±

    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t I manage it?¡± Su Yunjin frowned slightly.

    ¡°Let me tell you about the Mysterious Realm,¡± Yan Yu began to explain, ¡°Upon entering, the first challenge is the One-Line Sky Gorge. We walked for almost twenty minutes and couldn¡¯t see the end. What would you do if you were me?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Su Yunjin instinctively wanted to say, ¡°Isn¡¯t that just a looping illusion?¡± but then she realized, she didn¡¯t know how to break such an illusion either.

    ¡°This challenge actually tests one¡¯s visual acuity,¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°Later, I found a hidden stone door on a cliff covered with moss, which led to the second challenge. We needed to learn Sword Techniques from the murals on the walls and use a special Sword Technique to break through the stone door. Can you help me with this, Yun Jin?¡±

    Once again, Su Yunjin was at a loss for words, as swordsmanship was not her forte either.

    ¡°The first two challenges aside, even if you can¡¯t help, you could still get by with my guidance,¡± Yan Yu added, ¡°After passing through the cave into the Golden Flower Field, we face the third challenge: withstanding the attack of the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu alone. This creature can withstand blades and fire¡ªwhat would you do if you were there, Yun Jin?¡± sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Even if I couldn¡¯t break its defense, I could at least trap it for a while using the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art,¡± Su Yunjin promptly replied.

    ¡°I forgot to mention, the creature¡¯s flying speed surpasses even the Sword Control Technique,¡± Yan Yu smiled, ¡°Can your Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art hit an object as swift as the Flying Sword?¡±

    Su Yunjin fell silent. Of course, it wouldn¡¯t work. Given the speed of the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, the best approach was using the Flying Sword, followed by using broad-range Taoism Methods that did not require exact aim. But such methods consumed vast amounts of True Yuan, and considering the creature¡¯s resistance to elements, sustaining such spells wouldn¡¯t be feasible.

    Indeed, all the challenges in this Mysterious Realm were designed to test a Sword Immortal. Given Su Yunjin¡¯s level of swordsmanship, her performance there would probably be slightly better than Tang Xiaolian¡¯s, but likely not by much.

    ¡°The fourth challenge is that of the Heavenly Ladder Challenge,¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°With each step, the gravitational pull increases slightly, and towards the end, it could exceed your own body weight. Tang Xiaolian once completely succumbed to the pressure and fainted. Do you think you can make it through the Heavenly Ladder, Yun Jin?¡±

    While Su Yunjin was somewhat defiant, the mere sight of Yan Yu¡¯s physique made it clear that the Heavenly Ladder was no easy challenge. Perhaps only a Body Cultivating Cultivator like Qin Meng could easily pass; hence she couldn¡¯t realistically claim, ¡°I can make it.¡±

    After all, she wasn¡¯t Lin Ning; she couldn¡¯t just stubbornly talk tough.

    ¡°Yun Jin, you said you could help treat my injuries, and I certainly don¡¯t deny that,¡± Yan Yu commented, ¡°But if you were to faint on the Heavenly Ladder, wouldn¡¯t that mean I¡¯d have to carry you up, potentially exacerbating my injuries instead?¡±

    Su Yunjin had no response to that, so she suddenly asked,

    ¡°Then could Tang Xiaolian make it?¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°If I wasn¡¯t absolutely unfamiliar with Nanjiang, I would never have sought her help. Speaking of which, let¡¯s discuss the final challenge.¡±

    ¡°If the first challenge tests observational skills, the second learning ability, the third basic combat, and the fourth is a test of constitution and will, then the fifth challenge is a combination of the previous four. It consists of countless Sword Qi lines forming a Sword Array that continuously generates new Sword Qi aimed at slashing at you. You must last at least an incense stick¡¯s worth of time in there without being touched by even a fraction of the Sword Qi.¡±

    ¡°The skills needed are the observational skills to monitor surrounding Sword Qi, the learning ability to memorize the patterns of the Sword Qi lines, the basic skills to timely slash the Sword Qi lines, and, of course, the willpower to maintain focus throughout. Each one is crucial.¡±

    ¡°At that time, because my body was too ravaged to continue, I had Tang Xiaolian break the formation for me. She wasn¡¯t skilled with swords, so I taught her all the Sword Techniques on the spot to memorize rigidly and then guided her through the challenge with voice commands, dictating 1¨C2 tactical moves per second. If she reacted even slightly slow, or made a minor mistake in execution, she would be hit by the Sword Array and eliminated.¡±

    ¡°She tried less than ten times and passed under my command without a single mistake¡­ Yun Jin, can you do it?¡±

    Su Yunjin remained silent for a long time, her expression becoming somber, her eyes losing their luster.

    ¡°Yun Jin,¡± Yan Yu tempered his tone, consoling her, ¡°your strength doesn¡¯t lie in fighting solo but in teamwork. The Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art can block and trap enemies, and the Healing Rune Spell can also save your teammates. However, once the team size is reduced, the demand on each member¡¯s ability to fight independently increases significantly. Sword Control Technique is central to this aspect, it¡¯s the crux.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Su Yunjin said dejectedly. ¡°If Ningning insists on following you, the captain would agree to it, right?¡±

    ¡°If I knew beforehand that there were places in the mysterious realm that needed to block or trap enemies, I would certainly take you, Yun Jin,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile. ¡°But if it¡¯s a completely unknown mysterious realm, and I had to choose someone, I would prioritize Lin Ning.¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin, I don¡¯t mean to underestimate you, but in conquering mysterious realms, everything must be result-oriented and strength is the only standard of measure.¡±

    ¡°If you really want to stay by my side, then you must strive to become stronger until I think of you first when I need help, and by then, even if you don¡¯t want to come, I would plead with you to accompany me.¡±

    ¡°I get it,¡± Su Yunjin nodded her head and stood up.

    The heavy and oppressive aura that had always surrounded her dissipated completely.

    In its place was a feeling as if something were burning¡­ She was ignited!

    Su Yunjin went to the door and suddenly turned to say:

    ¡°Captain, I will become stronger.¡±

    She revealed a beautiful and gentle smile, softly saying:

    ¡°By then, the captain definitely won¡¯t refuse me again.¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Yan Yu nodded earnestly.

    Easily handling and sending Yun Jin away, Yan Yu lay down on the bed comfortably, revealing a confident and invincible smile.

    Vulnerable men are only crushed by the imposing presence of powerful women, but strong men ignite their fighting spirit, sending them on the path to strengthen themselves ceaselessly; this is the strongest confidence in this world!

    Hahahaha! Indeed, I am invincible!

    Meanwhile, Su Yunjin went to the kitchen where Lin Ning was cleaning up dishes and joined her to help wash the dishes.

    ¡°Thanks, Yun Jin,¡± Lin Ning said gratefully.

    ¡°No need to thank me,¡± Su Yunjin said with a gentle smile. ¡°Ningning, I need your help with something.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    ¡°I want to practice Sword Control Technique,¡± Su Yunjin said.

    ¡°But you are a Magic Cultivator,¡± Lin Ning inquired puzzledly. ¡°Compared to Sword Control Technique, practicing Taoism Method would be much more cost-effective.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Su Yunjin responded, ¡°I will set aside specific time to train extra.¡±

    ¡°That could work,¡± Lin Ning didn¡¯t overthink it, as she herself was diligent and always keen on extra practice, but she wondered why Yun Jin, who usually took a lax approach to cultivation and even often slacked off, had suddenly ignited her fighting spirit. ¡°But swordsmanship is quite deep; what specifically do you want to practice?¡±

    ¡°I need to train to the extent that the captain can¡¯t ignore me,¡± Su Yunjin asserted.

    Lin Ning was left speechless, thinking even I can¡¯t do that, and you, not even in the profession of a Sword Immortal, are still thinking about reversing the Heavenly Gang?

    ¡°Maybe start with the basic four techniques!¡± she suggested with a forced laugh.

 Chapter 431 - 27 Puppet Ah Zhens New Feature

    Chapter 431: Chapter 27 Puppet Ah Zhen¡¯s New Feature

    Zhen Dong Defense Academy, special training ground for the Zhenhai Team.

    Xie Ruoxi hadn¡¯t been feeling particularly competitive lately.

    Oddly enough, before entering the Departure Palace, she seemed to have been training rather diligently¡­ What could be the reason for her lack of drive now?

    All she remembered was that it was somehow related to the team captain, but she had forgotten the details.

    Forget it, forget it, she would just finish her training for the day and then go back to watch shows! And play video games!

    ¡°Ruoxi, focus!¡± Yan Yu shouted from off the field, ¡°If you don¡¯t like shooting moving targets to practice your aim, we can spar instead, and you can use me as your target!¡±

    ...

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s head shrank down immediately, and she hastily clenched her Thunder Method to aim at the targets.

    Su Yunjin was practicing her Sword Control Technique with Lin Ning. Yan Yu took a casual glance and saw they were practicing the four basic forms. It was clear that Ningning was accompanying Yunjin in her practice, so Yan ignored them for the time being.

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s research into the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner had finally made a breakthrough¡­ Well, it could be considered a breakthrough anyway, though Yan Yu didn¡¯t quite understand it since it required the help of a magic treasure.

    The Yin Yang Order.

    The magic treasure that Xie Ruoxi and Liu Longtao had acquired from the Secret Realm of Li Palace, not knowing its specific utility, and since the Dragon Soar Team didn¡¯t have a Necromancer, both parties agreed that it should belong to the Zhendong Army.

    When Chen Lingyun heard about it, she took a keen interest and borrowed it to toy with, indeed discovering its profound mysteries:

    When activating the Yin Yang Order, one could extend their Divine Sense deep into the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner without suffering the erosion of the chilling Yin force, thus being able to calmly interpret the Divine Seals.

    ¡°The Nine Heavens Yin Demon Divine Seal in the Prison Banner, I¡¯ve interpreted it to mean ¡®to trap,''¡± Chen Lingyun said indifferently, ¡°but that doesn¡¯t explain why it can release secret thunder¡­ You remember the Changping Secret Realm, right? That Ghost General who wielded this Prison Banner was casting countless secret thunderbolts to scour the ground.¡±

    ¡°Could it be that there are multiple Divine Seals within this Prison Banner?¡± Yan Yu asked, ¡°And you¡¯ve only found one Divine Seal that isn¡¯t related to the secret thunder.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s also possible,¡± Chen Lingyun speculated, ¡°So, do I need to delve deeper into the Prison Banner? But even with the protection of the Yin Yang Order, I can¡¯t go too deep into the treasure.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how it is when your Cultivation progress isn¡¯t enough,¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°Just take it slowly.¡±

    Chen Lingyun looked at Su Yunjin and suddenly said:

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯re quite good at getting fired up.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®good at getting fired up¡¯?¡± Yan Yu immediately protested, ¡°That¡¯s the inspiration of personal charm, okay? Forget it, I knew you as a wastrel wouldn¡¯t understand what personal charm is.¡±

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Chen Lingyun smiled faintly and continued, ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of capsizing in the gutter? If Yun Jin really devotes herself to improving her skills and makes a great effort, what will you do if her strength eventually surpasses yours and she drags you off to the civil affairs office to register for marriage?¡±

    ¡°Have you read yourself silly?¡± Yan Yu said incredulously, ¡°If Yun Jin truly takes my place as the strongest in this world, she would be the world¡¯s empress whose word is law. Does she need to drag me to register? With a single glance from her, the whole world would know I¡¯m her husband.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I know that,¡± Chen Lingyun said, ¡°But given Yun Jin¡¯s personality, she¡¯d definitely want an actual marriage certificate to treasure.¡±

    That was true. Yun Jin also had the persona of a literary girl; she would certainly adore something as ceremonially significant as a marriage certificate.

    ¡°But that¡¯s impossible,¡± Yan Yu said with pride, ¡°As the strongest in this world, I¡¯m destined to race ahead on the path of cultivation, leaving all others behind. Even if Yun Jin tries hard, at best she can only watch my back; she¡¯ll never keep up with the rate at which I become stronger.¡±

    ¡°I hope you can be just as confident in the future,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Do you want me to help you by telling others about Yun Jin¡¯s situation, so they compete with each other and strive to become stronger, all for the sake of entering your harem?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Yan Yu was immune to Chen Lingyun¡¯s strange and wonderful ideas. He remembered that in their past life together, she often encouraged him to pursue Lin Ning to ¡°ease the pressure of arranged dates from her family.¡±

    But the past Yan Yu was too kind and innocent, mistakenly thinking it was a test from his girlfriend, so he was even more careful not to associate with Lin Ning. In the end, Lin became Auntie Lin at the age of thirty-seven or thirty-eight, without even a boyfriend, forcing her family to settle for reality.

    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to test you, I¡¯m serious,¡± Chen Lingyun continued, ¡°For you, even if everyone is focused on cultivating with impure intentions, it would at least be beneficial for you as their captain, right?¡±

    ¡°Bullshit,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°You just want to watch the fun. When the time comes, you¡¯ll definitely stir up trouble, spreading discord everywhere, turning my¡­ ah, almost got caught in your trap, turning my team into a mess, even to the point of falling apart. Do you think I¡¯d fall for such a clumsy strategy?¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Chen Lingyun nodded, ¡°Let alone others, if we tell Sister Zhao, she would definitely explode at the first chance. She already treats you as her own property.¡±

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Yan Yu scoffed, ¡°An idiot who only knows how to eat. I bet if she doesn¡¯t start cultivating diligently, she will sooner or later become inferior in strength. Then she¡¯ll be at the mercy of Yun Jin, unable to retaliate, only capable of secretly holding grudges and going crazy.¡±

    ¡°What harboring grudges and going mad?¡± The voice of Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly came from behind them.

    The two quickly turned around and saw the Demonic Sect Enchantress with her hand on her hip and a curious look on her face¡ªclearly, she hadn¡¯t heard the conversation they had earlier, or else she would have exploded by now.

    ¡°Nothing, what¡¯s up?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°The item¡¯s been fixed, come here,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen beckoned with a tilt of her head. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    They arrived at the area next to the training ground, and with a flick of her sleeve, Zhao Yuanzhen summoned the Puppet Ami.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s any change,¡± Yan Yu examined the puppet closely and commented, ¡°What about its abilities? Has its strength increased, or its speed?¡±

    ¡°Watch this,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said proudly, flicking her hands. The Puppet Ami also stretched out its arms and formed a spell seal.

    Yan Yu¡¯s eyes widened immediately because that spell seal was clearly one of the Five Spells, the Flame Curse!

    A ball of flame suddenly flared up and then extinguished nearly as fast.

    ¡°It can¡­ ¡± Yan Yu exclaimed in rare astonishment, ¡°It can use Taoism Method?¡±

    ¡°Only fire-based Taoism Method,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said proudly. ¡°The True Yuan will need to come from you, and the consumption rate is extremely high, much more than what a Human Race cultivator would use to cast a spell, depending on how proficient you are with the method. But I would say at a minimum it will be thirty percent more. It mostly depends on the efficiency of converting your True Yuan into her Qian Ling True Mie Fire¡­¡±

    She was still talking non-stop about technical terms, but Yan Yu wasn¡¯t listening anymore. A scene had started to form in his mind:

    Zhou Hongyu let out a roar and spit out the Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire, transforming into an extremely fine, long, and blazingly hot golden line, cutting fiercely towards Yan Yu¡¯s midsection!

    With a flick of his hand, Puppet Ah Zhen also spat out the Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire, a golden line sweeping towards Zhou Hongyu!

    Zhou Hongyu was taken aback, hastily retreating while shouting:

    ¡°Yan Yu! How dare you use my spell¡­ against me?¡±

    ¡°Hongyu!¡± Yan Yu also shouted, ¡°Your spell is very useful!¡±

    ¡°From now on, it is mine!¡±

    Haha, I can¡¯t wait to see the look on her face then.

    Yan Yu suddenly snapped back to reality, internally surprised, Why did I suddenly start having a fantasy? I never used to do that.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, unaware that he had zoned out, just stood there proudly waiting for his praise.

    Yan Yu thought for a moment and then reached out to touch¡­ lifting his hand higher, he touched her head.

    ¡°Well done, I¡¯ve come to see you in a new light.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen narrowed her eyes, seemingly quite pleased with the head pat, ¡°I¡¯ve already told you. Leave it to me, and you won¡¯t regret it.¡±

 Chapter 432 - 28 My Skills Are Too Many

    Chapter 432: Chapter 28 My Skills Are Too Many

    ¡°Actually, we only need to master the four basic forms of Sword Control Technique to cope with the vast majority of battle needs,¡± Lin Ning said. ¡°This is how I practice the basics: White Rainbow Across the Sky, Cang Song Ying Ke, Bai Niao Chao Feng, and Night Battle in All Directions. I perform each 500 times every day, aiming to reach the point where I can do it without thinking and control it as I wish.¡±

    ¡°Hmm-hmm,¡± Su Yunjin noted seriously.

    ¡°Yunjin, you might as well start with White Rainbow Across the Sky,¡± Lin Ning suggested. ¡°I need to practice Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, so you can use White Rainbow Across the Sky to attack me, and I can also use this opportunity to practice dodging.¡± S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Su Yunjin nodded repeatedly.

    As the two practiced together, one attacking and the other chasing, nearly half an hour passed when Lin Ning suddenly stopped and looked into the distance with curiosity:

    ¡°Why has the captain suddenly started practicing Taoism Method?¡±

    ...

    Following her gaze, Su Yunjin saw Yan Yu standing in the midst of the Taoism Method practice area, his hands forming complex Taoist Incantations at high speed before spitting out a golden thread and fiercely swinging his head to sweep, slicing down all the various targets in front of him.

    He then took out an Elixir Medicine, swallowed it, and began to assimilate the medicinal power.

    ¡°Shall we rest for a while? I¡¯ve also practiced White Rainbow Across the Sky almost five hundred times,¡± Su Yunjin said, turning around.

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s take a break,¡± Lin Ning agreed.

    Su Yunjin walked towards Yan Yu, and Lin Ning quickly followed her from behind.

    ¡°Ningning, where are you going?¡± Su Yunjin asked.

    ¡°Where are you going, Yun Jin?¡± Lin Ning retorted.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to ask the captain what he¡¯s doing,¡± Su Yunjin replied.

    ¡°So am I,¡± Lin Ning echoed.

    The two girls exchanged glances, and a competitive emotion suddenly arose between them. Although it remained unspoken, everything was understood.

    Approaching Yan Yu, who was standing still and assimilating the medicinal power, Su Yunjin asked with concern:

    ¡°Captain, are you practicing Taoism Method?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a Sword Immortal?¡± Lin Ning also interjected eagerly, ¡°Does a Sword Immortal need to practice Taoism Method?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just practicing casually,¡± Yan Yu said absentmindedly, feeling somewhat helpless.

    The test result was that, with his current True Yuan reserves and Spell proficiency, he could at most cast Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire twice before becoming exhausted, and its lethality was clearly insufficient, only about half the power described in the Taoism Method texts.

    The conclusion was that it had virtually no practical value in combat.

    He consulted Agent Tang on his mobile, who said that Zhou Hongyu, without taking any medicines, could cast Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire seven times in one breath, indicating a significant disparity between himself and a formally trained Magic Cultivator ¡ª after all, only Cultivators with sufficiently abundant and mighty True Yuan would choose to become Magic Cultivators.

    By using the power of Great Bright Fire to indirectly make the Puppet cast spells, one could solve the problem of insufficient Spell power, but endurance was still the biggest limitation for Puppet Taoism Method.

    In other words, Taoism Methods that are highly destructive and designed for armor-breaking assaults like Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire are undoubtedly most suitable for the Puppet Ah Zhen to use. On the contrary, Spells like Great Bright Fire, which mainly focus on suppression and wide-area bombardment, are not suitable for use on Puppets, as he did not have so much True Yuan to waste.

    While Yan Yu was contemplating this, he suddenly heard Su Yunjin say:

    ¡°Captain, if you have any questions about Taoism Method, I should be able to help answer them.¡±

    ¡°So can I,¡± blurted out Lin Ning, driven by her competitiveness, and then she immediately realized her slip.

    Taoism Method? I don¡¯t think I can be of help. After all, what I am proficient in is Sword Control Technique, but why would the captain come to me for advice on swordsmanship? His expertise is undoubtedly much higher than mine.

    Therefore, she quickly added:

    ¡°Captain, if there is anything I can help with, feel free to let me know at any time.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Yan Yu smiled, ¡°You two go ahead with your things.¡±

    The two girls expressed their loyalty and improved their rapport, then returned to continue their sparring, while Yan Yu stood in place, continuing to plan and assess.

    The cards he could play included the Two-handed Sword Control Technique, Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, and String-Pulling Puppetry Technique. The first two belonged to the path of the Sword Immortal, while the last was the path of the Puppet Master.

    The two paths were not very compatible, both requiring deep research. He dared to pursue both because in his previous life, he had already gone far on the path of the Sword Immortal, reaching the ¡°pinnacle¡± and ¡°approaching the summit,¡± armed with a complete set of experience and techniques. Therefore, in this life, he only needed to focus on learning the String-Pulling Technique.

    ¡°`

    But who could have predicted the existence of a Two-handed Sword Control Technique?

    Considering that most of his current strength came from the skills of the Sword Immortal, Yan Yu originally tended to prioritize the practice of the Two-handed Sword Control Technique before delving into the String-Pulling Technique.

    Yet unexpectedly, the String-Pulling Technique also reached its limit and burst forth, and the Puppet could actually use Taoism Method!

    If the Two-handed Sword Control Technique meant using one Sword Immortal as two, then the current Puppetry Technique was equivalent to having a Sword Immortal plus a Magic Cultivator; the latter, due to the combination of professions, was definitely more valuable than the former. For example, some enemies have extremely exaggerated physical defenses, impervious to Immortal Swords, but might be easily penetrated by Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire.

    Between conventional combat methods and key trump cards, which one should he practice first? Alas, who would have thought I, Yan Yu, would have too many skills to learn and not enough time to master them all¡ªunlike in my previous life, where from beginning to end, I focused solely on mastering the Sword Immortal¡¯s basic skills, without the need to consider so much.

    Just as Yan Yu was reflecting on this, suddenly a phone call came in¡ªit was Li Weiguo summoning him to the principal¡¯s office.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Since the Liang Yi Micro Dust Sword had been sealed by the old man with the long eyebrows, the researchers hadn¡¯t been able to learn much from it. Therefore, after merely recording the basic data, it was returned to Yan Yu.

    However, to everyone¡¯s surprise, instead of focusing on ¡°Yan Yu obtaining the Liang Yi Micro Dust Sword,¡± it was ¡°Yan Yu finding the Liang Yi Micro Dust Sword on his own¡± that garnered high levels of attention from the higher-ups.

    ¡°The Pingxi Army has already sent people to inspect the area,¡± Li Weiguo told him. ¡°They didn¡¯t find the entrance to the Mysterious Realm you mentioned.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu contemplated for a moment before asking, ¡°So does the Privy Council think my statement is untrue?¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Chen Tianming answered with a laugh from the side. ¡°Your account and Tang Xiaolian¡¯s statements are highly consistent. The Privy Council doesn¡¯t suspect you of lying. It¡¯s probably because the Mysterious Realm has a unique mechanism that only opens when someone who meets the requirements arrives.¡±

    ¡°The current issue is, how many such Mysterious Realms are still undiscovered within our country?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Yan Yu shook his head.

    But there must be many.

    Official Cultivators are supported by the resources of the entire nation, while civilian Cultivators have to fend for themselves. Why were these Cultivators able to rise in my previous life and even stand up to official Cultivators? Because they had the numbers.

    Once the population base is large, there¡¯s no shortage of examples of people encountering treasures. Like an ancient scroll hidden away in a family collection that turns out to be an entrance to a Mysterious Realm, or a secret passage in the cellar of an old rural house¡­ These kinds of illogical, untraceable ¡°fortuitous encounters¡± are completely beyond the control of the authorities.

    On the other hand, due to the country not achieving ¡°universal Cultivation,¡± many such fortuitous encounters go unexplored. Take the inheritance of the old man with the long eyebrows as an example: If you inform a Cultivator like Yan Yu, he would proactively seek out such an opportunity; but if an ordinary person receives the information, they might not have the initiative to fully explore it, and in the end, such inheritances could go unnoticed.

    Transcendents are not only the ¡°users¡± of the existing Transcendent resources but also the ¡°discoverers¡± of potential Transcendent resources. If the number of Cultivators within the country is less than the Transcendents abroad, the production of Transcendent resources will also be inferior to those overseas, and the overall power gap will inevitably grow over time.

    For Yan Yu, this was merely another ordinary adventure in search of treasures. However, for Li Weiguo, Chen Tianming, and the other bigwigs in their circle, almost immediately understood the worrisome essence behind this event.

    If this continues without change, it will lead to great peril!

    After receiving the Liang Yi Micro Dust Sword, Yan Yu took his leave. Li Weiguo was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked:

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask him for his opinion?¡±

    ¡°Asking would be in vain,¡± Chen Tianming said with a smile. ¡°Given his personality, he¡¯d probably say something like ¡®let the strong be strong, for I shall slay them all with a single sword.¡¯

    ¡°That¡¯s indeed his character,¡± Li Weiguo also began to smile, ¡°Such distinctive sharpness in a young man.¡±

    The two didn¡¯t finish their thoughts but understood each other perfectly.

    If Yan Yu could maintain this sharpness and pride, it at least proved that his abilities remained at the world¡¯s top standard, which would be a great blessing for Lu Country. But if he started falling behind in his progress, when the time came for someone to take Yan Yu¡¯s place and continue to deter neighboring powers, the situation would become quite dire. Therefore, everyone would prefer that Yan Yu continued to show his edge.

    At its core, this issues lies with the country¡¯s planned Cultivator training system, which has become significantly less efficient than the free competition abroad and the invisible hand of the market. But due to various factors, a drastic change of approach at this stage is not feasible.

    People like Yan Yu, Liu Longtao¡­ the farther they can go on the path of top Cultivators, the longer the current system can sustain itself. From this perspective, although the Zhendong Army still needs to keep on pacifying and recruiting civilian Cultivators who stick their necks out, it should also put a focus on supporting Yan Yu and the Zhenghai Team, to prevent a situation where the weak lead the strong.

    ¡°We still need to press on with the Northern Army regarding Ox-Head and Horse-Face,¡± Chen Tianming suddenly said, ¡°Any bit of capital that can enhance the strength of the Zhenghai Team must be utilized as soon as possible, without further delay.¡±

    ¡°You sure have raised a good daughter,¡± Li Weiguo chuckled, ¡°I¡¯ll call Old Yang in a bit and pass on the message. Oh, by the way, the Annan Army went to the Privy Council again, still about Xie Ruoxi¡¯s matter.¡±

    ¡°No need to worry,¡± Chen Tianming replied calmly, ¡°Xie Ruoxi is serving in Yan Yu¡¯s team, and there¡¯s proof her strengths are aptly being utilized. It¡¯s not possible to make a move now. The real reason Old Zhang went to the Privy Council to complain is because of the budget for March.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Li Weiguo nodded, then added, ¡°Li Minghu from the Qing An Team has had some health issues lately.¡±

    ¡°He can¡¯t be replaced by Xie Ruoxi,¡± Chen Tianming stated flatly. ¡°She¡¯s not up for that.¡±

 Chapter 433 - 29: You Dont Deserve Compliments

    Chapter 433: Chapter 29: You Don¡¯t Deserve Compliments

    Once he had obtained the Liang Yi Micro-dust Sword, Yan Yu finally made up his mind.

    First, practice the Dual Sword Control Technique!

    By the time he had mastered this skill, Lin Ning would likely have finished learning the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, making it the perfect time to teach her the Dual Sword Control Technique, so their schedules could connect seamlessly.

    As for the Puppet Taoism Method, that was his ace in the hole, something he could afford to learn at any time.

    The mental method outline of the Dual Sword Control Technique had already been thoroughly explained to him in the Secret Realm by the long-eyebrowed master, who had imparted profound and clear understanding.

    Now, whenever Yan Yu simultaneously executed the Dual Sword Technique, the Liang Yi Sword and the Huang Ting Sword immediately took flight, moving vertically and horizontally. The former moved swiftly and flexibly, like Zhao Zilong wielding a spear; the latter with great force and weight, as if Guan Yunchang were swinging a blade.

    ...

    Separation, combined attack, cover, pincer attack¡­ Various dual sword tactics were continuously performed by Yan Yu, as if there really were two mutually understanding Sword Immortals fighting together. This spectacle held the girls nearby captivated; they hurried over to observe and learn.

    Suddenly, Yan Yu ceased his sword techniques, and both the Huang Ting Sword and the Liang Yi Sword returned to their sheaths. With both swords carried on his back, he indeed looked somewhat more handsome than before.

    ¡°How is my Dual Sword Control Technique?¡± he asked the girls.

    ¡°Really amazing!¡± ¡°Worthy of being the captain!¡± the girls praised in unison.

    ¡°It¡¯s boring just watching,¡± Yan Yu warmly invited everyone, ¡°Why not have two of you practice with me? One hand each against one of you, how about that?¡±

    ¡°Maybe next time!¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t finished practicing today!¡± the girls immediately scattered like birds and beasts.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t mind and continued practicing his dual sword combined techniques.

    Now that everyone was fasting, they simply skipped lunch, resting for only an hour. They practiced specific basic skills in the morning and team coordination and tactical training in the afternoon.

    During the lunch break, Yan Yu played with his cell phone for a while, suddenly receiving a message from Li Zhaojiang.

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: Old Yan, can you ask Sister Zhao if there¡¯s any way to treat liver fire attacking the lungs?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Why don¡¯t you ask her yourself?

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: Remember last time in the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm, when Sister Zhao commented on my sister like that? I even argued with her then, so I feel embarrassed asking her now. Please help a brother out, Old Yan; I won¡¯t forget this.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Wait a moment.

    Yan Yu called over Zhao Yuanzhen and asked:

    ¡°You know Li Minghu, right? The one from Southern Border who fought alongside us, she was born with an inherent deficiency, liver fire attacking the lungs¡ªis there a way to treat this condition?¡±

    ¡°Born with deficiencies, how can it be cured?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen shook her head, ¡°There¡¯s no way to completely cure it, but there are ways to alleviate it.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡± Yan Yu inquired.

    ¡°Firstly, do not use swords,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen answered, ¡°Those with lung deficiencies need to nurture the metallic pathways and must not rashly engage in the energy of killing. Once it triggers the internal energy, the condition can easily worsen.¡±

    ¡°Secondly, they must not worry too much. Sorrow harms the lungs, so it is necessary to cultivate serenity and calmness for improvement.¡±

    Yan Yu thought to himself that both were impossible for Li Minghu, who was a professional Sword Immortal and the vice-captain of a team. How could she stop using a sword or cease worrying?

    ¡°So, people with lung deficiencies can¡¯t be cultivators on your side, right?¡± he probed.

    ¡°In the Five Elements, any deficiency is problematic,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied, ¡°If one¡¯s bodily foundation is incomplete, it¡¯s like a lame person entering a track field¡ªcultivation in itself is a defiance of the natural order, and even those with sound legs might not reach the finish line, let alone expect a lame person to?¡±

    ¡°If there were someone above the Golden Core Realm with a secret method to reconstruct the body, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible to forcibly compensate the Five Elements. But given the current concentration of spiritual energy in this world, forget it, even if I gave you the method, you couldn¡¯t use it.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Yan Yu replied, lowering his head to text Li Zhaojiang.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: She said it can¡¯t be cured, at most the condition can be delayed.

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: How to delay it?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Avoid playing with Flying Swords, don¡¯t be a Vice Captain, find a place to properly rest and recuperate.

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: That¡¯s impossible!

    [Win Over with Virtue]: So what happened to your sister?

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: She suddenly vomited blood while doing her Breathing and Energy Refining exercises.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: You probably overdid the training.

    ¡°Sunshine Pearl River¡±: I¡¯m not sure yet. The hospital¡¯s still in a joint consultation. They suspect that sitting too long caused poor blood flow and insufficient oxygen¡­ it¡¯s a mess! It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard that cultivators can¡¯t sit for long periods. How are they supposed to perform Circulating the Heavens and breathing exercises?

    ¡°Win Over with Virtue¡±: While she¡¯s hospitalized, let her rest well and recover.

    ¡°Sunshine Pearl River¡±: Of course!

    ¡°Win Over with Virtue¡±: How about we bring her to Jinling for her recovery? The Annan Army can¡¯t interfere here, and no one will bother her.

    ¡°Sunshine Pearl River¡±: Your calculations have really gone south to Lingnan! I¡¯m actually asking for a solution, not giving you an opportunity to hit on my sister.

    ¡°Win Over with Virtue¡±: Maybe staying with me, not dealing with her brother¡¯s annoying matters, might actually improve her condition.

    ¡°Sunshine Pearl River¡±: From ICU to maternity ward, right? Old Yan, you lecher, always thinking about my elder sister. Sooner or later, she will delete you from her friends and let you completely give up.

    ¡°Win Over with Virtue¡±: Then if she misses me later, she won¡¯t be able to chat online and will have to fly here to Jinling personally.

    ¡°Sunshine Pearl River¡±: Get lost, get lost, get lost, get lost, get lost, get lost, get lost!

    Yan Yu sent another message of sympathy to Li Minghu. No reply, probably still resting in the hospital room, so it wasn¡¯t proper to keep disturbing her. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    In the afternoon, everyone continued practicing tactical teamwork, pairing up and simulating drills. Yan Yu, dual-wielding swords skillfully, engaged the Green Bamboo Sword head-on in combat, driving Lin Ning¡¯s sword into retreat. Meanwhile, the Liang Yi Sword took the opportunity to sneak up from the side and soon was held against her neck.

    This is the advantage of the Dual Sword Control Technique. If it were two ordinary Sword Immortals fighting, one sword against another, it would naturally involve exchanging sword technique blows, overpowering and penetrating defenses to strike down the opponent¡­ If both sides are closely matched in skill, even if temporarily at a disadvantage and suppressed, there would still be a chance to counterattack before the defense is fully penetrated.

    But with the Dual Sword Control Technique, the process becomes ¡°one sword engages your flying sword in combat, the other sword fights you in person.¡± How is one supposed to fight against that?

    Sure enough, it didn¡¯t take long before Lin Ning threw down her sword and surrendered.

    ¡°Teach me the Dual Sword Control Technique!¡± she quickly grabbed Yan Yu and insisted, ¡°Captain! I want to learn the Dual Sword Control Technique!¡±

    Not kneeling down and crying for it, it doesn¡¯t feel sincere enough¡­ Yan Yu suppressed his random thoughts and asked:

    ¡°Have you mastered the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step? It¡¯s not good to aim too high too quickly!¡±

    ¡°I can already perform the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step!¡± Lin Ning¡¯s figure suddenly blurred, demonstrating the quick steps on the spot, her movements ghost-like and hard to track with the naked eye.

    ¡°Anyone who follows the mental method incantation can perform it,¡± laughed Yan Yu. ¡°The key is to integrate it thoroughly! I¡¯ll attack with the Flying Sword. No matter what sword technique I use, you must dodge it using the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step. Only then can you truly claim to have mastered it!¡±

    ¡°Then attack me,¡± Lin Ning¡¯s competitive spirit was also aroused. ¡°Let¡¯s see mine.¡±

    It¡¯s just a small test! Today I¡¯ve also practiced a lot of real combat with Yun Jin, and I¡¯m performing surprisingly well. I feel like I could even dodge a laser beam!

    Yan Yu then simultaneously formed hand seals, wielding the Huang Ting Sword and the Liang Yi Sword together, one from the left and one from the right, attacking Lin Ning.

    Lin Ning: Huh?

    The first test, and he¡¯s going straight to the highest difficulty of Dual Sword Control?

    A few minutes later, Ningning was beaten to the ground, facing upward, doubting whether she had truly mastered the technique.

    ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk.¡± Yan Yu squatted down beside her and sighed, ¡°Is that all the skill your Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step has? You still need more practice.¡±

    ¡°After testing Ningning, how about you take a look at my sword technique as well?¡± Su Yunjin suddenly asked.

    Yan Yu: Huh?

    Yun Jin, you¡¯ve only practiced for a short time and you already want to face my test like Ningning?

    Shortly afterward, Su Yunjin too was beaten to the ground, lying prostrate and breathing heavily.

    ¡°Not bad, you¡¯ve improved quite a lot,¡± Yan Yu actually felt a bit embarrassed and consoled her, ¡°Just keep it up like this, you¡¯ll become stronger.¡±

    ¡°Why are you so gentle with Yun Jin?¡± Lin Ning couldn¡¯t help but ask him telepathically, ¡°I lasted longer than her just now in front of you!¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin is gentle and compliant by nature, and easily discouraged when faced with setbacks, so I focus on encouragement,¡± Yan Yu explained. ¡°You, however, have a strong nature, so what you need isn¡¯t praise or encouragement, but motivation.¡±

    Lin Ning fell silent, thinking just because Yun Jin is gentler and more compliant, more like a girl, she deserves to be coddled and cared for?

    So because I¡¯m strong-willed, I don¡¯t deserve to hear nice words, huh!

    The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, suddenly feeling a strong urge.

 Chapter 434 - 30 I Want to Hear Good Words

    Chapter 434: Chapter 30 I Want to Hear Good Words

    The so-called training for cultivators mainly involves increasing the proficiency in their own attack methods.

    If a magic cultivator often uses a certain type or even category of Taoism Method, the consumption of True Yuan gradually decreases, and the speed and power of their spells can increase; the same applies to Assistant Officers, the more they use a Magic Treasure to refine, the more smoothly and flexibly it operates.

    The Envoy belongs to a profession that does not put much emphasis on training, as they typically use low-rank servant envoys at the initial stage and seek to replace them with higher-rank ones once their cultivation improves¡­ such as the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu and Ox-Head and Horse-Face, which are high-rank servant envoys worth using continuously in theory, but are so rare that even Chen Lingyun, with her background, couldn¡¯t obtain them, so most Envoy cultivators don¡¯t need to consider this and simply proceed with replacements. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    If one were to say which profession requires the most training, it would undoubtedly be the Sword Immortal¡ª even among the extraordinary professions around the world, Sword Immortals are the ones most reliant on operation and technique.

    Yan Yu supervised the training in the training grounds, mostly watching over Lin Ning and Su Yunjin, and making sure Xie Ruoxi wasn¡¯t slacking off; as for Zhao Yuanzhen, he didn¡¯t need managing, and Chen Lingyun was hopeless, so these two were temporarily left to their own devices without mention.

    Xie Ruoxi trained in the Thunder Method, consuming an enormous amount of materials for targets. The usual high-strength alloy targets used for ordinary Taoism Methods would leave an imprint, but her Thunder Method would blast them to smithereens, so much so that the new targets now delivered to the school were simply pressed into slabs without any shape processing¡ª as Qi Changping said, ¡°After being blasted, you can¡¯t tell anyway.¡±

    ...

    The sparring between Lin Ning and Su Yunjin was even more technically rich. Since the former needed to practice the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step and the latter¡¯s Sword Control Technique had not yet reached a level that could challenge the opponent, they simply also employed the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, following the example of Lord Master to enhance the sparring pressure with a dual magic sword attack.

    Yan Yu leisurely observed from the sidelines, only to see that Yunjin¡¯s dual magic sword attack was nothing special, with too strong spells and too weak swordsmanship, but Lin Ning¡¯s Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step was not yet at the stage of mastering the skill, showing a very poor performance. The two girls laughed and bantered, with attacks and returns, unexpectedly creating a cute rivalry as they pecked at each other like bumbling chickens.

    After being hit by yet another water bullet from Lang Feiyun, Lin Ning was completely drenched at this point, looking extremely bedraggled.

    ¡°How about we take a break?¡± Su Yunjin said, clapping her hands, ¡°Go to the changing room, put on a waterproof raincoat, rest a bit, then continue training?¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± Lin Ning nodded but did not head to the changing room, instead walking toward Yan Yu.

    Su Yunjin¡¯s gaze suddenly sharpened.

    There, Ningning walked up to the team leader, took a deep breath as if making a difficult decision, and finally resolved herself, coquettishly saying:

    ¡°Team leader! No matter how much I practice, I can¡¯t get it right; could you give me some guidance?¡±

    Though her tone was quite coquettish and fawning, her stiff expression made it seem less like whining and more like a splutter.

    Yan Yu was immediately startled: Is Lin behaving weirdly? Why does she sound like Tang Xiaolian!

    Seeing Yan Yu stunned and speechless, Lin Ning¡¯s expression changed several times as if she was about to lose her temper, but she quickly restrained herself and continued:

    ¡°Repeatedly failing in practice, even I can feel discouraged and disheartened; can¡¯t you manage me a bit, captain?¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    What do you want me to manage, exactly?

    Seeing the nervous look in Lin Ning¡¯s eyes, Yan Yu suddenly realized:

    She was inspired to compete with Yunjin for the captain¡¯s favor after seeing me comforting and encouraging Yunjin earlier!

    Alas, though it is natural for a good team leader to be adored by their team members, it¡¯s rather unseemly if they start to get jealous of each other.

    I should comfort Ningning first to focus her mind on the right things.

    Yan Yu then gently said:

    ¡°Ningning, you are already walking the steps quite proficiently, and I can see you¡¯ve put in a lot of effort. The reason you feel that you ¡®can¡¯t practice well¡¯ is simply because Yunjin¡¯s Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art is particularly good at hindering and trapping opponents, which poses a slightly high difficulty for you.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to make any adjustments right now, just keep training at this pace, and you¡¯ll find that attacks you didn¡¯t think you could dodge will gradually become avoidable.¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm, I understand,¡± Lin Ning was uplifted.

    Sure enough! As long as I also act a bit charming, the captain¡¯s tone and attitude will soften!

    In fact, Yan Yu¡¯s advice hadn¡¯t changed at all. Initially, it was ¡°Is this the best you can do? You need more practice,¡± and later it was ¡°Keep training, and you will become stronger,¡± which basically meant the same thing.

    But for Lin Ning, the initial advice felt like ¡°You¡¯re not good enough, you need more training,¡± whereas the later was ¡°You¡¯re doing great, keep training¡±; the perception was worlds apart.

    Since the captain is clearly more responsive to gentleness rather than harshness, if I use gentle words more often in the future, perhaps it will prevent him from being harsh to me, right~

    She was secretly delighted when Su Yunjin came up beside Yan Yu and said,

    ¡°I heard everything the captain said just now.¡±

    ¡°Since Ningning only needs to keep practicing her steps to dodge my Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, how should I improve my training so she can¡¯t dodge it?¡±

    Yan Yu: ?

    Are you asking me to spear my own shield?

    Seeing Yan Yu standing there dumbfounded, Su Yunjin softened her tone:

    ¡°Ningning wants to improve, and so do I. Besides, what if we encounter an enemy with higher mobility in the future, someone faster and more agile than Ningning, and my Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art can¡¯t catch up? Captain, you wouldn¡¯t want me to make errors in this area and delay the whole team¡¯s tactical execution, right?¡±

    Yan Yu, at a loss for words, could only give guidance:

    ¡°Yun Jin, don¡¯t sell yourself short. Your Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art is still very powerful. If we really encounter an enemy with particularly strong mobility, we need to work on restricting their movement. Don¡¯t rush to defeat the enemy in one stroke; think about where they will dodge when you attack, and how to force them into a position where they have nowhere to hide¡­ High-level matches are like this; you can¡¯t expect to finish the opponent instantly.¡±

    ¡°But didn¡¯t you instantly kill Xiandao Jingyin before?¡± Su Yunjin asked, puzzled.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    Do you even know how to speak? I could instantly kill her because I am awesome. Are you as awesome as me?

    ¡°Xiandao Jingyin was caught off-guard; that can¡¯t be considered a standard case for analysis,¡± Yan Yu instructed Su Yunjin, ¡°You have a strong overall view; this is your strength. The Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art is perfect for leveraging your strengths. As long as you keep striving tirelessly in this area, these won¡¯t become issues for you.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I understand now, captain.¡± Su Yunjin walked away, fully satisfied.

    Lin Ning came over again.

    ¡°Captain.¡± She continued in the awkward clip tone she had used before, ¡°I overheard your conversation with Yun Jin just now.¡±

    Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but laugh: So you guys have been eavesdropping on each other, huh?

    Glancing at Su Yunjin, who seemed to be standing far away lost in thought, he saw that she was indeed listening in this direction!

    ¡°I just have a question,¡± Lin Ning continued coquettishly, ¡°If I encounter an opponent like Yun Jin, who uses control spells to gradually limit my movement space, what should I do then?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll teach you,¡± Yan Yu said cheerfully, ¡°First, stop using that clipped tone when speaking.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Lin Ning was stunned.

    ¡°Then, you all need to train hard,¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°Improving your strength has many benefits, not limited to defeating your enemies, impressing me, and not having to worry about the particularly stupid sounding ¡®what if she gets stronger, what do I do?''¡±

    ¡°Lin, my affection isn¡¯t something that can increase just by acting cute or asking a question, huh? Show me your real performance.¡±

    Lin Ning was silent for a moment, her face reddening visibly.

    ¡°Yan Yu¡­¡± she said in a low voice.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°I am not trying to increase your affection!¡± Lin Ning suddenly tore off the facade of a small, demure girl, exclaiming, ¡°I just want fair treatment! Why should it be soft speech for them and constant pushing for me?¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯s interesting to see you get flustered like this,¡± Yan Yu laughed.

    Lin Ning¡¯s breath caught in her throat.

    Then she lowered her head and silently retreated five or six steps.

    Then she suddenly exerted force toward Yan Yu, sprinting and leaping.

    A flying kick!

 Chapter 435 - 31: Someone is plotting a rebellion

    Chapter 435: Chapter 31: Someone is plotting a rebellion

    By the time the training ended and they were on their way back, Lin Ning was still rambling to the other girls:

    ¡°What does he mean ¡®likes to see me anxious¡¯? Was I even anxious? I was not anxious at all!¡±

    You say ¡®anxious¡¯ three times and still won¡¯t admit you were¡­ Xie Ruoxi secretly mocked her, but outwardly she sided with Lin Ning, condemning Yan Yu together:

    ¡°Exactly! The captain takes joy in bullying girls every day. We need to unite and fight him to the end!¡±

    ¡°Ruoxi!¡± Lin Ning was greatly moved, ¡°Truly a good sister! I¡¯ll make you something delicious tonight.¡±

    ¡°I support Ningning too!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen hastily added, ¡°I¡¯ve disliked that trickster for a long time¡­ Hey, why don¡¯t we sisters unite and just isolate him altogether!¡±

    ...

    ¡°Agreed,¡± said Xie Ruoxi. ¡°The first to speak to him is a dog.¡±

    Lin Ning frowned slightly, about to say ¡°that might be unnecessary,¡± but then she thought, seeing Ruoxi and Ningning both supporting me, if I could also get Yun Jin and Ling Yun involved, we could create a roaring scene. Maybe the captain really would reflect on his actions and start treating us more gently.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll ask Yun Jin and Ling Yun,¡± she said.

    Upon receiving Lin Ning¡¯s message, Su Yunjin was baffled.

    Indeed, the captain was a bit mean, but to say that everyone would unite against him to the point of ignoring him was perhaps too much.

    She was about to voice her opposition when she suddenly thought:

    Wouldn¡¯t it be a golden opportunity for me to win his favor if everyone refrains from talking to Yan Yu?

    ¡°Alright,¡± Su Yunjin half-heartedly agreed, telling Lin Ning, ¡°I¡¯ll ask Ling Yun.¡±

    As for Chen Lingyun, was there even a need to ask? She would definitely want to join in on such an interesting plan.

    Thus, the five girls reached a consensus: from waking up tomorrow, nobody would speak to Yan Yu.

    Ignore him! Exclude him! Isolate him! Let him reflect on whether he has been too harsh on us lately!

    Upon returning to the villa, Yan Yu had just sat down on the sofa when he suddenly heard Xie Ruoxi send him a message:

    ¡°Captain! They said they¡¯re going to isolate you!¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Yan Yu¡¯s eyes lit up.

    Someone wants to rebel?

    ¡°Ruoxi.¡± He inquired without changing his expression, ¡°Who¡¯s leading this? And who agreed?¡±

    ¡°It seems like everyone is involved, but I¡¯m not sure who¡¯s leading it,¡± Xie Ruoxi hurriedly said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be isolated by them either, so I pretended to agree, but my loyalty to the captain won¡¯t change! My heart belongs to the captain only!¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, not questioning her further. ¡°Keep me updated if there¡¯s any development!¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡± Xie Ruoxi said eagerly, ¡°I am the captain¡¯s loyal eyes and ears!¡±

    After sending the little spy Xie Ruoxi away, Yan Yu pondered deeply.

    The so-called isolating the captain must be a joke. But I¡¯ve indeed been putting them under a lot of stress with the frequent training, and everyone¡¯s probably a bit tired lately. This might be a good chance for a fun break.

    ¡°Lin Ning,¡± Yan Yu feigned ignorance and asked, ¡°What¡¯s for dinner tonight?¡±

    Lin Ning snorted, completely ignored him, and turned to head into the kitchen.

    Yan Yu turned to look at the others. Apart from Su Yunjin, who was watering the plants, the other three girls sat on the sofa, staring unblinkingly at the TV, putting on a ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk right now¡± stance.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Ningning?¡± Yan Yu deliberately asked Chen Lingyun.

    Chen Lingyun smiled slightly, shook her head, and then placed her index finger to her lips.

    Zhao Yuanzhen secretly gloated nearby: Bet you didn¡¯t expect this, trickster! Now we¡¯ve joined together to isolate you!

    Xie Ruoxi was secretly nervous, fearing Yan Yu would turn and speak to her.

    In the kitchen, there was a slap sound as Yan Yu turned his head toward the sound and saw Lin Ning slapping a sticky note on the fridge door that listed the dishes she planned to make that night.

    ¡°Yun Jin!¡± Yan Yu called out as he turned back, ¡°Do we still have tea in the cabinet?¡±

    Su Yunjin calmly continued watering and sent a message back to Yan Yu:

    ¡°Yes, what about it?¡±

    ¡°Why did you message me secretly?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Can¡¯t I message secretly?¡± Su Yunjin responded in a secret message. ¡°I noticed nobody was speaking and thought everyone was playing the ¡®Whoever speaks first loses¡¯ game.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t know what happened?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    Su Yunjin instinctively wanted to say ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± but then she thought, could it be that the captain knew something and was trying to test her?

    Her thoughts whirled as swiftly as lightning and she honestly replied via secret message:

    ¡°Okay, they just discussed with me that no one should talk to you tonight. They wanted to make you anxious.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Yan Yu asked, ¡°so is Yun Jin on their side or mine?¡±

    ¡°Where does the captain hope I stand?¡± Su Yunjin countered.

    ¡°Yun Jin is a good girl, she probably wouldn¡¯t make things worse,¡± Yan Yu said with a laugh, ¡°so who initiated it this time?¡±

    ¡°It was Ningning who approached me,¡± Su Yunjin answered. ¡°But I thought Ningning wouldn¡¯t come up with such a scheme on her own. If she had any issues, she¡¯d have confronted you on the spot.¡± S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Right,¡± Yan Yu pondered, ¡°I remember the first time we met in the school cafeteria, there was a small misunderstanding, and it was Ling Yun who reminded her she could block me, which led her to actually block me.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about Ling Yun¡¯s side,¡± Su Yunjin gently said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry, captain. I don¡¯t think they really mean to isolate you. It¡¯s just that since you always tease them, everyone wanted to tease you back to see your reaction.¡±

    ¡°As long as Yun Jin is on my side, I¡¯m not afraid if they really want to isolate me,¡± Yan Yu stated.

    Su Yunjin felt a warmth in her heart and quickly replied:

    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely be on the captain¡¯s side. I¡¯m done playing this game. Let me just finish watering these last few pots, and then I¡¯ll come talk to you.¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°Just act like nothing happened. But if they discuss anything again, make sure to inform me.¡±

    ¡°Mmhmm, sure,¡± Su Yunjin agreed, secretly pleased with herself.

    As Yan Yu looked around at everyone, his gaze swept over Zhao Yuanzhen, who was watching TV, and Xie Ruoxi, who was engrossed in her phone; he then secretly messaged Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°So, who started this?¡±

    Even though it was a cryptic message, he knew Chen Lingyun would understand him.

    ¡°It¡¯s neither Ningning nor Yun Jin,¡± Chen Lingyun indeed responded in secret, ¡°Either Sister Zhao or Ruoxi. Either of them could be possible.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Yan Yu was greatly surprised, ¡°Why are you talking to me now?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re only not supposed to talk, no one said we couldn¡¯t message secretly,¡± Chen Lingyun cunningly said, ¡°Besides, you must have messaged Yun Jin already, right?¡±

    ¡°Humph,¡± Seeing she had guessed what he had done, Yan Yu didn¡¯t pretend anymore and coldly said, ¡°Thinking of rebelling, are they? I¡¯ll see how I deal with them!¡±

    ¡°What are you planning to do?¡± Chen Lingyun asked, intrigued.

    ¡°I need to find out who dared to propose isolating me,¡± Yan Yu scoffed, ¡°and then get everyone to isolate her together!¡±

    ¡°Murong Yanyu, right? Using their own tactics against them?¡± Chen Lingyun immediately laughed, ¡°Sounds fun, how about I help you out?¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu rejected via secret message, ¡°Go do your own thing.¡±

    ¡°But I want to play too,¡± Chen Lingyun cooed.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s none of your business,¡± Yan Yu still refused.

    ¡°Please,¡± Chen Lingyun continued to whimper, ¡°Please let me play~¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine,¡± Yan Yu, tired of her nagging, replied, ¡°then contribute all your clever ideas. Right now, there¡¯s only one issue: how do we find the person who led the revolt?¡±

    ¡°Ningning approached me,¡± Chen Lingyun immediately said, ¡°Ningning definitely knows who initiated it.¡±

    ¡°But she might not be willing to tell,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Right,¡± Chen Lingyun chuckled, ¡°Direct questions definitely won¡¯t work, and intimidation might not either, but Ningning¡¯s straightforward nature means she doesn¡¯t overthink things. Perhaps we could try tricking her.¡±

    ¡°Trick her?¡± Yan Yu pondered, ¡°You mean¡­¡±

    ¡°She always wants you to ¡®keep things balanced,''¡± Chen Lingyun offered her cunning plan, ¡°The more she emphasizes something, the more she lacks it. We can use this angle to pin the blame of leading the revolt on her, then create a situation where she can¡¯t defend herself¡­ Just do so and so, this and that, and I¡¯ll coordinate with you in this drama. We¡¯ll surely make her panic and confess!¡±

 Chapter 436 - 32 Lin Ning Confessed Everything

    Chapter 436: Chapter 32 Lin Ning Confessed Everything

    ¡°`

    Lin Ning was cooking in the kitchen, her Divine Sense occasionally sweeping outside.

    Seeing that Yan Yu hadn¡¯t looked over, she didn¡¯t know if the captain had seen the recipes on the refrigerator door. She wanted to use telepathy but held back due to her promise not to pay attention to him tonight, so she could only repeatedly open and close the fridge door, making loud clicking sounds.

    After a moment, Yan Yu suddenly left the living room and walked towards the kitchen.

    Lin Ning hurriedly withdrew her Divine Sense, pretending as if nothing had happened, and focused on washing and cutting vegetables.

    ¡°Ningning,¡± Yan Yu entered the kitchen, closed the glass door behind him, and with a well-brewed expression of concern, furrowed his brows and suddenly asked, ¡°I haven¡¯t offended you, have I?¡±

    ...

    Instinctively, Lin Ning wanted to say ¡°you bullied me today,¡± but she still remembered her promise to ignore Yan Yu, so she just kept her mouth shut.

    ¡°Why are you ignoring me?¡± Yan Yu lifted the lid of the pot to take a peek and continued, ¡°Is there anything we can¡¯t discuss properly? Why adopt this attitude of complete breakdown in communication?¡±

    Lin Ning remained silent, but a small sense of delight bubbled inside her as she thought to herself:

    The captain actually cares so much about my attitude towards him, hehe¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s one thing for you to be angry with me,¡± Yan Yu¡¯s tone gradually grew colder, ¡°but why are you organizing people, conspiring, trying to get everyone to disobey the captain¡¯s orders? Are you trying to incite a rebellion?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± Lin Ning blurted out instinctively but then panicked and quickly covered her mouth.

    ¡°Still denying it?¡± Yan Yu scoffed, ¡°They¡¯ve all confessed, saying you initiated the collusion, you¡¯re the ringleader plotting to overthrow me!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡± In the urgency of the situation, Lin Ning couldn¡¯t care less about her promise, and hurriedly defended herself via telepathy, ¡°It was a collective decision, you can¡¯t blame it all on me!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not wronging you.¡± Yan Yu took a step closer, staring into Lin Ning¡¯s eyes and said coldly, ¡°Yun Jin, it was you who approached her, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Lin Ning, her hands still covering her mouth, explained through telepathy, ¡°But I was just passing on a message!¡±

    ¡°Ling Yun, it was you who approached her too, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Yan Yu pressed half a step closer.

    Lin Ning was starting to feel guilty, shaking her head frantically, defending herself via telepathy:

    ¡°I said I was just passing on a message!¡±

    Yan Yu took another half step forward, his face almost right in front of Lin Ning, and said in a chilly voice:

    ¡°Ruoxi and Sister Zhao both said that they were just agreeing, and weren¡¯t the instigators, so if it wasn¡¯t you leading, was it perhaps me?¡±

    Their proximity now was such that Yan Yu could clearly see Lin Ning¡¯s smooth skin, the fine fuzz on her face, her pretty pink lips, her delicate nostrils that flared slightly with breath, her watery eyes, and in those eyes the panic, combined with feelings of injustice and anxiety.

    The more this black-haired girl pretended to be proud and aloof on usual days, the more adorably frantic she became in this moment, and it was this contrast that was so endearing¡ªthis was beauty in contradiction, one might say.

    ¡°Ningning!¡± Yan Yu lowered his voice, his expression shifting from stern to sorrowful as if looking at a stranger who had betrayed him, and said heartachingly, ¡°Why would you do this to me!¡±

    Lin Ning¡¯s expression nearly broke with heartache, and she finally could not hold back her defensive cries:

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me! Really, it wasn¡¯t me! It was Sister Zhao¡¯s idea, Ruoxi agreed, and I was just bewitched into agreeing¡­¡±

    As she was speaking amidst the verge of tears, Yan Yu suddenly switched expressions like a face-changing magician. The disbelief, refusal to accept, and cold anger on his face vanished in the blink of an eye, replaced with a pondering look as he nodded and said:

    ¡°So it was her! Humph, true to her nature¡­ Okay, I believe you. Go back to cooking.¡±

    Just as Yan Yu was about to open the kitchen door, Lin Ning suddenly extended her right hand and fiercely grabbed his shoulder, her eyes stripped of any emotion, replaced with vast chaos: Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Captain¡­ you never really suspected me, did you? You were just tricking me?¡±

    ¡°Correct,¡± Yan Yu proudly admitted with a smile, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Ningning to care so much about my attitude toward you, haha!¡±

    In the living room, everyone was watching TV when suddenly they heard a loud bang from the kitchen.

    They rushed over to see what happened and saw Yan Yu leaving the kitchen, smiling and saying:

    ¡°Why has everyone come over?¡±

    The girls looked at each other and then at Yan Yu, then back at Lin Ning who was still busy in the kitchen, seemingly undisturbed. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, they sheepishly returned to the living room.

    With her back to everyone, Lin Ning seasoned the soup, appearing calm and collected, but her slightly trembling hand holding the spoon betrayed her inner turmoil.

    The moment Lin Ning heard Yan Yu say ¡°So you do care about how I feel about you,¡± she couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore; filled with embarrassment and anger, she high-kicked at Yan Yu, only for him to deftly dodge, using his shoulder to catch the crook of Lin Ning¡¯s knee, and his arms to sweep under her legs, lifting her entirely off the ground.

    Riding high on horseback! No, wait, the horse is eating the rider!

    ¡°Put me down now!¡± Lin Ning¡¯s body suddenly airborne, wanted to shout with indignation but feared her teammates in the living room would notice. She quickly clamped down on his neck for balance and began patting his back, telepathically shouting, ¡°Put me down this instant!¡±

    ¡°If I do, you¡¯ll just kick me again.¡± Yan Yu carried her around the kitchen haphazardly. ¡°First, promise me you won¡¯t kick me.¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°No kicking, no kicking!¡± Lin Ning urgently transmitted her voice, clamping her legs even tighter.

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you,¡± Yan Yu continued to tease her, deliberately wandering around the kitchen with his back to her and swaying toward the direction of the living room, ¡°Draw up a written agreement!¡±

    ¡°How can I draw up anything like this!¡± Lin Ning angrily kicked her legs, ¡°Put me down now!¡±

    The result was her foot kicking the fridge door, immediately making a huge noise.

    Anticipating that the people in the living room would surely be drawn over, Yan Yu hastily set her down on the ground, and Lin Ning, despite the pain in her toes, quickly turned around and pretended to deal with the soup pot as if nothing had happened, secretly transmitting to Yan Yu:

    ¡°If you dare tell anyone, I¡¯ll flatten you!¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t beat me,¡± Yan Yu retorted.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll spit in the food I make for you,¡± Lin Ning transmitted her threat.

    This move was so powerful that even Yan Yu didn¡¯t dare to continue bickering with her, quickly pushing the door and leaving the kitchen, brushing off the girls who came over in response to the noise.

    ¡°It¡¯s clear now,¡± he whispered to Chen Lingyun, ¡°She didn¡¯t even try to confirm the authenticity with you. As soon as I pressed her, she confessed, admitting it was all Zhao¡¯s doing.¡±

    ¡°So what are you planning to do?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, ¡°Ostracize her? I don¡¯t think she would care.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s her weakness?¡± Yan Yu wondered.

    ¡°You,¡± Chen Lingyun said, ¡°To be precise, ownership of you.¡±

    ¡°Stop it, that¡¯s a bit much,¡± Yan Yu sighed, ¡°What else?¡±

    ¡°Food,¡± Chen Lingyun suggested, ¡°Given her suspicious nature, maybe we could do this and that¡­¡±

    After discussing their plans, Yan Yu also secretly transmitted a message to Ruoxi and Yun Jin, finalizing their scheme.

    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Yan Yu suddenly said out loud, ¡°Yun Jin, Ningning is calling you over.¡±

    Su Yunjin gave a small smile, saying nothing, and simply walked toward the kitchen.

    Zhao Yuanzhen watched from the side, feeling that something was off:

    Although everyone had agreed not to speak to the little thief, there was no rule against listening to him; he could still tell everyone to do this or that.

    Ah, an oversight!

    She sighed regretfully, while Su Yunjin returned from the kitchen not long after.

    ¡°What did Yun Jin go do?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked on purpose.

    ¡°Nothing much,¡± Su Yunjin responded cheerily, taking a napkin to wipe her mouth, ¡°Ruoxi, Ningning is asking for you to come over too.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen, puzzled, watched as Xie Ruoxi headed to the kitchen, her gaze fixed in that direction when she suddenly heard Yan Yu say to Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°Lingyun, what do you think about keeping a pet pig at home?¡±

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress immediately turned her head, staring furiously at Chen Lingyun.

    Chen Lingyun maintained her silence, shaking her head, and threw Zhao Yuanzhen a knowing look.

    Therefore, Zhao Yuanzhen turned back, content, and continued watching TV, just as she saw Xie Ruoxi return.

    ¡°Ling Yun,¡± her voice was muffled, ¡°Ningning is calling you over.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Chen Lingyun stood up.

    What was Ruoxi holding in her mouth? Why was she mumbling?

    Zhao Yuanzhen felt perplexed, secretly transmitting to Xie Ruoxi:

    ¡°What did Ningning ask you to do in the kitchen just now?¡±

    This question was also expected by Chen Lingyun, who had already explained to Yan Yu and Xie Ruoxi what to do, so she merely feigned confusion, transmitting a question in return:

    ¡°Ah? Sister Zhao, didn¡¯t you go to the kitchen?¡±

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied, puzzled.

    ¡°Then Ningning will probably call for you later,¡± said Xie Ruoxi.

    ¡°So what exactly were you asked to do¡­¡± Zhao Yuanzhen continued to inquire, only to see Chen Lingyun returning from the kitchen, apparently chewing something but not yet swallowing it.

 Chapter 437 - 33: The Demonic Sect Enchantress, A Prime Evil to Be Executed (Extra)

    Chapter 437: Chapter 33: The Demonic Sect Enchantress, A Prime Evil to Be Executed (Extra)

    Seeing her elegantly chewing her food, Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly had an epiphany, stood up, and was filled with indignation!

    ¡°You guys were snacking in the kitchen! Without me!¡±

    She hurried to the kitchen, and upon seeing this, everyone quickly got up to follow. Zhao Yuanzhen grabbed Lin Ning and repeatedly asked:

    ¡°What tasty food are you hiding in the kitchen?¡±

    Lin Ning was also bewildered¡ªfrom a while ago everyone just came to me one by one to make awkward conversation, and now Sister Zhao is accusing me of hoarding food¡­ Where did I hide anything? Aren¡¯t all the dishes I¡¯m going to cook laid out on the counter?

    ¡°I didn¡¯t hide anything,¡± she honestly responded.

    ...

    ¡°Liar!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was livid, ¡°Clearly you invited them one by one to sneak into the kitchen to eat, intentionally not calling me!¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Su Yunjin took the lead in explaining, ¡°I just went to the kitchen to chat with Ningning.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Lin Ning was truly clueless and hastily agreed.

    ¡°You even used a napkin to wipe your mouth!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was filled with righteous indignation.

    ¡°That¡¯s because I just had some water,¡± Su Yunjin said with a beaming smile, ¡°Simply wiping away the water stains.¡±

    ¡°Ruoxi!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately turned her head, ¡°Tell me, did Ningning invite you over to eat something?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi hesitated immediately. On one side is the beloved captain, and on the other, a close sister-friend. Whose side should I take?

    I, Ruoxi, am not someone who favors romance over friendship, of course I¡¯ll side with my bestie! But Sister Zhao stirring trouble with the captain this time was indeed improper. I acted according to the captain¡¯s orders, also to teach Sister Zhao a lesson, to let her know that there are some people in the team you can¡¯t mess with. This is all for the sake of my sister-friends!

    With this in mind, she immediately stopped hesitating and followed the script they had set earlier, shaking her head as she said:

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me. I have my difficulties and cannot say.¡±

    ¡°Aha!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly realized, ¡°Earlier when you came out to talk, your words were unclear, definitely because you had something in your mouth! Now unwilling to lie to me, yet afraid to tell the truth, so you claim ¡®I have my difficulties¡¯!¡±

    She turned her head toward Lin Ning and said sadly:

    ¡°Ningning, I thought we were close sisters, but to think you would keep such an important thing as eating from me!¡±

    Lin Ning was also at a loss for words and anxiously said:

    ¡°I really don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening¡­¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhao, everybody really didn¡¯t sneak any food.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a gentle smile, ¡°Could it be that you really misunderstood?¡±

    ¡°Exactly, exactly.¡± Yan Yu also came to add fuel to the fire, ¡°You¡¯re just too sensitive. Everyone went to the kitchen just to chat with Ningning, that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen couldn¡¯t contain her rage, ¡°I saw Ling Yun eating something when she came out!¡±

    ¡°You must have seen wrong,¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly.

    ¡°I did not see wrong!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen grew even more furious, ¡°You¡¯re also covering for them!¡±

    ¡°Oh my!¡± Xie Ruoxi suddenly exclaimed, ¡°Sister Zhao, you talked to the captain! You broke the rule!¡±

    ¡°Eh? Did Sister Zhao accidentally reason with the captain?¡± Su Yunjin also feigned surprise, ¡°I just realized it myself.¡±

    ¡°Alright, this game is over then.¡± Chen Lingyun clapped her hands and laughed, ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s talk normally from now on.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go.¡± Yan Yu waved her hand dismissively.

    The girls dispersed, leaving Zhao Yuanzhen dazed in place. Suddenly, she cried out in pain, clutching her chest, collapsing to the ground, her eyes devoid of spirit.

    ¡°Sister Zhao¡­¡± At this point, Lin Ning also finally realized that because she had just betrayed Sister Zhao, it led to her being bullied by the captain¡¯s scheme, and she felt both distressed and guilty, ¡°You should get up first, the ground is dirty.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen, however, ignored her and just sat dully on the ground, her expression one of desolation, like a beautiful statue, unresponsive to Lin Ning¡¯s coaxing and explanations, as if her soul was lost.

    ¡°Leave her to me, don¡¯t bother with her,¡± Yan Yu came back to the kitchen after leaving for a while, and said to Lin Ning.

    Lin Ning hastily stepped aside to see Yan Yu pick up some chopsticks, grab a piece of fried vinegar pork from the side, and then stuffed it into Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s mouth.

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ¡­¡­

    Smack, smack. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    While eating, colors gradually returned to her eyes.

    ¡°Is this what you all were eating just now?¡± She swallowed the food in her mouth and looked up to ask Yan Yu.

    ¡°What else?¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°The kitchen is only so big, where could the food possibly hide?¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen stood up, patted her buttocks, and picked up her chopsticks again. She fiercely ate several pieces of fried vinegar pork, finally regaining her original vitality and spirit, and arrogantly said, ¡°I thought it was some dragon liver and phoenix marrow! Just this, and it¡¯s worth hiding from me and eating secretly?¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, then don¡¯t eat!¡± Lin Ning suddenly became angry.

    ¡°Try conspiring and rebelling again next time, I¡¯ll help you lose weight, believe it or not?¡± Yan Yu scoffed coldly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to lose weight!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen puffed out her chest, not holding a grudge against Yan Yu, and waved her hand magnanimously, ¡°Forget it, I forgive you!¡±

    Yan Yu slapped her on the forehead, promptly knocking her verve back down.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    After dinner, Yan Yu returned to his room and finally saw a message from Li Minghu.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Sorry, I was sleeping before and didn¡¯t see it.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: So, what¡¯s up with you?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Someone from above came to check. They said that due to congenital root bone deficiency and an imbalance of the Five Elements, it¡¯s easy for Qi circulation to go awry; it¡¯s a condition that can occur by chance, and this time, I happened to encounter it.

    In a cultivator¡¯s body, True Yuan subtly corresponds with the Five Elements, each related to one of the five internal organs. Li Minghu has a congenital deficiency of the lungs, related to the metal element, causing her metal-element True Yuan to be weak. Since metal generates water, this leads to her water-element True Yuan also being deficient, affecting her kidneys. Considering that water restrains fire, weak water means strong fire, resulting in excessive accumulation of liver fire. And fire conquers metal, which further weakens the lungs¡­ creating a continuous negative cycle. Even with the adjustment from spells and elixir medicines, after a while, the problem will reemerge. It can only be truly cured from the root source of the root bone.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: An imbalance of the Five Elements is indeed troublesome, what did they say above?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: They gave two solutions, one is to switch to body cultivating cultivators, and the other is to become a magic cultivator and practice metal-element Taoism method.

    To switch to body cultivating cultivators means to entirely strengthen the root bones, enhancing one¡¯s tolerance for an imbalance of the Five Elements. However, entering body cultivation itself requires one to have good root bones, since cultivation demands tempering the muscles and bones, and ordinary people can hardly persist, only those as tall and strong as Qin Meng have a chance.

    As for becoming a magic cultivator, presumably, the goal is to cultivate a Tao Transformation of the metal element to replenish the metal meridians. This path seems feasible but is fraught with difficulties.

    For one, a Tao Transformation body can¡¯t be cultivated in a short period, Yun Jin has been at it until now and still hasn¡¯t even gathered half of the Rootless Water needed. Secondly, considering Li Minghu¡¯s True Yuan talent, she¡¯s indeed not suited to be a magic cultivator, even if she succeeded in forcefully switching over, what use would Li Minghu, a magic cultivator with insufficient True Yuan, be? Neither advancing nor retreating, by the time she switches back to being a Sword Immortal, she would have been left far behind by the main force.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: I¡¯m actually hesitant about switching to the body cultivation path; as for the metal-element Taoism method, the Annan Army is more hesitant. What do you think, Yan Yu?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: I think neither is suitable for you, neither body cultivation nor magic cultivation.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: That¡¯s what I think too, but there aren¡¯t any better options right now.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Perhaps you can wait and see. As the Spiritual Energy Resurgence progresses, more and more diverse spells and elixir medicines will emerge, and there might be a solution by then.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Perhaps.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: But the main thing is, you need to rest quietly now and can¡¯t go back to dealing with the team¡¯s matters.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: I do want to let go, but I worry Ah Jiang can¡¯t handle it alone.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Why not recruit a sixth person then?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: A sixth person?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Our team¡¯s Ruoxi, Huofeng team¡¯s Hou Qing. When going overseas for combat, we go together, and for domestic confrontational training, we select five people to participate. It also expands our tactical options a bit.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: I remember from previous research, for precision strike teams, five people are actually the most suitable. Having more would make it difficult to command.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: But you¡¯ve seen how it is abroad now, groups moving in twentys, thirtys, even hundreds at a time, what command? No need, everyone just fights on their own.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: You make a good point, maybe I can bring in someone capable of handling things, to help out with the vice captain¡¯s responsibilities when I¡¯m not around.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: There are plenty of cultivators who can fight, but not many who can manage. Remember to screen well, especially the character must be solid, otherwise, if you recruit someone problematic, you¡¯ll suffer the consequences.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Hearing Captain Yan say this, it seems you¡¯ve had some deep experiences, huh? /smile

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Let¡¯s not talk about it, everyone in the team is a handful. Today, they even dared to conspire and secretly plot a rebellion, but I suppressed it.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Rebellion? Haha, who was it?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Sigh, let me tell you¡­

 Chapter 438 - 34: Debating with the Enchantress

    Chapter 438: Chapter 34: Debating with the Enchantress

    Among the many women Yan Yu knew, if asked who his favorite conversation partner was, Li Minghu would definitely top the list.

    Ye Jun could also put up a fight, but when Ye Jun spoke, he sounded more like a buddy, intermittently playing along with jokes, lacking the gentle comfort of Li Minghu¡¯s lingering drizzles and soft spring breezes. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Looking at the others, Lin Ning was haughty, Yun Jin somber, Chen Lingyun up to no good, Xie Ruoxi lacking ambition, and Zhao Yuanzhen both bad and stupid¡­ Although they were all very beautiful, each had their own flaws when it came to their personalities.

    Thinking about it, the fact that I could tolerate their flaws probably made me a paragon of broad-mindedness, right?

    Yan Yu chatted with Li Minghu for a moment and told her to rest well. Right then, Zhao Yuanzhen pushed the door open and entered.

    She had changed into a thin nightgown, and it seemed like she had just taken a hot bath in the bathroom outside. The skin above her neck was reddish and smooth, exceptionally pretty¡ªthe description of everything below the neck was better left unsaid, except for one word, ¡°amazing.¡±

    ...

    Sometimes, Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but suspect that the Enchantress had probably transferred all the contents of her brain elsewhere.

    ¡°Time is almost up.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen kicked off her slippers, leapt onto the bed like a fearless warrior, and, with a big wave of her hand, exclaimed, ¡°Dual Cultivation!¡±

    ¡°Hold on.¡± Yan Yu asked, puzzled, ¡°What¡¯s that delightful smell?¡±

    ¡°Humph,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said proudly. ¡°I used Ling Yun¡¯s body wash.¡±

    ¡°She allowed you to use it?¡± Yan Yu was immediately shocked.

    Even in my past life, she would only let me use her body wash during a shared bath!

    ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied. ¡°I asked to borrow it, and she did not object, so she probably agreed by default.¡±

    ¡°How did you ask?¡± Yan Yu inquired.

    ¡°Ling Yun, I ran out of shower gel. Let me use yours,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen answered.

    ¡°And how did she respond?¡± Yan Yu asked again.

    ¡°She wasn¡¯t in the room,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said.

    Yan Yu was immediately stupefied, so you were asking the air for body wash?

    ¡°Come, smell this, isn¡¯t it fragrant?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen thrust her arm towards his face, ¡°This body wash must be expensive, the scent is lasting yet not overpowering, truly delightful.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Yan Yu pushed her arm away, ¡°Can you focus less on these trivial matters of everyday life and pay more attention to cultivation?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen lifted her chin, ¡°So when will you practice bedroom techniques with me?¡±

    Yan Yu raised his hands in surrender. It wasn¡¯t that he was uninterested in the Enchantress¡¯s body¡ªquite the contrary, he was very interested. But the union of their energies could break through bottlenecks, and such a valuable opportunity was to be reserved for overcoming the bottleneck at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

    After achieving perfection in the Foundation Establishment Realm, came Crossing Celestial Tribulation and Core Formation. Golden Cores were graded as upper, middle, and lower levels, specifically related to the purity of one¡¯s Purple Mansion Foundation and the balance of spiritual energies: the more abundant the positive energies and the fewer the negative residues, the easier it was to form a high-quality golden core.

    So how could one purify the Purple Mansion Foundation and refine the negative residues, retaining the positive energies?

    The orthodox method was to diligently polish the Purple Mansion Foundation, also known as painstaking manual labor. It was said that to confidently form a high-quality golden core, one would need to stay in the Hua Mansion Phase for two hundred years, slowly purifying the residues within the Purple Mansion¡­ obviously unrealistic, as it took far too long.

    Of course, where there were conventional methods, there were also shortcuts. For example, when breaking through a bottleneck at the peak of the Hua Mansion, one¡¯s cultivation realm could surge suddenly. If all the increased True Yuan could be channeled into the Purple Mansion and fully refined at that moment, it might also enhance the final grade of the core formation.

    Using a metaphor, it¡¯s like needing to climb a steep hill. The orthodox method is to pedal a bicycle slowly up the hill, but what if someone lacks the energy to pedal up an incline? They could ride to the top of a smaller mound first, then as they ride down, pedal hard, gathering as much momentum as possible, enabling them to reach further up the high slope in one go.

    As for how to reach this levering mound, there are many ways. For instance, the dual cultivation method in Silken Bond Technique, if practiced between a male and a female, could lead to a considerable increase in True Yuan after breaking through a bottleneck. Another way mentioned in past lives secretly dealt with rare Elixir Medicines; prolonged use before breaking through a bottleneck could also yield great effects.

    Yan Yu, having come from his previous life, although he himself was not a cultivator, watched Chen Lingyun during her period close to reaching Great Perfection at the Hua Fu Stage as she brewed various medicines and swallowed Elixir Medicines daily. He understood how important the Purple Mansion grade was for cultivators to form their Core.

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to conserve your True Yuan to break through the bottleneck of Great Perfection at the Hua Fu Stage?¡± Yan Yu asked her.

    ¡°I do. Of course, I do,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately struggled, ¡°but with you flirting around all day, I can¡¯t be at ease. If I can get your heart back sooner, it wouldn¡¯t matter if I don¡¯t break through the bottleneck.¡±

    Yan Yu was immediately amused:

    ¡°Do you think your legs are some kind of anti-theft lock that can just snap shut and keep me locked up? To truly achieve mutual understanding and companionship, relying on bedroom techniques is useless; it¡¯s all about feelings, understand!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen pondered:

    ¡°So, if you cheat on me in the team, that means you don¡¯t love me enough, right?¡±

    ¡°Why do you always interpret things in a way that benefits you?¡± Yan Yu was speechless and after a long pause said, ¡°What I mean is, since you¡¯re worried about this and that, you should work hard to foster feelings with me, instead of thinking ¡®as long as I give him my True Yuan, everything will be fine¡¯¡­ How many times do I have to mention this? Dual Cultivation itself is a supportive, mutually beneficial act, completely different from secular arranged marriages.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to CPU me,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen retorted, unconvinced. ¡°I¡¯ve read online that if a guy sleeps with a girl, he should take responsibility for her.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s incorrect,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°You should read more articles about feminism. A woman¡¯s body is her own to control. The feudal days when a man had to be utterly devoted to a woman he slept with are long gone.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen found it odd and furrowed her brows:

    ¡°Then aren¡¯t men able to sleep with women freely without taking responsibility? Getting slept with by you guys without any compensation¡­ What kind of feminism is that?¡±

    Yan Yu thought she was catching on and continued to explain:

    ¡°A woman can sleep with whoever she wants; her body is not some object to be talked about in terms of getting slept with or not. You¡¯re espousing a decaying materialism, truly lowly.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen scoffed. ¡°When it¡¯s time to sleep with someone, you talk about ¡®a woman¡¯s body being her own¡¯ to dodge responsibility; then when it comes to marriage, you turn around and look for women who haven¡¯t slept with anyone, kicking to the curb those you¡¯ve already slept with. What feminism, it looks more like jerk-ism to me; it¡¯s all about how you can feel good. I¡¯m not falling for your tricks; I¡¯m not some enlightened feminist, I want to maintain womanly virtues, and you have to fulfill your duties as a husband.¡±

    ¡°Haha,¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help laughing, disdainfully said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget, I can choose not to sleep with you.¡±

    ¡°Then I can use force!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately flared up, revealing the nature of a Demonic Sect Enchantress, and scoffed, ¡°If you don¡¯t devour me, I will devour you! Leave you clean down to the bones, not a drop left!¡±

    ¡°Heh,¡± Yan Yu scoffed, ¡°I just have to not wave the flag, how would you use force then?¡±

    ¡°You think you can resist waving the flag?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen puffed out her chest, proudly said.

    ¡­Well, that might actually be a bit difficult.

    ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ll talk about this next time,¡± Yan Yu got fed up with the argument as well, impatiently waved his hand, ¡°It¡¯s not yet time to break through the bottleneck of the Foundation Establishment Realm; it¡¯s too early to talk about this. Release the puppet now; we still have to follow the Four Directions Qi Guiding Formation tonight.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was sullen as she summoned the puppet Ami, and thought to herself:

    ¡°I¡¯m really shocked. The cheeky guy dared to say right in front of me that he doesn¡¯t want me. Is it because he finds my body not attractive enough, or is he deliberately trying to scare me with his words, thinking of controlling me?¡±

    ¡°It must be the latter, but what if it¡¯s the former, what then?¡±

    ¡°No, I must find an infallible method. Otherwise, what if when I reach the Great Perfection in the Foundation Establishment Realm, he suddenly refuses to fulfill his husbandly duties? I certainly can¡¯t really use force¡­ would I have to abandon my dignity, my reputation, my womanly virtues?¡±

    ¡°Despicable scoundrel, daring to scare me with this kind of thing! Hateful, so hateful, excessively hateful!¡±

    ¡°Fostering feelings is it? Fine, I¡¯ll properly cultivate feelings with you! Let¡¯s see if you can keep them up!¡±

 Chapter 439 - 35 Approaching the Annual Vacation

    Chapter 439: Chapter 35 Approaching the Annual Vacation

    As the end of the month approached, the aftermath of the incident in The Secret Realm of Li Palace gradually subsided.

    The Superhero Alliance and the European nations struck another major deal, signing contracts with more than three hundred superheroes at once to make up for the losses in The Secret Realm of Li Palace.

    Western audiences quickly forgot those old superheroes they had once pursued and obsessed over, who were killed by the Longcheng Flying General of Lu Country, and instead began to worship these newly joined superheroes¡ªit is not their fault for being forgetful, after all, the history of Roman gladiators proved that what the audience truly relished was not a specific undefeated gladiator but the violence and bloodshed.

    The situation in Chongying was much more complicated. Due to their consistent policy of elite cultivation, a massive amount of resources were concentrated at the Kyoto Yin Yang Institute. The local Yin Yang Bureau, on one hand, aggressively recruited civilian Onmyoji for registration, while on the other hand, the cultivation resources they could obtain were scant. Consequently, local Onmyoji had long harbored resentment towards the headquarters.

    Due to the personnel losses suffered by the Kyoto Yin Yang Institute in The Secret Realm of Li Palace, they had no choice but to call up personnel from the local offices to replenish the headquarters. This move seemed to ease the tension between Kyoto and the local offices, providing a ladder for local Onmyoji to advance, but the influx of rebellious and stubborn local Onmyoji into the Kyoto headquarters also planted hidden dangers and setups for the future.

    In Goryeo¡¯s Pear Blossom Courtyard, with Gyeongbokgung formally bestowing an honor upon Park Changmin, this ¡°future Goryeo Sword God¡± finally secured his rightful place as Pear Blossom Courtyard¡¯s chief, following the same trajectory as in his past life¡­ It is rather Lord Master Liu Longtao who, in this life, ended up under Yan Yu, prompting one to marvel at the complex vicissitudes of fate.

    ...

    In Lu Country, the Dragon Cavalry Team and the Zhenghai Team, who took part in the battle of The Secret Realm of Li Palace, received a month-long vacation. As for the Huofeng Team and Qing An Team, which did not participate in the Departure Palace, they were arranged by the National Cultivator Athletics Alliance to engage in a simulated combat exercise in a secret location in Jingnan at the end of the month.

    Even though it was the home field for the Qing An Team, they suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Huofeng Team due to the absence of vice-captain Li Minghu, which resulted in calls for the introduction of a sixth-man rule soaring to such an extent that the authority had to announce that ¡°it is already under consideration and preparation.¡±

    In summary, January passed by quietly. The public quickly shifted their attention to various matters such as the Spring Festival travel rush, holidays, tourism, visiting relatives and friends, temporarily setting aside the affairs of cultivators.

    The members of the Zhenghai Team also began to prepare for the New Year¡¯s goods and confirm the procedures for school vacation during the Spring Festival.

    ¡°Ningning is inviting you over on February 1st, right?¡± Su Yunjin mused, ¡°Then come to my place on the 2nd, is that okay?¡±

    ¡°That works,¡± Yan Yu agreed, thinking it was perfect to visit on two consecutive days¡ªusing the experience gained from meeting Ningning¡¯s parents could be directly applied to the upcoming meeting with Yunjin¡¯s parents.

    Su Yunjin revealed a graceful and beautiful smile. Of course, she would not tell Yan Yu that the reason she chose to arrange it for February 2nd was to prevent Yan Yu from being invited to ¡°stay a few more days¡± after having dinner at Lin Ning¡¯s place on February 1st.

    Love is just like that, ruthless by any means necessary! Without any schemes, you¡¯ll face defeat! Sorry, Ningning, if there¡¯s any blame, it¡¯s just that you and I fell for the same person¡­ she silently said in her heart.

    In the kitchen on the other side, Xie Ruoxi chatting with Lin Ning, suddenly asked in surprise:

    ¡°Ningning, you¡¯re inviting the captain to your home for dinner?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not me who¡¯s inviting,¡± Lin Ning said helplessly, ¡°It¡¯s my dad who wants to invite the captain.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi hesitated for a moment, ¡°But going to dinner during the New Year holiday, isn¡¯t that like eating the New Year¡¯s Eve dinner and the same as bringing your boyfriend home to meet the parents?¡±

    ¡°Stop, don¡¯t say anymore!¡± Lin Ning instantly became embarrassed and annoyed, ¡°My dad said it¡¯s to thank the captain for taking care of me during this time! Whether you believe it or not, I do believe it, and that¡¯s that.¡±

    Seeing that she did not wish to discuss it further, Xie Ruoxi kept silent, but her thoughts were whirling.

    Should I also invite the captain to my home for a meal¡­?

    No, better not. In case my parents start joking and sharing my embarrassing history in front of the captain, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to resist hitting my own head with a Thunder Method.

    She returned to the living room full of thoughts and saw Zhao Yuanzhen watching TV while eating fruit, then suddenly asked out of curiosity:

    ¡°Zhao, are you inviting the captain for dinner this New Year¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°Why would I invite him for dinner?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked, puzzled.

    ¡°Because¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi was about to say ¡°Because Ningning is also inviting the captain,¡± but just as the words reached her lips, she suddenly felt a chill as if speaking out would lead to extremely unfortunate consequences.

    ¡°Come to think of it, that is a question,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen pondered.

    What should be done for this New Year¡¯s?

    Back when I was under the Qiansi Sect, every New Year, the master would gather the disciples to practice spells, assessing our cultivation.

    Those who passed the assessment got a jug of wine; those who didn¡¯t were gifted with a lash from the notorious ¡°Ghost¡¯s Wail Whip¡±¡ªa pain that could pierce through flesh and touch the soul, a suffering so intense that it would not be forgotten for the rest of one¡¯s life.

    Now on Earth, it was impossible to expect Master to throw another New Year¡¯s gathering. Where should I go then? Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Forget it, I¡¯ll ask the little thief. After all, he¡¯s the one I¡¯m closest to nowadays.

    ¡°Where to go for New Year¡¯s?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen came over to ask, leaving Yan Yu bewildered, ¡°Where do you want to go?¡±

    ¡°I want to go and eat something tasty,¡± responded Zhao Yuanzhen without hesitation.

    ¡°Then go and eat something tasty,¡± Yan Yu said, waving his hand impatiently, ¡°Wherever you go to eat, it¡¯s none of my business.¡±

    ¡°But during New Year¡¯s, most shops are closed,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said, ¡°Ningning is going back home to spend the holiday with her parents and won¡¯t be able to cook for me.¡±

    ¡°Then don¡¯t eat,¡± said Yan Yu, ¡°You won¡¯t starve to death anyway.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯ll be sad,¡± argued Zhao Yuanzhen.

    ¡°What does your sadness have to do with me?¡± Yan Yu asked, puzzled.

    At that moment, Zhao Yuanzhen was at a loss for words, secretly holding a grudge:

    The little thief actually had the nerve to say something as insensitive as ¡°What does your sadness have to do with me?¡±¡ªhow detestable, utterly detestable!

    I¡¯ll remember this. If one day I have children, I¡¯ll make sure they stick by my side, teaching them to love their mother more than their father, to even declare in front of the little thief, ¡°What does father¡¯s business have to do with me?¡± Let the little thief taste the bitterness of indifference from those close to him!

    With this vengeful thought silently noted, the Demonic Sect Enchantress suppressed her rage, yet flashed a charming smile, wrapped her arms around Yan Yu¡¯s, and cooed:

    ¡°Awww~ With the relationship between you and me, how can you say something so uncaring?¡±

    ¡°What relationship do we have?¡± Yan Yu asked, frowning.

    ¡°Daoist couple,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied, dripping with sweetness, ¡°Even if it¡¯s just the relationship of cultivation partners, it makes sense to visit your family over New Year¡¯s, right?¡±

    Yan Yu fell silent; he had actually already planned to have the Demonic Sect Enchantress visit his home for New Year¡¯s. Nothing personal, just to keep an eye on her, not to let her run wild, lest she cause trouble with her ferocious nature.

    Don¡¯t be fooled by her seemingly simple-mindedness; she¡¯s quite intelligent. She just can¡¯t be bothered to think too hard.

    As the Empress Yuanzhen in a past life, she would argue online and, if she couldn¡¯t win the debate, would take matters offline and kill the opposition. This goes to show that although she had an innocent heart, children could be the most brutal, not taking human lives seriously at all.

    If I¡¯m not there to oversee her, who knows? She might end up in a line to buy milk tea, get cut in line, argue, and end up killing someone¡ªsounds preposterous, but for the Empress Yuanzhen, it¡¯s not strange at all.

    ¡°Visiting my family is fine,¡± said Yan Yu indifferently, ¡°But you should bring some gifts. You can¡¯t just show up empty-handed.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen began to fret: I don¡¯t even know what his family likes. What should I bring?

    Something to eat?

    As she racked her brain, unbeknownst to her, Su Yunjin was watering the plants in the distance and overheard Yan Yu¡¯s last remark.

    Zhao is going to visit Captain¡¯s family for New Year¡¯s?

    Hmm, that¡¯s actually not a bad idea.

    Come to think of it, I should get on good terms with the Captain¡¯s family too. Especially his sister Jingjing¡ªif she says a few good words about me in front of the Captain, maybe his affection for me will rise faster.

    So that¡¯s settled, I¡¯ll find time to visit after the first day of the lunar month, and win over the Captain¡¯s family!

 Chapter 440 - 36: The Worthy Son-in-Law Comes to Visit

    Chapter 440: Chapter 36: The Worthy Son-in-Law Comes to Visit

    The New Year was approaching!

    As the holiday neared, most shops near home had already closed, and the cultivators from the school teams were gradually returning home.

    The girls from the Zhenhai Team, having their own residences in Jinling Prefecture, weren¡¯t in a rush to go back immediately. However, Yan Yu and Lin Ning flew towards Minyue direction on their swords early in the morning of February 1st.

    Speaking of meeting parents, Yan Yu had met parents in his previous life, but the situation with Chen¡¯s father and mother was very special, and his experience clearly couldn¡¯t be applied to others¡¯ parents; so to say he wasn¡¯t nervous at all would be an exaggeration.

    A bit worried, he feared that Lin¡¯s father might start with ¡°pouring wine for the son-in-law,¡± which would indeed be quite overwhelming.

    ¡°Captain.¡± Lin Ning suddenly asked via transmission, ¡°Aren¡¯t you nervous?¡±

    ...

    ¡°Why should I be nervous?¡± Yan Yu asked her back.

    ¡°It¡¯s just, it¡¯s just¡­¡± Lin Ning struggled to find the words, ¡°Isn¡¯t it nerve-wracking to meet unfamiliar elders? Aren¡¯t you nervous, Captain?¡±

    Observing her expression, Yan Yu guessed what she was thinking and said with a laugh:

    ¡°Hmm, I am a bit nervous. But I¡¯ll use deep breathing to relieve stress, so it¡¯s okay.¡±

    ¡°Deep breathing?¡±

    ¡°Breathe in slowly and then exhale quickly. Repeat this and gradually you¡¯ll feel less nervous.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Lin Ning said.

    After a while, Yan Yu glanced over quietly and saw that Lin had already started doing deep breathing, methodically inhaling and exhaling.

    The place they were heading to, Lin Ning had already explained to Yan Yu in advance: her grandfather and ancestors had been fishermen in a coastal village within Qingyuan Prefecture. Later, her father partnered with others to start a fishing company, and the family then moved to the urban area of Qingyuan Prefecture, hence every New Year they would return to the ancestral home to reunite with relatives.

    Lin Ning¡¯s father was the third oldest at home, with two older brothers, a younger brother, and two younger sisters. Lin Ning¡¯s mother had an older brother, an older sister, and a younger sister. Then all these uncles, aunts, and cousins were married with their own children, many more than one (Lin Ning herself had a brother and a sister), which reflects how large the family gathering would be; no wonder Lin Ning was nervous.

    When the two arrived at the coastal village by sword, as soon as they landed, a few neighboring kids ran over, clapping and laughing:

    ¡°Sword Immortal sister is back! Sword Immortal sister is back!¡±

    ¡°Who told you to call me that!¡± Lin Ning glared and said, ¡°Call me Sister Ning!¡±

    ¡°Sister Ning!¡± The kids surrounded her, ¡°Sister Ning, can we play with your sword now?¡±

    Hearing this, Yan Yu was speechless; kids these days are really precocious, even daring to ask to handle Flying Swords.

    ¡°No, no.¡± Lin Ning glared, ¡°The Flying Sword is very sharp! Remember, you can¡¯t play with it!¡±

    She rapidly lectured the kids, dismissing their initial excitement and curiosity, and then waved them away.

    ¡°Impressive.¡± Yan Yu commented, ¡°No wonder you were a class president who could persuade students in high school, you really have a way with words.¡±

    ¡°If you bring that up again, I¡¯ll kick you to death.¡± Lin Ning glared and said.

    The Lin family ancestral home was an old house built on a nearby hill. Climbing up the gentle slope, they saw a middle-aged woman washing vegetables at the door.

    She turned around, saw Lin Ning and Yan Yu, and immediately launched into a lengthy greeting in dialect.

    Lin Ning also showed a helpless expression like ¡°Oh, why like this,¡± and blabbered back in the same dialect.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    Oh no, a language barrier, this trip might be tricky!

    After Lin Ning finished speaking with the middle-aged woman, she turned to Yan Yu and introduced:

    ¡°This is my auntie.¡±

    ¡°Hello Auntie,¡± Yan Yu politely said.

    ¡°What auntie!¡± Lin Ning immediately got upset and kicked him, ¡°Call her Aunt!¡±

    ¡°Hey, Ningning, you can¡¯t do that!¡± Lin¡¯s aunt hurriedly intervened, scolding her, ¡°You can¡¯t kick your boyfriend, you know!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not my boyfriend!¡± Lin Ning stomped her foot in frustration, ¡°He¡¯s our team¡¯s captain!¡±

    Ignoring her protest, Lin¡¯s aunt continued to smile at Yan Yu and said:

    ¡°I¡¯m her aunt, her dad¡¯s sister. Just call me Aunt.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Auntie.¡± Yan Yu smiled.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to call your dad over.¡± The aunt placed the vegetables in the stainless steel basin and turned to enter the old house.

    Yan Yu watched her retreating figure, his expression gradually becoming serious.

    Good news, not the ideal son-in-law.

    Bad news, seems to have become Lin¡¯s boyfriend.

    Lin Ning, still furious, dragged Yan Yu along and chattered:

    ¡°My dad must have blabbed to the relatives again, I can¡¯t stand it! Captain, don¡¯t get the wrong idea, I¡¯m going to give him a telling-off later.¡±

    ¡°Why is your dad so concerned about your being single?¡± Yan Yu asked a question he had always wanted to ask in his past life.

    ¡°That¡¯s just the way my family is,¡± Lin Ning sighed, ¡°Before the college entrance exams, they strictly forbade dating, and as soon as exams were over, they couldn¡¯t wait to make you find someone. If you don¡¯t have someone by twenty-five or twenty-six, your parents start matchmaking; if you¡¯re still single at twenty-seven or twenty-eight, you become an ¡®old maid¡¯; relatives talk behind your back, wondering if nobody wants you, and my parents feel so embarrassed they can¡¯t even sleep well at night.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s quite scientific,¡± Yan Yu remarked. ¡°The optimal age for a woman to give birth is also around this time. After thirty, one becomes a high-risk mother.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t use childbearing to determine a woman¡¯s value!¡± Lin Ning said indignantly. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be stuck at home with a kid at such a young age!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you don¡¯t have anyone interested in you yet, so worrying about staying home with kids is really premature.¡± Yan Yu comforted her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare say nobody wants me!¡± Lin Ning kicked him, not pleased at all.

    Lin¡¯s father came out from the house just in time to see Yan Yu and his eyes lit up.

    It¡¯s the Flying General of Longcheng on TV!

    Then seeing his daughter actually kicking the Flying General, he was shocked to his core and immediately grabbed a pole from behind the door, charging over to discipline his daughter while scolding.

    Lin Ning, startled by the sight of the pole, quickly dodged, leaving Yan Yu behind.

    As Lin¡¯s father chased his daughter, he said to Yan Yu:

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid! I can¡¯t control how she bullies you outside, but in our house, the men make the decisions! Ah, if she dares to touch you, Lin Bei will teach her a lesson on your behalf!¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­

    Didn¡¯t know what to say, feeling very complicated. He wanted to clarify the situation a bit, but he was more eager to see the embarrassed look on Lin¡¯s face, which was quite entertaining.

    Indeed, Lin Ning¡¯s face turned red with anger and frustration as she dodged the pole using the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, shouting in a dialect Yan Yu couldn¡¯t understand. The sounds ¡°male ice friend¡± repeated several times; she seemed to still be explaining their relationship.

    After a while, as Lin¡¯s father failed to catch her and was panting heavily, he realized that his daughter¡¯s current cultivator strength meant she was no longer the little girl who would cry and admit her wrongs when he picked up a pole. He had to stand there, leaning on the pole, and continue berating his daughter for her lack of manners and upbringing.

    After much babbling, Lin Ning finally had a realization and, with an angry look, said to Yan Yu:

    ¡°Damn! It¡¯s the rumors Qiao Ming spread!¡±

    ¡°Qiao Ming?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°The one who came to school last time to confess to me, remember?¡± Lin Ning said, arms crossed and still fuming, ¡°Later, you helped me fend him off. Do you recall that?¡±

    With that, Yan Yu finally remembered.

    There had indeed been a boy, apparently Lin Ning¡¯s childhood friend from the same village, who had purposefully gone to the school gate to confess his feelings to her, even disrupting her daily training.

    At that time, not able to stand it, he had claimed that ¡°relationships in the army need to be reported,¡± and whether the other party understood or not, he had ultimately given up on pursuing Lin Ning.

    ¡°When he went to confess to me, he was egged on by his brother,¡± Lin Ning continued to explain to Yan Yu. ¡°Later when he returned, his brother asked him if the confession was successful. He actually said I already had a boyfriend?! Are you kidding me! Now even my relatives at home know about it! I need to confront him later!¡± sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu suddenly understood: it seemed that Qiao Ming, after his unsuccessful confession and not wanting to admit that Lin Ning didn¡¯t fancy him, claimed that she already had a boyfriend in Jinling. This rumour must have reached Lin¡¯s father, who likely misunderstood something, thinking that the person who had helped Lin Ning fend off Qiao Ming¡ªthat is, himself¡ªwas the secret boyfriend she was dating.

    Lin Ning kept on complaining, unaware that in her father¡¯s ears, there was another meaning:

    This so-called captain, not only had he helped her block the neighbor Qiao¡¯s son¡¯s confession but had also agreed to come over for a meal during the New Year. Even if he wasn¡¯t her boyfriend, he must have some feelings for her, right? Isn¡¯t it easy to talk like that? Why else would he not go home for New Year?

    Since there¡¯s mutual interest, then it¡¯s easy to handle. Even if it¡¯s not the case right now, with a bit of effort, it will be eventually.

    But being well aware of her own daughter¡¯s stubborn temperament, Lin Ning would probably never make the first move.

    He, as a father, needed to give her a push!

 Chapter 441 - 37 I want to watch too

    Chapter 441: Chapter 37 I want to watch too

    Yan Yu followed Lin Ning into the Lin family ancestral home.

    The further they walked inside, the more nervous Lin Ning became.

    Almost all the relatives had arrived¡ªno matter what the elders were discussing, as they watched her and the captain walk past, they would immediately show a kindly aunt¡¯s smile, as if to say, ¡°Ah, Ningning finally has a partner.¡±

    Lin Ning really wanted to catch each one of them and explain that the captain was just the captain, not her boyfriend, but no one said this outright; it was all implied in their facial expressions, and saying it directly would have been like giving away that there was ¡°silver hidden here.¡±

    Besides, Lin Ning knew that some of the elders were particularly gossipy, very fond of making embarrassing remarks to enjoy the awkward expressions on the younger generation¡¯s faces; and a few of the elders were the type ¡°who were very good at fishing for information,¡± their favorite thing to do was to have a long chat with you, then pick out the fun from your answers to spread around¡­

    Ugh, how annoying!

    ...

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you,¡± she whispered to Yan Yu, ¡°when people ask you anything later, you better answer properly! Don¡¯t say anything weird! Our relatives are super gossipy!¡±

    ¡°What kind of weird things?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Like¡­¡± Lin Ning fell silent for a moment, ¡°like all the things that will get you kicked by me if you say them.¡±

    ¡°Ningning, are you born in the year of the horse?¡±

    ¡°Nope¡­ Oh, that¡¯s one!¡± Hindered by the presence of so many elders, Lin Ning couldn¡¯t afford to be too aggressive, so she could only rub her foot against his to give a yellow card warning.

    ¡°Come on over!¡± A male elder, who was either an uncle or a great-uncle, warmly pulled Yan Yu to sit down on a rosewood bench and smiled, ¡°Since you¡¯re visiting us, you definitely must enjoy Lin¡¯s tea!¡±

    Lin¡¯s tea¡­ Oh, have some tea.

    Yan Yu took the tea bowl handed to him with both hands and took a sip. It was slightly bitter, with a lingering aftertaste, not bad indeed.

    Lin Ning sat down beside him, assuming a defensive posture, afraid that the captain would be tricked into saying something if she wasn¡¯t around.

    ¡°Keep a close watch,¡± the male elder said, seeing her nervously guard Yan Yu, immediately showing a teasing smile, and joked, ¡°Make sure no one steals him away, several of your cousins have yet to find partners.¡±

    Lin Ning became anxious again, and began rattling off in dialect, probably still explaining ¡°the captain is not my boyfriend¡± or something similar. Yan Yu figured he wouldn¡¯t understand anyway and couldn¡¯t be bothered, simply leisurely drinking his tea.

    He drank his tea unhurriedly, while Lin Ning beside him spoke a few words to the elder, obviously unable to argue convincingly, getting so angry her eyes were nearly red, and forcefully stepping on Yan Yu¡¯s foot under the table.

    ¡°I can¡¯t speak your local dialect, I can¡¯t help you argue,¡± Yan Yu transmitted his voice to her, ¡°Why are you stepping on me?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t just focus on drinking tea!¡± Lin Ning said angrily, ¡°Talk to the elders, clarify your identity!¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you explain that?¡± Yan Yu asked, puzzled.

    ¡°Just because I explained doesn¡¯t mean you don¡¯t have to!¡± Lin Ning said urgently, ¡°They say a girl is too shy to admit, it¡¯s different when you explain!¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± said Yan Yu, feigning realization, then sighed, ¡°Still, it won¡¯t work.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Lin Ning held back her anger.

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t speak your local dialect,¡± Yan Yu said.

    Lin Ning finally snapped, and her left hand reached around her back to the right side, grabbing a pinch of Yan Yu¡¯s waist and twisted hard.

    Damn! Casting a Barrier Charm? I¡¯m going to bite you to death!

    The elder, seeing the little interaction between the two, found it even more endearing and funny, he teased Lin Ning a few words, and she simply refused to reply, just glared fiercely at Yan Yu.

    ¡°Eh? Ningning is back?¡± A woman came down from upstairs and suddenly asked.

    ¡°Big sister!¡± Lin Ning immediately seemed to have found a savior, and hurriedly pulled Yan Yu over (taking the opportunity to slip away from the elders), introducing them, ¡°This is my captain, Yan Yu. This is my big sister Lin Lan, Lan as in orchid, you can call her Lan sister.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you, big sister,¡± Yan Yu smiled.

    ¡°I told you to call her Lan sister!¡± Lin Ning exploded.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay,¡± Lin Lan winked at her, ¡°He¡¯s your age, so he¡¯s younger than me, it¡¯s okay for him to call me big sister.¡±

    Lin Ning was speechless, only able to drag Yan Yu upstairs:

    ¡°Our generation is playing upstairs. Downstairs are all the elder relatives, you better not stay here, come up with me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll listen to you,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°You two really have a good relationship,¡± Lin Lan laughed from behind.

    ¡°Sister, he¡¯s not my boyfriend¡­¡± Lin Ning said, almost jumping with irritation, ¡°If you keep this up, I¡¯m going to ignore you!¡±

    She dragged Yan Yu upstairs and as expected, they saw the second floor was indeed full of young people, with those old enough to work, alongside high school, middle school, and even elementary students, gathering in small groups to play cards, use their cell phones, or watch TV.

    ¡°Ningning is here!¡± someone called out.

    ¡°She¡¯s brought her boyfriend!¡± another person echoed, stirring up trouble, ¡°The Longcheng Flying General!¡±

    ¡°Come on, sit down!¡± someone quickly dragged over two stools, ¡°Tell us how you two met?¡±

    Lin Ning sat down unceremoniously on a stool, pulling Yan Yu with her, and explained:

    ¡°He¡¯s not my boyfriend, he¡¯s the captain of our team, so don¡¯t get the wrong idea! Especially you! Lin Han! If you keep spreading rumors, I¡¯m really going to hit you!¡±

    The crowd burst into laughter: Ningning, you¡¯re still holding onto his arm, looking so intimate; how can you say it¡¯s not a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship?

    ¡°Then can I pursue your captain?¡± a cousin sitting nearby asked with a laugh.

    ¡°No!¡± Lin Ning bristled immediately.

    ¡°Why not?¡± the crowd laughed and jeered.

    Lin Ning didn¡¯t know how to explain and shouted:

    ¡°No means no! Yan Yu, come on, explain, don¡¯t just sit there watching the show!¡±

    Yan Yu said cheerfully:

    ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m not considering dating anyone at the moment.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± a cousin asked out of curiosity, ¡°Is there someone you like already?¡±

    ¡°No, no,¡± Yan Yu waved his hand, ¡°It¡¯s too much trouble with all the approvals needed.¡±

    The crowd oh¡¯ed in realization, but they were speechless.

    The idea of needing approval to date was too far removed from their world.

    ¡°What if you dated Ningning?¡± a little brother from the sofa asked, ¡°Would internal relationships also require approval?¡±

    ¡°Lin Zihao, watch yourself!¡± Lin Ning warned through gritted teeth, ¡°Don¡¯t use me as an example, I¡¯m telling you!¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°But if both parties are cultivators, the approval might go through a bit faster. If one is a common person, we¡¯d have to look into archives going back three generations or more, which can be quite cumbersome.¡±

    ¡°Well, if you¡¯re considering dating, think about our Ningning,¡± Lin Lan suggested with a smile from the side, ¡°Our Ningning is beautiful and talented, plus she¡¯s also a cultivator, so she¡¯s a good match for you.¡±

    ¡°Sister!¡± Lin Ning stomped her foot.

    Yan Yu had also realized that Lin Ning¡¯s siblings weren¡¯t actually trying to set them up, they just enjoyed seeing Lin Ning get flustered.

    Great, I¡¯d like to see that too.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid Ningning won¡¯t fancy me,¡± he said with a smile, deflecting, ¡°After all, she has high standards.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡ª,¡± the crowd drew out the tone in unison, their faces all showing a mix of amusement, teasing, and mockery.

    Lin Ning looked at him incredulously: Captain, you¡¯re betraying me too?

    ¡°So tell us, Ningning!¡± a cousin urged, ¡°Do you like the type of guy your team captain is?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like him, I don¡¯t like him, I don¡¯t like him!¡± Lin Ning yelled hysterically, ¡°Stop asking, stop asking, stop asking!¡± S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    She stood up in a huff, grabbed Yan Yu, and headed up the stairs.

 Chapter 442 - 38: Revealing True Feelings, Only to be Humiliated

    Chapter 442: Chapter 38: Revealing True Feelings, Only to be Humiliated

    The two made their way up the stairs and arrived at the rooftop.

    The rooftop was a fairly large platform, with many clothes and trousers basking in the sun on the left side, and a small flowerbed on the right designed for all sorts of green vegetables instead of flowers.

    At the edge of the platform directly in front, there was a swing set, its metal frame speckled with rust.

    Lin Ning sat on the swing and started to sway slowly, only to hear Yan Yu remark from beside her,

    ¡°You can actually see the sea from here.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Lin Ning nodded. ¡°Because Grandpa¡¯s house is built quite high, one can overlook most of the village houses from the rooftop and see the scenery.¡±

    ...

    ¡°When I was little, every time I had an argument and got angry with my family, I would hide up here on the rooftop to look at the sea¡­ and my mood would calm down.¡±

    ¡°I thought you were a goody-two-shoes as a child,¡± Yan Yu said casually. ¡°Turns out you often bickered with your family too.¡±

    ¡°I was,¡± Lin Ning sighed, ¡°but everyone liked to tease me.¡±

    I also like to tease you¡­ Yan Yu thought to himself, but he said aloud,

    ¡°It must be because you can¡¯t take a joke, so when someone jokes with you, your reactions are quite amusing.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like jokes,¡± Lin Ning started to push the swing and responded gloomily.

    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã0

    ¡°Of course.¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°The first time we met, I made a joke and you blocked me straight away.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention that.¡± Lin Ning fell silent for a moment before saying, ¡°I think falling in love is a very serious matter. I really dislike it when people frivolously say things like ¡®so-and-so would make a good match¡¯ or ¡®so-and-so should get together quickly¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Yan Yu agreed with her sentiment, ¡°Love is such a serious matter, how can we make jokes about it?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare mock me!¡± Lin Ning¡¯s cheeks puffed up as if she was about to get angry, but soon she couldn¡¯t help but let out a snort of laughter, ¡°That¡¯s just the way I am. What, can¡¯t accept it?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare not to accept it,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Lin Ning pursed her lips defiantly, ¡°I just don¡¯t like others gossiping.¡±

    She gazed at the distant horizon of the sea, quieting down for roughly ten seconds, managing to suppress her irritation, which then gave way to an indescribable mood, a certain¡­ urge to bravely take a step forward.

    ¡°Actually¡­¡± Lin Ning said softly, ¡°I¡¯ve often thought about it.¡±

    ¡°If it were someone I truly liked, he wouldn¡¯t make me wait too long. He would understand my feelings, even if I can¡¯t voice them out loud, and he would take the initiative to confess to me, letting me know that he likes me too, letting me know¡­ that my waiting would have a good outcome.¡±

    That was almost like laying her cards on the table, just like that time after dinner with Yun Jin.

    If he confessed now, he could take this Lin down on the spot.

    However, how could he consider home when he had not yet achieved great success?

    Yan Yu¡¯s mind churned with lofty national ideals, leaving little room for romance, and he quickly made up his mind. Lin Ning, who was sitting on the swing, quietly looked up to gauge the expression on Yan Yu¡¯s profile, wondering whether the captain, neither confessing nor declining, was still hesitating or if he simply hadn¡¯t understood her hint.

    ¡°I¡¯m different from you in that regard,¡± Yan Yu finally spoke, ¡°If I were to confess to someone, my first consideration wouldn¡¯t be whether I like her or not, but whether she¡¯s worthy.¡±

    Lin Ning heaved a deep sigh, feeling both on the verge of tears and on the brink of laughter.

    Such a typical response from the captain. So it¡¯s not that he doesn¡¯t like me, but he thinks I¡¯m not worthy of him making a move?

    Unless¡­ I take the initiative to pursue him, then it¡¯d be a different story. Is that what he means?

    ¡°But I can¡¯t do that,¡± Lin Ning murmured as she looked again at the distant ocean.

    ¡°There is no such thing as can¡¯t,¡± Yan Yu echoed her tone, talking to himself, ¡°only don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Lin Ning immediately harbored a multitude of grievances, grumbling, ¡°That¡¯s how you are, captain. Just wait to be confessed to, never considering a girl¡¯s feelings. Even if the whole world has men pursuing women, you¡¯d sit at home like a princess, waiting for knights from all over the world to come and propose to you, right?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re jealous,¡± Yan Yu said.

    Lin Ning immediately jumped down from the swing and shouted excitedly:

    ¡°Don¡¯t flatter yourself! I don¡¯t even like you, so wait for the one you like to chase after you! Lololol~¡±

    She made a face with her tongue sticking out, only to see that Yan Yu was not angry, but instead sat down on the swing.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be in a hurry¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not in a hurry! I¡¯m not hurried at all!¡± Lin Ning immediately denied vehemently.

    ¡°Alright, alright, you¡¯re not in a hurry,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°Sit down and watch the sea with me for a bit.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Lin Ning hesitated, ¡°After what you just said, why should I sit next to you?¡±

    ¡°You can sit on the ground if you prefer,¡± Yan Yu suggested.

    This crude and straightforward provocation strangely had a special effect on Lin Ning¡ªYou want me to sit on the ground? I¡¯ll sit on the swing!

    With indignation, she sat down beside Yan Yu and then noticed that his arm was conveniently placed behind her, suddenly feeling a bit uneasy: From behind, doesn¡¯t this look like the captain has his arm around my shoulder?

    ¡°I¡¯ve told all of these brothers and sisters of yours that I¡¯m not planning to date anyone, at least not recently,¡± Yan Yu gazed at the distant sea horizon and said indifferently, ¡°That¡¯s the truth.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Lin Ning asked in a muffled voice, ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no why,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°People make different choices.¡±

    ¡°Look at Cai Qianlong from the Flying Dragon Battle Team. He found himself a girlfriend who is a second-generation official in his first year, perhaps because he has ambitions of climbing higher in the Dingbei Army, especially since Lord Master is blocking the way¡­ In reality, Cai¡¯s talent, awareness, and skills are not bad, but there¡¯s always someone stronger than you in this world, and he sees almost no chance of surpassing Liu Longtao in terms of sheer strength. So he has to enhance his own capital from other aspects, that¡¯s the path he chose.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m different from Cai Qianlong. My status is almost the same as Lord Master¡¯s, I¡¯m already at the very forefront of Transcendents around the world. If I put in more effort to widen the gap enough so that no one can defeat you, then you can claim the throne of the strongest in this world¡ªthat is the path I choose to take.¡±

    ¡°What does that have to do with us?¡± Lin Ning asked, puzzled, ¡°Even if you swear to be the best in the world, there¡¯s no causal link to you not wanting to date.¡±

    ¡°Of course, there is,¡± Yan Yu said with a laugh, ¡°Since I plan to be the best in the world, my wife at least has to be the second best, right?¡±

    ¡°Otherwise, if my wife is too weak, even though I would be the best in the world, when combined with her we could be surpassed by other couples, and wouldn¡¯t that mean I¡¯m being dragged down by her?¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Lin Ning was at a loss for words and said, ¡°I think you¡¯re crazy.¡±

    ¡°Is little Ningning lacking confidence in becoming the second best in the world?¡± Yan Yu asked playfully.

    ¡°Hmph, that¡¯s not it.¡± Lin Ning¡¯s competitive spirit flared up as she asserted confidently, ¡°My skills won¡¯t be lacking, just being the second best in the world¡­ Wait, I¡¯m not saying I want to be your wife, I just mean I¡¯m confident in becoming the second best in strength¡­ That still doesn¡¯t sound right. Why should it only be second? I aim to be the first!¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Yan Yu¡¯s face darkened immediately, ¡°So you want to fight with me, is that it? You want to be my enemy, Lin Ning?¡±

    Seeing his clearly displeased expression, Lin Ning suddenly felt guilty and stammered:

    ¡°No, the captain is really small-minded! Go ahead and be the strongest in this world, the best in the world, I won¡¯t compete with you, being the second best is fine by me.¡±

    ¡°So you still intend to be my wife first!¡± Yan Yu feigned shock.

    ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Lin Ning said, huffing and puffing with irritation, ¡°So I should aim to be the third best then?¡±

    Being the best in the world means competing with you, the second best is your wife, pshaw, the captain really has no shame! Insisting that I be the third, huh!

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s okay, I guess,¡± Yan Yu said after a moment of silence, ¡°Being the third best in the world¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with being the third best in the world?¡± Lin Ning asked discontentedly.

    ¡°I was planning to reserve that spot for my second wife,¡± Yan Yu admitted frankly. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Honesty does not come without a price. Losing her temper, Lin Ning howled and promptly pounced on Yan Yu, tangling fiercely with him on the swing, as the rusty frame creaked under their struggle.

 Chapter 443 - 39 You are really difficult to deal with

    Chapter 443: Chapter 39 You are really difficult to deal with S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Lin Ning often couldn¡¯t understand either.

    She usually had a goody-two-shoes personality, and getting teased a few times would just make her anxious and angry. But for some reason, everytime the despicable captain tried to bully her, she always felt a strong urge to lash out at him with claws and teeth.

    Although she had no experience in physical fights, Lin Ning still instinctively knew what to do, thanks to her instincts honed on the battlefield.

    First thing, physically overpower him!

    With a roar, she pounced on him, pinning Yan Yu beneath her with force.

    ¡°Ouch!¡± Yan Yu was caught off guard, ¡°What are you doing?!¡±

    ...

    Lin Ning didn¡¯t say a word, only using her position above him to try and firmly pin down his two hands.

    Yan Yu naturally wouldn¡¯t just give in without a fight, he quickly began to struggle, attempting to throw the female knight off him.

    Lin Ning¡¯s competitive spirit flared up more than ever, she tightened her legs around Yan Yu¡¯s waist to prevent him from flipping her over, and eventually caught his wrists in her hands. Then she faced a dilemma¡ªmy hands are busy holding his, how do we continue fighting?

    This thought circled in her mind for a second, and she quickly made up her mind.

    I still have my teeth!

    Bite him!

    Lin Ning bent down and gave a howl before biting down on Yan Yu¡¯s shoulder.

    You big pig trotter! I¡¯ll show you for trying to take a second wife! I¡¯ll bite you to death!

    With Yan Yu pinned under her, waist clamped and hands restrained, and his shoulder tightly held in her mouth, their bodies closely pressed together with hardly any gap, Yan Yu wondered what kind of game this was. Lin seemed like a goody-two-shoes but turned out to be quite playful in private.

    Though the bite didn¡¯t really hurt, just to be safe, he decided to open the Barrier Charm.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Lin Zihao, a third-grade elementary school student, was often roped into running errands and doing recon jobs by his older siblings, rewarded with snacks and toys for his efforts.

    Since Ningning and her new boyfriend had run upstairs and refused to come down for a long time, everyone sent Lin Zihao to check on them, ¡°Be careful, don¡¯t let them spot you.¡±

    Lin Zihao slipped into some silent-soled slippers and tiptoed up the stairs.

    No one was in the third-floor bedroom, so they must be on the rooftop.

    Upon reaching the rooftop, Lin Zihao sneaked a peek.

    Clothesline, flower bed, swing set¡­ Holy moly! Ningning was on top of her boyfriend, kissing him!

    Because of the swing set¡¯s obstruction, Lin Zihao couldn¡¯t see very clearly, but it was beyond doubt that the two were intertwined.

    He hurriedly backed down, scrambled back to the second-floor living room in a flurry, and blurted out,

    ¡°Ning¡¯s making a baby with her boyfriend!¡±

    ¡°Pfft!¡± Several cousins drinking tea spluttered immediately.

    ¡°Lin Zihao, don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡± Lin Lan, Lin Ning¡¯s older sister, quickly chided, ¡°What do you know about making babies at your age?¡±

    ¡°How do I not know?¡± Lin Zihao argued confidently, ¡°Isn¡¯t it just this first, then that, followed by something else, and finally¡­¡±

    Several older sisters hurried over to cover his mouth, but it was too late, everyone had heard.

    Nowadays, children have access to so much information, they really do mature too early. You think they don¡¯t understand, but they actually know more than you.

    But that meant Lin Ning really was with her boyfriend¡­

    ¡°Let¡¯s go see!¡± One of the male cousins suddenly stood up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go!¡± Lin Lan quickly tried to stop them, but how could she stop so many by herself? Everyone quickly bypassed her, charging towards the stairs leading up.

    Lin Lan had no choice but to hurriedly follow, loudly calling out,

    ¡°Ah! Don¡¯t go! What¡¯s there to see! Behave yourselves!¡±

    She yelled loudly, hoping Ning would hear her upstairs. Everyone guessed her intention and quickly sped up the stairs. Bursting onto the rooftop, they saw Lin Ning viciously biting Yan Yu.

    ¡°Wow!¡± the male cousins shouted excitedly.

    ¡°Wow!!¡± the female cousins also exclaimed.

    ¡°Wow!!!¡± the children shouted the loudest, as if they were watching Ultraman.

    Lin Ning finally realized what was happening, quickly jumped off Yan Yu, and in a frantic rush exclaimed,

    ¡°What are you doing up here?!¡±

    Seeing that her clothes and pants were intact, everyone understood it was a false alarm stirred up by Lin Zihao. The two weren¡¯t doing anything indescribable under the daylight; they were just lying on the swing kissing¡­

    That¡¯s pretty thrilling too!

    ¡°Ningning, you two really have a great relationship~¡± A female cousin said admiringly.

    ¡°Still, be mindful of the influence, the next rooftop can see you,¡± a male cousin advised her.

    ¡°When are you getting married? When are you handing out wedding candies?¡± the children chimed in teasingly, ¡°When are you making babies?¡±

    Lin Ning couldn¡¯t withstand such teasing at all. Her face turned bright red, her expression explosive, and she couldn¡¯t utter a single word before turning around to merge with the Green Bamboo Sword Light and running away.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t bother explaining the situation to everyone and hastily followed with Sword Control, chasing after the light of Lin Ning¡¯s sword.

    The two flew over the vast ocean, and after some time, they finally landed on an island up ahead.

    This place was not a deserted island but a large island complete with houses and roads.

    Lin Ning landed her sword light, touching down amid the woods. Yan Yu quickly followed suit and saw Lin Ning run into a pavilion and shout,

    ¡°Don¡¯t come over yet!¡±

    Yan Yu immediately stopped, sighing inwardly about how playful she was, yet embarrassed when seen by others, thinking to himself how difficult she was to deal with.

    Several minutes passed, and seeing Lin Ning remaining silent in the pavilion, apparently having calmed down, Yan Yu quietly approached her and asked,

    ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lin Ning finally spoke, her voice sounding extremely aggrieved, with a hint of tears, ¡°Why did they have to see us?¡±

    ¡°The roof isn¡¯t exactly a secret place¡­¡± Yan Yu began, only to see Lin shake her head and cover her ears, calling out,

    ¡°I¡¯m not listening, I¡¯m not listening! Stop talking!¡±

    ¡°Then what do you want to hear?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    Lin Ning sat silently for a moment, then suddenly asked,

    ¡°If we explained that we were just playing around, would anyone believe us?¡±

    ¡°They would,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    Lin Ning¡¯s expression relaxed slightly, only to hear Yan Yu add,

    ¡°But you ran away with Sword Control right on the spot, no one would believe it now. If it was just play, why did you run?¡±

    Lin Ning immediately frowned, mumbling after a long pause,

    ¡°Then I don¡¯t want to go back. Going back just means more gossip, stirring up trouble, and idle chatter. I might as well stay in Jinling for the New Year.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know what kind of people your relatives are?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°But I didn¡¯t know Qiao Ming would spread rumors, making everyone think you are my boyfriend!¡± Lin Ning¡¯s voice grew even more heartbreaking, as if she were about to drop little pearls of tears.

    Yan Yu examined her eyes closely. Good, no tears had fallen; they were just swirling in her eyes, indicating her emotions were still stable.

    ¡°That¡¯s also true,¡± he said, crossing his arms, ¡°People like to believe whatever they hope is true. Since your father so hopes that you will find someone, even if it¡¯s clear it¡¯s not plausible, he¡¯ll still find ways to make it seem more credible.¡±

    ¡°So what should we do?¡± Lin Ning asked quietly.

    What can you do? Just be a bit stronger mentally, regard your relatives¡¯ idle talks as breezes at your ear, right?

    Before, she even thought about having me as her fake boyfriend to shoo away her childhood friend, but why is she embarrassed about it now? Wait, is she really embarrassed?

    Having lived twice as a human, Yan Yu had ample experience and immediately realized that Lin Ning¡¯s distress and unhappiness were probably not just due to the misunderstandings and gossip from the relatives. A bigger concern might be worrying that those gossips would upset me¡ªonce from a guy¡¯s perspective, going to a female friend¡¯s house for dinner and then being gossiped about by her relatives would definitely feel awkward or even distasteful, if the guy had no feelings for the girl.

    Hmm, let¡¯s test the waters.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Yan Yu sat down beside her and spoke softly, ¡°Your relatives mean well, wanting you to be with someone you like. I¡¯m not going to be mad at you over something like this.¡±

    Lin Ning was silent for a while before saying,

    ¡°It¡¯s not about whether you are mad at me or not.¡±

    Alright, alright, by saying this, Lin definitely cares about it! She really is concerned about how I feel.

    ¡°Then what is it that you care about?¡± Yan Yu asked intentionally.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Lin Ning faltered for a moment, then defensively said, ¡°I just have my pride, seriously. Even though you and I aren¡¯t a couple, they deliberately make us the butt of their jokes, and I¡¯m unhappy about it.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°Being misunderstood as my girlfriend, that did you wrong.¡±

    ¡°Not at all!¡± Lin Ning hurriedly looked up to explain, her eyes meeting Yan Yu¡¯s, then quickly turned away, ¡°It either is or it isn¡¯t, there¡¯s no question of being wronged or not. You¡­ you mustn¡¯t think that way, I¡¯ll get angry.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t think about it that way,¡± Yan Yu stood up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back,¡± Lin Ning said, ¡°Going back just means more idle chatter.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t go back, their stories about you will get even more ridiculous,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°If you do go back, they might restrain themselves a bit for fear of your anger.¡±

    Lin Ning thought about it and saw his point¡ªif I¡¯m not around, who knows what kind of outrageous stories they¡¯ll concoct. She quickly got up, grabbing Yan Yu¡¯s hand, and said urgently,

    ¡°Then let¡¯s hurry back!¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Yan Yu squeezed her soft, warm hand gently, feeling as comfortable as touching smooth ivory or jade.

    But Lin Ning quickly realized what was happening, shook off his big hand, and glared at him angrily before immediately taking off with Sword Control.

    Yan Yu leisurely walked out of the pavilion and gracefully rose with Sword Control.

    Ascending into the sky, he saw the Green Bamboo Sword Light circling ahead, waiting for him.

    When Yan Yu caught up, the Green Bamboo Sword Light stopped spinning and turned toward the direction of Qingyuan Prefecture, flying away.

 Chapter 444 - 40 Its Okay, Ill Wait

    Chapter 444: Chapter 40 It¡¯s Okay, I¡¯ll Wait

    After returning to the ancestral home, Lin Ning was also prepared to be grilled by relatives.

    But unexpectedly, the elders did not mention the incident on the roof; instead, they simply asked the two ¡°where did you go for fun,¡± ¡°are you hungry now,¡± ¡°do you want to eat something first.¡±

    Could it be that none of the cousins ratted them out?

    Lin Ning silently sighed with relief, but Yan Yu didn¡¯t see it that way. With so many people on the roof at that time, it was impossible that no one went to secretly inform the elders.

    It¡¯s just that the elders had long regarded the two as a couple, and a couple kissing is obviously not a big deal. Furthermore, Lin Ning¡¯s inability to withstand the teasing and running away had everyone more worried that she would never return, which is why they did not broach the subject.

    And then, the banquet.

    ...

    Since the elders no longer brought up their relationship, Lin Ning finally felt her heart relax, and she began to block drinks for Yan Yu¡ªthe continuous flow of people coming to toast the Longcheng Flying General made her worry that everyone would upset the captain. So she quickly stepped in to cover for Yan Yu and speak on his behalf.

    Little did she know that in her father¡¯s eyes, although he didn¡¯t voice it, he was secretly pleased.

    Having the elders take turns to toast was precisely the strategy Lin¡¯s father and everyone had discussed: to show Yan Yu Lin Ning¡¯s virtuous side. ¡°My daughter knows how to care for her husband, unlike those little fairies from other provinces who only care about their natal families!¡±

    Yan Yu, however, did not notice this, because drinking a few cases of wine was not a problem for a cultivator who had mastered Fasting. If he wanted to get drunk, he could, otherwise he would circulate his True Yuan, neutralize the alcohol, and drinking wine was like drinking plain water to him.

    But since Ningning was so considerate of him, he was willing to accept her kindness and did not want to make it difficult for her in front of the elders. He simply drank moderately, said auspicious words, and gave plenty of face to the elders who came to toast. So much so that everyone grew fonder of Yan Yu, wondering when they would have the joy of celebrating the wedding of these two in the future, which would be a great topic of conversation when bragging outside!

    Look at this girl Lin Ning, she is beautiful and virtuous, and also a cultivator. Standing next to the Longcheng Flying General, aren¡¯t they a match made in heaven? A perfect match?

    Now that the Spiritual Energy Resurgence has occurred, it surely means that gods and deities did exist. Might as well find time to pray during the new year, hoping to bless these two people to connect their fate soon and bear fruit!

    The feast continued into the night and gradually turned into a drinking competition. Elders were clinking cups and vying with each other, while the younger relatives hid upstairs to play cards and games.

    Finally, Lin Ning found an opportunity to take Yan Yu to say goodbye to everyone, ¡°We¡¯ll gather again next time.¡±

    The two flew towards Jinling Prefecture using Sword Control. On the way, Lin Ning casually asked:

    ¡°How do you feel about this time?¡±

    ¡°Not bad, I had a good time,¡± said Yan Yu, ¡°Your relatives are very hospitable. It would have been even better if they hadn¡¯t looked at me with the eyes of admiring a new son-in-law.¡±

    ¡°Hmph,¡± with that, Lin Ning became somewhat haughty again and coldly snorted, ¡°I will go back and explain to them clearly that the captain is not my type.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°Then what type do you like?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Lin Ning was at a loss for words and subconsciously said, ¡°I won¡¯t tell you.¡±

    After a while, seeing that Yan Yu did not pursue the question further, she cautiously said:

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know?¡±

    Yan Yu was at a loss for words: I asked, you said you wouldn¡¯t tell me. I didn¡¯t ask, now you ask if I want to know¡­ There should be a limit to being contrary, don¡¯t pull back and forth, it¡¯s exhausting.

    He pondered for a short while and said:

    ¡°I already know.¡±

    ¡°Know what?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    ¡°You like the type who will take the initiative to confess to you,¡± Yan Yu answered, ¡°You told me when we were swinging on the rooftop.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it,¡± Lin Ning immediately countered, ¡°What I meant at that time was¡­ Ah! I can¡¯t make it clear with you! You¡¯re so annoying!¡±

    Lin deployed her trump card ¡°You¡¯re so annoying,¡± and Yan Yu knew right away that he couldn¡¯t press her further, otherwise she would get more anxious and her blush would deepen until she eventually exploded.

    The two crossed the provincial border and entered Jiangnan Province. Finally, after careful consideration, Lin Ning spoke:

    ¡°Actually¡­ the type I really like is¡­¡±

    ¡°You say.¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt me.¡± Lin Ning replied irritably, then fell silent for a moment before whispering, ¡°It¡¯s someone who, even though they know my stubbornness, my obstinacy, and my propensity to say the opposite of what I feel, still wishes to tolerate me, take care of me, and be by my side.¡±

    ¡°Have you finished?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve finished.¡± Lin Ning seemed a bit nervous, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°I think your criteria are quite broad.¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Compared to having a height over one meter eighty, owning a house and a car, wanting a dowry of two hundred thousand, and having a house in the bride¡¯s name¡­ yours are much easier to fulfill.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, I¡¯m talking about dating, not selling myself.¡± Lin Ning immediately defended, ¡°And my conditions are not broad at all! Pay attention to my initial premise! Ordinary guys, I wouldn¡¯t even show my true self to them, they don¡¯t understand what I¡¯m like on the inside, how can they possibly promise to be tolerant and understanding of me?¡±

    ¡°So you have to become familiar with them first.¡± Yan Yu realized.

    ¡°Exactly.¡± Lin Ning said, ¡°If both parties don¡¯t understand each other well enough, then how can they consider becoming a couple? That would be so inappropriate!¡±

    ¡°Then may I ask, Miss Lin Ning, how many guys around you really understand you on the inside?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    His question seemed to have stumped Lin Ning. It took her nearly ten minutes before she reluctantly replied:

    ¡°Just you¡­ okay? Only you.¡±

    ¡°That means you¡¯re very good at pretending in front of other guys.¡± Yan Yu concluded.

    ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± Lin Ning immediately denied, ¡°It¡¯s just that the team activities take up most of my time, leaving me no chance to meet other guys besides you. But that doesn¡¯t mean I have to have you. If I wanted to find a boyfriend, I¡¯m sure I could quickly find one out there!¡±

    ¡°So you don¡¯t want to date right now either.¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°Isn¡¯t that just like me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like that.¡± Lin Ning was silent for a long time before answering, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to date, I¡¯m just¡­ just waiting, that¡¯s all.¡±

    The topic suddenly became a bit heavy.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t know how to respond, only to hear Lin Ning laugh again:

    ¡°Ah, Captain, don¡¯t worry about me. Sometimes I can be a bit stubborn, clinging to something and refusing to let go, but that¡¯s my choice¡ªas the Captain has his path to choose, I have mine, and everyone has to be responsible for their choices.¡±

    ¡°Uh.¡± Yan Yu mused that she was getting more and more dramatic, ¡°I¡¯m not trying to criticize your decision, but isn¡¯t this so-called waiting a bit too passive?¡±

    ¡°Not at all.¡± Lin Ning said casually, ¡°While waiting, I also repeatedly confirm my own thoughts. Maybe one day I¡¯ll feel it¡¯s not worth it and change my mind, who knows?¡±

    Although intended to lighten the mood, it actually made the atmosphere even heavier. Having lived two lifetimes, with extensive experience, Yan Yu knew that those who readily make vows of eternal love often change their hearts the quickest when faced with a crisis; on the contrary, those who don¡¯t easily make promises might truly stick by you for life¡­

    Oh my, the notion of waiting a lifetime is way too heavy; such a terrifying idea should be stopped immediately.

    Both returned to the Jinling Prefecture villa by Sword Control, only to find Su Yunjin waiting in the living room.

    ¡°Yun Jin, you haven¡¯t gone to bed?¡± Lin Ning asked in surprise.

    It was the wee hours of the morning.

    ¡°Mhm, waiting for you guys.¡± Su Yunjin smiled, ¡°I can rest easy now that you¡¯re back.¡±

    After saying that, she turned and went upstairs, leaving Yan Yu and Lin Ning looking at each other with unsaid words.

    ¡°You should head off to bed too.¡± Yan Yu said.

    With a heavy heart, Lin Ning parted with Yan Yu, finished her washing up, laid in bed, but found it difficult to fall asleep. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Really¡­ can I wait for him?

    Won¡¯t someone snatch him away halfway?

 Chapter 445 - 41: Do Not Deceive Innocent Girls

    Chapter 445: Chapter 41: Do Not Deceive Innocent Girls

    Yan Yu returned to his bedroom, chuckling to himself at the thought of Su Yunjin waiting in the living room for their return.

    Why did she wait there? Actually, the focus isn¡¯t on the waiting, but on the fact that she didn¡¯t dare to go to sleep.

    Because if Yan Yu was kept overnight at Qingyuan Prefecture, missing tomorrow¡¯s schedule, that would be a huge failure for Yun Jin¡ªhence she stayed there, even though Yan Yu had messaged her on the road saying ¡°we¡¯re on our way,¡± she couldn¡¯t take it lightly and had to wait until they really came back to breathe a sigh of relief.

    In a sense, Secretary Su is also a typical case of lacking a sense of security.

    But then again, living with a bunch of rivals, it indeed wouldn¡¯t be easy to feel secure.

    Suddenly, someone passed through the wall to enter the room¡ª it was Zhao Yuanzhen, who came regularly every day for dual cultivation with him.

    ...

    ¡°Where did you go today?¡± the Demonic Sect Enchantress asked suspiciously, ¡°Why did you get back so late?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you?¡± Yan Yu retorted, ¡°I was at Lin Ning¡¯s place for dinner.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s expression turned to dissatisfaction, and she snorted and asked with a cold laugh, ¡°Humph, dinner¡­ was it good?¡±

    Yan Yu looked at her expression and lost himself in silent laughter.

    What¡¯s the matter, you¡¯re going to be jealous like Yun Jin now too?

    No, that¡¯s not right, given the Enchantress¡¯s character, she¡¯s most likely upset I went out to eat without taking her¡­ also not right, no matter how gluttonous the Enchantress might be, she wouldn¡¯t confuse her priorities when it comes to core interests.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, seeing that he wasn¡¯t speaking, instantly became even angrier, holding a grudge inwardly:

    That scoundrel went to dine at Ningning¡¯s house today without telling me! Not taking me with him, clearly means he has a guilty conscience! Who knows what the people at Ningning¡¯s house said to him, surely they haven¡¯t promised each other in marriage, setting an engagement now have they?!

    Yah yah yah yah yah yah yah I¡¯m so mad! I¡¯ll remember this grudge, and when that day comes for me to marry into the Yan Family, I¡¯ll make Ningning serve tea! I¡¯ll have Yan Yu wash my feet right in front of her!

    With such thoughts, the little theater in her mind began to play:

    She saw Yan Yu squatting down to wash her feet, Lin Ning by his side holding a glass of iced tea, exchanging secret glances, daring not to show their true feelings in front of her, forced to endure humiliation, eager to please.

    Once he finished washing her feet, she¡¯d snuff out the wedding candles, draw the curtains, and drag the scoundrel to bed to engage in vigorous cultivation. Lin Ning, standing at the door, would listen to all the sounds inside, her face betraying dissatisfaction, sorrow, loss, bewilderment, grief, annoyance, jealousy, disgust, rage, and a hint of helpless despair, hahahaha!

    Immersed in these thoughts, her anger subsided unconsciously, and she forgave the two poor things, smiling beautifully:

    ¡°Forget it, I won¡¯t hold it against you, let¡¯s proceed with our breathing and energy refining.¡±

    Yan Yu:¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°I forgot to tell you,¡± he added, ¡°I have to go to Yun Jin¡¯s place for dinner tomorrow¡­ I can¡¯t take you with me, I¡¯ve already spoken to her parents about it.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen appeared unconcerned, merely adding a maid to her internal little theater: Yan Yu washing feet, Lin Ning holding tea, Yun Jin on the side helping with the foot towel.

    Just two maids coming with the dowry, no need to get angry over that!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The next morning, after Yan Yu had washed up and come downstairs, he saw Su Yunjin already dressed in her new outfit she planned to wear for the New Year, waiting for him in the living room.

    Ningning once said she was like a boy, preferring pants that allowed her to move freely; Yun Jin and Ling Yun were on the contrary, insisting on wearing long dresses even in winter, at most wearing warm, flesh-colored stockings underneath.

    Su Yunjin at this moment, in her new lake-blue outfit, her black hair softly cascading down her back, sat quietly on the sofa reading a book. Her profile was delicate, pure, and yet elegant, giving one the impression of a noble lady from an ancient classical painting stepping into reality.

    ¡°The captain has arrived?¡± She noticed Yan Yu, closed her book, and revealed a gentle smile.

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go,¡± Yan Yu said.

    The two left the house together, taking off with sword flight.

    From Jinling Prefecture to Gusu Residence was extremely close, so it was estimated that the travel time wouldn¡¯t be long. On the way, Su Yunjin casually asked:

    ¡°Captain, how was your visit to Ningning¡¯s place yesterday?¡±

    ¡°Not bad,¡± Yan Yu replied. ¡°It¡¯s just that there were too many relatives visiting her home. They came one by one to offer toasts, which was a bit hard to handle.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Su Yunjin smiled slightly. ¡°Having many relatives has its perks, unlike my family. On New Year¡¯s Eve, it¡¯s just the three of us, so quiet and cold.¡±

    Yan Yu also had a general understanding of Secretary Su¡¯s family background. Her ancestors for three generations were locals, her father was the only child in his family, and her mother had a sister¡­ Her situation couldn¡¯t compare at all with Lin Ning¡¯s kind of populous clan.

    Of course, when Yunjin spoke of ¡°the benefit of having many relatives,¡± in Yan Yu¡¯s view, it could not outweigh the downsides. If a woman couldn¡¯t keep things clear after marriage and kept entangling with her original family, and even ran back to her parents¡¯ house to complain after every little argument with her husband, bringing a whole bunch of her relatives to back her up, that would utterly disgust the husband.

    Fortunately, Ningning was strong by nature, so such a situation likely wouldn¡¯t occur¡­ Huh? Why am I thinking about Ningning¡¯s married life? It¡¯s too early for that!

    ¡°My aunt¡¯s family just happens to be visiting these days,¡± Su Yunjin continued. ¡°We might have lunch together at noon. Is that okay? It will just be her and her husband, plus a cousin, and then my parents.¡±

    ¡°No problem,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ve been to dinner parties with dozens of people. Why would I fear a few?¡± Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± Su Yunjin also breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, ¡°If the Captain dislikes it, I can explain the situation to my parents and arrange for my aunt¡¯s family to dine out separately.¡±

    This was another difference between Yunjin and Ningning. In Lin Ning¡¯s home, there would never be an option not to dine with visiting relatives. Yunjin, on the other hand, was more understanding.

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu quickly replied. ¡°To me, your parents are strangers, and your aunt¡¯s family are strangers too; having a few more or fewer makes no real difference to me.¡±

    You don¡¯t need to be tense, Captain,¡± Su Yunjin consoled. ¡°My parents are very approachable, and I¡¯ll be by your side to assist you as well.¡±

    Listening to Secretary Su¡¯s soft and gentle voice, Yan Yu suddenly felt a bit sentimental.

    I remember it should be Yunjin with the captivating gravity and Ningning being straightforward and outspoken. How is it that now it has completely reversed? Ningning puts crazy pressure on me, mentioning seeing the new in-law, waiting a lifetime, while Yunjin is careful not to let me feel any pressure at all¡­

    Alas, times change, fortunes ebb and flow, and those who underestimate the young do so at their peril!

    The two of them arrived at Gusu City, where below them was a dense network of rivers. The streets were narrow, and electric bikes and bicycles wove in and out like threading needles, with cars also engaging in all sorts of spirited driving¡ª a small city¡¯s robust vitality and the essence of life were fully present.

    They descended via Sword Flight into the courtyard of the local Military Manor, where a guard quickly came to confirm their identities¡ªupon seeing Yan Yu himself, the young soldier immediately showed a face of surprise and delight, enthusiastically saying:

    ¡°Divine General Dinghai? Have you come here to visit family or friends?¡­ ID card? No need! Your face is your ID card, just sign here and you¡¯re good to go.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t realize the Captain was so famous.¡± After the two had signed in, Su Yunjin said with a laugh. ¡°The first time I came here on the weekend, they checked my ID and did facial recognition. It took quite a while.¡±

    ¡°I have a modest reputation,¡± Yan Yu admitted with a hint of private pride.

    The two climbed the stairs and arrived at the door of Su Yunjin¡¯s parents¡¯ place and knocked.

    After a moment, Su¡¯s mother came to open the door, exclaiming with joy:

    ¡°You¡¯re back?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Mom.¡± Su Yunjin entered first and then got a pair of shoe covers for Yan Yu.

    As Yan Yu was putting on the shoe covers, he suddenly saw a little boy run over from the living room, looking to be about first or second grade in elementary school. The boy stared curiously at Yan Yu for a moment, then turned his head and excitedly shouted:

    ¡°Mom! It really is Divine General Dinghai from TV!¡±

    ¡°I told you so!¡± A woman¡¯s laughter came from the living room.

    ¡°Divine General Dinghai is my cousin-in-law, yeah!¡± The little boy cheered, came over, and grabbed the hem of Yan Yu¡¯s pants, eagerly saying, ¡°Cousin-in-law, can I take you as my master and learn Sword Flight?¡±

    Yan Yu was at a loss for words, Su¡¯s mother¡¯s expression changed slightly, but Su Yunjin remained composed, feeling a secret thrill of delight inside.

    Very good, very good; it wasn¡¯t in vain that cousin bought you toys for New Year. This assist came just at the right time!

 Chapter 446 - 42: Children are the Best Wingmen

    Chapter 446: Chapter 42: Children are the Best Wingmen

    The decor in Su Yunjin¡¯s family home seemed not too different from that of Li Minghu¡¯s¡ªa typical layout with three rooms and a living room¡­ Of course, it might be that all the residences in the Military Manor follow this style.

    Yun Jin¡¯s parents were sitting in the living room, chatting with the aunt¡¯s family. Her cousin, who was still in elementary school, was pestering Yan Yu with all sorts of questions.

    ¡°Cousin-in-law, how long have you been dating my cousin?¡±

    ¡°Did you teach my cousin her swordsmanship?¡±

    ¡°Will the children you have in the future also be Cultivators?¡±

    ¡°Zhang Zixuan!¡± The aunt quickly called her son to stop, ¡°Don¡¯t bother your brother, come here!¡±

    ...

    Mrs. Su offered an embarrassed smile from the side and kept signaling Mr. Su with her eyes, urging him to quickly think of a solution.

    What could Mr. Su do? He could only hurry and take little friend Zixuan to the study, and start an animated movie for him to watch on the computer.

    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Mrs. Su explained embarrassingly to Yan Yu, ¡°Children are clueless and just saying things in jest¡­¡±

    Of course, Yan Yu didn¡¯t mind and laughed it off with a loud ¡°haha¡±.

    Su Yunjin silently stared at Mrs. Su until Mrs. Su also felt immense pressure and stopped her rambling explanations out of embarrassment.

    Mr. Su came out of the study and joined the uncle in striking up a conversation with Yan Yu. The three men began discussing current affairs, from the South Sea to the Southern Border, from Chongying to Miti, enjoying the simple pleasures of depicting strategies and directing battles from afar.

    Mrs. Su and the aunt, on the other hand, were somewhat speechless, dragging Su Yunjin to the balcony for a casual chat.

    ¡°How come you¡¯ve gotten even thinner?¡± Mrs. Su looked at her slender daughter with concern, saying, ¡°Cultivators are supposed to practice Fasting, but how can you survive without eating? You¡¯ll starve and get ill.¡±

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m fine,¡± Su Yunjin reassured her mother with a smile, ¡°Fasting doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t eat, it just means we won¡¯t get sick if we don¡¯t eat. We can absorb energy from the environmental Spiritual Energy, so we don¡¯t rely entirely on food anymore.¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Mrs. Su still sighed, ¡°I should never have let you become a Cultivator in the first place. Where¡¯s the sense in a girl joining the military?¡±

    The aunt pursed her lips, thinking to herself that with a Cultivator¡¯s exaggerated salary, how many people desperately want to get in but never have the chance! There you go, with a daughter who has made you proud, yet you want to block her path.

    But sisters know each other well; she knew that Mrs. Su has always been proud and disdainful to talk about money. Even if Su Yunjin earned a lot, it might not satisfy her. In Mrs. Su¡¯s eyes, the ideal son-in-law should be a high-level intellectual engaged in academics, preferably from the circles of the husband or herself, or students recommended by a known colleague. This would mean they fully understood each other¡¯s backgrounds, and with a match of equal status, it would be less likely for conflicts to arise after marriage.

    Of course, judging by Yun Jin¡¯s insistence on bringing the ¡°Divine General Dinghai¡± home for dinner, she probably had already made up her mind to not let Mrs. Su meddle in her own love life¡­

    If I could help bring these two together and persuade Mrs. Su to let go, wouldn¡¯t that endear me to Yun Jin? She has been smart and sensible since she was young, and with strong convictions, she would surely remember the kindness of this aunt.

    With this in mind, the aunt immediately decided to betray her sister and switch allegiance to her niece, saying with a smile:

    ¡°Actually, there are some benefits. If Yun Jin hadn¡¯t become a Cultivator, how could she have had the chance to meet the Divine General Dinghai, Yan Yu?¡±

    Su Yunjin, being incredibly astute, immediately sensed the aunt¡¯s tacit approval and quickly smiled and winked at her.

    Well done! Auntie!

    ¡°What¡¯s the use of meeting him?¡± Mrs. Su glanced nervously at the living room behind her, seeing that the three men were still talking, and complained, ¡°The result is that we had to move into this Military Manor, and even going out to buy groceries on the weekends requires registration at the guardhouse. Isn¡¯t that troublesome?¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll install a grocery shopping app for you,¡± Su Yunjin pulled out her phone and said indifferently, ¡°From now on, you can order groceries on your phone and have the delivery guy bring them to you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I mean.¡± The aunt chimed in from the side, ¡°Yun Jin¡¯s made so much money for the family, and you¡¯re still going out to buy groceries all the time?¡±

    ¡°My daughter¡¯s money isn¡¯t my money!¡± Mrs. Su stubbornly retorted. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Hey, Yun Jin, your aunt wants to ask,¡± the aunt, not wanting to listen to her nonsense, smiled and asked Su Yunjin, ¡°What¡¯s your relationship with your captain now?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Su Yunjin began to ponder.

    To spin lies about a matter that hadn¡¯t even started was not her style. But if she honestly said there was no relationship at all, her mother would probably be bolstered in resolve, as stopping two people from dating is much simpler than breaking up a couple.

    ¡°The captain and I are both single right now,¡± Su Yunjin cleverly responded, ¡°We get along very well with each other. However, due to our busy military duties, we haven¡¯t thought about dating yet.¡±

    The implication was that although they were not in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, they were compatible enough to become a couple anytime they wished.

    Mrs. Su immediately felt displeased again and rambled on with complaints like ¡°I knew I shouldn¡¯t have let you go¡± and ¡°All this military business has delayed my daughter.¡±

    The aunt caught on to another layer of meaning: Who doesn¡¯t want to date? Is it him who doesn¡¯t want to, or is it you?

    If Yun Jin didn¡¯t want to date, then why invite the Divine General Dinghai over to her home for dinner? So it must be Divine General Yan Yu who isn¡¯t currently thinking of dating. But he must not dislike Yun Jin; otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have visited her home during the New Year.

    In other words, if I could give Yun Jin a little push¡­

    When lunchtime came around, everyone got ready to head out for a meal.

    Little Zhang Zixuan ran ahead, chatting up Yan Yu and Su Yunjin, while the aunt from the Su family quietly fell behind, discussing the situation with her husband in hushed tones.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem right,¡± the uncle said with a frown, hesitating. ¡°Have you asked Yun Jin what she thinks?¡±

    ¡°Does Yun Jin¡¯s opinion need asking?¡± the aunt found it absurd, whispering into her husband¡¯s ear, ¡°Having brought him home for New Year¡¯s to meet her parents, could Yun Jin be uninterested in him?¡±

    There was no arguing with that, so the uncle continued:

    ¡°What about your sister and brother-in-law? I remember they don¡¯t seem to like their daughter being with this Divine General of Dinghai.¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t dislike him, they are just worried Yun Jin can¡¯t match up to him and will end up hurt and upset,¡± the aunt murmured to her husband, ¡°But I think there¡¯s no such thing as being unworthy. Young people Yan Yu¡¯s age care most about free love, regardless of family background or status¡­ It doesn¡¯t matter! As long as there is love, nothing else is important.¡±

    The uncle sighed, no longer objecting.

    Actually, as the parents of Su Yunjin, the Su couple was obviously well-off, with living in the military district¡¯s courtyard being the best proof of that.

    As Mrs. Su¡¯s sister, the reason the aunt brought her whole family to visit during the New Year was not only for the typical holiday mingling but also to maintain a close relationship with them. Yet, what better way to curry favor directly with Yun Jin than to maintain sisterly affection with Mrs. Su?

    Even better, if Divine General Yan Yu really married Yun Jin, as the aunt who facilitated their union, would Yan Yu treat her poorly?

    ¡°So what are you planning to do?¡± the uncle asked.

    ¡°Simple,¡± the aunt answered, ¡°After we eat, we will find a way to get my sister and brother-in-law out of the way, then have Yun Jin take Yan Yu out to have fun and let Zixuan tag along.¡±

    ¡°Why should our son tag along?¡± the uncle was puzzled.

    ¡°Oh, come on!¡± the aunt showed an exasperated expression that said ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± ¡°Kids can say anything they want without being blamed. Don¡¯t you get it?¡±

    The uncle truly didn¡¯t get it, but after his wife explained it that way, he started to catch on.

    So it¡¯s about assisting those two? My son can do that?

    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly.¡± The aunt said, ¡°You¡¯re not home to see how clever Zixuan is. Just wait and see.¡±

    She called out to ¡°Zixuan¡± a few times, and her son came running back with a ¡°thump thump thump.¡±

    ¡°Son,¡± the aunt lifted him up and asked, ¡°What do you think of your cousin Yun Jin and Yan Yu? Do they make a good pair?¡±

    ¡°I think cousin Yun Jin obviously has a crush on big brother Divine General,¡± little Zhang Zixuan gave his mother a sideways glance and shook his head, ¡°But big brother Divine General clearly enjoys the ambiguity between them more and isn¡¯t in a hurry to establish a relationship.¡±

    The uncle standing by was flabbergasted: Who is this? Where¡¯s my son?

    ¡°Is there a way to bring them together?¡± the aunt asked.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that inappropriate?¡± Zhang Zixuan started to hesitate. ¡°Their love life is their own business, not ours.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead and try whatever you can think of,¡± the aunt said. ¡°Your dad and I will take the responsibility. If it works out, I¡¯ll buy you that game console.¡±

    ¡°No need for a game console,¡± Zhang Zixuan replied, ¡°I can give it a try. Success or not, I keep all the lucky money I receive this year to myself, you two don¡¯t touch it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a deal!¡± the aunt laughed right away.

    Only then did the uncle breathe a sigh of relief: Thankfully, there¡¯s no written agreement. Kids will be kids. This time, let the wife teach him a lesson. The adult world isn¡¯t that simple.

 Chapter 447 - 43: Taking the Initiative is Better than Assisting

    Chapter 447: Chapter 43: Taking the Initiative is Better than Assisting

    Everyone was dining in a Su family noodle shop. The name of the restaurant had some connection to Yan Yu, but that¡¯s all gossip, so let¡¯s not delve into it now.

    Speaking of Su Yunjin¡¯s cousin, Zhang Zixuan, he had taken back the cell phone controlled by his parents under the pretext of running errands for his mother, and then began to send messages to his classmates while eating his noodles.

    ¡°Cao Fangfang, are you free? I need to ask you about something.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying on handbags right now, but go ahead.¡±

    What handbags¡ªwe¡¯re only primary school students¡­ Zhang Zixuan sighed inwardly and asked again: sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°If a girl is interested in a guy, but the guy just wants to flirt with her, what method should be used to break through this barrier?¡±

    ...

    ¡°That¡¯s very simple,¡± the person on the other end replied, ¡°Wait, that guy isn¡¯t you, is it? Who¡¯s the girl? Somebody in our class? Ren Ting? Jin Wei? Or is it Li Qianru?¡±

    ¡°Stop guessing,¡± Zhang Zixuan typed, ¡°It¡¯s about a distant sister of mine who came to me for advice.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Whether the person on the other end believed it or not, they sent over three smiley faces, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s very simple. Do you know why they say it¡¯s easy for a woman to pursue a man, like lifting a veil?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Zhang Zixuan asked.

    ¡°Because women value emotional connections more, while men like physical flirtation,¡± the person typed back, ¡°You should find an opportunity to give him a little sweetness, like unintentionally touching the back of his hand while walking, or pretending to be scared by a bug on the road and getting close to him¡­ But the key is to make it seem unintentional and not too aggressively proactive, leaving him more room for fantasy and enticing him to go further.¡±

    ¡°Impressive,¡± Zhang Zixuan conceded with sincere admiration, ¡°But I don¡¯t think my sister will necessarily be able to do what you¡¯re suggesting.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how old women are,¡± the person on the other end sharply commented, ¡°Brainwashed by feudal toxins, being proactive is sinful¡ªit¡¯s as if pursuing a man would ruin her reputation.¡±

    ¡°So is there a better way?¡± Zhang Zixuan asked, typing furiously, ¡°We¡¯re supposed to go out nearby this afternoon, maybe to the Lingering Garden or the Humble Administrator¡¯s Garden or something.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s easy,¡± the other person said, ¡°Just take photos of them, then direct their poses, and use that as an excuse to have them get closer together.¡±

    ¡°I see, thanks a lot.¡±

    ¡°Is a verbal thank you all I get?¡±

    Zhang Zixuan sent a red envelope of 10 yuan over, put down his phone, and after a moment of contemplation, he had a plan in mind.

    ¡°How¡¯s the noodle dish?¡± Su Yunjin asked Yan Yu on the other side.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Yan Yu commented, ¡°The broth is quite flavorful.¡±

    ¡°Try the eel paste I ordered,¡± Su Yunjin pushed her plate towards him.

    ¡°It¡¯s too sweet,¡± Yan Yu said after taking a bite.

    ¡°It¡¯s not bad,¡± Su Yunjin also took a few bites, ¡°Or try washing it down with my broth, I ordered the white soup.¡±

    ¡°No need, it¡¯s fine as is.¡±

    Su Yunjin¡¯s parents looked on from the opposite side as the two shared dishes, the former feeling awkward and the latter brimming with jealousy.

    Our daughter has never even served us food!

    Su Yunjin¡¯s mother wanted to say something, but noticing Su Yunjin¡¯s admonishing glance, she closed her mouth and looked down at her noodles with a sigh:

    Let it go, if our daughter truly likes him, let her be.

    After lunch, the uncle suggested he was thinking of buying a car and asked Su Yunjin¡¯s father to visit a few 4S stores with him; the aunt planned to go shopping with Su Yunjin¡¯s mother, leaving their son in Yun Jin¡¯s care.

    Su Yunjin¡¯s mother was somewhat worried but reminded herself that with her nephew there, her daughter wouldn¡¯t take Yan Yu to a hotel in his presence. Thus, she nodded in agreement.

    Everybody went their separate ways, and Zhang Zixuan gave his cousin Yun Jin a knowing look, suggesting a stroll through the Gusu Gardens.

    ¡°Humble Administrator¡¯s Garden is usually crowded; how about we go to the Lingering Garden instead?¡± Su Yunjin asked.

    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°The guest follows the host¡¯s convenience.¡±

    ¡°What does the guest follows the host¡¯s convenience mean?¡± Zhang Zixuan naively asked, ¡°Is it like the wife follows the husband¡¯s lead?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the husband who follows the wife¡¯s lead!¡± Su Yunjin corrected him, ¡°The guest follows the host¡¯s convenience means the guest goes along with whatever is convenient for the host. The husband sings and the wife follows mean the wife lets the husband call the shots at home.¡±

    ¡°So, when you get married, will you listen to your husband?¡± Zhang Zixuan casually asked.

    ¡°It depends if he¡¯s reasonable,¡± Su Yunjin replied softly, ¡°If he is, I¡¯ll listen; if not, I¡¯ll use reason to persuade him to change his mind and then follow his lead.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Zhang Zixuan complimented, ¡°Cousin, you¡¯ll be a good wife and mother; whoever marries you will be lucky.¡±

    Su Yunjin¡¯s cheeks blushed slightly, and she stealthily glanced at Yan Yu without saying anymore.

    The three of them wore sunglasses and hats, and went to buy tickets to stroll around the gardens. They hadn¡¯t gone far when Zhang Zixuan boldly volunteered to take photos for the two cousins as a keepsake.

    ¡°You know how to take pictures?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    ¡°I¡¯ve won the award for ¡®Little Photographer¡¯ at school,¡± Zhang Zixuan replied.

    He found a good angle, directed the two to stand by the lake, adjusted the lighting and rendering, and took a few shots.

    Yan Yu went over to take a look and found, to his surprise, the photos were actually quite good¡ªmuch better than mine. In my previous life, when Chen Lingyun taught me photography, she only told me to shoot from a low angle to make her look taller in the pictures.

    ¡°They look pretty good,¡± Su Yunjin commented.

    ¡°Not enough,¡± Zhang Zixuan shook his head, ¡°You two are standing too far apart, and your expressions are really stiff, like two strangers¡­ To capture a good photo, just follow my directions from now on, I¡¯ll direct you.¡±

    ¡°Is that okay, Captain?¡± Su Yunjin asked, turning back.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Yan Yu agreed.

    ¡°Good,¡± Zhang Zixuan directed, ¡°Cousin, stand to Yan Yu¡¯s left and hook your arm through his.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Su Yunjin was taken aback.

    I asked you to help me with an assist, not to probe the Captain¡¯s feelings¡­ Wait?

    The Captain doesn¡¯t seem to object?

    Seeing Yan Yu still standing in place, Su Yunjin cautiously mustered her courage and gently looped her arm around his left.

    Stay calm, hooking arms isn¡¯t some couples-only move, it¡¯s just for a better-looking photo!

    ¡°Cousin, your pose is too stiff,¡± Zhang Zixuan said, looking at his phone screen, shaking his head, ¡°Stand a bit closer!¡±

    Su Yunjin quickly shuffled closer, pressing against Yan Yu¡¯s side, as her heartbeat secretly accelerated.

    ¡°Look here, smile! Three, two, one, good!¡± Zhang Zixuan took the photo and brought it over for them to see.

    In the photo, the lakes and mountains made for a beautiful scene, with green trees and strange rocks set against each other, and a man and woman standing by the lake. The man¡¯s expression was relaxed and comfortable, and the woman¡¯s pretty face was slightly red, the picture of shy beauty, as if touched by the sprouts of young love.

    Su Yunjin adored the photo and zoomed in and out to look at it several times; Yan Yu, on the other hand, seemed less interested. He turned to observe the garden scenery behind him and said:

    ¡°I think over there looks even nicer¡­¡±

    Before he could finish his sentence, a strange, curious young girl approached and asked:

    ¡°Excuse me, are you Divine General Dinghai, Yan Yu? And is this person next to you Gusu Yun Jin?¡±

    Gusu Yun Jin? What kind of nickname is that? Su Yunjin internally snorted, only to see the girl look at them closely for a half second, then suddenly screamed:

    ¡°It¡¯s really the Zhenhai Team!¡±

    With that shout, she attracted all the tourists nearby.

    It¡¯s known that the Suzhou Gardens don¡¯t move and are there for everyone to see, but the star cultivators of the Zhenhai Team are hardly ever seen offline¡ªso why not take the chance to snap more photos and upload them to the short video websites?

    Yan Yu also hadn¡¯t expected that they would still be recognized by strangers even with sunglasses and hats on!

    Ah, my brother¡¯s charm is just too eye-catching, mere hats and sunglasses can¡¯t keep it hidden!

    Seeing more and more tourists gathering and even more people coming from across the lake, Yan Yu had no choice but to quickly take Su Yunjin¡¯s hand, wrap them in sword light, and leap into the sky.

    Time to run!

    ¡°Wait, my little cousin is still down there¡­¡± Su Yunjin was about to shout out, but then she saw her young cousin below giving her a toothy smile and shaking the phone in his hand.

    No worries, don¡¯t mind me! I¡¯ll call our parents later!

    Reassured, Su Yunjin finally noticed she was being held in Yan Yu¡¯s arms and silently closed her eyes, snuggling quietly into his embrace.

    Zhang Zixuan watched the sword light disappear into the distance, musing for a moment, then his phone buzzed again¡ªit was a message from the class beauty, Cao Fangfang:

    ¡°How¡¯s it going with your sister? Did my advice come in handy?¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Zhang Zixuan replied, ¡°My sister has been whisked away by her beloved on rainbow clouds.¡±

    ¡°¡­Lame, stop using old clich¨¦s.¡±

 Chapter 448 - 44: Dont Let Her Release Gravity

    Chapter 448: Chapter 44: Don¡¯t Let Her Release Gravity

    Cultivators enjoy such high esteem within the country not unrelated to Lu Country¡¯s relentless propaganda and efforts. Take, for instance, live battlefield broadcasts, the awarding of honors in Pingjing, and ubiquitous news coverage, which has led to a situation where even those who pay no attention to current affairs have likely heard of ¡°Lu Country Cultivators¡± and ¡°Divine General Dinghai.¡±

    For cultivators, such treatment is more advantageous than not; who wouldn¡¯t like to be revered in public and return home in glory?

    But it must be admitted, having too many fans is ultimately a source of annoyance. Public places they once visited openly become inconvenient to frequent due to the rapid increase in fan numbers.

    Fans tend to be fiercely local in nature because most people actually can¡¯t distinguish who is stronger or weaker, and thus, subconsciously support the cultivators from their hometown.

    Yan Yu¡¯s strength is in a league of its own, hence his widespread popularity across the country. Apart from him, Su Yunjin is the most famous within Gusu Residence territory; even Lord Master Liu Longtao¡¯s renown doesn¡¯t carry weight here¡ªthe local uncles and aunties prefer to promote Yun Jin in their circles rather than mentioning this cultivator from Pingjing; even the presence of the Dingbei Army offers no solution.

    Faced with the adoration of local fans, Yan Yu had no choice but to flee with Su Yunjin in tow, randomly opting for Sword Flight in any direction.

    ...

    They hadn¡¯t been flying for long before they saw the landscape below give way to the glimmering surface of a lake.

    Another sea? No, it must be Tai Lake. Strange, why do I say ¡°another¡±?

    Suddenly, Yan Yu remembered. Yesterday, when dining at Ningning¡¯s place, he had faced a similar pattern: overwhelmed by the pressure from relatives, they had fled mid-meal to a small island overseas, probably because they found it deserted, and Ningning had become earnest, piling on different kinds of pressure on him.

    Remember the past to guide the future. Having learned from yesterday¡¯s lesson, if Yan Yu allowed Yun Jin to unleash the Gravity Spell again, it would truly be ludicrous.

    Spotting another island amidst the lake below, he descended with Su Yunjin¡ªonly to discover that she had been huddled in his arms all the while.

    Her eyes were tightly shut, her eyelashes trembling slightly, and there was a faint scent of jasmine lingering in her smooth, jet-black hair. Although her shampoo was definitely not as luxurious as Ling Yun¡¯s, the rich fragrance mixing with the female hormones was incredibly enchanting against his nose.

    Sword Flight is a unity of body and blade, with the Swordmaster himself forming a resonance with the Flying Sword, naturally fearless; but for those swept into the sword light, being dragged through the air by some invisible force can be understandably frightening.

    Yan Yu patted her shoulder gently and said,

    ¡°We¡¯ve come down now; there¡¯s nobody here.¡±

    Su Yunjin slowly released him, a mix of embarrassment and inner turmoil on her face, trying to appear composed as she looked around.

    They seemed to be on a mountain, surrounded by trees, with no sign of others.

    ¡°Let¡¯s find a place to sit for a bit,¡± Su Yunjin suggested.

    ¡°But I want to climb the mountain,¡± Yan Yu instantly rejected the idea, wielding a tactic of diversion.

    Right now, she¡¯s undoubtedly preoccupied with the fact that I¡¯ve just rescued her from encirclement. If we pause here for a moment, she¡¯ll surely go on the offensive, pressuring me just like Ningning did yesterday.

    She needs some time to cool off!

    ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s go,¡± agreed Su Yunjin with a nod, ¡°After all, we didn¡¯t really do much at Lingering Garden just now.¡±

    They ascended the mountain steps together. Yan Yu paused frequently to admire the scenery, while Su Yunjin kept beside him, silent, her expression serene.

    Yan Yu felt as if his tactics were failing¡ªhe had prepared eighteen different strategies to counter the Gravity Spell, yet Secretary Su remained quiet, accompanying me up the mountain¡­ Was I wrong to think so ill of her?

    This thought brought an indescribable heaviness, not from Yun Jin¡¯s words or actions, but from his own conscience and morals probing him.

    Perhaps I shouldn¡¯t be so guarded against her.

    ¡°It looks like there¡¯s a temple ahead,¡± said Yan Yu, ¡°Shall we take a look?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± responded Su Yunjin with a bright smile.

    They arrived at the temple gate and saw four golden characters embossed on the plaque above.

    ¡°Zen Amidst the Colors of the Mountain,¡± Yan Yu read the inscription aloud.

    Pfft. Su Yunjin covered her mouth to laugh.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Yan Yu turned his head and asked.

    ¡°The temple plaques, they have ancient and modern writing styles,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile, ¡°Ancient writing goes from right to left, and modern writing from left to right. This plaque was originally written by the high monk Shan Xiao during the Ming Dynasty, then later renovated to look the same, so it should be read from right to left, pronounced ¡®Baoshan Zen Temple¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I know that,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, ¡°I was just testing your knowledge.¡±

    ¡°So did I pass the test?¡± Su Yunjin blinked.

    ¡°Barely adequate, I¡¯ll let you pass,¡± Yan Yu nodded slightly.

    They passed through the mountain gate hall and entered the temple square.

    The temple didn¡¯t have many visitors, the environment was quiet, simple, and rustic. Although it could not be said to be completely without commercial traces of coppery odor, at least it didn¡¯t display several dozens of eighteen-seed prayer beads with a three-digit price tag. On the left was the Treasure Basin, on the right the Fortune Bell, and of course there was also the corresponding Merit Box. Whether the worshippers wanted to pray or ring the bell, it was self-operated, donations were voluntary.

    Both of them were now cultivators, devoid of the very secular desires of getting promoted or becoming rich, so after a casual glance, they continued to walk forward.

    ¡°Why is there nobody in this temple?¡± Su Yunjin said curiously, ¡°I used to come here with my dad, and the townspeople down the mountain really liked coming up here to worship.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, we definitely haven¡¯t stumbled into some mysterious realm,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Su Yunjin paused, ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°Because there wouldn¡¯t be any airplanes in the sky of a mysterious realm,¡± Yan Yu pointed upwards as he spoke.

    Su Yunjin looked up and indeed saw a passenger plane crossing the firmament; she breathed a sigh of relief and laughed,

    ¡°It¡¯s rare for the captain to come out and play with me for a day, I wouldn¡¯t want to deal with any mysterious realm.¡±

    The two of them arrived at the Great Hero Treasure Hall. Strangely, there were no monks at all inside. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    After passing through the Great Hero Treasure Hall and climbing up about a hundred steps, they finally reached the Scripture Pavilion behind the temple, where they saw an elderly monk hurriedly coming down from the second floor with a scroll in his arms.

    Hmm?

    Yan Yu recognized the face of this monk; wasn¡¯t this the Compassion Chan Master?

    The Compassion Chan Master, in his previous life, was also a very famous lay cultivator. Although he embarked on the path of cultivation, he did not study any combat techniques and spent his life exploring the Buddhist teachings, striving only for the realization of Arhathood, without any other intention.

    Yan Yu remembered him because, among the Eye Perception skills that the cultivator envoys had to learn in the previous life, only eight people in the whole country could teach it, and Compassion Chan Master was one of them¡ªat that time, before the resurgence of spiritual energy, the old master already had an official position.

    With scriptures in hand, the old master glanced at Yan Yu and Su Yunjin, nodded to greet them, and then stepped past them, heading towards the mountain stairs.

    After walking a few steps, he suddenly turned back around and asked in surprise,

    ¡°Zhenhai Team? Yan Yu, Su Yunjin?¡±

    ¡°Sorry for the intrusion,¡± Yan Yu was quite respectful towards this master and nodded slightly.

    ¡°Good, good,¡± the old master immediately revealed a smile, ¡°I have a matter for which I¡¯d like to ask for your assistance.¡±

    If it were any other lay cultivator saying this, Yan Yu would have drawn his sword already, but since the Compassion Chan Master truly was a good man in his past life, he didn¡¯t harbor too much suspicion and merely asked,

    ¡°What exactly are you referring to?¡±

    ¡°Within this mountain, there is another Buddha hall,¡± the old master said seriously, ¡°There are some mechanisms inside the hall, and I lack the ability to solve them, so I can only ask for your help.¡±

 Chapter 449 - 45: Buddha Hall, Interpreting the Lots

    Chapter 449: Chapter 45: Buddha Hall, Interpreting the Lots

    Just yesterday afternoon, Yan Yu was still playing with Lin Ning in Qingyuan Prefecture, when a heavy downpour hit Tai Lake, causing a landslide and blocking the mountain roads.

    This morning, the government office sent a construction team over, and they finally managed to restore the blocked mountain roads to normal. The monks then collectively left the temple, intending to clear the remaining mud and debris on the road to prevent visiting pilgrims from slipping when the temple reopened tomorrow.

    The reason Master Cinyin did not leave with them was not because he was too old, but because his Buddhist certification was not affiliated with this temple, but rather with Jiangtian Zen Temple in the province; in other words, he was like a visiting professor at a university, here for research and lectures, hence it was inappropriate to ask him to do physical labor.

    During these days, the old master had been staying in the Scripture Pavilion behind the Great Hero Treasure Hall. Yesterday, during the landslide outside, the Scripture Pavilion had also shaken slightly, continuing for about three minutes before stopping.

    This morning, when the master went around to the back of the Scripture Pavilion, he saw a hole exposed by the collapsed mountain, deep and going downwards, with steps and walls carved by human hands inside.

    He turned on his phone¡¯s flashlight, shining it on the path below as he went deeper for over ten meters, finally entering a small underground Buddhist hall.

    ...

    The hall was not large, almost thirty square meters, filled with scriptures, magic artifacts, Buddha statues ¡­ numerous relics, and a wooden figure standing in the center of the hall, which threw a punch at the master as he entered.

    Fortunately, he reacted quickly, promptly retreating from the hall¡¯s boundary, and the wooden figure did not pursue but remained inside the underground Buddhist hall.

    ¡°So, Master, have you reported this to the Military Manor yet?¡± Su Yunjin asked curiously.

    ¡°Of course,¡± the master replied, ¡°I called them right after I returned to the surface. When I recognized you just now, I thought you were sent by the Military Manor.¡±

    As for why it was not, the reason was simple: an underground Buddhist hall guarded by a mere mechanical wooden figure was not considered a mysterious realm, and a cultivator from the Military Manor could handle it; there was no need for the Zhenhai Team to step in.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go in and have a look,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°but I can¡¯t guarantee if we can handle it.¡±

    ¡°Well spoken,¡± the old master laughed, ¡°Not lying or deceiving, this is indeed the right path.¡±

    Yan Yu immediately knew to keep quiet, or what if the master added something like ¡°you have the root of wisdom¡± or ¡°you are destined with Buddha¡±? Then what?

    Fortunately, Master Cinyin merely made a casual compliment and did not continue to say much. The three of them used their flashlights to head downwards, quickly arriving at the entrance of the hall, where they saw the standing wooden figure.

    It was similar to the wooden figures they had seen before in the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm, except this one had no weapon in its hands and silently posed in the stance of Shaolin Arhat Boxing.

    ¡°Yun Jin, want to give it a try?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Su Yunjin formed a sword technique with her hands, and the blue Coral Tear shot out, striking at the wooden figure.

    The wooden figure was agile and its martial skills were extremely proficient, resembling a martial monk who had practiced for at least twenty years, not easily approached by three or five people, yet it was no match for a cultivator.

    Su Yunjin used the technique Guest¡¯s Arrival, and the wooden figure immediately threw a punch to block. However, she unexpectedly changed her move to Eagle Strikes the Sky, and the Coral Tear eerily drifted diagonally downwards, perfectly dodging the wooden figure¡¯s punch.

    ¡°Wonderful!¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but praise, ¡°The timing of this Eagle Strikes the Sky was perfect, even I couldn¡¯t have done it better.¡±

    Feeling elated, Su Yunjin¡¯s hand movements became even faster, and the Coral Tear bypassed the wooden figure¡¯s defenses with three swift slashes, severing its head, right arm, and left leg cleanly.

    Yan Yu thought to himself that this should have been followed by Eagle Strikes the Sky, to avoid being countered by a highly skilled opponent¡­ but since Yun Jin was not a professional Sword Immortal, there was no need to be too demanding.

    He formed his own sword technique, and the Huang Tingjian sword also unsheathed, chopping off the wooden figure¡¯s left arm and right leg.

    The wooden figure was finally completely disabled, and the old master could no longer contain his excitement. He bypassed the Buddha statues and magic artifacts and went to the rear bookshelf, taking down a thin scripture and began reading it under the light of his flashlight.

    ¡°How come I¡¯ve never heard of the contents of this Buddhist scripture?¡± he murmured, frowning as he flipped through several pages.

    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s a method for cultivation,¡± Yan Yu suggested, peering over.

    ¡°A method for cultivation?¡± the master looked surprised momentarily, his face showing a disappointed expression as if that was of little use.

    Seeing his unexpected reaction, Yan Yu guessed that at this point, Master Cinyin had not yet become a ¡°folk cultivator,¡± and perhaps it was due to this landslide incident that he had inadvertently embarked on the path of cultivation.

    Su Yunjin glanced at the magic artifacts on the nearby altar, her divine sense scanning each one. She discovered that many were magic treasures, but unfortunately, they had all lost their spirituality.

    This was not surprising, since this place was not a mysterious realm, but had existed in the real world for many years. Under the long era of Dharma Extinction, even the most powerful magic treasures had turned into scrap metal.

    The three searched for a while, but found nothing, and although it was disappointing, it wasn¡¯t unexpected as this was not a mysterious realm, merely a small underground Buddhist hall.

    Leaving the items in the hall for the Zhendong Army to collect, the group returned to the surface, and the old master sincerely thanked the two for their help.

    Yan Yu naturally said there was no need for thanks, since he had merely taken care of a wooden figure by chance. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    However, the compassionate Zen Master took it seriously and retrieved two Baye Charms from the Scripture Pavilion, giving them to Yan Yu and Su Yunjin, saying that if they wore them for a long time and prayed regularly, they could achieve what they desired.

    Since the old Zen Master was still a mortal at this time, these two Baye Charms probably weren¡¯t very effective. They might even be akin to the peace charms given to temple followers, primarily relying on a placebo effect of belief.

    Yan Yu casually stuffed it into his pocket, while Su Yunjin received it as if it were a treasure, thinking, ¡°Does this count as a couple¡¯s charm for me and the captain? Hehe.¡±

    The two said farewell to the old Zen Master and returned near the Great Hero Treasure Hall; Su Yunjin then proposed going to draw lots.

    Yan Yu accompanied her as she stood in the hall, watching her kneel on the cushion, close her eyes in concentration, and pray as she shook the fortune sticks. Suddenly, a thought emerged in his mind:

    ¡°You use Taoist spells, yet you come to draw Buddhist lots. Whose side are you really on?¡±

    After a moment, Su Yunjin finally drew a small stick, remembered the number, and went to get the written fortune, which stated:

    [Unswept flower paths don¡¯t wait for guests, the unkempt gate opens for you.]

    ¡°Du Fu¡¯s ¡®Guest¡¯s Arrival¡¯,¡± Su Yunjin murmured, ¡°but on the fortune slip, it¡¯s hard to understand its significance.¡±

    ¡°Why not ask about it,¡± suggested Yan Yu, with a gesture towards the Scripture Pavilion, ¡°The old Zen Master is still there, right? Let him interpret it for us for free.¡±

    ¡°Is that really okay?¡± Su Yunjin hesitated.

    ¡°What¡¯s not okay about it?¡± Yan Yu wondered.

    The two then climbed up to the Scripture Pavilion and saw the compassionate Zen Master reading a book.

    When they explained their purpose, the old Zen Master took the fortune slip, looked at it for a moment, and asked Su Yunjin:

    ¡°Are you asking about career or marriage?¡±

    ¡°Marriage,¡± Su Yunjin said coyly.

    The old Zen Master suddenly burst into laughter: The right person is standing right next to you, yet you ask Buddha instead of him? The fortune¡¯s meaning is quite clear. Welcome the distinguished guest first, then talk.

    ¡°The fortune is a very good one,¡± he said with a kindly smile. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry too much, just patiently wait for things to fall into place.¡±

    Su Yunjin revealed a radiant smile, and while receiving the fortune from the old Zen Master, her heart was filled with boundless joy as she sneakily glanced at Yan Yu.

    After leaving the Scripture Pavilion, they toured the nearby pagoda before suddenly receiving a call from Mrs. Su.

    ¡°We are at a temple out here at West Mountain,¡± Su Yunjin responded into the phone, her face suddenly displaying a look of surprise, followed by a chuckle, ¡°No, not at a hotel, Mom, don¡¯t worry unnecessarily.¡±

    ¡°Aha! Really, we¡¯re not at a hotel! We in the team usually live in the same dormitory; you don¡¯t need to worry about that¡­ Okay, okay, I¡¯ll take a photo for you.¡±

    After hanging up, she said somewhat embarrassedly to Yan Yu:

    ¡°My mom was checking in, worried that we might be in a hotel¡­ uh, getting a room, so she wanted us to take a photo.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Yan Yu said.

    Su Yunjin naturally leaned close, just as they had done in pictures at Lingering Garden, hooking her right hand around his left arm, her head resting against his left shoulder as she smiled for the camera.

    Yan Yu looked at their close pose in the camera¡¯s view and thought, if you send this photo, your mom will definitely be more anxious¡­ But of course, that¡¯s your family matter, none of my business as an outsider.

    With this thought, he also gazed towards the camera, a calm smile on his face.

    Cool!

    After sending the photo, Yan Yu asked aloud:

    ¡°Do you want to go back now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to wander around the town at the mountain¡¯s base.¡± Su Yunjin still hadn¡¯t let go of his arm, ¡°Is that okay?¡±

 Chapter 450 - 46: Shopping and Guessing Each Others Thoughts

    Chapter 450: Chapter 46: Shopping and Guessing Each Other¡¯s Thoughts

    ¡°Go for a stroll in the town at the foot of the mountain?¡± Yan Yu pondered, ¡°I don¡¯t have a problem with it, but aren¡¯t there bound to be lots of people in the town? What if fans recognize us again?¡±

    ¡°Then we just make a run for it,¡± Su Yunjin said with a laugh.

    This answer was so succinct that Yan Yu found himself unable to think of a rebuttal and could only sigh and say,

    ¡°We do need to be careful though.¡±

    ¡°Mhm mhm.¡± Su Yunjin put the sunglasses, hat, and face mask back on Yan Yu, examined him for a moment, then smiled and said, ¡°Now you wouldn¡¯t recognize him at all, would you?¡±

    ¡°Sigh.¡± Yan Yu put on an exaggerated sigh, ¡°But it also covers my handsome face.¡±

    ...

    ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡± Su Yunjin smiled with twinkling eyes, ¡°It¡¯s enough for me to admire the captain¡¯s charm alone.¡±

    Yan Yu could only let out a dry laugh, thinking to himself, I was just joking with you, but that comment is kind of scary¡­ Maybe I¡¯m just overthinking it.

    Words are spoken without intent, but listeners take them to heart!

    The two of them followed the mountain road down, arriving in the town, where they saw homestays and inns everywhere, their exteriors decorated with all sorts of ornate plants.

    Yan Yu remembered a joke from his past life. A northern colleague went to Lin¡¯an for a trip and, seeing the so-called sea of flowers and little towns, marveled at how wealthy the people of Jiangnan must be for not planting cash crops but flowers instead. To which a local colleague replied, ¡°Right, we have so much government revenue we can¡¯t even spend it all, we¡¯ve started planting flowers on overpasses.¡±

    During peaceful and stable times, prettifying your storefront could rake in a lot more from tourism than what agricultural or industrial development could ever dream of. Alas, later¡­

    His thoughts were abruptly interrupted as Su Yunjin, grasping his arm, looked towards a small shop across the street and asked,

    ¡°Want some milk tea?¡±

    As everyone knows, when a girl asks ¡°Do you want to drink?¡± what she really means is ¡°I want to drink.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°I¡¯m actually a bit thirsty.¡±

    Looking at the menu outside the shop, he suddenly saw the familiar Mango Pomelo Sago.

    In his previous life, if he hesitated for more than five or six seconds while out with Chen Lingyun, she would jokingly suggest ¡°Just to be safe, why not go for the Mango Pomelo Sago¡±, because the strange and varied names of milk teas really were too complicated, without a detailed description you had no idea what kind of ingredients were in them.

    But I refuse!

    Now, I¡¯m with Yunjin! Bet you didn¡¯t see that coming, did you, Chen Lingyun? How do you feel now, huh?

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you help me choose, Yunjin.¡± He turned his head and winked at Su Yunjin, ¡°Guess what flavor I¡¯d like. I¡¯ll rate you later.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Su Yunjin said, starting to feel a bit nervous as her mind whirred into gear.

    The captain¡­ When he¡¯s at the villa, he doesn¡¯t seem to have a particular fondness for any fruit, like Sister Zhao, he¡¯s pretty much happy with anything. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But generally speaking, the sweeter the better is always safe, and cultivators don¡¯t have to worry about the calorie count.

    Su Yunjin¡¯s gaze swept past names like ¡°Mountain and Sea Scenery¡± and ¡°Amber Lemon Light,¡± finally settling on a ¡°Brocade Spring Weave¡± and brought it back for Yan Yu to judge.

    ¡°Why only one?¡± Yan Yu asked, surprised, ¡°Aren¡¯t you having one?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not thirsty,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile.

    Yan Yu had no idea what ¡°Brocade Spring Weave¡± was made of. After taking a sip, he tasted the flavor of jasmine tea.

    ¡°How is it?¡± Su Yunjin asked expectantly.

    ¡°It¡¯s quite good, I¡¯ll give you 7 points,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it out of 10?¡± Su Yunjin feigned disappointment.

    ¡°Sorry, but the full score is just 7 points,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Next time, the captain might as well just answer ¡®full score¡¯ then,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile.

    This Miss Su¡¯s mouth is indeed quite formidable, of the sort that hides a needle in cotton, soft yet firm. But after all, her intentions aren¡¯t bad¡­ or rather, compared to a certain someone, any girl seems purely innocent, so Yan Yu felt no displeasure towards her, merely laughing and saying,

    ¡°Why chase a perfect score? Do you also want a certificate of achievement or something?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about full scores or certificates,¡± Su Yunjin answered, ¡°What I care about is¡­ well, now it¡¯s the captain¡¯s turn to guess.¡±

    ¡°Is it okay if I don¡¯t guess?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Su Yunjin said.

    But then it wouldn¡¯t be fun anymore. So Yan Yu and Su Yunjin continued to stroll about casually while Yan Yu pretended to ponder and guessed:

    ¡°What Yun Jin cares about is whether we are in sync or not, right?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really worthy of being the captain.¡± Su Yunjin showed a surprised expression, clasped her hands, and said, ¡°You actually figured it out, wow.¡±

    But inside she sighed: Completely wrong! I don¡¯t want to score full marks, but to see if the captain would give me full marks because he cares about my feelings, even if I actually didn¡¯t choose the fruit tea flavor he really likes.

    ¡°Haha, I knew you would think that,¡± Yan Yu said proudly, ¡°because we have a deep understanding of each other.¡±

    Su Yunjin¡¯s mood immediately improved, and she said with a smile:

    ¡°After all, we¡¯ve been together for almost a year now.¡±

    ¡°Yes, time flies so fast,¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but feel emotional.

    As the two continued their walk, Su Yunjin suddenly said:

    ¡°Captain, let me hold that for you.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu handed over the fruit tea without thinking, then suddenly realized something was amiss.

    Indeed, the next second, Su Yunjin grabbed his fruit tea, took a big sip through the straw, frowned slightly, and commented:

    ¡°The taste is average, it really only deserves a 7 if full marks are out of 10.¡±

    ¡°I actually think it¡¯s quite good,¡± Yan Yu smoothed things over.

    ¡°No worries, I¡¯ve already got full marks,¡± Su Yunjin said with a slight smile, handing back the fruit tea to Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu took it with mixed emotions, knowing that if he showed any hint of dislike or refusal to drink it now, it would definitely hurt Su Yunjin, who was watching secretly.

    He didn¡¯t really care about indirect kisses, but he was somewhat surprised that Su Yunjin would express her feelings in such a subtle way. It wasn¡¯t long ago that she was the fearless Gravity Mage, and to think that my strategy of delaying the battle has taught her to advance indirectly and make clever moves.

    As the team captain, I¡¯ve not only imparted battlefield skills to them but also taught them strategies for the game of love! Unfortunately, I received no gifts last September 10, which was really disappointing.

    However, on the other hand: ¡°Peach and plum trees do not speak, but beneath them a path is born.¡± It¡¯s the truly shining aspect of my character that I give without expecting anything in return.

    Thinking this way, he took another big sip of the fruit tea and discovered that within the fragrance of jasmine, there was an added hint of gardenia.

    Yan Yu took a look and saw the mark of lipstick on the straw, then turned to look at Yun Jin¡¯s lips, only to see her guiltily lowering her head, with the fair skin behind her ears seemingly tinted red.

    ¡°It is indeed quite tasty,¡± he remarked.

    ¡°As long as you like it,¡± Su Yunjin said, turning her head to look outside, not daring to meet his gaze directly.

    This girl is really clever. I only glanced at the straw, and she guessed everything.

    Before they knew it, the two had walked to the edge of the island. Ahead was the sparkling lake and the large bridge across it.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go sit over there,¡± Su Yunjin suggested.

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    The two sat down on the low wall by the bridge, watching the distant sun slowly setting, as the whole town was bathed in the afterglow of the sunset, creating a wonderfully peaceful sense of the beauty of the passing years.

    ¡°Have you ever thought about where you¡¯d like to spend your old age?¡± Su Yunjin suddenly asked.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about it,¡± Yan Yu answered, ¡°Cultivation can prolong life, and aging is a long way off for us.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Su Yunjin nodded.

    She suddenly didn¡¯t know what to say, or perhaps had some thoughts but lacked the courage to speak them, then heard Yan Yu continue:

    ¡°Actually, it doesn¡¯t matter where. I think what¡¯s more important is whether or not there is someone to accompany you in your later years.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Su Yunjin closed her eyes and subtly leaned her body to the side, as though unintentionally leaning against him.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I think too.¡±

 Chapter 451 - 47 Enchantress Gets Jealous

    Chapter 451: Chapter 47 Enchantress Gets Jealous

    The two of them flew back to the urban area on their swords.

    Mrs. Su¡¯s expression was a bit tense. Ever since Zhang Zixuan called and said he was coming back, she couldn¡¯t help but let her mind run wild.

    Because the two of them no longer had any children tagging along. In the remaining time, anything could happen.

    Originally, Mrs. Su was very confident in her daughter because Su Yunjin was very decisive¡ªher indifference in her career was because she just didn¡¯t care, but she cared a lot about her emotions, so she would definitely not force herself into an uncertain relationship. Those impulsive early loves ruled by hormones had absolutely nothing to do with Su Yunjin.

    However, the more demanding a person is in this respect, the harder it might be to remain rational once they truly fall for someone.

    And it wouldn¡¯t be surprising for an irrational woman to do something irrational.

    ...

    The image of a medical professor she knew even flashed through Mrs. Su¡¯s mind. If one had to terminate an unintended pregnancy, it was certainly best to seek the best doctor to minimize the harm to her daughter¡¯s body.

    But what was even more frightening was, what if her daughter insisted on having the baby?

    Someone with insufficient social experience wouldn¡¯t know how hard it is to be a single mother in this society.

    Regrettably, Yunjin was a very decisive girl¡­

    Mrs. Su didn¡¯t dare to think any further. She even had the impulse to call the police, but reason told her that it would just make her look foolish, so she chose another way to alleviate her worries.

    She kept calling Mr. Su.

    Not until the two of them returned from outside and she saw that her daughter¡¯s gait had no issues at all did Mrs. Su¡¯s hanging heart finally settle down.

    In the moment of relief, she even developed a bit of fondness for Yan Yu because she knew that with Yunjin¡¯s current attitude, if Yan Yu had the slightest desire for her, he probably would have taken advantage long ago.

    Apparently, the famous Divine General Dinghai wasn¡¯t one of those scumbag men who would deceive a girl into bed without being in a relationship.

    Mr. Su and his brother-in-law also arrived at the restaurant they booked for the evening, and seeing Mrs. Su chatting pleasantly with her daughter, they also secretly relaxed, giving his wife a ¡°See, I told you so¡± look.

    I¡¯ve always said that Yan Yu and Yunjin are good kids! As a professor who has seen so many young people, how could I be wrong about this?

    Compared to the slightly awkward atmosphere at lunch, the dinner was undoubtedly much more harmonious. The old couple¡¯s attitude towards Yan Yu improved, and even when Yunjin mentioned some funny stories about living together with the team, they no longer showed a look of concern.

    After dinner, Yan Yu took his leave, as he had no plans to spend the night at the Su family¡¯s home.

    Su Yunjin also wanted to go back with him, despite her parents¡¯ clear hope that she would stay for the New Year, but she pretended not to notice her parents¡¯ wishes.

    After all, she was always a girl with her own ideas.

    As the two flew away from Gusu to Jinling on their swords, Yan Yu suddenly asked:

    ¡°How would you rate my performance this time?¡±

    ¡°7 points,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile.

    ¡°Is the full score 7 points?¡±

    ¡°Of course, because I only give full points to the captain.¡±

    By the time they returned to the Jinling Villa, it was already 9:30 pm.

    The other girls had already gone back to their rooms, only Lin Ning was still sitting in the living room watching television.

    Seeing Yan Yu and Su Yunjin return through the door¡ªnot simply sending a message that they were staying overnight elsewhere¡ªshe felt a silent relief and said with a smile:

    ¡°Back already? Are you hungry? I¡¯ve made a late-night snack; there¡¯s still a bit left in the pot.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile, ¡°Thanks, Ningning.¡±

    Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re waiting in the living room.

    Lin Ning didn¡¯t answer, nor did she use voice transmission, just responded with the same smile.

    You wait for me, and I wait for you; it¡¯s an exchange of courtesies.

    ¡°What¡¯s the late-night snack?¡± Yan Yu walked into the kitchen and lifted the lid to take a look.

    ¡°Floating cakes,¡± Lin Ning said. ¡°Try and see if what I made is different from my mom¡¯s.¡± S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu had eaten this at Lin Ning¡¯s house before; it was fried dough filled with oysters and lean meat, and he had found them delicious, eating extra servings. He didn¡¯t expect Ningning to remember and make them, which pleasantly surprised and moved him.

    Su Yunjin watched Yan Yu enjoy his meal with great relish, feeling a bit anxious in her heart.

    She had always admired Ningning¡¯s culinary skills, but now this admiration had turned to worry, after all, a man¡¯s stomach doesn¡¯t necessarily side with his heart. If Ningning were to use her cooking skills to compete for the team leader position, what chance did she have to outmatch her?

    Beauty? Sorry, they were on par with each other.

    Personality? Ningning was indeed a bit haughty, but she could be quite assertive at times.

    Figure? She might be slightly inferior, though it didn¡¯t seem much different at a glance.

    The more Su Yunjin thought about it, the more she felt a sense of crisis. She quickly sat down on the sofa and took out her phone to message her mother:

    ¡°Mom, I want to learn how to cook. What recipes are good for beginners?¡±

    Mrs. Su had just returned home and was reviewing the draft essays submitted by her students. The more she read, the more she frowned. Then she received her daughter¡¯s message, and her mood became even more irritable.

    Her daughter had grown up and had never cooked for them!

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you start by learning how to make noodles,¡± she texted her daughter. ¡°Learn the broth techniques first; they¡¯re easy. Then pair it with different toppings, and you¡¯ll have various dishes, fitting for any formal occasion.¡±

    After replying, Mrs. Su, still in a bad mood, returned to the draft essays, her eyes flickering with a cold and ruthless light as she typed comments on her keyboard:

    The overall structure is incorrect, overturn and rewrite!

    Several places are too thin, make a list for him, have them read the books on the list before writing again!!

    There are some new ideas recently¡­ Let him do an analysis on their feasibility, I want feedback after the New Year!!!

    Young people are all the same, they¡¯ll slack off if you don¡¯t pressure them. Now is the golden age for academia, can¡¯t waste it on love and romance!!!!

    On Yan Yu¡¯s side, he had returned to his room. It wasn¡¯t long before the Demonic Sect Enchantress phased through the wall.

    ¡°How was it?¡± she asked eagerly. ¡°What delicious food did you have in the Gusu Residence?¡±

    ¡°The noodles were okay,¡± Yan Yu replied. ¡°With different toppings, you get different flavors.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said thoughtfully, but disappointed, ¡°it¡¯s a pity Ningning probably doesn¡¯t know how to make Su-style pastries.¡±

    ¡°She can learn,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen agreed as she kicked off her slippers and climbed onto the bed, suddenly asking suspiciously, ¡°You didn¡¯t cheat on me over there, did you?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Yan Yu said.

    However, Zhao Yuanzhen refused to believe it, as the Enchantress of the Demonic Sect was inherently suspicious. Therefore, she pounced onto Yan Yu, sniffing him frantically.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Yan Yu pushed her away impatiently.

    Having decided to wait until after the Core Formation to exchange Primordial Yang and Yin, he couldn¡¯t let her cling unrestrained like this. What if they slipped up? This Enchantress¡¯s figure was not as innocent as Yun Jin¡¯s; it was a dangerous one imbued with sin.

    ¡°Your body has the scent of her shampoo!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen exclaimed, hands on her hips.

    ¡°You¡¯re crazy,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°You smell like Chen Lingyun¡¯s shampoo yourself!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure of it; it¡¯s the fragrance of gardenias,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen narrowed her eyes, ¡°Your hair is a bit greasy, which means you haven¡¯t washed it, so why would it have her shampoo scent?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t shampoo; it was lipstick¡­ Of course, he couldn¡¯t tell her that, or she would fly off the handle.

    Yan Yu simply said indifferently:

    ¡°Because she was in my arms for a long time, so my hair rubbed against her body. Are you satisfied with that answer?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen instinctively wanted to retort, ¡°I¡¯m satisfied my ass,¡± but she quickly reconsidered:

    Could this be a trick?

    Still the same phrase, the Enchantress of the Demonic Sect was always suspicious. If Yan Yu had vehemently refused to answer, she would¡¯ve been more convinced of her suspicions. But since Yan Yu openly admitted to holding another woman, she was again incredulous, thinking it was probably a ploy to make her jealous and laugh at her, deliberately spraying a similar scent on himself!

    Hmph, a cunning thief! Fancy trying to toy with me, I will remember this grudge!

    When the time for revenge comes, I will blindfold him, wash my hair with Ling Yun¡¯s shampoo, do my makeup with Ruoxi¡¯s cosmetics, and wear Ningning¡¯s clothes and Yun Jin¡¯s skirts. Then, I¡¯ll approach him and see who he mistakes me for!

    Mistake me once, ten slaps!

 Chapter 452 - 48: Foreign Affairs

    Chapter 452: Chapter 48: Foreign Affairs

    Upon following the secretary into the quiet chamber, Yan Yu saw the head of the Yin Yang Bureau hurriedly writing with a vigorous and fluent stroke, inscribing two characters:

    General Slayer.

    After the secretary had left, Yan Yu asked, ¡°What did you want to see me for, Lord Master?¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu, you¡¯re over forty this year, aren¡¯t you?¡± the Lord Master put away his brush and placed it on the inkstone stand beside him.

    ¡°Just had my birthday last month,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± the Lord Master grabbed a towel beside him and wiped his hands, ¡°I¡¯ve always believed that the chief position at the Yin Yang Bureau should be held by an experienced veteran. However, many argue that in these chaotic times, being proactive is better than defensively maintaining the status quo.¡±

    ...

    ¡°The incident with Xiandao Jingyin was a lesson for everyone.¡±

    Yan Yu remained silent, standing respectfully with his hands tied.

    ¡°Go,¡± the Lord Master said, waving his hand dismissively upon seeing Yan Yu¡¯s silence, ¡°prepare yourself for next week.¡±

    Yan Yu nodded and left, his expression unknowingly turning solemn.

    Although the Yin Yang Bureau of Chongying had The Four Great Demon Kings, Xiandao Jingyin had always been regarded as their leader, not only because she had the support of the Xiandao Corporation, but also because her political views were highly consistent with those of the Lord Masters¡ªto strengthen the overall power of the Yin Yang Bureau at all costs.

    By contrast, Shenyuan Simie was more interested in enhancing his own powers, and Aoi Daiji didn¡¯t care about anything, making them both unsuitable leaders. Therefore, choosing Yan Yu as the successor was the most appropriate.

    Yan Yu was well aware, though, that this was merely a temporary measure by the Lord Masters.

    While he outwardly embodied the spirit of Bushido, dutifully following all commands from his leaders, he secretly harbored a passive resistance to warmongering. The Lord Masters, unaware of his private thoughts, regarded him as ¡°loyally committed but ultimately too old to be of much use.¡±

    I may not stay in this position long, but as long as I hold it, I will strive for peace every single day, vowing to prevent the needless loss of my precious subordinates¡¯ lives in foreign lands beyond our borders!

    Soon enough, Yan Yu adjusted the work plan for the first half of the year, recalling most of the dispersed Onmyoji agents and instead focusing all efforts on conquering all the Mysterious Realms within the country¡¯s borders.

    This adjustment did indeed align with the thoughts of the Lord Masters, as they needed time to integrate the personnel drafted from the local Yin Yang Bureaus after suffering heavy losses of their elite troops within The Secret Realm of Li Palace.

    However, the Homeland Strategic Bureau across the ocean was clearly dissatisfied with this development.

    If the Yin Yang Bureau chose to recuperate, then who would contain the cultivators of Lu Country? After surveying the area, it seemed that only Pear Blossom Courtyard was up to the task.

    Thus, as early as February, they held a secret meeting with Pear Blossom Courtyard to discuss the upcoming bilateral alliance contract, sidelining the Yin Yang Bureau which had betrayed both sides in The Secret Realm of Li Palace.

    Upon receiving the news, Lord Master was furious and vented to Yan Yu in a message:

    ¡°Does this damned alliance not want us to have a peaceful New Year? Crossing half the Earth to meddle, is there any way we can strike back at them?¡±

    ¡°Of course, there is,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°there¡¯s no barbed wire over the high seas, why not just fly there with Sword Control?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think I want to, Old Yan?¡± Liu Longtao retorted irritably, ¡°With the directive set to prioritize homeland defense, how could I possibly take the lead to contradict it?¡±

    It is commonly known that the cultivators of Lu Country are far fewer in number than the Transcendents of other countries, yet their quality far surpasses them. Thus, in the battle of The Secret Realm of Li Palace, others faced wholesale slaughter, while Lu Country didn¡¯t even have a single injury.

    But if you consider it from another angle, when others lose a dozen or more people, they simply recruit more from the general public, while the loss of even one cultivator in Lu Country is deeply mourned. Therefore, they can only focus on homeland defense and wouldn¡¯t dare to imitate the Homeland Strategic Bureau¡¯s move of causing chaos on foreign soil¡ª the risks are too great, the cost-benefit ratio is unfavorable, and being encircled and attacked would be a major loss.

    ¡°Knowing this, why do you still ask me?¡± Yan Yu questioned.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you and the Amur Witch in a relationship?¡± Liu Longtao suggested, ¡°mention it to her, have her lead her people through the Bering Strait and strike them, put those pigs on the spot, too.¡±

    ¡°Enough,¡± Yan Yu cut him off, ¡°What do you mean ¡®in a relationship¡¯? We¡¯re just acquainted.¡±

    ¡°Stop beating around the bush with me,¡± Liu Longtao quickly replied, ¡°Every time we get diplomatic inquiries from them, nine out of ten questions are about you. I¡¯m betting the higher-ups are even considering having you marry off to the Northern Desert for a marriage alliance.¡±

    ¡°Then you go marry first,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Oh right, she became the leader of the Amur Witches? When did that happen?¡±

    ¡°A few days ago,¡± Liu Longtao answered and after a brief pause, typed again, ¡°Are you acting clueless? Didn¡¯t she tell you right away?¡±

    ¡°Wait, let me ask,¡± Yan Yu closed Lord Master¡¯s chat window and scrolled his finger down¡­ and down again, it seemed Anna really hadn¡¯t messaged him in quite a while.

    ¡°Heard you¡¯ve become the big boss?¡± Having found the contact, he crafted a message and sent it.

    ¡°Yes, so you only remembered me now?¡± The reply came back quickly.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t received many messages from you lately,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Hmm, been dating,¡± Anna typed.

    ¡°With whom?¡±

    ¡°A foreign male supermodel, handsome, cool, and stylish.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Well then, congratulations,¡± Yan Yu replied without hesitation, ¡°Given that, this friendship can probably end here.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± The immediate response came, ¡°Why would you delete me as a friend just because I¡¯m dating?¡±

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to flirt with a married woman,¡± Yan Yu responded.

    The other side was silent for nearly ten seconds before a message came back:

    ¡°Just because I¡¯m single doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯ve seen me flirting with you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because I like it when the woman takes the initiative,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    There was silence again for half a minute, and then suddenly a video invitation popped up.

    Upon opening it, there indeed was Anna with her blond hair and pretty face, with what looked like a wasteland in the background.

    ¡°How come you seem to have aged a bit?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    ¡°Do you even know how to speak? Do you? Do you?¡± Anna immediately became enraged, ¡°I¡¯ve matured in demeanor!¡±

    ¡°Did you mature because of a relationship?¡± Yan Yu laughed.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t been in a relationship,¡± said Anna with indignant righteousness, ¡°I just wanted to see your reaction.¡±

    ¡°How are things on your end?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Not so smooth,¡± Anna sighed.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you made the chief of the Amur Witches?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s just a nominal title,¡± Anna replied, ¡°Amur needed the support of Lu Country, so they put me, who has Lu Country lineage, in that position, but the real power is still in the hands of several witch elders.¡± S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that even better?¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°You get to sit on the chief¡¯s throne without having to handle the chief¡¯s work, and you let them deal with all the troublesome matters.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s so good about that¡­¡± Anna hesitated for a while, then suddenly said, ¡°Yan Yu.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°I think I might not be my dad¡¯s biological child.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu pondered, ¡°What makes you say that?¡±

    ¡°Because blond hair is a recessive trait,¡± Anna said with a worried expression, ¡°How could a child with Lu Country father¡¯s lineage turn out blond? But if I were the product of my mother¡¯s affair, then my so-called Lu Country lineage would be a joke, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°You can ask your mom for some clarity,¡± suggested Yan Yu.

    ¡°My mom¡¯s dead,¡± Anna said casually, ¡°She was out with her boyfriend when the city fell, and by the time my aunt found her, half her body had been gnawed away by werewolves.¡±

    Since this girl had grown up in a single-parent family and had no feelings for her mother who had abandoned her, Yan Yu didn¡¯t offer comfort; instead, he continued to suggest:

    ¡°Then you can still get a paternity test done.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m scared,¡± Anna sighed continuously, ¡°What if it turns out I¡¯m not my dad¡¯s biological child?¡±

    ¡°Then so be it,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°If you really want to clear things up, go for the paternity test; if you¡¯re scared, then don¡¯t. Your dad raised you for nearly twenty years, and the father-daughter bond isn¡¯t just about being biologically related or not.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Anna showed a somewhat relieved expression, ¡°Then I won¡¯t do it. Whether or not I have Lu Country lineage, it¡¯s enough as long as my descendants have it.¡±

    ¡°Why are you so fixated on lineage?¡± Yan Yu asked curiously.

    ¡°Pretending you don¡¯t understand, huh?¡± Anna immediately scoffed, ¡°Have you found someone yet?¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Yan Yu answered, ¡°Still gloriously single.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d advise you to not even bother looking,¡± Anna snorted, ¡°I¡¯ve already told your diplomats, suggesting a political marriage.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Yan Yu kept his composure, ¡°What did the diplomat say?¡±

    ¡°He said, your marriage is for you to decide, they can¡¯t dictate it from above,¡± Anna said.

    ¡°That¡¯s how it is, arranged marriages aren¡¯t fashionable anymore,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Right, so I told him,¡± Anna continued with a smirk, ¡°You have the freedom to choose whom to marry, and I have the freedom in diplomacy. The moment you find a girlfriend, that¡¯s when I¡¯ll turn against Lu Country.¡±

    ¡°You, you can¡¯t do that! You just can¡¯t!¡± Yan Yu made a few mock exclamations before suddenly asking, ¡°Is this the reaction you wanted to see by telling me all this?¡±

    ¡°Your acting is too stiff,¡± Anna critiqued, ¡°Feeling honored and breaking into tears are the appropriate reactions when the Queen of the Northern Desert offers you her hand.¡±

    ¡°But you just said the Queen of the Northern Desert doesn¡¯t decide the affairs of the Northern Desert court,¡± Yan Yu reminded her.

    ¡°What if I can?¡± Anna puffed up arrogantly, ¡°I bet Lu Country wouldn¡¯t dare to take the risk.¡±

    ¡°Lu Country would dare even less to offend the Divine General Dinghai,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Right, so actually I¡¯m warning you,¡± Anna brought her face closer to the camera, showing off a pretty and cute smile, ¡°You¡¯d better stay firmly in your position as Divine General, or the day my power surpasses yours, I¡¯ll capture you and bring you here to marry me.¡±

    It must be said that a blond woman, at least in her youth, indeed possesses an exotic charm, so much so that, even though she was spouting threatening words, one couldn¡¯t help but find her appealing, almost wanting to tease her a bit.

    ¡°Haha,¡± Yan Yu was totally unfazed by her threat, ¡°Then I¡¯ll just look forward to that.¡±

 Chapter 453 - 49 Preparations for the New Year

    Chapter 453: Chapter 49 Preparations for the New Year

    Lu Country has a vast expanse of coastal and land borders.

    In the past, due to the surrounding geopolitical situation, the focus of national defense construction was mainly on the maritime direction. However, with the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, everything has turned upside down¡ªthe pressure on land border defense has drastically increased, particularly on the Northeast and Southwest borders, which directly adjoin a vast number of ¡°chaotic forces.¡± The annual casualty reports from my previous life were always shockingly alarming.

    So why is the Eclipse Queen so important? Because under the circumstances of the Northern Border being utterly lost beyond salvation, having the Amur Witch¡¯s Group maintain a basic level of occupation and rule, ¡°regularly undertaking bandit suppression¡± in the vicinity, greatly alleviates the border defense pressures on Lu Country.

    To speak bluntly, suppressing bandits means shedding blood, and those rebellious Transcendents among the common folk certainly won¡¯t line up to let you chop off their heads.

    To have the Amur Witch¡¯s Group bleed for the governance of the region is of course preferable to having the border defense troops and civilians of Lu Country bleed. So even if Anna has ulterior motives toward Yan Yu, considering her genuine beauty¡­ no, her extreme importance to Lu Country, Yan Yu might still allow her to spout audacious nonsense.

    Let this young lady continue dreaming then!

    ...

    ¡°By the way, how are things going with the Rakshasa?¡± Yan Yu brought up a serious topic.

    ¡°Are you talking about their expedition?¡± Anna said with a scoff, ¡°It was stillborn, of course. Their army didn¡¯t even cross the Yenisei River, I heard their supply lines were torn to shreds.¡±

    Yan Yu wasn¡¯t surprised, because during the Era of Spiritual Energy Resurgence, the most formidable aspect of Transcendents among the populace is that when they are not causing trouble, they blend in seamlessly with ordinary people, impossible to distinguish¡ªarmed militants still need to carry guns, while they don¡¯t even require military equipment. Even seemingly harmless old folks, women, and children could unleash a spell that takes down fully armed soldiers by surprise.

    Unless you eradicate the population but leave the land, as long as the army pushes forward, the occupied territories behind will erupt in chaos. This is also why Lu Country, even when it forced the Witch King to retreat, had not attempted to occupy the Southern Border: the cost of governance was simply too terrifying, utterly not worthwhile.

    Yet, Yan Yu actually thinks it might be feasible to establish a buffer force similar to the Amur Witch¡¯s Group in the Southern Border, helping to block those insanely competitive Sorcerers to prevent Nanjiang and Lingyou from facing the direct pressure of defending the border against the Southern Border.

    As for why the Privy Council doesn¡¯t do so and what other concerns they might have, he doesn¡¯t know, nor does he care.

    After all, we Cultivators are all very loyal, naturally born for battle, and at the current stage, apart from improving our own strength, there¡¯s indeed no need to worry about anything else.

    ¡°Right now, the Witch¡¯s Group is discussing whether to push northward or expand westward,¡± Anna continued to disclose internal secrets without a care for Yan Yu being an outsider, ¡°Moving northward is safer but less profitable due to sparse population; expanding westward would mean a big war, and while it seems profitable, if the Rakshasa launches a second round of witch-hunts, the farther we settle westward now, the more directly we will face the brunt of war later on.¡±

    ¡°Expanding westward as far as the Outer Khingan Range is still acceptable,¡± Yan Yu generously offered some insights, ¡°Judging by this witch-hunt expedition, their next attempt will reach at most the Lena River, which is their limit, and they won¡¯t be able to hold it.¡±

    ¡°Mmhmm,¡± Anna didn¡¯t doubt this and merely sighed, saying, ¡°But I don¡¯t have any real power now, and even if I make suggestions, they would only be questioned by the Elders.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s still because your strength is too weak,¡± Yan Yu advised earnestly, ¡°If you were the most powerful in the Witch¡¯s Group now, and could kill an Elder witch with one punch, who would dare to contradict you? So, you should still focus on cultivating; let them deal with the time-wasting affairs of governance.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯ll become strong and actually take you by force to marry me?¡± Anna asked in surprise.

    ¡°So what you said before was actually just to scare me?¡± Yan Yu asked back in surprise.

    Anna suddenly realized she had misspoken, and grinding her molars furiously, it took her a while to respond:

    ¡°It¡¯s to scare you for now, but if one day I really reach the level of power you mentioned, I can¡¯t guarantee I¡¯ll be able to restrain myself from acting.¡±

    The innate robber nature of Rakshasa bloodlines is showing! Yan Yu just laughed and said:

    ¡°I¡¯ve already answered this: I¡¯m looking forward to it. To witness the ascension of the Queen of the Northern Desert, even if I were bound and taken to become a bandit¡¯s consort, it wouldn¡¯t be a life lived in vain!¡±

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Anna said coldly, ¡°Then just wait and see! Hanging up.¡±

    She ended the video call with Yan Yu and intended to sulk for a while longer, but soon calmed down strangely.

    That¡¯s right¡­ what he said is correct.

    Whether it¡¯s about protecting oneself, seizing control of the Witch¡¯s Group, or¡­ wanting to be with him in the future.

    More strength is necessary.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Although he encouraged others to grow stronger with his words, Yan Yu himself hadn¡¯t trained much recently.

    After all, New Year¡¯s was approaching, so slacking off a bit was forgivable.

    His parents had finally returned from a trip to the Great Northwest, reportedly bringing back an abundance of specialty mutton ribs, all frozen and stored in the fridge. His sister Yan Jing had been eating plain boiled mutton every meal for several days, and complaining to their parents was useless, so she had no choice but to turn to her older brother for comfort.

    ¡°So those mutton ribs smell gamey?¡± Yan Yu inquired.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that,¡± Yan Jing complained, ¡°but it¡¯s unbearable to eat it meal after meal. I¡¯m not just sick of it, I¡¯m about to throw up.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°You just put in some effort and finish them all off, then your older brother won¡¯t have to eat mutton every single meal when he comes back.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, I¡¯ve already told Mom to save some for you,¡± Yan Jing typed in her reply.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like mutton,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°For your sister, you will eat it,¡± Yan Jing said.

    The siblings fell silent together and suddenly, and simultaneously, they both got a certain feeling: This guy really does share my genes!

    ¡°By the way, big brother,¡± Yan Jing suddenly asked, ¡°which sister are you planning to bring home for the New Year?¡±

    ¡°Guess,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s Sister Zhao,¡± Yan Jing answered, ¡°Lingyun said she doesn¡¯t have any family, so there¡¯s a high chance she¡¯ll be spending it with us.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s right,¡± Yan Yu fell silent for a while before suddenly saying, ¡°She should like mutton. She¡¯s not picky at all; she eats everything.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s perfect!¡± Yan Jing said, moved, ¡°Can I give all the things I don¡¯t like in the fridge to Sister Zhao to eat all up?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re planning to treat her like a trash can, aren¡¯t you?¡± Yan Yu sighed and massaged his forehead, ¡°You can, but don¡¯t make it too obvious. That would seem like bullying.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Yan Jing said, ¡°I¡¯ll use the hunger marketing strategy. I¡¯ll eat deliciously in front of her, and then pretend that I can¡¯t bear to part with the food as I offer it to her. Then, I¡¯ll put it back in the fridge right in front of her and leave as if nothing happened.¡±

    ¡°¡­You should really spend less time with Chen Lingyun. She¡¯s not someone you should be taking as a role model.¡±

    ¡°No, the one I always learn from is you, big brother.¡±

    ¡°You are truly ¡®filial¡¯ then.¡±

    ¡°Filial isn¡¯t the word for a brother, it should be ¡®brotherly love and sisterly respect¡¯,¡± Yan Jing said.

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Yan Yu selected the part of the conversation above, specifically the part about ¡°giving all the unwanted food to Sister Zhao,¡± and silently forwarded it to Mother Yan.

    After a moment, Mother Yan replied: S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your sister still eats vegetables at home, but as for you living outside, I can¡¯t control you eating takeout every day.¡±

    ¡°We have someone who cooks over here,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°Is it that Ningning Sister that Jingjing mentioned?¡± Mother Yan actually named the person, which quite surprised Yan Yu.

    Chen Lingyun, how much have you meddled in my family!

    ¡°It¡¯s indeed good to have someone for cooking,¡± Mother Yan continued, ¡°But you living with a bunch of young ladies is not appropriate. Their parents are bound to have opinions.¡±

    ¡°No worries,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°Their parents don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°They will find out eventually,¡± Mother Yan asked, ¡°What will you do then?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve recently met the parents of Lin Ning and Su Yunjin, and they haven¡¯t raised any objections,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Perhaps they have objections in their hearts, even if they don¡¯t say it out loud,¡± Mother Yan commented.

    ¡°No problem, their daughters are in my hands,¡± Yan Yu typed back, ¡°No matter how many objections they have in their hearts, they¡¯ll just have to hold it in.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Mother Yan sighed from the other side of the phone. My son has such a rebellious and quirky character, I don¡¯t know who he gets it from¡­ His father is definitely not like this, and Jingjing is also very well-behaved and sensible.

    ¡°Be careful not to cause any trouble,¡± she warned him in the end.

    ¡°Mom doesn¡¯t want to hold her grandchildren sooner?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    Mother Yan nearly threw her phone.

 Chapter 454 - 50: The New Brides Entrance Red Envelope

    Chapter 454: Chapter 50: The New Bride¡¯s Entrance Red Envelope

    ¡°`

    ¡°Do we have to take all this stuff with us?¡± Su Yunjin asked.

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s take it all,¡± Lin Ning answered. ¡°If left here for two weeks, it¡¯ll probably go bad anyway.¡±

    ¡°I might as well just eat it instead of going through the hassle of packing it,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly said.

    The two girls ignored her. For one, the remark was rather senseless, and they felt that responding would risk lowering their own intelligence; secondly, everyone knew that Sister Zhao had no family and was going to spend New Year¡¯s at the captain¡¯s house.

    No relatives is undoubtedly sad, but spending New Year¡¯s with the captain¡­ it really made it hard for anyone to sympathize with her.

    ...

    To be honest, although everyone had been living together here for less than a year, they had grown very close, spending days and nights together.

    Now that they were about to be separated temporarily, there was an indescribable sense of unwillingness to let go.

    ¡°Ha ha ha ha!¡± Xie Ruoxi, laughing loudly while carrying her suitcase down the stairs, had a phone tucked between her ear and shoulder, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mom, I¡¯m a cultivator now.¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh, I¡¯ll fly back on my sword directly, it¡¯ll just take a few hours, very fast.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to see relatives during New Year¡¯s; it¡¯s annoying. I¡¯m a cultivator, after all, how can they expect me to see them just because they say so? Not even my uncle!¡±

    ¡°How common do you think a cultivator¡¯s talent is? If my uncle really has confidence in my cousin, he should take him to the hospital for a blood test.¡±

    ¡°My schedule? You¡¯ve got to be kidding! When do I have the time? I earn tens of millions in just one fight, alright!¡±

    Su Yunjin and Lin Ning exchanged glances for a moment, the same thought crossing their minds:

    If only we could be as carefree and unburdened as Ruoxi.

    Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun followed them down the stairs, both with empty hands, without any luggage at all.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you guys taking anything home with you?¡± Lin Ning asked, puzzled.

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°Whatever I need, I¡¯ll just fly back on my sword to get it.¡±

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s answer was even more extreme: ¡°I have three or four sets of all the daily necessities at my house, there¡¯s no need to take anything.¡±

    The rationale was clear to everyone; with money, you could do whatever you wished, even if it meant discarding clothes after wearing them just once ¨C they could afford it. But Lin Ningsu and Su Yunjin were ultimately restrained by their upbringing, unable to accept such wasteful extravagance, so they preferred to pack their luggage themselves.

    After everyone had left the house, Lin Ning was the last one to lock the door, then said to everyone:

    ¡°Okay then, see you on the seventh day of the New Year.¡±

    ¡°See you after the New Year,¡± the girls said in unison.

    Although Su Yunjin echoed their sentiment, she thought to herself: ¡°You guys will see each other after the New Year; I¡¯m going to visit the captain¡¯s house ahead of time, hmph.¡±

    Six streaks of sword light soared into the sky, each heading in a different direction.

    There were road signs on highways, but none for sword flight, and using a GPS would make the route jump erratically, so it¡¯s best to follow mountains, rivers, and check the map occasionally to maintain course, to avoid veering off too much.

    Xie Ruoxi flew upstream along the Yangtze River, while Yun Jin and Ling Yun headed downstream. Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen were bound for Lin¡¯an Prefecture, and Lin Ning for the farther Qingyuan Prefecture. The three first traveled south together, then went their separate ways near Nanki Lake.

    Yan Yu landed in the military manor of Lin¡¯an Prefecture, completed identity registration, and then made a phone call for his sister, Yan Jing, to come down and meet him.

    It was somewhat embarrassing; his parents had moved here a long time ago, and he had yet to visit their new home even once.

    Yan Jing came down to meet them shortly. She didn¡¯t seem to have changed much in the more than half a year since they last saw each other, although her cheeks seemed a bit rounder if anything had to be noted.

    ¡°Big bro! Sister Zhao!¡± She rushed over, took their hands, and led the way enthusiastically, ¡°Mom and Dad made boiled mutton in plain water today! The meat doesn¡¯t have any gamey flavor at all, and it¡¯s super delicious when dipped in soy sauce!¡±

    If they didn¡¯t already know the truth, even as her brother, Yan Yu would have almost been fooled by her energetic fa?ade into thinking this little girl really loved eating mutton.

    ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen seemed completely clueless, solemnly commenting, ¡°Boiling it in plain water without any green onions, ginger, or garlic, if it doesn¡¯t taste gamey, that means it¡¯s definitely good mutton.¡± S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Sister Zhao, make sure you eat a lot,¡± Yan Jing continued to bait her with her words, ¡°Don¡¯t let my brother eat it all.¡±

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen fell for it, scoffing, ¡°I can finish a plate in just a few minutes, at most I¡¯ll leave him one piece.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Yan Yu was worried she might actually turn into a Demonic Sect enchantress pig at the table, and quickly said, ¡°Behave yourself at my house! If you show no manners, I¡¯ll kick you out before the New Year¡¯s Eve dinner!¡±

    Hearing the first half of the sentence, Zhao Yuanzhen was still derisively snickering; it wasn¡¯t until he mentioned ¡°kicking you out before New Year¡¯s Eve dinner¡± that she was suddenly shocked and angrily thought:

    How dare this thief insult me so! Missing the New Year¡¯s Eve dinner is one thing, but being kicked out on New Year¡¯s Eve is quite another! I must avenge this affront; when the day comes for me to take charge, I will pay him back tenfold!

    ¡°`

    With these thoughts, an image came to mind:

    It was New Year¡¯s Eve, the whole family gathered together, and I had ordered a feast of delicacies, dragon liver and phoenix marrow, exquisite dishes beyond compare, their fragrances wafting enticingly, stimulating everyone¡¯s appetite. The children rubbed their hands eagerly, drooling in anticipation, while Yan Yu sat at the lower end of the table, about to gingerly pick up his chopsticks, when he heard my harsh shout, showing no mercy:

    ¡°You ill-mannered thing! I, your wife, haven¡¯t started eating yet and you dare to move your chopsticks? Get out!¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s face fell, and he silently stood up and left the house like a dog that had lost its home, while I delighted in the feast with the children¡­

    Zhao Yuanzhen was extremely satisfied with these thoughts, feeling rather smug, when suddenly her mind wandered off on a tangent:

    She saw Yan Yu leaving the house, dejected, uncertain of where to go, when suddenly Lin Ningsu, Su Yunjin, Chen Lingyun, and Xie Ruoxi appeared out of nowhere, surrounding him with their tender voices and coquettish laughter, saying things like, ¡°Zhao sister is so cruel, bullying the captain even on New Year¡¯s Eve,¡± ¡°We will only pamper you, Captain,¡± ¡°Come have a feast with us, Captain, with all kinds of delicacies and exotic foods, abalone and bird¡¯s nest, and, of course, the four of us~¡±, and they whisked him away.

    No! Not allowed!! Absolutely not!!!

    On reaching this part, Zhao Yuanzhen was suddenly beside herself with anger and transmitted her thoughts to Yan Yu, saying:

    ¡°If one day, I drive you out of the house, you mustn¡¯t let other women take advantage of the situation, otherwise I will never forgive you!¡±

    ¡°Crazy.¡± Yan Yu was utterly bewildered. ¡°There should be a limit to talking nonsense.¡±

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress saw him talking back and immediately reached out to twist the soft flesh of his waist, but Yan Yu, alert to her intentions, swiftly knocked her hand away and, just as quickly, pinched her buttocks.

    They were full yet firm to the touch, worryingly so.

    ¡°If you pinch my butt again, I¡¯m going to start hitting you!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was both furious and embarrassed as she threatened via thought transmission.

    ¡°Have you forgotten the fact that you can¡¯t beat me?¡± Yan Yu countered with a cold sneer.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was at a loss for words, and changed her line of attack:

    ¡°I might not be able to beat you, but I can sneak attack you! Touch my butt again, and tonight, after our dual cultivation, when you fall asleep, I will sit on top of you and smother you to death!¡±

    His statement was so peculiar that it made Yan Yu take a second glance.

    It seems it could actually smother someone to death.

    Seeing that Yan Yu had fallen silent, Zhao Yuanzhen sat up straight, thinking triumphantly, So the scoundrel¡¯s weakness is this? How laughable, tonight I will try sitting on him, let¡¯s see if he gets scared.

    Walking ahead, Yan Jing was unaware of anything and simply led the two to the door, where she knocked.

    It didn¡¯t take long for someone to come to the door, and it turned out to be Yan Yu¡¯s mother, wearing glasses.

    Meeting the Demonic Sect Enchantress for the first time, Yan¡¯s mother was also dazzled by her figure and beauty, but she quickly recovered and said with a smile:

    ¡°Come in first, Jingjing, get the slippers.¡±

    As the three of them entered and changed into slippers, they saw Yan Yu¡¯s father lying on the couch watching TV, while his mother was busy in the kitchen.

    ¡°We¡¯re back.¡± Yan Yu walked over and sat down next to his father.

    Yan Jing went to the kitchen to help her mother. Zhao Yuanzhen looked around and decided to sit next to Yan Yu as well.

    ¡°Hurry up and say hello.¡± Yan Yu transmitted to her.

    ¡°Hello, uncle.¡± The Demonic Sect Enchantress greeted him, ¡°My name is Zhao Yuanzhen.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Yan Yu¡¯s father gave the enchantress a glance, thinking, How did she just start calling me uncle?

    So this girl and my son are already in a relationship?

    ¡°Call me uncle,¡± Yan Yu corrected her with a smile.

    ¡°That¡¯s what they say on TV!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen argued back in thought, though she changed her words obediently, ¡°Hello, uncle.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Yan Yu¡¯s father wasn¡¯t a man of many words, and he pulled out a red envelope from the pocket of his coat, handing it over.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was about to reach for it, but Yan Yu stopped her and asked his father:

    ¡°What does this red envelope mean?¡±

    ¡°New Year¡¯s money,¡± Yan Yu¡¯s father replied nonchalantly, already with the explanation at hand.

 Chapter 455 - 51 Enchantress Takes Charge

    Chapter 455: Chapter 51 Enchantress Takes Charge

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Lin Ning¡¯s parents had actually heard about their son¡¯s amorous affairs in Jinling for some time. The main concern arose last year when there were rampant rumors that the Zhenhai Team was a harem team; it was the talk of the town and very troubling for them both.

    They asked their daughter, Yan Jing, who said that the Zhenhai Team indeed had many beautiful sisters, but it wasn¡¯t Yan Yu who was pursuing them. Instead, it seemed like they were all somewhat interested in Yan Yu.

    As a result, the unease of Yan Yu¡¯s parents deepened, for if a man likes many women, he might still restrain himself due to a sense of morality; but if many women like the same man, the situation is often much more dangerous, because the man would have a natural excuse: ¡°It¡¯s you girls who initiated it,¡± which allows him to shed any concerns or restraints of conscience and morality.

    Now that they saw their son bringing a girl home, they could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

    They finally saw some results, which was good.

    Having a steady girlfriend was better than wandering among a group of girls.

    ...

    Thinking this way, they grew very fond of Zhao Yuanzhen.

    ¡°Yuanzhen!¡± Lin Ning¡¯s mother called from the kitchen, ¡°Come and try the lamb.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was overjoyed and somewhat flattered. After all, at the team villa, although there was food to eat, the right to taste-test always belonged to Yan Yu, because Lin Ning was worried that if Zhao Yuanzhen took a bite and found it delicious, she would linger in the kitchen and refuse to leave.

    Lin Ning¡¯s mother¡­ no, my mother loves me!

    Seeing Zhao Yuanzhen stand up happily, Yan Yu¡¯s father also perceived the nuances.

    This prospective daughter-in-law, she really loves good food.

    Liking to eat wasn¡¯t a flaw, especially when she put on weight in all the right places and not so much in the wrong ones; her genetics were quite excellent. The ancients said ¡°a big buttocks is good for childbearing,¡± actually referring to a large pelvis reducing the risk of difficult childbirth, and Yan Yu¡¯s father didn¡¯t have many requirements for a daughter-in-law¡ªjust harmony between them and the ability to bear and raise children would suffice.

    Zhao Yuanzhen met these criteria well, so Yan Yu¡¯s father had no dissatisfaction with her, and he said to Yan Yu:

    ¡°With such a good girl, you should hold on tight.¡±

    ¡°How can you tell she¡¯s a good girl?¡± Yan Yu asked curiously.

    Yan Yu¡¯s father didn¡¯t answer directly but said instead:

    ¡°Remember Uncle Zhang you saw when you were young? His son¡¯s girlfriend, on her first day visiting his home, started discussing at length their local customs and how much dowry in cash and gold she expected, nearly driving him and his wife mad.¡±

    Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but chuckle.

    Of course, a Demonic Sect Enchantress was not someone easy to handle, and definitely not the type to say ¡°as long as you love me, I can give up everything else.¡± It¡¯s just that while ordinary women loved money, she didn¡¯t¡ªwhat she valued was strength alone, in which aspect I was somewhat of a billionaire.

    ¡°Also, her parents are no longer around,¡± Yan Yu¡¯s father continued. ¡°It¡¯s not pleasant to say, but after getting married, it indeed saves us a lot of trouble. Some in-laws can be very difficult to deal with, demanding a hefty bride price before the wedding, needing to manage finances after marrying, and secretly earning money to support the family. Your girlfriend, having no parents, wouldn¡¯t bring these kinds of problems.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not my girlfriend,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°She could be,¡± Yan Yu¡¯s father spoke.

    Yan Yu was at a loss for words; how had it come to selection already? What happened to the freedom to choose whom to love?

    Seeing that he did not respond, Yan Yu¡¯s father knew he was internally rejecting the idea. He glanced towards the kitchen, then lowered his voice to say:

    ¡°Did your mother tell you to be careful not to make someone pregnant? You don¡¯t have to listen to her, just go ahead and have children. Even getting a marriage certificate after getting pregnant is fine, we¡¯ll help you take care of the child.¡±

    ¡°I have my own plans,¡± Yan Yu declined tactfully.

    ¡°The other girls in your team, stop seeing them in private,¡± Yan Yu¡¯s father warned him further. ¡°Don¡¯t think you can keep a fishpond and pick the best one¡ªthose girls might¡¯ve already formed a group. Whatever you whisper to one, the others will know soon enough.¡±

    ¡°Dad,¡± Yan Yu, annoyed by the conversation, decided to be upfront. ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t want to be in a relationship right now.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I know that,¡± Yan Yu¡¯s father said. ¡°When I was young and surrounded by women, I wouldn¡¯t be in a hurry to settle down either. But have you ever considered that if you don¡¯t date, they might, and cultivation talent can be passed on to children. Maybe the higher-ups will arrange blind dates for them at any time and before you know it, they¡¯ll all be taken. What will you do then?¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I can rest easy,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°Zhao Sister definitely won¡¯t go on blind dates with someone else, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Is it a done deal?¡± Yan Father was somewhat shocked.

    But thinking about it more carefully, Zhao Yuanzhen, having no parents or family, must have lacked love from a young age. It¡¯s normal for her to give her all to someone she likes when she finally finds an object of affection.

    The son planned to keep her as a backup, which sounded somewhat dishonorable, but Yan Father couldn¡¯t control too much and could only say tactfully:

    ¡°Don¡¯t let her down.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes.¡± Yan Yu raised his hands in surrender. ¡°I promise not to let her down, alright now?¡±

    ¡°You promise not to let down whom?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen just came back from the kitchen, still holding a plate of lamb, feasting heartily.

    ¡°You¡¯re not dipping it in soy sauce?¡± Yan Yu was surprised.

    ¡°No need, can¡¯t even taste a hint of gamey flavor.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen put the plate on the coffee table and asked, ¡°Uncle, do you want some?¡±

    ¡°No, thanks. You eat,¡± Yan Father waved his hand and said, ¡°We¡¯ve been eating lamb for a few days now.¡±

    Yan Jing also happened to return to the living room and was startled upon hearing Yan Father¡¯s words: I just told sister-in-law how rare this lamb is, and dad, you¡¯re tearing down my act!

    Luckily, Zhao Yuanzhen didn¡¯t seem to notice and picked up another rib with bone, asking Yan Yu:

    ¡°Want some?¡±

    ¡°Without soy sauce, I won¡¯t eat it,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°What a pity.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen gloated, continuing to gnaw on the meat.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to get me some soy sauce?¡± Yan Yu glared and chastised.

    ¡°I won¡¯t get it for you, you have hands and feet,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen shook her head playfully, looking adorable. ¡°Get it yourself.¡±

    ¡°Dad, look,¡± Yan Yu turned to Yan Father and said, ¡°This is her character.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s right, go get it yourself,¡± Yan Father also glared and said.

    In Yan Father¡¯s eyes, a future daughter-in-law who still cared to serve her son while eating lamb was already behaving appropriately. On the other hand, it seemed somewhat greedy for Yan Yu to not only expect the lamb served to him but also demand the soy sauce to be brought to him.

    Seeing that her father-in-law was siding with her, Zhao Yuanzhen was instantly overjoyed and thought to herself:

    ¡°What the heck! I was worried that the little thief¡¯s parents would side with him, but it turns out they are so understanding! Besides, Jingjing is so well-behaved and sensible, how could her parents be difficult to get along with? Clearly, in this family, only the little thief is the odd one out. With just a little trick, I¡¯m sure to win the favor of my in-laws, isolating the little thief!¡±

    With this thought, a scene formed in her head:

    She saw old Yan Father and Yan Mother surrounded by grandchildren. After a few words to Yan Yu, if his attitude was slightly disrespectful, she would scold him sternly. Then Yan Father, Yan Mother, little sister, and daughters would all join in, unanimously accusing Yan Yu of being¡­ Ah, beautiful! That scene was simply too beautiful!

    Compared to the last time trying to isolate Yan Yu among her sisters in the Zhenhai Team, and instead being broken up by his divisive tactics, this plan seemed much more feasible.

    A pack of little vixens worrying about their Daoist couple couldn¡¯t compare to in-laws and a little sister ¨C one¡¯s own flesh and blood!

    With this in mind, Zhao Yuanzhen made up her mind.

    I¡¯ll flatter and please in every possible way, turning the little thief¡¯s parents and sister into my own parents and sister!

    This Yan Family might not necessarily be unable to bear the Zhao name! S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 456 - 52: Battle at Yan Family on the Second Day of the New Year

    Chapter 456: Chapter 52: Battle at Yan Family on the Second Day of the New Year

    In the days following his return home, Yan Yu noticed that something was off¡ªthe Demonic Sect Enchantress seemed to have transformed into a different person, spending her days either eating or chatting with Yan¡¯s mother and Jingjing.

    While residing in Jinling, she usually occupied herself with eating and watching TV, listening to other sisters chatting, and interjecting occasionally. Even with Xie Ruoxi, whom she got along with the best, there wasn¡¯t much to talk about. They bonded mainly over food, delighting in sharing.

    This enchantress! Where did she get such a fondness for conversation? Clearly, she was just cozying up to my mother and sister with ill intentions!

    Yan Yu made up his mind to just watch coldly from the sidelines.

    It wasn¡¯t hard to guess the enchantress¡¯s motives, merely aiming to ingratiate herself with my parents and sister so that I would hesitate to suppress her.

    What a joke! No matter how good her relationship with them is, could she ever compare to me, their real son and brother?

    ... sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu, however, was more concerned with state affairs than family matters.

    Yesterday, a mysterious realm known as ¡°Menyan Cangsong¡± appeared on Black Mountain Island in Goryeo, reportedly of a very high rank, thereby the Dingbei Army has issued a strict order. The Dragon Cavalry Team, along with the Flying Dragon Battle Team, are determined to conquer it by joint force.

    The swordsman of the Pear Blossom Courtyard goes without saying, with Baishan God Sword Park Changmin personally leading the charge. In addition, reinforcements from the Superhero Alliance, over 70 strong, are set to match wits with the cultivators of Mitchi Country.

    It¡¯s funny to talk about, since thus far in Mitchi Country, there have only been about a dozen entrances to mysterious realms that have been discovered, and even those weren¡¯t much use once developed. The local gods¡¯ Magic Artifacts and herbs are terribly incompatible with Western transcendents¡ªit¡¯s like having Chen Lingyun practice Dual Sword Control, the effects of which you can well imagine.

    This quirky national situation has given rise to a dual system of checks and balances between the ¡°Superhero Alliance¡± and the ¡°Homeland Strategic Bureau,¡± constantly causing them to split and feud internally: the Homeland Strategic Bureau prioritizes Mitchi¡¯s national interests, demanding that the superheroes fully counterbalance the cultivators of Lu Country, whereas the Superhero Alliance focuses on exploring, recruiting, and hiring Western transcendents, hence putting commercial interests first and often deliberately contravening the Homeland Strategic Bureau.

    Thus, the current situation everyone sees is the Superhero Alliance frequently causing disturbances round about Lu Country, as if desperate to meddle in everything, yet always ends up ineffectual. They talked about forming a tri-alliance to confront Lu Country in the battle of the Secret Realm of Li Palace, turned disloyal for actual gains after entering, neglecting the alliance¡ªXiandao Jingyin was even more determined to ¡°annihilate the cultivators of Lu Country¡± than they were.

    Although the battle for the Menyan Cangsong Secret Realm seems to be another outnumbered fight, considering the superficial unity of the opposing camp, it¡¯s actually simpler than the Li Palace Secret Realm; hence, the higher-ups did not deploy two top teams at the same time but sent Dragon Cavalry leading the Flying Dragon for an old mentor and new trainee battle experience.

    Liu Longtao cursed incessantly over this, as tomorrow would be the Eve of Lunar New Year¡ªa scenario that pretty much ruined any chance for a proper celebration¡­ Of course, when a mysterious realm appears, it must be tackled; Lord Master had to agree, but he couldn¡¯t stand why the old Yan had the comfort of celebrating at home.

    Yan Yu simply scoffed at this, first scoffing at Lord Master, then consoling Ye Jun before he would let it rest.

    With Lord Master stepping in, securing this mysterious realm was almost a certainty, no need to worry.

    Apart from Lord Master¡¯s news, messages from others gradually came in.

    The Zhenhai Team, comprised of five people, usually don¡¯t talk much in the group because they all live together (though they might prefer speaking in smaller groups), but now it was bustling with activity, each day filled with over 99 new messages.

    Lin Ning mentioned that she had been entertaining relatives these days, and that everyone used to ask ¡°Does Ningning have a partner?¡± but now they no longer asked.

    Yun Jin said that after returning home, her mother was teaching her how to cook noodles, and she could let everyone taste her culinary skills when she got back.

    The two seemed to be casually chatting, yet also hinting at something, their words filled with meaning.

    Ruoxi spoke little, only mentioning that she was playing video games non-stop at home; Ling Yun occasionally complained, apparently accompanying her parents to meet constant visitors¡ªduring the holiday period, guests flocked to the Governor¡¯s Mansion, and being the Governor¡¯s only daughter, she naturally couldn¡¯t avoid them.

    Fortunately, now that she was a cultivator, a frontline cultivator of a top battle team at that, no one dared to entertain thoughts of arranging a marriage for her.

    Among non-cultivators, no matter how distinguished their family positions might be, Chen¡¯s mother definitely wouldn¡¯t approve; she would never allow inferior genes to tarnish her daughter¡¯s progeny.

    Then look at how Zhao Yuanzhen spoke to them, ¡°Yan¡¯s father and mother are very enthusiastic¡±, ¡°Jingjing treats me like a sister¡±, ¡°Every day is just helping Yan¡¯s mother cook and eat and eat and eat¡±¡­ She always managed to leave everyone else speechless.

    Honestly, Zhao being able to move into the Yan household so openly was already winning at the starting line, making it hard for everyone to compare with her.

    But after all, they were all nice girls, and no one said any sour or strange words, just collectively expressing speechlessness.

    After looking through the messages for a while, Yan Yu suddenly received a private chat from Su Yunjin:

    ¡°Is it convenient to visit on the second day of the New Year? Does the captain have any arrangements at home?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°Are you coming alone, or with your parents?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll come alone.¡± Su Yunjin replied quickly, ¡°My parents have something to do that day.¡±

    Although it was said to be something to do, it was actually more about feeling embarrassed to come, as there was no formal recognition of their relationship. Yan Yu could understand that.

    The two made a plan, and Su Yunjin sent a ¡°Happy New Year, Captain¡± before logging off.

    It wasn¡¯t long before Chen Lingyun also sent a message:

    ¡°I¡¯ll come over on the second day of the New Year~¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Yan Yu typed quickly, ¡°Yun Jin is also planning to visit on the second. Could you change the day?¡±

    ¡°No change,¡± Chen Lingyun said. ¡°I want to run over to your house and get jealous with Yun Jin.¡±

    Although it was just a sentence sent over, Yan Yu could almost see the sweet yet devilish smirk on her face as she typed.

    ¡°Enough already,¡± he said helplessly. ¡°It¡¯s the New Year, don¡¯t create any trouble. Pick another day.¡±

    ¡°No change,¡± Chen Lingyun said.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll keep my doors shut,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go to Jingjing,¡± Chen Lingyun said. ¡°Let her tip off my aunt and uncle to see if they will turn me away.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    Damn, she¡¯s tough!

    It¡¯s the New Year; why are all these girls squeezing into my house? It¡¯s not some illegal rave!

    Before he could continue to warn Chen Lingyun, Lin Ning also sent a message:

    ¡°Captain, are you free on the second day of the New Year? I¡¯ll bring some New Year¡¯s goods for you.¡±

    ¡°Not free,¡± Yan Yu immediately replied. ¡°Pick another day.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m going to my grandma¡¯s on the third,¡± Lin Ning typed, ¡°and from the fourth to the sixth, my family is going on a trip. Only the second works for me.¡±

    ¡°Then don¡¯t come,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°How about this,¡± Lin Ning said. ¡°I¡¯ll bring the stuff over and leave it at your doorstep. You can just come out and pick it up.¡±

    Yan Yu was speechless and typed:

    ¡°Can¡¯t you deliver it another day?¡±

    ¡°Why does it have to be another day?¡± Lin Ning seemed a bit puzzled. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to be home on the second?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°The captain surely hasn¡¯t made plans to meet with someone else on the second, right?¡± Lin Ning suddenly asked suspiciously.

    ¡°¡­Stop asking. Just come on the second, I¡¯ll be home waiting for you,¡± Yan Yu decided to give up the fight. After all, with Yun Jin, Ling Yun, and the Demonic Sect Enchantress all coming, adding Ningning to the mix didn¡¯t seem to make much of a difference.

    At that point, Jingjing could just handle everything!

    Before Yan Yu could sort it all out, Xie Ruoxi also sent a message:

    ¡°Captain.¡±

    ¡°You want to visit my house, right? Let¡¯s make it on the second,¡± Yan Yu typed directly. ¡°The more, the merrier.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi: ¡­¡­¡­

    She looked blankly at her phone screen, thinking I wasn¡¯t planning on visiting your house at all!

    I just wanted to ask if I could take an extra day off on the seventh¡­

 Chapter 457 - 53: Mini Spring Festival Gala

    Chapter 457: Chapter 53: Mini Spring Festival Gala

    ¡°The day after tomorrow, which is the second day of the Lunar New Year, members from the war teams will come to visit,¡± Yan Yu said to his younger sister Yan Jing.

    ¡°Oh oh, sisters are coming over,¡± Yan Jing nodded, ¡°Who exactly is coming?¡±

    ¡°All of them,¡± Yan Yu said.

    Yan Jing: ???

    Come on, big brother! All of them are into you, can¡¯t you see that? During the New Year, even if each one has to come, you should at least stagger their visits!

    Even the fish in a pond will fight if you put them together!

    ...

    ¡°I¡¯ve already decided,¡± Yan Yu ignored her shocked expression, ¡°You will be in charge of receiving them.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Yan Jing was stupefied.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu said shamelessly, ¡°As my sister, it¡¯s your duty to vet potential sister-in-laws, right?¡±

    ¡°Has big brother already decided to choose a sister-in-law from among them?¡± Yan Jing tentatively asked with skepticism.

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°There are too many people who want to be your sister-in-law. You vet some now, and we¡¯ll vet the others when they arrive.¡±

    Yan Jing left with a heavy heart.

    It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t want to vet potential sister-in-laws. After all, Yan Jing had been doted on since she was little, the apple of her parents¡¯ eyes. Even though her brother sometimes deliberately bullied her, he mostly looked after her.

    If any new sister-in-laws were to come over, they had to be easy to talk to and fond of her. Otherwise, why would we let them into our home? To ruin my enviable position as the center of attention?

    But isn¡¯t this too many prospective sister-in-laws! We already have Sister Zhao at home, and now Sister Lingyun, Sister Ningning, Sister Yun Jin, and some Sister Ruoxi I¡¯ve never met before¡­ Is our home hosting some kind of dating show?

    The only consolation was that they all came from the Zhenhai Team, so there must be some camaraderie. They probably wouldn¡¯t be competing against each other during the New Year¡­ right?

    Yan Jing couldn¡¯t fool herself. When she came into the living room, she saw Yan¡¯s mother having an enthusiastic conversation with Zhao Yuanzhen.

    This was the second thing that gave Yan Jing a headache: her mother had been too impressed with Sister Zhao recently, to the point of treating her like a future daughter-in-law.

    If mother had already set her mind on Sister Zhao, what would her reaction be when she met the other sisters?

    Definitely not a happy one.

    Yan Jing sighed for a while, her irritation growing the more she thought about it, and she even began to feel a bit angry.

    Why should I dredge the pond that big brother dug?

    She stomped back to her room in a huff, pushed the door open, and yelled at Yan Yu:

    ¡°I quit! All this talk about this sister and that sister, you go explain it to mom and dad!¡±

    ¡°Two million,¡± Yan Yu stated.

    ¡°Leave the hosting of the sisters-in-law to your little sister,¡± Yan Jing bowed respectfully and backed out of the door.

    Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, then he turned back to his computer and resumed his work.

    This bedroom was arranged just like the room in his old home, including the laptop he bought in junior high, which he had brought over as well.

    The specs of that old computer, by today¡¯s standards, couldn¡¯t run many computer games, but Yan Yu didn¡¯t plan to use it for entertainment anyway; it was still convenient for watching live streams.

    In the stream, was the ¡°Gate Rock Pine Forest¡± Mysterious Realm broadcast, where the Dragon Soar Team and the Flying Dragon Battle Team joined forces to combat the Superhero Alliance and the Pear Blossom Courtyard swordsmen. The number of online viewers had already broken eighty million, and that was just from the internet channel ¨C it didn¡¯t include TV viewers, which were probably the majority.

    Netizens had dubbed this battle in the Mysterious Realm as ¡°Mini Spring Gala,¡± but judging from the current figures, the viewership overtaking the actual Spring Gala wasn¡¯t impossible.

    Entertainment-ifying super battles had become an almost global consensus. No existing nation wanted to admit they were at war with their neighbors nearly every month, for fear of affecting domestic investment confidence and public order and safety.

    Turning super battles into competitive sports¡ªfighting to the death during the match, but once it¡¯s over, nothing happened¡ªcontinued as normal, be it diplomacy or trade. It had become what experts called an ¡°international consensus.¡± To put it in simpler terms, everyone should not worry about a world war breaking out. It absolutely won¡¯t happen. Peace and development remain the dominant theme and strongest message.

    As for whether the public believes it or not¡­ well, Yan Yu certainly didn¡¯t, so he continued to study his opponents through live broadcasts.

    The screen was split in half, with the live stream window on the left and the chat column with Li Minghu on the right¡ªthis girl hadn¡¯t been discharged from the hospital yet and was bored, so she gladly agreed to help Yan Yu analyze the live combat, exchanging opinions, finding and fixing flaws together.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Park Changmin¡¯s strength has improved rapidly, much stronger than during the last battle at the Departure Palace.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Yes, but his swordsmanship level hasn¡¯t improved much.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: After switching to Flying Sword, his True Yuan is also much more powerful. He must have stacked it up with a large number of cultivation resources.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Park Changmin actually has the talent, but he just refuses to practice properly.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Is it because his sword techniques are awkwardly connected, indicating he has been slacking off in his practice recently?

    [Win Over with Virtitude]: No, it¡¯s because the Goryeo media recently caught him dating a girl group member. Engrossed in romance, how could he possibly train well?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Romance and serious training aren¡¯t necessarily at odds, are they?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: You¡¯ve never been in love, how would you know they aren¡¯t at odds?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Has Captain Yan ever been in love?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: No, why? Want to give it a try with me?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Now? Sure, but I¡¯m not comfortable with long-distance relationships. Why doesn¡¯t Captain Yan transfer to our Qing An Battle Team?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Hahaha, let¡¯s focus on the match, the Phoenix¡¯s Self-Combustion technique is really troublesome, Lord Master doesn¡¯t dare to confront it head-on, a single burn would cost him too much True Yuan.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: The Phoenix¡¯s head-to-head combat ability isn¡¯t that great either. Actually, what suits him best isn¡¯t frontal assaults but rather lateral restraints. If he suddenly dives in at a critical moment, if you dodge, he¡¯ll cut through and disrupt your formation; if you choose to block, you¡¯ll get scorched by the divine fire and lose True Yuan. It¡¯s a losing situation either way. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Right, but the Superheroes won¡¯t let him do restraints. He¡¯s a veteran in the league now, with a frighteningly high contracted salary. It is said that the Superhero Alliance is planning to cut his salary, but the Phoenix strongly opposes it, so he¡¯s definitely going to perform fiercely next, to boost fan loyalty and enthusiasm, perfect for tough salary negotiations with the league. If you assign him to do restraining tasks, he¡¯ll be the first to oppose.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: So, soldiers really shouldn¡¯t mix business with duty. Should business interests come first or military objectives? When public justice and personal interest get entangled, corruption easily arises.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: You¡¯re right about that, but Miti has its own unique national circumstances.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Speaking of which, Ye Jun¡¯s swordsmanship level seems to have noticeably advanced.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Indeed, she must have been refining her skills recently.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Why do I see someone¡¯s shadow in her progress?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: That¡¯s your illusion.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: I haven¡¯t even said who it is yet /smile.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Her swordplay style still focuses on restraints. Although it¡¯s about striking at the enemy¡¯s rescue points, she always stops short, not expanding on victory but focusing on harassment¡ªI can say that this tactic is very suitable for her.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Did you really not help her with that?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: No. Are you jealous?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Not jealous, just a little envious.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: When will Captain Yan critique my swordsmanship and help me plan and design?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Sure, come to Lin¡¯an, and I¡¯ll take a look for you.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: How about the second day of the New Year?

    Yan Yu almost flipped the computer in shock, but Li Minghu¡¯s new message quickly followed.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Haha, just kidding, I haven¡¯t been discharged yet.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Why choose the second day?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Because logically, it wouldn¡¯t be proper to visit on New Year¡¯s Day, in case there are any local customs, right? But the second day might be free.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Well, let¡¯s wait for your discharge, and then I¡¯ll come to find you.

 Chapter 458 - 54: Absolutely Impossible

    Chapter 458: Chapter 54: Absolutely Impossible

    The Yan Family¡¯s Lunar New Year¡¯s Eve dinner was quite simple.

    There were only five people, too few to finish a lavish meal, so they opted for simplicity.

    Recently, Zhao Yuanzhen had been keeping a low profile, as if addicted to it. She even personally served duck soup to Yan¡¯s father and mother and reserved duck legs for Yan Jing and Yan Yu, only then starting on the duck wings herself.

    Yan Yu was indifferent and calmly enjoyed his duck leg; however, Yan Jing was startled and felt a sense of foreboding.

    These tactics were actually not very clever. She could have managed them more subtly, but to Yan¡¯s father and mother, it felt entirely different.

    A daughter¡¯s filial piety towards her parents is natural, but a daughter-in-law showing respect¡­ that was exceedingly rare. It was known that in this widely awakened era, most people did not even show filial piety towards their own parents, let alone their in-laws.

    ...

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s clumsy maneuvering, though overly deliberate, appeared to Yan¡¯s father and mother as a sincere childlike heart, comparable to an ideal daughter-in-law and a virtuous wife in this lifetime. If not for the civil affairs office being closed on New Year¡¯s Eve, they would have been eager to send their son to register the marriage immediately.

    With that, by the time sister Lingyun and the others arrived, the house might just turn into a scene of chaos¡­ S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Thinking of this, she couldn¡¯t help but glare at her elder brother again.

    It was obvious that by the second day of the New Year, the fish pond rebellion wasn¡¯t mentioned by her brother to their parents. They were still in the dark and more convinced that sister Zhao was their daughter-in-law.

    By keeping it a secret, wouldn¡¯t it be a harsh blow for their parents when the sisters came knocking?

    After much thought, she felt it necessary to drop a hint.

    After the New Year¡¯s Eve dinner, Yan Yu and Yan¡¯s father returned to the living room and sat down on the couch.

    ¡°Watch the Spring Festival Gala or the match?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    The broadcasting rights, claimed by Ten-Speed, were announced as ¡°Mysterious Realm Confrontation Simulation.¡± Due to the lengthy and cumbersome name, people often simply called it ¡°the match.¡± The current battle of Gate Rock Piney Mountain was actually not an internal team simulation, but rather a real fight with other Transcendents, yet people still adopted the traditional name.

    ¡°Let¡¯s watch the match,¡± Yan¡¯s father said, ¡°You can explain things I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    The live broadcast was delayed, shot from multiple angles, and what the viewers saw depended on the director¡¯s cuts. If a scene showed a Cultivator from Lu Country injured or even killed, those images would not be broadcasted, strictly adhering to the principle of ¡°broadcasting joy, not sorrow¡±¡ª otherwise, people would not dare to entertain themselves with it on New Year¡¯s Eve.

    As Yan Yu turned on the TV, the battle seemed to be nearing its end.

    Splitting their forces, the Flying Dragon Battle Team, led by Cai Qianlong, had just toppled a Gatekeeper and was clearing the surrounding Mysterious Realm monsters.

    The Dragon Cavalry Team blocking the enemy behind them used the valley¡¯s terrain to occupy the entrance. While delaying the enemy¡¯s advance, they bought time for Cai Qianlong to refine the Nerve Center of the Mysterious Realm.

    Although outnumbered, the situation was not too deadlocked but was rather clear-cut:

    Yang Linhui summoned snowstorms to block the valley, hindering the enemy¡¯s pace; Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun paired up with their swords to repel any strong foes who could withstand the blizzard; and Ye Jun deployed the Xuan Guang Ruler to protect everyone, so they were not worried about remote firepower damage.

    Liu Longtao was displaying his awe-inspiring might, alternatively using swordsmanship to kill enemies and releasing Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens to brutally smash down on the opponents.

    His Taoism Method was way more lethal than Yang Linhui¡¯s. Transcendents with some defensive mechanisms dared to brave the storm, but upon seeing the Fire Dragon descend, they would immediately flee in panic and desperation.

    The only one who could stand a few rounds against Liu Longtao was the Goryeo Sword God, Park Changmin. He stood alone where Liu Longtao¡¯s Taoism Method couldn¡¯t reach, pressuring the flank with his superb swordsmanship, crossing the blizzard, and even threatening Yang Linhui¡¯s spells, forcing Liu Longtao to turn back in defense, which left him barely any time to deploy his Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens.

    ¡°Can this guy break through?¡± Yan¡¯s father asked worriedly.

    The very question he asked was also a concern for many viewers.

    Although the situation seemed stable, it was fraught with great hidden dangers, among them was Yang Linhui, who needed to sustain the sweeping blizzard.

    If they carelessly let a few through who could entangle him and prevent his spells, with others charging into the valley, the favorable situation could quickly deteriorate.

    It was precisely because of this that both Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler and Liu Longtao¡¯s swordplay were primarily focused on shielding Yang Linhui, but who could be certain on a battlefield? A slight misstep, allowing Park Changmin¡¯s Flying Sword to break through, could lead to disaster.

    ¡°Mmm,¡± Yan Yu replied after watching closely for a moment, smiling, ¡°No worries, he can¡¯t break through. Lu Country has this in the bag.¡±

    Yan¡¯s father, impressed, nodded and then asked:

    ¡°This Liu Longtao compared to you, who is more powerful?¡±

    ¡°He can¡¯t compare to me,¡± Yan Yu modestly said, ¡°But he is quite strong domestically.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Yan¡¯s father had also heard some comments from around that in Lu Country, no Cultivator was stronger than Yan Yu, but he had spent his life working cautiously in a state-owned enterprise. He did not completely believe it, nor did he spread the word elsewhere.

    Now, hearing his son boast, he instinctively cautioned him,

    ¡°Don¡¯t say things like that outside, even if you really are stronger than him.¡±

    ¡°Mm-hm,¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    ¡°Big brother is bragging again,¡± Yan Jing chuckled from the side.

    ¡°Hehe,¡± Yan Yu called out, ¡°Zhao Yuanzhen, come here!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was in the kitchen helping Yan¡¯s mother wash fruits when she heard him and immediately turned around,

    ¡°Coming!¡±

    She brought the fruits to the living room, popping a piece into her mouth, and then heard Yan Yu ask,

    ¡°Between Liu Longtao and me, who is more powerful?¡±

    ¡°He can¡¯t even beat me, and you¡¯re comparing yourself to him?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked in disbelief.

    ¡°Did you hear that?¡± Yan Yu looked around at his sister and father, sneering as he spoke.

    Yan¡¯s father neither agreed nor disagreed, and he then asked,

    ¡°How about Liu Longtao compared to that Goryeo guy, who is more powerful?¡±

    This question stumped Yan Yu.

    If one were to tell the truth, Park Changmin couldn¡¯t even compare to Liu Longtao, the difference in their True Yuan quality was significant. Lord Master could beat him black and blue just with straightforward swordsmanship combat without any use of Taoism Method.

    But explaining this was something Yan¡¯s father would not understand. Because all spectators saw Liu Longtao and Park Changmin clashing in a snowstorm, their swords matching each other blow for blow, each showing strengths and weaknesses.

    Of course, Lord Master was also distracted looking after other matters, so strictly speaking, Park Changmin had the upper hand, but quantifying how much this distraction affected Lord Master¡¯s strength wasn¡¯t easy to measure, and everyone still saw the two as nearly equals in ability.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just call it 50-50,¡± Yan Yu eventually answered, ¡°Not much difference.¡±

    Yan¡¯s father was disappointed with this answer but not surprised; he just continued to watch TV with a visibly tense expression.

    Alas, on New Year¡¯s Eve, we shouldn¡¯t be watching this. It¡¯s supposed to be a match with a clear advantage, and yet they¡¯ve styled it as evenly matched, unnecessarily creating suspense for everyone.

    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Yan Jing asked, ¡°if you are stronger than Liu Longtao, why not send the Zhenghai Team to fight?¡±

    ¡°To kill a chicken, there¡¯s no need to use an ox-cleaver,¡± Yan Yu casually responded.

    Yan¡¯s father was pleased with this answer, as he, too, disliked it when his son was frequently called to battle; it always worried the family.

    Yan¡¯s mother had cleared up the dishes when Yan Jing saw her chance as she was free and sneakily spoke up,

    ¡°Mom, there¡¯s something I need to tell you.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Yan¡¯s mother asked.

    ¡°Brother¡¯s battle team members are planning to visit on the second day of the New Year,¡± Yan Jing cautiously said.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Yan¡¯s mother replied without a second thought, ¡°Just have them stay for a meal; we¡¯re free that day.¡±

    ¡°They¡­,¡± Yan Jing hesitated for a moment, ¡°might all like big brother, and they will compete with Zhao sis.¡±

    ¡°What do little kids know about liking?¡± Yan¡¯s mother burst into laughter and said.

    Previously, during the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm, Yan¡¯s parents saw Yan Yu holding a soaked Li Minghu, brazenly appearing on live TV, and initially thought their son had a girlfriend on the sly¡­ But then TV experts explained that ¡°Li Minghu was unwell¡± and ¡°afraid she might catch cold,¡± and after Yan Yu also denied it on the phone, they realized it was a big misunderstanding.

    Having been mistaken once, they were not easily fooled again. Now, hearing their daughter say her son was digging ponds to raise fish, Yan¡¯s mother¡¯s first reaction was disbelief.

    Impossible!

 Chapter 459 - 55: I Have Many Friends

    Chapter 459: Chapter 55: I Have Many Friends

    Seeing her mother¡¯s disbelief, Yan Jing was somewhat at a loss for words.

    Isn¡¯t it understandable? My elder brother is now, after all, the number one cultivator in Lu Country, and many beautiful sisters like him, right?

    Alas, in Mom¡¯s eyes, no matter how accomplished her children are, they are always children who have never grown up.

    Anyway, I¡¯ve done my duty to inform. When the sisters start arriving one by one, don¡¯t blame me for not telling you!

    The group continued to watch the competition in the living room, and as Yan Yu had predicted, it was indeed thrilling yet safe. Several times, Yang Linhui¡¯s casting was nearly interrupted, but Lord Master quickly turned the tide and narrowly saved the situation.

    Only when Cai Qianlong completely refined the nerve center of the Mysterious Realm did the situation completely turn around.

    ...

    With control over the prohibitions of the Mysterious Realm, cultivators from Lu Country soon launched a counterattack, beating the opposition into a complete rout. If it hadn¡¯t been for Park Changmin displaying his formidable power and desperately covering for them, they might have all fallen there.

    ¡°This match was played quite beautifully,¡± Yan Yu finally concluded.

    After the two teams of cultivators entered the Mysterious Realm, they didn¡¯t engage with the allied forces directly but quickly located the goalkeeper and used the terrain to their advantage, refining the nerve center first¡ªclassic special forces decapitation tactics that maximized the advantage of having fewer but stronger individuals.

    Looking at the time, it was already 11:40 PM. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu¡¯s parents and sister had gone to sleep, and Yan Yu himself had cleaned up and returned to his bedroom.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, although provided a guest room by the family, as usual preferred not to stay in it¡­ just like at the Jinling Villa, despite having her own bedroom, she always insisted on sleeping in my bed every night.

    Alas, the Enchantress, though her fierce nature is unchanged, has at least been trained by me to stick to one bed! That¡¯s considered a meritorious deed.

    ¡°Although it¡¯s New Year¡¯s Eve, we mustn¡¯t forget to do our Breathing and Energy Refining exercises,¡± the Demonic Sect Enchantress soon came through the wall and declared righteously, ¡°Cultivation is like rowing upstream, not advancing is retreating; let¡¯s start training at once!¡±

    ¡°No rush,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°I¡¯m waiting for the New Year.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s unnecessary,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, sitting on the bed, complained, ¡°Why do you people love celebrating festivals so much? We never celebrate them.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°You¡¯ll see soon enough.¡±

    As the time moved to 11:59 PM, the messages in his phone finally started increasing, many people sending ¡°Happy New Year,¡± occasionally mixed with a spontaneous red packet¡­ Zhao Yuanzhen, no longer asking questions, quickly positioned herself by the phone, intensively scouting all major chat groups, furiously tapping whenever a red packet appeared.

    ¡°Your family¡¯s internet is too bad¡­¡± Her complaint hadn¡¯t finished when suddenly the loud sounds of firecrackers erupted outside.

    The New Year had arrived.

    Yan Yu picked up his phone again, seeing many friends sending him New Year¡¯s wishes.

    Some were obviously sent in bulk, like ¡°Wishing you everything goes well¡± or ¡°May all your wishes come true¡±; Yan Yu used The Great Technique of Moving Flowers and Connecting Trees, forwarding A¡¯s wishes to B and B¡¯s to A, and that was that.

    But some were clearly ¡°written for Yan Yu,¡± and he seriously replied to them, such as Yun Jin, Ningning, Ruoxi, Ling Yun¡­ Chen Lingyun, that woman, can be ignored; that¡¯s another story.

    ¡°How¡¯s it going, Old Yan?¡± Liu Longtao also sent a message, ¡°Am I awesome or what?¡±

    ¡°Awesome,¡± Yan Yu responded tersely, and then he blocked him¡ªbecause Lord Master was definitely going to start bragging.

    ¡°Happy New Year,¡± Ye Jun also messaged, ¡°Are you asleep?¡±

    ¡°Not yet, waiting for you,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°Haha, I don¡¯t believe you,¡± Ye Jun typed, ¡°I¡¯m at the airport, just dismounted my Flying Sword; fighting on New Year¡¯s Eve, shedding tears.¡±

    ¡°Tough,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°consider it attending the Spring Festival Gala. Oh, by the way, the viewer ratings for this match, they say, are even higher than the Spring Festival Gala.¡±

    ¡°So I¡¯m famous now?¡± Ye Jun joked.

    ¡°Your fame is known by everyone from Northeast to Nanjiang,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    After chatting for a few sentences, Li Minghu also sent a message:

    ¡°Happy New Year. My parents and Ah Jiang just came to see me, they¡¯ve gone back now.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still in the hospital?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Though there were no voices in online chatting, Li Minghu¡¯s ¡°yeah¡± seemed to contain endless sadness, ¡°They said they¡¯re afraid I¡¯ll have a sudden attack, only making the doctors and nurses accompany me here for New Year¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°And me,¡± Yan Yu typed, ¡°I¡¯m also accompanying you.¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Li Minghu replied, ¡°You should sleep early.¡±

    Ye Jun sent another message, and Yan Yu hurried to reply. Typing halfway, Li Minghu¡¯s message also came; he quickly switched to check it, hurriedly replied to Ye Jun, then switched back to type to Li Minghu¡­ Juggling both, he was incredibly busy.

    After grabbing all the red packets, Zhao Yuanzhen calculated her earnings at 59.62 yuan and couldn¡¯t help but feel somewhat angry.

    All this for such a small amount of money?

    She impatiently tapped her leg, then looked at Yan Yu, who was still focused on typing, and said:

    ¡°I¡¯m going to bed first, then; call me when you¡¯re ready to start your practice.¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t have time to pay her any attention because Tang Xiaolian had also sent a message:

    ¡°Happy New Year! Captain Yan, I have to tell you, Captain Zhou has started arguing with her family¡­¡±

    ¡°Captain Zhou has a family?¡± Yan Yu was surprised, ¡°Wasn¡¯t this girl abandoned by her parents and raised by her grandmother since she was a child?¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly.¡± Tang Xiaolian began to explain.

    It turned out that after Zhou Hongyu became the captain of the Huofeng Team and achieved fame and fortune, it also caught the attention of her biological parents.

    Her father, who hadn¡¯t cared for over a decade, including her grandparents, had now started to show warmth and tried to mend the relationship.

    Of course, with Zhou Hongyu¡¯s stubborn temperament, she simply blocked them all and ignored them.

    Her mother¡¯s side was a bit disgusting; apparently, she¡¯d call every so often to harass her, sometimes crying and claiming how she had no choice but to leave her with her grandmother, and at other times, insulting her for being disobedient, ungrateful, and lacking in filial piety, which infuriated Zhou Hongyu. After blocking her number, the mother would just switch to a new number a few days later and call again, proving to be incredibly persistent.

    Yan Yu slightly furrowed his brows, thinking that he hadn¡¯t known about this reason in his past life.

    Could it be that Zhou Hongyu¡¯s death in his past life wasn¡¯t entirely due to her self-destructive tendencies, but also related to her mother¡¯s constant harassment?

    ¡°Did you tell the leaders?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Not yet.¡± Tang Xiaolian replied, ¡°Captain Zhou doesn¡¯t want us to report this upwards.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Yan Yu initially typed, ¡°Why don¡¯t you secretly tell the military leaders about it,¡± thought for a moment, and quickly deleted the text.

    Since Zhou Hongyu didn¡¯t want to expose her family¡¯s disgrace, Tang Xiaolian secretly snitching and making the issue public would undoubtedly affect how Zhou Hongyu views her severely.

    Since this girl has secretly passed the information to me, I can¡¯t just use her like trash, wiped out and discarded¡ªthat doesn¡¯t fit the profile of someone with my noble character.

    I¡¯ll find an opportunity to help her out next time.

    Yan Yu looked back at his phone; he had only chatted with Tang Xiaolian for a short while, and Ye Jun and Li Minghu had already sent him seven or eight messages.

    There was no choice but to quickly reply to the two of them.

    ¡°Hey, hey, I¡¯m asking you!¡± Tang Xiaolian¡¯s message popped up again.

    Yan Yu quickly switched over to confirm; it turned out she was telling him ¡°not to reveal anything about Captain Zhou¡¯s situation to anyone else.¡±

    ¡°Of course, my mouth is zipped up tighter than anyone¡¯s,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°You took so long to reply.¡± Tang Xiaolian asked discontentedly, ¡°Are you chatting with someone else?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°I¡¯m actually chatting with Zhou Hongyu right now, mocking her about this situation.¡±

    ¡°Captain Zhou said at 10 PM in the group that she was going to sleep,¡± Tang Xiaolian clearly wasn¡¯t fooled, ¡°Who are you trying to fool here?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s fooling you,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°We¡¯re currently chatting heatedly.¡±

    Before Tang Xiaolian could respond, Ye Jun¡¯s message came through:

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you replying to my messages? You¡¯re chatting with someone else, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Yan Yu suddenly felt a tightness in his breath and hurriedly typed a response:

    ¡°No way, I had just gone to the restroom, what¡¯s up?¡±

    Ye Jun didn¡¯t respond, and Li Minghu also sent a message:

    ¡°Did you fall asleep?¡±

    Yan Yu slightly furrowed his brows, thinking that the messaging efficiency on one phone was indeed a bit low, easily causing him to neglect one side while managing the other.

    If he bought another phone, employing the method of Dual Sword Control to multitask, typing with each hand on a different phone, he could probably solve this issue¡­ Hm?

    Why was Yun Jin calling him now?

    Upon checking, it turned out she had sent him several messages, which he hadn¡¯t replied to for about ten minutes¡ªduring that time, he was caught up between Ye Jun, Li Minghu, and Tang Xiaolian, with incessant new messages, so he hadn¡¯t managed to see her messages.

    Alas, I have too many friends; interpersonal interactions are exhausting me!

    Yan Yu picked up the phone nonchalantly and smiled:

    ¡°Happy New Year, Yun Jin.¡±

    On the other end of the phone, Su Yunjin was about to ask what he had been doing (whether he was chatting with Ningning or Ling Yun), but hearing his greeting, she suddenly felt strangely reassured.

    ¡°Happy New Year, Captain,¡± she responded gently.

 Chapter 460 - 56 Yun Jin Wins Over Future Mother-in-Law, Enchantress Only Knows to Sleep Soundly

    Chapter 460: Chapter 56 Yun Jin Wins Over Future Mother-in-Law, Enchantress Only Knows to Sleep Soundly

    On the first day of the Lunar New Year, nothing happened.

    Mother Yan took Zhao Yuanzhen and Yan Jing shopping, saying that she wanted to buy them new clothes and incidentally prepare the ingredients needed for the following day.

    Yan Yu and Father Yan stayed at home, whiling away their time watching television.

    Father Yan, like most fathers in Lu Country, on one hand, really wanted to communicate with his children; on the other hand, he cared a great deal about maintaining his dignity as a father. Therefore, most of the time he would make conversation out of nothing. Fortunately, having lived two lifetimes, Yan Yu would not let his father feel embarrassed. He picked some amusing stories about his teammates and shared them as jokes, providing fodder for their father-son chat.

    ¡°So this cultivation talent, it¡¯s fixed from the beginning, right?¡± Father Yan asked, ¡°That good-looking ¡®useless¡¯ person you mentioned¡­¡±

    ¡°Xie Ruoxi,¡± Yan Yu reminded him.

    ...

    ¡°Right, her cultivation talent is very good,¡± Father Yan asked uncertainly, ¡°But she¡¯s not smart¡­ Is it possible for such a situation to exist? I remember in martial arts novels, practicing martial arts ultimately depends on one¡¯s perception.¡±

    ¡°But cultivation isn¡¯t like that,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°A very smart person could have really poor cultivation talent.¡±

    ¡°Like that someone, the official¡¯s second generation¡­¡±

    ¡°Chen Lingyun,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Her mind is quite sharp, ten thousand Xie Ruoxis put together couldn¡¯t compare; but if we compare cultivation talent, it¡¯s the exact opposite.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Father Yan pondered for a while, ¡°Then how does your cultivation talent compare to theirs?¡±

    Uncharacteristically, Yan Yu hesitated for a moment before saying,

    ¡°It¡¯s all right, I guess. Cultivation talent is indeed important, but in the end, it still comes down to combat strength, and there are many more factors to consider there.¡±

    ¡°Is it like this?¡± Father Yan tried to understand the principle, ¡°Cultivation talent is like the family you¡¯re born into, something that¡¯s determined at the time of your reincarnation.¡±

    ¡°Poor talent is like being born into a poor family, making it much harder to strive for a career in the future compared to those born into better circumstances, but it¡¯s not entirely without chance.¡±

    ¡°Mhm mhm,¡± Yan Yu laughed guiltily, ¡°Like finding a wealthy person to go into partnership with¡­ there are many ways to play to one¡¯s strengths and avoid weaknesses.¡±

    ¡°So if you were to choose a partner, it would be best to find someone with a good cultivation talent, to avoid burdening your descendants in this respect,¡± Father Yan quickly concluded, ¡°How is Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s talent?¡±

    ¡°Pretty good,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Better than you?¡± Father Yan asked.

    ¡°Than me?¡± Yan Yu thought, can we not bring this up, please, ¡°About the same, I guess.¡±

    ¡°They all can¡¯t compare to that ¡®useless¡¯¡­ Xie Ruoxi, right?¡± Father Yan corrected himself promptly, ¡°Other than her talent being good, in what other aspects does she excel?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s beautiful,¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°Her personality is a lot like Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°What about the others?¡±

    ¡°Each has their own features, it¡¯s hard to say,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°You will see when they come over tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Father Yan seemed to remind casually, ¡°Your mother likes Zhao Yuanzhen a lot.¡±

    ¡°No worries,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°What she says doesn¡¯t count.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you have your own opinions,¡± Father Yan said seriously, ¡°But if you¡¯re going to date, then date; if not, don¡¯t lead people on. Don¡¯t cheat on someone¡¯s feelings or you might incur karma¡­ Now that Spiritual Energy has been revived, you must be careful with cause and effect.¡±

    ¡°Mhm mhm, don¡¯t worry, Dad,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, ¡°I have a clear understanding of it.¡±

    In this life, I seek not the lengthy bonds of kinship, but rather the lofty ideals of nation and people! Saving multitudes and bearing great merit, even karma can be a good thing. Who would dare harm me?

    Seeing his son¡¯s resolute expression, Father Yan knew his son had made up his mind and wouldn¡¯t change it, so he refrained from saying more. They would just wait until the next day to see who else from his son¡¯s team would come by, so he too would know what to expect.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Come the morning of the second day of the Lunar New Year, Mother Yan rose early to prepare for the family banquet.

    Yan Jing had told her that all the members of the Zhenhai Team would come, adding Zhao Yuanzhen, that would make a total of five guests.

    She was washing ingredients in the kitchen when suddenly the doorbell rang.

    ¡°I¡¯m coming!¡± Yan¡¯s mother hurried over to open the door, only to see Su Yunjin standing outside with a beaming smile, holding a gift box and softly saying,

    ¡°Hello, auntie, I¡¯m Yun Jin, here to pay a New Year¡¯s visit.¡±

    ¡°Please come in, please come in!¡± Yan¡¯s mother scrutinized her carefully while politely saying, ¡°Next time, you don¡¯t need to bring a gift; you¡¯re being too formal¡­¡±

    As she spoke, she suddenly felt something was off.

    This young lady was too pretty.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was also very good-looking, but completely different in style. Whether it was her facial features or her figure, there was a kind of raw, wild charm to her¡ªthrough the perspective of a country grandmother, ¡°she looked like someone who could bear children well.¡±

    If Zhao was likened to a blooming rose, then Su Yunjin resembled a fresh and elegant water lily. Her beauty was more reserved, understated, like the typical delicate beauty from a Jiangnan Water Town, even the subtle nuances of her speaking tone carried the gentle accent of the Wu region.

    Yan¡¯s mother brought slippers for Su Yunjin and took the gift bag from her¡ªunsure of its contents, but the packaging alone was a sign of a branded item.

    ¡°Please have a seat,¡± Yan¡¯s mother said with a smile, ¡°Yan Yu is still asleep, I¡¯ll go wake him up.¡±

    ¡°No need, let the captain sleep a bit longer,¡± Su Yunjin hurriedly stopped her, ¡°He works so hard usually, let him rest well during the New Year.¡±

    Such considerate words were something Zhao Yuanzhen couldn¡¯t express, for she was the type who would leave a duck leg for Yan Yu but couldn¡¯t resist eating the duck wing herself, so much so that Yan¡¯s mother¡¯s thoughts started to waver.

    The two sat on the couch chatting for a while, and Yan¡¯s mother learned that both of Su Yunjin¡¯s parents were university professors, immediately taking an extra liking to her. Since she was a high school teacher herself, she naturally had a special, beautifying filter for colleagues.

    Yuanzhen grew up without parents, which spared the friction that might occur with in-laws, but it didn¡¯t sound very nice when brought up; Yun Jin came from an intellectual family, seemingly a better match with my son¡­

    What am I thinking! Yan¡¯s mother suddenly startled herself.

    This girl has good conditions, but she may not fancy my son; how can I be so presumptuous?

    One must learn to be content! Yuanzhen is great already, there¡¯s no need to compare her with others as if shopping in a vegetable market!

    Thinking this, Yan¡¯s mother suppressed her undisclosed thoughts and continued to engage in warm conversation with Su Yunjin. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The room door suddenly opened, it was Yan Jing rubbing her eyes as she came out. Upon seeing the guest clearly, she said with a smile:

    ¡°Sister Yun Jin is here!¡±

    ¡°Jingjing,¡± Su Yunjin, seemingly producing it from nowhere, handed over a red envelope, ¡°This is for you, Happy New Year!¡±

    ¡°Wow, thank you, Sister Yun Jin!¡± Yan Jing immediately cooed, ¡°I don¡¯t object to you and my brother getting together!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡± Yan¡¯s mother quickly scolded her daughter, but seeing that Su Yunjin did not argue, only that her smile seemed somewhat shy, her heart gave a sudden jolt.

    Ah¡­ Could it be?

    This girl likes my son too?

    Although Su Yunjin appeared focused on Yan Jing, she didn¡¯t miss any of the changes in Yan¡¯s mother¡¯s expression. With her astute mind, she immediately guessed that Yan¡¯s mother¡¯s altered expression was probably because she had already considered Zhao as her future daughter-in-law, but now, seeing herself, she began to waver.

    That was close! Thankfully, I came over on the second day of the New Year, otherwise if I had delayed until the sixth, mother-in-law might have even bought Zhao a gold bracelet!

    Turning her thoughts around then would have been extremely difficult!

    She had already done her homework, not only knowing that the team captain¡¯s mother was a high school Chinese teacher but also which school she taught at, which grade, and her personality¡­ She had gathered clear details from the school forums and came fully prepared, determined to win over her prospective mother-in-law completely.

    Seeing that Yan¡¯s mother looked a bit uneasy, Su Yunjin pretended not to notice and continued speaking softly with her, talking about funny stories of Yan Yu in the Zhenhai Team.

    Yuanzhen, however, had never mentioned these things to me¡­ Yan¡¯s mother instantly became more hesitant, thinking that Yun Jin seemed to have a very close relationship with my son, how else could she know these things?

    She had already made up her mind about Zhao Yuanzhen, but now she couldn¡¯t help doubting again.

 Chapter 461 - 57: Yun Jin Hunting, Lin Ning Following Behind

    Chapter 461: Chapter 57: Yun Jin Hunting, Lin Ning Following Behind

    Su Yunjin was from a scholarly family and had read extensively, making her understanding of military strategies even deeper than Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s. She knew that the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law seemed to be about the two women, but at its core, it was actually about the husband.

    You could try to please your mother-in-law in every possible way, but it would be half the effort with half the result since the two of you ultimately did not share a blood relationship;

    However, if you were in harmony with your husband, even if you did not seek to please your mother-in-law, as long as she was willing to think of her son, she would take the initiative to maintain a good relationship with the daughter-in-law, to spare her son from being caught in the middle.

    This was the daughter-in-law¡¯s strategy!

    Su Yunjin saw this very clearly. Since Sister Zhao had taken the lead and established a good relationship with the mother-in-law, Su Yunjin focused on showing that she was ¡°a very good match for the team leader,¡± indirectly attacking Yan Yu¡¯s mother¡¯s defenses.

    ¡°Before the New Year, the team leader visited my home once,¡± Su Yunjin casually remarked to Yan Yu¡¯s mother, ¡°We went to Baoshan Zen Temple, and just the day before, a landslide caused by a heavy rain had occurred. The roads to the mountain weren¡¯t restored yet, so there were no visitors at all in the temple.¡±

    ...

    ¡°It¡¯s better with fewer visitors,¡± Yan Yu¡¯s mother remarked thoughtfully. ¡°Lingying Temple is crowded all year round, lacking any hint of the Buddhist sect¡¯s tranquility.¡±

    ¡°Exactly, it feels more atmospheric when it¡¯s not crowded,¡± Su Yunjin replied with a smile. ¡°We walked around the mountain temple, drew lots for marital harmony, then went around the small town below, took many photos on the bridge across the lake, and then returned home.¡±

    She took out her phone and showed Yan Yu¡¯s mother the pictures they had taken together.

    Yan Yu¡¯s mother looked at them without changing her expression, sorrowing inside:

    My boy! Since you¡¯re so close to Yun Jin, why did you bring Yuanzhen home for New Year as well? You better not be the kind of man who two-times!

    ¡°Yun Jin, how did my older brother behave when he met your parents?¡± Yan Jing piped up from the side.

    ¡°He was very calm,¡± Su Yunjin answered with a laugh. ¡°It was my parents who were more nervous than him.¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s mother didn¡¯t know what to say. Since her son had already met the girl¡¯s parents, it was only natural for Yun Jin to come to meet his parents today, but Yuanzhen¡­

    If you have no special relationship with Yuanzhen and only brought her home for New Year because she has no family, you should have made that clear to mom from the beginning!

    After silently sighing for a moment, Yan Yu¡¯s mother looked at Yun Jin again, this time with a different expression in her eyes.

    If it were up to her, she would still lean towards Zhao Yuanzhen, but since her son preferred Su Yunjin, there wasn¡¯t much she could do as a mother; they couldn¡¯t be the ones to break up two lovers, right?

    ¡°Have you had breakfast?¡± Yan Yu¡¯s mother asked with concern, ¡°We were just about to make breakfast, what would you like to eat?¡±

    ¡°I rushed over and haven¡¯t eaten yet,¡± Su Yunjin immediately said with a smile, ¡°Let me help out.¡±

    After an emergency training at home for a few days, although she hadn¡¯t reached the level of Lin Ning, who was adept in all cooking techniques, she could still manage to cook a simple meal, make some plain porridge, and chop some side dishes.

    Yan Yu¡¯s mother turned down her offer several times, but Su Yunjin insisted on helping out, so she had no choice but to let her into the kitchen.

    Seeing Su Yunjin put noodles in the pot, stirring with chopsticks to prevent sticking, and scooping them out when they were almost done¡­ Yan Yu¡¯s mother¡¯s heart unnoticeably tilted again because although Yuanzhen was beautiful, had a good figure, sweet mouth, and a simple mind, she probably didn¡¯t know the first thing about cooking and hadn¡¯t helped out in the kitchen these past few days.

    Although she knew it was an unrealistic expectation, Yan Yu¡¯s mother still held the traditional belief that ¡°a woman must learn to cook after marriage,¡± otherwise what would they do when they had children in the future? Eat takeout all the time? It¡¯s all unhealthy oil!

    Since Yun Jin was willing and could cook, that was a significant advantage, but Yuanzhen¡­ Oh!

    Why did you get involved with so many nice girls, son?!

    Yan Yu¡¯s mother was a mix of emotions, both proud of her son being so desirable and speechless about the current situation. Zhao Yuanzhen and Su Yunjin, each felt like a treasure in her hands, now having to choose one to stay and one to go, how could she choose?

    Maybe just get rid of Jingjing, the mischief maker!

    Yan Jing, unaware of her mother¡¯s thoughts, heard the doorbell ring and hurriedly went to open the door.

    ¡°Sorry to disturb!¡± Lin Ning¡¯s voice came from outside.

    Su Yunjin¡¯s expression changed; then she quickly masked her reaction in front of Yan Yu¡¯s mother, only turning her astonished look back to see Lin Ning at the door, swapping into slippers given by Yan Jing.

    The two women locked eyes, each feeling surprised, frustrated, and at a loss for words.

    What are you doing here?

    ¡°I¡¯ve come to pay a New Year¡¯s visit!¡±

    ¡°The captain didn¡¯t mention that you¡¯d be coming today too!¡±

    Upon hearing the voices, Yan¡¯s mother came out of the kitchen. Lin Ning hurriedly smiled and handed over the bag she was carrying, saying,

    ¡°Auntie, hello, I¡¯m Lin Ning, a member of Yan Yu¡¯s Team. I came to pay a New Year¡¯s visit and brought some seafood¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, how embarrassing,¡± Yan¡¯s mother wanted to be polite, but since she was still cooking in the kitchen, she could only gesture for Yan Jing to quickly take it and said, ¡°Lin Ning, you go sit over there first, auntie is cooking noodles here; it¡¯ll be ready soon. By the way, have you had breakfast?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re cooking?¡± Lin Ning instantly rolled up her sleeves, ¡°Let me help then.¡±

    ¡°But you are a guest, how can we have guests cook?¡± Yan¡¯s mother instinctively wanted to refuse, but Lin Ning saw Su Yunjin coming out of the kitchen earlier, just as Zhao Yuanzhen would have upon seeing someone eating¡ªshe couldn¡¯t hold herself back. She immediately entered the kitchen without further ado and started helping prepare the food.

    Yan¡¯s mother hurriedly followed into the kitchen, only to see that Lin Ning¡¯s knife skills were exceptionally fast. It was not just Yun Jin¡ªshe was even more skilled than Yan¡¯s mother herself, who felt suddenly too embarrassed to ask her to stop.

    Su Yunjin¡¯s face darkened alongside. She had only trained a few days in cooking; how could she compare to Lin Ning, who had refined her skills over many years? Knowing she was no match, she could only swallow her pride and busied herself watching the pots and lending a hand.

    The two girls were bustling in the kitchen¡ªone chopping and preparing vegetables, the other managing the pots and the fire¡ªleaving Yan¡¯s mother with nothing to do but to ask various questions:

    ¡°Do you also cook for yourselves over in Jinling?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Before Su Yunjin could speak, Lin Ning immediately responded, ¡°I¡¯m responsible for the team¡¯s meals.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Yan¡¯s mother expressed her relief, ¡°It¡¯s better to eat less takeout, it¡¯s unhealthy.¡±

    Su Yunjin opened her mouth at the side but had nothing to say, managing only to force a smile and persuading Yan¡¯s mother:

    ¡°Auntie, why don¡¯t you take a rest in the living room? We can take care of the kitchen.¡±

    First, get the mother-in-law out, so she wouldn¡¯t be dazzled by Ningning¡¯s cooking skills!

    ¡°Auntie, where is the oyster sauce?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    Yan¡¯s mother, initially planning to leave after hearing Yun Jin¡¯s words, went instead to open the refrigerator and passed ingredients to Lin Ning.

    ¡°Do you have beef rolls?¡± Lin Ning asked again.

    ¡°Yes, do you need beef rolls?¡± Yan¡¯s mother wondered.

    ¡°The captain likes to add beef rolls and various meatballs when cooking noodles,¡± Lin Ning efficiently tied her hair back, displaying the sharp efficiency of a housewife, and stated, ¡°I¡¯ll add some greens and drop a little sesame oil. A mix of meat and vegetables suits his taste perfectly¡­ Yun Jin, how long have the eggs been simmering? The captain loves them soft-boiled, just six or seven minutes should do.¡±

    ¡°Uh.¡± Although Su Yunjin knew how to boil eggs, she couldn¡¯t remember Yan Yu¡¯s preferences. Hearing this, she could only force a smile and said, ¡°I think they¡¯ve been there for about three or four minutes.¡±

    ¡°Let me check.¡± Lin Ning scooped up the eggs with a spatula, shook them slightly, and after probing with her Divine Sense, stated definitively, ¡°Another minute and a half.¡±

    Seeing Lin Ning¡¯s expression, Yan¡¯s mother sensed something was amiss. She thought, how does this girl remember my son¡¯s dietary preferences so clearly, including many details even I, as his mother, don¡¯t know! Could she be¡­ just like Yuanzhen and Yun Jin?

    Su Yunjin, barely holding herself together, transmitted to Lin Ning:

    ¡°Ningning, I entered the kitchen first.¡±

    ¡°The kitchen does not concern itself with order,¡± Lin Ning calmly replied, ¡°The capable one leads.¡±

    ¡°Why did you come to pay a New Year¡¯s visit today?¡± Su Yunjin asked.

    ¡°I came to deliver New Year¡¯s goods, having already arranged with the captain,¡± Lin Ning was also irritated, retorting, ¡°Why did you come today?¡±

    ¡°I had arranged with the captain to visit today!¡± Su Yunjin became anxious, ¡°Didn¡¯t the captain tell you?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lin Ning seemed to realize something and couldn¡¯t help becoming annoyed, ¡°That big jerk of a captain!¡± S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 462 - 58: Everyone Assembles, Shocking Lady Yan

    Chapter 462: Chapter 58: Everyone Assembles, Shocking Lady Yan

    Mom Yan, weighed down by concerns, returned to the living room and instructed her daughter:

    ¡°Go and wake up your brother.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± Yan Jing, realizing that her mother was gearing up to interrogate, quickly defended her brother, ¡°Mom, I¡¯ve warned you before that they all have a thing for big bro, you just wouldn¡¯t believe it!¡±

    Mom Yan thought, even now that I¡¯ve seen it with my own eyes, I still find it somewhat unbelievable!

    These three girls, whether in looks or personality, are all exceptionally outstanding. Out there, wouldn¡¯t boys be lining up to pursue them, even going so far as to fight over them? How could it be that all of them are fond of my son!

    ¡°Tell me, how did you come to know about this?¡± She pulled her daughter over to the balcony and asked in a low voice.

    ...

    ¡°Mom, have you forgotten that I went to Jinling last year to visit big bro?¡± Yan Jing replied, ¡°Even then, I could tell that each of the sisters had added me as a friend and were secretly asking about big bro. If it wasn¡¯t because they had feelings for big bro, what else could it be, that they were after our family¡¯s wealth?¡±

    Mom Yan was momentarily at a loss for words. For cultivators, money was indeed just a number.

    But still¡­ if it¡¯s not for money, what exactly do these girls like about my son?

    Like his straightforwardness, always speaking his mind? Like his nasty character, taking pleasure in bullying others? Although the TV news is always singing his praises, do I not know what kind of person my own son really is?

    While Mom Yan was filled with doubts, the quiet exchange in the kitchen continued.

    ¡°Ningning, you said you were just here to deliver some New Year¡¯s gifts, so why are you helping in the kitchen now?¡± Su Yunjin asked softly.

    ¡°Yunjin knows I just can¡¯t sit still.¡± Lin Ning naturally wouldn¡¯t admit her ulterior motives, ¡°Since I¡¯m here, and Team Captain¡¯s mom is cooking¡ªwith so many dishes to prepare, it¡¯s only normal for me to help out a bit, right?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not alone.¡± Su Yunjin stated coldly, ¡°I¡¯ve been helping.¡±

    ¡°You?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    ¡°Me.¡± Su Yunjin said.

    ¡°Yunjin, I don¡¯t mean to belittle you,¡± Lin Ning chuckled, ¡°but cooking isn¡¯t something that a few days of crash training can prepare you for. For instance, do you know the four different methods to cook eggplant?¡±

    ¡°Fry, deep-fry, steam, stir-fry,¡± Su Yunjin calmly replied.

    Lin Ning was momentarily stunned, then asked:

    ¡°What should the oil temperature be for deep-frying stuffed eggplant?¡±

    As expected, Su Yunjin couldn¡¯t answer. Lin Ning immediately cried out triumphantly:

    ¡°See! Yunjin, you still have a lot to learn. Let me take care of the kitchen for now.¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡± Su Yunjin smiled slightly, ¡°Then let Ningning handle the kitchen, I¡¯ll go chat with the team captain¡¯s mother.¡±

    Lin Ning: ?!

    Oh no, it seems I¡¯ve fallen into a trap!

    She suddenly realized, did she come to the team captain¡¯s house to help cook?

    Of course not!

    If Yunjin is going to ingratiate herself with the team captain¡¯s mother, what am I going to do?

    ¡°I want to go too!¡± she blurted out without thinking.

    ¡°That won¡¯t do,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile, ¡°If Ningning also leaves, what happens to the food preparation in the kitchen?¡±

    ¡°Yunjin, you could help me¡­¡± Lin Ning said anxiously.

    ¡°Can¡¯t do that. After all, cooking isn¡¯t something that a few days of crash training can get you into, right?¡± Su Yunjin was well prepared.

    Lin Ning was deflated on the spot, speechless, suddenly hating herself for only knowing how to cook.

    Su Yunjin left the kitchen, just in time to see Zhao Yuanzhen, rubbing her bleary eyes and yawning as she walked out of the guest room.

    The enchantress, upon seeing Yunjin, paused for a moment, then asked:

    ¡°Yunjin, how come you¡¯re here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve come to pay a New Year¡¯s visit,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile.

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, not thinking too much of it, took Su Yunjin to the living room and handed her a bag of snacks, beaming, ¡°Yunjin, let me tell you, this pork jerky is super delicious! The more you chew, the tastier it gets!¡±

    Seeing this, Mom Yan chuckled and stood up, saying:

    ¡°There¡¯s still a bit left in the cupboard, I¡¯ll get it out for you.¡±

    Su Yunjin and Zhao Yuanzhen sat on the sofa, chatting and laughing with Yan Jing, giving her a feeling of ¡°I¡¯m surrounded by beautiful sisters-in-law,¡± filled with delight.

    Heh heh, if they want to be with big bro, they¡¯ll have to win over this little sister first! If big bro has a harem, that¡¯s practically the same as me having one! S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    As the three of them were chatting and laughing, suddenly the doorbell rang for the third time.

    Yan Jing hurried to open the door, only to see a beautiful girl she had never seen before standing outside.

    The girl wore low twin tails, had fair skin, light makeup, and was dressed in a simple pair of overalls. She also wore sunglasses that concealed her features and seemed slightly hunched over, as if nervous or afraid of something, and cautiously asked:

    ¡°Excuse me¡­ is this the team captain¡¯s house? Oh no, I meant to ask, is this Yan Yu¡¯s home?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Yan Jing was taken aback at first, but then quickly realized and said with a smile, ¡°You must be Xie Ruoxi that big bro mentioned, right? I¡¯m Yan Yu¡¯s sister, Yan Jing. Ruoxi, please come in.¡±

    ¡°Ah? Oh, okay.¡± Xie Ruoxi hurriedly came in, still explaining, ¡°It¡¯s not that I wanted to disturb you, it¡¯s that the team captain asked me to come over for New Year¡¯s!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no bother at all,¡± Yan Jing said understandingly, ¡°I¡¯m very happy that Ruoxi could come.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, hmm¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi fell silent for a moment before suddenly asking, ¡°That, can you call me that one more time?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Yan Jing laughed.

    ¡°Call me sister,¡± Xie Ruoxi said cautiously.

    ¡°Sister Ruoxi,¡± Yan Jing called out.

    ¡°Good, good, good.¡± Xie Ruoxi cried tears of joy, I can finally be a sister too, and she pulled a red envelope from her pocket, waving away her tears, ¡°Here you go, little sister, this is your New Year¡¯s money from big sister¡­¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Sister Ruoxi,¡± Yan Jing accepted the New Year¡¯s money but felt somewhat puzzled inside.

    What kind of nickname is ¡®little sister sauce¡¯? It¡¯s a bit gross¡­ Is this Xie Ruoxi from some anime?

    Xie Ruoxi entered the living room and greeted her two teammates.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was very happy: I woke up early to find Yun Jin chatting with me and Ningning cooking for me, and now my good sister Ruoxi has also come to join me for a meal! And without that bad woman Ling Yun, it¡¯s perfect!

    With such joy, I do not even think of Jinling!

    Su Yunjin¡¯s face held a smile, but her heart grew chilly.

    She chatted nonchalantly for a bit and, after figuring out that Yan Yu had called Xie Ruoxi over, felt even more annoyed.

    First Ningning, then Ruoxi, Captain, what are you trying to do? Do you really not want to spend the day alone with me that badly?

    Mother Yan brought out some dried pork from the bedroom and, upon seeing another pretty girl in the living room whom she had not met before, stood rooted to the spot in shock. Thankfully, Yan Jing quickly stepped in to smooth things over by introducing her mother and Xie Ruoxi to each other:

    ¡°Mom, this is Sister Ruoxi, a new member of big brother¡¯s team.¡±

    ¡°Well, not exactly new; I joined last year,¡± Xie Ruoxi, somewhat shy and reserved, said softly, ¡°Hello, Auntie.¡±

    ¡°Hello, hello, have a seat!¡± Mother Yan was getting a bit numb to the situation, ¡°Would you like some dried pork?¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Auntie,¡± Xie Ruoxi politely responded.

    The living room, abuzz with chitchat, made Mother Yan feel slightly out of her element. She turned and went into the kitchen only to find Lin Ning having swiftly finished preparing breakfast.

    ¡°Lin Ning, why don¡¯t you take a break,¡± Mother Yan said, feeling slightly embarrassed, ¡°this is enough food already¡­ Oh, Ruoxi just arrived, would you like to greet your teammate?¡±

    ¡°Ruoxi is here too?¡± Lin Ning exclaimed in surprise, yet she felt secretly annoyed inside.

    Everyone is thinking of hiding it from the rest, sneaking over to the captain¡¯s house for a private New Year¡¯s visit!

    If it weren¡¯t for my dad asking me to bring some seafood over, would you all gather here and leave me alone in Qingyuan Prefecture?

    Although she felt upset inside, Lin Ning had an excellent poker face. Together with Mother Yan, she carried the noodles, porridge, boiled eggs and other side dishes to the dining table, then called everyone over for breakfast.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go wake up big brother and dad,¡± Yan Jing offered as she stood up.

    Before she could head toward the bedroom, the sound of the doorbell rang out from behind her.

    Upon opening the door, sure enough, it was Chen Lingyun standing outside, smilingly greeting her.

    With this, the Zhenhai Team had all assembled, ready to face the captain¡¯s house!

    ¡°Wow, is everyone here?¡± Chen Lingyun arrived at the dining room, glanced around the room, her gaze finally settling on the stiff expression of Mother Yan as she smiled and said, ¡°Hello, Auntie, I¡¯m Chen Lingyun, the deputy captain of Yan Yu¡¯s Team.¡±

    Mother Yan was already overwhelmed; even if five or six more pretty girls were to arrive, she no longer had the energy to be surprised, merely squeezing out a smile to say:

    ¡°We¡¯re just about to have breakfast, please find a spot and sit down.¡±

    Chen Lingyun lifted her skirt and sat down between Su Yunjin and Lin Ning, then suddenly smiled and asked:

    ¡°Where¡¯s Yan Yu?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go call him,¡± Mother Yan turned and left.

    She arrived at her son¡¯s bedroom door, knocked first, but hearing no response inside, she pushed open the door and saw Yan Yu meditating on the bed. He opened his left eye to look at his mother and asked:

    ¡°Is it time for breakfast?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Mother Yan replied indifferently, ¡°All of your team members have arrived.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yan Yu then prepared to get out of bed, but saw his mother take two steps in three, quickly approaching the side of the bed, and in a lowered voice she asked:

    ¡°Why are all your team members girls?¡±

    ¡°Am I not a man?¡± Yan Yu responded immediately, ¡°The team has been established for almost a year now, and you only just found out about the situation in the team, Mom?¡±

    Mother Yan was momentarily at a loss for words, then quietly asked:

    ¡°Jingjing said they all have feelings for you, is that true?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that,¡± Yan Yu spoke at a leisurely pace, ¡°but if it¡¯s true, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Mother Yan inquired.

    ¡°Look at my face,¡± Yan Yu stated matter-of-factly, ¡°Girls these days like guys who are handsome.¡±

    ¡°So shameless!¡± Mother Yan scolded with a laugh.

    ¡°Rather than worrying about that, you should be concerned about other issues,¡± Yan Yu suggested.

    ¡°Like what?¡±

    ¡°Like how to deal with them all trying to outdo each other to win your favor later on.¡±

 Chapter 463 - 59: The Battle at the Dinner Table

    Chapter 463: Chapter 59: The Battle at the Dinner Table

    Yan Yu arrived in the living room and saw the girls and Yan Jing gathered around the dining table, chatting and laughing with each other.

    ¡°Everyone¡¯s here?¡± Yan Yu casually remarked, sitting down next to his sister.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Lin Ning exclaimed, ¡°We came all this way to wish you a happy new year, and that¡¯s the first thing you say?¡±

    ¡°Haha, then I wish everyone a happy new year,¡± Yan Yu said with a laugh, pulling a bowl towards himself, ¡°There¡¯s meat, there¡¯s vegetables, there¡¯s that scent of oil¡ªit must¡¯ve been cooked by Ningning.¡±

    Lin Ning wanted to complain a bit more, but upon hearing Yan Yu¡¯s words, she immediately flashed a bright smile and said:

    ¡°You¡¯ve got sharp eyes.¡±

    ...

    Yan Jing internally sighed: Big brother really knows how to sweet talk. With just one sentence, he¡¯s thrown Sister Ningning off track.

    Then they heard Su Yunjin suddenly say:

    ¡°Ningning made the side dishes, but I cooked the noodles.¡±

    ¡°No wonder,¡± Yan Yu said, realization dawning on him, ¡°These noodles are so well-formed and resilient, just like the ones I had last time at Gusu Residence. It turns out to be Yun Jin¡¯s handiwork.¡±

    Su Yunjin smiled slightly, feeling satisfied inwardly, but Lin Ning couldn¡¯t hold back and retorted:

    ¡°Last time, you said you liked my noodles the most because they were soft and easy to digest.¡±

    ¡°Gusu noodles are fine, Qingyuan noodles are thick; their flavors are different and both are excellent,¡± Yan Yu said composedly, ¡°As long as it tastes good, that¡¯s what matters.¡±

    Lin Ning heaved a silent sigh, exchanged glances with Su Yunjin for a moment, and both helplessly looked away.

    Yan Jing was amazed, while Yan¡¯s mother was dumbfounded in the background:

    Son! Where did you learn these smooth talk skills! I don¡¯t remember teaching you to brush off girls when you were young!

    ¡°Well said,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen applauded, ¡°There¡¯s no need to rank them, as long as it tastes good, no matter who made it. Come on, let¡¯s eat!¡±

    The group had not been eating long when Yan¡¯s father finally woke up leisurely from his sleep and came out of his room.

    He then saw five beautiful girls surrounding his son and daughter, having breakfast and chatting, occasionally helping each other pass plates and hand over tissues.

    Yan¡¯s father remained silent for a moment, then quietly asked Yan¡¯s mother:

    ¡°Are they all members of his team?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan¡¯s mother retorted, ¡°His team has been established for almost a year now, don¡¯t you know?¡±

    Yan¡¯s father was at a loss for words and finally managed to say:

    ¡°Knowing and seeing are completely different feelings.¡±

    Wasn¡¯t that obvious? Yan¡¯s mother couldn¡¯t help but purse her lips.

    Urged on by their daughter, the old couple took their seats at the head of the table, harboring some inner worries.

    Their concern was not trivial; it was whether having so many girls around their son would lead him astray, turning him into a player who toyed with other people¡¯s feelings.

    In today¡¯s internet-saturated world, where netizens love to hold moral tribunals, any leaks of such behavior would greatly damage their son¡¯s public image, and might even affect his career¡­ Ah!

    Yan¡¯s mother gave Yan¡¯s father a meaningful look, suggesting that he should go and have a word later.

    Yan¡¯s father kept his head down and ate his congee silently. I¡¯ve already advised him, he has his own views, what can I do?

    Yan¡¯s mother was quite angered internally, which is the difference between fathers and mothers in many households: fathers often choose not to act on things they know are impossible, while mothers expect their husbands to forcefully act in spite of knowing the odds¡­

    The girls appeared to be joking and chatting casually as they dined, but secretly, they were exchanging covert whispers, keeping others in the dark.

    Chen Lingyun: ¡°Ningning, how come you¡¯re here?¡±

    Lin Ning: ¡°If you all can come, why can¡¯t I?¡±

    Chen Lingyun: ¡°We all like the captain, you know, in that romantic kind of way. Are you saying you like the captain too?¡±

    Lin Ning: ¡°No, no, don¡¯t be ridiculous! I¡¯m just here for a normal New Year visit! Since everyone else was coming, it would be awkward if I didn¡¯t. Does visiting necessarily mean liking someone? It¡¯s laughable to even think that¡­ Ling Yun, don¡¯t joke about this with me!¡±

    Chen Lingyun: ¡°So you don¡¯t like the captain? Dare you swear that if you do like the captain but won¡¯t admit it, you¡¯ll have to watch him marry someone else and bear children, and you¡¯ll even be the bridesmaid and the children¡¯s godmother?¡±

    Lin Ning: ¡°I don¡¯t want to make such a vow! I don¡¯t like the captain now, and that doesn¡¯t mean I will in the future¡­ right? Who can say for sure about the future?¡±

    Chen Lingyun: ¡°I see, I see (snickers), so Ningning, you think it¡¯s possible you might like the captain in the future?¡±

    Lin Ning: ¡°Anything could happen in the future so there¡¯s no need to discuss it, the point is I don¡¯t like the captain now, and our relationship is still a clean and pure comradeship.¡±

    Chen Lingyun: ¡°I¡¯m going to confess my feelings to the captain today.¡±

    Lin Ning: ¡°Um¡­ Ling Yun, aren¡¯t you going to think it over? No matter what, confessing on the second day of the New Year is a bit odd, don¡¯t you think? Valentine¡¯s Day¡­ or 520, wait, Qixi Festival seems quite suitable for confessions, why not pick a more significant day?¡±

    Chen Lingyun: ¡°No, I need to get to it before Ningning becomes my rival in love. I feel the captain likes you more than he likes me now, thankfully you don¡¯t like him yet. I need to seize the opportunity, hehehe.¡±

    Lin Ning: ¡­¡­¡­

    Yun Jin: ¡°Ruoxi, why are you here?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi: ¡°The captain told me to come.¡± S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yun Jin: ¡°I¡¯m curious, what did the captain say? Can you tell me exactly what he said?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi: ¡°He just¡­ just told me to come over today to pay a New Year visit. I forgot exactly what he said.¡±

    Yun Jin: ¡°Did you forget, or do you not want to say? Ruoxi, I actually know everything. You¡¯re here because you like the captain and you want to use the New Year visit as an excuse to get on good terms with the captain¡¯s parents and family, right?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi: ¡°Ah¡­?¡±

    Yun Jin: ¡°Not denying it means you¡¯re confirming it.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi: ¡°Yun Jin, don¡¯t be like this, I¡¯m a little scared.¡±

    Yun Jin: ¡°There¡¯s no need to be scared (tone softens). I think it¡¯s quite normal to like the captain. After all, he is both capable and dependable, and it feels very safe to be with him.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi: ¡°Indeed, haha, as long as the captain stands by our side, there¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡±

    Yun Jin: ¡°So Ruoxi does like the captain. That means we are romantic rivals now (laughs). I won¡¯t just hand the captain over to you, sorry, Ruoxi.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi: ¡­¡­¡­ (starts trembling)

    Zhao Yuanzhen had finished a bowl of noodles and suddenly asked in confusion:

    ¡°Why isn¡¯t anyone talking?¡±

    ¡°Eating without talking, sleeping without speaking, get it?¡± Yan Yu tapped her with his chopsticks, ¡°Do you think everyone lacks manners like you?¡±

    ¡°Our family doesn¡¯t have this rule.¡± Yan¡¯s mother immediately defended the Enchantress, ¡°Just eat your own food and stop worrying about others.¡±

    The young ladies all giggled secretly, yet they were inwardly cautious: Zhao had just earned such favor from Yan¡¯s mother! How terrifying!

    This is bad, I need to cozy up to Yan¡¯s mother fast!

    ¡°Auntie, try this poached egg and see how it is?¡± Lin Ning pushed the dish toward Yan¡¯s mother. ¡°When frying it, I added a bit of soy sauce and sugar, I wonder if it suits your taste.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good.¡± Yan¡¯s mother replied with a smile, only to hear Yun Jin also not wanting to be outdone, asking:

    ¡°Auntie, is it easy for you to reach the side dishes? Let me help you get them.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s alright, I can reach them.¡± Yan¡¯s mother hadn¡¯t finished speaking when Xie Ruoxi poured a cup of tea and placed it in front of her:

    ¡°Auntie, have some tea.¡±

    ¡°Eh! Thank you.¡±

    Yan¡¯s mother¡¯s smile was already hard to maintain. Chen Lingyun also smiled sweetly, taking out a set of skincare products from her handbag, and said:

    ¡°Auntie, I brought some skincare products for you since we are visiting during the New Year. I¡¯ll just leave them here on this side cabinet~¡±

    ¡°Oh my, I¡¯m really embarrassed¡­¡± Yan¡¯s mother, who had never seen such a formidable display, hurriedly made desperate eye signs to Yan¡¯s father:

    I can¡¯t take it anymore! You better help me out!

    ¡°Cough, cough.¡± Yan¡¯s father could only cough, saying, ¡°Everyone, there¡¯s no need to be so formal. Our family isn¡¯t big on ceremony, it¡¯s very casual here, just treat it like you¡¯re at your own home.¡±

    Yan¡¯s mother couldn¡¯t hold back anymore, she stomped on him under the table and shot him an irritated glare:

    What do you mean by ¡°just treat it like you¡¯re at your own home¡±? Do you really want our son to marry all of them?

    With Yan¡¯s father getting his foot stomped on for trying to help, feeling displeased, he could only signal to Yan Yu:

    Son, even I¡¯m having a hard time holding up here! Help me out!

    Yan Yu immediately scoffed, surveying everyone and said:

    ¡°Just eat your meal nicely. Why make such a fuss? Sit down, all of you!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t listen to you, I listen to your mom.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, thinking she had her mother-in-law¡¯s support, attempted a direct rebellion but ended up with a slap on the forehead from Yan Yu, and, feeling wronged, silently turned her bitterness into an appetite and continued eating fervently, secretly holding a grudge:

    Scoundrel, today you hit me in front of the whole family. I will remember this!

    One day, when I control the Yan Family, I will severely humiliate you in front of everyone to exact my revenge!

    Thinking this, her mind conjured up a scene:

    Everyone was chatting and laughing in the living room, and then suddenly, from the bedroom came a cry. A frail Yan Yu burst through the door trying to escape, only to be forcefully dragged back into that dark, sunless bedroom by herself, forcefully sat upon, completely subdued, unable to turn over.

    ¡°Got the energy to run? Seems I was too soft-hearted then, leaving you the energy to resist, right? Taste this move! And this one, and this one, and this one!¡±

    ¡°Wife, spare me!¡± Yan Yu¡¯s screams gradually weakened, becoming mere whimpers of breath, while the people in the living room could only exchange helpless, bitter smiles.

    It couldn¡¯t be helped, the house was now ruled by Zhao Yuanzhen¡ªwho dared to defy her?

    Hmm hmm hmm, hehehe hahaha hahahaha hahahaha hahahaha!

 Chapter 464 - 60 Secret Communication with Ye Jun, Youre Exposed!

    Chapter 464: Chapter 60 Secret Communication with Ye Jun, You¡¯re Exposed!

    After breakfast, everyone returned to the living room to watch TV.

    Today is the second day of the lunar new year, and the TV was broadcasting the award ceremony that Pingjing had prepared for the Dragon Soar Team and the Flying Dragon Battle Team after their victory in the Menyan Cangsong Secret Realm.

    As the saying goes, practice makes perfect, and now the award ceremony for cultivators after their achievements had become quite well-established.

    As long as there is a victory abroad, earning an honorary title is a certainty. All titles are uniquely designed and once issued, they become limited editions, never to be reused, implying to the cultivator, ¡°Your contribution is unique.¡±

    The members of the Dragon Soar Team and the Flying Dragon Battle Team received honorary titles called ¡°North Sea Dragon Guards.¡± Lord Master received an upgraded version called ¡°North Sea Dragon General,¡± which roughly equated to being the MVP of this campaign, the best of the best.

    ¡°Big bro, big bro!¡± Yan Jing called, ¡°Don¡¯t you have a title of Divine General Dinghai? How does that compare to the North Sea Dragon General that Liu Longtao got?¡±

    ...

    ¡°Nonsense, a Divine General is of course more formidable than a Dragon General,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Big bro is bragging again!¡± Yan Jing pretended not to believe.

    ¡°Your brother isn¡¯t lying,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Actually, you should look at the first two characters rather than the last two. Whether it¡¯s ¡®Divine General¡¯ or ¡®Dragon General,¡¯ it¡¯s almost the same, but there is a difference between ¡®Dinghai¡¯ and ¡®North Sea.''¡±

    ¡°If it had been just a victory in the Secret Realm of Li Palace, the title would have been ¡®East Sea Divine General,''¡± Su Yunjin also chimed in, ¡°In reality, not only did we win, but we also caused heavy casualties and disarray to the three-party alliance, and hence ¡®East Sea¡¯ was changed to ¡®Dinghai.''¡±

    ¡°Big brother is so awesome!¡± Yan Jing finally understood and said admiringly, ¡°Does that mean our big brother is even more formidable than this Liu Longtao?¡±

    ¡°Definitely,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said.

    ¡°Then big brother must be the best in the country,¡± Yan Jing asked curiously, ¡°But who is the second best?¡±

    Speaking of the national runner-up, Lin Ning remembered what Yan Yu had said on the swing before, ¡°My wife must be the second best in the country,¡± and her cheeks flushed with shyness and embarrassment as she glared at Yan Yu.

    ¡°The second-place spot is still undecided,¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°Different cultivators in different professions have different training focuses. Some professions excel in solo combat with high success rates in duels, but if you put them in a group battle scenario, their tactical value might not match up to other support professions.¡±

    ¡°Why is your brother the best in the country? Because whether it is in solo combat or team fighting, whether it is combat strength or tactical value, I am ranked first. Apart from me, other cultivators often only excel in one of these areas, so it¡¯s difficult to definitively rank them.¡±

    The ladies also became reflective.

    For instance, in the Zhenghai Team, Lin Ning, Zhao Yuanzhen, and Xie Ruoxi are all standard combat roles, which Yan Yu described as ¡°excel in solo combat¡±; Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin are more tactically oriented, fitting the ¡°more suited for team combat¡± scenario.

    As for Yan Yu, although he tended more toward solo combat, because of his overwhelming strength, he often single-handedly tackled the main forces of the opponents. For example, in the battle of the Secret Realm of Li Palace, he alone held off the superheroes at the main step, ¡°standing alone against thousands, unbreachable,¡± preventing them from rendezvousing with the Onmyoji, thus his tactical value was far more than what one or two support roles could achieve.

    In the Menyan Cangsong Secret Realm battle, the Flying Dragon Battle Team was responsible for attacking the Goalkeeper and refining the Nerve Center, while the Dragon Soar Team took on the task of blocking the pursuers. Liu Longtao used both swordsmanship and Taoism Method to kill enemies and cover his teammate Yang Linhui¡¯s casting, but if assessed purely on tactical value, Yang Linhui who disrupted the entire field and Ye Jun who protected the entire team, their roles might not be inferior to Lord Master.

    If Lord Master could manage without Ye Jun¡¯s protection, single-handedly stopping most pursuers and reducing pressure for his teammates, then his tactical value would not be less than Yan Yu¡¯s in the Secret Realm of Li Palace, and the honorary title he would receive would probably be ¡°Dinghai Dragon General¡± instead of ¡°North Sea Dragon General.¡±

    ¡°I feel that Liu Longtao falls short mainly because of Ye Jun,¡± Lin Ning suddenly pondered, ¡°Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler defense can block most attacks. Having such a player on the team allows the others to attack without restraint, but it also means that everyone¡¯s tactical value inevitably shares a large portion with Ye Jun, so Liu Longtao will never reach the heights of our captain because he too relies on Ye Jun¡¯s cover, but the captain does not.¡±

    The other ladies were somewhat embarrassed: Does your statement imply that because our strength doesn¡¯t match up to the captain¡¯s, we can¡¯t effectively collaborate with him, thereby highlighting even more the captain¡¯s brilliant invincibility and unparalleled prowess?

    Yan Yu was rendered speechless with a laugh, suddenly chilled:

    Wait, is it possible that in a previous life Ye Jun left the Dragon Soar Team without being retained by Lord Master because Lord Master wanted to get rid of her influence?

    As long as Ye Jun was in the team, the public would think ¡°Lord Master¡¯s success in combat is all because Ye Jun created a comfortable environment for him to deliver output¡±?

    Thinking this, Yan Yu immediately took out his cellphone and sent a message to Liu Longtao.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Congratulations, congratulations, North Sea Dragon General.

    [Young Master Liu]: But Divine General Dinghai, wouldn¡¯t saying that be too modest, considering you have that better title?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Where are you now? Why does your message seem so sour?

    [Liu Longtao]: I just finished being awarded a medal, now I¡¯m resting in the lounge, tired. Didn¡¯t you watch the TV?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: I did. You know, Liu, I recently heard a theory saying that without Ye Jun, you can¡¯t play anymore, is that true or false?

    [Liu Longtao]: What do you think?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: I was very skeptical at first, but seeing that you didn¡¯t dare to deny it directly, I started to believe it a bit.

    [Liu Longtao]: How could that be true? Just like if someone said that without Chen Lingyun your team¡¯s strategy would collapse, wouldn¡¯t that be nonsense?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Haha, indeed.

    [Liu Longtao]: But now that you mention it, I¡¯ve just realized something. Could it be because Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler was protecting me that they mistakenly thought you were better at handling things on your own than me?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Exactly, exactly, quickly transfer Ye Jun to me, don¡¯t let her influence the valuation of your worth, Mr. Liu Longtao.

    [Liu Longtao]: Dream on! The least I could do is let her focus on protecting others and not me anymore, to save her some True Yuan. Am I crazy to prove my abilities by firing a team member?

    [Liu Longtao]: Speaking of which, why has Ye Jun been practicing swordsmanship in her free time lately? Did you tell her something again?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: I told her, Lord Master is brave but reckless, fond of achievements but lacking in gratitude, hardly looks like a leader, and she should quickly leave you and come to my side.

    [Liu Longtao]: Tsk tsk tsk, that¡¯s a rather low move.

    [Liu Longtao]: Keep slandering me all you want; I¡¯ll see if Ye Jun falls for your cunning plan.

    Yan Yu closed the chat and sighed with relief.

    Indeed, Lord Master remained the proud figure from his past life, disdaining the use of ¡°firing the deputy captain¡± to make himself shine brighter. The larger likelihood was that the higher-ups, based on tactical planning, thought that Dragon Soar Team no longer needed a role specializing in defense.

    While Yan Yu was pondering this, suddenly he heard Su Yunjin ask seemingly nonchalantly:

    ¡°Captain, are you close with the deputy captain from Dragon Soar Team, Ye Jun? Do you want to bring her over to our team?¡±

    Yan Yu shivered all over, then realized that his typing and the private chat with Lord Master, while hidden from the eyes of others, couldn¡¯t be hidden from their Divine Sense!

    They were right there beside him, and even if they didn¡¯t lean over to peek, their Divine Sense could scan and see the messages on the screen!

    ¡°No¡­¡± Yan Yu barely managed two words before being interrupted by the others.

    ¡°Captain, do you think the team needs someone who specializes in defense?¡± Lin Ning asked anxiously, ¡°Couldn¡¯t we just get Zhao to procure a defensive magic treasure? There¡¯s no need to poach someone, right?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°It might not necessarily be because we need a defensive role.¡± Chen Lingyun added fuel to the fire with a smile, ¡°Perhaps he just wants Ye Jun on the team.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re talking nonsense¡­¡±

    ¡°Captain, do you like the type that the deputy captain, Ye Jun, represents?¡± Xie Ruoxi said with a dry laugh, ¡°Hahaha, turns out the captain has a thing for short hair.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s about enough¡­¡±

    ¡°No way!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said sternly, ¡°I forbid her from joining the team, don¡¯t delude yourself!¡±

    Listening to his son repeatedly try to explain himself only to be interrupted by the other girls, Yan¡¯s mother in the kitchen remained neither sad nor happy, silently washing the dishes.

    I don¡¯t care anymore, he can handle it himself.

    S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 465 - 61 This is beautiful and that looks good

    Chapter 465: Chapter 61 This is beautiful and that looks good

    After lunch, there was a significant disagreement among everyone about how to spend the afternoon.

    ¡°I propose we have a book club,¡± Su Yunjin said, ¡°The team captain has an e-reader at home, does anyone want to join me in reading?¡±

    No one responded.

    ¡°Let me add,¡± Su Yunjin somewhat unwillingly continued, ¡°Today¡¯s reading selection is Agatha Christie¡¯s ¡®The Mystery of Xuyang Ridge¡¯, a classic suspense and mystery novel.¡±

    Still, no one agreed. Reading was considered too highbrow, and everyone generally preferred more lowbrow forms of entertainment.

    ¡°Let¡¯s watch a TV series,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen suggested, ¡°Jiangnan Satellite TV is airing ¡®Those Little Things of Firewood, Rice, Oil, and Salt¡¯, I watched the first episode, and it was quite interesting.¡±

    ...

    Yan¡¯s mother was noticeably intrigued. The series was about the various mundane aspects of a housewife¡¯s life, and her sisters had recently recommended it to her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait for the series to finish and binge-watch it,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Isn¡¯t it difficult to wait for each episode?¡±

    This was a lie; she just didn¡¯t want to watch the TV series.

    But Zhao Yuanzhen and Yan¡¯s mother took it seriously and gave up the idea.

    ¡°How about we go out and buy clothes?¡± Yan Jing suddenly suggested, ¡°Last time I went shopping with Sister Zhao, we tried so many stores and ended up buying nothing.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the second day of the New Year; aren¡¯t the stores closed?¡± Yan Yu questioned.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to Sijiqing,¡± Yan¡¯s father suddenly said, ¡°Your aunt owns a shop there, call her and have her open the warehouse for you girls to choose clothes, take what you want, and we will transfer the money to her later.¡±

    ¡°Which aunt?¡± Yan Yu was surprised.

    ¡°Your fourth uncle¡¯s wife,¡± Yan¡¯s father replied, ¡°She¡¯s in clothing wholesale, remember?¡±

    Yan Yu had indeed forgotten, but the girls were excited and said:

    ¡°That¡¯s great, that¡¯s great, going out shopping in public we might get recognized, so being able to try on clothes directly in the warehouse is awesome.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the New Year, wouldn¡¯t it disturb people?¡± Yan Yu still wanted to resist, but his father, who was always decisive, immediately made the call.

    ¡°¡­yes, yes, yes, right, right, just bring the keys and open the door, we will transfer the money¡­ no need to escort, no need, we will definitely pay, you also have your business to run¡­¡±

    After some polite exchange, the afternoon¡¯s plans were set:

    Trying on clothes.

    Everyone then excitedly prepared to leave, and just as Yan Jing was changing into her outdoor clothes, Yan¡¯s mother pulled her aside to speak privately:

    ¡°This time you go there, keep an eye on your brother, don¡¯t let him mess around.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by mess around?¡± Yan Jing pretended not to know, curiously asking.

    ¡°Just¡­¡± Yan¡¯s mother stumbled, ¡°just don¡¯t let him mess around, there¡¯s no one in the warehouse.¡±

    Yan Jing readily agreed, but she scoffed internally:

    ¡°Big brother gave me two million yuan, mom, you wouldn¡¯t spare a dime, why should I listen to you?¡±

    Half an hour later, Yan Yu led his sister and the team members to the clothing wholesale market.

    The aunt sent a female shop assistant, who appeared somewhat chilly, handed the keys to Yan Yu, and left ¡ª it was New Year¡¯s, after all, being called out of home to work was not inspiring.

    Yan Yu took the keys, opened the door, and welcomed the girls into the warehouse, while he himself sat down on a soft chair by the door, took out his phone, and prepared to endure the whole afternoon.

    The girls ignored him and quickly started browsing around the clothes racks, picking and choosing.

    ¡°This warehouse is huge,¡± Xie Ruoxi exclaimed, ¡°How many clothes must there be?¡±

    ¡°And there¡¯s even a fitting room over there!¡± Lin Ning was also surprised, ¡°Why would a warehouse have a fitting room?¡±

    ¡°Because they probably do live-streaming sales here,¡± Su Yunjin pointed out, noticing a simple live-stream setup in a corner of the warehouse, complete with a camera, lighting, and fitting mirrors.

    The girls chatted briefly then quickly dispersed each to find their desired outfits.

    Yan Yu sat in the soft chair by the door reading a novel. Not long after, he suddenly heard someone calling him.

    ¡°Captain,¡± Su Yunjin came up to him, smiling, ¡°How do I look in this outfit?¡±

    Yan Yu looked up and saw Yun Jin dressed in a pleated skirt, a white blouse, her chest adorned with a large blue satin bow, her black hair tied in a ponytail at the back of her head. She looked like a fashionable high school girl, radiating a pure and somewhat immature charm.

    However, having seen Chen Lingyun dressed in a similar style too many times in his previous life, he just shook his head and said indifferently,

    ¡°Personal opinion, it doesn¡¯t suit you.¡±

    ¡°Do I not match the student look?¡± Su Yunjin blinked her eyes. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Only old women like to dress up as JK. Which real high school girl wears that?¡± Yan Yu scoffed.

    ¡°The captain seems biased against this kind of clothing, I see,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile, ¡°then what would the captain recommend?¡±

    ¡°A dress,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Is it because you always see me in dresses, so you said this on purpose?¡±

    ¡°I just think that dresses really suit your temperament.¡±

    ¡°What kind of temperament?¡±

    ¡°Gentle, serene, elegant, and cultured,¡± he listed.

    Su Yunjin felt her cheeks warming up, but her heart was sweet as honey. She courageously asked,

    ¡°Then, could the captain help me pick one out?¡±

    Initially, Yan Yu wanted to refuse, but then he thought if he let her choose herself, she might keep trying on various dresses and asking if they looked good. This could become a never-ending bother.

    Better I narrow down the choices for her, limit her options so that she can pick her dress quickly and I can be spared the hassle.

    ¡°Come with me,¡± Yan Yu led her to the display racks of dresses and rapidly explained, ¡°As I mentioned earlier about Yun Jin¡¯s temperament, we should avoid too striking colors. Let¡¯s exclude bright red, deep purple, bright yellow, and orange, preferentially considering softer shades like teal, green, blue, and white.¡±

    ¡°Since you¡¯re slim and not overweight, there¡¯s no need for loose clothing to hide anything. Try those dresses that cinch at the waist and reveal the calf, showing off your graceful body curves.¡±

    ¡°Mmm,¡± Su Yunjin listened more joyfully, thinking to herself, how come you know me so well? Seems like you¡¯ve been very observant.

    Love you~

    Following the guidelines set by Yan Yu, she picked out a light blue dress and changed into it in the fitting room. She emerged and twirled in front of Yan Yu, eagerly asking,

    ¡°How about this?¡±

    ¡°Looks good,¡± Yan Yu commented.

    ¡°The back is too open, showing too much,¡± Su Yunjin touched the fair skin on her back and neck, feeling a bit shy, ¡°I should try another one.¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin¡¯s back is very attractive, fair like jade, flawless,¡± Yan Yu, not wanting the hassle of repeated changes, persuaded her, ¡°Only open to the shoulder blades, it won¡¯t look too revealing but will highlight the excellent quality of your skin.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep this one for now and try on another,¡± Su Yunjin said.

    She then tried on a slightly shorter teal green dress, revealing her smooth, rounded knees and legs. Her skin was as tender and smooth as lotus root, and her leg curves were exceptionally soft and beautiful, eliciting a strong impulse to touch and playfully caress them.

    ¡°Is it too short?¡± Su Yunjin asked shyly, holding down the hem.

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Yan Yu straightforwardly praised, ¡°Yun Jin¡¯s legs are also beautiful, long and straight like ivory, without a hint of gauntness. Such adorable legs shouldn¡¯t be concealed by a dress.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep this one, too, and look at others,¡± Su Yunjin¡¯s heart blossomed with joy as she picked out another white dress and headed to the fitting room.

    As Yan Yu waited outside, growing impatient, someone suddenly tapped his shoulder from behind.

    He turned around to see it was Lin.

    ¡°Are you helping Yun Jin pick out clothes?¡± Lin Ning asked with a smile.

    Her words sounded like a question, but her tone was suggestive, clearly having heard their conversation before.

    ¡°Yes, what¡¯s up?¡± Suddenly, Yan Yu had a bad feeling.

    ¡°Pick out a nice one for me too,¡± Lin Ning said with a bright smile, ¡°As a captain, you wouldn¡¯t be biased, only favoring Yun Jin, right?¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­

 Chapter 466 - 62: Yan Yus Aesthetics of Dressing

    Chapter 466: Chapter 62: Yan Yu¡¯s Aesthetics of Dressing

    If Yun Jin was the epitome of gentle and intellectual grace, then Lin Ning represented the lively, spirited type¡ªexactly opposite to Yun Jin.

    Due to their different temperaments, the clothing that suited each of them naturally varied; what suited Yun Jin might not necessarily suit Ningning, a simple truth.

    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that I¡¯m not suited to wear dresses?¡± Lin Ning huffed.

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°Ningning, you¡¯re pretty and of course you look cute in a dress, but I think there are styles that suit you better.¡±

    Instantly, Lin Ning blushed and turned her head to say:

    ¡°Humph! Just buttering me up to deceive me. So, tell me, what should I wear that¡¯s better suited for me?¡±

    ...

    ¡°Come with me,¡± Yan Yu led her to another area, ¡°Sports tank tops, windbreakers, or hooded jackets, paired with jeans or capri pants, primarily in light blue, white, gray, or black¡ªtry these.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not trying to guess my clothing preferences, right?¡± Lin Ning suddenly became suspicious because Yan Yu had chosen all the styles she usually liked.

    ¡°Please trust my sense of style and judgment,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile.

    Lin Ning did not say much more, only muttering things like ¡°just brushing me off,¡± ¡°am I that easy to bully,¡± ¡°not picking seriously for me,¡± and so forth. She honestly picked up a sports tank top, a jacket and jeans, and headed to the fitting room next door.

    ¡°Captain!¡± Su Yunjin called out from across the way.

    Yan Yu strolled over leisurely, only to see Yun Jin changed into a sleeveless white long dress, revealing her smooth arms and charming ankles, like a graceful deer in the woods.

    ¡°Very innocent,¡± Yan Yu remarked, ¡°but this dress would look even better with canvas shoes or sandals.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll see if there are any shoes here,¡± Su Yunjin said hurriedly.

    She rushed off. After a while, Lin Ning also came out of the fitting room.

    ¡°How is it?¡± she asked indifferently, her face unchanging, but her fingers tightly gripping the hem of the clothes indicated some inner nervousness.

    Yan Yu looked closely, only to see Lin Ning wearing a white sports tank top inside, a black hooded jacket outside, and gray capri pants below, her pretty face complementing the outfit,

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this similar to your usual style?¡± Yan Yu observed.

    ¡°I told you before!¡± Lin Ning immediately burst out, ¡°I don¡¯t need help picking out something like this!¡±

    ¡°No problem, just try another set,¡± Yan Yu quickly shifted his approach.

    The sporty girl look wasn¡¯t right for Ningning, because Lin was the type who was tough on the outside but soft on the inside, and sportswear and long pants only masked the softer aspects of her temperament, making it less attractive.

    Luckily she also had a straight long black hair persona to try something else.

    Yan Yu pulled her to another area and quickly picked out clothes, saying:

    ¡°White shirt, navy blue tie, with a black jacket outside and try pairing it with a plaid skirt. Black stockings, and remember to let your hair down, it doesn¡¯t look good tied up.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have stockings,¡± Lin Ning said.

    ¡°Then don¡¯t wear any, go change quickly!¡± Yan Yu gave her a gentle push into the fitting room.

    Turning around and just taking a breath, he saw Xie Ruoxi standing in front of him, looking hesitant.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to ask me to pick clothes for you as well, are you?¡± Yan Yu asked with a half-smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m a bit indecisive,¡± Xie Ruoxi admitted cautiously, ¡°Previously, my mom always picked out my clothes for me.¡±

    ¡°Since you like watching anime, why not pick your favorite female anime character and recreate her look?¡± Yan Yu suggested.

    ¡°Right,¡± Xie Ruoxi realized.

    No need to ponder the aesthetics, just trust the aesthetic sense of the animation team and try to replicate the character¡¯s style, and you could easily dress up beautifully!

    She suddenly realized and left. As Yan Yu turned around, he saw Su Yunjin leaning against the wall and said with a chuckle:

    ¡°Captain, you seem really busy.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t help it,¡± responded Yan Yu, ¡°Yun Jin sets the trend, and everyone eagerly follows, not wanting to lag behind.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s my fault then?¡± Su Yunjin was slightly upset but quickly masked her feelings, slightly bending to lift her skirt, revealing small leather sandals below and her rosy, tender toes, ¡°How about this?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely perfect,¡± appraised Yan Yu, ¡°I couldn¡¯t suggest a better match.¡±

    Su Yunjin¡¯s mood brightened rapidly, and she was about to smile and say something, when suddenly she saw Lin Ning come out from the changing room.

    With a white shirt and tie, an England-style black jacket, and a black-and-white checkered skirt¡ªa typical school princess look. Lin Ning trying to pull her skirt down to cover her fair thighs only intensified the impulse to tease.

    ¡°How, how does it look?¡± she asked nervously, ¡°Is the skirt too short?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Yan Yu¡¯s eyes brightened, ¡°It¡¯s pretty suitable for you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not suitable for me,¡± laughed Su Yunjin from the side, ¡°I would just look like an old woman trying to seem young.¡±

    ¡°Ahem!¡± Yan Yu found himself embarrassed, hastily explained, ¡°Ningning usually wears sporty clothes, so occasionally switching to this innocent look is quite refreshing. Yun Jin, you already look innocent, so you need to add some more mature elements.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Lin Ning also wore a mocking smile, hands on her hips, ¡°So you mean I¡¯m usually not innocent enough? That¡¯s why I shouldn¡¯t wear dresses?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡± Yan Yu quickly tried to remedy the situation, ¡°Ningning, you definitely suit dresses. I was just suggesting a look that might be slightly more flattering. But of course, what you wear is ultimately up to you.¡±

    ¡°Captain,¡± Su Yunjin asked with a full smile, ¡°then please rate this outfit from the perspective of looks.¡±

    ¡°Me too,¡± Lin Ning said defiantly, ¡°You chose these clothes, so what score would you give me?¡±

    ¡°I would also like to know what score you give Ningning,¡± Su Yunjin pressed on.

    ¡°Quick, tell us!¡± Lin Ning urged.

    Yan Yu knew he was in a dilemma, as rating one higher would definitely upset the other, but if he rated them the same, it would seem like he was just trying to keep the peace, as if he was scared of these girls.

    ¡°Wait, Ling Yun is calling me over!¡± he resorted to a sneaky diversion, pulling an escape card, effectively vanishing any difficulty posed by the two.

    Chen Lingyun was selecting a dress on the other side and suddenly said leisurely:

    ¡°I didn¡¯t call you.¡±

    ¡°You did, you¡¯re just too embarrassed to admit it,¡± Yan Yu countered, peering at her selection and teased, ¡°Like the tutu skirts, huh? Why don¡¯t you pick something from the children¡¯s section instead? You already look young, if you keep aiming for childish fashion, aren¡¯t you afraid people will start treating you like a grown-up elementary student?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just looking, and I didn¡¯t plan to buy,¡± retorted Chen Lingyun with a cold laugh, ¡°That brand is just for window shopping, not daring to be worn.¡±

    Yan Yu suddenly remembered, this woman never shopped for clothes, always wearing tailor-made outfits.

    He lost the interest to continue teasing her, and turning his head, saw Lin Ning and Su Yunjin standing facing each other, silent, obviously exchanging some telepathic communication.

    They couldn¡¯t possibly be getting jealous over me, could they? Haha.

    Returning to sit on the soft chair at the entrance of the warehouse, Yan Yu was about to keep playing with his phone when he suddenly saw Zhao Yuanzhen dressed in a Tang Dynasty style busty palace costume with a bright red pleated skirt, like a fairy from a Tang painting, smiling radiantly as she approached from afar.

    ¡°How is it?¡± she gently spun her graceful voluptuous body, making the skirt swirl and flutter, ¡°It looks like the clothes we have back home, this style¡­¡±

    Yan Yu secretly swallowed, silently giving a thumbs up. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Forget about demure beauties, forget black long straight hair¡­ Such temperament is nonsense, only figure demonstrates real elegance!

    ¡°I¡¯m asking you a question!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said, noticing his silence and playfully demanded.

    ¡°You look good in anything,¡± Yan Yu sincerely replied.

 Chapter 467 - 63 The New Years Holiday is Approaching, Huofeng Issues a Challenge

    Chapter 467: Chapter 63 The New Year¡¯s Holiday is Approaching, Huofeng Issues a Challenge

    By evening, the girls had finally made their decisions.

    Su Yunjin bought several dresses, Lin Ning bought some college-style shirts and pleated skirts, Xie Ruoxi bought lots of miscellaneous casual wear, and Zhao Yuanzhen bought many pieces of traditional Chinese Hanfu.

    Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t buy anything, not even trying on any clothes. In her words, why spend money on second-hand goods that have been shipped and returned so many times?

    Yan Jing, on the other hand, had several bags packed so full that Yan Yu almost suspected she was deliberately supporting her aunt¡¯s business.

    ¡°You sure there¡¯s enough room at home for all these clothes?¡± Yan Yu asked with a frown.

    ¡°That¡¯s not for you to worry about,¡± Yan Jing said with a shrug. ¡°Just pay for me, deduct it from that two million.¡±

    ...

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­

    When everyone returned to the Yan Family house, it was already 8 p.m. The parents were not home; they must have gone for a walk after dinner.

    Lin Ning went to the kitchen to prepare some late-night snacks while the others stayed in the living room, either watching TV or playing with their phones, giggling and laughing, which made Yan Yu unconsciously frown.

    Do they really think this is Jinling Villa? This is my house!

    You all should roll out!

    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s already 8 o¡¯clock!¡± He took out his phone, glanced at it, and said with feigned surprise.

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Xie Ruoxi said with a silly smile, staring at her phone. ¡°A new episode of my show just got updated.¡±

    ¡°Stop rushing me, stop rushing me!¡± Lin Ning called from the kitchen. ¡°It¡¯ll be ready soon!¡±

    ¡°Having dinner at eight does seem a bit late,¡± Su Yunjin said seriously.

    ¡°But it¡¯s perfectly okay if it¡¯s a late-night snack,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°One must have three meals a day, otherwise nutrition can¡¯t keep up,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen chimed in, saying something so absurd that nobody understood.

    Xie Ruoxi glanced at her chest and, as if possessed, nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Stop pretending!¡± Yan Yu burst out impatiently. ¡°After dinner, all of you go home! Regroup in Jinling after the seventh day of the new year!¡±

    ¡°What the heck!¡± The girls protested in unison. ¡°Who kicks out their guests like this?¡±

    ¡°Cut the crap! Do you really want to stay over or something?¡± Yan Yu sneered.

    That didn¡¯t sound entirely impossible¡­ Some of them suddenly entertained the idea.

    Of course, no matter who it was, at present they would only think about it, since the parents were expected to return, and their own parents would not agree.

    After the late-night meal, the four girls bid their farewells and left.

    Yan Jing saw off her sisters who left reluctantly, then turned to look at Zhao Yuanzhen, who was still sipping tea in the living room, and suddenly felt a pang of curiosity.

    All these sisters are interested in my older brother, doesn¡¯t Zhao Sister worry, fear, or get jealous?

    With a sudden surge of reckless courage while her brother went to the bathroom, Yan Jing approached Zhao Yuanzhen and asked cautiously:

    ¡°Zhao Sister, do you really like my older brother?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen burst into laughter and said cheerfully:

    ¡°I like him? What a joke!¡±

    Then she quickly realized she was staying at his house and hastily corrected herself:

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not that I like him, but that he loves me too much. He begged me to come home with him for the New Year, and I only reluctantly agreed¡­ Don¡¯t tell him or your parents though, I worried he¡¯d lose face.¡±

    Yan Jing: ¡­¡­

    That¡¯s it.

    How could Sister Zhao say such a silly thing that nobody would believe with such a confident expression and tone?

    If you didn¡¯t like my big brother, why did you get so angry when you heard about that Deputy Captain Ye? What was that about?

    Yan Jing was an incredibly clever little girl and quickly realized that it wasn¡¯t her big brother who was really concerned about face, but Sister Zhao ¡ª not even daring to admit she liked big brother and insisting it was big brother who liked her, her self-brainwashing symptoms were very serious, she needed to be sent to Gudang Hospital for a brain check, pronto.

    However, this also explained why Sister Zhao didn¡¯t get jealous of the teammates¡­ because she had a problem in her head, still waiting for big brother to take the initiative to pursue her.

    After coming out of the bathroom, Yan Yu was pulled onto the balcony by his sister Yan Jing, who asked:

    ¡°Big brother, do you really plan on starting a harem?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Yan Yu showed an are-you-joking expression, ¡°A single guy like me, starting a harem?¡±

    Yan Jing¡¯s breath hitched instantly, thinking that big brother¡¯s skill at playing dumb was on a par with Sister Zhao¡¯s self-brainwashing.

    ¡°But it¡¯s a fact that they all like you,¡± she didn¡¯t play word games with Yan Yu, pressing on with her questions.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu nodded and sighed, ¡°This handsome face of mine really has brought me too much trouble.¡±

    ¡°Big brother is starting to be shameless again,¡± Yan Jing said with a giggling smile, ¡°I really want to record what you just said and send it to the sisters to see what their reaction would be.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t lied,¡± Yan Yu glanced at his sister, ¡°It¡¯s just how the old Yan family genes are, producing handsome men and beautiful women, beloved by everyone.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Jing immediately responded seriously, ¡°As much as it sounds arrogant, this fact is undeniable.¡±

    ¡°So you can understand why they would end up liking me,¡± seeing that his sister had finally accepted reality, Yan Yu asked leisurely.

    ¡°So how do you plan to deal with it, big brother?¡± Yan Jing, however, changed the subject, ¡°Choose one from among them? Or keep them all hanging until you get tired of playing and then choose one? Or simply ¡®I want them all¡¯?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about this issue yet,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°By the way, you¡¯re quite young, yet how can you say ¡®I want them all¡¯? Are your thoughts a bit dirty?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s dirty about that?¡± Yan Jing dismissed it casually, ¡°No matter who becomes my sister-in-law, they¡¯ll all have to please me. The more sisters-in-law, the better my life, the moral blame naturally falls on you, big brother, so of course I hope the more sisters-in-law, the better. Is there any problem with this logic?¡±

    After pondering for a moment, Yan Yu couldn¡¯t find any flaws and couldn¡¯t help but remark that the blue is made out of the indigo but is bluer than it. Thankfully, Jingjing was his sister, not a brother, otherwise, she would have been great material for starting a harem.

    And who knows who would be unlucky enough to end up dating her and being manipulated by her in the future.

    Of course, Yan Yu, as a big brother, didn¡¯t feel anything about his sister dating other men in the future, but Father Yan seemed very unwilling to face that reality. Mother Yan had once joked about it at the dinner table, which made Father Yan so upset that he couldn¡¯t eat and went to the balcony to smoke in silence.

    Mother Yan didn¡¯t harbor the same ¡°reluctance to let go¡± sentiment for her son, jokingly saying that if her son couldn¡¯t find a partner when he grew up, she would arrange for him to meet distant relatives back in their hometown for a blind date, gloriously called ¡°adding kinship to kinship.¡±

    Now, it seemed there was genuinely no need for that.

    After the girls left, the days kept passing one by one. Zhao Yuanzhen was still eating and drinking every day, watching TV, chatting with Father Yan, Mother Yan, and Jingjing, perfectly integrating into the Yan family.

    Yan Yu would occasionally watch some live streams, check out what powerful Transcendents the opposing camps had, and compare them with the memories from his past life, or chat with fellow Cultivators like Anna, Li Minghu, Ye Jun, Tang Xiaolian, and Zhou Hongyu ¡ª Zhou Hongyu being an exception, as their chats usually consisted of him unilaterally flirting with Little Zhou, who couldn¡¯t take it anymore and started cursing, thereby ending the casual conversation.

    On the sixth day of the new year, he suddenly received a call from Li Weiguo: S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Speaking of which, Yan Yu, it¡¯s been a long time since your team has participated in a simulation exercise, right?¡±

    ¡°True,¡± Yan Yu was washing dishes in the kitchen, wedging his phone between his ear and shoulder, ¡°We¡¯ve all been busy fighting real battles against foreign Transcendents. Who has the time for domestic competition?¡±

    ¡°Well, but the international situation has relaxed a lot recently, so you won¡¯t face situations that absolutely require you guys to fight,¡± Li Weiguo continued, ¡°There¡¯s a Mysterious Realm in Qingzang Province next week, and the organization plans to send Zhenhai Team over to develop it, giving an explanation to the Cultivator Athletic League. It¡¯s not great to be rated as a Grade A team but never join in the competitions.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Yan Yu thought that it was just a military exercise, considering Cultivators were a military profession, regular exercises and training during non-combat periods were inevitable, ¡°Who¡¯s the opponent?¡±

    ¡°The Huofeng Team,¡± Li Weiguo said, ¡°No need for other teams; they wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against you.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°Trying to save some face for the Pingxi Army?¡±

    ¡°You just make sure you secure the victory,¡± Li Weiguo said with exasperation, ¡°Since the last time you fought, the power of Huofeng Team has greatly improved. Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire, Tang Xiaolian¡¯s Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu¡­ both of these you managed to obtain, you should be aware of their strength.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m aware that I can say with confidence that we are sure to win,¡± Yan Yu replied with a smile.

    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Li Weiguo laughed, ¡°Then I¡¯ll be waiting for your good news.¡±

 Chapter 468 - 64: I Hit Yan Yu?

    Chapter 468: Chapter 64: I Hit Yan Yu?

    On the seventh day of the New Year, Yan Yu bid farewell to his parents and sister and flew towards the Jinling Prefecture team¡¯s base on his Sword Control.

    Upon returning to the villa, he saw Su Yunjin holding a mop and cleaning all around the living room.

    ¡°Happy New Year, Yunjin,¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise, ¡°why don¡¯t you hire a cleaning service?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m training my mind,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s like the Shaolin monastery¡¯s sweeping monks in martial arts novels: they¡¯re not really just sweeping the floor, they¡¯re using it to understand the True Meaning of Buddhism.¡±

    ¡°So you want to be our team¡¯s sweeping monk too?¡± Yan Yu laughed.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see if I have a chance,¡± Su Yunjin pondered for a moment, then added, ¡°The snow water is almost collected, what should we do next?¡±

    ...

    ¡°Now we start collecting dew,¡± Yan Yu smiled. ¡°Rainwater is always available, dew needs a big temperature difference between day and night to collect easily, we can make a simple device in the yard with dust-free cloth¡­¡±

    When Lin Ning arrived at the villa on his Sword Control, he saw Yan Yu and Su Yunjin messing around in the yard.

    ¡°What are you guys playing at?¡± Lin Ning asked. ¡°We are facing the Huofeng Team next week, and you still have the mood to play games?!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re actually doing something important,¡± Yan Yu turned to Su Yunjin and said, ¡°Come and collect water before and after sunrise every day, check the clarity with Divine Sense before absorbing it; reject it if it¡¯s even slightly murky, better none than impure.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Su Yunjin said.

    ¡°What are you scared of?¡± Yan Yu grabbed a towel nearby to wipe his hands and asked Lin Ning, ¡°The Huofeng Team, they are just losers. If you¡¯re scared, that¡¯s even better, since only five can play in the competition; we¡¯ll have Ruoxi take your place.¡±

    ¡°What? No way!¡± Lin Ning immediately argued back, ¡°I¡¯m not scared at all, I¡¯m just reminding you to prepare well for the battle!¡±

    The three of them walked inside the house, only to hear Yan Yu say:

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not us who should be scared, but them.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Lin Ning was skeptical.

    ¡°Just watch.¡± Yan Yu then took out his phone and sent a message to Tang Xiaolian.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: I didn¡¯t expect our two teams to face off so soon.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Yes, my Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu just hatched not long ago, it hasn¡¯t fully grown yet.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: If your Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu accidentally gets slain during the match, you won¡¯t hate me, right?

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: ???????

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Don¡¯t lay a finger on my bugs, I¡¯m telling you!

    ¡°See?¡± Yan Yu turned to Ningning and Yunjin with a smile, ¡°She¡¯s scared.¡±

    Both: ¡­¡­¡­

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Blades and swords are blind. It¡¯s just a simulation match. If you say not killing people is fine, but not even bugs can be harmed, what¡¯s the point? Just declare us the losers and be done with it.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Captain Yan, please, don¡¯t harm my bugs, okay? It¡¯s still so small, just a child, spare it some mercy.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: On the battlefield, there are no children! If you¡¯re concerned about its safety, don¡¯t bring it into battle.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: I¡¯m going to talk to Deputy Captain Zhang right now!

    ¡°You see,¡± Yan Yu cheerfully said, ¡°she¡¯s so scared she dares not even use the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s so mean,¡± Lin Ning remarked.

    ¡°Is using such means not somewhat dishonorable?¡± Su Yunjin asked worriedly.

    ¡°The captain really stoops to anything when it comes to bullying girls,¡± Lin Ning said mercilessly.

    ¡°Enough talk,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°I mention Ningning¡¯s nervousness only so you know, it¡¯s the Huofeng Team that should be nervous.¡±

    Meanwhile, Tang Xiaolian received the message at her end, and hurriedly ran to the rest of the team, exclaiming:

    ¡°Captain Yan said he will specifically target my bugs!¡± S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°We¡¯re in a competition, isn¡¯t it normal to target you?¡± Qin Meng asked, puzzled.

    ¡°No!¡± Tang Xiaolian said anxiously, ¡°He said that when we start fighting, he can¡¯t guarantee my bugs won¡¯t die!¡±

    ¡°Captain Yan is scaring you?¡± Meng Qingxi said in surprise, ¡°He¡¯s not that kind of person.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we here to win?¡± Hou Qing retorted, ¡°Captain Yan fears the presence of the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, so using psychological tactics to scare us into not using it isn¡¯t out of the question, right?¡±

    ¡°You think Captain Yan is like you,¡± Meng Qingxi chuckled.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me?¡± Hou Qing¡¯s face darkened, ¡°I have never used such unsportsmanlike tactics.¡±

    ¡°You have a grudge against Captain Yan, isn¡¯t it because of Xiaolian¡­¡± Meng Qingxi hadn¡¯t finished speaking when Zhang Huaide interrupted him:

    ¡°Enough. I don¡¯t believe Captain Yan is intentionally scaring Xiaolian, but the issue does exist. Is the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu now impervious to swords and spears?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Tang Xiaolian said, her face clouded, ¡°I touched it this morning, and its shell still felt somewhat soft.¡±

    ¡°Then don¡¯t use it,¡± Zhang Huaide turned to Zhou Hongyu and said, ¡°Most summoning insects and ghosts are expendable and easily regenerated, but the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu is different. If it¡¯s not grown enough to be impervious to weapons, bringing it into battle poses the risk of it being destroyed, and it won¡¯t achieve the tactical value we need. Better not to deploy it.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Zhou Hongyu didn¡¯t object.

    ¡°Speaking of which, could this also be Captain Yan¡¯s strategy?¡± Hou Qing suddenly thought of something and said, ¡°He specifically asked Xiaolian about this to confirm whether the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu has grown to be impervious. If it has, then he can prepare tactical countermeasures in advance; if it hasn¡¯t, then he needn¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°By your logic, Xiaolian can also lie to him,¡± Meng Qingxi said, ¡°How can he be sure Xiaolian will definitely tell him the truth? What if Xiaolian chooses to bluff?¡±

    ¡°She won¡¯t,¡± Tang Xiaolian said, going pale, ¡°because he guessed I wouldn¡¯t lie to him.¡±

    Everyone was taken aback, wondering how they grew so close after just fighting together in the Mysterious Realm? How could he be so sure she wouldn¡¯t lie to him?

    ¡°As expected of Captain Yan,¡± Zhang Huaide said after a moment of silence.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Zhou Hongyu spoke, ¡°We¡¯ll fight without the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu.¡±

    ¡°Hou Qing,¡± she turned her gaze, her expression suddenly turning sharp again, ¡°If you have issues with Yan Yu, it¡¯s fine. But stop showing off your verbal skills in the team. Beat him up on the battlefield until he¡¯s a mess, and no one will blame you. If anyone does, I¡¯ll stand up for you.¡±

    Hou Qing laughed awkwardly: Me beat Yan Yu? Really?

    ¡°That sounds great,¡± Tang Xiaolian also clapped and laughed, ¡°The Peak of Forbidden City, a duel of swords, sounds very spectacular, right? Deputy Captain Zhang, didn¡¯t you say before that you want to isolate Captain Yan from the Zhenghai Team¡¯s tactical system? Let Hou Qing restrain Captain Yan this time!¡±

    ¡°Support,¡± Meng Qingxi also chimed in, ¡°It¡¯s up to you, old Hou. If you take down Captain Yan this time, I¡¯ll be your fan from now on, a fanatic fan.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be your little brother,¡± Qin Meng also joined in, ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever you tell me to.¡±

    Ah, this¡­ Hou Qing really wanted to say ¡°I can¡¯t beat Yan Yu,¡± but how could he admit such a thing in front of everyone?

    ¡°Alright,¡± Zhang Huaide shook his head, ¡°No joking. For Hou Qing to take on Yan Yu alone is still difficult. Our plan is for Captain Zhou to lead the attack on Captain Yan, while Hou Qing, you just need to support and harass from the side.¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡± Hou Qing immediately exclaimed, his gaze towards Zhang Huaide also filled with gratitude.

 Chapter 469 - 65 Yun Jin Becomes Alert, Sister Zhao Harbors Dissatisfaction

    Chapter 469: Chapter 65 Yun Jin Becomes Alert, Sister Zhao Harbors Dissatisfaction

    The confrontation match between Zhenhai Team and Huofeng Team quickly became the hottest headline of the first quarter after the year.

    The heat in public opinion even far surpassed the Privy Council¡¯s estimate. Based on internet monitoring, what everyone was most interested in was ¡°who would win,¡± but to the Privy Council, this seemed to have hardly any suspense¡ªif Captain Yan from Zhenhai Team was temporarily removed, the remaining strength was inferior to Huofeng Team; but if Captain Yan was included, Zhenhai¡¯s odds of winning were too great.

    The public didn¡¯t see it that way. Most of the time, the public¡¯s perspective on matters didn¡¯t depend on evidence and logic but rather on their own positions and preferences.

    In the poll results from Shinetech, about seventy percent of the national public believed that Zhenhai Team would win, and about thirty percent believed that Huofeng Team would win, with the majority of the latter¡¯s IPs coming from western provinces like Nanchuan and Nanjiang; similarly, the southeastern provinces were the main supporters of Zhenhai Team, with over 90% of the voting users believing that Zhenhai Team could achieve victory. However, in the western provinces, this ratio could drop to 40% or lower.

    Along with the voting and massive discussions, corresponding regional discrimination and online salvos also emerged, forcing Shinetech to urgently close the comment section six hours later.

    ¡°Report!¡± Xie Ruoxi hurried downstairs, saying, ¡°The Black Pieces of Zhenhai Team have started to be very active again!¡±

    ...

    ¡°Is it spontaneous or organized?¡± Yan Yu asked gravely.

    ¡°Not sure yet.¡± Xie Ruoxi said.

    ¡°Explore more and report back!¡± Yan Yu commanded with a wave of his hand, speaking sternly.

    Xie Ruoxi, the community operations specialist of Zhenhai Team, responded and quickly ran back to the study.

    ¡°Why are there Black Pieces again?¡± Lin Ning also got irritated, ¡°Aren¡¯t the higher-ups dealing with it?¡±

    ¡°Why should they handle it?¡± Yan Yu retorted, ¡°Just ignore it and it¡¯s done. With your attitude of always wondering ¡®why doesn¡¯t anyone handle this,¡¯ you are fundamentally waiting for someone superior to take charge for you, which shows your overdependence on others. We cultivators should stand strong and independent. To be agitated by a bit of public pressure goes to show a lack of inner strength.¡±

    ¡°I just can¡¯t stand people badmouthing us!¡± Lin Ning retorted.

    Chen Lingyun slightly smiled, explaining to everyone:

    ¡°There are also many supporters of Huofeng Team. These people argue with our supporters, and when emotions ferment, a portion of extremists come to attack us. It¡¯s unavoidable. As for why the higher-ups don¡¯t handle it, mainly it¡¯s because¡­¡±

    ¡°Handling it is pointless.¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Idiots can¡¯t be eliminated by silencing. Winning the match is the best way to slap them in the face. The more you win, even if they still don¡¯t respect you, at least they won¡¯t keep posting attacks online to avoid embarrassing themselves.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t wait until we win the match, I¡¯m so impatient!¡± Lin Ning, overtaken by her temper, stood up and headed towards the upstairs study, ¡°I¡¯m going up now to bash them with Ruoxi!¡±

    She stomped upstairs. Yan Yu sighed helplessly and turned to instruct the others:

    ¡°Don¡¯t let this affect you.¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile.

    ¡°What kind of influence?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked, puzzled.

    ¡°The ones likely to be affected are already upstairs,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a chuckle.

    Everyone continued their activities as Yan Yu picked up his phone and saw a message from Tang Xiaolian.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: I¡¯m dying, someone online is calling me Intertone Dirty Inkstone.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Who? I don¡¯t know them.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Captain Yan pretending? Just play dumb!

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: It¡¯s your Zhenhai Team¡¯s die-hard fans cursing me!

    [Win Over with Virtue]: I¡¯ve also been called ¡°Hanged Man,¡± ¡°Bottom,¡± ¡°Harem Yan.¡±

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: That counts as cursing? Do you know what they say about Captain Zhou? They say she ¡°really knows how to thank.¡±

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Why?

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Because she shoots whenever she sees someone.

    Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter.

    Zhou Hongyu was indeed quick to fire off flames on the battlefield, being unable to wait even half a second was like asking for her life. But the nicknames netizens come up with never shy from hitting below the belt, which was a bit too harsh.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: So, ban them from talking.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Already asked the higher-ups to do so.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: But it¡¯s useless. They¡¯ll just go to other places where they aren¡¯t banned to continue cursing you, like in private chat groups.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Then let it be, out of sight, out of mind.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Su Yunjin saw Yan Yu laughing for no reason and asked curiously.

    ¡°Tang Xiaolian told me that there are more people cursing them online than us,¡± Yan Yu showed Su Yun Jin his phone.

    ¡°Let me see.¡± Chen Lingyun, seeing something amusing, quickly leaned over to join the fun.

    She peeked over from behind Yan Yu¡¯s left side, her head getting incredibly close, almost touching his face, so close that Yan Yu could even smell the distinct jasmine scent¡ªprobably from her second favorite shampoo brand.

    Su Yun Jin, sitting to his right, didn¡¯t notice Chen Lingyun¡¯s ambiguous posture and casually asked:

    ¡°Captain, are you very familiar with Tang Xiaolian?¡±

    ¡°Not very familiar,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    He didn¡¯t plan to tell his teammates that Tang Xiaolian was a ¡°spy¡± he had planted in the Huofeng Team, after all, the more people knew, the easier it would be for the news to reach Zhou Hongyu¡¯s ears, which wouldn¡¯t be good.

    ¡°But I see she chats with you and obviously has quite a fondness for you,¡± Su Yun Jin said cautiously, continuing to probe.

    ¡°Because she doesn¡¯t have friends within Huofeng Team whom she can chat with freely,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    Su Yun Jin unconsciously found it strange, but after thinking about it, she felt it indeed seemed to be the case.

    Girls usually prefer to spend time with other girls, and though Tang Xiaolian was quite close to Captain Zhou, the problem was that Zhou Hongyu had a boring and irritable character, definitely not a good conversation partner.

    So, did she consider Captain Yan ¡­a male confidante?

    Weird.

    Su Yun Jin believed that pure friendship could exist between men and women, but when it involved their own captain, she felt that being overly cautious was still not enough.

    Well, I should add Tang Xiaolian as a friend and probe her intentions.

    ¡°Who has a fondness for Yan Yu?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, listening to their conversation, finally caught on and hurriedly stood up to join.

    Her figure was naturally voluptuous, with plenty of curves where it mattered, and without much effort, she easily nudged the slender Chen Lingyun aside and stared intensely at the chat records between Yan Yu and Tang Xiaolian.

    ¡°If you want to look, take it and have a look.¡± Seeing the enchantress about to stick to him, Yan Yu, also afraid of any accidental contact, quickly handed her the phone.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, however, didn¡¯t take it but instead frowned and asked:

    ¡°Who is this Tang Lingling?¡±

    Everyone was speechless. Sister, it¡¯s been so long since you joined the group, and you still don¡¯t know who is who?

    ¡°The Huofeng Team¡¯s Tang Xiaolian,¡± Chen Lingyun reminded her.

    ¡°Does Huofeng Team have such a person?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen puzzledly asked.

    ¡°Who from Huofeng Team do you remember?¡± Yan Yu counter-questioned instead. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°How could I not remember? Don¡¯t underestimate people!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said with her hands on her hips, ¡°Zhou Hongyu!¡±

    ¡°Who else?¡± Yan Yu smiled and asked.

    ¡°And¡­ um¡­¡± Zhao Yuanzhen pondered, showing a thoughtful expression, ¡°Zhang Youde?¡±

    ¡°Zhang Huaide,¡± Su Yun Jin corrected her.

    ¡°Right, Zhang Huaide,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen showed an expression as if she knew it all along.

    Chen Lingyun was speechless. They often talked about Huofeng Team members during video analysis and strategy discussions, and Zhao still hadn¡¯t remembered their names, proving she never actually listened properly to the stratagems.

    ¡°Let¡¯s make sure Zhao recognizes everyone first,¡± she said with a sweet smile, ¡°otherwise, when we get on the battlefield, I tell her to target Qin Meng, and she charges at Meng Qingxi instead, that could really spoil our plans.¡±

    ¡°I just couldn¡¯t remember the name all of a sudden!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen hurriedly argued, ¡°When I see the person on the battlefield, I¡¯ll probably remember their name!¡±

    ¡°Do you only somewhat remember names?¡± Yan Yu mercilessly teased her, ¡°Is your brain capacity all grown into your chest?¡±

    ¡°Captain!¡± Su Yun Jin immediately became anxious, ¡°You can¡¯t talk to a girl with such crude language!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen gritted her teeth, fuming inside:

    The scoundrel insulted me today for being ¡®beautiful but brainless,¡¯ I¡¯ll remember this grudge! When my day comes, I¡¯ll hold him tight in my embrace and suffocate him to death, and we¡¯ll see if he can still speak any nonsense!

 Chapter 470 - 66 Community Operation, Ruoxi Ningning

    Chapter 470: Chapter 66 Community Operation, Ruoxi Ningning

    Yan Yu effortlessly dealt with Zhao Yuanzhen and then made his way up the stairs to the study where he saw Xie Ruoxi and Lin Ning sitting side by side, pounding away on the keyboards of their two computers like close sisters.

    ¡°A new Black Piece has appeared!¡± Xie Ruoxi suddenly exclaimed, ¡°I sent you the link!¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡± Lin Ning responded, ¡°What¡¯s our counterattack?¡±

    ¡°Pretend we¡¯re bystanders, just go along with me!¡± said Xie Ruoxi.

    ¡°Which account are you using?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    ¡°The one named ¡®I Speak No Lies¡¯,¡± Xie Ruoxi revealed.

    ...

    ¡°Right, right!¡± Lin Ning began to type, fluently reciting, ¡°Pure passerby, neither fan nor hater, what you¡¯re saying does make sense¡­¡±

    Yan Yu, listening from behind, was speechless and asked:

    ¡°Are you guys playing the social media army game again?¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t interfere with our regular work, thank you.¡± Lin Ning wouldn¡¯t give him the time of day, but Xie Ruoxi stood up, eager to report:

    ¡°Captain! We¡¯ve figured it out!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± asked Yan Yu.

    ¡°It¡¯s because of an account called ¡®Wang Zhaojun Beyond the Borderlands.¡¯ It posted on a forum yesterday afternoon,¡± Xie Ruoxi explained, ¡°Analyzing the strengths of all the Cultivators from Zhenhai, Dragon Cavalry, Huofeng, and Qing An Teams.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± mused Yan Yu, considering how easy it was to perform a comprehensive analysis with so many live broadcasts and video recordings available online, ¡°And then?¡±

    ¡°It seems like it¡¯s run by one of your brain-dead fans,¡± Xie Ruoxi said cautiously. ¡°The analyses of others were fairly objective, but when it came to you, it was all exaggerated praise of your combat power, saying your face-off with Huofeng Team was like a college student in a kindergarten, so it sparked a lot of debate and quarreling in the comments. Some people got so irritated by his comments that they started taking his posts out of context and spreading them around, turning many clueless bystanders into haters against us.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°Where¡¯s the original post? Show it to me?¡±

    ¡°The post got clamped, but I have screenshots of the reposts here,¡± Xie Ruoxi said as she went back to her computer, pulled up the screenshots, and Yan Yu leaned in to take a closer look. The title of the post was:

    ¡°Why Yan Yu is the Strongest in This World.¡±

    He inhaled silently without changing his expression and continued to read the content.

    As Xie Ruoxi had mentioned, the analysis from Wang Zhaojun was normal for other Cultivators, each point made was reasonable, with no exaggeration. But the tone changed dramatically when it came to Yan Yu: praising his unparalleled swordsmanship, robust True Yuan, precise positioning, and god-like reactions. In The Secret Realm of Li Palace battle, he alone could hold an entire lane, rendering many superheroes unable to advance even an inch. Now, with only a few people on the Huofeng Team, Yan Yu could take care of the opposition all by himself without even needing his teammates to step in.

    There were people in the comments who refuted this point, saying there were two reasons for the outcome in The Secret Realm of Li Palace: first, the staircase passageways were narrow, with deep pools on both sides, which made it difficult for superheroes to deploy their formations and utilize their numerical advantage; second, at that time, they were all too eager to enter Li Palace and didn¡¯t have the mindset to surround and finish off Yan Yu, allowing him to grandstand.

    Wang Zhaojun replied, saying some people love to mock others for showing off, not realizing they are the real fools. There are three sets of stairs in front of Li Palace; why was it that only Yan Yu could perform superbly while other Cultivators were just huddling together taking a beating from the Onmyoji?

    It must be admitted, this person really had a foul mouth. With such remarks, not only did Huofeng Team¡¯s fans start getting uncomfortable, Dragon Cavalry Team¡¯s fans were already furious.

    Many lashed out at him for being blind, saying that the Cultivators were obviously working together and stopping the enemy shoulder to shoulder; was it that only a One Man Army counted as a hero, and that without exceptional prowess, one is a rookie?

    Wang Zhaojun said that while all of you are stopping the enemy together, only Yan Yu is a One Man Army; doesn¡¯t this prove the weight behind Yan Yu being the strongest in this world?

    ¡°I have to say, he does make some sense,¡± Yan Yu murmured, chin in hand.

    ¡°That makes no sense at all!¡± Lin Ning couldn¡¯t help but retort, ¡°Just because of this brown-nosing post of his, how many people¡¯s perception of us has worsened?¡±

    ¡°What does their perception have to do with us, even in the slightest?¡± Yan Yu was amused by her, ¡°What, if someone doesn¡¯t like you, does your strength decline? Does your endocrine system get disturbed? Does your matchmaking plan fall through? Can¡¯t find a partner?¡± Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Lin Ning stepped on Yan Yu¡¯s foot and twisted it around vigorously, grinding it to vent her frustration.

    Unfortunately, she was too light to cause any harm to Yan Yu.

    ¡°Since it¡¯s not the work of organized trolls, let¡¯s not worry about public opinion for now.¡± Yan Yu spoke solemnly, ¡°Let¡¯s focus on preparing for the battle.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Lin Ning said.

    ¡°What, you¡¯re not convinced?¡± Yan Yu glanced at her sideways.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m not,¡± Lin Ning said, ¡°There are still so many people who haven¡¯t had the chance to insult me. If I keep quiet now, won¡¯t they think I¡¯m afraid of them?¡±

    ¡°In that case, you focus on managing public opinion,¡± Yan Yu nodded and said, ¡°This time, you won¡¯t be going on the field.¡±

    ¡°No way!¡± Lin Ning was visibly shocked, grabbing Yan Yu¡¯s arm and saying, ¡°I have to go on the field! I must! Don¡¯t joke with me like this!¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Xie Ruoxi looked at Lin Ning and suddenly grasped the sleeve of Yan Yu¡¯s other arm, asking, ¡°Has the competition format been decided? Is it only five people allowed to compete, no more?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not exactly it,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°Specifically speaking, it¡¯s a batch system with an advance and a follow-up.¡±

    ¡°Divide the team into an advance and a follow-up formation. In the order of the home team¡¯s advance, the visiting team¡¯s advance, the home team¡¯s follow-up, and the visiting team¡¯s follow-up, no more than five people can enter in each batch. In other words, everyone can¡¯t enter all at once, simulating a scenario of holding ground and reinforcing.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lin Ning pondered, ¡°So it¡¯s possible to have one person in the advance and five in the follow-up, or two in the advance and three in the follow-up¡­ Does this sound a bit like Tian Ji¡¯s horse racing?¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Xie Ruoxi also had a flash of insight and asked curiously, ¡°If we only send one person in the advance, and the opponent sends five, and they run into each other before the follow-up even has a chance to enter, isn¡¯t that very disadvantageous to us?¡±

    ¡°The entry location to the Mysterious Realm is constantly changing, so it¡¯s not that easy to bump into each other,¡± Lin Ning tried to analyze, ¡°It¡¯s possible that neither advance team encounters each other in the Mysterious Realm, but our five people in the follow-up meet the other team¡¯s one person in the follow-up, which would turn the tide of battle, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°You all make good points,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°But you¡¯re overlooking something.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    ¡°If it¡¯s me meeting five others, it¡¯s still the others who are at a disadvantage,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°So, ultimately, it¡¯s not about numbers, but about strength.¡±

    ¡°Pfft!¡± Both girls were at a loss for words.

    However, this new competition format really favored the Zhenhai Team, as Yan Yu always stood apart from the rest of the team¡¯s tactical system, so the batch entry system hardly affected the others.

    In contrast, the Huofeng Team relied on the command of their vice-captain Zhang Huaide, so the batch system would lead to some team members being cut off from the command system. Without joining up with their own team, whether they faced Chen Lingyun leading the main force or Yan Yu, the One Man Army, they were likely not to fare well.

    Hmm? If Yan Yu really entered alone and encountered the main force, resulting in defeating all five opponents, what would the post-match public opinion be like then?

    Lin Ning and Xie Ruoxi exchanged glances, suddenly feeling excited.

    Wouldn¡¯t that be the best way to slap those trolls in the face?

 Chapter 471 - 67: I Am the Captain

    Chapter 471: Chapter 67: I Am the Captain

    ¡°The new competition format isn¡¯t entirely in your favor either,¡±

    over the phone, Li Minghu reminded, ¡°Your and your team¡¯s tactical system are incompatible, which is hardly a secret. Zhang Huaide will definitely guess you¡¯re using the 15-member setup and that you¡¯ll take the vanguard alone.¡±

    ¡°So what?¡± Yan Yu was noncommittal, wanting to hear what Valkyrie thought.

    ¡°If I were Zhang Huaide,¡± Li Minghu began to analyze, ¡°I would have Qin Meng lead the charge.¡±

    ¡°When it comes to individual survival ability, Qin Meng, who specializes in physical cultivation, is undoubtedly the best in the Huofeng Team, even Zhou Hongyu can¡¯t compare to him. Even if he accidentally runs into you in the Mysterious Realm, he would still have enough self-preservation strength.¡±

    ¡°This time it¡¯s Huofeng Team¡¯s home ground. Once you and Qin Meng finish, the remaining five members of Huofeng Team will take their turns, and they will definitely try to surround you with six people before Chen Lingyun and the others enter,¡±

    ...

    ¡°Even for you, dealing with a six-person combined attack would be difficult. Previously in the Secret Realm of Li Palace, the reason you could handle so many superheroes was that they were all too eager to rush into the Departure Palace and had no intention of entangling with you.¡±

    ¡°No wonder you¡¯re called Ah Hu,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°Exactly.¡± S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Cultivators are not invincible; they also need to dodge when attacked. As long as the enemies are numerous enough, launching a continuous, saturation bombardment to keep you dodging without a chance to counter¡­ the opponents would then stand invincible. How can one fight against that?

    If Yan Yu indeed found himself surrounded by six people alone, he could only try to delay time until Chen Lingyun and the others arrived.

    ¡°By the way, you must have seen that post on Tieba, right?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°I only saw the screenshot Ah Jiang sent me,¡± Li Minghu said with a laugh, ¡°He exaggerated your prowess too much, it feels like it¡¯s secretly a shade under flattery.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how high-level critics operate these days, hard to guard against,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°About your speculation, I think there¡¯s still one variable.¡±

    ¡°Which is?¡±

    ¡°Zhou Hongyu,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Now, finally, there¡¯s a chance for a one-on-one duel at the top of the Forbidden City. Would she easily give that up?¡±

    ¡°Seems likely,¡± Li Minghu, who wasn¡¯t familiar with the relationship between Zhou Hongyu and Yan Yu, merely said, ¡°But even personal grievances shouldn¡¯t overshadow the team¡¯s collective interests, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s hard to say,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment, ¡°I¡¯ll go ask.¡±

    ¡°Ask who?¡±

    ¡°Zhou Hongyu.¡±

    ¡°Heh,¡± Li Minghu also couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, ¡°You¡¯re too much, Yan Yu.¡±

    ¡°Just asking friendly questions,¡± Yan Yu opened the chat window with Zhou Hongyu on his computer and began typing.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Finally, another chance to face you. Are you excited?

    [Zao La]: What do you mean?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: I¡¯m leading the vanguard alone this time. Coming? King vs. King!

    On the other side, Zhou Hongyu showed the phone screen to everyone, displaying the challenge message sent by Yan Yu.

    ¡°Ignore it,¡± Zhang Huaide pushed up his glasses with a fingertip and said gravely, ¡°If you agree, our lineup configuration will have no secrets for them.¡±

    ¡°The same goes for them,¡± Zhou Hongyu coldly said, ¡°What¡¯s your plan?¡±

    ¡°Qin Meng will lead the charge,¡± Zhang Huaide replied, ¡°Ensure his survival while trying to engage Yan Yu as much as possible, waiting for our back lines to enter and quickly surround and eliminate him.¡±

    The reason for formulating this tactical scheme was because Tang Xiaolian had recently acquired a set of Mother-Child Gu. No matter where the Child Gu was, as long as one carried the Mother Gu within a certain distance, its head would always point towards the direction of the Child Gu.

    They would let Qin Meng carry the Child Gu first into the arena, and once everyone else entered the Mysterious Realm, they could use the Mother Gu to immediately rush to Qin Meng¡¯s location, achieving the fastest possible rally.

    ¡°What if Qin Meng doesn¡¯t find Yan Yu?¡± Zhou Hongyu questioned, ¡°Or what if Qin Meng can¡¯t withstand Yan Yu¡¯s assault?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s the former, at least we¡¯ve completed the rendezvous and are not at a disadvantage,¡± Zhang Huaide had already thought it through and replied, ¡°A fair duel will follow.¡±

    ¡°As for the latter, Qin Meng, if you really feel you can¡¯t hold on, you can choose to retreat and protect yourself, trying to delay until we enter the arena, so it would be almost the same as the former.¡±

    ¡°This time our advantage lies in being able to complete the full team assembly faster than the Zhenghai Team. The principles of military strategy are nothing more than acting fast against the slow and striking the few with the many. Why abandon the advantages we have?¡±

    Zhou Hongyu still disagreed, declaring firmly:

    ¡°I will take Qin Meng¡¯s place, and all other strategies will proceed as you have outlined.¡±

    Zhang Huaide pondered.

    Qin Meng had an advantage over Zhou Hongyu, as he focused on cultivating his physique and had strong defenses. Even if he couldn¡¯t keep up with Yan Yu¡¯s speed and reactions, taking a few hits wouldn¡¯t be a problem, and he was most likely able to last until regrouping with the team.

    If Zhou Hongyu were to lead the charge, the tactical thinking would have to change: it wouldn¡¯t be about defending and delaying but about maximizing pressure on Yan Yu¡­

    It wasn¡¯t impossible.

    Of the two plans, from a tactical standpoint, Qin Meng taking the lead undoubtedly had a higher success rate. The problem was that in considering issues, one mustn¡¯t only look at the present. Given Captain Zhou¡¯s current display of strong obsession, she seemed to still hold a grudge about being defeated by Captain Yan before, almost to the point of developing a heart demon.

    Even if her participation was limited by the team¡¯s interest, it would be like compressing a spring slightly, only for the rebound to come back even more fiercely next time.

    The outcome of one battle is trivial; dealing with Captain Zhou¡¯s heart demon is the real issue.

    If this time she could truly defeat Yan Yu¡­ no, even if it was just Captain Zhou venting her combat desire sufficiently, subsequent ideological work would be much easier.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Zhang Huaide replied, ¡°On the other side is Chen Lingyun, who will surely guess that we¡¯re leading with Qin Meng. Let¡¯s do the opposite then. Captain Zhou, after you find Yan Yu, focus on putting pressure on him to exhaust his True Yuan¡­¡±

    ¡°To defeat him,¡± Zhou Hongyu corrected.

    ¡°Yes, to try and defeat him,¡± Zhang Huaide reluctantly amended, ¡°and on that basis, force him to counterattack, don¡¯t let him simply dodge and conserve his True Yuan.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Zhou Hongyu said.

    The group exchanged looks, secretly thinking, Captain Zhou¡¯s obsession with Captain Yan is truly fearsome. How long has it been since last year¡¯s four-college exchange tournament, and she still hasn¡¯t gotten over the humiliation Yan Yu left her with?

    ¡°Qin Meng,¡± Zhang Huaide continued, ¡°this time you¡¯ll stay in the rear to guard the whole team.¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡± Qin Meng said.

    ¡°Hou Qing,¡± Zhang Huaide issued the order, ¡°your role will shift from assisting a support attack to leading the main attack. Until you rendezvous with Captain Zhou, you are responsible for leading the team¡¯s main assault.¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡± Hou Qing also nodded.

    ¡°Captain Zhou, don¡¯t reply to Yan Yu yet,¡± Zhang Huaide turned and said, ¡°Tang Xiaolian, go have a casual chat with Captain Yan, just mention that I and Captain Zhou had a disagreement. Captain Zhou wants to take the lead, and I disagreed, which led to an argument between us.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Tang Xiaolian refused, ¡°I don¡¯t want to lie to people.¡±

    Everyone immediately stared at her, thinking, sister, you¡¯re a member of the Huofeng Team, not the Zhenghai Team!

    ¡°It¡¯s not lying,¡± Zhang Huaide explained patiently, ¡°Captain Zhou requesting to lead is a fact, and my initial disagreement is also a fact. You¡¯re not lying. Just don¡¯t mention that I later compromised and readjusted the plan.¡±

    ¡°Still no,¡± Tang Xiaolian persisted, ¡°Even if it¡¯s because I only tell half the story, if he misunderstands, won¡¯t he come after me later?¡±

    ¡°Enough,¡± Zhou Hongyu interjected, ¡°Huaide, let¡¯s solve battlefield problems on the battlefield. There¡¯s no need to play any minor tricks off the field.¡±

    ¡°But Captain Yan used these kinds of tactics first, didn¡¯t he?¡± Hou Qing pointed out, ¡°I¡¯m not targeting Captain Yan, but it was indeed him who came to chat first, forcing us to give up using the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not really a trick,¡± Zhang Huaide agreed, ¡°It¡¯s merely a psychological tactic¡­¡±

    ¡°Do as I say,¡± Zhou Hongyu insisted, her tone leaving no room for argument, ¡°I am the captain!¡±

 Chapter 472 - 68: The Fake Queens Rehabilitation

    Chapter 472: Chapter 68: The Fake Queen¡¯s Rehabilitation

    ¡°`

    The Huofeng Team was actively preparing for battle, and the Zhenhai Team was no exception.

    After the holiday break, everyone would head to the school¡¯s training grounds early each day, only returning to the villa base in the evening to rest and recuperate.

    Yan Yu originally had quite a bit of confidence, but seeing the girls sparring chaotically on the training grounds completely shattered his defenses.

    It had only been a week and a half holiday without training, how had everyone regressed so much?

    Rehabilitation! They must rigorously rehabilitate!

    ...

    Otherwise, in their current state, facing the Huofeng Team in the Mysterious Realm, what was the point of even fighting?

    ¡°Captain,¡± Lin Ning came over to ask, ¡°I want to apply for a Flying Sword¡­¡±

    ¡°No way!¡± Yan Yu mercilessly vetoed, ¡°First practice the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step. Did you see what you were doing just now? Were you street dancing?¡± Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Lin Ning walked away dejected, and Su Yunjin sidled up, saying:

    ¡°Do you want some water, Captain? I¡¯ve brought some orange-flavored sparkling water¡­¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re all fasting, what water?!¡± Yan Yu snatched the thermos from her hand, unsparingly, ¡°Don¡¯t think you can slack off and loaf around under the guise of going to the water cooler! Lin Ning is over there practicing the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, you use the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art to hit her! If you hit her, she stays tonight for extra training; if you miss, you stay tonight for extra training!¡±

    Su Yunjin turned around sulkily, and after a moment¡¯s eye contact with Lin Ning, who had heard Yan Yu¡¯s words from across the way, their expressions changed slightly, and suddenly they both developed a competitive spirit.

    The loser would have to stay here alone tonight for miserable extra training, while the winner would get to go back to the villa and have a warm and friendly chat with the captain?

    No way, I must win!

    Having successfully incited the two girls to fight each other, Yan Yu turned his attention to Xie Ruoxi, watching her use Thunder Method to hit moving targets, ten shots averaging only five hits, which made him almost want to eat her alive.

    ¡°Hehe.¡± Xie Ruoxi, seeing Yan Yu¡¯s furious, man-eating expression, could only try to explain, with an awkward smile, ¡°I haven¡¯t practiced for too long, my hand is a bit stiff¡­ Spare my life, Captain!¡±

    She suddenly knelt on the ground, gripping Yan Yu¡¯s leg tightly, begging with a tearful voice:

    ¡°Give me seven days, no! Five days, and I¡¯ll definitely get my feel back!¡±

    ¡°You have three days,¡± Yan Yu said from a position of authority, coldly staring down at her, ¡°If you can¡¯t make nine out of ten, you¡¯re deleting your game account.¡±

    ¡°Captain, please no! How about seven out of ten?¡± Xie Ruoxi tried to haggle shamelessly, but Yan Yu kicked her away without mercy, leaving her to cry mournfully.

    Having arranged for the training assessments of the three girls, there were still Zhao Yuanzhen and Chen Lingyun left in the team, who did not require much attention.

    The value of the Demonic Sect Enchantress lay not in her serving as an Assistant Officer but in her years of combat experience and innate talent; as for the Cultivator Envoy Chen Lingyun, she was like a bassist in a band, someone whose presence in the power calculations was neither here nor there¡ªas long as she could perform reconnaissance and command tasks, it was a victory.

    By the way, why hasn¡¯t Zhou Hongyu replied to my message?

    ¡°Speaking of which, what kind of setup do you think the Huofeng Team will adopt?¡± Yan Yu asked Chen Lingyun.

    Chen Lingyun was leisurely practicing the Sword Control Technique when she heard the question and smiled, saying:

    ¡°Qin Meng will take the lead with a 1-5, most likely to hold you back while the rest of the team enters and surrounds us for a kill; the next possibility is Zhou Hongyu leading with a 1-5, targeting you for a one-on-one fight; or Qin Meng and Zhou Hongyu leading a 2-4, which would aim to steal the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper, since one is good at defense and the other at offense, capable of handling either the Gatekeeper or you.¡±

    ¡°Apart from that, there are other possibilities of someone else leading with a 1-5, like Tang Xiaolian or Meng Qingxi, entering and immediately finding a discreet place to hide using the Invisibility Technique, dragging out the fight with you, or employing bait tactics to draw you far away. After the five in the rear enter, they¡¯d directly aim to intercept our rearguard¡­ The feasibility is okay, but the likelihood is not that high. Essentially it¡¯s a sacrifice play, using the weakest to tie you down, and it¡¯s not really in line with Zhou Hongyu¡¯s character to accept such a plan.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu pondered as well, ¡°The key issue is, for the two groups entering one after another, how to meet up with teammates or find the competitors in time. After all, the location to which one is transported upon entry is random, and the map of the Mysterious Realm is completely unknown.¡±

    ¡°The Mysterious Realm map is not completely unknown,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°The Pingxi Army has already sent drones in to scout.¡±

    ¡°Could it have been leaked to the Huofeng Team?¡± Yan Yu frowned.

    ¡°`

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Open and honest cheating is definitely impossible, after all, it will be live-streamed. But maybe they¡¯ll leak a little information to Zhang Huaide, like whether there¡¯s a vast open area or a narrow and complex palace corridor? Even a rough understanding of the terrain within the Mysterious Realm can provide a reliable basis for them to devise tactics.¡±

    ¡°As for finding someone, don¡¯t forget. In the Huofeng Team, Tang Xiaolian is a bug-controlling cultivator. For our Envoy, the least scary thing is covert reconnaissance work, bugs aren¡¯t much more conspicuous than ghosts and ghouls.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°Maybe by that time, whether it¡¯s you or Tang Xiaolian who first regroups with the vanguard will become the deciding move in this showdown.¡±

    ¡°Who knows?¡± Chen Lingyun said airily, ¡°Or maybe I have a secret weapon that will drop everyone¡¯s jaws when the time comes.¡±

    ¡°Secret weapon?¡± Yan Yu¡¯s interest was piqued instantly, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°If I told you, it wouldn¡¯t be a secret weapon anymore,¡± Chen Lingyun winked.

    ¡°Tch,¡± Yan Yu scoffed, ¡°Either you got your hands on Fan Wentang¡¯s Black and White Impermanence, or the research on Nine Heavens Yin Demon has borne fruit. What other secrets could you possibly have?¡±

    ¡°Black and White Impermanence will be in my hands by next Monday,¡± Chen Lingyun revealed, ¡°The competition is on Wednesday, so there are two days to practice.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Neither White Impermanence¡¯s Soul-hooking Dark Light nor Black Impermanence¡¯s Soul Arresting Chain are simple things that you can easily master once you get them. With just two days, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to use them properly when the time comes.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll just have to look forward to my brilliance,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a sly smile.

    Speaking of brilliance, Yan Yu also had to admit that his ex-girlfriend, despite having thousands of flaws and all kinds of unsuitabilities, could at least be trusted for her face, intelligence, and family background.

    Well, thinking about it, does she actually have quite a few advantages?

    What a pity, Virtue doesn¡¯t hide flaws! Her character is just too annoying, lacking the virtues of a woman, not suitable to be a lawful wife!

    When it came to serious matters, Yan Yu called out to Zhao Yuanzhen who was far away:

    ¡°Come over here.¡±

    ¡°What for?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, who was playing on her phone, asked upon hearing him.

    ¡°Care for some practice?¡± Yan Yu invited.

    ¡°I¡¯m not falling for your tricks,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately refused, ¡°Your so-called ¡®sparring¡¯ is not to improve my combat skills, but just to unilaterally trample over me to satisfy your unspeakable perverted desires!¡±

    How can this Demonic Sect Enchantress be so suspicious¡­ It¡¯s actually I who am making a mountain out of a molehill. If she wasn¡¯t suspicious, could she even be called a Demonic Sect Enchantress?

    ¡°I won¡¯t use the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step,¡± Yan Yu said.

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s eyes immediately lit up. What made this scoundrel the most twisted was his ghostly body technique that made all your attacks miss him.

    If he didn¡¯t use The Cloud Bagua Step, it would mean he had discarded his greatest advantage, wouldn¡¯t it be akin to having his legs tied while racing against me?

    In that case, perhaps I could even turn the tables on him!

    With that thought, an image formed in her mind:

    Herself quickly knocking the scoundrel down, standing on top of him and laughing heartily, while the sisters nearby looked at her with admiration, thinking how worthy Zhao was: even Yan Yu had to bow down beneath her skirt¡­

    ¡°No cheating, then!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen stood up and said, ¡°If you use the Cloud Bagua Step, consider it your loss!¡±

    ¡°Consider it my loss!¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    Chen Lingyun watched the two interact with crescent-shaped smiling eyes, as if infinite joy shone in her gaze.

    Whether it was Zhao Yuanzhen being tormented by Yan Yu or Yan Yu getting unexpectedly turned around by Zhao Yuanzhen, either outcome had the sort of amusement she loved to watch.

 Chapter 473 - 69: Yan Yu Brand Combat Power Detector

    Chapter 473: Chapter 69: Yan Yu Brand Combat Power Detector

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s strength lay in her ample combat experience and extremely quick on-the-spot reactions.

    After all, she was from the Demonic Sect, where survival of the fittest and constant conflicts were rampant, so it was only natural that she was experienced in combat.

    As for so-called on-the-spot reactions, it wasn¡¯t Lin Ning¡¯s best reaction speed, but rather a kind of combat intuition developed later¡ªtake, for instance, an unexpected enemy suddenly attacking; Lin Ning might react more quickly, but by the time she decided how to counterattack, Zhao Yuanzhen had already made her move.

    When facing danger, the ability to counterattack reflexively without a second thought was Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s greatest advantage.

    However, it was also her flaw.

    Because she focused too much on striking first, the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s attacks often lacked deep thought, leading to her fighting style being somewhat predictable: the first strike fierce, the second powerful, the third hard to block. After that, huh? It seemed no more than that.

    ...

    Continuing this way, those she couldn¡¯t beat now, she wouldn¡¯t see any chance of winning against in the future; those she could beat, as their understanding of her attack pattern deepened, she might not be able to defeat later on.

    Yan Yu had pointed out this problem to her last year.

    But it was no use. Zhao Yuanzhen was the type to rely entirely on instinct in battle, and her ability to learn on her own was shockingly poor; it wasn¡¯t a matter of ¡°tell her how, and she could do it immediately.¡±

    Fortunately, the combat strength of the Demonic Sect Enchantress was evident here and now, sufficient to handle most opponents, so Yan Yu wasn¡¯t in a hurry to reform her just yet.

    First, let her witness my might.

    Zhao Yuanzhen had no idea he harbored ill intentions; she merely thought, if the little thief Yan Yu isn¡¯t using the Cloud Bagua Step, shouldn¡¯t I be able to beat him until he scatters like teeth?

    Ha ha, start the battle!

    She activated the Shifting Technique, charging at Yan Yu, and the Yin Wind Sword flew from her hand, faster by a fraction, aimed at Yan Yu¡¯s abdomen.

    In real combat, the Flying Sword would usually target the head, forcing the opponent to watch the blade coming at them, and in their panic, they would easily expose weaknesses¡­ But the cunning little thief Yan Yu, there was no need for that.

    Observe the sword!

    Without using the Cloud Bagua Step, Yan Yu simply stood still, pinched out a Sword Technique with his left hand, and the Liang Yi Sword shot out, quickly intercepting the Yin Wind Sword.

    After a brief exchange of offense and defense with the swords, Zhao Yuanzhen saw she couldn¡¯t make progress, so she suddenly raised her right hand and struck overhead with the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer.

    Yan Yu remained calm, formed a Sword Technique with his right hand, and effortlessly intercepted the enchantress¡¯s hammer magic treasure. At the same time, his left hand quietly joined two fingers and subtly pointed forward.

    As Zhao Yuanzhen was about to attack again, suddenly a burst of Qi struck her chest, as if she had been forcefully pushed backward. She staggered back a few steps before stabilizing, panting heavily.

    ¡°You¡¯ve lost,¡± Yan Yu said, hands behind his back, yet somewhat surprised internally.

    To avoid injuring the enchantress, he had only used twenty percent of his power in that Impact Curse, which should have been just painful enough not to cause injury. How come she seems unharmed¡­ Oh, the enchantress has fat to buffer it; should not aim at the chest.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, having been hit by an Impact Curse, knew she had indeed lost and couldn¡¯t help but say angrily,

    ¡°When did you use the Impact Curse? I didn¡¯t see it!¡±

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t respond verbally but once again controlled the Huang Tingjian, making a gesture to block the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer while his left hand joined two middle fingers.

    Seeing him raise his fingers again, Zhao Yuanzhen was so frightened that she almost dodged to the side before suddenly realizing.

    It turned out that the position where the Huang Tingjian intercepted the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer was exactly in the middle of the line connecting the two, blocking her view of Yan Yu.

    ¡°Did you calculate that?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked.

    ¡°Not really,¡± Yan Yu deliberately said, ¡°It just so happened.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t even said what it was!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen angrily replied, her suspicion as a Demonic Sect Enchantress flaring up, increasingly convinced that it was Yan Yu¡¯s calculated plan, ¡°to deliberately block the hand seal! Despicable! Crafty! Shameless!¡±

    ¡°The winner is king, the loser the bandit. What does it matter morally?¡± Yan Yu laughed. ¡°Put away your sorry loser¡¯s facade, shall we continue? I¡¯ll give you another chance.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen, being vengeful, grasped his latter words and immediately growled,

    ¡°Fight!¡±

    I¡¯ll go all out with you!

    Chen Lingyun, watching on the side, was surprised as she saw Sister Zhao being variously tormented by Yan Yu.

    Usually, in team practice sessions, Yan Yu defeated everyone fair and square, not resorting to so many tricks. Whether it was using Flying Sword Blinding techniques or sneaking around for a backstab¡­ The most exaggerated instance was when he used the Huang Tingjian to knock the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer flying backward, hitting Zhao Yuanzhen who hadn¡¯t reacted yet, leaving a bruise on her face.

    ¡°No more fighting, no more fighting!¡± the Demonic Sect Enchantress finally surrendered, sitting down on the ground with a plop and complaining, ¡°You just know how to bully me with these petty tricks!¡±

    ¡°Even though they are petty tricks, if used at the right moment and setting, they can be surprisingly effective,¡± Yan Yu said meaningfully. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Hearing this, Zhao Yuanzhen was startled, then suddenly got inspired and started to ponder silently.

    Her own combat style was both pragmatic and rash; asking her to practice basic skills like Lin Ning, repeating the four major sword techniques a thousand times a day, was something she absolutely couldn¡¯t endure the monotony of.

    But petty tricks like these, which didn¡¯t require repeated training to master proficiency and could be used as soon as they were learned, fit her temperament perfectly.

    Hmph, I¡¯ll sneakily learn them!

    The two practiced several more times, and seeing that Zhao Yuanzhen was indeed sneakily learning his petty tricks, Yan Yu finally relaxed a bit, albeit somewhat helplessly.

    The temperament of the Demonic Sect Enchantress was quirky; the harder you tried to teach her something, the less she was willing to practice it, to the point that now he could only subtly pass on the good stuff through actual combat¡ªshe was actually willing to put in the effort to learn then.

    That¡¯s really defiant! Teach you straightforwardly, you refuse to learn; beat you up, and you want to secretly learn!

    Forget it, just consider it cultivating her ability to adapt, so she doesn¡¯t always rely on the same old fierce, strong, and fast attacks, without even knowing basic tactical variations.

    After thoroughly trouncing Zhao Yuanzhen, Yan Yu finally felt satisfied and clapped his hands, saying:

    ¡°Alright! That¡¯s enough for today!¡±

    He turned to check on the other teammates. Lin Ning was hit three times by Su Yunjin, earning the privilege of extra late-night practice; Xie Ruoxi had depleted all her True Yuan and seemed to be practicing diligently too; he¡¯d check her accuracy in a few days.

    The group started leaving the school, planning to go home to rest for a bit, have dinner, then call Lin Ning back to school for more practice.

    By then, Lin Ning had also come to realize, thinking, I¡¯m penalized with extra practice just for one mistake, whereas Yunjin has to go through it flawlessly to get extra practice; isn¡¯t this just outright bullying?

    But since the words were out, she felt too embarrassed to protest and just quietly cooked in a gloomy mood.

    During dinner, Xie Ruoxi casually asked:

    ¡°Captain, you said that our strength has regressed a bit after the New Year, so how do we compare to the Huofeng Team?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say whether they have regressed,¡± Yan Yu replied while picking food for his bowl, ¡°so let me just rate our strengths against each other, taking Ningning as the benchmark¡­¡±

    ¡°Why use me as the benchmark!¡± Lin Ning immediately protested, but was completely ignored by Yan Yu:

    ¡°Zhao is about 1.2 Ningnings, slightly stronger than Ningning; Ruoxi, if she sorts out her accuracy issue, could be about 1.4 Ningnings with the Thunder Method¡¯s firepower, but during simulation battles, the Thunder Method might be prohibited, and with only Sword Control Technique, that falls to 0.7 Ningning because your swordsmanship is terrible!¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin 0.6 Ningning, Ling Yun 0.4 Ningning; your roles in the team are mainly to support, assist, control, and scout, it doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re not as strong as Ningning, maintaining around 0.7 Ningning will be fine.¡±

    ¡°As for the Huofeng Team, as of the last live combat broadcast, Zhou Hongyu is estimated at 1.3 Ningnings, Qin Meng at 0.9 Ningning, Zhang Huaide at 0.7 Ningning, Tang Xiaolian and Meng Qingxi both are support roles, probably around 0.5 Ningning, similar to Ling Yun. Hou Qing I haven¡¯t seen, unclear.¡±

    ¡°I said, don¡¯t use me as a unit of strength!¡± Lin Ning continued her protest.

    ¡°That being said, our strength is actually stronger than that of Huofeng Team,¡± Su Yunjin reflected, ¡°but real combat isn¡¯t only about individual strength, right?¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°like if Ningning accidentally gets isolated and separated from the team and then gets hit by Zhou Hongyu¡¯s spell and eliminated, we immediately lose a whole Ningning of strength and fall into a disadvantage.¡±

    ¡°So why is it me again getting eliminated¡­¡± Lin Ning¡¯s voice trailed off, suddenly curious to ask, ¡°What about yourself?¡±

    ¡°What about myself?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°How many¡­ Ningnings are you?¡± Lin Ning asked albeit a bit awkwardly.

    ¡°Infinitely many,¡± Yan Yu stated solemnly.

    ¡°Nuts!¡± Lin Ning cursed, ¡°Less nonsense, eat your shrimp!¡±

    She picked up a prawn, irritably tossing it into Yan Yu¡¯s bowl.

    Su Yunjin watched from the side, a bit eager herself: I want to serve the captain some food too!

    Yan Yu leisurely ate the prawn Lin Ning had tossed over, pondering for a moment, then suddenly whispered to Lin Ning:

    ¡°Tonight at the school, practice well. At 10 p.m., I¡¯ll come over and give you some tips.¡±

    ¡°Humph.¡± Lin Ning was still a bit huffy, but quickly lost her anger, secretly thrilled.

 Chapter 474 - 70: Pre-Race Intelligence Analysis

    Chapter 474: Chapter 70: Pre-Race Intelligence Analysis

    As the date of the competition drew nearer, the public buzz around this match also began to escalate.

    In the Cultivator Athletic League, there were usually 1-2 live duels broadcast every week, but they were mostly between Grade C teams pecking at each other. Occasionally, there would be a Grade B duel, which would attract significantly more viewers than the regular matches.

    Currently, there are only eight Grade A teams: they mainly tackle foreign forces, thus rarely combating each other¡ªthis time, without even needing any promotion, many had already rushed to the designated streaming rooms to reserve a viewing spot. In just a few days, the reservation count had already exceeded eighty million.

    The discussion threads across major forums were endless, filled with predictions and power hyping. Overall, more people favored the Zhenhai Team, but everyone agreed that the Huofeng Team was only slightly weaker and not to the extent that they would be overwhelmed, which meant the contest still held plenty of suspense and excitement.

    More than the public¡¯s interest in ¡°who is stronger¡±, cultivators were more concerned about the new competition format. The team size had increased from five to six, introducing the concepts of front and rear formations, thereby greatly expanding tactical possibilities. Everyone was eager for Zhenhai and Huofeng to pave the way, especially since Chen Lingyun and Zhang Huaide were known for their tactical prowess, possibly setting a textbook example of classic tactics.

    This time the Mysterious Realm was located in the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon within Gongbu Prefecture, which had been tightly sealed off and guarded by the Pingxi Army, barring any tourists or media from entry.

    ...

    Two days before the competition began, Yan Yu and others boarded a charter plane from Jinling Prefecture, flying to Milin Airport within Gongbu Prefecture.

    The team would rest overnight in the city area of Gongbu Prefecture, then attend tomorrow¡¯s press conference, with the official day of the competition being the morning after, all facilitated by the Pingxi Army.

    Inside the aircraft, the assistant captain Chen Lingyun began, as usual, briefing on the opponent¡¯s intelligence and the tactics to be used.

    ¡°This match bans two techniques,¡± she said with a smile, ¡°Ruoxi¡¯s Thunder Method and Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire.¡± because being hit by them would most likely result in death, with no recovery possible, thus their use on competing teams is prohibited by the authorities.¡±

    ¡°Not letting Ruoxi use the Thunder Method, isn¡¯t that like tying her hands and feet?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen protested.

    ¡°Rules are rules,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°There are no restrictions on using them against goalkeepers and other creatures inside the Mysterious Realm, just not against people. Besides, we still have the Heavenly Origin Sword, right?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi gave an awkward laugh. Her Sword Control Technique was even worse than Yunjin¡¯s, mainly because of poor accuracy. While not completely off-target, it was so lamentably bad that even Yan Yu couldn¡¯t bear to watch.

    Although she had been training hard to improve her accuracy, she dared not claim any significant improvement, just hoping not to hold the team back.

    ¡°Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Great Bright Fire currently consists of four techniques: the Flame Spear, Starfall, Phoenix Sword, and Scorched Earth.¡± Chen Lingyun continued.

    ¡°That name¡­¡± Su Yunjin hesitated.

    ¡°Sounds familiar, right?¡± Chen Lingyun grinned, ¡°It¡¯s about breaking down a complete set of Taoism Methods into multiple techniques that consume less True Yuan, each needing a separate name. I¡¯ve asked Yang Linhui and Li Zhaojiang; the Taoism books they¡¯ve acquired were not presented in this manner, so either the designers of ¡®Great Bright Fire¡¯ and ¡®Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art¡¯ are the same person or they are closely acquainted, such as martial sisters.¡±

    She then switched on the projector, cast Zhou Hongyu¡¯s past live videos onto the screen, and adjusted to specific timelines for everyone to watch:

    ¡°Flame Spear, emits a spear-shaped flame from the mouth that explodes upon hitting the target.¡±

    ¡°Starfall, spits a large mass of flame into the air which also explodes upon impact. It¡¯s slower than the Flame Spear, moving in a parabola, but its power and range are significantly larger, and the resulting flames linger for about one to two minutes,¡±

    ¡°Phoenix Sword, emits flames sweeping across three meters in front of the user. What¡¯s important is that it triggers very quickly, without the flight trajectory of Flame Spear or Starfall, leaving very little time for opponents to react.¡±

    The group watched the video intently. The Flame Spear took about more than a second to hit its target, Starfall took two to three seconds, while the execution of the Phoenix Sword took less than half a second. On the screen, just a shake of Zhou Hongyu¡¯s head immediately sent flames bursting towards a fan-shaped area directly in front, instantly igniting a Tianzhu Transcendent who was attempting to close in.

    The quick action was so brief that everyone was unsure if they could react in time.

    Luckily, the range of the Phoenix Sword¡¯s attack was only three meters in front of Zhou Hongyu, so as long as they kept their distance, it shouldn¡¯t pose too much of a problem.

    Su Yunjin, with her meticulous mind, couldn¡¯t help but set her gaze on Yan Yu, while her thoughts flashed back to the last competition between the two teams.

    I remember that time when the captain and Zhou Hongyu fought until her True Yuan was exhausted, and they even resorted to close combat. In the end, he used Runescript to seal her Dantian.

    Could it be that Captain Zhou¡­ learned this move specifically to avoid being humiliated again?

    On second thought, it seemed unlikely. It was probably for self-defense.

    ¡°Having mentioned Zhou Hongyu, let¡¯s discuss Qin Meng,¡± Chen Lingyun continued, ¡°His ¡®Dragon Elephant Nirvana Divine Skill¡¯ is said to be hard to breach with ordinary Flying Sword attacks once he¡¯s reached the Marrow Cleansing Stage.¡±

    ¡°Even tougher than the samurais we faced in the Secret Realm of Li Palace?¡± Su Yunjin asked in surprise.

    She still remembered how those samurai, when attacked by herself, Liu Longtao, and Yang Linhui from three sides with flooding, fire dragons, and blizzards, saw Onmyoji obliterated at once, while many samurai managed to flee in disarray under the onslaught of spells, indicating their physical robustness.

    However, samurai relied on armor and magical treasures, whereas the heavily-armored Qin Meng in the video could withstand Flying Swords, a defense even surpassing the samurai¡¯s.

    ¡°The Flying Sword can¡¯t break his defense?¡± Lin Ning was also stirred up, ¡°Then how do we fight?¡±

    Aside from Sword Control Technique, I have no other means of attack!

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Yan Yu interjected, ¡°to activate his Dragon Elephant Nirvana Divine Skill, consuming True Yuan is necessary. Although hits on him won¡¯t cause injury, his True Yuan consumption will surge dramatically.¡±

    ¡°So, trade mana for health loss, right?¡± Xie Ruoxi was quick to catch on.

    ¡°You could say that,¡± Chen Lingyun replied, only to hear Zhao Yuanzhen retort,

    ¡°Then we shouldn¡¯t have banned Ruoxi¡¯s Thunder Method, or else wouldn¡¯t dealing with Qin Meng be a breeze?¡±

    ¡°Haha, he probably can¡¯t stand the Thunder Method,¡± Chen Lingyun said casually. ¡°As for Zhang Huaide, I don¡¯t expect much improvement in his swordsmanship, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t have recruited Hou Qing for reinforcement. We should mainly guard against his tactics; he likely isn¡¯t much of a threat himself.¡±

    ¡°Tang Xiaolian, a cultivator who uses Gu Insects. Explaining the various, confusing types of Gu isn¡¯t meaningful; it¡¯s doubtful anyone could remember them all. Just follow my lead during the battle. Her trump card is the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, but it likely won¡¯t come into play this time, so there¡¯s no need to worry.¡±

    ¡°Why won¡¯t it be on the field?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s because our captain told her¡­¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s voice trailed off as Yan Yu coughed loudly, stopping her mid-gossip, ¡°Let¡¯s discuss Hou Qing and Meng Qingxi.¡±

    ¡°Meng Qingxi is an Assistant Officer, who recently acquired a primary magic treasure called ¡®Kongtong Seal¡¯,¡± Chen Lingyun explained. ¡°Based on the livestream footage, its effect seems to be dropping down to smash people, similar to Zhao¡¯s White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer.¡±

    ¡°Of course, that¡¯s not its only effect,¡± Yan Yu added.

    The White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer has tracking and armor-piercing effects; once launched, it automatically flies towards the enemy¡¯s head, with a striking force so penetrative that even heavily-armored robust samurai can¡¯t withstand it.

    Meng Qingxi¡¯s Kongtong Seal probably has special effects beyond just physical attacks, but past confrontations with the Huofeng Team were with foreign Transcendents who all ended up dead, and dead men tell no tales. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°We¡¯ll test it during the fight.¡± Chen Lingyun breezed by, continuing, ¡°As for Hou Qing, although he hasn¡¯t participated in real battles since joining, I managed to get hold of his swordsmanship practice videos from his school days.¡±

    ¡°How is it?¡± asked Yan Yu. He hadn¡¯t heard of Hou Qing in his previous life and didn¡¯t know how strong he actually was.

    Lin Ning perked up her ears beside him, thinking how many Lin¡¯s worth of strength this Hou Qing might have¡­ Ah, spit spit spit! What kind of combat metric is that! It¡¯s all the captain¡¯s fault for talking nonsense!

    ¡°Very floaty,¡± Chen Lingyun used a rather uncommon term.

 Chapter 475 - 71 Zhou Hongyus Obsession

    Chapter 475: Chapter 71 Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Obsession

    ¡°Very arrogant?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked puzzledly, ¡°How arrogant?¡±

    ¡°Watch the video.¡± Chen Lingyun said.

    She played the video on the big screen, and the girls curiously gathered around to watch. They saw Hou Qing and another Sword Immortal exchanging offensive and defensive moves, sometimes being at a disadvantage, sometimes regaining the upper hand.

    At a certain point, Lin Ning suddenly took the mouse, dragged the progress bar back a few seconds, and asked in astonishment:

    ¡°Cang Song Ying Ke interrupted and then followed by White Crane Spreads Wings? What kind of sword technique is he using?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a sword technique.¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Look here: his sparring partner, the angle at which he thrust the sword was a bit too high. Hou Qing originally wanted to use Cang Song Ying Ke to intercept, but halfway through, he suddenly realized that his opponent made a mistake by raising the sword too high, so he quickly switched to White Crane Spreads Wings to sweep at his opponent¡¯s lower body, forcing the opponent¡¯s Flying Sword to return for defense.¡±

    ...

    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is.¡± Lin Ning quickly shook her head, ¡°Still, it¡¯s not right. Having already started Cang Song Ying Ke, changing to White Crane Spreads Wings should be too late, the time window is insufficient.¡± sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Hence, to put it nicely, it¡¯s ¡®he¡¯s very imaginative¡¯, or to put it in a harsh way, ¡®his skills are a bit arrogant¡¯.¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°This is a Sword Immortal who likes to take advantage by seizing the opponent¡¯s weakness with sharper-than-average acuity and persistence. However, his combat experience isn¡¯t enough; often, although the opponent carelessly exposes a weakness, the timing or his own ability doesn¡¯t allow him to capitalize on it, yet he subconsciously insists on grabbing for it, therefore his displayed skill level is inconsistent, sometimes seizing the opponent¡¯s mistake to win with one strike, and other times, in the pursuit of exploiting weaknesses, he loses rhythm and throws away a great advantage.¡±

    ¡°Impressive.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s eyes shone with appreciation, ¡°This is indeed why the Huofeng Team recruited him. The exact words from Zhang Huaide to me were, ¡®Hou Qing has very sharp perceptions, but his judgment is slightly lacking¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Without any distinguishable talent, he wouldn¡¯t have caught the eye of the Huofeng Team.¡± Yan Yu stated matter-of-factly, ¡°Given Zhang Huaide¡¯s commanding style, he favours those who take the road less traveled; he likes individuals whose strengths and weaknesses are both highly pronounced, which he skillfully manages with his tactical acumen to their advantage.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Su Yunjin said thoughtfully, ¡°Zhou Hongyu and Qin Meng also fall into the category of having very obvious strengths and weaknesses.¡±

    ¡°Given this, I think we could set a trap and catch Hou Qing off guard.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a sweet smile, yet her words were incredibly sinister.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± Yan Yu shook her head, ¡°Since Zhang Huaide has told you all of this, he is not afraid of you messing with him. If you try to scheme against him, it¡¯s easy for him to see through it, or even use it against you, which would be pointless.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think Zhang Huaide would be so delusional as to scheme against me,¡± Chen Lingyun cheekily said, ¡°Given his personality, his willingness to share this information with me suggests it¡¯s more likely that ¡®we know Hou Qing has these shortcomings, you find a way to teach him a lesson, so I can use that to educate him afterwards¡¯.¡±

    Yan Yu thought about it more carefully, and it seemed to make sense.

    In the previous life, Zhang Huaide indeed had this kind of approach: he would first point out your shortcomings. If you didn¡¯t listen, he would let you be, waiting for you to fail and suffer, and then he would seize the moment of your regret to reiterate the lesson.

    This method did indeed work on most headstrong individuals, except for Zhou Hongyu. Zhou herself was the type to be consumed by her obsessions and required harsh medicine to be properly disciplined, rather than long-term strategies or careful planning¡ªshe might not even survive long enough, potentially meeting her end on any given day.

    No one understands Zhou Hongyu better than I do! No one!

    ¡°Now that we¡¯ve gone over the intelligence, let¡¯s discuss tactics.¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°This time, as the visiting team, our entrance order will be like this.¡±

    ¡°The home team¡¯s front row enters first, followed by the visiting team¡¯s front row after 3 minutes, then the home team¡¯s rear row enters after another 4 minutes, followed by the visiting team¡¯s rear row after 3 more minutes.¡±

    ¡°This means.¡± Lin Ning quickly deduced, ¡°Starting from the Huofeng Team¡¯s front row entry, until our whole team finally enters, there is a 10-minute interval¡­ Aren¡¯t you afraid they¡¯ll try to steal our goalkeeper?¡±

    ¡°We still need to take precautions.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°If they adopt an aggressive 5-1 formation, leaving Qin Meng for last¡ªthough it¡¯s unlikely, to prevent them from targeting our goalkeeper, Yan Yu, after you enter, you absolutely must not slack off, okay? You have to find their front row as quickly as possible.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense, do you think I¡¯m like you?¡± Yan Yu retorted.

    ¡°If you can¡¯t find the opponent¡¯s front row, search for their goalkeeper.¡± Chen Lingyun continued, ¡°If there¡¯s no sign of the goalkeeper, it means the opponents might have chosen to hide, waiting to regroup with their team. At that time, you¡¯ll act accordingly, with self-preservation as your priority.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Everyone else will follow me in the rear row.¡± Chen Lingyun put away her smile and said indifferently, ¡°After entering, link up with our captain at the first opportunity, then adjust our strategy based on the situation. Got it?¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡± the girls responded in unison.

    The plane finally landed at the airport of Military Manor, and after disembarking, everyone checked into a local hotel.

    It didn¡¯t take long for guests to arrive.

    Although it wasn¡¯t a written rule, it had almost become a tradition for the two teams who were about to compete to visit each other at the hotel, although no one knew who started this custom.

    ¡°Captain Yan, good to see you.¡± Zhang Huaide held up a large pot of butter tea, ¡°Issued by the military, to prevent altitude sickness.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    For cultivators who had entered the Marrow Cleansing Stage, the likelihood of altitude sickness was naturally minimal, but it was not completely absent, for example, Li Minghu¡­ This girl shattered the myth of ¡°Cultivators are immune to illness,¡± prompting the Military Manor to attend to cultivators as if they were nobility, even requiring a record for a visit to the infirmary for a common cold.

    ¡°Is there something bothering you, Huaide?¡± Yan Yu asked, seeing Zhang Huaide put down the teapot but not leave.

    A moment passed before Zhang Huaide spoke slowly:

    ¡°It seems that Captain Zhou is quite obsessed with the idea of ¡®defeating you.¡¯ I¡¯m not sure why.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re asking about that,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°I think it¡¯s mainly because Little Zhou hates to lose. Ever since she lost to me during the four institutes exchange match, she¡¯s held a grudge.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then we¡¯ve actually lost to the Dragon Soar Team more times,¡± Zhang Huaide said, puzzled, ¡°But Captain Zhou doesn¡¯t seem to harbor similar animosity towards Captain Liu.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because Liu Longtao isn¡¯t as handsome as I am,¡± Yan Yu said.

    Zhang Huaide fell silent, mulling over this internally:

    Could that really be a possibility? That Captain Zhou¡¯s obsession with Captain Yan actually stemmed from a secret crush on him?

    Hmm, judging from Captain Zhou¡¯s behavior, it seemed unlikely.

    But just to be on the safe side, it was still necessary to make sure¡­ If it really was about love, things would become complicated.

    ¡°I see, thank you for letting me know, Captain Yan,¡± Zhang Huaide replied with a slight smile, ¡°I look forward to our match.¡±

    He politely took his leave and, as he opened the door, he saw Chen Lingyun approaching from the corridor.

    After watching Zhang Huaide leave, Chen Lingyun entered the room, asking Yan Yu:

    ¡°What did he come here for?¡±

    ¡°He brought us some butter tea,¡± replied Yan Yu, nodding towards the teapot on the table.

    ¡°Probably probing for information as well,¡± shrugged Chen Lingyun.

    But it didn¡¯t matter anymore; this time, we were leading with our captain, and there was no need to hide anything.

    Meanwhile, Zhang Huaide returned to the Huofeng Team¡¯s floor and stopped at Zhou Hongyu¡¯s door, knocking on it.

    Zhou Hongyu came to open the door and welcomed her deputy inside, asking:

    ¡°Well?¡±

    ¡°Captain Yan didn¡¯t probe; he doesn¡¯t care who our vanguard is,¡± Zhang Huaide answered, ¡°He will probably go into battle alone.¡±

    ¡°I told you so,¡± Zhou Hongyu said, unsurprised, her tone cold, ¡°In the end, it all comes down to strength.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s another issue,¡± Zhang Huaide said.

    ¡°Ask.¡±

    ¡°It is unrelated to this match, but it¡¯s very important for the future of our team,¡± Zhang Huaide asked earnestly, ¡°Captain Zhou, do you feel differently about Captain Yan? Aside from the desire to defeat him.¡±

    Zhou Hongyu¡¯s eyes flared as if she was ready to erupt in anger, but quickly, her expression turned to one of cold disdain and disgust, and she retorted:

    ¡°Did he tell you that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my guess,¡± Zhang Huaide said.

    ¡°Cut the crap,¡± Zhou Hongyu said.

    ¡°Very well,¡± nodded Zhang Huaide, taking his leave.

    She didn¡¯t outright deny it¡­ Was it disdain for the question, or a reluctance to admit it?

    How troublesome, I¡¯m not good at dealing with these kinds of things. I¡¯ll just have to observe and see how it unfolds.

 Chapter 476 - 72 Tang Xiaolians Insightful Analysis

    Chapter 476: Chapter 72 Tang Xiaolian¡¯s Insightful Analysis

    The next day, on the eve of the press conference.

    The interview order was Zhenhai Team first, followed by Huofeng Team. Therefore, everyone got up early to have Xie Ruoxi apply makeup to them in turn¡ªafter all, appearing on camera without makeup was simply not flattering, and the girls in the team absolutely couldn¡¯t accept that.

    Yan Yu also wanted to sneak away, but Lin Ning caught him red-handed and forcibly sent him to the makeup room.

    ¡°Captain, do you prefer the sunny look, the heroic look, or the domineering look?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked as she meticulously combed his bangs in front of the mirror, smiling as she spoke, ¡°By the way, I recommend the domineering look! It really suits your current vibe!¡±

    ¡°I choose the minimalist look,¡± Yan Yu said impatiently. ¡°Just finish up quickly and let me go.¡±

    ¡°Ehh¡ª¡± Xie Ruoxi let out a cry of dissatisfaction, like a disappointed fawn.

    ...

    ¡°We¡¯re going to a press conference, not matchmaking!¡± Yan Yu said coldly. ¡°Can you focus on what¡¯s important?¡±

    ¡°But, Captain!¡± Xie Ruoxi argued, ¡°No matter how handsome you are, showing up on camera like this won¡¯t do! It will upset your adoring fans!¡±

    Those words did move Yan Yu somewhat. She was right, after all, I am the handsome cultivator obsessed over by countless girls. If the attractiveness I display on camera doesn¡¯t reach a perfect level, it would indeed damage my public reputation.

    Being the strongest in this world, I must also score full marks in managing my self-image!

    Hmph, that beautiful waste from my previous life was truly a top-tier skin-bearer; he not totally useless in this regard.

    Forget it, I¡¯ll indulge her!

    He then ceased resisting and allowed Xie Ruoxi to take the small brush, patting and dabbing all over his face.

    ¡°Captain Yan!¡± An energetic voice suddenly rang out from outside the door. ¡°Bet you didn¡¯t expect me to come looking for you¡­ huh?¡±

    Tang Xiaolian stood in the doorway, looking at Xie Ruoxi and Yan Yu inside, and immediately showed an awkward smile:

    ¡°Am I interrupting you guys?¡±

    ¡°Have a seat,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°What brings you here?¡±

    Tang Xiaolian deliberately winked and glanced at Xie Ruoxi, as if hinting, ¡°I have a secret to tell you, can you please send your attendants away, Captain Yan?¡±

    Yan Yu pretended not to understand her hint and said:

    ¡°The press conference is about to start, and we need to hurry with the makeup, no time to entertain you.¡±

    Failing to deceive him, Tang Xiaolian sighed and candidly said:

    ¡°Never mind, no need for hospitality. I just came over for a visit.¡±

    She ran over to Xie Ruoxi¡¯s side, stared at Yan Yu for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter, covering her mouth and saying:

    ¡°That¡¯s so odd, why did you make him so pale?¡±

    ¡°Is there a problem with being a bit pale?¡± Xie Ruoxi was somewhat unhappy. ¡°Do you know you look darker on camera? Personal photographers can add exposure to make you look better, but official media cameras typically don¡¯t have exposure compensation. If you¡¯re so confident, don¡¯t wear makeup and see just how dark you look on camera, okay?¡±

    ¡°Okay, alright~¡± Tang Xiaolian quickly apologized with a giggly smile, ¡°I was just teasing him; I didn¡¯t mean to criticize your makeup skills.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tease our captain!¡± Xie Ruoxi became more vigilant instead, ¡°Yan Yu, she¡¯s from a rival team, coming here to probe for information, she must be an enemy spy, execute her!¡±

    Yan Yu hadn¡¯t spoken yet, and Tang Xiaolian already started defending herself:

    ¡°No, no! I really just came to visit Captain Yan, I promise not to mention anything about the upcoming match.¡±

    ¡°That makes you even more suspicious!¡± Xie Ruoxi thought that was precisely her fear but then said, ¡°Captain! Let¡¯s kick her out!¡±

    ¡°Enough,¡± Yan Yu made a ¡°stop¡± gesture. ¡°Jealous quarreling ends here, there are more important things to do next. You can settle who¡¯s better after the match is over¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not jealous over you!¡± The two girls protested at the same time.

    ¡°Enough!¡± Xie Ruoxi burst out in frustration and quickly added the final touches, ¡°Done! Now go away and call the others over!¡±

    Yan Yu stood up, patted his bottom, and walked away.

    Tang Xiaolian followed closely behind. On the corridor, she caught up with Yan Yu and said:

    ¡°Captain Yan, I won¡¯t tell you the Huofeng Team¡¯s order of appearance, you know.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense, I¡¯m not interested.¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°Oh dear.¡± Tang Xiaolian sighed and said, ¡°That¡¯s no fun. How about Captain Yan you try to probe me, then I can righteously refuse you, and you can send a message to Deputy Captain Zhang saying ¡®that little Tang in your team really keeps tight-lipped, I asked for a long time and she wouldn¡¯t say a word¡¯, how about that?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s in it for me?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°You can gain my favor,¡± Tang Xiaolian responded.

    Yan Yu frowned, turned around, and sized up the girl who had come to find him¡­ Tang Xiaolian, in fact, resembled Chen Lingyun somewhat. Both were the delicate and sweet girl-next-door type, but Tang Xiaolian was around 1.64 meters tall, which simply blew Chen Lingyun out of the water. Although she liked to play pranks too, in terms of personality, she wasn¡¯t as annoying as Chen Lingyun, who always seemed to stir up trouble without a cause.

    Tease her a bit.

    ¡°What use is your favor?¡± Yan Yu joked, ¡°If it were Zhou Hongyu¡¯s favor, I might consider it.¡±

    ¡°Aha! Captain Yan indeed has unscrupulous designs on our Captain Zhou¡­¡± Tang Xiaolian exclaimed loudly. Before she finished her sentence, Yan Yu dragged her to the back of the corridor and put his hand over her mouth:

    ¡°What are you shouting for? There are staff members living on the same floor in this hotel, don¡¯t spread rumors that we both end up losing from.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian blinked, pulled his hand from her mouth, and said:

    ¡°Hmph, wouldn¡¯t that just work out to your advantage? I wouldn¡¯t hurt Captain Zhou like that.¡±

    She walked a few steps forward, then turned back and asked:

    ¡°Do you think there might be some underground palace ruins deep beneath the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon?¡±

    ¡°How would I know?¡± Yan Yu was bewildered, but quickly caught on, ¡°Who told you to say that?¡±

    ¡°Captain Zhou,¡± Tang Xiaolian replied, ¡°The higher-ups really hope we can win, but Captain Zhou feels¡­ winning you over with such underhanded tactics would be more painful than a straightforward loss to you.¡± S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°I see.¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°I got it, you can go now.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re dismissing me just like that?¡± Tang Xiaolian protested, ¡°I took a huge risk coming here to relay a message for you, don¡¯t you know to at least treat me to a milk tea?¡±

    ¡°Definitely next time!¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°I won¡¯t forget your merit!¡±

    ¡°Hmph, I¡¯ll note it down then.¡± Tang Xiaolian turned to leave, proudly saying, ¡°This is like a high-interest loan, the longer you owe me, the more you¡¯ll have to pay back, so be careful~¡±

    Watching Tang Xiaolian turn away and leave, Yan Yu could only shake his head with a wry smile, suddenly remembering the clash with the Flying Dragon Battle Team. Back then, Cai Qianlong had also been ¡°tipped off¡± in advance but couldn¡¯t get past that psychological barrier, hence he came clean with the members of the Zhenhai Team.

    After all said and done, it was because the influence of the live broadcast of the competition was too great. The Huofeng Team represented the Pingxi Army, and if they were defeated, people across the nation would know that the top combat forces of the Pingxi Army had lost to the Zhendong Army¡­ rounding up, it meant the Pingxi Army just wasn¡¯t up to par.

    Furthermore, with the internal strife within the Pingxi Army not being monolithic, naturally, there were some ¡°not so by-the-book¡± individuals attempting to covertly influence the outcom of the match, much like what the Dingbei Army had done before.

    This was, after all, an old tradition in Lu Country. For example, in the much older Red vs. Blue exercises, the outcome was always biased by the directorate, never arranging for a completely fair confrontation for both sides.

    But it didn¡¯t matter. Didn¡¯t Zhou Hongyu want a fair and square defeat? I¡¯m a person who values old acquaintances! For the sake of our past friendship, I¡¯ll grant her wish!

 Chapter 477 - 73: Press Conference

    Chapter 477: Chapter 73: Press Conference

    ¡°Is there no certainty?¡± asked the voice on the other side of the phone.

    ¡°No,¡± Zhang Huaide replied.

    He knew in his heart that the Chief Envoy only wanted to hear ¡°We will win.¡±

    But Comrade Zhang was the type who would never say ten if it was nine, and facing the Zhenhai Team led by Yan Yu, who could say they were certain?

    After hanging up the phone, Zhang Huaide remained silent for a long time before he sighed deeply.

    The higher-ups had placed great importance on this match, even going against regulations to leak information about the Mysterious Realm to the team, revealing their intense hopes for the Huofeng Team to win.

    ...

    Unfortunately, the battlefield ultimately depended on strength. Man plans; heaven decides. Whether human effort could overturn an overall disadvantage in strength was anybody¡¯s guess.

    All I could do was give my best effort¡­ regardless of victory or defeat, I would have no regrets!

    ¡°Captain Zhang,¡± Hou Qing¡¯s voice came from outside, ¡°the news conference for Zhenhai has started.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Deputy Captain Zhang,¡± Zhang Huaide corrected him and nodded, ¡°All right, I¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    He removed the plain glasses from the bridge of his nose and meticulously cleaned them with a cloth before carefully putting them back on.

    Leaving the room to meet up with his teammates, the members of the Huofeng Team headed together to the lounge, waiting to be called to the news conference.

    Speaking of news interviews, the media journalists at the conference had a love-hate relationship with the Zhenhai Team.

    Among the four major teams, Dragon Cavalry Team was actually the easiest to interview; Deputy Captain Ye Jun was communicative and didn¡¯t just spout official platitudes, making it easy for journalists to obtain news-worthy material. Next was the Qing An Team; Li Minghu was also quite understanding, basically responding straightforwardly to questions without beating around the bush.

    Zhang Huaide of the Huofeng Team spoke evenly and tightly, and although one couldn¡¯t say there was anything wrong with his attitude, his answers tended to be rather bland as far as news material was concerned.

    As for the Zhenhai Team, which currently had the highest fan count and was the hottest team, they were particularly troublesome for journalists. Deputy Captain Chen Lingyun spoke freely, seemingly taking pleasure in teasing the media; born to a high-ranking official, if journalists drafted their articles truthfully, they would be scolded by their editors upon returning: You dare to write such explosive stuff? Where is your brain?

    But if they didn¡¯t write about the exciting stuff, what were they supposed to do about their KPI?

    The Zhenhai Team proceeded onto the stage, and the reporters below readied their long and short cameras, setting up their positions.

    The host arranged by the Pingxi Army scanned the audience with a stern expression and piercing eyes, as if warning everyone not to stir up trouble, before announcing the start of the press conference.

    The first to get the microphone, a beautiful young girl who had just graduated from university, flashed a radiant smile at Yan Yu on stage and then asked:

    ¡°I would like to ask Captain Yan to briefly comment on the strength of each member of the Huofeng Team, whom you will be mock-competing against in this match. Thank you.¡±

    The other journalists looked on with a cold eye, silently laughing to themselves.

    Sending a female intern to ask questions was clearly a ploy to employ a honey trap, to see if Captain Yan would fall for it¡ªif he was easily approachable by a female university student, then one could imagine that in future interviews regarding Zhenhai Team¡¯s matches, the questions would definitely be posed by intern female students hired by various media outlets, undoubtedly one more beautiful than the next.

    ¡°Comment, huh,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment, then looked toward the Pingxi Army host next to him.

    The host seemed puzzled, What are you looking at me for?

    He came over to the edge of the interview platform and asked in a low voice: S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Is it inconvenient to answer?¡±

    The reporters near the front row perked up their ears, only to hear Yan Yu ask:

    ¡°If I were to comment on your Captain Zhou, could I speak freely?¡±

    Pingxi Army spokesperson really wanted to say ¡°Of course not,¡± but with so many reporters watching, he could only reluctantly straighten up and say:

    ¡°Just answer truthfully.¡±

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s go one by one,¡± Yan Yu began to talk eloquently in front of the cameras, ¡°Captain Zhou Hongyu specializes in large-scale destructive Taoism methods. In this aspect, if someone claims to be the second best in the country, I don¡¯t think anyone dares to claim they are the best¡ªnot even Liu Longtao if he were here.¡±

    The reporters below immediately perked up, and the spokesperson subtly breathed a sigh of relief: good, he didn¡¯t completely trash Zhou Hongyu.

    ¡°The only problem is her stubborn personality.¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°Ever since she lost to me in the Four Institutes Exchange Match, she has been obsessed with defeating me. I heard that in her chat friends list, she has even marked me as a special focus, with the note ¡®defeat him.¡¯ Haha, she¡¯s an interesting woman¡­¡±

    ¡°Cough, cough!¡± The Pingxi Army spokesperson hurriedly coughed loudly to remind him, ¡°Captain Yan, please watch the time. Less talk about things unrelated to the match.¡±

    Reporters, however, became collectively more animated: Is this some new type of crush?

    Of course, one can¡¯t make unfounded claims, but everyone can employ a bit of finesse in their writing. Soon, there will be reckless social media accounts boldly proclaiming ¡°Huofeng Team¡¯s Zhou Hongyu has a crush on Yan Yu,¡± drawing massive public traffic to search for their more conventional reports.

    When the news reached the break room, Zhou Hongyu¡¯s face was cold as frost, and her eyes blazed with fire, while the other team members were so frightened that they all fell silent, especially Tang Xiaolian, who maintained a poker face but was terrified inside.

    ¡°Cough.¡± Zhang Huaide coughed and told everyone, ¡°In the future, keep private matters within the team from getting out.¡±

    It didn¡¯t really matter who leaked it, what mattered was how to resolve Zhou Hongyu¡¯s fixation¡ªif you keep fixating on Yan Yu like this, it will inevitably lead to speculation and wild guesses from the outside.

    At the press conference, Yan Yu continued with his comments:

    ¡°Deputy Captain Zhang Huaide has exceptionally good tactical thinking and intelligence, the only problem is his poor swordsmanship skill. Does he even remember he¡¯s a Sword Immortal? I¡¯d suggest he better practice his sword control technique¡­¡±

    ¡°Cough, cough, cough.¡± The Pingxi Army spokesperson coughed again.

    Give some face, Captain Yan! How can you criticize the home team like this at an away game?

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m quite close with Xiao Zhang, so it¡¯s okay to criticize him casually,¡± Yan Yu caught the hint and immediately rectified, ¡°You all should be careful in your reporting, Zhang Huaide¡¯s swordsmanship might not seem like much to me, but it¡¯s already better than seventy or eighty percent of Sword Immortals in the country. Some things I can say, you shouldn¡¯t repeat them to the outside, understand?¡±

    The reporters opened their mouths as if they wanted to curse, yet fell uniformly silent.

    Look at this, the Captain Yan of the Zhenhai Team, famously difficult to handle!

    ¡°Qin Meng, I heard that his Dragon Elephant Nirvana Divine Skill has made minor achievements, claiming to be impervious to blades and spears,¡± Yan Yu smoothly returned to the topic and commented, ¡°Unfortunately, the shortcoming of his short hands and legs hasn¡¯t been solved. I think he should also practice sword control technique to address his limited attack range.¡±

    The reporters remained expressionless. Asking a body cultivating cultivator to practice sword control technique? Captain Yan, you sure can say it! The biggest advantage of a body cultivating cultivator lies in their brute strength. Wielding a sword is one thing, but sword control doesn¡¯t rely on human strength, it depends on the depth of True Yuan, so what use is there in him practicing sword control technique?

    ¡°Tang Xiaolian, a cultivator who commands insects, it¡¯s a pity that her Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu has not fully matured, preventing her from participating,¡± Yan Yu said, pausing for a moment, ¡°I wonder who is more powerful between her and our team¡¯s Chen Lingyun, both being envoy cultivators. If there¡¯s a chance, we could arrange a one-on-one duel between them to see who is better.¡±

    Chickens pecking at each other, right? The reporters all looked down silently. Envoy cultivators are famously weak in combat, who would want to watch two envoy cultivators duel?

    ¡°Meng Qingxi¡¯s Kongtong Seal and the newly joined Sword Immortal Hou Qing, because I am not familiar with them, so I won¡¯t comment,¡± Yan Yu said, suddenly turning solemn, ¡°But I think they might very well be Huofeng Team¡¯s secret weapons.¡±

    The reporters felt numb. Writing this down is problematic, not writing it down is also problematic¡­ Report it accurately, and if these two perform terribly in the match, the netizens will come back with retrospective criticism, making a laughingstock of our media!

    But if we don¡¯t report it, what if these two really are secret weapons, aren¡¯t we missing a big scoop?

    Damn it, Captain Yan, are you seriously saying this, or just messing with us?!

    ¡°That¡¯s all,¡± Yan Yu handed the microphone back to the host, then turned and started whispering with Chen Lingyun.

    When the host asked ¡°who¡¯s next for the interview,¡± for a moment, no one responded.

    Everyone was a bit dazed.

 Chapter 478 - 74 Huofeng Team Must Win

    Chapter 478: Chapter 74 Huofeng Team Must Win

    ¡°I¡¯d like to ask Deputy Captain Chen.¡± The second journalist took the microphone, cautiously asking, ¡°How confident is Zhenghai Team in winning this match?¡±

    ¡°It seems inappropriate to ask that question here,¡± Chen Lingyun elegantly covered her mouth, chuckling as she said, ¡°after all, this is the venue of the Huofeng Team.¡±

    The crowd: ¡­

    It seemed like she was unwilling to say anything, but in reality, she had answered everything¡ªit would take years of Yin Yang Power to deliver such a response.

    The spokesperson from the Pingxi Army turned pale and hurriedly said:

    ¡°Next, from the Nanchuan Observer.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Deputy Captain Chen, how does Zhenghai Team view the new competition format?¡± a female journalist from Nanchuan Observer took the microphone and asked, ¡°We checked the information disclosed by the Privy Council, and it seems Zhenghai Team is the first in the nation to reach a membership of six. Compared to other teams, does the additional sixth member in the new format significantly benefit Zhenghai Team?¡±

    The surrounding journalists also perked up, ready to hear how Chen Lingyun would respond.

    The question concerning whether the ¡°new format benefits Zhenghai Team¡± actually carried a minor trap within it. Regardless of the answer, merely posing the question would lead some to assume it does. Thus, if Huofeng Team ended up losing later, they could attribute it to ¡°lack of familiarity with the new format,¡± seeing that their sixth member had not been integrated into the team for long, unlike Zhenghai Team which had already adapted to having an additional member.

    The Nanchuan Observer was inherently biased towards supporting the Huofeng Team, so it was only natural and reasonable for them to ask a question that seemed factual on the surface but carried an underlying trap.

    ¡°Regarding the adjustments to the new format, we at Zhenghai Team are obviously very pleased to accept it,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smiling face, calmly continuing, ¡°As is known, the scale of a five-person squad is suitable for balancing overall strength and agile operations. However, due to our captain Yan Yu¡¯s individual style of play, which often deviates from our team¡¯s tactical system, we are usually forced to operate as a four-person squad, which is considerably disadvantageous to us.¡±

    ¡°The new format allows us to add an additional member, filling the frequent absences of our captain and bringing our team closer to the benchmark strength of other teams, embodying the principle of fair and just competition.¡±

    The journalists were collectively at a loss for words: Huh?

    Due to Yan Yu¡¯s frequent sidelining outside the team, you¡¯ve been at a disadvantage under the old format¡­what kind of bizarre rationale is this?

    ¡°This¡­¡± The female journalist was dumbstruck, eventually retorting, ¡°But Captain Yan isn¡¯t slacking or anything when he¡¯s out there alone, right? He¡¯s just operating independently, how does that revert you guys to a four-person squad?¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t remember,¡± Chen Lingyun replied, ¡°you can take a look at our team¡¯s last confrontation match, where we participated as a four-member squad.¡±

    The journalists huddled together. The last simulated confrontation match of Zhenghai Team? It seemed to be against the Flying Dragon Battle Team.

    Damn! It really was a four-person squad versus a five-person squad! Because that time Captain Yan Yu challenged the goalkeeper alone!

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it just because the Flying Dragon Battle Team is relatively weaker¡­¡± The female journalist hadn¡¯t finished speaking when Chen Lingyun already turned to ask the spokesperson from Pingxi:

    ¡°Can a journalist ask three questions?¡±

    ¡°Please pass the microphone to the next person, thank you.¡± Seeing that the journalist from Nanchuan Observer wasn¡¯t a match, the spokesperson quickly moved the topic along.

    The female journalist sheepishly sat down, only to hear a senior colleague beside her lowering their voice and reprimanding, ¡°What was that last remark about? You shouldn¡¯t have said that! The last match between Flying Dragon Battle Team and Dragon Cavalry Team was in the Menyan Cangsong Secret Realm, and now their fan base is not small at all! Your comment will stir up a considerable uproar¡­sigh!¡±

    Struck as if by lightning, the female journalist realized her blunder and her face turned deathly pale.

    The subsequent questions turned out to be rather unremarkable, as everyone already knew that Zhenghai Team was difficult to interview, but each time they personally engaged, there was always a sense of shock at ¡°how they could still dismiss us like that,¡± making it hard to really press forward with their questions.

    As Zhenghai Team left the stage, the freshly made-up Huofeng Team also appeared, sitting in alignment with Captain Zhou and Deputy Captain Zhang in the middle, and the other four members positioned to their left and right.

    Deputy Captain Zhang was known for his tight-lipped responses, often making the journalists rack their brains just to pry his mouth open. However, after experiencing the hellish screening from Zhenghai Team, everyone now found his perpetually expressionless bespectacled face somewhat familiar and affable. Each journalist straightened up, getting ready to question.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to ask Deputy Captain Zhang.¡± The journalist who got the first opportunity to ask a question eagerly stood up and excitedly asked, ¡°Zhenghai Team¡¯s Captain Yan just informed us that Captain Zhou has marked him as a special focus in his friend list, does Captain Zhou have anything to say about this?¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Zhang Huaide took the microphone and answered, ¡°Captain Yan is a cultivator whom all members of our Huofeng Team greatly admire. He has fought for our country on numerous occasions and has made remarkable contributions. Captain Zhou considers Captain Yan as a role model, hoping to learn from his spirit of defending the homeland and to inspire himself to continuously improve, thank you.¡±

    The answer was quite safe and sound, and although it explained why Zhou Hongyu had marked Yan Yu as a special focus among friends, everyone obviously didn¡¯t believe this explanation but couldn¡¯t really find fault with it either.

    ¡°Hello, Deputy Captain Zhang,¡± the second journalist stood up to ask, ¡°Captain Yan Yu has commented that ¡®Your swordsmanship is not up to the mark¡¯ and ¡®You should seriously practice your Sword Control Technique,¡¯ what are your thoughts on this?¡±

    ¡°Haha,¡± Zhang Huaide laughed sincerely, ¡°It¡¯s true, my swordsmanship is indeed not sufficient; I should indeed learn earnestly from Captain Yan.¡±

    The journalists below felt an urge to curse. Zhenghai Team was hoping to keep the comments less sensational and answer inquiries more straightforwardly; but when it came to Huofeng Team, they were wishing these cultivators wouldn¡¯t be so stoic and could say something more surprising¡­otherwise, what could they use for the news!

    Zhou Hongyu admires Yan Yu as a person? Zhang Huaide admits his swordsmanship is insufficient? Those are just useless remarks nobody bothers to read for traffic!

    ¡°May I ask, in the upcoming match against the Zhenhai Team, how confident is the Huofeng Team in securing a victory?¡± A third journalist took the microphone, asking.

    ¡°When teams of our calibre face off, nobody can say they are sure of defeating the opponent,¡± Zhang Huaide replied calmly, ¡°but we will do our utmost to strive for victory.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, but Deputy Captain Chen said¡­¡±

    ¡°Next journalist,¡± Zhang Huaide instructed the host, ¡°one question per person, that¡¯s the rule.¡±

    The fourth journalist fulfilled expectations by asking a question his colleague didn¡¯t have the chance to:

    ¡°When Deputy Captain Chen was asked ¡®whether they were confident in defeating the Zhenhai Team,¡¯ she responded that ¡®it¡¯s inconvenient to answer at the Huofeng Team¡¯s home venue.¡¯ What do you think about this, Deputy Captain Zhang?¡±

    ¡°What she thinks, I¡¯m not quite sure,¡± Zhang Huaide said with a slight smile, ¡°recklessly guessing others¡¯ thoughts isn¡¯t quite appropriate, I suggest you ask her personally.¡±

    The interview with the Zhenhai Team was over, so how could we ask! The journalists below were speechless.

    After a few formal questions, today¡¯s press conference came to an end.

    The TV station broadcasted the proceedings, which indeed attracted considerable attention and discussion from all walks of society.

    The Zhenhai Team critiqued their opponents¡¯ strengths, this being insufficient, that not quite up to par, and when asked how confident they were about winning, they again mentioned they needed to be mindful of the host¡¯s feelings, which infuriated the fans of the Huofeng Team.

    The conservative manner in which Zhang Huaide answered questions added to the fans¡¯ frustrations, making them unable to vent their anger. Consequently, that evening, fans from both regions personally paid out of their own pockets to buy large screen advertisements in the city centers of Shuzhong Prefecture and Yu Prefecture, boldly declaring ¡°Huofeng Team will definitely win.¡± Later, through many short video platforms, countless fans crazily liked and commented, pushing it to an almost sensational level all over the internet.

    But if you think about it, isn¡¯t the slogan ¡°Huofeng Team will definitely win¡± just another way of saying ¡°Zhenhai Team will definitely lose¡±?

    Around 9 p.m., Yan Yu suddenly received a message from Li Zhaojiang.

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: Haha, Old Yan, heard you and Chen Lingyun are getting a lot of flak online?

    [Win Over with Virture]: What news is this? I haven¡¯t heard about it.

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: Why are so many people supporting the Huofeng Team? It feels like everyone is hoping you¡¯ll lose.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: The more they fear something, the more they need to emphasize it. Even the Huofeng Team fans think we¡¯re too much for them tomorrow, which is why they are vigorously boosting morale before the match. Isn¡¯t that strange? Our Zhenhai Team fans don¡¯t need to spend money on publicity, they¡¯re comfortably waiting for us to win the match.

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: Or is it because you¡¯ve done so many bad things, hence the public outrage?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: For example, you¡¯re always worried I¡¯ll steal your sister away, repeatedly telling me not to ¡°fantasize,¡± isn¡¯t that because your sister actually likes me?

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: Eat a banana! My sister like you? That¡¯s a joke.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: How about a bet then?

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: No bet. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Scared?

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: Scared.

    Li Zhaojiang, this rascal, actually quite honest¡­ Yan Yu was amused when Li Zhaojiang sent another message.

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: My sister has been resting recently, but she insists on watching your match tomorrow. You better watch your performance, don¡¯t screw up and get easily defeated by Zhou Hongyu, affecting my sister¡¯s mood and recovery. If so, I¡¯ll bring a cleaver to Jinling and end you!

    [Win Over with Virtue]: If you kill me, wouldn¡¯t that make your sister a widow?

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: Nonsense! My sister, just twenty, known far and wide for her beauty and virtues, who in a hundred miles doesn¡¯t know and admire her? There¡¯s a line from Prince Xing all the way to Yi¡¯an for those wanting to pursue her, capiche?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Really? Then I better hurry up and confess to your sister, before those guys get ahead of me.

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: I¡¯ll really kill you, you know!

 Chapter 479 - 75 King versus King

    Chapter 479: Chapter 75 King versus King

    Early the next morning.

    Two teams of horses left the hotel, escorted by Pingxi Army vehicles to the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon.

    The scenery here was indeed beautiful, but no one had the heart to appreciate it. The surging public opinion from the outside world added a sense of urgency to everyone¡¯s feelings.

    For the Huofeng Team, the sheer scale of fan support meant that if they were to lose in the end, many of those encouraging voices might turn into disappointment and hatred, so they couldn¡¯t simply ignore it.

    The same went for the Zhenhai Team. Should they lose by chance, there would certainly be plenty of people ready to kick them when they were down and mock them, giving them a reason they couldn¡¯t afford to lose.

    With this atmosphere enveloping them, the air inside the vehicle also became rather solemn. Although there was no verbal communication between the two teams, their collective aura still carried a sense of rivalry.

    ...

    Upon arriving at the entrance to the Mysterious Realm, the area around the canyon was seen to be already heavily guarded, with multiple layers of military camps and bunkers constructed, and helicopters and drones patrolling overhead from time to time, all to prevent any illegal Transcendents from infiltrating.

    Of course, there were all kinds of concealment techniques that made it easy to evade these patrols. So the ultimate line of defense was the over 200 military Cultivators stationed inside the camp, using their Divine Sense to scan the surroundings around the clock.

    Human radar! In the Era of Spiritual Energy Resurgence, this was Lu Country¡¯s solution to the security issue of military importance¡ªsince Divine Sense was a unique ability within the Cultivator system, other countries found no solution to counter it.

    Without foreign Transcendents causing trouble, the management of the Mysterious Realm became much easier. Not only were there drone camera crews providing live broadcasts from multiple angles, but medical teams would also follow the contestants into the Mysterious Realm, ready to administer emergency first aid at any moment to deal with any Cultivator injuries that might occur.

    Each team entered their respective rest camps, waiting for the command from headquarters, before it was Huofeng Team¡¯s turn to enter the arena first.

    In the live broadcast room, two professional commentators were also chatting away, trying to fill the preparatory time before the match to prevent the viewers from getting bored.

    ¡°¡­So we can see that domestic simulation exercises, compared to the real battles abroad, still fall slightly short in terms of combat intensity,¡± Xu Dongming said to the audience in a casual chat, ¡°Currently only eight teams have the qualification to fight abroad, so we hope in the future more teams will grow and join the ranks of defending the country.¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s watch the match! The command post has blown the whistle, and next, Huofeng Team¡¯s vanguard will take the stage. As I analyzed in a previous show, there¡¯s a 99.99% chance that the Zhenhai Team will have Divine General Yan Yu lead the vanguard, so the Huofeng Team¡¯s vanguard player must be strong enough to withstand Yan Yu¡¯s assault in isolation¡­ Zhou Hongyu! It¡¯s not Qin Meng, it¡¯s Zhou Hongyu who has stood up! She¡¯s walking towards the entrance of the Mysterious Realm!¡±

    ¡°Huofeng Team is actually letting their captain be the vanguard!¡± Zhou Erhe was amazed to say, ¡°Zhou Hongyu versus Yan Yu, a captain-level confrontation; it seems this match will kick off with a duel between kings. Dongming, who do you think has the advantage?¡±

    ¡°Hard to say,¡± Xu Dongming replied smoothly, ¡°Everyone knows I¡¯m now settled in Jianghai Prefecture, so obviously I should support Yan Yu; but my ancestral home is in Nanchuan Province, my relatives and friends all support the Huofeng Team, so this really puts me in a difficult position¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah well, I think there¡¯s absolutely no need,¡± Zhou Erhe glanced at the teleprompter outside the field and continued, ¡°Both Huofeng Team and Zhenhai Team are heroic Cultivators who defend their country. I understand everyone¡¯s affection for their favorite teams, but there¡¯s absolutely no need to get so confrontational over a match, right, viewers?¡±

    The back-and-forth between the two indeed turned the atmosphere in the live chat around.

    What were initially slogans like ¡°Victory to Huofeng¡± alone turned into relatively more harmonious chants of ¡°Victory to Huofeng, good luck Zhenhai.¡±

    Within the preparation camp on site, everyone sat in silence for a moment until a guard came to notify them:

    ¡°Zhenhai Team¡¯s vanguard, please enter the arena.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m off,¡± Yan Yu stood up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get yourself sent packing,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Hold on until we come to save you.¡±

    ¡°What a joke,¡± Yan Yu retorted in disdain, ¡°by the time you all get there, I reckon I¡¯d have finished the fight.¡±

    He followed the guard out of the camp, heading towards the entrance to the Mysterious Realm.

    He didn¡¯t know who from the Huofeng Team had already gone in to lead the vanguard¡ªwhether it was Qin Meng or Zhou Hongyu.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. You¡¯re destined to become one of my defeated subordinates anyway!¡±

    ¡°Enter!¡±

    As the world spun around him, Yan Yu found himself inside a cave.

    The surrounding rock walls were smooth and even, each cut at intervals to form niches that housed Bodhisattva reliefs.

    The reliefs were incredibly lifelike, with hollow eyes emitting a fearsome divine light¡ªturns out, the heads of the Bodhisattvas were hollow, with small candles fixed inside.

    Yan Yu casually observed his surroundings for a moment before continuing his exploration. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Meanwhile, Zhou Hongyu, who had entered three minutes earlier, had already finished scouting the nearby corridors.

    These corridors were roughly three meters high and a little over one meter wide, straight and unencumbered by excess cover or obstacles.

    Such a narrow environment would be ideal for a battle with Yan Yu because it would severely limit his agile movements, and her Great Bright Fire, with its explosive and area-covering effects, could easily block his potential escape routes.

    Of course, Yan Yu would be aware of this, so if he were also transported nearby, he would definitely try to leave this area as soon as possible and explore more open spaces.

    Find him quickly!

    Zhou Hongyu activated her Thousand-Mile Movement Technique and started running rapidly through the corridors, in stark contrast to Yan Yu¡¯s leisurely pace.

    ¡°Zhou Hongyu knows Yan Yu has entered,¡± Zhou Erhe explained. ¡°In such narrow corridors, it would be difficult for Yan Yu to dodge her Great Bright Fire, which is why Zhou Hongyu wants to find him nearby and start the battle sooner.¡±

    ¡°But Yan Yu doesn¡¯t seem to be in a hurry at all,¡± Xu Dongming said with a frown. ¡°Looking at their positions on the map, they¡¯re about to encounter each other soon. Isn¡¯t he afraid of running into Zhou Hongyu in such a place?¡±

    The Pingxi Army had already surveyed the area with drones, confirming that it is an Underground Palace built into the mountain. A detailed map had already been drawn and was now displayed on the big screen in the live broadcast room.

    In the map, you could see there were open areas inside the Underground Palace, with a huge cave waterfall and rock wall monastery to the west, and a spacious Great Hero Treasure Hall and Futu Pagoda to the south.

    But Yan Yu and Zhou Hongyu had spawned at the 12 o¡¯clock direction, or the northern section, while the other at the 2 o¡¯clock direction, with the area nearby consisting mostly of small passages and monks¡¯ cell-like chambers, which were clearly to Yan Yu¡¯s disadvantage.

    Why isn¡¯t he leaving this area as quickly as possible?

    ¡°They¡¯re about to meet!¡± Zhou Erhe finally shouted, ¡°At the crossroads, Zhou Hongyu chose to head north! Go straight to the end, turn the corner, and she¡¯ll come face-to-face with Yan Yu!¡±

    ¡°The great battle is about to erupt!¡± Xu Dongming wasn¡¯t to be outdone and hurriedly started commentating, ¡°Watch closely, everyone in the live broadcast room, a fierce confrontation between team leaders is about to begin! This will be a battle of the kings! With Zhou Hongyu¡¯s temperament, once the battle begins, unless she or her opponent goes down, she will absolutely not stop¡­¡±

    Before he could finish, Yan Yu suddenly turned right, ducking into a cell-like chamber off the corridor.

    The chamber had no door and was very small, only about three square meters, with nothing but a bedroll on the floor, a table for scriptures, and a candle and air hole on the wall.

    Even if Zhou Hongyu was sprinting down the corridor, she would quickly glance left and right when passing these chambers, and at this point, there was nothing around Yan Yu that could provide cover and conceal the view.

    ¡°He¡¯s done for!¡± Xu Dongming exclaimed in alarm, ¡°If Yan Yu leaves here, he¡¯ll run right into Zhou Hongyu; if he doesn¡¯t go out and stays inside, as long as Zhou Hongyu takes one look as she passes by, one Great Bright Fire would come crashing down, and there¡¯s nowhere to hide! He¡¯s trapped!¡±

    ¡°Now it all depends on what Yan Yu chooses to do! Whether he rushes out to meet the fight head-on, or stays in the chamber betting Zhou Hongyu will miss¡­¡±

    ¡°What the¡­ Invisibility Technique! Yan Yu has become invisible! How did he know Zhou Hongyu was approaching?!!¡±

 Chapter 480 - 76: Leap through the Flames

    Chapter 480: Chapter 76: Leap through the Flames

    Zhou Hongyu employed the Art of Godly Movement, her speed swift as the wind as she flew through the long corridor, leaving behind only the faintest sound of her footsteps.

    Though the sound was slight, the narrow corridor acted like an echo chamber, allowing the sounds to be clearly transmitted into the distance.

    The speed of sound is about twenty times that of the speed of Godly Movement. Thus, even though she had not yet appeared within Yan Yu¡¯s Divine Sense detection range, the sound had already traveled ahead through the space within the corridor.

    Yan Yu was all too familiar with the footsteps of the Shifting Technique. In his previous life, he did not possess the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step but relied solely on the Shifting Technique and Cloud Ascension Technique for high-speed movement, so he quickly deduced that someone was approaching using Shifting Technique.

    He silently hid inside an adjoining side room. Not long after, he saw Zhou Hongyu¡¯s figure sweep past the entrance.

    Yan Yu waited for a moment, then left the side room. His feet had just stepped onto the corridor when he suddenly dispelled his Invisibility Technique and swiftly dodged to the side.

    ...

    A Flame Spear from the Great Bright Fire whizzed past him, then concentrated at the far corner of the corridor, exploding into a small sea of fire, completely sealing off Yan Yu¡¯s escape route.

    Yan Yu quickly turned his head and saw Zhou Hongyu had already turned back, facing him, half her face exhibiting an icy, emotionless intent to battle, while the other half seemed to be¡­ suppressed excitement and thrill?

    ¡°Found him!¡± yelled Xu Dongming from the outside broadcasting room, ¡°Zhou Hongyu has not neglected to scan with her Divine Sense while moving with Godly Movement. She had already seen through Yan Yu¡¯s Invisibility Technique! She just pretended she hadn¡¯t noticed him, deliberately passing by the doorway before suddenly turning to launch a counterattack! That was the surprise attack of the legendary Guan Yu!¡±

    ¡°Too bad Yan Yu was also scanning with his Divine Sense the whole time and discovered Zhou Hongyu turning back before he even stepped out!¡± shouted Zhou Erhe, ¡°The confrontation between top cultivators, with no exposed flaws! One mistake means defeat!¡± Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    With a shot of the Flame Spear, Zhou Hongyu sealed the path behind Yan Yu, then revealed a suppressed yet excited cold and stunning smile.

    You have no escape!

    Come on, face me! Yan Yu!

    In a flash of lightning, Yan Yu had assessed the situation:

    With the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step or Sword Flight, he could risk getting hurt to force his way through the blockade of the Great Bright Fire.

    But it wasn¡¯t necessary.

    He turned to look at Zhou Hongyu, then suddenly his body was enveloped in sword light.

    You want me to take you on head-on, I¡¯m on it!

    The Sword Flight wasn¡¯t as flexible as the Cloud Bagua Step, but its speed was certainly superior, and in the blink of an eye, he had closed half the distance.

    But Zhou Hongyu had practiced the Great Bright Fire countless times. The speed at which she formed the Taoist Incantation and directed her True Yuan was even more exaggerated; she quickly condensed a massive amount of scorching True Yuan between her nose and mouth.

    Starfall!

    Although Starfall was slower in flight, its spell volume and bombing range were both larger than the Flame Spear. Yan Yu could dodge a Flame Spear at the last moment, but it was impossible to dodge Starfall¡ªbecause as soon as Zhou Hongyu expelled it, it quickly transformed into an enormous fireball that blazed upward, filling the entire corridor like a hot and intense wall of fire, leaving Yan Yu no room to evade!

    The surging heat wave rushed forward! Scorching! Exploding! Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Divine Sense followed the Starfall forward, passing over the sea of fire left after the explosion, but failed to find any sign of Yan Yu.

    Did he dodge it? How? Wall-Penetration Technique¡­ No, that¡¯s not it, Wall-Penetration Technique can¡¯t be used within the Underground Palace of this Mysterious Realm, I¡¯ve already confirmed it!

    Zhou Hongyu had no time for further thought. She was not Zhang Huaide, nor did she prefer to plan before acting; she rather used her own eyes to verify.

    She quickly rushed to the end of the corridor near the corner, and with a soft intake, she sucked the residual burning flames at the scene into her mouth, then exhaled it as a white smoke.

    There were no holes or secret doors on the surrounding walls and floor, so he couldn¡¯t have escaped in another direction. He must have been forced to turn back and forcefully pass through the sea of fire left by the Flame Spear under the pressure of Starfall.

    Even with the speed of Sword Flight, forcing through the sea of fire would result in severe burns from the high temperature.

    Chase!

    Zhou Hongyu, without a second thought, advanced again with Shifting Technique, and just as she turned the corner of the corridor, she was met with a sword light coming straight toward her.

    Good timing!

    She simply tilted her head slightly, and even brighter flames poured out from her mouth and nostrils, instantly drawing a gigantic fan shape with a radius of three meters in front of her! Within it swirled intense heat and light twisted, flames rose and roared as if Chi You was swinging his axe, or as if Zhu Rong was wielding his blade!

    Phoenix Sword!

    The Liang Yi sword light hastily retreated but couldn¡¯t completely avoid the lethal range of the Phoenix Sword. The blade turned red-hot in an instant, and, propelled by the blast wave of the erupting flames, flew back in reverse.

    Yan Yu¡¯s hands rapidly formed a sword technique, pulling back the Liang Yi sword to the rear and then sending the Huang Tingjian forward to attack.

    Zhou Hongyu suddenly realized something was amiss and could only hurriedly block with her Chi Yu Sword, her heart filled with both shock and suspicion.

    Under her tactical judgment, if Yan Yu had been burned by the Great Bright Fire and fallen into a disadvantaged position, he would surely have had to quickly turn the tide with a surprise attack. The Speed and lethality of the Sword Flying Slash are superior to the Sword Control Technique, and he should have used the Sword Flying Slash.

    But Yan Yu had used the Two-handed Sword Control Technique¡­ It was only then that Zhou Hongyu saw clearly he had not been injured at all!

    In the live broadcast room, the audience was in a state of fervent excitement.

    The director switched to the usual split-screen mode, with the real-time duel between Yan Yu and Zhou Hongyu on the right, and the replay of the thrilling scene just now on the left¡ªwhat was shown was none other than Yan Yu¡¯s exquisite technique as he passed through the sea of flames.

    One could see him commanding the Huang Tingjian to forcefully cleave forward, with the help of the Heavy Sword Spin Slash¡¯s rapid airflow, the still-flaming fire was blown to both sides.

    He himself used the Shifting Technique to sprint, leaping up with his back almost against the ceiling, rapidly skimming over the sea of flames below.

    The flames, split by the Huang Tingjian, merely tilted to the sides for a moment before quickly returning to their original place. But in the instant the flames parted, Yan Yu had already swept over from above, the timing and trajectory all grasped with impeccable precision, he even didn¡¯t allow the rebounding flames to singe even a corner of his clothes.

    ¡°Such consummate skill!¡± Zhou Erhe was utterly impressed, ¡°Exceedingly brilliant!¡±

    ¡°This is the judgment and technique of a top Cultivator!¡± Xu Dongming also shouted, ¡°Walking through fire and water without a single hair harmed!¡±

    In the hospital room, dressed in a patient¡¯s gown Li Minghu, holding a Pad, watched Yan Yu streak across the sea of fire with ¡°such consummate skill¡± and couldn¡¯t help but reveal a gentle and beautiful smile.

    Still so powerful, this person¡­

    ¡°Old Yan must belong to the bird family, right?¡± Li Zhaojiang, who was lying on the edge of the bed, teased, ¡°How could his trajectory leaping over the sea of fire be so precise?!¡±

    Thanks to the playback in the broadcast, which had been shown several times, everyone could see Yan Yu¡¯s trajectory jumping over the sea of fire, not only just during the instant when the flames parted to both sides, but also precisely skimming close to the ceiling.

    If the trajectory had been even a little lower, the flames that were tilted and flickering would inevitably have scorched him; but if it had been a little higher, he would have hit the ceiling, the friction would have impeded his flying speed, and he might not have been able to cross before the flames closed back in.

    No matter how much Li Zhaojiang objected to this brother-in-law, he had to admit that the live commentator¡¯s description of ¡°such consummate skill¡± was indeed apt, without any superfluous words.

    Inside the Shengjing team¡¯s base, the members of the Long Flight team watching the live broadcast did not show as much amazement or admiration.

    ¡°Damn it,¡± Liu Longtao fell silent for a moment, finally unable to suppress a click of his tongue, ¡°How can such a precise leap over the sea of fire be humanly possible?¡±

    ¡°I pointed it out long ago,¡± Ai Lu picked up after him, flattering, ¡°Yan God is not human, he is a deity.¡±

    ¡°From the perspective of a deity, everything can be explained.¡±

    ¡°Stop it,¡± Ye Jun, sensing Liu Longtao was in a foul mood, hurriedly interrupted the oblivious Ai Lu, ¡°Let¡¯s continue watching the match.¡±

    Coincidentally, Netflix, which had paid a hefty sum for the broadcasting rights from Lu Country¡¯s Ministry of Commerce, also noticed that the broadcast channel from Lu Country had seen an explosive growth in viewership in just the past few minutes.

    The reason was quite simple: The leap over the sea of fire had turned into a video clip within 10 minutes of the live broadcast, and while it was being furiously shared across major social media platforms within the country, it was also posted to the foreign student groups following the competition, eliciting widespread praise and exclamations.

    With the sword splitting the sea of fire and the flames dividing, he made a leap, and then the fire closed back again, much like the Biblical Moses raising his staff high, and the boundless waves of the Red Sea parting to the sides upon his call, allowing him to pass through untouched¡­ Even for foreigners with cultural understanding barriers, in front of such an extremely shocking and aesthetically pleasing image, there was no resistance.

    Soon, a vast number of foreign viewers, drawn by the news, flooded into Netflix¡¯s live broadcast room to begin watching this internal cultivator simulation match of Lu Country.

    Not surprisingly, they were all discussing the recent ¡°Moses parting the sea.¡±

    Red Sea, the sea of red flames.

 Chapter 481 - 77: Youre Not Secretly in Love with Me, Are You?

    Chapter 481: Chapter 77: You¡¯re Not Secretly in Love with Me, Are You?

    In the Mysterious Realm, the two were still intensely battling.

    Zhou Hongyu tried to take the offensive, but Yan Yu¡¯s attack rhythm was too overpowering. His Two-handed Sword Control Technique released one attack after another¡ªthe previous sword technique had not yet aged before the next sword strike was already assailing, forcing her to focus solely on maneuvering the Chi Yu Sword to defend.

    A slight misstep, and her defenses would be breached, resulting in direct defeat.

    At this moment, she vaguely realized that the corridor environment, devoid of any cover, might be disadvantageous for Yan Yu, but it certainly wasn¡¯t favorable for her either.

    When Sword Immortals and Magic Cultivators duel at close to mid-range, the latter often find themselves at a disadvantage because Sword Immortals attack very frequently, forcing Magic Cultivators to defend with swordsmanship, unable to afford any distractions.

    Of course, it wasn¡¯t impossible to repel Flying Swords with a spell. The issue was, how much True Yuan does one use for a spell compared to the amount Yan Yu uses for a Sword Control attack?

    ...

    Unless one could kill the opponent with a single spell, using more would be more costly. It¡¯s not as economical as using swordsmanship for defense.

    But a Magic Cultivator persistently using Sword Control Technique, how could they possibly match a professional Sword Immortal? In defending, once the rhythm gets disrupted, the True Yuan depletes, concentration lapses, and ultimately, the outcome is still defeat.

    A Magic Cultivator without teammates¡¯ support, even in circumstances unfavorable for the opponent, is still no match for the one known as the ¡°King of Duels,¡± Sword Immortal.

    No, she had to retreat!

    Zhou Hongyu¡¯s mind raced, and her steps had already begun retreating, retreating while fighting.

    If it had been the Zhou Hongyu of the past, even knowing she was outmatched, she would have fought on stubbornly, never considering a strategic retreat. Now, after having fought too many battles, she had finally become wiser, aware that she couldn¡¯t withstand Yan Yu¡¯s ultra-fast attack speed and needed to use the terrain.

    She retreated behind a corner, vanishing from Yan Yu¡¯s view, and her hands already forming the incantation for the Great Bright Fire, poised and ready to unleash.

    If Yan Yu pursued and turned the corner, he would immediately come within three steps of her, and she¡¯d give him a nasty surprise with the Phoenix Sword.

    If Yan Yu didn¡¯t dare follow but maintained his perception with Divine Sense from around the corner while sending Flying Swords to pursue, then the efficiency of his Sword Control attacks would inevitably decrease.

    She just needed to guard against close-range attacks within her line of sight, thus consuming less mind energy and True Yuan than Yan Yu, which would still be more advantageous for her¡ªand Yan Yu would not allow the situation to develop this way, so he would definitely pursue eventually.

    When he comes, I¡¯ll crush him!

    Zhou Hongyu was silently calculating when she suddenly noticed that his two Flying Swords hadn¡¯t turned the corner and appeared in front of her.

    She hurriedly extended her Divine Sense forward¡­ Had he run away?

    How could he run?

    Zhou Hongyu was dumbstruck, then had an epiphany, clenched her teeth in silent rage and was so furious she wished she could immediately rush over, find Yan Yu, and chop him into two hundred fifty-six pieces for roasting!

    I¡¯ll chase him to the ends of the earth!

    On Yan Yu¡¯s end, he sped away from Zhou Hongyu, chuckling to himself.

    Nervous, that cramped corner environment, you expect me to pursue into your trap? Do you think I¡¯m out of my mind knowing your Phoenix Sword is fierce?

    He sped along the corridor, unconcerned whether Zhou Hongyu was chasing him or not, simply exploring freely.

    If the previously mentioned area was the ¡®residential area¡¯ of the monks living in this Mysterious Realm, then this should be the ¡®Quiet Meditation Area¡¯.

    Instead of bedding and incense tables, the meditation rooms along the corridor housed meditation mats and Buddha statues, and rows of bookshelves embedded in the walls, filled with numerous pages of scriptures.

    The entrances to the meditation rooms were no longer unguarded but were marked with clearly engraved formation runes. Without the correct method of passage, one would have to take the trouble to forcefully break the formation before entering.

    Yan Yu was not interested in exploring the rooms but continued straight down the corridor, his Shifting Technique unceasing.

    In the live broadcast, the audience could see through the director¡¯s screen that Zhou Hongyu was persistently chasing Yan Yu, two turns behind him, as they ran from the north at 12 o¡¯clock to nearly north-west at 10 o¡¯clock.

    The chat suddenly came alive again because it had been 4 minutes since Yan Yu¡¯s appearance.

    The Huofeng Team, entering the battle later!

    Unfortunately, they teleported to the 2 o¡¯clock direction, near the monks¡¯ residential area where Yan Yu first entered, quite a distance away from both Yan Yu and Zhou Hongyu¡¯s current positions.

    ¡°Xiaolian,¡± Zhang Huaide quickly instructed.

    Tang Xiaolian, without a word, took out the Mother Gu.

    The Mother Gu resembled a golden tortoise larva, plump and white, and it raised its head and wobbled for a moment before quickly fixing its gaze towards the true west.

    ¡°Move,¡± said Zhang Huaide, concise and clear.

    The Huofeng Team members rapidly advanced. Qin Meng led the way, Hou Qing covered the rear, Zhang Huaide positioned in the middle, with Tang Xiaolian and Meng Qingxi ready to provide tactical support for both directions.

    But Yan Yu did not suddenly emerge from a corner to ambush them, nor did the Mysterious Realm¡¯s own defenses initiate, allowing the group¡¯s journey to proceed without any obstruction.

    Upon reaching a corridor turn, Zhang Huaide suddenly said,

    ¡°Stop.¡±

    His Divine Sense swept over the floor tiles and walls, quickly noting obvious signs of burning.

    The captain¡¯s Great Bright Fire¡­ The walls were still warm, indicating that the battle here happened not long ago.

    ¡°Keep chasing,¡± Zhang Huaide ordered.

    They set off once again, with no one questioning, trusting Deputy Captain Zhang completely.

    Finally, Yan Yu reached the western direction of the Underground Palace, where the cave in the mountainside opened into a broader space.

    This part of the mountain cave seemed naturally formed, with few signs of human alteration. A small hole in the ceiling allowed bright light to shine through, illuminating much of the cave interior.

    Where the sky light fell, there was a small pond, dotted with a few Treasured Lotus Flowers.

    Behind the Treasured Lotus Flowers, there was a simple Buddhist temple built on the cave wall. There were no signboards, the gates were open, and inside a Buddha statue was enshrined.

    Strangely, the Buddha statue was not portrayed with a kind face and golden body, but with a green face and fierce fangs, its entire body painted black, its expression eerie, seemingly smiling but not smiling.

    Yan Yu glanced at the strange Buddha statue once and immediately realized this was a heretical Mysterious Realm.

    The Taoist sect was divided into Orthodoxy, Sideline Sect, and Heretical Path, while the Buddhist Sect distinguished between Greater and Lesser Vehicle Buddhism and heretical Buddhist teachings. The Greater Vehicle aimed to save mankind, and the Lesser Vehicle to save oneself, both fundamentally about salvation.

    The heresies of Buddhist teachings varied widely, such as the past life¡¯s four Zen branches: Red Lotus Zen, Subjugation of Demons Zen, Pure Land Zen, and Joyful Zen, famously known as a breeding ground for illegal cultivators, constantly suppressed yet persistent, and often dealt with by mortal warriors.

    With Yan Yu¡¯s experience from his past life, how could he not recognize this as the statue of Subjugation of Demons Zen? Named for subjugating demons, it was, in reality, about using people as offerings to demons, twisting the allegory of ¡°cutting flesh to feed eagles¡± into murdering as a form of salvation, undeniably heretical from any perspective.

    Because of this, the Mysterious Realm related to Subjugation of Demons Zen would definitely not be a ¡°test-type realm¡±; encountering anything extremely vicious would be no surprise. However, coming along the way with Zhou Hongyu, having met no danger was an extremely abnormal phenomenon¡­

    Wait, could it be?

    A possibility flashed through Yan Yu¡¯s mind, and the Huang Tingjian immediately flew out, smashing the cliff¡¯s Zen master and the buddha statue inside into smithereens.

    Upon impact, the statue shattered into countless pieces, falling into the pond below, causing large splashes.

    Seeing that there was nothing unusual about the statue, Yan Yu¡¯s expression turned discontent rather than relieved.

    This was troublesome.

    There was likely something enshrined within this statue, and it had now escaped.

    That thing, like a virus, couldn¡¯t survive independently for long outside; it had to dwell within a cultivator¡¯s Sea of Consciousness, leading to two possibilities now.

    One, it lurked within the body of a Military Manor cultivator sent by the Pingxi Army earlier to investigate the Mysterious Realm.

    However, the Pingxi Army probably used drones, which couldn¡¯t host such a thing.

    Two, it was lurking inside Zhou Hongyu or my own body.

    Yan Yu stood silently by the pond, introspectively observing his Sea of Consciousness.

    Nothing.

    Since this Mysterious Realm had already activated at this stage, the thing¡¯s level couldn¡¯t be high, and it shouldn¡¯t be able to elude my detection. Since it was not in my Sea of Consciousness, then it must be¡­

    He suddenly recalled the cold yet gorgeous smile Zhou Hongyu had flashed when she blocked him in the corridor.

    Not right! When did little Zhou ever smile?!

    Upon this realization, Yan Yu quickly turned around, only to see Zhou Hongyu charging into the cavern, her smile becoming increasingly enchanting, carrying a bewitching, sinister beauty ¨C completely at odds with her original fiery temperament.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you keep running?¡± she said with a grin.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t respond, merely narrowing his eyes as he observed her.

    Little Zhou¡­ was she controlled? Before engaging with her, he had to make sure of this.

    ¡°Your smile is quite beautiful,¡± Yan Yu tentatively asked, ¡°Did something happy happen?¡±

    ¡°What nonsense are you spouting¡­¡± Zhou Hongyu¡¯s smile took on a chill, her expression suddenly softened, and she touched her face with her hand.

    Am I, smiling?

    What¡¯s going on? Why was I smiling at him? This smile¡­ as if I couldn¡¯t help but display it without even noticing, it just appeared on my face¡­

    Zhou Hongyu was initially inexplicably terrified, but soon a thought emerged in her heart:

    Finally, I might have a chance to fight him, thoroughly defeat him, and redeem my past humiliations. What¡¯s wrong if I feel a bit happy?

    Thinking this way, it all seemed quite reasonable. So, she didn¡¯t restrain her smile, instead issuing a stern challenge:

    ¡°Flattery won¡¯t help. If you want to beg for mercy, though, I might listen.¡± sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°No flattery, your smile truly is beautiful,¡± Yan Yu provocatively replied, ¡°Being so pretty, it¡¯d be a shame not to smile more. If you don¡¯t believe me, ask our live audience watching right now.¡±

    True enough, the chat room was instantly flooded by the fans, with comments like ¡°Divine General Dinghai doesn¡¯t forget to flirt even during matches,¡± ¡°Brother Yan, teach me your flirting manual,¡± ¡°Matches are boring, emotional drama is the real deal,¡± and so on.

    Zhou Hongyu naturally couldn¡¯t see the comments, but she suddenly remembered they were still live, exposing her smiling at Yan Yu to the entire nation.

    She had fought many battles, never once revealing a trace of smile on camera before, yet now she was smiling so brightly at Yan Yu, which surely would fuel rampant rumors and slanders about a possible romantic involvement between them post-match¡­

    Upon this thought, Zhou Hongyu could no longer bear it. A boundless rage surged up quickly, subduing all uninvited joy and pleasure and twisting her facial smile into a spasm.

    Seeing her obvious outrage yet her beautiful smile still lingering, Yan Yu knew she had deeply succumbed to the demonic influence, and time was short, so he quickly gave her another provocative blow:

    ¡°You don¡¯t usually smile, but now you do at me so sweetly. Could you be secretly in love with me?¡±

    Zhou Hongyu: !!!

    The smile finally vanished from her face.

    In its place came her uncontrollable fury breaking forth, delivering a hateful strike.

    Great Bright Fire, burning mountains and boiling seas!

 Chapter 482 - 78: Xiao Zhou Has Been Tricked Again

    Chapter 482: Chapter 78: Xiao Zhou Has Been Tricked Again

    The lowest grade Heavenly Demon, also the most common demon head, is named ¡°Heart Demon¡±.

    Among the Heart Demons, the lowest grade demon head is the ¡°Seven Emotions Demon¡±. As its name implies, it can stir up the host¡¯s happiness, anger, sorrow, joy, love, disgust, and desire, and then feed on these abundant emotions to gradually grow stronger, and ultimately devour the host¡¯s soul, taking away all their energy, leaving behind just an empty shell without a soul.

    At this moment, although Zhou Hongyu was extremely angry, she couldn¡¯t help but reveal a pleased smile, indicating that the ¡°Joy Demon¡± among the Seven Emotions Demons was residing in her Sea of Consciousness.

    To expel the Joy Demon, one must first prevent her from feeling pleasure. The more intense her emotion, the more spiritual sustenance the Joy Demon gets, and the faster it grows stronger, increasing the speed at which it takes over her Sea of Consciousness.

    This was also the reason why Yan Yu deliberately provoked Zhou Hongyu with his words. Low-level demon heads can only consume one type of emotion, and without anything to feed on, they will naturally leave the host, much like leeches. Of course, if the demon residing in Zhou Hongyu were not the Joy Demon, but instead something like the Anger Demon, then he would naturally resort to other methods to save her¡­ Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Wait, if little Zhou had been afflicted by the Anger Demon, she would probably be beyond help, might as well wait for death!

    ...

    Zhou Hongyu chased after him in rage, unleashing the fourth move of the Great Bright Fire, called ¡°Burning Mountains Boiling Seas,¡± instantly covering the expanse of half the cave, transforming it into an intense and chaotic Red Lotus inferno!

    But still, she did not hit Yan Yu.

    ¡°Wow, so amazing, so amazing!¡± Yan Yu flew backwards to the top of the cave¡¯s wall, looking down at Zhou Hongyu, whose face was full of anger with no hint of a smile, and clapped his hands, saying, ¡°To be able to use such powerful Taoism Method, I acknowledge that you qualify to have a crush on me!¡±

    What responded to him was a Flame Spear.

    The range of Burning Mountains Boiling Seas was immense, and the consumption of True Yuan was extremely exaggerated, so much so that when Zhou Hongyu cast it resentfully, she immediately realized something was off¡ªshe quickly switched to the less consuming Flame Spear.

    Yan Yu dispelled his Cloud Ascension Technique, falling to dodge the Flame Spear attack, and said,

    ¡°Well played! But still, you did not hit me. How much more True Yuan do you have to squander?¡±

    ¡°Plenty!¡± Zhou Hongyu shouted furiously, ¡°Enough to kill you!¡±

    ¡°Squandering True Yuan so recklessly, you¡¯re definitely not cut out to be a good wife and mother!¡± Yan Yu executed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, closing in on Zhou Hongyu quickly, ¡°Didn¡¯t your parents teach you to be frugal when you were a child? Oh, or could it be that you have no parents?¡±

    Zhou Hongyu drew in a breath of anger because Yan Yu¡¯s latter comment had directly hit her sore spot, making her so angry that she couldn¡¯t control her own rationale. As her True Yuan whirled around hastily, she was about to unleash the Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire, but suddenly she heard a buzzing sound in her head, as if something was being withdrawn from her body.

    However, from Yan Yu¡¯s perspective, he could see clearly, as a wisp of black smoke rising from Zhou Hongyu¡¯s ear turned into the shape of a demon head in the air, brandishing its claws as it turned to pounce at him!

    And then it was shattered by a Flame Spear.

    The Great Bright Fire, which vanquishes evil and eradicates devils. Though the Heavenly Demon can resurrect and is not truly dead, a low-grade demon head like the Seven Emotions Demon would need at least a hundred years to re-form its body, so it could be considered as having been slain by Zhou Hongyu for the time being.

    Yan Yu inwardly relaxed, only to see Zhou Hongyu standing opposite the sea of fire, looking over with an icy expression.

    She was hot-tempered, but not completely irrational. Seeing the intangible black smoke fly out of her own ear, and connecting it to her sudden surge of anger and the strange sensation of something being pulled out, she vaguely realized that Yan Yu was deliberately being offensive because he had likely sensed something parasitizing her mind, and that was the reason for his harsh words.

    After all, when he teased her over the phone chats, he was always careful with the degree of his banter, and it was unlikely for him to say something like ¡°You have no parents¡± ¨C a comment heavy enough to create enmity¡­ You bastard, always flirting with me! Even if it was well-intended this time, I still want to beat you to death!

    Seeing the anger on Zhou Hongyu¡¯s face growing more terrifying, her eyes nearly shooting out flames, Yan Yu just laughed and asked gently,

    ¡°Hey, can we reconcile?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t make peace with corpses,¡± Zhou Hongyu revealed a fierce smile.

    It wasn¡¯t the eerie smile that came after the Joy Demon twisted her emotions, but rather a murderous smile born of extreme rage, typifying Zhou Hongyu perfectly.

    ¡°It¡¯s over, she¡¯s started to act like a yandere,¡± Yan Yu was not in the least bit intimidated, but somewhat amused, ¡°You plan to kill me by mistake and then live the rest of your life in regret, right?¡±

    ¡°If you die, I¡¯ll set up a dragon gate array on your grave!¡± Zhou Hongyu cursed loudly, ¡°And pour spicy hot pot broth over your grave mound!¡±

    ¡°Such a unique widow-consoling custom you Nanchuan girls have,¡± Yan Yu chuckled.

    Although Yan Yu was smiling at this moment, in a hospital outside the Mysterious Realm, where Li Minghu was sitting in bed watching the livestream, the gentle smile was gone from his face, and he was silently staring at the screen.

    ¡°Big sis, I told you Yan Yu can¡¯t be counted on!¡± Li Zhaojiang hadn¡¯t noticed his sister¡¯s facial expression and rattled on, ¡°There are so many pretty girls in the Zhenhai Team, but he¡¯s not satisfied and has to come woo you. Now he¡¯s flirting with Captain Zhou, proving that Yan Yu is the world¡¯s top philanderer¡­ What¡¯s wrong, sis?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing,¡± Li Minghu quickly recovered her composure and smiled, ¡°They really have quite a good relationship, don¡¯t they?¡±

    ¡°A good relationship?¡± Li Zhaojiang watched the livestream where both were engaged in a fierce battle, the exchange of strikes and defenses was extremely intense. While constantly moving their hands, they also kept bantering with each other, which hardly seemed indicative of a good relationship.

    Zhou Hongyu cursed heartily with her mouth, but no matter what she said, Yan Yu wasn¡¯t offended and just cheerfully teased her back.

    Her hands ceaselessly formed Taoist Incantations. Alternating between the Flame Spear and Starfall, she launched aggressive attacks. Flames burned everywhere, continuously shrinking the space Yan Yu had to maneuver, forcing him to frequently slow down his assault pace and take long detours to break out of the encirclement of the Great Bright Fire, to avoid being enveloped by the sea of flames coming from all directions.

    Good, we can win this way!

    Yan Yu, appearing completely at ease, applied pressure on Zhou Hongyu while also calculating the time in his mind.

    Hmm, Li Zhaojiang and the others should be close now.

    Yan Yu¡¯s thoughts slightly shifted as he finally saw people from the Huofeng Team appear at the entrance where Zhou Hongyu had come from.

    Alright, time to slip away!

    Yan Yu turned and bolted, Zhou Hongyu immediately shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t run,¡± and also activated the Art of Godly Movement to pursue him.

    Huofeng Team members: ¡­¡­

    Wait, what about regrouping? Captain Zhou, at least meet up with us before chasing together!

    Both using the Art of Godly Movement to travel, it was hard to quickly increase or decrease the distance. Everyone could only look to Zhang Huaide, wondering whether to ask Captain Zhou to stop and wait for them.

    Zhang Huaide, however, fell into deep thought. Although Zhou Hongyu hadn¡¯t communicated with him, he had sensed something strange and awry from the captain¡¯s demeanor.

    A relentless pursuit usually results when one has the upper hand.

    But if Yan Yu were to use his full strength, how could Zhou Hongyu gain the upper hand?

    It is known that Sword Immortals excel in one-on-one battles. Even a combat-oriented Magic Cultivator like Zhou Hongyu, faced with the full power of Yan Yu, could at best barely defend herself until her team arrived and never could she turn the tables and gain the upper hand in the duel.

    Unless Yan Yu was deliberately holding back.

    But why would he hold back¡­ Zhang Huaide suddenly realized something and hurriedly sent a message to Zhou Hongyu ahead:

    ¡°Captain Zhou! How much True Yuan is left?!¡±

    Zhou Hongyu felt as if she was struck by lightning and abruptly stopped in her tracks, remaining in place.

    It wasn¡¯t until Zhang Huaide and the others caught up that she said with a grim expression:

    ¡°Less than forty percent.¡±

    Zhang Huaide also caught his breath abruptly. The True Yuan left was much less than he had estimated, a little more than thirty percent only.

    Realizing this, he fully understood Yan Yu¡¯s tactical intention:

    If the opponent had launched a full-blown attack from the start, Zhou Hongyu would have been forced to use full force in deploying her swordsmanship for defense. Only when her defenses were breached by the swordsmanship would she use Taoism Method to blast away Yan Yu¡¯s Flying Sword¡ªthis way, Zhou Hongyu¡¯s counterattack would primarily involve Sword Control Technique, and the True Yuan consumption wouldn¡¯t be so severe.

    It was clear Yan Yu anticipated this, so he intentionally held back in his attacks, maintaining enough pressure to push Zhou Hongyu, yet not enough to leave her in despair and unable to counterattack.

    Knowing Zhou Hongyu¡¯s temperament, as long as there was a glimmer of hope in turning defeat into victory, she would go all out in a frenzied attack¡­ and that¡¯s exactly what Yan Yu wanted from her.

    Her hot-tempered nature was being played by Captain Yan thoroughly!

    Zhou Hongyu also finally understood at this point and remembered Yan Yu had mocked her about ¡°how much True Yuan she could afford to squander¡± and ¡°spending lavishly won¡¯t make a good wife and mother,¡± she felt as if hit by a boomerang, infuriated to her core.

    But now that she had fallen into the trap, throwing a tantrum was futile, so she could only grit her teeth, suppress her anger, and ask Zhang Huaide:

    ¡°Is there enough time to take medicine to recover True Yuan now?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± In the blink of an eye, Zhang Huaide made a decision, ¡°Chase and aim to kill!¡±

    Zhou Hongyu took the lead in the fight, successfully stalling until her team arrived; Yan Yu took the opportunity to deplete her True Yuan. Therefore, there wasn¡¯t a straightforward win or loss for either side, but merely a change of pace in the chess game.

    As long as up next, the Huofeng Team could take advantage of their strongest formation when the whole team was gathered, seizing the window of opportunity before the remaining five members of the Zhenhai Team arrived to forcefully eliminate Yan Yu¡ªwho was alone¡ªthey would greatly benefit from this exchange.

    Even Zhou Hongyu with less than forty percent of True Yuan left was stronger than Yan Yu who would be out of the battle!

 Chapter 483 - 79 I Will Come Back

    Chapter 483: Chapter 79 I Will Come Back

    Yan Yu swiftly passed through the corridor when he suddenly noticed a flying insect darting above his head.

    To anyone else, it might have been mistaken for a wild bug, but with Yan Yu¡¯s rich past life experience, he quickly recognized it as the ¡°flying fireflies¡± cultivated by envoy cultivators.

    Each flying firefly acts as a relay for Divine Sense, allowing the Envoy¡¯s Divine Sense to spread to areas it could not reach otherwise, thereby easily achieving extensive reconnaissance¡ªa simplified version of the Envoy¡¯s skill ¡°Eye Perception that Reaches the Heavens¡±.

    Yan Yu smiled faintly at the flying insect, while on the other side, Tang Xiaolian¡¯s face turned pale with shock:

    ¡°I¡¯ve been discovered by Captain Yan!¡±

    ¡°How did he notice?¡± Zhang Huaide furrowed his brows and asked.

    ...

    ¡°He smiled at my bug.¡± Tang Xiaolian said.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t necessarily mean he discovered it,¡± Qin Meng speculated. ¡°If he had really realized that it was your insect, he would have definitely slapped it dead with his hand.¡±

    ¡°Never mind that,¡± Zhang Huaide calmly said. ¡°Continue with the encirclement plan.¡±

    The Shifting Technique has its speed limits, and with Yan Yu¡¯s exquisite mastery of the technique, his movement speed would undoubtedly be as close to that limit as possible. Therefore, the probability of the others catching up to him directly was extremely low.

    They needed to cut him off instead.

    Zhou Hongyu, Hou Qing, and Meng Qingxi kept a relentless pursuit right behind Yan Yu, chasing wherever he fled to; meanwhile, Zhang Huaide led Qin Meng and Tang Xiaolian, utilizing the flying fireflies¡¯ ability to scout the surrounding terrain, attempting to circle around and block Yan Yu¡¯s path from the side.

    The time window was a mere three minutes. Considering the time they had already spent meeting up with Captain Zhou and the possibility that Zhenhai Team¡¯s backup transmission would land them near Yan Yu, the actual usable time was even shorter.

    They must quickly surround and defeat Captain Yan!

    Having left the western cave area, Yan Yu faced the relentless pursuit behind him and arrived at the Great Hero Treasure Hall area to the south.

    If the north side was where these monks practiced in solitary, then the south side was where the monks gathered for daily scriptures and collective recitations.

    Considering the heretical nature of the Subjugation of Demons Zen, this place was likely filled with numerous Heart Demons, and even the Mysterious Realm¡¯s ¡®Goalkeeper¡¯ was most probably located here.

    The moment Yan Yu stepped into the Great Hero Treasure Hall, he saw on his left and right, four Vajra statues standing tall.

    In the very center was another great Buddha, but it was not Maitreya, Amitabha, or the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha who normally presides; instead, it was another Buddha with a ghostly face, fierce fangs, and a gentle expression.

    Without a word, Yan Yu directly commanded his Huang Tingjian, smashing the ghostly Buddha into pieces.

    A stream of black smoke wafted out, instantly transforming into Chen Lingyun¡¯s delicate and sweet appearance, her eyes rippling with laughter, looking over with a teasing and joyous smile.

    Yan Yu only sneered silently, focusing his mind and clearing his heart, indeed finding that an Illusion Technique was attempting to stir his emotions.

    Unlike the restriction at Mirror Lake Divine Palace, a demon did not need any words or dark history to provoke a cultivator¡¯s emotions; it only needed to trigger its innate spell to take effect.

    The moment it took on the form of Chen Lingyun, an uncontrollable assortment of strong emotions swept over Yan Yu. These were not related to the present life¡¯s Chen Lingyun; rather, they were memories of many moments with his past girlfriend in his previous life, flashing before his eyes like a kaleidoscope, trying to destabilize his mind.

    But Yan Yu quickly suppressed these emotions, because facing a Heart Demon, one must not let emotions take over. Any emotions that arise are its sustenance, its weapon, and the cultivator¡¯s weakness and critical point!

    His fingers flexed slightly, and the Liang Yi sword shot out like lightning, striking at the Heart Demon.

    This demon had no small Cultivation, much stronger than the ¡°Joy Demon¡± that could inhabit the heart ¡ª it had certainly reached the ¡°Illusion Demon¡± level. It even managed to change its shape from a distance and provoke emotions; it probably was the ¡®Goalkeeper¡¯ of this Mysterious Realm.

    Yan Yu battled it briefly, with the Liang Yi sword and Huang Tingjian repeatedly piercing and severing it, infuriating the demon as it cried out in Chen Lingyun¡¯s guise. Its expression was full of sorrow and tears, the kind that would make most men in the world unable to resist feeling sympathy and tenderness.

    However, the most coincidental point was that Yan Yu simply wasn¡¯t among them.

    Regardless of whether it was the demon in disguise or not, even if the real Chen Lingyun stood before him, he could still go through with it, ruthlessly tormenting her and even taking pleasure in it!

    While the two of them were engaged in a back-and-forth struggle, the Huofeng Team finally arrived from two sides, leaping through the side doors into the hall.

    Having fought Yan Yu for a while, the demon had realized that this man was impervious to reason or emotion. Not only could he maintain his Dao Heart and suppress his feelings, but his skillful Sword Control Technique also kept it from getting close.

    Now that another intruder had burst in, why would it still insist on being entangled with Yan Yu? Swiftly transforming its body, it turned into a kind-hearted looking old lady and charged towards Zhou Hongyu as if flying.

    Zhou Hongyu¡¯s face turned pale as she looked at the illusion demon that had taken on the appearance of her deceased grandmother. In the throes of emotional turmoil, she even forgot to counterattack to defend herself.

    Fortunately, she was not alone. Hou Qing quickly launched the Flying Sword to forcefully repel the old lady who was attempting to get close; Meng Qingxi played the Kongtong Seal, which spun in the air for a moment before smashing down on the old lady¡¯s crown, directly causing her brains to burst open.

    Zhou Hongyu¡¯s body trembled again and her expression turned ashen as the memory of her grandmother¡¯s death involuntarily surfaced in her mind: being pushed into the emergency room wearing an oxygen mask, and as the door slammed shut, there was a permanent divide between the living and the dead.

    ¡°You¡¯re being so silly,¡± Yan Yu¡¯s voice transmission suddenly rang in her ear, ¡°That¡¯s just a transformation of the demon.¡±

    Zhou Hongyu snapped back to reality, and responded in a flustered voice transmission:

    ¡°I know!¡±

    ¡°Then what are you daydreaming about?¡± Yan Yu sneered, ¡°This creature is a spiritual lifeform, naturally hard to kill, and it can heal itself by absorbing emotions. I slashed at it three times and stabbed it four, and just one emotional fluctuation from you replenished all its health!¡±

    Zhou Hongyu felt a surge of nameless anger as Yan Yu chastised her, only to hear him continue:

    ¡°Getting angry won¡¯t help either!¡±

    Looking again at the demon that Hou Qing was fending off with the Flying Sword, it had been sealed within this mysterious realm for who knows how many years, and was already at its last breath, its magic power exhausted.

    However, Zhou Hongyu¡¯s fear and then anger had given it her spillover emotions to devour. Suddenly, it was like the demon had swallowed two huge tonic pills, its body swelling in size by half and once more transforming into Zhou Hongyu¡¯s image, it headed towards Qin Meng to attack.

    The moment Qin Meng saw the demon changing its form, he didn¡¯t dare hesitate and hastily activated the Dragon Elephant Nirvana Divine Skill. His bones and muscles crackled and expanded as he prepared to charge and confront the foe. However, he heard Yan Yu¡¯s voice transmission shouting:

    ¡°Don¡¯t let it touch you!¡±

    This voice transmission wasn¡¯t just for Qin Meng; it was for all the Huofeng Team members present, because the mechanism of the Heart Demon was too tricky. If he didn¡¯t remind everyone, there could truly be casualties in this competition.

    Qin Meng immediately stood still, unsure of what to do, but Zhang Huaide made a decision: his hands quickly formed sword techniques, and the Flying Sword swiftly moved to stand in front of Qin Meng, forcing the demon that looked like Zhou Hongyu to retreat.

    Yan Yu might just be a ¡°competitor¡± they had to face in the competition, but the demon was the real mortal enemy between cultivators. Losing to Yan Yu would be a blow to their pride, but being killed by this creature would most likely be a loss of life. The difference in seriousness between the two required no second thought.

    ¡°First, we take down the goalkeeper.¡± Zhang Huaide said gravely. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Let¡¯s listen to him,¡± Zhou Hongyu nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Alright!¡± Everyone immediately agreed.

    ¡°Remember this,¡± Yan Yu swiftly transmitted to everyone, ¡°This thing is called a Heart Demon. It can cast spells from afar to stir your emotions, and it grows stronger by devouring those emotions.¡±

    ¡°When you battle it, you can¡¯t let yourself feel happiness, anger, sorrow, or joy! Any emotional fluctuation is like healing it. In the end, you¡¯ll never be able to kill it!¡±

    ¡°So, don¡¯t get close to it either?¡± Zhang Huaide, collaborating with Hou Qing, trapped the demon with their swords and asked for confirmation.

    ¡°Correct,¡± Yan Yu continued to transmit, ¡°The Heart Demon can invade your Sea of Consciousness by mere physical contact. If your will is insufficient or your Dao Heart wavers, it will devour your soul and you will die on the spot!¡±

    ¡°No one should let it touch them,¡± Zhang Huaide commanded again, then continued asking, ¡°Anything else we should know, Captain Yan?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all,¡± Yan Yu answered, ¡°As long as your emotions are stable and you keep your distance, this demon is actually not hard to deal with. Attack it repeatedly with any means to deplete its health, and that¡¯ll be enough.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Zhang Huaide nodded and said, ¡°Hou Qing and I can handle this goalkeeper. Everyone else, continue to seek guidance from Captain Yan.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you forgotten we¡¯re still in a competition?¡± Zhou Hongyu asked coolly, once again revealing a strikingly high-spirited and beautiful smile, her eyes seemingly ablaze with fire.

    Maybe it was the influence of having been eroded by the demon of joy, this usually expressionless icy girl was now smiling more frequently.

    ¡°Damn you for repaying kindness with ingratitude!¡± Yan Yu quickly employed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step to dodge Qin Meng¡¯s attempt to charge at him, turned tail, and fled through the side door of the side hall, shouting, ¡°Just wait, I¡¯ll be back!¡±

 Chapter 484 - 80 Reversal of Situation

    Chapter 484: Chapter 80 Reversal of Situation

    Zhang Huaide and Hou Qing, one on the left and the other on the right, flanked the demon from both sides, bringing the Sword Immortal¡¯s advantage of having long and flexible arms into full play.

    The demon was howling wildly from the beating, transforming its form in various ways, trying to provoke the emotions of the two.

    However, with the intelligence provided by Yan Yu, both consciously maintained their steadiness with unwavering will, and they did not give the demon any opportunity to exploit.

    ¡°Impressive, Captain Zhang!¡± Hou Qing suddenly communicated telepathically, exclaiming, ¡°First tricking information out of Captain Yan and then turning against him to continue the battle. Once the rear guard of the Zhenhai Team joins in, perhaps Captain Yan will have already been defeated, and we might have the nerve center of the Mysterious Realm in our hands!¡±

    ¡°Watch your emotions,¡± Zhang Huaide replied indifferently.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Hou Qing quickly steadied his mind.

    ...

    ¡°I didn¡¯t trick him,¡± Zhang Huaide explained through telepathic communication. ¡°Captain Yan gave us the intelligence because, on one hand, he was afraid we would suffer unnecessary casualties, and on the other hand, he also wanted to use us to wear down the gatekeeper¡¯s health. When the rear guard of the Zhenhai Team takes the field and the team regroups, they¡¯ll come and pick the ripe fruit.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Hou Qing was puzzled for a moment. ¡°Can it be? But when you turned against him just now, didn¡¯t he seem very angry?¡±

    Zhang Huaide did not answer, just shook his head.

    ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Hou Qing finally realized, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, it means Captain Yan is sure of two things: one, that he won¡¯t be defeated in advance, and two, that we can¡¯t defeat this gatekeeper.¡±

    ¡°As Captain Yan said, this gatekeeper is a demon without a physical body,¡± Zhang Huaide communicated. ¡°Since it has no physical form, using physical attacks from a Flying Sword against it is unquestionably the worst choice. We¡¯ve been fighting for a while now; does the gatekeeper look like it¡¯s about to be taken down?¡±

    ¡°¡­No,¡± Hou Qing, as if doused by a bucket of cold water, gradually looked more troubled.

    ¡°Watch your emotions,¡± Zhang Huaide continued, ¡°Actually, what¡¯s most suited to deal with this demon should be Captain Zhou¡¯s Great Bright Fire, which can overcome evil and banish demons.¡±

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t we let Captain Zhou¡­¡± Before Hou Qing could finish, a flash of understanding struck him.

    Yan Yu had emphasized that this demon could replenish its health by absorbing people¡¯s emotions, and clearly, Captain Zhou was not someone who could control his emotions well.

    Everyone had seen how Captain Zhou reacted when the demon transformed into her deceased grandmother in front of her.

    ¡°Captain Zhou is not suited to battle this gatekeeper,¡± Zhang Huaide said with a sigh.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s not fight the gatekeeper,¡± Hou Qing said without hesitation. ¡°Let¡¯s continue to pursue Captain Yan with the whole team. How about that?¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t work either,¡± Zhang Huaide stated. ¡°Because the gatekeeper will go after Captain Zhou.¡± sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Once again, Hou Qing found himself at a loss for words. Since the demon fed on emotions, the emotion-prone Captain Zhou was undoubtedly the most tempting feast in the eyes of the demon. That the demon pounced on Captain Zhou first upon the Huofeng Team¡¯s arrival clearly proved this fact.

    This meant not only could Captain Zhou not deal with the gatekeeper, but someone had to be left behind to hold the gatekeeper back, to prevent it from causing trouble for Captain Zhou¡­ Yan Yu certainly wouldn¡¯t do such a thing, so the Huofeng Team had to take on that task.

    Zhang Huaide chose to leave Hou Qing behind because the Sword Control Technique of a Sword Immortal used the least amount of True Yuan, aiming to hold the demon in place with minimal expenditure of True Yuan until the others finished dealing with Yan Yu and returned.

    But would it be enough time?

    Hou Qing didn¡¯t know if there would be enough time, but he understood that all of this was Yan Yu¡¯s overt strategy:

    All the intelligence I¡¯ve provided you is true; you, little Zhang, are a smart one. Faced with such a situation, you¡¯ll obviously have to divide your forces, and most likely, you won¡¯t be able to defeat the gatekeeper here, nor will you defeat my team there. How can the five fingers, which can¡¯t form a fist, exert full strength to vie for victory?

    Damn it, this is so frustrating! This feeling of knowing you¡¯re being calculated against yet still having to jump into the pit is super annoying!

    ¡°If only Captain Zhou could be a bit more composed,¡± Hou Qing couldn¡¯t help but grumble telepathically. ¡°If she wasn¡¯t suppressed by this demon and could calmly unleash that Great Bright Fire, we would have won this competition long ago.¡±

    ¡°Watch your emotions,¡± Zhang Huaide said evenly. ¡°Everyone has their weaknesses. Captain Yan¡¯s weakness is that his unique style of fighting does not blend with the overall tactical system of the team. But as you¡¯ve seen, his powerful independent combat abilities haven¡¯t let this weakness affect the team¡¯s performance.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s unrealistic to expect everyone to be flawless. Captain Yan saw through and exploited Captain Zhou¡¯s weakness, thereby creating an unfavorable situation for us. This is not the fault of Captain Zhou herself, but rather my responsibility as the tactician.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Captain Zhang,¡± Hou Qing began to persuade. ¡°Who could have known before the match that the Mysterious Realm gatekeeper would be a demon that counters Captain Zhou?!¡±

    ¡°True,¡± Zhang Huaide said with a slight smile. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it after the game. For now, let¡¯s continue the fight.¡±

    The two continued to use their swordsmanship, sealing off all possible routes of escape for the demon, leisurely wearing down its strength.

    Meanwhile, Captain Zhou, along with Qin Meng, Tang Xiaolian, and Meng Qingxi, continued the relentless pursuit right behind Yan Yu.

    Of course, it seemed impossible to catch up. In the cramped environment of the Underground Palace, it was impossible for everyone to use Sword Flight, and the Shifting Technique had a speed limit; no one could outpace Yan Yu.

    At the moment, Captain Zhou was full of rage. She was aware she had made a fool of herself in front of the Heart Demon and realized that Zhang Huaide and Hou Qing had stayed behind, not to try to defeat the Heart Demon together, but rather to prevent it from affecting her performance.

    Damn it!

    Damn it, damn it, damn it!!

    Why am I so easily impulsive, ughhhhh!!!

    Of course, controlling one¡¯s emotions is a world-class problem. Those with high EQ are born with it, while those with low EQ might struggle for decades in society and still not learn; therefore, no one could answer Zhou Hongyu¡¯s question.

    She yelled in frustration:

    ¡°Yan Yu! If you dare, don¡¯t run! Stay and fight me one-on-one!¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡± Yan Yu actually stopped in his tracks, turned his head to look at Qin Meng, Tang Xiaolian, and Meng Qingxi by her side, ¡°Then will you have them back off?¡±

    ¡°Captain Zhou, don¡¯t get agitated,¡± Tang Xiaolian hurriedly said. ¡°You can¡¯t beat Captain Yan one-on-one. Ah, I mean, we should focus on winning the match!¡±

    ¡°Of course, we¡¯d like to gang up,¡± Meng Qingxi interjected. ¡°But what if Captain Yan refuses to fight? And it¡¯s not convenient to use Sword Flight here; how long would we have to chase him?¡±

    ¡°How about we lure Captain Yan here pretending it¡¯s a one-on-one duel, then attack him unfairly from all sides?¡± Tang Xiaolian whispered mischievously.

    ¡°That¡¯s not appropriate,¡± Qin Meng whispered back. ¡°The event is being broadcast live! It¡¯s just a match; there¡¯s no need to ruin our reputation over it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Tang Xiaolian was confident. ¡°If worst comes to worst, I¡¯ll sacrifice myself after the match, seduce Captain Yan, and make him write a letter of forgiveness.¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Zhou Hongyu suddenly said.

    ¡°Captain Zhou, I was just joking, don¡¯t take it seriously,¡± Tang Xiaolian hurriedly explained but then saw at the end of the corridor behind Yan Yu, the girls from Zhenhai Team had already turned the corner and collectively appeared before everyone.

    Leading them was Lin Ning, followed by Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin, with Xie Ruoxi sandwiched in the middle, and Zhao Yuanzhen bringing up the rear. With the fighting instinct of the Demonic Sect Enchantress and Lin Ning¡¯s reaction speed, there was no need to panic, no matter what sudden situations the team¡¯s front or rear encountered.

    Seeing the Zhenhai Team¡¯s rear guard arrive, Tang Xiaolian silently sighed.

    Six against four on their side, and Captain Zhou¡¯s True Yuan was less than half; Huofeng Team was now in grave danger.

    ¡°Let¡¯s retreat,¡± Qin Meng said sternly. ¡°I¡¯ll cover the rear.¡±

    ¡°Retreat while fighting,¡± Zhou Hongyu commanded.

    ¡°Haha, why aren¡¯t you chasing anymore?¡± Yan Yu, now backed by the girls, immediately burst out laughing arrogantly. ¡°If you don¡¯t chase, then I¡¯ll have to come back, okay?¡±

    ¡°Ignore him, retreat,¡± Zhou Hongyu said again.

    The cat-and-mouse roles were instantly reversed. Huofeng Team fled ahead while Qin Meng used his Dragon Elephant Nirvana Divine Skill to fall back and protect the team with his Vajra Invulnerability and his robust body, blocking all incoming attacks.

    As the others retreated, they also didn¡¯t forget to launch attacks toward the rear, attempting to halt Zhenhai Team¡¯s advance.

    However, whether it was Tang Xiaolian¡¯s Gu Insects, Meng Qingxi¡¯s Kongtong Seal, or Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Great Bright Fire, Zhenhai Team countered with the simplest of means.

    Su Yunjin¡¯s Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art.

    The narrow environment of the Underground Palace was still playing an effective role. A massive outpouring of water from the celestial river was easily sealing the corridor, making it impossible for any attack to penetrate through the countless layers of water.

    ¡°Keep on attacking,¡± Zhou Hongyu suddenly whispered. ¡°Try to deplete her True Yuan as much as possible!¡±

    No sooner had she spoken than Yan Yu¡¯s loud commands could be heard from behind:

    ¡°Don¡¯t let Yun Jin block every attack. Ningning, Zhao, you both help. Just intercept any Kongtong Seal with a Flying Sword, and let Yun Jin conserve some True Yuan. Don¡¯t waste it like someone extravagant.¡±

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you help?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen retorted grumpily.

    ¡°Before you all joined in, I had already been fighting alone for ten whole minutes!¡± Yan Yu replied righteously. ¡°I need to rest too, okay?¡±

    ¡°It was only seven minutes, actually,¡± Lin Ning also chimed in dismissively. ¡°Captain Zhou is the one who was off the field for ten minutes.¡±

    Hearing the chatter and laughter from behind, Zhou Hongyu clenched her teeth even tighter in frustration, yet suddenly a thought surfaced in her mind:

    Perhaps, I¡¯m really not cut out to be a captain?

 Chapter 485 - 81: One-on-One Duel to Decide the Winner

    Chapter 485: Chapter 81: One-on-One Duel to Decide the Winner

    Indeed, ever since the entire Zhenhai Team gathered, there hasn¡¯t been much suspense in this match.

    Although no one had been lost up to now, Zhou Hongyu¡¯s True Yuan was already running low. Qin Meng, too, had expended a great amount of True Yuan in covering everyone¡¯s move to join Zhang Huaide.

    Looking at the opposing Zhenhai Team, the one with the least True Yuan was actually Yan Yu, the Sword Immortal¡­

    ¡°No, we can¡¯t retreat like this,¡± Zhou Hongyu suddenly said.

    ¡°What do you suggest, Captain Zhou?¡± Meng Qingxi asked.

    ¡°If we pull back to join Huaide, can we win?¡± Zhou Hongyu asked seriously.

    ...

    Everyone was speechless.

    The Heart Demon delights in feeding on the seven emotions and six desires of people, so it tends to attack those who easily leak their emotions. Among the two teams from Zhenhai, Zhou Hongyu, who couldn¡¯t control her own temper, was surely the primary target the Heart Demon would choose.

    Zhang Huaide had Zhou lead people to chase after Captain Yan just to separate her from the Heart Demon. Otherwise, letting her stay by the Heart Demon¡¯s side, allowing it to consume more and more emotions and grow stronger, would no longer just be a matter of competition outcome; it would become an issue of whether this mysterious realm could be conquered at all.

    Even in a simulated confrontation in a mysterious realm, the premise must be that the realm has to be conquered; one absolutely cannot put the cart before the horse.

    Though the Cultivator Athletic League is nominally about ¡°athletics,¡± everyone was clear about their identities and could not really take the competition outcome as everything.

    ¡°Yan Yu!¡± Zhou Hongyu suddenly turned her head and called out, ¡°Let¡¯s settle this match with a duel between us two, do you dare?¡±

    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.?¦Ï

    ¡°Bring it on.¡± Before the girls could speak, Yan Yu had already agreed, ¡°Just don¡¯t back out if you lose.¡±

    ¡°Whoever backs out is a dog,¡± Zhou Hongyu said coldly.

    ¡°This is too childish!¡± Lin Ning couldn¡¯t help but complain, ¡°Ling Yun, try to persuade the captain!¡±

    ¡°But I support her though,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    While they had been chasing the Huofeng Team, she had already communicated with Yan Yu and roughly understood the situation.

    With Chen Lingyun¡¯s intelligence, she naturally realized that Zhou Hongyu was completely unsuitable to approach the goalkeeper at that moment, so Zhang Huaide and Hou Qing couldn¡¯t be spared either.

    The current situation was six against four, and on this side, both Zhou Hongyu and Qin Meng were low on True Yuan. Thus, whether it was a group attack or a duel, the Huofeng Team was almost certainly going to lose.

    Since their side was already winning, it was better to give the Pingxi Army a break. Considering that the impact of losing a duel versus a total team wipeout on live broadcast to the public was completely different, letting Zhou Hongyu lose the duel would also save face for the Pingxi Army.

    So everyone stepped back, leaving only Yan Yu and Zhou Hongyu in the middle of the corridor, ready to duel to determine the victor.

    In the live broadcast room, the two commentators looked at each other. Zhou Erhe was the first to ask:

    ¡°This¡­after all, it¡¯s a competition, and it¡¯s under the public eye. Isn¡¯t deciding the outcome by a duel a bit unorthodox?¡±

    Xu Dongming, who was a bit more tactful, simply smiled and said:

    ¡°Whether it¡¯s unorthodox or not, I believe the Cultivator Athletic League will provide a reasonable explanation after the match. Let¡¯s watch the match for now¡­ Zhou Hongyu takes the first move! Flame Spear!¡±

    Now that Zhou Hongyu didn¡¯t have much True Yuan left inside her, she also didn¡¯t plan to engage in a war of attrition with Yan Yu. Instead, she directly threw three Flame Spears in quick succession.

    One soared upward, landing behind him to block his retreat; one shot low, aiming in front of him to prevent close-range attacks; and one went directly toward his position¡ªto utilize the narrow layout of the Underground Palace corridors to form a wide-ranging bombardment with three Flame Spears, leaving Yan Yu with no place to hide!

    But Yan Yu was faster than her. Before Zhou Hongyu even started shaping the flames into the form of long spears, he had already used the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step to rapidly charge forward.

    By the time the three Flame Spears hit the ground, he had already left them behind!

    Yan Yu had closed the distance in front, while Zhou Hongyu, instead of retreating, advanced a step forward, abruptly swinging her head, pulling the flames into a huge fan shape, striking straight toward Yan Yu¡¯s chest.

    Phoenix Sword!

    Before the Phoenix Sword could blaze forth, Yan Yu had already shifted from charging to swiftly retreating. But the cunning step Zhou Hongyu took as she cast the spell matched his retreat well, almost entirely offsetting his movement.

    Just as the Phoenix Sword was about to strike Yan Yu, another cold light flared up. It was the Huang Tingjian positioned in front of Yan Yu, with the tip hanging down pointing to the ground, the broad and flat blade of the sword forming a shield, much like the ¡°Sword Shield Tactic¡± Xie Ruoxi had learned from the Mirror Lake Divine Palace in the past, designed to block the flames of the Phoenix Sword for Yan Yu.

    Intense heatwaves surged from both sides of the sword, swiftly passing in front and behind Yan Yu¡ªhis physique was far from the delicate build of Xie Ruoxi, and with Huang Tingjian and Heavenly Origin Sword similar in size, they originally couldn¡¯t block the flames entirely for him. However, with just a simple turn to the side, reducing his cross-sectional area, he managed to perfectly dodge them.

    Zhou Hongyu saw him use the sword to block the fire, and just as her Phoenix Sword technique had ended, she hurriedly shot out another Flame Spear in pursuit. The flames had not yet been released from her nostrils when suddenly the Huang Tingjian expanded!

    Unexpectedly, it was Yan Yu who had been hiding behind the sword; the instant the Phoenix Sword technique ended, he activated the Curved Curse and stepped forward to throw a punch!

    This punch landed on the Huang Tingjian, immediately propelling it with high speed like a cannonball, its spine fiercely striking Zhou Hongyu¡¯s face, not only dispersing all the Fire-Attribute True Essence gathered in her throat but also breaking her nasal bone.

    Zhou Hongyu instantly fell backward, and when she tried to force herself up, blood was already streaming from her nostrils.

    Although she looked completely disheveled, it did not diminish her stunning beauty. Unfortunately, the beauty in her eyes was raging fire, her silver teeth clenched, and she harbored no more goodwill towards Yan Yu, muttering resentfully,

    ¡°Shameless!¡±

    If Yan Yu had chosen to attack with Sword Control, with Huang Tingjian transitioning from a defensive to an offensive stance, she would definitely have reacted in time¡­ But who would have guessed Yan Yu would use his Flying Sword as a cannonball?

    ¡°What¡¯s shameless?¡± Yan Yu burst into laughter, ¡°This is tactics! Your own mind is obviously incapable of grasping the cunning of tactics; you need little Zhang to explain it to you. Oh, Zhang isn¡¯t here, no wonder you can¡¯t understand it.¡±

    Zhou Hongyu knew she was at a logical deficit, and with Tang Xiaolian¡¯s help, she reluctantly stood up, not speaking, but just enduring the agonizing pain as she glared fixedly at Yan Yu.

    ¡°Willing to admit defeat?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Admitted, admitted!¡± Tang Xiaolian hastily exclaimed, worried that Zhou Hongyu would say ¡®I can still fight,¡¯ ¡°Hurry up and treat our Captain Zhou!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Su Yunjin spoke up, ¡°It¡¯s not a very serious injury.¡±

    If it had been before, Zhou Hongyu would likely have rejected the offer. After all, she and Su Yunjin weren¡¯t acquainted, and there was still the Pingxi Army¡¯s medical team outside the arena. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But to Yan Yu¡¯s surprise, this girl didn¡¯t continue to act tough; instead, she just clenched her teeth while letting Yun Jin reset her nasal bone and stop the bleeding from her nose.

    ¡°¡­How do you usually tolerate such a person?¡± Su Yunjin was treating her wounds when suddenly she heard her whisper questioningly.

    ¡°Well, the captain is actually a good person,¡± she gently replied, ¡°One shouldn¡¯t judge a person¡¯s character based on whether they speak nicely or not.¡±

    Zhou Hongyu fell silent, remembering the previous incident when he had helped her expel a residing Heart Demon; she was momentarily at a loss for words.

    ¡°All done,¡± Su Yunjin stood up.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Zhou Hongyu nodded.

    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong with you!¡± Yan Yu exclaimed in shock, ¡°You¡¯re actually saying ¡®thank you¡¯? You look just like little Zhou, but your temper is completely different. Who exactly are you?¡±

    Zhou Hongyu didn¡¯t answer, just glared fiercely at him.

    ¡°Captain, could you speak less!¡± Lin Ning pulled on his arm beside him, ¡°You¡¯ve already won, be a little gracious, will you! Don¡¯t stir up unnecessary enmity!¡±

    Faced with Yan Yu¡¯s gloat, the member expressions of the Huofeng Team remained unchanged as usual.

    Meng Qingxi was used to losing, Qin Meng was more concerned about how severe Zhou Hongyu¡¯s injuries were, while Tang Xiaolian¡­ under normal circumstances, this girl would be the most distraught in the team when they faced any setback. However, now she was moving in front of Yan Yu, not hiding her complaints,

    ¡°Exactly, couldn¡¯t you leave us some dignity? We¡¯re acquaintances after all!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s precisely because I gave you face that I agreed to settle the match with a duel,¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly, ¡°Otherwise, you would have been the one knocked to the ground along with little Zhou!¡±

    ¡°Captain Yan, you¡¯re threatening me!¡± Tang Xiaolian huffed, ¡°You¡¯re done for! When my bugs grow up, I¡¯m going to have them bite you!¡±

    Seeing this girl flirt openly with Yan Yu, the girls from Zhenhai Team grew extremely wary in their hearts.

    These two had only teamed up for one mission in the Mysterious Realm; how had they grown so intimate? Earlier, the captain was merely chatting with her online, and it wasn¡¯t noticeable, but now, seeing Tang Xiaolian¡¯s tone and demeanor, it was clear she was extremely interested in the captain!

    Others just thought about it silently, but Zhao Yuanzhen, who couldn¡¯t hide her feelings, immediately glared and said,

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡± Yan Yu waved his hand, interrupting the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s outburst, ¡°We¡¯ve won the match, let¡¯s go deal with the goalkeeper!¡±

 Chapter 486 - 82: Great Thunder Hole

    Chapter 486: Chapter 82: Great Thunder Hole

    The Huofeng Team members stayed put, accompanying Zhou Hongyu as she received treatment from the medical team off the field.

    Yan Yu, however, led his teammates towards the direction of the Great Hero Treasure Hall.

    ¡°When dealing with a Heart Demon, you only need to remember these two points,¡± he communicated telepathically to everyone, ¡°Do not let it touch your body, and avoid intense emotions, endure until you grind it down. Any questions?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Lin Ning asked bluntly, ¡°What counts as an intense emotion? Is there a quantifiable standard?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to describe right now, but you will understand when you face the Heart Demon,¡± Yan Yu replied. ¡°A Heart Demon will amplify your emotions, whether it¡¯s happiness, sadness, desire, or fear. Suppose something normally causes a 10% emotional fluctuation in you, but with a Heart Demon, it could increase that to 30% or even 40%.¡±

    ¡°When you notice that you suddenly become easily agitated and find it hard to control your emotions, that¡¯s when you¡¯ll know the Heart Demon is at work.¡±

    ...

    After contemplating for a moment, Lin Ning said,

    ¡°That means, even if we can¡¯t detect it on our own, we can still keep an eye on each other.¡±

    ¡°If you see someone¡¯s expressions becoming very unstable, that¡¯s likely due to the influence of the Heart Demon, right?¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    In fact, there was a more direct method¡ªvisualizing the Sea of Consciousness, inspecting oneself¡­ but that required training, which couldn¡¯t be taught to the girls in a short period of time.

    The attack power of a Heart Demon was not actually very strong; the difficulty lay in the fact that it was a spiritual life form, skilled in hiding and stirring emotions silently. As long as they were psychologically prepared, it was not too challenging to counter.

    The group finally arrived at the Great Hero Treasure Hall, only to see Zhang Huaide and Hou Qing maintaining poker faces as they used their swords, parrying the Heart Demon¡¯s attacks like they were playing badminton.

    Yan Yu found it somewhat amusing to watch. This was a typical novice characteristic in dealing with a Heart Demon, thinking that maintaining a stoic expression would help control inner emotions¡ªthe reality was actually the opposite.

    As long as one¡¯s heart was devoid of ripples, the expression on the face didn¡¯t really matter.

    When the Zhenhai Team members arrived, Zhang Huaide also realized his team had lost the match.

    A faint regret arose from the bottom of his heart, but he quickly suppressed it and communicated with Yan Yu telepathically:

    ¡°Captain Yan, are you guys taking over?¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°We can¡¯t just let you two Sword Immortals handle the Heart Demon.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Hou Qing,¡± Zhang Huaide communicated, ¡°we¡¯ll find Captain Zhou.¡±

    The two swiftly exited the Great Hero Treasure Hall, allowing Yan Yu and Lin Ning to quickly fill their positions to continue cornering the Heart Demon.

    The Heart Demon, seeing Yan Yu approach again, seemed somewhat frustrated. This man¡¯s ¡°Brain Closure Technique¡± was far superior to the previous two.

    But the girl beside him was much simpler, almost like a blank sheet of paper compared to him.

    In the Human Race, Heart Demons favored females over males because females tend to be more emotional, have richer emotions, and find it harder to hide their thoughts.

    Thinking this, the Heart Demon suddenly turned its head and lunged at Lin Ning, activating its innate spell at the same time.

    Lin Ning was about to block with her Green Bamboo Sword when suddenly, numerous images flashed through her mind:

    Prior to the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm, the captain carried her and placed her on the conference table¡­

    In the mysterious realm of Mirror Lake Divine Palace, having my feelings exposed and weeping, I was consoled by the captain, which made me feel better¡­

    During New Year¡¯s, on the rooftop of our ancestral home next door, I hinted at my feelings to the captain but he pretended to be oblivious, infuriating me so much that I pounced on him, clawing and biting¡­

    Although I knew I had to suppress my emotions, seeing those memories with the captain, Lin Ning couldn¡¯t hold back, and she suddenly felt a surge of embarrassment and grievance, nearly bursting into tears again.

    ¡°Fuck, you¡­¡± Yan Yu saw the heart demon suddenly become ferocious, and guessing that Lin Ning had lost control, promptly urged the Liang Yi sword to move even faster, separating Lin Ning and the heart demon. He shouted, ¡°Ningning, get down! Zhao, come here!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen quickly stepped forward to take over, trying to hold back the heart demon for Lin Ning.

    Upon inspecting her, the heart demon was overjoyed:

    This woman¡¯s emotions are so abundant; they¡¯re even stronger than those of the previous woman!

    It was simply a supreme delicacy!

    It quickly cast a spell, and thus, in the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s mind, a theatre of images also emerged:

    There she saw a little thief with Yun Jin in his left arm and Ningning in his right, with one leg over Ling Yun and the other over Ruoxi, allowing them to massage him while he laughed and said:

    ¡°How delightful, how delightful! This is the utmost fortune a man could dream of! What about Daoist couple? What about Yuanzhen? Don¡¯t remember, they are strangers I don¡¯t know¡­¡±

    Thinking this, the Demonic Sect Enchantress couldn¡¯t contain herself and roared, ¡°I¡¯m going to explode with you,¡± attacking Yan Yu directly with the Yin Wind Sword.

    The people around were greatly shocked, thinking Zhao had been controlled by the heart demon, and hurriedly rushed to help in a panic. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Chen Lingyun shook the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, summoning Black Impermanence. Black Impermanence threw out the Soul Arresting Chain and firmly tied up Zhao Yuanzhen. White Impermanence, holding the Book of Life and Death, swiftly flipped through it, and shot out a Soul-hooking Nether Light, hitting Zhao Yuanzhen squarely in the forehead and sealing her Sea of Consciousness, preventing her from causing further disturbances.

    Su Yunjin also cast the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, calling forth the vast celestial river, trying to physically confine the heart demon and buy time for her teammates.

    However, the heart demon had thoroughly feasted on Lin Ning¡¯s embarrassment and also heavily nourished itself with Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s jealousy. It not only restored all the health it lost during the fierce battle with Zhang Huaide and Hou Qing but also advanced its magic cultivation significantly. Its formless body of black smoke swelled enormously, and with a robust surge, it pushed aside the surrounding floods, cackling as it lunged at Yun Jin.

    Su Yunjin inwardly cursed in dismay, frantically trying to control her thoughts. However, many images surged into her mind, all depicting her leisurely fantasizing about a sweet, cozy retired life with the captain.

    She would water the plants at home while he lay on the couch playing with his phone; after watering, she would then go over to give him a knee pillow, letting him rest on her thighs while she quietly read a book; feeling playful, she would bend down for a kiss; and when tired, they would both lie on the couch, cuddling sticky and sweet, sleeping their days away¡­

    Oh no, how awful!

    Even though she knew those were false illusions, the happiness and sweetness still made it difficult for Su Yunjin to let go, her mind racing uncontrollably.

    It wasn¡¯t until Yan Yu furiously shouted, breaking her beautiful illusions completely:

    ¡°Fuck! You all teamed up to play me, haven¡¯t you!!!¡±

    After consuming more of Su Yunjin¡¯s joy and sweetness, the heart demon had swollen to twice its size. It wasn¡¯t just a major boost in its magic cultivation, but its body also solidified, almost filling up half of the Great Hero Treasure Hall.

    The people quickly intensified their offensive, but despite their best efforts, they were still unable to suppress their emotions, causing less damage to the heart demon than the nourishment they provided it.

    Seeing the heart demon growing larger, Yan Yu could only resort to a treasured trump card¡ªhe rushed to Xie Ruoxi¡¯s side and urged her:

    ¡°Quick, Big Thunder Hole!¡±

 Chapter 487 - 83: The Old Wall Lamp (Additional Update)

    Chapter 487: Chapter 83: The Old Wall Lamp (Additional Update)

    ¡°Isn¡¯t the use of Thunder Method prohibited?¡± Xie Ruoxi exclaimed in shock.

    ¡°Quickly use the Big Hole Thunder on it!¡± Yan Yu had no time to waste explaining, shouting fiercely.

    Xie Ruoxi had no choice but to hold her breath and concentrate, forming the Big Hole Thunder Light in her hand, shouting as she threw it towards the direction of the Heart Demon.

    Her aim was still poor, the trajectory of the Thunder Method flying off course, but fortunately, at that moment the Heart Demon was swollen with absorbed emotions, as large as a giant elephant, so it didn¡¯t really require careful aiming.

    With a sound like a firecracker exploding, the spot where the Big Hole Thunder struck suddenly cleared of all the black smoke, creating a hollow as if carved out from a huge black bean paste bun.

    The Heart Demon immediately let out a miserable wail, its shrill screams shaking the entire Great Hero Treasure Hall.

    ...

    From the moment it broke free until now, the attacks from Yan Yu, Zhang Huaide, Hou Qing, Lin Ning, Su Yunjin¡­ all combined, did less damage to it than that single Thunder Method from Xie Ruoxi.

    But it quickly cast a magic spell, its body made of black smoke violently swirling to fill the hole made by the Thunder Method, though its body became slightly smaller.

    It then turned around and pounced towards Xie Ruoxi, deploying its Illusion Technique in full force, rapidly probing deep into Xie Ruoxi¡¯s mind.

    This young lady¡¯s Dao Heart flaw was¡­ fear!

    Just like Lin Ning¡¯s unchangeable trait of being overly sensitive, Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s excessive possessiveness, Su Yunjin¡¯s irresistible attraction to sweet love, Xie Ruoxi also had a very obvious weakness¡ªshe was too timid and fragile, making her an easy target for the Heart Demon.

    Driven by innate magic, endless fears began surfacing in Xie Ruoxi¡¯s mind, and with it, numerous illusions appeared before her, as if she was back in the Secret Realm of Li Palace, surrounded by a murderous army, completely encircled with no way out.

    However, this time there was no Yan Yu to save her.

    An overwhelming array of attacks came at her, and Xie Ruoxi felt her limbs go cold and numb, her mind went blank, uncontrollable fear welling up from the depths of her heart, which was then immediately drawn out by the Heart Demon, significantly increasing its magic power, causing its body to swell once again.

    Seeing this, Yan Yu was left speechless, thinking to himself that his comrades were simply not up to par mentally, wondering if it might be best to retreat this time¡­ Just then, Xie Ruoxi, caught in the midst of the terrifying illusions, suddenly let out a hysterical scream, conjuring thunder orbs with both hands, blindly and indiscriminately throwing them forward, firing one after another as if True Yuan cost her nothing.

    Thunder Method in Gatling unlimited firing mode!

    Even Yan Yu, striving to suppress his emotions, was nearly scared out of his wits, quickly deploying the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step and Dual Sword Control Technique with all his might, frantically dashing around to manage the crisis¡ªthis crazily beautiful waste was casting spells without any accuracy, completely disregarding whether she would hit her teammates, forcing Yan Yu to quickly intercept with his Flying Sword.

    It¡¯s done for, can¡¯t intercept!

    The force of the Thunder Method was simply too strong, and the Huang Tingjian was knocked flying from one end of the Great Hero Treasure Hall to the other with just one block, making interception impossible.

    Yan Yu swiftly abandoned the interception plan, deployed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, and flashed behind Xie Ruoxi, grabbing her tightly.

    Thunder God pilot, online!

    He grabbed Xie Ruoxi¡¯s uncontrollable arms with both hands, aiming dead center at the Heart Demon in the hall, like a machine gunner bracing against the recoil.

    Fire!

    Four or five Big Hole Thunders, with Yan Yu¡¯s guided aiming, hit the demon accurately, completely shattering its massive body. Then, six or seven more Thunder Methods struck the back wall of the hall, blasting a huge hole into it.

    Xie Ruoxi finally stopped, panting heavily.

    Out of True Yuan.

    Uh?

    Why is the team leader hugging me from behind?

    Before she could even blush and say something, Yan Yu quickly pushed her away.

    He looked toward the area where the demon had been struck down and saw nothing, realizing his judgment was wrong. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The opponent was not the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper.

    So¡­ where is the Gatekeeper?

    With the demon¡¯s illusion technique no longer disrupting them, the girls finally calmed down, looked at Yan Yu and Xie Ruoxi, and then turned their attention to the large hole behind the hall.

    Suddenly, they heard a faint sigh that seemed to come from the hole, yet also seemed to echo next to their ears:

    ¡°Like mist and like lightning, like dreams and like illusions. Love, hate, anger, ignorance¡ªall the sufferings of the human world originate from these.¡±

    A monk in a kasaya emerged from the hole, his skin fair and his features square, but his eyes were narrow and sly, resembling a fox, not seeming benevolent.

    There were no cultivators in the Mysterious Realm, so this monk was most likely an ¡°Incarnate of Intent,¡± similar to that Chen Mingyan and Chen Dandan, representing a thought or a memory left by a powerful being.

    However, the leader of the Subjugation of Demons Zen wasn¡¯t someone easy to speak with¡­

    ¡°May I ask the venerable one¡¯s name?¡± Yan Yu asked, his expression growing solemn.

    The monk raised his right hand, making a gesture of holding a flower, and said with a smile:

    ¡°This poor monk¡¯s dharma name is ¡®Miaogao Lamp.''¡±

    ¡°So it is Venerable Miaogao Lamp.¡± Yan Yu¡¯s mind grew heavy as he bowed with his hands clasped and said, ¡°I am Yan Yu, and I wish to learn from your esteemed self alone.¡±

    He then transmitted a message to the girls:

    ¡°You go ahead, I¡¯ll handle him.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving!¡± Before the others could speak, Lin Ning was the first to refuse, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say earlier that you needed to rest? How much True Yuan do you still have? Can you withstand it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not joking with you,¡± Yan Yu said, frustrated, ¡°Venerable Miaogao Lamp is one of the Five Hundred Demon Arhats of Subjugation of Demons Zen. Even though he¡¯s merely an incarnated thought, he¡¯s not someone you can deal with now!¡±

    ¡°The guest is indeed courageous.¡± Lin Ning hadn¡¯t had the chance to ask further when she heard the Venerable Miaogao Lamp in front of them chuckle, ¡°But they can¡¯t leave.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Yan Yu frowned.

    ¡°Because they already have deep-rooted demon seeds,¡± Venerable Miaogao Lamp said with a light smile. ¡°Just now, my nurtured illusion demon managed to make them lose their minds and shake their Dao foundation. If they are let out, and other demons occupy their consciousness outside, I¡¯m afraid they will harm humanity and bring disaster to the world, which I would rather avoid.¡±

    After saying this, he took out a glazed lamp, smiling and said:

    ¡°How about all of you noble ladies enter this Miaogao Lamp of mine, be refined for a cycle, then shed the demon roots, transform into lamp oil, and enjoy endless bright joy? Wouldn¡¯t that be wonderful?¡±

    All the girls changed their expressions, thinking to themselves about what ¡°shedding the demon roots¡± meant¡ªthey would essentially be killed.

    Yan Yu sighed deeply to himself and silently transmitted a message to Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°Can you contact the Huofeng Team outside?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s mind stirred, and she asked, ¡°Do you need reinforcements?¡±

    ¡°Tell them to leave as soon as possible,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Without the nerve center of the Mysterious Realm, they can¡¯t leave, can they?¡± Chen Lingyun reminded him.

    ¡°Try to get as far away as possible,¡± Yan Yu corrected.

    ¡°How tough is this Venerable Miaogao Lamp to deal with?¡± Chen Lingyun asked, furrowing her brow.

    ¡°Just as he has stated,¡± Yan Yu calmly replied.

    ¡°With your current strength, to face him alone would qualify you as potential lamp oil.¡±

 Chapter 488 - 84 Enchantress Turns Into a Plaintiff

    Chapter 488: Chapter 84 Enchantress Turns Into a Plaintiff

    Although Yan Yu was speaking to Chen Lingyun, he also used his divine sense to lock onto the others, so everyone could hear the conversation between the two.

    Is this esteemed Mysterious High Lamp master really so terrifying?

    The only completely unstoppable foe we¡¯ve encountered so far was the Sword Control master Mei Yingxue in The Secret Realm of Li Palace.

    In the current state of Spiritual Energy Resurgence Level, it¡¯s impossible to encounter anything as absurd as an Infant Soul master condescending to cut down Foundation Establishment cultivators. Mei Yingxue was characterized by her extreme speed¡ªso fast that you simply couldn¡¯t react in time, which made her an ¡°absolutely unstoppable enemy.¡±

    According to Yan Yu, this ¡°Mysterious High Lamp master¡± is probably an enemy of that caliber as well.

    Moreover, this mysterious realm is not a test-type one, so the level of danger is even more exaggerated than the time with Mei Yingxue, which is why Yan Yu asked everyone to leave first¡­ However, this demon monk BOSS wouldn¡¯t let them go, so there was nothing to be done.

    ...

    Lin Ning quickly stood in front of everyone, the Green Bamboo Sword flying high, aiming directly at the Mysterious High Lamp master, her face filled with a high-spirited will to fight and unyielding determination.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was slightly behind her, also controlling the Yin Wind Sword in the air, and took out the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer, although inwardly she had some doubts.

    She instinctively sensed that this Mysterious High Lamp master was not an easy adversary.

    I shouldn¡¯t rush to attack, let the little thief test the waters first, and I¡¯ll just follow Ling Yun¡¯s command.

    Su Yunjin stood behind Zhao Yuanzhen, also ready for battle, carefully assessing the surroundings.

    The Great Hero Treasure Hall is spacious, deploying the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art won¡¯t have the exaggerated effect like it did in the passage before.

    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.?¦Ï

    But as long as the captain is here, I¡¯m not afraid.

    Chen Lingyun stood shoulder to shoulder with Su Yunjin, holding the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner in the left hand and prayer beads in the right, with Black and White Impermanence standing guard on either side as she silently mulled things over.

    Xie Ruoxi hid behind the two, trembling from the tense and lethal ambiance, yet not so scared that she was utterly immobilized. She kept popping Qi-boosting Elixir Medicine into her mouth, tears nearly falling.

    It¡¯s over, it¡¯s over, I¡¯m going to die, I shouldn¡¯t have used so much Thunder Method before¡­ she cried out in her heart.

    The situation on the field was so tense it could explode at any second, and the live broadcast outside boiled over once again.

    The audience was initially looking forward to the confrontation between Zhenhai and Huofeng teams, cheerfully waiting to see the cultivators from both teams use all their methods, display their divine skills, and stage an earth-shattering showdown. What they didn¡¯t expect was that this great play would start with the duel between the two captains, and also end with a duel between the two captains.

    Where is the promised excitement? We only saw Zhou Hongyu being blown up by Yan Yu again, not exciting enough!

    Especially the fans of the Huofeng Team, after Zhou Hongyu was defeated with a bloody nose, most of them left a cursing comment and indignantly left the live broadcast.

    Nobody expected the real show was still to come. First, they fought the demon so perilously, and after defeating the demon, out came a demon monk¡­ Okay, quickly take away the utterly defeated Huofeng Team, we want to see Zhenhai Team fight the mysterious realm BOSS!

    At that, the Mysterious High Lamp master smiled slightly, shaking the Glazed Lamp in his hand, gently shaking off thousands of candle flames.

    Suddenly there was a vast expanse of lamp blossoms in the air, swaying candle flames, dazzling lights, forming a bright ocean of light, raining down from heaven!

    Just as everyone was about to dodge promptly, they heard Chen Lingyun command:

    ¡°Deploy the Tidal Division with full force.¡±

    Su Yunjin immediately formed the Taoist Incantation while taking a deep breath, and her True Yuan surged wildly throughout her body.

    Her aptitude for cultivation was excellent. Although not as remarkable as Xie Ruoxi, she could still boast of ¡°abundant True Yuan,¡± otherwise, Yan Yu wouldn¡¯t have directed her on the path of a Magic Cultivator. Usually, her practice was like using a ¡°scalpel,¡± aiming to use the least True Yuan to fight the biggest battle, so the visual effects were not very noticeable.

    Now, hearing the command to ¡°cast with full force¡± for the first time, she didn¡¯t dare to hold back and immediately urged the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art with full power. In an instant, the entire hall was overwhelmed with a torrential flood, raging waves, and violent tides, savagely striking towards the descending sea of lamp flames!

    Amidst the clash of water and fire, a huge amount of white smoke burst out, carrying water vapor rising, clouds curling around, and still counteracting the forthcoming sea of lamp flames, the lights in the clouds twinkling like a brilliant galaxy, a magnificent spectacle of dueling magical powers!

    The audience outside the live broadcast room was amazed, quickly calling their friends to gather and watch, and the recently dropped online viewing numbers climbed once again.

    Inside, Su Yunjin¡¯s felt a sinking feeling in her heart, as the power of the vast lamp flames was just too great. Even her full-force Tidal Division was unable to extinguish these lamp flames completely but merely resisted them.

    This showed that if those lamp flames were to fall, the scene would be terribly dreadful!

    She continued to maintain the output of True Yuan, controlling the tumultuous flood to resist the lamp flames, and secretly took out a pill to restore True Yuan, joining Xie Ruoxi¡¯s team of medicine popping.

    Chen Lingyun observed in silence, and seeing that Su Yunjin¡¯s Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art could hold up the vast lamp flames, she immediately instructed everyone to launch an attack.

    Four Flying Swords rose in the air, attacking the demon monk from different directions, aiming to make him overwhelmed from all sides. Yet, the Mysterious High Lamp master was unruffled, continuing to hold the Colored Glaze Lamp in his right hand, gently shaking off candle flames while the left hand tapped against the lamp. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    With each tap, a ball of flame would transform from the lamp, taking the shape of dragons, tigers, leopards, elephants, rhinos, crocodiles, and many other fierce beasts in the air. Then, growing larger in the wind, swelling to three or four meters in length, they ignored the various Flying Swords that came attacking and instead, with fierce gestures, rapidly pounced towards Lin Ning and the others.

    Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen, seeing this scene, instantly realized that even if they risked letting the Flying Sword approach, they might not be able to kill the wondrous high lamp venerable with one strike (the other party might have other tricks up their sleeve). Instead, if they were bitten by these flame beasts, the outcome would undoubtedly be unpleasant, so they quickly urged the Flying Sword to return to defend.

    Only Yan Yu continued to pinch sword techniques with both hands, persisting in driving the Huang Ting and Liang Yi Twin Swords towards the opponent, heedless of the flame beasts charging at him.

    The wondrous high lamp venerable suddenly spun the colored glaze lamp, releasing a large swath of condensed Buddha¡¯s Light, which, like silk ribbons, whirled and danced in the air, clashing with the attacking Huang Ting and Liang Yi Twin Swords, causing a clear, metallic jingle.

    This colored glaze lamp was versatile in both attack and defense, full of profound mysteries. Faced with the combined efforts of the Zhenhai Team, it revealed not the slightest flaw!

    At the training base of the Dragon Soar Team, everyone watching the live broadcast saw the wondrous high lamp venerable standing unmoving, bearing many attacks from the Zhenhai Team without showing any sign of weakness. For a moment, they were all dumbstruck and speechless.

    ¡°Wait a second,¡± Yang Linhui suddenly asked, ¡°Doesn¡¯t the oil lamp that the goalkeeper is holding look a bit like the one Ye Jun got from The Secret Realm of Li Palace?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Ye Jun quickly took out the magic treasure for the whole team to closely observe and compare it with the one in the broadcast.

    It wasn¡¯t just similar, it was almost identical.

    The only difference was that the lamp in Ye Jun¡¯s hand was extremely old, not only was the glass cover smeared with soot, but the flame within was as thin as flying fireflies, seemingly about to extinguish at any moment.

    However, the flame in the lamp held by the monk in the television was exceptionally bright, regardless of how he shook, spun, or struck it, there were no signs of it weakening or going out.

    ¡°When activated, my oil lamp treasure can indeed emit a flame, but it can¡¯t transform into the shape of ferocious beasts,¡± Ye Jun explained to everyone. ¡°Nor can it turn into a sky full of fiery rain falling down; so far, it¡¯s just a regular attack similar to the Flame Curse.¡±

    ¡°It probably just needs to be upgraded,¡± Ai Lu speculated.

    ¡°Upgrade what?¡± Guo Feiyun asked in stunned disbelief.

    ¡°Stop!¡± Liu Longtao quickly called a halt. ¡°What are you all talking about? Just watch how old Yan deals with it.¡±

    Despite the extreme supernatural powers shown by the wondrous high lamp venerable¡¯s magic treasure on the field, the members of the Dragon Soar Team still firmly believed that Yan Yu could win.

    There was no basis, just belief, the kind that relied purely on instinct.

    The next second, both Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun made their move simultaneously!

    By Chen Lingyun¡¯s side, the Black and White Impermanence moved together, the Soul-hooking Dark Light and Soul Arresting Chain shot out from both sides, aiming at the demon monk.

    The wondrous high lamp venerable wore a smile, lightly tapped the lamp shell, and split off two flames to confront them. One shattered the Soul-hooking Dark Light, and the other collided directly with the Soul Arresting Chain, burning quickly along the chain, forcing Black Impermanence to let go and flee into the Prison Banner to narrowly escape disaster.

    But Chen Lingyun had already achieved her tactical objective. The enemy had to redirect the flames to deal with her attack, leaving no time to summon more flame beasts.

    Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen had already received Chen Lingyun¡¯s instructions and, taking advantage of the momentary ease in battlefield pressure, rapidly fired the Green Bamboo and Yin Wind Twin Swords.

    Yet, the wondrous high lamp venerable spun the lamp again, astonishingly drawing out a second ray of thick, dazzling Buddha¡¯s Light, blocking the Twin Swords completely.

    ¡°Now¡¯s the time!¡± Following Chen Lingyun¡¯s command, Zhao Yuanzhen had already brought out the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer.

    This magic treasure, while slower than a Flying Sword, possessed a unique attribute: armor breaking.

    Whether it was the armor magic treasure of the Chongying samurai, Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler¡¯s Lamp Blossom Shield, or the demon monk¡¯s Buddha Light silk ribbons, any defensive effect was naturally countered by its special property!

    The White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer smashed into the Buddha¡¯s Light, easily piercing through it without hindrance, with unyielding momentum charging towards the wondrous high lamp venerable¡¯s crown, seemingly about to shatter it the next second!

    Yet, the opponent still wore an unchanged smile, calmly stretching out a hand as white as jade, catching the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer in his grasp, with Demonic Flame flaring up between his fingers.

    Zhao Yuanzhen quickly spurred the magic treasure to break free from the monk¡¯s grasp, but his face suddenly changed, crying out in alarm:

    ¡°He¡¯s trying to steal my treasure!¡±

    As the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer belonged to the evil path¡¯s magic treasures, although it was extremely ferocious in battle, it also inherited the evil path¡¯s trait of being easily tempted.

    The wondrous high lamp venerable¡¯s True Yuan was substantial and far surpassed Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s. At that moment, using the ¡°Giant Spirit Palm Divine Skill,¡± he captured the magic treasure and forcefully poured in True Yuan, attempting to refine it on the spot. If it had been the upright Flying Swords like Huang Ting and Liang Yi, they would rather die than submit, but the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer happily accepted it, not only devouring the energy enthusiastically but even subtly conveying rebellious emotions to Zhao Yuanzhen.

    It feels great! It¡¯s too powerful, sorry Master Yuanzhen¡­ I, I can¡¯t go back anymore¡­

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s face turned as red as a liver, feeling as if a bright green hat emblazoned with the word ¡°Cuckold¡± had descended from above. Suddenly infuriated, he disregarded even the Yin Wind Sword and gritted his teeth, stubbornly sending True Yuan over, determined to snatch back the harlot magic treasure that was the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer.

    The wondrous high lamp venerable¡¯s smile grew wider. Relying on the two Buddha Light silk ribbons to fend off the surrounding Flying Sword attacks, his hands with the Demonic Flame had already eroded much of the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer.

    Just as he was about to forcefully snatch the treasure, out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly glimpsed a golden line swiftly sweeping towards his back.

 Chapter 489 - 85: Bursting into Power at the Critical Moment, Its Up to Me, Ning

    Chapter 489: Chapter 85: Bursting into Power at the Critical Moment, It¡¯s Up to Me, Ning

    Previously, whether facing the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, numerous Flying Swords, Black and White Impermanence, or the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer, the Revered Master of the Wondrous Beacon Lantern always had a smile on his face, standing in his original spot and responding with ease.

    But now, as he saw the golden lines sweeping towards him from behind, his expression finally changed slightly. He tossed the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer with his left hand, grabbed the Kasaya with force and spun it like a rocket, instantly pulling away from the ground and swiftly evading the sweep of the dense golden lines.

    In the midst of Yan Yu¡¯s rapid thoughts, Puppet Azhen immediately looked up and continued spitting out the Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire, pursuing the airborne Demon Monk to kill him.

    The Revered Master of the Wondrous Beacon Lantern, with his Kasaya spinning around, now up then down, exhibited extreme agility, and for a moment, he was difficult to hit. The two layers of Buddha¡¯s Light around him, though unable to block the cutting power of the Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire, were more than enough to fend off the attacks from the surrounding Flying Swords.

    Yan Yu¡¯s expression remained unchanged as he focused intently on controlling the Puppet to pursue the Demon Monk, whilst Lin Ning was extremely anxious on the other side.

    She initially started the battle in cooperation with Yan Yu, only to be caught by the demon¡¯s spells. The team leader nonchalantly saying ¡°Ningning, step down. Sister Zhao, take over¡± left her choked up afterwards, with a stifling anger in her chest that couldn¡¯t be vented, and she was eager to immediately prove her strength and redeem herself in the team leader¡¯s eyes.

    ...

    Yet faced with such a Demon Monk, whose two layers of Buddha¡¯s Light defended him impeccably and specifically countered all manners of Flying Sword strikes. Sister Zhao still had the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer to break through the defense, but her own Green Bamboo Sword had become purely ornamental! How could this be acceptable?

    I, Lin Ning, from childhood to adulthood, whether in academic studies or cultivation, have never been satisfied with being second to anyone!

    Just when the two layers of Buddha¡¯s Light split and momentarily revealed a gap, Lin Ning¡¯s reaction was incredibly swift. She pinched the Sword technique with her hands rapidly, and the Sword Light immediately wrapped around her body, making use of the even faster Sword Flying Slash technique, aiming straight for the gap between the two layers of Buddha¡¯s Light.

    But the movement of the Buddha¡¯s Light was also incredibly quick as it split and closed again. In the blink of an eye, it was about to become whole, and the gap was rapidly shrinking.

    Hurry up! Lin Ning¡¯s Divine Sense locked onto the gap, and she inwardly roared, forcefully driving her True Yuan throughout her body. The green Sword Light grew more and more intense as well, and in the very last moment before the gap was about to close completely, she streaked through it like a meteor at top speed!

    In a flash! Shattered through!

    The Revered Master of the Wondrous Beacon Lantern was greatly shocked. He had spent his main effort on dealing with Yan Yu, the great white shark, and he didn¡¯t expect that the other more guardedly neglected areas would actually allow a small fish to suddenly emerge and break through his Buddha¡¯s Light defense!

    In haste, he struck the lantern with his hand and flung out the lamp flame, which transformed into countless ferocious lions and tigers, quickly blocking the path of the green Sword Light.

    Yan Yu was also quite surprised. On closer inspection, he saw that at this moment, Lin Ning¡¯s Sword Light was unusually bright and green, dazzling like a freshly washed emerald. It was several times larger than the typical Sword Flying Slash and moved as swiftly as lightning, without the slightest hint of clumsiness.

    This was Sword-Human Unity, wow!

    Sword-Human Unity, the ultimate move of the Sword Immortal, featured exaggerated levels in speed, agility, lethality, True Yuan consumption, and most importantly, difficulty in cultivation. If he hadn¡¯t seen it with his own eyes, Yan Yu would never have believed that Lin Ning, who had not even reached Perfection in the Marrow Cleansing Stage, could master Sword-Human Unity.

    Good Ningning! Worthy of being the girl who dares to aim for the position of my second wife! Just for this potential you¡¯ve shown in the heat of battle, I acknowledge your qualification to pursue me!

    You¡¯re worthy!

    ¡°Focus on the main body!¡± He quickly transmitted a message to Lin Ning while rapidly turning his thoughts, continuing to control Puppet Azhen to pursue.

    Lin Ning, without a word, directly unleashed the Phoenix Dance to the Nine Heavens move. The Sword Light sharply descended first, dodging the strikes of many Flame Beasts, then took advantage of the momentum to lift upwards in a slashing motion, aimed right at the Revered Master of the Wondrous Beacon Lantern in the air.

    The speed of Sword-Human Unity was too fast for the Demon Monk to adjust the Buddha¡¯s Light in time to defend. He could only move swiftly downwards in an emergency. Even though the Kasaya¡¯s flight speed was extremely fast, it barely evaded the green Sword Light¡ªthe Sword gleam brushed past his scalp, and had he not been bald, his head would have been bald in that area by now.

    Lin Ning¡¯s Sword Light swiftly returned, ready to strike again, when suddenly she saw Puppet Azhen¡¯s Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire slash through, cutting the Revered Master of the Wondrous Beacon Lantern in half at the waist.

    Everyone relaxed a bit, when suddenly they heard Yan Yu¡¯s voice transmitting:

    ¡°Continue.¡±

    Continue what? Before everyone had time to understand, they saw the two halves of the Revered Master of the Wondrous Beacon Lantern, at the waist where they were severed, suddenly ignite in flames, stubbornly reconnecting and fusing the separated upper and lower bodies together again.

    ¡°Seems like a Demon Monk, but actually a demon,¡± Yan Yu continued to transmit a reminder, ¡°Continue.¡±

    Human Cultivators have three fatal points: the Dantian below the stomach, the heart in the chest, and the Sea of Consciousness in the brain. If these are destroyed, death is instant and even gods struggle to save them. However, because demons lack a physical body, they do not have fatal points and can only be worn down by repeated injury.

    When Yan Yu said that this Demon Monk was of the same level as ¡°Mei Yingxue,¡± it was not just about his flexible and varied offensive and defensive spells. It also referred to his almost inhumanly high vitality.

    As everyone¡¯s hearts shook with shock, Lin Ning¡¯s Sword Light once again shot out to kill, her fighting spirit still soaring.

    If one round doesn¡¯t kill him, then strike a few more times!

    The Revered Master of the Wondrous Beacon Lantern, revived in his original place, quickly traced a finger along the lantern wall, pulling out another refined layer of Buddha¡¯s Light that shook down in front of him like flowing silk to stop the Green Bamboo Sword Light.

    As Lin Ning was about to engage, she suddenly heard Yan Yu¡¯s transmission:

    ¡°Retreat, recover.¡±

    Without a second thought, her sword light abruptly turned and quickly fell back to Chen Lingyun¡¯s side, dissolving the Sword-Human Unity state, and then, without attracting attention, she took out an Elixir Medicine, seizing the time to restore her True Yuan.

    Yan Yu was already aware that this would be a drawn-out battle, so he hadn¡¯t initiated the powerful move of Sword-Human Unity right from the start, in order to ensure the endurance of his True Yuan as much as possible.

    But now that Lin Ning had also mastered Sword-Human Unity, the original strategy could be changed to be more aggressive.

    He stored Puppet Azhen in his sleeve, then leapt up, merging ferociously with the Green Bamboo Sword Light.

    Sword-Human Unity!

    While Lin Ning needed to exploit gaps in the Buddha¡¯s Light to break through the defense, Yan Yu couldn¡¯t be bothered to wait for it to divide and reveal flaws, and simply went straight into the attack.

    First, he used White Rainbow Across the Sky, pressing in from the left at an angle!

    The Demon Monk¡¯s thoughts shifted slightly, and the Buddha¡¯s Light immediately flew to the left to intercept, but Yan Yu unexpectedly changed tactics, switching to Phoenix Dance to the Nine Heavens, zigzagging right before he was about to collide with the Buddha¡¯s Light, suddenly dropping down to urgently bypass it from below.

    The second stream of Buddha¡¯s Light rushed to sink down for a blockade, only to be met by another flash of white light¡ªthis time it was Zhao Yuanzhen, under Chen Lingyun¡¯s command, who directly summoned the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer, piercing through the Buddha¡¯s Light on the spot.

    With its ability to auto-track, the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer was impossible to evade. The Demon Monk then used the Giant Spirit Palm Divine Skill again, grabbing the hammer, only to see a flash of sword light out of the corner of his eye¡ªit was Yan Yu in Sword-Human Unity, following right after the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer.

    A close-range surprise attack, Eagle Strikes the Sky!

    The first strike from Huang Tingjian¡¯s light was a horizontal slash, extremely close range. The esteemed lamp bearer couldn¡¯t summon the Flame Beast in time and could only raise his left hand reluctantly, using his Giant Spirit Palm Divine Skill to barely hold out.

    The clash between the sword light and the white jade palm produced a heavy sound like a bell. Yan Yu¡¯s sword technique did not stop there; the second and third swords followed immediately, without a moment¡¯s pause between them, forcefully penetrating the Spell Divine Skill and severing half of his left palm!

    Blood spurted, yet the sword had not ceased. The fourth strike split open the monk¡¯s neck, decapitating him. Then came the fifth sword, diagonally slashing the monk¡¯s headless corpse open from left shoulder to right waist.

    As the sword light neared its end, it suddenly turned again, forcefully executing the sixth strike, cutting off the monk¡¯s right thigh bone. Running out of time to cut the left leg, Yan Yu had to quickly retract and land, pulling back to regain distance.

    In front of the large projection screen, the members of the Dragon Soar Team who were watching the live broadcast all stood up in unison and couldn¡¯t help but lean forward to take a closer look, their eyes filled with shock and horror¡ªthey had the most Sword Immortals in their team and knew too well what Yan Yu¡¯s seemingly effortless consecutive moves meant.

    ¡°Eagle Strikes the Sky with six consecutive strikes?¡± Guo Feiyun said with a trembling voice, ¡°That¡¯s impossible!!! I mean¡­ are these six consecutive strikes technically possible to execute?¡±

    ¡°The current national record seems to be five consecutive strikes, right?¡± Ai Lu also found it unbelievable, murmuring as he stared at the screen.

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Yang Linhui said calmly, checking his phone on the side and cutting in without hesitation, ¡°Also, the five consecutive strikes were made by Yan God, and to this day, no one else has replicated it.¡±

    ¡°Six consecutive strikes are indeed powerful,¡± Liu Longtao said in a deep voice, ¡°But the goalkeeper hasn¡¯t died yet.¡±

    Everybody fell silent. To them, Yan Yu being able to perform six strikes of Eagle Strikes the Sky was almost the pinnacle of swordsmanship, probably marking the upper limit of what Sword Immortals could achieve with pure technical skill under the current average level of cultivation.¡¯

    If the Demon Monk were to be cut to death by these six strikes, it would undoubtedly be the most anticipated conclusion everyone would have expected¡ªI¡¯ve played to the limit, how can you not die?

    However, the monk in the live broadcast, although cut into four sections, was still not dead on the spot. The severed head, shoulders, body, and legs first ignited in flames; then quickly connected into one, finally transforming back into an intact monk¡¯s body.

    This was a situation no longer describable as ¡°despair¡±. The members of the Dragon Soar Team considered whether they would be able to take down the monk¡¯s ¡°first health bar¡±, let alone stand up to this point; it was doubtful.

    ¡°Wait a second,¡± said Ye Jun, who had been silent until now, ¡°The lamp flame! Isn¡¯t his lantern flame considerably dimmer than it was at the start?¡±

    Everyone hurriedly focused their eyes, only to realize that the flame inside the Demon Monk¡¯s ¡°Marvelous Height Lamp,¡± which they remembered should be about the size of a dragon¡¯s eye, bright and vigorous, burning unceasingly, was now only about the size of a green bean.

    Yan Yu dissolved the Sword-Human Unity upon landing and immediately executed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, swiftly retreating to a distance. With a swipe of his hand, he took out an Elixir Medicine and popped it, hearing Chen Lingyun¡¯s message: sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Yun Jin is low on True Yuan, half a minute.¡±

    Above the Great Hero Treasure Hall, the myriad of lantern lights continued to bombard them, only resisted by Su Yunjin¡¯s Flight Tide Partition. Without her Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art¡¯s assistance, allowing this barrage of lantern lights to continuously bombard them would instantly put the Zhenhai Team at risk of being wiped out.

    ¡°Enough,¡± said Yan Yu via transmission, ¡°Let Ningning take over, Sister Zhao supports. What about Ruoxi?¡±

    ¡°Three Strike Massive Thunder,¡± Chen Lingyun replied.

    ¡°Too slow,¡± Yan Yu criticized verbally but was already rushing towards Xie Ruoxi swiftly, ¡°I¡¯ll take the helm.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Chen Lingyun turned her head to pass instructions, simultaneously tossing out the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Divine Evil Prayer Beads.

    The Prayer Beads spun for a moment, then shot into a stream of Buddha¡¯s Light, firmly freezing it in place.

    Lin Ning, having recovered some True Yuan, took a deep breath, once again enveloped in Green Bamboo Sword Light, entered Sword-Human Unity, and charged toward the Marvelous Height Lamp Bearer!

 Chapter 490 - 86: Holding Ruoxi, Chaotically Slaughtering (Extra Excited Chapter)

    Chapter 490: Chapter 86: Holding Ruoxi, Chaotically Slaughtering (Extra Excited Chapter)

    ¡°`

    The factors that decide the outcome of a battle are many, such as the means of attack, means of defense, movement speed, agility, and the sustainability of True Yuan energy, among others.

    However, if one were to pick the ¡°most critical¡± among them, Yan Yu would choose the sustainability of True Yuan energy without hesitation.

    The reason is simple: once the True Yuan is exhausted, no matter how fierce your offensive means or how thorough your defenses, no matter how exaggerated your speed and agility, without the support of True Yuan, all of these capabilities cannot be utilized, and one would become a fish on the chopping board, ready to be slaughtered.

    In his previous life, what Yan Yu studied the most was how to plan the limited external True Yuan within a finite time to achieve as many tactical objectives as possible¡ªthis was also the initial reason he dared to let his teammates withdraw and faced the Demon Monk alone.

    But now, with Ningning¡¯s sudden surge in performance, it also gave him a small reminder:

    ...

    Even a chewed piece of gum or a used napkin can have its unique uses. I have no less than five cultivators by my side! If we could properly coordinate with each other, couldn¡¯t we defeat the boss more effortlessly than just me fighting alone?

    With this in mind, Yan Yu, who was accustomed to fighting alone from beginning to end, once again chose to slack off temporarily, leaving more opportunities for the girls to perform.

    He had to make room for the younger generation after all! Let¡¯s wait for Ruoxi to recover her True Yuan first.

    The Nine Heavens Yin Demon Divine Evil Prayer Beads thrown by Chen Lingyun sealed off a corner of the Buddha¡¯s Light, preventing it from continuing to swirl and fly about.

    Lin Ning, who had achieved Sword-Human Unity, immediately propelled the dazzling Green Bamboo Sword Light, circumventing the defense entanglement of another piece of Buddha¡¯s Light and directly attacking the esteemed lamp-bearing monk.

    The Demon Monk¡¯s face was now devoid of any trace of a smile. He raised his left hand and formed a Giant Spirit Palm, forcefully pinching at the Green Bamboo Sword Light.

    ¡°Hammer,¡± directed Chen Lingyun.

    Zhao Yuanzhen once again threw the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer, which whistled as it smashed towards the Demon Monk¡¯s head.

    Since the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer could break through the defense of the Buddha¡¯s Light, the esteemed lamp-bearer had no choice but to withdraw the Giant Spirit Palm and deflected this sinister magic treasure with a backhand.

    Lin Ning took advantage of the situation to propel the Sword Light, pursuing rapidly. The opposing monk¡¯s kasaya flew about as he fled, constantly wiping off a large amount of lamp fire and transforming it into numerous beasts to intercept.

    However, with Sword-Human Unity and being within the sword itself, plus the nurturing from the Zhenze Sword Box, the Sword Qi was even more vigorous than usual by a third. As soon as the Flame Beasts approached, they were torn apart by the sharp Sword Light on the outside; how could they harm Ningning inside, whose fighting spirit was soaring?

    The Demon Monk by this time had understood that Yan Yu and Lin Ning were taking turns achieving Sword-Human Unity and relaying to attack him. With the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer waiting for an opportunity, either helping break through the Buddha¡¯s Light or restraining his own Giant Spirit Palm, if this delay continued, it was certain that his own Intention Body would be worn down by them.

    As his mind raced, the numerous Flame Beasts suddenly turned in unison, attacking Su Yunjin who was at a distance.

    Su Yunjin, at this time, was using her magic to resist the sky full of lamp fire. If she were to be held back by the Flame Beasts, the situation would instantly turn around. Yan Yu quickly flew on his sword intending to rescue her, but then heard Chen Lingyun¡¯s transmitted message:

    ¡°I¡¯ll handle it.¡±

    With her right hand, she waved the Hell-Seeking Banner, summoning Black and White Impermanence, which produced the Soul-hooking Dark Light and the Soul Arresting Chain to intercept the Flame Beasts. Her left hand continuously formed sword techniques, as the Purple Extreme Sword moved back and forth. Although the moves were rather simple, the efficiency of her strikes was actually quite good, bursting one after another of the beasts that neared Yun Jin.

    Yan Yu was immediately gobsmacked, but upon closer observation, he had an epiphany.

    These Flame Beasts had little spiritual wisdom and did not even know to dodge when attacked. Chen Lingyun¡¯s weakness lies in her reaction speed in combat, and her swordsmanship is no match for a professional Sword Immortal, but against these creatures, it was like shooting at moving targets, which with her meticulous thinking was quite easy.

    He had already used the Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire and had also utilized Sword-Human Unity once; his True Yuan was already running low. Seeing his teammates taking turns being durable and reliable, Yan Yu was able to put his mind at ease and continued focusing on refining the medicinal strength to recover his True Yuan.

    Seeing his strategy fail, the esteemed lamp-bearer monk switched tactics again. He shook the lamp vigorously with his right hand, causing the number of lamp fires in the sky to increase by another thirty percent, slamming Su Yunjin with tremendous pressure.

    Su Yunjin had been maintaining the great spell of Dividing the Tide and had little True Yuan left. With the suddenly increased pressure from above, she was forced to draw out even more True Yuan and exert the Southern Dipper Star River Secret Art, causing her complexion to turn pale.

    Yan Yu¡¯s Divine Sense was always attentive to the entire field, and he immediately noticed the anomaly above and urgently transmitted a warning:

    ¡°Yun Jin.¡±

    ¡°No worries,¡± Chen Lingyun responded.

    She was well-prepared, having anticipated that the esteemed lamp-bearing monk would turn to attack Su Yunjin once he was at a disadvantage. Now, she simply instructed calmly:

    ¡°The hammer.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen tossed out the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer again. The Demon Monk indeed quickened his Giant Spirit Palm to block it. Linn Ning, who had merged with her sword, took the opportunity to launch the White Rainbow Across the Sky, aiming fiercely at his chest, but then she heard Chen Lingyun¡¯s voice transmission saying:

    ¡°The Cang Song topples.¡±

    The respected lamp bearer with the Giant Spirit Palm blocked the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer and with a swift hand sent it flying away, swiftly retreating to guard his front. If Lin Ning had launched the White Rainbow Across the Sky just now, she would have crashed head-on into the Giant Spirit Palm, unable to break through.

    But with Chen Lingyun¡¯s warning, she changed her move to Cang Song Ying Ke in a timely manner. This sword technique has two forms: the orthodox form cuts from below upwards, while the inverted form cuts from above downwards, also known as ¡°Cang Song Upside Down¡± or ¡°Inverted Cang Song.¡±

    Lin Ning¡¯s sword light rose slightly, then slashed downward. The Demon Monk hurriedly raised his palm to block, his entire attention on the above, unaware that a shadow had suddenly darted into his lower right side.

    The Resentful Spirit mother and child! S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    From the Three Islands Treasure Ship Secret Realm, they had seized this Resentful Spirit from the Dark Sorcerer of the Southern Border. With the Demon Monk¡¯s attention drawn above, they took the opportunity to rush into his right arm, vying for control of the body.

    The Demon Monk merely furrowed his brows. He was of half-Heavenly Demon descent, and Heavenly Demons were naturally adept at occupying flesh. How could he fear such a low-level Resentful Spirit capable of possession?

    Thus, with just a slight stirring of his intention, he was ready to mobilize the magic power throughout his body, forcefully consuming the Resentful Spirit that had invaded his flesh. His left hand continued to sustain the Divine Skill of the Giant Spirit Palm, acting like a gigantic shield, staunchly resisting the cleaving of Lin Ning¡¯s sword light.

    In the span of a moment, the Resentful Spirit mother and child were utterly shattered!

    But even in these brief one or two seconds, the lamp bearer, with his right arm occupied by the Resentful Spirit, couldn¡¯t continue to stimulate the Colored Glaze Lamp, resulting in the sky full of lamp fire above his head becoming sparser.

    Su Yunjin, whose True Yuan was nearly depleted and was soon to be unable to continue, took advantage of this time when the pressure lessened, finally managing to distract herself to refine the medicine¡¯s potency in her abdomen, fiercely recovering a portion of her True Yuan.

    After swallowing the Resentful Spirit mother and child, the lamp bearer looked at Su Yunjin, who had regained some color on her face, and immediately realized what had happened. Enraged and embarrassed, he wildly shook the Colored Glaze Lamp anew, intent on making her spit out all the True Yuan she had just reclaimed!

    Yan Yu had already stopped refining the medicine¡¯s power, standing up ready to strike.

    His cultivation talent might not be great, but he held a unique advantage in recovering True Yuan. While others like Xie Ruoxi and Su Yunjin needed to refine the potency of medicine for a while to regain sufficient True Yuan, he only needed to regulate his breathing slightly to recover most of it.

    This is the strength of me as the captain, quack!

    He was about to signal Lin Ning to come back and rest, ready to replace her himself, when suddenly he heard Xie Ruoxi¡¯s voice transmission:

    ¡°Captain, it¡¯s ready!¡±

    Looking beautiful yet useless due to depleting her True Yuan, Xie Ruoxi, who had been refining the medicine¡¯s potency from the start, was now finally restored enough True Yuan to unleash eight strikes of the great cavity thunder.

    ¡°Come here!¡± Yan Yu immediately rose with his Sword Control, enveloping Xie Ruoxi with his sword light, then charged straight at the lamp bearer.

    Lin Ning did not retreat, and Yan Yu advanced. The double assault of their Sword-Human Unity greatly increased the pressure on the Demon Monk¡¯s defense. He could no longer afford to intensify his focus on Su Yunjin but was forced to continuously wield the Giant Spirit Palm, blocking left and right.

    Zhao Yuanzhen threw out the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer again; the Demon Monk deflected it with a slap.

    Lin Ning took the opportunity to attack head-on, executing the move White Rainbow Across the Sky. The Demon Monk, already too late to dodge, had to use the Giant Spirit Palm to intercept in front of him, attempting to seize the Green Bamboo Sword Light.

    The Huang Tingjian Sword Light circled to his back, and knowing that he was about to be backstabbed, the Demon Monk hurriedly summoned the Buddha¡¯s Light to block behind him, ready to withstand the full-on attack of Sword-Human Unity.

    Unexpectedly, Yan Yu¡¯s White Rainbow Across the Sky was just a feint. As he was about to collide with the Buddha¡¯s Light, he suddenly canceled the Sword-Human Unity, revealing himself in mid-air holding Xie Ruoxi, tightly clutching her forearms.

    Xie Ruoxi looked resolute, her eyes intently fixed on the Demon Buddha¡¯s back, both hands already forming two strikes of the great cavity thunder.

    Facing the Goalkeeper BOSS up close, yet she feared nothing.

    Because the me held in the arms of the captain is invincible!

 Chapter 491 - 87 Victory!

    Chapter 491: Chapter 87 Victory!

    Xie Ruoxi had played many games and had rich experience in dealing with difficult levels.

    If you were playing an FPS game, what would you do if your shooting was too bad to defeat the BOSS?

    Ding dong! Activate the one-shot kill/super damage mode! S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    What if your aim is still off and you can¡¯t hit the target?

    Ding dong! Activate the auto-aim/full-screen insta-kill mode!

    As for the scores achieved using a cheat tool, Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t care at all whether they were really her own.

    ...

    I painstakingly took the time to download the cheat tool and had to specifically click the mouse to activate it. Isn¡¯t that similar to those who spend time finding strategies and honing their skills to get past levels? It¡¯s all hard work!

    At this moment, Miss Ruoxi, held by Yan Yu, once again found the joy she used to feel when using a cheat tool to strategize and defeat difficult bosses she couldn¡¯t overcome before.

    Without needing to aim carefully, a massive thunderbolt was launched, hitting the demon monk directly in the back and instantly shattering his body.

    To be precise, it was his upper body that was shattered.

    The demon monk¡¯s head, left hand, right hand, left leg, and right leg turned directly into dust with his upper body and immediately burst apart, transforming into five dark shadows, each escaping in different directions.

    Yan Yu waved Xie Ruoxi¡¯s arm, firing two more massive thunderbolts, shattering both the demon monk¡¯s hands.

    The head and legs took the opportunity to run even further, speeding towards the exit of the great hall. Chen Lingyun had anticipated this and was waiting with Black and White Impermanence on each side, exerting Nether Light and chains to bind the demon monk¡¯s legs, which had morphed into shadows of black light.

    Lin Ning, although unprepared, was the quickest to react among everyone. She hastened to guide the Green Bamboo Sword Light to intercept the remaining head.

    The demon monk¡¯s head, turned into a shadow, dared not tangle with her. Meanwhile, Yan Yu was taking steps of Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams, holding Xie Ruoxi and flashing forward to close the distance, supplementing the legs with two more thunders¡­ leaving only the head!

    It hastily evaded the pursuit of the Green Bamboo Sword, almost flying out of the Great Hero Treasure Hall, when suddenly a dog¡¯s head popped up in front of him.

    A dog¡¯s head?

    One of the Five Ghosts controlled by Chen Lingyun had run outside to notify the Huofeng Team to keep their distance and then returned to hide at the entrance of the hall. Seeing the demon monk¡¯s head approaching as a shadow, mistaking it for some lonely ghost, it leaped up and gulped it down with a snap.

    This doesn¡¯t taste right!

    Yin Ghost and Heavenly Demon are incompatible; the big dog felt a tumult in its stomach and hurriedly vomited it out. The black light fell to the ground, rolled a few times, and was just about to rise and fly away when Yan Yu, holding Xie Ruoxi, launched the final massive thunderbolt and finally shattered it to pieces, ending its struggle.

    However, everyone was not ready to relax. They continued staring wide-eyed at one another, peering around for a moment, fearing that a demon monk¡¯s master might suddenly appear from somewhere, saying something horrifying like ¡°How dare you kill my disciple, let this old monk teach you a lesson.¡±

    Of course, that didn¡¯t happen.

    They then saw the Colored Glaze Lamp left behind by the demon monk, now shattered on the ground, leaving behind a round base with a flame the size of a rice grain flickering unfadingly.

    Yan Yu went over to check with his Divine Sense for a moment and announced:

    ¡°This is the nerve center of the Mysterious Realm.¡±

    ¡°Awesome!¡± The girls finally relaxed completely, truly at ease.

    Lin Ning rushed over to hug Su Yunjin, excitedly exclaiming:

    ¡°We won, we won! We actually won!¡±

    Su Yunjin, her True Yuan nearly exhausted, was having difficulty even standing and could only lean on Lin Ning¡¯s arm, crying tears of joy:

    ¡°Yes, we won.¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t those massive thunderbolts I fired super awesome!¡± Xie Ruoxi also ran up to Zhao Yuanzhen to brag, ¡°The team leader asked me to reserve capacity for eight True Yuan shots, but I only used six and it was over!¡±

    ¡°Hmph, mediocre,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen yawned, but he was actually feeling proud inside.

    If it had been the old her alone encountering this demon monk, she would have run as far away as possible immediately. But now, she had taken down the enemy¡¯s leader with her team, feeling a sense of accomplishment like ¡°I was awesome along with everyone else.¡±

    Chen Lingyun watched everyone celebrating with a smile and secretly transmitted a message to Yan Yu:

    ¡°How about that?¡±

    ¡°Nothing special,¡± Yan Yu replied. ¡°It was just Lin Ning suddenly mastering the Sword-Human Unity that surprised me a little. As for the victory, that was expected¡­ We won the last time in the battle of the Secret Realm of Li Palace too, and I didn¡¯t see you guys this happy.¡±

    ¡°Which gives you a greater sense of accomplishment, defeating an opponent of the same level or a higher level boss?¡± Chen Lingyun smiled and continued, ¡°Besides, last time Mei Yingxue, we couldn¡¯t interfere at all. We had to let you take all the glory alone; this time, however, we could fight alongside you, even just feeling involved was worlds apart.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes,¡± Yan Yu responded noncommittally, ¡°Then you all continue to push yourselves to become stronger, and try not to be left behind by me again¡­you go refine the central nerve of the Mysterious Realm.¡±

    Chen Lingyun walked toward the broken lamp and then transmitted her voice saying:

    ¡°Compared to this Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper, the issues exposed during the battle with that demon just now are even more serious.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu admitted without hiding it, ¡°It¡¯s good to discover problems early.¡±

    ¡°I look forward to seeing how you¡¯ll solve their issues~¡± Chen Lingyun said cheerfully.

    ¡°Definitely not by heeding your suggestion to start a harem,¡± Yan Yu said coldly.

    He turned his head to look at the gaggle of girls huddled together; Lin Ning was animatedly recounting the previous scene, Su Yunjin was smiling broadly, Xie Ruoxi was adding remarks with high spirits, and Zhao Yuanzhen was pretending to be indifferent but actually nodding in satisfaction¡­

    Involvement, right?

    That¡¯s what a team is. The stronger the character, the more responsibilities they bear, which can often overshadow the other teammates.

    Perhaps in the future, I should also start to go easy and let them grow independently.

    But the issue of the Heart Demon that Ling Yun mentioned earlier¡­

    Tsk, so annoying.

    Forget it, since it¡¯s being streamed live, Old Li and the others are probably more nervous than me. Mature psychological therapies, there are scholarly experts more knowledgeable than me.

    If I promised to take it easy, let¡¯s start from today!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    In the Mysterious Realm, the tail end of the battle finally concluded.

    Outside the Mysterious Realm, the celebration in the live streaming room continued.

    ¡°If I remember correctly, this Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper should be the toughest and most difficult boss we¡¯ve encountered since the start of the show,¡± Zhou Erhe stated.

    ¡°That should be right,¡± Xu Dongming replied after confirming with the crew offstage, ¡°I just checked with our staff, and indeed, in terms of the overall duration of the battle and the frequency of attacks like spells and Flying Swords, the Zhenhai Team has indeed had their most intense and difficult challenge this time.¡±

    ¡°Humanoid gatekeepers are the hardest to fight because they possess intelligence and various cunning strategies,¡± Zhou Erhe agreed, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen many humanoid gatekeepers either.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Xu Dongming nodded, ¡°and most humanoid gatekeepers tend to have relatively normal personalities, but this one opened with the intent to turn people into lamp oil.¡±

    ¡°Probably what you¡¯d call a typical Demon Cult boss,¡± Zhou Erhe concluded, ¡°utterly evil.¡±

    The two commentators talked for a while until the Zhenhai and Huofeng teams had both left the Mysterious Realm, then they announced:

    ¡°Alright! That¡¯s the end of this live broadcast for the match. Up next is the press conference. For viewers interested in seeing the settlement screen, don¡¯t go away. We¡¯ll be right back after these commercials¡­¡±

    In the hospital, Li Minghu paused for a moment, then picked up his mobile phone and sent a message to Yan Yu:

    ¡°Congratulations.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too kind,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°Will there be more bosses with defense mechanisms like Flying Swords in the future?¡± Li Minghu typed.

    The Demon Monk¡¯s two Buddha¡¯s Light defenses that could resist most attacks, and the invulnerable Giant Spirit Palm that could be conjured at will, were both extremely effective defensive measures against Sword Immortals.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡± but there¡¯s no need to worry.¡±

    ¡°Why is that?¡± Li Minghu asked.

    ¡°Because only those who lack skill in swordsmanship would train in such common defensive measures,¡± Yan Yu replied through text, ¡°Just like in games, those who look for shortcuts and try to skive are usually the ones with poor skills.¡±

    ¡°They might manage against ordinary Sword Immortals, but against someone at our level, just show them our real skill and we can reveal their true nature in just a few moves.¡±

    Li Minghu pondered carefully, thinking that if that Demon Monk truly had Flying Swords, he wouldn¡¯t be left completely defenseless with just the Giant Spirit Palm to block and parry after his Buddha¡¯s Light was forcefully broken through.

    ¡°Still, his attack methods are quite impressive,¡± she continued messaging, ¡°the sky full of lamp lights like a shower of stars, pressuring the entire field, and those Flame Beasts, if you don¡¯t clear them out efficiently, their numbers could become troublesome.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu replied with a slight smile, ¡°luckily, we¡¯re a step ahead in skill.¡±

 Chapter 492 - 88 Post-competition and Rest

    Chapter 492: Chapter 88 Post-competition and Rest

    ¡°¡­In sum, there were two reasons for the defeat in the competition,¡± Deputy Captain Zhang Huaide said calmly in front of the cameras during the post-match press conference, ¡°First was the unforeseen factors of the Mysterious Realm, and second was the failure of myself, the executor at the tactical level, to fulfill my responsibilities.¡±

    Journalists were almost speechless, and suppressed sobs could even be heard on the scene. Many people turned their heads to look discreetly and saw that it was an intern reporter from the Western Metropolitan Daily, a die-hard fan of the Huofeng Team. She was crying a river, seeing Deputy Captain Zhang taking all the responsibility for the team¡¯s defeat upon himself to avoid accountability from above.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Zhou Hongyu interjected, ¡°The cause of the defeat lies with me.¡±

    ¡°The responsibility doesn¡¯t lie with Captain Zhou,¡± Zhang Huaide insisted, ¡°Anticipating the enemy and leveraging our strengths while avoiding weaknesses is the duty of a deputy captain, not the captain.¡±

    ¡°If we¡¯re talking about anticipating the enemy¡¯s moves, it was impossible to foresee that this Mysterious Realm would specifically counter Captain Zhou, right?¡± a reporter, unable to stand by and watch, asked, ¡°Could a different deputy captain have handled this situation better?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Zhang Huaide affirmed, ¡°The Zhenhai Team didn¡¯t know the intelligence on this Mysterious Realm either, but they were able to successfully conquer the goalkeeper. I don¡¯t know if you watched the live broadcast or not, but Xie Ruoxi¡¯s Thunder Method clearly had a restraining effect on the enemies of this Mysterious Realm. However, by the time their team and the goalkeeper engaged in battle, her True Yuan was already exhausted, and the battlefield situation was also quite unfavorable for them.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Despite starting at a disadvantage, the Zhenhai Team successfully delayed long enough for Xie Ruoxi to seize the opportunity to recover her True Yuan.¡±

    The journalists couldn¡¯t refute because the boss that the Zhenhai Team fought this time indeed had substantial value. Even the most loyal fans of the Huofeng Team couldn¡¯t bring themselves to say something as opposed to their conscience as ¡°Zhenhai Team had an easy win.¡±

    Although the Huofeng Team lost this time, Zhang Huaide¡¯s analysis was crystal clear, attributing the defeat to ¡°unforeseen factors,¡± which led to Zhou Hongyu being countered by enemies of the Mysterious Realm, forcing a division of forces, and ultimately, the defeat was inevitable.

    Looking at the overall public opinion, fans not only did not blame the team for the defeat but actually increased their loyalty. Moreover, many onlookers were won over by Deputy Captain Zhang¡¯s remarks. Thus, under the watchful eyes of the Pingxi Army¡¯s host, the media did not pursue aggressively. They asked a few token questions and then expressed their understanding and well-wishes to the Huofeng Team.

    After everyone left, it was Zhenhai Team¡¯s turn to come on stage for the interview.

    ¡°First of all, congratulations to the Zhenhai Team on their victory in this competition,¡± asked the first reporter to get a chance to question, ¡°May I ask, Captain Yan, who is the female cultivator you summoned during the fight with the goalkeeper? Can you reveal any details?¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Sure, she¡¯s a puppet.¡±

    ¡°A puppet?¡± asked the reporter.

    ¡°Yes, a puppet,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    The two stared at each other for a moment, and the reporter¡¯s expression soon began to falter.

    You could at least expand on that!!!

    As a reporter could only ask once, he could only sit down reluctantly, passing the microphone to the second reporter.

    The next question was exactly what everyone was eager to find out:

    ¡°Captain Yan, why does your puppet look exactly like Zhao Yuanzhen from your team?¡±

    As Mei Yingxue had already stated she wouldn¡¯t pursue the matter further, and through the efforts of Chen Tianming, Zhao Yuanzhen had officially reverted to her real name at the end of last year. Although some Zhenhai Team¡¯s fans were still getting used to it, the professional media journalists naturally wouldn¡¯t make a mistake.

    However, the girls from the Zhenhai Team, used to calling her ¡°Sister Zhao¡± all the time, suddenly found the name ¡°Zhao Yuanzhen¡± to be quite strange and uncomfortable when they heard it. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Because the puppet was made by her,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    The reporter was speechless: ¡­¡­¡­

    So what? Why would Zhao Yuanzhen make a puppet? What specific effects does the puppet have? Could you please expand on that!

    Of course, with a little thought, one could realize that the Zhenhai Team would certainly not disclose their secret weaponry to the media openly. Therefore, the third reporter wisely chose not to linger on this topic and instead moved on to another question:

    ¡°Deputy Captain Zhang Huaide of the Huofeng Team claimed that the defeat in this competition was mainly his fault. What are Captain Yan¡¯s views and opinions on this matter?¡±

    ¡°Haha, I just heard that,¡± Yan Yu laughed. ¡°What he said is completely off the mark.¡±

    Completely wrong? The reporters all widened their eyes in disbelief.

    The explanation given by Zhang Huaide earlier was generally agreed upon by everyone. Now, listening to Yan Yu¡¯s sharp critique, they all perked up, with some of the more impatient ones having even thought up headlines for the news:

    ¡°Shocking! The True Reason Behind Huofeng Team¡¯s Defeat Turns out to Be This¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s quite simple,¡± Yan Yu started, putting up his thumb and poking his own chest. ¡°The reason the Huofeng Team lost is, of course, because I¡¯m too strong!¡±

    The reporters: ¡­¡­¡­

    Although it sounded both arrogant and shameless, it was unexpectedly irrefutable.

    Indeed, it was Yan Yu who first took the stage for the Zhenhai Team. He exchanged blows back and forth with Zhou Hongyu, and after the full Huofeng Team assembled, he led them unscathed like a steam train to the south of the Underground Palace into the Great Hero Treasure Hall¡ªeven the demon that naturally restrained Zhou Hongyu and forced the Huofeng Team to split its forces was released by Yan Yu when he seemingly casually but perhaps intentionally smashed a statue in the hall.

    Just discussing this battle, the rest of the Zhenhai Team hardly had to exert any effort. They only took the stage leisurely to reverse the situation after Yan Yu had forced the opponent to split its forces. They cornered the Huofeng Team so thoroughly that Zhou Hongyu had no choice but to propose a one-on-one duel¡­

    The many fans of the Huofeng Team watching the press conference live finally seemed to have found the main culprit. One by one, they all came to a sudden understanding.

    Who was it that drained Sister Zhao of her True Yuan and caused her to lose her composure?

    Who was it that forcibly released that demon, forcing the Huofeng Team to divide their battle group?

    Who forced Captain Zhou to choose a one-on-one duel, only to leave her with a bloody nose and in regrettable defeat?

    Who caused Deputy Captain Zhang to take the defeat upon his shoulders, making millions of Huofeng fans shed tears and have a sleepless night?

    So, it was you! Yan Yu!

    We shall be sworn enemies!

    In no time at all, the internet was flooded with ardent fans from the Shu Region claiming, ¡°Even though everyone relies on their own methods in the Mysterious Realm confrontation, Yan Yu¡¯s performance was indeed outstanding. However, as fans of the Huofeng Team, emotionally we just can¡¯t bring ourselves to like Yan Yu.¡±

    The fans of the Zhenhai Team, on the other hand, changed their pre-battle confrontational and aggressive attitude and began to comfort the fans on the other side with a smile:

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, whether you like Yan God or not, he won¡¯t mind¡ªwho the hell are you anyway?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re really upset, I¡¯ll teach you a trick: take a taxi to the southern entrance of Sword Southern Old Street in Mianzhou Prefecture, find the Temple of Lord Guan there, kneel down in front of Lord Guan and cry out ¡®I and the traitors of Eastern Wu shall not coexist under the same sky.¡¯ Lord Guan will descend from his altar to teach you¡ªYan God protects the country, how are you even worthy of disrespecting him? If you don¡¯t like it, just keep it to yourself!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m very curious. If Yan Yu ends up marrying Zhou Hongyu in the future, will you Huofeng fans be overjoyed or mourn as though you¡¯ve lost a loved one? Wouldn¡¯t you go as far as renouncing your fan membership? Hahaha!¡±

    The last comment was like a bombshell, angering many Huofeng fans and thus igniting another round of verbal battles. Calls for duels, confrontations, role-reversals, family greetings, short essays, online unboxings¡ªit was a chaotic dance of demons, too dreadful to witness.

    Some even wrote lengthy articles pointing out, ¡°Foreign countries have football hooligans; we have brainless fans. The worst of human nature certainly isn¡¯t confined by country or race.¡±

    Of course, none of this had anything to do with the Zhenhai Team anymore.

    As the winners of the confrontation, the girls proposed to have fun in Shuzhong Prefecture for a day.

    And the host responsible for entertaining everyone was, naturally, the recently defeated Huofeng Team.

 Chapter 493 - 89: Xiao Zhou, dont you also think...

    Chapter 493: Chapter 89: Xiao Zhou, don¡¯t you also think¡­

    No matter how the outside world viewed the match, for the cultivators of both teams, the competition was merely a drill.

    If they could triumph in the drill, that was naturally the best outcome; even if they lost, as long as they could learn from the experience and reduce the risk of the next actual combat, it wouldn¡¯t be a loss.

    Thus, under Deputy Captain Zhang¡¯s guidance, the recently defeated members of the Huofeng Team did not harbor many negative emotions, but instead enthusiastically invited everyone to dine together.

    The dinner took place at a restaurant famous for its Sichuan cuisine. The owner was a fan of the Huofeng Team, and he had specially arranged for a private room on the third floor that he wouldn¡¯t let anyone book, reserving it exclusively for the team¡ªit was undeniable true fan devotion.

    Everyone settled into their seats in the private room, with Zhao Yuanzhen sitting next to Yan Yu, her gaze firmly fixed on the menu across the table.

    Zhang Huaide, exceedingly adept at reading expressions, simply smiled slightly and handed the menu to Yan Yu, saying,

    ...

    ¡°Captain Yan, your team are our guests, please order first.¡±

    ¡°Alright, let me see here,¡± Yan Yu took the menu leisurely, and began to look it over.

    Zhao Yuanzhen leaned in close to his ear and whispered,

    ¡°Mouthwatering Chicken Mouthwatering Chicken Mouthwatering Chicken.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this signature dish Mouthwatering Chicken,¡± Yan Yu deliberately commented, ¡°It doesn¡¯t look appetizing. Skip.¡±

    He flipped the page on the menu, and Zhao Yuanzhen, undaunted, continued her devil¡¯s voice prompting:

    ¡°Pig¡¯s Trotters with Kidney Beans Pig¡¯s Trotters with Kidney Beans Pig¡¯s Trotters with Kidney Beans.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t trotters a bit too fatty, though? Would they really taste good?¡± Yan Yu feigned contemplation for a moment, shook his head, and turned another page.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was a bit annoyed, holding back anger, and after scanning the third page of the menu, she whispered in a hypnotic tone:

    ¡°Spicy Pig¡¯s Intestines Spicy Pig¡¯s Intestines Spicy Pig¡¯s Intestines.¡±

    ¡°Pig¡¯s Intestines look alright I suppose, but I¡¯m afraid they might not be cleaned properly.¡± Yan Yu flipped yet another page.

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s eyes flashed fiercely as she gritted her teeth and said,

    ¡°Give me the menu, give me the menu, give me the menu¡ªjust hand me the menu!¡±

    ¡°Ah, I can¡¯t decide,¡± Yan Yu still wanted to tease her, but it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate to expose their private matters in front of the Huofeng Team members watching, so he handed the menu to the enchantress and said, ¡°You choose, but don¡¯t order too much.¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen instantly deflated, snatching the menu into her hands and looking at the pictures of the dishes, she began to sway happily from side to side.

    Seeing Sister Zhao this playful, not only did the girls from the Zhenhai Team fail to hold back their chuckles, but even the men from the Huofeng Team smiled pleasantly.

    Only Tang Xiaolian and Zhou Hongyu were without smiles¡ªthe former exchanged glances with Zhang Huaide, seemingly communicating through voice transmission, while the latter played with her phone out of boredom.

    Suddenly, Zhou Hongyu stood up, saying,

    ¡°I need to step out for a bit.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Qin Meng quickly made way for her.

    Yan Yu did not give the matter much thought, but Tang Xiaolian soon transmitted a message to him, saying,

    ¡°Captain Yan, I sneaked a look¡ªit¡¯s a message from Captain Zhou¡¯s mother.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s it about?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°It seems she¡¯s asking her for money,¡± Tang Xiaolian voiced her concern.

    ¡°Captain Yan.¡± Zhang Huaide also sent a voice transmission, ¡°Regarding Captain Zhou¡¯s situation, can you help out?¡±

    ¡°How can I help?¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°This is something you should take up with the leaders of the Pingxi Army.¡±

    ¡°Every family has its own difficult scripture to chant,¡± Zhang Huaide replied, ¡°Captain Zhou does not want outsiders to meddle in her family matters, and the leaders have to respect her wishes in this regard.¡±

    ¡°Am I not an outsider?¡± Yan Yu asked curiously.

    ¡°You are an outsider,¡± Zhang Huaide did not sugarcoat his words but honestly said, ¡°But, Captain Yan, you have no reservations.¡±

    ¡°Why is that?¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re not afraid of offending Captain Zhou,¡± Zhang Huaide replied helplessly, ¡°I still have to get along in the Huofeng Team.¡± Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The word ¡°get along¡± seemed to carry so much bitterness that Yan Yu stood up with a smile and addressed everyone,

    ¡°You all start eating, I¡¯ll be back in a little while.¡±

    The ladies had no objections, but Su Yunjin and Chen Lingyun slightly guessed what was happening. As the former was about to speak, she suddenly received another voice transmission from the latter and decided to remain silent.

    Having gotten the address from Zhang Huaide, Yan Yu left the restaurant and, exercising Sword Control, headed toward the Military Manor of Shuzhong Prefecture.

    After completing the visit registration at the gatehouse, he went straight to Zhou Hongyu¡¯s ¡°family residence.¡± Before he could even knock, he overheard the angry scolding of a middle-aged woman from inside.

    It was in the Nanchuan dialect, hard to understand, but he faintly caught a phrase that seemed to mean ¡°I may not have raised you, but at least I gave birth to you.¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s eyes lit up instantly, and he hurriedly employed his wall-passing skill to rush into the house.

    Haha, I¡¯m here for a good show!

    Once inside, he saw a short statured middle-aged woman with curled short hair and fashionable clothing, brandishing an exquisite leather wallet, who was poking the air viciously in the direction of Zhou Hongyu in the living room, as if she was firing the Six Meridian Excalibur to shoot her dead.

    With her face an iron blue, Zhou Hongyu stood without speaking or losing her temper, silently enduring her mother¡¯s venomous tirade, clenching her teeth as if she could explode at any moment.

    All of a sudden, she turned her head and noticed Yan Yu, who had entered through the wall; her expression finally turned to one of shock.

    Zhou¡¯s mother followed her gaze and finally noticed Yan Yu, immediately losing her color in alarm:

    ¡°Hey! Who the heck are you?¡±

    Yan Yu had already thought of a response, and with a cold smirk, he went over to Zhou Hongyu, wrapped his arms around her, and shouted loudly:

    ¡°Old Lady! I¡¯m here to take my wife out for some fun, you better just stay home and get the chores done! I¡¯ll check when we return!¡±

    Without waiting for Zhou¡¯s mother to react, he grabbed Zhou Hongyu¡¯s hand and strode out the door with her.

    Once outside in the corridor, the finally recovered Zhou Hongyu immediately shook his hand off and said irritably:

    ¡°What craziness are you spouting?¡±

    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for me, you¡¯d still be in there getting lectured like a turtle by your mom,¡± Yan Yu said with a cold laugh.

    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business,¡± said Zhou Hongyu coldly, not hesitating to turn and start walking down the stairs.

    Yan Yu quickly followed her and asked via sound transmission:

    ¡°If you dislike your mother so much, why let her stay at your place?¡±

    ¡°What else?¡± retorted Zhou Hongyu. ¡°Should I kill her?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a bit extreme,¡± Yan Yu suggested. ¡°You could just cut ties.¡±

    ¡°Then she¡¯d make a scene for the whole world to know,¡± Zhou Hongyu said.

    ¡°The Pingxi Army would surely silence her if they found out,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want the Pingxi Army to know,¡± Zhou Hongyu said irritably. ¡°Are you done yet? Stop following me!¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Yan Yu mused for a moment, suddenly smiling smugly, and transmitted to Zhou Hongyu, ¡°Little Zhou, you don¡¯t want the Pingxi Army to learn about you and your mother¡¯s issues either, right?¡±

    No sooner had he spoken than Zhou Hongyu whirled around, driving her elbow into Yan Yu, pinning him against the wall.

    Her elbow locked around his neck, pushing him forcefully forward, her beautiful face seething with murderous intent as she inched closer, her eyes spitting fire as if to burn his face.

    However, even at such close range, the girl¡¯s beauty remained undiminished. Her skin was fair and smooth, with willow eyebrows complementing her phoenix eyes, and her delicate nose and apricot lips made her appear even more charming, especially the heroic spirit in her eyes, which gave her an allure that made one want to subdue her¡­

    But Yan Yu wasn¡¯t after her beauty; he simply wished to rescue her from the tragedy of her past life.

    If her mother kept harassing her like this, she was bound to explode eventually.

    ¡°Dare to spill this,¡± Zhou Hongyu stared at Yan Yu, articulating every word, ¡°and I¡¯ll kill you.¡±

    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    Zhou Hongyu didn¡¯t reply, only her gaze grew more fierce, as if she was ready to unsheathe the Phoenix Sword and execute him on the spot the moment a single word of dissent fell from his lips.

    Footsteps came from below the stairs. It was a young mother leading a little girl upstairs.

    As they passed by, the little girl looked curiously at the immobile Yan Yu and Zhou Hongyu (who still refused to release her grip, her body visibly tensing), and suddenly turned to her mother and asked:

    ¡°Mommy, are they playing some kind of domination game?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t spout nonsense, child!¡± The mother immediately became flustered, snatched her daughter up in her arms, and hurried upstairs as if fleeing from something filthy.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­

    Zhou Hongyu: ¡­¡­

    Her pretty face twitched for a moment, and without a word, she let go of Yan Yu and started walking downstairs.

    Without a second thought, Yan Yu followed her down, only to see Zhou Hongyu walking faster and faster down the stairs, eventually leaping down three to four steps at a time and running away in sheer panic.

 Chapter 494 - 90 Why Are You Touching Randomly?

    Chapter 494: Chapter 90 Why Are You Touching Randomly?

    As the saying goes, it¡¯s difficult for even an honest official to settle domestic disputes. Yan Yu did not plan to meddle in Zhou Hongyu¡¯s family affairs because it was easy to end up thankless and overwhelmed¡ªwho knows what she really thinks of her mother?

    If the girl¡¯s true thoughts were ¡°I wish my mother would love me once more¡±, then rashly separating her from her mother would certainly backfire. If Yan Yu were handling it, he would find a way to leverage her mother¡¯s weaknesses, threaten her to act the role of a ¡°loving mother¡± in front of Zhou Hongyu, and then gradually guide Zhou Hongyu to disillusion and desensitize her from the fantasized maternal love.

    But if Zhou Hongyu simply wanted to repay the ¡°debt of birth¡±, then finding a place to confine and support her mother, ensuring her a high quality of life in exchange for her absence from Zhou Hongyu¡¯s life, would naturally be a better approach.

    Ultimately, it all depended on what Zhou Hongyu herself thought.

    The problem was that the girl was like a little hedgehog covered in spines, utterly unwilling to communicate properly.

    Yan Yu planned to probe her intentions first.

    ... S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Zhou Hongyu left the Military Manor¡¯s compound and soared up into the sky using Sword Control.

    Yan Yu followed closely with his Sword Control, and after flying for half a day, he realized that this girl seemed to have no specific ¡°destination¡± in mind, flying around aimlessly like a headless fly.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Yan Yu asked through a transmitted message.

    Zhou Hongyu ignored him, and Yan Yu made another suggestion:

    ¡°I heard you were raised by your grandmother, can you take me to your grandmother¡¯s house to have a look?¡±

    The red sword light circled for a moment, then suddenly headed towards the old town district¡ªalthough she did not respond, she must have been moved.

    They landed in a tube-shaped apartment complex where the buildings, mostly six stories high, were short and old. With security bars installed on all the balconies, it was clearly a very old neighborhood.

    Yan Yu followed Zhou Hongyu into the dark, gloomy stairwell. The floor was stained with garbage water, and the air was filled with a faint smell of mildew.

    On the third floor, Zhou Hongyu took out a key to unlock the door, and just as Yan Yu was about to follow her in, the door was abruptly shut in his face.

    But so what? I can perform Wall-Penetration Technique.

    He quietly used the Wall-Penetration Technique and entered the room, ignoring the door¡¯s barrier, only to see that although much of the furniture was old, it was also neat and clean, evidently someone cleaned here regularly.

    Zhou Hongyu came out with a broom and dustpan, glanced at Yan Yu at the door, and handed over the cleaning tools, saying:

    ¡°Clean or get out.¡±

    ¡°Funny, with my status, helping you clean here?¡± Yan Yu said disdainfully, taking the broom from her hand, ¡°Why not hire a maid?¡±

    Zhou Hongyu ignored him, turned to the bathroom to fetch a basin of water, rinsed and wrung out a rag, then started to wipe the surfaces of the coffee table, benches, and cabinets.

    Yan Yu had roughly tidied up the living room, then looked around more closely.

    The walls of the living room were covered with many certificates¡ªmodel student, class president, academic committee member¡­ Sadly, almost all were from elementary school, it seemed Zhou Hongyu¡¯s performance plummeted in middle school.

    ¡°You were a class president?¡± Yan Yu asked nonchalantly.

    ¡°Because I beat someone up,¡± Zhou Hongyu said indifferently, ¡°The class teacher liked to let bad students be class leaders, ostensibly for ¡®honorable transformation¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Did it work?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Zhou Hongyu threw the rag into the basin, splashing a lot of water.

    ¡°Apparently not,¡± Yan Yu chuckled.

    ¡°Once the living room is done, move to the bedroom,¡± Zhou Hongyu said impatiently.

    ¡°The master bedroom or the secondary one?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°The one with the balcony,¡± Zhou Hongyu replied.

    The secondary bedroom, connected to the balcony, must have been Zhou Hongyu¡¯s room as a child. Many stickers were affixed to the wardrobe, including Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, and Kikyo from Inuyasha. On one side near the balcony, there was a desk, with a bookshelf on the left and a bamboo basket padded with wool fabric on the right, which held many notebooks, their pages completely yellowed.

    Yan Yu casually picked up a notebook and flipped it open, finding many old photos, almost all of Zhou Hongyu and her grandmother from her childhood.

    ¡°Have you had enough?¡± Zhou Hongyu¡¯s voice suddenly came from behind, cold, suppressed, and annoyed.

    ¡°Your grandmother was truly great,¡± Yan Yu calmly flipped through the notebook, clicking his tongue in wonder, ¡°She must have been over sixty when you were in kindergarten, right? Not easy at all.¡±

    Zhou Hongyu fell silent. The anger that had been building up in her was easily dismantled by just a sentence from Yan Yu.

    ¡°Sixty-four years old,¡± she lowered her eyelids, her gaze falling on the old woman in the photo, ¡°Indeed not easy.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°After all, you don¡¯t seem like an easy child to raise.¡±

    ¡°Shut up,¡± Zhou Hongyu cursed, though her tone held little anger, ¡°I always listened to my grandmother when I was little.¡±

    ¡°Then why did you fight with others at school?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Because if I got bullied, my grandmother would feel bad,¡± Zhou Hongyu stated.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, you shouldn¡¯t indulge your mom,¡± Yan Yu ventured.

    ¡°What do you know?¡± Zhou Hongyu grew angry, ¡°She is still my mom after all!¡±

    ¡°Do you feel affection for her?¡± Yan Yu pretended to be surprised.

    ¡°¡­No,¡± Zhou Hongyu closed her eyes.

    She didn¡¯t know why she was talking to Yan Yu about this; perhaps seeing her grandmother in the photos temporarily melted her sturdy, cold defenses, or perhaps she thought Yan Yu would not speak of it outside, so she finally chose to reveal her heart.

    ¡°Because my grandmother didn¡¯t want me to hold a grudge against my mom.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu murmured.

    ¡°My grandmother¡­¡± Zhou Hongyu paused for a moment and spoke in a low voice, ¡°often called my mom, hoping that she would come back to see me.¡±

    ¡°Did your mom come back then?¡± Yan Yu already knew the answer.

    ¡°No,¡± Zhou Hongyu looked at the photo album, ¡°not even once.¡±

    Her fingers brushed over the surface of the photos, as if touching her grandmother¡¯s aged face.

    ¡°My grandmother raised me through hardships not only because I was her granddaughter. She often said that children are the debt collectors of their parents¡¯ past lives, and my mom refuses to repay what she owes me, so she came to help her daughter repay it.¡±

    So your family passes on debts instead of genes, huh? Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but think to himself.

    ¡°So, even though my mom never fulfilled her duties as a mother, my grandmother compensated for her enough,¡± Zhou Hongyu said coldly. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m willing to recognize her as my mother.¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu, I don¡¯t care why you¡¯re so interested in my private matters, but I¡¯m not as fragile as you think, and I certainly don¡¯t need your roundabout goodwill and kind-heartedness. I don¡¯t need anyone¡¯s pity or sympathy!¡±

    ¡°From the moment my grandmother passed away, the weak me had died. The current me¡­ What are you doing!¡±

    Yan Yu took out his phone from his pocket, turned on the recording button, and said:

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, keep going, I¡¯m recording.¡±

    Zhou Hongyu stared at his phone screen, her eyes twitched slightly, and she coldly said:

    ¡°Childish.¡±

    ¡°Cough cough, let me summarize for Miss Zhou.¡± Seeing she refused to continue, Yan Yu spoke into the phone, ¡°Miss Zhou doesn¡¯t need anyone¡¯s pity or sympathy. The soft Miss Zhou from before is dead. The current Miss Zhou is soft and¡­ ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s weak!¡± Zhou Hongyu yelled in frustration, then took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s assume you¡¯re tough and have a strong backbone, and don¡¯t need anyone else¡¯s help,¡± Yan Yu turned off the recording button and put the phone back in his pocket, grinning, ¡°but have you considered the possibility?¡±

    ¡°What possibility?¡±

    ¡°For instance, I¡¯m not pitying or sympathizing with you, I just think you look cute when angry, and I wanted to tease you a bit.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not cute,¡± Zhou Hongyu said coldly.

    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Yan Yu was immediately surprised.

    ¡°You think I¡¯m cute?¡± Zhou Hongyu raised an eyebrow, displaying an expression that said, ¡°Can¡¯t you distinguish between beauty and ugliness? There¡¯s not just one or two kids who¡¯ve been scared to tears by me.¡±

    Isn¡¯t that because your expression is too fierce?

    Yan Yu suddenly had an idea and clapped his hands, saying:

    ¡°I¡¯ve decided, I¡¯ll make a bet with you.¡±

    ¡°Not interested,¡± Zhou Hongyu instinctively refused and then frowned, ¡°What bet?¡±

    ¡°I will make you into a beauty,¡± Yan Yu declared.

    ¡°Find someone else,¡± Zhou Hongyu shook her head again.

    ¡°You¡¯d better agree¡­ or else¡­¡± Yan Yu chuckled darkly.

    ¡°Or else what?!¡± Zhou Hongyu glared, her face fierce enough to scare children.

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t want the Pingxi Army to hear the conversation we just recorded, would you?¡±

    The moment Yan Yu finished speaking, the infuriated Zhou Hongyu threw an elbow at his neck.

    But Yan Yu simply ducked, avoiding Zhou Hongyu¡¯s elbow strike, and in a fluid motion, he grabbed her waist and used a strong charge to immediately topple the off-balanced Zhou Hongyu onto the bed.

    ¡°Let go of me!¡± Zhou Hongyu thrashed about.

    ¡°Then promise you won¡¯t elbow me,¡± Yan Yu refused to let go.

    ¡°I promise!¡± Zhou Hongyu shouted while forcefully pushing him with her knee.

    The spot she aimed at was quite dangerous, forcing Yan Yu to activate a Barrier Charm and shout:

    ¡°Swear on your grandmother!¡±

    ¡°I!¡± Zhou Hongyu was infuriated, grinding her teeth, ¡°I swear on my grandmother, just let me go, and I promise not to elbow you again!¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡± No sooner had Yan Yu let go of her waist than Zhou Hongyu, who had freed herself, grabbed him and flipped over, neatly mounting him, reversing their positions with her on top.

    ¡°Go to hell!¡± Zhou Hongyu, straddling him, rained down fists furiously, like a madwoman.

    With the Barrier Charm activated, he felt no pain, but seeing the girl exert so much effort, Yan Yu played along and yelled a few times, just for the fun of it.

    Listening to his exaggerated screams, Zhou Hongyu calmed down again, and reached for the phone in his pocket.

    ¡°Ouch, what are you randomly touching!¡±

    ¡°Hand over the phone!¡±

    ¡°Give up, my recording is backed up in the Cloud Space¡­ Wait! Don¡¯t touch there!¡±

 Chapter 495 - 91 Fun to Pinch Little Zhou

    Chapter 495: Chapter 91 Fun to Pinch Little Zhou

    Zhou Hongyu sat in the clothing store, her face as frosty as winter, causing the sales associate beside her who wanted to ask for an autograph to tremble with fear.

    She was stewing in her own sullen anger.

    She had fully intended to reject him mercilessly, but in the end, she was blackmailed into submission by Yan Yu¡¯s ¡°You wouldn¡¯t want others to know, would you?¡±

    If Mother Zhou¡¯s issue became known to the higher-ups and they helped solve it, it would save a lot of trouble, but undeniably more people would learn about her family situation¡ªa scenario she absolutely didn¡¯t want to happen.

    After all, it¡¯s all due to her own overly competitive nature¡­ How infuriating!

    ¡°What about this one?¡± Yan Yu asked, holding up a floral maxi dress.

    ...

    Since his visit to the clothing warehouse with the team on the second day of the lunar new year, he had become a seasoned driver, well-versed in choosing clothes for different girls.

    ¡°Not great,¡± Zhou Hongyu resisted.

    ¡°Try it on,¡± Yan Yu insisted, pushing the clothes hanger into her hands.

    Seeing Zhou Hongyu still reluctant, Yan Yu encouraged her with a smile:

    ¡°Little Zhou, you wouldn¡¯t want¡­¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Zhou Hongyu could no longer hold back her irritation as she abruptly stood up, grabbed the dress, and strode toward the fitting room.

    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï

    After a moment, the fitting room curtain was pulled aside again to reveal a Nanchuan girl standing with one hand on her hip, a look of impatience on her face.

    The floral dress Yan Yu picked out was sleeveless, revealing her two fair and lovely arms. A distinctive waist design emphasized Little Zhou¡¯s slender waist¡ªwhich also had to be strong and flexible, or he wouldn¡¯t have been flipped over in bed by her sneak attack at her grandmother¡¯s house and firmly trapped from getting up. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The waist flared out to a generously proportioned upper body, though not as voluptuous as Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s, it was certainly better than Lin Ning and Li Minghu¡¯s, comparable to sizes not far behind Ye Jun and Anna¡¯s.

    The neckline was cut slightly low, revealing a beautiful and delicate collarbone, leading up to Zhou Hongyu¡¯s face, which easily flitted between annoyance and anger, exuding a strange and indescribable alluring charm.

    ¡°Smile,¡± Yan Yu suggested, pulling out his phone, ready to take a picture.

    Zhou Hongyu rolled her eyes.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to smile,¡± Yan Yu quickly amended, ¡°Your look of disdain is also cute. To use the popular internet phrase, it¡¯s ¡®queen style.¡¯ Right now, there are probably lots of men who would pay to be trampled by you, or slapped¡­¡±

    Zhou Hongyu immediately shuddered with manifest disgust, forcing a reluctant smile.

    But she really wasn¡¯t good at it, so much so that it only stretched the muscles on her face mechanically to the sides, creating a stiff, insincere smile.

    Yan Yu took several pictures, then showed the phone to Zhou Hongyu.

    ¡°Is this me?¡± Zhou Hongyu asked in shock.

    Although the smile was a bit awkward, it was much better than her usual ¡°keep out¡± fierce look. Coupled with the flattering influence of the sleeveless, waisted floral maxi dress, it highlighted her feminine charm so much that Zhou Hongyu almost didn¡¯t recognize the pretty girl in the photo as herself.

    Her self-image was still that of the cold and fierce woman she saw in the mirror every morning when she rose to wash up.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Yan Yu put away his phone, ¡°Next, we need to go¡­¡±

    ¡°Delete the photo,¡± Zhou Hongyu suddenly demanded.

    ¡°No way,¡± laughed Yan Yu, refusing, ¡°That¡¯s my payment for helping you choose clothes.¡±

    ¡°Delete it!¡± Zhou Hongyu lunged to snatch the phone away.

    Yan Yu attempted to make a run for it, but Zhou Hongyu was ready; she grabbed his arm and dragged him into the fitting room, forcefully pulling the curtain shut behind them.

    ¡°Hand over the phone!¡± Inside the cramped cubicle, she pinned Yan Yu against the corner wall and commanded fiercely.

    ¡°I promise I won¡¯t show it to anyone,¡± Yan Yu tried to communicate with her earnestly.

    ¡°You even plan to show it to others?!¡± Zhou Hongyu¡¯s beautiful phoenix eyes widened in anger, her temper flaring instantly.

    ¡°Just to our team and your team,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, ¡°After all, to us, they are ¡®our people,¡¯ right¡­¡±

    Zhou Hongyu didn¡¯t bother with words and went straight for the phone.

    Yan Yu quickly hid his phone behind him, but Zhou Hongyu grabbed his pocket in one swift motion, his smile abruptly vanishing.

    ¡°Hand it over!¡± Zhou Hongyu ordered coldly.

    ¡°¡­Let go first, it¡¯s not in the pocket.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to use Curved Curse now,¡± Zhou Hongyu threatened.

    Yan Yu, with a pained expression, handed over his cellphone. Zhou Hongyu continued to grip him with her left hand while she operated the cellphone with her right, not only deleting all the photos and recordings but also thoroughly clearing the backups in the Cloud Space.

    Only then did she let go of her left hand, tossed the cellphone back to Yan Yu, and declared:

    ¡°That¡¯s enough for today.¡±

    ¡°Oh no, that won¡¯t do,¡± Yan Yu said, his smile returning. ¡°Our bet isn¡¯t over yet. We still need to stop by the hair salon.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have anything to threaten me with now,¡± Zhou Hongyu scoffed.

    It must be said, the cold smirk she displayed at this moment looked better than the forced smile she had squeezed out earlier.

    Her attractiveness was on the rise!

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you know?¡± Yan Yu kindly enlightened her. ¡°Most messaging apps have a feature that allows you to send messages to yourself. That way, you can keep the messages in the app¡¯s file directory.¡±

    Zhou Hongyu¡¯s face changed slightly, and she quickly lunged at him again, trying to snatch the cellphone.

    But this time, Yan Yu was ready. With the speed of lightning, he reached out with both arms, firmly grasping Zhou Hongyu¡¯s wrists.

    With her arms restrained, Zhou Hongyu couldn¡¯t throw an elbow or sneak a peach, so she tried to knee him in the groin again, but this time Yan Yu immediately raised his right leg, delivering a side-kick right to the hollow of her knee, causing her to lose her balance and plunk down onto Yan Yu¡¯s thigh.

    ¡°The same trick isn¡¯t going to work on me twice!¡± Yan Yu declared righteously.

    ¡°Let go of me!¡± Zhou Hongyu struggled violently, exclaiming in annoyance.

    ¡°Swear that you won¡¯t try to snatch my cellphone again,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Impossible,¡± Zhou Hongyu said coldly. ¡°I won¡¯t let you keep those recordings!¡±

    ¡°In that case,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°how about I delete the recordings but keep the photos?¡±

    Zhou Hongyu was silent for a moment, then nodded.

    Yan Yu then released her hands, stood up, and tidied up his clothes and pants that she had ruffled.

    ¡°Delete the recordings,¡± Zhou Hongyu stressed.

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu opened the messaging app to show her, ¡°I didn¡¯t send any recordings to myself.¡±

    ¡°Then what were you saying just now?¡± Zhou Hongyu glared at him again.

    ¡°I only said it¡¯s possible to back up that way, I didn¡¯t say I did,¡± Yan Yu defended confidently.

    Zhou Hongyu was so irritated she simply pulled open the fitting room curtain and left without looking back.

    Yan Yu hurriedly paid the female clerk, purchasing the floral dress she had worn out, then quickly caught up to Zhou Hongyu¡ªher not leaving the store to escape via Sword Control was truly beyond Yan Yu¡¯s expectations.

    Could it be that she wasn¡¯t as angry as she appeared?

    ¡°Next, we should head to the hair salon,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°Get your hair trimmed; it¡¯s all messy¡­ You don¡¯t take much care of your hair, do you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going,¡± Zhou Hongyu stated. ¡°You no longer have the recordings.¡±

    ¡°But I still have the photos,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile. ¡°Little Zhou, you wouldn¡¯t want these photos to be sent to your team members, would you?¡±

    ¡°Today, I must smash your damn phone!!!¡± Zhou Hongyu finally exploded, turned around, and started to chase after Yan Yu at a swift pace.

    Yan Yu swiftly took to his heels. The two of them chased each other and soon darted into a hair salon.

    ¡°Welcome¡­¡± The greeting hostess at the door immediately recognized the man who had burst into the shop as Yan Yu, the captain of the Zhenhai Team frequently seen on TV.

    ¡°Hello,¡± Yan Yu winked at her. ¡°Can you keep my visit here a secret?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± The hostess immediately showed a flattering, admiring smile. ¡°Are you here to get a haircut at our salon? Several of our styling directors are your fans!¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu turned and gestured, ¡°It¡¯s Little Zhou I brought in to cut¡­¡±

    Before he could finish, Zhou Hongyu, who followed him into the store with a burst through the door, pounced on Yan Yu.

    In front of the many hairstylists in the store, she latched onto Yan Yu¡¯s neck and shook him violently, grinding her teeth and shouting:

    ¡°If you don¡¯t delete the photos, I¡¯m going to kill you!¡±

 Chapter 496 - 92 Overwhelmed by Ones Own Beauty

    Chapter 496: Chapter 92 Overwhelmed by One¡¯s Own Beauty

    Zhou Hongyu, with her hair freshly washed, sat in the hair salon chair, her face as cold as ice, silent.

    At that moment, she suddenly had a subtle premonition, an inexplicable feeling that Yan Yu was her nemesis¡ªshe couldn¡¯t catch a break with him on the battlefield, and in life, he bullied and manipulated her relentlessly, leaving her utterly defeated!

    She should never have taken him to her grandmother¡¯s house!

    Although Yan Yu had no idea what she was thinking, he could probably guess some of it. At the moment, he was chatting nonchalantly with Teacher Tony:

    ¡°Why is curly hair more suitable for her?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t do hairstyling blindly.¡± replied Teacher Tony, ¡°One has to consider the person¡¯s face shape, and also their temperament.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Captain Zhou is actually very pretty, but her temperament is too tough. Curly hair will make her look softer and help balance out that trait.¡±

    ¡°Ha-ha, tough.¡± Yan Yu winked at Zhou Hongyu, ¡°Definitely tough.¡±

    Zhou Hongyu glared at him coldly.

    ¡°Cough cough.¡± Teacher Tony felt a bit awkward and quickly explained, ¡°Androgynous style is also a trend in aesthetics, it¡¯s not that it doesn¡¯t look good.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± said Yan Yu, ¡°Curly hair is more feminine, so let¡¯s do curly¡­ Should we do a full wave perm, or just curl certain parts?¡±

    ¡°That depends on what she wants.¡± Teacher Tony looked at Zhou Hongyu, seeking her input.

    Zhou Hongyu didn¡¯t want to speak.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s do a full wave perm.¡± Yan Yu pondered, ¡°How about dying it too?¡±

    ¡°What color do you want to dye it?¡± asked Teacher Tony. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°How about bright red?¡± Yan Yu suggested with a smile, ¡°After all, Hongyu has ¡®Hong¡¯ in her name. Dye it the red of New Year¡¯s lanterns, festive.¡±

    Teacher Tony didn¡¯t think it was a good idea, but didn¡¯t dare to refute Yan Yu directly, so she just gave an awkward smile.

    ¡°I¡¯ll punch you in the nose later, make your entire face super red.¡± Zhou Hongyu finally couldn¡¯t keep silent, she said fiercely.

    Reality isn¡¯t an anime, and red hair can easily look tacky like a country funeral. Although she didn¡¯t care much about her looks, she had no desire to take such a risk.

    ¡°Don¡¯t like red?¡± Yan Yu stroked his chin and thought for a moment before suggesting, ¡°How about green then? Forest style.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we go with ash blonde?¡± Teacher Tony quickly suggested, afraid Yan Yu would come up with something more preposterous like ¡°alternate red and green,¡± which would infuriate Zhou Hongyu enough to wreck the salon.

    ¡°No.¡± Zhou Hongyu said decisively, ¡°Not dying it.¡±

    ¡°Alright then.¡± Yan Yu knew she was drawing a line, and said with a laugh, ¡°Then just a perm.¡±

    He sat at the entrance of the hair salon waiting, the receptionist had already hung up a ¡°Temporarily Closed¡± sign, and she leaned in to ask Yan Yu if he would mind taking a photo together.

    ¡°Sure.¡± said Yan Yu, ¡°Let¡¯s take it together after Xiao Lian¡¯s hair is permed.¡±

    Zhou Hongyu shuddered at that: What? Perming her hair was one thing, but taking photos as evidence too?

    ¡°The photo can be hung on that wall over there.¡± Yan Yu suggested.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to hang you up on that wall in a minute.¡± Zhou Hongyu could no longer contain herself and warned him.

    ¡°Ha ha ha.¡± laughed Teacher Tony, ¡°You two have a pretty good relationship.¡±

    Zhou Hongyu closed her eyes, trying hard to resist the urge to curse.

    Which eye of yours sees that we have a pretty good relationship? If you¡¯re not using it, I suggest you donate it to the blind.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Yan Yu boldly acknowledged, ¡°Even though I beat her in the competition, our relationship outside of it is very good. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t be accompanying her here, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± the receptionist agreed, ¡°The fans of both your teams are fighting so fiercely online, making it seem like you can¡¯t coexist. But when you think about it, that¡¯s not possible, right? Perhaps one day, both your teams will have to fight together for the country. How could you fall out over one competition? It must be the fans venting their emotions.¡±

    Zhou Hongyu closed her eyes, not wanting to see her reflection in the mirror.

    Better not.

    Teaming up with the Zhenhai Team to compete for the country, she was afraid she¡¯d find it impossible to resist hitting Yan Yu with a Great Bright Fire from behind.

    After what felt like an eternity, she finally heard Teacher Tony say:

    ¡°Alright, how do you think it looks?¡±

    ¡°Incredible,¡± Yan Yu exclaimed, ¡°feels like she could debut as an idol right now.¡±

    Zhou Hongyu opened her eyes, about to scoff and say something, but suddenly she froze.

    In the mirror, after the change to curly hair, the original fierce and indifferent demeanor that said ¡®keep out¡¯ had mostly vanished.

    She tried to purse her lips, and the reflection did the same, her face still showing no sign of anger, disgust, or coldness, but instead looking a bit¡­ wronged?

    ¡°How about it?¡± Yan Yu asked with a smile, evaluating her new look, ¡°Doesn¡¯t this make you look even more like a beauty?¡±

    ¡°Captain Zhou was always a beauty,¡± Teacher Tony flattered from the side, ¡°With such a good foundation, I¡¯ve never seen anything like it since I opened my business.¡±

    ¡°Not really,¡± Zhou Hongyu stood up and headed straight out of the shop.

    She felt inexplicably irked and flustered.

    The people in the shop were stunned, but Yan Yu quickly caught on, promptly scanned the code to pay, and then chased after Zhou Hongyu.

    ¡°So now you admit you lost the bet?¡± he asked with a chuckling tone.

    ¡°I don¡¯t admit it,¡± Zhou Hongyu said.

    ¡°You intend to renege?¡± Yan Yu exclaimed in shock.

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Zhou Hongyu smiled slightly, ¡°It¡¯s based on my personal feelings, what¡¯s this about reneging? If you think it¡¯s unfair, don¡¯t make bets.¡±

    This was the third type of smile Yan Yu saw on her face, not that cold smile that seemed to bite, not the fierce smile brimming with killing intent, but a mischievous smile with a touch of smugness. It not only didn¡¯t displease, but it made her appear even more playful and charming.

    Seeing Yan Yu staring somewhat dumbfounded, Zhou Hongyu quickly came to her senses and swiftly resumed her expressionless icy facade, saying in a muffled voice:

    ¡°I¡¯m going back.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°there¡¯s one more place we haven¡¯t been to.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Zhou Hongyu furrowed her brows.

    ¡°Manicure and eyelash extensions,¡± Yan Yu explained.

    Zhou Hongyu paused for a moment, then suddenly turned and ran.

    ¡°Don¡¯t run!¡± Yan Yu chased after her relentlessly, shouting, ¡°Captain Zhou! Our bet isn¡¯t over yet!¡±

    ¡°Get lost!¡±

    ¡°While you were getting your hair permed with your eyes closed, I took a lot of photos!¡± Yan Yu once again brought out his leverage against Zhou Hongyu, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t want me to send the pictures to Zhang Huaide and the others, would you?¡±

    ¡°Do whatever you want!¡± Zhou Hongyu shouted back in embarrassment and anger, ¡°I won¡¯t be threatened by you anymore!¡±

    A few minutes later, she sat in the shop, wearing a mask, allowing the beautician to do her nails.

    ¡°This is the last time,¡± Zhou Hongyu transmitted to Yan Yu, ¡°If you dare threaten me with any reason again, I will take you down with me.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± At this point, Yan Yu wasn¡¯t in the mood to tease her anymore and instead took out his phone to check new messages.

    Su Yunjin sent a message saying everyone had already had dinner and was now preparing to go to KTV to sing. She also sent the specific address.

    Tang Xiaolian also sent a message, asking him how things were going and if he had been fiercely scolded by Captain Zhou yet.

    Yan Yu replied to the former, saying ¡°We¡¯ll be there in a bit¡±; and mocked the latter with, ¡°Your Captain Zhou is already at my mercy.¡±

    Su Yunjin replied with a smiley face, while Tang Xiaolian sent back, ¡°I don¡¯t believe it, you¡¯re trying to play me again.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re heading to KTV to sing later,¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly to Zhou Hongyu, ¡°to meet up with everyone.¡±

    Zhou Hongyu didn¡¯t respond but absent-mindedly took out her phone, without unlocking the screen, just looking at her reflection in it.

    After a while, she closed her eyes again.

    ¡­Forget it, I¡¯ll just change it back later.

 Chapter 497 - 93: Accidentally Won Over Little Zhou While Trying to Impress Zhous Mother

    Chapter 497: Chapter 93: Accidentally Won Over Little Zhou While Trying to Impress Zhou¡¯s Mother

    The two returned home, and Zhou¡¯s mother was so taken aback by Zhou Hongyu¡¯s fashionable attire that she was momentarily dazed.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to change,¡± Zhou Hongyu said coldly, walking straight to her room.

    Her bet with Yan Yu was about ¡°whether she could turn herself into a beauty,¡± not about maintaining this look permanently.

    As for who won or lost the bet, Zhou Hongyu didn¡¯t want to bring it up again¡ªanyway, I won¡¯t admit it, I didn¡¯t lose!

    She locked her bedroom door, took off the skirt she had just bought from the store, and was about to throw it into the garbage bin next to her.

    ¡­Forget it.

    ...

    For some reason, she changed her mind and went to the wardrobe for a hanger, hanging up the new skirt.

    Having changed back into a jacket and jeans, Zhou Hongyu was silent for a while, then started straightening her hair in front of the mirror.

    Yan Yu sat on the couch in the living room, only to hear Zhou¡¯s mother ask tentatively:

    ¡°So, Yan Yu, right? Are you Hongyu¡¯s boyfriend?¡±

    Seeing her so reverent, Yan Yu immediately guessed that Zhou¡¯s mother had learned of his identity.

    The previous test results with Zhou Hongyu were very clear: she didn¡¯t love her mother, nor did she crave the so-called ¡°motherly love.¡± The only reason she tolerated her mother living there and asking for money every day was just to ¡°keep her grandmother below at ease.¡±

    If that was the case, then taking action would be much simpler.

    ¡°Hongyu will be living outside with me,¡± Yan Yu said with an indifferent expression. ¡°This apartment will be left to you.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Zhou¡¯s mother immediately showed a resistant look.

    If my daughter doesn¡¯t come home, who will give me money?

    ¡°Hongyu has already told me,¡± Yan Yu said, intertwining his fingers to show he had everything under control. ¡°You haven¡¯t fulfilled your parental duties to her, right?¡±

    ¡°I was a kindergarten teacher before, and I was quite busy with work,¡± Zhou¡¯s mother hurriedly defended. ¡°I just left her with my mother to take care of her, and I regularly checked in¡­¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s skip the unnecessary talk,¡± Yan Yu interrupted her with a wave of his hand. ¡°Both of us know what the reality is. The problem now is that Hongyu¡¯s job is very demanding. When she comes home, she still has to endure your verbal attacks, and this severely affects her work. In fact, the Pingxi Army has also noticed her poor mood recently and even came to me to inquire about the situation, so I decided to come back with her to resolve this issue. As things stand, it isn¡¯t suitable for you to live together.¡±

    When Zhou¡¯s mother heard Yan Yu bring up the Pingxi Army, she immediately went pale and her voice rose by an octave:

    ¡°Where¡¯s the sense in that? It¡¯s a legal obligation for children to support their parents! Can the Pingxi Army just forcibly separate me from my daughter?¡±

    ¡°Yes, they can,¡± Yan Yu said with a pleasant smile, speaking kindly. ¡°If you disagree, you can file a lawsuit or cause a disturbance at the command center¡¯s doorstep; go ahead and try.¡±

    Zhou¡¯s mother was instantly silenced. It was commonly said that civilians should not fight with officials. Making a scene required the official residence to care about face, but since Yan Yu had adopted a ¡°I don¡¯t care about face¡± attitude, it was foreseeable that if she dared to make trouble, the Pingxi Army would surely suppress her with decisive measures.

    If it were any other unreasonable old woman, she would have made a fuss no matter the cost, betting that the official residence would still care about its reputation. But Zhou¡¯s mother, having once been a pre-school teacher in a government kindergarten, was all the more familiar with the various rules within the system¡ªthe Pingxi Army had a thousand ways to prevent her from causing trouble.

    ¡°As for financial support,¡± Yan Yu said deliberately, ¡°Hongyu can continue to provide living expenses for you, but the law stipulates that the minimum standard for support is related to the local average income, and has nothing to do with Hongyu¡¯s own expenses.¡±

    Zhou¡¯s mother¡¯s expression turned extremely ugly because the local average income of Shuzhong Prefecture didn¡¯t even come close to a tiny fraction of Zhou Hongyu the cultivator¡¯s income.

    Absolutely not! But¡­ what else can I do¡­

    Seeing that she still couldn¡¯t say anything, Yan Yu knew that he had completely overwhelmed the old woman. If there had been any fight left in her, the moment she heard that the support money would be given based on average income, she would have exploded on the spot.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu changed his tone, speaking softly again. ¡°I don¡¯t intend to insist that Hongyu give you money based only on the minimum standard. It¡¯s every child¡¯s greatest wish to provide a good life for their parents, but that¡¯s conditional on a harmonious relationship, isn¡¯t it?¡± S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Right, right, right!¡± Zhou¡¯s mother immediately clung to these words like a lifeline, saying hurriedly, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to annoy my daughter deliberately. It¡¯s just that¡­ when two people live under the same roof, how can they not argue?¡±

    Yan Yu ignored her attempts to justify herself and grinned.

    ¡°So, you have no objections to Hongyu moving out with me, right?¡±

    ¡°No objections.¡± Zhou¡¯s mother stated seriously, ¡°She should prioritize her job.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll deposit the alimony into your account every month,¡± Yan Yu continued to lay out the terms, ¡°Apart from that, there will be no other contact, not phone calls, not messages¡­ after all, Hongyu¡¯s work is military-related, you understand, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Understand, understand.¡± Zhou¡¯s mother had given up at this point, agreeing to anything as long as the money continued to come her way.

    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful,¡± Yan Yu smiled, ¡°Auntie has a deep sense of propriety. The Pingxi Army should also be satisfied.¡±

    Zhou¡¯s mother forced a smile and stood up, saying:

    ¡°Well, how about staying for dinner¡­¡±

    ¡°Can you even cook?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    Zhou¡¯s mother was at a loss for words. She had never cooked a meal in her life, always relying on takeout or eating out.

    ¡°Then, I won¡¯t disturb you any longer.¡± Yan Yu stood up, walked over to Zhou Hongyu¡¯s bedroom door, and was about to knock when the door suddenly opened from the inside, revealing Zhou Hongyu back to her usual self.

    Not only had she changed her clothes and straightened her hair, but her fingernails were also neatly cleaned; it was baffling how she managed to do all this so quickly.

    ¡°Shall we go?¡± asked Yan Yu.

    Zhou Hongyu didn¡¯t answer and simply headed straight for the room¡¯s door.

    As the two descended the stairs and turned a corner, Zhou Hongyu suddenly turned her head to look at Yan Yu, hesitating as if she wanted to speak.

    She felt that she should probably say thank you at this moment, yet found it somewhat difficult to say.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°Is it because you¡¯ve been hiding behind your bedroom door eavesdropping on my conversation with your mother, and now you¡¯re so moved that you want to throw yourself into my arms?¡±

    Zhou Hongyu immediately put on a cold face and turned to leave.

    I will definitely not thank him!

    The two arrived at the KTV and entered the private room, where everyone was seated around the tables.

    The girls from Zhenghai were sitting on the inside, while the men from Huofeng sat on the outside. Only Tang Xiaolian, being both a girl and from Huofeng, sat right in the middle, exuding the air of the party¡¯s protagonist. At that moment, she held a microphone, belting out ¡°The South of Colorful Clouds¡± in a high pitch, with Meng Qingxi helping her rap on the side.

    ¡°Oh, you can sing songs by Phoenix Legend?¡± Yan Yu remarked offhandedly, ¡°Impressive, Comrade Xiao Lian.¡±

    ¡°Not at all, okay!¡± Tang Xiaolian immediately stopped singing and playfully scolded, ¡°Captain Yan is simply a cultural illiterate in this area.¡±

    ¡°And here I am praising you, yet you¡¯re not even happy about it.¡± Yan Yu took a seat next to Zhao Yuanzhen, who handed him a handful of sunflower seeds. He raised his hand and said, ¡°You eat them.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll put them here for you.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen placed the sunflower seeds next to him, ¡°Take them yourself if you want some.¡±

    Zhou Hongyu also took a seat, positioning herself between Tang Xiaolian and Yan Yu. Tang Xiaolian immediately passed her the microphone, asking with a smile:

    ¡°Captain Zhou, would you like to sing a song?¡±

    Sitting by the door, Zhang Huaide surreptitiously adjusted his glasses with a finger.

    It feels like the relationship between these two has gotten better¡­ or is it just my imagination?

 Chapter 498 - 94: Their Weak Point in Guarding Their Hearts

    Chapter 498: Chapter 94: Their Weak Point in Guarding Their Hearts

    Everyone played in Shuzhong Prefecture for a whole day, and flew back to Jinling on their swords at night.

    The following morning, Yan Yu arranged for the girls to train on their own, then handed over forms and other procedures to Secretary Su before he went to the principal¡¯s office to report.

    Li Weiguo was drinking tea in his office when he saw Yan Yu come in, so he instructed,

    ¡°Close the door first.¡±

    Yan Yu shut the door and turned to ask,

    ¡°Is there something scandalous that you want to talk about with me?¡±

    ...

    ¡°Cough cough cough!¡± Li Weiguo was suddenly choked by his tea, coughing as he said, ¡°Just because I asked you to close the door properly, must it be about something scandalous?¡±

    ¡°Then you tell me.¡± Yan Yu sat down on a chair.

    ¡°The Pingxi Army said,¡± Li Weiguo set down his teacup, ¡°you helped Zhou Hongyu deal with her family affairs, and you did it very well. There are some things they can¡¯t conveniently get involved in, so this counts as owing you a favor.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s nothing,¡± Yan Yu waved his hand nonchalantly, ¡°Zhou and I are friends, and it¡¯s my duty to help a friend.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Li Weiguo fell silent.

    Why is this kid suddenly talking sense? I¡¯m not used to it.

    ¡°What do you think of Zhou Hongyu as a person?¡± He interlaced his fingers, resting his elbows on the table, and looked at Yan Yu with a scrutinizing expression.

    ¡°Not much.¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°She¡¯s too temperamental, hasn¡¯t been corrected for a long time, has poor self-control, and Zhang Huaide must have had a lot of headaches because of her. Of course, she can fight; she is undeniably qualified to be the captain of Huofeng Team, and I reckon no cultivator in the entire Pingxi Army can beat her in a one-on-one fight¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop.¡± Li Weiguo made a ¡®halt¡¯ gesture, ¡°I¡¯m asking about your opinion of her as a woman.¡±

    ¡°Uh.¡± Yan Yu pondered for a while, ¡°She¡¯s very pretty.¡±

    ¡°Anything else?¡± Li Weiguo asked.

    ¡°Anything else?¡± Yan Yu looked blank.

    ¡°Do you only look at the face when it comes to the opposite sex?¡± Li Weiguo asked, puzzled.

    ¡°Ah no, I get it now.¡± Yan Yu finally realized and hurriedly said, ¡°I don¡¯t have any inappropriate thoughts about her. As a member of the organization, I understand that my romantic relationships and marriage must be approved by the organization, so I have no intention of crossing the line¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop, don¡¯t rush.¡± Li Weiguo said helplessly, ¡°I¡¯m not trying to stop you from getting together with Zhou Hongyu.¡±

    He showed a somewhat conflicted expression, and after a moment he said,

    ¡°The Heart Demon in the Mysterious Realm, it attacks the cultivator¡¯s emotional vulnerabilities, right?¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t know why they were back on the topic of Heart Demons, but nodded in agreement.

    ¡°So why is it that Zhang Huaide and Hou Qing faced the Heart Demon without any issues at all,¡± Li Weiguo cut to the chase, ¡°but your teammates encountered various problems when they faced the Heart Demon?¡±

    ¡°Of course, because they have emotional vulnerabilities.¡± Yan Yu replied without hesitation.

    ¡°What exactly are their emotional vulnerabilities?¡± Li Weiguo looked meaningfully.

    ¡°That¡¯s something you¡¯ll have to ask them.¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care, I¡¯m asking you.¡± Li Weiguo pointed at him and said, ¡°You are the captain of the Zhenhai Team. Should I go and ask each person about the problems within your team?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Yan Yu naturally agreed, ¡°How about this, I¡¯ll go and have a talk with them and will provide a written report to you within this week¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop, stop, stop!¡± Li Weiguo quickly called a halt.

    What written report? You definitely want to shove this task onto that Su Yunjin in your team! Do you think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re up to?

    The commander-in-chief no longer wanted to beat around the bush, and directly asked,

    ¡°Their emotional vulnerabilities are because they all like you, right?¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Yan Yu was shocked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you play dumb with me!¡± Li Weiguo slammed the table and stood up, saying sternly, ¡°During the early stages of the team¡¯s formation, I specifically told you. You can pick any member you like, but you absolutely cannot have any troublemakers. Do you remember that?¡±

    ¡°If I remember correctly,¡± Yan Yu also spoke seriously, ¡°the exact words should have been ¡®as long as they can win battles,¡¯ not ¡®cannot have troublemakers¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Li Weiguo frowned and asked.

    ¡°It is,¡± Yan Yu insisted.

    Li Weiguo sat down quietly, slowly sipped his tea, and finally gathered his thoughts before speaking:

    ¡°Although you haven¡¯t lost any battles, they now have psychological weaknesses. What if they encounter even more powerful heart demons in the future? We can¡¯t just be aware of the problem and do nothing, only to reflect on it after suffering a defeat¡ªit would be too late by then.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Yan Yu also realized, ¡°What do you mean then?¡±

    ¡°Among these girls, do you have a favorite?¡± Li Weiguo got straight to the point.

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu replied without hesitation.

    ¡°It¡¯s because you don¡¯t have one that they all think they have a chance,¡± Li Weiguo tapped the table, ¡°Do you know why organizations prefer to promote those who are already settled down? Because those who aren¡¯t are more likely to create messes in romantic relationships. Psychological weaknesses, Comrade Yan Yu, to avoid their restraint by heart demons, this issue must be resolved as soon as possible.¡± Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°I understand,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°I will urge Xie Ruoxi to practice the Great Cave Thunder.¡±

    ¡°The Great Cave Thunder must be practiced,¡± Li Weiguo said gravely, ¡°but psychological weaknesses must also be addressed, not just treated symptomatically.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    ¡°Find yourself a girlfriend,¡± Li Weiguo suggested tentatively, ¡°Let the others lose hope and we¡¯ll do some ideological work with them as well. How about that?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not quite right,¡± Yan Yu shook his head.

    ¡°Why not?¡± Li Weiguo frowned and asked.

    ¡°They¡¯re not worthy of me,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°If I have to settle for that, then I¡¯m at a great disadvantage, and I¡¯ll develop psychological weaknesses.¡±

    Li Weiguo almost choked in exasperation. You¡­ On what grounds do you say such shameless things?

    But Yan Yu was now, after all, the Zhendong Army¡¯s leading cultivator, and they also had to consider his opinion. Why didn¡¯t the Pingxi Army get involved in Zhou Hongyu¡¯s family affairs? Because they needed to take into account Zhou Hongyu¡¯s personal feelings, and the Zhendong Army would be even more cautious with Yan Yu.

    ¡°What about other teams then?¡± Li Weiguo continued to ask, ¡°That Zhou Hongyu, I¡¯ve heard she is normally cold to others, aloof, but she¡¯s willing to take you home¡­ What about her?¡±

    ¡°Not quite right,¡± Yan Yu shook his head, ¡°Her temper is too bad, too stubborn, and she also can¡¯t live without spicy food.¡±

    ¡°I understand the first two, but how is loving spicy food a drawback?¡± Li Weiguo asked, puzzled.

    ¡°If I get married, I must have the final say on what we eat at home,¡± Yan Yu explained. ¡°My wife won¡¯t have a say, and I estimate Zhou can¡¯t accept that.¡±

    Li Weiguo fell silent for a moment, thinking to himself that in their team, Lin Ning would always cook whatever you felt like eating. Why don¡¯t you consider her?

    ¡°How about Li Minghu from the Qing¡¯an Team?¡± he changed the subject and asked, ¡°I¡¯ve heard you two get along quite well, and even her brother Li Zhaojiang often complains that she treats you even better than her own brother.¡±

    ¡°Not good,¡± Yan Yu still shook his head, ¡°I do get along well with Li Minghu, but her health isn¡¯t very good. Now, if I get together with her, wouldn¡¯t it be about seeking good fortune through marriage?¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s not consider Li Minghu for now,¡± Li Weiguo waved it off, ¡°What about Ye Jun? I heard from Liu Longtao that you¡¯ve been wanting to recruit Ye Jun to the Zhenhai Team?¡±

    ¡°Ye Jun is indeed quite good,¡± Yan Yu still shook his head, ¡°But I currently see her as a brother. It¡¯s too early to think about being together. Plus, she¡¯s busy with her team right now and probably doesn¡¯t have thoughts in that direction.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not considering that Anna, are you?¡± Li Weiguo suddenly exclaimed, ¡°She¡¯s now the leader of the Amur Witch¡¯s Group and would not likely give up her power and position to marry and come here. You need to be mentally prepared.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°That¡¯s why I said, I¡¯m not planning to find a partner right now.¡±

    ¡°But their psychological weaknesses are out in the open and can¡¯t be left unaddressed,¡± Li Weiguo sighed. ¡°We need at least a basic plan of action.¡±

    ¡°How about this, we¡¯ll arrange for an expert as soon as possible to conduct psychological assessments on your team members. You¡¯ll liaise when the time comes and try to accommodate their work.¡±

 Chapter 499 - 95: Psychological Investigator

    Chapter 499: Chapter 95: Psychological Investigator

    Zhang Jin was affiliated with the Rebellion Analysis Department under the Intelligence Command Section of the Privy Council.

    This was a rather obscure department. Simply put, it was responsible for gathering a substantial amount of personal intelligence on military leaders who posed a risk and then analyzing said information to assess their loyalty and the potential points at which they might defect.

    Or, as the department head would say, ¡°to see through the surface disguise and into the hearts of others.¡±

    To analyze this intelligence, psychology was naturally an essential foundation, and interrogation studies were also of paramount importance. The majority of the department¡¯s staff had been transferred in from the Military Police Corps, but Zhang Jin had previously worked in the criminal investigation section of a local public security unit and was brought in through a special talent recruitment channel, also known as ¡°exceptional admission.¡±

    She had been in the department for less than a year when she was suddenly informed by the department head that she had been assigned a major task.

    To conduct psychological analysis on the members of the Zhenhai Team.

    ...

    The Zhenhai Team, once a hot topic known as the ¡°harem team¡± due to the prevalence of female members, was subject to all kinds of speculations by various sectors of society. The department had discussed this and concluded it was unlikely, due to the presence of the deputy team leader Chen Lingyun¡ªin the common societal structure of harems, there was typically a ¡°one male to many females¡± ratio with a ¡°strong male to weak females¡± dynamic, the classic example being male bosses with a team of female secretaries. The utterly unequal job statuses allowed the former to easily make demands of the latter.

    As the sole daughter of the Jianghai Governor, Chen Lingyun¡¯s social status was not much inferior to Yan Yu¡¯s, making it highly improbable that she would ¡°lower herself¡± to ¡°serve a single husband.¡± Reversing the thought process, if Yan Yu really entertained the idea of keeping a harem, he should not have included Chen Lingyun in the team.

    Zhang Jin had once believed this too, until the department head handed her the task materials and she suddenly realized something was amiss.

    What was going on with all the team members liking the captain?

    She had studied the organization form of the battle team. At the current stage, battle team captains were typically the strongest cultivators, serving as a figurehead, but real power often resided with the deputy captains, for example in personnel arrangements or tactical planning¡ªin essence, captains could be less intelligent, unskilled in management, or even entirely incompetent as long as their combat strength was sufficient, since all practical matters within the team were handled by the deputies.

    In such circumstances, the power core of a battle team was actually bifurcated. Members might trust and admire the captain, but they were unlikely to ingratiate themselves with the captain for practical benefits; sycophants would find it more useful to cozy up to the deputy captain.

    Obviously, the real situation in the Zhenhai Team was more complex. It wasn¡¯t like the usual projects she handled, where she could see through everything at a glance just by looking at the data.

    A face-to-face investigation was now essential.

    After flying to Jinling Airport, Zhang Jin met Yan Yu, who had come to pick her up.

    Out of professional habit, she sized up his appearance at first sight and concurrently profiled him psychologically.

    His looks were decent and handsome, the kind that any demanding aesthetic association member would give a passing grade. But it was just ¡°decent and handsome,¡± not ¡°devilishly beautiful,¡± and certainly not captivating enough to ensnare a girl¡¯s heart at a glance. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    His demeanor and posture were quite casual, showing no hint of restraint when meeting a stranger, indicating a man with strong self-confidence. Not overly groomed, he did not seem particularly concerned about his appearance, wearing clothes that were very everyday.

    ¡°Researcher Zhang Jin, right?¡± Yan Yu also noticed the lady wearing sunglasses.

    ¡°Hello, Captain Yan,¡± Zhang Jin shook his hand and said, ¡°Let¡¯s get going, or it¡¯ll be bad if you¡¯re recognized once the economy class passengers come out.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Yan Yu led her away from the terminal building, then directly ascended to the sky with the flying sword.

    Amidst the sword light, Zhang Jin curiously surveyed her surroundings for a moment but soon, out of professional habit, began to get down to work:

    ¡°Captain Yan, may I ask about the members of your team?¡±

    ¡°Sure, what would you like to know?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Anything will do, just casual talk.¡± Zhang Jin knew that it was only in the context of casual conversation that one could easily extract information. If she approached with a strictly business attitude, the other party would subconsciously consider what to say and what not to say, making it difficult to get the information.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°then let me give you a brief introduction to the basics.¡±

    ¡°I am the team captain, the deputy captain is Chen Lingyun, the sole daughter of Jianghai Governor Chen Tianming; you must be aware of her.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Zhang Jin nodded.

    ¡°Since you know, do you still want to inquire about her situation?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    Zhang Jin was startled before realizing and laughed,

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just work. I think the Governor won¡¯t mind such things.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Yan Yu showed a relieved expression and said, ¡°Actually, the reason this situation arose, I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s 100% her fault, but at least 70% of the blame should be attributed to Chen Lingyun.¡±

    ¡°Ah, why¡¯s that?¡± Zhang Jin immediately feigned curiosity.

    ¡°Because it¡¯s this worthless woman who has always wanted to open a harem for me,¡± Yan Yu said earnestly, ¡°I suspect others like me because she¡¯s behind them, fanning the flames and igniting the fire.¡±

    Zhang Jin: ¡­¡­¡­

    I understand every word you¡¯re saying, but when you put them together, I¡¯m a bit lost. She wants to open a harem for you? What do you mean?

    ¡°Why would she do that?¡± Zhang Jin asked with a frown, her mind quickly conjuring up various rare cases she knew of.

    For instance, wives finding mistresses for their husbands, in most cases, it¡¯s about control effect; due to a low status in the family, satisfying the husband becomes her duty, leading her to do things that even harm her own interests¡­ But that¡¯s not right, because Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun are not in a marital relationship, and the latter couldn¡¯t possibly be under the former¡¯s long-term mental control.

    Next to the control effect is interest-driven behavior, meaning the woman has vested interests in the man, so she deliberately tries to please him¡­ Also unlikely, judging by Yan Yu¡¯s dissatisfaction with Chen Lingyun¡¯s actions.

    Could it be the even rarer masochistic tendency?

    Zhang Jin was rapidly thinking when she heard Yan Yu answer:

    ¡°Because she¡¯s just a Pleasure Seeker, she enjoys watching girls fight and get jealous over me, and seeing me harassed is the most amusing thing for her.¡±

    Zhang Jin: ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    The last thing she can stand is Pleasure Seekers, because they act solely on instinct and emotion, without any reason or vested interests, making it impossible to reason and analyze¡ªa bit like the vindictive indiscriminate murder cases she handled before, with victims selected at random, making it impossible to even start looking for suspects.

    Of course, Yan Yu¡¯s words couldn¡¯t be entirely trusted; it was better to first chat with other members to gather enough information, and finally confront Chen Lingyun.

    ¡°What about the others?¡± Zhang Jin asked, ¡°Since Chen Lingyun wants to¡­ um, open a harem for you, didn¡¯t anyone else object to this?¡±

    ¡°They probably don¡¯t know about it right now,¡± Yan Yu sighed and said, ¡°Because I¡¯m still single without any intention to date. So rather than eliminating rivals, they probably prefer to win me over first¡­ Oh, we¡¯ve arrived.¡±

    The two landed in the courtyard of the Zhenhai Team villa, where they saw Chen Lingyun welcoming them at the villa¡¯s entrance.

    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Deputy Captain Chen Lingyun.¡± She shook hands with Zhang Jin with a smiling face.

    Zhang Jin felt a bit helpless and was about to speak when she heard Chen Lingyun secretly transmit a message to her:

    ¡°Yan Yu must have said bad things about me to you, right? Don¡¯t believe him. The girls in our team fell for him on their own; it has nothing to do with me.¡±

    ¡°In fact, the problem that has arisen now is because Yan Yu refuses to respond to their feelings. You¡¯ll come to this conclusion after your investigation.¡±

    Zhang Jin: ¡­¡­¡­

    Let¡¯s set everything else aside; you¡¯re definitely a Pleasure Seeker. I can already tell.

 Chapter 500 03-25 - 96: Investigating Ningning

    Chapter 500: Chapter 96: Investigating Ningning

    The old criminal investigator had a habit, which was to always keep a watchful eye while interacting with others, never fully trusting what they said, even if there were no signs of a flaw.

    Whether it was Yan Yu¡¯s explanation or Chen Lingyun¡¯s statement, Zhang Jin took note of them but also held onto a touch of doubt.

    Next, it was time to interact with each girl and gather firsthand information.

    Zhang Jin¡¯s first choice was Lin Ning. This girl was preparing vegetables in the kitchen when Yan Yu called her to the study on the second floor to meet with Zhang Jin alone.

    ¡°Hello.¡± Lin Ning closed the door behind her, ¡°May I know what this is about?¡±

    ¡°Oh, nothing much, just a simple interview,¡± Zhang Jin gestured for her to take a seat, ¡°Do you mind if I ask you some questions?¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Lin Ning agreed without any hint of guile.

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Zhang Jin glanced at the materials in hand, ready to start the conversation, ¡°Lin Ning, I¡¯ve heard you¡¯ve always been an excellent student since you were young?¡±

    ¡°Not exactly excellent,¡± Lin Ning immediately beamed with pride, yet modestly said, ¡°I¡¯m just consistently within the top three of my class.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s quite impressive,¡± Zhang Jin complimented, ¡°Although you didn¡¯t take the college entrance exams, judging from your mock test scores at school, you could¡¯ve easily been among the top thousand in Minyue Province.¡±

    ¡°Mock exams are different from the actual college entrance exam,¡± Lin Ning said cheerfully, continuing her modesty, ¡°The mock papers the school sets are ultimately not the same as the real thing.¡±

    ¡°Since you¡¯re so outstanding, did boys pursue you back in high school?¡± Zhang Jin asked with a smile.

    ¡°Well, there was only confessions,¡± Lin Ning said bashfully, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t count that as pursuing. We were young and didn¡¯t know any better, just saying things for fun.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, high school is still primarily about academics,¡± Zhang Jin had already completed the psychological profile.

    This girl had the typical ¡°good child¡± personality, but was thin-skinned, despite her modest words her emotions were all over her face, giving a feeling of being insincere¡ªwhat you might call tsundere.

    If sensitive topics were touched upon, it would be hard to get answers from direct questions. It was better to probe indirectly.

    ¡°Right, right?¡± Lin Ning took a liking to her, naturally saying, ¡°High school should be about focusing on academics. Over ninety percent of high school couples break up after graduation, what¡¯s the point of a relationship that leads nowhere?¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± While Zhang Jin echoed her sentiment, she crafted her next line of questioning, shifting the conversation, ¡°Speaking of which, your team captain Yan Yu is currently single, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­What about him?¡± Lin Ning asked nervously.

    Zhang Jin: ¡­¡­¡­

    Too easy to read, with emotions all written on your face!

    ¡°It¡¯s just that the higher-ups need me to conduct a psychological assessment of you all,¡± she smoothly explained, ¡°Your description can help me understand Yan Yu better. By the way, with all the beautiful girls in your team, it¡¯s unlikely he¡¯s still single, right?¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Lin Ning let out a sigh of relief, responding, ¡°The captain is indeed single right now because he¡¯s too proud. He always feels that no girl is worthy of him.¡±

    ¡°Is that so exaggerated?¡± Zhang Jin purposely furrowed her brow, jotting down emphatically in her notebook, mumbling softly, ¡°Suspected¡­ Sexual orientation¡­ Indifferent to the opposite sex¡­¡±

    Lin Ning indeed fell for the trap and hurriedly defended:

    ¡°The captain is not gay! I suspect he¡¯s just making up excuses¡­ I mean, making up excuses to stay single, so he can just wait for others to pursue him.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Zhang Jin asked skeptically.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± Lin Ning stated earnestly.

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Zhang Jin neither confirmed nor denied but rather asked, ¡°Lin Ning, when Yan Yu is alone with you, has he ever shown any fondness towards you?¡±

    Lin Ning¡¯s first instinct was to deny, but on second thought, considering I¡¯m such a beautiful and outstanding girl, if I were to say the captain has never taken an interest in me, wouldn¡¯t that actually prove there¡¯s something off with his sexual orientation?

    ¡°The captain likes the dishes I make the most,¡± she conceded indirectly.

    ¡°Liking your dishes doesn¡¯t mean liking you,¡± Zhang Jin said lightly. ¡°If I like to patronize a restaurant, does that mean I¡¯m interested in the chef?¡±

    Lin Ning was suddenly startled, feeling a sense of defeat as if her area of expertise had been completely negated. She quickly added:

    ¡°He also¡­ well, when we play together, he occasionally gets handsy with me.¡±

    ¡°Is there sexual harassment too?¡± Zhang Jin feigned seriousness.

    ¡°No, no,¡± Lin Ning laughed and cried, ¡°It¡¯s just playful teasing between two people, there¡¯s occasionally more intimate physical contact¡­ Of course, this doesn¡¯t mean I like him, I¡¯m just saying he doesn¡¯t seem to mind these things, he actually seems to enjoy it¡­ see, this means he has a good impression of me, right? If he were gay, he wouldn¡¯t show interest in a girl¡¯s body, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Zhang Jin showed a somewhat convinced expression. ¡°But that¡¯s also strange.¡±

    ¡°Where is it strange?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    ¡°He deliberately stays single, yet enjoys physical contact with you,¡± Zhang Jin analyzed. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the very definition of a scumbag? Does he do this with the other girls in the team too?¡±

    ¡°Eh, not really,¡± Lin Ning quickly denied. ¡°A scumbag would actively flirt with girls, but our captain doesn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Zhang Jin continued to write in her notebook, but in her mind, she already had the answer: sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Lin Ning from the Zhenhai Team harbors strong feelings for her captain, Yan Yu, but doesn¡¯t get enough in return, therefore she attempts to convey her feelings implicitly through proactive physical contact.

    With this in mind, her expression of shy annoyance when facing the Heart Demon in the Mysterious Realm makes sense ¡ª initiating physical contact is typically seen as the man taking advantage. In the absence of reciprocal feelings, worry and irritation are natural accompanying emotions.

    The essence of this psychological weak point stems from her unrequited love for Yan Yu. The solution is to promptly end this state of unrequited love, either by disenchanting the target or by having her wishes fulfilled.

    ¡°Understood,¡± seeing Lin Ning still glancing at the notebook in her hands, Zhang Jin smiled slightly and said:

    ¡°Could you call the others for me? Let¡¯s see, Zhao Yuanzhen, Su Yunjin, Xie Ruoxi, who¡¯s available?¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin seems to be reading in the next room, I¡¯ll call her,¡± Lin Ning stood up immediately.

    She left the study and came to Su Yunjin¡¯s room, knocked on the door, then pushed it open and said worriedly:

    ¡°Yun Jin, something¡¯s gone wrong¡­ they¡¯re suspecting the captain is gay because of me, what should I do?¡±

    Su Yunjin: ?

    After hearing Lin Ning¡¯s explanation, she couldn¡¯t help but show a laugh-cry expression and said:

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Ningning, if they are going to conduct psychological assessments, they won¡¯t solely rely on your word. I¡¯ll help clarify later.¡±

    She stood up, put the book she was reading aside, and then went to the study.

    ¡°Hello,¡± Zhang Jin greeted her, ¡°Su Yunjin, right? Please sit down.¡±

    ¡°Hello,¡± Su Yunjin smiled and sat down.

    ¡°Lin Ning must have told you about my identity and purpose,¡± Zhang Jin introduced her reason for being there. ¡°The higher-ups require a psychological assessment for each member of your team.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Su Yunjin nodded, ¡°It¡¯s because of the encounter with the Heart Demon in the Mysterious Realm, right? Our performance back then was indeed not very good.¡±

    ¡°A moment¡¯s performance doesn¡¯t explain much¡± Zhang Jin said gently. ¡°Understanding the underlying nature is more important.¡±

    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll just be honest,¡± Su Yunjin clasped her hands together on the desk and spoke calmly, ¡°The reason I slipped up at that time was because the image of me being intimate with the captain popped into my head, causing me to lose control of my mental state for a moment.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Even with all her experience, Zhang Jin was taken aback by Su Yunjin¡¯s ¡°self-confession,¡± ¡°You mean¡­¡±

    ¡°I like the captain,¡± Su Yunjin said softly.

 Chapter 501 03-25 - 97 Investigate Yun Jin and Ruoxi

    Chapter 501: Chapter 97 Investigate Yun Jin and Ruoxi

    Creating a psychological profile for Su Yunjin was much easier than for Lin Ning.

    Zhang Jin had almost immediately confirmed that, although this girl appeared gentle and approachable, she was definitely not a pushover.

    Her goals were clear, her will was strong, and she held very firm personal opinions. From her background information, she was an only child, and her parents were intellectuals who likely doted on her a lot. Coupled with her beauty and academic prowess, she was probably the center of attention at school, adored by both teachers and classmates.

    Growing up in such an environment, she was bound to be a bit ¡°self-centered.¡± From the fact that she could bluntly say ¡°I like the captain,¡± it was clear she had none of Lin Ning¡¯s reservations¡ªWhat if Yan Yu doesn¡¯t like me? Impossible, I¡¯m so pretty and outstanding; how could Yan Yu not like me?

    In this young girl¡¯s subconscious, all the boys in the world should revolve around her!

    What Zhang Jin loved most was to tell such young and confident girls: Actually, you¡¯re not as universally adored as you think!

    ¡°So, you like Yan Yu?¡± she noted something in her notebook then suddenly raised her eyes and asked calmly, ¡°Does he like you?¡±

    ¡°Not now,¡± Su Yunjin replied.

    ¡°What will you do?¡± Zhang Jin asked.

    ¡°I will continue to pursue him,¡± Su Yunjin said firmly.

    ¡°What if you can¡¯t win him over?¡± Zhang Jin twirled the pen in her hand, ¡°What if one day, Yan Yu explicitly says he doesn¡¯t like you? Or what if he falls for someone else?¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait for him my whole life,¡± Su Yunjin paused for a moment before answering, ¡°With my current income, even if I don¡¯t marry and choose to remain childfree, I can still make ends meet, and my parents don¡¯t need me to support them.¡±

    ¡°Hehe.¡± Zhang Jin was about to lecture her that ¡°I¡¯ve seen many girls like you, who vow to wait a lifetime for their first love, yet within two to three years, they find someone new¡± when she suddenly paused, speechless.

    ¡­On second thoughts, wasn¡¯t I the same when I was younger?

    During my college years, I had a boyfriend who, after graduation, ran off to the Xin¡¯an Special District to find work. I, on the other hand, stayed alone in the small county town of my homeland Ji Bei, working in crime investigation. We had promised to keep our relationship going, even long-distance, but phone calls and video chats gradually dwindled, and what seemed like an invincible affection was so fragile against Time.

    Now, in my early thirties, I have a successful career and my economic condition is many times better than when I was a student, yet I remain single. Phrases like ¡°I am willing to wait for him¡± are no longer something I would say or believe in, as it seems that with the years, I¡¯ve lost the capacity to love someone with wild abandon.

    ¡°Well, I wish you someday get what you desire,¡± Zhang Jin said with mixed feelings.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Su Yunjin nodded.

    ¡°Could you ask the others to come in?¡± Zhang Jin asked.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Su Yunjin stood up and walked out through the door.

    Zhang Jin watched her leave, feeling she had essentially formed her conclusion.

    Clearly, Su Yunjin was more aware of her situation than Lin Ning and had prepared herself well mentally. Persuading someone who fully accepted the possibility of failure to change her mind was extremely difficult¡ªeven if Yan Yu truly ended up with someone else, she wouldn¡¯t give up or lose heart in the short term.

    As for the long term, that was harder to say. The power of time was too great; very few true feelings could withstand its test.

    Zhang Jin quietly updated the records, only to hear someone knocking on the door suddenly:

    ¡°Umm, I am Xie Ruoxi, may I come in?¡±

    ¡°Please come in,¡± Zhang Jin said.

    Xie Ruoxi entered timidly, complaining to herself: S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Really, this is my study! I haven¡¯t even played my game today!

    Zhang Jin invited her to sit down, quickly sketching a personality profile in her mind.

    Timid and nervous, this girl was faint-hearted and weak-willed. From her files, she came from a rural family in Jingnan, with an older brother.

    On one hand, there was the older generation¡¯s preference for sons over daughters, and on the other hand, her academic performance was not as good as her brother¡¯s, leading Xie Ruoxi to be generally neglected at home and consequently develop a typical ¡°low self-esteem personality.¡±

    ¡°Ruoxi, you don¡¯t need to be nervous; we¡¯re just having a casual chat,¡± Zhang Jin said with a professional, friendly smile. ¡°I heard that it was Yan Yu who discovered you and brought you into the team, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Xie Ruoxi murmured, ¡°I¡­ uh, I didn¡¯t know I had cultivation talent, so I didn¡¯t participate in the college entrance exam blood test¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Zhang Jin quickly assured her in a ¡°I¡¯m not here to blame you¡± manner. ¡°Mistakes can easily happen with the blood testing for the college entrance exam; it¡¯s certainly not your fault.¡±

    ¡°However, it must be said that Yan Yu was able to spot your cultivation talent at a glance. Should we say his insight is remarkable, or was it just your good luck?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s definitely his remarkable insight,¡± Xie Ruoxi immediately responded. ¡°My luck is actually pretty bad; I often get several off-target draws before hitting the UP in mobile games, and I¡¯ve never won a prize from those online giveaways.¡±

    Zhang Jin: ¡­¡­

    What is this kid talking about? Why can¡¯t I understand her at all? Am I already that out of touch with modern young people?

    ¡°Is that so,¡± she said with a strained smile. ¡°That being said, you owe Yan Yu a favor. Don¡¯t you feel pressured interacting with him?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Xie Ruoxi said offhand. ¡°While I do owe him a favor, he never brings it up. I¡¯ve even hinted that I could dedicate myself to him, but he¡¯s completely uninterested in me, haha¡­¡±

    Her face suddenly turned pale as if she realized she had said too much. She quickly corrected herself:

    ¡°Haha, just kidding! Offering myself is totally out of the question. Real life isn¡¯t some youth romance comedy¡ªhow could that scenario be possible? I just have a good impression of him, that¡¯s all. You understand, right? Please don¡¯t write that down in your notebook!¡±

    As Xie Ruoxi¡¯s tone grew increasingly panicked, Zhang Jin quickly figured out her intentions.

    A classic case of admiration for the strong. Naturally having low self-esteem and being consistently overlooked, she was suddenly discovered by Yan Yu from obscurity, which led her to the glamorous stage of cultivation. Developing feelings for Yan Yu was a natural occurrence.

    As long as Yan Yu maintained his position as the top cultivator of Lu Country, no, as long as he remained the captain of the Zhenhai Team, she would consciously place herself in a lower position and view Yan Yu through a specially admiring lens.

    This kind of vulnerability in defenses was easy to resolve: move her out of the Zhenhai Team and away from Yan Yu for a while, and the enchantment would naturally wear off. However, if political reasons required Xie Ruoxi to stay in the Zhenhai Team, then it would be complicated.

    After all, the more outstanding Yan Yu¡¯s performance, the more solidified Xie Ruoxi¡¯s admiration and love for him would become, and the more difficult it would be to resolve as time went on.

    Of course, like the earlier cases with Yun Jin and Ningning, as long as a relationship with Yan Yu could be established, it would resolve the issue once and for all.

    The problem was, there¡¯s only one Yan Yu; cloning him to share among them all isn¡¯t possible.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Zhang Jin concluded the exchange, speaking to Xie Ruoxi. ¡°Could you call Zhao Yuanzhen over?¡±

    ¡°Oh, sure,¡± Xie Ruoxi stood up and said worriedly, ¡°Please don¡¯t write down the part about offering myself.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Zhang Jin nodded.

    Xie Ruoxi approached the door, then suddenly turned back to say:

    ¡°I was really just joking, don¡¯t write it down, okay?¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Zhang Jin was finding it hard to keep a straight face.

    Do you really think I can¡¯t see through whether you have intentions of offering yourself? You say no, but you might even dream about it at night!

    She leaned back in her chair, slightly agitatedly massaging her temples.

    The investigation was halfway through, and the situation within the Zhenhai Team was indeed complex.

    Most of the historical ¡°harem cases¡± in society involved powerful men creating them, typically by keeping multiple mistresses. Solving the core issue with the man usually led to the natural dissolution of the entire harem group.

    However, the situation here was different; the women, due to various reasons, had taken a liking to the captain of their own volition. This situation was decentralized and required individual handling of each person. Just dealing with Yan Yu would be utterly useless¡ªhe might even expediently cooperate with your efforts and tell the ladies to stop liking him.

    Would that be effective? Not at all!

 Chapter 502 03-25 - 98 Investigating the Enchantress

    Chapter 502: Chapter 98 Investigating the Enchantress

    ¡°`

    Within the Zhenhai Team, there were two people who were particularly difficult to investigate.

    One was Chen Lingyun, after all, she was the only daughter of the Jianghai Governor, and naturally, interacting with her required utmost caution;

    The other was Zhao Yuanzhen, for a simple reason: lack of background information.

    Zhang Jin couldn¡¯t obtain Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s personal information, and had even gone to inquire with the department head beforehand. The result was that the department head told her she didn¡¯t have a high enough security clearance, ¡°Anyway, lacking background information doesn¡¯t hinder your communication with her,¡± which made Zhang Jin somewhat suspicious.

    Could she be the illegitimate daughter of some big shot?

    This possibility couldn¡¯t be ruled out, so Zhang Jin decided to treat her with the same caution as she did with Chen Lingyun. Techniques like the ones she used to deceive Lin Ning before, definitely couldn¡¯t be used on Zhao Yuanzhen.

    ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said as she pushed the door open from the outside.

    ¡°Please come in¡­ uh.¡± Zhang Jin was about to ask her to come over and sit down when her eyes landed on Zhao Yuanzhen, and her expression momentarily stiffened.

    What a figure! That¡¯s just outrageous, could it be surgery¡­ no, looking at the shape it seems natural, is this person really of pure Lu Country descent?

    A wave of intense dissatisfaction surged within Zhang Jin¡¯s heart, but she quickly suppressed the flames of jealousy with remarkable professionalism and said with a smile:

    ¡°Please take a seat.¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was quite wary of her, and even in the study room of her own villa, she only sat on the edge of the chair, ready to leap up at any moment.

    Could this strange woman be someone that bitch Mei Yingxue sent over?

    Zhao Yuanzhen was uninformed about Mei Yingxue¡¯s current whereabouts or activities, but now that she had small thieves¡­ ah, no, it should be said that she was protected by the strongest cultivator companion of the whole Lu Country, Yan Yu, she wasn¡¯t afraid of the other party anyway.

    No matter where you hide, as long as you dare show up before me, I¡¯ll call my husband over to finish you off!

    Even if I can¡¯t beat you, can¡¯t my husband beat you?

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked coldly.

    ¡°Just a simple consultation interview,¡± Zhang Jin replied with a smile on her face, ¡°In the last Mysterious Realm, you were momentarily caught in the opponent¡¯s Illusion Technique during the fight with the Heart Demon, and even because of that, you lost control and turned to attack Team Leader Yan Yu, right?¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s heart said, I indeed was hit by the Illusion Technique, but I turned to hit the thief because I¡¯ve endured him for a long time¡­ Forget it, since she¡¯s cleared me of the blame, I¡¯ll go along with it, ¡°Yes, that happened.¡±

    ¡°My work this time over here is to help you analyze and understand the weak points in your heart¡¯s defenses,¡± Zhang Jin continued to explain, ¡°So you won¡¯t easily waver or fall into an Illusion Technique next time you face a Heart Demon.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was overjoyed, ¡°That¡¯s great, hurry up and bring Yan Yu here to kneel and apologize to me here, then my anger will be completely gone!¡±

    Zhang Jin: ???

    ¡°Err, is there some misunderstanding here?¡± she asked somewhat awkwardly.

    ¡°What misunderstanding could there be? I¡¯m telling you,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen quickly flipped through her mental Book of Hatred, and recounted some of the things inside, embellishing the details to Zhang Jin, ¡°¡­ these are all very excessive, right?¡±

    Zhang Jin thought to herself, what is this all about, are these trivial matters really worth holding onto until now? But she said aloud:

    ¡°That¡¯s indeed quite excessive. Have you talked to Yan Yu about it?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the use of talking to him?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said disdainfully, ¡°Besides belittling me, mocking me, and taking joy in my misfortunes, what else can he do?¡±

    ¡°But now it has led to you developing a weak point in your heart¡¯s defense,¡± Zhang Jin said meaningfully, ¡°As the captain of the Zhenhai Team, he has the obligation to help his team members resolve these issues.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen showed a contemplative expression and suddenly asked, ¡°Does that mean, as long as it can resolve my heart¡¯s defense weakness, I can ask him to do anything?¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°As long as it¡¯s not something that puts him in too much of a difficult position,¡± Zhang Jin said tactfully, ¡°I think he shouldn¡¯t refuse.¡±

    ¡°Would it count if I made him kneel and lick my feet?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked with eager curiosity.

    Zhang Jin: ¡­¡­

    Seeing her reveal an ¡°I can¡¯t believe what you¡¯re saying¡± shocked expression, Zhao Yuanzhen quickly explained:

    ¡°Just kidding, I just wanted to know to what extent he would go for me, that¡¯s all.¡±

    Zhang Jin could only respond with an embarrassed chuckle. From the psychological profile so far, Zhao Yuanzhen was¡­

    Petty, narrow-minded, vindictive¡ªit was clear she was the complete opposite of Xie Ruoxi, belonging to the sensitive type with excessive self-esteem.

    Even making a reasonable guess, when she turned her back on her Heart Demon to attack Yan Yu, it might not have been because she was controlled by an Illusion Technique. It¡¯s entirely possible she was pretending to be affected to take the opportunity to vent her spleen.

    ¡°So, what specifically do you hope he will do for you?¡± Zhang Jin ventured to ask.

    ¡°Be nicer to me,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied without hesitation. ¡°This is the basic requirement, the passing mark. It¡¯s what he must do.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Zhang Jin continued, ¡°Beyond that baseline, then what?¡±

    ¡°Spoil me, love me, care for me, constantly think and dream of me,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen listed her demands fluently. ¡°Every morning, he should care about whether I slept well the night before, ask if I was unhappy during the day before I go to sleep, pick out the tasty bits for me during meals, and if there aren¡¯t any, go get some good food for me. When I¡¯m in a bad mood, he should placate and soothe me, and when I encounter something joyful, he should share in my happiness¡­ That¡¯s about it for now. I¡¯ll decide whether to add more demands based on his performance later on.¡±

    Zhang Jin: ¡­¡­

    To be honest, sister, this is a bit over the top.

    ¡°Is this a clause from a Male Virtue Academy?¡± she joked, ¡°Even married couples rarely have husbands who unilaterally agree to such demands, and the other party will surely have similar claims for you.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said with righteous indignation. ¡°That¡¯s exactly why I have to use ¡®compensating for my psychological vulnerability¡¯ as a reason to coerce him into compromise. Otherwise, wouldn¡¯t I have been influenced by the Heart Demon in vain?¡±

    Zhang Jin sighed silently and mentally added another feature to her character profile:

    Nitpicking.

    But strangely enough, although the personality profile had exposed a heap of flaws, they didn¡¯t really cause aversion¡ªshe just harbors grudges and makes one-sided demands without seeking equivalent retribution for those grudges or making a fuss if her demands are not met. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Is she restraining herself, or did she never even consider it?

    Is this girl inherently evil or innately pure-hearted?

    Combining her past work experience and people-reading skills, Zhang Jin speculated that Zhao Yuanzhen was naturally kind-hearted but had been led astray by her upbringing, which is why she exhibited all kinds of seemingly immature behaviors.

    Because she was inherently kind-hearted, the solution was also quite simple:

    Just like she said herself, if Yan Yu treated her a bit better, she would probably be quite content.

    She wasn¡¯t even like Yun Jin Ningning Ruoxi, who clearly demanded to establish a relationship or respond emotionally¡­ Indeed, she was a good kid.

    ¡°I think I understand now,¡± Zhang Jin said with a smile returning to her face, ¡°Let¡¯s leave it at that for now. Can you call Chen Lingyun over?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t want to, you call her yourself,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen flatly refused, ¡°I don¡¯t get along with her.¡±

    Zhang Jin: ¡­¡­

    Retracting my previous statement, this girl may have the figure of an adult, but she has the heart of a child, not even to speak of good or evil.

 Chapter 503 03-25 - 99: Investigating Ling Yun, But Ended Up Receiving Advice

    Chapter 503: Chapter 99: Investigating Ling Yun, But Ended Up Receiving Advice

    That day in the Mysterious Realm, during the live broadcast across the nation, four members of the Zhenhai Team acted abnormally.

    Lin Ning looked embarrassed, Sister Zhao turned to attack the team leader, Yun Jin seemed dazed and slow, and Ruoxi was as pale as death, all clearly under the influence of the Heart Demon¡¯s Illusion Technique, their emotions visibly disturbed.

    Now, the issues of these four had been clearly identified, but Chen Lingyun and Yan Yu still had to go through the process.

    In fact, not only the Zhenhai and Huofeng Teams but also Dragon Cavalry Team and Qing¡¯an Team, who hadn¡¯t fought in the Mysterious Realm, along with other renowned teams, essentially had to undergo psychological assessments. The more powerful the team, the sooner they started.

    The reason, as Li Weiguo had said, was that they couldn¡¯t wait to encounter a Heart Demon again, suffer a defeat, and only then circle back to remediation.

    On the way there, Zhang Jin had already made a preliminary assessment of Yan Yu, confirming that he was a very confident man who liked to be in a position of authority.

    Next, it was Chen Lingyun¡¯s turn.

    Unlike Zhao Yuanzhen, whose information was highly confidential, Chen Lingyun¡¯s background material was accessible to Zhang Jin. The Provincial Governor¡¯s only daughter, few relatives, straightforward family relations, excellent in both character and learning from elementary through high school, with teachers and classmates¡¯ evaluation all recorded and exclusively positive.

    But Zhang Jin could affirm with a hundred percent certainty that this information had been crafted, typically minimizing negativity, highlighting the positives, and editing out the unfavorable parts.

    Zhang Jin wasn¡¯t sure about other countries, but in Lu Country, the intelligence agency operated this way¡ªthey didn¡¯t touch the families of the powerful. In the feudal era of the past, intelligence agencies often only answered to the emperor, so they could freely pry into the private affairs of the Outer Court officials. Now that the republic was established and there was no emperor, the intelligence agency answered to both the nation and the Cabinet. With more entities to be accountable to, anyone could interfere. This dignitary was from Cabinet Member A, untouchable; that dignitary from Cabinet Member B, unapproachable. What they ended up with was invariably prettified intelligence, and there was nothing to be done about it.

    Zhang Jin¡¯s department, which dealt with the military, categorized information related to cultivators under ¡°active generals.¡± Only Chen Lingyun¡¯s information was filed under ¡°important officials¡¯ families,¡± handled by the neighboring department¡­ which resulted in such selectively edited information, showing the immense influence of her father, Provincial Governor Chen Tianming. The sibling department dared not offend him, perhaps even letting one of his subordinates handwrite this information.

    Looking at the papers filled with nothing but praise, Zhang Jin inwardly resolved never to offend Chen Lingyun.

    Deal strictly and impartially with her, and she might just mention it to her father, leading the state agency to take action against you¡ªit wasn¡¯t a baseless fear.

    Chen Lingyun came in through the door with a smile. As Zhang Jin quickly glanced at her, seeing a sweet and charming girl, his resolve to mind his words strengthened.

    ¡°Please, take a seat.¡± She said with a cheerful smile.

    Chen Lingyun sat down gracefully, smiling as she spoke,

    ¡°What would you like to ask? I¡¯ll try to answer.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Zhang Jin organized his thoughts and went straight to the point, ¡°In the Mysterious Realm then, did the Heart Demon try to stir up negative emotions in you?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Chen Lingyun replied, ¡°but I suppressed them.¡±

    Indeed, Chen Lingyun was like Yan Yu, both capable of suppressing their emotions so they couldn¡¯t become vulnerabilities.

    ¡°Can you share what specifically it was?¡± Zhang Jin asked cautiously, ¡°Of course, I won¡¯t tell anyone. It¡¯s just for reference in the psychological assessment results.¡±

    ¡°I can,¡± Chen Lingyun answered, ¡°It was a bit of schadenfreude.¡±

    ¡°Joy?¡±

    ¡°Yes, joy,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Though everyone was affected by the Heart Demon in turn, even to the point of losing their Dao Heart, it¡¯s better that these issues came to light sooner rather than later. It¡¯s much better than them arising suddenly during intense battle later on.¡±

    ¡°In fact, even before this encounter with the Heart Demon, I had already noticed some issues within the team. Since you¡¯ve conducted psychological assessments on them, you must know that they all harbor¡­ varying degrees of affection for the team leader, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Zhang Jin did not deny the evident, ¡°To be honest, although I¡¯ve noticed it, coming up with a treatment plan is still quite challenging.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s a difficult situation,¡± Chen Lingyun said gently, ¡°Among them, Yun Jin and Sister Zhao absolutely refuse to give up, even if Yan Yu finds a girlfriend. Yun Jin will likely quietly wait for a chance to steal him away, while Sister Zhao¡­ will definitely have a big fight with him.¡±

    ¡°Because he does not want to hurt any of them, Yan Yu chose to delay making any relationship official, always remaining single. However, this leads Ningning and Ruoxi to think they have a chance as well, ultimately causing all four of them to have vulnerable points in their hearts.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Zhang Jin nodded.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want him to keep dragging this out,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s expression turned serious. ¡°I hope he can respond to everyone¡¯s feelings and completely resolve everyone¡¯s heart vulnerabilities at once.¡±

    ¡°But how exactly should he do it?¡± Zhang Jin was also troubled and sighed, ¡°As you said, choosing between Su Yunjin and Zhao Yuanzhen would directly cause a major issue.¡±

    ¡°Then accept them both,¡± Chen Lingyun said firmly.

    Zhang Jin: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Since he cannot reject either, he might as well just agree to both,¡± Chen Lingyun resumed smiling. ¡°As long as everyone is happy and content, there won¡¯t be any heart vulnerabilities.¡±

    ¡°Would that really make everyone happy and content?¡± Zhang Jin was skeptical. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t sharing a love with other women create even greater heart vulnerabilities?¡±

    ¡°There is no perfect solution that solves all problems,¡± Chen Lingyun replied. ¡°All policies are forced by the current helpless situation. If Yun Jin and Sister Zhao must choose between each other, what would happen to the one who gets abandoned? That path is definitely impassable. So, we must accept all parties, and whatever problems we encounter along this road are for later concern. We must trust that there will be a turn for the better in the future.¡±

    Zhang Jin was left speechless, thinking it¡¯s no wonder she¡¯s the daughter of the Provincial Governor.

    After toppling the monarchy, the system of concubinage also wound up in the refuse of history. Now that a century has passed, monogamy is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and has become a solid basis of ethics and morality. Even she thought it unfeasible without much consideration, and once publicly stated on a societal level, it would surely cause a huge stir.

    Chen Lingyun could straightforwardly ignore ethics and morals, openly suggesting ¡°accept all parties.¡± Such flexible thinking, unbound by ethics and morals, might indeed be essential for a politician.

    When carefully considered, the higher-ups would most likely also agree with this approach.

    If no one can rise above, then everyone will always be restrained by their Heart Demons; accepting only one would surely make the others¡¯ Dao Hearts implode. Therefore, tacit approval to let Yan Yu have them all is necessary. As for how this would play out on a societal level and the intense criticism from moral guardians, all that would be directed at Yan Yu, and there¡¯s no way they would blame the Imperial Court or the other girls.

    To Yan Yu, he probably would not care about considerations. Some time ago, people even called it ¡°harem team,¡± and he simply dismissed it with a smile? S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    For the superiors, this plan could resolve the girls¡¯ heart vulnerabilities. The cost of all being borne by Yan Yu, it¡¯s just the perfect plan!

    Hmm?

    Zhang Jin suddenly tested the waters and asked:

    ¡°You seem really keen on Yan Yu opening a harem, huh?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Chen Lingyun smiled, ¡°because only in this way can everyone be truly happy and content. I cherish the Zhenhai Team as it is now, and I don¡¯t want to see everyone in conflict or even falling apart.¡±

    Zhang Jin wanted to ask, ¡°Do you also have a penchant for watching the drama unfold?¡± But seeing the resolute meaning in Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile, he was somewhat shaken for a moment.

    Even if she is indeed a well-disguised Pleasure Seeker, at least the proposed harem strategy is feasible and is the most suitable plan to submit upward.

    Even stepping back ten thousand steps, what is her true character to me?

    I am merely a humble cog in the system, only wishing to complete the tasks assigned by my superiors.

    Then, let¡¯s decide on this happily!

 Chapter 504 03-25 - 100 The new version is coming again

    Chapter 504: Chapter 100 The new version is coming again

    So, what exactly did Chen Lingyun say to Zhang Jin?

    For several days after Zhang Jin, who was responsible for psychological diagnostics, had finished his work and taken his leave, Yan Yu had this intense, inexplicable premonition:

    I always feel like that annoying woman is up to something behind my back.

    But I don¡¯t have any evidence, and asking her directly would surely yield no results, so I could only keep a watchful eye and wait for her to slip up.

    Several days later, another piece of news came:

    Li Minghu was discharged from the hospital.

    The Valkyrie now seemed to be afflicted with some sort of corruption, with her health steadily draining over time, which meant frequent hospital visits to replenish her vitality¡ªalthough this might sound exaggerated, the medical experts from Prince Xing¡¯s medical branch and from Pingjing worked together and came up with something akin to True Yuan dialysis, which could temporarily alleviate her body¡¯s Five Elements imbalance.

    As long as she refrained from using True Yuan in combat, and focused on recouping in the hospital, she could gradually readjust the imbalance. Conversely, if she was discharged and actively engaged in various battles, frequently calling upon her True Yuan, her physical condition would deteriorate, and she would soon need to return to the hospital for treatment.

    Though it was more of a stopgap solution than a cure, it at least provided a method of treatment so that Li Zhaojiang even went to the Cultivators¡¯ group chat and gave out dozens of red packets to celebrate.

    Here were Cultivators each with an annual income of tens of millions, scrambling for red packets in the chat like ordinary workers thanking the boss.

    ¡°666.¡± Yan Yu typed.

    Then a bunch of people bowed to the ¡°great god¡± in a flood of chat messages, but Li Zhaojiang was unabashed as he replied directly:

    ¡°What¡¯s with the 6s? If you¡¯ve got the guts, don¡¯t snatch my red packets.¡±

    ¡°Each red packet is only 200 yuan.¡± Yan Yu mocked him, ¡°On average, not even one yuan per person, you¡¯re really generous.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re capable, go make the platform raise the red packet limit!¡± Li Zhaojiang retorted.

    While he was furiously trading barbs with Yan Yu in the chat, on the other hand, he sent a private message:

    ¡°Old Yan, help me out, next week we¡¯re up against Dragon Soar Team, help me figure out a surefire way to win.¡±

    ¡°Is there such a thing as a surefire method?¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°At the start, Old Liu will open the battle for them. Just send five people out and finish him off, and that¡¯ll be that.¡±

    ¡°My sister thought the same thing.¡± Li Zhaojiang typed, ¡°But last time, Huofeng Team tried using a decapitation strategy and ended up being completely manipulated by you. Who¡¯s to say Old Liu won¡¯t pull the same trick, keeping some sneaky move in reserve to deal with us?¡±

    ¡°How was that a sneaky move?¡± Yan Yu countered, ¡°It was six against one, and I just turned tail and ran, how does that become a sneaky move?¡±

    ¡°If you were just dodging to avoid the main force, it¡¯d be fine.¡± Li Zhaojiang typed, ¡°But you deliberately unleashed the Heart Demon, giving Huofeng Team a rough first-time experience. Isn¡¯t that a sneaky move? It even got me dragged off for a psychological exam, saying I have some sort of ¡®maternal fixation¡¯¡­ What the heck! Is liking older women tantamount to a maternal fixation? Does liking younger ones mean everyone should be arrested for pedophilia?¡±

    ¡°Go explain it to the Annan Army.¡± Yan Yu sneered, ¡°As for the match, handle it yourself; my sneaky tricks aren¡¯t meant to help you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, Old Yan!¡± Li Zhaojiang quickly changed his tune, ¡°For my sister¡¯s sake¡­ Wait, didn¡¯t my sister just get discharged? Her body hasn¡¯t fully recovered yet, you wouldn¡¯t want her health to suffer because of the competition, right?¡±

    Yan Yu: ???

    Turning the tables on the Heavenly Gang, huh! I¡¯m usually the one making threats, and now here comes my little brother-in-law, using my sister to blackmail me!

    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± he suddenly asked, ¡°who¡¯s your sixth player?¡±

    ¡°Oh, her name is Xu Jin. Ever heard of her?¡± Li Zhaojiang asked in return.

    ¡°A woman?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Damn it, Yan Yu, you¡¯re indeed the number one pervert under the heavens!¡± It took a while before Li Zhaojiang replied, ¡°Just the sound of a name and you can sniff out a woman, huh?¡±

    ¡°Shut up, I guessed.¡± Yan Yu typed reluctantly.

    In fact, it wasn¡¯t a guess. Xu Jin was also a late bloomer. In his previous life, Xu Jin survived the Annan Army¡¯s big purge and was eventually promoted to be Xie Ruoxi¡¯s deputy captain. His swordsmanship was fairly decent, somewhat better than Zhang Huaide¡¯s, but he didn¡¯t have any personal flair.

    Yan Yu actually had very high standards. Among the four armies, there were many cultivators like Cai Qianlong who could score 90 points in every aspect, yet in Yan Yu¡¯s eyes, they would only merit a comment like ¡°fairly standard¡± ¡ª it would take a perfect score or even exceeding that in at least one aspect to leave an impression in his memory, like Xie Ruoxi¡¯s cultivation talent.

    If Xu Jin could become Xie Ruoxi¡¯s deputy captain in the previous life, naturally his swordsmanship wouldn¡¯t be bad. But he wasn¡¯t better than Lin Ning when it came to reactive swordplay, not better than Li Minghu in strategic play, and couldn¡¯t compare with Liu Longtao in terms of natural aptitude. Yan Yu felt it really wasn¡¯t necessary to pay too much attention.

    ¡°Train her well,¡± Yan Yu typed, advising Li Zhaojiang, ¡°Rush to train this sixth person rather than worrying about winning or losing in duels. In case your sister ends up in the hospital for some reason again, at least your team can still undertake missions.¡±

    ¡°My sister is currently teaching her swordsmanship,¡± Li Zhaojiang replied promptly, ¡°Once she grows up, adding Jiang Hong, our team will also have a formation with three Sword Immortals.¡±

    ¡°Three Sword Immortals and it¡¯s still not easy?¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°If you¡¯re willing, you could totally set up a team with six Sword Immortals and start with a full-scale Sword Flying Slash to blast the opposition.¡±

    ¡°And then if we fail to take them down, we¡¯ll be the ones getting blasted, right?¡± replied Li Zhaojiang.

    ¡°Exactly, the key isn¡¯t the profession, it¡¯s the person.¡±

    ¡°One day, when we bring Xu Jin to Jinling, you can help plan out her swordsmanship progression,¡± Li Zhaojiang sent a message, followed by another, ¡°No, I can¡¯t let her meet you in person; you pervert always corrupt innocent girls. I¡¯ll send you a video of her swordplay for you to watch instead.¡± sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Your sister¡¯s already teaching her, no need to find me,¡± said Yan Yu, ¡°What if your sister and I give two different methods for the same swordplay issue, whose advice will she follow?¡±

    ¡°Of course, the correct one,¡± Li Zhaojiang replied without hesitation.

    ¡°Do you know which one is correct?¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°One method might be more suitable for her but has a lower ceiling; the other might be harder to master yet offers better prospects. Which one is right?¡±

    ¡°You have to consider the ceiling,¡± said Li Zhaojiang.

    ¡°Then what if, while practicing, she finds it really hard to master and her strength starts to decline, resulting in poor performance, what then?¡± asked Yan Yu.

    Li Zhaojiang fell silent for a long time, then suddenly sent a message:

    ¡°You¡¯re right, I shouldn¡¯t have you advise her. If you did something sneaky and her strength declined, none of us would notice.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the point,¡± said Yan Yu, knowing he was joking, ¡°Whoever teaches her is responsible for her; as the captain of the Zhenhai Team, I can¡¯t be responsible for her. Do you really expect me to teach her?¡±

    ¡°But if it¡¯s not about fundamental approaches, and just some small details in sword techniques, we can still ask you, right?¡± Li Zhaojiang asked again.

    ¡°Of course, you can,¡± replied Yan Yu, ¡°but I suggest asking your sister first. If she¡¯s unsure, then come ask me.¡±

    ¡°After all this, you¡¯re still targeting my sister!¡±

    As they were proficiently insulting each other, suddenly both of their expressions changed drastically.

    ¡°Did you notice it?¡± Li Zhaojiang messaged.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Yan Yu tossed his phone aside, pushed the door open, and left the bedroom, only to see Su Yunjin running upstairs in a hurry, her expression alarmed:

    ¡°Captain!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment, then looked out the window.

    ¡°It¡¯s just that the upper limit of Spiritual Energy Concentration has increased again.¡±

 Chapter 505 - 1 The Mission of the Organization

    Chapter 505: Chapter 1 The Mission of the Organization

    The increase in the Spiritual Energy concentration this time far exceeded the ordinary, and even a phenomenon known as ¡°Spiritual Energy Tides¡± appeared.

    It was like the rising and ebbing of tides. In some places, the Spiritual Energy concentration was higher, while in others it was lower, leading to a noticeable disparity across different regions¡ªyet, overall, areas with famous mountains and rivers tended to have much higher Spiritual Energy concentrations than plain regions.

    Jinling Prefecture, being located by the Yangtze River, fared better. The key concern of the Privy Council was places like Prince Xing, the Shu Region, and Shengjing, where the city center lacked sufficiently tall mountains and wide rivers, resulting in a subpar increase in Spiritual Energy concentration.

    And among the famous mountains and rivers, the places with the highest Spiritual Energy concentration were not the mountain peaks or riverbeds, but within their corresponding Mysterious Realms.

    The decision was quickly made to organize and arrange teams to set aside a set amount of time each day to perform Breathing Exercises and cultivate within the Mysterious Realms.

    ¡°Guess which Mysterious Realm you¡¯ll be going to?¡± Li Weiguo joked with Yan Yu in the principal¡¯s office.

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Yan Yu actually began to guess, ¡°The more formidable the Mysterious Realm, the higher the likelihood of greater Spiritual Energy concentration. But that also means a greater difficulty in exploration. So it must be one of the Mysterious Realms we have already explored¡­ Wuyi Mountains?¡±

    ¡°Haha, smart.¡± Li Weiguo tossed the documents to him, ¡°The second layer of the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm has opened. According to the current survey data, its Spiritual Energy concentration ranks first among all the Mysterious Realms under our jurisdiction.¡±

    ¡°Do we still need to do the competitive matches, then?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Not for now,¡± Li Weiguo said, ¡°All the Mysterious Realms have research groups responsible for surveying, and the national live broadcast competition will be paused for a week. The difficulty of the second layer of the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm is not high. You can explore and navigate it on your own, then cultivate inside it until further notice from above.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Yan Yu nodded. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Li Weiguo casually inquired, ¡°how is your relationship with your teammates lately?¡±

    ¡°Pretty good,¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t understand the reason for the question, ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Build up your relationships with the team members,¡± Li Weiguo said with a smile, ¡°The harmony of interpersonal relationships within the team can also affect the team¡¯s combat performance.¡±

    ¡°The interpersonal relationships in our team are quite good,¡± Yan Yu heard an implication in Old Li¡¯s words and asked with a frown, ¡°Is someone bad-mouthing us to you?¡±

    ¡°Cough, cough.¡± Li Weiguo also felt a bit embarrassed, thinking how on earth could he put this delicately, he could only choose his words carefully, ¡°Good relationships can always be improved. Friends can become best friends, then close buddies, and then confidants¡­ you know what I mean.¡±

    ¡°I get it, I get it,¡± Yan Yu nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s like a formalistic project for political achievements, always making progress, never stopping.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you stop interpreting other people¡¯s words in a malicious metaphoric way?¡± Li Weiguo became annoyed, ¡°Your team is full of youthful and pretty girls, don¡¯t you have any thoughts about them? Don¡¯t you feel anything for women?¡±

    ¡°Look at you,¡± Yan Yu said helplessly, ¡°Even a rabbit doesn¡¯t eat the grass by its own burrow.¡±

    ¡°But a male lion keeps several lionesses by his side,¡± Li Weiguo rebutted fiercely, his mustache bristling, ¡°You like the animal world so much, why don¡¯t you spend more time understanding how social mammals behave? Stop making excuses, focus on fostering good team relationships, and hand in a report to me once a week.¡±

    ¡°A written report, right?¡± Yan Yu was entirely unfazed.

    No matter what materials he had to submit, Secretary Su Yunjin, who had a profound literary background, would take care of everything and it wouldn¡¯t be his problem.

    Written was best, just toss it into Old Li¡¯s office and be done with it; oral was fine too, at worst he would just recite it verbatim.

    Li Weiguo knew full well that this kid left all the procedural work to Su Yunjin and never dealt with it himself, giving rise to an even stronger sense of frustration that he couldn¡¯t do anything about him. Impatiently waving his hand, he said:

    ¡°Off you go to the Wuyi Mountains, come back when you get the notice.¡±

    ¡°Roger that,¡± Yan Yu turned around and left immediately.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The members of the Zhenhai Team took flight on their swords, heading towards Minyue Province.

    ¡°Speaking of which, this time the limit to the increase in Spiritual Energy concentration was even higher than the previous instances,¡± Chen Lingyun casually remarked, ¡°The higher-ups have got another headache on their hands.¡±

    ¡°Why is that?¡± Lin Ning curiously inquired.

    ¡°It¡¯s due to the issue of resources and manpower,¡± Su Yunjin answered, ¡°Overseas, there is no cultivation regulation, and Transcendents from the general populace spontaneously seek out Mysterious Realms and excavate resources, creating an environment similar to a free market economy that operates on its own without intervention.¡±

    ¡°We have cultivation regulations domestically, so all work needs to be officially coordinated and arranged. The more the Spiritual Energy Resurgence intensifies, the more Mysterious Realms open up and require handling, and naturally the more headaches the higher-ups will have.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Lin Ning looked towards Chen Lingyun.

    Chen Lingyun smiled without saying anything.

    In fact, it wasn¡¯t just that. The real tricky issue was that even with the mobilization of the nation¡¯s full strength, the number of Mysterious Realms developed and the Transcendent resources garnered still couldn¡¯t compete with the ¡°Gold Rush¡± abroad¡ªnow in the Western world, exploring Mysterious Realms was termed ¡°Gold Panning¡±; as soon as any news of a suspected Mysterious Realm was leaked, it would quickly attract a large number of Transcendents to converge nearby, waiting to rush into the realm and plunder everything clean.

    On Lu Country¡¯s side, they needed to conduct reconnaissance and deploy manpower, which of course lacked the efficiency of a civilian gold rush. Even at the very first ¡°discovery¡± stage, many Mysterious Realms were inadvertently overlooked and neglected, which was an inevitable occurrence.

    Of course, Yan Yu was very averse to the rogue behavior of the civilian Transcendents, therefore she also tactfully refrained from sharing too much with everyone.

    After all, just as Yan Yu had always insisted, as long as the strength of Lu Country¡¯s Cultivators could always crush that of the surrounding regions, the deficiencies of this system would still be acceptable to those above.

    So, you need to strive to become stronger, Brother Yan Yu~

    If your power lags behind others, then not only will the throne of the strongest of this world slip away, but even your beliefs and ideals that you¡¯ve held onto so far will be thoroughly trampled underfoot~

    Chen Lingyun thought to herself, her smile growing even sweeter, her eyes full of longing and anticipation for the future.

    And of course, a desire for amusement.

    The group arrived near the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm, which had been designated as a military no-go zone, and they had even built a huge wall around it, placing cameras at intervals to prevent anyone nearby from illegally scaling the wall and breaking in.

    After going through complex procedures and checks, the Zhenhai Team finally passed through the entrance to the secret realm and arrived inside.

    The first layer of the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm was remembered by everyone to be covered with dense, lush forests.

    Today, while the primeval forest was still everywhere, but on the sparsely vegetated clearings, industrial factories built in uniform style had been erected, with countless roads connecting the surroundings¡ªit had quite the feel of developing the Amazon Rainforest.

    The person responsible for taking the group on a tour of the first layer of the secret realm was Jiang Weiming, a captain who had originally entered with the Zhenhai Team, now promoted to be the security chief of the entire realm.

    ¡°Over here is the Alchemy area,¡± he drove the group around the factories, ¡°Inside, there are alchemy compartments, and each furnace is tended by four Cultivators working in shifts, 24 hours a day.¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t industrial automation been realized yet?¡± Lin Ning asked in surprise.

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Jiang Weiming replied with a wry smile, ¡°We¡¯re using the ancient method of alchemy, with people personally attending the furnaces. The work isn¡¯t very tiring, but it¡¯s just too time-consuming, and you really can¡¯t get away.¡±

    ¡°Currently, all of the Foundation Establishment Pills in the country are produced in the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm. Further to the west is the Spiritual Grass Plantation Area, I¡¯ll take you there.¡±

    The car left the industrial park and arrived at the plantation area; looking out, there were neatly arranged fields divided by countless ridges, with lots of Spirit Grass growing in between, looking quite vigorous as well.

    ¡°The level of automation is higher in the planting area, with agricultural drones and harvesters in operation,¡± explained Jiang Weiming, ¡°The only problem is that Spirit Grasses have a very long growth cycle, and even if we furiously expand and reclaim land, it still can¡¯t keep up with the rapidly increasing demand¡­ Here we are.¡±

    The car stopped in front of a thatched cottage, which was the very same cottage where everyone beat the Puppet and acquired the Nerve Center last year, now surrounded and guarded by the most stringent security in the whole Secret Realm.

    ¡°The entrance to the second layer is inside there,¡± Jiang Weiming said.

    Source: Webn0vel.com, updated on Novg0.co

 Chapter 506 - 2 Ningning Learns to Use Stratagems

    Chapter 506: Chapter 2 Ningning Learns to Use Stratagems

    The thatched cottage had an entrance leading underground. Together they followed the subterranean passage, and at last, a light appeared ahead.

    It turned out to be on the cliffside of a valley.

    Strictly speaking, the valley here and the fully developed land they had just passed were not the same world, but more like the relationship between the second and first floors of a building.

    If it weren¡¯t for the deepening resurgence of Spiritual Energy to start up the ¡°elevator¡±, no matter how much you wandered on the first floor, you would never reach the second floor.

    The Zhendong Army had sent drones ahead of time to scout the terrain of the valley in this world, with rivers winding around it like silk ribbons, lush with beautiful trees and orchids, and numerous houses scattered amidst them.

    The military manor¡¯s research experts believed that within the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm, there must have once been a sect skilled in growing medicinal herbs and alchemy. The cottage on the first layer was where the guest receptionist lived, used to welcome outsiders, while the second layer was for the daily practice and dwelling of the sect¡¯s cultivators.

    According to documents obtained from other mysterious realms, with the coming of the Age of Dharma Decline, many cultivation sects, to escape the increasingly thin spiritual environment outside, fled to the mysterious realms and Grotto Heavens rich in Spiritual Energy. Unfortunately, what followed the Age of Dharma Decline was the Era of Dharma Extinction with a complete absence of Spiritual Energy where cultivators no longer appeared, and sects one by one met their demise.

    Only the ¡°security restrictions¡± left within the secret realms went back into operation after the Spiritual Energy began to revive.

    Yan Yu looked down from the cliff and saw many puppets moving back and forth within the valley. Some were pruning the jade trees and orchids; some were repairing the walls of houses; others were practicing swordsmanship, giving off quite the vibe of robots.

    According to the intelligence provided by Jiang Weiming, reconnaissance drones, once they approached, would be attacked by the puppets¡¯ Sword Control, so they were unable to get near the ground.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he ordered casually, ¡°Ling Yun will command.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s send one up to test the waters,¡± Chen Lingyun communicated through a transmission, ¡°Ningning, you take the lead.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Lin Ning immediately began controlling her sword to descend.

    ¡°Flight restriction, about 3 meters in height,¡± she reported via transmission as she moved down along the mountain¡¯s terrain. ¡°The further down we move, the denser the Spiritual Energy becomes, very noticeable.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu was not surprised.

    The global resurgence of Spiritual Energy this time far exceeded the norm, and even someone like him who was somewhat insensitive to the external Spiritual Energy could sense a significant change in the environment. Considering that the second layer of the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm was the place with the most concentrated Spiritual Energy in the six eastern provinces, what Lin Ning said was ¡°very noticeable¡± was within expectations.

    If it weren¡¯t for the dense Spiritual Energy, we wouldn¡¯t even bother coming here!

    Lin Ning landed at the edge of the valley, and about fifty meters ahead, a puppet was using a Flying Sword to build a lawn.

    With each pass of the brilliant sword light, the grass clippings fell in showers, leaving behind a lawn as neat as if it had been trimmed by a mower.

    After observing for two or three seconds, Lin Ning decisively chose to approach for a probe.

    Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, activate!

    As she rapidly closed in, the puppet suddenly looked up. The Flying Sword, previously tending the lawn, soared up and charged towards Lin Ning.

    So quick! Those left on the cliff were all startled.

    The puppet¡¯s sword light flew faster than the typical cultivator¡¯s Sword Control Technique by approximately twenty percent. Yet, Lin Ning was fearless. Her hand formed a sword technique, and her Green Bamboo Sword flew out of its sword box, executing the move Cang Song Ying Ke to intercept.

    The swords clashed, ringing out crisply. The Puppet Flying Sword took the path of Phoenix Comes to the Ceremony, to which Lin Ning immediately responded with Bai Niao Chao Feng, striking fiercely, sending a string of bright sparks flying.

    The puppet had no fingers, so its sword techniques were indiscernible, forcing Lin Ning to focus intently on the puppet¡¯s Flying Sword. Seeing the blade tilt down in a move like Wild Goose Falling on the Flat Sand, she switched to Overlord Splitting Mountains, a downward chop hitting the center of the sword¡¯s balance, destabilizing the Flying Sword.

    From above, Su Yunjin watched. Having frequently practiced swordsmanship with Lin Ning, she had developed good observatory skills and could tell that the puppet¡¯s swordsmanship wasn¡¯t sophisticated, following a by-the-book approach and technically overwhelmed by Ningning.

    With such a puppet, if I went down, I, too, could win¡­

    Just as she thought this, Lin Ning initiated another move, White Rainbow Across the Sky, which was barely blocked by the opposing Phoenix Dance to the Nine Heavens. With a dull thud, the Green Bamboo Sword, utterly incapable in a head-on struggle, was sent flying by the Puppet Flying Sword.

    Everyone: ???

    ¡°Damn it!¡± Lin Ning was the first to react, but she was taken aback.

    The Shakse Sword Box she carried on her back, a treasure from the Secret Realm of Li Palace, could attach three layers of sharp energy to the Flying Sword, making its attack significantly more powerful than that of ordinary Sword Control. However, each collision consumed one layer.

    Now, after three clashes, all the sharp energy on the sword had dissipated¡ªshe had forgotten about this buff and continued to foolishly duel with that puppet, revealing her true form in the next second.

    Although the swordsmanship of the puppet was extremely crude, its True Yuan was so vigorous it was terrifying, like a Qi Sect master with plain sword techniques but astonishing internal strength. Even if you could see through his moves, you still had to worry about whether you could withstand them! S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Quickly reassessing the situation, Lin Ning immediately changed her tactics again, this time shifting from offense to defense. She pulled her Green Bamboo Sword closer to her side, provoking the puppet¡¯s Sword Control to attack.

    The puppet¡¯s Sword Control had no spirituality and, as expected, fell right into the trap. The Flying Sword executed a move called White Rainbow Across the Sky, aiming for Lin Ning.

    Lin Ning performed the Eight Directional Night Battle, barely blocking the Flying Sword¡¯s attack and retreating continuously to avoid its sharpness. The relentless puppet¡¯s Sword Control pressed on, delivering a White Crane Spreads Wings, sweeping towards her.

    At this moment, the Green Bamboo Sword was still reeling from the aftershock of the last collision. If she were to force it around for a close defense, her guard would surely be breached. If the puppet were to deliver a third strike then, with Lin Ning¡¯s guard wide open and the Green Bamboo Sword unable to assist, she would be in an inescapable predicament.

    Yan Yu saw everything clearly from above, his hand already forming a sword technique, preparing to send the fastest Liangyi Sword to the rescue. But he saw that Lin Ning didn¡¯t continue to defend; instead, she used the critical moment to execute the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step¡ªa ghostly sidestep with a backward lean of her body¡ªrolling on the ground like a falling Green Bamboo to narrowly avoid the slash of the puppet¡¯s Flying Sword.

    With the sword technique in her hand continuing without pause, the Green Bamboo Sword turned into a streak of light, not turning back to save her, but instead striking towards the distant puppet.

    Only then did everyone realize: Lin Ning had switched from attack to defense, step by step, luring the puppet to chase with the Flying Sword, all to separate the puppet from its weapon long enough that she could suddenly activate the Green Bamboo Sword to strike!

    The Green Bamboo Sword attacked at full speed with White Rainbow Across the Sky. The puppet hurriedly maneuvered the Flying Sword to rescue itself, and though its Flying Sword was further away, relying on its abounding True Yuan for speed, it nearly caught up with the Green Bamboo Sword¡ªmissing by about 0.3 seconds, the Green Bamboo Sword pierced through the puppet¡¯s body, cutting off the supply of Spiritual Power, causing it to fall to the ground instantly.

    Lin Ning also felt a lingering fear; she hadn¡¯t expected the opponent¡¯s sword speed to be so fast, nearly allowing the rescue to succeed.

    She manipulated the light of the Green Bamboo Sword to lift the fallen Flying Sword, flying it back to her hand, and then returned to the mountain cliff to report to the captain.

    Yan Yu took the Flying Sword, scanning it with his Divine Sense.

    ¡°A very ordinary Flying Sword,¡± he quickly concluded. ¡°The reason it suppressed you earlier isn¡¯t the sword itself, but the puppet.¡±

    ¡°Mmm,¡± Lin Ning nodded and said, ¡°The quality of the puppet¡¯s True Yuan is definitely not at the Marrow Cleansing Stage.¡±

    ¡°Late Hua Fu Stage, I¡¯d say,¡± Yan Yu judged more accurately. ¡°They are not unassailable, just a bit troublesome.¡±

    ¡°Because there are too many of them,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    In terms of the quality and capacity of True Yuan, the Hua Fu Stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm¡¯s third rank is certainly far superior to that of the second rank, the Marrow Cleansing Stage.

    Luckily, these puppets lacked advanced spiritual intelligence, and their swordsmanship was also quite mediocre. Thus, someone like Lin Ning, by employing a bit of strategy and cunning, could indeed overcome the stronger with the weaker¡ªbut, come to think of it, Ningning actually using tactical maneuvers? Unbelievable!

    ¡°What¡¯s the next step?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    ¡°No more wasting time,¡± Yan Yu estimated the number of puppets in the entire valley and made the call decisively, ¡°Lure them out and kill them wave by wave.¡±

    ¡°How many in a wave?¡± Chen Lingyun purposely asked.

    ¡°As many as we can draw out,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°Can we win if we attract too many?¡± Lin Ning asked worriedly. ¡°Even if their swordsmanship is inadequate, the True Yuan driving them is of a Hua Mansion Realm Sword Immortal¡¯s level, right? If they were to surge forward all at once, can we really beat them?¡±

    ¡°We have Ruoxi,¡± Yan Yu said.

    Xie Ruoxi was taken aback for a moment and then proudly puffed out her chest.

    Source: Webn0vel.com, updated on Novg0.co

 Chapter 507 - 3 I Just Want Fairness

    Chapter 507: Chapter 3 I Just Want Fairness

    What does it feel like to fight across levels?

    After dealing with seven or eight puppets, Lin Ning had a profound understanding: the opponent could make countless mistakes, while a single mistake from her could immediately plunge her into a fatal situation.

    The ones responsible for luring the enemies were her and Zhao Yuanzhen, attracting the nearby Sword Control puppets from two different directions.

    This task was not simple because the puppets could launch sword attacks, and they wouldn¡¯t come closer if you weren¡¯t far enough away; they would just manipulate the Flying Swords to attack you.

    If they were too far, however, it was easy to move out of the enemy¡¯s perception range. Once they lost their target, the puppets would turn around and go back to their usual business¡­ So, not only did she need to be cautious of defense and evasion, but she also had to control the distance between her and the enemy to steadily draw them in.

    Initially, Lin Ning lured one puppet at a time, bringing them to her team¡¯s side to be killed. Gradually gaining confidence, she increased the number of puppets she lured at a time to 2, 3, and eventually 4.

    Under the assault of four sword-bearing puppets, even with her Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, she was somewhat overwhelmed and barely managed to lead them close to her formation.

    Su Yunjin and Chen Lingyun immediately took over. The latter used Five Ghosts to entangle the puppets while the former executed the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, using a flood to gather the controlled puppets together, followed by blasts from Xie Ruoxi¡¯s Thunder Method.

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s accuracy with her Thunder Method was still poor, but luckily, with two support teammates helping her control the situation, if one shot missed, several more would do the job.

    Seeing all four puppets dealt with, Lin Ning also breathed a sigh of relief, only to hear Su Yunjin¡¯s voice transmission inviting her,

    ¡°Ningning, come rest for a bit.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Lin Ning instinctively said, showing off her resilience, ¡°I still have True Yuan left.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not about True Yuan,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile, ¡°Facing so many puppets on your own, the mental pressure must be great, right?¡±

    Lin Ning thought that was true. She could roughly estimate how much True Yuan she had left by simply feeling it, but it was not easy to notice when the mental pressure became too tense.

    In case she made a mistake and fell into danger, the secondary worry was delaying the team¡¯s rhythm as they might need to rescue her.

    She decided to stay with her team temporarily and took an Elixir Medicine to replenish her not very depleted True Yuan.

    Then she saw Yan Yu lazily sitting on the grass nearby, leisurely watching the girls fighting hard.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Lin Ning called out.

    ¡°Hey what?¡± Yan Yu lazily replied, ¡°Call me by my position when we¡¯re working!¡±

    ¡°Captain!¡± Lin Ning said indignantly, ¡°We are all fighting hard, and you¡¯re just loafing around here alone!¡±

    ¡°Great,¡± Yan Yu stood up pretentiously, ¡°Since Ningning can¡¯t handle it, let me take over your job then.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± Lin Ning quickly grabbed his hand, ¡°I didn¡¯t say I couldn¡¯t handle it! I just meant don¡¯t slack off; at least join us in the fight.¡±

    ¡°Get one thing clear,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°If I step in, then there wouldn¡¯t be any work for you. Are you more proficient in the Cloud Bagua Step than me, or is your judgment on the battlefield sharper than mine?¡±

    Lin Ning was at a loss for words and angrily retorted,

    ¡°Can¡¯t you just contribute to the team without competing with me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you might break down because you¡¯re not as skilled,¡± Yan Yu pointed forward, ¡°Look at Sister Zhao.¡±

    Following his gesture, Lin Ning saw Zhao Yuanzhen managing to bring back seven or eight puppets while fighting and retreating effortlessly.

    ¡°No way!¡± she exclaimed in shock, ¡°Really?!¡±

    ¡°See,¡± Yan Yu crossing his arms, said, ¡°As for luring enemies, you¡¯re currently second best; if I join in, you¡¯d drop to third.¡±

    But Lin Ning was completely uninterested in his comment, just staring dumbfounded at Zhao Yuanzhen and soon realizing something was amiss.

    The True Yuan level of these Sword-bearing Puppets was comparable to a cultivator at the Hua Fu Stage. Ample True Yuan enhanced the speed, strength, and flexibility of the Flying Swords.

    If Lin Ning were to duel the puppets with swords, their Flying Swords might stabilize after knocking back half a meter; her Green Bamboo Sword however, would be sent flying back seven or eight meters and fail to return, making it impossible for her to fight¡­ That¡¯s why she completely gave up on blocking and relied solely on the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step for dodging and evading.

    But Zhao Yuanzhen had no such concerns. The Yin Wind Sword blocked what needed to be blocked and intercepted what needed to be intercepted. She even had spare time to wield the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer, smashing the targeted puppet into splinters.

    This was the strength of an enchantress in her prime!

    Although Lin Ning was completely baffled by this, Yan Yu knew very well: Empress Yuanzhen¡¯s strength was originally at the Hua Mansion stage.

    Initially, when Mei Yingxue chased her to the Earth plane, her True Yuan was completely exhausted. Coupled with the environmental limit on the concentration of spiritual energy, she was forced to suppress her power, which caused her to be unable to recover her original cultivation realm for a long time, to the extent that she even got thrashed by herself during practice.

    Now that the level limit had finally increased, it was only natural for her to recover her full cultivation. If Mei Yingxue were not counted, at this moment, Zhao Yuanzhen was the first Hua Mansion stage cultivator in the entire Lu Country!

    As a fellow Hua Mansion stage cultivator, what could these puppets bring against her, and how could they possibly defeat her?

    Meanwhile, Lin Ning still looked disconsolate, feeling as if ¡°everyone was diligently studying, yet the grades of a close friend had suddenly blasted past mine.¡± She murmured,

    ¡°Impossible, how did she suddenly become so powerful?¡±

    ¡°There is nothing impossible,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently, ¡°You reap what you sow. She is now more powerful than you because she has put in more sweat where you can¡¯t see.¡±

    After all, Empress Yuanzhen had cultivated for who knows how many years in another world before traveling here. How could she possibly lose to you, someone who just stepped into cultivation less than a year ago?

    ¡°Are you saying you secretly gave Sister Zhao extra training?¡± Lin Ning suddenly sharpened her gaze.

    ¡°Er, no.¡± Yan Yu hurriedly denied, laughing, ¡°How could I possibly give her extra training? Hahaha, as the team leader, what I value most is fairness and treating everyone equally¡­¡±

    Before he could finish his evasive response, Lin Ning interrupted him suspiciously,

    ¡°I remember one night, I entered your room for some reason, and I saw Sister Zhao there, too.¡±

    ¡°That was because¡­¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t finished yet!¡± Lin Ning forcefully said, ¡°You later explained that you two were ¡®dual cultivating,¡¯ which means both of you were doing breathing exercises together, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Yan Yu vaguely remembered that indeed, such an incident had occurred.

    ¡°So.¡± Lin Ning quickly concluded, ¡°It¡¯s because you and Sister Zhao were dual cultivating, that¡¯s why her strength has risen so quickly.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­.

    Ah, dual cultivation actually meant Empress Yuanzhen was clinging to me to get stronger?

    Seeing Yan Yu stunned into silence, Lin Ning immediately stepped up to him and coldly laughed,

    ¡°Treating everyone equally, huh? Not favoring one over another, huh?¡±

    ¡°¡­Cough, Ningning.¡± Yan Yu coughed slightly and said, ¡°The thing is actually like this¡­¡±

    ¡°I want to dual cultivate too!¡± Lin Ning demanded decisively. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be hasty.¡± Yan Yu spoke soothingly, ¡°The reason Sister Zhao grew stronger is actually¡­¡±

    ¡°Captain.¡± Lin Ning narrowed her eyes slightly, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t want Yun Jin to find out about your dual cultivation with Sister Zhao, right? Given Yun Jin¡¯s temperament, I can¡¯t guarantee how big of a temper she might throw.¡±

    Yan Yu: !!!

    Lin, my dear, can you take it down a notch? Even if you threaten me with Yun Jin, uh, well, um¡­

    In his mind, he pictured Yun Jin standing before him with a smile, her expression tender and amiable, yet her aura growing heavier and heavier¡ªdouble gravity, triple gravity, tenfold gravity! It was as if an unemotional vast black hole wanted to devour all his emotions.

    No, I don¡¯t want that! Yun Jin, stay away, stay away!

    ¡°After 10 PM tonight.¡± Yan Yu covered his face in agony and said as if he was being tormented, ¡°Come alone. If anyone finds out, it¡¯s off.¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Seeing his reluctantly compromised expression, Lin Ning turned and walked away, muttering, ¡°I don¡¯t really care about dual cultivation! It¡¯s just that you favor Sister Zhao, and I can¡¯t stand it. I just want fairness, that¡¯s all!¡±

    Source: Webn0vel.com, updated on Novg0.co

 Chapter 508 - 4 Can I Join Your Dual Cultivation?

    Chapter 508: Chapter 4 Can I Join Your Dual Cultivation?

    The dual cultivation of the Silken Bond Technique assigns the faster progressing individual as the Silk Puller and the other as the Silk Extractor.

    The better the aptitude of the Silk Puller, the quicker the breathing and energy refining speed, which is entirely unrelated to the aptitude of the Silk Extractor.

    If one were to make an analogy, the Silk Puller is like a car engine while the Silk Extractor is like the car¡¯s tires. Once the engine starts, the tires don¡¯t need to do anything; they just follow and rotate¡ªthat¡¯s it.

    Of course, since the Qiansi Sect specializes in puppetry techniques, naturally, some have developed the Puppet Substitute Cultivation Technique, allowing puppets to serve as the car engine.

    As long as the puppet has enough heavenly and earthly treasures, the engine¡¯s horsepower will be sufficiently powerful; moreover, since the puppet itself does not need any spiritual energy, all of it can be transferred to the Silk Extractor, forcibly enhancing the Silk Extractor¡¯s cultivation.

    This led to the so-called ¡°Four Directions Qi Guiding Formation,¡± which allows for simultaneous energy refining with multiple puppets, akin to multiple engines providing horsepower. Although the effect is not simply additive, it is nonetheless substantial. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu carefully calculated: if he, the Enchantress, and Ningning were to refine energy together, plus two puppets, the benefits to his own cultivation would be higher than usual, especially since Lin Ning¡¯s cultivation aptitude surpasses his own.

    For Lin Ning, since Sister Zhao¡¯s aptitude is better than hers and there are two puppets serving as spiritual energy engines, her progression speed would also increase.

    The only one at a disadvantage would be Zhao Yuanzhen. Initially managing just Yan Yu, now she has to take on Lin Ning as well, essentially increasing the load, which would slightly decrease the efficiency of breathing and energy refining. Fortunately, the Silken Bond Technique itself minimizes the impact of the Silk Extractor, so the efficiency would not suffer much¡ªconsidering the three of them as a whole, it definitely remains worthwhile.

    The problem lies in how to persuade Zhao Yuanzhen.

    No one engages in deals that hurt themselves to help others, especially not the vindictive Demonic Sect Enchantress. Originally, she was forced into dual cultivation with him by scaring her with Mei Yingxue¡¯s authority; now, to add Ningning, the Demonic Sect is obviously not in the habit of charity. How could they easily agree?

    Yan Yu thought it over and sighed to himself in relief.

    Luckily, this time it¡¯s Lin Ning who needs to join¡­ Huh? Why did I say ¡°this time¡±?

    The group fought an entire afternoon, almost taking down more than two hundred puppets. Even those with abundant True Yuan like Xie Ruoxi had to consume several elixir medicines to sustain themselves.

    The result was merely cleaning the periphery, barely securing an area to land.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Chen Lingyun communicated telepathically, ¡°Shall we fight through the night, or retreat to rest first?¡±

    Cultivators, after fasting, do not necessarily need food or sleep. However, the Zhenhai Team had established regular habits, and if they forced the girls to fight overnight, they feared it might lead to mistakes due to attracting monsters; these puppets also had an advantage in realm, which would be troublesome.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head back,¡± Yan Yu quickly decided, ¡°Even if we spent the night, it wouldn¡¯t speed up our progress much.¡±

    The group then retraced their steps, following the cliff-side path back to the first level of the Mysterious Realm; Jiang Weiming soon drove up to pick them up.

    Even before the Zhenhai Team arrived, the Military Manor had already assembled a team of cultivators who had entered the Marrow Cleansing Stage to pioneer the area, all of whom had failed miserably under the puppet swords¡ªnot every cultivator can fight beyond their realm.

    Seeing the members of the Zhenhai Team unharmed, Jiang Weiming also secretly sighed in relief.

    Being at the same Marrow Cleansing Stage, there was such a huge gap in combat prowess between the Military Manor Cultivators and them; no wonder the Privy Council centered their strategies around Team Monks. Even if I were in charge, I would focus all resources on the Team Monks without a second thought.

    He silently drove everyone to the southwest part of the Mysterious Realm; this area was the residential area for the realm¡¯s staff, beautifully constructed along the lake with excellent living conditions. Even the team¡¯s young women, accustomed to living in villas, found no faults at this time.

    Dinner was too rushed to cook, so they ate canteen meals delivered by Jiang Weiming. Everyone else found the meals acceptable, but Zhao Yuanzhen was visibly unhappy, complaining about the beef being too tough, the cabbage too mushy, the rice too hard, and the egg soup too bland, hardly eating much.

    After eating, everyone returned to their rooms to rest.

    As Zhao Yuanzhen was about to leave, she suddenly saw Yan Yu giving Lin Ning a look, and the two walked off in a different direction.

    The suspicious nature of the Demonic Sect Enchantress kicked in, and she quietly followed them.

    Yan Yu took Lin Ning out of the building for a walk by the lake under the moonlight, only to hear Lin Ning communicate telepathically:

    ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree for me to come over at 10 PM? Why change the plan?¡±

    ¡°I was planning to secretly negotiate with Sister Zhao and then have you come over in the evening,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°but that would seem like you weren¡¯t earnest enough, which wouldn¡¯t leave a good impression on her.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a make-up lesson, why care about earnestness?¡± Lin Ning became even more puzzled, ¡°And since when do you, as the captain, consider Sister Zhao¡¯s wishes?¡±

    ¡°Just follow my arrangements,¡± Yan Yu communicated telepathically, but aloud he said:

    ¡°Ah, that cafeteria meal really wasn¡¯t good, the beef too tough, the cabbage too mushy, the rice too hard, the egg soup too bland¡ªjust not tasty, not tasty at all.¡±

    Lin Ning was at a loss for words, thinking to himself what was the point of repeating Sister Zhao¡¯s complaints?

    He then heard Yan Yu continue,

    ¡°Thank goodness, Ningning, you¡¯re willing to cook specially for me; otherwise, my taste buds would be so bland, I¡¯d probably have trouble sleeping at night¡­¡±

    Before he could finish, a coquettish shout came from behind:

    ¡°Okay, you little thief! Sneaking off to cook without calling me, huh?!¡±

    Upon hearing ¡°cook specially¡±, Zhao Yuanzhen couldn¡¯t hold back any longer and immediately rushed out from behind a tree, grabbing Yan Yu by the arm with her left hand and reaching for Lin Ning¡¯s fingers with her right, she exclaimed:

    ¡°Count me in!¡±

    Lin Ning revealed a helpless, bitter smile, feeling as if he finally understood what Yan Yu was up to.

    The trio went to a nearby cafeteria, spoke to the security guard, and entered the kitchen.

    Lin Ning checked the fridge and breathed a sigh of relief, smiling:

    ¡°Luckily, there¡¯s plenty of ingredients. What do you guys want to eat?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen said seriously:

    ¡°Last time in Shuzhong Prefecture, I had taro and fattened intestines chicken; kind of missing that taste now. Can you make it here?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have fattened intestines,¡± Lin Ning shook his head and suggested, ¡°But we do have some pork belly. How about red oil taro with pork belly and stir-fried chicken?¡±

    ¡°Supported!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately showed her support.

    Yan Yu watched with a cold eye, thinking how Lin Ning was just too easygoing, willingly cooking anything the Enchantress craved for free.

    If the culinary skills were in my hands, I wouldn¡¯t consider my surname Yan if I didn¡¯t make the Enchantress cry her eyes out.

    Lin Ning steamed some rice and fried two big plates of dishes, then brought them to the table.

    As Zhao Yuanzhen ate, she actually started shedding tears, her voice trembling as she said:

    ¡°Thank goodness you¡¯re here, Ningning. I thought I¡¯d have to put up with the previous kind of meals while practicing Breathing and Energy Refining here.¡±

    ¡°The Military Manor¡¯s meals aren¡¯t bad, okay?¡± Lin Ning, feeling a bit embarrassed by her praise, waved his hands and said, ¡°Sure, large pot meals aren¡¯t very refined, but they shouldn¡¯t be that bad, right?¡±

    ¡°Compared to your cooking, Ningning, everything else is tasteless,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen mumbled, then continued to eat voraciously.

    Lin Ning and Yan Yu exchanged glances and after a silent conversation said:

    ¡°So, Sister Zhao, would you like to continue eating my cooking in the coming days?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied with her mouth full, her words unclear.

    ¡°Then, may I join your Dual Cultivation?¡± Lin Ning cautiously ventured.

    What? Ningning wants to get in on the action with me and the little thief?

    ¡°Certainly not,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen frowned and quickly swallowed her food, reflexively rejecting, ¡°Dual Cultivation is for two people; how does that work with three? I can accommodate you in other things, but not this.¡±

    Lin Ning paused for a moment, his expression visibly saddened.

    Before Zhao Yuanzhen could further object, Yan Yu quickly sent a mental message:

    ¡°Just for Breathing and Energy Refining, excluding bedroom techniques.¡±

    ¡°However,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen instantly changed her tone and said, ¡°Considering the many years of our friendship, Ningning, I¡¯ll reluctantly agree, but you must not tell the other sisters~¡±

    ¡°I promise I won¡¯t!¡± Lin Ning, unable to foresee such a turn of events, was visibly overjoyed and repeatedly assured her this would be their little secret, known only among the three of them, never to be shared with a fourth person.

    Source: Webn0vel.com, updated on Novg0.co

 Chapter 509 - 5 Can Yun Jin Do It?

    Chapter 509: Chapter 5 Can Yun Jin Do It?

    The three of them, having eaten their fill, left the dining hall and walked towards the dormitory area under the moonlight.

    Strolling along the lakeside path, Zhao Yuanzhen led the way at the front, Lin Ning walked quietly by her side, and Yan Yu fell back, taking covert glances at the two girls and letting his thoughts turn ever so slightly.

    He saw that the Enchantress from the Demonic Sect had a tall and shapely figure, firm and rounded, where lush fruits were able to grow on slender branches, truly astonishing the widely experienced Yan Yu, leaving him in constant awe; even Northern Country¡¯s Anna, who was also known for her voluptuousness, couldn¡¯t quite compare in this respect.

    But in terms of character, the Enchantress was also the least trustworthy one.

    It wasn¡¯t that they did not get along well, but rather an issue with her personality¡ªunder normal circumstances, she seemed quite gentle and easy to talk to, provided that there was good food around; however, as soon as her own interests were involved, she would turn hostile and refuse to recognize anyone, without the slightest regard for personal friendships or the bigger picture.

    So much so that even now, Yan Yu could act as he pleased with other girls, but when it came to the Enchantress, he still adhered to a strategy of ¡°grueling treatment first, encouragement as support,¡± and did not dare to waver in the slightest.

    Alas, if it weren¡¯t for the necessity of Dual Cultivation with the Silken Bond Technique, and the fact that puppets needed her for modifications and upgrades, why would I need to pay her so much attention!

    These two things were core interests for Yan Yu, and for this reason, even though the Enchantress was the most unstable, he could only put her in the most important position beside him.

    Looking again at Lin Ning¡¯s figure from behind, although it didn¡¯t surpass the Enchantress, it still had an advantage in youthful vitality.

    Her thighs were full, her waist delicate, and her jet-black hair thick and lustrous, cascading down like a waterfall, surely delightful to the touch.

    In terms of hair density and sheen, Lin Ning was the best Yan Yu had ever seen; even Chen Lingyun, who always used exorbitantly expensive brand-name shampoo, was clearly outclassed by Lin Ning in this respect.

    Of course, as soft as her hair was, her mouth was just as firm. As soon as you pressed her buttons, she would start repeating distrustful words over and over like a broken record, proving that underneath her seemingly tough tiger facade, there lay a sensitive and delicate young girl¡¯s heart.

    In this regard, she was the complete opposite of Yun Jin. Su Yunjin was well-educated, a lady of high society, appearing to be a gentle and fragile girl, but she carried a certain stubborn assertiveness and aggressiveness in her bones, even taking the initiative to approach the man she liked¡­ But for Lin Ning, even at the risk of her life, she couldn¡¯t say the words ¡°I like you.¡±

    Lin Ning was tough on the outside and soft on the inside, while Yun Jin was soft on the outside but tough on the inside. Although they were evenly matched, if Yan Yu had to rank them by trustworthiness, he would most likely choose Lin Ning.

    The reason was none other than she was easier to deal with.

    In Yan Yu¡¯s plan for Dual Cultivation, he originally didn¡¯t intend to include anyone else; after all, the upper limit of Spiritual Energy Concentration increased in steps, whether approaching it slowly or quickly, one could catch up eventually, so the speed of cultivation wasn¡¯t all that important.

    However, having heard that this time the increase in Spiritual Energy Concentration limit was quite substantial, if he could widen the gap in cultivation progress with the top Transcendents of other countries, then the time to maintain that advantage would also be longer than usual, making it worth stepping on the gas a bit.

    So if that was the case, since he was adding Lin Ning anyway, he might as well include the other girls in the future. With Ruoxi¡¯s supercar engine, he should be able to pull Ling Yun¡¯s tractor along faster.

    Of course, not now.

    Yan Yu had to consider Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s perception; bringing everyone together suddenly, such a big change would likely make the Enchantress uncomfortable and might awaken her possessiveness, potentially leading to complications.

    Having them come one by one, each offering some perks to Sister Zhao, would allow her to gradually adapt while feeling like she got an advantage; this was the best way to handle the Enchantress.

    Yan Yu never forgot just how domineering and overbearing Empress Yuanzhen was in his past life; even when the Privy Council¡¯s military orders came down, requesting her help, they had to politely summon her with gifts in hand, offering various advantages¡­ This was the result of having too low favorability with the Enchantress, where asking her for help meant walking on eggshells.

    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Lin Ning suddenly sent a telepathic message, because Yan Yu, deep in thought, was lagging too far behind, causing her to wait for him and also fall behind, leaving Zhao Yuanzhen obliviously walking ahead.

    ¡°Thinking about you,¡± Yan Yu casually replied.

    Lin Ning¡¯s face turned red in an instant, and her tone was angrier when she replied telepathically,

    ¡°Don¡¯t say things like that, flirting with girls! Do you think I¡¯m happy hearing this? I am very angry because you don¡¯t respect me!¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not about romance,¡± Yan Yu realized the ambiguity of his words and quickly explained, ¡°I was just planning your future development.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Lin Ning said.

    She didn¡¯t say anything more but quickened her pace, rapidly catching up with Zhao Yuanzhen.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, are you angry?¡± Yan Yu noticed her slight mood change.

    ¡°No,¡± Lin Ning replied staunchly through telepathy, ¡°You¡¯re considering important matters, I have no reason to be angry with you.¡±

    Hehe, Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but chuckle to himself.

    I¡¯m thinking about her private matters, Lin Ning pretends to be angry on the surface, but she¡¯s actually shy inside; however, when I say I¡¯m considering official matters, she pretends to cool off on the outside, but is unhappy inside.

    This is what complex women are like!

    However, that¡¯s not complex enough.

    Yan Yu faintly remembered the times in his past life with Chen Lingyun. No matter if she was happy, unhappy, disappointed, or even angry, her face always had a smiling expression, never revealing the slightest inconsistency.

    Then she would set verbal traps, letting Yan Yu figure out the hidden meanings. If he failed to understand, he would be subject to her little schemes and teasing.

    Of course, the mature Ling Yun from his past life naturally had a far deeper understanding than the young Ling Yun of the present.

    By leading the team to conquer the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm and pointing Li Weiguo to the path of ¡°ancient alchemy,¡± Yan Yu avoided many detours from his previous life. Consequently, the supply progress of the Foundation Establishment Pill in Lu Country was far ahead of his previous life. Chen Lingyun, as a top cultivator, benefited greatly from this and thus her cultivation and strength were ahead of where they were in the past life, but some things simply cannot be rushed. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Accustomed to dealing with the difficult mature Ling Yun of the past, Yan Yu had nothing to worry about now, whether dealing with the younger Chen Lingyun, Zhao Yuanzhen, or Lin Ning.

    Got it in the palm of my hand!

    The three returned to Yan Yu¡¯s room, and after a brief contemplation, Yan Yu simply explained the essence and effects of the Silken Bond Technique to Lin Ning.

    This matter is extremely sensitive, as it can enable a person with no talent whatsoever to pursue cultivation. If it were to leak by accident, it might lead to an explosion in the number of civilian cultivators, heralding a new era where everyone is like a dragon.

    Everyone being like a dragon sounds pretty on the surface. In reality, some people will become dragons first, then these pioneer dragons would likely try to wipe out the later dragons, completely blocking their chance for transformation¡­ This is why Yan Yu had no intention of letting the Silken Bond Technique get out.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, of course, would not speak of it. As for Lin Ning, Yan Yu originally didn¡¯t plan to let her know, but now that her trust level was sufficient, and she had taken the initiative to get involved, Yan Yu decided to let her in on it.

    From now on, Ningning is one of my own people!

    After Yan Yu emphasized the importance of the Silken Bond Technique, Lin Ning was also secretly shocked.

    The Silken Bond Technique only looks at the Silk Puller¡¯s potential, meaning even if the Silk Extractor has no cultivation talent, they can still successfully become a cultivator.

    This thing¡­ If it accidentally gets out, those nobles¡¯ offspring with no cultivation talent would definitely be the first to become cultivators¡ªand one cannot overestimate the integrity of those higher-ups, Liu Longtao is a prime example.

    ¡°What are you worried about?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was somewhat puzzled, ¡°After all, Ningning will definitely not tell anyone, right?¡±

    ¡°Just to be safe,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile.

    ¡°I will absolutely keep it a secret!¡± Lin Ning was touched and hurriedly swore.

    Hmph, the captain and Sister Zhao¡¯s secret, now I also know it, proving that he truly trusts me a lot.

    Can Yun Jin do that?

    ¡°Let¡¯s start practicing then,¡± Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen exchanged glances and released the puppets, Ami and Yuanzhen.

    Although now aware that these puppets were used to ¡°assist in Qi Refinement,¡± Lin Ning still felt a subconscious sense of oddity seeing them perfectly resemble Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s appearance and figure.

    There was a peculiar illusion of suddenly dropping from second to fourth in a certain bodily ranking within this room¡­

    ¡°Sit cross-legged with hands together,¡± Yan Yu interrupted her thoughts.

    Source: Webn0vel.com, updated on Novg0.co

 Chapter 510 - 6 Sharing the Same Pillow

    Chapter 510: Chapter 6 Sharing the Same Pillow

    ¡°Silken Bond Technique¡± also had an additional benefit, being able to identify the cultivation talent of others.

    Talent indeed exists, but it lacks physical form. Some people could circulate their Qi through dozens of Circulating Heavens with growth in True Yuan, while others would find no changes after just two or three cycles, clearly indicating some differences, but aside from the individuals themselves, it ultimately couldn¡¯t be directly observed. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    However, while practicing the String-Pulling Technique together, as the Spiritual Energy entered the body and was transformed into True Yuan in the meridians, then circulated back and forth among the three practitioners, one could vaguely sense who gained more and who less.

    Lin Ning had already sensed something was amiss at this point.

    Her left hand touched Yan Yu¡¯s right hand, and her right hand met Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s left palm. Each time she transferred True Yuan towards Sister Zhao, after completing a cycle, it would return with about a 1.2% increase. Nevertheless, the True Yuan transferred towards Yan Yu would return exactly the same amount without any change.

    Initially, Lin Ning was still immersed in the joy of Dual Cultivation because the growth of her True Yuan was exceedingly rapid. If she were to perform the Circulating the Heavens alone, and the increase in True Yuan was set at six points, then practicing together with Sister Zhao and the team captain would boost her increase up to 10 or even 9 points per cycle; the effect was quite exaggerated.

    But as she continued her Breathing Exercises, she discovered that Sister Zhao was doing most of the work. It was as if they were all riding a tandem bike; she and Sister Zhao were desperately peddling to fly forward, only to turn her head and see Yan Yu sitting cross-legged on the seat, the pedals spinning rapidly underneath him.

    This evil team captain! Lousy captain! Slacking off during the day while clearing puppets is one thing, but to slack off even while doing Breathing and Energy Refining at night!

    Lin Ning, who couldn¡¯t tolerate any faults in her eyes, instinctively wanted to send a telepathic message to criticize and urge him to cultivate properly.

    But then she thought again, the team captain had helped persuade Sister Zhao this time, allowing me to join their Dual Cultivation. Wouldn¡¯t it appear ungrateful if I were to pick on him now?

    But then she thought again, the captain was clearly slacking, maybe he added me just so I would perform the Breathing Exercises like Sister Zhao did for him. Such laziness is absolutely unacceptable, what¡¯s wrong with me speaking out?

    But then she rethought it, the captain already doesn¡¯t like when I nag, if I berate him further, what if he gets furious and kicks me out, what then if tomorrow night he doesn¡¯t let me return?

    In Lin Ning¡¯s mind, various thoughts endlessly whirled around, she hesitated and struggled greatly, and ended up by the time their cultivation session was over, without making up her mind ¡°whether to lecture the team captain¡± or not.

    In solo Breathing and Energy Refining, there exists a limit to performing Circulating the Heavens daily, beyond which the increase in True Yuan stagnates. Although miraculous, the String-Pulling Technique could not defy the heavens in this aspect; hence, once no further growth in True Yuan was possible, the three of them naturally opened their eyes and exchanged glances for a moment.

    ¡°Done, time to sleep.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen kicked up her legs and swiftly dove under Yan Yu¡¯s blanket, ¡°Ningning, don¡¯t disturb me later.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Lin Ning was first startled, then shocked, and finally angered, hastily sending a telepathic message to Yan Yu, ¡°Ca-captain! What does this mean? After you and Sister Zhao finished Dual Cultivation previously, did she always sleep in your room?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°All the others are in the next room, after all. Going out now, I¡¯m afraid they¡¯d see and ask, ¡®Why did you come from the captain¡¯s room?¡¯ which would be tough to explain. But if we wait until tomorrow, after they¡¯ve all left their rooms and I pretend I overslept, it won¡¯t be easily discovered.¡±

    ¡°But you can¡¯t just spend the night in your room!¡± Lin Ning quickly got up from bed, as if Yan Yu¡¯s room were a den of iniquity, anxiously saying, ¡°I¡¯m going back.¡±

    ¡°Remember to use Invisibility Technique,¡± Yan Yu advised. ¡°Listen for any sounds outside before you go out.¡±

    Just as Lin Ning was about to say ¡°It¡¯s rare that anyone would actually catch me,¡± she happened to hear someone opening a door outside.

    She fell silent for a while, internally exclaiming how close that was.

    If it weren¡¯t for the captain¡¯s reminder, even if I went out invisible and the door inexplicably opened, the other person would still sense something was wrong.

    Lin Ning immediately decided to wait a while in the room before leaving; she then turned her head to see Zhao Yuanzhen sound asleep under the blanket, and Yan Yu was sitting on the bed looking at her, suddenly feeling an indescribable irritation.

    It was as though she knew her husband was cheating and hurried home, but couldn¡¯t find any trace of the other woman anywhere, while the husband watched with a frank face as if saying, ¡°See, no one¡¯s at home, right? Just go back to work.¡±

    No, I¡¯m not leaving! If I leave now, the two of you alone could end up doing something unknown to me!

    Lin Ning didn¡¯t know where she found the courage, or perhaps it was her combative spirit towards Zhao Yuanzhen, or maybe the incessant nagging within her convincing herself of ¡°fairness¡±, but suddenly she turned around and sat beside Yan Yu¡¯s bed, fervently sending him a message:

    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving. I can¡¯t rest easy with Sister Zhao here; I need to make sure you don¡¯t do anything bad.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fine,¡± Yan Yu calmly responded.

    ¡°You?¡± Lin Ning¡¯s face showed astonishment. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the least bit ashamed? Both Sister Zhao and I are girls, and you¡¯re not even embarrassed to have us sleep on your bed?¡±

    ¡°Why should I be shy?¡± Yan Yu retorted, ¡°Sister Zhao has been sleeping here for almost a year already. Have you seen me lay a finger on her?¡±

    Lin Ning remained silent for a moment, unable to find a point of rebuttal. She thought to herself that if the captain were really a lustful ghost, not just Sister Zhao, Yun Jin would have been devoured by him long ago.

    Hmph, I won¡¯t let my guard down, I¡¯m staying right here!

    ¡°Suit yourself, I¡¯m going to sleep too.¡± Yan Yu then crawled into bed, sharing the pillow with Zhao Yuanzhen and closed his eyes. ¡°Remember to turn off the light, otherwise it will still be on too late. It won¡¯t look good if someone sees the light through the crack in the door from outside.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Lin Ning said.

    Seeing Yan Yu actually lie down silently, calmly beside her, she instinctively bit her lip. She wanted to punch this heartless man in the face, but she ended up holding back and just stared gloomily at Yan Yu¡¯s face.

    Ah, Captain¡­

    In your heart, what am I really?

    Lin Ning sat silently for a moment, turned off the light, and then crept into bed quietly.

    A faint sense of tiredness spread through her body, the result of her biological clock nurtured by a regular routine, telling her ¡°it¡¯s time to sleep,¡± but her mind was unexpectedly clear, even starting to wander uncontrollably.

    The pillows and the quilt carried a very obvious scent of Yan Yu¡­

    Because he is sleeping right beside me ahhhhhhhhhhh!

    Lin Ning felt as if a hundred thousand groundhogs were screaming crazily in her heart; she started to feel hot from her back to the nape of her neck. She became uncomfortably warm and quietly shifted her feet out of the quilt, then carefully pulled her hands out and slowly placed them on either side of her body.

    Then she touched Yan Yu¡¯s hand.

    She thought to pull her hand away as if shocked, but her rationality blocked the nerve signals to her arms.

    No, no, absolutely not! If I touch him and then pull away, the captain will definitely think I¡¯m trying to use physical touch to tease him! If he actually loses control and turns to do something inappropriate to me, I¡¯d have to punch and kick him, which might alarm the sisters next door, and then things would really be hard to explain!

    To be safe, it¡¯s better to pretend to be asleep, accidentally touching his hand without awareness. Given the captain¡¯s character, he probably won¡¯t think much of it!

    Lin Ning forcefully suppressed her embarrassment, awkwardness, and distress, deliberately making her breathing sounds heavy, prolonged, and noticeable.

    Feigning sleep.

    Feeling that the man beside her did not stir, she gradually relaxed.

    Then she fell asleep without realizing it.

    In a blurry dream, she seemed to be running with the captain in the morning. As they ran, the captain began to breathe erratically as if he was running out of steam, so she gave him a ¡°I can¡¯t believe I have to take care of you¡± look and boldly reached out to grab his hand, continuing to run the rest of the way with him.

    Lin Ning slept blissfully sweet, while Yan Yu beside her found it a bit helpless.

    You¡¯re supposed to be sleeping, why are you holding my hand?

    Zhao Yuanzhen also didn¡¯t sleep well usually, often haphazardly stretching her legs over his. Now that there was Lin, who liked to hold hands while sleeping, it was just like Sister Zhao and him were legendary partners.

    Yan Yu tried to lightly pull away, but found that Lin Ning held on even tighter, even interlocking their fingers.

    ¡­Forget it.

    It will be quite interesting to see Lin Ning¡¯s reaction when she wakes up tomorrow.

    Source: Webn0vel.com, updated on Novg0.co

 Chapter 511 - 7: Holding Lemons to Control Zhao

    Chapter 511: Chapter 7: Holding Lemons to Control Zhao

    Some people have the habit of only being able to sleep in their own beds, uncomfortable anywhere else.

    However, Lin Ning clearly didn¡¯t have this issue, as she not only fell asleep quickly but also very deeply. When she woke up groggily the next day, she was completely unaware that her right hand was holding someone else¡¯s, and comfortably turned over, hooking her left arm around Yan Yu¡¯s neck.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­..

    He was the first among the three to wake up because Zhao Yuanzhen had turned around early and pressed his leg over his lower body.

    Lin Ning¡¯s left arm was also placed on him, the added weight immediately woke Yan Yu.

    He sighed softly, gently pushed the two away, and then sat up on the bed.

    To play with his phone.

    Suddenly, Lin Ning¡¯s body tensed up.

    At the moment Yan Yu pushed her away, her somewhat confused senses suddenly became clear, and she almost cried out instinctively.

    ¡­Thankfully, she held it in.

    Last night¡¯s memories surged in her mind, followed by endless alarm and embarrassment.

    I actually, really spent the night in the captain¡¯s room?

    The so-called ¡°being caught if I leave¡± was just a forced excuse, the real reason she stayed was half because of the psychology of competing with Sister Zhao, and the other half was an indescribable worry and fear.

    If Sister Zhao can do it, why can¡¯t I? Moreover, sneaking away must be stopped!

    Having found enough reasons for her actions last night, Lin Ning finally suppressed all her strange emotions, held her breath, and waited for the captain to get up and go to the toilet, so she could immediately sneak out.

    But Yan Yu didn¡¯t seem to have the intention to leave; he was just boredly swiping on his phone¡¯s screen.

    Lin Ning slowly curled up and started mentally chanting ¡°get out of bed, get out of bed, get out of bed,¡± trying to transmit her thoughts to the man next to her.

    Damn it! He¡¯s started watching short videos!

    She was getting anxious, when suddenly someone nudged her, followed by Yan Yu¡¯s voice:

    ¡°Haha, Ningning, look at this, it¡¯s hilarious¡­¡±

    Lin Ning sprang up from the bed, clutching her chest and glaring:

    ¡°What are you doing!¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you awake?¡± Yan Yu asked, puzzled, ¡°I just wanted to show you a funny video.¡±

    ¡°How did you know I was awake?¡± Lin Ning¡¯s demeanor grew increasingly forceful, as if glaring angrily could cover the embarrassment and awkwardness inside.

    ¡°Your body was all tensed up,¡± Yan Yu said.

    Lin Ning felt as if struck by lightning, dare not think about ¡°why he would know my body was tensed up,¡± and hurriedly jumped off the bed, grabbed the coat from beside the nightstand, and ran off in a flurry.

    Watching her fleeing back, Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but smile.

    Run away now, but tonight you¡¯ll have to come back obediently.

    That¡¯s how dual cultivation is, once you start, there is no last time.

    Once you start, you know the taste!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    After everyone had breakfast, they headed to the second layer of the Mysterious Realm again to continue clearing those automatic puppets.

    ¡°Ningning,¡± Su Yunjin suddenly asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? You don¡¯t seem mentally right, and your face is quite red.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Lin Ning forced a smile.

    ¡°Do you have a fever?¡± Su Yunjin checked her forehead, ¡°You don¡¯t have a temperature. Did you not sleep well last night?¡±

    ¡°I slept very well last night!¡± Lin Ning quickly explained, ¡°As soon as I lay down last night, I fell asleep, didn¡¯t dream, and slept till dawn!¡±

    ¡°It must be because of adequate sleep,¡± Xie Ruoxi yawned and said sleepily, ¡°If you usually stay up late and then one day you don¡¯t, and you sleep for 10 hours straight, the next day you will wake up looking rosy and radiant.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Su Yunjin nodded, ¡°Ruoxi, but you have serious dark circles, didn¡¯t you sleep well?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t even mention it,¡± Xie Ruoxi waved her hand, ¡°that darn game had a card draw event at midnight, and the room¡¯s signal was bad, forcing me to run outside looking for a good signal to draw cards.¡±

    ¡°The signal in the rooms is quite good though,¡± Yan Yu suddenly said, ¡°I had no problems watching videos, could it be that too many people online caused your game to crash?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi was silent for a while, then showed a sudden realization.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care if you stay up, but don¡¯t impact serious matters!¡± Seeing her look foolish, Yan Yu quickly warned her.

    Chen Lingyun observed all this, remaining silent for a moment, then revealed a contemplative, feigned smile.

    Back in the valley, they saw that the clearing, which had been cleaned by everyone before, was now occupied by some scattered puppets.

    Everyone was dumbfounded.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Chen Lingyun observed for a moment and said, ¡°The total number of puppets should not have changed, otherwise Military Manor would have notified us. I guess there must be some internal mobilization mechanism in the Mysterious Realm that moved other puppets over here.¡±

    ¡°As long as there are no additions, it¡¯s fine,¡± Yan Yu waved his hand decisively and said, ¡°Let¡¯s kill!¡±

    It was another tedious process of luring, gathering, and exterminating the puppets. With yesterday¡¯s experience laying the groundwork, Lin Ning¡¯s techniques for luring the enemy had also improved.

    She stepped into the alert range of a puppet on the right, inducing it to attack her with Sword Control, then quickly used the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step to create distance, ensuring she didn¡¯t get too far, and ran to the left to lure another puppet.

    Like this, she gradually lured five puppets before turning around and running towards the main team.

    ¡°Handed over.¡± Su Yunjin utilized the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, rushing the puppets together before a giant wave flipped like a carp smashed them all down, enabling Xie Ruoxi to pick them off.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Lin Ning fell silent for a while before turning away.

    She suddenly felt guilty and remorseful, considering her relationship with Yun Jin, yet she had secretly practiced with the captain at night, even sharing the same bed¡­ Was that really okay? S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡­Forget it.

    Sorry, Yun Jin. The captain said it was to be kept secret; I can¡¯t let you know.

    She wandered off, lost in thought, and without realizing it, she strayed a bit far from her team. That¡¯s when she noticed a puppet sitting by the river, lost in thought.

    Lin Ning finally snapped back to reality and took a step forward.

    By her judgment, she was already within the alert perimeter, but the puppet did not attack with Sword Control. Instead, it slowly turned its head toward her.

    Lin Ning: ?

    If you won¡¯t attack me, I will attack you.

    She formed a Sword technique with her hand, commanding the Green Bamboo Sword to strike the puppet across from her.

    The puppet finally reacted, but instead of releasing a Flying Sword, a misty Qing Guang emanated from its body¡ªquickly flying out, like fabric, directly rolling toward Lin Ning.

    Lin Ning quickly formed incantations with both hands; the Green Bamboo Sword swiftly slashed at the Qing Guang but was caught tightly, and as she pulled towards the puppet¡¯s direction no matter how she altered the Sword technique or infused True Yuan, the Green Bamboo Sword struggled fervently but could not break free.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Yan Yu briskly approached from a distance, seeing the puppet stimulating the Qing Guang to entangle the sword, uttered a sound, took Puppet Azhen from his sleeve, and released a Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire, slashing toward the puppet.

    The puppet¡¯s body surged with more Qing Guang, presumably attempting to block it, but since this Qing Guang was clearly of Yimu attribute, fearful of the life-severing Fire Blazing Dao Method, it was directly broken through by the overwhelming force of the Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire, consequently cutting the puppet¡¯s body in half, so the Qing Guang entangling the Green Bamboo Sword also dissipated.

    Lin Ning finally recalled the Green Bamboo Sword to her side, settling her startled mind, and asked:

    ¡°What was that just now?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t know,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°From the perspective of being hard to cut with blade and sword, it seems like Qing Ling Upper True Light, whether it¡¯s a Magic Treasure or a Taoism Method is unclear.¡±

    He went over to inspect the remains of the puppet, Lin Ning approached, slightly bending over to look at the puppet, and suddenly feeling somewhat wronged, bit her lower lip and said:

    ¡°You were actually paying attention to me? I thought you were just slacking off behind the lines, not caring about the front at all.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense, of course, I¡¯m watching everyone,¡± Yan Yu retorted without looking up.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you just say ¡®I do care about you¡¯? Would it kill you?¡± Lin Ning immediately became annoyed, ¡°Why must you emphasize everyone?¡±

    ¡°No Taoism imprint,¡± Yan Yu disregarded her minor irritation, standing up, ¡°It might be a Magic Treasure. Ningning, dismantle it for me.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you dismantle it yourself?¡± Lin Ning was still upset, disdainfully speaking, ¡°Don¡¯t you have a Flying Sword too?¡±

    ¡°Hurry up; this is your chance to shine,¡± Yan Yu said.

    Lin Ning resentfully conjured the Sword technique, the Green Bamboo Sword chopping and slicing horizontally, cutting open the puppet¡¯s torso, only to find it was hollow inside¡ªwith a mass of cloud-like, air-like ¡°Qing colored gas¡± swirling and rotating within the cavity.

    ¡°Call Sister Zhao over.¡± Before Lin Ning could inspect it closely, Yan Yu swiftly closed the split cavity with a snap, instructing her.

    Seeing his serious attitude, Lin Ning knew there must be something to gain, hurriedly calling Zhao Yuanzhen over.

    ¡°Does this look like Qing Ling Upper True Light?¡± Yan Yu opened a small gap in the cavity for her examination while asking.

    ¡°How could it be?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen rolled her eyes, ¡°This is Qing Yuan Qi, okay?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± Yan Yu pondered and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t they all related to the Eastern Qing Emperor?¡±

    ¡°The Eastern Qing Emperor has ten veins,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen scoffed at him, ¡°Qing Hua, Qing Gong, Qing Yao, Qing Ling, Qing Lian, Qing Zhi, Qing Guang, Qing Yuan, Qing Ming, and Qing Cheng, each vein¡¯s Taoism Method, Incantation, and Spiritual Treasure are distinct. You only know Qing Ling, better not flaunt that.¡±

    When it came to the theoretical knowledge of cultivation, Yan Yu admitted he truly was not as knowledgeable as this Demonic Sect Enchantress, but that didn¡¯t mean he would tolerate her riding roughshod over him. He turned and said:

    ¡°Ningning, no special treatment tonight, let Sister Zhao have the community meal.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately became anxious, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know what this Qing Yuan Qi is useful for? Beg me nicely now, and I might tell you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t want to,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°It¡¯s very useful to you!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen urgently emphasized.

    ¡°Not needed,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Consider it my plea to you!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen gritted her teeth.

    ¡°Since you¡¯ve asked,¡± Yan Yu¡¯s attitude finally softened, indicating to Lin Ning, ¡°Explain in detail, and I might consider letting Ningning cook for you tonight.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was infuriated, thinking to herself:

    This rogue wants me to appraise the treasure, yet turns it around and makes me beg him? What kind of logic is that? It¡¯s just because Ningning¡¯s cooking suits my taste!

    I remember this offense. If the opportunity arises in the future, I¡¯ll make sure to pay it back tenfold! Wait, why not win Ningning over, making her my weapon against the rogue!

    With that thought, an image formed in her mind:

    She saw Yan Yu kneeling at her feet, pleading:

    ¡°My lady, please persuade Ningning, I can¡¯t be without Ningning!¡±

    She kicked him away hard, scolding:

    ¡°You boss me around on normal days, and now you¡¯re groveling here, who are you showing this to? Ningning, let¡¯s go!¡±

    Lin Ning hummed in agreement, not even glancing at the kneeling Yan Yu, obediently following her.

    Muahaha!

    Source: Webn0vel.com, updated on Novg0.co

 Chapter 512 - 8: I Want to Become Li Minghu

    Chapter 512: Chapter 8: I Want to Become Li Minghu

    Several days had passed, and the cleanup operation in the Mysterious Realm was finally drawing to a close.

    The group had continuously encountered several special puppets and acquired some Magic Treasures and materials from them. However, it was disappointing that they hadn¡¯t found any rare items like Qing Yuan energy.

    According to Zhao Yuanzhen, in the depth of winter, all things were lifeless until the early spring brought warmth and revival. Qing Yuan energy was collected by a master of Yimu Taoism Method who gathered the first breath of life from the earth after the onset of spring each year. It needed to be refined for at least one 60-year cycle to accumulate a volume the size of a pinky finger.

    This item was useful for refining Yimu-based Magic Treasures, Taoism Methods, or Elixir Medicines with rejuvenating effects. However, for the Zhennai Team members, it was best used as a natural and rare treasure for puppet creation.

    The puppets already used Divine Dragon Wood as skeletal material, and now by infusing Qing Yuan energy as its marrow, Jian Wood and Yimu would synergize, thus granting a powerful self-healing ability. Not only could they recover from dismemberment, but even if shattered into pieces, one could simply glue them back together. After a night, the cracks would self-repair and return to original form.

    As for the additional benefits of this rare treasure in breathing exercises, it naturally goes without saying that it would enhance the efficiency of Qi Refinement.

    After having dinner, everyone went back to rest individually.

    If following Lin Ning¡¯s habit, she would usually take a walk outside after dinner to aid digestion. However, recently, because she had been going to practice with the captain at night, she suddenly had an impulse and stealthily went to Yan Yu¡¯s room. She used Wall-Penetration Technique to sneak in, curious to see what Yan Yu would be doing alone in his room.

    She saw him sitting on a chair, watching a video on his phone.

    ¡°Tsk!¡± Lin Ning was somewhat disappointed, but then leaned in to take another look and realized it was a live broadcast of a Mysterious Realm competition.

    ¡°Is Qing¡¯an Team fighting Dragon Cavalry Team?¡± Lin Ning asked from behind Yan Yu after watching for a while.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°Why does the live stream¡¯s title say ¡®Second Half of the Battle of the Four Kings¡¯?¡± Lin Ning asked again.

    ¡°Because the first half has already been played.¡±

    ¡°When was it played?¡± Lin Ning was surprised.

    ¡°During our match against Huofeng Team.¡±

    Only then did Lin Ning realize that the so-called ¡°Four Kings¡± referred to the top teams¡ªZhennai, Huofeng, Dragon Cavalry, and Qing¡¯an. She couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit proud and elated.

    We¡¯re one of the Four Kings now!

    Thinking this, she became interested in the match and dragged a stool over to sit next to Yan Yu and watch together.

    While Yan Yu was still thinking about something, he suddenly smelled a fragrance. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    It smells like lemon? Oh, right, that must be Ningning¡¯s shampoo.

    Back when everyone lived together in Jinling Villa, they often rotated tasks like shopping for household supplies. Yan Yu knew that Ningning liked sea salt lemon scent, Yun Jin preferred jasmine, and Xie Ruoxi used ginger for oil control. The scents of these three girls¡¯ hair usually didn¡¯t change much.

    Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t use commercially available shampoo but had it custom-made from a private workshop, and its scent was complex and frequently changed. More complexly, Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s shampoo scents rotated among the previous four¡ªshe loved ¡°borrowing¡± her sisters¡¯ bath products.

    Now smelling the faint lemon scent, Yan Yu didn¡¯t need to turn his head to know that Lin Ning had moved closer. He chuckled and said:

    ¡°When did you become interested in tactics?¡±

    Feeling a little defiant, Lin Ning pouted and said:

    ¡°Can¡¯t I be interested in tactics?¡±

    ¡°Then tell me, who will win this match?¡± Yan Yu pointed his phone at her.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Lin Ning hesitated immediately.

    She had been watching for a while and knew that this time the Dragon Cavalry Team was starting with Liu Longtao, followed by the other five members. This 1-then-5 lineup, now known as ¡°Solo Blade,¡± was commonly used by the home team.

    The home team¡¯s first member entered the arena alone, freely scouting the area and gathering intelligence in the absence of competitors. After three minutes, when the second member of the away team entered, they were faced with a dilemma: should they take down the opposing frontliner or ambush the rear echelons?

    If targeting the front, the opponent, having entered earlier, was familiar with the environment and held an informational advantage. They could fight or flee as they chose, or even hide, making them hard to forcefully defeat.

    If one were to ambush the rear, although they had just entered and were unfamiliar with the terrain, they came in groups of five, making them a tough challenge to overcome even in an ambush.

    The methods of warfare least desired by any army is to be divided and conquered by the enemy. The advantage of a ¡°Solo Blade¡± is that the front has an informational advantage, and the rear has numerical strength, leaving no glaring vulnerabilities. Once the rear of the home team entered, the six members grouped up and would take the opportunity to defeat the frontliner of the visiting team before their rear even got a chance to enter, thus essentially securing a victory. Therefore, many teams preferred to use this ¡°Solo Blade¡± configuration on their home turf, assigning their Sword Immortal to lead.

    As the visiting team, Qing¡¯an Team had chosen Li Minghu to be in the latter part, with the other five starting first.

    This reversed quantity configuration is called ¡°Decapitation Game,¡± which obviously means leveraging the numerical advantage to go head-on against Liu Longtao with a fierce battle.

    By the time Yan Yu asked, Liu Longtao had already used the advantage of striking first to launch a sneak attack, which caused Tao Xingyuan from the Qing¡¯an Team to leave the field. Li Zhaojiang¡¯s side was left with four people, attempting to surround and assassinate Liu Longtao, but the fight was still in a deadlock.

    Ye Jun led the team into the field from behind, the sixth person, Bai Ran, was a Master Beast Cultivator, using a Spirit Bird to confirm Liu Longtao¡¯s location, and was now leading the whole team to hurry over.

    As one could imagine, once the Dragon Soar Team fully assembled, Li Zhaojiang¡¯s four people would be at a disadvantage¡ªthe commentators in the live broadcast also believed that Qing¡¯an Team was likely to lose, as the Dragon Soar Team was famously strong in offensive capability and had the numerical advantage, plus Qing¡¯an Team was already down one person, how could they possibly turn the tables?

    ¡°Uh.¡± Lin Ning was, after all, a Problem Solver by nature, so she cautiously said, ¡°I think it¡¯s tough for the Qing¡¯an Team to win.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Yan Yu smiled.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t they one person short?¡± Lin Ning asked uncertainly.

    ¡°But the Dragon Soar Team is down two people,¡± Yan Yu answered, ¡°Do you know Li Zhaojiang¡¯s spell?¡±

    ¡°Oh, Magnetic Divine Light!¡± Lin Ning suddenly realized, ¡°Magnetic Divine Light can attract the Flying Sword, so it can counter Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun, the two Sword Immortals, is that what you mean? But the Dragon Soar Team will definitely prepare in advance. The commentary also mentioned that the two Sword Immortals must have backup measures, they wouldn¡¯t just stand by the entire match because of the Magnetic Divine Light.¡±

    ¡°They probably prepared some magic treasure, a temporary solution to the lack of Flying Sword¡¯s output,¡± Yan Yu answered, ¡°With impaired output ability, that¡¯s why they took down Tao Xingyuan early on and then tried to wear down the opposition using numerical advantage and Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler defense, aiming for attrition wars. The tactical intent of the Dragon Soar Team is very clear, but for the Qing¡¯an Team¡­ it depends on what Li Minghu does as she joins later. I think she won¡¯t be caught off guard by this situation.¡±

    ¡°Li Minghu¡­¡± Lin Ning tentatively asked, ¡°Captain, you think highly of her, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°She is one of the rare Sword Immortals who possesses both combat talent and tactical thinking,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    Lin Ning felt a sense of inexplicable loss, but couldn¡¯t deny it either, only patiently continued watching with Yan Yu.

    Three minutes later, Li Minghu finally appeared.

    At this time, the Dragon Soar Team and Qing¡¯an Team were still fiercely battling. Li Minghu quietly approached the outskirts of the battlefield, assessed the situation for a moment, but instead of joining the fray, she turned and left.

    ¡°Eh?¡± Commentator Zhou Erhe suddenly became puzzled, ¡°Vice-captain Li did not join the battle, what is she planning to do? Ambush from the outskirts? But with Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler there, even a surprise attack under enhanced defense would hardly be effective with ordinary swordsmanship attacks!¡±

    ¡°No, she¡¯s getting farther and farther from the battlefield¡­¡± Xu Dongming suddenly realized, and exclaimed, ¡°I understand now! She¡¯s planning to steal the BOSS!¡±

    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Yan Yu saw this and laughed, ¡°Ningning, do you understand now?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Lin Ning was completely confused.

    ¡°Li Minghu was not on the outskirts just watching to see if she should join the battle,¡± Yan Yu explained in detail, ¡°but was secretly communicating with her teammates. I guess someone told her the location of the BOSS.¡±

    ¡°So she is really going to steal the BOSS?¡± Lin Ning found this increasingly unbelievable.

    ¡°The multiple Sword Immortal setup of the Dragon Soar Team, being countered by Li Zhaojiang¡¯s Magnetic Divine Light, lacking sufficient output for a quick kill, they would consider dragging out the battle,¡± Yan Yu said reflectively, ¡°Since it¡¯s a drawn-out battle, it will take a long time. Even if Li Minghu is the last to enter, she still has a chance to steal the BOSS¡­ Now it¡¯s just a matter of when the Dragon Soar Team realizes it.¡±

    Lin Ning finally understood and watched the live broadcast intently without blinking.

    A few minutes later, since Li Minghu who had entered earlier still hadn¡¯t appeared, the Dragon Soar Team finally caught on and quickly sent out two Sword Immortals, Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun, to check on the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper.

    They discovered the Gatekeeper was not in its original position, but had been lured away by Li Minghu.

    In the split screen provided by the director, Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun could be seen frantically searching in different directions, slowly nearing Li Minghu¡¯s location, while Li Minghu, dragging the Gatekeeper, hid in a secluded corner of the Mysterious Realm, meticulously battling it using the Sword Control Technique.

    This Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper was not very strong, compared to Huofeng Team¡¯s Demon Monk from another encounter, it was almost a world apart. Li Minghu, fighting alone, although it was extremely strenuous, she had not once fallen into peril due to any mistakes.

    Just as Guo Feiyun was about to find her, Li Minghu finally killed the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper, grabbed the nerve center and swiftly used the Invisibility Technique to slip away.

    A few minutes later, the Dragon Soar Team also eliminated the remaining four members of the Qing¡¯an Team, and began a full-scale search for Li Minghu.

    Unfortunately, the sixth person, Bai Ran, although an Envoy by profession, was a Master Beast Cultivator that only played with Spirit Birds; his scouting ability was slightly inferior compared to the Master Insect and Ghost Cultivators. Li Minghu, being clever, found a lake in the Mysterious Realm, hid under the water to quietly refine the nerve center, and the Spirit Bird unable to dive into water couldn¡¯t detect even a trace of her.

    ¡°Qing¡¯an Team turned the tables,¡± Yan Yu turned off the live broadcast, ¡°What¡¯s left is garbage time, no need to watch anymore. If you want to watch, use your own phone.¡±

    ¡°Captain,¡± Lin Ning stayed silent for a while, then exclaimed, ¡°Li Minghu is really impressive.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Yan Yu thought there was no need to state this, he had known it all along.

    ¡°I want to learn tactics,¡± Lin Ning suddenly said.

    Source: Webn0vel.com, updated on Novg0.co

 Chapter 513 - 9 Zhao Yuanzhen Catches Adulterers in Bed, Yan Someone Cleverly Resolves Jealous Rage

    Chapter 513: Chapter 9 Zhao Yuanzhen Catches Adulterers in Bed, Yan Someone Cleverly Resolves Jealous Rage

    Hearing Lin Ning¡¯s request, Yan Yu started to develop a headache.

    First, Yun Jin wanted to learn swordsmanship, and now Ningning wants to learn tactics. Why does everyone like to venture into the areas where they are weakest? S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Learning tactics¡­ of course, that¡¯s possible.

    For instance, given Yun Jin¡¯s reaction speed, she is unlikely to make a name for herself in swordsmanship, but at least it could give her the ability to protect herself in dangerous situations.

    Similarly, with Ningning¡¯s inflexible way of thinking, achieving success in tactics is virtually a pipe dream. However, if she studies more case analyses of tactics, and avoids being deceived by minor tricks on the battlefield, then that actually makes some sense.

    Yan Yu pondered quickly and nodded, saying,

    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll watch any live broadcasts of Mysterious Realm competition matches. Keep an eye on the league schedule, and when the time comes, we¡¯ll discuss tactics together.¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡± Lin Ning tried to appear reserved, but soon couldn¡¯t help grinning, revealing her cute little canine teeth.

    At this moment, she didn¡¯t contemplate whether her happiness stemmed from the captain agreeing to teach her tactics, or from the prospect of spending more time with him.

    Anyway, she was just happy.

    On the other hand, Zhao Yuanzhen had no idea that Lin Ning had already taken a big step forward on the competitive path.

    She was currently fiddling with two puppets, deep in thought, sighing to herself.

    The little thief only needs to take puppets into frontline combat; little does he know how much I have to consider when altering puppets behind the scenes.

    Natural treasures also have their Five Elements interactions. For example, Divine Heaven Iron was originally used for the heart chamber, giving the puppet immense strength; after adding Qianling Zhenmei Fire, owing to the principle that fire restrains metal, the heart chamber was altered into the lung chamber, lowering the puppet¡¯s strength but increasing its stamina. Then, using mortal iron to remake the heart chamber and embedding the Qianling Zhenmei Fire within, which connects to the tongue meridian, the puppet can then breathe out Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire.

    The Millennium Divine Dragon Wood as limbs and bones uses its thriving vitality of primary wood to repel all evil, no longer fearing enchantments or magic; now with the addition of Qing Yuan Qi into the marrow, although it can take advantage of the Yimu¡¯s endless growth characteristic, it leads to an overload of wood-based True Yuan in the limbs, making it susceptible to the restraining power of metal and iron.

    Simply put, its resistance to Flying Swords has decreased.

    After much deliberation, she came up with a plan: extend the meridians from the limbs to the heart chamber, embracing the concept of wood giving rise to fire, to amplify the power of the Qianling Zhenmei Fire.

    This way, although the puppet¡¯s defense may have lowered, its spell attack power increased, shifting towards a ranged output direction. She wondered if the little thief would accept it.

    Thinking this, Zhao Yuanzhen stood up, first packed up the two puppets, and then went out to find Yan Yu to consult him.

    Yan Yu, after settling the ¡°teach her tactics¡± plan with Lin Ning, looked at her with a smile.

    Now is not the time for Joint Cultivation, aren¡¯t you leaving?

    Lin Ning, initially still somewhat pleased with having her wish granted and not planning to stay any longer, suddenly felt annoyed again at Yan Yu¡¯s dismissive smiling expression.

    Are you in such a hurry to send me away?!

    I simply won¡¯t leave!

    ¡°I want to ask you,¡± Lin Ning said seriously, ¡°how long have you and Sister Zhao been in Dual Cultivation?¡±

    ¡°Almost a year now,¡± Yan Yu replied perplexedly, ¡°Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°Has she been sleeping here every night for the past year?¡± Lin Ning continued.

    ¡°Not precisely,¡± Yan Yu answered, ¡°Initially, I would send her back after cultivation, but later she complained that the journey back was too far¡­ At that time, we were still living in the school dormitory, with the male and female dorms separate, unlike the adjacent rooms in the team villa later on, so she insisted on staying over here.¡±

    ¡°She wanted to stay, and you just let her?¡± Lin Ning asked in surprise, ¡°You do understand what it means for a girl to stay overnight in a man¡¯s room, right?¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Yan Yu pretended not to understand, retorting, ¡°What does it mean?¡±

    ¡°It means that¡­¡± Lin Ning began, ready to lecture Yan Yu about how a woman staying overnight in his room symbolizes a complete lack of guard, and that if he had no intention of being with her, he should verbally refuse¡­ Then she suddenly remembered that she had stayed over last night!

    Her face instantly flushed red, steam nearly pouring out of her head, and seeing Yan Yu¡¯s half-smiling expression, she was immediately filled with strong, almost teased humiliation and embarrassment. With a snarl, she lunged at him.

    I¡¯m going to bite this jerk to death!

    ¡°Hold on, I didn¡¯t say anything!¡± Yan Yu quickly raised his hands to beg for mercy, but Lin Ning was relentless, pressing him down with all her barbarousness and grievance, and bit into his shoulder.

    ¡°Hey, you really bit me!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen had just pushed the door open and saw Lin Ning pounce on Yan Yu, doing things that were indescribable, and her mind buzzed suddenly.

    You¡¯ve actually been having an affair behind my back!

    Without thinking, and even forgetting to use her Sword Control Technique, she charged over, grabbed Lin Ning¡¯s hair, and was about to forcefully drag the little bitch to the ground, to brutally beat and trample her.

    Lin Ning¡¯s hair was yanked, causing her to cry out in pain. Yan Yu also sensed trouble, a flash of lightning-fast thought crossed his mind, knowing the Demonic Sect Enchantress must have seen him playing with Ningning and misunderstood their relationship, thus she instinctively wanted to have a falling out with Ningning.

    We can¡¯t do anything to harm the team¡¯s unity!

    Known for his decisive actions, he quickly embraced Zhao Yuanzhen into his arms and said, smiling,

    ¡°You came at just the right moment.¡±

    The more Zhao Yuanzhen hated Lin Ning, the more she detested Yan Yu. Provoked deliberately by him, she immediately let go of Lin Ning¡¯s hair and turned to choke Yan Yu by the neck, angrily saying,

    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you first, dammit!¡±

    Lin Ning, no longer in scalp pain, finally realized something: Sister Zhao saw me pounced on the captain and misunderstood our relationship!

    Jealousy is a woman¡¯s nature, but the specific response depends on the individual. For example, if Yun Jin had come across this, she would surely just bear a grudge in her heart, definitely not taking direct action. But Sister Zhao, being forthright, doing whatever she thinks, is also quite normal.

    She was about to explain when she saw Yan Yu cast a Barrier Charm, resisting Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s chokehold attack, and said with a laugh,

    ¡°Ningning is being prudish and won¡¯t let me embrace her, so your timing is perfect. Shall we kiss to show her?¡±

    ¡°You want to die?!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen grew even more enraged, pounding her fists on him, ¡°If you¡¯re feeling frisky, go jerk off in the bathroom!¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Yan Yu immediately put on a cold expression and said indifferently, ¡°As captain, my authority is unlimited! You two are so ungrateful, just wait till I make things difficult for you later!¡±

    Without further ado, he kicked both out of the room and closed the door, sighing with relief.

    Damn, that was a close call! Next time I¡¯d better lock the door!

    Having been driven out of the room by Yan Yu, Zhao Yuanzhen also finally calmed down.

    Listening to what that little thief said, it seemed he was the one who had developed feelings and wanted to take liberties with Lin Ning against her will. Recalling the scene she had seen upon entering the room, with Lin Ning pouncing on the little thief, scratching and biting, it didn¡¯t seem like any sort of intimate behavior¡­ Could it be that he was forcing himself on her, and she was resisting?

    Thinking this, her jealousy towards Lin Ning temporarily subsided, and she said with embarrassment and apology,

    ¡°Ningning, I accidentally grabbed your hair just now, I¡¯m really sorry¡­ If that little thief dares to harass you again or tries to force himself on you, come find me; we¡¯ll join forces and fight him!¡±

    Lin Ning¡¯s scalp still tingled slightly, and she was annoyed. But seeing Zhao Yuanzhen admitting her mistake and opening up the conversation, she, not being one to hold a grudge, just nodded unhappily.

    Thinking back on how Yan Yu had been misunderstood by Sister Zhao to be forcibly embracing her made her even more vexed and irritated.

    After all, it was she who had attacked the captain first in a fit of anger, which led to Sister Zhao, who happened to come in, misunderstanding their cuddling and embracing.

    In the end, the captain took the misunderstanding upon himself, turning Sister Zhao¡¯s hatred towards him, saving both her friendship with Sister Zhao and herself¡­

    Feeling sullen, Lin Ning bid farewell to Zhao Yuanzhen, aimlessly walked out of the dormitory, and came to the lakeside, staring blankly at the moonlit surface of the lake.

    ¡°Why do you look troubled, Xiao Ning?¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s voice suddenly came from behind her.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Lin Ning, although usually straightforward, wasn¡¯t ready to casually discuss the recent events outside.

    ¡°Is that so.¡± Chen Lingyun smiled faintly, not pressing further, but her heart was extremely delighted.

    The Yin Ghost is formless, and watching drama silently; this play was quite satisfying, but I wonder if there will be more to come?

    Source: Webn0vel.com, updated on Novg0.co

 Chapter 514 - 10: Demonic Sect Enchantress, Overturning the Heavenly Gang

    Chapter 514: Chapter 10: Demonic Sect Enchantress, Overturning the Heavenly Gang

    Mei Yingxue was working on her desk.

    There were many materials on the desk. A large stack on the left contained various calculation data about the current progress of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, while on the right were the psychological diagnostic reports of the members of the four major teams.

    This Earth, which was gradually starting to comprise Spiritual Energy, was quite different from the Cultivation World she originated from.

    Take the Foundation Establishment Realm as an example: in the Cultivation World, cultivators start their journey with mortal bodies, not reaching the Marrow Cleansing Stage until the Qi Refining Stage was complete. This process usually required at least sixty years of arduous cultivation, which was also referred to as ¡°a sexagenary cycle of skill¡± to measure whether the cultivator has reached the threshold of the Dao Entry Realm.

    Without spending a sexagenary cycle, even if you cultivate for thirty or forty years, in the eyes of a true cultivator, you are still a commoner¡ªat most, a commoner committed to the path of Dao.

    However, on Earth, it wasn¡¯t even a year after the Spiritual Energy Resurgence began, and the top cultivators had already reached the Marrow Cleansing Stage. The speed of advancement was astonishingly fast.

    In light of this, Mei Yingxue proposed an academic hypothesis: the flow of time differs between worlds, but the flow rate of Spiritual Energy remains a stable universal constant across all universes.

    There¡¯s a saying, ¡°A day in heaven is like a year on Earth,¡± implying that one day in the Immortal Realm equates to a year in the mortal world. Considering that the speed of Spiritual Energy absorption remains unchanged, this means that if two people were to cultivate in the Immortal Realm and the mortal world respectively at the same time, what the former achieves in a day through Breathing and Energy Refining, the latter would have to cultivate hard for an entire year to attain.

    With such disproportionate rates of cultivation, Earth undoubtedly has a huge advantage. For example, consolidating the Dao Foundation at the Hua Mansion stage would require at least 200 years of cultivation in the Cultivation World to hope for forming a top-quality Golden Core, whereas on Earth, it¡¯s estimated to take only 2-3 years.

    Sometimes, Mei Yingxue even suspected that Earth might be an Immortal Realm in the making. Once the upper limit of Spiritual Energy Resurgence reaches its peak, perhaps more people from the lower realms will ascend in succession¡­ At least, the fact that both she and Zhao Yuanzhen appeared here indicates that the Earth is not a closed time domain, as its spatial barriers are connected to those of other lower realms.

    Of course, even with a high rate of cultivation speed, reaching the Perfection of Foundation Establishment Realm would still take 2-3 years, which means that even Lu Country¡¯s strongest batch of cultivators would need until the end of this year or even next year to catch up with her and Zhao Yuanzhen in terms of cultivation progress.

    This presented a potential threat.

    Mei Yingxue considered herself to be not utterly vicious, but she wasn¡¯t confident about Zhao Yuanzhen. Born in the Demonic Sect, this woman had a pure mind, indifferent to good and evil, often hurting others without realizing it. Should she discover that she suddenly became the most powerful being in this world, it¡¯s uncertain whether she would cast aside all restraint, causing calamity and disaster to the nation and its people. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Her original plan was to have Yan Yu be responsible for restraining the Demonic Sect Enchantress. If discord arose, she would step in to vanquish the evil herself.

    However, she did not expect that the other girls in the Zhenhai Team would also fall for the same man as that Enchantress.

    Mei Yingxue never doubted the Enchantress¡¯s propensity for ire and violence. When asked for her opinion, she pointed out that employing a harem strategy would be an excellent approach.

    The reason is quite simple: if it¡¯s too easy to obtain, it will not be cherished; if it¡¯s unattainable, it will lead to furious rage.

    If the Enchantress could not have Yan Yu, she would be consumed by jealousy and potentially wreak havoc upon the living; yet if she monopolizes him, she might later grow tired of the relationship, making her impossible to control and potentially causing even more trouble.

    Letting her have the man she loves while ensuring she¡¯s constantly challenged for his affections would occupy her mind with how to secure and maintain his sole attention, leaving no time or energy to create chaos, right?

    A beauty¡¯s favor is the ruin of heroes; reversing the genders, the principle remains the same. She even passed on the String-Pulling Technique to Yan Yu, which clearly showed her deep-rooted feelings. If they could maintain this stable relationship, the Enchantress would be a negligible concern.

    With this thought, Mei Yingxue picked up the psychological reports of the Zhenhai Team again and flipped through them for a moment.

    One of the girls named Chen Lingyun intrigued her, as the report indicated that Chen harbored thoughts of ¡°having Yan Yu establish a harem,¡± which is not something a normal female would typically consider.

    Does she also know how to deal with the Demonic Sect Enchantress?

    Perhaps¡­ it would be worthwhile to meet her.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The task of clearing out the Mysterious Realm was nearing its end, and the puppets on the outskirts had been completely dealt with, with only a few remnants left in the central village.

    After several weeks of actual combat experience, everyone felt they had made progress.

    Lin Ning¡¯s Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step became even more proficient. Just looking at the technique alone, even Yan Yu couldn¡¯t find a single flaw.

    Of course, she had completely mastered the ¡°how to step,¡± but as for ¡°where to step,¡± she was still unfamiliar. That aspect purely involved the accumulation of battle experience, so it wasn¡¯t expected for her to master it overnight.

    Su Yunjin and Chen Lingyun, playing the roles of ¡°luring¡± and ¡°controlling¡± monsters, also improved their skills in this area, which was an enhancement of their inherent abilities.

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s aim had finally become passable. She could hit a stationary target eight out of ten times. Too bad it was hard to completely immobilize the enemy for her in real combat¡ªif they were controlled, wouldn¡¯t my Flying Sword striking them be even quicker?

    If one were to speak of who gained the most, it would naturally be the Demonic Sect Enchantress.

    Ever since the resurgence of Spiritual Energy, the Enchantress had regained her full power and recaptured the feeling of dueling others with spells. Yin Wind Sword + various spells + White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer, she didn¡¯t even need help from teammates and could take down the Sword-Control puppets with a combination attack. As her pride grew, her attitude towards Yan Yu also began to show a hint of defiance.

    For example, after dinner when snacking on sunflower seeds in the room, the Enchantress used to say, ¡°Want some? I¡¯ll share with you,¡± but it had now become, ¡°Here, eat.¡±

    The change in attitude was so noticeable that even Yan Yu realized something was amiss and began to silently contemplate a strategy.

    In the past, the Enchantress had three concerns regarding herself: one was Yan Yu¡¯s non-existent master of great divinatory skills, second was the possibility of Mei Yingxue appearing at any moment to threaten her life, and third was being utterly defeated by Yan Yu in actual combat.

    The first point, since Yan Yu never brought it up again, was probably almost forgotten by her.

    The second point, as her reputation rose within the Zhenhai Team, she no longer feared a surprise assassination attempt by Mei Yingxue.

    The third point, with the progression in the revival of Spiritual Energy allowing her to regain her strength, this cheeky girl probably felt she was now capable and no longer the weak woman at Yan Yu¡¯s mercy.

    The current change of attitude was definitely just the beginning of her probing. If I don¡¯t discipline her now, in time she may even expect me to feed her!

    To turn a Heavenly Gang upside down, how could that be allowed?

    Her arrogant attitude must be severely crushed!

    As for how to crush it, Yan Yu didn¡¯t yet have a good idea.

    Continuing the lie about the master of great abilities wasn¡¯t an option, as it wouldn¡¯t hold up in the long run and it was best not to pile up more lies that would be hard to smooth over later. Maybe calling Teacher Mei over to give the Enchantress a good thrashing?

    That wouldn¡¯t do either. The reason the Enchantress feared Teacher Mei was due to Mei¡¯s ruthless Immortal Sword which she drew to kill upon meeting¡ªmerely getting thrashed would only make the Enchantress more certain that Mei wouldn¡¯t kill her, but actually killing her was out of the question, so this plan was unfeasible.

    So it seems I have no choice but to find a reason to beat her up myself.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was unaware that Yan Yu was harboring such unfriendly thoughts towards her. She was currently nibbling on chicken feet snuck out from the cafeteria when something else came to her mind, and she asked Yan Yu:

    ¡°Hey, want some?¡±

    Yan Yu looked up and saw the half-eaten chicken foot in her hand, glossy with translucent strands¡­ His forehead vein throbbed, the corners of his eyes twitched, and his thoughts darkened.

    It¡¯s a provocation, isn¡¯t it? Definitely a provocation. You¡¯re really asking for it, aren¡¯t you?

    ¡°Keep it for yourself,¡± he said, giving a genial smile. ¡°Fill up now while you can, eat well.¡±

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen stuffed the chicken foot back into her mouth, mumbling unclearly, ¡°Ningning still has a bag of them; I might as well finish them all off.¡±

    Source: Webn0vel.com, updated on Novg0.co

 Chapter 515 - 11 Teaching a Lesson to the Enchantress

    Chapter 515: Chapter 11 Teaching a Lesson to the Enchantress

    The puppets within the town were finally being cleared out almost completely.

    But the closer they got to the end, the more vigilant the Zhenhai Team members became, because the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper had not yet been discovered.

    It was impossible for the Secret Realm to be without a Gatekeeper, as it would mean the nerve center was unguarded, akin to a bank vault wide open¡ªan obviously illogical situation.

    Who knew if someone was hiding somewhere, waiting to ambush them!

    Yan Yu called Lin Ning, who was proficient in the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, and ordered,

    ¡°Go and search every house, make sure there are no enemies hiding.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Lin Ning¡¯s feet blurred, executing the technique, and instantly, her figure disappeared.

    ¡°Do you think the Gatekeeper might be hiding inside one of the houses?¡± Chen Lingyun communicated telepathically.

    ¡°Who knows.¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°In any case, it¡¯s very unlikely to be outside, as there are no continuous woods nearby to hide in.¡±

    In his past life, he had no intelligence on the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm. Thinking about it, it wasn¡¯t strange: since it was Lu Country¡¯s alchemy base, naturally, the fewer people who knew about it, the better.

    ¡°There¡¯s another place.¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly said.

    ¡°Elaborate.¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°For example?¡± Chen Lingyun pointed towards Zhao Yuanzhen, who had run off to lure the enemy.

    The statement was abrupt and lacked context, but Yan Yu and she had a strong understanding of each other, and he immediately got what she meant:

    ¡°You mean, hiding among the puppets, pretending not to be the BOSS, just a small fry?¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± Chen Lingyun was delighted by their way of communicating, her eyes curving into crescent moons, extremely sweet and adorable.

    Yan Yu ignored her charm and began to ponder.

    If the Gatekeeper was a Sword Control Puppet, blending in among the mindless same kind, waiting to suddenly strike, the hidden danger and the lethality would be tremendous¡ªa common puppet had no spiritual wisdom, so one could use a consistent method to lure, control, and eliminate them, but if one tried to apply that method on the Gatekeeper without knowing, they would certainly suffer a significant loss.

    Hmm, the Demonic Sect Enchantress has been quite arrogant lately, huh?

    Then let¡¯s not remind her, and let her suffer a setback as a lesson.

    Yan Yu commanded the Liangyi Sword, pretending to play with it, but was actually ready at any moment to launch a Sword Flying Slash, supporting Zhao Yuanzhen and Lin Ning should they encounter any crisis.

    Lin Ning¡¯s footwork was extremely agile, moving as though she was performing the dance-like steps from TV dramas, her figure flitting into a house and then flashing back out almost before you could see her move her legs.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was even bolder, having recovered her full strength, she encountered one or two lone puppets and didn¡¯t even bother luring them back, directly smashing them to pieces with her White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t say anything, but she was also proud inside, secretly thinking why must Ruoxi be the one to take action? My hammer can also take care of all of them.

    Seeing another solitary puppet standing in the distance, the Demonic Sect Enchantress gathered her courage, raised the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer, and fiercely charged toward that puppet.

    Unexpectedly, the puppet suddenly operated a Flying Sword, cutting horizontally and repelling the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer, then turned around and attacked the Enchantress.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was naturally unafraid and hurriedly controlled her Yin Wind Sword to block.

    The puppet executed a move called Phoenix Comes to the Ceremony, clashing with the Yin Wind Sword and rebounding to stabilize itself, followed by another technique called Bai Niao Chao Feng, the sword drifting diagonally downward, passing by the attacking Yin Wind Sword, and directly bypassing the swordsmanship to charge at Zhao Yuanzhen.

    Zhao Yuanzhen had a strong combat awareness and instantly realized that the sword fight was happening closer to the puppet, so she didn¡¯t use her sword to defend but instead concentrated all her power on attacking the puppet with her Yin Wind Sword.

    If I can cut you down first, even if your Flying Sword is nearing me, in the next second, it will lose control and fall!

    Just as she thought this, she saw the puppet suddenly rise sharply as if pulled by strings, avoiding the Flying Sword¡ªalmost frustrating Zhao Yuanzhen enough to cough up blood. She quickly threw the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer to try and stop the enemy¡¯s sword, while she herself turned tail and retreated swiftly using the Shifting Technique.

    The White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer whistled through the air, as the puppet executing Sword Control unleashed the ¡°White Crane Spreads Wings¡± Technique, making a downward, leveling slash in an attempt to circumvent it, but the magic treasure of the hammer itself came with a tracking feature and immediately followed by slanting downwards.

    As a result, the Flying Sword switched to another move, the ¡°Cang Song Ying Ke,¡± instantly changing from a downward thrust to an upward flick, just in time to avoid the interception by the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer, continuing its pursuit of the retreating Zhao Yuanzhen.

    This change in technique immediately caught Yan Yu¡¯s attention, who exclaimed with intrigue.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to rescue Sister Zhao?¡± Su Yunjin leaned in to ask, ¡°Captain, what¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°A counter-attack to the heavens,¡± Yan Yu remarked with amazement, ¡°Look, after the ¡®White Crane Spreads Wings¡¯ made a horizontal slash downwards, it didn¡¯t finish the slice but immediately switched to the ¡®Cang Song Ying Ke¡¯ with an upward flick, forming a V-shape with the sword path to bypass the head-on interception¡­ Yun Jin, if it were you, could you execute this move?¡±

    ¡°No, I couldn¡¯t.¡± Su Yunjin had practiced swordsmanship with Lin Ning for a long time, and although she wasn¡¯t a complete novice in Sword Control Technique anymore, after contemplating for a moment, she immediately shook her head.

    ¡°White Crane Spreads Wings¡± was about making a ground-level slash, while ¡°Cang Song Ying Ke¡± resembled an upward scoop. If one was to slash and then scoop, it would be too late, but to switch moves on the spot¡­ How would one change? It felt odd.

    ¡°So, about that puppet?¡± Chen Lingyun also grew interested and curiously asked.

    ¡°The answer is that the ¡®White Crane Spreads Wings¡¯ performed by this puppet is not the same as the one in our textbook,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°This is some kind of completely new swordsmanship we¡¯ve never seen before.¡±

    The girls were immediately thrilled.

    Swordsmanship is linking various sword techniques together to form a systematic method of combat. It¡¯s like a standard long sword, which may only have a few limited moves such as horizontal chops and upward flicks; in ordinary hands, it¡¯s just a show, but when wielded by Feng Qingyang, it becomes the unparalleled Dugu Jiujian precisely because the sword techniques are interconnected, with each move having a unique significance in offense and defense.

    What Lin Ning practiced was the ¡°Kunlun Sword Art Compendium.¡± The style was balanced and well-rounded, easily outperforming the textbook version of Sword Control Technique in all aspects, but its flaw lied in the high demands it placed on the quality of the Sword Immortal themselves. Without dedicating a significant amount of time daily to lay the groundwork, it was impossible to master it well.

    Its very characteristics meant that within the team, only Ningning could practice this sword art; no one else had the time or energy to devote to it.

    However, the strange swordsmanship demonstrated by the puppet appealed to Yan Yu as it was not brisk enough, yet it was exceptionally agile. It emphasized intricate variations to surprise and overcome the opponent, so it didn¡¯t require much fundamental skill from a Sword Immortal but rather relied more on the Swordmaster¡¯s ability to make conscious judgments¡ªwasn¡¯t this tailor-made for the two clever girls, Yun Jin and Ling Yun?

    As for Ruoxi and Yuanzhen, due to their overly simple and honest natures, they naturally were not suitable to learn this sword art.

    As he continued to watch the puppet chase the Enchantress, Yan Yu became increasingly certain that the sect which created this sword technique was definitely not a professional one crowded with Sword Immortals.

    The swordsmanship itself focused too much on ¡°using the unorthodox to control the orthodox,¡± clearly conveying that it was aware it could not win in a head-on fight, thus constantly relying on tricky ploys. The bet was on catching one by surprise!

    Zhao Yuanzhen was unaware of Yan Yu¡¯s thoughts and was fighting for her life with all her might. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Her overly-dependent tactic of taking the initiative with her three-pronged attack feared this kind of mutation-oriented swordsmanship the most. A single sword move from the opponent might contain four or five variations, and when she couldn¡¯t even discern a single change, she was naturally becoming increasingly exhausted by the puppet¡¯s endless bag of tricks, to the point where she finally couldn¡¯t help but yell out:

    ¡°Ruoxi, help me!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi uttered an acknowledgement, ready to step forward, but was stopped by Yan Yu¡¯s extended hand.

    ¡°No rush,¡± he said with a smile, ¡°Let Sister Zhao keep it up a bit longer.¡±

    The Immortal Venerate¡¯s Thunder Method was too sharp; if the puppet hid any sword technique secret books within its body, like the previous Qing Yuan Chi energy, and then got blasted into pieces by a Thunder Method blast, the Zhenhai Team would come out at a huge loss this time.

    As Zhao Yuanzhen caught her breath, she quickly paid attention to the rear and saw Yan Yu blocking Xie Ruoxi, which immediately made her furious and resentful. She silently vowed:

    The bastard is deliberately hindering the entire team¡¯s support, enjoying my embarrassment¡ªthis is a grievance as vast as the seas! If the opportunity arises, I must repay it a hundredfold!

    As she thought thus, another scenario appeared in her mind, where she dominated her husband after getting married, and the little thief, completely debilitated, could not resist, only able to cry out:

    ¡°Ningning, help me! Ruoxi, help me! Yun Jin, help me! Ling Yun, help me!¡±

    She would then shout back:

    ¡°Don¡¯t allow it! Not allowed! When I attacked that puppet in the past, you didn¡¯t let them help me, so tonight I won¡¯t let them help you either!¡±

    Thinking thus, Zhao Yuanzhen immediately felt better, gaining strength in her dodging and finally managing to both fight and run until the Yin Wind Sword flew back to her side. She hurriedly controlled the sword to stay close for defense, not allowing the puppet¡¯s Flying Sword to bypass her defenses again.

    Source: Webn0vel.com, updated on Novg0.co

 Chapter 516 - 12 Ningning, you go for the solo challenge

    Chapter 516: Chapter 12 Ningning, you go for the solo challenge

    As Zhao Yuanzhen and the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper fought various fierce battles, Yan Yu had roughly assessed the puppet¡¯s strength.

    It was strong, but only in terms of level and realm, lacking any advantage in technique.

    For example, in the previous battle within the Secret Realm, the gatekeeper Demon Monk had an endless array of spells at his disposal, which were difficult to resist and he excelled in suppressing counterattacks. This was what made him technically formidable.

    But now, this puppet was the complete opposite; even if it used sword techniques never seen by anyone before, it still mechanically followed the script, like a robot programmed with set instructions, devoid of any technical substance.

    The only issue was that the concentration of spiritual energy had begun to increase, but everyone¡¯s average level had not risen accordingly. Therefore, facing this puppet always gave them a feeling of being overwhelmed by sheer force. However, the presence of the Demonic Sect Enchantress perfectly solved this problem.

    While everyone else watched as if it were a play, Zhao Yuanzhen was extremely annoyed, even contemplating luring the puppet to attack Yan Yu.

    Beat up that little thief hard!

    But she knew that wouldn¡¯t work, because Yan Yu would certainly take over smoothly and then ask her, ¡°Can¡¯t you beat it?¡± No matter how Zhao Yuanzhen would explain, her sisters would not believe her, assuming she was overwhelmed and asking the little thief for help, forcibly putting on a brave face¡­

    How could I, Miyuan the Fairy, suffer such unbearable humiliation?!

    For the sake of her dignity and reputation, Zhao Yuanzhen, despite being pushed to her limits, was forced to barely hold on clumsily.

    Lin Ning had been called back and, seeing Sister Zhao flounder wildly, being utterly disrupted by the puppet¡¯s swordsmanship, couldn¡¯t help feeling anxious.

    Although Lin Ning¡¯s realm was not higher than that of the puppet or the Enchantress, her skill in swordsmanship was much superior to the Enchantress¡¯s. Often when the puppet made a move, Lin Ning would immediately think of a countermeasure, but upon seeing Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s response¡ªit was simply a mess, utterly unbearable to watch!

    Yan Yu had ordered everyone not to intervene, so Lin Ning naturally couldn¡¯t go over to teach Sister Zhao how to wield her sword, but she could barely stand to watch her crude swordsmanship. Feeling anxious, she simply secretly transmitted a message to Zhao Yuanzhen, teaching her how to counter the sword moves.

    At first Zhao Yuanzhen was quite happy, secretly thinking that Ningning was truly her beloved little sister, and even tried to follow her instructions.

    However, the problem arose: the opponent wasn¡¯t like the Sword Array Tang Xiaolian had faced before, which always attacked in a predictable sequence. Although the puppet¡¯s movements were rigid and mechanical, they were not monotonous, and coupled with the speed of the Flying Sword, there was simply no time to listen to instructions.

    Lin Ning¡¯s targeted advice on countermeasures would reach Zhao Yuanzhen too late, and by the time Zhao tried to execute them, the puppet had already moved on to its next move.

    After trying for half a day, Zhao Yuanzhen ended up in dangerous situations and ultimately decided to block it all out.

    Lin Ning realized her clever maneuver had backfired, and could only stop the transmission, turning to Yan Yu:

    ¡°Captain! Sister Zhao can¡¯t handle it alone, let¡¯s hurry and help her.¡±

    ¡°Are you up to it?¡± Yan Yu asked loudly on purpose. ¡°If you¡¯re not, just say it!¡±

    ¡°Piece of cake!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately responded.

    The girls all gave a wry smile. It was clear Sister Zhao was just putting on a brave face, but Yan Yu seemed to take her seriously, spreading his hands to Lin Ning:

    ¡°See? She says it¡¯s a piece of cake, she doesn¡¯t need our help.¡±

    Lin Ning stomped her foot in frustration, with no other choice but to turn her head away, to avoid getting more irritated.

    Unknown to her, Yan Yu¡¯s decision to let Zhao Yuanzhen fight the puppet alone, while initially indeed intended to dampen her spirit, shifted when he noticed that the puppet was using a completely new sword technique. He then had the idea of secretly learning from it.

    Since Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm was a testing-type secret realm, guessing that all these Sword Control puppets were ¡°teaching puppets¡± made sense; defeating them would grant one corresponding sword techniques. But what if it didn¡¯t?

    Let the Enchantress coax out more of its moves, then defeat the gatekeeper. In case no treasure dropped in the end, at least Yan Yu would have the memory of observing and learning, allowing him to reproduce the sword technique to an extent of about seventy to eighty percent¡ªso there was no rush to kill it; delaying was preferable.

    However, Zhao Yuanzhen seemed not to grasp Yan Yu¡¯s painstaking intent. After over a hundred rounds of fighting, her defense began to falter, clearly her focus and reactions were not keeping up.

    Noticing her decline, the puppet immediately exploited this advantage, dispensing with its diverse and clever sword techniques. It launched a relentless assault with one White Rainbow Across the Sky after another, intending to use sheer force to break through her defense.

    ¡°Ningning,¡± Yan Yu said quickly, ¡°You¡¯re up.¡±

    ¡°Ah, me?¡± Lin Ning was taken aback.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to help?¡± Yan Yu sneered, ¡°Go deal with that puppet.¡±

    Lin Ning: ¡­¡­

    Ultimately, the gap in the level was there: this translated directly to the Flying Sword¡¯s force and speed being completely overpowering. If she couldn¡¯t even handle an ordinary puppet, only managing to dodge ceaselessly with the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, how were you asking me to single out a Gatekeeper?

    When I mentioned helping, I meant all of us attacking together!

    But the captain had already given his order, and it was not good to disobey, so she steeled herself and yelled, ¡°Sister Zhao, I¡¯m coming to help,¡± before charging forward with the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step.

    Zhao Yuanzhen felt relieved and, without caring whether Ningning could win or not, immediately drew the Gatekeeper¡¯s attention her way to hand it off and hurriedly retreated.

    Returning to her team, she took an Elixir Medicine, regulated her breath, and recovered before she finally relaxed.

    It had to be said that Lu Contry was indeed much stronger than Qiansi Sect, where she had come from. The Elixir Medicine were plentiful enough to be treated like jelly beans, more than sufficient whether for cultivation or replenishing True Yuan. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Thinking of this, Zhao Yuanzhen glared fiercely at Yan Yu:

    You little thief! Making me suffer all that humiliation earlier, I won¡¯t rest until this score is settled!

    Yan Yu ignored her annoyance and hostility and simply continued to watch Lin Ning¡¯s swordsmanship combat with the puppet.

    It must be said, Ningning¡¯s level of swordsmanship now far surpassed that of the Demonic Sect Enchantress.

    But the level gap was still there, and while your opponent could dismiss with a simple White Rainbow Across the Sky slash, she had to perform the Eagle Strikes the Sky triple strike just to neutralize the force of that one slash, forcing her to compensate for the discrepancy in power with more operations, adding a considerable burden on Lin Ning¡¯s mind and spirit.

    However, perhaps it was precisely because Lin Ning¡¯s level of swordsmanship was high enough and comprehensive in response that the puppet¡¯s swordsmanship became more agile, with endless changes and complexities, which proved to be even more formidable than what Zhao Yuanzhen had faced before.

    Yan Yu watched intently, secretly memorizing and learning from the puppet¡¯s sword techniques, while Lin Ning was internally complaining non-stop. Yet her pride would not let her call for help, and soon she ended up in the same situation as Zhao Yuanzhen ¡ª pulling her Flying Sword back in front of her to defend up close, completely defensive, dragging out the time.

    Since the puppet felt no fatigue, as the fight dragged on, it was Lin Ning who started to falter. Seeing her sword technique becoming slightly disordered, Yan Yu instructed:

    ¡°Yun Jin, Ling Yun, restrain it a bit.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± The two girls then employed their spells, Tianhe Water and Five Ghosts rushing towards the opposing puppet.

    This change from one-on-one to three-on-one markedly shifted the pressure on the battlefield. The puppet Gatekeeper had to dodge the torrential waters and evade the assault of the Five Ghosts, making its handling of the Flying Sword considerably more rigid.

    Lin Ning finally got a chance to breathe, her tense spirit relaxing and beginning to counterattack the puppet, while casting a glance towards Yan Yu that carried a hint of gratitude and joy.

    I knew the captain wouldn¡¯t deliberately make things difficult for me, forcing me to duel it alone, huh.

    Seeing that Lin Ning had adjusted her state and was ready to continue, and the puppet Gatekeeper struggling to cope with the attacks of three people, its sword techniques no longer smooth, Yan Yu, who had wanted to watch and learn a little longer, furrowed his brows and instructed:

    ¡°Stop, let her continue the duel alone.¡±

    Su Yunjin and Chen Lingyun exchanged looks and had no choice but to cease their attacks.

    With the puppet no longer controlled, Lin Ning¡¯s pressure on the battlefield suddenly increased, immediately darkening her facial expression as she shot Yan Yu a look that seemed nearly ready to bite.

    You¡¯re deliberately messing with me, aren¡¯t you?

    Source: Webn0vel.com, updated on Novg0.co

 Chapter 517 - 13 The Jade Coral Sword of the East Sea

    Chapter 517: Chapter 13 The Jade Coral Sword of the East Sea

    Despite struggling to hold on and resisting with all her might, Lin Ning was still beaten to a frazzle, worse off than Zhao Yuanzhen had been moments before.

    Technical diligence simply couldn¡¯t overcome the gap in cultivation. When they could unleash one sword strike, you had to counter with three or four, making awkwardness inevitable. There was the fear that, with a slight lapse in concentration or a drained spirit, one would be pierced through the defenses by the puppet and fall into peril.

    However, Lin Ning was also very stubborn. Since you¡¯re asking me to duel with the puppet, even if I can¡¯t win, I will hold on desperately and won¡¯t retreat until commanded!

    This was exactly what Yan Yu had anticipated. He chose the enchantress and Ningning for the one-on-one duels against the puppet not only because they were the only two who could potentially win but also because of their stubborn natures. Even if they were outmatched, they would desperately endure, allowing him extra time for observation and covert learning¡ªno, it was to train their resilience under pressure!

    Alas, Ruoxi with her Thunder Method could have easily handled the puppet goalkeeper, yet I deliberately spent time arranging challenging training opportunities for the two of you. How dearly I must love you both!

    You must learn to be grateful!

    Although Lin Ning was still desperately holding on upfront, she inevitably began to tire as the fight dragged on, and her intervals for rest and recovery grew longer.

    Yan Yu recognized that she was nearing her limit and turned to ask Zhao Yuanzhen,

    ¡°Are you rested?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen wanted to say no, but she didn¡¯t want to show weakness in front of the little rascal and thus just snorted without speaking.

    ¡°Captain.¡± Su Yunjin beside him queried, ¡°Are you conducting a training drill?¡±

    Facing off one by one with the Sword Control Puppet reminded everyone of last year¡¯s encounter with the puppet goalkeeper in the first level of the Mysterious Realm. They had also taken turns in single combat back then, to get those unfamiliar with the pressures of real battlefields acquainted with genuine melee combat.

    Su Yunjin, always observant, quickly realized that this hypothesis was unlikely. After all, times had changed, and everyone had now become battle-hardened. What type of formidable enemy had they not faced?

    Even the scenario of ¡°combatting an invincible adversary,¡±¡ªhadn¡¯t the captain beaten us decisively in sparring sessions in our usual trainings? There was no need to use this puppet for practice.

    Chen Lingyun blinked and asked beside him,

    ¡°Swordsmanship?¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    ¡°I see.¡± Su Yunjin suddenly understood.

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi looked at each other, and the former transmitted a message to the latter, asking,

    ¡°What¡¯s that mean? Is he training me and Ningning¡¯s swordsmanship?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Xie Ruoxi responded blankly, ¡°But if it¡¯s swordsmanship training, wouldn¡¯t the captain be a better fit than this puppet?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen thought that made sense. If this rascal employed his skills to train our swordsmanship, he could not only spot flaws at a glance but also teach us how to improve and correct them. As for that puppet goalkeeper, it only knew how to slash endlessly; what progress could possibly come from fighting it?

    She eyed Yan Yu suspiciously, then looked at the ¡°I don¡¯t know anything¡± innocent-faced Xie Ruoxi, and she sighed inwardly. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    If Ruoxi doesn¡¯t understand, then Yun Jin and Ling Yun surely must, but asking them would make it seem as though I¡¯m too foolish¡­ No, it¡¯s better I just step in for Ningning.

    Zhao Yuanzhen walked forward, preparing to take over the fight against the puppet goalkeeper.

    Lin Ning retreated and took a moment to rest. She didn¡¯t speak but glared at Yan Yu, waiting for him to provide an explanation.

    Yan Yu wasn¡¯t the least bit flustered. His strategy for dealing with Ningning was well-planned, and he just feigned profundity as he winked at her and asked,

    ¡°Understood?¡±

    Lin Ning was taken aback.

    Understood what? Are you hinting at something? Oh, that said, the captain isn¡¯t one to waste time. By arranging for Sister Zhao and me to duel with the puppet goalkeeper, could there be some purpose I¡¯m unaware of?

    At this thought, Lin Ning¡¯s Problem Solver nature kicked in, pushing anger and frustration to the back of her mind as she began to ponder Yan Yu¡¯s intentions.

    Zhao Yuanzhen and the puppet goalkeeper had been fighting for quite a while. Yan Yu watched the fight, noting that the puppet¡¯s moves were mostly repetitive. He surmised that he had basically figured it out and sighed, waving his hand to signal:

    ¡°Yun Jin.¡±

    Su Yunjin then activated her Taoism Method, casting a move called Li Fan, creating a wave that crashed ashore and knocked down the puppet goalkeeper from behind.

    Zhao Yuanzhen immediately threw out the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer, smashing the puppet¡¯s head to pieces.

    Yan Yu quickly stepped forward, slashing open the puppet¡¯s body, only to find a Ruyi and a scroll inside, nothing else.

    His Divine Sense scanned the Ruyi, confirming it was the nerve center of the second layer of the Secret Realm; as for the scroll¡­ It was odd, nor should Cultivation sects save their information in Jade Slips?

    He cautiously flipped through the pages, perusing them.

    According to the records in the scroll, this place was called ¡°True Rising Black Heaven,¡± established by a True Lord, and later occupied by a sect called the ¡°Spiritual Pill Sect.¡±

    The Spiritual Pill Sect claimed to be descendants of the ancient Penglai Jade Purity, specializing in alchemy, selling to inland sects to acquire Cultivation resources. However, during the Age of Dharma Decline, as Spiritual Energy in the world vanished, the Secret Realm itself was also affected.

    It became increasingly difficult to cultivate various types of Spirit Grass, and the average Cultivation levels of sect disciples continuously declined, not due to lack of talent, but because the environment was continually degrading. Therefore, the sect leader eventually decided to abandon the Secret Realm and relocate to another unaffected Grotto Heaven, seeking asylum in another sect stationed there.

    As for the owner of this puppet, he was the Sword Control instructor of the Spiritual Pill Sect, having made these puppets to train his disciples in swordsmanship. Now that the sect was seeking asylum with another, the opposing sect was actually more interested in the Spiritual Pill Sect¡¯s alchemy techniques, employing them to exchange the Lineage Succession for a place of refuge¡ªas for the swordsmanship, it was disregarded by the other sect.

    Thus, the Sword Control instructor placed the sect¡¯s swordsmanship scrolls within the lead puppet, ¡°to prevent the legacy of this swordsmanship from severing,¡± ¡°leaving it for those fated to retrieve it.¡±

    Yan Yu continued to look further, indeed finding corresponding records of sword techniques and diagrams.

    This swordsmanship was named ¡°East Sea Coral Swordsmanship,¡± renowned for its agility and variability. It emphasizes ¡°using the strength of the few to control the many¡± and is most suitable for those weak in swordsmanship to use for self-protection. Although the threshold for starting is not high, the skill ceiling is evident, putting off professional Sword Immortals.

    But now with the Resurgence of Spiritual Energy, everything is starting from scratch. In the Cultivation World, where sects and Sword Immortals are everywhere, the East Sea Coral Swordsmanship may not be appreciated by mainstream Sword Immortals, but in Lu Country, where there are only a few swordsmanship manuals, it is incredibly valuable.

    So why not save it on a Jade Slip?

    Yan Yu browsed to the back, seeing the pages were mostly yellowed and many words unclear, demonstrating the finite life of the book¡¯s paper. Even preserved within the Secret Realm, inside the puppet, insulated from external moisture and air, it was hard to withstand the ravages of time.

    Fortunately, he had already memorized the puppet¡¯s sword techniques and, combined with some phrases remaining on the pages, recreating the complete East Sea Coral Swordsmanship wasn¡¯t challenging.

    Lucky for me to have foreseen this, hahaha!

    Yan Yu laughed a few times, then quickly composed himself, turned to the puzzled girls, and smiled slightly:

    ¡°Refine the nerve center, then go notify the Military Mansion to come over.¡±

    News of the ¡°East Sea Coral Sword¡± emerged from the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm was swiftly delivered to Li Weiguo¡¯s desk.

    Sword techniques directly affect the combat power of Sword Immortals, and the military has always placed great importance on this. The previous ¡°Kunlun Imperial Sword Technique Compendium¡± set such high requirements that even Team Monks had difficulties in learning it, not to mention the even lesser-skilled Military Mansion Cultivators.

    Now, having obtained this less demanding ¡°East Sea Coral Sword,¡± Li Weiguo was overjoyed, striking the table and shouting ¡°Excellent¡± three times, beaming as he said:

    ¡°This boy has indeed accomplished a great feat!¡±

    If the East Sea Coral Sword could be selectively promoted among the Military Mansion Cultivators, even if only the top 10% could successfully learn it, it would greatly enhance the strength of Lu Country!

    Chen Tianming smiled beside him, but did not join Old Li in celebrating, instead saying calmly:

    ¡°Instead of being spread throughout the Military Mansion Cultivators, there¡¯s actually a more suitable place for this sword technique.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Li Weiguo immediately restrained his smile, his expression becoming serious.

    He looked toward a folder at the corner of the desk, stamped with the word [SECRET].

    If someone could breach the security and make it to this chief commander¡¯s office, and then open the folder, they would see the title of the document inside:

    Mortal Warrior Program.

    Source: Webn0vel.com, updated on Novg0.co

 Chapter 518 - 14: The Large Bunk Room

    Chapter 518: Chapter 14: The Large Bunk Room

    The Mortal Warrior Project that Yan Yu knew about only came to the forefront after the massive purge within the Annan Army.

    But in fact, similar theoretical research had already been underway. In this regard, Lu Country had a unique advantage: it had a teacher, Mei, who had studied the Taoist scriptures and understood the practice of cultivation. She naturally led the research on Spiritual Energy, far ahead of other nations.

    Teacher Mei was responsible for the basic theoretical project, which was currently the openly acknowledged focus of research in Lu Country.

    As for the engineering application projects, they were necessarily conducted in secret.

    The number of people involved was unknown, the location was unknown, and even the progress of the research was not disclosed. There were only a handful of high-ranking officials in Lu Country who were aware of this matter; even Mei Yingxue knew nothing about it.

    The reason was obvious: the Mortal Warrior Project was targeted at the ¡°Cultivators¡± from the very beginning.

    As Cultivators were an emerging group, even though efforts were made to minimize the differences between them and ordinary people by introducing ¡°fame¡± and ¡°interest,¡± it still did not change the reality of the ¡°difference between immortals and mortals.¡±

    The only true solution was to empower ordinary people.

    Just as new energy vehicles are limited by battery capacity, the current problem for the Mortal Warriors is that the devices for storing True Yuan are very large, requiring a truck for transport.

    While Sword Immortals fly around, controlling their swords, you are tethered by a tube to truck-mounted equipment, serving as a stationary cannon; this obviously lacks combat capability.

    Therefore, while continuing to develop lighter external True Yuan storage devices, the first batch of test Mortal Warriors also underwent specialized training from Sword Immortals. Unfortunately, since the True Yuan ultimately came from outside their bodies, these people had difficulty even circulating Qi internally and found executing even slightly complex Sword Control Techniques extremely challenging.

    Compared to activating Magic Treasures and Taoism Methods, Sword Control Techniques were already the simplest form of attack for Cultivators.

    The ¡°East Sea Coral Sword¡± technique, which is low in requirements and easy to learn, undoubtedly gave a strong boost to the Mortal Warrior Project. Consequently, after Li Weiguo reported to the Privy Council, Yan Yu was quickly called back to Jinling to choose a reward from the inventory.

    ¡°Now we¡¯re not really lacking anything, are we?¡± Yan Yu said, idly swiping through the screen.

    It¡¯s not exactly that they weren¡¯t lacking; Ningning was practicing the Two-Handed Sword Control Technique and needed a new Flying Sword, and the enchantress could also use a second Magic Treasure¡­ But he certainly had to appear indifferent, to facilitate future bargaining.

    ¡°Take another look,¡± Li Weiguo said with a smile.

    Yan Yu looked carefully for a moment, then couldn¡¯t help but sit up straight.

    On the Pad screen, besides the inventory of the four armies, there was a separate inventory list titled ¡°Unnamed.¡±

    The items there were few in number, but they all appeared quite extraordinary and seemed better in rank compared to those in the four armies¡¯ inventory.

    Suddenly, a thought struck Yan Yu: this must be the secretive inventory of the Privy Council.

    At this stage, a mysterious realm that had not been opened to outsiders was forcibly breached with a special method, allowing people to enter and seek treasures. Although the casualty rate was extraordinarily high, it also allowed them to acquire advanced treasures that were not obtainable at the present stage, such as Xie Ruoxi¡¯s Heaven Yuan Qi Sword. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Liu Longtao had maintained the top Cultivator¡¯s position domestically in his previous life, not only because of his innate talent and hard work but also probably due to the Privy Council¡¯s secretive inventory¡ªas it was the Liu Family in charge of development. Claiming it as an experiment for Lord Master to use a few items, the procedures could be justified.

    Hahaha, then I won¡¯t be modest!

    Yan Yu was very clear that when the Zhenhai Team explored the second layer of the Wuyi Mountains Secret Realm, there were no cameras with them. Thus, even if he kept the ¡°East Sea Coral Sword¡± privately, no one above would know.

    But he ultimately chose to turn over the manuscript, and perhaps to encourage his action or maybe thanks to Old Li¡¯s efforts, the Privy Council opened up the secret inventory, allowing him to choose.

    No matter the actual reason, it was a rare opportunity that should not be wasted.

    Yan Yu did not hesitate much and directly filled out the search conditions to choose a Flying Sword.

    While the Enchantress didn¡¯t have a second Magic Treasure urgently, it was crucial for Ningning to have a second convenient Flying Sword if she were to utilize her abilities in the Two-Handed Sword Control Technique. The priorities were clear.

    Speaking of Ningning¡¯s sword, that reminded Yan Yu.

    Back in the day within the Mirror Lake Divine Palace, Lin Ning¡¯s clone had, besides the Green Bamboo Sword, another dark red Flying Sword.

    Of course, Yan Yu did not think that the clone was the future Lin Ning, nor did he intend to pick an identical second Flying Sword for Lin Ning.

    However, the dark red color was highly likely indicative of a Fire-type Flying Sword¡­ definitely suitable as Ningning¡¯s auxiliary sword.

    Swords are differentiated by the Five Elements: Metal swords are sharp and fierce, Wood swords are agile, Water swords are soft and yielding, Fire swords are swift and ferocious, and Earth swords are thick and heavy. In practical combat, Metal, Fire, and Earth swords are more suitable for frontal assaults, while Wood and Water swords are better for maneuvering and engagement.

    Lin Ning¡¯s Green Bamboo Sword is a Wood-element Flying Sword, the most agile among the Five Elements, making it most suitable for maneuvering and engagement. Therefore, the secondary sword should ideally be chosen from either Metal, Fire, or Earth. Considering that Earth-element Flying Swords are strong but slow, and Ningning¡¯s reaction speed is an advantage, it would be more appropriate to choose either Metal or Fire¡­

    Yes, this one!

    Yan Yu quickly picked out a dark red Flying Sword from the inventory list.

    Whether it¡¯s from the Mirror Lake Divine Palace or not doesn¡¯t really matter. The appearance and color of Flying Swords are quite limited; there¡¯s a high probability of repetition, no need to fuss over it.

    ¡°Alright, it will be sent to you once it¡¯s out of the inventory,¡± Li Weiguo said after a moment of silence, smiling, ¡°Now that the second level of the Mysterious Realm has been captured, you guys should cultivate there first. Is there anything in short supply that needs to be provided?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not lacking in supplies; they can be transferred from the first level,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°It¡¯s just the living quarters that might need some work.¡±

    If it was just for a construction site, setting up a container house that shelters from wind and rain would suffice. However, Cultivators are accustomed to living well, having stayed in villas during their time in Jinling, so Li Weiguo didn¡¯t plan to cut corners. He decided to have Jiang Weiming arrange for a massive villa complex to be built to the standards of a rehabilitation hospital to facilitate future cultivation for the Zhenhai Team and other Zhendong Army Cultivators¡­

    Oh?

    Old Li suddenly had an idea and smiled as he said to Yan Yu:

    ¡°Understood, I¡¯ll make the arrangements. You can go back now.¡±

    Yan Yu, puzzled by this, considered that he had already chosen the rewards and made his requests, so he didn¡¯t stay longer and left.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    That very night upon returning to the Secret Realm, members of the Zhenhai Team stared blankly at a hastily assembled container house.

    ¡°The commander said.¡± Jiang Weiming said with an apologetic smile, ¡°You are all Cultivators who have undergone Fasting; you shouldn¡¯t demand high living conditions. Stay in this house for now. Water and electricity are temporarily connected. You can move to the rehabilitation area once it¡¯s ready.¡±

    The crowd: ¡­¡­¡­

    Although they thought, ¡°Isn¡¯t this too crude?¡± they ultimately didn¡¯t voice it out, as it would make them seem too pampered.

    Looking at the center of the valley, where many old buildings were being cleared and checked before being torn down for civil engineering work, it was clear that a Cultivator rehabilitation base was to be established there. So the commander¡¯s suggestion for everyone to ¡°stay here for a while¡± didn¡¯t seem to be mere lip service.

    There was no choice butto go inside and take a look.

    Upon entering, they found the interior surprisingly tidy. There were small compartments for a bathroom and toilet, and functional air conditioning and a refrigerator, even a wardrobe, desk, and computer¡ªthough, of course, they had no internet access.

    The only drawback was the absence of beds.

    In fact, in such a small house, it was impossible to separate into six rooms, let alone fit six beds, so instead, there was a large shared sleeping area on the floor, neatly covered with six quilts, taking up most of the room.

    ¡°How are we supposed to sleep with such poor conditions!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen complained directly, ¡°Why don¡¯t we go back to the first layer of the Secret Realm? Missing a few days of cultivation won¡¯t matter, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu replied, frowning.

    Without separate rooms, it meant that Joint Cultivation with the Enchantress and Ningning couldn¡¯t be kept confidential. Did they have to complete their daily tasks outside every day, or perhaps just come clean with everyone?

    ¡°I actually think it¡¯s not bad,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Conditions are a bit Spartan, but we are not delicate little princes and princesses, are we? Staying here a few days won¡¯t hurt.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± Su Yunjin nodded repeatedly, already figuring out where the team leader would sleep.

    Only Xie Ruoxi remained silent, her face ashen, as if nothing could arouse her interest.

    Because she discovered there was no cellular signal whatsoever here.

    The Secret Realm naturally isolates itself from the outside world. Only after the central nerve is refined can the prohibitions be adjusted to allow wireless signals to pass through. But since the second layer of the Secret Realm had just been conquered, it clearly hadn¡¯t been equipped with the corresponding communication base station. Forget about connecting to the internet.

    No internet¡­ ugh, just kill me!

    Source: Webn0vel.com, updated on Novg0.co

 Chapter 519 - 15 Ruoxis Ghost Story

    Chapter 519: Chapter 15 Ruoxi¡¯s Ghost Story

    The second layer of the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm is the area with the highest Spiritual Energy concentration within the six provinces governed by the Zhendong Army.

    Considering that the Spiritual Energy Resurgence had just happened, it naturally became a priority to take the opportunity to engage in Breathing and Energy Refining diligently to enhance one¡¯s Cultivation as quickly as possible.

    As long as one could level up faster than the competitors, subsequent battles would be like controlling a puppet, where even with numerous swordsmanship flaws, one could still overwhelmingly suppress the opponent, forcing them to exert much more effort in response.

    Because rapid Breathing and Energy Refining is so crucial, there really shouldn¡¯t have been such trouble caused by building this kind of house! Did you hear that, Old Li!

    Luckily, near the cliff on the outer perimeter of the valley, there was a small but densely packed grove of trees.

    After dinner, Yan Yu pretended to go for a post-dinner walk with Ningning, leading Zhao Yuanzhen into the woods where the three of them practiced Breathing Techniques together.

    This was the only way to conceal activities from prying eyes!

    Although it was meant to deceive others, misunderstandings were inevitable. When Yan Yu returned, he saw Yun Jin¡¯s tender glances moving back and forth over him, Sister Zhao, and Ningning.

    Even though she said nothing, it was as if she had said everything, leaving Yan Yu completely at a loss for words, feeling somewhat sweaty.

    Yun Jin, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to include you; it¡¯s just that Ningning has just arrived and needs some time to adjust before we add more people!

    Of course, since Su Yunjin hadn¡¯t spoken up, Yan Yu couldn¡¯t just spill the beans; he had to act as if nothing had happened and volunteered:

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t the beddings spread out yet? Come on, I¡¯ll help.¡± Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The room wasn¡¯t exactly small, but there were six people from the Zhenhai Team. It was definitely impossible to fit six beds, even the quilts were of those narrow types that you could roll off with just a turn.

    Yan Yu quickly set up the floor beds. Six quilts, arranged in two rows with the pillows on the inside, so that no one would have to smell someone else¡¯s feet while sleeping.

    Even if a beautiful girl¡¯s feet smelled nice, Yan Yu didn¡¯t want to smell them nor did he plan to have his feet near anyone else.

    ¡°All set!¡± After finishing, he clapped his hands and laughed, ¡°Choose your spots.¡±

    ¡°I want to be next to Ruoxi,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately said.

    ¡°Then I want to be next to Ruoxi too,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, winking at Yun Jin.

    Su Yunjin responded with a grateful look. Since the first row¡¯s sleeping order was Zhao, Xie, Chen, the natural order for the second row was Su, Yan, Lin¡­ Of course, it would be best as Yan, Su, Lin, but since Yan Yu had already sat down cross-legged on the middle bedding, there was no need to make a fuss about moving aside unless she intended to specifically target Ningning.

    Everyone chose their spots and then began to sit in meditation for their nightly Breathing Exercises.

    Though they were all introducing qi into their bodies and refining it into True Yuan, their attitudes were markedly different.

    Inside the woods, combining forces to circulate qi, they had already completed their daily tasks, so Zhao Yuanzhen was bored. On the surface, he pretended to be engaged in breathing and energy refining, but in reality, he was secretly taking naps.

    Xie Ruoxi was also distracted, occasionally covertly lifting her eyelids to look around at her teammates and the captain sitting opposite her¡ªafter all, cultivating fast, taking small peeks didn¡¯t matter.

    Chen Lingyun kept her eyes closed, completely still. Knowing her talent was inferior and her True Yuan growth rate was insufficient, she had to double her efforts in breathing and energy refining to avoid falling too far behind.

    Su Yunjin was also focused on Cultivating. Having secured the spot beside the team leader made her extremely happy and content. With a stable Dao Heart, she even felt that her speed at circulating the heavens had increased.

    Lin Ning sat on the other side of Yan Yu, also diligently engaged in Breathing Exercises. Although the increase in True Yuan was minimal, being a Problem Solver, she enjoyed her futile efforts and persevered.

    Surrounded by beautiful girls, Yan Yu felt not a hint of joy but tried introducing qi into his body. Discovering he couldn¡¯t feel the slightest qi, he had to give up.

    Alas, why can¡¯t a wheel turn by itself without an engine?

    Until late at night, everyone had gradually completed their daily tasks and bid each other goodnight before crawling into their quilts.

    With the lights out, the room was dimly lit, the temperature was also very congenial¡ªa perfect level of comfort where no air conditioning was needed, just the Spiritual Energy-rich night breeze blowing in through the window.

    Gradually, Yan Yu felt sleepy, not because his body needed rest, but just the natural adjustment of his biological clock. If he got up to play on his phone, he could easily pull an all-nighter, becoming more awake as he played.

    Just as he was about to fall asleep, he suddenly heard Chen Lingyun say:

    ¡°This is our first time team building overnight, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    ¡°How about we have a ghost story session?¡± Chen Lingyun suggested with a smile.

    ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°No, please no.¡± Two people immediately spoke up.

    The one who said ¡°sure¡± was Xie Ruoxi, a seasoned otaku girl who frequented the internet and wasn¡¯t scared by any ghost stories. Instead, she had many thrilling tales to share with everyone.

    The one who said ¡°no¡± was Su Yunjin. Although the literature-loving girl adored novels, she actually read a little of everything except horror stories, which she absolutely avoided.

    ¡°Hey, Yun Jin, are you scared of ghosts?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked puzzled, ¡°Our team has a Necromancer. No matter what ghosts come, they would be captured by her with the Soul Summoning Banner. What¡¯s there to be afraid of?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not scared of those kinds of ghosts,¡± Su Yunjin explained, ¡°I¡¯m scared of the completely unscientific, humanly unbeatable spooky stuff ¡ª the kind you usually find in ghost stories.¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin, it¡¯s a rare opportunity. Who knows when we will all get together for a sleepover again,¡± Chen Lingyun said aloud while secretly sending her a message, saying a few sentences.

    ¡°Okay, okay then,¡± Su Yunjin eventually conceded.

    ¡°What about Ningning?¡± Chen Lingyun continued, ¡°Ningning is probably not scared of ghosts, right? There are lots of ghost stories from the Minyue area too.¡±

    ¡°Of, of course not scared,¡± Lin Ning¡¯s voice trembled slightly as she pretended to be brave.

    ¡°Since everyone agrees, you don¡¯t mind, do you, Captain?¡± Chen Lingyun finally asked.

    ¡°Do as you please, I¡¯m going to sleep now,¡± Yan Yu, neither scared of nor interested in ghost stories, promptly declared his non-participation.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll start with one,¡± Xie Ruoxi said enthusiastically, ¡°I have a cousin from afar¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound like it really happened!¡± Lin Ning quickly interjected in panic.

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi paused silently, thinking isn¡¯t it obvious this is made up? But to soothe Ningning, she changed her tone and said, ¡°Fine, it has nothing to do with me. It¡¯s about a girl whose sister suddenly disappeared one day. Despite a long search, the family couldn¡¯t find her. After her parents gave up and despaired, every night she started having nightmares. She dreamt that at midnight, someone would crawl under her covers and try to strangle her¡­¡±

    Meanwhile, Yan Yu, who was listening quietly, suddenly felt something creeping into the right side of his covers.

    Yun Jin?

    He instinctively thought it was Su Yunjin trying to scare him by playing along with the story and was about to scold her when his right arm was hugged.

    The trembling literature-loving girl was secretly delighted for the chance to snuggle up to the captain, while simultaneously terrified of the ghost story Xie Ruoxi was telling, a mixture of pain and pleasure.

    ¡°Every time when she is about to be strangled to death, she would abruptly wake from the nightmare,¡± Xie Ruoxi vividly continued, ¡°My uncle¡­ ahem, I mean, the girl¡¯s father took her to the hospital, but they found nothing wrong with her.¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s left hand tightened suddenly as someone firmly grasped his hand, their fingers interlocking tightly.

    That familiar touch, Ningning?

    ¡°Eventually, unable to endure the torment of the recurring nightmares, she decided to move out alone,¡± Xie Ruoxi concluded, ¡°While packing and tidying up her room, she suddenly noticed that the floor under the bed was loose. She lifted it to find, to her horror, the wide-eyed corpse of her sister with bruises on her neck from being strangled to death¡­¡±

    At this point, she suddenly flung off the covers making a noise, and deliberately screamed,

    ¡°Who¡¯s crawling into my covers?!¡±

    ¡°Ah¡ª¡± The scream came from Su Yunjin, who promptly dove completely under Yan Yu¡¯s covers, clutching his right hand tightly.

    Lin Ning pulled over his left arm and hugged it tightly as if it were a lifesaving straw. Although she didn¡¯t scream like Yun Jin, her body incessantly quivered.

    Caught between them, Yan Yu, face expressionless, stared at the ceiling and asked flatly,

    ¡°If she was just packing and tidying up, why would she check under the bed?¡±

    ¡°Good question, Captain!¡± Xie Ruoxi chuckled, ¡°Actually, the hidden setting of this story is that the girl strangled her sister during an argument and hid the body under the floor of her own bed in a panic. Then, overwhelmed by fear and anxiety, she forgot about it. The nightmares were actually her brain¡¯s effort to recover the memory¡­ How about that? Scary, right?¡±

    ¡°Truly terrifying,¡± Yan Yu remarked, realizing he couldn¡¯t pull his arms back at all.

 Chapter 520 - 16 Embracing Left and Right

    Chapter 520: Chapter 16 Embracing Left and Right

    What does it feel like to have warmth and tenderness in your arms?

    In all honesty, it¡¯s quite pleasant.

    But what does it feel like to be constrained by warmth and tenderness?

    Not so pleasant.

    It wasn¡¯t too bad with Su Yunjin; she just squeezed into Yan Yu¡¯s blanket and clung to his right arm, shivering¡ªthe equivalent of having a fragrant and soft accessory hanging off his arm, which didn¡¯t really hinder his movements.

    However, Lin Ning forcibly bent his left arm towards her¡ªboth scared and apprehensive to crawl into the bed herself, she simply ¡°snatched¡± a sense of security for herself, making Yan Yu feel as if he were shackled by human-shaped handcuffs.

    The softness was indeed there, but being hugged by Lin Ning, who also clamped his hand between her legs, meant he was completely immobilized, which obviously wouldn¡¯t do.

    After Yan Yu had tried in vain to withdraw his arm for a long time, he could only send a message to Lin Ning with his thoughts:

    ¡°Who would have thought Ningning was actually such a scaredy-cat? Truly surprising.¡±

    ¡°Shut up, I¡¯m not scared at all!¡± Lin Ning fell for the provocation, ready to forcefully fling his arm away to show her bravery. That¡¯s when she heard Chen Lingyun say:

    ¡°Let me share one too.¡±

    Lin Ning: ¡­¡­

    Hurriedly snatched back his arm to hug it again.

    Yan Yu also felt exasperated, secretly suspecting that Chen Lingyun was deliberately causing trouble.

    ¡°It was around the end of the last century,¡± Chen Lingyun began softly, ¡°Jianghai Prefecture often had cases of young women being victimized. The victims were mostly between 18-25 years old, with fatal wounds on their necks that bore large bite marks. Upon examination, the bodies were found devoid of a single drop of blood, as if completely drained.¡±

    Shivering even more, Su Yunjin curled her entire body into the blanket, pressing tightly against Yan Yu¡¯s side.

    ¡°The Patrol and Arrest Office back then hadn¡¯t yet adopted Western forensic techniques,¡± continued Chen Lingyun. ¡°They interviewed witnesses, who gave all sorts of testimonials, but certain highly repeated testimonies drew the patrollers¡¯ attention.¡±

    ¡°That, that.¡± Lin Ning¡¯s voice trembled as she said, ¡°Lingyun, before you continue with the story, maybe tell us first that this is all made up, okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s just a legend,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°Many of the case testimonies mentioned sightings of an elderly lady in red near the crime scenes.¡±

    Curling up beside him, Su Yunjin let out an indistinct whimper. Yan Yu wanted to pat her head to comfort her, but his hands were trapped, so he had to use his chin instead to knock lightly.

    ¡°Like in a certain inn,¡± Chen Lingyun went on. ¡°Two young girls were staying over, and one went out to use the public restroom. The other waited a long time without her friend returning, and upon going to look for her, she saw an elderly lady in red coming out from the restroom. Deep inside, she found her friend lying on the floor, pale as death, with two small holes on her neck.¡±

    ¡°Something¡¯s not right, something¡¯s not right?¡± Lin Ning suddenly exclaimed. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the inn rooms have their own restrooms? Why would she need to go outside?¡±

    ¡°Back in those days, inns and taverns were separate,¡± Chen Lingyun explained calmly. ¡°Inns were just for drinking.¡±

    Lin Ning ran out of objections and pulled Yan Yu¡¯s arm closer into her embrace, hugging it tightly.

    ¡°Later, the Patrol and Arrest Bureau posted a warrant for the arrest of the elderly lady in red,¡± Chen Lingyun concluded. ¡°Whether they caught her or not is another story, but my mother told me that at the time, people were panicking, with every household hanging garlic and closing their doors after 5 pm, refusing to venture outside. Families with young women were especially on edge, acquiring all sorts of talismans to stick on their doors, for fear that the red-clad old lady would find them¡­ Hmm, what¡¯s that outside the window?¡±

    At this, Lin Ning dropped all pretenses and scrambled into Yan Yu¡¯s blanket, joining Su Yunjin in a chaotic crying.

    ¡°Enough! Enough!¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t take it any longer. ¡°Still playing the same trick a second time? Lingyun, that¡¯s enough already!¡±

    Having finished her story, Chen Lingyun obviously wouldn¡¯t provoke Yan Yu further, saying with a laugh:

    ¡°I¡¯ll stop here. Sister Zhao, do you have any horror stories?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied.

    ¡°Speak up, speak up,¡± Xie Ruoxi urged quickly.

    ¡°I know someone¡­¡± Zhao Yuanzhen began. She was about to say ¡°I know a fellow junior sister,¡± but then she remembered matters concerning the Qiansi Sect were meant to be kept secret from her younger siblings, so she corrected herself, ¡°¡­I know someone whose family was so poor they couldn¡¯t even make ends meet. They were considering selling their daughter when a Taoist nun passed by the village. She gave them some money, taking their daughter as her disciple instead.¡±

    ¡°The girl was young and initially felt that she had been sold by her parents. Angered, she swore to sever ties with them. As time passed and she progressed in her cultivation, she discussed the matter with her master. Her master told her that life is full of hardships and her parents didn¡¯t really want to abandon her; they simply couldn¡¯t afford to keep her.¡±

    ¡°She pondered over it for quite some time. After all, she had been away from home since she was little, and any resentment from back then had faded. So she asked her master for a few days off and set off on her flying sword to visit her parents.¡±

    ¡°Then what happened?¡± Lin Ning inquired. The story wasn¡¯t scary so far.

    ¡°When she got back, she found the village no more,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen laughed. ¡°She had been cultivating in the mountains for over eighty years. The secular world had changed governments twice, and the village had long been razed by war. The passage of time and transformation of lands are beyond human control; isn¡¯t that frightening?¡±

    The girls: ¡­¡­

    ¡°Not scary?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen scratched her head.

    When our master first recounted this story to us, she commented, ¡°The brevity of a mortal¡¯s life is terrifying amid the cycle of life and death.¡± Why isn¡¯t anyone scared?

    Lin Ning had already gathered her composure and somewhat unnaturally let go of Yan Yu. Su Yunjin also reluctantly crawled back into her own quilts.

    ¡°Is there anyone else who wants to tell a story?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile. ¡°Ningning, Yun Jin?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any ghost stories.¡± Lin Ning quickly shook her head.

    ¡°Neither do I,¡± said Su Yunjin with a forced laugh.

    ¡°Good, I was just about to¡­¡± Yan Yu hadn¡¯t finished speaking when he was abruptly silenced by Lin Ning and Su Yunjin, one on each side covering his mouth, and they interrupted him:

    ¡°No! You don¡¯t!¡±

    Ultimately, it was Lin Ning who reacted the quickest, Su Yunjin reached out to cover his mouth only to touch the back of Ningning¡¯s hand, awkwardly retracting her hand but becoming secretly vigilant in her heart.

    Seeing how swiftly and naturally Ningning moved, it seemed she had no awkwardness or embarrassment from the physical contact with the captain.

    When I was hugging the captain earlier because I was scared, could she have also¡­

    ¡°I actually need to use the bathroom!¡± Yan Yu broke free from Lin Ning¡¯s restraint and said angrily, ¡°That¡¯s the end of the ghost story session!¡±

    Lin Ning sheepishly retracted her hand, thinking I thought you were going to share too.

    When others were telling ghost stories, she was able to seek solace by clutching onto the captain¡¯s arm. If the captain were to tell a ghost story, she would be in such a hurry to stay away that she might end up having to cling to Ling Yun instead.

    Upon entering the bathroom, Yan Yu discovered it was a squat toilet and couldn¡¯t help but sigh.

    After relieving himself and washing his hands, he walked out and prepared to sleep in his own quilts.

    ¡°Captain,¡± Xie Ruoxi suddenly said, ¡°I also want to use the bathroom¡­¡±

    ¡°Then go,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°But I¡¯m a little scared after hearing some stories,¡± Xie Ruoxi said with a slight plaintive tone that was soft and tender.

    ¡°If you¡¯re afraid of this stuff, you shouldn¡¯t have been so enthusiastic at the start!¡± Yan Yu helplessly crawled out of his quilts.

    Arriving at the bathroom door, Yan Yu stood outside waiting for Xie Ruoxi to come out.

    ¡°Captain, are you there?¡± A voice came from inside.

    ¡°I am,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    After a moment, Xie Ruoxi¡¯s voice rose again:

    ¡°Captain, are you still there?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°I got taken away by a ghost.¡± S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The sound of flushing came quickly from inside, and Xie Ruoxi rushed out in a panic, relieved to see Yan Yu still at the door.

    Once back in the quilts, just as Yan Yu closed his eyes and prepared to sleep, he heard Su Yunjin transmit a message:

    ¡°Captain, I also want to use the bathroom¡­¡±

    Yan Yu:¡­¡­

    Or I could just carry you over and then urinate for you.

    After Su Yunjin left the bathroom and with Yan Yu guarding the door, he simply asked everyone:

    ¡°Is there anyone else who needs to use the bathroom? Time waits for no one; I¡¯m going back to sleep.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Bathroom Manager Big Brother,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a laugh.

    Yan Yu couldn¡¯t be bothered with her and returned to his quilts, preparing to sleep for the third time, when suddenly someone reached out and gently held his hand, a smooth and warm feeling coming from the palm.

    ¡°Captain, I¡¯m still a bit scared,¡± Su Yunjin transmitted.

    That was a lie. She had already used her strong self-control to erase the ghost stories she just heard from her memory.

    Now was the time to feign weakness to the enemy, to take advantage of the situation and breakthrough the captain¡¯s boundary against physical contact!

    Win!

    Yan Yu was about to refuse diplomatically, but then he remembered how Ningning had fallen asleep holding his hand and softened.

    Oh well, let¡¯s be fair.

 Chapter 521 - 17: Acquiring the New Sword

    Chapter 521: Chapter 17: Acquiring the New Sword

    The next morning.

    Waking up from his slumber, Yan Yu immediately felt something was not right.

    Upon closer inspection, sure enough, his right hand was clasped in Yun Jin¡¯s embrace.

    She lay on her side with her body curled up, limbs sticking out from the blanket, holding his right arm and sleeping soundly like a rabbit clutching a carrot. Her eyelids quivered slightly, as if she were dreaming.

    His left hand was being held by Lin Ning, their fingers interlocked as if she was scared he would run away.

    Yan Yu sighed inwardly, carefully pried open Lin Ning¡¯s fingers, withdrew his arm from Yun Jin¡¯s hold, and quietly got out of bed.

    Holding hands, embracing, and wrapping limbs¡ªthese girls had worse sleeping postures than each other. On this front, indeed, they were no match for Chen Lingyun, who was a quiet and beautiful girl when asleep, not tossing and turning, nor snoring or grinding her teeth, not affecting anyone else¡¯s sleep at all.

    At that moment, the Demonic Sect Enchantress was soundly asleep, turned to her right, with her left leg resting on top of Xie Ruoxi.

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s brows were furrowed, seemingly rather uncomfortable¡ªSister Zhao¡¯s white thigh indeed had a not insignificant heft, something Yan Yu could attest to from experience.

    Leaving the room and strolling around outside, he could see that the central construction site was still at work, having not ceased throughout the night.

    Military Manor projects, of course, were against the clock and couldn¡¯t be halted even for a moment.

    Returning to the room, he saw that all the girls, except Zhao Yuanzhen, had already woken up.

    Su Yunjin was cleaning; since there was no kitchen inside the room, Lin Ning had nothing to do for the moment, so she invited Xie Ruoxi to go out with her to bring back food from the cafeteria.

    Chen Lingyun was playing with her smartphone, and without looking up, she said to Yan Yu,

    ¡°I just got notification that the base station has been installed.¡±

    Yan Yu took out his phone to see, sure enough, there was a signal. Although it wasn¡¯t full strength, he could now go online as usual.

    Checking his messages, there was a pile of unread ones; the top two senders weren¡¯t from the girls but from Lord Master and the Demonic brother.

    [Liu Shao]: Damn, are you there?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: What¡¯s up, want to cry after losing?

    [Liu Shao]: You¡¯re finally alive. Did you watch the previous match?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: I did. You guys didn¡¯t lose unjustly.

    [Liu Shao]: Old Yan, just one question for you, was the strategy of Li Minghu dueling the goalkeeper taught by you before the match?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Why, does losing to Li Minghu feel humiliating, and you¡¯re looking for a reason to comfort yourself?

    [Liu Shao]: I knew it was you scheming behind my back!

    Ignoring Lord Master¡¯s rant, Yan Yu opened Li Zhaojiang¡¯s chat.

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: Why aren¡¯t you talking? Seeing us beat Lord Master, are you so jealous that you¡¯re lost for words, Old Yan? sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Laughable, have I seldom beaten Lord Master?

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: You haven¡¯t won a single official match against him, though.

    Yan Yu thought it seemed true; there had been one opportunity before, but later the Goryeo swordsman attacked, and the two teams immediately went from competing to joining forces. Thus, aside from the quad-institute exchange matches, he indeed never had a real fight with Lord Master.

    As for competition within the same team, he had beaten Lord Master many times.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: This victory of yours is also thanks to your sister¡¯s strategy being on point.

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: Why can¡¯t it be my own idea?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Your little brain, barely the size of a spoonful, couldn¡¯t come up with such a cunning plan.

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: Haha, you¡¯re completely wrong. The opposing Sword Immortal was restrained by my Yuan Magnetic Divine Light, so it was bound to become a drawn-out battle. I was the one who proposed this during the pre-match tactical meeting.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: So stealing the BOSS was your sister¡¯s idea.

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: Yeah, our original plan was indeed to win a war of attrition.

    Yan Yu fell silent for a while, then continued typing.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: So?

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: At that time, she observed the battlefield situation and judged that the chances of winning a war of attrition were not high, so she decided to go for the BOSS alone, taking a risky gamble.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: You guys were already weaker than the Dragon Soar Team, how could you possibly compete in an endurance battle?

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: Bullshit, we didn¡¯t even know that Tao Xingyuan would be ambushed and eliminated before the match, okay? Lord Master seemed like a straightforward, big-browed guy, but he turned out to be plotting a sneak attack. Thankfully, my sister was a step ahead in skill.

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: But it was indeed close. You watched the live stream, right? If my sister had been just half a minute slower at killing the goalkeeper, she would have been found by Guo Feiyun.

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: Hey, old Yan, why have you stopped talking again?

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: You damn beggar, you¡¯re not pestering my sister again, are you?

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: Talk, talk, talk!

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t have time to bother with him; he was chatting with Li Minghu at the moment.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Your swordsmanship has improved again, huh? You can even solo the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper now.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: It¡¯s because the goalkeeper is too weak. If it were a bit stronger, I couldn¡¯t have beaten it and can only say that I was really lucky this time.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Luck is a kind of strength as well.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: You¡¯ve also started training in the Mysterious Realm, right?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Yeah, our accommodation isn¡¯t built yet, so they¡¯ve got us living in shipping containers.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Same for us. The Mysterious Realm is newly conquered, so living spaces haven¡¯t been built in time, we¡¯ve temporarily got six container houses.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: We only have one.

    There was a long silence on the other end before the next message came.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: No way? Why only one? Doesn¡¯t that mean you all have to live together?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Yeah, it¡¯s quite miserable.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: That¡¯s really miserable.

    For some reason, Yan Yu felt like there was something else on the mind of the person echoing him on the other end.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: They even held a ghost story meeting last night, so I didn¡¯t sleep well.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Girls living together for the first time, of course, they¡¯re not willing to go to sleep at night. Ghost stories, gossip, or singing together, it¡¯s all very normal.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Did you have similar experiences when you lived in a dormitory before?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Scram, scram, scram, Old Yan, don¡¯t come harassing my sister!

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Haha, touchy.

    Yan Yu put down his phone and saw Lin Ning and Xie Ruoxi return with breakfast¡ªnoodles, porridge, steamed buns, and deep-fried dough sticks.

    These were simple pre-made dishes, and even Zhao Yuanzhen, with her fussy taste, couldn¡¯t find anything wrong with them.

    After breakfast, everyone went out to find a place to prepare for training.

    The Military Manor had sent someone to deliver a sword; it was the Flying Sword selected for Lin Ning the previous day.

    It was of a suitable length, and its body was dark, its surface faintly showing a red color that was hard to notice, like bloodstains.

    ¡°So this is my second Flying Sword?¡± Lin Ning checked it over, turning it in her hands with a frown, ¡°Is this the Flying Sword used by my clone in the Mirror Lake Divine Palace?¡±

    ¡°Seems like it.¡± Su Yunjin said uncertainly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Xie Ruoxi objected, ¡°This one seems a little finer.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to match it exactly.¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°Start by refining it to recognize the master. If we find a more suitable one later, we can change it.¡±

    ¡°Alright then.¡± Lin Ning stopped fussing over it, held the Flying Sword in her hands, and swung it a few times causally, ¡°Since I already have ¡®Green Bamboo¡¯, let¡¯s name this one ¡®Red Flame¡¯.¡±

    ¡°¡®Red Flame¡¯ is too common, how about ¡®Vermillion Blaze¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Lin Ning was momentarily stunned and asked Yan Yu, ¡°Was that your voice transmitting to me just now?¡±

    ¡°Not me.¡± Yan Yu was also mystified.

    Lin Ning then looked at Su Yunjin, hesitantly saying:

    ¡°Then let¡¯s call it ¡®Vermillion Blaze¡¯.¡±

 Chapter 522 - 18 New Planning

    Chapter 522: Chapter 18 New Planning

    After the ceiling of Spiritual Energy Resurgence was raised, the whole world entered a rather long period of peace.

    After all, if you were still fighting while others concentrated on cultivation and raised their levels, you¡¯d be the first one they¡¯d come to kill¡ªno need to elaborate, everyone knew the outcome.

    Thanks to the improved border defense situation, Lu Country also put a hold on the development of numerous mysterious realms, securing more time for cultivators to conduct their breathing exercises and cultivate. Even the cultivators from the military manors of the four armies initiated a ¡°cultivation competition,¡± urging soldiers to quickly enhance their cultivation.

    Everyone was preparing for war, and the Zhenhai Team was no exception.

    By April, Lin Ning had finally made a breakthrough in the Dual Sword Control Technique, able to execute it smoothly.

    Lin Ning stepped into all the pitfalls that Yan Yu had encountered when practicing the Dual Sword Control Technique: first, focusing on one hand meant neglecting the other; then, she confused left and right, leading to a disordered sequence of sword techniques; finally, by forcibly slowing down the pace, she managed to control different sword techniques with both hands simultaneously.

    Next, as long as she continued her training methodically and increased her proficiency, she would naturally possess combat capability.

    Speaking of proficiency, Lin Ning also had some doubts.

    The ideal pairing for the Dual Sword Control Technique was ¡°one orthodox and one peculiar.¡± Her own Green Bamboo Sword was extremely responsive and could be the ¡°peculiar¡±; the Dan Yan Sword was vigorous and fierce, fitting the ¡°orthodox¡± role.

    However, having been accustomed to wielding the Green Bamboo Sword, Lin Ning had always followed a swift and agile offensive routine. Now with the newly acquired Dan Yan Sword, there was no avoiding the need to practice a new fighting style suited to the Fire-type Flying Sword, emphasizing frontal assaults¡ªas Yan Yu said, since she installed new software, she needed to update the corresponding drivers as well.

    Considering the minute differences between each sword, there was no ¡°one size fits all¡± method for this, and the Sword Immortal had to gradually familiarize herself with her own Flying Swords and find her way.

    But the more Lin Ning tried to control the Dan Yan Sword, the more she felt as if the sword possessed its own spirit, as it responded like an arm moves at the command of the mind, with the sword following her heart¡ªits proficiency was increasing rapidly! Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    For example, the Green Bamboo Sword was like an obedient child, heading east or west on command; whereas the Dan Yan Sword was more like a clever child, initiating a charge on a curved path, and even without a specific trajectory set, it could choose the sword path that best fit Lin Ning¡¯s needs, as if it had¡­

    High emotional intelligence.

    It was strange to apply this term to a Flying Sword, yet Lin Ning found it perfectly fitting. The compatibility with the Green Bamboo Sword meant that no matter how complex and tedious the commands were, it would execute them meticulously; the Dan Yan Sword, however, with just one command, could grasp her intent and carry out the action in accordance with her own will.

    This tacit understanding between person and sword was so ingenious that Lin Ning¡¯s proficiency in Dual Sword Control soared, and even Yan Yu, who was always so demanding of Sword Immortals, couldn¡¯t help but praise her performance.

    After much thought, Lin Ning felt that although this issue was not very obvious, for safety¡¯s sake, it was better to discuss it with the captain.

    ¡°Really?¡± Yan Yu expressed disbelief, remarking that despite being a Sword Immortal for two lifetimes, he had never encountered what she described.

    A sword with high emotional intelligence? What kind of thing was that!

    ¡°Let me try the Dan Yan Sword.¡±

    Lin Ning handed the Dan Yan Sword to Yan Yu while releasing her Qi to allow him to control the Flying Sword that had already recognized her as its master.

    After Yan Yu controlled the Dan Yan Sword and made it fly for a moment, he said,

    ¡°It¡¯s not about emotional intelligence; it just happens that its aerodynamic model fits perfectly.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Lin Ning was puzzled, ¡°Aerodynamic model?¡±

    ¡°The dimensions, streamlined shape, and center of gravity of Flying Swords are all different,¡± explained Yan Yu, ¡°resulting in even slight variations in the trajectory and curvature of the sword moves carried out by different Flying Swords. Clearly, the Dan Yan Sword¡¯s aerodynamic model has been specially designed for frontal charges.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lin Ning still felt that something was amiss, but since the captain had already concluded, she no longer doubted it, ¡°Oh, by the way, what book are you reading?¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°You mean this book?¡± Yan Yu picked up the book in his hand and threw it to her, ¡°It¡¯s the new teaching material issued by the school. If you¡¯re interested, take a look.¡±

    After the upper limit of Spiritual Energy Concentration was raised, the three minor realms within the Foundation Establishment Realm finally received their complete names:

    Qi Refining Stage, Marrow Cleansing Stage, Hua Fu Stage.

    Different realms have different learning contents. Taking Sword Immortals as an example, during the Qi Refining Stage they learn Sword Control Technique, in the Marrow Cleansing Stage they learn Sword Flying Slash, and in the Hua Fu Stage they learn Sword-Body Union, which is a rather standard study plan arrangement (of course, powerful Sword Immortals can skip levels to learn).

    Lin Ning flipped through the pages of the book in her hands and discovered that the new teaching materials issued this time discussed the new content that the four major professions needed to study at the Hua Fu Stage, including the Sword Immortal¡¯s Sword-Body Union, the Envoy¡¯s Eye Perception, the Magic Cultivator¡¯s Acquired Five Elements Essence, and the Assistant Officer¡¯s Divine Sense Hosting Technique.

    ¡°Sword-Body Union, huh.¡± Lin Ning closed the book and said with emotion, ¡°I¡¯ve already mastered it.¡±

    ¡°Right, so you don¡¯t need to study it,¡± Yan Yu took back the book.

    Lin Ning had already mastered Sword-Body Union, and Su Yunjin had gathered one-third of the Acquired Five Elements Essence; these two had already started studying content from higher levels while still in the Marrow Cleansing Stage.

    The ones who needed to study were the other three girls: Chen Lingyun¡¯s Ears and Eyes Reach Heaven required entering the first stage, which is the cultivation of ¡°Eye Perception.¡± The teaching material only briefly introduced its definition and concept and mentioned that the four military manors respectively arranged different cultivation mentors.

    For the Zhendong Army¡¯s side, the Eye Perception mentor happened to be a familiar face Yan Yu had helped before: Master Ci Nian, who was Cultivating in Jiangbei Province

    Once most of the Envoys among the Team Monks advance to the Hua Fu Stage, the academy is expected to arrange a centralized training session, inviting Master Ci Nian for classes in school. However, Yan Yu didn¡¯t want to wait that long; as a frontline team, the Zhenhai Team definitely had to master it faster than anyone else.

    Time to ask Old Li, take Chen Lingyun there first to learn from Master Ci Nian.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, as an Assistant Officer, needed to learn the Divine Sense Hosting Technique. Cultivating this dharma method to the intermediate stage leads to the ¡°Second Primordial Spirit,¡± and beyond that, the ¡°External Incarnation,¡± which is the equivalent of a cultivator having an extra life out of thin air, extremely difficult to cultivate but also extremely strong when accomplished.

    The Second Primordial Spirit and External Incarnation actually require very high-quality Magic Treasures; ordinary treasures are not suitable for cultivating this technique, but Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s Puppet Magic Treasure is capable of being transformed into it ¡ª in her previous life, after mastering this technique, she established the renown of Empress Yuanzhen without a hint of exaggeration.

    The Divine Sense Hosting Technique, the current method of Cultivation is not yet mature and is still in the stage of practical exploration. The textbook says it¡¯s necessary to contact the school and go to a specific experimental base to study.

    So this brings about a question, whether to let the Enchantress first learn the immature method in the experimental base, or follow the path of Empress Yuanzhen from the previous life, waiting until the method is mature before hosting the Divine Sense?

    Yan Yu plans to ask the Enchantress for her opinion first; after all, this matter is like building a skyscraper, rushing the process is not impossible, but if the foundation is not stable, having to tear it down and start over would be a huge waste of time.

    Speaking of which, I need to learn it too¡­ It wouldn¡¯t hurt to have the Enchantress scout it out for me.

    The last one left is Xie Ruoxi.

    The dharma body of Magic Cultivators integrates with the Five Elements, but strictly speaking, Thunder Method doesn¡¯t fall within the Five Elements, though if anything, it leans more towards the Metal Line.

    Should the beautiful waste be instructed to follow the Metal Line Tao Transformation path?

    Or is there¡­ perhaps a Tao Transformation path suited for the ¡°Thunder Method King¡±?

    Yan Yu recalled that Xie Ruoxi, Annan Army¡¯s number one cultivator from her previous life, had not practiced any Essence of the Five Elements. Partly because this waste started too late, her main task was to catch up with the cultivation progress of top cultivators; on the other hand, her character was too lazy, even needing someone from the Annan Army to supervise her normal Breathing and Energy Refining exercises. How could you expect her to practice the Essence of the Five Elements?

    This task takes careful and persistent work, like Su Yunjin has been at it for almost half a year already, only to collect so little¡­ To ask the former Xie Ruoxi to endure hardships in the wild for months could lead to her defecting in just a few days, causing another major incident in the Annan Army.

    Of course, in this lifetime, with my wise and mighty leadership, the beautiful waste¡¯s character has significantly improved, and her Essence of the Five Elements, Tao Transformation body, can be considered.

    About this matter¡­ maybe I should ask Teacher Mei.

    ¡°`

 Chapter 523 - 19: Immortal Venerate Blast Kills Lord Master

    Chapter 523: Chapter 19: Immortal Venerate Blast Kills Lord Master

    Seeing Teacher Mei was still a bit difficult.

    In his previous life, due to the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s indiscriminate killing, Lu Country was extremely wary of the otherworldly visitor, Mei Yingxue, let alone allowing her to participate in theoretical research.

    Now that the Demonic Sect Enchantress had been subdued and had no bad track record, Teacher Mei was not as closely guarded as she had been in the previous life, so after several layers of approvals, Yan Yu finally got the chance to visit Teacher Mei.

    ¡°Thunder Method does not fall within the Five Elements,¡± Mei Yingxue replied after listening to Yan Yu¡¯s inquiry, ¡°Heavenly Gang belongs to fire, indicating the Thunder Gate. River Leader belongs to water, whose opposing element is the Rain Sash, also known as the Earth Sash. To summon lightning from the earth, one must act in accordance with the opposing force of Heavenly Gang.¡±

    Yan Yu pondered for a moment, then asked, ¡°Heavenly Gang, Earth Sash, does it mean extreme yang and extreme yin? Is there an electric potential difference between the two levels, which is why there¡¯s an electric current?¡±

    ¡°Yin and yang clash, hence the change in thunder and lightning,¡± Mei Yingxue replied.

    Yan Yu seemed to understand.

    The layers of yin and yang are above the Five Elements; therefore, yin and yang do not belong to the Five Elements¡ªyou can¡¯t say that ¡°Taiyin¡± or ¡°Taiyang¡± belong to any specific element within the Five Elements. However, conversely, within the Five Elements, there is a division of yin and yang, for example, Yimu and Jiamu belong to yin and yang respectively.

    Since Thunder Method is a result of the clash between yin and yang, it too holds the same hierarchical status, implying that it does not belong to any of the Five Elements.

    ¡°I am currently planning Xie Ruoxi¡¯s path,¡± Yan Yu candidly sought advice from Teacher Mei, ¡°Her specialty is the Thunder Method, but since Thunder Method does not fall within the Five Elements, what should we do?¡±

    ¡°Magic Cultivators gather the Essence of the Acquired Five Elements, the Elite of the Innate Five Elements, and then combine them into the Five Elements Elite. Using the body as the cauldron, they absorb and refine them, which can increase the power of Taoism Method and reduce the consumption of qi,¡± Mei Yingxue pondered for a while before answering, ¡°If one mainly cultivates Thunder Method, what does it have to do with the Five Elements Taoism Method? To aspire to ascend to heaven yet take a divergent path is not appropriate.¡±

    Yan Yu sighed deeply.

    What Teacher Mei meant was, the Five Elements Elite and Tao Transformation Body were designed for those who play with the Five Elements Taoism Method. Now that you¡¯re playing with Thunder Method, which has nothing to do with the Five Elements at all, is there a need to get involved with that?

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there something similar to a Thunder Transformation Body?¡± Although he had already understood the reasoning, Yan Yu still held on to some hope and continued to inquire.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for such a thing,¡± Mei Yingxue replied, ¡°Thunder Clap slaughters Heavenly Demons, eradicates epidemics, and captures malignant spirits that are difficult to cure. It is already exceedingly powerful, why need amplification? The threshold for cultivating Thunder Method is extremely high; those who can manage the power of thunder are all exceptionally talented and dazzling individuals, so why reduce consumption?¡±

    For a Tao Transformation Body of Five Elements, the greatest effect is to increase the power of the Taoism Method and to reduce the consumption of True Yuan. The Thunder Method is so powerful, and those who practice it are plentiful in True Yuan, there¡¯s really no need to seek to increase power or reduce consumption; hence, there¡¯s no motivation to research something like a ¡°Thunder Transformation Body.¡±

    Unable to respond, Yan Yu could only take his leave.

    ¡°Wait a moment,¡± Mei Yingxue called to him to stay, ¡°How are things recently with your team?¡±

    Yan Yu: ?????

    ¡°Quite good,¡± he asked curiously, ¡°Why do you ask?¡±

    Mei Yingxue was silent for a moment, then said, ¡°Rare is true affection in the world, do not let it go to waste.¡±

    Yan Yu pondered for a while, then tentatively asked, ¡°Are you referring to¡­ Zhao Yuanzhen?¡±

    Mei Yingxue slightly furrowed her brow, counter-questioning him, ¡°Has she developed true feelings for you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Yan Yu shook his head.

    He could not figure out whether the Enchantress¡¯s current feelings for him were still predominantly possessive, or whether she had developed some real affection, but it was very likely given the Enchantress¡¯s nature, these two were not distinctly separate.

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Mei Yingxue nodded.

    Actually, she wanted to say, ¡°Those true affections from the girls in your team, you must never take them for granted,¡± but since Yan Yu understood it as Zhao Yuanzhen, and she felt that the Demonic Sect Enchantress indeed required more caution than others, she advised, ¡°The people of the Demonic Sect tend to have extremely clear-cut love and hatred and are extremely selfish. If she truly loves you, you must never take her for granted, but also cannot be overly considerate or cater to her every want; otherwise, she will take you for weak and bully you, thereby leading to contempt and diminishing true affection.¡±

    ¡°I understand that,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°Ever since I met the Demonic Sect Enchantress, I¡¯ve tricked her, intimidated her, deceived her, played her, always maintaining the dominant position in our relationship, and I absolutely won¡¯t let anything like that happen.¡±

    No one understands Zhao Yuanzhen better than I do, no one!

    ¡°That¡¯s fine then.¡± Mei Yingxue nodded to the guard beside her, signaling him to escort Yan Yu out.

    Yan Yu returned to the Wuyi Mountains Secret Realm with his sword control and from afar, he saw the girls huddled together, cheering and chattering about something ¡°It¡¯s born, it¡¯s born!¡±

    What the hell! What monstrosity have you lot given birth to!

    Before he could walk over and scold them, Xie Ruoxi, who was surrounded by the crowd, caught sight of the captain and hurried over, saying:

    ¡°Captain! I¡¯ve reached the Hua Fu Stage! I am the first cultivator in the whole country to reach the Hua Fu Stage!¡±

    ¡°That was fast!¡± Yan Yu was also startled, thinking, what kind of cultivation speed is this? Are you some kind of skyrocketing monkey?

    Strictly speaking, Zhao Yuanzhen and Mei Yingxue reached the Hua Fu Stage even earlier¡ªthey were already at that stage when they arrived through the portal. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But that couldn¡¯t be said, so Xie Ruoxi remained the ¡°first cultivator in the entire Lu Country to enter the Hua Fu Stage,¡± perhaps even the first in the world, if the term Hua Fu Stage existed abroad.

    ¡°The headmaster just mentioned it.¡± Chen Lingyun came over and said, ¡°He plans to make a big deal out of it for publicity, to bolster national pride and confidence.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s do it.¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t have any particular feelings about this. After all, in his previous life, Lord Master was always given a major publicity boost with each advancement in his cultivation¡ªsending a message to the surrounding powers that our cultivators from Lu Country had already leveled up, so better not mess with us.

    Speaking of Lord Master¡­

    Yan Yu immediately took out his phone and sent a message to Liu Longtao.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Are you there?

    [Liu Shao]: Cultivating.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Still cultivating? Our Ruoxi has already entered the Hua Fu Stage.

    [Liu Shao]: ???

    [Liu Shao]: Wait a minute.

    [Liu Shao]: How long has it been since the spiritual energy concentration cap was raised? It can¡¯t be that quick, can it?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Haha, I just wanted to see your flustered reaction. Don¡¯t you know Ruoxi¡¯s cultivation talent?

    [Liu Shao]: I know she is gifted, but is she that exceptional? I don¡¯t believe it.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: The publicity is about to start; you¡¯ll have to believe it.

    [Liu Shao]: Damn it, Old Yan, with that smirk of yours, I¡¯m telling you, even if she is the first Hua Fu Stage cultivator in the country, I, this young master, will at least grasp the second spot. Do you dare to compete with me?

    Yan Yu just smiled faintly, not at all provoked by Liu Longtao¡¯s challenging tone, but continued to type.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: From now on, you¡¯ll be known as Second Master. Second Master Liu!

    [Liu Shao]: If I weren¡¯t tied up in this secret realm right now, I¡¯d come over and slap you! Look at that arrogant air of yours, Old Yan, tone it down!

    [Win Over with Virtue]: I told Ruoxi, during her upcoming interviews, to give a sharp critique of you in front of the national media.

    [Liu Shao]: Why don¡¯t you come to Pingjing and I¡¯ll treat you to the most authentic Lu Zhu Huo Shao? We have such a strong friendship, there¡¯s no need for conflict over such a matter, let¡¯s skip the harsh critique.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Chen Lingyun saw him playing with his phone and asked via sound transmission.

    ¡°I am helping Ruoxi with her publicity,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°Are you making fun of Lord Master?¡± Chen Lingyun was quick to catch on.

    ¡°I am focusing on publicity,¡± Yan Yu replied earnestly.

    Chen Lingyun smiled faintly and also started to send messages on her phone.

    Just as Yan Yu was about to continue consoling Lord Master, he suddenly received a message from Tang Xiaolian.

    [Miaojiang Girl Tang Lingling]: Captain Yan, do you know where to collect the Essence of the Acquired Five Elements for the Fire Line?

 Chapter 524 - 20: Electric Shock Enchantress

    Chapter 524: Chapter 20: Electric Shock Enchantress

    Seeing Tang Xiaolian ask this, Yan Yu immediately guessed who needed it.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Is Xiao Zhou about to enter the Hua Fu Stage?

    [Miaojiang Girl Tang Lingling]: Not yet, but you know Deputy Captain Zhang¡¯s personality. He can¡¯t sleep well if he doesn¡¯t prepare ahead.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: For the Fire Element of the Acquired Five Elements, I suggest one-third Thunderbolt Fire, one-third Wildfire, and one-third Lamp Flame.

    [Miaojiang Girl Tang Lingling]: Captain Yan, please elaborate.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Thunderbolt Fire is the fire caused by lightning striking vegetation; Wildfire is the fire that starts naturally in the forest during dry, windy conditions; Lamp Flame is the continuous burning of oil lamps refilled with oil over many years, the older the better.

    [Miaojiang Girl Tang Lingling]: Why is it so complicated? Lightning usually strikes trees during thunderstorms, doesn¡¯t the Thunderbolt Fire get extinguished right after it starts? Wildfire requires waiting for the forest to combust naturally, that¡¯s not easy either. As for Lamp Flame, don¡¯t even start, everyone uses electric lights now, who still uses oil lamps?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Let me give you a clear path: Maowu City in Java experiences thunder on over 300 days a year, you can find Thunderbolt Fire there; Wildfire, also known as wildfire, can¡¯t be put out for several days once it starts, if it¡¯s not available domestically go abroad for it, and keep an eye on the news; for Lamp Flame, go to the Underground Palace we fought in last time, there are oil lamps engraved with Bodhisattvas on both sides of the corridor, those flames have burned for many years.

    [Miaojiang Girl Tang Lingling]: Wow, no wonder Captain Yan knows so much, so amazing! Love it!

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Have Xiao Zhou repeat that sentence and send it to me.

    [Miaojiang Girl Tang Lingling]: Haha, might as well kill her then. I¡¯ll forward what you just said to Deputy Captain Zhang, one moment.

    [Miaojiang Girl Tang Lingling]: By the way, Captain Yan is practicing Sword-Body Union, right? I heard that¡¯s really tough to master, everyone in the group is freaking out.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: No need to gather materials, no need for secluded rigorous practice, compared to other professions, Sword Immortals¡¯ Sword-Body Union has no prerequisite requirements, you can even master it without reaching Hua Fu Stage, where¡¯s the difficulty?

    [Miaojiang Girl Tang Lingling]: Maybe it¡¯s because there are quite a few Sword Immortals, so the complaints are a bit louder, haha~

    That is quite true. Assistant Officers and Envoys depend too much on what resources are provided by superiors, Magic Cultivators pay a lot of attention to cultivation talent, only Sword Immortals are independent, needing only a Flying Sword to engage in combat, improving their strength solely through practice, extremely suitable for the Problem Solver physique of citizens of Lu Contry¡ªit is said that in the Military Mansion Cultivators, the number of Sword Immortals exceeds the total of the other three categories combined.

    After chatting leisurely with Tang Xiaolian, Yan Yu then found Zhao Yuanzhen and showed her the latest teaching materials.

    ¡°Divine Sense Residency Technique?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen frowned and said, ¡°Really? That¡¯s super rare.¡±

    ¡°Probably found some method to practice it in some Mysterious Realm,¡± said Yan Yu, ¡°But it¡¯s still not perfect, needs to be matched with research at an experimental base. Do you think we should go now, or would it be better to wait until the research plan is mature?¡±

    ¡°We should definitely go now!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen urged, ¡°A bird in hand is worth two in the forest!¡±

    I forgot this Demonic Sect Enchantress is someone who seeks quick results¡­ Yan Yu continued asking:

    ¡°But if we train with an imperfect version, and a mature practice method comes out later, we might have to train all over again.¡±

    ¡°Who knows when a mature plan will come out?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen scoffed, ¡°Maybe before that, we¡¯ll lose a fiercely dangerous battle because we lacked the Divine Sense Residency technique¡­ Listen to me, cultivation is like rowing against the current, if you can choose to progress an inch today, never choose to progress a foot tomorrow, who knows if tomorrow will come? Hard to say!¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Yan Yu also started to think.

    Although she is hasty for quick results, only considering the immediate, there¡¯s an advantage to it as well. Just as the Enchantress said, when a mature plan will be ready is completely uncertain, even possibly the current experimental plan is already the final mature plan, and no fundamental changes will follow, who knows?

    Instead of pinning hopes on the uncertain ¡°mature plan¡± of the future, better to learn the technique now and transform it into a boost in strength! S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    It was heard that the Assistant Officer of the Zhenhai Team would learn the ¡°Divine Sense Hosting Technique¡±, and Li Weiguo also promptly approved the proposal.

    In fact, the cultivator officers were worried that the experimental scheme was not mature enough and did not want to act as guinea pigs themselves. Similarly, the researchers at the scientific research base also felt anxious about the small number of participants.

    To perform Divine Sense Hosting, there were requirements not only for the Magic Treasure¡¯s grade, but also for the cultivator¡¯s own Divine Sense.

    There were many who had rarely fought, had seldom used Divine Sense scanning, and had not even thoroughly learned the Soul Refining Technique at the beginning. Although they cooperated throughout the experiment, the process was bumpy and inefficient, greatly infuriating the researchers.

    Therefore, when Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen arrived at the scientific research base, they were warmly welcomed by the entire research team.

    The research director, surnamed Yang, a tall and skinny young man wearing glasses, was currently directing his graduate students to adjust the equipment.

    ¡°What specifically do I need to do to cooperate with the experiment?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s quite simple,¡± Director Yang explained. ¡°Drink the medicine, stand on the experimental field, whatever we tell you to do, you do, and that¡¯s it.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­

    What is this look of cajoling a guinea pig all about?

    Seeing Yan Yu¡¯s grim expression, Director Yang hurriedly added:

    ¡°Although it¡¯s an experimental scheme, the success rate has already been increased to 60%, and the probability of side effects has also been suppressed to below 20%, so you don¡¯t need to worry too much.¡±

    ¡°There are still side effects?¡± Yan Yu exclaimed in alarm.

    ¡°They¡¯re very rare,¡± Director Yang cautiously stated, ¡°Actually, they¡¯re just temporary¡­ Divine Sense dysfunctions, disorientation, dizziness, vomiting, and a decrease in intelligence. There¡¯s no risk to life.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­

    There¡¯s even a decrease in intelligence? A 20% chance isn¡¯t low! With the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s brain, if it decreases further¡­ wouldn¡¯t she really become an idiot?

    ¡°What is there for you to be afraid of?¡± Seeing Yan Yu silent and contemplative, Zhao Yuanzhen, thinking he was just being cowardly, transmitted a message mocking him, ¡°Any profound and powerful dharma method invariably involves various risks during the learning process, and some magic skills even require facing heavenly tribulation when they are mastered! Are you scared? If you are, then don¡¯t learn it. Just a few potential side effects have frightened you like this, what a coward.¡±

    Yan Yu coldly smiled to himself, instantly casting aside all concerns for the Demonic Sect Enchantress, and instructed Director Yang:

    ¡°Let her give it a try.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Director Yang quickly summoned several female graduate students to take Zhao Yuanzhen to change her clothes.

    Soon, Yan Yu saw Zhao Yuanzhen, dressed in an experimental suit, enter the laboratory and sit down in the chair at the center.

    The two female graduate students next to her strapped her arms and firmly secured them to the chair¡¯s armrests.

    ¡°Uh,¡± Yan Yu frowned slightly, ¡°She needs to be tied up, too?¡±

    ¡°This is mainly because later, when the Sea of Consciousness is stimulated with electric shocks, some participants might react with involuntary convulsions,¡± Director Yang explained. ¡°It¡¯s easy for them to damage the electrodes attached to their forehead.¡±

    Electrical stimulation of the Sea of Consciousness¡­ recalling some of the experiments conducted on mortal warriors in his past life, Yan Yu almost immediately made a decision.

    Let the Enchantress freely experiment; I myself will wait for a more mature scheme.

 Chapter 525 - 21: Amplifying the Seven Emotions and Six Desires!

    Chapter 525: Chapter 21: Amplifying the Seven Emotions and Six Desires!

    Given the important status of Team Monks in Lu Country, Manager Yang claimed that at most, there would be some ¡°non-lethal, temporary side effects,¡±¡ªit clearly couldn¡¯t be any sort of evasive lie¡ªafter all, if anything happened to Zhao Yuanzhen, Li Weiguo would definitely twist his head off.

    Therefore, Yan Yu wasn¡¯t worried about any safety risks and just calmly watched as the assistants applied various electrodes to Zhao Yuanzhen.

    As for the method of Divine Sense Embodiment from his previous life, how the Assistant Officers cultivated it was something Yan Yu wasn¡¯t clear about.

    He was more familiar with Sword Immortals and Magic Cultivators.

    The Sword-Body Union of Sword Immortals, essentially tests the level of swordsmanship, where one has to practice hard step by step without any shortcuts; similarly, for Magic Cultivators with Five Elements Body, it involves collecting elements from all around, which also requires grinding hard work.

    But the Divine Sense Embodiment method of Assistant Officers apparently did not need such toils.

    Manager Yang sat in front of the computer to calibrate the instruments, speaking to the microphone beside him:

    ¡°Please release your Divine Sense, and scan the entire room you are in.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen did as asked, his Divine Sense making a round in the surroundings.

    Yan Yu leaned over to see Manager Yang¡¯s computer screen, and saw a line moving in a scanning motion within the radar circles on the screen. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Is this Divine Sense?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°To be exact, no,¡± Manager Yang replied, ¡°It¡¯s just the magnetic field changes caused by the Divine Sense. Divine Sense is like an invisible and colorless wind; we can¡¯t pinpoint it directly, and we can only determine its position through the movement of the leaves.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°So after locating it, what happens next?¡±

    ¡°Confirm the compatibility of the Magic Treasure¡¯s Divine Sense with yours,¡± Manager Yang commanded into the microphone, ¡°Magic Treasure in position.¡±

    The assistants carried the Puppet Ami in, placing it directly in front of Zhao Yuanzhen.

    ¡°Scan your Magic Treasure with your Divine Sense,¡± Manager Yang said.

    Zhao Yuanzhen did as told, and Yan Yu saw on the screen numerous lines converging towards the Puppet¡¯s location.

    ¡°Her Divine Sense is very active,¡± Manager Yang said with a settled face, smiling at Yan Yu, ¡°With such values, the experiment almost certainly can¡¯t fail.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°What¡¯s next?¡±

    ¡°Electric shock,¡± Manager Yang said.

    ¡°Will it fry her brain?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°No! Of course not,¡± Manager Yang said with surprise, ¡°In fact, there won¡¯t even be pain, just a slight discomfort the participant might feel.¡±

    ¡°We think of Divine Sense as a dough, which can take any shape. The first step in the Divine Sense Embodiment method is to separate a small piece from the large dough; the dough can¡¯t transform on its own, and thus needs external forces.¡±

    ¡°According to records, to split the Divine Sense, one must use True Yuan to make incisions within the Sea of Consciousness, which is like a doctor performing surgery on himself while lying on the operating table. The risk of complications is too high.¡±

    ¡°So we switch to electric shock,¡± Yan Yu realized.

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Manager Yang leaned into the microphone, ¡°Prepare for electric shock, 3! 2! 1!¡±

    Yan Yu immediately looked towards Zhao Yuanzhen. By now, she should have been electrified, but the Enchantress showed no expression on her face. Considering she couldn¡¯t possibly be an insulator, the electric current strength must be very low¡ªlooking at her, there indeed seemed to be no sensation of pain.

    ¡°Why are you looking at me?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said with her lips.

    Yan Yu smiled slightly, only to hear Manager Yang say:

    ¡°Participant, do not let your mind wander. Continue to focus your Divine Sense on your Magic Treasure. Don¡¯t move.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen quickly concentrated on scanning the Puppet again.

    The corners of her mouth suddenly twitched oddly, as if she was trying to suppress a maniacal laugh.

    ¡°Stop!¡± Manager Yang immediately shouted.

    Yan Yu hurried to the computer:

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°The splitting of the Divine Sense is already complete,¡± Manager Yang, staring at the computer, said with a trembling voice, ¡°The separated part has also confirmed its residence on the Magic Treasure, very active, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Just?¡±

    ¡°This side effect encountered in the subject is something we¡¯ve never seen before¡­¡±

    Yan Yu looked at Zhao Yuanzhen again, and saw the Demonic Sect Enchantress still maintaining her smug smile with curled lips, saying:

    ¡°Hahaha! I¡¯ve succeeded¡­ What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Is the side effect maniacal laughter?¡± Yan Yu quietly asked Manager Yang.

    Manager Yang had already started sweating. This was a cultivator from the Zhenhai Team, after all! A problem had arisen during his experiment, which was potentially fatal!

    He had no time to explain to Yan Yu and merely said, ¡°I¡¯ll call someone,¡± before summoning the adjacent medical team.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Haha, so what¡¯s the deal?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, sitting on the hospital bed, asked with a big laugh.

    ¡°The surgery was successful, but there are some side effects,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently. ¡°Your emotions have been amplified.¡±

    ¡°Amplified?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked with a laugh.

    ¡°That is, for example, if you normally experience joy at a level of one, now because of the electric shock stimulating your Sea of Consciousness, the effect might be magnified to three or even four times,¡± Yan Yu explained.

    ¡°No wonder I feel so jubilant, hahaha!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen continued laughing wildly, ¡°I¡¯ve mastered the dharma method for housing Divine Sense. It was a breeze! I truly deserve it, hahahaha!!¡±

    Yan Yu looked at her overjoyed appearance and turned to ask:

    ¡°When will this psychotic state end?¡±

    ¡°If she takes the calming drugs on schedule, she will definitely recover within two weeks,¡± Manager Yang, who had consulted the medical team, cautiously replied. ¡°The Sea of Consciousness is different from the brain cortex; it has a strong ability to heal itself. It will surely adjust over time. Of course, we¡¯ll also conduct regular follow-ups and adjust her treatment plan according to her specific situation. There won¡¯t be any issues.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Yan Yu looked at the Enchantress again, who was still immersed in the euphoria of her ¡°great accomplishment,¡± completely unaware that she had lost all control over her emotions.

    Wait, does the Enchantress even have the ability to manage her emotions? Isn¡¯t this numbskull always straightforward in her feelings, with emotions that come and go quickly?

    ¡°It seems it¡¯s not a big problem,¡± Yan Yu declared conclusively.

    Manager Yang¡¯s face brimmed with an apologetic smile as he silently breathed a sigh of relief.

    The so-called amplification of emotions essentially means that one becomes extremely emotional, with both the propensity to laugh and cry dropping significantly. For someone who is usually reserved and calm, such a change would definitely cause great trouble. Considering the Zhenhai Team¡¯s importance, any complaint would certainly be seen as a serious incident.

    Fortunately, Captain Yan said it was ¡°not a big problem,¡± which likely meant he wouldn¡¯t complain. Manager Yang thought he¡¯d better report to his superiors quickly and skillfully describe the situation as ¡°an issue caused by force majeure.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Yan Yu said as he took Zhao Yuanzhen away, bidding farewell to the others.

    Manager Yang hurriedly took out his phone and started making a call to report the situation, watching the two leave.

    Not long after Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen left the base, Li Weiguo, who had heard the news, made a call and summoned them to Jinling.

    ¡°So what¡¯s her condition?¡± Inside the president¡¯s office, Li Weiguo looked at Zhao Yuanzhen, who was still laughing wildly, and asked with a frown.

    ¡°To put it simply,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°an idiot has become a bigger idiot.¡±

    ¡°Your analogy is really¡­¡± Li Weiguo was at a loss for words for a moment before asking, ¡°So it¡¯s emotional amplification, right?¡±

    ¡°Correct,¡± Yan Yu stated. ¡°They say she¡¯ll recover within two weeks.¡±

    ¡°That said,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was still laughing as she asked, ¡°since it¡¯s emotional amplification, that means the happiness from eating delicious food will also double, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly. ¡°However, the treatment plan from the research base advises that you should not eat or drink anything on the day of the electric shock.¡±

    All at once, Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s smile vanished, quickly overtaken by endless fright, sorrow, and despair.

    Her face turned ash-gray, her hands drooped lifelessly, and her body slumped down, huddled at Yan Yu¡¯s feet as if all her will to live was lost, her mouth unwittingly opening and closing.

    ¡°Is this also part of the side effects?¡± Li Weiguo couldn¡¯t help but laugh and cry at the same time.

    ¡°Yes,¡± said Yan Yu, looking at the desolate Enchantress who seemed to have lost her soul, but he couldn¡¯t help laughing.

 Chapter 526 - 22: Only I Can Bully

    Chapter 526: Chapter 22: Only I Can Bully

    In my previous life, the period after the spiritual energy concentration threshold rose from the Marrow Cleansing Stage to the Hua Mansion Stage, was rather stable and peaceful.

    Back then, Yan Yu was still attending a regular university, so his memory of this era of peace wasn¡¯t very deep; he only roughly remembered that there were no border conflicts until the end of the year. Cultivators from Lu Country mainly kept their battle readiness and feeling through participating in domestic mysterious realm contests (akin to war games).

    By the end of the year, the Rakshasa Spirit Communicators began to trouble the Northern Border in succession. The enemy wasn¡¯t difficult to handle, but their vast numbers and scattered incursions put significant pressure on the Dingbei Army.

    Then, by the beginning of the next year, there was the incident of Zhou Hongyu¡¯s sacrifice, which struck the Pingxi Army like a blow from a heavy mace. Reportedly, the subsequent investigation led to the downfall of numerous individuals involved; although it was meant to provide an explanation to the officials above and below, Yan Yu felt that her sacrifice was mainly due to unpredictable accidents¡ªif there had to be someone to blame, then it would all be on Zhou Hongyu, wouldn¡¯t it?

    After Little Zhou became Prisoner Zhou, Deputy Captain Zhang took command in the heat of battle, inheriting the team¡¯s leadership, and the overall quality of the Huofeng Team greatly improved¡­ Of course, all of that happened the following year, so let¡¯s not talk about that now.

    Looking at the present, because the Amur Witch¡¯s Group didn¡¯t lose much strength in the war against the Bearmen, they integrated the Northern Border even more quickly after the war. Though there were still occasional border breaches, such problems, like crime, are impossible to completely eliminate, and the situation is already much better than it was in my previous life.

    All these are my great achievements!

    Yan Yu felt like he was like Bian Que¡¯s older brother, ¡°Solving problems before they manifest, hence the name is not known beyond his home.¡± Even if he were to take this matter to Li Weiguo to claim credit, the likely response would be similar to ¡°Our nation has no such illness¡±¡­ Alas, humanity is like this, not realizing the importance without having felt the pain!

    Forget it, I¡¯m not looking for the higher-ups to remember my contributions or anything. In this life, I only wish for the nation¡¯s prosperity and the people¡¯s safety; greatness needs no remembrance by others!

    But what should be done about Zhao Yuanzhen in this state?

    Yan Yu flew back with Zhao Yuanzhen, enveloped in his sword light; the latter remained in a depressed and speechless state, as if her life no longer contained a glimmer of light.

    If Chen Lingyun knew the causes and consequences, wouldn¡¯t that despicable woman make her cry her eyes out?

    Thinking this, Yan Yu felt a mixture of pity and irritation.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress is my Daoist couple, the only one I can bully! What are you, Chen Lingyun? Not even a concubine, and you dare to bully my Enchantress?

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too sad,¡± Yan Yu decided to give the Enchantress a mental adjustment, ¡°It¡¯s okay if you can¡¯t eat, isn¡¯t it just for the pleasure of taste?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen still did not respond, like a clay statue.

    ¡°How about I take you out to eat something, and after eating you can throw it up,¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°As long as it¡¯s not digested, it doesn¡¯t count!¡±

    After a few seconds, Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s eyes gradually lit up, and she suddenly revealed a radiant smile, hugged Yan Yu¡¯s neck with tears of joy, and gratefully said,

    ¡°You scoundrel! You are the best to me!¡±

    Possibly because joy was too vast for words, she planted a loud kiss on the side of Yan Yu¡¯s face, leaving a large mark of saliva.

    ¡°Get away from me!¡± Yan Yu quickly landed, pushing the Enchantress away, and disgustedly wiped his face with his sleeve.

    This Enchantress¡­ she knows gratitude? Something isn¡¯t right!

    Oh, it must be due to the shock in her Sea of Consciousness; that must have amplified her sense of joy, leading to such an uncontrollable reaction.

    ¡°Forget it,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said with a smile, shaking her head, ¡°What¡¯s the point of eating and then throwing up? It¡¯s better to just go to sleep and get this day over with!¡±

    ¡°Suit yourself,¡± Yan Yu was silent for a while, then asked, ¡°Feeling better now?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was still smiling, ¡°It¡¯s strange, I originally thought not being able to eat anything tasty was really boring, but after you said that, I feel like skipping meals for one day isn¡¯t that important.¡±

    ¡°Your Dao Heart is unstable right now, all seven emotions and six desires are out of control, it¡¯s very normal for you to be unable to restrain yourself,¡± Yan Yu sighed, ¡°Luckily, there are no Heavenly Demons at the moment; otherwise, in your state, you would be easy prey.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen laughed, and then suddenly became extremely sorrowful, clearly realizing that her current state was not a good sign.

    Seeing her troubled and distressed look, Yan Yu reminded her,

    ¡°Try to control your emotions, at least suppress them in your heart.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t hold it back,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said sadly.

    ¡°If you go back like this, Chen Lingyun will play you to death,¡± Yan Yu said. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Zhao Yuanzhen immediately showed a terrified expression, taking a sharp intake of breath so intense that the temperature around Yan Yu seemed to rise several degrees.

    ¡°Forget it.¡± Knowing he was asking too much, Yan Yu shook his head to leave, but Zhao Yuanzhen hugged him from behind and wailed,

    ¡°Thief¡­ No! Daoist couple, save me!¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t save you, farewell!¡± Yan Yu flung her hands off, but the Demonic Sect Enchantress was already not herself, and the more she thought about Chen Lingyun¡¯s notorious reputation, the more panicked she became. She clung to him persistently, not only wrapping her arms around his back but also entwining her legs around him with all her strength, like an oversized backpack, making it clear that she wouldn¡¯t let go until he agreed to help her.

    Is this my lucky day¡­ No, how dare she threaten me?

    Yan Yu looked at the Enchantress clinging to his body and let out a cold laugh before slowly saying,

    ¡°I do have a way, but whether or not you blow your cover, that¡¯s up to you.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    In the mysterious realm¡¯s valley, the cultivator recuperation area had been completed. The largest villa was allocated to the Zhenhai Team for their breathing exercises ¡ª its structure and layout were identical to those of the Jinling Villa, reflecting the Zhendong Army¡¯s considerable effort in this regard.

    Yan Yu brought Zhao Yuanzhen back to the villa. When the girls came over and saw Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s face covered with a Pig Bajie mask, they were all taken aback.

    ¡°Experimental side effect,¡± Yan Yu explained briefly. ¡°She¡¯s broken out in acne, not a pretty sight, and her voice has gone hoarse. She probably won¡¯t be able to talk for the next few days.¡±

    ¡°Oh, oh, oh.¡± The girls immediately understood. Kind-hearted Su Yunjin even took Zhao Yuanzhen aside and comforted her gently, telling her not to worry too much.

    Only Chen Lingyun smiled slightly and sent Yan Yu a telepathic message,

    ¡°Emotions amplified, right?¡±

    ¡°How did you know?¡± Yan Yu was secretly surprised.

    ¡°You think an accident at that research base, with reports going up the chain, would end up with whom?¡± Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile.

    ¡°Of course, it would get to Old Li¡­ Oh.¡± Yan Yu quickly realized what she meant and said with a cold laugh, ¡°Just don¡¯t bully her. I¡¯m telling you, her emotions are extremely unstable right now. A small outburst that would usually pass may now become unbearable, and she might kill you on the spot, at which point I wouldn¡¯t be able to save you in time.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning to bully her,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely. ¡°But aren¡¯t you the one bullying her, tricking her into wearing a Pig Bajie mask and pretending to be mute?¡±

    ¡°How is that bullying?¡± Yan Yu argued righteously. ¡°She doesn¡¯t want you all to know about her condition, and I¡¯m just giving her an idea for a cover-up. The choice is hers!¡±

    ¡°Heh heh.¡± Chen Lingyun asked cheerfully, ¡°So, as long as we don¡¯t openly bully her, she has to swallow her feelings and pretend nothing is wrong to keep her abnormal state hidden, right? My dear, thanks for letting me know~¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand a damn thing!¡± Yan Yu immediately flared up. ¡°Even if she thinks you have no ill intentions, won¡¯t she still experience uncontrollable negative emotions? If you dare bully her, I¡¯ll bully you. Weigh your options!¡±

    ¡°And how would you bully me?¡± Chen Lingyun blinked. ¡°I¡¯m quite curious.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Yan Yu was about to say something harsh when Lin Ning pulled him into the kitchen,

    ¡°Captain, what should we have for dinner? Take a look!¡±

    Everyone was nobody¡¯s fool; seeing Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun exchange silent glances, how could they not guess they were communicating telepathically? Lin Ning quickly intervened with her interruption tactic.

    Upon hearing Lin Ning mention dinner, Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s heart ached, and tears began to fall uncontrollably.

    Not wanting others to notice, she had no choice but to turn and go upstairs, her retreating figure as forlorn as an abandoned little animal.

 Chapter 527 - 23: Strawberries

    Chapter 527: Chapter 23: Strawberries

    ¡°I always feel that lately, besides training and cultivation, there isn¡¯t much else to do,¡± Su Yunjin sipped her tea, glanced at Yan Yu nonchalantly, and spoke with a smile, ¡°It feels like I¡¯m idly wasting time.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t peaceful time good?¡± Yan Yu chuckled upon hearing her words, ¡°During our deep venture into the Southern Border, we neither ate, drank, nor slept, just resting, moving, or fighting. By comparison, it¡¯s still better to waste time leisurely every day.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s also true,¡± Su Yunjin softly smiled, ¡°People are really strange, aren¡¯t they? Craving rest when busy, yet seeking work when at rest.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of work, how is your collection of the Acquired Five Elements Essence going?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°The dew collection is almost complete,¡± Su Yunjin responded.

    If placed in the Cultivation World, this matter completely depends on the right time and place, and is truly a super troublesome and time-consuming task. Yan Yu¡¯s setup of a simple dew collection device had been greatly beneficial, saving considerable amounts of time.

    Su Yunjin would take the time to control her sword back to Jinling every day, to check on the dew collection ¡ª most of the dew, due to impurity, has to be discarded, and sometimes even for consecutive days, she gained nothing.

    After months of persistence, little by little, it finally seemed like an end was in sight.

    Click, click, click! The sound of footsteps came from behind.

    Yan Yu and Su Yunjin turned their heads, only to see Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s puppet, Ami, descending the stairs, then picking up the fruit salad from the dining table and clicking back upstairs.

    ¡°Sister Zhao¡¯s Divine Sense accommodation method is really convenient,¡± Su Yunjin remarked, ¡°Even when not present, one can remotely operate a puppet to do more work, making me want a puppet too.¡±

    ¡°The essence of a puppet is a Magic Treasure; it demands quite a bit of time and energy to master,¡± Yan Yu quickly warned, ¡°If you can master the Southern Dipper Star River Secret Art to the point of effortlessness, I might consider letting you dual-cultivate, but Sword Control Technique must still be the priority.¡±

    ¡°I was just joking, captain,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile.

    Just joking is good¡­ Although Yun Jin hadn¡¯t released any gravity, Yan Yu had suddenly felt tense, fearing she would make an outrageously unreasonable demand like Ningning¡¯s ¡°The captain must treat everyone equally!¡± ¡°What she has, I must have too.¡±

    Sigh, even without releasing gravity, isn¡¯t this a form of advanced gravity manipulation? I underestimated you, Yun Jin!

    ¡°Would you like some fruit salad?¡± Lin Ning¡¯s voice came from the dining table, ¡°Oh, why is one plate missing?¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhao¡¯s puppet came down and took it,¡± Su Yunjin replied.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Lin Ning didn¡¯t inquire further, as she had originally cut quite a lot, and brought over the remaining dishes.

    Strangely enough, whether Yan Yu was alone with Ningning or Yun Jin, they both had plenty of topics to discuss, but once the three of them were together, the scope of their conversation would weirdly narrow down to team-related affairs, as if there was some unspoken taboo.

    What could be the reason?

    ¡°The strawberries seem to be in season this month,¡± Yan Yu tried to break the taboo.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll buy some next time,¡± Lin Ning immediately chimed in.

    Su Yunjin didn¡¯t join the conversation, so the topic naturally ended. Yan Yu discreetly squinted his eyes to see the secretary lady elegantly sip her tea.

    If Lin Ning weren¡¯t here, Su Yunjin was almost always responsive, especially to an easy topic like seasonal fruits¡­ So why the silence?

    ¡°When it comes to food, that¡¯s Ningning¡¯s forte,¡± Su Yunjin swallowed her tea, thinking to herself, ¡°If this leads into discussing the best way to slice and present strawberries, and makes the captain see her in a new light, that wouldn¡¯t be good. I¡¯ll just feign disinterest and act indifferent.¡±

    ¡°But strawberries can also be grown at home,¡± Yan Yu continued on the topic Lin Ning had mentioned earlier to Su Yunjin, ¡°Small tomatoes, cucumbers, and strawberries, they¡¯re all quite easy to grow.¡±

    Since the captain looked over, Su Yunjin could only reply with a smile:

    ¡°Certainly, though I usually grow flowers, I guess vegetables and fruits aren¡¯t much different.¡±

    Lin Ning didn¡¯t take the opportunity to continue with ¡°So, can you grow XX vegetables?¡± and similar topics, instead looking as if she was distracted and daydreaming, which slightly puzzled Yan Yu.

    ¡°Grocery shopping is also my responsibility in the team,¡± Lin thought to herself. ¡°If I let Yun Jin grow vegetables, wouldn¡¯t that be stealing my job? If the captain is serious, I¡¯ll try to decline using reasons like ¡®the ones we grow ourselves are too small.''¡±

    The three of them were silent for a while before Yan Yu stood up and said,

    ¡°I¡¯m going to check on their training.¡±

    As soon as he left, it was as if he had lifted a ban on speaking, allowing the two girls to start chatting.

    ¡°Does Yun Jin plan to grow vegetables and fruits?¡± Lin Ning asked tentatively.

    ¡°It depends on the captain¡¯s intentions,¡± Yun Jin guessed what she was thinking and said with a smile, ¡°The fruits and vegetables we grow ourselves would be enough for one person, but we have six people in our team; it¡¯s not realistic for everyone to grow their own.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Lin Ning said with a smile, ¡°I plan to buy some strawberries; do you have time to come with me, Yun Jin?¡±

    ¡°Now?¡± Su Yunjin pondered for a moment and then nodded with a smile, ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Zhao Yuanzhen manipulated a puppet and brought the fruit salad back to his room, sporting a smug expression.

    The normal method of puppet manipulation involves connecting to the puppet remotely with Divine Sense to control its various actions; after completing the inhabitation of Divine Sense, one doesn¡¯t need to bother maintaining the connection, which feels like an upgrade from 2G to 3G¡ªit ensures a strong response with the magic treasure and provides almost instant transmission of thoughts.

    If it was the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer, a magic treasure, you wouldn¡¯t need to manage it once you issue the command to hit someone; thus, the advantage of Divine Sense inhabitation is limited. However, since puppets are extremely complex magic treasures, Divine Sense inhabitation allowed Zhao to issue more frequent and denser commands to the puppet within the same amount of time, greatly enhancing its flexibility.

    Now, the puppet could not only be used for killing, but it could also thread needles, carve designs into tofu, and pick up marbles with chopsticks¡­even the most complex operations were effortless, as if Zhao himself were on the scene. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Moreover, since Zhao was in an abnormal state, he was naturally happy to let the puppet do the work outside his room; it could do anything but talk, which was extremely convenient!

    After eating some fruit salad, Zhao suddenly became gloomy again.

    Why are there no strawberries? Cream strawberries should be in season now! That Ningning really isn¡¯t thoughtful!

    Normally, this would just be a sigh, quickly forgotten, but now with his emotions intensely amplified, Zhao grew more depressed the more he thought about it, igniting a strong desire to eat cream strawberries. Unable to control himself, he quickly picked up his phone and messaged Yan Yu,

    ¡°Control me quick! I want to eat cream strawberries!¡±

    In the villa¡¯s underground training area, Yan Yu was watching Chen Lingyun and Xie Ruoxi¡¯s training.

    Today¡¯s practice was about evasion. Chen Lingyun used the Five Ghosts for restraint and Black and White Impermanence for the main attack, while Xie Ruoxi was restricted from using the Thunder Method and could only rely on the Shifting Technique and Cloud Ascension Technique to avoid the attacks.

    The training results were clearly unsatisfactory. The pretty but useless one had surprisingly poor control over True Yuan, often running past the target after a quick dash and failing to stop in time with the Cloud Ascension Technique nine times out of ten, nearly driving Yan Yu to curse.

    Feeling irritated, he suddenly received Zhao¡¯s message and immediately felt a surge of anger. He replied,

    ¡°I¡¯m busy, deal with it yourself!¡±

    Just as he was about to send the message, he remembered her current emotional state was uncontrollable and she might end up lashing out violently. He quickly edited his message:

    ¡°Tell Ningning about it, she¡¯s going grocery shopping.¡±

    After sending the message, Yan Yu sighed.

    Why is it that every time the Demonic Sect Enchantress has an issue, I have to be the one to deal with her emotions?

 Chapter 528 - 24 Unashamed

    Chapter 528: Chapter 24 Unashamed

    If one were to describe the rivalry between Chen Lingyun and Xie Ruoxi with a single word, Yan Yu would choose ¡°cat and mouse.¡±

    When it came to True Yuan strength, Chen Jerui was no match for Xie Tom; he was the type to get instantly squashed in a frontal confrontation. However, as far as tricks and cunning went, Xie Tom was hardly a challenge.

    Played like a fiddle in their palm!

    Unable to stand watching the struggling Xie Ruoxi, Yan Yu had to look away and message Lin Ning:

    ¡°Did you buy strawberries?¡±

    ¡°Not yet, do you want some?¡± Lin Ning replied immediately.

    ¡°Let¡¯s all eat together,¡± said Yan Yu.

    From Lin Ning¡¯s response, it seemed Zhao Yuanzhen hadn¡¯t contacted her.

    Yan Yu decided to go back and check on the Enchantress.

    Upon entering Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s room, Yan Yu saw her lying on the bed, sobbing over her phone, with a large wet spot on her pillow.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s, it¡¯s nothing,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen sniffled, ¡°This novel is just so moving, the heroine¡¯s master really treats her well¡­¡±

    You must be really dumb. Yan Yu sat down beside her bed and said coldly,

    ¡°Even if you¡¯re shedding tears, try to hold back a little. Don¡¯t let people walking by outside hear you crying and ruin your image in the team. That¡¯s not my problem.¡±

    ¡°You heartless little thief!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen picked up the pillow and hit him hard with it.

    Then she sat up from the bed, vigorously wiped away her tears, and said with a sniffle:

    ¡°I can¡¯t keep reading; I¡¯ll cry myself dry¡­ By the way, where¡¯s my cream-covered strawberries?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re all gone,¡± teased Yan Yu, ¡°You didn¡¯t come down for so long, I shared all the strawberries with everyone¡­¡±

    Before he could finish speaking, an infuriated Zhao Yuanzhen pounced on him, pinning Yan Yu to the bed, ready to punch him.

    But having practiced bed combat techniques with Zhou Hongyu once, Yan Yu had experience and wouldn¡¯t be subdued by the Enchantress that easily.

    The Enchantress swung her left fist, but Yan Yu preemptively grabbed her left wrist, and his right hand snatched her right wrist. Now that Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s hands were restrained and she was trying to pin Yan Yu down to prevent his escape, the only ¡®weapon¡¯ left to her was one thing.

    Headbutt!

    Before her headbutt could land, Yan Yu had already lifted his head, striking her on the nose with his forehead. The pain caused Zhao Yuanzhen to howl, and tears once again began to pour out¡ªnot out of sadness, but out of a stinging pain. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu quickly released his hands and wrapped his arms around her waist. With a crocodile roll, he turned the tables, pinning Zhao Yuanzhen beneath him once more. This was the fighting technique he learned from Zhou Hongyu, as he again restrained her hands and scoffed:

    ¡°You dare to fight with me? Do you need to be taught a lesson?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen looked up at him with tear-filled eyes.

    It was the second time Yan Yu saw her with such a tear-stricken expression. The first time should have been at the hot spring villa in Pingjing, where the Demonic Sect Enchantress had inexplicably thought of her master and couldn¡¯t help but shed tears, invoking pity in those who saw her.

    Looking at Zhao Yuanzhen now, with eyes brimming with tears, her delicate nose trembling slightly, and her cherry lips pressed together in grievance, she looked as sorrowful as Wang Zhaojun and as heartbroken as Xi Shi. For a moment, Yan Yu found it hard to follow through with his intention to punish her severely.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress was indeed terrifying!

    ¡°Go ahead and hit me!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen continued to shed tears like pearls, sobbing, ¡°Beat me to death, then you can get yourself a new Daoist couple without worrying about my opinion!¡±

    Yan Yu silently released her hands and said coldly:

    ¡°Your mind isn¡¯t working properly right now; I won¡¯t hold this against you.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my mind isn¡¯t working properly,¡± sobbed Zhao Yuanzhen, ¡°Ling Yun has a good mind, you can have Ling Yun be your Daoist couple!¡±

    Seriously speaking, if Yan Yu were given a Golden Apple and asked to choose between giving it to Chen Lingyun or Zhao Yuanzhen, Yan Yu might still go with the Enchantress.

    Of course, both girls have their clear strengths and weaknesses. Choosing Chen Lingyun, you¡¯d just have to give up a tiny bit of dignity, and if you serve this little rich girl well, you could live carefree for the rest of your life¡ªand even at the very end of my previous life when almost everyone I knew was dead, Chen Lingyun was still safe and sound, having the remarkable ability to survive like Sima the old villain.

    However, Yan Yu didn¡¯t need a carefree life for his latter years. In this life, whatever I want, I¡¯ll take with my own hands!

    Looking at Zhao Yuanzhen, not to mention the matter of Dual Cultivation, just her figure alone was enough to beat everyone else.

    No matter how pretty a face is, isn¡¯t it all the same when the lights go out! But the weapons of the Enchantress were too formidable; even the darkness couldn¡¯t hide their brilliance,

    Despite her personality having many characteristics like bullying the weak and fearing the strong, moodiness, and laziness, she was so easy to control!

    She was so easy to control!

    Yan Yu wasn¡¯t unskilled in dealing with Chen Lingyun, it¡¯s just that¡­ having grown weary of dueling wits and bravery with girlfriends, Lord Yan of great authority no longer wished to do so in this life. He now only wanted a girlfriend like clay, one who he could shape as he wished.

    Seeing that Yan Yu remained silent, Zhao Yuanzhen became increasingly irritated and kicked him:

    ¡°You still won¡¯t deny it! You really do have this idea!¡±

    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Yan Yu caught her foot and said irritably, ¡°If I were really planning to change my Daoist couple, why would I come to your room to check on you?¡±

    It finally dawned on Zhao Yuanzhen: He came to my room for no reason, actually out of concern for my lost Dao Heart, afraid that something might happen to me¡­

    She immediately laughed through her tears, hooking Yan Yu¡¯s calves with her feet, and happily said:

    ¡°Since your true intention is to care for me and cherish me, why do you say things on purpose to anger me?¡±

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t answer, but just pushed her feet away and frowned as he spoke:

    ¡°I know you can¡¯t control your emotions right now, but you still have to be careful. If reading novels makes you emotional, you shouldn¡¯t read them anymore. Otherwise, if someone passes by your room and hears you crying, how are you going to explain it? If you come to me for help again later, I won¡¯t care!¡±

    ¡°How are you like Ningning?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said with a laugh, ¡°You¡¯re clearly worried that I¡¯ll make a fool of myself, yet you use an impatient tone to lecture me, as though you¡¯re afraid I¡¯ll like you even more.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit!¡± Yan Yu angrily retorted, ¡°I¡¯m disgusted with you!¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen got up, embraced his neck, and pulled him close, her voice soft as water, ¡°So you¡¯re just disgusted with me, then I won¡¯t despise you, okay? It¡¯s fine if I like you, right?¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    What¡¯s with this Enchantress? After losing control of her emotions, her intelligence seems to have sharply declined, acting like a child, going on about liking this and liking that, not even embarrassed to say such things.

    Zhao Yuanzhen stared into his eyes, suddenly becoming a bit shy, and asked in a low voice:

    ¡°So¡­ shall we do it? Now?¡±

    Yan Yu, held hostage by her lethal weapon, couldn¡¯t help but swallow. But after all, he was a man with great Steadfast Will and determination; he quickly regained his senses and rejected her without hesitation:

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait until Hua Fu Stage Great Perfection, it¡¯s best to use it to break through bottlenecks, and we can¡¯t waste such a precious opportunity.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen looked down, nodding her head.

    To tell you the truth, your soft and weak appearance is starting to scare me. I prefer you to go back to being that Enchantress who is temperamental and obstinate.

    ¡°Which means.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly spoke again, ¡°As long as it doesn¡¯t harm the Primordial Yang or Primordial Yin, anything goes, right?¡±

    ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Yan Yu asked, his brows slightly furrowed.

    Although it seems unlikely, was this Enchantress trying to take advantage of letting me get away with something, to then hold something over me and threaten me not to make moves on other girls?

    Of course, I wasn¡¯t going to make moves on them either, but as a man, I will not be threatened by a woman!

    Just as Yan Yu was about to scoff and expose her little scheme, Zhao Yuanzhen quickly caught his hand, her face wearing a shy smile.

    Good¡­ good Demonic Sect Enchantress, you¡¯re shameless!

 Chapter 529 - 25: Lord Masters Awesome Feat

    Chapter 529: Chapter 25: Lord Master¡¯s Awesome Feat

    Lin Ning and Su Yunjin came back from buying groceries and saw Yan Yu sitting on the sofa with a pillow in his arms, mindlessly kneading and squeezing it, over and over again.

    ¡°Got the strawberries!¡± Lin Ning put the bag on the coffee table in front of him.

    Yan Yu made an acknowledging noise but didn¡¯t look up, continuing to mindlessly knead the pillow as if he were playing with two oversized stress balls.

    ¡°Captain?¡± Su Yunjin asked in surprise.

    Jolted by a tug of gravity, Yan Yu snapped back to reality and nodded, ¡°You¡¯ve bought the groceries?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve bought them ages ago!¡± Lin Ning said, annoyed, ¡°I called you earlier and you were so distracted. What¡¯s on your mind?¡±

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Yan Yu coughed a few times, put down the pillow, stood up and said, ¡°Shall we cook? Need any help?¡±

    ¡°Go wash the vegetables,¡± Lin Ning instructed.

    ¡°I¡¯ll help with chopping the vegetables.¡± Su Yunjin volunteered eagerly, the culinary training she took over the New Year had not been in vain.

    The three of them went to the kitchen to cook. A short while later, Xie Ruoxi and Chen Lingyun also emerged from the basement.

    The latter had a life-questioning look, unable to understand why, despite being at the Hua Fu Stage, she was still getting thrashed by Chen Lingyun¡ªwho was at the Marrow Cleansing Stage. Was I really that weak?

    After dinner, Xie Ruoxi mustered up the courage to ask Yan Yu about it.

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Yan Yu said disdainfully, ¡°Cultivation mainly affects the power of your Flying Sword Technique, but dodging is about skill. Just because you¡¯ve reached the Hua Mansion Stage, do you expect the skills to fall from the sky into your brain?¡±

    ¡°What should I do then?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked helplessly.

    ¡°Practice!¡± Yan Yu said decisively, ¡°After eating, go to the basement and practice the Shifting Technique by charging at the wall, then use the Cloud Ascension Technique to stop abruptly. Do it a thousand times, until you can control it instinctively!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi went downstairs despondently. Yan Yu watched her leave and thought to himself that even a beautiful waste could make progress.

    At least, if it was the beautiful waste he had first met, she would have either slacked off or looked for a chance to run away when asked to train. Now, at the very least, she was willing to put in the hard work¡ªwasn¡¯t that progress?

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly sent him a telepathic message.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°When you were talking just now,¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, ¡°you kept staring at her chest. Was it because she had rice on her chest from eating?¡±

    This trick was called ¡°putting it nicely,¡± but what it actually meant was to accuse someone of being lecherous. Yan Yu snorted coldly and said disdainfully:

    ¡°Not looking at hers, should I be looking at yours instead? Oh, sorry, you hide it so well, I can¡¯t even find it.¡±

    Chen Lingyun twitched at the corner of her eyes and wisely turned her head, choosing to stay quiet.

    The phone suddenly vibrated. Yan Yu unlocked the screen to find a message from Ye Jun.

    [Zhu Jun]: Captain Yan, I need help.

    [Win Over with Virtitude]: What¡¯s wrong?

    [Zhu Jun]: I went for the Divine Sense hosting experiment.

    [Win Over with Virtitude]: Oh, did it succeed?

    [Zhu Jun]: It did, but there were side effects.

    Yan Yu frowned slightly, feeling that Director Yang¡¯s claim of a ¡°20% chance of side effects¡± was severely underestimated.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Let¡¯s hear it.

    [Zhu Jun]: Right now, I¡¯m just really pessimistic and listless, and the tears keep falling uncontrollably.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Oh, amplified emotions; I¡¯m familiar with that. You should go watch some comedy videos, but make sure there¡¯s no one around you, or else your uncontrollable laughter will draw their attention. You¡¯ll end up making a spectacle of yourself.

    [Zhu Jun]: I¡¯ve tried that. It doesn¡¯t work. I¡¯m completely depressed now, wondering if I should take antidepressants.

    Yan Yu immediately understood. The side effect wasn¡¯t emotions being amplified in general, but rather pessimism being amplified¡­ It seemed less severe than Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s, but it was actually more difficult to resolve. After all, an enchantress overwhelmed by sadness could still watch something happy. Worst case, she¡¯d just jump from one extreme to another. But for Ye Jun, there was no escape.

    [Zhu Jun]: Right now, my head is full of what you said to me before. Captain Yan, my swordsmanship is poor, my talents are lacking, my background isn¡¯t prestigious, and my brain isn¡¯t sharp. I can only stay in the Dragon Soar Team by relying on the Xuan Guang Ruler. Once everyone has the ability to protect themselves, I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ll be eliminated and optimized out, at least nine times out of ten.

    [Zhu Jun]: Then, most likely no team will want me. I¡¯ll end up being laid off in middle age, struggling to make a living, carrying a dirty snake skin bag around the urban area, picking up garbage bottles everywhere. What if I¡¯m recognized by my fans while I¡¯m working? My face would be totally lost.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: I know you¡¯re very distressed, but don¡¯t be upset. Does Lord Master know about this?

    [Zhu Jun]: Not yet. I haven¡¯t dared to tell anyone in the team. A 20% chance of side effects, why did it have to be me? Is it because my psyche is too fragile? If they knew, even though they wouldn¡¯t say it aloud, they¡¯d definitely think, ¡°Ah, Ye Jun that woman is really useless.¡± What would I do then?

    Frankly speaking, if the two were communicating face to face, Yan Yu could understand that the other party was in some abnormal state of sadness and needed to vent and be comforted; but this text chatting felt like watching a crosstalk performance.

    Yan Yu sent over, ¡°Is video convenient for you?¡± and got up to return to his room upstairs.

    A moment later, sure enough, there came a video invite from the other side.

    Yan Yu clicked accept and saw Ye Jun sitting in her room with her eyes obviously red from crying, and a pile of used napkins on the desk beside her.

    ¡°Ye Jun,¡± Yan Yu said earnestly, ¡°you feel useless because the shock therapy for your Sea of Consciousness has affected you, but in reality, you¡¯re not as useless as you think.¡±

    ¡°So, I am useless, just to a different degree, right?¡± Ye Jun said, sniffing, ¡°I knew it¡­¡± Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Cough cough, you aren¡¯t useless.¡± Yan Yu quickly denied, ¡°You¡¯re¡­you¡¯re pretty, right? Look in the mirror. Did anyone chase after you back in high school? What about junior high?¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Ye Jun nodded, seemingly in slightly better spirits.

    If one had to find merits in a cultivator, then Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler¡¯s defensive buff virtually made her a workhorse for the team, utterly estranged from the gratification of slaughtering enemy generals. If she came out with ¡°I have never felt valued in the team,¡± Yan Yu wouldn¡¯t be able to continue comforting her.

    That¡¯s why he decided to take a different approach and turned to discuss the topic of looks, in an attempt to help her regain her self-confidence. Secretary Ye¡¯s looks were certainly exceptional. Otherwise, how could she have been the spokesperson for the Dingbei Army in her previous life? She was a heartthrob in her past life, for goodness¡¯ sake.

    ¡°Exactly, exactly,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°You¡¯re a great beauty, Ye Jun! Whatever you¡¯re lacking in cultivation, you can still practice and improve over time. But as for good looks, unless you get surgery, they¡¯re mostly determined by nature. You¡¯re already ahead of most people right from the start! With such a lovely face, just looking at you is a pleasure. How could you possibly be useless?¡±

    Hmm? Seems it¡¯s not entirely impossible¡­ Nevermind, now is the time to comfort her, so let¡¯s stick to the pleasant stuff.

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m good for nothing except my looks?¡± Ye Jun suddenly asked.

    ¡°Not at all!¡± Yan Yu quickly replied, ¡°There are plenty of powerful female cultivators out there, but those who are both powerful and beautiful are a rare find!¡±

    ¡°You do have a way with flattery.¡± Ye Jun sniffled even harder, tears falling again, ¡°But what saddens me is, I feel like I won¡¯t last long in the Dragon Soar Team¡­¡±

    ¡°No worries, you can come to our Zhenhai Team!¡± Yan Yu immediately said, ¡°Zhenhai Team welcomes you!¡±

    ¡°So, you also think I¡¯ll be cut from the Dragon Soar Team¡­¡± Ye Jun started crying again.

    Damn it, this Jinmen woman is just as hard to deal with! Yan Yu tried to suppress his impatience, quickly correcting himself:

    ¡°It¡¯s that the Dragon Soar Team doesn¡¯t deserve you! Liu Longtao is shortsighted, and the Dingbei Army is rotten and incompetent. Remaining with them would be wasteful; it¡¯s a place where a heroine would have no opportunity to use her talents. Only the Zhenhai Team is your true home!¡±

    ¡°Okay, I got it.¡± Ye Jun tried to wipe away her tears, nodding, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go and submit my transfer request to Lord Master now.¡±

    Uh¡­ Yan Yu was stunned.

 Chapter 530 - 26 Ye Jun Travels Far to Join, Ling Yun Joyfully Welcomes Her Sister

    Chapter 530: Chapter 26 Ye Jun Travels Far to Join, Ling Yun Joyfully Welcomes Her Sister

    If Ye Jun really had been kicked out by the Dragon Soar Team and now wanted to come to the Zhenhai Team, Yan Yu would welcome her with open arms and legs.

    But right now, Ye Jun is still the deputy leader, Dragon Soar Team hasn¡¯t kicked her out, and the Dingbei Army hasn¡¯t approved any transfer. How are you planning to come over? The Military Manor isn¡¯t a sports club where you can just transfer whenever you like!

    The video call had already been hung up, and Yan Yu sent several messages without any reply, but suddenly a message from Liu Longtao popped up.

    [Liu Shao]: Not really, Old Yan, are you serious?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Huh?

    [Liu Shao]: Ye Jun just sent me a message, saying she wants to jump ship to the Zhenhai Team. What¡¯s all this about?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: You don¡¯t know?

    [Liu Shao]: I have no idea!

    [Win Over with Virtue]: You¡¯re the captain of the Dragon Soar Team. How can you not know about your own deputy leader¡¯s business?

    [Liu Shao]: Well, you¡¯re still the captain of the Zhenhai Team! She said she wants to jump ship to Zhenhai, are you saying you know nothing about it?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: When did she perform the Divine Sense residency experiment?

    [Liu Shao]: Yesterday, why?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: The experiment fried her brain!

    [Liu Shao]: I haven¡¯t heard about that. She looked quite normal when she came back last night.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Did she cry?

    [Liu Shao]: Yeah, when she flew back with Sword Control, she got sand in her eyes¡­ Are you saying she was lying?

    Yan Yu then explained the side effects of the experiment and Ye Jun¡¯s current unstable state in detail to Liu Longtao.

    [Liu Shao]: So she¡¯s kind of like suffering from depression now, unable to control her own actions?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Right, and she¡¯s been constantly aggrieved in your team, which is why it all came out.

    [Liu Shao]: Don¡¯t talk nonsense. Everyone in our team loves and supports the deputy leader Ye. When have we ever wronged her?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Otherwise, why would she want to leave?

    [Liu Shao]: It must be you, Old Yan, who played some trick! Hypnotizing, brainwashing or something, you lured away my deputy leader! Give me back my deputy!

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Chen Lingyun is right here, ready for you to take her back whenever you want.

    [Liu Shao]: Ah, spit! Swap Ye Jun for a Chen Lingyun, I¡¯d be at a great loss then!

    [Liu Shao]: I¡¯m coming over now. We¡¯ll talk when we meet.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: What, you¡¯re still coming over? To mooch a meal?

    [Liu Shao]: No, Ye Jun, she¡¯s already left!

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Where are you going?

    [Young Master Liu]: To your place! Where else could it be!

    Yan Yu was jolted into action, no longer caring about Lord Master, and hurriedly dialed Ye Jun.

    No one answered, and several calls in a row were the same.

    As a result, Yan Yu guessed that this girl must have been crying all the way here, not having spare moments to answer her phone¡­ She probably didn¡¯t even hear the ringing, only focused on flying straight to the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm! Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    If it had been the usual hearty and generous Ye Jun, she certainly wouldn¡¯t have done something like this. Unfortunately, the electrical shock to her Sea of Consciousness could split Divine Sense, but it also caused complications, sending her into depression. Overwhelmed by sadness, what reason was left?

    And because she usually specialized in defense within the team, working like an ox and horse, she had no sense of achievement from battling enemies. Over time, her offensive skills would naturally become rusty, and she indeed feared being cut from the team. Stirred by these thoughts, she was moved by a few words from Yan Yu and subconsciously wanted to throw in her lot with him.

    Yan Yu now felt a sense of reaping what he had sown and quickly rushed out of the room, calling over Chen Lingyun to discuss countermeasures.

    After listening to Yan Yu, Chen Lingyun¡¯s beautiful and lively eyes rolled around, she laughed and said,

    ¡°So she¡¯s coming. Our Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm is rich in Spiritual Energy, and the Shenxing Battle Team is supposed to come over tomorrow too, staying right next to us¡­ It¡¯s no big deal to have another sister Ye Jun.¡±

    ¡°What ¡®sister Ye Jun¡¯? She¡¯s even taller than you,¡± Yan Yu instinctively retorted.

    In actuality, Chen Lingyun¡¯s birthday was in February, and Ye Jun¡¯s was in May, so calling her ¡°sister¡± wasn¡¯t wrong.

    But Yan Yu knew that Chen Lingyun¡¯s calling her ¡°sister¡± wasn¡¯t about establishing sisterhood, but implied wanting to bring her into the harem, and thus he flatly refused.

    ¡°Fine, don¡¯t call her sister then.¡± Chen Lingyun was completely indifferent to seniority, simply delighting in the idea, ¡°Having sister Ye Jun living here, there will be some interesting developments to watch, hehe.¡±

    ¡°Lord Master is already on his way here,¡± Yan Yu said gravely.

    ¡°I see.¡± Chen Lingyun took a moment to think, then smiled, ¡°No worries, given Ye Jun¡¯s current state, what she needs most is a sense of security. The Dragon Soar Team is precisely the source of her heartache, how could she feel at ease with them? Therefore, her staying here is almost inevitable. Lord Master coming over is just a formality. After all, if his deputy team leader runs off and as the team leader, he doesn¡¯t chase after her, what would that imply? What would the Dingbei Army think?¡±

    ¡°But the Dingbei Army should be aware of Ye Jun¡¯s condition,¡± Yan Yu frowned as he spoke.

    ¡°Of course they know,¡± Chen Lingyun smiled slightly, ¡°So if she stays here to relieve her sorrows, the Dingbei Army will certainly approve.¡±

    ¡°Sigh, this is kind of annoying,¡± Yan Yu said irritably, ¡°I still need to think of an excuse for the Ningning and Yun Jin side of things. Otherwise, why would Ye Jun not go somewhere else, insisting on coming to me?¡±

    He had often spoken of poaching her in the past, and now that Ye Jun really came, he was somewhat at a loss, finding himself in a real-life situation akin to the ¡°man who professed a love for dragons.¡± But Chen Lingyun, understanding the nature of men¡ªthat they covet what they can¡¯t have, and lose interest once they have it¡ªoffered advice,

    ¡°The actual circumstances of Ye Jun are something the Dingbei Army definitely won¡¯t allow to be disclosed, and in this regard, Lord Master will only be more anxious than us. Let¡¯s see what excuse he comes up with to keep Ye Jun here, then we can simply go with the flow and agree, pretending you¡¯re doing it to give him face.¡±

    ¡°How can you be sure that Lord Master will definitely want Ye Jun to stay?¡± Yan Yu asker her skeptically.

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°With Ye Jun in this condition, she is incapable of cooperating with team training. Since she no longer holds value to the team, why would Lord Master insist on taking her back? Any other team leader might be annoyed and feel their pride wounded, but Lord Master, after all, is a second-generation and is definitely absolutely rational in this respect.¡±

    ¡°I hate you second-generations the most,¡± Yan Yu grumbled bitterly, ¡°After Ye Jun recovers, when she learns what Liu Longtao did today, what will she think then?¡±

    ¡°No matter what she thinks, in the end, it just suits your wishes, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Chen Lingyun blinked.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to poach Ye Jun; I was worried about the Dragon Soar Team actually firing her one day, and her having nowhere to turn¡ªa case of a pearl cast in the dark,¡± Yan Yu argued heatedly, ¡°That¡¯s why I laid the groundwork for her ahead of time, not scheming to destroy the relationship between her and her team!¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes,¡± Chen Lingyun nodded repeatedly, like a pecking chicken, ¡°Whether others believe it or not, I certainly do. You have a pure heart, and if sister Ye Jun finds out, I think she¡¯ll be touched by you, and not be too saddened.¡±

 Chapter 531 - 27 I Have Ye Jun, Like a Fish in Water

    Chapter 531: Chapter 27 I Have Ye Jun, Like a Fish in Water

    Ye Jun made her way to the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm via Sword Control, only to be stopped by Military Mansion Cultivators patrolling the skies, who interrogated her about her identity.

    It wasn¡¯t that they didn¡¯t recognize the deputy captain of the Dragon Soar Team, but there was a necessary procedure that had to be followed. Familiarity couldn¡¯t warrant an unchecked entry.

    Being stopped for questioning, Ye Jun finally managed to calm down from her grief and began to feel a sense of regret.

    I¡­ How did I impulsively wind up coming to the Zhenhai Team¡¯s territory like this? What if Captain Yan was only joking when he said he would take me back? What then?

    She wanted to call Yan Yu to come pick her up, yet she irrationally worried that upon seeing him, he would blurt out ¡°What are you doing here?¡± and she would end up bursting into tears and fleeing in panic on the spot.

    While hesitating and feeling lost, she suddenly noticed a sword light shining in the distance¡ªit was Yan Yu coming to her aid, riding his sword.

    He landed quickly nearby and ran over, still wearing his house slippers, implying that, knowing Ye Jun was on her way, he had dashed over to meet her without even the time to change his shoes. At this thought, Ye Jun felt inexplicably moved, and even the persistent sorrow in her heart seemed to dissipate a lot.

    ¡°Ye Jun, you finally made it!¡± Yan Yu ran to her and took her hands in his, saying warmly, ¡°I¡¯ve been looking forward to your arrival for a long time, haha, today my dream has finally come true¡­ Come on, let¡¯s go back and talk.¡±

    With the backing of the Zhenhai Team captain, the patrolling Military Manor Cultivators naturally stopped questioning her and let her through immediately.

    Yan Yu, holding Ye Jun¡¯s hand, walked towards the entrance of the Mysterious Realm, asking her caring questions like ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired from riding the sword all this way?¡± and ¡°Are you feeling better now?¡±

    Under normal circumstances, Ye Jun would never have walked hand in hand with a male friend, as it suggested an improper closeness. But at the moment, enveloped in sadness and desperately needing safety and dependability, she forgot to resist and simply let him hold her hand, feeling a touch of warmth in her heart. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Upon reaching the second layer of the Mysterious Realm, in a valley, Yan Yu let go of her hand and pointed towards several houses, saying to Ye Jun:

    ¡°That one belongs to the Feixiong Battle Team, and that one is the Shenxing Battle Team¡¯s. Almost every top-ranking Zhendong Army Team has reserved a house here in the secret realm for future cultivation. Our Zhenhai Team lives in the back, in the largest house you see there.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s bigger than ours,¡± said Ye Jun.

    ¡°Haha, it doesn¡¯t matter how big the house is. What¡¯s important is whether the people you live with get along,¡± Yan Yu laughed heartily, ¡°Ye Jun, you¡¯re a guest at my place, I¡¯d be happy even if we lived in a single rented room.¡±

    Ye Jun¡¯s face turned a little red, thinking, Are you really so eager to live with me? But her sorrow stifled any chance of laughter, leaving only silence.

    Yan Yu took it in stride and simply led Ye Jun into the villa, calling out to the others:

    ¡°The deputy captain is here!¡±

    The girls all came out to greet Ye Jun.

    The Zhenhai Team and the Dragon Soar Team had fought side by side more often than they had faced off against each other, so they all got along with Ye Jun fairly well. Here Lin Ning enquired about Ye Jun¡¯s dietary preferences, while Yun Jin mentioned that the new room was cleaned up and ready for her to move into, which touched Ye Jun deeply.

    The Dragon Soar Team currently consisted of five men and one woman. The men were casual about their own living arrangements and didn¡¯t give as much thought for Ye Jun¡¯s. They were more likely to rely on their deputy captain for things like ordering takeout or arranging for housekeeping¡­ Now, suddenly becoming the one being taken care of, even the straightforward and spirited girl from Jinmen found it hard to hold back her tears.

    Seeing her eyes redden, Yan Yu quickly intervened:

    ¡°She has traveled a long way to get here. Let¡¯s leave any further talk for later and let her rest first.¡±

    After showing Ye Jun to her room and telling her to rest well, Yan Yu was about to leave when she called out to him.

    As he turned around, he was suddenly embraced by Ye Jun, and a slightly sobbing tremor echoed in his ear:

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Yan Yu hugged her back, ¡°It¡¯s what I should do.¡±

    Although Ye Jun appeared normal, Yan Yu knew that her Dao Heart was still not recovered and she was extremely fragile.

    If Lord Master, the rough man, can¡¯t provide comfort, let it be me!

    After Yan Yu left, Ye Jun went to the bathroom, washed her face, and then looked at herself in the mirror.

    Her eyes were red from crying.

    Her cheeks were red¡­ probably from the heat.

    Now, upon reflection, running to the Zhenhai Team¡¯s side had indeed been quite abrupt and presumptuous.

    But I don¡¯t regret it, because I finally know that if something happens in the future, at least Yan Yu would be willing to take me in.

    The sorrow in her heart had nearly disappeared, allowing Ye Jun to finally calm down and continue pondering.

    The problem she faced was that the Dragon Soar Team had an excess of offensive roles, and she needed to focus on defense. But from a personal development standpoint, specializing in defense meant a lack of offensive capability, which was certainly detrimental to her future.

    Privately, Ye Jun also practiced swordsmanship, but her strength was growing slowly. Now that she had come to the Zhenhai Team, it was a good opportunity to ask Yan Yu for guidance.

    She decided that she would go to the training field later to practice swordsmanship!

    Meanwhile, as soon as Yan Yu had come downstairs, Lin Ning pulled him aside and interrogated him:

    ¡°How come Ye Jun suddenly turned up?¡±

    Su Yunjin and Xie Ruoxi sat on the sofa, maintaining their composure, but they were secretly using voice transmission to remind Lin Ning,

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask like that! Ask if other people from the Dragon Soar Team have come, just pretend to be curious!¡±

    So Lin Ning did as told, and heard Yan Yu ask:

    ¡°Are you jealous?¡±

    ¡°I am not, not, not, not jealous!¡± Lin Ning got flustered right away, kicking him, ¡°I am just curious, only curious! Curious!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say it three times.¡± Yan Yu waved his hand, ¡°She¡¯s just here as a guest.¡±

    ¡°But isn¡¯t that too sudden?¡± Lin Ning acted like a wife who had just learned that ¡°a colleague was coming to stay for a few days,¡± exhibiting a strong sense of territoriality.

    ¡°Sudden?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it sudden?¡± Lin Ning retorted.

    ¡°She did send me a message.¡± Yan Yu said.

    Lin Ning was at a loss for words. She instinctively wanted to say ¡°then you never told me about it,¡± but then she realized she didn¡¯t have the right to say that.

    Hurriedly, Su Yunjin voice transmitted:

    ¡°Ask what the message said.¡±

    ¡°So, what did the message say?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    ¡°She said she missed me a lot, hoped to come over to see me, but was afraid that our team¡¯s Ningning would get angry, so she asked if it would be okay to come.¡± Yan Yu replied nonchalantly.

    ¡°Stop joking with me!¡± Lin Ning kicked him again.

    ¡°You see.¡± Yan Yu spread his hands, ¡°I tell you she¡¯s here as a guest, you don¡¯t believe it. I tell you she¡¯s here to chase after me, you get angry. So what are you hoping is the case?¡±

    Lin Ning was silent for a moment, realizing she was not good at playing mind games, and decided to confront the issue straightforwardly:

    ¡°So it really is just as a guest? She¡¯s not here to¡­ chase after you, or for some other purpose?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°If she were here to chase after me, wouldn¡¯t it be better to ask me out on a date? Here, she¡¯d have to deal with your suspicions.¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Lin Ning believed him in her heart but retorted, ¡°It had better be! Let me tell you, you are our team¡¯s captain, not theirs. It¡¯s okay to entertain guests, but you can¡¯t let it affect our team¡¯s internal training.¡±

    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is,¡± Yan Yu pretended to get her insinuation, ¡°I can interact with her normally, but I can¡¯t neglect you by taking care of her, or else you¡¯ll get depressed, sad, and unhappy?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s! Not! It!¡± Lin Ning immediately got angry, stepping forcefully on his slipper, grinding her heel into it, ¡°If you keep this up, I really will get angry!!!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not angry now?¡± Yan Yu was shocked.

    ¡°I¡­ I am angry,¡± Lin Ning couldn¡¯t lie without a change of expression, she corrected herself, ¡°But if you keep teasing me, I¡¯ll get even angrier, super angry, the kind of angry where I won¡¯t forgive you for days!¡±

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Seeing Lin Ning being toyed with by Yan Yu, Su Yunjin stepped in to back her up and asked Yan Yu, ¡°Captain, did Vice-Captain Ye mention how long she plans to stay?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°Lord Master will also be coming over later, I¡¯ll ask and see.¡±

 Chapter 532 - 28: Lord Master as the Plaintiff

    Chapter 532: Chapter 28: Lord Master as the Plaintiff

    Ye Jun was not the first outsider to reside in the team¡¯s villa.

    The list goes back to Yan Jing and Anna. Jingjing, the little nun, was overlooked, but Anna was a blonde, adulterous cat, visibly coveting what wasn¡¯t hers, making everyone uneasy when they recalled it.

    None of us insiders managed to get our hands on it, and yet you, an outsider, dare to meddle?

    Soon, except for Zhao Yuanzhen, who remained in her room, the other girls gathered and started whispering among themselves.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think the captain has those kinds of feelings for her,¡± Su Yunjin earnestly said. ¡°Although he appears enthusiastic, such warmth is actually the best proof of distancing.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Chen Lingyun smiled and said, ¡°Can any of you imagine Yan Yu actively pursuing a girl that way?¡±

    Lin Ning and Xie Ruoxi were stunned for a moment before quickly shaking their heads.

    ¡°So, there must be an ulterior motive,¡± Chen Lingyun concluded with feigned seriousness.

    ¡°The question is, what does the captain really want to do?¡± Su Yunjin pondered. ¡°If it¡¯s not because of affection, could it be that Ye Jun¡­ is useful to him?¡±

    ¡°Could he be interested in the Xuan Guang Ruler?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Chen Lingyun shook her head and said, ¡°The defense capability of the Xuan Guang Ruler is indeed impressive, but it requires a cultivator to operate it. With equal numbers, having one less cultivator for output means the rest of the team has to compensate, leading to a team like Dragon Soar with severe disparities in specialization.¡±

    Everyone maintained their composure. Princess Jiang Hai looking down on Lord Master was hardly a secret now.

    ¡°If Ye Jun joins us, who would we have to replace?¡± Chen Lingyun continued, ¡°Replacing anyone wouldn¡¯t be right; our team¡¯s tactical collaboration plan¡­ doesn¡¯t leave room for Ye Jun¡ª at least not currently.¡±

    ¡°It might not even be about the team,¡± Xie Ruoxi suddenly said. ¡°What about overseas campaigns? If it¡¯s for fighting abroad, there aren¡¯t any restrictions on numbers, right? Having one more person like Ye Jun could only make us more secure, right?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s for fighting abroad, we could totally cooperate with Dragon Soar Team,¡± Chen Lingyun replied, ¡°Why dig her into our team?¡±

    ¡°What do you think then, Ling Yun?¡± Lin Ning asked. ¡°What could it be?¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s just a casual visit,¡± Chen Lingyun smiled and said, ¡°To be honest, having been in this mysterious realm for a while now, I¡¯ve been thinking about visiting some other teams myself.¡±

    Lin Ning and Xie Ruoxi both breathed a sigh of relief, but Su Yunjin still felt something was amiss. She secretly sent a message to Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that odd? Even if she¡¯s just visiting, why would she come alone? Isn¡¯t it strange? While her teammates are diligently cultivating, she takes leave to play by herself? Wouldn¡¯t it make more sense for her whole team to come?¡±

    Chen Lingyun was about to reply when suddenly her phone rang.

    After glancing at it, she laughed and said to Su Yunjin:

    ¡°Lord Master is here too; are you reassured now?¡±

    Su Yunjin sighed deeply.

    She still had her doubts about Ye Jun but, since the captain showed no special affection towards Ye Jun, she decided not to meddle any further.

    Yan Yu went out to meet Liu Longtao, and as soon as they met, Lord Master asked:

    ¡°Old Yan, you haven¡¯t done anything to Ye Jun, have you?¡±

    ¡°What could I possibly do to her?¡± Yan Yu asked with a frown.

    ¡°Like giving her maternity leave?¡± Liu Longtao probed.

    ¡°Liu, you legal ignorant,¡± Yan Yu disdainfully said, ¡°Maternity leave begins half a month before the child is due.¡±

    ¡°Aha, I knew you¡¯ve been drooling over her for a long time!¡± Liu Longtao immediately gloated, ¡°Caught you! You even know how maternity leave is scheduled!¡±

    ¡°Spreading rumors about your vice-captain and the external captain, huh?¡± Yan Yu sneered disdainfully, ¡°Shameless, is that how you act as a captain?¡±

    ¡°What rumors? I¡¯d be happy to see it happen, okay?¡± Liu Longtao said seriously, ¡°If you two really make it, I¡¯ll give a big red envelope at the wedding.¡±

    ¡°Hey, Old Liu.¡± Yan Yu frowned, ¡°What did Ye Jun do to offend you that you¡¯re so eager to set her up?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± Liu Longtao denied, ¡°I originally didn¡¯t want to interfere with Ye Jun¡¯s personal life. But she¡¯s become depressed this time, even if it¡¯s because of the side effects of electroshock therapy to the Sea of Consciousness, it proves that she had similar negative emotions long ago, only suppressed by her rationale¡­ You have to admit that, right?¡± S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Right, exactly.¡± Yan Yu nodded seriously, ¡°Someone, being the team captain, only found out now that the vice-captain has severe psychological pressure. So I pointed out long ago that these two are very incompatible, and it¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t warn you.¡±

    ¡°Get serious.¡± Liu Longtao said exasperatedly, ¡°Can you blame me for her depression? It¡¯s not like I chose the Xuan Guang Ruler for her or forced her into a purely defensive role!¡±

    ¡°So, what do you think would be a better path for her moving forward?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    Liu Longtao was silent for a moment, then shook his head and said:

    ¡°Tough situation. Our team¡¯s structure really can¡¯t do without her Xuan Guang Ruler.¡±

    ¡°There you have it.¡± Yan Yu clapped his hands, ¡°You¡¯re not forcing her, but your team¡¯s structure is pushing her down this increasingly narrow path. When the day comes that you don¡¯t need the Xuan Guang Ruler anymore, you¡¯ll just kick her out.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a bit harsh.¡± Liu Longtao said seriously, ¡°Survival of the fittest, what can I do? The Dragon Soar Team is still a top team after all; if in the future we truly don¡¯t need a dedicated defender, even if I try to justify keeping her on the team, I¡¯d still need a proper reason, right? What¡¯s really important is that she can¡¯t rely too much on the Xuan Guang Ruler and needs to develop more critical core skills.¡±

    ¡°I remember last time in The Secret Realm of Li Palace, she got an Oil Lamp Treasure.¡± Yan Yu suddenly asked, ¡°How is it?¡±

    ¡°Not good.¡± Liu Longtao answered, ¡°It can only emit flame, and it consumes a lot, her True Yuan can¡¯t support it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because she has to maintain the Xuan Guang Ruler, so she can¡¯t support it, right?¡± Yan Yu pointed out the root of the problem sharply.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way around it then.¡± Liu Longtao shrugged, ¡°Her offensive capabilities are lacking; what else can she do? The Northern Army¡¯s expectations for us are very high, she has to devote a lot of time and energy to defense to fulfill her duties, but this will definitely impede her comprehensive development.¡±

    ¡°So, Old Yan, I really hope she can develop some kind of relationship with you. If there comes a time in the future when the Dragon Soar Team no longer needs a dedicated defender, then let her come to you, at least she won¡¯t be left with nowhere to go¡­ Ye Jun is a good girl, I really mean that.¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Yan Yu said.

    Since Liu Longtao had said this, it was clear that if the higher-ups decided to dismiss Ye Jun in the future, he wouldn¡¯t go to great lengths to stop it¡ªbecause he viewed the issue more realistically, only considering whether someone was of value to the team, not their merits or hard work.

    But Ye Jun isn¡¯t a fool either, Lord Master. It¡¯s precisely because she knows this is your character that she holds a pessimistic view of her future, even going so far as to run to our team to hide from the pressure.

    ¡°I¡¯ve changed my mind.¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°I had intended to treat you nicely.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Liu Longtao asked.

    ¡°You¡¯d better be on your way back.¡± Yan Yu said seriously, ¡°I will take care of Ye Jun here, let¡¯s wait until she¡¯s psychologically recovered.¡±

    ¡°Alright then.¡± Liu Longtao pondered for a moment and nodded, ¡°I also feel that she¡¯s in an abnormal state right now, seeing me might just add to her stress.¡±

    ¡°Goodbye then, no need to escort you out.¡±

    Liu Longtao turned and took a few steps, then suddenly turned back and said:

    ¡°Old Yan, seriously.¡±

    ¡°Take good care of her.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense, I¡¯m not you!¡± Yan Yu retorted with a laugh, ¡°Hurry up and scram.¡±

    ¡°When she¡¯s recovered, remember to send her back!¡± Liu Longtao urged, ¡°She¡¯s our team¡¯s vice-captain, not yours.¡±

    ¡°If the vice-captain thrives under my care, you¡¯ve got nothing to worry about!¡±

 Chapter 533 - 29 Ye Jun: Im Afraid of Pain

    Chapter 533: Chapter 29 Ye Jun: I¡¯m Afraid of Pain

    Lord Master, as team captain, finally made a stance to hand over his deputy team leader to Yan Yu, which pleased Yan Yu greatly.

    Next, he would have to make Ye Jun change her¡­ No, that¡¯s not right, he had to make her shift her affections¡­ Also not right, he meant he needed to gradually transfer her sense of belonging from the Dragon Soar Team to himself.

    The reason for doing this was not because Yan Yu coveted her beauty or body, but because in her past life, Ye Jun had had a truly miserable time.

    After slaving away for the team for so many years, once she lost her value, she was kicked to the curb. Although the team certainly prioritized practicality, the fact that Ye Jun couldn¡¯t find shelter in any secondary or tertiary team after retiring from the frontline Dragon Soar Team clearly indicated that the Dingbei Army¡¯s ¡°failure to recognize talent¡± was undeniable.

    But the bureaucratic blunders of the Dingbei Army in her previous life weren¡¯t limited to just one or two instances. Remember Anna, who couldn¡¯t pass the background check?

    No worries! Those that the Dingbei Army doesn¡¯t want, I¡¯ll take them!

    When Yan Yu returned to the villa, he saw the girls sitting on the couch watching TV with Ye Jun.

    It must be said that, from the perspective of ¡°maintaining psychological stability,¡± Ye Jun was far stronger than Zhao Yuanzhen. Even though her abnormal state had not yet subsided, she was able to control her facial muscles most of the time to prevent her sorrowful expression from showing and revealing her vulnerabilities to others.

    If the Demonic Sect Enchantress were here without her mask, crying one moment and laughing the next, she would have confused everyone long ago.

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± Ye Jun stood up, ¡°what time do you usually train?¡±

    ¡°During the day,¡± replied Yan Yu, ¡°like right now is fine.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± Ye Jun showed a smile, though it looked a bit bitter, ¡°I have some swordsmanship issues I¡¯d like to consult with you about.¡±

    ¡°Ye Jun, are you also practicing swordsmanship?¡± Su Yunjin asked in surprise.

    You are an Assistant Officer, aren¡¯t you?

    ¡°Yes,¡± Ye Jun said, ¡°but it¡¯s always good to have more skills than necessary, and practicing swordsmanship for self-defense is always beneficial.¡±

    Yan Yu agreed wholeheartedly. Sword Control Technique, though easy to learn and hard to master, only required it to be ¡°easy to learn.¡± Moreover, it consumed surprisingly little True Yuan. For someone like Ye Jun, who needed to use most of her True Yuan on the Xuan Guang Ruler, practicing Sword Control Technique was the best way to enhance her combat abilities¡­ It seems she had indeed been paying attention when I spoke to her in the Secret Realm of Li Palace last time!

    However, when the same words fell on Su Yunjin¡¯s ears, it was as if a bolt from the blue struck her.

    Isn¡¯t this the same as mine?

    ¡°Just in time, I also have some swordsmanship issues to consult with the captain,¡± she said calmly.

    Though she had yet to think of a question, she couldn¡¯t let an outsider outshine her.

    ¡°Good,¡± Yan Yu was even more delighted, but maintained a dignified nod, ¡°then let¡¯s go to the underground training field, and I¡¯ll see what problems you have.¡±

    Thus, not only Ye Jun and Su Yunjin, but all the other girls except Zhao Yuanzhen in the room stood up as well.

    ¡°Do you all have swordsmanship issues too?¡± Yan Yu asked dubiously.

    ¡°I have no issues, but I want to see others¡¯ wrong problem sets,¡± Lin Ning quickly found an excuse.

    ¡°I would like to learn as well,¡± Xie Ruoxi echoed.

    ¡°I¡¯m here for the entertainment,¡± said Chen Lingyun.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to go down,¡± Yan Yu immediately sentenced Chen Lingyun to stay, ¡°Everyone else, follow me.¡±

    Each team¡¯s restorative villa had a basement established below for simple combat training. The surroundings were reinforced with a combination of concrete and steel plates, and as long as no one used attacks of Xie Ruoxi¡¯s Thunder Method caliber, sporadic attacks could be withstood.

    Yan Yu thought for a moment, then had Ye Jun and Su Yunjin engage in swordsmanship combat to assess their level of skill before making further decisions.

    Thus, the two girls wielded their swords and attacked each other. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Su Yunjin struck with White Rainbow Across the Sky, only for Ye Jun to hastily counter with Cang Song Ying Ke. Su Yunjin tried to circumvent with Bai Niao Chao Feng, but her delayed response allowed Ye Jun to catch up and quickly change her move to White Crane Spreads Wings to block her. Su Yunjin attempted to maneuver around again, and Ye Jun continued to intercept¡­

    It was somewhat reminiscent of middle-aged women pulling each other¡¯s hair during a fight.

    Although it was just a quarrel between two novices, Yan Yu still had to analyze whether their swordsmanship was at the kindergarten or senior class level from their sparring, and what they should learn next¡ªmultiplication or division¡­

    ¡°All right,¡± he called out to the two who were still sparring, ¡°Yun Jin, you¡¯re still a bit slow in reacting. Ningning, take her with you when you practice Two-handed Sword Control Technique, and try to train under high-pressure conditions to improve your reactions. As for Ye Jun¡­ have you never asked for advice from your fellow Sword Immortals when practicing Sword Control Technique in the Dragon Soar Team?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Ye Jun replied.

    She hadn¡¯t even told Liu Longtao, so how could she possibly confide in her other teammates? After all, the Dingbei Army expected her to focus on defense in the team, so it was best not to let the Dingbei Army know she was interested in exploring other areas¡ªYe Jun wasn¡¯t Yan Yu or Liu Longtao, who could act fearlessly under the protection of the chief commander. The necessary precautions and disguises could not be omitted.

    ¡°Your sword techniques are not standard in many ways,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°For example, with Cang Song Ying Ke, the textbook describes ¡®upper intercept¡¯ and ¡®lower intercept¡¯ as two ways to execute the move, but the upper intercept doesn¡¯t have to be perfectly vertical, just as the lower intercept isn¡¯t required to be perfectly downward. It¡¯s often more appropriate to strike at an angle of about 30 degrees from the vertical line¡­ do you know why?¡±

    Before Ye Jun could respond, Lin Ning immediately said:

    ¡°It¡¯s because after the opponent¡¯s sword is intercepted, they might continue with Bai Niao Chao Feng. If your sword is vertical during the intercept, it won¡¯t be easy to block Bai Niao Chao Feng; and if you intercept horizontally, it will be just as difficult to block if the opponent changes to Phoenix Comes to the Ceremony. To take all possible variations into account, slanting in at a 30-degree angle with Cang Song Ying Ke is the best option when facing any situation.¡±

    ¡°Correct,¡± Yan Yu said.

    Lin Ning was about to beam with pride when she heard Yan Yu continue:

    ¡°But I didn¡¯t ask you. As a professional Sword Immortal, do you not feel ashamed to rush to answer a question directed at an amateur?¡±

    Lin Ning was frustrated, but with Ye Jun present, she refrained from kicking him and instead stamped her feet in irritation.

    ¡°So, where can I learn the standard sword techniques?¡± Ye Jun asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll teach you,¡± Yan Yu said.

    The girls were suddenly taken aback: Wow, this is why he came to our team to learn swordsmanship; he sure kept the map of Yan Country hidden well!

    ¡°But won¡¯t that be too troublesome for you?¡± Ye Jun asked politely, still feeling embarrassed, which caused Lin Ning to feel a surge of irritation, Su Yunjin¡¯s expression to cool, and Xie Ruoxi just wanted to find somewhere to be sick.

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°It¡¯s effortless, very simple. During our sword practice, I¡¯ll attack at the limit, and you must respond with the correct sword technique to break through my offense. Even if the angle is slightly off, or the timing is half a beat too slow, you¡¯ll fail to break through and will take a hit.¡±

    The girls¡¯ expressions changed from cloudy to sunny again: Oh, instruction by getting hit, that¡¯s fine then. We¡¯ve all been through it; it¡¯s quite effective, you should give it a try too, sister.

    ¡°Really?¡± Ye Jun said with a wry smile, ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I can handle it, I¡¯m quite afraid of pain.¡±

    The looks in the girls¡¯ eyes turned sharp again: Pretending to be pitiful here? How else will you learn swordsmanship without taking a few hits? Go back to the Dragon Soar Team and be the good little Assistant Officer you are!

    ¡°You¡¯re used to the Xuan Guang Ruler and haven¡¯t been injured much, so it¡¯s normal to fear pain,¡± Yan Yu said earnestly, ¡°Fear is actually the best motivator for learning.¡±

    ¡°I guess that makes sense,¡± Ye Jun said firmly, ¡°Let¡¯s start then!¡±

 Chapter 534 - 30: Leave a room for her

    Chapter 534: Chapter 30: Leave a room for her

    Is Sword Control Technique hard to learn? Different people will have different answers.

    If you ask Yan Yu, he would say, ¡°Having hands is enough¡±; if you ask Lin Ning, she would say, ¡°It¡¯s quite hard at first, but it gets easier with more practice.¡±

    But if you were to ask Ye Jun now, she would tell you, ¡°Self-learning is pretty simple, but learning Sword Control Technique from Yan Yu is probably the hardest way to learn in the whole world!¡±

    Every time she unleashed a sword strike, if the timing and position were not right, Yan Yu would break through her defense, resulting in her getting whipped.

    The whip was made with the flat of the sword, so it wouldn¡¯t injure, but pain was inevitable.

    Under normal circumstances, one could bear it, but Ye Jun was in a state of emotional fragility, and the pain made her unable to hold back her tears.

    If she cried too excessively, like a dam bursting, it would lead to the confusion or even suspicion of the other girls from the Zhenhai Team, which was a more intense feeling of worry and anxiety than the pain itself, causing Ye Jun to quickly resist with all her might while shedding tears.

    Every beating came as a result of her sword technique being countered. If it was due to a slow move, she¡¯d try to be faster next time; if it was due to the wrong position, she¡¯d try to shift in the direction from where Yan Yu¡¯s Flying Sword had broken through.

    In this way, while taking hits and crying, Ye Jun earnestly worked to fix the flaws in her swordsmanship, making her control of the sword increasingly accurate and impressive.

    The girls practiced on their own, but when they covertly saw Ye Jun¡¯s tear-streaked face showing genuine sorrow, they couldn¡¯t help but feel empathy.

    The captain is being way too ruthless, aren¡¯t they? She is crying her eyes out!

    Unable to bear it, Su Yunjin quietly communicated to Yan Yu:

    ¡°Captain, why don¡¯t we let her rest for a bit? With her emotional state as it is, it might not be suitable for her to continue practicing.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Yan Yu thought to himself, realizing they had indeed been practicing for several hours, and then said to Ye Jun, ¡°Let¡¯s take a break. Digest and integrate all the swordsmanship experience you¡¯ve summarized for yourself.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Ye Jun nodded sadly but was unwilling to rest just yet; she started practicing the sword techniques alone¡ªshe wanted to convert her physical sensations into deep memories while they were still fresh.

    This extremely diligent approach to practice greatly endeared her to Lin Ning, who was already struggling with this aspect and felt resentment toward Yan Yu¡¯s merciless training. Now she looked at Ye Jun more favorably and went over to offer advice, saying:

    ¡°There are four ways to use Bai Niao Chao Feng, and you¡¯ve learned two. Let me teach you the other two¡­¡±

    Su Yunjin, watching Lin Ning teach Ye Jun step by step, made an estimate:

    Her swordsmanship level is probably around the same as Ruoxi¡¯s, but she learns much faster than Ruoxi does.

    Lin Ning had tried teaching Ruoxi swordsmanship before, and it was a disaster. Learning later moves made her forget the earlier ones, and vice versa. Sometimes she would even mix them up, leading Yan Yu to a conclusion and stating that Xie Ruoxi ¡°is most suited for Magic Cultivation.¡±

    After all, Magic Cultivators don¡¯t need techniques; you just blast away with your full True Yuan, and that¡¯s it.

    Ye Jun clearly had a normal IQ, and her memory was good; she could quickly remember almost everything, whether it was Yan Yu¡¯s ¡°painful method of learning¡± or Lin Ning¡¯s ¡°force-feeding method of learning.¡±

    Given time, her swordsmanship should improve too.

    Okay, I need to work hard too!

    The things that Su Yunjin could analyze, Xie Ruoxi also had an inkling of, and she couldn¡¯t help but look at Ye Jun with envy.

    It¡¯s great to be smart; I wish I were smart too so that the captain wouldn¡¯t look down on me. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Sigh, it¡¯s a pity I was born slow-witted; I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s no chance of me becoming a powerful Sword Immortal¡­ I¡¯d better stick to practicing my Thunder Method.

    She sighed in her heart and casually released a bolt of Thunder Light, obliterating a distant target.

    Behind the target was a wall of thick steel perforated with holes. Each mark represented a misfired Thunder Method, also showcasing the Thunder Method¡¯s utterly exaggerated and formidable power.

    After leaving the basement, Yan Yu saw Chen Lingyun lying on the sofa, playing with her phone, and sent her a message:

    ¡°How¡¯s everyone¡¯s training going?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Yan Yu gave her a noncommittal glance, ¡°Haven¡¯t you been spying with your Five Ghosts?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t mastered the Eye Technique yet, so even if the Five Ghosts turn invisible to see something, they can only come back and describe it to me. Isn¡¯t that the same as you directly telling me?¡±

    ¡°Ye Jun¡¯s swordsmanship talent is mediocre,¡± Yan Yu sat down beside her, picked up the teacup, took a sip to moisten his throat, ¡°But she is quite meticulous, and hardly makes the same mistake twice. If she works hard and practices diligently, she should be able to pursue a calculative sword path.¡±

    ¡°But she is an Assistant Officer,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°So just getting in the door would be good enough,¡± Yan Yu concluded, ¡°Swordsmanship talent doesn¡¯t really matter then.¡±

    ¡°If Ye Jun really leaves the Dragon Soar Team in the future, would there be a place for her in our team?¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly asked.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°The Xuan Guang Ruler is quite useful, even just as the seventh reserve. If we encounter a powerful enemy like that Demon Monk last time, we won¡¯t need Yun Jin¡¯s area-based Taoism Method for defense.¡±

    ¡°Aside from that?¡± Chen Lingyun continued with a smile, ¡°What do you think of her appearance? Does she meet your aesthetic standards?¡±

    ¡°She is quite pretty. What about it?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    Ye Jun¡¯s looks certainly weren¡¯t bad, especially suiting the taste of middle-aged and older people. After becoming the spokesperson for the Dingbei Army in her previous life, she had even gained a lot of female fans at one point, with many people showering her with gifts in the Dingbei Army¡¯s live broadcast room¡ªanyway, it was impossible for her to be unattractive.

    ¡°I see.¡± Chen Lingyun nodded her head, ¡°I think it¡¯s about time to arrange a room for her in the villa.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s already a room arranged for her in the villa,¡± Yan Yu said, feeling puzzled.

    ¡°I mean the villa in Jinling Prefecture,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    Her smile seemed to say ¡°you fool¡±, causing Yan Yu to feel slightly irritated, and he coldly said:

    ¡°You¡¯re not harboring some unrealistic harem fantasy again, are you? Let me tell you, Ye Jun is impossible. Her values are actually very conservative. Look at how the Dragon Soar Team loads her with work, and she never complains of hardship or tiredness¡­ In short, it¡¯s impossible.¡±

    ¡°Tradition, huh.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile remained unchanged, ¡°How come I remember that the traditional marital and reproductive views in Lu Country are about having one wife and multiple concubines, spreading the branches and leaves?¡±

    ¡°That was before we integrated with international standards. Now we have third sons and fourth sons, where do concubines come in?¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°That¡¯s not called tradition, it¡¯s called being outdated.¡±

    ¡°Hehe.¡± Chen Lingyun did not argue, but simply drank her tea.

    Her calm and collected demeanor gave Yan Yu the feeling that this wretched woman must be scheming again.

    But without evidence, Yan Yu didn¡¯t want to reprimand her on baseless charges, so he simply left the living room, walked up the stairs, out of sight, out of mind.

    He went upstairs to see how the enchantress was doing.

    When he reached the door to Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s room, Yan Yu had just knocked when he found that the door wasn¡¯t locked.

    Pushing the door open, Yan Yu saw her lying on the bed fast asleep, not even covered by a quilt.

    ¡­Really, in this state, doesn¡¯t she know to lock the door?

    After locking the door behind him, Yan Yu picked up the clothes from the floor, shook them out, went over to lift the upper half of the enchantress¡¯s body, and helped her put them on.

    Zhao Yuanzhen smacked her lips in her sleep, wrapped her arms around Yan Yu¡¯s neck with a backhanded grip, muttering some unclear dream talk like ¡°uh-oh, little thief¡±.

    After dressing her, Yan Yu pulled her hands away and tucked her into the quilt.

    Just as he was about to get up and leave, she pulled him back from behind.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡± She still had her eyes closed, unclear whether she was awake or not, but she cooed vaguely, ¡°Stay with me¡­¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s first instinct was to slap her, firmly landing a retort of, ¡°You wish.¡± But upon further thought, he considered that the enchantress, like Ye Jun, was also in an unstable emotional state; since he had already taken care of Ye Jun, it wouldn¡¯t be right to completely ignore the enchantress.

    Ningning was right. He should treat them equally.

    With that thought, Yan Yu changed his mind, reasoning that although everyone was downstairs training, staying here with her for five minutes shouldn¡¯t be a problem¡­ ten minutes, no, make it fifteen minutes!

    He crawled into the quilt and hugged Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s warm and plump body from behind, while the enchantress made a sound of contentment.

 Chapter 535 - 31: Ouch, what are you doing?

    Chapter 535: Chapter 31: Ouch, what are you doing?

    In the dead of night, time for breathing exercises, in Yan Yu¡¯s room.

    ¡°So, Sister Zhao, how much longer do you have to wear that mask?¡± Lin Ning asked curiously.

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen dared not answer, only humming in response.

    ¡°About another week.¡± Yan Yu calculated the time and answered for her.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Lin Ning took it that Sister Zhao¡¯s face must indeed be horribly disfigured, too ashamed to show herself, so she did not bring up the heartbreaking matter again.

    The three sat opposite each other, palms together, with two puppets perched on the shoulders of Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen, helping with Qi Refinement, akin to adding two more inlets to a swimming pool that was being filled, naturally speeding up the process.

    It was not until the breathing exercises were over that Zhao Yuanzhen quickly removed her mask and, with a whoosh, dived into the blanket, silent thereafter.

    But Lin Ning was feeling conflicted.

    Since spending the night here last time, she still couldn¡¯t swallow her pride, sneaking back to her own room every night after her cultivation exercises were done.

    Of course, there was always the danger of being discovered, forcing Lin Ning to squat by the door every time, sweeping the corridor outside with her Divine Sense for a long time before daring to leave.

    After tonight¡¯s cultivation session, seeing that Zhao Yuanzhen had chosen to stay again, she immediately felt a surge of ¡°I demand equal treatment¡± but could not voice it due to her self-respect.

    After thinking for a long time, forget it.

    Lin Ning reached the door, verified with her Divine Sense that no one was outside, then twisted the lock. She glanced at Yan Yu and, seeing that he showed no sign of asking her to stay, immediately felt a surge of anger.

    She decided to leave in a huff, putting on an air of ¡°I don¡¯t want to stay here anyway,¡± but suddenly her face changed, and she quickly darted to Yan Yu¡¯s bed and dived into the blanket in a flash.

    Just as Yan Yu was about to ask what was going on, he suddenly heard a knock on the door from outside.

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± said Ye Jun, ¡°are you asleep?¡± S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu decided to feign sleep in silence, but then he heard Ye Jun exclaim in surprise:

    ¡°Eh? The door is unlocked¡­ it opened by itself, I didn¡¯t push it!¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­

    He remembered Ningning had just unlocked the door and, upon discovering Ye Jun¡¯s approach, had immediately abandoned it and fled, which led the door to be carelessly left ajar.

    ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± Yan Yu tucked a pillow into the blankets and, keeping his composure, asked without betraying any emotion.

    Ye Jun walked into the room, casually closing the door behind her. Seeing the bulging blankets beside Yan Yu, she initially felt puzzled and curious, but then subconsciously assumed it was just several pillows piled up inside and thus didn¡¯t suspect anything. She simply sighed and said:

    ¡°Sorry to disturb you, I can¡¯t fall asleep. My mind is full of concerns about the team.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead,¡± said Yan Yu.

    Under the blankets, Lin Ning twisted his thigh forcefully.

    Talk you head off! Hurry up and send her away with a polite brush-off!

    ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± Ye Jun started, sitting down on the chair by the desk, and suddenly said, ¡°I feel that I can¡¯t continue like this.¡±

    ¡°What exactly do you mean?¡± Yan Yu inquired.

    Lin Ning twisted even more forcefully ¨C are you really going to keep asking out of curiosity?

    As she kept fidgeting, Yan Yu could only bend his legs, creating the shape of a small tent with his blanket to give more space inside.

    The nearby Zhao Yuanzhen appeared to be asleep, quiet and without any reaction, allowing Yan Yu to breathe a sigh of relief.

    ¡°It¡¯s the Dragon Soar Team¡¯s issue,¡± said Ye Jun. ¡°The team wants me to use the Xuan Guang Ruler to protect everyone during battles, but this means I can¡¯t put any effort into practicing attack moves. If this continues, I¡¯ll definitely be eliminated.¡±

    ¡°Rather than being slowly boiled like a frog in warm water, it¡¯s better to just switch teams. Even if the corresponding treatment and resources decrease, at least my potential for future growth won¡¯t be stifled.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Yan Yu analyzed for her. ¡°But there¡¯s a problem: if you just up and leave, what will the Dragon Soar Team do? With four pure damage dealers, their tactical options are already limited, and they rely entirely on your Xuan Guang Ruler¡¯s defense to ward off control spells. Without the Xuan Guang Ruler, how will they continue to fight?¡±

    ¡°The Dingbei Army should be able to resolve that,¡± thought Ye Jun, I¡¯m being forced to switch teams, why should I care about my old employer?

    ¡°Just afraid that the Dingbei Army¡¯s solution is to try everything to prevent you from leaving,¡± Yan Yu pointed out sharply.

    Ye Jun was momentarily stunned by his words, then fell silent.

    Could that be? From what she knew of the Dingbei Army, it was very likely.

    ¡°The premise for a transfer to be approved is that, after the transfer, the situation looks indeed better than before,¡± Yan Yu continued analyzing. ¡°Even Lord Master, if he proposed to switch to being an Assistant Officer or Envoy, would most likely not be approved. Why? Because his damage is both strong and showy, why would the higher-ups take the risk of allowing him to switch to support?¡±

    ¡°Similarly, if you want to leave the Dragon Soar Team, the biggest obstacle is not the Dingbei Army¡¯s upper echelons, but your past performance¡ªthe Xuan Guang Ruler as a defense tool is too powerful. With just a sweep of it, the others can go all out with their damage. If you abandon it, what will you switch to? An attacking or control Assistant Officer? Whether you can even succeed on those paths is unknown, they can¡¯t compare to the value of your specialized defense, so it¡¯s impossible for the upper echelons to approve.¡±

    ¡°So I¡¯m being held back by the Xuan Guang Ruler,¡± sighed Ye Jun.

    ¡°Your best course of action right now is to continue on your current path while privately exploring the possibilities of a transformation,¡± Yan Yu guided her through her confusion. ¡°For example, the Oil Lamp Treasure you acquired from the Mysterious Realm, you should thoroughly research and master it until your offense is at least decent. If in the future the team no longer needs a defense, you could simply switch your main Magic Treasure from the Xuan Guang Ruler to the Oil Lamp, so you¡¯re not directly eliminated.¡±

    ¡°Decent, meaning on par with our team¡¯s damage dealers?¡± Ye Jun couldn¡¯t help but show a bitter smile as tears uncontrollably welled up. ¡°It¡¯s difficult.¡±

    The Dragon Soar Team was the cream of the crop, and anyone who served as a damage dealer there was among the best in the entire Dingbei Army. She was a late starter, without Xie Ruoxi¡¯s freakish talents; to catch up with these top damage dealers was exceedingly difficult!

    Yan Yu thought, of course, I know it¡¯s difficult. If it was easy for you, you¡¯d have stayed with the Dragon Soar Team, right? How would I manage to poach you then?

    He chuckled inwardly, but outwardly, he continued to comfort her:

    ¡°While it¡¯s difficult, there¡¯s still feasibility. The future is in your hands.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± said Ye Jun, wiping away the tears on her face. She asked, ¡°Should I practice the Sword Control Technique, or the Oil Lamp Treasure?¡±

    ¡°Both,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    It was already hard to catch up to the output of her teammates by practicing just one discipline; now with two to master, the likelihood became even slimmer.

    Yan Yu¡¯s proposed solution couldn¡¯t solve the issue Ye Jun was worried about, but it could solve her worries¡ªmaking her think it could solve the problem.

    Once Ye Jun was cut from the Dragon Soar Team, I¡¯ll be there to take her in, gaining a Ye Jun who can attack and defend with a solid foundation of basics. After she takes root on my side, I¡¯ll officially teach her the high-end stuff and nurture her¡­ Wahaha, perfect!

    Why is Ningning touching my leg again¡­ Wait, is it the Enchantress?

    Zhao Yuanzhen was fast asleep, when suddenly she turned over and hugged Yan Yu¡¯s thigh.

    ¡°Your blanket is moving?¡± exclaimed Ye Jun in shock.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just my hand,¡± Yan Yu quickly withdrew his hand.

    But Ye Jun could see clearly that even after Yan Yu¡¯s hand was removed, the blanket was still slightly moving.

    Could there be someone hidden inside¡­

    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s getting late.¡± She stood up awkwardly, her face seemingly flushed. ¡°I¡¯ll be going then, won¡¯t disturb you any longer, haha¡­¡±

    As soon as Ye Jun left and closed the door, Lin Ning sprang up from the bed, dashed to the door to lock it, then swiftly used the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, appearing back on the bed as if by Flash, and pulled Zhao Yuanzhen off Yan Yu:

    ¡°Sister Zhao, you should sleep without clinging to the captain!¡±

    ¡°Ow!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was finally woken up, and complained discontentedly, ¡°What are you doing!¡±

 Chapter 536 - 32 The Rabbit Shrinks

    Chapter 536: Chapter 32 The Rabbit Shrinks

    Zhao Yuanzhen froze, speechless for a moment.

    In the past, after dual cultivation each night, Lin Ning would leave Yan Yu¡¯s room, which caused her to unconsciously form a mindset, let her guard down, and before hiding under the covers, took off her mask.

    But unexpectedly, Lin Ning actually stayed in the room tonight!

    Her anxiousness was written all over her face as she cast a pleading look at Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu revealed a smile that said, ¡°I¡¯m just here for the show, you guys carry on.¡±

    Seeing the exchange of glances between the two, Lin Ning could immediately tell that Sister Zhao¡¯s ¡°ruined appearance that can¡¯t be seen by others¡± was a lie all along, and said irritably:

    ¡°You lied to me? You treat me like an outsider?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen quickly interrupted, afraid that her next words would be ¡°cook for yourself tomorrow.¡± Seeing that Yan Yu had no intention of explaining, she became both angry and upset, clenched her teeth tightly, and tears streamed down her face, looking extremely tragic.

    Although Lin Ning was still angry, she had never seen her like this before, and her tone softened a bit as she said in a panic:

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t¡­ Captain! Say something!¡±

    ¡°She participated in a Divine Sense hosting experiment last time,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°The side effect is that she cannot control her emotions, so she¡¯s been wearing the mask and staying in her room every day, afraid of being discovered by you all.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Only then did Lin Ning realize that Sister Zhao had her reasons.

    Zhao Yuanzhen also breathed a sigh of relief, wiped away her tears, and was about to speak when she heard Lin Ning ask:

    ¡°So, is that why you cling to the Captain when you¡¯re asleep? Because you¡¯re emotionally vulnerable and subconsciously seeking support?¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s heart leaped with joy at this, Lin surely knew how to add to the imagination, yet he put on a helpless face and sighed:

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. Her current psychological state is very unstable, a bad dream at night can startle her awake, and I have no choice but to suffer and be used as a pillow¡­ Don¡¯t ask me if I sleep well. As captain, as long as you all sleep soundly, I¡¯m satisfied.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Lin Ning responded indifferently.

    Do you take me for a fool?

    But, I can only pretend not to know.

    After all, throwing a fit right now would only annoy the captain, and I might even be thrown out¡ªwho knows? After all, I¡¯m just ordinary friends with the captain right now, I have no right to interfere in their relationship.

    I can only endure with humiliation.

    ¡°I see.¡± Lin Ning pretended to believe, and nodded, ¡°But Captain, you must be tired as well. How about I help out tonight and take your place to sleep with Sister Zhao?¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s expression stiffened immediately, and Zhao Yuanzhen frowned slightly as well.

    She did not have any interest in women. Of course, her Daoist couple¡¯s embrace and scent brought her more comfort than Lin Ning. But before she could voice her refusal, she heard Lin Ning¡¯s telepathic message:

    ¡°I recently learned how to make braised terrapin, and I was just looking for someone to test the dish.¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen instantly betrayed her previous stance, ¡°Then Ningning and I can sleep together, okay?¡±

    Hearing the Demonic Sect Enchantress agreeing, Yan Yu did not say much more. After all, he was a man of great will and determination, not one to quarrel with Lin Ning over the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s beauty and charm¡ªit would undermine my dignity as captain!

    Lin Ning climbed onto the bed quietly, sleeping between Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen, using her body to separate them.

    On Yan Yu¡¯s side, the lights were turned off, and the room was immediately plunged into darkness.

    Feeling the warmth from both sides, Lin Ning closed her eyes with peace of mind.

    Good, this way, Sister Zhao won¡¯t throw herself at the captain.

    As the night grew deeper, their biological clocks kicked in, and all three fell asleep.

    In her subconscious, Zhao Yuanzhen turned and hugged Lin Ning next to her, and lifted her leg over her.

    Lin Ning, unaccustomed to this weight, although not instantly awake, was uncomfortable in her sleep and turned around with difficulty, freeing herself from the Enchantress¡¯s embrace and turning towards Yan Yu.

    Then she hugged him tightly.

    Yan Yu hadn¡¯t awakened either, but lately, being often affectionate with the Enchantress, his subconscious had smoothly shifted from lying on his back to his side, pulling Lin Ning¡ªwho was holding him¡ªinto his embrace¡ªjust as he used to do with Zhao Yuanzhen.

    Suddenly, he felt something subtly incorrect in his consciousness¡­ but couldn¡¯t pinpoint it, so he simply let it be.

    In his dreams, Yan Yu vaguely felt like he was holding two large rabbits. They were nuzzling about in his arms, their moist and warm noses sniffing around animatedly.

    Then, a blond villain appeared in front of him.

    The blond showed a smug and wicked smile, pulled out two capsules marked with ¡°APTX4869¡±, grabbed the ears of the rabbits in his embrace, and forcefully fed them with water.

    Soon, the rabbits began to shrink rapidly, turning from adult rabbits into those that seemed they were still in elementary school, with their size reduced by who knows how much.

    Yan Yu: ¡­

    No! My big rabbits!

    He hugged the two small rabbits tightly and wept sorrowful hot tears.

    At dawn, Yan Yu finally came around.

    For some reason, his heart was filled with a faint sadness¡­ What was this scent? Sea salt lemon?

    Yan Yu quickly came to his senses. Although he hadn¡¯t opened his eyes, he sensed that the girl in his arms¡ªnot voluptuous, but more resilient, especially that one-size-smaller feeling¡ªdefinitely was not the size the Demonic Sect Enchantress should have.

    Ningning?!

    Pretending that he hadn¡¯t woken up, Yan Yu first shifted from lying on his side to lying on his back and removed his left hand from Lin Ning.

    After a few minutes, he pretended to roll over accidentally and withdrew his right hand from under Lin Ning¡¯s neck.

    Then, her left hand caught him.

    With his heart racing, Yan Yu waited for a moment before confirming that Lin Ning hadn¡¯t woken up and was just unconsciously holding his hand¡ªof course, with Lin¡¯s proud personality, he hardly expected her to initiate any intimate physical contact with him while conscious.

    Except when she was furious.

    Yan Yu carefully withdrew his right hand once again and finally freed himself. Just as he was about to roll out of bed, his shoulder was suddenly caught. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    It was Zhao Yuanzhen, who was holding Lin Ning. She probably found the pillow in her arms smaller than usual and simply grabbed Yan Yu, who was further away, pulling him into her embrace as well.

    Lin Ning, like sandwich filling squeezed between them, quickly showed an uncomfortable expression.

    With no other choice, Yan Yu carefully opened Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s grip and quickly rolled off the bed onto the floor.

    Escape successful!

    After freshening up in the bathroom, Yan Yu had just pushed the door open when he saw Ye Jun also emerging from her room.

    ¡°Good morning, Yan Yu,¡± Ye Jun greeted. ¡°Have you eaten?¡±

    By habit, she should have smiled as she greeted, but she really wasn¡¯t in the mood to smile now.

    ¡°Not yet, just got up,¡± Yan Yu replied as he closed his room door. ¡°Shall we go for breakfast?¡±

    ¡°I could use your help with a few questions,¡± Ye Jun said.

    To cater to those team members who couldn¡¯t cook, there was a cafeteria in the recuperation area. It was said that previously, Military Mansion Cultivators had shown off their Divine Skills for the chance to be assigned as chefs here, even going as far as to forcibly learn dishes worthy of state banquets.

    The two picked up their trays and went to get food. Yan Yu lingered around the Chinese dishes, pondering what to eat, when he suddenly heard Ye Jun ask:

    ¡°How did you sleep last night?¡±

    ¡°Not well,¡± Yan Yu answered. ¡°I had a nightmare.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Ye Jun said expressionlessly. ¡°I hope it wasn¡¯t because I disturbed you.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not related to you,¡± Yan Yu said, not thinking there was anything amiss with her indifferent expression¡ªafter all, she wasn¡¯t in a normal mood.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Ye Jun¡¯s mouth twitched slightly.

 Chapter 537 - 33 Home Court Switch

    Chapter 537: Chapter 33 Home Court Switch

    As time passed, Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s symptoms of emotional control disorder gradually subsided¡ªmeaning the cute and tearful little enchantress would soon revert back to her original, impatient, vicious, and sly self, the Great Demoness.

    Although Yan Yu felt somewhat reluctant, considering that the little enchantress was unfit for battle, he could only hope for her quick recovery.

    Ye Jun¡¯s recovery pace was also nearly there, her spirit significantly stabilized, and occasionally, she could even manage a smile.

    But Yan Yu didn¡¯t know why, he always felt as if she had become much more distant from him. Although they still chatted occasionally, after a little while, she would find an excuse to leave, seemingly unwilling to stay with him.

    Could it be that Lord Master had drawn another pie in the sky for her, promising some generous treatment?

    Well, it wasn¡¯t wrong for Liu Longtao to do such a thing, after all, at this stage, the Dragon Soar Team was still highly dependent on the Xuan Guang Ruler. Old Liu, as the team captain, of course, wouldn¡¯t mistreat his brothers and sisters. The day Ye Jun no longer held value to the team, she would no longer be Old Liu¡¯s sibling, and would voluntarily apply to leave the team. At that time, I would welcome her into¡­ no, win her over to join my team.

    I, Yan Yu, am different from Old Liu; I never solely measure a person by their value to the team!

    Just as he thought this, Liu Longtao¡¯s call suddenly came through.

    ¡°She¡¯s not yet fully recovered,¡± Yan Yu answered the phone and said bluntly, ¡°When she¡¯s completely recovered, she¡¯ll tell you herself.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking about Ye Jun; she can stay as long as she wants with you!¡± Liu Longtao couldn¡¯t help laughing and crying, ¡°You know about the Northern Border, right?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s happened at the Northern Border?¡± Yan Yu asked with a frown, ¡°Is there trouble with the witches again?¡±

    ¡°Not the Amur Witch¡¯s Group.¡± Liu Longtao replied, ¡°It¡¯s the Rakshasa side that has seen the rise of a new hero named ¡®Great Emperor¡¯ Peter.¡±

    Lord Master¡¯s tone sounded like he was talking about a new hero in ¡°Honor of Kings,¡± but Yan Yu knew he was just feigning calm. If it was just a minor character, he wouldn¡¯t have bothered to make a special call, so Yan Yu humorously asked:

    ¡°Is he any good?¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t stand out before, and the intelligence on him is scarce,¡± Liu Longtao answered, ¡°This guy comes from civilian Transcendents and seems to have found some relic; his power surged suddenly, and now the Rakshasa officials have publicly announced their intentions to recruit him.¡±

    This is the unpredictability of civilian Transcendents. You have national resources, I have once-in-a-lifetime adventures; you train hard for over thirty years, the Elixir Medicine constantly supporting your internal development to achieve minor success, and I accidentally fall off a cliff only to meet a hermit who imparts to me a lifetime¡¯s worth of ¡®The Faceless One¡¯s¡¯ skills¡­ Though the chance of encountering such adventures is slim, when multiplied by the huge population, there will still be an endless stream of strong civilians emerging, and no country can deal with it.

    ¡°And then?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Then, this guy came around to Asia to look for Transcendent powers and killed over forty leaders within a week,¡± Liu Longtao said gravely.

    Transcendent forces have always operated on the principle of survival of the fittest; the leader may not be the smartest, but they are definitely the strongest in the gang. This Peter¡¯s ability to decisively crush so many leaders implies that his combat power has definitely created a gap from the average level of world-class Transcendents and is beginning to approach Liu Longtao¡¯s tier ¡ªno wonder Lord Master would specifically call about it.

    ¡°But getting rid of the leaders is useless,¡± Yan Yu casually remarked, ¡°It just leaves the top spot of the gang open. You kill someone today, and you don¡¯t even have to wait till tomorrow; someone will soon fill in the slot, and it doesn¡¯t help them to regain territory in the slightest.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s probably just doing it to establish dominance,¡± Liu Longtao paused, ¡°Old Yan, you understand, right?¡±

    ¡°What do I understand¡­ Anna?¡± Yan Yu was suddenly startled.

    ¡°Although he¡¯s moving from west to east, and the Amur Witches will be the last on his list,¡± Liu Longtao chuckled, ¡°However, The Faceless One Anastasia is quite worried about this and has specifically sent a diplomatic communiqu¨¦, hoping that Lu Country can provide support.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Yan Yu fell into deep contemplation.

    Just like the other Transcendent forces entrenched in the north of Asia, killing the Amur Witch¡¯s Group¡¯s leader would be futile; those below wouldn¡¯t scatter because of this, they would just vie for the position after you left¡­ unless you can eliminate everyone, which is clearly impossible.

    But if Anna were to be defeated and killed in her battle with Peter, it would mean that the connection between the Witch¡¯s Group and Lu Country would be significantly weakened. What the Privy Council is probably considering is Anna¡¯s Lu Country background, and what Anastasia is worried about is most likely the fact that Anna and I have a good relationship.

    Should the Witch¡¯s Group lose Anna and bring in a new witch who doesn¡¯t know me, I wouldn¡¯t treat her as I do Anna. After all, she would be a stranger, and from then on, everything would be strictly business.

    ¡°I understand,¡± Yan Yu replied. ¡°The Privy Council sent you to test my will, didn¡¯t they?¡±

    ¡°After all, this is a delicate time, everyone is fully committed to advancing to the Hua Mansion Stage,¡± Liu Longtao said frankly. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to delay your cultivation progress, those higher up can understand, and we can simply send someone else.¡±

    ¡°Send someone else? Will they be able to win?¡± asked Yan Yu. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°That I don¡¯t know,¡± admitted Liu Longtao. ¡°Moreover, with Peter¡¯s eastern campaign, it¡¯s hard to say when he¡¯ll arrive in Amur, it could be several days¡¯ wait over there.¡±

    Yan Yu continued to ponder: In my past life, Emperor Peter and Eclipse Anna were fairly matched, with no clear winner. If Peter had been stronger, Anna wouldn¡¯t have had the chance to unify the whole of Siberia; but if Anna had been stronger, she wouldn¡¯t have settled for the title of Queen of the Northern Border, but would have directly ascended to the throne of the Rakshasa Empress and become Anna the Second.

    In the long run, Anna was probably the stronger, with Peter mainly adopting a defensive stance in Europe to prevent Anna from crossing the Ural Mountains. Continuing this line of reasoning, it¡¯s very likely that in the past, when Peter went on his eastern expedition to Amur, he was so badly defeated by Anna that he lost all confidence and thus chose to hunker down within his borders.

    However, the circumstances of my past life cannot confirm the current situation. After all, fate has changed, maybe Anna didn¡¯t encounter some fortuitous adventure she might have had because she knew me, and her strength decreased accordingly?

    ¡°Forget it, I¡¯ll go,¡± Yan Yu quickly decided.

    ¡°Heh,¡± Liu Longtao mused. ¡°The ancients had a saying: heroes find it hard to overcome the allure of a beautiful woman¡­¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Yan Yu said righteously. ¡°If Anna falls in battle, the Amur Witch¡¯s Group will certainly face a power vacuum and internal tumult, leading directly to instability on our northern border. For the country and the people, I must make this journey. Don¡¯t measure me by your filthy thoughts! Goodbye!¡±

    After hanging up the phone, Yan Yu quickly gathered everyone and announced the news.

    ¡°Heading to the Northern Border?¡± asked Lin Ning. ¡°What about your cultivation? The concentration of Spiritual Energy in the Northern Border¡­ can¡¯t compare to the Mysterious Realm, right?¡±

    ¡°It has to be put on hold,¡± Yan Yu stated solemnly. ¡°So, I¡¯ll be the only one going on this trip. You all stay here and continue to cultivate, striving to reach the Hua Mansion Stage as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Can we come find you after reaching the Hua Mansion Stage?¡± Su Yunjin¡¯s eyes lit up; she felt she was not far from reaching the Great Perfection of the Marrow Cleansing Stage.

    ¡°You can apply with Li Weiguo,¡± said Yan Yu. ¡°But the limit of the Spiritual Energy concentration here hasn¡¯t been reached just by advancing to the Hua Mansion Stage. I suggest it would be better for you to continue cultivating at that time.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Su Yunjin sighed, disappointedly.

    Ye Jun remained silent, coldly observing with a sigh in her heart. The girls of the Zhenhai Team¡­ clearly have feelings for Yan Yu.

    Sigh, originally, I thought I was fortunate enough to meet someone I was comfortable with, and I wanted to see if it was possible to develop further. Who would expect that the queue of women interested in him has already begun to form? Truly, high-quality men are in demand everywhere.

    ¡°Ye Jun, if you¡¯ve recovered, you can go back to the Dragon Soar Team on your own. I¡¯m not sure when I¡¯ll return, so there¡¯s no need to inform me,¡± Yan Yu conveyed to her privately.

    ¡°What if I want to stay and play for a few more days after I¡¯ve recovered?¡± Ye Jun asked with a smile.

    ¡°Sure, you can talk to Lord Master about it,¡± said Yan Yu. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to stay here as long as you like.¡±

    ¡°If I stay too long, won¡¯t I be perceived as a rival by your girlfriends?¡± Ye Jun joked.

    ¡°Ah?¡±

 Chapter 538 - 34 Return to the Northern Border

    Chapter 538: Chapter 34 Return to the Northern Border

    Yan Yu was utterly baffled and spent a long time explaining to Ye Jun through voice transmission, clarifying that he had not entered into a romantic relationship with anyone.

    I¡¯m still the proud owner of a golden bachelor status, alright? Look, the golden-haired queen of the Northern Country is already summoning me to save her. If I already had someone, would she still be thinking about me? She¡¯d kick me to the curb without a second thought.

    Ye Jun just laughed ¡°hehehe¡± without arguing or showing that she believed him, which confused Yan Yu even more.

    In any case, after explaining the situation to the ladies, Yan Yu made a phone call to Li Weiguo to report in.

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Li Weiguo indicated that he was already aware, ¡°Even though you¡¯re going to support them, you can¡¯t neglect your daily breathing exercises and energy refining. The Privy Council has already made arrangements with the Amur Witch¡¯s Group. They have prepared a place with the richest Spiritual Energy for your residence and cultivation.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re really too kind.¡± Yan Yu could only laugh ¡°hehehe¡± in response.

    What the heck! Do I still need to practice breathing and energy refining? Once I get back, I¡¯ll just pull Xie Ruoxi into a Joint Cultivation group, and in minutes, I could boost you to the Hua Fu Stage, easy peasy!

    ¡°By the way,¡± Li Weiguo continued, ¡°there¡¯s another matter.¡±

    ¡°After you face Peter, if you¡¯re confident you can beat him, try not to kill him¡ªit would be an extra credit for the mission.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t ask why Lu Country didn¡¯t want Peter dead.

    Isn¡¯t that obvious? The more formidable Emperor Peter is, the more the Amur Witch¡¯s Group will cozy up to Lu Country! A common enemy who¡¯s tough to beat is the best guarantee for a bilateral friendship.

    After hanging up the phone, Yan Yu started his journey to the Northern Border.

    It was now late spring, early summer. The southern part of Lu Country was already bustling with lush growth, while many areas in the north were still cold and barren¡ªthe farther north you went, the more pronounced it was.

    After crossing the three Northeast provinces, one would enter the region internationally known as the ¡°Northern Border.¡± Although it is not declared independent from Rakshasa internationally, anyone with clear eyes could see that this territory was no longer under Rakshasa¡¯s control but was occupied by various Transcendent factions of differing sizes.

    The smallest factions might only govern a single village, while larger ones controlled towns or even cities. There were also affiliations among the factions, with lower-level factions loyal to mid-level ones, periodically paying taxes, providing manpower, and answering the call to arms. Meanwhile, mid-level factions groveled to those at the top of the pyramid, fulfilling nearly identical obligations.

    At the top of the pyramid was the Amur Witch¡¯s Group. After defeating the Belarus Bear-men, they had nominally taken over the entire Eastern Siberia region, with no other Transcendent force daring to challenge them.

    The entire Northern Border had regressed straight back to the feudal system of the Middle Ages¡ªperhaps even more primitive and savage. No customary rules had to be followed, and vassals could always rise against their lords to take over, all depending on who was stronger.

    Yan Yu flew on his sword for a while, then suddenly noticed explosions up ahead.

    He quickly focused his gaze and saw two groups of bats scattering in flight, while a woman riding a broomstick was raining down a variety of long-range attacks on them.

    Witch.

    Strictly speaking, in the entire northern part of Asia and Eastern Europe, witches could emerge. However, due to the rise of the Amur Witch¡¯s Group, most witches had migrated eastward, and thus the professional term internationally used for this occupation became ¡°Amur Witch.¡±

    The Amur Witch is similar to a Sword Immortal and can ride on a broom to fly at high speed and make agile turns, and are also capable of deploying a variety of long-range attacks, mainly divided into three categories: Spells, Summoning, and Curses.

    Since his former life, Yan Yu did not know any witches, so his knowledge about them was limited. He only knew that Spells had physical forms, such as a ball of fire or an ice arrow. Curses, on the other hand, were silent and instantaneous, and without the need to travel, they would descend upon the enemy and take effect immediately through some unknown means. As for Summoning, it involved calling forth various evil creatures from Hell.

    ¡°`

    The three methods of attack had their strengths and weaknesses, with no clear superiority. For instance, the title of the Eclipse Queen from my past life came about because she cursed the moon, rendering its light unable to shine upon the Northern Border region forever. Consequently, any Transcendent who wished to oppose her had to weigh their capability to intervene with the stars above.

    As Yan Yu pursued with his Sword Control, he naturally caught the attention of that witch. She held down the hat on her head while forcefully pulling her broom up, quickly flying towards us, shouting in incomprehensible Rakshasa language.

    When she got close to Yan Yu, she suddenly paused, then switched to fluent Lu Country language: S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Divine General Yan Yu? Are you from Lu Country?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here to find Anna.¡± Yan Yu answered, secretly surprised when the Lu Country language had become the official language of the Northern Border, such that even random people he encountered on the street spoke it.

    ¡°Oh? Oh. Oh!¡± The young witch exclaimed ¡°Oh¡± three times, her face breaking into a beaming smile, ¡°That¡¯s great, the Elders were just discussing when you would come¡­ I¡¯ll show you the way.¡±

    She turned her broom and began to fly, while Yan Yu followed closely with his Sword Control, listening to the young witch chat away incessantly:

    ¡°It¡¯s really great that you could come. Due to Emperor Peter¡¯s foolish eastern campaign, many Transcendents from the west are migrating eastward. Hence, there have been constant attempts by riffraff to invade our territory. Those two just now were the infamous vampire sisters, Evgenia the Elder and Fugonia the Younger, who used to operate around Veldrolovsk. Fearing a duel with Emperor Peter, they came to our Witch¡¯s Group seeking refuge, asking outright for a city to be given to them for raising their blood livestock. Shameless bitches, get the fuck out¡­ Is this how you curse in Lu Country language?¡±

    ¡°Pretty much,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Your Lu Country language is pretty good.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, I learned by watching Lu Country TV dramas,¡± the young witch replied, ¡°I especially love your Channel Six, with all the foreign movies dubbed in various translations, haha. By the way, I¡¯m Clara. Clara Sharapova.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, nice to meet you.¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°I only joined the Amur Witch¡¯s Group earlier this year.¡± Clara continued, ¡°When they were fighting the Belarus Bear-men, I was still boiling herbal medicine in the village! So you probably haven¡¯t met me before, but I¡¯m especially close to Anna¡ªshe likes to use ¡®iron¡¯ to describe a strong friendship.¡±

    Yan Yu thought the young witch was a bit talkative, but since she mentioned Anna, it was worth asking about her situation:

    ¡°How has Anna been recently?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s been good,¡± Clara said with a smile, ¡°Previously, Elder Anastasia ostensibly handed over power to Anna, but in reality, she still held onto it, keeping the Witch¡¯s Group¡¯s affairs firmly in her grip. Anna argued with her a few times, realizing her stubbornness to concede, so she simply stopped bothering with the group¡¯s internal affairs and began to focus on meditation and cultivation.¡±

    ¡°As a result, Anna¡¯s strength improved rapidly, while the Elders were bogged down with all kinds of trivial matters, and her power ended up far surpassing theirs. Now everyone has started to notice something¡¯s amiss and they want to return authority to Anna to free up their own time for meditation and cultivation. But Anna refuses, hahaha, it¡¯s driving the old bunch crazy.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how it is,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Rather than holding onto power, it¡¯s better to improve one¡¯s strength. Power follows the sword.¡±

    ¡°All in all, Anna is now the number one witch in our Witch¡¯s Group, both nominally and by strength ranking, and she is also the spiritual leader of all us witches,¡± Clara continued, ¡°But she often says that you are far stronger than her, and she tells us to watch more Lu Country shows and learn the Lu Country language. She says if the Amur Witch¡¯s Group ever faces an enemy they can¡¯t survive, she might dissolve the group and seek refuge in Lu Country with you. But if we don¡¯t speak Lu Country language, Lu Country certainly won¡¯t take us in.¡±

    ¡°Even if you could speak Lu Country language, Lu Country wouldn¡¯t dare to take you in,¡± Yan Yu commented, ¡°So many unknown witches turning up within Lu Country¡¯s borders, who would dare to accept you!¡±

    ¡°Haha, I think so too,¡± Clara chuckled, ¡°So, Yan Yu, since we¡¯re now acquainted, if I follow Anna to Lu Country to seek refuge, you should help convince your officials to approve my asylum application, right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say, how strong are you?¡± Yan Yu asked, frowning.

    ¡°I¡¯m a virgin,¡± Clara said.

    ¡°`

 Chapter 539 - 35 The Golden-Haired Queen

    Chapter 539: Chapter 35 The Golden-Haired Queen

    ¡°`

    The circumstances were actually not complex.

    Emperor Peter¡¯s eastern expedition to establish prestige had made the Amur Witch¡¯s Group feel like they were facing a great enemy, as the alliance between Lu Country and the Witch¡¯s Group was not stable. For Lu Country, there was no difference between the Amur Witch¡¯s Group and other Transcendent forces. Today, an agreement might be reached with the leader, but tomorrow the leader could be overthrown by their deputies, and the previously agreed terms would be completely overturned. The instability was simply too great.

    The alliance was formed because Yan Yu, the number one Cultivator of Lu Country, and Anna, the current Chief Witch of the Witch¡¯s Group, had an intimate relationship¡ªthe Elders¡¯ Council, putting themselves in his shoes, believed that since Yan Yu was so powerful, he must have a significant say within Lu Country.

    That is to say, if Anna were to be unfortunate enough to pass away, the alliance might dissolve on the spot.

    In order to prevent this, Anastasia proposed a Plan-B, which was to select several young and beautiful witches from the Witch¡¯s Group to be Anna¡¯s backups.

    She arranged for her subordinates to sound out Anna, asking what kind of woman Yan Yu liked. Of course, Anna wasn¡¯t cooperative and said that Yan Yu was a traditional Lu Country man who liked virgins. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    This really stumped the Elders¡¯ Council. The Rakshasa nation was extremely open in its customs; most of the young and beautiful had already had their first time, and those who were still pure were likely unattractive, so after several rounds of screening throughout the group, they finally chose six young witches who were decent in both looks and figure while also coming from religious families or conservative rural areas, thus still virginal, planning to have them act as ¡°sisters¡± to Anna to get familiar with Yan Yu during this opportunity.

    Nominal sisters, but actual backups!

    According to the arrangement by the Elders¡¯ Council, at this stage it was still Anna who would continue to cultivate a relationship with Yan Yu, and the ¡°sisters¡± would just consider Yan Yu as a ¡°brother-in-law.¡± After all, Anna was still the Chief Witch, and no one else had any reason or right to compete with her for her lover.

    Of course, should Anna encounter any misfortune, the backups would then compete for the position, and whichever Yan Yu liked would be sent to him. As long as the situation could be stabilized, that would suffice.

    For Clara, even though the Elders¡¯ Council did not permit action, a backup that didn¡¯t want to be the real deal wasn¡¯t a good spare. I¡¯m already Anna¡¯s sister, so it¡¯s normal for me to have a closer relationship with my ¡°brother-in-law,¡± right?

    Yan Yu, however, was unaware of the details, his brows furrowed as he corrected her:

    ¡°I was talking about combat ability, not anything else.¡±

    Clara was also somewhat embarrassed, and laughed:

    ¡°Oh, I should be equivalent to the Marrow Cleansing Stage of your Cultivators, but my spells are very powerful.¡±

    She quickly threw out a few green missiles that burst into bright sparks in the air, bragging:

    ¡°Those two Vampires couldn¡¯t beat me.¡±

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t know what kind of spell she was using, but considering she had already reached the Marrow Cleansing Stage and wouldn¡¯t lack actual combat experience, he tentatively recognized her as 0.5 Ning, a mid-level water standard of the world first-class.

    ¡°Besides, although I¡¯ve still got my first time, I¡¯ve seen quite a lot of romance movies,¡± Clara added, ¡°so if it¡¯s about that kind of ability, I¡¯m confident I won¡¯t be inferior¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°I¡¯m not interested in that.¡±

    ¡°Certainly,¡± Clara responded sheepishly, smiling, ¡°I know you like Anna, I was just making casual conversation.¡±

    Yan Yu: ???

    Wait, I don¡¯t have any sort of relationship with you, why are you acting like a mistress who¡¯s failed to sneak around?

    But he had no time to wonder too much, as Amur City was already visible up ahead.

    Suddenly, a streak of light flew towards them. It was Anna, riding on a broomstick, who had come after hearing the news and flew next to Yan Yu¡¯s sword light.

    ¡°You¡¯ve arrived?¡± She revealed a joyful and excited smile.

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Yan Yu responded indifferently.

    ¡°Clara.¡± Anna turned her head, ordering unequivocally, ¡°We don¡¯t need you here. Go get something to eat and bring it to my room.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Clara replied obediently, swiftly maneuvering her broomstick to descend.

    Anna led Yan Yu to land on the highest rooftop in the city, jumped off the broom, and said:

    ¡°`

    ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t want to trouble you to come, I could have handled that Peter guy by myself. It¡¯s just that the Elders¡¯ Council found Lu Country behind my back¡­¡±

    ¡°Even if you didn¡¯t plan to ask me for help, you should have at least told me,¡± Yan Yu sighed, ¡°It¡¯s related to you, yet somehow, I ended up hearing about it from someone else this time.¡±

    ¡°I fight at least dozens of times a month, if I told you about every single one, you¡¯d start to find me annoying.¡± Anna wrinkled her nose and huffed discontentedly.

    ¡°Have I ever found you annoying?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    ¡°Although you haven¡¯t said it outright, the fact that you never reply to my messages immediately proves that your attitude is rather perfunctory and passive,¡± Anna stated with confidence.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­

    Though she had a mixed-blood appearance, only a woman from Lu Country could say something like that, bringing a hometown flavor that made Yan Yu feel a sense of closeness.

    The two of them walked down from the rooftop staircase and arrived at the high-rise residence where Anna was currently living.

    In the living room, they saw a complex array drawn on the floor with paint. Anna dragged a chair over from the dining area and instructed Yan Yu,

    ¡°Sit here, and don¡¯t mess up the array on my floor.¡±

    ¡°What kind of formation is this?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s for collecting light.¡± Anna opened the fridge and answered, ¡°Werewolves lose their minds under the moonlight, and vampires get scorched in the sunlight, so if you can control the sunlight and moonlight, you can gain an advantage in fights against werewolves and vampires.¡±

    ¡°Back in our place, that¡¯s called ¡®Essence of Sun and Moon¡¯,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°If I get the chance to obtain some, I¡¯ll send you a few bottles.¡±

    ¡°You can keep it in bottles?¡± Anna asked in surprise, tossing him a bottle of beer.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu said.

    While chatting and drinking, Yan Yu finally had time to take a good look at the golden-haired girl he hadn¡¯t seen in a long time.

    Though it hadn¡¯t been quite a year since they last saw each other, the long-term battles had clearly caused some sort of transformation in her aura. If the high school girl he met in Shengjing was once a child who hadn¡¯t been beaten down by society, the current Anna had already gained the dignity and maneuvering of someone in power¡ªeven when chatting casually, she would subconsciously guide the conversation, keeping control without coming across as aggressive or causing dislike.

    Her golden hair had been cut short, barely reaching her shoulders, with strands on either side braided and tied into a nobly ladylike bun at the back of her head, making her appear more mature and alluring. Her facial features were still pretty, but her eyes were no longer naive or hesitant, occasionally flashing a sharp and piercing edge.

    It seemed that certain areas had grown somewhat. The image he remembered of her as being quite different from the Demonic Sect Enchantress now didn¡¯t seem to be so far off, and the shape was clearly different, resembling soft, unsupported cotton¡­

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Anna suddenly asked with a smile.

    ¡°Cough, cough.¡± Yan Yu coughed and said, ¡°Nice clothes, where¡¯d you buy them?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the uniform of the Amur Witch¡¯s Group.¡± Anna twirled her collar and smiled, ¡°How do you like the style, fancy it?¡±

    ¡°It looks quite nice,¡± Yan Yu commented objectively and fairly, ¡°The aesthetic sense of the Rakshasa people is something Lu Country folks can trust.¡±

    ¡°Each member of the Witch¡¯s Group gets three sets of the uniform,¡± Anna said with a seductive smile, pulling her clothing open slightly to show him, ¡°This is the witch¡¯s robe, made of thick cotton. Not only does it absorb water and block dust, but blood stains aren¡¯t too noticeable on it, and it can have spells and rituals attached to it, giving it some magical functions.¡±

    ¡°Then, this is the sweater, mainly for warmth and protection against the cold, available in winter and summer versions. The winter version has a high neck, and what I¡¯m wearing is the summer version, which is thinner.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s also a set of underwear, let me show you¡­¡±

    She spoke very quickly, hardly giving Yan Yu a chance to interject, just as she had unbuttoned half of her sweater. Suddenly, Clara barged in from outside with a plate full of roasted meat, calling out,

    ¡°Anna! The food¡¯s here, where should I put it¡­¡±

    ¡°Get out!¡±

 Chapter 540 - 36 Meal Replacement

    Chapter 540: Chapter 36 Meal Replacement

    Anna¡¯s command to ¡°Get out!¡± scared Clara so much that she immediately set the tray aside and ran off as fast as her legs could carry her.

    Yan Yu watched, dumbstruck, and thought to himself, when did you develop such an Overlord¡¯s Dominance? Why didn¡¯t I know about this?

    ¡°That little wench did it on purpose,¡± Anna said bitterly, then turned her head and resumed her smile, ¡°Let¡¯s continue talking about the lingerie¡­¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about lingerie for the moment,¡± Yan Yu raised his hand to stop her, ¡°It was you who ordered her to bring the food over, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Anna replied calmly, ¡°But she entered without knocking, which is against the rules, so I scolded her. By the way, she didn¡¯t say anything strange to you on the way here, did she?¡±

    Yan Yu said without any change in expression:

    ¡°Strange things?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Anna said with a smile, ¡°Like teasing you, flirting with you, or trying to seduce you with ambiguous words.¡±

    ¡°She did not, but why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°Hehe,¡± Anna¡¯s smile turned cold as she took a sip of wine and spoke somberly, ¡°Those old bastards don¡¯t trust that you only get along well with me, so they¡¯ve arranged for several young and beautiful girls, claiming they¡¯re to be my ¡®sisters,¡¯ but in reality, they¡¯re planning to use the honey trap on you.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re jealous,¡± Yan Yu realized.

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Anna slammed the table forcefully and shouted angrily, ¡°It was I who came first! And they¡¯re not even as pretty as me, let alone as strong, yet they dare to covet the man I set my sights on? They¡¯re outright defying the Heavenly Gang, a bunch of foolish temptresses!¡±

    ¡°Calm down,¡± Yan Yu said with a wry smile, ¡°You are the Chief Witch of the Witch¡¯s Group after all. I don¡¯t think the Elders¡¯ Council would be foolish enough to offend you outright. It¡¯s probably just as a precaution.¡±

    ¡°Humph,¡± Anna finally suppressed her anger, then suddenly frowned and stared at Yan Yu, asking, ¡°Are you taking delight in this?¡±

    ¡°Delight in what?¡± Yan Yu replied, spreading his hands innocently.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be deceived by those temptresses and their beauty,¡± Anna sneered, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you, many witches in the group hold a belief in the superiority of women over men. You might think you can start a harem here, but in their eyes, you¡¯re nothing more than a communal human-shaped massager. Once they have their way with you, taking turns to have their fun, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll be stumbling with every step you take!¡±

    ¡°Should I leave then?¡± Yan Yu feigned dissatisfaction and stood up, ¡°I¡¯ve come all this long way to help you, not to start some damn harem.¡±

    ¡°Ahem, Yan Yu,¡± Anna quickly softened her tone and apologized, ¡°I¡¯m not doubting you, just reminding you. Most of the witches are not easy to deal with. Take Clara, who brought you here, for example. She looks like a sweet young girl, right? In fact, she¡¯s a ruthless killer who doesn¡¯t even blink at taking lives and sees ordinary people as no more than livestock. Don¡¯t be fooled by her appearance.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already said,¡± Yan Yu replied helplessly, ¡°I¡¯m here specifically to make sure you don¡¯t get defeated by that Peter. As for whatever the Elders¡¯ Council is plotting, I don¡¯t care and it doesn¡¯t concern me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Anna said, not fully convinced but knowing Yan Yu had given his word, she didn¡¯t press the matter further.

    She then took out a tablet, pulled up the corresponding intelligence data, and discussed it with Yan Yu.

    ¡°That Peter, we¡¯ve sent people to buy his information from the west. It¡¯s confirmed that his profession is a Cleric, wielding a two-meter-long Golden Claymore ¡ª it seems much of his strength comes from this sword.¡±

    ¡°So this is a Magic Treasure,¡± Yan Yu mused.

    ¡°Right, a Magic Treasure only Clerics can use,¡± Anna continued, ¡°Not only can it be used for close combat, but it can also summon swords made of light that can be hurled at the enemy from afar.¡±

    She opened a video which showed Peter in combat with a Transcendent. The footage appeared to be taken with a smartphone, with shaky camera work and poorly adjusted focus, making it hard to see clearly.

    Just as Yan Yu leaned in to look closer, he heard Anna say:

    ¡°The tablet screen is too small, why don¡¯t you sit here and watch.¡±

    She made room next to her and gestured for Yan Yu to sit with her.

    Without being coy, Yan Yu sat down closely next to her, and they continued to analyze the battle video.

    Anna nestled close to him, her mind racing. Suddenly, a spark of inspiration flashed through her mind, and a thought surfaced:

    ¡°They¡¯ve all set honey traps. Why can¡¯t I use one, too?¡±

    ¡°Peter¡¯s speed isn¡¯t particularly fast, but his explosive power is strong,¡± Yan Yu commented while watching the video, ¡°From a standstill to a full-speed assault, it takes him less than half a second. Without mental preparation, being seized by his first move like that, one is likely to suffer a great loss.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Anna leaned in slightly closer, starting to rub against Yan Yu¡¯s left arm, ¡°You see, when he makes his assault, there¡¯s a faint golden light flickering over him. He must be using some kind of spell for instantaneous acceleration.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Yan Yu, apparently oblivious to the soft touch on his arm, continued, ¡°The golden claymore is also formidable, capable of cleaving a werewolf¡¯s body in two¡ªI recall that the hardness of a werewolf¡¯s skin after berserking is truly frightening.¡±

    ¡°It could also be a constraint against evil spirits,¡± Anna kept rubbing against Yan Yu¡¯s left arm, ¡°Werewolves, vampires, and the demons summoned by witches all inherently possess evil attributes. It would make sense for them to be restrained by holy magic treasures, right?¡±

    ¡°To be on the safe side, we still shouldn¡¯t let him get close,¡± Yan Yu suggested, ¡°Keep as much distance as possible, and attack from afar.¡±

    ¡°He should be able to predict that,¡± Anna almost fully pressed her body against him, her voice beginning to waver, ¡°I heard he¡¯s gotten his hands on Icarus¡¯s Boots¡­ do you know what those are?¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Yan Yu, ignoring the clinging warmth, said calmly, ¡°Winged Boots. You wear them on your feet and you can fly.¡±

    So-called Icarus¡¯s Boots were a simple flight magic treasure, developed specifically by various European countries to counter a force of Transcendents who all practiced Sword Control. From the outside, they looked like a pair of boots woven out of wax-like feathers. If someone wore them, they could tread on air as if it were solid ground, leveraging it to rapidly soar into the sky¡ªit was very suitable for close-combat professions that could not fly. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°But if Peter can fly, our witches¡¯ aerial advantage will be nullified,¡± Anna whispered in Yan Yu¡¯s ear, resting her head on his shoulder.

    ¡°The Winged Boots have a fatal flaw,¡± Yan Yu said blandly.

    ¡°What flaw?¡±

    ¡°Turning is extremely unresponsive,¡± Yan Yu explained, ¡°If you push off forcefully with both feet, you¡¯ll charge in one direction, and it¡¯s very hard to stop or turn sharply mid-course.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Anna nodded, ¡°Then I know how to deal with him. But tell me, don¡¯t you feel anything with me pressed up against you like this?¡±

    ¡°What do you want me to feel?¡± Yan Yu asked with a chuckle.

    Sorry, but your figure is indeed great, but I¡¯ve already been preemptively inoculated with a stronger dose by Zhao Yuanzhen.

    I¡¯m already mentally immune!

    Anna, unaware that Yan Yu¡¯s will had been specially trained, thought he was indifferent to her physical allure and felt an inexplicable sense of loss and displeasure.

    But then she thought, if a man gets hot and bothered by just a touch, what separates him from a rutting beast?

    No way would I fancy him!

    The less you fall for my charms, the more it rouses my interest to completely conquer you!

    Just you wait and see, man!

    ¡°Okay, then. I was worried you¡¯d be shy, but since you don¡¯t mind, I won¡¯t hold back either,¡± Anna said, nestling directly into Yan Yu¡¯s arms, her voice coquettish, ¡°There are many more videos in the folder. Let¡¯s study them closely tonight~¡±

    ¡°Do we really have to watch the videos in this position?¡± Yan Yu asked, raising an eyebrow.

    ¡°I have a deeper purpose in doing this,¡± Anna explained calmly and gently, ¡°You see, the Elders¡¯ Council over there wants to assign you a mistress, right? As long as you and I show a lovey-dovey, inseparable front, to avoid arousing my possessiveness and hostility, those little vixens wouldn¡¯t dare to come and harass you anymore. Yan Yu, you don¡¯t want to start a harem within our Amur Witch¡¯s Group and become a tool for witches¡¯ relief, do you?¡±

    That seemed to make some sense, but something didn¡¯t quite feel right?

    After careful consideration and seeing that Anna resembled the Enchantress a great deal, Yan Yu decided to consider it as having a meal replacement, which didn¡¯t seem like a bad idea after all.

 Chapter 541 - 37 Peter Has Arrived

    Chapter 541: Chapter 37 Peter Has Arrived

    By the Lena River, a tall man squatted by the bank, pinching the moist riverbank clay.

    ¡°At the end of the 16th century, after conquering the Khanate, the Rakshasa Empire began its expansion eastward from here,¡± said the man standing beside him. ¡°The combined water and land transport method ferried batches of colonizers to the Far East, and the emergence of each new settlement represented a further expansion of the empire¡¯s territory.¡±

    ¡°It took nearly a century to conquer the entirety of Eastern Siberia. But do you know how long it took the Rakshasas to lose this land? Merely three months.¡±

    ¡°Peter, it¡¯s the Tsar who expands territory that is empowered. Calling oneself ¡®Great Emperor¡¯ without being able to conquer new land, we would only call him a ¡®clown¡¯.¡±

    The tall Peter remained noncommittal, merely asking indifferently:

    ¡°On my way here, I have already killed all the Transcendents who dared to stand in my way. Isn¡¯t that conquest?¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± said the man beside him. ¡°You can kill their leaders, but they will quickly select a new one. What truly took this land from the Rakshasas are these uncontrolled illegal Spirit Communicators.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t kill them all, Sullivan,¡± Peter said.

    ¡°You can¡¯t kill them all, but you can rule them,¡± Sullivan said gravely. ¡°Look at the Amur Witch¡¯s Group. They didn¡¯t try to kill all the ¡®Non-Witches¡¯ on this land, but they controlled the Spirit Communicators with slaughter and fear, making them bow and scrape before the witches, making them¡­ kneel in submission.¡±

    After a long silence, Peter said:

    ¡°What the Amur Witch¡¯s Group can do, I can do as well.¡±

    ¡°I have no doubts about that,¡± Sullivan finally showed a smile. ¡°Peter, after you kill Anna, don¡¯t return to Rakshasa.¡±

    ¡°The Spirit Communicators on this land have already been ¡®combed through¡¯ by the Witch¡¯s Group. Those who resist management have been eliminated, leaving only those willing to accept the rule of the Witch¡¯s Group, settled under the order and framework they¡¯ve established. You just need to take control of the Witch¡¯s Group, and you can use this framework to control all the Spirit Communicators on this land, and even¡­ carve out your own nation.¡±

    ¡°Then, you will become the true Emperor Peter, not just some lucky guy who happened upon the Tsar¡¯s treasure.¡±

    After a prolonged silence, Peter¡¯s face finally showed some emotion.

    He extended his right arm, and several golden threads emerged from his sleeve, swiftly transforming into a nearly three-meter-long, brilliant golden sword, which he then swung down towards the east in a feigned strike.

    ¡°So,¡± Peter gazed at the distant horizon, declaring emphatically, ¡°my conquest starts here.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Yan Yu and Anna had been researching intelligence all through the night.

    ¡°The image Rakshasa officials have released of Peter paints him as a reticent patriot,¡± Anna said earnestly, clicking to close the window on her screen. ¡°But the reality is not that simple.¡±

    ¡°Some of my informants indicate that Peter has always sought a political status, while those bureaucrats are always stalling and evasive.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s normal,¡± Yan Yu commented. ¡°A country with such a painful history of losing more than half of its territory to a Spirit Communicator rebellion would naturally be extremely wary of them. Besides, Peter wasn¡¯t groomed by the officials; his origins are questionable¡ªwho would trust him without reservations? I think his initiation of this Eastern campaign may well be to assert his authority for the bureaucrats to see.¡±

    ¡°From that point of view, he¡¯s quite conceited,¡± Anna adjusted her position in his arms.

    ¡°How so?¡± Yan Yu prodded her intentionally.

    ¡°Because he must be certain he can¡¯t outmaneuver the bureaucrats, so he¡¯s resorting to showing off his military strength,¡± Anna revealed a beautiful smile. ¡°You know? When I first became Chief Witch, facing a group of old fools who wouldn¡¯t relinquish power, I often thought about using force to crush one of the Transcendent factions around me, to make an example to scare the others.¡±

    ¡°So, did you?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Anna slowly shook her head, her soft blonde hair brushing against Yan Yu¡¯s chin, ¡°because I later realized if I showed an intention of flipping the table, then no one would play by the rules with me anymore. The Elders¡¯ Council would surely see me as an enemy, not a rival in a competition.¡±

    ¡°So I say, Peter is a very arrogant man, unable to accept defeat at the card table, which is why he chose to launch an eastern campaign to establish his might. But his opponents are all mere mortals¡­ Humph, the more he demonstrates his formidable military power, the more the bureaucrats within the country will dread and ostracize him.¡±

    ¡°It seems that at least in terms of wisdom, my Anna has completely surpassed Peter.¡± Yan Yu agreed.

    How Transcendents establish themselves within mortal regimes is a subject of great complexity. Yan Yu was fortunate in that he met someone tolerant like Li Weiguo, the elder, and could reference Chen Lingyun¡¯s approach from his previous life, enabling him to confidently display his edge without causing jealousy and suppression from all sides.

    Peter¡¯s problem is that he doesn¡¯t know how to get along with mortal bureaucrats and is always greedily rushing things, which is why he had no choice but to leave domestic affairs and start his eastern campaign¡­ S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Hmm?

    ¡°Do you think he might learn from you?¡± Yan Yu suddenly had a thought, ¡°Go out and form his own power base?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡± Anna pondered for a while and then shook her head, ¡°No, if he wanted to seize territory for himself, there would have been plenty of lands along the way for him to establish a foothold.¡±

    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s just not impressed with them,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Throughout the vast North Asia region, it¡¯s your Amur Witch¡¯s Group that has integrated best in the east, everywhere else is chaos. He doesn¡¯t have enough people either; even if he conquers some land, he won¡¯t be able to establish order right away¡­ I bet he actually wants to take control of your Witch¡¯s Group, picking up something ready-made, then use it to challenge the homeland. If the homeland offers a low price, he might directly rebel and establish his own rule.¡±

    ¡°Well, he¡¯ll have to beat me first for that to happen,¡± Anna said with a cold laugh.

    ¡°Are you certain?¡± asked Yan Yu.

    ¡°I admit he¡¯s pretty tough,¡± Anna reviewed the intelligence gathered overnight in her mind and finally concluded, ¡°If it comes down to one-on-one combat, I have an eighty percent chance of winning.¡±

    ¡°Eighty percent is too low,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°And you should also guard against him not fighting you alone. Reports indicate he¡¯s brought a few people with him, Sullivan, Alexander, and Xie Liufu.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Anna stretched lazily, ¡°I¡¯ll also bring my husband over. If he wants to fight dirty, then we¡¯ll just go to war, and we¡¯re not afraid of that.¡±

    ¡°Who is your husband?¡± Yan Yu asked, playing dumb.

    ¡°Husband? What husband?¡± Anna also played dumb, ¡°I meant, ¡®I will bring you with me.¡¯ How did you hear husband? Oh, could it be you have improper thoughts about me¡­¡±

    She pinched Yan Yu¡¯s cheeks with a grin, and Yan Yu, showing no courtesy, rubbed her belly, causing Anna¡¯s cheeks to redden slightly. She couldn¡¯t help but lift her mouth and plant a kiss on him.

    ¡°Anna!¡± Suddenly, a loud knocking and Clara¡¯s shouting came from outside, ¡°Peter has crossed the Lena River! Lord Ivan is sending an urgent call for help!¡±

    ¡°Get lost!¡± Anna immediately roared, frightening Clara into running away.

    ¡°Last time you scolded her harshly because she didn¡¯t knock,¡± Yan Yu asked with feigned laughter, ¡°And what¡¯s the reason this time?¡±

    ¡°She ruined a good moment!¡± Anna flipped over him angrily, biting down on Yan Yu¡¯s lips as if a tiger seizing its prey.

 Chapter 542 - 38: Yan Yu, I curse you!

    Chapter 542: Chapter 38: Yan Yu, I curse you!

    Under Yan Yu¡¯s incessant urging, the beauty-entranced Anna could only reluctantly get up, straightening her disheveled clothes and trousers ¡ª the blonde had even pulled down her trousers halfway, leading Yan Yu to click his tongue at her aggressive boldness, which was faintly reminiscent of the domineering nature of the Eclipse Queen from his past life.

    Among all the women I know, I must admit you are the most dominant!

    Of course, while Yan Yu admired her, he couldn¡¯t help but worry about his Primordial Yang.

    He had a strong premonition that if he stayed any longer in the Northern Border, he was sure to lose his virtue¡­ It would be better to quickly deal with Peter and then make a run for it.

    Off they went, one on Sword Flight, the other riding a broomstick, quickly departing from the rooftop and flying towards the distant west.

    ¡°So you really are confident, right?¡± Yan Yu asked once again, ¡°All I need to do is create an opportunity for a one-on-one duel for you, is that correct?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t believe in my strength?¡± Anna retorted.

    ¡°How can I believe in your strength when I¡¯ve never seen you fight?¡± Yan Yu retorted her retort.

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Anna smirked smugly, ¡°Ever since you left last time, I¡¯ve been studying all sorts of poison curses and now I am ranked first in combat strength among the Witch¡¯s Group, with no one better at fighting than me!¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Yan Yu was noncommittal in response.

    ¡°Don¡¯t believe me? Want to see my strength?¡± As Anna spoke, she suddenly pointed her finger.

    Weakness Curse!

    The ferocity of curses lies in their invisibility, silence, and absence of any trace of Spell flight. Once targeted by the caster¡¯s finger, the cursed would immediately feel the effects, making evasion almost impossible.

    With a slight movement of her heart, Anna had already silently shaped her Magic Power, but she saw Yan Yu¡¯s sword light suddenly shift downward, causing her Magic Power to miss its mark.

    She didn¡¯t hit him!

    Still in disbelief, Anna stretched out her finger again for another distant point.

    Once more!

    Yan Yu¡¯s sword light braked sharply again, just enough to avoid it a second time.

    Anna was dumbfounded for a while, then purposefully pointed her hand without actually casting a curse, only to see Yan Yu¡¯s sword light drift once again, not letting her finger aim at him.

    This broke the case: the opponent couldn¡¯t actually see through her curses, but he knew the curse¡¯s lock-on required hand gestures, so he intentionally avoided her aim.

    ¡°How did you know?¡± Anna asked in shock,¡±No, how did you do it?¡±

    ¡°You said something like ¡®let me show you my strength,¡¯ and then suddenly pointed at me. I thought your fingertips would shoot out a spell,¡± replied Yan Yu.

    ¡°But how did you manage to dodge them all?¡± Anna asked curiously.

    ¡°When you pointed at me, I just dodged to the side,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    Anna fell silent for a moment, realizing he might indeed not be lying.

    Curses have no visible form, so you can¡¯t see the curse and avoid it as it comes at you; the only clue is the witch¡¯s hand movements.

    But when I did just that¡ªa simple point¡ªyou managed to avoid it. How fast must your reaction speed be to do that!

    In other words, I can¡¯t just use a curse on Yan Yu afterwards and have him under my control, taking him back to Amur to marry me and enter the bridal chamber!

    ¡°Waaah!¡± Anna, riding on the broom, suddenly cried out loudly, venting the frustration in her heart.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve lost my confidence,¡± Anna declared proudly, ¡°I originally thought that with one curse, I could knock that what¡¯s-his-name Peter flat on the ground, but seeing how effortlessly you dodged¡­ it made me feel like I¡¯m useless, and couldn¡¯t win a fight!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to lose confidence over this,¡± Yan Yu said leisurely. ¡°In the whole world, I am the only one who can dodge a curse like this.¡±

    In my past life, the Amur Witch¡¯s Group unified the Northern Border quite late, so naturally, there were numerous witches among the various demons and entities that caused trouble every year. Because the Dingbei Army was under constant pressure, it collected most of the intelligence on witches, including the gestures and conditions required to cast their curses.

    After intensive high-pressure training, most of the Mortal Warriors in the Dingbei Army could dodge the ¡°easier¡± curses, but for the harder ones, it was down to luck. As for the record of dodging one hundred percent of the curses, to this day, only Yan Yu has achieved that, and no one has broken his record.

    Therefore, when Yan Yu said, ¡°I am the only one,¡± it wasn¡¯t a boast without basis, the record from his past life spoke for itself.

    Anna, however, was somewhat skeptical. She thought, since you¡¯re so wary of me pointing at you, what if I change the curse? That should be okay, right?

    She pressed her fingertip against her lips and blew Yan Yu a kiss.

    The Enthralling Curse was meant to make the target obsess over her briefly, following her every command. It would be triggered the instant the target saw the flying kiss.

    But Yan Yu¡¯s sword light suddenly widened, and he averted his gaze in time, still unaffected by the curse.

    Anna was so angry she gnashed her teeth, her competitive spirit flaring up. She thought to herself, whether through surprise or underhanded tactics, you have to be hit by one of them today!

    She unleashed a variety of curses at Yan Yu, excluding only those that were too lethal, throwing everything else she had at him.

    Yan Yu¡¯s response was very straightforward: I duck, I dodge, I twist away, not touching, not approaching, not looking directly at you, making your curses miss.

    Still, the number of curses Anna controlled did surprise Yan Yu.

    This blonde does have some skills indeed! Deserving of her status as the Eclipse Queen in the past life, she must have put a lot of effort into studying this stuff, considering she was a complete novice just a year ago! S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    In contrast, someone didn¡¯t have to flee for her life this life, thus has been indulging in the comfortable life¡ªeating and sleeping, sleeping and eating, with no evidence of self-study in malicious spells beyond team training. I¡¯m afraid I might have spoiled her.

    When the two arrived on the outskirts of Yakutsk, Anna had already missed countless times and was incredibly irritated. She took the lead in landing in the urban area with Yan Yu and ordered the Spirit Communicators who gathered around:

    ¡°Summon Lord Ivan!¡±

    Yan Yu stood by quietly, aware that the so-called ¡°Lord Ivan¡± was likely a vassal of the Amur Witch¡¯s Group.

    In the North, where modern societal structures have completely collapsed, you can¡¯t expect the establishment of a central imperial hegemony, because local Transcendent forces have a natural tendency to resist centralization. Therefore, the Amur Witch¡¯s Group maintained a certain suzerainty policy over the surrounding areas, allowing local Transcendent powers extensive autonomous rights in exchange for limited loyalty, allegiance, and tribute¡ªa bit like a feudal system.

    In the Saha Region near Yakutsk, the dominant Spirit Communicators were the Saha Werewolves. The ruling class of the Witch¡¯s Group was called the ¡°Elders,¡± while the werewolves referred to their leaders as ¡°Lords.¡± Judging by Anna¡¯s imperious and commanding attitude, this Lord Ivan was probably not a very powerful figure, so Anna wasn¡¯t afraid of offending him.

    Wait a minute¡­

    ¡°Anna,¡± Yan Yu suddenly said in a low voice, ¡°we¡¯ve been flying for over an hour now. Before we started, Clara reported that ¡®Peter has arrived at Yakutsk.¡¯ What do you think happened during this hour?¡±

    Anna was initially startled, but then quickly understood.

    The Saha Werewolves swiftly surrounded the two of them; one of the leaders pushed through the crowd, revealing a sinister, mocking smile, and said:

    ¡°Ivan is busy right now, unable to greet the two of you. If you want to see him, please follow us.¡±

    Anna threw a glance at Yan Yu and smirked:

    ¡°Sure, lead the way¡­ Attack now!¡±

    Before her words even finished, Yan Yu had already formed a sword technique,

    Two swords flew from his back¡¯s sheath, ferociously plunging into the pack of wolves. The Huang Tingjian clove through flesh, limbs flying; the Liangyi Sword pierced with rapid thrusts, penetrating chests and disemboweling. Even though the werewolves were prepared, they were forced into a retreating disarray, completely unable to defend themselves.

    Anna¡¯s attacks were more akin to those of a Magic Cultivator¡¯s, throwing handfuls of golden powder and with a snap of her fingers; the powder instantly turned into a vast sea of flames, spreading dozens of meters in a blink. The surging Red Flame, the towering heatwave, and from within it, countless Fire Serpents and pythons emerged, roaring and lunging in every direction!

    The werewolves struck by Fire Serpents caught fire, their bodies burning as they howled miserably, rolling on the ground trying to extinguish the flames, but soon they were motionless and silent, reduced to blackened char, with the residual fire continuing to burn.

    Yan Yu watched, quite astonished, thinking to himself that he really should have brought Xiao Zhou to see how someone plays with fire magic!

 Chapter 543 - 39: Destined to Win

    Chapter 543: Chapter 39: Destined to Win

    Flames danced wildly, the sea of fire boiling!

    Anna moved her hands slowly, as if she were a conductor of a symphony orchestra, and countless fiery pythons followed her rhythm, licking in all directions. For a moment, it seemed as though the flames enveloped the entire sky, sweeping across the town.

    The remaining werewolves that had not been burned to death saw that the situation was bad and quickly scattered to flee. Some dashed into houses, others down alleys, not needing to outrun the blazing serpents; as long as they could run faster than their companions, that was enough.

    Yan Yu watched silently from the side, only to see numerous homes around the sea of fire ignited, and the frightened residents running out with their families in tow.

    When Transcendents battle, it is always the mortals who suffer!

    Seeing Yan Yu¡¯s slight frown, Anna, who was still maintaining the spell, explained,

    ¡°The chances are high that the lord of this place is already dead. Peter has taken control of the gang, ordering the werewolves to besiege us in order to deplete my mana, so we cannot get entangled with them for too long.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m now setting fire to the city. Even if Peter can stay put, these local werewolves might not be able to endure it. Just wait until someone comes forward to inform us, telling me where Peter is.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°I am not very familiar with the customs here; please do as you see fit.¡±

    Anna continued to set the city ablaze. Before long, indeed a werewolf dashed into the sea of fire, shouting,

    ¡°Stop the fire! Do you want to destroy the entire city? Peter is in the chemical plant over there!¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Anna said with a cold laugh, ¡°Then lead the way.¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡± The werewolf hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

    No sooner had he turned around than Anna pointed at his back. The werewolf¡¯s body immediately stiffened and was then thoroughly devoured by the nearby fire serpents, turning to ashes.

    Yan Yu did not understand Rakshasa¡¯s language, but luckily Anna quickly explained,

    ¡°That werewolf wanted to lure me into an ambush. Just wait a bit longer; I don¡¯t believe they can keep this secret forever.¡±

    ¡°I just worry your mana might not suffice,¡± Yan Yu said. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Anna took out a small crystal vial from her bosom, filled with a deep green potion, and drank it all in one gulp.

    As long as there¡¯s no combat and she can take her time to replenish with potions, sustaining mana is quite manageable.

    The other side probably knew better than to hope for her mana to be exhausted, so another person rushed into the sea of fire, this time looking like a mortal without extraordinary powers, his eyes filled with terror, panting heavily,

    ¡°Stop the fire! Peter is in that building over there!¡±

    ¡°Lead the way,¡± Anna said.

    ¡°Are you crazy?¡± The man¡¯s eyes bulged, ¡°If I lead the way there and they discover it, I¡¯ll be the first to die!¡±

    ¡°How many people do they have?¡± Anna asked again.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the man spoke swiftly, ¡°Peter took three people with him and, after the lord was defeated in a duel, a bunch of werewolves also swore allegiance to him, so I don¡¯t know how many enemies are over there! You should conserve your mana and stop burning this place down!¡±

    Anna pondered for a moment, then waved her hand for him to get lost quickly.

    ¡°Is the information given by this man true?¡± Yan Yu finally asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t know,¡± Anna shook her head, ¡°There are no obvious flaws; we might as well go and have a look.¡±

    The two flew towards the distant building; Yan Yu controlled the flight with the sword when suddenly he spotted a flash of cold light from the top of the building.

    ¡°Gun.¡± As Yan Yu transmitted his warning to Anna, the sword light suddenly shone brilliantly.

    Sword-Human Unity!

    The surge of sword light concealed Anna¡¯s figure. The sniper above lost his target and could only fire blindly at the position he recalled, pulling the trigger for a blind shot.

    Then, his vision was completely overwhelmed by sword light.

    Utilizing Sword-Human Unity, Yan Yu rapidly approached the sniper¡¯s position. The robust sword light tore apart the gun and the sniper¡¯s entire body, then pierced through the concrete wall behind him, bursting out from the other side of the building and sharply turning mid-air.

    Anna was also shaken. When she went on campaigns in the past, it wasn¡¯t as if she hadn¡¯t been ambushed by modern weapons, but most of the time, she could react ahead of time using the witch¡¯s ¡°Spiritual Perception.¡± However, this time the enemy employed a sniper rifle, hiding hundreds of meters away, beyond the limits of Spiritual Perception.

    Once the bullet entered the range of Spiritual Perception, reacting would definitely be too late.

    An infuriated Anna immediately dropped her broom and swiftly hid in the shadows of the building, concealing her figure as she moved forward silently.

    But the enemies inside the building no longer had time to search for her, as Yan Yu once again charged into the lower floors with his Flying Sword, leaving the defending werewolves decimated, limbs strewn about in disarray!

    In the security center, witnessing the hellish scene on the screens, Peter finally stood up:

    ¡°I will deal with him,¡± he said.

    ¡°Wait a moment,¡± Sullivan said, ¡°He¡¯s just luring the enemy out. The Eclipse Queen, Anna, has yet to appear.¡±

    ¡°Even if the two of them come at me together, I am not afraid,¡± Peter said proudly.

    Sullivan was silent for a moment before speaking:

    ¡°But he is not worthy. How can the dignity of a king be affronted by ordinary soldiers?¡±

    This comment seemed to scratch Emperor Peter exactly where he itched, so he sat back down and asked:

    ¡°Then who among you will take him down?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go,¡± Xie Liufu stood up.

    ¡°Xie Liufu is adept at defense. Against a mobile and flexible Lu Country Sword Immortal, there could be no better match,¡± Sullivan agreed, ¡°You¡¯ll win.¡±

    Having wiped out everyone in the vicinity, Yan Yu wondered whether he should explore upwards or downwards next, or perhaps run outside the building to wait for Anna?

    Suddenly, he heard a massive crash, as the wall directly to his right front collapsed.

    From within emerged a giant man with a full beard and bulging muscles, carrying a huge double-bladed battle axe in his right hand and a smaller throwing axe in his left, appearing before Yan Yu with a nonchalant air.

    Yan Yu studied his face carefully.

    He had never seen this man in his past life; probably one of the extras killed off by the Eclipse Queen.

    ¡°Grey Blood Xie Liufu,¡± the man announced his name in a muffled voice.

    Yan Yu did not respond, but slightly curved his finger, signaling him to bring on the fight.

    In the Western world, exchanging nicknames is part of the dueling etiquette, ensuring that if one were to die in battle, at least the opponent would know who they had slain¡ªif one did not announce their name, it carried a humiliating implication that your death was certain.

    As expected, Xie Liufu was provoked. His left hand swiped at his waist and he hurled the throwing axe, trailing a low whooshing sound as it cut through the air.

    Yan Yu quickly sidestepped to avoid it, his Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step already executed as he vanished behind the cubicles in an instant; meanwhile, the Huang Ting Sword flew high into the air, descending towards Xie Liufu¡¯s head.

    With a roar, Xie Liufu swung the double-bladed battle axe with his right hand, deflecting the Huang Ting Sword away.

    Such tremendous strength! Yan Yu was somewhat surprised.

    The Huang Ting Sword was a heavy blade, and with the force driven by the Sword Control Technique, even a tank cover could be split apart. That it was repelled by the Berserker¡¯s battle axe indicated the colossal strength of his opponent, which, even among the Berserkers of the world, was a force to be reckoned with.

    If he had not been eliminated early by the Eclipse Queen in his past life, he probably could have made quite a name for himself.

    The Liangyi Sword shot out from the shadows, only to be blocked by Xie Liufu¡¯s second, smaller axe. Yan Yu¡¯s hand continuously shifted his sword technique. He observed that this man possessed an incredibly strong physique and exquisite combat skills, making him the type of enemy a Sword Immortal least liked to face¡ªfirstly, because the man wielded massive weapons that made it difficult for a flying sword to penetrate, and secondly, even if he was injured, his robust body suggested that his vitality would be extremely hard to extinguish; he was simply not easy to kill.

    Forget it, time to cheat! No more tangling with him!

    Yan Yu flicked his sleeve, releasing the Puppet Silver Pellet which transformed into the slender-legged beauty Ah Zhen, with slightly parted lips.

    Anna had already burst into the first floor of the building, also appearing on the security cameras.

    Without a second word, Peter picked up his golden greatsword and rushed out of the room, leaping down the stairs.

    A battle of kings, to decide life and death!

    Sullivan waved his hand, and two muscular men armed with machine guns proceeded with their orders. If Peter couldn¡¯t win the duel, they would use modern weaponry to give Anna a ¡°Sir, the era has not changed¡± treatment.

    But turning his head, Sullivan saw that the upper floor had been engulfed in flames, leaving only the half-burned corpse of Xie Liufu standing in the camera¡¯s view, with a cauterized slash at his waist bereft of any blood¡­a sight that shocked Sullivan!

    Something was wrong! Since when did a Lu Country Sword Immortal possess spells?

    Could it be that the Anna below was merely an imposter, and the true Queen Witch was upstairs?

 Chapter 544 - 40: Dog-headed Military Advisor

    Chapter 544: Chapter 40: Dog-headed Military Advisor

    Sullivan watched the surveillance screen, first in disbelief, and then as if struck by lightning.

    How could it be him?

    Previously, Yan Yu had been slaughtering werewolves with his Sword Flying Slash, his true identity concealed by the sword light around him. Now that he had deactivated his Sword Control, Sullivan finally recognized him. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    It was the Flying General Yan Yu from the Secret Realm of Li Palace, who had forced the Transcendent Miti to flee in terror!

    ¡°This is impossible!¡± exclaimed Alexander, who stood beside him, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t he be in Lu Country?¡±

    Sullivan couldn¡¯t answer.

    It was no secret that there were dealings between Lu Country and the Amur Witch¡¯s Group, but the relationship between Yan Yu and Anna was not known to most. In fact, being a leader of Transcendent forces was a high-risk profession, where one could be romantically involved today and dead tomorrow, always vulnerable to a coup from their subordinates.

    Therefore, in Sullivan¡¯s original plan, after Peter seized control of the Witch¡¯s Group, Lu Country would most likely send someone to negotiate, and they would deal with it at that time.

    He had never expected that Lu Country would send the Longcheng Flying General ahead of time, insistent on saving the life of the Queen Witch! Damn it, the Spiritual Energy Resurgence had only improved recently; at this time, shouldn¡¯t you be holed up domestically, frantically leveling up?

    ¡°What do we do?¡± Alexander asked anxiously, ¡°Should we fight him?¡±

    ¡°Can we win?¡± Sullivan retorted.

    In the Secret Realm of Li Palace, dozens of superheroes couldn¡¯t subdue him, and now it¡¯s just the two of us, how could we possibly fight?

    Alexander had no response.

    Sullivan quickly pressed the communication device and called Peter:

    ¡°Change of plans, someone from Lu Country is here, we need to retreat first.¡±

    A typical military cultivator would naturally retreat first upon receiving such news. But Peter had never undergone formal military training¡ªhe hadn¡¯t even attended tactical maneuver classes.

    Anna¡¯s two Curses, both blocked by the orb of light from the golden greatsword, were about to be pursued by Peter when he suddenly received the order to retreat, which he blatantly refused. Overcome with anger, he yanked off his headset, threw it to the ground, and continued to roar and advance towards the opposing witch.

    Seeing him discard his earpiece, Sullivan almost vomited blood in frustration and had to go persuade him personally. Just as they left the security room, they saw Yan Yu emerge from the ceiling, landing right in front of Sullivan and Alexander.

    ¡°So you were hiding in the security room,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile. ¡°They are having a duel; you shouldn¡¯t interrupt them.¡±

    The two men exchanged a quick glance, and Alexander, gritting his teeth, said:

    ¡°You go find Peter, I¡¯ll stay here to buy some time!¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Sullivan felt somewhat touched, yet he didn¡¯t hesitate and took off running.

    Alexander drew his staff, threw a few light orbs at Yan Yu, who easily dodged them with the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, and was about to deliver a deadly blow as he closed in. Just then, Alexander suddenly leaned forward and fell, raising his hands to clutch the back of his head and shouting loudly in Lu Country¡¯s language:

    ¡°I surrender!¡±

    The pronunciation was accurate, almost as if he had practiced these three words countless times. Yan Yu reacted swiftly, having already raised his hand to shoot the Liangyi Sword, the next second would have fatally pierced him, but he quickly changed his sword technique and halted the Flying Sword, turning his hand and casting a Runescript to seal his body.

    Sullivan hadn¡¯t gone far when he heard Alexander shout out that sentence in Lu Country¡¯s language, almost stumbling and falling over in shock.

    He sprinted out of the second-floor corridor, only to see Peter raising his weapon, numerous Light Swords taking solid form near the ceiling, then crashing down like a meteor shower.

    Anna also scattered a large amount of Refined Sulfur, snapped her fingers, and flames soared into the sky, from which numerous Fire Serpents roared out, colliding with the myriad Light Swords above.

    Light Swords whooshing, Fire Serpents spewing, the entire hall¡¯s ceiling turned into a starry sky, and the lower part become a sea of fire. Whether it was tiles, windows, sculptures, stairs, or columns, all were either split apart or melted into slag, the scene as horrific as a war hell.

    Sullivan had reached the railing and shouted:

    ¡°The Longcheng Flying General from Lu Country is here!¡±

    ¡°If he¡¯s here, we¡¯ll fight together!¡± Peter said fiercely, his teeth gritted as he swung his sword, sending out a tremendous Sword Qi nearly twenty meters long, its shiny, golden brilliance sharply evident, cutting many of Anna¡¯s controlled Fire Serpents into two.

    In the heat of danger, Anna¡¯s spirituality instinct kicked in, and she suddenly summoned her broom to lift her sharply into the air about five or six meters, narrowly avoiding the tremendous Sword Qi. Only the tail of the broom was halved, the core damaged, and it started to shake violently in the air, unable to stabilize.

    Just as Peter was about to pursue his advantage, Sullivan had already leaped from the second floor, grabbing him and shouting:

    ¡°Can¡¯t kill him in a duel, how can you win two against one?¡±

    Yan Yu arrived from behind controlling his sword, landing beside Anna, and exclaimed in surprise,

    ¡°You haven¡¯t killed him yet? What happened to the 80% confidence you talked about?¡±

    ¡°It was just confidence in winning, not winning quickly!¡± Anna hastily defended, ¡°Didn¡¯t you see we are already casting spells? His spells rely entirely on that great sword, unlike the spells I developed myself, which consume more mana. If we keep this up, I¡¯ll eventually win!¡±

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t know how the Eclipse Queen of the past lifetime had defeated Emperor Peter¡¯s group of four. Now that only two remained, he asked,

    ¡°What about now? Shall we continue the duels, and leave the remaining person to me?¡±

    Anna seemed tempted and turned her head to ask Peter in Rakshasa language,

    ¡°We continue the duel, and when someone dies, we switch partners, how about that?¡±

    Sullivan quickly grabbed Peter, saying,

    ¡°Even if you can defeat the Queen Witch, do you think you can also defeat the Lu Country¡¯s Flying General? He slaughtered many in the Secret Realm of Li Palace, dozens of superheroes couldn¡¯t beat him, and you at your prime were no match for him, how much mana do you even have left?¡±

    Peter finally calmed down and said,

    ¡°Then let¡¯s withdraw.¡±

    Sullivan had been waiting for those words. He pressed his earpiece to send a signal, and from the rooms on either side of the upstairs, two gunmen charged out, holding down their triggers and sweeping bullets everywhere.

    What a clever ambush! Yan Yu praised inwardly, quickly pulling Anna behind him and activating the Barrier Charm.

    With the Barrier Charm, no matter how many bullets hit them, they were deflected like rubber, causing no pain at all. The Liangyi Sword and Huang Tingjian reflected through the barrage of bullets, piercing the hearts of the two gunmen, killing them.

    But even in those few seconds, Peter and Sullivan had already sprinted away, bursting out of the building.

    Peter, wearing winged boots, could leap more than ten meters in a strong bound, running swiftly. Sullivan summoned a giant eagle, whose talons gripped his shoulders, lifting him into the sky with powerful wing strokes.

    The two men fled in different directions, and Yan Yu and Anna, with tacit understanding, quickly split up to pursue them.

    Yan Yu chased Sullivan with his sword control, shaking out Puppet Azhen in midair, who cast the Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire, slicing through the giant eagle¡¯s body. Sullivan screamed as he fell, waving his arms frantically in the air.

    The radiance of the Liangyi Sword swept past, swiftly enveloping his figure, before dropping him to the ground.

    At his wit¡¯s end, Sullivan crashed to the ground with a thud, kneeling and clutching the back of his head, he called out,

    ¡°I surrender! I can turn over a new leaf!¡±

    The plea was also in the language of Lu Country, not only standard in pronunciation but also incorporated idioms, which made Yan Yu pause in surprise, initially intending to give him a quick end, he laughed and said,

    ¡°How come you all speak the language of Lu Country?¡±

    Not daring to delay, Sullivan explained,

    ¡°Rakshasas are extremely cautious about Spirit Communicators, which is bad, so we sided with Peter. If Peter doesn¡¯t work out, we have other plans: to seek the Amur Witch¡¯s Group or Lu Country, so we learned the language in advance.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°Then what do you mean by turning over a new leaf?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve been conquering the east, collecting all the intelligence of Spirit Communicators along the way, and we¡¯ve placed many insiders,¡± Sullivan said earnestly. ¡°If the Queen Witch¡­or Lu Country wishes to unify the Northern Border, I am willing to be a Zhuge Liang to a wise ruler, dedicating my life until my last breath!¡±

    This fair-skinned Rakshasa with high nose and deep eyes solemnly speaking of ¡°aiding a wise ruler¡± made Yan Yu feel quite bizarre.

    But then again, the fact that he even knew the story of a military strategist proved that he wasn¡¯t just saying these things because he was like a fish on a chopping block, trying to save his life¡ªhe had truly considered defecting to Lu Country, thus he had done his homework in advance.

    Hey? Could it be that his contributions also played a part in the Eclipse Queen unifying the Northern Border in the past life?

    The Amur Witch¡¯s Group was ruled by witches, so he certainly couldn¡¯t enter the core decision-making circle, but that wouldn¡¯t stop the Eclipse Queen from consulting with him¡ªAnna of the past life didn¡¯t have Yan Yu as her strongest support, and the Witch¡¯s Group, having suffered severe losses in battles with the Giliar Bearmen, might indeed consider accepting Sullivan¡¯s loyalty.

    Well, I¡¯ll decide when Anna gets back!

 Chapter 545 - 41 The Marriage Alliance Plan

    Chapter 545: Chapter 41 The Marriage Alliance Plan

    Anna who was in pursuit of Peter soon returned.

    She came back with a look of unwilling resignation, tears at the corners of her eyes, and said angrily,

    ¡°He got away, it¡¯s so infuriating!¡±

    ¡°How did he escape?¡± Yan Yu asked in shock, ¡°Sister, you can fly! And he was just hopping around with a pair of Spring Shoes. How could you let him get away?¡±

    ¡°He jumped into the river,¡± Anna said with tears in her eyes, ¡°I couldn¡¯t catch him.¡±

    Sullivan sneaked a peek at her from the side, only to see that although Anna¡¯s eyes were teary, her expression bore no sadness¡­ Could it be fake tears, like eye drops?

    Anna vigorously wiped the water from her face and continued,

    ¡°Yan Yu, stay for a few more days, will you? I¡¯m afraid that Peter, once he¡¯s healed, will come back for another round, and I can¡¯t handle him on my own.¡±

    ¡°Haha,¡± Yan Yu laughed lightly, ¡°I had already anticipated Peter¡¯s escape. Look, I¡¯ve persuaded his right-hand man, Sullivan, to defect. He¡¯ll tell you all the information, so you don¡¯t have to worry about Peter¡¯s potential comeback.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Anna said, turning to look at Sullivan with a kindly smile.

    Sullivan quickly bowed his head, remaining silent.

    ¡°What about you?¡± Anna asked.

    ¡°I came here to ensure your safety,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Now that Peter has been driven off, I should return.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to leave me behind like you did last time?¡± Anna sighed softly.

    ¡°What?¡± asked Yan Yu.

    In truth, he had barely heard her, but he had to pretend he hadn¡¯t.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Anna lifted her head again, smiling and said, ¡°Let me see you off, then.¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°We still have two prisoners, one of us has to stay and watch them.¡±

    ¡°I promise I won¡¯t run away!¡± Sullivan immediately said.

    ¡°Anastasia is on her way here, there¡¯s nothing to worry about,¡± Anna spoke gently, ¡°Let me at least see you off. After this parting, who knows when we¡¯ll see each other again.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Yan Yu persisted in his refusal, ¡°We can still video chat.¡±

    ¡°Video chatting isn¡¯t the same as meeting face-to-face,¡± Anna shook her head, a bittersweet smile spreading across her face, ¡°Yan Yu, I can¡¯t abandon the enterprise I have in the Northern Border, so I often think it would have been better if I¡¯d never gone abroad. Perhaps then I could have been with you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense,¡± Yan Yu said helplessly, ¡°You are now a lord of a region, with both status and power. Isn¡¯t that better than staying at home, being ordered around by others?¡±

    ¡°But without you,¡± Anna said.

    The two looked at each other silently, their gazes seeming to convey a thousand words, but ultimately turning into a barely audible sigh.

    ¡°It¡¯s getting late,¡± Yan Yu said as he looked at his phone, ¡°So I¡¯ll be going now. Take care.¡±

    ¡°Mmhmm,¡± Anna lowered her head.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look so glum; I¡¯ll come to visit you again,¡± Yan Yu consoled her.

    ¡°Mmhmm,¡± Anna kept her head down.

    ¡°Farewell.¡± Yan Yu summoned his sword light, wrapped himself in it, and was about to soar into the sky when he suddenly dodged to the side.

    Maintaining a spell-casting pose, Anna said disappointedly,

    ¡°You still dodged it.¡±

    ¡°Were you trying to force me to stay?¡± asked Yan Yu.

    ¡°You were the one who said it,¡± Anna¡¯s tone turned cold and imperious, ¡°I¡¯ve got power and status now; by what right do you look down on me?¡±

    ¡°My roots are in Lu Country,¡± Yan Yu said with a more serious tone, ¡°I love that land and its people deeply.¡±

    ¡°A never-married virgin talks tough, huh?¡± Anna quickly scattered powder around, igniting a blazing inferno, and said with a sneer, ¡°Once we get married right here and have a bunch of kids, we¡¯ll see where your ¡®roots¡¯ are then!¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s sword light soared quickly, while Anna commanded the Fire Serpents to block his flight path and mounted her broomstick, rising into the sky.

    ¡°Stop wasting your effort!¡± shouted Yan Yu, ¡°Even if you can keep my body here, you won¡¯t keep my heart!¡±

    ¡°For now, keeping your body will do!¡± Anna shot back, no less determined, ¡°Once I have control over your lower half, I¡¯m not afraid your brain won¡¯t comply!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, keep dreaming, but do you really have the skill to do that?¡±

    ¡°Come back with me, and I¡¯ll show you whether I have the ability!¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m leaving. You can go back and practice with a soda bottle!¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu, don¡¯t go! Marry me back home!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not worthy!¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s sword light finally broke through the blockade and rapidly disappeared into the horizon.

    Anna landed again, furiously slamming her broom, which didn¡¯t fly well due to its damaged tail, onto the ground, and exclaimed,

    ¡°Piece of junk! At the critical moment, you ruin my chance at a lifetime of happiness!¡±

    Sullivan forced himself to appear calm until Anna¡¯s menacing glare turned towards him, as if it were saying, ¡°Find someone to kill to vent my anger.¡± It was then that he could no longer pretend and hurriedly shouted,

    ¡°Exalted Queen Witch! I have a strategy to offer!¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Anna frowned.

    ¡°The Northern Border and Lu Country are neighboring states, inseparable as lips and teeth. For the sake of long-lasting peace between the two, you need to form an alliance through marriage with Lu Country¡¯s Flying General, Yan Yu!¡± Sullivan spoke rapidly, ¡°Lu Country is like an aging giant, strong yet fearful of pain! The Han Dynasty faced the threat of the Xiongnu, the Tang Dynasty had the danger of the Turkic tribes, the Song Dynasty feared the Liao and Jin, and the Ming Dynasty guarded against Mongolia. Nearly every dynasty chose at some point to seek peace with the north through marriage, trading the lifelong happiness of one for temporary border tranquility. If you can unite the whole of Siberia and become the true ruler of the north, it would be easy to approach diplomatically and have Lu Country send Yan Yu to marry you!¡±

    Anna looked at him coldly and then her brows relaxed and she said with a smile,

    ¡°Keep talking, I¡¯m listening.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Having flown over the Greater Khingan Range, Yan Yu finally returned to Lu Country¡¯s territory, secretly letting out a sigh of relief.

    Alas, I had only wanted to make an early impression on the Eclipse Queen to curry favor in exchange for peace at the northern border, but I didn¡¯t expect my male charm to be so strong that she would fall for me to this extent, insisting on nobody but me! How did I overlook this?

    Women in love can indeed be terrifying!

    Still, Anna is half-foreign and thus more free-spirited and bold in love and hate, which is understandable. Fortunately, all the girls in my team are pure-blooded from Lu Country, modest and conservative; if they were all like Anna, it would be quite troublesome.

    Well then, time to return!

    After resting for a while on the way and making a phone call to Li Weiguo to report his success, Yan Yu was just about to set off again when he received a message from Lord Master.

    [Peter]: Asleep already?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Look at your face. I go over to help out, and you talk like it¡¯s something dirty. Jealousy! Definitely jealousy.

    [Peter]: I was asking if you¡¯ve had your midday nap. It¡¯s already two in the afternoon.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Just started heading back.

    [Peter]: Good. Ye Jun has returned to the team; I thought I¡¯d let you know.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Fine, just don¡¯t push her to a breakdown again.

    [Peter]: How could I? She¡¯s nearly being worshipped as a goddess. Hey, Old Yan, if you¡¯re free, could you do me a favor?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: What favor?

    [Peter]: I¡¯ve asked a girl out for coffee. You¡¯re more experienced with women than I am, help me see if she¡¯s interested in me and whether she¡¯s someone I could spend my life with.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: What girl? What¡¯s her job?

    [Peter]: Civil servant, from the Tax Bureau.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: She¡¯s interested in you, suitable for a long-term relationship. I won¡¯t go.

    [Peter]: Come on, Old Yan, I¡¯m serious! HELP!

    [Peter]: And Ye Jun will be there too! I¡¯ve figured it out already. You two pretend to be a couple, first to do a round of assessment for me. If she¡¯s suitable, then give me some support.

    [Peter]: If you won¡¯t come, I¡¯ll have to ask Ai Lu for help, let him pretend to be Ye Jun¡¯s boyfriend. If something happens between them while acting, I can¡¯t be responsible.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Damn it, would Ye Jun agree?

    [Peter]: She probably wouldn¡¯t, but my power as the captain is limitless.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Liu, you¡¯re asking for karma. Time! Location!

    sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 546 - 42: Seeing Ye Jun Again

    Chapter 546: Chapter 42: Seeing Ye Jun Again

    By the time Yan Yu had reached their destination, he saw that Liu Longtao and Ye Jun had already been waiting there for quite a while.

    It¡¯s strange, really, some people are just friends, but when they stand together, they look like the perfect couple, as though made for each other. Whereas some people, despite being key members of the same team and working closely together every day, just don¡¯t seem to mesh well¡­ Perhaps this is what they call incompatible auras.

    Liu Longtao, dressed like the sunny, sporty boy-next-door, stood by the roadside, boredly playing with his phone. Ye Jun stood a step to his side, continuously looking across the street and around, avoiding even a single glance at Lord Master by her side.

    Until her gaze fell on Yan Yu.

    ¡°Ye Jun, Old Liu,¡± Yan Yu greeted them.

    ¡°Yan Yu.¡± Ye Jun nodded.

    ¡°Old Yan,¡± Liu Longtao said, secretly whispering a complaint, ¡°So calling Ye Jun first, huh? Prioritizing romance over friendship!¡±

    Yan Yu unapologetically retorted directly to his mind:

    ¡°Who was the one who begged me to come here? Was it comrade Ye Jun? Shouldn¡¯t you display a bit more humility when asking for help? I didn¡¯t make you kneel and lick my shoes, which already gives you enough face.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, Old Yan,¡± Liu Longtao couldn¡¯t help but laugh, leaving behind a harsh line, ¡°Just don¡¯t find yourself needing a favor from me someday!¡±

    Yan Yu ignored him and turned to Ye Jun.

    Today, Ye Jun wore a light gray checkered shirt with a long dark skirt, matched with her stylish short hair, she looked quite like a professional woman¡ªYan Yu realized, after thinking, that this was perhaps the first time he had seen Ye Jun in a skirt. Her tall figure was somewhat obscured by the skirt, somewhat diminishing the impact of her long legs.

    ¡°Do I look good?¡± Seeing Yan Yu staring intently at her, Ye Jun didn¡¯t seem phased at all and lightly spun around.

    ¡°Honestly, you look better in pants,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°Pfft,¡± Liu Longtao laughed on the side, ¡°The lady asked if she looked good, and you could¡¯ve just told her she looked drop-dead gorgeous. Would¡¯ve made her day. Why did you have to honestly critique her.¡±

    ¡°Do you see?¡± Yan Yu pointed at Liu Longtao, bemoaning to Ye Jun, ¡°Old Liu is just a man of sweet words but mean intents. You have to be careful with him, Ye Jun, don¡¯t be fooled.¡±

    ¡°Stop your nonsense,¡± Ye Jun laughed, ¡°I¡¯ve dealt with him far more than you have.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Yan Yu propped his chin up and asked, ¡°Where is the little girl?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s still at home; we¡¯ll drive over to pick her up,¡± Liu Longtao said seriously.

    ¡°That¡¯s Lord Master¡¯s scheming,¡± Ye Jun chatted leisurely with Yan Yu in the car, ¡°Look at how we both sit in the back. When that young girl arrives, she can only sit in the passenger seat next to Lord Master.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s terrible,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Lord Master¡¯s probably going to be so distracted he won¡¯t have time to watch the road, just admiring her profile the whole time. He might direct us straight into the curb.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Liu Longtao laughed scoldingly, ¡°I¡¯m not as desperately lustful as you. Ye Jun, do you know? This guy rushed to the Northern Border yesterday to meet his mixed-race sweetheart.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Ye Jun¡¯s interest peeked, showing a curious expression, ¡°Care to share more?¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Yan Yu spoke carelessly, ¡°There¡¯s a Spirit Communicator called Emperor Peter from the Rakshasa side who came to challenge her to a duel. I was called over to ensure they didn¡¯t play dirty tricks, but I didn¡¯t get a chance to do anything. She blew Emperor Peter away by herself.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s amazing,¡± Ye Jun¡¯s expression showed envy, ¡°Even though she¡¯s a woman, she¡¯s so powerful. No wonder she has become a dominant force.¡±

    This was a topic they shouldn¡¯t get into, and so both Yan Yu and Liu Longtao tactfully avoided it, switching to more casual conversation:

    ¡°By the way, is that young girl pretty?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s about a 7 without makeup. Let me show you a photo.¡±

    ¡°Forget about photos, set that aside! Nowadays, even online videos can use Massive Spatial Distortion Technique, where even a several-ton tank can become a celebrity face. It¡¯s better to wait and see her in person.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand, she¡¯s not the type that likes to Photoshop her pictures.¡±

    ¡°And you think you understand women? When you first meet them, even if they have a super domineering spirit inside, they still act like a delicate and pure little flower in front of you.¡±

    ¡°So what kind of flower did Ye Jun pretend to be when you first met her?¡± Liu Longtao asked with a hint of malice.

    Yan Yu instantly cursed in his heart, muttering, ¡°You say I¡¯m helping you defuse a time bomb in your team, and you just chuck it onto me, you bastard!¡±

    Confronted with Ye Jun¡¯s smiley eyes, he sheepishly said:

    ¡°Where does Ye Jun even need to pretend? She approached me and blew me away. All I remember is her elegance, like willows in the breeze, not weak yet gentle¡­¡±

    ¡°Enough, enough, stop talking.¡± Ye Jun wasn¡¯t used to such praise, her cheeks flushed pink, and she pinched him hard on the shoulder, ¡°Shut up already.¡±

    ¡°How about we talk about Lord Master¡¯s new wife?¡± Yan Yu turned to chat with Ye Jun, ¡°Ye Jun, what do you know?¡±

    ¡°How did it turn into ¡®new wife¡¯?¡± Liu Longtao protested.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know much more than you,¡± Ye Jun replied with a smile, ¡°just that she seems to be a good girl, took a government job in the Finance Bureau after her family helped her out post-graduation.¡±

    ¡°These good girls are the ones scared of speaking up, socially anxious, and easily shy,¡± Yan Yu critically said, ¡°Even if you wear your heart on your sleeve for her, she just hums and gives no indication.¡±

    ¡°My, you nailed it!¡± Liu Longtao, who was driving, slapped his thigh hard, ¡°I asked her out a thousand times, but she¡¯s too shy to agree. It wasn¡¯t until I mentioned you guys and turned it into a group dinner that she reluctantly agreed.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s just because Lord Master¡¯s looks haven¡¯t crossed the threshold to spark her initiative,¡± Yan Yu speculated.

    ¡°That¡¯s not impossible,¡± agreed Ye Jun.

    ¡°Even the shyest girl gets all fired up in front of the guy she¡¯s into, nearly wanting to cling onto him,¡± Yan Yu continued.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the way it is,¡± Ye Jun concurred.

    ¡°Lord Master, you better prepare yourself. It¡¯s excusable if you¡¯re not close now, but if it remains this way after more interaction, better to cut it off early,¡± Yan Yu finally advised.

    ¡°Absolutely right, cut it off when necessary,¡± Ye Jun laughed and agreed repeatedly.

    ¡°Are you two ridiculing me here with your act?¡± Liu Longtao scoffed, ¡°Ye Jun, did you know? Old Yan wouldn¡¯t have come if I hadn¡¯t threatened to have Ai Lu replace him as your fake boyfriend.¡±

    ¡°Just keep causing trouble,¡± Ye Jun, seeing right through his instigation, said to Yan Yu, ¡°Actually, Ai Lu can¡¯t come; he has recently gone back to his parents¡¯ home in Central Plains and has taken leave. Lord Master is bluffing you.¡±

    ¡°Old Yan, did you know?¡± shifting his failed tactic, Liu Longtao immediately said, ¡°Ye Jun also refused initially. But after I told her Old Yan had agreed to help, she panicked so much, it was urgent¡­¡± S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Continue,¡± said Ye Jun grinning, ¡°Later, I will have a good chat with your girlfriend.¡±

    Liu Longtao immediately clammed up in fear. He knew that girls could get close quicker than with guys, and if Ye Jun deliberately interfered, he really had no good way to stop it.

    ¡°We need to dig up some dirt on Lord Master and spill it to her privately,¡± Yan Yu instantly suggested a bad idea.

    ¡°Why would we do that?¡± Ye Jun laughed.

    ¡°If she doesn¡¯t mind Lord Master¡¯s flaws, then it¡¯s true love,¡± Yan Yu explained, ¡°and if she does, it proves it was just a superficial like, better to cut it off early!¡±

    ¡°Spot on,¡± Ye Jun couldn¡¯t agree more.

    ¡°Are you freaking done?¡± Liu Longtao got angry, ¡°I asked you two here for support and assessment, not to sabotage!¡±

    ¡°This is necessary assessment!¡± Yan Yu argued righteously, ¡°If she can¡¯t accept even your ugly sides, what kind of true love is that!¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s no use,¡± Ye Jun reminded, ¡°She knows Lord Master is the captain of the Dragon Soar Team.¡±

    ¡°What if she¡¯s after the money and status?¡± Yan Yu quickly countered, ¡°Pretending to be introverted and shy, playing hard to get, giving mixed signals?¡±

    ¡°Is that how you use that expression?¡± Ye Jun asked, puzzled.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I mean,¡± Yan Yu made a fishing rod reeling motion.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I called you guys to help check,¡± Liu Longtao sighed.

 Chapter 547 - 43 Lao Liu: Someone spoiled my good thing

    Chapter 547: Chapter 43 Lao Liu: Someone spoiled my good thing

    ¡°Right, you two better not slip up,¡± Liu Longtao finally remembered the important matter when they were about to reach their destination. ¡°Remember, you two are now posing as a couple, Ye Jun is my deputy captain, and Old Yan, you are the captain of the Zhenhai Team, returning from official duties and just stopping by to visit your girlfriend and an old friend¡­ got it?¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Ye Jun said. ¡°Basically, it¡¯s to act as a buffer for you and her, so she doesn¡¯t feel like it¡¯s a one-on-one date and get embarrassed.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Liu Longtao said. ¡°Later, don¡¯t go calling me ¡®you,¡¯ it makes it look like I¡¯m putting on airs in the team.¡±

    ¡°Just call me Old Liu,¡± Yan Yu added from the side. ¡°Captain Liu won¡¯t do either.¡±

    ¡°Then, do I need to create any conditions for you?¡± Ye Jun asked.

    Despite her usually buoyant and forthright demeanor, Ye Jun was still a woman, and thus possessed a delicate and meticulous mind¡ªunlike Yan Yu, who whatever you asked him to do, he would do, mainly giving off an attitude of indifference.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see how it goes,¡± Liu Longtao said. ¡°Later, Ye Jun will use her identity as a woman to help me assess her situation.¡±

    ¡°To prevent her ¡®good girl¡¯ image from being just a facade?¡± Yan Yu laughed. ¡°Maybe she¡¯s really after Old Liu¡¯s money and status?¡±

    ¡°As long as it¡¯s clear she genuinely likes you, there shouldn¡¯t be a problem,¡± Ye Jun quickly grasped the crux of the matter.

    ¡°Right! That¡¯s exactly it,¡± Liu Longtao was overjoyed. ¡°This time, let Ye Jun take the lead in the probe, and Old Yan, you stay beside her focused on playing Ye Jun¡¯s boyfriend role. Otherwise, if Ye Jun asks too many questions, she might think Ye Jun has some designs on me, and then things could get complicated.¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°Honestly, this is a bit troublesome. Can¡¯t we just hire a private detective to check her out directly?¡±

    At this suggestion, Liu Longtao suddenly fell silent.

    ¡°You hadn¡¯t even considered this possibility before, had you?¡± Yan Yu asked suspiciously.

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Liu Longtao denied. ¡°Can a private detective find out what she¡¯s really thinking? If it were useful, I would have done it a long time ago. We¡¯re almost there, pay attention now!¡±

    The car pulled up to the entrance of the residential area, and Yan Yu saw a young girl standing by the roadside, accompanied by a middle-aged woman.

    Looking at her face¡­ 6 points, no more!

    Who was Yan Yu? A man who spent his time with Chen Lingyun, Zhao Yuanzhen, Su Yunjin, Lin Ning, and Xie Ruoxi, could easily make the fish sink and the geese alight, and naturally, his standards for women¡¯s appearances had risen significantly. He rated Lord Master¡¯s partner¡¯s looks as 5 points and added 1 point as a friendly gesture, making it 6 points, just passing.

    To tell the truth, even Teacher Mei looked better than her!

    Of course, looks were just a matter of fact and couldn¡¯t be the sole criteria for judging a good match. For example, Chen Lingyun, whose looks were nearly flawless, was a little devil and Pleasure Seeker behind the scenes; and Teacher Mei, though just pretty, possessed a noble spirit of selflessness and patriotism, along with the title of ¡°patriotic hero¡± from a past life, which undoubtedly added a lot of charm to her.

    Was the middle-aged woman beside her, her mother?

    However, Yan Yu had heard that some girls were strictly raised, and even if they were adults, their parents would still want to know who they were going out with and when they would return if going shopping with classmates.

    But Yan Yu soon noticed that the middle-aged woman¡¯s face was full of smiles, seemingly not worried about her daughter¡¯s situation.

    So it seems, Lord Master¡¯s mother-in-law knew what marrying into his family meant, and was eagerly hoping her daughter would marry into wealth soon.

    Looking at the young girl, she appeared soft and genteel, neither showing happiness nor unhappiness in her expression.

    Liu Longtao got out of the car and said something to the mother-in-law, then brought the young girl into the car. She sat in the passenger seat and looked back at the two people in the rear seats, seemingly a bit socially awkward.

    ¡°Hello. I¡¯m Ye Jun, and this is my boyfriend, Yan Yu,¡± Ye Jun greeted her openly. ¡°We¡¯re just tagging along for a meal with Old Liu.¡±

    ¡°Hello,¡± the other responded timidly. ¡°I¡¯m He Ye.¡±

    ¡°Lotus leaf, lotus flower, if this girl marries Old Liu and they have a child, they could name him Liu Chenxiang,¡± Yan Yu also greeted her, but secretly sent a message to Ye Jun, ¡°Put a magic lotus lantern in the house.¡±

    Ye Jun seemed about to laugh but forcefully held it back, sending a stern message to Yan Yu:

    ¡°Less glib talk.¡±

    Liu Longtao was still communicating with the mother-in-law, while Ye Jun had already started chatting with He Ye.

    It must be said, women certainly have an easier time mingling with each other. He Ye clearly did not show much wariness towards Ye Jun, whereas she hesitated for a good while before responding to Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu couldn¡¯t be bothered to chat with her and simply let Ye Jun do as she pleased, cozying up to everyone.

    Back in the car, Liu Longtao discussed with He Ye:

    ¡°How about we go have some dim sum?¡±

    He Ye hesitated for a moment and then nodded:

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    Seeing this, Yan Yu immediately teased Liu Longtao through a private message:

    ¡°Why do I feel like she¡¯s lukewarm towards you?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just her personality,¡± Liu Longtao replied. ¡°Otherwise, would I need to ask you all for help? Luckily, Ye Jun can get close to her.¡±

    ¡°Ye Jun has a personality that makes her easy to get along with anyone,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°So doesn¡¯t that benefit you?¡± Liu Longtao teased back.

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense,¡± Yan Yu immediately retorted. ¡°Ye Jun and I are crystal clear, purely comrades-in-arms.¡±

    ¡°Haha,¡± Liu Longtao mocked, ¡°the good comrade who volunteers to pretend to be your fake girlfriend as soon as I mentioned it? How come you two don¡¯t join the artillery instead?¡±

    ¡°Artillery? Never mind,¡± Yan Yu decided not to argue about Ye Jun anymore and returned to the main topic, ¡°Speaking of your little girlfriend, does she have some kind of androphobia or what? You like this personality?¡±

    ¡°Haha, you wouldn¡¯t understand,¡± Liu Longtao said. ¡°For example, a woman like Chen Lingyun, in all aspects, doesn¡¯t she completely miss the mark of a ¡®good wife and wise mother¡¯?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s absolutely an antithesis,¡± Yan Yu immediately said.

    ¡°So, if you¡¯re looking for a partner, you should use Chen Lingyun as a reference and deliberately do the opposite,¡± Liu Longtao chuckled. ¡°Chen Lingyun comes from a high background, so find someone from an ordinary family; Chen Lingyun is cunning, so find someone simple; Chen Lingyun is good at verbal attacks, so find someone who doesn¡¯t talk much; Chen Lingyun likes to wear a fake smile, so find someone with a calm expression¡­ A girl found this way is definitely suitable for a domestic life.¡±

    Yan Yu was amazed by the revelation and couldn¡¯t find anything to refute, and it took him a while to ask:

    ¡°Old Liu, did Chen Lingyun hurt you before?¡± Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Who in our circle hasn¡¯t been hurt by her?¡± Liu Longtao surprisingly admitted. ¡°The governor¡¯s daughter, which family isn¡¯t tempted? Damn it, I never thought she¡¯d be such a high-maintenance princess. Skilled in plotting, likes to be sarcastic, looks down on everyone as if they are country bumpkins. The more I understand her true nature, the more precious a plain and ordinary girl like He Ye seems¡­ tsk tsk, only you, Old Yan, could tame such a beast from Jiang Hai.¡±

    ¡°Honestly, I think Chen Lingyun¡¯s personality is indeed terrible, but not to the extent that you¡¯re pale at the thought of her, seeing danger in every bush,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°Old Liu, you¡¯re a bit overly scared, like a mouse fearing a cat.¡±

    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s also why I admire you,¡± Liu Longtao responded. ¡°We¡¯ve arrived. When you get off the car, be affectionate with Ye Jun. Don¡¯t let anyone spot the flaws. She isn¡¯t a fool, just not talkative.¡±

    The vehicle stopped, everyone got out, and just as Yan Yu closed the car door, Ye Jun immediately linked arms with him, her face sporting a radiant smile as if saying, ¡°Going out to eat with my boyfriend.¡±

    He Ye glanced at the two of them and then looked towards the main entrance of the board game cafe. Liu Longtao mentally applauded Ye Jun:

    Well played, Ye Jun! Absolutely flawless, just like a couple truly in love!

    They chose a board game cafe that served desserts and coffee, featuring a bright hall and spacious tables, suitable for young people to gather in small groups.

    Lord Master had carefully picked this place. After all, if they had gone to a cinema, He Ye would most likely have refused; but if it were shopping or something, it would be too easy for Ye Jun to stick with her, making it difficult for him to get close to He Ye.

    Only in a board game cafe can everyone get a chance to show their face!

    He had already booked a private room for four. At that time, Ye Jun and Old Yan would sit across as a couple, and He Ye and he would sit on the same side, intensely interacting!

    Wearing sunglasses, Liu Longtao, along with He Ye and Yan Yu, Ye Jun, walked into the store and coolly spoke to the receptionist:

    ¡°I reserved a private room yesterday, the phone number is 13xxxxxxxx¡­¡±

    Just after he finished giving the phone number, he suddenly heard someone in the line next to him exclaim:

    ¡°Old Liu?¡±

 Chapter 548 - 44 Sleeping Together Before Marriage

    Chapter 548: Chapter 44 Sleeping Together Before Marriage

    Liu Longtao was momentarily stunned; upon closer inspection, he realized it was Cai Qianlong and Song Jia.

    He wasn¡¯t very familiar with Cai Qianlong, but he had known Song Jia since childhood¡ªshe was the eldest daughter of the Song Family, sent by her family to marry Cai Qianlong to bring a quality cultivator¡¯s lineage into the Song Family. Cai Qianlong was rather foolish; after confirming their relationship, Song Jia manipulated him effortlessly and he had already become the loyal son-in-law among the Capital City¡¯s elite.

    ¡°How come you are here?¡± Liu Longtao asked in shock.

    ¡°I brought my wife out to have fun,¡± Cai Qianlong said, oblivious to the situation, while Song Jia, looking at He Ye standing beside him and Yan Yu and Ye Jun behind them, immediately realized something and squinted with a smile:

    ¡°Oh, we are also out having fun. We are still deciding whether to play board games here or go next door for an escape room.¡±

    Liu Longtao breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Song Jia would tactfully not disturb his plans, and was about to speak when he heard Cai Qianlong say:

    ¡°What¡¯s there to ponder? It¡¯s rare to run into a classmate here; we definitely should play board games together!¡±

    The others were somewhat breathless, only Song Jia, unsurprised, said with a smiling grin:

    ¡°I want to play the escape room.¡±

    ¡°Do me a favor,¡± Cai Qianlong earnestly said to her, ¡°Old Liu, Old Yan, Ye Jun, all are close classmates! It would be awkward if we don¡¯t play together.¡±

    We aren¡¯t that close, friends! Everyone was speechless at this point.

    ¡°Xiao Cai, you don¡¯t understand,¡± Yan Yu hurriedly tried to persuade him, ¡°The scripts for escape rooms these days are somewhat scary, and your wife might be too scared to play alone. Now that you can accompany her, it¡¯s a great chance to show your manly heroics!¡±

    ¡°That does make sense,¡± Cai Qianlong seemed tempted.

    ¡°Exactly, exactly,¡± Ye Jun added his piece, ¡°Escape rooms are way more fun than board games.¡±

    ¡°Then you all come along,¡± Cai Qianlong quickly decided. ¡°Let¡¯s six of us go play the escape room!¡±

    Everyone: ¡­

    ¡°Let¡¯s still stick to board games,¡± He Ye finally spoke up, ¡°I¡¯m scared of escape rooms.¡±

    ¡°Are you timid? Then horror themes are not suitable for you,¡± Cai Qianlong nodded, then turned back to Song Jia, ¡°Let¡¯s do board games then, taking into account the young lady here.¡±

    Song Jia couldn¡¯t help but roll her eyes.

    Everyone, with their own thoughts, entered the board game private room and started whispering secretly to each other.

    ¡°What do you say?¡± Liu Longtao spoke angrily, ¡°Give a word, friends!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not necessarily a bad thing,¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°Xiao Cai is a guy who has a girlfriend, a winner in life; he won¡¯t compete with you for He Ye. It¡¯s just a bit more uncontrollable factors now.¡±

    ¡°Damn, as if I¡¯m afraid of him competing with me for He Ye?¡± Liu Longtao laughed in fury, ¡°Uncontrollable factors are exactly what I¡¯m most worried about! Who knows what nonsense this blockhead will spout!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Ye Jun remarked, ¡°I think his girlfriend is quite perceptive.¡±

    ¡°Ye Jun, don¡¯t just agree with Old Yan; I¡¯m the one in need of help here! It¡¯s me!¡± Liu Longtao cried out desperately, ¡°Sit next to He Ye quickly, help stabilize her emotionally.¡±

    Everyone took their seats at the round table in this order: Liu Longtao, He Ye, Ye Jun, Yan Yu, Cai Qianlong, and Song Jia.

    Of course, it wasn¡¯t exactly six-sided seating. For better observation, Ye Jun and He Ye sat closely. Since they were either in a couple or pretending to be one, Cai Qianlong and Song Jia, as well as Yan Yu and Ye Jun, also sat close together, leaving only Liu Longtao¡¯s side empty. However, Lord Master didn¡¯t mind, seeing that He Ye didn¡¯t show the displeasure of encountering strangers, he secretly relaxed.

    ¡°So what are we playing?¡± Cai Qianlong asked with a smile, ¡°Werewolf? Don¡¯t underestimate me, I¡¯m known as the undefeated god of war in this game, I can tell who is the werewolf and who is the good guy at a glance¡­¡±

    ¡°You guys decide,¡± Song Jia quickly cut him off.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s play¡­ Monopoly?¡± Ye Jun suggested.

    Werewolf was definitely out of the question because He Ye wasn¡¯t the type who could speak freely and analytically in public; it would have been a social torture for her.

    ¡°Monopoly is fine,¡± Yan Yu immediately agreed. As Ye Jun¡¯s partner, he had to maintain his persona now.

    ¡°Playing Monopoly isn¡¯t as good as playing Flight,¡± Cai Qianlong complained.

    ¡°Can six people play Flight chess?¡± Song Jia asked.

    ¡°Good point,¡± Cai Qianlong realized, ¡°Then let¡¯s go with Monopoly.¡±

    Liu Longtao saw that He Ye didn¡¯t object, so he spread out the game mat and distributed the game pieces to everyone.

    To tell the truth, Monopoly was indeed much simpler than Werewolf. You just had to roll the dice, move according to the number rolled, and then draw cards to decide what to do.

    After about ten minutes, everyone had basically gotten the hang of the game. At that moment, Ye Jun drew an Event Card and laughed, saying:

    ¡°It¡¯s actually a Marriage Card.¡±

    Marriage Card: Choose a player to marry, and both parties will share their properties.

    ¡°There better not be a Divorce Card that forces a husband to give away 50% of his property,¡± Yan Yu joked, saying:

    ¡°Dear, I have more property than you now.¡± Ye Jun pushed the chips that represented wealth towards him, ¡°Didn¡¯t you just take out a loan? I¡¯ll pay it off for you right now.¡±

    ¡°I knew you¡¯d pay it off for me,¡± Yan Yu burst into laughter, ¡°That¡¯s why I chose to borrow it in the first place.¡±

    Liu Longtao stared intently from the side, as if he couldn¡¯t wait to snatch the card from Ye Jun¡¯s hands.

    Next, it was He Ye¡¯s turn to roll the dice. The young girl was incredibly lucky today, quickly purchasing another storefront.

    In contrast, Lord Master himself drew a ¡°Traffic Accident Card¡± and unfortunately had to go to the hospital.

    ¡°How can you be so unlucky?¡± Now more relaxed, He Ye covered her mouth and laughed.

    ¡°It must have all been absorbed by you.¡± Liu Longtao immediately joked, saying, ¡°Give it back to me.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t help you there.¡± He Ye smiled and shook her head.

    The game quickly came to an end. He Ye reached the target amount and became the ultimate winner, the Monopoly tycoon. Yan Yu and Ye Jun, sharing their wealth, ranked second. Although they didn¡¯t have as much money as He Ye, they astonishingly drew two Childbirth Cards and achieved the ¡°Household with Children¡± milestone.

    Cai Qianlong and Song Jia had mixed fortunes, ranking fifth and fourth, respectively. The most miserable was Lord Master, who, in the final round, drew a ¡°Kidnapping Card¡± and, after paying the ransom, ended up with a negative balance.

    Of course, playing games isn¡¯t about winning but about quickly bridging social gaps. From that perspective, the game was quite successful, as He Ye was no longer reserved and became much more cheerful and talkative.

    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m a bit curious.¡± While Yan Yu was gathering the chips and cards, preparing to start another round, He Ye suddenly asked, ¡°Ye Jun, Yan Yu, how long have you two been together? You really have strong chemistry!¡±

    ¡°Six months.¡± ¡°A year, I guess.¡± Ye Jun and Yan Yu answered at the same time, only they gave different numbers.

    He Ye was momentarily taken aback, but Liu Longtao reacted the quickest, quickly saying:

    ¡°Yan, you remembered wrong. Ye Jun, you should punish him!¡±

    ¡°Wow, you can¡¯t even remember this!¡± Ye Jun quickly hugged Yan Yu¡¯s arm, pretending to pinch him while Yan Yu apologized profusely, smiling sheepishly. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Six months?¡± Cai Qianlong suddenly said, ¡°Isn¡¯t that last November? I remember something happened then¡ªthe higher-ups of the Northern Army ordered to keep an eye on Yan Yu, and Ye Jun was responsible for it¡­ So you two confirmed your relationship then?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I remember now too.¡± Song Jia chimed in. The official was officially wooing civilian Cultivators, but Yan Yu ended up killing one, and the incident almost blew up before they finally managed to suppress it.

    ¡°What was it?¡± He Ye grew even more curious.

    ¡°Ahem, it¡¯s nothing.¡± The origin of that incident wasn¡¯t convenient to reveal to outsiders, so Liu Longtao vividly described the process, ¡°Yan violated military discipline and was confined to a hotel room; Ye Jun was in charge of making sure he didn¡¯t wander off. They spent the whole night together in the same room, even sleeping on the same bed. It was just a case of when the tortoise met the green bean [a metaphor for falling in love]¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Yan Yu quickly messaged Liu Longtao telepathically, stopping him and saying, ¡°You¡¯re getting more and more ridiculous! If Cai Qianlong spreads this outside, won¡¯t it set my team on fire?¡±

    ¡°Just explain it to them¡­¡± Liu Longtao casually remarked, then quickly realized, ¡°Damn! Damn! Damn! Yan, did you sweep your whole team off their feet? Five girls? All fell for you?¡±

    Yan Yu was momentarily stunned before he realized he might have said too much and immediately threatened:

    ¡°Shut up! I came to help, not to add fuel to your fire!¡±

    As the two of them whispered back and forth, He Ye, shocked, asked:

    ¡°Not even boyfriend and girlfriend, and already sleeping in the same bed?¡±

    ¡°The world is indeed getting worse.¡± Cai Qianlong also clicked his tongue in wonder, ¡°Guarding one¡¯s own theft! Sleeping together before marriage! Tsk tsk tsk, I didn¡¯t expect you guys to be so wild!¡±

    ¡°We were just talking, nothing else!¡± Ye Jun finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore and stood up shouting, ¡°Nothing else!¡±

 Chapter 549 - 45 How much you love each other

    Chapter 549: Chapter 45 How much you love each other

    Ye Jun was getting anxious, which promptly raised some doubts among everyone.

    If she and Yan Yu didn¡¯t have anything going on, being rumored to have ¡°slept with each other¡± would naturally cause anger and panic.

    But aren¡¯t you two a couple now? Being together now, whether you slept together on the day you confirmed your relationship, or got together because you had slept together, what difference does it make?

    ¡°Cough cough,¡± Yan Yu hurriedly said, ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense, guys. Back then, Ye Jun and I were really just innocent friends. We shared a bed because the room had a double bed, we couldn¡¯t exactly split it in two, could we? We didn¡¯t even lie down fully; we sat on the bed and talked all night long.¡±

    Everyone exchanged glances for a moment before He Ye stepped in to smooth things over, saying:

    ¡°Of course, Ye Jun was in charge of watching over Yan Yu then; how could they have done anything else, right? So, how did you two end up together in the end?¡±

    Now it was Yan Yu and Ye Jun¡¯s turn to get stuck.

    Luckily, Yan Yu was quick on his feet. He burst into laughter for a moment, using the chance to think of an explanation on the fly, and said:

    ¡°Hahaha, well, you see¡­ we talked all night long, and then Ye Jun said she wanted to be in a relationship, but all the guys in Dragon Soar Team are pretty straightforward, not meeting her partner criteria. After talking, she thought I was alright, so she suggested we could date for a while.¡±

    Although they had explained how they got together, this hastily made-up lie left the two feeling somewhat annoyed.

    Liu Longtao sent Yan Yu a telepathic message, saying:

    ¡°Hey, Yan, you make your own excuses, but don¡¯t diss me, okay? What does ¡®straightforward¡¯ mean? You really wanted to say ¡®machismo¡¯, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Before Yan Yu had the chance to defend himself, he saw Ye Jun smiling and saying:

    ¡°Mm-hmm~ Yes, yes, it was me who pursued Yan Yu, asking him to be my boyfriend. He hesitated at the time because there were many girls in the Zhenhai Team who liked him as well.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, that¡¯s true,¡± Cai Qianlong nodded in agreement, then suddenly asked in amazement, ¡°Yan, I didn¡¯t realize women liked you so much!¡±

    What the hell are you talking about! With my good looks, isn¡¯t it normal for women to like me?

    Yan Yu was about to shoot back a retort when he heard Ye Jun continue:

    ¡°But then he said, while the girls in the Zhenhai Team are cute, they don¡¯t meet his partner criteria either. After talking, he felt that I was the most suitable for him, so in the end, he chose me.¡±

    ¡°Wow!¡± He Ye and Song Jia exclaimed, utterly weak to this type of mutual selection and mutual pursuit in love.

    But Yan Yu was sweating bullets because if this got back to Yun Jin, wouldn¡¯t it be like a bomb going off?

    He also realized that Ye Jun was unhappy because of the excuse he made up earlier, so of course, it was time to apologize, showing that it was an unintentional misstep¡­

    Apologize my ass!

    I¡¯m unintentional, you¡¯re deliberate, is that the same thing? Your behavior is a hundred times worse than mine!

    ¡°So what exactly do you like about each other?¡± He Ye continued to ask curiously.

    ¡°Haha, good question.¡± Yan Yu immediately pulled Ye Jun into his embrace, laughed, and said, ¡°Despite how composed Junjun seems usually, she¡¯s super clingy in private. Every time we¡¯re together, she has to stick with me for a very long time, unwilling to leave even for a moment. That¡¯s what I like about her.¡±

    ¡°Wow!¡± He Ye said with envy, ¡°That¡¯s so sweet!¡±

    Ye Jun, being held by Yan Yu, was momentarily flustered, but she quickly recovered, wrapping her arms around Yan Yu¡¯s, and retorted without showing weakness:

    ¡°I¡¯m clingy because Yan Yu lacks security. Whenever we¡¯re not together, Yan Yu sends me messages every few hours; if I don¡¯t reply, he¡¯ll call me. Of course, I have to cling more when we¡¯re together, or else he¡¯ll be unhappy.¡±

    ¡°My, my,¡± Song Jia sighed as well, ¡°So what do you guys do when you¡¯re together?¡±

    Yan Yu hugged Ye Jun even tighter and said with a sneer:

    ¡°What else can couples do when they¡¯re together? Obviously, they book hotel rooms.¡± S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Indeed, after all, dorms are inconvenient!¡± Cai Qianlong chimed in, ¡°When Jiajia and I first got together, we would also book hotel rooms every now and then, owww!¡±

    Song Jia gave him a harsh stomp under the table.

    He Ye, now slightly embarrassed, stuttered:

    ¡°I see, so¡­ you¡¯re quite affectionate with each other.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re a special case,¡± Liu Longtao intervened, seeing He Ye get embarrassed, quickly adding, ¡°Normally, couples don¡¯t act like this. These two just have a higher demand than the rest of us!¡±

    Ye Jun finally flew into a rage and gently extricated herself from Yan Yu¡¯s embrace, laughing as she said:

    ¡°He Ye, I need to use the restroom. Are you going?¡±

    ¡°I am.¡± He Ye nodded.

    ¡°Me too.¡± Song Jia stood up as well.

    The girls left together to use the restroom, leaving only three men in the private room, looking at each other, at a loss.

    Liu Longtao suddenly realized with alarm that no good could come from the restroom visit; Ye Jun might take this opportunity to speak ill of him to He Ye as revenge for his earlier disparagement!

    ¡°Old Yan!¡± He couldn¡¯t bother with transmitting his voice secretly and hurriedly made eye contact with Yan Yu.

    ¡°No saving you now, prepare for your doom, farewell!¡± Yan Yu stood up.

    Crazy, they went to the ladies¡¯ restroom; how could I possibly follow them in?

    He went to the counter outside and ordered a cup of lemon fruit tea, beginning to contemplate his next move.

    If everything had gone according to the original plan, without Cai Qianlong and Song Jia¡¯s presence, even if he and Ye Jun pretended to be a couple, Liu Longtao would certainly not spread it around, and He Ye was the type who knew where to draw the line, so there should be no issues.

    But now with Cai Qianlong present, who was part of the same social circle, it meant that if he mentioned it in some cultivator group chat, by the time it reached the ears of the girls at Zhenhai Team, rumors about ¡°not fancying anyone but having special feelings for Ye Jun¡±¡­ his backyard would immediately burst into flames and explode!

    The best course of action now was to keep Cai Qianlong¡¯s mouth shut.

    After getting his lemon fruit tea, Yan Yu took a sip through the straw, an idea already forming in his mind.

    To keep Cai Qianlong quiet, the best tactic was to win over Song Jia.

    He didn¡¯t have any relationship with Song Jia, but Liu Longtao was acquainted with her, and considering that he was only involved because he was helping Lord Master, Liu Longtao would not ignore the situation. He¡¯d need to speak to him about this later.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, alone here?¡± Ye Jun emerged from the restroom at some point and came over to ask.

    ¡°Thirsty, just having a drink,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you getting one for your girlfriend?¡± Ye Jun raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°Don¡¯t know your taste,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°You order.¡±

    ¡°Humph.¡± Ye Jun ordered a peach soda water, paid for it with her phone, and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine over here, but you, think about how you¡¯re going to conceal it from or explain it to your teammates.¡±

    ¡°You still have the nerve to say that?¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one who caused me all this trouble?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just giving you a taste of your own medicine,¡± Ye Jun crossed her arms and retorted, ¡°So you¡¯re allowed to say I pursued you, but I¡¯m not allowed to talk?¡±

    ¡°Allowed, allowed,¡± Yan Yu raised his hands in surrender, ¡°After all, it¡¯s me who¡¯s going to have the headache, not you.¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± Ye Jun took her sparkling water from the server, saying, ¡°If you¡¯re really worried about them bothering you, it¡¯s actually quite simple.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re pretending to be a couple right now,¡± Ye Jun looked out the window as she spoke, ¡°You could also lie to them and say you¡¯re with me; that should calm them down. Whenever you really want to date someone, just say we broke up.¡±

    ¡°Good idea.¡± Yan Yu was silent for a while before responding, ¡°But let¡¯s not.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Ye Jun asked.

    ¡°I can¡¯t let you take on their animosity for me,¡± Yan Yu said seriously, ¡°You don¡¯t owe me anything, and you¡¯ve already been through enough.¡±

    ¡°I actually don¡¯t mind,¡± Ye Jun sipped her sparkling water, her expression carefree, ¡°I¡¯m not with the Zhenhai Team anyway. Whatever jealousy they have for me, I don¡¯t care.¡±

    ¡°I care,¡± Yan Yu said earnestly. He then noticed He Ye and Song Jia leaving the restroom and called out to Ye Jun:

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s head back.¡±

    He walked towards the private room. Ye Jun didn¡¯t immediately follow, just stood there gazing at his retreating figure, biting on her straw.

    Suddenly, she choked on her sparkling water and bent over coughing, pounding on her chest with force.

    ¡°Ah, really¡­¡±

 Chapter 550 - 46: Assisting

    Chapter 550: Chapter 46: Assisting

    In the second round of the game, Liu Longtao finally began to turn his luck, not only his wealth clanged up, but he also drew a stack of ¡°Cannon Cards¡± and ¡°Laser Cards.¡±

    Thus, with a flurry of actions fierce as a tiger, aside from He Ye, the other four were sent to the hospital by his Prop Cards.

    ¡°Damn Liu, how are you so fierce!¡± Cai Qianlong exclaimed, ¡°Give me some face, don¡¯t let me lose too disgracefully in front of my wife.¡±

    ¡°Received,¡± Liu Longtao responded with a cold laugh, ¡°You¡¯re next, just wait!¡±

    ¡°Liu,¡± Yan Yu also secretly communicated, ¡°You are obviously favoring He Ye too much; the girl will be shy, use the Prop Card on her too.¡±

    Liu Longtao thought about it and since he still had a Laser Card in his hand, he played it saying,

    ¡°Hitting Cai¡­ Has He Ye not been attacked yet? Haha, then I¡¯ll hit you.¡±

    ¡°Liu is righteous!¡± Cai Qianlong was overjoyed and said with a bow.

    ¡°Ah?¡± He Ye said disappointedly, ¡°Oh no, I have a remote control dice card, I was just about to buy that shop¡­¡±

    ¡°Hit Cai Qianlong,¡± Liu Longtao immediately corrected.

    ¡°Liu!¡± Cai Qianlong screamed in agony, ¡°I just got out of the hospital not long ago!¡±

    Song Jia laughed uncontrollably at the side, ¡°Who told you to squander your Health immediately upon leaving?¡±

    ¡°Damn it!¡± Cai Qianlong helplessly handed over his Health Card.

    Yan Yu silently took note and turned to whisper to Ye Jun,

    ¡°Why do I feel something¡¯s off? Look at this He Ye¡­ is she really the innocent good girl Liu described?¡±

    ¡°Heh.¡± Ye Jun scoffed, ¡°Just noticing?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Yan Yu was stunned.

    ¡°Born into a wealthy family, with worldly parents who have received higher education. Can such a girl really be naive?¡± Ye Jun said, ¡°Believe it or not, her perfectly moderate modesty and shyness might have been collectively crafted by her relatives at a private meeting, specifically to match Lord Master¡¯s preferences.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Yan Yu gasped again, ¡°It¡¯s all a facade?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just guessing,¡± Ye Jun clicked his tongue, ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, I¡¯m not the one looking for a partner, whether she¡¯s genuine or fake.¡±

    ¡°Women are as unpredictable as the sea,¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but muse, ¡°If she¡¯s really that cunning, isn¡¯t Liu completely at her mercy? And indeed, she hasn¡¯t shown any flaws, your speculation won¡¯t convince Lord Master.¡±

    ¡°Why should I make him believe?¡± Ye Jun retorted.

    ¡°Because her true nature isn¡¯t like what Lord Master perceives?¡± Yan Yu said subconsciously.

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± Ye Jun sighed, ¡°Every woman, when faced with a man they like, will more or less put on a mask. If a woman doesn¡¯t pretend at all around you, it only means she couldn¡¯t care less about what you think; in her heart, you¡¯re simply not important, get it?¡± sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment, ¡°So, Teacher Ye, is there a way to tell whether a woman is pretending around you?¡±

    ¡°Very simple,¡± Ye Jun calmly said, ¡°If everything she shows is the type you like, then there¡¯s a ninety-nine percent chance she¡¯s intentionally pleasing you through a disguise¡­ unless you insist that you two were just meant to be, then forget I said anything.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Yan Yu accepted the lesson with good grace and curiously asked, ¡°Teacher Ye, if it¡¯s confirmed that the other party is pretending, is there any way to make her reveal her true self?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s even simpler,¡± Ye Jun said offhand, ¡°Just say ¡®I love you,¡¯ those three words.¡±

    ¡°I love you?¡± Yan Yu said.

    Ye Jun¡¯s heart involuntarily skipped a half-beat, only to hear Yan Yu continue:

    ¡°Why? Is it because after a confession, she¡¯d feel too embarrassed to keep up the pretense?¡±

    Ye Jun then realized that when Yan Yu said those three words, his tone seemed questioning, and she immediately felt some hatred towards her own sensitivity and foolishness.

    ¡°Because, her disguise was to win you over,¡± she slowly said. ¡°If she had already won you over, naturally she wouldn¡¯t go to the trouble of disguising herself anymore. This is why many couples initially like each other immensely, but later on start to notice various flaws in each other.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment, made sure there was no issue, and then asked, ¡°So, you¡¯re saying He Ye, if she packaged her own personality, did it because she really wanted to win over Lord Master.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Ye Jun said.

    ¡°But a deeper reason could be that she actually likes Lord Master, or it could be that she covets Lord Master¡¯s wealth and status,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Completely wrong,¡± Ye Jun said. ¡°Wealth, status, appearance, personality¡­ there are myriad and complex factors that make up a person, you can¡¯t blame someone¡¯s liking for you solely on liking just one aspect of you. In fact, in most cases, she likes you as a whole. What you men often worry about, ¡®she likes my wealth and status,¡¯ ¡®but hates my looks and personality,¡¯ only arises if your looks and personality are indeed very poor. Yan Yu, let me ask you, what do you think of Old Liu¡¯s looks and personality?¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a while, ¡°His looks are alright. Although not as handsome as me, he should score about two-thirds of my attractiveness; as for personality, he¡¯s arrogant, proud, very chauvinistic, but it seems like there are no obvious flaws.¡±

    ¡°Right, you said it, Lord Master isn¡¯t hideous,¡± Ye Jun analyzed. ¡°Chauvinism is indeed a problem, but He Ye¡¯s upbringing was very strict, she¡¯s likely accustomed to obeying her parents, obeying authority, so she easily respects Lord Master¡¯s dominance. All in all, she couldn¡¯t have liked Lord Master just for his wealth and status¡­notice I didn¡¯t deny it, I said ¡®not just¡¯.¡±

    ¡°So you think this girl is alright,¡± Yan Yu concluded, ¡°Lord Master doesn¡¯t need to worry about her having ulterior motives.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Ye Jun said.

    ¡°Lord Master,¡± Yan Yu communicated telepathically to Liu Longtao, ¡°I¡¯ve discussed it with Ye Jun, He Ye should be fine.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± Liu Longtao immediately said, ¡°then you two hurry up and help me out.¡±

    ¡°You two are already ranked first and second, what kind of help do you still need?¡± Yan Yu asked speechlessly. ¡°How about I get you a Marriage Card so you can interact with He Ye?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes, that¡¯d be great!¡± Liu Longtao was elated.

    ¡°Great my foot! I¡¯m not a magician, how can I get you a Marriage Card!¡± Yan Yu cursed mercilessly.

    ¡°Think of something, Old Yan!¡±

    ¡°Stop always asking me to figure things out, it¡¯s your own job to chase after the girl!¡±

    While Liu Longtao was teasing Yan Yu through their telepathic communication, he was also absently playing with his phone, only looking up when it was his turn to roll the dice.

    On his phone screen, there prominently appeared the private chat history with He Ye.

    [Young Master Liu]: So, do you think there¡¯s a possibility between them?

    [Tender Lotus Just Showing Tips]: I think Ye Jun certainly likes Yan Yu, but Yan Yu¡­ it¡¯s hard to say, he doesn¡¯t seem to reject Ye Jun but he¡¯s also not very proactive.

    [Young Master Liu]: These two are going to be the death of me! I¡¯m telling you, Old Yan¡¯s team is full of beautiful girls, and they all like him!

    [Tender Lotus Just Showing Tips]: That¡¯s how it is with a male god who¡¯s surrounded by admirers. He has plenty of choices, can take his time, so he¡¯s not in a rush.

    [Young Master Liu]: Is there a way to make Ye Jun a bit more proactive?

    [Tender Lotus Just Showing Tips]: Why do you have to pair them up?

    [Young Master Liu]: Ye Jun once had a psychological issue¡­it¡¯s complicated and I won¡¯t go into details, but it was Old Yan who helped her resolve it. Afterward, the Dingbei Army analyzed and debated, and finally decided they hope Yan Yu and Ye Jun could become a couple, get it? Don¡¯t spread this around, neither of them know, I just used the excuse ¡®I want to ask you out, but I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll be embarrassed¡¯ to have them pretend to be a couple this time.

    [Tender Lotus Just Showing Tips]: Got it, it¡¯s typical within the system, comrades who are married tend to be more reassuring to leaders. And since neither of them resisted pretending to be a couple, they definitely do not reject each other. But if they were to be together, the initiative isn¡¯t really in Ye Jun¡¯s hands; it¡¯s in Yan Yu¡¯s, making her proactive won¡¯t help.

    [Young Master Liu]: I¡¯ve got an idea! As long as I continue to give Ye Jun a hard time, and Old Yan can¡¯t stand it, he will naturally start to feel sympathy for her!

    [Tender Lotus Just Showing Tips]: Don¡¯t do that, even if it¡¯s the leader¡¯s request, there¡¯s no need to be the villain.

    [Young Master Liu]: It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll take the blame! They¡¯ll forgive me at their wedding!

 Chapter 551 - 47 Opening the Shell

    Chapter 551: Chapter 47 Opening the Shell

    Judging solely by the features and attractiveness, Ye Jun was much better looking than He Ye.

    He Ye¡¯s eyes were small and slender, a typical peach blossom shape. Although they gave her a delicate appearance, they paled in comparison to Ye Jun¡¯s bright and charming eyes.

    If Yan Yu had to choose between the two, whether for their looks or personality, he would prefer Ye Jun.

    But Lord Master had chosen He Ye.

    It only goes to show that someone was indeed a great sinner, capturing the ill will of many with a pretty face to the point where Lord Master now felt little attraction towards beautiful girls.

    As everyone knows, the final part of team building is often singing, as the dim light in the karaoke room facilitates letting guards down and bonding.

    So, the group moved from board games to the karaoke room, where Liu Longtao ordered drinks and beverages for everyone¡ªthe beverages being for He Ye, as her parents strictly forbade her from drinking alcohol without a relative present.

    Cai Qianlong assured everyone time and again that he had won the singing competition three years in a row during high school, until Liu Longtao, vexed by his nagging, handed the microphone over to him.

    He Ye sat beside Liu Longtao, whispering and murmuring with Song Jia.

    On the other side, Yan Yu and Ye Jun leisurely sipped expensive red wine with names they couldn¡¯t pronounce, as Cai Qianlong belted out tunes and Liu Longtao sneered and jeered beside him.

    ¡°That sounds awful,¡± Ye Jun said sneakily with a laugh. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°It¡¯s not too bad,¡± Yan Yu commented diplomatically, ¡°just a bit off tune here and there.¡±

    ¡°A broken gong can¡¯t hit the high notes,¡± Ye Jun stretched languidly and then suddenly said, ¡°Lend me your thigh to lie on.¡±

    ¡°Ouch, what are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget we¡¯re pretending to be a couple. Acting so distant will arouse suspicion,¡± Ye Jun said as she lay down on his legs and started playing with her phone. ¡°Besides, it was the excuse you came up with, right? I like clinging to you when we¡¯re together.¡±

    Yan Yu allowed her to lie on his legs, his thoughts suddenly drifting to the matters of his past life.

    Chen Lingyun also liked lying on his legs, then pouting as if seeking a kiss, but the moment he took her seriously and leaned down, that woman would quickly press two fingers against his lips pretending they were hers, showing a ¡°haha, you fell for it¡± expression.

    The more you wanted to kiss, the more she wouldn¡¯t let you succeed. You could only kiss when she wanted to.

    It was just one of many details, but it was such an accumulation of these that made Yan Yu grow increasingly vexed with her until he reached the point of disappointment.

    At least if I lowered my head now, Ye Jun most likely wouldn¡¯t reject me.

    Thinking this, Yan Yu suddenly leaned down.

    Ye Jun¡¯s gaze was still on her phone when she realized Yan Yu¡¯s face was inching closer and closer, and she instantly looked up to stare directly at him.

    Without dodging or blinking, she just met his gaze, making Yan Yu feel somewhat unnatural as he asked:

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ye Jun asked in return.

    ¡°It seemed like there was something on your face.¡± Yan Yu sat back upright and said seriously, ¡°I got closer to check, but it turns out I was mistaken.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Ye Jun said.

    She felt an inexplicable sense of disappointment and irritation in her heart, and suddenly slapped her hand onto Yan Yu¡¯s face, holding his cheek.

    ¡°What?¡± Yan Yu was somewhat puzzled. It wasn¡¯t painful, but the slap wasn¡¯t light either¡ªthere was some force to it.

    ¡°I also thought I saw something on your face,¡± Ye Jun sat up straight, pretending to look at her palm before withdrawing her hand, ¡°I thought it might be an insect, but it turns out I was mistaken.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Yan Yu nodded, then added, ¡°Hey, is there something on your chest there¡­¡±

    ¡°If you dare touch me I¡¯ll stab you with Flying Sword,¡± Ye Jun warned sternly, ¡°even if there really is something, it¡¯s not allowed.¡±

    ¡°Stabbing me with Flying Sword is a bit extreme,¡± Yan Yu immediately protested, ¡°Don¡¯t forget our relationship.¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Ye Jun secretly transmitted her voice to him, ¡°A fake couple is still fake, so no touching, understand?¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    Ye Jun squinted at him, hoping in her heart that he really hadn¡¯t understood.

    Because if he really did understand and still refused to follow up, that would mean¡­

    ¡°I should go back now,¡± He Ye suddenly said.

    ¡°Oh, then I¡¯ll take you there,¡± Liu Longtao quickly offered.

    ¡°No need,¡± He Ye laughed, ¡°My dad is coming to pick me up by car. He¡¯ll be at the store entrance in a few minutes. You guys keep having fun.¡±

    Liu Longtao insisted on walking He Ye to the door, and the two of them left the private room, leaving the remaining four people looking at each other with no one continuing to pick songs.

    ¡°Hey Old Yan,¡± Cai Qianlong suddenly said, ¡°are you and Ye Jun actually a couple?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Before Yan Yu could speak, Ye Jun took the initiative to ask, ¡°Do you think we¡¯re not a good match?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that,¡± Cai Qianlong scratched his head, confused, ¡°Why do I feel that instead of being like a couple, you two are more like flirting with each other?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense,¡± Song Jia slapped her boyfriend¡¯s thigh, ¡°Do you think everyone¡¯s like you, always thinking about that stuff all day?¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s what Old Yan said himself!¡± Cai Qianlong argued with his girlfriend, insisting, ¡°After they established their relationship, they¡¯re always rushing off to book hotel rooms! They¡¯ve already been to a hotel room, and still they go on flirting here and there. Isn¡¯t that weird?¡±

    ¡°What does it take for you to believe?¡± Ye Jun suddenly asked.

    ¡°At least a kiss or something¡­¡±

    Before the words had finished, Ye Jun had already mounted Yan Yu, her hands gripping his head tightly, and she kissed him forcefully with an unmistakable air of aggression.

    Yan Yu suddenly realized that Ye Jun, despite her seemingly easy-going nature, actually had a very strong impulsive streak. For example, when she was ordered by the Dingbei Army to guard him, she dared to share a bed and chat with him; or when she left her team on her own initiative to come find him in Minyue Province after being coaxed by him in just a few words; or now, provoked by Cai Qianlong¡­

    Perhaps her reason for becoming the spokesperson for the Dingbei Army in her previous life wasn¡¯t because no second-line team wanted her, but because she impulsively chose to retire.

    Lost in uncontrollable thoughts, Yan Yu tried hard not to pay attention to the warmth coming from their lips. Suddenly, he felt his teeth pried open as if an otter had deftly opened a shell.

    After a long while, Ye Jun let go, turned to Cai Qianlong and said:

    ¡°Do you believe it now?¡±

    ¡°I believe, I believe,¡± Cai Qianlong hurriedly responded.

    His personality was bold, but he wouldn¡¯t dare to kiss Song Jia in front of others, or else his girlfriend would surely make him suffer by kneeling on a keyboard later. Ye Jun, being able to do such a thing publicly, did indeed fit with the setup of ¡°often going to book hotel rooms with Yan Yu.¡±

    Yan Yu grabbed a napkin and wiped away the saliva from the corner of his mouth, when suddenly he heard Ye Jun¡¯s voice in his mind:

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°Why apologize?¡±

    ¡°Suddenly remembered, He Ye has already left, we don¡¯t need to pretend to be a couple anymore,¡± Ye Jun said as if it were nothing.

    Understanding what she meant ¨C ¡°I kissed you only to not look suspicious in front of Cai Qianlong¡± ¨C Yan Yu chuckled in his mind:

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, as long as you don¡¯t really like me.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Ye Jun fell silent for a while, then suddenly asked in his mind, ¡°If it¡¯s acting, it¡¯s no problem, but what if I kissed you because I truly liked you? What would you do then?¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a different story,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°Unless that really happens, I can¡¯t say how I would react.¡±

    ¡°However, if I were to really consider a romantic relationship, I would definitely give priority to members of the team.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Ye Jun strived to keep her voice steady, and since mental communication was about conveying thoughts, maintaining composure wasn¡¯t too difficult.

    ¡°Because the Zhendong Army would definitely want me to find a partner within the internal structure,¡± Yan Yu laughed heartily, saying, ¡°Members of the Zhenhai Team are like the direct descendants of the commander-in-chief, which saves him the trouble of having to inspect backgrounds and fuss about it. It¡¯s annoying.¡±

    Ye Jun looked at him blankly, her originally anxious eyes slowly steadying.

    So that¡¯s how it is.

    Which means, you hope that I¡­

 Chapter 552 - 48: Diligent Heaven Venerate Xie Ruoxi

    Chapter 552: Chapter 48: Diligent Heaven Venerate Xie Ruoxi

    Because He Ye had already left, Liu Longtao, who had just come back, quickly announced that he too had to leave.

    Thus, everyone went their separate ways, Yan Yu flew south on his Sword Control journey, while Liu Longtao drove to pick up Ye Jun and return to the team base.

    ¡°Lord Master,¡± Ye Jun, sitting in the backseat and looking out the window, suddenly said, ¡°I want to go to the Zhenhai Team.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Liu Longtao, who was driving, was taken aback and said, ¡°Now? That¡¯s hardly possible.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± said Ye Jun, ¡°But I don¡¯t want to wait for you guys to not need me and kick me out before going.¡±

    Liu Longtao pondered for a moment and said:

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you continue practicing your swordsmanship for now? Even if there was a chance to go there now, you wouldn¡¯t be able to play a role, right?¡±

    ¡°Mmhmm,¡± Ye Jun replied.

    After a moment, Lord Master suddenly caught on and tentatively asked:

    ¡°Ye Jun, if you¡¯ve already mastered swordsmanship and shed the label of being exclusively defensive, and if the team here is still willing to keep you¡­¡±

    ¡°I still want to go to the Zhenhai Team,¡± Ye Jun said.

    ¡°Understood,¡± Liu Longtao nodded.

    If the previous Ye Jun was considering joining Yan Yu because she was worried about losing her value in the Dragon Soar Team in the future, now Ye Jun was determined to join the Zhenhai Team, regardless of whether the Dragon Soar Team still wanted her.

    ¡°It¡¯s still not feasible now,¡± Liu Longtao continued, ¡°first wait for Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun to reach the Hua Mansion Stage and master the Sword-Human Unity. That way, your self-protection ability will be sufficient, and then I will check with the higher-ups.¡±

    ¡°Bai Ran on this end should also consider tactical flexibility when choosing Spirit Beasts in the future,¡± Ye Jun also suggested, ¡°After all, the future Dragon Soar Team won¡¯t be short of output options.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Liu Longtao fell silent for a while, then suddenly said:

    ¡°Ye Jun, over there with Old Yan¡­ you have more than one competitor. This isn¡¯t exactly a mutual pursuit; in the end, it might turn out to be all for nothing. What will you do then?¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Ye Jun said, ¡°But if I don¡¯t go, there will be nothing to compete for.¡±

    ¡°The decision to go is final,¡± Liu Longtao said.

    ¡°Indeed, the decision to go is final,¡± Ye Jun affirmed.

    ¡°Hope I can witness your two¡¯s wedding¡­ Oh right, He Ye just told me she added you as a friend, remember to accept it,¡± Liu Longtao said.

    ¡°Surely you don¡¯t need my help to assist?¡± Ye Jun was somewhat surprised.

    ¡°Actually, she figured out you two aren¡¯t a couple,¡± Liu Longtao helplessly said, ¡°Luckily, I reacted quickly, and changed my story to say you two actually liked each other all along, but neither dared to make the first move. So I pretended to assist her and me, persuading you two to pretend to be a couple, hoping she and I could actually help you both.¡±

    Ye Jun: ¡­¡­¡­..

    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± she insincerely said, ¡°So, is it true?¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Liu Longtao took it for granted, ¡°I just wanted to use that as an opportunity to stay in contact with He Ye. So if He Ye sends a message later asking how you and Old Yan are doing, definitely don¡¯t talk much with her, so she will have to get the details from me.¡±

    ¡°This He Ye is quite the gossip,¡± Ye Jun said with a slight frown.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t everyone¡­ cough, I mean, it¡¯s quite normal,¡± Liu Longtao said.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Yan Yu flew back to the Mysterious Realm on Sword Control, sending a message to his teammates.

    Upon reaching the second layer of the Mysterious Realm, Yan Yu suddenly felt somewhat guilty.

    Leaving everyone behind this time, he had been secretly cozy with Anna and cuddling with Ye Jun, truly living it up¡­ just afraid that the girls would get jealous and it would backfire, making things ugly!

    Cough cough, Lord Master said he had already mentioned it to Song Jia and only hoped that Cai Qianlong was under his wife¡¯s thumb and wouldn¡¯t let the information about Ye Jun slip out.

    As for Anna, since she¡¯s far beyond the borders, there¡¯s no need to worry.

    Upon reaching his doorstep, Yan Yu had already thought of an excuse. He would say that Emperor Peter was an unparalleled mighty contender whom hardly anyone in the world could match. Fortunately, he himself had been a cut above and had fought with him for dozens of hours, grinding the very essence of the path they fought on to nothing, until he finally spotted a flaw and delivered a terrifying blow that sent Emperor Peter flying clear across the Eurasian Continent and into the Atlantic Ocean.

    On the way back, when passing by Shengjing, he ran into old Liu. Hearing of my Buddha¡¯s Palm, he was so astounded he insisted I demonstrate it to him then and there, which delayed me for half a day. I¡¯ve just got back, and I¡¯m sorry to have kept everyone waiting.

    If any lady should ask about Anna, just describe in detail how terrifying Emperor Peter was, until everyone has had enough.

    With his thoughts carefully arranged, Yan Yu pushed open the door and said,

    ¡°I¡¯m back!¡±

    No one paid him any attention.

    The living room was empty.

    Yan Yu silently took out his phone and sent Su Yunjin a message:

    ¡°Where is everyone?¡±

    ¡°At the TV station,¡± Su Yunjin quickly replied. ¡°Watch the TV, central channel seven.¡±

    Yan Yu sat on the sofa, picked up the remote control, turned on the TV, and switched to channel seven, only to see a character interview program on air. Five girls were sitting in chairs, being interviewed by the host.

    The host was none other than Lu Zhiyu, who had interviewed him and Chen Lingyun before, famous for her talent in mentally grueling interviews¡­ However, this time it was a key publicity program arranged by the military, so there was not much room for her to ask questions freely. Therefore, she just smiled and straightly asked,

    ¡°Ruoxi, you have now become the first Transcendent in the world to advance in cultivation. What are your thoughts on this?¡±

    ¡°Very proud,¡± Xie Ruoxi followed the script honestly, ¡°and quite surprised. From what I know, many cultivators have excellent talents. The fact that I was the first to advance to the Hua Mansion stage also involved some luck.¡±

    ¡°Ruoxi is very humble,¡± Lu Zhiyu smiled and said, ¡°Does it feel hard when you cultivate?¡±

    ¡°Not hard,¡± Xie Ruoxi said without changing expression, ¡°fighting for the country, there¡¯s nothing hard about it. Zhendong Army has provided me with an environment where I can cultivate with peace of mind, and team leader Yan Yu has always been behind supporting and encouraging me, so I have endless motivation to cultivate.¡±

    The four other girls all smiled, thinking indeed it was endless motivation¡ªfail to perform and you get beaten, who would dare not to cultivate earnestly?

    ¡°Ling Yun,¡± Lu Zhiyu shifted the question, ¡°you heard Ruoxi¡¯s speech just now. What do you think of Ruoxi?¡±

    ¡°Ruoxi is a very diligent and hard-working cultivator,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a full-faced smile. ¡°The heavens reward the diligent. That she was the first to advance to the Hua Mansion stage is no surprise to me.¡±

    The moment Yan Yu poured himself some tea, he took a sip and almost spit it out when he heard this.

    Xie Ruoxi cultivates diligently? Then are there any incompetent people left in the world?

    ¡°Yes,¡± Su Yunjin also stated seriously, ¡°We practice breathing exercises every night, and whenever everyone finishes the daily lessons and goes to the bathroom, we can always see that Ruoxi is still sitting cross-legged¡ªshe¡¯s the type who absolutely won¡¯t waste even a bit of effort space.¡±

    Lin Ning barely managed a smile next to her, clearly uncomfortable with this lie; Zhao Yuanzhen just kept nodding, but Yan Yu knew her too well¡ªhe could tell she wasn¡¯t really listening, probably lost in her own thoughts!

    ¡°Have you ever seen the starry sky at four in the morning?¡± Chen Lingyun added, ¡°Ruoxi has because she sleeps no more than five hours a day, from four in the morning to nine in the morning. There were a few times we asked her why she didn¡¯t sleep a bit more, and she said she couldn¡¯t because of the training schedule team leader Yan Yu had set for her, which she aimed to complete 200 percent. By the way, the schedule is with Ningning.¡±

    Lin Ning took the opportunity to pull out the schedule and spread it out in front of the camera. Host Lu Zhiyu instantly exclaimed.

    Watching from in front of the TV, Yan Yu focused and saw that it was indeed full of various daily routines¡ªbreathing and energy refining, basic training, tactical guidance, actual combat training¡­ It really was the schedule I had set for her, and the details were correct, but the timing was completely off!

    Based on this schedule, Xie Ruoxi would have to cultivate for 19 hours a day! Even if it was to motivate other cultivators to train hard, this schedule is a bit too fake!

    ¡°Cough cough,¡± Xie Ruoxi cleared her throat and said, ¡°This schedule seems very full, but it¡¯s not difficult to carry out. I¡¯m just using everyone¡¯s usual rest time to improve my own strength.¡±

    She looked at the camera, her expression firm and resolute, and declared passionately: S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Diligence can compensate for lack of skill, which is something I¡¯ve always believed in.¡±

 Chapter 553 - 49: Yan Yu, you dont want to either

    Chapter 553: Chapter 49: Yan Yu, you don¡¯t want to either

    Yan Yu found the dialogue spoken by the Zhenhai Team members on the television utterly ridiculous.

    Diligent Lord Master Xie Ruoxi? Others might not know, but isn¡¯t it common knowledge within the Zhendong Army what kind of person she is?

    Initially, this good-for-nothing was so terrible that she even alarmed Li Weiguo, and in the end, they had no choice but to resort to the ¡°call the parents strategy,¡± summoning her brother, Xie Rushan, all the way from Jingbei to shame her harshly, finally putting an end to her pretty but useless act¡ªthough that just meant she wouldn¡¯t slack off openly anymore; she still continued to slack off behind the scenes.

    As for when she started training like a normal person, it seemed to be after some night when she, for some inexplicable reason, came to my room, tears streaming down her face, saying she wanted to repay the kindness I had shown her¡­

    I nearly died laughing, you should never try to figure out the thought process of a girl who¡¯s into 2D characters, or you¡¯ll end up weird yourself.

    While watching the TV program and glancing at his phone, Yan Yu realized that many Cultivator classmates had sent messages, congratulating him on Xie Ruoxi¡¯s successful advancement to the Hua Mansion Stage.

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: Old Yan, I heard that Xie Ruoxi from your team has advanced to the Hua Mansion Stage? How come you¡¯re getting outpaced by your little sister in terms of cultivation speed?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: How¡¯s your sister doing?

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: Why do you always bring up my sister whenever I tease you?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: I miss her.

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: Cut it out, I¡¯ve run into something weird over here.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Spill it.

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: In a village on this side of Lingyou, all the villagers have mysteriously disappeared.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: The work of a rogue Cultivator?

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: If only it were that simple. The problem is we haven¡¯t found that rogue Cultivator.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: They must have fled.

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: Who knows? The provincial governor is taking it very seriously and asked us for assistance, but the problem is we don¡¯t have any Necromancers in our team.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Have the Annan Army send over a Necromancer to help out.

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: Why is it so hard to ask you to bring your team over to help?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Get your sister to come talk to me about it.

    After a while, Li Minghu also sent a message.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Congratulations.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Thanks.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Things are a bit complicated over here. The criminal investigation team said they haven¡¯t found any signs of fighting or slaughter. For ten-plus households with around twenty people, if something really happened, you¡¯d expect someone would have called the cops, but there was nothing. Later, tech even checked the cell tower logs and found that their signals all disappeared at the same time, that is, around 12:03 a.m. yesterday.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Oh, now that¡¯s kind of interesting.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Yan Yu, I feel like you know a lot more about this. What do you think happened?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: It was the middle of the night; there wouldn¡¯t have been any village-wide activities, so most people should have been asleep at home. No bodies, and no signs of a struggle means they were probably teleported away from their own homes. Check for any strange ritual traces near the village.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Okay, I¡¯ll contact you again if we find anything.

    With the conversation over, Yan Yu fell into deep thought.

    During the mid-period of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, entire villages disappearing like this wasn¡¯t uncommon. For example, in his previous life, there were cases where three or four nearby villages ended up completely empty, and later investigations revealed that a bird-like demon was loitering nearby. Every night, it would approach human settlements, call out a few times, and all the sleeping villagers would unconsciously get up and walk over to the Bird Demon, allowing it to devour them.

    There were just too many similar bizarre possibilities, and without visiting the site personally, Yan Yu couldn¡¯t make a judgment. If Li Minghu¡¯s side managed to resolve it, well and good, but if they couldn¡¯t¡­ it was quite possible that the Annan Army would still have to turn to the Zhendong Army for help, and have the Zhenhai Team investigate.

    After all, as detestable as Chen Lingyun might be, her prowess as a Necromancer was still top-notch, making her perfect for investigating such scenes.

    By 4:30 in the afternoon, Yan Yu heard women¡¯s voices laughing outside, followed by the sound of a key being inserted into a lock.

    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± Lin Ning was the first to change into slippers, entering the living room and looking towards Yan Yu on the sofa, ¡°Are you hungry? I¡¯ll go cook.¡±

    Yan Yu thought she would ask about Anna and Ye Jun¡¯s matter, but since Sister Lin was only concerned with cooking, that was of course the best outcome, so he nodded and said:

    ¡°I¡¯ve missed Ningning¡¯s cooking.¡±

    ¡°Just buttering me up.¡± Lin Ning happily went to the kitchen. Following her in, Su Yunjin curiously asked Yan Yu:

    ¡°Is the food not good in the Northern Border?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s terrible,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Transcendents don¡¯t worry about getting fat, and then the witches are mostly Rakshasa, they like eating barbecued fatty meat the most, too greasy.¡±

    ¡°But Anna is from Lu Country, her taste shouldn¡¯t be that heavy, right?¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile.

    A subtle aura of heaviness descended, yet Yan Yu¡¯s expression remained unchanged, and he laughed:

    ¡°We only had one meal together. At that time, there was a bit of a time crunch. Emperor Peter could arrive at any moment, so we spent the entire night studying intelligence materials, fought Emperor Peter the next day, and then came back after that.¡±

    After musing for a moment, Su Yunjin subtly reassured herself and laughed:

    ¡°I¡¯ll go clean up your room.¡±

    She slowly went upstairs. The third person to come in was Zhao Yuanzhen, who directly asked Yan Yu:

    ¡°Did you bring back any local specialties?¡±

    ¡°What local specialties do you want?¡± Yan Yu asked with a sidelong glance.

    ¡°Red sausages, Rakshasa barbecued meat, dark chocolate¡­¡± Zhao Yuanzhen counted on her fingers, and was tapped on the head by Yan Yu:

    ¡°Are you listing dishes here? I was there to fight, didn¡¯t have time to bring back any local specialties, if you want to eat, you can buy them online yourself.¡±

    ¡°Humph.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen stomped off to her room to remove her makeup.

    Xie Ruoxi came in afterward, seeing Yan Yu, she immediately showed a cute smile, trying to say something, only to hear Yan Yu ask with ill intent:

    ¡°I heard you have to train for 19 hours every day?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi was half-opening her mouth, her expression quickly turned ashen, and after a long while, she stuttered:

    ¡°It¡¯s not me! It¡¯s them, it was their script for me! I just, just read it as is!¡± Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°I had no idea you were so diligent.¡± Yan Yu pretended to misunderstand and laughed, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, from now on I will also supervise you, to make sure you have endless motivation to cultivate.¡±

    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± Xie Ruoxi wailed as she rushed upstairs, only to hear Chen Lingyun ask:

    ¡°Is it that funny?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°What about you? How was the interview at the TV station?¡±

    ¡°Boring,¡± Chen Lingyun smiled, ¡°The script was pre-arranged, just like acting. How was it in the Northern Border? Did you sleep with any witches? How many?¡±

    ¡°0,¡± Yan Yu said seriously, ¡°Why would you ask such a question? How could such a clean-living man like me get involved with witches? Are they even worthy?¡±

    ¡°Hmm-hmm.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile didn¡¯t falter, ¡°But I heard that when you came back, you spent half a day at Lord Master¡¯s place and even pretended to be a couple with Ye Jun, hugging and cuddling.¡±

    ¡°How do you know?¡± Yan Yu quickly looked around, seeing that the closest Ningning was also in the kitchen cooking, then he transmitted his voice to Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°How do you know that?¡±

    Liu Longtao and Ye Jun would definitely not talk, and if Cai Qianlong had said it, probably everyone would know by now, which means¡­ Song Jia! This young miss knows Chen Lingyun!

    ¡°I have my ways,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a gleaming smile, ¡°But you seem very nervous, so¡­¡±

    ¡°My dear, you wouldn¡¯t want the girls in the team to know about your close interactions with Ye Jun, would you?¡±

 Chapter 554 - 50 Yun Jin discovered hair

    Chapter 554: Chapter 50 Yun Jin discovered hair

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°That depends on what you want,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely. ¡°If they found out, Sister Zhao would definitely explode on the spot, Yun Jin wouldn¡¯t be able to resist pressuring you, Ningning would sulk alone, and probably only Ruoxi would swallow her anger¡ªYou definitely wouldn¡¯t want to see such a scene, just thinking about it gives me a headache.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­

    F*ck, she hit the nail on the head with each one of them, are you the reincarnator or am I?

    ¡°Make your terms,¡± Yan Yu said calmly.

    It was clear that if the above situation really happened, it would be a great joy for Chen Lingyun. Reversing this reasoning, Chen Lingyun holding back such joy meant she was plotting something even bigger.

    Yan Yu wasn¡¯t afraid of threats of this level, just worried about what more exaggerated things she might be scheming, so he decided to test the waters.

    ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°I haven¡¯t decided yet.¡±

    She saw through him¡­ Knowing that she wouldn¡¯t speak up, Yan Yu sneered:

    ¡°Since you don¡¯t want to take the opportunity I¡¯m giving you, don¡¯t blame me for what comes next.¡±

    Chen Lingyun also realized that this guy wasn¡¯t fazed by threats and didn¡¯t continue to tangle with him, smiling before leaving.

    She came to the kitchen and saw Lin Ning humming a tune while cutting asparagus, seemingly in a very pleasant mood.

    ¡°Ningning,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°How would you feel if the captain pretended to be someone else¡¯s boyfriend?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t think much of it,¡± Lin Ning answered casually. ¡°The captain would never do that kind of thing.¡±

    ¡°Oh, is that so,¡± Chen Lingyun nodded, turned to leave, but suddenly Lin Ning grabbed her arm.

    She threw the cut asparagus into the water basin, turned around again, her expression extremely serious and her voice slightly stern:

    ¡°Who did the captain pretend to be the boyfriend for?¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± Chen Lingyun was somewhat amused. ¡°Who could it be?¡±

    ¡°Ling Yun, I¡¯m not joking,¡± Lin Ning frowned and asked. ¡°Who is it?¡±

    Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t answer, just shook her finger.

    ¡°Don¡¯t know or can¡¯t say?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m going upstairs now,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile.

    She elegantly turned and left, while Lin Ning fell silent for a while before she continued working.

    After getting all the ingredients ready to cook, she washed her hands at the sink, meticulously dried her fingers with the towel next to her, then left the kitchen and sat down on the sofa opposite Yan Yu in the living room, staring unblinkingly at him.

    Stare.

    Yan Yu, who was playing with his phone, was baffled by Lin Ning¡¯s staring but felt it was better not to ask too many questions, so he chose not to inquire further.

    Unable to hold back any longer, Lin Ning said:

    ¡°Pretending to be someone else¡¯s boyfriend, huh?¡± Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Yan Yu replied calmly.

    ¡°Ling Yun already told me,¡± Lin Ning decided to bluff him.

    ¡°Then why are you asking me?¡± Yan Yu chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re trying to deceive me, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    His chuckle only confirmed Lin Ning¡¯s suspicions; she howled and pounced on him, gripping his neck fiercely and yelling indignantly:

    ¡°Last time you wouldn¡¯t pretend to be my boyfriend! Last time you wouldn¡¯t! And now you cover for some unknown woman, you¡¯re going to die, you biased, stinky captain!¡±

    Yan Yu quickly hugged her tightly to prevent her from continuing her violent struggle.

    This move was just reflexive; after all, he had hugged too many people lately¡­ but the moment he felt her softness in his arms, Lin Ning pushed him away forcefully, leapt up from the sofa with her face red as if about to emit steam:

    ¡°What are you doing! Playing the rogue, huh? I¡¯ll beat you to death!¡±

    She grabbed the pillow next to her and began to viciously chase after Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu could only flip over the sofa to momentarily dodge, his mind filled with bewilderment.

    Lin, why the pretense, I¡¯ve hugged you before, haven¡¯t I? After the joint cultivation, you stayed over in my room, have I hugged you too little? The scent of your sea salt lemon shampoo is almost steeped into me!

    He peeked his head out to defend himself, only to have a pillow hurled his way, forcing him to duck quickly out of sight.

    A few minutes earlier, Su Yunjin had finished cleaning Yan Yu¡¯s room; she had wiped down the table and was now gathering the bedsheets from his bed to take out and sun for mite removal.

    It was then that she suddenly noticed a strand of hair.

    The hair was long, it definitely couldn¡¯t have belonged to Yan Yu.

    Unfortunately, none of the girls in the Zhenhai Team dyed their hair, so there was no way to infer the owner through hair color. Besides, even if she could figure out who the hair belonged to, what would it matter? Everyone lived in the same villa, and it was perfectly normal to lose some hair while visiting each other¡¯s rooms.

    Su Yunjin threw the hair into a nearby trash can and was just about to take the sheets out the door when she saw Chen Lingyun walking over from the opposite side.

    ¡°Yun Jin?¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Are those Yan Yu¡¯s sheets?¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Su Yunjin replied, ¡°I¡¯m taking them out to air them, not sure if the sun in the Mysterious Realm has any ultraviolet light.¡±

    Chen Lingyun passed by her, and with a feigned sniff remarked:

    ¡°Why do the sheets smell like shampoo?¡±

    ¡°Of course, the captain uses shampoo when he washes his hair,¡± Su Yunjin said.

    ¡°It smells similar to Ningning¡¯s shampoo,¡± Chen Lingyun smiled, ¡°Perhaps they use the same brand.¡±

    Su Yunjin didn¡¯t respond and continued to carry the sheets to the communal balcony on the second floor, where she hung them on the clothesline.

    Then, she couldn¡¯t help but sniff the sheets.

    There seemed to be a hint of lemon scent indeed¡­

    Taking into account the hair she had found earlier, Su Yunjin pondered quietly for a moment before turning and heading downstairs.

    In the living room on the first floor, Lin Ning¡¯s and Yan Yu¡¯s battle had ended¡ªthe pot was boiling on the stove, and Lin Ning didn¡¯t have time to continue lecturing the captain as she had to attend to dinner in the kitchen.

    ¡°Ningning, what¡¯s for dinner?¡± Su Yunjin peered over, ¡°Oh, asparagus beef stir-fry.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll make a salad you like too,¡± Lin Ning said as she went to fetch vegetables from the fridge.

    As she was picking out fruits and vegetables, Lin Ning suddenly felt Su Yunjin hug her from behind.

    ¡°Ningning, thank you,¡± Su Yunjin spoke softly.

    ¡°For what?¡± Lin Ning laughed, ¡°Don¡¯t blow on my neck, it tickles.¡±

    Su Yunjin wasn¡¯t blowing air; she was simply smelling carefully.

    The scent was almost the same as on the sheets.

    So Su Yunjin rested her head gently on Lin Ning¡¯s shoulder and suddenly asked:

    ¡°Ningning, why did you go to the captain¡¯s bedroom?¡±

    Lin Ning¡¯s hands shook, she tried to keep her composure as she answered:

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°You do,¡± said Su Yunjin with a smile, ¡°Your neck is all goosebumpy.¡±

    Lin Ning opened her mouth, trying to find an excuse, but couldn¡¯t think of any, and she started to resent her own inability to lie convincingly. She could only silently plead with Su Yunjin through telepathy:

    ¡°Yun Jin, can you stop asking, please? I promised not to tell.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Su Yunjin said gently, ¡°I won¡¯t ask for details, but I do want to know, are you and the captain in a romantic relationship?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡± Lin Ning yelped, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, ¡°I was there on legitimate business! Business! It¡¯s not what you¡¯re worried about, Yun Jin, nothing to do with romance, I swear!¡±

    ¡°Is that so,¡± Su Yunjin remarked with an ¡°oh,¡± ¡°Speaking of business, it must have been cultivation, right? After all, there¡¯s nothing else for us to do here.¡±

    Lin Ning could only laugh awkwardly, saying nothing.

    She had promised the captain to stay silent; that was her final stand and stubbornness!

    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll join you,¡± Su Yunjin said with joined hands, her voice becoming cheerful and lively, ¡°I happen to have some cultivation matters to discuss with the captain myself.¡±

    ¡°Then you can go find the captain on your own¡­¡±

    ¡°I want to go with Ningning,¡± Su Yunjin said earnestly, ¡°If it¡¯s about cultivation, it will be more efficient for the captain to handle it all at once, right? I wouldn¡¯t want to waste the captain¡¯s time either.¡±

    With a few words, Su Yunjin cornered Lin Ning into a dead end, leaving her with no choice but to remain silent, her heart filled with regret.

 Chapter 555 - 51: Not Enough Favorability

    Chapter 555: Chapter 51: Not Enough Favorability

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi, in the bedroom, tore open the snack bags and twisted open the drink bottles, and started to eat and drink in style.

    ¡°You¡¯ve already reached the Hua Mansion Stage,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said casually, ¡°Do you know the difference between the Hua Mansion Stage and the Marrow Cleansing Stage?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi pondered and asked, ¡°Is it like the difference between Specialization Stage Two and Specialization Stage One?¡±

    The two girls looked at each other for a moment, neither understanding what the other meant. Zhao Yuanzhen didn¡¯t dwell on it and calmly said:

    ¡°The most important part of the Hua Mansion Stage is the Purple Mansion. The Purple Mansion is your Dantian continually nourished by True Yuan, eventually transforming into a house, and then your Golden Core will reside inside it.¡±

    ¡°Golden Cores are divided into upper, middle, and lower grades. The longer your Dantian is nourished by True Yuan, the higher the quality of the Golden Core when it forms. But forming a Golden Core requires Crossing Celestial Tribulation, and the higher the rank of the Golden Core, the stronger the heavenly tribulation. If you can¡¯t pass it, you¡¯re dead, so if your strength isn¡¯t enough, it¡¯s not advisable to aim too high.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi hesitated and asked, ¡°In that case, what are the benefits of raising the rank of a Golden Core?¡±

    ¡°The benefits are numerous,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen laughed heartily, ¡°A top-grade Golden Core is like being from a 985 college, a middle-grade Golden Core is like being from a first-tier university, and a lower-grade Golden Core can only be akin to a diploma.¡± S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make analogies with academic achievements!¡± Xie Ruoxi screamed, ¡°You¡¯re making me completely lose confidence!¡±

    The two then ate some more snacks. Zhao Yuanzhen, her mouth stuffed full, suddenly heard Xie Ruoxi ask:

    ¡°How long does nurturing a top-grade Golden Core take then?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s hard to say,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen shook her head and said, ¡°Actually, the tricky part is Crossing the Celestial Tribulation.¡±

    The efficiency of nurturing the Purple Mansion changes with the surrounding Spiritual Energy concentration. For example, in the Cultivation World before her transmigration, theoretically, forming a top-grade Golden Core required over three hundred seventy years of cultivation, but a cultivator without a Golden Core only has a lifespan of up to two hundred years, so achieving it without some lifespan-extending or power-increasing heaven-sent treasures is impossible.

    But Zhao Yuanzhen heard from her master that it wasn¡¯t always like this in the ancient Cultivation World. Back then, when Spiritual Energy was extremely abundant, anyone with a Cultivation Physique could become immortal; there weren¡¯t even distinctions such as upper, middle, and lower grades. People in the Hua Mansion Stage could casually cultivate for fifty or sixty years and be guaranteed at least a middle-grade Golden Core¡ªa golden age for cultivators indeed.

    As the world aged and overall Spiritual Energy concentration decreased, the requirements for Golden Core grades also increased. The previously attainable peak gradually became unreachable and the lower limit also kept declining, even leading to terms like ¡°false cores¡± and ¡°lower-grade Golden Cores,¡± which indeed signifies the tragedy of the times.

    However, the world of Earth is completely different.

    As a ¡°newborn Spiritual Energy world¡± currently undergoing a resurgence, the Spiritual Energy concentration on Earth is quite high. The same amount of Spiritual Energy here is ten or even twenty times the quality compared to the Cultivation World, which is why in just over a year and two months since the resurgence of Spiritual Energy began, someone has already cultivated up to the Hua Mansion Stage from scratch.

    Therefore, nurturing time for the Dantian is not much of an issue, the real threshold lies in the Golden Core Celestial Tribulation. With higher Spiritual Energy concentration, not only is nurturing efficiency high, but even the heavenly tribulations are much more severe, and that¡¯s the real headache.

    ¡°Crossing the tribulation, eh.¡± Xie Ruoxi suddenly shuddered with fear and exclaimed, ¡°Wait, I am the first in the world to enter the Hua Mansion Stage, which means¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re very likely the first to cross the tribulation as well,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said, suddenly taking delight in her misfortune, ¡°Haha, I really can¡¯t help you with this, I haven¡¯t crossed the tribulation either. You¡¯d better get ready yourself.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s face went pale as she stood up abruptly, turned, and left the room. She dashed down the stairs and quickly sprinted to kneel in front of Yan Yu, grabbing his calves and crying out:

    ¡°Captain, save me!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Yan Yu was bewildered.

    Su Yunjin and Lin Ning in the kitchen also looked over, only to hear Xie Ruoxi sobbing and stammering out what Zhao Yuanzhen had said once again.

    ¡°This¡­ I can¡¯t help you either,¡± Yan Yu spread his hands and said, ¡°I haven¡¯t crossed the tribulation either.¡±

    This was true. In his previous life, he couldn¡¯t cultivate, and the potency of True Yuan depended entirely on the provider¡¯s cultivation progress. While other cultivators needed to cross tribulations, mortal warriors did not; they simply waited for successful Golden Core Cultivators to infuse the powerful True Yuan of the Golden Core Stage into containers and that was it.

    Since Crossing Tribulation is a core secret, directly affecting a cultivator¡¯s life or death, Lu Country maintains a very high level of confidentiality on cultivators¡¯ tribulations, providing no written information but instead offering expert teams for guidance¡ªthe knowledge is all in the experts¡¯ heads, making it impossible for mortal warriors to find out.

    ¡°I¡¯m doomed, utterly doomed,¡± Xie Ruoxi said amidst her fear, ¡°I don¡¯t want to be the first to cross the tribulation! I¡¯m going to stop cultivating, right now!¡±

    Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but laugh and cry at the same time, comforting her:

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve heard that heavenly tribulations don¡¯t just happen out of the blue, they occur when you try to condense the Golden Core in your Dantian. Just cultivate until you reach Great Perfection at the Hua Mansion Stage, then just wait without forming the core, won¡¯t we be fine then?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi finally calmed down and breathed a sigh of relief.

    Su Yunjin in the kitchen narrowed her eyes, sensing that Yan Yu¡¯s words were half-truths.

    It¡¯s true that Crossing Tribulation requires the cultivator to form the core on their own, which means Xie Ruoxi could temporarily avoid it. But would Zhendong Army or the Privy Council allow it?

    Think about it, even her advancement to the Hua Mansion Stage had to be extensively publicized nationwide. Once she reached Perfection in the Foundation Establishment Realm, they would surely use every means to make her form the core as soon as possible!

    That was the first Golden Core Cultivator in the world!

    Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t think so much, just continually patted her chest, saying anxiously:

    ¡°Then Captain, you must cultivate quickly, you can¡¯t make me wait too long.¡±

    ¡°What, you have a problem with me?¡± Yan Yu¡¯s face suddenly turned cold.

    ¡°No.¡± Xie Ruoxi forced a laugh, saying, ¡°I just hope you can cultivate faster so you can catch up with my progress¡­ Ah no no, I¡¯m not saying you are slow, I just don¡¯t dare to be the first to cross the tribulation, I¡¯m scared¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to be scared of about crossing the tribulation?¡± Yan Yu said disdainfully, ¡°If you are the first one to cross the Golden Core heavenly tribulation, you will definitely be the most valued by the Privy Council, and they might even mobilize national resources to ensure your successful tribulation. That would be your good fortune!¡±

    ¡°Is there any cultivator in the country who has successfully crossed the tribulation?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked.

    ¡°There isn¡¯t, you are the first.¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Then there¡¯s no guarantee at all!¡± Xie Ruoxi screamed, ¡°How can we ensure my successful tribulation then!¡±

    ¡°So noisy!¡± Yan Yu said impatiently, ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t stop your breathing and energy refining exercises, if you¡¯re scared of the tribulation just wait at the Great Perfection stage!¡±

    Seeing that Yan Yu refused to pay her any attention, Xie Ruoxi staggered to her feet and walked towards the stairs.

    ¡°Ruoxi, don¡¯t go upstairs!¡± Lin Ning called from the kitchen, ¡°It¡¯s almost time for dinner!¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m going to write my will.¡± Xie Ruoxi burst into tears.

    Luckily, Chen Lingyun was just coming downstairs, passing by the tear-streaked Xie Ruoxi, and curiously asked everyone:

    ¡°What happened to her?¡±

    ¡°She heard about core formation and has to cross the heavenly tribulation, she¡¯s terrified.¡± Su Yunjin replied.

    ¡°Is that so.¡± Chen Lingyun mused for a moment and then suddenly laughed, ¡°Ah, I forgot to get my cell phone, I have to go back for it.¡±

    She then headed back upstairs, reached Xie Ruoxi¡¯s bedroom door, knocked, and asked:

    ¡°Ruoxi, are you worried about crossing the Golden Core tribulation?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Xie Ruoxi sobbed, ¡°I don¡¯t want to cross the tribulation.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°I think Yan Yu won¡¯t let you face such a life-threatening risk.¡±

    ¡°But he said he can¡¯t help me¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi said, feeling aggrieved.

    ¡°He¡¯s always been sharp-tongued but soft-hearted, haven¡¯t you realized that by now?¡± Chen Lingyun coaxed gently, ¡°Think about it, wasn¡¯t your Thunder Method chosen by him?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Is it useful?¡±

    ¡°Very useful.¡±

    ¡°That shows he¡¯s actually been planning your future all along, hasn¡¯t he?¡± Chen Lingyun said cheerfully, ¡°How could he possibly not have considered something as important as the Golden Core heavenly tribulation?¡±

    ¡°Then¡­ did I misunderstand him?¡± Xie Ruoxi hesitantly asked, ¡°But I¡¯m still scared. If he has a solution, why doesn¡¯t he tell me to put my mind at ease?¡±

    ¡°Maybe because the affection points aren¡¯t high enough.¡± Chen Lingyun winked, smiling, ¡°Look, in games, isn¡¯t there often such a setting? Only when affection points reach a certain level will the target character open up to you.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Xie Ruoxi suddenly realized, ¡°So, because the affection points aren¡¯t high enough, he¡¯s not willing to look after my feelings.¡±

    ¡°You should foster more affection with the Captain, Ruoxi.¡± Chen Lingyun suggested suggestively, ¡°The captain is a boy too, sometimes giving him a little treat, his affection points will surely skyrocket, right?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi pondered.

    Indeed, the moments when a domineering CEO falls for the female lead are often unexpected close encounters.

    That means, I can also¡­

 Chapter 556 - 52 Im Here to Join You

    Chapter 556: Chapter 52 I¡¯m Here to Join You

    Xie Ruoxi once created a cosplay enthusiasts group.

    The initial intention of creating the group might have been to attract attention or to carve out her own little corner of fandom¡ªshe couldn¡¯t quite remember the specifics anymore. Because, just like reader and book-fan groups, as more and more people joined this cosplay enthusiasts group, countless unique and outlandish characters emerged, making it a territory for cosplay divas. The main topic of discussion became how to persuade photographers to waive their fees or what costumes would make customers pay more.

    As for these voracious seniors, Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t have much to say. She simply blocked the group, deciding to ignore it completely.

    Somehow, hearing Chen Lingyun say, ¡°Give the captain some benefits to boost his favorability,¡± suddenly reminded her of this group¡ªshe had to admit that when it came to handling men, this group was truly full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, almost like an online Silk Cave.

    ¡°I have a question for everyone,¡± Xie Ruoxi opened the chat group and typed, ¡°I have a crush, and he seems to feel pretty okay about me too. Now, I want to take things a step further. Can anyone give me some advice on what to do?¡±

    Someone quickly replied:

    ¡°Is this the group admin? I thought you had deleted your account and run off.¡±

    ¡°It depends on what type your crush is. If he¡¯s the type of young guy experiencing the first stirrings of love, just ask him out to a meal and a movie. Horror films are the best, and then pretend to be scared, stuffing your fingers into his hand. After the movie, say you¡¯re still scared, continue holding hands, and go for a CityWalk. If you can manage that, you¡¯ve basically got him in the bag.¡±

    After pondering for a moment, Xie Ruoxi quickly envisioned the scenario:

    ¡°Captain, I want to watch a movie.¡±

    ¡°Watch a damn movie?! Have you finished your training? How accurate is your Thunder Method? Trying to slack off, huh? What happened to the promise of training 19 hours a day? Get back to training right now!!!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi shivered uncontrollably, quickly banishing those terrifying thoughts from her mind, and continued in the chat group:

    ¡°He¡¯s my boss. If I ask him out to eat or to a movie, I¡¯d probably just get scolded for slacking off at work.¡±

    ¡°Eh, is he the domineering CEO type?¡± Another veteran popped up, astonishingly the Dragon King of the day. ¡°Group admin, do you want to introduce me? I can help you size him up and see what kind of man he is.¡±

    ¡°Haha, no need,¡± thought Xie Ruoxi, daring to hope. She didn¡¯t even feel worthy herself.

    ¡°If he¡¯s a workaholic, then it¡¯s a bit more complicated,¡± said the Dragon King. ¡°The simplest way is to visit his house under the guise of discussing work, and once you¡¯re done, say you¡¯re a little thirsty. If he asks if you want a drink, you¡¯re halfway there. Then you chat over drinks, paying close attention to his mood and go along with whatever he¡¯s trying to convey. Get him at least tipsy before midnight, and then you say it¡¯s late and you should leave. If he¡¯s worried about you taking the night road and suggests you stay overnight, then you¡¯ve also got the other half sorted. Next, pretend to be drunk, find an excuse to roll in his bed, and you¡¯re set.¡±

    ¡°Ah, that sounds so troublesome,¡± Xie Ruoxi pondered over the long message, her instincts to retreat drumming loudly, ¡°Isn¡¯t there a simpler way?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re flirting with a man, not buying silver for a client, thank you very much,¡± Dragon King critiqued mercilessly. ¡°Men are different from women; they make a clear distinction between relationships. Purely physical is just that, physical; emotions involved means emotions. So you absolutely can¡¯t start off on the wrong foot.¡±

    Several people began to brown-nose immediately below, with comments like ¡°As expected of Queen Nana, the mistress expert¡± and ¡°An endless lesson that you just can¡¯t finish,¡± as flattery filled the screen.

    ¡°But I actually live with him,¡± Xie Ruoxi kept typing. ¡°The argument about unsafe night roads doesn¡¯t apply, does it?¡± Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Living together makes it simple,¡± several veterans chimed in, all at once declaring, ¡°Just spend the night in his room. Any excuse will do, just be stubborn and don¡¯t leave, and you¡¯ll seal the deal.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, just staying the night will settle it,¡± Dragon King agreed with the consensus. ¡°Drink a bit, then pretend to be drunk and mistake his room for yours. Take off your clothes and sleep in his bed. When he comes in and lifts the blankets, just grab hold of him, and after the deed, blame it all on the alcohol.¡±

    ¡°Do I really have to strip completely?¡± Xie Ruoxi was quite embarrassed. ¡°Can I keep my underwear on?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re wearing something sexy, you can leave it on,¡± said the Dragon King. ¡°Try to make it a bit enticing.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi closed the chat group, sat in silence for a long while, and sighed.

    Alas, I had promised to get stronger, to make the captain look at me with admiration. Yet, I can never improve my accuracy with the Thunder Method, and the captain must be disappointed in me too.

    Forget it, forget it! If the rightful path is blocked, I can only resort to crooked and wicked ways!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    After dinner, Lin Ning saw an opportunity and said to Yan Yu,

    ¡°I¡¯m going for a walk with Yun Jin. Are you coming?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    Lin Ning had something to say to him and wouldn¡¯t allow him to decline. She and Su Yunjin immediately clamped down on Yan Yu¡¯s arms from both sides, saying earnestly,

    ¡°Come on, come on! A walk after a meal aids digestion!¡±

    Yan Yu felt utterly bewildered, thinking, I¡¯m a cultivator; what digestion troubles could I possibly have?

    But he guessed Lin and Secretary Su had something to tell him, so he let the two of them drag him out of the door.

    The trio left the villa and strolled by the nearby river where they saw many cultivators leisurely wandering about, mostly those from the first division of the Zhendong Army¡¯s team monks.

    When Yan Yu spotted Qiu Ze, Sun Ziyi, and Chang Sisi discussing something with each other, they suddenly noticed Yan Yu and immediately gave knowing smirks that suggested they didn¡¯t want to disturb their romantic conversation and quickly distanced themselves.

    ¡°Speak,¡± said Yan Yu as he rubbed his temples. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°I would like to clarify one thing,¡± Lin Ning stated solemnly, ¡°I haven¡¯t revealed a single word about it. As for how Yun Jin found out, you¡¯ll have to ask her. I also have no idea.¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin?¡± asked Yan Yu.

    ¡°Ningning really didn¡¯t tell me anything, and I have no idea what you two do every night,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile. ¡°All I know is that she goes to your room at night.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yan Yu mused for a moment, thinking that since they were all living together, the secret of joint cultivation would be hard to keep and others were bound to find out eventually.

    Upon reflection, he realized Yun Jin¡¯s cultivation talent was far superior to Ningning¡¯s, or else she wouldn¡¯t have become a magic cultivator. When they had fought the Demon Buddha, she had single-handedly activated the Southern Dipper Star River Secret Art and managed to sustain the swirling lights in the sky for a good few minutes by herself! With Yun Jin¡¯s help, his cultivation speed was likely to increase significantly.

    ¡°Actually, we¡¯ve been cultivating,¡± Yan Yu finally made up his mind and answered. ¡°The reason I didn¡¯t tell you is that this practice requires strict confidentiality, so we were still assessing you all.¡±

    ¡°Ningning passed the assessment before me?¡± Su Yunjin asked with a smile.

    He was feeling a bit under pressure, but Yan Yu didn¡¯t really care and casually replied, ¡°She just happened to discover it earlier than you.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± sighed Su Yunjin, relieved that the captain wasn¡¯t playing favorites with Ningning. ¡°So, you are cultivating with Sister Zhao and Ningning? Can I join as well? I can meet the secrecy requirements.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to ask Sister Zhao,¡± Yan Yu responded. ¡°The cultivation method is provided by her, so it¡¯s confidential.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± nodded Su Yunjin. ¡°I¡¯ll go and speak with Sister Zhao about it.¡±

    After finishing their discussion, they turned around, planning to head back to the villa, unaware that Xie Ruoxi, after consuming several liqueur-filled chocolates, had slipped into Yan Yu¡¯s bed wearing only her underwear.

    ¡°Pretend to be drunk, pretend to be drunk, mustn¡¯t give away that I¡¯m pretending to be drunk¡­¡± she repeated to herself, her consciousness gradually blurring.

    Xie Ruoxi couldn¡¯t resist falling asleep.

 Chapter 557 - 53 Better to Leave the Mistake Unaddressed

    Chapter 557: Chapter 53 Better to Leave the Mistake Unaddressed

    ¡°Yun Jin is also going to join the Joint Cultivation?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen frowned and asked.

    No, this is the Dual Cultivation Method, isn¡¯t it? Isn¡¯t it a problem to have so many people?

    In theory, the String-Pulling Technique indeed allows for multiple people to practice jointly. Once the number reaches a certain limit, the efficiency will start to decrease¡ªthe wear and tear on the channel will exceed the benefits it brings.

    However, in reality, who would gather such a large group of people for cultivation!

    The world is vast and the path of the way is the greatest. Even between husband and wife or Daoist couples, conflicting interests can result in strife under the same roof. Zhao Yuanzhen couldn¡¯t outright say there was an issue with Yun Jin, but subconsciously, she felt unsafe and secretly transmitted her voice to Yan Yu, saying:

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think there are too many people?¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°My bed is almost too crowded to sleep on. But we¡¯re part of the same team, supposed to fight side by side, through life and death. It wouldn¡¯t be right to favor some over others.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was unable to refute.

    It is said there are three strong bonds in life, and as the Zhenghai Team had both ¡°gone through trials together¡± and ¡°carried weapons together,¡± the team members have very deep feelings for each other, something unimaginable in a place like the Qiansi Sect. Even disciples sharing the same master could not possibly live together, much less fight together, and naturally, there was little affection.

    Not to mention, in Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s view, aside from Chen Lingyun being a little mischievous, the rest of the girls in the Zhenghai Team had no ulterior motives. They weren¡¯t like her fellow senior disciples who schemed against each other to vie for their master¡¯s favor¡­ after all, cultivation resources were provided by the state now.

    ¡°If something goes wrong, you¡¯ll be responsible,¡± she warned Yan Yu.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Yun Jin will definitely not betray our trust,¡± Yan Yu confidently assured her.

    So Zhao Yuanzhen smiled, adopting the attitude of a family matriarch, and offered encouraging words to Su Yunjin.

    Su Yunjin was slightly puzzled, but remembering Yan Yu¡¯s words that ¡°the technique was provided by Zhao Yuanzhen,¡± she didn¡¯t think it over too much and earnestly promised that she would absolutely not divulge any secrets.

    The group arrived at Yan Yu¡¯s bedroom, only to see the room already completely tidied up, the belongings neatly rearranged, and even the sheets, duvet covers, and pillowcases had been changed for new ones. The quilt was also fluffed up.

    ¡°What exactly are we going to do?¡± Su Yunjin asked curiously.

    ¡°It¡¯s still sitting meditation and Breathing Exercises, only this time we¡¯ll be joining palms, working together to Circulate the Heavens,¡± Yan Yu explained. ¡°Next, I¡¯m going to recite a mental method, and you¡¯ll need to remember it.¡±

    He recited the Breathing Chapter of the Silken Bond Technique to Su Yunjin several times in detail, and only after confirming she had memorized it did he sit down on the bed.

    Hm?

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lin Ning also sat down on the bed, ¡°Why that expression¡­ hm?¡±

    Both of their expressions changed dramatically simultaneously.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked in surprise.

    Yan Yu was about to speak when Lin Ning interjected:

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Oh right, you haven¡¯t changed into pajamas yet, go and change quickly!¡±

    ¡°Why do we need to change into pajamas?¡± Su Yunjin was somewhat confused, but Lin Ning quickly stood up, pushing everyone out the door.

    Once Yan Yu saw everyone was gone, he immediately sprang up from the bed, throwing back the covers, only to find Xie Ruoxi, wearing only her underwear, deep asleep inside, her fair skin shamelessly exposed.

    Damn you, beautiful waste! To commit such a shameless act now and frame me!

    He pinched Xie Ruoxi under her arms with both hands, pulling her upper body up, then slapped her cheeks left and right with moderate force to wake her up.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Xie Ruoxi finally woke up, crying out, ¡°It wasn¡¯t me! I was drunk! I walked into the wrong room!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no alcohol at home, drunk my ass!¡± Yan Yu snapped, pinching her cheek with one hand, ¡°What are you doing in my room? Harboring ill intentions? Trying to assassinate me?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s cheeks were trapped, her cries muffled and on the verge of tears.

    Only then did Yan Yu let her go, his gaze drifting downwards.

    Hmph, surprisingly well-nourished, worthy of the top cultivator in the Annan Army in my past life, and even in my memories, worthy of being within the top five.

    ¡°Hurry back and put on some clothes,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Xie Ruoxi stood up dejectedly and thought to herself, I¡¯m really useless, the captain doesn¡¯t take any notice of me even when I dress like this.

    Before she could reach the door, Yan Yu suddenly remembered that although all the girls had gone to change into their pajamas, what if someone happened to leave their room at this time and saw Xie Ruoxi leaving his room dressed like this? That would be hard to explain!

    ¡°Don¡¯t go yet,¡± Yan Yu quickly said.

    Xie Ruoxi was instantly overjoyed. The Dragon King¡¯s words flashed through her mind, ¡°If he uses the late hour as an excuse to invite you to stay over, then the other half of the matter will be settled!¡±

    Caught up in the moment and without thinking too much, she assumed Yan Yu had developed a reaction to her, so she turned around, sat directly on his lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and said pitifully,

    ¡°Alright then, but I¡¯m afraid of pain, be gentle¡­¡±

    Before she finished speaking, she received another slap from Yan Yu:

    ¡°Horny creature, what gentle? I meant I have clothes in my wardrobe, put on some clothes before you leave!¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Xie Ruoxi immediately fell from heaven to the depths of despair, her heart filled with anticipation and delight transformed into disappointment. She walked silently to the wardrobe, picked a white T-shirt, and put it on.

    Yan Yu frowned as he watched her clumsily pull the T-shirt over her head, thinking to himself, how can this waste be so slow?

    However, to be fair, Xie Ruoxi, now only wearing a white shirt that was tented at the top revealing her outline, and barely covering the roots of her thighs, did look better than when she was just in her underwear. Indeed, as the saying goes, beauty partially concealed is the most alluring.

    ¡°I¡¯m leaving,¡± Xie Ruoxi said softly, walking to the room¡¯s door when it suddenly opened by itself.

    Standing outside in her nightgown, Su Yunjin looked at her with a smile,

    ¡°Good evening, Ruoxi.¡±

    Yet her eyes held no hint of a smile, only endless indifference and icy coldness.

    Yan Yu might manage to stand the pressure, but Xie Ruoxi couldn¡¯t withstand it; she immediately knelt down with a thump, hugging Su Yunjin¡¯s legs and confessing,

    ¡°I was wrong! I was drunk and entered the captain¡¯s room by mistake! I¡¯ve turned over a new leaf and put on clothes!¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Su Yunjin¡¯s expression changed slightly.

    Seeing Xie Ruoxi there, her first thought was that Ruoxi had found out about our joint cultivation, and so, while we changed into pajamas, she snuck into the captain¡¯s room to wheedle her way into joining¡­ but she hadn¡¯t expected that Xie Ruoxi would come for a night raid!

    Xie Ruoxi only felt the gravity around her becoming increasingly formidable, shivering uncontrollably.

    Su Yunjin turned her gaze to Yan Yu, noting that his clothes were not disheveled, and felt a sense of relief.

    Yan Yu was somewhat immune to this level of pressure and simply said, S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Death penalty can be exempted, but punishment is unavoidable. Punish her by having her carry the Circulating the Heavens for us tonight without retaining any spiritual energy.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± Su Yunjin was taken aback.

    Are you punishing her, or rewarding her?

    But as a literature-loving girl with an active mind, she quickly realized: Xie Ruoxi was just feeling guilty at the moment and hadn¡¯t noticed anything unusual, but once she returned to her room, she would realize, me coming to the captain¡¯s room in this nightgown is also not normal¡­ maybe Ruoxi will even mistakenly think I came for a shameless night raid too!

    Since I¡¯ve stumbled upon her, I might as well make a mistake and rope Ruoxi in to seal her mouth, except¡­

    ¡°Does this mean Ling Yun is the only one not joining?¡± Su Yunjin sent a telepathic message to Yan Yu, ¡°Won¡¯t that be a bit unfair?¡±

    ¡°Ling Yun still needs to be evaluated,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°and besides, my bed isn¡¯t big enough to accommodate so many people; let¡¯s set this issue aside for now.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Su Yunjin had no objections and said gently to Xie Ruoxi, ¡°You can¡¯t do such things again next time. You are a girl and must cherish your purity.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± mumbled Xie Ruoxi.

    ¡°Go change your clothes,¡± Su Yunjin paused for a moment, then suddenly realizing Xie Ruoxi was wearing Yan Yu¡¯s clothing, felt a vague sense of displeasure and instructed, ¡°Remember to take a bath before coming over.¡±

    You mustn¡¯t have the captain¡¯s scent on you!

    Yet unaware of her thoughts, Xie Ruoxi timidly acknowledged with an ¡°Oh.¡±

 Chapter 558 - 54 The Immortal Venerate Takes Off

    Chapter 558: Chapter 54 The Immortal Venerate Takes Off

    Xie Ruoxi had just stepped out the door when she happened to bump into Lin Ning coming out of her room.

    She glared at Xie Ruoxi, looked around, and then walked past her expressionlessly.

    Xie Ruoxi sighed internally, ¡®How did I let myself be so foolish as to believe what those sly girls said in the group chat?¡¯ Now the team leader looks down on me, which is bad enough, but my teammates have also noticed, and even sisterly affection has been damaged. What am I going to do!

    She returned to her room sighing, feeling off from head to toe, as if bad luck was clinging to her. Then she remembered Yun Jin¡¯s advice and simply grabbed some clean clothes and went to the communal bathroom to take a shower.

    After Xie Ruoxi had left, Su Yunjin slightly frowned and calmly asked Yan Yu,

    ¡°Why was Ruoxi in your room? And dressed¡­ like that?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°I was startled myself.¡±

    Su Yunjin naturally didn¡¯t believe him. If she were the same Miss Su who had been pampered from a young age, she would have definitely put a lot of pressure on Yan Yu until he was sweating profusely and stumbling over his words, unable to speak clearly. Only then could she judge the truth of his words.

    However, after returning home for the New Year, Mr. Su went to his study to specifically get a copy of ¡°Aesop¡¯s Fables¡± for her. She had read this book countless times as a child, and when she saw the bookmark was placed at the beginning of ¡°The North Wind and the Sun,¡± she keenly comprehended and reread the story carefully, gaining many insights and understanding the lesson her father wanted her to learn.

    Therefore, she didn¡¯t press Yan Yu, but simply said with a gentle smile,

    ¡°Perhaps he really was drunk. After all, your room is at the very end of the corridor, so forgetting to turn is quite normal.¡±

    This was nothing more than a blatant lie. No one in the Zhenhai Team liked to drink alcohol. How could Xie Ruoxi have gotten drunk?

    Yan Yu couldn¡¯t bother digging deeper and said,

    ¡°Maybe.¡±

    Observing his reaction, Su Yunjin saw that he appeared quite nonchalant and in no hurry to explain. She was somewhat reassured and was about to speak when she heard someone enter from outside¡ªit was naturally Lin Ning.

    Lin Ning had thought she was the first to return and was ready to ask Yan Yu ¡°why Ruoxi was under the covers¡± only to find Yun Jin had arrived ahead of her. She was momentarily taken aback, unsure of what to say.

    Su Yunjin gave her a slight smile, thinking to herself that Lin Ning arrived without knocking, which likely meant she had come many times before.

    It doesn¡¯t matter.

    You won¡¯t get to sneak around anymore.

    Because Yun Jin was standing there, Lin Ning couldn¡¯t exactly jump on him and interrogate him. She had to suppress her emotions and asked through a silent transmission,

    ¡°Why was Ruoxi in your bed just now?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Yan Yu replied. ¡°She said she entered the wrong room because she was drunk.¡±

    ¡°Where in our villa would she find alcohol to get drunk on?¡± Lin Ning immediately said. ¡°She didn¡¯t drink the cooking wine I use for meals, did she?¡±

    ¡°Who knows,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Hmph, I¡¯m sure she¡¯s up to no good,¡± Lin Ning murmured, growing angrier by the minute. She wanted to glare at Yan Yu but, seeing Su Yunjin¡¯s beaming smile, she dared not show her annoyance and gritted her teeth as she silently sent, ¡°Feeling proud, are you? Everyone in the team is interested in you; you must be very happy and proud.¡±

    ¡°Ningning, are you interested in me too?¡± Yan Yu asked back. ¡°Is this a confession?¡±

    That left Lin Ning speechless, her face beginning to heat up. To hide her blushing from Su Yunjin, she stiffly stood up like a puppet and said,

    ¡°I¡¯ll go see if Sister Zhao has arrived.¡±

    As soon as she opened the door, she saw that Sister Zhao had already reached the doorstep.

    This was the so-called Murphy¡¯s Law. In theory, the chances of encountering someone right after stepping out the door are low, but in reality, the very thing you fear is most likely to occur.

    Before Lin Ning could duck her head to hide, she heard Zhao Yuanzhen curiously ask,

    ¡°Ningning, why is your face so red?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask!¡± Lin Ning blurted out in panic, abruptly grabbing her wrist. ¡°Come in!¡±

    The three young women gathered in the room while Yan Yu looked down at his small bed and sighed.

    Practicing Breathing and Energy Refining is essential. But such a small bed¡ªhow could it bear the weight of the entire team?

    For now, he would have to manage sleeping on it, and perhaps it was time to change the bed frame back in Jinling.

    Since no one knew how long Xie Ruoxi would take to shower, they all sat down on the bed to meditate. They faced each other and began teaching the newcomer Su Yunjin how to refine energy.

    After circulating their internal energies for a few minutes, Yan Yu and Lin Ning both realized something unusual.

    The speed of cultivation had increased!

    Cultivation talent is not easy to quantify under normal circumstances, but it becomes glaringly obvious during joint cultivation; the amount of True Yuan reciprocated by others is evident at a glance.

    If Lin Ning¡¯s talent is B and Zhao Yuanzhen is A+, then Su Yunjin is around A, slightly inferior but not by much.

    In other words, where it used to be Zhao Yuanzhen dragging two along, it¡¯s now Zhao Yuanzhen and Su Yunjin working as dual engines, naturally enhancing the speed of cultivation significantly.

    With her burden lightened significantly, Zhao Yuanzhen, who had some reservations about Su Yunjin, was now no longer worried, thinking to herself that Yun Jin is indeed a good sister of mine, capable of sharing worries and solving difficulties, very good indeed.

    Su Yunjin, on the other hand, was surprised. She had thought herself to be the one with the best talent in the Zhenhai Team, only to find out that Sister Zhao was even a notch above her.

    With such talent, why didn¡¯t the captain make her a Magic Cultivator?

    But she was new to the joint cultivation team, so she didn¡¯t put too much thought into it, only gearing up to diligently practice the Breathing Exercises of the Spiritual Energy, wanting to make everyone feel her significant contribution.

    On the other side, Xie Ruoxi took a leisurely bath, changed her clothes, and came over to knock on the door.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked in surprise.

    While Yan Yu went to open the door, he explained to her that he hadn¡¯t mentioned Ruoxi lying naked on his bed, but simply said she accidentally found out that everyone would gather here every night, so he invited her to ¡°have a try.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen had no objections, considering that Xie Ruoxi was a good sister of hers, although she frowned and said,

    ¡°We¡¯ve gone through several Circulating the Heavens already, and the rounds with the fastest increase in True Yuan have passed. Now inviting Ruoxi over, she won¡¯t gain much benefit, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°But we¡¯re just letting her try. Missing one day of practice won¡¯t make much of a difference.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said.

    Yan Yu then repeated the Breathing Chapter of the String-Pulling Technique to Xie Ruoxi.

    ¡°Did you remember it?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Yan Yu patiently recited it again, ¡°Did you remember it now?¡±

    ¡°I have a bad memory,¡± Xie Ruoxi said, sticking out her tongue.

    ¡°You¡¯re foolish and you think you¡¯re right?¡± Yan Yu said, turning to speak, ¡°Yun Jin, teach her.¡±

    ¡°Ruoxi, let me explain it to you,¡± Su Yunjin approached and said.

    The two of them practicing and learning, after about half an hour, Xie Ruoxi managed to bumble her way through memorizing the first third of the original text and its meaning.

    And there was still two-thirds left¡­

    Zhao Yuanzhen played with her mobile phone out of boredom, while Lin Ning couldn¡¯t sit still any longer and went over to help Su Yunjin teach her.

    Yan Yu waiting on the side was becoming a bit impatient and asked Xie Ruoxi,

    ¡°How did you learn the Breathing and Energy Refining previously?¡±

    ¡°It took a long time,¡± Xie Ruoxi said apologetically, ¡°Back then I wasn¡¯t really into training, always thinking about slacking off, I¡¯d rest a whole day after studying a bit, and slowly I memorized it all.¡±

    ¡°What about the Thunder Method?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°The Thunder Method doesn¡¯t require understanding, just gather Qi according to the records,¡± Xie Ruoxi said.

    ¡°How about trying without understanding first,¡± Yan Yu suggested, ¡°Just get her to start practicing it directly.¡± Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°That¡¯s not appropriate,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen expressed her disagreement, ¡°Breathing and Energy Refining is different from Taoism Method, it¡¯s much more complex, and if you only have a half understanding, it¡¯s impossible to practice successfully, plus, it could be disastrous if deviated.¡±

    ¡°Let her try first,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°If anything is slightly amiss, we¡¯ll stop immediately.¡±

    So Su Yunjin wrote out the Breathing Chapter by memory and placed the draft paper on Xie Ruoxi¡¯s legs for her to look at while practicing the energy refining.

    The others also sat down cross-legged, their palms facing each other, forming a Five Elements circle, and began the Breathing Exercises to Circulate the Heavens.

    Everyone had their eyes tightly shut, their minds free from distractions, except for Xie Ruoxi, who was looking down at the draft paper on her knees, reciting to herself in her heart:

    ¡°The Tao of Heaven is to take from what has an excess to make up for what is deficient, bestowing evenly upon things, and it is nothing but so¡­¡±

    She quickly recited the mental method in her heart, and with the external guidance on both palms, she also slowly relaxed her mind, letting everyone lead her in Circulating the Heavens, while getting familiar with the route of moving Qi.

    Sitting to her right was Su Yunjin, who soon felt that Spiritual Energy was finally starting to come through from Ruoxi¡¯s side, thinking to herself that the captain¡¯s idea was indeed sensible. Ruoxi wasn¡¯t suited for learning by memorization before understanding; it was quicker to start hands-on.

    Then, her expression gradually changed.

    Because from her left hand, the Spiritual Energy was becoming more and more abundant, so much so that it even made the entire Lesser Yin Heart Meridian running through her hand swell uncomfortably, creating an indescribable feeling of distress.

    It was as if being force-fed from above!

 Chapter 559 - 55 Playing Hot Potato

    Chapter 559: Chapter 55 Playing Hot Potato

    Xie Ruoxi transferred so much Spiritual Energy that Su Yunjin simply couldn¡¯t bear it and hastily began circulating her mental method, passing the excess overflow to Lin Ning on her right.

    Lin Ning¡¯s brow also furrowed, as she had never accepted such a vast amount of Spiritual Energy before. However, her constitution was better, and her endurance stronger, so she didn¡¯t say much, keeping a large part of the Spiritual Energy to perform Breathing Exercises in her Dantian, converting it for her own use, and silently transferring the remaining part to Yan Yu.

    The rush of Spiritual Energy into his Dantian was so intense that Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but be deeply touched.

    He had long known that Xie, the Immortal Venerate, possessed exceptional talent but had never expected her to be so domineering!

    Is this the power of showboating?

    If we¡¯re not talking about talent, just constitution, no one present stood a chance against Yan Yu. After all, in his past life, he had touched the pinnacle of a Mortal Warrior with just his mortal body¡­ But even so, his body in this life hadn¡¯t been trained, and couldn¡¯t stomach so much Spiritual Energy from Xie Ruoxi, and he had no choice but to transfer the leftover part to Zhao Yuanzhen on his right.

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s right palm was opposite Xie Ruoxi¡¯s left palm, receiving the massive amount of Spiritual Energy she was transferring. She was struggling to digest it when suddenly, a formidable amount of Spiritual Energy from Yan Yu on her left hand startled her pale.

    Even when eating, one doesn¡¯t take in so much in a single breath¡ªmight as well stuff me to death!

    Determined, she didn¡¯t care anymore and retained whatever part she could digest. She then mobilized the String-Pulling Technique and forced the rest back towards both sides.

    The beaded curtain was rolled up backwards, and the rivers flowed in reverse!

    Yan Yu on her left was shocked and hastily joined the mutiny, passing the Spiritual Energy towards Lin Ning.

    Xie Ruoxi, receiving the large amount of Spiritual Energy passed from Zhao Yuanzhen, was also confused because Yan Yu had previously stated, ¡°You¡¯re punished to only transport Circulating the Heavens and can¡¯t retain a trace of Spiritual Energy for yourself.¡±

    With that in mind, why return it to me?

    Oh, it must be because they want more Spiritual Energy.

    With that thought, she said nothing further and once again ferociously transported Circulating the Heavens, sucking in a large breath of Spiritual Energy from the world, holding none back for herself, and transferring all of it to Su Yunjin.

    Su Yunjin couldn¡¯t take in so much Spiritual Energy and could only inwardly apologize to Ningning, passing it all to Lin Ning.

    Lin Ning¡¯s left hand received the profound Spiritual Energy from Su Yunjin, and her right hand was penetrated by Yan Yu¡¯s massive Spiritual Energy. She couldn¡¯t sustain it; her meridians swelled, her Dantian was overflowing, and she felt unbearably uncomfortable as if she might explode at any second.

    But she had a robust constitution after all, and had learned the art of Dual Sword Control. She thus focused intently on multitasking and performed the Great Shift of Universe:

    The Spiritual Energy (from Xie Ruoxi) given by Yun Jin was more, so she directed it through the Taiyin line to the Central Mansion; a portion went downwards past the stomach and large intestine into the Dantian, with the remainder flowing to her right arm, emerging from the Shaoshang point on the thumb, into Yan Yu¡¯s palm.

    The Spiritual Energy (from Zhao Yuanzhen) given by Yan Yu was slightly less; she arranged it through the Shaoyin line to the extreme spring, then down to the lungs, a portion still entering the Dantian, the remainder going to her left arm and out through the Shaoshang point on the little finger, all transferred to Su Yunjin.

    Essentially playing a game of hot potato!

    Yan Yu and Su Yunjin had no other options, remaining as indecisive as grass on a wall, taking in a mouthful of Spiritual Energy, and allowing all they couldn¡¯t digest to flow with the current.

    So the problem came back to Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Zhao Yuanzhen had the nature of an enchantress¡ªshe was meant to torment others, not to be tormented. Now that Yan Yu was back-feeding her Spiritual Energy, she couldn¡¯t restrain herself any longer and cursed inwardly:

    The scoundrel knew I couldn¡¯t take in so much Spiritual Energy but insisted on force-feeding me; he clearly wanted to make me a laughingstock!

    This deep grudge needed settling; if she ever got the chance, she would repay the favor a hundredfold!

    As for how exactly to extract her hundredfold revenge, Zhao Yuanzhen couldn¡¯t figure it out¡ªshe didn¡¯t have Xie Ruoxi¡¯s exceptional talent, so she could only temporarily note it down, considering it a debt.

    Once again, she fully activated her mental method, violently spewing out the leftover True Yuan on both sides¡ªif Lin Ning¡¯s technique was the Great Shift of Universe, then Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s was the uncompromising, might-overpowers-all Eighteen Palms of Descending Dragon!

    Yan Yu had no reaction to this, reasoning that a dead Taoist friend does not a poor Taoist make. Whatever came from the left went to the right, and whatever came from the right went to the left.

    Xie Ruoxi, however, became increasingly anxious, thinking that so much still wasn¡¯t enough and that they were still being picky. So she worked even harder, absorbed a massive amount of Spiritual Energy and, without any reservation, devotedly offered it to everyone in the team!

    No matter how the group tossed the blame to one another, if the five were seen as one unit, then Xie Ruoxi was continuously pumping a substantial amount of Spiritual Energy inside, herself not performing any Breathing Exercises or absorption.

    ¡°`

    The other four, having already circulated their energy for several rounds, had absorbed a good deal of Spiritual Energy and converted it into True Yuan. How could they possibly handle so much more Spiritual Energy now? Thus, they had no choice but to play hot potato, passing the increasingly terrifying ¡°bomb¡± among themselves.

    Yan Yu finally realized something was wrong and thought to himself, how could there be even more Spiritual Energy the more I practice my Breathing Exercises?

    Ordinarily, the better a person¡¯s talent, the more Spiritual Energy they can absorb, and the higher the capacity of True Yuan they can convert. But the quantity of Spiritual Energy absorbed at once is definitely less than the total amount of True Yuan they can convert. It¡¯s like pouring water from a small bucket into a large pool; that¡¯s why it¡¯s necessary to carry and circulate energy through several rounds of Circulating the Heavens to absorb more Spiritual Energy.

    The problem now was that the bucket was large while the pool was small. The pool would overflow with just one bucketful, and the excess water could only spill over into someone else¡¯s pool. As more and more water flooded in, it indicated that their pools would soon be full as well.

    Therefore, the biggest suspect was the one with the largest bucket, which was Xie Ruoxi!

    Could it be that because she hadn¡¯t received my favor, she was intentionally causing trouble here? Ridiculous, everyone knew we were going to practice together tonight. How could I possibly bestow my favor on you in my room?

    Yan Yu also forgot that he once casually remarked something and now only assumed that it was Xie Ruoxi, who was intentionally not digesting Spiritual Energy and was causing trouble for everyone as a prank, which irritated him.

    So, you dare to make trouble?

    Just when he was about to send a message, he heard Lin Ning suddenly shout:

    ¡°Stop passing it! There¡¯s too much Spiritual Energy; I can¡¯t digest anymore!¡±

    Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s faces changed slightly, because although the String-Pulling Technique could be stopped at any time, don¡¯t forget that there was a big bomb being passed around! If everyone stopped the joint transportation of Circulating the Heavens, the flow of Spiritual Energy would also cease, and this bomb would definitely stay with one person without being absorbed immediately.

    On the optimistic side of estimations, the undigested True Qi would erupt from all the acupoints in the body. But considering the redundant Spiritual Energy was extremely vast, it¡¯s more likely that while erupting, it would also tear the fragile parts inside the meridians, leading to that unfortunate person becoming possessed by the devil, severely injured. Therefore, the String-Pulling Technique absolutely couldn¡¯t stop.

    ¡°Everyone stop drawing in Qi from the outside for now,¡± Yan Yu immediately ordered. ¡°Focus solely on your Breathing Exercises for digestion. Ruoxi! You too!¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay,¡± Xie Ruoxi sighed with relief, thinking that she could finally cultivate as well.

    As she began to exert effort, the redundant Spiritual Energy indeed started to decrease at a visible rate.

    Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. After a short while, they heard Xie Ruoxi again:

    ¡°I can¡¯t take any more either.¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s face darkened instantly. Damn, if you can¡¯t digest it, don¡¯t draw in so much Spiritual Energy, why don¡¯t you?! Don¡¯t you have any sense?

    Normally, introducing Qi into the body goes hand in hand with digestion through Breathing Exercises. It¡¯s like serving rice from a communal pot into your own bowl, serving more after you finish, and stopping when you¡¯re full. But Xie Ruoxi¡¯s behavior was like just scooping without eating, and now the rice in her bowl had piled up like a mountain, with nowhere to dump it!

    ¡°What should we do?¡± Su Yunjin asked with a wry smile, as her increase in True Yuan for the day had also reached its limit.

    ¡°It seems we can only continue to carry on like this,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied. ¡°By tomorrow night this time, everyone¡¯s bodies should be mostly recovered. Then we can digest the leftover Spiritual Energy completely.¡±

    At these words, everyone was somewhat speechless. The method was indeed feasible, but the time too long, wasn¡¯t it? They would have to sit there for a whole day!

    ¡°Ling Yun,¡± Yan Yu suddenly asked, ¡°you¡¯re watching, right?¡±

    Is Ling Yun there? The girls all paused, taken aback.

    ¡°Stop pretending,¡± Yan Yu continued. ¡°I know you¡¯re watching.¡±

    After a moment, Chen Lingyun really came in from outside the bedroom, feigning surprise as she said:

    ¡°Oh my, what happened to you guys?¡±

    ¡°No more nonsense,¡± said Yan Yu. ¡°Join us quickly.¡±

    ¡°Join what?¡± Chen Lingyun feigned ignorance. ¡°Your harem?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m worthy,¡± she demurred.

    ¡°`

 Chapter 560 - 56: Everything Is As I Expected

    Chapter 560: Chapter 56: Everything Is As I Expected

    At this moment, everyone was as if possessed, maintaining the gesture of holding hands on both sides, completely unable to move.

    Because a massive surge of Spiritual Energy was being passed around like a hot potato, whoever it stopped on would perish, so it was imperative to keep it circulating through Circulating the Heavens, spreading the immense pressure of carrying this surge of Spiritual Energy evenly across everyone over time.

    Lin Ning¡¯s expression was somewhat ashamed; she didn¡¯t want Chen Lingyun to know that she had kept her in the dark about this matter.

    Su Yunjin also felt slightly embarrassed, but then she thought that since everyone had kept the secret from Ling Yun together, it was a case of ¡®collective responsibility,¡¯ and the hatred wouldn¡¯t fall on her alone, which made her feel much more at ease.

    Xie Ruoxi now felt like she had stirred up a massive disaster and was trying to push her body to its limits, continuing to forcefully endure the strain.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was dissatisfied as she glared at Chen Lingyun, tempted to refuse her joining, but then she thought about the fact they would have to stay here for another ten or even twenty hours, unable to eat, sleep, and having to focus on circulating energy, and then decided it might be better to just hold her nose and tolerate it.

    Yan Yu pondered for a moment and then calmly said,

    ¡°Come here, hold my hands with yours, and I¡¯ll transfer a bit of Spiritual Energy to you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, refusing, ¡°It seems like you¡¯re playing a very novel game. I don¡¯t want to intrude rudely.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Yan Yu immediately sneered, ¡°Are you mocking me?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smiling gaze, ¡°What else?¡± Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°You think I don¡¯t have a contingency plan?¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°What kind of contingency plan?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with interest, ¡°One that can go into effect while you are completely immobile?¡±

    Yan Yu did not immediately reply but secretly transmitted a message to Zhao Yuanzhen.

    Zhao Yuanzhen also sneered. Although her body didn¡¯t move an inch, a Silver Pellet rolled out from her sleeve and in the blink of an eye transformed into the figure of a slim-waisted, long-legged Enchantress.

    The Puppet Ami!

    This Puppet, being a Magic Treasure, typically required a cultivator¡¯s hand gestures to activate, so Yan Yu couldn¡¯t use the Puppet. But Zhao Yuanzhen, having endured nearly two weeks of erratic emotional states, had transferred her Divine Sense into the Puppet, thus eliminating the need for hand gestures to control it.

    With a single thought, the Puppet moved autonomously!

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s complexion changed slightly as she considered dashing for the door, but Ami was already blocking the doorway, posing a threatening stance.

    ¡°Humph,¡± Chen Lingyun turned around, raised an eyebrow, and said with a smile, ¡°What would you have me do?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s better,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°A wise man submits to circumstances. Come here.¡±

    Chen Lingyun approached the bed and said,

    ¡°Where exactly should I sit? On your lap or¡­¡±

    ¡°Come sit between Ningning and me; sit cross-legged,¡± Yan Yu instructed.

    Chen Lingyun glanced at the Puppet Ami and did as she was told.

    Yan Yu then recited the Breathing Chapter of the String-Pulling Technique to Chen Lingyun,

    ¡°Have you memorized it?¡±

    ¡°I have,¡± Chen Lingyun nodded and said.

    ¡°Do you understand it?¡± Yan Yu asked again.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Chen Lingyun replied.

    Xie Ruoxi watched with her eyes wide and her jaw dropped, thinking to herself, Sister Lingyun, can you not share some of your intelligence with me? I wish to be a normal human too.

    ¡°Raise your hands,¡± Yan Yu said, and then secretly transmitted a message to Lin Ning.

    As soon as Chen Lingyun lifted her arms, Yan Yu and Lin Ning immediately pulled apart, creating a sound like a bursting balloon.

    A vast amount of Spiritual Energy sprayed from their fingertips, stirring up fierce winds within the room. Yet, these two Sword Immortal were quick to react; they instantly aimed another slap towards Chen Lingyun¡¯s lifted hands, swiftly and accurately clasping them again.

    Chen Lingyun swiftly began circulating the mental method, feeling an unprecedented massive surge of Spiritual Energy pouring into her from both sides, an endless stream even as she fully focused on refining it within her Dantian.

    I just can¡¯t digest it all, I absolutely can¡¯t!

    When had she ever fought such a well-off battle? She groaned comfortably and said,

    ¡°You absolutely can¡¯t let this ¡®Silken Bond Technique¡¯ leak out; otherwise, we¡¯re all going to become someone¡¯s power banks.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu replied. ¡°This mental method doesn¡¯t require any cultivation talent, even mortals can become immortals, so we absolutely must not let a single detail be leaked. Otherwise, there will be earth-shattering risks.¡±

    Everyone nodded solemnly, ensuring they would keep it strictly confidential. Only Zhao Yuanzhen was indifferent to this because, in the Cultivation World of the Qiansi Sect, there indeed were a group of princes and noble descendants practicing cultivation under their guidance. However, they were disdainfully called ¡°flesh cattle¡± by the regular cultivators, serving merely as a financial resource to support the sect.

    Put plainly, those fellows were used to living in luxury, and their aim in cultivation was to prolong their lives. When it came to real combat, they were no match for the belligerent and bloodthirsty cultivators of the Demonic Sect. They would be knocked down within minutes.

    However, the Demonic Sect Enchantress had to admit, the social environment on Earth was indeed so much better than that of the Cultivation World.

    The vast majority of ordinary and impoverished humans in the Cultivation World had an average lifespan of not even thirty years, already being objects of ruthless exploitation. Naturally, there was no concern about whether the children of the privileged could cultivate or not¡­ But on Earth, it was different. If cultivation really broke free from the innate restrictions of talent, becoming a resource that could be traded by the powerful, it was indeed likely to cause major problems.

    I, Miyuan, only want to live a peaceful life now!

    The group continued to work together to circulate energy. Although Chen Lingyun¡¯s aptitude was somewhat inferior to others, she had not yet practiced cultivation today. Like a person with a small appetite but starving, she still managed to consume more than those satiated eaters.

    Only a little spiritual energy was left, not much, nothing to worry about. The six of them took some each and then withdrew it from their palms at the same time, and a multitude of spiritual energy shot out from their meridians, finally restoring calm to the room.

    ¡°Phew, I¡¯m dead tired,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen complained as she quickly crawled into Yan Yu¡¯s bed and started snoring away.

    Seeing how comfortably she went to sleep, Su Yunjin was about to say something motivational, but her expression subtly shifted as she closed her mouth.

    She quietly looked at Yan Yu. Though she asked nothing, the pressure was already mounting.

    ¡°Uh,¡± Yan Yu really wanted to say ¡°Sister Zhao is sleeping in my room to avoid detection by you,¡± but now that everyone was aware, this excuse clearly couldn¡¯t be used anymore.

    Lin Ning was cast a commanding glance, which meant ¡°you answer for me.¡±

    Where could Lin Ning come up with a response? Although she reacted quickly, she lacked immediate wit and hastily said,

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sleepy, I¡¯m going to sleep with Sister Zhao.¡±

    Having said that, she immediately dove headfirst to hug Zhao Yuanzhen, assuming the posture of ¡°I¡¯m asleep, I know nothing.¡±

    ¡°Then, I¡¯m also going to sleep,¡± Xie Ruoxi quickly followed suit and lied down as well.

    Only Yan Yu, Yun Jin, and Ling Yun were left looking at each other.

    ¡°That.¡± Yan Yu finally figured out how to respond and nonchalantly asked Yun Jin, ¡°Want to join us?¡±

    Su Yunjin really wanted to retort, but after holding back for a long moment, she didn¡¯t know what to say and ended up saying,

    ¡°There¡¯s no way to fit on the bed anymore.¡±

    ¡°It is a single bed after all,¡± Chen Lingyun also remarked, ¡°Three people is already the limit.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go get some quilts for the floor,¡± Su Yunjin stood up to leave.

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you,¡± Chen Lingyun also got up to say.

    The two girls left the room, leaving Yan Yu staring blankly in the room.

    How come they agreed so easily?

    In the hallway, Chen Lingyun leisurely transmitted a message to Su Yunjin,

    ¡°Are you really going to sleep in the captain¡¯s room? Alone with a man, aren¡¯t you afraid something might happen?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Su Yunjin replied composedly, ¡°with fewer people there could be a possibility, but the more there are, the less likely something will happen. Everyone¡¯s watching each other, after all.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Chen Lingyun responded with a smile.

    Heh heh, everything is just as I expected.

 Chapter 561 - 57: Sacrifice Oneself for the Benefit of All

    Chapter 561: Chapter 57: Sacrifice Oneself for the Benefit of All

    If this had been a few months ago, suggesting ¡°Let¡¯s spend the night in the captain¡¯s room¡± would likely have met with disagreement.

    But if it were said, ¡°The house isn¡¯t finished yet, we can only sleep together with the captain,¡± everyone would think it¡¯s only temporary for a few days, and would reluctantly agree.

    Now, saying ¡°We need to supervise others to make sure they don¡¯t do anything bad with the captain,¡± everyone would think since they all had shared a room before, sleeping in the captain¡¯s room now seemed like an acceptable idea.

    In essence, that¡¯s how boundaries get pushed, step by step. It will eventually evolve into ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as no child is conceived,¡± hmm~

    Chen Lingyun took a pleasant bath and changed into a delicate nightgown before she slipped into her slippers and headed to Yan Yu¡¯s room, pushing open the door to find that Yan Yu and Su Yunjin had already prepared their sleeping area on the floor.

    ¡°I want to sleep on the left side,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    Su Yunjin gave her a grateful look, knowing that regardless of whether Yan Yu slept in the middle or on the right, he would be next to her.

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi were already asleep in the bed, only Lin Ning was tossing and turning, struggling to fall asleep. Suddenly, she propped herself up and said,

    ¡°Maybe I should give up my spot for you two?¡±

    ¡°No need, no need,¡± Su Yunjin quickly interrupted her, afraid that Yan Yu might say, ¡°Then I¡¯ll sleep on the bed,¡± ¡°The floor is just fine for us too.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± said Lin Ning.

    To avoid disturbing the two girls who had already fallen asleep, everyone turned off the overhead lights, leaving only the floor lamp by the desk on, and each started playing with their phones.

    Chen Lingyun was watching a foreign film, while Su Yunjin was reading a novel. As she read, her thoughts began to wander. She asked Yan Yu, who was lying beside her,

    ¡°Captain, what are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Chatting,¡± replied Yan Yu. ¡°Someone is bragging to me.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Lord Master.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that idiot up to now?¡± Chen Lingyun paused her movie and asked.

    ¡°He¡¯s advanced to the Hua Mansion stage,¡± Yan Yu said.

    Both girls were somewhat surprised, only to hear Lin Ning also exclaim from the bed,

    ¡°The second cultivator has reached the Hua Mansion stage?¡±

    ¡°What about it?¡± Yan Yu responded. ¡°Are you still thinking about fighting for the top three?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Lin Ning quickly denied. ¡°I just find it strange. Can the disparity in cultivation talent between people really be that great?¡±

    The answer, of course, was affirmative. Since everyone had undergone joint cultivation with Xie Ruoxi and Yan Yu, they should know that the cultivation talent among different cultivators could indeed be vastly different.

    Fortunately, with the Silken Bond Technique, which forcibly equalizes the disparities, bringing everyone¡¯s cultivation speed to the same level, the Spirit Transport Team actually didn¡¯t need to worry too much about cultivation talent.

    Thinking about this, Yan Yu pondered another issue:

    Cultivation talent affects many aspects, not just the speed of cultivation improvement but also the quality of True Yuan, and even the rank of the golden core formed.

    In their past life, only Su Yunjin had formed a high-grade Golden Core in the Spirit Transport Team, while the others were all middle-grade. Even though the Chen Family had exhausted its resources, Chen Lingyun had just barely grazed the middle-grade boundary.

    A better Golden Core rank requires more time and better cultivation talent, but the increasingly tense international situation will not grant you that time. Even if you have the potential to form a high-grade Golden Core, you wouldn¡¯t be a match for a foreign Transcendent at the Golden Core Realm before achieving it ¡ª as Li Weiguo once said in the past life, ¡°You (the frontline teams) enjoyed the best treatment and benefits, so you are inevitably the ones who must protect others first.¡±

    The forerunners do not have the luxury of delay; they must form their cores at the earliest opportunity!

    Although the environment around Lu Country, especially the northern border, is much more stable than in the past life, Yan Yu didn¡¯t expect the Privy Council to change their stance on this matter. After reaching Great Perfection in the Hua Mansion stage, there might be room to negotiate a delay of a few months, but delaying for years would be absolutely impossible.

    In other words, utilizing the dual cultivation power of the Dragon and Tiger to break through bottlenecks had become an indispensable and critical choice.

    But could Zhao Yuanzhen and I rise to the upper tier, what about the others?

    Yan Yu had a vague idea in mind. He definitely had to reserve the Primordial Yang for the Enchantress, but even if he lost his True Yang, it wasn¡¯t without value. If he risked his own body to let them use the Yang Gathering and Yin Supplementing Technique to break through their bottlenecks¡­

    With the resources of the entire country supporting him, he could recover even from severe depletion of his essence and vitality, but the problem obviously wasn¡¯t on his side, it was whether they were willing to accept this plan. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    For the Enchantress, exchanging her own Primordial Yin for a higher rank in the Golden Core was a highly profitable trade, but other girls wouldn¡¯t think the same¡ªnot everyone placed the pursuit of cultivation above everything else.

    ¡­Forget it, everyone is still far from reaching the Hua Mansion Stage, thinking about this is too premature.

    Yan Yu put down his phone and slowly closed his eyes to sleep.

    Su Yunjin, however, couldn¡¯t sleep. Propping up her body with her elbow, she quietly observed Yan Yu¡¯s profile.

    ¡°Think he¡¯s handsome?¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly sent a message mentally.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Su Yunjin replied, ¡°I never really paid attention to the team leader¡¯s looks¡­but now that you mention it, I think he is quite good-looking.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then you should seize the opportunity,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°There are quite a few who like him.¡±

    Su Yunjin did not reply but quietly snuggled into the blankets, continuing to stare at Yan Yu under the dim light.

    ¡­Perhaps just lying next to him like this is pretty nice too.

    She thought wistfully.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Following Xie Ruoxi, Liu Longtao became the second cultivator to advance to the Hua Mansion Stage.

    This news quickly made the headlines, but compared to the overwhelming publicity for Xie Ruoxi, the Dingbei Army was much more restrained in their promotion, focusing more on ¡°Our Dingbei Army cultivators are not weak,¡± rather than ¡°how incredibly powerful Liu Longtao is.¡±

    After all, the public always focusses on who is first, and there was no need to force an issue there.

    In the circle of cultivators, the news of Lord Master¡¯s advancement was widely known, and everyone was eager to find out who the third person would be. Many favored Yan Yu, the leader of the Zhenghai Team, but some pointed out that Yan Yu¡¯s profession as a Sword Immortal probably meant his cultivation talent wasn¡¯t very high. Zhou Hongyu of the Huofeng Team and Li Zhaojiang of the Qing¡¯an Team, these two magic cultivators, were likely to progress faster.

    Yan Yu asked Li Minghu and Tang Xiaolian about this, who said that Li Zhaojiang still had some time, but Zhou Hongyu was already close to reaching Great Perfection in the Marrow Cleansing Stage.

    Thinking about it, if Zhou¡¯s talent were not adequate, he wouldn¡¯t be able to recklessly unleash the Great Bright Fire with such abundant True Yuan.

    With this thought, Yan Yu also found it rather strange.

    It wasn¡¯t that he had any issue with magic cultivators, but among the most powerful cultivators, most magic cultivators tended to be ¡°the better the talent, the dumber they are.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi and Zhao Yuanzhen were beyond mention, and both Li Zhaojiang and Zhou Hongyu were not exactly the sharpest, seeming only Liu Longtao might be somewhat better¡ªprobably because he also dabbled in being a Sword Immortal, after all, you can¡¯t manage being a Sword Immortal without some brains.

    Su Yunjin was probably the only exception. Smart and talented, but unfortunately lacking in competitive spirit.

    And after getting to know her better, Yan Yu realized she was not inherently unmotivated, just disinterested in victory and honors. When it came to things she desired, her possessiveness was extremely strong¡­

    After playing with his phone under the blanket for a while, Yan Yu slowly climbed out of bed, planning to go to the bathroom.

    That¡¯s when he saw Lin Ning, also groggily sitting up in bed, rubbing her messy hair before proceeding to strip off her nightgown and feel for the sports bra on the bedside cabinet.

    Of course, she grasped at nothing, since this was not her own room.

    Lin Ning suddenly snapped to alertness, and her gaze met the somewhat sluggish eyes of Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu took a deep breath, and sure enough, the next second, Lin Ning rushed over and tackled him, holding a pillow firmly over his entire face.

    I can¡¯t breathe!

    ¡°Don¡¯t look!¡± Lin Ning angrily communicated telepathically.

 Chapter 562 - 58: Desolate Village Ancient Tomb

    Chapter 562: Chapter 58: Desolate Village Ancient Tomb

    For top cultivators, being able to quickly enter the Hua Mansion stage provides an indispensable advantage, as it allows them to overpower their enemies who haven¡¯t advanced yet in a short period.

    Of course, if viewed from a long-term perspective, the talents of top cultivators are generally not too shoddy. Even the ¡°top tier wall¡± Chen Lingyun, when placed within the entirety of team monks, was above average. So, everyone would eventually reach the level cap and then equalize with each other ¡ª assuming they could live that long.

    In foreign supernatural realms, where the strong prey upon the weak and competition is ruthless, those in the top flow are essentially rushing to level up, even at the cost of mortgaging their future, because having a future at all depends on staying alive.

    To deal with international pressures, domestically there was also a need to quickly cultivate a group of Hua Mansion stage cultivators to strengthen the ranks, and these people could only be the top flow team monks ¡ª ordinary team monks, with not just slower cultivation speeds, but some hadn¡¯t even reached the previous level cap, starting far behind top flow monks, how could they possibly compete internationally?

    In the arms race, being behind was a sin with no rational explanation. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Thus, first thing in the morning, Li Weiguo called to say that Yang Linhui from the Dragon Soar Team was reportedly also making rapid progress. ¡°When will your team¡¯s Su Yunjin enter the Hua Mansion stage?¡± he asked.

    Yan Yu was quite speechless and explained that Yun Jin was already working hard at cultivating, but some things depended on talent. They would continue to strive hard, seek improvements, and persist in their efforts, aiming for glory¡­

    Li Weiguo said, ¡°Don¡¯t give me these official lines. I¡¯m just urging you, not forcing you. If you really encounter a Transcendent from abroad at the Hua Mansion stage, just let Liu Longtao and Xie Ruoxi take the lead. The reason I¡¯m calling is that the Annan Army has approached us, hoping Zhenghai Team could lend some assistance.¡±

    The help needed was naturally related to the ¡°mysteriously disappearing village¡± Li Minghu had mentioned before, which had caused a minor stir in the media. Fortunately, the Military Manor had discovered and suppressed it in time; otherwise, it would surely have induced public panic.

    If it was due to a mysterious realm, that would still be manageable. The real fear was that some demon was causing trouble, potentially running rampant in nearby towns, which would make the situation quite severe.

    Protecting the homeland, of course, there was nothing to decline, so Yan Yu readily agreed.

    Time to call Valkyrie¡­ oh, wrong, it¡¯s time to guard the local lands and ensure the people¡¯s safety!

    Yan Yu informed the girls about the situation, and they all readily agreed, except Lin Ning who was still immersed in the embarrassment of the captain seeing her underwear that morning, morosely ignoring him.

    The group then mounted their swords and set off southwestward, arriving at their destination in the evening and meeting up with the Qing¡¯an Team.

    Li Minghu seemed much thinner and sicklier, his delicate beauty becoming more pronounced. The men hadn¡¯t changed much compared to before, and Yan Yu also met Xu Jin, a girl wearing glasses and braided pigtail, with a serious and earnest expression¡­ feeling a strange sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu, had I dealt with her in a past life?

    ¡°Speak up, what exactly is the situation?¡± urged Yan Yu. ¡°Let¡¯s solve your problems quickly so we can go back and continue our cultivation and challenge our limits.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already told you about the situation and there hasn¡¯t been any new developments,¡± Li Zhaojiang complained. ¡°The entire village vanished without a trace, reasons unknown, no clues found. Now relatives come to the site daily in tears, and the Military Manor is being driven to distraction, that¡¯s why we have to come here every few days.¡±

    ¡°Comrade Li, this is where you¡¯re wrong,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°You¡¯re just missing a few days of rest, but they¡¯ve lost their relatives, heard nothing from them¡ªtry to understand a little.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not being uncompassionate,¡± Li Zhaojiang argued. ¡°Isn¡¯t that why I¡¯m asking for your help?¡±

    While his nephew might find this tiresome, Yan Yu could understand; it was generally felt that top cultivators should employ their strengths in battle and not waste time solving mysteries.

    However, such a notion could easily lead to a disconnect between cultivators and common folk in the community, eventually turning into the mindset of ¡°I only care about advancing my cultivation, worldly matters don¡¯t concern me.¡±

    In his past life, Li Zhaojiang¡¯s flagrant rebellion was partially driven by the fog of rage from a familial sacrifice, but it was also deeply entwined with his arrogant belief in the cultivator¡¯s superiority. For Li Minghu¡¯s sake, Yan Yu decided it was still worth advising him.

    ¡°Think about it, if your sister suddenly went missing, what would you do?¡± Yan Yu deployed the empathy technique. ¡°You¡¯d probably be even more desperate than these families.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll grab a butcher¡¯s knife and come looking for you, you pervert, first thing,¡± Li Zhaojiang replied.

    ¡°I¡¯m done, can¡¯t even talk to you, maddeningly obtuse sister-complex,¡± Yan Yu waved his hand dismissively. ¡°Haven¡¯t had dinner yet, how about a bowl of char siu rice to ease the hunger? One that your sister personally cooks.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have my sister¡¯s char siu rice, but I have my own Nine Turns intestine dish, you want?¡± Li Zhaojiang retorted with a scoff.

    ¡°Thanks for the offer, but I¡¯ll pass on shit, you enjoy it yourself.¡±

    Seeing the two go further off the rails, Xu Jin interjected:

    ¡°Enough already, what¡¯s the use of arguing here? Let¡¯s quickly resolve the matter.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Lin Ning chimed in. ¡°Since the missing people¡¯s families are pressing you, just start moving quickly!¡±

    Observing the two, Yan Yu finally realized where Xu Jin¡¯s familiarity came from ¡ª wasn¡¯t she just a plain-looking version of Lin Ning!

    ¡°Ling Yun has already dispatched spirits to conduct a thorough search,¡± Li Minghu suggested. ¡°Don¡¯t worry; you¡¯ve come from far. Have something to eat first.¡±

    The girls from the Zhenghai Team expressed that they were not hungry. After all, eating was more about maintaining the usual rhythms of life rather than an actual need for food.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Li Minghu looked towards Yan Yu, ¡°I¡¯ll go make you some char siu rice.¡±

    ¡°No way! Sister!¡± Li Zhaojiang was shocked, ¡°You¡¯re actually going to make it!¡±

    ¡°They came here specifically to help us,¡± Li Minghu chided her brother, ¡°you should treat them well.¡±

    ¡°See, your sister gets it!¡± Yan Yu exclaimed joyfully, ¡°Comrade Li, learn a thing or two!¡±

    The char siu rice was quickly brought up by Li Minghu. Due to the inconvenience of starting a fire in the wilderness and the need for efficiency, the rice, vegetables, and char siu were all instant military rations, heat-and-eat from a bag, which was very convenient.

    Yan Yu picked up his chopsticks, looked at Li Zhaojiang who was green with envy, and let out a hearty laugh, looking incredibly pleased.

    Just after tasting a bite of the char siu, Lin Ning suddenly said:

    ¡°I¡¯m a bit hungry too, the captain wouldn¡¯t mind sharing some with me, would he?¡±

    ¡°Me too,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile, ¡°just right, there are five pieces of char siu in the bowl.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll force myself to eat a bit,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said reservedly.

    The girls, armed with chopsticks and spoons, rushed in and quickly devoured the char siu rice to the last grain.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­.

    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Li Zhaojiang was amused, ¡°How about that, Old Yan? Was the meal my sister made delicious? I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t notice if you even got a bite¡­¡±

    ¡°Hehe,¡± Yan Yu transmitted a message to Li Zhaojiang, ¡°I didn¡¯t get enough this time, call your sister to make it for me again next time, there will be plenty of opportunities.¡±

    Li Zhaojiang was just about to retort when he suddenly saw Chen Lingyun walk in.

    ¡°Found it?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Found it,¡± Chen Lingyun replied, ¡°it¡¯s on the mountain right next door.¡±

    Even though it was ¡°next door,¡± it actually took at least 20 minutes to get there, and being in the wilderness, indeed, it was not easy to find.

    The group followed Chen Lingyun¡¯s footsteps to the mid-mountain area, where they saw about a dozen graves scattered around¡ªlikely the burial sites of village elders and ancestors.

    ¡°Is there any issue?¡± Yan Yu scanned all the grave mounds with his Divine Sense and confirmed his query.

    ¡°Divine Sense scan showed nothing out of the ordinary, right?¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, pointing to a grave in front, ¡°But my Five Ghosts told me, there¡¯s something off with this grave.¡±

    Yan Yu narrowed his eyes. From the layout of all the graves, this one was situated on higher terrain than the others and was moreover distantly separated from the rest, creating a rather ¡°solitary grave on a desolate mound¡± atmosphere.

    The gravestone bore inscriptions, but due to the long-term erosion by wind and rain, they were no longer clear. At the foot of the grave, there was an incense burner with a single burned-out stick of incense in it.

    ¡°This probably means the family line has ended,¡± Li Zhaojiang analyzed. ¡°If there were descendants alive, they would have replaced such a tombstone at Qingming Festival. The completely blurred inscriptions indicate that it has been unattended for a long time.¡±

    ¡°What about the incense in the incense burner?¡± Su Yunjin asked curiously.

    ¡°Perhaps someone felt pity for the tomb¡¯s occupant during grave visiting and inserted one out of kindness,¡± Li Minghu also spoke up. ¡°If it were for one¡¯s own ancestors, they wouldn¡¯t just light a single stick.¡±

    In the traditional culture of Lu Country, incense serves as an ancestral offering, typically started with at least three sticks¡­ This single lonely stick of incense was indeed unusual.

    ¡°So,¡± Yan Yu quickly speculated, ¡°could it be that someone lit the incense, triggering a certain Mysterious Realm, which then led to the disappearance of the entire village?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s find out.¡± Chen Lingyun snapped her fingers, and a ghost transformed into human form, found an unspent incense stick in another grave, pulled it out, and inserted it into the burner, ¡°Bring a lighter.¡±

    Jiang Hong pulled out a lighter, stepped forward, and lit the tip of the incense stick.

    It was night, and there was no wind in the mountains, but the incense smoke rose straight up a few inches, then suddenly began to flicker strangely, as if someone invisible was blowing on it.

    After a moment, infinite mist surged from the distant mountains under the moonlight, vaguely looming and madly rushing towards this mountain slope!

    ¡°Everyone, gather together!¡± Yan Yu quickly ordered, ¡°Inform the nearby Military Mansion Cultivators to evacuate as soon as possible!¡±

 Chapter 563 - 59: I Am a Genuine Sword Immortal

    Chapter 563: Chapter 59: I Am a Genuine Sword Immortal

    Although it was a dimly lit night, the dense fog rolled in like waves, clearly visible. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The Annan Army cultivators responsible for sealing off the village acted immediately upon receiving their orders, their swords carrying them high into the air. But the speed of the fog was even faster: one second it seemed a distant threat, the next it had rapidly engulfed them.

    The slower Military Mansion Cultivators were swept up by the thick fog below, their figures vanishing in an instant.

    Atop the hill, in front of the solitary grave, everyone¡¯s expression was solemn as they stared at the approaching fog.

    They were too close to the fog to have time to escape, and in an instant, they were completely enveloped.

    Only Chen Lingyun realized that this fog was actually an extremely abundant Yin energy¡ªsurely originating from some secret realm related to ghosts.

    This time, it¡¯s my turn.

    A thought flashed through her mind, and her figure was already completely wrapped in the fog. The sensation was instantaneous, like drowning or plunging into the depths of the sea, with endless pressure coming from all directions, almost suffocating her.

    However, the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner in her hand soon transmitted a sense of exhilaration, snapping her out of the weightless dizziness.

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s feet touched the ground.

    She quickly steadied herself, and while scanning her surroundings, her Divine Sense also swiftly made a circuit.

    No one.

    She was still standing on the slope of a hill, but not the one she had been on before. The sky was entirely dark, the stars and moon hidden, the air filled with an extremely rich Yin energy. Any mortal without Marrow Cleansing who ended up here would probably fall gravely ill in no time.

    If those villagers who had gone missing were indeed taken away by the fog into this mysterious realm, their chances of survival were extremely slim.

    Chen Lingyun stood on the hillside and forcefully planted the Prison Banner into the ground.

    The Five Ghosts and Black and White Impermanence emerged around her and looked down along her gaze.

    In the center of the valley basin, there was a town with faint lights.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Lin Ning was rapidly moving through the dense forest, performing the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step with great proficiency.

    The surrounding trees were all dead, leafless and budless, with gaunt and twisted branches, rotten and bizarre, like corpses silently screaming.

    This eerie atmosphere made Lin Ning somewhat uncomfortable, so she couldn¡¯t help but bring out her swords for defense, suspending them in front of her.

    The Green Bamboo Sword, housed inside the Sword Box, was already coated with three layers of Sword Qi, exceptionally sharp as if it could slice through the surrounding Yin clouds and fog.

    The Dan Yan Sword, merely unsheathed, seemed unimpeded in this ghostly setting, perhaps owing to its Fire Line affiliation, giving it a feeling of being in its element.

    Suddenly, a figure appeared ahead.

    ¡°Ruoxi!¡± Lin Ning called out.

    ¡°Ningning!¡± Xie Ruoxi turned around, her face lighting up with surprise.

    The two girls quickly came together, holding hands and jumping with joy. Xie Ruoxi was almost moved to tears, saying emotionally,

    ¡°I almost broke down when I found out the captain was gone, but fortunately, you¡¯re here!¡±

    ¡°Well, you don¡¯t have to be so pessimistic,¡± Lin Ning replied, as she scanned Xie Ruoxi with her Divine Sense for a long while to confirm her identity. She then tentatively asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you have that Thunder Method? It can exorcise evil spirits.¡±

    ¡°I do have the Thunder Method, but it doesn¡¯t mean I can hit them,¡± Xie Ruoxi replied matter-of-factly, ¡°I always need someone to cover me.¡±

    Lin Ning was speechless, thinking to herself that although Ruoxi already possessed the attack power of a top fighter, she could still say something so helpless¡ªthis was indeed Ruoxi.

    The two girls then looked around again, only to hear Xie Ruoxi ask,

    ¡°So, are there any other people around?¡±

    ¡°No more.¡± Lin Ning said, ¡°I¡¯ve already explored the surrounding woods.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just the two of us in this area.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Su Yunjin and Zhao Yuanzhen had also met up.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you seen anyone else?¡± Su Yunjin asked with concern.

    ¡°No,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen shook his head, but his eyes fixated on the lake beside them.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Su Yunjin inquired.

    ¡°This seems to be the Ruishui River,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen approached the shore, plucked a strand of hair from his head, and gently placed it on the water¡¯s surface.

    The hair swiftly sank, as if it encountered no buoyancy whatsoever.

    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen took out an Elixir Bottle from his chest, unscrewed the cap, poured out the Elixir Medicine inside, and then used the empty bottle to scoop up the water from the lake.

    Su Yunjin watched on the side, her brows unconsciously furrowing. After he had collected the lake water, she finally asked,

    ¡°So, what kind of mysterious realm is this?¡±

    ¡°Hard to say,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen looked into the distance, where weak lights were barely visible.

    ¡°I¡¯m just afraid it might be the secret realm of some ghost cultivator sect.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Take the medicine quickly,¡± Yan Yu urged as he stuffed a pill into Li Minghu¡¯s mouth.

    This realm was rife with strong Yin energy; even regular mortals would fall ill if they lingered for a moment, and although Li Minghu had completed her Marrow Cleansing, her internal balance of the Five Elements was disrupted. The robust Yin energy surrounding them, once stirred, caused her to cough violently immediately.

    The medicine Yan Yu administered was for treating external injuries, with the effect of promoting blood circulation and strengthening the body. The medicinal powers spread through her abdomen, and Li Minghu¡¯s complexion indeed became much healthier.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said weakly as she stood up.

    ¡°No need to thank me,¡± Yan Yu replied, turning his gaze forward.

    About a hundred steps ahead, there stood numerous houses with white painted walls that greyed with age, presumably a small town.

    There were no electric lights in the town; illumination came solely from the paper lanterns hung in front of each household, swinging steadily in the ghostly wind.

    The streets were deserted.

    Even a street crowded with ghosts would be preferable to this emptiness because you have no idea where the enemy might be.

 Chapter 564 - 59: I Am a Genuine Sword Immortal_2

    Chapter 564: Chapter 59: I Am a Genuine Sword Immortal_2

    Yan Yu fell silent for a moment, and Li Minghu had already guessed what he was worried about, saying,

    ¡°Let¡¯s go in and take a look; we can¡¯t just stay here and wait.¡±

    ¡°What about your health, can it hold up?¡± Yan Yu asked, ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s full of dangers inside.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Li Minghu covered her mouth, coughing a few times.

    This was exactly what Yan Yu was most worried about. Other girls would cry out if they were not feeling well, but the Valkyrie wouldn¡¯t¡ªher endurance skill was too profound, so much so that even when she was nearly at the end of her strength in her previous life, she could still wield her sword and fight without showing any pain.

    They definitely needed to enter the town to explore, but Yan Yu did not want Li Minghu to force herself to accompany him, as it might cause more problems.

    ¡°How about this.¡± Yan Yu came up with an idea, ¡°I¡¯ll carry you. No matter what happens, you don¡¯t need to worry, just help with controlling the sword and attacking.¡±

    This suggestion might seem a bit demeaning. If Lin Ning heard it, she would definitely start arguing in anger. However, Li Minghu was aware of her physical condition. Just the act of regulating her True Yuan to stabilize her body¡¯s abnormalities required a lot of her energy and mental focus. This certainly wasn¡¯t the best condition for fighting.

    If they encountered a formidable enemy inside that required fighting and running, Yan Yu would definitely be distracted worrying about my condition all the time, wouldn¡¯t it hold him back?

    ¡°Let¡¯s go in and explore first.¡± She did not reject the proposal, just saying, ¡°If something happens and I can¡¯t hold up, then I¡¯ll seek your help.¡±

    ¡°Would you really ask for my help?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Li Minghu smiled and said, ¡°Yan Yu, you¡¯re so powerful, there¡¯s no need for me to act tough.¡±

    ¡°So, you were acting tough before because the cultivators of the Qing¡¯an Team were not up to par?¡± Yan Yu was somewhat amused.

    ¡°It¡¯s because I always worry too much.¡± Li Minghu answered, ¡°But I feel very safe with you, Yan Yu.¡± Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but be moved. The Valkyrie¡¯s words were far more powerful than her Flying Sword, subtly praising and complimenting me while not belittling her own team. That was skillful!

    Since she insisted on walking by herself, Yan Yu said no more and together with Li Minghu, they entered the town.

    After walking several dozen steps, the two sensed something odd:

    The houses on both sides of the street had doors that were tall and wide but uniformly lacked windows.

    Yan Yu¡¯s Divine Sense continually swept around the vicinity but still did not detect anything unusual, only feeling the heaviness of the yin energy growing, making it uncomfortable.

    Although Li Minghu was forcing herself despite her illness, the pain was unbearable, and she occasionally couldn¡¯t help coughing a few times, the sound clearly audible nearby.

    Suddenly, Yan Yu raised his hand, signaling her to stop.

    Just then, a sedan chair appeared in front of the street, carried quietly toward them by several bearers.

    Although Li Minghu was unwell, her eyes were sharp enough to see that the bearers were not living people, but papermen with rouge applied on their cheeks.

    Her Divine Sense swept over them but couldn¡¯t detect any problems, as if these papermen were merely unusual, animated cardboard.

    Behind the sedan chair, countless paper horses and paper donkeys followed, carrying numerous boxes and bags.

    Yan Yu pulled Li Minghu to the side of the street. Since this procession of paper people did not initiate an attack, he too did not want to strike without understanding the real situation of the opponents.

    As the paper sedan passed by them, Li Minghu suddenly could not suppress a cough and covered her mouth as she gently let out a cough.

    A pleasant female voice rang out:

    ¡°Stop.¡±

    The sedan came to a halt in front of them, and someone from inside lifted the sedan curtain. It was a fair and charming woman, using a round fan to cover the lower half of her face, only revealing her fox-like slender eyes. She glanced at Yan Yu and then rested her gaze on Li Minghu¡¯s face, chuckling as she said,

    ¡°Five Elements imbalance, pure yin cannot last. To have lived until now is rare indeed. If you die, how about coming to work as my maid?¡±

    Li Minghu paused for a moment, realizing that the person was speaking to her, and then calmly rejected,

    ¡°Thank you for your esteem, my lady. My life is as insignificant as weeds and not worthy of your favor,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Ha-ha,¡± the woman laughed, her eyes swirling with a teasing glint. She suddenly turned to Yan Yu, ¡°Are you his husband?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu responded.

    ¡°Seeing you carrying the Flying Sword, may I know from where you learned your skills? Kunlun or Emei?¡± the lady asked with a smile.

    Yan Yu found himself somewhat at a loss for words and after a long pause finally said,

    ¡°Not from the Xuanmen Orthodoxy.¡±

    ¡°Your aura clearly indicates you¡¯re a Sword Immortal, majestic in demeanor and certainly not from a sideline sect of the Demon Cult. If not from Kunlun or Emei, then from where?¡± the lady¡¯s smile slowly faded and she abruptly commanded, ¡°Ba Shan, go test his mettle.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± said the paperman following behind the sedan chair.

    Though made of paper, the paperman was tall and strongly built, and immediately lunged towards Yan Yu with swinging arms.

    ¡°Stand back,¡± Yan Yu signaled Lin Minghu to move to a safe distance, activated his Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step with swift movements to dodge the incoming assault, pinched the sword technique with both hands, and launched the Huang Tingjian and Liang Yi swords, slashing towards the paper giant.

    ¡°Dual Sword Control Technique, you¡¯re indeed using Emei¡¯s methods!¡± the woman in the sedan sneered coldly, ¡°But I see your swordsmanship is a mixed bag, quite clumsy, what exactly are you trying to perform? Ba Shan, draw your sword too, let him see how formidable it is!¡±

    The paper giant responded, and a Flying Sword, also made of hard paper, shot out from behind him. It seemed powerless but moved with incredible speed, quickly circumventing the Huang Tingjian and fiercely attacking Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu was also startled, for although the paperman¡¯s Flying Sword wasn¡¯t much aesthetically, the swordsmanship was indeed sharp and formidable, easily discerned by any expert.

    The sword techniques in his hands shifted rapidly as he manipulated the Liang Yi sword to intercept it. Although the Flying Sword was made of hard paper, it possessed a hardness comparable to metal; the swords clashed mid-air in a blistering exchange, thundering like roaring thunder and sparking dense showers of sparks.

    Lin Minghu¡¯s expression darkened slightly, only to hear the lady in the sedan speaking to him:

    ¡°The swordsmanship your lover uses is Emei¡¯s Dual Sword Control, but it seems quite rudimentary in swordplay, and even the details are disorganized. It seems his master did not guide him in person but merely imparted the mental methods and then left him on his own.¡±

    ¡°His talent in swordsmanship is not poor though. Without a master to resolve his doubts, he resorts to his own interpretations to compensate, which makes his swordplay a chaotic mix, wasting the advantages of the Dual Sword Control¡­¡±

    Before she could finish speaking, Yan Yu suddenly changed his sword technique, wielded the Huang Tingjian to execute ¡°Sky Light Piercing Clouds¡± with a speed far surpassing ¡°White Rainbow Across the Sky¡±, charging forward at full speed. The paperman hurriedly defended, but his Flying Sword was tightly entangled by the Liang Yi sword, and in a blink, it was cleaved in two.

    Lin Minghu remained silent, but the woman seemed as if she had been slapped in the face, both embarrassed and enraged, and immediately commanded:

    ¡°Useless trash! Hai Bo, Chuan Yun, you two go and defeat him!¡±

    Two more papermen stepped out from the formation, both wielding swords to attack Yan Yu.

    Lin Minghu observed calmly and quickly noticed something.

    The swordsmanship of these papermen was indeed exquisite, but their combat experience was severely lacking. Yan Yu intentionally showed a flaw, and the opponents inevitably rushed in to attack, not considering the potential for a trap at all.

    Fully anticipating their tactics, how could their superior swordsmanship withstand continuous falls into traps, falling into a disadvantageous position against Yan Yu?

    Yan Yu multitasked, using Dual Sword Control against the two opposing papermen. The Liang Yi sword performed a feint, luring the opponent¡¯s Flying Sword into a gap, then abruptly launched an attack in conjunction with the Huang Tingjian from both above and below, forcibly cleaving the unexpected Flying Sword. Then, repeating the same trick, he entangled the remaining Flying Sword with the Liang Yi sword, while the Huang Tingjian advanced to cut down the two papermen from behind.

    ¡°Trash! Trash!¡± the woman inside the sedan furiously shouted, ¡°I taught you such fine swordsmanship!¡±

    ¡°Such criticism is unfounded,¡± Yan Yu calmly sheathed his swords, responded, ¡°It¡¯s not that they didn¡¯t try their best. It¡¯s that these papermen are merely vessels for lost spirits and wild ghosts; they didn¡¯t know swordsmanship in life, and after death, they lost their intelligence, simply memorizing and rigidly stuck to what they were taught in swordsmanship. How could they possibly win against a genuine Sword Immortal like me?¡±

    The woman in the sedan didn¡¯t reply but merely continued to sneer.

    ¡°Elder,¡± Yan Yu said as he clasped his hands and spoke, ¡°Since you recognize my Dual Sword Control technique, you must have been under Emei Sect in your previous life. May I ask for your name?¡±

    The cold sneer on the woman¡¯s face faded, replaced by a troubled look. After a long pause, she said:

    ¡°I¡­ never mind, now that I¡¯m dead, what need is there to ask for a name? Just consider me an abandoned disciple of the Emei Sword Sect of old.¡±

    ¡°May I ask, how is the Emei Sword Sect faring now?¡±

 Chapter 565 - 60: The

    Chapter 565: Chapter 60: The ¡°Senior¡± of the Emei Sword Sect

    Looking across the five thousand years of Lu Country¡¯s history, one can see that ¡°the great trends of the world, long divided, must unite; and long united, must divide.¡±

    Historians from former lives learned from Mei Yingxue about the history of the Cultivation World, and they gathered that it also follows the pattern: ¡°Great sects, at their weakest, will revive, and at their peak, must decline.¡±

    According to Mei Yingxue, the earliest origin of the Emei Sword Sect was during the great wars between the Human and Demon Races, serving as a bastion for the Human Race¡¯s counteroffensive in Nanjiang¡¯s hundred thousand mountains, and after the Human Race¡¯s victory, it became a sect based on the duty to defend against the Demon Race, continuously growing in power.

    Ultimately, internal strife led to its disintegration, with nearly all its Sword Immortals fleeing.

    Then came the period of conflict between Chan Teachings, where many Shushan Sword Immortals joined the Chan Teachings, becoming the Shushan branch of Chan, and began to flourish swiftly.

    As a result of Chan Teachings themselves being torn apart into pieces, the Shushan branch began to face infighting, entering a period of severe fragmentation and turmoil.

    Afterward came the ¡°Three Kingdoms period¡± of the Cultivation World, where the legacy of Chan Teachings was divided among the Tai Qing, Shang Qing, and Yu Qing branches. Thus, the Shushan branch became the exclusive Shushan Shang Qing sect of the Sword Immortals.

    By the end of the Three Kingdoms period, a remarkably talented individual emerged, who, with their offspring, took over the position of sect leaders of the three branches, thus removing the ¡°Shushan¡± name to form the Shang Qing sect.

    Decades later, the Shang Qing sect experienced severe internal strife with each peak forming its own sect, and the Emei lineage occupied four mountains and reclaimed the name ¡°Emei Sword Sect.¡±

    The subsequent history was rather chaotic, with alternating periods of rise and fall. The most severe incident was when the Red Lotus Zen from Iron City Mountain invaded, destroying two thirds of the Shushan sect, with the Emei Sword Sect losing its location. Its core elite disciples also ran off to Dabie Mountain to establish a sect, which was destroyed after several generations. Ironically, the descendants of a previously overlooked outer disciple, who became a rogue Sword Immortal and achieved the Great Dao, eventually returned to Shushan, destroyed the Red Lotus Zen temples, and rebuilt the Emei Sword Sect.

    Thus, in the history of the Cultivation World, there have been three Emei Sword Sects: the ¡°Ancient Emei Sword Sect¡± fighting against the Demon Race, the ¡°Former Emei Sword Sect¡± after the fall of Shang Qing, and the ¡°Later Emei Sword Sect¡± rebuilt by the rogue Sword Immortal.

    The Ancient Emei Sword Sect was the most orthodox, comparable to the ¡°Roman Republic¡±; the Former Emei Sword Sect as a direct lineage of the Ancient Emei Sword Sect, similar to the ¡°Eastern Roman Empire¡± after the division of the Roman Empire; while the so-called ¡°Later Emei Sword Sect,¡± whose orthodoxy stemmed from that rogue Sword Immortal powerhouse, was at best comparable to the ¡°Third Rome, the Russian Tsar.¡±

    Mei Yingxue, Mei Professor, came from the Later Emei Sword Sect. The swordsmanship textbooks she compiled are now the mainstay for most Sword Immortals in Lu Country, derived from the Later Emei Sword Sect¡¯s teachings. The long-bearded old man who taught the two-handed Sword Control Technique was probably from the Shushan era, even earlier than the Former Emei Sword Sect. Hence, it can be deduced from what the lady in the sedan said about Yan Yu having ¡°disordered sword techniques¡± but ¡°ancient swordsmanship,¡± the disorderly techniques are from the Later Emei Sword Sect ¡ª after all, the founder was a rogue practitioner ¡ª while the ancient style is from Shushan¡¯s two-handed Sword Control Technique. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    That is to say, her background is most likely from the Former Emei Sword Sect.

    ¡°So that you know,¡± facing the woman¡¯s question in the sedan asking ¡°How is Emei,¡± Yan Yu slightly organized his thoughts and replied, ¡°The Emei Sword Sect has been destroyed and reestablished several times, regrettably losing many traditions of swordsmanship in the process. My swordsmanship was passed down from a maestro of the sect, while the Dual Sword Control was accidentally learned, not taught by that maestro.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± the woman pondered for a long time, with a sigh said, ¡°Powerful as Shang Qing was, it still fell apart in the end. What sect is ever eternal? It¡¯s lamentable that despite my one-sided hopes, in the end, it was like trying to stop a chariot with arms¡­ Since both of you are also from the sect, why not come to my humble abode for a chat? I have some books on Emei Swordsmanship which you could take back and present to your sect to complete the orthodoxy.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Senior,¡± Yan Yu promptly said.

    Li Minghu watched from the side, suddenly transmitted his voice to Yan Yu, saying:

    ¡°Be careful.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    As the two followed the sedan, they heard the woman inside saying:

    ¡°I am Yin Rou, daughter of Yin Han, the head of the Emei Sword Sect. From childhood, my talents were lacking, similar to yours,¡± she said looking at Li Minghu. ¡°My father said I could hardly make a great sword immortal; I was unconvinced, and thus I practiced swordsmanship day and night without cess, determined to prove him wrong.¡±

    ¡°Later when Red Lotus Zen attacked from Iron City Mountain, the front lines were unfavorable, and the defeat was imminent, with the destruction of our sect inevitable. In such a desperate time, I proposed to seek the Sun True Dullness Sword, to save our sect from collapse and rescue the orthodoxy from the edge of doom,¡± she continued.

    ¡°Sun True Dullness Sword?¡± Yan Yu asked with surprise, ¡°What is that?¡±

    The name sounded impressive, but he had never heard of it in his previous life.

    ¡°In ancient times, the Emei Sword Sect defeated the Demon Race relying on two divine human swords; one was ¡®Tai Yin Su Ming¡¯ and the other was ¡®Sun True Dullness,¡¯ both supremely powerful,¡± the woman explained. ¡°Tai Yin Su Ming had a capricious nature and had long since flown away on its own. Sun True Dullness, rigid in nature, had been passed down from one generation to the next within the Shang Qing sect.¡±

    ¡°Later when Shang Qing underwent severe internal strife, the leader Chen Yenwei fled with the Sun True Dullness Sword, disappearing without a trace. Due to some coincidental opportunities, I discovered that Chen Yenwei had fled to Nanjiang, so I wanted to follow his trail and retrieve the Sun True Dullness Sword,¡± she added.

    At this point, the woman clearly paused, waiting for the two to ask further questions.

    But Yan Yu and Li Minghu, not being the naive Yuanzhen and Ruoxi, thought if you truly found the Sun True Dullness Sword, why would you still be here? Therefore, they didn¡¯t ask anything further.

 Chapter 566 - 60

    Chapter 566: Chapter 60 ¡°Senior¡± of the Emei Sword Sect_2

    The lady¡¯s heart was slightly displeased, and she continued,

    ¡°However, my strength was insufficient. In Nanjiang, I accidentally succumbed to the poison of miasma and fell into a secluded valley. My physical body was damaged, and I had no choice but to turn to the path of a Ghost Cultivator. At last, I found Nine Serenities Yin Manor, barely clinging to life.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Senior¡¯s fate is truly lamentable.¡±

    ¡°Seeing that Emei Sword Sect has successors, I can finally rest assured,¡± the lady said with a laugh, covering her mouth with her sleeve.

    ¡°May I ask, Senior,¡± Yan Yu spoke again, ¡°what exactly is this Nine Serenities Yin Manor?¡±

    ¡°Yin and Yang are separated by a chasm as wide as the heavens,¡± the lady casually replied, ¡°it¡¯s naturally not possible to achieve passage from the living world to the netherworld overnight. Hell¡¯s Envoys lock the souls of the dying, leading them first to the Nine Serenities Yin Manor for a brief respite, before proceeding to the Underworld. The Nine Serenities Yin Manor is akin to a waypoint in the mortal world, with a total of one hundred and eight stations, aligning with the Heavenly Gang and Earth Fiend numbers.¡±

    ¡°So this is the netherworld,¡± Yan Yu feigned sudden realization, ¡°no wonder the surrounding houses are windowless.¡±

    ¡°Not quite so,¡± the lady said, ¡°Nine Serenities Yin Manor is neither in the living world nor in the netherworld, but lies between them, hence both the living and the dead can traverse. The houses are windowless to accommodate the dead, after all, souls should not be exposed to sunlight. You see, the sky here is still somewhat dimly lit, which is different from the Underworld.¡±

    Yan Yu and Li Minghu looked up to the sky and nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Senior,¡± Yan Yu asked again, ¡°earlier you noticed that my¡­ Daoist couple¡¯s body has an imbalance of the Five Elements, and her lifespan is not long, is there a way to resolve this?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± the lady replied, ¡°one could die and resolve the body, following the path of a Ghost Immortal, naturally free from the constraints of a damaged physical body.¡± sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu¡¯s expression was one of speechlessness, while Li Minghu had a tranquil demeanor, following by his side with equanimity.

    ¡°If you do not wish to be separated by yin and yang from her, then you must seek the help of a great power,¡± the lady, noting his reluctance, added, ¡°this great power must be proficient in the Five Elements and skilled in the art of transforming the physical body, capable of replenishing her Five Elements and reconstructing her body. Just like the great immortal Taiyi saving his disciple Nezha, using Five Lotus Leaves for wood, pool water for water, root ash for earth, and bestowing him with Wind-Fire Wheels and the Triple-tipped Spear to replenish the Five Elements. Without the abilities of a great power like Taiyi, it is insufficient for bringing back the dead.¡±

    ¡°So it is,¡± Yan Yu sighed deliberately, but inwardly he sneered.

    He realized the lady was deliberately exaggerating the difficulty, trying to tempt Li Minghu onto the path of Ghost Cultivation¡ªif not for my past life¡¯s experience, I would have really been deceived by you.

    ¡°I do not wish to become a ghost.¡± Perhaps fearing his interest, Li Minghu sent a telepathic message, reminding him, ¡°Moreover, I feel that this¡­ this Ghost Immortal¡¯s words, indeed have many unexplainable points.¡±

    ¡°For instance, she is clearly from Emei Sword Sect, yet why does she also understand the way of Ghost Immortal cultivation,¡± Yan Yu said methodically.

    ¡°If we were to ask her, she could easily claim it was an accidental discovery,¡± Li Minghu said, ¡°That would not refute her.¡±

    ¡°Why refute her?¡± Yan Yu said unhurriedly, ¡°Since she has invited us to be guests at her mansion and dangled the Emei lineage in front of us, I suspect she has either set a trap there or intends to use us for some purpose.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go and see.¡±

    The two followed the procession and arrived at a very spacious Nether Mansion. It was filled with numerous pavilions and towers and countless corridors and waterside pavilions all connected, resembling the Jiangnan Gardens but all of which, regrettably, were eerily imbued with yin energy, causing discomfort.

    A few Papermen helped the lady in the palanquin disembark, and others went to arrange the procession, unloading and sorting various goods.

    Li Minghu, observing the ghostly entrance of the mansion, coughed a few times, then followed Yan Yu inside.

    The lady knew that the two were cultivators of the living world and disliked darkness, so she did not force them inside. Instead, she allowed them to rest in the main courtyard and went into the inner rooms to retrieve a Jade Slip, which she offered to them.

    The Jade Slip was titled ¡°Supreme Primordial Sun and Moon Scripture¡± and from the start, it was marked as belonging to the ¡°Shang Qing¡± lineage, not the ¡°Emei Sword Sect.¡± After a cursory glance, Yan Yu noticed that if the previously obtained ¡°Kunlun Sword Art Compendium¡± by the Zhenhai Team stressed balanced offense and defense, using momentum to overwhelm, then this ¡°Supreme Primordial Sun and Moon Scripture¡± clearly inclined more toward attack, with Straightforward Attack Technique, Fierce Attack Technique, Rapid Attack Technique, and Fierce Attack Technique, corresponding to the four tactical needs of balanced offensiveness, all-out suppression, rapid assault, and covert attacks, respectively.

    The detailed discussion of the four attack methods¡­ was missing from the latter part.

    Yan Yu handed the Jade Slip to Li Minghu and looked at the lady with surprise.

    The lady was waiting for this very reaction, and she leisurely lamented:

    ¡°To be honest, I was a latecomer to this Nine Serenities Yin Manor. Originally, a Ghost King resided here, known as ¡®Daojun of Beimang.¡¯ He fancied my beauty and wished to marry me. He took advantage of my absence to loot my Nether Mansion, stealing all my swordsmanship manuals and claiming they were to be my dowry, to be returned after our wedding.¡±

    ¡°As a Ghost Cultivator, I was unable to defeat him due to his higher cultivation level. Only with your help in eliminating the Ghost King, will I be able to hand over the Emei Sword Sect lineage to you.¡±

    After pondering for a moment, Yan Yu said,

    ¡°Exterminating demons and defending the Dao is the duty of us Sword Immortals. Plus, since Daojun of Beimang has taken our Sword Sect¡¯s lineage, we are duty-bound to eliminate him. Please rest assured, Senior.¡±

    Li Minghu listened on the side, his thoughts subtly shifting.

    Yan Yu kept referring to ¡°our Sword Sect¡¯s lineage,¡± positioning himself as a ¡°Sword Sect disciple,¡± indicating that he did not believe the lady¡¯s words. His main intention was to seek advantage and avoid harm, aiming to deceive some benefits first.

 Chapter 567 - 60: The

    Chapter 567: Chapter 60: The ¡°Senior¡± of the Emei Sword Sect_3

    This woman can teach the Paperman Sword Technique and speaks authoritatively about the affairs of the Emei Sword Sect, indicating she must have some connections with the Sword Sect. However, to believe she is the ¡°daughter of the head of the Sword Sect¡± is still without solid evidence¡ªnor does it explain why she knows the methods of ghost cultivation.

    Since she wants to use us to eliminate that Ghost King, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to agree for now. As for actually helping, there¡¯s no rush; better to investigate the situation further first.

    ¡°If we divide this town into northeast, southwest, and northwest, finding the Ghost King is quite simple,¡± the woman continued, ¡°My residence is in the east, while that Lord of the Northern Marches is in the north. You two just need to head northwest; inevitably, ghosts will block your path seeking your flesh and blood.¡±

    ¡°As long as you keep slaying the ghosts you encounter, the Ghost King will eventually become restless and show himself. I would ask you both to draw your swords and eliminate him. If you could retrieve the Sword Sect scriptures that were taken from me, my heart¡¯s ailment would finally be cured.¡±

    Yan Yu readily agreed, while Li Minghu fell silent for a moment before suddenly asking:

    ¡°The lady resides in the east, and the Ghost King in the north, but what about the west and south of the town?¡±

    ¡°The Netherworld is a transitory place between yin and yang,¡± the lady answered, ¡°Some people whose earthly lives are not yet finished, if they die unexpectedly, will end up in the Netherworld, residing temporarily in the southwest areas, waiting until their appointed lifespan ends before moving on to the netherworld. Since you are both alive, naturally you cannot see these town inhabitants.¡±

    ¡°Additionally, occasionally Hell¡¯s Envoys detain souls there for seven days, so it¡¯s best you avoid that area, otherwise encountering a Hell¡¯s Envoy could lead to unnecessary conflict.¡± S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°I see.¡± Yan Yu inwardly sneered.

    The prolonged Era of Dharma Extinction had left all divine offices in the Underworld vacant. With the Spiritual Energy Resurgence barely a year old, where would any Hell¡¯s Envoys come from? Even the offices of Black and White Impermanence were still vacant. Otherwise, how could the ghosts in Chen Lingyun¡¯s possession cultivate the path of Black and White Impermanence?

    Clearly, this woman was unaware of the events of the Era of Dharma Extinction and was still using the knowledge from the Cultivation World to weave lies, attempting to deceive both me and Minghu. There must be some secret in the west and south of town she didn¡¯t want us to know.

    After bidding farewell to the woman, Yan Yu led Li Minghu out of the nether residence and headed northwest.

    Along the way, indeed many papermen were seen, walking on the streets, visiting each other, or sizing up the two passersby, their faces painted with bizarre expressions.

    ¡°I suspect these papermen are all that woman¡¯s spies,¡± Yan Yu secretly transmitted to Li Minghu, ¡°Let¡¯s head northwest first, shake off the surveillance of these papermen, then double back to explore the west side of the town.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll follow your lead,¡± Li Minghu obediently responded.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Meanwhile, Chen Lingyun held the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, leading the Five Ghosts to scout ahead, with Black and White Impermanence guarding both sides as they approached the town below the mountain.

    ¡°Master, Master,¡± White Impermanence suddenly transmitted a thought, ¡°there, there is something¡­¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Chen Lingyun asked.

    ¡°Good, good thing,¡± White Impermanence pointed towards the town below and responded, ¡°competing, competing with me¡­¡±

    Her accompanying Black and White Impermanence were not the legendary divine figures Xie Bi¡¯an and Fan Wujiao from folklore but ghostly creatures that had embarked on the path of Black and White Impermanence. Thus, they possessed some spiritual intelligence, albeit limited, speaking in halting phrases like unenlightened children¡ªas their cultivation deepened, communication would naturally become easier.

    Hearing its stuttering description, Chen Lingyun guessed that there must also be a ghostly creature in the town cultivating the path of White Impermanence.

    There can only be one White Impermanence, and due to the Era of Dharma Extinction, that position was completely vacant. Now, numerous Yin Ghosts competed for it. Whoever first reached the end of this path could seize the opportunity to become the real White Impermanence¡ªthe rest, having no hope of attaining divinity, could be considered utterly wasted.

    If she could defeat that ghostly creature and seize its understanding of the ¡°White Impermanence¡± divine office, then Chen Lingyun¡¯s own White Impermanence would advance further on this path, which would definitely be advantageous in its competition for the divine office.

    ¡°Well,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°since that¡¯s the case, there¡¯s no rush to look for my teammates. Just sense carefully to locate this town¡¯s White Impermanence. Let¡¯s find it first.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, thank you, Master!¡± White Impermanence immediately rejoiced, grinning so widely that even its tongue extended a few inches longer.

 Chapter 568 - 61 The Valkyries Will

    Chapter 568: Chapter 61 The Valkyrie¡¯s Will

    Lin Ning and Xie Ruoxi passed through the woods and came upon a valley.

    In the middle of the valley, a blue flame floated in the air, surrounded by numerous ragged figures huddled together, whispering among themselves, occasionally letting out some sighs.

    Xie Ruoxi immediately became tense and communicated with Lin Ning through a transmission:

    ¡°Shall we kill them?¡±

    ¡°Wait a moment,¡± said Lin Ning, ¡°They seem like they might be communicative.¡±

    ¡°Being able to communicate doesn¡¯t necessarily mean they are good people,¡± Xie Ruoxi retorted with certainty, ¡°Look at their ragged clothes, they must be bad guys.¡±

    ¡°Ruoxi,¡± Lin Ning said earnestly, ¡°Not everyone who looks unappealing is a bad person. Anyway, you stay here, let me go and try to talk to them first.¡± S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    She walked towards the center of the valley, while Xie Ruoxi, without saying another word, placed the Heavenly Origin Sword in front as a shield and readied the Thunder Light in both hands, poised for action:

    ¡°Excuse me¡­¡± Lin Ning had just stepped out when the ragged figures turned sharply, their expressions filled with shock:

    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s carrying a sword!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the Ghost Mother¡¯s Paperman swordsmen!¡±

    Without another word, they quickly unleashed various spells against her. Some blew a yin wind, others emitted dark light, some spat out poisonous water, and one simply pounced to the ground, transforming into a huge black dog, charging towards Lin Ning.

    Lin Ning had not anticipated that merely by carrying the Flying Sword on her back, she would attract such hostility from these people. She quickly retreated using the Shifting Technique, while her right hand swiftly formed a sword technique.

    The Green Bamboo Sword flew out from the sword box, performing a feigned slash in the air and instantly releasing three Sword Qi strikes, attacking and slaying those who had produced the yin wind and the poisonous water. Only the one who cast the black light reacted quickly enough to stop the spell and roll on the ground, narrowly escaping disaster.

    The shadow turned into a black dog pressed on, its body swelling even more, reaching the chest of an adult man. If Lin Ning were to be knocked down, she feared she wouldn¡¯t be able to struggle free. Thankfully, her response was swift, her left hand hurriedly forming a sword technique, and she wielded the Dan Yan Sword, using the White Crane Spreads Wings technique to slash at the evil dog, but it caught the sword in its mouth and, turning its head, flung it four or five meters away.

    Before Lin Ning could summon back the Green Bamboo Sword for defense, a Thunder Light shot from behind her. The evil dog opened its mouth to bite again but was instantly blown into pieces, leaving no bones behind.

    Jade Pivot Thunder, specialized in conquering Yin Ghosts, was not a force to be taken lightly.

    In the blink of an eye, the enemies were slain or blown apart, and only the one who had managed to roll away survived the initial onslaught. Seeing he was alone, he quickly knelt down and begged:

    ¡°Spare my life, great one¡­¡±

    Before he could finish speaking, another Thunder Light flew towards him, turning his body to dust as well.

    Lin Ning was momentarily stunned, then spoke in annoyance:

    ¡°Ruoxi, you acted too quickly! We could have spared his life to gather some information!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi was at a loss for words for a moment before replying:

    ¡°I was always ready with both hands on the lightning. I didn¡¯t have time to see if I hit the target¡­ And why was my aim so accurate this time?¡±

    ¡°Never mind,¡± said Lin Ning, not one to dwell on wrong answers after a test. She could only go to check the scene.

    Those hit by Xie Ruoxi¡¯s Jade Pivot Thunder, even if just brushed against the arm or struck in the head, would suffer damage that spread rapidly throughout the body, eventually exploding, leaving no chance of survival, much less injury.

    As for the two bodies that were struck by Lin Ning¡¯s Sword Qi, a quick scan with Divine Sense revealed that they were not physical forms but ghostly creatures¡ªmuch like the Five Ghosts that Ling Yun commanded.

    Then there was the matter of the ¡°Ghost Mother¡± and ¡°Paperman swordsmen¡± they had shouted about, which was indeed concerning. However, with no one left alive to question, there was no way to inquire further.

    ¡°Great,¡± said Lin Ning with a sigh, ¡°We¡¯ve taken down four enemies and still know nothing about this Mysterious Realm, let alone where the captain and the others have gone.¡±

    ¡°At least we know that the enemies here mainly consist of ghostly creatures,¡± said Xie Ruoxi awkwardly.

    ¡°We knew that from the moment we entered the Mysterious Realm, didn¡¯t we?¡± Lin Ning exclaimed.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    As Yan Yu and Li Minghu left the eastern area, the papermen following them indeed became fewer and fewer. Instead, many black clothes-wearing Evil Ghosts appeared by the roadside, their faces ghastly, silently staring at them with a sinister gaze.

    ¡°Some ghostly creatures are following us, guessing they will make a move when their numbers increase,¡± Li Minghu sent through a transmission as a warning.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can shake them off,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°We¡¯re still heading towards the northwest,¡± said Li Minghu, ¡°Our best move now is to turn to the southwest¡­ cough, cough, cough!¡±

    She suddenly began to cough violently.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Li Minghu spat out a mouthful of saliva on the ground, containing numerous bloodstreaks, ¡°I can still hold on.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t force yourself,¡± said Yan Yu, ¡°The invasion of Yin Energy is troublesome¡­ I¡¯ll carry you, quick.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Li Minghu agreed without hesitating, swiftly wrapping her arms around his neck.

    Yan Yu lifted her effortlessly, feeling that the Valkyrie¡¯s delicate body was surprisingly light, probably less than 50 kilograms, but thankfully, the softness and suppleness of her figure weren¡¯t compromised.

    He executed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, bursting into speed and stepping onto a nearby rooftop, sprinting towards the southwest.

    The black clothes-wearing Evil Ghosts below became agitated and chased after them along the streets. As Yan Yu made his way across the rooftops at high speed, he suddenly heard Li Minghu shout:

    ¡°Be careful!¡±

    Yan Yu swiftly turned his head in mid-air and spun around, his stance abruptly dropping. Countless black currents swept over his head, creating a deep whistling sound as they passed.

    Hidden Sand Shooting.

    In his previous life, he remembered seeing this technique: a certain folk Cultivator tamed a ghostly creature as powerful as the Hua Mansion Stage, named ¡°Ying,¡± with a Soul Summoning Banner. Its appearance was shadowy, making it hard to distinguish facial features, and it could shoot out Black Wind Sand Scrolls with bullet-like speed. Any flesh it touched would decay completely; even a minor scrape against the skin was incurable.

 Chapter 569 - 61 The Valkyries Will_2

    Chapter 569: Chapter 61 The Valkyrie¡¯s Will_2

    At this time, there were at least seven or eight Yings trailing behind Yan Yu and Li Minghu. They spread their wide sleeves as if they were kites gliding in the air, continuously firing dense Black Wind Sand Scrolls.

    Simultaneously being attacked by seven or eight Hua Fu Stage ghostly creatures, even with Yan Yu¡¯s exceptional Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, he was forced to use it to its full potential, constantly making abrupt movements up, down, left, and right in his running path, immediately changing direction with every step to dodge all the biting attacks locked onto his back, barely escaping each time by the skin of his teeth.

    Such exquisite and carefree movement technique did indeed possess a graceful beauty reminiscent of flowing clouds and water, but if one were to experience it from his first-person perspective, the incessant high-frequency acceleration changes would be enough to make one vomit.

    Li Minghu had long been fascinated by Yan Yu¡¯s ¡°Lightning Body Technique¡± and had specifically practiced it to enhance her own mobility. However, her own movement method, ¡°Godspeed Acceleration, Ascend to the Clouds and Stop on a Dime,¡± was undeniably at a disadvantage compared to Yan Yu¡¯s Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step¡ªthe frequency and rhythm of his direction changes were just too fast!

    Even Valkyrie felt a strong sensation of the world spinning, clenching her teeth to suppress the rising nausea, she decisively closed her eyes. She stopped looking at the rapidly changing and sickening surrounding scenery and focused solely on sensing Yan Yu¡¯s movement.

    She quickly sensed that, compared to jumping up, sinking down, or moving right, Yan Yu dodged more often to the left, and the sounds of attacks from behind also tended to come from the right side.

    Internally calculating their relative positions, Li Minghu suddenly squeezed Yan Yu¡¯s waist with her legs to stabilize herself, freeing her hands to perform a sword technique!

    Without clear sight and unable to lock on with Divine Sense, she relied entirely on mental calculations and directed the Sky Flash Sword toward a specific direction!

    The first sword stroke missed, quickly returning to the sword master¡¯s side. Undeterred, Li Minghu fired the second sword, White Rainbow Across the Sky!

    It hit!

    The heavy force transmitted from the sword made her realize her Sky Flash Sword must have intercepted the enemy¡¯s Black Wind Sand Scroll, promptly recalling it to her side. Based on the hit, she further corrected the estimated position in her mind.

    The third sword, released!

    A low-flying Ghost Eel was too slow to dodge and got impaled by the Sky Flash Sword, plunging downward immediately.

    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious?¡± Yan Yu finally exclaimed, ¡°You hit it like that?¡±

    ¡°Just good luck, cough cough,¡± Li Minghu coughed a few times and said with difficulty, ¡°These ghost creatures¡­ have no Spiritual Wisdom, they don¡¯t dodge.¡±

    ¡°Still, that¡¯s quite impressive,¡± Yan Yu admitted with sincere admiration.

    How exaggerated full deployment of the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step was, he himself knew all too well. Honestly, anyone who could keep from vomiting on his back was already winning.

    Xie Ruoxi had also been on his back before, acting as a mobile artillery platform, but she would just blindly shoot forward, with Yan Yu targeting for her. That was nothing compared to Li Minghu¡¯s ability to shoot backward and penetrate enemies at a distance, a significantly different level of skill.

    Truly befitting of Valkyrie! In the past life, I outdid you, and in this life, you¡¯ve quickly adapted to my fighting style. We¡¯re naturally the perfect partners!

    Such were Yan Yu¡¯s thoughts when he suddenly heard someone shout:

    ¡°This way, quickly!¡±

    He swept the area with his Divine Sense, leaping swiftly into a courtyard ahead and jumping down a dried well.

    The Ghost Eels followed but had their line of sight obscured by the courtyard walls and failed to see the two descend into the well. They began to patrol and search the vicinity.

    After falling into the well, Yan Yu found that the one who had called out to warn him was a raggedly dressed little girl.

    ¡°Are you both alright?¡± the little girl asked Yan Yu.

    ¡°We¡¯re fine, thanks for the warning,¡± Yan Yu said as he looked around.

    Beneath the well was a space carved out by underground water, appearing quite vast, with distinct upstream and downstream channels.

    On the banks of the channel sat many civilian ghost souls, some dressed in ancient loose clothing, and others in modern shirts and T-shirts, ranging from middle-aged men to old men.

    Well, this explained why when they first entered the town, there were no people to be seen on the streets.

    They were all hiding here!

    Yan Yu pondered for a moment, then heard Li Minghu¡¯s telepathic voice say:

    ¡°With so many people taking refuge here, there must be an organizer. Find him and ask about the situation inside the Netherworld.¡±

    ¡°I was thinking the same thing,¡± Yan Yu replied immediately.

    What is rapport? This is rapport! The detail-oriented Valkyrie, the telepathic Yan Yu!

    ¡°Little friend,¡± Yan Yu asked the little girl soul next to him, ¡°who is in charge here?¡±

    The little girl blinked and turned to lead the way. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The deeper they went along the channel, the worse the lighting and the heavier the Yin energy. But unlike mortals, what was uncomfortable for them became an advantage for ghosts, so the darkest places were often left for the elderly.

    In a corner at the deepest part, they met the leader of the civilian ghost souls¡ªan old man dressed in ancient clothing.

    ¡°You¡¯re outsiders, cultivators, aren¡¯t you?¡± the old man asked.

    ¡°There are local cultivators here?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    ¡°Of course,¡± the old man replied, ¡°the Netherworld is the border between Yin and Yang. Cultivators who have various reasons for losing their physical bodies and wish to step onto the path of ghost cultivation will consider residing in the Netherworld to avoid being scorched by True Solar Fire. Even some Necromancers will rear ghostly creatures here, to facilitate the absorption of the Yin energy from this place.¡±

 Chapter 570 - 61: Valkyries Testament_3

    Chapter 570: Chapter 61: Valkyrie¡¯s Testament_3

    ¡°So you are also a Ghost Cultivator,¡± Yan Yu said.

    The old man just smiled and did not answer this question, but continued:

    ¡°In the Era of Dharma Extinction, this place has been isolated from the outside world, and it has been a long time since any outsiders have come here.¡±

    ¡°There was a Ghost Cultivator named ¡®Xue Ren¡¯, adept at the arts of Servant Ghost and Control Ghost, self-titled ¡®Nine Nether Ghost King¡¯, under whom countless fierce souls and evil ghosts served. He once married another Ghost Cultivator named ¡®Yin Rou¡¯, allegedly originally from the Emei Sword Sect. After betraying the sect, she was pursued and her physical body was destroyed, causing her to fall into the Ghost Path. This woman was skilled in Sword Control and Paperman manipulation, self-titled ¡®Nether Sword Ghost Mother¡¯, and her strength was on par with Xue Ren.¡±

    ¡°These two were originally Daoist couples, but due to certain reasons, they developed grudges and turned against each other, each hoping to put the other to death to dominate this part of the Netherworld. Xue Ren occupied the north, and Yin Rou the east, constantly dispatching their forces to fight each other or to sweep through and capture wandering souls and stray cultivators like us, to bolster their forces.¡±

    ¡°Having no choice, we could only hide underground, waiting for the Ghost King and Ghost Mother to determine the victor, before making any further plans.¡±

    With just a few words, this old man clearly described the situation in this part of the Netherworld.

    The northern area is ruled by the Ghost King Xue Ren, while the eastern area is the territory of the Ghost Mother Yin Rou. These two major powers are constantly fighting each other, and those third-party forces that do not wish to join either side, whether they are Ghost Cultivators or mortal souls, can only hide in the western part of the town underground, barely clinging to survival.

    ¡°How strong are this Ghost King and Ghost Mother?¡± Yan Yu asked again.

    ¡°Neither has formed a Ghost Pill,¡± the old man replied, ¡°otherwise, the victor would likely have been decided by now.¡±

    Ghost Cultivators can also form pills, but without a physical body, forming a pill is extremely difficult, and even a successful formation would likely be of a low rank, devoid of Yang spirits, all Yin residues.

    Both of these BOSSes have not formed a Ghost Pill but have cultivated in the Netherworld for so many years, they are probably at the Great Perfection stage of the Hua Mansion. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°May I ask, old man,¡± Yan Yu continued to inquire, ¡°does this part of the Netherworld have a nerve center?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± the old man said, ¡°to the north there originally was an official residence housing the Judge, who administrated this part of the Netherworld. Inside the residence is a small bell; if struck, the gateways of the Underworld will open, allowing one to return to the mortal world. It¡¯s likely now in Xue Ren¡¯s possession.¡±

    ¡°I understand now, thank you for the information,¡± Yan Yu said.

    As he turned to leave, he heard the old man call out from behind:

    ¡°If it proves too difficult, you two needn¡¯t be too eager to force the issue. Both the Ghost King and Ghost Mother regard each other as mortal enemies; it might just be a matter of time before they both suffer a crippling defeat, giving us a chance.¡±

    At this, Yan Yu just smiled and remained silent.

    Upon reaching the outside, he saw Li Minghu chatting with a little girl¡¯s ghost.

    ¡°This child is a modern person; her parents were working away from home and were not in the village when the incident occurred,¡± Valkyrie transmitted telepathically, sighed, and said, ¡°As a result, the girl was drawn into this place, her physical body corrupted and killed by the Yin energy, turning into a ghost¡­ I don¡¯t know how heartbroken her parents would be.¡±

    ¡°Some things, there really isn¡¯t a way,¡± Yan Yu also consoled her.

    ¡°Once we control the nerve center of the Mysterious Realm, they¡¯ll be able to leave this place and go to the Underworld to be reincarnated,¡± Li Minghu continued, ¡°I plan to let them leave some last words, to be given to their relatives after they pass.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s possible, but do you have paper and pen?¡±

    ¡°I can record it on my phone.¡± Li Minghu brought out his phone, turned on the screen, and forced a smile, ¡°Fortunately, it still works here.¡±

    She opened her notes app, her fingers swiftly moving. However, Yan Yu, with a sharp eye, quickly noticed the names of a few documents that had just been swiped away at the top of her notes list: ¡°To Ah Jiang¡±, ¡°To Dad¡±, and ¡°To Mom¡±.

    Could those be Valkyrie¡¯s own farewell letters? If she were to unexpectedly die in battle someday, and her phone was handed over to her family, would they see them?

    Yan Yu felt a subtle pang of sympathy for her, and then, thinking about the absence of ¡°¡±To Yan Yu¡±¡±, he once again grew contemplative.

    The journey is still long and arduous.

 Chapter 571 - 62: The Naturally Evil and Worthless Woman

    Chapter 571: Chapter 62: The Naturally Evil and Worthless Woman

    Yan Yu and Li Minghu¡¯s commotion in the north side of the Ghost Town was finally reported back to Yin Rou by the paper scouts.

    This woman immediately covered her face with her sleeve and burst into tears, leaving Li Zhaojiang and the others utterly baffled.

    Li Zhaojiang¡¯s party of five, minus Li Minghu who had already rendezvoused, had arrived in the town to explore¡ªthey had entered from the east, and so they quickly encountered the papermen entrenched there, and had been brought to Ghost Mother¡¯s residence.

    Upon hearing the news, Yin Rou first wept, then flew into a rage and said to Li Zhaojiang,

    ¡°Your two companions, upon hearing my words, were so enraged that they wanted to settle accounts with the Ghost King, but little did they expect to fall into an ambush by evil spirits. Their chances of survival are slim. I cannot shirk responsibility for this. If it weren¡¯t for my inability despite my intentions, I would certainly seek revenge for the two brave men and quench this great hatred with blood!¡±

    Everyone exchanged glances in silence.

    It wasn¡¯t that Yin Rou¡¯s words had any loophole, but everyone, upon considering the thought of Yan Yu falling into an ambush and perishing¡­ instinctively felt it was impossible.

    Only Li Zhaojiang, in his concern, became tense, thinking, Old Yan, you couldn¡¯t really be gone, could you?

    Don¡¯t drag my older sister down with you! Of course, don¡¯t die trying to save my sister either, or she¡¯s likely to never forget you for the rest of her life. You and my sister both have to stay alive for me!

    ¡°Captain.¡± Xu Jin suddenly said through a telepathic message, ¡°This woman is preemptively assuming that Captain Yan and Deputy Captain Li have perished, and she seriously suspects us for allowing her to use us to kill by proxy.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Li Zhaojiang frowned and responded, ¡°But them falling into an ambush and their whereabouts being unknown should be true. Otherwise, once we meet up with them, this woman¡¯s lies will fall apart on their own.¡±

    ¡°Even if we manage to search for Captain Yan and Deputy Captain Li¡¯s tracks, we¡¯d still have to head north.¡± Xu Jin suggested, ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, why not pretend to believe what she says, to avoid conflict here.¡±

    ¡°Hmm-hmm.¡± Li Zhaojiang thought it made sense and thus addressed the Ghost Mother,

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to trouble yourself, madam. We¡¯ll go and take our revenge for them. However, we¡¯ll need you to explain in detail the information about the Ghost King and his minions.¡±

    After sending off Li Zhaojiang and the others, Yin Rou wiped the tears off her face and began contemplating in secret.

    The Netherworld had been sealed for a long time, but recently it had suddenly opened to the outside world. Not only had many new lost spirits and solitary ghosts appeared, but now even cultivators were gradually visiting, uncertain whether it was good or bad.

    While these people were still communicable, she quickly ordered them to clash with Xue Ren, which would also facilitate her profiting from the chaos.

    As she was calculating, her brow suddenly twitched slightly: S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    It was her subordinate papermen who had found two girls not far from the town and were guiding them here.

    Yin Rou quickly arranged her expression and soon put on a sorrowful face again, rethinking her explanation.

    Su Yunjin and Zhao Yuanzhen followed the paperman into the town, looking intently around them.

    ¡°Is this the spell of a Necromancer?¡± Su Yunjin asked secretly through telepathic communication.

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen narrowed her eyes and sneered, ¡°Transforming paper into men, guiding spirits to inhabit them, it¡¯s nothing but a second-rate trick from Ghost Cultivators. A true formidable Yin Ghost takes solid form, its soul serving as its body. Why would it need such a shoddy fake shell?¡±

    Su Yunjin did not reply. She knew Sister Zhao¡¯s temperament was such; she only respected Captain Yan Yu, was somewhat lenient towards her teammates, but held no regard for others; none of them were impressive in her eyes.

    What she was truly worried about was the overwhelming number of papermen. Fighting them might be quite the hassle¡ªthough with the wide-reaching Southern Dipper Star River Secret Art in hand, she wasn¡¯t too worried.

    Arriving at the mansion, and after hearing Yin Rou¡¯s full account, the two decided to first look for their captain.

    ¡°What Yin Rou said is false; she¡¯s obviously inciting us to contend against the Ghost King,¡± Su Yunjin conveyed to Zhao Yuanzhen, ¡°and the captain would not fail to see through it.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen really hadn¡¯t seen through the deception, but from her youth, her master taught her to always be wary when away from home, never fully trusting what others say. Therefore, she also had a rule of thumb: anyone I don¡¯t take a liking to at first glance, without needing to discern, I treat as all harboring ill-intent and guard against them thoroughly.

    She found Yin Rou extremely disagreeable: her seductive and glamorous appearance, disgusting! Her tone of voice, exasperating! And most infuriating was that in life she had actually been part of the Emei Sword Sect, the very sect I detest the most in my life!

    If it weren¡¯t for Yun Jin holding me back here and not being assured of protecting her life, I would definitely have confronted that bitch right there and then!

    ¡°Qing¡¯an Team set off even earlier than us,¡± Su Yunjin continued, ¡°We will follow their route, staying alert to avoid conflict with the Ghost King¡¯s side and focusing on gathering information about the captain.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen had no objections.

    Upon leaving Yin Rou¡¯s ¡°Paperman Workshop,¡± as they approached ¡°Evil Ghost Street¡± occupied by Xue Ren, they suddenly heard a clamorous commotion up ahead, signalling a rather significant battle.

    Su Yunjin and Zhao Yuanzhen hurried over and before they could reach the scene, they saw Li Zhaojiang and the others fighting a retreating battle, fleeing haphazardly in this direction.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Su Yunjin immediately sent a telepathic message.

    ¡°I was about to ask you the same,¡± the reply came from Jiang Hong, sounding quite agitated, ¡°Your team¡¯s Chen Lingyun, why is she acting as a commander in the Ghost King¡¯s camp? And when we tried to communicate with her, she ignored us and even commanded the evil ghosts to attack us!¡±

 Chapter 572 - 62: The Naturally Evil and Worthless Woman_2

    Chapter 572: Chapter 62: The Naturally Evil and Worthless Woman_2

    ¡°This is impossible!¡± Su Yunjin said subconsciously, then quickly corrected herself, ¡°Maybe that¡¯s not Ling Yun, but some ghostly creature in disguise. How do you know for sure that she¡¯s real?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s holding the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner. How could that be fake?¡± Jiang Hong retorted.

    ¡°That¡¯s not right.¡± Xu Jin also interjected with a transmission, telling everyone, ¡°Appearances can be faked, and so can magic treasures. Who said there must be only one unique magic treasure in the world? We can¡¯t be certain if Vice Captain Chen is real, and we can¡¯t confirm your identities either. So both of you, please stay away from us for now, okay?¡±

    ¡°Agreed,¡± Su Yunjin complied, no longer trying to join the Qing¡¯an Team, and could only watch them retreat hastily toward the Paperman Workshop.

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly said, ¡°I knew that wretch was no good. Surely the Ghost King Xue Ren has offered her some condition, prompting her to brazenly betray us!¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhao, don¡¯t jump to conclusions so quickly!¡± Su Yunjin said with a cry of laughter, ¡°Ling Yun¡¯s father is the Jianghai Governor. How could she possibly betray us¡­ It¡¯s too far-fetched!¡±

    ¡°On the long path of life, only the attainment of the Dao is true; what are parents and family in comparison?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen disagreed, ¡°Let¡¯s wait for her to come over, and we¡¯ll ask her ourselves.¡±

    The two stayed where they were, and soon encountered the approaching evil spirit army.

    Amidst the howling cold winds and enveloping black mist, all sorts of terrifying ghostly creatures with odd and fierce shapes mingled within. There were Yin Soldiers wielding swords and spears, fierce beasts baring teeth and claws, and several Ghost Cultivators soaring through the clouds, all of which even changed Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s expression.

    Ghostly creatures at the Marrow Cleansing Stage weren¡¯t of much concern with their level suppression; those at the Hua Mansion Stage were quite troublesome, especially those few Ghost Cultivators. One could tell they were experienced in fighting and slaughter. Zhao Yuanzhen still had some confidence in a one-on-one fight, but if they were to swarm her¡­ she would definitely run as far away as possible at the first sign of trouble.

    All that about fighting above one¡¯s level and taking on hundreds at once, none of that really existed. Unless one possessed some Heavenly Treasure or unparalleled secret technique; otherwise, even someone as skillful as Yan Yu would only have the option to flee facing such a formation.

    She grabbed Su Yunjin¡¯s right hand, ready to run at the first sign of trouble, but then heard Su Yunjin shout,

    ¡°Ling Yun!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen looked up and saw Chen Lingyun, holding the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, standing above the dark clouds with a smile, eyes fixed on the two of them. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    As Su Yunjin¡¯s gaze met hers, her expression gradually became one of disbelief.

    Chen Lingyun said nothing, simply lazily waving her hand.

    Kill!

    Countless Yin Soldiers and Ghost Generals charged at the two, and Zhao Yuanzhen quickly grabbed Su Yunjin¡¯s hand and activated the Art of Godly Flight over Ten Thousand Li, sprinting away at high speed.

    ¡°I knew it!¡± she cursed as they ran, ¡°Inherently evil woman!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t use Sword Control,¡± Su Yunjin urgently reminded her, ¡°Taking to the sky with swords makes us targets. Let¡¯s use the complex terrain here to lose the pursuers. Head toward the Paperman area, and use them to buy time!¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately replied.

    When it comes to running away, consider me an expert. Definitely won¡¯t get caught by that wench!

    From behind in the dark clouds, Chen Lingyun smiled slightly and said,

    ¡°No need to chase. Our priority is to swiftly take down the Paperman Workshop and capture the Ghost Mother. Once the Great King has unified the Netherworld, hunting down these remnants will be as easy as crushing dry weeds. Effortless.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, indeed,¡± behind her, the Ghost King Xue Ren was quite satisfied, continuously nodding in agreement.

    If one talked about overall strength, the Ghost King¡¯s side was clearly superior, but his forces consisted of many factions including Necromancers, Ghost Monks, and pure Ghostly Creatures. Hence, coordinating in battle was difficult. They could even scatter in disarray when losing ground, beyond his command.

    The paper-armored soldiers under the Ghost Mother¡¯s command, however, were strictly disciplined, moving in perfect unison. So, despite their smaller numbers, their assaults proved quite troublesome to the point that the Ghost King could not resolve to bet all his chips and engage in a pitched battle with them.

    But this foreign female cultivator, although not very powerful in cultivation, was highly adept in military command. With a few tactical orders, she had successfully breached the defensive lines outside the Paperman Workshop, much to Xue Ren¡¯s admiration for her leadership abilities.

    She was also quite pretty and charming. Not bad, not bad at all. However, Ghost King Xue Ren had been betrayed by the Ghost Mother Yin Rou before and was momentarily disinterested in matters of love. Once he unified the Netherworld, if the female cultivator was willing to commit suicide and marry him, he might consider taking her as a concubine. If she was unwilling¡­ humph!

    As Xue Ren was indulging in his daydreams, White Impermanence suddenly said beside him,

    ¡°Great King, be cautious. The expressions of those two human cultivators earlier seemed to suggest they¡¯re acquainted with this lady at your side.¡±

    ¡°We do know each other,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°But that was only when we were in the wilds. Now we serve different masters. Personal relationships aside, why bother bringing it up?¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Xue Ren¡¯s suspicions that had been stirred by White Impermanence¡¯s comment dissolved after hearing Chen Lingyun¡¯s response. He thought if she knew the other side, she would have asked for mercy for them. Now it seemed they were merely casual acquaintances. What was there to worry about?

    ¡°Could be a ruse,¡± White Impermanence persisted, ¡°If you¡¯re willing to go and kill those two yourself, bringing back their bodies as a token of loyalty, we might believe you.¡±

    ¡°Hehe,¡± Chen Lingyun smiled, ¡°A token of loyalty is nothing difficult, but our current priority should be to help the Great King swiftly conquer the Paperman Workshop and capture the Ghost Mother, right? I wonder whether the Great King¡¯s grand ambitions are more important or placating your fears is more pressing?¡±

 Chapter 573 - 62: The Inherently Evil Woman_3

    Chapter 573: Chapter 62: The Inherently Evil Woman_3

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Xue Ren¡¯s displeasure was evident instantly as he glared coldly at White Impermanence.

    In the Era of Dharma Extinction, the Netherworld was empty. This Yin Ghost, having gleaned the ways of White Impermanence from somewhere, had cultivated over the years and achieved some climate. Unfortunately, after being appointed as the Great Commander by the Ghost King, he spent all his days scheming against other commanders, which was quite annoying.

    Xue Ren had long been loyal to this Yin Ghost, hence he usually indulged him. Now, however, he seemed like a fool who couldn¡¯t differentiate between public and private matters, certainly not as clever and sensible as the human cultivators who considered the bigger picture.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Xue Ren said decisively, ¡°Let¡¯s first break through the Paperman workshop, capture the Ghost Mother, and then we¡¯ll settle the rest.¡±

    White Impermanence retracted his long tongue, bowed, and retreated silently.

    His suspicion about Chen Lingyun was simple: this woman had weak cultivation but strong cunning¡ªit was impossible for her not to understand the principle of ¡°when the birds are gone, the good bow is hidden.¡±

    Once Xue Ren unified the Nine Serenities Netherworld, this woman¡¯s value would be gone. Coupled with her lack of strength, she would definitely be at Xue Ren¡¯s disposal. Therefore, from a malicious point of view, White Impermanence believed that this woman would definitely not assist Xue Ren wholeheartedly in taking down the Paperman workshop; she surely had some sinister plot up her sleeve.

    But he had no proof.

    The woman¡¯s value was there, and the so-called conspiracy was just his speculation¡ªXue Ren would absolutely not believe him. He could only apply some preventive measures and be wary.

    Thinking this, White Impermanence looked towards Chen Lingyun again.

    Chen Lingyun gave him a gentle smile, her eyes curving as if completely unaffected by his hostility.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The neutral group hiding underground was divided into three categories: one was the ghost cultivators who refused to pledge allegiance to Xue Ren, another was civilians soul with no mana, and the last were modern villagers from the real world, each group sticking to their own, not interacting with the others.

    Li Minghu had just finished recording these villagers¡¯ oral wills, and her phone battery was nearly dead.

    ¡°Alright.¡± She stood up, and spoke to Yan Yu telepathically, ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting. What¡¯s next?¡±

    ¡°I need to think this through.¡± Yan Yu responded.

    This time, the Netherworld Mysterious Realm was different from the second layer of the Wuyi Mountains Mysterious Realm. The enemies in the realm not only had Hua Mansion Stage cultivation but also possessed spiritual wisdom, unlike puppets who could be easily lured out and destroyed one by one.

    If one could orchestrate an ambush, gradually undermine their forces, and start by killing the Ghost King and then the Ghost Mother, Yan Yu thought it was not impossible. However, this plan would take too long and be very troublesome; a prolonged time meant unpredictable risks, especially since his Minghu¡¯s body might not hold up.

    Considering that the Ghost King and Ghost Mother were antagonistic towards each other, if he could cause them to mutually destroy each other, it would simplify things tremendously¡­ Damn! Where is Ling Yun when I need her most? Now is the time for her cunning!

    He shared his thoughts with Li Minghu. The Valkyrie pondered for a moment and coughed as she spoke:

    ¡°Hmmm¡­ The thinking is solid, but the Ghost Mother¡­ she¡¯s thinking of using us against the Ghost King, which clearly she prefers to avoid a direct confrontation.¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°If there¡¯s a way to provoke the Ghost King into attacking the Ghost Mother, forcing her to reveal her strength and engage, then there shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±

    ¡°So we could try making contact with the Ghost King first.¡± Li Minghu concluded, ¡°But we just battled them, so it might not be easy to communicate now.¡±

    ¡°How about this.¡± Yan Yu suddenly had an idea, ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can sneak into the depths of Evil Ghost Street; maybe I can find the control center of the Mysterious Realm. If not, at least I can gather some intelligence, and then see how we can start liaising with the Ghost King¡¯s camp.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go too.¡± Li Minghu said.

    ¡°I¡¯m not comfortable with you coming along.¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°I¡¯m not comfortable letting you go alone.¡± Li Minghu said.

    ¡°Are you two showing off your love?¡± The little girl who had led the way earlier suddenly popped out from somewhere and asked innocently.

    The two of them were momentarily speechless, but then they heard the little girl say:

    ¡°This kind of scene is often on TV, where the male lead tells the female lead to run and leave him behind, but the female lead refuses to leave¡­ Anyway, please make a decision quickly; it¡¯s painful for us to watch.¡±

    Li Minghu turned her head and saw that the ghosts in the distance, whether seated or standing, were indeed watching them, as if they were spectators at a village show. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Even though she was normally composed, she couldn¡¯t help blushing at this moment and quickly said:

    ¡°I must go with you. If you don¡¯t agree, I¡¯ll just follow you secretly.¡±

    ¡°Yay!¡± The little girl clapped her hands and cheered, ¡°Let her come, let her come!¡±

    Yan Yu was somewhat embarrassed and glared at her sharply.

    Meddlesome brat, it¡¯s none of your business!

 Chapter 574 - 63: The Heroic Image of Yan Yu

    Chapter 574: Chapter 63: The Heroic Image of Yan Yu S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Lin Ning and Xie Ruoxi, having been respawned in the mountains on the outskirts of the Netherworld, were the last to arrive at Ghost Town.

    The two entered Ghost Town from the west, where residents, threatened by Evil Ghost Street, had long since fled underground. Thus, as they made their way, they were constantly vigilant, treading carefully and never ceasing their Divine Sense scanning; it was as if they were engaged in a battle of wits with the air itself, exercising caution to an isolating extent.

    ¡°Ningningningning¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi called out timidly, ¡°Why do all these houses have no windows?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mimic the way I talk or echo my name!¡± Lin Ning subconsciously used irritation to mask her fear.

    ¡°No, no!¡± Xie Ruoxi grew even more frightened, ¡°If there were NPCs, it¡¯d be fine, but there¡¯s not a soul here, I¡¯m scared¡­¡±

    ¡°You have the Jade Pivot Thunder, what are you so scared of!¡± Lin Ning cried, ¡°Get ready for battle! I¡¯ll alert you if anything happens!¡±

    ¡°Okay okay okay.¡± Xie Ruoxi said repeatedly, ¡°Then you must alert me early, I react really slow, just so you know.¡±

    ¡°Oh, come on!¡± Lin Ning was immensely annoyed, but she was powerless to do anything but increase her scanning with Divine Sense, in case a formidable enemy appeared and frightened Ruoxi into submission in an instant.

    In fact, Evil Ghost Street in the west of the town used to patrol with ghosts, specifically to catch those who defied the Ghost King¡¯s rule. However, now under Chen Lingyun¡¯s command, the evil ghosts had all sallied forth to attack the Papermen, withdrawing all the forces nearby.

    As the two wandered around, suddenly they heard a little girl call out:

    ¡°Over here! Over here!¡±

    Lin Ning reacted the fastest, swiftly looking towards the source of the sound, and saw a little girl perched on the top of a wall, waving anxiously at them.

    ¡°Where¡¯s that voice coming from?!¡± Xie Ruoxi panicked, not yet having spotted the person.

    ¡°Over there!¡± Lin Ning, at a loss for words, could only point it out to her.

    Relieved to see it was a child, Xie Ruoxi breathed a sigh of relief but immediately grew suspicious:

    ¡°Ningning, that child could be a ghost, right? Could she be luring us over there to harm us?¡±

    ¡°Just be ready for battle, that¡¯s all.¡± Lin Ning couldn¡¯t be sure either.

    The little girl withdrew below the wall. The two then activated the Wall-Penetration Technique and passed through the wall, only to see several withered trees surrounding a dry well in the courtyard. The little girl stood by the well, waved at them, and then jumped down into it.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go down and have a look.¡± Lin Ning quickly decided.

    Before Xie Ruoxi could respond, Lin Ning added,

    ¡°We have to go, afraid or not. Otherwise, we¡¯ll just roam around here for ages without meeting anyone. How will we find our leader and the others?¡±

    She led the trembling Xie Ruoxi, and together they activated the Cloud Ascension Technique, descending from the top of the dry well. Upon landing, they saw massed groups of lone ghosts either sitting or standing, staring blankly on both sides of a channel¡ªjust as Yan Yu and Li Minghu had previously witnessed.

    After speaking with an old cultivator¡¯s soul, the two learned exactly what was happening in the Netherworld and that Yan Yu and Li Minghu had visited earlier but had already left.

    Hearing this, Lin Ning didn¡¯t give it another thought and immediately made her decision:

    Since the captain had infiltrated Evil Ghost Street to locate the Nerve Center, then she and Ruoxi would create havoc in Evil Ghost Street to cover for their leader and the others!

    Having no opinion of her own, Xie Ruoxi simply went along with Lin Ning.

    Meanwhile, the rest of Qing¡¯an Team, after being repelled by the ghost army under Chen Lingyun¡¯s command, returned to the Paperman Workshop to rest temporarily and reported the frontline situation to Yin Rou.

    Upon hearing this, Yin Rou cursed inwardly:

    What kind of fool helps that stupid dead ghost¡­ Is it a hole in their head, water in their eyes, or what?

    With things as they were, she could only first calm everyone down, suggesting they rest properly outside the courtyard.

    After Li Zhaojiang and others left, Yin Rou secretly made a spell gesture to activate her senses. She discovered that several outer Papermen had been taken out, confirming that Evil Ghost Street had launched a full attack on the Paperman Workshop; they were surely out to capture her permanently, which only fueled her anger.

    Her skills were primarily in swordsmanship; it was a pity that her Flying Sword had been taken by the Sword Sect people when she died. Without a physical body and her personal Flying Sword, most of her abilities were useless. Now, she could barely fend off enemies with the low-grade Paperman spell¡ªa truly hateful situation!

    The only plan now was to make good use of these foreign cultivators and confront the Ghost King head-on!

    Not long after, Su Yunjin and Zhao Yuanzhen also returned.

    With her mind made up, Yin Rou naturally didn¡¯t dare delay and personally went to welcome the two ladies, spouting some insincere words. She mentioned that the Ghost King was a local despot with ruthless methods. It was normal for newcomers to struggle against him, and she urged them to rest well. She would gather her forces to launch a total attack and ask for their help in seizing the opportunity!

    Su Yunjin and Zhao Yuanzhen were assigned a courtyard to rest briefly, only to hear Zhao Yuanzhen angrily say:

    ¡°I knew her intentions were not pure from the start. It¡¯s all because some na?ve person insisted on trusting her, even making her the deputy leader! Now, look where that¡¯s got us? She¡¯s probably revealed our detailed whereabouts, what spells and Magic Treasures we specialize in, to that Ghost King. How are we supposed to fight now?¡±

    Without showing any expression, Su Yunjin silently transmitted:

    ¡°Lingyun is just feigning surrender to incite conflict between both sides so we can benefit from it.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was instantly dumbfounded.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make that face!¡± Su Yunjin hurriedly transmitted, ¡°Papermen might be watching us right now!¡±

    Although Zhao Yuanzhen was straightforward, she was very sensitive about such matters. She immediately schooled her face into a mournful expression and, after pretending for a moment, transmitted:

 Chapter 575 - 63: The Heroic Image of Yan Yu_2

    Chapter 575: Chapter 63: The Heroic Image of Yan Yu_2

    ¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°She communicated with me telepathically when we first met,¡± Su Yunjin responded, ¡°and asked me to play along with her act.¡±

    ¡°Then why wouldn¡¯t she communicate with me?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen huffed indignantly.

    ¡°It¡¯s probably because you¡¯re a bit slow to react, Sister Zhao,¡± Su Yunjin sighed, ¡°Just now, when I told you the truth, didn¡¯t you look astonished? At that moment, countless evil ghosts were present. If your expression was even slightly off, it would have been seen through immediately, which would have been bad.¡±

    ¡°Even so, you shouldn¡¯t have kept it from me!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen argued weakly, defensively adding, ¡°If it was a feigned surrender, you could have just thrown a note to me, and I¡¯d have known afterwards, right?¡±

    Su Yunjin saw that she was just trying to save face; therefore, she continued telepathically in a calm tone:

    ¡°The situation was complex at that time, Ling Yun could not have done much better. Anyway, according to her plan, we just needed to act ignorant and cooperate with Yin Rou in resisting the Ghost King. The stronger Yin Rou¡¯s resistance, the more the Ghost King would rely on Ling Yun, giving her the opportunity to make more plans.¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was still somewhat fuming, gritting her teeth, ¡°She likes to play with conspiracies and tricks. This time she deceived even me, next time she might deceive you too, Yun Jin. You must be very careful.¡±

    Su Yunjin just gave a slight smile, staying silent.

    Both of them were telepathically communicating in the courtyard, naturally not leaking a word, but their facial expressions were clearly observed by a paperman peering through a hole in the wall outside.

    The information went back to Yin Rou, and she found nothing unusual with it. After all, feeling resentful after a defeat was natural; calmness might just indicate a deep strategic mind, not easily swayed by emotions.

    Quietly elevating her assessment of Su Yunjin and diminishing that of Zhao Yuanzhen, Yin Rou then officially began to move troops, preparing for a full-scale assault on Evil Ghost Street!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Yan Yu and Li Minghu activated their Invisibility Technique, infiltrating Evil Ghost Street from the southwest direction, only to find that the patrol force here was not as strong as before, completely different from the swarms of evil ghosts they had seen previously.

    Naturally, they did not know it was Chen Lingyun, that wretched woman, who had stirred the Ghost King and Ghost Mother into full-scale war, and now the main forces had already attacked the Paperman foundry, leaving far fewer troops here¡­ However, fewer enemies were, of course, a welcomed relief, so they sped up, heading toward taller buildings in the distance.

    Li Minghu¡¯s body was eroded by yin energy, increasingly weakening, occasionally stepping aside from surrounding evil ghosts to cover her mouth and cough lightly, with traces of blood in her sputum.

    She dared not let Yan Yu know but continued forward as if nothing happened.

    But with past life experience, Yan Yu, knowing Li Minghu¡¯s stubborn character of pretending nothing was wrong, wasn¡¯t fooled by her act. Whenever Li Minghu seemed tired, he would silently offer her an Elixir Medicine to take.

    Initially, Li Minghu tried to refuse, since Elixir Medicine meant sustaining her longer, but Yan Yu insisted, and not wanting to waste too much time, she eventually let herself be persuaded.

    After taking the Elixir Medicine, her body would warm up considerably. However, as it was eroded by the surrounding yin energy, it would slowly become cold and weak again.

    Over time, she gradually developed a sort of dependency and compliance toward Yan Yu, taking the Elixir Medicine without concern about ¡°whether she would burden him¡±.

    Using their Art of Invisibility, they avoided the main patrols and finally made it deep into Evil Ghost Street.

    This area was essentially the strongholds of the Ghost King Xue Ren, thus quite a number of troops were stationed here, different from the thinned presence in the periphery.

    Yan Yu observed carefully for a moment, realizing there was likely no route that could bypass this area, they had to break through.

    Just as he was about to remind Li Minghu to prepare for battle, a thunderous boom suddenly reverberated from a distance.

    The boom startled the evil ghosts here, and soon, about a third of the evil ghosts departed, rushing towards the direction of the sound to reinforce them.

    Someone was causing trouble at the periphery of Evil Ghost Street! Yan Yu was immediately overjoyed, thinking, although he didn¡¯t know who it was, this attack came at just the right moment.

    With the forces drawn away, breaches finally appeared in their defenses, Yan Yu led Li Minghu quietly through the gaps, avoiding several patrol squads of fierce ghosts, and finally approached the outer structures.

    This was a typical Taoist area, consisting of the Reception Hall, several rows of chambers, an incense burner square, and the temple at the furthest end. A circle of walls over three meters tall surrounded the area, with only the Reception Hall at the front serving as the sole entrance.

    Yan Yu tentatively tried but found indeed, he couldn¡¯t penetrate the walls or fly over them using clouds, a typical cross-over ban¡ªmany cultivator capabilities would set such restrictions in their personal domains or sect realms, sometimes extending to the entire Mysterious Realm, with regulations like ¡°Wall-Penetration Ban, Flight.¡± Inversely, encountering such regulations indicated that the location inside was surely significant.

    This place must be what the old cultivator referred to as ¡°Yin God¡¯s Residence!¡±

    Yan Yu led Li Minghu through the Reception Hall and had just entered the central square when suddenly, Li Minghu said:

    ¡°Something¡¯s not right. If this place is truly important, why is there no one guarding the door of the Reception Hall?¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment before saying, ¡°No guards imply that there¡¯s no fear of lone souls or stray ghosts sneaking in. This means there might be some Formation or a powerful adversary here, so there¡¯s no need for any guards¡­¡± S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    He suddenly felt a chill, turned around, and saw that the Reception Hall behind them had vanished without a trace.

 Chapter 576 - 63 - The Heroic Image of Yan Yu_3

    Chapter 576: Chapter 63 ¨C The Heroic Image of Yan Yu_3

    Not only that, but even the faint sounds of battle coming from afar were completely hidden away. The moment the two stepped into the reception hall, it seemed as if they had entered a relatively independent realm, isolated from the Netherworld outside.

    Yan Yu pinched a Sword technique, and the Liangyi Sword flew to Li Minghu¡¯s side, ready to block any danger for her.

    Li Minghu also silently pinched her technique, commanding the Sky Flash Sword, showing that she was not entirely defenseless.

    Suddenly, the temple in front opened up, and a tall Yin God Judge floated out. He wore a robe with long sleeves, his hair and beard were disheveled, and he held a tablet in his hand.

    Not good! Yan Yu quickly communicated with Li Minghu through a voice transmission. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    This Yin God Judge was not any new enemy. Previously, when combating the Huofeng Team of the Pingxi Army in the Fengdu Secret Realm, they had faced a Yin God Judge as the gatekeeper. His characteristics included the ability to fly, making him extremely agile; secondly, his clothes contained divine Netherworld authority, significantly reducing physical attacks, thereby deeply constraining the piercing strikes of the Flying Sword.

    Upon hearing this information, Li Minghu frowned, thinking that both she and Yan Yu, being Sword Immortals, were at a disadvantage in fighting this Yin God Judge, and it would be best to retreat for now¡­ but with no way back, how could they retreat?

    She was somewhat torn, then saw Yan Yu shake a Silver Pellet from his sleeve, releasing Puppet Azhen.

    Let¡¯s give it a shot!

    Without another word, Li Minghu stepped back, while the Natural Sword shot forward, aiming directly for the Judge¡¯s face.

    The Judge held the tablet in his right hand and lightly flicked his left finger, instantly repelling the Sky Flash Sword with a cold laugh, ¡°Daring to intrude the Yin God Mansion and defy your superiors? The crime is magnified, straight to Scissors Hell!¡±

    Suddenly, countless scissors flew around them, sweeping past in such numbers they appeared like a swarm of bees or clouds of flies, swiftly closing in on the pair!

    Without another word, Yan Yu quickly lifted Li Minghu by the waist, executed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, and swiftly dodged the massive array of scissors.

    As the Scissors Cloud missed its mark, it quickly split into two groups, twining swiftly from both left and right directions!

    ¡°To catch a thief, first catch the king,¡± whispered Li Minghu in his arms.

    Yan Yu quickly manipulated his spell, dodging the dual killing fronts while Puppet Azhen sprang into action, charging directly at the Yin God Judge.

    His style of combat differed from Zhou Hongyu; he was not very fond of bombarding with Taoism Method, hence he saved his ultimate move for a crucial moment.

    The Yin God Judge drifted backwards and split another cloud of scissors mist, fiercely trying to slice Puppet Azhen, who simply crossed her hands in front of her, unflinchingly colliding head-on with the Scissors Cloud!

    Countless scissors clattered over her, hacking her arms to the bone, but couldn¡¯t sever the iron-hard Divine Dragon Wood inside. Azhen forcefully broke through the Scissors Array, rushed up to the Yin God Judge, suddenly leapt high, and kicked directly at the Judge¡¯s unprotected head!

    This strike was both fast and fierce. The Yin God Judge was still retreating, unable to dodge in time; his tablet suddenly lit up, and in a blink, he disappeared, reappearing on the other side of the square the next instant.

    Was it the Mound Technique or Gathering Qi into Form? Holding Li Minghu, Yan Yu dodged left and right, formulating a plan in his mind.

    He needed to fully understand the Yin God Judge¡¯s movement spell first; otherwise, if he rashly commanded Azhen to use her ultimate move and the opponent simply teleported away, it would really be a grand embarrassment.

    That would damage my heroic image in front of Valkyrie!

 Chapter 577 - 64: The Meticulous Valkyrie, The Overly Innocent Chen Lingyun

    Chapter 577: Chapter 64: The Meticulous Valkyrie, The Overly Innocent Chen Lingyun

    When engaging in battle with the Flying Sword, one either blocks, parries, or dodges an enemy¡¯s attack.

    However, Yan Yu, with his extensive experience, immediately realized that against this so-called ¡°Scissor Hell Formation,¡± blocking and parrying were ineffective.

    Because there were simply too many scissor magic treasures, once you choose to block or parry, you would be struck repeatedly by wave after wave of endless scissors. Even the abundant True Yuan of Immortal Venerate Xie would be broken through without suspense in such a scenario.

    So the only option was to dodge!

    As for the teleportation method of the Yin God Judge, Yan Yu observed closely for a long while and discovered it was not any profound Taoism Method, but merely the ability of the tablet in his hand.

    From past life experiences, teleportation type Taoism Methods are often both rare and formidable, even the most basic ¡°Shrinking Earth into Inches¡± is extremely difficult to master as it involves the Earth Escape Skill. However, teleportation-type magic treasures are generally much inferior; although they offer greater flexibility and stamina, their range, distance, and versatility are severely lacking.

    If the opponent used any Earth Escape Skill, then forget about breaking it, one would have to face it head-on. But if it¡¯s a magic treasure, there must be a pattern to follow.

    While dodging left and right to avoid attacks from the scissor formation, Yan Yu simultaneously controlled Puppet Azhen to pressure the Judge, forcing the opponent to activate his teleportation ability, while also carefully observing the activation characteristics of the opponent¡¯s magic treasure, leaving no time to pay attention to the warmth of the delicate body in his arms.

    Li Minghu, curled up in his embrace, thought since she couldn¡¯t handle the Scissor Hell Formation on her own, and the Judge wasn¡¯t afraid of Flying Sword attacks unless they targeted his head. But Yan Yu moved too quickly; she couldn¡¯t even see where the enemy was, and couldn¡¯t estimate his approximate position through his attack trajectories, because the Judge himself never made a move¡­

    Too difficult.

    She felt a slight anxiety about not being able to help, but then reminded herself to stabilize her emotions and tried to think calmly.

    She couldn¡¯t think.

    Being carried on his back was one thing, at least she could still attack, but now being held in his arms, finding nothing else she could do, she suddenly started to feel restless.

    Embrace¡­ so warm.

    Although she had always been pale and beautiful since childhood, Li Minghu had never been this close to any man before; even in school, because she often coughed due to being frail, classmates feared she had a contagious disease and didn¡¯t like to interact with her.

    Meeting someone like Yan Yu for the first time, who didn¡¯t show any disgust or rejection without knowing what illness she suffered from, was also a first for her.

    Li Minghu silently tightened her hold around Yan Yu¡¯s neck, suppressing those tender thoughts and strangely calmed down.

    I must think of a way to help him, I¡­

    What can I do¡­

    The Yin God Judge, constantly moving from the pressure of Puppet Azhen, suddenly shouted:

    ¡°Obstinate and incorrigible, unforgivable sins, you should enter the Mirror Hell!¡±

    As soon as his voice fell, the mist of scissors quietly dispersed and eight large copper mirrors flew out from the depths of the mansion, revolving around Yan Yu and Li Minghu.

    What was this attack method?

    Yan Yu startled slightly, then suddenly heard Li Minghu say:

    ¡°Dodge!¡±

    Without thinking, he chose a direction at random, executing the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step immediately.

    Almost simultaneously, a sense of extreme danger assailed him from behind. Yan Yu¡¯s Divine Sense swiftly swept backward, but detected nothing unusual.

    ¡°The mirror,¡± Li Minghu said again.

    Yan Yu quickly looked towards the revolving mirrors around him.

    The copper mirrors were polished bright, reflecting a clear image where he was holding Li Minghu, both looking towards the cameras.

    Nothing unusual?

    Yan Yu glanced around, then looked at the other mirror surfaces again.

    Something was wrong!

    Out of the eight copper mirrors, seven showed a normal reflection, but one was different: in it, Yan Yu was still holding Li Minghu, but behind them was an unmanned bronze mallet, swinging hard toward Yan Yu¡¯s back!

    Yan Yu hastily moved aside, simultaneously conjuring a sword technique with his hands, calling for the Huang Ting Sword to intercept the attack.

    The Huang Ting Sword swung into the air behind him, seemingly at nothing, but the blade was suddenly struck by something, heavily knocked down to the ground.

    Yan Yu was also startled: That bronze mace had formidable strength!

    The Huang Ting Sword, being an earth-based heavy sword, normally had an advantage in power during direct combat, yet it stood no chance under the invisible mace¡¯s strike; if a person were hit, even if the Barrier Charm was activated, it would most likely not withstand it. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The bronze mace in the mirror flew up again, heading for another strike. Yan Yu wanted to study its movement carefully, but the eight copper mirrors suddenly began to spin rapidly again, nearly causing him to twist his neck.

    This damned mirror!

    By now, Yan Yu had realized: among the eight copper mirrors, seven were decoys, only one was a genuine magic treasure. Anyone caught in its reflection would be attacked by this ¡°invisible to the naked eye, visible only through the mirror¡± magic treasure.

    Had it been any other cultivator here, they would need to focus intensely on observing the constantly rotating mirror, judging the direction of the coming attack while also dodging, inevitably leading to missteps and inadequate evasion.

    But Yan Yu excelled in multitasking; he simply unleashed the Dual Sword Control Technique with full force, with countless commands rapidly flashing through his mind.

    The Liangyi Sword, fastest in speed, swept a wide circle around him, suddenly striking something.

    There!

    Yan Yu instantly calculated the position and direction of the invisible bronze mace, sidestepped, and continued manipulating his sword technique.

 Chapter 578 - 64: The Meticulous Valkyrie, The Overly Innocent Chen Lingyun_2

    Chapter 578: Chapter 64: The Meticulous Valkyrie, The Overly Innocent Chen Lingyun_2

    The force of the Huang Tingjian was mighty and heavy, slashing directly towards the surrounding copper mirrors.

    The fake ones shattered with a single slash, but the real ones were harder than metal and steel, standing unyielded and occasionally casting illusions. In an instant, they materialized into a brand-new fake mirror.

    Yan Yu rapidly shifted his strategy, directing the Huang Tingjian to strike the real mirrors; although it could not shatter them, it forced them to stop flying randomly.

    The Liangyi Sword coordinated with Puppet Azhen to attack the Yin God Judge.

    In the hands of the Yin God Judge, the tablet would light up, and after half a second, it would teleport, reappearing elsewhere; its light would quickly extinguish.

    That is to say, activating the magic treasure made it light up, a rather reasonable mechanism within the Cultivation World.

    Yan Yu surreptitiously formed a sword technique; the Liangyi Sword struck towards the judge¡¯s head, and the opponent indeed teleported away, flashing to a distance away from both the Liangyi Sword and Puppet Azhen.

    Now was the moment!

    Taking advantage of the moment right after the tablet had just extinguished its light and before it could light up again, Yan Yu forcefully circulated the True Yuan throughout his body, Puppet Azhen puffed up her cheeks, spewing out an incredibly fine, dense line of fire!

    In the instant his True Yuan surged, Li Minghu guessed he was about to make a move; he immediately coordinated his sword technique, shooting the Sky Flash Sword directly towards the judge!

    Since the opponent was quite distant, the Sky Flash Sword would inevitably be too late, and the opponent could teleport away ahead of time¡­ but Yan Yu inwardly praised the cleverness, as he instantly noticed that the trajectory of the Sky Flash Sword precisely allowed it to obstruct the judge¡¯s line of sight towards the puppet!

    Worthy of a meticulously vigilant Valkyrie!

    In the blink of an eye as he released fire, Yan Yu minutely controlled Puppet Azhen¡¯s angle of firing, launching an attack from the blind spot concealed by the Sky Flash Sword. By the time the Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire reached him, it was too late for the Yin God Judge to activate the tablet, and faced with this armor-piercing Taoism Method, he was directly cleaved into two by the fierce golden flame.

    The Sky Flash Sword seized the opportunity to adjust its position, piercing directly into the judge¡¯s head, killing him on the spot.

    Yan Yu¡¯s Divine Sense swiftly scanned the area, only to see the body of the Yin God Judge gradually dimming down, ultimately dissipating and shattering completely, his soul scattered to the winds. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Let¡¯s check the temple¡­ cough! Cough cough cough cough!¡± Li Minghu started coughing again.

    Yan Yu hurriedly fed her an Elixir Medicine, then gently set her down, instructing her to rest properly at the side while he himself headed deeper into the mansion.

    After a moment, he emerged holding a small bell.

    Three ancient seals were engraved on the body of the bell, named ¡°Soul-Losing Bell,¡± representing the authority of the entire secret realm of the Netherworld.

    Yan Yu sat down beside Li Minghu, beginning to refine this nerve center with all his might.

    Li Minghu quietly stared at his profile, and after a long while, a smile appeared on her face. Somewhat tired, she leaned against a nearby pillar and slowly closed her eyes to rest.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Inside the Paperman shop.

    Evil Ghost Street had emerged en masse, and with Chen Lingyun¡¯s strategic deployment, their frontal strength gradually began to overpower the other side.

    Although the papermen were controlled by Yin Rou, moving and retreating uniformly per command, it was hard to stand against Chen Lingyun using her advantage in forces to launch collaborative assaults from various directions, nearly routing them completely.

    Yin Rou hurriedly urged Li Zhaojiang and Su Yunjin among others, to help fend off the assault from the Evil Ghost army.

    Su Yunjin noted that the Evil Ghosts had the advantage in numbers and required balancing, naturally more than willing to help Chen Lingyun reduce the strength on the opposing side.

    She activated the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, causing a tremendous flood that gushed along the streets of the Paperman shop.

    Ghostly Creatures and Ghost Cultivators at the Hua Mansion Stage could still use their Divine Skills to either resist or flee. As for those with lower Cultivation, with buildings on both sides and nowhere to go, they naturally got swept into the flood.

    Some ghosts skilled in water tried swimming to the sides, attempting to grab onto something to avoid being washed away, yet they did not expect Su Yunjin to scatter Gouchen Star Sand into the flood, rapidly cutting and grinding at high speed. Regardless of whether the ghosts swam breaststroke, butterfly, or freestyle, they were quickly ground down, losing limbs and heads, eventually all turning to underwater swimming.

    The overwhelming power of the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art on the battlefield meant that other ghosts not trapped in the flood surged over, ignoring the remaining uncleared papermen, to attack Su Yunjin.

    Seeing this, Li Zhaojiang and the others no longer doubted the authenticity of Su Yunjin and others¡¯ identities and quickly came to support.

    A sweep of the Yuan magnetic divine light knocked down the myriad attacks launched by the Ghost Cultivators, after which Li Zhaojiang swiftly concluded his technique, and the rest unleashed all their methods, fully intercepting the ghosts charging at them.

    Ghost King Xue Ren stood at the top of the cold wind, seeing the front lines falter and Su Yunjin¡¯s remarkable prowess, starting to become impatient, planning to intervene but subconsciously glanced towards his strategist.

    Chen Lingyun slightly smiled and said to Ghost King Xue Ren,

    ¡°My Lord, please be patient. These cultivators are but a minor illness, just send more subordinates to exterminate them. The Ghost Mother Yin Rou has yet to appear; she wants to use these cultivators to exhaust your mana, do not be deceived.¡±

    Xue Ren thought it made sense; better to conserve his mana to confront the Ghost Mother.

    ¡°The Lord sees clearly.¡± White Impermanence suddenly advised, ¡°The Paperman shop resists desperately, and our available forces have already reduced to less than half. If we continue to expend them, even if we eventually conquer the Paperman shop, it will be a heavy loss. If those rebellious Ghost Cultivators hidden on the west side cause trouble later, how will we respond?¡±

    Xue Ren, considering it reasonable, turned his head to look at Chen Lingyun, seeking her advice.

    ¡°The strength of Evil Ghost Street does not lie in the number of Ghosts but in the infinite majesty and heavenly mana of the Lord.¡± Chen Lingyun calmly and smilingly said, ¡°A few low-level riffraff, what harm even if they are utterly annihilated? As long as the Lord¡¯s divine power and mana exist, he remains the destined ruler of the Netherworld, unmatched by anyone. The only threat to the Lord is the equally powerful Ghost Mother Yin Rou. Distinguishing between the primary and the trivial, do not confuse them.¡±

 Chapter 579 - 64: The Meticulous Valkyrie, The Overly Innocent Chen Lingyun_3

    Chapter 579: Chapter 64: The Meticulous Valkyrie, The Overly Innocent Chen Lingyun_3

    Xue Ren pondered carefully and couldn¡¯t help but nod repeatedly. ¡°Some low-level Evil Ghosts have died, so be it. As long as I can capture Yin Rou, I will become the strongest Ghost King in this Netherworld. Who else should I fear?¡±

    ¡°Hehehehe,¡± White Impermanence just scoffed, ready to counter, but then he heard Chen Lingyun say:

    ¡°Of course, Commander Bai has many Ghost Cultivators under his command. If they suffer heavy casualties in this war, those who survive will inevitably hold grudges against His Majesty. Your Majesty might also want to consider their feelings.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to worry about?¡± The moment the Ghost King Xue Ren heard Chen Lingyun mention ¡°they might have complaints,¡± he immediately felt the displeasure of a superior being offended. His gaze towards White Impermanence turned even colder, ¡°What, does Commander Bai not wish to send his subordinates to fight to their deaths because he thinks my mana is not as precious as their souls?¡±

    ¡°This subordinate wouldn¡¯t dare.¡± Where could White Impermanence even begin to argue? He could only kneel quickly to show his submission, harboring increasing resentment towards Chen Lingyun in his heart.

    What a naturally evil woman! With sweet-talking deceit, she beguiles His Majesty¡ªher soul should be scattered and never enter reincarnation!

    Xue Ren quickly ordered a fierce attack. Suddenly, a bird flew from behind, landing in front of everyone, and quickly transformed into a small demon, reporting:

    ¡°Report! Two human Cultivators have attacked Ghost Street! One of them is skilled in swordsmanship, and the other is an expert in the Thunder Method, their offensive is fierce, and we are no match¡ªwe have been driven back to the gates of the royal mansion, unable to stop them!¡±

    ¡°Damn it!¡± Xue Ren was shocked and angered upon hearing this, because all the Elixir Medicine, treasures, and scrolls of great importance that he had gathered throughout his life were all hidden in his royal mansion. How could he possibly allow it to be attacked? He immediately swept his sleeves and said:

    ¡°Commander Bai shall lead the next battlefield, and Daoist Chen will assist from the side. The two of you must not harbor any ill will against each other. As long as you cooperate fully to take down Paperman Square and capture and kill Ghost Mother Yin Rou, there will be great rewards from me! Otherwise, the Soul-Striking Whip in the mansion is not just for show!¡±

    Having said that, he did not care about the situation on the battlefield and quickly flew off in a cloud.

    White Impermanence climbed up from the ground and looked at Chen Lingyun with a sinister gaze, thinking this was going to be easy. As long as they could conquer Paperman Square before His Majesty returned, and then find any excuse to kill this weakling, blaming it on the chaos of the battlefield, there would be nothing His Majesty could say afterward.

    Chen Lingyun had already guessed that it must be Xie Ruoxi and Lin Ning causing trouble on Evil Ghost Street, wreaking havoc and killing left and right, when she heard the small demon¡¯s report. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The Ghost King being lured away was the strategy of drawing the tiger out of the mountain, so everything was going as planned, and it was time to move ahead.

    She smiled sweetly at White Impermanence and stealthily clenched the Nine Heavens Yin Demon God Evil Bead in the sleeve of her left hand before speaking:

    ¡°Ghost Mother Yin Rou is still not showing herself. It seems she is determined to resist to the end. Since Commander Bai is worried about his subordinates¡¯ casualties, why not send a select force to break through and attack the core of Paperman Square directly without engaging these human Cultivators? How does that sound?¡±

    ¡°Excellent.¡± White Impermanence naturally agreed wholeheartedly. After all, once Ghost Mother was taken down, this woman would have no value, ¡°Then, please Daoist Chen, join us in the fray. Without your guidance, I¡¯m afraid it will be difficult to capture the cunning Ghost Mother.¡±

    ¡°Can do,¡± Chen Lingyun responded radiantly, ¡°but I must remind you that my cultivation is weak, and I will need Commander Bai¡¯s protection indeed.¡±

    If Yan Yu had been here, seeing Chen Lingyun¡¯s insincere smile, he would have known that trouble was brewing for someone.

    White Impermanence, of course, was unaware of the woman¡¯s malicious intentions, and merely chuckled to himself for her seeming naivety and eagerness to seek death. He turned and selected about a dozen powerful Ghost Cultivators to form an elite decapitation squad, taking Chen Lingyun with them as they rode the dark clouds towards the depths of Paperman Square.

 Chapter 580 - 580 65 The Power of the Administrator is

    ?Chapter 580: Chapter 65 The Power of the Administrator is Unlimited Chapter 580: Chapter 65 The Power of the Administrator is Unlimited Lin Ning executed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, swiftly weaving through the multitude of ghostly creatures.

    The Evil Ghosts hovered above the ground, their forms partially transparent and phasing in and out of visibility. Coupled with the absence of sun and moon within the Netherworld, visibility was extremely dim, making it quite difficult for the naked eye to capture their figures.

    However, by comparison, Lin Ning¡¯s movements were even more unpredictable and ghostly.

    Thanks to Yan Yu¡¯s insightful guidance and the Problem Solver¡¯s relentless practice day and night, her Cloud Bagua Step had now reached a level of mastery.

    Stepping on the Heavenly Gang and treading on the Earth Fiend, she dodged skillfully between the attacks of two ghosts. At the same time, with continuous movements of her sword technique, the Dan Yan Sword struck like fierce lightning, entering the fray and dispersing the enemies with White Crane Spreads Wings; the Green Bamboo Sword rushed forth like lightning, executing White Rainbow Across the Sky, picking off each staggering ghost one by one.

    It was too easy! There was no pressure at all!

    Lin Ning even felt a subtle sense of pride, having spent so much time in the ¡°Advanced Arena,¡± that facing these enemies with combat experience akin to ¡°beginner monsters,¡± it was hard not to be more than capable.

    Behind her, on the rooftop of a building, Xie Ruoxi planted the Heavenly Origin Sword into the ridge of the roof, using it as a large shield in front of her, before preparing to cast her Thunder Method.

    Her aim was still poor, nearly hitting friend and foe alike. Thankfully, Lin Ning had already told her to ¡°be mindful of dodging the range of her Thunder Method¡± and to ¡°blast away without restraint.¡±

    Thus, Xie Ruoxi used all her strength¡ªwhere there were ghosts, she blasted.

    The power of the Jade Pivot Thunder was extremely effective against Yin Ghosts. Whether it was ghostly creatures on the path of becoming Yin Gods or Ghost Cultivators who had forsaken their physical bodies to practice spells, just a brush with the Jade Pivot Thunder would lead them to instant destruction without even a chance to attempt to save themselves with a spell.

    The exaggerated lethality meant that whenever she killed a target, the surrounding enemies would startle and instinctively switch their attacks toward Xie Ruoxi on the rooftop.

    However, Lin Ning was clearly already on the lookout for this¡ªany ghost that attempted to attack Xie Ruoxi would immediately be met with her preferential counterattack.

    And since she practiced Dual Sword Control, she could continue to pursue those close at hand, while intercepting any foes attempting to shift their attack to Xie Ruoxi, causing the Evil Ghosts to soon painfully realize that without dealing with this Sword Immortal, they couldn¡¯t begin to attack the distant Magic Cultivator.

    But if they focused their attack on the Sword Immortal, it would leave the Magic Cultivator free to bombard them without restraint¡­ In short, they were stuck between a rock and a hard place.

    Xie Ruoxi was enjoying the killing spree and nonchalantly popped an Elixir Medicine into her mouth, boastfully showing off that she even had time to leisurely replenish her mana, though her True Yuan was still more than sixty percent full.

    Although Lin Ning was bravely fighting, she maintained her cool, thinking to herself that she didn¡¯t know where the team leader was in Evil Ghost Street, and whether he had found the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper and the Nerve Center.

    All things considered, the more fiercely we fight here, the more enemies we¡¯ll attract to this side, the easier it should be for the team leader¡­

    Just as she was pondering, she suddenly heard a roar from afar:

    ¡°Give up your life!¡±

    Lin Ning was quick to react, instantly engaging the Cloud Bagua Step to its fullest, springing over twenty meters away.

    A purple Yin Lightning bolt slammed down where she had just been standing, instantly creating a large pit.

    Thunder Method? Lin Ning frowned to herself.

    No, it wasn¡¯t Thunder Method.

    Ruoxi¡¯s Thunder Method wasn¡¯t that weak!

    The new arrival finally lowered the dark clouds and mist, it was Ghost King Xue Ren, enraged by his lair being overrun. He flicked his finger, and two more deep purple lightning snakes lunged towards Lin Ning.

    Fuck, that¡¯s fast!

    Although the power of this Yin Lightning wasn¡¯t as great as Xie Ruoxi¡¯s Five Thunder Righteous Art, its speed was much faster. It was a good thing Lin Ning had lightning-quick reflexes, taking off in a low run and dodging at the last second to just barely avoid the two bolts of Yin Lightning.

    She pinched the sword technique in her hands, sending out two Flying Swords.

    Ghost King Xue Ren didn¡¯t even bother to look. He spread his cape with a forceful flick, conjuring a Yin wind to shield his entire body, dense as if tangible. The Dual Swords attacked from all directions, slashing and hacking, yet failed to penetrate the defense, repelled on every attempt.

    Lin Ning finally felt a sense of dread, realizing that this enemy¡¯s Cultivation level and defensive methods were completely out of her league. She hurriedly activated the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, her steps quickened and her form rapidly twisting as she headed towards Xie Ruoxi to escape with her.

    Xie Ruoxi, however, failed to notice the severity of the situation. She thought Ningning was handling the enemy with ease (after all, none of the attacks were hitting her), and thus she cast two more Jade Pivot Thunders with all her might towards Ghost King Xue Ren. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Xue Ren was immediately terrified:

    Fuck, that¡¯s fierce!

    The Jade Pivot Thunder, blue tinged with red, seemed unassuming and small, but he was well-versed in the art of Yin Lightning and knew all too well the ferocity of the Five Thunder Righteous Art.

    Naturally, he didn¡¯t dare to take the hit head-on and hurriedly turned into a wisp of demon mist, sidestepping and retreating three feet. Yet, he saw the Jade Pivot Thunder, whirling about, magically floating towards him from behind. This startled Xue Ren, pushing him to again transform into mist and hastily retreat over thirty feet, barely managing to dodge the Jade Pivot Thunder completely.

    You have tracking with your Five Thunder Righteous Art?

    But here, Xue Ren mistook the situation. If he had stood still, the Jade Pivot Thunder would have veered off as before. The reason was that Xie Ruoxi¡¯s aim was off. Upon launching the Thunder Light, she had flicked her wrist upward, causing the thunder to arc¡­ still, the notoriety of the Five Thunder Righteous Art had the Ghost King feeling jittery, prompting him to turn mist and retreat more than thirty feet in one go, finally evading the Jade Pivot Thunder completely.

    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com

 Chapter 581 - 581 65 The Administratorâ€™s Power is

    ?Chapter 581: Chapter 65 The Administrator¡¯s Power is Unlimited_2 Chapter 581: Chapter 65 The Administrator¡¯s Power is Unlimited_2 Lin Ning finally rushed to Xie Ruoxi¡¯s side and transmitted a message:

    ¡°Run!¡±

    ¡°Run?¡± Xie Ruoxi was startled at first, then she quickly realized the enemy was too strong, and Ningning could no longer cope. Instantly, the spirited fierceness from her earlier rampage disappeared, and she reverted back to the scaredy-rabbit mentality, nodding repeatedly, ¡°Okay, okay, let¡¯s hurry and run!¡±

    As the two of them quickly fled, Ghost King Xue Ren, who was watching from a distance, was shocked:

    What, they want to escape?

    Could it be that the guy using the Five Thunder Righteous Art has run out of True Yuan, and can no longer produce thunder?

    Hahaha! I knew it, the Five Thunder Righteous Art is incredibly difficult to master and consumes a massive amount of True Yuan. How could it be cast repeatedly!

    He immediately rallied his spirits and shouted once more, ¡°Thieves, don¡¯t think you can escape,¡± pointing his finger from afar. Thus, several strands of Yin Lightning struck out again, aiming for the backs of the two girls who were in full flight.

    Lin Ning was startled and quickly grabbed Xie Ruoxi, activating the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step and pulling her to the side instantaneously, moving a great distance and narrowly dodging all the incoming Yin Lightning¡ªonly Ruoxi couldn¡¯t keep up with her steps and was dragged sideways by Lin Ning.

    ¡°We can¡¯t escape like this!¡± Knowing that if they blindly fled, they would certainly be killed by the incredibly fast Yin Lightning, Lin Ning immediately said, ¡°Let¡¯s strike him with a few thunders before we run!¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Xie Ruoxi formed the thunder hand signs and launched them toward Ghost King Xue Ren once more.

    Ghost King Xue Ren was instantly terrified, prompting him to fully activate his magic skill to transform into mist, retreating more than sixty feet in an instant, thereby completely avoiding the potential landing spots of the unpredictable Jade Pivot Thunder.

    What a tough nut! It turns out she was not unable to produce thunder, but was feigning weakness to lure me into chasing after her, using a delaying tactic here!

    Seeing the two girls retreating again, Ghost King Xue Ren forcefully suppressed the urge to pursue, silently thinking that they wanted to tempt him into chasing them, but he wouldn¡¯t fall for it!

    The same trap, could I fall into it a second time?

    He didn¡¯t chase after them, instead mimicking Chen Lingyun¡¯s tone of command:

    ¡°Quickly reorganize the defense line, tally the casualties! Send people to inspect all key locations once more to ensure no enemies have been overlooked!¡±

    However, after issuing commands, Chen Lingyun would specify troops and assign specific responsibilities to certain individuals, whereas Ghost King Xue Ren found this too bothersome and would leave it be after giving his orders. Moreover, White Impermanence, the leader, was not present, causing several ghostly creature leaders to huddle together and assign the easy tasks to their slick underlings while leaving the annoying jobs to the honest ghosts¡­ which goes to show that whether in the Netherworld or the mortal world, honest folks are always the easiest to bully.

    Reorganizing the defense line was the easiest job since the patrol routes were already established. Just continuing them was all it took; however, inspecting key locations was the most bothersome job. Firstly, one had to run around checking each one, and secondly, you couldn¡¯t guarantee that no enemy was hiding somewhere waiting to ambush you.

    So, the honest ghosts who were bullied by their leaders, with sighs and complaints, accepted their tasks, handling them carelessly¡ªdetailed checks were made where it was close, but if it was far, they just circled the area nearby, after all, nobody was supervising whether they were diligently patrolling or not.

    An honest ghost approached the Yin God Mansion, peeking inside.

    There was nothing there.

    This Yin God Mansion was said to have been left from before the Era of Dharma Extinction, and now it stands empty, but the enchantments left inside are still in effect. Any ghostly creature who rashly enters never comes out.

    Even Ghost King Xue Ren had once come to inspect and didn¡¯t dare to step foot past the threshold of the guest hall, instead sending a ghostly creature in his place. It is said that after roughly half a stick of incense passed, his expression subtly changed, and then he turned and left, never to return.

    Since the Ghost King himself had failed here, the honest ghost naturally had no intention of entering and left without hesitation.

    Within the mansion, Yan Yu finally refined the nerve center completely, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead.

    Damn, refining this thing was truly difficult, it cost me quite a bit of True Yuan!

    A gentle touch suddenly came from his forehead as Li Minghu took out a napkin she carried with her and wiped the sweat from his face.

    ¡°How is it?¡± she asked gently.

    ¡°It¡¯s done,¡± Yan Yu answered and then started activating the Soul-Losing Bell in his hand.

    This Soul-Losing Bell was connected to the entire Netherworld and had a myriad of uses within the mysterious realm. Energized by True Yuan and gently rocked, it emitted a faint ring, and Yan Yu¡¯s Divine Sense rapidly expanded, quickly covering the entire Netherworld.

    Search Bell Shadow!

    The mapping function of the control center activated, clearly showing the locations of all ghostly creatures and their specific levels of cultivation, which Yan Yu could see as if by firelight through the Search Bell Shadow.

    He saw Lin Ning and Xie Ruoxi rapidly retreating from Evil Ghost Street, heading toward the dry well to the west of the town, likely the ones who had previously helped him scatter the majority of Evil Ghost Street¡¯s defenses.

    He saw beneath the dry well, numerous villagers¡¯ souls pacing restlessly, with some kneeling and praying softly. With a mere thought, he could even hear these people praying to ¡°Guanyin Bodhisattva,¡± asking for a smooth reincarnation instead of being taken by evil ghosts to hell.

    He saw Ghost King Xue Ren in his mansion, checking for any loss to his collection of Magic Treasures and Elixir Medicines. This Ghost King had hoarded cultivation resources for many years, which, although not scanty, were quite pitiful compared to the ¡°national resources¡± and ¡°dedicated nurturing¡± of Lu Country.

    He saw Su Yunjin, Zhao Yuanzhen, and Li Zhaojiang and others, utilizing the environment of the Paperman lanes to set up defenses, layer by layer blocking the evil ghost army. However, the elite forces of the evil ghosts, including Chen Lingyun, had actually departed from the main battlefield early and had taken another route deep into the Paperman area.

    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 582 - 582 65 The Power of the Administrator is

    ?Chapter 582: Chapter 65 The Power of the Administrator is Unlimited_3 Chapter 582: Chapter 65 The Power of the Administrator is Unlimited_3 He saw Ghost Mother Yin Rou in the mansion packing up supplies, clearly not intending to fight Evil Ghost Street to the death and had already begun preparing to flee.

    Yan Yu smiled slightly in his heart and once again activated the Soul-Losing Bell.

    Sound shifts shape!

    Another bell rang, whether it was Xue Ren who was doing inventory or Yin Rou who was packing up, the space around them began to distort.

    Before the two could react, they found themselves on the front line of the battlefield, exactly at the center where the army of Evil Ghosts clashed with the Papermen.

    Xue Ren was initially bewildered, but upon seeing Yin Rou on the opposite side, he immediately showed a delighted expression and commanded:

    ¡°Capture her!¡±

    The surrounding Evil Ghosts were also puzzled, but seeing the Ghost King¡¯s order, they immediately mustered all their courage and dashed toward the Paperman army.

    Yin Rou was so frightened that she almost lost her soul, no longer caring about conserving her strength. She quickly secretly manipulated and commanded all the Papermen to clash with the Evil Ghosts while she hurriedly turned tail and ran.

    Xue Ren quickly ordered the Evil Ghosts to encircle and attempt to kill Yin Rou. Of course, Yin Rou was not willing to sit and wait for death. At this point, both sides finally fought with real fervor, steel clashing directly! Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Unfortunately, although the Evil Ghosts were numerous, their elite forces had been taken away by White Impermanence, so they were surprisingly at a disadvantage for a while. This infuriated Ghost King Xue Ren, who cursed a few times and simply entered the fray himself, using Yin Lightning to clear a path toward Yin Rou.

    Yan Yu¡¯s heart suddenly stirred, and his viewpoint shifted to White Impermanence. He saw them penetrating deep into the Paperman district, heading towards the mansion where Yin Rou had been.

    But, he had already teleported Ghost Mother Yin Rou to the front line.

    Yan Yu pondered for a moment, and under the turn of his thoughts, the Soul-Losing Bell shook violently.

    Strike the bell to shock the soul!

    Chen Lingyun stealthily surveyed the surroundings, looking for a suitable spot for an ambush.

    Currently, the area was full of White Impermanence¡¯s elite subordinates; the chances of proceeding successfully were almost zero. Therefore, she needed to wait until everyone had truly found Yin Rou and both sides were engaged in intense battle before she could possibly take action with a surprise backstab.

    However, it was uncertain where Yin Rou was, so she could only note down all the terrains along the way, preparing to battle any time, anywhere¡­

    Her thoughts were rapidly churning, when suddenly she heard a long bell chime.

    This bell sound did not target her soul, so to Chen Lingyun it only seemed to carry a touch of Zen-like charm. However, to the ears of White Impermanence and the other ghostly creatures, it felt like thousands of needles brutally stabbing their souls, and they all instantly clutched their heads and screamed in agony.

    What¡¯s going on? Chen Lingyun immediately stepped back several steps, revealed the Divine Evil Prayer Beads hidden inside her left sleeve, and cautiously looked around.

    Is this an attack? Or are they acting to test me?

    Before she could make a judgment, Yan Yu¡¯s light laughter reached her ears:

    ¡°If not now, then when?¡±

    Chen Lingyun wasn¡¯t sure if it was due to the Soul-Losing Bell¡¯s long-distance sound transmission or if Yan Yu was nearby calling out. Comforted by this, she quickly released Black and White Impermanence along with the Five Ghosts, threw the Divine Evil Prayer Beads at the leader White Impermanence, and then vigorously waved the Prison Banner.

    Among the controlled ghostly creatures, only the leader White Impermanence had the highest cultivation, and even though the Soul-Losing Bell had restrained all his powers, he could barely maintain his consciousness, but was extremely terrified.

    Who? Who is attacking?

    He struggled to lift his head and saw Chen Lingyun¡¯s White Impermanence greedily rushing over. Its tongue shot out like lightning, tightly strangling the leader¡¯s neck, then flipping through its book pages, it unleashed a vast expanse of Soul-hooking Nether Light shining his way.

    How could this be? Could it be Lord White Impermanence himself?

    At this moment, the leader had no ability to discern whether the attacker was the genuine Yin God. His soul had been hit by the Soul-hooking Nether Light, powerless to resist. He instantly transformed into a streak of white light and was absorbed into the belly of Chen Lingyun¡¯s White Impermanence, who let out a loud burp.

    White Impermanence¡¯s eyelids drooped, but beneath them a faint blue glow lit up, rendering him immobile on the spot¡ªresembling a Windows system undergoing an upgrade.

    Chen Lingyun, with a gleeful smile, shook the Prison Banner, reeling in the digesting White Impermanence. She then executed the Heart Capturing Technique, combined with Black Impermanence¡¯s Soul Arresting Chain, and subjugated all the elite ghostly creatures in the vicinity, adopting a policy of accepting all comers, encompassing and absorbing them all.

    After cleaning up the battlefield, Chen Lingyun looked around. Her Divine Sense didn¡¯t catch any trace of Yan Yu. With a sweet voice, she asked:

    ¡°Where are you?¡±

    ¡°Head to the frontline right away.¡± Yan Yu activated the Soul-Losing Bell one more time, ringing it to give her direction, ¡°Next, we need to capture them all in one fell swoop.¡±

    Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com

 Chapter 583 - 583 66 Chen Lingyuns Ambition

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 Chapter 584 - 584 66 Chen Lingyuns Ambition_2

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 Chapter 587 - 587 67 The Method of Eternal Life_2

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 Chapter 590 - 590 68 Lets Go Come Home with Me_2

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 Chapter 592 - 592 69 Mother-in-Law Reception Father-in-Law

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 Chapter 597 - 597 70 Sticky Sticky_3

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 Chapter 600 - 600 71 Setting Thousand Buddha Temple Ablaze

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 Chapter 601 - 601 72 Good Brother Stop Teasing Me

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 Chapter 605 - 605 73 I See You Still Have Some Poison Left_2

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 Chapter 607 - 607 74 Almost Regretted for Life

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 Chapter 608 - 608 74 Almost Regretted for Life_2

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 Chapter 609 - 609 75 The Transformation of Zhou Hongyu

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 Chapter 610 - 610 75 The Transformation of Zhou Hongyu_2

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 Chapter 611 - 611 76 A Bluff

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 Chapter 612 - 612 76 A Bluff Part 2

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 Chapter 614 - 614 77 Yun Jin is Scared

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 Chapter 615 - 615 77 Yun Jin is Afraid_2

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 Chapter 618 - 618 78 Ningning Strikes_2

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 Chapter 622 - 622 79 We All Have a Bright Future_3

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 Chapter 624 - 624 80 I Like the Two-Dimensional World_2

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 Chapter 626 - 626 81 Yan Yu Advances

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 Chapter 628 - 628 81 Yan Yu Advances_3

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 Chapter 634 - 634 83 Xiankong Island Wuya Sect_3

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 Chapter 635 - 635 84 Golden Mansion on the Left Limit

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 Chapter 639 - 639 85 The Familiar Elder Brother_2

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 Chapter 640 - 640 85 The Familiar Elder Brother_3

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 Chapter 642 - 642 86

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 Chapter 646 - 646 87 Liangyi Micro Dust Sword Unsealed_3

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 Chapter 647 - 647 88 The Failed Honey Trap

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 Chapter 650 - 650 89 Sister Pretends to Be Brother

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 Chapter 654 - 654 90 Yan Jings Shield_3

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 Chapter 655 - 655 91 The Way to Deal with Yan Yu

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 Chapter 658 - 658 92 The Way to Deal with Yan Yu is to Brush

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 Chapter 659 - 659 92 The Way to Deal with Yan Yu is to Brush

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 Chapter 660 - 660 93 The Beauty of Boxing

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 Chapter 661 - 661 93 Beauty Boxing_2

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 Chapter 662 - 662 93 The Beauty of Boxing_3

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 Chapter 666 - 666 96 Sharing Weal and Woe

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 Chapter 668 - 668 97 Reunion with Ye Jun_2

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 Chapter 669 - 669 97 Reunion with Ye Jun_3

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 Chapter 670 - 670 98 Selling Elixir Medicine

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 Chapter 675 - 675 99 Doing Ye Juns Hair_3

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 Chapter 676 - 676 100 Talking Crosstalk for a Lifetime

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 Chapter 679 - 679 101 Deserving of Him

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 Chapter 687 - 687 103 Ningning Arrives_3

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 Chapter 689 - 689 104 The Season for Competing for a Mate

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 Chapter 692 - 692 105 The Shy Ningning with a Hushed Voice_2

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 Chapter 694 - 694 1 Going Home_2

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 Chapter 697 - 697 3 Ancient Heroes Tire the Beauties

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 Chapter 698 - 698 3 Ancient Heroes Tire the Beauties_2

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 Chapter 702 - 702 5 Is It Okay If Not Family Members_2

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 Chapter 704 - 704 6 The Woman Who Goes to Extremes

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 Chapter 706 - 706 6 The Woman Who Loves Extremes_3

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 Chapter 710 - 710 8 The Flute of the Rising Tides in the

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 Chapter 711 - 711 8 The Flute of the Rising Tides in the

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 Chapter 715 - 715 10 Better to Stop While One is Ahead

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 Chapter 716 - 716 10 Better to Stop While Ahead_2

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 Chapter 717 - 717 10 Better to Stop While Ahead_3

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 Chapter 718 - 718 11 I am the Underling of a Big Boss

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 Chapter 722 - 722 12 Captain Yan must feel a lot of pressure

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 Chapter 723 - 723 13 Magic Cloak Fist

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 Chapter 724 - 724 13 Magic Cloak Fist_2

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 Chapter 725 - 725 13 Magic Cloak Fist_3

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 Chapter 727 - 727 14 Thoughts Must Be Thorough_2

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 Chapter 728 - 728 15 Standing Out Alone

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 Chapter 732 - 732 16 Traditional Performing Arts_3

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 Chapter 735 - 735 17 The First Direct Confession_3

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 Chapter 737 - 737 18 Complete Souvenir Catalog Collection

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 Chapter 738 - 738 18 Complete Souvenir Collection Plan_3

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 Chapter 739 - 739 19 Xiao Nings Diary

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 Chapter 740 - 740 19 Xiao Nings Diary_2

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 Chapter 741 - 741 19 Xiao Nings Diary_3

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 Chapter 743 - 743 20 The Wicked and Lustful Male Landlord

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 Chapter 747 - 747 22 Separation after long unity must

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 Chapter 748 - 748 22 Prolonged separation must lead to

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 Chapter 751 - 751 24 Love Makes People Smart

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 Chapter 752 - 752 24 Love Makes One Smart_2

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 Chapter 754 - 754 25 Hongyu is Coming Too

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 Chapter 755 - 755 25 Hongyu Wants to Come Too_2

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 Chapter 756 - 756 26 Carnivorous Zhou Hongyu

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 Chapter 757 - 757 26 Carnivorous Animal Zhou Hongyu_2

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 Chapter 758 - 758 27 Cluck Cluck

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 Chapter 759 - 759 27 Cluck Cluck_2

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 Chapter 761 - 761 28 Queue Up to Visit_2

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 Chapter 762 - 762 29 Wataxi

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 Chapter 769 - 769 31 If I Had Known I Would Have Gone to

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 Chapter 772 - 772 32 Support Valkyrie (5k)_2

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 Chapter 773 - 773 32 Support Valkyrie (5k)_3

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 Chapter 775 - 775 33 The Promise Once Made_2

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 Chapter 778 - 778 34 Li Minghu Takes Medicine_2

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 Chapter 779 - 779 34 Li Minghu Takes Medicine_3

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 Chapter 780 - 780 35 True Immortal in the Mirror

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 Chapter 782 - 782 35 Mirror True Immortal_3

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 Chapter 783 - 783 36 Clever Ningning Has Brains

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 Chapter 785 - 785 37 Enchantress and Worthless Girl Are

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 Chapter 786 - 786 37 Enchantress and Worthless Girl Are

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 Chapter 788 - 788 38 Little Brother-in-law how are you

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 Chapter 790 - 790 39 Ill Help You Detoxify_2

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 Chapter 791 - 791 40 Compensation

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 Chapter 792 - 792 40 Compensation_2

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 Chapter 793 - 793 41 Subterranean Buddhist Kingdom

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 Chapter 795 - 795 42 Going for Reinforcements

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 Chapter 796 - 796 42 Bringing Reinforcements_2

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 Chapter 798 - 798 43 Convergence

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 Chapter 801 - 801 44 The Power of True Obscurity_2

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 Chapter 802 - 802 45 I am the Kite

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 Chapter 803 - 803 45 I Come as a Kite_2

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 Chapter 805 - 805 46 The Sky-Full of Gods and Buddhas_2

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 Chapter 808 - 808 47 Sword to You You Come to Strike_2

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 Chapter 809 - 809 47 Sword to You You Come to Strike_3

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 Chapter 810 - 810 48 Great Sun True Fire Pointing to Western

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 Chapter 812 - 812 48 Great Sun True Fire Pointing Towards

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 Chapter 813 - 813 49 Comrade Yan Yu Stop Right There

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 Chapter 815 - 815 49 Comrade Yan Yu Please Stop_3

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 Chapter 816 - 816 50 Mei Yingxue Dares Not Teach Others

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 Chapter 818 - 818 51 I see that your house is quite big

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 Chapter 825 - 825 54 The Mightiest Spear_2

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 Chapter 826 - 826 54 The Mightiest Spear_3

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 Chapter 830 - 830 56 RPG Game_2

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 Chapter 834 - 834 58 Review_2

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 Chapter 839 - 839 61 Im Going to Kill You Brother-in-Law

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 Chapter 842 - 842 62 Father I Had No Choice Either_2

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 Chapter 843 - 843 63 Rice Cake

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 Chapter 844 - 844 63 Rice Cake_2

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 Chapter 845 - 845 64 Crooked and Heretical Ways

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 Chapter 846 - 846 64 Crooked Paths and Evil Ways _2

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 Chapter 847 - 847 65 Starting Nutritional Therapy from Today

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 Chapter 848 - 848 65 Nutritional Supplements from Today

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 Chapter 849 - 849 66 Dual Cultivation List

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 Chapter 851 - 851 66 Dual Cultivation List_3

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 Chapter 852 - 852 67 Begin Power Leveling

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 Chapter 853 - 853 67 Start Power Leveling_2

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 Chapter 856 - 856 69 Old Driver Take Me With You

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 Chapter 857 - 857 69 Old Driver Take Me With You_2

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 Chapter 858 - 858 69 Old Driver Take Me With You_3

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 Chapter 859 - 859 70 Hand Strength

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 Chapter 860 - 860 70 Hand Strength_2

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 Chapter 861 - 861 71 Confrontation

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 Chapter 862 - 862 71 Showdown_2

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 Chapter 863 - 863 71 Showdown_3

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 Chapter 864 - 864 72 Agreed

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 Chapter 866 - 866 73 Delicious Tears

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 Chapter 867 - 867 73 Delicious Tears_2

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 Chapter 868 - 868 73 Delicious Tears_3

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 Chapter 869 - 869 74 Settled

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 Chapter 871 - 871 75 What Is Tolerable and What Is Not

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 Chapter 872 - 872 75 What Is Tolerable and What Is Not_2

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 Chapter 874 - 874 76 Never Been Happy_2

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 Chapter 876 - 876 77 Alliance of Vertical Powers

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 Chapter 877 - 877 77 Alliance of Verticality_2

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 Chapter 878 - 878 78 Alliance of Vertical and Horizontal

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 Chapter 879 - 879 78 Horizontal Alliance_2

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 Chapter 882 - 882 79 The New Quintet_3

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 Chapter 885 - 885 81 My Yin-Yang Dust Sword Formation

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 Chapter 887 - 887 82 The Last Sword Qi Remaining

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 Chapter 888 - 888 82 The Last Sword Qi Remaining_2

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 Chapter 889 - 889 83 Defeating Captain Zhou Ruthlessly

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 Chapter 892 - 892 84 Brother is a Pure Love Warrior_2

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 Chapter 893 - 893 85 Placing Comrade Ye Jun

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 Chapter 894 - 894 85 Placing Comrade Ye Jun - Part 2

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 Chapter 895 - 895 Chen Lingyun Side Story

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 Chapter 897 - 897 86 Turning into a Red Phoenix Pill

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 Chapter 899 - 899 87 Yan Yus Divine Sense Splitting

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 Chapter 903 - 903 89 Sister is So Awesome

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 Chapter 908 - 908 91 How Many More Times to Pay Back_2

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 Chapter 910 - 910 92 Pure Kind Mei Yingxue_2

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 Chapter 913 - 913 94 Head-falling Drought

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 Chapter 914 - 914 94 Head-falling Ba_2

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 Chapter 915 - 915 94 Head-falling Ba_3

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 Chapter 917 - 95 Sea Swallow_2

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 Chapter 918 - 96: The Final Show-off

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 Chapter 2 The Rebellious Need Polishing

    The reason the term "demonic" is included in the title of the future Empress Yuanzhen is that, by the standards of modern society''s morality, she possessed substantial psychological flaws.

    Firstly, she bullied the weak and feared the strong; secondly, she was cunning and mistrustful; thirdly, her moods were unpredictable.

    Bullying the weak and fearing the strong referred to how she regarded ordinary human lives as worthless, yet she feared Mei Yingxue as one would fear a tiger or a wolf.

    In history, Zhao Yuanzhen, to avoid the official manhunt, fled from Jiangnan Province all the way to Nanjiang Province. Along the way, to prevent her whereabouts from being exposed, she killed the innocent in numbers that could be counted in the thousands, causing an extremely adverse societal impact.

    Being cunning and mistrustful meant that she never trusted anyone else, only valuing her own strength.

    Even after later accepting the government''s offer of amnesty and dividing the governance of the nation''s internal and external affairs with Mei Yingxue, Zhao Yuanzhen never considered forming her own faction or support base.

    She established no faction, took no disciples, passed on no teachings¡ªher one hobby was to write her autobiography and make documentary films, boasting about how formidable she was.

    Her unpredictable moods were what she was most criticized for.

    Before Zhao Yuanzhen got angry, she would often pretend to speak gently; when she was pleased, she often deliberately showed anger.

    Perhaps she did not want to let others see through her thoughts, but such unpredictable behavior undeniably made those around her feel like they were "on thin ice," making it very hard to have any good feelings toward her.

    Of course, at this time, Zhao Yuanzhen was not yet the reclusive and odd Demonic Empress of the future, but that didn''t mean Yan Yu could take her lightly.

    It was now about one o''clock in the morning, and there were not many pedestrians on the road.

    Although Zhao Yuanzhen''s clothing was somewhat eye-catching, at first glance, passersby would only think she was a young lady from the Hanfu circle and would not actually associate her with cultivation.

    The only thing to avoid was the ubiquitous street surveillance cameras¡ªafter all, once the authorities and Mei Yingxue communicated and reached a preliminary cooperation, they would soon start looking for Zhao Yuanzhen, the Demonic Sect Enchantress, so she absolutely could not be caught on camera.

    Yan Yu was a high school senior who commuted from a rented room nearby and had lived there for nearly three years. He had long become familiar with the arrangement of the street cameras. At this moment, he was leading Zhao Yuanzhen through a complex path, sometimes crossing over bridges, sometimes taking small riverside paths, and sometimes even passing through bushes...

    In short, he was doing his best to avoid the main roads to stay out of the public surveillance cameras'' range.

    If there was no way to avoid a particular area, he would turn around and instruct her to cast the Invisibility Technique, transforming into a black mist to drift past unseen.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was oblivious to the existence of cameras but noticed that Yan Yu''s route was exceedingly peculiar; there were many places where she even needed to become invisible to comply... Could this be some kind of profound formation?

    That''s right, since the mastermind behind him was intent on saving me, he naturally wouldn''t forget to set up corresponding high-level formations to block the paths of the pursuers behind me.

    But why were the steps to disengage the formation so strange?

    They didn''t conform to the Nine Palaces, resembled not the Bagua, didn''t fit into the Seven Absolutes, and were unlike the Liu Ren... It looked like a child wandering around aimlessly.

    No, no, Zhao Yuanzhen, don''t be foolish!

    How could you easily decipher the thought patterns behind the formation steps set by a master tactician? Who do you think you are?

    Just memorize them properly! There will be plenty of time later to study this profound formation. Don''t be distracted by needless concerns right now!

    Yan Yu, however, was unaware of Zhao Yuanzhen''s thoughts. Seeing her looking around and desperately trying to remember the route, he couldn''t help but feel amused inside.

    While he didn''t explain the concept of "surveillance cameras" to her, had she already sensed that the public environment was not safe enough?

    Indeed, in the original timeline, she managed to escape over 1800 kilometers upstream along the Yangtze River from Jiangnan Province, managing to evade capture for a continuous ten years¡ªher wariness and sense of crisis were far beyond her peers.

    Arriving at the door of the rental, Yan Yu took out his key from his pocket and silently opened the door.

    "Come in," he said.

    Zhao Yuanzhen carefully stepped over the threshold, while glancing at the security door from the corner of her eye.

    The door was actually made of metal, how strange.

    But to a Cultivator, even if it were forged from fine steel, it could not withstand a single spell... No, this residence couldn''t possibly be so unprotected. There must be some powerful prohibitions hidden inside!

    Once back home, Yan Yu carelessly patted the nearby chair:

    "Take a seat."

    Zhao Yuanzhen cautiously sat down, only half of her rear touching the chair, appearing quite tentative, her gaze not daring to wander.

    Seeing her so proper and well-behaved, Yan Yu felt a sudden urge to laugh. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The Demonic Empress Yuanzhen naturally bullied the weak and feared the strong. At this moment, misled by the disparity in information, she thought she had the support of a mastermind behind her, so she did not dare to act rashly.

    As time passed, she would soon realize something was amiss and begin to test Yan Yu''s true identity incessantly.

    However, the degree of cunning and suspicion characteristic of the Empress Yuanzhen was almost unparalleled.

    As long as she couldn''t confirm that the alleged tactician "absolutely did not exist," she would not dare to take the risk of offending him by making a move on Yan Yu.

    Combining the above information, the answer to how he should interact with her in the future became clear:

    Endurance.

    The more you suppress and trample her, the more she will believe you are acting boldly, and the more she will dread the possibility of a "great power" behind you;

    But if you are excessively polite and attentive to her throughout, it will only make her more suspicious of your identity... As the Empress Yuanzhen herself said in her autobiography documentary, "The Demonic Sect does not value gentleness, respect, thrift, and yield; it''s all about the merciless law of the jungle."

    If you''re not weaker than me, why would you show me kindness?

    Therefore, the logic of a Demonic Sect Enchantress who responds to toughness and not to gentleness, referring to her as a masochist also wouldn''t be too far off.

    With his plan set in mind, Yan Yu nonchalantly crossed his legs, looked at the cowering, trembling, helpless Demonic Sect Enchantress opposite him, and arrogantly instructed:

    "Since you''ve chosen to seek refuge with me, don''t you even understand basic etiquette? Go get a bunch of grapes from that fridge, wash them, and bring them to me."

    Zhao Yuanzhen was taken aback by his words, biting down on her silver teeth in secret, thinking, "Could it be that he''s treating me like a servant?"

    Having grown up in the Demonic Sect, she was accustomed to all manner of sycophantic ugliness and knew well the principle of survival through bending or standing firm when necessary.

    Perhaps the reason this person was ordering me around was on the orders of his master, deliberating testing to see if I was obedient enough.

    If I showed the slightest hint of rebellion, I would be deemed "a useless chess piece" and discarded without mercy!

    Consequently, she held back her displeasure and crisply responded, walking over to the iron chest that Yan Yu had pointed out.

    Upon opening the chest, a cold draft rushed out. Zhao Yuanzhen clicked her tongue in wonder, thinking this must be some sort of a Storage Magical Treasure for ice, intended for storing fine wines and dishes, but why is it so unwieldy and difficult to carry?

    She had just taken out the grapes when Yan Yu spoke again:

    "The kitchen is over there. Turn on the tap in the sink, and wash the grapes thoroughly. Gently rub them with your hands, make sure there''s not a speck of dust on them, nor any damage to the skin."

    I''ll rub your dog head clean off! Zhao Yuanzhen cursed silently to herself but turned the tap as instructed and saw the tap water gush out, causing her another shock:

    Such an ingeniously designed water pipe! If a channel were to be dug here, turning it into a stream with twists and turns, it would indeed add a touch of Jiangnan elegance.

    Yet Yan Yu, unaware of Zhao Yuanzhen''s intentions to rip up his home''s flooring, simply urged her on:

    "Are you done yet? Why are you so slow?"

    "Done, done." Zhao Yuanzhen, having carefully washed the grapes and plated them on a porcelain dish, presented them to Yan Yu with the respect of a maid.

    Yan Yu lay lazily on the sofa, not even bothering to get up, but simply gestured towards his mouth with his hand.

    Hateful little thief, do you actually want me to feed you? Zhao Yuanzhen was livid.

    But upon reflection, his daring arrogance was surely because he had the support of a powerful spellcaster as his master, right?

    Detestable. It''s not that I''m willing to kneel to you¡ªit''s only out of respect for your powerful master that I''m temporarily yielding.

    Suppressing the anger at being humiliated, Zhao Yuanzhen patiently picked a grape and lightly placed it in his mouth.

    Yan Yu watched her seemingly submissive yet humiliated expression as he ate the washed grapes, finding it increasingly amusing and entertaining.

    However, just like tempering a hawk, he knew there had to be a degree to which he pushed her¡ªknowing when to tighten and loosen his grip. If he pressured her too much, it might drive her to desperation and provoke a violent reaction, which would backfire on him.

    Having wielded the big stick, naturally, it was time for a carrot, so he smiled slowly and said:

    "Don''t bear a grudge because of this. In the art of divination, the most important thing is the cycle of cause, effect, and retribution. Your respectful conduct towards me today¡ªwho knows if I won''t be the one to help you out in the future?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen''s eyes instantly lit up, and she asked:

    "How will you help?"

    The enchantress can''t seem to keep her composure, still unable to change her nature of seeking quick success... Yan Yu then leisurely said:

    "Tell me, do you wish to defeat Mei Yingxue?"

    Of course, I do! If not for the vast gap in innate talent and strength, I would have already flayed that wretched woman, ground her bones to dust, seized her soul, and trapped her to torture day and night!

    Thinking of how she had been harmed by Mei Yingxue and ended up in this strange world made Zhao Yuanzhen burn with rage, though her face showed only docility and sweetness as she said:

    "Now, as a humble girl under the protection of your sect, I simply follow the host''s lead. Whatever your master orders me to do, I shall do, only wishing to preserve my life and daring not to think of anything else..."

    Before her words were finished, her chin was lifted by someone.

    Yan Yu gently took hold of her chin, forcing Zhao Yuanzhen to look directly at him as he said arrogantly:

    "Don''t try to be clever with me, it won''t work."

    "Seeing as how you''ve been so obedient in serving me, I can reveal some of your future fortunes to you. Listen well."

    "Within ten years, you''ll stand no chance against Mei Yingxue; a decade later, your strengths should be closely matched."

    "Twenty years from now, the tables will turn in terms of offense and defense. Whether you wish to kill or flay her, she''ll have no choice but to take it! But this is premised on your acting according to destiny, not on your own whims. Otherwise, if you should perish mid-way, there will be no power to turn back time. Do you understand?"

    Yan Yu''s tone was profound, his face bearing the mystic smile typical of fortune tellers, which suggested he had revealed as much of destiny as he dared.

    Whether you believe it or not, I''ll paint you a big picture here, sustaining hope within you.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was stunned for a moment, her body trembling violently, her cheeks flushed with excitement as she said in her delicate voice:

    "Is it really as you say, honorable master?"

    "Of course." Yan Yu nodded nonchalantly.

    Zhao Yuanzhen quickly put her imagination to work: Could this be the implied suggestion of taking me as a disciple?

    If I comply with the commands of the powerful divinator behind him, he''s willing to nurture me, or even accept me as his disciple, help advance my cultivation bravely and powerfully, teach me art of moving mountains and filling seas, and ultimately have the overwhelming power to easily crush Mei Yingxue!

    In that moment, beneath the layers of caution, defense, and apprehension in Zhao Yuanzhen''s eyes towards Yan Yu, there finally emerged a hint of dependence, greed, and longing.

    Yan Yu could see it, but he had no idea about her "disciple imagination"; he simply thought her obsession with killing Mei Yingxue had driven her mad, so he smiled enigmatically and said nothing more.

    Of course, he spoke the truth. In her previous life, Zhao Yuanzhen, even with her constant fleeing and hiding as Zhao Running, eventually became a figure on par with Mei Yingxue.

    In this life with his assistance, how could she possibly fail to win against Mei Yingxue?

 Chapter 5 3 Techniques and 5 Spells

    If Yan Yu had a "Rebirth Revenge List" in his heart, Chen Lingyun''s name would definitely top the chart, without any doubt.

    The reason was simple: this despicable woman had mocked his identity more than once, "Oh, it''s such a pity you''re not a cultivator."

    She said it during meals out, she said it during post-dinner walks, she said it during movie outings, she even said it before the cultivators went off to war... Yan Yu remembered clearly. This despicable woman had mocked him a total of 137 times across various occasions, as if lacking a Spirit Root made him less of a person.

    As a reborn individual, it''s only normal for me to have a better memory, right? It''s not because I''m holding a grudge!

    However, wasn''t this despicable woman an Olympiad exchange student at Jiangnan High School during her senior year? Yan Yu had never heard of this.

    Upon reflection, when Zhao Yuanzhen first transmigrated to Lin''an Prefecture, she killed several bystanders just to keep her mouth shut. That must have been why Jianghai High School, where the despicable woman attended, deemed the exchange unsafe and thus canceled the original plan.

    Now that the enchantress has been subdued and no killings have occurred, there were no violent security incidents, so naturally, she was sent over as originally scheduled.

    "Are you in the Olympiad class, classmate Sun Ziyi?" Chen Lingyun took the initiative to ask.

    "No," Yan Yu replied. "I''m just an ordinary student."

    "Oh, is that so?" Chen Lingyun said with a smile. "My apologies, I''ve got it wrong."

    Yan Yu didn''t respond; he knew she was looking for an excuse to get him to talk. The more he said, the more information he would reveal, and the clearer the "personality portrait" she painted in her head would become. He opted instead to play the part of the silent, cool character. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Here we are," Yan Yu said as he personally escorted her to the bottom of the laboratory building. "This is the place, goodbye."

    Without any hesitation, he turned and left, while Chen Lingyun didn''t seem to be in a hurry to go upstairs, just smilingly watching his retreating figure.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    School was out.

    As Yan Yu walked home, he noticed that there were many more uniformed officers at the intersections than the day before, checking IDs of people on the streets.

    Although he carried a student ID in his backpack, the officers merely glanced at him and waved him on¡ª it seemed they were specifically looking for young women of a certain age to check.

    Upon arriving home and swiftly closing the door, Yan Yu was promptly greeted by Zhao Yuanzhen. He asked her seriously:

    "How has it been? No one came to the door, right?"

    "No one," Zhao Yuanzhen answered honestly.

    Yan Yu tossed his backpack aside and collapsed onto the sofa, motioning with his hand:

    "Come here, my back is hurting; give it a rub for me."

    Inside, Zhao Yuanzhen seethed with resentment. Although they were Taoist companions, it was only in terms of cultivation. Massaging and kneading like a maid or servant¡ªwasn''t that something for subordinates to do?

    She wanted to slap him right there, to kill this wretch who humiliated her, but remembering the powerful master behind him, she forcibly suppressed her rage. She went over to massage Yan Yu''s spine while silently noting this new grievance:

    "Today, upon his return, that scoundrel Yan Yu called me over like a common servant to press his shoulders and knead his back, utterly detestable!"

    "I shall note this debt for now. The day I find the opportunity, I will make him toil like an ox and horse for my bidding, to soothe the hatred in my heart!"

    "How is it, is the pressure alright?" Zhao Yuanzhen relished her thoughts, yet her hands did not cease, and with a sugary voice, she asked, "Should I use a bit more strength?"

    "It''s fine," Yan Yu grew suspicious.

    The Empress Yuanzhen was always cunning and paranoid, so why wasn''t she probing about what I did all day outside? Instead, she''s obediently massaging me here. What''s going on?

    Hmph, she must be planning some vicious scheme while pretending to be submissive on the surface, aiming to lull my vigilance!

    As Yan Yu leisurely enjoyed the massage from the beauty, he suddenly said:

    "Speak."

    "Speak what?" Zhao Yuanzhen was puzzled.

    "Speak of the thoughts in your heart," Yan Yu said calmly.

    The thoughts in my heart? Zhao Yuanzhen was startled, and her movements halted.

    Did this wretch learn of the grudges I hold in my heart?

    No, he must have "calculated" it!

    Even though he didn''t follow his master in Qi Refinement, he must have learned his master''s method of divination¡ªotherwise, how could he possibly know what I''m thinking?!

    Feeling the sudden pause of the hands on his back, Yan Yu knew his conjecture was spot on, and he sneered:

    "What, you have the guts to think it but not the guts to admit it?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen''s body shook at the words, increasingly certain that his thoughts had been secretly calculated by this little thief. He quickly feigned composure as he explained,

    "I was merely indulging in wild thoughts, not actually planning to act on them. Why do you care so much? As Taoist partners on the path to enlightenment, our glory and losses will be shared in the future. Could you really worry that I would harm you and sever my own path to Taoism?"

    Heh, that''s hard to say.

    Yan Yu certainly knew that Empress Yuanzhen was very suspicious and would never completely trust anyone in the world.

    If she knew that there was no powerful master behind her, she might as well decide to snap her own neck in an instant and switch from a dual cultivation to a solo practice¡ªone that, despite injuring her foundation, would completely eliminate the future risk of "Betrayal by a Taoist partner." With Empress Yuanzhen''s character, she was definitely capable of doing such a thing.

    While it was necessary to bide one''s time like taming a hawk, it was also crucial to have the power to protect oneself, because even a peck from the hawk shouldn''t be fatal.

    Yan Yu was noncommittal about Zhao Yuanzhen''s defense and said indifferently,

    "Whether you will act on your thoughts or not, do you think I wouldn''t know? But let''s not talk about that for now. Recite the Three Arts and Five Spells to me first."

    "The Three Arts and Five Spells?" Zhao Yuanzhen frowned, "What do you want to learn that for?"

    The so-called "Three Arts" refer to the long-distance high-speed movement of the "Shifting Technique," the short-range teleportation of the "Cloud Ascension Technique," and the "Wall-Penetration Technique," which allows one to move through obstacles.

    As for the "Five Spells," they are the Five Elemental True Character Curse of moisture, flame, bending, image, and surge, each with its unique wonders.

    However, the Three Arts and Five Spells are almost like basic arithmetic in the modern world, regarded as introductory spells that ''every cultivator knows'' in the Cultivation World. Why did the thief specifically ask to learn these?

    Seeing the perplexed expression on her face, Yan Yu chuckled and said,

    "With the current level of spiritual energy in this world, even if you learned those super Taoism Methods capable of moving mountains and re-channeling seas, could you actually use them?"

    "Zhao Yuanzhen, I advise you to practice the Three Arts and Five Spells well. They will be more useful than anything else this year."

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    In a secret military base in Jianghai Prefecture.

    Mei Yingxue stood in the spacious hall, wearing Taoist robes, and meditating with her eyes closed.

    At the top of a wall on one side of the hall, behind several layers of thick bulletproof glass, the relevant officials had all arrived.

    Not only that, multiple cameras were filming from various angles, transmitting the data in real-time over a secure link to Pingjing¡ªwhere higher-ranking individuals were watching a live broadcast.

    "Daoist Mei," the loudspeaker in the corner of the room sounded, "you may begin."

    "Fine," Mei Yingxue opened her eyes and spoke indifferently, "The spiritual energy in your world is far too sparse. Many spells I cannot use, so I can only demonstrate the ''Three Arts and Five Spells'' for you."

    "This is the Shifting Technique." Her figure disappeared abruptly, then reappeared at the end of the hall.

    Behind the bulletproof glass, the officials wore impassive faces as though their minds had gone blank.

    After a prolonged silence, the Governor of Jianghai, Chen Tianming, was the first to speak,

    "Did you capture all that?"

    "Captured," someone hastily operated the computer, slowing down the footage for projection display.

    Through the slow-motion replay, everyone got a clearer view this time: Mei Yingxue stepped forward with her left foot first, then lifted her right foot off the ground, suddenly accelerating towards the hall''s end, putting her left foot down followed by her right foot, and finally taking a few steps to stop the momentum.

    From the movements alone, it looked like she had simply taken one step.

    But according to the motion sensor data, her speed after the step momentarily reached 16 meters per second.

    This super acceleration, almost impossible for a human body to achieve, shattered everyone''s worldview and understanding.

    "She¡­" Liu Zhenyuan, the Prefect of Jiangnan, struggled to steady himself and asked for confirmation, "She isn''t wearing any equipment, right?"

    "No," someone immediately presented a security inspection report, "She''s only wearing a silk robe; there''s no concealed equipment inside."

    "Don''t forget," Huang Wenqing reminded from the side, "Is there any high-tech equipment that can accelerate a person to 16 meters per second in an instant? And she seemed to be perfectly normal."

    "Let''s not rush to conclusions," Governor Chen Tianming said, "Have her demonstrate all the Three Arts and Five Spells."

    After all, with the dark history of the qigong craze in the 1980s, it was essential to be extremely cautious, cautious, and even more cautious in acknowledging non-natural phenomena.

    It would be best if they could find evidence of fraud. If not...

    ...they would have to send the person to Pingjing to let the experts in the capital study her because Jianghai Prefecture could definitely not come to any conclusions.

 Chapter 8 The Tale of Theft from the Cherry Blossoms

    March 25, Saturday.

    Yan Yu climbed out of bed and calmly glanced at the alarm on his cellphone.

    On his reminder list were the words "Qiantang River Tide".

    He silently got dressed, ready to head out, when he suddenly heard Zhao Yuanzhen on the bed ask:

    "Today is Saturday, don''t you have to... you know, do homework?"

    Yan Yu was inwardly shocked. This Demonic Sect Enchantress had been here for only three days and now she even knew about "weekends off"! Smarter than many private company bosses!

    "Master asked me to go out for an errand," he said, putting on his shoes at the entrance without turning back.

    "Can I come with you?" Zhao Yuanzhen''s eyes lit up.

    "Aren''t you afraid of Mei Yingxue?" Yan Yu turned and asked with a smirk.

    Mentioning Mei Yingxue, Zhao Yuanzhen indeed wilted like a frostbitten eggplant, sulkily saying:

    "Then... then you must come back early."

    Yan Yu sneered, but didn''t expose the enchantress''s insincerity, and took the subway straight out.

    He was going to watch the tide on the Qiantang River.

    On the original timeline, that is on March 25 this year, something ridiculous happened:

    Two tourists from Chongying Country fell into the water while watching the tide on the Qiantang River and were saved by a local patrol organization after half an hour. Later, this incident was highlighted as a commendable case on the news program "2727 Silver Eye".

    It was only at the beginning of May, when a completely different tide on the Qiantang River revealed the submerged layer tower beneath, that the authorities realized that those two "Chongying tourists" were actually civilian onmyojis who had come from afar because they found some information in ancient texts and aimed to steal treasures from the Mysterious Realm.

    These people sneaked into the Mysterious Realm beneath the tides, took the treasures, and just as they surfaced and prepared to forcefully resist the approaching river patrols, they were mistaken for drowning foreign tourists and saved. They were taken to the hospital and received meticulous care, even their medical expenses were reimbursed through public funds... What can I say?

    Apart from "we have always been warm and hospitable to foreigners," there doesn''t seem to be anything else to say.

    If you ask Yan Yu for an opinion, these foreign visitors have come a long way to explore the underwater historical attractions, and you patrol on boats and rashly fish them out, that''s just impolite¡ªYou should have let them admire the underwater scenery as long as they wanted, consistent with our national tradition of warm hospitality!

    It''s up to me to uphold our international image!

    The carriage of Line 5 subway was packed, and Yan Yu, unable to find a seat, could only hold onto a handrail while skillfully pulling out his cellphone to read a novel. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Change to Line 2, then to Line 9, followed by the intercity railway and finally bus Route 332, the journey taking nearly 3 hours. By the time he arrived at Haiping Tidal Viewing Park, it was already 12 p.m.

    In a nearby Xichuan ramen shop, he ordered a bowl of beef noodles for 18 yuan, topped with only a few beef slices thin as cicada wings. The chef''s knife skills were truly astonishing. When slicing the meat, it''s probable that the cow didn''t even feel it, and a patch could easily cover the cut.

    Yan Yu devoured the noodles in short order, feeling a blazing spirit of combat kindling in his heart.

    I spent a whole morning and even endured a frustrating lunch; if I don''t ensure you stay submerged and are treated generously, I''ll slap my own face three times when I get back!

    Upon reaching Tidal Viewing Park, Yan Yu leaned against the railing with arms folded, his eyes brimming with enthusiasm and hospitality, eying every passerby as if they were Chongying tourists.

    Still, his gaze couldn''t discern nationalities. Only around 1 p.m. did the tide of the Qiantang River begin to surge violently.

    Not far away, two Chongying tourists, wearing sun hats and carrying large backpacks, were also observing the mighty river tides and spoke to each other in whispers using Chongying Language:

    "Tanaka-san, how much longer do we have to wait?"

    "Don''t be impatient, Oishi-san. According to the records left by my ancestors, we must wait until the third quarter of the noon hour for the Qiantang tidal bore to split and reveal the submerged pagoda beneath."

    "Are you sure there''s no mistake in those records?"

    "Of course, these records have been passed down in my family for generations, and their written date can be traced back to the post-Nara period. It was precisely when a great many wokou were rampant in China, and my family even has celadon looted from China!"

    Tanaka Taichi stared at the surging tides and continued,

    "It''s said that during my ancestors'' last raid from the mouth of the Qiantang River at the third quarter of the noon hour, the waters suddenly parted, revealing the inverted pagoda within the tide, startling everyone into hurriedly turning their ships.

    It was only later discovered to be one of the twin pagodas specially constructed by the monks at the behest of the King of Wuyue, Qian Chu, to suppress the tides. ''The Liuhe Pagoda on land, the Liuhe Pagoda submerged beneath the tides''¡ªthis one beneath the waters is the very core of the formation suppressing the tides!"

    After a moment of silence, Oishi Mochio spoke,

    "The Age of Dharma Decline has continued to this day, and the Liuhe Pagoda by West Lake has long been empty. What makes you so sure, Tanaka-san, that the treasures in the submerged Liuhe Pagoda have not been pilfered by the ancients of Lu Country in advance?"

    "Even if someone had taken them beforehand, you and I would merely have wasted our time and effort, without any substantial loss," Tanaka Taichi was dismissive. "But if the treasures are still there, and considering that Lu Country is still unaware of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, you and I are very likely to get them past customs unnoticed and back to our country!

    Endless fame and fortune will naturally follow!"

    "...That''s true; in that case, I''ll take this gamble with you. May the great Amaterasu in the heavens bear witness and bestow good fortune upon me!"

    Oishi Mochio clapped his hands lightly three times and closed his eyes to call softly upon the name of Amaterasu.

    The third quarter of the noon hour arrived in a flash, and the Qiantang tide grew even more turbulent. The waters, white as a bolt of silk and bright as frosty snow, suddenly parted and scrubbed the banks on both sides, revealing the murky outline of a stone structure in the middle.

    Now''s the time! Their eyes gleamed as they quickly climbed over the railing. Under the terrified gazes of the surrounding tourists, they jumped into the water.

    Two hundred meters away, Yan Yu''s gaze sharply locked onto the two men.

    I''ve found you!

    He too vaulted the railing and plunged into the water.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Though the Spiritual Energy Resurgence was a global phenomenon, the order in which it occurred was not the same everywhere.

    According to retrospective research by future generations, it seems to be related to the memetic cognition of traditional culture¡ªin simple terms, the more intense the traditional historical and cultural atmosphere of a society, the more rapid the advent of Spiritual Energy Resurgence.

    In a certain sense, the Spiritual Energy Resurgence itself could be considered driven by idealism.

    Lu Country had actually been exposed to the concept of Spiritual Energy Resurgence quite early on, due to Mei Yingxue''s arrival, but for various reasons¡ªsuch as ''a big ship is hard to turn around,'' ''a child does not speak of wild and supernatural things,'' ''hope this isn''t another qigong fad,'' and so on¡ªthe response was actually half a beat too slow.

    The act of treasure-thieving by Chongying Country undoubtedly delivered a heavy blow to the still-confused upper echelons, akin to the attack on Pearl Harbor, swiftly silencing the voices of dissent.

    However, even if this incident held positive significance, Yan Yu had no intention of allowing it to happen.

    It was for a simple reason: the treasure concealed within the Liuhe Pagoda at the riverbed, used by the ancient King of Wuyue to suppress the Qiantang tides, was known as the "Tianhe Stabilizing Divine Heavy Iron," cast during the time of Yu the Great''s efforts in flood control.

    If this object were stolen by Chongying''s Onmyoji, within a few years, the ferocity of the Qiantang tides would rapidly increase. Not only would Haiping County bear the brunt of it, but the entire Jiangnan textile plain would be threatened, eventually forcing the construction of a large sea barrier to barely preserve the Jiangnan textile plain.

    Yan Yu rapidly descended through the water, his gaze fixed on the two figures struggling to swim toward the inverted tower, his face breaking into an enthusiastic smile.

    Our international friends, please hold your steps for a moment, and let me extend the hospitality of a host!

 Chapter 10 Self-Sealing

    After hastily dealing with the scene, Yan Yu finally emerged from the Mysterious Realm, surfacing from the water. Soon a patrol boat came over to confirm his identity.

    When they learned he was not one of the cherry blossom tourists who had fallen into the water, the patrollers seemed somewhat disappointed, but still they pulled him onto the boat and arranged for someone to take him to shore for care. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Every year, there are accidents where tourists fall into the Qiantang River tide-watching area, so everyone is used to it.

    Seeing how dedicated the patrollers were, Yan Yu didn''t have the heart to tell them that the two international friends had already been laid to rest at the bottom of the Qiantang River, so as not to make them feel bad and blame themselves.

    Sigh, when can I change my gentle nature?

    Drenched like a drowned rat, Yan Yu retrieved his phone from a locker in a nearby supermarket and then silently boarded a bus, transferred to the subway, and then to another subway, completely ignoring the surprised looks of the other passengers.

    He returned to the residential complex, went upstairs, unlocked the door, and entered his home to find Zhao Yuanzhen had released her Invisibility Technique, clearly relieved to see him.

    "You''re finally back," she said with a smile that was trying to please, tentatively asking, "Was everything smooth on your trip?"

    "Hmph," Yan Yu said, locking the door from the inside with a cold laugh, "What do you think?"

    He fumbled in his pocket for a moment, pulled out a silver-white stone the size of an egg, and casually tossed it to Zhao Yuanzhen.

    "What is this?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked, puzzled.

    "Tianhe Anchoring Divine Treasure Iron," Yan Yu replied.

    Zhao Yuanzhen''s hands shook, almost dropping the object, and she asked with a trembling voice:

    "Is this the Tianhe Anchoring Divine Treasure Iron that the ancient Yu the Great used for controlling water?"

    "Yes," Yan Yu nodded and said, "There were two petty characters plotting to get their hands on this thing. On the command of my esteemed master, I eliminated them, and I picked this up as spare material from the Mysterious Realm."

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ......

    Esteemed Master! Where did your disciple pick this up, can I also go for a stroll there?

    In the Cultivation World from which she hails, the Tianhe Anchoring Divine Treasure Iron is one of the rarest heavenly materials and earthly treasures.

    Most of them are used to suppress water veins and springs. If removed, they could trigger floods and thereby create extremely terrifying karmic backlashes, which is why everyone is somewhat reluctant to touch them.

    The very few that circulate among Cultivators are mainly "spare materials" left in some water vein Mysterious Realms, specifically preserved by the ancient Yu the Great for unforeseen needs¡ªthe likelihood of finding these are not high. Zhao Yuanzhen had never seen such items in marketplaces, likely because they skipped the public sale stage and were secretly purchased by prestigious sects.

    Gazing raptly at the divine iron in her hand, she heard Yan Yu asking:

    "Would this be enough to craft a golem each for us?"

    "Enough, more than enough!" Zhao Yuanzhen eagerly nodded, "This Tianhe Anchoring Divine Treasure Iron is a wondrous item, it can be as large or as small, as light or as heavy as we wish. Just two ounces used as the core of the golem''s intellect would grant it the mighty strength of a thousand jun, comparable to the might of a Body Cultivating Cultivator."

    "The excess Tianhe Anchoring Divine Treasure Iron can be fused into common iron using a secret method. This will fortify the golem''s skeleton against any water-based techniques..."

    "Enough!" Yan Yu finally couldn''t restrain himself and exclaimed, "You spendthrift woman! To use such heavenly materials for a golem, they ought to be paired with other heavenly materials, not mixed with your ordinary iron¡ªI can''t fathom what you were thinking. Don''t ever mention such foolishness again!"

    Zhao Yuanzhen was taken aback, struggling for words:

    "Where would we get enough heavenly materials to make a complete golem?"

    "Just because you can''t obtain them doesn''t mean I can''t," Yan Yu said, arms crossed and speaking arrogantly, "For now, use it as the core and make do with mortal materials for the other parts to finish the golem.

    "Once we have new heavenly materials, we can replace the mortal parts. As for this ''grind into powder and mix with common iron'', truly unthinkable¡ªlet''s not speak of this again!"

    Zhao Yuanzhen was also shocked¡ªsuch grandiose claims from this young thief!

    Even the Supreme Elders of the Qiansi Sect, who controlled golems, only had about ten percent of their golems'' materials that could be considered heavenly materials. Mostly, they were mixed with common substances to maximize strength.

    From what the young thief implied, it seemed he intended to create a golem made entirely of heavenly materials¡ªsuch audacity! How could his tongue not be twisted from such grand claims!

    Although she had the urge to mock a few words, thinking of the powerful master backing that little thief, she could only swallow her anger for the time being and silently noted in her heart:

    "Today, the little thief went searching for treasures to make my puppet and humiliated me by calling me a spendthrift. I''ll remember this grudge for now, and if the day comes when I rise to power, I''ll be sure to humiliate him in return, making him weep and wail with regret!"

    Uh, why does that sound a bit off...

    Never mind, the fact that he humiliated me still stands! If I don''t avenge this insult, my name isn''t Zhao!

    Seeing Zhao Yuanzhen''s changing expressions, Yan Yu knew all too well that she had started her "fickleness" again and said with a cold sneer:

    "What inappropriate thought are you entertaining now?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen was startled and quickly tried to sweet-talk her way out with a flattering smile,

    "You and I are partners in cultivation; we should support each other naturally. This time, you brought back divine iron from the Heavenly River for the foundation, I haven''t even had the chance to thank you yet, how could I possibly resent or hate you?"

    "I never said you resented or hated me, you just confessed without being pressed!" Yan Yu instantly became furious yet laughed instead, reaching out to grab both sides of Zhao Yuanzhen''s cheeks and roughly pinched them like putty, "What a Demonic Sect Enchantress that can''t be tamed!

    I bring you heavenly treasures, become your partner in cultivation, help you in dual cultivation, provide you shelter; which of the wealth, spouse, law, and land has ever been lacking for you? And you dare bear a grudge against me!"

    "No, no! I didn''t! I am wronged!" Zhao Yuanzhen, with her cheeks grabbed, could not speak clearly; she could only whimper and murmur indistinctly, pleading for mercy with tears in the corners of her eyes, her neck to earlobes all turning red.

    The skin of this Demonic Sect Enchantress felt really good to the touch¡ªso delicate it seemed it could break with a puff. Press just a bit harder and it would turn from white to red. This made Yan Yu, who initially had no intention of punishing her excessively, unable to resist pinching her a few more times.

    Zhao Yuanzhen finally broke free from his devilish clutches, feeling angry, resentful, and annoyed inside, but knowing that this guy could guess her thoughts, she did not dare to continue cursing him in her belly. She simply wiped away her tears vigorously, turned around, kicked off her slippers, and climbed into bed, burying herself under the covers.

    You bully me all you want because you have a master supporting you. I can''t handle you, but can''t I just hide away?

    Seeing Empress Yuanzhen choosing to withdraw, Yan Yu laughed heartily for a while before going to the bathroom to take a shower.

    After his shower, dressed in fresh clothes, he came out to find the TV on, with Zhao Yuanzhen huddled under the covers like a turtle, leaving only a small opening to sneakily watch the TV.

    When she saw the bathroom door open, she quickly zipped herself back into the covers with a whoosh and stayed hidden inside again.

    Self-sealing technique, Xuanwu Secret Method!

    Yan Yu was naturally not fooled by the enchantress''s little movements, for he knew all too well that Empress Yuanzhen was a bully to the weak and feared the strong, and was only pretending to be pitiful because she considered herself at a disadvantage.

    If she finds out the truth, this Demonic Sect Enchantress will surely bare her fangs, reveal her fierce nature, and not leave even a bone of her prey... In the end, act as weak and innocent as you want, the moment I feel soft-hearted, I''ll consider it my loss!

    Yan Yu turned off the TV, then sat on the bed and pulled out his phone, wanting to see if "the Cherry Blossom tourist who fell into the Qiantang River tide" made the news.

    He didn''t find any news, but someone sent him a friend request. The profile picture was a lively and cute cartoon puppy with the note "Chen Lingyun."

    Yan Yu''s eyebrows furrowed¡ªwhat was this annoying woman up to?

    He firmly tapped to decline.

    After a moment, a new friend request arrived.

    Decline!

    Decline, decline, decline!

    Yan Yu declined them all, but Chen Lingyun was persistent, sending him over twenty friend requests, enough to test his patience.

    Forget it, I''ll accept for now.

    [Chen Lingyun]: It''s really hard to add Yan Yu as a friend!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Sorry, I installed an anti-harassment plugin, it might have mistaken you for a tea seller and automatically declined the request.

    [Chen Lingyun]: Is there really such a plugin? Could you send me the installation package as well?

    On the other side of the phone, Chen Lingyun was laughing so hard that her whole body was shaking, and even her eyes curved into crescent moons.

 Chapter 14 Beg Me

    School, along the corridor.

    "So Zhao Yuanzhen actually exists." Chen Lingyun thought aloud.

    "What, even the higher-ups aren''t sure if Zhao Yuanzhen exists now?" Yan Yu couldn''t help but chuckle and ask.

    "It''s said that the surveillance footage only captured her chasing a wisp of black mist." Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "So the possibility that she staged the whole thing can''t be ruled out."

    "After all ''when the birds are gone, the bow is put away''. If there is such a figure as the Demonic Sect Enchantress, then her role as an Orthodox Sword Immortal becomes crucial. It sounds like a reasonable logic, doesn''t it? Yet until today, that Demonic Sect Enchantress only exists in her descriptions, without any concrete evidence to back it up.

    Even her claim that the Demonic Sect Enchantress ''will definitely go on a killing spree and silence others while escaping pursuit'' did not happen."

    "In that case, it''s natural for people to think she''s ''bluffing'', ''fabricating non-existent enemies to elevate her own value.'' As for when the major search will be thoroughly relaxed, I estimate it will be around mid-April, since the grassroots are not inexhaustible like the mythical beasts Ox and Horse, we couldn''t whip them to keep striving for an intangible target forever, right?"

    "I see." Yan Yu pondered for a while, and then heard Chen Lingyun continue:

    "So when can I arrange a meeting with this Demonic Sect cultivator?"

    "It''s not convenient right now," Yan Yu said perfunctorily, "Next time, for sure."

    "Hmm-hmm." Chen Lingyun was not annoyed, just smiled and said, "The reason you came to me for help is to enable her to go out normally, right?"

    "You should know that it''s extremely troublesome to apply for an identification for someone with no ID card, no household registration, no birth certificate..."

    "But for you, it should only take a word." Yan Yu interrupted her slow speech, "When it comes to issuing IDs for people with no identification, local law enforcement has significant discretionary power."

    "Maybe." Chen Lingyun was noncommittal, "Even if I can help you out, why must I do it for you?"

    "Because we were husband and wife in our past lives?" Yan Yu ventured to ask.

    "Last time someone clarified that it wasn''t the case." Chen Lingyun said with a light smile.

    "That was to test the rapport between you and me!" Yan Yu shamelessly exclaimed, "If you had even the slightest doubt or hesitation at the time, it would have proven that you in this life are not worthy of being with me. It was a necessary test of affection!"

    "Haha." Chen Lingyun gave a polite smile, casually tucking her hair behind her ear.

    She didn''t believe a word of Yan Yu''s explanations and reasoning.

    According to the "personality sketch" in her mind, her so-called husband from her past life was the type who would do anything to achieve his goals, without the common male pride and dignity.

    When needed, it would be "dear, sweet wife," but when not, he''d instantly turn into "Who are you? I don''t know you," a predictable outcome.

    However...

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress, huh? Now that''s interesting!

    "Take me to see her," Chen Lingyun said leisurely, "or no deal."

    "For the sake of our marriage..." Yan Yu still wanted to try, after all, letting this woman meet the Empress Yuanzhen could result in some uncontrollable accidents.

    "What marriage, I don''t know about that." Chen Lingyun touched her lips and looked up at the sky, a puzzled expression on her face, "According to the family registry, I''m a pure and unmarried maiden~"

    "Fine then," Yan Yu made a decisive concession, realizing this woman wouldn''t take the bait unless the hare was on the table, "I''ll take you to see her, okay?"

    "Don''t worry, dear." Chen Lingyun immediately smiled sweetly, saying at a relaxed pace, "The issue with her identity, I''ll have someone arrange it, you don''t need to worry about it."

    Yan Yu no longer had the energy to mock this worthless woman, just sighed and said:

    "Once you''ve sorted it out, I''ll find time to arrange for you two to meet..."

    "I''m free tonight~" Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    "Tonight''s not good, I need to..."

    "I just happen to be free tonight~" Chen Lingyun continued to smile sweetly.

    Yan Yu: ...........

    Such an annoying feeling! Why do I still have to be manipulated by this trashy woman even after being reborn! S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Beg me," he suddenly said.

    "Hmm?" Chen Lingyun''s smile remained unchanged, but her eyebrows rose slightly, indicating some displeasure in her heart.

    "Beg me," Yan Yu said with a confident expression, calmly continuing, "and I will tell you a big secret."

    "What secret?" Chen Lingyun''s eyes lit up.

    "A secret that will definitely interest you," Yan Yu said indifferently, "provided that you can move me."

    Chen Lingyun''s mind raced, quickly guessing that the other party was dissatisfied because she had a hold over him, and now sought to exchange that secret for some compensation in dignity.

    As for that, she actually didn''t care.

    After all, that he could become her husband in a previous life meant he must have been deeply compatible with her in certain aspects. And the art of managing a husband was like flying a kite; constantly pulling the string would only make the other person tense all the time, eventually leading to thoughts of slipping from her control.

    In that case...

    Once Chen Lingyun had weighed her thoughts, she gently took Yan Yu''s hand, and her smile turned sweet and charming as she pleaded coquettishly:

    "Dear beloved husband~ What is that interesting secret? Please tell your cute little one~ Please, please~"

    "Pfft hahahaha!" Yan Yu could not help but burst into laughter, doubling over.

    The two were standing at the end of a corridor where there were few students, but his laughter was so exaggerated that students from afar were drawn to the noise.

    Chen Lingyun''s expression darkened as she forcefully let go of his hand, the smile on her face completely gone, replaced by a cold, angry look.

    However, Yan Yu was already satisfied. Knowing that this despicable woman would become a cultivator in the future and that her arrogance and contemptibility would soar, she was privately nicknamed "Princess Jiang Hai," a jibe at her imperious demeanor.

    To make her act coy like a little woman, only this moment in time would do.

    "The secret is, at the mouth of the Qiantang River where it flows into the sea, at the location of the Sea-Watching Tide Park, there''s a mysterious realm with an inverted six-tiered tower at its bottom," Yan Yu said in a lowered voice, "This tower was built by a great figure at the request of the Wuyue King Qian Chu during the Five Dynasties period, to suppress the tides of the Qiantang River.

    The divine treasure iron at the bottom of the tower, the Heavenly River Anchor, is the core of the realm, with the power to suppress the sea tides and keep the sea level from rising."

    "Some time ago, two Japanese Onmyoji dived into the tidal waters, intending to steal the Heavenly River Anchor from within."

    Chen Lingyun fell silent for a moment, then said:

    "You stopped them?"

    "A mysterious guest stopped them," Yan Yu said leisurely, "The bodies were left at the top of the tower."

    "Oh, so you really did make a great contribution," Chen Lingyun said in a low voice.

    Her face had lost its polite smile, clearly recognizing the gravity of the situation.

    From Yan Yu''s description, the Qiantang River Tide-Suppressing Tower seemed akin to the "Three Gorges Dam" of the northern Jiangnan Province, and if the Heavenly River Anchor were stolen, it would be as if someone had blown up this dam ¨C the Jiangnan weaving plain would be submerged... This was a matter of life and death!

    "What are you talking about?" Yan Yu shook his head, "It was the mysterious guest who stopped them. I have no idea who he is."

    Chen Lingyun let out a cold laugh, knowing he wanted to hide his identity, and said:

    "If what you''re saying is true, this matter cannot be easily settled. That stretch of river and the nearby embankments will definitely be designated as military no-go zones. And just like the Onmyoji, the mysterious guest has been inside the realm... You understand, right? His identity will definitely be subjected to thorough investigation, and that''s the biggest uncontrollable factor."

    "So, if someone went in ahead of time, cleaned up the scene, and claimed those two bodies," Yan Yu was quite calm, "then the authorities would realize the threat of foreign Transcendents, be sufficiently vigilant, and yet not discover any trace of the mysterious guest."

    "Then cooperation from the Zhendong Army would be needed," Chen Lingyun paused, considering her words.

    "Yes, if there are trustworthy personnel within the Zhendong Army, the matter could easily be resolved," Yan Yu said, a meaningful smile spreading across his face.

    "I''ll try," Chen Lingyun replied.

    She said "I''ll try" rather than "leave it to me," which meant that she would need to seek assistance from her father, the Governor of Jianghai Prefecture, Chen Tianming.

    A high-ranking official with enough pull within the Zhendong Army, the only difficulty lay in convincing this Governor.

    But given Chen Lingyun''s intelligence and eloquence, Yan Yu had no doubts about her success.

 Chapter 17 Ill Let You Know If I Am Worthy or Not

    ```

    Having met with Zhao Yuanzhen and promised to help her resolve her identity issue, Chen Lingyun took her leave and went home.

    In the following days, the two maintained frequent communication within the school.

    Yan Yu''s disdainful "you too are worthy?" had no impact on Chen Lingyun; instead, it only strengthened her resolve towards a certain idea.

    Of course, with both of them being exceedingly shrewd, they made sure not to let other students catch them during their regular meetings, often choosing secluded places like the end of an empty corridor or the small lawn behind the laboratory building... Their covert meetings resembled those of secret lovers.

    However, at least for now, there have been no sparks of romance between the two.

    In Chen Lingyun''s eyes, Yan Yu was "my favorite toy," "please entertain me to your fullest," while in Yan Yu''s heart, Chen Lingyun oscillated between a "woman in need of discipline" and a "fat sheep ripe for use."

    If one were to talk about interests, Chen Lingyun indeed needed Yan Yu''s prophetic edge to confirm her judgments on the current situation, whereas Yan Yu needed to obtain some information details from Chen Lingyun that he was unclear about in his previous life.

    "The Pingjing Chaoming Medical College came up with a complete testing solution yesterday afternoon," Chen Lingyun said calmly after class, as they met, "It''s possible to confirm whether there is Spiritual Energy within the bloodline through blood tests, thereby determining if one has the qualifications for cultivation."

    Cultivation places great emphasis on talent, a conclusion drawn by the first batch of military cultivators during their training. Experiments have shown that those without talent cannot force cultivation, it isn''t a matter of achieving less with more effort, they simply cannot start to cultivate at all.

    Of course, Yan Yu knew the reality was not like this; the issue mainly lay in the Primordial Unity Scripture offered by Mei Yingxue, which had excessively high requirements for a cultivator''s talent.

    If replaced with Zhao Yuanzhen''s String-Pulling Technique, there would be no demand for any cultivation talent, but its requirements for cultivation resources were incredibly high¡ªanother troublesome matter, but at least one wouldn''t be hindered by innate cultivation talents.

    "So you must have had your blood tested in advance, right?" Yan Yu asked casually, leaning on the railing.

    "Mhm," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "in our circles, only two people have passed the blood test."

    Upon saying this, she paused for a moment and then added with a smile:

    "You know who the other person is, don''t you?"

    "Of course," Yan Yu said leisurely, "Princess Jiang Hai Chen Lingyun, Pingjing''s number one figure, Liu Longtao, are set to be called the fools of the south and the idiots of the north in the future."

    Chen Lingyun burst into laughter, unable to hold back:

    "''Idiot of the north'' is quite fitting. Who came up with ''fool of the south''? Tell me their name, I want to remember it."

    "So you do not deny the title of ''Princess Jiang Hai,'' do you?" Yan Yu asked, looking at her askance.

    "Why deny it?" Chen Lingyun said serenely, "As long as I am strong enough, all the ridicule will ultimately turn into praise. Besides, the word ''princess'' can carry both positive and negative connotations."

    Yan Yu quietly tugged at the corner of his mouth.

    It had begun.

    Since discovering she was one in ten thousand with the talent for cultivation, this despicable woman''s confidence and degree of despicableness were about to soar.

    How about breaking ties now?

    If ties are cut, I won''t have to deal with her despicableness.

    "I have an idea," Chen Lingyun propped her hands on the railing and stretched her body gracefully like a cat, softly saying, "I want to control all cultivators who hail from Zhendong."

    "All the undergraduate cultivators selected from Jiangbei, Jiang Hai, Jiangnan, Jianghuai, Minhai, and Jiujiang will undergo uniform training at the Zhendong Academy for Cultivators in the future." sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "I want to gather them all under my wing." The girl turned her head back again, her face adorned with a sweet and brilliant smile, "What do you think, my dear?"

    Yan Yu looked at her speechlessly.

    Just as expected! With a rapid rise in confidence, this despicable woman was already beginning to dream impossible dreams!

    "I don''t think it''s possible," he bluntly stated, "because you''re not strong enough."

    "There are four main elements of cultivation: talent, physique, comprehension, and fate. Aside from the uncontrollable fate, the most important is talent."

    "And your talent, among cultivators, is actually only mediocre."

    Chen Lingyun quieted down, gazing at him silently.

    "Even Liu Longtao, whom you always look down upon," Yan Yu pressed on, "has far superior talent to you; hence, in the future, he will have more say among the Dingbei Army cultivators than you will amongst the Zhendong Army cultivators."

    "So that''s how it is," Chen Lingyun fell silent for a while, then suddenly seemed somewhat sorrowful, "Is that why you previously said the future of cultivators would be terrifying?"

    "That''s right," Yan Yu said in a somber tone, "whether it''s the utterly foolish idiots, the worthless scum that are worse than pigs and dogs, or the scoundrels who take lives at will..."

    ```

    "As long as one can cultivate and gain strength, they can control the corresponding secular power. Without regard for character, that''s the most troublesome part."

    Chen Lingyun didn''t answer.

    She boredly grabbed the railing, let her body relax backward naturally, and tilted her head pondering for a moment.

    "What about you?" Chen Lingyun suddenly asked, "What if you came to help me?"

    "If I were to help you, then there would be no concern for conquering Zhendong or securing Dingbei, no need to worry about pacifying Pingxi or stabilizing Annan," Yan Yu said leisurely.

    "Oh, quite the big talker, aren''t you?" Chen Lingyun revealed a teasing smile.

    "Nonsense." Yan Yu extended his right thumb and poked his own chest, asserting as a matter of course, "When it comes to strength, I''m the strongest in this world, okay?"

    Chen Lingyun blinked.

    She turned her head toward the distance as if she were daydreaming, or perhaps she was thinking about something.

    "I believe what you say," Chen Lingyun said softly, "But I still want to try, to follow my own plan."

    "If I fail... then I''ll ask for your help. What do you say to us, husband and wife, combining our efforts? I''ll provide the strategy, and you''ll contribute the strength; together we''ll control the world, how about that?"

    "My answer is three words," Yan Yu responded calmly.

    "I do?" Chen Lingyun revealed an adorable smile.

    "In your dreams!" Yan Yu rejected her loudly.

    Before Chen Lingyun could continue to say anything, Yan Yu mercilessly mocked her:

    "I won''t comment on your height, I won''t mention your figure, but just your nasty character alone, always fake-smiling as if everyone else is an idiot, enjoying the discomfort of others for fun, why would I marry you if I''m not a masochist? Wouldn''t I rather find a gentle and lovely girl, or a serious and capable one with black, straight hair? And you..."

    His voice came to an abrupt halt, for Chen Lingyun''s smile had completely faded from her face, replaced by a terrifying expression akin to that of a demon.

    It was a darker aspect she had never revealed in her previous life.

    "The gentle and lovely girl you mentioned just now," Chen Lingyun asked slowly, enunciating each word as if squeezing them through her teeth, "who is that? And the one with black, straight hair, who is she?"

    ......

    Yan Yu crouched in the men''s restroom for quite a while.

    Not because he was hiding from anyone, he was just using the restroom, and he had a feeling that it would be very bad to go out now. But he wasn''t hiding from anyone. There was no rush to return to the classroom since the class hadn''t started, nor was he worried someone might come looking for him. Anyway, it''d be better to wait until the bell rang to go out. In any case, he wasn''t hiding from anyone.

    Gosh! I''m the strongest in this world!

    On the other side, in the classroom of Senior Year, Class 3, the students gathered in small groups, resting or chatting leisurely.

    Suddenly, an extremely beautiful female student walked into the classroom of Senior Year, Class 3 from the front door.

    The noise gradually settled down as everyone recognized that the beautiful girl who burst in wasn''t a student from Class 3¡ªafter all, a girl that cute wouldn''t be easily forgotten once seen, right?

    Chen Lingyun''s gaze swept over all the students before she turned to the closest female student with a somewhat pitiful smile:

    "Excuse me... Is Yan Yu here?"

    "Yan Yu?" The female student immediately showed a look of realization and pointed outside, saying, "He went out as soon as class ended and hasn''t returned yet."

    "Is that so?" Chen Lingyun lowered her head sadly, her voice faint as her eyes began to redden.

    Then she turned around, seemingly not wanting others to see her upset, but tears still dropped down relentlessly.

    To the nearby female classmates, several keywords immediately sprang to mind:

    Yan Yu, beautiful girl, heartbreak, crying...

    Gossip material!

    "What''s wrong, are you okay?" Without needing any prompting, four or five girls rushed forward to take the still sobbing Chen Lingyun out of the classroom, comforting her in hushed tones in the hallway while trying to find out what happened between her and Yan Yu.

    Another outgoing girl stood at the classroom''s entrance, blocking the male students inside from coming out to eavesdrop on the gossip:

    "Don''t listen! Mind your own business, what does this have to do with you? Go back to your seats!"

 Chapter 18 Official Identity

    Yan Yu had been feeling something strange lately.

    For some reason, starting from some time ago, his classmates began to view him with peculiar opinions... The girls often gossiped about him behind his back, but when Yan Yu asked them, they flat out denied it, allowing him to catch only snippets of words such as "cheating," "player," among half-whispered conversations.

    The boys, on the other hand, would slap him on the back, laugh and joke, throwing around baffling comments like, "When did you get a girlfriend, man?" "Not even a word to us, are we still brothers?" "With that on your mind, can you still focus on your college entrance exams?"

    Though Yan Yu had no proof, he was certain:

    It was definitely Chen Lingyun''s doing!

    Wait, the reason this wretched woman hasn''t contacted me recently wouldn''t be because she''s waiting for me to beg her, would it?

    Dream on!

    The physical examination for college entrance is about to start, and I will become a Cultivator then. Do you think I would care about what these high school classmates think?

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    About two weeks later.

    One day, after school, as Yan Yu returned home alone, he suddenly saw Chen Lingyun, whom he hadn''t seen for a long time, standing at his doorstep, waiting.

    Today, the young lady was dressed in a simple white dress with high-heeled boots, standing pretty as a freshly blossomed water lily.

    "Why are you here?" Yan Yu took out his keys to open the door, asking in surprise, "How long have you been waiting?"

    "Not long," Chen Lingyun said with a smile. "Considering the time school ends and the walk here, it''s not difficult to estimate when you''d arrive home."

    "Then come in," Yan Yu sighed and said.

    Once inside the house, they saw Zhao Yuanzhen lying on the bed, sound asleep, with her unladylike white legs shamelessly exposed.

    This Demonic Sect Enchantress isn''t meditating at home, but instead snoozing away here!

    If she keeps this up, her personality is truly going to waste.

    "Hmm." Chen Lingyun gave a faint smile, took out a small bag she carried with her, and pulled out documents such as an ID card and household registration book, raising her eyebrows and saying, "I''ve taken care of everything. Here it is."

    Yan Yu took a look at the ID card, and the name astonishingly read "Zhao Jiuzhen"¡ªyou only changed one character!

    "This won''t get recognized, will it?" he asked again with a dubious look. "Wait, you don''t mean the moment you enter these into the database, they''ll notice right away, do you?!"

    "Nope," Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    As for why that wouldn''t happen, she didn''t intend to explain, instead adopting an "believe it or not" attitude.

    Yan Yu silently gathered the materials and heard Chen Lingyun say:

    "Senior high students just need to participate in the physical examination for college entrance. For someone like her without school records, a social idler, she needs to go to a specific hospital for certain tests to confirm the presence of Spiritual Energy."

    "Are you planning to get her into the college as well?" Yan Yu asked, stroking his chin.

    "The comprehensive cultivation plan due to inter-college competition has been set by the top," Chen Lingyun said with a smile. "Since we are planning to enroll at Zhendong College, it''s obviously better for Zhendong College to have as many Cultivators as possible. Besides, she was born in that world. Even if it''s just the knowledge in her mind, it might not be less important than Mei Yingxue."

    "That makes sense," Yan Yu muttered, deep in thought when suddenly Chen Lingyun leaned in close and asked with breath as fragrant as orchids:

    "Haven''t contacted you recently, did you miss me?"

    "Not at all," Yan Yu stated bluntly. "But my classmates sure miss you. They''re all very curious why I would date such a wretched ''girlfriend''."

    "I went back to Jianghai Prefecture a while ago," Chen Lingyun said with a faint smile, "Today, I''m here to get her physical examination done to ensure she can also enroll smoothly."

    "After this is over, I still have to rush back to Jianghai tonight."

    "You''re going back tonight?" Yan Yu was slightly surprised, "Are you that busy?"

    "I knew you can''t bear to part with me," Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile, her eyes curving into crescents.

    Yan Yu couldn''t be bothered to argue with her and just listened as she explained:

    "Military cultivators were the first batch of cultivators, and I am part of the second batch, which is university student cultivators. Since I had confirmed my Spirit Root in advance, I have to cooperate with the military cultivators in a series of experiments to see if their training methods in the army are applicable to university students."

    "I remember they didn''t fully use military training methods in the end," Yan Yu pondered solemnly, "The reason seemed to be due to changes in Mitchi Country."

    "Yes, it was just at the end of this month that Mitchi Country introduced new policies," Chen Lingyun nodded, "They have publicly announced the recruitment of Transcendents from all over the world and established two organizations. One is the ''Superhero Alliance'' and the other is the ''Homeland Strategic Bureau''."

    "The Superhero Alliance plans to become a professional league like the NBA, using a large amount of fame and wealth to attract foreign Transcendents to participate in combative spectator sports; whereas the Homeland Strategic Bureau is an official agency and will select elites from the Superhero Alliance to join and become the country''s official military Transcendents."

    "That''s so Mitchi Country," Yan Yu couldn''t help but remark, despite already knowing the world''s trend, "They have such a developed commercial mindset."

    "In short, ever since Mitchi Country''s Transcendent introduction plan came out, it''s basically thrown the rest of the world into disarray," Chen Lingyun said, chuckling, "Cultivators are different from scientists.

    If scientific talents are poached by other countries, it won''t cause a fundamental harm, but if cultivators are enticed away by fame and wealth, one issue is the complete leakage of cultivation systems and training models, and the other is the fear that in the later stages of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, some cultivators will possess the terrifying strength to dominate battlefields.

    In that case, we would certainly lose out big time."

    "So there''s been internal debate lately about whether to continue with strict militarized training or to also introduce fame and wealth to deeply bind cultivators," Chen Lingyun continued thoughtfully, then asked with a smile, "Never mind, let me guess, in the future we will opt for a dual approach, right?"

    "Of course," Yan Yu replied nonchalantly, "No matter the occupation, if the compensation can''t match that of foreign counterparts, even the most patriotic will have complaints. Plus, with cultivators truly possessing the power to defect forcefully, it would be strange if the authorities felt reassured, wouldn''t it?"

    "You''re absolutely right," Chen Lingyun smiled delightedly, "That means as long as we can become the most powerful cultivators, power, fame, benefits¡ªall will follow suit. Doesn''t that make things even more interesting?"

    "Hmm," Yan Yu responded, though he seemed less than enthusiastic.

    Power, fame, wealth¡ªthey don''t just fall from the sky. You pay a dear price for these things... with your life...

    Seeing him like this, Chen Lingyun didn''t ask further but went over to wake Zhao Yuanzhen and planned to take her for a medical checkup.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, half-roused by the push, mumbled in a daze:

    "Stop messing with me~ let me sleep a bit more."

    Chen Lingyun turned around, her face devoid of any smile, and asked indifferently:

    "Oh? How do you usually mess around?"

    "The same way you mess around with others," Yan Yu replied just as expressionlessly. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "I see." Chen Lingyun appeared thoughtful, "Then demonstrate it for me."

    Yan Yu walked over to the bed and pinched Zhao Yuanzhen''s nose.

    Zhao Yuanzhen kept her eyes closed, simply opening her mouth to breathe. Yan Yu then covered her mouth, and yet this Demonic Sect Enchantress still didn''t open her eyes... she actually went straight into a state of suspended animation and continued to sleep.

    "Looks like she won''t wake up," Yan Yu let go of her mouth and nose and sighed, "Then it''s just the two of us going for hotpot."

    "Okay, hubby!" Chen Lingyun was overjoyed and responded loudly.

    Before the two had even reached the door, Zhao Yuanzhen smacked her lips and suddenly sat up abruptly on the bed, yelling:

    "Who''s going for hotpot without me!"

 Chapter 21 My Puppet Wont Get Hurt

    ```

    Theoretically, as an 18-year-old adult, Yan Yu had the right to choose which university to attend on his own.

    In reality, of course, he still had to do the proper communication with his parents.

    Having signed his name on the enrollment agreement in front of the principal, the head teacher, and the recruiting officer, Yan Yu had actually shed his identity as a "senior three student" and had contributed to the school''s college enrollment rate.

    Therefore, instead of returning to the classroom to continue cramming with his classmates, he went to get his cell phone back from his homeroom teacher and then strutted home.

    The homeroom teacher even considerately allowed him to backdate a month''s leave, to prevent any adverse effects on his normal graduation.

    As he walked home, Yan Yu took a moment to gather his thoughts before dialing his father''s number.

    Aside from himself, there were three other people in the family. His father, named Yan Nantian, was a regular employee at a state-owned enterprise. It seemed that his grandfather hadn''t read Gu Long''s "The Legendary Siblings" when he named his father.

    When he was a child living in the company''s staff dormitory, every time Yan Nantian returned home from work, there would always be neighborhood kids shouting "Silken Bond Technique" around him, and Yan Yu would often be caught by his playmates to "pass on the technique in turn".

    Given these memories that Yan Yu preferred to forget, hereinafter, "Yan Nantian" will be referred to as "Father Yan".

    His mother, Zhang Yalan, was a primary school Chinese language teacher at a local school, also referred to as "Mother Yan".

    Then there was his younger sister, Yan Jing, who was currently attending a local middle school.

    After Yan Yu called, he roughly explained the situation at school to his dad: direct military sponsorship, enlistment upon graduation, initial military rank, and a monthly salary of 40,000 yuan.

    Father Yan just responded with a series of noncommittal grunts, without asking, "Is that school for real, or is it fake?"

    "Aren''t you going to ask about the school?" Yan Yu felt that something was off.

    "No," Father Yan said.

    "Aren''t you worried it might be fake?" Yan Yu was even more puzzled.

    "The leader just talked to me," Father Yan answered calmly, "saying that your kid has been noticed by the military, that you must let him attend Zhendong National Defense Academy, also mentioning that a state enterprise is different from a private one, the staff should have enough political awareness... You get it, what else could I say?"

    Yan Yu: .........

    So it turns out that your recruitment strategy was to work on both the student and the parents at the same time!

    "Alright then." He was about to hang up when his sister Yan Jing''s voice came through the phone, "Big bro! You have a salary of 40,000 yuan, can you buy me a bag?"

    "What does a girl your age need a bag for!" Mother Yan interjected, "Yan Yu, don''t mind her."

    "Jing Jing, school isn''t out yet, right?" Yan Yu asked with narrowed eyes, "How come you''re at home?"

    "It''s my period and it hurts too much today, so I asked the teacher for half a day off," Yan Jing said excitedly. "Big bro, you don''t have a girlfriend, and you can''t spend 40,000 yuan a month, so why not buy a bag for your sister? Chasing a goddess will only get you treated like a lapdog, but buying something for your sister, that''s true sibling love!"

    "Alright, alright." Yan Yu immediately agreed, "I''ll buy you a new backpack right away, filled with middle school exam review questions, you just wait!"

    "You''re doing every evil thing..." The sister''s pitiful howl came from the phone, along with Mother Yan''s relentless suppression, and Yan Yu, having successfully played his trick, hung up and walked leisurely home.

    Yeah, he was going to become a cultivator.

    However, there was no real sense of joy, strangely enough.

    Because what he truly longed for was not so much to become a cultivator, but to make amends for the profound regret of the past life, the "almost made it" feeling.

    And that tiny gap might just be the difference between a "cultivator" and a "non-cultivator".

    That wretched woman, Chen Lingyun, in the past life always liked to say, "Ah, what a pity you''re not a cultivator", aside from deliberately teasing and enjoying his awkwardness, perhaps there actually was a bit of real regret there as well?

    As for the exact proportion, maybe ten percent, couldn''t be any more.

    Upon arriving home, Yan Yu saw two "mannequins" standing in the living room, who were the spitting image of Zhao Yuanzhen. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    As for the real Demonic Sect Enchantress, Zhao Yuanzhen, she was sitting at the desk, focused on operating something.

    Seeing that she was probably at a critical point in creating the core components of a puppet, Yan Yu didn''t dare to disturb her, but quietly closed the door and decided to go out for a walk.

    Hm?

    There was a package on the floor, sent from Jianghai Prefecture.

    ```

    When opened, inside was indeed the enrollment agreement for "Zhao Jiuzhen" and a handwritten note from Chen Lingyun.

    "Fill it out and send it back to me as soon as possible."

    At the end, she even drew a cartoon of a little dog in simple strokes.

    It''s all sorted out now... Yan Yu couldn''t help but sigh.

    This woman, Chen Lingyun, is really useless when she isn''t serious, but incredibly efficient when she is.

    "It''s all sorted out!" Zhao Yuanzhen''s excited voice rang out from inside the room, "Hahaha! I am indeed a genius, Yan Yu, you little thief, what do you have to say now..."

    Yan Yu quickly pushed the door open and asked coldly,

    "Is it done?"

    Zhao Yuanzhen subconsciously felt guilty, as if she were caught talking behind someone''s back, but quickly regained her composure and declared with pride,

    "The puppet''s core is ready!"

    Whether intentionally or not, the enchantress made a conspicuous, surging motion, but luckily, Yan Yu possessed immense strategic composure and was not swayed by her beauty, simply saying,

    "Let me see it!"

    After examining the puppet for a long time, Yan Yu finally frowned and said,

    "Why does this puppet look so much like you?"

    "Because my appearance and figure are perfect," Zhao Yuanzhen confidently said with one hand on her chest, "Even though it''s a battle puppet for cultivation, if it''s possible to pursue the ultimate in looks, there''s no need to make it ugly, right?"

    "Your point makes sense, but it still feels weird," Yan Yu expressed that he couldn''t understand, wondering who in their right mind would create a life-sized puppet that resembled themselves!

    And the proportions of this figure are highly unseemly... you''re asking to get slapped by your mother, right?

    Oh, it seems you don''t have a mother, so never mind.

    "Don''t touch it yet, I need to install the core," Zhao Yuanzhen opened the chests of the two puppets and carefully placed the silver-white cores, made of celestial steel needles, inside.

    Then she closed the chest plates.

    "All done!" Zhao Yuanzhen clapped her hands and said, "You wanna try?"

    Yan Yu calmly stood still and began to operate the String-Pulling Technique.

    An elusive and profound connection formed between his mind and the puppet in front of him.

    The beautiful puppet that looked exactly like Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly opened her bright yet emotionless eyes.

    Then, like lightning, she reached out and grabbed Zhao Yuanzhen by the throat.

    The latter, annoyed, swatted the puppet''s arm away, "What are you doing!"

    "Just seeing if it could make you pass away," Yan Yu replied calmly.

    "Huh?" Zhao Yuanzhen didn''t understand, but as a fickle Demonic Sect Enchantress, she quickly cast aside her excess emotions and excitedly said, "These two puppets are so much better than the ones I used before! As long as they''re provided with a constant supply of True Yuan, they can exert immense strength continuously, analogous to a permanent Wood Bending Charm!"

    "Mhm, mhm, mhm," Yan Yu responded absently, while his mind instantly flashed with several impressive battle tactics that could be implemented with the help of the puppets.

    "My puppet shall be named ''Ami''," continued Zhao Yuanzhen, "What will you name yours?"

    "Uh," Yan Yu said nonchalantly, "How about ''Tuofo''?"

    "Why would you choose a Buddhist Sect name?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked angrily. "Even if it''s to match with my puppet, wouldn''t ''Ah Zhen'' be much better?"

    "The name is not the point," Yan Yu said seriously, "The point is, we can only use our puppets as a trump card at critical moments, do you understand?"

    "Why?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked, displeased.

    "Because we can''t expose the Silken Bond Technique," Yan Yu said, gazing into her eyes, "After enrollment, we must avoid revealing your identity as much as possible, even the slightest suspicion."

    "This is the order from our master."

 Chapter 23 Come Be My Secretary

    Yan Yu helped Su Yunjin pick up her books, really without any ill intentions.

    Unlike Chen Lingyun, his impression of Su Yunjin in his past life was quite favorable. A well-behaved Miss from a family of scholars with a sense of propriety¡ªwho would dislike such a person?

    Another reason was... Su Yunjin died too tragically in the end. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    In an era of great contention, not competing means being eliminated. Su Yunjin herself lacked ambition and a utilitarian mindset, and on the battlefield, she tended to overthink yet lacked the decisiveness needed to make swift decisions.

    When given commands, she was the perfect chief of staff. But without leadership, she would fall into the "hesitation conundrum" typical of gentler people.

    ... The more she tried to save everyone, the less she was able to save anyone, and in the end, she even lost her own life.

    In contrast, Chen Lingyun''s decision to give up on her at that time was actually the wisest act of bravery.

    Although it was a pity indeed.

    Hmm, maybe this time around he could find a way to have Su Yunjin become his secretary.

    Chen Lingyun was not exactly a good leader. Her command skills were passable, but her actual strength was a glaring weakness, sometimes failing to protect her subordinates.

    Yan Yu was the type with a strong propensity for action; once he made a decision, he immediately took out his cellphone and sent a message to Su Yunjin:

    "How about joining me?"

    On the other end, Su Yunjin, upon receiving the message, was baffled for quite a long time.

    "Huh?"

    "It means exactly what it says," Yan Yu typed, "I need someone to help me deal with some miscellaneous matters, and you just entered school today with no specific goals, right?"

    "Actually, I can tell that you don''t really want to attend this university. You''re the type who loves literature, and the Chinese Language and Literature major would have suited you best. It''s just unfortunate that our university is quite special, with those chosen having no right to refuse."

    After about two or three minutes, Su Yunjin replied:

    "So what?"

    "So, if you follow me, maybe you could break free from your confusion and find the meaning in studying here," Yan Yu quickly typed.

    Many freshmen experience such a period of confusion: Having been focused on sprinting towards a single goal during their senior year of high school, they feel lost once they get to university not knowing what to do.

    For Su Yunjin, the situation was even more severe, as her goal had always been the Chinese Language and Literature Department of Gusu University. However, her sudden discovery of a Spirit Root forced her to sign an enrollment agreement with Zhendong National Defense University¡ªcompletely crushing her expectations for university life.

    "Hahaha, I''ve been quite confused recently," Su Yunjin replied, "I didn''t expect everyone to notice."

    Yan Yu frowned slightly and typed:

    "Did Chen Lingyun also come to you?"

    "Yes," Su Yunjin felt somewhat puzzled, how did he know?

    "She said similar things to me, offering similar advice."

    "And your response?"

    "I said," Su Yunjin typed, "that I need to think about it."

    From childhood, she had always followed the trajectory laid out by her parents, never daring to overstep. Now that she had entered this military-affiliated university, her academic-circle parents could no longer be of much help.

    If she didn''t know what to do next, then perhaps it was worth trying to follow in someone else''s footsteps... But whose?

    From a female perspective, of course, she leaned more towards the same gender, Chen Lingyun, after all, constantly being seen with boys could lead to being misunderstood as being in a romantic relationship.

    But Chen Lingyun''s smile made her somewhat uneasy.

    "I see." Yan Yu''s message came through, "Then take your time to think about it. However, if you decide to follow Chen Lingyun, you can''t just always follow her orders, you need to have your own ideas and thoughts."

    Su Yunjin''s next reply, however, leapt to a change of topic:

    "Yan Yu, are you very familiar with Chen Lingyun?"

    "Not really," Yan Yu pondered for a moment before typing, "It''s just an acquaintance."

    "But that''s not what she says."

    Yan Yu: ???

    Immediately following, a video chat invitation from the cunning woman popped up at the top of the screen.

    He silently tapped accept, and Chen Lingyun''s sweet smile appeared on the screen, with a visibly embarrassed Su Yunjin at her side, who mouthed a silent apology with a bitter smile.

    Judging by the background in the video, the two of them seemed to be in Su Yunjin''s single room at the dormitory.

    "Yan Yu," Chen Lingyun said with a twinkle in her eye, "trying to steal her away from me on the first day of school, huh?"

    "Don''t make it sound so dramatic," Yan Yu waved nonchalantly, "She hasn''t agreed to you yet."

    "This kid was my pick first." Chen Lingyun''s smile remained steady, "And I issued my invitation before you did. Plus, as a guy, to brazenly invite a girl to hang out with you, it''s hard not to suspect you have ulterior motives, isn''t it?"

    "Hey, don''t unjustly tarnish my reputation!" Yan Yu immediately retorted with wide eyes, "I just can''t bear to see her fall into your hands and then be played around by you."

    "How interesting," Chen Lingyun narrowed her eyes and smiled, "So in your heart, I''m the kind of bad woman who bullies her classmates?"

    "Aren''t you?"

    "You''re not allowed to answer a question with a question~"

    You two really have a good relationship... Watching their skillful interaction, Su Yunjin really wanted to make a comment, but good upbringing held her back.

    From the content and tone of their conversation, they were clearly more than just friends, but there was no hint of flirtation or intimacy, so what exactly was their relationship?

    "I''m not going to talk to you anymore, I''m going to the dining hall to eat," Yan Yu, noticing Su Yunjin''s odd expression, waved his hand impatiently, "That''s it, hanging up."

    "We''re about to go eat too," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "together?"

    Yan Yu''s first instinct was to refuse, but he quickly reconsidered.

    If Chen Lingyun was actively inviting him to eat, then it definitely wasn''t just for a meal or to cultivate a relationship, but because she had something to discuss with him.

    "Then let''s meet at the dining hall entrance."

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The extravagance of the Cultivator Academy''s dining hall couldn''t quite match the dormitories, but most of the cost was actually invested in the kitchen¡ªthe chef team was the same one that had managed the Asian Games at Lin''an Prefecture a few years before.

    Yan Yu met the two girls at the entrance of the dining hall: Chen Lingyun was dressed in a pleated skirt that fell past her knees and a simple blouse, topped with a cute gray beret.

    Su Yunjin had also changed clothes, wearing a blouse, form-fitting pants, and canvas shoes. Though her outfit wasn''t as elaborate as Chen Lingyun''s, she carried a different kind of classical beauty.

    Additionally, when these two girls stood side by side, Chen Lingyun''s petite stature immediately became apparent. Su Yunjin, who was not particularly tall among her peers, was still half a head taller than her; her height of one meter fifty-six was indeed a bit... cute.

    "Oh my, where did this elementary school student come from?" Yan Yu teased, finding it amusing as he regarded Chen Lingyun, "Are you coming to eat at the dining hall with your sister?"

    "See that?" Chen Lingyun wasn''t upset, instead she said to Su Yunjin, "If you chose to follow him back then, you''d now be harassed by such outrageous comments."

    "Yan Yu," Su Yunjin said awkwardly, "it''s impolite to joke about someone''s height like that, isn''t it?"

    "...Sorry."

    Facing Chen Lingyun, the cunning woman, Yan Yu could let loose without restraint, but with Su Yunjin, the gentle and kind young lady from a good family, he admittedly felt a bit embarrassed to tease her too much.

    Bullying a virtuous young lady is no fun at all, not nearly as amusing as kneading a cunning woman.

 Chapter 25 Showcase Skills at the Training Ground

    Yan Yu ultimately did not block Chen Lingyun.

    It wasn''t because he was afraid she would seek out his sister and dig up his embarrassing childhood history, but because he didn''t want to stoop to the level of such a despicable woman.

    After all, if he stooped to another''s level of pettiness, the result would only spiral into greater pettiness, which was really not advisable.

    After the four finished dinner in the cafeteria, they walked slowly along the path outside.

    The combination of one male and three females, especially since all the girls were quite attractive, undoubtedly drew the attention of many passing students and staff members.

    As a leaf among the flowers, Yan Yu also received such curious and inquisitive gazes. Thankfully, they were mostly out of curiosity and investigation, and there were no death stares from single dogs attempting to glare him to death.

    "Walking with three beauties must be a lot of pressure, right?" Chen Lingyun was, as expected, bringing up the awkward subject again, her annoying knack for observing words and colors at play.

    "What are you talking about? There are only two beauties here," Yan Yu glanced at her sidelong.

    Even the gentle and demure Su Yunjin, who never forgot to focus on her reading while walking, and Lin Ning, couldn''t help but prick their ears up quietly from the sidelines.

    Who are you talking about?

    Who has been kicked out of the ranks of beauties?

    It better not be me, or else I will...

    "So, who is it that''s not a beauty?" Already guessing what he was going to say, Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, "Think carefully before you speak~"

    "Of course, it''s someone who''s not even 1.6 meters tall," Yan Yu said very calmly, "That height clearly belongs to an elementary school student. Calling her a ''young lady'' is really a stretch. If she went to an internet cafe, she wouldn''t even have the chance to show her ID before being kicked out."

    Su Yunjin sighed beside them, as she had already seen that Yan Yu wasn''t really engaging in personal attacks, since Chen Lingyun didn''t look the least bit insulted or hurt.

    To be exact, this seemed to be some sort of "special communication where insulting each other strengthens their relationship." According to the descriptions in novels, this type of conversation typically occurred among very close male friends...

    "Judging a woman by her height is petty," Lin Ning interjected suddenly.

    Su Yunjin felt suffocated for a moment. With just one sentence, this child managed to attack two people at once¡ªwas she missing some common sense?

    The smile on Chen Lingyun''s face remained unchanged; she only raised her eyebrows slightly, looking at Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu glanced at Lin Ning and saw her looking down at the path with a cold expression, completely ignoring him. He took a deep breath and then spoke with feeling:

    "Indeed, because physical appearance possesses the charm to make one an appealing member of the opposite sex, confessing without knowing the person''s character is hardly likely to result in a lasting relationship. And let''s not forget, as high school students, our main focus is still supposed to be on studying.

    I''m happy that you like me, but as the class president, I still need to have a serious talk with you about this..."

    As Yan Yu recited his deep feelings, Lin Ning''s expression quickly changed from cold to shocked, then from shocked to fearful, and from fearful to wanting to dig a hole to hide in out of embarrassment¡ªand a type of anger that wanted her to annihilate herself and him right there and then, her neck and ears turning completely red.

    "You you you you you! Come here!" She yanked Yan Yu''s arm forcefully, dragging him toward a small grove, calling out in embarrassment and anger, "Stop reciting! Come with me!"

    The two of them busied themselves going into the grove. Su Yunjin was silent for a moment before sighing and saying:

    "Is it really okay?"

    "It''s okay," Chen Lingyun''s smile was very cheerful, "I''m confident he knows where to draw the line, and..."

    "...besides, it''s quite interesting, isn''t it?"

    Less than a minute had passed before Yan Yu and Lin Ning emerged from the grove. The former strutted back with an air of triumph, while the latter wore an expression that screamed, "I''m so mad but have to restrain myself" like she had been thoroughly put in her place.

    "Let''s go," said Yan Yu, waving his hand. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Su Yunjin walked beside them, furtively checking if their clothes were disheveled, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

    The Zhendong National Defense Academy''s campus was extremely large; apart from the dormitories, administrative buildings, and lecture halls that are standard for universities, there were outdoor training fields and the mountain behind them.

    Only by following Chen Lingyun deep into the mountain did everyone realize that the inside of the mountain had been hollowed out long ago, and a large number of rooms had been carved out.

    The walls and floor were all lined with steel plates, every room was brightly lit, and there were surveillance cameras everywhere, making it look like the top-secret military laboratory seen in TV shows. It wouldn''t seem out of place if a section of the floor suddenly opened to reveal automatic guns that would mow down everyone as intruders.

    What was even stranger was that there was not a single staff member in sight.

    "We... shouldn''t be considered as illegally breaking in, right?" Su Yunjin started to get cold feet.

    "Obviously, we''re not," Yan Yu said, speechless, "When she brought us in, she used a key to open the door."

    "Having a key doesn''t necessarily mean legal entry, right?" Lin Ning seriously criticized, "It could be a key obtained through illegal means, or it might be unauthorized entry during a forbidden time period without approval..."

    "Preaching." Yan Yu said somberly.

    "Okay, I''ll stop preaching!" Lin Ning shouted irritably, "Anyway, if we get caught, I am definitely going to tell the truth!"

    Seeing her give up on herself, Chen Lingyun had more or less completed her "personality portrait" of her and quietly took out her phone, typing out a message.

    Yan Yu also took out his phone and saw the new message from Chen Lingyun:

    "Gentle and delicate little jade? Serious and competent with long black hair?"

    Almost smashed my phone... This wretched woman does have a good memory, I had almost forgotten.

    "What, are you jealous?" Yan Yu replied and asked.

    "Heh," was the inscrutable response.

    "Alright, this is the place." Chen Lingyun, having put away her phone, led the three of them into a spacious hall, which appeared to be... a shooting range?

    "This is the practice area for the Metal-Element Impact Curse. You can freely shoot at the targets in the distance, but you absolutely must not aim at people~" She turned on the control panel nearby, fiddled with it for a while, and the targets in front began to move.

    There were large and small targets, stationary and moving, straight-line, curved, reciprocating, and irregular in every possible pattern.

    Lin Ning took out her textbook she always carried with her and started to learn and research casting spells on the spot. Su Yunjin leaned in to watch as well.

    "Ah, it looks like you''ve already practiced it," Chen Lingyun said with a covered laugh upon seeing Yan Yu not studying on the spot, "How about giving it a try?"

    "Hmm," Yan Yu replied, hands behind his back, calmly, "Let''s see yours first."

    Chen Lingyun put her two fingers together and extended them forward. Immediately, a muffled sound emerged from the distant target, and the display screen hanging from the ceiling showed "Target 14, Score 7."

    Meanwhile, Su Yunjin and Lin Ning also put down their books. Clearly, compared to cramming on the spot, watching someone else cast spells in person seemed to be more valuable.

    "Your turn to try?" Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    "Then you''d better watch closely," Yan Yu replied confidently as he walked toward the shooting position.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    While Yan Yu and his companions hadn''t seen any staff when they entered, this was not a normal situation. Rather, it was because, 20 minutes before, the commander-in-chief of the Zhendong Army, Li Weiguo, had made a surprise visit, and most of the staff had gone to the practice field to assist with the demonstrations.

    Leaving the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse training area, Li Weiguo continued to instruct the school principal beside him:

    "...With rubber bullets, there''s still a fatal risk if hit in a vital area by accident. Our military has a quota for training casualties, but these university cultivators are far too precious to lose in training accidents, so it''s best to switch to liquid buffer rounds instead."

    "Understood, we''ll make the changes right away."

    "What''s the next facility we''re inspecting?"

    "The central control room. It''s staffed 24 hours a day, and we can see everything happening in all the training fields. If any students get injured, we''ll find out immediately."

    Surrounded by a large group, the commander-in-chief and the school leaders made their way to the central control room. Just as they reached the door, they heard exclamations from the on-duty staff inside:

    "Wow, look at this one!"

    "Is that one of the army''s elite snipers?"

    "No, that''s clearly a university student. But given that level of skill, it wouldn''t be surprising if they were from the military..."

    Hearing the unrestrained discussion inside, the school leaders'' faces darkened as they hurriedly pushed open the door and coughed loudly.

    The on-duty staff quickly stood up, only to see Li Weiguo stride powerfully into the control room. His gaze swept across the room, and he immediately caught sight of the surveillance screen for the Metal-Element Impact Curse training field.

    His expression turned solemn, and he fell silent, his mind churning with shock and awe.

 Chapter 28 Boss Takes in a Divine Ability

    As the first university-level cultivator students, the freshman curriculum was rather simple: three theoretical courses and one practical combat course.

    The three theoretical courses were "Ideological Morality and Current Affairs Policy," "Comprehensive Guide to Cultivation," and "Tactics and Strategy Studies for Cultivators." The first course needs no mention, the second, "Comprehensive Guide to Cultivation," mainly introduced "what is the Spiritual Energy Resurgence," "what are the Dantian, meridians, and acupoints," and "how to perform Qi Refinement."

    The Qi Refinement technique was named "National Initial Edition Qi Cultivation Technique," but Yan Yu immediately recognized the content as Mei Yingxue''s "Primordial Unity Scripture," which emphasized "independency from external objects." With sufficient aptitude, one did not need any resources for cultivation and could still maintain a high Qi Refinement efficiency.

    The third course, "Tactics and Strategy Studies for Cultivators," mainly discussed the Three Arts and Five Spells. The Three Arts were "Shifting Technique," "Cloud Ascension Technique," and "Wall-Penetration Technique;" the Five Spells were "Metal-Element Impact Curse," "Wood Bending Charm," "Runescript," "Fire Blazing Charm," and "Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse."

    As Chen Lingyun had said, among the key points in the current textbooks, the Three Arts were focused on "Shifting Technique," which allowed for super-fast movement "quick as a running horse," easily covering a thousand meters within a minute.

    Among the Five Spells, "Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse" was highly recommended. Once activated, the entire body would be enveloped in hardened earth-element True Qi, which could perfectly defend against bullets and explosive shrapnel at the cost of continuous consumption of True Yuan during activation.

    From this, it could be seen that military cultivators were still stuck in modern warfare thinking. The reason "Shifting Technique" and "Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse" were esteemed was because they provided "mobility" and "defense," maximally enhancing the combat capabilities of special forces.

    However, cultivators are not special forces...

    Though the students were all eager to learn, absorbing the knowledge like sponges, Yan Yu was somewhat disinterested. While others were busy taking notes, he was doodling aimlessly in his notebook with his pen.

    Sitting in front of Yan Yu were Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin. The latter was attentively listening to the lesson, while the former, smiling, had not written a word in her notebook... Clearly, she had decided that her future learning plan would center around "Teacher Yan Yu."

    Lin Ning sat to Yan Yu''s left, her notebook filled with dense notes. Occasionally, she would glance over and notice Yan Yu scribbling on his notes, prompting her to remind him:

    "I won''t lend you my notes before the exams, you know."

    Yan Yu was taken aback and responded:

    "Who asked you?"

    "Why aren''t you taking notes?" Lin Ning''s serious nature began to kick in, entering the beautiful girl''s persuasion mode.

    "Because it''s pointless," Yan Yu replied, "The most important thing for a cultivator is practical combat. As long as the practical combat results are excellent, theoretical grades can even be ignored."

    "But isn''t it true that understanding the theory well can help with practical combat?" Lin Ning pursued the point unwillingly.

    "That''s indeed true," Yan Yu nodded thoughtfully, "So you should study hard."

    "What about you?"

    "With my strong combat ability, why do I need to study theory?" Yan Yu asked, seemingly confused.

    Lin Ning was immediately frustrated and yet found herself at a loss for words.

    She had seen his performance on the training field earlier and ultimately couldn''t ignore the facts or deny them.

    "What do you plan to do for this afternoon''s training class?" Chen Lingyun suddenly sent a message, clearly having heard the conversation between the two in the back row.

    "Just attend the class as normal," Yan Yu replied via text.

    "Oh, not going to try playing possum?" Chen Lingyun''s message came quickly, "Want me to deliberately get a few boys to give you a hard time, then you can reveal your strength and shock everyone?"

    "Forget about it," Yan Yu replied, "Would you be pleased with yourself for coming in first place in a kindergarten?"

    "Fair point," Chen Lingyun thought it over and realized it indeed made sense from Yan Yu''s perspective, "So do you also see me as a kindergarten kid?"

    "I see you as a little female demon," Yan Yu replied.

    Zhao Yuanzhen sat to Yan Yu''s right, watching him persistently texting with Chen Lingyun and couldn''t help but puff up her cheeks, silently taking offense:

    "...Today I listened to the lecture, this thief ignored his companion the whole time, just chatting idly with another woman, I''ll remember this grudge! If one day I can turn the tables and take charge, I''ll definitely seal his glib tongue, rendering him unable to speak a word!"

    The morning was for theoretical classes, and the afternoon was for practical classes. There were two hours of rest at midday, and as soon as the dismissal bell rang, everyone rushed to the cafeteria, ready for lunch.

    Yan Yu found a four-seater table and sat down first.

    Chen Lingyun came over and took a seat across from him effortlessly, with Su Yunjin sitting beside her, and Lin Ning next to Yan Yu, just like the seating arrangement last night. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Until Zhao Yuanzhen came over with her dinner plate and saw that the area next to Yan Yu was already filled with beautiful girls, she was instantly bewildered:

    "What about me?"

    "Just find a place to sit anywhere," Yan Yu said helplessly.

    Even though we''re dual cultivation partners, we don''t have to stick together even while eating, right?

    "I think, it''s better for us girls to sit together," Chen Lingyun suddenly said with a smile, picking up her dinner plate and standing up.

    Su Yunjin and Lin Ning also stood up and, together with Chen Lingyun and Zhao Yuanzhen, the four girls found an empty table not too far away and sat down.

    Yan Yu suddenly found himself alone but didn''t seem to mind (of course, he was not going to fall for the girls'' play-hard-to-get strategy), as he calmly continued to eat.

    "Hey, Yan Yu!" Qiu Ze arrived with two other guys, carrying their dinner plates and taking their seats opposite and beside him.

    "Qiu Ze." He nodded in greeting.

    "Look over there." After chatting for a bit, Qiu Ze suddenly gestured for everyone to look at Chen Lingyun''s table and chuckled, "Those four girls, they all look pretty good."

    Starting a conversation with the topic of beautiful girls is a tried-and-true method among guys who have just met.

    The effect is quite simple and effective, after all, admiring beauty is a common topic among all men. The risk is that if the girls in question were to find out they were being rated, it might lead to a collective decrease in their favorability towards those men.

    "Indeed." Another guy commented, "The smallest one, she has a particularly sweet smile when she laughs."

    Yan Yu bit his lip hard, trying not to burst into laughter so much that he sprayed his food out.

    "Uh, Yan Yu, what do you think?" Qiu Ze saw him looking like he was struggling to hold something in and thought he had something to say but was too shy, so he quickly encouraged him to speak.

    "I''m pretty close with them, so I can''t really comment," Yan Yu managed to swallow his food and replied calmly.

    Qiu Ze was a little confused by his response, while the guy beside him laughed and teased him, "We all just started school yesterday, and you''re already well-mixed in today, huh?"

    "Right," Yan Yu admitted with a nod.

    His response silenced everyone as they assumed he was just showing off and didn''t argue with him.

    When Yan Yu saw the change in their expressions, he knew what they were thinking, so he decided to take out his phone and call Chen Lingyun.

    Qiu Ze and the other two guys hadn''t quite realized what was happening when Chen Lingyun''s voice came through the phone:

    "Hello?"

    Yan Yu turned on the speakerphone and said:

    "I''m having dinner with some new classmates, and we''ve come across a topic I want to hear your opinion on: who do you think is the prettiest at your table?"

    Qiu Ze and the other two boys finally realized who he was calling, and their jaws dropped in unison.

    Wait a second, don''t tell me... you''re not actually...

    "Aesthetic appreciation is quite subjective, and the points that women care about usually differ greatly from what guys think," Chen Lingyun''s cheerful voice came from the phone, "If you really want my opinion, I personally prefer the type like Lin Ning, whose appearance and personality are contrary..."

    "Hey!" Lin Ning''s protest suddenly erupted, "I told you not to call me ''Little Lin Ning''!"

    "Got it," Yan Yu replied, "Pass the phone to Lin Ning, I''ll ask her opinion..."

    Before he could finish his sentence, Qiu Ze grabbed his arm, his face filled with a pleading sadness:

    "Boss, stop showing off your magic skills! Don''t we believe you already?"

    "Please don''t ask any further! It''s social suicide! They''ve already started looking this way!"

 Chapter 31 Looking Forward to You Becoming the Strongest in This World

    The so-called instructive battle refers to a situation where one party''s strength far surpasses that of their opponent, and they intentionally limit their level to match that of their opponent. By sparring, they simulate various combat scenarios to make the opponent realize their own tactical deficiencies and shortcomings¡ªthis practice is common in the Go industry, for example.

    But Yan Yu... didn''t he enroll at the same time as Chen Lingyun?

    The instructors'' expressions varied, and Chen Lingyun, who had been taking a beating for a long time on the field, finally couldn''t smile anymore.

    Whenever she tried to attack head-on, Yan Yu would unleash a series of left-right Curved Curse punches, overwhelming her without a chance to retaliate, making her realize that "an undisciplined attack is no different from courting death."

    If she tried to retreat to create distance, Yan Yu would execute a series of Flame Curse triple strikes that hit her squarely as she retreated without her guard up, teaching her that "even in retreat, one must plan their movements."

    Every trial tactical move she threw out was met with a more targeted counter-tactic from him, brutally striking back and letting Chen Lingyun realize "this is where I went wrong," while also making her feel the humiliation of being beaten down in front of the instructors, as if she couldn''t hold her head up, her dignity in shreds.

    I hate this...

    I really hate it!

    Even if you''re instructing me¡­ at least leave me some dignity!!!

    Suddenly, Chen Lingyun clenched her fists again and with a forceful swing, aimed her Flame Curse two steps behind Yan Yu.

    If he chose to step back at that moment, he would land right in the midst of the flames that rose up.

    But Yan Yu, upon seeing her casting motion, knew exactly where her Flame Curse was located and stepped forward calmly, easily moving out of the spell''s range.

    Yet, without a word, Chen Lingyun suddenly reached out to brush against his chest.

    It was another sneaky Runescript attack, targeting the Danzhong acupoint on his chest, timed perfectly with his approach, making it exceedingly difficult to dodge.

    This wretched woman... indeed just like in her previous life, her timing and psychological assessments were top-notch, but in contrast, her reaction speed and cultivation talent were terribly lacking.

    The most suitable tactic for Chen Lingyun would be the ''hit-and-run'' style of a long-range assassin¡ªone strike misses, flee a thousand miles¡ªbut this wretched woman was likely not content with that. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    A thought like this flashed through Yan Yu''s mind as he suddenly extended his right hand lightning-fast, seizing Chen Lingyun''s left hand with force.

    The Runescript True Essence quickly invaded, blocking all the meridians in his right hand in an instant, leaving no room for Qi flow. Before Chen Lingyun could even feel triumphant, a numbness spread through her lower abdomen, where Yan Yu had lightly tapped her Dantian with his left hand employing a Runescript technique.

    Her entire Dantian was sealed, True Yuan entirely shut off, leaving her completely powerless to resist.

    The victor of the battle on the field was finally decided, and the instructors all heaved a sigh of relief. They quickly called the medical team to check for any injuries.

    But looking back, wasn''t the initial purpose of this bout to determine the strength of these two people?

    As a result, Chen Lingyun''s level had been measured, yet Yan Yu''s strength remained unfathomably deep... But the instructors had forgotten their original intention, and as soon as the medical team left, they surrounded Yan Yu, taking turns seeking advice from him.

    "How exactly did you manage that left-right Curved Bow combo?" Hu Qing''an, the instructor responsible for teaching the Wood Bending Charm, asked anxiously.

    "Huh?" Yan Yu didn''t catch on at first.

    "That move, where you swing a Curved Curse punch with the left, then the right, switching back and forth quickly." Hu Qing''an tried to describe the sequence with body language.

    "Oh, that''s just switching Qi pathways back and forth," Yan Yu explained nonchalantly. "You go through the left arm Curved Curse route first, cut off Qi after the punch is thrown, then switch to the right arm Curved Curse route..."

    Hu Qing''an was floored. It was as if he''d asked, "How do you fit an elephant into the fridge?" and the person seriously replied, "First open the fridge door, then stuff the elephant in."

    If I could do it, would I be asking you?!]

    By the time his speechlessness wore off, his colleagues had already taken the opportunity to ask their own questions.

    "How were you able to cast that Flame Curse so accurately in your ''Triple Flame Assault'' just now?" Instructor Shu Weijun, a cultivator specializing in Flame Curse techniques in the military, quickly pushed the dazed Hu Qing''an aside and asked zealously, "Let me add to that question: The Flame Curse you placed behind her, why did it trigger exactly when she stepped backward onto it?

    If it was cast too early or too late, it wouldn''t have caught her inescapably and burned her outright... Is there some unique trick or technique to it?"

    "Oh, there''s no trick to it," Yan Yu replied frankly. "You have to adjust the distance and timing according to the speed at which the other person is retreating. With enough practice against others, you get a feel for it. It mainly relies on practice making perfect."

    "You''ve only been enrolled for a few days, haven''t you? How did you manage to train for this?" asked Shu Weijun, puzzled.

    "I am a genius," Yan Yu said.

    The instructors were once again speechless.

    You could call the student arrogant for not knowing the vastness of heaven and earth, but his performance in the recent combat indeed could be described with the words "remarkable talent."

    But to call this student honest and straightforward... when he clearly could have won swiftly with his overwhelming strength, yet deliberately fought a guiding battle, nearly beating the girl until she dropped her precious pearls, and now she''s still standing on the platform doubting her life choices!

    And looking at Yan Yu, who behaved as if it were nothing serious, how could anyone see even a trace of the honesty and straightforwardness?

    "Chen Lingyun." Instructor Qi Changping, standing on the outskirts, suddenly spoke up, "Not bad, you may come down now."

    Chen Lingyun silently stepped off the combat arena and forced a smile, saying,

    "You''re really amazing, Yan Yu. I''ve learned a lot from this match."

    "Don''t mention it," Yan Yu said generously, waving his hand. "There''s still so much more I could teach you."

    Chen Lingyun had no interest in talking to him and could only respond with a cold, polite smile.

    "I''m back!" Instructor Han Zaixian arrived late with an armful of phones, looking around bewilderedly at his colleagues, "Is it over?"

    "It''s over," confirmed Qi Changping with a nod.

    "I didn''t get to see anything," Han Zaixian said with a wry smile.

    "No worries, Old Han, we''ll give you a blow-by-blow description later," his colleagues said excitedly, all talking at once.

    Everyone surrounded Yan Yu and headed toward the office, saying there was air conditioning, tea, and computers for playing games. They were willing to let him join as long as Yan Yu was willing "to chat with the instructors about the battle that just took place."

    Chen Lingyun followed silently behind, suddenly turning to look out the window.

    The atmosphere by the end of May was already heating up. The students studying curse techniques outside without an instructor''s order didn''t dare to leave of their own volition, so they could only study under the sun while constantly wiping sweat from their brows.

    Looking at Yan Yu, who was being invited into the cool air-conditioned room, they, as fresh recruits, received treatment that was worlds apart...

    "It seems my thinking was correct," Chen Lingyun smiled again, thinking to herself, "The world we live in may flaunt the banner of equality for all, but beneath it all, it''s ruled by the standard of survival of the strongest. Here in this cultivator college, even the most basic fig leaf has been discarded."

    "If cultivators can be ranked superior or inferior just by their strength, how can cultivators and commoners, with even greater disparities in power, continue to coexist in harmony and equality in the future?"

    "Yan Yu, even if you say you hate ''elitism,'' the objective laws of society never change just because of an individual''s will,"

    "Unless you truly become the strongest in this world."

    "To prove me wrong, you can only keep winning like this,"

    "Never allowed to fail, you must not fail, just keep on winning forever. Stomp all those non-believers and objectors who don''t recognize or oppose you..."

    "Right under your feet."

 Chapter 32 A woman will only affect the speed of my sword draw

    "This..."

    "It''s kind of tricky."

    "Indeed, not easy to deal with..."

    After consulting with Yan Yu in detail, the instructors found themselves in a state of powerless exasperation.

    It wasn''t that Yan Yu was uncooperative or secretive; in fact, this student was quite amenable, almost always ready with an answer.

    It''s just that the answers were a bit outrageous.

    Overall, Yan Yu displayed two very obvious traits in this guidance battle.

    First, his spellcasting speed was extremely fast, one second he was casting Spell A, and the next he could interrupt and switch to Spell B.

    Second, his tactical awareness was incredibly strong; he could accurately predict Chen Lingyun''s intentions every time and employ targeted counter-tactics.

    As for Yan Yu''s own explanation:

    "Because I''m a genius."

    This might sound like bragging, but when you think about it, it doesn''t seem out of place.

    Because Yan Yu had just enrolled not long ago, he hadn''t been exposed to cultivation before, and like all the other new students, he started from scratch.

    The only explanation is that his insight in this area is truly astonishing, like the peerless genius in martial arts novels who understands any martial art at a glance and learns it instantly...

    But this really can''t be written in the talent evaluation report! S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    As for the talent evaluation report, that''s for the instructors to worry about. Anyway, Yan Yu, who had completed his report, was now walking leisurely back to the academy with Chen Lingyun.

    "Congratulations to you," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, no longer showing any signs of displeasure, "With this, you are undoubtedly the number one among our group of Zhendong Army cultivators, right?"

    "What, are you jealous?" Yan Yu glanced at her again.

    "In your heart, am I that petty?" Chen Lingyun raised an eyebrow, her expression turning into a half-smile.

    "Do you want the truth or a lie?" Yan Yu asked her in return.

    "What about the lie?"

    "Yes."

    "And the truth?"

    "Even more so than that."

    "Hehe," Chen Lingyun countered, "But you don''t mind my nasty character, do you?"

    "What now, confessing again?" Yan Yu frowned and asked.

    "Nope," Chen Lingyun said, her smile brimming.

    "If it''s not a confession, then I don''t need to answer," Yan Yu snorted.

    "That''s also an answer," Chen Lingyun''s smile grew sweeter, "Although you like me in your heart, you''re afraid that admitting it outright would be embarrassing, so you use refusal to respond to cover your true attitude. It''s a typical boy''s pure thought that''s quite easy to understand."

    "The level of your narcissism is pretty exaggerated," Yan Yu sighed heavily, "Maybe you should check your brain at a psychiatric hospital?"

    "Thank you for your concern, but only those without assets who admire themselves can be called narcissistic," Chen Lingyun corrected him, "For those with assets, it''s called self-awareness."

    "What assets do you have?" Yan Yu asked contemptuously, "Your height that doesn''t reach one meter sixty even with platform shoes?"

    "I never expected Yan Yu to be a fan of lolis," Chen Lingyun covered her mouth, feigning surprise, "So you care about the petite stature of girls that much?"

    The two of them bantered back and forth leisurely strolling back to the academy. They saw Instructor Han Zaixian organizing the students to practice the Shifting Technique by running laps around the track.

    The principle behind the Shifting Technique was that it took effect the instant both feet left the ground while running, immediately accelerating the cultivator''s forward speed to its peak, then letting inertia carry the body forward.

    From the spectator stands, these cultivators still appeared to be running, only each step miraculously covered a distance of more than ten meters.

    "How does it look?" Chen Lingyun stood shoulder to shoulder with Yan Yu, watching the classmates practicing the Shifting Technique, "Are there any standout performances?"

    "What do you think constitutes a standout performance?" Yan Yu asked her in return.

    "The purpose of using the Shifting Technique is for rapid movement," Chen Lingyun said casually, "so naturally, the faster one runs, the better the performance is considered."

    "Wrong, completely wrong," Yan Yu flatly rejected her claim, "How superficial. Can you only see the surface of things, little Ling Yun?"

    "The Shifting Technique only works when both feet are off the ground, which means we need to keep moving our legs to maintain a state of being airborne as much as possible. If you''re moving so fast that you can''t control it, then you won''t be able to lift your rear foot before the front foot lands, and inertia will cause your whole body to tumble forward."

    "Given a cultivator''s ability to control, this extreme speed is probably around 16 to 17 meters per second. After mastering the Shifting Technique, reaching this speed isn''t too difficult; controlling the output of True Yuan is sufficient."

    "I see," pondered Chen Lingyun, "then what is the standard by which the Shifting Technique is measured?"

    "Of course, it''s whether you can initiate and terminate it at will," Yan Yu said without a second thought, "The goal of the Shifting Technique isn''t simply fast movement, but ''to move quickly when it''s necessary to move quickly''."

    "Indeed," Chen Lingyun nodded in agreement, "This isn''t a track and field competition, using the Shifting Technique is for the purpose of tactical movement, not just to run faster."

    "Anyone who can ponder this wouldn''t say ''The Shifting Technique is more of a priority than the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse,''" Yan Yu said disdainfully.

    "Hmm, you''re right indeed," Chen Lingyun''s response was tinged with laughter.

    As these two stood leisurely on the sidelines, the students on the field sweating profusely and practicing the Shifting Technique understood the coach Qi Changping''s words about ''the supremacy of strength'' more deeply.

    As exceptional students in this school of cultivators, they could indeed consider themselves a cut above the rest.

    "Next, any student with a hint of utilitarianism will probably try to make connections with us," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "Yan Yu, are you ready to take the throne of the top student in the academy?"

    "Top student in the academy?" came Zhao Yuanzhen''s suspicious voice from nearby.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress, seeing her partner standing side by side with another woman, could no longer restrain herself and, throwing caution and her previous low-profile strategy to the wind, hurried over.

    Chen Lingyun, aware of the other''s intentions, simply wrapped her arm affectionately around Yan Yu''s and cheerfully said:

    "Of course, it''s my classmate Yan Yu."

    Yan Yu immediately shook off her arm and scolded:

    "Wretched woman, have some decency! Even if you''re dying of thirst for me, you should at least have a sense of shame!"

    "What sense of shame?" Chen Lingyun feigned innocence and continued to cling, not willing to let the fun end so easily, "Didn''t you just compliment me on looking good?"

    "Nonsense! Even if a dwarf looks good, can she be a match for a prince on a white horse?"

    Chen Lingyun''s eyes widened suddenly, her eyebrows raised, and she gasped, struggling to maintain her smiling face.

    Zhao Yuanzhen breathed a sigh of relief, a triumphant look in her eyes as she turned to Chen Lingyun, about to speak, when Yan Yu pointed his finger at her and exclaimed:

    "Don''t be so pleased with yourself, you''re not up to scratch either!"

    Students still practicing the Shifting Technique in the distance, upon seeing these two girls confronting one boy, seemed on the verge of World War III erupting. Instantly, those who had claimed to be tired stopped complaining, those who had been running diligently ceased their effort, and all of them flocked to the track closer to watch the drama unfold.

    Before the entire crowd had gathered, they saw Yan Yu unleash a verbal bombardment, wildly demolishing the potential strife by blasting it to rubble! They were all left gaping in shock.

    Wow, a Sigma male with such a steely resolve could attract female pursuers too?!

    Consequently, Chen Lingyun''s judgment was mistaken yet again¡­

    Before long, it wasn''t the title of "primus inter pares" that spread throughout the academy, but rather the name "Swordsman" that spread like wildfire. When talking about this matter, people were keen to post a meme of a "Shiba Inu wielding a sword" to express their respect and admiration for Yan Yu.

    "Women only slow down my sword-drawing speed.jpg"

 Chapter 36 Setting a Goal for Everyone

    After dinner, Chen Lingyun went to the playground to find Su Yunjin and Lin Ning.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, on the other hand, went to look for Yan Yu in the boys'' dormitory. Not finding him there, she turned towards the playground, just in time to encounter the scene of Yan Yu pontificating and riling everyone up.

    She hid among the crowd, listening to the boys tease and mock Yan Yu, and initially, she felt a bit of secret pleasure.

    "You little thief! You deserve to be pointed at by thousands and scorned by all!"

    It wasn''t until she heard a boy say, "If you can do it, I''ll call you daddy, if not, you''ll be my son," that Zhao Yuanzhen''s expression changed. She finally remembered that she was that person''s dao companion.

    If that little thief won, she would have an idiot calling her "mom." She was in the prime of her life, looking as delicate as a flower, so how could she suddenly become a mom?

    What was even more disgusting was that if the little thief lost, she would suddenly get an unwanted "father-in-law" for no reason...

    Thinking this, Zhao Yuanzhen could no longer hold back, and immediately came out to stop it, saying,

    "Cut your mom''s crap! Claim kin with your old mother, do you think you''re worthy?"

    The boy was suddenly scolded, completely caught off guard, and only after a closer look did he recognize Zhao Yuanzhen''s identity. Looking around, the girls were already laughing together.

    Many girls had already gossiped about Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen''s relationship, so they guessed what she meant, but the boy didn''t catch on, thinking Zhao Yuanzhen was just standing up for her husband. He didn''t want to target her for fear of provoking the ire of the other girls, but his face was ugly as he continued to stare at Yan Yu and challenged,

    "Do you dare? If you''re so capable, then make your claim. You wouldn''t only know how to hide behind a woman and let her take the bullets for you, right?"

    Yan Yu was also quite troubled. He felt that his reputation among the boys in his grade was somewhat lacking, definitely because that trashy woman, Chen Lingyun, had used some trickery to incite jealousy among the boys and targeted him.

    And that Demonic Sect Enchantress deliberately stirred up trouble under the pretense of helping, truly deserving to be condemned!

    Just as his expression darkened, the instructor Han Zaixian who had just come over to check on the students'' progress in their cultivation, also learned from the crowd about what had transpired.

    He admitted that what Yan Yu said wasn''t wrong, but teaching still had to respect objective reality ¨C you need to learn to walk before you can run, right? Many students are still not proficient with the Shifting Technique, so asking them to combine it with the Cloud Ascension Technique, that''s just not going to happen.

    Yan Yu is probably suffering from the genius complex, thinking everyone else has the same exceptional talent as him, leading him to make those comments that were misinterpreted as looking down on others.

    However, the military ultimately respects strength, so let him give a demonstration, and set a goal for the other students.

    "Yan Yu." Han Zaixian cleared his throat and said, "Since the students have doubts, why don''t you give them a demonstration."

    "Alright." Yan Yu pondered.

    He looked ahead again; the field simulated an urban combat environment and was quite well-designed. However, Yan Yu preferred practicing combat with others in such complex environments rather than simply showing off with fancy footwork ¨C how boring is that?

    However, considering that even the Shifting Technique and Cloud Ascension Technique are being trained separately in schools now, it proves that the military at this point in time has not realized the true power when the Three Arts are combined. They need a small "shock" from him.

    If he could guide the Cultivator teaching program back on track, then the Rikoku Cultivators wouldn''t waste time and effort on the wrong training path like in his previous life, which would be a great kindness! It''s also his mission as a reborn individual!

    "Does anyone have a phone?" Han Zaixian asked the students.

    Last time, because he didn''t bring his phone, Han Zaixian missed Yan Yu''s battle with Chen Lingyun. He wouldn''t make the same mistake again.

    "I have one." Someone in the crowd raised their hand, and it was Chen Lingyun ¨C seemingly she had been hiding in the crowd watching the excitement all along. "Want me to record it?"

    "Yeah, record it." Han Zaixian nodded and said.

    Seeing the instructor''s confidence, it seemed he was certain Yan Yu would be sensational this time. The brother who was known for his hot temper couldn''t help feeling anxious and asked Qiu Ze,

    "That guy can''t really do it, can he?"

    "For this afternoon''s training class, everyone else got to skip, what do you say?" Qiu Ze patted his shoulder and sighed, "This time you might have to offer a verbal apology, so brace yourself."

    The other person immediately put on a mournful face. A verbal apology... Being embarrassed was the least of his worries; he feared even the right to choose a partner at the university might be gone.

    Chen Lingyun switched her phone to camera mode, aimed at Yan Yu''s back, and crisply said:

    "Ready."

    "I''ll say start, then you take off," Han Zaixian declared loudly.

    Without turning his head, Yan Yu gave an OK sign.

    "Start!"

    As soon as Han Zaixian gave the order, Yan Yu instantly activated his Shifting Technique, surging forward like lightning, instantly reaching his top speed. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    So fast! A thump resounded in most of the students'' hearts.

    The Shifting Technique could take one to top speed in an instant right when both feet left the ground, but this top speed wasn''t fixed. To put it accurately, the more True Yuan you pumped into it, the faster the Shifting Technique became¡ªjust like how a car accelerates faster the more you press on the gas pedal.

    Since the acceleration could be completed in an instant, if too much True Yuan was given and the highest speed exceeded the range of control, once the cultivator''s front foot landed, the back foot would fail to step out in time and continue to surge forward, leading to an inevitable outcome¡ªkneeling on the ground with face braking the fall, a sight too horrible to witness.

    Hence, most students would start cruising at low speed when activating the Shifting Technique and then gradually increase the supply of True Yuan, slowly approaching their controllable speed limit. This was also the practice method emphasized by the instructors.

    But Yan Yu skipped this process. He seemed very clear about his limit of controllable speed, so he pushed it to the maximum from the start. As swift as a galloping horse, quick as lightning, before anyone could react, he had already charged to the location of the first low wall.

    Without slowing down or pausing, his rapidly moving figure defied inertia and gravity, turning almost a 90-degree angle upward along the low wall in an emergency maneuver, making Han Zaixian immediately widen his eyes as if to imprint every one of his movements into his memory.

    Interrupting the Shifting Technique, he instantly started the Cloud Ascension Technique, negating the forward inertia and reassigning upward velocity. If even a fraction of a second was wasted in this sequence of movements, he''d crash into the wall with a bleeding head.

    Yan Yu''s figure soared as if flying, and after he crossed the top of the low wall and began to fall, he suddenly transformed into a bolt of lightning shooting forward, drawing gasps of awe from many classmates.

    His change of speed was so swift that they lost sight of him in a blink.

    Han Zaixian could roughly guess that he had probably canceled the Cloud Ascension Technique right after crossing the top of the low wall. As his body was pulled down by gravity, Yan Yu used the momentum before his feet fully touched the ground to kick off the wall. Taking the forward speed from that and starting the Shifting Technique once again, his speed peaked in an instant.

    While everyone thought he would continue falling, he was already charging forward at full speed.

    The reason it was only a "rough guess" was that Han Zaixian hadn''t seen Yan Yu''s movements clearly either¡ªsuch "slow-to-fast" speed transitions were too taxing on the eyes. One couldn''t anticipate when and in which direction he would move; one could only rely on on-the-spot reactions, making Han Zaixian afraid to even blink.

    One blink, and he might lose sight of him entirely.

    Luckily, he had Chen Lingyun record it beforehand. They could review and watch it at a slower pace later... Han Zaixian thought with relief, just as he saw Yan Yu had already jumped onto the high wall, beginning the rooftop route.

    To simulate a real urban close-quarters battle environment, the rooftops of these buildings were also uneven in height.

    Moving between rooftops trained the direction control capability of the Cloud Ascension Technique. After all, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Moving in a straight line to the opposite rooftop with the Cloud Ascension Technique was definitely faster than moving in a zigzag or curved line.

    However, Yan Yu completely ignored the school''s design intent here.

    If the opposite rooftop was lower, he would just activate the Shifting Technique at full speed, sprint and jump straight over in one go.

    But if the opposite rooftop was higher, and a regular jump wasn''t enough, he would abruptly stop at the edge using the Cloud Ascension Technique, calculating the right jumping angle. As he leaped, he would activate the Shifting Technique again, his figure shooting out diagonally upward like an arrow leaving the bow.

    What should have been a leisurely flight over using the Cloud Ascension Technique was forcibly passed at high speed by Yan Yu with the Shifting Technique... The Shifting Technique couldn''t defy gravity, so he still fell downwards mid-air, resulting in a parabolic trajectory.

    But each time he landed just right at the edge of the opposite rooftop, never even close to a misstep.

    As precise as if he had measured it beforehand.

 Chapter 37 Inter-Quad Tournament

    Not until Yan Yu had followed the designated route and completed an entire lap did Chen Lingyun reluctantly end her filming.

    "How much?" Han Zaixian, standing by her side, asked her.

    "1 minute and 11 seconds," Chen Lingyun replied.

    The course, originally designed to be completed in about 3 and a half minutes, was run by Yan Yu in a terrifying 1 minute and 11 seconds, leaving Han Zaixian with nothing but admiration¡ªhe certainly couldn''t have done it himself.

    Of course, the dignity of an instructor must be upheld, especially with all the students watching!

    Han Zaixian didn''t show any hint of "wow, I can''t believe you ran that fast" shock. Instead, he put on a confident smile that said, "Haha, I knew you could do it," and patted the returning Yan Yu on the shoulder, laughing as he said: S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Yan Yu, you run so well!!! So, do you think there''s still room for improvement on your time?"

    "Sure," Yan Yu said indifferently, "If I use the Wall-Penetration Technique to go through the obstacles instead of using the Cloud Ascension Technique to go around them, I should be able to get close to 1 minute."

    "It looks like we need to put up a notice," Han Zaixian said cheerfully, "Prohibiting the use of the Wall-Penetration Technique on the Cloud Ascension Technique training grounds."

    "That''s not necessary," Yan Yu, in front of all the students, bluntly critiqued, "The Three Arts are inherently a single system. Even if everyone practices them separately and masters each one, they''ll still need to be reintegrated and practiced together again.

    The result of practicing the Three Arts separately is that it produces nothing but test-taking specialists¡ªyou ask them to take a spell exam, and they can use each spell perfectly; but put them on the battlefield, and their performance will be a mess."

    "Yeah, that''s certainly true," Han Zaixian could only agree, having witnessed such a staggering performance. "Actually, the school has already considered this. We''re also in the process of building facilities for the comprehensive practice of the Three Arts."

    "Oh, is it already under construction?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    "Under construction, under construction," Han Zaixian said boldly, thinking to himself that he would suggest it to the leadership as soon as he got back; preparation was part of the process, after all.

    Seeing Yan Yu standing on an equal footing with the instructor and giving directions, the students felt no more resentment or antagonism, but instead, showed an awestruck expression that said, "Wow, he''s really a pro."

    Having all practiced the Shifting Technique, they knew the level of skill Yan Yu''s performance indicated was terrifying.

    Only the boy who earlier proposed the "call me daddy" challenge was now looking at Qiu Ze with a gloomy face.

    "I think if you don''t acknowledge it, he probably won''t make things difficult for you," Qiu Ze pondered. "But otherwise, you''re likely to be taunted by others... It''s your decision to make."

    After mulling it over, the boy felt that being labeled "brave in speech but not in action" was worse than simply calling someone daddy¡ªas the former would be a moral talking point that could be used against him at any time, while the latter was just a joke that he could ignore if he had thick skin.

    Just as he mustered the courage and was about to step forward and call out "daddy," he suddenly saw Zhao Yuanzhen standing behind Yan Yu, giving him a look as if she was about to kill someone.

    You try calling him that, I dare you!

    ............

    Leaving the training ground, everyone silently headed toward the dormitories.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was visibly annoyed, still caught up in the irritating thought of almost having gained a son.

    Su Yunjin remained calm and collected, as if it didn''t matter to her whether Yan Yu was a top student or a bad one.

    Lin Ning, however, watched Yan Yu''s retreating figure, looking like she had something to say but hesitated.

    "Looks like you''ve made a name for yourself once more," Chen Lingyun said with raised eyebrows and a chuckle.

    "Jealousy makes people ugly," Yan Yu stated flatly.

    "The word ''ugly'' will never be associated with me," Chen Lingyun replied, still smiling.

    "I envy you," Yan Yu sighed, "It''s different for me; I have this ugly person who keeps bothering me."

    Chuckle! Su Yunjin turned her head away, her shoulders trembling slightly, and Lin Ning finally couldn''t help but speak up:

    "Don''t you think you''re being a bit too harsh with that kind of talk..."

    "Lin Ning," Yan Yu turned his head and asked, "What was that piece of advice you used to recite? I''ve kind of forgotten, could you remind me?"

    Lin Ning immediately blushed and started to stammer about how "early romance is wrong" and "high school students should focus on their studies," until Su Yunjin pulled her back and whispered:

    "Don''t worry about it. Look, Ling Yun isn''t angry, she might even be enjoying it."

    "But it''s not right for him to make such a joke..."

    The two young ladies fell behind, muttering to each other. Chen Lingyun, walking ahead, suddenly said:

    "The matter we discussed last time has been settled."

    "Are you referring to the trip to Shengjing, or the matter of renting a house outside the school?" Yan Yu asked.

    "To Shengjing." Chen Lingyun smiled slightly, "Although there hasn''t been an official notification yet, it''s essentially settled: this weekend, the four major magical colleges will hold an exchange competition at the Dingbei Cultivator College in Shengjing. Each college will send one representative to show their strength."

    "Hmm." Yan Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Is it that the higher-ups want to review the troops?"

    "To be precise, they want to reassess the strength and value of the four major colleges," Chen Lingyun corrected, "You know, the resources the nation currently invests in cultivating cultivators have far exceeded the cost of establishing any one type of military branch. With so much money, even if it were thrown into the water, you''d expect to hear a splash, right?"

    "Furthermore, budgetary funding projects typically involve a game of one-upmanship; it''s even less likely that the four major colleges would be treated equally. Anyway, as long as you perform excellently in front of the councilors this time, our Zhendong Army will then have more leverage to ask for additional funds for the college."

    "You mean to bring honor to the school, right?" Yan Yu realized, glancing at her sideways, "So this was settled a long time ago, and previously you just took advantage of the situation and used the information gap to bluff me?"

    "Who knows?" Chen Lingyun sang out, "Maybe it was all designed and arranged by me?"

    "You don''t have the skill to plot against the cabinet." Yan Yu fell silent for a moment before asking, "The Zhendong Army plans to send me out, what about the other colleges?"

    "You should be able to guess the representative from the Dingbei Army," Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    "Lord Master Liu Longtao?" Yan Yu guessed.

    "After all, he also started training a month in advance, and no students of the same year can compete with him," Chen Lingyun said leisurely, "Unless the Dingbei Army can produce another unexpected Yan Yu."

    "What about the Annan Army?" Yan Yu showed no particular reaction and continued.

    "Li Zhaojiang," Chen Lingyun replied, "You''re familiar with that name, right?"

    "I am," Yan Yu considered and said, "However, when it comes to fighting, his sister Li Minghu should be somewhat stronger."

    "Well, that I don''t know," Chen Lingyun said lightheartedly, "I''ve heard his sister has lung disease."

    "Yes, the kind that currently can''t be cured," Yan Yu said nonchalantly, "but that doesn''t affect her strength, which you''ll see in the future."

    Chen Lingyun made a note of the name "Li Minghu" to investigate later, and with a smile on her face, she continued:

    "By asking about the representative from the Annan Army first, are you suggesting that the Pingxi Army is relatively less of a concern?"

    "If nothing unexpected happens, the representative of the Pingxi Army should be Zhou Hongyu," Yan Yu said slowly, "It means there''s no threat."

    "But I''ve heard that this Zhou Hongyu is very strong," Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "At least in terms of fame, stronger than Annan Army''s Li Minghu."

    "Fame means nothing." Yan Yu dismissed, "To put it nicely, she has a fatal flaw in her character; to put it rudely, she''s a blockhead¡ªshe deliberately dresses up looking ferocious like a mace, but is actually quite dull."

    "So you''re confident you can triumph completely this time?" Chen Lingyun blinked.

    "Or else?" Yan Yu retorted, "Unless you were hoping they could beat me?"

    As everyone arrived at the crossroads, only to hear Chen Lingyun say with a laugh:

    "Not at all. Rather, I''m looking forward to seeing your performance, Yan Yu."

    "I''ll enjoy watching you cutting a swath through your opponents~"

    She headed in the direction of the female dormitory, with Su Yunjin and Lin Ning following behind her, bidding farewell to Yan Yu:

    "We''re off then." "Yan Yu, goodbye~"

    Zhao Yuanzhen wanted to accompany Yan Yu to the men''s dormitory, but was forcibly dragged away by Lin Ning.

    Yan Yu strolled leisurely back to his dormitory. Just as he had said to Chen Lingyun before, no matter how many hidden dragons and crouching tigers there were among these college cultivators, that was a matter for the future.

    At this stage, no one was his match.

 Chapter 41 The Northern Queens Friend

    Anna suddenly fell into the water, almost scaring Yan Yu out of his wits.

    He had no desire to deal with Siberia''s werewolves or blood clans. Those Rakshasa Spirit Communicators, to put it nicely, were part of the Fighting Nation; to put it unkindly, they were no different from bandits.

    If the Eclipse Queen were to meet her unfortunate end here, the future situation in the north would spiral completely out of control, becoming chaotic and unmanageable.

    Without hesitation, Yan Yu activated the Shifting Technique and in an instant reached the riverbank, only to see Anna frantically struggling in the water¡ªclearly, the girl couldn''t swim. Her arms were vainly flapping and slapping as she had already swallowed several mouthfuls of river water.

    Yan Yu had no choice but to jump into the river and then swiftly flew to the shore with her in his arms, using the Cloud Ascension Technique. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Having reached the shore, Anna awkwardly propped herself up on her arms, spitting out a lot of dirty water and gasping for air.

    Before she could speak, Yan Yu roughly dragged her up from the ground and said, unable to restrain his anger,

    "Are you fucking crazy? Thinking of ending it all by jumping into the river, huh? Polluting the water resources, huh?!"

    Stupid woman! Nearly letting you succeed in your suicide and ruining my plan!

    Anna suddenly got agitated as well and shook off his hand, saying,

    "I didn''t ask you to save me!"

    ...At this point, she certainly couldn''t admit that she had slipped and fallen into the water, as that would surely make her a laughing stock.

    "Alright, alright." Yan Yu pointed at the river and said sarcastically, "Then do me a favor and jump again. This time, I''ll stand on the bank and pop open a champagne bottle for you, wishing you a swift death and reincarnation."

    Anna silently got up, tightened her soaking wet clothes around her, and walked away without a word.

    Yan Yu followed her quietly, silently stimulating his True Yuan.

    The Runescript of water, although mediocre in offensive capabilities, was actually best used for support.

    If one were unfortunate enough to be injured, one could apply the Runescript to themselves, cover the injury with water-aligned True Yuan to prevent further deterioration and hasten healing, or cover the body to maintain a constant body temperature... In a sense, healing support was the real strength of the Runescript.

    Seeing the two walking away one after the other, Zhao Yuanzhen quickly wanted to follow them, but was stopped by Chen Lingyun:

    "Do you have any method of concealment?"

    "Invisibility Technique." Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly realized and immediately applied the spell on both himself and her, causing their figures to swiftly disappear.

    They then stealthily followed behind.

    Yan Yu walked behind Anna for a while, and because he maintained the Runescript, he didn''t feel much cold, yet the drenched Anna was appearing to suffer, sneezing continuously.

    As if she sensed the embarrassment, she angrily turned around and glared at him.

    "Tsk tsk tsk," Yan Yu said mockingly without any sympathy, "True to the Fighting Nation, walking on the road soaked and braving the cold wind, the bodies of the Rakshasa people are truly robust!"

    "How many times do I have to tell you I am from Lu Country... Achoo!" Anna wanted to retort, but her body was already shivering.

    Yan Yu placed his hand on her shoulder from behind, letting the Runescript seep into her body and dispelling the chill from within.

    Anna also noticed the change in her body and looked back at him in surprise:

    "What''s this?"

    "You don''t understand," Yan Yu chuckled, "This is the spell of a Cultivator."

    "Hmph." Anna''s face visibly fell as she murmured, "So you''re a Cultivator... pretty capable, huh."

    "I see you also have some talent for cultivation," Yan Yu asked knowingly, "Didn''t the Dingbei Army send you an invitation to enlist?"

    "They did," Anna said glumly, "but I rejected it."

    "Why?" Yan Yu asked.

    "No reason," Anna said dismissively, "My dad wants to take me abroad; I''m not planning to stick around here."

    "I see," Yan Yu said with a tone of admiration, "That''s pretty amazing, actually being able to go abroad! You must be able to attend a great university there, right?"

    Anna shuddered and almost bumped into the edge of a flower bed.

    Rakshasa Country''s academia is not well-known internationally, and the quality universities are all located in cities like Moska, Saint Petersburg¡ªplaces close to Europe.

    Yet, she couldn''t get in.

    Her mother was now settled in Amur, located in the so-called "Far Eastern Federal District" of Rakshasa Country. The word "Far Eastern" implied its remoteness from the political and economic center of Rakshasa Country, where conditions in all aspects were relatively poor. If it weren''t for the fact that her mother and grandfather lived there...

    Anna actually had no desire to go abroad, but her father, having had little success at home, had wilfully clung to the idea of "going abroad" as a life-saving straw. This, through a series of unfortunate events, had also affected her background check, squandering her chance to become a government-sponsored cultivator.

    So miserable, she didn''t want to talk at all. Couldn''t this person stop following me?

    She turned her head and once again glared fiercely at Yan Yu.

    "Is glaring all you can do?" Yan Yu looked puzzled, "Is this some sort of special Curse Technique of the Rakshasa? The ''Death Glare'' Technique?"

    "I told you, I''m from Lu Country," Anna said through gritted teeth, "Are you sick, huh? Are you? Are you?"

    "Maybe," Yan Yu also pondered, "We are complete strangers, but seeing you fall into the water, I jumped in to save you. I must have caught the ''savior complex''."

    Anna was speechless with anger and only after a long pause did she say:

    "Follow me."

    "Where to?"

    "Don''t ask stupid questions."

    The two crossed the street and entered a nearby hotel, where Anna fished out her phone from her soaked pocket and shakily unlocked it.

    Good, it still worked.

    She pulled out her electronic ID, registered for a room at the front desk, and then dragged Yan Yu into the elevator.

    "You''re not planning to repay me with your body, are you?" Yan Yu suddenly asked warily, "Sorry, I don''t accept one-night stands with strange women..."

    "Shut your damn mouth!" Anna held back her anger, "We''re getting a room just to change out of these wet clothes, so we don''t catch a cold."

    "Oh, you should have said so earlier," Yan Yu clearly relaxed.

    "You never asked!"

    Once in the hotel room, they closed the door, and Anna spoke up again:

    "Take off your clothes, I''ll blow dry them for you."

    "No need." Yan Yu, without any shyness, just took off his shirt and trousers and hung them on a nearby rack, casually casting a Flame Curse.

    Flame erupted out of nowhere, steadily drying the wet clothes without burning even a corner of the fabric or the floor. If Shu Weijun, the instructor responsible for teaching the Flame Curse at the academy, were here, he would surely pester him with questions on "how to achieve such millimeter-level precision casting of the Flame Curse."

    Anna watched the leaping flames in silence and asked:

    "Is this something a cultivator can use, too?"

    "Yes."

    "So, who are you?"

    "Yan Yu."

    "What kind of encounter?" Anna paused, "Oh, your surname is Yan, right?"

    "What else?" Yan Yu retorted, "You held back all this time just to ask me that?"

    Anna''s anger surged again. This man... even though they had only just met, why did his words feel like knives stabbing directly into my heart?

    So infuriating!

    "Why did you save me?" she asked through her anger.

    "I should go," Yan Yu didn''t answer her question but simply extinguished the Flame Curse and straightened his half-dry clothes, "Let''s add each other as friends. I''ll inquire about the cultivator inspection for you later."

    "...Oh."

    Once he was dressed, Yan Yu and Anna added each other as friends. Her profile picture was Marvel''s Harley Quinn, and her nickname was [Anna].

    The scourge of Western pop culture! No wonder her background check didn''t pass. You asked for it!

    "I''m leaving," Yan Yu waved at her.

    "Wait!" Anna quickly stopped him.

    Are you just going to leave? I mean, we''ve met now, why not sit down and have a chat? I haven''t even discussed how to repay you for saving me...

    The words to ask him to stay were on the tip of her tongue, but they remained unspoken, as they were still, in truth, not very familiar. But his abrupt goodbye still made Anna feel somewhat lost.

    "Anything else?" Yan Yu turned back to ask.

    Seeing Anna opening her mouth but unable to speak, he casually nodded:

    "We''ll be in touch."

    Then he decisively pushed the door open and left.

    It wasn''t that he didn''t want to get to know Anna better, but Yan Yu hadn''t forgotten that two little firecrackers were still following him.

    His main purpose for this trip was actually just to get hold of her contact information. Now that had been achieved, there was no need to linger any longer; spending an extra hour wasn''t going to bring them any closer.

    Indeed, just as he arrived at the elevator, the coughing of Zhao Yuanzhen and the mocking voice of Chen Lingyun could be heard from behind:

    "You''ve finished already? My, that was quick~ That''s boys for you..."

    "Shut your mouth," Yan Yu scolded her.

 Chapter 44 Mutual Destruction

    Liu Longtao''s thoughts were actually quite normal.

    The resurgence of Spiritual Energy was already inconceivable enough. If even a fairy (Mei Yingxue) could descend to the world, what was so strange about a mere male demon?

    However, he didn''t have the luxury of time to think more about it, as the start of the tournament was imminent with the referee taking to the stage.

    The first round, Dingbei Army versus Pingxi Army; the second round, Zhendong Army versus Annan Army.

    The reason for this arrangement was, of course, because the higher-ups were more interested in Liu Longtao''s performance. With the Dingbei Army playing on their home ground, they naturally wanted to use this advantage to leave a deep impression on the VIPs from the first round.

    Liu Longtao and Zhou Hongyu stepped onto the stage and exchanged bows. Yan Yu was watching from below. The arena was a platform slightly raised above the ground, flat and open, without any simulation of a real combat environment¡ªprobably designed this way to facilitate the VIPs'' viewing.

    "Does Zhou Hongyu stand a chance to win?" Chen Lingyun asked from the side.

    "Of course, there''s a chance," Yan Yu said leisurely, "it just depends on whether Liu Longtao will give her one."

    "Oh?" Chen Lingyun''s interest was piqued.

    "Overall, Liu Longtao is stronger than Zhou Hongyu," Yan Yu calmly replied, "If they were to fight ten rounds, Liu Longtao would definitely win more than he loses."

    "But Zhou Hongyu is aware of this, and her only chance of victory lies in launching a desperate and strong attack, forcing Liu Longtao to defend with all his might and then unleashing her trump card, catching him off guard and blowing him away."

    "Trump card?" Chen Lingyun''s eyes lit up.

    "You''ll know when you see it," Yan Yu declined to elaborate further.

    "...If she really has a trump card, she might not use it at this moment," Chen Lingyun pondered, "because it''s still not a guaranteed win against Liu Longtao, right?" sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Facing an opponent who is stronger in all respects, who would dare to claim a sure win?" Yan Yu replied.

    "That settles it," Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile, "You''re familiar with the story of Tian Ji''s horse racing, aren''t you?"

    Yan Yu paused for a moment upon hearing this, then immediately understood her implication.

    The most powerful moment for a trump card is naturally when nobody knows about it.

    Once it''s known, everyone will be on guard, and its subsequent effect won''t be as good.

    Considering that Zhou Hongyu, in the first round, faced off with Liu Longtao, who was touted as the strongest, even if she played her trump card, it wouldn''t guarantee a win¡ªthus, it would be a waste of a great opportunity.

    So the safest plan was, of course, to temporarily give up this most difficult matchup and save the surprise of the trump card for her opponents in the next two rounds, for a better chance at victory.

    Chen Lingyun''s reference to Tian Ji''s horse racing was a hint that the Pingxi Army might be planning for her to conserve her strength in the first round and lose to Liu Longtao, "use the good chariots to match the opponent''s better ones, lose first then win later."

    "You''re wrong," Yan Yu suddenly said.

    "Where am I wrong?" Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    "Even if the Pingxi Army has a Sun Bin, it still depends on whether Zhou Hongyu is willing to play that Tian Ji," Yan Yu said indifferently.

    Chen Lingyun was stunned for a moment, then looked back at the competition in the arena.

    Liu Longtao was nimbly moving around using the Cloud Ascension Technique, continuously attacking with the Metal-Element Impact Curse to pressure his opponent, clearly intending to kite his way to victory and avoid letting Zhou Hongyu get close.

    Zhou Hongyu, hailing from a martial arts school, was most skilled at close combat, so she went all-in with her Barrier Charm to block the attacks while charging at Liu Longtao to close the distance between them.

    Chen Lingyun watched intently, thinking that Liu Longtao seemed to have the upper hand in this situation. His Cloud Ascension Technique and Impact Curse were alternated in use, fighting while on the move; Zhou Hongyu constantly kept up her Barrier Charm to avoid being restrained by the attacks, which no doubt put more strain on her True Yuan consumption compared to Liu Longtao.

    Unless Zhou Hongyu could seize a chance to get close, she would only end up being worn down by her opponent, but would Liu Longtao give her that chance?

    "Liu Longtao is in trouble," Yan Yu suddenly commented, focused on the match.

    "Oh?" Chen Lingyun immediately showed interest.

    On the stage, Zhou Hongyu suddenly cut off her Barrier Charm and activated her Shifting Technique, drastically increasing her speed, and rushed towards Liu Longtao like a shooting star.

    The speed of the Cloud Ascension Technique was no match for the Shifting Technique, and to continue avoiding close contact, Liu Longtao had to activate and maintain his own Shifting Technique.

    With the two chasing and fleeing, considering the remaining True Yuan of both sides, in the end, Zhou Hongyu would undoubtedly be worn to death. However, such a match would definitely lack any form of spectator appeal.

    Would the Dingbei Army allow Liu Longtao to win by making the dignitaries in the box watch minutes of a "hawk chasing a chick"? Of course not.

    Clearly impossible.

    Chen Lingyun quickly realized the tactic within this scenario and saw that Liu Longtao indeed didn''t dodge or avoid but boldly activated the Wood Bending Charm, his right arm''s muscles swelling rapidly.

    The Wood Bending Charm grants immense strength, tearing tigers and leopards apart easily. Because in the five elements "wood overcomes earth," even the impenetrable Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse would break if hit by the Bending Charm, also blocking True Yuan in the meridians. Hence, the best way to respond isn''t to defend, but to counterattack.

    Zhou Hongyu swiftly closed in, her Shifting Technique rapidly halted, and she too activated the Wood Bending Charm, ready to exchange blows with her fists and feet.

    In a moment of swift motion, Liu Longtao threw a punch, and Zhou Hongyu dodged to the side, grabbing his wrist in return. Liu Longtao twisted his wrist trying to break free, but his heart suddenly leapt in shock.

    Not because he couldn''t break free, but because he had broken free too easily ¡ª the other side didn''t actually have the Bending Charm activated at that moment, having only initiated it to mislead him and then discreetly stopped it.

    So what curse technique was she using now?

    In any case, continuing to fight at close range clearly wasn''t a good idea. Liu Longtao tried to pull away swiftly, but would Zhou Hongyu let him do as he wished?

    She lifted her arm for a Great Stele-Felling Hand, smashing it towards Liu Longtao''s chest.

    Liu Longtao didn''t dodge; the Bending Charm activated again, his right fist shooting out like a cannonball, hitting Zhou Hongyu''s lower abdomen.

    If not for the True Yuan restraint bracelets, the punch, fully powered by the Bending Charm, could blow Zhou Hongyu''s spleen apart, killing her instantly.

    Even so, she instantly hunched over like a shrimp, vomiting a large mouthful of stomach fluid, her face contorting with severe pain.

    As for her Great Stele-Felling Hand, it had already lost most of its force, only barely managing to latch onto his clothes.

    Almost simultaneously, a sudden surge of flames engulfed both of them, who were fighting at close quarters.

    The referee immediately blew the whistle to stop the match, and the cultivators from the Pingxi and Dingbei Armies rushed onto the stage, casting the Water-Element Runescript to extinguish the flames.

    The medical team followed closely, quickly assessing the condition of the two injured.

    Liu Longtao was hit directly by the Flame Curse, with the flames bursting from under his feet. Thanks to the True Yuan restraint bracelet, he suffered only varying degrees of burns across different body parts.

    If this were a real combat situation, he would have been burned to a severe degree.

    Zhou Hongyu was in a worse state, having taken a heavy blow to her abdomen and then affected by the Flame Curse. She couldn''t stand up at all but was still gripping Liu Longtao''s chest cloth tightly. It took the army''s cultivators a while to pry her fingers open.

    Anyone unaware of the circumstances might think these two harbored some deep hatred! One must say that this girl''s ferocity was to an extreme.

    "This is really interesting," Chen Lingyun said, clapping her hands with satisfaction, chuckling merrily, "Clearly at a disadvantage in every aspect, yet relying on a burst of courage and risk to one''s life to take down the opponent. A girl with such a brutal personality would die quickly on the battlefield, wouldn''t she?

    But it''s fine, at least she gave Lord Master a serious burn, and I bet he won''t be able to sleep tonight~."

    The outcome, of course, was clear: Zhou Hongyu had secretly cast the Flame Curse and then, in order not to let Liu Longtao escape the range of the curse, took the risk of grabbing his clothes with the Great Stele-Felling Hand, bravely taking a punch from him to keep him in place.

    In a real combat situation, Zhou Hongyu would likely die from internal organ rupture, but Liu Longtao would also be burned to death by the Flame Curse, resulting in a mutual downfall. Therefore, this battle should be considered a draw.

    A few minutes later, as expected, the referee panel announced the first round as a draw.

    The Dingbei Army contested this, claiming that Zhou Hongyu was hit in the abdomen first and would have inevitably lost the ability to move if it were a real fight, possibly preventing her from continuing to hold Liu Longtao ¡ª he might have had the chance to escape the range of the Flame Curse.

    After reviewing, the referee panel rejected the objection and maintained the original decision.

    "What do you think?" Chen Lingyun asked again.

    "He wouldn''t have escaped," Yan Yu replied, "The True Yuan restraint bracelet simultaneously suppresses the temperature and range of the Flame Curse."

    "That means, in real combat, her Flame Curse would cover a larger area than it did here," Chen Lingyun nodded in agreement, then smiled sweetly, "If I were in the arena, I wouldn''t be so foolish. I would definitely activate Shifting Technique and fight Xiao Zhou in a guerrilla battle."

    "Of course, because you have no shame," Yan Yu said with a sidelong glance.

    "Only the victor has the right to dignity," Chen Lingyun argued unfazed, her smile bright, "Don''t lose carelessly in the next round against Li Zhaojiang, my face-saving little brother~"

    "I can''t think of any possibility that I''ll lose," Yan Yu said calmly, standing up, ready to enter the arena.

 Chapter 45 Sister Complex, Tone It Down

    Zhou Hongyu and Liu Longtao were carried down by the medical team for treatment.

    If the era of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence benefited any field the most, it was the military. The second must surely be the medical field.

    The Water-Element Runescript played a minor role during combat, but it was a huge help in medical support. Medical Cultivators could use the Runescript to inject True Yuan through the skin into the patient''s body, accurately locate the site of injury or disease, and then perform surgery or promote healing.

    Aside from some fatal injuries that still required emergency care in the ICU, most could be handled within a few hours.

    The injuries of the two weren''t serious, just a bit time-consuming to treat. Therefore, representatives from the Dingbei Army and the Pingxi Army were sent to look after them while most people remained sitting in the spectator seats.

    For the second round, Zhendong Army''s Yan Yu would face Annan Army''s Li Zhaojiang.

    At this point in the past life, among Liu Longtao, Zhou Hongyu, Chen Lingyun, and Li Zhaojiang, the latter was publicly recognized as the weakest of the four.

    Of course, this wasn''t to say his strength was truly lacking; otherwise, he wouldn''t have been chosen to fight on behalf of the Annan Army.

    The main reason was that Liu Longtao was well ahead in all aspects, Zhou Hongyu was fierce and daring in his martial arts, and Chen Lingyun was intelligent with excellent tactical thinking. In comparison, the well-rounded Li Zhaojiang lacked any standout features, which made him seem less reliable.

    In reality, there was certainly a discrepancy between the spectators'' perceptions and the actual strength of the contestants; otherwise, Liu Longtao wouldn''t have been forced into a draw with Zhou Hongyu.

    Yan Yu was the first to enter the arena, wondering if he should take a serious stance and crush the opposition, or just casually win the match.

    His gaze swept over the advancing Li Zhaojiang and settled on Li Minghu, who was sitting in the Annan Army''s reserves.

    Yan Yu didn''t have much of an impression of the past life''s Li Zhaojiang; he was just a mad sister complex after all.

    But he did hold a certain amount of respect for the woman Li Minghu.

    She fought on the battlefield despite her illness. With her, one sword wiped out legions of the Nanjiang, Lingnan, Lingyou, and Qiongzhou Cultivator Allied Forces, saving countless lives from the Lu Country from suffering¡ªpraising her as a "Valkyrie" wasn''t an exaggeration.

    For Li Minghu''s sake, letting her brother lose without too much disgrace seemed the right thing to do.

    In the reserves, Li Minghu coughed into a handkerchief covering her mouth and watched anxiously as her brother stepped into the arena.

    The tragic scene of mutual destruction between Liu Longtao and Zhou Hongyu just now made her worry subconsciously¡ªwould her brother get hurt this time?

    Then her gaze met Yan Yu''s.

    Oh, it was the man she had seen in the noodle shop the night before.

    Thinking back to his sympathetic gaze yesterday, Li Minghu felt somewhat relieved and lowered her head, avoiding his eye contact.

    It''s said that siblings, especially those close in age, often don''t have a strong relationship in their childhood, but the Li siblings were an exception.

    The elder sister Li Minghu was born with a lung disease and believed she wouldn''t live long. Thus, from childhood, she gave her brother all the best things so that one day when she passed away, her brother could keep her parents company and they wouldn''t be overwhelmed by grief.

    Her brother, Li Zhaojiang, who was originally oblivious to these matters, grew up cherished by his family and was naturally extremely close to his sister. When he matured and understood his sister''s involuntary distress, he became even more determined and fiercely protective, turning into a sister-protecting maniac. If Yan Yu looked anywhere else, Li Zhaojiang might not have been so mindful.

    But as soon as the gaze turned towards his sister, Li Zhaojiang was almost immediately aware.

    Seeing his sister on the field, his rationale began to lose control at the "disgust" and "head-turning to conceal."

    Some lecher is eyeing up my sister! Damned pervert, I''m going to kill you!

    Thinking of his poor, sickly sister being eyed greedily by the man opposite, Li Zhaojiang''s fighting spirit surged, skyrocketed, and intensified!

    Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill! His momentum at that moment was ten, no, nine times stronger than ever before!

    Such overpowering determination, such madness¡ªwhat in the world could stand against such a sister-protecting maniac?

    Yan Yu, unaware of his opponent''s mental state, only saw that his demeanor suddenly seemed crazed. He could guess that it was probably because he looked at his sister one too many times, which made the younger brother-in-law urgently react. Yan Yu was both annoyed and amused.

    Crazy! Does every man want to be your brother-in-law?

    The starting pistol sounded, and the match officially began. Li Zhaojiang didn''t hesitate, quickly activating his Shifting Technique to charge forward.

    Clearly, the first match had given a very obvious hint. When you try to close in with the Shifting Technique, the opponent either uses the Shifting Technique as well, initiating a chase-me-if-you-can mode, or they have no choice but to engage in close combat.

    However, because the match was attended by important figures, a monotonous game of tag with no actual combat was clearly not suitable for the stage¡ªit would seem to those in the private boxes that it might be suspected of being war-shy or fearful of battle.

    So the two had to come to blows, and Li Zhaojiang could then harness the one hundred thousand horsepower of protective brotherly force to blow up, annihilate, and pulverize that creep coveting his sister into dust!

    The Shifting Technique was activated, and the distance of several meters was bridged in an instant. Yan Yu really stood his ground without moving; faced with a brother besotted with his sister charging forward like a manic fist-smasher, he simply took up his stance with bored indifference.

    Impact Curse.

    Li Zhaojiang, who had charged in wildly, was sent flying backward, his hands still in the defensive blocking stance, his expression now one of shock.

    He had actually calculated the distance and ended the Shifting Technique prematurely, using the momentum to close in on Yan Yu, and launched the attack right after the Curved Curse was initiated.

    In the contest of the Curved Curse, the most important thing was to take the initiative. If both people activate the Curved Curse at the same time, both possessing immense strength, then whoever manages to break through the defense and hit the opponent first, the other would lose the ability to act and fall to the ground.

    However, his attack had missed.

    Li Zhaojiang didn''t understand why it had missed, but Yan Yu''s counterattack had already followed.

    The same Wood Bending Charm, the same straight Impact Curse, he only had time to cross his arms over his chest, and his whole body was hit and sent retreating backward.

    The exchange between the two was as fast as lightning¡ªmost of the audience hadn''t even realized what had happened yet, but Li Minghu from the reserve seat saw everything clearly.

    The moment his younger brother threw the punch, Yan Yu''s figure retreated sharply for an instant, evading the fist and stepping forward again, so it looked as though he hadn''t moved at all, yet strangely causing his brother''s attack to miss.

    His seemingly simple evasive maneuver was actually astoundingly fast, so much so that even the spectators couldn''t clearly see it¡ªthis speed, that even the naked eye struggled to catch, couldn''t be achieved by physical strength alone and must have involved the assistance of the Shifting Technique.

    The Shifting Technique can instantly accelerate to high speeds, and even if it is interrupted afterwards, the speed would not immediately decrease due to inertia, so he must have used the Cloud Ascension Technique to cancel out the inertia, stopping the momentum. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    This meant that a seemingly simple step back included the operations of "retreating with the Shifting Technique," "interrupting the Shifting Technique," "braking with the Cloud Ascension Technique," and "interrupting the Cloud Ascension Technique," and then stepping forward again for another round...

    completing a total of eight maneuvers in the blink of an eye, achieving this ghostly evasive effect.

    Li Minghu bowed his head and covered his mouth with a handkerchief, coughing violently again.

    Little brother, you probably can''t win this round¡­

    Barely stabilizing his posture, Li Zhaojiang noticed that the pain in his arms was not very pronounced, indicating that the opponent must have deliberately held back.

    He''s trying to ingratiate himself with me, trying to get on the good side of his future brother-in-law, isn''t he? Do you think by going easy on me I will be grateful to you? That after the match I will introduce you to my sister?

    You don''t even know your own limits, you piece of shit!

    Li Zhaojiang erupted once again, raising his arms aimed at the other side, as True Yuan coursed through the Impact Curse energy route, stirring violently within his meridians.

    Impact Curse barrage! Endless bombardment! Ora ora ora ora!

    Sharp energy shot out continuously, but Yan Yu''s figure had already vanished from the spot where he stood.

    He was leaping to the right, rising into the air, using the Cloud Ascension Technique to wipe out his speed, hanging motionless in the air for an instant. His right hand, formed into a sword-like gesture, accurately locked onto Li Zhaojiang''s position.

    Impact Curse, charging.

    The Metal-Element Impact Curse could compress True Yuan within the arms, significantly increasing the damage of a single hit, but the cost was having to hold the arm still while charging.

    Considering the damage of a normal Impact Curse was enough to be fatal to an unguarded cultivator, there was usually no need to waste time charging.

    And Yan Yu''s intention in doing so was also clear, telling Li Zhaojiang straightforwardly: You might as well admit defeat.

    I''ve already given you so much leeway; I just don''t want you to lose too disgracefully.

    Of course, Li Zhaojiang wasn''t about to appreciate the gesture. Accepting his favor meant owing him, and owing him meant that he couldn''t talk back, which would mean even if he were to blatantly pursue his sister in the future, he would only be able to sulk in the background as a mere bag-carrying lackey, unable to openly intervene!

    Ahh ahh ahh ahh die!

    Immediately after, an excruciating pain from a charged Impact Curse hit his chest.

 Chapter 54: 53: You Asked Me to Do It_2

    Chapter 54: Chapter 53: You Asked Me to Do It_2

    As for the commander-in-chief of the Dingbei Army, Yang Zhenwei, he tapped the table moderately and then stood up expressionlessly, leaving the private room without a word to get some fresh air outside.

    The medical team from the Dingbei Army came over to ask for instructions, only to find out the commander-in-chief was not there; so they went to look for the chief secretary Yan¡­ but it turned out that Yan, the chief secretary, was looking for them as well. As soon as they met, he scolded them furiously:

    ¡°Hurry up and remove Liu from the field! How much longer do you want to let him lose face?¡±

    The medical team members suddenly realized and quickly turned to rush down to the field.

    Chief Secretary Yan¡¯s worry was justified. After all, being defeated so swiftly and neatly, Liu Longtao¡¯s pride must be hurting. Staying on the field even a second longer would just push him closer to the edge of exploding, so it was certainly best to bring him down right away for some psychological support. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But in fact, he was overly concerned; a loss in battle doesn¡¯t mean a loss of composure. Liu Longtao, on the field, didn¡¯t lose his cool but quickly suppressed all the negative emotions in his heart and said with a bitter smile:

    ¡°I¡¯m not as skilled, I admit defeat. Now I finally understand why Chen Lingyun would like you.¡±

    Yan Yu: ???

    ¡°Understand my ass!¡± he swore immediately.

    So, you¡¯re trying to make me feel disgusted with you after losing on the battlefield? You¡¯re known as the number one guy in Pingjing, and still, you pull such a sly move?

    ¡°Ha, no need to explain, I get it.¡± Seeing him with a look of utter frustration, like he¡¯d swallowed a fly, Liu Longtao suddenly felt all the negative emotions dissipate, and he almost laughed as he said sentimentally, ¡°Personality aside, she does have some nice qualities.¡±

    What the hell does ¡°personality aside¡± mean! How can you just ignore her crappy attitude? Isn¡¯t compatibility of personalities the most important aspect in a relationship? And if you end up in court for a divorce, you¡¯re going to say ¡°let¡¯s not talk about the facts,¡± huh?

    Yan Yu, boiling with anger but wanting to retort, could only watch as the Dingbei Army¡¯s medical team rushed up and took Liu Longtao away, who, despite his defeat, kept his composure.

    Although he seemed unhurt, his dantian had been struck, so a routine physical examination was still necessary.

    Yan Yu could only leave the field with gloominess, and Chen Lingyun, standing at the side, saw his unhappy face and asked with a chuckle:

    ¡°Why do you look like you¡¯ve lost when you clearly won?¡±

    ¡°He cursed me,¡± Yan Yu said sullenly.

    Chen Lingyun raised an eyebrow slightly. What does that mean?

    You curse people because you can¡¯t beat them? Heh, Liu Longtao actually can¡¯t take a loss, calling you a fool from Jing region really wasn¡¯t wrong at all.

    Chen Lingyun, who was pleasantly amused, found Yan Yu more and more agreeable as she watched him, until he started feeling uneasy under her gaze.

    ¡°What?¡± Yan Yu said, warily, ¡°What nasty plan are you plotting now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just thinking about what to eat for dinner tonight,¡± Chen Lingyun said sweetly, ¡°Yan Yu, being with you just makes me so happy.¡±

    Yan Yu grew even more suspicious and asked, frowning:

    ¡°So, what have you done to feel guilty about, prompting that rare tinge of conscience, making you sweet-talk to cover your shame?¡±

    ¡°Not at all~¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile grew even sweeter, ¡°I mean exactly what I said.¡±

    ¡°¡­Forget it.¡± Yan Yu checked the time, ¡°Dinner is at least two hours away; I¡¯m going back to the hotel for a nap.¡±

    ¡°Want me to keep you company?¡± Chen Lingyun asked playfully, patting her crossed legs, ¡°I can offer a knee pillow.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Yan Yu stood up, saying indignantly, ¡°Just don¡¯t use your Wall-Penetration Technique to disturb me, and I¡¯ll count my blessings.¡±

    Wall-Penetration Technique? Chen Lingyun¡¯s eyelids drooped slightly as she thought that this was indeed an interesting idea.

    If he¡¯s in his room doing something sneaky, thinking he¡¯s locked the door and can¡¯t be disturbed, and then I use the Wall-Penetration Technique to suddenly burst in¡­

    Hmm~

    Maybe I¡¯ll give it a try next time?

    Just as Yan Yu was about to leave the training field, someone else came charging over midway.

    Instructor Qi Changping.

    ¡°Yan Yu¡­¡± As soon as the other party started to speak, Yan Yu let out a sigh and said directly:

    ¡°I know, the higher-ups are looking for me, right? Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Qi Changping couldn¡¯t help but smile wryly. Others would be thrilled to be summoned by the top brass, trying everything to show off their best, and here was this young man, always lazy and impatient!

    Yan Yu was brought to the upper-level VIP box, where he saw Li Weiguo on his cell phone, his expression quite serious:

    ¡°Hmm, okay, we¡¯ll make a good assessment of that.¡±

    Then he turned his gaze, saw Yan Yu enter the room, and hung up the phone, saying:

    ¡°Sit.¡±

    Yan Yu found a spot to sit down haphazardly, only to see Li Weiguo revealing a smile, enthusiastically raising his thumb, not skimping on words of praise:

    ¡°You really fought well this time! Three consecutive victories, bringing home first place! You¡¯ve greatly honored our Zhendong Army!¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s expected,¡± Yan Yu answered calmly.

    Qi Changping, who was watching the door, was starting to feel a tingle on his scalp. Truly a calf not afraid of a tiger!

    Even if you don¡¯t know how to butter up someone by saying ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to the leader¡¯s training¡±, at least spout some polite clich¨¦s like ¡°Honor is at stake, duty-bound¡±!

    What does ¡°it¡¯s expected¡± mean? Is this the attitude you take when speaking with the commander in chief?!

    But Li Weiguo wasn¡¯t angry. In his view, it¡¯s actually quite normal for young people to have a bit of arrogance.

    As long as you can ensure victory, a little pride is tolerable¡ªlet alone throwing the occasional tantrum; why else would they say ¡°Arrogant soldiers, valiant fighters, can win battles¡±?

    ¡°Last time you evaluated Zhou Hongyu,¡± Li Weiguo asked cheerfully, ¡°how do you feel about facing Liu Longtao this time?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s very outstanding in all aspects, without any obvious weaknesses, probably the top amongst this group of cultivators, aside from me,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°Zhou Hongyu merely tying with him before was indeed just a matter of luck.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Li Weiguo asked in surprise, ¡°Then why did the match against Liu Longtao end significantly faster than the previous ones?¡±

    ¡°Because you told me not to hold back and to give him a good thrashing,¡± Yan Yu was also a bit perplexed as he replied, ¡°If I don¡¯t hold back, of course he won¡¯t last beyond three moves, and naturally, the match ends quickly.¡±

    ¡°Did I?¡± Li Weiguo was astounded.

    You can eat recklessly, but you can¡¯t speak recklessly, okay?

    When did I tell you to ¡°give Liu Longtao a good thrashing¡±? If this gets back to the Dingbei Army, especially to old Yang, won¡¯t he come looking for a fight with me?!

    ¡°You really don¡¯t remember?¡± Yan Yu patiently reminded him, ¡°On the flight to Shengjing, you were sitting beside me and gave me the order: ¡®You must win against Li Zhaojiang and Zhou Hongyu; against Liu Longtao, you need to go all out.¡¯ You said it yourself!¡±

    Li Weiguo:¡­¡­

    Oh, now I remember.

    I told you to go all out against Liu Longtao because I thought you couldn¡¯t win; that¡¯s why I asked you to put on a good show, not to lose too quickly!

    I didn¡¯t tell you to hold back when fighting the others and to defeat him in just a snap, disgracing the Dingbei Army!

    Now everyone over there is speculating, saying I deliberately arranged for you to fight like this, to give the Dingbei Army a warning¡­ and I¡¯m being blamed for no good reason!

    Turns out it¡¯s all just a misunderstanding!

 Chapter 55: 54 You Are Actually So Loyal and Righteous

    Chapter 55: Chapter 54 You Are Actually So Loyal and Righteous

    ¡°`

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Qi Changping, who was guarding the door, could no longer bear to listen and hurried out to offer a remedy, saying, ¡°Do you want me to arrange for a few people to discretely spread some clarifications to them¡­¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± Li Weiguo immediately vetoed, ¡°We won this time! Since when does the winner have to proactively explain to the loser? If the Dingbei Army is unhappy, let Old Yang properly train his men, and they can win it back next time!¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Qi Changping immediately replied.

    Li Weiguo rubbed his hands together in satisfaction and said with a chuckle:

    ¡°They all came to ask me just now, saying that your Zhendong Army¡¯s Yan Yu is very adept at using the Shifting Technique to charge, then abruptly stopping with the Cloud Ascension Technique once in close range, before switching to other Attack Spell Techniques. How exactly did you manage to do that?¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment before answering, ¡°The operation is actually quite simple: First, I charge with the Shifting Technique, then I immediately interrupt it once I¡¯m in close range, and rapidly use the Cloud Ascension Technique to brake¡­¡± Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Just as he was about to repeat the general¡¯s question as his own reply, anticipating this, Qi Changping quickly interrupted him, saying:

    ¡°It¡¯s not the process they¡¯re asking about! It¡¯s why others can¡¯t do it, but you can. Is there any trick to it?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no trick,¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°just lots of practice.¡±

    Li Weiguo pondered for a while, then asked Qi Changping:

    ¡°Do we have any training programs for this?¡±

    Qi Changping was also speechless. How do you practice that? Charging at a target with the Shifting Technique and abruptly stopping the spell when close, then quickly switching to the Cloud Ascension Technique for braking?

    What if you can¡¯t brake in time? Wouldn¡¯t you just crash headfirst into the target? Unless everybody wore safety gear and replaced the target with something like a cushion¡­

    Old Han had indeed proposed a similar plan before, but the school leadership considered it too ambitious.

    Currently, the students hadn¡¯t even mastered the Shifting Technique on its own, and they hadn¡¯t even started learning the Cloud Ascension Technique. To advance training content to quickly switch between Shifting Technique and Cloud Ascension Technique was simply impractical!

    Of course, for the higher-ups, you might fail to achieve some plans, but you have to think of them.

    Failure might be due to objective environmental factors, but not thinking of it is a sign of your lack of ability.

    ¡°Yes, we do.¡± After thinking it through, Qi Changping quickly brought forward Han Zaixian¡¯s plan and described it in detail.

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Li Weiguo nodded in approval, ¡°The Shifting Technique and Cloud Ascension Technique indeed need to be practiced together. You¡¯ve also seen Yan Yu¡¯s performance these past few days. The acceleration of the Shifting Technique and the emergency braking of the Cloud Ascension Technique, when skillfully combined, provide the high maneuverability that has strategic value.¡±

    ¡°Without coordination, the Shifting Technique alone isn¡¯t flexible enough, and the speed of the Cloud Ascension Technique isn¡¯t fast enough to be significant.¡±

    ¡°The leader is wise.¡± Yan Yu hastily flattered.

    Look at that strategic insight! How else could he be the chief commander? What the hell is up with the school leadership, always concerned about the teaching schedule¡­ Do they really think they¡¯re running a school?

    Qi Changping was speechless by his side. So turns out this kid does know how to butter someone up, just chooses his moments!

    When the leader agrees with your opinion, you flatter him! What if the leader disagrees, would you silently curse him then?

    ¡­Forget it, forget it, you¡¯ve just won a victory, whatever you say is right.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to flatter me, it¡¯s your own prowess that¡¯s commendable,¡± Li Weiguo pointed at Yan Yu, saying jovially, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for watching your match, I wouldn¡¯t have realized this point.¡±

    ¡°Little Qi, after we return, make sure the related training facilities are set up quickly.¡± He then turned and instructed, ¡°If there are any problems, discuss them more with Student Yan Yu.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Qi Changping quickly complied.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The four-institute exchange competition concluded.

    The Zhendong Army won three consecutive matches, securing first place, leaving Li Weiguo naturally very satisfied.

    Yan Yu was also happy because with Li Weiguo¡¯s support, the school¡¯s teaching plan was finally going to change.

    From his experience in a past life, practicing the Shifting Technique, Cloud Ascension Technique, and Wall-Penetration Technique separately was a sheer waste of time.

    Correcting to the right instructional approach sooner would lead to faster growth in the overall strength of cultivators in the country, ensuring better preparedness for future international changes.

    Returning to his hotel room, Yan Yu saw Zhao Yuanzhen lying on the bed watching TV, teasing as she watched:

    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s the male lead, with the pretty-boy makeup, right? At first, I even thought he was the female supporting character.¡±

    ¡°`

    It¡¯s not dual-cultivation time, why did you come to my room? Yan Yu¡¯s face immediately darkened. Hmm, wait¡­ who is she talking to?

    ¡°Ha! Crap, really acts like a woman,¡± a carefree female voice replied, ¡°Can¡¯t they find a manly man for the domestic TV dramas these days?¡±

    ¡°Manliness requires charisma, which really tests an actor¡¯s skills,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and started munching, ¡°Playing a pretty boy doesn¡¯t need charisma¡ª just slap on some makeup¡­ oh, Yan Yu¡¯s back.¡±

    With an expressionless face, Yan Yu walked into the room, only to see the blonde-haired Anna sitting on the other side of the bed, chatting and cracking seeds with Zhao Yuanzhen¡ªthis was a women-specific ¡°wine and chatter¡± affair.

    When did you two become so close? No, I should ask when did the two of you meet?

    His eye twitched for a moment before he finally asked:

    ¡°Who allowed you to spit sunflower seed shells on my bed?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the big deal?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said indifferently, ¡°One Cleaning Spell and it¡¯s done, right?¡±

    ¡°How about I spit in your face and then give you a Cleaning Spell, huh?¡± Yan Yu asked with a hint of menace.

    ¡°That¡­¡± Anna stood up a bit nervously, cautiously saying, ¡°Sister Zhao said she could teach me spells, so she called me over.¡±

    ¡°What spells could she possibly teach you¡­¡± Yan Yu let out an involuntary retort, then abruptly felt something was off.

    Although this Demonic Sect Enchantress had not yet recovered her cultivation, when it came to the number of spells she mastered, probably no one in the world could compare with her except for Mei Yingxue.

    And if you limit the spells to ¡°dark and evil techniques,¡± even Mei Yingxue would have to admit defeat.

    If she were to teach Anna, couldn¡¯t that result in a new Demonic Sect Enchantress?

    But thinking about it carefully, even if Anna was taught, it would be Siberia that got plagued, not our Lu Country.

    In other words, even without Anna, there¡¯d be plenty of werewolves and vampires over there causing trouble just the same, right?

    It¡¯d be better to teach her various self-defense techniques to prevent her from being bullied over there.

    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea,¡± Yan Yu pondered and said, ¡°If there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t understand, you can ask her or me.¡±

    Great! Zhao Yuanzhen was also secretly delighted.

    She suspected that this Anna was the reincarnation of some great being, anticipated by Yan Yu¡¯s master, which was why he was sent from afar just to form a good karma with her.

    Now it seemed she had successfully entered the game. In the future when Anna encounters a turning point and successfully breaks free from her shackles and achieves enlightenment, wouldn¡¯t she also be able to bask in some of that fortune?

    Hmph hmph hmph, hehehe, hahaha, Yan Yu, you sneaky thief! Bet you didn¡¯t see that I¡¯m leeching off your good fortune!

    If one day I turn the tables and become the master, I will make you suffer all the humiliations you¡¯ve inflicted upon me, tit for tat!

    As she was silently reveling, she overheard Yan Yu speaking to Anna again:

    ¡°But she can only teach you some basics at most. You might as well learn from me,¡± he said.

    ¡°What the!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately protested, ¡°I am also¡­ I¡¯m also very impressive, okay?¡±

    ¡°Can you list a hundred combination battle tactics from the Three Arts and Five Spells?¡± Yan Yu asked with disdain.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was immediately stuck. Three Arts and Five Spells¡­ who would bother studying them!

    Shifting Technique is inferior to Sword Flight, Cloud Ascension Technique is not as good as the Immortals¡¯ stepping methods, and the Five Elemental True Character Curse has better spells that can replace it. These are just rudimentary exercises that cultivator couples teach their kids¡ªwho would take the effort to delve deeply into them!

    Seeing that Zhao Yuanzhen was lost for words, Anna sensed the truth in Yan Yu¡¯s claim and asked somewhat embarrassingly:

    ¡°Would privately teaching me these violate any confidentiality regulations?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Yan Yu said cheerfully, ¡°so if you get caught, don¡¯t rat me out.¡±

    He was just joking, but for some reason, Anna took it seriously and earnestly said:

    ¡°Even if I die, I will not betray you.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­

    They say the Eclipse Queen is brutal and merciless, but who would have thought she could be so loyal and righteous!

 Chapter 56: 55: Counter General Maneuver

    Chapter 56: Chapter 55: Counter General Maneuver

    About one or two hours before the scheduled meal, Yan Yu took this time to teach Anna the Three Arts and Five Spells in detail.

    ¡°Do you have any difficulties with it?¡± he finally asked to confirm.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Anna said helplessly, ¡°I don¡¯t get any of it¡­ I¡¯m just memorizing the theory here, and I have nowhere to practice!¡±

    ¡°As long as you understand the theory thoroughly, why be afraid you won¡¯t be able to practice later?¡± Yan Yu said indifferently.

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ?

    How do I remember someone saying before: The most important thing for a cultivator is actual combat?

    ¡°I want to go outside and practice,¡± Anna said eagerly, ¡°but I¡¯m afraid of being discovered and then not being able to explain myself.¡±

    ¡°Then don¡¯t practice outside,¡± Yan Yu said. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Once we go to Siberia, you¡¯ll have plenty of time to practice.

    Anna immediately felt a bit depressed. This man really didn¡¯t know how to comfort a girl. Shouldn¡¯t he usually say, ¡°Then I¡¯ll help you figure something out¡±?

    ¡°Speaking of ¡®helping,''¡± she suddenly remembered another matter, ¡°about the background check by the Dingbei Army¡­¡±

    ¡°Not likely anymore,¡± Yan Yu shook his head, ¡°The situation is going to become stricter. Those who haven¡¯t signed yet probably won¡¯t be allowed to sign.¡±

    Anna fell silent for a while before asking:

    ¡°So on what basis? Just because my mother is a foreigner?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it,¡± Yan Yu waved his hand, ¡°The main issue is that the first batch of cultivators recruited were too many, and it turned out that there weren¡¯t enough resources for subsequent training; they can¡¯t afford to keep everyone. Next year, they¡¯ll probably cut down on the second batch of cultivators and recruit fewer.¡±

    Anna: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°You¡¯re not fooling me, are you?¡± she asked suspiciously.

    ¡°Nonsense, if anyone¡¯s to blame it has to be you,¡± Yan Yu said bluntly, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you have just signed the enrollment agreement on the spot? Instead, you had to go home and ask your father and relatives¡­ This delay, didn¡¯t it just cause unnecessary complications?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re talking nonsense!¡± Anna said angrily, ¡°That was about going to university! It¡¯s not like picking a restaurant to eat at, who would make a decision on the spot?!¡±

    ¡°Me,¡± Yan Yu said confidently, ¡°I signed on the spot.¡±

    Anna: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to argue with you,¡± the blonde girl said impatiently waving her hand, ¡°If Lu Country doesn¡¯t want me, I¡¯ll just go to Rakshasa Country, and I¡¯ll become a cultivator there.¡±

    ¡°The enrollment requirements for Spirit Communicators in Moscow, it seems, include having Rakshasa citizenship for three generations including parents and grandparents,¡± Yan Yu said slowly, ¡°So you¡¯d better start fabricating your family tree now. For example, your grandfather participated in the Red Square uprising, overthrew the Tsar or something, and then, due to a mix-up, ended up in the Northeast. Body in Lu Country, heart in Rakshasa. Living in Shengjing for twenty years, speaking fluent Rakshasa.¡±

    Anna suddenly looked as deflated as a wilted eggplant, and after a long while, she said:

    ¡°I was joking. Isn¡¯t it because I have no other choice? If the Dingbei Army doesn¡¯t accept me, then I can only emigrate with my dad. It¡¯s not like I can stay in the country while he goes to Amur alone, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°But if you look at it from another angle, if you can¡¯t practice spells at home, can¡¯t you practice once you¡¯re in Amur? It¡¯s a vast and sparsely populated place, and besides, Rakshasa people don¡¯t recognize the Three Arts and Five Spells.¡±

    ¡°So are you really clueless, or just pretending?¡± Anna, crossing her arms, tapped her foot in annoyance, ¡°I don¡¯t want to become a cultivator! My goal is to convince my dad to stay in the country by becoming a cultivator, you get it? I don¡¯t want to go abroad!¡±

    Of course, Yan Yu was pretending to be clueless. But what else could he say?

    Even if Anna truly became a cultivator in the Dingbei Army, what then? Could she compete with people like Liu Longtao for cultivation resources? Could she win?

    Even if she could, her developmental ceiling in the country would only be at the level of someone like Liu Longtao. How could that compare to being ¡°the Queen of Siberia¡±? That was the height her original life trajectory was meant to reach!

    Seeing Yan Yu remained silent, Anna realized that she had lost her composure.

    In the end, the whole thing was a problem with the Dingbei Army¡¯s political review system. How could Yan Yu be at fault? He had saved her when she was in trouble, helped her inquire about information, and even taught her the Three Arts and Five Spells. What reason did she have to take her anger out on him?

    ¡°That¡­,¡± she sighed dejectedly and spoke softly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡­ I had a bad attitude, and I shouldn¡¯t have spoken to you like that.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Yan Yu said magnanimously, waving his hand, ¡°After all, I wasn¡¯t able to help.¡±

    ¡°But you did teach me the Three Arts and Five Spells,¡± Anna said sheepishly, ¡°How about I treat you guys to dinner tonight?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen really wanted to agree when he heard Yan Yu say:

    ¡°I have a dinner engagement tonight, you two go ahead.¡±

    ¡°You have a dinner and you¡¯re not taking me?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately got anxious.

    ¡°Chen Lingyun and Liu Longtao will be there,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, ¡°Imagine, while you¡¯re eating, having two Chen Lingyuns talking to you without stop.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen immediately lost his appetite and quickly said:

    ¡°Anna, where shall we have dinner tonight?¡±

    ¡°Some barbecue?¡± Anna suggested uncertainly.

    ¡°Great, great, let¡¯s have barbecue,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately perked up, glaring triumphantly at Yan Yu, ¡°Let¡¯s not take him!¡±

    Yan Yu was also at a loss for words. Were we there just to eat? No, we were there to get to know each other and network with cultivators from the Dingbei Army!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Network my ass!

    What Yan Yu hadn¡¯t expected was that, just an hour later, he would start to regret it somewhat.

    At a table for four, the boys on one side, and the girls on the other. A copper pot bubbled away in the center, filled with high-quality slices of lamb, yet everyone hesitated to reach in with their chopsticks for the moment.

    ¡°So, Ye Jun, you don¡¯t have a boyfriend now?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, ¡°And no secret crush?¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± Ye Jun, sensing something off about the atmosphere, quickly took over the conversation and chatted with Chen Lingyun, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to find someone¡­ it¡¯s just that¡­ I don¡¯t really feel anything, you know? I, personally, prefer someone with a more mature personality, but all the guys around me are pretty childish. They don¡¯t speak properly, they¡¯re like cats that just loiter around you, primping and posing to get your attention, which I find¡­ uh, uninteresting.¡±

    ¡°Oh, childish?¡± Chen Lingyun laughed, ¡°Does that include Liu Longtao as well?¡±

    Ye Jun immediately realized she had fallen into a trap. You¡¯re setting this up for me to fall into, huh! But she kept her cool and laughed off the implication,

    ¡°Him? No, he¡¯s not childish. He¡¯s just too damn mature and steady. Even though we were in the same class when we started, I¡¯ve always thought of him as my senior! Right, senior?¡±

    The girl effortlessly navigated the dangerous topic. She clarified that she had no relationship with Liu Longtao without emasculating him, and also made the trap Chen Lingyun set with her words fall flat.

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Liu Longtao responded without missing a beat, then began his counterattack, ¡°Yan Yu, do you have a girlfriend right now?¡±

    Yan Yu was already getting tired of it. Did you two really have to butt heads like this? Couldn¡¯t you just speak straightforwardly?

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡± He began to help himself to some lamb in the pot.

    ¡°Hey, Yan Yu, you¡¯re single too?¡± Ye Jun asked in feigned surprise, ¡°No way! You¡¯re hiding it well. With your qualities, I¡¯m sure a lot of girls are after you, right?¡±

    ¡°He must have high standards,¡± Liu Longtao chuckled looking at Chen Lingyun, and said, ¡°If I were Yan Yu, I wouldn¡¯t settle for just any girl either.¡±

    ¡°Just any girl¡± surely wasn¡¯t Ye Jun. So who could it be? Might as well give out the social security number.

    Ye Jun finally realized something: Liu Longtao, you¡¯ve got a private grudge against Chen Lingyun, haven¡¯t you!

    Talking about ¡°let¡¯s have a dinner to get acquainted¡±, but in reality, you came specifically to mess with her!

    ¡°Cough, actually, dating isn¡¯t all about conditions,¡± Ye Jun said, trying hard to smooth things over, and quickly signaled to Yan Yu with her eyes, asking him to help persuade Chen Lingyun as well, ¡°Even if someone isn¡¯t interested, it doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re not good enough. It¡¯s usually just that fate hasn¡¯t come knocking. There¡¯s an older female cousin across the street from my house, she¡¯s over thirty and not yet married, until¡­¡±

    Yan Yu picked up some lamb with his chopsticks, chewed it slowly, and then suddenly asked,

    ¡°So, Ye Jun, how did you come to know Liu Longtao?¡±

    Ye Jun paused for a moment, then replied,

    ¡°We were in the same class¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the higher-ups who are planning to team up cultivators, right?¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t bother waiting for both sides to continue their probing and went straight to the point, ¡°Whether it¡¯s for an experiment or some other purpose. Anyway, in this team, they must have planned for Liu Longtao to be the lead and for you to be his deputy, which is why you got to know each other in advance¡ªalthough you clearly stated that you are not related to him, the way you speak is very careful about preserving his dignity. That doesn¡¯t sound like friendship, it seems more like a subordinate relationship between colleagues.¡±

    Ye Jun was somewhat at a loss for words, while Liu Longtao fell silent for a moment before laughing,

    ¡°Impressive, you actually guessed it.¡±

    Chen Lingyun also quickly caught on: the Dingbei Army had started implementing a team system, and the Zhendong Army would likely follow suit soon, with a high chance of Yan Yu being the team leader and Chen Lingyun the deputy leader.

    So that was why Liu Longtao had arranged this dinner, not purely to get on good terms with Yan Yu, but more so to observe the relationship between Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun.

    Considering Chen Lingyun¡¯s strategic capabilities and robust background, if she chose not to follow Yan Yu, there would be significant risks within the team.

    ¡°What¡¯s so hard to guess?¡± Yan Yu continued eating his lamb, casually saying, ¡°We don¡¯t need to keep testing each other like this anymore. Let me put it this way: Chen Lingyun, though she can have a nasty temper, is still responsible, and will follow orders when it counts. And you? Liu Longtao, you hold great authority and have a sufficiently assertive personality; the team will definitely become an echo chamber for you. If you make a mistake, would Ye Jun dare to point it out to your face?¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t she dare?¡± Ye Jun immediately spoke up, ¡°The deputy¡¯s duty is to devise strategies and fill in the gaps for the team leader.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s hope so,¡± Yan Yu replied nonchalantly with a smile, as he stood up, ¡°I¡¯ve got a bit more business to attend to, so let¡¯s call it a day for this meal. Thanks for the invitation. I must be going.¡±

    ¡°Bye-bye~¡± Chen Lingyun also stood up, waving her hand with a beaming smile.

    Having failed to probe successfully and being counter-attacked by Yan Yu, Chen Lingyun couldn¡¯t be happier at that moment. She almost wanted to catch up to Yan Yu and hug him tightly, kissing him fervently.

    Ye Jun quickly stood up, unsure whether to call them back but then saw Liu Longtao sitting silently in his seat, seemingly lost in thought.

    It was then that she suddenly realized¡ªYan Yu mentioned that the purpose of the meal was probing, and Liu Longtao did not deny it.

    However, when Liu Longtao asked her to contact Yan Yu before, he did not tell her the real reason.

    Ye Jun suddenly felt an urge to confront Liu Longtao with, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me the truth?¡±

    But after thinking it over, she never asked the question.

    Because she agreed with what Yan Yu said: Liu Longtao¡¯s personality was too domineering.

    If he decided not to disclose it in advance, then her asking about it after the fact, without understanding the situation, would likely just annoy him.

 Chapter 57: 56: Returning Home

    Chapter 57: Chapter 56: Returning Home

    Chen Lingyun caught up with Yan Yu from behind, her face full of smiles, eager to say something, but she noticed that Yan Yu¡¯s expression was rather gloomy.

    It wasn¡¯t the usual ¡°annoyed by her¡± gloominess, but one tinged with a hint of melancholy and desolation, a kind of listlessness.

    Being as clever as she was, she immediately guessed what was troubling Yan Yu and tentatively asked,

    ¡°Was Ye Jun someone formidable in his past life?¡±

    ¡°Formidable?¡± Yan Yu was silent for a moment, then sneered, ¡°Of course he was formidable, the spokesperson for the Dingbei Army, isn¡¯t that formidable?¡±

    ¡°Oh my, that¡¯s really¡­¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile bloomed like flowers.

    A spokesperson, that¡¯s a civilian staff position! Ye Jun, you were at least a cultivator, how did you end up so down on your luck to switch to a bureaucratic job?

    Thinking back to Yan Yu¡¯s attitude just now, Chen Lingyun already had her answer and said with a laugh,

    ¡°Working under the Lord Master, it¡¯s not surprising to encounter such things.¡±

    The main position is too radiant, the deputy will inevitably be overshadowed, that¡¯s the case all over the world.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like she had a choice in the matter.¡± Yan Yu looked at Chen Lingyun speechlessly, ¡°I¡¯ve clashed with her. Ye Jun¡¯s true skill is actually much higher than what the outside world thinks. Even though she¡¯s not on par with the Lord Master, it¡¯s not fair to compare all the cultivators of the Dingbei Army to him, right?¡±

    ¡°So you deliberately provoked the Lord Master just to make him pay attention to his deputy, Ye Jun?¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried that if Liu Longtao really does that, and they become stronger, they might turn around and overpower us?¡±

    ¡°If the Lord Master could really do that, would he be lumped together with you, called ¡®Idiot of the South, Fool of the North¡¯?¡± Yan Yu sighed deeply and said, ¡°Does anyone not know the true strength of their own deputy? Does Liu Longtao not know? I guess in the end, the Lord Master simply doesn¡¯t want a deputy leader at all, so it doesn¡¯t matter to him whether Ye Jun stays or goes.¡±

    But on further thought, although she couldn¡¯t change the personnel decisions of the Dingbei Army, when the time comes, she could poach him using her personal identity!

    Instead of being some kind of press officer, it would be better to persuade Ye Jun to retire and come help me!

    If Chen Lingyun has Secretary Su, why can¡¯t I, Yan Yu, have Secretary Ye?

    Poach! This must be poached!

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve got it.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°So what exactly did you do in your previous life?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve given you so many hints, you still can¡¯t figure it out?¡± Yan Yu raised his eyebrows and asked.

    ¡°Hmm, first of all, I rule out being a university student cultivator.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a clap and a laugh.

    ¡°Why?¡± Yan Yu asked, puzzled.

    ¡°It¡¯s just not that.¡± Chen Lingyun smiled, her eyes curving, ¡°You tell me what you did first and then I¡¯ll tell you my rationale.¡±

    ¡°Forget it, it¡¯s not important.¡± Yan Yu waved his hand helplessly, ¡°The unit I belonged to back then isn¡¯t even established yet.¡±

    ¡°Was it some kind of special forces?¡± Chen Lingyun asked tentatively.

    ¡°No, in terms of responsibility, it would be more like military police.¡± Yan Yu answered.

    Military police¡­ Chen Lingyun was stunned for a moment, then slowly began to understand.

    A special unit dedicated to hunting down cultivators?

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Inside the nearby food stall.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, Yan Yu is super annoying.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, after a few beers, became more talkative, ¡°He never orders my favorite food when he gets takeout!¡±

    ¡°But he¡¯s the one paying for it.¡± Anna reminded her, ¡°He has the right to decide what to eat, doesn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°And another thing!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen continued to complain, ¡°He¡¯s always nagging me to do the housework!¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re sharing an apartment with him but not paying rent, helping out with chores seems fair.¡± Anna kept reminding her.

    ¡°He talks more to Chen Lingyun than he does to me!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said through gritted teeth.

    ¡°If he and you were in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, that would indeed be quite improper.¡± Anna hesitated slightly, then asked, ¡°But Yan Yu is still single, right?¡±

    ¡°Whose side are you on?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was close to tears, grabbing Anna¡¯s arm and refusing to let go, ¡°At least join me in cursing him!¡±

    ¡°Who are you cursing?¡± Yan Yu stood behind her, asking with a dark expression.

    Zhao Yuanzhen immediately sat upright and said seriously,

    ¡°Complaining about the boss. They watered down the draft beer at this food stall, it¡¯s tasteless; Anna and I were just griping about how the boss is ripping us off.¡±

    The stall owner, who was still busy grilling, looked up in confusion and glanced this way. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Time to go,¡± Yan Yu said coldly, ¡°Time¡¯s up, let¡¯s head to the airport to regroup.¡±

    ¡°You guys are leaving?¡± Anna stood up, asking in astonishment.

    ¡°We¡¯re leaving,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°We¡¯re heading back to Jinling.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll see you off,¡± Anna said hastily.

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu waved his hand, ¡°You can¡¯t get into a military airport.¡±

    Anna lowered her head, looking somewhat disheartened, unsure of what to say.

    She didn¡¯t know how to describe her feelings at the moment. Although they had only known each other for two days (actually, considering from last night, just one day), she truly felt reluctant to see Yan Yu leave. Perhaps because Yan Yu was her first ¡°Cultivator¡± friend?

    Yan Yu noticed her reluctance and her embarrassment in showing her feelings, and said with a smile:

    ¡°Why the long face? It¡¯s not like we can¡¯t keep in touch after I leave. If there are any problems later on, just ask me via mobile.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Anna said.

    ¡°Zhao Yuanzhen, we should go,¡± Yan Yu quickly said when he saw the Demonic Sect Enchantress still stuffing skewers into her mouth, and forcefully pulled her up, ¡°We¡¯ll miss the plane if we¡¯re any later. Anna, you should head back soon too, don¡¯t make your dad worry.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Anna said.

    Zhao Yuanzhen still wanted to take the unfinished skewers with her, but Yan Yu accurately predicted her intention, forcibly dragging her away before she could do anything more embarrassing.

    By the roadside, Chen Lingyun waited with a beaming smile, a taxi beside her with the door open.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to talk to her some more?¡± she asked teasingly, ¡°We should still have a bit of time.¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°So, does this mean you¡¯ve achieved your goal?¡± Chen Lingyun continued smiling, ¡°After all, wasn¡¯t she the main reason for your visit to Shengjing in the first place?¡±

    ¡°Why so many questions?¡± Yan Yu pushed Zhao Yuanzhen into the back seat of the taxi.

    ¡°Mmm-hmm~ I¡¯m just solving the puzzle,¡± Chen Lingyun said happily.

    This useless woman¡­ utterly hopeless.

    Taking a taxi to the outskirts of the airport, they met up with the rest of the Zhendong Army and then boarded the plane back to Jinling.

    On the return flight, Zhao Yuanzhen refused to sit with Chen Lingyun and firmly occupied the seat next to Yan Yu.

    Bored, Yan Yu looked out the airplane window and then took out his phone to check.

    The most satisfying outcome of this inter-academy competition for the Zhendong Army¡¯s higher-ups was Yan Yu¡¯s three straight victories, demonstrating the strength of the Zhendong Army.

    But for Yan Yu himself, the most valuable thing was actually making and acquiring three new friends.

    Li Minghu from the Annan Army, Ye Jun from the Dingbei Army, and most importantly, the ¡°Eclipse Queen¡± Anna.

    Acquiring friends was one thing, but the most important was the acquaintance; that way, if any issues came up later, they could at least talk to each other in time.

    If he hadn¡¯t met them in person, even if Yan Yu tried to add them as friends from memory, most likely he wouldn¡¯t get accepted.

    Yan Yu silently closed his eyes, organizing the memories in his mind.

    It was now the beginning of June, with about a month of rest time ahead.

    When July arrived, there would be a small-scale increase in global Spiritual Energy density. As the baseline was raised, the hidden depths of some of the famous mountains and rivers at home and abroad would progressively open to the public.

    The upper echelons would start team trials in the Dingbei Army, probably anticipating this. After all, at this stage, even the most capable solo Cultivator couldn¡¯t stand against an entire team.

    Once the Zhendong Army started pushing the team system, he¡¯d have to shift his focus to team management.

    To prevent disorderly competition, domestic teams were standardised to five members, for five-on-five combat. Of course, when facing foreign Cultivators, several teams would stand side by side; international righteousness wouldn¡¯t come into play.

    As for which members to recruit, the team configuration of Chen Lingyun¡¯s previous life was there; naturally, her judgment wouldn¡¯t be wrong.

 Chapter 58: 57: Taming Su Yunjin

    Chapter 58: Chapter 57: Taming Su Yunjin

    A week after returning to Jinling, a notification indeed arrived from above:

    Form a tactical squad.

    ¡°The current intention from above is that you should be the captain, with Chen Lingyun as the vice-captain,¡± Instructor Qi Changping said, ¡°and then you can pick three others from your peers to make up a team of five, forming the Zhendong Army¡¯s first combat team. You need to coordinate with your team members as soon as possible, as there might be combat missions assigned to you at any time. Do you have any questions?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Yan Yu said calmly, ¡°The people I select will also need to be approved by those above before they can officially join the team, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Qi Changping replied, ¡°Everything should be done by the book.¡±

    ¡°I have no issue with the review process being done by the book,¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°but you can¡¯t give me a hard time beyond what the rules prescribe. The people I pick can¡¯t be rejected unless they fail the political screening. Those who join can¡¯t be replaced without my consent unless I raise the issue myself. In short, I must have the final say on personnel matters within the team, otherwise you may as well find someone else.¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu.¡± Qi Changping fell silent for a moment before saying, ¡°The academy certainly supports you, but the academy is also part of the military, and in the military, no one gets to call all the shots. You are the Zhendong Army¡¯s first combat team; do you have any idea how many people are watching your performance around the clock?¡±

    ¡°For instance, victory and defeat are common in military affairs; no one can guarantee an undefeated record. If someone on your team underperforms and leads to a loss in a key battle, what then? If you don¡¯t allow those above to replace him, all the responsibility and pressure from the defeat will fall squarely on you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Yan Yu said with indifference, ¡°Even if we lose just once, I¡¯ll take all the responsibility. Reviews, demerits, dismissal, do as you please. But as long as I¡¯m still the captain, I won¡¯t allow anyone to interfere with internal personnel matters. That¡¯s my bottom line.¡±

    Qi Changping fell silent for a moment, then turned to Chen Lingyun beside him and asked:

    ¡°Chen Lingyun, do you feel the same way?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°I think what Yan Yu says makes sense. If we lose with the people we¡¯ve chosen, it¡¯s our responsibility; if people from above replace them and there¡¯s still a problem, will someone from above take responsibility?¡±

    ¡°Instructor Qi,¡± she continued, ¡°this doesn¡¯t really conform to military regulations, but the biggest rule in the military is ¡®win wars.¡¯ As long as we can win, I think these minor issues shouldn¡¯t be a problem. You can ask Grandpa Li and see what he thinks.¡±

    It took Qi Changping five or six seconds to realize that Chen Lingyun¡¯s ¡°Grandpa Li¡± referred to Li Weiguo, the Commander-in-Chief of the Zhendong Army.

    ¡°Alright then,¡± he said with a mix of amusement and resignation, ¡°I¡¯ll go and ask for instructions.¡±

    After Qi Changping bid farewell and left, Chen Lingyun spoke laughingly:

    ¡°Even if Grandpa Li agrees to your demands, such matters can¡¯t be set in stone publicly; at most, they¡¯ll tacitly agree not to interfere with internal affairs for now.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s alright,¡± Yan Yu said with a grand sweep of his arm, ¡°I¡¯ve made my stance as captain clear for starters. If later on someone foolishly tries to meddle, you, the vice-captain, can take the bullet for me.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Chen Lingyun asked in surprise, ¡°Why me?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense, I don¡¯t have a dad who¡¯s the Governor of Jianghai,¡± Yan Yu said as if it were obvious, ¡°You¡¯re the young miss of an official family. Haven¡¯t you heard ¡®with great power comes great responsibility¡¯? Make yourself useful! What¡¯s the point of you being a vice-captain if you¡¯re useless?¡±

    ¡°So, how do you plan to decide on the team members?¡± Chen Lingyun gently steered the conversation back to the main point.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Yan Yu contemplated, ¡°Su Yunjin and Lin Ning are quite capable, I have no objections to them joining the team. Zhao Yuanzhen is my person, definitely included¡­¡±

    As he said this, he suddenly began to ponder.

    In his past life, the Zhendong Army¡¯s first squad consisted of team captain Chen Lingyun and vice-captain Su Yunjin, with three teammates being Lin Ning, Qiu Ze, and Sun Ziyi¡ªfive people in total with three women and two men, the highest female ratio among the four armies, and thus mockingly called the ¡°Ladies¡¯ Battle Team¡± by outsiders.

    Now with Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen, the obvious replacements would be Qiu Ze and Sun Ziyi. It wasn¡¯t because they were men, but rather an issue of team role assignments.

    To put it in gaming terms: Su Yunjin was support/healer, Lin Ning was a frontline assault, both performed their primary jobs excellently, so there was no need for change. Chen Lingyun, despite being a ranged damager, wasn¡¯t particularly powerful; her main role was to use her brains to identify the enemy¡¯s weaknesses and land critical hits.

    The problem with this trio of girls was a severe lack of direct siege capabilities; once Lin Ning was tied up on the front line and Chen Lingyun couldn¡¯t find an opportunity, the team was at risk of being wiped out. Hence, Sun Ziyi¡¯s explosive damage and Qiu Ze¡¯s supporting offensives were necessary to fortify the team¡¯s overall offensive capabilities.

    This life had a completely different situation. Both Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen were offensively inclined. Yan Yu himself was a jack-of-all-trades, capable of fighting, running, and supporting; Zhao Yuanzhen, as a Demonic Sect Enchantress, never trusted outsiders, and her ability to fight alone was essential for her own survival, with arson and assassination skills that were incredibly refined.

    If the two of them were to be joined by Sun Ziyi and Qiu Ze, the overall team output would be off the charts, while their adaptability would be greatly weakened. Therefore, Sun Ziyi was definitely not needed, and it was a choice between Qiu Ze and Lin Ning.

    Both were assaulters, Qiu Ze specialized in offense, Lin Ning in containment. Since Yan and Zhao¡¯s offense was more than sufficient, Lin Ning was a more suitable choice over Qiu Ze.

    However, doing so would change the team¡¯s gender ratio to 1:4, even more imbalanced than in his previous life.

    No matter, it¡¯s decided. If there is a need to adjust the team later, the first to consider for replacement would be that good-for-nothing woman, Chen Lingyun.

    ¡°I think Lin Ning is fine, and Yun Jin¡­¡± Chen Lingyun contemplated for a moment and said, ¡°As you previously mentioned, isn¡¯t her personality a bit too soft? And she might not be willing to join the team.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just going to talk to her,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently. ¡°See what she¡¯s thinking.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    If Chen Lingyun is the young miss of an official¡¯s family, then Su Yunjin is the young miss of a family steeped in scholarly tradition.

    There¡¯s a saying, ¡°On both banks of the Yangtze River, there¡¯s the only daughter of a household.¡± Jiangbei Province, Jiangnan Province, Jianghai Prefecture¡ªthese places have historically been the homelands of weaving and significant sources of tax revenue. With plenty of money, there are naturally many scholars and officials. If it so happens that there¡¯s an only daughter raised as the young miss in such a family, life is pretty much set to ¡®Easy Mode¡¯; she wouldn¡¯t have to worry for most of her life.

    Su Yunjin, who had barely suffered since childhood, maintained an indifferent and unconcerned attitude toward fame and wealth, influenced by her parents who were university professors.

    Her only hobby was reading books, specifically novels. Not the kind of online fiction used for stress relief by the masses, but serious literary works¡ªthe kind that would immediately induce a strong sense of drowsiness in Yan Yu as soon as he glanced at their contents.

    When Yan Yu found her in the library, Su Yunjin was sitting at a bright and clean spot by herself, quietly reading.

    The pleasant afternoon sunlight streamed through the window grilles, illuminating her black hair, her simple hairband, and her delicately beautiful profile. No matter from which angle it was captured, the scene was beautiful to behold. What was even more precious was that this wasn¡¯t a deliberately posed shot¡ªSu Yunjin¡¯s temperament was naturally like that of a classical beauty who seemed as if she had walked out of a painting, her every frown and smile carrying a delightfully enchanting charm.

    If it weren¡¯t for the nuisance that was the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, this young miss would probably have had an even better life. What a pity.

    Yan Yu walked up to the table, pulled out the chair opposite her, sat down, and looked at the novel in her hands.

    ¡°In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower¡±, the author was Marcel Proust.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t attempt to recall who this author was, as he was absolutely certain that all his knowledge of foreign literature had already been returned to his middle school and high school Chinese teachers.

    ¡°This book is a bit challenging to read,¡± Su Yunjin put down the book and said softly, ¡°Yan Yu, if you¡¯re interested in foreign novels, I suggest you try ¡®The Count of Monte Cristo¡¯ by Dumas.¡±

    ¡°If I have time, I¡¯ll check it out,¡± Yan Yu nodded, although he estimated that he might never find the time, even if he grew old enough to lie in a coffin, ¡°Anyhow, is it convenient to talk now?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Su Yunjin closed the book and pushed it aside, ¡°What would you like to discuss?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to ask about your life aspirations,¡± Yan Yu asked casually, ¡°Hmm¡­ have you ever thought about experiencing a life you never imagined you¡¯d have?¡±

    Su Yunjin blinked at him comically and suddenly burst into laughter before saying:

    ¡°What kind of question is that? I¡¯m living that kind of life right now, you know that I originally wanted to study Chinese Language and Literature, right?¡±

    ¡°I mean, do you want to go a step further?¡± Yan Yu made a hand gesture for ¡®a step further¡¯, ¡°For example, how about we form a team and play around?¡±

    ¡°A team?¡± Su Yunjin pondered for a moment, ¡°Who would be the team leader? You or Ling Yun?¡±

    ¡°Of course, it would be me,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Otherwise, it would be Chen Lingyun sitting here and extending the invitation to you now.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m in.¡±

    She agreed way too quickly¡­ Yan Yu asked without showing any sign of surprise:

    ¡°And if Chen Lingyun was the team leader?¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯d join too,¡± Su Yunjin replied.

    ¡°So, what difference does it make to you who the team leader is?¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but laugh too.

    ¡°There is a difference,¡± Su Yunjin seriously said, ¡°If Ling Yun were the team leader, I¡¯d have my hesitations, but I would agree because I¡¯d be uneasy about her facing danger lightly.¡±

    ¡°But if you were the team leader, I wouldn¡¯t hesitate, because I trust that you wouldn¡¯t let your team members take risks carelessly.¡±

    Yan Yu looked at her in amazement, thinking that he hadn¡¯t known Su Yunjin for that long, how could she trust him so much already?

    ¡°Well, you have a pretty accurate judgment of people,¡± he paused for a moment, then stood up, ¡°Once you join my team, you¡¯re one of my people. I won¡¯t be the team leader if I can¡¯t protect my members.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll look for you again once the paperwork for forming the team is approved.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Su Yunjin nodded with a smile, picked up the novel beside her, and resumed her leisurely reading. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 59: 58: Teasing Lin Ning

    Chapter 59: Chapter 58: Teasing Lin Ning

    If Su Yunjin was nowhere to be seen, one could surely find her at the library.

    Lin Ning was another story. Yan Yu had to send a message to inquire and only then did he learn that she was practicing spellcasting at the Five Spells training ground.

    The Five Spells training ground was located inside a mountain because the Impact Curse, Flame Curse, and Curved Curse were all hazardous, so they had to be practiced in a training ground under 24-hour surveillance.

    In the Curved Curse practice area, Yan Yu saw an exhausted Lin Ning who seemed to have been practicing her punches and kicks at a target just moments before, and now she was bent over, hands on her thighs catching her breath in big gulps.

    Her black hair was tied up at the back of her head in a bun that didn¡¯t hinder her movements, revealing a fair and charming neck. She wore a sports vest and shorts, already soaked with copious amounts of sweat, revealing her graceful and exquisite curves¡ªit was obvious that this girl had been training here for more than an hour.

    Yan Yu recalled a phrase from his past life used to describe Chen Lingyun as ¡°boasting both cats and dogs.¡± What did that mean?

    It meant Su Yunjin was like an elegant cat, who would accompany Chen Lingyun quietly and gently; Lin Ning was the loyal dog, who would carry out Chen Lingyun¡¯s orders without fail¡­

    Damn, such two fine girls, both ruined by that damned woman!

    ¡°Lin Ning, have you mastered all Five Spells?¡± Yan Yu greeted and asked her.

    ¡°I¡¯ve learned them all, just not very proficient yet,¡± Lin Ning replied.

    ¡°When you¡¯re done practicing, I have something to discuss with you,¡± Yan Yu sat down on the nearby resting bench.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Lin Ning asked directly, stopping her training.

    ¡°I¡¯m forming a battle team and short of hands,¡± Yan Yu invited bluntly, ¡°are you interested?¡±

    ¡°Is it official or private?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s official,¡± Yan Yu replied surprised, ¡°What could a private team do? Help you climb walls to skip classes and hit internet cafes?¡±

    Lin Ning gave a slight smile, then explained,

    ¡°I thought it¡¯s something like a private club, you know, like those popular second element themes nowadays¡­ um, like running a harem club at the university? Where there¡¯s one male lead and all other members are pretty girls.¡±

    ¡°First of all, I believe that theme is usually about high school clubs,¡± Yan Yu corrected her helplessly, ¡°Secondly, it¡¯s not a harem club, I¡¯m not just picking pretty girls to join.¡±

    ¡°So how many girls are there in your team now?¡± Lin Ning raised an eyebrow and asked.

    ¡°You, Chen Lingyun, Su Yunjin, Zhao Jiuzhen, that makes four girls¡­¡± Yan Yu paused momentarily, then defended, ¡°That¡¯s not the point, I value your abilities and potential, it¡¯s just that you all happen to be pretty girls.¡±

    Hmm, why does it feel like I¡¯m digging myself deeper into a hole?

    Lin Ning, however, struggled to contain her laughter, turning her head to say,

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll accept that reason. Tell me more about this team and what exactly I would have to do after joining?¡±

    ¡°The main responsibility of the team is to complete tasks assigned by superiors,¡± Yan Yu said seriously, ¡°The reason we operate as a squad is because the tasks are quite challenging, and the chances of success are not high if tackled alone.¡±

    ¡°I am the team leader, with Chen Lingyun as the deputy, so you members don¡¯t have much to worry about. The tasks from the superiors will be dissected and detailed by us, assigning specific duties to everyone before distributing them among you.¡±

    ¡°So my understanding is,¡± Lin Ning pondered and summarized, ¡°that the team system is still in a trial phase, hence there isn¡¯t a clear procedure and responsibility definition yet.¡±

    ¡°Pretty much,¡± Yan Yu appreciated her comprehension, ¡°On this path towards the unknown, we are the pioneers cutting through the thorns. Should troubles arise from all sides, while other cultivators obey their superiors, our team will definitely be at the forefront of danger, that much is certain.¡± sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°I need to discuss it with my family,¡± Lin Ning pondered, ¡°When do you need my answer by?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re asking me,¡± Yan Yu joked, ¡°you better call them now and then tell me if you¡¯re in or not.¡±

    ¡°Alright then.¡± Lin Ning took his words seriously, directly picked up her phone beside her, and dialed a number, ¡°Hello, dad?¡±

    What followed was a series of encrypted local dialect: all sorts of ¡°good, good,¡± ¡°can do, can do,¡± ¡°don¡¯t rely on demons!¡±¡­ Yan Yu was utterly confused by what he heard, only seeing Lin Ning¡¯s expression go from serious to somewhat embarrassed, and finally, extremely impatient as she hung up the phone.

    Then she looked up, her face void of emotion, and declared,

    ¡°All right, I¡¯m in.¡±

    ¡°¡­Although I don¡¯t understand your local dialect,¡± Yan Yu went silent for a while before speaking up, ¡°Did your dad object to you joining the team?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lin Ning replied tightly, ¡°He¡¯s totally supportive.¡±

    ¡°But from the tone of your conversation, he didn¡¯t seem supportive,¡± Yan Yu expressed his serious doubts.

    ¡°You understand Minnan?¡± Lin Ning asked him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°Then what are you suspicious about?¡± Lin Ning immediately widened her eyes, resembling a growling, baring tigeress, with a fierce expression, ¡°Or do you want me to call again, so you can confirm with him yourself?¡±

    ¡°Forget it, I won¡¯t meddle in your family affairs,¡± Yan Yu raised his hands to surrender, ¡°I¡¯ll look for you again once the team formation procedures are approved.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Lin Ning leaned back against the wall, standing on one foot and looking down without speaking, displaying a ¡°I¡¯m still angry¡± demeanor.

    ¡°Well, Lin Ning,¡± Yan Yu saw her sullen expression and suddenly felt an impulse, smiling as he said, ¡°This weekend, I went to Shengjing with Chen Lingyun for an exchange meeting and met a female cultivator from the Annan Army named ¡®Li Minghu¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, what about her?¡± Lin Ning asked, frowning.

    ¡°You should be careful around her,¡± Yan Yu said seriously, ¡°I¡¯ll go first, not to disturb your practice.¡±

    Lin Ning: ???

    She wanted to ask something more, but Yan Yu had already disappeared in no time.

    So who is ¡°Li Minghu¡±? And why should I be careful of her?

    The more Lin Ning thought about it, the less she understood, and the more puzzled she became, the more she wanted to figure it out, so she directly picked up her phone and messaged Yan Yu to ask him.

    No reply. So she messaged Chen Lingyun, and this time she got a quick response:

    ¡°Oh, Li Minghu is a cultivator from the Annan Army, what¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu told me to be careful of her,¡± Lin Ning typed with a furrowed brow, ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Chen Lingyun sent a smiling face emoji, ¡°Maybe he¡¯s warning you to be careful not to be eaten by her.¡±

    Lin Ning¡¯s frown deepened:

    ¡°A lesbian?¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha.¡± Chen Lingyun sent a row of laughing emojis, ¡°No, just kidding with you, don¡¯t mind it.¡±

    How could I possibly not mind it! Lin Ning quickly displayed her typing speed, sending more probing messages to Chen Lingyun.

    However, Chen Lingyun¡¯s telling her ¡°not to mind¡± was precisely because she knew that Lin Ning would mind, given her character, so why would she explain anything at this point? She deliberately left her messages on read without replying.

    Lin Ning had no other choice but to message Su Yunjin.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know~¡± Su Yunjin replied.

    ¡°You definitely know!¡± Lin Ning became annoyed and indignant, ¡°Yun Jin, every time you want to hide something, you like to end with interjections like ¡®ya¡¯, ¡®ah¡¯, ¡®la¡¯ and the like!¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡± Su Yunjin replied with a smiley face emoji, ¡°I know this is just Yan Yu teasing you, but if I explain it clearly, you will definitely get angry, so isn¡¯t it better to not delve into it?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t get angry,¡± Lin Ning replied.

    ¡°That¡¯s not certain.¡± Su Yunjin typed slowly, ¡°Lin Ning, do you still remember why you went to get a certificate for standard Mandarin?¡±

    Of course Lin Ning remembered. Previously, when Su Yunjin visited her dorm, she found a Grade A, Level One certificate for standard Mandarin on her shelf and had asked her why she wanted the certificate.

    ¡°Because during my first year of high school, I went to Pingjing for a summer camp, and they mocked my Mandarin for not being standard,¡± Lin Ning replied gloomily, ¡°So I had to get the Mandarin certificate to prove them wrong.¡±

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s because they said, ¡®People from Minhai can¡¯t differentiate between the sounds of ¡®fu¡¯ and ¡®hu¡¯, right?¡± Su Yunjin typed back, ¡°Lin Ning, you¡¯re a bit sensitive about regional jokes, but I¡¯m sure Yan Yu meant no harm with his joke, so how about not taking it to heart?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me Little Lin Ning!¡± Lin Ning typed angrily, paused for a moment, then quickly deleted the line, and continued to type:

    ¡°So Yan Yu is making regional digs at me?¡±

    ¡°Uh.¡± Su Yunjin realized she might have made things worse, ¡°No, why would you think that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to find him!¡±

 Chapter 60: 59: Secretary Lin Is Best at Playing Dumb

    Chapter 60: Chapter 59: Secretary Lin Is Best at Playing Dumb

    When Yan Yu found Zhao Yuanzhen, she was lying in her dormitory, watching videos on her phone.

    ¡°There¡¯s something,¡± Yan Yu said as he came to her bed.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen continued to lie on her bed, lazily adjusted her position, and kept staring at her phone.

    ¡°You talk to me with that attitude?¡± Yan Yu narrowed his eyes.

    ¡°What else?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked absentmindedly.

    A mere thief, now that I¡¯m no longer seeking your protection in your cave abode, what can you hold over me?

    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, I can only report to Master,¡± Yan Yu turned to leave, ¡°Such an ignorant creature, huh¡­¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen jerked into action, flipping off the bed at lightning speed and grabbing onto Yan Yu¡¯s lower leg.

    ¡°Master has commanded, and this humble girl dares not disobey!¡± She swore and cursed, all but ready to spill her guts on the spot, ¡°Please allow this humble girl to toil like a dog or horse!¡±

    ¡°Bullshit, you also dare to call him ¡®Master¡¯? Just go back and wait for death,¡± Yan Yu disdainfully pushed her hand away. Zhao Yuanzhen took the opportunity to get up, shamelessly wrapped her arms around his waist, and wouldn¡¯t let him go.

    Seeing her clinginess, Yan Yu realized the Demonic Sect Enchantress was indeed afraid, and he softened his tone as he spoke:

    ¡°Master¡¯s predictions encompass heaven and earth, peering into the divine secrets. He foresees that next month, the Linghai will surge, and famous mountains and rivers will emerge one after another. This is the ¡®Bewitching Heart Guardian¡¯ era; the world will become turbulent. He commands us to prepare immediately.¡±

    ¡°I will certainly prepare!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said, her voice filled with excitement as she clenched her fist.

    ¡°Do you know what preparation?¡± Yan Yu scoffed at her, ¡°You don¡¯t know anything and still dare to say ¡®certainly¡¯?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was momentarily speechless at his words, then she hehe laughed and said:

    ¡°You and I are dual cultivation partners. Whatever Master entrusts you with, I¡¯ll follow along.¡±

    Her response was logical and well-founded, and even Yan Yu couldn¡¯t find fault with it, so he said stiffly:

    ¡°If someone from above comes and asks whether you want to join my battle team, just agree to it¡ªdon¡¯t cause me any trouble!¡±

    ¡°Understood, understood,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen nodded repeatedly.

    Only after Yan Yu had left the dorm did her expression suddenly turn serious.

    Bewitching Heart Guardian, an era of great contention¡ªZhao Yuanzhen might not have witnessed it firsthand, but she had already glimpsed some clues from ancient texts.

    With the lands in upheaval and a hundred years¡¯ worth of continents submerged, one has to swim against the tide to fight for that slim chance of survival!

    Mei Yingxue, wait until my demonic skills are fully accomplished, and that will be the day you hand over your life!

    Wahahahahahaha!

    No sooner had Yan Yu left the dormitory building than he saw Lin Ning running over hurriedly from the opposite direction.

    The girl was still dressed in a sports bra and shorts, with a shirt thrown over her shoulders, and her tied-up ponytail had come undone, adding a natural, untamed beauty to her pure appearance.

    ¡°Yan Yu!¡± Lin Ning called breathlessly, ¡°Stop right there!¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning to run,¡± Yan Yu asked with a frown, ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°You, you, you¡­¡± Lin Ning took a while to catch her breath before angrily asking, ¡°What you told me before was about¡­ regional discrimination, wasn¡¯t it (lia)?¡±

    Yan Yu: ???

    ¡°What regional discrimination?¡± he asked, puzzled, ¡°Minhai¡¯s economy is thriving, there are plenty of handsome men and beautiful women, and the Min language sounds pleasant. Plus, Minhai produced you, an outstanding young cultivator like Lin Ning. Why would I discriminate against the people of Minhai? This is nonsensical!¡±

    ¡°Uh.¡± Lin Ning was at a loss for words.

    ¡°Speaking of that, I was actually looking for you,¡± Yan Yu said seriously, ¡°Since you¡¯ve joined our battle team, there are some tasks I need to entrust you with.¡±

    ¡°Our team¡¯s roster is now set, you go report the list to Instructor Qi Changping and then ask him what procedures and processes we need to follow to establish our team and what materials we need. You¡¯ll be responsible for taking care of all of that for me.¡±

    ¡°Ah, right now?¡± Lin Ning asked in surprise.

    ¡°Right now? Where¡¯s your head at!¡± Yan Yu scolded her, ¡°Are you planning on going out soaked in sweat? Hurry back and take a shower and change clothes!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m on it!¡± Lin Ning immediately ran towards the direction of the dormitory building.

    Upon returning to her room and shedding her sweat-drenched clothes, Lin Ning twisted up her long hair at the back of her head, covered it with a shower cap, and then began showering.

    The call with her father hadn¡¯t really touched on much about the military; after all, he couldn¡¯t distinguish between ¡°military academy training¡± and ¡°joining a team,¡± so he just said, ¡°It¡¯s up to you to decide.¡±

    What really irritated Lin Ning was that her father had started asking her again whether she was in a relationship.

    It¡¯s been less than a month since I started school!

    The nudging, always nudging! It makes me want to curse out of irritation. How many times do I have to say it? Right now I only want to become a qualified cultivator as soon as possible; I have no time to think about anything extra, hmph.

    After quickly washing up, Lin Ning stood in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection for a while.

    Alright, I¡¯ve joined the team, I need to work hard too!

    Lin Ning patted her cheeks, and silently made up her mind.

    Cleaned and dressed in simple sports pants, a shirt, and canvas shoes, with her hair tied back into a ponytail, Lin Ning left the dorm building and headed for the administrative building where the instructors were located.

    ¡°Oh?¡± After hearing Lin Ning¡¯s report, Qi Changping was also very surprised.

    Chen Lingyun, Su Yunjin, Zhao Jiuzhen, and Lin Ning¡ªOi, Yan Yu, is everyone on your team besides yourself a girl?

    This isn¡¯t necessarily a problem. Our Lu Country¡¯s traditional spirit is ¡°Women can hold up half the sky,¡± although your team seems to be holding up two skies, which is indeed a bit outrageous¡­ Oh! I get it now! No wonder you insisted on absolute control over team personnel¡ªit¡¯s for the casting couch, isn¡¯t it?

    Kid, you¡¯re really playing the field!

    Having strong suspicions about this, Qi Changping obviously couldn¡¯t make baseless accusations, so he could only hint subtly to Lin Ning by saying:

    ¡°If you suffer in the team, you can report to us instructors.¡±

    If it were Chen Lingyun or Su Yunjin here, they might have grasped his implication, but Lin Ning, with her straightforward personality, was not one to overthink. Upon hearing this, she responded seriously:

    ¡°Please rest assured, Instructor. As a soldier, no matter how much hardship I face or how tired I get, it¡¯s no excuse for grievance or complaint!¡± S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Qi Changping: ¡­¡­¡­

    He scrutinized Lin Ning¡¯s expression carefully, saw that she apparently had no other intention, pondered for a moment, and quickly came to an understanding.

    This girl¡¯s naivety is almost like being clueless. If Yan Yu were to take a fancy to her, wouldn¡¯t she be devoured without leaving any scraps behind? She might even end up giving herself to him and then ask her family for a dowry.

    ¡°How¡¯s your relationship with Chen Lingyun?¡± Qi Changping asked again.

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty good,¡± Lin Ning responded, not understanding the reason for the question, and then quickly added, ¡°Instructor, about the procedures for establishing the team¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, wait a moment. Let me get a form for you.¡± Qi Changping thought to himself that knowing each other was fine¡ªif anyone in the team could stop Yan Yu, it would definitely be Chen Lingyun, for this girl¡¯s strength lies not within the team, but without. ¡°Fill out this form, have all team members sign at the bottom, and submit it to the archive room in Building 2¡­ No, forget that, I¡¯ll go submit it. Just hand it to me once you¡¯ve gathered all the signatures.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Lin Ning started to study the form.

    ¡°And, tell Yan Yu something for me,¡± Qi Changping continued, ¡°He¡¯ll have the team¡¯s absolute personnel authority if the higher-ups agree to it, on the condition that he wins battles.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Lin Ning, of course, understood what ¡°the team¡¯s absolute personnel authority¡± meant, but she didn¡¯t read too much into it. Or perhaps, up to this point, the impression Yan Yu had left on her wasn¡¯t bad, and it didn¡¯t make her interpret it in that way, ¡°I¡¯ll tell him.¡±

    ¡°Mhmm.¡± Qi Changping sighed inwardly, but he didn¡¯t continue with the hints.

    All he could hope for now was that Yan Yu would behave honorably and not end up causing all the girls in the team to become pregnant, igniting a major scandal, and eventually dragging the instructors into the mess.

 Chapter 61: 60: Red Horned Creature at 3x Speed

    Chapter 61: Chapter 60: Red Horned Creature at 3x Speed

    Zhendong Army had authorized Yan Yu to form a combat team, and naturally, the other military forces would not fall behind.

    Lingnan Province¡¯s Royal Palace of the Annan National Defense Academy soon appointed Li Zhaojiang as the team captain and Li Minghu as the vice-captain. The siblings were tasked with selecting members.

    The first thing to do after the team was formed was to play the recordings of the four-institute exchange matches for everyone, with the vice-captain Li Minghu personally explaining and reviewing the footage.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to watch the other fights.¡± Knowing his brother was thin-skinned and cared about his face, Li Minghu clicked on the video, immediately dragged the mouse to the very end, ¡°I understand everyone¡¯s time is precious, we should only watch the one with the most technical content.¡±

    ¡°The final round bout between Yan Yu and Liu Longtao.¡± Li Zhaojiang nodded with feigned seriousness, ¡°Indeed, it is worth detailed study.¡±

    The team members kept silent. In fact, everyone knew the captain had lost all three of his fights, but no one was foolish enough to point that out.

    The video quickly came to an end, totaling less than 10 seconds.

    Yan Yu first stepped back to evade the attack, then followed with a Curved Curse Punch that made Liu Longtao stagger.

    Then he pretended to use the Runescript to fool Liu Longtao into casting the Barrier Charm, and then he switched from clapping hands to Iron Mountain Lean, returning to the Curved Curse, sending Liu Longtao flying once more.

    It was over.

    ¡°Now that we have watched it, what are your thoughts?¡± Li Minghu paused the video and summarized with a smile, ¡°I believe Yan Yu¡¯s victory in this battle is due to both conventional and unorthodox factors.¡±

    ¡°The unorthodox factor lies in the fact that his two successful attacks both involved outsmarting Liu Longtao¡¯s Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse using the Wood Bending Charm. With wood overpowering earth, the Barrier Charm is forcibly broken, and the areas it hits will suffer obstructed meridians and sealed acupoints, which unless cleared with the Runescript, hinder the circulation of qi.¡±

    ¡°So in the future, when we cast the Five Spells, we must pay attention to the interplay of the five elements. If your opponent has closed in on you and you still foolishly use the Barrier Charm for defense, a single Curved Curse can have you sprawling on the ground.¡±

    ¡°As for the conventional aspect, the reason he was able to land his attacks was that his sheer capability truly overwhelmed Liu Longtao. Do you know in which aspect?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s his spell switching speed,¡± said Li Zhaojiang with a cool, expressionless face.

    ¡°Exactly, it¡¯s his spell switching speed,¡± Li Minghu said with a smile, dragging the mouse to rewind the footage, ¡°Look here.¡±

    She replayed the video at 0.5x speed for everyone:

    ¡°Here Yan Yu is already in close range, why doesn¡¯t Liu Longtao quickly end the Barrier Charm?¡±

    ¡°Because he is afraid it won¡¯t be fast enough,¡± continued Li Zhaojiang.

    ¡°Yes, even at 0.5x speed, you can see that Yan Yu¡¯s closing speed is extremely fast, something that can¡¯t be achieved by Cloud Ascension Technique alone,¡± said Li Minghu with a nod, ¡°He must have used the Shifting Technique, leveraging its high speed to close in on Liu Longtao, braking with the Cloud Ascension Technique upon getting close, and then switching back to the Curved Curse.¡±

    ¡°All these actions were completed in a flash, so from Liu Longtao¡¯s perspective, there was virtually no gap between Yan Yu closing in and casting the Curved Curse, making it hard to defend in advance.¡±

    ¡°If he then tried to end the Barrier Charm, in all likelihood, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to carry out the next move in time, and would have been hit by the attack from the Curved Curse, hence he was forced to use the Barrier Charm to block. The result was the curse being broken and the meridians becoming obstructed; but what if he had tried to switch spells? Then he¡¯d probably be killed instantly.¡±

    Seeing everyone deep in thought, Li Minghu added:

    ¡°I¡¯ve calculated specifically based on this video. Yan Yu¡¯s spell switching speed is three times faster than the average cultivator. Meaning, in the time it takes us to switch one spell, he could easily switch three.¡±

    ¡°In all martial arts, no defense is indestructible, only speed is unbreakable. With such a rapid change of moves, if you can¡¯t keep up, then no matter what you do, he will instantly switch to a countering technique. In this way, you would have no chance of victory whatsoever.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Seeing his teammates¡¯ expressions of shock and to prevent them from losing their fighting spirit, Li Zhaojiang cracked a joke, ¡°If Yan Yu dyed his hair the eight colors of the gods and styled it into a Xiaolan, wouldn¡¯t he be a red-horned triple-speed?¡±

    This meme was so abruptly put together that none of his teammates got the joke, and Li Minghu quickly explained:

    ¡°Therefore, the main focus of our team¡¯s upcoming training schedule is the joint practice of the Three Arts and Five Spells. Everyone must master the execution of the Three Arts and Five Spells to the point of instinct and use proficiency to increase their speed of improvising new moves¡ªof course, we¡¯re not expecting the freakish level of skill showcased by Yan Yu, but at the very least, when we face him in the future, we shouldn¡¯t be taken down within a few moves.¡±

    The team members all nodded and took note. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Now that all four armies have formed their teams, there is a subtle relationship between cooperation and competition. With the four-college exchange competition taking place, who¡¯s to say there won¡¯t be friendly matches between the four teams in the future? Using Yan Yu as a training target is most certainly the right decision.

    Under the leadership of Li Minghu, the Annan Army team quickly set its training goals for the near future.

    Meanwhile, at the Pingxi National Defense Academy located in Shuzhong Prefecture of Nanchuan Province, team captain Zhou Hongyu sat in silence, letting vice captain Zhang Huaide play the video to the end.

    ¡°The most impressive thing about Yan Yu is his change-up speed, which far exceeds the average level,¡± Zhang Huaide concluded, ¡°If it¡¯s a one-on-one fight, it¡¯s nearly impossible to beat him, even if one fights desperately¡­¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Seeing him address the uncomfortable truth, Tang Xiaolian hurriedly interrupted him, ¡°We don¡¯t need to talk about one-on-one fights; the power discrepancy is clear. Everyone just needs to practice hard afterwards. Talk about what to do in team combat.¡±

    ¡°Team combat is much simpler,¡± Zhang Huaide replied, ¡°Yan Yu might be able to change moves at triple speed, but his teammates might not be able to keep up with him; that way, they cannot combine their attacks effectively.¡±

    ¡°If he chooses to coordinate with his teammates, then he would have to give up his own advantage, equivalent to handicapping himself; considering his quick move changes, he doesn¡¯t really need to combine attacks with others, so I tend to think that in team fights, he will opt to go solo.¡±

    ¡°Once he goes solo, our tactical focus should be on finding ways to isolate Yan Yu from his teammates. The specific tactics can be adapted to the situation and change according to the circumstances, but generally, they will definitely lean towards this direction.¡±

    ¡°By isolating Yan Yu, whether we choose to first gnaw away at this toughest stone or prioritize knocking his teammates out of the game, we will have a lot of options afterward.¡±

    ¡°Enough,¡± Zhou Hongyu was actually already impatient, but her resentment towards Yan Yu suppressed her impulsive irritation. Now that Zhang Huaide had finished his analysis, she immediately slammed the table and declared, ¡°Regardless of how the tactics change, without strength, it¡¯s all in vain!¡±

    ¡°From now on, everybody needs to practice fiercely!¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± The teammates responded in unison.

    Over at the Dingbei National Defense College, Liu Longtao was sitting alone in his office, watching the video on his computer, dragging the progress bar forward with his right hand, playing it, then dragging it, and playing it again, repeatedly.

    His left hand rested beside the keyboard, silently clenched into a fist.

    Ye Jun brought over some tea, and seeing him watching the video of his own defeat by Yan Yu in two moves, she paused for a moment before placing the tea beside him.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Liu Longtao said softly.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Ye Jun replied quietly.

    She quickly turned to leave the office, and only when she was out did she quietly pull out her phone and opened the video of the four-college exchange competition.

    This video was secretly requested by Ye Jun from the instructor and Liu Longtao was not made aware of it.

    After watching the video several times from beginning to end, she let out a quiet sigh and dragged it into a newly created ¡°Tactics¡± folder, then added a password.

 Chapter 62: 61: First Round of Girl Group Practice

    Chapter 62: Chapter 61: First Round of Girl Group Practice

    ¡°`

    Chen Lingyun, Su Yunjin, Lin Ning, and Zhao Yuanzhen stood at the front of the Cloud Ascension Technique training ground¡ªthe area behind was scattered with an assortment of low walls, rooftops, and obstacles simulating an urban environment.

    Yan Yu casually strolled past the girls with his hands clasped behind his back, as if he were a general inspecting his troops.

    ¡°Since everyone is already acquainted with one another, we¡¯ll skip the round of introductions this time.¡± Finally, he came to a stop in front of everyone and asked in a deep voice, ¡°Does anyone know the original purpose of establishing our war team?¡±

    ¡°Is it to open your harem?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Yan Yu quickly pointed and ordered coldly, ¡°Cause any more trouble, and you¡¯re out of the team! Lin Ning, you speak.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Lin Ning immediately answered earnestly, ¡°As military professionals, cultivators have limited ability when fighting alone. The original purpose of our war team was to complete those more difficult, teamwork-requiring, and arduous combat missions. This is my personal understanding.¡±

    ¡°The meaning is more or less the same.¡± Yan Yu nodded slightly and said, ¡°We are the first tactical squad sanctioned by the Zhendong Army to investigate how to more effectively employ organized supernatural force, to defeat, crush, and kill our enemies.¡±

    ¡°To put it bluntly, it¡¯s about winning! Victory alone is the goal we pursue!¡±

    The girls did not speak, merely looking at him quietly.

    Yan Yu paused for a moment before continuing:

    ¡°There¡¯s no feminism on the battlefield, and the enemy won¡¯t go easy on you just because you are women. The higher-ups also won¡¯t adopt more lenient evaluation standards due to your gender.¡±

    ¡°If we win, it¡¯s ¡®women are as good as men, and the girls are all capable¡¯; if we lose, it¡¯s ¡®those women really aren¡¯t cut out for war, and the place for women in battle is in the maternity ward.¡¯¡­ Sorry, I¡¯m just that blunt. But if you lose, there will undoubtedly be those who come to question me, saying I recruited beautiful women into the team ¡®to open a harem.¡¯ That kind of vile remark, I can tolerate, can you?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said loudly, glancing sideways at Chen Lingyun, who was still smiling, and threatening ominously, ¡°If anyone dares to mention harems again, you don¡¯t need to act; I¡¯ll deal with her myself!¡±

    ¡°You shut up too!¡± Yan Yu pointed again and scolded Zhao Yuanzhen, ¡°Who asked you?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen sulked privately, holding a silent grudge:

    ¡°This scoundrel dared to scold and chastise me in front of everyone today; I shall have my revenge! If a day comes when I call the shots, I too shall humiliate him severely in front of everyone. I¡¯ll make him weep bitterly beneath my pomegranate skirt and be unable to lift his head!¡±

    Seeing the Demonic Sect Enchantress bow her head in submission, Yan Yu didn¡¯t continue to berate her to stir up enmity, but casually spoke:

    ¡°Starting today, you won¡¯t need to attend the usual afternoon training sessions. As team leader, I¡¯ve been given the authority to design and organize the team¡¯s training exercises.¡±

    ¡°Considering your current level of strength, I¡¯ve decided to skip actual combat training for the first session, and we¡¯ll start from the simplest exercises.¡±

    Yan Yu turned towards the Cloud Ascension Technique training ground and pointed to a low wall erected there, saying:

    ¡°From this position, initiate Shifting Technique at full sprint towards the low wall, then interrupt the Shifting Technique and come to a stop using the Cloud Ascension Technique.¡±

    ¡°My requirement is that when you come to a stop with the Cloud Ascension Technique, your position must be as close to the low wall as possible¡ªclose enough that with an arm¡¯s length, you could touch the wall. Once you can do that, this training is considered complete.¡±

    Everyone started to ponder the task.

    Once Shifting Technique is initiated, the sprinting speed can reach around 60 yards. Charging towards an obstacle at that speed is extremely risky because even a slight delay in decelerating could result in a direct collision, resulting in a bloody injury.

    Not to mention, the ¡°deceleration¡± Yan Yu referred to is actually two consecutive actions: first, interrupting the Shifting Technique, then activating the Cloud Ascension Technique, instantly making the operation much more difficult.

    However, the girls harbored no complaints.

    Chen Lingyun considered herself extremely clever, and of course, she could see that Yan Yu¡¯s arrangement was meant to train their reaction ability and speed in switching spells.

    Su Yunjin was also smart, thinking that if they really mastered this, it would afford them a considerable advantage in actual combat, as moving at high speed while maintaining precise positioning would be unmatched.

    And Lin Ning was even simpler. With a typical problem-solver mentality, she thought, ¡°You tell me how to train, I train, and that¡¯s it. If I perform poorly in the end, it¡¯s because I didn¡¯t train enough.¡±

    ¡°`

    Everyone had their first try and then looked at each other¡¯s scores: Su Yunjin 2.3 meters, Lin Ning 2.2 meters, Chen Lingyun 1.4 meters¡­ This woman, as Yan Yu knew from his past life, had nearly perfect timing, barely missing touching the wall¡¯s surface with more proficiency.

    However, the most surprising to the three girls was Zhao Yuanzhen.

    She stopped exactly an arm¡¯s length away from the short wall, stretching out her right hand to touch it, and calmly turned her head towards Yan Yu, displaying a disdainful expression:

    ¡°Is this good enough?¡±

    Yan Yu was not surprised by her performance, since Zhao Yuanzhen was, after all, a cultivator who had traveled through from another world and was accustomed to using sword flight for long journeys.

    Because it was sword flight, the grasp of timing and distance had to be perfect; otherwise, one might not be able to stop in time when landing and would end up face-planting into the dirt, completely losing their immortal dignity.

    ¡°Very good,¡± Yan Yu said with his arms crossed over his chest, ¡°You¡¯ve passed the first training exercise.¡±

    Chen Lingyun wasn¡¯t surprised by this, and Su Yunjin appeared indifferent, but Lin Ning felt as if she¡¯d been struck by lightning.

    Not being able to surpass Yan Yu and take first place was one thing, but now Zhao Yuanzhen could leave her far behind?

    Lin Ning looked at the short wall again, her heart now filled with the motivation to continue training, wishing she could treat this exercise like the annual university entrance exam papers of all provinces, brushing through a hundred sets of them first.

    ¡°So what?¡± As expected of the Demonic Sect Enchantress, as Yan Yu predicted, Zhao Yuanzhen started getting carried away. She lifted her delicate chin flirtatiously and asked contemptuously, ¡°What other training is there? Bring it on for me to savor.¡±

    ¡°Easy to say, the second exercise is very simple,¡± Yan Yu sneered, ¡°Fight me.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    On the 10th defeat, Zhao Yuanzhen was struck in the back by Yan Yu¡¯s palm and immediately lost control of her body, staggering forward and almost tumbling to the ground.

    She barely managed to stabilize herself and struggled to regulate her breathing, feeling pain all over her body.

    Yan Yu hadn¡¯t even used the Flame Curse or the Curved Curse, just the Shifting Technique and the Cloud Ascension Technique to control the distance and move laterally, easily confusing and overwhelming Zhao Yuanzhen.

    Of course, the Demonic Sect Enchantress didn¡¯t think it was her fault ¨C she blamed the slow resurgence of spiritual energy in this world!

    Zhao Yuanzhen glared at Yan Yu hatefully, not having time to accumulate more resentment toward him in her heart, as her mind instantly conjured up seven or eight cunning spells that could ignore his agile movements and defeat him easily. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    However, she couldn¡¯t use any of them.

    Not only because the current concentration of spiritual energy in the environment was insufficient for their normal potency, but also because even if she cast them, she would have no way to explain to her teammates ¡°where she had learned these spells from.¡±

    The only ones she could use openly were the Three Arts and Five Spells.

    Both the Three Arts and Five Spells were considered basic spells in Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s world of cultivation, consuming very little True Yuan and having mediocre power; usually, only Taoists in rural Taoist temples would practice them to deceive the nearby villagers.

    How maddening! What proper cultivator would specialize in these? And yet I still can¡¯t beat him!

    Wait, could it be that his master taught him some kind of divination skills? Like, predicting my moves in advance¡­ something like that?

    Zhao Yuanzhen was shocked, thinking about the promised fair fight, but this was like cheating with divination!

    With the Five Elemental True Character Curse¡¯s inter-promoting and inter-restricting nature, if you predict my moves in advance, how could I possibly defeat you?

    ¡°No more fighting!¡± she said huffily, ¡°Keep being shameless! Hmph, so what if you win, I still look down on you!¡±

    Yan Yu: ???

    Though he wasn¡¯t sure what the Demonic Sect Enchantress had misunderstood, it seemed best to beat her up first and then inquire what was confused in her mind.

 Chapter 63: 62 Consulting Teacher Yan

    Chapter 63: Chapter 62 Consulting Teacher Yan

    The first day¡¯s training session consisted of performing precise emergency stops while augmented by the Shifting Technique.

    The second day¡¯s training session still focused on precise emergency stops.

    The third day¡¯s training session was, once again, all about precise emergency stops.

    The fourth day¡­ Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin were fine, but Lin Ning was becoming somewhat restless.

    It wasn¡¯t that she found the exercise boring, but rather because at the public training ground, an instructor had invited combat experts to teach the students military combat techniques.

    As everyone knows, the Wood Bending Charm in the Five Elemental True Character Curse isn¡¯t inherently offensive; it merely bestows strength upon fists and kicks. To unleash its lethal potential, you have to be skilled with your fists and feet.

    Having strength without technique is useless; if your blows don¡¯t land, it¡¯s all for naught.

    But Yan Yu¡ªwhat was he thinking? At least for now, he didn¡¯t seem to have any plans to let everyone learn hand-to-hand combat and was idly lying on a bench nearby, playing with his phone.

    He didn¡¯t even come over to check on everyone¡¯s progress, appearing completely unconcerned.

    Lin Ning was beginning to get angry, but she tried her best to contain it.

    If Yan Yu knew what was on her mind, he would surely cry out ¡°injustice¡± three times. Because he wasn¡¯t just playing on his phone, he was, in fact, dealing with something much more important.

    The future Eclipse Queen of Siberia, Anna, had already left Shengjing and Lu Country with her father, emigrating to Amur in the Far Eastern region of Rakshasa Country.

    Anna met her mother¡­ But contrary to her expectations, her mother¡¯s attitude was not warm. Though her mother had initially promised her father to help find a job, she now claimed to be ¡°too busy¡± and suggested he ¡°first ask around in the local Chinese community¡±.

    Luckily, Anna still had her aunt¡¯s phone number, and after calling, she learned that recently, her mother had been dating a local Rakshasa man and was preparing for a second marriage.

    The young girl¡¯s guess was that her mother intended to cut ties completely with her ex-husband and daughter, so as not to let her Rakshasa boyfriend notice and get the wrong idea.

    The biggest challenge now facing the father and daughter was whether to return to their country and endure the criticism of relatives and friends, or to struggle to make a living in a foreign land where everything was unfamiliar.

    Anna was extremely fearful of the latter, but her father absolutely refused to choose the former. Both were worrying about what to do next and tacitly avoiding the issue that the father had previously been confident that his ex-wife would help arrange the emigration and jobs, even delaying his daughter¡¯s future because of it, only to eventually find out it was all wishful thinking on his part.

    This turn of events had put a great deal of psychological pressure on Anna, and of course, she dared not vent at her father, knowing that his own mental strain would only be greater than hers. So, she turned to Yan Yu as her confidant.

    Yan Yu silently stared at the phone. In just a few minutes, he had received over 40 messages from Anna. He didn¡¯t even want to look at them.

    Women are such a hassle.

    Of course, since he had decided to maintain a friendship with her, he definitely couldn¡¯t give up halfway; otherwise, all the effort he had put in so far would be wasted.

    Yan Yu, lying back on the bench, responded with half-hearted typing, pressed the send button, set aside his phone, and then saw a pretty face in front of him that had appeared out of nowhere.

    It was Lin Ning¡¯s face, with a look of dissatisfaction.

    Yan Yu¡¯s gaze naturally shifted downward and saw that she was standing at the edge of the bench, hands on her hips, upper body leaning down towards him with a puffed expression, locking eyes with him.

    Today she wore hot denim shorts that highlighted her pale, model-worthy legs that could grace the cover of an online shop, and a sleeveless tank top that revealed half of the sports bra underneath along the edges of the straps. Her shoulders were equally smooth and well-defined, complete with her delicate and slender collarbones.

    Such a beautiful girl could easily have had a comfortable life in this modern society where looks matter so much. Even if she just went to a live streaming platform to become a female broadcaster, she could instantly have the top patron raining down gold coins on her.

    Too bad, she ultimately chose to enter the fiercely competitive and least superficial world of cultivators¡­ Curse you, Spiritual Energy Resurgence! You¡¯ve ruined so many lives!

    Yan Yu was distracted. Perhaps because his gaze lingered too long, Lin Ning self-consciously adjusted her tank top¡¯s strap to cover more skin on her chest, then, still adjusting the strap, she asked,

    ¡°They¡¯re teaching hand-to-hand combat over there; do we not need to learn that?¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    ¡°Why?¡± Lin Ning asked doubtfully. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the skills from hand-to-hand combat be very helpful after learning the Curved Curse?¡±

    ¡°Not really,¡± Yan Yu said dismissively. ¡°What do you think hand-to-hand combat skills are based on?¡±

    ¡°Er, aren¡¯t they summarized from actual combat experience by our predecessors?¡± Lin Ning said uncertainly.

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu nodded. ¡°Whose actual combat? Ordinary people.¡±

    ¡°The hand-to-hand combat techniques used by the military nowadays, instructing you on how to position yourself, how to punch, are all aimed to allow you to make the most of the power of your waist, abdomen, and arms to make your punches stronger and more forceful.¡±

    ¡°But as I have said, these are concerns for ordinary people. With the empowerment of the Wood Bending Charm, a cultivator can greatly enhance their muscle strength. You don¡¯t need to rely on the power of your waist and abdomen; once you activate the charm, a casual punch could shatter an opponent¡¯s skull or rupture their internal organs, causing instant death. Is there any need to go to the trouble of learning the stances and punches of ordinary people then?¡±

    ¡°But what if the opponent is also a cultivator?¡± Lin Ning felt almost convinced but still confirmed, ¡°I remember you said that before practicing the Wood Bending Charm, it would be best to go through the military boxing, right? If both sides are cultivators, fighting in close combat with charms, wouldn¡¯t it come down to whose combat skills are more sophisticated?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± said Yan Yu leisurely. ¡°If you throw punches wildly and can¡¯t even hit the opponent standing in front of you, it¡¯s necessary to at least learn the basics to reach a passing level.¡±

    ¡°But after reaching the passable level, is it necessary to delve deeper into it? This is a question worth discussing. Lin Ning, ask yourself, do you like hand-to-hand combat?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Lin Ning thought to herself that she was a girl; how could she possibly enjoy fistfights, ¡°but isn¡¯t it true that the Wood Bending Charm, which can counter the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse, is a skill that every cultivator must master?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the case now, but it might not be in the future,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, guessing her true answer from her avoidance of the question, ¡°If I tell you now, you wouldn¡¯t understand anyway, just trust me.¡±

    Just as the insects of summer cannot comprehend the ice and snow of winter, early cultivators of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence era couldn¡¯t imagine the extravagant scenes of later periods, with Immortal Swords flying everywhere and Taoism Method sweeping across the battlefield. The Three Arts and Five Spells being studied now are only basic spells, and there will be stronger advanced spells later on, so it¡¯s unnecessary to invest too much effort in researching them.

    The Metal-Element Impact Curse is a precursor to Sword Qi, Wood Bending Charm and Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse are precursors to physical cultivation, while the Water-Element Runescript and Fire Blazing Charm are precursors to Taoism Method. As the spiritual energy gradually recovers, the number of sects and spells will be too numerous to count, which is why it¡¯s crucial for everyone to make choices and sacrifices.

    One cannot simultaneously be a sword cultivator, a spell caster, and a body cultivator, just as a high school student cannot choose both arts and sciences. What good does it do to learn and test in three comprehensive courses in high school? People won¡¯t think you¡¯re amazing; they¡¯ll just think you¡¯re an idiot who has fried their brain with excessive studying.

    In her previous life, Lin Ning was a sword cultivator and performed exceptionally well, so she really didn¡¯t need to delve into hand-to-hand combat skills.

    If the goal now is to maximize the value of training, then it would certainly be best to practice the basics, to improve reaction speed, and to cultivate a sense of distance, direction, and spatial awareness¡ªthese are the things that retain substantial practical value in the later stages of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence.

    Lin Ning came over and asked a flurry of questions but didn¡¯t get any answer; she went back with nothing except a vague assurance of ¡°just trust me.¡±

    Yan Yu continued to play with his phone. Not long after, someone poked his shoulder. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Putting down his phone, he saw it was Chen Lingyun, that rubbish woman.

    Unlike Lin Ning, who was in a tank top, shorts, and sneakers, Chen Lingyun had chosen a white women¡¯s blouse for the day, with a tie affixed to the shirt by a brooch, and pants with a sense of design, along with canvas shoes that female university students are particularly fond of.

    Her hair was tied into cute twin ponytails, making her look not like she was here for training but rather like she was here for a spring outing. Coupled with her innocent yet insincere smiling face, Yan Yu found her increasingly disagreeable no matter how he looked at her.

    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked deliberately in a threatening and unfriendly tone. ¡°Is your training done? If it¡¯s not, what are you doing here? Slacking off, right? As the assistant squad leader, you dare to be lazy; be careful, or I¡¯ll strip you of your title!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not slacking off; I have a serious question for you,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°As for the assistant squad leader, you can replace me; I don¡¯t care.¡±

    ¡°What serious question?¡± Yan Yu sat up from the bench.

    ¡°Yan Yu, you¡¯ve heard of the ¡®Assistant Enforcer Spellcaster,¡¯ haven¡¯t you?¡± Chen Lingyun blinked.

 Chapter 64: 63: The Assistant Enforcer of the Sword of Law

    Chapter 64: Chapter 63: The Assistant Enforcer of the Sword of Law

    ¡°Assistant Sword Control Envoy?¡± Yan Yu was slightly surprised, his thoughts whirling. ¡°Is it already time to choose professions? That¡¯s not right, it¡¯s only June!¡±

    ¡°From my understanding, ¡®Taoism Method,¡¯ ¡®Swordsmanship,¡¯ ¡®Assistant,¡¯ and ¡®Enforcer¡¯ refer to four different combat schools within the cultivators.¡± Chen Lingyun sat down beside him, relaying the intelligence she had learned. ¡°The Taoism Method refers to bombardment and suppression through Taoist techniques; Swordsmanship involves attacking with Flying Swords and Sword Control Techniques; Assistant signifies augmenting one¡¯s own combat abilities using treasures, Talismans, Elixir Medicines, and other external aids; Enforcer is about controlling and commanding other external forces in battle, such as spiritual beasts, Poisonous Insects, Demons, ghosts, and so on.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s more or less like that,¡± Yan Yu nodded. ¡°So, you¡¯re here to ask which school is better to choose?¡±

    ¡°Yep,¡± Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t bother hiding it. ¡°The concept of these combat schools has already been assigned to an expert group for research.¡±

    ¡°Although I don¡¯t know when we¡¯ll have a systematized theory of professions, in view of the current situation, which is likely to get increasingly worse, the higher-ups may have us make choices before the research is fully understood.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s on your mind, then?¡± Yan Yu asked her.

    ¡°I want to choose the Taoism Method,¡± Chen Lingyun said straightforwardly.

    ¡°The Taoism Method isn¡¯t suitable for you,¡± Yan Yu replied without hesitation.

    ¡°Oh? Why do you say that?¡± Chen Lingyun raised an eyebrow and smiled.

    ¡°The main combat method of the Taoism Method is Taoist techniques,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently. ¡°Among the four schools, Taoist techniques on average consume the most True Yuan.¡±

    ¡°Your natural talent isn¡¯t high, and your total amount of True Yuan is relatively limited. If you insist on choosing the Taoism Method, when facing cultivators of the same realm, your disadvantage of insufficient True Yuan will be magnified manifold.¡±

    ¡°What you¡¯re saying isn¡¯t wrong,¡± Chen Lingyun was still smiling. ¡°But having insufficient True Yuan isn¡¯t a fatal weakness, right? I can compensate with careful calculation and grasping the right timing.¡±

    ¡°So what?¡± Yan Yu looked at her sidelong, replying with a cold laugh. ¡°A cripple, no matter how fast he can run with the aid of a device, how can he compete on the same stage with a professional athlete? You¡¯re not looking for your strengths, but, instead, you want to strengthen your weaknesses and then insist on competing with others with your weakness. Are you not used to being at a disadvantage, or is your head filled with water that you need to stuff some sanitary pads in it?¡±

    In her previous life, as a Taoism Method practitioner acting from the rear with long-range attacks, Chen Lingyun¡¯s actual combat performance couldn¡¯t be considered bad; in fact, it was quite good. However, the issue of insufficient True Yuan frequently arose, like someone good at science who could score 290 points but chose humanities instead and got 250. You couldn¡¯t say their results were poor, but when there was a better option available, why wouldn¡¯t you choose it?

    ¡°Then what school do you think I should choose?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smiling glint in her eye.

    ¡°Servant Envoy,¡± Yan Yu answered without a moment¡¯s hesitation. ¡°The Servant Envoy school, which involves controlling external entities, truly requires using one¡¯s brain in battle and can maximize your inherent strengths and advantages.¡±

    ¡°But being a Servant Envoy requires having powerful ¡®Servant Envoys¡¯ of your own,¡± Chen Lingyun showed a troubled expression on purpose and said, ¡°Beasts, insects, Demons, ghosts¡­ I don¡¯t have any of these. What should I do? Maybe I should just start with the Taoism Method and then transition later.¡±

    ¡°Transition to what?¡± Yan Yu¡¯s brows furrowed instantly. ¡°If you start with one Taoist technique and later switch to, say, ghost control, could what you learned first and the ghost control connect? Can they form a clear strategy that complements weaknesses and enhances each other? If not, wouldn¡¯t that first Taoist technique be learned in vain?¡±

    ¡°Moreover, finding powerful ¡®Servant Envoys¡¯ isn¡¯t that difficult. There¡¯s a saying: ¡®Southeast for spiritual beasts, southwest for insects, northeast for Demons, northwest for ghosts.¡¯ If you want any type of ¡®Servant Envoys,¡¯ just go to the corresponding Mysterious Realm and search¡­¡±

    At this point, Yan Yu suddenly caught himself and his expression turned suspicious as he looked at Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°Are you trying to trick me?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile was sweet.

    ¡°You were hoping I would give you advice,¡± Yan Yu had his epiphany. ¡°But you were also worried about being laughed at by me, so you pretended to be stubbornly wrong-headed, veering towards the incorrect direction, just to coax the right answer out of me!¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Chen Lingyun was still smiling. ¡°Please don¡¯t let your imagination run wild with scenarios. I simply think that the Taoism Method practitioners, in terms of development potential and trendiness, are superior to the other three schools.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit!¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t sugarcoat his opinion. ¡°A Sword Immortal thrusts forth alone, claiming lives amidst thousands of troops¡ªisn¡¯t that trendy? An Assistant Officer brandishes a sword capable of killing immortals; a flash of silver and heads fall¡ªisn¡¯t that trendy? A Servant Envoy commands Demons and ghosts, riding clouds and mist, leaving a trail of corpses wherever the eerie wind passes¡ªisn¡¯t that trendy?¡±

    ¡°You just keep thinking about that broken Taoism Method all day long, on one hand, you know quite well that you don¡¯t have much True Yuan and aren¡¯t suited to be a Taoism cultivator; on the other hand, you refuse to let go and come to me for advice. If you really trusted me, you could be inquiring about the path of the Envoy now, and I guarantee you that would suit you better than being a Taoism cultivator.¡±

    ¡°Hmm~¡± Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t express agreement or disagreement, but asked, ¡°If I really choose to become an Envoy, what kind of servant should I choose?¡±

    ¡°Demons, of course.¡± Yan Yu said without hesitation, ¡°What about the other types, like controlling poisonous insects? Could you deal with that?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s colorful and gorgeous butterflies, I guess I could,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°See, I knew you were picky,¡± Yan Yu revealed a ¡®just as I thought¡¯ cold smile and then analyzed, ¡°First of all, eliminate the option of using insects because you, as the young lady, can¡¯t stand bugs; second, eliminate using demons because the uglier the demon, the stronger its power. These two actually suit male cultivators better.¡±

    ¡°Regarding beast tamers and ghost handlers, spirit beasts are difficult to raise and train, and they often fight amongst themselves. In actual combat, usually, only one or two beasts fight together, so they don¡¯t require much in terms of commanding skills; with your calculating nature, you are undoubtedly most suited to be a ghost handler. Their methods of attack are tricky and changeable, allowing for collective or even group combat¡ªthis is the career that will let you play to your strengths the most.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Chen Lingyun pondered for a moment and said, ¡°However, in traditional culture, ghosts are ultimately considered an ill omen, wouldn¡¯t being a ghost handler affect my public image?¡±

    ¡°What public image?¡± Yan Yu said with contemptuous disdain, ¡°Public image is crap!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only people over fifty, the old men and women, who might consider such things as ghosts to be evil spirits and shun them; for the majority of young people today, strength is beauty, victory is cool. As long as you¡¯re consistently victorious, who would dare criticize your use of ghosts? If there really are some who can¡¯t see clearly, call upon the people of Jianghai Prefecture to go online, and with one comment per person, they¡¯d take him down.¡±

    Having listened to Yan Yu¡¯s analysis, Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile returned, and she already had an answer in her heart.

    She was of course aware that she wasn¡¯t suited for Taoism cultivation; the fact that her True Yuan was lacking was plain to see. But if not Taoism cultivation, then what?

    Sword Immortals required quick reflexes on the spot, and Chen Lingyun was the type who preferred to strategize before taking action.

    Like how she had been practicing the Shifting Technique for abrupt stops and positioning these past few days¡ªif you let her calculate the distance from the wall, the speed, and the timing for the abrupt stop beforehand, she could get it almost right on the first try. However, if a wall suddenly appeared while she was in the midst of using the Shifting Technique, she would most likely be unable to react in time.

    If Sword Immortal wasn¡¯t an option, that left only Assistant Officer and Envoy.

    An Assistant Officer relied on external items like magical artifacts, Talismans, and Elixir Medicine to enhance their own strength. A large part of a cultivator¡¯s power depended on ¡°how formidable the borrowed item was.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s father did indeed intend for her to choose Assistant Officer, since in the future he could use his influence within the Zhendong Army to prioritize getting her a powerful magical artifact.

    But Miss Chen despised any potential risk of failure and was even less inclined to gamble her future career on ¡°when the military might find a good artifact.¡±

    The situation of an Envoy was between that of a Taoism cultivator and an Assistant Officer. On one hand, the rank of the servant directly determined the strength of the Envoy. Much like the base stats in Pok¨¦mon, if someone brought out a legendary Pok¨¦mon in battle, and you only had a caterpie, you would obviously lose.

    On the other hand, an Envoy also needed to use secret arts to refine their servants, as well as research how to cooperate with the servants to execute various combined attack routines.

    Therefore, among the four major paths, the Envoy was the most complex and troublesome combat style. To use Yan Yu¡¯s words, ¡°It¡¯s the one that truly requires brains in battle.¡±

    After thinking it through thoroughly, Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t reveal her thoughts but merely smiled brightly at Yan Yu, curiously asking,

    ¡°Then what path do you plan to choose?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll see when the time comes.¡± Yan Yu brushed it off, not intending to discuss this matter further with Chen Lingyun.

    In fact, since he had cultivated the Silken Bond Technique with Zhao Yuanzhen, his choice of path had already been decided.

    Even among the diverse category of Assistant Officers, it was a rare and special profession:

    Puppet Master.

 Chapter 65: 64: The Living Intelligence Repository

    Chapter 65: Chapter 64: The Living Intelligence Repository

    The time entered late June.

    The first training project arranged by Yan Yu had finally reached its conclusion.

    Chen Lingyun, Su Yunjin, and Lin Ning could all abruptly come to a full stop while moving at full speed with the Shifting Technique, ensuring they stopped within a precise range of one meter from the target.

    At first glance, mastering this skill might seem rather unremarkable, amounting to little more than an increase in maneuverability. Achieving Yan Yu¡¯s ¡°Lightning Assault,¡± however, would require the ability to execute an ¡°instant triple-switch¡±, which combines the Shifting Technique with the Cloud Ascension Technique and then an Attack Spell Technique. Currently, the girls could only manage the ¡°initial double-switch.¡±

    Of course, it cannot be denied that mastering the ¡°initial double-switch¡± is a prerequisite for learning the ¡°successive triple-switch,¡± so it wasn¡¯t exactly a waste of time.

    By the way, after Yan Yu unveiled this tactic during the four academies¡¯ exchange tournament, the military had already named it ¡°Lightning Assault.¡±

    The name might sound a bit unsophisticated, but the Lu Country¡¯s military had never been particularly gifted in the field of naming. Take the names of the serving top special forces units, for example, which generally include leopards, tigers, lions, etc. Thus, ¡°Lightning Assault¡± was already them performing beyond expectations.

    Upon confirming that everyone had mastered the ¡°Shifting Technique switch to Cloud Ascension Technique,¡± Yan Yu did not immediately start the girls on learning ¡°Lightning Assault,¡± but instead, he created different training plans for each one of them.

    ¡°Lin Ning,¡± he instructed, ¡°your second training plan is to learn how to accurately hit a target with the Metal-Element Impact Curse while moving at full speed under the enhancement of the Shifting Technique. I require you to achieve at least four hits out of five shots; your accuracy must be above 80%.¡±

    Lin Ning immediately began pondering.

    A Cultivator could only cast one Curse Technique at a time, so to fire the Metal-Element Impact Curse, it was necessary to break off the Shifting Technique that was currently being invoked.

    Fortunately, even if the Shifting Technique was interrupted, the speed wouldn¡¯t drop to zero instantly. Thus, the goal of her practice would be: to first accelerate to full speed using the Shifting Technique, then immediately interrupt it, and continue moving at high speed using inertia, while in such a state, practice shooting with the Impact Curse¡­

    ¡°Chen Lingyun,¡± Yan Yu left Lin Ning to ponder by herself and turned to Chen Lingyun, ¡°you don¡¯t need to practice combat right now. Go collect information on Transcendents from around the world, preferably with combat videos. We¡¯ll have a small meeting later to explain everything to everyone.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    Compared to the step-by-step combat training, such intellectual tasks were far too simple for her.

    ¡°Su Yunjin,¡± Yan Yu continued to lay out plans, ¡°you don¡¯t have to practice combat, either. I¡¯ve already spoken to the head of the medical team. From now on, you¡¯ll go to the infirmary every day at 2 p.m. to learn how to treat simple external and internal injuries using the water-based Runescript. Remember to report your progress to me every day.¡±

    ¡°Are you planning to make me the ¡®medic¡¯ of the team?¡± Su Yunjin asked curiously.

    She wasn¡¯t fond of fighting, but if Yan Yu was deliberately arranging for her to avoid frontline combat because of this, Su Yunjin would still be somewhat unhappily unsatisfied.

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Yan Yu denied her assumption, ¡°What the team needs is someone ¡®who knows first aid,¡¯ not a ¡®medic.''¡±

    ¡°I understand now,¡± Su Yunjin sighed with relief.

    ¡°Lastly, Zhao Yuanzhen,¡± Yan Yu looked at the Demonic Sect Enchantress, ¡°your training plan remains unchanged; you¡¯ll still spar with me.¡±

    ¡°Eh!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately protested, indignantly saying, ¡°Why can¡¯t I practice some Curse Technique or study some course like they are?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t,¡± Yan Yu declared.

    ¡°Why!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was incensed. Every time we spar, you beat me like I¡¯m a dog!

    ¡°Because I am the team leader,¡± Yan Yu declared.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was instantly choked with rage, seething inside:

    ¡°Yan Yu, you thief! Using the name of sparring as an excuse to humiliate me in every way possible, if I don¡¯t avenge this, I swear I¡¯m not human! Wait until the day I master the demonic arts, I¡¯ll fight with him every day, I¡¯ll make sure he¡¯s drained of energy, coughing blood and unable to rise, only then will the hatred in my heart be satisfied!¡±

    But the Demonic Sect Enchantress had it wrong: Yan Yu didn¡¯t engage in combat with her just to bully her, he simply didn¡¯t have the time or energy for that.

    The main reason was that Zhao Yuanzhen had been accustomed to fighting in a ¡°high-magic world¡±, and suddenly arriving in this ¡°low-magic world¡± where spiritual energy was just beginning to recover, her past battle experiences had become an obstacle instead.

    It was like asking a soldier accustomed to wielding a gun to take up melee weapons¡ªchances were he wouldn¡¯t fare any better than a beginner, the principle was actually the same.

    Fortunately, the adaptability of the Demonic Sect Enchantress was strong. After each ¡°bullying¡± session, Yan Yu could sense that she was making rapid progress. He estimated that in just over half a month, the Enchantress would be able to completely shed her old thought patterns and thrive in the current thin spiritual energy environment.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    In the cafeteria of Zhendong National Defense Academy, located on the second floor, was a reception room. One of these rooms had been specially requisitioned to serve as ¡°Yan Yu¡¯s Team¡¯s private room¡± so that everyone could dine and gather without being disturbed.

    The reason for this arrangement mainly took into account that team members might discuss sensitive internal team matters over meals, which wouldn¡¯t be preferable for other students to overhear.

    Of course, a certain young lady who preferred to remain unnamed soon exhibited her financial power by adding a television set and a projector to the private room, thus transforming it with just the removal of a dining table into a conference room instantly.

    At this moment, the television on the wall was broadcasting Mitchi Country¡¯s ¡°Superheroes League¡±, officially known as the Superhero Professional League. It was strictly banned from public viewing within the country, with only the military having legal access to the broadcast.

    The purpose of Mitchi¡¯s Superheroes League was to ¡°invite transcendent individuals from all over the world to compete for glory¡±; however, the actual participants were mainly concentrated in various European countries, such as Rakshasa Country¡¯s Spirit Communicators, England¡¯s Wizards, Northern Europe¡¯s Berserkers, Southern Europe¡¯s Will of the Gods Clerics ¡­ and of course, the Clerics who were scattered all over Europe and claimed to be the largest group in scale at present.

    So the question arises, what about Mitchi¡¯s own Transcendents?

    The answer is that they practically don¡¯t exist. It seems that during the stage of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, the Transcendent systems that emerged in each country were related to the ancient mythological and cultural legacies of those nations.

    Mitchi¡¯s issue isn¡¯t just that it has only 400 years of history, but also that the ancient tribes who lived on this land and created these historical myths are now nearly extinct indigenous peoples¡­ It is said that in Arizona and New Mexico, there have emerged local Transcendents who worship the so-called ¡°Mother Nature¡±, and all of them are indigenous ethnicities.

    Hence, it is self-evident why Mitchi is so hastily organizing the Superheroes Professional League and importing a multitude of white Transcendents to the Americas from Europe.

    ¡°Today¡¯s match is between Rakshasa¡¯s Vladimir and England¡¯s Jonas,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Shall we record it for analysis?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°Vladimir¡¯s profession is a werewolf. The cultivators of our future Dingbei Army will be dealing with Rakshasa Country¡¯s werewolves for a long time.¡±

    ¡°As the brother forces, our Zhendong Army cultivators are likely to be called upon to support Dingbei Army at some point, so it¡¯s essential to understand the werewolf profession in advance. However, if possible, everyone should at least have a basic knowledge of all European and American Transcendent systems.¡± S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Upon hearing Yan Yu¡¯s words, Chen Lingyun quickly began to calculate in her mind.

    The Dingbei Army¡¯s main concern was the neighboring Rakshasa Country, hence Rakshasa¡¯s Spirit Communicator system was the primary intelligence the Dingbei was actively investigating.

    The Zhendong Army¡¯s adversaries were Chongying Country and Mitchi Country. Chongying¡¯s Onmyoji system was deeply concealed, with official and civilian cultivators intricately intertwined, making intelligence gathering quite challenging; while Mitchi Country didn¡¯t even recognize its own Transcendent system (or rather did, but did not acknowledge it), to the extent that they had to publicly recruit various Transcendents from Europe massively.

    As a result, to gather intelligence on Mitchi¡¯s cultivators, one would need to understand the entire European Transcendent system¡­ This was an incredibly challenging task for the Zhendong Army.

    Chen Lingyun sneakily glanced at Yan Yu, her face once again lit up with a sweet smile.

    But it probably wouldn¡¯t matter.

    Because our beloved ¡°living intelligence database¡± possesses the advantage of future foresight!

 Chapter 66: 65 Just Happily All So Beautiful

    Chapter 66: Chapter 65 Just Happily All So Beautiful

    During the lunches and dinners, Yan Yu would watch the live broadcasts of the Superhero League with everyone, and when there wasn¡¯t a live broadcast, they would watch recordings, with Yan Yu explaining as they went along.

    The Spirit Communicators from Rakshasa Country were fierce and brusque, the Wizards from England were tricky and changeable, the Berserkers from Northern Europe grew more ferocious the more they fought, and the variety of godly clerics from Southern Europe was plentiful. In contrast, the Clerics, who were the most numerous, had a basic style: Summon a splendid and dazzling holy scepter and then smash it down mercilessly on the opponent.

    If the opponent couldn¡¯t withstand the attack, they would be defeated, if they did withstand it, they¡¯d counterattack during the Cleric¡¯s attack interval, and then it would be the Cleric¡¯s turn to be unable to withstand.

    Yan Yu had a comprehensive understanding of the five major Transcendent systems in Europe, recalling them as if they were family treasures. No matter what questions the girls had, he could give the most accurate answer without a second thought.

    ¡°The reason why Clerics have such a monotonous style is that those who participate in the Superhero League are generally what you call nominal believers,¡± explained Yan Yu after watching the game recordings. ¡°The really powerful Clerics are currently undergoing austere cultivation in Pope City. For a long time to come, we don¡¯t have to worry about the threat of Clerics.¡±

    Even the Earth, revived with Spiritual Energy, must follow the laws of geopolitics. Lu Country is far away from Europe, bordered on the land route by Rakshasa Country, the Central Asian and Middle Eastern countries, and on the sea route by the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and the whole of the Americas. Hence, European Clerics usually wouldn¡¯t bother to fly across half the Earth to cause trouble in Lu Country.

    If any really did come over, they¡¯d best be prepared to stay as guests, since Lu Country has always been warm and hospitable to foreign visitors.

    ¡°At this stage, our Zhendong Army Cultivators¡¯ main adversaries are still Chongying Country¡¯s Cultivators, right?¡± Lin Ning confirmed, asking, ¡°Is there any information available on Chongying Country¡¯s Cultivators?¡±

    Speaking of Chongying Country¡¯s Cultivators, several familiar names immediately came to Yan Yu¡¯s mind.

    The Cultivator training system in Chongying Country was very bizarre, being an absolute elitist training regime that made no attempt to hide its nature. Even the most ordinary Cultivators with mediocre talent in Lu Country would at least be organized, guided, and trained before being assigned a job upon graduation. Chongying Country, on the other hand, focused all resources on cultivating ¡®geniuses¡¯ while completely neglecting the ¡®mediocrities,¡¯ even using them as cannon fodder on the battlefield.

    Under such an extreme elitist training regime, the result was that the most formidable first group of Chongying Cultivators not only had considerable renown, but were also formidable enough to hold their own in Lu Country. However, their successors fell short of the mark.

    Having returned to this point in time, Yan Yu had considered slipping into Chongying Country to nip potential threats in the bud.

    Unfortunately, those ¡°old friends¡± were probably undergoing training in some secret base by now, not something outsiders could easily find.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not worry about it for now,¡± Yan Yu calmly answered. ¡°At the present stage, we should focus on improving ourselves first. We¡¯ll analyze any foreign intelligence we can get, but there¡¯s no need to go out of our way looking for it, just let things take their natural course.¡±

    There was a universally applicable truth: as long as your strength was strong enough, it wouldn¡¯t matter who your opponent was¡­ When the time came, regardless of who came, they¡¯d be overwhelmingly crushed, so what was the point of inquiring about the opponent¡¯s information?

    Hearing Yan Yu say this, the girls thought that the strength of Chongying Country¡¯s Cultivators probably wasn¡¯t that great, so they relaxed a bit too.

    In the afternoon training session, everyone continued training according to the original plan. Yan Yu was planning on muddling through as usual, but suddenly, he was approached by Instructor Qi Changping.

    ¡°Someone from the top is looking for you.¡± He spoke succinctly.

    ¡°They¡¯re in a hurry to check on my progress here? It hasn¡¯t even been a month,¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    ¡°What can I say when you¡¯re not training with the team, spending your afternoons sleeping instead?¡± Qi Changping said with a smile.

    ¡°Who said I was sleeping all the time, I¡¯ve been very concerned about their training progress, okay?¡± Yan Yu frowned and argued back, ¡°You can ask Chen Lingyun, I¡¯ve been quite attentive to the team¡¯s preparations.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about,¡± Qi Changping corrected, ¡°Caring about the team¡¯s training progress is your duty as the team leader. But don¡¯t forget, you¡¯re also a Cultivator, and not just anyone, but the most powerful Cultivator in our Zhendong Army.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that Liu Longtao, Zhou Hongyu, Li Zhaojiang, and the others have been training hard and pushing themselves to the limit. Then we look at you, Yan Yu; lately, you haven¡¯t participated in a single training session. It¡¯s only normal for the higher-ups to worry, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°But with my current level, even if I personally participate in training, it would be nothing more than a warm-up at best; the room for improvement is negligible.¡±

    Qi Changping fell silent. Although accustomed to the young man¡¯s way of speaking, he still found his unabashed boasting somewhat hard to stomach.

    ¡°Blowing your own trumpet here is one thing,¡± he said with a stern face, ¡°but when you meet with the Commander-in-Chief, you¡¯d better hold back that unruly attitude. Don¡¯t think you can disregard everyone else just because you¡¯re strong.¡±

    ¡°I got it,¡± Yan Yu sighed internally.

    Maybe it was because he hadn¡¯t made a move in too long, the strong impression he left during the last exchange competition between the four academies had also faded.

    He needed to find an opportunity to show off his skills.

    Upon arriving at the academy¡¯s administrative building, he walked into the principal¡¯s office and saw the commander-in-chief of the Zhendong Army, Li Weiguo, standing by the window smoking a cigarette.

    When he saw Yan Yu arriving at the door, he casually stubbed out the cigarette and said with a smile:

    ¡°Have a seat.¡±

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t stand on ceremony and directly took a seat in front of the office desk, as if he was in his own dorm room.

    Qi Changping¡¯s eye twitched. So, the advice I gave you earlier to be more humble, you didn¡¯t take any of it to heart?

    Fortunately, Li Weiguo waved him off, and Qi Changping immediately felt relieved and quickly turned to leave.

    Otherwise, if he continued to watch Yan Yu being too casual, he might end up with high blood pressure.

    ¡°Would you like some tea?¡± Li Weiguo picked up the teapot from the desk and offered.

    ¡°No need,¡± said Yan Yu bluntly, ¡°What did you want to see me for?¡± S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Nothing too important,¡± Li Weiguo poured some tea into the cup in front of him while speaking kindly, ¡°Just wanted to check on how the team you¡¯ve assembled is doing.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your concern, Commander-in-Chief,¡± Yan Yu replied with an ¡®I see¡¯ expression, ¡°The team training is progressing steadily according to plan, and we don¡¯t need any additional resources from the army for now.¡±

    I didn¡¯t say I was going to allocate resources for you¡­ Li Weiguo choked for a moment, but decided to cut to the chase and directly asked:

    ¡°I heard that all the teammates you selected are female?¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu acknowledged frankly, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m quite surprised by that as well.¡±

    Li Weiguo fell silent.

    What do you mean?

    You picked all female teammates yourself, and you¡¯re also surprised? So you picked them with your eyes closed, without seeing their faces, not knowing whether they were male or female, pretty or ugly? How come I¡¯ve heard they¡¯re all exceptionally beautiful girls?

    Fortunately, Li Weiguo, after all, had seen a lot and wasn¡¯t shaken by much, and he wasn¡¯t bothered by Yan Yu¡¯s statement, simply saying with a smile:

    ¡°The absolute authority over personnel for the team, I¡¯ve already granted it to you. The combat effectiveness of the team, you must ensure it¡¯s up to standard, otherwise, if we can¡¯t win fights, I will have to take back that authority.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu confidently said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s precisely because we must consider everything from the perspective of winning battles that I completely disregarded gender when selecting members, focusing solely on capability, potential, and suitability. It¡¯s quite unexpected that everyone I picked, apart from myself, turns out to be female. However, because our team¡¯s selection standard values ¡®strength above all,¡¯ we have even more confidence in striving for victories.¡±

    Now that was something Li Weiguo understood: he means that he didn¡¯t select his teammates according to the standards of a harem, but rather as a captain, choosing from the perspective of completing the team¡¯s strength, and it just so happened that the ones he picked were all girls, and they all happened to be very beautiful¡­

    Do you think our army would believe such nonsense?

    Forget it, it¡¯s the same old saying: as long as you can win battles, all is well.

    If you can¡¯t win battles, I¡¯ll disband your team at the first chance! I¡¯m putting this out there now, don¡¯t blame me for being heartless later!

 Chapter 67: 66: Here Comes the Opportunity to Make a Move

    Chapter 67: Chapter 66: Here Comes the Opportunity to Make a Move

    Not bothering with the matter of the gender ratio in the combat team, Li Weiguo continued:

    ¡°Aside from the team¡¯s affairs, don¡¯t fall behind on your own cultivation progress either. I heard you haven¡¯t been training much lately?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry about that,¡± Yan Yu immediately promised. ¡°Even if the team¡¯s overall strength collapses, my own will not falter. The reason I haven¡¯t trained much recently is mainly because I¡¯m in a bottleneck period.¡±

    ¡°The team¡¯s strength isn¡¯t allowed to collapse either!¡± Li Weiguo immediately bristled and glared sternly, saying, ¡°As for you being in a bottleneck period¡­ what do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°How should I explain this to you?¡± Yan Yu showed a hesitant look. ¡°After all, you¡¯re not a cultivator, right?¡±

    Li Weiguo was amused despite himself and waved his hand, saying:

    ¡°While I may not be a cultivator, my word carries more weight than that of one, understand? Tell me what resources you need to break through the bottleneck, and I¡¯ll try to satisfy your needs as far as possible.¡±

    ¡°Oh, thank you, Commander-in-Chief,¡± Yan Yu chuckled and said, ¡°I don¡¯t need any resources, mainly just lacking some actual combat experience, feeling that my skills have gotten a bit rusty.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s easy to fix,¡± Li Weiguo said decisively, slapping the table and picking up a sealed document bag from the side. ¡°Take a look at this.¡±

    Yan Yu took the document bag, carefully extracted the documents inside, and started reading intently.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Mysterious Realm.

    As previously mentioned, they are dwelling places specially opened by ancient cultivation experts.

    As for these cultivation experts, from which historical period they originated, and why they haven¡¯t left any records in historical materials¡­ that remains unknown for now.

    No matter what the initial purpose of these Mysterious Realms was, considering the probable storage of cultivation-related classics and resources, they undoubtedly possess extremely high exploration value.

    So, who will be responsible for exploring these Mysterious Realms?

    On June 14th, the authorities had already given preliminary directives:

    Any discovered entrance to an open Mysterious Realm must first be sealed off by the military district in charge, and immediately reported to the military headquarters in Pingjing. Once approved and authorized, they should promptly arrange for exploration and surveying.

    All resources obtained from a Mysterious Realm must be handed over in full. Cultivators from the military district who complete the exploration will be assessed afterwards and can receive recognition, awards, promotions, and cash rewards.

    Yan Yu silently finished reading the document, which explained ¡°what Mysterious Realms are,¡± ¡°how to explore Mysterious Realms,¡± and the ¡°national policies regarding Mysterious Realms.¡± The first two were mainly penned by Mei Yingxue, and the policy aspect was largely consistent with his memory from a previous life.

    Only to hear Li Weiguo ask:

    ¡°Everything obtained from exploring the Mysterious Realm must be handed over to the state once leaving the Realm, without any private retention. What¡¯s your view on this?¡±

    ¡°I wholeheartedly agree,¡± Yan Yu replied earnestly.

    ¡°Really?¡± Li Weiguo asked with a chuckle. ¡°Just be honest with me, it¡¯s fine. Even if you clearly oppose this directive, it won¡¯t leave this office.¡±

    ¡°To be truthful, there¡¯s no need to oppose it,¡± Yan Yu coolly shook his head. ¡°Firstly, the cultivator teams currently capable of completing the exploration of Mysterious Realms are definitely the highest combat forces among our four armies, which means selection would come from the teams of myself, Liu Longtao, Zhou Hongyu, and Li Zhaojiang.¡±

    ¡°Secondly, assuming I obtain any treasure in the Mysterious Realm that suits me, even if it¡¯s handed over to the state after leaving the Realm. Following the principle of making the most out of it, wouldn¡¯t it still be reallocated back to us for use? It¡¯s not like they¡¯d be stored in a museum for display.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a clever lad,¡± Li Weiguo laughed heartily. ¡°Your analysis is not far off.¡±

    ¡°All resources obtained from the Mysterious Realm can be categorized into two types. If it¡¯s artifacts, Flying Swords, Elixir Medicines, or other items you cultivators can use, they will, upon registration and completion of the corresponding scientific research, be returned in principle to the military district responsible for the exploration for distribution¡ªso it¡¯s basically ¡®whoever finds it, gets it back¡¯.¡±

    ¡°As for resources that cultivators can¡¯t use, such as mines, herb gardens¡­ which require manpower for development, of course, the property rights can¡¯t be given to you, but we will award you accordingly.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Yan Yu nodded, saying, ¡°Personally, I think there¡¯s no need to be so roundabout. We soldiers are very straightforward; we live for victory and glory. As long as we can win, any method works.¡±

    ¡°If only everyone thought this way,¡± Li Weiguo merely smiled, his expression neither confirming nor denying, then pulled out another sealed document bag from a drawer, casually tossing it to Yan Yu:

    ¡°A Mysterious Realm was discovered in the Nine Dragons Nest of Wuyi Mountains in Minhai Province. After the first batch of military cultivators entered, they lost all contact with the outside world. We need to arrange for rescue and exploration as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave this mission to you. If you can¡¯t handle it, let me know in time.¡±

    ¡°You must be joking,¡± Yan Yu said without even looking as he took the folder in his hand and chuckled, ¡°The team I¡¯ve built is the highest combat force of the Zhendong Army at present. If we can¡¯t handle it, who can?¡±

    He gave Li Weiguo a military salute and then quickly took his leave.

    In his previous life, General Li Weiguo, the chief commander, had not had much interaction with Yan Yu, but because of his special care for Chen Lingyun, Yan Yu had a fairly good understanding of him¡ªthis nearly 70-year-old man could be perfectly described with ¡°In this life, he has nothing else to seek but to serve his country with utmost loyalty.¡±

    Whether you treated him with utmost respect or were casual and lax, the elder wouldn¡¯t mind so much. After all, he could tolerate Chen Lingyun¡¯s crappy attitude, which was enough to show how broad-minded and magnanimous he was, far beyond what ordinary people possessed.

    Once the team members were all gathered, Yan Yu took out the files that Li Weiguo had given him and passed them to Chen Lingyun, saying:

    ¡°Take a look at these.¡±

    The four girls huddled together and quietly read through the documents in the folder. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Let me summarize the information from the file,¡± Yan Yu began to explain slowly, ¡°The so-called ¡®Mysterious Realm¡¯ can generally be understood as ¡®small worlds left behind by ancient immortals¡¯ where there may be treasures worth exploring and discovering.¡±

    ¡°In each Mysterious Realm, there is a ¡®Control Hub¡¯ that can control the realm, a ¡®Gatekeeper¡¯ responsible for guarding this ¡®Control Hub,¡¯ and a ¡®Defense Mechanism¡¯ that spans the entire realm.¡±

    ¡°The process of exploring the Mysterious Realm can generally be divided into four steps: First Arrival, Breaching Formations, Slaying the Gatekeeper, and Capturing the Flag.¡±

    ¡°First, if there are multiple competitors exploring the Mysterious Realm, we need to enter the realm before everyone else, which is known as ¡®First Arrival.¡¯

    ¡°Secondly, as uninvited invaders to the Mysterious Realm, we will almost certainly face the realm¡¯s own defense mechanisms during our exploration, which is ¡®Breaching Formations.¡¯

    ¡°Next, we continue to venture deeper until we locate the position of the Mysterious Realm¡¯s Control Hub and eliminate the Gatekeeper guarding it, known as ¡®Slaying the Gatekeeper.¡¯

    ¡°Finally, it is refining and taking control of the Control Hub, manipulating the realm¡¯s Defense Mechanism, allowing our military forces to come in and take over, which is ¡®Capturing the Flag.¡¯

    ¡°First Arrival, Breaching Formations, Slaying the Gatekeeper, Capturing the Flag¡ªyou don¡¯t need to remember these steps. I¡¯ll guide you through the whole process this time, and it¡¯ll be easier next time with the experience¡­ Any questions?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said succinctly, ¡°is it okay to kill people?¡±

    Her question was so fierce that all the other girls instantly turned their heads to look at her, each with a different expression.

    ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be anyone for you to kill this time,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment before replying, ¡°The Mysterious Realm is now guarded by the Zhendong Army. The first batch of army monks who went in to explore have since disappeared. We are the second group authorized to go in, so all we face is the Mysterious Realm itself, without any hostile competing cultivators.¡±

    ¡°Oh, sounds pretty boring,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately lost interest.

    Lin Ning and Su Yunjin were both stunned. Are you saying the mission is boring, or is it ¡°no people to kill¡± that¡¯s boring?

    ¡°When do we set off?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, ¡°Do we need to prepare anything?¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu gestured dismissively, ¡°This Mysterious Realm exploration should pose no risk, just think of it as a tutorial before the main questline of the game starts; all you have to do is perform well with the skills you¡¯ve trained.¡±

    ¡°How can there be no risk when there are already army monks missing inside?¡± Lin Ning protested with agitation, ¡°Even if you want us not to worry too much, at least come up with a better-sounding excuse!¡±

    Yan Yu looked at Lin Ning for a while, sighing:

    ¡°Little Lin Ning,¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Lin Ning asked irritably.

    ¡°Do I really need to spell it out for you?¡± Yan Yu said in a calm and measured tone, ¡°If it were just the four of you exploring the Mysterious Realm, then yes, I¡¯d admit there is some risk.¡±

    ¡°But this time, I am personally leading the team. Do you understand now?¡±

    Lin Ning was left speechless.

    Although you were trying to come across as understated and tactful, why does it still sound so arrogant and asking for a beating?

 Chapter 68: 67: Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm

    Chapter 68: Chapter 67: Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm

    Wuyi Mountains in Nanping Prefecture, Minhai Province, is a national-level scenic area and a well-known tea distribution center in the country.

    Yan Yu and his team of five arrived deep in the mountain area by helicopter and saw that the Zhendong Army had already set up layers of defense at the entrance to the valley below.

    Not only were several roads into the valley blocked with barbed wire, but there were also drones patrolling the skies above the nearby forests, a clear sign of a tightly guarded area.

    In front of the barbed wire, one could see a dozen or so locals blocking the mountain road, seemingly in a standoff with the stationed soldiers.

    ¡°It looks like the landowners.¡± Lin Ning leaned over to look below, explaining to her teammates, ¡°Many of these mountaintops have been contracted out to nearby villagers for tea cultivation. Now that the military has designated areas around the secret realm as off-limits, it¡¯s inevitable that some landowners¡¯ territories have been included, so conflicts are unavoidable.¡±

    ¡°There should be state compensation, right?¡± Su Yunjin asked with concern.

    ¡°That¡¯s anybody¡¯s guess,¡± Chen Lingyun replied with a smile, ¡°But these landowners are not just any ordinary country folk. If they really escalate the dispute, it will be a headache for the troops as well.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s none of our business,¡± Yan Yu interrupted the discussion, ¡°Our mission is to explore the secret realm. Let the local troops handle the rest.¡±

    The team reached the sealed-off depths of the valley and saw that command tents of various sizes had already been set up on the open ground by the stream.

    In front of the largest command tent, a certain military official was taking a call on his phone.

    His expression was extremely agitated and frantic, and his tone was exceedingly harsh, nearly roaring into the handset:

    ¡°I can¡¯t control it, I can¡¯t control it, I already said this is a military secret! Secret! Do you even understand what a secret is?! We¡¯re now demanding your unconditional cooperation, and you need to properly handle the local populace and absolutely prevent any further escalation! If you don¡¯t understand anything, call the Minhai Province Governor yourself! You¡¯re not cleared for this level of confidentiality, I can¡¯t answer your questions!!!¡±

    After ending the call with enough force to seemingly crush the phone, the official turned around indifferently to face Yan Yu leading the team of five.

    He seemed to want to maintain an impassive facade of icy indifference, but his wariness and distrust were so painfully apparent that there was no need to try to discern his thoughts at the moment.

    Definitely not a friendly first impression, anyway.

    ¡°Captain Jiang Weiming?¡± Yan Yu cut straight to the point, speaking rapidly, ¡°We are the first tactical team dispatched by the Zhendong International Scholarly Faction, here to confirm the situation inside the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm.¡±

    ¡°Confirm the situation?¡± Captain Jiang Weiming struggled to twitch his mouth into a forced cold smile, ¡°I have already submitted all relevant intelligence reports. What, didn¡¯t you do your homework before coming here?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve looked over the materials you submitted,¡± Yan Yu calmly replied, ¡°There was no intelligence from inside the secret realm.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because the cultivators from our military who went inside have all lost contact, so there¡¯s no intelligence to report back,¡± Captain Jiang said coldly, seeming to forcefully suppress his anger, ¡°If you had actually read the documents carefully, you wouldn¡¯t be asking such redundant questions.¡±

    ¡°As a matter of fact, this is precisely one of the questions I wanted to ask,¡± Yan Yu raised his eyebrows slightly, an expression of surprise on his face, ¡°In my understanding, your military cultivators shouldn¡¯t be that weak.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡± Captain Jiang Weiming¡¯s gaze immediately became hostile.

    With subordinates missing and potentially dead; superiors pressing him without any consideration; locals trying to cause trouble; and local officials who seemingly cooperate but actually do nothing¡­ Captain Jiang Weiming¡¯s head had been nearly exploding with all the hassle these past few days, how could he have the patience to play internship games with these ¡°college student cultivators¡± who had just reached adulthood, who had never received proper military training, and who hadn¡¯t even graduated from the academy yet?

    If it wasn¡¯t for the orders from Jinling headquarters demanding cooperation, he would have ordered these college kids to be blasted out of the camp the moment they set foot in it.

    ¡°Captain?¡± Su Yunjin tugged at his sleeve from behind, worried, signaling that he might have provoked Captain Jiang on the other side.

    We are here to explore the secret realm, not to start conflicts with them.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Yan Yu patted her hand and then softened his voice, speaking more gently, ¡°If your military cultivators are really up to the task, then why are they losing contact in the secret realm? Right now, I am quite skeptical of your abilities, and consequently, I doubt the reliability of any information you can provide. Please immediately dispatch three military cultivators to accompany us into the secret realm for an investigation.¡±

    It took Captain Jiang Weiming a full half-minute to restrain himself from smashing his fist into Yan Yu¡¯s nose, only managing to squeeze out one word through gritted teeth:

    ¡°Fine!¡±

    He left in a flurry, and only then did everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Yan Yu, why did you have to provoke him?¡± Lin Ning couldn¡¯t help but complain, ¡°Who starts a conflict with someone we¡¯re supposed to cooperate with as soon as we meet them!¡±

    ¡°I reckon he didn¡¯t have any intention of cooperating in the first place,¡± Yan Yu answered calmly. ¡°Or are you planning to use a beauty trap to persuade him to work with us properly?¡±

    ¡°What beauty trap?!¡± Lin Ning immediately became embarrassed and annoyed, saying angrily, ¡°Keep talking like that, and watch out for my kick!¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which, the other side¡¯s attitude really is problematic,¡± Su Yunjin said tactfully. ¡°If we could communicate well, there might still be room for discussion. But now that we¡¯re short on time, the captain¡¯s use of reverse psychology is not entirely unfounded.¡±

    ¡°If we¡¯re short on time, why not just kill him (Search his soul)?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked abruptly.

    The suggestion of the Demonic Sect Enchantress was so shocking that the other girls were taken aback, unsure of how to respond to the question.

    ¡°That¡¯s not entirely impossible,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°Killing him would be too wasteful, it would be better to beat him half to death and then ask whether he wants to die or cooperate with us.¡±

    ¡°Great, leave it to me,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied eagerly.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Yan Yu said impatiently. ¡°She¡¯s teasing you, can¡¯t you see that?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was taken aback for a moment, then glared angrily at Chen Lingyun.

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong, I¡¯m not joking at all,¡± Chen Lingyun said unafraid, even going as far as to wink at her.

    ¡°Really,¡± Lin Ning said helplessly while holding her forehead. ¡°We¡¯re talking about beating up a military officer in public and using violence to extract information. If we get called out on it later, are we going to push Sister Zhao forward, Ling Yun? You really know how to give advice.¡±

    ¡°Little Lin Ning can even speak sarcastically now,¡± Su Yunjin pretended to be moved on the side. ¡°If you always criticize with a straight face, everyone might get tired of it eventually.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you not to call me Little Lin Ning¡­¡± Lin Ning said weakly.

    The girls chatted and laughed, and the atmosphere gradually became relaxed and cheerful.

    In fact, Yan Yu was not surprised by the hostility shown by Military Officer Jiang.

    In the beginning of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, Lu Country¡¯s plan was to recruit cultivators entirely from the military, but then they found the success rate of recruitment to be extremely low. Only after consulting and communicating with Mei Yingxue did they learn of the existence of ¡°Spirit Root¡±, leading to a change in recruitment to ¡°17-18-year-olds¡±.

    As a result, the current group of cultivators in Lu Country was actually divided into three factions: military cultivators, college student cultivators, and civilian cultivators.

    Considering that civilian cultivators had not yet made a significant appearance, they could be temporarily ignored. Comparing military cultivators with college student cultivators, it became clear that the former was almost entirely behind in terms of treatment.

    The specific reasons were complicated. On one hand, the potential of military cultivators was relatively lower (the older average age meant that their innate endowment was deteriorating), making them unworthy of substantial resources for focused training. On the other hand, military cultivators were more disciplined, obedient, and ideologically aware, eliminating worries about loyalty¡­ S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Anyway, due to differences in treatment and the fact that college student cultivators had not yet shown a stronger overall strength, many military cultivators harbored resentment towards them. It was similar to how old colleagues who were promoted within a company would feel upon seeing new employees earn several times more than their own salary¡ªthis was something that could not be more understandable.

    Contrary to the cheerful atmosphere among Yan Yu¡¯s team, the furious Military Officer Jiang had already stormed into the command tent, unable to conceal the anger on his face:

    ¡°Wei Yun! Feng Haiping! Come out with me!¡±

    Wei Yun and Feng Haiping were both assistants in the mission to handle the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm with Jiang Weiming, and they were also among the strongest military cultivators present. Hearing the call, they stood up:

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Old Jiang?¡±

    ¡°Some fearless fools have arrived!¡± Military Officer Jiang said furiously. ¡°They want to explore the Secret Realm as soon as they arrive!¡±

    ¡°The three of us have to accompany them inside, so they don¡¯t get themselves killed and cause us to face disciplinary action!¡±

 Chapter 69: 68: Priority should be given to the overall situation

    Chapter 69: Chapter 68: Priority should be given to the overall situation

    Even though Staff Sergeant Jiang seemed displeased with him and his group, Yan Yu wasn¡¯t worried that the former would act on personal grudges to sabotage the mission.

    The reason was very simple: the discipline, obedience, and ideological consciousness of Lu Country¡¯s military personnel were unrivaled on this Earth in the current plane of existence¡ªthere was absolutely no exaggeration or boastfulness in that assertion.

    No matter how much one might dislike you, the mission came first, and there would never be a case of personal feelings interfering with public duty.

    As expected, the group didn¡¯t have to wait long before they saw Staff Sergeant Jiang return with two other military cultivators, making a rough hand gesture that signified ¡°Follow me.¡±

    It conveyed both the resolute and efficient quality unique to soldiers and a ¡°I don¡¯t wish to speak with you any longer¡± message.

    Without a word, Yan Yu gestured with his hand, indicating for the girls to quickly follow suit.

    The scenic area surrounding the Wuyi Mountains was highly developed, but the deeper one went, the more ¡°natural and primitive¡± it became, with the roads becoming rough and rugged.

    Deep in the valley, shrouded in thick jungles and the sound of babbling streams, the group eventually saw the heavily guarded entrance to the Mysterious Realm:

    It was a pale purple spatial fissure, like an enormous vertical scar, tearing through the void and radiating twisted scars, yet it was not ugly¡ªin fact, it was quite the opposite. It was as splendid and colorful as the auroras, filled with a bizarre and eerie charm that was indescribable.

    These types of entrances to different spaces were not unique to Lu Country, but with the progression of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, they appeared all over the globe. It¡¯s just that the entrances in other countries led not to a world of cultivation specific to Lu Country.

    The English called it ¡°The Devil¡¯s Kiss,¡± while the people of heavy cherry blossom country revered it as ¡°The Vanishing Rift,¡± names that suggested nothing good lay beyond.

    The three officers watched the entrance to the Mysterious Realm with serious expressions. This thing had devoured the first group of military cultivators sent to explore it and also put Staff Sergeant Jiang and others who were in command on the spot.

    The first group of cultivators hadn¡¯t sent back any news, and sending a rescue team was akin to throwing sheep into a tiger¡¯s mouth; but not attempting a rescue would drastically reduce the chances of survival for the lost cultivators inside, which was completely unacceptable to them.

    Staff Sergeant Jiang covertly glanced over, silently observing the expressions of these university student cultivators.

    Su Yunjin reached from behind to grasp Yan Yu¡¯s sleeve, clearly frightened by the eerie and terrifying appearance of the entrance to the Mysterious Realm.

    Lin Ning wasn¡¯t faring much better, but she was still able to maintain a semblance of calm, although her face was pale from the tension.

    Chen Lingyun reined in her smile and, although there wasn¡¯t much fear on her face, a complicated mix of curiosity and contemplation was present.

    As for Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s reaction, it was completely opposite to the other three girls, seeming to contain a mix of eagerness and, perhaps, a hint of¡­ greed?

    If Staff Sergeant Jiang were to assess, none of the four were in a particularly good state of readiness.

    Fear could limit rational thought, too much tension could impact performance, curiosity and contemplation could indicate underestimation of the enemy, and eagerness, not to mention greed, simply translated to recklessness to some extent.

    This was typical of those who had not undergone long-term military training. Even if you put a rifle into her hands, she might not be able to aim and shoot steadily at the enemy¡­ Jiang really couldn¡¯t fathom why Jinling would send a group of university students, demanding a quick completion of the exploration and rescue in the Mysterious Realm while also expecting unconditional cooperation with these youngsters. Did they not realize that these two orders were contradictory?

    However, out of the five, only Yan Yu had no faults to be found¡ªhe was completely expressionless, almost identical to the three staff sergeants.

    His spirit was focused, his attention highly concentrated, yet not to the point of excessive tension. Such a state was the qualified pre-mission countenance and the standard expected of a professional soldier. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Staff Sergeant Jiang made his silent judgment, only to hear Yan Yu turn his head and say,

    ¡°Don¡¯t hold too high of hopes; a Mysterious Realm appearing at this time is unlikely to be of much difficulty. I¡¯ll reiterate, just perform as you would in your regular training.¡±

    Shit! Staff Sergeant Jiang immediately overturned his previous conclusion. This man was going to be the biggest variable coming up!

    His face turned an ashen hue as he turned his head and signaled with his eyes to Old Wei and Old Feng, his two deputies.

    Once they entered the Mysterious Realm, they had to keep a close eye on this headstrong young man, not letting him charge forward recklessly and get killed instantly, which would leave no opportunity for rescue.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you leaving yet?¡± Yan Yu urged again, this time addressing Staff Sergeant Jiang.

    As if he hadn¡¯t heard him, Staff Sergeant Jiang turned and gave his orders:

    ¡°Wei Yun, come with me first into the realm. Feng Haiping, you follow them and cover our retreat.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Feng Haiping immediately responded.

    As the two military cultivators were willing to lead the way, Yan Yu naturally had no objections. He watched silently as they headed towards the entrance of the mysterious realm, and were swallowed by the twisted spatial scars, before he spoke to arrange the order:

    ¡°Me, Lin, Chen, Su, Zhao, in that order, let¡¯s go in.¡±

    Afterward, he headed towards the entrance of the mysterious realm.

    His vision warped for an instant before returning to normal.

    Yan Yu, upon entering the mysterious realm, composedly surveyed his surroundings.

    What met his eye was nothing but green waters and verdant mountains, a scene of endless picturesque beauty, without a hint of danger.

    According to memories from his previous life, this blessed land should be called ¡°True Rising into the Mysterious Heavens,¡± created by an ancient cultivator surnamed Liu.

    The reason it emerged early in the period of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence was because the concentration of spiritual energy inside was indeed low, and the average cultivation of the monsters was not high¡­ If he remembered correctly, it seemed to be referred to as a realm of the ¡°Yi Wood of Spring¡¯s Birth¡±?

    Among the five elements, metal and fire are the most ferocious, water and earth next, and wood is the most mild, with Yi wood being gentler than Jia wood; saying that this place had the difficulty of a kindergarten was not an exaggeration.

    As for why the military cultivators had been trapped inside, it might be due to a lack of experience in exploring mysterious realms. Knowing is easier than doing; it has been the same throughout the ages.

    Yan Yu turned to look back at the entrance, waiting until Cultivator Feng Haiping followed Zhao Yuanzhen into the realm, and the whole team had assembled, before turning to Chen Lingyun to ask:

    ¡°How is it?¡±

    Since entering the mysterious realm, Chen Lingyun had quickly been observing the surrounding landscape and already had a conclusion:

    ¡°Let¡¯s go there first.¡±

    She pointed toward the cliff in front of them on the right, firstly because it was close, and secondly, it was elevated. If they used the Cloud Ascension Technique to reach its peak, they could easily observe the farther surroundings.

    ¡°No,¡± Section Chief Jiang immediately objected, ¡°didn¡¯t you see the forest over there? We should follow the river downstream.¡±

    Passing through the dense forest was a necessary route to reach the cliff ahead. Without any intelligence, rashly entering the dense woods was clearly not a wise move. What if there were enemies lying in ambush?

    On the other hand, if they followed the river¡¯s flow towards the rear right, they could reach the sparsely wooded hills far away. Though it was not as high as the cliff, the visibility along the way was good enough, and they didn¡¯t have to worry about ambushes.

    Yan Yu responded noncommittally to his command:

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it common military knowledge to first seize the high ground to scout the terrain in unfamiliar environments?¡±

    ¡°The premise is that the high ground is easy to reach,¡± Section Chief Jiang said coldly, ¡°But the risk of entering that dense forest is obvious.¡±

    ¡°Since we can¡¯t come to an agreement, then we should split up and act separately,¡± Yan Yu suggested with an indifferent smile, ¡°We¡¯ll head towards the cliff, and you follow the river, how about that?¡±

    Split up, my ass! The military order from above demands that we unconditionally coordinate with you!

    Section Chief Jiang¡¯s face immediately turned incredibly sour as he coldly retorted:

    ¡°Splitting up? Great idea. What if you get ambushed in the forest and we can¡¯t provide timely support to your unit? What then?¡±

    ¡°Since you¡¯re worried about falling into an ambush if we split up,¡± Yan Yu revealed an expression as if to say ¡°so you do know,¡± and asked with surprise, ¡°then shouldn¡¯t you avoid leaving the main force to act alone, isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    Jiang Weiming immediately bulged his eyes wide and took a sharp intake of breath, as if he was about to explode at any moment ¡ª the nearby Wei Yun and Feng Haiping saw this and quickly took his arms, one on the left and one on the right, acting as peacemakers and repeatedly urging:

    ¡°Let it go, Old Jiang! Let¡¯s just move together! The mission comes first! We¡¯ll just follow them, alright?¡±

 Chapter 70: 69: The Swiftness of the Swallow

    Chapter 70: Chapter 69: The Swiftness of the Swallow

    ¡°Regarding the question of which direction to explore first,¡± Yan Yu quickly convinced the three military cultivators to follow his advice with his agile mind.

    Everyone activated their Shifting Technique and raced toward the direction of the cliff like a gale of wind.

    Upon reaching the edge of the dense forest, they all stopped as if by an unspoken agreement.

    An icy wind came from within the woods. When it brushed against them, everyone felt their hair stand on end and couldn¡¯t help but get goosebumps.

    It seems like a demonic wind, doesn¡¯t it? Yan Yu glanced inside and saw the tree crowns blotting out the sky, the light in the forest dim, with chilling winds and ghostly shadows swirling about. It was almost as if there should be a sign outside saying ¡°Demons and ghosts reside within these woods.¡±

    ¡°I see trees moving deep inside; it must be a tree demon.¡± Seeing the ladies look as if facing a formidable enemy, Yan Yu analyzed calmly, ¡°If we enter, it¡¯s easy to be ambushed. Better to lure it out and fight. The tree demon definitely fears fire, we can trap it using the Flame Curse while leaving gaps, then attack and injure it with the Impact Curse. Actually, it¡¯s quite easy to handle.¡±

    ¡°Trap it with the Flame Curse?¡± Lin Ning immediately asked, ¡°How exactly?¡±

    ¡°Watch closely.¡± Yan Yu decided to demonstrate personally, first selecting a spot to cast the Flame Curse, and flames erupted from the ground, ¡°Chen Lingyun?¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    With just a cursory glance, she had completely memorized the location and size of the fireball.

    ¡°Su Yunjin.¡± Yan Yu interrupted the Flame Curse, then chose a spot not far to the side and released another Flame Curse, ¡°Your Flame Curse should be cast here later.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Su Yunjin stared intently at the ground. She did not have the same confidence in her memory as Chen Lingyun.

    Luckily, the surroundings were originally covered in lush grass, which was now burned away by the Flame Curse to reveal a bald patch of land that was easy to recognize.

    After dispersing the flames with a wave of his hand, Yan Yu selected two more locations, successively releasing the third and fourth balls of flame, perfectly creating a rhombus with the first two flames. He then said to Wei Yun and Feng Haiping:

    ¡°Both of you, once the demon inside the forest is lured out and reaches this position, wait for the right moment to cast the Flame Curse at these two places. The four flames will form a fiery array, trapping the demon in the middle of it. No problem, right?¡±

    ¡°No problem, but¡­¡± Both military cultivators hesitated as if they had more to say.

    Luring the enemy into an ambush is a tactic commonly seen in the ancient military history of Lu Country, but the difficulty in executing it is still quite demanding.

    Not to mention, what if the bait isn¡¯t fast enough and gets eaten? What if running too fast arouses suspicion? And what if you¡¯re wrong, and the demon inside isn¡¯t afraid of fire at all?

    ¡°Very good.¡± Yan Yu ignored the worry in their expressions and continued to plan positioning, saying, ¡°Zhao Yuanzhen and Officer Jiang, please stand at these two spots. Once the tree demon enters the ambush, and the four Flame Curses seal off its paths of escape, fire the Impact Curse through the gaps between the flames at it. No problem, right?¡±

    Fire overcomes metal among the Five Elements; an Impact Curse shot into the range of a Flame Curse would be extinguished into nothingness. But judging from the range of the Flame Curse Yan Yu arranged, the gap between the two flames was completely sufficient for the Impact Curse to pass through ¡ª unless the shooting was so poor they aimed one way and hit another.

    ¡°I have a problem,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen complained, ¡°Isn¡¯t this too much trouble for just a tree demon?¡±

    ¡°Aside from that, is there anything else?¡± Yan Yu asked, swiftly interrupting her with a smile.

    His smile had an unpleasant edge to it, and the Demonic Sect Enchantress was suddenly taken aback as realization dawned on her.

    Without revealing other spells and only allowed to use the Three Arts and Five Spells against the enemy, this tactic of ¡°forming a fiery array and fighting a simple battle¡± was indeed the safest choice.

    Hmph, though I was momentarily careless, that thief dared to threaten me with a veiled smile. I remember this grievance!

    If I have the chance one day, I too will hide a knife within my smile, making him tremble with fear of my displeasure!

    Officer Jiang¡¯s brows were so furrowed they seemed about to tie into knots. To him, the tactic of using four Flame Curses to block the paths seemed indeed not very challenging to implement, after all, the boundaries were marked on the ground, easier than targeting with a hand grenade¡­

    The real question was whether the bait could come out alive and bring the demon precisely into the ambush!

    Although he wanted to protest, Yan Yu gave him no chance to speak and decisively said:

    ¡°Let¡¯s proceed with the plan.¡±

    ¡°What about me?¡± Lin Ning asked anxiously.

    ¡°You¡¯re coming with me to go in and also to learn the Enemy Luring Technique,¡± Yan Yu said with a serious look.

    In Chen Lingyun¡¯s team in his previous life, it was Qiu Ze, who excelled in mobility and positioning, who was responsible for scouting and luring the enemy.

    Now that Qiu Ze hadn¡¯t joined the team, Lin Ning, who was supposed to be the assault specialist, would have to take on that responsibility.

    Of course, Lin Ning had not yet realized the team leader¡¯s good intentions, but her character as a straight-A student made her subconsciously choose to obey authority. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    No matter what kind of test you give me, I¡¯ll just keep my head down and do it.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Lin Ning said, suddenly feeling nervous again at the thought of being assigned the most dangerous task as a decoy.

    ¡°There¡¯s no time to lose, let¡¯s go.¡± Yan Yu was also very decisive in his actions, not giving the military cultivators a chance to question or obstruct, and quickly rushed into the dense forest with the Shifting Technique, followed closely by Lin Ning.

    At this moment, the effects of practicing the ¡°Shifting Technique emergency stop¡± for several weeks became evident.

    The two moved rapidly through the dense forest with the Shifting Technique, and when confronted with obstacles like roots and bushes, they would quickly switch to the Cloud Ascension Technique to stop abruptly and change direction, then switch back to the Shifting Technique to continue sprinting at high speed.

    Yan Yu was naturally flawless in this basic skill operation, and Lin Ning, although a newbie who had just begun to learn, managed to keep up with him, which even made Yan Yu see her in a new light.

    Look at that, keeping up with my speed on her first time, Sister Lin truly has the makings of a good assault trooper.

    Whether it was her innate reaction speed or the Cutting Spell speed she had trained, she had already far surpassed her peer cultivators by a great margin.

    ¡°Don¡¯t focus your attention on moving,¡± Yan Yu instructed as he saw her eyes locked on the ground, ¡°You need to completely integrate this mode of movement into your memory, making it a part of your combat instincts. Your attention should be on your surroundings, with eyes and ears open in all directions.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Lin Ning said nervously.

    ¡°When you can¡¯t sense the enemy¡¯s position,¡± Yan Yu continued instructing, ¡°try to maintain high speed to make enough noise, which can entice the enemy to attack and thereby reveal their position.¡±

    ¡°What if the enemy doesn¡¯t fall for it?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    ¡°Then that¡¯s a different situation,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°The tree demon we¡¯re dealing with this time is of low intelligence and has not yet awakened its spiritual wisdom, so it shouldn¡¯t be too cunning.¡±

    ¡°As long as we enter its territory, it will definitely provoke an attack¡­ here it comes!¡±

    Before he finished speaking, a tree root suddenly blocked their path, lashing out at them like a whip.

    With an abrupt stop and change of direction from Cloud Ascension Technique and a renewed burst of speed with the Shifting Technique, it was just a simple two-step switch that allowed Yan Yu to effortlessly dodge the tree root¡¯s attack, ignoring inertia and darting to the side like a spectral figure.

    As for Lin Ning, although her on-the-spot reaction was half a beat slower than Yan Yu¡¯s, her well-practiced combination of Cloud Ascension Technique and Shifting Technique was instinctive and swift, allowing her to beautifully avoid the tree demon¡¯s attack as well.

    This is the confidence gained from a problem-solver¡¯s routine training!

    After dodging the attack, Lin Ning realized what she had just achieved, and her expression was immediately replaced by disbelief.

    I¡­ I did it!

    ¡°Beautiful!¡± Yan Yu shouted his praise, and with another emergency stop and change of direction, he charged directly at the tree demon.

    He began to execute the Enemy Luring Technique.

    ¡°What should I do next!¡± Seeing that all of the tree demon¡¯s attacks were drawn toward Yan Yu, Lin Ning hurriedly asked loudly.

    Yan Yu had no time to answer, for as he closed the distance rapidly, the tree demon¡¯s hostility reached its peak, and dozens of thick tree roots broke through the soil, smashing down around him.

    However, Yan Yu¡¯s speed completely surpassed them.

    In just three or four seconds, it was impossible to see clearly how many times he had made emergency maneuvers¡ªLin Ning roughly estimated at least more than ten times. Accompanied by his dizzyingly swift dodges left and right, up and down, and back and forth, each sprint only covered a short distance of a single step or even just half a step. After narrowly evading the nearby tree root lashings, he would immediately perform an emergency stop with Cloud Ascension and then accelerate with the Shifting Technique for the next sprint.

    The dozens of tree roots swung and smashed in rotation, their attacks as dense and rapid as a sudden storm, yet Yan Yu, like a futuristic swift, dodged all the tree roots¡¯ lashings with an incomprehensible speed and agility and advanced to within ten meters of the tree demon. He raised his right hand to shoulder height, bringing together his index and middle fingers in a sword gesture, and charged the Metal-Element Impact Curse.

    Fire!

    A 30-centimeter-long gash, with unknown depth, suddenly appeared on the thick trunk of the tree demon.

    Wood chips and sap flew in all directions, and Lin Ning couldn¡¯t help but hold her breath. She saw the tree demon become rigid like it had been electrocuted.

    What followed was a complete loss of control and an outpouring of rage.

    Innumerable tree roots began wildly thrashing around, breaking and snapping many trees. Lin Ning hadn¡¯t yet had time to consider whether to stay put or temporarily retreat to avoid the fray when she saw Yan Yu burst out from the flying dust caused by the tree roots¡¯ thrashing, covered in dirt.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± he shouted to Lin Ning.

 Chapter 71: 70: The Four-Sided Flame Formation

    Chapter 71: Chapter 70: The Four-Sided Flame Formation

    The two figures weaved rapidly through the dense forest, with a massive tree demon moving its roots and dragging its body to furiously pursue them.

    The tremendous noise and violent tremors caused by the whipping roots followed them like a shadow, preventing them from daring to reduce their speed even slightly.

    ¡°Why did we have to get so close just now?¡± Lin Ning finally regained her composure from the shock and asked puzzledly, ¡°The Metal-Element Impact Curse takes time to charge¡­ Can¡¯t it be launched from a distance as well?¡±

    ¡°Because it would be blocked,¡± Yan Yu answered calmly, ¡°The tree demon is massive and bulky, so it prioritizes defense with its roots, rather than offense.¡±

    ¡°If you shoot the Impact Curse from afar, there¡¯s a high probability that it will raise its roots to block it. But if you get close to the demon¡¯s body first, prompting it to use its roots to intercept you, then break through the encirclement and leave those roots behind, the Impact Curse won¡¯t be intercepted.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lin Ning acknowledged, realizing the strategic consideration she had overlooked, ¡°Then since we were already so close, why couldn¡¯t you take the chance to kill it? Like using the Flame Curse to burn it or something¡­¡±

    ¡°Because it wouldn¡¯t just sit and wait to die,¡± Yan Yu explained patiently, ¡°Those roots would come back to help quickly.¡±

    ¡°But,¡± Lin Ning was still a bit puzzled, ¡°even if the roots come back to help, can¡¯t you just dodge them all with that¡­ super-fast movement technique, zipping right past them?¡±

    ¡°But that would be very tiring,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°and the True Yuan consumption would also be great.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re not unable to fight it one-on-one, you just don¡¯t want to,¡± Lin Ning sharply realized the key point.

    ¡°Little Lin Ning, this is where teamwork comes in,¡± Yan Yu said meaningfully, ¡°Not everything needs to be done personally.¡±

    ¡°Stop calling me Little Lin Ning,¡± Lin Ning protested in a low voice, glancing back at their pursuer.

    The tree demon¡¯s fury seemed endless, and even though they had reached the edge of the dense forest, it showed no signs of stopping.

    Lin Ning looked straight ahead and suddenly sensed something was amiss.

    She remembered that when she and Yan Yu had entered the forest, there was a half-broken tree on their left. If they were truly retracing their steps, the broken tree should now be on their right.

    However, it appeared not far ahead on their left¡­

    ¡°We¡¯re off course,¡± Lin Ning warned quickly, ¡°The spot where we set up the flame matrix isn¡¯t straight ahead, but to the front left.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Yan Yu wasn¡¯t surprised. After all, navigating a complex environment like a dense forest, who could travel back and forth in a perfectly straight line without deviating at all?

    Sister Lin is quite attentive; you¡¯ve earned your stripes this time.

    ¡°You exit the forest first to confirm the direction; I¡¯ll hold it off,¡± Yan Yu commanded.

    ¡°Hold it off, how?¡± Lin Ning was immediately taken aback, but Yan Yu didn¡¯t answer and just turned around and charged towards the tree demon.

    He started to use that whooshing movement technique again¡­

    Thinking this, Lin Ning quickly dashed out of the forest with the Shifting Technique and found the spot where they had set up the flame matrix indeed to the front left, about 50 meters askew.

    Following the edge, she made her way back to the original path and once again dashed towards where the tree demon and Yan Yu were.

    This time identifying the direction was effortless, because the commotion over there was just too loud, like two giants battling furiously, with swathes of trees being hit in the process, falling like bombed buildings, with dust and dirt billowing into the sky.

    Lin Ning didn¡¯t dare venture further, but from a distance, she started shouting towards the front:

    ¡°Yan Yu!¡±

    After around twenty seconds, Yan Yu¡¯s figure finally emerged from the trees in the distance¡ªhe had heard her call.

    Lin Ning didn¡¯t turn to flee, but continued to watch him tensely.

    The captain was sprinting in her direction, and behind him was a violent cloud of dust and earth that crushed and leveled any tree in its path, like an otherworldly bulldozer forging a path straight through the forest. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go! What are you waiting for?¡± Yan Yu reached her side and, without missing a beat, slapped her forehead.

    Smack!

    The force wasn¡¯t painful, but Lin Ning also reacted, quickly deploying the Shifting Technique to follow closely, her thoughts slightly turning.

    I think I kind of understand now.

    The captain¡¯s ¡°swallow-like high-speed movement¡±, able to dodge 3-4 direction changes within 1 second, is how he managed to evade the tree demon¡¯s multi-strike assault.

    Each time the urgent change of direction was executed, it involved a ¡°disruption of the Shifting Technique, initiation of the Cloud Ascension Technique, disruption of the Cloud Ascension Technique, and reinitiation of the Shifting Technique¡± sequence of four, which meant one had to perform 12-16 changes of energy routes within a second.

    Such an exaggerated high-frequency maneuver is something the subjective reaction of humans absolutely cannot keep up with.

    Only passive body reflexes, or muscle memory, might make it possible.

    When he was dodging the tree demon¡¯s attacks just now, he could still hear my shouting from afar, proving that he was actually paying attention to his surroundings the whole time, and maintaining this high-speed movement without it taking up too much of his focus.

    The reason, just as he mentioned before, must be that he had ¡°thoroughly integrated it into his memory, making it part of his fighting instincts¡±.

    From this, Lin Ning quickly concluded, but she didn¡¯t realize how strategically important this conclusion was behind the scenes.

    In the timeline of her previous life, the seamless switching between the Shifting Technique and the Cloud Ascension Technique was first conceived by the Valkyrie, Li Minghu, thinking it could greatly enhance the mobility of Cultivators. But at that time, the Shifting Technique had been completely replaced by the Sword Control Technique, so this idea naturally didn¡¯t receive much attention¡ªuntil Li Minghu died from illness, then it was even less inquired about.

    It wasn¡¯t until the maturation of external True Yuan storage devices, which allowed ordinary people to use spells in a limited way, that the impactful performances of an unnamed person with the surname Yan brought a little ¡°ordinary shock¡± to those conservative Cultivators¡­ And only then was the entire Cultivation World of Lu Country forced to shift from ¡°pursuing higher-tier techniques and treasures¡± to ¡°pursuing the training of personal skill levels¡±.

    The two hastily returned to the site of the pre-set flame formation, and the massive tree demon also rushed out of the dense forest, instantly startling everyone waiting outside in tight formation.

    Whether it was Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin, or the three military Cultivators, this was the first time they had seen a real, living monster.

    Trees ten meters tall aren¡¯t frightening, but if the other party not only moves at a speed of over ten meters per second but can also swing countless thick roots, smashing everything around into shattered pieces, that is mildly horrific and terrifying.

    Luckily, Yan Yu had drawn up a simple and clear-cut battle plan in advance, so even though everyone was shocked, they didn¡¯t panic to the point of helplessness.

    As soon as the tree demon entered the ambush zone, four Flame Curses erupted like columns of fire from four directions, perfectly trapping the giant tree demon within.

    Those wildly flailing roots contracted as if scorched the moment they touched the Flame Curses, then curled up covering the trunk in layers, instinctively taking a defensive position.

    ¡°Get into position quickly!¡± Yan Yu ordered.

    Apart from the four Cultivators casting Flame Curses and sealing off the exit, Yan Yu, Lin Ning, Zhao Yuanzhen, and Jiang Weiming quickly took their places, directly opposite the gaps between the four Flame Curses, and raised their right arms, charging the Impact Curse.

    One, two, three, four! Four charged Impact Curses were almost released simultaneously, the Metal-Element¡¯s sharp energy comparable to swords, immediately chopping the tree demon¡¯s roots layer by layer, cutting deep wounds into the trunk.

    Even though the tree demon¡¯s consciousness was undeveloped, the intense pain made it aware of the imminent threat of death. The countless roots wrapping the trunk suddenly extended, frantically slapping the surrounding flames, as the body charged directionlessly towards a certain direction.

    As it happened, it was in the direction of Su Yunjin.

    Su Yunjin stood frozen in place, watching as the tree demon topped with flames forcefully broke through her Flame Curse. For a moment, she couldn¡¯t think of how to react, her mind going blank.

    Should she switch to the Shifting Technique to escape? Switch to the Wood Bending Charm to face the enemy? Or increase the Flame Curse¡¯s output?

    The next second, Yan Yu had already launched himself sideways, intercepting the tree demon, swiftly shifting to the Wood Bending Charm, his right arm muscles already bulging.

    Impact punch!

    This punch, enhanced by the charge speed and supported by the power of the Wood Bending Charm, directly hit the base of the trunk, causing the tree demon to sway for a moment, its charging momentum finally forcefully halted.

    Three more Fire Blazing Charms arose from the left, right, and back of the tree demon; it was Chen Lingyun and the two military Cultivators acting swiftly in coordination, readjusting the position of the flame formation.

    Yan Yu, using the recoil of the punch to retreat, quickly pulled away with the Shifting Technique and then launched another Flame Curse, once again imprisoning the tree demon in a cage of flames.

    ¡°Combine attack once more!¡± he shouted loudly, ¡°The tree demon can¡¯t hold on anymore!¡±

 Chapter 72: 71: First Arrogant, Then Respectful

    Chapter 72: Chapter 71: First Arrogant, Then Respectful

    The tree demon, towering over ten meters high, finally collapsed to the ground with a thunderous crash under the combined attack of the fully charged Impact Curses.

    This tree demon had withstood three rounds of combined attacks in total, truly tough as nails¡ªhad it been a human cultivator, two or three Impact Curses would have blown their head apart. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But what could it do? The consequence of undeveloped intelligence was that, like a beast that had escaped from the zoo, it was killed by humans using simple encirclement tactics.

    Three military cultivators quickly approached, both to confirm whether the enemy was truly dead and to prevent any feigned death and counterattack from the tree demon.

    The result of the inspection was satisfactory: it seemed to be dead.

    The last round of Metal-Element Impact Curse attacks had pierced into the heart of the tree, delivering the fatal blow.

    ¡°Sorry.¡± Su Yunjin approached Yan Yu and whispered, ¡°I got scared just now and didn¡¯t react properly.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s normal for the first time,¡± Yan Yu said with a comforting smile. ¡°The fact that you didn¡¯t turn and run is already commendable.¡±

    Secretary Su and the spoiled princess alike, actually have somewhat subpar reflexes in an emergency, but it wasn¡¯t to the extent of being beyond hope.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you praising me?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen interjected proudly from the side. ¡°The final Impact Curse that killed it was launched by me.¡±

    ¡°What kind of praise do you want?¡± Yan Yu looked at her, puzzled. ¡°Should I give you a little red flower?¡±

    ¡°I want a little red flower,¡± Chen Lingyun said, smiling. ¡°The Flame Curse I adjusted just now was accurate, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, we can talk about it after a review of the action!¡± Surrounded by the girls clamoring to talk to him, Yan Yu, who didn¡¯t flinch in the face of the tree demon, now seemed somewhat overwhelmed and simply called out, ¡°We haven¡¯t completed our mission yet, so let¡¯s not dawdle here chatting!¡±

    Elsewhere, three military cultivators stood beside the body of the tree demon, quietly holding a brief meeting.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Wei Yun was the first to speak up persuasively, ¡°Old Jiang, at least you have to admit this, right? The reason the Jinling Military Region headquarters sent these people over and stressed that we provide unconditional collaboration is because they are indeed more skilled than us!¡±

    ¡°I think so too,¡± Feng Haiping agreed. ¡°How else do you explain the brightness of a college student¡¯s brain? The Flame Curse to entrap, the Impact Curse to kill; this tank-like tree demon was beaten like a dog in a cage. I think this tactic could totally be a case study for a textbook, could be used against other large fire-fearing monsters in the future.¡±

    ¡°Stop blowing smoke!¡± Jiang Weiming couldn¡¯t save face and argued. ¡°This tactic isn¡¯t that complex, okay? Given some time, I might have come up with it myself.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the problem? We didn¡¯t have time, right?¡± Wei Yun continued to try to convince him. ¡°Besides, could you have lured the tree demon out of the forest yourself?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯d have ended up as tree fertilizer,¡± Feng Haiping chimed in with a barb. ¡°We would have had to set fire to the forest and dig you out from the ashes of the plants.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough from you two,¡± Jiang Weiming said resignedly. ¡°I admit I wasn¡¯t polite earlier, but I didn¡¯t deliberately oppose them! What¡¯s the point of critiquing me after the fact?¡±

    ¡°But you definitely need to work on that temper of yours,¡± Wei Yun said bluntly. ¡°Before you became a cultivator, why do you think your military rank never increased in the army? Don¡¯t you have any self-awareness?¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine, from now on I¡¯ll keep quiet. Will it satisfy you if I just don¡¯t speak at all?¡± Jiang Weiming raised his hands in surrender, saying in exasperation, ¡°Wei Yun, from here on out you handle the communication with them. I¡¯ll just be your dumb soldier, keeping my head down and charging forward, okay?¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me,¡± Wei Yun patted his shoulder, then walked toward Yan Yu.

    ¡°Young Master Yan?¡± He tilted his head towards the body of the tree demon and asked with a smile, ¡°What should we do with this?¡±

    ¡°Dig out the heart of the tree. Leave the body at the scene for the research department to handle later,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    ¡°Okay, will do,¡± Wei Yun replied cheerfully, by extension indicating his attitude: From now on, we¡¯ll follow your lead.

    Chen Lingyun observed the military cultivators¡¯ reactions and, with a faint smile, approached the tree demon¡¯s body to take a closer look.

    The deepest wound was near a burl, within which one could faintly see an emerald hue.

    Crouching nearby, Feng Haiping pulled out a military dagger and deftly peeled away the outer layer. Then, turning his head towards Yan Yu, he asked for instructions:

    ¡°Should I wear gloves?¡±

    ¡°No need, just take it out,¡± Yan Yu answered, shaking his head. ¡°It¡¯s not corrosive.¡±

    Following the instruction, Feng Haiping extracted the heart of the tree, weighing it in his hand for a moment¡ªit was like a stone, roughly the length and three fingers¡¯ width of a palm, tapered at both ends into sharp cones, with a semi-translucent surface displaying a shade of green, almost like a large piece of high-quality jade.

    The girls eyed it intently, and even the well-traveled Zhao Yuanzhen couldn¡¯t help but be drawn to it.

    ¡°What is this used for?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with interest.

    ¡°For alchemy, crafting artifacts,¡± Yan Yu replied. ¡°You can also eat it directly. One bite, and you need neither food nor drink for three days, nor will you feel any hunger or thirst.¡±

    Incidentally, it was said to taste somewhat like celtuce. But the source of that information couldn¡¯t be explained, so it was best left unmentioned.

    ¡°Oh,¡± the girls said, enlightened.

    Mainly for research purposes¡­ which means, essentially useless to them.

    ¡°This thing needs to be stored in water for long-term preservation,¡± Yan Yu continued. ¡°Otherwise, it will evaporate clean within a few hours.¡±

    ¡°This is easy to handle.¡± Wei Yun took out his military canteen, used the Impact Curse to enlarge the drinking spout, then stuffed the tree core into the canteen before taking out a bandage to wrap and seal it up.

    The group continued to advance toward the direction of the cliff. Since the tree demon had rampaged, destroying the environment, a spacious path had emerged in the dense woods.

    However, everyone remained extremely vigilant, constantly scanning the surroundings as they moved, fearing that roots might suddenly emerge from any place and drag an unsuspecting victim into their grasp.

    Yan Yu, on the other hand, was not worried, as tree demons have a strong sense of territory and do not allow other monsters to survive nearby.

    Indeed, until the group managed to pass through the woods without incident, they encountered no second monster.

    When they reached the base of the cliff, Yan Yu looked up.

    The entire cliff face was bare, which seemed to present considerable difficulty for climbing, but for cultivators, it was not much different from walking on flat ground.

    Everyone used the Cloud Ascension Technique and, controlling their flight, quickly reached the top of the cliff.

    The mountaintop was overrun with wild grass but devoid of any trees. Lin Ning looked at the distant scenery and suddenly asked with curiosity,

    ¡°If there were no such high points in the terrain nearby, wouldn¡¯t one be able to fly high using the Cloud Ascension Technique to observe anyway?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu answered patiently, ¡°but there are two problems with that.¡±

    ¡°First, even if you hover in midair to observe, the Cloud Ascension Technique will continue to consume your True Yuan. To ensure comprehensive scouting, the consumption would be four or even five times that of climbing; second, there are no footholds in the air, and since you must maintain the Cloud Ascension Technique, if you encounter an attack from the ground, or a flying enemy, it would be difficult for you to respond.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not to say it isn¡¯t feasible. If we come to a place without any high points nearby and also lack cover like forests to conceal the ground, then using the Cloud Ascension Technique to fly high for observation can be a good choice. In summary, there¡¯s no absolutely fixed tactic; adaptability and situational judgment are key.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Lin Ning noted down solemnly.

    The three military cultivators nearby did not speak, but also pondered silently to themselves.

    He makes a lot of sense! These college-educated cultivators from the military academy really are smarter than us soldiers!

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s analyze the terrain of this Mysterious Realm,¡± Yan Yu said with a clap, ¡°Lin Ning, I¡¯ll ask and you answer.¡±

    ¡°With the upstream source of the river within our field of vision as the front of our coordinate system, what¡¯s to our front right?¡±

    ¡°A large forest, stretching to the end of our line of sight, blocked by a rugged mountain range,¡± Lin Ning responded as she looked out, also recalling the earlier tree demon, ¡°it could be hiding a large number of monsters.¡±

    ¡°And to our back right?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°A plain,¡± Lin Ning peered into the distance and slowly said, ¡°the river flows downstream in that direction, which is also where Captain Jiang previously advocated for exploration. Both sides of the river are plains, and there are rolling hills at the endpoint. There are not many trees, but the grass is lush.¡±

    ¡°Our back left?¡± Yan Yu continued.

    ¡°Endless, luxuriant forests,¡± Lin Ning observed carefully, ¡°stretching up to a wide lake. There¡¯s no clearing by the shore, and not much detail is visible.¡±

    ¡°And the front left?¡± Yan Yu asked finally.

    ¡°The terrain is flat, with relatively sparse trees,¡± Lin Ning tried to distinguish, ¡°further on is a stretch of plain with hardly any trees¡­ Hmm?¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Yan Yu inquired.

    ¡°There seems to be a thatched cottage?¡± Lin Ning said uncertainly, ¡°It¡¯s too far; I can¡¯t see clearly.¡±

    ¡°Then take your time and look,¡± Yan Yu advised.

    Jiang Weiming coughed beside them, wanting to remind them that ¡°the cultivators we lost earlier still haven¡¯t been found,¡± but under the watchful eyes of Wei Yun and Feng Haiping, he reluctantly held back his words.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine,¡± seeing Yan Yu¡¯s inquiring look, Wei Yun quickly said in a pleasing tone, ¡°Scouting is an important part, and thoroughness takes time, we can wait.¡±

    These three military cultivators, haughty at first and humble later, were as cold and guarded as they could be when they entered the Mysterious Realm, but now their attitude was as humble and flattering as could be, which made Lin Ning feel somewhat embarrassed. So she quickly held her breath and intently watched the distance for about ten seconds.

    ¡°It is indeed a building,¡± Lin Ning concluded promptly.

    ¡°Excellent,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°in the future, observe the terrain in this order, and try not to miss any details.¡±

    ¡°Based on what we know so far, Chen Lingyun, you analyze what we should do next,¡± he commanded.

    ¡°Me?¡± Chen Lingyun raised her eyebrows, her smile making an obvious statement:

    You¡¯re training them just fine; what need is there for me to teach?

    ¡°Yes, you analyze,¡± Yan Yu intentionally pressured her, ¡°if you make a wrong decision, I¡¯ll strip you of your position as vice-captain.¡±

    ¡°As you wish~¡± Chen Lingyun was not at all flustered, she merely stood on tiptoes, straining to see the ¡°thatched cottage¡± Lin Ning mentioned.

 Chapter 73: 72: Who is Holding Us Back?

    Chapter 73: Chapter 72: Who is Holding Us Back?

    ¡°My conclusion is quite simple.¡± After gazing for a moment, Chen Lingyun smiled and said, ¡°We should first explore that thatched cottage.¡±

    ¡°The reason?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°The Mysterious Realm isn¡¯t naturally formed but man-made,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°Let¡¯s assume there¡¯s a master of this realm who wishes to reside here for a long time. Would they choose to live in a building or, like a wild beast, reside in the forest?¡±

    ¡°See, I told you this realm is kindergarten level,¡± Yan Yu said, turning around satisfied and spreading his hands to the others, ¡°There¡¯s no difficulty in either exploration and puzzle solving or combat.¡± S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, a group of military cultivators disappeared here before us,¡± Lin Ning quickly reminded him, ¡°Saying ¡®there¡¯s no difficulty at all¡¯ might be an overstatement, right?¡±

    The three military cultivators fell silent upon hearing this. Although the young girl was just stating facts, why did we still feel humiliated?

    ¡°Ahem.¡± As a representative of the military cultivators, Jiang Weiming had to stiffen his upper lip and try to save face, ¡°The tree demon we just dealt with, if we hadn¡¯t known the corresponding intelligence and hadn¡¯t formulated targeted tactics, it would actually have been tough. From this, we can infer that the previous group of missing military cultivators likely encountered an unknown demon and suffered from a lack of experience.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Yan Yu spoke earnestly to the girls, ¡°So remember, folks! From now on, no matter what kind of enemy we face, we must carry out pre-combat reconnaissance and devise the appropriate tactics in advance; otherwise, this will be our fate.¡±

    Jiang Weiming: ¡­¡­

    He felt even more frustrated.

    He really wanted to argue, ¡°We military cultivators do carry out reconnaissance, all right?¡± but the fact of the previous group¡¯s disappearance was right there. It was unclear whether they had performed their pre-combat scouting, and Captain Jiang couldn¡¯t clarify.

    Or rather, even if he insisted ¡°They definitely scouted,¡± if someone asked, ¡°Oh, then why did they still disappear?¡± he still wouldn¡¯t have an answer and would only be mocked for being a stubborn dead duck.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that for now,¡± Wei Yun hurriedly interjected, saving the situation, ¡°We have to search for the missing cultivators and complete the exploration of the Mysterious Realm. The tasks are arduous, so let¡¯s quickly arrange our next steps.¡±

    ¡°Now that we¡¯ve confirmed the surrounding environmental terrain, we have two choices moving forward,¡± Yan Yu also smoothly transitioned to the main topic, ¡°One is to start a grid search here to find the missing cultivators; the other is to explore that building to see if we can find the control center of the Mysterious Realm. Any thoughts?¡±

    Everyone looked at each other, thinking, isn¡¯t it obvious?

    Looking down from the mountaintop, vast expanses of forest in every direction, how long would a grid search take? And how many demons encountered will have to be fought?

    But if they found the control center of the Mysterious Realm and took control of it first, the difficulty of any subsequent actions would collectively decrease by a level.

    According to the intelligence provided by Mei Yingxue, once the control center was refined, it would be akin to becoming the master of the realm¡­ If the Mysterious Realm were compared to a chat group, then the master of the realm would be the group admin.

    With management authority in hand, searching for people or removing them would be much easier.

    ¡°Let¡¯s explore that building first,¡± Yan Yu waved grandly, decisively making the decision.

    With the new route set, everyone leapt down from the mountaintop.

    Yan Yu freefell through the air, and just before hitting the ground, he calmly activated the Cloud Ascension Technique to brake, then landed steadily on the ground.

    Next to land was Zhao Yuanzhen. As a Demonic Sect Enchantress accustomed to Sword Control Technique, her ability to grasp distance and timing was naturally strong.

    When the two of them looked up again, they saw the others were using the Cloud Ascension Technique throughout, moving slowly downward.

    Zhao Yuanzhen yawned broadly while Yan Yu continued to watch above, not in a hurry to urge them, but stood by with folded arms waiting.

    Although he was silent, the very act of standing and waiting at the end point was a form of silent urging, wasn¡¯t it?

    Lin Ning couldn¡¯t hold back first, interrupting her Cloud Ascension Technique and freefalling with gravity, then at the right moment, she quickly activated the technique again, landing perfectly unharmed.

    A flawless landing!

    She looked up somewhat proudly, only to find that neither of them was paying her any attention, which made her feel both embarrassed and awkward.

    To relieve her embarrassment, Lin Ning found a topic to ask, ¡°Yan Yu, you said this realm is kindergarten difficulty, so where would the difficulty lie in exploring future realms?¡±

    ¡°Uh,¡± Yan Yu took a moment to think before answering, ¡°Actually, exploration of a realm without competitors is basically not difficult at all. No matter how the realm is designed, it¡¯s ultimately inanimate, and we can always find a way to deal with it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen agreed, ¡°The real challenge isn¡¯t the realm, it¡¯s the people.¡±

    Lin Ning silently lowered her head to ponder.

    So it¡¯s like in games, no matter how hard PvE is, we can always find a guide, but the ever-changing nature of PvP is the real challenge¡­ Is that what it means?

    Yan Yu gave Zhao Yuanzhen a look, meaning could you tone it down a bit and stop acting like an experienced senior? Have you forgotten who you are?

    Zhao Yuanzhen froze for a moment, then his face immediately showed annoyance:

    ¡°So, officials are allowed to start fires, but common people can¡¯t even light a lamp?¡±

    Yan Yu nonchalantly mouthed the words: Mei Yingxue.

    Zhao Yuanzhen fell silent, but he seethed inwardly:

    ¡°Today this little thief shows off, and he doesn¡¯t allow me to do the same, I¡¯ll remember this grudge. If there¡¯s a next time, when I turn the tables and call the shots, I¡¯ll make him¡­¡±

    Hmm?

    ¡°How should I get back at him though?¡±

    ¡°Show off in front of him fiercely, while not allowing him to do the same? That sounds kind of stupid.¡±

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress fell into a wordless contemplation.

    A moment later, Chen Lingyun was the fourth to descend, smiling and speaking to Yan Yu:

    ¡°You¡¯re still as fast as ever.¡±

    Yan Yu could naturally catch the implication in her words and countered:

    ¡°What were you waiting for up there, taking your sweet time? Foreplay?¡±

    Lin Ning: ?

    ¡°Stop!¡± she shouted in embarrassment, ¡°No dirty jokes allowed!¡±

    ¡°What dirty jokes?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked, frowning.

    Lin Ning didn¡¯t know how to explain, so she said sternly with a straight face:

    ¡°Just that they¡¯re not allowed, that¡¯s all.¡±

    After a while, Su Yunjin finally landed, followed by three military cultivators. They only deactivated their Cloud Ascension Technique and jumped down when they saw that they were not far from the ground.

    ¡°Sorry for being late,¡± Su Yunjin said with embarrassment.

    ¡°No problem,¡± Yan Yu waved it off nonchalantly, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The group continued on their swift journey. Su Yunjin seemed to be trailing behind, appearing somewhat downcast.

    Chen Lingyun noticed from the corner of her eye and quietly moved closer to walk alongside her.

    ¡°Ling Yun,¡± Su Yunjin asked softly and awkwardly, ¡°am I slowing you all down?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Chen Lingyun paused for a moment, then said with a beaming smile, ¡°Not at all.¡±

    ¡°If we really have to worry about that, to be honest, we¡¯re all dragging him down.¡±

    ¡°Him?¡± Su Yunjin paused, ¡°You mean the captain.¡±

    ¡°But I think he doesn¡¯t mind,¡± Chen Lingyun continued with a smile, ¡°because we¡¯re bound to catch up sooner or later.¡±

    ¡°And if we can¡¯t catch up?¡± Su Yunjin was still a bit melancholic, ¡°What I mean is¡­ what if, no matter how hard I try, I can¡¯t keep up with the pace of your progress?¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then you¡¯d just have to voluntarily leave the team,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a mischievous smile.

    Su Yunjin immediately showed a look of terror as if the sky had fallen.

    ¡°However,¡± Chen Lingyun enjoyed her reaction long enough before she continued comforting her, ¡°Yun Jin, your concerns are probably unnecessary.¡±

    ¡°Because, you see, if you truly were a person of mediocrity, Yan Yu wouldn¡¯t have allowed you to join the team from the start.¡±

    ¡°But what if he was wrong?¡± Su Yunjin murmured.

    ¡°Whether his judgment of people is accurate or not is something no one can determine,¡± Chen Lingyun said slowly, ¡°The only one who can prove it is you.¡±

 Chapter 74: 73: Alright, Lets Train the Troops

    Chapter 74: Chapter 73: Alright, Let¡¯s Train the Troops

    Looking down from the peak of the mountain earlier, the surrounding terrain was clear at a glance, and planning a route was no more than simple.

    With Chen Lingyun¡¯s exceptionally strong memory, Yan Yu simply let her lead the way, trying as much as possible to avoid areas dense with trees.

    As the group passed through a flat meadow, moving forward with their Shifting Technique, suddenly Lin Ning let out a sharp cry as her figure was abruptly flung into the air.

    It was a vine concealed within the underbrush that had now firmly entangled her ankle and whipped her into the air with force.

    Her balance lost, Lin Ning gritted her teeth, curled her body with all her might, and within her rapidly spinning and swaying vision, she tried to reach the thing binding her ankle to cut it with a Metal-Element Impact Curse.

    Before she could act, the force on her foot dissipated. She hurriedly applied the Cloud Ascension Technique, and her body came to an abrupt stop in midair, only to find only half a vine remaining on her foot¡ªit was Yan Yu who had reacted immediately, freeing her from the clutches of the monster.

    ¡°Everyone, gather close to me,¡± Yan Yu said casually, yet his hands did not cease to shoot Impact Curses in all directions around him. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The frequency of his shots was not rapid, but with every Impact Curse that hit the ground, a section of vine would bounce out of the underbrush, like a pained snake attempting to flee.

    The group quickly huddled next to Yan Yu, with the girls in the inner circle and the three military cultivators on the outside. Lin Ning moved through the air with her Cloud Ascension Technique toward Yan Yu, when she heard him speak again:

    ¡°Alright, disperse, the monster has fled.¡±

    The underbrush around them rustled once more, seemingly something rapidly crawling away, but indeed the shaking was moving farther away.

    ¡°How did you notice it?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, her eyes revealing a hint of surprise.

    Princess Jiang Hai was very confident in her observational skills, yet even with her concentrated efforts, she could only sense movements within the grass in all directions.

    But to, like Yan Yu, accurately discern the position of the vine monster within the underbrush and precisely deploy Impact Curses to sever the foe, she was not capable of doing so.

    The rest also perked up their ears. The girls familiar with his ways thought for sure he would make light of it, probably saying ¡°This is very simple.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re asking about that,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment before saying, ¡°Watch the swaying of the underbrush. First, locate the position where the swaying is most pronounced, then see which direction it moves, and finally, calculate a lead based on the direction of motion¡ªthat¡¯s where the actual body is.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that very complicated!¡± Lin Ning, who had just landed, immediately retorted.

    ¡°Otherwise?¡± Yan Yu asked, confused, ¡°Did you think cultivator battles are simple? Too naive, little Lin Ning!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me little Lin Ning¡­¡± Lin Ning said, deflated.

    Yeah, what was I thinking? Real combat situations are inherently complex and ever-changing; why am I surprised?

    ¡°Have they all gone?¡± Su Yunjin asked uneasily.

    ¡°I suppose so,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Staying wouldn¡¯t make sense; as many as come would be cut down by me. Even without spiritual intelligence, these creatures have the ability to gauge the disparity in strength.¡±

    The three military cultivators also sighed with relief and exchanged glances once more.

    This Yan Yu, though his attitude and words were brash, his skills indeed matched his tone¡­ and on second thought, for a young man with such abilities, a bit of arrogance seemed quite normal.

    So one must remember the lesson: Don¡¯t judge a book by its cover, nor measure the sea with a bushel.

    ¡°Shall we continue on our way?¡± Wei Yun asked, eager to proceed.

    ¡°Or do you want to take a rest?¡± Yan Yu asked in return.

    ¡°No, no need to rest,¡± Wei Yun promptly replied in a firm voice, ¡°The mission is paramount; we must persevere.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go,¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    Having crossed the vine-laden meadow, the group¡¯s spirits were finally lifted.

    They had arrived!

    In front of them was the vast plain they had observed from the mountaintop.

    Now, at a closer look, one could notice the artificially cultivated ridges on the plain, with crops planted at equal distances in neat rows.

    The crops were of an unknown variety, unrecognizable in shape, but evidently cultivated by humans. Some were still growing, while others seemed ripe, bearing full fruits of various colors.

    Beyond the furrows and the unfamiliar crops, a thatched cottage could be seen in the distance.

    Before the group could make their next move, a figure suddenly flew toward them at high speed from afar, arriving above their heads in an instant and deftly landing.

    It was a life-sized wooden puppet, its cylindrical head carved with curved brows, a straight nose, and a flat mouth.

    Unlike its crudely carved head and body, its limbs and joints were exquisitely made, with elbows, wrists, and fingers of the right size and very flexible.

    In the puppet¡¯s right hand was a green bamboo sword.

    Yan Yu raised his eyebrows in surprise, ¡°Isn¡¯t that the Thousand Pines and Bamboo Sword?¡±

    The Thousand Pines and Bamboo Sword, also known as the ¡°Green Bamboo Sword,¡± was the sword¡¯s formal name, whereas Lin Ning had given it that latter nickname.

    Why did Lin Ning name it? Because in her previous life, once she had confirmed her path as a Sword Immortal, this was the sword assigned to her¡­ So it was originally discovered in this Mysterious Realm?

    Well, since my current limit of Spiritual Energy isn¡¯t enough for long-term Sword Control Technique, I might not be able to get the sword back for a while after handing it over.

    I¡¯ll talk to Elder Li when I return, tell him to keep the sword for me.

    Yan Yu pondered silently for a moment and then saw the puppet clack its wrists, not attacking the group but rather pointing its bamboo sword at them. The tip of the sword raised slightly, and an aged laugh followed,

    ¡°Ho ho ho~ A few Qi Refinement scatterbrains managed to find their way here, it seems the vine monsters and tree spirits nurtured by the lord are still a bit too weak.¡±

    The group looked at each other and then unanimously turned towards Yan Yu.

    If anyone was qualified to represent the Cultivators and communicate with the puppet, it had to be their leader, Yan Yu.

    After pondering for a while, Yan Yu looked at the puppet seriously and asked,

    ¡°We had a group of Cultivators come here to explore before, but they lost contact. Have you seen them?¡±

    ¡°I do not recall,¡± replied the puppet. ¡°But the lord is kind-hearted and has long since taught those creatures not to kill indiscriminately, so your friends who intruded here are certainly alive. They must be trapped somewhere, and you may search for them yourselves.¡±

    ¡°I see, then I¡¯ll cut to the chase,¡± Yan Yu nodded and then commanded sternly, ¡°Old wooden head, hand over the core of the Mysterious Realm!¡±

    The group: ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    The puppet was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing,

    ¡°Very well! The lord said that if someone wants the old abode of this place, it¡¯s quite simple.¡±

    He flicked the green Immortal Sword in his hand, flourished it, and declared loudly,

    ¡°A one-on-one duel for practice. Defeat me, and it¡¯s yours. Who wants to go first?¡±

    Yan Yu sneered upon hearing this and turned to give an order,

    ¡°You all heard it, right? Lin Ning, you go ahead and test its strength.¡±

 Chapter 75: 74: Its Decided, Its You

    Chapter 75: Chapter 74: It¡¯s Decided, It¡¯s You

    Why did they send Lin Ning first?

    Because her role in the team is that of a shock trooper, and in most cases, she¡¯s the first to charge in.

    It¡¯s just right to let Sister Lin get used to combat in advance, which is also Yan Yu¡¯s intention for personally leading the team in this ¡°rookie pass.¡±

    Chosen by Yan Yu to fight first, Lin Ning wasn¡¯t too scared.

    After all, they said it was a ¡°combat drill,¡± which meant they wouldn¡¯t really try to kill her¡­ right?

    Although she felt the risk was not great, nervousness was still inevitable.

    Lin Ning took a deep breath and activated her Shifting Technique.

    Charge!

    She closed in on the puppet in an instant, abruptly halting with the Cloud Ascension Technique and smoothly transitioning to the Wood Bending Charm, her right arm muscles swelling rapidly.

    ¡°Lightning assault?¡± Su Yunjin was secretly shocked.

    Going from Shifting Technique to Cloud Ascension Technique, then to Attack Spell Technique, and instantly charging to punch you dead, this ultra-fast triple technique chain was Captain Yan Yu¡¯s signature maneuver. He defeated the representatives of the other three forces with it in the Four Institutes Tournament, and all the team members had seen it in the video afterwards, but little did they expect that Sister Lin had already learned it.

    Before she could say anything, Yan Yu suddenly said,

    ¡°Too slow.¡±

    As Lin Ning switched to the Wood Bending Charm, the close-range puppet had already raised its Green Bamboo Sword high and slashed down.

    Because the switch to the charm was half a beat late, counterattacking would surely result in being hit first; Lin Ning could only raise her fist in a hurry.

    Fist against the blade!

    The Wood Bending Charm not only amplified her limb strength but also appropriately protected her limbs from being harmed by the blowback. However, compared to the specialized defensive Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse, the Bending Charm only reduced damage rather than provided immunity, protected only the limb exerting force, and did not nullify pain.

    Although the Green Bamboo Sword seemed to be made of bamboo, its hardness naturally could not be compared with ordinary plants. When her fist struck, the comic scene of ¡°my flesh fist breaking your steel weapon¡± did not occur; instead, Lin Ning stepped back several paces in pain, tears almost coming out. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Biting back her pain, she quickly activated her Shifting Technique and rapidly retreated sideways, avoiding the puppet¡¯s follow-up slashing, and extended the other hand into a tight fist.

    Flame Curse!

    Fire suddenly erupted from the ground, but the Sword-bearing Puppet, though seemingly cumbersome, was actually agile. It sidestepped the flames the moment they appeared, largely evading the burning range and only leaving slight scorched marks on its surface.

    ¡°The Flame Curse has almost a half-second delay from casting to release, making it quite easy to dodge,¡± Yan Yu explained to the rest on the side. ¡°Such delayed spells must be used in combination with other attacks, like for restricting the enemy¡¯s movement or attacking when they can¡¯t dodge. Remember, using it alone is absolutely the wrong approach.¡±

    While he calmly explained to the others, Lin Ning, now exemplifying what not to do, was being chased around by the puppet, looking very disheveled.

    The Sword-bearing Puppet didn¡¯t move its legs while moving; rather, it was as if it were suspended by invisible threads, then approached like the Shifting Technique, forcing Lin Ning to maintain distance with the same technique.

    Luckily, Lin Ning had also practiced ¡°Propulsion Tactics¡± for a while. She accelerated with the Shifting Technique and then abruptly stopped, continuing high-speed movement with inertia while swiftly seizing the moment to shoot out an Impact Curse, forcing the puppet to use its sword for defense.

    No matter where her Impact Curse was aimed, the puppet merely needed to rotate its wrist to move the Green Bamboo Sword to the corresponding position, effortlessly blocking the curse technique without the sword even wobbling.

    The so-called sharpness of metallic energy, in front of a superior Immortal Sword, was as fragile as an egg.

    ¡°Enough,¡± said Yan Yu, seeing that Lin Ning was about to enter a hit-and-run warfare. ¡°Lin Ning, return to the team! Chen Lingyun, get ready to take over.¡±

    Jiang Weiming and the other three Cultivators exchanged glances and finally realized what Yan Yu intended to do.

    This was training for battle!

    As Lin Ning swiftly ran back, the Sword-bearing Puppet, sure enough, chased her for a distance then suddenly stopped, only continuing to gesture with the sword to the group as if to say ¡°come and fight.¡±

    Chen Lingyun entered the battlefield, keeping some distance from the puppet, and suddenly shot out an Impact Curse to seize the initiative.

    The Sword-bearing Puppet moved swiftly to block the curse aimed at its chest, but at its feet, flames suddenly erupted.

    Her first move was not a single strike; it was a double hit!

    ¡°Do you see?¡± Yan Yu immediately affirmed the action, saying to everyone, ¡°The first strike draws the opponent¡¯s attention, creating an opportunity for the second strike to hit. That¡¯s what I was talking about in terms of move coordination.¡±

    Lin Ning gasped for breath, hands bracing against her knees, and looked ahead with a mix of reluctance and resolve.

    I can do that too! It¡¯s just¡­ I was the first to fight, I just hadn¡¯t thought of it!

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem very useful?¡± Jiang Weiming asked from the side.

    The puppet was hit squarely by the flames that had erupted, but instead of being hindered, it charged out of the fire charred black, rapidly flying toward Chen Lingyun.

    Chen Lingyun stood her ground, ready to engage the enemy. With her smart wit, she could of course see that what Yan Yu had everyone practice was ¡°facing the real pressure of the battlefield.¡± It would be meaningless if she were to activate the Shifting Technique and employ hit-and-run tactics, not letting the sword-bearing puppet get close¡­

    The sword-bearing puppet flew extremely fast, and in no time it reached Chen Lingyun¡¯s position, the Green Bamboo Sword thrusting downward from above.

    Chen Lingyun quickly activated the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse and stretched out her left hand to grab the blade.

    She caught it.

    But it broke free.

    With just a slight twist, the Green Bamboo Sword flicked Chen Lingyun¡¯s fingers open.

    Chen Lingyun wasn¡¯t flustered, or rather, this was still within her expectations. She stepped half a pace forward, almost pressed close against the puppet, and her left hand again brushed toward its sword-wielding wrist.

    The True Yuan of the Water-based Runescript was quickly stimulated, and upon touch, it rushed into the puppet¡¯s wrist. Suddenly, the puppet flew backwards rapidly, creating distance, with the wrist of its sword-wielding hand dangling at an odd angle, seemingly restricted in its movements.

    Hmm, the Runescript really did come in handy.

    Chen Lingyun remained where she was, not rushing to continue the chase, showing a thoughtful and sweet smile on her face, while the onlookers outside the field were dumbstruck.

    In the previous round, Lin Ning had been chased around by the puppet; but now that Chen Lingyun took the stage, the situation reversed immediately, forcing the sword-bearing puppet to retreat?

    Is there really such a big difference in strength between these two?

    ¡°It¡¯s simple,¡± Yan Yu seemed to read the question in everyone¡¯s minds and said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s difficult without information; it¡¯s not difficult once you choose the right tactics.¡±

    Lin Ning was slightly taken aback, then she began to ponder.

    That¡¯s right, judging from the puppet¡¯s performance, the Flame Curse didn¡¯t do much damage, the Impact Curse was easily blocked by the sword, but it couldn¡¯t resist a close-range Runescript; even that sword couldn¡¯t penetrate the defense of the Barrier Charm¡­

    ¡°Su Yunjin, get ready,¡± Yan Yu reminded.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Su Yunjin clenched her fists nervously, her body trembling slightly against her will.

    Seeing this, Lin Ning moved closer and whispered in her ear:

    ¡°It¡¯s not that difficult, just remember to initiate the Barrier Charm first, and it will block its attacks. Don¡¯t counterattack with the Flame Curse, as it doesn¡¯t cause significant damage even if it takes a direct hit¡­¡±

    The sword-bearing puppet on the field raised its right arm, the blade vibrated, and it overcame the obstruction of the Runescript, its wrist becoming agile once again.

    It relaunched its attack, this time with a horizontal slash of the long sword from close behind. Yan Yu, observing from the outside, could see clearly that there was no Sword Control Technique involved, it was just a pure slash.

    Chen Lingyun raised her right arm, initiating the Barrier Charm directly to block, as the Green Bamboo Sword collided with her forearm, emitting a dull thud.

    She repeated her previous maneuver, stepping forward, but this time the puppet didn¡¯t give her the chance to engage in close quarters, quickly pulling back to create distance.

    Yan Yu silently concluded that Sister Lin was good at designing tactics and seizing opportunities, the downside being her on-the-spot reaction to abrupt situations wasn¡¯t strong. However, the puppet¡¯s moves were too simplistic and its speed not fast enough to put any pressure on Chen Lingyun. On the contrary, it was being countered by her and wasn¡¯t effective for training purposes.

    ¡°Come back, Chen Lingyun!¡± He called out without much hesitation, ¡°Next one, go, Su Yunjin!¡±

    As soon as Su Yunjin heard it was her turn, she tensed up immediately.

    But an unexpected comment from the side broke her tense state¡­ She heard Lin Ning unable to resist calling out:

    ¡°This is not the time to be playing Pok¨¦mon!¡±

 Chapter 76: 75: Yun Jin, Sister, Im Here to Protect You

    Chapter 76: Chapter 75: Yun Jin, Sister, I¡¯m Here to Protect You

    Chen Lingyun used Shifting Technique to exit the field, and Su Yunjin hurriedly took her place to enter.

    Miss Su hailed from a scholarly family, expert at clerical work, but currently, she wasn¡¯t too fit for the battlefield.

    From past life experience, she was more adept at Wood-Element and Water-Element Taoism Methods, and as a spell cultivator, she could perform support tasks well, like restraining enemies or healing allies¡ªas long as someone was in front to shield her, and the pressure didn¡¯t fall on her, she was able to perform consistently.

    But on the real battlefield, situations change rapidly; who could guarantee that the pressure would never fall on her?

    In high-level battles, any weakness in the team would certainly be targeted relentlessly by the enemy.

    Thus, it was necessary for Su Yunjin to train, not requiring her to master skills for close-quarters combat right now, but at least to mentally adapt to the pressures of the battlefield.

    Su Yunjin entered the puppets¡¯ attack range and immediately activated the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse.

    Too hasty¡ªthe sword-bearing puppet hadn¡¯t even approached her! She seemed afraid she¡¯d get hurt if she activated it any later, indicating a lack of psychological quality.

    As the puppet swung its sword in a chopping motion, Su Yunjin quickly raised her hand to block, and her figure sharply shrank back.

    The girls outside the field fell silent. The opponent¡¯s straightforward sword chop could be completely blocked without damage by the Barrier Charm; don¡¯t be afraid, Yunjin!

    Jiang Weiming and others exchanged meaningful glances in silence. Sending such a fragile girl into the fray clearly showed that Yan Yu was using this puppet for training purposes, and as military cultivators, they theoretically should advise ¡°mission first¡± and not waste too much time here.

    But from a soldier¡¯s perspective, their current leader was Yan Yu, and a superior¡¯s orders must be obeyed.

    They had no choice but to pretend not to have seen anything.

    ¡°Speaking of which, old Jiang,¡± Feng Haiping turned to ask casually, ¡°how old is your daughter now?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s three,¡± replied Jiang Weiming, looking down at the grass, ¡°I don¡¯t know if she has the talent for cultivation.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it said that Spirit Roots can be inherited?¡± Wei Yun chimed in from the side.

    ¡°But my wife doesn¡¯t have a Spirit Root,¡± Jiang Weiming replied with a wry smile, ¡°Do you think she¡¯ll inherit from me, or my wife?¡±

    Military cultivators chatted idly by the field, while Su Yunjin faced the enemy on the field.

    At first, she constantly maintained the Barrier Charm to block the sword-bearing puppet¡¯s attacks and only after gathering some courage did she, during a lull in its offense, abruptly switch from the Barrier Charm to Runescript in an attempt to strike at the puppet¡¯s sword-wielding wrist.

    However, the puppet immediately retreated, dodging the Runescript attack. Su Yunjin didn¡¯t dare pursue, hastily transitioning back to the Barrier Charm.

    Hmm? Yan Yu slightly raised his eyebrows.

    This Secretary Su¡¯s switching between curse techniques was quite swift, and it didn¡¯t seem like a skill acquired through later practice; it must be her innate control over True Yuan that was slightly above the average level of cultivators.

    But only slightly above average wasn¡¯t enough to form a tactical advantage; he would continue to observe.

    ¡°Is it my turn yet?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen came over and whispered.

    ¡°Why would you go up?¡± Yan Yu quietly retorted in confusion, ¡°Do you also need to train?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t need to train,¡± the Demonic Sect Enchantress said, sounding somewhat proud, her tail almost lifting itself¡ªif she had one, ¡°but it¡¯s obvious Su Yunjin can¡¯t beat that puppet, right?¡±

    ¡°She can¡¯t beat it,¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t deny, ¡°Let her practice first.¡±

    ¡°If she can¡¯t beat it, why practice?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was puzzled.

    To someone with a fearful and timid nature like hers, if she were in the Qiansi Sect, she would be directly relegated to the ranks of servants, right? There¡¯s utterly no point in cultivating someone like that!

    ¡°I don¡¯t know either,¡± Yan Yu said, dismissing her with an indifferent response.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately became suspicious.

    Could it be his master¡¯s intention?

    The moment Zhao Yuanzhen thought of that enigmatic master of strategy and calculations, he stopped making any comments, yet he made up his mind to befriend Su Yunjin in the future.

    After all, having a mighty protector amounted to soaring from a mere external disciple, or even a servant, to leaping over the dragon¡¯s gate.

    Better to curry favor with the neglected cold stove than the attended hot one! There are plenty of people tending to the hot stove; no need for me to gild the lily!

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s covert thoughts were pressed down unexpressed. Meanwhile, Su Yunjin had been on the field for over five minutes, and Yan Yu had not called a stop, allowing her to continue battling the puppet.

    At first, she was solely defending and shrinking back, but she gradually realized that the puppet truly couldn¡¯t break through the Barrier Charm¡¯s defense; her courage grew, and she began trying to seize opportunities to launch Attack Spell Techniques, with the frequency of her counterattacks increasing.

    She even used the recently practiced Shifting Technique to dash and ascend, attempting to dodge rather than defend against the puppet¡¯s attacks¡ªit hacked in a straightforward manner without feints or improvised changes of attack, making it indeed perfectly suitable for practice.

    Su Yunjin¡¯s improvement was so evident that everyone outside the arena stopped commenting and just watched patiently as she slowly built her confidence.

    ¡°Alright, Su Yunjin, prepare to come back,¡± Yan Yu suddenly called out. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Ah?¡± Lin Ning asked puzzledly from the side, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to let her practice for a bit longer? She still has room for improvement, doesn¡¯t she?¡±

    Yan Yu blocked Lin Ning¡¯s question with just one sentence:

    ¡°She¡¯s out of True Yuan.¡±

    Su Yunjin indeed had little True Yuan left; upon hearing Yan Yu¡¯s order, she swiftly dodged the puppet¡¯s attacks, activated the Shifting Technique, and turned tail to run.

    ¡°Your turn,¡± Yan Yu said, patting Zhao Yuanzhen on the shoulder from behind.

    ¡°Sure!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen chuckled coldly, ¡°I¡¯m going to annihilate it in one second!¡±

    Instantaneous annihilation was also internet slang; this Demonic Sect Enchantress, having crossed over for more than three months, had already been completely assimilated in her language habits.

    She activated the Shifting Technique and dashed forward quickly, her figure passing by Su Yunjin¡¯s.

    Before even reaching the Sword-bearing Puppet, she saw the puppet suddenly exclaim:

    ¡°What a witch! Face my sword!¡±

    It swung the Green Bamboo Sword abruptly, and a green Sword Qi tore through the ground coming at her, fortunately, Zhao Yuanzhen quickly changed direction, barely evading the slash of the Sword Qi.

    The onlookers outside the arena were immediately stunned: What¡¯s going on?

    This Sword-bearing Puppet had been using a simple slash against the previous three contestants, so why did it suddenly release Sword Qi this time?

    Only Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun quickly guessed the answer: It¡¯s likely that there was something wrong with Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s techniques or True Yuan, which the puppet had spotted¡ªthe master behind the Mysterious Realm, probably originating from a reputable sect, was quite normal to dislike a witch from the Evil Sect.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, however, didn¡¯t overthink it; she was nearly hit by the Sword Qi and immediately flew into a rage:

    ¡°You despicable puppet! Watch me dismantle you alive!¡±

    ¡­Such a simple and brute force mindset, Chen Lingyun thought to herself.

    The Sword-bearing Puppet swung its sword again, and the green sword light tore through the ground like a shark¡¯s fin breaking through the waves, ferociously charging at her. Zhao Yuanzhen nimbly stepped aside, extending her hand in a sword-finger gesture and shot out an Impact Curse. The puppet immediately used its sword to block, and the Demonic Sect Enchantress seized the moment to close in, raising two fingers in the shape of a sword to stab forward.

    ¡­Not entirely though; her combat awareness was quite developed, Chen Lingyun amended her perception.

    Zhao Yuanzhen first pointed a finger at the puppet¡¯s right elbow, and a metallic sharp energy surged forth, causing the puppet¡¯s forearm along with the Green Bamboo Sword to break off and fall to the ground.

    She quickly spun around, sidestepped, and with a backhanded finger, pointed at the joint where the puppet¡¯s left shoulder and body met.

    Thus, the puppet¡¯s left arm was broken in half, hanging onto the body by a mere thread.

    Before Yan Yu could call out to stop her, Zhao Yuanzhen raised her leg, initiated the Curved Curse, and with two swift movements, kicked the puppet¡¯s knees.

    The puppet with broken legs fell forward to the ground, its head rattling as it turned, seemingly aware of its current predicament, it quickly stopped moving.

    Zhao Yuanzhen stepped on the puppet¡¯s head, snorted with pride, then turned her head to look at Yan Yu, as if to say, ¡°I told you I¡¯d dismantle it alive!¡±

    ¡°Very good.¡± Yan Yu clapped with an emotionless face, ¡°You beat a puppet. How impressive.¡±

    Only then did Zhao Yuanzhen realize¡­ Isn¡¯t it just an uncontrolled puppet? Why did I put so much effort into it? It¡¯s as if I needed to go all out to defeat it!

    Although the Demonic Sect Enchantress wasn¡¯t given to much thought, when it came to matters of ¡°face¡±, her cunning never disappointed. She immediately feigned an angry expression and kicked the puppet once more, declaratively proclaiming:

    ¡°That¡¯s for bullying my sister Yun Jin!¡±

    Su Yunjin: ?

 Chapter 77: 76 Group Photo Time

    Chapter 77: Chapter 76 Group Photo Time

    After defeating the puppet, the path to the thatched cottage was completely safe.

    Yan Yu found the control mechanism of the Mysterious Realm inside the cottage, which looked like a delicate incense burner, and started to refine it.

    The so-called refinement was simple, involving just infusing True Yuan into it, and infusing it fiercely.

    The amount of True Yuan needed wasn¡¯t much, but the main issue was that refinement took time. Yan Yu roughly estimated that it would take about ten minutes or so to refine the incense burner.

    As the pace of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence increased, the difficulty of the Mysterious Realm would also increase, and the time required to refine the control mechanism would extend, possibly even requiring a few hours of work¡ªif there were enemy cultivator teams present in the Mysterious Realm, one would either have to eliminate all the opponents or carry the control mechanism around aimlessly, delaying until it was completely refined.

    After finishing the refinement of the incense burner, Yan Yu left the cottage and looked at the eagerly waiting crowd, and said:

    ¡°I checked, the missing soldiers from the military haven¡¯t died. 2.2 kilometers to the east of here, deep in the forest, they¡¯re all hung up on trees by those vine monsters.¡±

    ¡°Can you give a more detailed description of their position?¡± Jiang Weiming let out a sigh of relief and quickly followed up with a question.

    ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Yan Yu held the incense burner in his hands and poured True Yuan into it, ¡°I¡¯ll send everyone out first.¡±

    No sooner had he finished speaking than everyone¡¯s vision started whirling. When they regained focus, they found themselves back in the depths of the Wuyi Mountains.

    Yan Yu tossed the incense burner into Jiang Weiming¡¯s arms, who clumsily caught it, and heard him continue to say:

    ¡°I¡¯ve loosened the control authority, as long as you hold it, you can control the entry and exit of the Mysterious Realm, manipulate the restrictions, command the creatures and monitor the interior of the Mysterious Realm, etc.¡­ The specific functions, you can study slowly, there should be nothing for us here anymore.¡±

    If comparing it to a chat group, Yan Yu was the group owner, and after he loosened the permissions, anyone holding this control mechanism would become an administrator.

    An administrator can do anything in the group except for kicking out the group owner, but the group owner can dismiss the administrator at any time.

    Of course, Yan Yu couldn¡¯t possibly stay near the Wuyi Mountains to cooperate with the local military in developing the Mysterious Realm for a long time, so it was very necessary to loosen the control rights.

    But Zhao Yuanzhen couldn¡¯t understand this matter, after everyone left the valley, she ran to Yan Yu¡¯s side and asked with suspicion:

    ¡°Why did you give the control mechanism to him?¡±

    ¡°Otherwise?¡± Yan Yu asked back, ¡°What use is it to keep it with us?¡±

    ¡°We could sneak in and scavenge all the treasures inside.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen still thought like a traditional cultivator, revealing a somewhat greedy little expression, laughing hehe, ¡°It would all be ours.¡±

    ¡°Shift your perspective a bit.¡± Yan Yu said persuasively, ¡°Imagine you¡¯re the personal disciple of a major sect leader, and the sect leader asks you to hand over all the treasures you obtain from the Mysterious Realm. Then he rewards you in the name of sect contributions. After the treasures are stored in the inner treasury, you apply to the sect leader to use the treasures again¡­ You get it?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was silent for a moment, uncertain:

    ¡°So the treasures go around once, and still end up in our hands, but the sect rewards are free gains.¡±

    ¡°Pretty much.¡± Yan Yu calmly explained, ¡°In cultivation, there are wealth, companions, Dharma, and land; among them, ¡®wealth¡¯ isn¡¯t about having the most, but about having the best. Whether you get three or five Flying Swords in the Mysterious Realm really makes no difference, because eventually, you¡¯ll only use the strongest one among them; the rest will just gather dust in a corner¡­ What we need to ensure is that we can 100% take back that strongest Flying Sword after we submit it.¡±

    ¡°Can this be guaranteed?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked doubtfully.

    ¡°Definitely.¡± Yan Yu smiled, ¡°After the scientific registration is complete, all proceeds from this Mysterious Realm will belong to the Zhendong Army, which will be responsible for allocation. Our team is the strongest in the Zhendong Army, and we can even speak with the principal, so if it¡¯s really something that can increase our combat power, how could we possibly not get it? If you¡¯re really not reassured, I¡¯ll go speak with Old Li, we can reserve it internally in advance, and then it¡¯s all settled.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which, isn¡¯t it too early to go back to Jinling now?¡± Lin Ning suggested, ¡°Maybe we can tour around the Wuyi Mountains?¡±

    ¡°I support that.¡± Su Yunjin said excitedly, ¡°What¡¯s fun around here?¡±

    ¡°There are plenty of places to have fun.¡± Lin Ning, being a local from Minhai Province, stood up to introduce, ¡°You can take a bamboo raft at the Nine-bend River, or climb Tianyou Peak. My dad orders tea from here every year; if you guys want some, I can arrange it with a phone call home.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s enjoy ourselves here for a day.¡± Yan Yu quickly responded to the will of the people, waving his hand grandly, ¡°We¡¯ll go back to Jinling tomorrow.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    When it came to traveling, Yan Yu remembered times in his past life when he and Chen Lingyun had traveled together on many occasions.

    The two were not boyfriend and girlfriend, although they had slept together a few times, it was Chen Lingyun who initiated it¡ªback then, she was just over thirty with no dating experience, and doing such things was probably just out of curiosity, or simply a hormonal impulse. Later, she said it didn¡¯t feel meaningful, so it naturally didn¡¯t continue.

    Yan Yu had to admit that in his past life, he indeed harbored some latent, unspeakable affection for her.

    They say a woman remembers the first man she¡¯s with, this theorem actually applies to men as well, but whether it applied to Chen Lingyun or not was uncertain.

    Over time, this affection gradually faded away¡­ but perhaps there was also a possibility, that it was hidden away?

    What exactly was the relationship between his past self and Chen Lingyun, even Yan Yu himself couldn¡¯t clarify.

    Sometimes he would feel an intense urge to confess to her, other times he loathed her for her ambiguous and evasive ways. His parents would occasionally complain that his matrimonial prospects were delayed because of her, and Yan Yu had no retorts, but until the very end, he had no feelings for any woman other than Chen Lingyun.

    There is an old saying: it¡¯s hard to find water like the ocean once you¡¯ve seen it; with Chen Lingyun¡¯s exceptional beauty and family background, it was indeed tough to find a match. But if he were to lower his standards and look elsewhere, he still felt dissatisfied.

    So should this contemptible woman be considered his white moonlight or his cinnabar mole?

    For now, let¡¯s just assume she¡¯s the white moonlight.

    Then in this life, Yan Yu found it even stranger that he no longer yearned for his white moonlight.

    When he said to her at school, ¡°Little Ling Yun, you have been dumped by me,¡± he actually meant the Chen Lingyun from his past life.

    As for why¡­ maybe it was because he couldn¡¯t stand her trashiness any longer, so after being reborn, he suddenly saw through it all?

    ¡°Yan Yu, come here.¡± Standing by the scenic spot Xian Yu Pool, Chen Lingyun called him over with her phone, ¡°Take a photo for me.¡±

    ¡°Ask Secretary Su to take it for you,¡± Yan Yu said.

    Chen Lingyun glanced to the side, and Yan Yu saw Lin Ning standing at the edge of the mountain railing, smiling brilliantly, embracing and taking pictures with Su Yunjin and Zhao Yuanzhen.

    Seeing the Demonic Sect Enchantress in such high spirits, she seemed not to be forcibly dragged there¡­ No matter, assimilation of ideas, there is no need for alarm.

    ¡°Fine.¡± Yan Yu took Chen Lingyun¡¯s phone and crouched down to find the best angle for the shot.

    The princess¡¯s appearance was indeed both exquisite and perfect, her smile so sweet, it almost overflowed from the screen, like a mix of honey and maple syrup.

    In his past life, he had taken countless pictures of her, and Yan Yu knew her photo preferences like the back of his hand.

    ¡°Done,¡± he said, returning the phone to her.

    Chen Lingyun looked at the photo, pleased with it from every angle and thought to herself, not without reason, he is my ¡°dear¡± from a former life, then suddenly smiled and asked:

    ¡°Do you want to take a few pictures with me here?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not,¡± Yan Yu shook his head, ¡°If you were bathing in Xian Yu Pool, I would be willing to take a group photo with you.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid someone else might see my body?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a beaming smile. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Before Yan Yu could respond, he was interrupted by Lin Ning¡¯s shout:

    ¡°Yan Yu! Ling Yun! Come over for a group photo!¡±

    ¡­¡­¡­

    Click!

    ¡­¡­¡­

    As they descended the mountain, Yan Yu pulled out his phone again, looking at the photo Lin Ning posted in the group chat.

    In the center stood the tallest himself, on the left second was Zhao Yuanzhen, confidently smiling with arms crossed, left first was Lin Ning attempting to make a heart gesture and failing, on the right second Chen Lingyun leaned against the railing, lazily smiling, and on the right first Su Yunjin with her arm linked in Chen¡¯s, shyly smiling.

    Hmph.

    This group photo, isn¡¯t it better looking than a couple¡¯s photo?

 Chapter 78: 77 - Rewards!

    Chapter 78: Chapter 77 ¨C Rewards!

    After spending a whole day in the Wuyi Mountains, everyone returned to Nanping Prefecture¡¯s hotel to spend the night.

    There was nothing much to say about spending the night. There were no girls sneaking in for a night attack, nor were there any pillow parties. It was just completing the daily practice of dual-cultivation breathing with Zhao Yuanzhen before sending her back to her own room¡ªChen Lingyun was sharing a room with Lin Ning, and he was sharing with Su Yunjin. Not returning to their own rooms for the night would definitely raise suspicions.

    Yan Yu lay down on the bed and fell into a deep sleep, his consciousness gradually sinking into a dream.

    In the hazy rain of the night, he stood in the room of an apartment.

    Beneath his feet, in a puddle of blood, lay several bodies, arranged haphazardly. Were there two¡­ or three? He couldn¡¯t quite remember.

    Yan Yu looked toward the slightly ajar bedroom door and walked over with steady steps.

    Suddenly, a Flying Sword burst out of the door like thunder, and the sword light that came towards him illuminated his icy expression.

    Yan Yu instantly sidestepped, his footwork rapid. In a blink, he was inside the bedroom, his fingers already tightly gripping the attacker¡¯s neck.

    Was it a boy, or a girl?

    It wasn¡¯t clear; it felt like a high school student, but they could have been an adult, just with a youthful face.

    In truth, it didn¡¯t really matter.

    Unauthorized, illegally practicing cultivators among common folk have a unified protocol for handling.

    Just take care of it.

    From behind, a sharp sound of cutting air approached. It was the previously fired Flying Sword, now flying back under the control of its master, aimed at the back of Yan Yu¡¯s head. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But Yan Yu just silently clamped down on the throat, staring into the other¡¯s eyes.

    In the other¡¯s eyes, there was both the fear of impending death and a bone-chilling intent to kill.

    ¡­¡­¡­

    Awakened by a knock on the door, Yan Yu slowly sat up and yawned.

    Dreaming of a past life is one thing, but why would it be a memory from a mission?

    Really bad luck.

    But on closer consideration, there didn¡¯t seem to be any particularly happy memories that left a deep impression on him from his past life.

    Apart from his parents and sister, there was only Chen Lingyun¡­sigh, better stop thinking about it, it just brings more bad luck.

    Yan Yu silently got out of bed, walked over and opened the door, only to see Lin Ning standing outside, hands on her hips, urging him:

    ¡°The hotel breakfast service ends in half an hour, didn¡¯t I tell you to set an alarm?¡±

    ¡°I did set it,¡± Yan Yu said groggily, taking out his phone and glancing at it, ¡°Hmm, it might have gone off, but it didn¡¯t wake me up.¡±

    ¡°Well, hurry up.¡± Seeing his tired face, Lin Ning didn¡¯t continue to blame him and softly said, ¡°We¡¯ve all changed clothes and are waiting in the next room. We¡¯ll go have breakfast together in a bit.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yan Yu said and closed the door.

    Not until he was at breakfast in the restaurant did he finally perk up, but he still looked listless. He tried to pick up a fried egg with his chopsticks twice and failed because he was so distracted.

    ¡°Are you okay, Captain?¡± Su Yunjin asked with concern.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I just didn¡¯t sleep well,¡± Yan Yu said vaguely.

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was smug on the side.

    Without mind-reading, Yan Yu could guess that the Demonic Sect Enchantress was probably thinking, ¡°Without me accompanying you for dual-cultivation, you really can¡¯t sleep well, can you?¡± But Yan Yu couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue with her, he just picked up his bowl and slowly finished the noodles inside.

    After leaving the hotel, the group went to Chong¡¯an Airport to catch a flight back to Jinling College.

    Once on the plane, Yan Yu finally snapped out of his daze and began to look at videos on his phone.

    Zhao Yuanzhen to his right began to feel sleepy and started to snore loudly. Chen Lingyun, seated by the window on his left, looked at him with a smile, noticing that he was watching recordings of the Mitchi Superhero League.

    ¡°Do you have any plans coming up?¡± the woman teased with a light laugh.

    ¡°Training first,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°It¡¯s time for everyone to get into actual combat practice.¡±

    ¡°What about a periodic review?¡± Chen Lingyun continued to ask.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment, then said, ¡°Lin Ning¡¯s standard has reached a preliminary benchmark; what she lacks now is practical experience. I will be providing her with practice partners soon; she should be able to become the fastest-growing person on the team.¡±

    ¡°Su Yunjin, on the other hand, is still lacking in many aspects. Experience, psychology, response¡­ Let¡¯s have her practice movement and evasive maneuvers first, to at least acquire some self-preservation skills.¡±

    ¡°As for you,¡± he glanced at Chen Lingyun¡¯s delicate and sweet smiling face, ¡°to be honest, I haven¡¯t completely figured it out yet.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile grew sweeter.

    ¡°Your strength lies in your brain,¡± Yan Yu tapped his temple and said bluntly, ¡°From the perspective of playing to your strengths, definitely, gaining practical experience like Lin Ning would be the greatest help to your growth in power.¡±

    ¡°But your weakness is also obvious, which is your on-the-spot reaction. For example, in the Mysterious Realm, when we faced that tree demon, it suddenly charged out of the flame formation. I intercepted it, and you and two other military Cultivators deployed the Flame Curse again¡­ Your adjustment was half a second slower than theirs, resulting in a delay in casting the Flame Curse.¡±

    ¡°You were confronted with the tree demon head-on, and yet you still had the time to pay attention to what I was doing,¡± Chen Lingyun said with an unchanged smile, ¡°I¡¯m truly flattered.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the team leader. The performance of the entire team, in the full scope of the battlefield, at all times, is what I need to closely monitor,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a while, ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s up to you to decide whether to prioritize playing to your strengths or addressing your weaknesses.¡±

    ¡°I can do that,¡± Chen Lingyun nodded and said, ¡°What about her?¡±

    ¡°Her?¡± Yan Yu turned his gaze in surprise to look at the sleeping Demonic Sect Enchantress, ¡°She doesn¡¯t need our concern. She has her own methods of cultivation, which I can¡¯t interfere with. At most, I can spar with her to let her grow on her own.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Chen Lingyun said thoughtfully, ¡°Wait, it seems like there¡¯s one more person.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°You~¡±

    Yan Yu was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled:

    ¡°What do I need to train for?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to train?¡± Chen Lingyun revealed a cute and playful smile.

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Yan Yu pretended to contemplate and finally answered, ¡°I¡¯m still looking for the right feel.¡±

    ¡°What feel?¡±

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s the feel of being the strongest person in this world,¡± Yan Yu described casually, ¡°It¡¯s that kind of invincible aura where I don¡¯t even need to speak, but as soon as I appear, everyone will subconsciously think ¡®this is an opponent not to be trifled with.¡¯ Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Chen Lingyun laughed happily, ¡°But when you truly become the strongest in this world, remember to come and find me, so I can properly feel your aura of strength.¡±

    ¡°Certainly,¡± Yan Yu said seriously, ¡°Then you can also learn ¡®Conquest¡¯ and kneel by my side to sing it to me.¡±

    ¡°A song from the 90s, I¡¯m not sure if the current me can handle it,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°Then it¡¯s a deal,¡± Yan Yu nodded and said.

    After the plane arrived in Jinling, as soon as everyone stepped out of the airport, they saw Instructor Qi Changping had already driven there to pick them up.

    ¡°This mission was executed beautifully! Ladies!¡± As soon as they met, Qi Changping exclaimed excitedly. Then he noticed Yan Yu leading the group, laughed, and grabbed his shoulder, ¡°Of course, it¡¯s mainly you, Captain Yan Yu, your contribution this time was indispensable!¡±

    ¡°Instructor, you seem very happy?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m happy,¡± Qi Changping grinned, ¡°What you¡¯ve taken down is the first Mysterious Realm of our entire Lu Country!¡±

    The ladies all cried out in surprise, but Yan Yu wasn¡¯t very excited.

    It couldn¡¯t be the first Mysterious Realm.

    The previous documents obtained from Li Weiguo detailed the process of first entering, formation breaking, enemy slaying, flag capturing, and the entire exploration of the Mysterious Realm. Clearly, this was a complete set of methodologies summarized after Mei Yingxue personally led military Cultivators through the actual exploration of a Mysterious Realm.

    However, the existence of Mei Yingxue still needs to be kept secret. So officially, the credit for capturing the nation¡¯s first Mysterious Realm falls to Yan Yu¡¯s Team.

    ¡°So, are there any rewards?¡± Yan Yu continued to ask.

    ¡°First-Class Merit, it¡¯s been decided,¡± Qi Changping declared jubilantly, as if the honor was his own, ¡°After all, this time you were risking your lives in an adventure between life and death.¡±

    ¡°The honorary title hasn¡¯t been decided yet. It seems that the higher-ups are planning to design a new system of titles specifically for us Cultivators, separate from the ordinary military heroes.¡±

    ¡°Of course, there is also a cash prize. Guess how much it is?¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yan Yu wasn¡¯t surprised about the cash reward. After all, this year Mitchi Country¡¯s superhero league¡¯s postseason top scorer won a total prize of 20 million Mitchi Dollars.

    If Mitchi can be so generous with Transcendents, but our Lu Country is miserly and unwilling to disburse money, it creates a disparity in treatment.

    With a disparity in conditions, loyalty issues arise¡­ Lu Country isn¡¯t a poor nation, why skimp on this expenditure?¡¯

    Not to mention, Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm, being a Mysterious Realm with Wood-based Spiritual Energy, is naturally suitable for cultivating various medicinal herbs. The industrial benefits that could be dug out from here cannot be exchanged for any amount of capital.

    At the mention of ¡°cash reward,¡± the ladies¡¯ attention was immediately drawn, even Zhao Yuanzhen, originally from another world as a Demonic Sect Enchantress, had, after assimilating here, come to appreciate the value of money, with eyes blinking expectantly at Qi Changping.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not guess this one, shall we?¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°Guessing too low shows a lack of insight, guessing too high is overestimating oneself. Instructor, just tell us.¡±

    Qi Changping thought it made sense, so he no longer teased them and announced the correct answer with a smile:

    ¡°8 million yuan, tax-free, directly deposited into your bank accounts.¡±

    ¡°8 million in total?¡± Lin Ning was shocked and apprehensive.

    Her family ran a fishing company, so she had a clearer idea of what 8 million in cash meant. Su Yunjin, who was more aloof from worldly affairs, only felt ¡°Wow, that¡¯s a lot of money.¡±

    ¡°No, 8 million each,¡± Qi Changping said.

 Chapter 79: 78 Because Im the Strongest in This World

    Chapter 79: Chapter 78 Because I¡¯m the Strongest in This World

    Back at the Zhendong National Defense Academy in Jinling Prefecture, the girls first scattered to their own activities.

    They needed some time to digest the good news¡ªfor instance, now that they had this large sum of money, what should they do with it? Should they tell their families?

    Yan Yu, however, didn¡¯t hurry to leave, as he noticed that Instructor Qi Changping hadn¡¯t left either.

    ¡°The higher-ups are looking for you, let¡¯s go,¡± Qi Changping said with a smile.

    When they arrived at the office, they saw Li Weiguo typing on the computer.

    Contrary to the stereotype that ¡°old people are not good with electronic products,¡± this elderly leader typed slowly but steadily, using all ten fingers instead of just two, occasionally stopping to confirm something, and then clicking the mouse a few times.

    Then, he noticed the two people who had walked in and slowly swiveled his chair around to face them. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Having delivered the person, Qi Changping immediately took his leave.

    Li Weiguo, pointing at the chair in front of the office desk, said with a smile:

    ¡°Sit.¡±

    Yan Yu sat calmly on the chair and said:

    ¡°I¡¯ve handed over the control center of the Mysterious Realm to the person in charge of the local troops.¡±

    ¡°I know, I have received the report,¡± Li Weiguo nodded in approval and asked with a smile, ¡°How did it feel to lead the team and fully explore a Mysterious Realm this time?¡±

    ¡°It was very interesting,¡± Yan Yu candidly said, ¡°I am quite curious, what exactly is the origin of the Mysterious Realm?¡±

    ¡°The academic world has not yet confirmed it clearly,¡± Li Weiguo answered, ¡°There are two possibilities: one is that it was left by our predecessors, but then we must explain why they did not leave enough records in the vast historical material; the other is that they come from another world, just like the suddenly appearing¡­ Spiritual Energy.¡±

    Yan Yu knew that beneath his pause lay a hidden name.

    Mei Yingxue.

    As for the source of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, there were also two prevailing guesses in his previous life, named ¡°Prehistoric Theory¡± and ¡°Otherworld Theory.¡±

    ¡°Prehistoric Theory¡± posited that the era of Cultivation took place before the Xia Dynasty, in a so-called ¡°Prehistoric Age,¡± when cultivators widely used Jade Slips capable of storing Divine Sense as information carriers. As the Earth¡¯s Spiritual Energy concentration steadily declined entering the Age of Dharma Decline, Divine Sense became increasingly limited, and Jade Slips began to malfunction. As a result, there was an urgent need to invent writing to save the texts.

    This theory did explain some issues, such as why after the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, many families in East Asian countries began to gradually discover objects related to the Lu Country¡¯s cultivation system¡ªthese were left by the ancestors of the Rikoku Cultivators in prehistoric times, which turned into ordinary antiques due to the Age of Dharma Decline. However, this theory also has many flaws, which I won¡¯t elaborate on here.

    ¡°Otherworld Theory¡± speculated that our world and the world Mei Yingxue came from are actually symmetrical and interconnected at a higher dimensional level. Once the passage between these worlds begins to widen, the Spiritual Energy, Mysterious Realms, and various cultivation items from the other side would continuously project and transfer over.

    This theory could also explain another set of issues, such as why every country in the world has a unique extraordinary cultivation system that corresponds exactly to each country¡¯s mythological legends. In fact, it should be the other way around¡ªancient myths and legends existed because of the symmetry and connection with an extraordinary world. However, once it involved travel between worlds and otherworldly domains, the inexplicable contradictions become even more numerous, and this will not be further discussed here.

    Of course, compared to ¡°where does the source of Spiritual Energy Resurgence lie,¡± the question of ¡°where will the Spiritual Energy Resurgence lead the world¡± is far more important¡­

    Yan Yu pondered for a long while in silence, only to hear Li Weiguo speak again:

    ¡°The Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm has been taken over by the Minhai troops. After the expert group¡¯s preliminary exploration and study, it seems to be divided into three layers: the first layer for planting Spirit Grass, the second layer for concocting Elixir Medicine; and the third layer is the cave dwelling where the original owner of the Mysterious Realm lived.¡±

    ¡°What you explored was only the first layer of the Mysterious Realm. The entrances to the other two layers have not been opened to the public for certain reasons, so let¡¯s leave it at that for now.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Yan Yu pretended to have an epiphany, ¡°So the Mysterious Realm we captured is actually for planting Spirit Grass. After all, it¡¯s rich in Wood-type Spiritual Energy and there are many monsters¡­ no wonder the Wuyi Mountains have such a suitable environment for growing tea leaves.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Li Weiguo said succinctly, ¡°The Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm is very important to the nation, and you¡¯ve done a great service this time.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re referring to the matter of rewards, Instructor Qi has already informed us,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°Yes, I know,¡± Li Weiguo pondered for a moment, then asked suddenly, ¡°Have you ever thought about a question? It¡¯s fortunate that this Mysterious Realm appeared within our borders, so there were no rival cultivators competing with you. What if it appears overseas next time? For instance, near the Nansha Islands, what would happen?¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll have to wrestle with some countries,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°Forget about the Nansha Islands, even if the Mysterious Realm were to appear in Ryukyu, as long as the nation gives the order, I wouldn¡¯t hesitate to lead a team there.¡±

    ¡°Being willing to fight is good,¡± Li Weiguo nodded in satisfaction, took a sip of tea, and said, ¡°But don¡¯t underestimate the opponent. According to some of our intelligence, Chongying Country is carrying out a cost-ignoring elite cultivator cultivation program. You can simply understand that in the future, their overall number of cultivators might not compare to ours, but the top-tiered cultivators among them may well become the greatest adversaries of our Zhendong Army.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Yan Yu put away the smile on his face.

    Of course, I already knew that.

    Those top Chongying cultivators you mentioned, I can not only recite their names, their cultivation schools, their preferred combat methods and strategic weaknesses, but I even know their innermost secrets that they dare not reveal.

    For instance, who is the militarist that harbors an extreme hatred for Lu Country, who is the leftist anti-war activist that pretends to be an aggressive right-winger, who is the nationalist seeking normalization, and who is the separatist wanting to govern the country with cultivators¡­ They are nicknamed ¡°The Four Great Demon Kings,¡± causing shock among nations, each one being exceptional, and certainly bringing unexpected surprises to Chongying!

    Yan Yu adopted a strategically disdainful attitude towards Chongying Country cultivators from his high vantage point as a seer. Li Weiguo, of course, wasn¡¯t as learned and well-informed, but fortunately, the elder had held high office for many years and quickly ceased to worry about these troublesome matters, continuing instead:

    ¡°Therefore, there are going to be some changes to the current policy of allocating mysterious realms.¡±

    ¡°Originally, whichever province a mysterious realm appeared in, it would belong to the corresponding stationed military area for exploration. However, this method of allocation results in a lack of competition, and I worry that you all might lack the combat experience needed to deal with overseas mysterious realms and enemy country cultivators in the future.¡±

    ¡°Taking this into consideration, some mysterious realms with higher concentrations of spiritual energy will be designated by the higher-ups going forward. Two teams will be arranged to explore them, simulating hypothetical confrontational competition.¡±

    ¡°After entering the mysterious realm, you will have to deal with the realm¡¯s own defense mechanisms as well as the competing team of cultivators¡ªof course, even though you¡¯ll be playing enemies, you are essentially allies, so you can¡¯t kill. However, there will be no True Yuan suppressing bracelets this time, so the intensity of the battle will become very high and won¡¯t strictly avoid bloodshed like the last inter-academy exchange competition.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Yan Yu said seriously, ¡°I will adjust our upcoming training schedule to ensure that everyone can ¡®defeat the opponent without endangering their lives¡¯¡­¡±

    ¡°No, no, no, no, that¡¯s not what I mean.¡± Li Weiguo was shocked for a moment and hurriedly corrected, ¡°That¡¯s not the point! *cough* What I mean is, because there are no True Yuan suppressing bracelets, you must take adequate measures for your own safety. It¡¯s fine if you lose, after all, no matter who wins, the mysterious realm will ultimately belong to the nation, but we cannot afford the loss that would come from casualties during internal competition. Remember, the most precious resource of the Zhendong Army is not some powerful manuals, elixir medicines, or treasures, but you, the young cultivators!¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Yan Yu said with emotion, ¡°I will prioritize the safety of the team above all else. As for winning or losing, I¡¯ll just let it be.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that you should just let winning or losing be,¡± Li Weiguo said exasperatedly, quickly correcting himself, ¡°A soldier should strive for victory and honor! You can¡¯t shirk battle just to save personnel¡­ Damn it, how did I get wrapped up in this again?¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s drop it!¡± The old chief stuttered for a moment, and then, not bothering with particulars, sternly ordered, ¡°Yan Yu, I¡¯ll just give you a military command.¡±

    ¡°No one should die, and we must win the battle! Do you understand?!¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡± Yan Yu immediately responded with solemnity, ¡°But there is also something I need to do.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Li Weiguo said with an increasingly stern and austere expression, thinking you better not start going in circles with me again, or I¡¯m really going to lose it.

    ¡°I need to request a resource allocation,¡± Yan Yu stated.

    ¡°What resources?¡± Li Weiguo, upon hearing it was a matter of requisitioning resources, immediately relaxed.

    ¡°It¡¯s about the materials we gathered from the Wuyi Mountains Secret Realm exploration¡­¡± Yan Yu began to ponder, what should I ask for first?

    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s no need to make it so complicated.¡± Seeing him start to deliberate, Li Weiguo simply pulled out a piece of paper from a folder beside him, slapped it on the desk, and pushed it towards Yan Yu, ¡°This is the first list that came in from Nanping Prefecture this morning. It¡¯s the inventory of materials they initially explored and collected after taking over the Wuyi Mountains Secret Realm yesterday. Take a look.¡±

    Yan Yu glanced at the list.

    Since it had only been explored for about a day, the list wasn¡¯t long, and most items were some harvested spirit grass or remnants of magical creatures.

    The Green Bamboo Sword that defeated the final puppet was also conspicuously on the list.

    ¡°I want this,¡± Yan Yu pointed at the Green Bamboo Sword.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Li Weiguo took back the list and circled it with a pen, ¡°Once they¡¯re done studying it, it will be approved for you. What about the rest?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need the rest for the time being,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment, then asked, ¡°By the way, would this be considered a loan? Is there a time limit?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s not a loan; it¡¯s considered an authorization to use national resources,¡± Li Weiguo responded, ¡°There¡¯s no time limit.¡±

    ¡°Of course, even if it¡¯s an indefinite authorization, that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s given to you. If your strength severely declines or even collapses in the future, I can¡¯t guarantee that the nation won¡¯t reclaim these resources and grant them to other cultivators who need them more. Understand? After all, strength speaks here, and even if I want to look after you, some matters aren¡¯t mine to decide alone.¡±

    ¡°Of course I understand,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°Please rest assured.¡±

    ¡°While I don¡¯t often boast, I must make a stance here: I will definitely not cause you any discomfort in the future.¡±

    Li Weiguo raised an eyebrow: Oh? Don¡¯t often boast?

    Yan Yu ignored his expression and continued with a smile:

    ¡°Because the team I lead must be the strongest in the country¡­ no, the strongest team in the world!¡±

 Chapter 80: 79 Youre a Little Too Sensitive (1/10)

    Chapter 80: Chapter 79 You¡¯re a Little Too Sensitive (1/10)

    Yan Yu left the principal¡¯s office and took out his cell phone to send a message to everyone.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Where is everyone? Sound off!

    [Ningning]: I¡¯m at the new training ground.

    Seeing that no one else had replied, Yan Yu headed to the training ground to find Lin Ning.

    In this life, because someone had privately spread slander, the school¡¯s training plan had been massively altered¡ªnow it emphasized the combined use of the Three Arts.

    The new training ground was set up with a long wall made of semi-solid fire foam. The collision resilience was impressive, so even hitting it wouldn¡¯t cause bleeding wounds.

    The instructor commanded the students to wear protective gear and then launch a Shifting Technique charge at the wall, requiring them to switch to the Cloud Ascension Technique and brake sharply when approaching the wall.

    Because the wall was intentionally shaped to look just like a normal concrete wall, the students generally felt a great deal of psychological pressure. When they sprinted over with the Shifting Technique, they braked early, with their stopping points ranging from 3 to 5 meters.

    Amid many difficult-to-watch performances, Yan Yu almost instantly spotted the most dazzling girl¡­ Not only was she beautiful and shapely, but her training results were also outstanding, managing to brake within 1 meter every time.

    Lin Ning, Sister Lin, the problem-solving Lin family member. Her black hair was tied into a ponytail and bunched up with a rubber band at the back of her head; she wore a small sports tank top, shorts that revealed her fit thighs, as well as clean sports shoes and half-length white socks. The unique youthful charm of a young girl attracted the gaze of boys and girls around her like a magnet.

    ¡°Why are you training again?¡± Yan Yu came up to her and asked in surprise.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this afternoon our training time?¡± Lin Ning, already with a slight sweat and breathing rapidly, rested with one hand on her waist and responded to him curiously.

    ¡°But we had a mission yesterday,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t say that we could take the entire next day off after completing the mission,¡± Lin Ning said.

    ¡°So, you only act upon orders, huh?¡± Yan Yu was immediately amused by her, almost as if he were being spoon-fed, ¡°If I told you to rest, you would rest? What if I told you to go out on a date and book a room with me, you would agree without a second thought?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk rubbish and make up stories,¡± Lin Ning gave him a gentle kick and then crossed her arms, asking, ¡°What did you want to see me about?¡±

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s about setting up a new training plan,¡± Yan Yu said, looking towards the students training in the distance, ¡°Your Shifting Technique braking is already within an arm¡¯s reach. There¡¯s no point in practicing it further.¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Lin Ning corrected him, ¡°I can now consistently control it at about one meter; an arm¡¯s reach should be about half a meter.¡±

    ¡°When I first mentioned it, I was talking about one meter,¡± Yan Yu casually replied.

    ¡°You said an arm¡¯s reach,¡± Lin Ning insisted.

    ¡°It was one meter,¡± Yan Yu raised his eyebrows slightly, ¡°Who¡¯s the captain here, you or me? Who decides the training standards?¡±

    Lin Ning was instantly aggravated but left without a retort, secretly thinking to herself that she needed to buy a recording pen next time. She¡¯d record everything he said when setting the training plan, to see how he would argue then!

    ¡°What do you plan to do with this time¡¯s reward money?¡± Yan Yu shifted the subject upon seeing her puff up in anger.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, haven¡¯t decided yet,¡± Lin Ning said, ¡°That much money, I can¡¯t spend it all, so I might as well give it to my family. How about you?¡±

    ¡°I plan to buy a house nearby¡­ but of course, that¡¯s not the point,¡± Yan Yu said, seeing she was no longer angry, then got back to the main topic, ¡°I¡¯ve already fixed your new training plan.¡±

    ¡°What is it specifically?¡±

    ¡°Quite simple, spar with me,¡± Yan Yu said.

    Lin Ning was silent for a moment:

    ¡°I can¡¯t beat you, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°But the purpose of sparring isn¡¯t to win, it¡¯s to help you find out where your issues currently lie through actual combat.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I get it,¡± Lin Ning said, her expression a bit uneasy as she adjusted the strap of her tank top, ¡°Right here? Should I go change into something else?¡±

    I didn¡¯t say we were going to spar right now, and what¡¯s with that little move of pulling at your clothes?

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait until I¡¯ve arranged the entire team¡¯s training plans, and then I¡¯ll come to find you,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°Tell me anytime if you have any ideas.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any thoughts,¡± Lin Ning seemed to let out a sigh of relief, then asked tentatively, ¡°Sparring¡­ is it like when you trained Sister Zhao before?¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhao?¡±

    ¡°Zhao Jiuzhen, because Ling Yun usually calls her Sister Zhao, so we followed and called her that too,¡± Lin Ning explained.

    ¡°Oh, I see,¡± Yan Yu thought to himself that the Demonic Sect Enchantress deserved a good beating, as mischievous as a monkey, the harder you hit her, the more obedient and attentive she became, not like the ordinary girls at all, ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s hard to say specifically.¡±

    ¡°Why is it hard to say?¡± Lin Ning asked, puzzled.

    ¡°Let me use an analogy that you can understand,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment and said, ¡°Imagine there¡¯s a top student and a poor student. The top student has a solid foundation, so you make him do practice tests repeatedly; the poor student doesn¡¯t even remember the formulas, so plunging into a sea of problems will only be counterproductive. Instead, it¡¯s better to start with the knowledge points in the textbook. Do you understand? Everyone¡¯s training plan is different; it varies by person, tailored to their abilities. You really shouldn¡¯t just apply someone else¡¯s training plan to yourself.¡±

    ¡°I see now,¡± Lin Ning suddenly realized, and her expression relaxed quite a bit. Curious, she asked, ¡°So am I considered a top student or a poor student?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Yan Yu countered her question.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want what I think; I want what you think,¡± Lin Ning asked subconsciously, then quickly realized it sounded a bit odd and added, ¡°You¡¯re the captain, your judgment is more meaningful.¡±

    ¡°I said, poor students need to consolidate the basics, while top students, having a solid foundation, can go straight to practical tests,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    Oh, so I¡¯m doing practical sparring, which means I¡¯m a top student¡­ hehe.

    Upon this thought, Lin Ning¡¯s mood instantly lifted, and she said cheerfully:

    ¡°Got it. Let me know when you start training, send me a message.¡± sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Sure, keep in touch,¡± Yan Yu paused for a moment, then added, ¡°Don¡¯t train by yourself for now, rest up.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Lin Ning nodded.

    Having taken care of Sister Lin, Yan Yu once again took out his phone, only to see two more people had replied with their locations.

    Su Yunjin was in the library, the closest one, so he decided to find her first.

    Upon arriving at the library, Yan Yu was surprised to find that it was not as deserted as the last time but occupied by six or seven boys.

    Looking closer, they were seated around where Su Yunjin was positioned, and each of them held some foreign literature such as Kundera¡¯s ¡°The Unbearable Lightness of Being,¡± Marquez¡¯s ¡°One Hundred Years of Solitude,¡± and Joyce¡¯s ¡°Ulysses¡±¡­

    It seemed like he understood.

    Wake up, guys! A literary girl having a romantic encounter with a boy who loves books is something that only happens in anime and light novels from the Sakura countries!

    Unperturbed by the ¡°surveillance¡± from the surrounding eyes, Yan Yu directly approached Su Yunjin and noticed that she was holding the ¡°Legend of Shushan Swordsmen¡± by the author of Zhuangyuan Tower.

    ¡°You want to understand the cultivation world through classical wuxia novels?¡± Yan Yu sat down in the chair opposite her and asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Su Yunjin shook her head with a smile, ¡°Just to kill time.¡±

    ¡°Then I came at the right time,¡± Yan Yu spoke earnestly, ¡°Based on our trip to the Mysterious Realm, I think you¡¯ve all completed the first phase of training. It¡¯s time to start the second phase.¡±

    ¡°What exactly do we have to do?¡± Su Yunjin closed the book she held and put it aside.

    ¡°What do you think your main weaknesses are currently?¡± Yan Yu slowed down his tone and asked.

    ¡°Um¡­¡± Su Yunjin fell silent for a moment, then said with a wry smile, ¡°I feel like everything is a weakness.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu made no direct comment but instead said, ¡°From my perspective, you have a rather cautious personality, so it¡¯s better to start with self-defense capabilities. If you always hold back for fear of getting hurt, you won¡¯t be able to execute any tactics.¡±

    ¡°Self-defense?¡± Su Yunjin pondered, ¡°Do you mean practice the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse? Or continue working on switching between the Shifting Technique and the Cloud Ascension Technique?¡±

    ¡°The latter, but we¡¯ll need to raise the difficulty,¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly, ¡°For instance, I will launch attacks at you, and you¡¯ll have to keep dodging, which will help you overcome your fear of actual combat more quickly.¡±

    Su Yunjin¡¯s pretty face turned a bit pale as she asked slowly:

    ¡°What if I can¡¯t dodge?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be careful with the force,¡± Yan Yu assured her seriously, ¡°At most, it will be pain, bleeding, getting hurt, that sort of thing¡­ Of course, you don¡¯t have to be overly scared, it¡¯s not the kind of serious injury that would send you to the infirmary for emergency treatment, at worst you¡¯ll just need to bandage it up.¡±

    Su Yunjin fell silent for a moment, then nodded stiffly:

    ¡°Alright, I got it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great¡­¡± Yan Yu felt her reaction was a bit off and decided to find a lighter subject, ¡°What do you plan to do with the prize money we got from the last exploration of the Mysterious Realm?¡±

    ¡°I was planning to give it all to my family,¡± Su Yunjin said distantly, ¡°But I think¡­ I¡¯ll keep some of it for myself, to buy some ointment for bruises and injuries?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a bit too sensitive,¡± Yan Yu said helplessly, ¡°I¡¯m not going to use training as an excuse to batter you seriously.¡±

    ¡°Like Sister Zhao?¡± Su Yunjin counter-questioned.

    ¡°Uh¡­¡±

 Chapter 81: 80: Grinding Her Temper (2/10)

    Chapter 81: Chapter 80: Grinding Her Temper (2/10)

    In Chen Lingyun¡¯s room.

    ¡°Does my usual sparring practice with Zhao Yuanzhen look brutal and savage?¡± Yan Yu complained.

    ¡°Not at all.¡± Chen Lingyun, rotating the handle of the coffee grinder, smiled and said, ¡°If we ignore the fact that you use training as an excuse to deliberately knock her on the head, kick her butt, and run her ragged, your training style is actually quite gentle, right? At least it doesn¡¯t result in bloodshed or injuries.¡±

    ¡°Her stubborn nature is obvious.¡± Yan Yu argued without justification, ¡°If I don¡¯t toughen up her temperament, how can the special training be effective?¡±

    Empress Yuanzhen, with that one ¡°demonic¡± character, do you think it was casually given by the media from a previous life?

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes.¡± After Chen Lingyun finished grinding, she carefully poured the grounds into the filter cup, then picked up the gooseneck kettle next to her and leisurely started pouring water in a circular motion.

    ¡°Done.¡± Following some incomprehensible procedures, she placed the coffee cup in front of Yan Yu and elegantly smiled, ¡°Please enjoy.¡±

    Yan Yu took a sip, smacking his lips as he savored it for a moment, and said:

    ¡°My assessment is, it¡¯s not as good as Nescafe¡¯s instant coffee.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s normal to have different tastes.¡± Chen Lingyun was all smiles, her eyes seeming to say, ¡°Look at this country bumpkin.¡±

    ¡°I can understand liking hand-poured coffee.¡± Yan Yu turned his head to look at the vinyl record player by the window, ¡°Could the sound quality of records be better than professional audio equipment?¡±

    ¡°Just think of it as decoration.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile remained.

    ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking,¡± Yan Yu said leisurely, ¡°You¡¯re thinking, ¡®This country bumpkin, obviously not understanding high art, yet still dares to criticize, how annoying¡¯.¡±

    ¡°You guessed wrong~¡± Chen Lingyun paused for a moment, her smile even brighter and sweeter, ¡°What I¡¯m thinking now is, even though our tastes are completely different, we can still accommodate each other. Such emotions are truly sincere and worth cherishing, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    Hmph, cunning woman with her sweet words and numerous tricks!

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t fall for her bait but smoothly changed the subject:

    ¡°What have you considered for the next step of the training plan?¡±

    ¡°Do you have any suggestions?¡± Chen Lingyun asked him in return.

    ¡°How about this.¡± Yan Yu pondered for a while, ¡°Since both Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen are sparring partners, why don¡¯t you join us too? Focus on improving real combat experience first.¡±

    ¡°As for reaction speed, you¡¯ll have to find your own way to slowly train, like playing Whac-A-Mole, Temple Run, or something.¡±

    ¡°I can do that.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Then I¡¯ll give it a try.¡±

    ¡°I should get going.¡± Yan Yu stood up, bidding farewell, ¡°I need to buy a bottle of iced black tea to rinse my mouth.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s another thing.¡± Chen Lingyun picked up the filter cup, examining the residue left inside.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°My dad wants to meet you.¡±

    Yan Yu hesitated for a moment: ¡°But I don¡¯t want to meet him.¡±

    ¡°I figured.¡± Chen Lingyun put down the filter cup, looked back with a pure and flawless smile, markedly different from her usual brilliant fake smile, ¡°That¡¯s why I turned him down for you.¡±

    ¡°Uh, thanks?¡± Yan Yu ventured to ask.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Chen Lingyun said cheerfully, picking up the filter cup and grinder, and went to wash them on the balcony.

    Yan Yu watched her back, hesitating for a moment.

    Here it comes again.

    This annoying feeling, as if she has something to say to you, but you can¡¯t just ask her, because she would never admit it.

    Putting it more artistically, it¡¯s like the sunlight passing through a carved window, casting golden butterfly shadows on the floor tiles. It seems like you could catch them if you just reached out, but deep down you know it¡¯s an illusion; no matter how many times you try, it¡¯s futile.

    Yan Yu exhaled a long breath of turbid air.

    Forget it.

    Having lived two lifetimes, I should have learned to let go by now.

    ¡°Then I¡¯m off, okay?¡± he called out one last time.

    There was no response from the balcony, only the sound of running water.

    Yan Yu had no expectations of receiving an answer and without hesitation, turned around and left.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    So where exactly is the Demonic Sect Enchantress?

    I¡¯m really seething inside, I should go find that enchantress to vent my anger!

    On his way to the school gate, Yan Yu saw Zhao Yuanzhen returning from outside the school, holding a plastic bag.

    Outside the school gate, two young men, wearing earrings and styled with curly hair, were all smiles as they stopped her and said something, seemingly hitting on her for friendship.

    Yan Yu was terrified, his soul nearly flying out of his body. Of all people to hit on, they chose to approach Empress Yuanzhen!

    Zhao Yuanzhen forced a reluctant, impatient smile, as if swatting away flies, continuously waving her hands. With the school security also glancing over, the two young men, though slightly annoyed, sheepishly put away their phones and turned to leave.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Yan Yu hurried to her side and repeatedly said, ¡°Don¡¯t get impulsive, there¡¯s no need to take ordinary mortals too seriously¡­ Remember that guy with the surname Mei!¡±

    ¡°What are you doing!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was startled by the mention of that name and then inexplicably said, ¡°What do I have to be impulsive about?¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t those guys hitting on you?¡± Yan Yu was taken aback, then realized he might have misunderstood.

    ¡°No,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied, ¡°They were advertising a gym, asking me to add their official QR code.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    Gym salesmen¡­ why would gym salesmen approach a girl? Shouldn¡¯t they target those muscle-loving, testosterone-filled guys? Not even understanding your own target audience, no wonder you guys are going bankrupt and absconding with the money!

    Startled by this sudden turn of events and having lost the urge to take his anger out on the Demonic Sect Enchantress, Yan Yu¡¯s gaze fell on the plastic bag in her hand.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Salted duck,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen lifted the plastic bag, ¡°Want some? I bought too much, I can share half with you.¡±

    Yan Yu looked at her suspiciously.

    The mighty Empress Yuanzhen, a murderous enchantress from a previous life, now acting so kindly and offering to share her food with me?

    There must be a plot! There¡¯s definitely a plot!

    ¡°Did you put poison in this duck?¡± Yan Yu scoffed.

    ¡°Why would I poison it?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was baffled, ¡°I still have to eat it myself!¡±

    ¡°Then why did you suddenly think of me out of the blue when you bought something to eat for yourself?¡± Yan Yu continued to question her.

    ¡°You¡¯re my partner; is it strange that I think of you when I have food?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was also angry, biting her silver teeth fiercely, fuming.

    Yan Yu, you thief! The deli was having a promotion today, and I bought an extra portion for you to get the discount. Who would have thought I¡¯d be subjected to such suspicion and humiliation!

    I¡¯ll remember this grudge, and if I ever catch you off guard in the future, I¡¯ll let you know what it means to provoke without cause, and what it means to lose one¡¯s dignity!

    Seeing the Demonic Sect Enchantress grinding her teeth in anger, all the irritation that had been swirling in Yan Yu¡¯s head gradually dissipated.

    After all, negative emotions don¡¯t resolve themselves, but they can always be transferred to someone else.

    ¡°The team is moving on to the next phase of training,¡± Yan Yu said, leading her towards the inside of the school.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen sounded distinctly unenthusiastic.

    ¡°You¡¯re still going to practice with me, right?¡± Yan Yu observed her expression.

    ¡°No problem,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied sarcastically, ¡°Just bully your partner all you want. How else are you going to show off your prowess?¡±

    ¡°Others will be joining us for practical training as well,¡± Yan Yu continued.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was taken aback, ¡°So how do you plan to arrange the combat order?¡±

    ¡°I told Su Yunjin to practice evading attacks,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Between Chen Lingyun and Lin Ning, pick one, and I¡¯ll take the other.¡±

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s Chen Lingyun,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said without hesitation.

    Although Lin Ning¡¯s attractiveness was a threat too, Chen Lingyun had openly addressed Yan Yu as ¡°hubby.¡±

    I¡¯ll beat her up first!

 Chapter 82: 81 Maybe I Could Counterkill (3/10)

    Chapter 82: Chapter 81 Maybe I Could Counterkill (3/10) S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°`

    Time finally moved into July, and the temperature was gradually heating up.

    Tracing north from the border of Lu Country, until the perspective reached the distant Amur City, crowds were gathering in the streets.

    This was the seventh murder case in the past two weeks; the victim was the owner of a butcher shop who, after drinking at night on his way home, was brought down by the killer ripping open his throat, and his body wasn¡¯t discovered until the next morning.

    The rakshasa security officers separated the onlooking crowd from the scene. Many in the crowd closed their eyes and fervently crossed themselves at the sight of the tragic state of the body, praying to the Lord for protection against evil.

    Two security officers were conducting a preliminary examination of the body, one responsible for recording, the other for confirming the details:

    ¡°Name?¡±

    ¡°Vladimir Yuryevich Zukovsky.¡±

    ¡°Age?¡±

    ¡°54 years old.¡±

    ¡°Gender¡­ male, occupation?¡±

    ¡°Butcher shop owner.¡±

    ¡°Physical characteristics?¡±

    ¡°Facial skin is grayish-white, eyeballs sunken, lips and nails are cyanotic, and lividity is relatively light¡ªIt seems a significant amount of blood was lost after death.¡±

    ¡°Injuries on the body?¡±

    ¡°The face and hands bear bite marks, seemingly caused by rodents, non-fatal; there is a contusion on the back of the head, presumably from being struck down, also non-fatal; the throat has been torn open, with traces of sharp teeth ripping, and the trachea and carotid artery are severely exposed, which are fatal wounds.¡±

    ¡°Good, I think that¡¯s about it. It¡¯s another damn vampire murder case.¡±

    ¡°Are you planning to go to church for a cross?¡±

    ¡°No, I only trust my old buddy.¡± The burly rakshasa officer stood up and patted the service gun at his waist, ¡°Do you think those who mimic vampires can take a magazine of my bullets?¡±

    ¡°I doubt it, unless they are real vampires.¡± The other officer also stood up and turned to look at the surrounding crowd, apparently looking for eyewitnesses.

    His gaze settled on a young woman and he suddenly called out:

    ¡°Hey! Little Khitan! How come I see you at every murder scene!¡±

    Anna looked at the rakshasa man with an expressionless face, her eyebrows slightly raised, and asked coldly:

    ¡°So what? You can¡¯t find the murderer, so you plan to pick a scapegoat from the onlookers?¡±

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not framing anyone.¡± The middle-aged rakshasa man cleared his way through the crowd and approached Anna, his smile somewhat murky, ¡°I am just reasonably suspicious as a security officer and want to invite you as an eyewitness to come to our security bureau for a cooperative investigation, that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°Is that right, swine?¡± Anna¡¯s Rakshasa language was already very fluent, mixed with plenty of the local slang and curse words, ¡°I have no intention of cooperating with your corrupt investigation. Unless you can produce a damn arrest warrant and slap the handcuffs directly on my wrists, you¡¯d better roll your pigtail and get the hell out of here early!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not up to you.¡± The rakshasa officer reached out for her shoulder but was counter-grabbed by Anna on his wrist. With the Wood Bending Charm strengthening her grip, his eyeballs instantly bulged, and his face contorted in pain.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± His colleague noticed something was off and stood up.

    Anna released his wrist, stepped back slightly, and prepared herself for another strike.

    The rakshasa officer gritted his teeth and reached for the service gun at his waist only to be promptly stopped by his partner:

    ¡°Calm down. You don¡¯t want to make the news, do you?¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°I was just going to teach her a lesson. Damn Khitan bitch.¡±

    ¡°Not now, though.¡±

    Seeing that the other party didn¡¯t intend to pursue or draw a gun, Anna let out a scornful snicker and then turned her head and disappeared into the crowd.

    It was only on her way home that her expression gradually darkened.

    Owing to the recent spate of murders, the entire city had begun to tense up. Social media was constantly criticizing the Public Security Bureau for its incompetence, while the higher-ups in the bureau were shifting all the pressure onto the ground-level agents, causing them to look at everyone as if they were a murderer.

    Local residents¡¯ unease was also on the rise, with xenophobic incidents becoming increasingly common. The first to bear the brunt were the Kievans and Jews, followed by the people from Lu Country and Goryeo.

    Although Anna couldn¡¯t understand why vampires had to be foreigners, she knew all too well that the rakshasas around here didn¡¯t adhere to any kind of courtesy or restraint. When someone insulted you as being bad seed, you¡¯d better act like one, or you would suffer for it.

    Clenching her teeth, she pulled out her phone and started texting someone.

    In Jinling Prefecture, Jiangbei Province of Lu Country, at the Zhendong National Defense Academy.

    Yan Yu once again received a message from Anna, who seemed to have made him her confidant, probably sending him more messages each day than she spoke to her own father.

    In fact, the deterioration of social order was not limited to Amur.

    As the progress of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence deepened, some people with the talent for practice, the Transcendents, had begun to notice their own differences from others.

    In places like Lu Country where the grassroots order was relatively stable, the public might not feel much yet. But in Siberia, Eastern Europe, North Africa, South America, and those places where official governance was weak, civilian Transcendents had begun to emerge, attempting to challenge the public order that had once constrained them.

    After all, let¡¯s not forget that orders are widely accepted because they have sufficient violence to punish those who violate them. Now that the violence is dispersed¡­ it¡¯s no wonder that order wavers.

    After replying to Anna¡¯s text, Yan Yu stood up and looked over at Lin Ning, who was taking a rest:

    ¡°Continue?¡±

    ¡°Continue!¡± Lin Ning adopted a fighting stance.

    Although Yan Yu had suggested that she needn¡¯t delve too deeply into the intricacies of combat skills, lately, she had seriously watched videos on military boxing, and the posture she posed appeared quite professional.

    But so what, can you beat me, little Lin Ning?

    ¡°Let¡¯s change the way we practice,¡± Yan Yu suddenly called out to her, ¡°from now on, you¡¯re not allowed to use the other four spells, only the Impact Curse to attack me.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Lin Ning immediately showed a puzzled look, ¡°If I can¡¯t use the Wood Bending Charm, then if you just activate the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse, won¡¯t I have no way to respond?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t activate the Barrier Charm either,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°We¡¯ll only use Impact Curse against each other, while using the Three Arts: Cloud Ascension Technique and the techniques to dodge and pass through walls to evade each other¡¯s Impact Curse.¡±

    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s fine,¡± Lin Ning was still a bit confused, ¡°but I¡¯ve been practicing the Metal-Element Impact Curse for a long time now, and there¡¯s hardly any time to practice other Attack Spell Techniques like the Curved Curse, Flame Curse, or Runescript. Isn¡¯t it better to ensure that the Five Spells are all proficiently practiced first?¡±

    Grade-grinders need to tackle problems in all subjects to be at ease; what¡¯s the point of just focusing on one subject?

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it this way then,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°As long as you manage to hit me with the Impact Curse in a real combat simulation, I¡¯ll acknowledge that you¡¯ve fully mastered the skills of the Impact Curse, and I¡¯ll allow you to train in other Curse Techniques. How about that?¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡± Lin Ning immediately became enthusiastic and said with high spirits, ¡°I accept the challenge!¡±

    ¡°As for the combat simulation venue, we¡¯ll set it there,¡± Yan Yu pointed toward the practice area for the Cloud Ascension Technique in the distance.

    It was an environment simulating urban warfare with numerous houses, low walls, alleys, and obstacles, where it would be easy to find cover against the opponent¡¯s Impact Curse shots.

    If it were a duel in an open space, even using only the Impact Curse, I definitely couldn¡¯t beat the captain now. But in that extremely complex battlefield, if I get a bit lucky¡­

    ¡­perhaps I could turn the tables?

 Chapter 83: 82: I Canâ€™t Coexist with the Petty Thief (4/10)

    Chapter 83: Chapter 82: I Can¡¯t Coexist with the Petty Thief (4/10)

    ¡°`

    That¡¯s hilarious, I couldn¡¯t beat her at all.

    Gathering her courage, Lin Ning suddenly leapt out from her hiding place, sprinting at full speed with the Shifting Technique!

    But then, suddenly her foot gave way, as the Impact Curse struck her right knee.

    If Yan Yu hadn¡¯t held back and had used his full True Yuan, that strike would have been strong enough to shatter her kneecap.

    Instantly losing balance, Lin Ning slumped to the ground at an angle, looking blankly at the sky with an expression that had lost all ¡°I can make a comeback¡± determination, and only showed bewilderment of ¡°Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to be doing?¡±

    ¡°Still too green, Little Lin Ning,¡± a face appeared in her field of vision, it was Yan Yu crouching down beside her, looking at her with a playful expression.

    Lin Ning no longer had the strength to correct how he addressed her; she simply continued to gasp for breath and stare at the sky, before finally blurting out in a daze,

    ¡°Where exactly did I go wrong?¡±

    ¡°If you really want to know, there were problems everywhere,¡± Yan Yu offered her a hand to help her up. ¡°Let¡¯s do a post-mortem.¡±

    Lin Ning stood up silently, dusting off the dirt from her back.

    ¡°You were very aggressive at the start,¡± Yan Yu said with a laugh. ¡°Though it was a bold style, it wasn¡¯t wrong because against an opponent superior in every aspect, playing it safe means certain defeat, whereas taking extreme risks may lead to a chance of winning.¡±

    ¡°Of course, it doesn¡¯t mean that just going all out guarantees victory. At most, it turns the situation into muddy waters where neither side can perform steadily, and then it¡¯s a bet on ¡®a slim chance of me performing exceptionally well while he slips up.''¡±

    ¡°However, after several setbacks in your attacks¡­ well, I feel it started with the 8th assault, you began to doubt your aggressive strategy due to a string of failures which shook your confidence, and thus, you switched to a more cautious approach: hiding, watching, and waiting for opportunities.¡±

    ¡°Is that a bad thing?¡± Lin Ning asked weakly.

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°it varies from person to person.¡±

    ¡°For me, the more time you give me, the more easily I can move to a position more favorable for me. Speaking of which, did you notice? Ever since you changed your strategy, every place we fought at was an environment unfavorable for you.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Lin Ning said with a wry smile. ¡°But I thought it was because I lost too much, and my combat condition had deteriorated.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯d observed carefully, you¡¯d have noticed that after that it was I who was moving, and you were just being led by me,¡± Yan Yu said with a grin. ¡°By choosing to hide and not making a move straight away, you gained the initiative of ¡®when to fight,¡¯ that is, ¡®the right moment¡¯; however, every advantage has its downside, and by giving up the initiative of ¡®where to fight,¡¯ the ¡®geographical advantage,¡¯ you handed it over to me, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Lin Ning fell deep in thought.

    This self-reflection and contemplation were precisely the response Yan Yu wanted to see.

    So, Yan Yu stayed silent until Lin Ning¡¯s expression gradually turned into one of understanding, then she turned to him again and asked,

    ¡°Am I not suited to this strategy? What I mean is, I feel like Ling Yun is probably better at it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the same answer: it varies,¡± Yan Yu analyzed. ¡°Chen Lingyun doesn¡¯t react as quickly as you. If you have her use a reckless, all-out offensive strategy, she might only be able to perform flawlessly with the initial sneak attack, and will be hit in every subsequent exchange.¡±

    ¡°Who talks like that,¡± Lin Ning immediately laughed, ¡°are you trying to provoke a fight by trash-talking? Ling Yun is not that weak; I¡¯m not going to fall for your tricks.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not praising you by putting her down; I¡¯m just stating the facts,¡± Yan Yu shook his head. ¡°Her strength lies in having a well-thought-out plan before taking action, methodically forcing the enemy into a corner under her control, which is exactly where you fall short¡­ of course, I¡¯m not saying you¡¯re not smart, given that your high school grades speak for themselves.¡±

    ¡°I think you¡¯re simply better suited to direct assaults and strong offensive tactics, that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Lin Ning nodded.

    ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to take my word for it,¡± Yan Yu added, ¡°You should also think for yourself about what kind of fighting style suits you best.¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Lin Ning insisted, ¡°I actually don¡¯t like hiding around, unable to find opportunities, and then when I finally take a shot, I end up getting hit¡­ It¡¯s better to just charge forward from the start. How about we go again?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s rest for a while; I¡¯ll go check how they¡¯re doing with their training,¡± Yan Yu said. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°I¡¯ll come with you,¡± Lin Ning hurriedly said.

    The two left the training area and went to where Chen Lingyun and Zhao Yuanzhen were sparring, only to see Chen Lingyun writing the character ¡°Õý¡± on the nearby blackboard.

    ¡°With that, it¡¯s five to five for now,¡± she said with a beaming smile.

    ¡°`

    Yan Yu stared at the two blackboards on both sides, each bearing the character ¡°Õý¡±, his mouth unintentionally gaping open before he incredulously turned to look at Zhao Yuanzhen.

    No way, sister! Sister Zhao! You¡¯re a proper cultivator, aren¡¯t you? How did you end up tying five to five with the mere Chen Lingyun?

    ¡°I¡­¡± Zhao Yuanzhen opened her mouth to object, ¡°This is a real combat drill, not a life-or-death fight, I obviously didn¡¯t need to go all out.¡±

    ¡°And, I should thank Sister Zhao for going easy on me.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile grew even brighter, her eyes curving into crescent moons.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on with you?¡± Yan Yu pulled Zhao Yuanzhen aside and asked with a frown, ¡°Even if you were holding back, this is too much, five to five? What the hell kind of sparring was that!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know how restrictive I was?¡± Since it was a private conversation, Zhao Yuanzhen no longer feigned strength, directly complaining, ¡°Not allowed to use puppets, not allowed to use spells, only the Three Arts and Five Spells allowed, you might as well have tied up my hands and feet to fight her. Do you know how annoying her Runescript can be when she uses it?¡±

    Yan Yu immediately understood.

    Got it.

    You¡¯re like a college student only doing single digit arithmetic, then getting thrashed by a first-grader who has been practicing mental math for months.

    That¡¯s still embarrassing though! You were Empress Yuanzhen, wah! The Empress Yuanzhen who dominated the scene and forced the entire Lu Country into negotiating with you in your past life, and now you¡¯re being mercilessly thrashed by a Jiang Hai Missy. How did things turn out this way!

    It couldn¡¯t possibly be that I spoiled you into becoming useless, it must be that the Demonic Sect Enchantress got complacent from not being hunted, wasting away, and falling into degeneracy, losing the gutsy determination to fight boldly from your past life.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, you have to take full responsibility for this!

    Seeing Yan Yu¡¯s extremely unpleasant expression, Zhao Yuanzhen felt a bit embarrassed and continued to defend herself:

    ¡°Moreover, I¡¯m not good at holding back my strength. What if I use too much force and kill her? Last time with the puppet, I could have disassembled it in a few moves. So, tell me, am I supposed to dismember Chen Lingyun, taking off all her limbs?¡±

    This excuse was somewhat reasonable. Yan Yu was able to defeat Lin Ning (referring to Lin Ning being unhurt) because he had strong control over his True Yuan, capable of directing the Impact Curse to hit a concrete wall with wound depths accurate to the centimeter level¡ªif he aimed for a few centimeters deep, that¡¯s exactly what he¡¯d achieve.

    But Zhao Yuanzhen hadn¡¯t trained for this. Whether it was in the Cultivation World before crossing over, or on Earth after crossing over, this Demonic Sect Enchantress had always gone all out, aiming straight for killing her opponent. Now, to ask her to not injure the opponent, she would indeed feel somewhat at a loss.

    In other words, the cultivator who spars with her must be strong enough, strong to the point that she couldn¡¯t beat them even if she went full force, only then would the training be effective.

    Not by sending a weakling and telling her to control her power and not to harm the opponent. Supposed to only use a third of her strength, the Enchantress instead cut down to one-tenth, and ended up not being able to win.

    Hmm¡­

    Doesn¡¯t that mean she still has to spar with me?

    Alright, alright, Lin Ning will spar with me, Zhao Yuanzhen will spar with me, Chen Lingyun will also spar with me, guess I¡¯ll just be your full-time private male coach 24 hours a day, not sleeping!

    The more Yan Yu thought about it, the more irked he felt, and he said with sarcasm:

    ¡°Got it, don¡¯t spar with her anymore. If there is a contest for finding excuses next time, I¡¯ll send you up.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was stunned for a moment, and as she came to her senses, she was so angry she nearly crushed her teeth, wishing she could swallow them:

    Yan Yu, you little thief! Underestimating my demonic powers, huh?

    Wait for the day when I turn the tables, I will surely catch you and thoroughly humiliate you, subjecting you to endless torment!

    Although we are cultivation companions, we¡¯ve been dreaming different dreams in the same bed, from today on, we won¡¯t share the same sky!

    ¡°Where¡¯s Yun Jin?¡± Lin Ning asked from the side.

    ¡°I told her to train by herself in the Barrier Charm training ground,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°Not to activate Barrier Charm, but to rely solely on Shifting Technique and Cloud Ascension Technique to dodge liquid bullets shot at her from around.¡±

    ¡°Those bullets actually hurt quite a bit if you don¡¯t activate a Barrier Charm,¡± Lin Ning shivered and turned to leave, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll go find her.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s also about time for dinner,¡± Yan Yu glanced at the time, ¡°Lin Ning, call her over, let¡¯s all meet up at the school gate. We won¡¯t eat in the cafeteria today, we¡¯ve been training pretty hard recently, let¡¯s go out and enjoy something nice¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in! I want to eat beef hotpot!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately raised her hand and shouted, her face flushing with anticipation and excitement, all the resentment and hate wiped away in an instant.

 Chapter 84: 83 Beef Hotpot (5/10)

    Chapter 84: Chapter 83 Beef Hotpot (5/10)

    At the Barrier Charm practice field, numerous gun muzzles were installed that would shoot into the room at irregular intervals.

    Initially, the bullets were meant to be non-lethal rubber bullets, but given that a hit to a vital spot with a rubber bullet could still be fatal, they were later modified to be even less harmful¡ªliquid bullets.

    Furthermore, trainees were required to wear full-body armor before entering, which meant that even without invoking the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse, there would be no casualties if hit.

    But it would hurt a lot.

    Some tried enduring a hit without activating the Barrier Charm, and even though it struck the armor without breaking the skin, there were still signs of bruising and contusions underneath. Thus, there was a sign outside the training ground that clearly reminded the students:

    [Please activate the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse before entering]

    Of course, even with such clear signage, there would still be those who ignored it.

    When Lin Ning found Su Yunjin in the practice field, she witnessed the young lady moving around like lightning, which momentarily gave her the illusion that she was watching Yan Yu dodge aggressive tree demons with his swift Swallow¡¯s Flight Technique.

    However, upon closer inspection, it was indeed an illusion.

    It was a short sprint, and Su Yunjin¡¯s Cutting Spell was indeed fast. With each step, she would immediately change direction using the Cloud Ascension Technique, and her speed would increase once more with the Shifting Technique, making her movements as dizzying as Yan Yu¡¯s before.

    But the sound of bullets hitting the armor, ¡®thump, thump,¡¯ was incessant.

    The reason was simple: Su Yunjin¡¯s eyesight and reaction speed couldn¡¯t keep up.

    After the bullet was fired, it was hard to track with the naked eye; even if she could track it, her response was too slow to dodge; and by the time she decided which direction to dodge using the swift Shifting and Cloud Ascension Techniques, there was hardly any time left.

    In light of this, Miss Su resorted to a very clumsy solution.

    If she couldn¡¯t dodge, she¡¯d just endure the hit.

    The result, of course, was quite ghastly. Though there were no visible injuries, the skin beneath the armor was probably already a mottled landscape of blues and purples.

    ¡°Yun Jin!¡± Lin Ning called out anxiously, dashing in front of her with the Shifting Technique, braking quickly with Cloud Ascension, and immediately activating the Barrier Charm to shield her from the surrounding bullets.

    ¡°Little Lin Ning?¡± Su Yunjin said in surprise.

    Her voice was so weak that Lin Ning didn¡¯t even fuss about the ¡°little¡± part, instead speaking with urgent concern:

    ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself too hard!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Su Yunjin said softly, smiling while lifting her arm. ¡°Look, I¡¯m wearing armor.¡±

    But Lin Ning quickly noticed that, although her body was tightly encased in armor, her brows still slightly furrowed for a moment when she raised her arm.

    It probably hurt.

    ¡°Stop training,¡± Lin Ning said. ¡°Yan Yu is treating us to dinner tonight. He¡¯s taking us out for dinner.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Su Yunjin nodded calmly. ¡°I¡¯ll go back and change clothes.¡±

    She left the training ground and walked towards the dormitory.

    Lin Ning carefully followed behind her, wanting to offer support but afraid of touching her wounds, suddenly at a loss for what to do.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    At the school gate, Chen Lingyun pressed her phone and asked suddenly:

    ¡°What are we eating tonight?¡±

    ¡°Beef hotpot,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen answered quickly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Yan Yu. ¡°Let¡¯s wait for everyone to gather and then ask for everyone¡¯s preference.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we just go for beef hotpot?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said again.

    ¡°You¡¯d better decide quickly which restaurant to go to,¡± Chen Lingyun said, glancing at her phone with a faint smile. ¡°I need to make a reservation in advance.¡±

    ¡°How about we go to Ni¨² M¨£n L¨¡o?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen suggested thoughtfully. ¡°Do you have VIP status there?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Chen Lingyun replied, looking up and smiling at Zhao Yuanzhen before looking back down, ¡°but I can get someone to get a number for us.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s get a number from them,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen urged.

    ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been kind of craving barbecue lately,¡± Yan Yu commented offhandedly.

    ¡°But I want to eat beef hotpot,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said disappointedly, attempting to pressure her partner with her gaze.

    ¡°Japanese barbecue or Goryeo barbecue?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, still looking at her phone.

    ¡°Neither, just beef hotpot,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen started to repeat.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Yan Yu shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, let¡¯s discuss it when everyone¡¯s here.¡±

    ¡°But I want to eat¡ª¡± Zhao Yuanzhen kept nagging, only to be suddenly silenced by Yan Yu stretching out a finger to press her pouting lips, saying coldly:

    ¡°Before the group discussion, if you say one more word, beef hotpot will be ruled out immediately.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen immediately kept quiet.

    Chen Lingyun eyed Yan Yu¡¯s fingers, her eyebrows slightly raised.

    Finally, when Lin Ning and Su Yunjin arrived fashionably late, they were both already in different clothes.

    Lin Ning was wearing a white T-shirt and denim shorts. Her hair, previously tied up in a bun, now hung down softly. Slinging a bag over her shoulder, she had transformed from a youthful, sporty girl back into the familiar sight of a college student.

    In contrast, Su Yunjin was dressed much more conservatively, in a dark long-sleeve shirt with a warm-colored overall on top, looking somewhat like a kangaroo.

    Other than pregnant women, who dresses like this in the summer?

    Yan Yu really wanted to tease her but caught himself at the last moment.

    Teasing is Lin Ning¡¯s characteristic, and I already have enough of my own traits. I don¡¯t need to steal Sister Lin¡¯s thunder.

    However, Lin Ning, unaware of Yan Yu¡¯s thoughts, simply laughed it off:

    ¡°Yun Jin is worried about mosquitoes tonight. She¡¯s afraid of them, so I told her to wear more.¡±

    Chen Lingyun said with a smile,

    ¡°Being afraid of mosquitoes, you indeed need to wear more. Otherwise, getting bitten all over isn¡¯t a nice look.¡±

    Su Yunjin smiled helplessly at her.

    ¡°So, what are we eating tonight, have you guys decided?¡± asked Yan Yu. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°How about beef hot pot,¡± suggested Su Yunjin with a smile.

    ¡°Hmm, beef hot pot sounds good,¡± Lin Ning agreed.

    Yan Yu immediately shot a questioning look at Zhao Yuanzhen, who quickly hid his phone behind him and pretended to be examining the cicadas chirping in the trees.

    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Yan Yu said with a mix of laughter and helplessness. ¡°Ling Yun, call a cab!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t joke about using other people¡¯s names with the ride-hailing app!¡± Lin Ning¡¯s retort was quick and accurate. ¡°If you want to call a cab, do it yourself!¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Speaking of hot pot, Yan Yu was reminded of the dinner in Shengjing that ended on a sour note.

    In a past life, the duo of Liu Longtao and Ye Jun had once been the center of attention, even hailed as the ¡°golden pair¡± of the Dingbei Army by outsiders.

    Why? Because even though Lord Master seemed mild-mannered, he was actually quite autocratic in his actions, always insisting on having the final word in his team.

    It was quite a feat for Ye Jun to silently fix flaws backstage, perfecting a 90-point tactical plan to 99 points without clashing with Lord Master. Even if someone with better support skills than Ye Jun joined, they might not do a better job than her.

    Unfortunately, nobody expected that this ¡°golden pair¡± would ultimately crumble.

    This goes to show that even strong teams aren¡¯t guaranteed success. The key lies in maintaining good interpersonal relationships within the team.

    As the saying goes, ¡°The receiver of gifts is beholden to the giver,¡± and dining together is a good way to bond.

    Sitting in front of the bubbling hot pot, Yan Yu, bored, rested his chin on one hand and observed Lin Ning stealthily cooking meat for Su Yunjin, Zhao Yuanzhen discreetly gobbling down his food, and Chen Lingyun quietly watching everyone¡¯s expressions.

    ¡°Why is everyone so quiet?¡± he asked, somewhat puzzled.

    ¡°The captain¡¯s treating us, so we¡¯re busy eating,¡± Su Yunjin explained with a smile.

    ¡°Well then, Vice-Captain Chen Lingyun, tell us a joke to lift the spirits,¡± suggested Yan Yu, pointing at her with his chopsticks.

    ¡°Sure.¡± Chen Lingyun clapped her hands and laughed, ¡°Let me tell you a story called ¡®The Legacy of the Bridal Dress,¡¯ about after the hero Yan Nantian retired from the martial world, he had a son named¡­¡±

    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough,¡± Yan Yu quickly grabbed some pickles with his chopsticks and stuffed it into her mouth, while inwardly breaking out in a cold sweat.

    The so-called ¡°Legacy of the Bridal Dress¡± was actually a made-up Wuxia RPG story that the kids from his old neighborhood had concocted. Since his father was named ¡°Yan Nantian,¡± Yan Yu had been forced to become the ¡°Successor of the Bridal Dress Technique,¡± despite his complete unwillingness. His friends went as far as to invent all sorts of ridiculous storylines and drag him into acting them out¡­

    How does she know about this? Who¡¯s been setting me up behind my back?

    ¡°What happened to the son of Yan Nantian?¡± Lin Ning asked out of curiosity.

    ¡°Nothing, don¡¯t ask too much. Oh no! Someone sent me a message on my phone, seems like an urgent mission,¡± Yan Yu deflectively pretended to change the subject, unlocked his phone and looked at it, his expression suddenly becoming serious.

    ¡°What urgent mission?¡± Lin Ning continued to ask.

    ¡°You guys keep eating,¡± Yan Yu stood up. ¡°I need to step out and take a call.¡±

    Stepping outside the restaurant, Yan Yu dialed the number, and the other side picked up quickly:

    ¡°We¡¯re out eating. Do we need to leave right away?¡±

    ¡°No need to rush,¡± Li Weiguo¡¯s voice came from the phone. ¡°Finish your meal first, then head to the airport. The crew is waiting for you there.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Who is our competitor this time?¡±

    ¡°The Annan Army, Li Zhaojiang¡¯s team.¡±

    Got it, this time we¡¯re taking on the Valkyrie.

 Chapter 85: 84 Imaginary Confrontation (6/10)

    Chapter 85: Chapter 84 Imaginary Confrontation (6/10)

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you eating?¡± Yan Yu returned to the restaurant and saw that the girls hadn¡¯t touched their chopsticks, ¡°Go ahead, eat. Don¡¯t wait for me.¡±

    ¡°Who sent you a message?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smiley face.

    ¡°It¡¯s from above.¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t be bothered to make excuses and said directly, ¡°Eat up. Once we¡¯re done, we¡¯ll head out on a mission.¡±

    ¡°Is it that urgent?¡± Lin Ning was immediately astonished.

    I don¡¯t have a problem, but with all of Yun Jin¡¯s injuries¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. There¡¯s a medical team on the plane.¡± Yan Yu looked towards Su Yunjin, who was forcing a smile, and said, ¡°Someone on the plane can treat you. The bruises can be taken care of quickly with Runescript, and it won¡¯t be an issue.¡±

    ¡°You noticed?¡± Su Yunjin nervously tugged at her sleeve.

    ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot.¡± Yan Yu pulled out a chair and sat down, ¡°Everyone eat up, we¡¯ll need the energy for the road.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t use lines from TV series that rush people off to their execution!¡± Lin Ning immediately interjected with an excited tone.

    Luckily, her comment lightened the mood, and everyone began to pick up their chopsticks and eat and drink.

    However, upon closer examination, the girls all had different eating manners. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Lin Ning was preoccupied, eating while zoning out. Su Yunjin didn¡¯t have much appetite, and with her slow eating due to her injuries, it wasn¡¯t helping.

    Chen Lingyun was all grace throughout, choosing to eat less rather than showing any sign of impropriety. Zhao Yuanzhen, on the other hand, was the exact opposite, caring not for appearances. She would shove a piece of meat into her mouth with her chopsticks, then grab another piece to cool in her bowl, then chew, chew, chew, and swallow, displaying the efficient beauty of a seasoned eater.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you eating?¡± Lin Ning suddenly asked him.

    ¡°You guys go ahead, someone sent me a message.¡± Yan Yu took out his phone to check his new message, ¡°I¡¯ll reply to this one.¡±

    The new message was sent by Li Zhaojiang, this guy¡¯s nickname was [Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang], and his avatar was a cartoon main character with a cheeky face.

    [Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang]: I didn¡¯t expect we would have the chance to clash so soon again.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: How has your sister been lately?

    [Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang]: Scram, scram, scram, scram, scram, scram, scram, scram, scram!

    After sending a string of ¡°scram,¡± Li Zhaojiang seemingly not yet satisfied, sent a long string of ¡°cleaver¡± emojis.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Don¡¯t get me wrong, just concerned about her health, after all, she was coughing so badly last time.

    [Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang]: I suggest you worry about yourself first, we won¡¯t lose again this time.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Oh? Your sister has recovered?

    [Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang]: Scram! I¡¯m a completely different person now!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Never mind, I¡¯ll ask her myself.

    [Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang]: You punk, just you wait and see!

    Yan Yu scrolled down the list of friends and quickly found another named [Yuegua Donghu], with an avatar of a transparent glass bottle filled with folded paper stars.

    Thankfully, this pair of brothers and sisters didn¡¯t use coupled avatars; otherwise, Yan Yu might have really questioned their relationship.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Are you there, how¡¯s your health?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Pretty good. I haven¡¯t been coughing much lately. How about you?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I¡¯m fine. So, you¡¯re coming too?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Yep.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Alright then. How about we get together for a meal locally after it¡¯s over?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Scram, scram, scram, scram, scram, scram, scram, scram! The sight of you turns my stomach!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Li Zhaojiang, you¡¯re still in grade school, huh? Speak on your own account.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: I sent you more than a dozen messages, and you didn¡¯t reply to a single one!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Sorry, I have a spam-filtering plugin, it automatically filters out suspected junk messages.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Eat shit!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Haha, the battle hasn¡¯t even started, and I¡¯ve already found your Achilles¡¯ heel.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: What weakness?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: As soon as I mention your sister, you lose your mind and fall into madness, and then you¡¯ll be brutally defeated by us.

    That statement seemed to strike a critical hit, as the other side fell into a deep silence, taking a long time to respond.

    Yan Yu calmly closed the message window, set his phone aside, and let Li Zhaojiang continue to rage helplessly on the other end.

    Su Yunjin pushed a small bowl towards him, filled with freshly cooked beef, and said softly:

    ¡°Captain, you hardly ate anything after sitting down, this bowl¡¯s for you.¡±

    Yan Yu was touched by her warm-hearted gesture, thinking: What is the epitome of a gentle and considerate jade-like woman? This is it!

    She should really be scooped up to be my secretary! Wait a minute¡­ hold on¡­

    Chen Lingyun is now my assistant, and Su Yunjin is a member of my team. How could my team members bypass me, the captain, to be the secretary for my assistant? She¡¯s essentially already my secretary!

    Having quickly understood the relationship, Yan Yu revealed a very satisfied smile and nodded:

    ¡°Not bad, you did well.¡±

    Su Yunjin: ?

    Yan Yu slowly ate the beef in the bowl, then turned to Chen Lingyun and said:

    ¡°See that? Learn from it.¡±

    Chen Lingyun: ?

    Another ten minutes or so passed, and the girls had nearly finished their meal, setting down their cutlery and beginning to sip tea to rinse their mouths.

    ¡°Shall I order some cold noodles for you, packed to go?¡± Su Yunjin asked Yan Yu, ¡°It seems like you didn¡¯t eat enough, Captain.¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu replied, picking up a wet towel to wipe his hands, ¡°Eating too much at night is hard to digest. Everyone¡¯s finished, so let¡¯s head out.¡±

    He went to the front desk to pay the bill, while Chen Lingyun simultaneously went outside to call a business car in advance. The captain and the assistant captain didn¡¯t need verbal communication; their coordination in this regard had reached a high level of tacit understanding.

    After arriving at the airport, the corresponding military flight crew was indeed already waiting. They quickly escorted the five members into the business jet cabin. Also accompanying them was the Zhendong Army¡¯s medical team¡ªthis time they would be entering the Mysterious Realm with them. If any team member lost combat ability during the competition within the Mysterious Realm, they would provide timely off-field aid to prevent unnecessary casualties.

    Compared to the last time they traveled for the quartet exchange competition, the business jet cabin this time was much more comfortable. Everyone had a spacious bed that could fully recline, a refrigerator stocked with various drinks, and a large screen and projector suitable for video conferences.

    The only drawback was that the flight attendants weren¡¯t professional. Their service was attentive, but their attitudes and expressions were a bit stiff. Yan Yu recognized at a glance that they were actually female soldiers in disguise. Obviously, the military also didn¡¯t trust civil aviation personnel to get involved, so to prevent leaks, they simply ¡°chartered¡± all the flight attendants.

    After the flight attendants delivered the meals and left, Yan Yu convened a team meeting to explain their Mysterious Realm exploration mission:

    ¡°The entrance to the Mysterious Realm we will be exploring this time is located in the south of Longquan Prefecture, which is within the jurisdiction of Chuzhou Prefecture in Jiangnan Province.¡±

    ¡°Due to the lessons learned from the previous exploration of the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm, the military hasn¡¯t sent cultivators in this time; instead, they¡¯ve sealed off the surrounding area to prevent unrelated civilians from accidentally entering.¡±

    ¡°Based on the survey data near the entrance of the Mysterious Realm, the concentration of Spiritual Energy inside is clearly lower than that of the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm, which suggests that the overall size of the Longquan Mountain Secret Realm should be smaller, and the exploration process will definitely be shorter.¡±

    ¡°However, we can¡¯t simply conclude that the difficulty of our mission this time will definitely be lower than last time.¡±

    ¡°The reasons are twofold: first, the Mysterious Realm¡¯s master¡¯s attitude towards outsiders varies. An enemy who holds a gun but doesn¡¯t want to kill you, and one who wields a knife aiming directly for your vitals with every stab, the latter¡¯s level of danger isn¡¯t necessarily lower than the former¡¯s, something I believe we all can understand.¡±

    The girls nodded in agreement. Last time in the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm, the sword-bearing puppet showed no intention of killing, which was quite evident to everyone.

    Yan Yu continued in a grave tone:

    ¡°The other reason is that the higher-ups want to simulate actual combat in foreign Mysterious Realms, so they¡¯ve introduced a hypothetical enemy force confrontation into the exploration of domestic Mysterious Realms.¡±

    ¡°This time, our competition is against the Li Zhaojiang team from the Annan Army¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait a second,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen realized something wasn¡¯t right and hurriedly interjected, ¡°You¡¯re not saying that during the exploration, we¡¯re supposed to beat them but also not kill them, are you?¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu nodded in approval, ¡°That¡¯s what the higher-ups mean.¡±

 Chapter 86: 85 Tactical Deployment (7/10)

    Chapter 86: Chapter 85 Tactical Deployment (7/10)

    If there were no introduction of competing teams, the girls would likely be more relaxed at this time.

    After all, the most challenging part is always the first encounter; having successfully conquered the Mysterious Realm for the first time, the second time would seem easier with experience¡ªnot to mention that this time the Mysterious Realm is smaller in scale, so everyone¡¯s mindset would naturally be more composed. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But to compete against other teams¡­ who can stay calm about that!

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, everyone,¡± said Yan Yu with a smile, noticing the downtrodden mood within the team, ¡°I¡¯ve fought Li Zhaojiang before, he¡¯s weak; his team, even though I haven¡¯t fought them, won¡¯t be difficult to deal with as long as we have good plans. Chen Lingyun?¡±

    ¡°Just a moment,¡± Chen Lingyun started working on the computer, secretly amazed.

    We didn¡¯t discuss this in advance, so how did he guess that I already had information on our opponents?

    It seems that in a past life, we must have cooperated many times like this, which explains the high level of unspoken understanding between us.

    Chen Lingyun had a ¡°personality profile database¡± for everyone she knew, but the amount of information on Yan Yu alone was nearly three times more than anyone else¡¯s, and the trend showed no signs of being fully unearthed.

    Is this the substance that qualifies him to be my husband?

    She thought to herself with delight, her face blooming with smiles as she opened the prepared intelligence file, projected it, and said aloud:

    ¡°Their team has a total of five people; Captain Li Zhaojiang, Vice-Captain Li Minghu¡ªthey are siblings. The other three members are Tao Xingyuan, Wang Haoran, and Jiang Hong.¡±

    ¡°First up is Li Zhaojiang. He has unquestionably the strongest ability in the team, otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be the captain. He¡¯s well-rounded in all aspects: he can fight and run, do long-range and close-range combat. If I were to make a comparison, he¡¯s like a weaker version of Yan Yu, but he¡¯s still fit to be the core of a team.¡±

    ¡°Next is the Vice-Captain Li Minghu. She is the brains of the team, responsible for devising training plans and tactical arrangements¡ªshe¡¯s essentially more like the captain in some respects. However, she suffers from a severe lung disease that prevents her from engaging in intense activities for long, or her health will deteriorate.¡±

    ¡°As for the three members, their roles and responsibilities are also very clear.¡±

    ¡°Jiang Hong, his father is a registered criminal officer in Jiangcheng Guanggu¡¯s Public Security Bureau. Initially, his father wanted him to pursue the family vocation, and he planned to attend the local college for public security; it was only later discovered that he had a Spirit Root and he went to the Annan Cultivator College instead. He has trained for several years in criminal officer combat techniques and, after becoming a cultivator, also specialized in Wood Bending Charm. His role is probably that of the team¡¯s hard hitter, meant to punch through the enemy¡¯s line.¡±

    ¡°Wang Haoran, from Liuzhou Prefecture in Lingyou Province; Tao Xingyuan, from Zhucheng Prefecture in Qian¡¯an Province. These two have relatively balanced abilities and can be tentatively identified as the team¡¯s assistants, aiding Jiang Hong in further tearing apart the line and executing the corresponding tactical missions.¡±

    ¡°So,¡± Su Yunjin quickly honed in on the key point, ¡°What you mean, Ling Yun, is that their team has two attack cores.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Initially, Jiang Hong should be the spearhead to break the defense, but once the formation is disrupted, Li Zhaojiang will swiftly take over the core position. I suspect the other teammates will coordinate with him to single out a target from our team for a focused attack.¡±

    ¡°Once we¡¯re down a member, the opponent will have a numerical advantage,¡± Lin Ning realized suddenly, ¡°So who would be the target?¡±

    ¡°There are two possibilities,¡± said Chen Lingyun calmly, with a hint of a smile, ¡°Either Yun Jin or me.¡±

    Everyone fell into thought upon hearing this.

    The team usually trained at the college without specifically setting up isolation belts or warning lines, so the surrounding students could see more or less everything.

    Chen Lingyun was able to gather intelligence on the Annan Army, so naturally, the opposite side could also investigate their team¡¯s composition. That Su Yunjin was the weakest link in the team wasn¡¯t a secret.

    ¡°If they choose me as the point to break through, I can understand,¡± sighed Su Yunjin, ¡°but why might they also choose you, Ling Yun?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m Yan Yu¡¯s partner,¡± Chen Lingyun responded with an unwavering smile, ¡°If they get rid of me first, then Yan Yu would have to take up command.¡±

    Su Yunjin was also very clever and immediately grasped her meaning.

    Targeting the weakest, Su Yunjin, to hopefully reduce the Zhendong Army¡¯s numbers first and thus create a numerical advantage was a quite rational tactical approach.

    But with Captain Yan Yu¡¯s notorious reputation and a Cutting Spell speed three times that of an ordinary person, the Annan Army surely couldn¡¯t ignore his presence¡ªif they truly left him to move freely, who would be down a member first was still up in the air.

    Therefore, another line of thought is to attack Deputy Team Leader Chen Lingyun first.

    If Yan Yu chooses to save Chen Lingyun, then the Annan Army can switch targets at any time and kick Su Yunjin out of the game; if he doesn¡¯t save her, then they¡¯ll take the opportunity to eliminate Chen Lingyun, and her command duties will fall on Yan Yu¡¯s shoulders, inevitably distracting part of his attention.

    Command work is not as simple as ¡°charge with me¡± or ¡°follow me into battle,¡± but involves making a lot of detailed adjustments according to the changing situation on the field. This requires the commander to pay constant attention to the battlefield situation and not casually rush into enemy lines to fight.

    Looking at the current four teams, the fact that the command work is unanimously handled by the deputy team leaders makes it clear that it¡¯s not an easy task.

    ¡°Let¡¯s make a contingency plan,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a leisurely smile. ¡°If they attack Yun Jin first, I think Yun Jin, you can just run away, so at least they have to assign someone to chase you.¡±

    ¡°If they give chase, it¡¯ll be 4 vs. 4, and we still stand to gain; if they don¡¯t chase, you can shoot at them from a distance with the Impact Curse, catching them off guard.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± thought Su Yunjin, that could work. If I can exchange one for one, then I¡¯ll have made the most significant impact possible.

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu suddenly said.

    ¡°Why?¡± asked Chen Lingyun with a smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s not beneficial for her growth,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°We must look at the bigger picture and not focus on a single victory or defeat.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, then I¡¯ll follow your lead,¡± Chen Lingyun went with the flow and tossed the responsibility for devising tactics over to him.

    Now, Su Yunjin had been practicing her movement and evasion for quite a while, but not a single Attack Spell Technique, so she definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to beat anyone in a matchup. Chen Lingyun¡¯s idea of having her run if she¡¯s targeted to directly exchange for someone on the opposing team was indeed a guaranteed profit when carefully calculated.

    After all, if you consider it as a 4v4, with Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen being two strong individuals on this side, it¡¯s uncertain whether Li Zhaojiang and Jiang Hong on the other side could hold their ground.

    However, as the team leader, Yan Yu considered the entire game and naturally thought more deeply.

    Miss Su Yunjin is also a person, after all, already a bit self-conscious due to lagging behind the rest of the team in terms of strength. If you then turn her into a disposable piece in a decoy tactic, aren¡¯t you afraid of causing her psychological distress?

    If the strength isn¡¯t enough, there¡¯s still hope for improvement; but if the spirit breaks, rebuilding it becomes much more troublesome.

    ¡°Whether the enemy focuses on Su Yunjin or Chen Lingyun, it doesn¡¯t really matter anymore,¡± Yan Yu said calmly. ¡°The core principle in making a counter-tactic is that we can¡¯t let the enemy¡¯s strategy lead us by the nose.¡±

    Meanwhile, Annan¡¯s chartered plane took off from the Imperial Airport and flew towards Jiangnan Province.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make a final summary,¡± Li Minghu said as he pulled up the last slide. ¡°The Zhendong Army team has relatively clear role divisions, making them quite predictable. Lin Ning is likely the assault trooper, while Zhao Jiuzhen will probably act as the main attacker. The former is responsible for disrupting formations, while the latter leads the attack rhythm.¡±

    ¡°Chen Lingyun is the commander, but her close defense is said to be quite strong. Su Yunjin seems to have no strengths and is the team¡¯s weak link, but I tend to think this is a trap¡ªthey will definitely be prepared for us to focus on Su Yunjin,¡± he said.

    ¡°Lastly, Team Leader Yan Yu.¡± Li Minghu paused for a moment and said in a grave tone, ¡°Whether we can constrain him is the key to deciding the outcome of this confrontation.¡±

    ¡°Whether we strongly attack Su Yunjin or Chen Lingyun, it doesn¡¯t change one fact¡ªthat as long as we can¡¯t restrain Yan Yu, any tactical advantage we manage to gain early on can be taken back by him at any moment.¡±

    ¡°So, do we focus our attack on Yan Yu first?¡± Li Zhaojiang asked thoughtfully.

    Even though he appeared very arrogant in the chat, Li Zhaojiang was actually very aware of Yan Yu¡¯s skill level.

    ¡°No,¡± Li Minghu said with a slight smile. ¡°If we could deal with him quickly by surrounding him, that would be one thing, but what if we can¡¯t? Wouldn¡¯t that be the same as allowing him to tie up multiple opponents by himself?¡±

    ¡°After we encounter each other, Jiang Hong, you focus on Lin Ning. Whether she takes the initiative or remains as backup support, you must completely tie her down. Xingyuan and Haoran, pay close attention to Zhaojiang¡¯s movements; if he fights Zhao Jiuzhen, you split up to take on Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin. But if he turns his attention to Chen or Su, you must extract yourselves immediately and join Zhaojiang in concentrated fire, aiming to quickly reduce their numbers.¡±

    ¡°As for Yan Yu¡­ leave him to me,¡± he said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll hold him off.¡±

 Chapter 87: 86 Pre-match Meeting (8/10)

    Chapter 87: Chapter 86 Pre-match Meeting (8/10)

    The night had grown deep, and the enthusiasm for conversation in the cabin had waned; everyone closed their eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.

    Su Yunjin had gone to the rear cabin to find the medical team; she needed a female cultivator to help her use Runescript to treat the bruises covering her body.

    Yan Yu, on the other hand, was checking the tactical wireless earpieces that had been distributed¡ªthey were said to have been tested and to work well within the Mysterious Realm, so they could be used for temporary command communications.

    In fact, in Lu Country¡¯s past, the use of wireless earpieces among cultivators was very short-lived because everyone quickly discovered a more effective secret technique called ¡°Transmitting Sound into Secret.¡±

    ¡°Captain, you¡¯re not sleeping yet?¡± Having dealt with her injuries, Su Yunjin returned to the cabin and asked Yan Yu in a soft voice.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be landing soon,¡± Yan Yu replied with a shake of his head and a smile, ¡°Why sleep now?¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Su Yunjin was silent for a moment before whispering, ¡°Captain.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°If you want me to execute the decoy strategy, I wouldn¡¯t mind,¡± Su Yunjin said softly.

    Yan Yu was silent for a while before responding,

    ¡°Rest assured, it wasn¡¯t just consideration for your feelings that led me to reject Chen Lingyun¡¯s plan.¡±

    ¡°Actually, I think you can provide more value to the team than you could by executing the decoy strategy.¡±

    ¡°More value, eh?¡± Su Yunjin pondered to herself.

    She did not continue to inquire but quietly returned to her seat, secretly watching Yan Yu from a distance.

    After a while, Su Yunjin withdrew her gaze and saw Lin Ning beside her turn over and continue to sleep quietly.

    Once the plane arrived at the Chuzhou airport, everyone had to switch to a car to head for Longquan Prefecture. Even Yan Yu couldn¡¯t hold up and quickly fell asleep against the back of his seat on the road.

    Around 3 a.m., the Zhendong Army Team finally reached Longquan Prefecture and checked into a local hotel.

    At that time, the Annan Army Team had just landed at Chuzhou airport, and they decided to stay overnight in Chuzhou Prefecture and continue their journey to Longquan the next day.

    The urgent journey was uncomfortable for both sides; now it was a matter of seeing who could adjust their condition better.

    The next morning, around 10 a.m.

    Yan Yu gradually woke up and heard someone knocking at the door.

    When he opened the door, it was the human alarm clock Lin Ning urging him to wake up,

    ¡°We¡¯re getting ready to go for breakfast; hurry up and change,¡± she said.

    ¡°Next time if I can¡¯t wake up, you can get breakfast for me,¡± Yan Yu yawned.

    ¡°It¡¯s already 10 a.m.,¡± Lin Ning reasoned with him, ¡°If you don¡¯t wake up, you¡¯ll just have lunch at noon. Why should I get breakfast for you then?¡±

    ¡°Then just bring me lunch back,¡± Yan Yu said as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

    ¡°I¡¯ll bring you leftovers!¡± Lin Ning retorted indignantly.

    The group gathered on the ground floor of the hotel, went to a nearby diner to fill up on dumplings and noodles, and then set off for Longquan Mountain Scenic Area.

    ¡°The local news media don¡¯t seem to have reported that Longquan Mountain is closed off,¡± Su Yunjin said in surprise as she scrolled through her phone.

    ¡°That¡¯s because the Spiritual Energy Resurgence is still not a topic we can discuss openly in the country,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°But¡­¡± Su Yunjin thought for a moment, still finding it strange, ¡°Mitchi Country has already publicly promoted superheroes, so how much longer can we keep this a secret?¡±

    ¡°Until a consensus is reached,¡± Chen Lingyun answered with a smile.

    ¡°A consensus between whom?¡± Su Yunjin asked, puzzled.

    Chen Lingyun did not answer but turned to ask Yan Yu, S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Has the Annan Army team arrived yet?¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°They will probably have lunch after they get to Longquan Prefecture before heading over.¡±

    ¡°Then why do we have to rush to the entrance of the Secret Realm so early?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen complained.

    ¡°Because we can get some fresh air,¡± Yan Yu replied nonchalantly.

    Everyone was speechless.

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s like this,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°He stayed up late last night, and it took a toll on his health, so he needs to go to the mountains ahead of time to breathe in some oxygen.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Yan Yu played along seriously, ¡°If breathing in the fresh oxygen from the scenic area still doesn¡¯t help me recover, then let Miss Chen lead you guys into battle.¡±

    ¡°Stop talking nonsense!¡± Lin Ning finally couldn¡¯t help but shout, ¡°If the leader isn¡¯t participating, we might as well give up right now!¡±

    Upon arriving inside Longquan Mountain, the military blockade was clearly much more organized and thorough compared to the previous Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm.

    At the entrance of the scenic area, large signs had been erected, printed with oversized fonts stating that ¡°a landslide occurred inside¡± and ¡°it is temporarily closed and not open to the public.¡± Several tourists were taking pictures at the entrance of the scenic area.

    They switched to taking a helicopter nearby to enter the mountains, and soon, they could see the camp set up by the military.

    The entrance to the Secret Realm this time was near a winding mountain road, even deeper in was the Wushi Forest Farm.

    At this moment, the road had been cut off by the military, and tents of various sizes were set up, resembling a temporary command center on the front lines of a battlefield.

    In a clearing where the trees had been cleared, the helicopter slowly descended.

    After Yan Yu and the others got off the plane, he let the girls sit in a nearby tent while he followed the military officer in charge to inspect the entrance to the Secret Realm.

    The entrance to the Secret Realm was in the woods beside the road, with purple void scars snarling and dancing, as if they possessed the magic to twist space¡ªin fact, they seemed to, because the trees around had all been snapped, and the breaks didn¡¯t look like they were cut with sharp tools, but rather as if they were violently twisted by an external force.

    ¡°According to the intelligence, if the cultivators enter the Secret Realm through the entrance in different groups, they will appear at random locations within the Secret Realm,¡± Captain Zhang explained, ¡°So, we haven¡¯t gone in to explore. It would be quite troublesome to rescue if we lost contact once inside.¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°Leave it to us.¡±

    In fact, the locations where personnel were teleported after entering the Secret Realm in different batches were not entirely randomly chosen, but selected sequentially from several fixed positions¡ªset by the master of the Secret Realm. So, it was common to immediately experience a very warm welcome from someone with ill intent right upon entering.

    But speaking of which, what exactly is the Secret Realm here in Longquan Mountain again?

    I only remember that it should be related to swords¡­ right, I think?

    After recalling for a while and confirming that he didn¡¯t have much memory related to this Secret Realm, Yan Yu turned and left with Captain Zhang.

    It doesn¡¯t matter, we¡¯ll know once Li Zhaojiang and his team arrive and we go inside.

    Around 1:30 in the afternoon, the Annan Army team finally arrived here.

    As Li Zhaojiang and his men entered the tent, they saw four girls gathered around playing cards, with Yan Yu boredly playing with his phone on the side.

    ¡°Yan Yu, hurry up and bring your people out!¡± Li Zhaojiang shouted arrogantly, ¡°Let¡¯s beat you guys quickly. We still need to rush back to the King¡¯s Mansion for dinner!¡±

    ¡°Ah, Minghu has arrived.¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t even look at him, his gaze falling on Li Minghu who was behind him. He casually pulled a chair beside him and said with a smile, ¡°You must be tired from the trip, why not sit down and rest a bit?¡±

    ¡°Get lost!¡± Li Zhaojiang hurriedly snatched the chair and wiped it a few times with a napkin, then turned and courteously said, ¡°Sis, please sit.¡±

    Li Minghu sat down with a wry smile, and Li Zhaojiang started to press again:

    ¡°Yan Yu, don¡¯t you have any manners? We¡¯ve come from afar, and you only offer one chair?¡±

    ¡°The chairs are outside, help yourself,¡± Yan Yu pointed casually outside.

    After thinking carefully, Li Zhaojiang realized this temporary camp was set up by the military, not by Yan Yu, so indeed he couldn¡¯t demand chairs from him, so he led the others outside to fetch chairs.

    ¡°Are you really okay?¡± Yan Yu asked Li Minghu again.

    The Valkyrie¡¯s attire for combat this time was a sports shirt on top, sports pants on the bottom, and sports shoes on her feet¡ªa standard outdoor trio. She probably wore it to exercise her cardiopulmonary function, usually worn for running, and then this time, news of the Secret Realm came suddenly, and she was called to the airport to board a plane while still halfway through her run.

    ¡°No problem,¡± Li Minghu covered her mouth and coughed softly, ¡°Cough! Cough!¡­ My coughing has actually decreased a lot recently.¡±

    ¡°If you can¡¯t hold on, remember to say so in time,¡± Yan Yu looked at her with concern and advised, ¡°A momentary win or loss is a small matter, but your health is of great importance.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Li Minghu said softly with a smile, ¡°We still have to fight for the win or loss. I¡¯ll try my best to take care of my health.¡±

    As the two made polite conversation, the four girls playing Dou Dizhu (Landlord) had lost all interest in their card game. They used their cards as a cover, stealing glances at the Lingnan girl talking to Yan Yu.

    With fair and smooth skin, dense, slightly curly long hair, and speaking with gentle words, even her occasional dry cough, loud without phlegm, seemed to invoke even more pity. Even Zhao Yuanzhen, who was quite picky about looks and figure, had to admit that Li Minghu was indeed quite charming.

    So, what exactly is her relationship with Team Leader Yan Yu?!!

 Chapter 88: 87 Valkyrie Surely Wont Be Fooled (9/10)

    Chapter 88: Chapter 87 Valkyrie Surely Won¡¯t Be Fooled (9/10)

    Once Li Zhaojiang and the others brought chairs in, everyone sat there eyeing each other, and they suddenly had nothing to say.

    The four girls on Yan Yu¡¯s side were each more beautiful than the last. Aside from Li Minghu on Li Zhaojiang¡¯s side, all were young male college students with robust vitality. They had no problem talking tough, but to do so with pretty girls they¡¯d just met, needlessly losing their good impression of them, wouldn¡¯t make them look impressive but rather like they were having a fit of hysterics.

    But if they didn¡¯t talk tough, what should they say? After all, the other side was their competition in the upcoming contest. Being too friendly could easily be mistaken for sucking up.

    Nobody wanted to be a brown-noser, nor a Sigma male, so they simply kept silent, crossed their arms, and tried to look like cool, aloof guys.

    Li Zhaojiang also sensed that the atmosphere was a bit off. That Yan Yu was truly devious, having assembled a team of four beautiful girls, while his own team was all guys. The battle hadn¡¯t even started, and they were already at a disadvantage in terms of morale.

    When they entered the Mysterious Realm later, he hoped his teeming teammates wouldn¡¯t start thinking, ¡°I can¡¯t hit a beautiful girl,¡± and sneakily go easy on them without telling him!

    ¡°Nice one, Yan Yu,¡± Li Zhaojiang decided to call out his sinister intentions with a sneer, ¡°A beauty trap, huh? You think we¡¯ll fall for that?¡±

    ¡°Nicely said,¡± Yan Yu responded coolly, ¡°Just for that comment, you¡¯re bound to be defeated by these beauties.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that now,¡± Li Minghu quickly signaled her brother to shut up. After all, it wasn¡¯t fair to label them as mere showpieces just because they were attractive, right?

    She stood up and said with a smile:

    ¡°This is your home field, so you go into the Secret Realm first. We¡¯ll follow afterwards.¡±

    According to military experiments with Secret Realms, it has been confirmed that if different groups enter at different times, they are randomly transported to different starting points (the ¡°entrances¡± designed by the master of the Secret Realm). The interval for determining different groups is about 1-2 minutes. To be safe, if they enter 3 minutes apart, they will certainly be considered different groups.

    Of course, 3 minutes is ample time for the team that enters first to get familiar with the terrain, or even to readjust their tactics.

    So, although it¡¯s not an official rule, the four major military regions have a mutual agreement: the visiting team, coming to compete on someone else¡¯s territory (equivalent to raiding their resources), consciously waits 3 minutes behind the home team before entering the Secret Realm.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t play coy and decline, but gathered the girls and headed outside the tent.

    Once everyone left the tent, Lin Ning finally huffed:

    ¡°What beauty trap! Why are there always people like this? Just because you¡¯re a little prettier, they assume all your success is due to your looks!¡±

    ¡°Well said,¡± Yan Yu spoke calmly, ¡°So, you have to fight well next. Otherwise, if by any chance we lose, we won¡¯t be able to clear things up with them afterward.¡±

    ¡°I will definitely win this time!¡± Lin Ning pumped her fists, her fighting spirit high.

    Chen Lingyun thoughtfully wondered if Yan Yu was deliberately cultivating Lin Ning¡¯s competitive spirit, harboring some far-reaching and unspeakable plan. Or was it because¡­that was his particular fetish?

    Well, she¡¯d keep an eye on that going forward~

    The teams arrived near the entrance to the Secret Realm, where the medical teams accompanying each side were already in place and on standby.

    Once in the Secret Realm, the military¡¯s medical teams wouldn¡¯t directly intervene in the team battles but would wait on the periphery¡ªuntil the victor was decided, and then they¡¯d go treat the injured from their own team.

    Of course, beyond preventing unnecessary casualties, these people might also serve as ¡°monitors¡± for the military. For example, to ensure the winning team goes to refine and control the central hub, to prevent deliberate damage to the Secret Realm, or to prevent any items from being taken or hidden¡­ Although the military hadn¡¯t confirmed this, some things don¡¯t need to be stated explicitly, as long as everyone understands.

    The person in charge of the Zhendong Army¡¯s medical team was a lady in her forties named Lou, wearing glasses and with a no-nonsense demeanor¡ªChen Lingyun had confided to Yan Yu that this woman was actually one of her father¡¯s people, and by extension, hers, and thus could be trusted.

    Yan Yu nodded at her, then led the team into the Secret Realm.

    As soon as Yan Yu¡¯s team stepped into the Secret Realm, the Annan Army¡¯s medical team took out a stopwatch to begin timing.

    Countdown: 3 minutes.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    After entering the Secret Realm, Yan Yu quickly surveyed the surroundings.

    The area of Longquan Mountain Secret Realm wasn¡¯t large; it was one of those small Secret Realms where you could see the boundary at a glance, probably not even a quarter the size of the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm. The perimeter was made up of steep, towering mountains, and trying to fly over them would encounter spatial air walls.

    In the central valley surrounded by mountains, there were countless broken swords stabbed into the ground.

    There were no trees, just a large number of Flying Swords. Most of them were damaged, chipped, or worn, as if they had been through fierce battles, with both blade and hilt battered and punctured.

    Amidst the multitude of broken swords was a small stream running through the valley and a thatched cottage beside the stream.

    As the team entered the Secret Realm, the Annan Army started timing them. After three minutes, Li Zhaojiang and the others would enter the Secret Realm. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Consequently, Yan Yu didn¡¯t hesitate and quickly gave the order through the channel:

    ¡°Head towards the cottage, go!¡±

    The team swiftly activated their Shifting Technique, bypassing the surrounding forest of broken swords, rushing toward the direction of the cottage.

    ¡°`

    The environment of this mysterious realm was a valley in the mountains, a flat expanse with the only high ground being a thatched hut. When everyone arrived at this building, they saw a stone stele standing next to the hut¡¯s door.

    There was no writing on the stele, only countless intersecting sword marks. However, if one concentrated on it, four characters would quickly emerge in one¡¯s mind:

    Secluded Cottage.

    ¡°Do we go in?¡± Lin Ning pointed to the entrance of the thatched cottage.

    The control center should be inside, but it was unlikely that there was no guardian watching over it.

    Considering the short three-minute interval between the two teams entering the mysterious realm, if they entered the cottage and alerted the ¡°guardian,¡± and did not manage to deal with them before Li Zhaojiang¡¯s team arrived, they would find themselves in a difficult predicament.

    ¡°No.¡± Yan Yu quickly glanced around and said, ¡°Ling Yun, the roof.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Chen Lingyun employed the Cloud Ascension Technique and swiftly leaped onto the roof, reaching the highest point in the entire mysterious realm.

    ¡°Tactics.¡± Yan Yu continued speaking.

    Chen Lingyun quickly surveyed her surroundings and said:

    ¡°Yun Jin, come to my side.¡±

    Su Yunjin immediately ascended to the roof and stood beside Chen Lingyun.

    ¡°Sister Zhao, guard the door.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen positioned herself by the door of the cottage without attracting attention.

    ¡°Ningning, the stele.¡±

    Lin Ning quickly moved to the side of the stele and, together with Zhao Yuanzhen, guarded the entrance of the cottage from both sides.

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± Chen Lingyun paused for a moment, ¡°behind the house.¡±

    At Chen Lingyun¡¯s words, Yan Yu gave a slight start before quickly running to the back of the cottage, disappearing from everyone¡¯s view.

    He understood what tactics Chen Lingyun intended to use.

    With Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin on the roof, they could comfortably use the Impact Curse to shoot at a distance, not needing to worry about their line of sight being obstructed by various oblique Flying Swords.

    With Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen standing below, it would seem as if they were guarding the main entrance of the cottage. So, if Li Zhaojiang¡¯s team were to teleport in and notice two people on the roof shooting and two guarding the door, with the vital Yan Yu nowhere to be seen, what would they think?

    They would most likely conclude that Yan Yu had already dashed into the cottage at the center of the mysterious realm, trying to deal with the guardian by himself or even secretly refining the control center.

    In that case, if they decided to use their numerical advantage to quickly eliminate the four outside the cottage, Yan Yu could, depending on the situation on the battlefield, suddenly enter from any direction and give Li Zhaojiang¡¯s team a little surprise attack.

    Of course, if the opponents were more aggressive and also sent people into the cottage, possibly alerting the guardian, then that would be very advantageous for Yan Yu¡¯s side.

    However, this ambush strategy had a flaw, due to the mysterious realm¡¯s random teleportation mechanism, you did not know where Li Zhaojiang¡¯s team would appear.

    If they came from the direction facing the main entrance of the cottage, and could not see Yan Yu hiding at the back, then this tactic could work; but what if the teleportation spot was behind the cottage?

    If they entered and the first thing they did not see was Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen, but Yan Yu instead¡­ then they would have to adjust their tactics, and it would depend on whether Chen Lingyun¡¯s quick thinking was sufficient.

    Princess, it¡¯s up to you!

    Yan Yu silently counted seconds in his heart, and when he felt it was about the right time, he suddenly heard Chen Lingyun say in the channel:

    ¡°Coming from 2 o¡¯clock direction.¡±

    Good, they¡¯re coming from the front!

    Yan Yu sneered internally, remaining hidden at the back, biding his time.

    Meanwhile, Li Zhaojiang and his team entered the mysterious realm and, with a sweeping glance over the flat valley, immediately noticed the cottage at the center and the four girls guarding it.

    Where was Yan Yu?

    ¡°Where is Yan Yu?!¡± Li Zhaojiang was instantly alarmed.

    Could this guy have already entered the cottage, taking on the guardian in a one-on-one fight?

    No, surely he hadn¡¯t already defeated the guardian and begun refining the control center?

    ¡°Don¡¯t panic.¡± Li Minghu said calmly, ¡°Refining the center in 3 minutes is definitely not enough time.¡±

    ¡°Xingyuan, you circle around and check behind the house.¡±

    ¡°`

 Chapter 89: 88 Valkyrie Draws Her Sword! (10/10)

    Chapter 89: Chapter 88 Valkyrie Draws Her Sword! (10/10)

    Seeing Yan Yu missing, the opponents managed to keep their composure and dispatched someone to scout behind the house, which inevitably caused some panic among the girls.

    Fortunately, the distance was quite far, so there was no need to worry about their facial expressions being discovered; they all just waited for Chen Lingyun to adjust their tactics.

    Chen Lingyun, however, was composed as she asked over the channel:

    ¡°Tao Xingyuan is circling from the right for reconnaissance. Yan Yu, can you hide?¡±

    Without any hesitation, Yan Yu replied, ¡°I can.¡±

    Similarly, there were no trees behind the thatched cottage, but there was a small sword-casting workshop with a forge for melting metal, an anvil for shaping sword blanks, and a water trough for quenching.

    The water trough was low and shallow, and the anvil was small, neither large enough to conceal a grown man,

    The forge was built against the wall, offering few blind spots to hide in. The interior space was estimated to be sufficient, but the entrance was also narrow, at most allowing an adult to fit an arm through.

    After observing the inside of the forge from the entrance for a moment, Yan Yu then moved to the outer wall and quickly cast the Wall-Penetration Technique, his entire body swiftly ¡°melding¡± into the furnace wall.

    Su Yunjin, who was watching from the rooftop, was secretly shocked but then breathed a sigh of relief.

    How could I forget the Wall-Penetration Technique!

    ¡°Yun Jin, Impact Curse,¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly commanded.

    Tao Xingyuan had already circled to the side of the cottage and saw the anvil, water trough, and forge there.

    From the side, Tao Xingyuan couldn¡¯t see behind the forge due to the blind spot, so he continued to approach using the Shifting Technique, while Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin aimed their Impact Curse from the rooftop, attempting to hit him.

    Seeing the two girls raise their hands, Tao Xingyuan was already on guard. He quickly dispelled the Shifting Technique and switched to the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse, starting to run physically with his legs apart.

    The Impact Curse hit his body, utterly failing to break through his defenses, but the consumption of True Yuan by the Barrier Charm wasn¡¯t small either. Exchanging in such a way was definitely advantageous for the girls. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Enduring the shooting of the Impact Curse and the consumption of the Barrier Charm, Tao Xingyuan ran diagonally to the direct back of the thatched cottage at high speed. Confirming that no one was hiding on the other side of the forge, he didn¡¯t hesitate to turn around and leave, while reporting the reconnaissance situation in the team channel.

    ¡°Could he be hiding in the water trough?¡± Li Minghu asked.

    ¡°The water trough isn¡¯t tall enough to hide a person.¡± Tao Xingyuan quickly replied, ¡°The forge entry is small, not even a child could crawl through, and I¡¯ve checked the blind spots on both sides too.¡±

    ¡°It looks like he must have really gone into the thatched cottage,¡± Li Zhaojiang quickly inferred, ¡°Sister, shall we attack now?¡±

    Attacking now had two meanings: one was to make use of their numerical advantage to deal with the four girls outside; the other was to send people to rush in and cooperate with the goalkeeper to pincer Yan Yu, or to prevent Yan Yu from refining the core.

    Li Minghu pondered, still feeling something was off: what if they recklessly entered and got entangled with an unknown goalkeeper inside the cottage? The four teammates left outside might not withstand the assaults of the Annan Army cultivators¡ªif I were Yan Yu, I certainly wouldn¡¯t make such a foolish move.

    But since the Wall-Penetration Technique was used so infrequently, she hadn¡¯t actually seen the forge, and she couldn¡¯t think of that at the moment. She simply decided:

    ¡°I will go back and have another look. Zhaojiang, you lead the team to attack the front.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Li Zhaojiang nodded and said, ¡°Jiang Hong, Haoran, you two go attack Lin Ning; Xingyuan, follow me against Zhao Jiuzhen.¡±

    Following Li Zhaojiang¡¯s command, the team quickly split into three.

    Li Minghu circled to the back, Jiang Hong took Wang Haoran on a diagonal path from the right, aiming for Lin Ning near the stele; Li Zhaojiang, on the other hand, charged directly at Zhao Yuanzhen on the left with Tao Xingyuan using the Shifting Technique.

    From the rooftop, Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin once again fired the Impact Curse, only to see the opposing forces suddenly come to a screeching halt to dodge, and then, with the Shifting Technique, accelerate once more towards them.

    Switching between two spells so quickly, although not as skillfully as Yan Yu¡¯s Team, clearly showed they had practiced this¡ªthey were much more advanced than the world line in the previous life. So to whom should this be credited?

    ¡°Lin, move left, Sister Zhao, to the right, lead them away,¡± Chen Lingyun continued to direct.

    Without a thought, Lin Ning immediately activated Shifting and dashed to the left; Zhao Yuanzhen, although inwardly cynical, did not voice any complaints and obeyed the command, rushing to the right.

    With their movements to the left and the right, the unguarded front door of the thatched cottage was directly exposed.

    Li Zhaojiang hesitated for a moment, a sudden impulse arising to have all four of us disregard everything and charge into the cottage to overpower Yan Yu.

    But Sister was still outside the house!

    Remembering this, he quickly suppressed the impulse and ordered:

    ¡°Haoran and Xingyuan, get to the rooftop. Jiang Hong, keep up the chase!¡±

    Thus, the Annan Army¡¯s four men divided their forces again, with Jiang Hong and Li Zhaojiang remaining on the ground, continuing to pursue Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen, who were using hit-and-run tactics.

    Wang Haoran and Tao Xingyuan, however, used the Cloud Ascension Technique to head for Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin on the rooftop.

    Hitting halfway up, the oncoming Impact Curse was already shooting towards the two men from the rooftop.

    Seeing the situation was bad, both Wang and Tao tried to dodge, as the Impact Curse was aimed at their chests, and without any True Yuan suppression bracelets, getting hit would not be a question of whether they could withstand it but more of how many ribs would break.

    They urgently interrupted the Cloud Ascension Technique and immediately switched to the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse, barely blocking two Impact Curses aimed at their chests.

    But without the support of the Cloud Ascension Technique, their bodies were soon pulled down by gravity again.

    ¡°This won¡¯t do,¡± Wang Haoran landed on the ground and immediately said.

    There¡¯s no way we can get up on the roof now. The moment you activate the Cloud Ascension Technique, they¡¯ll hit you with the Impact Curse. If you get hit, you¡¯ll cough up blood. What can you do when you¡¯re in midair?

    You can¡¯t just keep the Barrier Charm on the whole time and climb up with your body alone, can you? Even if you have the skills to climb, when you¡¯re about to reach the roof, they¡¯ll activate the Curved Curse and kick you. How are you going to dodge that?

    Tao Xingyuan also had quick wits, reminding him:

    ¡°Impact Curse!¡±

    If we can¡¯t get up there, then let¡¯s exchange Impact Curses on the ground, competing with them in reaction speed and accuracy!

    Wang Haoran also realized this, and both of them waited for the right moment to suddenly switch from the Barrier Charm to the Impact Curse. The metallic sharpness of the curse tore through the air, hurtling towards Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin.

    But Chen Lingyun was already prepared, and with a slight smile, pulled Su Yunjin down to crouch.

    The thatched cottage roof bulged in the center, sloping on both sides, with eaves at the edges. By crouching down like that, they perfectly avoided being hit by ducking behind the sloped surface of the roof.

    Now Tao Xingyuan was also at a loss. He couldn¡¯t get close to the roof to fight, and Impact Curse exchanges were useless since the enemy had cover. It seemed the only option might be to use the Flame Curse to blast them.

    However, the Flame Curse had a delay, about half a second. Directly casting the Flame Curse wouldn¡¯t work unless the opponent couldn¡¯t see or dodge, so hitting them was still difficult.

    As the two hesitated, they heard Li Zhaojiang speak through the channel:

    ¡°Xingyuan, Haoran, come back.¡±

    Although Li Zhaojiang was chasing Zhao Yuanzhen, he could still hear the conversation between the two in the channel. Confronting someone with a high ground advantage was indeed tricky, so it was better to quickly come over and surround and kill the two who were running wild.

    Receiving the message, Tao Xingyuan and Wang Haoran immediately dropped the issue of the roof and split up to encircle Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen, occasionally using the Impact Curse to force their opponents to change direction.

    Just then, a pained cry suddenly came from behind the house.

    When the cry reached him, Li Zhaojiang was instantly alarmed:

    Oh no! My sister is still over there!

    Going back a short while, let¡¯s talk about Li Minghu, who had initially broken away from the group, taking a detour to circle around to the back of the house.

    She was very astute, always keeping a safe distance from the roof¡ªenough to comfortably dodge an Impact Curse on the side.

    Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t switch her fire to her, simply keeping a watchful eye on her using her peripheral vision.

    Li Minghu wandered in the distance, observing, and found that as Tao Xingyuan had said, the anvil was too small, and the trough was short and shallow; it was impossible for anyone to be hiding inside.

    The furnace stood against the wall, equally without any hiding spots, and the entrance was very narrow; sword molds could be sent in, but it was impossible for a person to fit through.

    Could it be that I was wrong? Did he already rush into the thatched cottage?

    At that moment, Wang and Tao had started their attack on the roof, and Chen Lingyun pulled Su Yunjin down to crouch. Li Minghu no longer hesitated, and using the Shifting Technique, she dashed to the furnace side, then activated the Cloud Ascension Technique to fly towards the roof, planning to coordinate with her teammates on the other side for a pincer attack.

    Halfway through her Cloud Ascension Technique ascent, Chen Lingyun still didn¡¯t turn around. Li Minghu had a bad feeling, and from the corner of her eye, she saw the furnace below. She instantly interrupted her ascent and switched to the Curved Curse, twisting her body in midair to deliver a forceful downward chop with her leg, like a battle-ax slamming down.

    Right below her, Yan Yu quietly emerged from the furnace using the Wall-Penetration Technique and switched to the Cloud Ascension Technique, hoping to sneak attack her. He didn¡¯t expect Li Minghu to react so suddenly, nor did he anticipate her counterattack.

    Ouch, not bad, huh?

    Yan Yu immediately switched to the Wood Bending Charm, with quick reflexes, his right hand shot out like a striking snake, and caught Li Minghu¡¯s descending ankle, forcefully tugging downward.

    Caught by the ankle midair, and with the added force from the Curved Curse, even Li Minghu with all her skills couldn¡¯t react in time. Her body was violently thrown to the ground, causing her to cry out in pain.

    Yan Yu landed steadily not far away, crossing his arms but not rushing to attack, instead, he asked with concern:

    ¡°How¡¯s your body? If you can¡¯t take it, you can surrender, and I¡¯ll call the medical team over.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, but I can still fight,¡± Li Minghu struggled to stand up, coughed painfully a couple of times, and grabbed the sword hilt nearby. She gritted her teeth and pulled the broken sword from the ground.

    Yan Yu was immediately filled with respect.

    Li Minghu held the sword with both hands, assuming a stance ready to charge.

    Although her actions showed no sign of swordsmanship experience,

    her silent, resolute demeanor, unwavering in the face of battle, seemed to overlap subtly in Yan Yu¡¯s memory with that of the Valkyrie from his past life, the one who alone, with sword in hand, stood before the Cultivators¡¯ Allied Forces of the Indochina Peninsula.

 Chapter 90: 89 Valkyrie Loses

    Chapter 90: Chapter 89 Valkyrie Loses

    Li Minghu gripped his sword with both hands, his center of gravity sinking slightly.

    The broken sword tip pointed diagonally, his body seemingly frozen in place, yet tensed like a spring coiled to its limit.

    His eyes remained unblinking, even his trembling eyelashes appeared completely frozen, with only Yan Yu¡¯s figure reflected in his pupils.

    Yan Yu pondered briefly, then stretched out his right hand and grabbed the hilt of the sword beside him.

    Draw the sword.

    All these Flying Swords were defective, their spirits completely worn away, incapable of being stimulated even with Sword Control Technique, but their material was unquestionable, far surpassing ordinary iron in hardness and toughness, easily capable of blocking an Impact Curse¡¯s assault.

    He held the sword in one hand, his body slightly turned, as he infused his right arm with the Curved Curse, assuming a combat-ready stance.

    For a moment, the two faced each other, only to hear the anxious shouts of Li Zhaojiang from afar:

    ¡°Sister!¡± S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu¡¯s gaze shifted slightly, as if to ascertain Li Zhaojiang¡¯s position.

    In that instant, Li Minghu stepped forward, swinging his broken sword down like a storm!

    Although he lacked experience in actual sword fights, the strike was both quick and fierce under the enhancement of the Curved Curse.

    Yan Yu parried with a backhanded lift of his sword. Blades collided, sparking a shower of sparks and emitting a dull, irate sound, before forcefully repelling each other.

    Li Minghu, already weak, attacked with injuries and was forced to step back by the recoil on her arm.

    Yan Yu immediately pressed his advantage, his broken sword falling like torrential rain, his attacks as dense as the biting of tigers and leopards, and his force as savage as an Asura wielding a blade. Yet whenever it seemed Li Minghu was utterly exhausted and defeated, she would somehow muster a bit more strength from her body to barely block his advances with her sword.

    This girl¡­ had no skill or experience to speak of, she was purely defending on instinct and talent.

    Although Yan Yu did not hold back in his offense, he couldn¡¯t help but feel admiration. A talent like hers, a will surpassing others, along with her willingness to work hard¡ªif not plagued by illness, even the Lord Master Liu Longtao might not be her match.

    Tsk, what a pity.

    Li Zhaojiang, hearing the noise, hurriedly dropped Zhao Yuanzhen and rushed over, only to see his older sister being battered by Yan Yu like a willow in the wind, teetering on the brink of collapse, as if her falling dead the next second wouldn¡¯t be surprising.

    How could this brother with sister complex remain restrained? Immediately discarding thoughts of team and victory, he launched an Impact Curse straight at Yan Yu (who dodged by tilting his head) and swiftly shifted to a Shifting Technique toward him.

    Before he could reach Yan Yu, he took an Impact Curse to the back, delivered by Chen Lingyun who seized the opportunity from the rooftop, swiftly striking and knocking the frantic Li Zhaojiang to the ground.

    ¡°Sister Zhao, make your move,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smiley expression.

    With Li Zhaojiang suddenly leaving the battlefield, only Tao Xingyuan was left chasing Zhao Yuanzhen. How could he withstand the Demonic Sect Enchantress?

    Hearing that she finally didn¡¯t need to run anymore and could engage, Zhao Yuanzhen immediately pounced like a hound let out of its cage, halting and spinning mid-run, turning to attack Tao Xingyuan.

    Tao Xingyuan was naturally unafraid, activating the Wood Bending Charm and assuming a close-quarters combat stance.

    I can¡¯t beat Yan Yu, but could I possibly not beat you, a girl?

    How could he know that the girl across from him, who seemed to have an ample bust and long legs, was actually a Demonic Sect Enchantress from another world with a rich experience in lethal combat? After a few exchanges, Tao Xingyuan was caught off guard by a weakness and took a fierce palm strike to the abdomen, which made him vomit everything he had eaten for lunch.

    Zhao Yuanzhen herself jumped at the sight of him falling to the ground in pain.

    She was adept at killing, not so much at pulling punches. Although she had instantly held back her blow the moment she attacked, it was unclear if she had restrained herself sufficiently.

    If this unlucky kid died because of my palm strike, leading to the court opening an investigation, conducting a thorough inquiry, and discovering issues with my identity, resulting in that vile woman Mei Yingxue being summoned, what then would I do?

    Wait, don¡¯t panic! There¡¯s a medical team outside!

    ¡°As long as we end the fight quickly and have them come over to help the injured, we¡¯ll be good!¡±

    With this thought, Zhao Yuanzhen roared and charged towards Jiang Hong and Wang Haoran, who were pursuing Lin Ning on the side.

    Jiang Hong and Wang Haoran were also stunned. Initially, a two-on-one situation had been a sure win; they only needed to handle the Impact Curse attacks from the rooftop and the occasional retaliation from Lin Ning in front. Who could have expected that the other battlefront their captain was responsible for would collapse in the blink of an eye?

    Lin Ning had already turned to counter-attack, and Zhao Yuanzhen had arrived from one side with Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin beginning to unleash attacks at full speed. The barrage of Impact Curses poured in without concern for their True Yuan expenditure. They were now facing a two-versus-four situation, with two close-combatants and two long-range attackers. The scales of victory had completely tipped over¡­ They were out of options!

    Jiang Hong thought that if he was going to die, he might as well take someone with him. He activated the Wood Bending Charm and dashed towards Lin Ning, who had turned to attack.

    The two hadn¡¯t even clashed before he was struck from behind and knocked down by an Impact Curse sneak attack from Chen Lingyun.

    Wang Haoran immediately learned from the lesson. His Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse was constantly activated; the Impact Curses from Su Yunjin kept hitting him but were essentially painless and had no effect.

    But what could he do when Zhao Yuanzhen closed in on him?

    The Barrier Charm couldn¡¯t be stopped; otherwise, he would be brought down by the Impact Curse on the spot. But if he didn¡¯t stop the Barrier Charm, how could he deal with the Curved Curse from Zhao Yuanzhen?

    Even Yan Yu, hailed as ¡°the strongest of this age,¡± if faced with such a brutal situation of being attacked from both close and long range, would have to forcefully keep the Barrier Charm active and use his legs to run, trying to find a window between the barrage of Impact Curses to activate the Shifting Technique and escape.

    Wang Haoran naturally lacked such ability. He was swiftly knocked down by a punch from Zhao Yuanzhen.

    Su Yunjin on the rooftop finally let out a sigh of relief, only to realize that those few seconds of reckless Impact Curse shooting used up more than eight or nine times her True Yuan than the previous few minutes¡ªsuch a ¡°firepower suppression¡± tactic obviously shouldn¡¯t be used lightly, or she would be rendered useless once the True Yuan was depleted.

    Looking behind the thatched cottage, Yan Yu executed three final ¡°overhead slashes,¡± smashing Li Minghu, who was blocking with his sword, forcing him to half-kneel. His body was about to topple over, but Yan Yu extended his arm to steady him.

    ¡°Alright, all your teammates have fallen,¡± said Yan Yu in a deep voice, propping Li Minghu back up and casually reinserting the broken sword into the ground, ¡°Surrender.¡±

    Li Minghu was silent for a moment. Looking at Li Zhaojiang, who was lying motionless in the distance, he threw away his own broken sword.

    It is said that the medical teams from both teams combined immediately after entering the Mysterious Realm and found a place in the distance to stay, always keeping strictly silent.

    After all, if any team had prepared any strategies that were observed by the opposing team¡¯s medical staff, who might secretly signal their own team, it would be against the rules. So both medical groups stayed together, watching each other to ensure they were all clean and compliant throughout, avoiding any disputes that might arise afterward.

    After Li Minghu surrendered by discarding his sword, Yan Yu announced in the channel, ¡°Medics to the field,¡± and only then did both medical groups quickly move out, utilizing the Shifting Technique to rush to the battlefield.

    The medical team from Zhendong Army were in good shape; they just conducted a quick examination of everyone¡¯s health and soon declared there was nothing to do.

    The Annan Army¡¯s workload was much heavier. Li Zhaojiang and Jiang Hong were both struck by the Impact Curse on their backs. Fortunately, it was only a severe soft tissue injury, and Chen Lingyun had clearly held back her strength; Tao Xingyuan and Wang Haoran fared worse, the former with a perforated stomach and the latter with fractured ribs, both courtesy of Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s handy work.

    Thanks to the strong penetrative ability of the Runescript, the medical cultivators were able to complete a ¡°subcutaneous surgery¡± without the need for incisions: they cleaned the abdominal cavity of Tao Xingyuan and repaired the stomach perforation; meanwhile, they carried out a fracture repair for Wang Haoran and stabilized his body.

    Both of them would need to rest for at least a week before undergoing a medical re-examination. Only after being confirmed fit could they rejoin their team.

    Li Minghu, who was in the worst physical condition, had not sustained much damage because Yan Yu always measured his strikes, and he was only slightly weakened by overexertion.

    After replenishing with saline, Li Minghu weakly leaned on his arm to watch his four teammates, including his brother, being taken care of by the medical team.

    ¡°This was just a simulation battle,¡± Yan Yu said, standing next to him. ¡°In a real conflict against overseas Transcendents, the defeated wouldn¡¯t have the chance to receive medical treatment. Use this time to review the issues, there¡¯s still time to make changes.¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Li Minghu replied softly.

    ¡°Next, it¡¯s time to explore the Mysterious Realm,¡± Yan Yu continued. ¡°I¡¯m a bit puzzled; this Mysterious Realm seems to have no defensive restrictions, but surely there are guards within the cottage managing the control center. Do you want to come with us?¡±

    ¡°What can I do if I go with you? Look at me now¡ªI am no longer capable of fighting,¡± Li Minghu said with a wry smile. ¡°Indeed,¡± said Yan Yu, scrutinizing her carefully. ¡°But you also have nothing to do if you stay here, right? And besides, I think that even if you don¡¯t participate in the fighting, maybe you can help us with strategy.¡±

    ¡°With Chen Lingyun around, what help could I possibly offer?¡± Li Minghu shook her head, looked at the medical cultivators tending to Li Zhaojiang, and sighed, ¡°If you really want me to come along, I can, but don¡¯t expect too much from me.¡±

 Chapter 91: 90: Earth Defeats Water (Alliance Leader Li Chengs additional )

    Chapter 91: Chapter 90: Earth Defeats Water (Alliance Leader Li Cheng¡¯s additional chapter)

    The most severely injured, Tao Xingyuan and Wang Haoran, were taken care of by the medical team and went into a deep sleep after their treatments ended.

    Li Zhaojiang and Jiang Hong were awake, though their spirits were obviously not very high.

    Of course, their low spirits were understandable.

    To put it nicely, they were ¡°defeated by Yan Yu¡¯s team,¡± but to put it unpleasantly, they were ¡°unable to beat the ladies.¡± Who could easily accept that?

    ¡°I¡¯m going to go into the thatched cottage with them for a bit,¡± Li Minghu came over and said.

    ¡°Sis?¡± Li Zhaojiang was instantly alarmed.

    What? I lost this time, and big sis wants to jump ship to another team?

    I¡­ I¡¯m going to go demonic!

    ¡°After all, we fought for this Mysterious Realm for so long, I want to see what¡¯s inside,¡± Li Minghu said diplomatically.

    She didn¡¯t say that Yan Yu had invited her to help out, to avoid Li Zhaojiang overthinking, a display of high emotional intelligence.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Li Zhaojiang thought, relieved, ¡°then you need to be careful, sis. Yan Yu, he¡¯s up to no good! After he added you as a friend last time, he never even chatted with you, obviously trying to string you along!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense,¡± Li Minghu said with a laugh.

    On the other side, Zhao Yuanzhen also began to suspect as she asked:

    ¡°Yan Yu, why did you invite that woman over?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s useful,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°What use is she?¡± The more Zhao Yuanzhen asked, the more jealous she became, continuing to probe, ¡°You couldn¡¯t possibly have developed a fancy for her, could you?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®developed a fancy¡¯?¡± Yan Yu said with dissatisfaction, ¡°Summer insects cannot speak of ice; it¡¯s pointless to explain to you, a fool.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was furious and was about to open the Book of Hatred when she heard Yan Yu add:

    ¡°By the way, aren¡¯t you very fond of making friends? Why not try to establish a relationship with her?¡±

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress was taken aback by these words and immediately started pondering.

    Could this Li Minghu also possess great potential?

    No way! I see her coughing day in, day out, clearly showing inherent defects in her physical constitution. Can such a sickly person also grow into something more?

    Humph, I won¡¯t just believe whatever you say; I will confirm it with my own eyes!

    When Li Minghu came back, she nodded at Yan Yu and suddenly noticed a certain young lady staring intently at herself.

    She gave Zhao Yuanzhen a slight nod and a gentle smile.

    Zhao Yuanzhen quickly averted her gaze, feeling as if facing a formidable enemy.

    Such an innocent smile, even I nearly let down my guard for a moment. She¡¯s definitely not some ordinary person!

    ¡°Everyone is here, let¡¯s go,¡± Yan Yu said.

    The group of six people then headed for the thatched cottage. Su Yunjin saw that Li Minghu looked pale and weak and wanted to go over to support her, but was politely declined.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me,¡± Li Minghu said with an awkward smile, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°If there¡¯s a problem, tell me at any time,¡± Su Yunjin said earnestly.

    Yan Yu led the way into the cottage, and the scene before them suddenly changed. It was spacious and bright inside, completely opposite to its outward appearance.

    Could this be¡­ the Mustard Seed Sumi Array?

    Unexpectedly, the original owner of this Mysterious Realm was also an ancient cultivator skilled in formations!

    The interior of the cottage was a large hall, also with countless Flying Swords inserted in the ground.

    However, unlike the broken swords outside, the Flying Swords here were mostly intact, each radiating its unique spiritual luster.

    At the end of the hall, a female figure in green clothes was sitting on her knees.

    That figure slowly turned around and said,

    ¡°My mother forged swords and constructed this cottage here in bygone days. You came here in search of treasure, but you must not disturb the tranquility of this place.¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly, only to hear Li Minghu remind from behind:

    ¡°She is not a real person; it seems she is just an image? Pay attention, there is no shadow on the ground.¡±

    Everyone hurriedly looked, and indeed, there was no shadow at her feet.

    Another long sigh was heard, and the green-clothed female immortal slowly stood up.

    She spun gracefully to face the crowd, her visage blurred as if veiled by a misty gauze, rendering any facial features indiscernible.

    Her left hand gently pinched in the shape of a lotus, while her right hand rose elegantly. A nearby Flying Sword suddenly sprang up, lightly floating into her grasp.

    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case,¡± the female immortal¡¯s voice became even more ethereal, yet was paradoxically crystal clear, ¡°listen well.¡±

    ¡°My mother is known as the Recluse of the Secluded Grotto. If you wish to take her treasures, you had better weigh carefully¡­¡±

    She gripped the Flying Sword in her right hand, flicking a brisk sword flower, and stated coldly:

    ¡°¡­whether you have the ability to do so!¡±

    No sooner had her words fallen, than a loud shout from Yan Yu was heard:

    ¡°Draw swords!¡±

    The ladies had not yet reacted when Yan Yu had already drawn the Immortal Sword at his feet, surging forward with the Shifting Technique.

    He closed the distance in a flash, thrusting his long sword directly at the lady in the azure dress.

    A crisp sound was heard, as the Immortal Swords in their hands collided and were subsequently pushed out of their grasp by the rebounding force.

    Yan Yu¡¯s Immortal Sword spun downward, eventually rolling to a halt at Li Minghu¡¯s feet. The azure-clad lady¡¯s sword also flew backward but stabilized after only a step or two, as if gripped by some invisible hand, then abruptly changed direction, the tip steadily pointing at Yan Yu.

    The venerable Sword Control technique of the Taoist sect Famen Zhengzong!

    The ladies had by now realized what was happening and hurriedly grabbed swords nearby, rushing to support Yan Yu.

    The azure-clad lady stood still, while the Flying Sword transformed into a stream of light, instantly aiming for Yan Yu¡¯s chest¡ªonly for him to swiftly grasp the blade, forcefully arresting its momentum.

    A gray light shrouded Yan Yu¡¯s right hand, revealing he had activated the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse. Otherwise, contact with the Flying Sword would have severed his fingers.

    Even so, the Flying Sword kept clacking in his palm, ready to break free the moment his grip slackened and thrust viciously into his body.

    Lin Ning was the quickest to react and move, dashing over with the Shifting Technique, stopping abruptly with a Wood Bending Charm in effect, extending her hand to help him grasp the sword hilt.

    Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin spread out to the left and right, quickly attacking the azure-clad lady with Impact Curses. Zhao Yuanzhen and Li Minghu closely followed up with the impact curses, brandishing their Immortal Swords as they charged forward.

    Catch the ringleader first to capture all his followers!

    Confronted by the pincer attack from various ranges, the azure-clad lady revealed not a hint of panic. Instead, she formed a Taoist hand gesture with her left hand and chanted aloud: S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°The Southern Dipper governs the sky, beckoning the stars into a river!¡±

    In that moment, from their scalps to the napes of their necks, everyone began to feel an intense tingling.

    Although none of them had yet cultivated Divine Sense, their heightened senses as cultivators immediately detected something invisibly brewing at a rapid pace¡­

    The next second, a tremendous water pressure erupted inside the room.

    Whether it was Zhao Yuanzhen, Li Minghu, Lin Ning, or those further away like Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin, they were all swept up in the sudden, forceful deluge.

    On one hand, the instinctive panic caused by suffocation set in, and on the other, the water pressure was compressing their bodies from all directions, with their eardrums being the initial victims, followed by their nasal cavities and mouths being forcibly expanded by the water¡¯s force¡­

    Yet this all quickly ceased. The turbulent currents lost control and, under the influence of gravity, swiftly plummeted and dispersed, cascading out through the gaps in the doors and the floor.

    The drowning ladies collapsed onto the ground, vomiting water profusely.

    Lin Ning was the first to rise, struggling to focus through blurred vision, and saw Yan Yu¡¯s sword had pierced the azure-clad lady¡¯s abdomen. Her figure was slowly fading away, her voice full of disbelief:

    ¡°How can this be, why¡­¡±

    ¡°A level cap below 10, yet casting a level 50 spell?¡± Yan Yu said disdainfully, pulling out the Immortal Sword, causing the lady¡¯s illusion to completely dissipate.

    Turning back around, he saw the ladies scattered about, all seemingly quite injured.

    The Zhendong Army medical team, three military cultivators who had originally followed in silence as though planning to find a corner to hide in, had unfortunately been struck as well¡­ And because they were cornered when the flood struck, they had nowhere to hide and were violently thrown against the wall, now unable to stand.

    There was no choice but to rely on my foresight.

    ¡°Su Yunjin?¡± Yan Yu asked. ¡°How are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Su Yunjin, who had been standing further away and thus sustained only minor injuries, stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll treat you all.¡±

    The ladies sat where they were, allowing Su Yunjin to check their injuries and administer treatment. After all, she had heeded Yan Yu¡¯s arrangement and seriously learned the art of ¡°Runescript Surgery¡± from the medical team. Even if she wasn¡¯t as skilled as the professionals, she was sufficient for emergency treatments and stabilizing their conditions.

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± Lin Ning spoke up weakly after recovering her spirit a little, ¡°why do you seem unharmed?¡±

    Yan Yu was standing where the azure-clad lady had knelt, examining the cushion beneath her, and replied:

    ¡°I had the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse activated at that moment.¡±

    ¡°Barrier Charm?¡± Lin Ning was surprised.

    ¡°Earth overcomes water, have you forgotten?¡±

 Chapter 92: 91 In-Class Quiz

    Chapter 92: Chapter 91 In-Class Quiz

    Yan Yu was immune to the attacks of this water-based Taoism Method, and the reason was actually multifaceted.

    The most important, of course, was the mutual conquest of the Five Elements, with earth conquering water. Coupled with the Barrier Charm¡¯s ability to resist knives and fire, it was an expected outcome that he remained unharmed.

    But while he sustained no injuries, why wasn¡¯t he swept away by the water?

    That¡¯s because at the very moment the flood appeared, he immediately activated the Curved Curse and thrust his Immortal Sword forcefully into the ground below.

    So the most advanced methods of attack often just need the simplest way to break them¡­ The key is whether the experience and awareness can keep up.

    Yan Yu studied the meditation cushion for a long time before he discovered that there was indeed no mystery hidden within it.

    The real mystery was pressed under the cushion, a delicate jade hairpin.

    This object was neither a Magic Artifact nor possessed any glow of Spiritual Energy, but its design was quite elegant, and it would definitely make a great gift for a girl.

    Yan Yu infused it with True Yuan and began to refine it.

    Having finished treating her teammates, Su Yunjin went to check on the medical team in the corner.

    ¡°My ears are still ringing,¡± Lin Ning complained to Zhao Yuanzhen.

    ¡°Direct your True Yuan to the meridians near your ears,¡± the senior Cultivator Zhao Yuanzhen began to show off, reminding everyone, ¡°Stay there for a while, and this discomfort will soon disappear.¡±

    ¡°Really?!¡± Lin Ning said incredulously, ¡°What¡¯s the principle behind this?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no particular principle,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said proudly, ¡°It¡¯s just some little clever uses of True Yuan that I¡¯ve discovered.¡±

    Yan Yu, listening nearby, was speechless. So the widely known techniques for using True Yuan in the Cultivation World are now all your own discovery over here?

    Such a plagiarist, no shame at all!

    After refining the hairpin completely, the Zhendong Army medical team, revived by Su Yunjin¡¯s treatment, heard Yan Yu say:

    ¡°It¡¯s done, I¡¯ll send everyone out.¡±

    Yan Yu teleported everyone away from the Mysterious Realm and tossed the hairpin to Ms. Lou, the head of the medical team.

    She took over the control center of the Mysterious Realm, carefully stored it, and then took her team aside to make a phone call.

    ¡°Are you staying for a meal?¡± Yan Yu asked Li Zhaojiang.

    ¡°Forget it,¡± Li Zhaojiang shook his head, ¡°Both of my teammates are severely injured, how can we eat?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Tao Xingyuan turned to look at the beautiful girls behind Yan Yu and said with a forced laugh, ¡°Actually, having a meal shouldn¡¯t be a problem¡­¡±

    ¡°Exactly, exactly,¡± Wang Haoran also chimed in, grinning mischievously, ¡°It¡¯s rare for us to get together. Captain, why not make some friends?¡±

    ¡°Tao Xingyuan, you¡¯ve got a stomach ulcer and you still want to eat?¡± Li Zhaojiang scolded irritably, ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear the medical team say you should be on a liquid diet for the next few days? And Wang Haoran, your ribs don¡¯t hurt anymore, huh? Thinking about flirting with girls again!¡±

    He turned away, waved his hand impatiently, and said:

    ¡°Let¡¯s go! No need to see us off, next time you come to our home ground, we¡¯ll host you properly!¡±

    Wang Haoran helplessly turned and followed his captain, Tao Xingyuan still wanting to say something, but Jiang Hong forcefully dragged him away.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll take my leave,¡± Li Minghu, the last to stay, said with a smile as she bid farewell to everyone, ¡°Until we meet again.¡±

    The girls all bid her farewell. Although they had only just met, both Lin Ning and Su Yunjin were quite fond of this polite and generous Lingnan girl.

    After the Annan Army team left, Chen Lingyun asked with a smile:

    ¡°Shall we play here for a day or go back to school?¡±

    ¡°Our team is a dictatorship during war, and a democracy after,¡± Yan Yu declared shamelessly, ¡°If you all want to stay, we¡¯ll stay; if no one wants to stay, we¡¯ll go back.¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Chen Lingyun looked at the other girls.

    ¡°Of course, we should play for a day,¡± said the college girls, who were of an age that loved to have fun, who would want to go back to school? As for someone like Zhao Yuanzhen, who had added points to being a ¡°foodie,¡± she was already itching to go to the local snack shops for an ¡°inspection.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go back tomorrow,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°Today¡¯s expenses will all be settled with your vice-captain.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen quickly took out her phone, started looking up local food guides on various apps, and announced loudly:

    ¡°Good! I¡¯ll arrange our next stops, you all follow me!¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    At five o¡¯clock in the afternoon, after a hearty meal, Yan Yu was accompanying the girls shopping when he suddenly received a call from Jinling.

    It was a call from Li Weiguo.

    ¡°Where are you guys?¡± Li Weiguo asked over the phone, ¡°The Mysterious Realm is dealt with, aren¡¯t you hurrying back to school?¡±

    ¡°We are shopping right now.¡± Yan Yu replied.

    There was silence on the other end for a dozen seconds before Li Weiguo¡¯s puzzled voice came through:

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    I guess even this old military leader who¡¯s been through half a life of war had never encountered a young man like Yan Yu who dared to speak such blatant truths.

    But Li Weiguo was after all an elder with rich experiences, and he quickly caught on, continuing to say:

    ¡°Alright then, there¡¯s a new task for you,¡±

    ¡°What task?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a village on your side where people have died,¡± Li Weiguo said succinctly, ¡°The first team of patrol investigators that went in to investigate also lost contact.¡±

    ¡°Is it that serious?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    ¡°The nature of the case is extremely vile.¡± Li Weiguo said seriously, ¡°When criminal investigators lose contact, it¡¯s routine to dispatch the armed forces. But if it is indeed a cultivator who has done this, the armed forces might not be their match, you understand?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°So is our task to kill them or to capture them alive?¡±

    ¡°Capture them alive if possible.¡± Li Weiguo said decisively, ¡°If they cannot be captured, then kill them.¡±

    ¡°Currently, the main force of military cultivators within Yue State¡¯s borders are on an exploration mission in the Dragon Spring Mountain Mysterious Realm. I will have them send a squad to support the scene, ensuring the safety of the armed forces personnel, but since the murderous cultivator¡¯s cultivation level and strength are uncertain, it¡¯s safer to have you handle it, understood?¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°Good, send your location to Lou Ping via your phone, and she will coordinate with the local forces to drive over and pick you up.¡±

    Once the call was over, Yan Yu pondered for a moment, then stopped the girls who were still keen on continuing their shopping spree:

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s it for today¡¯s leave, we¡¯ve been given another task.¡±

    ¡°Another Mysterious Realm?¡± Lin Ning asked in shock.

    Two Mysterious Realms in one day, even an iron man couldn¡¯t handle that!

    ¡°No.¡± Yan Yu said succinctly, ¡°It¡¯s suspected to be a civilian cultivator committing murder.¡± S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°A civilian cultivator?¡± Su Yunjin asked with furrowed brows, ¡°You mean, unofficial¡­¡±

    ¡°Someone who obtained cultivation methods from some source, illegally stepping onto the path of cultivation without authorization.¡± Yan Yu answered, ¡°It¡¯s already confirmed they¡¯re a cruel and evil person, so there¡¯s no need to worry about complication. We won¡¯t need to look for clues or investigate. Once there, find the person, eliminate them, and the task is over.¡±

    ¡°How can we not worry!¡± Lin Ning immediately retorted, ¡°That¡¯s a murderer! A murderer! And even if it¡¯s illegal cultivation,¡±

    ¡°Probably involved in some kind of evil cultivation practice.¡± Chen Lingyun said lightly, ¡°You know, like requiring a certain number of living beings for a blood sacrifice, and if the number needed is too great, they just resort to local resources.¡±

    Su Yunjin¡¯s complexion shifted slightly, obviously startled; Lin Ning also looked a bit distressed, but seeing how calm Zhao Yuanzhen, Yan Yu, and Chen Lingyun were, she didn¡¯t want to seem like a naive girl, so she reluctantly suppressed her disgust and said:

    ¡°So we are going there¡­ to eliminate a threat for the people?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Yan Yu agreed, ¡°That¡¯s the idea.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, cultivators are ultimately a military profession. We will face all sorts of enemies in the future, including demons and monsters, restricted mechanisms, and of course, living cultivators¡ªliving people.¡±

    ¡°Impact Curse, Curved Curse, Flame Curse, so many Attack Spell Techniques are all for defeating enemies faster, or even for killing them.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve studied them for so long, and practiced so many times, just think of this as a pop quiz¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t compare it to a test!¡± Lin Ning couldn¡¯t help but interrupt once more, ¡°Talk seriously about serious matters, can you?!¡±

    Strangely, after her vigorous retort, she seemed to feel less tense. Even Su Yunjin¡¯s expression eased, with a sense of wanting to laugh but forcibly holding it back.

    ¡°Alright, fine.¡± Yan Yu, seeing he had achieved his goal, was amenable and quickly corrected himself, ¡°So, we¡¯re going to eliminate a threat for the people, how about that?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re scared, you can tell me now.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the use of telling you?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, ¡°Are you saying if we¡¯re scared, we can ask for leave and not go?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Yan Yu mused for a moment, then said with a smile, ¡°But I can buy you an ice cream cone.¡±

    ¡°Do you think we¡¯re kids who¡¯d forget our worries with something sweet?¡± Lin Ning asked listlessly.

 Chapter 93: 92 Its All Yan Yus Fault

    Chapter 93: Chapter 92 It¡¯s All Yan Yu¡¯s Fault

    Atop the military transport.

    The young ladies sat in the troop compartment, each slowly enjoying an ice cream cone.

    Yan Yu, however, was holding a mobile phone, currently looking at the materials report from the Longquan Mountain Mysterious Realm.

    Since the realm itself was not very large and the terrain was simple, the first round of the search did not take too long, and results were available within half a day.

    A large number of discarded swords outside the thatched cottage, which served as study samples for cultivation materials science and casting, need not be mentioned, as the combat team did not require them.

    Inside the thatched cottage, there were many intact Immortal Swords. Since they lacked names, they were only categorized by number, with a detailed list of each sword¡¯s shape, size, color, and weight.

    As for the level and quality of the Immortal Swords themselves, it seemed current technological levels couldn¡¯t measure them in detail.

    Of course, this wasn¡¯t to say that the quality of the swords was completely unimportant, but at present, it really didn¡¯t hold much significance.

    Firstly, given the low global concentration of Spiritual Energy, the tactical advantage high-quality Immortal Swords could provide was limited and not as tangible as practicing Sword Control Techniques.

    Secondly, the Immortal Swords chosen by Chen Lingyun¡¯s combat team back then were indeed of good quality, something Yan Yu remembered clearly!

    Besides the numerous Immortal Swords, military cultivators found a hidden chamber behind the thatched cottage, containing many tomes.

    The vast majority were about the essential secrets of sword casting. Useless to individual cultivators, but of great value to the nation.

    Next were the Taoist Method tomes, including the spell used by the lady in green that could summon torrents of water out of thin air, which was remarkably listed as the ¡°Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art¡±.

    It was a strange name because ¡°galaxy¡± meant ¡°a river-like dense collection of stars¡±, yet the spell¡¯s actual effect was to summon floods¡­ If not for the fact that the incantations recorded in the tomes matched those chanted by the lady in green, it would be difficult to associate them together.

    But Yan Yu took a particular interest in this spell.

    The reason was simple: it was a pure water-element Taoist Method with effects that leaned towards containment and suppression, both of which suited Su Yunjin well.

    With his past life¡¯s extensive experience, Yan Yu very clearly understood that what mattered with spells and Immortal Swords was not their inherent power level, but rather their compatibility with the cultivator, what¡¯s commonly referred to as the degree of fit.

    If you asked the delicately minded Li Minghu to give up the Flying Sword for blunt Taoist bombardment spells or the fierce Zhou Hongyu to exchange Taoist techniques for the intricate and complex role of Servant Envoy, it wasn¡¯t entirely impossible, but how much of their true strength they could exhibit was uncertain.

    Having sent the message to Li Weiguo, earmarking the ¡°Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art¡± in advance, Yan Yu then silently began to plan.

    Lin Ning was following the Sword Immortal path, the Green Bamboo Sword was already in her possession; once she learned the Sword Control Technique, the next step was to obtain a sword technique for her.

    Su Yunjin was on the path of spell cultivation; the water-element Taoist Method ¡°Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art¡± with its spells was enough for her early use.

    Chen Lingyun was on the Servant Envoy path, but she still lacked spirit refining spells and ghosts to command¡­ Not to worry, let the wretched woman wait a bit longer, she¡¯s quite patient.

    Finally, there was himself and Zhao Yuanzhen, the two were practicing the Silken Bond Technique, playing with puppets, which was a variant within the Assistant Officer pathway.

    However, as puppets were trump cards and couldn¡¯t be revealed casually, for the time being, he¡¯d get some magical treasures for Zhao Yuanzhen to play the proper Assistant Officer role later.

    He would also get an Immortal Sword for himself to pretend to be a Sword Immortal like in his previous life, serving as a disguise for his identity.

    Lin Ning¡¯s sword technique, Chen Lingyun¡¯s Servant Envoy and spirit refining spells, Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s magical treasures, and his own Immortal Sword¡­ There was quite a list of things needed.

    Luckily, the resurgence of Spiritual Energy was progressing slowly this year and there was plenty of time left, no rush.

    He hoped that the ¡°village slaughtering culprit¡± they were about to deal with would turn out to be an illegal ghost practitioner who harvested souls for nefarious spells, just as Chen Lingyun had guessed.

    In such a case, Chen Lingyun, who planned to go down the path of using ghosts, might also obtain some suitable items.

    Yan Yu pondered deeply, and without realizing it, he began to feel drowsy. Just as he was about to close his eyes for a nap, he suddenly heard Zhao Yuanzhen beside him ask:

    ¡°Want to sleep on my lap?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Yan Yu immediately became alert.

    ¡°It looked like you wanted to sleep,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen innocently said, patting her own closed, fair, and full thighs. ¡°Isn¡¯t that what they do on TV? Knee pillows and all that¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop right there!¡± As expected, Lin Ning, the commentator, jumped out in time and anxiously explained, ¡°Sister Zhao, knee pillows can¡¯t just be given to any man. They should only be between boyfriends and girlfriends!¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen truly wanted to say, ¡°He and I are already Dao companions, isn¡¯t that like being boyfriend and girlfriend?¡± But then she thought, This little thief will surely spout some nonsense like ¡°Dao companions are not considered dating,¡± using that as an excuse to shame and demean me!

    Humh! I won¡¯t fall for that!

    When Yan Yu heard Lin Ning say ¡°boyfriends and girlfriends,¡± he also anticipated that Zhao Yuanzhen would seize the opportunity to claim her rights, and he was already prepared to ruthlessly crush her with words¡ªhe had even thought of the exact phrases to use. However, the Demonic Sect Enchantress merely uttered an ¡°Oh¡± and nothing more, leaving him feeling like he had swung a punch into the air, devoid of strength.

    Clever Demonic Sect Enchantress! She actually predicted my prediction. Her levels of cunning and deceit have indeed increased!

    I told myself, how could a simpleton who only knew about eating, drinking, and having fun be the notorious Empress Yuanzhen from a previous life?

    And now you¡¯ve accidentally revealed your true colors, haven¡¯t you? Haha! I knew you were pretending!

    Meanwhile, on the airplane back to Imperial Prince Xing¡¯s residence, Li Minghu also began to strategize and debrief the failed mission.

    Since there was no full recording, all she could do was ask each team member to describe what they had seen and then compile everyone¡¯s accounts for analysis:

    ¡°¡­which means, Yan Yu had been hiding in the furnace behind the house from the beginning to deceive and ambush us.¡±

    ¡°I missed it during the reconnaissance. That was my negligence,¡± Tao Xingyuan admitted his error openly.

    ¡°No.¡± Li Minghu shook her head, ¡°The Wall-Penetration Technique is the least used spell among the Three Arts; it¡¯s difficult for most people to think of it. I didn¡¯t consider that aspect either back then.¡±

    Her voice paused for a moment before she suddenly said:

    ¡°The main reason for our failure this time must be attributed to Zhaojiang.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Li Zhaojiang didn¡¯t shirk his responsibility, ¡°Hearing your screams behind the house threw me into confusion. I left the battlefield of my own accord, resulting in Xingyuan being unable to contend with Zhao Jiuzhen, and our position completely fell apart from that point.¡±

    ¡°Then it dragged down the other route, and in the end, the entire situation was beyond salvage,¡± Li Minghu spoke after a moment of silence, ¡°Yan Yu actually warned you beforehand, didn¡¯t he?¡±

    The team members showed surprised expressions: What? Are team leaders now sharing, before the match, ¡°I¡¯ll be using this tactic¡± with each other?

    ¡°Yes.¡± Li Zhaojiang said dejectedly, ¡°Actually, I hadn¡¯t considered that angle. But when he mentioned it, I started suspecting that he might deliberately attack you fiercely during the confrontation, to make me drop my guard. Sister, I was worried your body wouldn¡¯t hold out¡­¡±

    The team members immediately had an epiphany: That¡¯s how it is. It was a tactic targeting the deputy leader¡¯s fragile health! What a filthy strategy!

    ¡°If I couldn¡¯t hold out, I could surrender by raising my hand. You shouldn¡¯t abandon the original plan just to save me,¡± Li Minghu stated calmly, ¡°Do I look like someone who¡¯d be reckless with her own health? Or did you confuse me with Zhou Hongyu?¡±

    Zhou Hongyu from Nanchuan, known for her fiery temper, was infamous for a berserk combat style of ¡°I either kill you or get killed.¡± But, of course, the deputy leader Li Minghu wouldn¡¯t act so recklessly.

    Li Zhaojiang hung his head in dejection and said no more.

    At this point, he also realized the gravity of his mistake.

    The confrontation between Sister and Yan Yu was, after all, internal competition among the Rikoku Cultivators.

    Even if she lost, a simple surrender would have prevented any further harm.

    And judging from the outcome, the sister didn¡¯t even sustain injuries; that guy Yan Yu was clearly showing mercy!

    So why did I lose my composure in the first place? If it weren¡¯t for my rush to aid my sister, the situation wouldn¡¯t have completely collapsed.

    It¡¯s all Yan Yu¡¯s fault! That guy is cunning and deceitful. I absolutely can¡¯t let sister have any private contact with him!

    Not even on the battlefield! S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 94: 93 I am Not Invincible Either

    Chapter 94: Chapter 93 I am Not Invincible Either

    The military vehicle carrying Yan Yu¡¯s Team finally arrived at the targeted village beneath the veil of night.

    Since there were no survivors in the village, it was pitch black inside, to the extent that one couldn¡¯t see their own fingers in front of them.

    The staff of the armed forces department brought many high-powered searchlights, managing only to illuminate the roads and houses on the outskirts.

    However, what rendered Yan Yu speechless was that these people had also brought loudspeakers and sound systems, allowing negotiators to shout into the village things like, ¡°Surrender and receive leniency, resist and face severity,¡± and ¡°Confess and your sentence will be reduced, turn back and all shall be well¡±¡­

    The murderers had slaughtered the entire village, even a stay of execution would cause public outrage, and here they were, deceiving by claiming leniency for surrender? Thinking them fools to be trifled with?

    Communication is futile, only killing remains!

    ¡°You¡¯ve finally arrived.¡± The person in charge of the armed forces department rushed over to lead the way and provide a briefing upon seeing the military¡¯s arrival, ¡°Here¡¯s the situation, our drones captured footage of a person suspected to be the criminal. After comparison, we confirmed he is an old man from the village, last name Xu, 72 years old, a local who had conflicts with the village chief in the past, hence we suspect it¡¯s a personal vendetta that led to this mass killing¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Yan Yu cut him off, ¡°We can talk about the reasons later. Where was he last spotted by the drone?¡±

    In his previous life, Yan Yu had heard nearly a thousand reasons for why civilian cultivators resorted to murder and was thoroughly tired of them.

    After all, in the countryside it¡¯s often about mundane disputes, such as encroaching on your land, poaching fish from your pond, or your dog biting someone¡¯s child¡­

    But in recent years, as rural populations dwindled and young people flocked to the cities, the lack of security forces at the local level made it impossible to rely on constables to deliver justice ¡ª it takes hours just to drive from the town!

    In the village, power inevitably lay in the hands of those who had good relationships with the village head or who had more men in the family.

    Then came the era-defining shift of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, where long-oppressed villagers suddenly gained the power to disrupt the established order, and the follow-up often involved them killing their oppressors and their entire families ¡ª such incidents were far from rare and were only set to increase in the future.

    From Yan Yu¡¯s point of view, if you¡¯ve been oppressed and you kill your oppressor¡¯s entire family, of course, I understand.

    But after the deed, you must die.

    Otherwise, the Dragon Slayer becomes the dragon.

    Commoners who suddenly acquire unprecedented power and have tasted the ¡°benefits of violence¡±, if not apprehended and dealt with by the authorities in time, have an 87% chance of causing a second wave of serious incidents. Moreover, during these second incidents, there are generally no justifiable motives like revenge; the victims are mostly innocent, leaving no room for justification.

    Yan Yu had seen too much of the dark side of humanity in his past life to have any interest in the motives behind civilian cultivators¡¯ murders. However, it was different for the girls; to avoid them getting distracted with wild thoughts before battle, it was better not to hear such reasons.

    Hearing this, the person in charge of the armed forces department was taken aback, but quickly brought out a satellite scan of the village and circled an area encompassing roughly a dozen houses:

    ¡°It¡¯s here. We estimate that he¡¯s hiding somewhere in this area. But there are unidentified dangers around; the first group who went in mentioned encountering an attack before they went missing.¡±

    Yan Yu did not take the map offered to him but turned to ask:

    ¡°Chen Lingyun?¡±

    Chen Lingyun took the map and examined it closely for a moment.

    She then asked the person responsible from the armed forces department for a telescope and directed the searchlights to the indicated area, observing from a distance.

    Following her gaze, Yan Yu indeed noticed unusual movements of light and distortion marks that were indistinct from afar.

    Good, indeed it was a cultivator controlling ghostly entities.

    However, at this stage, the number of ghosts being controlled by the opponent was excessive, indicating reliance on some sort of auxiliary magical artifact.

    Could it be the Soul Summoning Banner?

    ¡°What¡¯s your take?¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly asked.

    ¡°Controlling ghosts,¡± Yan Yu responded tersely, ¡°Ghosts are semi-transparent when not attacking, making them difficult to detect on light-starved nights. The disappearance of the first group of constables after entering the village is clearly a result of being ambushed by these ghosts.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°What if we wait for the sun to come up tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°The strength of the ghosts would slightly diminish,¡± replied Yan Yu, ¡°but the reduction won¡¯t be significant. The main advantage comes from the better lighting conditions during the day, which rob ghosts of their crucial stealth, thereby significantly reducing the difficulty in dealing with them.¡±

    ¡°But we can¡¯t possibly wait all night for the sun to come up before taking action,¡± Chen Lingyun stated leisurely.

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    ¡°What forms of attack do the ghosts employ?¡±

    ¡°All kinds,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment, ¡°But civilian cultivators at this stage are mostly limited to commanding ghosts to attack physically.¡±

    ¡°Can the ghosts fly?¡±

    ¡°They can. You can think of them as possessing the Cloud Ascension Technique permanently, although they can¡¯t stray too far from their master.¡±

    ¡°How far is too far?¡±

    ¡°It depends on the level of cultivation; at this stage, I estimate the limit is around 10-20 meters.¡±

    ¡°That simplifies things,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, marking a circle on the map, ¡°One of these three houses, we choose from them.¡±

    Yan Yu wasn¡¯t surprised she could come to a conclusion so quickly. After all, despite her annoying traits, her mind was indeed useful, or else she wouldn¡¯t have secured the top spot in the Zhendong Army for so many years in her previous life.

    ¡°What about the specific tactics?¡±

    ¡°If it were up to me,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°I would just call for mortar fire nearby and blow up all three houses.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu immediately rejected the idea, ¡°What if the mortars damage their magical artifacts?¡±

    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a surprised smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s probably some kind of Soul Summoning Banner,¡± Yan Yu paused for a moment, ¡°There¡¯s an old saying, do you want to hear it?¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Every cultivator who plays with ghosts should have their own Soul Summoning Banner.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Chen Lingyun neither agreed nor disagreed, simply saying with a smile, ¡°In that case, let¡¯s change the plan.¡±

    She doodled on the map and murmured with Yan Yu for a moment before turning to call over the rest of the girls to start arranging the tactics.

    ¡°I want to ask first,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a charming smile, her voice crisp, ¡°Do we have any directionally challenged people in our team? You know, the kind that can¡¯t tell north from south, east from west, the kind that forgets left and right after being told, and who could get lost even while following a map.¡±

    The three girls looked at each other but none of them spoke.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Chen Lingyun spread the map out on the ground and explained, ¡°Our target this time is a cultivator who commands ghosts. Don¡¯t worry, they are not the kind of ghosts from movies that defy physical laws and are unsolvable; think of them as some sort of translucent thing that can be killed with curse techniques.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll add a tip: Flame Curse and Impact Curse are very effective against ghosts,¡± Yan Yu added from the side.

    ¡°Once the action starts, everyone gather here,¡± Chen Lingyun continued, ¡°Ningning, wait for my command, then immediately run along this route as fast as you can. You¡¯ll definitely be attacked along the way, so be careful to protect yourself. Finally, enter the house here.¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, the enemy will definitely mobilize its forces to chase after you once they are alerted.¡±

    ¡°Try to make good use of the narrow terrain inside the house to avoid being surrounded. If you really can¡¯t hold them off, jump out through a window at the back. I¡¯ll have Yun Jin outside to meet you.¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhao, you¡¯ll lie in ambush here and wait for my command. Then arise from this alley to kill a portion of the enemy, and leave via the opposite alley. I¡¯ll keep an eye on you the whole time and remind you of your specific moves.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re planning to lure the enemy into action, then force them to divide their forces,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was no fool and quickly understood Chen Lingyun¡¯s intentions.

    Lin Ning running around would inevitably attract the enemy to surround her. Zhao¡¯s surprise attack from halfway would change their target from one to two, and typically, they would subconsciously choose to split their forces to pursue.

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Of course, if the enemy doesn¡¯t divide their forces, then Ningning will be under more and more pressure. I give you and Yun Jin permission to retreat along this route to the edge of the village at any time if the situation feels wrong, and the military cultivators will cover your retreat.¡±

    ¡°And if the enemy all come chasing after me?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen continued to ask.

    ¡°Then they¡¯ll find they¡¯ve kicked an iron plate.¡± Chen Lingyun said beamingly.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress was very pleased with this. No matter how numerous the ghostly entities were, what harm could they do to me?

    ¡°Finally, our esteemed team leader,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°This time you¡¯ll be my bodyguard, escorting me to carry out the decapitation mission. No problems, right?¡±

    The reason for choosing a surprise decapitation was, of course, because of the Soul Summoning Banner in the enemy¡¯s hands. Otherwise, if they chose to outright destroy the artifact and then commit suicide upon finding themselves outmatched, that would be a great loss for everyone.

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll escort you,¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    ¡°Ling Yun?¡± Su Yunjin was a bit worried, ¡°Going directly, are you sure it¡¯s okay?¡±

    Chen Lingyun was not like Lin Ning, who had problems with slow reactions in the heat of the moment¡ªa fact Yan Yu had not hidden from the team.

    Now she was going to be on the front line, and it was the most dangerous decapitation mission. Could there be an accident?

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Chen Lingyun reassured her, ¡°Don¡¯t forget, we have our invincible team leader.¡±

    ¡°Invincible is a bit of an overstatement,¡± Yan Yu said seriously, ¡°At this stage, I can probably only defeat 99.99% of the cultivators in this world.¡±

    ¡°Leaving out the 0.01% makes you seem humble, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Lin Ning teased him with a roll of her eyes.

    ¡°Then how about I just go for 99%?¡± Yan Yu sighed deeply, indicating a compromise.

    ¡°There¡¯s practically no difference!¡± Lin Ning exclaimed.

    S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 95: 94 But I Will Ultimately Be Unbeatable

    Chapter 95: Chapter 94 But I Will Ultimately Be Unbeatable

    Night operations are most hindered by limited visibility.

    Ghost creatures naturally possess night vision, something humans cannot achieve, so even if the armed patrol¡¯s constabulary forces a way in, there would inevitably be significant casualties¡ªperhaps this is why the illegal cultivator dares to hold a position in the deserted village.

    But clearly, he was unaware that the nation had long begun training military cultivators.

    Lin Ning took the lead in entering the empty village, and started to sprint according to the predetermined route.

    Wearing a tactical helmet with a searchlight on her head, a casual sweep of the area revealed three or four ghost creatures charging toward her with a ferocious intent to kill.

    These ghost creatures had semi-transparent bodies, and their flying speed was nearly as fast as a human running, but they were clearly no match for a cultivator¡¯s Shifting Technique.

    With just a few light and nimble changes in direction, Lin Ning shook them all off behind her, and the tension from her initial encounter with the ghost creatures quickly dissipated.

    No, they are just ghost creatures, no different from demons! S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    After making a round according to the original route, she finally rushed into the house arranged by Chen Lingyun.

    Calling it a house was perhaps an understatement¡ªit was more of a two-story building. There wasn¡¯t much in the spacious ground floor hall, just a bare cement floor, clutter piled in the corner, and a corpse lying across the center of the hall. It seemed to be a middle-aged woman who lived here, holding bowls and chopsticks at the time of her death, with broken pieces and leftover food scattered everywhere.

    Lin Ning quickly passed over the corpse, skidding to a stop and turning around.

    The first ghost creature had already rushed in and was torn apart by her Impact Curse, letting out a piercing scream.

    Without any hesitation, Lin Ning¡¯s gaze moved beyond the shattered semi-transparent ghost, already seeing countless vengeful spirits undulating in the background, continuously charging toward the house.

    Her fists clenched tightly, her True Yuan surged swiftly from her dantian along her meridians¡ªFlame Curse!

    Flames erupted vehemently at the main entrance, indeed scaring the ghost creatures enough to keep them at bay, with not a single one daring to rush through the fire.

    The position was precise, the range just right to blockade the doorway¡ªit was a Curse Technique well cast!

    Before Lin Ning could take pride in her work, she suddenly heard the sound of breaking glass from upstairs.

    Oh no! They could come in from the second floor!

    Lin Ning wasted no time guarding the front door, hurriedly turning back and rushing to the back room, only to see ghost creatures already descending the stairs.

    The stairway was located in the center between the front and back rooms. To use the Impact Curse against the ghost creatures coming down from the second floor, she would first have to dissolve the route of the Flame Curse running through her body.

    But doing so would leave the ghost creatures at the front door unobstructed by flames, allowing them to charge in en masse.

    Sister Lin¡¯s reaction was quick¡ªshe immediately realized that holding this position meant being trapped, and she absolutely could not continue staying here!

    The back room was a kitchen setup; she swiftly moved into the kitchen, and then immediately produced another Flame Curse, blocking the kitchen¡¯s only doorway.

    The only way left for escape was through the kitchen window behind her.

    Outside, on the roof, Su Yunjin stood quietly at the edge, intently watching the window below.

    She watched Lin Ning move from the front room to the stairway, then retreat to the back room and thought that Ling Yun must have foreseen the current situation in advance, which is why she asked me to guard Lin Ning¡¯s only escape route to prevent her from being trapped in the house.

    Ling Yun¡¯s mind is truly impressive¡­ I also need to step it up and not let down her carefully designed tactics.

    Ghost creatures had already started to enter the lane below¡ªtheir intention seemed to be to encircle and kill by entering through the kitchen window.

    Yet no sooner had they entered the lane than Su Yunjin shot and killed them all with her Impact Curse.

    If one were to consider the three houses Chen Lingyun had designated as the center, at this moment Lin Ning and Su Yunjin were positioned to the north. Looking down from above, a large number of ghost creatures wandering in the village were all converging towards their position, like fish in a lake flocking to someone tossing breadcrumbs.

    Chen Lingyun and Yan Yu, stepping cautiously from the south, infiltrated quietly, only to hear her commanding over the channel:

    ¡°Alright, Sister Zhao can set off now.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s make it quick.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen had long grown impatient and, upon hearing the orders, immediately charged into the battlefield.

    She rushed in from the northeast, instantly intercepting the large number of ghost creatures that were heading towards Lin Ning and quickly engaged them in fierce combat.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Chen Lingyun climbed to the rooftop, barely able to see Zhao Yuanzhen amidst the fray, ¡°Sister Zhao, you can disengage now, stick to the route.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen immediately made a run for it. She darted into the adjacent alley, and casting a glance back, said:

    ¡°They didn¡¯t pursue.¡±

    Obviously, the necromancer behind them must have thought that Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s appearance was to alleviate the pressure on Lin Ning and the others, so he was not lured away by her feint. Instead, his resolve to quickly besiege and kill Lin Ning was strengthened.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a slight smile, ¡°Ningning can go with Yun Jin, and you all should evacuate toward the outskirts of the village.¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhao, continue along the original route; they will soon come after you.¡±

    Yan Yu followed her gaze and saw Lin Ning breaking through a window, joining Su Yunjin on the rooftop with the Cloud Ascension Technique, and the two began to retreat eastward at high speed toward the outskirts of the village.

    As they retreated, they looked back to see the rest of the specters initially in hot pursuit. But soon, as if they received an order, they suddenly turned around and stopped chasing in unison.

    Because Zhao Yuanzhen had already made an arc, approaching the three houses from the north.

    Yan Yu witnessed this and couldn¡¯t help but inwardly exclaim in admiration.

    Lin Ning and Su Yunjin were retreating to the east, leading a large number of ghosts in that direction; at that moment, Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly approached from the north, rapidly closing in on where the necromancer was hiding.

    The army of specters that entered the eastern side of the village had to hastily give up the pursuit to return and protect their master, but they couldn¡¯t get back in time to defend him. So what could the necromancer do?

    He could only use the remaining specters that were patrolling near his hiding place and swiftly send them north to intercept Zhao Yuanzhen, buying time for the returning ghostly army from the east.

    The previously omnipresent ghostly defensive line throughout the village had nearly collapsed by more than half due to Chen Lingyun¡¯s tactical movements to the east and then to the north¡ªif you look closely now, there were absolutely no specters on the south side of the hiding place; all were summoned by the cultivator to the north to block Zhao Yuanzhen!

    ¡°Shall we go?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu replied modestly with a nod.

    She couldn¡¯t praise this cunning woman¡¯s intelligence; otherwise, she would become unbearably arrogant.

    The two ran swiftly on the rooftops, their Shifting Technique so fast it was as if they were flying, and they soon arrived at the location of the three houses.

    ¡°You take left, I take right?¡± Chen Lingyun asked smilingly.

    ¡°I¡¯m the bodyguard,¡± Yan Yu declared proudly.

    ¡°All right.¡± Chen Lingyun chose the house on the right, activated the Curved Curse, and burst through the door, ¡°Ah, what luck~¡±

    Yan Yu also charged into the house and saw an old man cowering in the corner, his eyes filled with panic as he looked over.

    In his hands, he clutched a filthy banner¡ªthe kind fortune-tellers in period dramas like to hold, with the words ¡°Iron Mouth Direct¡± written on it¡ªand then, as if he had made up his mind, he began to shake it vigorously.

    The Heart Capturing Technique.

    The Heart Capturing Technique is a method used by ¡®Envoys¡¯ to sacrifice ghosts. Its effect is to initially control spirits, which can then be refined and made one¡¯s own with ease.

    But such a thing was not effective against cultivators¡­ Chen Lingyun casually stepped forward and slapped a RuneScript onto his Dantian through his clothes, completely subduing the old man.

    She then reached for the Soul Summoning Banner. The old man stubbornly refused to let go until Chen Lingyun, with the Curved Curse still active, chopped at his wrist with a hand knife, causing him to scream in agony and drop the banner.

    ¡°This needs to be cleaned,¡± Chen Lingyun remarked as she picked up the Soul Summoning Banner again, frowning at the black handprint on the pole.

    ¡°Even if it needs cleaning, it won¡¯t be you doing it. The research personnel will take care of it,¡± Yan Yu said, looking at the old man huddled in the corner, clutching his severed right hand and wailing in pain. She spoke in a low voice, ¡°He¡¯s not the first and he won¡¯t be the last.¡±

    ¡°Are you referring to the village massacre?¡± Chen Lingyun feigned ignorance and asked curiously.

    ¡°Take this necromancer as an example,¡± Yan Yu said as she left the house, exhaling a long breath of stale air.

    ¡°Casually killing a person and sacrificing their living soul into a banner results in an additional ghost under one¡¯s control. This costless method of recruiting forces brings a sense of rapid growth in one¡¯s power¡ªhow many people from the lower classes could withstand this, when most can¡¯t even give up the minor pleasure of a cigarette?¡±

    ¡°If we neglect civilian cultivators and don¡¯t manage them, the slaughter of mortals will only increase¡ªthis is my stance on illegal cultivation among civilians.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not disagreeing with you,¡± Chen Lingyun followed her out the door, saying in a light tone, ¡°But what can you do about it?¡±

    ¡°As the resurgence of spiritual energy progresses, more and more civilians will secretly enter the path of cultivation. Currently, there¡¯s no way to completely stop it.¡±

    ¡°Even pessimistically speaking, who can guarantee that the official cultivators, once they have truly grown, will always listen to the authorities in the future?¡±

    ¡°The industrial revolution bred great capitalists, forcing the nobility of the old to step off the stage. If the future belongs to cultivators, even if they are morally corrupt, insane, treat mortals like animals, or even as consumables, yet possess the power to oppose nations¡­ my dear, what can you do about it then?¡±

    ¡°I will become the strongest cultivator in this world,¡± Yan Yu stated with a cold, decisive expression, ¡°and then kill them all!¡±

 Chapter 96: 95 Awards Ceremony

    Chapter 96: Chapter 95 Awards Ceremony

    After handing over the Soul Summoning Banner and the old man to the military cultivators, Yan Yu and the others took a ride back to Longquan Prefecture.

    The journey there was sweet with ice cream and filled with laughter and cheers; the return trip, however, was dead silent¡­ not for any particular reason, it was mainly because the girls had fought in the Mysterious Realm and performed out-of-bounds duties today, and they were all a bit sleepy.

    Lin Ning leaned on Su Yunjin¡¯s shoulder with her eyes tightly closed, sleeping in a daze. Su Yunjin also rested her head against her, closing her eyes to rest. The two girls looked like a pair of orchids in spring and chrysanthemums in autumn, their auras vastly different yet each excelling in their own way.

    Chen Lingyun was playing with her phone, clearly in a very good mood¡ªthink about it, who wouldn¡¯t be happy after getting a suitable magical treasure?

    Zhao Yuanzhen sat beside her, yawning incessantly, her bored expression contrasting sharply with Chen Lingyun¡¯s pleasure.

    Yan Yu received another message, this time from instructor Qi Changping:

    You¡¯re awarded another first-class merit, and each person receives 6 million as a reward for conquering the Longquan Mountain Secret Realm.

    The Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm is used for cultivating medicinal herbs for making Immortal Pills, and is almost suitable for all cultivators, so the reward is a bit higher; the Longquan Mountain Secret Realm is mainly for sword forging, and at this stage, Sword Control Technique hasn¡¯t been developed yet, so it¡¯s understandable that the reward is relatively less.

    However, regardless, the per capita funds of Yan Yu¡¯s Team have now reached 14 million, and everyone is a millionaire!

    Yan Yu was originally thinking that after returning, he would have Chen Lingyun use her connections to move out from the school and find a house to live in outside¡­ but now he could already buy a house in Jinling in full cash¡ªhow delightful.

    First, buy a big villa!

    Having a Demonic Sect Enchantress at home means needing a good hiding place, so buying a small villa with two floors, a basement, a garden, and a swimming pool, and with over ten rooms, is quite normal, right?

    ¡°By the way, there¡¯s another thing,¡± Qi Changping continued to send messages, ¡°The second edition of the textbook is entering the final draft stage now, they want you to take a look and offer some suggestions.¡±

    ¡°The second edition of the textbook?¡± Yan Yu was stunned for a moment and then calculated the time; it seems about right¡­

    In the previous life, it should have been around the end of July or beginning of August when the Sword Control Technique started to become widely popular among Rikoku Cultivators.

    Of course, it wasn¡¯t Sword Flight, nor were there any Sword techniques or movements involved, merely the method of using True Yuan to drive the Immortal Sword for attack, using it as the regular equipment for a cultivator, similar to a soldier equipped with a military rifle.

    Now it seems that the Sword Control Technique must be printed in the second edition of the textbook, to be forcibly taught to all Rikoku Cultivators.

    ¡°Will you send it to me online, or should I wait till I get back?¡± Yan Yu texted back.

    ¡°What are you thinking? It¡¯s a confidential document.¡± Qi Changping replied, ¡°Of course, we¡¯ll talk when you get back.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The next day, the group returned to the Zhendong Cultivator¡¯s Academy in Jinling Prefecture.

    Unlike the last time when they returned in obscurity, this time the entire academy held a grand recognition ceremony for Yan Yu¡¯s Team, with all faculty and students present at the meeting.

    Clearly, the higher-ups had also realized that just giving money to the meritorious cultivators is not enough.

    Giving out several million at a time, people simply can¡¯t spend it all; eventually, it just becomes a number, completely intangible¡­ to put it bluntly, even a billion may become a small goal.

    The so-called ¡°bundling of fame and fortune¡± requires not just profit but, more importantly, fame. In this regard, Mitchi Country is the best teacher for Rikoku.

    Their Superhero League championship team is advertised as ¡°nationally adored,¡± aiming to deeply bind the elite Transcendents with the Mitchi populace.

    If one day you decide to betray your country, you would hurt those countless fans who adore you. Even if other countries could offer a higher price to poach you, could they force their own people to support you and be your loyal fans for ten years? Impossible.

    If one were to delve deeper into this matter, it actually targets everyone¡¯s psychological need to be ¡°needed and recognized¡± by society.

    No matter how ignorant Rikoku is of these principles, they still know how to copy Mitchi¡¯s homework¡­

    Standing on the stage lost in thought, Yan Yu was contemplating while the host on stage had already finished promoting the merits of Yan Yu¡¯s Team, which were:

    Fiercely claiming first place in the Four Academies Exchange Competition.

    The national first-clear of Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm.

    Two successive victories in Longquan Mountain Secret Realm.

    The students below, although not understanding what the ¡°Four Academies Exchange Competition¡± or ¡°Secret Realm¡± was, could still grasp the significance of ¡°first place,¡± ¡°national,¡± and ¡°consecutive victories,¡± and promptly joined the instructors in applauding.

    Yan Yu glanced around again with the corner of his eye. Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin both seemed indifferent. Being a woman of the Demonic Sect meant not easily showing emotions, and Secretary Su genuinely didn¡¯t care about fame or obscurity.

    Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen were much more excited. Ningning was competitive and cared about results; the Demonic Sect Enchantress merely loved to be the center of attention¡ªotherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have made a documentary to boast about herself in her previous life. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Next, please let team captain Yan Yu say a few words.¡± The host smiled at last, handing the microphone to Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu: ?

    You guys didn¡¯t notify me beforehand that I had to speak!

    He silently took the microphone, looking down at the hundred or so spectators.

    Should I just spout nonsense?

    ¡°Hello everyone, I am team captain Yan Yu.¡± Yan Yu began spouting nonsense, ¡°When I founded this team, it elicited many inexplicable doubts, such as why, except for me, my team is entirely female. Some even questioned whether I was trying to create a harem¡­¡±

    The audience immediately burst into laughter. Instructor Qi Changping kept a straight face, thinking, I seem to recall only doubting that in my mind. I didn¡¯t actually say it out loud, did I?

    ¡°Now, our team has responded to those doubters with a solid punch through our actions,¡± Yan Yu continued aloud, ¡°Our team, although composed entirely of girls aside from myself, is not just some vase team, nor a harem team. Instead, we¡¯re one of the strongest teams in the whole Lu Country!¡±

    ¡°Good!¡± The students below immediately cheered enthusiastically, especially the girls who shouted the loudest.

    ¡°In the future, we aim to remove that ¡®one of¡¯!¡± Yan Yu¡¯s voice grew louder with each word, ¡°Our goal is to be the strongest team in the whole Lu Country! Even the strongest team in the whole world! We aim to stand on the summit! To have all our enemies kneel at our feet!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, everyone!¡±

    A surge of thunderous applause rose from below. Wang Changshi, in the front row, was clapping and smiling at the commander-in-chief Li Weiguo:

    ¡°This young man Yan Yu sure talks big, huh.¡±

    ¡°Young people, you know,¡± Li Weiguo chuckled, clapping his hands, ¡°Having talent and strength, it¡¯s normal for them to be sharp and outstanding.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because you have good judgment,¡± Wang Changshi pushed up his glasses, smiling, ¡°If it were another commander-in-chief, they might not have tolerated this kid¡¯s showboating.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, Old Wang, you¡¯re flattering me again,¡± Li Weiguo was even more pleased, ¡°But it¡¯s not entirely boasting. Among the four great commanders, I may not have the greatest merits, but when it comes to being accommodating and generous¡­ they can¡¯t compare to me.¡±

    ¡°For a steed to perform, it also needs a Bole to recognize its talent,¡± Wang Changshi expressed thoughtfully.

    After Yan Yu finished speaking on stage, the host was about to take back the microphone when he passed it to vice-captain Chen Lingyun instead.

    It can¡¯t just be me performing on stage!

    ¡°Hello everyone, I am vice-captain Chen Lingyun,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile.

    ¡°Chen Lingyun, I love you!¡± Somewhere in the crowd, a male student hollered, starting a ruckus. Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t bother to look over, simply continuing with a smile, ¡°The team goals and determination have already been laid out by the captain. As the vice-captain, let me just add one thing.¡±

    ¡°Right now, we just want to focus on improving our strength. If anyone wants to pursue one of us, please first consider whether you can even compare to our team captain Yan Yu, okay?¡±

    The crowd suddenly fell silent.

    After a moment, suddenly a voice from the girls rang out:

    ¡°What if someone wants to pursue your captain?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was immediately furious, ready to snatch the microphone from the Demonic Sect Enchantress, when she saw Chen Lingyun flash a dazzling smile and reply:

    ¡°Then you would receive our captain¡¯s standard answer.¡±

    Following that, she handed the microphone to Zhao Yuanzhen.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress paused for a moment, then a wicked sense of humor welled up in her, and holding the microphone, she yelled:

    ¡°You wish!¡±

    The crowd erupted into laughter once more.

 Chapter 97: 96: Choosing a Sword

    Chapter 97: Chapter 96: Choosing a Sword

    After the award ceremony ended, Yan Yu and the girls did not leave, but instead headed to the president¡¯s office.

    They wanted to see what the second edition of the textbook, as described by Instructor Qi Changping, looked like.

    The textbook was called ¡°Professional System and Basic Tactics,¡± introducing the basic concepts of the ¡°Taoism Method, Sword, and Assistant Enforcer¡± professions, as well as methods of using Sword Control Technique.

    Speaking of Sword Control Technique, we have to mention that woman who haunted Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s dreams, both feared and despised:

    Mei Yingxue.

    The astonishing Sword Immortal Mei Yingxue, who had disappeared without a trace since she went to Pingjing, left Yan Yu with no clue what she was up to.

    Of course, from his memories of a past life, Mei Yingxue indeed vanished mysteriously in the early stages.

    It was not until the likes of Li Minghu, Zhou Hongyu, Su Yunjin¡­ these pioneer cultivators sacrificed much, and the national defense situation became increasingly dire, that she was played as a trump card by the higher-ups of Lu Country.

    Now, the puzzle that troubled Yan Yu was finally solved:

    Mei Yingxue was compiling textbooks.

    In the book ¡°Professional System and Basic Tactics,¡± the ¡°Taoism Method, Sword, and Assistant Enforcer¡± system, while factually existing in the Cultivation World, had never been systematically classified. Sword Control Technique, on the other hand, was a ¡°mandatory subject¡± that everyone knew.

    The reason was simple: Sword Control Technique had a wide range of applications, but required very little energy to activate.

    Unlike various Taoism Methods that consumed massive amounts of True Yuan, Sword Control Technique used about the same amount of True Yuan as the Metal-Element Impact Curse, but its power far surpassed that of the Impact Curse, and it was not only for offense but also for defense, extremely flexible in use.

    For example, if a tree demon hits you with its roots, or a ghost scratches you with its claws, you just need to call back your Immortal Sword to block physically¡ªsaving much more True Yuan than using an Earth-Element Sturdiness Charm.

    Of course, basic Sword Control Technique is something everyone knows. As for advanced styles and sword techniques, those are ¡°graduate subjects¡± delved into by Sword Immortals.

    Yan Yu flipped through ¡°Professional System and Basic Tactics¡± for a long time, confirming that it indeed contained just the basics of Sword Control Technique, without a trace of any advanced sword styles.

    Or to put it more accurately, Mei Yingxue had specifically eliminated all the profound and sect-related advanced sword moves from her own repertoire of sword techniques, retaining only the most basic and primal sword moves, finally compiling this textbook of Sword Control Technique suitable for novices with zero foundation, allowing all cultivators to learn with peace of mind.

    How touching, Teacher Mei! Your contributions to the educational cause of Lu Country¡¯s cultivation are too great; we will never forget you!

    After finishing his internal rant, Yan Yu made a suggestion to Li Weiguo:

    ¡°I have no objections. If I must say something, swapping these two sections around, explaining Sword Control Technique first and then introducing Taoism Method, Sword, and Assistant Enforcer later, might align better with the principle of progressing from easy to difficult.¡±

    ¡°So you mean to change the book title to ¡®Basic Tactics and Professional System¡¯?¡± Li Weiguo pondered.

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°Teaching Sword Control Technique is an urgent matter that can quickly boost the average combat power of cultivators. Taoism Method, Sword, and Assistant Enforcer belong to wide-reaching systemic concepts that can be gradually understood later on.¡±

    ¡°The main reason for placing Sword Control Technique at the end was actually considered in regards to the supply issue of Immortal Swords,¡± Li Weiguo spoke slowly, ¡°If we¡¯re going to teach Sword Control Technique in the next phase, then at the very least we need to equip each student with a Flying Sword for practical teaching, right?¡±

    ¡°Had it not been for your victory over the Dragon Spring Mountain Secret Realm, gaining a wealth of sword-casting techniques and literature, we wouldn¡¯t have planned to release this edition of the textbook immediately. The reason for placing Sword Control Technique in the latter part of the textbook was also to consider developing the sword-casting industry from now on, so that by the time actual teaching begins, we could at least muster the Flying Swords you¡¯ll need.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, ¡°There¡¯s over a hundred cultivator students at our school, and the total number surpasses four hundred considering the other three institutions. It¡¯s indeed tough to gather enough Flying Swords. But our squad only has five people; how about distributing the Flying Swords in storage to us first, so we can get in some practice beforehand?¡±

    ¡°You sure know how to seize an opportunity!¡± Li Weiguo said with a laugh, ¡°Alright. The majority of Flying Swords in storage now come from your recent victory over the Dragon Spring Mountain Secret Realm, consider it letting you have first pick of the spoils!¡± S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    He operated the computer for a moment, then stood up, saying:

    ¡°Take a look.¡±

    Everyone hurriedly gathered around. Yan Yu didn¡¯t hesitate to take the president¡¯s chair, grasped the mouse, and said:

    ¡°I¡¯ve already chosen the Flying Sword for Lin Ning, the Green Bamboo Sword wielded by the guardian sword-carrying puppet in the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm. As for the rest, you can pick for yourselves.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been secretly passing on secrets, haven¡¯t you?¡± Chen Lingyun joked.

    ¡°Not at all!¡± Lin Ning protested, ¡°I didn¡¯t know before this either!¡±

    But she did not resist Yan Yu¡¯s choice, simply standing at the very back of the group and watching.

    The captain personally picked for me¡­ hmm, it should be good, right?

    ¡°I want this one!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly said, ¡°Don¡¯t fight me for it, ha!¡±

    Yan Yu looked closely and saw that the sword was entirely dark purple with an ominous outline, and there was a skull carving at the guard, clearly very much in line with the aesthetic taste of the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡ªnone of the other girls even wanted to compete with her for it.

    He seemed to remember from his past life memories; the original name of this sword should be the ¡°Wan Gui Xie Jing Sword,¡± right?

    It was said whenever this sword whistled through the air, it would emit a crying and wailing sound, which was why no cultivators ever chose it, feeling its style was too ¡°emo,¡± the kind that only ¡°village scene kids¡± would like.

    Later, this sword appeared on CCTV channel seven¡¯s ¡°Immortal Sword Spectrum¡± show and became well-known among the public.

    After selecting the Wan Gui Xie Jing Sword, Yan Yu continued scrolling down the screen with his mouse, asking,

    ¡°Does anyone else have a preference?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take a look at this one,¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly said, ¡°Mm, I¡¯ll choose it.¡±

    Yan Yu clicked the mouse to select it, and it was a delicate flying sword, entirely purple-red like the evening sky, with an extremely elegant streamline, like an empress among swords, regal and magnificent.

    Zi Ji Han Yuan Sword, Chen Lingyun had chosen the same one in her past life, her aesthetic taste was consistently stable.

    ¡°Yun Jin, want me to pick for you?¡± Seeing Su Yunjin hesitate, Chen Lingyun smiled and offered.

    ¡°Um¡­ okay then.¡± Su Yunjin wasn¡¯t too interested in the attributes of the flying swords but was more concerned with their appearance and design; however, she felt this approach of ¡°judging a sword by its beauty¡± seemed rather unwise, so she was indecisive.

    ¡°What do you want? I¡¯ll do it!¡± Yan Yu simply relied on past life experience, ¡°How about this one?¡±

    The sword that appeared was like the sea, deep blue and clear, with slightly transparent edges resembling ice crystals. Su Yunjin liked it at first sight and immediately nodded, saying,

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll listen to the captain.¡±

    The sword was named ¡°Bing Yu Han Leng,¡± which sounded imposing and powerful, the same flying sword Su Yunjin had chosen herself in her past life.

    Because the name of the sword was originally unknown, Su Yunjin named it ¡°Shan Hu Lei.¡± Even after confirming the original name through research, both the media and netizens generally switched to using the original name (mainly because Bing Yu Han Leng sounded more majestic, while Shan Hu Lei seemed a bit effeminate), yet she always refused to change it.

    Only after Su Yunjin¡¯s sacrifice, when the sword was enshrined in the National Martyrs¡¯ Sword Museum, did they use ¡°Shan Hu Lei¡± as the name on the label.

    After all, it was Su Yunjin¡¯s sword.

    ¡°What about you, captain?¡± Everyone else¡¯s flying swords were chosen, and only Yan Yu was left. Lin Ning, standing at the back, craned her neck to see and asked curiously.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just pick one at random,¡± Yan Yu said casually of ¡°picking randomly,¡± while his mouse wheel continuously scrolled without halt, swiftly stopping at a specific spot.

    This was the flying sword personally picked by Chen Lingyun for him in his past life, and the one he had grown accustomed to for most of his life later on.

    The sword had a thick spine and a dark yellow color, unlike those slender flying swords; it was a heavy sword very suited for a strong man.

    Thanks to its extremely heavy body, it often had an advantage in flying sword duels.

    Long time no see, old buddy.

    Huangting Kunwu Sword.

 Chapter 98: 97: Sword Practice

    Chapter 98: Chapter 97: Sword Practice

    By the end of July, the daily maximum temperature in Jinling had approached 40 degrees.

    Hardly any students remained in the open-air practice field for the Three Arts.

    In the back mountain, the indoor Sword Control Technique training field had been excavated. However, since the second edition of the textbook had not yet been made public, currently only Yan Yu Squad was training there.

    Everyone had received their Flying Swords last weekend, complete with some of the latest research findings, such as the sword¡¯s elemental attributes, whether it was more suited for slashing or piercing, whether it had a strength advantage or a speed advantage, and so on.

    After receiving them, everyone started to settle on names for their swords¡ªafter all, when these swords were discovered in the Mysterious Realm, they didn¡¯t come with name tags on the blades, so now the sword owners had to come up with names themselves.

    Su Yunjin named her sword ¡°Coral Tear,¡± which, of course, received unanimous praise from the girls. After all, the frosty sword was completely blue and transparent, which absolutely could remind one of the beautiful Great Barrier Reef, and if Yan Yu were to comment, it really did sound a bit better than ¡°Frosty.¡±

    Lin Ning also wanted to show off her talent for naming, but Yan Yu had already been calling her sword the ¡°Green Bamboo Sword,¡± which, in turn, left her feeling a bit conflicted and speechless¡ªGreen Bamboo, Lin Ning; actually, when you think about it, it did seem quite fitting.

    Zhao Yuanzhen thought for a long time and decided to name her sword ¡°Nine Heavens Ten Earths Demon Slaying God Eradicating Yin Wind Evil Thunder Sword.¡±

    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Yan Yu looked at her with a very speechless sidelong glance.

    ¡°Not domineering enough?¡± pondered Zhao Yuanzhen.

    ¡°The name¡¯s too long,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Just think about it, if you had to borrow it for scientific research and had to fill out forms, just in the ¡®Sword Name¡¯ column, imagine how many more characters you would have to write than others?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen thought it made sense and asked:

    ¡°Then is there a name that¡¯s both short and domineering?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°How about ¡®Pink Bunny¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was baffled.

    ¡°Because those who die by your sword will be said to have been ¡®killed by the Pink Bunny,''¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    Zhao Yuanzhen hesitated for a moment but shook her head. The name would be great for humiliating the enemy, but she did not want to become the sword master known as ¡°Pink Bunny.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just call it ¡®Yin Wind Sword,''¡± Yan Yu suggested.

    Dying under the Yin Wind Sword¡­ That didn¡¯t seem too bad either?

    So the sword once dubbed the ¡°Malevolent Spirit Wicked Essence Sword¡± was renamed ¡°Yin Wind Sword,¡± leaving only Chen Lingyun and Yan Yu without names for their Flying Swords.

    ¡°Let¡¯s save some time,¡± Yan Yu suggested, pointing to the Purple Extreme Essence-Gathering Sword, ¡°Purple Extreme.¡±

    Then he patted his heavy sword:

    ¡°Huangting.¡±

    ¡°Alright, naming is complete! Let¡¯s start practicing the Sword Control Technique.¡±

    ¡°How casual!¡± Lin Ning couldn¡¯t help but complain, ¡°As casual as my Green Bamboo Sword!¡±

    ¡°The name of a sword isn¡¯t important,¡± Yan Yu said as he deployed the Sword Control Technique. The Huangting Kunwu Sword suddenly flew up and then hovered in front of him. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    He slightly flexed the middle finger of his right hand and lightly flicked the blade, emitting a dull and potent twang as he calmly stated:

    ¡°What¡¯s important is whether it can kill someone.¡±

    The girls had no response.

    ¡°You¡¯d better take this seriously,¡± Yan Yu said, looking at everyone¡¯s expressions as a reminder, ¡°because the Sword Control Technique we¡¯re about to learn is currently the most efficient, convenient killing technique in the world¡­¡±

    With a change in the sword technique in his hand, the Huangting Sword suddenly shot out like electricity, swiftly moving in front of Lin Ning and stopping just three inches from her nose, startling her so much that her eyes bulged and her body hair stood on end.

    But Yan Yu didn¡¯t stop there. The Huangting Sword shifted direction once more and quickly chopped towards the neck of Chen Lingyun who was standing nearby, stopping just before touching her skin.

    Chen Lingyun put away her smile, reached out her finger, and gently pushed the Huangting Sword away, saying coldly:

    ¡°This isn¡¯t fun.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, this isn¡¯t fun,¡± Yan Yu said seriously, ¡°When you¡¯re on the battlefield and attacks are coming at you, can you use that line to persuade the enemy?¡±

    ¡°Law, Sword, Support, Command¡ª the basic concepts of the four professions, you¡¯ve all familiarized yourselves with them from the textbook in advance. To avoid misunderstandings, I must emphasize one point here: It¡¯s not only the Sword Immortal profession that needs to study the Sword Control Technique.¡±

    ¡°In my squad, every member must master the Sword Control Technique. This is to ensure that when you step onto the real battlefield, you will have the basic ability to protect yourselves. Ling Yun, why do you think that is?¡±

    Chen Lingyun looked at the Flying Sword hovering in front of her, and with raised eyebrows, said:

    ¡°Because the Sword Control Technique, unlike the Three Arts and Five Spells, is a rare method that combines offense and defense into a convenient approach.¡±

    ¡°Correct,¡± Yan Yu said in a deep voice, ¡°Lin Ning, if I activated the Flying Sword to kill you, just like earlier, what would you do?¡±

    ¡°Use the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse?¡± Lin Ning tentatively asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s an option,¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°But if my Flying Sword entangles you and the moment you deactivate the Barrier Charm it immediately kills you, wouldn¡¯t you have to keep the Barrier Charm activated for defense all the time?¡±

    Lin Ning silently nodded.

    The Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse was a very effective defensive Curse Technique, with the only issue being its purely passive nature, while a cultivator can only operate one Curse Technique at a time.

    Meaning, if the opponent¡¯s attacks don¡¯t stop, then you won¡¯t be able to deactivate your Barrier Charm, and you¡¯ll end up only being beaten without the ability to counterattack.

    ¡°Chen Lingyun,¡± Yan Yu suddenly said, ¡°Attack me with your Sword Control.¡±

    Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t speak; she simply formed a Sword technique with her hand, and the Purple Extreme Sword immediately shot out like lightning, thrusting at Yan Yu.

    With a ¡°clang,¡± the Huangting Kunwu Sword already intercepted the Purple Extreme Sword horizontally. The blades forcefully collided, emitting a ringing sound akin to iron forging.

    The Purple Extreme Sword was repelled, but the Huangting Kunwu Sword then took the opportunity to strike back towards Chen Lingyun. Before it could reach her, it was intercepted by the Purple Extreme Sword swinging back around, and the swords clashed once more, resounding violently.

    By now, the girls had mostly figured it out: Unlike the passive defense of the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse, the defensive aspect of the Sword Control Technique was ¡°active defense.¡±

    After blocking an attack with the blade, one could immediately switch from defense to offense without the need to change spells or alter one¡¯s breath circulation, merely requiring a thought in one¡¯s mind¡­ and even the consumption of True Yuan was minimal.

    It saved time, effort, and most importantly, peace of mind!

    Of course, whether it saved time or effort may not have made a major impact in low-level combat. However, in high-stakes battles where life and death hung by a thread, even gaining a half-second time advantage or conserving a little more True Yuan could be the difference between defeat and a close victory.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t intend to educate everyone on how dangerous ¡°high-end battles¡± can be. He simply laid out his attitude:

    Everyone must practice the Sword Control Technique!

    The textbook¡¯s Sword Control Technique learning process was divided into three parts:

    First, practice accuracy. Control the Flying Sword to hit a stationary target, aiming to hit as close to the center as possible.

    Second, practice reaction. Propel the Flying Sword at moving targets with various speeds, trying to hit the faster ones.

    Third, practice strength. Each target has a force sensor behind it that displays the exact force figure, so you want to make this number as high as possible.

    Yan Yu declared that all this was nonsense ¡ª his squad wouldn¡¯t stick to these dogmatic rubbish practices.

    If you want to train, then train with actual combat!

    ¡°As the old saying goes,¡± Yan Yu began with his hands clasped behind his back, pacing with ease in front of the girls, ¡°to learn offense, you must first learn defense.¡±

    ¡°I have a question,¡± Lin Ning raised her hand to interject, ¡°where is that saying from? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen that in the textbooks¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind these details,¡± Yan Yu impatiently waved his hand, lecturing her, ¡°Ningning, your problem is you often can¡¯t differentiate between the primary and secondary, always focusing on some trivial things. This habit really isn¡¯t good, and you must change it.¡±

    Lin Ning shut her mouth and silently seethed. So, if you¡¯re wrong in the details, I¡¯m not even allowed to ask?

    ¡°To learn defense is simple,¡± Yan Yu continued to speak confidently, ¡°I¡¯ll be in charge of the offense, and you will take turns defending. As long as you can block my three successive sword strikes using the Sword Control Technique, that will mean you¡¯ve initially mastered it.¡±

    The girls looked at each other.

    ¡°Who¡¯s first?¡± Yan Yu asked as he controlled the Huangting Kunwu Sword into the air, ¡°Hurry up now, let¡¯s not waste time.¡±

    ¡°How about Sister Zhao goes first?¡± Chen Lingyun ventured to ask.

    ¡°Let¡¯s have Sister Zhao go first then,¡± Lin Ning and Su Yunjin quickly echoed.

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ?

 Chapter 99: 98: Buying a Big Villa

    Chapter 99: Chapter 98: Buying a Big Villa

    The girls were beaten to the point of desperately searching for their teeth.

    Searching for their teeth is just a figure of speech, it doesn¡¯t mean that everyone really lost their teeth¡­ but they were indeed beaten quite miserably.

    Even Zhao Yuanzhen, who had rich combat experience, could not gain the upper hand against Yan Yu in a pure Sword Control Technique fight, with her cultivation not fully recovered and not allowed to use any unorthodox, toxic magic.

    In order to practice defensive Sword Control Technique, Yan Yu¡¯s attack moves were designed to be quite simple, the first strike would always be a slash that you could see coming and block with a horizontal sword strike.

    But his second move would come extremely fast. If, for example, the Yin Wind Sword was struck from the left side by the Huang Tingjian, the recoil would push it to the right side, then Yan Yu would immediately control the Huang Tingjian to stabilize the blade at high speed and slash again from left side like lightning, not giving the Yin Wind Sword any chance to defend.

    Fortunately, the Huang Tingjian was a heavy sword with a blunt edge. Plus, Yan Yu would control his strength in time, so even if someone was hit, they wouldn¡¯t be slashed into two, at most they would be beaten to rolling around on the ground.

    After being beaten up repeatedly, the girls became numb to the pain and devoted themselves to research, quickly learning how to counter that move:

    At the moment when the two swords clashed, immediately increase the output of True Yuan to stabilize the deflected Flying Sword quickly, that way they could just manage to defend in time.

    After defending the second sword, Yan Yu¡¯s third sword would follow.

    This third sword was even harder to defend against. It wasn¡¯t faster than the second one, but after being deflected it would pause momentarily before suddenly changing direction and slashing again.

    Because Yan Yu¡¯s second strike was extremely fast, the girls often had to concentrate all their attention to quickly block it.

    In such a highly tense state of mind, if Yan Yu had delivered the third strike at the same or even faster speed, they would basically be able to block it. But he deliberately slowed down¡­ this pause would inevitably cause a slight dispersion of their attention, resulting in the Huang Tingjian suddenly changing angles and slashing again, and after such a tightening and relaxing of their reactions, they completely lost the pace.

    ¡°How was it?¡± Seeing Chen Lingyun turned over again, Lin Ning, who was next in line, hurriedly asked anxiously.

    She was up next, and she didn¡¯t want to be embarrassed in front of everyone again¡ªthough she had already been embarrassed many times before.

    ¡°How about trying to attack first?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly suggested.

    ¡°Attack first¡­¡± Lin Ning didn¡¯t have time to ask for clarification before Yan Yu started urging:

    ¡°Hurry up, little Ningning! They are all lining up behind you!¡±

    Damn, we would rather wait a bit longer, okay? The same thought emerged in all the girls¡¯ minds.

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me little Ningning!¡± Lin Ning huffed as she went forward, thinking to herself, whatever, just try it out!

    The first strike, I¡¯ll defend!

    Lin Ning quickly positioned her sword horizontally to block, and the Green Bamboo Sword collided with the Huang Tingjian, before being shaken out of control and flying upward to the right.

    Now¡¯s the moment! Lin Ning quickly increased her True Yuan output to stabilize the Green Bamboo Sword again, and then maneuvered it back into defense, hitting Yan Yu¡¯s high-speed pursuit head-on.

    The second sword, defended!

    The Green Bamboo Sword was once again deflected by the recoil, and Lin Ning forcefully strengthened her output to stabilize the sword¡¯s position, then slashed at the Huang Tingjian¡ªwhich was still pausing and hadn¡¯t managed to change direction¡ªhitting it again and sending it flying even further away.

    The third sword blocked!

    ¡°Very good,¡± Yan Yu finally showed a look of appreciation. ¡°Someone has finally caught my three strikes.¡±

    ¡°So the way to defend against the third sword is actually to counter-attack in advance?¡± Lin Ning couldn¡¯t help but blurt out emotionally, ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree that you would attack and we would defend?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Yan Yu said as a matter of course. ¡°The best defense is a good offense! I¡¯m beginning to doubt whether you just luckily stumbled upon a solution.¡±

    The girls all nearly fainted. They agreed that he would attack and they would defend, and here he was, playing word games¡­ with us, right?

    ¡°Let¡¯s go again!¡± Lin Ning said, huffing.

    If the rules actually allowed attacking, then she wouldn¡¯t hold back against him!

    ¡°Fight what fight? I¡¯m tired,¡± Yan Yu retracted the Huang Tingjian, moving his arms and shoulders. ¡°Moreover, I have to go look at houses, can¡¯t give you extra training today.¡±

    ¡°Buy a house?¡± Lin Ning was taken aback.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°Now that we have the money, we can buy a house near the school. It can also serve as our team¡¯s off-campus activity base in the future.¡±

    ¡°Then shall we all go take a look?¡± Su Yunjin immediately became interested.

    If Yan Yu was buying a house for his own living or investment, it naturally had nothing to do with her, but if it was for the team¡¯s base¡­ Great~ She had just ordered a batch of paper books online, and her dormitory room was almost too cramped to fit them. Temporarily storing them in the team base wouldn¡¯t be a problem, right? S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s go,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen also said enthusiastically.

    If she lived off-campus, she wouldn¡¯t need to use the Invisibility Technique every night to sneak into the boys¡¯ dormitory to practice dual cultivation with Yan Yu, yay!

    ¡°Ling Yun, are you going?¡± Seeing Chen Lingyun hadn¡¯t expressed her opinion, Lin Ning asked.

    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, but her mind was still pondering the swordsmanship practice she had just completed.

    Although Yan Yu did not provide detailed theoretical teaching, his sword strikes followed a fixed set of three moves, which clearly directed the battle.

    The first strike needs no explanation; it¡¯s meant to have you watch the path of the sword and block accordingly. The second strike is more sophisticated.

    In the moment when the swords clash, due to the Flying Sword¡¯s substantial force, the resulting collision can cause the sword to become unbalanced, rebound, and be knocked away, leaving the swordsman briefly losing control of the Flying Sword.

    As long as the Sword Control Technique remains active and True Yuan keeps flowing in, this loss of control will quickly end, and the repelled Flying Sword will stabilize in mid-air once again.

    However, in higher-level sword fights, even half a second of lost control could lead to defeat and death. Therefore, during each moment of collision-induced loss of control, one must immediately increase the flow of True Yuan to regain control of the Flying Sword faster than the opponent.

    Whoever can stabilize their uncontrolled Flying Sword more quickly can launch the next attack sooner, seizing the initiative on the battlefield!

    Yes, the initiative.

    Yan Yu¡¯s third strike, transitioning from a high-speed slash to a pause and change of direction, was a rhythm change from fast to slow, which was difficult for the girls with limited combat experience to handle.

    But why must you respond to it?

    Once you grasp the essence of the second strike, you¡¯ll understand just how important it is to seize control of the battlefield in a sword fight.

    You want to change the pace from fast to slow, but why should I give you the chance?

    I will go on the offensive! I¡¯ll take back the initiative!

    Thus, linking these three strikes together, the educational significance becomes very clear:

    Struggle for the initiative.

    Chen Lingyun pondered this quietly, filing it away in the sword information library of her mind palace, and then smiled and said:

    ¡°Yan Yu, which villa are you planning to buy?¡±

    ¡°Prioritize one close to the school,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°and then as many rooms as possible, with a big balcony, garden, swimming pool, basement, garage, the more the merrier. Few neighbors, or at least distant ones, would be good. Price is not an issue.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll arrange something,¡± Chen Lingyun said, taking out her phone and starting to type.

    Yan Yu: ?

    What are you arranging?

    After a moment, an unfamiliar account requested to add him as a friend, with the note ¡°Jiang City Group Real Estate Sales, Xiao Fan.¡±

    Yan Yu chatted with the person for a while and, scratching his head, said to the girls:

    ¡°She says she¡¯s driving over to take me to see the house.¡±

    ¡°Wrong,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s us.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The villa¡¯s location was indeed good, with the Qi Xia Mountain to the south and the Yangtze River to the north, truly a ¡°half facing the mountain and half beside the river.¡±

    A big balcony, check.

    A garden, check, and it¡¯s a large lawn in both the front and back yards.

    A swimming pool, check, indoors.

    A basement, check, connected to the underground garage.

    In total, there were fifteen rooms on the ground floor, not including the kitchen, bathrooms, and storage rooms. Yan Yu looked over the layout and deduced there should be ten bedrooms, leaving one study, one walk-in closet, one game room, one movie room, and one gym, making a total of fifteen rooms.

    Isn¡¯t that a bit too many bedrooms?

    ¡°You said you wanted many rooms,¡± Chen Lingyun said cheerfully.

    ¡°What I meant was seven or eight rooms for storing treasures, books, meditating, and watching match videos would be about right,¡± Yan Yu said irritably, scratching his head, ¡°Ten bedrooms! What do I need so many bedrooms for?¡±

    ¡°One master bedroom for the couple, two rooms for the two kids, two more rooms for the parents from both sides,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°A chef, maids, a driver, a butler, guest rooms, aren¡¯t ten rooms just perfect? I think it¡¯s actually not enough.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about, some kind of medieval noble manor lifestyle?¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but retort, ¡°I don¡¯t need as many servants as your place does!¡±

    ¡°No, you need them,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a glowing smile.

 Chapter 100: 99: The Next Stage, Spiritual Energy Resurgence

    Chapter 100: Chapter 99: The Next Stage, Spiritual Energy Resurgence

    Although Yan Yu felt that the number of rooms in the villa far exceeded actual needs, especially the number of bedrooms which was mysteriously and seriously over the top, Chen Lingyun cleverly initiated an internal team vote for the decision.

    Four votes in favor, the decision was made to buy it.

    ¡°Hold on a second.¡± Yan Yu was rendered speechless by their actions, ¡°It¡¯s the house I¡¯m buying, why do you guys get to vote?!¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t someone say that our team is ¡®dictatorial in war and democratic after war¡¯?¡± Chen Lingyun said with a teasing smile, ¡°We¡¯re not in a state of war now, are we?¡±

    ¡°But this is my house!¡± Yan Yu hadn¡¯t expected a boomerang waiting for him here and hastily argued loudly, ¡°I am purchasing my own private property, team members don¡¯t have decision-making power!¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t someone also say, ¡®It can also serve as our off-campus base of operations¡¯?¡± Lin Ning followed suit with Chen Lingyun¡¯s sly expression, and said with a grin, ¡°When acquiring a team base of operations, team members should have a vote too, right?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense, did I ever say that?!¡± Yan Yu found that there were more than one boomerang and quickly feigned ignorance, ¡°Provide evidence, baseless claims¡­ are just your word against mine!¡±

    Lin Ning just smiled slightly and took out a recorder pen tucked inside her collar.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­

    ¡°I¡¯ve recorded everything you said during training.¡± Lin Ning scrolled the audio to the end, right up to where Yan Yu said, ¡°What¡¯s all this fighting about? I¡¯m tired, plus I have to go look at houses, there¡¯s no extra training for you guys today,¡± and then started playing the recording publicly:

    ¡°¡­Anyway, we have money now, we can buy a house near the school, which can also serve as our team¡¯s off-campus base of activities.¡±

    Yan Yu was completely dumbfounded.

    Ning, can¡¯t you be less sly? This isn¡¯t your original character, is it?!

    With Secretary Su¡¯s loyal and honest character sitting right there, why don¡¯t you learn from that? Why are you imitating Chen Lingyun¡¯s hypocrisy and trickery?!

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Su Yunjin clapped her hands together and laughed naively, tilting her head, ¡°Well then, as such, the captain should respect everyone else¡¯s opinion, shouldn¡¯t he?¡±

    I¡¯m sorry, Captain, I really do need a library¡­ I¡¯ve bought so many books, I just can¡¯t fit them in my room anymore¡­ wuuu¡­

    Yan Yu looked at her expressionlessly.

    So, you¡¯re in on this too, Su Yunjin?

    ¡°Exactly.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen chimed in lazily.

    My abode as Miyuan the Immortal must be grand and impressive! What¡¯s the point of living in a cramped apartment? It doesn¡¯t reflect the dignity of me, Miyuan the Immortal!

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t want to speak any further; now he was facing a situation of everyone deserting him, standing alone against all odds.

    But!

    I am the strongest in this world!

    A mere four beautiful ladies thinking they could leave me powerless and forced to comply? S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Dream on!

    ¡°Fine.¡± Yan Yu said with a sneer, ¡°But since it¡¯s going to be a team base, there¡¯s no reason for me to be the only one paying, right?¡±

    The four girls frowned, completely unprepared for Yan Yu¡¯s counterattack from this angle.

    ¡°I can contribute money too.¡± Lin Ning immediately said seriously, ¡°But my name needs to be on the property deed!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not possible.¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°For a team base, of course, only the captain¡¯s name can be added. Otherwise, what happens if someone leaves the team in the future? The team base definitely can¡¯t allow those who¡¯ve left to come in, but then your name is on the property deed, isn¡¯t that contradictory?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t leave the team.¡± Lin Ning said without hesitation, ¡°Unless you don¡¯t want me anymore, you don¡¯t have to worry about me leaving the team in the future.¡±

    ¡°Ningning!¡± Su Yunjin interjected quickly.

    Lin Ning¡¯s face turned red, realizing how ambiguous ¡°you don¡¯t want me anymore¡± sounded, and hastily tried to explain:

    ¡°I mean! Ah, it¡¯s like, if I¡¯m not good enough and you, the team leader, want to kick me out, get it? It¡¯s not what you¡¯re thinking!¡±

    ¡°What am I thinking?¡± Yan Yu feigned confusion.

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Knowing that more she said the deeper the hole she¡¯d dig, Lin Ning knew she couldn¡¯t fall for that again and continued, ¡°Anyway, my opinion is, if I contribute money, my name goes on it. What do you guys think?¡±

    ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°And it¡¯s not as if we can¡¯t afford the money.¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± Su Yunjin nodded as she spoke. She had originally hoped to requisition a library here, so it was only natural for her to pay for it, especially since Secretary Su herself wasn¡¯t particularly concerned about money.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about having my name added or not,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said impatiently, ¡°Buy it!¡±

    This Demonic Sect Enchantress¡­ why does she have the vibe of a live-streaming sales host¡­ Yan Yu pondered for a moment.

    Wait, what was my original intention for buying this house?

    It was to live with this enchantress, for the convenience of dual cultivation at night.

    As long as that goal was achieved, how many bedrooms there were, how many girls lived there, whose names were on the property deed¡­ none of that really mattered.

    Just in case something came up later, this place could still serve as the team¡¯s base, and I could just buy a new house in private, right?

    I¡¯ve got plenty of money now!

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Yan Yu stopped dwelling on it, ¡°Let¡¯s split the villa¡¯s cost evenly then.¡±

    ¡°It might be true, but don¡¯t put it in such cringeworthy terms!¡± Lin Ning suddenly interjected with a complaint.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Since the purchase was made in full, the property transaction was completed very quickly.

    After selecting their rooms in the villa, everyone started to fuss over the decoration. Su Yunjin had a pile of paper books to shelve, and Chen Lingyun had quite a few ¡°antique items,¡± so the two of them made an appointment with a renovation company to completely overhaul and remodel their rooms.

    Yan Yu maliciously guessed that Su Yunjin¡¯s room would turn into a library, and Chen Lingyun¡¯s room into a museum.

    Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen didn¡¯t make major changes, just minor ones like changing wallpaper and fixing cabinets.

    Ningning liked a modern style, while Zhao Yuanzhen preferred a newer Chinese style. After the renovations, Yan Yu passed by their doors and glanced inside, finding to his surprise that both rooms looked pretty good.

    You two have good taste!

    Since they had chosen to live in an off-campus villa, they naturally terminated their dormitory rental. Everyone still went to school in the morning for theory classes, practiced in the training grounds in the afternoon, and after dinner, they would ride back to the villa to rest¡ªChen Lingyun had hired a minivan from a rental company, specifically to take care of everyone¡¯s transportation.

    Then one day, Yan Yu was called to the principal¡¯s office.

    Although it wasn¡¯t the first time Li Weiguo had summoned him, Yan Yu still prepared himself for the meeting.

    If the old general said, ¡°Young man, your lifestyle is undisciplined. Before you¡¯re even famous, you¡¯re cohabiting with four female college students. Do you know the negative impact it would have if the media reported on this later?¡± then I would reply with contempt, ¡°You¡¯re wrong this time, General. I have no improper relationship with them. Think about it, with what I have now, which one of them is worthy of me?¡±¡­¡­¡­.

    With this in mind, he swaggered into the principal¡¯s office.

    ¡°Take a seat,¡± Li Weiguo said.

    Yan Yu sat down, only to see Li Weiguo push a small glass bottle across the desk, containing five shimmering elixir pills.

    Is this¡­ a Foundation Establishment Pill?

    ¡°Do you know what this is?¡± Li Weiguo asked with an air of mystery.

    ¡°Elixir Medicine for cultivators?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Correct,¡± Li Weiguo laughed heartily, ¡°This is good stuff indeed.¡±

    Yan Yu, however, remained silent. It was indeed good stuff, no doubt about it. In the future, underground cultivators would rise up in rebellion over this stuff one after another.

    He fell silent for a moment before saying:

    ¡°This thing¡¯s production isn¡¯t high, is it?¡±

    ¡°Only a few dozen a month,¡± Li Weiguo replied loosely, without revealing the actual number, ¡°Call over those few girls in your team secretly and divide up this bottle of Elixir Medicine. Don¡¯t let word get out.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Yan Yu immediately stood up.

    As he left the principal¡¯s office, for some reason, he suddenly felt the sunlight outside to be incredibly blinding.

    If the Foundation Establishment Pill is available now, then¡­

    The next phase of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence must be coming soon, right?

 Chapter 101: 1 Su Mom Su Dad

    Chapter 101: Chapter 1 Su Mom Su Dad

    July ended, and August had arrived.

    For many students, half of their summer vacation had already passed.

    Though half of the vacation still remained, they couldn¡¯t help but feel occasional pangs of melancholy when they thought of the quietly departed July.

    Yan Yu was delighted to confirm that the four girls in the team had already mastered the basic operations of the Sword Control Technique.

    Even if the lady in green from the Dragon Spring Mountain Mysterious Realm appeared and attacked with the authentic Sword Control Technique of the Taoist sect, the girls could now exchange a few moves with her.

    Not being instantly killed was considered a success!

    Next, it was time to decide on the four major careers: Law, Sword, Assistant Officer, and Envoy.

    The second edition of the textbook had been distributed, and the instructors were engaging in discussions with each student. Based on their usual performance, they recommended one of the careers for them.

    Of course, the choice ultimately rested in the hands of the students, but in the military, strength was what truly mattered.

    If you chose a career unsuited for you and were unable to display your strengths later on, you would have to bear the consequences yourself.

    There was no need for such discussions in Yan Yu¡¯s Team. He and Zhao Yuanzhen had long been clear about it; both were hidden sects of the Assistant Officer career, known as Puppet Masters, and there was no need to discuss further.

    Chen Lingyun had also communicated with him beforehand, planning to choose the career of Envoy in the ghost-using sect¡­ Ever since she got her hands on the Soul Summoning Banner, she had been studying how to use it, and Yan Yu did not interfere with her research.

    Soon, Lin Ning and Su Yunjin came to him proactively.

    ¡°Yan Yu, are you planning to set me on the path of a Sword Immortal?¡± Lin Ning asked directly.

    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Yan Yu pretended to be surprised.

    ¡°You once told me not to practice unarmed combat.¡± Lin Ning began to list off the details, clearly with the memory of a top student, ¡°You also made me focus on practicing the precursor to the Sword Control Technique, which is the Metal-Element Impact Curse.¡±

    ¡°In the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm, you specifically let me learn the Enemy Luring Technique, which seemed to suggest a role in scouting and assault. Even during the practice of Sword Control, you were tougher on me than on the others¡­¡±

    Yan Yu suddenly laughed helplessly: You even noticed those details? Impressive!

    ¡°So, to summarize, you must have been cultivating me towards becoming a Sword Immortal from the start.¡± Lin Ning concluded in the end.

    ¡°Do you like being a Sword Immortal?¡± Yan Yu neither confirmed nor denied but asked her in return.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Lin Ning responded without hesitation, ¡°After preparing so much for me, it wouldn¡¯t make sense to change paths now, would it? Then all the effort I invested previously would be wasted!¡±

    ¡°That settles it then.¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°If you¡¯ve guessed it and have no objections, why ask me?¡±

    ¡°Just in case. Once it¡¯s confirmed, I can be at ease.¡± Lin Ning then turned to Su Yunjin, reminding her, ¡°Yun Jin, your turn to ask.¡±

    ¡°What are your thoughts, Yun Jin?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t really have any.¡± Su Yunjin spoke softly, ¡°I¡¯m definitely not suited to be a Sword Immortal, but the Assistant Officer and Envoy rely too much on external things, and I¡¯m not sure if they¡¯re right for me.¡±

    ¡°What about being a Cultivator?¡± Yan Yu smiled, ¡°How about the Cultivator who fights from a distance?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s the kind of Cultivator who has to take on the main assault and perform large-scale lethal Taoism Methods, I probably can¡¯t handle it.¡± Su Yunjin had a clear understanding, obviously having thought over this question many times recently, ¡°But if it¡¯s about containment and healing, I will strive to do my best.¡±

    ¡°Alright, then you start on the path of a Cultivator.¡± Yan Yu nodded and then suddenly added, ¡°However, my view differs from yours.¡±

    ¡°A Cultivator using large-scale lethal Taoism Methods for assaults is indeed beyond you now, but that might not be the case in the future.¡±

    He took out an ID and handed it over to Su Yunjin.

    ¡°This is?¡± Su Yunjin opened her eyes wide in surprise.

    ¡°It¡¯s a borrowing permit for the ¡®Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art.¡¯ With this permit, you can collect the Taoism Method scriptures from the school library,¡± Yan Yu answered, ¡°Memorize the mental mantra first and fully understand the theory¡ªthat¡¯s your strength. As for how to cast and apply it in actual combat, I¡¯ll teach you.¡±

    ¡°This ID was tough to get, I really went through a lot to apply for it, so don¡¯t lose it.¡±

    Receiving the ID with solemnity and bidding farewell to Yan Yu, Su Yunjin finally allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief.

    ¡°See, I told you, Yun Jin.¡± Lin Ning also said with a smile, ¡°I knew the captain had a plan for you all along.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Su Yunjin nodded vigorously.

    She was embarrassed to say that she had been having nightmares recently, dreaming that she kept encountering Yan Yu in various places, and then the two of them would interact in all kinds of ways.

    For instance, in the library, Yan Yu would study with her; on the training ground, he would give her pointers on how to train¡­

    However, no matter what the scenario was, when it got to the final stage, he would suddenly drop a bombshell, ¡°Yun Jin, have you considered a job outside of the team?¡±

    Then Su Yunjin would be startled awake.

    She sometimes even found it strange because she had never had a strong motivation to desperately excel at something from her childhood to adulthood¡ªeven her decade-long habit of reading was merely a hobby, and she wouldn¡¯t regret it too much if she were forced to give it up one day.

    But the team¡­

    Su Yunjin didn¡¯t want to leave the team, and she was sure this desire came from her heart.

    Alright, now that she had the goal to learn the ¡°Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art,¡± it was time to work hard!

    After bidding farewell to Lin Ning, Su Yunjin went to the library, planning to fully grasp the theory of this Taoism Method as Yan Yu had arranged before doing anything else.

    After presenting her credentials, the military cultivator in charge of managing the library led Su Yunjin into the inner chamber, confiscated her mobile phone, and then handed her the paper book of the ¡°Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art.¡±

    ¡°You can only read it in this room,¡± the librarian cautioned. ¡°You cannot copy it, take photos, or take it out. There are cameras in the room, so don¡¯t do anything foolish. After you¡¯re done, press the doorbell, and I will come to collect it.¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Su Yunjin nodded vigorously.

    The librarian left with her mobile phone and returned to his desk to enter Su Yunjin¡¯s borrowing information into the computer.

    About half an hour later, Su Yunjin¡¯s phone suddenly rang.

    The librarian answered the call.

    ¡°Hello, Yun Jin?¡± a middle-aged woman¡¯s voice came from the phone.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± replied the librarian, ¡°Comrade Su Yunjin is currently on a confidential mission and cannot take calls. If it¡¯s an emergency, I can relay the message, or you can call back after she has completed her mission.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± The person on the other end was obviously taken aback, ¡°Then¡­ when will the mission be completed?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± the librarian continued, ¡°it¡¯s a confidential mission, so I can¡¯t share any details with you.¡± S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Here¡¯s the thing,¡± the voice on the other end began arranging her words, ¡°I¡¯m her mother! Her father and I are just outside the school, and we have filed a family visit application. Could you let your military leaders know¡­ the commander, that is, and allow us to come into the school and wait for her?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± the librarian confirmed, ¡°Has your family visit application been approved already?¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± the other party said a bit sheepishly, ¡°We just came up with an urgent matter and came to Jinling Prefecture to find her.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± the librarian mused.

    According to school rules, a family visit application must be submitted three days in advance to allow time for step-by-step approval.

    Without going through successive levels of approval, did you think, as a commoner, you could just walk into our cultivators¡¯ academy? This is a military restricted area! What if you saw things you shouldn¡¯t?

    ¡°Listen to me,¡± the librarian patiently explained, ¡°If you want to visit the school, our institution is a military academy with strict confidentiality regulations, and you must have an approved application to gain entry. A mere submission of an application definitely won¡¯t suffice.¡±

    ¡°However, if you just want to see your daughter, we can ask her to come out to meet you. That way, there won¡¯t be any procedural issues.¡±

    After all, college cultivators have all undergone confidentiality training and know precisely what they can and cannot discuss with relatives and friends. Compared to risking a security breach by allowing parents into the school, it¡¯s safer to have the student file a report and then leave the campus to meet with their parents.

    ¡°But didn¡¯t you say that my daughter is currently on a confidential mission?¡± the other party said with some dissatisfaction, ¡°You can¡¯t even say when she¡¯ll be able to come out.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± the librarian was troubled but then had a sudden inspiration.

    Su Yunjin is a member of Yan Yu¡¯s Team, right?

    ¡°How about I ask her team leader for you?¡± the librarian suggested. ¡°Shall I see if he can come out to meet you?¡±

    ¡°Team?¡± The other party paused for quite a while, ¡°What team?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say much about that,¡± the librarian said with a smile, ¡°but I can explain to you: It¡¯s because your daughter is exceptional that she was selected to join this team.¡±

    There was silence on the other end for a long while before finally:

    ¡°Alright then. Please ask that team¡¯s leader if he can spare some time to come out. I appreciate it, thank you.¡±

    Although the voice on the phone was very polite and courteous, there didn¡¯t seem to be any joy at hearing ¡°my daughter is excellent.¡±

 Chapter 102: 2: The Teams Main Force Su Yunjin

    Chapter 102: Chapter 2: The Team¡¯s Main Force Su Yunjin

    Upon receiving the phone call from the administrator, Yan Yu was also initially dumbfounded.

    ¡°Su Yunjin¡¯s parents are here looking for her¡­ What the hell does that have to do with me?¡±

    After the administrator had explained the situation, he was speechless.

    Su Yunjin was in the secret chamber studying the Taoism Method scriptures, and according to the rules, she should not be disturbed. After all, based on what Mei Yingxue said, if she were in the midst of an epiphany, reaching a state of sudden enlightenment, and someone interrupted her, it would be an incalculable loss for her. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Therefore, the current rule was that unless she came out herself, she could stay inside as long as she wished. There was a cupboard with food and water, as well as a simple toilet in the quiet room, and the air conditioning maintained a constant temperature 24 hours a day¡ªlet her focus on her studies!

    As for Su Yunjin¡¯s parents waiting at the school gate, it wasn¡¯t appropriate to leave them hanging outside.

    Looking around, it seemed he had no choice but to step in himself; after all, he was technically Su Yunjin¡¯s ¡°leader.¡±

    Forget it, just go and deal with it.

    At the school gate, Yan Yu met the two uncles and aunts.

    Su Yunjin¡¯s parents, both university professors, at first glance, looked like they had that scholarly aura, ¡°clearly from an intellectual family.¡±

    Of course, a high level of knowledge didn¡¯t necessarily mean they were open-minded, some could be even more difficult to handle than average families, but Yan Yu was not at all intimidated.

    Your daughter is working under me; you weigh that in your own heart!

    ¡°Uncle and Aunt, sorry to have kept you waiting,¡± Yan Yu greeted them as soon as he saw them, a polite remark, ¡°Military duties are hectic, and I apologize for not being able to welcome you sooner.¡±

    Su Yunjin¡¯s mother, originally a bit resentful towards the school for not being able to see her daughter, suddenly didn¡¯t know what to complain about when faced with the daunting premise of ¡°busy military duties¡± from Yan Yu. However, she heard Su Yunjin¡¯s father laughing and saying:

    ¡°No problem. It¡¯s mainly because we came on such short notice, disturbing you.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s find a place to sit down,¡± Yan Yu suggested with a smile.

    In a nearby coffee shop, Yan Yu ordered a few drinks for the uncle and aunt. Perhaps getting impatient, Su Yunjin¡¯s mother couldn¡¯t help but ask directly:

    ¡°How has my daughter been doing at school recently? The school says she¡¯s on a confidential military mission. There¡¯s no danger, is there?¡±

    ¡°Ah, no,¡± Yan Yu immediately denied, ¡°Though it is a confidential task, with Su Yunjin¡¯s student¡¯s intelligence and talents, there is absolutely no risk involved.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s confidential, can it not be dangerous?¡± Su Yunjin¡¯s mother still wasn¡¯t convinced.

    ¡°The risk of military tasks is not dependent on whether it¡¯s confidential or not, but on whether it involves killing,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°The ones involving killing might be dangerous, the ones without killing, generally not.¡±

    Su Yunjin¡¯s father and mother: ¡­¡­

    Finished, they didn¡¯t know how to follow up. This conversation had entered unknown territory.

    ¡°Captain Yan,¡± Su Yunjin¡¯s father managed to respond with a nervous laugh, ¡°It¡¯s a time of peace now, this killing¡­ isn¡¯t that a bit of an exaggeration?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not at liberty to discuss that,¡± Yan Yu replied with a hearty laugh, ¡°It¡¯s confidential, please understand.¡±

    Su Yunjin¡¯s father had nothing more to say, but Su Yunjin¡¯s mother continued unabashedly:

    ¡°Does this mean my daughter isn¡¯t killing yet, but might be involved in such things in the future?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Yan Yu said at a measured pace, ¡°As for the future, who can say for sure? Maybe one day we¡¯ll suddenly be at war with a foreign country. As soldiers, we must protect our homeland, so such things are inevitable.¡±

    Su Yunjin¡¯s mother was left speechless; she couldn¡¯t outright say ¡°Let others protect the homeland, just not my daughter.¡± Su Yunjin¡¯s father became anxious and immediately asked:

    ¡°In the era of nuclear deterrence, there shouldn¡¯t be any large-scale international wars, right?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s hope so,¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°Anyway, whether it¡¯s total war or a local conflict, we soldiers will certainly be at the forefront¡­ Excuse me, I need to take a call.¡±

    He got up to answer the phone and left.

    With Yan Yu gone and no outsiders present, Su Yunjin¡¯s mother immediately started to complain to her husband:

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say Yun Jin was in a technical unit? How did this get to killing people again!¡±

    ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t know why either,¡± Su Yunjin¡¯s father hurriedly explained, ¡°I don¡¯t run the military academy, if they want to assign Yun Jin to a different position, what can I do?¡±

    ¡°We only have one daughter, Yun Jin!¡± Su Yunjin¡¯s mother said through gritted teeth, ¡°If something happens to her, you can let the country support you in your old age!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not impossible,¡± Su Yunjin¡¯s father murmured, ¡°They say, once selected for Hanlin Pavilion, the pension subsidy would at least be¡­¡±

    ¡°What retirement subsidy!¡± Su¡¯s mom instantly flared up, ¡°You¡¯re all set to become scholars, and all you think about is money! When you¡¯re old and seriously ill in the hospital, let¡¯s see if your director will stay up all night to hand you a urinal!¡±

    ¡°Tch, don¡¯t even say such things!¡± Su¡¯s dad also got somewhat annoyed, ¡°Our daughter has her own life to live. What kind of plan is it to rely on her for your retirement?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not relying on her for retirement, I just hope she stays healthy and safe for her whole life.¡± After half a day of complaining, Su¡¯s mom finally revealed her true intent, ¡°You think of a way to get her to quit the military!¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡± Su¡¯s dad gave up on the spot.

    ¡°If you can¡¯t do it, then find a way! Pull some strings! Ask for favors!¡± Su¡¯s mom demanded resolutely.

    Meanwhile, Yan Yu had stepped outside the shop and picked up the phone, where Su Yunjin¡¯s anxious voice came through:

    ¡°Captain, are my parents at your place?¡±

    ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry,¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly, ¡°I¡¯ve taken them to a caf¨¦ to rest.¡±

    ¡°Which caf¨¦?¡±

    ¡°The one 200 meters straight ahead when you come out of the school gate,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°They probably don¡¯t have any urgent matters, just came to see you and ask about how you¡¯re doing.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be right there!¡± The sound of rushing wind came from the other side, as if Su Yunjin had activated her Shifting Technique and was hurrying toward the school gate, ¡°Captain, you didn¡¯t tell them anything, did you?¡±

    ¡°What could I possibly tell them?¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°Your parents are civilians, could I violate confidentiality regulations?¡±

    Su Yunjin breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that; as long as the captain hadn¡¯t said anything¡­ What a relief¡ªno way!!!

    The captain¡¯s mouth could charm Ling Yun into struggling to keep a straight face, provoke Ningning into nonstop complaints, and it was routine business to leave Sister Zhao at a loss for words and fuming.

    When it comes to leading a team in actual combat, of course, there¡¯s absolute trust in the captain; but when it involves social communication, don¡¯t just blabber without thinking¡ªit might lead to some misunderstanding with the parents¡­

    With this in mind, Su Yunjin was extremely anxious, wishing she could fly over on a Sword Control to the school gate right this moment.

    She rushed out of school hurriedly, crossed the road, and made her way to the caf¨¦. Bursting through the door, she scanned the place with her eyes.

    Yan Yu was chatting with her parents.

    Su Yunjin struggled to steady her breathing and then put on an appropriately graceful smile as she walked towards her parents.

    Just as she was about to greet them from a distance, she heard Yan Yu say:

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible, Yun Jin is an absolute key player in our team.¡±

    Su Yunjin: !!!

    So suddenly I¡¯ve become a key player in the team, can¡¯t you stop going off script here and making things up, captain!!!

    She quickly sat down next to Yan Yu, feigning composure as she asked:

    ¡°Dad, Mom, what are you talking about?¡±

    Seeing their daughter finally arrive, Su¡¯s dad visibly relaxed, and Su¡¯s mom¡¯s expression softened, but she soon asked sternly:

    ¡°Yun Jin, why didn¡¯t you tell us about joining the team?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I?¡± Su Yunjin cocked her head and feigned ignorance.

    Her act of playing dumb was so natural that Yan Yu mentally gave her a thumbs-up.

    Seeing his daughter¡¯s clueless expression, even Su¡¯s dad started to feel uncertain, pulling out his phone to check their chat history.

    But Su¡¯s mom didn¡¯t care whether it had been mentioned before; in her mind, if she didn¡¯t remember, it meant it wasn¡¯t discussed, so she continued to press the issue:

    ¡°The team is meant to go to the frontline to fight, right? Can you, a girl, handle the physical demands? You haven¡¯t even killed a chicken before, how can you be expected to go to the battlefield and kill people? Isn¡¯t that asking too much of you?¡±

    Hearing her mom¡¯s rant, Su Yunjin immediately realized what was happening.

    Mom wants me to leave the team!

    ¡°What¡¯s so difficult about that?¡± Su Yunjin showed a look of puzzlement and turned to ask Yan Yu, ¡°Captain, didn¡¯t you tell my parents?¡±

    ¡°Tell them what?¡± Yan Yu joined in the act.

    ¡°I¡¯m now absolutely key to the team, you know,¡± Su Yunjin said calmly.

 Chapter 103: 3 Yun Jin, You Are in a Relationship

    Chapter 103: Chapter 3 Yun Jin, You Are in a Relationship

    No matter how gently Su¡¯s mother tried to persuade her, or how fiercely she tried to scare her, Su Yunjin always remained calm and gentle, repeating the same arguments over and over again.

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible for me to quit, I¡¯m the main force of the team! Without me, the team would fall apart.¡±

    ¡°Dangerous? There won¡¯t be any danger, I¡¯m the main force of the team! How could I be the main force without some real ability?¡±

    ¡°Mom, Dad, I know you¡¯re worried about me, but you should actually be proud of me instead.¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m the main force of the team!¡±

    Su¡¯s mother exhausted all her wits, patiently and carefully trying to persuade her, but who would have thought that her daughter, who had never been rebellious from childhood to now, was impervious to both soft and hard tactics, forcing her to give her husband a look that said, ¡°Are you just going to watch our daughter contradict me like this?¡±

    Su¡¯s father had been quietly observing and listening on the side, and he couldn¡¯t help but feel emotional too.

    From childhood to adulthood, in front of parents, relatives, or teachers, Su Yunjin was always the super obedient ¡°good girl.¡±

    She loved reading, but never demanded her parents to buy her books. She liked clothes, jewelry, makeup too, but similarly, she rarely went shopping on her initiative. In daily life, she only looked up to her parents, going to whatever school they asked, studying liberal arts if they said so, never questioning anything.

    Of course, this acquiescent character was not very good either, and at one point, it had seriously worried Su¡¯s father.

    Now, seeing his daughter finally start to have her own opinions, Su¡¯s father felt a sense of relief on one hand, but on the other, he was more curious about what had changed her.

    Then, Su¡¯s father noticed some details:

    Every time Su Yunjin said, ¡°I¡¯m the main force of the team,¡± her gaze would unconsciously dart quickly toward Yan Yu at her side.

    Su¡¯s father pondered for a good while, then a smile of understanding appeared on his face.

    After all¡­ Yunjin has grown up.

    Perhaps it¡¯s time to trust her judgment of people.

    ¡°Let it be,¡± Su¡¯s father indicated to Su¡¯s mother with his eyes, ¡°Stop interfering so much, our daughter isn¡¯t a little child anymore, you need to respect her opinion.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a matter of opinion,¡± Su¡¯s mother, who hadn¡¯t noticed her daughter¡¯s subtle actions or her husband¡¯s hints, insisted, ¡°Yunjin, you are my only daughter in this lifetime, what am I supposed to do if something happens to you?¡±

    Su Yunjin, a girl with careful thoughts, feeling a twinge of heartache upon hearing her mother¡¯s emotive words almost crumbling into tears, wondered if it was right for her to lightly engage in dangers, causing her parents worry.

    But she quickly remembered another matter.

    In an era of Spiritual Energy Resurgence, Cultivators¡¯ powers would only grow stronger, while ordinary people couldn¡¯t keep up, and this was definitely going to cause problems.

    That village in Longquan Prefecture, an old man who accidentally entered the path of cultivation could wield the power to slaughter the entire village. What if the next illegal Cultivator appears in Gusu Prefecture? If they turn up in the neighborhood where Mom and Dad live, wanting to harvest the souls of the innocent to refine Magic Artifacts, what then?

    Should I strive to enhance my own strength so I can protect Mom and Dad when the time comes? Or should I heed Mom¡¯s advice and try to avoid the frontline, hoping to rely on the captain or other powerful Cultivators to come to the rescue when danger strikes? But what if they can¡¯t save us in time, what then?

    I¡¯m sorry, Mom. I¡¯m really afraid of death, but I¡¯m even more afraid that when the time comes, nobody will be able to save you.

    From the moment I became a Cultivator, I stepped onto this thorny and perilous path with an unknown end.

    I won¡¯t turn back now.

    ¡°Mom.¡± Su Yunjin held the coffee cup, her head bowed as she softly said, ¡°I have made up my mind.¡± S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Upon hearing Su Yunjin say this, Su¡¯s mother was also stunned and silent, not knowing how to react.

    ¡°Yunjin, don¡¯t take it to heart,¡± Su¡¯s father tried to comfort her, ¡°Your mom is just worried about you. But if you¡¯ve really made up your mind, we¡¯ll all stand by your side.¡±

    ¡°Mhmm.¡± Su Yunjin suddenly felt like crying but she held back with all her might.

    ¡°By the way, your dad has finally been elected as a scholar of the Hanlin Academy,¡± Su¡¯s father said with a laugh that bragged, ¡°From now on, you can tell your classmates that you have a scholar as a father.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Su Yunjin exclaimed with joy.

    The Academy of Science, Engineering Academy, Hanlin Academy, collectively known as the three major academies of Lu Country, are the pinnacles of an academic career path. All academicians have a lifetime quota, and the total number is fixed, with vacancies only filled when an old member passes away.

    Su¡¯s father being elected as a scholar to the Hanlin Academy meant his abilities were definitely more than sufficient, but luck played an unmistakably significant part too.

    When her husband¡¯s career achievements were mentioned, even Su¡¯s mother, still concerned about her daughter¡¯s affairs, couldn¡¯t help but show a smile.

    ¡°So, Dad, you have to treat us to a meal now, right?¡± Su Yunjin playfully asked.

    ¡°Of course, why else would I come to find you?¡± Su¡¯s father said proudly, then turned to Yan Yu beside them, ¡°Yan Yu, is there any good restaurant near your school?¡±

    Su Yunjin suddenly felt something was off. To celebrate Dad¡¯s professional success with a family dinner ¨C why ask the captain?

    Of course, it was normal to ask since the captain was sitting right there¡­ but still, it felt odd.

    Dad! Couldn¡¯t you wait until the captain left before mentioning it? It¡¯s weird to ask the captain about our own family dinner!

    ¡°A restaurant, huh.¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment before saying with sudden high EQ, ¡°I¡¯m not very familiar with that, Yun Jin knows much more about eating out than I do.¡±

    Just as Su Yunjin breathed a sigh of relief, ready to recommend a few gourmet spots to Dad, she heard Dad ask with a chuckle:

    ¡°Do you two not go out to eat very often?¡±

    As soon as these words were out, Yan Yu raised his eyebrows, Mom was stunned, and Su Yunjin¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    Hold on! My dad didn¡¯t misunderstand something, did he?

    She wanted to clarify quickly, but the words stopped on the tip of her tongue.

    Miss Su liked to read, and those who love to read are quick-witted. She quickly realized that the subject ¡°you two¡± in Dad¡¯s sentence could be understood in two ways:

    One was referring to a couple, and if that was the case, the question was loaded. The focus was not the answer itself but the assumption behind it. Whether you answer yes or no, you would be confirming the assumption, so you had to correct it directly.

    The other was referring to team members. You two are on the same team, so don¡¯t you often go out to eat together?

    If Dad meant the latter and she rushed to clarify, it would seem pretty dumb, like trying too hard to cover up something.

    Su Yunjin quickly thought it through and laughed:

    ¡°When it comes to team dinners, we actually do quite¡­¡±

    Before she could finish, she heard Mom quickly look over at Yan Yu, then turn her gaze back to her daughter and exclaimed with delayed shock:

    ¡°Yun Jin, are you dating?!¡±

    Su Yunjin¡¯s smile froze on her face.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    In the end, Su Yunjin did go out to eat with her parents.

    As for how she explained that there was nothing romantic going on between her and her captain, that was her business. Yan Yu chose to trust in Miss Su¡¯s wisdom.

    After a casual dinner outside, Yan Yu had just returned to the school when he received a call from Qi Changping.

    ¡°Hello, is it Old Li looking for me?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Qi Changping said expressionlessly, ¡°but could you please use a different honorific, like addressing him as ¡®commander¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll head to his office right now.¡±

    On his way to the office, Yan Yu silently reflected.

    What does the old commander want with me this time?

    It surely can¡¯t be because he heard about Mom¡¯s misunderstanding with her daughter and especially called me over to ridicule me, can it?

    No, no, no, he shouldn¡¯t be that petty, not like Chen Lingyun! Probably another mysterious realm has appeared.

    Upon arriving at the principal¡¯s office, Yan Yu didn¡¯t wait for Li Weiguo to invite him to sit. He casually pulled up a chair and sat down.

    ¡°You sure don¡¯t stand on ceremony,¡± said Li Weiguo with a smile, holding his teacup.

    ¡°Your time is precious, sir, so I won¡¯t waste any of it,¡± Yan Yu asked bluntly, ¡°Which mysterious realm has appeared this time, and do you want me to take my team to claim it?¡±

    ¡°Oh, not that,¡± Li Weiguo put down his teacup. ¡°There have indeed been several mysterious realms appearing recently, but the higher-ups are still confirming the allocation details. They¡¯ll notify us when it¡¯s settled.¡±

    Lately, Lu Country had gained rich experience in dealing with the sudden emergence of mysterious realm entrances.

    For large mysterious realms like those in the Wuyi Mountains located in Minhai Province, the main team would be the Zhendong Army Team. Then a guest team from one of the other three armies would be chosen for mock combat drills, jointly vying for control of the critical hub of the realm.

    However, for smaller realms like Longquan Mountain, they wouldn¡¯t use a two-team competition system anymore. Whichever province it was in would handle it, to prevent the excessive waste of cultivators¡¯ manpower.

    ¡°However, Liu Longtao¡¯s team has been quite active lately,¡± Li Weiguo continued. ¡°Last week they seized three mysterious realms in one fell swoop and defeated Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Pingxi Army Team, keeping a perfect winning streak so far.¡±

    Three realms in one week? Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but be amazed. Are everyone on the Lord Master¡¯s team training for a triathlon or what?

    Setting aside everything else, just constantly flying around by plane was tiring enough.

    Not to mention the tactical planning before a battle, the contest within the realm, and the debriefing after¡­ Even having five livers wouldn¡¯t be enough to handle it all!

    ¡°So, what do you think?¡± asked Li Weiguo with a smile. ¡°Their historical record has already surpassed yours in the number of victories.¡±

    ¡°Think about what?¡± Yan Yu cautiously confirmed, ¡°If you¡¯re asking what I think about Liu Longtao, then based on past records, he¡¯s my defeated foe; if you¡¯re asking about his team, in my current impression, that¡¯s a team led by my defeated foe¡­¡±

    ¡°Alright, enough,¡± Li Weiguo immediately felt a headache coming on.

 Chapter 104: 4 Interrupting Spellcasting

    Chapter 104: Chapter 4 Interrupting Spellcasting

    Li Weiguo sighed inwardly.

    ¡°Knowing that this kid is insufferably arrogant, why did I ask for his views on the other teams? Isn¡¯t this just giving him a chance to show off?¡±

    ¡°Have the roles in your team been distributed?¡± Li Weiguo decided to change the subject.

    ¡°They have.¡± Yan Yu nodded and said, ¡°Lin Ning and I are following the Sword Immortal path, Su Yunjin practices spells, Zhao Jiuzhen is the Assistant Officer, and Chen Lingyun is the Envoy.¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Li Weiguo nodded, finding the role distribution quite balanced.

    According to the military¡¯s internal research, Sword Immortals and spell casters tend to be more offensive, while Assistant Officers and Envoys lean more towards restraint.

    The most reasonable match was three to two, meaning three offensive members to two that focused on restraint. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Of course, Li Weiguo wouldn¡¯t impose those old scholars¡¯ theories on Yan Yu, dictating ¡°you must match it this way for me.¡±

    But Yan Yu happened to have matched it exactly that way, giving Li Weiguo a subtle sense of relief.

    ¡°Judging from the Sword-Spell-Assistant-Envoy system, how long will it take for your team to complete the transformation?¡± Li Weiguo continued to ask.

    ¡°Lin Ning and I have already adapted to the Sword Immortal role and can begin to exercise some combat power,¡± Yan Yu explained. ¡°Su Yunjin is studying Taoism Method and hasn¡¯t begun to practice yet; both Chen Lingyun and Zhao Jiuzhen are in the same situation, they don¡¯t have the appropriate Servant Envoys or magical treasures at hand.¡±

    His words were partly true and partly false. Yan Yu, having been an ordinary person in his previous life, fought using a True Yuan storage device, so he chose the Sword Immortal, which on average consumed the least True Yuan. Although he used to be a Puppet Master as an Assistant Officer, his combat experience as a Sword Immortal wouldn¡¯t just vanish, making the role of Sword Immortal¡ªwhich heavily relies on technical experience¡ªsecond nature to him.

    As for Zhao Yuanzhen, even though her true occupation was as a Puppet Master, the Qiansi Sect also liked to create malevolent magical treasures for use, so having her pose as an Assistant Officer who specialized in magical treasures wasn¡¯t a problem.

    Li Weiguo, unaware of the nuances in Yan Yu¡¯s words, simply nodded and said:

    ¡°Envoys and Assistant Officers indeed are professions that depend heavily on external objects. If you need any resources, just let me know; if there are relevant Mysterious Realms later on, I will try my best to secure opportunities for you all to join the battle.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    The materials obtained by the military cultivators from exploring low-Level Mysterious Realms were definitely beneath his interest.

    At the very least, it would have to be on the level of Dragon Spring Mountain Mysterious Realm.

    But Mysterious Realms of such a level were basically conquered under my lead for the Zhendong Army! Once we finished a battle, I¡¯d check the inventory list and reserve the materials directly. What was there to choose?

    So, unless he could dip into the stores of the other three armies, there was no need to pick at all, amounting to a sheer waste of time.

    Ah, when will new Mysterious Realms be available for conquest?

    After leaving the principal¡¯s office, Yan Yu strolled leisurely towards the school¡¯s exit, ready to head home.

    At the school gate, he saw Su Yunjin standing, looking around as if waiting for someone.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Yan Yu approached and asked, ¡°Where are your parents?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve gone back.¡± Su Yunjin replied, ¡°I called a cab. Want to go back together?¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    It¡¯s strange to think, it was just me cohabiting with the witch off campus, how did it suddenly become the entire team moving into the villa?

    But on second thought, it definitely didn¡¯t make sense to live in the school dorms when there was a villa available.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already explained the misunderstanding to my mom,¡± Su Yunjin continued, ¡°Don¡¯t mind it.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I won¡¯t mind,¡± Yan Yu replied with equanimity, ¡°That¡¯s very normal. Every time Lin Ning calls home, her dad asks her if she has found a boyfriend. At least your family isn¡¯t rushing you, right?¡±

    ¡°Hehe.¡± Su Yunjin laughed, covering her mouth, ¡°Indeed, I often hear Ningning complain about it.¡±

    ¡°Nowadays, the marriage rate is getting lower and lower. Young people don¡¯t seem to like dating anymore,¡± Yan Yu went on chatting idly, ¡°There are especially many leftover women in big cities, so it¡¯s normal for your family to be anxious.¡±

    ¡°But from what I see, you don¡¯t actually have to be in a rush.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the reason?¡± Su Yunjin asked.

    ¡°The emergence of ¡®leftover women¡¯ is due to not having a suitable partner that meets one¡¯s standards within their social circle,¡± Yan Yu explained calmly, ¡°But you all are the finest group of cultivators in Lu Country, you will inevitably attract a large number of talented individuals, so there should be no shortage of potential marital prospects.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true,¡± Su Yunjin nodded.

    The cool breeze of the summer night was gently blowing, messing up the hair beside her cheeks. Su Yunjin used her slender fingers to tidy her hair and suddenly asked:

    ¡°Then Captain, you¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, here it is,¡± Yan Yu interrupted, ¡°The car that stopped up there, that¡¯s the one we called, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Su Yunjin glanced at the license plate.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go,¡± Yan Yu said.

    After they got into the back seat of the car, Su Yunjin quietly looked out the window, the scenery was quickly passing by.

    In the reflection of the car window, Yan Yu¡¯s profile was clearly visible; he was looking down at his mobile phone.

    ¡°We should get home by nine-thirty,¡± Su Yunjin spoke up.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu responded.

    ¡°Captain,¡± Su Yunjin continued, ¡°do you ever¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait a moment,¡± Yan Yu suddenly interrupted her.

    He opened the voice message in the chat window and brought the bottom of his phone close to his ear.

    Despite not activating the speaker due to consideration for the driver, Su Yunjin, sitting beside him, could still faintly hear a woman¡¯s voice choked with sobs:

    ¡°¡­Yan Yu, they¡¯re all dead¡­ so many people dead¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t panic,¡± Yan Yu pressed the [Voice Input] button, and said in a deep voice, ¡°Listen carefully. Seal your apartment immediately, block the front door with a cabinet, close the windows, pull the curtains, and if possible, nail wooden boards over them. Turn all your and your father¡¯s mobile phones to silent mode, keeping them with you. The TV also needs to be muted, and remember to cut the phone line if there are calls, don¡¯t open the door for anyone.¡±

    ¡°The food and water reserves in your house should be enough for half a month. After half a month, the situation might improve. Be sure to watch the news on TV every day, and absolutely do not go out unless necessary. At night, remember to place a glass bottle upside down behind the door as a precaution against intruders, and don¡¯t be scared.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s another problem,¡± Anna, nearly breaking down, was hiding in her apartment room in distant Amur City, shaking as she tapped on her mobile keyboard, ¡°My mother is in a residential area far away.¡±

    ¡°Forget about your maternal relatives,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, ¡°What¡¯s most important right now is to save your and your father¡¯s lives. Staying in the apartment is the safest bet.¡±

    ¡°If you really can¡¯t rest assured, you can call your aunt, she still has a good attitude towards you and your father. But remember to call her at least three days later; otherwise, if your aunt asks you and your father to take refuge with her now, considering your father¡¯s personality¡­ I¡¯m not optimistic that he will make the right choice.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Anna quickly hit the send button, then pressed her phone tightly against her chest.

    Her messy blonde hair cascaded down, her face still streaked with the marks of recent tears, as if after a hysterical breakdown from crying.

    But Anna quickly opened her eyes, and this time there was no panic or fear in her gaze, only determination, toughness, and ferocity.

    I know spells, and we have supplies at home¡­

    I won¡¯t die, and neither will Dad¡­

    We, will all survive¡­

    Outside the apartment room, smoke was rising from the distant streets, and bursts of gunfire could be heard from time to time.

    The security officers were setting up defenses, but these lines were quickly broken by the spirit communicators.

    They were originally members of local gangs, as well as low-level workers and the unemployed, but at this moment, they all shared a single identity:

    Illegal spirit communicators.

    Infected with the ¡®lycanthropy virus,¡¯ illegal lycanthrope spirit communicators who no longer feared gunfire.

 Chapter 105: 5: The Rich Lady Desperately Seeks a Malevolent Ghost

    Chapter 105: Chapter 5: The Rich Lady Desperately Seeks a Malevolent Ghost

    The next morning.

    Yan Yu got up, washed up, and went downstairs to sit on the living room sofa, only to see Lin Ning preparing breakfast in the kitchen.

    The sweltering heat of August was bearing down, with temperatures already in the 30s early in the morning. Because of this, Sister Lin was wearing only a tank top and denim shorts, with a kitchen apron tied in front to shield from the oil splatter, revealing large patches of her fair and healthy skin on her shoulders, arms, thighs, and lower back.

    Yeah, summer is great!

    On the gas stove, a pot was boiling with wonton noodles, a frying pan contained fish cakes, and in the rice cooker was a simmering porridge, next to which stood a buzzing soy milk machine. Lin Ning was preparing breakfast for five people all by herself, yet her movements were orderly and efficient.

    Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Yan Yu watching her, and turned to say,

    ¡°Breakfast will be ready soon; go call them down to eat.¡±

    ¡°Let the little alarm clock do it,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Who¡¯s the little alarm clock?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    ¡°You.¡±

    ¡°Give it a rest,¡± Lin Ning sighed with resignation, responding with Yan Yu¡¯s catchphrase.

    A moment later, Su Yunjin also came downstairs.

    She went to the sofa, neatly stacked a few books that were lying in disarray on the coffee table, and then heard Lin Ning shout,

    ¡°Yun Jin! Help me call the others down for breakfast. The captain refuses to do it, the meanie.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Su Yunjin replied and then winked at Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t understand what she meant by that, so he simply winked back in the same way.

    Fortunately, Su Yunjin didn¡¯t respond; otherwise, the two of them would have started communicating in eyelid Morse code.

    But¡­

    I somehow feel that today¡¯s Su Yunjin seems more approachable than before?

    Ha ha ha, it¡¯s not like she¡¯s an animal; what does ¡®more approachable¡¯ mean? It¡¯s just that our relationship has grown closer, that¡¯s all.

    The third person to come down was unsurprisingly Zhao Yuanzhen, the gluttonous Devil Emperor from the Demonic Sect. As soon as she came down the stairs, she tiptoed to the kitchen, trying to sneak a bite of the fish cakes Lin Ning was frying in the pan. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But Lin Ning, a woman on the path of the Sword Immortal, was always alert and had quick reflexes. How could she let Zhao Yuanzhen succeed? In an instant, she flicked her hand with a whoosh and slapped away the stealthy claw.

    Zhao Yuanzhen sheepishly withdrew her hand and turned to see Yan Yu sitting on the sofa, trying to hold back his laughter. She couldn¡¯t help but feel secretly annoyed and mentally took note:

    ¡°Today this thief saw me fail to steal a fish cake and even mocked me. I¡¯ll remember this grudge! When the day comes that I seize power and assume control, I will definitely tie this little thief up in front of food, so he knows the pain of being able to look but not eat!¡±

    Thinking this, she quickly cheered up and sat down next to Yan Yu.

    As for Chen Lingyun, although she usually carried herself with grace and poise, she had a severe case of morning grumpiness, dragging her heels until Su Yunjin finally called her down.

    Everyone gathered around the dining table for breakfast, and afterward, they took a chartered vehicle to the academy for classes.

    The morning was still devoted to theory lessons, which aren¡¯t worth mentioning. The afternoon, however, was reserved for training classes, where the students would follow the instructors to learn. Yan Yu¡¯s Team naturally followed their captain to the back mountain¡¯s exclusive training field to practice.

    ¡°Southern Dipper covers the sky, command the stars to form a river!¡±

    With a delicate shout from Su Yunjin, as her True Yuan coursed through her meridians and surged, the waters of the celestial river also manifested in the air.

    ¡°It¡¯s still too much,¡± Yan Yu suddenly said.

    ¡°Should I compress it more?¡± Su Yunjin immediately stopped circulating her spiritual energy, and the impending waters of the Heavenly River also vanished instantly.

    ¡°Compress it again. Otherwise, your True Yuan won¡¯t last,¡± Yan Yu advised, ¡°The secret art mentions this point, right?¡±

    Su Yunjin fell into contemplation, recalling the annotations of the ¡°Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art¡± she had memorized in the quiet room days ago.

    The annotator was named ¡°Chen Mingyan,¡± who seemed to be the lady in green from Dragon Spring Mountain¡¯s Mysterious Realm encountered in the past.

    At the beginning of the classic, she mentioned that if the original ¡°Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art¡± were executed, it would instantly result in vast expanses of water, overwhelming and boundless, so there was no need for any finesse¡ªjust flood the enemy with the waters of the Heavenly River to finish the job.

    However, as the concentration of spiritual energy in the world was continuously declining, by the Age of Dharma Decline in the future, practitioners would inevitably face the issue of True Yuan sustainability.

    Therefore, she meticulously dissected and recompiled the method, turning the ¡°Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art¡± from merely a brute-force summoning of rivers and floods to attack the enemy, which also caused the True Yuan to drain away wildly like a raging river, into a series of more skillful and tactically valuable moves.

    For instance, the first move ¡°Jiaochong¡± mimics a flood dragon spitting water from the river, summoning pillars of Heavenly River water around the enemy and rapidly gushing vast floods in a specified direction, sweeping the enemy into its deluge.

    The annotator explained in the classic that if you attack the enemy directly, they may easily dodge using immortal steps; but if you use the sudden rush of the Heavenly River¡¯s water to inundate them, causing them to roll helplessly underwater, losing their sense of direction, then it¡¯s easy to decapitate them with a Flying Sword. What¡¯s most commendable is that the consumption of True Yuan is only slightly more than that of the Three Arts and Five Spells.

    But Su Yunjin had been practicing for a long time and still couldn¡¯t control her True Yuan output well. Using it a bit too much caused the diameter of the Jiaochong to be much larger than recorded in the classic, which actually reduced the impact force.

    She needed to train her control of True Yuan, Su Yunjin resolved firmly to herself.

    After inspecting Su Yunjin¡¯s progress, Yan Yu went to practice with Lin Ning.

    As she now had no sword techniques at her disposal, Ningning couldn¡¯t practice the basics alone and had to rely on Yan Yu to feed her moves.

    After sparring with Lin Ning to the point of exhaustion, Yan Yu put away the Huang Tingjian and then went to find Chen Lingyun and Zhao Yuanzhen.

    Zhao Yuanzhen didn¡¯t need to worry; after all, her combat experience was there, and she was naturally more adept at fighting than others. As the concentration of environmental spiritual energy gradually increased, her strength was bound to return slowly.

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s situation was more complicated. She was set on the path of controlling ghosts and had now obtained both the Soul Summoning Banner and the Heart Capturing Technique¡ªyet she lacked suitable spirits to refine and control.

    There were two ways to acquire ghosts:

    One was to improvise¡ªthe capture and killing of people, and after killing them, shaking the Soul Summoning Banner to absorb their living souls, offer sacrifices and torment them until they turned into ferocious and brutal evil spirits.

    But there were many problems with this approach. First, the concentration of ordinary human souls was insufficient for battle, making them easily perishable, and each death greatly weakened the soul force, requiring long-term nurturing within the Soul Summoning Banner; secondly, there was the issue of modern social perceptions. Even if she were to collect the souls of executed criminals, any exposure would still tarnish her reputation.

    The other method was to visit ancient battlefields and seek out long-dead yin soldiers and ghost warriors¡ªthe earlier they died, the more formidable the lingering ghost soldiers would be.

    Given the historical shifts in the population center of Lu Country, the most formidable ghost soldiers were mainly concentrated in the northern provinces of Xichuan and Sanjin, followed by Jibei, Central Plains, Jingbei, and Qilu provinces.

    However, these provinces were within the defense areas of other military forces; as for the Zhendong Military Defense Area¡¯s jurisdiction over five provinces and one prefecture, what they had in abundance was not spirits, but monsters.

    Seeing Chen Lingyun staring at the Soul Summoning Banner for a long time without making sense of it, Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but say,

    ¡°Stop looking. If it really comes to it, we can just take a trip to an ancient battlefield, see if we can find anything overlooked.¡±

    ¡°Find overlooked items?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a gleeful smile, ¡°Are there still unclaimed wandering spirits and lost ghosts in today¡¯s ancient battlefields?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a high probability of none,¡± Yan Yu answered frankly, ¡°Famous ancient battlefields usually have their corresponding secret battle realms, and the powerful ghosts are in those realms.¡±

    ¡°Then why do you want me to look for overlooked items?¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile grew sweeter.

    ¡°I just want to see the look of disappointment on your face when you run around and find nothing,¡± Yan Yu replied with a smile.

 Chapter 106: 6 Zhou Hongyus Team

    Chapter 106: Chapter 6 Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Team

    Although he mercilessly mocked Chen Lingyun, Yan Yu still took her matters to heart, and sent a message to Old Li specially:

    ¡°If any ancient battlefield mysterious realm appears, like in Changping or Chibi for instance, try to help Zhendong Army secure a chance to fight as the visiting team.¡±

    Nevertheless, such things are ultimately hit or miss.

    In Yan Yu¡¯s past life memories, neither the pitfall mysterious realm of Changping nor the sunken ship mysterious realm of Chibi opened in the first year of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence.

    It would all come down to that worthless woman, Chen Lingyun¡¯s own fortune.

    A few more days passed, and finally, news of a new mysterious realm was spread, but it was different from the past.

    ¡°The entrance to the mysterious realm hasn¡¯t been found yet?¡± In the principal¡¯s office, Yan Yu frowned and asked, ¡°It¡¯s such a large entrance, surely it can¡¯t be that hard to find.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Li Weiguo said succinctly, ¡°This mysterious realm seems very unstable, and the ghosts inside have escaped, creating significant resistance to the military¡¯s search operations.¡±

    ¡°Resistance?¡± Yan Yu pondered, puzzled, ¡°How troublesome can mere ghosts be to deal with?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not discuss this topic right now.¡± Seeing him getting poetic, Li Weiguo quickly interrupted, ¡°The issue at hand is that the ghosts leaked out near Shuanggui Mountain, only a river away from the nearby Fengdu County, with even a straight-line distance of less than 1.5 kilometers.¡±

    ¡°The military has already sealed off the Yangtze River Second Bridge, but it¡¯s said that water ghosts were spotted on the opposite riverbank, so it¡¯s necessary to get control of the mysterious realm as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°This time the home team is Pingxi Army¡¯s Zhou Hongyu¡¯s team, and you will be going as the visiting team to confront them. Chen Lingyun wants to take the Envoy route and lacks ghosts, right? I¡¯ve secured the opportunity for you, this time you must win, no room for defeat, got it?¡±

    ¡°Haha, look at you,¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°Me losing to Zhou Hongyu? You might as well tie my hands and blindfold me before I fight her.¡±

    ¡°Save the boasting for after you¡¯ve won and returned!¡± Li Weiguo laughed and cursed, ¡°Now scram!¡±

    Yan Yu leisurely left the principal¡¯s office, gathered the girls together, and rushed towards the airport.

    Since he hadn¡¯t added Zhou Hongyu as a friend, he couldn¡¯t directly inquire for information from her, but Chen Lingyun lived up to her title as Princess Jiang Hai, with widespread connections; she still managed to get intel from the other side through some unknown channel.

    Once everyone was on the plane, the aircraft took off and was stably cruising, she pulled up the display screen and projector, and began to explain to everyone:

    ¡°Zhou Hongyu¡¯s team, based on the information we have, plays in a style that can be summed up in one word: reckless.¡±

    ¡°Team leader Zhou Hongyu, from Shuzhong Prefecture, Nanjiang Province, follows the path of explosive magic cultivation. At the end of July in the Kunlun Mountains of Xichuan Province, she acquired a secret technique called ¡®Primordial Sovereign¡¯s True Mysterious Great Bright Fire¡¯, which is said to have the power to burn mountains and boil seas.¡±

    ¡°¡®Burn mountains and boil seas¡¯ is an exaggeration,¡± Yan Yu interrupted, ¡°Su Yunjin¡¯s ¡®Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art¡¯ also claims to create vast oceans! Given the current density of Spiritual Energy, it¡¯s merely an industrial-grade high-pressure water gun, just a bit more powerful than a fire brigade¡¯s hose.¡±

    The girls all burst into laughter.

    ¡°In short,¡± Chen Lingyun continued with a smile, ¡°Zhou Hongyu¡¯s fighting style is characterized by bravery, with an incredibly fast pace. Last week, in a confrontation with Liu Longtao¡¯s team, she actually started with a Great Bright Fire, immediately scattering the unprepared Dingbei Army team.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry,¡± Yan Yu added, ¡°Facing Zhou Hongyu alone would indeed be troublesome, but we are a team. You won¡¯t be left to fight alone.¡± sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Next up, Vice-Captain Zhang Huaide,¡± Chen Lingyun paused for a moment, then said, ¡°from Chang¡¯an Prefecture in Xichuan Province, he¡¯s following the path of a Sword Immortal. But the focus isn¡¯t on him being a Sword Immortal, but rather that he¡¯s taken the role of the operational core of this combat team.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it always the vice-captain¡¯s job to command?¡± Su Yunjin asked, puzzled.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, but he is the core,¡± Chen Lingyun explained casually, ¡°Usually, the captain sets the overall strategy and the vice-captain is responsible for working out the details. However, the problem with Zhou Hongyu¡¯s team is that the captain¡­ to use someone¡¯s words, is just a mace dressed up as a wolf¡¯s tooth club.¡±

    The girls once again giggled uncontrollably.

    ¡°Expecting Zhou Hongyu to interfere with tactics is absolutely impossible, so Zhang Huaide is in charge of formulating, refining, and executing the tactics. Don¡¯t think of him as a Sword Immortal, but as the command hub of the enemy,¡± Chen Lingyun said indifferently.

    ¡°When necessary, cut it off,¡± Yan Yu made a slashing gesture, ¡°As long as we force Zhang Huaide out, the other side has no substitute for command. Zhou Hongyu is absolutely unreliable in this aspect.¡±

    ¡°The third, Qin Meng,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°from Qin State Prefecture in Longyou Province, following the Sword Immortal path, but he chose the less common physical cultivation school. Currently, he¡¯s practicing the ¡®Dragon Elephant Nirvana Divine Skill,¡¯ so this guy has two methods of attack: his Flying Sword and his own body. You can think of him as an enhanced version of Jiang Hong, similarly responsible for tactical assaults, breaking through, and slicing up the enemy¡¯s formation.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention Jiang Hong,¡± Yan Yu shook his head, ¡°Jiang Hong didn¡¯t exert his real strength last time. But speaking of assault specialists, both Zhou Hongyu and Qin Meng are capable of breaking through formations, which is something we need to pay attention to.¡±

    Lin Ning listened with extra seriousness because she was also an assault specialist in her team, and, naturally, she cared about the strength of other teams¡¯ assault specialists.

    ¡°Fourth, Tang Xiaolian,¡± Chen Lingyun continued, ¡°from Sangchuan Prefecture in Nanjiang Province, taking the path of a Cultivator Envoy, using insects.¡±

    ¡°Eek!¡± The girls all showed expressions of disgust.

    ¡°Quite fits the regional stereotype, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Chen Lingyun said with a slight smile, ¡°In the battle with the Dingbei Army, Tang Xiaolian used a Gu technique called ¡®Peach Blossom Miasma,¡¯ which takes the form of pink smoke, five meters long and two meters wide, that moves slowly. Skin contact causes redness and intense itching, and the Gu insects quickly burrow into the body, blocking the meridians, so the wound must be treated with Runescript straight away to extract the Gu insects, or else you¡¯ll lose your fighting ability.¡±

    ¡°You even got the area of the spell?¡± Yan Yu exclaimed in surprise, ¡°Chen Lingyun, how reliable is this intelligence? Don¡¯t have us go into battle only to find that Tang Xiaolian throws out a ¡®Peach Blossom Miasma¡¯ hundreds of meters across, enveloping us all.¡±

    ¡°I have my sources,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°If you¡¯re worried, treat it as if it¡¯s a few hundred meters. After the fight starts, just retreat a hundred meters, and you won¡¯t have to worry.¡±

    The girls nearly burst out laughing together.

    ¡°Last is Meng Qingxi,¡± Chen Lingyun finally said, ¡°from Ninghai Prefecture in Hehuang Province, likely following the Assistant Officer path, but it¡¯s unknown which magical artifact he uses. In his previous battle with the Dingbei Army, he only used the Three Arts and Five Spells.¡±

    ¡°So, who won their last fight with the Dingbei Army?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°The Dingbei Army,¡± Chen Lingyun replied, ¡°Liu Longtao defeated Zhang Huaide early and made him retreat. The Pingxi Army lost their only commander and were defeated by the Dingbei Army one by one, even forcibly exchanging three of their men before they were defeated.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Yan Yu sighed, ¡°If only we had a recording to watch.¡±

    ¡°We will have that from now on,¡± Lou Ping, the leader of the Zhendong Army medical team, came out from the machine compartment and reminded them, ¡°The day before yesterday, the Central Privy Council issued a document stating that, to promote internal technical and tactical discussions, all subsequent Mysterious Realm simulation confrontations will be recorded by our military medical logistics team using drones. The files will be centrally archived and available for other teams to borrow and review.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great,¡± Yan Yu said impassively.

    Was this whole combat team confrontation being recorded to facilitate teams learning from each other, or for the imperial Privy Council to grasp the strengths of all major teams, or even to study their weaknesses behind the scenes?

    It didn¡¯t matter. My style is out in the open, there are no secrets. Go ahead and study it at your leisure!

 Chapter 107: 7 Have a Hot Pot

    Chapter 107: Chapter 7 Have a Hot Pot

    After arriving at Yuzhou Prefecture Airport, it was already evening.

    Considering the amplification of ghastly beings¡¯ powers at night, the military didn¡¯t dare to let the two teams tackle the Mysterious Realm overnight and arranged for them to stay in Yuzhou Prefecture.

    As soon as Yan Yu and the others got off the plane, Chen Lingyun held up her phone and suddenly said,

    ¡°Zhang Huaide has invited us to dinner in the name of the team, what do you think?¡±

    ¡°Since when did you get in touch with Zhang Huaide?¡± Yan Yu glanced at her sideways.

    ¡°Jealous?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a sweet smile.

    ¡°Wishful thinking.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen snorted coldly beside them.

    Yan Yu was not moved in the slightest but made a gesture at Lin Ning.

    Lin Ning quickly leaned in and took a glance at Chen Lingyun¡¯s phone, explaining,

    ¡°The four deputy team leaders have created a group.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go eat,¡± Yan Yu said without hesitation, ¡°We¡¯re all Cultivators, why not have a meal together? Tell Zhang Huaide that we¡¯re all from the coast and can¡¯t take spicy food, ask them to pick a non-spicy restaurant.¡±

    After Chen Lingyun typed for a while, she smiled and asked,

    ¡°He asked if mild spice is okay?¡±

    Yan Yu pondered.

    The interpretation of ¡°mild spice¡± might differ somewhat from region to region, especially for people from Sichuan and Chongqing.

    Considering his deep friendship with Zhou Hongyu, as well as the high regard the whole team had for Zhou Hongyu, this ¡°mild spice¡± could very well be a linguistic trap¡­ However, based on past experiences, Zhang Huaide seemed to be quite a decent person, unlikely to join Tang Xiaolian and the others in playing pranks.

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Then, can we go take photos in Hongya Cave after dinner?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen eagerly asked.

    ¡°Take photos?¡± Yan Yu¡¯s face immediately turned stern, ¡°We are here on a business trip to carry out a mission! Not to let you check in at popular internet spots and take photos for social media! Each one of you is an active Cultivator, can¡¯t you be a bit more serious?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a leisurely laugh, ¡°but it¡¯s dictatorship during war, democracy after the war¡­¡±

    ¡°All those in favor of taking photos, raise your hands!¡± Lin Ning shouted.

    The four girls raised their hands one after another.

    Yan Yu scratched his head in resignation. Of course, he could use his authority as the team leader to deny the girls¡¯ plans, but the cost would be a plummet in team morale¡­ Clearly, it wasn¡¯t worth it.

    ¡°Forget it,¡± he decided to temporarily concede, ¡°then go by yourselves.¡±

    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t beg the team leader to come anyway,¡± Lin Ning joked with him, ¡°When the beautiful girls are out, there¡¯s no place for a big guy like you.¡±

    Yan Yu snorted. Even if you begged me, I wouldn¡¯t go!

    ¡°But Yan Yu is really good at taking photos,¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly said, taking out her phone with a smile.

    Her eyes curved as she smiled, obviously starting to make trouble, and Yan Yu had a foreboding feeling in his heart.

    ¡°Really?¡± Su Yunjin went over curiously to look, and exclaimed in astonishment.

    So Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen also gathered around, and after the girls had looked for a while, they suddenly looked up at Yan Yu in unison.

    Seeing the situation was not good, Yan Yu started to retreat slowly, saying,

    ¡°I just took them casually, it won¡¯t be that good if I try again, and pretty much anyone who takes them will do¡­¡±

    Damn it, I¡¯m supposed to be the strongest in this world!

    He suddenly turned and ran, with the girls¡¯ shouts following behind him:

    ¡°Don¡¯t run!¡±

    ¡°Team leader, stop right there!¡±

    ¡°Ningning, hurry up and catch him!¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Since the airport was a public place, and Shifting Technique couldn¡¯t be used, Yan Yu eventually was outnumbered and overpowered, caught by his teammates in a junior overriding senior officer situation, and was subsequently escorted onto a taxi.

    Chen Lingyun sat alone in the front seat, while Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen sandwiched Yan Yu into the back seat, one in front and one behind.

    Su Yunjin followed behind, and the four of them squeezed the back of the taxi full.

    The taxi driver glanced in the rearview mirror at the one man and three women and revealed an expression that said, ¡°Is that all? I¡¯ve seen bigger scenes than this,¡± before silently driving off.

    Yan Yu, however, had his own troubles that he couldn¡¯t express. Due to the summer heat, everyone was dressed in cool clothing, and the back seat of the taxi wasn¡¯t very spacious. Three people could squeeze in with some effort, but with four people sitting side by side, it was just a mass of flesh pressing against flesh.

    It disturbs my focus, how annoying!

    He struggled to take out his mobile phone and messaged Lin Ning:

    ¡°Don¡¯t put your leg on mine, it¡¯s heavy.¡±

    Lin Ning¡¯s face immediately turned red, but Su Yunjin on her right had already been squeezed to the point of discomfort and definitely couldn¡¯t move further in that direction, so she decisively replied with a message.

    [Ningning]: Then move your leg to the left a bit, or else I have no place to put mine.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Can¡¯t do. Your Sister Zhao¡¯s chubby leg is on the left.

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s leg wasn¡¯t actually chubby, but her figure was indeed the most voluptuous among the four girls, so she naturally took up the most space.

    Lin Ning sneaked a glance and found that it was as Yan Yu had said; there was indeed no space left on that side, so she could only sigh and continue messaging.

    [Ningning]: There¡¯s also no space on my side, bear with it for now, we¡¯ll be there soon.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You should consider losing some weight.

    The hand Lin Ning held her phone with instantly tensed up.

    She switched her phone to her left hand, and with her right hand stealthily reached behind and pinched the flesh at Yan Yu¡¯s waist.

    [Ningning]: I¡¯ll give you an opportunity to retract your message.

    [Yi De Fu Ren has retracted a message]

    Lin Ning smugly retracted her right hand, unaware that Su Yunjin beside her had quietly witnessed her little maneuver.

    She silently turned her head and gazed out of the window.

    When the taxi finally arrived at its destination, the four in the back rushed out one after another, breathing in the fresh air deeply.

    ¡°What happened to you all?¡± asked Chen Lingyun, feigning ignorance.

    ¡°Chen Lingyun, you¡¯re so cunning!¡± Lin Ning wrapped her arms around her neck from behind, a look of misery on her face as she complained, ¡°We were almost squashed to death in the back.¡±

    ¡°Actually, the front seat could fit two people,¡± Yan Yu chimed in. ¡°Letting Chen Lingyun sit on someone¡¯s lap would have worked. With her height, even if caught by a camera, would be mistaken for a child.¡±

    ¡°A child can¡¯t share a seat with an adult either!¡± Lin Ning immediately retorted, and then quickly realized her mistake, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ling Yun, I didn¡¯t mean to call you a child¡­ It¡¯s all the captain¡¯s fault!¡±

    ¡°Where is the hotpot restaurant?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen looked around.

    ¡°Over there, I think.¡± Su Yunjin pointed the way. ¡°Is that the sign?¡±

    The restaurant Zhang Huaide had chosen specialized in eel and was a famous local hotpot place in Yuzhou Prefecture.

    The restaurant was only on the second floor, and one had to walk up the metal staircase to get there. The hygiene was not worth mentioning; what mattered was the lively atmosphere of the marketplace.

    As the group made their way to the second floor and entered the room, they saw Zhou Hongyu and others occupying half of a large table, which was already full of various dishes, the hotpot bubbling merrily away.

    A yin-yang hotpot with red and white broths? They didn¡¯t set a trap for me?

    Yan Yu carelessly pulled up a chair next to Zhou Hongyu and said with a laugh:

    ¡°Xiao Zhou, long time no see.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian, Qin Meng, Zhang Huaide, and Meng Qingxi, sitting to the left of Zhou Hongyu, immediately felt a sense of foreboding.

    They knew all too well the fiery temper of their captain.

    It was said Zhou Hongyu had a fierce temper since junior high, once beating a classmate so badly they ended up in the hospital, and in high school, she went to a martial arts school, still claiming the throne of the school boss with a temper famously ¡°flammable and explosive.¡±

    Yan Yu not only lacked any friendship with her but also had a pretty substantial past grievance. Yet here he was, sitting right beside her and calling her ¡°Xiao Zhou¡±¡­ Did he tire of living?

    If Zhou Hongyu suddenly stood up the next second, grabbed the hotpot, and dumped it on Yan Yu¡¯s head, no one would find it strange.

    However, contrary to the team members¡¯ expectations, Zhou Hongyu did not explode on the spot, but coldly stated: S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Sit here by me, you eat from the spicy side.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian took a closer look and inwardly cheered. Because although they ordered a yin-yang hotpot, the spicy side was indeed right in front of Zhou Hongyu.

    Spice-intolerant men, quickly roll away from the captain! Far away!

    ¡°Haha, no worries,¡± Yan Yu said with a relaxed smile, casually picking up the shared chopsticks from the table and placing them on his own bowl.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got long arms.¡±

 Chapter 108: 8: Dragon Gate Formation

    Chapter 108: Chapter 8: Dragon Gate Formation

    ¡°`

    After everyone took their seats, the seating arrangement was as follows:

    Meng Qingxi, Zhang Huaide, Qin Meng, Tang Xiaolian, Zhou Hongyu, Yan Yu, Zhao Yuanzhen, Lin Ning, Chen Lingyun, and Su Yunjin.

    The spicy hot pot was situated right in front of Zhou Hongyu, who, true to her name, clearly had no intention of touching the clear broth pot.

    Yan Yu picked up the communal chopsticks and dipped a duck intestine into the spicy pot. After it was cooked, he tasted it.

    Yep, it was extremely spicy.

    But that was only to be expected. With a divided pot, those who couldn¡¯t handle spice would stick to the clear broth, while the spicy side had to satisfy the chili-lovers with as much heat as they desired.

    ¡°Let¡¯s eat, everyone, eat up,¡± Zhang Huaide said with a smile, seeing Yan Yu begin to eat. ¡°Let¡¯s dig in and drink up, ha!¡±

    By now, everyone was hungry, and since it was a group of young people without too many formalities, they all reached out for the food with their chopsticks.

    Immediately after, Yan Yu felt like he was ¡°caught between two mother bears.¡±

    ¡°Bear¡± didn¡¯t describe their size, but their wild way of eating. Zhao Yuanzhen didn¡¯t need to be mentioned: In her previous life, she was merciless and unscrupulous in killing, and now she handled her chopsticks with the same fearlessness. First sampling every dish on the table to test the flavors, she then began zeroing in on her favorite, the eel.

    The eel was sliced into segments, its blood a deep red, thick like syrup. To girls like Lin Ning and Su Yunjin, they couldn¡¯t help but turn away with a frown of discomfort, but Zhao Yuanzhen wasn¡¯t the least bit disgusted. She scooped up the plate with a whoosh and poured it into the hot pot.

    Zhou Hongyu, though quiet, ate vigorously. She firmly clamped her food with her chopsticks, submerged it in the spicy broth to cook, and upon retrieving it, rolled it in a dish of chili powder until it was coated with a fiery red cloak, before bringing it to her mouth¡ªYan Yu felt spicy just watching her.

    With these two formidable women setting the pace, the men at the table no longer held back and began to really enjoy their food. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Come on, pour the drinks,¡± Zhang Huaide tapped the table, and Qin Meng immediately came over to fill his glass. ¡°Us men will drink, but the ladies can do as they please, ha.¡±

    After hearing this, Lin Ning opened the large bottle of soy milk on the table and filled the glasses for the girls nearby.

    ¡°Is Zhou Hongyu still drinking?¡± Tang Xiaolian asked to confirm.

    ¡°Mm,¡± Zhou Hongyu replied coolly, her gaze shifting toward Yan Yu¡¯s glass.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll have a drink too,¡± Yan Yu said.

    The beer was low in alcohol content because they would be facing the Mysterious Realm the next day, and nobody wanted the scandal of someone showing up hungover. Just the thought of upper management inquiring into the matter was enough to know it would be a major hassle.

    Everyone toasted and drank together, and the atmosphere grew much warmer.

    ¡°Captain Yan,¡± Zhang Huaide stood up, speaking with enthusiasm, ¡°this is our first meeting, so here¡¯s a toast to you. I heard that the captain sparred with you before; I hope you won¡¯t hesitate to instruct me tomorrow so I can learn from you.¡±

    While there was a hint of ¡°seeking revenge for past grievances¡±, he didn¡¯t show a trace of hostility. Yan Yu, amused, clinked glasses with him:

    ¡°Sure, what do you want to learn?¡±

    ¡°Of course, your triple-speed lightning assault,¡± Zhang Huaide said, complimenting him.

    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s nothing much to learn there,¡± Yan Yu waved his finger dismissively, looking pleased with himself. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the deputy captain in charge of commanding? How about I teach you some tactical planning instead, how¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°That works too,¡± Zhang Huaide smiled unabatedly, finishing the drink in his glass and subtly watching Yan Yu¡¯s expression.

    It was hard to read¡­ Completely different from the captain.

    ¡°Deputy Captain Chen Lingyun,¡± Tang Xiaolian also stood up, smiling sweetly, ¡°we¡¯re both envoys in the team, how about I toast to you?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Chen Lingyun stood up in response.

    These two girls were sitting right across from each other, and neither was very tall, creating a somewhat comical situation where they had to stretch their arms to clink glasses.

    ¡°Speaking of tomorrow¡¯s Mysterious Realm¡­¡± Tang Xiaolian was about to speak when she suddenly heard Yan Yu say:

    ¡°Alright, alright, this isn¡¯t a private room. We don¡¯t discuss official matters in public places, ha.¡±

    Zhang Huaide subtly shook his head. Seeing this, Tang Xiaolian could only laugh and sit back down.

    The subsequent toasting proceeded much more harmoniously, with everyone chatting about life¡¯s amusements and trending topics online, steering clear of any forbidden sensitive content.

    ¡°By the way,¡± Tang Xiaolian toasted Yan Yu and then asked with a hint of mischief, her gaze roaming over the four girls opposite, ¡°Is Captain Yan single right now, or do you already have a girlfriend?¡±

    The question was tricky to answer. If he lied and said he had one, it would be like blowing one¡¯s own trumpet, inciting ridicule; but if he told the truth that he didn¡¯t, this young lady¡¯s next question would be: Why not? Aren¡¯t there many beautiful girls in the team? Don¡¯t you like any of them?

    It was a trap, much like when Chen Lingyun had asked Ye Jun.

    Naturally, Yan Yu wouldn¡¯t fall for it. He laughed:

    ¡°Why, are you planning to set me up with someone?¡±

    ¡°`

    Tang Xiaolian was momentarily stunned, only to hear Qin Meng suddenly chuckle beside her and say with a napkin to his mouth:

    ¡°Matchmaking¡­ she¡¯s still a single from the womb till now.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Tang Xiaolian, annoyed with her foolish teammate, maintained a generous demeanor and asked, ¡°What type of person does Captain Yan like?¡±

    At this point, not only the girls from the Pingxi Army were all ears, but even Zhao Yuanzhen, who had been eating nonstop, put down her chopsticks and stopped eating, on high alert.

    Right, what was that line the crow guy said in the movie before flipping the table when facing a situation like this?

    Her hands secretly supported the underside of the table, ready to flip it at any moment, but then she heard Yan Yu say in distress:

    ¡°You¡¯ve got me there. I can¡¯t think of any girl who would truly be worthy of me. Alas¡ªsometimes being too outstanding can also be a troubling matter. Enough of this, I¡¯ll finish this drink, and you do as you please.¡±

    He drained the glass in one go and then continued to pour and drink by himself, his face full of endless wistfulness and world-weariness.

    The expression on Tang Xiaolian¡¯s face froze, as Yan Yu¡¯s response was so out of her depth that she didn¡¯t know how to respond at that moment.

    The atmosphere at the dining table suddenly cooled, and Zhou Hongyu slowly turned her head and looked at Yan Yu blankly.

    Her beautiful and heroic face, which had always been covered in layers of unmelting frost, now finally softened and shattered, revealing utter disbelief and amazement beneath.

    ¡­How in the world did I lose to you, this blind and foolish nobody?

    Remembering the last time she was defeated and humiliated, she suddenly lost her appetite. She threw her chopsticks down onto the edge of the bowl and began to drink cup after cup.

    Yan Yu and Zhou Hongyu, each absorbed in their drinking, looked like a couple who had just broken up, leading everyone to suddenly feel they ¡°kinda matched.¡±

    Then they shuddered and quickly discarded the thought: Matched my ass!

    The girls from the Zhendong Army were thinking that if someone proposed matching Zhou Hongyu with Yan Yu, their captain would certainly sneer, ¡°She¡¯s worthy?¡± Meanwhile, the Pingxi side thought that if Yan Yu were to be matched with Zhou Hongyu, she would stand up with her sword and chop the matchmaker into tripe.

    ¡°Captain, why are you drinking sullenly on your own?¡± To break the awkward air, Qin Meng quickly spoke up, ¡°Let me drink with you.¡±

    ¡°No more drinking.¡± Zhou Hongyu put down her cup; this low-proof alcohol tasted like water and was flavorless, and she¡¯d rather have some more food.

    She turned to call the waitress, ¡°Miss, please bring us another plate of eel.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got a good appetite.¡± Seeing Zhou Hongyu start eating again, Yan Yu also put down his cup and smiled, saying.

    ¡°I advise you to eat more too,¡± Zhou Hongyu said indifferently, staring at the hotpot, ¡°because when you lose tomorrow, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t have such a good appetite.¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡± Yan Yu was not offended; he just raised his glass to her and said, ¡°If that day really comes, I will only be happy for you and even more ravenous.¡±

    ¡°Boring.¡± Zhou Hongyu ignored his toast and just stared at the hotpot in silence, then suddenly put down her chopsticks, stood up, and said, ¡°Set up a whole array, didn¡¯t get a bit of intelligence, I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    Seeing the captain taking the lead to leave, the rest of the team also got up, bidding farewell to the Zhendong Army:

    ¡°We¡¯re off then.¡±

    ¡°Enjoy your meal.¡±

    ¡°See you on tomorrow¡¯s mission.¡±

    Regardless of the attitude towards Yan Yu, everyone still had a pretty good impression of the four beautiful girls, so there was no need to put on a nasty face and play the villain at the moment.

    At the counter, Zhou Hongyu glanced to the side, and vice-captain Zhang Huaide conscientiously went to pay the bill.

    Meng Qingxi, who had been silent the whole time, finally couldn¡¯t help but say:

    ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten enough¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop whining; we¡¯ll go eat at another stall,¡± Zhou Hongyu said nonchalantly.

    ¡°Okay, okay, okay.¡± Tang Xiaolian immediately brightened up, hugging Zhou Hongyu¡¯s arm, ¡°Hongyu sister, let¡¯s go have a meal by ourselves, not with them!¡±

    On the other side, Yan Yu calmly continued to add food into the pot and then looked at the silent girls around him, asking:

    ¡°Shall we finish the remaining food before we go?¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Lin Ning sounded somewhat listless.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, tired?¡± asked Yan Yu in surprise, ¡°Don¡¯t want to go to Hongya Cave for pictures? All right then, we¡¯ll head back to the hotel after we¡¯re done¡­¡±

    ¡°We do want to take photos!¡± The mention of sightseeing and taking pictures revitalized the girls, who began to compete eagerly for food.

 Chapter 109: 9 Joint Opening

    Chapter 109: Chapter 9 Joint Opening

    The next morning.

    Yan Yu was woken up by the alarm clock, got dressed, and went to the bathroom to wash up.

    From outside came Lin Ning¡¯s voice, faintly audible saying, ¡°I¡¯ll go call him.¡±

    Yan Yu immediately stood by the door with toothbrush in mouth, waiting for the first knock to sound, and swiftly pulled the door open.

    Lin Ning, not having enough time to knock a second time, was startled on the spot.

    Regaining her composure and realizing it was the captain¡¯s prank, she kicked him gently¡ª but the kick wasn¡¯t hard, just a tap with the tip of her shoe, conveying more the message that she was not to be trifled with.

    ¡°Why did you kick me?¡± Yan Yu was bewildered.

    ¡°Because you hid behind the door on purpose to scare me,¡± Lin Ning said huffily.

    ¡°So, you were scared?¡± Yan Yu raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°No!¡± Lin Ning said defiantly, ¡°Hurry up and come out to have breakfast, everyone is waiting for you!¡±

    She stamped her foot and ran off.

    Yan Yu closed the door and went back to the bathroom to continue brushing his teeth.

    Time truly flies. The day he met everyone at the school seemed like yesterday, but when he really thought about it, it had been over three months.

    Now, unlike in his previous life, he had Zhao Yuanzhen as his cultivation partner, Lin Ning, who was serious and often made sarcastic comments, and Su Yunjin, who was gentle, reserved, and silently worked hard. He really didn¡¯t have to hang all his hopes on Chen Lingyun alone.

    Just that the future was bound to be tumultuous, and for the time being, Yan Yu also didn¡¯t have the time to seriously pursue romance with a girl.

    Forget it, let nature take its course.

    After breakfast, they all took a car to Fengdu County.

    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Su Yunjin holding a book, suddenly spoke up, ¡°It¡¯s actually a misconception that the Ghost City is in Fengdu. The Ghost City called Fengdu and this place called Fengdu are two unrelated, independently existing matters.¡±

    ¡°This just proves a point,¡± Chen Lingyun said meaningfully, ¡°If a lie is told often enough and believed by enough people, it ultimately becomes the truth.¡± S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°No way?¡± Lin Ning asked puzzled, ¡°How can a lie become the truth just by being told repeatedly?¡±

    ¡°This Fengdu is not that Fengdu, but say it enough times, and the Ghost City Fengdu seems to appear right here~¡± Chen Lingyun said with an evasive smile.

    ¡°The Luofeng Mountain recorded in history should be located in the far north,¡± Su Yunjin added, ¡°On this point, I agree with Ling Yun. The type and manifestation location of a mysterious realm are likely related to the local folklore and the subjective perceptions of the people here, rather than being an objectively immutable presence.¡±

    Lin Ning furrowed her brows, still feeling a bit confused. In her understanding, the mysterious realm should have been hidden here all along, only to suddenly appear at some point.

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Yan Yu suddenly interjected, ¡°We are here.¡±

    The girls looked outside the car window, only to see the cordoned-off bridge crossing the river ahead, while the mountain across the bridge was enveloped in black mist, barely revealing the silhouette of the mountains.

    Zhou Hongyu and others had already arrived at the bridgehead and were currently standing on the shore looking across.

    ¡°Are there many ghosts?¡± Yan Yu asked Zhou Hongyu, gazing toward the other shore.

    Zhou Hongyu didn¡¯t look at him, while Zhang Huaide explained:

    ¡°Water ghosts have already entered the water. If we can¡¯t control the mysterious realm quickly, I¡¯m afraid this shipping lane will also have to be closed off soon.¡±

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°let¡¯s not delay any further and get going¡­ it¡¯s your home turf this time, do you go first?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go together,¡± Zhang Huaide said with a smile, ¡°There are many ghostly creatures on the way. We¡¯ll cooperate and clear them out as we go, and once we find the entrance to the mysterious realm, we will enter first.¡±

    Chen Lingyun smiled to herself, thinking that Deputy Captain Zhang was really not willing to miss out on any advantage.

    If the Pingxi Army chose to lead the way, they would deplete more True Yuan than the followers and would reveal many subtleties of their combat style to the Zhendong Army trailing behind. But if both teams went together, these concerns wouldn¡¯t exist.

    Taking into account the probing at last night¡¯s dinner, it was clear that Deputy Captain Zhang Huaide had a tactical style that favored collecting intelligence and precise calculation.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t fuss over the details and nodded, ¡°Ling Yun, you¡¯ll command.¡±

    ¡°Okay~¡± Chen Lingyun said cheerfully, ¡°Ningning, lead the way, Sister Zhao, please support. Yan Yu, stay at the back to ensure safety for me and Yun Jin.¡±

    Zhang Huaide, listening from the side, realized that his plan to observe the opposing team¡¯s tactical style under the guise of ¡°jointly clearing the way¡± was unlikely to be successful.

    Because, among the members of Yan Yu¡¯s Team currently, Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin were the least understood.

    Chen Lingyun was going down the path of an Envoy, but her Servant Envoy was a complete unknown. What use was the banner she was holding? Unknown.

    Su Yunjin had chosen a spell-casting profession, but what Taoism Method did she possess? Also unknown.

    In the last confrontation with Li Zhaojiang¡¯s Team, neither of these two had used their treasures or spells, so there was a total lack of intelligence in this aspect.

    Now that Chen Lingyun has openly stated, ¡°Let Yan Yu protect me and Yun Jin¡¯s safety,¡± it means that they don¡¯t plan on taking any action before entering the Mysterious Realm.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Just as Zhang Huaide was deep in thought, he heard Zhou Hongyu say from behind, ¡°Ultimately, it all comes down to strength.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Zhang Huaide said with a relieved smile, ¡°It all comes down to strength.¡±

    ¡°Qin Meng, team up with Lin Ning to lead the way, with Little Tang supporting from the side. Captain, you stay at the rear to cover our backs.¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Zhou Hongyu responded indifferently.

    The group quickly passed through the military defense line and began charging toward the bridge on the other side.

    Lin Ning and Qin Meng killed side by side at the forefront, with Zhao Yuanzhen and Tang Xiaolian covering the flanks, while the rest fell to the back, enclosing the Zhendong and Pingxi armies¡¯ medical teams in the middle for protection, with Yan Yu and Zhou Hongyu as the core forces of the security team.

    Before even crossing half the bridge, the visibility around them had severely decreased. The obstruction of light was not caused by mist made up of tiny droplets, but according to instrument detections, it seemed to be some kind of electromagnetic field that affected light¡­ Yan Yu heard ¡°shasha¡± white noise in his earpiece, but fortunately, communication did not seem to be cut off.

    The medical team took out their equipment and launched reconnaissance drones into the sky. These drones were equipped with highly sensitive thermal imagers, capable of breaking through the surface environment¡¯s dark fog and capturing clear images of distant scenes.

    The red and yellow heat sources, naturally, were the team¡¯s members, while those ghostly creatures in the distance showed up as black silhouettes in the imagers¡ªmeaning that they were the complete opposite of humans, even absorbing the heat radiation from the environment.

    Lin Ning, using her Shifting Technique, sprinted ahead, with the heavy Green Bamboo Sword resting against her back, providing her with a subtle sense of security.

    The next adversaries would be the ghostly creatures. Saying I¡¯m not scared would definitely be a lie.

    But I¡¯m not the same as I used to be¡ªCaptain trained me well!

    Hah! Demons, face my sword!

    A figure emerged from the dark fog ahead. Before Qin Meng could react, Lin Ning had already cast a Sword Technique.

    The Green Bamboo Sword became a gleam of green light, piercing through the figure in an instant.

    Qin Meng watched with a slightly furrowed brow, thinking how quick Lin Ning¡¯s reflexes were!

    The opponent¡¯s body fell forward to the ground, motionless as if it were dead. When the group reached nearby, they saw the deceased ghost, looking like an emaciated person with gray-green, sharply contoured skin, as if carved from wood or stone.

    ¡°How is it?¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly asked.

    Yan Yu knew what she meant; she was asking if this creature was worth collecting into my Soul Summoning Banner. After pondering briefly, he responded in a low voice:

    ¡°This is a ¡®Wraith,¡¯ a ghost from the mountains, with decent defensive strength, but that¡¯s about it.¡±

    ¡°Hmm~¡± Chen Lingyun got his implication in a flash: Just high defense, without the value of cultivation. As a cultivator playing with ghost creatures, one should nurture those with special abilities.

    The group finally crossed the grand bridge over the river and reached the opposite bank.

    Due to the traffic blockade, the road on this side was also empty, with only the occasional bursts of cold wind and the blurry, indistinct human-shaped silhouettes in the distance.

    Qin Meng thought it was his turn to act, about to charge forward at high speed and show off a display of a body-cultivating man tearing apart ghosts, only to see Lin Ning silently accelerating her Sword Technique, urging the Green Bamboo Sword to become a stream of green light, one, two, three times, knocking down all the human-shaped silhouettes.

    Qin Meng: ¡­¡­¡­

    Zhang Huaide observed silently from the back, feeling that Lin Ning¡¯s swordsmanship was truly formidable, not inferior even compared to the strong swordsmen in the Dingbei Army.

    Although Zhou Hongyu¡¯s team had two sword immortals, neither followed the mainstream path of sword immortals. Qin Meng was a Body Cultivating Cultivator, preferring to wield his sword for hacking over Sword Control; Deputy Captain Zhang had much to do and would not usually serve as the main output, more often cooperating with Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Taoism Method for precision strikes.

    That is to say, his own ability in the Sword Control Technique sufficed for finishing moves usually, but if he were to confront a professional sword immortal like Lin Ning in a ranged swordplay offense and defense¡­ he would be inadequate, having suffered in this respect during a previous clash with the Dingbei Army.

    Once the battle in the Mysterious Realm started, a way to restrict Lin Ning¡¯s long-range swordplay was essential; he could not afford to repeat the previous defeat.

    Zhang Huaide quickly made a decision and turned back to whisper to Zhou Hongyu:

    ¡°Plan C.¡±

    Zhou Hongyu silently nodded, aware that Yan Yu was her arch-nemesis and deeply cognizant of his unpredictable and formidable strength. Hence, no amount of caution was excessive before battle.

    On the right side of Pingxi Army¡¯s team, Chen Lingyun also watched the battle ahead closely, silently calculating in her mind.

    Compared to Qin Meng, the body cultivator, Lin Ning, the authentic sword immortal, fully exploited her advantage in reach¡ªjust look at Qin Meng unable to snatch a single monster.

    If things continued this way, by the time they reached the entrance of the Mysterious Realm, Qin Meng¡¯s True Yuan would barely be depleted, and his skill level would remain unproven, while Lin Ning¡¯s capabilities would have been thoroughly exposed to the other side.

    She looked at Yan Yu expressionlessly.

    The glance was quite ambiguous, yet Yan Yu still guessed what she was thinking and said softly:

    ¡°Let Lin Ning perform well.¡±

    Let her perform well? What does that mean?

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s mind raced, quickly arriving at an answer.

 Chapter 110: 10 Limiting Lin Ning

    Chapter 110: Chapter 10 Limiting Lin Ning

    The Shuanggui Mountain scenic area was not large, but being shrouded in ghostly mists and howling winds gave it a feeling of unfathomable depth, an endless expanse.

    The tourist square in front of the mountain gate was deserted. The main entrance was a small archway, with the ticket office right beside it.

    Lin Ning and Qin Meng halted simultaneously, uncertain whether to continue exploring northward or head into the mountains to the northeast.

    Suddenly, a low growl was heard!

    Qin Meng instinctively activated the Divine Elephant Technique. This method was a ¡°best of both worlds¡± defensive and offensive maneuver in the path of bodily cultivation, combining the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse and the Wood Bending Charm, endowing him with boundless strength and immunity to swords and spears.

    His muscles swiftly swelled, his bones crackling and stretching, and in an instant, he shot up to two meters tall, his T-shirt transforming into a tight tank top.

    With the Divine Elephant Technique fortifying him, his body was as tough as steel, fearless of attacks from any direction!

    However, the attacker¡¯s target was not him but rather the much slighter¡ªframe Lin Ning at his side¡ªonly to see Lin Ning advancing instead of retreating, her Flying Sword turning into a streak of blue light, slashing upward diagonally, clang!

    The incoming object was cleaved in two, falling to the ground with a thud, and only then did the pair clearly see it was a bone shard.

    The bone had the curvature of a rib but its tip had been sharpened into a lethal spike; should a cultivator fail to activate their Barrier Charm and be struck by it, they would be impaled on the spot.

    Lin Ning was belatedly aware and still shaken, her heart pounding with residual fear.

    In truth, she had not seen what was flying towards her, but having been thrashed hundreds of times by Yan Yu with the Sword Control Technique, she had long cultivated a habit of striking without thinking¡ªanything crossing her field of vision was immediately met with a counterattack, any hesitation would result in being pummeled to the ground by the Huang Ting Sword.

    This forcibly trained ¡°eye-hand coordination¡± muscle memory actually saved her today!

    Zhao Yuanzhen caught up from the side and exclaimed in surprise:

    ¡°Dao Lao Ghost?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Dao Lao Ghost,¡± Yan Yu said through the communication channel. ¡°Its bone needles are poisonous. It¡¯s vulnerable up close.¡±

    No sooner had the voice faded than Lin Ning had already activated the Shifting Technique, charging towards the specter at the mountain gate.

    Qin Meng did not linger either, immediately following behind Lin Ning and charging forward.

    Tang Xiaolian hesitated for a moment before saying to Zhao Yuanzhen beside her:

    ¡°There seem to be ghosts to the northwest as well. I¡¯m afraid this is a diversionary tactic. It would be better if we stayed here¡­¡±

    Before she could finish, Zhao Yuanzhen ignored her and followed Lin Ning toward the mountain gate.

    Angered, Tang Xiaolian stomped her foot and, seeing the others quickly approaching from behind, she could only rush to keep up.

    When the others arrived at the tourist square, Chen Lingyun looked towards the mountain gate where a battle was already raging.

    ¡°Dao Lao Ghost?¡± she asked quietly.

    ¡°Nothing but a Peashooter,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    Chen Lingyun immediately understood¡ªjust a long-range weakling, huh? Not worth my effort to subdue and nurture.

    By the time everyone reached the mountain gate, the battle there was nearly over.

    Many wraith corpses lay on the ground, their emaciated bodies like mountain rocks and their skin a greenish-gray color; lying still on the mountain, they could indeed be easily camouflaged.

    Not far away, Qin Meng pinned a Dao Lao Ghost against the rock wall, breaking its bones with a few punches. Its body hung limply, clearly dead.

    Beside him, Lin Ning pinched her sword technique, nailing the last Dao Lao Ghost to a tree trunk with a burst of blue light.

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Tang Xiaolian were just a few steps slower and did not even manage to claim a single monster before the two efficiently slaughtered them all.

    Zhang Huaide swept over the scene unobtrusively, noting that the number of wraiths cut by sharp weapons far exceeded those killed by blunt force.

    Clearly, Lin Ning¡¯s Sword Control Technique¡¯s lethality was on par with Qin Meng¡¯s fist strength, but the advantage of attack range was fully exploited.

    ¡°Seeing there are so many specters here,¡± Yan Yu pondered, ¡°perhaps the entrance to the Mysterious Realm is on the mountain. Xiao Zhou, what do you think?¡±

    Zhou Hongyu didn¡¯t speak but turned to look at Zhang Huaide.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Zhang Huaide smiled, ¡°let¡¯s head up the mountain steps. If we encounter more and more ghosts, it means we¡¯re heading in the right direction.¡±

    ¡°We should pick up the pace,¡± Yan Yu nodded calmly. ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯m worried her True Yuan might not suffice if this continues.¡±

    Seeing his plan had been seen through, Zhang Huaide deftly went with the flow and commanded through the communication channel:

    ¡°Alright. Qin Meng, come back, I¡¯ll take your place.¡±

    Qin Meng reluctantly returned, complaining:

    ¡°It¡¯s not that we can¡¯t beat them, it¡¯s that we can¡¯t beat them to the punch. Just saw a ghost, and the next second, she¡¯d dealt with it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my fault for the way I allocated tasks beforehand.¡± Zhang Huaide patted his shoulder and then proceeded forward.

    Everyone continued up the mountain steps and, indeed, the number of ghosts kept increasing¡ªthis meant that the entrance to the Mysterious Realm was getting closer.

    Zhang Huaide cleaned up the path ahead with his Sword Control Technique, while covertly paying attention out of the corner of his eye. He quickly noticed Lin Ning¡¯s style of drawing her sword, which was noticeably ¡°fast¡±.

    The ¡°vision¡± to capture the enemy¡¯s target and the ¡°reaction¡± to make swift judgments¡ªher hardware abilities had already exceeded the standard of a regular Sword Immortal.

    By the time it came to actual combat, Zhang Huaide reckoned that if he were to face Lin Ning one-on-one, he would be utterly suppressed by her.

    However, now that it had come to this, he could only think of tactical ways to limit her.

    As they nearly reached the top of the mountain, the group finally found the entrance to the Mysterious Realm.

    It was still the familiar spatial scar, clawing within the pavilion next to the mountain steps, vomiting dense, thick black fog outward like the yin lung of earth veins.

    After clearing out the ghosts in the vicinity, an exhausted Lin Ning quickly sat down to breathe and recuperate on the spot, trying to recover as much True Yuan as possible.

    ¡°You guys go ahead first,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Zhang Huaide nodded and then turned to look at Zhou Hongyu.

    Zhou Hongyu didn¡¯t utter a word and stepped into the Mysterious Realm ahead of the others.

    Following him were Zhang Huaide, Meng Qingxi, Tang Xiaolian, the medical team of the Pingxi Army, and, finally, Qin Meng.

    Once Qin Meng, too, had disappeared, Lou Ping from the Zhendong Army medical group took out a stopwatch and started the countdown.

    Without the Pingxi Army nearby, Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t play games with eye contact anymore, but simply said with a cheerful smile:

    ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll fall for it?¡±

    ¡°Even if they see through it, what can they do?¡± Yan Yu said indifferently, ¡°It¡¯s an obvious strategy. As long as they can¡¯t find a way to break it, they¡¯ll have to follow our design.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lin Ning asked curiously.

    ¡°It means nothing, just praising how strong you are,¡± Yan Yu said with a chuckle, ¡°Zhang Huaide is probably worrying about how to deal with you now.¡±

    Lin Ning immediately felt somewhat proud upon hearing this, but then looked at Yan Yu with suspicion and turned to Chen Lingyun, probing:

    ¡°You¡¯re not just teasing me, are you?¡±

    ¡°Why would we tease you?¡± Chen Lingyun said with a grin, ¡°You are the obvious bait we¡¯ve thrown out. Even if the other side knows there¡¯s a problem, they have no choice but to bite. Sister Zhao and Yun Jin are our hidden trump cards; they¡¯ll give them a big surprise when the time comes.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen, who was originally a bit jealous and indignant, heard that she was a ¡°hidden trump card¡± and immediately perked up, laughing:

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I think that Zhou Hongyu is just a turkey, and I¡¯ll easily take her down when the time comes.¡± S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Meanwhile, within the Mysterious Realm.

    Zhang Huaide quickly scanned the surrounding terrain and said:

    ¡°Follow me.¡±

    Everyone followed swiftly behind him, and Zhou Hongyu asked:

    ¡°How should we adjust our tactics?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve seen Lin Ning¡¯s Sword Immortal strength,¡± Zhang Huaide said while walking, ¡°Quick to react, decisive in action. If we battle her in the open and let her use her Sword Control Technique to assist the entire scene, it will be quite unfavorable for us.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you handle her on your own?¡± Zhou Hongyu sharply caught on to the key point.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say,¡± Zhang Huaide hesitated for a moment, then shook his head, ¡°Just to be safe, let¡¯s move Qin Meng to the front line. As soon as the battle starts, suppress her right away, and don¡¯t give her the chance to assist the entire field.¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me,¡± Qin Meng responded solidly.

    Although Qin Meng had shorter reach, he excelled in close combat and had high resistance to blows. As long as he could cling to Lin Ning and prevent her from comfortably assisting the entire field, that would be problem solved.

    ¡°The rest of the tactics, still following Plan C?¡± Zhou Hongyu asked again.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Zhang Huaide said with a grave voice, ¡°There¡¯s no surefire way to win against someone at Yan Yu¡¯s level; this is our only option.¡±

    ¡°No worries, just try your best to plan the tactics properly,¡± Zhou Hongyu¡¯s voice grew softer, but the ferocity and murderous intent in his eyes became more intense.

    ¡°Leave the desperate fight to me.¡±

 Chapter 111: 11 The Ghost Princess from Jiang Hai

    Chapter 111: Chapter 11 The Ghost Princess from Jiang Hai

    After the countdown ended, Yan Yu led the team into the Mysterious Realm.

    Within the realm of Fengdu, the visibility had dropped even further compared to the outside¡ªthe outside was a bit like black smoke and haze blocking out the sky, but inside it was simply deep into the night. Only the moonlight above could faintly illuminate the outlines of the nearby mountain peaks.

    At this moment, the team seemed to be in a mountain ravine with unclimbable cliffs on both sides, almost perpendicular to the ground at 90 degrees.

    Of course, they could climb up using the Cloud Ascension Technique, but most likely they would encounter an air wall¡­ Although the Mysterious Realm was created for various purposes, it certainly did not include letting outsiders play sandbox games. A path that¡¯s clearly not meant to be taken, forcing your way through would not reveal any map easter eggs.

    Looking further ahead, the mountain path snaked upward, gradually fading into the night and becoming indiscernible.

    ¡°It seems they have not passed through here,¡± Su Yunjin said, holding a flashlight and shining it on the ground, suddenly speaking. ¡°Look, if they had passed by, there would be footprints on the ground.¡±

    Everyone looked down to see that their path was not the stone slab steps commonly found in scenic areas, but a somewhat moist and muddy dirt road.

    Even someone as light and supple as Su Yunjin would leave shallow impressions when stepping on it. Zhou Hongyu¡¯s team included a muscular man like Qin Meng, so not leaving footprints was impossible.

    ¡°Could it be that to avoid leaving footprints, the entire team used the Cloud Ascension Technique to fly over?¡± Lin Ning pondered and asked, ¡°Is that a possibility?¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, it would be great,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°Depleting their True Yuan in advance would make our fight a lot easier.¡±

    ¡°No matter whether there¡¯s an ambush ahead or not, let¡¯s just brace ourselves,¡± Yan Yu said in conclusion.

    He was about to lead the team forward when he noticed Chen Lingyun staring silently behind them.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Is there a pond over there?¡± Chen Lingyun asked him in return.

    Yan Yu used his flashlight to illuminate the end of the road, which appeared black and murky under the light¡ªnot like a pond, but rather like a patch of rotten mud.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go over and have a look,¡± he said. ¡°Quickly, let¡¯s not waste too much time.¡±

    The group immediately turned around and after walking a few dozen steps, they quickly arrived at the edge of the muddy ground. They saw an area dense with reeds and a shallow, stagnant pool that smelled awful.

    Further away was a small temple, looking like a local land deity shrine, but instead of housing just one mud statue, there were five.

    Yan Yu took a closer look and exclaimed:

    ¡°Hey, Chen Lingyun, you¡¯ve struck it lucky.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    ¡°It looks like the Five Directions Deities,¡± Lin Ning said nervously. ¡°My dad said if you come across them on the road, don¡¯t worship them or make any wishes carelessly. If they grant your wish and you forget to repay your vow, they will come to collect your life¡­ ¡±

    Before she could finish, five streams of black smoke drifted out from the reeds, transforming into five ghastly, green-faced fiends hovering in the air, each about two meters tall, and bellowed in a fierce voice:

    ¡°Having beheld deities, why do you not kneel!¡±

    Chen Lingyun looked at Yan Yu, who stepped forward and said with a smile:

    ¡°One who attains Dao becomes a deity, one who loses offerings becomes a ghost. There¡¯s no incense or votive offerings in this Mysterious Realm, no faithful believers¡¯ prayers¡ªI think you¡¯re less like deities and more like ghosts.¡±

    ¡°Impudent!¡± the five fiends shouted in unison, and they transformed into weapons¡ªsword, spear, staff, axe, and hammer, ferociously lunging at Yan Yu and the others.

    Before they could get close, two streaks of sword light charged at them. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    One was mysterious yellow, the Huang Tingjian, and the other was verdant green, the Green Bamboo Sword, each piercing through the fiends wielding the sword and spear, who didn¡¯t even manage to block, their forms quickly fading away.

    Chen Lingyun seized the opportunity to activate her Soul Summoning Banner, quickly capturing the two spirits within it, thinking to herself whether these ghosts were a bit too weak?

    Before she could figure it out, the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s Yin Wind Sword struck from the side, effortlessly dispatching one fiend and passing through another. Without further thought, Chen Lingyun hastily collected the falling spirits as well.

    Only the one with the axe remained, landing on the ground bewildered. Seeing that in the blink of an eye only he was left, he threw his axe to the ground and shouted:

    ¡°Fine, fine, fine, come on then, make it quick!¡±

    Even Chen Lingyun couldn¡¯t maintain her composure at this point, as she let out a laugh and stared coldly and disdainfully at Yan Yu. The implication couldn¡¯t be more clear:

    Just like this, as weak as a chicken, you think you¡¯re fit to be my Servant Envoy?

    Yan Yu, however, didn¡¯t argue but instead turned to the evil ghost and asked:

    ¡°Are you a soul practicing Daoism, or a demonic beast that has gained sentience?¡±

    The evil ghost replied with a bitter smile:

    ¡°This place is a Mysterious Realm of the netherworld; where would there be demonic beasts? Any creature with flesh and blood would have long been devoured by a myriad of ghosts. We died too early, at least four or five thousand years ago, and our specific names have been forgotten. Now, we are nothing but solitary and wild ghosts, with very little magical power remaining in us. Daoist master, do as you please.¡±

    ¡°Then there¡¯s no issue,¡± Yan Yu nodded and turned to explain to Chen Lingyun, ¡°Among the numbers of Heaven, twelve is the number, and five represents the Yang within Yin. In ancient times, if solitary and wild ghosts, by some stroke of fate, gathered in a group of five, they had the chance to cultivate using Yin energy, becoming the ¡®Five Ghosts¡¯.¡±

    ¡°The Five Ghosts could cultivate for good or evildo. Those who cultivate for good feed on human offerings and repay with wealth, harnessing the power of wishes to enhance themselves, becoming ¡®Five Manifest Gods¡¯. However, if driven by evil cultivators to steal wealth, or even to take human lives, they become ¡®Five Lesser Demons¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Additionally, there are ¡®False Five Manifest Gods¡¯. Due to the widespread worship of the ¡®Five Manifest Gods¡¯ in the ancient South, some animal spirits and monsters falsely claim their name. They also group in fives, bringing calamity to the common people, debauching men¡¯s wives and daughters¡­ Such beings need not be spared; encountering them, it¡¯s straight to the killing.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve never done such things!¡± The ghost, upon hearing the phrase ¡°need not be spared,¡± hurriedly transformed into the form of a young girl and, weeping, cried out her grievances, ¡°We are just solitary and wild ghosts without physical bodies; how can gender be ascribed to us? To be female or male as desired, why bother harming innocent women, stirring up resentment among the people? We might as well be female ghosts, seducing traveling scholars. How much Yang energy we desire, we have, and he won¡¯t even think to report us to the authorities, happy as can be¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, stop.¡± Chen Lingyun spoke indifferently, and the evil ghost immediately fell silent.

    After a short contemplation, she summoned the Soul Summoning Banner and captured the last evil ghost as well.

    ¡°We¡¯ve wasted a few minutes here; we¡¯ll need to speed up from now on.¡± Yan Yu nodded, and turned to leave.

    Everyone hurried to keep up with his pace. Moments later, Chen Lingyun quickened her steps, coming up beside Yan Yu and asking in a lowered voice:

    ¡°When you said they ¡®could take a life,¡¯ what did you mean exactly?¡±

    ¡°Slashing people with blades and swords,¡± Yan Yu replied. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see just now?¡±

    ¡°Just that?¡± Chen Lingyun raised her eyebrows.

    ¡°The esteemed Princess Jiang Hai, is this the extent of your wit?¡± Yan Yu mocked her ruthlessly, ¡°True, just slashing people with blades isn¡¯t impressive. But the strength of the Five Ghosts is their unpredictability, with Invisibility Technique, with Wall-Penetration Technique. Do you understand now?¡±

    If it were someone as pure-minded as Lin Ning, she likely wouldn¡¯t understand what he meant. But how dirty were Chen Lingyun¡¯s thoughts? She immediately grasped the true utility of the Five Ghosts.

    Like using Wall-Penetration Technique to hide within mountain walls, inside tree trunks, even under the ground, then waiting for an enemy to pass by to spring out, strike from behind with a blade, and then disappear using invisibility¡­

    Perfect, I like it.

    With this in mind, Chen Lingyun again asked with a smile:

    ¡°These Five Ghosts are a bit weak now, disabled by a stab from an Immortal Sword, instantly losing their combat strength. Is there a way to enhance their defenses?¡±

    ¡°Even if there were better ways to refine them, you think I would know?¡± Yan Yu replied with a sneer, ¡°Do I look like someone who plays with such vile things as ghosts? I am a righteous and upright Cultivator!¡±

    Chen Lingyun, not minding being put down, merely smiled and said:

    ¡°So the answer is yes, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t play coy and frankly said, ¡°But there¡¯s no need to. Understand?¡±

    Chen Lingyun instantly got it and said:

    ¡°Because the greatest advantage of ghosts lies in their unpredictability. Rather than improving their defense, it¡¯s better to enhance their concealment.¡±

    ¡°See.¡± Yan Yu clapped his hands in appreciation, ¡°I always knew your crafty and cunning nature made you a natural at dealing with ghosts!¡±

 Chapter 112: 12 Bull-headed Ghost

    Chapter 112: Chapter 12 Bull-headed Ghost

    ¡°`

    Along the way, Princess Jiang Hai transformed into a diligent student of Jiang Hai, asking Yan Yu about every ghost they encountered, as if she were truly earnest in her studies.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± She pointed at a headless ghost ahead and asked.

    ¡°A headless ghost. It¡¯s searching for its head everywhere. If you don¡¯t hit it, it won¡¯t hit you,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    Even if it¡¯s head is lost, it¡¯s not worthy of entering my banner, Chen Lingyun thought to herself, then pointing at a green-throated ghost, she asked:

    ¡°And that one?¡±

    ¡°A hanged ghost, you can see the marks on its neck,¡± Yan Yu explained. ¡°Its method of attack is strangulation, very weak.¡±

    ¡°So they¡¯re all just small fry?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a slight smile.

    ¡°What else?¡± Yan Yu looked at her helplessly and said, ¡°If we could encounter a formidable ghost every few steps, would we still be able to make it through this mysterious realm? Use your brain, will you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s normal for them to be small fry,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen also put on the airs of an experienced person and said solemnly, ¡°You haven¡¯t seen a truly formidable mysterious realm!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense if you don¡¯t understand,¡± Yan Yu interrupted her, ¡°with the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, low-difficulty mysterious realms appear first, followed by the high-difficulty ones. So, as long as the progress of your cultivation can keep up with the upper limit of Spiritual Energy concentration, the mysterious realm won¡¯t be too difficult to handle.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly had an epiphany: In her Cultivation World, there was no such thing as a Spiritual Energy Resurgence, so whether cultivators could handle a mysterious realm after discovering it was entirely a matter of chance.

    But this place had gone through the Era of Dharma Extinction and was now in the early days of the Era of Resurgence. The emergence of mysterious realms was gradual, so there was no worry about the difficulty of exploration. The main issue was the scarcity of mysterious realms¡ª but why don¡¯t I feel it? Zhao wondered.

    If Chen Lingyun knew what she was thinking, she would definitely start talking about something scary like ¡°exclusive rights.¡± But luckily, Zhao Yuanzhen didn¡¯t ask anything absurd this time, she just pondered quietly to herself.

    The group traveled through the long mountain path and dealt with a number of ghosts blocking the way (most of which were slain by Lin Ning, who was responsible for clearing the path), and finally they reached the middle of the mountain.

    ¡°How much True Yuan do you have left?¡± Yan Yu suddenly asked.

    ¡°About seventy percent,¡± Lin Ning replied.

    ¡°Let¡¯s rest for a while then,¡± Yan Yu instructed.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that they won¡¯t be able to find us and will charge straight to the depths of the mysterious realm, killing the gatekeeper and taking down the control center?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile in her eyes.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°I have a hunch.¡±

    ¡°What hunch?¡± everyone asked curiously.

    ¡°Xiao Zhou will be waiting near the gatekeeper for me,¡± Yan Yu replied indifferently, ¡°It¡¯s a tacit understanding between us team leaders!¡±

    ¡°Tsk!¡± The girls scattered. They had hoped the team leader would say something serious, but it seemed they had expected too much from him.

    Lin Ning quickly sat down on the spot, breathing in and out to regulate his breathing and restore his True Yuan.

    Chen Lingyun took out her Soul Summoning Banner and started to pour True Yuan into it, refining the five ghosts inside.

    Standing at the edge of the mountain path, Yan Yu saw Su Yunjin approaching and whispering:

    ¡°Captain, are you sure Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Team won¡¯t use a rush strategy in the mysterious realm, and what¡¯s your reason?¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you think about it first?¡± Yan Yu asked with a smile.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Su Yunjin pondered seriously. ¡°First, I observed that Ningning¡¯s sword light is relatively easy to identify from a distance in this poorly visible environment.¡±

    ¡°But we have not seen any unfamiliar sword lights along the way, which means our two teams must be far enough apart that we cannot observe each other,¡± she continued.

    ¡°The Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Team must have realized this as well. Therefore, they have two choices: one is to quickly take down the control center of the mysterious realm, and the other is to stop at a certain point and wait for us to come over,¡± she reasoned.

    ¡°If they were to lie in wait,¡± Yan Yu leisurely asked, ¡°where do you think they would choose to be?¡±

    ¡°At the location where the gatekeeper guards,¡± Su Yunjin answered. ¡°Because no matter where our two teams start from, our destination is the control center of the mysterious realm.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu encouraged her. ¡°Also, what would happen if they were attacking the gatekeeper up ahead and we suddenly arrived from behind?¡±

    ¡°They would be caught in a pincer attack!¡± Su Yunjin realized, ¡°Just like the Annan Army¡¯s Team was worried about in the last Dragon Spring Mountain Mysterious Realm!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile. ¡°In simulated combat, which simulates hostile cultivators competing for the control center of the mysterious realm, we would definitely opt to kick them while they are down, rather than help them besiege the gatekeeper.¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°To avoid this situation, if they arrive at the endpoint in advance, they will most likely wait at the gate and ambush us as we pass by, settling things once and for all. This is obviously the safer option¡ªit¡¯s a conclusion that¡¯s easy to arrive at,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said.

    ¡°Most likely, yes¡­ What about the small chance?¡± Su Yunjin asked.

    ¡°The small chance is that the gatekeeper looks weak or Zhou Hongyu loses his cool and wants to go all-in,¡± Yan Yu said languidly, ¡°Neither scenario is very likely. If we really run into that, then we just have to accept our bad luck.¡±

    Su Yunjin nodded her head, then continued to silently ponder.

    The gatekeeper was set up by the previous master of the Mysterious Realm, and since this is a ghost-type Mysterious Realm, it implies that the original master was a heretic cultivator who raised ghosts, so the probability of setting up a weak gatekeeper is indeed not high.

    As for Zhou Hongyu getting hot-headed, it¡¯s not impossible, but the deputy commander, Zhang Huaide, seems to be a very rational type; he probably wouldn¡¯t be so arrogant as to think that after they had gone through great pains to defeat the gatekeeper, they would still have the strength to deal with us waiting in ambush, right?

    With this thought, Su Yunjin secretly breathed a sigh of relief and then looked toward the direction of the mountain.

    After looking for a while, she hesitated and asked:

    ¡°Yan Yu, do you see that over there¡­ Does it look like there¡¯s a palace?¡±

    Yan Yu followed her gaze, pondered for a moment, then turned to ask:

    ¡°Are you all ready?¡±

    ¡°I am ready,¡± Lin Ning stood up, hugging the Green Bamboo Sword in her arms.

    ¡°Shall we go?¡± Chen Lingyun picked up the Soul Summoning Banner.

    The group continued to climb along the mountain path, and as the team ascended higher, the silhouette of the mountain top buildings gradually became clear in the darkness¡ªa complex of palaces built along the contour of the mountain, but upon closer examination, it seemed somewhat strange.

    Rather than a palace complex, it looked more like¡­

    A cluster of tombs?

    Just as Chen Lingyun had said earlier, if there were man-made structures in the Mysterious Realm, the control center was very likely inside them.

    Everyone braced themselves and quickly reached the buildings, only to see a statue standing in the central courtyard. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The statue was humanoid with the head of a bull, about five meters tall, hefty and well-built with developed muscles, and wielding a wolf-toothed club over three meters long, which it held with both hands resting on the ground, motionless.

    ¡°Be careful,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly said, ¡°This isn¡¯t a statue, it¡¯s a ghost cultivator.¡±

    ¡°A cultivator who commands ghosts?¡± Lin Ning asked curiously.

    ¡°Not a human,¡± Yan Yu stated, ¡°It¡¯s a lonely ghost that got lucky and inherited a named legacy, starting on the path of cultivation¡ªit appears to have received the Bullheaded legacy out of the Bullheaded and Horse-faced ones.¡±

    ¡°It seems he is guarding the main entrance to the palace,¡± Su Yunjin said cautiously, ¡°If we want to enter the palace, we will surely clash with him.¡±

    ¡°So this is the gatekeeper?¡± Lin Ning exclaimed, ¡°Is the control center inside then?¡±

    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°But at least it¡¯s certain that no one has come this way before.¡±

    If Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Team really had come here, they would have definitely started fighting with the bull-headed statue in the courtyard¡­ So they hadn¡¯t been here, a simple deduction.

    ¡°To fight or not?¡± Chen Lingyun asked Yan Yu.

    ¡°Of course, we fight,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a while, ¡°But we don¡¯t necessarily have to fight here.¡±

    Everyone was taken aback at his words, but only Chen Lingyun immediately understood his intent and said with a smile:

    ¡°Lure it inside to fight?¡±

    The outside of the courtyard was open terrain, very suitable for such a large ghost creature to exert its brute strength, swinging its wolf-toothed club all around.

    But if they could lure it into the cramped space of the palace, the long weapon of the bull-headed ghost would be hampered, and Yan Yu¡¯s Team could save a lot of energy.

    ¡°How do we lure it?¡± Lin Ning was still more concerned about the actual operation.

    ¡°Oh, simple,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°I¡¯ll hold it off, you guys go into the palace and wait, then I¡¯ll draw it inside.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the same as not saying anything at all!¡± Lin Ning said angrily.

 Chapter 113: 13 Yan Yu Im Going to Kill You Ah Ah Ah

    Chapter 113: Chapter 13 Yan Yu I¡¯m Going to Kill You Ah Ah Ah

    Without delay, the group split up and sprang into action.

    Lin Ning took the lead, charging into the palace. Should there be any ghostly creatures hidden within, she would be the first to dispatch her Flying Sword to subdue the enemy.

    Yan Yu, on the other hand, dashed towards the center of the square¡­ Before he could get close, the Bull-headed Ghost suddenly sprung to life, swinging its massive mace.

    A sweeping strike.

    A simple horizontal sweep, yet it seemed to unleash a storm on the flat ground.

    Yan Yu retreated swiftly, dodging the attack. It was clear that he was not hit by the mace, but the tiny shattered stones that flew past grazed his cheek, leaving several gashes.

    Chen Lingyun followed Lin Ning towards the palace, and catching a glimpse of the formidable presence in the Bull-headed Ghost¡¯s every move out of the corner of her eye, she immediately came to a conclusion:

    It couldn¡¯t be overpowered.

    The Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse was known to be impenetrable to blade and spear, yet it wasn¡¯t truly invincible. When faced with overwhelming forces, it could still be shattered, like the Bull-headed Ghost¡¯s massive mace, which even caused the paving stones of the square to crack and crumble upon mere contact, let alone the flesh of a cultivator.

    The foe swung its mace again, performing a violent series of horizontal sweeps. Once, twice, thrice, each strike devastating vast swathes of the terrain.

    If a person were to take such a blow head-on, they would likely be reduced to a pile of mush instantly.

    But every time, Yan Yu managed to dodge at the last moment, even narrowly evading the flying shards of stone. At first glance, the scene was fraught with danger, yet his consistent evasion made it hard not to suspect that he was actually handling it with ease.

    The group had already retreated into the palace, and Yan Yu did not linger outside, but turned and left immediately.

    The Bull-headed Ghost pursued relentlessly. The main entrance to the palace was large, but it just happened to allow its massive frame to barely squeeze through.

    No sooner had it entered the hall than five streaks of sword light struck simultaneously.

    Green, blue, black, purple, four colors of sword light targeted the limbs of the Bull-headed Ghost. It attempted to swing its giant mace to break the sword light, but as it lifted the mace, it was caught squarely by a nearby pillar, letting out a dull, rough noise.

    Seizing the moment, the four sword lights pierced the limbs of the Bull-headed Ghost, and finally, the Huangting Heavy Sword, in a mysterious yellow color, took advantage of its defenseless state to smash down upon its skull.

    The Bull-headed Ghost was torn apart.

    The massive mace fell to the ground, and Chen Lingyun quickly waved the Soul Summoning Banner in an attempt to capture the deceased Bull-headed Ghost within it, but even the Heart Capturing Technique could barely budge it due to its immense weight, and she had no choice but to release the five ghosts again.

    Upon their release, the five ghosts cheered and rushed to the remains of the Bull-headed Ghost, feasting on it voraciously¡ªwithout chewing or swallowing, continuously inhaling into their mouths just like in ¡°Tom and Jerry¡± in a bragging manner.

    ¡°Easy peasy!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said with pride, ¡°Was it even necessary to lure it inside for the fight?¡±

    ¡°Then next time, you¡¯ll be the one to lure it,¡± Yan Yu retorted immediately, and the girls all laughed.

    The Bull-headed Ghost was not easy to deal with. Its swing packed the weight of a thousand pounds, and it was likely that even an Immortal Sword would be damaged and deformed if it were hit while in flight, not to mention the flesh of a cultivator.

    But its downfall lay in its lack of intelligence, as it was lured into the palace. The confined space hindered the use of its mace, and in an instant it became fish on the chopping board, there for the taking¡ªit goes to show that the difficulty of conquering a Mysterious Realm is not set in stone, and what really matters is whether you have the wit to do so.

    In the team, although Zhao Yuanzhen was mighty, she never presented herself as sharp or clever. Instead, she was more like a silly older sister who loved to eat and frolic¡­ Otherwise, why would the girls address each other as ¡°Ling Yun,¡± ¡°Yun Jin,¡± or ¡°Ningning,¡± but when it came to her, simply call her ¡°Sister Zhao¡±?

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll do it,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen grumbled, turning to leave, ¡°This time, I¡¯ll lead the way. You all just watch from behind!¡±

    Yan Yu gave the others a meaningful look and hurriedly followed along.

    Without showing any expression, Chen Lingyun observed her surroundings and silently memorized the layout and features of the paths they traversed.

    The palace had a distinctive architectural feature: many areas were deliberately built to be quite spacious, whether it was the main hall or the corridors.

    But it didn¡¯t seem to be for the purpose of flaunting grandeur and splendor as in ancient times. It appeared more to accommodate a large number of¡­ no, not people, but ghosts.

    In other words, were all the ghostly creatures now roaming within and even outside of the Mysterious Realm originally imprisoned within this palace?

    From the outside, the palace complex stretched endlessly into the depths of the mountain, perhaps like the multiple layers of the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm.

    The first layer contained the likes of starving ghosts and labor ghosts¡ªmere small fry. If one continued deeper into the palace, to the next level, they would likely encounter even more formidable ghosts. Moreover, with the ongoing resurgence of Spiritual Energy, there was also the danger of them breaking out of their confinement¡­

    As Chen Lingyun pondered, she suddenly saw Yan Yu ahead holding back Zhao Yuanzhen, signaling everyone to stop moving forward.

    In front of them was an extremely spacious chamber, so large that there were at least thirty or forty columns inside.

    In the distance, there was a large figure moving, or more accurately, floating, between the columns.

    It was about two meters tall, hunched over with a spine curved like a bow, concealed under wide robes and long sleeves. Its hair was gray and disheveled, with a gaunt, bony hand reaching out of the sleeve, holding a white bone tally, floating between the columns.

    That look, that presence, it was far more fashionable than the muscle-bound Bull-headed Ghost outside swinging a mace.

    ¡°Seems like a Judge from the Ghostly Courts,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said uncertainly, her voice tinged with rare wariness.

    The ghosts who practice the ¡°Ghost Mansion Judge¡± Taoism method have a feature called ¡°Impervious to Swords and Spears,¡± which simply means they are immune to physical attacks. With so many spells at her disposal, she now can¡¯t use them in front of her teammates. What should she do?

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say ¡®that¡¯s it¡¯?¡± Yan Yu immediately mocked her.

    ¡°I¡¯m not scared!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen retorted, ¡°Just a mere judge, watch me solo him and finish it in seconds!¡±

    ¡°Okay, stop talking nonsense,¡± Yan Yu interrupted, ¡°This judge must be the gatekeeper of this mysterious realm. Let¡¯s discuss our tactics next.¡±

    ¡°Are we discussing how to fight, or are we discussing whether to fight at all?¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Yan Yu suddenly looked to the right, ¡°It seems we¡¯re out of time.¡±

    No sooner had he spoken than Zhou Hongyu and his team appeared from the entrance on the right side of the palace.

    After they entered, the first thing they saw was the Ghost Mansion Judge floating in the distance. They then noticed Yan Yu and the others at the entrance to the left.

    The palace where the Ghost Mansion Judge wandered was so large that although the two teams were at adjacent entrances, they were still about twenty meters apart from each other and roughly thirty meters from the Ghost Mansion Judge.

    The judge had not yet noticed the teams, so whoever startled or even attracted the attention of this gatekeeper would put their team at a relative disadvantage.

    Zhou Hongyu¡¯s cold gaze fell on Yan Yu, and many old grudges surfaced in her mind, making her feel as if her blood were rushing to her head. But in the end, she refrained from striking first.

    It was obvious that if she used the Fire Blazing Dao Method, Yan Yu and his team would immediately retreat and temporarily avoid the battlefield. Meanwhile, the startled Ghost Mansion Judge would give chase¡­When Zhou Hongyu¡¯s team was nearly worn out from fighting the gatekeeper, Yan Yu would bring his team back to reap the benefits and easily claim victory.

    It was precisely because Zhou Hongyu was so eager to defeat Yan Yu and redeem herself that she couldn¡¯t allow herself to make such a foolish mistake.

    ¡°What should we do?¡± she asked Deputy Captain Zhang in a low voice.

    Deputy Captain Zhang, undisturbed, suddenly shot the Flying Sword toward Yan Yu¡¯s direction.

    The Flying Sword turned into a bright streak of sword light, whistling through the air as it shot towards Yan Yu, creating a noise that stood out in the dark and silent palace, instantly drawing the Ghost Mansion Judge¡¯s gaze.

    Of course, it also turned the judge¡¯s attention towards Yan Yu and his team.

    Without showing any panic, Yan Yu controlled his sword to intercept the attack from the Flying Sword, emitting a clear sound of clashing metal.

    The Ghost Mansion Judge let out a low chuckle and suddenly flew towards Yan Yu¡¯s side, moving much faster than his previous aimless drifting.

    ¡°Retreat!¡± Yan Yu commanded.

    The group immediately began to retreat rapidly along their original path, with the Ghost Mansion Judge relentlessly pursuing them out of the palace.

    ¡°Beautiful!¡± Tang Xiaolian couldn¡¯t help but exclaim in delight.

    If Zhou Hongyu had attacked with the Fire Blazing Dao Method, a long line of fire would have led the Ghost Mansion Judge directly to her. The genius of Zhang Huaide¡¯s move was that he used the Flying Sword. The sword light didn¡¯t reveal the position of the person controlling the sword; it only directed the gaze to the target being attacked.

    When Yan Yu quickly used his Immortal Sword to block, it made a loud sound, convincing the Ghost Mansion Judge to unhesitantly give chase.

    ¡°Quickly find the control hub of the mysterious realm,¡± Zhang Huaide commanded calmly, showing no pride in his trick.

    Everyone responded in unison, scattering throughout the palace to cast a net in search of any suspicious objects.

    ¡°Found anything?¡± A few minutes later, Zhang Huaide asked again.

    ¡°No,¡± Qin Meng answered, ¡°This hall is completely empty. Not only is there no object, but there isn¡¯t even a tea table or cabinet.¡±

    Zhang Huaide paused for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed:

    ¡°No good! The control hub¡­ might be carried by the gatekeeper himself!¡±

    ¡°You mean?¡± Zhou Hongyu also instantly realized, ¡°Yan Yu wasn¡¯t outsmarted by you but knew this all along and deliberately lured the gatekeeper away?¡±

    ¡°They were the first to get here!¡± Zhang Huaide quickly headed in the direction where Yan Yu and his team had retreated, ¡°That¡¯s very likely!¡±

    If it were just to lure away the gatekeeper, the Pingxi Army¡¯s team could give Yan Yu a thumbs up, and it wouldn¡¯t be out of the question to even award them a ¡°Best Brotherhood Team¡± plaque after the match.

    But if they lured away both the gatekeeper and the control hub at once, they would be nothing short of crafty, calculating, and downright ruthless!

    Yan Yu, how heartless of you!

    ¡°It was my mistake this time,¡± Deputy Captain Zhang admitted while chasing after Yan Yu and his team, still reflecting, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have acted so hastily. I should have watched and waited.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not the deputy captain¡¯s fault,¡± Qin Meng added with a deep voice, ¡°If I hadn¡¯t been careless and got injured fighting the gatekeeper¡¯s Bull-headed Ghost, wasting time tending to my wound, the Zhendong Army wouldn¡¯t have had the chance to get here first.¡±

    ¡°Enough!¡± Zhou Hongyu cut off the self-criticism and said sternly, ¡°We¡¯ll review the game after it¡¯s over! That gatekeeper won¡¯t be dealt with in a minute or two. We just need to catch up quickly. Let¡¯s take out Yan Yu and the gatekeeper both!¡± sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Everyone responded in unison, and their previously dampened spirits rose again.

 Chapter 114: 14 Captain Zhou, Donâ€™t Do This

    Chapter 114: Chapter 14 Captain Zhou, Don¡¯t Do This

    Yan Yu and the others rushed along the palace corridor, pursued by the cackling ghosts of the Ghost Court Judges.

    Chen Lingyun, who had memorized the terrain and routes when they came in, provided the group with a lot of conveniences, at least they wouldn¡¯t run into a dead end to be conveniently blocked by Judges.

    ¡°Where are we heading to?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked irritably.

    She didn¡¯t like the feeling of being chased, it seemed to trigger an unpleasant memory of hers.

    ¡°Chen Lingyun?¡± Instead of answering immediately, Yan Yu asked back.

    ¡°Just a few more turns ahead,¡± Chen Lingyun replied with a faint smile.

    The group continued to sprint along the route, turning corner after corner.

    ¡°What about that Judge?¡± Lin Ning suddenly looked back.

    The Judge from the Ghost Court that had been doggedly pursuing them was nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Chen Lingyun wore a smile that suggested ¡°that¡¯s a good question,¡± and pointed to the left corridor, ¡°Should be over there.¡±

    ¡°But we came from behind,¡± Lin Ning exclaimed in shock.

    ¡°We must have gone in a circle and shaken off that Judge from the Ghost Court,¡± Su Yunjin replied calmly.

    Shaking off the guardians of the gates in the Mysterious Realm was actually quite rare¡ªbecause guardians were often responsible for watching over the vital controls of the Mysterious Realm. If they went too far away, they would immediately return, not giving you a chance to divert their attention.

    ¡°What now?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked.

    ¡°Now, of course, we wait for Zhou Hongyu and the others to come,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile, ¡°and start planning our positions.¡±

    ¡°Lin Ning, behind the first pillar on the left.¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhao, around the corner of the corridor on the right.¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin, at the side of the windowsill on the right.¡±

    Everyone quickly moved to their positions and hid. Only to hear Yan Yu laugh and ask:

    ¡°Where should I stand?¡±

    ¡°Good steel should be used on the edge of the blade that matters most,¡± Chen Lingyun replied with a mysterious smile.

    Meanwhile, Zhou Hongyu and the others were chasing from behind, growing more and more uneasy.

    Logically, if Yan Yu and his team had already engaged with the gate guardians, the commotion should have been significant. However, as they had chased up to this point, they still hadn¡¯t heard any disturbance nearby.

    ¡°Could they have been lured even further away?¡± Pressing down his fighting spirit, Zhou Hongyu coldly asked, ¡°Are they planning to kill the guardian in a secluded spot?¡±

    ¡°Unlikely,¡± Zhang Huaide analyzed calmly, ¡°This palace isn¡¯t that big, the echoes of the battle couldn¡¯t possibly not reach us completely. I¡¯m more inclined to believe that they haven¡¯t yet started fighting with the guardian¡­¡±

    Before he could finish, as if in response to his hypothesis, there finally came loud noises from ahead.

    Immediately revitalized, everyone rushed towards the source of the sound.

    The noise grew closer, seemingly, they would reach it just by turning the corner.

    Qin Meng led the way, after all, the deputy captain had ordered him to suppress Lin Ning as soon as possible; Zhou Hongyu followed close behind, aiming to settle the score with Yan Yu; Tang Xiaolian and Meng Qingxi were in the middle, while Zhang Huaide took up the rear, considering that his Sword Control Technique could provide support across the field, vision was more important than distance.

    As for the Pingxi Army¡¯s medical team, they lagged dozens of meters behind, following the combatants at a distance with quiet drone surveillance, recording without interfering in the battle.

    Suddenly, the drone captured Chen Lingyun hiding behind a pillar.

    Chen Lingyun also saw the drone and cheerfully made a shushing gesture at the camera.

    Medical team: ¡­¡­¡­

    So, it¡¯s an ambush!

    Of course, even if they noticed, it was against the rules to warn Zhou Hongyu.

    Not to mention that there was no time left.

    Zhou Hongyu and Qin Meng turned the corner and came face to face with Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu!

    As enemies met, their eyes blazed with animosity. Zhou Hongyu did not hesitate, channeling energy through her meridians. Her True Yuan surged, directly invoking the Bright Flame and releasing it!

    Now that the upper limit of Spiritual Energy hadn¡¯t increased, she couldn¡¯t unleash an endless sea of fire that swept over everything. Instead, she exhaled three flames from her mouth and nose, which immediately took the form of long spears in the air, roaring towards Yan Yu.

    The first move of the Bright Flame, Flame Spear.

    Though the name was plain, the killing technique was in the extremely condensed flame. Upon striking the target, it would explode in a small area, completely engulfing the target in a bloom of bright flame¡ªin other words, even if you used the Flying Sword to block this move, the result would be the Flying Sword being fiercely scorched by the Bright Flame, severely damaging its spirit.

    The cultivator who designed this move must have some grudge against swordsmanship or Sword Control Technique; the intention to specifically counter was all too clear.

    At this moment, Yan Yu was cornered by the Judge from the Ghost Court behind a pillar. With a quick glance to the side, he of course knew that this move could only be dodged, not taken head-on.

    He spun and stepped forward rapidly, and with several taps, he defied gravity and rushed up the pillar, avoiding the range of the Flame Spear¡¯s attack.

    The ghost mansion judge remained stationary, his long tongue lashing out of his mouth like a whip towards Yan Yu¡¯s neck. Suddenly, his figure stumbled forward, as Huang Tingjian¡¯s Flying Sword had unexpectedly circled to his back and smashed forcefully against it.

    The judge¡¯s long robe rippled like lake water, dissipating much of the Flying Sword¡¯s impact; the remaining force nudged him to drift forward slightly, seemingly causing little damage to his body.

    Given the current pace of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, a ghost mansion judge appearing in the Mysterious Realm would not yet have reached the Cultivation Realm necessary to master command spells.

    But even limited to physical attacks and relying on their ¡°impervious to blade and spear¡± trait, human cultivators would not be able to kill them quickly.

    He turned swiftly, his fierce and terrifying face filled with an expression of infuriated annoyance, about to swing his tablet to strike Huang Tingjian¡¯s Flying Sword when Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Flame Spear was already hurtling towards him¡ªthe strike from the Flying Sword had just pushed the judge into the Flame Spear¡¯s attack range.

    As the Flame Spear pierced the judge¡¯s robe, it was like a lit lighter falling into natural gas, triggering a massive explosion in an instant.

    Bright flames, evil dispelling, ghostly harm amplified!

    The high-pitched, agonized scream of the ghost mansion judge immediately reverberated throughout the entire palace. The remaining three members of the Pingxi Army team turned the corner just in time to witness the Flame Spear striking the judge.

    Even the calm and composed Zhang Huaide couldn¡¯t help but be deeply shaken at that moment.

    This is bad, we¡¯ve been outmaneuvered!

    Sure enough, the wounded but not yet dead ghost mansion judge instantly abandoned his chase of Yan Yu and, with a spiteful look, rushed towards Zhou Hongyu.

    ¡°Don¡¯t panic, Xiao Zhou, let¡¯s see you handle this!¡± Yan Yu called out from atop a pillar.

    In response, another Flame Spear was launched.

    Yan Yu quickly took cover behind the pillar, dodging the Flame Spear and the subsequent explosion. Qin Meng had already emerged mid-way, blocking the judge¡¯s path, his stance set for a punch, the Dragon Elephant Nirvana Divine Skill already circulating.

    Charge!

    His punch, carrying a forceful might, thundered against the judge¡¯s robe, causing even more ripples, though the damage was still not very evident.

    The ghost mansion judge roared once again, lifting his bony tablet high and forcefully smashing it down toward Qin Meng. But then, several more Flame Spears brutally interrupted his strike.

    This time, Zhou Hongyu¡¯s shots weren¡¯t by mistake but rather indicated a clear stance:

    If I¡¯ve accidentally drawn your ire, then I¡¯ll just have to kill you too!

    Zhang Huaide watched anxiously from behind. Yan Yu¡¯s Team had not even fully revealed themselves yet, and you started fighting with the gatekeeper!

    He was eager to call a halt, yet he remembered Zhou Hongyu wasn¡¯t Yan Yu. Before engaging in combat, he could contain himself, but once the fight started¡­ sorry, but now all I want is to kill you, or be killed by you.

    He wouldn¡¯t listen to reason.

    As his thoughts raced, Deputy Captain Zhang quickly made a decision:

    ¡°Close in on Captain Zhou! Focus fire to kill the gatekeeper!¡±

    If we can¡¯t get the captain to disengage from the gatekeeper and join us, then we have to reverse our approach and group up with the captain. That way, even if the enemy launches an ambush, at least our team can coordinate and respond together. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But Chen Lingyun wouldn¡¯t give him that chance. No sooner had Zhang Huaide given the order than the girls who had been lying in ambush immediately surged out, with Lin Ning leading with the swiftest speed, as the Green Bamboo Sword transformed into a streak of sword light directly aimed at Tang Xiaolian¡¯s chest.

    Tang Xiaolian hurriedly used her Sword Control Technique to block. In the rush, metal clashed against metal, and her Peach Blossom Tender Sword spun out of her hand.

    Then came another black sword light, Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s Yin Wind Sword, seizing the moment Tang Xiaolian¡¯s Flying Sword was deflected and spun away, her defenses wide open, and shot a lightning-fast thrust toward her chest.

    If this were a one-on-one fight, Tang Xiaolian by now would have been a corpse. Naturally, Meng Qingxi couldn¡¯t abandon her teammate and had to turn and unsheath her sword to save her, swiftly deflecting the Yin Wind Sword. Aware of the ambush, Tang Xiaolian flung her right hand forward as if scattering flowers from the heaven.

    Peach Blossom Poison!

    The ethereal pink miasma spread through the air, in fact composed of countless pink insects floating in the air. Should anyone recklessly enter the miasma, even if they covered their nose and mouth to hold their breath, the insects would burrow into their pores, causing unbearable pain, leaving them with no choice but to writhe on the ground.

    Now that the miasma was unleashed, it immediately created a barrier between the two sides, not only preventing the enemy from crossing but also blocking their line of sight.

    Before Tang Xiaolian could breathe a sigh of relief, another streak of purple sword light tore through the miasma, precisely aimed at Meng Qingxi¡¯s face.

    Meng Qingxi had just made a move to block the sword for Tang Xiaolian, and there was no time to call her Flying Sword back. She was nearly scared out of her wits.

    With a resounding ¡°clang,¡± it was Zhang Huaide who blocked the attack for her, shouting commands:

    ¡°Keep retreating! They can¡¯t see us!¡±

    Peach Blossom Poison could completely obscure vision; surely, the enemy couldn¡¯t see them. They had only targeted Meng Qingxi because they remembered where he was just moments before.

    As long as we keep moving, we¡¯ll be fine!

    Tang Xiaolian and Meng Qingxi hurriedly retreated, and indeed, two more sword lights pierced the miasma, striking the spot where they had been standing, hitting nothing but air.

    Zhang Huaide had just let out a sigh of relief when he suddenly found himself engulfed by a pillar of water that sprang up behind him, plunging headfirst into the Peach Blossom Poison ahead.

    It was Su Yunjin, who had stayed her hand, executing a perfectly timed Jiaochong at Chen Lingyun¡¯s accurately predicted position.

    Water from the Heavenly River materialized out of thin air, the unprepared deputy captain was swept up in the floodwaters, first crashing into the Peach Blossom Poison to be filled with insect toxins, then carried away from the miasma and delivered into Chen Lingyun¡¯s trap.

    Lin Ning¡¯s green sword light was already striking swiftly from the left; Zhao Yuanzhen was coordinating the pincer attack, sealing off Zhang Huaide¡¯s escape on the right.

    The flood from Jiaochong mercilessly carried Zhang Huaide, pushing him towards the surging sword lights ahead!

 Chapter 115: 15 Many Hands Make Light Work

    Chapter 115: Chapter 15 Many Hands Make Light Work

    ¡°`

    Between lightning and flame, Deputy Captain Zhang had already fallen into peril.

    This was the problem with insufficient intelligence. Had he seen Su Yunjin deploying the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art in battle recordings beforehand, he might not have fallen immediately into this flustered and overwhelmed state when engulfed by the flood.

    But now, Zhang Huaide was completely disoriented by the rushing water, coupled with the poisoning from the Peach Blossom Gu, leaving him temporarily at a loss for what to do.

    Tang Xiaolian quickly recalled her Peach Blossom Gu insects, and the pink miasma obscuring visibility disappeared. Meng Qingxi immediately mounted his Flying Sword and charged forward to rescue Deputy Captain Zhang.

    But faster than Meng Qingxi was Zhou Hongyu¡¯s fire breath!

    While coordinating with Qin Meng to confront the Judge of the Demonic Sect, the girl had actually found a moment to turn her head and provide support. The great bright flame transformed into a Flame Spear once again, lashing out at the oncoming Zhao Yuanzhen.

    Zhao Yuanzhen turned sharply to dodge, and the Flame Spear shot past, missing its target and exploding on the ground, instantly igniting a large fireball.

    This sudden surge of flame, with its intense heat boiling over, instantly obscured Su Yunjin¡¯s line of sight.

    Although Miss Su¡¯s vision had lost its target, she continued to exert her effort to manipulate the aqueous Taoism Method. Alas, blind operation lacked precision, eventually allowing Zhang Huaide to seize an opportunity and accelerate using the Shifting Technique to break free from the watery entrapment.

    Meng Qingxi used the Sword Control Technique to parry Lin Ning¡¯s Green Bamboo Sword attacks, and finally caught up to Zhang Huaide¡¯s side with his Shifting Technique, shouting:

    ¡°Go!¡±

    The two men hurriedly fought as they retreated, fully energizing their True Yuan for Sword Control to block around them nonstop. The sound of metal clashing was incessant, as they made a difficult retreat step by step.

    The assault of the Flying Swords from the opposing side was layered and complex. Lin Ning¡¯s green sword light was the most dominant, taking control of the field. On one hand, she pressed Tang Xiaolian so far back that she could barely protect herself with the Peach Blossom Tender Sword, and on the other, she managed to find time to block Zhang Huaide and Meng Qingxi¡¯s retreat.

    Next was Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s black sword light. The Demonic Sect Enchantress had not specialized in Sword Control Technique, but she had a wealth of experience in combat magic, persistently attacking with the Yin Wind Sword and forcing Zhang and Meng to focus entirely on defense, struggling every step.

    Finally, there was Chen Lingyun¡¯s purple sword light. The Purple Extreme Sword meandered leisurely and flexibly, increasing the pressure with Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s Yin Wind Sword. However, when a weakness in Zhang and Meng¡¯s swordsmanship was exposed, she would suddenly lunge with full force, startling the two men into a cold sweat.

    As the tide of battle clearly shifted against them, Zhang Huaide forcefully suppressed his anxiety and began to think intensely of a strategy to turn the tables:

    The tactics of the opponents were not chaotic; everyone had a clear role. Lin Ning¡¯s job was to suppress Tang Xiaolian to prevent her from using the Peach Blossom Miasma, for if the miasma were to obstruct the path and block their vision, the other side¡¯s Sword Control activation couldn¡¯t continue smoothly, and this situation would be broken.

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Chen Lingyun were cooperating with Lin Ning to impose a significant defensive pressure on him and Meng Qingxi. Even a slight gap in their combined assault that could allow an opportunity to turn and retreat with the Shifting Technique would break their setup.

    Su Yunjin¡­ Wait, what was Su Yunjin doing?!

    At the moment this thought arose, Zhang Huaide¡¯s ears, amid the sound of metal clashing, picked up a faint sound of water.

    ¡°Get out of the way!¡± he suddenly cried out in panic, pushing Meng Qingxi away from him while throwing himself to the side with the force.

    Yet, the evasion failed.

    It wasn¡¯t because Zhang Huaide was slow to react, but because both of his legs were firmly grasped by two spectral hands that emerged from the ground¡ªhe even heard two sharp, sneaky chuckles.

    Immediately after, Su Yunjin¡¯s Jiaochong was used again, and the flood engulfed Zhang Huaide and Meng Qingxi together, sweeping them away to a place even farther from Tang Xiaolian¡¯s aid.

    Tang Xiaolian, pressured by Lin Ning into an all-out defense, saw the deputy captain and Meng Qingxi overwhelmed by the flood and couldn¡¯t help growing more anxious.

    Where was the team leader? Could he help?

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Zhou Hongyu, however, was already at her limit.

    She had been coordinating with Qin Meng to encircle the Judge of the Demonic Sect and had also been keeping an eye on the rear. It wasn¡¯t until Zhang Huaide was caught off guard and Tang Xiaolian removed the miasma to let Meng Qingxi attempt a rescue, that she managed to spit out a Flame Spear and help Deputy Captain Zhang escape the engulfing flood.

    Turning around, she saw that Qin Meng had been knocked to the ground.

    Yan Yu moved beyond Qin Meng¡¯s body, nimbly navigating through the Judge¡¯s attacks. The Judge¡¯s board kept slamming down, missing Yan Yu every time but ensuring that Qin Meng was enveloped in the attack range¡ªclearly, his dodging and movement weren¡¯t ¡°accidental.¡±

    Qin Meng practiced the Dragon Elephant Nirvana Divine Skill and was currently invoking the Divine Elephant Technique, possessing immense strength and invincibility against blades and spears. However, with each blow he took, not only could he not stand up, but his True Yuan was also rapidly depleting, and it¡¯s uncertain how much longer he could hold on.

    ¡°`

    We must hurry to rescue Qin Meng!

    Once hit by the Flame Spear, it will explode in a small radius. If we attack Yan Yu with Taoism Method, that crafty bastard would definitely continue to divert his own attacks onto Qin Meng while dodging ours.

    Zhou Hongyu kept her composure, fired another Flame Spear at the Judge of the ghost manor to draw his aggression away from Yan Yu, and with the Chi Yu Sword trailing a blazing path, she charged at Yan Yu.

    ¡°Impressive,¡± Yan Yu blocked her attack with the Huang Tingjian, and said in an admiring tone, ¡°Taking on two at once and still managing to support the rear, Zhou Hongyu, do you think you¡¯re a deity or something?¡±

    Qin Meng had already gotten up and drawn his Vajra Sword, silently striking at Yan Yu¡¯s back.

    But Yan Yu simply turned around, blocked the sneak attack, and then kicked him away with a Curved Curse Whip kick.

    ¡°Who asked you to chime in when team leaders are talking?¡± Yan Yu laughed mockingly, raised his Huang Tingjian again, and clashed with the Chi Yu Sword in midair.

    The advantage of a heavy sword¡¯s great momentum was fully exploited by Yan Yu, sending the Chi Yu Sword flying backward with a tremor, while the Huang Tingjian barely shook.

    Qin Meng, kicked away by Yan Yu and slamming into a pillar, vomited blood and realized that his Dragon Elephant Nirvana Divine Skill had ceased to function¡ªhis True Yuan was completely depleted, leaving him unable to maintain the Body Refinement Secret Art.

    Behind them, the roaring sound of Jiaochong surged once more, with Zhang Huaide and Meng Qingxi being caught in the torrent, unable to break free.

    Tang Xiaolian, left without support, was quickly penetrated through her defenses by Lin Ning, with the Green Bamboo Sword held against her neck.

    Four of the five had fallen, and Zhou Hongyu herself did not know how many Flame Spears she had fired; her Dantian¡¯s True Yuan had long been nearly depleted. Yan Yu ignored Qin Meng and with a now serious expression softly asked,

    ¡°Are we still fighting?¡±

    Zhou Hongyu didn¡¯t speak. The Chi Yu Sword returned to her side, and she once again assumed a combat-ready stance.

    As the Judge from the ghost manor turned to attack Zhou Hongyu, Yan Yu suddenly used his Shifting Technique to appear at his side, smashing a Curved Curse punch into the Judge¡¯s waist, rippling his long robe.

    No sooner had the punch been withdrawn than the Huang Tingjian followed in its assault, the strike landing precisely where the punch had hit. A muffled sound, like an arrow piercing leather, echoed as the Judge from the ghost manor was sent flying, letting out a piercing scream in midair.

    ¡°Don¡¯t rush me.¡± Yan Yu looked at the gruesomely contorted Judge, threw out a cold remark, then turned to Zhou Hongyu, who was still putting up a stubborn resistance, and with a raised eyebrow asked, ¡°What¡¯s the point of this?¡±

    ¡°Cut the crap!¡± Zhou Hongyu shouted fiercely, ¡°Come on, Yan Yu, kill me if you can!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s finish off this Judge from the ghost manor first,¡± Yan Yu said, turning away as if he had no concern about Zhou Hongyu attacking him from behind.

    Zhou Hongyu paused for a moment, then turned to face the Judge from the ghost manor as well, with the Chi Yu Sword shooting out rapidly.

    The Pingxi Army medical team had already arrived on the scene, dragging away Zhang Huaide and the others for emergency treatment. When Chen Lingyun arrived with her team, she saw Yan Yu and Zhou Hongyu joining forces, with their swords besieging the Judge from the ghost manor, beating him miserably.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a chuckle, ¡°Teaming up with the enemy team leader to fight a Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper, is this some sort of traditional act for our team?¡±

    ¡°Last time it was the Deputy Captain Li Minghu,¡± Lin Ning immediately corrected her.

    ¡°Let me rephrase then,¡± Chen Lingyun continued with a smile, ¡°Teaming up with female cultivators from the enemy team?¡±

    ¡°Tang Xiaolian is also a female cultivator,¡± Lin Ning corrected again, ¡°but we didn¡¯t cooperate with her.¡±

    ¡°A formidable female cultivator from the enemy team,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s eyes curved as she smiled.

    This time Lin Ning had nothing to say, but it was Su Yunjin who pressed the earpiece and asked directly,

    ¡°Team leader, are you teaming up with Zhou Hongyu?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Yan Yu responded in the channel, ¡°It¡¯s less effort with an extra person.¡±

    The girls were first taken aback, then fell collectively silent.

    An extra person making it less effort¡­ such a straightforward answer! But indeed, it was something their team leader would say. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Since there¡¯s strength in numbers, let¡¯s go up and help too,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile.

 Chapter 116: 16 Sooner or Later

    Chapter 116: Chapter 16 Sooner or Later

    ¡°`

    With everyone attacking in unison, the ghost mansion¡¯s Judge also didn¡¯t reveal any hidden cards and finally, with a loud crash, fell to the ground.

    It seemed that just as Yan Yu had said, at this point in time, the Mysterious Realms that could be opened basically couldn¡¯t contain any ¡°unsolvable stages.¡±

    The biggest threat still came from the competing teams.

    After the ghost mansion¡¯s Judge had fallen, Yan Yu and Zhou Hongyu exchanged glances briefly, without needing more words, Huang Tingjian and Chi Yu Sword, which had just been fighting side by side, instantly clashed again.

    The ladies gathered around to watch, momentarily unsure whether to intervene.

    Zhou Hongyu¡¯s eyes were both bloodshot, caught up in the thrill of the fight, she mobilized all her remaining True Yuan, with red light and heat almost spilling from her mouth and nose.

    Phoenix spits fire! One! Two! Three! Three Flame Spears shot out one after another, sealing off all of Yan Yu¡¯s possible escape routes.

    Yan Yu sidestepped calmly and stepped directly into the pillar beside him.

    Didn¡¯t expect that, did you? I know the Wall-Penetration Technique!

    Zhou Hongyu¡¯s expression stiffened, and the Flame Spears already exploded around her. Then Yan Yu stepped out safely from the pillar, easily avoiding the blazing great bright flames and laughed,

    ¡°You should admit defeat now, right?¡±

    In response, she launched an attack with the Chi Yu Sword.

    Yan Yu¡¯s expression remained unchanged as the Huang Tingjian sent it flying away, and then he attacked Zhou Hongyu once more.

    The Chi Yu Sword quickly came to assist, clashing with the Huang Tingjian several times, but then Yan Yu suddenly charged with rapid strides, seemingly deciding not to engage in a swordsmanship duel.

    Zhou Hongyu, not saying a word, poised herself for close combat, her muscles bulging under the empowerment of the Curved Curse, her teeth clenched, eyes wide, ready to fight to the death with him.

    And then she was struck on the back by the Huang Tingjian from behind, falling face down to the ground.

    Yan Yu rushed over to her side, slapped his hand on her lower back, and quickly sealed the Dantian with Runescript True Essence.

    All done!

    Unexpectedly, even with her Dantian sealed, Zhou Hongyu still managed to get up with the energy of a carp flipping over, and swung her fist at Yan Yu with all her might¡ªwithout True Yuan, without spells, just pure mortal fistfighting.

    Yan Yu calmly activated the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse, taking the punch straight to the face, and said composedly,

    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡±

    Zhou Hongyu still wouldn¡¯t listen and continued to punch and kick him. Her fierce expression locked in rage, her eyes filled with bloodshot lines, her face and neck turned beet red, with even her veins visibly bulging.

    Using the words of the older generation, this is called ¡°going berserk.¡±

    However, no matter how frenzied she was, relying merely on mortal fistfighting skills, let alone injuring Yan Yu who had activated the Barrier Charm, she couldn¡¯t even tickle him.

    Yan Yu was getting somewhat impatient and seized the moment to grab her wrist, twist it, flip her over, and press her down on the ground, his knee forcefully pinned against her back.

    Zhou Hongyu struggled wildly for a while until she finally ran out of energy and just lay on the ground, gasping for breath.

    Yan Yu kneeled on Zhou Hongyu¡¯s back, raising his right fist high and declared,

    ¡°Haha, I win again!¡±

    The ladies looked at him with disdainful eyes.

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly, ¡°In a competition, you have to win!¡±

    ¡°Let me see how she is,¡± Su Yunjin said as she went to check on Zhou Hongyu¡¯s condition.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be hasty,¡± Yan Yu quickly stopped her, ¡°Right now, she¡¯s like a possessed Zhou Zhiruo, she¡¯ll attack you if you come close. Better wait for the Pingxi Army medical team to take over.¡±

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Su Yunjin had no choice but to look for the medical team. Meanwhile, Chen Lingyun released the five ghosts to consume the Judge¡¯s corpse, and finally managed to find a token inside it.

    ¡°This should be the core of the Mysterious Realm,¡± she turned and asked Yan Yu, who was still restraining Zhou Hongyu, ¡°What do you say, should you refine it?¡±

    ¡°You do the refining,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°After all, we have to hand it over afterward.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll take it,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a cheery smile.

    ¡°Play with it as you like,¡± he replied.

    No sooner had Chen Lingyun left than the Pingxi Army medical team arrived.

    To their surprise, while Zhou Hongyu¡¯s appearance was quite humiliating, she actually wasn¡¯t injured apart from the exhaustion of her True Yuan, and was the only one among the five team members completely unscathed.

    ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± After another ten minutes or so, Chen Lingyun came back and said, ¡°There are six levels to this Mysterious Realm, we are on the first one, the rest aren¡¯t open yet.¡±

    ¡°As expected,¡± Yan Yu looked around, ¡°Mission accomplished, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Chen Lingyun transported everyone out of the Mysterious Realm and back to the pavilion on Shuanggui Mountain.

    After some basic medical treatment, all five members of Zhou Hongyu¡¯s team recovered their ability to move and were currently sitting on the bench recuperating, waiting for the cultivators from the army across the river to come and pick them up.

    ¡°`

    Actually, this period was particularly tough because the girls from the Zhendong Army were sitting opposite them, chattering away about where to go for dinner and take pictures next, as if they hadn¡¯t felt any pressure from the recent battle.

    But on second thought, not only did they not get injured throughout the fight, but they also had the upper hand during the combat, so what pressure could they possibly have? Did they win too quickly? Did we not provide them with enough of a challenge?

    Consequently, the members of Pingxi Army became even more frustrated.

    Deputy Captain Zhang huaide had already noticed that the team¡¯s morale was too low, and if it wasn¡¯t properly handled, it might develop into a psychological shadow.

    At times like these, Captain Zhou Hongyu was the one who should have spoken up. As the team captain and spiritual leader, just a few battle cries, or trading a few harsh words with the opposition, could immediately revitalize the team¡¯s spirit.

    But Zhou Hongyu did not seem to be aware of this. Instead, she was staring daggers at Yan Yu, who sat opposite her with a bored expression, playing with his phone¡ªas if she wanted nothing more than to rush over and perish together with him right then and there.

    I¡¯m going to stare you to death!

    In order to quickly break this silent atmosphere and negative mood, Deputy Captain Zhang stood up, smiled, and said to Yan Yu,

    ¡°Well played.¡±

    ¡°You too,¡± Yan Yu responded.

    ¡°This time¡­ we can hardly be considered to have played well, can we?¡± Zhang Huaide sighed, ¡°From the moment we fell into your ambush, our team was split into two parts, and then they were defeated one by one. Our original tactics didn¡¯t come into play at all¡ªif it wasn¡¯t for that, we wouldn¡¯t have been defeated so quickly.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian, Qin Meng, and Meng Qingxi reflected for a moment, then suddenly felt as if they¡¯d had an epiphany.

    Throughout the whole team confrontation, they had all felt a frustrating inability to apply their strength. Now, hearing Deputy Captain Zhang¡¯s analysis, they immediately realized the cause of their defeat:

    With Captain Zhou and Qin Meng, the two main attackers, tied up in the front by Yan Yu¡¯s gate-keeping generals; and Deputy Captain Zhang, Tang Xiaolian, and Meng Qingxi, none of whom had strong assault capabilities, were aggressively attacked by Chen Lingyun¡¯s four in a situation of outnumbering¡­ wasn¡¯t it very normal to lose?

    It wasn¡¯t that our strength was inadequate, but that the opponent¡¯s ambush strategy was too cunning!

    ¡°This time, your defeat really came from a tactical perspective,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°But we had agreed beforehand that we would teach you about tactical planning, right? If we can¡¯t dominate you in this area, how can we teach you?¡±

    ¡°Did we?¡± Zhang Huaide asked in surprise.

    ¡°Yes, that time we ate hotpot.¡±

    Zhang Huaide silently recalled for a moment and finally remembered that indeed, the other side had said something like that at the hotpot restaurant.

    ¡°Video replays are available now,¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly, ¡°You all better study them well when you go back.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Zhang Huaide responded with a calm smile, ¡°Once we learn, we won¡¯t be defeated next time.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not about not being defeated,¡± Zhou Hongyu suddenly said, her eyes still fixed on Yan Yu, but with a flame of combative desire reigniting in her otherwise lifeless pupils. Words squeezed through her clenched teeth, Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Next time, I¡¯ll beat you so bad you¡¯ll be picking up your teeth off the ground.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Yan Yu was immediately amused by her, just what he wanted¡ªyou hate me, the more, the better, ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯ll buy a set of dentures in advance and look forward to your beating.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Zhou Hongyu stood up and coldly said to the others, ¡°We¡¯re leaving!¡±

    Everyone immediately rose to their feet and said goodbye to Yan Yu and his group:

    ¡°See you next time.¡±

    ¡°Practice well when you go back.¡±

    ¡°We will take our victory back later!¡±

    As the deputy captain, Chen Lingyun nodded farewell to everyone, her gaze finally resting on Zhang Huaide.

    ¡°I¡¯ve learned a great deal from Deputy Captain Chen¡¯s superb commanding skills this time,¡± Zhang Huaide said with a smile, ¡°It has been extremely beneficial. I will definitely study the replays carefully when I get back.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too kind,¡± Chen Lingyun smiled lightly, ¡°Deputy Captain Zhang might want to think about how to get Captain Zhou to follow commands during critical moments.¡±

    Zhang Huaide could only muster a wry smile.

    While the direct cause of the defeat was the team being ambushed and split into two by Yan Yu¡¯s team. What if Zhou Hongyu hadn¡¯t been hot-headed in her pursuit of Yan Yu at the front, causing the rest of the team to become disjointed¡ªhow then could Chen Lingyun, lying in ambush, have seized the opportunity?

    When Zhang Huaide noticed that the team was splintering, his first thought wasn¡¯t to call Captain Zhou back, but rather to order the rest of the team to move toward her. Why? Because Zhou Hongyu, caught up in the heat of battle, was unlikely to abandon her pursuit to retreat.

    Zhou Hongyu was the tactical core of the team, while Zhang Huaide was the team¡¯s commanding core. Once the tactical core departed from the commanding core, the execution of tactics would immediately encounter problems¡ªand being ambushed this time was just one of the outcomes resulting from the core¡¯s detachment.

    ¡°I can¡¯t refute that,¡± Zhang Huaide shook his head, ¡°But you all are not much different, right? With Yan Yu as a very dominant tactical core, you also need to find a way to work with him.¡±

    In both the previous battle with the Annan Army and this one with the Pingxi Army, Yan Yu had almost always acted alone, engaging the essential characters of the opposing side and drawing them away from their entire team¡¯s tactical system.

    Though his actions had become the key to victory in both confrontations, Zhang Huaide also keenly noticed the underlying problem: that the Zhendong Army¡¯s others were currently unable to fight side-by-side with Yan Yu.

    ¡°There¡¯s no helping it,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile, ¡°We¡¯re just not worthy to stand by his side yet.¡±

    Not worthy? Zhang Huaide pondered. Does it mean¡­ they can¡¯t keep up in terms of strength?

    ¡°But no rush,¡± Chen Lingyun continued with a smile, ¡°there will come a day.¡±

 Chapter 117: 17 Review and Interview

    Chapter 117: Chapter 17 Review and Interview

    On the flight back to Jinling, the group began their usual post-game analysis.

    With footage shot by Auntie Lou, the replay analysis became much easier.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s take a look at the footage,¡± Yan Yu said calmly as he dragged the mouse, ¡°Our victory this time was mainly due to the successful execution of our segmentation tactics. As everyone saw, Qin Meng and Zhou Hongyu charged ahead; after turning the corner, they became separated from the three in the rear.

    ¡°This separation within the team prevented them from providing good mutual support, thereby creating opportunities for us to isolate and defeat them.¡±

    ¡°May I add a question?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, ¡°Do you guys know why it was Zhou Hongyu and Qin Meng who charged ahead?¡±

    ¡°Is it because those two are good at making breakthroughs?¡± Lin Ning asked subconsciously.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple,¡± Su Yunjin pondered, ¡°Zhou Hongyu was at the very front because her tactical style is just like that, she likes to lead by example. As for Qin Meng¡­ is it because of Ningning?¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡± Yan Yu praised highly, ¡°Secretary Su is indeed the type with a clever mind, it¡¯s because of Lin Ning.¡±

    ¡°Wait, why is it because of me?¡± Lin Ning was suddenly confused. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Simple, because their team didn¡¯t have a genuine output-oriented Sword Immortal,¡± Chen Lingyun revealed the answer, ¡°Qin Meng follows the Body Cultivating Cultivator¡¯s path and is not too reliant on Sword Control Technique; Zhang Huaide, as the deputy leader, already bears the burden of command, and since Zhou Hongyu is brainless, he¡¯s the sole planner of the tactics, busy with matters, naturally not having time to specialize in Sword Control.¡±

    ¡°When we were jointly clearing the way outside the Mysterious Realm, Lin Ning fully demonstrated her excessively strong Sword Control ability,¡± Yan Yu continued her analysis, ¡°Fast, agile, and of course long-handed, this would make Zhang Huaide realize that once they entered the team combat phase, Lin Ning¡¯s Sword Control would pose a great threat to them at a distance.¡±

    ¡°Neither Tang Xiaolian nor Meng Qingxi could match Ningning in swordsmanship combat,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Since Zhang Huaide can¡¯t outclass her in swordsmanship and he also has to concentrate on command, the task of containing Ningning falls to either Zhou Hongyu or Qin Meng, but Zhou Hongyu needs to be reserved to deal with our Yan Yu¡­ Understand?¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Lin Ning suddenly had an epiphany, exclaiming in surprise, ¡°So that¡¯s why in the footage, Qin Meng was at the forefront! In their tactical arrangement, he needed to rush over first to contain me!¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Qin Meng practices the ¡®Dragon Elephant Nirvana Divine Skill,¡¯ with excellent endurance, the only shortcoming being his limited reach. If he had started in the back, by the time he reached you, you would have already stricken the entire field with your Sword Control several times.¡±

    ¡°So he had to stand in the front row with Zhou Hongyu, which provided us a tactical window of opportunity, fully isolating Qin and Zhou from the three in the rear.¡±

    ¡°Look at this part here.¡± He continued to drag the mouse, bringing the progress bar forward, ¡°Zhou Hongyu cast the Great Bright Fire Dao Method and then unfortunately hit the ghost mansion¡¯s Judge. At this point, if Qin Meng had chosen to support the rear and leave Zhou Hongyu here¡­ your side of the fight would have been tough.¡±

    The girls stared at the footage, all falling silent. Did she ¡°unfortunately¡± hit the ghost mansion¡¯s Judge?

    Why does it look like Miss Zhou was intending to attack you, but ended up being turned against by you, dragging the ghost mansion¡¯s Judge in as a shield?

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a radiant smile and a slightly mocking tone, ¡°But why did Qin Meng stay by Zhou Hongyu¡¯s side?¡±

    ¡°Why indeed?¡± Yan Yu knew she had seen through the clues, but there was really no need to discuss personal feelings here, so he feigned ignorance, ¡°It¡¯s strange. Although we don¡¯t know his motivation, Qin Meng¡¯s choice here was undoubtedly fatal, because the trio of Zhang Huaide, Tang Xiaolian, and Meng Qingxi didn¡¯t have a strong enough attacker to break through the ambush you four had set up.¡±

    ¡°Forced to deal with the disadvantageous situation of three against four, with their best fighters Zhou Hongyu and Qin Meng unable to assist, it was inevitable that Zhang Huaide¡¯s team would eventually be defeated,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a twinkle in her eye, ¡°The detachment between the front and rear, having all the assaulters in the front row, this was the key factor that decided the outcome of this confrontation.¡±

    ¡°The key factor that decided the outcome of this confrontation, isn¡¯t it me, Yan Yu, the strongest Yan team leader, who alone restrained the ghost mansion¡¯s Judge, Zhou Hongyu, and Qin Meng on the spot in the earlier phase?¡± Yan Yu corrected with a slight frown.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Zhou Hongyu suddenly shot the Flame Spear toward the rear midway through, not only forcing Sister Zhao to move aside but also causing Yun Jin to lose control of Zhang Huaide. Our leader indeed played an indispensable role in this regard.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen joined in. With a rare chance to knock down the thief¡¯s arrogance, she would not hold back, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for that Great Bright Fire attack, I would have taken Zhang Huaide out of the game long ago! The battle was dragged out another ten minutes or so because of Yan Yu¡¯s fault!¡±

    ¡°Bullshit!¡± Yan Yu said with disdainful contempt, ¡°I¡¯m already taking on three by myself, and you expect them not to be able to make a move? Why don¡¯t you just tell me to instantly kill everyone on the field?¡±

    ¡°Oh really?¡± Chen Lingyun covered her mouth with her hand, pretending to be shocked, ¡°Isn¡¯t it normal for the strongest captain in the world to instantly kill everyone on the field?¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s continue with the review of the game,¡± Yan Yu glossed over the comment and said, ¡°Let¡¯s start the analysis one by one. First is your vice-captain¡¯s ambush strategy¡ªthe position she designed, I have one word to describe it, ¡®terrible¡¯! Two words, ¡®very terrible¡¯! Three words, ¡®extremely terrible¡¯!¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t saying ¡®extremely terrible¡¯ a bit too much?¡± Lin Ning couldn¡¯t help but retort, ¡°I mean, we did win the game with that ambush strategy!¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Yan Yu swiftly switched gears, ¡°Based on Lin Ning¡¯s feedback, I¡¯ve decided to change my evaluation to ¡®very terrible¡¯. Why do I say that? Because the positioning was just not clever enough. If I were Zhang Huaide, I would have at least three ways to instantly see through your ambush.¡±

    ¡°If you were Zhang Huaide, I wouldn¡¯t need to design such a position,¡± Chen Lingyun was still smiling, ¡°Because Zhou Hongyu would go straight for a life-or-death internal fight with you.¡±

    ¡°Stop it, you two!¡± Seeing the captain and vice captain starting their usual bickering, Lin Ning finally lost her cool, ¡°Can we just seriously finish reviewing this battle?!¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Back at Jinling Airport, Qi Changping routinely came to pick them up.

    ¡°Let me make this clear,¡± Yan Yu reminded as soon as he got into the car, ¡°Don¡¯t throw some commendation meeting again and drag me up there to speak on short notice.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Qi Changping smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s only done periodically, not after every Mysterious Realm. Otherwise, the students and faculty can¡¯t handle it either.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a relief¡­ So, how much is the prize money this time?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Each person gets 7 million. Why do you ask? You¡¯re not short on money now, are you?¡±

    ¡°I am,¡± Yan Yu said righteously, ¡°I just bought a house near the school, and a big chunk of money went into that. Moreover, I still have to get married and have kids. I need to start saving for things like baby formula.¡±

    ¡°The military should have a unified arrangement for the progeny of you Cultivators, surely there will be great welfare policies,¡± Qi Changping held the steering wheel and said with a laugh, ¡°But instead of thinking about marriage and children, shouldn¡¯t you first find a girlfriend?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Yan Yu immediately became alert, ¡°Is the army planning to set me up on a mixer?¡±

    The conversation among the girls in the back had been lively, but suddenly it fell as silent as a graveyard.

    ¡°Not a mixer, an interview,¡± Qi Changping replied, ¡°There¡¯s a media team within our military forces. They¡¯re planning to interview you in a while, make a special feature¡ªincidentally boosting your popularity in front of Cultivators nationwide.¡±

    ¡°Why interview me?¡± Yan Yu was somewhat bewildered, ¡°Although I am handsome and powerful, wouldn¡¯t it make more sense to go for someone who¡¯s good at talking for an interview?¡±

    ¡°The general thinks that your statements will have a¡­ certain interview effect,¡± Qi Changping said truthfully, ¡°These days, young people don¡¯t like the official-sounding stuff; they prefer your kind of informal speaking style. Didn¡¯t you do pretty well improvising during the last commendation meeting?¡±

    ¡°When have I ever spoken informally?¡± Yan Yu immediately protested, ¡°As a team captain, every word I say is thoroughly thought through, you know?¡±

    ¡°Can I retort to that statement?¡± Lin Ning poked her head forward from the back.

    ¡°No, shut up!¡±

 Chapter 118: 18: White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin

    Chapter 118: Chapter 18: White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin

    Zhao Yuanzhen had been feeling quite bored lately.

    Of course, when she was in the Cultivation World, her daily life was monotonously boring as well: cultivate, perform breathing exercises, stay indoors all day, and only occasionally descend the mountain to purchase supplies. Only if a fellow sister from her sect acquired a clue to a mysterious realm and invited her to assist would she venture on a long trip.

    However, after arriving in this world, everything changed.

    Novels, movies, TV shows¡ªthere were so many entertaining activities that the newly transmigrated Zhao Yuanzhen quickly became addicted to the internet world of information explosion.

    This blissful place, she couldn¡¯t go back now!

    But now,

    ¡­so boring.

    The novel she liked had an unsatisfactory ending, the movies she was interested in were all caught up, and the TV shows she was following suddenly required an extra fee for VIP members, which annoyed Zhao Yuanzhen so much that she spent a long time looking for pirated versions. After downloading them, she found she didn¡¯t want to watch anymore.

    Forget it, let¡¯s go find my partner for some fun.

    Zhao Yuanzhen went downstairs and saw Su Yunjin in the adjacent gym, practicing her water-based Taoism Method by the swimming pool.

    An indoor swimming pool might sound luxurious, but in reality, such a large pool takes a long time to fill and replace the water, so everyone, considering it troublesome, left it unused¡ªuntil Su Yunjin learned the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, after which the pool finally came into use again.

    ¡°Are you practicing?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen greeted her.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Su Yunjin sighed, ¡°My control over True Yuan is still not good enough.¡±

    The Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, which calls forth the waters of the celestial river to strike at one¡¯s opponent. The more True Yuan used during the spellcasting, the more powerful the summoned water flow.

    But with the Spiritual Energy Resurgence still in its early stages, everyone¡¯s True Yuan capacity was limited, so they had to be economical.

    If a tactical effect that could be achieved with three parts of True Yuan was carelessly executed with four or even five parts, that would be a loss.

    ¡°Sister Yun Jin, you need to practice controlling your True Yuan,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately assumed the role of a senior and began to give her advice, ¡°It¡¯s actually quite simple. I¡¯ll teach you a trick¡­¡±

    As she was finishing her explanation of the trick, she saw Yan Yu pushing the door open and saying,

    ¡°Why are you still here? Come on, it¡¯s time to claim your magical items.¡±

    After all, following the Assistant Officer path, Chen Lingyun had started to play tricks, so how could Sister Zhao go without magical items? Li Weiguo had notified them, asking Yan Yu to bring someone to collect their magical items.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately got excited.

    It wasn¡¯t that Empress Yuanzhen lacked a handy magical item, it was just the habit of loving freebies stirring within her¡ªwho doesn¡¯t love magical items for free?

    The two left the villa and headed to the school, where they went straight to Li Weiguo¡¯s office, as familiar with the route as if they were going home.

    ¡°Here you are,¡± Li Weiguo said while reading a book. Seeing Yan Yu bringing Zhao Yuanzhen in, he turned his laptop to face them, ¡°The list of supplies is all there. Also, the storages of the four armies might need to exchange items soon, with the rule being one-for-one swaps only. So, under our own list, there¡¯s also their inventory. You can browse and see.¡±

    ¡°Their inventory?¡± Yan Yu¡¯s eyes immediately lit up, ¡°If I reserve it, can I get it?¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Li Weiguo said leisurely, ¡°If their own team also wants the items you want to exchange for, they definitely won¡¯t agree to the trade.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yan Yu started to fiddle with his phone.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Li Weiguo asked with a frown.

    ¡°I¡¯m searching for the three captains¡¯ contacts,¡± Yan Yu opened a chat app, ¡°Seems like I haven¡¯t added Zhou Hongyu, but I can reach Zhang Huaide. Once I¡¯ve reserved their inventory, I¡¯ll reach out to their captains to give me some face, so we don¡¯t have conflicts later.¡±

    Li Weiguo: ¡­¡­

    In the mind of the old general, a thought flashed through:

    What do you mean ¡®give me some face¡¯? You¡¯re really using this to show off?

    ¡°Cough, anyhow, you pick first,¡± suppressing the strange thought, Li Weiguo began to drink tea.

    Yan Yu began to scroll with the mouse, and Zhao Yuanzhen leaned over to take a look, suddenly pointing at the screen and saying,

    ¡°How about this?¡±

    ¡°Trash,¡± Yan Yu said without hesitation, as his mouse continued to scroll.

    ¡°What about this one?¡±

    ¡°Trash as well.¡± S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°I think this one seems pretty powerful.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just trash that looks powerful.¡±

    Li Weiguo sipped his tea, and his confusion gradually began to grow.

    The common problem with these magical items produced from the Mysterious Realm was that they had to be refined by their master for activation, and one could only know their use once activated.

    But the problem was that once a magical item recognized a master, it was very troublesome to change hands afterward¡­ Therefore, none of the magical items on the list had recognized a master yet, and the database only had pictures and basic data.

    How was Yan Yu judging whether they were ¡°trash¡± or not, or was he just showing off again?

    Li Weiguo decided to keep quiet and first see what this kid would pick in the end.

    Yan Yu finished browsing through the Zhendong Army¡¯s inventory and then began to flip through the Annan Army¡¯s inventory. Zhao Yuanzhen beside him scratched his head, twirled the hair by his cheek with his fingers and then let go, his mouth slightly open as if about to speak yet he held back, repeating this several times, which made him secretly frustrated:

    ¡°Today this thief is choosing magical items for me, completely disregarding my opinion, just twirling that mouse wheel¡­ Keeping me hanging, how hateful! I¡¯ll remember this grudge, and when I am in charge one day, I¡¯ll make sure to hang him out to dry too, let him see but not touch!¡±

    As for how exactly he would hang Yan Yu out to dry, the Demonic Sect Enchantress did not ponder thoroughly, so let us not delve into that for now.

    Speaking of Yan Yu, after he finished looking at the Annan Army¡¯s inventory and the Pingxi Army¡¯s inventory, he finally stopped on a page in the Dingbei Army¡¯s inventory.

    He touched his chin and silently stared at the screen, pondering something. Zhao Yuanzhen also leaned forward, looking at the screen with equal tension, but before he could see clearly what magical item it was, Yan Yu scrolled past it with the mouse wheel.

    Zhao Yuanzhen withdrew his gaze in disappointment, only to see the screen stop suddenly. He quickly leaned in to look, only for the screen to start scrolling again¡­ Angered, Zhao Yuanzhen gritted his teeth and decided to simply lower his head to play with his phone instead.

    After playing with his phone for a while, Yan Yu suddenly picked up the phone beside him and initiated a voice chat with Liu Longtao.

    ¡°Hey, Old Liu.¡±

    ¡°Old Yan, it¡¯s rare to hear from you, what brings you here?¡± The other side quickly picked up.

    ¡°I¡¯m eyeing one of your Dingbei Army¡¯s magical items for a resource swap, just wondering if your team has any needs.¡±

    ¡°Oh, which magical item?¡± Liu Longtao asked nonchalantly, ¡°I need to check with Ye Jun.¡±

    In fact, Ye Jun had already submitted their team¡¯s needs in advance. The magical items they¡¯d reserved weren¡¯t even on the list provided by the Dingbei Army for the swap.

    ¡°Item number DBR-007.¡± Yan Yu opened the detailed entry and spoke to the person on the phone, ¡°It looks like an ivory hairpin with a miniature white bone skull carved on it.¡±

    ¡°You want that one, huh.¡± Liu Longtao stroked his chin, confirming he had no impression of this so-called White Bone hairpin, ¡°Is that magical item very powerful?¡±

    ¡°Old Liu, that¡¯s boring.¡± Yan Yu said with a laugh, ¡°If I said it was powerful, would you believe me?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I would.¡± Liu Longtao laughed heartily, ¡°As long as you say it¡¯s powerful, I¡¯ll have Ye Jun reserve it right away. Which team wouldn¡¯t need a powerful magical item, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, but it¡¯s not that simple.¡± Yan Yu calmly responded, ¡°These magical items are useless without a master, so who would know whether it¡¯s powerful? It¡¯s basically like opening a blind box, guessing the function based on the appearance. With a hairpin, it¡¯s mostly used for attacking from a distance like a Flying Sword, that¡¯s my guess.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Liu Longtao was well aware of this, and continued to inquire, ¡°But don¡¯t you guys have an Immortal Sword? Why do you need that hairpin?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a safer bet.¡± Yan Yu said openly with a smile, ¡°If you pick a gourd, a mirror, or a vase, who knows what they¡¯re really for? You might find out they¡¯re pretty mediocre once they¡¯re refined, and then it would be a waste of this rare swap opportunity. On the other hand, hairpins are likely used to stab people, less variety, so it¡¯s a safer choice.¡±

    Liu Longtao remained noncommittal, although he didn¡¯t have much doubt¡ªonly Ye Jun in their team followed the Assistant Officer¡¯s path, and for this selection, they had chosen a ruler from the Pingxi Army¡¯s inventory. Why? Because the ruler¡¯s shape is straightforward, probably useful for smacking people, not hard to guess.

    But if you chose a gourd magical item thinking it was for absorbing people and sealing them inside, only to find out after refining it that it endlessly refills your wine¡­ then that would be a waste of the swap opportunity, right?

    ¡°Alright then.¡± Liu Longtao made a quick decision and said straightforwardly, ¡°I just checked with Ye Jun, nobody in the team wants that hairpin, you just go ahead with the procedures on your side.¡±

    ¡°Thanks a lot, we¡¯ll chat another time.¡± Yan Yu ended the call nonchalantly, smiled faintly, and said to Li Weiguo and Zhao Yuanzhen, ¡°Then I¡¯ll reserve this one.¡±

    With Lord Master¡¯s character of valuing face, there¡¯s no way he would go back on his word once it was out there, something wholly unlike the petty women. Moreover, from Liu Longtao¡¯s perspective, it was indeed hard to discern the hairpin¡¯s effect, which was quite normal.

    If one really insisted on quibbling, Yan Yu hadn¡¯t actually lied to him; the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin was indeed for stabbing people.

    It¡¯s just that it stabbed a bit too fiercely.

 Chapter 119: 19: The Fairy Can Bend and Stretch

    Chapter 119: Chapter 19: The Fairy Can Bend and Stretch

    The White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, as one of the famous magical artifacts of later generations, didn¡¯t have any fancy effects.

    Its usage was very simple: after refining, one simply had to channel their True Yuan into it, aim at the target, and activate it, causing the hairpin to swiftly shoot out.

    Unlike the Immortal Sword, this thing didn¡¯t require a cultivator to be distracted directing its flight; instead, it locked onto the target and followed it persistently.

    If the opponent blocked with a Flying Sword or used a wide-ranging Taoism Method to attack, causing the tracking of the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin to be interrupted, it would return to its user¡¯s side. But, if the target was too slow to defend, and got pierced by the hairpin, they were pretty much doomed¡ªthe hairpin not only sealed meridians and acupoints, preventing the flow of True Yuan, but unless the owner recalled it, it was basically impossible to remove with external force.

    Yan Yu had no doubts about Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s ability to use the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin effectively. The main risk was that the magical artifact indirectly enhanced the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s power¡­ but considering that with the increasing pace of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, even if she were to sleep all day, she would gradually recover her cultivation, it seemed there was no need to deliberately limit her power.

    After all, as long as Zhao Yuanzhen was unable to utilize spells beyond her level, she was not a match for Yan Yu at the current stage.

    It was essential to keep the Demonic Sect Enchantress in a constantly deterred state, so she would restrain her strength voluntarily.

    After leaving Li Weiguo¡¯s office, Zhao Yuanzhen, still harboring resentment (but not daring to show it too obviously), grumbled:

    ¡°Just a hairpin¡­ a hairpin! Do I lack a single hairpin? If this magical artifact turns out to be trash, I will¡­¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want it, just say so early,¡± said Yan Yu indifferently, ¡°I can give it to someone else.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ?

    Her naturally cunning and suspicious nature suddenly took the high ground in her mind, and her thoughts made a 180-degree turn:

    From the experience in the Cultivation World, there were hardly any famous hairpin-type magical artifacts, and this little thief had admitted over the phone that ¡°choosing this hairpin was for safety,¡± so one could infer that this item was mediocre, at best indicating it wouldn¡¯t be the worst among many unknown artifacts, and naturally, its power wouldn¡¯t be too impressive.

    But¡­

    What if this little thief was deliberately using reverse psychology to deceive me?

    If I gave up this hairpin and later it was given to someone else and proved to be very powerful¡­ then not only would I have lost the magical artifact, but I¡¯d also be mercilessly mocked by this thief! I might not even be able to hold my head up for the rest of my life!

    As they say on TV: even a napkin should have its own value.

    Anyway, I don¡¯t have any other magical artifacts on hand; might as well make do with this one for now, and if it¡¯s really garbage, I can replace it with something better later¡­

    The thoroughly reconsidered Zhao Yuanzhen shamelessly put on another face and sighed:

    ¡°Alas, though I don¡¯t have much expectation for it, since it¡¯s a gift from you, I¡¯ll accept it reluctantly.¡±

    Yan Yu frowned, thinking, I was about to give you a harsh setback, so why did you suddenly go soft?

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to flatter me,¡± he said impatiently, ¡°it doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t fancy this hairpin; there are plenty who do.¡±

    If Yan Yu had kept silent at that moment, Zhao Yuanzhen would have had her doubts, but his apparent indifference only reinforced her suspicions, and she quickly exclaimed:

    ¡°Who said I don¡¯t fancy it? A gift from a Dao companion¡­ it¡¯s a token of commitment! How could it be passed on to someone else?¡±

    ¡°Since when did it become a token of commitment?¡± Yan Yu was confused by her logic, ¡°When did I confess to you?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was taken aback for a moment, then realized that their relationship as Dao companions was more of a ¡°marry first, love later¡± type, which indeed had nothing to do with a token of commitment, but the Demonic Sect Enchantress wouldn¡¯t be stumped by such an issue and quickly retorted:

    ¡°Then consider it a betrothal gift, and there¡¯s no reason to give it away.¡±

    God, now it¡¯s a betrothal gift! How did I, a young, promising unmarried man, start being asked for a betrothal gift? Why didn¡¯t you say it¡¯s for the baby shower of our unborn child?

    Seeing Yan Yu¡¯s brows still tightly furrowed, Zhao Yuanzhen immediately took advantage of the moment and, using some crafty trick learned from who knows where, clung to his arm and cooed:

    ¡°Aiya, as long as I become stronger, I can help you more with conquering Mysterious Realms~ Then we can get more magical artifacts, right?¡±

    ¡°Your flawed logic sure is something else, huh?¡± Yan Yu glanced at her skeptically, ¡°Not to criticize you, but this hairpin was actually intended for you from the start. You initially turned your nose up at it, thinking it was garbage and not wanting it, but as soon as you heard I might give it to others, your attitude took an instant 180-degree turn. Don¡¯t you feel the slightest bit embarrassed? Is your skin made of copper, or forged from iron? Or did you eat a Rubber Fruit to be so flexible?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was at a loss for words, with no argument left, and harbored silent rage in her heart:

    ¡°This little thief has insulted me too far! Endure, just keep enduring! If I can¡¯t take it anymore, I¡¯ll fight him to the death! No, I haven¡¯t achieved success in dual cultivation yet, and his master is still watching¡­ It¡¯s not the right time to make a move against him¡­ When the day comes that my opportunity ripens, I won¡¯t just return the humiliation he has inflicted upon me, I¡¯ll return it tenfold, a hundredfold, or else I, Zhao Yuanzhen, will take his surname!¡±

    Imagining herself finally turning the tables and sitting atop Yan Yu, viciously slapping his face and asking him ¡°What material is this cheek made of?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s fantasy slowly quenched her anger, and she continued to tightly hug Yan Yu¡¯s arm closer to her chest, coquettishly saying:

    ¡°Oh, the cheek of a girl is meant to be both thin and tender, don¡¯t ask anymore. Look, I¡¯ve even let my hair grow out, waiting for you to take the hairpin and put it in for me, okay~¡±

    It has to be said that, although she was a cruel Demonic Sect Enchantress, her coquettish demeanor and tone truly carried a style and charm that modern women couldn¡¯t fake.

    But Yan Yu¡¯s determination and will were astonishing, and he would not be easily seduced by such beauty, he replied with a cold laugh:

    ¡°Don¡¯t think you can bluff your way through. Words spoken and water spilled cannot be taken back, understand?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen also grew irritable and coldly responded:

    ¡°I¡¯ve said all the sweet nothings, and you still won¡¯t accept them, so what do you want?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s simple,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Beg me. If you beg me to change my mind, then this hairpin is yours to keep.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen quickly pondered the situation.

    She had done her share of currying favor with her master in her former life. But pleasing women and men were ultimately different matters. With women, you just need to compliment their beauty and all¡¯s well, but with men¡­ especially a tricky character like this little thief, any flattery would probably hit the wrong spot.

    What¡¯s something that all men like, that even this little thief can¡¯t resist?

    After much thought, the Demonic Sect Enchantress suddenly asked:

    ¡°So, wanna get a room?¡±

    Yan Yu: ??????????

    ¡°Hold on,¡± he said, wordlessly raising his hand as if to say, ¡°Don¡¯t say another word,¡± ¡°First off, I admit your appearance and figure are indeed attractive, but don¡¯t get too excited yet!¡±

    Seeing Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s delighted expression upon being complimented, Yan Yu immediately asked with a sneer:

    ¡°But we¡¯re bound to reach that step in dual cultivation eventually, which means your body is ultimately mine. Now you want to use what is already mine to trade with me?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s smile froze on her face, and after a long moment she incredulously cried out:

    ¡°Who said my body is yours! That¡¯s¡­ a perverted possessiveness! Lewd! Indecent!¡±

    This Demonic Sect Enchantress, not knowing where she picked up a whole mess of nonsensical stuff, Yan Yu couldn¡¯t be bothered to get to the bottom of it and said irritably:

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯m indecent. I¡¯ll see if Lin Ning and Su Yunjin want the hairpin¡­¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say you¡¯re indecent, you must have heard wrong.¡± Mention of the hairpin treasure instantly changed Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s face, she adopted Chen Lingyun¡¯s sweet smile and continued to butter him up, clinging to Yan Yu¡¯s arm, ¡°Dear, think about it, this hairpin was originally for me, my yin energy was meant for you, this is an exchange that couldn¡¯t be more fair~¡±

    ¡°What exchange?¡± Yan Yu pretended not to understand, ¡°Is a girl¡¯s body something to be traded with? I would never do such a thing not allowed by law! If we must speak of it, your yin for my yang, allowing both parties to benefit from dual cultivation, now that is a fair and reasonable exchange. So what are you planning to exchange for this hairpin?¡±

    Left with nothing to say, Zhao Yuanzhen could only glare at him furiously, thinking to herself:

    ¡°This little thief has insulted me too far today! Wahhh, when one day I turn the tables, I will definitely turn his shameful acts into a short essay and post it online for a fierce exposure, calling on sisters everywhere to condemn him!¡±

    Well, maybe there¡¯s no need to wait until turning the tables; couldn¡¯t she just start writing now?

    However, the Spiritual Energy Resurgence was not yet declassified, so words like ¡®dual cultivation¡¯ and ¡®magical treasure¡¯ couldn¡¯t be mentioned, making it impossible to clearly describe what had happened¡­ Better to endure for now.

    A true immortal is one who can bend and stretch! S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 120: 20 Todays Training

    Chapter 120: Chapter 20 Today¡¯s Training

    Dangling Zhao Yuanzhen with a hairpin was actually not Yan Yu¡¯s original intention.

    The main reason was that if this Demonic Sect Enchantress wasn¡¯t disciplined every three days by ripping off roof tiles, it was necessary to temper her character to prevent her from being too rebellious and disobedient. It¡¯s a very normal educational method, no need to make a fuss over it.

    As the saying goes, ¡°What comes easily won¡¯t be treasured.¡±

    First pique her appetite, wait until the hairpin is exchanged from the Dingbei Army before giving it to her. Only then will she cherish the kindness someone has shown her¡­ If it was promised to her from the beginning, she¡¯d take it for granted, paying it no heed.

    When Yan Yu arrived at the team¡¯s training ground, he saw Chen Lingyun casting the Wood Bending Charm, holding her beloved record player with one hand, looking for a place to set it down.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Yan Yu asked, baffled.

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for a suitable spot to put my gramophone,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°Why do you need to place a gramophone?¡± Yan Yu asked with a frown, then showed a mischievous expression, ¡°I get it, you want to use it as a target for sword practice, right?¡±

    ¡°Hehe.¡± Chen Lingyun put down the gramophone and suddenly asked, ¡°Have you heard?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t, please tell me.¡±

    ¡°The higher-ups are planning to expand the team soon,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°The preliminary plan is to double the numbers.¡±

    ¡°Pfft, just doubling?¡± Yan Yu said disdainfully, ¡°Why not do it right and directly implement a mercenary system: allowing all cultivators to form teams freely, changing military tasks to a bidding system, rewarding success with payment, and penalizing failure with fines.¡±

    ¡°That does sound somewhat interesting,¡± Chen Lingyun pretended not to notice his sarcasm and considered it seriously, ¡°If the control over the lower ranks collapses entirely in the future, such measures could indeed be taken, using wealth and power to win over the hearts of civilian cultivators.¡±

    Of course, the cost goes without saying. Civilian cultivators fully reliant on mercenary work are definitely the biggest factor in social instability. The reason for adopting such a system is that there is no other choice left¡ªthe collective strength of civilian cultivators is too great to control, so it¡¯s only possible to cede some power to them, letting them fight amongst themselves to prevent uprisings.

    In the West of my previous life, many developed countries later adopted this mercenary system. The top-tier Transcendents were employed by multinational corporations and nations, the second-tier by local councils and big businesses, the third-tier formed private security companies to take on jobs everywhere, the fourth-tier worked for security companies as independent fighters and mercenaries, and the lowest-tier mingled with local gangs to extort protection fees from civilians, and so on.

    In these countries, the social strata did not turn upside down; the upper class solidified their status by employing top-tier Transcendents, while middle-class communities could hire Transcendents to ensure the safety of their property¡­ This era of ¡°coexistence¡± lasted for about a decade until certain top-tier Transcendents realized ¡°starting your own business is better than working for others, better to take what you want than wait to be paid.¡±

    With Chen Lingyun¡¯s intelligence, there was no need to elaborate on these matters, so Yan Yu did not intend to delve further into discussion. Instead, he asked about the task at hand:

    ¡°How¡¯s your ghost summoning technique coming along?¡±

    ¡°Not bad.¡± Chen Lingyun snapped her fingers, and suddenly five large dogs appeared on the ground, circling Yan Yu in chaos.

    Yan Yu looked closely and found that these five dogs were of different breeds: a Border Collie, Golden Retriever, Samoyed, Husky, and a domestic yellow dog from Lu Country.

    ¡°Why dogs?¡± Although these five ghosts had the ability to transform into anything, Yan Yu genuinely didn¡¯t understand Chen Lingyun¡¯s intention behind ¡°making ghosts turn into dogs.¡±

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t like cats,¡± Chen Lingyun said lightly, smiling, ¡°You know the reason, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking that¡­ never mind.¡± Yan Yu decided not to pry any further.

    After all, since the five ghosts had turned into five dogs, it showed that she indeed had completely refined and controlled them at will.

    To advance the five dogs would require more than just everyday training.

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°The five ghosts are very useful for control-type ghostly entities. However, a regular Necromancer should also have an attack-type ghost and a self-protective type ghost¡­ We¡¯ll talk about the rest later. For now, just focus on perfecting your command routines for the ghostly entities.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Chen Lingyun snapped her fingers again, and the Border Collie ran to the gramophone with a record in its mouth, placed the record on the player, wagged its tail a few times, then pushed the stylus onto the record with its paw.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­ sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    I told you to practice your combat skills! Not to be pampered and served by ghosts!

    ¡°`

    Thinking about it carefully, if it can be applied effectively in daily life, there shouldn¡¯t be any issues in combat, right?

    Just as Yan Yu was pondering, he saw Lin Ning, Su Yunjin, and Zhao Yuanzhen, three girls, also entering by swiping their cards.

    ¡°What are we practicing today?¡± Seeing the team captain was also in the training area, Lin Ning came over to ask directly, ¡°I¡¯ve been having some problems with my swordsmanship lately; Yan Yu, can you take a look for me?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± In his previous life, Yan Yu was a Sword Immortal. Although in this life he had turned to become a Puppet Master, his expertise in swordsmanship was still intact, so it was no problem to give Lin Ning some pointers. ¡°Show me a few moves so I can see where the problem lies.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lin Ning nodded and then controlled her Green Bamboo Sword to attack Yan Yu, who easily blocked it with his Huang Tingjian.

    After a few exchanges of offense and defense, Yan Yu immediately spotted that Lin Ning¡¯s problem was a lack of variety in her swordsmanship.

    It wasn¡¯t just because she hadn¡¯t learned any advanced sword techniques; rather, it was that she lacked the basic ability to adapt. For example, if her frontal attack was blocked by the opponent, she wouldn¡¯t immediately think to switch to side attacks, but would stubbornly keep trying to power through from the front¡­ displaying a kind of steadfast, unwavering beauty of tenacity.

    Perhaps this was due to always solving problems from a young age.

    Yan Yu engaged her in a swordsmanship duel, providing nearly an hour of guidance in the form of battle, leaving Lin Ning with dazzling eyes, trembling limbs, a pounding head, shaky hands, and full of thoughts that she was an idiot who couldn¡¯t handle a sword and that she would probably say goodbye to Sword Control Technique forever.

    Seeing Lin Ning¡¯s condition was really too poor, and guessing that no amount of cram teaching would continue to infuse her with experience, Yan Yu asked her to sit and rest for a while.

    Looking at the others:

    Chen Lingyun was sitting on a single sofa opposite, leisurely sipping her coffee, with five dogs sitting quietly behind the sofa in a row, not making a sound.

    Su Yunjin was sitting on a bench at the edge of the training area, her straight legs tightly together. A paper book was spread out on her lap, which she was reading intently.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was seated beside her, watching funny videos on her phone with her earphones on, occasionally letting out a boisterous laugh that sounded rather simple-minded.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    Why does this feel like stepping into a slice-of-life daily girls¡¯ love anime?

    We are the strongest team of this era, Yan Yu¡¯s Team! Each and every one of you is so languid and tranquil; what kind of a look is this?!!

    Without a hint of sound, he pointed his sword, and the Huang Tingjian suddenly struck towards Chen Lingyun.

    Chen Lingyun was completely relaxed, savoring her coffee, and not good at dealing with sudden incidents. By the time she reacted, the sword light had already reached her face, causing her to instinctively close her eyes, duck, and summon a Barrier Charm, lifting her coffee cup like a shield to block the sharp edge of the Huang Tingjian.

    But the Huang Tingjian was just a feint. After circling in front of her, it turned and attacked Su Yunjin next to her.

    Su Yunjin sprang up from the bench, quickly activating her Shifting Technique to flee, making sure to tuck her novel under her arm while dodging.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was originally watching a video when suddenly the person beside her disappeared. By the time she looked up, the Huang Tingjian was already upon her¡ªbut as a seasoned fighter of the Demonic Sect, she wasn¡¯t frightened by such tricks.

    She casually threw aside her phone, rolled on the ground, and when she got up, she had already prepared the Sword Control Technique. The Yin Wind Sword quickly unsheathed, blocking the pursuing Huang Tingjian!

    ¡°What are you doing!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen shouted angrily.

    ¡°This is a training ground!¡± Yan Yu showed not the slightest bit of remorse for the sneak attack and justified firmly, ¡°Once you enter the training ground, you have to train!¡±

    ¡°If I see anyone drinking coffee, reading novels, or playing with their phones again¡­ I¡¯ll take that as a lack of training and give you some real combat experience!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was so annoyed she could die. Muttering an incantation, she spurred her Yin Wind Sword to charge directly at Yan Yu, calling out:

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, sisters! Let¡¯s gang up on him!¡±

    ¡°`

 Chapter 121: 21: This Lin Ning has no backbone either

    Chapter 121: Chapter 21: This Lin Ning has no backbone either

    Zhao Yuanzhen was knocked to the ground by the Huang Tingjian.

    Damn it! Did this little thief choose the Edgeless Heavy Sword from the beginning just for this purpose¡ªto bully us more conveniently?

    Looking back at the others, only Lin Ning was righteously offering her help with Sword Control, who was now being toyed with by Yan Yu wielding the Huang Tingjian.

    As for Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin, they didn¡¯t even make a move and were hiding behind watching the fun.

    ¡°Sorry, Sister Zhao~¡± Su Yunjin said with a wry smile, ¡°Even if we all went at him together, it wouldn¡¯t be possible to defeat the captain, right?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not trying to defeat him; we¡¯re supposed to band together for legitimate defense!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen argued, ¡°He was the one who came to provoke us for no reason!¡±

    ¡°The result of banding together for defense is getting collectively beaten up,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°so please do me a favor and handle it, you two~¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ???

    She soon had an epiphany: What an idea, sacrificing comrades to save oneself, huh?

    ¡°Sister Zhao, save me!¡± Lin Ning ran frantically with her head in her hands as Yan Yu¡¯s Sword Control Technique overwhelmed her; her Green Bamboo Sword couldn¡¯t defend properly, forcing her to scurry around in panic, she cried out, ¡°I can¡¯t hold on any longer!¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied, then added, ¡°I¡¯ll go get a cup of water and then come save you.¡±

    Lin Ning: !!!

    Stranded and helpless, Sister Lin finally got hit in the buttocks by the Huang Tingjian and tumbled clumsily to the ground.

    ¡°Phew!¡± Yan Yu let out a long breath, feeling refreshed and invigorated, with all his muscles feeling loosened up.

    Then, seeing Lin Ning disheveled and furiously trying to get up from the ground, teeth bared and claws out as if ready to bite him, Yan Yu stood at ease and calmly asked:

    ¡°So, you understand now, right?¡±

    Lin Ning suddenly froze, then hesitantly asked:

    ¡°Understand what?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask me to help you identify the problems with your swordsmanship?¡± Yan Yu looked puzzled, ¡°I¡¯ve already demonstrated the solutions for you personally. Don¡¯t tell me you weren¡¯t seriously learning.¡±

    Lin Ning immediately sensed trouble: Oh no, I was so focused on how to fight back after getting hit hard that I completely forgot about the real issue!

    She then meekly and sheepishly said:

    ¡°I was indeed studying hard, but I¡¯m afraid I might have misunderstood¡­ So please explain it to me again verbally.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Yan Yu gave a ¡°there¡¯s no helping you¡± look of resignation and began to brandish the Huang Tingjian once more, ¡°First, when you attack like this, and I counter like this¡­ don¡¯t you feel troubled, as if there¡¯s no proper way to respond?¡±

    ¡°Exactly, exactly!¡± Lin Ning nodded her head frantically.

    ¡°That¡¯s because my Huang Tingjian has been in this position from the start,¡± Yan Yu carefully explained to her, ¡°Whether you slash or stab, from this direction I can easily defend. To break through, you must approach from another direction¡­¡±

    ¡°What if your sword changes direction along with mine?¡± Lin Ning, a keen problem-solver, swiftly began to extrapolate, ¡°If your sword follows mine to this side, my attack will still be defended against.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s correct, it¡¯s called ¡®the advantage of close-range defense¡¯,¡± Yan Yu expressed satisfaction with her ability to understand, ¡°There¡¯s a mnemonic in Sword Control Technique that goes, ¡®Attack from afar, defend up close.¡¯ Remember that well.¡±

    ¡°What does that mean? It means the farther the Flying Sword is from you, the more advantageous it is for attacking; the closer it is to you, the more it benefits defense.¡±

    ¡°The former case is because every time the Flying Sword changes direction, its speed drops to zero and it requires adequate distance to accelerate again. The longer the flight distance, the faster it can accelerate, and the greater the power when it hits the target. The latter is because the Flying Sword needs to maneuver around you for defense, and the smaller the radius of this defensive circle, the more agile its rotation¡­¡±

    As Yan Yu explained in detail, Lin Ning felt like she was receiving enlightening insights, and the uncertainties that had long clouded her mind were melting away as if they were snow under the sun.

    She absorbed the swordsmanship knowledge like a sponge, thirsty for learning, occasionally asking questions to deepen her memory and understanding.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, on the other hand, was looking at the harmonious teaching scene before her, the pair so in sync, and for a moment, she could hardly believe her own eyes.

    Ningning! Don¡¯t be silly! How could you forgive him just like that? Weren¡¯t you just scattered and thrown to the ground by his beating, eating dust everywhere?

    How did you suddenly make peace? Where¡¯s your dignity? Can you really endure such humiliation?

    Aaaargh! I¡¯m so angry! I¡¯m so furious! Lin Ning is also spineless, it seems I¡¯ll have to take revenge myself!

    Zhao Yuanzhen pondered for a long time, knowing that she was currently weak and alone, and that the girls on her team each had their own ulterior motives and were not worthy of her trust. It seemed that she would have to plan her revenge more carefully. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    She could endure it, so why couldn¡¯t I? Let this little thief be smug for a while longer!

    ¡°Really easy to deal with,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, picking up her coffee cup again¡ªnot knowing whom she was referring to.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    By external standards, Yan Yu¡¯s Team¡¯s training regimen was indeed extremely harsh.

    Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin were another story. One a law practitioner and the other an envoy, both roles were more about testing awareness, judgment, and intellect, so Yan Yu had been somewhat merciful, even though the two of them might not have noticed.

    Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen had it much tougher, to enhance their on-the-spot reaction skills, Yan Yu¡¯s live combat training sessions always ended with him mercilessly beating them both.

    Superficial injuries were common, broken bones happened every so often, and the mental pressure was always at its peak. Any ordinary cultivating college student would have broken down long ago.

    Of course, Lin Ning was extremely strong-willed herself, and could endure the bullying without losing confidence for now; Zhao Yuanzhen was a different story altogether, the Zhao Runner who in a previous life sneaked and escaped across half of Lu Country had absolutely top-notch mental resilience.

    If it were anyone else here, Yan Yu wouldn¡¯t insist on such ruthless hellish training; after all, he wasn¡¯t a big monster.

    In the afternoon training session that day, once it was over, Yan Yu waved them off to find Su Yunjin for treatment.

    Overall, Lin Ning¡¯s combat talent was outstanding; she was just new and unsteady with the basics, requiring more experience to level up.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was the old fox type. Experienced and talented in combat, but unwilling to train properly, only setting to work under pressure from Yan Yu¡ªperhaps this was also influenced by her background in another world, as there was no such thing as ¡°militarized training¡± in that world¡¯s Cultivation World, where cultivators were accustomed to being loose in personal style.

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± Chen Lingyun entered from outside with a smile, ¡°are you ready?¡±

    ¡°Ready for what?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Remember what Teacher Qi mentioned last time? The military media interview¡ªpeople are already at the school gate.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m busy. Deal with them for me.¡±

    ¡°But they specifically requested to interview Yan Yu, the big team leader,¡± Chen Lingyun said smilingly, ¡°How could I overstep my bounds as a vice-captain?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Yan Yu sighed, ¡°What did Teacher Li say? If there are no special requests, let¡¯s talk here on the training ground.¡±

    ¡°Grandpa Li didn¡¯t say anything special, telling you to handle it yourself,¡± Chen Lingyun paused before continuing with a smile, ¡°But Teacher Qi asked me to accompany you the whole time. It seems he¡¯s worried you might say something wrong, and I would be able to make immediate corrections if I¡¯m there.¡±

    ¡°What wrong things could I say? Ridiculous!¡± Yan Yu disdained Qi Changping¡¯s worries, ¡°I am the strongest team leader in this world! It¡¯s their honor to interview me. If they want standard, stable reporting content, why didn¡¯t they go find Liu Longtao?¡±

    ¡°Speaking of that, I did hear something,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile was brilliant, ¡°I heard that the editorial department of their publication originally intended to interview Dingbei Army first before coming to us at Zhendong Army.¡±

    ¡°But the chief editor insisted against the others¡¯ views, demanding to issue a report on Zhendong Army first, so the journalist team skipped the closer Shengjing and took a plane specifically from Pingjing down to Jinling.¡±

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Yan Yu said contemptuously, ¡°Silly office politics. Just speak plainly, I¡¯m not in the mood to play guessing games with you.¡±

    ¡°This interview isn¡¯t just routine,¡± Chen Lingyun kept her smile, ¡°The other party is no small fry. This is for the first issue, the content of which will be presented to the Privy Council, and those few might have a chance to see it. But it¡¯s not the same for the second issue.¡±

    ¡°The competition between Zhendong Army and Dingbei Army isn¡¯t about who gets the first issue spot, but who can make a deeper impression on those few. Although I can¡¯t deny the nature of office politics, you better be spirited, right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s your father¡¯s idea, isn¡¯t it?¡± Yan Yu glanced at her sideways.

    ¡°Mhm~¡± Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t deny it.

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Yan Yu stroked his chin, thoughtfully saying, ¡°I¡¯ll take it seriously then.¡±

 Chapter 122: 22: Famous host rigorously grills Yan Yu!

    Chapter 122: Chapter 22: Famous host rigorously grills Yan Yu!

    Lu Country¡¯s first comprehensive internal military newspaper is named ¡°The Virtue Gazette.¡±

    The reason for this name is not the ¡°moral thinking¡± of virtue, but rather the virtue described in Laozi¡¯s ¡°Dao De Jing.¡±

    ¡°Dao¡± refers to the ¡°Way of Heaven,¡± while ¡°De¡± refers to the ¡°Virtue of Man.¡± The intention behind the naming is quite clear: it is hoped that while Rikoku Cultivators pursue the Way of Heaven, they will also uphold the virtues of humanity and not become despicable, doing anything for power.

    However, historical experience shows that the more one subjectively hopes not to go in a certain direction, the objective reality often becomes a swift race in that very direction after a few years or even a decade¡­ no matter the dynasty or the country, it¡¯s almost the same.

    In the team¡¯s training field, Yan Yu met with the journalist team responsible for the interview, with both sides making introductions and exchanging pleasantries.

    The ¡°journalist¡± in charge of interviewing Yan Yu was the famous host from the original Pingjing TV station, Lu Zhiyu.

    Her fame does not stem solely from her deep hosting skills, but also from her conversation style¡ªknown throughout the network for being ¡°adept at catching explosive points¡± and ¡°not afraid to ask anything.¡±

    Yan Yu had watched her ¡°One-on-One Interview¡± before, where she often trapped guests with sharp and incisive questions, unafraid to confront even local magistrates.

    Speculation was rampant that she had a powerful supporter behind her, which explained her fearlessness in the face of guest outbursts. Indeed, this was likely the case¡ªotherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have landed an interview with a military cultivator, as current confidentiality regulations would block 99% of unofficial journalists.

    After the greetings, Lu Zhiyu said with a smile, ¡°Captain Yan, please have a seat. Our stage crew will need a little while longer to set things up.¡±

    ¡°Oh, alright then,¡± agreed Yan Yu, nodding. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll go home for a nap. Call me when you¡¯re ready.¡±

    ¡°Uh,¡± Lu Zhiyu paused, quickly correcting, ¡°Of course, it won¡¯t take that long, we¡¯ll be ready very soon.¡±

    Letting Captain Yan go home to sleep would be risky; who knew if they could even summon him back when the time came.

    With her extensive media experience, host Lu, familiar with all kinds of tricks, knew all too well the principle of ¡°avoiding unnecessary complications.¡± She quickly called over the stage supervisor to confirm in front of Yan Yu that the setup would take about half an hour more.

    ¡°Fine by me,¡± Yan Yu stretched lazily. ¡°I¡¯ll just wait here, then.¡±

    Seeing that he didn¡¯t insist on leaving, Lu Zhiyu inwardly breathed a sigh of relief and went to find the makeup artist for a touch-up.

    Meanwhile, Qi Changping paced his office, still feeling uneasy regardless of his thoughts.

    Although he had entrusted Chen Lingyun to keep an eye on things, what if she couldn¡¯t stop him? Once Yan Yu started acting tough, even if the Chief Commander was sitting opposite, he would remain composed and unflustered.

    No, I need to go have a look.

    Qi Changping arrived at the training field just to see the stage crew setting up a simple photography studio, turning it into an interview reception room.

    After all, the original environment was designed for confidentiality and soundproofing, making it full of the heavy and ugly steel plate cement walls. Even saying ¡°it¡¯s okay¡± would be an overstatement; it was truly unattractive.

    ¡°Hey, Old Qi!¡± The director on site recognized him and immediately came over to greet him.

    ¡°Old Cao? You¡¯re leading the team this time?¡± Qi Changping recognized the old comrade-in-arms with an initial shock, followed by delight, and then a sigh of relief.

    Great, great, great! I didn¡¯t expect Old Cao to be leading the team this time!

    Yan Yu, you little rascal, did you think of this? This time the director is someone I know! No matter how shocking the pompous statements you make on stage are, I just need to tell Old Cao to cut them out of the final edit! It¡¯s completely no big deal!

    With this, everything was perfectly secure! Hahaha!

    Qi Changping stood outside with director Cao Wendan, chatting warmly¡ªthe expression on Instructor Qi¡¯s face was one of relief, relaxation, calmness, and composure, showing none of the previous anxiety from his office.

    In the studio, host Lu Zhiyu sat on the right-side sofa, adjusting the recording equipment pinned to her chest.

    The audio recorded during the interview would be transcribed by the editorial team for review, refinement, and writing before being published in the military¡¯s internal print newspaper. As for the video footage of the show, it would be uploaded to the internal website since the influence of print media was increasingly limited and even the traditionally conservative troops preferred to check the news on their smartphones during their leisure time.

    Yan Yu sat in the ¡°interviewee¡¯s¡± spot on the left-side sofa, absently fiddling with his phone. Chen Lingyun sat next to him, smiling without a word, secretly contemplating.

    Now that the media had started internal trials among cultivators, it stood to reason that a complete lifting of social-level information confidentiality controls was only about a month or two away. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The choice to lift confidentiality at this time was due to the subjective need to adopt a more proactive approach in response to the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, as well as the objective need to closely follow international trends¡ªafter all, other countries had already fully disclosed, and it was unrealistic to continue hiding the truth from the domestic populace.

    ¡°The photography and lighting are all set up,¡± Lu Zhiyu suddenly asked, ¡°Shall we start then?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    ¡°Hello, dear audience,¡± as the offstage cue was given, Lu Zhiyu turned to the camera with a professional smile and began to recite the script smoothly, ¡°This is ¡®The Virtue Gazette¡¯s¡¯ first special character interview program, and I¡¯m the host, Lu Zhiyu. The gentleman sitting beside me is Zhendong Army¡¯s Cultivator Team Captain, Yan Yu, and next to him is the Deputy Team Captain, Chen Lingyun.¡±

    Yan Yu casually waved at the camera, signaling a greeting. Chen Lingyun nodded slightly, her smile elegant and sweet.

    ¡°Captain Yan, we¡¯ve noticed that most members of your team are female,¡± Lu Zhiyu lived up to her reputation as a professional host by grabbing the biggest talking point, ¡°The Female Warrior Team,¡± to start her questioning, ¡°May I ask what criteria you used to select these female team members?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s quite simple,¡± Yan Yu, who had answered this question before, responded methodically, ¡°The establishment of the war team is to carry out combat missions, so when I select members for the team, I only look at two criteria: one is strength, and the other is potential¡­¡±

    Seeing Yan Yu¡¯s earnest and stable official-like statement, the last bit of worry in Coach Qi Changping¡¯s heart watching from the sidelines completely dissipated.

    This kid, although he often speaks to the commander-in-chief without much respect, seems to be much more proper in front of the camera.

    That¡¯s right, after all, being cautious and conservative in front of public media is a normal and reasonable thing to do. What in the world was I worrying about before?

    Ah, the matters of this world are indeed nonexistent, it¡¯s just the meddlesome people who create their own troubles. It seems I¡¯ve made an unnecessary fuss.

    My mistake!

    With the interview proceeding this way, there definitely won¡¯t be any problems later on. I should head back to the office.

    After exchanging a few more words with Director Cao, Qi Changping was about to excuse himself and leave when he suddenly heard Lu Zhiyu in the studio interrupting:

    ¡°Captain Yan, my impression is that you actually prefer female cultivators, right?¡±

    Yan Yu: ???

    Qi Changping abruptly stopped in his tracks, looking back at the scene with irritation.

    Damn! Just when that kid was making a serious statement for once, I can¡¯t believe this damn host is causing trouble here!

    ¡°Why would you say that?¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t react immediately and asked with a frown.

    ¡°Currently, in the four armies¡¯ war teams, it¡¯s generally a situation of having more men than women,¡± Lu Zhiyu said with folded hands and a gentle smile, ¡°The Annan Army and the Dingbei Army teams each have only one female cultivator. The Pingxi Army has two cultivators, but still fewer than men.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I also believe that in the military ¡®everything is based on strength¡¯. So perhaps the other three team captains believe, or subconsciously tend to think, that male cultivators have higher growth potential and malleability and are more valuable for long-term development.¡±

    ¡°But you have made a completely opposite choice; apart from yourself, all other cultivators in your team are females¡­ So, do you believe that female cultivators are not weaker than males? Or perhaps, are you trying to prove this point to the outside world?¡±

    ¡°Cough cough,¡± Chen Lingyun quietly coughed beside him. Yan Yu and she shared a tacit understanding; he immediately picked up her hint: be careful of the trap within the question.

    After pondering for half a second, he cracked a brilliantly fake Ling Yun-brand smile and asked:

    ¡°Why do you ask that? If I wanted to prove to the outside world that women are stronger than men, then I¡¯d just let Chen Lingyun here be the captain. But does she have the abilities for that? After all, our team speaks through strength, not gender. It doesn¡¯t matter how the captain views you; what matters is whether your strength is up to the challenge. As long as you can fight, it doesn¡¯t matter if your gender is an armed helicopter.¡±

    Hearing this response, Qi Changping¡¯s heart that had been in his throat finally began to settle down.

    This question, after all, touches on gender factors, and no matter how you answer, it will stir unnecessary controversy. So the best way to handle it is not to answer. But if you beat around the bush too much, while you might recover from making a mistake, you¡¯d appear to be someone who can¡¯t grasp the main point and lacks caliber.

    Yan Yu used ¡°I am the captain, and Chen Lingyun can only be the vice-captain¡± as his reply, denying Lu Zhiyu¡¯s leading question while also avoiding the controversial topic of ¡°which gender of cultivator is stronger¡±, which contains implicit opposition. It was a decent and appropriate response.

    However, before Qi Changping could completely relax, he saw Lu Zhiyu, who didn¡¯t know when to stop, continue to probe:

    ¡°So, may I interpret it this way: Captain Yan, do you think that among the male cultivators within the Zhendong Army, aside from yourself, there is not a single one whose strength or potential for growth meets the standards for joining the team? That only female cultivators meet the criteria?¡±

    ¡°Which team are you asking about?¡± Yan Yu calmly responded, ¡°If you mean teams in a broader sense, I believe that the future Zhendong Army will not have just one team. Many excellent male cultivators will certainly be able to quickly stand out by virtue of their strength after joining their respective teams.¡±

    ¡°As for my team, if you want to ask about the entry standards¡­ It¡¯s not just about male cultivators, even extending to the entire Zhendong Army, no one meets the standards I¡¯ve set.¡±

    ¡°To give you an analogy, it¡¯s like a university final exam for a major subject. Everyone¡¯s supposed to pass with 60 points, yet everyone scores only in the teens or twenties, so the professor can¡¯t fail all the students, right? They¡¯ve got to lower the passing line and pick the four who scored in the twenties as passing. Do you get my meaning? In such a case, whether those four who passed are male or female doesn¡¯t really matter. The key issue is why most students performed so poorly, and that is what¡¯s more worth discussing. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±

    Lu Zhiyu was rendered speechless by Yan Yu¡¯s argument and, for a moment, couldn¡¯t find any words to refute him.

    You see, Yan Yu dared to openly say ¡°whether it¡¯s male or female cultivators, they¡¯re all rubbish in my eyes¡± because he is the number one cultivator in the Zhendong Army, and he has the confidence to be arrogant, disdainful, and to offer guidance.

    But if Lu Zhiyu dared to catch onto his words, she would inevitably offend the cultivator factions of the Zhendong Army. Not to mention that even the always agreeable commander of the Zhendong Army, Li Weiguo, might just send an accountability call to her boss¡¯s boss.

    How could she dare to respond to that?!

    ¡°Well¡­ let¡¯s switch to another question and ask Vice Captain Chen,¡± feeling a bit overwhelmed, Lu Zhiyu quickly deployed the host¡¯s ultimate technique of changing the topic.

    Outside, Qi Changping¡¯s face darkened as he asked Director Cao Wendan beside him:

    ¡°Can this segment of the dialogue be cut in post-production?¡±

    ¡°Why cut it out?¡± Cao Wendan asked in puzzlement, ¡°The question is explosive, and the answer was quite brilliant, isn¡¯t it great?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a bit insulting,¡± Qi Changping said implicitly, feeling increasingly helpless inside.

    The strongest cultivator of the Zhendong Army insulting its own cultivators ¨C what kind of situation was this?!

 Chapter 123: 23: Taking Texts Out of Context is the Ultimate Righteousness

    Chapter 123: Chapter 23: Taking Texts Out of Context is the Ultimate Righteousness

    But Yan Yu, this formidable man, was speaking too much with force, and the host Lu Zhiyu couldn¡¯t keep up, so he decisively played a card to redirect the topic, picking a less tricky question to ask Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°Deputy Captain Chen, as the right hand of Captain Yan Yu, can you talk about the relationship between the two of you?¡±

    ¡°Relationship?¡± Chen Lingyun pretended not to understand and chuckled with her hand covering her mouth, ¡°Isn¡¯t it just the usual deputy and chief relationship?¡±

    ¡°On the job, we¡¯re comrades in arms, of course,¡± Lu Zhiyu said, smiling amiably as he continued, ¡°What about your personal rapport?¡±

    Although her expression was very composed and proper as if she was just talking about something very ordinary, there was indeed an implied gossipy tone. A slight misstep in answering, and the host would seize the opportunity to dig further¡ªthe audiences always love this kind of topic; it¡¯s a classic hot-button issue.

    ¡°Privately,¡± Chen Lingyun drew out her words, ¡°not too bad, we could be called frenemies, I suppose.¡±

    Lu Zhiyu: ?

    She politely widened her eyes slightly, only to hear Chen Lingyun laugh again:

    ¡°Forget it, it¡¯s a public interview, let¡¯s not bring up personal matters, just cut this part out.¡±

    Lu Zhiyu suddenly felt like she had a date stuck in her throat, not going up nor coming down¡ªit was supremely uncomfortable¡­ What did she mean by ¡°frenemies¡±?

    You could have just not said anything, but since you did, at least clarify it for me! This is material with even more value to dig into than a ¡°romantic relationship¡±!

    What does it mean to leave it hanging after saying only half of it?

    Just as she was about to press for more information, she saw Yan Yu suddenly gesture and said:

    ¡°This ¡®frenemies¡¯ thing, there¡¯s no other meaning. It¡¯s just that she, as the deputy captain, is always overestimating herself, liking to challenge authority. But it¡¯s useless, because our team speaks through strength, and anyone who doesn¡¯t have enough and dares to step out of line will only be severely suppressed, no matter whose official son or daughter you are.¡±

    Lu Zhiyu: ¡­¡­¡­.

    She couldn¡¯t follow up on that, because she truly knew who Chen Lingyun¡¯s father was¡ªalready a level that public media should not mention, and would soon be completely off-limits.

    Offstage, Qi Changping spoke with a numb expression:

    ¡°Cut this part as well.¡±

    ¡°Sure, cut it,¡± Cao Wendan nodded and took out the walkie-talkie to command, ¡°Tell little Lu not to ask Chen Lingyun any more questions.¡±

    The girl¡¯s family background was sensitive and ultimately not something that could be casually discussed on air.

    Having just breathed a sigh of relief, Qi Changping then heard Cao Wendan instruct:

    ¡°Let her focus on asking Yan Yu, as he¡¯s the main guest for this interview.¡±

    This left Qi Changping tied up in knots again. I agree with not asking Chen Lingyun, but telling her to ask Yan Yu¡­

    Lu Zhiyu noticed the cue from offstage and knew that the previous segment would definitely be cut, which made her feel a bit frustrated and helpless.

    However, due to her professional composure of being a host, her demeanor remained unchanged as she switched to another subject to continue the interview:

    ¡°Captain Yan Yu, you and Liu Longtao of the Dingbei Army¡¯s team are considered the two rising stars among military cultivators. As the saying goes, ¡®There¡¯s no first in art, no second in martial arts,¡¯ how would you evaluate Liu Longtao¡¯s strength?¡±

    ¡°Liu Longtao, huh.¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment, ¡°His strength is pretty good, decent.¡±

    ¡°What if you were to compete against him?¡± Lu Zhiyu immediately struck while the iron was hot, asking with a smile, ¡°Do you have the confidence to defeat him in the next simulation exercise?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be asking me that, you should go ask him. After all, he is someone who has lost to me, and these days, he¡¯s probably got his mind full of thoughts about how to beat me.¡±

    Lu Zhiyu was suddenly lost for words. She had done her homework before the interview, and of course, she knew the outcome of the academy exchange competition.

    But that¡¯s all in the past now! The famous mountains and great rivers and mysterious realms have opened across the country, and Liu Longtao is leading his team in sweeping through North China and Northeast, both the Immortal Sword and techniques have been completely renewed, and even the number of mysterious realms conquered by his team has surpassed yours by now!

    If he were to challenge you again, the outcome might still be uncertain, right?

    Of course, you can¡¯t just bluntly question this, otherwise, it would truly be picking a fight. After organizing her thoughts for a brief moment, Lu Zhiyu tactfully said:

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the Dingbei Army managed to consecutively secure three mysterious realms within a week, such a team cannot be considered weak, right?¡±

    ¡°Certainly not weak,¡± Yan Yu looked at her puzzledly, ¡°If you consider Liu Longtao¡¯s strength weak, then the Dingbei Army has no strong cultivators at all.¡±

    Lu Zhiyu: ¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    ¡°But, just now, your evaluation of Liu Longtao¡¯s strength was merely ¡®not bad¡¯ at all,¡± she continued unwillingly, emphasizing the words ¡°not bad¡± to remind Yan Yu that those were his exact words.

    ¡°Evaluations are relative,¡± Yan Yu patiently explained. ¡°Compared to the cultivators of the Dingbei Army or the mainstream cultivators in the country, Liu Longtao is undoubtedly a top-tier contender, and it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say he is among the elite.¡±

    ¡°However, such a high evaluation can be made by anyone except me. Because he was defeated by me, if I brag about him being invincible, then what level does that make my strength? A celestial being from beyond the heavens? Should I still have any shame left? There¡¯s a limit to boasting about oneself.¡±

    Lu Zhiyu: ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.

    ¡°Get it?¡± Yan Yu gave a wry smile, his expression weary as he said, ¡°Alas, in truth, who is stronger and who is weaker is meaningless when debated verbally. Only victory or defeat on the battlefield is the ultimate test of strength.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right,¡± Lu Zhiyu finally composed herself, relying on her strong professional qualities to quickly adjust her stiff expression back to normal and summarizing, ¡°Captain Yan, what you said is correct. In fact, we have discussed many times before that ¡®strength determines everything,¡¯ and also that ¡®victory determines strength.¡¯ As for who will become the number one among the Rikoku Cultivators, only the battlefield of the future will give us the answer.¡±

    ¡°What you said is mostly right, but we don¡¯t need to wait for the future to find out the answer,¡± Yan Yu said with a grand wave of his hand, laughing heartily. ¡°Because during the four-college exchange competition, I defeated them all, so the number one Rikoku Cultivator at the moment is me.¡±

    Lu Zhiyu: ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    Enjoying the stiff expression of the famous hostess, Chen Lingyun couldn¡¯t help but feel pleased and added with a smile:

    ¡°This is the way of result-oriented thinking. If a certain Lord Master doesn¡¯t agree, then he only has the option to challenge our captain again and defeat him.¡±

    ¡°Yes, result-oriented,¡± Lu Zhiyu, not knowing what to say for the moment, but drawing on her rich professional experience, still put on a listening posture, nodding convincingly as if in agreement.

    Offstage, Qi Changping fell silent for a moment, just about to speak, only to hear Cao Wendan suddenly ask:

    ¡°Should this segment be cut as well?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s broadcast without cutting, the Dingbei Army might have some objections,¡± Qi Changping reminded him.

    ¡°If we cut any further, we¡¯ll really have no material left to air,¡± Cao Wendan frowned, ¡°I need to think.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d better take it easy,¡± Qi Changping emphasized. ¡°I remind you, those prominent figures might also see the content of this first interview.¡±

    ¡°Of course I know that,¡± Cao Wendan replied seriously. ¡°Don¡¯t rush me, any interview content unfavorable to the Zhendong Army, I will not let it go out.¡±

    ¡°This Yan Yu guy started off pretty seriously, but why is he acting pretentious again later on!¡± Qi Changping was helpless and couldn¡¯t help voicing his annoyance. ¡°Your host also has issues, bringing up sensitive topics and giving him the space to perform!¡±

    ¡°Lu Zhiyu was working at a local TV station before, and she¡¯s only recently joined the military station, indeed bringing over the extravagant style of blindly pursuing traffic,¡± Cao Wendan explained casually, moving on from the subject. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not possible to replace her now, so we should think of a solution instead.¡±

    ¡°How about we halt for now,¡± Qi Changping suggested. ¡°We can interview again another day. Your side can send over the scripted questions in advance, and after we firm them up, we can have Yan Yu memorize his lines. Then he can just go up on stage and recite the script with Lu Zhiyu.¡±

    ¡°Memorizing the script will definitely be too late,¡± Cao Wendan rejected the idea.¡± Let¡¯s see if we can do some post-production instead, and while retaining enough content, try to polish the meaning conveyed by Captain Yan as best as we can.¡±

    Director Cao, who had once worked for a lengthy period in the cultural troupe, was skilled at extracting audio tracks and scanning them into text, immediately moved to the computer beside him, exporting the recorded interview content into text, and quickly began editing.

    He started by rapidly deleting sensitive content such as the ¡°Zhendong Army cultivator¡¯s strengths are rubbish,¡± ¡°Chen Lingyun and Yan Yu are friends and foes,¡± and ¡°Liu Longtao, a defeated underling, not worth mentioning¡± ¨C frantically deleting, complete deleting! After a long bout with the backspace key, he managed to clear it, and then began piecing together the remaining text.

    Qi Changping watched intently, and soon the document on the screen began to take on this meaning (approximately):

    Lu Zhiyu: ¡°May I ask, what criteria did you have when you chose these female team members?¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡°I choose members for the team based on two criteria: one is strength, and the other is potential. I believe in the future, many excellent male cultivators will also stand out swiftly after they join other teams based on their capabilities.¡±

    Lu Zhiyu: ¡°Vice-Captain Chen, as Captain Yan¡¯s deputy, you have a comradely relationship at work, but how¡¯s your personal relationship?¡±

    Chen Lingyun: ¡°Personally? Not bad¡­ But let¡¯s not get into private matters during a public interview.¡±

    Lu Zhiyu: ¡°How would you evaluate Liu Longtao¡¯s strength?¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡°Liu Longtao is undoubtedly a top-tier contender, even an elite standard would not be an overstatement. In fact, debates about who is stronger or weaker are meaningless. Only victory or defeat on the battlefield can truly measure one¡¯s strength.¡±

    (To be continued)

    Upon reviewing the content that had been pieced together, Qi Changping stood stunned, speechless for a long while.

    Although the context had been cleverly manipulated, it subtly eased one¡¯s concerns. What was going on here?

    S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 124: 24 Successfully Concluded the Interview

    Chapter 124: Chapter 24 Successfully Concluded the Interview S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°`

    Cao Wendan concentrated on post-production below the stage, boldly removing all those inappropriate comments.

    However, Lu Zhiyu on stage was completely oblivious, already feeling utterly defenseless against the seamless back-and-forth between Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun.

    Heaven help me! When has Host Lu ever encountered such a situation in her decades-long career?

    She had always effortlessly controlled the conversation, playing guests who were in an awkward position like they were within the palm of her hand. Unexpectedly, she stumbled this time, repeatedly embarrassed by two young people!

    To avoid letting the guests continue to freestyle, Lu Zhiyu had no choice but to pick out the simpler, more predictable questions from the ones she had prepared in advance to ask.

    ¡°So, Captain Yan, what are your expectations for the future of this team?¡± she asked with a poised and intellectual demeanor, smiling, ¡°Or rather, what is the team¡¯s long-term goal?¡±

    The sacred duty of a soldier is to protect one¡¯s country and family; you should know how to answer this, right? Give me the standard response!

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s to be the strongest in this world,¡± Yan Yu replied, also maintaining a composed posture, and answered with a smile, ¡°Soldiers pursue victory and honor, and only the strong can achieve victory. Therefore, ¡®the strongest in this world¡¯ is the ultimate honor our team strives for. I believe there will be no other answer to this question.¡±

    Lu Zhiyu:¡­¡­

    Are you some modern-day king of soldiers?!

    Of course, if she continued to push blindly, it would only lead to more shocking and sensational statements. Therefore, Lu Zhiyu wisely switched to another question:

    ¡°Recently, there has been a surge of formidable cultivators abroad. In the event of a geopolitical conflict or international competition, Captain Yan, are you confident of achieving victory and bringing glory to our country?¡±

    I¡¯m asking if you have the confidence to win, surely there can¡¯t be another answer to this, right?

    ¡°Abroad? Which country?¡± Yan Yu countered with disdainful indifference, ¡°If it¡¯s not the Onmyoji nation, other countries¡¯ Transcendents aren¡¯t worth our Zhendong Army¡¯s attention. Miti has that so-called Superhero Legion, but it¡¯s essentially a foreign legion and I¡¯m guessing they haven¡¯t even figured out what they¡¯re doing yet. As for the Onmyoji nation, they definitely can¡¯t beat us now. Do you know where their national Onmyoji dojo is hidden? No idea, right? So why do you think it¡¯s kept secret? No need for me to explain further, right?¡±

    Lu Zhiyu:¡­¡­

    Can you not go into so much detail? Is it that hard to say ¡°we will do our best¡±?

    Offstage, another signal came through, indicating that the interview time was nearly up. Lu Zhiyu was immediately relieved and brought out her prepared final question:

    ¡°Alright, in the end of the program, Captain Yan, what would you like to say to the cultivators of our Lu Country?¡±

    Yan Yu pondered for a moment, turned his head to face the live camera, and seriously said:

    ¡°Although I am destined to be the strongest in this world, you all can vie for the position of the second strongest. The way of heaven is rewarding to those who strive, and gentlemen should never cease to be self-improving. Keep fighting, everyone. The era of great changes is upon us; even carps have the chance to leap over the Dragon Gate now!¡±

    Captain Yan¡¯s final speech was full of passion and conviction, making a resonant impact. Downstairs, Cao Wendan swiftly pressed the delete key, removing the first part ¡°I am destined¡­ you all can vie¡­¡± with a snap, leaving only the latter ¡°The way of heaven¡± part. After reading it several times, she couldn¡¯t help but praise loudly:

    ¡°Well said!¡±

    ¡°See?¡± Yan Yu turned to Chen Lingyun and said, ¡°Even the production crew agrees, this interview went smoothly, didn¡¯t it? I don¡¯t know what Coach Qi was so worried about.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Chen Lingyun smiled, not feigned but genuinely satisfied, as if a person reveling in joy just had their fill of fun.

    Having held back for so long, Lu Zhiyu finally managed to suppress the eloquent and dramatic words in her heart and said, with a polite, forced smile:

    ¡°It has been an honor to interview Captain Yan and Vice-Captain Chen this time. I hope we will have the opportunity to cooperate again.¡±

    Let the deputy editor handle the next interview; anyone who wants to come, let them come. I really wouldn¡¯t dare come back.

    ¡°You see?¡± Yan Yu continued, speaking to Chen Lingyun, ¡°What did I tell you before?¡±

    ¡°You were right.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile was full of charm¡ªshe certainly remembered Yan Yu saying before that ¡°being interviewed by me is already their honor.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Teacher Lu,¡± Yan Yu stood up and politely nodded to Lu Zhiyu.

    Indeed, it was too much for me¡­ Lu Zhiyu¡¯s sense of agitation somewhat subsided, only to hear Yan Yu continue:

    ¡°There might be some sensitive content in this interview, so feel free to cut anything you need to. Just prioritize the publicity goals.¡±

    If you knew it was sensitive content, why say it at all!

    ¡°`

    Lu Zhiyu could barely maintain his composure and had to pretend ¡°someone was calling him from outside¡± as he quickly left the studio.

    Yan Yu had just stretched when suddenly his phone rang.

    [¡°Liu Junior¡± has started a voice chat with you]

    ¡°Hello?¡± Yan Yu answered the call.

    ¡°Old Yan, I heard someone¡¯s been talking smack about me?¡± Liu Longtao asked directly on the other end, ¡°I mean, that¡¯s a bit underhanded, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°You planted a spy on my side?¡± Yan Yu was astonished.

    ¡°Come on, do I need a spy?¡± Liu Longtao chuckled, ¡°They were planning to interview me first, guess why?¡±

    There are people from the Liu Family inside today¡¯s media company, aren¡¯t there? What¡¯s so hard to guess about that?

    Chen Lingyun had mentioned before that ¡°they were originally going to interview the Dingbei Army first, but it was changed to the Zhendong Army at the last minute¡± ¡ª it was obvious that their senior leadership was clashing, with the backing of the elders from both Liu Longtao¡¯s and Chen Lingyun¡¯s families.

    Although the Chen Family won in the end, the Liu Family was not likely to cooperate willingly. Those controversial questions the host started with, would she dare to ask them without the nod from someone in authority above?

    What a joke, thinking they could get the better of me, the strongest in this world!

    ¡°Badmouth you? Am I that kind of person?¡± Yan Yu replied nonchalantly with a smile, ¡°What I said verbatim was, ¡®You are the main man of the Dingbei Army, you¡¯re number two and no one dares to claim number one.¡¯ If you don¡¯t believe me, ask your spy.¡±

    ¡°Forget it.¡± Liu Longtao expressed indifferently, ¡°Old Yan, just enjoy your moment right now.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, have you prepared some secret weapon?¡± Yan Yu asked, grinning.

    ¡°No.¡± Liu Longtao replied calmly, ¡°To deal with your harem team, all fluttery and flirty, where¡¯s the need for any secret weapons?¡±

    ¡°Hey, you can eat whatever you want, but you can¡¯t just say anything.¡± Yan Yu¡¯s tone suddenly became hostile, ¡°Are you suggesting women can only join the team through underhanded means? Just wait, I¡¯ll record this conversation and post it online, let the ladies tear you a new one.¡±

    ¡°Go right ahead.¡± Liu Longtao laughed upon hearing this and asked, ¡°Anyway, can Princess Jiang Hai tolerate you like this, without getting jealous or making a fuss?¡±

    ¡°Whether she can tolerate it or not, what can she do?¡± Yan Yu dismissed, ¡°Don¡¯t forget, I am the captain!¡±

    ¡°Ha, just don¡¯t regret it.¡± Liu Longtao said meaningfully, ¡°With her temper, even her dad can¡¯t handle her.¡±

    ¡°Lord Master.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s sweet voice chimed in nearby, ¡°Talking behind someone¡¯s back, who exactly is the one being underhanded?¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha, caught red-handed, I really need to slip away now.¡± Liu Longtao laughed, ¡°See you, Old Yan! I hope next time we meet, you can still smile as brightly and lively.¡±

    The voice chat was ended.

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s fake smile was dazzling, and one couldn¡¯t see through what was on her mind. Yan Yu, on the other hand, was frowning, seemingly pondering some serious matter.

    ¡°Yan Yu.¡± Chen Lingyun narrowed her eyes, ¡°Don¡¯t think about unpleasant things~ Even I would get angry~¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. I have no mood for your family¡¯s trivial matters.¡± Yan Yu was silent for a while before speaking, ¡°Have you been keeping up with the news from Lord Master recently?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Chen Lingyun replied, ¡°We¡¯ll see when we confirm the fight with them. Why do you ask?¡±

    She revealed a mocking smile and asked:

    ¡°It couldn¡¯t be that he really prepared some ¡®secret weapon¡¯ to deal with you, could it?¡±

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s emphasis on the words ¡°secret weapon¡± made her meaning more than clear:

    Darling, you have the memories of a past life! What sort of secret weapon could possibly be a secret to you?

    ¡°No.¡± Yan Yu shook his head and said, ¡°I just realized, if we have to face off against Lord Master in the next match, our recent training intensity isn¡¯t quite sufficient.¡±

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile quickly faded from her face.

 Chapter 125: 25 Military Commissioner Yan Yu of Zhenghai Army

    Chapter 125: Chapter 25 Military Commissioner Yan Yu of Zhenghai Army

    In his previous life, Liu Longtao managed to advance from being the ¡°number one in Pingjing¡± to the ¡°number one in Lu Country¡± for various reasons.

    Firstly, his excellent talent and ambition drove him; he was the epitome of a ¡°genius who also worked incredibly hard.¡± Secondly, his family helped him operate behind the scenes, providing him with significant advantages in the allocation of official cultivator training resources. Thirdly, his luck wasn¡¯t bad either, as he obtained a powerful Flying Sword and Taoism Methods early on.

    In the era of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, an early advantage is like a snowball effect: The better your magical artifacts, Flying Swords, and Taoism Methods, the faster your fighting power rises, which improves your standing in the eyes of the VIPs. As a result, they assign you to even more challenging Mysterious Realms, where you find even better magical artifacts, Flying Swords, and Taoism Methods¡­

    It is precisely because of this that almost all the top cultivators of Lu Country¡¯s future generation, especially the most powerful ones, hailed from the ¡°first batch of cultivators.¡±

    There were certainly strong cultivators in later batches, such as the exceptional Xie Ruoxi, but most cultivators couldn¡¯t surpass their senior fellow peers from the first batch because they couldn¡¯t get the snowball rolling as the first batch did.

    After the interview, Yan Yu did not hurry to leave. Instead, he pondered over the subsequent training plans.

    Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin should practice their reflexes, Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen should provide experience, and then get the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin as soon as possible for the enchantress to familiarize herself with¡­ Hmm?

    Someone patted his shoulder from behind.

    ¡°Go to the principal¡¯s office,¡± Qi Changping said to him.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yan Yu responded without asking why. Since the photography studio at the training ground hadn¡¯t been completely dismantled, training couldn¡¯t proceed right away; it was as good a time as any to see what Li Weiguo wanted.

    Upon arriving at the principal¡¯s office, Yan Yu saw a wooden box on the table.

    The lid was open, and inside lay a bone hairpin carved with a delicate skull on its end.

    The White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin.

    ¡°You got it so quickly?¡± Yan Yu exclaimed in surprise.

    ¡°It¡¯s a funny coincidence,¡± Li Weiguo said, taking a sip of hot tea, ¡°The Annan Army took a liking to an Immortal Sword from our inventory, and then the Dingbei Army specifically wanted something from the Annan Army. Both sides were rather impatient, which made this exchange go smoothly.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Yan Yu nodded, then asked, ¡°So, which sword did the Annan Army go for?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s also one that you all seized in the Dragon Spring Mountain Mysterious Realm,¡± Li Weiguo replied. ¡°Do you remember a sword with a lion relief on the blade?¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu nodded, having guessed who might want that sword.

    The Sky Flash Sword, later identified by its original name ¡°Nine Heavens Thunder Executer,¡± was the Valkyrie Li Minghu¡¯s personal weapon.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already reviewed the interview,¡± Li Weiguo continued, ¡°Having a big mouth isn¡¯t a problem, but if you boast and then lose, you¡¯ll be the laughingstock.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly why we can¡¯t afford to lose,¡± Yan Yu said without hesitation.

    ¡°Recently, Liu Longtao has been unstoppable,¡± Li Weiguo spoke calmly. ¡°In the simulated Mysterious Realm battles, he has successively faced teams from the Pingxi and Annan Armies, and they¡¯ve won quite handsomely. So, the higher-ups plan to arrange another confrontation for you soon to see which team is more elite. After all, the last time the two of you fought, it was single combat; this time it will be team combat.¡±

    ¡°No problem,¡± Yan Yu said without a second thought, ¡°We¡¯ll secure the victory.¡±

    ¡°You, young man, don¡¯t you want to think it over?¡± Li Weiguo scolded him with a laugh, ¡°If anyone else sat here making empty promises, I¡¯d have kicked them out by now.¡±

    ¡°One must disdain the opponent on a strategic level,¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°If you worry about whether you can win before the fight even begins, how can you possibly exert your full strength?¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine, fine. Just as long as you take your opponents seriously on a tactical level, I¡¯ll overlook your strategic attitude,¡± Li Weiguo said as he casually picked up a file from beside him and suggested, ¡°Take a look at this.¡±

    Yan Yu took the file and glanced at it; predictably, it was a notice about expanding the team¡¯s organization.

    Currently, there are four teams in the whole country, one for each army. However, Mysterious Realms don¡¯t care how many teams you have, for lately, they¡¯ve been popping up like mushrooms after rain. Liu Longtao¡¯s team was able to clear three Mysterious Realms in a week because three appeared in the north in a single week, forcing the Dingbei Army to work overtime on clearing them.

    Therefore, considering the current national situation, expanding the team¡¯s organization was inevitable. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Having mastered the Three Arts and Five Spells and learned the Sword Control Technique, the student cultivators at the academy certainly have the solid skills required; what they lack is the combat experience to apply those skills.

    Sending them to handle some of the simpler Mysterious Realms would not only help them grow quickly but also address the problem of having too many Mysterious Realms ¡ª the only issue being the inevitable casualties. However, this was simply an unavoidable circumstance.

    ¡°What¡¯s your opinion?¡± Li Weiguo asked leisurely.

    ¡°I wholeheartedly support it.¡± Yan Yu put the document notification back on the desk, ¡°Nowadays, there are more and more mysterious realms, and it¡¯s urgent to expand our manpower.¡±

    ¡°Do you know any students at the academy, who you think are quite capable?¡± Li Weiguo asked with a smile, ¡°Feel free to recommend anyone.¡±

    ¡°Qiu Ze and Sun Ziyi,¡± replied Yan Yu, ¡°These two are pretty strong. If it weren¡¯t for the overlapping roles in the team, I would have wanted to recruit them in the first place.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Li Weiguo nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll consider it.¡±

    The two names recommended by Yan Yu were also on the list provided by the instructor team at Qi Changping¡¯s side.

    According to the instructors¡¯ evaluations, Qiu Ze¡¯s strengths were his quick reactions, fast change-up speed, and his ability to fight, run, and support, which made him a candidate that the instructors jointly believed had the potential to become ¡°the next Yan Yu.¡±

    Sun Ziyi, similar to Chen Lingyun, was the kind that looked for opportunities to strike, with very accurate judgment and awareness.

    So if Qiu Ze were to become the captain and Sun Ziyi the vice-captain, it would seem like they were copying the configuration of Yan Yu¡¯s team¡ªconsidering that Yan Yu¡¯s Team did indeed achieve considerable success, it was only natural for the instructors to take note of them.

    ¡°Would you like some tea?¡± Li Weiguo offered as he poured some tea.

    ¡°No, no need.¡± Yan Yu quickly stood up, ¡°I understand the implication of offering tea to see a guest out. Please continue with your work; I won¡¯t disturb you any further.¡±

    He was about to leave the office when he suddenly heard Li Weiguo say from behind:

    ¡°For subsequent publicity needs, all battle teams need to have official team names by the end of the month and report them to the academy instructors for registration.¡±

    ¡°No problem,¡± Yan Yu turned back and said, ¡°I¡¯ll discuss it with Chen Lingyun.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t pick any messy names,¡± Li Weiguo said again as he picked up his cup of tea, speaking slowly, ¡°It will be in the media, so be serious.¡±

    Going into the media¡­ so the secrecy regulations are being completely lifted, huh?

    After leaving the administrative building, Yan Yu called Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°Our team needs a name, what do you think?¡±

    ¡°If I were the captain,¡± Chen Lingyun replied, ¡°I¡¯d call it ¡®Spirit Transport Team¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Directly using the captain¡¯s name, huh? Using my name doesn¡¯t seem too good,¡± Yan Yu said dismissively, ¡°Another one?¡±

    ¡°Then what¡¯s your idea?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    ¡°Like ¡®Strongest¡¯ or ¡®Apex¡¯ or something,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°We should lean towards that direction as much as possible.¡±

    ¡°¡®Strongest¡¯ is too tacky, and the ¡®Advertising Law¡¯ doesn¡¯t allow it, oh,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a light laugh, ¡°¡®Apex,¡¯ don¡¯t you think it has a homophony with ¡®Sheep Epilepsy¡¯? It¡¯s like how you don¡¯t want to use your name to call the team ¡®Yan Yu¡¯s Team¡¯.¡±

    ¡°If you want to make associations, any name could be twisted into a bad connotation,¡± Yan Yu wasn¡¯t concerned, ¡°What do you think we should call it then?¡±

    ¡°If you want a name that sounds good, then you have to look to history,¡± Chen Lingyun pondered for a moment and then replied, ¡°Among the many military governors of the Tang Dynasty, Jiangbei and Jiangnan were under the jurisdiction of the ¡®Pinghai Army.¡¯ Later, Qian Liu, who established the Wuyue Kingdom and governed Lin¡¯an Prefecture in Jiangnan Province, was originally the ¡®Military Governor of the Pinghai Army¡¯¡­ What about calling it ¡®Zhenghai Team¡¯?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not bad; after all, we belong to the ¡®Zhendong Army,¡¯ and our future enemies are mainly ¡®overseas¡¯ from the heavy cherry and Miti,¡± Yan Yu thought for a while and then suddenly said with caution, ¡°You¡¯re not implying some malicious metaphor of warlord segmentation at the end of the Tang Dynasty, are you?¡±

    ¡°Not at all~¡± On the other end of the phone, Chen Lingyun said with a laugh, ¡°I just think it¡¯s nice and has a historical reference, or do you have a name you prefer more?¡±

    ¡°Since we¡¯re going to deal with the heavy cherry and Miti,¡± Yan Yu tried to change his line of thinking, ¡°how about ¡®Cherry Blossom Cutting Team¡¯ or ¡®Miti Crushing Team¡¯?¡±

    ¡°So, ¡®Slaughter Cherry and Exterminate Miti,¡¯ huh?¡± Chen Lingyun laughed uncontrollably, ¡°I have no problem, but do you think it will pass the organization¡¯s review?¡±

    ¡°¡­ Then let¡¯s stick to Zhenghai Team.¡±

 Chapter 126: 26 The Military Governor Speaks Frankly

    Chapter 126: Chapter 26 The Military Governor Speaks Frankly

    Although the team name was preliminarily set, Yan Yu didn¡¯t plan to make the decision unilaterally, so he posted it in the group to ask for the other teammates¡¯ opinions.

    [Yun Jin]: This name is quite good. If you¡¯re worried that the character ¡°Zhen¡± might be taboo, ¡°Pinghai¡± could also work.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: It¡¯s not like we¡¯re ancient people who are concerned about taboos, it¡¯s fine. But ¡°Pinghai Team¡± does sound pretty good too.

    [Yun Jin]: Actually, many ancient military unit names sound very domineering, like ¡°Shenwu,¡± ¡°Dragon Cavalry,¡± ¡°Yingyang,¡± ¡°Cuifeng,¡± ¡°Dingnan,¡± etc.

    [Chen Lingyun]: He originally wanted to call it ¡°Strongest Team.¡±

    [Yun Jin]: ¡°Strongest Team¡± is indeed a bit too straightforward. /smile

    [Grandma Zhao]: What¡¯s wrong with ¡°Strongest Team¡±? It does sound very domineering.

    [Chen Lingyun]: Okay, that¡¯s two votes for ¡°Strongest Team¡± and two votes for ¡°Zhenhai Team.¡± What about Lin Ning?

    [Yun Jin]: She¡¯s left campus to meet her boyfriend.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    Yan Yu moved his phone away slightly and revealed a face like that of a ¡°subway elder.¡±

    Sister Lin definitely doesn¡¯t have a boyfriend¡­ Although it¡¯s none of my business whether she does or doesn¡¯t, Lin Ning really was a lifelong single in her previous life.

    There was a classic joke where her dad was so anxious about it, he first went to the military. The military said, we¡¯ve arranged dates for her but she didn¡¯t like anyone, then her dad, determined, ran off to Mindu to find Southeast TV station, signing his daughter up for a dating show called ¡°Heart Belongs.¡± The program format was such that the female participant would introduce herself on stage. Then, the male participants¡¯ mothers would take turns asking questions, and in the end, the male participants would choose whether to turn off or keep their lights on.

    Upon learning about it, Lin Ning took leave from the military and flew directly from Jinling to Mindu by Sword Control, stormed into the TV station to find the director, and forcibly had her name removed from the guest list.

    A simple phone call would have solved the issue, but she insisted on flying there personally to settle the matter, which goes to show how desperate Lin Ning was at the time.

    Based on Yan Yu¡¯s understanding of Lin Ning, Sister Lin had a very innocent view on dating. Not to mention blind dates, she even opposed mixers, believing the format was too contrived and both sides had ulterior motives¡ªLin Ning could only accept the kind of relationship depicted in pure romance novels, where the process was ¡°meet, get to know, become close, and fall in love.¡± Consequently, she was stuck at the first step, never meeting a decent man.

    [Ningning]: Yun Jin, stop talking nonsense! It¡¯s just a former classmate who came to see me!

    [Yun Jin]: Oh, a classmate.

    [Chen Lingyun]: Is it one person or a group of people?

    [Ningning]: If it were a group, I¡¯d tell them to have fun on their own!

    [Chen Lingyun]: A boy, coming to Jinling alone to see you, isn¡¯t he pursuing you?

    [Ningning]: I¡¯ll handle it, okay! Don¡¯t make wild guesses for me!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Lin Ning, I¡¯m not interested in your personal affairs, but we have a group training session at four o¡¯clock this afternoon, and you can¡¯t miss it.

    [Ningning]: What four o¡¯clock? Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I just received the notice from the Chief Commander. Why don¡¯t you talk to him and ask him to inform us earlier next time?

    [Ningning]: Wait for me! I¡¯m in the coffee shop, I¡¯ll be right back!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: The one at the school gate, right? Hurry up, the others have gathered at the training ground!

    When everyone arrived at the training ground and had been waiting for about ten minutes, Lin Ning still hadn¡¯t returned.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go pick her up?¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°Let me ask her what¡¯s going on first,¡± Yan Yu was a bit annoyed, ¡°What¡¯s up with Lin Ning? Does she think the team isn¡¯t important or what?¡±

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Why aren¡¯t you here yet? Did someone kneel in the street to confess to you, and the crowd is chanting for you to accept him and not let you go, right?

    [Ningning]: Wuuuuu, Captain, save me!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Don¡¯t tell me I guessed right?

    [Yun Jin]: He won¡¯t let you go? Call 110!

    [Chen Lingyun]: Little Lin Ning is a Cultivator, she must feel embarrassed to leave, right? Otherwise, how could a mere mortal stop her?

    [Ningning]: @Yi De Fu Ren Captain! Come and find me, say there¡¯s an emergency with the team that requires my return!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You owe me a favor.

    [Ningning]: Owe owe owe!

    Yan Yu reluctantly left the training ground, exited the school, and headed straight to the coffee shop where he had met with Su¡¯s parents last time. Sure enough, he saw Lin Ning and an unfamiliar young man sitting at a window seat, drinking coffee and chatting.

    You actually have time for coffee¡­ Wait, don¡¯t rush it.

    Yan Yu, experienced as a two-time human being, didn¡¯t hurry into the coffee shop. Instead, he quietly took out his phone and sent a private message to [Ningning].

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I¡¯m at the entrance of the shop.

    [Ningning]: Hurry up and come in, you don¡¯t need to say anything, just turn left as soon as you walk through the door and head my way!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Wait a moment, are you planning to wait for me to come in, then tell that guy, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my boyfriend came to find me¡± and slip away, hinting at him to give up pursuing you while also saving face for him? S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Ten seconds passed.

    [Ningning]: No, why would you think that?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: If he were just an acquaintance with whom you weren¡¯t on great terms, you could just excuse yourself and leave, right? The main reason you can¡¯t comfortably get away is that you don¡¯t want to damage the relationship between you, yet you can¡¯t accept his feelings. Since you¡¯re out of ideas, you¡¯re resorting to this ¡°fake boyfriend¡± tactic to get him to back off on his own, right?

    [Ningning]: Your brain is the one that¡¯s slow! Big stupid pig Yan Yu!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Be clear on something, you¡¯re the one asking a favor of me. What¡¯s in it for me to be your fake boyfriend? What if that guy loses his cool and decides to hit me, wouldn¡¯t I be at a disadvantage?

    [Ningning]: You¡¯re a cultivator! How could you not be able to beat him? And he wouldn¡¯t hit you, I promise!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: But I shouldn¡¯t have to take that risk, right?

    [Ningning]: Then what do you want, huh!

    Inside the coffee shop, Lin Ning was furiously typing on her phone. The boy sitting across the table noticed her behavior, and asked nonchalantly:

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you have a fight with your boyfriend?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not¡­¡± Lin Ning hesitated to continue.

    If she were a mature master of tea arts, she would have unhesitatingly admitted it to prevent further entanglement. But Lin Ning, after all, was inexperienced, and she instinctively said ¡°It¡¯s not¡± before realizing:

    Maybe I should have said ¡°Yes¡± just now?

    ¡°Oh.¡± The boy chuckled, ¡°I remember now. Your dad has been pushing you to find a boyfriend.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s driving me nuts,¡± Lin Ning sighed. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me he spoke to your dad about it too.¡±

    ¡°He really did,¡± the boy said while holding his paper cup leisurely, ¡°I¡¯m also a bit annoyed because my dad has started to urge me as well.¡±

    Lin Ning looked out of the window, speechless.

    This boy wasn¡¯t just any friend; he was the ¡°childhood friend¡± who had lived next door to her family since they were young. The two families often visited each other, and their parents had jointly invested in a seafood company, making them very close¡ªLin Ning remembered tagging along after the boy during her childhood.

    They had been classmates in elementary school, but went to different schools after junior high and gradually lost contact.

    Lin Ning was sure she didn¡¯t harbor any romantic feelings for him, yet she didn¡¯t want to destroy the precious friendship that had been built since childhood.

    If he really just wanted to hang out and had no intentions of confessing his feelings, it could be extremely awkward if she were to clarify things prematurely. But it wasn¡¯t a solution to drag things out either¡­

    All the commander¡¯s fault!

    Lin Ning grew more and more agitated, wishing she could rush out of the shop and give Yan Yu a good beating.

    Then she saw Yan Yu push the door open and walk her way.

    The captain finally deigned to come in!

    Lin Ning¡¯s spirits immediately lifted, but then she remembered her own unwitting admission, denying ever ¡°having a boyfriend,¡± and felt disheartened again.

    Forget it, forget it; the captain must be wanting me to come back soon anyway. Let¡¯s see what he can do¡­

    ¡°Sorry to interrupt,¡± Yan Yu approached the table without looking at Lin Ning, and instead said to the boy opposite, ¡°You guys can reschedule your meeting, but she needs to come back with me for training.¡±

    ¡°Who are you?¡± the boy asked, surprised.

    ¡°My surname is Yan, and I¡¯m the captain of her team,¡± Yan Yu explained curtly, ¡°You know she¡¯s in a military academy, right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m aware, she¡¯s told me,¡± the boy calmly said, ¡°But she¡¯s already applied for leave in advance. Surely the training doesn¡¯t require dragging someone back who¡¯s on leave?¡±

    Yan Yu looked at his expression, then turned to Lin Ning:

    ¡°Get in.¡±

    Lin Ning obediently shifted in her seat to make space for him.

    ¡°How may I address you?¡± Yan Yu asked as he sat down.

    ¡°Qiao Ming,¡± the boy replied.

    ¡°Qiao Ming,¡± Yan Yu got straight to the point, ¡°Are you here to confess your feelings to Comrade Lin Ning and attempt to establish a romantic relationship with her?¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu!¡± Lin Ning exclaimed in frustration.

 Chapter 127: 27: Love Rival? Youre Not Worthy!

    Chapter 127: Chapter 27: Love Rival? You¡¯re Not Worthy!

    ¡°Yes.¡± Faced with Yan Yu¡¯s direct question, Qiao Ming simply admitted, and he looked toward Lin Ning, asking softly,

    ¡°Lin Ning, do you already have a boy you like? Or are you already dating this Captain Yan?¡±

    Lin Ning hesitated, her mouth opening slightly, unsure whether she should lie to him to let him down easy, remain silent to avoid hurting him, or just directly admit that she did not want to start a relationship yet¡­

    Seeing Sister Lin struggle to find the words, Yan Yu knew this woman was utterly unreliable. He sighed and said,

    ¡°Qiao Ming, the military has its regulations. You are free to pursue a relationship, but she is not.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Qiao Ming frowned slightly.

    This answer was truly beyond his expectations. What did he mean by the military¡¯s regulations?

    ¡°Comrade Lin Ning is engaged in a classified project.¡± Yan Yu spoke seriously, ¡°She has to report it to her superiors if she wants to establish a romantic relationship. What if her partner is a foreign agent?¡±

    ¡°What a disgusting thought,¡± Qiao Ming suddenly got angry, and said coldly, ¡°Are you insinuating that I¡¯m a foreign agent?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that,¡± replied Yan Yu coldly, ¡°I¡¯m only telling you the rules. The rules were not made by me, you can take it up with the Zhendong Army, or even go back and tell her parents so they can inquire with the military, and get a detailed understanding of the situation.¡±

    Qiao Ming watched Yan Yu with an icy gaze, but he noticed Lin Ning quietly tugged at the other¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Stop causing trouble,¡± Yan Yu turned his head and scolded, ¡°We¡¯re discussing serious matters here!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t argue with him!¡± Lin Ning whispered.

    ¡°Is this a matter to argue about?¡± Yan Yu was amused and irritated by her, ¡°Comrade Lin Ning, if you feel the stirrings of affection, please have the decency to leave the service before pursuing romance. Don¡¯t drag the rest of us into this.¡±

    ¡°What stirrings of affection!¡± Lin Ning was also frustrated, she kicked him hard under the table, ¡°I already told you it¡¯s not a date!¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether it is or not, I¡¯m putting my foot down here. If you get involved in a relationship, your partner will be subjected to a political review. Don¡¯t be an idiot and implicate innocent people!¡± Yan Yu took the kick with a Barrier Charm and then looked toward Qiao Ming, unflustered, ¡°So, Qiao Ming, what do you have to say?¡±

    Seeing Yan Yu treat Lin Ning without pretense, even bordering on harshness, Qiao Ming couldn¡¯t tell if he was Lin Ning¡¯s boyfriend or admirer, and was left with no choice but to say,

    ¡°I can accept a political review.¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu, stop this nonsense!¡± Lin Ning couldn¡¯t help but stand up, ¡°Qiao Ming! That¡¯s enough from you too! I¡¯m not interested in dating right now!¡±

    The atmosphere quickly turned silent.

    Qiao Ming was silent as he watched her, his expression visibly falling into dejection. Then he saw Yan Yu stand up calmly from the table and start laughing coldly as if he had played a successful trick, S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Had you said that at the start, wouldn¡¯t that have spared us all this time¡­ You have five minutes to wrap things up, then hurry out! The training has been delayed because of you alone!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®wrap things up¡¯! Mind your words!¡± Lin Ning couldn¡¯t resist retorting.

    Yan Yu paid her no attention and simply walked toward the exit of the shop.

    As he left, Lin Ning immediately felt a bit awkward, unsure what to say to Qiao Ming.

    ¡°Lin Ning.¡± Qiao Ming took a deep breath, a bitter smile emerging, ¡°Is it true that you¡¯re involved in a classified project?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true.¡± Lin Ning nodded.

    ¡°So, if you were to date, it could interfere with your career,¡± said Qiao Ming as he stood up gracefully, ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Lin Ning felt that there might have been a misunderstanding, but she also felt that this might be exactly the outcome that Yan Yu had intentionally orchestrated. Trying to clarify could likely make things worse.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me,¡± said Qiao Ming, seeing the concern and conflict in her eyes, he couldn¡¯t help smiling, ¡°Whether or not we¡¯re meant to be, I still wish that you can achieve your dreams¡ªthat¡¯s my greatest wish.¡±

    ¡°Goodbye. Lin Ning, keep going.¡±

    He raised his coffee cup slightly in salute to Lin Ning, then he turned and walked away with a carefree air.

    Stepping out of the coffee shop, Qiao Ming let out a long sigh of relief.

    Although he was somewhat saddened by not catching up with Lin Ning, the thought of his parting words and his decisive departure made him feel incredibly cool. This successfully and gracefully executed show-off dispersed part of his heartache and irritation from the unrequited love.

    Then he saw Yan Yu standing next to the door playing with his phone.

    ¡°Captain Yan.¡± Qiao Ming nodded at him.

    ¡°You guys don¡¯t have more to say?¡± Yan Yu asked without lifting his head. ¡°I gave you five minutes.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± Qiao Ming brushed his bangs aside and smiled nonchalantly. ¡°She has her own life and path, and I won¡¯t be her stumbling block.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re actually more mature than she is,¡± Yan Yu continued on his phone without looking up. ¡°Some things are just beyond help, you have to let go even when you can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Captain Yan.¡± Qiao Ming suddenly asked tentatively, ¡°It seems like Lin Ning has a pretty good relationship with you? I¡¯ve never seen her kick anyone before.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re on the same team,¡± Yan Yu lifted his head to look at him. ¡°We¡¯ve carried guns together, get it? If the relationship was bad, there would be problems.¡±

    ¡°Right, I understand.¡± Qiao Ming went on to ask, ¡°So does she have feelings for you or maybe for any other guys on the team¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Yan Yu said straightforwardly. ¡°As long as it¡¯s unrequited, nobody cares.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Qiao Ming¡¯s expression finally showed complete relief.

    He crossed the street, hailed a taxi, and left.

    Lin Ning was evidently watching from inside the store, and as soon as the taxi carrying Qiao Ming was out of sight, she immediately ran out to find Yan Yu:

    ¡°What were you doing talking like that just now!¡±

    ¡°Did I say something wrong?¡± Yan Yu looked at her, puzzled. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t said it that way, who knows how long you would have dragged things out before telling the truth! Is it that hard to say ¡®you¡¯re not interested in dating right now¡¯?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t get it!¡± Lin Ning stamped on his foot again with force. ¡°He didn¡¯t start off by saying he liked me! Wouldn¡¯t it make the relationship awkward if I just directly said ¡®I don¡¯t want to date¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Then you could have just said your dad is pressuring you to find a boyfriend and you¡¯re totally not interested in dating, would that not work?¡± Yan Yu ridiculed her without mercy. ¡°To be honest, you¡¯re just too dumb to think outside the box.¡±

    ¡°Your brain is the one that¡¯s dumb!¡± Lin Ning huffed angrily and walked towards the school gate. ¡°I¡¯m leaving!¡±

    Yan Yu quickly followed at her side, as they walked shoulder to shoulder.

    Once inside the school gates, Lin Ning looked down at her toes, following a straight line on the edge of the tiles, when she suddenly asked:

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t you use my initial plan?¡±

    ¡°You mean pretending to be your boyfriend?¡± Yan Yu scoffed. ¡°Do you think you deserve that?¡±

    ¡°How do I not deserve it?¡± Lin Ning flared up instantly. ¡°Tell me, in what way do I not deserve it?¡±

    ¡°Stop asking so many questions,¡± Yan Yu hummed through his nose. ¡°I advise you to be cautious with your words and not act rashly.¡±

    ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t ask.¡± Lin Ning, still annoyed, veered off the straight path and started to stride forward boldly. ¡°If you weren¡¯t the only guy on the team, I wouldn¡¯t even think of asking you!¡±

    ¡°Let me be frank, resorting to someone pretending to be your boyfriend is a lousy idea to begin with,¡± Yan Yu said, following her. ¡°A clear explanation could have solved everything, but instead, you wanted to create a scenario of snatching love, which is escalating the conflict and asking for trouble¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not listening, I¡¯m not listening!¡± Lin Ning plugged her ears with her hands and activated Shifting Technique to run away.

    However, she hadn¡¯t gotten far when Yan Yu, also using the Shifting Technique, caught up with her from the side.

    ¡°Why are you chasing me?¡± Lin Ning¡¯s eyes widened, and then defensively, she complained, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare play out the ¡®chasing with corn syrup¡¯ trope!¡±

    ¡°Idiot, you¡¯re going the wrong way!¡± Yan Yu cursed irritably. ¡°Our training field is that way!¡±

 Chapter 128: 28: Increase Training Intensity

    Chapter 128: Chapter 28: Increase Training Intensity

    After getting rid of Lin Ning¡¯s admirers, Yan Yu¡¯s mood became somewhat sour.

    Dammit, I¡¯m also a handsome dude with maxed-out looks! Young and handsome, strong too, favored by the Commander-in-Chief, and with a bright future ahead, why didn¡¯t any beautiful and brave girls pursue me during school? For certain, it must be Chen Lingyun pulling some tricks!

    Wait, I remember at the previous team commendation assembly, wasn¡¯t there a girl who asked, ¡°Can I pursue Captain Yan¡±? Then, wasn¡¯t she shut down by someone? Zhao Yuanzhen, you were involved too?

    Since both of these ladies are suspects, the remaining two might not be innocent either.

    Secretary Su has a love for literature and has read widely; she surely has a mind deep with thoughts. Sister Lin originally had no suspicions, but today she suddenly asked me to pose as her boyfriend, isn¡¯t this having a guilty conscience?

    Could it be that they have secretly formed an alliance, aiming to secretly drive away all the women who dare to come close to themselves?

    Of course, now within Yan Yu¡¯s mind, the ¡°to-do list¡± has far too many critical tasks, and dating is a priority that can¡¯t be raised for the time being. If a beautiful girl were to confess to him, he would have to refuse, though with a heavy heart.

    But! ¡°I can¡¯t accept confessions from others right now,¡± doesn¡¯t mean ¡°you can block others from confessing to me¡±!

    Although this suspicion has no concrete evidence at the moment and is merely Yan Yu¡¯s subjective conjecture¡­ as is well known, as the captain, Yan Yu¡¯s power within the team is limitless.

    I¡¯m not holding grudges or retaliating because I suspect you, but for you to quickly grow in strength, increasing the intensity of the training is quite normal, right?

    ¡­¡­

    Although Yan Yu¡¯s intentions were good, clearly no one appreciated his efforts.

    In the following sparring practice, Su Yunjin, being the weakest, was the first one eliminated.

    She misjudged the necessary output of True Yuan during her block, which caused her Coral Tear to be directly struck flying in the swordsmanship combat, and then Huang Tingjian suddenly switched to its back edge before slashing, volleying the literary girl harshly away like in tennis.

    Su Yunjin didn¡¯t even scream before she flew out and rolled several times on the ground, then lay still¡ªstartling all the other ladies.

    ¡°Get up!¡± Yan Yu commanded without mercy, ¡°Falling down on the battlefield equals suicide¡­ unless you¡¯ve passed out!¡±

    Struggling to prop herself up, Su Yunjin, though in pain everywhere, quickly got into a starting position and forcefully activated the Shifting Technique.

    The next second, Huang Tingjian smashed into the ground where she previously laid; if she had been slower in deploying her Shifting Technique by even half a second, she would have taken the hefty blow.

    Lin Ning was about to sarcastically say, ¡°Aren¡¯t you hitting too hard,¡± but the thought died on her lips. After all, cultivators are essentially military professionals. One could lament being handled too roughly in training, but what was one to do when facing the enemy on the battlefield? Beg for mercy?

    ¡°There¡¯s an opening!¡± Yan Yu swiftly made a hand sign for the Sword technique, and Huang Tingjian abruptly changed course, launching a ferocious attack on Lin Ning, ¡°Distracted while sparring with me?¡±

    Luckily, Sister Lin¡¯s reactions were exceptional, and she quickly drew her Green Bamboo Sword to parry. The two swords collided rapidly in the air, the noise resounding like thunder, forcing Lin Ning into disarray as she barely managed to stabilize her defense.

    ¡°The one with the opening is you!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen took the chance to charge forward, with Yin Wind Sword aiming straight for his forehead.

    Unexpectedly, while heavily attacking Lin Ning, Yan Yu suddenly switched to Curved Curse and grabbed the Yin Wind Sword, flinging it aside.

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ?

    ¡°Are you trying to kill me with laughter?¡± Yan Yu, now having rushed to her face with Shifting Technique, reactivated Curved Curse, and punched towards her head, ¡°Who said I only know how to control swords?¡±

    Chen Lingyun watched coolly from the sidelines, seeing Yan Yu brutally beating Zhao Yuanzhen with punches and kicks while Huang Tingjian relentlessly pressured Lin Ning. He managed to maintain absolute advantage on both fronts in a short time¡ªa feat difficult to achieve with Three Arts and Five Spells.

    Three Arts and Five Spells can¡¯t be employed simultaneously, because they require maintaining specific True Yuan courses within the body. Although Yan Yu could compensate for this limitation with his ultra-fast switching speed, if the other side attacked non-stop in numbers, forcing him to keep Barrier Charm activated and without a pause, his only choice would be to flee.

    The Sword Control Technique is different, however; the Flying Sword resembles the gold medal Emissary Batons that follow the Chief Hall Master. As long as the Chief Hall Master gives the command ¡°kill this person¡± or ¡°how to kill,¡± the Flying Sword goes about its business without the need for constant instruction.

    Looking at the situation on the field, Yan Yu¡¯s eyes, while locked in close combat with Zhao Yuanzhen, were not fixated solely on her; his gaze occasionally swiftly flicked to Lin Ning¡¯s direction.

    Each glance, fleeting as it was, could read the situation across and command Huang Tingjian to execute the next perfect strike. The periodic strikes knitted together not only maintained the attack on Lin Ning but also pressed her into complete helplessness. How terrifying was this ability to suppress the battlefield?

    ¡°Chen Lingyun, don¡¯t you surrender!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen finally couldn¡¯t hold back and yelled, ¡°If we lose, you won¡¯t get off easy either!¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t surrendered, you know,¡± Chen Lingyun replied with a drawn-out laugh, ¡°I¡¯m just looking for his weakness~¡±

    Indeed, confronting an opponent of this level head-on offered no chance at victory. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    We must wait for the right moment.

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that while you¡¯re multitasking at high intensity, you can maintain a flawless posture without showing any weaknesses, dear.¡±

    Don¡¯t let me catch the opportunity~

    Suddenly, Chen Lingyun¡¯s hands, which had been behind her back, moved like lightning to form a sword technique.

    The Purple Extreme Sword transformed into a streak of light aiming at Yan Yu, the timing was exactly when he shifted his gaze away from Lin Ning¡ªan instant where the Flying Sword rushed in from the blind spot of his turned vision.

    At the same time, the five ghosts that had taken the form of fierce dogs had already burst through the wall from underground, attempting to bite down hard on his legs¡­no, they missed?

    Yan Yu suddenly lunged forward, avoiding the bite of the five ghosts, and at the same time, had grabbed Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s arms, then with the aid of the Curved Curse¡¯s power, twisted them behind her to use her as a human shield.

    Chen Lingyun made a decisive change in her sword technique, or else if the Purple Extreme Sword injured Zhao Yuanzhen, their relationship with the Demonic Sect Enchantress would be over¡ªand she wasn¡¯t done playing yet!

    As the Purple Extreme Sword slowed down on this side, the princess saw Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s body rapidly enlarging in her field of vision.

    She was hurled towards Chen Lingyun with great force by Yan Yu, who was empowered by the force of the Curved Curse, using her like a cannonball!

    At this point, Chen Lingyun was too late to dodge. She couldn¡¯t keep up with her on-the-spot reaction speed, but a thought suddenly flashed through her mind:

    It was careless of her, given Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s strength, how could she stand up to Yan Yu¡¯s frontal attack for so long?

    ¡­¡­

    Having cleanly knocked down all four team members and finished loosening up his muscles, Yan Yu felt refreshed and clear-headed. Standing in the middle of the field with his arms crossed, he struck a heroic pose as he looked at the battered girls with a cold expression and asked:

    ¡°Do you know where you all failed just now?¡±

    ¡°So, it¡¯s about killing the will along with the body, huh?¡± grumbled Zhao Yuanzhen.

    ¡°Speak up!¡± Yan Yu immediately glared at her and bellowed, ¡°I can¡¯t hear you!¡±

    ¡°Let me say it,¡± said Chen Lingyun lightly. ¡°I thought I had caught your flaw, but it turned out to be a trap you¡¯d set on purpose.¡±

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Yan Yu snorted disdainfully through his nose, commenting, ¡°You¡¯re overly confident in your own intellectual abilities, to the point where you had no defense against other possibilities, it¡¯s hard to believe that such a clumsy tactical error could occur to my deputy team leader.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a resigned smile, ¡°As ¡®your¡¯ deputy team leader, it was indeed a major oversight on my part, and I must admit it.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen looked at her skeptically, feeling that the woman¡¯s words carried an ulterior meaning and were not well-intended.

    ¡°What are you looking at!¡± Yan Yu scolded her again, ¡°What¡¯s your problem?¡±

    ¡°Losing is my problem!¡± declared Zhao Yuanzhen, standing tall.

    ¡°Idiot!¡± Yan Yu immediately scoffed, ¡°You knew well that your strength is not equal to mine, yet you insist on fighting solo. Don¡¯t you ever consider cooperating with your teammates? If you continue to be so headstrong next time, you¡¯ll still end up beaten black and blue by me!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was furious, but unfortunately, her body was already tired, too weak to argue or protest further, and could only secretly bear a grudge:

    This villain has domestically abused me today and shamed me afterward for only knowing how to ¡°fight alone¡±. I¡¯ll remember this! When the day comes that I can turn the tables, I will unite with the other sisters to show you what ¡°overwhelming numbers¡± means, as well as what ¡°beaten black and blue¡± really looks like!

    ¡°What about little Lin Ning?¡± Yan Yu shifted his gaze, asking coldly.

    ¡°My swordsmanship lacks adaptability,¡± replied Lin Ning with no interest in protesting the address, sounding weak and dispirited, ¡°As soon as I face too much pressure in a head-on confrontation, I only think about defending and counterattacking, leading to predictable and unchanging countermeasures that are too easy to read.¡±

    ¡°Correct,¡± Yan Yu nodded authoritatively, ¡°Rather than focusing on improving your adaptability, what you need to prioritize now is the awareness to actively change strategies on the actual battlefield! Combat isn¡¯t like solving problems; enemies won¡¯t intentionally leave you with solutions. You need to be more proactive, ruthless, and aggressive, placing more emphasis on offense than defense. Don¡¯t always think about adapting; instead of solving the puzzles given by others, you need to keep the initiative to change tactics firmly in your own hands!¡±

    ¡°Finally, what about Yun Jin?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± After a moment of silence, Su Yunjin said with a bitter smile, ¡°My problem is probably that I¡¯m too weak.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re weak, then train harder!¡± Yan Yu said impatiently, waving his hand, ¡°Let little Lin Ning accompany you in extra practice! It just so happens that she needs to practice taking the initiative in attacking, and you can work on the basics of defense. The two of you can complement each other perfectly!¡±

    ¡°And the two of you,¡± he looked at Zhao Yuanzhen and Chen Lingyun again, ¡°Deputy team leader, it¡¯s time to use your brain.¡±

    ¡°Teach her how to coordinate tactics. Before the next Mysterious Realm confrontation comes, you must have her well-trained!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all, disband!¡±

 Chapter 129: 29 An Interlude from the North

    Chapter 129: Chapter 29 An Interlude from the North

    The names of the four great war teams were quickly registered within the Privy Council, and thus were set.

    The Zhendong Army¡¯s Yan Yu¡¯s Team was renamed ¡°Zhenhai Team¡±.

    It can be interpreted both as the Zhendong Army sweeping across the seas and as a nod to the Tang Dynasty¡¯s navy that ruled the eastern seven provinces of Jiangnan, fitting both contemporary and historical contexts, so the name smoothly passed the review.

    The Dingbei Army¡¯s Liu Longtao¡¯s Team was renamed ¡°Dragon Cavalry Team¡±.

    ¡°Cavalry¡± implies the majestic leaping of a steed with its head held high, an emblem of power and magnificence. ¡°Dragon Cavalry¡± could also be translated as ¡°Dragon Soaring¡±, and as for whom this ¡°Dragon¡± refers to, that goes without saying. Those who understand, understand.

    The Pingxi Army¡¯s Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Team was renamed ¡°Huofeng Team¡±.

    This name was slightly more common, but upon deeper consideration, it was quite fitting. Red feathers, Huofeng, it signifies Captain Zhou¡¯s absolute dominance within the team, with a name that seems to burn with a welding flame.

    The Annan Army¡¯s Li Zhaojiang¡¯s Team was renamed ¡°Qing¡¯an Team¡±.

    This name, proposed by Li Minghu, means ¡°to purge the four seas and pacify the universe¡±, matching the name of the Annan Army. Though it lacks the sharpness of more direct names, it still conveys a positive and proactive stance.

    Besides these, the list of captains and vice-captains for the second batch of war teams had also been submitted for approval.

    The second team from Zhendong Army was to be captained by Qiu Ze with Sun Ziyi as vice-captain. They would start recruiting members once the establishment of the team was approved by higher-ups.

    The increase in the number of war team formations aimed to meet the needs of the constantly changing domestic defense situation, and of course, it would intensify internal competition.

    Although past experiences indicated that the overall strength of the second batch of teams indeed fell short compared to the first batch, to be safe, one shouldn¡¯t underestimate them. Hence, Yan Yu decided, with a heavy heart and tearing eyes, to intensify the girls¡¯ training in the long-term interest and future planning.

    ¡°If you wanted to increase the training, just say it straight!¡± Lin Ning complained again, ¡°No need to find such a long list of excuses!¡±

    ¡°Foolish!¡± Yan Yu rebuked her mercilessly, ¡°Without reason to intensify your training, wouldn¡¯t you curse me to death in your hearts? Isn¡¯t it all to make you understand the good intentions of your team leader?¡±

    So where does that confidence come from that makes you think we aren¡¯t already cursing you behind your back?

    In fact, aside from the team chat that included all five members, there were also groups such as the ¡°Take Down the Captain Group¡± excluding Yan Yu, the ¡°BFF Night Talk Group¡± excluding Chen Lingyun, and the ¡°What to Eat Today Group¡± excluding Zhao Yuanzhen¡­out of which the ¡°Take Down the Captain Group¡± had the most curses, each in their unique way.

    Zhao Yuanzhen would directly attack, such as ¡°Yan Yu, I¡¯m gonna fucking end you, you big idiot¡±.

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s sarcasm was peculiar, like ¡°So being a captain means you can do whatever you want, huh? How dare you disagree with me?¡± and other strange remarks.

    Lin Ning¡¯s complaints were quite ordinary, ¡°Does the captain have hyperthyroidism?¡± ¡°Is he sick, why is he always picking on me?¡± ¡°I really want to kick him up against the wall¡±, etc. Her aggressiveness truly paled in comparison to the first two.

    Su Yunjin usually remained quiet, occasionally echoing in a lukewarm tone, ¡°Exactly, exactly¡±, ¡°Right, right¡±, but she definitely stood on the girls¡¯ side.

    Of course, Yan Yu could not possibly be ignorant of this, but what of it?

    As a strong person, one should thoroughly humiliate the weak!

    Even a stone used for stepping at the roadside squeaks when trodden upon, right? If you bully someone and do not let them complain, that would be too harsh.

    I, Yan Yu, am not someone with a narrow mind. As long as you complete the training tasks with quality and quantity, I allow you to criticize me appropriately!

    This is the benevolence and magnanimity of being a team leader! Start feeling grateful and indebted to me!

    After the training, the girls gathered to rest as usual, each playing with their phones in silence.

    [Miss Zhao]: That thief just took a call and rushed off in a hurry¡ªwhat¡¯s going on?

    [Yun Jin]: I don¡¯t know, and Ling Yun didn¡¯t say, so it¡¯s probably not work-related.

    [Chen Lingyun]: It¡¯s probably his private matter, then? Now that you mention it, I¡¯m kind of curious to know.

    [Ningning]: Ling Yun, don¡¯t do anything illegal!

    [Chen Lingyun]: What counts as something illegal?

    [Ningning]: For example, hiring someone to hack into his account and extract his chat logs¡ªthat would be a violation of his privacy and illegal.

    [Chen Lingyun]: I see. Then if I directly ask the service provider to voluntarily provide Yan Yu¡¯s chat logs, that wouldn¡¯t be illegal, right?

    [Ningning]: It might not be against the law, but that¡¯s even scarier!

    Let¡¯s leave the girls¡¯ chat aside for the moment and say that Yan Yu left the training ground in a hurry and picked up the phone again.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Anna?¡± he asked in a low voice.

    There was no answer, just heavy, trembling breathing from the other end.

    ¡°Take it easy, international long-distance calls are expensive,¡± Yan Yu said earnestly, ¡°It¡¯s better to send a private message with the news¡­¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± the voice from the other end said in a daze, ¡°I¡¯ve killed someone.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yan Yu¡¯s tone grew slightly more serious, ¡°How many did you kill?¡±

    ¡°Is that even the question here?¡± Anna burst out, unable to contain herself anymore, ¡°It¡¯s a human life! I have blood on my hands now! I¡¯ve become a murderer!¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, I got it, don¡¯t get too worked up,¡± Yan Yu moved the receiver a bit further from his ear, ¡°So you didn¡¯t throw up on the spot, did you?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t throw up,¡± Anna said after a moment of silence, ¡°I just feel a bit sick.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s normal,¡± Yan Yu reassured her patiently, ¡°If it gets too much, have a drink and sleep it off, and you¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Yan Yu, have you ever killed anyone?¡±

    ¡°Why would you ask that kind of question?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, forget I asked,¡± Anna fell silent again for a moment before starting to talk about the situation on her end.

    After the riots started to break out in the city, she had been holed up in her apartment room with her father, sustaining themselves on stored food and water, unaware of what was happening outside.

    It wasn¡¯t until the Luo Sha officials finally reacted and deployed the military that order was restored, followed by soldiers going door-to-door, checking and registering the status of the residents.

    Seeing tanks rumbling past their windows, citizens gradually mustered the courage to go out and shop for various necessities for life, and Anna was no exception.

    Then, an unexpected event occurred.

    Who started the rebellion in Amur City, how it was organized, and how it ultimately erupted were things that the Luo Sha military clearly didn¡¯t fully understand, so they entered the city to suppress the rebellion due to political pressure.

    This was a typical characteristic of the era following the Spiritual Energy Resurgence: Former rulers held complete technological, intelligence, and information dominance, making grassroots uprisings nearly impossible; but with the resurgence of Spiritual Energy and all sorts of unheard-of Transcendent powers emerging like bamboo shoots after a rain, maintaining absolute information superiority had become impossible.

    After the military entered the city, a kind of Transcendent secret substance, through some unknown means of propagation, spread rapidly among these soldiers.

    When they returned to their camps outside the city, they brought the unknown back with them.

    It was too late for the commanders to organize a counterattack by the time a large number of werewolves emerged in the camps ¡ª these werewolves had extremely strong vitality, capable of withstanding gunfire, and ran as swiftly as the wind, so human soldiers had to rely on pre-built defensive lines, large caliber machine guns, and long-range bombardment for suppression. Once the lines were breached by the werewolves, and everyone was fighting independently, formal defeat was merely a matter of time.

    The smooth suppression inside the city was just a plot by the Transcendents behind the scenes. Their initial target was not just Amur City, but the subsequent military forces that entered to quell the rebellion were also calculated into their scheme.

    After a whole night of chaotic fighting outside the city, numerous units were disbanded due to lost organization. Some deserters returned to the city, bringing the dreadful news to the citizens.

    Hence, an even greater chaos began to spread again within the city.

    On her way back from shopping, Anna killed several strangers who tried to attack them and rob their supplies to protect her father¡¯s safety¡ªthen she made this call to Yan Yu.

    ¡°So where are you and your father now?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°We¡¯re hiding under a bridge,¡± Anna said in a hushed voice, ¡°Father¡¯s scared out of his wits. I lied to him, saying I¡¯m seeking help from my aunt.¡± S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to lie,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Give your aunt a call, see if she can help.¡±

    ¡°My aunt¡­¡± Anna said, lost and bewildered, ¡°Can she really help? I don¡¯t want to get her involved in danger, too.¡±

    ¡°How will you know if you don¡¯t ask?¡± Yan Yu said gravely.

    He actually couldn¡¯t remember when Anna¡¯s aunt became a vampiric Transcendent.

    But looking back at the Eclipse Queen¡¯s life in his past life, the first and most crucial turning point was getting help and guidance from her aunt¡­ otherwise, she would have died in the sewers of Amur City just like her father.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Anna said, reassured by Yan Yu, her tone quickly becoming firm, ¡°I¡¯ll call her right away.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Yan Yu fell silent for a moment, ¡°There¡¯s one more thing.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Try to survive, Anna¡­¡± Yan Yu¡¯s voice paused for a moment.

    ¡°Even if you must kill, always remember,¡±

    ¡°Your life is more important than theirs.¡±

 Chapter 130: 30 Lets go, back to my room

    Chapter 130: Chapter 30 Let¡¯s go, back to my room

    ¡°People overseas live in dire straits.¡± With the continuous advancement of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, this phrase is about to become a broader reality.

    Capital, corporations, armies, governments, bureaucrats, Aristocratic Families¡­ all elements that rely on ¡°higher organizational structure¡± to obtain a dominant position are no match for this sudden rise of transcendent violence; they are like trying to stop a cart with an arm, totally ineffective!

    However, even within the inner circles of transcendent powers, there is still an extremely terrible, cruel, and merciless struggle against each other.

    The wide range between the upper and lower limits of a Transcendent¡¯s strength determines that the gap between top-level Transcendents and the lower-tier ones is even far greater than the gap between the lowest-level Transcendents and ordinary people.

    Quack, the good times are coming!

    Since we can only accept it no matter what, we might as well deceive ourselves into thinking it¡¯s a ¡°good era,¡± at least it allows us to be a bit happier, right?

    When Chen Lingyun found Yan Yu, he was sitting by the artificial lake in the campus, staring blankly at the koi swimming in the water.

    ¡°Sometimes, I really want to be a koi,¡± Yan Yu said without turning around, his voice remote, ¡°No need to think, no need to worry, just waiting for people to feed you every day.¡±

    ¡°So you asked me to come here just to cosplay as Zhuangzi?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    ¡°No.¡± Yan Yu sighed, ¡°It¡¯s not that I envy the joy of fish, it¡¯s just that life seems too bitter.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Chen Lingyun laughed dismissively, ¡°Maybe, but you¡¯re probably the last person who has the right to say that.¡±

    She sat down next to Yan Yu, picked up a stone, and threw it at the koi in the pond.

    The koi that was hit by the stone flicked its tail as if in pain and quickly swam towards the center of the lake.

    ¡°Do you still envy that koi now, dear?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a radiant smile.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°I¡¯m just expressing my feelings; there¡¯s no need to puncture my fantasy,¡± he said with extreme resignation.

    ¡°Sorry.¡± Chen Lingyun put on an innocent expression and said awkwardly, ¡°Were you actually looking for empathy? Ah, then I probably can¡¯t help you because my starting point is already beyond the finish line of most people in this world.¡±

    ¡°That kind of talk makes you deserving of a smack,¡± Yan Yu said with annoyance, ¡°Can¡¯t you be a bit more humble, Trashy Princess?¡±

    ¡°Tonight? Sure,¡± Chen Lingyun took out her phone and said with a mischievous smile, ¡°Should I book a hotel room?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, geez,¡± Yan Yu sighed.

    He looked at Chen Lingyun next to him. Tonight, she was wearing a pure pink T-shirt inside, casually covered with a silver sports jacket, and white A-line shorts on her lower body, showing off her smooth, slender thighs¡­ But this outfit was not Chen Lingyun¡¯s daily style; the Trashy Princess actually preferred more complicated and delicate attire like shirts, bow ties, pleated skirts, stockings, and little leather shoes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t guess; I didn¡¯t dress up much.¡± Chen Lingyun noticed his gaze and said with a smile, ¡°I had just finished washing and blowing out my hair when a certain person¡¯s phone call pulled me out. I had to quickly choose a few pieces of clothing.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯m truly flattered,¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t believe me?¡± Chen Lingyun pinched a few strands of hair beside her cheek and teased him with a smile, ¡°Smell it, there¡¯s still the scent of shampoo on it~¡±

    ¡°Stop.¡± Yan Yu swatted her hand away, ¡°How is the domestic situation among the common folk now?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Chen Lingyun said casually, ¡°Taoists have already reorganized household registrations to strengthen control. The situation seems to be stable for now, after all, cultivating one¡¯s heart comes before cultivating one¡¯s skill. The likelihood of issues arising in this area is minimal.¡±

    ¡°What about the other channels?¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Like the circulation of ancient artifacts and such?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s something that can¡¯t be strictly controlled,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Even if you shut down Panjiayuan, what then? Those who have ancient objects to sell will only switch to more hidden channels for trading. A large number of antiques will still circulate at the social level, who knows how many objects related to cultivation are mixed in there?¡±

    ¡°But we can¡¯t just do nothing,¡± Yan Yu frowned, ¡°The current method of Spirit Root detection is still too primitive. Although many people¡¯s blood tests might show negative, if they come into contact with ancient objects related to cultivation, there¡¯s still the chance of accidentally stepping onto the path of cultivation. Bearing a blade tends to provoke killing intent; what do we do if something happens?¡±

    ¡°There will definitely be a way to handle that,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile faded, ¡°But what does that have to do with you, Yan Yu?¡± sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°I can¡¯t ask if it¡¯s not my business?¡± Yan Yu scoffed, ¡°Who do you think those above will send to deal with those illegal cultivators when they emerge in large numbers?¡±

    ¡°You seem very angry,¡± Chen Lingyun shifted the topic smoothly, revealing a seductive smile, ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t need to go to a hotel room with me?¡±

    ¡°Forget it,¡± Yan Yu waved his hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t want to answer, I¡¯ve already decided anyway.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°To meet the unpredictable future situations, you all need to improve your strength faster and more intensely!¡± Yan Yu stood up from the bench, swept his hand with a grand gesture, and declared boldly, ¡°Starting tomorrow, we¡¯re going to increase practice!¡±

    Chen Lingyun: ¡­¡­

    When in doubt, just increase training, right? Can¡¯t you just act like a human being?

    Not content with only issuing grand statements, Yan Yu took out his phone and began typing.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Ladies! I¡¯ve just had a talk with your vice-captain, and we feel that the current pace of strength progress is a bit slow, so I am delighted to inform you all, we, the Zhenhai Team, are going to increase our existing training intensity! Let¡¯s train ferociously!

    [The Lady with the Surname Zhao]: Chen Lingyun, you bastard!

    [Ningning]: Haven¡¯t we already increased practice? Why are we adding more?

    [Yun Jin]: I got my period, Captain. I¡¯d like to ask for a day off tomorrow.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: No way! Forget about periods, even if you were pregnant, don¡¯t even think about getting a leave! Will the enemies you face on the future battlefield show you mercy just because you¡¯re on your period, or because you¡¯re pregnant with a big belly? Will they spare your life?

    [Chen Lingyun]: What if it¡¯s your child, can I take a leave then?

    ¡­¡­

    As if someone had pressed the pause button, the scrolling group chat suddenly stopped.

    Yan Yu widened his eyes to look at Chen Lingyun beside him, as if to say, ¡°What kind of nonsense are you spouting here?¡±

    ¡°I was just asking out of curiosity,¡± Chen Lingyun replied with a sweet smile.

    Yan Yu, expressionless, turned his gaze away and continued to type.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Even if it¡¯s my own child, there will be no exceptions! Bring the kid and train together!

    This message dropped like a stone thrown into a lake, and the previously quiet group chat quickly started rolling again.

    [Ningning]: Even if it¡¯s a joke, what you said is too horrifying!

    [Ningning]: Exercising at high intensity while pregnant can increase the risk of miscarriage!

    [Ningning]: Can¡¯t you have a bit of common sense? Girls are not war machines, you know!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Alright, since nobody has any objections, let¡¯s meet at the training field at 6 AM tomorrow.

    [Ningning]: Can¡¯t you see that everyone has objections?!

    Ignoring Lin Ning¡¯s barrage of complaints, Yan Yu put away his phone and asked Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°How much intelligence have we gathered on Lord Master¡¯s Dragon Soar Team?¡±

    ¡°Quite a lot,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a twinkling smile, ¡°They¡¯ve been frequenting the Mysterious Realm recently, so we have several recordings of their excursions. Do you want to see them?¡±

    ¡°Send them to me,¡± Yan Yu said with a nod.

    ¡°They¡¯re on my computer,¡± Chen Lingyun extended an invitation, ¡°Shall we go watch them in my room?¡±

 Chapter 131: 31: Dragon Soar Team, A Bunch of Nobodies!

    Chapter 131: Chapter 31: Dragon Soar Team, A Bunch of Nobodies!

    As time gradually approached the latter half of August.

    Due to the additional training sessions Yan Yu imposed, the strength and progression levels among the girls began to diverge.

    The one who improved the most, naturally, was Lin Ning, for the Sword Immortal is inherently a ¡°mid-stage¡± dominant profession. As long as one¡¯s Sword Control Technique reaches a state of refined mastery, their combat power soars faster than other professions¡ªthe most typical example of this is Goryeo, where nearly all cultivators focus exclusively on Sword Immortal, treating Taoism Method, spells, and such as mere support, which has led domestic public opinion to jokingly refer to them as ¡°stick swingers (cheap swordsmen).¡±

    Surprisingly, the person who improved the second most was Su Yunjin.

    On one hand, her basic skills indeed improved, such as defense, evasion, and other solid maneuvers; on the other hand, her progress could be attributed to her ¡°Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art.¡±

    This spell¡¯s lethality isn¡¯t strong, unlike Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Grand Light Fire, which could cause injury or even death by mere grazing¡­ but its control ability is excellent.

    Once engulfed by the heavenly river, one¡¯s sense of direction is entirely disrupted, unable to distinguish up from down, east from west; then, as feet can¡¯t touch the ground and there¡¯s nothing to leverage, it¡¯s impossible to use the Shifting Technique to quickly escape the area; lastly, the drowning brings a series of negative statuses such as ¡°inability to see,¡± ¡°inability to distinguish sounds,¡± ¡°inability to breathe,¡± and so on.

    To effectively use this Taoism Method, what¡¯s tested is the control over True Yuan, attention to detail, and battlefield judgment, and Su Yunjin excels on all three counts. Therefore, even if she doesn¡¯t meet the average standard of top cultivators in hardware terms, she¡¯s no longer seen as a liability in the team, thanks to the control afforded by this Taoism Method.

    Compared to Lin Ning and Su Yunjin, the progress of Zhao Yuanzhen and Chen Lingyun wasn¡¯t as obvious.

    Chen Lingyun had now mastered the Five Ghost Carry Technique, using it to strike from the shadows with ease, but apart from that, there hadn¡¯t been a significant increase in strength¡ªunless she could obtain a new ghost to command.

    The White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin had been handed over to Zhao Yuanzhen, but lacking the strategic thinking, the Demonic Sect Enchantress treated the treasure like a Flying Sword. She would throw it at every opportunity, never keeping it in hand.

    After watching her practice for half a day, Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but say,

    ¡°Have you ever heard a saying, ¡®The sword kept in its sheath is the most deadly¡¯?¡±

    ¡°You mean¡­¡± Zhao Yuanzhen hesitated for a moment, ¡°to use it for a surprise attack?¡±

    ¡°The energy consumption to trigger the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin is much higher than when you use Flying Sword to attack,¡± Yan Yu explained. ¡°Since it requires more True Yuan to use, it should at least do something that the Sword Control Technique can¡¯t do, right?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the advantage of the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin? It¡¯s that once it¡¯s shot, it automatically homes in on its target, making it unavoidable; and upon hitting, it severs the meridians, rendering the wounds untreatable. If you rashly send out the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin and it¡¯s blocked by the opponent using the Sword Control Technique, wouldn¡¯t that be a complete waste? Conversely, when would be the most appropriate time to use the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin? Isn¡¯t it when the enemy has no way to block it?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen pondered this.

    Although Empress Yuanzhen often seemed disengaged in her daily life, her intelligence was always present when it came to combat. Yan Yu patted her on the shoulder, indicating for her to think it over on her own, and then went to inspect the progress of others.

    Training lasted until 11 in the morning, and then it was time to rest and prepare for lunch. On their way to the cafeteria, Yan Yu suddenly received a phone call.

    ¡°Mhm, yes, alright,¡± he rapidly responded a few times, then hung up and turned to give instructions, ¡°Chen Lingyun?¡±

    ¡°Calling for a car right now,¡± Chen Lingyun said, holding her phone.

    Given the experience from the previous three times, everyone naturally wasn¡¯t completely clueless. Lin Ning confirmed, asking,

    ¡°Another Mysterious Realm confrontation, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu nodded. ¡°The Northeast, Changbai Mountain.¡±

    Changbai Mountain Range, located within the Taining Province, one of the three provinces of the Northeast.

    Which means the opponent in this joint struggle for the Mysterious Realm happens to be Liu Longtao of the Dingbei Army¡¯s Dragon Soar Team. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The Zhendong Army¡¯s plane took off from Jinling Airport, heading towards the Changbai Mountain Airport in Baishan, Taining Province.

    As per team routine, deputy leader Chen Lingyun activated the plane¡¯s projector to begin briefing everyone on intelligence.

    ¡°Dragon Soar Team, led by Liu Longtao, with deputy leader Ye Jun, and three members named Ai Lu, Guo Feiyun, and Yang Linhui.¡±

    ¡°Ai Lu, from Shangdu Prefecture of Central Plains Province, a Sword Immortal by profession. Guo Feiyun, from Weihai Prefecture of Qilu Province, also a Sword Immortal. The reason I¡¯m talking about these two together is that during the previous Mysterious Realm confrontations, they demonstrated a high level of tactical cooperation.¡±

    ¡°Guo Feiyun specializes in head-on assaults and is the main attacking force of the Dragon Soar Team; Ai Lu is responsible for coordinating attacks, working together with Guo Feiyun to breach the enemy¡¯s defenses. Taken individually, these two Sword Immortals may not be as strong as Ningning, but their cooperative swordplay even managed to suppress Zhou Hongyu at one point, so their threat should not be underestimated.¡±

    ¡°Yang Linhui, from Shangjing Prefecture of East Sea Province, a spell caster by profession, practices the ¡®Gang Wind Hao Qi True Art,¡¯ capable of summoning knife-like wind that wounds people on the battlefield; more aggressive than Yun Jin¡¯s Star River Secret Art but slightly inferior in terms of control.¡±

    ¡°Ye Jun, from Jinmen Prefecture, Assistant Officer. Her magical artifact is a ruler that reportedly can produce a light that envelops its surroundings with her at the center, forming a shield-like defensive effect capable of blocking Flying Swords and Taoism Method attacks,¡±

    ¡°Lastly, there¡¯s Liu Longtao, from Pingjing, known as ¡®Lord Master¡¯, a profession of Sword Immortal, wielding an Immortal Sword named ¡®Ying Long¡¯¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait a minute!¡± Lin Ning exclaimed in surprise, ¡°Does this mean that their team has three Sword Immortals?¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a twinkling smile, ¡°Actually, from this, you can tell that Lord Master¡¯s team places a very strong emphasis on offense. Excluding the Assistant Officer Ye Jun, each of the three Sword Immortals and the cultivator could be a main force in an assault.¡±

    ¡°But the trade-off is that there¡¯s not much room for tactical play.¡± Seeing the girls become nervous, Yan Yu smiled dismissively and said, ¡°They defeated Zhou Hongyu¡¯s team by relying on Liu Longtao¡¯s absolute power to knock Zhang Huaide out early; defeating Li Zhaojiang¡¯s team was done by Liu Longtao¡¯s aggressive attack on Li Minghu, forcing Li Zhaojiang to go for the rescue.¡±

    ¡°A fierce attack on the command center,¡± Su Yunjin also realized, ¡°Once the command center is disrupted, the rest can only fight independently. This situation is very advantageous for the Dragon Soar Team, which has multiple assaulters.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said Chen Lingyun with a light smile, ¡°Think about it, we have also crossed swords with the other two teams. Huofeng Team has only the vice-captain Zhang Huaide who is suitable for commanding, and Qing¡¯an Team¡¯s vice-captain Li Minghu, once in crisis, the captain Li Zhaojiang will surely rush to the rescue. Both of them are essentially the soft ribs of the teams; once they are targeted, it leads to dysfunction in the team¡¯s operation.¡±

    ¡°But we don¡¯t have such a weakness,¡± Yan Yu added, ¡°Chen Lingyun and I can both take command. Even if we both are out in the endgame, don¡¯t we still have Yun Jin?¡±

    ¡°Ah? I can¡¯t do it,¡± Su Yunjin quickly waved her hands to refuse, ¡°I¡¯ve never commanded before.¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin can do it,¡± said Chen Lingyun with a smile, ¡°Sister Zhao and Ningning are the main combat power, so the only one who can be a temporary command replacement is you.¡±

    ¡°¡­All right,¡± Su Yunjin resignedly accepted.

    Secretary Su¡¯s personality was such: she liked to harmonize. If you told her ¡°there¡¯s an important task for you,¡± her first reaction would definitely be ¡°I can¡¯t do it well, give it to someone else¡±; but if you said ¡°everyone else has more important tasks,¡± then she¡¯d be willing to take on the task.

    Though it¡¯s in her nature, the fact that Chen Lingyun could so effortlessly manipulate Secretary Su showed that she was indeed as shrewd as they come.

    ¡°Yun Jin, you don¡¯t have to worry,¡± Lin Ning consoled her, ¡°With a team captain as bossy and invincible as him, how could he possibly be eliminated early? I bet even if all four of us were down, it¡¯d be him who would stand until the end.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Little Lin Ning who understands me,¡± Yan Yu immediately burst into laughter.

    ¡°Little your head!¡± Lin Ning feigned a punch at him, ¡°So what exactly is the tactic?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s simple,¡± Chen Lingyun explained with a smile, ¡°Yan Yu will tie up Liu Longtao, pulling him out of the opposite team¡¯s tactical framework; Ningning and Sister Zhao will each busy Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun, preventing these two Sword Immortals from coordinating, and then single them out for defeat. Yun Jin and I will together deal with Ye Jun and Yang Linhui, it should be like that.¡±

    Seeing that Chen Lingyun was confident and the tactical arrangement was quite straightforward, everyone finally relaxed and went back to their seats to rest.

    Yan Yu was gazing out the plane window at the clouds when suddenly he received a message from Chen Lingyun on his phone, a private chat.

    [Chen Lingyun]: Not much room for tactical play? Really?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What I mean is, they¡¯re not a team that specializes in tactics; it doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re not good at using tactics. The configuration of three Sword Immortals indeed seems a bit too focused on output, but with a competent command, they can still fight very flexibly.

    [Chen Lingyun]: So they¡¯re still hard to deal with.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: But I can¡¯t say that directly to everyone, it might dampen the spirits a bit.

    [Chen Lingyun]: In fact, I suspect both Liu Longtao and Yang Linhui are holding back their trump cards. Yang Linhui¡¯s Taoism Method is likely both offensive and controlling, and Liu Longtao¡­ I¡¯m just guessing he¡¯s not an ordinary Sword Immortal; otherwise, in the previous life, he couldn¡¯t have reached the status of ¡®Number One Master of Lu Country¡¯ as you mentioned.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Yeah, you wouldn¡¯t miss something like that. Yang Linhui¡¯s Taoism Method indeed combines offense and control, but his control is an all-encompassing strike, not as precise as Su Yunjin¡¯s. As for Liu Longtao, he should be a dual cultivator of spell and sword.

    [Chen Lingyun]: He has learned Taoism Method?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Right, ¡®Five Directional Dragon¡¯s Purple Sky Scripture¡¯, a pretty awesome Taoism Method.

    [Chen Lingyun]: Dear, please tell me you¡¯ve also kept a trump card for this occasion, okay?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Do I need a trump card to face him? I¡¯m dying of laughter, who do you think I am?

    [Chen Lingyun]: That¡¯s right, you¡¯re the strongest Yan Yu of this world~

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: But you should be a little careful, Ye Jun is not easy to deal with. Her Xuan Guang Ruler is actually more powerful for control than defense, and you shouldn¡¯t get caught in the light.

    [Chen Lingyun]: Since she¡¯s hiding her skill, surely it¡¯s specially prepared for you, what do I have to worry about?

 Chapter 132: 32: So You Were Looking for Me

    Chapter 132: Chapter 32: So You Were Looking for Me

    After flying over more than half of Lu Country, the Zhenhai Team finally landed at the airport and was subsequently picked up by the Dingbei Army to be taken to Baihe Town.

    Baihe Town, located about 35 kilometers from Changbai Mountain, had an economy that largely depended on tourism. But since the Changbai Mountain tourist area was suddenly closed, the number of visitors had sharply declined, casting a somber mood over the entire town.

    As soon as Yan Yu got off the car, he saw Liu Longtao and Ye Jun already waiting at the parking lot entrance.

    ¡°Old Liu, you came to pick us up personally?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise, ¡°I¡¯m really flattered.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a matter of courtesy, should be done,¡± Liu Longtao said with a smile, then greeted Chen Lingyun who was behind him, ¡°Ah, Ling Yun is here too?¡±

    ¡°What, did you think I wouldn¡¯t come?¡± Chen Lingyun narrowed her eyes.

    ¡°How could that be? After all, you are the ¡®deputy¡¯ captain of the Zhenhai Team,¡± Liu Longtao chuckled, changing the subject, ¡°The hotel we booked is not far from here, let¡¯s all settle in first.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a hot spring hotel~¡± Ye Jun added with a laugh.

    ¡°A hot spring hotel?¡± The girls behind Yan Yu immediately lit up with excitement.

    Everyone arrived at the hotel by car. The girls hurriedly changed clothes in their rooms and then went to the hot spring area for a bath.

    Yan Yu wasn¡¯t particularly interested in hot springs. He wandered around the lobby in the hotel-issued slippers and happened to see Liu Longtao and Ye Jun coming out of the elevator.

    ¡°¡­So it¡¯s still not confirmed?¡± Liu Longtao asked with a frown.

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Ye Jun sighed, saw Yan Yu in the lobby, and smiled, ¡°Captain Yan, aren¡¯t you going to try the hot springs?¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu waved his hand, ¡°Too lazy to change clothes.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Liu Longtao gave Ye Jun a meaningful look, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll go out and buy some things.¡±

    As he left through the door, Ye Jun found a sofa nearby and sat down, smiling:

    ¡°Captain Yan, want to have a chat?¡±

    ¡°What for?¡± Yan Yu joked with her, ¡°To probe for intelligence?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Ye Jun replied playfully, ¡°It¡¯s a honey trap, let¡¯s see if you dare take it.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Yan Yu sat down on the sofa opposite her, ¡°What do you want to ask?¡±

    His straightforward attitude momentarily stumped Ye Jun.

    But the girl from Jinmen was good at warming up the atmosphere, so she decided not to ask about intelligence right away and smiled:

    ¡°Did you bring enough clothes this time, Captain Yan? It¡¯s still quite cold here in Taining during the summer, not like the south where it¡¯s easily over thirty degrees.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Yan Yu observed her closely, ¡°And you¡¯re not wearing much either, are you?¡±

    Today, Deputy Captain Ye Jun was dressed in a thin white knitted pullover and soft, form-fitting trousers, looking less like a soldier about to go to battle and more like a city woman on vacation, an office executive perhaps.

    Her hairstyle was still the cute short cut from before, and her facial features were precise and charming, but it was evident that she had applied some light makeup to conceal the heavy dark circles beneath her eyes.

    ¡°Well, we are in the hotel, with the heating and air conditioning set high, of course it¡¯s not cold,¡± Ye Jun also laughed, saying, ¡°Wait until we actually head to Changbai Mountain tomorrow, then you¡¯ll see if I wear a padded jacket or not.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard you¡¯ve been staying up late recently,¡± Yan Yu asked nonchalantly.

    Ye Jun asked in surprise:

    ¡°Who did you hear that from?¡±

    ¡°So you don¡¯t deny it,¡± Yan Yu immediately understood.

    ¡°Ah, being the deputy captain,¡± Ye Jun said nonchalantly, ¡°so much to do, so little time, it¡¯s unavoidable.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it because Old Liu dumps all the work on you?¡± Yan Yu pointed out sharply.

    ¡°Now, I don¡¯t like hearing that,¡± Ye Jun said, her smile steady, retorting, ¡°Each captain has their own leadership style. It¡¯s like how Ling Yun often complains about you in the group, and nobody takes it seriously¡­¡±

    ¡°Hold on.¡± Yan Yu suddenly interrupted, his demeanor becoming serious, ¡°What did Chen Lingyun complain about me?¡±

    The deputy captains of the four teams had created a special group for deputy captains, where they exchanged experiences and tips on commanding their teams, something Yan Yu was certainly aware of.

    But Chen Lingyun secretly speaking ill of me behind my back in the group¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I just can¡¯t tolerate that.

    ¡°Uh.¡± Ye Jun suddenly felt a bit guilty, as if she had inadvertently turned into a snitch, and tried to laugh it off in an attempt to bluff her way through, ¡°It¡¯s nothing really, I often complain about Captain Liu being a hands-off manager too, we all just vent in the group¡­ what are you doing?¡±

    Yan Yu had already taken out his phone and dialed Chen Lingyun¡¯s number.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Chen Lingyun, I hear you¡¯ve been talking crap about me behind my back in other groups?¡± Yan Yu coldly asked.

    ¡°Oh?¡± A calm voice responded from the other end, ¡°It was Ye Jun who told you, right?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, Ling Yun,¡± Ye Jun said helplessly from the side, ¡°My lips slipped, it¡¯s all my fault.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a laugh, ¡°Yan Yu, you might have misunderstood, I didn¡¯t speak ill of you.¡±

    ¡°Then what did you say?¡± Yan Yu asked expressionlessly.

    ¡°I merely shared the tactics of your training with the team as an experience for everyone,¡± Chen Lingyun said nonchalantly, ¡°I quoted exactly what I saw, without any exaggeration. That doesn¡¯t count as talking behind your back, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu said grimly, ¡°since you like my training tactics so much, after we return this time, I¡¯ll create a personalized special training program just for you, how about that? Don¡¯t thank me; you deserve it.¡±

    As belittling as Chen Lingyun was, faced with Yan Yu¡¯s ¡®I¡¯m the type to act rather than talk¡¯ aggressive approach, he didn¡¯t know what to say for a moment and just gave a dry laugh.

    While there was silence on the other end, a beautiful woman entered the store from outside, glanced at the unattended counter, and walked towards Yan Yu and Ye Jun, speaking in Lu Country-accented language:

    ¡°Hello, is the owner in?¡±

    A person from Goryeo? Ye Jun thought to herself.

    There were many people from Goryeo in Jinmen Prefecture, especially around the era castle city area, so Ye Jun recognized the accent almost immediately.

    ¡°The owner is in the kitchen,¡± Yan Yu said casually, ¡°just call out and he¡¯ll come out.¡± Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Okay, thank you.¡± The person bowed deeply, and suddenly a glint of cold light flashed at the neckline.

    In his left hand still holding the phone, Yan Yu¡¯s right hand casually lifted, and between his fingers already appeared a small sword¡ªa sword a few inches long, gripped by his Barrier Charm-activated right hand, still buzzing as it tried to drill inward, like a venomous snake aiming for his face.

    ¡°What, looking for me?¡± Yan Yu smiled.

    The woman suddenly straightened up, forcing the sword to break free from Yan Yu¡¯s hand. The small sword changed direction and stabbed viciously again, but it was knocked away by the Huang Tingjian from the side.

    Ye Jun also reacted, quickly drawing the Xuan Guang Ruler from behind her waist and waving it lightly, sending a burst of light shooting out, casting down upon the woman¡¯s head.

    The woman tried to dodge, but did not anticipate Yan Yu¡¯s coordinated attack as the Huang Tingjian circled behind her, directly knocking her into the range of the light, trapping her instantly, leaving her unable to move.

    ¡°How interesting.¡± Yan Yu calmly stood up, looking at the small sword on the ground that had lost control.

    The small sword was dull in color and only two-thirds the length of an adult¡¯s arm, making it very suitable for concealment on one¡¯s person¡ªit was specifically designed for assassination.

    Yan Yu pondered for a moment and then instructed Ye Jun:

    ¡°Keep an eye on her and call the Dingbei Army over right away.¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡± Ye Jun also hurriedly took out her phone.

    The team captain being attacked by an unknown cultivator was a very serious matter, so serious that Ye Jun didn¡¯t know what would be best to do¡­ But Yan Yu was right, the military needed to be called to handle the situation immediately.

    Yan Yu did not answer, but spoke into his phone instead:

    ¡°Did you hear that? Spa time is over, everyone on battle alert, immediately.¡±

    He hung up the call and then asked Ye Jun again:

    ¡°Where did Old Liu go?¡±

    Shit, Captain Liu was still outside! Ye Jun was suddenly alarmed.

    If even Captain Yan was targeted by an assassin, she wasn¡¯t naive enough to think Liu Longtao could be spared. She was just about to send a message to Lord Master when suddenly a loud bang was heard from outside.

    The fury of the True Dragon, echoing through a thousand miles!

 Chapter 133: 33: Enemy Nation Cultivator

    Chapter 133: Chapter 33: Enemy Nation Cultivator

    Yan Yu stepped out the door in his slippers, shuffling leisurely in the direction of the sound he had just heard.

    Not far ahead, he saw Liu Longtao standing in the middle of the road. The ground, with him at its center, had caved in all directions, as if struck by a massive hammer.

    Two corpses had toppled around him, with blood oozing from their seven orifices, undeniably dead¡ªtheir Flying Swords lay nearby, similar in style to the short swords from before.

    To tell the truth, if they had chosen an easier target, like Chen Lingyun, perhaps they might have had a chance to succeed.

    However, unfortunately, these assassins had chosen the two strongest individuals in the battle teams, the least likely to fall victim to their attack¡­

    ¡°Nicely done, Old Liu, you resolved it all by yourself,¡± Yan Yu remarked after inspecting the bodies for a moment, and casually asked, ¡°No survivors?¡±

    ¡°Hm, didn¡¯t pay attention,¡± Liu Longtao composed himself and replied with a frown, ¡°Those two assassins sprang out suddenly, gave me quite a scare, and I went in a bit too hard.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Ye Jun caught one alive,¡± Yan Yu chuckled and said, ¡°Since you¡¯re okay, I¡¯m gonna head back for dinner then.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still in the mood for dinner?¡± Liu Longtao was suddenly taken aback, ¡°Old Yan, why do you think there are foreign cultivators here?!¡±

    In his urgency, he had forgotten the formality of using ¡®you¡¯.

    ¡°They¡¯re here to steal the Changbai Mountain Mysterious Realm, of course,¡± Yan Yu replied with a look that said ¡®what¡¯s so hard to guess¡¯, adding, ¡°In their country, they call Changbai Mountain ¡®Baekdu Mountain¡¯, the ¡®Sacred Mountain of the nation¡¯. Now that the Changbai Mountain Mysterious Realm has opened and is under the actual control of Lu Country, they can¡¯t compete against us by force and can¡¯t let go of their greed either, so sneaking attacks is their only option.¡±

    ¡°So, you knew!¡± Liu Longtao was nearly at a loss for words and anxiously added, ¡°I think so too: their purpose in sending assassins to attack us is to delay our progress, so they can take the lead in exploring Changbai Mountain Mysterious Realm! One quarter of Changbai Mountain¡¯s eastern side falls within Silla¡¯s territory; if they mobilize troops down the eastern slope to attack and seal off the Mysterious Realm, or even send cultivators ahead of us to find the control center, then we¡¯d really be at a disadvantage!¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°So, by ¡®they¡¯, do you mean Northern Silla or Southern Goryeo? Does the top brass know about this?¡±

    Liu Longtao was immediately taken aback.

    Theoretically speaking, it doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s Silla or Goryeo¡ªif anyone dares to contest our Lu Country¡¯s Mysterious Realm, they must be dealt with. However, in practice, it¡¯s not possible to just march over and slaughter them¡­ First, we need to identify who the enemy is, and second, we need authorization from higher-ups before we can make our move.

    Being ambushed and defending oneself is one thing, but initiating an attack on foreign cultivators is another. Without authorization from superiors, regardless of the legitimacy of the reasons, such actions are considered ¡®going solo¡¯ and are a big taboo officially.

    ¡°Right?¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°Even with a swift response from above, it¡¯ll probably take around twenty minutes or so. We might as well have dinner in the meantime. We can go after them once authorization comes through, it won¡¯t be too late then.¡±

    Liu Longtao wanted to argue, what if Changbai Mountain¡¯s Mysterious Realm is so small that it gets taken by the others within twenty minutes? But after all, he was a loyalist with deep-rooted allegiance, understanding the importance of following official protocols, so he repressed his impatient and irritated thoughts and followed Yan Yu into a noodle shop nearby.

    ¡°Boss, a bowl of tomato and egg noodles,¡± Yan Yu ordered, looking at the menu on the wall, then asked, ¡°What will you have, Old Liu?¡±

    ¡°Some little wontons, please,¡± Liu Longtao replied absently, with no appetite.

    As they sat down, Yan Yu called Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°How¡¯s it going over there?¡±

    ¡°All good,¡± Chen Lingyun responded with a smile, ¡°Was at the hot springs for just a short while before being rushed out, then got taken to the Dingbei Army camp to prepare for battle. It couldn¡¯t be any better.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Yan Yu said contentedly, ¡°Eat up while you can, you might have to go out on a mission soon.¡±

    ¡°We are already eating,¡± Chen Lingyun chuckled, ¡°Are you at Lord Master¡¯s place? Was he also targeted?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s fine,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°Not a hair harmed.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Chen Lingyun sighed, sounding a bit regretful.

    ¡°Can I talk to her for a moment?¡± Liu Longtao suddenly asked.

    ¡°Be my guest,¡± Yan Yu placed the phone on the table and pushed it towards him.

    ¡°Chen Lingyun,¡± Liu Longtao inquired seriously, ¡°how¡¯s the situation at Changbai Mountain?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re asking me about your own Dingbei Army¡¯s defenses now, huh~¡± Chen Lingyun teased with a laugh.

    Liu Longtao looked at Yan Yu, and then heard Yan Yu exclaim,

    ¡°Focus on the matter at hand, who¡¯s joking with you? Speak properly!¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Chen Lingyun, unoffended, replied, ¡°I heard it was a sneak attack from the east, about a dozen foreign cultivators broke in with Barrier Charms, and despite machine-gun fire rammed their way through.¡±

    ¡°North, or South?¡± Liu Longtao asked gravely.

    ¡°The North says it¡¯s the South,¡± Chen Lingyun gave a strange answer. ¡°Yan Yu, do you believe that?¡±

    ¡°Of course I believe it, why not?¡± Yan Yu replied without hesitation, ¡°If that¡¯s what they say, then they are not implicitly wanting to be part of the Mysterious Realm dispute. We don¡¯t need to worry about whether those cultivators are actually from the North or South, just kill them all, and that¡¯s that.¡±

    ¡°Right, I was thinking the same,¡± Chen Lingyun pondered for a moment, ¡°Liu Longtao, the rules of the Mysterious Realm competition are going to change this time.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a given,¡± Liu Longtao said coolly.

    The whole point of the Mysterious Realm competition was to simulate a confrontation with the cultivators of enemy countries¡­ Now that the enemy cultivators had actually appeared, there was no reason to keep our guns pointed at our brother teams any longer.

    ¡°What about the distribution?¡± Yan Yu continued to ask.

    ¡°We¡¯ll wait for the Privy Council to determine the plan afterward,¡± Chen Lingyun answered, ¡°Yan Yu, we¡¯ve finished eating, how about you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve only just started eating,¡± Yan Yu looked at the owner bringing out a bowl of noodles from the kitchen.

    ¡°Send me your location,¡± Chen Lingyun laughed, ¡°We¡¯ll come to find you.¡±

    Yan Yu sent the location and then, regardless of Liu Longtao¡¯s expression, started to eat his noodles without any concern.

    He had eaten half of his bowl when suddenly someone patted him on the back.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s cheerful voice rang out, ¡°Authorization has come through, the helicopter is outside, we need to leave immediately.¡±

    ¡°You couldn¡¯t possibly have urged the pilot to rush over just so that I wouldn¡¯t be able to finish my noodles, could you?¡± Yan Yu immediately asked suspiciously, as the arrival seemed too timely.

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Lin Ning said puffily from beside them, ¡°We were eating compact biscuits in the camp, and you were secretly eating noodles here!¡±

    It wasn¡¯t that there were no self-heating military meals in the camp, but everyone thought that the war authorization could come at any time, and once it did, they would have to leave immediately, so nobody was in the mood to cook and just grabbed some compressed biscuits to fill their stomachs.

    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault you guys made a dumb decision,¡± Yan Yu mocked nonchalantly, but very quickly his left arm was held by Lin Ning and his right arm by Zhao Yuanzhen. The two hoisted him up, one on each side, and dragged him toward the helicopter.

    ¡°Captain Liu,¡± Ye Jun came to Liu Longtao¡¯s side, ¡°Everyone is in the cabin now.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Liu Longtao wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood up.

    ¡°Wait, you haven¡¯t paid yet!¡± The owner chased out from the kitchen, and upon seeing the helicopter outside, was left somewhat shocked and speechless.

    ¡°No need for change,¡± Ye Jun had no time to ask about the price and then scan a code to make a transfer. She simply left a hundred-yuan bill and then quickly followed Liu Longtao out.

    Inside the cabin, Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun were informed of what had happened and were speechless.

    The entrance to the Mysterious Realm opened at the northeast side of Heaven Lake at the summit of Changbai mountain, only a few hundred meters in a straight line from Silla territory.

    After the entrance appeared, the Dingbei Army immediately took control of the area around Heaven Lake to prevent tourists from both countries from getting close. Afterwards, Lu Country sent an official note to Silla, implying that since the entrance to the Mysterious Realm appeared within its borders, it belonged to Lu Country¡¯s ¡°natural territorial resources,¡± and they would deploy troops to guard it for security reasons.

    Silla, at that time, did not even know about the appearance of the Mysterious Realm at Changbai Mountain, and began to haggle with Lu Country. The specific details of the negotiations remain unknown, but from Lu Country¡¯s perspective, it seemed like Silla acknowledged the fact that the entrance to the Mysterious Realm was under Lu Country¡¯s control. The only reason they did not formally admit it was due to concerns about domestic public opinion, which is why they dragged their feet. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    As the Dingbei Army sealed off the area around Heaven Lake and evacuated the tourists on Lu Country¡¯s side, the tourists on the other side refused to leave, merely crowding outside the blockade line, shouting, and taking pictures. If you tried to disperse them by force they would flee, but as soon as the dispersion was done, they¡¯d come back. In the end, the Dingbei Army had no choice but to let them stay outside the blockade line, as long as they did not try to break in without permission.

    Then, the unfamiliar cultivators launched their surprise attack.

    Mixed in with the tourists, the cultivators suddenly broke through the blockade line and charged towards the entrance to the Mysterious Realm. There were about thirty of them, all cultivators with clear roles. Some engaged the Dingbei Army cultivators, while others mindlessly rushed towards the entrance, constantly using the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse. Ordinary firearm bullets barely scratched them, causing no damage.

    Thankfully, the on-site commander of the Dingbei Army was shrewd and quickly adopted the confrontation tactics common between the Pingxi Army and Tianzhu along their border: forming a human wall.

    You¡¯re constantly using the Barrier Charm? My bullets can¡¯t kill you, but you also can¡¯t use an Attack Spell Technique. So I¡¯ll let the regular soldiers form a human wall to physically block you outside, and then our military cultivators will take you down one by one.

    If you dare to switch to an Attack Spell Technique, there¡¯s no need for cultivators to act, the precision marksmen staged outside will shoot you dead.

    Using this crude method, the Dingbei Army managed to keep most of the foreign cultivators outside, but still, sixteen or seventeen managed to break into the Mysterious Realm¡ªafter all, the attack was sudden and it was impossible to do any better.

    After listening to Chen Lingyun finish the account, Liu Longtao looked at Ye Jun.

    Ye Jun silently nodded her head, indicating that the information she had obtained was essentially correct and matched the explanation given by the Dingbei Army.

    Liu Longtao¡¯s face darkened as he looked through the helicopter window down at the mountains below and suddenly said,

    ¡°Old Yan, how about a competition?¡±

    ¡°A competition about what?¡± Yan Yu asked curiously, ¡°The combat competition has already been canceled.¡±

    ¡°About who kills more foreign cultivators after we enter the Mysterious Realm,¡± Liu Longtao said with a cold laugh, flashing his white teeth.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not,¡± Yan Yu shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m not interested in a killing game. Defending the country and killing enemies is the duty of a soldier, how can it be treated as a game?¡±

    Liu Longtao was taken aback. But since the other party appealed to greater righteousness, he had no immediate comeback and could only change his proposition,

    ¡°Then let¡¯s see who can reach the core of the Mysterious Realm first, how about that?¡±

    ¡°After we take down those cultivators?¡± Yan Yu pondered with his chin in hand, ¡°That could work, but Old Liu¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You already lost to me once. If you lose again this time, you¡¯ll be okay with that, right? No psychological shadows or anything?¡±

    Liu Longtao:¡­¡­

    ¡°Rest assured,¡± he once again flashed a standard amiable smile, ¡°Just feel free to let me witness your strength.¡±

 Chapter 134: 34 Wind Blade Frost Sword Formation

    Chapter 134: Chapter 34 Wind Blade Frost Sword Formation

    In the camp near Tianchi, soldiers bustled back and forth, their faces taut with an iron hue.

    It was clear that the defensive line had been forcibly breached, and everyone was simmering with rage inside!

    If the higher-ups hadn¡¯t repeatedly ordered not to engage, they would¡¯ve already pushed the blockade line to the eastern slope controlled by Silla¡­ Now, they could only hastily erect walls to prevent others from forcefully breaking in with their immunity from the Barrier Charm.

    The helicopter arrived at the scene, the team members descending rapidly. Liu Longtao asked the person in charge on the scene about the situation and turned to Yan Yu to confirm,

    ¡°Go in directly?¡±

    ¡°What else?¡± Yan Yu counterquestioned, ¡°We¡¯re not here for a tour.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go in first,¡± Liu Longtao said decisively. ¡°You bring them up from behind.¡±

    In the Mysterious Realm that already housed enemy Cultivators, the team entering first was taking a risk, as they couldn¡¯t guarantee whether there would be an ambush around the ¡°starting point¡±¡­ Though the possibility was low, it was still a risk, so Lord Master naturally took the most dangerous responsibility upon himself.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t fuss about it either but simply turned to the girls with tense expressions and said,

    ¡°Relax, everyone, don¡¯t look so tense. Old Liu is clearing the way for us.¡±

    Liu Longtao nearly stumbled as he walked ahead.

    I¡¯m clearing the way for you all? So I¡¯m the vanguard now?

    He looked back and realized not only were the Zhenhai Team girls anxious, but even members of the Dragon Soar Team like Ye Jun, although they hid it well, were unconsciously revealing a hint of nervousness.

    Indeed, this wasn¡¯t a confrontation in the Mysterious Realm, but a life-and-death struggle against enemy nation Cultivators; it was inevitable for everyone to feel tense.

    Thinking of this, Liu Longtao let go of his captain¡¯s pride completely and said with a smile,

    ¡°Ye Jun, what¡¯s with that expression? And Old Yang, your legs are shaking ¨C are you really that nervous? Fei Yun, make sure to keep an eye on number 26 later; he looks so pale I¡¯m afraid he might bolt.¡±

    ¡°Get lost, duck!¡± Ai Lu immediately became flustered and bellowed, ¡°Captain Liu, I¡¯m going in second right after you, no one else better jump in front of me!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be the second to enter,¡± Yan Yu said calmly. ¡°Captains first.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯m third,¡± Ai Lu quickly said.

    ¡°After the captain, it¡¯s the vice-captain¡¯s turn,¡± Ye Jun stated seriously. ¡°You stay put and line up for the fifth slot.¡±

    ¡°Damn it!¡± Ai Lu was at a loss, while Guo Feiyun beside him laughed uproariously, smacking the back of his head,

    ¡°Get in line at the back! You go in after I do.¡±

    With their banter and antics, they hardly wasted any time, yet the previously tense mood had relaxed significantly.

    Seeing the troops¡¯ morale stabilize, Liu Longtao turned around and stepped into the Mysterious Realm¡¯s entrance without hesitation. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu followed next.

    Upon entering the Mysterious Realm, they were greeted by a vast expanse of goosefeather-like snowflakes fluttering down, the air filled with a bone-chilling coldness.

    In the distance, snow-capped peaks stood under a swath of palaces surrounded by dazzling, colorful auroras¡­ Not only that, the entire night sky was studded with stars, and multicolored celestial lights unfolded and brushed gently through the clouds like silken drapery.

    But Liu Longtao, who led the way in, had no time to enjoy these beautiful scenes.

    He stood silently in the front like a fierce general guarding the border. The sheathed Ying Long Sword hovered before his head, emitting a colder sword intent than the surrounding ice and snow.

    ¡°Historical debt,¡± Liu Longtao murmured. ¡°Can¡¯t owe it forever.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up, Old Liu?¡± Yan Yu laughed heartily. ¡°You turning into a debt collector now?¡±

    ¡°Even though I can¡¯t compete with you this time, Old Yan,¡± Liu Longtao resumed his smile and said courteously, ¡°it¡¯s my honor to fight alongside you, defending our nation and killing enemies.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not trying to drag me down later, so you¡¯re compensating in advance here, are you?¡± Yan Yu became instantly wary.

    ¡°How¡¯s that possible?¡± Chen Lingyun appeared with Ye Jun, just in time to hear Liu Longtao laugh heartily, ¡°Well, you better watch closely later.¡±

    ¡°What are you all looking at?¡± Princess Jiang Hai¡¯s eyes danced playfully as she looked towards Yan Yu at her side.

    ¡°He said he¡¯s going to show off later,¡± Yan Yu said, glancing behind her, ¡°Is everyone here?¡±

    Soon, the full roster of both combat teams, along with the medical group from each side and the support Cultivators from the Dingbei Army, all appeared within the Mysterious Realm, a bustling crowd of nearly thirty or forty people.

    This was a confrontation between nations, where notions of equal numbers and fair competition were dismissed. If the home team could flood the field with a swarm tactic, why not do it?

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Yan Yu declared grandly, striding forward, ¡°Move out!¡±

    Aside from the quick-to-follow girls of the Zhenhai Team, the others remained where they were, just looking towards Ye Jun and Liu Longtao.

    Yan Yu¡¯s group had already moved out several steps when he looked back and asked:

    ¡°Old Liu, what are you waiting for?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± Liu Longtao adjusted his headset and said over the channel, ¡°Ye Jun will command the team and as for the military side¡­ Captain Zheng, your cooperation, please.¡±

    Captain Zheng was the leader of the medical group of the Dragon Soar Team, and he immediately acknowledged upon hearing this.

    ¡°What about the Zhenhai side?¡± Ye Jun asked for confirmation, ¡°Do we move separately or together? And is command each to their own?¡±

    ¡°We move together, but command separately,¡± Liu Longtao responded, ¡°If something comes up, I¡¯ll discuss it with Yan Yu.¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡± Everyone replied in unison.

    The overall environment of the Mysterious Realm was extremely simple: the center was dominated by a towering and majestic snow peak, surrounded by an endless expanse of white snowfields. Even the dimmest mind knew they had to head towards the mountain.

    What was troublesome was the ceaseless flurry of snow from the sky, and the chilling winds interspersed with pieces of ice, which scraped across one¡¯s face making it difficult to keep the eyes open even after a few steps.

    If one covered their body with Runescript, they could completely nullify the low temperatures, but since they hadn¡¯t yet encountered enemy Cultivators, no one was willing to waste their True Yuan here.

    Yan Yu, however, had no such concerns, boldly activating Runescript and leading the way up front.

    The girls wrapped themselves in clothing and followed behind. Lin Ning shivered from the cold, wanting to ask Yan Yu to slow down, but she knew that enemy Cultivators had entered the Mysterious Realm an hour before them, so she barely held back from making a sound.

    Just as she was pondering whether to activate Runescript for a few seconds, a sharp and abrupt booming sound suddenly emerged from afar¡ªLin Ning was all too familiar with that sound! It was exactly the sharp, brief blast of noise that Huang Tingjian made each time it tore through the air during the actual combat exercise (ai) phase (zhou).

    ¡°Scatter!¡± she cried out in alarm.

    The other girls instinctively acted as well, the moment they heard that noise. They immediately activated the Shifting Technique and scattered in all directions.

    Then, they saw a phantom figure, outlined by snowflakes and ice shards and clad in half-armor, suddenly ripping through the layers of snowstorm, swinging its dazzlingly bright blade towards Yan Yu!

    Yan Yu stood calmly in place, not dodging. Huang Tingjian whistled as it rose obliquely to meet the armored soldier¡¯s steel blade, clashing with a low, crisp ringing sound.

    The opposing soldier, along with its blade, was shattered by the recoil of the weapons¡¯ collision, dispersing into countless pieces of ice and snow that were swept away by the cold wind and vanished from sight.

    ¡°This is¡­¡± Zhao Yuanzhen widened her eyes, ¡°A formation?!¡±

    ¡°Wind Blade Frost Sword Formation,¡± Yan Yu said with a calm expression, ¡°Everyone be careful of attacks masking within the wind and snow.¡±

    ¡°That ice soldier from just now seemed to have only the strength for one strike?¡± Chen Lingyun observed sharply, noting that the sound of metal hitting metal when the soldier¡¯s blade collided with Huang Tingjian indicated that the opponent¡¯s blade would indeed cause harm if it struck a person.

    But the opponent¡¯s body was exceedingly fragile; it couldn¡¯t withstand even the backlash of its own strike and blew itself apart, which was quite laughable indeed.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°But their numbers are endless. Everyone must stay alert while moving without fail, but remember never to stop and defend; that would be playing into the hands of the formation. They can afford countless mistakes, but one error on our part would be costly.¡±

    ¡°No big deal,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said nonchalantly, ¡°If they come, we¡¯ll just block. We¡¯ve all practiced this before, haven¡¯t we?¡±

    This reassured the girls: the Wind Blade Frost Sword Formation might seem difficult to tackle, but if they considered the bladed snow soldiers as Flying Swords, the difficulty seemed to drop instantly. After all, during regular swordsmanship combat training, they had to face Yan Yu¡¯s Huang Tingjian. His heavy sword not only held immense momentum and strength but would also chase them down with relentless strikes; blocking it numerous times was futile as it wouldn¡¯t stop until it had sliced them to the ground. Compared to that, blocking these bladed snow soldiers once and they were gone, it was child¡¯s play.

    They were simply unafraid!

 Chapter 135: 35 s Racing Against Time

    Chapter 135: 35 chapters Racing Against Time

    As they talked, Liu Longtao and his men had caught up from behind.

    ¡°Soldiers formed by snow and holding sabers?¡± Liu Longtao furrowed his brows in thought after Yan Yu gave a brief explanation.

    ¡°After blocking the attack, it shattered by itself,¡± Yan Yu stated directly, ¡°If it was a restriction of the Mysterious Realm, there wouldn¡¯t be just one attack.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Liu Longtao turned his head and spoke, ¡°Everyone needs to be careful, not just focused on hurrying along! Captain Zheng, please pass the message along and have the soldiers be alert.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Captain Zheng started to relay the message through the channel.

    Everyone took a moment to prepare themselves and digest the information regarding the Mysterious Realm¡¯s restrictions before resuming their journey.

    ¡°So,¡± Ye Jun said, walking between Liu Longtao and Yan Yu, ¡°our enemies entered earlier than we did, and they must have faced the Mysterious Realm¡¯s attacks too.¡±

    ¡°Even more so if we reasonably speculate,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°That the closer one gets to the core of the Mysterious Realm, the more ferocious its defense mechanisms become. Then, they would have encountered more severe obstacles than us.¡±

    ¡°That would be ideal,¡± Liu Longtao said coldly.

    ¡°However, there¡¯s another possibility,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a sly smile, ¡°The deeper one goes, the harder it is to proceed. In such a setup, those who come later can quickly close the gap with the forerunners. If they find the task too challenging, they might not be singly focused on seizing control of the core. Perhaps they¡¯re hiding somewhere right now, waiting to use the Mysterious Realm¡¯s mechanisms to ambush us!¡±

    ¡°Hey, even better,¡± Liu Longtao sneered, ¡°That saves us some time.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not underestimate them too much,¡± Ye Jun said worriedly from the side, ¡°Silla and Goryeo may have similar cultivation systems to ours, but they mainly focus on Sword Immortals and are best at ambushes in these types of environments¡­¡±

    Before she could finish, everyone saw a lump in the snow ahead.

    Upon closer inspection, they found it was a frozen corpse pierced by a sharp object in the abdomen¡ªthe victim had crawled for a while in the snowy wilderness without treatment (behind him was a deep, yet fully uncovered track in the snow), and ultimately succumbed to the extreme cold and blood loss.

    ¡°If we discount internal strife on the enemy¡¯s side, then it¡¯s highly likely that this person was killed by the Mysterious Realm¡¯s restrictions,¡± Liu Longtao mused.

    ¡°And he was abandoned by his companions,¡± Yan Yu remarked with a click of his tongue, ¡°Even if his Dantian was damaged and he couldn¡¯t use spells for a while, he could have survived easily if his companions had used Runescript to stop his bleeding.¡±

    ¡°So their team isn¡¯t all on the same page either,¡± Ye Jun realized immediately.

    ¡°Greedy for quick success,¡± Chen Lingyun narrowed her eyes, observing the expression of the dead, ¡°Or to put it another way, the leader of their team must think it¡¯s most important to get control of the Mysterious Realm as soon as possible, and doesn¡¯t want to waste time saving a companion¡­ These cultivators probably don¡¯t know each other and lack rapport and affection, being hastily assembled just for this mission.¡±

    ¡°That sounds very plausible,¡± Ye Jun nodded in agreement, ¡°Thinking about it carefully, the Mysterious Realm opened within the territory of Lu Country¡ª even if they manage to take control by deceit, wouldn¡¯t they just end up captured by us after they exit the Realm? Considering the worst-case scenario, they are essentially trading the lives of these cultivators for control over this Mysterious Realm, so it¡¯s likely these aren¡¯t the most elite cultivators being groomed as they wouldn¡¯t be too great a loss if abandoned.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Liu Longtao agreed with this judgment, ¡°For them, Changbai Mountain is more of a spiritual symbol than a practical one. As long as they can take control of the Mysterious Realm, even if they can¡¯t exploit it afterwards, they would be satisfied.¡±

    After discussing for a while, everyone noticed that Yan Yu had been silent, and they naturally quieted down.

    Yan Yu wasn¡¯t distracted, but rather reorganizing his memories.

    In his previous life, the Changbai Mountain Mysterious Realm appeared before the loosening of media control, and no information disclosure followed, so he didn¡¯t know what role Silla or Goryeo had played in it, or how Liu Longtao¡¯s team resolved it.

    But he knew that Silla took a secluded and closed-off approach, with cultivators rarely leaving the country or seeking publicity, so there were no internationally famous and formidable cultivators.

    As for Goryeo, there was Park Changmin¡ªif one must mention him¡ªwho, though was cultivated with the nation¡¯s full support, only had the strength to ¡°survive three strikes from Liu Longtao without dying¡±¡­ but Goryeo media hailed him as the ¡°National Sword God¡±, and nearly every citizen believed it without doubt. Park Changmin was also very good at self-promotion and marketing, at his most audacious even claiming, ¡°I am evenly matched with Liu (referring to Lord Master), and we hold each other in high regard.¡±

    Although Lu Country¡¯s side made a judgment that the cultivators who stormed into the mysterious realm definitely couldn¡¯t escape, indicating they were being used as expendable troops by Goryeo, hence certainly not the top elite¡ªthis was a reasonable guess based on facts, provided that the decision-makers from Goryeo had common sense.

    However, based on experiences from his past life, Yan Yu expressed strong doubts about this. After all, in their way of thinking, Yang Wanchun could shoot and blind Li Shimin¡¯s left eye with a single arrow, Park Changmin could fight Liu Longtao to an indistinguishable outcome, and thus a small squad of cultivators seizing control of the Changbai Mountain Mystical Realm, and then smoothly breaking through the encirclement of Lu Country¡¯s military forces¡­ was also not an impossibility!

    ¡°Since they¡¯re not even rescuing their wounded companions or dealing with the bodies, it means they must be advancing against the clock,¡± Yan Yu finally snapped back to reality, reminding everyone, ¡°If they wanted to lay an ambush ahead of us, the more people they have, the better¡ªit wouldn¡¯t make sense to be so resolute otherwise.¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± Liu Longtao said seriously, ¡°If we don¡¯t consider dealing with an ambush, we could also march rapidly.¡±

    The entire team used the Shifting Technique to charge forward, their speed would be several times faster than now, but the cost was that if they encountered the Wind Blade Frost Sword Formation or an ambush from enemy cultivators, the likelihood of being caught off guard and struck would greatly increase.

    ¡°Let¡¯s march rapidly,¡± Yan Yu quickly decided, ¡°Everyone, stay closer while marching, and let Ye Jun protect the main force with her magic artifact.¡±

    Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler could create a barrier of light, shielding those within from external attacks, at the cost of a large consumption of True Yuan to maintain it over a long period; however, considering that the enemy might be advancing rapidly into the mysterious realm, and Liu Longtao was not one to hesitate, he immediately nodded:

    ¡°Okay, Ye Jun?¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me,¡± Ye Jun nodded.

    Therefore, the group activated the Shifting Technique and hurriedly surged up the mountain through the snowstorm.

    Perhaps it was because their formation was too impressive, or perhaps it was because they were beginning to advance deeper into the formation, the surrounding snowstorm became increasingly fierce and relentless. About a dozen flying snow soldiers suddenly appeared from within it, swooping down with a howl, wielding their blades in an attack on the group.

    With the protection of Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler, there was no excessive tension; they merely watched these snow soldiers with fierce expressions and aggressive demeanor swing their swords, only to be shattered by the repelling force of the barrier of light¡ªSu Yunjin, standing on the periphery, could even see the ghastly looks of these snow soldiers intent on devouring souls, with snowflake-constructed hair bristling, lifelike and terrifying.

    If I were to use the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art¡­

    No, my True Yuan couldn¡¯t sustain it.

    These snow soldiers were created by the formation, minor pawns that crumbled upon touch, it was too extravagant to use Taoism Method on them. But the light barrier created by this Xuan Guang Ruler, covering three hundred and sixty degrees, wouldn¡¯t really save much True Yuan, would it?

    She asked Yan Yu through the channel, and Yan Yu turned to confirm with Ye Jun:

    ¡°Is your True Yuan endurance okay?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a bit difficult,¡± Ye Jun admitted, ¡°Like this, I can maintain it for a while, but it will be hard to say if more snow soldiers keep coming.¡±

    Liu Longtao listened silently, knowing that activating Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler was like carrying a shield on a battlefield, inherently consuming strength (True Yuan); but if a few enemies attacked, hammering their weapons on your shield (the magic artifact¡¯s protection), naturally, the strength (True Yuan) would be expended even more.

    ¡°This won¡¯t do,¡± he discussed with Yan Yu, ¡°We need someone to help her clear out the snow soldiers, to reduce the consumption.¡±

    Yan Yu nodded and turned to instruct:

    ¡°Lin Ning, you go help.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Lin Ning didn¡¯t say much, just quickly burst out from the cover of the light barrier, with her Green Bamboo Sword ringing out, heading straight for the flying snow soldiers. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Her sword light was cold and ruthless, even more piercing than the chill in the wind!

 Chapter 136: 36: Comparing with Lin Ning

    Chapter 136: Chapter 36: Comparing with Lin Ning

    Such a fast sword!

    Seeing Lin Ning¡¯s Green Bamboo Sword turn into a streak of light, the three Sword Immortals from the Dragon Soar Team, Ai Lu, Guo Feiyun, and Liu Longtao, were slightly surprised.

    The Flying Sword and the Shifting Technique are similar in principle, the more True Yuan you provide, the greater its acceleration. Of course, the prerequisite is that you can control it.

    If you can¡¯t control it and you provide too much True Yuan too quickly, the Flying Sword will shoot out of the control range in a flash, losing the Sword Immortal¡¯s supply of True Yuan, and its speed, agility, and accuracy will greatly decrease, which means it would backfire. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But judging by the sword light of the Green Bamboo Sword and how it pierced through three snow soldiers in a swift and precise arc, it was evident that Lin Ning was truly capable of controlling a sword speed of that caliber.

    In light of this, the initial estimate of her combat power was obviously too low¡­ it was just fortunate that there was no team combat this time, otherwise, we¡¯d definitely be in for an unexpectedly big surprise.

    ¡°26, if it were a one-on-one fight, could you beat her?¡± Guo Feiyun whispered.

    Ai Lu was silent for a moment before replying:

    ¡°How could I not beat her?¡±

    ¡°Her mastery of swordsmanship is better than yours,¡± Guo Feiyun began to bait, ¡°You would probably be pressed hard in a direct confrontation.¡±

    ¡°Then I could just sneak attack her from behind,¡± Ai Lu sneered.

    ¡°That¡¯s low!¡± Guo Feiyun immediately laughed bitterly, ¡°Big Brother! Rein in the cheap tricks, please, I really can¡¯t handle it.¡±

    ¡°You two have had enough!¡± Liu Longtao couldn¡¯t listen any longer and scolded, ¡°If you want to be cheap, go outside, don¡¯t cause trouble for me here!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Yan Yu chuckled from the side, ¡°Let¡¯s just treat it as listening to a comic dialogue.¡±

    Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin were both covering their mouths and laughing behind them.

    Seeing these two beautiful girls looking over, Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun were somewhat embarrassed¡­ after all, they had joked about sneak attacking their teammate and being overheard was somehow awkward.

    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Yang Linhui suddenly said, ¡°isn¡¯t it unreasonable to let that girl fight on her own?¡±

    The two teams were in a cooperative relationship, and it was only fair that they contribute equally. Strictly speaking, Ye Jun, who maintained the Xuan Guang Ruler, had the greatest consumption, even though Lin Ning, who fought fiercely outside, actually used up less energy than Ye Jun.

    But these things shouldn¡¯t be evaluated only in terms of substance; appearances count too. From the perspective of the soldiers from the Dingbei Army observing from behind, it looked as if the big men of the Dragon Soar Team were huddling behind their defensive shield while the girls from the Zhenhai Team were charging ahead on away ground¡ªthis didn¡¯t look good¡­ Although the soldiers didn¡¯t say anything, they may think to themselves: Why can¡¯t our home team put in a bit more effort? Don¡¯t be so tight-fisted.

    After pondering for a moment, Liu Longtao spoke:

    ¡°Ai Lu, go out and lend a hand.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Ai Lu immediately stepped out of the range of the Xuan Guang Ruler¡¯s protective barrier, and with a twirl of his Verdant Crimson Sword, he killed several snow soldiers who were rushing towards Lin Ning. Then he smiled at Lin Ning and said, ¡°Classmate Lin, I¡¯m here to lend a hand, you don¡¯t mind, do you?¡±

    ¡°I mind,¡± Lin Ning replied, ¡°You¡¯d better move to the other side of the team to clear out enemies. I can handle this side by myself; another person won¡¯t increase efficiency.¡±

    ¡°All right then.¡± Ai Lu was left somewhat speechless, but what she said was indeed correct, so he could only sheepishly turn around and leave.

    ¡°26, are you up to it?¡± Guo Feiyun¡¯s mocking voice came from the team, ¡°Why¡¯d you turn tail and run?¡±

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t want my help,¡± Ai Lu responded.

    ¡°Is it because she finds your strength inadequate?¡± Guo Feiyun continued to mock.

    ¡°Get lost.¡±

    The two Sword Immortals cleared enemies on either side of their team, and amidst the whirl of sword lights, hordes of soldiers shattered at their command, greatly reducing the energy consumed by Ye Jun¡¯s efforts with the Xuan Guang Ruler.

    ¡°How about it?¡± Chen Lingyun watched Ai Lu for a moment before quietly asking Yan Yu over the channel.

    ¡°You first,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°His reaction speed isn¡¯t as fast as Lin Ning¡¯s,¡± Chen Lingyun answered, ¡°but he¡¯s accurate, very accurate. Hence, although he strikes less frequently, his efficiency in killing enemies is on par with Lin Ning¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not about accuracy,¡± Yan Yu corrected her, ¡°it¡¯s that he has calculated the angles and trajectories, a rare instance of a Sword Immortal who uses his brain.¡±

    ¡°Like Li Minghu?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    ¡°There¡¯s still a gap compared to her,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment before answering, ¡°Li Minghu and Lin Ning are quite similar, actually, both are intuitive Sword Immortals, but her physical constitution is not up to par, preventing her from attacking recklessly, which forces her to think more¡­ Her computing ability is acquired through training.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Chen Lingyun noted, ¡°So whether it¡¯s intuitive or calculating, there¡¯s no superiority, just different styles of swordsmanship?¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°It varies from person to person, the best style is the one that suits you.¡±

    ¡°What about Lord Master?¡±

    ¡°Him?¡± Yan Yu let out an ambiguous low chuckle, ¡°The strategy we¡¯re discussing is akin to software, he simply rolls over everything with hardware.¡±

    ¡°Pfft.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s laugh was filled with evident ridicule, ¡°So in practicing both magic and swordsmanship, he¡¯s neither proficient in magic nor in sword skills.¡±

    ¡°Or perhaps his talent is too exceptional, and his strength too formidable,¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t deny, ¡°which is why he lacks the interest to delve into the techniques.¡±

    The group quickly advanced to a flat area halfway up the mountain, where they found another three corpses frozen in the snow.

    As they reached this spot, attacks from the Wind Blade Frost Sword Formation became quite frequent. They faced about two waves of attack per minute, each consisting of seven or eight snow soldiers slaying their way towards them with the whistling sound of blades and swords filling the air, making it impossible to discern the direction of the attacks.

    Even with Lin Ning and Ai Lu continuously clearing enemies on both sides, there were still some who slipped through the defenses and crashed violently against the protective barrier of the Xuan Guang Ruler¡­ It was evident that if Yan Yu hadn¡¯t had the foresight to suggest Ye Jun activate the magical treasure, the Lu Country team would have already suffered casualties like the Goryeo Cultivators.

    ¡°Could it be that they will all have been killed by the formation before we even get there?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    ¡°That would be nice,¡± Ye Jun agreed, ¡°It would save us the trouble.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t that she was afraid or avoiding battle, but with the Wind Blade Frost Sword Formation, enemy cultivators, and the guardians at the gate, there were simply too many dangers within this Mysterious Realm.

    If they could eliminate one of those threats, it would significantly reduce the pressure on the Rikoku Cultivators.

    ¡°Tsk tsk,¡± Yan Yu flipped one of the corpses with his foot, ¡°look at this.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Liu Longtao asked seriously, looking at the indistinct wound on the corpse¡¯s throat, ¡°Is this torn by some sharp tool?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but not by a blade or sword.¡± Yan Yu turned to Chen Lingyun, ¡°Call the medical team over.¡±

    Liu Longtao frowned slightly, unsure if they should waste time here¡­ But considering Yan Yu didn¡¯t seem the type to joke about serious matters, he tacitly agreed without a word.

    Soon, the medical teams from both the Zhendong Army and the Dingbei Army arrived.

    After a brief examination of the corpses, they reached a surprising conclusion:

    They were killed by sharp claws that tore open their throats.

    ¡°By a person or a beast?¡± Liu Longtao asked in surprise.

    ¡°Don¡¯t know,¡± the medical team replied succinctly, ¡°The preliminary autopsy determined that the killer did not leave any organic traces in the wounds.¡±

    The variables had increased once more. Cautiously, the group continued their way, utilizing the Shifting Technique.

    ¡°What do you think it is?¡± Chen Lingyun quietly moved closer to Yan Yu and, sheltered by the roaring wind around them, whispered, ¡°Could it be a ghost?¡±

    ¡°The neck bones of the corpse are somewhat deformed,¡± Yan Yu answered, ¡°If it were a specter with overwhelming power, it typically would be quite large and wouldn¡¯t rely on tearing the throat to kill.¡±

    Chen Lingyun thought of the Yin Ghost Mysterious Realm in the past Fengdu County, where neither the Bull-headed Ghost nor the Judge Ghost would attack with precision targeting the neck; they¡¯d just smash down onto your forehead¡­ They indeed wouldn¡¯t aim so accurately at the throat.

    To specifically target the throat and also twist the neck bones, the culprit would likely be an enemy of relatively small size but very fast, and with immense strength.

    ¡°Could it be vampires?¡± Chen Lingyun smirked, ¡°The kind from Twilight City?¡±

    ¡°No, certainly not,¡± Yan Yu immediately felt it was a nonsensical suggestion, ¡°This is Lu Country; where would vampires come from? And what you mentioned is a concept from modern literature¡­ But the answer is quite close.¡±

    ¡°Similar to vampires, but not ghosts,¡± Chen Lingyun pondered for a moment, ¡°Zombies?¡±

    ¡°Correct,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°The people from the Northeast often say: ¡®Beneath Changbai Mountain lies a tomb.''¡±

    ¡°Yun Ding Tian Gong, right?¡± Chen Lingyun smiled in surprise, ¡°So what¡¯s buried inside? The Undead King?¡±

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s the heritage of some corpse cultivation sect,¡± Yan Yu shook his head, ¡°Whether it¡¯s cultivating corpses using living people or through soul torment, they¡¯re essentially inhumane paths of cultivation. That¡¯s why this realm was probably tightly sealed in the previous era; I really don¡¯t recall anything about it.¡±

    ¡°What a pity,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s eyes gleamed with interest, ¡°I¡¯m actually quite curious to know whether corpse cultivators are more formidable or ghost cultivators.¡±

    ¡°Neither are up to par,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently, ¡°At this point in time, any zombie or ghostly creature that appears in the Mysterious Realm cannot be considered ¡®unsolvable¡¯.¡±

    ¡°When you say ¡®not up to par¡¯, you¡¯re comparing them to your own strength, right?¡± Chen Lingyun had gotten a grasp on his pattern of thought and smiled, ¡°What about when compared to us?¡±

    ¡°For you guys, they indeed would be somewhat difficult to handle,¡± Yan Yu calmly stated.

    If it truly was a corpse cultivation sect, then the difficulty of conquering this Mysterious Realm would likely far exceed all previous realms they had encountered.

 Chapter 137: 37: Still Relying on Me, Zhao Yuanzhen

    Chapter 137: Chapter 37: Still Relying on Me, Zhao Yuanzhen

    In the depths of the mysterious realm, halfway up the mountain.

    A massive stone door was embedded in the mountain wall, forcing the Goryeo cultivators to form a semicircle as if facing a formidable enemy. They established a sword formation to protect their captain inside, who was examining and searching for a way to open the door.

    ¡°We can¡¯t go on like this!¡± Park Changmin, who kept glancing around, lowered his voice and said to Lee Junyong in Korean, ¡°There¡¯s no path ahead, enemies behind us, and frequent attacks from snow demons. If we don¡¯t leave now, we¡¯ll all die here!¡±

    ¡°Where would we go?¡± Lee Junyong asked helplessly, ¡°The military of Lu Country must already be guarding the outside of the mysterious realm. Going out now would be like a turtle caught in a jar.¡±

    ¡°Even being caught is better than dying,¡± Park Changmin said sternly. ¡°Later, I¡¯ll pretend to spot an enemy and shout loudly. You follow me and we make a dash for it. We¡¯ll use the wind and snow as cover and escape along the way we came in.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be foolish!¡± Lee Junyong was immediately terrified. ¡°If Jin Taishan discovers us, we¡¯ll both be subject to military law and killed on the spot!¡±

    ¡°Staying here is what will get us killed!¡± Park Changmin said fiercely. ¡°I don¡¯t care anymore. If you won¡¯t follow, then I¡¯ll go alone!¡±

    Just then, another sharp warning cry sounded:

    ¡°Enemy!¡±

    Amidst the swirling snowflakes in the air, countless blades of light and sword shadows appeared. Upon closer inspection, they were densely packed wind-borne snow soldiers, wielding ice-crafted broadswords, and fiercely charging with a sky-covering malevolent aura.

    The Goryeo cultivators quickly shot out their Flying Swords, and after the first volley, more than half of the snow soldiers were gone.

    These creatures, made up of ice and snowflakes, had virtually no defense but their numbers were far too great. By the time the Goryeo cultivators recalled their Flying Swords to launch a second attack, the remaining snow soldiers had already reached them.

    After a chaotic battle, all the snow soldiers were finally eliminated, but three of the Goryeo cultivators were wounded¡ªtwo had injured arms, and one had a shoulder injury.

    ¡°Three this time?¡± Team leader Jin Taishan frowned when he heard the casualty report. ¡°Damn it! A bunch of useless things! You can even get hurt fighting those frail snow demons?¡±

    Everyone kept their faces expressionless, pretending not to hear the reprimand.

    Indeed, the snow demons were easily defeated and didn¡¯t even have the sense to dodge attacks, but there were too many of them, more than double the number of the Goryeo cultivators¡­ You kill one with your Flying Sword, and another one takes the chance to rush at you. Moreover, Jin Taishan was studying the stone door inside the formation, demanding that they hold the line and fight to the death without retreating. How could it be possible to avoid injury?

    Although everyone was seething with indignation, they dared not complain aloud, as the military hierarchy was in place; even if a superior spat in your face, you had to wait for them to leave before you were allowed to wipe it off.

    After hastily bandaging the injured cultivators, Jin Taishan turned back to study the stone door.

    Though shaped like a door, the stone door melded seamlessly with the surrounding mountainside, lacking a handle or keyhole, leaving Jin Taishan to tap various parts with his Flying Sword, searching for hollow spaces or mechanisms.

    The Goryeo cultivators forming the formation outside remained silent, but an atmosphere of dead silence and numbness had already begun to permeate the team.

    Park Changmin quickly glanced around and gritted his teeth in secret.

    It was clear from Jin Taishan¡¯s attitude that he treated his subordinates like disposable resources. If they blindly charged out now, they would likely be killed outright by him as deserters, executed by his Flying Sword from a distance.

    He had to find the most suitable moment to quickly disengage from the main force!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Yan Yu and his companions continued to move forward. As the mountain slopes climbed higher, the path rapidly narrowed.

    On the left was a mountain wall, and on the right, a cliff. Below the cliff was a snow valley of unfathomable depth. If someone accidentally fell down¡­ they could use the Cloud Ascension Technique to fly back slowly, which wasn¡¯t a big deal. The problem was if snow soldiers arrived halfway through your flight, it would be difficult to handle.

    Because of the terrain, it wasn¡¯t convenient to sprint using the Shifting Technique, and using the Cloud Ascension Technique or Wall-Penetration Technique drained too much True Yuan. Ye Jun retracted her Xuan Guang Ruler and commanded everyone to form a single-file line, quickly climbing along the narrow mountain path.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like this place,¡± Lin Ning, who had rejoined the group, complained while walking behind Yan Yu. ¡°If the snow soldiers attack, there¡¯s nowhere to hide.¡±

    ¡°Then you can use the Barrier Charm,¡± Yan Yu said methodically. ¡°Let them smash themselves against it.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense!¡± Lin Ning realized instantly and added, ¡°Then why did you ask me to clear them out just now? Everyone could just use the Barrier Charm when they were under attack.¡±

    ¡°Because it saves more True Yuan,¡± Chen Lingyun answered from ahead. ¡°If everyone uses a Barrier Charm, the total consumption of True Yuan is more than if Ye Jun alone activates her Xuan Guang Ruler; and the True Yuan Ye Jun uses is more than if you help to clear out the fodder.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu nodded. ¡°Fighting is really about doing the math, especially with more people involved.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Lin Ning sighed.

    She wasn¡¯t bad at thinking things through; she just preferred direct, close-quarters combat and straightforward assaults¡ªwin or lose, life or death, all determined within a few moves.

    The current situation, being restrained by formation and passively taking hits if an enemy appeared, was really not to Lin Ning¡¯s liking.

    Fortunately, this section of the mountain path wasn¡¯t very long. After some time, the group eventually passed through it and reached a relatively flat gentle slope.

    Looking ahead, they saw an endless snow-covered coniferous forest. The howling wind and snowflakes passing through the trees severely obscured their vision, almost entirely concealing what was within.

    If there were ambushers¡­

    ¡°I¡¯ll continue to lead the way,¡± Liu Longtao suggested to Yan Yu. ¡°Old Yan, would you like to guard the rear?¡±

    Leading the way might mean you encounter the enemy first, and guarding the rear could lead to meeting enemies attempting backstab ambushes. These two most dangerous tasks naturally fell to the strongest cultivators in the team.

    ¡°Good,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°let the Sword Immortals stand on the outside of the formation. If you see anything, don¡¯t hesitate, just send your Flying Swords to strike first and foremost.¡±

    ¡°Proper,¡± Liu Longtao nodded in agreement.

    Everyone quickly adjusted the formation, still moving forward in a tight group. They let Ye Jun open the Xuan Guang Ruler to protect everyone, while Liu Longtao and Yan Yu stood outside the barrier, one in front and one behind, vigilant of their surroundings as they progressed.

    Yan Yu, trailing behind the team, looked around the surroundings with boredom, thinking it was less about covering the rear and more about using me as bait to see if we can draw out any ambushers that might be nearby.

    After all, if there really was an ambush, instead of forcefully attacking Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler barrier, it would obviously be more suitable to sneak attack those outside.

    On that note¡­ Ye Jun has been activating the Xuan Guang Ruler up to now, and she hasn¡¯t run into any issues with her stamina. This girl¡¯s got some skills.

    To maintain such a large magic protection barrier, if she hadn¡¯t consumed Elixir Medicine, it¡¯s estimated that by the time we arrived at the mountain path previously, her True Yuan would¡¯ve nearly been depleted, so Ye Jun undoubtedly must have secretly taken some Qi-supplementing Elixir Medicine.

    Elixir Medicine isn¡¯t like the blue potions in games where you just eat it and immediately recover True Yuan. You need to wrap it in True Yuan in your stomach to refine it, then guide the Qi into your Dantian for it to work.

    This means Ye Jun needs to divide her attention to refine the Elixir Medicine; otherwise, she can¡¯t replenish her True Yuan. Yet, at the same time, she also needs to maintain the barrier of the Xuan Guang Ruler and adjust it in real time to coordinate with the movement of the main force¡­ Actually, there¡¯s quite a lot of knowledge involved here.

    In the future, there¡¯s even a specialized Cultivator course called ¡°Stamina Coordination Studies¡±, which teaches what ¡°safe moments¡± are permissible for a cultivator to momentarily distract themselves during real combat, fitting the ¡°refining of Elixir Medicine¡± process into these safe moments like puzzle pieces. Mastering this stamina skill means that as long as one has enough Elixir Medicine, they can fight for three days and three nights without running out of True Yuan.

    Ye Jun¡¯s flawless activation of the Xuan Guang Ruler for such an extended time indicates she has indeed studied this aspect of endurance. The specific reason isn¡¯t hard to guess; after all, with the four main attackers in the team being strong men, the only role she could play in critical moments was defense and containment, which put enormous pressure on her True Yuan¡­

    Lord Master, this friend of yours, I¡¯m locking this down! If you ever decide you no longer need a vice-captain, would it be good to transfer Ye Jun to me?

    As Yan Yu was lost in his thoughts, he suddenly heard the clanging sound of swords and blades from afar.

    Here they come again, this Wind Blade Frost Sword Formation really doesn¡¯t want to give us a moment¡¯s peace¡­

    Yan Yu leisurely urged the Huang Tingjian, slaying some of the Snow Demon close by while the rest crashed into the barrier of the Xuan Guang Ruler, scattering into innumerable snowflakes that fell to the ground.

    Hm? What¡¯s that¡­

    ¡°Come out, friend,¡± Yan Yu suddenly called out loudly.

    The advancing team immediately stopped, with Liu Longtao also halting in his tracks and squinting into the distance.

    All they saw was the howling cold wind and dense trees, without a single person in sight.

    Liu Longtao fell silent for a moment before, looking back over the team at Yan Yu, calling out:

    ¡°Hey, Liu.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Liu Longtao responded.

    ¡°How do you say ¡®come out quickly¡¯ in Goryeo language?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    Liu Longtao: ¡­¡­

    ¡°I don¡¯t know Goryeo language,¡± he said, seemingly confused.

    ¡°Let me try,¡± Ye Jun took a deep breath and called out into the distance, ¡°neyirinawa!¡±

    After a moment, there was no response from afar.

    ¡°Ye Jun, what you said isn¡¯t right,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°look, they don¡¯t understand it.¡± S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°It should be correct though,¡± Ye Jun said doubtfully, frowning. Although she had taught herself Goryeo language, such a short phrase shouldn¡¯t be incorrect.

    ¡°Don¡¯t waste your time anymore,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly said, ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    Everyone: ?

    Especially the girls from the Zhenhai Team, like Su Yunjin and Lin Ning, who at this moment were staring incredulously with wide eyes.

    Sister Zhao? She actually can speak the Goryeo language?

    Although she indeed enjoyed watching Goryeo TV dramas and variety shows, given her level of intelligence, self-learning¡­ they still found it a bit unbelievable.

    Zhao Yuanzhen walked out of the barrier to Yan Yu¡¯s side and asked:

    ¡°Where did you see the person?¡±

    ¡°Over there,¡± Yan Yu pointed.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen chuckled coldly.

    She drew her sword and charged forward.

 Chapter 138: 38: Goryeo Sword God Liu Wu Kai

    Chapter 138: Chapter 38: Goryeo Sword God Liu Wu Kai

    Zhao Yuanzhen stormed into the woods, looking left and right.

    In her field of vision, there was no one to be seen.

    But the forest here was dense, with the wind and snow howling, the visibility was indeed low; it was very possible someone was hiding somewhere.

    She brandished her sword and circled around for a moment, but still found nothing. She could only press the button on her earpiece and said:

    ¡°Yan Yu, save me!¡±

    ¡°¡­What happened?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t find anyone,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said with frustration.

    ¡°Fine then,¡± Yan Yu chuckled, unable to help himself, ¡°Let me take a look.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare come over!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen quickly stopped him, ¡°I just put on a big show in front of so many people, charging in here, and now I can¡¯t handle it and need your help. It¡¯s so embarrassing! You are not allowed to come over, just give me some ideas to help me find him!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re nuts!¡± Yan Yu laughed and scolded her, ¡°How can I help you if I don¡¯t come in? With this kind of snowstorm, even if a drone could fly, it wouldn¡¯t be able to film anything, right? Just wait there, I¡¯m coming over.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen wanted to say something more, but the call was already hung up, making her so angry that she kicked viciously at a pine tree next to her.

    Then, thump, a person fell down from the tree.

    Zhao Yuanzhen: !

    Her expression quickly changed from annoyance to astonishment, and then to an ecstatic ¡°Haha, that¡¯s what I expected from you, grandma!¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Turning back the clock for a bit, Park Changmin took advantage of another sudden snow soldier attack. The formation of his teammates got disrupted again, and in that instant, he shouted, ¡°There¡¯s an enemy over there,¡± before activating his Shifting Technique and dashing out.

    The cultivator companions around him were caught off guard. They called out ¡°Park Changmin¡± a few times, but only saw him not even looking back, vanishing in a flash.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Jin Taishan turned around again.

    ¡°Park Changmin ran off,¡± someone said.

    ¡°It¡¯s not necessarily running away; I heard him shouting ¡®there¡¯s an enemy over there,''¡± someone else added.

    ¡°Bullshit, if there¡¯s an enemy, why not hold the line instead of charging out?!¡± Jin Taishan was immediately enraged, but under the current circumstances, it wasn¡¯t possible to split forces and chase after him. With a grim face, he ordered, ¡°Next time anyone dares to leave the line rashly, treat them as deserters and execute them on the spot!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± The cultivators quickly complied, afraid that Jin Taishan would continue to lose his temper. A few who had also thought about fleeing, seeing that most had agreed, had to suppress their impulse to take a risk and venture out.

    Having sprinted madly for a while, Park Changmin saw there were no pursuers behind him and quickly stopped his Shifting Technique. Then he started to run with his legs through the snow.

    He had also roughly figured out some patterns, like the snow demons tended to attack those in larger groups or those casting spells¡­ so he needed to use the Shifting Technique as little as possible and sneak his way back quietly.

    Leaving the platform of the mountain gate behind, there was a vast expanse of gentle slopes and woods. Park Changmin quickly moved through the trees, while anxiously watching his surroundings.

    If one or two snow demons came after him, he still had confidence in dealing with them; but if five or six came at once, then he could only fight desperately for his life.

    However, after walking for nearly ten minutes, he hadn¡¯t encountered a single snow demon.

    Park Changmin didn¡¯t let his guard down; on the contrary, he became even more nervous.

    Because the snow demons weren¡¯t attacking him, there was a very frightening possibility that there was a large group of cultivators nearby, attracting all of them away¡­

    After a moment¡¯s hesitation, Park Changmin decided to stop advancing and climb up to observe his surroundings first.

    He chose a tree nearby, climbed up swiftly with hands and feet, then picked a spot where the branches had a thick accumulation of snow to use as cover, watching carefully.

    Although the snowstorm made it difficult to see clearly, Park Changmin could still vaguely spot the light possibly produced by magic artifacts not far away¡­

    This is bad; surely a large group of Rikoku Cultivators is coming this way!

    From this distance, they would soon cross the forest path slope and reach the mountain gate where senior Jin Taishan stood guard¡ªso that¡¯s why I said, staying there is like waiting to die!

    Of course, if he was discovered by these Rikoku Cultivators, it¡¯s highly likely he would be stabbed to death.

    At this point, Park Changmin had no choice but to cower in the tree, not even daring to let out a loud breath, and hugged the trunk, shivering.

    He dared not use spells, as he was afraid spells would attract snow demons, exposing his location; but not using spells and just hugging the trunk was too tiring, and there was nowhere to step around¡­ If he tried to find another branch to step on, he was afraid that the movement would shake the accumulated snow off the tree. On one hand, he feared alerting the Rikoku Cultivators; on the other hand, he was afraid of losing his cover.

    Therefore, Park Changmin remained utterly still, hugging the tree trunk like a koala, his face nearly turning purple from the cold wind.

    ¡­¡­¡­

    Then, it was Zhao the Demonic Sect Enchantress who angrily kicked the tree, causing Park the deserter to fall by accident, coincidentally from the same tree.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, upon witnessing this unexpected delight, instantly perked up, laughing maniacally as he moved to grab Park Changmin.

    Park Changmin, realizing his grim prospects, quickly rolled over and half rose, shooting his Flying Sword straight at Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s face.

    But the Demonic Sect Enchantress, having been tormented by Yan Yu far too many times, had developed a strong resistance to such sudden attacks.

    She merely activated her Curved Curse and, with quick reflexes, caught the Flying Sword, snarling viciously:

    ¡°How dare you resist!¡±

    Park Changmin tried to channel his True Yuan, but with the sword hilt held by the opponent¡¯s Curved Curse, how could he break free?

    Zhao Yuanzhen, holding the struggling Flying Sword, jabbed it wildly at Park Changmin, taunting as he did so:

    ¡°Run then! Go on and run! Show me a run!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Yan Yu quickly used his Shifting Technique to get to her side, first stopping the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s violent hand, then sealing Park Changmin¡¯s Dantian with Runescript ¡ª though it was also superfluous, as Park Changmin¡¯s body was riddled with sword holes, nearly turning him into a bloody mess, already gasping for air.

    ¡°Medical team, come treat him.¡± Yan Yu instructed through his headset and then, looking at Liu Longtao who had hurried over as well, he smiled and said, ¡°We¡¯re lucky this time, caught a live one.¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Liu Longtao nodded.

    If they could extract information about the Goryeo Cultivators from the prisoner¡¯s mouth, the subsequent battles would be much easier;

    Of course, if this man were ungrateful, they could simply run him through with a sword, putting an end to it ¡ª they held no old Pingjing etiquette towards enemies.

    The medical team acted swiftly, first stopping the blood loss for Park Changmin, then forcing him to drink some hot saltwater and administering an Elixir Medicine. Eventually, they forcefully awoke him.

    With the blood washed from his face, Yan Yu finally recognized him: Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Well, if it isn¡¯t the Goryeo Sword God, Park the Fifth!

    ¡°Does anyone speak Goryeo here?¡± In preparation for an impromptu interrogation, Liu Longtao again confirmed with the team, ¡°Ye Jun, can you?¡±

    ¡°I studied it a bit in college.¡± Ye Jun said uneasily, ¡°I don¡¯t speak it well. To them, it might sound as basic as ¡®what¡¯s your job¡¯ or something.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± Yan Yu came back and said, ¡°He speaks the language of Lu Country. Let Chen Lingyun do the interrogation.¡±

    Park Changmin could speak not only the language of Lu Country but also the language of Chonhon, both very fluently. The reason was that from a young age, he had set himself the ambition of not marrying women from the extremely conservative Goryeo but longing instead for a wife from Lu Country or Chonhon.

    Of course, after he was titled Goryeo Sword God and became a national heartthrob, he had no choice but to settle down with a celebrity from a popular girl group in his own country ¡ª Yan Yu couldn¡¯t remember who it was, but having seen her photos in the media, he had to admit Goryeo¡¯s medical aesthetic technology was indeed quite advanced.

    Dantian sealed and groggily awakening, Park Changmin was quite a tough guy, not only spilling all the intel explicitly but also highlighting the fact that Jin Taishan treated his juniors as expendables. The underlying message was clear: Hurry up and finish off Jin Taishan for me!

    Having obtained the intel, Liu Longtao didn¡¯t share it with the others, only discussing it privately with Ye Jun, Yan Yu, and Chen Lingyun, the four of them deliberating together.

    ¡°So, eliminating Jin Taishan will cause their will to fight to collapse by half.¡± Ye Jun said thoughtfully.

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Chen Lingyun replied cheerfully. ¡°Such power-driven teams have the advantage of maintaining unity while the strong power exists, but the downside is that once that power collapses, the lower ranks fall apart easily.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not always the case,¡± Liu Longtao countered, ¡°The other side may rely on the rule of the strong, but look, there was still a traitor among them. In the end, it doesn¡¯t matter how you lead; the key is to have reliable people underneath who respect the law and aren¡¯t thinking about causing trouble all the time.¡±

    Ye Jun gave them both a suspicious glance: Are you discussing serious matters or taking the chance to make snide remarks at each other?

    ¡°Anyway.¡± She tried to steer the conversation back on track, ¡°What should we do with this prisoner?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s keep him,¡± Yan Yu suddenly said. ¡°A live captor has a different value from a corpse. If we hand him over to the state, we might even negotiate terms with Goryeo.¡±

    Of course, Park Changmin¡¯s real value was not in his swordsmanship prowess, but in his self-promotion and marketing skill that perfectly matched Goryeo¡¯s hero-worshipping trend.

    If they killed him here, it would not stop Goryeo¡¯s hero-making project; another Goryeo Sword God would simply emerge. What if the next one was a true Sword God? Why bring trouble upon themselves?

    Letting Park Changmin become the Goryeo Sword God as per the original timeline, to receive the full support of the national resources, and to boast about ¡°going toe-to-toe with Liu Longtao¡± was undoubtedly the best outcome for Lu Country. There was no need to interfere and change that this life.

    Although Liu Longtao did not know what Yan Yu was thinking, whether to kill a mere prisoner or not was inconsequential ¡ª it was better to give Yan Yu face.

    ¡°Alright,¡± he said, nodding, ¡°I¡¯ll have Captain Jung keep an eye on him.¡±

 Chapter 139: 39 Annihilation

    Chapter 139: Chapter 39 Annihilation

    After obtaining the information from Park Changmin, there was only one question left:

    Could it be a trap?

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like a trap,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°That person doesn¡¯t seem the type to sacrifice himself.¡±

    If the information were true, Park Changmin still had a chance to survive afterward; if it were false, the Rikoku Cultivators would definitely be the first to kill him on the spot. Therefore, the authenticity of the information essentially depended on whether Park Changmin dared to willingly face death for his country.

    Since Chen Lingyun judged it to be unlikely, then the remaining task was quite simple.

    Take them out!

    ¡°There¡¯s another thing,¡± Yan Yu suddenly said. ¡°Those cultivators who had their throats ripped open before, did he confess what had attacked them?¡±

    ¡°He did,¡± replied Chen Lingyun, smiling faintly. ¡°They didn¡¯t see clearly, but it seemed to be a very fast black figure.¡±

    A black figure? On hearing this, everyone was momentarily stunned.

    No, not a black figure. Yan Yu immediately realized it must be referring to a body exhibiting decay-like blackness, which indeed is a typical physical feature of a zombie.

    The domestic policy towards ghost cultivators was lenient, but towards corpse cultivators, it was extermination without exception; after all, the ¡°insult to a corpse crime¡± was evident, and the moral red line was not something anyone dared to cross. However, a large number of corpse cultivators called ¡°Necromancers¡± emerged from the Indochina Peninsula in his previous life, so Yan Yu was not entirely ignorant about corpse cultivators.

    Zombies have four levels, dubbed gold, silver, bronze, iron. Above these, entities like Walking Dead Rakshasas and Flying Sky Yakshas have essentially gained spiritual intelligence and are considered a different kind of cultivator, so they are not included in this discussion.

    The kind of zombie that might appear at this stage would likely be an Iron Corpse, which had three main characteristics: fast speed, immense strength, and impervious to swords and spears. Impervious in the literal sense, present-day cultivators would find it very difficult to breach their defense even with Flying Swords¡­ Hmm?

    Wait, what are the thought habits of an Iron Corpse?

    It¡¯s over, it¡¯s been too long since I last fought a low-level zombie, I¡¯m having a hard time remembering¡­

    Due to partial memory loss, Yan Yu could not deduce where the Iron Corpse was hiding or where it would launch an attack first. Rather than ponder too much, he decided to simply continue moving forward with the team.

    Just as Park Changmin had said, after the group passed through a large forest and dealt with two more rounds of attacks from the Wind Blade Frost Sword Formation, they finally reached the summit of the gentle slope.

    Beyond the top of the slope were the Goryeo cultivators, blocked outside by a stone gate.

    Without showing any signs, Chen Lingyun gently waved the Soul Summoning Banner, and a large dog responded by landing on the ground, instantly transforming into a white Arctic fox that charged uphill along the snow slope.

    Ye Jun, watching from behind, thought to herself how indefensible it was to use ghosts for scouting!

    In official Mysterious Realm confrontations, let alone a small animal like a fox, if one transformed into a beetle, a dragonfly¡­ boldly flying over to scout out your tactical layout, how would you defend?

    Could you exterminate all insects in the vicinity?

    Here, Ye Jun was actually overthinking it. Ghosts had restrictions on the size they could transform into, with a fox being the limit; smaller creatures like rabbits were not possible. Transformations like Sun Wukong¡¯s, which could become anything and even sneak into a sister-in-law¡¯s belly, belonged to the extremely advanced techniques of Xuanmen Zhengzong and were not something any random cat or dog could achieve.

    However, at this moment with the snowstorm raging, even if it was a small animal like a fox, who would notice?

    The ghost transformed into a white-haired fox and brazenly ran a circuit atop the slope, taking in the Goryeo cultivators¡¯ formation below in full view, then ran back to the group. It transformed into a stern-faced maid, broke off a branch from the side, and used it to detail the terrain ahead, the number of Goryeo cultivators and their positions, describing and explaining everything thoroughly on the snow-covered ground.

    To put it simply, to prevent attacks from the Wind Blade Frost Sword Formation, the Goryeo cultivators ahead had formed a tight semi-circular formation with their backs against the stone gate, leaving no blind spots in their field of vision. Thus, stealth infiltration was unlikely, and direct confrontation was the only option.

    Seeing the maid transform into a mist and swiftly return to the Soul Summoning Banner, even Liu Longtao, confident in his own team, couldn¡¯t help but ponder: should he let Su Yunjin cross-train as an Envoy?

    He didn¡¯t expect her to command Servant Envoys in battle, but just this scouting ability alone was worth practicing.

    ¡°This simplifies things.¡± Chen Lingyun said cheerily, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Liu Longtao turned to Yan Yu:

    ¡°Shall we split them half and half?¡±

    ¡°Agreed,¡± Yan Yu nodded. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Commander Zheng,¡± Liu Longtao turned and instructed, ¡°Please split half of our brothers to take over the perimeter of the site and stand guard, to prevent any unexpected emergence of snow soldiers and other unexpected factors.¡±

    ¡°The rest of you, maintain distance and freely attack with your Flying Swords to keep up the pressure,¡±

    ¡°There are fifteen opponents. The Dragon Soar Team will take care of annihilating the left side, and you, Zhenghai, are responsible for wiping out the right side. I¡¯ll handle the leader, Jin Taishan. How does that sound?¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡± On such trivial details, Yan Yu didn¡¯t want to make things too complicated¡ªwhere in the world is that Iron Corpse hiding?

    ¡°Let¡¯s go with that.¡± Liu Longtao stood up, ¡°Let¡¯s move!¡±

    Everyone swiftly crossed the hilltop and the moment they came into view of the Goryeo Cultivators, they quickly seized the initiative to attack.

    Countless Flying Swords shot towards the enemy. Most were blocked by the Goryeo Cultivators who had managed to react and control their swords, but a few found their marks¡ªYan Yu surveyed the scene quickly, about three had fallen, though it was uncertain if they were dead.

    Even though the Rikoku Cultivators had taken the initiative, dealing with sudden situations is a Sword Immortal¡¯s forte. The fact that the rival team from Goryeo consisted entirely of Sword Immortals did give them an advantage. After overcoming the initial chaos, they quickly began to exchange casualties with the Rikoku side.

    In a battle involving more than forty people, the field changes every second, and commands can¡¯t be refined fast enough. Therefore, Chen Lingyun simply stopped speaking and just signaled for the girls to follow her Purple Extreme Sword.

    The girls worked together flawlessly, honed by frequently teaming up with Yan Yu to gain experience. As soon as Chen Lingyun¡¯s Purple Extreme Sword targeted someone, everyone immediately controlled their swords to focus fire on them, with a speed that was almost inconceivable.

    The Goryeo swordsman who was fighting Lin Ning had just blocked the downward slash of the Green Bamboo Sword with his Flying Sword when he saw two Flying Swords approaching from different angles. Startled, he hastily recalled his Flying Sword, wanting to engage in close defense, only for his vision to suddenly whirl.

    Su Yunjin, who was hiding at the back, stealthily unleashed Jiaochong. The stream of water blasted the Goryeo swordsman into the air, and Chen Lingyun¡¯s Purple Extreme Sword seized the chance to pierce diagonally into his throat, beheading him.

    Lin Ning retracted her Green Bamboo Sword, her peripheral vision catching sight of the Purple Extreme Sword changing direction and striking towards another Goryeo Cultivator on the left¡­

    Without hesitation, she quickly performed a sword technique with her hands, and the Green Bamboo Sword turned into a streak of green light, flanking the target to provide a supporting attack.

    Struggling against the siege of two swords, the Goryeo Cultivator dared not be careless and hurriedly called his Flying Sword to his front for short-axis defense, only to see Zhao Yuanzhen closing in like a specter and with a palm strike, he sent him flying away.

    The Purple Extreme Sword and the Green Bamboo Sword swiftly caught up, each stabbing into one side of his chest and abdomen, rending his internal organs to shreds.

    Yan Yu methodically disposed of his opponent. With a heavy downward slash from the Huang Tingjian, he performed what amounted to a craniotomy on the other.

    Glancing over at his teammates, the cooperation between Chen Lingyun, Lin Ning, and Su Yunjin was impressively tight-knit, truly befitting a group that often outperformed stronger adversaries in their past life. This was the first time the Demonic Sect Enchantress was let loose in battle, and she was thoroughly enjoying the slaughter.

    His gaze quickly scanned the flank and saw that Liu Longtao¡¯s team also had the upper hand on the battlefield.

    The joint attacks of the two Sword Immortals, Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun, were executed with great proficiency. Sometimes Ai Lu would entangle the opposing Flying Swords, allowing Guo Feiyun to carry out the kill. Other times, it was Guo Feiyun who would break through the enemy¡¯s defense with brute force, and Ai Lu would sneak in for the strike.

    Liu Longtao¡¯s swordsmanship was even more simple and brutal. Relying on his excellent innate talent and robust True Yuan, his Sword Control Technique was powerful and heavy, crushing the opposing team¡¯s leader Cultivator.

    Jin Taishan could be the leader of this team because his swordsmanship was significantly better than that of other Goryeo swordsmen, but he was still far from a match for Lord Master. Each time their Flying Swords collided, the Ying Long Sword was barely pushed back while his Flying Sword needed all the force he could muster to barely stabilize.

    With an expressionless face showing no impatience for beating weaker opponents, Liu Longtao methodically used the simplest moves to forcefully breach and penetrate Jin Taishan¡¯s defensive swordsmanship, and then with one strike, he severed his neck bone, splitting the corpse into two.

    Jin Taishan was killed on the spot, and the remaining Cultivators quickly lost their will to fight, forced to retreat while fighting, with their formation rapidly deteriorating.

    In the end, at the cost of seven injured Rikoku military Cultivators, all the foreign Cultivators who had intruded into the Mysterious Realm were annihilated.

    Liu Longtao looked at the bodies littering the ground, his expression finally easing.

    These enemies were not difficult to deal with; the main issue was that they seized the initiative, entering the Mysterious Realm half an hour before the forces from Rikoku, which posed the risk of the control center being stolen¡ªnow, at least, the issue had been resolved.

    Speaking of which, where is the guardian of the Mysterious Realm? And where is the control center?

    He looked at the giant stone door embedded in the cliff face, fitting tightly without any gaps. His first instinct was the same as Jin Taishan¡¯s, to tap it with the Flying Sword in search of hidden mechanisms.

    ¡°Old Yan,¡± Liu Longtao searched aimlessly for a while then turned to speak, ¡°Take a look at this¡­ Huh?¡±

    Among the scattered bodies, unbeknownst to them when, another figure had appeared.

    The person was dressed completely in black and squatting next to a Goryeo Cultivator¡¯s corpse, using sharp nails to slice open the chest and pull out the still-warm heart, cradling it in both hands as he began to devour it greedily.

    Although it was filthy and bloodied flesh, he ate as if it were incredibly sweet, seemingly oblivious to any stench.

 Chapter 140: 40: Why Not Have a Little More?

    Chapter 140: Chapter 40: Why Not Have a Little More?

    Everyone followed Liu Longtao¡¯s gaze, and immediately felt a chill run through their hearts.

    When had this person arrived?

    Clad head to toe in dark greenish-black hues, one would think he¡¯d be easily spotted against the pure white backdrop of the blizzard, but in reality, he had brazenly appeared beside them without any of them noticing¡­

    Considering that audacious act of corpse eating, it was clear he was not human but some kind of malevolent creature.

    Liu Longtao didn¡¯t speak, only quickly made a hand signal, indicating to Colonel Zheng to quickly lead the men to scatter.

    The cultivators of the Dingbei Army entering this mysterious realm were not here to die; they were to provide Liu Longtao with numerical superiority, to overwhelm and swiftly crush the Goryeo cultivators¡ªwhat the Lord Master pursued was not merely victory, but also a neat and flawless, beyond reproach, perfect victory.

    But since this creature was able to sneak in undetected, that indicated it moved stealthily and incredibly fast. If the Goryeo cultivators still couldn¡¯t defeat this monster, then the ordinary Dingbei cultivators stood even less of a chance.

    Hasn¡¯t the state invested heavily in training us warriors precisely to deal with such dangerous enemies?

    Colonel Zheng was also astute, quietly issuing orders in the channel, and the soldiers rustled as they quietly stepped back, leaving the battlefield to the Zhenghai and Dragon Soar Teams.

    Throughout this, the zombie squatted beside the corpse, quietly consuming its heart, as if seeing nothing but his meal.

    Liu Longtao gave Yan Yu a look that said, ¡°Shall we make a move?¡±

    Yan Yu nodded.

    Without drawing attention, each of them commanded their Huang Tingjian and Ying Long Swords to rise, then suddenly thrust towards the terrifying zombie.

    The zombie, feasting upon a human heart, suddenly rose to avoid the cleave of the Huang Tingjian, while with its left hand swatted the Ying Long Sword away, and continued chewing its bloody meal. Within its murky irises, blood swiftly seeped through, soon dyeing its eyes a deep red.

    With ¡°iron¡± in the name Iron Corpse, its level was naturally different from ordinary zombies, having been solemnly refined by ancient malevolent cultivators, and thus innate was its counter to Sword Control Technique. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    It swept its sinister gaze over everyone, finally fixing on Su Yunjin.

    She would be the tastiest, eat her first!

    The Iron Corpse staggered, vanishing from its spot almost as quickly as if utilizing the Shifting Technique. Aiming to devour, it pounced towards Su Yunjin with a voracious posture, targeting her delicate and vulnerable neck.

    Yan Yu finally remembered: right, the Iron Corpse loved the flesh of women and children, the younger they were, the more tender the skin, and the more the corpse demon liked to strike!

    He was about to command the Huang Tingjian to save her, but he saw Su Yunjin raise her arm like lightning, already forming the magical hand gestures.

    If this had been the former Secretary Su, she certainly wouldn¡¯t have been able to react in time. But, having been ruthlessly ¡°drilled and drilled some more¡± during this period, her normal ¡°eye-brain-hand¡± sequence had been forcibly twisted by Yan Yu into ¡°eye-hand-brain¡±, much like Lin Ning¡¯s conditioned reflex; whatever it is, before you see clearly, I¡¯ll strike first!

    Jiaochong spouted a large volume of water, instantly washing the Iron Corpse into the air. Followed swiftly by Coral¡¯s Tears, the azure sword light transformed into a full moon, cleanly slicing towards the chest of the Iron Corpse with a dull thud akin to burst leather.

    I¡­ hit it? Su Yunjin came to her senses after the fact, disbelief written all over her face.

    Her combo, which involved using Jiaochong to wrap and trap the opponent, followed by Coral¡¯s Tears for the slash, was designed to counter the team leader. However, thus far, it had never succeeded¡ªYan Yu would deliberately let her Jiaochong hit, then casually escape before Coral¡¯s Tears could strike, as if the disorientation caused by the flood meant nothing to him.

    So why did it hit the Iron Corpse?

    While she was still in disbelief, the Iron Corpse in the air had already freed itself from the water, landed unharmed, and, reviving its speed, turned and pounced towards Chen Lingyun.

    Chen Lingyun, without a change in expression, slightly shook the Soul Summoning Banner, and five ghosts rushed towards the Iron Corpse. But with a mighty effort, it shook them all off, and in the blink of an eye, pounced in front of her, fiercely tearing at her throat.

    Just as this woman was about to be decapitated, a burst of light descended from the sky¡ªit was Ye Jun using the Xuan Guang Ruler, attempting to trap the Iron Corpse. The latter, without hesitation, abandoned its prey, retreated swiftly from the Xuan Guang Ruler¡¯s light flower, and turned again to attack Lin Ning.

    Lin Ning, however, showed no fear as the Green Bamboo Sword transformed into a streak of green light, thrusting towards the Iron Corpse¡¯s dark chest.

    In the barely visible speed of this lightning exchange, the Iron Corpse had already switched targets three times. It seemed that it couldn¡¯t catch any of them, but Liu Longtao knew very well: with its speed akin to that of the Shifting Technique, and defense strong enough to withstand the strikes of Flying Swords, the situation was extremely perilous.

    After all, the enemy could withstand countless setbacks in its attacks, but if any of them made a single mistake and were caught by its claws, that would mean an instant decapitation, nearly impossible to save!

    ¡°Old Yan, aren¡¯t you joining in?¡± he turned towards Yan Yu, who seemed content watching from the sidelines.

    Watching Yan Yu with the Huang Tingjian levitating in front of him, always ready to save someone yet paradoxically motionless, Liu Longtao suddenly recalled something:

    In fact, whether it was Deputy Leader Ye Jun or the Pingxi Army¡¯s Huofeng Team¡¯s Zhang Huaide, they had both analyzed the biggest weakness of the Zhenghai Team:

    That was Yan Yu acting as the tactical core was always detached from the team, usually fighting alone.

    Though Yan Yu¡¯s own strength was overwhelming to the extent that this flaw was largely overshadowed, the problem didn¡¯t vanish¡ªthe pace of his strikes was too fast for anyone to keep up, let alone coordinate with him.

    If we want to resolve this issue, Yan Yu either needs to ¡°slow down¡± to integrate into the team system, or we wait for the girls to grow up. There¡¯s no other way.

    ¡°Old Yan, you¡¯ve got it tough,¡± Liu Longtao suddenly remarked.

    Yan Yu was startled by the comment. What?

    The reason he hadn¡¯t made a move was partly to let the girls practice, but mainly because he was keeping an eye on the surroundings.

    That was because Yan Yu finally remembered that iron corpses typically don¡¯t appear alone. For the Corpse Cultivation Sect, refining one iron corpse is refining; refining ten is still refining. The resource consumption isn¡¯t much different¡ªit mainly costs in setting up the corpse-refining pool. So they usually start refining in batches of dozens. Anything in single digits is a waste of time.

    If you think about it, using iron corpses as the gatekeepers of the first layer of Changbai Mountain¡¯s Mysterious Realm seems highly unreasonable.

    Who uses cannon fodder as gatekeepers?

    Liu Longtao, of course, was unaware of this. However, now that the pressing threat of enemy cultivators was gone, there was no need to rush. Letting the teammates practice wouldn¡¯t hurt.

    The two captains stood on the perimeter, acting as hands-off supervisors. However, their team members were all fully focused, not daring to be the least bit lax. After all, the iron corpses were too fast, leaving no margins for distraction.

    Lin Ning¡¯s Green Bamboo Sword was swift in motion. When the iron corpse reached with its left hand, the sword struck the left hand. When it swiped with its right, the sword struck the right¡­ Repeatedly cutting off the attacks, she fought with a sense of swordsmanship combat, rendering the iron corpse unable to strike back and pushing it into retreat.

    Yan Yu¡¯s teachings of ¡°fighting at a distance, defending up close¡± had indeed reached Sister Lin, who utilized the flexibility of short-axis defense to great effect.

    The iron corpse, unable to breach her defenses, turned to attack Zhao Yuanzhen. How could the Demonic Sect Enchantress hold herself back? If Lin Ning could do it, why couldn¡¯t she?

    Kill, kill, kill!

    The Yin Wind Sword sliced towards the iron corpse¡¯s neck. The opponent did not dodge, relying on its defense to absorb the blow directly.

    But unexpectedly, although Zhao Yuanzhen pretended to be a newbie, she had actually recovered a fraction of her cultivation. And with the iron corpse¡¯s invulnerability to blade and spear, she temporarily forgot to hold back her power in the strike (perhaps subconsciously afraid of embarrassing herself by not affecting it) and decided to unleash a surge of True Yuan. The sword light tore through space like thunderous lightning, dazzlingly filling everyone¡¯s entire field of view in a flash.

    As the sword light circled back, the iron corpse¡¯s head fell to the ground, and its body collapsed soon after, with not a single drop of blood from the severed neck.

    Everyone was stunned.

    Members like Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun had even prepared to face the enemy in turn, but then they saw the iron corpse being one-shotted by Zhao Yuanzhen¡ªwait, is this girl that formidable?

    Others struck with their sword control but left no wound on the iron corpse, yet her single strike detached its head?

    Zhao Yuanzhen also knew she was in trouble; had she accidentally revealed a tip of her iceberg of strength and terrified these country bumpkins?

    Oh no! She was going to get cursed to death by the little thief!

    Though internally shaken and fearful, the Demonic Sect Enchantress was quick-witted. She burst out laughing on the spot:

    ¡°That¡¯s it? A piece of cake! Not even satisfying to kill. Why not send more, huh?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen, stepping on the iron corpse¡¯s body, laughed nervously, not daring to look at Yan Yu, whose eyes were on her.

    But Yan Yu¡¯s gaze did not linger on her, instead focusing on the iron corpse¡¯s neck¡ªalthough there was no blood, a dense black vapor began to seep out, taking on the appearance of flowing tassels in the wind and snow, slowly drifting toward the stone gate on the mountain wall.

    Uh, let me think, something similar in my memories¡­

    ¡°Back off!¡± Yan Yu suddenly shouted, ¡°Stay away from the stone gate!¡±

    While the Dragon Soar Team and Dingbei Army cultivators were still dazed, the girls didn¡¯t hesitate and immediately followed Yan Yu in activating their Shifting Technique, moving away from the direction of the stone gate.

    The next second, the stone gate, which had been tightly closed, suddenly pulled open to each side.

    Liu Longtao looked towards it and could no longer maintain his composure. He also cried out urgently:

    ¡°Retreat! Everybody, retreat!¡±

    From the open stone gate emerged a large mass of densely packed corpses, quickly estimated to be in the hundreds.

    These iron corpses moved rapidly, exuding a fierce manner, their skin and hair pitch black, eyes blood-red, sharp teeth fully exposed, with a ferocious look, swarming out of the stone gate like a tide, aggressively rushing toward the Rikoku cultivators.

    Seeing this, everyone was shocked and quickly turned to retreat with Shifting Technique. Amid the chaotic rushing footsteps, someone¡¯s frantic shout rang out:

    ¡°Ahhhh, Sister Zhao, you jinx!¡±

 Chapter 141: 41: I Admit Youre Good at Fighting, But Not at Choosing a Wife

    Chapter 141: Chapter 41: I Admit You¡¯re Good at Fighting, But Not at Choosing a Wife

    Everyone hastily activated their Shifting Technique and began to retreat from the vicinity of the stone gate, wishing desperately they could tap into all their True Yuan for an insane burst of speed.

    Behind them was a vast swath of dark shadows sweeping across the snowy ground, with each leap covering a distance of over ten meters. The overall posture was agile and nimble, yet the movements were rigid and mechanical, as if the figures were puppets being jerked about on strings from above.

    If there had been only a single Iron Corpse, the group might have relied on their numerical advantage for a fight; but now, with the numbers entirely reversed, a single human faced the challenge of combating three Iron Corpses¡­ No risk assessment was needed to know that certain death was the only outcome.

    As they fled, Yan Yu silently dropped to the rear of the main force and exchanged a nod with Liu Longtao at his side.

    Both of them were acutely aware of their terrain: a gentle slope allowed them to maintain high speed.

    But further ahead lay a narrow mountain trail where the Shifting Technique was prone to missteps and falls off the cliff. Should one fall, they would need to use the Cloud Ascension Technique, but that was much slower. The Iron Corpses needed only to make one high-speed leap to bring down and devour anyone flying in the air.

    They had to stop the tide of corpses here!

    In the haste of the moment, Liu Longtao had no time for restraint. He halted abruptly, turned to face the enemy, and his hands were already forming seals.

    Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens!

    In the sky above, a sudden emergence of crimson flames soon shaped into a dragon, approximately twenty meters long and over a meter wide. Its eyes like lanterns, its whiskers like long whips, scales all bristling backwards, covered in intense flames that heated the air around it, causing a slight distortion in the light.

    Narrowing his eyes, Yan Yu watched as the dragon circled momentarily before diving down, crashing right into the midst of the horde.

    Where the dragon struck, it was like the sun falling to the earth! The ground within the blast radius sunk in instantly, the thick layer of snow sublimated into vapor, revealing the blackened, melted earth underneath. As for the Iron Corpses within, they were evaporated utterly, not even fragments remained.

    The shockwave and solar wind continued to spread outward, incinerating, tearing apart, and throwing the nearby Iron Corpses into the air, along with trees that snapped and fell all around, becoming torches¡­ what a horrific sight!

    Liu Longtao remained composed as he retracted his seals, calmly folding his hands behind his back amidst the shocked and awed looks from those behind him, and said tranquilly:

    ¡°Heh, it¡¯s fortunate that these Iron Corpses are weak to fire, otherwise they would be quite troublesome to deal with.¡±

    Seeing him stand with his hands behind his back, Yan Yu knew right away that Lord Master, in order to show off, had drawn nearly all the True Yuan from his Dantian to unleash that seemingly earth-shattering blow¡­ He really couldn¡¯t muster a second attack of equal power, which was why he subconsciously ceased his attack.

    As the saying goes: A brother can forgive a debt unpaid, but must never get in the way of an attempt to show off. Not paying back the money might at most end the brotherhood, but preventing the act of showing off could turn buddies into sworn enemies.

    Therefore, Yan Yu didn¡¯t immediately speak out, allowing him a few seconds to bask in his moment, before reminding him:

    ¡°Old Liu, you missed the mark.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Liu Longtao raised an eyebrow, finding it somewhat amusing.

    My Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens was so perfectly executed, so devastatingly powerful, it stopped the horde in their tracks. How could I have missed? Tell me, where did I go wrong¡­ Holy shit!!!

    Suddenly, within that sea of fire, a corpse emerged anew to fight.

    It was tall, with a green face and fierce fangs, moving as swiftly as if flying. Although its appearance closely resembled the Iron Corpses, its speed was significantly faster than the typical ones.

    The residual flames of the Red Dragon licked over its corpse body but only charred its skin black; its movements weren¡¯t slowed in the least ¨C in contrast to the burning and melting Iron Corpses, this Corpse General¡¯s strength was clearly far superior.

    This time, Lord Master finally realized the mistake: he had indeed missed the mark! He hadn¡¯t seen this Corpse General before; otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have had the Red Dragon crash into the horde. It should have been aimed at this Boss all along.

    Now, with most of his True Yuan spent on the lesser foes, and the main enemy unharmed, and being unable to unleash a second strike with equal force, what was he to do?

    Liu Longtao glanced silently at Yan Yu, wanting to say ¡°help me out, Old Yan,¡± but couldn¡¯t bring himself to utter the words. After all, even Lord Master had his pride; he had just made a grand show of his strength before everyone. To ask for help now would be too demeaning¡ªhe¡¯d rather die on the spot than speak such words.

    Yan Yu, however, didn¡¯t hold it against him. He simply thought that Lord Master had unleashed an ultimate move in all its glory, only to hit the rank-and-file ¨C truthfully, it was kind of funny.

    Well then, it looks like it¡¯s up to me.

    Activating his Shifting Technique, Yan Yu moved with astonishing speed to confront the Bronze Corpse, closing the distance in a flash.

    But faster than his approach was the Huang Tingjian!

    The Huangting Heavy Sword, as a heavy sword, didn¡¯t show much brilliance, but its presence was overwhelming. The edge fell like a mountain bearing down, with tremendous force that was hard to withstand.

    The Bronze Corpse let out an earth-shattering roar, and its thick arms formed fists to strike upward, like two cannons firing in rage.

    Sword and fist collided with a thunderous boom. The Bronze Corpse staggered back half a step, and the Huang Tingjian was sent flying backward from the rebound ¨C judging from the extent of their recoil, the Bronze Corpse¡¯s strength was overpowering the Sword Control Technique.

    Before the sword could stabilize and return, Yan Yu had already rushed forward, his right fist clenched, his muscles bulging.

    Curved Curse Punch.

    In a fair fight, even with Curved Curse activated, a Cultivator¡¯s physical strength couldn¡¯t match that of the Bronze Corpse. But as his opponent was reeling from the exchange with the Huangting Heavy Sword, Yan Yu¡¯s punch was impeccably timed, causing the already unsteady Corpse to further lose balance and unable to counter or block.

    Before the Bronze Corpse could regain its footing, another flurry of sword light slashed down¡ªthe Huang Tingjian was relentless! The Corpse General, out of options, could only roar in rage as it tried to lift its arms in defense.

    But how could it block in such a staggered state? The heavy sword struck for the second time, sending the Bronze Corpse flying, its body leaning heavily backward. Yan Yu seized the moment to close in again and unleashed another Curved Curse Punch.

    This time, the Bronze Corpse couldn¡¯t even muster a defensive stance; its robust form was sent flying sideways.

    Having broken through the enemy¡¯s defense, Yan Yu did not pursue further, but instead snapped his fingers and called out:

    ¡°Release!¡±

    The Bronze Corpse collapsed to the ground with a thud, rolling several times before coming to a motionless stop.

    Unknown when, a grey and dim hairpin was embedded in its forehead, locking away the clouded consciousness within its spiritual platform for good.

    White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin.

    ¡°Hahahahaha!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, standing behind with hands on his hips, burst into laughter, triumphantly shouting, ¡°How about that for my killer move, spot on, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Not bad,¡± Yan Yu also offered rare praise, ¡°Your aim this time was quite good.¡±

    Liu Longtao¡¯s face looked a bit unsightly. After all, if Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s killer move was spot on, then whose wasn¡¯t?

    But this wasn¡¯t the first time that Liu Longtao had dealt with Yan Yu and come up short. As the saying goes, ¡°Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence,¡± Liu Longtao didn¡¯t wallow in his negative emotions for too long and promptly urged: sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here fast!¡±

    Although the Bronze Corpse was nailed on the spot, and many of the corpse horde had been burned, there were still quite a few burning Iron Corpses on the periphery, now trying shakily to get up.

    These Iron Corpses had great strength, speed, and were impervious to swords and spears¡­ Coupled with their numbers, a head-on battle at this moment would undoubtedly lead to significant casualties.

    Considering that the cultivators from Goryeo had been eradicated, there was of course no need to force a fight here and suffer losses. A more cautious approach would be to clean up slowly afterward¡ªLord Master, although he liked to show off too, was fundamentally a cautious and prudent man. Any fool would have ordered a retreat to probe and attack at this point.

    Upon receiving the command, the Rikoku Cultivators quickly continued their escape, swiftly withdrawing along the narrow cliffs.

    Yan Yu and Liu Longtao stayed behind to block the remaining tide of corpses. After depleting most of their True Yuan, Lord Master also refrained from using his impressive Taoist Methods, merely batting away the approaching Iron Corpses with brute force, as if playing baseball.

    ¡°Speaking of which, Old Yan,¡± he casually asked as if making small talk, ¡°that move you used on the zombie a moment ago, could you talk about it?¡±

    Considering the collision between the Huang Tingjian and the Bronze Corpse, it was clearly outmatched in strength; if he had used the Sword Control Technique against it, he would have been at a great disadvantage, so Yan Yu¡¯s technique was definitely worth studying.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°It¡¯s quite simple. All you need to do is time each of your attacks for when the opponent¡¯s center of gravity is most off-balance and hit it. It¡¯s like pushing a swing¡ªit¡¯s easiest to push further when it¡¯s at its highest point.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Liu Longtao nodded.

    Even though Yan Yu explained it lightly, the actual execution was quite difficult. Without further questioning, Liu Longtao continued:

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry we didn¡¯t secure the Mysterious Realm this time, making you come here for nothing.¡±

    If the two teams had cooperated and taken down the Mysterious Realm, the subsequent gains would have likely been split evenly. However, since they failed to conquer the realm and gained nothing, that effectively meant they had come in vain.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine,¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly as he took out a bell from nowhere and casually tossed it in a parabolic arc, ¡°Here, take this, Old Liu.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this¡­¡± Catching the bell, Liu Longtao looked closer and was instantly dumbfounded.

    The core of the Mysterious Realm?

    Having personally led teams to take down several realms and having refined several of their cores, he could tell immediately that the bell was indeed a core Magic Artifact¡­ But where did it come from?

    ¡°You got it from that corpse general?¡± Liu Longtao asked incredulously.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°It was hanging by his waist.¡±

    ¡°And you took it while making your move?¡± Liu Longtao still couldn¡¯t believe it.

    ¡°Right, why else would I bother getting so close to him?¡± Yan Yu asked rhetorically, ¡°Couldn¡¯t I have just smashed him from a distance with my Sword Control Technique?¡±

    ¡°I thought you were just¡­¡± Liu Longtao started to say ¡°I thought you just wanted to show off¡± but quickly held his tongue as he realized (that would¡¯ve been embarrassing), offering a dry chuckle, he corrected himself, ¡°Ahem, since you obtained the core of the Mysterious Realm, that means you win this time. You should refine it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d rather not,¡± Yan Yu waved dismissively, ¡°It reeks of corpse stench, too nauseating. You can have it.¡±

    Liu Longtao: ¡­¡­¡­

    So I¡¯m the one who doesn¡¯t mind getting dirty and smelly?

    Well, it¡¯s fine¡­ at least we took down the Mysterious Realm.

    Yan Yu, you¡¯ve bested me this time, and I concede, for now.

    Next time, after more training, I¡¯ll come to learn from your expertise again.

    Though Liu Longtao thought so, he didn¡¯t verbally concede defeat but instead extended an invitation:

    ¡°After we get out, shall we stay here a few more days?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu laughed heartily, ¡°After all, it¡¯s a national tourist site. It would be a pity not to enjoy it properly for at least a day¡ªthey¡¯d never agree to that.¡±

    ¡°Old Yan, I have to say something about that,¡± Liu Longtao immediately said seriously, ¡°We, as esteemed men and team leaders, should be authoritative both at home and in our teams. How can we act just to please our women? You haven¡¯t even started a relationship and the troubles are already brewing. If you actually married them, wouldn¡¯t that force you to kowtow to them in everything, lest they turn the household upside down and leave no peace?¡±

    Yan Yu: ????

    ¡°Marry who?¡± he asked, utterly confused.

    ¡°Of course, you¡¯d marry a virtuous and kind woman,¡± Liu Longtao earnestly advised, ¡°Those who stir up trouble over nothing are fine for a fling. But for a lifelong companion, you need to find a sincere girl.¡±

 Chapter 142: 42: Clearly, I Was Here First

    Chapter 142: Chapter 42: Clearly, I Was Here First

    After everyone passed through the narrow mountain path, the strategic conquest of the mysterious realm finally entered the final stage.

    Although the Iron Corpses moved swiftly, they couldn¡¯t actually fly, so to get through this kind of mountain path, they had to proceed one by one.

    Then, they lined up only to be knocked down the mountain by Yan Yu with the Huang Tingjian. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Seeing his casual, leisurely and composed manner, the people behind him suddenly had a strange illusion¡ªas if these Iron Corpses were not immensely strong and impervious to swords and spears, but rather walking bowling pins, one after another.

    Only the girls of the Zhenhai Team remembered the words Yan Yu had mentioned earlier:

    No matter how the mysterious realm is designed, in the end, it¡¯s inanimate; there¡¯s always a way to deal with it¡­

    ¡°All set,¡± Liu Longtao said after he finished refining the core of the mysterious realm, ¡°I¡¯ll send everyone out.¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhao, please retract the hairpin,¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    Zhao Yuanzhen gestured with her hand, and the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, which she had already refined, suddenly flew back to her side from afar¡ªat the same time, the freed Bronze Corpses also began to howl pitifully in the distance.

    But the enemy no longer had the chance for revenge because, with Liu Longtao activating the core of the mysterious realm, everyone was transported out, back to the side of Heaven Pool.

    Looking carefully, goodness! The temporary camp haphazardly set up around the entrance to the mysterious realm had now been fortified with thick tactical walls, transforming into a long-term military base.

    The base¡¯s exterior walls were complete with machine-gun turrets and sniper watchtowers; drones patrolled back and forth in the sky, ceaselessly monitoring the surroundings of the base¡ªa clear sign that the imperial court was indeed furious over the Goryeo cultivators¡¯ sudden attack on the mysterious realm within its borders.

    Fully armed soldiers quickly came over, and after confirming the identities of Liu Longtao and the others, they escorted the medical team carrying the core of the mysterious realm away first.

    ¡°Are you still planning to go to the hot springs?¡± Ye Jun said with a smile, ¡°Just in case, we¡¯ve already booked the inn for a week.¡±

    The girls quickly exchanged glances, and Chen Lingyun asked with a laugh:

    ¡°Since it¡¯s already booked, it would indeed be a waste not to use it, right, Yan Yu, what do you think?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go,¡± Yan Yu said helplessly.

    After all, the last time they had been enjoying the hot springs when they were abruptly pulled away to the barracks to prepare for battle. Now that the matter was concluded, if he found an excuse to prevent their relaxation, he figured that grudge would last a lifetime.

    Yan Yu, having lived two lifetimes, was very clear about this: men mostly care about the end result, and the process isn¡¯t that important to them; but for women, it¡¯s the complete opposite. Even if the result is good, if the process upsets them¡­ just wait and see!

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll contact the inn,¡± Ye Jun said, taking out her phone again.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Back in town, the girls decided to stroll around nearby, buy some snacks, and calm their nerves that had been frightened by the zombies, so Yan Yu went back to the inn alone.

    The hot spring pools here were communal, so guests had to wear swimsuits to enter. But Ye Jun was indeed superb in handling matters, having reserved the entire second floor of the inn, ensuring that other than the Zhenhai Team, no other guests would come over.

    Yan Yu comfortably lounged half-submerged in the pool, beginning to organize his thoughts.

    In his previous life, since not a single word had leaked out about the Changbai Mountain mysterious realm, it must have been tightly sealed by the orders of the Lu Country.

    Although zombies had clear combat advantages, Lu Country still strictly prohibited the existence of corpse cultivation; reasons for this were a subject of much debate in the previous life, especially compared to the treatment of Necromancers who manipulated ghosts, it inevitably seemed quite hypocritical.

    But Yan Yu could guess why. After all, many spirits didn¡¯t exactly look human, and tampering with corpses was considered ¡°against social norms and customs¡±, so to avoid affecting the general public¡¯s perception of cultivators, the authorities decided to put a blanket ban in place from a governance perspective.

    Of course, this was unique to Lu Country alone.

    For example, in Southeast Asia where witchcraft culture thrives, they had no such taboo against corpse cultivation. Their Transcendent system included a profession called ¡°Wizard¡±, specifically referring to those who practice ¡°binding spirits¡± or ¡°refining corpses¡± and other dark arts. Similarly, the Spirit Communicators system in Siberia also had a profession called ¡°Necromancer¡±, which specialized in controlling zombies and ghosts.

    Some things you might deem too evil and ban, yet this doesn¡¯t stop your enemies from learning them, and after they¡¯ve mastered them, they come and use them against you¡­ That¡¯s just the way things are.

    Lounging lazily at the edge of the hot tub, Yan Yu felt the heat of the spring water expanding through his limbs, and suddenly a vague drowsiness enveloped him.

    The Changbai Mountain mysterious realm being sealed meant that the gains within could not be taken out and distributed, thus both teams on this mission had essentially come away empty-handed.

    But for Yan Yu, that wasn¡¯t quite the case.

    Lu Country¡¯s strict prohibition of corpse cultivation meant that domestic cultivators generally lacked experience in dealing with it. When the corpse-controlling Transcendents from other countries grew in strength, and they went to battlefields to face the zombies they command¡ªit was a dreadful thought, foreseeing how brutal it would be.

    Some things just can¡¯t be remembered through spoken or written words. Once they¡¯ve personally fought with zombies, the girls should have a rough understanding of how to deal with such enemies, and then this trip won¡¯t have been in vain¡­

    Yan Yu slowly closed his eyes, but then he heard a faint chatter coming from a distance:

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s so disgusting¡­¡±

    ¡°But why is Sister Zhao so powerful? We couldn¡¯t even make a dent in it.¡±

    ¡°Ha ha ha ha, of course, it¡¯s because I¡¯m very strong!¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhao, isn¡¯t that just stating the obvious?¡±

    ¡°It must be another trick learned from the captain.¡±

    The outside door swung open, and the girls wearing swimsuits walked in. Due to the steamy mist rising inside the room, they didn¡¯t notice Yan Yu in the pool. They were chatting and laughing without a care.

    Yan Yu squinted at them. According to the clich¨¦ in light novels, he should have held his breath and dived under the water, pretending he wasn¡¯t there¡ªbut on second thought, why should I do that?

    I was here first, right? If anyone should leave, it¡¯s you guys!

    The girls were all quite slender, so Yan Yu didn¡¯t let his gaze wander too much; he was just observing the style and colors of their swimsuits.

    Chen Lingyun wore a light blue one-piece swimsuit that had a strapless sleeveless top, showcasing her beautiful shoulders and collarbone. The wavy hem of a flounce skirt accentuating her sweet and delicate temperament, while cleverly concealing any figure flaws.

    Her hair was twisted up behind her head and secured with a clip, carefully enclosed in a tight transparent swim cap, presumably to avoid getting it dirty in the hot spring later.

    Next to her walked Su Yunjin, also in a one-piece dress-style swimsuit, but hers was an elegant pale green without the specific flounce hemline, looking fresh and clean.

    She carried a plastic bag in her hand, which seemed to contain various bottles and jars¡ªYan Yu suddenly remembered that in his previous life, Chen Lingyun would never use the provided toiletries in any hotel she stayed at; she always brought her own, stating that she wasn¡¯t comfortable with ¡°off-brand¡± products.

    Hmm, but the showers are outside, so the bag probably doesn¡¯t contain her shampoo and body wash.

    Leading the pack was Lin Ning, wearing a pure white bikini with no noteworthy details to describe. Her figure was more pronounced than both Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin¡¯s, probably because she exercised regularly. You could see her muscles on her arms and calves, but they were subtle, not compromising the overall softness and slimness of her form.

    As for Zhao Yuanzhen, who lagged behind, her figure was a leap up to a whole new realm; she wasn¡¯t competing in the same ¡®A¡¯ or ¡®B¡¯ league as her companions. As a notorious Demonic Sect Enchantress from her past life, her assets were naturally impressive. Yet her swimsuit was tightly wrapped around her¡ªindicating she hadn¡¯t fully assimilated into modern society¡¯s aesthetics, holding onto the modesty and conservatism characteristic of ancient women.

    Lin Ning was the first to rush to the edge of the pool, dipping her foot to test the water, she exclaimed:

    ¡°Yikes, it¡¯s so hot! Much hotter than last time!¡±

    ¡°If you stand barefoot on the cold tiles, of course, the water will feel hot,¡± Su Yunjin chuckled from behind.

    ¡°That makes sense.¡± Lin Ning sat at the edge of the pool, submerging her legs into the water. As her body gradually adjusted to the temperature, it didn¡¯t seem so unbearable anymore.

    Yan Yu watched her lazily, noticing that Lin Ning¡¯s gaze hadn¡¯t drifted to the side to where he was¡ªshe was leisurely swishing her legs through the water, enjoying herself.

    Su Yunjin placed her plastic bag on a bench nearby and asked everyone:

    ¡°Would you like something to drink?¡±

    It could get quite muggy in the indoor hot spring, making one thirsty after staying for a long time, so she had thoughtfully brought beverages from the hotel lobby.

    Chen Lingyun: ¡°Green Tea.¡±

    Lin Ning: ¡°I want Coke!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ¡°Assam milk tea.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡°Give me a bottle of mineral water.¡±

    The girls: ?

    Almost in an instant, everyone¡¯s gaze turned towards Yan Yu.

    Then their expressions changed dramatically.

 Chapter 143: 43: Everyone Comes to Please Me

    Chapter 143: Chapter 43: Everyone Comes to Please Me

    ¡°Why are you here!¡± Lin Ning was the first to yell out.

    Be it the training ground, the battlefield, or any other place, Ningning, in her role as the assault leader, was always at the forefront of the charge. There was no particular reason, other than her quick reaction times.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I be here?¡± Yan Yu yawned lazily in response, ¡°This isn¡¯t some women-only hot spring.¡±

    Lin Ning was at a loss for words, but quickly mustered the courage to retort,

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you weren¡¯t interested in hot springs?¡±

    ¡°I take that back,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, ¡°After fighting so many zombies in the Mysterious Realm, it¡¯s pretty normal to want to take a bath to get rid of the stench, right?¡±

    Seeing that Lin Ning was rendered speechless, Su Yunjin also felt a bit of a headache, so she simply grabbed a bottle of mineral water, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to Yan Yu, saying,

    ¡°It¡¯s fine if the Captain wants to come to the hot springs, but you could at least give us a heads up, otherwise, it¡¯s kind of awkward.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s so awkward about it?¡± Yan Yu took the mineral water and asked, puzzled.

    Just as Su Yunjin was about to explain, she realized she was wearing a swimsuit and bending over, so she quickly covered her neckline with her hand.

    Yan Yu was speechless. Secretary Su, although you¡¯re a bit stronger than Chen Lingyun, it¡¯s not like you need to be that modest, right?

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to explain to him,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Be careful or he might threaten you with more training.¡±

    With that reminder, the girls all fell silent.

    Since everyone was wearing bathing suits at the hot springs, it wasn¡¯t a big deal if the Captain saw them. Besides, this place wasn¡¯t specifically for women only, and there was no reason to drive the Captain away.

    To avoid giving Yan Yu further opportunity to admire their swimsuits, everyone quickly submerged themselves in the hot spring, up to their necks.

    Now, that felt more comfortable.

    Yan Yu gulped down a few mouthfuls of mineral water, then placed the bottle on the edge of the bath, proceeding to survey everyone with his gaze.

    The girls became uncomfortable again. Not that there was any lascivious intent in the Captain¡¯s gaze¡ªif that were the case, it would have been easier to deal with, since none present had issues with their looks; they were often given second glances by passersby of the opposite sex while walking down the street, and from a young age, they were accustomed to it.

    What really made everyone uneasy was that the more Yan Yu looked, the more he frowned, and his expression didn¡¯t seem too pleased, causing a sudden lack of confidence within the group, and their thoughts began to run wild.

    Zhao Yuanzhen thought, ¡°Is this rascal trying to find an excuse to pick on me again?¡± so she quietly brought her hands together under the water, ready to splash hot spring water in his face the moment he started to complain.

    When he would be blinded by the water, she would rush over and pin him down for a wild beating, venting the many deep grudges she accumulated over the past half a year!

    Su Yunjin worried, ¡°Last time, to avoid training, I lied to the Captain about having my period, and now here I am soaking in the hot springs just a few days later. What if he remembers?¡±

    The more she thought, the more frightened she became, nervously submerging herself further in the hot spring, only her eyes peeking out, blinking non-stop.

    I¡¯m wrong, Captain! Just look for someone else, sob sob sob, don¡¯t put pressure on me anymore!

    Lin Ning thought, ¡°Everyone¡¯s wearing one-piece swimsuits, and I¡¯m the only one in a two-piece. Am I showing too much skin? Is that why Yan Yu keeps looking this way?¡±

    She glared fiercely at Yan Yu, unable to tell whether she was annoyed or embarrassed, but she was determined to overpower him in terms of presence.

    Only Chen Lingyun was thinking nothing at all, quietly enjoying the hot spring and letting out a long, comfortable sigh.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you all talking?¡± Yan Yu finally broke the silence, ¡°Were you scared by the horde of zombies in the Mysterious Realm?¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°strong, fast, impenetrable to blades and spears¡­ the design intent to target Cultivators is pretty obvious.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°Cultivators who practice necromancy naturally consider other Cultivators as their hypothetical enemies; ordinary military forces aren¡¯t worth the effort for Cultivators to specifically research evil arts to counter them.¡±

    ¡°Moreover, the most formidable aspect of the necromancy sect is that a single Cultivator can command two to three corpses in battle. If the command standards are lowered, that number could rise to ten or even twenty.¡±

    ¡°So, if you¡¯re dealing with uncommanded, tacticless zombies, you need to be prepared to take on as many as come at you to even meet the minimum standard. As for your performance in the Mysterious Realm this time, to be honest¡­¡±

    The girls instantly grew anxious upon hearing this because, according to the usual pattern, after criticizing their performance, he often smoothly transitioned to, ¡°It looks like we¡¯ll need more training.¡±

    To prevent him from uttering those diabolical words, Chen Lingyun quickly deployed a topic-changing trick and laughed, ¡°But come to think of it, could there be corpse poison on these zombies?¡±

    ¡°Corpse poison?¡± Yan Yu paused, then answered, ¡°There is such a thing, but at this stage, it¡¯s not something to worry about. With your frail little bodies, if you¡¯re scratched by a zombie, you¡¯d be dead anyway, so why worry about getting infected with corpse poison? The focus should be on being absolutely certain you won¡¯t get scratched. Judging by your performance in the Mysterious Realm, while there¡¯s the factor of being unfamiliar with new things, your ability to deal with emergencies is still relatively weak¡­¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen had already understood the hint and hurriedly pounced over to catch Yan Yu, saying,

    ¡°First, let me check and see if you got scratched, if there¡¯s any residual corpse poison left it¡¯ll be terrible!¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Yan Yu said irritably, ¡°Even if you got scratched to death, I wouldn¡¯t be hurt!¡±

    ¡°Just to be safe. It¡¯s inevitable to get hurt sometimes, and being extra careful never hurts,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen casually said, her hands wandering over Yan Yu¡¯s chest and back, but he caught her wrists, looking at her suspiciously,

    ¡°What are you doing? Ingenuity without cause is either sinister or thievery!¡±

    Being questioned about her motives right in front of everyone, the Demonic Sect Enchantress almost exploded in anger, and she swore silently in her heart:

    ¡°This scoundrel questions my intentions and diminishes my fairy dignity in front of them today, such a towering hatred, I shall not let it go easily! Once I find an opportunity to turn the tables, I must humiliate him thoroughly in front of them to vent the hatred in my heart!¡±

    Su Yunjin was also startled by Zhao¡¯s overly deliberate and exaggerated behavior, which provoked the captain¡¯s suspicions, and she quickly spoke up to smooth things over,

    ¡°Captain, Sister Zhao is just concerned about you. By the way, do you need bath salts? I saw some self-service bath salts at the entrance, should I get some for you?¡±

    ¡°Bath salts?¡± Yan Yu, who trusted Secretary Su more, didn¡¯t think much of it and was just surprised when he asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t bath salts for back scrubbing? You girls can help each other with that. I don¡¯t need it.¡±

    Su Yunjin was immediately deflated, and Lin Ning quickly came to the rescue:

    ¡°No problem, I¡¯ll scrub the captain¡¯s back! Yun Jin, you go get the bath salts!¡±

    In order to divert the captain¡¯s attention, Sister Lin simply went all in. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Her readiness to sacrifice herself for the cause obviously influenced Su Yunjin, who said ¡°okay¡± with a solemn expression and climbed out of the bath, then wrapped her wet body with a long bath towel and quickly walked outside.

    Yan Yu also felt it was rather odd and asked in confusion,

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you from Minhai? Do people there also have a tradition of scrubbing in baths?¡±

    Lin Ning, who had been somewhat embarrassed about insisting on going through with it, actually got annoyed first when she heard this, and exclaimed,

    ¡°Cut the crap! Turn around!¡±

    Without further ado, she turned Yan Yu around to face his back toward her, then demanded,

    ¡°Towel!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen immediately went to fetch a towel, simultaneously giving Lin Ning a meaningful look that said:

    Scrub hard! Scrub a layer of skin off his back!

    Lin Ning received the towel, rolled it up roughly, and with the vigor of a novice painter, grasped the rolled up towel with both hands and scrubbed up and down along Yan Yu¡¯s spinal column.

    ¡°How¡¯s that?¡± she asked, huffing, ¡°Is the pressure okay?¡±

    ¡°Mm, not bad,¡± Yan Yu commented.

    Of course, it couldn¡¯t compare to the technique of a professional bath scrubber, but the fact that she was willing to exert force was comforting¡ªBut Lin Ning is actually giving me a back scrub!

    What¡¯s going on? Does she want a favor from me? Or did she make some mistake and is trying to lay the groundwork for making amends?

    ¡°The bath salts are here,¡± said Su Yunjin, wrapped in a bath towel, returning with a small bag of milk bath salts, placing it beside Lin Ning¡¯s left hand.

    Seeing Yan Yu enjoying the scrubbing service and seemingly forgetting about the extra training for the moment, she also let out a quiet sigh of relief and smilingly said,

    ¡°Would the captain like to drink something else? I¡¯ll go get it for you.¡±

    ¡°Just pick any beverage,¡± Yan Yu ventured.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Su Yunjin turned and began to pour a drink for Yan Yu.

    Seeing her so obedient and compliant, Yan Yu was finally able to confirm that for some reason, they must be in a state of ¡°wanting to please me.¡±

    So¡­

    ¡°Zhao, come over and give my shoulders a massage. And my arms, too, they¡¯re really sore today,¡± Yan Yu commanded without any hesitation, ¡°Chen Lingyun, go outside and fetch some fruit for me. Grapes, cherry tomatoes, make sure they¡¯re washed clean, peel them for me and put them on a plate to bring back.¡±

 Chapter 144: 44 The Sorrowful Sister Lin

    Chapter 144: Chapter 44 The Sorrowful Sister Lin

    In the evening, a hotel room.

    Lin Ning suddenly woke up from the bed and felt a lingering soreness in her arms.

    It was probably from scrubbing the team leader¡¯s back for too long in the hot springs¡­ Hmph, it was all the team leader¡¯s fault!

    He thought about nothing but extra practice all day, and even after we¡¯d just finished the mysterious realm, couldn¡¯t he give us a break?

    She got up, slipped into the hotel¡¯s slippers, and decided to make a trip to the restroom.

    As she passed by Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s bed, due to the fact that there were no lights on, Lin Ning accidentally tripped over the foot of the bed and fell onto it.

    Hmm, empty?

    She reached into the covers to feel around, and indeed found no one there, and there was no warmth to it either; it seemed she had been gone for quite a while.

    Where had Sister Zhao gone?

    After using the toilet, Lin Ning returned to her own bed, but now she found herself unable to fall asleep.

    She checked her phone and saw it was 11:30 p.m.

    Where had Sister Zhao gone?

    Although their relationship hadn¡¯t yet reached a point where they could meddle in each other¡¯s business, Lin Ning was inherently a worrisome character. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to skillfully chant persuasion spells in high school.

    After silently thinking for a good while, Lin Ning finally picked up her phone and sent Zhao Yuanzhen a text message.

    [Ningning]: Where are you?

    [Ningning]: I¡¯m a bit worried about you.

    [Ningning]: Reply when you see this.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, of course, hadn¡¯t seen the message because she was currently dual cultivating with Yan Yu.

    The two of them were sitting opposite each other on the bed, joining palms and transferring True Yuan to each other, performing the dual version of the Grand Circulation.

    As they breathed in and out deeply, wisps of white vapor even started appearing on their foreheads, a sign of True Yuan being refined to an exquisite level.

    After an unknown period, they slowly withdrew their hands and began to breath out the energy.

    Zhao Yuanzhen sneakily glanced at Yan Yu, her thoughts somewhat complex.

    Through their lengthy dual cultivation, she had come to recognize Yan Yu¡¯s aptitude for cultivation, which couldn¡¯t even be described as a lump of mud¡ªit was practically nonexistent.

    On the other hand, what stood out in sharp contrast to his wretched aptitude was his rich combat strength and experience, which didn¡¯t at all resemble that of a low-level cultivator.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress, after observing for some time, was certain that even the battle-renowned senior sisters from her sect wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against her partner in a real fight.

    If the great orthodox sects valued aptitude and foundation, then the Demonic Sect was the very epitome of craving quick success and instant benefits, where being able to fight and kill was paramount. Therefore, she didn¡¯t dwell too much on Yan Yu¡¯s cultivation aptitude, but was instead very curious about how he possessed such strength.

    Hmm, it must have been the nurturing of his master.

    With all the mysterious aspects about Yan Yu that she couldn¡¯t explain, Zhao Yuanzhen attributed them all to that powerful master behind him, and she coveted that mentorship greatly.

    Of course, the rascal Yan Yu was very cautious in this regard, always refusing to reveal the slightest hint, which annoyed and galled Zhao Yuanzhen considerably.

    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± she asked casually, ¡°when are we going to exchange our yuan yang and yuan yin?¡±

    ¡°At the time of the union of the dragon and the tiger, it has the effect of breaking through bottlenecks,¡± Yan Yu had thought about this and answered, ¡°Of course, it¡¯s to be used for attempting to achieve the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment stage.¡±

    This was the anticipated answer. Since it could break through bottlenecks, naturally it would be saved for when they encountered one, to maximize its benefits.

    But Zhao Yuanzhen was still faintly displeased and said with a snort:

    ¡°Waiting for you to reach the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment stage, who knows when that will be!¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t take long,¡± Yan Yu replied calmly.

    In his former life, he had always been a mere mortal, so there was no concern for cultivation levels. But in this life¡­ based on Lord Master¡¯s rate of progress, he had unrivaled talents and an abundance of resources, so he was essentially chasing the tail of the spiritual energy ceiling.

    If I, Yan Yu, am to be the strongest in this world, then I definitely need to keep up with the pace of leveling up, right?

    ¡°You¡¯d better be,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied, her face full of displeasure as she stood up.

    She left Yan Yu¡¯s room, pulling the door closed behind her. As she turned around, she saw Lin Ning standing in utter shock at the doorway of the room they shared:

    ¡°¡­Sister Zhao?¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    After spending a night in the town, the group set off on their return flight to Jinling the next day.

    Since there was no team confrontation, there wasn¡¯t a need for a debrief session. They only had Chen Lingyun send the video recording to everyone for the ladies to watch and analyze on their own.

    Yan Yu, lying in his seat, gazed at the sea of clouds outside the porthole and suddenly felt a bit sentimental.

    In his previous life, after the Spiritual Energy Resurgence had reached the stage of Sword Flight, airplane passengers would occasionally see sword light cutting through the distant clouds from their windows. That was the unique light effect of Rikoku Cultivators performing Sword Flight, a phenomenon exclusive to them, with no other branches worldwide.

    It even led to the popular online ¡°Sword Light Atlas,¡± which detailed what color of sword light indicated which Cultivator was in flight¡­ Although it reflected the public¡¯s support and adoration for Cultivators, it also meant that Cultivators had zero privacy when traveling, as their sword light streaking across the sky couldn¡¯t be hidden¡ªeveryone below saw it.

    As a result, unless absolutely necessary, everyone preferred not to travel by Sword Flight. Step out today, and by tomorrow you¡¯re trending¡ªquite bothersome indeed.

    Yawning, Yan Yu saw Chen Lingyun sit down next to him and smile as she said, sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°I have good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s hear the good news first, then the bad,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently.

    ¡°Oh, why is that?¡± Chen Lingyun blinked curiously.

    ¡°Do I not know you by now?¡± Yan Yu glanced at her scornfully, ¡°You never bring any good news, only bad news and worse news.¡±

    ¡°Humph,¡± Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t argue and simply smiled as she revealed the answer, ¡°The good news is, remember the prisoner we brought back?¡±

    ¡°Mm,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°What about him?¡±

    ¡°His value is greater than we initially thought,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°And the worse news?¡±

    ¡°The bad news is he escaped,¡± Chen Lingyun said meaningfully, ¡°The information from this Mysterious Realm will be strictly sealed and kept top secret¡­ To put it simply, our trip to the Mysterious Realm this time was for naught, and we are not to mention it to anyone ever again.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you let it slip,¡± Yan Yu immediately understood.

    With Park Changmin at the mercy of Lu Country, if he could make it back home and pass the screening, he would of course become an extremely important intelligence agent¡ªof course, at this point in time, Lu Country had not yet realized the true value of the Goryeo Sword Master.

    ¡°So what happened to him later in my previous life?¡± Chen Lingyun asked curiously.

    ¡°He became the Goryeo Sword Master,¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°He was on par with Liu Longtao, a solid fifty-fifty match. Impressive, right?¡±

    ¡°That really is amazing~¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s defense broke, and she laughed until tears came out, ¡°To be on equal footing with the Goryeo Sword Master, Lord Master must feel quite honored.¡±

    As she wiped the tear from laughing from the corner of her eye, she suddenly said,

    ¡°By the way, Ningning seems a bit off, do you know why?¡±

    ¡°Lin Ning? Off mood?¡± Yan Yu looked back at Lin Ning.

    All he saw was Sister Lin sitting in the back row opposite him, one hand resting beside the porthole, as she gazed sorrowfully at the sea of clouds outside. Amazingly, she bore an uncanny resemblance to Sister Lin¡ªnaturally, in the version from Dream of the Red Chamber.

    Yan Yu¡¯s mind instantly conjured up an image, seeing Lin Ning speak like a bitter lemon, saying with a sour tone,

    ¡°I¡¯m not fortunate enough to be so cherished, can¡¯t compare to others who are asked if they¡¯re warm or cold, I¡¯m just a nobody.¡±

    Stop! Hold it right there!

    He quickly averted his gaze and asked Chen Lingyun,

    ¡°What¡¯s up with her?¡±

    ¡°How would I know?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a laugh.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you find a way to know?¡± Yan Yu countered her question with another.

    ¡°Alright, I admit I am a bit curious,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a helpless smile, ¡°but there are more important things lately, so I didn¡¯t have time to figure it out. That¡¯s why I came to ask you.¡±

    ¡°I truly have no idea,¡± Yan Yu said bemused, ¡°We just finished the Mysterious Realm yesterday, and there were no extra practices. How would I know why she¡¯s unhappy? Maybe her relatives came.¡±

    ¡°They didn¡¯t,¡± Chen Lingyun denied, ¡°Her relatives aren¡¯t due until the end of the month¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s about enough,¡± Yan Yu immediately interrupted her, ¡°I don¡¯t want to know about her menstrual cycle, and I also don¡¯t want to know why you know about her menstrual cycle, but I have to remind you of something: Ensuring the mental well-being of our team members is also part of the Vice-Captain¡¯s duties. If she messes up in the upcoming training, I¡¯ll hold you responsible.¡±

    ¡°The Vice-Captain has to manage that, too?¡± Chen Lingyun laughed in surprise, ¡°Is there such a rule?¡±

    ¡°There is,¡± Yan Yu said earnestly, ¡°It¡¯s a rule for our team, which I just made up.¡±

 Chapter 145: 45: Let Old Liu Have a Hard Time

    Chapter 145: Chapter 45: Let Old Liu Have a Hard Time

    After returning to Jinling, what awaited the members of the Zhenhai Team was not a commendation ceremony or any sort of cash reward, but secrecy regulations regarding this mysterious realm.

    ¡°This regulation is extremely important, you must remember it well,¡± Instructor Qi Changping emphasized repeatedly, ¡°especially you, Yan Yu. Don¡¯t accidentally let it slip out just because you¡¯re trying to show off.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®showing off¡¯?¡± Yan Yu asked, puzzled, ¡°If strength is prestige, I see no need for me to pretend deliberately¡­¡±

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough from you,¡± Qi Changping also started to feel a headache, and holding his forehead, he said, ¡°I¡¯m not joking with you, you must never mention anything about this mysterious realm, regardless of whether it¡¯s family or friends asking, or media journalists interviewing you.¡±

    ¡°Then what should we say?¡± Lin Ning asked, ¡°Say ¡®don¡¯t know¡¯ or ¡®can¡¯t say¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Just say ¡®military secret, no comment,''¡± Qi Changping replied.

    ¡°Got it.¡± Everyone nodded and signed their names on the confidentiality agreement.

    ¡°The rest of you may leave,¡± Qi Changping told the girls, then looked at Yan Yu, ¡°You, come to the principal¡¯s office.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Yan Yu said.

    After every trip to the mysterious realm, Li Weiguo would call him to the office for a chat; it had almost become a team tradition.

    Familiar with the route, he quickly made his way to the administrative building, hastened up the stairs, and as he neared the principal¡¯s office, he suddenly heard a rich, resonant middle-aged man¡¯s voice from inside:

    ¡°¡­Yeah, don¡¯t worry. Alright, my dear, I have my plans.¡±

    Yan Yu immediately furrowed his brow, sensing that things were getting complicated.

    Ah, who could be talking inside there?

    He knocked on the door of the principal¡¯s office, and heard that voice say:

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    Yan Yu pushed the door open and saw a middle-aged man standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, who had just hung up a call on his cell phone.

    The man¡¯s facial features were well-proportioned, and the details in his eyebrows and eyes bore some resemblance to Chen Lingyun, neatly dressed from head to toe, hair combed without a strand out of place, sporting a thick mustache and a beard under his chin (modern men in Lu Country still considered beards to be a sign of beauty)¡ªjust by looking, one could tell this man was definitely mature, reliable, and politically astute.

    Or to be more precise, this middle-aged man present here was none other than Chen Father, the head of the Chen Family, the venerable Elder Chen of Mount Taishan, plus Chen Lingyun, the second-ranked Governor of Jiang Hai, Chen Tianming.

    ¡°Sit,¡± Chen Tianming said to Yan Yu, gesturing with his hand.

    There was always a chair in front of the principal¡¯s desk, which Yan Yu was familiar with; he pulled the chair over and sat down without a word.

    Chen Tianming took out some tea leaves from the cupboard and casually asked:

    ¡°Would you like some tea? I roasted these leaves myself; I brought some for Li Weiguo.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    Chen Tianming brewed the tea and handed a cup to Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu, without being courteous, picked it up and slowly drank, while Chen Tianming sat down in the principal¡¯s chair and said:

    ¡°You¡¯ve done well this time, not only wiping out the enemy cultivators but also capturing the core of Changbai Mountain¡¯s mysterious realm, and incidentally putting the Dingbei Army in its place.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s what we should do,¡± Yan Yu nodded and said.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Chen Tianming interlocked his fingers elegantly and placed his hands on the desk, pondering for a moment, then continued, ¡°Can you guess why the secrecy is necessary?¡±

    ¡°It must be due to considerations regarding international diplomacy,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    The reason he had shared his foresight advantage with Chen Lingyun was firstly that he thoroughly understood her and was sure she wouldn¡¯t talk outside, and secondly, to use her information channels to confirm his own judgments.

    However, Chen Tianming was completely different, a political animal; it was best to avoid entanglements where possible.

    The so-called ¡°speaking deeply on shallow acquaintance¡± has always been a taboo throughout history¡­ The reason Chen Lingyun could be an exception was purely because he had truly formed a deep relationship with her, and Yan Yu was one hundred percent certain of what kind of person she was deep down.

    ¡°Mm¡ª¡± Chen Tianming drew out his words in a meaningful tone, giving Yan Yu an intense and thoughtful look, ¡°That¡¯s one way to put it.¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu, do you usually pay attention to international affairs?¡± He scrutinized Yan Yu¡¯s expression carefully.

    ¡°Not really,¡± Yan Yu denied emphatically, ¡°I¡¯ve never been involved in internet politics.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a pity,¡± Chen Tianming said offhandedly, ¡°I think it¡¯s better for young people to be more informed about current affairs.¡±

    Such thoughts could only come from someone of your level¡­ Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but mentally retort.

    Chen Tianming stared at Yan Yu for a long time before finally continuing:

    ¡°The geopolitical situation in East Asia mainly refers to the triangular relationship between Lu Country, Ying, and Goryeo, with its roots in the overall confrontation between Lu and Miti in the Pacific Ocean region.¡±

    ¡°Our long-term strategy in this area is to dismantle Ying from Miti¡¯s alliance system and prevent the formation of the first island chain. This goal is extremely difficult to achieve because our overall strength is increasing, which tends to make Ying feel threatened and thus more inclined to side with Miti.¡±

    ¡°The requirement for secrecy in the Changbai Mountain Mysterious Realm is also due to the need to dissolve international friction with Goryeo. I hope you and your teammates can understand this point.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Yan Yu readily agreed, ¡°I¡¯ll act as if I never fought in that Mysterious Realm.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Chen Tianming nodded and continued, ¡°After that Goryeo Cultivator returns home, he will claim he defeated Lu Country¡¯s team and captured the central hub of Changbai Mountain¡¯s Mysterious Realm.¡±

    ¡°We will publicly deny this, but since the Changbai Mountain Mysterious Realm is tightly sealed by Lu Country, it will seem to the outside world that we can¡¯t develop the Mysterious Realm. When the time comes, there will certainly be many international rumors favoring the notion that Goryeo captured Changbai Mountain¡­ Speaking of which, you don¡¯t visit foreign forums, do you?¡±

    ¡°Circumventing the firewall is illegal.¡± Yan Yu reminded him with composure.

    Are you trying to fish for information here?

    ¡°That¡¯s good, though. Civilian attempts to bypass the firewall are incessant, so it¡¯s not guaranteed that someone won¡¯t use this to speak ill of you guys in the future,¡± Chen Tianming said slowly, ¡°But then again¡­ A moment¡¯s pride counts for little. Only those who have the last laugh are the true winners. Besides, you are all still very young, and there will be plenty more opportunities to earn glory in the future.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Yan Yu echoed repeatedly, also understanding the intention behind Chen Tianming¡¯s talk with him.

    After all, from the team¡¯s perspective, they had completely annihilated the Goryeo Cultivator and captured the Changbai Mountain Mysterious Realm, yet the other side claimed victory, and they were even unable to win the debate in international public opinion. It felt as frustrating as seeing someone else successfully registering a cultural heritage that belongs to you.

    Loss!

    But after all, Yan Yu had the advantage of foresight, knowing that Park Changmin, the low-quality goods, really became the Sword God of Goryeo later. Relying on his lofty reputation and transcendental status at home, he enjoyed the full support of national resources, yet he couldn¡¯t beat Lu Country in international competition. Considering he had leverage over Lu Country now, many preposterous events from his past life began to make sense¡ªPark Changmin, you don¡¯t want your country, people, and legions of fans to learn about our secret cooperation, do you?

    Lu Country merely surrendered a useless Changbai Mountain Mysterious Realm, and successfully capped Goryeo¡¯s top-tier Cultivation force, eliminating them early from future geopolitical competition. East Asia¡¯s strategic goal, unachievable for decades, was met halfway with this divine maneuver.

    Win! Big win!

    Of course, if facts are to be set aside, Yan Yu personally dislikes such methods.

    After all, the older generation always believed in the maxim ¡°endure suffering before enjoying success.¡± If future happiness was assured, enduring the present was tolerable. But Yan Yu was not comfortable with this approach¡ªif he had a choice, he would prefer to beat Goryeo and Goryeo heavily. You can¡¯t beat me so you resort to huddling with Miti? Then I¡¯ll just go after Miti too and obliterate you all!

    What does ¡®endure suffering before success¡¯ mean? I want ¡®sweet now, sweet later¡¯! I want to win in the future, and I want to win now; damn it, I want to win from start to finish!

    ¡°If we¡¯re going to keep it a secret, can we make it more thorough?¡± Yan Yu suggested proactively, ¡°For instance, erasing the record of the Zhenhai Team¡¯s participation this time?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t want a public defeat on record, huh?¡± Chen Tianming smiled faintly, instantly seeing through Yan Yu¡¯s intent, ¡°If it¡¯s like that, it¡¯s as if let the Dingbei Army bear the brunt of this bad reputation alone¡­ But that can be arranged. Under the Qiantang River is the Six-Fold Pagoda; your achievement might not be mentioned, but rest assured, the state certainly remembers.¡± Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Then I have no objections,¡± Yan Yu nodded reservedly, thinking to himself, Sorry Old Liu, I really owe you one this time.

    After all, you¡¯ve lost our bet. You lose to me, and you lose to Goryeo either way, so just bear the burden with dignity. ¡®Sacrifice for the sake of the country,¡¯ right?

    ¡°Now that the formalities are out of the way.¡± Chen Tianming stood up and continued to pour tea for Yan Yu, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about something else.¡±

    ¡°What do you think of Ling Yun¡¯s performance in the team?¡±

    ¡°Pretty good, outstanding,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°She perfectly fulfilled her duties.¡±

    This was not just lip service. Chen Lingyun, as a second in command, truly did perform flawlessly. In her previous life, she was mainly a team leader because of insufficient strength; she had to rely on her intellect and strategy to compensate, often giving off the impression of being fragile like ¡°running around causing trouble but then getting knocked out with a direct punch.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± Chen Tianming¡¯s face showed neither happiness nor anger, just a calm contemplativeness.

    After a long pause, he took a sip of tea and asked slowly:

    ¡°The domestic teams are about to expand on a large scale. If I transfer Ling Yun from your team to form her own team, to stand on her own, what would you think?¡±

    ¡°I would wholeheartedly support it,¡± Yan Yu said solemnly.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Chen Tianming chuckled in surprise, ¡°I thought you would ask me to keep her.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need,¡± Yan Yu said candidly, ¡°For the nation, having Chen Lingyun lead a new team and nurturing more elite Cultivators maximizes overall interest; but for her personally, staying on my team will help her improve faster, maximizing personal interest.¡±

    ¡°Both outcomes are irrelevant to my interests, so I support either way. As for what you decide, it depends on your starting point, whether you plan to act as a leader or as her father.¡±

    Chen Tianming¡¯s expression remained unchanged. After listening to Yan Yu, he showed a faint smile and said deliberately:

    ¡°You are mistaken about one thing: as one of the most elite Cultivators, accelerating the improvement of her strength also constitutes a part of the national interest.¡±

    Once Yan Yu heard this, he immediately guessed the answer:

    This old timer never intended to transfer his useless daughter away; he¡¯s just equivocating and testing me!

 Chapter 146: 46: Failure to Sell Father

    Chapter 146: Chapter 46: Failure to Sell Father

    Leaving the principal¡¯s office, Yan Yu encountered Chen Lingyun at the entrance of the administration building.

    Princess Snob had already changed out of the down jacket she wore in the Northeast. She now wore a white shirt, pleated skirt, and little leather shoes, exposing arms and calves as pale and delicate as jade.

    A delicate velvet hat sat atop her head, and she was holding a parasol, elegantly standing under the shade of trees by the flowerbed, waiting for someone¡¯s return.

    ¡°What is this, a Jiang Hai socialite¡¯s getup?¡± Yan Yu¡¯s expression took on a bit of a squint as he stepped a few paces away from her, ¡°Which nightclub¡¯s VIP room princess are you?¡±>

    ¡°Dear,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile, ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to have a high taste in clothing, but at least you should learn to recognize brands¡­ So what did my dad say to you?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much,¡± Yan Yu sighed deeply, ¡°We talked about why the Mysterious Realm needs to be kept secret, and then he probed our relationship.¡±

    Impatiently, he moved forward when suddenly his view darkened¡ªChen Lingyun was walking beside him, and her parasol also shielded him from the blazing sun above.

    ¡°This is indeed his habit,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°He¡¯s assessing your value, and evaluating potential risks you might bring.¡±

    ¡°The risk he¡¯s worried about is me abducting you,¡± Yan Yu said casually, ¡°But at least it shows he treasures you like a gem.¡±

    ¡°Mhm, of course my dad loves me,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smiling eyes narrowed into crescents.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s more than that,¡± Yan Yu said with a hint of sarcasm, ¡°Your thought patterns, your values, they all match your father¡¯s to a tee. It¡¯s clear he¡¯s grooming you as his successor.¡±

    ¡°After all, I am the only daughter of our family,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile remained unchanged.

    ¡°Which means,¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°that the reason you turned out to be such a snob¡ªbesides your own contribution¡ªis that 99% of the blame falls on your father.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll just take that as ¡®excellent,''¡± Chen Lingyun said with a laugh, ¡°Thank you for the compliment.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°I¡¯ve also made my stance clear to your dad.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d better not play any tricks on him,¡± Chen Lingyun cautioned, ¡°He¡¯s very good at reading people.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Yan Yu said disdainfully, ¡°Even if he doesn¡¯t like me, what can he do? Fire me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible for him to dismiss you,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°but he¡¯s got a thousand ways to make you uncomfortable, so I suggest you don¡¯t deliberately provoke him.¡±

    ¡°Trying to scare me, huh?¡± Yan Yu chuckled coldly and sneered, ¡°Your dad doesn¡¯t care about my attitude toward him, only whether I¡¯m beneficial or harmful to him. As long as I can lead the team to achieve results, he will tolerate all my offenses.¡±

    ¡°Not quite,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile faded as she spoke solemnly, ¡°You said it yourself, he¡¯s grooming me as his successor, so he wouldn¡¯t see his son-in-law as a pawn to be used, but rather as another junior to nurture¡ªor at least, the person must satisfy him.¡±

    ¡°I know, but what does that have to do with me?¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly, ¡°Why doesn¡¯t he pick a son-in-law from those political aristocratic families?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have confidence in yourself?¡± Chen Lingyun covered her mouth in surprise.

    ¡°Don¡¯t presuppose. We¡¯re discussing your dad,¡± Yan Yu said impatiently, ¡°When he¡¯s choosing a son-in-law for you, he must be looking at those in Lord Master¡¯s circle, right?¡±

    ¡°Wrong,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a head shake and a smile, ¡°he ought to be looking in our circle.¡±

    Yan Yu: ?

    ¡°You mean¡­ Cultivators?¡± he asked uncertainly.

    ¡°Right,¡± Chen Lingyun said lightly, ¡°After all, the future belongs to the era of Cultivators.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu frowned deeply, recalling, ¡°Your dad just reached that position, to consolidate his status quickly, he should choose to ally with other factions, and marriage is the best way to form alliances.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t deny, ¡°but don¡¯t forget, I am not only his only daughter but also his successor. Would he really sacrifice my future just for that bit of a political bargaining chip? In fact, don¡¯t forget that there¡¯s another way that is more effective and direct to get what he wants than faction alliances.¡±

    ¡°You mean¡­¡± Yan Yu suddenly realized, ¡°the violence wielded by Cultivators?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s deterrence,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°like nuclear weapons, they are most powerful not when the mushroom cloud blooms but when they lie on the launchpad.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s why your father takes a radical stance,¡± Yan Yu also had a sudden insight, ¡°because only in a chaotic and turbulent situation can he find the best ladder for his ascent! Cultivators will bring about the changes he desires, all he has to do is stir the waters vigorously!¡±

    ¡°Could you read fewer political intrigue novels?¡± Chen Lingyun couldn¡¯t help but sigh, ¡°The resurgence of Spiritual Energy wasn¡¯t caused by my family; my father is just going with the flow.¡±

    ¡°The reason he ¡®goes with the flow¡¯ is also because his own daughter is a top-tier Cultivator, right?¡± Yan Yu said with undisguised sarcasm, ¡°If you were an ordinary person incapable of cultivating, I¡¯m sure his attitude would be different.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not qualified enough as it stands,¡± Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t hide the truth and spoke frankly, ¡°To be a human-shaped nuclear bomb, one must at least possess power that could rival a country.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s dreaming,¡± Yan Yu scoffed again, ¡°A great Cultivator who could rival a country, what kind of woman can¡¯t he find? Why would he be so eager to become your father-in-law and accept the role of being called dad?¡±

    ¡°Of course not now,¡± Chen Lingyun smiled again, ¡°The Spiritual Energy Resurgence hasn¡¯t been around for long; he has plenty of time for long-term investments.¡±

    ¡°So I am also one of his investment targets, aren¡¯t I?¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°A ¡®father-in-law angel fund,¡¯ is that it?¡±

    ¡°One of them,¡± Chen Lingyun corrected him, ¡°In his eyes, you should be the most valuable investment target at the moment, but not the only one.¡±

    ¡°In any case, if I were you, I would try my best to showcase my value in front of him. Who will eventually become his son-in-law, that¡¯s a matter for the future. For now, let¡¯s draw sufficient benefits from the ¡®father-in-law angel fund¡¯ first.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, you make some sense,¡± Yan Yu stroked his chin in thought.

    ¡°Why not take a free advantage?¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile grew even sweeter, ¡°Right?¡±

    ¡°But, I refuse!¡± Yan Yu suddenly declared loudly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t joke around,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile disappeared, and she asked with displeasure in her furrowed brow, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Why wouldn¡¯t you want it? Do you think you have too much of an advantage already and want to add some difficulty to your life ahead?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it,¡± Yan Yu shook his head in denial, ¡°I¡¯m just worried that this is a trick of yours, that if I accept too many favors from your father, I¡¯ll be cornered into marrying you in the future, and that would be troublesome.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Chen Lingyun was both annoys and amused, ¡°Am I going to tie you up and drag you to the registry office or something?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not naive enough not to understand the maneuvers of a rich lolita like you,¡± Yan Yu spoke with a disdainful look, ¡°You use substantial benefits as bait, saying let¡¯s start as friends, then you start playing ambiguous games, like sharing a bed because it¡¯s cold at night, or needing a hug after a nightmare¡­ Anyway, you entice a man to make a mistake and then play innocent afterwards, demanding he take responsibility and trapping him for the rest of his life!¡±

    ¡°Is that how I captured you in my previous life?¡± Chen Lingyun looked bemused.

    That¡¯s not my style at all¡­ Could it be that some other rich lolita played such a game with him?

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense,¡± Yan Yu immediately shook his head in denial, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be deceived to know a scammer¡¯s tricks. With the internet so developed, what kind of scams can¡¯t you find? In the end, as long as you¡¯re not greedy for small gains, you¡¯ll never be deceived and regret it for life.¡±

    Chen Lingyun was momentarily speechless, then said after a while:

    ¡°Do you really have to be so guarded against me? Is being with me that much of an indignity to you?¡±

    The moment the question slipped out, she immediately regretted it: Why did I give him the chance to slam dunk on me¡­

    As expected, Yan Yu quickly adopted an arrogant and indifferent expression as if he had been asked an extremely stupid question, and snorted contemptuously:

    ¡°What a joke! Are you even worthy?¡± sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 147: 47 Secretary Su Wants to Take a Walk

    Chapter 147: Chapter 47 Secretary Su Wants to Take a Walk

    The media control over news regarding the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, although everyone knew it would be lifted sooner or later, no one expected it to come so abruptly.

    Because of the heavy-hitting news about ¡°Reclaiming the Sacred Mountain,¡± announced publicly at Gyeongbokgung, it had been frenziedly propagated by major media in the opposing country, and the entire nation seemed to be cheering for it.

    As the news traveled through international channels to the domestic front, the citizens of Lu Country were utterly confused: What? Changbai Mountain is not ours anymore?

    Soon, related topics quickly climbed to the top of major media platforms and trending searches.

    Due to the neighboring country¡¯s disregard for decorum, uncorking champagne in a vacuum, the spokesperson for the Privy Council of Lu Country had to immediately come out to clarify, announcing that the Mysterious Realm had not been lost and was still under the control of Lu Country.

    The lifting of the ban on intelligence about Spiritual Energy Resurgence and the disclosure of information, already planned, also had to be prematurely implemented.

    Within just a few days, the internet was flooded with countless short videos, articles, and Q&A sessions, explaining to netizens ¡°what is Spiritual Energy Resurgence,¡± ¡°what is a Cultivator,¡± ¡°what is a Mysterious Realm,¡± and so on.

    However, it was of no use.

    The vast majority of citizens didn¡¯t care what Spiritual Energy Resurgence was; they were only concerned with ¡°who occupies Changbai Mountain now,¡± and innumerable voices online were close to creating an uproar.

    ¡°Sometimes I really think that people in our country are protected too well,¡± Anna sighed over the phone, ¡°Can¡¯t they think about it? In a world with magic, realizing you can¡¯t use magic, isn¡¯t that terrifying?¡±

    ¡°Ignorance is a kind of bliss,¡± Yan Yu responded nonchalantly, ¡°Right now, the country is still on the path of sticking to desperate straits, where Cultivators stick to their cultivation, and ordinary people stick to their ordinariness. The two sides are clear-cut, not interfering with each other, and the lives of most citizens are not at all affected by the Spiritual Energy Resurgence. In this context, asking them to think about ¡®relationships between immortals¡¯ is also unrealistic, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re dreaming,¡± Anna scoffed, ¡°I bet you, in less than ten years, there will be a huge upheaval in the country.¡±

    ¡°Ten years?¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°You¡¯re that optimistic?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Anna seemed puzzled, ¡°Then what do you think?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think much of it,¡± Yan Yu said offhandedly, ¡°Whether it gets better or worse, we have no choice but to adapt.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Anna said with a bitter smile and a sigh, ¡°Anyway, it can¡¯t get worse than it is here.¡±

    Though things seemed calm in Lu Country, the north was already a mess after the storm had passed.

    Take Amur City, where Anna lived, as an example. With the official forces strategically retreating to the west, the entire city was quickly divided among various Spirit Communication gangs. The Beast Gang (werewolves) made the northern part of the main urban area their hunting ground, the central market was occupied and defended by the Blood Demon Gang (vampires), and the eastern bank of the Xilinka River became territory for the witches¡¯ group¡ªAnna¡¯s aunt was a high-ranking member of the witches¡¯ group.

    In the domains ruled by the Transcendents, humans had no ¡°human rights¡± at all. Werewolves and vampires regarded humans as food and recruits, while witches and Necromancers used them as spellcasting materials¡­ But with the current degree of Spiritual Energy Resurgence, the power gap between Transcendents and humans had not yet reached an insurmountable level, so armed human organizations would often rise up, set traps, and kill Transcendents.

    Anna, due to her Transcendent abilities and with a guarantee from her aunt, had smoothly joined the witches¡¯ group and was now integrating the human forces within the territory to ensure the witches¡¯ safety.

    The so-called ¡°integration¡± meant either submitting to the witches¡¯ rule and accepting the fate of potentially becoming spellcasting materials at any time or fighting bravely and nobly dying, most likely ending up as spellcasting materials on the spot. There was no third option.

    Yan Yu sighed deeply about this.

    Of course, he utterly disliked such cruel behavior that regarded ordinary people as subhuman.

    But it has to be said, with the current societal collapse on Anna¡¯s side, where it was either kill or be killed, Yan Yu was not some Knight who couldn¡¯t stand the slightest fault; thus, without criticizing or accusing her, he simply consoled her by saying,

    ¡°Well, at least you and your dad are still alive, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯m going to get to work, so I¡¯ll stop chatting.¡±

    ¡°Wait, wait, wait!¡± Anna hurriedly spoke up, seeing that he was about to hang up, ¡°Can we talk a bit more? I bought this international calling package, and I get 30 minutes of free outgoing call time each week, I can¡¯t waste it.¡±

    ¡°Why did you buy an international package?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very expensive to pay by the minute!¡±

    ¡°If you know it¡¯s expensive, then don¡¯t call for such long periods of time!¡±

    ¡°Are you getting tired of me now?¡± Anna immediately became annoyed, ¡°I was sending you messages before, and you said you couldn¡¯t keep up with them, and that it¡¯s better to call!¡±

    ¡°If the genders were reversed, do you know what your behavior would be called?¡± Yan Yu spoke gravely, schooling her, ¡°You¡¯re being a ¡®lick dog,¡¯ you know?¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m a lick dog, I¡¯ll bite you to death,¡± Anna said indignantly, ¡°I¡¯m hanging up!¡±

    She hung up the phone first, and Yan Yu breathed a sigh of relief on the other end.

    To continue the relationship, her calling him frequently for long chats was really too clingy for his liking, and it was a bit too much for him to cope with; but if he kept his distance? He feared she would cut off contact altogether, and his early investment of time and energy would all be in vain.

    Trapped by the sunk cost fallacy!

    If it were a real fight, Yan Yu had a thousand ways to decisively kill the enemy; but dealing with interpersonal relationships, maintaining a connection without letting it cool off too much or overheating it to the point it becomes corrupted¡­ Although Yan Yu had lived through two lifetimes, he was not skilled in these matters. After much deliberation, he decided he had to ¡°treat others with sincerity,¡± speaking his mind openly.

    After chatting with Anna, Yan Yu stepped out of his room and saw Su Yunjin leaning against the second-floor railing, staring blankly at the large living room on the first floor.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Yan Yu joined her, looking down into the living room, which was empty.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Su Yunjin said silently for a moment before sighing and then asking, ¡°Captain, you¡¯re pretty free these days, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s gaze sharpens instantly: What, are you mocking me?

    ¡°If you want to train more, just say it straight, no need to hint around like this. I would definitely arrange that for you.¡±

    However, Su Yunjin was completely unaware that she had just skirted the edge of disaster, and her next words smoothed over the danger:

    ¡°If you¡¯re free, would you walk with me?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Yan Yu checked the time, ¡°Where to?¡± S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Just around the neighborhood.¡± Su Yunjin released the railing and smiled softly, ¡°The captain is a very busy person, I won¡¯t keep you for too long.¡±

    The two left the villa and walked along the streets of the neighborhood.

    It was getting late, and the temperature wasn¡¯t too hot anymore. They could see the rosy clouds of a sunset, spreading their brilliant and stunning colors across the horizon.

    Su Yunjin took out her phone and snapped a few photos of the sunset. Seeing her in good spirits, Yan Yu asked:

    ¡°It¡¯s about time for dinner, shall we go eat?¡±

    ¡°The captain is always thinking about food,¡± Su Yunjin chuckled.

    ¡°One always has to eat,¡± Yan Yu replied calmly, ¡°If it coincides with a social activity, it saves time.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Su Yunjin nodded, ¡°But I¡¯m not hungry yet. How about we go get some milk tea instead?¡±

    ¡°That works.¡± His strategy of suggesting a meal was deftly countered by her, and as Yan Yu lacked a backup plan, he simply went with the flow.

    The two headed to a milk tea shop across the street. Su Yunjin glanced at the menu and told the staff:

    ¡°A medium-sized Jasmine Guanyin, no ice, less sugar. Captain, what would you like?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t order anything.¡± Yan Yu thought that drinking milk tea now would ruin his appetite as they were going to have dinner soon.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Su Yunjin nodded, ¡°Then you can have some of mine later.¡±

    That might work¡­ huh?

    Yan Yu: ???

    ¡°Sharing one drink between two people,¡± he said slowly, ¡°is that really okay, Yun Jin?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s not quite proper.¡± Su Yunjin nodded without changing her expression, ¡°So what would the captain like to drink?¡±

    It was a feint¡­ no, a counterattack?

    Yan Yu subconsciously felt he couldn¡¯t quite grasp this girl¡¯s thoughts. If it were in combat, facing an unpredictable enemy, one could adopt a cautious tactic of reacting with stillness to avoid falling into a trap laid by the opponent.

    As it¡¯s well-known that combat experience could be applied to other areas, Yan Yu simply said with composure:

    ¡°Then do you have any recommendations?¡±

    ¡°Not really,¡± Su Yunjin smiled faintly.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll have the same as you,¡± said Yan Yu.

    ¡°I prefer lighter flavors,¡± Su Yunjin reminded him, ¡°The captain might want to choose less sugar.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, whatever I drink doesn¡¯t really matter,¡± Yan Yu waved it off.

    Perhaps she had read too many romance novels, a line suddenly popped into Su Yunjin¡¯s head:

    ¡°Next to you, even the bitterest tea tastes sweeter than honey.¡±

    Her lips parted slightly, her mind a whirl of subtle tumult and complexity, but then she heard Yan Yu ask:

    ¡°So what¡¯s really bothering you?¡±

    Su Yunjin: ¡­¡­¡­

    Well, there goes the mood.

    I knew I shouldn¡¯t get my hopes up about the captain.

    ¡°Alright,¡± she sighed deeply, ¡°It¡¯s actually about some family matters.¡±

    ¡°Since it¡¯s a personal issue, I won¡¯t pry,¡± Yan Yu immediately showed tact and stopped pressing, ¡°I believe you can handle it.¡±

    Su Yunjin maintained her composure and continued:

    ¡°Yeah, but it might affect my performance and mood during training afterward.¡±

    ¡°¡­Thinking about it, as the captain, I can¡¯t ignore any negative factors that affect the mental health of my team members.¡± Yan Yu smoothly changed his approach, casually taking the milk tea from the staff, ¡°Let¡¯s go over there and talk in detail.¡±

 Chapter 148: 48 Secretary Su Excels at Turning the Tables

    Chapter 148: Chapter 48 Secretary Su Excels at Turning the Tables

    Su Yunjin¡¯s family situation was not complicated, and Yan Yu had already understood this from their last conversation.

    Both her parents were university professors, intellectuals, so they didn¡¯t have the common expectations like ¡°you need to be successful,¡± ¡°you need to make a lot of money,¡± or ¡°you need to marry into a good family.¡± They simply wished for her to live a safe and happy life.

    But the problem was that being a Cultivator was obviously not a profession associated with ¡°safety.¡±

    When the resurgence of Spiritual Energy was still under information control, Su Yunjin could find excuses to soothe her family. However, now that the war was being widely promoted, Mr. and Mrs. Su became anxious again.

    Our daughter is also a Cultivator! What if she is sent to the front line during a war with another country? What if she gets injured? And what if, by any chance¡­

    Realizing it was no longer a peaceful era, Mr. Su finally got restless and began to use his connections to inquire if his daughter could be discharged.

    After asking around, they found some leader from the military who told Mr. and Mrs. Su that not all Cultivators were warriors; there were also civilian scientific researchers who didn¡¯t need to go to the battlefield¡ªalthough in the military system, Cultivators formed their separate branch, not subject to external arrangements, and she could only apply by herself.

    So the order from home came: Yun Jin, talk to your leader immediately, you must apply for a transfer to a civilian scientific research position!

    Hearing Su Yunjin put it this way, Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but be amused.

    The leader that Mr. and Mrs. Su had found was definitely not a high-ranking military leader, so it was normal for them to not have a clear understanding of the situation.

    Lu Country initially trained military Cultivators, requiring at least five years of service and ensuring they were loyal soldiers with the right ideological awareness. They later found this group lacked potential due to advanced age and deteriorating root bones, which is why they began to recruit college students of the appropriate age as combat Cultivators¡­ But scientific research didn¡¯t have these age issues, so for security reasons, selections remained strict and internal to the military.

    In plain terms, it meant that superiors selected you, and you had no room to apply.

    This was something that, even if she asked Chen Lingyun or Li Weiguo for help, was utterly impossible. Scientific research Cultivators weren¡¯t in short supply; it was the powerful combat Cultivators who were scarce¡ªespecially those who could join the battle teams, whom the military cherished like treasures. That they would shower you with millions in cash after conquering a Mysterious Realm already said a lot.

    So, if you say you want to transfer to a civilian job, would those leaders let you go? Only if they had water in their brains.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell your parents about the bonus?¡± Yan Yu suggested.

    ¡°I did,¡± Su Yunjin replied with a sigh.

    ¡°What did they say?¡± asked Yan Yu.

    ¡°My mom said it was blood money,¡± Su Yunjin said, her expression darkening.

    Yan Yu: ¡­

    Mrs. Su was quite astute, hitting the nail on the head. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Though it was blood money, it was no small sum. Could an ordinary person earn eight million in a lifetime? If the position were open to public recruitment, wouldn¡¯t the line of applicants stretch from Pingjing to Lin¡¯an, filling the banks of the Grand Canal?

    But the problem was that Su Yunjin¡¯s family didn¡¯t care about money. Her scholarly parents considered wealth trivial, which made things difficult.

    ¡°If your parents don¡¯t care about money, what do they care about?¡± Yan Yu asked again.

    ¡°They hope I can live safely and happily,¡± Su Yunjin said helplessly.

    Okay, that was an unsolvable issue.

    Combat Cultivators were meant to be on the frontline of the battlefield, which could never align with the traditional parent¡¯s definition of ¡°safety.¡±

    Turning the cup in his hand and having drunk most of his milk tea, Yan Yu finally came up with a bad idea:

    ¡°How about I find some people to pretend to be rogue Cultivators attacking your home, and then you just happen to be there to save your parents? This way, you can tell them that Lu Country is destined to be rife with crises and war in the future, and you can only survive by becoming stronger¡­¡±

    ¡°Captain,¡± Su Yunjin responded calmly.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Be normal.¡±

    ¡°¡­Alright.¡±

    Seeing that Yan Yu had run out of ideas, Su Yunjin showed a faint smile and softly said:

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Captain. I¡¯ll convince them.¡±

    ¡°How do you plan to convince them?¡± Yan Yu asked, frowning.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s my personal affair,¡± Su Yunjin said with a slight smile, ¡°Do you really want to know, Captain?¡±

    ¡°No, not really,¡± Yan Yu stood up, nodding, ¡°Alright then, resolve this issue quickly, don¡¯t let it affect your performance later.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Su Yunjin also stood up, ¡°Shall we go back?¡±

    ¡°Not going back yet,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Do you want to accompany me for a bit longer?¡± Su Yunjin asked, surprised.

    Hold on, is the Captain finally getting a clue?

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu said firmly, ¡°It¡¯s time for dinner, let¡¯s eat.¡±

    Su Yunjin: ¡­

    I¡¯m an idiot.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Normally, everyone¡¯s daily schedule consisted of tactical studies in the morning and practical training in the afternoon.

    At dinner time, it was convenient to eat at the school cafeteria, though occasionally they would go out to a restaurant as a group.

    But today, having just flown back from Taining Province, Yan Yu had given everyone the day off, so there was no group dinner planned, and everyone was free to manage their own time.

    As for dinner, it was, of course, up to each individual to sort out.

    ¡°What does the captain feel like eating?¡± Su Yunjin asked casually as she strolled along the street with Yan Yu.

    ¡°Anything.¡± Yan Yu answered.

    ¡°Let me check.¡± Su Yunjin pulled out her phone and searched, ¡°There are quite a few places called ¡®Anything.¡¯ Which one is it specifically?¡±

    ¡°¡­You decide.¡± Yan Yu raised his hand in surrender.

    Although she was not as domineering as Chen Lingyun, she was definitely not a simple girl who could be easily taken advantage of, like who and who and who.

    ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s kind of hard to decide.¡± Su Yunjin swiped through her phone, ¡°What does the captain think about barbecue?¡±

    ¡°You want to eat barbecue?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m okay with that.¡± Su Yunjin stared at her phone screen, ¡°But I remember last time the captain wanted to eat barbecue, and then because Sister Zhao wanted beef hotpot, you didn¡¯t get to eat it, right?¡±

    ¡°You remember that?¡± Yan Yu was quite surprised. After all, that was just a minor incident at the time, and he had already forgotten about it.

    ¡°I have a good memory.¡± Su Yunjin replied, handing the phone to Yan Yu, ¡°How about this barbecue set meal for two? The price is okay, and if we use a firm¡¯s credit card, we can get thirty off.¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t have a credit card.¡± Yan Yu said, scratching his head.

    ¡°I do.¡± Su Yunjin said, ¡°I can pay.¡±

    ¡°That would be really embarrassing for me, let me treat you.¡± Yan Yu shook his head.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Su Yunjin pressed a few buttons on her phone, smiling, ¡°I¡¯ve already bought the coupon.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me.¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°I know that coupon can be refunded if unused.¡±

    ¡°Huh? I didn¡¯t expect the captain to have that kind of common knowledge.¡± Su Yunjin said with surprise.

    ¡°Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about me¡­¡± Yan Yu was suddenly baffled.

    In his past life, Su Yunjin, as he recalled, was not this scheming! She was supposed to be a smart and composed secretary-type character, so what¡¯s going on?

    Yes, it must be Chen Lingyun¡¯s fault. Since she couldn¡¯t become the captain this time, she went all out to corrupt Su Yunjin, turning a perfectly good literary girl dark.

    Without a hint of his thoughts showing, Yan Yu discreetly took out his phone and private messaged Chen Lingyun.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Just go ahead and be unscrupulous!

    About ten seconds later, the reply came leisurely.

    [Chen Lingyun]: ?

    Yan Yu ruthlessly blocked her, feeling a bubble of frustration in his chest finally relieved, and his mood improved considerably.

    When they arrived at the restaurant and sat down, and the waiter brought over the grill and served all the dishes included in the set meal, Su Yunjin then took out her phone and started to take pictures of the plates.

    Seeing her continue to type after taking the photos, Yan Yu asked curiously:

    ¡°Writing in your diary?¡±

    ¡°Just recording some meaningful daily occurrences,¡± Su Yunjin replied.

    ¡°Like eating?¡±

    ¡°Like eating with the captain.¡±

    Yan Yu instantly became wary and dropped the subject, simply focusing on grilling the meat.

    Su Yunjin quietly watched him and suddenly said:

    ¡°I thought the captain would say ¡®you¡¯re not worthy.¡¯

    ¡°Uh, it¡¯s just a meal.¡± Yan Yu said, his face showing embarrassment, and he chuckled, ¡°I¡¯m not overthinking just a meal, am I?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Su Yunjin said calmly, casually picking up her chopsticks to help with the grilling.

    Her right hand held the chopsticks lightly, spreading the marinated meat slices on the grill, her movements steady and unhurried. Her left hand slowly rolled up the sleeve of her right arm, revealing a fair and flawless forearm that, under the light, gleamed like fine jade¡ªnow, to make it easier for influencers to take pictures and check in, restaurants like to set their lights low and bright, to beautify the food on the table as much as possible.

    And the girl across the table.

    Thanks to the bright light, Yan Yu could clearly see Su Yunjin¡¯s face, plain and unadorned, but without a single flaw. Her eyelids were lowered, her long lashes quivering like dragonfly wings, and underneath were eyes clear as autumn waters, stirring ripples with each glance, all the delicate tenderness characteristic of Jiangnan women.

    Of course, he might be imagining too much¡­ Yan Yu took a sip of lemonade without showing his thoughts, leisurely watching as Su Yunjin finished grilling the meat, then evenly divided it onto both their plates, saying:

    ¡°We can eat now.¡±

    ¡°You have some nice skills, Yun Jin.¡±

    ¡°Barbecue doesn¡¯t require much skill, just wait for the meat to change color,¡± she replied.

    ¡°Yeah, I was just looking for a reason to compliment you.¡±

    Yan Yu ate most of the grilled meat on his plate but noticed that Su Yunjin hadn¡¯t touched her chopsticks.

    She kept staring at him.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°I find watching the captain eat more interesting than eating myself,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile, her demeanor incredibly gentle and soft, truly not an illusion of his imagination.

    But was she teasing him? Yan Yu racked his brains for a long time and couldn¡¯t come up with an answer. Just as he was about to ask again, he suddenly heard a surprised female voice from outside:

    ¡°Oh my, isn¡¯t that Yun Jin?¡±

 Chapter 149: 49 Secretary Su Anxiously Waits

    Chapter 149: Chapter 49 Secretary Su Anxiously Waits

    ¡°`

    Neither of them had expected to encounter Su Yunjin¡¯s high school classmates here. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But upon further thought, Su Yunjin was after all from Gusu Prefecture, and most of her high school classmates were also natives of Gusu. It was quite normal for them to come to Jinling Prefecture for some fun during the summer vacation.

    It was dinnertime, and her two classmates were waiting in line outside for a table. When they saw Su Yunjin sitting near the window, they immediately ran in to greet her.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we share a table?¡± one of the girls suggested. ¡°There are still thirty people ahead of us!¡±

    ¡°Qianqian!¡± the other girl quickly tugged at her arm.

    You really have no sense of situation! Yun Jin is having dinner with her boyfriend, why would we go and be the third wheel?

    ¡°Sure,¡± Yan Yu offered, standing up to take a seat next to Su Yunjin.

    The two girls hesitated for a moment, then sat down opposite them¡ªafter all, Yan Yu had given up his seat, and it wouldn¡¯t be right to continue waiting in line for thirty more tables. Who knew how long that would take?

    The atmosphere was a bit awkward at first, but it seemed like they got along well with Su Yunjin, and they soon started chattering away:

    ¡°Yun Jin, I heard you went to a military school?¡±

    ¡°Is it that ¡®Cultivator¡¯ thing people are talking about online?¡±

    ¡°Can you cast spells? Do you have a Flying Sword?¡±

    ¡°Is this guy next to you your boyfriend?¡±

    ¡°Wow, Yun Jin has a boyfriend! Let me tell you, at least three guys in our class will surely cry themselves to death¡­¡±

    Even the usually placid and composed Su Yunjin couldn¡¯t fend off the relentless questioning from these two gossip enthusiasts, and she hurriedly tried to explain:

    ¡°No, no, the captain is¡­ a university classmate, okay? Please don¡¯t jump to conclusions.¡±

    ¡°Oh, a university classmate¡ª¡± both girls said in unison, dragging out the words before looking at each other knowingly, then bursting into giggles.

    Su Yunjin blushed furiously and couldn¡¯t help but turn and glare at Yan Yu.

    Even though Yan Yu had lived twice as a person, this was the first time seeing Secretary Su show such a charmingly embarrassed expression. If there weren¡¯t other people around, he really should have taken a picture with his phone to keep as a souvenir.

    He gloated and continued drinking water, only for the two girls to suddenly shift their attention to him and start striking up a conversation:

    ¡°What¡¯s the captain¡¯s name?¡±

    ¡°No need for formalities, surname Yan, as in the bird swallow,¡± Yan Yu replied calmly.

    ¡°And your first name? Is it inconvenient to tell us?¡±

    ¡°Qianqian, stop asking, Yun Jin is still here¡­ right, Yun Jin?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®right¡¯?!¡± Su Yunjin was flustered and said fiercely, ¡°If you keep spouting nonsense, I¡¯m going to kick you out!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll stop, we¡¯ll stop,¡± the two girls hastily begged for mercy.

    After a casual chat for a while, Yan Yu got to know that one of the classmates was named Qianqian and the other Ya Ting.

    As for their full names, he didn¡¯t ask. After all, they were Su Yunjin¡¯s high school classmates, and it wasn¡¯t necessary to pry too much.

    Indeed, the two were vacationing in Jinling with no fixed itinerary, mainly enjoying the trip as fate allowed. Running into Su Yunjin was purely coincidental, and running into her with Yan Yu¡­ that was an unexpected joy, a perfect opportunity for a thorough chat.

    ¡°Captain Yan, where are you from?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m from Xin¡¯an Prefecture.¡±

    ¡°Oh, then it will be convenient for you to settle down in Gusu after graduating, right?¡±

    ¡°Ya Ting,¡± Su Yunjin narrowed her eyes, ¡°your meat is ready, eat more.¡±

    Ya Ting picked up a piece of meat with her chopsticks but didn¡¯t rush to eat it. Instead, she smiled and said:

    ¡°Yun Jin, if Captain Yan isn¡¯t your boyfriend, it¡¯s fine for me to get to know him, right?¡±

    Su Yunjin was at a loss for words, because objecting would undoubtedly lead to them claiming she was jealous. But not stopping them¡ªgiven the captain¡¯s unreliable nature, who knew what shocking things he might say, and then it would be even more difficult to clear up the misunderstanding.

    Maybe it¡¯s time to make a run for it?

    She began to seriously consider the possibility of grabbing Yan Yu and making a dash for it. Although doing so would certainly prompt talk of elopement or something of the sort, the extended discomfort didn¡¯t seem worth the risk of staying put with the captain¡­ She then heard Qianqian curiously asking:

    ¡°Captain Yan, do you have a girlfriend?¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    ¡°Then does Yun Jin have a boyfriend?¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°Why do you ask him?¡± Su Yunjin said irritably, ¡°Why not ask me directly?¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin definitely doesn¡¯t have a boyfriend.¡± Ya Ting said with a laugh, ¡°Yun Jin¡¯s standards are really high, remember the summer of our junior year? That tall, rich and handsome guy from class ten¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, I remember!¡± Qianqian exclaimed, ¡°999 champagne roses!¡±

    ¡°Stop talking about it, that guy was crazy,¡± Su Yunjin sighed.

    ¡°Who was the tall, rich and handsome guy?¡± Yan Yu asked, interested.

    ¡°A really wealthy guy from the class next door, his family is in business,¡± Ya Ting explained, ¡°He¡¯s quite tall, over one meter eighty, fairly good-looking, but dresses very well.¡±

    ¡°On the last day before the summer holidays, he confessed to Yun Jin. He parked his convertible at the school gate, wanting to take Yun Jin to the fishing village for fun. He had 999 roses in the car, the backseat was full of them, it looked super beautiful.¡±

    ¡°Then Yun Jin went straight to the disciplinarian.¡± Qianqian giggled again, ¡°The tall, rich and handsome guy saw the teacher coming and hurriedly sped off¡­ We all died laughing at the time.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t make me remember that,¡± Su Yunjin said with a downcast expression, explaining to Yan Yu, ¡°I didn¡¯t know that guy, we had never spoken, then suddenly on the last day of finals he comes with his car to confess, I thought he was a lunatic.¡±

    ¡°But he sent you a love letter, you know,¡± Qianqian reminded her.

    ¡°Really?¡± Su Yunjin asked in surprise.

    ¡°Stop it, Qianqian, Yun Jin gets love letters all the time, she never reads them,¡± Ya Ting intervened, ¡°Only Old Bao would read them.¡±

    ¡°And who is Old Bao?¡± Yan Yu asked curiously.

    ¡°Our Chinese language teacher,¡± Ya Ting replied, ¡°Yun Jin was the Chinese class rep, and she would always receive love letters from other classes, she¡¯d never open them, she just threw them directly into the trash. One time, a love letter got mixed in with the Chinese homework she collected, and she didn¡¯t notice, just handed it straight to Old Bao.¡±

    ¡°Then when Old Bao was marking homework, he found it, opened it and read it aloud, and even graded it like it was an essay.¡± Qianqian, too, laughed uncontrollably, ¡°Afterward, he called that guy from class one to the office, and made him rewrite it¡­ Hahaha, it killed me!¡±

    The two girls laughed until they were falling over, Yan Yu also couldn¡¯t help but snicker, looking at Su Yunjin with a changed expression:

    Very good, very good, so you¡¯re this kind of scheming girl, it¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t discover it in my past life!

    Su Yunjin was greatly embarrassed and quickly tried to clarify to Yan Yu:

    ¡°It was just an accident. I wasn¡¯t at my seat, so I had them put the Chinese homework on my desk, and that guy from class one happened to ask our classmate to pass on the love letter, they just dumped it into the pile of homework on my desk, and later other students put more homework on top, so it got mixed in¡­ I had no clue.¡±

    ¡°I understand, it¡¯s not that bad,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°At least you didn¡¯t call him out to lecture him.¡±

    Su Yunjin finally couldn¡¯t hold back her laughter and turned away to suppress it. The two girls were a bit confused, but they didn¡¯t care too much; instead, they exchanged a knowing look and then teased Yan Yu:

    ¡°So Captain Yan, you need to be careful, Yun Jin is really not easy to chase, the fact that she¡¯s willing to eat with you alone is already a huge victory¡­¡±

    ¡°Enough!¡± Su Yunjin, embarrassed and angry, decided to use a ¡®hurt each other¡¯ tactic, ¡°You think you don¡¯t have any weaknesses, huh? Qianqian, you have been secretly dating Yang Jian, you think I don¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°What!¡± Now it was Ya Ting¡¯s turn to be surprised, ¡°Qianqian, you never told me!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve already broken up, broken up!¡± Qianqian quickly explained, ¡°We split up after the college entrance exam, he went to Xin¡¯an Prefecture for university, we¡¯re not in contact now.¡±

    ¡°And Ya Ting.¡± Su Yunjin said coldly, ¡°How long has Yu Jun been chasing you? You¡¯ve been together in private, thinking I didn¡¯t notice?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, then you¡¯re mistaken,¡± Ya Ting chuckled triumphantly, ¡°Actually, Yu Jun has had a crush on you for a long time, he came to me for advice on how to get your attention.¡±

    ¡°Liar, I don¡¯t believe you,¡± Su Yunjin said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t believe me? I¡¯ll ask him right in front of you¡­¡± Ya Ting pretended to reach for her phone but was quickly grabbed by Su Yunjin.

    She absolutely couldn¡¯t let the whole class find out about her thing with the captain!

    At this point, it¡¯s better to just eat.

    She morosely took the grilled meat from the net and evenly distributed it to everyone¡¯s plates, causing Ya Ting and Qianqian to be somewhat flattered.

    The crowd started eating meat, and the situation finally calmed down, but she herself had lost her appetite and just kept her head down, continuously typing.

    Just when Yan Yu had finished off a piece of beef tongue, he saw his phone light up.

    [Yun Jin]: Captain, why did you agree to let them join our table? You don¡¯t even know them and have no idea what kind of people they are, and now look what¡¯s happened, you satisfied now?

    Rarely seeing Secretary Su in a hurry, Yan Yu was delighted and started typing a reply to her message.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I think you seem to get along quite well, sharing a table is fine. By the way, were you the class beauty or the school beauty in high school? How many boys chased after you? That¡¯s so scary, they¡¯re not going to kill me, are they?

    [Yun Jin]: I¡¯ll kill you/knife/knife/knife/knife/knife/knife/knife/knife

    The moment a series of bloodied knife emojis came through, Yan Yu felt someone stomping hard on his left foot.

    Looking up again, he saw Su Yunjin calmly eating her grilled meat, as if nothing had happened.

 Chapter 150: 50: Secretary Su Is Toyed With in the Palm of Their Hand

    Chapter 150: Chapter 50: Secretary Su Is Toyed With in the Palm of Their Hand

    After parting ways with her high school classmates, on the way back to the villa, Su Yunjin didn¡¯t say a word to Yan Yu.

    ¡°Are you angry?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    Su Yunjin didn¡¯t reply, simply walking ahead quickly by herself.

    ¡°Are you angry?¡± Yan Yu quickly walked to her side and asked again with a smile.

    Su Yunjin hastened her steps, leaving him behind.

    After walking for a few minutes and realizing there was no one talking beside her, she couldn¡¯t help but turn her head to look, only to see Yan Yu following leisurely, five or six steps behind her.

    ¡°It seems you are indeed angry.¡± Yan Yu said calmly, ¡°It was my fault for agreeing to share the table with them without asking, but they didn¡¯t mention any of your dark history, did they? Their words were all about how popular you were in high school, right?¡±

    ¡°Does the captain think being excessively popular in school is something to be proud of?¡± Su Yunjin stopped, turned around, and said.

    Her face no longer held its usual calm but was serious with a hint of displeasure as she earnestly spoke:

    ¡°Finding love letters stuffed into your desk every other day, constantly being approached by unfamiliar classmates with inexplicable confessions, and even occasionally having teachers joking about it, can you understand how annoying that is?¡±

    ¡°I cannot understand.¡± Yan Yu answered without hesitation, ¡°Because I was not the school belle in high school.¡±

    ¡°Neither was I!¡± Su Yunjin said, annoyed, ¡°And I really, truly dislike it when boys I don¡¯t even know write me extremely cheesy messages solely because they think I¡¯m pretty, or corner me by the classroom door to spout a bunch of silly words that make me want to run away from embarrassment!¡±

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not just about looking good on the outside.¡± Yan Yu corrected her with a smile, ¡°Your temperament is gentle and elegant; you¡¯re naturally a type many men like. Your family background is good too, and I guess your high school academic performance was not bad either, considering you got into Gusu University, which is a top-tier 211 institution. All things considered, it¡¯s only natural for you to have had many suitors at school.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Captain¡­ but that¡¯s not what I meant.¡± The frustration finally faded from Su Yunjin¡¯s face, replaced by a mix of helplessness and a wry smile, ¡°I hope to be like Ling Yun, to attract people with a strong personal charm, rather than having everyone focus solely on her pretty face.¡±

    So this was why Su Yunjin in her past life was willing to become Chen Lingyun¡¯s secretary. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Troubled by too many suitors in high school and unsure how to change the situation, she was immediately attracted to Chen Lingyun¡¯s powerful charisma upon their first meeting¡ªafter all, Chen Lingyun was the one who could disgust all her admirers (yes, including me) so they would leave her alone, earning the sarcastic title of ¡°Princess Jiang Hai,¡± a symbol of an independent woman of the new era. It was natural for Su Yunjin, whose personality was traditionally reserved, to subconsciously admire and yearn for that.

    But seriously, come on. You can learn from anyone else, just not her, I beg you, okay?

    Lights dawned on Yan Yu, and then he adopted an extremely grave expression, looking at Su Yunjin seriously as he said:

    ¡°Promise me, Yun Jin¡­ don¡¯t try to emulate Chen Lingyun, okay?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Uh!¡± Caught off guard by his sudden seriousness, Su Yunjin looked somewhat flustered, displaying a slightly panicked yet adorable expression.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to imitate anyone else.¡± Yan Yu said earnestly, his gaze piercing as he looked into her eyes, as if to see right into her soul, his tone strong and resolute, ¡°You need to relentlessly be yourself, that is my demand of you as the team captain. I want to see a mature and independent Su Yunjin with her own mind, not an echo who mimics the vice-captain¡¯s every move. Believe in the strength of your inner character, which is as compelling as your outer beauty.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Su Yunjin grew increasingly flustered, murmuring subconsciously, ¡°I understand. Captain, I will work hard.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Yan Yu nodded with satisfaction.

    I see, so that¡¯s why the past Secretary Su hung on Princess Jiang Hai¡¯s every word¡ªit all stemmed from this issue.

    Ha-ha, watch me cut the red string binding you two! Chen Lingyun, how do you feel about that now?

    Yan Yu walked ahead, filled with a sense of achievement, while Su Yunjin followed him, feeling a subtle warmth on her cheeks.

    In fact, just as she had said earlier, the more people affirmed her outer beauty, the more it seemed to her like a negation of her inner appeal.

    Su Yunjin did not mind being praised for being beautiful; she just didn¡¯t like to be viewed as having nothing beyond ¡°beauty,¡± which was a strong and deeply rooted obsession in the heart of a girl who loved literature.

    ¡­And that¡¯s why I refuse to follow my parents¡¯ wishes to leave the team to find a place that will recognize my inner worth.

    But, Captain, the lines you just said made me cringe too. Aside from in games and novels, there can¡¯t be anyone who would really be won over by those seemingly heart-warming words!

    ¡°Captain.¡± Su Yunjin called softly.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Yan Yu turned around upon hearing her and saw Su Yunjin¡¯s exquisite and pure face enveloped in an area untouched by the streetlight, her features shadowy and indistinct.

    Only her eyes shone brightly, like the dazzling stars in the sky, captivating and beautiful.

    ¡°I will work hard,¡± she said deliberately, ¡°I won¡¯t let you down.¡±

    Yan Yu was silent for a while, then replied:

    ¡°You¡¯d better.¡±

    ¡°Captain.¡± Su Yunjin took a few steps forward, returning to the light of the streetlamp.

    She leaned in towards Yan Yu with a brilliantly fake smile on her face:

    ¡°Would it kill you not to ruin the mood?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a person who considers actions,¡± Yan Yu stepped back half a step, keeping his distance, ¡°not the mood, nor do I trust promises. Your words alone are useless; you need to prove it to me in person.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile.

    She turned and walked back towards the villa, with Yan Yu quickly following behind her and then suddenly asking,

    ¡°Are you mad again?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Su Yunjin replied.

    A moment passed.

    ¡°You are mad, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Why does the captain think I would be mad?¡±

    ¡°Because I ruined the moment, interrupting your self-indulgence?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Su Yunjin¡¯s smile grew even brighter, ¡°After all, I¡¯ve long since known what kind of ¡®goods¡¯ the captain is, so I¡¯m not mad about it.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu pondered, then asked, ¡°But the term ¡®goods¡¯ is supposed to have a derogatory connotation when used to describe a person, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°In our Gusu banter, calling someone ¡®goods¡¯ means complimenting their character,¡± Su Yunjin said with smiling eyes, ¡°Like calling you a ¡®dumb good,¡¯ ¡®nuisance good,¡¯ ¡®settled good,¡¯ ¡®total package good,¡¯ all of these are common terms of praise.¡±

    ¡°Fine, but Yun Jin¡­¡± Yan Yu reminded her, ¡°Your fake smile right now looks a lot like Chen Lingyun¡¯s, you know?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Su Yunjin denied with a laugh.

    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m not imitating Ling Yun.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s a normal smile?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an expression I genuinely want to show the captain.¡±

    ¡°Could you tone it down? It¡¯s a bit scary to look at.¡±

    ¡°I cannot.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°Because the captain said I should be myself.¡±

    ¡°My words aren¡¯t golden rules, you don¡¯t have to take them as absolutes,¡± Yan Yu tried to communicate with her, ¡°And your sarcasm is making me uncomfortable, we¡¯re not strangers after all. Can we just speak plainly?¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Su Yunjin stopped walking, dropped the fake smile from her face, and turned expressionless, ¡°Captain.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Yan Yu also stopped.

    ¡°Feel like rolling into a gutter?¡±

    ¡°Wait! Why are you suddenly so unfriendly, and why say that out of the blue?¡±

    ¡°Then let me phrase it differently: Captain, would you like to review the progress of my Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art?¡±

    ¡°You changed the phrasing, but the result still dives into a gutter!¡± Yan Yu tried to suppress his urge to retort, raised his hands in a conceding gesture, ¡°Okay, I admit that I disrupted the atmosphere just now and made you unhappy. I¡¯m very sorry, Yun Jin.¡±

    ¡°I know why the captain wanted to disrupt the mood,¡± Su Yunjin said calmly after a moment of silence, ¡°That¡¯s why I particularly dislike you right now. Sorry, Captain.¡±

    ¡°Alright, since we¡¯ve both apologized,¡± Yan Yu resumed smiling and said emphatically, clapping his hands together, ¡°let¡¯s forgive each other and get back on good terms.¡±

    No sooner had he spoken than he felt a heavy pressure on his foot¡ªSu Yunjin, having finally broken through his defenses, couldn¡¯t help but step on his shoe.

    Unfortunately, she was too light to cause any pain, even without casting a Barrier Charm to endure it.

    Seeing her still trying hard to twist her heel, Yan Yu had no choice but to go along and exaggerate a few cries of pain, saying,

    ¡°Ouch, that really hurts. Please go easy on my feet, Yun Jin, I¡¯m going to break a bone.¡±

    But Su Yunjin didn¡¯t fall for it, knowing from his melodramatic performance that her stepping on him had no real effect, so she reluctantly withdrew her foot.

    ¡°So, have you calmed down now?¡± Yan Yu brushed the dust off his shoe, asking leisurely, ¡°Does this mean we are reconciled?¡±

    ¡°Why does the captain care whether I¡¯m mad or not?¡± Su Yunjin, running out of energy to sulk, sighed in frustration, ¡°After all, I¡¯m not a match for the captain, am I?¡±

    ¡°What kind of nonsense is that?¡± Yan Yu looked baffled and laughed, ¡°Of course, I care about you, Yun Jin.¡±

    ¡°After all, you are our team¡¯s main force.¡±

 Chapter 151: 51 Ah, Im going to have fun

    Chapter 151: Chapter 51 Ah, I¡¯m going to have fun

    When history¡¯s wheel reaches a turning point, the vast majority of passengers are unaware.

    On August 27, the ¡°Directive Opinions on the Era of Spiritual Energy Resurgence by Wenyuan Pavilion¡± was officially issued to the six departments of the External Court for implementation. This meant that Lu Country had finally ended the secrecy control phase and formally acknowledged the fact of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence to all sectors of society.

    The good times have arrived, spicy!

    This news briefly surged to the top of the hot search lists on all major platforms, only to quickly slide down, replaced by another more explosive hot search:

    What to do with only four days left of summer vacation. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Brother!¡± Yan Yu had just picked up the phone call from his sister when Yan Jing¡¯s wailing voice came through, ¡°Summer vacation is ending! I don¡¯t want to go to school, what should I do¡­¡±

    ¡°What you do at school is none of my business.¡± Yan Yu comforted his sister, ¡°Have you finished your summer homework?¡±

    A sharp intake of breath came from the other side:

    ¡°Big bro, I had just managed to forget about that, can you not remind me?¡±

    ¡°My bad.¡± Yan Yu said gently, ¡°I should have reminded you on the last day of summer vacation.¡±

    ¡°Big bro, don¡¯t be inhumane!¡± Yan Jing wailed again, ¡°I don¡¯t care, I¡¯ve come to Jinling, you have to take me out to have fun for these last few days.¡±

    ¡°What are you doing in Jinling?¡± Yan Yu was immediately startled.

    ¡°Here to have fun.¡± Yan Jing declared boldly, her tone exactly the same as when he said ¡°Let¡¯s do extra training¡± to the girls.

    ¡°Did Mom and Dad agree?¡± Yan Yu quickly asked her.

    ¡°Big bro, I¡¯m sixteen years old, do I still need my parents¡¯ permission to go out?¡± Yan Jing asked him incredulously, ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯re in a feudal society where women can¡¯t leave their boudoirs. You¡¯re still clinging to these antiquated ideas; you¡¯re not going to find a girlfriend that way.¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡± Yan Yu laughed in exasperation, ¡°You¡¯re in Jinling to have fun, so where are you staying?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t know, you arrange it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not on summer vacation, how do I have time to arrange things for you?¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t have time, just give me money,¡± Yan Jing proposed sensibly, ¡°I can arrange it myself.¡±

    ¡°Get lost.¡± Yan Yu hung up the phone vehemently, then turned around to find that all the girls were watching him.

    ¡°What are you looking at me for?¡± He waved his hand impatiently, ¡°Watch the video. Ling Yun, continue with the analysis.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Chen Lingyun began to adjust the projection again.

    This morning¡¯s analysis was still of Miti¡¯s Superhero Alliance match videos.

    On Lu Country¡¯s side, the training and sparring content of cultivators was treated as military secrets; Miti, on the other hand, was the exact opposite¡ªafter all, their situation was special, mainly focused on recruiting and incorporating European Transcendents. Their entire system couldn¡¯t be secretive, so they made everything public, commercial, and entertaining, even having commentators explain the matches, keen on breaking down the superheroes¡¯ tactical systems so that audiences could appreciate the intricacies.

    ¡°¡­In any case, although Miranda won this match, I believe Bruce is actually the better one,¡± Chen Lingyun concluded, ¡°The defeat was due to the mid-game rhythm becoming chaotic.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Yan Yu affirmed her statement, ¡°Fresh troops like these, hesitant in advantage situations, and in disarray when at a disadvantage certainly lack the mental toughness. In a real fight to the death, such people are the first choice for cannon fodder. Everyone must take this as a warning.¡±

    ¡°By the way, Miranda is a Latina from Rio, while Bruce hails from Bristol in England,¡± Chen Lingyun added, ¡°According to big data, Latinos, regardless of their occupation, usually have a more aggressive fighting style, preferring to take the initiative and excel in winning games; the Europeans, on the other hand, tend to be more deceitful, especially the English wizards, who are more accustomed to cunning tactics and striking later.¡±

    ¡°Analyze specific individuals specifically,¡± Yan Yu cut her off, ¡°Big data is meaningless. Our future opponents will inevitably be the renowned great Transcendents. Don¡¯t engage in regional discrimination and stereotypes.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Chen Lingyun said cheerfully, ¡°Let¡¯s then analyze these two superheroes specifically¡­¡±

    Before she could finish, her phone rang.

    ¡°Tactical analysis session and the phone isn¡¯t on silent! Unprofessional!¡± Yan Yu scolded her sternly, ¡°Get out!¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t there someone who also answered his sister¡¯s call just now?¡± Lin Ning whispered to Su Yunjin.

    ¡°Shut up, that¡¯s my privilege as the captain!¡± Yan Yu turned his head and reprimanded her.

    ¡°Just wait for me a moment.¡± Chen Lingyun walked out while cheerfully answering the phone, deliberately pressing the speakerphone, ¡°Hello, Jing Jing?¡±

    ¡°Hello, Sister Lingyun, I have to tell you¡­¡± Yan Jing¡¯s complaining voice came through the phone.

    Yan Yu stood up without a change in his expression and said to the girls:

    ¡°I¡¯ll step out for a bit too.¡±

    He followed Chen Lingyun outside of the training ground and heard the woman say:

    ¡°Mm, okay, that¡¯s settled then.¡±

    Then she hung up the phone.

    ¡°What did my sister tell you?¡± Yan Yu asked directly, ¡°Or rather, when did you two get in touch?¡±

    ¡°Jing Jing said she wants to come to Jinling Prefecture to play for a few days.¡± Chen Lingyun said smilingly, ¡°As for when we met¡­ It should be shortly after the end of the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm venture.¡±

    ¡°That was quite a while ago!¡± Yan Yu complained helplessly, ¡°Since you two already know each other, convince her not to come to Jinling.¡±

    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Chen Lingyun feigned ignorance.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have time to look after her,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Our team¡¯s daily training schedule is packed full.¡±

    ¡°Then let her play on her own.¡± Chen Lingyun dismissed the concern, laughing, ¡°She can stay at our team¡¯s base at night. We do have plenty of rooms, don¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s just that, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± Yan Yu narrowed his eyes with suspicion, ¡°But I always feel like there¡¯s some sort of plotting going on¡­ Speaking of which, Miss Chen, why would my sister suddenly come to Jinling for no reason? And what role do you play in this?¡±

    ¡°Ah, you caught me.¡± Chen Lingyun smiled calmly, ¡°Actually, I asked your sister to steal your household registration book. Once she brings it to Jinling, we¡¯ll go to the civil affairs office to get married.¡±

    ¡°Keep dreaming.¡± Yan Yu was dismissive, seeing right through Princess Jiang Hai¡¯s bluster.

    After all, if there were such a thing as the Chen Lingyun route, the biggest obstacle to conquering this romantic line wasn¡¯t Yan Yu¡¯s own feelings for Chen Lingyun, but her family circumstances.

    Unless her father gave the nod, even if the two went to the civil affairs office to officially register, it could be nullified due to various unspeakable reasons.

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t deny it, saying, ¡°Our interests are aligned now. What could you possibly have that¡¯s worth me scheming over?¡±

    ¡°There is something.¡± Yan Yu smirked, ¡°Like arguing with me, talking back, just to find some amusement from me.¡±

    Chen Lingyun gave a noncommittal answer, changing the subject:

    ¡°The second edition of ¡®Tactics and Strategy Studies for Cultivators¡¯ is out, and it talks about the new Three Arts, namely the Soul Refining Technique, Sound Transmission Technique, and Invisibility Technique. What¡¯s your take on them?¡±

    ¡°Soul Refining Technique is of utmost importance.¡± Speaking of serious cultivation matters, Yan Yu also adopted a solemn demeanor, answering, ¡°Divine Sense is the eyes and ears of a cultivator, as well as the extension of their will, hence mastering the Soul Refining Technique is essential, just like daily Qi Refinement practice. As for Sound Transmission Technique and Invisibility Technique, it¡¯s enough to know how to use them.¡±

    ¡°Is Sound Transmission used as a communicative tool, and Invisibility because it can be detected by Divine Sense?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, ¡°Or because it consumes too much True Yuan when activated?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just that.¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°Once you¡¯re in a state of invisibility, you can¡¯t activate True Yuan at all, neither for casting spells nor controlling swords, unless you willingly cancel the invisibility¡­ You get it, right?¡±

    ¡°That means,¡± Chen Lingyun quickly surmised, ¡°only when one absolutely needs to avoid combat should they choose the Invisibility Technique.¡±

    ¡°And Divine Sense of any cultivator can easily detect it,¡± Yan Yu explained calmly, ¡°Even overall, Invisibility Technique is quite limiting. It doesn¡¯t have superior branches, and there are better alternatives, like the Wood Escape, Water Escape, and Earth Escape of the Five Elements Escape Technique. These not only conceal one¡¯s presence but also allow quick movement to places others can¡¯t reach, essentially outclassing Invisibility Technique.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a bright smile, her eyes filled with longing, ¡°Cultivation sure is interesting. With the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, all sorts of spells are emerging, always something new to discover.¡±

    ¡°Just don¡¯t repeat the mistakes of your past life.¡± Yan Yu warned her coldly, ¡°In the end, every technique comes down to who is stronger.¡±

    ¡°Even if you learn a myriad of techniques, if you can¡¯t withstand a punch from your opponent, what¡¯s the point of all your cultivation?¡±

    ¡°Uh.¡± Chen Lingyun feigned thoughtfulness, venturing a guess, ¡°For fun?¡±

    Yan Yu froze for a moment, then flew into a rage:

    ¡°I¡¯ll blast that ¡®fun¡¯ freak of yours with a punch!¡±

 Chapter 152: 52: Yan Yuâ€™s Marvelous State Governance Technique

    Chapter 152: Chapter 52: Yan Yu¡¯s Marvelous State Governance Technique

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s intelligence always seemed to be one step ahead of the official reports.

    Before the afternoon had even arrived, Yan Yu was summoned to the headmaster¡¯s office once again.

    Li Weiguo had not returned, and waiting for him in the office was still Chen Tianming, who directly asked for Yan Yu¡¯s opinion on the new Three Arts.

    ¡°My view is that, like the Sword Control Technique, the Soul Refining Technique is of utmost importance in cultivation,¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t intend to hold anything back, and spoke frankly, ¡°As for the Sound Transmission Technique and Invisibility Technique, being able to use them is enough; there¡¯s no need for in-depth research.¡±

    This answer did not surprise Chen Tianming.

    In fact, based on the feedback from the scientific research department, the ultimate result of the Soul Refining Technique ¨C Divine Sense ¨C indeed exhibited a range of exceptional characteristics.

    It was like a radar on a cultivator¡¯s body, capable of automatically detecting suspicious targets in the vicinity, as well as providing target lock for both Sword Control and spells.

    Moreover, Divine Sense also contained certain intelligence. Researchers discovered by accident in daily life that Divine Sense could scan and mark not only high-threat targets but also other things that the cultivator¡¯s own will desired to search for¡ªfor instance, if you suddenly couldn¡¯t remember where you left your car keys at home, you scan with Divine Sense, and it would highlight them for you right in your field of vision.

    Although it had not been tested in formal combat, the unique value contained within Divine Sense meant that the Soul Refining Technique was highly likely to become a mandatory daily practice for cultivators.

    There was a consensus that the Sound Transmission Technique was a utilitarian spell, and the research department also highly praised the Invisibility Technique, which was completely at odds with Yan Yu¡¯s view that ¡°being able to use it is enough.¡±

    Chen Tianming sized up Yan Yu¡¯s expression and suddenly smiled,

    ¡°You mean, if the Soul Refining Technique is the spear, then the Invisibility Technique is the shield.¡±

    ¡°The best defense is a good offense,¡± Yan Yu said impassively, thinking to himself that this man, who indeed was someone¡¯s father, could actually guess his thoughts so accurately.

    Focusing on the Soul Refining Technique meant enhancing the ability to detect enemies; delving into the Invisibility Technique represented improving concealment abilities.

    The two underlying strategies represented ¡°focusing on offense¡± and ¡°strengthening evasion,¡± respectively.

    Powerful cultivators could treat spells as tools, using the most appropriate method for different situations, but most cultivators were not capable of this¡ªtheir tactics often depended on what cards they held in their hands.

    If they practiced the Soul Refining Technique more and developed their Divine Sense, they would tend to favor seeking out and attacking enemies on the battlefield; if they were more proficient in Invisibility Technique, they would tend toward hiding and ambushing¡ªYan Yu¡¯s attitude was clear: if forced to choose between the two, offense was definitely the priority.

    Only the weak would consider hiding themselves; the strong, of course, should be out there wreaking havoc!

    ¡°Take a look at this,¡± Chen Tianming stopped discussing the matter of teaching materials and pointed at the confidential bag on the desk instead.

    The document was inside a confidential bag, sealed with a red stamp marked ¡°Top Secret,¡± but Yan Yu felt no burden about it (what storms hadn¡¯t I seen in my previous life?), he took out the document and casually flipped through it.

    It was a military intelligence brief about Tianzhu. Its information sources and description manner were very concise, even somewhat elusive, so Yan Yu quickly found the key data:

    83 times.

    The number of Transcendents in Tianzhu was reported to be 83 times that of the Rikoku Cultivators.

    Yan Yu closed the document, placed it back on the desk, and listened as Chen Tianming asked,

    ¡°What do you make of this data?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s as expected,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°The current method we use to select cultivators is through blood testing to detect the Spiritual Energy in their bloodlines, and this method has quite significant flaws.¡±

    The number of Transcendents in a country is related to the country¡¯s population base and the prevalence of mysticism. Although Rikoku has a tradition of ¡°children not speaking of monstrous strength and chaos,¡± the number of Transcendents in Tianzhu being a staggering 1:83 could no longer be explained by ¡°a long-standing tradition of materialism.¡±

    The obvious fact was that the method of testing blood to detect a Spirit Root had a serious issue with ¡°missed detection.¡±

    For example, of a hundred Rikoku people with the qualifications for cultivation, blood testing could only identify one, and the remaining ninety-nine, due to reasons of confidentiality control, would not even know that they also had the chance to become cultivators. Out of a hundred qualified people from Tianzhu, due to the government¡¯s lax management methods and the wide circulation of cultivation techniques among the populace, eighty-three of them would learn the techniques.

    Thus, reflected in the numbers, for every eighty-three new Transcendents in Tianzhu, Rikoku could only add one.

    Sufficient quantitative change can lead to qualitative change, even a child could see that continuing this way would definitely lead to major problems.

    ¡°Blood testing is indeed not accurate enough,¡± said Chen Tianming indifferently, ¡°Extremely inaccurate.¡±

    ¡°We are considering adding more methods for screening cultivators. But the fact is, as long as there¡¯s a screening step, there will inevitably be misses.¡±

    His speech was not finished, but the implication was clear: now it¡¯s your turn to decipher my meaning.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t even need to guess. Those with the surname Chen were thinking nothing but to remove the sieve, to completely deregulate the cultivation techniques, ¡°Let everyone have a technique to practice,¡± ¡°Let all who can become Transcendents achieve it.¡±

    Indeed, this would rapidly increase the number of Cultivators in Lu Country, but¡­

    What would be the cost?

    Officially-trained Cultivators required the nation to provide resources for their cultivation, so their numbers inevitably had to be strictly limited. If 100 people became Cultivators and only the strongest one received an official position, what would you do with the remaining 99 Cultivators?

    The Western world, which advocates for small government, says: Let the market take care of it.

    The results of handing over the military-grade weapons to the capital market, was the entire Western world speeding towards a cyberpunk reality.

    If at this moment in time, the big businesses¡¯ methods of commercial warfare were financial infiltration, industrial confrontation, and collusion with the administration, at least they were still willing to compete within a mild order; in the future, the methods of commercial warfare would become transnational conglomerates hiring squads of incredibly powerful Transcendents, to steal their competitors¡¯ equipment and goods, to bomb their office parks, to devour all the innocent employees and bystanders¡­

    For those Transcendents obsessed with power, a world where violence was unrestrained might be exciting enough for them to raise the flag, but for the vast majority of ordinary people? To call it hell is no exaggeration.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal if some fall through the sieve,¡± Yan Yu firmly replied, ¡°The essence of a Cultivator lies in quality, not quantity. One top-notch Cultivator is absolutely incomparable to hundreds or thousands of worthless ones.¡±

    If Commander-in-Chief Li Weiguo were here, he would certainly remind Chen Tianming not to give Yan Yu this opportunity. But unfortunately, Old Li was not here, so Chen Tianming simply replied with a faint smile,

    ¡°Perhaps as the Spiritual Energy Resurgence progresses, the ultimate strength of the Cultivators may indeed become extremely exaggerated, but that would only increase the uncertain risks.¡±

    After all, if the overall number of Cultivators falls behind compared to other nations, who can guarantee that the number of great Cultivators wouldn¡¯t lag as well? Great Cultivators are, after all, grown from ordinary Cultivators.

    ¡°Oh, you misunderstand,¡± Yan Yu said, raising his right thumb and prodding his chest, ¡°What I mean is, having me is enough for Lu Country.¡±

    Chen Tianming: ???

    ¡°So what if Tianzhu has 83 times the number of Transcendents as our country?¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly, ¡°Can 83 archers from the era of cold weapons defeat one mecha pilot? I think this number is actually too small. It would be better to reach three or even four digits, to inflate their confidence enough for them to invade us, then I can go and wipe them out cleanly. Wouldn¡¯t that settle the matter once and for all? Very simple.¡±

    Chen Tianming stared at him for a long time and then suddenly burst into hearty laughter,

    ¡°Old Li said you are very ambitious, and I didn¡¯t believe it before, but now I¡¯ve finally seen it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m ambitious,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m just telling the truth.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Chen Tianming did not express any agreement or disagreement, but picked up a cigarette from the side, did not light it, and held it in his hand, revealing a pensive expression.

    Yan Yu did not disturb his thoughts, just waited until the other¡¯s eyes became increasingly profound and inscrutable.

    ¡°How long will it take?¡± he suddenly asked.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Yan Yu was puzzled.

    ¡°For you to operate the mecha,¡± Chen Tianming asked calmly, ¡°How long?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait until next year,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°We¡¯ll see how the Spiritual Energy Resurgence is progressing.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Chen Tianming casually lit a cigarette, ¡°You go on with your work.¡±

    Yan Yu then stood up and left Old Taishan in the room, enveloped in a haze of smoke, deep in thought.

    Upon leaving the administrative building, he saw Chen Lingyun waiting outside again. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Are you so afraid that I¡¯ll say something wrong to your father and anger him?¡± Yan Yu sarcastically teased her, ¡°Ah, I wouldn¡¯t have thought Princess Jiang Hai would also harbor such delicate thoughts of a little housewife.¡±

    ¡°So, what did you say to him?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smiling smile.

    She was already exquisitely beautiful, and with her perfect, unblemished fake smile, she could make any man who liked mature women instantly betray his preferences. But Yan Yu was too familiar with her smile from his previous life; he lost the urge to tease her further and simply replied leisurely,

    ¡°Nothing much. Your old man is worried that if Lu Country doesn¡¯t engage in universal cultivation, we won¡¯t be able to catch up with the number of Cultivators in other countries, and the gap will become more and more pronounced.¡±

    ¡°And what did you say?¡±

    ¡°I said, as long as I periodically wipe out a bunch of Cultivators from other countries, won¡¯t that control the ratio of numbers? Hahaha, I am such a genius~¡±

    Chen Lingyun: ¡­¡­¡­.

 Chapter 153: 53: Sister Comes to Make a Match

    Chapter 153: Chapter 53: Sister Comes to Make a Match

    Following the official issue of the ¡°Guidance on the Revival of Spiritual Energy¡± by the cabinet, the cultivation teams of the four military branches also saw a new round of expansion.

    With more teams and more people working, the distribution period for Mysterious Realms would be extended, and Yan Yu could finally expect a longer break, allowing him to reorganize the upgrade plan for his own team. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Lin Ning needed to begin learning sword techniques, Su Yunjin also had to master the second form of the ¡°Southern Dipper River Secret Spell,¡± Chen Lingyun needed a new spirit to complete her system, and Zhao Yuanzhen¡­ The Demonic Sect Enchantress herself was fine, but their puppets hadn¡¯t received any new exotic treasures to upgrade after getting the Celestial River fixed-bottom divine needle iron last time.

    The latter two had to wait for an opportunity. The ¡°Southern Dipper River Secret Spell¡± had a complete, readily available set of instructions, and for sword techniques, Mei Yingxue provided public editions of the Sword Immortal¡¯s specialized training materials. These two could start learning first.

    ¡°Sword techniques are actually just combinations of various sword moves, it¡¯s very simple,¡± said Yan Yu, forming a sword gesture with his hand and commanding the Huang Tingjian, ¡°For instance, this move, ¡®White Rainbow Piercing the Sun¡¯ if used against the person themselves, will definitely make the opponent retract their sword to defend, right? Otherwise, they¡¯d be chopped to death by you, so this move is mainly used to force the enemy to switch from offense to defense.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± said Lin Ning.

    ¡°What about after the enemy defends?¡± Yan Yu continued changing the sword gestures, ¡°Then you use this move, ¡®Eagle Soaring Through the Sky¡¯. ¡®Eagle Soaring¡¯ is different from ¡®White Rainbow¡¯, where the longer the distance, the stronger the force, making it suitable for the first strike; ¡®Eagle Soaring¡¯, on the other hand, is for close-quarter swordsmanship combat, breaking through the opponent¡¯s defense with multiple instantaneous consecutive strikes. After you practice, you can easily achieve double strikes in a moment, but for triple strikes, you need some skill¡­¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± said Lin Ning.

    ¡°Lin Ning, are you not in good shape today?¡± Yan Yu saw that she was unusually quiet today, not as inquisitive as she usually was, so he asked with concern.

    ¡°No,¡± Lin Ning formed a sword gesture with her hand, and the Green Bamboo Sword turned into a sword light, clashing with the Huang Tingjian. At the moment of a slight rotation in angle, it struck again, producing two sharp sounds in quick succession, ¡°Like this?¡±

    ¡°Right, just like that,¡± thought Yan Yu, impressed with her learning ability. ¡°Aren¡¯t you in good shape?¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± said Lin Ning, ¡°I¡¯ll keep practicing on my own.¡±

    Yan Yu also felt puzzled, but Sister Lin hadn¡¯t been in low spirits just for today; she had been down since coming back from the Northeast¡ªlet¡¯s see if she can adjust on her own.

    He then turned his attention to Su Yunjin¡¯s progress and smiled, ¡°Yun Jin, how¡¯s your learning going? Do you need me to explain it to you?¡±

    The first three forms of the ¡°Southern Dipper River Secret Spell,¡± namely Jiaochong, Li Fan, and Lang Feiyun, could perform many highly effective combination moves.

    ¡°What?¡± Su Yunjin said with a light smile, ¡°Did you hit a wall with Ningning and come here to seek affirmation?¡±

    ¡°Wow, Yun Jin, you really have a sharp eye,¡± said Yan Yu pretending to be surprised, ¡°Since you¡¯re so clever, you should be able to handle a larger daily training volume, right?¡±

    Su Yunjin dropped her smile and ignored him, continuing to practice her spells.

    ¡°Speaking of which, does Ningning have something on her mind?¡± Yan Yu asked Su Yunjin, looking at Lin Ning who was silently practicing sword moves in the distance.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± replied Su Yunjin calmly.

    ¡°That tone of yours sounds so fake,¡± Yan Yu¡¯s suspicions deepened.

    ¡°Even if I knew, I wouldn¡¯t tell the captain,¡± Su Yunjin responded, ¡°If Ningning has something on her mind and she chooses to only tell me, that¡¯s because we¡¯re close. If I then turn around and reveal her secret¡­ Do you think I¡¯m that kind of person?¡±

    ¡°You have a point,¡± thought Yan Yu. Secretary Su¡¯s character is indeed reliable, and for matters like these, one would need to find someone with a questionable character to inquire about them.

    So he went to find Chen Lingyun and just happened to see her putting down her phone, smiling, ¡°Yan Jing has already reached the high-speed train station.¡±

    ¡°My sister is coming?¡± Yan Yu was startled, then became annoyed, ¡°She¡¯s coming and she didn¡¯t tell me first, why did she tell you?¡±

    ¡°Who knows?¡± Chen Lingyun sang, ¡°Maybe there are secrets she can¡¯t tell her brother, like coming over a day early to meet a male net friend or something¡­¡±

    ¡°Damn it!¡± Yan Yu was genuinely scared this time, ¡°What male net friend?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just guessing,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a grin.

    But how could Yan Yu believe that? If his sister was fooled by some Jinling internet cafe¡¯s private room ghostfire boy, and later brought home a boyfriend with a rainbow-colored rooster haircut to meet their parents¡­ Father Yan and Mother Yan would probably twist off his skull cap and yell into it, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you take better care of your sister?¡±

    He hurriedly took out his phone and called Yan Jing.

    Zhao Yuanzhen also came over upon hearing this and asked Chen Lingyun,

    ¡°Has Yan Yu¡¯s little sister arrived?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Chen Lingyun did not deny, or rather, she even wished everyone knew, ¡°She¡¯s already arrived in Jinling.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen immediately began patting her clothes and pants pockets, thinking that this was the first time she would meet the little thief¡¯s family, and as his daoist partner, she should give some sort of gift upon meeting¡­ Wait, were the little thief¡¯s family cultivators or ordinary people again?

    The girls pricked up their ears and only heard Yan Yu say ¡°okay¡± three times in succession, followed by a final ¡°I¡¯ll come pick you up,¡± after which he put down the phone.

    Then he turned back, expressionless, and instructed,

    ¡°I¡¯ve got some errands to run; you guys practice on your own first, Chen Lingyun is in charge of supervising.¡±

    After saying that, Yan Yu hurriedly turned and left.

    The girls looked once more at Chen Lingyun, casting inquiring glances at her.

    ¡°Why are you looking at me?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a puzzled tilt of her head, ¡°Don¡¯t you all want to follow and check it out?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen urged, ¡°Ling Yun, hurry and call a taxi; I want to see what kind of girl the little thief¡¯s sister¡­ ahem, what kind of girl Yan Yu¡¯s sister is.¡±

    Even Lin Ning, who was in a sullen mood, and Su Yunjin, who was still angry, couldn¡¯t help but become a bit interested. After all, with Yan Yu¡¯s difficult personality, his sister, who had grown up with him, would probably have some experience in ¡°how to deal with Yan Yu,¡± right?

    What were they waiting for! They should quickly go meet her and then ask for advice thoroughly!

    As for Yan Yu, he had taken a taxi to the high-speed train station to find his sister, who had been waiting at the exit for a long time. Yan Jing was wearing a white dress and a sun hat on her head, sitting on a large suitcase playing with her phone.

    ¡°Just one suitcase?¡± Yan Yu approached and asked.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Yan Jing looked up to confirm her brother had arrived and replied, ¡°Isn¡¯t one enough?¡±

    ¡°Enough, enough, enough,¡± Yan Yu breathed a sigh of relief, ¡°I was afraid you wouldn¡¯t bring even one suitcase and would just come here to throw yourself at some guy you met online. I would never tolerate that.¡±

    ¡°Who meets up with their online romances nowadays,¡± Yan Jing said with disdain curling her lips, ¡°The pursuit is of an ambiguous feeling and a hazy beauty; meeting in person would just ruin it all, okay? Brother, don¡¯t you see those people on the internet, why they keep all information about Mysterious Realm figures a secret? What they¡¯re selling is a love fueled by imagination.¡±

    ¡°Stop right there,¡± Yan Yu interrupted, ¡°I don¡¯t understand you young people¡¯s subcultures, and don¡¯t try to clue me in either, I have limited comprehension.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re at the university-going age this year but already disconnecting from young people?¡± Yan Jing laughed teasingly, ¡°No wonder you can¡¯t find a girlfriend. Want me to introduce you to some classmates?¡±

    ¡°Have you lost your mind? Aren¡¯t all your classmates underage?¡± Yan Yu said, pulling her suitcase for her, ¡°Are you trying to set me up for entrapment so you can report me and hog all of our parent¡¯s inheritance?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say you should sleep with them,¡± Yan Jing gave him a ¡®you dumb-ass brother¡¯ look and said, ¡°You could start with nurturing. Brother, you¡¯re earning a monthly salary of forty thousand now, fooling those naive junior high girls should be a breeze, no?¡±

    ¡°Did you look in the mirror before you said that?¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but frown and said, ¡°Who starts setting up their classmates when they¡¯re in junior high?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m setting them up for my brother, not for myself,¡± Yan Jing quickly corrected him, ¡°There are so many guys in big cities who aren¡¯t interested in dating. If brother stays single forever and turns into a gloomy, creeping, homebound otaku, I would find that pretty disgusting too, okay?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s hilarious, how could your brother possibly not find anyone?¡± Yan Yu was amused by her and forcefully ruffled her hair, ¡°The women chasing after me could form a line around West Lake, you know?¡±

    ¡°Getting anxious, brother?¡± Yan Jing brushed away the hand that was messing up her hair, speaking irritably, ¡°You¡¯re not going to tell me you are spending forty thousand yuan a month in mobile games, then show me a gallery saying ¡®all these are my wives,¡¯ right? Wake up, okay? Forget about making a line around West Lake. Even if you had a line of paper-person wives from Shanhai Pass to Jiayuguan Pass, that sort of thing wouldn¡¯t be recognized by the family. I wouldn¡¯t have to worry so much if you just manage to win over Sister Ling Yun¡­¡±

    Before she could finish, a business car stopped by the roadside ahead.

    Lin Ning, Zhao Yuanzhen, Su Yunjin, and Chen Lingyun got out of the car one after another and started walking towards Yan Yu and his sister.

    Four exceptionally beautiful sisters¡­ directly stunned Yan Jing.

 Chapter 154: 54: If You Cant Play, Then Dont Play, Alright?

    Chapter 154: Chapter 54: If You Can¡¯t Play, Then Don¡¯t Play, Alright?

    Sitting in the business van, Yan Jing, who was usually lively and cheerful, suddenly became strangely restrained when she was surrounded by several beautiful older sisters. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Is Jingjing attending middle school?¡± Su Yunjin asked with a smile.

    ¡°She¡¯s talking to you,¡± Yan Yu poked his sister¡¯s head.

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Yan Jing nodded honestly, ¡°I¡¯m in the eighth grade.¡±

    ¡°How are your grades then?¡± Lin Ning asked with interest, joining the conversation.

    ¡°Ningning, who asks about grades when you¡¯ve just met someone?¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. Knowing she had made a faux pas, Lin Ning hastily coughed and said:

    ¡°Cough, I was just making conversation, forget I asked.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Yan Jing said, ¡°My grades are pretty good, I¡¯m always within the top ten in my grade.¡±

    ¡°Wow, so we¡¯ve got a little academic overachiever here.¡± The girls all laughed, looking at her with even more affection.

    Such a sweet and obedient girl, how could she possibly be the sister of Captain Yan? Could it be a genetic mutation?

    ¡°Don¡¯t praise her too much; it¡¯s still too early to talk about grades in the eighth grade,¡± Yan Yu said sternly, ¡°She has to keep it up until the high school entrance exam at least.¡±

    ¡°Tsk,¡± the girls protested in unison.

    Even Zhao Yuanzhen, who had not experienced the exam-oriented education system, naturally aligned with the other girls when it came to resisting Yan Yu.

    ¡°Ignore your brother.¡± She hugged Yan Jing¡¯s arm and said proudly, ¡°Sister will take you to try Jinling¡¯s delicacies later.¡±

    A forced smile appeared on Yan Jing¡¯s face, but inside she was grumbling to herself:

    So big¡­ how did they grow like that? It¡¯s getting a bit annoying.

    She stealthily examined Zhao Yuanzhen; indeed, her figure was nearly perfect, and to top it off, she had a melon-seed shaped face, with arms and shoulders that were not too chubby. They say ¡°great fruits grow on slender branches¡± must not be natural, right? But looking at the shape, they didn¡¯t seem to be surgically implanted prosthetics either¡­

    And this Sister Zhao, when she talked to others, always seemed a bit of an airhead, not the deliberate kind that acted dumb to lure men, but rather a naturally simple-minded kind of ditz ¨C really scary, all her talents must have been spent on chopping men down.

    Yan Jing discreetly shifted her gaze, continuing to survey the other girls around her.

    The sister with the gentle temperament should be Su Yunjin; she was the type of young lady who clearly came from a good upbringing, destined to be a wise and virtuous wife.

    Then there was Lin Ning with her black, straight hair wearing a sports tank top ¨C wow, such volume of hair would make anyone envious! Thick, black, and silky-smooth, you could tell it would feel amazing to touch! I¡¯ll have to ask her what shampoo she uses.

    And there was Chen Lingyun sitting next to me, petite and cute like a doll, and she really knew how to rock that sweet girl style! She was just a little on the short side; I wonder if my brother likes that type.

    Yan Jing¡¯s thoughts drifted far away for a moment, but then she was suddenly pulled back by a horrifying, thrilling thought.

    Wait a minute! If I were my brother, surrounded by these beauties, wouldn¡¯t I end my single life at lightning speed?

    But why doesn¡¯t my brother have a girlfriend yet?

    Could it be that he¡­ No way, right?

    After remaining silent for a while, Yan Jing secretly took out her phone and started texting Yan Yu.

    [Arrogant Monster]: Big brother, if you don¡¯t reproduce properly, Dad will definitely be angered to death by you.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: ???

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Sick? Treatment? Medicine?

    [Arrogant Monster]: Did you know that if a man walks through a garden of flowers without a single leaf sticking to him, we usually call him ¡®brass,¡¯ either the brass of Shaolin Temple¡¯s Wooden Men Lane or the brass of the Big Bird Rotating Bar. So, which kind are you, big brother?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Aside from monks and gays, can¡¯t there be perfectionists with high standards for choosing a spouse? Do you really think any of them are worthy of me?

    [Arrogant Monster]: Why would big brother ask that kind of question? Does our family have a throne for you to inherit that you¡¯re putting on airs and picking a consort? Aren¡¯t you worried that if you¡¯re too slow, others will chase them away?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Then which one do you think is worthy of me?

    [Arrogant Monster]: Socrates once sent Plato to a wheat field to pick the fullest ear of wheat, but he had to keep moving forward, couldn¡¯t turn back, and could only pick once. In the end, Plato came out with nothing because every time he saw a full ear, he worried that there would be a better one later, so he ended up with nothing.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Not bad at memorizing the material for middle school essays, but you¡¯ve got one thing wrong.

    [Arrogant Monster]: Big brother is about to talk nonsense again.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I¡¯m the landlord! All the wheat in my field is mine; I can pick as much wheat as I want!

    [Arrogant Monster]: How about we let mom and dad be the judge of that?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Don¡¯t tell them just yet; it¡¯s too early for that, as things are not even certain yet. I¡¯m just asking for your opinion right now.

    [Tsundere Monster]: I don¡¯t know.

    [Tsundere Monster]: I¡¯ll have to observe carefully.

    [Tsundere Monster]: After all, with a temper as difficult as yours, big bro, I also need to consider whether any of them would actually be interested in you. That¡¯s the most important part.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Then I¡¯ll leave it to you, I want results before we head back.

    Yan Jing slapped her forehead as she read her big brother¡¯s reply.

    I knew I couldn¡¯t rely on big bro at all!

    Others might think big bro is just being a hands-off manager, but as his sister who grew up with him, of course, I know he¡¯s saying that because he can¡¯t make up his mind and wants to hear his little sister¡¯s opinion¡­ You¡¯re already hesitant before you even figure out if they like you?

    Forget it, it¡¯s up to me, apparently a middle-schooler on the outside but actually a love detective on the inside, to step in!

    Yan Jing looked at the four ¡°distinct talents of spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums¡± in the car, her eyes spinning as she quickly formulated a plan in her mind.

    ¡°Big bro.¡± She called out crisply.

    ¡°What?¡± Yan Yu asked back.

    ¡°Do you remember the Qian Qian on the first floor?¡± Yan Jing mentioned casually.

    ¡°I remember, what about her?¡± Yan Yu was somewhat surprised.

    ¡°I heard from mom that she was once betrothed to you as a child.¡± Yan Jing said lightly, quickly scanning the sisters around her from the corner of her eye.

    Facial micro-expression detection radar, activate!

    Sister Ling Yun¡ªexpression unchanged, indifferent. Wait, the corner of her mouth is curling up, is that a smirk? She doesn¡¯t buy it!

    Sister Yun Jin¡ªfrowning slightly, eyelids drooping. Hmm, there seems to be a bit of unhappiness there.

    Sister Lin Ning¡ªlooking out the window, lips pursed. Obviously annoyed, very resistant to what she heard.

    And then there¡¯s the sister best at nourishing others, what was her name again?

    ¡°What childhood betrothal?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly widened her eyes, grabbed Yan Yu¡¯s shoulders, and started shaking him fiercely while gritting her teeth, ¡°Why haven¡¯t you ever told me about this?¡±

    ¡°Let go!¡± Yan Yu shook off her hands, clearly annoyed, ¡°I don¡¯t even know about it! How could I tell you? Jingjing, are you mistaken?¡±

    ¡°Oh, seems like I got it wrong.¡± Yan Jing let out a forced laugh.

    No need to analyze micro-expressions; the nourishing sister blew up immediately.

    Based on this probing, it¡¯s clear the nourishing sister definitely likes big bro, and Sisters Yun Jin and Lin Ning both showed a little emotion, likely having thoughts about big bro, but it¡¯s uncertain whether it amounts to liking. Sister Ling Yun probably saw through my testing, so her expression can¡¯t be trusted. More investigation is needed.

    As Yan Jing organized her thoughts, Lin Ning asked out of the blue:

    ¡°You still have that custom of childhood betrothals over there?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it might just be something the elders say for fun.¡± Yan Jing quickly tried to cover up with a laugh, ¡°We aren¡¯t in the old society anymore, and it¡¯s not like we can be forced into engagement just because our parents made a promise over drinks.¡±

    ¡°Mm, I also think it might just be a precaution.¡± Su Yunjin said in a lingering tone, ¡°Perhaps if both of them haven¡¯t found a partner when they grow up, they arrange a blind date to see if they could match. That might be the idea.¡±

    Lin Ning was silent for a while, then said with a smile:

    ¡°Probably. Elders just like to meddle in these things.¡±

    No one continued the topic. The air inside the car became tenser, heavier, the atmosphere already noticeably more hostile.

    Yan Jing suddenly regretted her words and quickly shot her brother a look seeking help, while Yan Yu also looked over with an annoyed expression.

    See the mess you¡¯ve made! If you don¡¯t know how to play the game, then don¡¯t play, all right?

    ¡°Ahem.¡± He cleared his throat, then sneered unabashedly, ¡°Blind dates? Precautions? Do you need to go to the hospital to wash your brains or what? With my qualifications, do I need blind dates? Do you believe that if I snap my fingers to say I want to date, women from all over the country will flock to Jinling and jam the traffic?¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Chen Lingyun chimed in with a smile, ¡°If he really said that, arrangements would surely be made, after all, there are plenty of eligible unmarried women in agencies across the country.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s still another form of a blind date!¡± Lin Ning couldn¡¯t help retorting, ¡°You¡¯re not even considering free love, are you?¡±

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s because there¡¯s no woman worthy of me in my life.¡± Yan Yu shook his head, putting on airs, ¡°Sigh, being too excellent is also a problem.¡±

    Yan Jing watched her own big brother say those absurdly self-obsessed words, mouth agape. Yet, the other sisters, rather than showing disgust, all seemed strangely eased by his words, and the initially hostile atmosphere dissipated into nothingness.

    Why is this happening! I don¡¯t understand!

 Chapter 155: 55: The Love Detective

    Chapter 155: Chapter 55: The Love Detective

    ¡°Wow! What a huge villa!¡±

    After returning home, Yan Jing quickly became excited, running around the living room, looking here and there, and turning her head to call out:

    ¡°Big bro, did you buy this villa?¡±

    ¡°We all chipped in to buy it,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    ¡°How much did it cost?¡± Yan Jing naively asked.

    ¡°Little kids shouldn¡¯t ask so many questions,¡± Yan Yu brushed off her inquiry.

    ¡°Heh,¡± Yan Jing revealed a mocking expression, ¡°Sneaking off to buy a house without telling mom and dad, huh? Then you better get ready to pay me hush money.¡±

    ¡°How about I physically silence you instead?¡± Yan Yu said with a sinister smile, ¡°Which do you think will cause amnesia more easily, a hit to the back of the head or the neck?¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Yan Jing wanted to say, ¡°Then I¡¯ll call the police and get you arrested,¡± but then she remembered her older brother was now in a military academy, beyond the reach of the constables, so she stamped her foot, turned her head, and whooshed up to the second floor.

    Only after his sister had left did Lin Ning incredulously ask:

    ¡°You didn¡¯t tell your family about the prize money you won from the Mysterious Realm?¡±

    ¡°Why should I?¡± Yan Yu counter-questioned her, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you talked to your family about it?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Lin Ning said.

    ¡°Then your dad got even more anxious and started to rush you even harder to find a boyfriend,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°How do you know?¡± Lin Ning was suddenly shocked.

    ¡°Because the more money a girl makes, the higher her standards become,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a laugh from the side, ¡°Those earning five thousand a month expect their partner to make over ten thousand; those making ten thousand will raise their expectations to twenty thousand. The result is that the more you earn, the easier it is to end up single and available.¡±

    ¡°So what if I end up single?¡± Lin Ning countered defiantly, ¡°When I become an old lady, I¡¯ll just go live with Yun Jin, the two of us supporting each other.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t do,¡± Su Yunjin laughed as she shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m going to get married, so I can¡¯t spend my life just with you.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± Lin Ning was taken aback.

    Zhao Yuanzhen listened to their conversation about marriage and fate with an indifferent ¡°heh, so that¡¯s it¡± expression on her face.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress, already with a partner, wasn¡¯t flustered at all, and even wanted to laugh¡ªhaha, leftover ladies, I¡¯ve already landed safely ashore!

    ¡°Big bro, which room do I sleep in?¡± Yan Jing asked, poking her head from upstairs.

    ¡°Whichever room is empty,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    ¡°Which room are you in?¡± Yan Jing pressed on with her question.

    ¡°The one with the plaque on the door,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    Yan Jing continued investigating on the second floor and indeed found that the door of the master bedroom at the end of the hallway had a plaque with the character ¡°Yan¡± on it.

    Although there were many rooms in the villa, it was clearly designed for a single family, so there was only one largest master bedroom with an en-suite bathroom. All other rooms seemed to be secondary bedrooms based on their size.

    Considering the layout, with the secondary bedrooms lacking private bathrooms, one would naturally choose to be closer to the common bathroom¡ªthe fewer nighttime trips, the better. Yet these sisters all chose to stay next to their older brother¡¯s room.

    Hmm¡­

    Yan Jing¡¯s gaze sharpened as she acutely sensed the secret behind everyone¡¯s room choices, likely something unknown even to the people involved.

    Hmph, you can¡¯t hide it from the brain of this detective of love!

    After picking the room closest to the common bathroom, Yan Jing wheeled her suitcase inside, then came out, feigning nonchalance, and went downstairs.

    While still on the staircase, she could already smell the aroma of pickled fish.

    Upon reaching the first floor, she saw Sister Lin attending to the gas stove in the semi-open kitchen, one side simmering with a pot of pickled fish soup and the other sizzling with a frying pan filled with seven or eight chicken wings.

    Sister Su was beside her, chopping vegetables, preparing sides like black fungus, enoki mushrooms, lettuce, and dried bean curd sticks.

    In the spacious living room, her big brother was lying on the sofa playing with his phone, without any intention of helping in the kitchen.

    Sister Zhao was sitting next to him, watching TV and cracking sunflower seeds. The small mountain of seed shells on the table was evidence that this sister¡¯s breastfeeding prowess wasn¡¯t entirely due to genetics; a high intake of fats was a significant factor as well.

    Chen, the most delicate-looking sister, was sitting alone in a wicker chair near the balcony, enjoying the distant river view, leisurely sipping coffee, with a serene and sweet smile on her face.

    So elegant! Just too elegant!

    Seeing this, the detective of love gathered some preliminary intelligence:

    Sister Lin and Sister Su were more suitable for a domestic life, the virtuous type, while Sister Zhao and Sister Chen sought too much personal pleasure, which warranted deductions. However, Sister Zhao had the best figure, and Sister Chen was the most beautiful, which added back points in their favor.

    Hmm, if I were my brother, I too would have a tough time choosing.

    The investigation continues!

    Yan Jing first entered the kitchen, deliberately exclaiming:

    ¡°Wow, it smells so good!¡±

    ¡°Does Jingjing like to eat fish?¡± Lin Ning asked with a smile.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Yan Jing moved closer to her and tentatively said, ¡°Brother also really likes fish.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him,¡± Lin Ning immediately pouted and said, ¡°He doesn¡¯t help out, so whatever we cook, he¡¯ll just have to eat.¡±

    ¡°Brother doesn¡¯t help out?¡± Yan Jing asked knowingly, ¡°Then why do you still cook for him?¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t always order takeout,¡± said Su Yunjin while chopping vegetables.

    Yan Jing: ¡­¡­¡­

    If it were her sharing an apartment with roommates, and the roommates never cooked, she certainly wouldn¡¯t cook for both of them¡ªeven though she definitely wasn¡¯t some kind of saint!

    But to conclude from this that the two older sisters were interested in Big Brother, the evidence was still somewhat insufficient.

    Yan Jing glanced at Big Brother playing with his phone in the living room and decided to go for a direct approach.

    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± she said nonchalantly, ¡°why did Sister Zhao react so strongly when I mentioned in the car that my brother has a childhood betrothal?¡±

    Su Yunjin¡¯s vegetable cutting paused abruptly, while Lin Ning fell silent for a moment before saying:

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, you can ask her.¡±

    There it was, a clear sign of resistance. The two sisters definitely had something to hide.

    Feigning ignorance, Yan Jing continued:

    ¡°Sigh, even if there really was such a betrothal, Big Brother definitely wouldn¡¯t agree.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Lin Ning immediately asked in surprise.

    Su Yunjin, although not turning back, paused in her actions, clearly her attention was drawn as well.

    ¡°Because my brother is super narcissistic,¡± Yan Jing laughed and said, ¡°How could he possibly accept an arrangement by his parents and marry a woman with whom he feels no affection?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Lin Ning and Su Yunjin were quite surprised, but upon further reflection, it indeed seemed consistent with the captain¡¯s character, so they quietly breathed sighs of relief and got back to work.

    Yan Jing, noticing their subtle sense of relief, finally arrived at an answer.

    Even if they hadn¡¯t explicitly expressed liking Big Brother, at the very least they ¡°harbored positive feelings¡± towards him¡ªin other words, as long as Big Brother actively pursued them and didn¡¯t do anything stupid, the odds were high that things would naturally develop.

    As for Sister Zhao, there was no need to mention her. As soon as she heard ¡®childhood betrothal¡¯ she became anxious, which showed that she was already firmly caught by Big Brother.

    So the only one left is you, Sister Chen!

    Yan Jing walked to the balcony, calling out with a beaming smile:

    ¡°Sister Chen.¡±

    ¡°Would you like some coffee?¡± Chen Lingyun stood up.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Chen Lingyun gracefully stood and made a cup of coffee for Yan Jing. The latter held the cup and took a few sips before complimenting:

    ¡°It¡¯s delicious. Sister Chen, your skill could rival a professional barista¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s good,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a slight smile, ¡°I don¡¯t dislike your brother, you know~¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Yan Jing was momentarily taken aback before realizing¡ª the other person had seen through her probing and straightforwardly given an answer.

    ¡°Just ¡®don¡¯t dislike¡¯?¡± she asked with a beaming smile, ¡°Sister Ling Yun, when you reached out to me before, I thought you were interested in my brother.¡±

    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t really tell,¡± Chen Lingyun said slowly, ¡°After all, I¡¯ve never been in love before.¡±

    ¡°I can only say that if the person I spend my life with is him, I think I would be okay with that.¡±

    Yan Jing had never been in love either, but with her extensive knowledge of various novels and TV shows, she fancied herself as experienced as an expert and thus was full of confidence.

    If spending a lifetime together was okay, wasn¡¯t that a confirmed romance for Sister Chen? Many couples who had confirmed their relationship wouldn¡¯t dare say they were ¡°already sure about spending their life with the other person¡±!

    Case closed! To the eyes of this love detective, there¡¯s only one clear truth!

    The four sisters living in this villa all have the potential to be my brother¡¯s love interest!

    Now it¡¯s time to choose the love conquest path!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°So after all your investigation, you came up with such an obvious conclusion?¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t hide the scorn on his face, ¡°You useless little thing, I knew I couldn¡¯t count on you.¡±

    ¡°What the heck?!¡± Yan Jing protested, ¡°Big Brother, with your freakish level of narcissism, finding four sisters willing to accept you is already incredibly unbelievable, okay? Of course, I had to check carefully!¡±

    ¡°Check my foot!¡± Yan Yu said in disappointment, ¡°Let¡¯s just leave it at that.¡±

    ¡°So who does Big Brother have the highest affection for right now¡­ I mean, which sister do you like the most?¡± Yan Jing shamelessly leaned in to ask.

    ¡°Go away, kids shouldn¡¯t ask so many questions.¡±

 Chapter 156: 56: Lin Nings mood value has risen again.

    Chapter 156: Chapter 56: Lin Ning¡¯s mood value has risen again.

    ¡°Brother.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t a grown man like you start a family?¡±

    ¡°Buzz off.¡±

    ¡°I think that Miss Chen is exquisite and beautiful, with refined taste, a fine match indeed.¡±

    ¡°Miss Chen is arrogant; I don¡¯t like her.¡±

    ¡°Miss Zhao has a charming figure and is easy to care for, would make a delicate wife.¡±

    ¡°Miss Zhao is stupid; I don¡¯t like her either.¡±

    ¡°Miss Lin can enter the kitchen and wield a spoon with her bare hands, suitable to be a wife.¡±

    ¡°Miss Lin is blunt; I don¡¯t like her either.¡±

    ¡°Miss Su is gentle and understanding, a great choice for a main wife.¡±

    ¡°Miss Su is crafty; I don¡¯t like her either.¡±

    ¡°The reason you¡¯re still single isn¡¯t because they¡¯re arrogant, stupid, blunt, or crafty. It¡¯s because you¡¯ve enclosed yourself in a circle and refuse to step lightly into love.¡±

    ¡°Enough already, now you¡¯re the expert, eh? Go back to your room.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, I¡¯m going to tell mom to pick a daughter-in-law for you.¡±

    ¡°Suit yourself.¡±

    Yan Yu chased his hopping and skipping sister out of the room and sighed helplessly.

    In other families, sisters either diligently pester their older brothers or don¡¯t speak a word to them for half a year. Why is mine always thinking about getting me a sister-in-law? She¡¯s more eager to marry me off than my own parents!

    After freshening up in the bathroom, Yan Yu put on his pajamas and was about to lie down when he suddenly heard an urgent knock on the door.

    A Demonic Sect Enchantress? What time is it now, and she¡¯s already rushing over for dual cultivation?

    When Yan Yu opened the door, it wasn¡¯t Zhao Yuanzhen, but Lin Ning, Sister Lin, wearing a white T-shirt, her hands clutching the hem of her shirt, revealing her fair and tender thighs.

    ¡°Excuse me, I need to use the bathroom.¡± Lin Ning was also very agile, and before Yan Yu could ask, she darted under his arm¡ªit looked like the girl wasn¡¯t wearing pants, only relying on the shirt hem to cover her thighs, which explained why she had to hold it down to prevent exposing herself.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the bathroom outside?¡± he asked casually.

    ¡°It¡¯s occupied,¡± Lin Ning said from inside, having closed the door behind her.

    Not having an en-suite bathroom in the bedroom was inconvenient; if someone was inside and you needed to use it urgently, it could be very troublesome.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t mind letting her use it, though; he just lazily lay in bed, playing with his phone.

    [Shenxing Qianli] invites you to join the chat group, where 6 of your friends are also members.

    Yan Yu: ?

    [Shenxing Qianli] is Qiu Ze¡¯s chat account nickname. He clicked accept without much thought and was quickly added to a group with nearly sixty members.

    [Shenxing Qianli]: @Everyone/Welcome Captain Yan to the group.

    Below, a row of emojis flooded in, either showing reverence or applause, but among them was a discordant voice.

    [Rizhao Zhujiang]: Why didn¡¯t I get such a reception when I joined the group?

    [Shenxing Qianli]: Haha, Captain Yan is our Zhendong Army¡¯s top cultivator; as the group admin, of course, I have to make a big deal of it.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Li Zhaojiang, aren¡¯t you being childish, fussing over this?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: @Yuegua Donghu, Li Minghu come manage your brother. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    [Rizhao Zhujiang]: Scram scram scram scram scram scram scram!

    [Rizhao Zhujiang]: I¡¯m warning you, don¡¯t just @ my sister.

    [Rizhao Zhujiang]: She¡¯s currently at the hospital for check-ups, and doesn¡¯t have time for you.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: @Yi De Fu Ren, what¡¯s up?

    Immediately, the chat was overrun with laughing emojis, as no one had expected a comeback that swift.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Keep an eye on your brother.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Sure, smile.

    Li Zhaojiang stopped talking, apparently so devastated that he went off to sulk.

    [Liu Shao]: How¡¯s Vice-Captain Li¡¯s health?

    [Zhu Jun]: If the Xingwang Residence can¡¯t cure it, you could come to Pingjing to see. Our Dingbei Army can help arrange for experts to consult.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Thanks, it¡¯s an old issue, no serious worries for now.

    Once again, a string of emojis wishing good health cascaded down the chat.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Hey, why hasn¡¯t Xiao Zhou joined the group chat?

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: Captain Zhou probably hasn¡¯t seen the invite yet, I¡¯ll go ask her.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: What Xiao Zhou? Yan Yu, our Captain Zhou was born in the same year as you, even a month earlier, so if you¡¯re going to address her, it should be as Sister.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: There was a mistake in the year on my ID card when it was registered; it¡¯s a year late, so I¡¯m actually older than all of you, remember to call me brother.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Really?

    [Ninghai Old Meng]: Tang Xiaolian, you believe that?

    [Liu Shao]: Judged as fake at first glance.

    Knocking echoed again outside, and then Zhao Yuanzhen pushed the door open, lifted her mobile phone and said,

    ¡°Someone just tried to invite me into a group chat, take a look¡­ should I join?¡±

    ¡°Go ahead and join.¡± Yan Yu glanced at her phone, ¡°It¡¯s probably an internal chat for the cultivators of the team.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen sat down beside his bed and casually tapped ¡®agree.¡¯

    [Grand Dame Surnamed Zhao] joined the chat group.

    ¡°What¡¯s this group for?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen continued to inquire.

    ¡°It¡¯s for cultivators to chat.¡± Yan Yu kept playing with his phone, ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about it.¡±

    ¡°Team cultivators¡­ so it¡¯s the current most powerful cultivators of Lu Country, all in this group, right?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen pondered.

    ¡°Mmm-hmm,¡± Yan Yu replied nonchalantly.

    Zhao Yuanzhen wanted to ask something else but then saw Lin Ning coming out of the bathroom.

    The two women locked eyes, and then their expressions both began to change¡ªDemonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s face turned dark while Sister Lin turned pale.

    ¡°You done in the toilet?¡± Yan Yu raised his head.

    Zhao Yuanzhen then noticed that Lin Ning was properly dressed, and with the sound of the flushing toilet, she could easily guess that it was just a ¡°toilet visit¡± and not ¡°hiding from me after I caught her in a private meeting with Yan Yu,¡± so her expression softened again.

    To cover up her embarrassment at having misunderstood the situation, she quickly showed a smile and pulled Lin Ning to the side of the bed:

    ¡°Ningning, come here, there¡¯s an internal group chat for cultivators, let me pull you in.¡±

    Lin Ning, treated with such zeal by Zhao Yuanzhen, was also puzzled for a moment, but followed her lead in joining the chat group, before she managed a forced smile:

    ¡°I just came to use the toilet, I won¡¯t disturb you two.¡±

    ¡°No disturbance.¡± Yan Yu replied without looking up, ¡°We haven¡¯t started the Qi refinement yet.¡±

    ¡°Qi refinement?¡± Lin Ning asked, surprised.

    ¡°Er,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen hesitated for a moment, thinking that although the matter of dual cultivation needed to be kept secret from outsiders, Sister Lin had joined their team for so long and was now living together with them, which seemed to mean she couldn¡¯t be considered an outsider, so she explained,

    ¡°It¡¯s dual cultivation. Two people practice Qi Refinement together, it¡¯s more efficient¡­ but you must keep it a secret, okay?¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Lin Ning nodded stiffly, and then slowly began to realize the implications.

    The current Qi Refinement technique that everyone used for their practice was the ¡°National Standard Qi Refinement Technique¡± recorded in the Comprehensive Guide to Cultivation (adapted from Mei Yingxue¡¯s Primordial Unity Scripture), which didn¡¯t include any parts about dual cultivation.

    This meant that the captain and Sister Zhao must have gotten hold of another Qi Refinement technique and didn¡¯t want to turn it over to the state, so they gathered every night, secretly practicing dual cultivation without telling anyone¡­ So it wasn¡¯t a secret rendezvous!

    Her mood soon brightened, and she said with a smile:

    ¡°A secret cultivation technique, huh? I won¡¯t tell anyone, heading back now.¡±

    After watching Lin Ning leave the room, Zhao Yuanzhen turned to ask:

    ¡°Hey, can we trust Lin Ning?¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Yan Yu raised his eyebrows, ¡°Besides, she doesn¡¯t know what technique we¡¯re practicing.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen pondered.

    ¡°Actually, living under the same roof and next to each other, it¡¯s only a matter of time before it gets discovered,¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°Lin Ning is simple and straightforward. Being a little open with her, she won¡¯t overthink it. In the future, if you are out on duty, and you two share a room at night, she could help cover for you.¡±

    ¡°You really think of everything.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen gave up on further thought and carefully climbed onto Yan Yu¡¯s bed, ¡°Let¡¯s begin then.¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Yan Yu said.

    He sat up in bed, looking towards the door, and spoke in a low voice,

    ¡°My sister is also at home today, which is a bit risky. It would be safer to wait until after midnight when everyone is asleep to proceed with the dual cultivation.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s better.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen fell silent for a moment, then suddenly said,

    ¡°By the way¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°When you were younger, you really weren¡¯t betrothed?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked doubtfully.

    ¡°Get lost.¡±

 Chapter 157: 57: Have you heard of the Three Island Treasure Ship?

    Chapter 157: Chapter 57: Have you heard of the Three Island Treasure Ship?

    When Yan Jing was about to come over, Yan Yu once worried whether she could get along well with the team members.

    After all, the emotions among girls can be far more complicated than those among boys. What¡¯s more, many women might take an instant dislike to each other even upon a single meeting without exchanging a word.

    Fortunately, it turned out that her sister¡¯s charisma was not only effective at home but also worked its charm on outsiders.

    Just after one day, all the girls were already affectionately calling her Jingjing and even treating her like their own little sister.

    However, thinking about it, Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin were only daughters in their families, and Lin Ning seemed to only have a brother and a sister. As for the Demonic Sect Enchantress in this world, she was all alone¡ªindeed, none of them had a younger sister, which explained why they all tapped into their sisterly instincts with Yan Jing. This explanation did seem reasonable.

    ¡°Jingjing, do you want to eat this?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen offered her some snacks.

    ¡°Thank you, sister,¡± Yan Jing sweetly replied.

    Yan Yu watched with a frown from the side. He was well aware of the cunning nature of the Demonic Sect Enchantress, who would never offer favors without an ulterior motive¡ªher kindness was either a ruse or theft. But he was also clear that his own sister was no pushover, so it was hard to say who would end up on the losing side of this contest of mischief.

    ¡°Jingjing, I took the clothes you changed out of last night to the washing machine,¡± Su Yunjin reminded her.

    ¡°Okay, thank you Sister Su,¡± Yan Jing replied with a smile.

    ¡°Jingjing,¡± Lin Ning asked curiously, ¡°are you and Yan Yu really blood siblings?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Jing answered. ¡°Even though my brother is narcissistic, reclusive, and somewhat morally flexible, he is indeed my blood-related brother.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a shame to be Yan Yu¡¯s sister,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a laugh. ¡°Why not come and be my sister?¡±

    ¡°Since I¡¯ve already called Sister Ling Yun, we are of course sisters now,¡± Yan Jing said with a smile, hugging Chen Lingyun. The two were about the same height, standing together made it difficult to tell who looked more like the older sister.

    Yan Yu observed from behind with a cold eye, the more he watched, the more his scalp tingled.

    He was all too familiar with his sister¡¯s ability to climb up the social ladder. Back when they were young and got into trouble in their previous lives, Yan Yu was always the only one who got punished¡­ because as soon as Father Yan picked up a stick, Yan Jing would immediately burst into crocodile tears and act pitiful, so convincingly that even Yan Yu, who knew the truth, couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry for her.

    Having lived two lives, this life¡¯s Yan Yu would not be so despicable and loathed, but it was probably because he was constantly imitating and learning from his mature older brother that Yan Jing¡¯s EQ had soared. At a young age, she had already mastered the skill of ¡°talking to people in their own language,¡± and there wasn¡¯t anyone, whether relatives or teachers and classmates at school, who didn¡¯t like her.

    Hmph, the only one immune to her tricks was her brilliantly intelligent older brother. You may be as cunning as an old ghost, Chen Lingyun, but aren¡¯t you still bewitched by her?

    Yan Yu got up and stretched, and suddenly his phone rang.

    ¡°Hello?¡± Li Weiguo¡¯s voice came through on the other end, ¡°Are you at school? Come to my office.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Yan Yu promptly accepted.

    Ah, so Old Li is finally back.

    ¡°If Chen Lingyun is there, bring her with you,¡± Li Weiguo continued.

    ¡°Got it,¡± Yan Yu hung up the phone and said to Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Where are you going, big brother?¡± Yan Jing asked in surprise.

    ¡°Off to work,¡± Yan Yu replied succinctly.

    Leaving his sister in the care of the other three girls, Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun rushed to school and entered the principal¡¯s office, where they saw Li Weiguo on the phone and Chen Tianming standing with his hands behind his back, staring at the wall.

    The wall, which was once cluttered with many things, had now been cleaned up and fitted with large tactical display screens.

    The screen showed a dynamic shipping map with many arrow symbols representing ships moving in real-time. Judging by the contour of the coastline, it seemed to be¡­ eh, the South Sea?

    Li Weiguo hung up the phone, looked up at Yan Yu, and said:

    ¡°You arrived just in time, there¡¯s something I need to tell you.¡±

    He picked up something resembling a remote control and pressed a few buttons aimed at the display screen. Soon a video window popped up with the progress bar already advanced to the middle. From the sound of it, it seemed to be a military report: Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°At 2:07 PM on August 25, our unit detected an unidentified fleet appearing in the direction of the South Sea, at coordinates 118 degrees east longitude and 14 degrees north latitude, heading north-northeast at a speed of 22 knots¡­¡±

    The video zoomed in quickly to show a fleet of ships cutting through the waves in the distance. The ships had an ancient look, resembling the treasure ships of the Lu Country from antiquity, with wooden hull structures and huge sails, towering and majestic.

    Li Weiguo paused the video and asked Yan Yu:

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    What does he mean, what do I think? Are you the Commander in Chief of the Zhendong Army, or am I?

    Yan Yu was left speechless as well and asked:

    ¡°Have we sent any landing craft over to check it out?¡±

    Li Weiguo did not reply, but instead said:

    ¡°The Miti CVN-144 carrier strike group, originally patrolling near the Strait of Malacca, has arrived at the target area and dispatched military aircraft to conduct a probing bombardment on the fleet.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yan Yu said with a chuckle, ¡°I suppose the fleet must be completely unscathed, otherwise we wouldn¡¯t be standing here discussing it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Li Weiguo nodded, ¡°The target is less than 160 kilometers from the Sulu coast, and given that the fleet¡¯s hull is of an ancient Lu Country model, Sulu mistook it for an invasion by our secret fleet and sought assistance from Miti that same day. Miti, under the guise of defending an ally, intervened and launched an unauthorised attack on the target fleet after confirming the situation with us.¡±

    Hearing this, Yan Yu was also at a loss for words, but it was undeniably Miti¡¯s brash style.

    The South Sea is an absolute Lu Country sphere of influence. Miti keeps instigating Sulu to cause trouble, but knows that it¡¯s impossible to win here, hence they harbour the mindset of ¡°If I can¡¯t have it, neither can you¡± trying to conduct a destructive bombardment on the mysterious fleet.

    ¡°The result was that the bombs detonated at an altitude of 300 meters right above the fleet,¡± continued Li Weiguo as he manipulated the remote, and a 3D modeling diagram popped up on the screen, ¡°We have confirmed that there¡¯s an invisible force field surrounding the fleet, blocking all matter and energy that approaches it.¡±

    ¡°Even the sea water beneath the fleet is completely isolated from the water outside the force field. Penetrating this force field is very difficult, but we have observed that the speed of the target fleet is decreasing, and it is expected to come to a halt by the afternoon of September 1st.¡±

    ¡°The mechanism seems quite simple,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°If we consider the fleet to be a secret realm, then while the fleet is still sailing, the secret realm does not allow outsiders to enter. Hence, we can speculate that when the fleet comes to a complete stop, the situation may change¡ªperhaps the invisible force field will disappear, or perhaps an entrance will appear, allowing external powers to board and explore?¡±

    ¡°We can only say that these possibilities are not ruled out,¡± Li Weiguo said solemnly, ¡°Considering that the situation is quite complex, the Privy Council has decided to dispatch you and the Qing¡¯an squad to go there to assist the Annan Navy in taking over. If the secret realm opens, we must seize the opportunity to land first. The code name for this operation is ¡®Three Isles Treasure Ship¡¯. Do you have any questions?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu asked seriously, ¡°Who are we up against this time?¡±

    ¡°Currently, it¡¯s not certain,¡± Li Weiguo slowly said, ¡°Sulu has publicly claimed ownership of the Three Isles Treasure Ship, so they will definitely send Transcendents to battle. But their military strength is so weak, we can disregard them.¡±

    ¡°Aside from Sulu, there are three other potential forces.¡±

    ¡°First is Miti. Sulu has requested that Miti send Transcendent forces from their homeland to assist; Miti has not yet responded to this. It is currently believed that Miti is highly likely to join this competition, but they may not send their elite forces.¡±

    Yan Yu silently recalled for a moment, remembering that in his previous life, Miti had signed the so-called ¡°Long-Arm Statute,¡± empowering the Homeland Strategic Bureau¡¯s ¡°superheroes¡± the right to intervene in any secret realm located in international waters or within a country¡¯s borders.

    After all, unlike Lu Country, who raises its own, Miti¡¯s ¡°superheroes¡± are all brought in from around the world with money¡ªthey wouldn¡¯t be heartbroken if these recruits died, as they could just crank up the money printer and buy new ones.

    ¡°Second is Southeast Asia. Sulu has already extended invitations to neighboring countries to jointly develop the Three Isles Treasure Ship secret realm,¡± Li Weiguo said with a grave expression, ¡°It¡¯s the old ruse of setting a tiger to fight a wolf, but it¡¯s effective. Luo Yue and Java have already responded, and we are still persuading the other countries. However, just to be safe, we will assume they all will join the battle.¡±

    Yan Yu had no doubt about that. These guys were like sharks in his past life, rushing to take a bite at the scent of blood¡ªtheir motives were completely different from Miti¡¯s.

    Their main issue was that the number of Transcendents within their countries was increasing too rapidly, and the per capita cultivation resources were severely lacking, pushing them to expand outward due to internal pressure. Trying to persuade their ruling classes was futile, as they couldn¡¯t control the massive number of grassroots cultivators who were nearly unable to fend for themselves.

    ¡°Finally, there¡¯s Chongying,¡± Li Weiguo paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°Chongying had originally responded to Sulu¡¯s call for support, but due to the recent emergence of a secret realm on Ezo Island, Chongying will naturally shift their focus northward, and we can consider them out of the race for the Three Isles Treasure Ship.¡±

    Ezo Archipelago, controlled by Rashas and disputed with Chongying, has always been a thorn in the side for Chongying. With Siberia in turmoil cutting off Rashas in the middle, Chongying¡¯s strategic goal will definitely be to seize Ezo¡ªfailure to do so would lead to the entire cabinet committing ritual suicide, so its importance is not overstated.

    ¡°Understood,¡± Yan Yu began to make his calculations, ¡°This time we¡¯re up against Miti and Southeast Asia¡­ Alright. When do we need to depart?¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow afternoon,¡± Li Weiguo asked with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ve given you a whole day to prepare, is that enough?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more than enough,¡± Yan Yu nodded calmly.

    He initially wanted to say, ¡°There¡¯s no need to prepare; I can leave right now.¡± But then he remembered he had a sister at home! It surely wasn¡¯t proper to rush to Jinling Prefecture just yesterday, only to leave her alone at home today.

    Departing tomorrow was also fine; at least he could spend the day with his sister.

    Once Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun left, Li Weiguo¡¯s smile faded and his brows furrowed instead.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Old Li?¡± Chen Tianming asked with a smile, ¡°I see Yan Yu isn¡¯t worried, so why are you getting anxious?¡±

    ¡°This kid, every time I ask him, he¡¯s got to show off on the spot,¡± Li Weiguo said with a wry smile, ¡°Now that he¡¯s suddenly stopped showing off, I¡¯m actually a bit unaccustomed to it.¡±

    ¡°Mmm,¡± Chen Tianming expressed his understanding, ¡°It¡¯s about keeping the troops for a thousand days, and using them at the crucial moment.¡±

    ¡°No matter how rugged and dangerous their path, in the end, they have to walk it themselves.¡±

 Chapter 158: 58 Splitting 50/50 with Chen Lingyun (New Year Extra 1/2)

    Chapter 158: Chapter 58 Splitting 50/50 with Chen Lingyun (New Year Extra 1/2)

    Walking home, Yan Yu was still pondering and reminiscing when Chen Lingyun suddenly asked:

    ¡°Are there any formidable cultivators in Southeast Asia and Miti?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    ¡°Who specifically?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a slight smile.

    ¡°Hard to say.¡± Yan Yu shook his head.

    ¡°Let me guess,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile became sweeter, ¡°you¡¯re trying to say that those powerful cultivators everyone boasted about in the past life, in your eyes, were actually not worth a single blow, so it¡¯s hard to say which of them were formidable and which were not?¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­.

    You understand everything already, why ask me?

    What annoyed him most in his previous life was this woman¡¯s personality database. After being with you for a while, she would build a model of your personality in her mind, and she could generally guess what you would say to what you heard and how you would react to what happened; it was like mind reading, and especially irritating.

    Of course, Chen Lingyun¡¯s ability seemed to be hereditary. Her father, Chen Tianming, could remember the complete resumes of all the county-level and above officials in Lu Country, including all those in office and retired. That was truly an astonishing feat. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Walking ahead, Yan Yu maintained a silent response. Chen Lingyun followed behind him, her voice filled with laughter:

    ¡°Why are you not speaking anymore? Or did I guess right? Hmm, if I guessed wrong, you would have immediately mocked me with your character, so I must have guessed right.¡±

    Yan Yu ignored her because he knew all too well that when this annoying woman got excited, a counterattack had to be a critical hit to be effective; ordinary verbal reprisals would only earn her pleased gaze of ¡°You¡¯re angry, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Are you angry?¡± Chen Lingyun sidled up to him and asked with a laugh.

    Yan Yu remained silent.

    ¡°You¡¯re angry already?¡± Chen Lingyun continued to laugh.

    Yan Yu kept up a dignified silence¡­ Hm, why does this feel somewhat familiar?

    No, this can¡¯t go on like this!

    Yan Yu¡¯s mind began to race! The experiences of dealing with Chen Lingyun from two lifetimes converged in his mind, emerging, surging, exploding! He must counterattack! He would give Chen Lingyun no chance! A great Sigma male, he inherited the iron will of a Sigma man! He intended to obliterate that sweet smile off the despicable princess¡¯s beautiful face!

    ¡°You know,¡± he suddenly stopped and showed a complex expression, and said pensively, ¡°even in this life, she is indeed incomparable to you.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile seemed to freeze suddenly, and her voice turned sickly sweet, ¡°Who are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Forget it.¡± Yan Yu shook his head and continued walking.

    The sound of Chen Lingyun¡¯s footsteps resumed from behind him, no longer light and bouncy like a little deer, but now in the form of hurried, brisk steps.

    ¡°I¡¯m really curious, who is this ¡®she¡¯ you are referring to?¡± she asked again, gently tugging at Yan Yu¡¯s sleeve from behind with a sweet voice.

    This time her tone was much better controlled, no longer awkwardly high-pitched, as if trying to hide her anger as before.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it anymore,¡± Yan Yu replied, struggling to suppress the urge to burst out laughing, with a world-weary tone, ¡°you two are incomparable.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re lying,¡± Chen Lingyun narrowed her eyes, her voice quickly turning cold, ¡°Did you fabricate a non-existent woman just to provoke my jealousy and annoy me?¡±

    ¡°If you say so.¡±

    ¡°Playing mysterious, are you?¡±

    ¡°Would you believe me if I said so?¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good,¡± Yan Yu said no more and continued walking in silence.

    This made Chen Lingyun even more irked. Because the evidence was too scant, even though she could roughly tell that Yan Yu was probably just trying to annoy her, she could never completely rule out the possibility that ¡°Yan Yu had someone else.¡±

    If it were someone else, they would let go if they couldn¡¯t understand something. But Chen Lingyun was, after all, more actively minded than most people; the less she could find an answer, the more she wanted to think about it, and the more she thought about it, the more it felt like a fishbone caught in her throat¡­ What was more infuriating was that all of this was clearly Yan Yu¡¯s open scheme!

    I know you tend to overthink, so I¡¯m using that to irritate you. Ha-ha, what are you going to do, bite me?

    Chen Lingyun suppressed her anger and began to think calmly.

    If he truly fell for another woman¡­ Wait, don¡¯t think about it too much, that¡¯s my mental weakness. I must find a way to counterattack, or else he¡¯ll totally get the better of me.

    When they returned home, as soon as Yan Yu walked into the villa¡¯s lobby, Lin Ning poked her head out from the kitchen wearing an apron and called out:

    ¡°Back already? We made seaweed spare-rib soup and stir-fried water spinach. We¡¯re adding one more dish. What would you like to eat?¡±

    ¡°We have chicken wings and beef,¡± Yan Jing said as she opened the refrigerator without looking back.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s have stir-fried beef strips,¡± Yan Yu said offhandedly.

    Ever since they cleared up the misunderstanding the night before, Sister Lin had finally regained her usual vigor and enthusiasm, even taking the initiative to cook.

    As he was thinking this, he suddenly heard Chen Lingyun from behind, asking with a laugh:

    ¡°I still can¡¯t guess, Yan Yu. So who exactly is the girl you mentioned, the one even I can¡¯t match up to?¡±

    Yan Yu: ???

    Lin Ning was about to turn her attention back to watching the pot when she heard this and was suddenly taken aback, her expression stunned.

    Su Yunjin had just come down from the second floor, squinting at Yan Yu with a smile that was not quite a smile.

    Yan Jing was even more dumbfounded as he turned around, with a look of ¡°Wow, big brother, you actually have gossip,¡±¡­ I mean, do you need to be that surprised?

    The only one who didn¡¯t react was Zhao Yuanzhen in the living room. The Demonic Sect Enchantress was sitting on the couch watching a variety show on TV, emitting a heartless giggle, probably having not heard what Chen Lingyun had said at all.

    Under everyone¡¯s focused gaze, Yan Yu for a moment actually had no solution¡ªespecially for Lin Ning, who had already been feeling gloomy for a long time. Another false alarm might really give her a case of ¡°fragile heart syndrome¡±¡ªso in order not to cause any unnecessary misunderstandings among everyone, he quickly made a wise decision. With a candid laugh, he explained,

    ¡°Nah, I was just joking with Ling Yun.¡±

    ¡°Tsk!¡± The girls immediately felt like they had been deceived and went back to their own business.

    Yan Yu turned back to look at Chen Lingyun, only to see her revealing a sly triumphant smile again, saying leisurely,

    ¡°So it was a joke, huh.¡±

    ¡°Smart move,¡± Yan Yu said with a sneer.

    ¡°Your move isn¡¯t bad either.¡±

    ¡°Flattered.¡±

    As they looked at each other with a competitive gaze, they suddenly felt an odd sensation of meeting a worthy opponent, encountering a capable peer, a sense of mutual appreciation, as if they were equals.

    Fortunately, this strange feeling didn¡¯t last long, for Lin Ning soon stuck her head out and called,

    ¡°Captain, come quickly and help me cut the carrots!¡±

    ¡°Ask Yun Jin to cut them for you,¡± response from Yan Yu was almost instinctual.

    ¡°I¡¯m cleaning!¡± Su Yunjin¡¯s voice came from the inner room.

    ¡°Then¡­¡± Yan Yu was about to name Chen Lingyun or Zhao Yuanzhen, only to be pushed into the kitchen by Yan Jing who had run up behind him,

    ¡°Don¡¯t be lazy, big brother! It¡¯s your duty to cook with Sister Lin!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by my ¡®duty¡¯?!¡± Although Yan Yu saw his sister¡¯s intention at a glance, which was to create a chance for him and Lin Ning to be alone, did you ask if I need your help?

    Even if we were to be alone together, it should be her actively creating opportunities, trying her utmost to spend time alone with me!

    ¡°Stop daydreaming and start cutting.¡± As soon as Yan Yu entered the kitchen, Lin Ning handed him a knife without a word and brought him to the cutting board, ¡°It¡¯s julienne, not slices, okay?¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± grumbled Yan Yu impatiently.

    After a while, Lin Ning leaned over to take a look and was instantly horrified:

    ¡°Why are these cuts all crooked? The thickness is uneven too!¡±

    ¡°Just say whether this is julienned carrot or not,¡± Yan Yu argued defensively.

    ¡°Oh my!¡± Lin Ning, exasperated, stomped her feet and simply came over to grab his hands, teaching him hand-to-hand, ¡°Watch closely, press down with your left hand, curl up the four fingers, stick to the knife, cutting as you move like this¡­ Got it?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t get it,¡± said Yan Yu.

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you one more time!¡± Lin Ning continued holding his hand, patiently saying, ¡°You need to learn properly.¡±

    Sister Lin¡¯s hands, true to a Sword Immortal¡¯s hands, didn¡¯t need to directly wield a sword, but had to frequently cast/use sword techniques, thus her fingers were exceptionally nimble, and the skin of her palms was delicate and warm, feeling soft and comfortable to the touch.

    ¡°Got it this time?¡± She operated once more and asked Yan Yu.

    ¡°The brain gets it,¡± Yan Yu admitted candidly, ¡°but the hands don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°How can you still not get it?¡± Lin Ning, growing impatient, hands on hips, suddenly asked suspiciously, ¡°Are you pretending not to know on purpose?¡±

    ¡°You must be joking,¡± Yan Yu immediately showed a mocking expression, saying disdainfully, ¡°Learning knife skills after being taught a few times? Who do you think I am, the culinary genius Yan Yu?¡±

    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Lin Ning suddenly realized as well. If someone had never cooked before, perhaps it wasn¡¯t that they hadn¡¯t grasped the correct technique, but that they lacked the proficiency to handle the knife.

    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯m off.¡± Yan Yu was about to turn around and leave but was pulled back by Lin Ning.

    ¡°Hold on. My soup is almost done; you taste it and tell me if it¡¯s salty enough.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you taste it yourself?¡±

    ¡°If the captain¡¯s tongue can¡¯t talk sense, then at least it should be good for something else.¡±

    Goodness, Sister Lin¡¯s mood has improved, and her offensive has gotten stronger, huh.

 Chapter 159: 59 Im so excited I cant contain myself

    Chapter 159: Chapter 59 I¡¯m so excited I can¡¯t contain myself

    ¡°`

    After lunch, it was time for training in the afternoon, according to the schedule.

    Yan Jing conscientiously said she would go to the Confucian temple to play and not disturb her older brothers and sisters¡¯ training.

    Yan Yu appreciated her thoughtfulness and silently transferred a thousand to her, telling her to enjoy herself and not come back before dinner.

    Everyone arrived at the school training ground, where Yan Yu stood in the center of the field, laughing heartily:

    ¡°I have some good news to share with you all.¡±

    ¡°Either way, it¡¯s something about extra practice, right?¡± Lin Ning said jokingly, her eyes half-closed.

    ¡°How could that be!¡± Yan Yu said proudly, ¡°It¡¯s even better than that.¡±

    ¡°No way¡­¡± Su Yunjin moaned weakly, hand on forehead.

    Extra practice was already terrible enough, anything worse than that, I just can¡¯t bear to imagine!

    ¡°Stop beating around the bush,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said impatiently, ¡°A swift cut beheads just as well as a slow one, can¡¯t you just get to the point?¡±

    ¡°Haha, looks like everyone can¡¯t wait,¡± Yan Yu laughed loudly as he revealed the answer, ¡°Tomorrow we are setting off to explore a mysterious realm again!¡±

    The girls looked at each other.

    ¡°And this time we¡¯re heading to the South Sea,¡± Chen Lingyun added with a smile, ¡°We will compete with friends from Southeast Asia and Miti. Are you all excited?¡±

    The girls¡¯ gazes toward the team captain and vice-captain changed, as if they were looking at two demons from hell.

    ¡°What¡¯s there to be excited about!¡± Lin Ning complained again, ¡°This is just war, right? A war between nations, isn¡¯t it!¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu said, full of pride, ¡°The time to make a name for ourselves has come!¡±

    ¡°As for the specifics, we¡¯re still gathering intelligence,¡± Chen Lingyun distributed the new Three Arts textbooks, ¡°Also, new textbooks are out. Everyone should hurry and study them this afternoon, they are quite simple.¡±

    ¡°Start with the Soul Refining Technique and Sound Transmission Technique,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°The Invisibility Technique can wait if there¡¯s no time.¡±

    Since the team leader had assigned the task, everyone stopped thinking about other things and found nearby chairs to sit down and quickly flip through the textbooks.

    People like Zhao Yuanzhen, who had actually learned it a long time ago, also pretended to hold books, but sneakily took out their phones to scroll through short videos.

    Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun left the training field and went to a nearby lounge. The Princess pulled out her laptop and said:

    ¡°I¡¯ve made some edits, take a look.¡±

    Superheroes from Miti (mainly from Europe) didn¡¯t require much analysis, as they broadcast their leagues all the time, with so many videos available that it was overwhelming to watch. Berserkers, Priests, Wizards, and Clerics, their styles and fighting methods had all been largely seen already.

    The main focus was still on the Southeast Asian region, including the Indochinese Peninsula and the Pacific Island nations. Transcendents there generally favored tricks and darkness, and the media generally did not (or dared not) report on them, so gathering and organizing intelligence was quite a feat for Lu Country.

    Whether in Siam or Java, the transcendental professions of each country were more or less the same, and could be simply categorized into four types:

    Curse Technique Masters, Curse Technique Masters, Shadow Masters, and Tattooed Charm Masters.

    ¡°Don¡¯t write in such an elongated and verbose style,¡± Yan Yu browsed through several PPT slides and frowned, ¡°It¡¯s like writing a novel, setting up big chunks of new settings right off the bat, can the readers remember them easily? Similarly, asking Lin Ning and the others to memorize these four new professions from scratch, they won¡¯t be able to remember.¡±

    ¡°You should introduce Southeast Asia¡¯s profession system by comparing it to our Lu Country¡¯s existing profession system, making it easier for them to understand.¡±

    ¡°Take Curse Technique Masters, for example, whether it¡¯s medicinal, flying, or ghost descending, it¡¯s all about sending a curse to kill people, much like Sword Immortals, right? Here you could say ¡®Curse Technique Masters are like the Southeast Asian version of Sword Immortals¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Likewise, Southeast Asia¡¯s Curse Technique Masters are very similar to Lu Country¡¯s spell-casters who also use a variety of spells to kill; it¡¯s just the terminology that¡¯s different. Shadow Masters raise little ghosts, and isn¡¯t that just like our Lu Country¡¯s Envoy profession with its own way of dealing with ghosts? Use your own analogies, keep it simple and clear.¡±

    ¡°Only Tattooed Charm Masters are indeed abstract, as they carve magically powerful patterns into their flesh, with each pattern representing a different power, and might not quite fit with the assistant officer¡¯s role¡­ Hm? What are you doing? Pay attention to the lecture!¡±

    Chen Lingyun listened seriously at first, but at some point, she started looking down at her phone.

    ¡°`

    Not until Yan Yu spoke up did she slowly lift her head, revealing an extremely joyous smile:

    ¡°Dear, it looks like some great fun is about to happen.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    If it had been up to Lu Country, they would certainly have subdued the news about the Three Isles Treasure Ship and enforced strict media control. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Or even if they couldn¡¯t suppress it completely, they would have at least not made such a big fuss, avoiding making it common knowledge among all sectors of society.

    The reason was simple: What if they lost?

    When a wave of public opinion surged among the people, who would take the blame?

    Better to keep things conservative, to shoot quietly without making a fuss over it.

    However, Miti thought very differently.

    After all, their media commercialization was super developed, and their operating experience was rich enough; they could spin black into white, and naturally wouldn¡¯t be so timid like Lu Country¡ªwinning would be ¡°successfully containing Lu Country,¡± and if they lost, they could just blame the shitty Sulu, saying that Miti couldn¡¯t carry these pig teammates.

    So I should promote it vigorously!

    And I would not only promote it domestically; I would also join forces with European countries to turn it into a global Transcendent event, so that people from all over the world would cheer for our Miti¡¯s superheroes!

    Now pre-order your favorite superhero deluxe merchandise, including a specific superhero¡¯s badge, poster, brochure, and special battle robe, all for the discounted price of $324! Hurry to the official Amarei website to grab yours, and if you¡¯re a privileged first-choice member, express delivery service is also provided!

    As the Miti Superhero Alliance launched their expensive propaganda machine, the news spread explosively across the foreign internet in just a few days.

    England, France, Italy¡­ Netizens from various countries were buzzing about the Three Isles Treasure Ship incident. Of course, the story they heard was the version put out by the Miti Superhero Alliance, which was, ¡°The fleet appeared in the backward country of Sulu, but the evil and tyrannical Lu Country wants to send forces to seize it, so Miti¡¯s superheroes have decided to join hands with Sulu and neighboring countries¡¯ Transcendents to fight against the Rikoku Cultivators¡¯ invasion.¡±

    This narrative style was extremely similar to a certain blockbuster movie¡¯s plot, and the effects were naturally almost the same as that movie¡¯s box office, to the point where Lu Country instantly became a target in foreign online public opinion, the intensity of which skyrocketed to nearly uncontrollable levels, even though the major media platforms back home still dared not report it openly. But in some independent media, small forums, and chat groups, it was already spreading like wildfire.

    ¡°Hmm, interesting,¡± Yan Yu said, stroking his chin, ¡°That¡¯s the way with propaganda fronts¡ªif you don¡¯t seize them, there are plenty of others who will. So what¡¯s your dad¡¯s plan?¡±

    ¡°Thanks to this affair,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°they have reached a consensus internally to start promoting our Cultivators actively and vigorously.¡±

    ¡°And here I thought after the last media interview, the court had it all figured out,¡± Yan Yu immediately retorted sardonically, ¡°Turns out they just set a general direction, but there¡¯s still contention over the details, right?¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped,¡± Chen Lingyun stated leisurely, ¡°Nationalism is like an injection of chicken blood¡ªtoo much of it can cause problems. It¡¯s just that now we have no choice¡­¡±

    Her voice paused for a moment, then she suddenly laughed and said:

    ¡°How does it feel?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®how does it feel¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Being branded as ¡®the evil Rikoku Cultivators,¡¯ any thoughts?¡±

    ¡°I find it amusing,¡± Yan Yu scoffed disdainfully, ¡°Using the old Cold War confrontational mindset to fight a public opinion war in the Era of Resurgence? In my view, the Superhero Alliance doesn¡¯t care about winning or losing; they just want to make as much money as possible.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Chen Lingyun replied with a smile, ¡°Traffic is money, and a global event like this generates an astonishing amount of wealth behind the scenes. Even if this batch of superheroes were utterly destroyed, the Superhero Alliance would only earn a few zeros less in endorsement fees.¡±

    ¡°But for us, the pressure is entirely different. Think about it, with the public opinion battle escalating to this degree, it won¡¯t be long before it¡¯s officially announced back home. Then, the hopes and expectations of the entire nation will weigh heavily upon us¡­¡±

    ¡°What, are you scared?¡± Yan Yu glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

    ¡°I am just very happy to see even greater fun unfolding,¡± Chen Lingyun said with eyes sparkling, ¡°And you?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Yan Yu burst into laughter, ¡°Just thinking about those lousy foreign superheroes, bathed in the halo of countless fans¡¯ support, being crushed by me on the battlefield¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m absolutely thrilled!¡±

 Chapter 160: 60 How Did I Make the News (New Years Extra 2/2)

    Chapter 160: 60 Chapter How Did I Make the News (New Year¡¯s Extra 2/2)

    Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun returned to the training ground, only to see three girls facing each other, silent, with just their lips faintly moving and the hands behind their backs constantly changing.

    Clearly, they were playing rock-paper-scissors using their Divine Sense!

    Unlike light, which can only travel in a straight path, Divine Sense could scan what shape each person was making behind their back. Sound Transmission Technique was a point-to-point communication method, which allowed one to silently send messages directly to the target by locking onto them with Divine Sense.

    ¡°What are you guys talking about?¡± Chen Lingyun tried to join the group chat, sending a private Sound Transmission to the three of them.

    ¡°We¡¯re saying that as long as we use the Sound Transmission Technique, the captain won¡¯t be able to hear us,¡± Lin Ning quickly replied.

    Once again, it must be emphasized that Sound Transmission is a point-to-point communication method. So, even if four girls are standing right next to you, they can communicate without you hearing anything¡ªas long as they don¡¯t include you in their Sound Transmission group, it is just like they¡¯ve started a chat group without you.

    Yan Yu directly asked aloud:

    ¡°Have you all learned the Sound Transmission Technique?¡±

    The girls hesitated before nodding.

    ¡°Then let me assess you,¡± Yan Yu nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll send you a Sound Transmission first, and then you use Sound Transmission to reply to me.¡±

    He began to perform Sound Transmission, telling the girls:

    ¡°Tonight, we¡¯ll have extra practice.¡±

    The girls quickly shook their heads, indicating they hadn¡¯t received the Sound Transmission.

    ¡°I said we¡¯re adding practice for the Sound Transmission Technique,¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°You can¡¯t even receive a Sound Transmission; what should we do? It looks like we need to practice all night long.¡±

    ¡°We received it, we received it!¡± The girls rushed to reply via Sound Transmission, ¡°We heard you loud and clear!¡±

    Whether it¡¯s the Soul Refining Technique or Sound Transmission Technique, both are easy to start but difficult to master.

    At high levels of Soul Refining Technique, one¡¯s Divine Sense can spread thousands of miles; with a profound mastery of Sound Transmission Technique, one can also communicate with cultivators thousands of miles away.

    However, for the latter, we have a better option: smartphones.

    So as long as one is proficient enough in Sound Transmission Technique, there is no need to spend time mastering it. On the other hand, Soul Refining Technique requires daily diligent practice to lay a solid foundation, just like Shaquille O¡¯Neal had to tip-toe 500 times a day to train his calves.

    The group practiced at the training ground until almost 6 p.m., then leisurely left the school and headed home.

    Perhaps because they had learned a new spell, the girls continuously scanned their surroundings with Divine Sense while using Sound Transmission to communicate with each other on the way home, with Lin Ning being particularly active, often sending Sound Transmissions to everyone:

    ¡°Wow! The screw on that traffic light pole is loose; I couldn¡¯t have noticed it without scanning with Divine Sense.¡±

    ¡°It seems Divine Sense can penetrate through car windows and scan the people inside! Hey, there¡¯s a driver talking on the phone while driving, not following traffic rules!¡±

    ¡°Enough Ningning!¡± Su Yunjin, alternating between laughter and tears, said to her, ¡°You¡¯re acting like a kid who¡¯s going out for the first time.¡±

    ¡°Because Divine Sense is so much fun,¡± Lin Ning said with keen interest.

    It is indeed fun, and even Yan Yu remembered when in his previous life he first installed a Divine Sense emitter, the whole world seemed different¡ªit was like a two-dimensional creature living on a plane, for the first time seeing its world from a high vantage point.

    Fascinating.

    Despite the numerous hardships the Spiritual Energy Resurgence has brought to the world, it must be acknowledged that it indeed has a splendid side.

    Although it only revealed this side to the Transcendents.

    Since it was a bit late after practice, the group didn¡¯t plan to cook at home but ordered takeout on the way, ready to enjoy a feast without the work.

    Just as they arrived at the villa gate, sister Yan Jing came to meet them.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you going out to have fun in the Confucius Temple area?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    ¡°What¡¯s there to enjoy!¡± Yan Jing said anxiously, ¡°You are trending on the hot search!¡±

    Yan Yu: ???

    So, we¡¯re playing at hype, huh? Then let¡¯s have a showdown, see which family¡¯s superhero can laugh last!

    Consequently, the domestic internet directly exploded, with usual topics such as celebrities and popular dramas, which often dominated the charts, now having to step aside.

    Yan Yu carefully read the official announcement. Luckily, it didn¡¯t, like a celebrity management company, attach a personal page complete with photos detailing everything from blood type to preferences.

    After a moment of reflection, he just calmly took out his phone, opened the SIM card management, disabled the connection, then reconnected to the house¡¯s Wifi, and it was done.

    The other girls were still immersed in a state of shock, asking, ¡°What¡¯s this all about?¡± and followed Yan Jing back to the villa, where she kept chattering away:

    ¡°My classmate called me! He said the person mentioned in the Privy Council¡¯s announcement is my brother! I said I didn¡¯t know, and then when I checked, it indeed turned out to be my brother and your names! So what¡¯s going on here¡­¡±

    She hadn¡¯t finished speaking in one breath when everyone had just sat down on the sofa, still staring blankly at their phone screens, when suddenly their ringtones blared out all at once.

    A symphony of various ringtones rang out through the hall, creating a chaotic concert as everyone scrambled to answer their phones:

    ¡°Hello, Dad¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about it later!¡±

    ¡°I also just found out¡­¡±

    Yan Jing too was bombarded with phone calls from home because after Yan Yu¡¯s parents saw the news, they couldn¡¯t get through to their son¡ªso naturally, they could only contact their daughter, right?

    ¡°Big bro!¡± she said irritably as she stood up, ¡°Mom and Dad want you to answer the phone!¡±

    ¡°Give me the phone,¡± Yan Yu said calmly.

    ¡°Here¡­¡± Yan Jing handed over the phone, then did a double-take, ¡°Wait! Why do you need to use my phone?¡±

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t engage in further explanations but instead said into the phone:

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t we reach you on your phone?¡± Father Yan asked steadily.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°I was afraid relatives and friends would keep calling, so I took out my SIM card.¡±

    ¡°Did you see the news on TV?¡± Father Yan continued.

    ¡°Saw it on my phone,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°It¡¯s true. But I can¡¯t say more, it¡¯s confidential. If relatives ask, help me fend them off.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Father Yan was silent for a long while, then said, ¡°Your mother went to the temple nearby tonight to pray for your safety. We¡¯ll send the items over. Will they arrive in time?¡±

    ¡°They won¡¯t,¡± Yan Yu answered, ¡°let her pray anyway, the Buddhas will hear.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Father Yan paused for a moment, then said, ¡°Take care and come back to us safely.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Yan Yu hung up the phone and passed it back to Yan Jing¡ªonly to see his sister¡¯s eyes already brimming with tears.

    ¡°Big bro,¡± she said with a choked voice, ¡°you¡¯re really going, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°are you worried?¡±

    Yan Jing¡¯s tears fell with a plop.

    The other girls were busy dealing with urgent queries from home, and even Chen Lingyun had to repeatedly reassure her panicked mother over the phone, cycling through reassurances like ¡°It¡¯s alright¡± and ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Only Zhao Yuanzhen felt lost in a world without a single family member or friend, and suddenly seeing her little sister-in-law starting to cry, quickly embraced her to comfort her:

    ¡°Oh, Jingjing, it¡¯s okay! I¡¯ll protect your brother!¡±

    ¡°I need your protection?¡± Yan Yu immediately laughed at her, ¡°That¡¯s absurd, just don¡¯t hold me back, and I¡¯ll be grateful.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s eyes widened in indignation, instinctively wanting to retort, but considering Yan Jing¡¯s worry and sorrow right there, if she were to completely put down the young thief, wouldn¡¯t that scare her even more?

    So, she could only clench her silver teeth, her pearly teeth tightly shut, lips firmly pressed together, secretly vowing to herself:

    ¡°This thief today accused me of holding him back¡ªI¡¯ll remember this grudge! If danger arises in the future, in the midst of a crisis, once I save him, I¡¯ll surely ridicule him mercilessly, making him realize who¡¯s actually been holding back whom!¡±

    Chen Lingyun, who had finally finished her phone call, couldn¡¯t keep her smile off her face any longer, showing a wearied ¡°I¡¯m so tired¡± expression before collapsing back on the sofa and silently staring at the ceiling.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Yan Yu teased her, ¡°Doesn¡¯t your dad share his sources of information with your mom?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about this topic,¡± Chen Lingyun said flatly. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Hmm-hmm,¡± Yan Yu mimicked her catchphrase, speaking in a higher pitch, ¡°If I¡¯m wrong, with your personality, you¡¯d immediately mock me, so I must be right.¡±

    Chen Lingyun grabbed a cushion from the sofa next to her and threw it hard at his face.

    Yan Yu pretended to be knocked over by the cushion, falling headlong onto the sofa, and then saw Lin Ning also putting down her phone, complaining:

    ¡°Ah, so annoying! Why are they still pushing for marriage?!¡±

    ¡°Duh,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°What if you died? Even if you got married and had a child, at least looking at the kid, your family would have some comfort¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll make you die right now!¡± Lin Ning angrily picked up a cushion and pressed it forcefully against his face, then punched him a few times through it.

 Chapter 161: 61 Zhao Yuanzhen Wants to Fight

    Chapter 161: Chapter 61 Zhao Yuanzhen Wants to Fight

    Actually, if one really delves into it, the collaboration between the Northeast and Lord Master¡¯s team was the first time they all officially dealt with foreign cultivators.

    Of course, the subsequent battle of the Three Isles Treasure Ship, in terms of intensity, ferocity, and attention, far surpassed the previous Mysterious Realm war.

    Therefore, as Chen Lingyun had anticipated, the girls began to shoulder a lot of psychological pressure.

    Su Yunjin was still on the phone with her family, having been on the call for almost an hour and twenty minutes by now. Although the entire conversation was in encrypted dialect, her tone and demeanor clearly indicated the conversation was not going smoothly.

    Lin Ning had already hung up her phone and was now checking the news on her mobile, her expression growing more troubled the more she read.

    Chen Lingyun was lying on the sofa, feigning sleep, with a curl of hair playfully resting on her fair neck.

    Perhaps only in this state of genuine tranquility, without any false smiles, could her inherent exquisite beauty shine forth endlessly like the sun radiating warmth and light.

    The carefree Zhao Yuanzhen was still rambling on, trying to console Yan Jing. The Demonic Sect Enchantress, though deceitful and cunning, actually liked the pure-hearted girl like Yan Jing, not because of her being the little thief¡¯s younger sister.

    Yan Jing¡¯s eyes were still somewhat red, but her emotions had clearly stabilized considerably.

    She was of course aware that her brother¡¯s name had made the news, and there was basically no chance of that changing, so she had no choice but to accept it, however reluctantly.

    ¡°Brother,¡± she called out, sounding aggrieved.

    ¡°What?¡± Yan Yu immediately became vigilant.

    Every time his sister spoke in that tone, it was almost certain she was about to ask for something, and he had to be cautious.

    ¡°Can we sleep on the living room floor tonight?¡± Yan Jing asked carefully.

    ¡°Sleep on the floor?¡± Yan Yu was first taken aback, then he understood.

    In the past, when his sister had watched a particularly terrifying horror movie and was too scared to sleep alone at night, she would forcibly drag him to sleep on the floor in the living room.

    In other words, his sister feared that he might not return tomorrow, so she wanted to spend the night together with him¡­ Actually, Yan Yu wanted to say no, but considering it stemmed from their strong sibling bond, his heart softened and he nodded in agreement.

    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Yan Jing immediately beamed with joy and turned to coax Chen Lingyun, ¡°Sister Lingyun, can we all sleep on the floor in the living room tonight?¡±

    Yan Yu: ?

    ¡°Sure,¡± Chen Lingyun said nonchalantly.

    ¡°Sister Zhao¡­¡± Yan Jing turned to persuade another person.

    Soon, she managed to ask everyone, and in the end, all the girls were included in a large living room slumber party, leaving Yan Yu completely dumbfounded.

    Sister, you¡¯re essentially setting up a harem for me¡­ Well, not really, because each of us will have our own quilts; it won¡¯t be a communal blanket, but at most it¡¯s just sleeping in the same room. Considering the size of the living room, it doesn¡¯t feel much different, and maybe the only change is the ability to talk to each other before falling asleep.

    So, everyone started getting busy again. Su Yunjin got up listlessly and cleaned the living room floor once more; Lin Ning went upstairs to help bring down everyone¡¯s spare bedding; Zhao Yuanzhen opened the kitchen cabinets and pulled out a bunch of snacks, preparing them for breakfast tomorrow¡­ That person didn¡¯t plan to help at all, the Demonic Sect Enchantress simply had no intention of lending a hand.

    Quickly, the furniture in the living room was all moved aside, and six quilts were placed in a circular pattern like petals. Yan Jing even purposefully positioned the pillows on the inner side of the circle so everyone could be closer and talk.

    With the lights turned off, darkness soon enveloped the surroundings.

    Yan Yu turned over in his quilt, yawned, then heard his sister not far away say:

    ¡°Brother.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I suddenly remembered: it¡¯s said that in ancient times, when men were conscripted to go to war, their parents would arrange for them to sleep with their wives the night before leaving, fearing they might die on the battlefield and leave the family without an heir¡­¡±

    Although she might not have meant anything else (after all, she was just a middle school girl), the other girls felt a bit strained upon hearing this, and Yan Yu immediately interrupted her:

    ¡°I¡¯ve also heard that on the eve of battle in ancient times, if someone spoke words that could confuse the soldiers¡¯ hearts in the camp, they¡¯d be dragged out and beheaded immediately, did you know that?¡±

    ¡°Hehehe.¡± Yan Jing burrowed into her quilt, laughing, ¡°Big brother wouldn¡¯t bear to behead me.¡±

    ¡°You two siblings have such a good relationship,¡± Su Yunjin remarked.

    ¡°I just don¡¯t bother arguing with her,¡± Yan Yu sighed.

    That was the plain truth. The siblings from his past life, like many other families, didn¡¯t have a great relationship when they were young¡ªespecially since Yan Jing often got into trouble and then used her acting skills to make Yan Yu take the blame in front of their parents. It would be surprising if they got along well.

    Only after struggling in the cold and harsh society do people tend to remember the warmth of family. Yan Yu, having lived a second life, certainly did not bother to hold grudges over trifles with his sister. And although Yan Jing didn¡¯t become some strange sibling-controlled creature like Li Zhaojiang, the affection between the siblings was indeed quite strong, and they hardly ever had problems.

    ¡°How come you like quarreling with me so much?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s voice suddenly rang in her ear.

    ¡°I¡¯m educating you,¡± Yan Yu replied earnestly, ¡°Sisters will eventually get married and are therefore allowed to make mistakes and be foolish. But as my partner for life, you need to be whipped and beaten severely to ensure you don¡¯t rush down the wrong path¡ªunderstand? I¡¯m doing this for your own good; don¡¯t be ungrateful!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was immediately so angry she was practically smoking, her beautiful eyes cold as snow, her lovely face frosted over, silently holding a grudge in her heart:

    ¡°What a little thief! To think he¡¯s saying I¡¯m to be his partner for life¡­ huh, that kind of sounds sweet? No, no, no, what he¡¯s talking about is whipping and beating me severely! This is an outrageous insult; I¡¯ll note it down for now, and when I find the opportunity, I¡¯m going to retaliate fiercely and make you weep and wail for that last remark, regretting your words! Just you wait, you stinking little thief!¡±

    ¡°Damn!¡± Huddled under the covers looking at her phone, Lin Ning suddenly couldn¡¯t help but curse out loud.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Chen Lingyun asked from beside her.

    ¡°Someone online is slandering us!¡± Lin Ning complained indignantly.

    ¡°No way?¡± Su Yunjin also seemed puzzled, ¡°With the national team roster officially announced by the Privy Council, how dare they insult us?¡±

    ¡°But there are people speaking badly about us!¡± Lin Ning huffed, ¡°And there are those praising Miti¡¯s superheroes; let me read it to you!¡±

    ¡°¡­Miti¡¯s superheroes come from all over the world, and just being able to enter the preliminaries is already a one in ten thousand chance. Then they have to survive eighteen rounds of deadly combat¡ªthose who live are battle-hardened ultimate veterans. Our domestic cultivators simply don¡¯t have the experience of life-and-death fighting. It¡¯s like the armchair general Zhao Kuo going up against the mass-murderer Bai Qi; we all know what the outcome would be, only brainless nationalist little pinks would think cultivators could win¡­¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not wrong,¡± Yan Yu suddenly said, ¡°We¡¯ve mainly focused on simulated confrontations in the past; we really don¡¯t have as much experience in life-and-death fighting as Miti¡¯s superheroes, and we have to admit that.¡±

    ¡°Captain!¡± Lin Ning called out, frustrated, ¡°Whose side are you on?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not surprising to see these kinds of comments,¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°Miti¡¯s superheroes are broadcast globally, so everyone can see their strength. Our domestic cultivators¡¯ confrontations are strictly confidential, and the public doesn¡¯t know our level, so it¡¯s inevitable that some blindly hype their power.¡±

    ¡°As long as we win in the Three Isles Treasured Ship battle, these comments will crumble by themselves. Until then, there¡¯s no need to argue with them.¡±

    ¡°But still!¡± Lin Ning could not let it go, questioning, ¡°Even if they don¡¯t know our strength level, as people of Lu Country, shouldn¡¯t they support us instead of siding with Miti?¡±

    ¡°How do you know they¡¯re from Lu Country?¡± Yan Yu countered.

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Lin Ning was stumped.

    ¡°Sister Ningning might not know,¡± Yan Jing joined in, ¡°but outside the wall, there are giants at large, all sorts of strange creatures exist.¡±

    ¡°I also support the captain on this,¡± Su Yunjin spoke, ¡°Ningning, let it go. You can¡¯t expect everyone to support us. Just prove yourself with results when the time comes.¡±

    ¡°But these comments really irritate me!¡± Lin Ning understood the logic, yet she couldn¡¯t suppress her frustration, and soon she began furiously typing on the screen, joining the online discussion fray.

    ¡°Ningning¡­¡± Su Yunjin wanted to persuade her further, but then she heard Chen Lingyun transmit a message:

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, let her go. Little Ningning has always had a strong personality. Having these comments to stir her up before the battle can help her maintain her fighting spirit.¡±

    Su Yunjin was bemused but thought that Chen Lingyun was not wrong.

    ¡°I¡¯m so mad, so mad!¡± After a while, Lin Ning suddenly shouted again.

    ¡°Why are you still fighting?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked in confusion.

    ¡°Because they are being unreasonable!¡± Lin Ning said, cheeks puffed with anger.

    ¡°Send me the link.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen declared boldly, ¡°Her Ladyship requests to enter the fray! Scumbags, your horse is going to die!¡±

    As the mention of ¡°Sima¡± came up, Yan Yu suddenly remembered another incident from his past life.

    It was a much later point in time. Soon after Empress Yuanzhen boasted of her documentary airing, it caused a strong reaction in the realm of public opinion.

    People had seen arrogance before¡ªafter all, it¡¯s a traditional practice for autobiographers to glamorize themselves, but such shameless self-aggrandizement was unprecedented.

    The Lu Country internet was extraordinarily lively, with the ¡°Empress Yuanzhen¡¯s Knights¡± and the ¡°Sober and Rational People of the World¡± constantly bickering, pulling, and alternating between praising and criticizing, debating ¡°just what level is Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s combat power on Earth,¡± dominating major discussion platforms, with classic quotable lines emerging incessantly, people constantly amused or infuriated, many utterly breaking down.

    The conclusion of the event was completely unexpected. It turned out that the leader and the number one fan of those Empress Yuanzhen¡¯s Knights was none other than the Demonic Empress herself running the account.

    After battling with the internet trolls for days and nights and being aggravated by the collective chanting of the Bible from the other side, she actually abused her cultivator powers to coerce the internet regulators into tracking down IP addresses for doxxing and to relieve her anger through murder¡­ The exact number of deaths remained unclear, nor was it allowed to be discussed; after all, the authorities didn¡¯t want to offend Empress Yuanzhen over this. The usually overly protected citizens of Lu Country finally realized the harsh reality of ¡°the difference between immortals and mortals,¡± and wisely opted to collectively shut up. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The fearsome reputation of Empress Yuanzhen could be seen from this alone!

    Yan Yu¡¯s wariness towards Zhao Yuanzhen and his opposition to cultivators ruling the country were not because of an extreme and peculiar disposition; rather, his past life was indeed filled with countless bizarre occurrences¡­ Of course, the current Empress Yuanzhen had already been disciplined early on by him and was now as tame as a kitten; there was no longer any worry about her lashing out and murdering when she couldn¡¯t win an argument.

    ¡°Don¡¯t stay up too late,¡± he scolded Zhao Yuanzhen, ¡°You have to put down your phone before midnight or I¡¯ll confiscate it for a month!¡±

    ¡°Got it, got it,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, who was busy helping Lin Ning drive a bulldozer to destroy the opposing side¡¯s entire family, had no time to bear a grudge against Yan Yu, and replied impatiently, ¡°Can I set an alarm, okay?¡±

 Chapter 162: 62: Yan Team, Youre on Fire

    Chapter 162: Chapter 62: Yan Team, You¡¯re on Fire

    For someone like Yan Yu, dealing with trolls was nothing new.

    Thanks to the aggressive marketing by Miti¡¯s Superhero Alliance, what should have been a very solemn event ¨C the national battle of cultivators ¨C became highly commercialized, turned into entertainment and sports. It was quite ironic, to say the least.

    Yet, perhaps it is in human DNA to harbor fragments of cruelty and a thirst for blood.

    Just like the Roman nobles witnessing gladiator games for the first time, people from all over the world were quickly captivated by these brutal and bloody spectacles.

    With nationalism fanning the flames, the popularity of the cultivator national battles soon surpassed all sports leagues, becoming a global phenomena that transcended race, region, and class.

    It also gave rise to countless hardcore fans and trolls.

    Who you support or slander is strongly associated with where you come from. For example, in my past life, the Southeastern Six Provinces had a massive fan base for the Spirit Transport Team, with Jianghai Prefecture being the most extreme, and, for some unspeakable reasons, it was also the largest ¡°Lord Master hate congregation.¡±

    Take the battle for Mount Tai as an example. When the Spirit Transport Team was defeated by Lord Master in a three-to-one fight, it infuriated the comedian Lu Ming so much that in a public performance at the Jianghai Comedy Center, he blurted out that ¡°northerners are worms in international fights but dragons in domestic ones,¡± earning himself a three-year performance ban from the Media Bureau¡­ He was willing to blacken Lord Master¡¯s name at the cost of his career. It just goes to show, you can never fully get rid of trolls.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t care much for trolls. Even if they were trashing cultivators from Lu Country, or even if they were to say to his face, ¡°You, Yan Yu, are trash,¡± he would just smile slightly, never retort, and watch as his fan club tore the opposition to shreds.

    But Sister Lin clearly didn¡¯t have his level of composure, as she was still grumbling unhappily while brushing her teeth the next morning.

    ¡°Excuse me, I need to use the water,¡± Yan Yu pushed her aside from the sink, ¡°It¡¯s been a whole night; how come you¡¯re still not over it?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about it,¡± Lin Ning said through her toothbrush, her words muffled, ¡°I¡¯ve already let it go.¡±

    ¡°You better have,¡± Yan Yu saw her furrowed brow, the drooping corners of her eyes, and an expression that screamed ¡°I am not happy,¡± and knew she was still being stubborn. He didn¡¯t call her out, simply took his turn to rinse and went on his way.

    After breakfast, everyone headed to the school to prepare for the final training before departure ¨C but first, they had to drop Yan Jing off at the high-speed rail station.

    ¡°Behave and go straight home,¡± Yan Yu patted his sister¡¯s head at the station, ¡°When your brother triumphantly returns from the battlefield, I¡¯ll bring you some spoils, okay?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want spoils,¡± Yan Jing said with a quivering voice, ¡°Big brother, just come back in one piece, without losing any arms or legs. That¡¯s all I want.¡±

    ¡°What nonsense are you talking about,¡± Yan Yu ruffled her hair, smiling, ¡°Your big brother, I¡­¡±

    ¡°But, am not the strongest in this world, okay?¡±

    ¡°Stop messing up my hair, big brother!¡± Yan Jing initially wanted to keep arguing, but then she hesitated.

    I don¡¯t care if big brother is the strongest in this world, I just hope he¡¯s stronger than all the enemies, so he can come back safe and victorious.

    Really, you have to come back, big brother.

    After seeing off his sister, everyone in the car on the way back to school felt a sudden sense of loss and sentiment.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be sad, everyone,¡± Su Yunjin communicated secretly to the girls, ¡°We¡¯ll have the chance to meet again next time.¡±

    ¡°Crap!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly exclaimed, ¡°I forgot to ask her how to deal with little thieves!¡±

    The girls were speechless.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a sweet smile, ¡°I have her good friend on my contact list.¡±

    ¡°Quick, add me!¡±

    ¡°I want to be added too.¡±

    ¡°Pass her contact to me, Ling Yun.¡± S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu, watching the girls who were silent, each engrossed in their phones, suddenly felt that something was off.

    Is someone secretly communicating without me? Talking behind my back, huh? Have I been slacking off with our additional training?

    Of course, they were due to depart for the South Sea that afternoon; even if he was a beast, he wouldn¡¯t ruthlessly enforce training on the morning of. He simply took note quietly, preparing to settle scores after the completion of the Three Islands Treasure Ship.

    I, Yan Yu, am not the type to be small-minded. Ensuring everyone maintains a good state of mind before the battle is my responsibility, no need to thank me.

    The girls were, of course, oblivious to his thoughts. They continued to practice the Three Arts in the morning, had lunch at noon, and in the afternoon, they went to the airport to board the plane and begin their journey.

    Near the seas adjacent to the Three Islands Treasure Ship, to maintain a deterrent against Miti¡¯s CVN-144 carrier strike group, the Annan Navy¡¯s ¡°Tailfire Tiger¡± carrier strike group had also arrived at the battlefield. Both parties carried out routine cruising on either side of the Three Islands Treasure Ship, with their daily mission being to challenge each other¡¯s communication, shouting for the other side to make way, all while putting on an aggressive front as if they were about to strike at any moment.

    The military aircraft landed on the deck of the Tailfire Tiger, and Yan Yu and his group finally boarded the aircraft carrier, just in time to see the Three Islands Treasure Ship convoy sailing in the distance.

    It¡¯s not apparent from the videos, but only when you are there can you feel the grandeur of the Three Islands Treasure Ship. The size of this tower ship is on par with that of the aircraft carrier itself, with its tall, sturdy masts rising like mountains, nearly a hundred meters tall, casting enormous shadows over the sea with the sails hanging from them, adorned with giant tadpole script.

    Only the Rikoku Cultivators would instinctively understand the meaning the moment they saw the tadpole script:

    ¡°`

    Isles.

    In this context, ¡°isle¡± refers to an island.

    The Three Isles Treasure Ship represents three ¡°sea islands¡± capable of navigation.

    At the edge of the deck, a media team was broadcasting live, with Lu Zhiyu, an old acquaintance of Yan Yu¡¯s and Chen Lingyun¡¯s, as the host.

    Wearing a safety helmet, Lu Zhiyu was almost blown blind by the fierce and vigorous sea breeze, struggling to shout at the camera:

    ¡°We are currently on the deck of the Tail Fire Tiger aircraft carrier, (turning to the side) and now you can see, that in the distance is our Three Isles Treasure Ship¡­¡±

    The director caught sight of Yan Yu and others disembarking the plane and quickly gestured to Lu Zhiyu, meaning to quickly finish the introduction and then go interview our team members.

    When Lu Zhiyu saw it was Yan Yu¡¯s Team, his heart was quite reluctant. But work was work after all, so he had to rapidly memorize the script and then quickly walked over to intercept Yan Yu with the cameraman.

    ¡°Next, let¡¯s interview the protagonists of this mission, the captain of the Zhenhai Team, Yan Yu, and his teammates,¡± Lu Zhiyu quickly shouted his lines as a warning to Yan Yu that this was a live national broadcast, then asked, ¡°Captain Yan, you are teaming up with the Qing¡¯an Team to combat the Sulu Allied Forces, what preparations have you made for the upcoming battle for the Three Isles Treasure Ship, and how confident are you?¡±

    These two questions were common inquiries posed to military personnel, with standard answers usually being safe but unhelpful platitudes like ¡°We have fully analyzed the intelligence¡± ¡°We have meticulously rehearsed for the battle situation¡± ¡°We will surely achieve victory in the war,¡± enough to reassure the audience in front of the TV.

    However, Yan Yu clearly wasn¡¯t one to give stock responses; he merely frowned slightly (a look that made Lu Zhiyu¡¯s heart skip a beat) before asking the camera in wonder:

    ¡°Fight Sulu, need to prepare?¡±

    With that said, he led the still awkwardly forced-smiling girls straight into the bridge, leaving Lu Zhiyu and the film crew standing on the deck, their expressions blank and disheveled in the wind.

    Inside the bridge, people like Li Zhaojiang were in the command room analyzing intelligence, when they saw Yan Yu bringing his team in.

    ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± Yan Yu found a chair and sat down, ¡°When does the Mysterious Realm open?¡±

    ¡°The current estimate is the afternoon of September 1st,¡± Li Minghu answered soberly.

    ¡°What about the enemy?¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°Which strong ones have arrived, Annan Army on their side must have confirmed as well.¡±

    ¡°We have a suspected list,¡± Li Zhaojiang replied. ¡°It¡¯s on the computer over there, go have a look yourself.¡±

    ¡°Fine then.¡± Yan Yu knew that this kind of intelligence was top secret; once the enemy knew you were aware of their lineup, they might just pull a last-minute substitution¡­ so it had to be stored on a physically disconnected electronic medium to prevent leaks.

    Upon reaching the computer in the corner and waiting for the guard next to him to help unlock it, Yan Yu picked up the mouse and started browsing.

    Hmm¡­

    Wow, Miti Team has really splurged this time! They even sent out the Three Birds.

    Phoenix, Roger the ¡°Thorn Bird,¡± and Margaret the ¡°Thunder Bird.¡± In the past life, these three were a famous hero combo from Miti, officially named ¡°Triple Eagle Meric,¡± or ¡°Miti¡¯s Three Eagles.¡±

    However, Rikoku netizens called them ¡°Miti¡¯s Three Birds¡±¡­

    To be remembered and nicknamed by Rikoku netizens, the power level of these three ¡°superheroes¡± was of course substantial. If the prime of Lord Master was set at T1, then these three were at least at T1.5, undoubtedly A-listers in the Superhero Alliance.

    Looking next at Southeast Asia, Yan Yu scrolled the mouse wheel for quite a while, finding only two familiar names:

    The Curse Technique Master Ajarn Luo and the Shadow Magician Mo Ha.

    Unlike Miti and Rikoku, the main force of Southeast Asia¡¯s Transcendents were mainly in the folk, hence there were not many famous ones, but there were plenty of formidable ones, and the turnover rate was astonishingly fast.

    Last month¡¯s infamous Curse Technique Master might be found dead in the gutter the next month, with all his turf and influence taken over by others¡­ So remembering names was of no use; Yan Yu merely had some recollection of these two.

    Hmm, it looked like the upcoming battle was truly going to be tough, more perilous than the previous few.

    Though worried at heart, Yan Yu remained impassive on the surface, slowly scrolled through the list to the bottom, then let go of the mouse, stood up, stretched out, and yawned.

    ¡°How does it look?¡± Chen Lingyun asked from behind him.

    ¡°A motley crew,¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly, ¡°not worth mentioning.¡±

    Seeing the captain making such an assessment, the girls also secretly breathed a sigh of relief¡ªthough their captain had high pride, seeing everyone as if they were a rabble, his evaluation still boosted their morale.

    ¡°Damn!¡± Jiang Hong, who was playing with his phone at the table, suddenly cursed, ¡°Yan, you¡¯ve gone viral!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Li Zhaojiang asked in surprise.

    ¡°Check the trending searches,¡± Jiang Hong instructed.

    Everyone hastily pulled out their phones, only to see topping today¡¯s trending search list were seven words, with a strangely familiar tone:

    Fight Sulu, need to prepare?

 Chapter 163: 63 Lin Ning Wants to Take a Bite

    Chapter 163: Chapter 63 Lin Ning Wants to Take a Bite

    Since the three-island treasure ship hadn¡¯t come to a complete stop yet, everyone continued to sort through enemy intelligence on board over the following days.

    The internal military analysis estimated that Miti would send around 40 people, while the Southeast Asian side would send around 200. These numbers weren¡¯t necessarily accurate, but even if the actual headcount was cut in half, it was still not a small number and it was impossible to conduct detailed analysis on every single person.

    Therefore, the Annan Army side merely extracted a dozen individuals whom the intelligence department considered ¡°relatively dangerous¡± and presented them to the two squads for reference and study.

    The five individuals Yan Yu had previously noticed were among them, indicating that the intelligence this time was quite accurate.

    Since no messages could be sent to the outside world from the ship, everyone could only play with their phones and surf the internet on the ship¡¯s computers to catch up on the news, relieving some of the tension before the battle.

    Owing to Yan Yu¡¯s remark, ¡°Do we even need to prepare for Sulu,¡± and with the state media following instructions to guide public opinion, the online sentiment had already undergone a massive reversal, completely suppressing those discordant and pessimistic voices.

    Even today, a trending news piece reported that the internet oversight authorities had captured several rumor-mongers, and all the comments below were calling for ¡°severe punishment without leniency¡± and ¡± satisfying the public¡¯s sense of justice.¡±

    The current fervor of public opinion could now be fully described as ¡°the hopes of the entire people of Lu Country concentrated on these two squads.¡±

    If they won, they would reap both fame and fortune; if they lost, the outcome would depend on how the state media ultimately framed it, but they would certainly not end up in a favorable position.

    Liu, who had won so many track and field gold medals, was still criticized for withdrawing from a competition due to injury, which shows that often the earnest expectations of the masses do not sympathize or reason with you.

    Not to mention the numerous trolls online who, though currently suppressed by the overwhelming trend, were still holding back their malice. If there were indeed a loss, they would certainly come out to stir things up and mock in a gleefully sarcastic manner.

    Lin Ning had said before departure, ¡°I¡¯ve already risen above their level,¡± but it¡¯s impossible for a problem-solver not to care about class rankings, and soon she couldn¡¯t help but go online to check the public opinion.

    And then she saw a flood of Yan Yu-themed rage comic memes, with captions saying, ¡°Do you even need to prepare for XXX?¡±

    For example, ¡°Do you even need to prepare for the postgraduate exams?¡± ¡°Do you even need to prepare to meet the parents?¡± ¡°Do you even need to prepare when looking for a ladyboy?¡± They were generally used in the sense of ¡°pretending to be heroic before doing something very difficult.¡±

    As Lin Ning read on, she started to feel restless.

    Why does everyone think the captain is merely talking big? The captain is actually very powerful, okay?

    Well, if one hadn¡¯t seen the captain in action, merely hearing his statements might indeed seem as if he were putting on an act of bravado¡­

    Lin Ning hurried to the tactical command room, only to see Yan Yu swiping on his phone.

    She quietly crept up behind him and sneaked a peek at his phone screen.

    A novel?

    What are you doing reading web novels at a time like this!

    Lin Ning immediately felt exasperated, thinking she was foolish for worrying about him, and impulsively reached out to snatch his phone. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But, what was Yan Yu¡¯s reaction speed? Before Lin Ning¡¯s hand could even touch his phone, he moved it down quickly with a swift bend.

    Lin Ning also reacted quickly, leaning forward and stretching out her arm in an attempt to snatch it¡ªresulting in her entire body lying on his back, at last grasping the upper half of the phone.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Yan Yu asked, bewildered.

    ¡°I¡¯m confiscating your phone!¡± Lin Ning said fiercely, ¡°As the captain, you better work properly and stop slacking off!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s off-duty time now, okay? You, the studious one, should at least look at the clock!¡±

    ¡°Is there such a thing as off-duty during wartime?¡±

    Yan Yu attempted to perform the ¡°dead fish twist¡± to flip the girl off his back.

    However, Lin Ning¡¯s flexibility was remarkable, and she managed to cling to his neck with her arms while holding onto the phone without falling.

    Is Lin eating the wrong pills? Yan Yu was puzzled and used his killer move:

    ¡°It¡¯s transforming.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s transforming?¡± Lin Ning was initially startled, and then immediately her face flushed with embarrassment. She quickly let go of Yan Yu, jumped off him, and with her hands covering her chest, she angrily said, ¡°Shameless!¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu said earnestly, ¡°Suddenly attacking from behind and sticking close is quite shameless.¡±

    Lin Ning became enraged, baring her teeth and making a move to bite Yan Yu, shouting:

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you who¡¯s the shameless one!¡±

    Using the command room¡¯s desk to his advantage, Yan Yu skillfully started using the ¡°Circling around the Pillar¡± skill, while his mouth involuntarily began to taunt:

    ¡°She¡¯s panicking, she¡¯s panicking, she¡¯s getting flustered.¡±

    Lin Ning went into a rage, suddenly activated the Shifting Technique to leap over the conference table, and then tackled Yan Yu to the ground.

    Bite down!

    Yan Yu activated the Barrier Charm! Domineering Body!

    Lin Ning had bitten him for quite a while, yet she couldn¡¯t even leave a teeth mark, which inevitably left her a bit disheartened.

    Yan Yu then held her in a reverse grip, floated up with the Cloud Ascension Technique, and placed the stunned Lin Ning on the conference table, laughing,

    ¡°Cooled down?¡±

    Lin Ning was, of course, still angry, but soon she began to feel a little aggrieved, saying,

    ¡°Yan Yu, do you know that on the internet those people are using you for memes, making fun of you?¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Yan Yu stroked his chin, ¡°If it¡¯s about memes. Don¡¯t worry, everyone will have their turn soon.¡±

    Lin Ning: ?

    ¡°And you¡¯re still reading novels!¡± She continued to protest, ¡°You¡¯re not taking the upcoming war seriously at all!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like you have to stare at the computer all day to be doing something important,¡± Yan Yu said, pulling out his phone to show her the screen, ¡°See this?¡±

    Lin Ning looked at the screen for a moment, and judging from the index, it was a cultivation novel. She hesitated before asking,

    ¡°Are you¡­ trying to deduce the secrets and restrictions of the Three Islands¡¯ Treasure Ship¡¯s Mysterious Realm by researching the settings of cultivation novels?¡±

    Yan Yu paused for a second before answering,

    ¡°I wanted you to look at the subscription list. I¡¯ve subscribed to the entire book and spent the money, so of course, I need to finish it, right?¡±

    Lin Ning suddenly felt like she was choking, with her back teeth grinding involuntarily. Just when she was about to pounce like a famished tiger once again, she suddenly heard the voice of Li Minghu from outside the door:

    ¡°Captain Yan, you¡¯re here. Do you have time to go over some intelligence?¡±

    ¡°Reviewing intelligence? Sure,¡± Yan Yu replied as he turned his head, ¡°Come this way and talk.¡±

    Lin Ning was dumbfounded, feeling like she could no longer suppress the fury in her heart: I ask you to do serious work and you irritate me, she comes to you with intelligence and you¡¯re all business, huh?

    Thinking my Green Bamboo Sword is not sharp enough?

    But with someone else present, she didn¡¯t think it was appropriate to pounce on the detestable captain in front of Li Minghu, so she was forced to swallow her frustration and said with a sneer,

    ¡°Then I won¡¯t disturb you.¡±

    ¡°You stay here too,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you rushing me to do important work? Then let¡¯s do it together.¡±

    Li Minghu looked curiously at them, sensing that the atmosphere between the two was somewhat odd.

    However, she didn¡¯t think too much of it and simply sat down in the chair in front of the ship¡¯s computer and said,

    ¡°The Phoenix, that person, what do you think of him?¡±

    ¡°Since he¡¯s called ¡®Phoenix¡¯, his abilities must be related to fire and he probably has strong life-saving capabilities,¡± Yan Yu sat next to her and gestured for Lin Ning to come closer, ¡°There should be some footage of him from the Annan Army, right?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s one part,¡± Li Minghu brought up the footage, ¡°You¡¯re pretty much right.¡±

    Lin Ning also leaned in out of curiosity, and the three of them quietly finished watching the footage.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Li Minghu finally asked.

    ¡°Troublesome,¡± Lin Ning said with a grave expression, picking up the mouse to drag the progress bar, ¡°Look here: he was clearly injured, but the wound didn¡¯t bleed, and then here¡­ see? Although the resolution is a bit poor, you can still see the wound is healing.¡±

    ¡°If we assume that pure physical damage is ineffective against him¡­¡± Li Minghu concluded, ¡°it means his abilities are a strong counter to Sword Immortals.¡±

    ¡°When did the wound heal?¡± Yan Yu asked leisurely.

    Both girls paused for a moment before catching on.

    ¡°Let me check,¡± Lin Ning said, scrolling to the beginning, playing at 0.5x speed, and then continuously pressing the space bar for frame-by-frame playback.

    ¡°Found it!¡± She pointed to the screen.

    ¡°How much time passed?¡± Yan Yu ordered, ¡°Calculate it.¡±

    ¡°You mean,¡± Li Minghu immediately understood, ¡°he¡¯s not immune to physical damage but has some sort of rapid healing ability, and he needs to actively deploy this ability, which can¡¯t be effective all the time without any limits.¡±

    ¡°Just because he has the nickname ¡®Phoenix¡¯ doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s truly immortal,¡± Yan Yu said with a slight smile, confidently, ¡°In the Western mythological system, the more invincible something is, the simpler its weakness. The hair of Samson, Achilles¡¯ heel, the mistletoe of Baldur¡­ you just have to find it.¡±

 Chapter 164: 64 Traffic and Interview

    Chapter 164: Chapter 64 Traffic and Interview

    The Miti CVN-144 carrier, originally the resting lounge for officers on the bridge, was now occupied by the film crews of three stars.

    ¡°Phoenix¡± Phoenix, ¡°Thornbird¡± Roger, and ¡°Thunderbird¡± Margaret, although technically part of Miti¡¯s Homeland Strategic Bureau, were also actively involved by the Superhero Alliance in the commercial promotion of the entire event.

    The so-called commercial promotion is actually very simple at its core: exposure.

    While the public¡¯s attention was on them, they aimed to expose themselves as much as possible to boost the popularity of the superheroes and then monetize the merchandise ¡ª after all, once this battle was over and the hot topic period had passed, any publicity efforts would be half as effective.

    During a break in the shooting, the three sat on chairs nearby. Phoenix cracked open two cans of beer and handed one to Thornbird. Thunderbird lit up a slim cigarette.

    ¡°Have you seen the intel on our opponents this time?¡± Thornbird asked as he took the beer.

    ¡°No.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t.¡± Phoenix and Thunderbird answered simultaneously.

    Thornbird was somewhat rendered speechless and continued to ask:

    ¡°Should we study it tonight?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t make it, I have an interview tonight,¡± Thunderbird said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so serious,¡± Phoenix said in a relaxed tone, ¡°we just need to win.¡±

    It was because of the worry about not being able to win that studying the opponent¡¯s intel was necessary!

    Thornbird really wanted to persuade them further, but ultimately held back.

    He was of English nationality, a Mancunian, with a disposition leaning towards dourness, melancholy, and seriousness; ¡°Phoenix¡± originated from the Mediterranean island of Corfu, reflecting the Mediterranean¡¯s characteristic laid-back and disorganized nature; ¡°Thunderbird¡± Margaret hailed from Helsinki in Northern Europe, careless and yet another extreme¡­ Without established team leadership, it was actually very hard for the three of them to reach a consensus through communication.

    Of course, it was a brainwave of the Superhero Alliance¡¯s business managers to deliberately bring three such disparate Transcendents together, something about ¡°character diversification.¡±

    In Thornbird¡¯s opinion, the idea was downright stupid. After all, he was a wizard, with a fighting style leaning more towards control, stealth, and surprise ¡ª but Phoenix and Thunderbird both favored a head-on confrontation style. Even though they were indeed powerful, they simply were not willing to coordinate with him on the battlefield.

    Brash and stealthy just don¡¯t mix! sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Thornbird silently left the officer¡¯s lounge and along the way saw many other ¡°superheroes,¡± working with their respective agent teams on filming. The entire upper bridge was like a moving ¡°Hollywood,¡± a giant star-making base, where everyone focused on traffic and fame, with no one truly caring about victory.

    ¡­Can we really win against the Rikoku Cultivators with this?

    Of course, it wouldn¡¯t matter if they didn¡¯t win; they could just blame it on Sulu being too weak afterward.

    In the end, the original purpose of establishing the Superhero Alliance was not for victory, but for commercial operations and accumulating wealth, to form an unbreakable community of interests between the superheroes and Miti entrepreneurs ¡ª just a replication of their military-industrial complex strategies.

    Thornbird¡¯s mood grew increasingly bleak until he arrived at the end of the corridor and saw two Asian Transcendents in conversation, speaking an incomprehensible gibberish to him.

    But what they held in their hands were tarot cards, familiar to the European Transcendents, seemingly engaged in divining the fortunes of this battle.

    Unobtrusively narrowing his eyes, Thornbird carefully observed the cards drawn by the other party, quietly activating his own mystical intuition.

    The first card was The Magician, upright. It hinted that the Western camp was about to face a completely unknown challenge from the Rikoku Cultivators, and it also symbolized innovation, freedom, and the pursuit of power.

    Then the second card was¡­ The Tower, upright. There was something terribly frightening in the Mysterious Realm this time; sudden destruction, immense danger, and a path to ruin.

    The two Asian Transcendents visibly panicked, quickly drawing a third tarot card.

    Wheel of Fortune, reversed. A tough struggle, complicated changes, life and death uncertain, also not a good sign.

    The other trembled as they were about to draw a fourth card but were stopped by their companion¡¯s hand.

    The two chattered for a while and then slowly put the three tarot cards back into the deck.

    Thornbird forcefully closed his eyes, exhaled a long breath of stale air to calm the tension brought on by the adrenaline rush.

    Time to scrap the original plan and prioritize survival above all for this battle¡­

    When he opened his eyes again, he found that the two Asians had disappeared.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Though his heart was not in his work, Father Yan was still a state-owned enterprise employee and thus recently forced himself to go to his job.

    The lunch break had just ended, and he was sitting in front of his computer examining blueprints when he suddenly heard whispering discussions arise around him.

    Gossip was a daily routine in state-owned enterprises, a taste not to be missed. So Father Yan grabbed a cup of tea, clutching the scalding disposable paper cup, attempting to join the group engaged in gossip.

    However, to his surprise, the colleagues who had been chatting, upon seeing Father Yan coming over with his tea, immediately stopped their conversation and, with smiling faces, said:

    ¡°Yan Worker, fancy a cup of tea?¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Father Yan looked puzzled. If I don¡¯t drink tea, what am I supposed to do with this cup of water?

    ¡°Yan Worker, my relative sent me a tin of tea leaves, and I can¡¯t finish it all. How about I give it to you?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s really too kind¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I¡¯ve got plenty,¡± said the colleague, going to get the tea leaves. Just then, someone handed him a cigarette, saying,

    ¡°Here.¡±

    Father Yan didn¡¯t refuse this time because the person offering the cigarette was the deputy director.

    After a round of puffing and billowing smoke, the deputy director sighed and said,

    ¡°Yan Worker, your son has made something of himself.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing much.¡± Father Yan chuckled and shook his head. ¡°He¡¯s been disobedient since he was little, and no amount of spanking worked. Eventually, I just let him be.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what¡¯s called a ¡®late bloomer¡¯!¡± a colleague joked, laughing. ¡°Whether you discipline him or not, suddenly, one day, he becomes successful. He¡¯s really soared!¡±

    Everyone laughed.

    After the chat, Father Yan took the tea leaves given by his colleague and returned to his seat, feeling inexplicably puzzled. He frowned, sensing that something was off.

    If they were trying to flatter me, that wouldn¡¯t seem quite right either. But why was there a noticeably warmer attitude towards me today?

    Father Yan discreetly opened his computer browser, ready to look up news related to his son.

    He found the top trending topic, clicked into it, and immediately frowned, leaning away from the screen.

    Because his son¡¯s memes had gone viral. There were all sorts of jokes written about him, stuff like ¡°Sulu monkeys, head on a spike,¡± and ¡°Warm up a cup of wine, come back for a drink after we¡¯re done with the South Sea¡±¡­ Father Yan¡¯s scalp tingled as he read. A fifty-year-old man couldn¡¯t understand the meaning behind these memes at all.

    But he finally understood what was happening. It seemed his son had boasted in front of the camera, in front of the entire nation.

    Did the public believe him? Most certainly not, because what he claimed to be fighting wasn¡¯t just Sulu, but Sulu + Miti + Southeast Allied Forces. If it was only Sulu, there wouldn¡¯t be any need for bragging; Sulu would likely surrender on its own.

    As for Miti superheroes, it could only be said that Miti¡¯s military strength had been number one in the world for many years, and its formidable reputation was deeply rooted in the hearts of people from all nations. Even though Rikoku now has four complete aircraft carrier groups, that¡¯s just one-third of what Miti has.

    If you ask everyone who they hope would win, of course, they¡¯d say they hope the Rikoku Cultivator wins. But if you ask who they think can win, well¡­

    Father Yan wasn¡¯t any sort of military expert, and the more he read, the more anxious he became.

    But anxious or not, the trait of a middle-aged man is to be resigned to his fate. After all, his son was grown up, and if the higher-ups wanted him to go to war, there was nothing to be done. Just let it be.

    Father Yan closed the browser, put on his reading glasses, and continued to look over the blueprints. Suddenly, his phone rang.

    It was his wife calling.

    ¡°Nantian!¡± As soon as he answered the phone, Mother Yan¡¯s voice rang out, ¡°When you get off work, don¡¯t come home right away. There are reporters all over the entrance to our building!¡±

    She wasn¡¯t lying, because reporters had indeed surrounded the Yan family¡¯s residential building, and the homeowners¡¯ group chat was exploding¡ªall discussing the situation.

    In theory, Yan Yu¡¯s home address shouldn¡¯t have been so easy to locate since the Privy Council had only made his name public, and there were so many people with the same name and surname in the world¡ªwho knew which ¡°Yan Yu¡± it was?

    But coincidentally, when Yan Yu signed the recruitment agreement back in the day, the Zhendong Army conducted a family background check and discovered that Father Yan was a state enterprise worker. They called his workplace¡¯s leadership to better manage parental cooperation, aiming to improve recruitment success rates.

    When Father Yan¡¯s workplace director received a call from the military, he was secretly surprised: Engineer Yan¡¯s son is being recruited by the military as a special forces soldier? The director then took note of it.

    Now, when the Privy Council made the battle team¡¯s roster public, the director saw, goodness gracious, that Engineer Yan¡¯s son was about to go off to war for the country! Coincidentally, the director¡¯s wife was also a well-known anchor at the local TV station, and that¡¯s how the information leaked.

    While Rikoku reporters may not be as unscrupulous as their international counterparts, banging on your front door like mad, they still uphold a basic level of professionalism. The captain of the battle team, Yan Yu, has gone overseas, and we can¡¯t interview him, so how about we interview his family instead?

    The entire nation wants to know about ¡°Yan Yu¡± as such a huge traffic hotspot, how could they not dig into it?

    And most importantly, the superiors never said not to!

    The news reached Li Weiguo, and the commander-in-chief, the old man, immediately flew into a rage.

    Who authorized them to do this?

    Our soldiers are off fighting abroad, and you go and harass their families, huh?

    Everyone get the hell out of here!

 Chapter 165: 65 Li Minghu Wants to Understand

    Chapter 165: 65 Li Minghu Wants to Understand

    A call was made, and soon the reply came that the reporters at Yan Yu¡¯s doorstep had dispersed.

    Li Weiguo quickly gave instructions: Not only Yan Yu, but also the relatives of all students from the Zhendong National Defense Academy were not allowed to be harassed by reporters! Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Really, who would have thought that after the loosening of media control, we would encounter this kind of situation!

    In previous years¡¯ large-scale military exercises and drills, the media were unresponsive, only willing to report after being allocated the task by administrative orders.

    Now they swarm like dogs that have sniffed out meat!

    After dealing with the reporters, Old Li received a document from the cyber surveillance department.

    The cyber surveillance monitors hot topics on the Internet daily, focusing on negative comments from foreign IPs on the domestic web. After the Privy Council announced the team roster, a lot of trolls stirred trouble on various social platforms, and it was timely that cyber surveillance notified the relevant departments to have the official media step in and handle it.

    After the official media set the tone, the trolls temporarily laid low, but they¡¯ve become active again recently, crazily sharing Yan Yu¡¯s meme ¡°Fighting Sulu, no preparation needed¡±, writing various nonsensical praise-filled narratives.

    This is actually a baiting tactic. If you hype up someone unrealistically with a main account, there will surely be many so-called neutral onlookers who take the bait and jump out to play the wise man, ¡°You¡¯re spouting nonsense; this person is not that strong¡±, and thus the trolls reach their goal.

    When cyber surveillance asked if these people should be banned, Li Weiguo had quite a headache as well.

    If you talk about banning them, it gives spectators the impression that ¡°the officials are silencing speech supportive of the Rikoku Cultivators,¡± making it seem as if the military side lacks confidence. After all, you can¡¯t expect every netizen to recognize a reverse role-play.

    If you say not to ban them, well, if the battle situation turns unfavorable in the end, it¡¯s easy to imagine how many people will choose to kick someone when they¡¯re down, causing public opinion to spiral out of control¡ªthe harsher one is hyped beforehand, the more miserably they¡¯ll be trampled afterward. In ancient times, Zheng defeated Duan at Yan, and today there are boomerangs all the same.

    Li Weiguo thought it over and over and in the end decided not to intervene.

    Although there are many trolls, they haven¡¯t yet reached the point of making absurd claims. Ultimately, Rikoku¡¯s overall public opinion about you still depends on whether you can win or not.

    As long as we win, everything will get better!

    But if we don¡¯t win, getting cursed is naturally deserved. We can even use it as an opportunity to temper Yan Yu¡¯s edge¡­ Hmm, thinking about it that way is rather pleasant.

    Speaking of which, has this kid been earnestly preparing for battle on the aircraft carrier?

    Curious, Li Weiguo decided to make a call to the Annan Army¡¯s commander-in-chief, Zhang Xiangqian, and asked:

    ¡°Hey, Old Zhang, I¡¯ve got a question for you¡­¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Of course, Yan Yu was busy with serious matters.

    Although he maintained a composed demeanor in front of the ladies, he wouldn¡¯t deny that the difficulty of this battle at the Three Isles Treasure Ship was indeed unprecedented.

    First, look at the number of participants¡ªwe¡¯re at a disadvantage.

    The enemy is an allied force, roughly two hundred people strong, a staggering gap of 20:1 compared to us Rikoku.

    Of course, Rikoku can also muster two hundred Cultivators for battle, but that would certainly increase our casualties¡ªhow many Cultivators do we have to exchange for the losses against so many countries?

    Since we¡¯ve decided on a strategy of elite forces, we have to get used to fighting outnumbered. If we eventually find we truly can¡¯t win, then we¡¯ll have to lift the restrictions, go transcendental, and use the demon army bred from a population of 1.2 billion to ravage the world. Then nobody gets to live.

    Next, consider the high-end combat power¡ªwe¡¯re also at a disadvantage.

    We won¡¯t mention the Southeast Asian countries; each is a mystical sanctuary for cult practices. Even before the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, there were bizarre incidents like ¡°The Security Bureau hiring Wizards for Spirit Communication to solve cases¡± or ¡°Candidates seeking Wizard¡¯s magic for election help,¡± and after the resurgence, the number of Transcendent beings surged dramatically. Moreover, they engaged in deadly conflict among themselves; those who survived were no easy targets.

    As for the Miti¡¯s Three Hawks¡­ although their strength doesn¡¯t match Lord Master, is there only one Lord Master in the world? Although most Cultivators from academy backgrounds have had Secret Realm matchups to simulate real battles, their combat experience definitely can¡¯t compare to that of the Superhero leagues, which involve genuine fighting.

    The Three Hawks truly fought their way out from the masses; there¡¯s no watering down their achievements.

    Thinking it over, this time we only have an absolute advantage in the highest level of combat power; otherwise, this battle truly can¡¯t be fought.

    Yan Yu stood on the deck outside the bridge, letting the sea breeze blow as he continued to sort through his long-dormant memories.

    The Three Isles Treasure Ship, there really was such an event in the past life. But at that time, I was in college, participating as a keyboard warrior, mainly fighting against online trolls, so I didn¡¯t have firsthand information about the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm.

    As for joining the system later, that was after, and Yan Yu had no particular interest in revisiting historical stories¡­ If I had known I would be reborn, I would certainly have studied and remembered fiercely last life, but I wasn¡¯t aware, was I?

    Of course, my current weight can¡¯t be considered light as a butterfly, so this life¡¯s battle at the Three Isles Treasure Ship will inevitably have a very different start from the past life. It¡¯s not an exaggeration to suspect, because I, Yan, the strongest in this life, am determined to join the battle, Miti might have deployed more forces to the South Sea this life than in the last one, and that¡¯s a very reasonable assumption to make.

    ¡°Enjoying the sea breeze?¡± A soft voice sounded from Li Minghu beside him.

    ¡°Why are you out here?¡± Yan Yu looked back in surprise, ¡°Be careful; it¡¯s cold outside, and the wind is strong.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Li Minghu said, ¡°I¡¯m wearing a coat.¡±

    Yan Yu looked closely, and it was indeed the case.

    Li Minghu was wearing a navy blue and white camouflage high-collar woolen navy coat, which seemed to be warm clothing issued on a ship, matching perfectly with the soldiers on night watch on the distant deck.

    Her long hair was tied up into a bun at the back of her head, revealing her neck¡ªpale and beautiful. Yan Yu had seen many girls, but none had skin as fair as Li Minghu¡¯s, resembling the creamy luster of white jade. Even though Lingnan Province had plenty of sunshine all year round, it couldn¡¯t bother a Valkyrie who was too sick to bask in the sun for long.

    Alright, alright, I acknowledge you, Li Minghu! I¡¯m willing to call you the fairest of this world!

    Being closely observed by Yan Yu, Li Minghu didn¡¯t react much. Accustomed to various gazes due to her frequent coughing, she continued to stare at the Three Isles Treasure Ship in the distance. The originally magnificent fleet was now but a vague and indistinct silhouette on the sea with extremely low visibility, as if it could fully merge into the night at any moment.

    ¡°I want to ask a question,¡± Li Minghu asked softly.

    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Yan Yu withdrew his gaze from her and looked together with her into the distance.

    ¡°I want to know¡­ what does it feel like to kill someone?¡± Li Minghu asked in a low voice, ¡°Does it really make you vomit? Will you be tormented by guilt, unable to escape the shadow for a long time?¡±

    Yan Yu guessed she would ask about the matters of war but did not expect her to raise such a moral-related question.

    Clearly, although the battle at Changbai Mountain had been kept secret, it was only from the outside world. It was impossible to hide such information from someone at the rank of the commander-in-chief of the four armies. If Li Weiguo could hint at Yan Yu, then Zhang Xiangqian could certainly suggest something to Li Minghu.

    The Zhenhai Team, despite being a group of girls often showing off and flirting, actually had several lives on their hands. The Qingan Team, on the other hand, were genuine innocents, who hadn¡¯t even killed a chicken growing up, so it was understandable that they would have similar worries this time.

    ¡°Yes, it does,¡± Yan Yu answered seriously, ¡°It¡¯s just like how guys get nosebleeds when they see up a woman¡¯s skirt, just as novels and animations depict¡ªit¡¯s all true.¡±

    Li Minghu couldn¡¯t hold back and burst into laughter.

    Perhaps she laughed too hard, for she bent over to cover her mouth with her hand and coughed for a while before regaining some strength to say,

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°It is quite cold out here; why don¡¯t you go back inside?¡± Yan Yu asked with concern.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Li Minghu said after a moment of silence and sighed, ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to know¡­ what it feels like to be dead. Maybe after I really kill someone, I will have a deeper understanding of death, right?¡±

    Yan Yu thought to himself that she had indeed asked the right person. ¡°What does it feel like to kill¡± and ¡°what does death feel like¡±¡ªI¡¯m probably the only person in the world who is qualified to answer both of these questions.

    ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t ask me how I know, I can give you a rough idea.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead, I won¡¯t ask.¡±

    ¡°Killing depends on who you kill,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, ¡°When two opposing cultivators fight to the death, each wishing the other would die immediately, then when you kill your enemy, you¡¯ll only feel an intense surge of relief, glad that the dead person isn¡¯t you. There¡¯s no vomiting or guilt, those are naive fantasies made up by people living in peaceful times.¡±

    ¡°But if you¡¯re killing someone who can¡¯t fight back¡­ well, I guess you¡¯re not likely to do something like that. Never mind, let¡¯s not talk about that.¡±

    ¡°As for death, you can think of it as a longer, dreamless deep sleep. The fear of death is a privilege of those whose natural lifespan has not yet expired. When you are about to embrace death, in reality, you won¡¯t feel much fear. If I must say, it might be more of a reluctance.¡±

    ¡°Cough, cough¡­ Reluctance?¡± Li Minghu coughed a few times and asked curiously.

    ¡°What is the one regret in life you¡¯d most like to make up for if you could live again?¡± Yan Yu smiled wistfully and said, ¡°It¡¯s these things that will flash through your mind like a moving picture show. Then you¡¯ll realize that, no matter how much you don¡¯t want to leave this world, there¡¯s nothing you can do about it. The only thing left for you is to accept it.¡±

    ¡°Did you accept it in the end?¡± Li Minghu asked, intrigued by his serious tone.

    ¡°Hmm¡ª¡± Yan Yu planned to tease her by dragging his words out.

    Seeing Li Minghu looking at him without blinking, he slowly answered,

    ¡°No.¡±

    In my past life, I didn¡¯t accept it.

    That¡¯s why I turned back from the gates of Hell, to send those who deserved to go down there¡­

    To hell in this lifetime.

 Chapter 166: 66 I Am the Descendant of the Dragon

    Chapter 166: Chapter 66 I Am the Descendant of the Dragon

    Time finally arrived at September 1.

    Just as the research fleets on both sides had monitored, at around 2:40 in the afternoon, the Three Isles Treasure Ship had nearly come to a halt.

    The ship was about to stop!

    The members of the Zhenghai Team and the Qing¡¯an Team had already boarded two landing craft, starting to charge towards the direction of the Three Isles Treasure Ship.

    On the other side, the Superhero Alliance dispatched more than 20 assault boats, carrying a greater number of superheroes and sorcerers, powerfully sailing toward the Three Isles Treasure Ship.

    As they drew closer to the fleet, the Three Isles Treasure Ship in everyone¡¯s sight became ever more towering, like a majestic and formidable mountain.

    Yan Yu stood alone at the bow, not in the least concerned that the opposing Miti fleet would launch an attack, simply watching the lofty ship¡¯s hull ahead with his eyes slightly narrowed.

    Zhao Yuanzhen walked up to his side and suddenly asked out of curiosity,

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t we bring a medical team this time?¡±

    ¡°What, are you scared?¡± Yan Yu turned his head to ask her.

    ¡°Me, scared?¡± The Demonic Sect Enchantress immediately crossed her arms and said disdainfully, ¡°The ones that should be scared are those people over there!¡±

    ¡°Look at Sister Zhao¡¯s pretentiousness. Doesn¡¯t she remind you of the captain by seventy or eighty percent?¡± Lin Ning and the other girls sent a telepathic message to gossip quietly among themselves.

    ¡°We didn¡¯t bring a medical team because this time we will be engaging in combat with top foreign cultivators,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°The military cultivators are not strong enough; going in would be a suicide mission.¡±

    ¡°In a situation where both sides are dealing deadly blows, a professional medical team won¡¯t have much of an effect,¡± Yan Yu also said seriously, ¡°For non-fatal injuries, leaving them to Yun Jin is enough.¡± Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Right, I will do my best,¡± Su Yunjin stated earnestly.

    Indeed, considering that the medical teams originally also had the responsibility of recording and supervising, this time, because of the substantial threat from external forces, the imperial court was forced to relax its secretive surveillance and potential wariness of official cultivators and had to grant them greater freedom of action.

    The Tang Dynasty military governors offered their praises.

    Yan Yu turned around to gauge the expressions and demeanors of the girls: Zhao Yuanzhen was as combative as ever, Lin Ning was serious and solemn, Su Yunjin was calm and composed, and there was no need to look at Chen Lingyun, who was always sweetly feigning a smile.

    Hmm, everyone seemed to be in good shape.

    He looked again at the landing craft on the opposite side. Li Zhaojiang and Jiang Hong had expressionless faces, Tao Xingyuan and Wang Haoran seemed somewhat nervous, only Li Minghu was quietly standing in the middle of the team, with drooping eyelids, deep in thought.

    Then, as if sensing something, she turned her gaze to meet his.

    Noticing Yan Yu was watching her, Li Minghu smiled softly.

    Yan Yu looked away, thinking to himself that he didn¡¯t know how powerful the Valkyrie who had obtained the Sky Flash Sword was nowadays, and how she had managed to conquer the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm in her past life.

    But, it didn¡¯t matter anymore.

    This life¡¯s protagonist is me!

    Just as Yan Yu finished his contemplation, he saw the Three Isles Treasure Ship, which had finally come to a complete stop, surrounded by countless hollow spaces on the sea¡¯s surface.

    It was as if there was an invisible wall, not seen by the naked eye, collapsing rapidly.

    At the front of the landing craft were a steering wheel and a control box. Yan Yu grabbed the wheel and turned it, directing the landing craft towards the largest hole ahead.

    The moment they rushed into the hole, endless torrents of water came at Yan Yu from all sides, pressing against him ferociously!

    What¡¯s happening?

    Yan Yu quickly held his breath and steadied his mind, only to realize he had somehow fallen into the water, completely submerged beneath the sea.

    No, I don¡¯t remember falling into the water; this must be the work of the Mysterious Realm¡¯s restrictions.

    Yan Yu calmly turned his head, determining his bearings according to the light and gravity, and began swimming toward the surface.

    Eventually, he surfaced.

    To be precise, he emerged on the water¡¯s surface.

    The location where Yan Yu found himself was a square prison cell. The walls, made of dark bluish-gray bricks, were rough and uneven, with damp moss growing on them.

    The front of the prison was composed of iron bars, through which one could see the outside corridor. There was a large hole dug in the floor, filled with enough seawater to leave no place for prisoners to set foot, forcing them to hold onto the bars to keep their heads above water to breathe.

    It was a water cell, specifically designed to torment people.

    Yan Yu grasped the bars and activated the Wood Bending Charm, straining to bend them apart.

    He could not budge them.

    Clearly, these bars were no ordinary iron since they resisted the power of the charm.

    Yan Yu calmly activated the Wall-Penetration Technique, placing his hand against the wall.

    He couldn¡¯t get through.

    It must be a magic formation designed to prevent escape, specifically countering all kinds of escape techniques. The low-level Wall-Penetration Technique stood no chance of breaking through.

    Yan Yu formed a sword technique with his hands once more, and the Huang Tingjian sword flew out from behind him, smashing towards the bars in front.

    The sword and bars sparked off a series of sparks, emitting a dull yet loud sound.

    The sound of metal striking metal echoed down the corridor from Yan Yu¡¯s water cell, but the surroundings remained quiet, indicating that the girls weren¡¯t being held here.

    Strange.

    However, Yan Yu was experienced, having encountered all manner of mysterious realms in his past life, so he wasn¡¯t particularly startled.

    From the density of the bars, not even shrinking bone techniques would allow one to slip through. The only effective method would probably be the Sky Flash Sword technique, as long as one transformed into a tiny flying bug, they could easily pass through the gaps.

    But the technique for such a transformation was incredibly difficult to acquire and master, so there must be another way to escape, otherwise, how did Li Minghu and the others survive in the past life?

    Yan Yu submerged himself again, examining every inch of the place carefully.

    He found no holes or mechanisms.

    The underwater structure was also built of blue bricks, impervious to the Wood Bending Charm, the Huang Tingjian sword made no dent, and the Wall-Penetration Technique was completely ineffective.

    Near the bottom, however, Yan Yu did find a skeleton.

    The clothing on the skeleton had decayed, and there were no signs of restraints around it, nor were there any other belongings.

    Yan Yu swept the area patiently with his divine sense and discovered near the skeleton¡¯s right hand, countless inscriptions, big and small, neat and sloppy, all reading the same line:

    ¡°I am not a dragon.¡±

    The closer the inscriptions were to the corpse, the more haphazard the handwriting became, suggesting that the deceased¡¯s mental state had almost completely deteriorated towards the end.

    As Yan Yu pondered, he suddenly heard the sound of metal being struck from above, accompanied by a rough, loud shout:

    ¡°Hey, what are you hiding underwater for? Get out here for me!¡±

    Emerging slowly from the water, Yan Yu saw a monster standing outside the prison, impatiently striking the bars with an iron crowbar.

    The creature was fully limbed and muscular. The skin that was exposed revealed scales, and above its thick neck, a large dragon¡¯s head perched, with a long snout and two horns. Its eyes were cloudy, its mouth dripped with saliva, and it spoke with ill intent:

    ¡°Staying under the water that long, boy¡­ you must be a Flood Dragon, right?¡±

    Yan Yu fell silent for a while, then countered:

    ¡°What does it matter if I am a dragon or not?¡±

    ¡°Heh heh,¡± the dragon-headed creature laughed, ¡°If you¡¯re a dragon, I¡¯ll take you out right now, lock you to the Dragon Trapping Pillar, and you can take a swing from the executioner¡¯s blade. In your next life, remember to be reborn as something like a worm or insect; but if you¡¯re not a dragon¡­ why should I believe you¡¯re not? Just stay in this water cell for now, and we¡¯ll verify your true identity later.¡±

    On hearing this, Yan Yu laughed out loud immediately:

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to check! I am indeed a descendant of the dragon, so take me out to face the blade!¡±

 Chapter 167: 67: This is the Housewife

    Chapter 167: Chapter 67: This is the Housewife

    Even that monster with the dragon¡¯s head was baffled by Yan Yu¡¯s words and took a moment before speaking:

    ¡°You¡¯re not afraid of death?¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m afraid of dying,¡± Yan Yu stated righteously, ¡°but as a descendant of the dragon, how could I cower and fawn over the fear of death?

    ¡°Hmph, you do have some backbone,¡± the dragon-headed monster said, then reached out to pull the bars apart.

    The door and bars, originally seamless, had not budged even when Huang Tingjian had battered at them, yet the dragon-headed monster, using brute strength, forcibly pried them open, revealing a small path for passage.

    Yan Yu floated calmly in the water, his Divine Sense having scanned the dragon-headed monster from head to toe.

    It was not an insubstantial phantom, but a creature of flesh and blood.

    Its physique was excessively robust, presumably a beast of the Long Race bloodline with significant strength, but its brain seemed to be somewhat faulty.

    ¡°Come out then,¡± the dragon-headed monster opened the cell door and said, ¡°Don¡¯t make me fetch you personally.¡±

    Yan Yu climbed out of the water, chuckling:

    ¡°Many thanks, many thanks. How may I address your excellency?¡±

    ¡°Call me Gong Er,¡± the dragon-headed monster asked curiously, ¡°You¡¯re on the brink of death and you can still laugh?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s precisely because one can¡¯t laugh after dying that one should laugh more while they can,¡± Yan Yu adeptly responded to its inquiry and continued, ¡°I have a question, Brother Gong Er, that bothers me. Could you resolve it so I can die with a clear mind?¡±

    ¡°Ha, ask away, though I don¡¯t guarantee I¡¯ll answer,¡± the dragon-headed monster sneered.

    ¡°Why must one die just because they are a dragon?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Have you gone stupid from the watery bubble?¡± The dragon-headed monster looked at him as if he were a fool, sizing him up with that gaze before saying, ¡°Humans and demons are inherently opposed, get it?¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Yan Yu feigned sudden understanding, ¡°So, I am a dragon, and you are¡­¡±

    ¡°I am naturally human,¡± the dragon-headed monster said matter-of-factly, ¡°For humans to slay demons and dispel evil is righteous by heaven and earth. You, being a Flood Dragon of demon-kind, at least are granted the use of the dragon-slaying executioner¡¯s blade. For those nameless lesser demons, they are simply killed by hand and tossed into the sea to be devoured by fish and turtles, understand?¡±

    ¡°That makes sense. Marvelous!¡± Yan Yu clapped his hands and chuckled, ¡°To die as one of the dragon kind should be a glorious death; that fits my status indeed. I have to thank you for this!¡±

    ¡°Quite so, quite so,¡± the dragon-headed monster stretched its snout, revealing a ferocious yet satisfied smirk, ¡°Though you¡¯re a demon, you understand how things are, which is truly rare. Later I will speak to the general above and request him to make the blade swift to lessen your suffering.¡±

    ¡°Then I must thank Brother Gong Er,¡± Yan Yu said, following it out of the watery cell and proceeding down the corridor.

    The passageway was dim and dark, and Yan Yu could only judge by the slight swaying underfoot that he must be on a ship, yet not knowing which deck.

    Taking advantage of the fact that no exit could be seen ahead, he continued to make conversation:

    ¡°Speaking of which, Brother Gong Er, since humans and demons are incompatible, isn¡¯t there a spell to distinguish demons?¡±

    ¡°What, you want to pry into the secrets of our Human Race cultivators?¡± the dragon-headed monster asked coldly.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare,¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°What good would that knowledge do me, a dying dragon? Besides, when Brother Gong Er first spoke, you didn¡¯t know whether I was a dragon or not, hence my question.¡± Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The dragon-headed monster pondered for a moment and then said:

    ¡°Since I¡¯ve already mentioned it before, there¡¯s no harm in telling you. There are spells to distinguish demons, but they are unnecessary.¡±

    ¡°If you admit you¡¯re a dragon, you¡¯ll face the executioner¡¯s blade; if you deny it, we won¡¯t bother to investigate whether you¡¯re a dragon or not, and you¡¯ll just stay in the watery cell. Either you admit it and come out, or you rot to death inside.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Yan Yu nodded as if enlightened, ¡°Rather than languishing in the dark and damp cell until the end of life, it¡¯s better to admit it, come out, and seek a swift end.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± the dragon-headed monster nodded.

    ¡°If it were a human, a hundred years would be but a fleeting moment,¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°But what if it were an ordinary lesser demon that, seeking that swift end, falsely claims to be a dragon? What then?¡±

    The dragon-headed monster stopped in its tracks, stunned for a moment, then said:

    ¡°If it¡¯s not a dragon, the executioner¡¯s blade will reveal its true form.¡±

    ¡°But if the executioner¡¯s blade could be wielded at will, then what¡¯s the point of this watery cell?¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°Just take them all straight to the blade, wouldn¡¯t that be better?¡±

    This time the dragon-headed monster was taken aback for even longer, but finally regained its composure and said:

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask too many questions; rest assured, we have our methods.¡±

    ¡°Not to hide from you,¡± Yan Yu, seeing its uneasy expression, promptly said, ¡°as one of dragonkin, I also know others of my kind. Perhaps you could take me on a tour of the other cells, so I could gather all of my kin. It would be nice to have some company on the journey to the netherworld.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    The dragon-headed monster felt something was off and struggled for words before finally saying, ¡°You really are fraternal to your clan.¡±

    ¡°What about it?¡± Yan Yu smiled, ¡°Lining up for the Dragon-Slaying Guillotine, taking turns getting chopped, would save your Brother Gong Er the trouble.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right,¡± after thinking it over, the dragon-headed monster agreed, ¡°Then come with me.¡±

    It turned around with Yan Yu and headed deep into the water cell.

    Although the water cell was crammed with many chambers, most were vacant. The dragon-headed monster didn¡¯t stop to check but focused on moving forward.

    After about two to three minutes of walking, a dense clanging of metal on metal was heard in the distance, producing a clear echo in the corridor.

    The dragon-headed monster strode over, slammed its iron pick against the bars, and cursed:

    ¡°What¡¯s with all the noise! Be careful, or I¡¯ll flay you alive¡­ You, come take a look.¡±

    Just as Yan Yu stepped forward, he heard a familiar coughing sound from the cell.

    Upon closer inspection, sure enough, it was Li Minghu trapped inside.

    This Valkyrie must have searched her surroundings without finding any mechanisms for escape, so she could only repeatedly strike the bars with her Sky Flash Sword to attract someone from outside.

    The moment she saw the dragon-headed monster, Li Minghu readied herself for battle, but the next second, seeing Yan Yu appear, she exclaimed in shock:

    ¡°Yan Yu?¡±

    The moment the words left her mouth, she realized her slip and hastily sealed her lips shut.

    But the dragon-headed monster looked skeptical, turning and asking:

    ¡°She knows you?¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°She too descends from the Long Race, we are of the same bloodline.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± The dragon-headed monster said coldly, ¡°The Flood Dragon clan takes ¡®Zhao¡¯ as their surname; the Azure Dragon clan takes ¡®Qin¡¯ as theirs. Yet she calls you ¡®Yan Yu,¡¯ what¡¯s the meaning of this?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t hide it from Brother Gong Er.¡± Yan Yu was caught in a slip, but showed no sign of panic; instead, his mind raced to find a solution. To buy time, he evasively said, ¡°It¡¯s not a name, it¡¯s a term of endearment.¡±

    ¡°Term of endearment?¡± The dragon-headed monster was baffled.

    ¡°She¡¯s my wife at home,¡± Yan Yu finally concocted an excuse and smiled, ¡°After getting married, I have been too lazy in our abode, spending all day soaking in briny seawater for prolonged slumbers, neglecting my cultivation. She has always disapproved of me, hence she mocks me as ¡®pickled fish,¡¯ which is rather shameful.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Li Minghu quickly played along with the lie, ¡°This pickled fish¡­ the biggest regret of my life is marrying this lazy pickled fish. He doesn¡¯t cultivate for days on end, not advancing an inch in his abilities. If I had known, I would have been better off marrying a rice noodle dragon!¡±

    ¡°Hehe,¡± the dragon-headed monster seemed to understand and smiled at Li Minghu, ¡°You¡¯re about to die anyway, I¡¯d advise you not to hold grudges. Under the Dragon-Slaying Guillotine, if you become a wedded couple in death, journeying to the netherworld together, it would also be rare.¡±

    Li Minghu¡¯s acting was exquisite; first, she glared angrily at Yan Yu, then her expression changed several times, couldn¡¯t help but cough weakly a few times, and finally sighed deeply, showing a resigned expression and tearfully said:

    ¡°It¡¯s over, it¡¯s over, since I married him, I might as well die with him.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± the dragon-headed monster consoled her in return, ¡°There¡¯s a hundred days¡¯ grace in a day of marriage; why harbor so many grievances? You should know, after he got out, he was still eager to find you.¡±

    He grabbed the iron gate of the bars, exhaled deeply, and with a strong pull, the door which the Sky Flash Sword couldn¡¯t open was torn open by him, issuing a shrill and piercing sound.

    Seeing this, Li Minghu understood that despite not mentioning other abilities, the physical strength of this fiend was definitely fearsome. With this in mind and coughing again, she asked:

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to quickly carry out your wife?¡± The dragon-headed monster, seeing her look frail and noticing Yan Yu behind still unmoved, suddenly asked.

    Yan Yu hurriedly moved forward, plunging into the water without hesitation, snagging her by the crook of her knee with his left arm, the right arm threading beneath her armpit, hands gripping the iron bars, pushing against the rocky wall beneath the water with his feet, and with one kick, his upper body burst out of the water. He then stepped onto the edge and carried Li Minghu out of the water cell.

    Li Minghu was originally wearing a woolen overcoat for warmth, but once soaked, it hindered her movements, so she had already stripped it off along with the sweater underneath and left them in the cell.

    Activating a Runescript to protect her body, she wasn¡¯t afraid of hypothermia, but her thin T-shirt, damp and semi-transparent, left little to the imagination¡ªnot covering her curves, the outline of her undergarments was clearly visible. Although her figure wasn¡¯t as voluptuous as Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s, it was quite substantial and even better than Sister Lin¡¯s.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t have time to appreciate it; as soon as they emerged from the water, he laid her down and quickly took off his outer garment to drape over her.

    Li Minghu nodded but did not rush to let him go. Instead, she silently clung to his arm, presenting the image of a devoted little couple ready to act together.

    The dragon-headed monster saw nothing odd (what¡¯s strange about a couple staying together?), and turned to continue leading Yan Yu.

    As it turned away, Li Minghu pretended to be weak, slowing Yan Yu¡¯s pace to create some distance from the dragon-headed monster. She then silently mouthed words, sending a telepathic message to ask:

    ¡°What¡¯s the situation now?¡±

 Chapter 168: 68 Want to talk about love?

    Chapter 168: Chapter 68 Want to talk about love?

    In order to prevent the dragon-headed monster from discovering them, Yan Yu was also brief, conveying the situation to Li Minghu through a whisper.

    ¡°There are big problems here,¡± Li Minghu quickly said. ¡°If there was a way to verify one¡¯s nature as a member of the Long Race, why not use it directly? Why detain them in an underwater prison to make them confess on their own? Not to mention that the monster bears a dragon¡¯s head but insists it¡¯s human¡ªa fool¡¯s talk, and its words can¡¯t be completely trusted.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s another point,¡± Yan Yu replied. ¡°Flood Dragons naturally love water; who would use a water prison to detain a Flood Dragon? For humans and other creatures, a water prison is undoubtedly torture, but for a Flood Dragon, a water prison is more like a luxury single room¡ªa big bed room, to be precise. It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±

    ¡°We need to observe for a little longer¡­ ahem, ahem,¡± Li Minghu coughed.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Yan Yu asked with concern. ¡°The seawater is icy, and you¡¯ve been soaked for so long¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Li Minghu replied. ¡°I¡¯m using my True Yuan to resist it.¡±

    The Valkyrie¡¯s lung disease had already made her blood oxygen exchange capability rather weak. Soaking in the cold seawater, her blood circulation slowed, and the risk of fainting from brain hypoxia was significant.

    Fortunately, cultivators can temporarily sustain hypoxic cells with True Yuan, a practice known as ¡°turtle breathing,¡± which is why Li Minghu was able to hold on until Yan Yu arrived.

    A regular person with the same symptoms would probably have been a corpse by now.

    After leaving the water prison and putting on Yan Yu¡¯s coat, Li Minghu stopped using the Runescript to protect herself, saving her True Yuan.

    But now, with all her clothes soaked through and a chill setting in, she subconsciously clung to Yan Yu, shivering.

    Yan Yu noticed her frailty and wanted to communicate with the dragon-headed monster so that they could dry their clothes before leaving. But then he considered that Flood Dragons enjoy water; how could they possibly fear the cold? If the other party saw through their ruse, it would not be good.

    After some thought, since they were already pretending to be husband and wife, he might as well sacrifice his own reputation¡­ He withdrew his arm from Li Minghu¡¯s embrace and then wrapped it around her again, his posture instantly becoming exceedingly intimate.

    Li Minghu was suddenly embraced by him and felt a little shocked, shy, and uncomfortable, but then she heard Yan Yu whisper:

    ¡°Flood Dragons like water; why would they shiver? Be careful not to give us away.¡±

    It was then that Li Minghu realized the ruse and quickly suppressed the strange feeling in her heart, trying hard to keep her body from shivering.

    Thankfully, Yan Yu¡¯s embrace was indeed warm, and the heat he transferred to her made her feel much more comfortable, as the chill that had spread throughout her limbs faded away significantly.

    So they continued to snuggle up to each other, following the dragon-headed monster until they finally arrived at the third single cell.

    There was no one inside the single cell, but the dragon-headed monster impatiently knocked on the bars and roared:

    ¡°Come out at once! Don¡¯t keep hiding underwater like a turtle!¡±

    Before long, knowing further hiding was futile, someone emerged from the water.

    They had Asian features, but with dark skin and curly hair¡ªYan Yu and Li Minghu didn¡¯t recognize him; he was undoubtedly a cultivator from Southeast Asia.

    The man, seeing Yan Yu and Li Minghu standing with the dragon-headed monster, immediately showed an alarmed and anxious expression, saying a bunch of indistinct words.

    ¡°What is this person saying?¡± the dragon-headed monster wondered aloud.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Yan Yu laughed. ¡°This is a foreigner; he isn¡¯t speaking the language of the Central Lands.¡±

    ¡°Since he is human, it¡¯s simpler to just kill him,¡± the dragon-headed monster nodded and with that, its iron spike suddenly shot out, passing through the iron bars and stabbing straight at the man¡¯s vulnerable throat!

    In his panic, the man uttered a few strange characters, and the water beneath him rapidly surged, forming a translucent small shield before him!

    Vortex Shield, a defensive curse technique for which Curse Technique Masters are famous. Consisting of highly compressed and spinning condensed water, it has strong defensive capabilities against both Immortal Swords and Taoism Methods. In the latter stage of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, a certain Witch King was said to have summoned a Vortex Shield with a radius of several kilometers, withstanding a nuclear airburst without dying. Although this was mainly because the Witch King was powerful, it also showed the formidable defense of this curse technique.

    Of course, it wasn¡¯t the latter stage of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, and the cultivator before them wasn¡¯t the Witch King of Southeast Asia. Thus, the Vortex Shield he conjured was instantly shattered by the dragon-headed monster¡¯s iron spike, followed by his Adam¡¯s apple, trachea, and cervical vertebrae, breaking in two amidst the spurting blood.

    The dragon-headed monster looked down as the man¡¯s body fell into the water and floated up horizontally, not showing any real form of a demonic creature, and finally smiled and said:

    ¡°Sure enough, he was human.¡±

    He continued to walk on. Yan Yu, with Li Minghu in his arms, followed behind it, feeling the stiff body of the lady in his arms relax.

    ¡°It¡¯s very strong,¡± Li Minghu softly transmitted her voice. ¡°The Barrier Charm might not hold.¡±

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t,¡± Yan Yu concurred with more certainty.

    The Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse could withstand bullets head-on, but that didn¡¯t mean immunity to physical attacks. The dragon-headed monster¡¯s iron spike thrust had more force than most close-range bullet shots, enough to pierce through the Barrier Charm¡¯s defenses directly. This meant that in a fight, they couldn¡¯t block its attacks; the only option was to dodge, and failure to do so would mean death.

    ¡°When do you plan to make a move?¡± Li Minghu continued to ask.

    ¡°Before leaving this area,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°That soon?¡± Li Minghu was a bit surprised. ¡°We don¡¯t have a way to open the prison doors.¡±

    ¡°Are you thinking of using it to locate and rescue all of our teammates?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°What else?¡± Li Minghu responded.

    ¡°It¡¯s risky to delay too long,¡± Yan Yu said after a pause.

    ¡°I¡¯m more worried that after killing it, even if we find the others, we would only be staring at the prison doors helplessly,¡± Li Minghu insisted.

    ¡°Hmm, that could work, as long as we act before the Pruning Dragon Guillotine,¡± Yan Yu suddenly changed the subject. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t want to act quickly because you liked being held by me like this.¡±

    Li Minghu fell silent, and after a long while, she finally said:

    ¡°If we have to act, let¡¯s go all the way. Saving them is more important than anything else.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind that, of course, it¡¯s for the best.¡± Yan Yu said, sighing to himself.

    The taste was right again.

    Li Minghu, despite seeming starkly different in personality from Zhou Hongyu, actually shared something fundamental in common¡ªthey both undervalued themselves terribly, never taking themselves seriously.

    In a past life, when the Witch King Achan opened gathered the Southeast Asian Allied Forces to strike at Lu Country¡¯s southern border defenses, Li Minghu singlehandedly, with only a sword, held them back. Even if she had just told the rear lines ¡®I can¡¯t hold on anymore,¡¯ the Annan Army wouldn¡¯t have insisted on her fighting to the death; sending in the army to fight a war of attrition would have been the more reasonable choice.

    The Valkyrie ultimately slew the Witch King, drove back the Allied Forces, and died from sheer exhaustion, undeniably saving the lives of many soldiers and countless civilians. But was it all worth it?

    Not to mention, her self-sacrifice led to her brother-complexed Li Zhaojiang going mad with grief, sparking the so-called ¡®Cultivator Awakening¡¯ movement. The end result was the closure of the Annan National Defence College, the eradication of the top combat forces, and the planting of deep-rooted dangers and rifts between the court and the cultivators.

    Li Minghu, you truly were a woman of grave sin!

    In this life, I shall change your fate! I¡¯ll steal away your achievement of killing the Witch King and the glory of driving back the Southeast Asian Allied Forces; I¡¯ll harshly pull you down from the hallowed throne of the Valkyrie!

    I want you, damn it, to live for me!

    Perhaps due to the tumultuous thoughts in Yan Yu¡¯s mind, his hold on her tightened somewhat. Li Minghu, puzzled, communicated telepathically:

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®what¡¯s wrong¡¯?¡±

    ¡°You seem a bit¡­ nervous.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m worried you¡¯ll go and get yourself killed.¡± Yan Yu confessed frankly.

    Li Minghu fell silent for a moment, then coughed softly and said telepathically:

    ¡°I¡­ won¡¯t die easily.¡±

    ¡°Can we remove the ¡®easily¡¯ part?¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    ¡°I feel that,¡± Yan Yu probed nonchalantly, ¡°although you¡¯ve never said it directly, you always give me this pessimistic feeling, like ¡®I¡¯m about to die, I need to hurry and do something.¡¯

    ¡°Haha, you¡¯ve seen through me.¡± Li Minghu paused for a moment, then replied, ¡°I¡¯ve been reading Shi Tiesheng¡¯s essays recently, and perhaps I have been deeply moved emotionally.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ have always been thinking: if a person¡¯s life is destined to be short, what can she do to make her remaining life meaningful enough?¡±

    ¡°Uh, let me think.¡± Yan Yu hesitated for a while, then suddenly suggested, ¡°How about a passionate love affair? How does that sound?¡±

    Li Minghu was stunned, but her body soon began to twitch slightly.

    She was holding back laughter.

    It was a long while before Yan Yu, somewhat concerned that the dragon-like creature in front of them might notice something amiss behind it, received Li Minghu¡¯s belated telepathic reply, said as casually as if she were joking:

    ¡°Alright, if my life one day comes to an end, I will seriously consider your suggestion.¡±

    Yan Yu immediately seized the opportunity and pressed her:

    ¡°Are you saying you¡¯ll consider the suggestion itself or consider me?¡±

    ¡°Both,¡± Li Minghu said with a smile, ¡°Hmm, you took advantage of me today. By then, I suppose it wouldn¡¯t bother you if I took up a little bit of your time, right?¡±

    ¡°Not at all.¡± Yan Yu agreed readily, then cautioned, ¡°Then let¡¯s make that a promise. You can¡¯t just go die inexplicably; otherwise, I¡¯ll go to your grave, write a scathing essay, and burn it for you.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± said Li Minghu, her voice seemingly cheerful, ¡°I have a very good memory.¡±

    Done deal.

    Yan Yu let out a sigh of relief inwardly.

    It¡¯s not that he was particularly keen on dating Li Minghu, nor did he arrogantly believe that Li Minghu was already in love with him. The whole affair didn¡¯t need to be overcomplicated; it was just a small promise between a girl who believed her days were numbered and didn¡¯t want to die alone, and a kind-hearted boy who wanted to help her.

    However, for Yan Yu with the advantage of foresight, this meant that he had the capability to influence the conclusion of Li Minghu¡¯s life.

    Keep in mind, he was not a member of Team Qing¡¯an and could not possibly stay by Li Minghu¡¯s side every day to monitor her health and determine when she would choose self-sacrifice¡­ but Li Minghu herself would certainly be aware.

    As long as she still remembered this promise before becoming the Valkyrie, then with a single phone call, Yan Yu could immediately rush to her side. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Thereafter, whether it was to persuade her, convince her, leverage her, show her the beauties of the world, rekindle her desire to remain in this world, or even to knock her out and take her home for a slow education, or hand her over to the Annan Army and explain the gravity of the situation¡ªwhatever the choice, the power was in Yan¡¯s hands.

    Mwahaha, this is the power of being the supreme intelligence of this world!

    With his thoughts well-ordered and feeling smug, Yan Yu¡¯s steps seemed to carry a breeze.

    Li Minghu curled up in his embrace, with a faint and indescribable shame washing over her. As her emotions surged, a subtle warmth seemed to rise throughout her body, sweeping away the last vestiges of cold.

    In the last few days of her life, to engage in a passionate romance¡­

    It sounded quite nice, actually.

    She just hoped it wouldn¡¯t cause him any trouble.

 Chapter 169: 69: Live Streaming Fiercely On-Scene!

    Chapter 169: Chapter 69: Live Streaming Fiercely On-Scene!

    Yan Yu, hugging Li Minghu with a satisfied grin, followed the dragon-headed monster for half a day until they finally reached the fourth cell.

    In the water cell floated a blond man who appeared to be one of Miti¡¯s superheroes, but Yan Yu didn¡¯t recognize his face¡ªhe guessed that in his previous life, the man must have been just an unknown figure.

    The blond man, upon seeing the dragon-headed monster, was instantly ready for battle. Then, seeing Yan Yu beside him, strolling leisurely with a beauty in tow, he was dumbstruck.

    What the hell? What¡¯s going on?

    The dragon-headed monster didn¡¯t speak, but instead turned its head to look at Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu glanced at the camera on the chest of the blond man and gave a slight smile:

    ¡°Kill him.¡±

    Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, the dragon-headed monster thrust its iron pick quickly, still aiming for the blond man¡¯s throat with deadly precision!

    The blond man let out a furious roar as his muscles swelled rapidly, reaching out with both hands to grab the iron pick.

    His Berserker ability could stimulate a fighting spirit and killing intent at critical moments, causing his strength to increase several times over.

    But even the strength boost of a Berserker couldn¡¯t fend off the dragon-headed monster¡¯s terrifying iron pick.

    The pick brutally tore through his grip, the friction ripping the skin of his palms, and then, under the disbelieving gaze of the blond man, it plunged directly into his neck.

    Blood gushed forth like a fountain.

    The water cell quickly turned a crimson red with blood, and the dragon-headed monster stared for a while before expressing disappointment:

    ¡°Really boring.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile.

    The two of them, along with the beast, left the water cell and continued onwards. Li Minghu transmitted a message again:

    ¡°That thing on his chest, the shirt collar¡ªis that a camera?¡±

    ¡°Most likely,¡± Yan Yu responded nonchalantly, ¡°Just don¡¯t know if it¡¯s for recording or something else.¡±

    In fact, although Miti¡¯s transcendent powers were nothing special, their world-leading scientific and technological capabilities were undeniable. In cooperation with Europe, they had indeed developed several pieces of cutting-edge spy tech. For instance, ¡°phase mapping technology¡± could allow Transcendents within the Mysterious Realm to unidirectionally transmit visual and auditory data from inside to the outside world, thus keeping the outside world updated about the situation within the Mysterious Realm in real-time.

    But using such technology for live broadcasting did seem a bit odd. Okay, considering that communication data could only be transmitted from the inside to the outside world and not allow the outside world to interfere with the inside, it seemed the technology had no other use than live broadcasting. After all, no matter how the situation inside the Mysterious Realm changed, the outside world could only watch anxiously, unable to do anything.

    Yan Yu and Li Minghu, while communicating telepathically, didn¡¯t take the blond man¡¯s camera seriously.

    However, the outside world had already exploded into chaos.

    The phase mapping technology made its debut because the Superhero Alliance planned to make a splash with a big news story by having all superheroes enter the Mysterious Realm equipped with cameras to broadcast the contention for the treasure of the Three Isles live to the outside world.

    And the fact proved that this business gamble was tremendously successful: By four o¡¯clock in the afternoon, the number of domestic TV viewers in Miti Country had surpassed forty million, and this didn¡¯t even include online channels and international broadcasts¡ªthe webcast had crashed twice due to too many incoming users. Although the viewership wasn¡¯t publicly disclosed, it was estimated that the numbers had already far exceeded TV viewers.

    The live broadcast format also took inspiration from traditional sporting events, with TV directors responsible for selecting and switching between cameras, while hosts and technical guests provided commentary.

    At this moment, Phoenix and Thunderbird, two superhero foes, had already escaped the water cell, deceived the dragon-headed monster into opening the door, and then brazenly struck it down, while Thornbird chose to follow the guards and bide his time, waiting for the right moment to make a move, as Wizards weren¡¯t that effective in direct confrontations.

    Just when all three heroes had left the water cell, the broadcast switched to another camera, and the host George Hanson began his explanatory commentary:

    ¡°¡­ Okay, let¡¯s see how the seventh-ranked superhero, the ¡®Roarer,¡¯ is doing¡ªhuh?¡±

    In the frame, Yan Yu, with one arm wrapped around Li Minghu, appeared on screen alongside the dragon-headed monster, entering the Superhero Alliance live broadcast and into the view of the global audience watching the stream.

    Then, his gaze turned to the camera, to the tens of thousands of viewers across the world, and he offered a slight smile:

    ¡°Kill him.¡±

    Upon the command, the dragon-headed monster thrust out its iron pick and the superhero ¡°Roarer¡± was unable to resist and died. The camera, along with the body, tilted towards the ceiling¡­ At that moment, even the broadcast director forgot to switch the camera, the host covered his mouth with both hands, and the technical guest stood up in disbelief, the entire commentary booth too shocked to speak.

    As for the live chat room, it began to explode with frenzied activity, with one Western phrase standing out amidst the barrage: sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    OMG (Oh My God)

    ¡°This is cheating!¡± the host George finally recovered his senses and shouted, ¡°This is cheating!¡±

    And so, another high-frequency word was added to the frenetic sea of chatroom messages:

    Cheater

    At the other end of the Earth, inside the principal¡¯s office of the Zhendong National Defense Academy, Li Weiguo had already slammed his hand on the table and exclaimed in anger,

    ¡°Cheating? Do they really think this is some sort of game?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just the same old rhetoric,¡± Chen Tianming said with a smile beside him.

    Li Weiguo was, of course, no stranger to this kind of Western rhetoric¡ªfirst label you ¡°evil,¡± and then they can freely criticize you from a moral high ground. The main reason for his outburst was that he considered Yan Yu as his own junior, and his protective instinct as an elder kicked in.

    ¡°This kid¡­¡± Li Weiguo sat back down sheepishly, his expression one of bafflement as he wondered aloud, ¡°How did he manage it? How could he fool that kind of creature completely?¡±

    Lu Country didn¡¯t have cross-Mysterious Realm communication technology, only being able to watch the livestream from the Superheroes¡¯ side. Naturally, the viewpoint was primarily from the perspective of the Western Transcendents.

    The dragon-head creature spoke in Lu Country¡¯s language, which most of the Western superheroes couldn¡¯t understand, relying on body gestures to guess its meaning. Only the three from Mitchi Country could speak Lu Country¡¯s language, which is why they were among the first to free themselves from captivity.

    However, precisely because they could roughly understand, knowing that the guard intended to take them out and kill them, they unanimously chose to attack.

    But what about Yan Yu¡­ How on earth did he manage to deceive the dragon-head creature into helping him kill the enemy Transcendents?

    At this moment, Li Weiguo wished he could rush into the Mysterious Realm right away, grab a camera, and stick it on Yan Yu, just to see what kind of miraculous maneuver he would perform next.

    Apart from the official channels, there were many people in Lu Country illegally streaming¡ªtaking the live content from the Superhero Alliance and broadcasting it in real time in their own streams using some of the less policy-sensitive small platforms.

    Unlike foreign livestreams flooded with comments like ¡°OMG¡± and ¡°Cheater,¡± the local audience¡¯s messages were a bit longer, such as ¡°hhhhhhhh¡± or ¡°a bustling flurry of activity,¡± creating an even more pronounced effect.

    In the major forums, a few outspoken individuals finally couldn¡¯t help but jump out, attempting to argue the possibility that Yan Yu had ¡°betrayed humanity to side with the creatures,¡± only to be faced with a barrage of insults aimed at their families by the collective netizens.

    Of course, aside from the mainstream voices mocking ¡°our hero killing the opposing heroes with the help of wild monsters,¡± some clueless viewers asked some rather dissonant questions:

    Why was Captain Yan from Zhenhai Team, hugging Vice-Captain Li from Qing¡¯an Team?

    The initial impression the public had of these two stayed within the interview footage on the tailfire tiger aircraft carrier with Lu Zhiyu. One was the smiling Lingnan girl Li Minghu, who spoke in clich¨¦s to the camera, and the other was Yan Yu, the expression pack hero who said, ¡°Do we even need to prepare to fight Sulu?¡±

    Now that they were publicly hugging each other in a Superhero livestream, one could imagine the torrent of new gossip, rumors, and CP allegations this would unleash amongst the public.

    At Yan Yu¡¯s home, Father Yan and Mother Yan sat on the sofa, silently watching their son holding a beautiful girl they didn¡¯t recognize, smiling faintly at the camera.

    The one responsible for casting the online foreign pirate broadcast to the living room TV was his sister Yan Jing, but at that moment, she wished she could travel back in time to tell her parents ¡°I don¡¯t know how to do this.¡±

    ¡°This¡­¡± Mother Yan finally spoke up slowly, asking her daughter, ¡°Is this the Zhao Jiuzhen you mentioned? Or is it Chen Lingyun?¡±

    ¡°Neither of them,¡± Yan Jing said with a resigned chuckle, stiffly adding, ¡°It must be from another team. That¡­ the one who was interviewed on TV before, the Lingnan girl Li Minghu.¡±

    Father Yan, without missing a beat, took out his phone and started searching the name ¡°Li Minghu¡± at a leisurely pace, while Mother Yan was silent for a moment before turning to her husband and saying,

    ¡°I remember the bride price is not really a thing in Lingnan, right?¡±

    Meanwhile, in Lingnan Province, where the average bride price is the lowest, Li Minghu and Li Zhaojiang¡¯s family also had a large group of people watching the livestream.

    The elderly didn¡¯t use the internet, so the grandparents and great-grandparents of the two siblings all came to Li family¡¯s parents¡¯ home, six people crowding around the computer, staring anxiously at the overseas livestream.

    Seeing Li Minghu safe and intact, intimately hugged by Yan Yu on the screen and apparently without any sign of embarrassment or coercion, the elders were unanimously silent.

    After a long while, Grandfather Li finally showed an impatient look and waved his hand as he said elongatedly,

    ¡°Aye, just let Ah Hu choose what she likes~¡±

    Shifting the focus back to the Mysterious Realm, Yan Yu and Li Minghu continued their embrace disguise, following the dragon-head creature¡ªfacing a crisis, they had no time to worry about being captured on camera!

    The two could now see the exit of the water prison passage ahead, a spiral staircase disappearing into the shadows.

    ¡°Minghu, think carefully. If there are more creatures up there, what will we do?¡± Yan Yu once again communicated secretly, ¡°If you¡¯re going to make a move on this creature, now is the last chance.¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Li Minghu was indecisive, tossing the decision back to him.

    ¡°All I can say is,¡± Yan Yu replied calmly, ¡°I trust my teammates wouldn¡¯t just foolishly wait in the water prison for someone to rescue them.¡±

    Li Minghu was silent for a moment before finally making up her mind:

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do it!¡±

 Chapter 170: 70: As husband and wife, we are invincible when we work together.

    Chapter 170: Chapter 70: As husband and wife, we are invincible when we work together.

    Having decided to take action, Yan Yu and Li Minghu, both decisive in nature, certainly did not hesitate.

    They drew their swords!

    The moment Huang Tingjian and Sky Flash Sword were unleashed, the two also simultaneously activated the Shifting Technique to rapidly retreat backward.

    At the moment, the most threatening aspect of the dragon-headed monster seemed to be its immense strength, along with its weapon being an iron pick, which made it crucial to avoid close combat.

    Both retreated dozens of meters in an instant, but the dragon-headed monster, sensing something was amiss, had already turned around. Swinging its iron pick like a steel whip, it knocked Huang Tingjian and Sky Flash Sword flying away in no time.

    The Sky Flash Sword, being relatively slender, was expected to fall back in a clash of metals; but Huang Tingjian was a heavy sword, strong and forceful, yet it was also sent flying like a light blade, showing that the strength of the dragon-headed monster was far superior to the Iron Corpse in the Mysterious Realm of days past.

    Without the need for words, with mutual understanding, Yan Yu and Li Minghu continued to back away, increasing the distance, only to see the dragon-headed monster revealing a ferocious smile, opening its long snout, and unleashing an earth-shattering, high-decibel roar.

    The roaring was so shocking that it even generated a violent wind, causing the iron bars of the fences on both sides to emit a piercing, grating sound as if they were being scraped by a knife.

    Huang Tingjian and Sky Flash Sword stabilized and flew back. Li Minghu hesitated for a moment, only to see Yan Yu not wavering at all, controlling his sword to chop down fiercely at the monstrous figure that loomed like a mountain!

    In what seemed to be empty space directly ahead, Huang Tingjian actually struck something¡ªthe visible ripple of the sound wave shattered, resembling river water crashing against a protruding rock, reluctantly forced to scour and part to its sides.

    Li Minghu finally understood that the roar was not just a sound but some kind of forceful invisible shockwave.

    Unfortunately, her realization came a bit too late, and before her body could react, she was already thrown into the air by the shockwave coming from the side.

    But Yan Yu¡¯s hand was quicker than her reflexes, grasping her left hand like lightning the moment her feet had just lifted off the ground, preventing her from being completely thrown away.

    Li Minghu, out of balance, was tossed sideways like a flag in the wind, her left hand held firm by Yan Yu, her eyes suddenly sharp, her right hand swiftly executing a sword technique.

    The Sky Flash Sword, also sent flying by the shockwave, suddenly accelerated, thrusting forward like a streak of lightning and striking the iron pick thrown by the dragon-headed monster, producing a muffled, dull thud of metal on metal.

    The dragon-headed monster, taking advantage of Yan Yu¡¯s distraction in grabbing Li Minghu, threw its iron pick in a sneak attack aimed to kill him, but it was intercepted midway by the Sky Flash Sword. However, the force on the iron pick was so strong that even though the Sky Flash Sword managed to block it, it only succeeded in slightly deflecting it by a few inches, changing the trajectory from the back of Yan Yu¡¯s head to his ear.

    ¡°Be careful!¡± Li Minghu could only shout these two words, only to see Yan Yu, who was holding onto her, suddenly shift half a step to the side.

    It was the classic speed boost of the Shifting Technique followed by an abrupt halt mid-air¡ªclich¨¦d but still effective, dodging the attack by just the right margin, letting the iron pick graze past his face.

    The iron pick that missed its target embedded itself in the distant ground as if a toothpick was thrust into a block of tofu, sinking in halfway, its tail end trembling uncontrollably.

    The momentum of the Dragon¡¯s Roar Shockwave was halted, Li Minghu finally landed and steadied herself, and before she could catch her breath or cough, she saw the weaponless dragon-headed monster grab hold of the iron bars of a nearby water prison, forcefully tearing off a piece to use as a new weapon.

    New weapon acquired!

    Seeing this scenario unfold, Li Minghu immediately understood that the dragon-headed monster indeed had long-range attack capabilities: it used the roar shockwave to throw its target off, following up with throwing the iron bar to kill from a distance. If the attempt failed, it would simply tear off another piece to use as a weapon and repeat the process.

    They could not retreat any further; they needed to seize the rhythm and counter-attack!

    She quickly looked toward Yan Yu. Without the need for any spoken communication, Yan Yu had already grasped her intentions, quickly executing a sword technique, leading Huang Tingjian to attack the dragon-headed monster head-on.

    The monster once again swung the iron bar, attempting to knock away Huang Tingjian but did not expect that this was precisely Yan Yu¡¯s tactical intent¡ªin the moment it completed its move, the deliberately belated Sky Flash Sword suddenly accelerated into a swift streak of golden light, stabbing through the wide-open gap into its chest.

    Assassinate!

    The Sky Flash Sword retracted, pulling out a swath of golden blood as the dragon-headed monster fell backward with a thud, unable to rise again.

    Li Minghu breathed a sigh of relief but scanned the area with her Divine Sense just to be sure.

    The lifeforce had ceased; it was indeed dead.

    Given the terrifying brute force of the opponent, no Transcendent could withstand a direct hit. The reason they could assassinate this monster so cleanly was mainly due to the perfect coordination between Yan Yu and herself, with the former feigning an attack to draw out its close combat strike, and the latter seizing the moment it left itself open.

    If one had to say, the latter was undoubtedly more challenging, as the window for assassination was fleeting. But instead of feeling pride, Li Minghu found it strange that Yan Yu could understand her tactical intent¡ªOriginally, I wanted to discuss the plan with you through mental communication.

    ¡°Our cooperation is quite in sync,¡± she remarked casually. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t bother explaining to her, ¡°In a past life, my style of fighting was initially influenced by yours. It¡¯s a shame you died too early.¡± Otherwise, Li Minghu would have been utterly baffled.

    Faced with Li Minghu¡¯s probe, he simply smiled and said:

    ¡°It was just that you seized the right moment, it has nothing to do with me.¡±

    No, that¡¯s not it.

    Your seemingly straightforward attack, but the flight path of the Huang Tingjian precisely obscured the slightly behind Sky Flash Sword, preventing the dragon-headed monster from catching a glimpse of the sword light; otherwise, our assassination wouldn¡¯t have gone so smoothly.

    So¡­ cough, cough, cough!

    Li Minghu wanted to ask more, but a sudden bout of coughing interrupted the words she intended to ask.

    ¡°Quickly dry your clothes,¡± Yan Yu found a corner and released the Flame Curse, ¡°Continuing to fight in wet clothes is too much for me.¡±

    The one who really couldn¡¯t bear it was actually me¡­ Li Minghu knew that Yan Yu was taking care of her dignity, so she didn¡¯t say much, smiled embarrassedly, and began to undress.

    Yan Yu calmly turned away, looking toward the stairs leading to the upper levels, when suddenly he heard Li Minghu¡¯s soft voice from behind, like a kitten scratching at the heart:

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t use Divine Sense to peek, would you?¡±

    ¡°Oh my,¡± Yan Yu feigned a sigh, ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought of it until you reminded me.¡±

    Li Minghu was unconcerned, knowing that since Yan Yu deliberately said so, he definitely wouldn¡¯t peek with Divine Sense.

    She removed all her clothing, trousers, socks, and shoes, leaving only her underwear, then used the heat from the Flame Curse to dry her clothes while sweeping the surroundings with Divine Sense uneasily.

    Although the two had followed the dragon-headed monster and had explored the entire area, ensuring no one else was nearby, it was still better to be safe than sorry.

    The heat from the Flame Curse was intense, quickly drying the moisture.

    Li Minghu quickly redressed, let out a sigh of relief, and said:

    ¡°I¡¯m ready. Here¡¯s your outer garment back.¡±

    Yan Yu turned around, declining:

    ¡°No need. You¡¯re not well; better you keep it on.¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡± It was just a piece of clothing, Li Minghu wasn¡¯t too fussed, and continued, ¡°Your turn to warm up then, do you need¡­ cough, cough, cough, do you need me to turn around?¡±

    ¡°No need, I¡¯m a guy, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Yan Yu started taking off his shirt.

    As he took off his shirt and was about to remove his trousers, Li Minghu¡¯s mind slightly trembled, and she unconsciously turned away.

    She tiptoed nervously, repeatedly tapping her feet on the ground, her hands clasped behind her back at the waist, her fingers continuously trembling interlocked.

    Yan Yu also used Divine Sense to monitor the staircase behind until all of his clothing was dry, then he put them back on and extinguished the Flame Curse.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Li Minghu turned around, her face showing a relieved expression.

    When they reached the stairs, Li Minghu suddenly suggested:

    ¡°I¡¯ll take the lead. My Sky Flash Sword is faster, better suited for sudden situations.¡±

    ¡°I should do it,¡± Yan Yu disagreed, ¡°What matters is not the sword, but the person.¡±

    Li Minghu wanted to say more, but then remembered the Dragon¡¯s Roar Shockwave from the dragon-headed monster earlier; indeed, Yan Yu had reacted faster than her, so she nodded and said:

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll cover you from behind.¡±

    ¡°Be careful, Yan Yu.¡±

 Chapter 171: 71: Like Jumping for Joy, Right?

    Chapter 171: Chapter 71: Like Jumping for Joy, Right?

    After changing into dry clothes, Li Minghu felt much lighter, and her coughing significantly reduced.

    She looked up, the staircase winding upwards like a serpent, disappearing entirely into the darkness.

    Yan Yu walked ahead of her, his demeanor calm as he ascended step by step, his gait steady and unwavering, giving Li Minghu a sense of security she hadn¡¯t felt in a long time.

    Yes, it had indeed been a long time.

    As the vice-captain of the Qing¡¯an battle team, and with her brother only concerned with fighting and not planning, she often had to manage the whole team by herself, not daring to let her guard down for a moment¡ªshe was responsible for everyone¡¯s lives.

    At some point, she had forgotten what it felt like to ¡°rely on others.¡±

    Li Minghu took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the weakness that was creeping into her heart.

    I can¡¯t always think about relying on him.

    She strived to concentrate, her Divine Sense swiftly scanning the area ahead, then suddenly communicated with Yan Yu through a private transmission:

    ¡°The staircase ends up ahead, leading to a platform.¡±

    ¡°Mm,¡± Yan Yu had obviously noticed as well.

    ¡°Be careful of an ambush,¡± Li Minghu continued.

    ¡°Got it,¡± Yan Yu responded, and then suddenly asked, ¡°How do you say ¡®got it¡¯ in Lingnan dialect?¡±

    ¡°Ming la,¡± Li Minghu answered. ¡°Why do you suddenly ask this?¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re a little too tense,¡± Yan Yu chuckled. ¡°Relax a bit, nothing will happen.¡±

    Li Minghu smiled helplessly. Of course, she wanted to relax, but in such a perilous Mysterious Realm, where foreign Transcendents would not hesitate to kill, and attacks could come from the most unexpected places, how could she relax? How could she dare to relax?

    Yan Yu did not really expect his words to immediately adjust Li Minghu¡¯s state of mind.

    He just calmly finished climbing the stairs and entered the upper cabin, only to see three foreign Transcendents standing on the opposite side talking.

    The moment their gazes met, Yan Yu recognized the trio as Miti¡¯s Three Hawks¡ªthe one with black curly hair was the ¡°Phoenix¡± Phoenix, the straight-haired man with the hooked nose was ¡°Thornbird¡± Roger, and the only blonde woman was ¡°Thunderbird¡± Margaret.

    Li Minghu stepped out from behind him and quickly summoned the Sky Flash Sword, taking up a battle-ready stance.

    ¡°Wow-wow-wow!¡± Phoenix raised his hands first to indicate no hostility, speaking in the language of Lu Country, albeit with a politically correct accent, ¡°Hey, brother, don¡¯t start a fight! We¡¯re not planning to battle you guys right now!¡± S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Thunderbird joined in, much clearer in pronunciation than Phoenix, ¡°With all these monsters around trying to kill us, shouldn¡¯t we humans unite? Or at least avoid killing each other?¡±

    Thornbird did not speak, but he did not voice any opposition either, merely standing silently behind the other two without uttering a word.

    Seeing the other side¡¯s non-hostile demeanor, Li Minghu narrowed her eyes behind Yan Yu, quickly weighing the pros and cons.

    If it were up to her, she would definitely not trust these three ¡°superheroes.¡± However, she also believed that it wouldn¡¯t be wise to start a fight here¡­ Of course, the decision was now up to Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu¡¯s face was expressionless; he only looked at their chests and indeed saw that each of them was wearing a camera.

    ¡°How about this,¡± Phoenix suggested in a negotiating tone, ¡°we work together temporarily until we find the core? If that¡¯s okay with you, then just listen to what I¡¯m saying.¡±

    Yan Yu suddenly burst into laughter. Then, his expression turned cold as he said:

    ¡°Cooperate? Do you think you are worthy?¡±

    As soon as the words fell, Huang Tingjian transformed into a streak of light, attacking Phoenix who was standing on the left.

    Although Li Minghu had not been warned in advance, her response was also extremely fast. Sky Flash Sword followed closely, striking towards Thunderbird next to Phoenix.

    Fight!

    The two of them attacked without a word, naturally shocking the live broadcast audience outside.

    Indeed, both the local and international spectators, as well as the high-ranking members of Lu Country, had been following the camera and saw these three individuals were the first to reach the upper cabin.

    Their stop here was not for rest but was meant to allow Thornbird to set up a magical trap, intending to ambush those who came after.

    Phoenix and Thunderbird were both the type who preferred open confrontation with their adversaries. Moreover, with the global live broadcast ongoing, everyone wanted to see superheroes vanquishing villains, so of course, they wouldn¡¯t ¡°temporarily cooperate with the opponents.¡±

    Those words were merely to buy time so that Thornbird could complete his spell.

    Little did they expect Yan Yu to ignore the stalling tactic, directly replying with a haughty ¡°Do you think you are worthy,¡± and choosing to engage in battle, causing the foreign internet live chat to explode once again.

    Of course, the three superheroes were too busy to care about the show¡¯s impact at the moment.

    Phoenix snapped his fingers, and in an instant, his entire body was engulfed in flames, turning into a man of fire and charging towards the Huang Tingjian slashing at him.

    Shifting Technique: Self-Combustion.

    Thunderbird also let out a shout, leaping high into the air, her hands now gripping a golden lance made of thunder and lightning, hurling it ferociously towards Yan Yu and Li Minghu.

    Thunder Lance!

    Li Minghu was about to quickly retreat when she suddenly heard Yan Yu¡¯s voice in her head:

    ¡°Explode.¡±

    She instantly became alert. Initially, a single step back would have allowed her to avoid the landing spot of the Thunder Lance, but she hastily retreated three steps instead.

    As expected, the moment the Thunder Lance hit the ground, it exploded into countless electric snakes that wildly and viciously danced around the area.

    Li Minghu squinted, a thought flashing through her mind: This move is quite similar to Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Great Bright Fire Flame Spear, creating an explosion at the point of impact to increase the range of damage. Those unfamiliar with it or slow to react would easily fall prey to it.

    The Phoenix, engulfed in flames, charged toward Yan Yu, attempting close-quarters combat while ignoring the approaching Huang Tingjian.

    However, Yan Yu didn¡¯t confront her head-on but accelerated sideways with the Shifting Technique, as Huang Tingjian turned around to strike at the Phoenix.

    Seeing that he wouldn¡¯t engage her in combat, the Phoenix twisted her body and rushed toward Li Minghu. Just as Li Minghu was about to control her sword to respond, she heard Yan Yu¡¯s voice transmission:

    ¡°Ignore her.¡±

    Ignore her? Li Minghu immediately understood, he¡¯s telling me not to get entangled in close combat with the Phoenix.

    Thanks to Yan Yu, nearly all team members now knew the advantages of speeding up with the Shifting Technique and the sudden stop of the Cloud Ascension Technique. Plus, with this being a skill Li Minghu herself proposed in a past life, she was naturally well-practiced in it by now. She similarly accelerated with the Shifting Technique, quickly creating distance from the blazing Phoenix.

    Seeing both opponents unwilling to engage, the burning Phoenix grew secretly frantic.

    His Self-Combustion Divine Technique could provide powerful self-healing, sustained area damage, and physical enhancements. Though he claimed it was the power of the Sun God Helios, it was actually burning his own magical power. Once his magic power was nearly exhausted, the divine flames would instantly backfire and burn him to death.

    Luckily, the divine fire could use his magic power as fuel but also the True Yuan of the enemy. As long as he could successfully burn a Rikoku Cultivator and devour their internal True Yuan, the duration of the Self-Combustion Divine Technique could be extended.

    But with both opponents actively avoiding battle, it was like forcing him to burn himself the entire time¡­ How could this be acceptable?

    ¡°Come and fight, you Rikoku cowards!¡± the Phoenix roared in anger, turning again to rush toward Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu simply ignored her, continuing to widen the distance, while Huang Tingjian¡¯s sword struck down at the Phoenix who had just landed.

    The Phoenix hurriedly propped her hands on the ground, causing a ring of electrical waves to burst forth, blasting away the Huang Tingjian sword coming at her.

    Resistance Electrical Field!

    She had barely heaved a sigh of relief when she saw the Sky Flash Sword attacking from another direction. It timed its assault perfectly as her electrical waves faded, transforming into a blade of light that rapidly closed in.

    That was the last straw for the Phoenix. The opponents weren¡¯t just any ordinary cultivators; they were top-tier Sword Immortals from Rikoku. How could she fend off their pincer attack?

    God damn it, where are my teammates to save me?!

    ¡°Fuck!¡± She had to attach lightning to her feet, hastily fleeing the reach of the Sky Flash Sword¡¯s attack, while yelling furiously at the Phoenix, ¡°Fuck Squid Phoenix! What the hell are you doing?!¡±

    The Phoenix was still pursuing Yan Yu, but being cursed by her teammate like that, she finally came to her senses.

    What use is there in my doggedly chasing when the opponents clearly won¡¯t fall for it?

    She quickly canceled the Self-Combustion Divine Technique, stomping her right foot onto the ground, and a giant Flame Spear nearly two meters long erupted from the ground, viciously slithering toward Li Minghu.

    Li Minghu leaped up with the Shifting Technique and switched to using the Cloud Ascension Technique to hover in the air, neatly dodging the Flame Spear¡¯s strike; the Sky Flash Sword continued its relentless pursuit of the Phoenix.

    The Phoenix couldn¡¯t retaliate at all. She was trapped in a pincer assault by the Huang Tingjian and Sky Flash Sword. One sword forced her back; another resumed the attack, leaving her with no choice but to focus purely on defense, turning to check on the Wizard¡¯s spell progress.

    She almost had a heart attack from what she saw.

    Because Yan Yu had been distancing himself from the Phoenix while directing Huang Tingjian to attack her, but his steps were quietly drawing closer to the Wizard.

    It wasn¡¯t until the Phoenix chose to switch her attack to Li Minghu that he abruptly accelerated with the Shifting Technique, immediately going for the kill toward the Wizard who was still secretly preparing his spell.

    The Wizard, aware of Yan Yu¡¯s approach, had no choice but to prematurely activate the trap he had set, his hands quickly forming a spell seal:

    Demonic Trap!

    As Yan Yu charged with the Shifting Technique, a ring of blue light suddenly appeared under his feet, then exploded violently upwards into a brilliant azure flame, as if it could burn even the air to ashes.

    In the nick of time, Yan Yu had already stopped and side-stepped, narrowly avoiding the burst of azure fury¡ªonly the hem of his clothes was grazed by the flame, instantly vanishing.

    However, the spot where he stepped next suddenly revealed a second ring of blue light.

    As a classic move of a cunning wizard, the invisible Demonic Traps set by the Wizard at the start weren¡¯t solitary; they were part of a calculated chain of traps!

    As the azure flames burst forth again, Yan Yu¡¯s figure didn¡¯t disappear within fire. In the instant before the flames surged, he once again stopped abruptly, turned, and accelerated with the Shifting Technique, taking a lightning-fast step forward, just in time to escape the second Demonic Trap¡¯s blast radius.

    And in doing so, he triggered the third Demonic Trap.

    The third¡­ the fourth, the fifth! The sixth!!! Yan Yu, like a phantom, made his way rapidly across the battlefield, each step a precise ¡°teleport¡± away, each time ¡°just right¡± to leave the bursting azure flames behind him.

    Until even the seventh Demonic Trap had exploded in vain, in the Wizard¡¯s disbelieving, ghost-seeing eyes of despair, within the lens of the small camera on his chest and the live broadcasts watched by audiences worldwide, one saw the consecutively teleporting Yan Yu suddenly appear in front of him, expressionlessly asking:

    ¡°Like playing hopscotch, do you?¡±

    The Wizard had no chance to answer the question.

    Because Yan Yu¡¯s Curved Curse Punch had already pierced through his chest, and the camera attached to it was blasted to smithereens.

 Chapter 172: 72: A Scene of Carnage is Impossible

    Chapter 172: Chapter 72: A Scene of Carnage is Impossible

    The thorn bird, impaled through its chest, shrieked pitifully.

    The next second, Yan Yu had already lightning-fast withdrawn his arm, while underneath the corpse, blue flames erupted, instantly turning it to ashes.

    At this, both the phoenix and the thunderbird¡¯s expressions immediately fell.

    Was the thorn bird dead? Not dead.

    As good as dead.

    The wizard¡¯s spell schools are myriad and bizarre, boasting a variety of styles. The thorn bird¡¯s choice of tactic was simple, one was to survive, the other to steal.

    He specialized in this rare spell called ¡°Magic Body¡±, which, as the name implies, is using magic to create a body in advance and hide it somewhere.

    If he suffered a fatal injury in battle, he would instantly switch places with the magic body, leaving it to die on the battlefield¡­ The cost was a period of weakness where his abilities would sharply decline, essentially leaving him crippled, but it would still ensure 100% preservation of his life, hence it was still considered the world¡¯s number one survival technique.

    As for the phoenix and the thunderbird, the dramatic change in their expressions was because they knew the thorn bird¡¯s nature¡ªif this damn wizard used his life-saving technique, then his magic body was definitely not hiding in the mysterious realm, and might not even be within Mitchi Country. Chances were it was stashed in some remote village in Northern Ereland, such as a tiny port fishing village of barely a dozen, in a desolate place unlikely to be hit even in a nuclear war.

    At this point, it could be announced that the thorn bird had honorably left the battlefield!

    Looking back at the state of the battle, what was originally a favorable three-on-two had been forcefully turned into a two-on-two by the opponent, without a scratch¡ªa clear indication that there was a significant disparity in strength between the two sides.

    Although the cameras continued to live-stream, the two superheroes exchanged glances and quickly reached a mutual understanding.

    A strategic retreat is in order.

    Becoming a dead legend is not the kind of legend we wish to be!

    Phoenix again initiated his Self-Combustion divine art, thunderbird launched his lightning speed, and without a trace of reluctance, each turned around, carrying a do-or-die attitude, dashing through the passage away from Yan Yu and company.

    Li Minghu: ¡­

    Yan Yu: ¡­

    ¡°Shall we give chase¡­ Forget it.¡± Li Minghu unconsciously asked a question but quickly realized.

    If Yan Yu intended to give chase, he wouldn¡¯t be standing here, he would have already been in pursuit.

    ¡°Let¡¯s find our teammates first,¡± Yan Yu calmly stated.

    Eliminating Mitchi¡¯s superheroes is good.

    Chasing superheroes to the point where teammates are injured or even killed is not good.

    Since Yan Yu aims to be the strongest in the world, he cannot afford a stain on his illustrious record. There will be plenty of chances to eliminate superheroes in the future, but he can¡¯t resurrect the dead, so he knows well what is more important.

    Li Minghu, of course, had no objections since his brother, Li Zhaojiang, was also missing; naturally, finding teammates was more critical.

    Yan Yu turned to survey the surroundings of the cabin. Since the San Yu treasure ship was much larger than an ordinary boat, the interior cabin space was also geometrically larger. Just this one cabin had 8 spiral staircases leading to the lower levels, and a central staircase to the upper levels.

    Which way to go?

    Before Li Minghu could speak, his face suddenly changed, as loud talking came from the direction of the staircase leading to the upper level.

    Having had encounters with monsters, most Transcendents were unlikely to converse loudly like this, which meant that it was definitely a monster leader talking, and with high probability multiple monsters were approaching.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He quickly grabbed Yan Yu and chose the nearest lower-level spiral staircase, rushing towards it.

    Descending the staircase at speed, Divine Sense continuously scanning behind them, Li Minghu noticed the monster leaders weren¡¯t following the noise and let out a sigh of relief.

    Only then did he notice he was still holding Yan Yu¡¯s hand.

    Of course, the situation was urgent before, so he had no time to think and besides, it was not the era of etiquette where a lady¡¯s reputation is ruined by a touch. Thus, he simply let go of Yan Yu¡¯s hand as if it was nothing and was about to say something to relieve the awkwardness, when suddenly he heard Chen Lingyun¡¯s voice not far away:

    ¡°Oh, thank you, Deputy Captain Li, for bringing our captain back~¡± S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    As both turned their heads, they saw the sweetly fake smiling Chen Lingyun, the stunned Lin Ning, the expressionless Su Yunjin, and of course, the gritting Zhao Yuanzhen, all four standing at the entrance to the water prison, their gazes burning like angry lionesses who had caught a lion stealing food.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Their experience was actually not complicated. After entering the mysterious realm, Yan Yu and Li Minghu were locked in one level of the water prison, while the girls were locked in another level.

    The intelligence of the monster leaders wasn¡¯t high, and if Yan Yu could trick them, Chen Lingyun certainly wasn¡¯t without strategies. After luring the guards on their level to open all the prison doors, the four girls joined forces to ambush and take down the guard.

    The battle segment was also fraught with peril. Facing the monster leaders¡¯ dragon roar blast and spear throw, the girls were initially caught off guard and lost their balance en masse.

    The only piece of luck was that the subsequent iron spear throw was aimed at Zhao Yuanzhen rather than someone else.

    In a moment of crisis, Zhao Yuanzhen couldn¡¯t afford to keep playing dumb and suddenly turned into black mist to sidestep, avoiding the rival¡¯s mountain-splitting strike.

    After that, they learned from the experience, and with Su Yunjin¡¯s Taoism Method and Chen Lingyun¡¯s ghost manipulation, they managed to distract the monster leader from attacking again, then Lin Ning utilized her Sword Control Technique to break through the front lines, while Zhao Yuanzhen activated the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin for a sneak attack, delivering the final killing blow.

    Yan Yu listened and couldn¡¯t help but break out into a cold sweat: Goodness, while the Valkyrie and I faced three and didn¡¯t feel that tense, now hearing your four-on-one story is truly chilling!

    The monster leader¡¯s iron spear throws were terrifying, and if the target had been the slower-reacting Su Yunjin or Chen Lingyun, the Zhenhai Team might have suffered an immediate casualty.

    ¡°`

    Even if she had chosen Lin Ning, who was quick enough to dodge vitals, she might not have escaped serious injury.

    In the era of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, strength speaks volumes, and being weak means deserving death. Even if the girls really suffered casualties, Yan Yu had nothing to complain about.

    All he could say was, ¡°Thank you, Sister Zhao, for your grace! Lucky for us, you were born with a face that invites mockery!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was still submerged in the unease of having her dark fog spell exposed and didn¡¯t dare to subject Yan Yu to severe interrogation, choosing only to glare at Li Minghu with eyes that seemed capable of murder.

    But some questions didn¡¯t need to be asked by her¡ªeveryone was so unconcerned with what spell Sister Zhao had used that their scrutinizing gazes were now all directed at Li Minghu.

    ¡°Were you and our captain imprisoned together?¡± Su Yunjin asked with a smile.

    ¡°Uh, yes,¡± Li Minghu replied, ¡°Our cells were on the same floor.¡±

    Lin Ning stared silently at her, then suddenly said:

    ¡°That¡¯s the captain¡¯s coat, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Li Minghu startled slightly, then realizing the implication, started to take off the coat sheepishly.

    ¡°She had been soaked in the water cell for too long,¡± Yan Yu explained, ¡°I was worried about her health, so¡­¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not asking about the captain,¡± Chen Lingyun interrupted him.

    Her face still wore a forced smile, but the intense and chilling vibes she gave off were unmistakable.

    Yan Yu instinctively recoiled, a reaction ingrained through millennia into the DNA of men, an instinctive coping strategy titled ¡°Shrink back like a turtle, let her have her way, and soon, all will be well.¡±

    But he was determined to become the strongest man in the world¡ªhow could he be controlled by such despicable, base, shameful garbage genetic instincts?

    Get lost, inferior feelings!!!

    Reason once again overcame instinct, and Yan Yu suddenly stretched out his hand, stopping Li Minghu who was still in the process of undressing, and mocked:

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, you want to teach me how to do things?¡±

    The girls¡¯ unfriendly glances shifted swiftly back to Yan Yu, glaring as if they were ready to tear him to pieces.

    But Yan Yu was fearless! At that moment, he was like a pine weathered by cold winds, rocks battered by waves, the sun surrounded by stars¡ªimmovable! He was determined to shatter this fragile battlefield!

    ¡°Li Vice-captain and I have fought our way here side by side, with seamless cooperation,¡± Yan Yu declared authoritatively, ¡°Li Vice-captain has been a great help, and I acknowledge her strength! From now on, you are to respect Li Vice-captain as you would me, understand? Now is not the time for idle talk. Get ready, we¡¯re heading out soon.¡±

    His words had so many laughable points that the girls were dumbfounded and speechless for a moment.

    However, the perceptive Su Yunjin and the intelligent Chen Lingyun, of course, read between the lines of Yan Yu¡¯s words.

    ¡°I acknowledge her strength,¡± could also mean ¡°What I acknowledge is her strength¡± (not something like love at first sight), so their expressions gradually softened¡ªthinking it over, Yan Yu was always recklessly outspoken, even capable of saying things like ¡°You¡¯re not even worthy,¡± so there really seemed no need for him to lie to us on purpose.

    As for the straightforward Lin Ning and the clear-cut Zhao Yuanzhen, although they still felt uncomfortable as if something precious had been stolen from them, they couldn¡¯t refute Yan Yu¡¯s words either.

    This Mysterious Realm was no private karaoke room where they could sit down to brood over love and longing¡­ After all, once the Realm adventure was over, there¡¯d be plenty of time to grab him, interrogate him from start to finish, and clear things up!

    They had been delayed here slightly longer than planned, so the group quickly returned to the stairs and started moving back up.

    Now that their troop had grown to six people, their overall combat capacity had expanded, permitting bolder tactical choices.

    Enemies they would have previously avoided could now simply be steamrolled.

    Approaching the upper deck, the group suddenly heard violent explosions, the whistling of objects speeding through the air, and the faint sounds of screams and groans from above.

    Another battle was underway!

    Yan Yu gestured for everyone to halt on the staircase before stealthily approaching the upper level himself to use his Divine Sense, furrowing his brows slightly.

    The cabin area, previously empty, now housed at least thirty individuals divided into three groups, fiercely battling each other.

    Three groups¡­ Yan Yu quickly assessed the situation, signaled ¡°action,¡± and then led the charge into the upper cabin.

    True enough, the moment they stepped inside, they saw seven or eight dragon-like beasts rampaging around, with the Mitchi Country Allied Forces retreating, bodies strewn everywhere, and the Rikoku Cultivators, a group of four, in disarray.

    Tao Xingyuan had suffered a shoulder puncture from a spike and was being dragged into a corner by Wang Haoran, while Jiang Hong and Li Zhaojiang were holding the front lines, using their Sword Control Technique and Taoism Method to fend off and sustain the fight.

    Fortunately, the four of them didn¡¯t stand out much, and since the enemy cultists from the allied forces outnumbered them by more than four to one, the dragon-like beasts only sent two to kill them, and their defenses weren¡¯t immediately breached.

    Yan Yu and his team charged in valiantly, delivering a just and stealthy killing strike, instantly coordinating with Jiang Hong to take down one of the dragon-like beasts confronting them.

    The girls quickly rushed out and subdued the other beast.

    Li Minghu hurried back to her team, first rapidly checking on Tao Xingyuan¡¯s injury, then asking Li Zhaojiang for an update.

    But instead of replying, Li Zhaojiang stared intently at his sister¡¯s clothes, exclaiming:

    ¡°Sis, that jacket¡­¡±

    ¡°What time is it to care about clothes!¡± Li Minghu interrupted him sharply, urging.

 Chapter 173: 73: Li Zhaojiangs Ingenious Strategies

    Chapter 173: Chapter 73: Li Zhaojiang¡¯s Ingenious Strategies

    Zhenghai and Qing¡¯an Teams finally assembled, and everyone¡¯s morale soared.

    Su Yunjin provided preliminary treatment to the injured Tao Xingyuan, while the rest formed a battle line yet didn¡¯t rush to push outward.

    Even now with ten people on Lu Country¡¯s side, they were still far fewer than the Miti Allied Forces.

    Since the dragon-headed monsters were fiercely attacking the other side, it was naturally unnecessary for Rikoku Cultivators to barge into the battlefield, so they quickly communicated via transmission.

    ¡°These dragon-headed monsters are stupidly fixated; once they target an enemy, they¡¯re unlikely to change. We can sit back and watch the tiger fight to weaken our opponents¡¯ strength,¡± Li Minghu calmly said. ¡°The stairs to the upper levels are in the center; crossing the battlefield will draw the monsters¡¯ attention. There¡¯s no need for us to share their firepower.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu said leisurely. ¡°We must head to the upper level as quickly as possible.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Li Minghu asked, frowning.

    ¡°Because being a fisherman is not that easy,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°The Allied Forces won¡¯t sit by and let us stay out of it. Sooner or later, they¡¯ll find a way to drag us into the fray.¡±

    ¡°Moreover, the Allied Forces here are severely outnumbered,¡± Yan Yu added. ¡°What if reinforcements from the lower level come later? What then?¡±

    ¡°But if we find the gatekeeper upstairs and our attack falters, and regardless of who wins or loses down here, the victor will chase us upstairs,¡± Li Minghu insisted on his view. ¡°Then we will be caught between two attacks.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu incisively asked. ¡°So, what are our advantages and disadvantages?¡±

    Li Minghu was suddenly taken aback.

    Lu Country¡¯s current strategy was to use elite troops; their disadvantage lay in not being suited for attrition or drawn-out warfare, fearing death by a thousand cuts through enemy swarms. Their advantage, naturally, was the refinement of their lineup, strong spearhead capabilities, and being adept at small-unit decapitation tactics.

    If it had been a regular team confrontation with equal numbers, they could have broken the opponent first; but with the overwhelming numbers of the Allied Forces, even a 10:1 casualty ratio would be profitable for them. If one cultivator died on their side, it would be painful, so they naturally needed to avoid confrontation with rival forces and focus on conquering the Mysterious Realm wholeheartedly.

    Li Minghu found the answer in his heart and turned to ask his brother:

    ¡°Ah Jiang, you¡¯re the captain, what do you think?¡±

    Li Zhaojiang asked in agony:

    ¡°Sister, that coat is Yan Yu¡¯s, right? I saw him wearing it before¡­¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Li Minghu interrupted him again, ¡°Our Qing¡¯an Team has no objections, let¡¯s go!¡±

    Both sides reached a consensus smoothly, and what followed was action.

    Lin Ning and Li Minghu led the way as the spearhead. The two Sword Immortals, one on each side, instantly charged into the battlefield, tearing open the dragon-headed monsters¡¯ line.

    But the dragon-headed monsters were disorganized and didn¡¯t really form a line, so they mainly served to attract fire right away, ensuring the path ahead was clear¡ªwhether it was Mei Yingxue, the almost-Valkyrie cooperating tacitly with Yan Yu, or little Ningning, specially trained by Yan Yu, both were skilled in movement and dodging attacks.

    Following closely were the main troops, with Li Zhaojiang and Jiang Hong responsible for covering the flanks. Chen Lingyun, Su Yunjin, Tao Xingyuan, and Wang Haoran were tasked with support and suppression, trying their best not to let the surrounding dragon-headed monsters free their hands to throw their iron spears.

    The most dangerous task of covering the rear naturally fell to Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen.

    They stayed at the end of the group, facing the concentrated fire and encirclement from the dragon-headed monsters that had regained their senses.

    Zhao Yuanzhen weaved right and left, dodging frantically. She had been chased by multiple Orthodox Sword Immortals before, and since the dragon-headed monsters couldn¡¯t perform Sword Control Technique, and their thrown iron spears couldn¡¯t turn, she managed to evade desparately yet emerged unscathed.

    Yan Yu, on the other hand, appeared much more at ease, taking half a step to avoid an attack but never a step more. With Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s juxtaposing performance, his elegance and composure stood out all the more, showcasing the demeanor of a strong practitioner.

    And of course, these battle scenes were also recorded by the super heroes present and appeared in the global broadcast outside.

    In a secret underground base in Pingjing, Mei Yingxue, in a researcher¡¯s white lab coat accompanied by a group of scientific experts, watched the live broadcast on the wall television intently.

    Seeing Zhao Yuanzhen personally covering the rear for the team of Rikoku Cultivators, her gaze flickered briefly.

    Then she smiled lightly and asked the old expert beside her:

    ¡°Which team does that female cultivator belong to?¡±

    ¡°She should be from the Zhendong Army¡¯s Zhenghai Team,¡± the old expert responded.

    Within the Mysterious Realm, the two teams finally broke through the battlefield and reached the upper level of the ship.

    Su Yunjin executed the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, sending the dragon-headed monster tumbling down the stairs in its attempt to follow.

    The group quickly looked ahead, finding themselves in a spacious corridor about five meters wide, with single cabins on both sides, all doors firmly shut.

    ¡°Search!¡± Yan Yu swiftly ordered, ¡°Lin Ning, Zhao Jiuzhen, Li Minghu, Jiang Hong! One person per room, break in and confirm, be wary of ambushes, retreat immediately if you encounter the enemy! The rest of you stay outside on standby, move quickly!¡±

    The four assigned immediately chose their rooms and broke in, one to confirm the absence of any guard within, and the other to prevent enemies from hiding inside and then emerging to cut off the team¡¯s path once they reached the center of the corridor, which would result in the team being flanked from both sides¡ªa disadvantageous position.

    As for why Yan Yu chose these four individuals, it was of course because Sword Immortals had the strongest capability to handle emergencies. Only Zhao Yuanzhen, although serving as an Assistant Officer, had indeed fast reactions and formidable strength, and no one objected.

    Yan Yu sat prominently in the middle of the corridor, ready to offer support at a moment¡¯s notice, when he heard Li Zhaojiang¡¯s voice transmission asking:

    ¡°Yan Yu, you¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not discussing the clothing matter,¡± Yan Yu interrupted brusquely.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about the clothes!¡± Li Zhaojiang clenched his teeth, then said solemnly, ¡°During the upcoming strategic room clearing, don¡¯t let my sister take the lead. She spent time in the freezing seawater, which might have left her with some potential health issues. I¡¯m afraid she won¡¯t be able to withstand the intense pressure of a serious battlefield.¡±

    ¡°Comrade Li Zhaojiang,¡± Yan Yu said seriously, ¡°this is a battlefield! Everyone must fight for victory, and if your sister holding back leads to a failure, who will be responsible?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t make a big deal out of nothing,¡± Li Zhaojiang said with a grim face. ¡°With so many people here, does it have to be my sister in front? If this leads to a failure, I¡¯ll take full responsibility.¡±

    ¡°Can you bear such a burden?¡± Yan Yu retorted.

    ¡°If something happens to my sister,¡± Li Zhaojiang said coldly, ¡°no matter who is to bear the responsibility, I absolutely won¡¯t let them off!¡±

    Yan Yu narrowed his eyes, staring at him.

    Indeed, at this point in time, the younger brother-in-law already had a touch of the ¡°willing to destroy the world for his sister¡± madness.

    Although Yan Yu¡¯s fundamental stance was in agreement with him, Li Minghu was far from her last breath at this moment, so he replied indifferently:

    ¡°If Minghu agrees, I have no objections.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s Minghu?¡± Li Zhaojiang¡¯s eyes blazed with even more murderous intent.

    ¡°Your sister doesn¡¯t mind, so what are you worried about?¡± Yan Yu scoffed, ¡°Or are you trying to make decisions for her behind her back?¡±

    Li Zhaojiang erupted, swearing thunderously:

    ¡°It must be you, the bad omen, who deceived my sister with honeyed words!¡±

    ¡°What a joke!¡± Yan Yu said with disdain for his accusation, ¡°If I wanted to deceive your sister, you would have to call me brother-in-law by now!¡±

    ¡°Go to hell!¡± Li Zhaojiang exploded in frustration.

    ¡°Cursing my whole family is the same as including your sister in it!¡± Yan Yu retorted sharply.

    Li Zhaojiang was about to split apart. He took a deep breath and then forcefully expelled the air from his lungs several times. Only after repeating this process a few times did he manage to calm down, staring at Yan Yu in silence while inwardly considering his next move.

    In terms of verbal abuse, he was no match for Yan Yu, who simply had to mention his sister to break his defenses¡ªLi Zhaojiang¡¯s sister was his Achilles¡¯ heel, a sure trigger for his fury, and he was well aware of it.

    Ultimately, it wasn¡¯t that Yan Yu was particularly articulate; it was that he truly had Li Minghu¡¯s favor, which had begun since the last exchange competition between the four institutions.

    If even his sister was willingly on Yan Yu¡¯s side, how could he possibly have the confidence to protect her and drive away this outsider with designs on her?

    He had to convince his sister first!

    A sudden inspiration struck Li Zhaojiang.

    That¡¯s it, if I can¡¯t explain it clearly, I can turn to my parents!

    My parents don¡¯t know what kind of person Yan Yu is! As long as I go back and slander Yan Yu to them, exaggerating the severity of the situation, they will naturally advise my sister to keep her distance from him!

    Muahahaha, that¡¯s so like me!

    Chapter 173: Chapter 73: Li Zhaojiang¡¯s Ingenious Strategies

    Zhenghai and Qing¡¯an Teams finally assembled, and everyone¡¯s morale soared.

    Su Yunjin provided preliminary treatment to the injured Tao Xingyuan, while the rest formed a battle line yet didn¡¯t rush to push outward.

    Even now with ten people on Lu Country¡¯s side, they were still far fewer than the Miti Allied Forces.

    Since the dragon-headed monsters were fiercely attacking the other side, it was naturally unnecessary for Rikoku Cultivators to barge into the battlefield, so they quickly communicated via transmission.

    ¡°These dragon-headed monsters are stupidly fixated; once they target an enemy, they¡¯re unlikely to change. We can sit back and watch the tiger fight to weaken our opponents¡¯ strength,¡± Li Minghu calmly said. ¡°The stairs to the upper levels are in the center; crossing the battlefield will draw the monsters¡¯ attention. There¡¯s no need for us to share their firepower.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu said leisurely. ¡°We must head to the upper level as quickly as possible.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Li Minghu asked, frowning.

    ¡°Because being a fisherman is not that easy,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°The Allied Forces won¡¯t sit by and let us stay out of it. Sooner or later, they¡¯ll find a way to drag us into the fray.¡±

    ¡°Moreover, the Allied Forces here are severely outnumbered,¡± Yan Yu added. ¡°What if reinforcements from the lower level come later? What then?¡±

    ¡°But if we find the gatekeeper upstairs and our attack falters, and regardless of who wins or loses down here, the victor will chase us upstairs,¡± Li Minghu insisted on his view. ¡°Then we will be caught between two attacks.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu incisively asked. ¡°So, what are our advantages and disadvantages?¡±

    Li Minghu was suddenly taken aback.

    Lu Country¡¯s current strategy was to use elite troops; their disadvantage lay in not being suited for attrition or drawn-out warfare, fearing death by a thousand cuts through enemy swarms. Their advantage, naturally, was the refinement of their lineup, strong spearhead capabilities, and being adept at small-unit decapitation tactics.

    If it had been a regular team confrontation with equal numbers, they could have broken the opponent first; but with the overwhelming numbers of the Allied Forces, even a 10:1 casualty ratio would be profitable for them. If one cultivator died on their side, it would be painful, so they naturally needed to avoid confrontation with rival forces and focus on conquering the Mysterious Realm wholeheartedly.

    Li Minghu found the answer in his heart and turned to ask his brother:

    ¡°Ah Jiang, you¡¯re the captain, what do you think?¡±

    Li Zhaojiang asked in agony:

    ¡°Sister, that coat is Yan Yu¡¯s, right? I saw him wearing it before¡­¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Li Minghu interrupted him again, ¡°Our Qing¡¯an Team has no objections, let¡¯s go!¡±

    Both sides reached a consensus smoothly, and what followed was action.

    Lin Ning and Li Minghu led the way as the spearhead. The two Sword Immortals, one on each side, instantly charged into the battlefield, tearing open the dragon-headed monsters¡¯ line.

    But the dragon-headed monsters were disorganized and didn¡¯t really form a line, so they mainly served to attract fire right away, ensuring the path ahead was clear¡ªwhether it was Mei Yingxue, the almost-Valkyrie cooperating tacitly with Yan Yu, or little Ningning, specially trained by Yan Yu, both were skilled in movement and dodging attacks.

    Following closely were the main troops, with Li Zhaojiang and Jiang Hong responsible for covering the flanks. Chen Lingyun, Su Yunjin, Tao Xingyuan, and Wang Haoran were tasked with support and suppression, trying their best not to let the surrounding dragon-headed monsters free their hands to throw their iron spears.

    The most dangerous task of covering the rear naturally fell to Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen.

    They stayed at the end of the group, facing the concentrated fire and encirclement from the dragon-headed monsters that had regained their senses.

    Zhao Yuanzhen weaved right and left, dodging frantically. She had been chased by multiple Orthodox Sword Immortals before, and since the dragon-headed monsters couldn¡¯t perform Sword Control Technique, and their thrown iron spears couldn¡¯t turn, she managed to evade desparately yet emerged unscathed.

    Yan Yu, on the other hand, appeared much more at ease, taking half a step to avoid an attack but never a step more. With Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s juxtaposing performance, his elegance and composure stood out all the more, showcasing the demeanor of a strong practitioner.

    And of course, these battle scenes were also recorded by the super heroes present and appeared in the global broadcast outside.

    In a secret underground base in Pingjing, Mei Yingxue, in a researcher¡¯s white lab coat accompanied by a group of scientific experts, watched the live broadcast on the wall television intently.

    Seeing Zhao Yuanzhen personally covering the rear for the team of Rikoku Cultivators, her gaze flickered briefly.

    Then she smiled lightly and asked the old expert beside her:

    ¡°Which team does that female cultivator belong to?¡±

    ¡°She should be from the Zhendong Army¡¯s Zhenghai Team,¡± the old expert responded.

    Within the Mysterious Realm, the two teams finally broke through the battlefield and reached the upper level of the ship.

    Su Yunjin executed the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, sending the dragon-headed monster tumbling down the stairs in its attempt to follow.

    The group quickly looked ahead, finding themselves in a spacious corridor about five meters wide, with single cabins on both sides, all doors firmly shut.

    ¡°Search!¡± Yan Yu swiftly ordered, ¡°Lin Ning, Zhao Jiuzhen, Li Minghu, Jiang Hong! One person per room, break in and confirm, be wary of ambushes, retreat immediately if you encounter the enemy! The rest of you stay outside on standby, move quickly!¡±

    The four assigned immediately chose their rooms and broke in, one to confirm the absence of any guard within, and the other to prevent enemies from hiding inside and then emerging to cut off the team¡¯s path once they reached the center of the corridor, which would result in the team being flanked from both sides¡ªa disadvantageous position.

    As for why Yan Yu chose these four individuals, it was of course because Sword Immortals had the strongest capability to handle emergencies. Only Zhao Yuanzhen, although serving as an Assistant Officer, had indeed fast reactions and formidable strength, and no one objected.

    Yan Yu sat prominently in the middle of the corridor, ready to offer support at a moment¡¯s notice, when he heard Li Zhaojiang¡¯s voice transmission asking:

    ¡°Yan Yu, you¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not discussing the clothing matter,¡± Yan Yu interrupted brusquely.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about the clothes!¡± Li Zhaojiang clenched his teeth, then said solemnly, ¡°During the upcoming strategic room clearing, don¡¯t let my sister take the lead. She spent time in the freezing seawater, which might have left her with some potential health issues. I¡¯m afraid she won¡¯t be able to withstand the intense pressure of a serious battlefield.¡±

    ¡°Comrade Li Zhaojiang,¡± Yan Yu said seriously, ¡°this is a battlefield! Everyone must fight for victory, and if your sister holding back leads to a failure, who will be responsible?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t make a big deal out of nothing,¡± Li Zhaojiang said with a grim face. ¡°With so many people here, does it have to be my sister in front? If this leads to a failure, I¡¯ll take full responsibility.¡±

    ¡°Can you bear such a burden?¡± Yan Yu retorted.

    ¡°If something happens to my sister,¡± Li Zhaojiang said coldly, ¡°no matter who is to bear the responsibility, I absolutely won¡¯t let them off!¡±

    Yan Yu narrowed his eyes, staring at him.

    Indeed, at this point in time, the younger brother-in-law already had a touch of the ¡°willing to destroy the world for his sister¡± madness.

    Although Yan Yu¡¯s fundamental stance was in agreement with him, Li Minghu was far from her last breath at this moment, so he replied indifferently:

    ¡°If Minghu agrees, I have no objections.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s Minghu?¡± Li Zhaojiang¡¯s eyes blazed with even more murderous intent.

    ¡°Your sister doesn¡¯t mind, so what are you worried about?¡± Yan Yu scoffed, ¡°Or are you trying to make decisions for her behind her back?¡±

    Li Zhaojiang erupted, swearing thunderously:

    ¡°It must be you, the bad omen, who deceived my sister with honeyed words!¡±

    ¡°What a joke!¡± Yan Yu said with disdain for his accusation, ¡°If I wanted to deceive your sister, you would have to call me brother-in-law by now!¡± S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Go to hell!¡± Li Zhaojiang exploded in frustration.

    ¡°Cursing my whole family is the same as including your sister in it!¡± Yan Yu retorted sharply.

    Li Zhaojiang was about to split apart. He took a deep breath and then forcefully expelled the air from his lungs several times. Only after repeating this process a few times did he manage to calm down, staring at Yan Yu in silence while inwardly considering his next move.

    In terms of verbal abuse, he was no match for Yan Yu, who simply had to mention his sister to break his defenses¡ªLi Zhaojiang¡¯s sister was his Achilles¡¯ heel, a sure trigger for his fury, and he was well aware of it.

    Ultimately, it wasn¡¯t that Yan Yu was particularly articulate; it was that he truly had Li Minghu¡¯s favor, which had begun since the last exchange competition between the four institutions.

    If even his sister was willingly on Yan Yu¡¯s side, how could he possibly have the confidence to protect her and drive away this outsider with designs on her?

    He had to convince his sister first!

    A sudden inspiration struck Li Zhaojiang.

    That¡¯s it, if I can¡¯t explain it clearly, I can turn to my parents!

    My parents don¡¯t know what kind of person Yan Yu is! As long as I go back and slander Yan Yu to them, exaggerating the severity of the situation, they will naturally advise my sister to keep her distance from him!

    Muahahaha, that¡¯s so like me!

 Chapter 174: 74: As Long as You Can Use the Invisibility Technique

    Chapter 174: Chapter 74: As Long as You Can Use the Invisibility Technique

    Theoretically, Divine Sense could also detect what lies behind the door.

    However, using Divine Sense to detect is neither secure nor time-efficient. It¡¯s unknown when the lower-level battle will end, and pursuers might arrive at any moment. At this stage, everyone is in a race against the clock, and of course, it¡¯s quicker to break in and sweep a glance.

    Yan Yu led the team through the corridor at a steady pace, ready to coordinate with the door-breaking team to handle any emergencies.

    And the emergencies did arrive as expected: Most of the rooms contained dead dragon-headed creatures, while only a few were alive, seemingly hiding behind the doors as if to ambush the group.

    At this time, those outside would assist the door-breakers in killing these creatures.

    Yan Yu narrowed his eyes, sizing up the corpses with a brief sweep of his Divine Sense, and quickly noted the differences from the previous dragon-headed creatures.

    Simply put, they seemed somewhat underdeveloped.

    The dragon-headed monsters encountered earlier had completely draconian heads, with both horns and whiskers, pupils bright like torches, sharp teeth, and drool dripping everywhere, almost indistinguishable from true Flood Dragons. Their bodies below the neck, although humanoid in limb structure, were essentially covered in scales, and their strength was comparable to that of the Long Race.

    But these creatures in the rooms, some had no horns, some no whiskers, some no teeth, some no scales¡ªit felt like an evolution that had failed halfway through.

    Chen Lingyun, of course, noticed this as well and suddenly walked into an empty room nearby.

    Yan Yu frowned and turned his head, only to see her quickly walk out again, tossing a Jade Slip to Yan Yu.

    ¡°Take a look at this,¡± she said, her face beaming with a smile, clearly enjoying herself.

    Written on the Jade Slip was script in tadpole text. This bizarre Cultivator language was rarely seen outside the Mysterious Realm and wasn¡¯t phonetic or logographic but rather ideographic¡ªrequiring Divine Sense to read, and not the text itself but the author¡¯s thoughts contained within.

    To draw a comparison, each character was like a portable hard drive, capable of storing a certain amount of information. If an ordinary person were to try to read tadpole text, it would be like not having a computer to access the hard drive.

    Reading tadpole text with Divine Sense was quick, so there was no worry about wasting time, hence Yan Yu did not refuse and immersed his Divine Sense into it promptly.

    Hmm.

    Indeed interesting.

    This Jade Slip was a diary, hastily documenting the history and origin of the ¡°Three-Island Treasure Ship¡±:

    It was created by an organization known as the Worship Dragon Cult during an ancient period on a different timeline, in the Vast Wilderness Era when humans and demons coexisted.

    At that time, the Long Race was exceedingly prominent, subjugating all demons and having many humans attached to them. The Worship Dragon Cult was a human sect that worshiped the Long Race, using the Three-Island Treasure Ship to transport tributes to the Long Race¡ªthe reason the internal cabins of the ship were proportionally elongated was to accommodate the enormous size of the Long Race.

    Then came the end of the Vast Wilderness Era.

    Frictions between humans and demons intensified and ultimately escalated into a racial war. The demon race was completely defeated and retreated to parts unknown, and the Human Race¡¯s reckoning with the Worship Dragon Cult finally arrived.

    The author of the diary was one of the Human Race Cultivators who exterminated the Worship Dragon Cult. They boarded the Three-Island Treasure Ship, killed all the human traitors, but discovered that the ship had been secretly launched by the dying Worship Dragon Cult, sailing to the very depths of the Endless Sea.

    The depths of the Endless Sea were rife with danger, and it was impossible for Cultivators to fly back with Sword Control. Only by navigating with the Three-Island Treasure Ship, utilizing Long Race technology, could one travel in such waters.

    But the treasure ship did not recognize any bloodlines apart from the Long Race. The Worship Dragon Cult controlled the ship¡¯s navigation through the blessed blood essence of the Long Race, and these Human Race Cultivators had to find another method¡­

    Yan Yu read up to this point and looked at those incompletely evolved dragon-headed monsters; a sneer couldn¡¯t help but surface within him.

    What the hell?!

    Detest the Long Race, kill the Long Race, understand the Long Race, become the Long Race, is that it? So you¡¯re playing boomerang now?

    If these Human Race Cultivators truly hated the Long Race, or truly clung to their identity as the Human Race, they should have rather died than touch such forbidden bloodline magic¡­ and yet, look at these abnormal corpses all around.

    It shows that whether it¡¯s ¡°demons and humans do not stand together,¡± ¡°the distinction between Immortals and mortals,¡± or even ¡°Cultivators should strive for their own power,¡± they are all just slogans to deceive people into taking sides; ultimately, it all comes down to self-interest.

    He indifferently handed the Jade Slip back to Chen Lingyun and transmitted his voice:

    ¡°Quite the joke.¡±

    Chen Lingyun replied with a smile:

    ¡°Shared joy.¡±

    Yan Yu looked forward once again, only to find Zhao Yuanzhen emerging from the room as well.

    ¡°What is this Demonic Sect Enchantress up to? Didn¡¯t I say to break the door open, take a quick look if no one¡¯s there, and leave?¡±

    ¡°What are you lingering in the room for, hmm? Are you taking my orders lightly? I must punish you, I must punish you severely!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen noticed his disapproving gaze and hurriedly sent a message through a psychic link:

    ¡°Shush, I¡¯ve found something good, it¡¯s not convenient to talk about it here. I¡¯ll show you after we get out.¡±

    Yan Yu imperceptibly nodded, then shifted his gaze away.

    Commands are dead after all, and man is flexible¡ªhow can one be confined by commands?

    Those who do not obey commands are useless, and those who do not cherish their comrades are less than useless!

    The other three strictly followed the ¡°break and leave¡± rule, so the team¡¯s progress was quite fast, and they ultimately cleared all hidden dangers on this floor, arriving at the stairs at the end of the hallway.

    Even without ascending the stairs, everyone could see the daylight and sea of clouds at the top of the stairwell, as well as the briny sea breeze pouring down.

    No mistake, the deck was just above.

    Yan Yu calmly climbed the stairs, with Li Zhaojiang and Li Minghu closely following behind him.

    While the two teams were of equal status, it seemed as though by default, this time it was agreed that Yan Yu would lead the team, perhaps Li Minghu had secretly communicated with everyone via psychic link.

    The ten-person party reached the deck, only to see the sky above blanketed with storm clouds, as if a fierce storm was imminent.

    The sea breeze here was incredibly violent, even more ferocious, forceful, and unruly than that on the deck of the Fiery Tiger Aircraft Carrier! Even more domineering than the sea breeze, however, was the imposing, incomplete corpse of a Flood Dragon sprawled at the bow, mountainous in size, and a towering giant, ceaselessly chewing within the dragon¡¯s corpse.

    The giant stood close to three meters tall, far exceeding the genetic limits of the Human Race, and his back muscles were completely covered with layers of dragon scales. Despite the group¡¯s arrival on the deck, he continued to gnaw at the corpse, as if in this world there was nothing more important than devouring the dragon.

    Without waiting for orders from Yan Yu or Li Zhaojiang, everyone instinctively spread out into formation, finding positions suitable for their individual combat style.

    Sword Immortals at the front, Assistant Officers and Envoys next, with the spell casters at the rear.

    Zhenhai Team took the left side, Qing¡¯an Team the right, both prepared to coordinate with each other.

    Finally, the giant stopped chewing and stood up. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°You¡­¡± The hoarse and bewildered voice emerged, ¡°Are you dragons too?¡±

    ¡°We are humans,¡± Yan Yu replied calmly, ¡°What are you?¡±

    ¡°I am¡­¡± The giant turned around, revealing a bloody and fierce dragon head on his neck, with an extremely abstract expression of confusion, ¡°Am I of the Human Race? Or the Long Race?¡±

    ¡°Stop the nonsense.¡± Seeing he had lost even the capacity to communicate, Yan Yu didn¡¯t want to continue dialoguing with a madman, to avoid the risk of losing dignity.

    He levitated the Huang Tingjian Sword into the air and, following that, cast a sword technique, striking towards the dragon-headed giant.

    This sword strike was like a signal, and the rest of the group quickly launched their attacks¡ªFlying Swords, Taoism Methods, magical treasures¡­ instantly engulfing the dragon-headed giant.

    Despite his enormous size, the giant¡¯s movements were not sluggish or slow. He first leaped back to evade the slashing strike of the Huang Tingjian Sword, then rolled several times, retreating behind the mountainous corpse of the Flood Dragon.

    He was out of reach.

    ¡°Hold,¡± Yan Yu commanded again.

    With the dragon corpse serving as a shield, expecting their attacks to easily penetrate the body was impossible. After all, even in death, a dragon was still a dragon!

    What was more critical was that Chen Lingyun had quietly sent him a psychic message, stating that her ghostly entities placed in the lower deck¡¯s hallway had discovered that the Miti Allied Forces had bypassed the obstructing dragon-headed monstrosity and were now making their way towards the upper deck!

    ¡°Rally at the stern.¡± With time running out and the enemy imminent, Yan Yu swiftly made a decision.

    The group hurried towards the stern of the ship, forming a tight battle line¡ªSword Immortals at the front, spell casters at the back.

    ¡°Invisibility Technique,¡± Yan Yu ordered.

    Without a second word, everyone quickly executed their spells, and their bodies soon became transparent.

 Chapter 175: 75: Lingnans Morning Tea is Unparalleled

    Chapter 175: Chapter 75: Lingnan¡¯s Morning Tea is Unparalleled

    The number of people rushing up to the deck from below was not small, already close to a hundred, most of them being Southeast Asian practitioners. Each one had tattooed faces, ear and nose piercings, and various Buddhist amulets and magic artifacts clinking at their waists.

    A small part of them were Miti¡¯s superheroes, mostly with high noses and deep-set eyes of Western faces, led by two old acquaintances of Yan Yu¡ªPhoenix and Thunderbird. They also stood tightly grouped together, clearly on guard against the surrounding Southeast Asian practitioners.

    After everyone boarded the deck, most of their attention focused on the Flood Dragon, with only a few glancing around, searching for any traces of the Rikoku Cultivators.

    None found.

    But they didn¡¯t have time to deploy search spells because an eerie and loud chewing noise once again came from within the corpse of the Flood Dragon.

    The crowd immediately became alert.

    ¡°Wait a moment,¡± Phoenix said in a low voice, signaling to Thunderbird to hold off on taking action.

    This Rikoku dragon was too enormous and, although motionless, who knew whether it was dead or alive?

    More importantly, these Asian Transcendents had no organization among themselves; they were basically fighting independently, and surely someone would not be able to hold back from going forward to investigate.

    Just let them test the waters!

    Sure enough, it wasn¡¯t long before a Siam Curse Technique practitioner pushed through the crowd, quickly casting spells at the Flood Dragon.

    Ghost Downfall!

    The Curse Technique transformed into a black light that instantly entered the corpse of the Flood Dragon, vanishing without a trace.

    ¡°Gibberish,¡± he turned back and spoke to his companion, ¡°Blah blah blah.¡±

    Although the meaning was unclear, the Transcendents from other nations could guess roughly:

    Indeed, the Flood Dragon must be dead, otherwise it wouldn¡¯t be unresponsive after being hit by the spells.

    Thus, the Southeast Asian practitioners no longer hesitated, swiftly closing in on the corpse of the Flood Dragon en masse.

    ¡°So, what now?¡± Thunderbird, with arms crossed, asked impatiently within the lineup of superheroes.

    When facing a giant monster, being cautious about not knowing whether the enemy was dead or alive was understandable; but now that the allies had tested it and the monster was indeed dead, continuing to be timid was indefensible.

    Don¡¯t forget we¡¯re live right now! Using cowardly tactics is going to cost us followers!

    If it were Thornbird here, with his cautious approach to survival, he might continue to observe even at the risk of losing followers. But Phoenix did care about his commercial value and nodded in response:

    ¡°Go!¡±

    With the two leaders taking action, the other superheroes naturally hesitated no longer and hurriedly rushed forward.

    With over a hundred Transcendents surrounding the body of the Flood Dragon, some began to search for the source of the strange chewing noise while others tried to cut pieces from the corpse, such as prying off dragon scales, snapping dragon horns, or climbing atop the dragon¡¯s head to flex their muscles in front of their companion¡¯s cameras.

    Meanwhile, in the Lu Country broadcast room streaming the superhero league, angry comments gradually took over the entire screen.

    It wasn¡¯t that everyone was very fond of the Flood Dragon; even if Lu Country cultivators were the ones taking photos with the Flood Dragon, the public might not have said anything. But seeing a group of foreigners standing on the corpse of a Lu Country dragon and showing off was indeed quite displeasing.

    Where are the Lu Country cultivators?

    Come on, cultivators of our Lu Country, hurry up and erase them all!

    Near the stern of the ship, the invisible Li Zhaojiang furrowed his brows and transmitted his voice to ask Yan Yu:

    ¡°Are we just going to stand by and watch?¡±

    He wasn¡¯t upset about the Lu Country dragon being desecrated, it was simply that he didn¡¯t want the dragon material to fall into the opponents¡¯ hands.

    ¡°Don¡¯t rush,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently, ¡°wait and see.¡±

    According to the records on the Jade Slip, human Cultivators who had eradicated the Worship Dragon Cult were looking for a method to acquire the Long Race bloodline.

    Although the exact method wasn¡¯t clearly stated, when Yan Yu saw the giant devouring the corpse of the Flood Dragon, he had more or less guessed the answer¡ªit was probably some flesh and blood secret method, where consuming the shape supplements the shape, you are what you eat!

    Indeed, after a while, the chewing noise finally stopped.

    The Transcendents surrounding the Flood Dragon corpse sensed something was wrong, but before they could react, the huge corpse of the Flood Dragon suddenly began to move.

    It started by violently coiling around itself, with claws tearing through the chests and bellies of seven or eight Transcendents who were too slow to dodge, splattering blood, flesh, and broken limbs all over the place.

    Following that, the Flood Dragon lifted its head, its cold, merciless golden eyes opening as it surveyed the many Transcendents on the deck.

    Hidden at the stern, the invisible Cultivators saw it all too clearly. The giant with the dragon head that had previously been gnawing on corpses, its upper body was now embedded in the wound on the Flood Dragon¡¯s abdomen, only its lower half and two legs dangled in mid-air, shaking and gradually burrowing deeper.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± The Flood Dragon parted its long-snouted jaws, emitting a long, hoarse sigh, its tone exactly the same as the dragon-headed giant¡¯s from before, ¡°I understand now¡­ I have not taken the wrong path, but simply walked too far¡­¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your invasion¡­ and disturbance¡­ Awakening me from a millennium of bewilderment¡­¡±

    ¡°As recompense, I shall¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­eat you all!!!¡±

    The Flood Dragon let out a thunderous roar, and as soon as it finished speaking, it twisted its body and charged forward!

    The Transcendents quickly scattered, but three or four who were half a beat too slow were caught in the onrushing Flood Dragon¡¯s jaws and were ruthlessly crushed to pieces!

    The Flood Dragon circled back again, tilting its head to swallow the flesh in its mouth. Only then did the remaining people snap out of their shock. Some cast Curse Techniques, some directed apparitions, while others launched various magical and weapon attacks, all targeting the massive body of the dragon.

    Dragon scales flew and blood splattered; the wounds seemed to be only skin-deep, but the Flood Dragon still roared in pain, suddenly opening its mouth to expel a beam of white light.

    That was a dart-like white light, striking one of the slower Transcendents, who instantly turned into an ice sculpture before shattering into pieces, falling dead on the spot.

    The Rikoku Cultivators remained invisible and shrunk at the stern. Their rigorous training proved greatly beneficial as not a soul panicked or cried out, even when the aftershocks of the battlefield¡¯s attacks struck just in front of them, a mere shift away from being fatal.

    ¡°If only Ye Jun were here,¡± Li Zhaojiang transmitted his wistful sentiment.

    Ye Jun, the deputy captain of the Dragon Soar Team, with a Xuan Guang Ruler in hand, could provide a protective shield with its light, rendering them undaunted by the battlefield¡¯s ¡°stray bullets,¡± so they could comfortably attack from within the protection of the light.

    Unfortunately, the Assistant Officers of the Zhenhai Team and the Qingan Team, Zhao Yuanzhen with a White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin and Wang Haoran wielding a historical Jade Slip, were not focused on defensive coverage.

    ¡°Stop the nonsense,¡± Li Minghu chided his younger brother in habit, before discussing with Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun, ¡°Maintaining the Invisibility Technique consumes a lot, and if the Flood Dragon can eliminate the enemies for us, that would be ideal. But I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not going to be that simple.¡± S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    She had already approximated in her mind that, given the current killing pace of the Flood Dragon and the rate of True Yuan consumption for maintaining the Invisibility Technique, when everyone had about one-third of their True Yuan left, the Flood Dragon might just be able to wipe out all the enemies on the field.

    Of course, the rate of True Yuan consumption is constant, but the speed of killing would change with the battle situation. Usually, the Flood Dragon would start by killing the softer targets, leaving the tough ones for later, making it increasingly difficult to kill, so choosing when to deactivate their invisibility was a tricky decision that required sharp battlefield judgment.

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu agreed, ¡°so we find an opportunity to retrace our steps and go back downstairs.¡±

    All: ???

    Then everyone finally caught on, and admiration secretly filled their hearts.

    As long as they hid downstairs, they wouldn¡¯t need the Invisibility Technique anymore, and could even calmly take Elixir Medicines to recover their True Yuan¡­ Brilliant!

    Yan Yu¡¯s mind works fast!

    Thus, under Yan Yu¡¯s lead and the protection of invisibility, they began to stealthily retreat toward the staircase from the rear of the ship.

    The hardest part of the retreat was not to be discovered by the enemy, and also not to get hit by the aftershocks of the battle; after all, as corpses, they couldn¡¯t use the Invisibility Technique.

    When it came to judging the situation, Yan Yu¡¯s eyesight was naturally top-notch. At his signal to move, everyone swiftly followed closely behind him, stepping quickly forward; at his signal to stop, everyone immediately halted, and then various attacks whooshed by in front, which would have hit them had they continued moving.

    Li Minghu suppressed the urge to cough, her mind racing.

    She could guess how Yan Yu managed it: using Divine Sense and vision to lock onto the relative positioning of every Transcendent and the Flood Dragon on the field, thereby predicting their long-distance attacks on each other and whether their trajectory would intersect with their path.

    Taking into account the constantly changing battle conditions and everyone¡¯s shifting positions, Yan Yu¡¯s on-the-fly decision-making ability seemed even more terrifying¡­ Did his brain have some sort of multi-core CPU embedded in it?

    While pondering internally, she followed Yan Yu, only to be suddenly yanked by the arm and pulled close to his side.

    In the very next second, some Spell exploded two meters from her previous spot, releasing a dark green poisonous fog ¡ª the fog perfectly engulfed the spot where Li Minghu had been standing.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Li Minghu quickly said.

    ¡°Stay focused,¡± Yan Yu admonished her.

    However, the girls of the Zhenhai Team saw it all too clearly: Yan Yu might have chosen a somewhat circuitous path, but he had avoided the main battlefield as much as possible. It was Li Minghu who had been distracted and slightly veered off course, almost walking into the range of the Spell¡¯s aftershock by accident.

    Wait! She had been following closely behind Yan Yu since the beginning. Could it have been a deliberate mistake?

    Wow, how crafty! Pretending to be careless and risking peril to prompt our team leader to play the hero and save the damsel, right?

    Li Minghu realized she had been lost in thought, and with her Divine Sense picking up the piercing looks from behind, as if they were daggers in her back, she mistook the stares as everyone¡¯s concern for her well-being. She quickly rallied her spirits and squeezed closer to Yan Yu in an effort not to cause him any more trouble.

 Chapter 176: 76: Yan Yus Amazing Leadership

    Chapter 176: Chapter 76: Yan Yu¡¯s Amazing Leadership

    The group finally reached the staircase smoothly and returned to the lower deck, only to find that no one was guarding this area.

    This situation seemed highly unlikely for the Rikoku Cultivators, for the one thing most feared when overcoming the gatekeeper was being flanked from behind; thus, leaving someone to cover the rear or setting an alert was necessary¡ªwith neither being dispensable.

    However, what defined the Allied Forces was precisely their extremely disparate composition.

    Not to mention the difference between superheroes and Southeast Asian sorcerers¡ªlacking a common language and culture, they were merely cooperating temporarily because they shared a common foe.

    The former were primarily concerned with fame and commercial value; staying behind to help keep watch wouldn¡¯t bring them any additional fan popularity, so naturally, no one was willing to stay back.

    As for the latter, there was no organization to speak of; everyone acted purely out of self-interest. How could they possibly be willing to make sacrifices for others?

    As a result, the Rikoku Cultivators encountered no obstacles on their way back and smoothly retreated to the lower area, where they concealed themselves in nearby cabins.

    With Chen Lingyun¡¯s Five Ghosts in charge of reconnaissance, no one even needed to pay attention to the outside situation. Everyone simply took their Elixir Medicine to recover their True Yuan and even had the mood for idle chit-chat.

    ¡°How is Deputy Team Leader Li feeling now?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, ¡°Can you still hold on?¡±

    ¡°Quite alright,¡± Li Minghu coughed a few times and held her chest, saying, ¡°I¡¯m feeling much better now.¡±

    Her action of holding her chest again drew unkind looks from the girls; it could only be said that when one has a bad impression of someone, it¡¯s like wearing tinted glasses¡ªeverything that person does seems negative.

    ¡°I know a bit of Runescript healing. Let me check,¡± Su Yunjin said, unaffected, as she approached. Her Divine Sense, aided by True Yuan, swiftly scanned Li Minghu¡¯s entire body.

    She wasn¡¯t really injured, just a bit frail with obstructed qi and blood circulation.

    So, her earlier detour was not because her body couldn¡¯t bear it, but rather, she intentionally gave the team leader a chance to come to her rescue, right?

    Secretary Su sighed inwardly for a moment; seeing her still wearing Yan Yu¡¯s coat now, she felt like saying nothing more.

    Tired, let it be destroyed.

    ¡°You have a congenital defect in physique; liver fire attacking the lungs, you¡¯re simply unsuited to be a Cultivator,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen spoke her mind without reserve, drawing a unified glare from the entire Qing¡¯an battle team.

    ¡°Who says my sister isn¡¯t fit to be a Cultivator?¡± Li Zhaojiang protested first, ¡°My sister just has a weaker constitution. Where does her swordsmanship fall short? What lacks in her awareness? Where is she insufficient in field composure?¡±

    With the Annan Army¡¯s past recordings laid out, and everyone being insiders, they had to admit that aside from her physical shortcomings, Li Minghu¡¯s battle qualities were top-notch in all aspects.

    ¡°Sister Zhao¡¯s words are indeed inapt, but you have to admit that on the battlefield, sometimes the enemy will target your weaknesses,¡± Lin Ning, with her straightforward nature, came forward to argue for Zhao Yuanzhen, ¡°In short skirmishes, it might not be an issue, but what if it¡¯s a prolonged or attrition war, what then?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re a team, we don¡¯t expect my sister to fight alone!¡± Li Zhaojiang retorted, ¡°The greatest advantage of a team is to compensate for each member¡¯s shortcomings as much as possible!¡±

    ¡°All right, Ah Jiang,¡± Li Minghu, who was tactful, could certainly sense the emotions of the girls around Yan Yu and said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. Although I¡¯m physically weak, I will try my best to compensate for my weaknesses and make sure not to hold everyone back.¡±

    Even though she spoke gently, the poignant undertone in her words made the girls feel empathetic pity.

    Indeed, how much competitiveness could a frail girl possess? Perhaps the team leader was only looking out for her out of pity, taking her along for convenience, and giving her his coat.

    Looking at Yan Yu, the team leader was staring outside, completely indifferent to defending Li Minghu, prompting the rest to fall silent.

    The atmosphere in the room grew heavy. Following the slight disruption, there was some awkwardness between the two teams, leading to silence; suddenly, Yan Yu broke the quiet:

    ¡°Something¡¯s not right.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    ¡°That Flood Dragon,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°doesn¡¯t its aura seem to be getting stronger?¡±

    ¡°Aura?¡± Chen Lingyun was taken aback.

    That aura was intangible and invisible¡ªwhat exactly are you referring to?

    Though perplexed, she quickly summoned back the Five Ghosts and questioned them, her expression immediately turning grave.

    ¡°The attack strength of the Flood Dragon is indeed intensifying.¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    If the previous Giant with the Dragon Head had been assimilating the Flood Dragon corpse by devouring it, then the longer the time, the deeper the assimilation, and the strength would naturally rise steadily¡ªit was an easy deduction.

    If they continued waiting here, it would only weaken the strength of the Miti Allied Forces while enhancing the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper¡¯s power. Therefore, it wasn¡¯t necessary to wait until everyone above was killed; finding the optimal moment to rejoin the battlefield was essential.

    ¡°How many are left above?¡± Yan Yu asked Chen Lingyun again.

    ¡°Ten,¡± Chen Lingyun replied.

    Originally, there were over a hundred Transcendents, but now ninety percent of them had been directly killed by the Flood Dragon¡ªit just goes to show that if your strength doesn¡¯t meet a certain threshold, all the numbers in the world won¡¯t help. It¡¯s like being mere foot soldiers in a Dynasty Warriors game.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment and then asked, ¡°How do you feel about going into battle now?¡±

    ¡°We have no objections,¡± the girls answered in unison. You¡¯re the captain; whatever you say goes.

    Over at the Qingan team, everyone turned their attention to the captain and the vice-captain.

    Li Zhaojiang hesitated greatly because he was worried about his older sister¡¯s health and wanted her to rest a bit longer¡­ Of course, this reason could not be voiced out loud; after all, the other side had just been talking about how Li Minghu¡¯s staying power was a weakness. If he said the same thing, it would be like admitting it without being pressed.

    Li Minghu noticed what her brother was hesitating about and, after a moment of thought, stood up, giving Yan Yu a soft smile:

    ¡°I support you.¡±

    She was well aware that, so far, Yan Yu hadn¡¯t made a single misstep in his decisions. More importantly, now that there were only ten people left on top, the numerical advantage of the Miti Allied Forces was no longer there, and charging into battle now was completely okay.

    As long as she supported Yan Yu, her brother, who always heeded her advice, would surely support Yan Yu as well.

    With that, the two teams would be able to reach a consensus immediately. There was no need to create any discord here.

    However, a remark may be unintentional, but the listener may read more into it.

    Not to mention the girls who had just shaken off their misgivings, even the members of Li Zhaojiang¡¯s team were now vaguely sensing something off.

    Has our vice-captain put too much trust in Captain Yan? Why does it seem like she¡¯s putting him on a pedestal?

    Of course, since they were in the midst of serious tactical decision-making, it wasn¡¯t appropriate to waste time on such trivial matters. So after everyone reflected for a moment, they expressed their agreement.

    ¡°All right,¡± Yan Yu nodded and said, ¡°After we enter the battle, Ling Yun will command our team, and Minghu, your team will take care of itself. Although our command systems are separate, we are in this fight together. If there¡¯s a chance to help each other out, let¡¯s make sure we do.¡±

    His words were actually aimed at the girls. Yan Yu was not the typical insensitive man; he had clearly picked up on the awkwardness and jealously in the girls¡¯ earlier words about Li Minghu.

    You can form your alliances and play your games behind the scenes, but don¡¯t you dare drop the ball on the battlefield!

    Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin picked up on the subtext of his speech. The Princess smiled faintly, her attitude ambiguous; Secretary Su remained expressionless, as she was a kind-hearted girl to begin with, and had not targeted Li Minghu before¡ªnaturally, she had no intention of doing so later.

    Lin Ning had a vague suspicion of his meaning, but since she felt no guilt¡ªher words had been purely factual¡ªshe pursed her lips and stayed silent.

    As for the fearless Demonic Sect Enchantress, Zhao Yuanzhen, although she hadn¡¯t concealed her annoyance at Li Minghu earlier, she was ironically the only one in the team who hadn¡¯t caught on to Yan Yu¡¯s implication, thus she impatiently said:

    ¡°Alright, alright! Wasn¡¯t it the same when we cooperated with the Dingbei Army before? You don¡¯t need to repeat yourself. Stop nagging and spewing nonsense!¡±

    ¡°Fine then,¡± Yan Yu wasn¡¯t sure if she was genuinely oblivious or pretending to be, but since no one had objections, he was ready to opt for a courteous approach before resorting to force.

    With a grand sweep of his arm, he declared boldly:

    ¡°Let¡¯s set off then! Let those foreigners witness for themselves who truly owns the South Sea, where the Treasure Ships of the Three Islands reside!¡±

    When it came to the noble cause of defending the nation¡¯s territory, everyone¡¯s spirits were lifted. They put aside their personal affections, their morale soaring as they responded:

    ¡°Good!¡±

    At this moment, on deck, the battle seemed to have neared its end.

    Among the ten remaining on the field, there were six superheroes from the Miti Allied Forces and four sorcerers from Southeast Asia¡ªall formidable first-rate warriors; otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have survived until then. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The Flood Dragon, controlled by the giant with the dragon-head, was covered in wounds, bleeding profusely, and its life force had considerably weakened; it wouldn¡¯t have been surprising if it had collapsed dead the next second.

    But the synthesis values of the two had actually climbed to a certain critical point, and now they were merely holding back their strength.

    The global broadcast outside, with the help of some die-hard fans stirring the pot, had already prompted many impassioned citizens of Lu Country to start cursing furiously in the live chat.

    They didn¡¯t want to see the Miti Allied Forces claim the final victory of the Mysterious Realm; their anger had nowhere else to go but to be vented on the Rikoku Cultivators who had yet to appear.

    But precisely because the Rikoku Cultivators hadn¡¯t shown up, the ¡°match¡± seemed not to have reached the point where the outcome was settled beyond a doubt; thus, no matter how annoyed and disgruntled they were, even resorting to complaints and insults, they had no choice but to keep watching, holding their noses.

    Complain they might, but¡­

    ¡­please don¡¯t lose!!!

 Chapter 177: 77: Heroes Always Arrive Last

    Chapter 177: Chapter 77: Heroes Always Arrive Last

    The battle for the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm, final circle! Only 10 people left!

    During the intense commentary by the hosts and guests of the Superhero Alliance, the identities of these 10 individuals were all exposed once more.

    On the side of superheroes, four remain!

    ¡°Phoenix¡± Phoenix, a professional cleric devoted to the radiant deity, Helios!

    Even if her body was torn open by the Flood Dragon¡¯s claws, she would heal completely the next second. The vast flames she unleashed would scorch the Flood Dragon, wounding it all over!

    ¡°Thunderbird¡± Margaret, a professional Berserker and a Valkyrie wielding Odin¡¯s Eternal Spear!

    Lightning twined around her feet as she moved with the speed of thunder, constantly hurling the Thunder Lance into the body of the Flood Dragon, causing explosions that left the area a bloody mess!

    ¡°Judge¡± Stevenson, a professional Cleric, the terrestrial saint wielding Divine Wrath!

    In his hands, he held a silver cross pendant blessed by God, capable of summoning endless blades of light that fiercely pierced through the evil Eastern dragon!

    ¡°Sharpshooter¡± Alex, a professional Wizard, an experienced male sorcerer adept in the arcane tomes!

    A barrage of magical arrows followed his incantations, tracking the Flood Dragon wherever it desperately fled, detonating with magical force!

    After introducing the superheroes, the host moved on to introduce the sorcerers currently on the field.

    Curse Technique Master Ajarn Luo! Curse Technique Master Mo Ha! Sorceress An Nongwan! Sorcerer Ah Le! Tattooed Charm Master Ba Yu! Oh no, Tattooed Charm Master Ba Yu has been smashed in half by the Flood Dragon¡¯s tail! There are only four sorcerers left! Okay, now let¡¯s continue to watch the superheroes in action¡­

    As for the blatant bias of the Superhero Alliance¡¯s production in favor of Western superheroes, giving barely any screen time to the sorcerers and merely mentioning their names when absolutely necessary, the Southeast Asian audience expressed great anger.

    But there was no helping it; after all, the main body of the global audience currently watching the live broadcast was from developed Western countries, and they preferred the stories where Western superheroes dominated the battlefield.

    As for the Rikoku Cultivators who had been absent from the camera for a long time, the host had mentioned them a few times earlier, like ¡°Were they eaten by the Eastern dragon before the superheroes arrived on the battlefield?¡± but later on they were no longer brought up.

    The cultivators hadn¡¯t appeared, and the Rikoku audience had also grown numb to it. Although the overall number of live broadcast viewers was still increasing, the comment feed had basically quieted down.

    The occasional screen-filled comments were from newly-arrived viewers from the Rikoku country asking, ¡°Where are our people, where are they?¡± Evidently they had recently entered the live stream. At first, other viewers explained and speculated, but later even those explanations stopped.

    In the principal¡¯s office, Li Weiguo and Chen Tianming were quietly staring at the screen, not speaking.

    Would Yan Yu be eaten by the Flood Dragon? Ridiculous! If he didn¡¯t strip the sinew from the Flood Dragon alive and perform a fancy jump rope routine in front of the global audience, we¡¯d be utterly grateful.

    As the number of fighters on the battlefield dwindled, the best time to pick the spoils was getting closer, and although they were silent, their anticipation grew stronger in their hearts.

    Show yourself, Yan Yu!

    Go dominate the battlefield and claim victory for Rikoku!

    As if heeding the call of the high-ranking officials and countless citizens, the very next second¡­

    Countless sword lights invaded the battlefield!

    In that moment, whether in foreign or domestic live streams, the comment feed instantly exploded with frenzy!

    On the deck of the Three Isles Treasure Ship, Zhao Yuanzhen and Lin Ning stood side by side as they charged forward with the Shifting Technique, only to hear Chen Lingyun¡¯s voice transmission:

    ¡°Left one.¡±

    She immediately split from Lin Ning, her Yin Wind Sword moving rapidly and lethally, striking the first sorcerer on the left.

    Sorcerer Ah Le!

    The opponent was gaunt and long-limbed, facing the oncoming onslaught of the Demonic Sect Enchantress with an expressionless face, merely pointing a finger.

    Instantly, two specters, one large, one small, burst forth from the charm hanging at his waist. The larger one was wretched, the smaller one as translucent as a curtain, both charging straight towards Zhao Yuanzhen.

    This was the ¡°Resentful Mother and Child Spirit¡± (in Siam language, Phi Tai Thang Klom), formed by torturing a pregnant woman of at least three months with Curse Techniques until she dies, allowing the souls of mother and child to gain magical powers due to intense hatred. These spirits could ignore most physical attacks and possess someone else¡¯s body, killing them without shedding blood.

    In Sorcerer Ah Le¡¯s opinion, the opponent would first attempt to cut down the Resentful Mother and Child Spirit with the Flying Sword, only to find that physical attacks were ineffective, and by then it would be too late to flee, allowing the spirits to possess and turn on their allies¡­ just as he had experienced in past battles with other sorcerers.

    Zhao Yuanzhen indeed didn¡¯t give it much thought, simply executing a sword technique that directed the Yin Wind Sword towards the Resentful Mother and Child Spirit.

    As the Yin Wind Sword howled through the air, cries of anguish rose in the wind, reaching the ears of the Resentful Mother and Child Spirit, their faces of hatred and malice quickly turning to fear and dread.

    Immediately after, they disregarded Sorcerer Ah Le¡¯s commands, fleeing headlong in rebellion, daring not to come closer to Zhao Yuanzhen.

    If Yan Yu had witnessed this scene, he would have instantly guessed that it was because of the Yin Wind Sword¡¯s nature; its true name, the Sword of Ten Thousand Evil Spirits, devoured souls and spirits, making it the bane of all ghosts.

    Confused Sorcerer Ah Le: ?

    Before he could react in shock, Zhao Yuanzhen mercilessly changed her sword technique, the Yin Wind Sword swiftly altering its course to cut down the unprepared Sorcerer Ah Le into two.

    Turning to the frantic mother and child spirit trying to escape the Yin Wind Sword, Chen Lingyun had already cornered them with the summoning of five ghosts, before capturing them in the Soul Summoning Banner with a powerful spell.

    Lin Ning, likewise following Chen Lingyun¡¯s command, directed her Green Bamboo Sword at the right side where Sorceress An Nongwan was positioned.

    An Nongwan, a female sorcerer from Sulu, summoned not spirits but Iron Corpses. As Lin Ning pressed on, she shot a black light to fend off the Green Bamboo Sword, while directing the Iron Corpse to attack Lin Ning.

    Before the battle on Changbai Mountain, had Lin Ning seen the ghastly, foul-smelling Iron Corpse leaping towards her to bite, she might have been startled.

    But now, she was no novice to battling zombie-like enemies. Besides, this Iron Corpse was even slower than the Iron Corpse she¡¯d faced before. So, she simply retreated in a calm manner using the Shifting Technique, not allowing the Iron Corpse to get close, her hand rapidly executing successive sword techniques.

    Sword Technique: Eagle Strike the Heavens! S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The Green Bamboo Sword performed a swift slash, colliding with the darkness emanating from the opponent and emitted a dull yet rapid sound. The dark light was forced back by the power of the sword strike, but the green sword light advanced instead of retreating, delivering a second slash in the blink of an eye!

    Two consecutive strikes later, the dark light couldn¡¯t withstand it any longer and dispersed. It turned out to be a flying centipede, roughly the length of a human forearm, its exoskeleton already shattered to pieces, barely clinging to life.

    Yet Lin Ning¡¯s sword technique did not cease. With another shake of the green sword light, she bisected the flying centipede.

    Eagle Strike Triple Slash!

    Sorcerer An Nongwan was not a Sword Immortal, nor did she understand the technical complexities involved in executing the three consecutive slashes of the Eagle Strike the Heavens. Seeing her own life-preserving flying centipede being slain by three swift slashes from the opponent¡¯s sword, she immediately ceased counterattacking and hurriedly shook the Magic Artifact bell in her hand, signaling the Iron Corpse to quickly return and protect its master.

    But how could the Iron Corpse, which was originally chasing Lin Ning, return immediately upon command?

    Lin Ning would certainly not miss this opportunity. With her Green Bamboo Sword performing a technique resembling a white rainbow piercing the sun, she ruthlessly thrust it through An Nongwan¡¯s chest, killing her instantly.

    Zhao and Lin both burst onto the battlefield and swiftly slew their respective opponents. To the viewers in the global live stream, especially the citizens of Rikoku still watching on their screens, it felt as if a nuclear bomb had been dropped in the chatroom, and it was impossible to make out what the frenzied scrambling of messages were saying.

    Until the Superhero Alliance hurriedly switched the broadcasting perspective.

    Margaret the Phoenix once again clashed with Li Minghu. Leaping high into the air, she continued to hurl Thunder Lances from her arms in rapid succession, attempting to deter the widespread offensive of the Rikoku Cultivators. However, nearly every Thunder Lance shot out was intercepted and exploded in mid-air by Li Minghu¡¯s Sky Flash Sword.

    Conversely, Li Minghu was momentarily held back by Phoenix, allowing the Phoenix on her flank to activate the Self-Combustion Spell. Instantly transforming into a raging fiery figure, she lunged at the Cultivators battling in the front.

    ¡°Su, be careful,¡± Su Yunjin suddenly heard Chen Lingyun¡¯s voice transmission from behind.

    She quickly lifted her head and saw the Phoenix suddenly overflying the front line¡¯s defense, her spread arms of flames forming massive wings as she dove towards Su Yunjin from above.

    Su Yunjin¡¯s expression remained unchanged as she stealthily formed a Spell with her hands, her calm eyes reflecting the fiery silhouette of the Phoenix.

    This ambush is nowhere near the speed of our captain.

    She abruptly summoned her True Yuan, calling forth the water of the Southern Dipper River.

    First technique, Jiaochong!

    A powerful column of water erupted from the ground, instantly engulfing the Phoenix¡¯s flaming form and violently tossing it about.

    That¡¯s not all! Second technique, Li Fan!

    This time, instead of a column, a tsunami-like wave crashed down, as if an invisible hand was forcefully slamming the drowned and struggling Phoenix onto the ground.

    The flames around the Phoenix had already been extinguished, and after being smashed by the wave, it bounced off the ground hard. Su Yunjin¡¯s True Yuan was now at its peak, even her hair floated in the air from the surge of True Yuan, giving her the appearance of a celestial being descending from the nine heavens, majestic, and impervious.

    Third technique, Lang Feiyun!

    A barrage of dense water cannon bullets fired, hitting the Phoenix continuously while still in the air, likening to a home run in baseball, directly knocking the Phoenix out of the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm. She disappeared near the boundary of the Mysterious Realm after crossing a distance of nearly three or four hundred meters.

    On the surface of the real world, the bedraggled Phoenix skipped several times upon the water, barely managing to stabilize her figure. She then summoned her fiery wings to take to the skies again as the flames rapidly healed her wounds, restoring her to her unblemished peak condition, ready to rejoin the battlefield.

    Huh?

    Looking towards the distant Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm, and the fleet of Miti carriers behind it, he suddenly fell into a state of unbelievable stupor.

    I¡­ was forcefully ejected from the Secret Realm by her?

    The Miti superhero ¡°Phoenix¡± Phoenix was solidly defeated by Su Yunjin and left the battlefield!

    Within the Secret Realm, on the deck, as Rikoku Cultivators and Transcendents grappled with each other in close combat, Yan Yu and Li Zhaojiang, the two captains, had already rushed along the edges near the ship¡¯s sides, bypassing the intensely-fought central battlefield, and quickly arrived before the Flood Dragon at the bow of the ship.

    Catch the thief before catching the king!

    The Flood Dragon calmly looked at the two Rikoku Cultivators, raising its upper body high and emitting a dragon cry that shook the heavens.

    The deep, ominous clouds overhead seemed to descend several hundred meters as a result of the dragon cry, as if something was about to emerge from within.

    Li Zhaojiang was about to speak when he suddenly received Yan Yu¡¯s voice transmission:

    ¡°Dodge.¡±

    He hastily retreated using the Shifting Technique. The next second, a beam of golden light descended from the sky and struck where they had just been standing, embedding deeply into the deck of the Three Isles Treasure Ship.

    It was a massive curved scythe, over twenty meters long and shimmering with golden light.

    The Flood Dragon extended its enormous claws, gripping the side of the scythe tightly with enough force to sink the blade deep into its blood-drenched toes, and, despite the intense pain, the dragon¡¯s head seemed even more exhilarated:

    ¡°What does it matter if one is man or dragon? In this world, only power is eternal! Only power¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­is the eternal goal of those who pursue cultivation!¡±

 Chapter 178: 78: Puppet Ah Zhen, Accompany Me to Slay the Dragon

    Chapter 178: Chapter 78: Puppet Ah Zhen, Accompany Me to Slay the Dragon

    ¡°`

    The idea of a Flood Dragon wielding a dragon-slaying cleaver¡­ sounds utterly ridiculous.

    But those who dare to laugh at it, if they truly stood in front of it at this moment, would certainly not be able to laugh.

    Li Zhaojiang was no longer able to laugh.

    ¡°What the hell!¡± he couldn¡¯t help but blurt out when he saw the Flood Dragon raising its long cleaver.

    Since when do Flood Dragons use weapons?

    ¡°Scared, are you?¡± sent Yan Yu via a secret transmission, ¡°If you¡¯re scared, just leave, hide behind your sister.¡±

    Provoked by his goading, Li Zhaojiang¡¯s panic instantly dissipated, and he retorted:

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be the one who¡¯s scared?¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll go find your sister for help right now.¡±

    ¡°You dare!¡±

    The way the two exchanged messages, clearly not taking the cleaver-wielding Flood Dragon seriously, infuriated the creature. It swung its cleaver in a powerful lateral chop, sweeping through everything in its path, turning ship¡¯s gunwales, cables, masts, or anything else into smithereens beneath the cleaver¡¯s edge.

    But how could such a coarse and clumsy attack possibly work on them? Yan Yu and Li Zhaojiang simply took a light leap, ascending with the Cloud Ascension Technique, and easily dodged the cleaver that slashed beneath their feet.

    Just then, the Flood Dragon suddenly opened its mouth again, a streak of white light flashing towards Yan Yu¡¯s head.

    Yan Yu was floating in mid-air at this moment with no objects nearby to use for leverage, the white light seemingly about to hit him unavoidably, when suddenly a black beam of light burst from the side, colliding head-on with the dragon¡¯s white light and silently annihilating each other.

    Li Zhaojiang, captain of the Qingan battle team and a professional Spell Cultivator, although usually completely obedient to his older sister Li Minghu within the team, it doesn¡¯t mean he lacks the strength of a team captain. He cultivates a lineage of spells known as the Primordial Magnetism Divine Light Great Method, a unique secret technique that is not part of the five elements and has special effects for both attack and control.

    Li Zhaojiang used the Primordial Magnetism Divine Light to intercept the white light aimed at Yan Yu and immediately sent a taunting transmission:

    ¡°Hahaha, Yan Yu, you owe me one life¡­¡±

    Before he could finish talking, his back was struck by the Green Bamboo Sword, forcing him to lurch forward involuntarily, which just so happened to let him avoid the Flood Dragon¡¯s lethal claw strike from a blind spot.

    ¡°Naive,¡± Yan Yu commented with disdain.

    ¡°Damn damn damn damn damn damn damn!¡± Li Zhaojiang, having fallen beneath the Flood Dragon, communicated his incredibly frustrated feelings through seven hoarse, forceful words sent through a secret transmission.

    ¡°Let¡¯s kill it before we talk,¡± replied Yan Yu.

    Li Zhaojiang then stopped talking further, his gaze fixed intently on the huge Flood Dragon before him, as he began to stir up his True Yuan with high intensity.

    If Yan Yu was just a potential contender for stealing his sister¡¯s affections, then this Flood Dragon was without a doubt the chief culprit for embarrassing him in public. Rather than continue mocking Yan Yu, it was indeed more important to slay the dragon first!

    Primordial Magnetism Divine Light, blow it up for me! S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Li Zhaojiang let out a shout (meaninglessly), clasped his hands together in front of his chest (showing off), and then drew out a majestic black column of light, like the great Sun Wukong lifting his Golden Cudgel, and smashed it down onto the Flood Dragon¡¯s head!

    Unexpectedly, the Flood Dragon raised its cleaver to block. The moment the Primordial Magnetism Divine Light collided with the dragon-slaying cleaver, the latter was immediately attracted, twisted, and bent, forcibly twisted into a twisted shape¡ªthe Primordial Magnetism Divine Light had a remarkable effect against all metallic objects.

    However, by sacrificing its giant cleaver, the Flood Dragon seized the precious moment to counterattack, its tail whipping at Li Zhaojiang like a long whip, bringing a deep whistling wind sound with its fierce motion.

    Li Zhaojiang had no desire to be turned into meat paste by the dragon¡¯s tail, so he had to interrupt his Taoism Method abruptly and retreated swiftly with the Shifting Technique to dodge the tail whip. He then transmitted to Yan Yu:

    ¡°Great, you just stand to one side and enjoy the show, huh?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Yan Yu, who was leisurely watching from the side, shot back, ¡°You¡¯re using Primordial Magnetism Divine Light, what do you expect me to do with Sword Control? Wouldn¡¯t the sword get sucked away by the Primordial Magnetism Divine Light?¡±

    Li Zhaojiang had no comeback, for his Primordial Magnetism Divine Light does indeed uncontrollably attract all metallic objects, so he usually refrains from using it, only employing it when he needs to strike a lethal blow, to avoid affecting Li Minghu and Jiang Hong¡¯s Sword Control Technique.

    He was now rarely fighting side by side with Yan Yu against an enemy and very eager to outdo this villain coveting his sister, so he unleashed the Primordial Magnetism Divine Light with full power¡­ forgetting its adverse effect.

    What was more troublesome was that to play that ¡°Primordial Magnetism Divine Light Golden Cudgel,¡± his True Yuan had also been heavily depleted by now.

    A Spell Cultivator¡¯s way indeed uses up True Yuan the most, and compared to the cost-effective Sword Control Technique, it¡¯s essentially two extremes.

    Watching Yan Yu calmly command the Green Bamboo Sword, striking with ease at various parts of the Flood Dragon, Li Zhaojiang quickly followed suit, summoning the Skyfire Sword and joining in the assault on the Flood Dragon.

    The Flood Dragon had lost its huge cleaver and was unable to block; it was chopped up and bleeding everywhere, suddenly soaring up, attempting to spiral and fly into the sky.

    The dragon was trying to escape!

    None of the group knew how to use Sword Flight, and once the Flood Dragon hid among the clouds, it would essentially become untargetable. Waiting for it to heal its wounds before coming back down¡­ what¡¯s the point in fighting then!

    ¡°`

    Li Zhaojiang couldn¡¯t afford to conserve his True Yuan any longer and was about to cast the Primordial Magnetism Divine Light Great Method again, but then he saw Yan Yu rush onto the dragon¡¯s body using the Shifting Technique, the Green Bamboo Sword deeply embedded into the Flood Dragon¡¯s flesh. He gripped the hilt tightly and refused to let go, forcibly dragging the Flood Dragon into the sky.

    Li Zhaojiang: ???

    Behind him, the battle on the deck was drawing to a close.

    The individual combat capabilities of the Rikoku Cultivators were not poor, and they had the absolute advantage in numbers, so the outcome of the battle was almost a foregone conclusion.

    Li Minghu beheaded Stevenson, and Alex was killed by Zhao Yuanzhen; the thunderbird Margaret was left struggling alone and, after dueling Lin Ning¡¯s Green Bamboo Sword for a moment, realized that all her comrades were gone and promptly surrendered with both hands performing the France military salute.

    The Sorcerers, on the other hand, were much harder and more ruthless. Apart from Ajarn Luo, the Curse Technique practitioner who was controlled by the Five Ghosts spell of Chen Lingyun, the others all fought vehemently against the Qing¡¯an battle team, dying in resistance, with not a single one surrendering to plead for life.

    After sealing the two remaining live captives, everyone just happened to witness the Flood Dragon flying into the sky with Li Zhaojiang standing below, dumbfounded.

    ¡°The dragon?¡± Li Minghu hurriedly asked.

    ¡°The one in the sky,¡± Li Zhaojiang said numbly. ¡°It¡¯s not dead, it flew away.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s our captain?¡± Lin Ning asked in a panic.

    ¡°On the dragon¡¯s back,¡± Li Zhaojiang¡¯s eyes twitched as he replied, ¡°He flew off with it.¡±

    The girls: ???

    Once again, they all looked up together at the Flood Dragon, flying higher and higher, not knowing what to do.

    At the same time, the camera on the body of the slain superhero also managed to capture the Flood Dragon spiraling into the sky, along with Yan Yu who was hanging unsteadily on the dragon¡¯s body, so the live broadcast¡¯s comments were likewise filled with ¡°???????????¡±

    Wait, isn¡¯t this the final battle? According to the usual fantasy drama script, shouldn¡¯t everyone be struggling to kill the Boss and then reap a myriad of spoils of war? How did someone suddenly ride off on the Boss?

    In the school principal¡¯s office, even Li Weiguo and Chen Tianming, confident as they were, couldn¡¯t help but wipe sweat for Yan Yu ascending into the sky.

    After all, gravity doesn¡¯t care about you much; falling from over ten thousand meters high, even if you land in the sea, it could smash you to death outright.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Li Weiguo suddenly said. ¡°The kid has the Cloud Ascension Technique. He can float down slowly.¡±

    Chen Tianming also reacted quickly:

    ¡°No need to float all the way down, just use the Cloud Ascension Technique as soon as he¡¯s about to reach the sea surface to cancel out the velocity.¡±

    ¡°Knowing his stubborn personality, it¡¯s probably just as you said,¡± Li Weiguo breathed a sigh of relief to himself, but his face broke into a hearty laugh, adopting the composed demeanor of ¡°I always knew he wouldn¡¯t fight an unwinnable battle.¡±

    As for who was sweating for Yan Yu just now? Don¡¯t know, not clear, don¡¯t ask.

    The things Li Weiguo and Chen Tianming could think of, the Cultivators within the Mysterious Realm naturally could imagine as well.

    Everyone just watched as the Flood Dragon took Yan Yu into the clouds, completely disappearing from view, unsure of what expression or reaction to show.

    ¡°Darn it, darn it, Team Leader Yan has been dragged up to the sky by the Flood Dragon,¡± would it seem too alarmist?

    ¡°Haha, truly worthy of Team Leader Yan to actually be able to ride a dragon into the sky,¡± would that seem somewhat inappropriate?

    Or should we just smile?

    Above the clouds, Yan Yu was dragged above the sea of clouds by the Flood Dragon, where a sky full of stars hung high, shining brightly.

    The flow of time in the Mysterious Realm was naturally not synchronized with the outside world, and this starry sky was probably just some sort of background texture, which didn¡¯t need to be scrutinized too closely.

    The reason Yan Yu had ridden the Flood Dragon into the skies was obviously not to admire this fake starry sky, but to use the cover of the sea of clouds to shield unnecessary line of sight.

    Here, I¡¯ll stop playing the newbie!

    The Flood Dragon let out a long cry, and seven or eight white lights shot out from its mouth, suddenly turning towards Yan Yu. They came at him like a multitude of swords attacking all at once.

    Yan Yu fell from the Flood Dragon¡¯s body, dodging these frost spells, and the Green Bamboo Sword steadily caught him from below, then wrapped him quickly in sword light.

    Sword Flight!

    Within the sword light, his right hand gave a slight flick, activating the String-Pulling Technique. A Silver Pellet shot out from his sleeve, spinning briefly before instantly transforming into the figure of a tall, slender beauty. Her arms spread wide like a bird¡¯s wings, she glided alongside the sword light, her garments fluttering elegantly in the wind.

    Yan Yu gave a slight smile, looking ahead at the Flood Dragon desperately fleeing.

    Come! Puppet Ah Zhen, join me in slaying the dragon!

 Chapter 179: 79: Slay the Dragon!

    Chapter 179: Chapter 79: Slay the Dragon! Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Sea of clouds, starry sky, heavenly winds, sword light!

    Yan Yu was eighteen years old this year, and thus it had also been eighteen years since he last experienced Sword Flight.

    But as he witnessed the grand scenes around him, the long-missed experiences and memories quickly surged from the bottom of his heart.

    To travel as light, covering a thousand miles in an instant, this is the true bearing of an immortal like myself!

    It was a pity that the Spiritual Energy Resurgence was still in its early stages and his own Cultivation Realm wasn¡¯t high enough, so he couldn¡¯t afford to fly unrestrained for long periods and could only enjoy it for a brief moment.

    A quick battle it is!

    Yan Yu quickly spurred on the sword light, and his speed surged once more, finally catching up to the tail of the Flood Dragon.

    Sword Control Slash!

    The Flying Sword rapidly sliced along the body of the Flood Dragon, this time not merely leaving a wound but directly dismembering it! Dragon scales, chunks of flesh, tendons, bones¡­ countless remnants fell like rain.

    Having lost half of its lower body, the Flood Dragon cried out in pain and anger. Suddenly turning its head around, it aimed at Yan Yu and snapped fiercely with its gaping maw!

    The dragon¡¯s teeth were sharp and powerful enough to crush mountains. Not to mention invoking the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse, even Qin Meng using the ¡°Dragon Elephant Nirvana Divine Skill¡± and activating the specialized Body Refinement Secret Art to withstand it would have been bitten in half in an instant!

    The dragon¡¯s biting speed and range were extremely fast and large. If Yan Yu wanted to dodge with his sword light, he could only flee quickly to the side¡ªthereby being forced to abandon his attack.

    But faster than the speed of the dragon¡¯s head was the figure of a graceful and lithe shadow.

    The puppet Ah Zhen.

    Just a second before, she was blocking the dragon¡¯s head; the next, she stepped on the whiskers and quickly moved up, treading rapidly across the scalation of the snout, step by step! The rugged scales under her feet were as if she was walking on flat ground. By the time she reached directly between the dragon¡¯s eyes, a segment of a sword had already protruded from her wrist, with a cold light shining as bright as a mirror.

    Cross Slash!

    The dragon¡¯s eyeball was covered by a nictitating membrane as hard as fine steel, not easily penetrated by ordinary blades. But the puppet Ah Zhen, with her core of ¡°Heavenly River Anchored Divine Metal,¡± could exert the power of a thousand jun, even more ferocious than the usual Flying Swords!

    A horizontal slash! A vertical cut! Amidst the surging sword light, the pupils shattered open, and golden dragon blood burst forth like a volcanic eruption. In pain, the Flood Dragon shook its head violently, flinging the puppet Ah Zhen forcefully to the ground.

    Before it could even catch its breath, its remaining eye was once again completely filled with the mysterious yellow sword light.

    Sword-Human Unity!

    Yan Yu and the Huang Tingjian fused together through a secret spell, transforming into a magnificent sword light and piercing straight into the Flood Dragon¡¯s eyes!

    Blinded, the Flood Dragon could no longer discern directions and plunged headfirst towards the edge of the Mysterious Realm!

    Just like the Phoenix that was beaten out of the Mysterious Realm by Su Yunjin, the blind Flood Dragon wailed as it broke through the Mysterious Realm barrier, chaotically rushing into the South Sea¡¯s sky, and began to flee toward the northwest.

    The puppet Ah Zhen had already reverted to a Silver Pellet, rolling back into Yan Yu¡¯s sleeve.

    After the terrifying expenditure of the Sword Control Slash and the Sword-Human Unity, Yan Yu¡¯s body now had barely one-tenth of his True Yuan remaining. He could only grab onto the ends of the Flood Dragon¡¯s whiskers while continuing to fiercely attack it with the Huang Tingjian.

    The Flood Dragon, now sightless and barely alive, was well aware that Yan Yu¡¯s remaining True Yuan was also running low. Otherwise, if Yan Yu initiated another Sword-Human Unity, it would have already been slain on the spot.

    If it could just hold on until his True Yuan was exhausted, combined with the Flood Dragon¡¯s robust body that wouldn¡¯t easily die¡­ there might still be a chance to turn the tables and kill him!

    It thought bitterly, unaware that in his previous life, Yan Yu started on the path of the Asura as a mere mortal, and being unable to refine True Yuan was always his weak point. In this kind of endgame, how to extract every last bit of True Yuan and maximize its effect, there was probably no one else in the world more skilled than him.

    A fight to the death!

    Man attacking, dragon defending, the struggle relentless. The Flood Dragon soared through clouds and fog, flying as swiftly as a comet, drawing a long tail-like trail in the sky that no one from the outside of the Mysterious Realm could catch up to.

    But the surging of Yan Yu¡¯s sword light was more like Thunder Clap, chasing down the comet with endless brilliance, with every dazzling flash being a heavy blow of the sword body smashing into dragon scales, sparking fierce fire!

    Soon, the Flood Dragon entered into the territory of Lu Country, and by this point, a great number of civilians in Yi¡¯an Prefecture had already witnessed it. Annan Army was so flustered that they didn¡¯t even bother with the South Sea and had to focus all their attention on this uninvited guest.

    After all, if the Flood Dragon targeted a densely populated area and unleashed a spell¡­ it could become an extremely vicious disaster, the severity of which need not be overstated.

    But Zhendong Army¡¯s Yan Yu was still fighting to the death on the dragon, and the frequent flashing of the sword light made it impossible to use anti-aircraft forces to shoot it down.

    Troublesome indeed!

    The Flood Dragon, unaware of the difficulties facing the Annan army, and being completely blind, didn¡¯t expect to randomly hit Yan Yu with its sharp claws or spells. It could only keep charging ahead at full speed, hoping the violent turbulence brought by the fast airflow would exhaust his strength¡ªor True Yuan. As long as it could shake him off, anything would do.

    However, what increasingly terrified it was that although it didn¡¯t know where exactly Yan Yu was, the attacks from the Huang Tingjian sword never ceased. Each strike added deeply painful wounds that overwhelmed its regenerative abilities.

    As its injuries grew more severe, its consciousness also began to falter.

    Yan Yu, of course, could sense that the Flood Dragon was nearing its limit. Its flying altitude was rapidly decreasing, and a forced landing was becoming imminent.

    He pulled on a dragon whisker and looked down, only to see a cityscape with towering buildings clearly ahead.

    After slaying the dragon, the Flood Dragon was bound to plummet quickly. With its size, it would crush a swath of people if it landed on the streets, and even if it hit buildings, the walls would collapse. Cleaning up the aftermath would be extremely troublesome.

    Fortunately, within Yan Yu¡¯s line of sight, he could see a wide river running through the city, with vast open spaces and vegetation along its banks that seemed to be a riverside park.

    While it was regrettable for the citizens enjoying the park, it was still better than directly crashing onto a main traffic road or residential and office buildings. Yan Yu could solve this simple math problem.

    I can¡¯t stop the Flood Dragon from landing, but I can decide when it lands prematurely!

    After roughly estimating the dive point and timing, the Huang Tingjian sword once again flew above the dragon¡¯s head and suddenly chopped down with full force as heavy as a mountain.

    Dragon Slaying!

    The heavy sword didn¡¯t manage to split the dragon¡¯s hard skull, but it did create a crack on it. The residual force pierced through the layers of bone into the brain, scattering its lingering consciousness¡ªthis Flood Dragon was already dead. Even if it was controlled through a secret art by the giant who headed the Long Race, it still couldn¡¯t fully manifest the true power of a dragon.

    Out of control, the dragon¡¯s body, carried by momentum, accelerated in its fall, gliding until most of its body sank into the river, causing nearly ten-meter-high waves, while its head crushed the riverbank guardrail and landed in the less crowded riverside park.

    No one was injured, perfect!

    Yan Yu, having used the Cloud Ascension Technique to escape, leisurely flew onto the dragon¡¯s head, found a protrusion near the dragon horn to sit on comfortably, and started to space out, waiting for the Annan army to come and collect the corpse.

    Given the current state of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, even an incompletely resurrected dragon puppet, with its abnormal vitality and defense, was an extremely difficult enemy to deal with.

    I wonder how the Valkyrie of the previous era managed to fight against it, and what heavy price her team paid¡ªyou can tell by the number of casualties the Miti Allied Forces suffered this time.

    Of course, there¡¯s still that saying, ¡°No need to thank me.¡± I, Yan Yu, have always done good deeds without leaving my name.

    As Yan Yu sat atop the dragon¡¯s corpse and zoned out, he saw on the opposite side of the riverside park, a group of young men and women with colorful wigs and strange clothes, hurrying over to watch the commotion.

    Behind them stood a sports stadium building, and judging by the banners and posters at the entrance, it seemed that some sort of anime convention was taking place.

    Yan Yu, guarding the dragon¡¯s corpse, of course couldn¡¯t leave his post, and was soon surrounded by the intrigued cosplayers. Many photographers even began to fervently snap photos of him and the dragon¡¯s corpse¡­ Hey! I¡¯m not some Coser, stop taking pictures!

    He remained calm and collected under the bombardment of cameras, with his peripheral vision suddenly catching a sneaky pink-haired figure attempting to touch the dragon¡¯s whiskers stealthily.

    With a flick of his finger, the Huang Tingjian sword instantly flew up, embedding itself in the tiles in front of her, startling the pink-haired girl into a jolt.

    But she quickly calmed down, appearing as if she wanted to touch but didn¡¯t dare, and in a crisp voice, she asked Yan Yu,

    ¡°Cultivator big brother, may I touch your sword?¡±

    Nonsense, of course you can¡¯t!

    Yan Yu was about to say ¡°Are you worthy?¡± when his Divine Sense swept over the girl¡¯s face again.

    Huh?

    Wait a second¡­

    Despite the Asian sorcery of heavy makeup, that face¡­

    Isn¡¯t that Xie Ruoxi?

    At this time, shouldn¡¯t you be working in Xin¡¯an?

 Chapter 180: 80: Beautiful Waste Xie Ruoxi

    Chapter 180: Chapter 80: Beautiful Waste Xie Ruoxi

    In the previous life, the Annan Army had seen its share of bizarre incidents, like the Sacrifice of the Valkyrie, the Rebellion of Li Zhaojiang, and the life of Xie Ruoxi¡­ These three could be ranked as equally bizarre, with Xie Ruoxi¡¯s life even more so than the first two.

    Who was Xie Ruoxi? Rumor had it she was ¡°Rikoku¡¯s number one in cultivation talent,¡± even surpassing Lord Master, dubbed ¡°Rikoku¡¯s top cultivator,¡± in pure natural aptitude for cultivation¡ªthough this claim was never officially acknowledged.

    She wasn¡¯t part of the first cohort of cultivators, nor the second, or even the third; strictly speaking, she was actually from a non-official cultivator background. It wasn¡¯t until Li Minghu and Li Zhaojiang were long gone that Xie Ruoxi, due to an accident that revealed her existence, was discovered by the Annan Army and drafted as an official cultivator; you could say she started quite late in the game.

    Then, by the age of thirty, her cultivation realm astonishingly caught up with the first generation of cultivators¡­ Considering the awkward relationship between the Annan Army and the imperial court after the Li Zhaojiang incident, Xie Ruoxi¡¯s cultivation definitely didn¡¯t rely much on Elixir Medicine resources, so perhaps the rumors had some credibility.

    Another oddity was that Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t enjoy cultivation, much like a peerless swordsman who has no love for the sword.

    This girl hailed from a farming family in Baoqing Prefecture, Jingnan Province. As everyone knows, Baoqing Prefecture itself is a key town for poverty alleviation in Jingnan, and her rural family created a bit of resistance to the local poverty alleviation efforts.

    Logically, she should have taken the college entrance exam during the second half of her senior year, been identified as having potential, and then become a cultivator¡­ But Xie Ruoxi¡¯s life was never short of surprises: her brother was also in his senior year, and the family plainly said they could only afford one college student, ¡°you two decide.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi sensibly said, ¡°Brother has better grades than I do, let him go to college.¡±

    So, the family was very touched and didn¡¯t make her take the college entrance exam (nor the blood test, of course); instead, after she got her high school diploma, they scraped together a sum of living expenses, pulled some strings in the village, found a few girls who were going down south to Xin¡¯an Special Economic Zone to work, and had them take Xie Ruoxi along to find a job.

    Several people took a bus to the Xin¡¯an Special Economic Zone, searched for jobs for a while, and found them to be too much work for too little pay; ultimately, the others got employed at KTVs or bath centers, while Xie Ruoxi was still out of work, hanging around aimlessly.

    Logically speaking, a girl with only a high school diploma would likely resort to these survival tactics: receptionist, salesperson, customer service representative, working at a flower shop, pet shop, or coffee shop, becoming a nail artist, eyelash technician, or beautician¡ªthese could easily fill a three-by-three chart.

    But Xie Ruoxi never did follow the beaten path; she started by saving up for a camera and infiltrated the Cosplay circle as a private photographer for female cosplayers.

    Later, she discovered many female cosplayers not only welcomed male photographers but could even get them to work for free. She immediately exclaimed, ¡°This is a dead end!¡± and switched careers to become a cosplayer herself. Eventually, she was promoted to a video website¡¯s up-and-coming host, and then she started live-streaming with plans to make a fortune from the anime fandom.

    Xie Ruoxi was quite pretty and had a good figure, so after entering the live-streaming arena, at the peak of her career, she once had over fifty captains.

    But soon she realized the live-streaming industry was far too competitive. With makeup and beauty filters, whether you¡¯re a four or a six on the attractiveness scale, everyone gets boosted to an eight. The audience¡¯s threshold for beauty had been raised, and without pushing the envelope, it was hard to gain popularity.

    Any ordinary female streamer would feel pressured to push boundaries to make money, no shame in that.

    But Xie Ruoxi once again took the path less traveled: she discovered something called ¡°virtual streamers¡± from Sakura Country. Female streamers would create an anime character avatar and use ¡°motion capture software¡± to let this 2D character replace the real person in the stream.

    Thus, she was reborn as a virtual streamer, just in time to catch the rising wave of the virtual streaming industry in her own country¡­ By the time the Annan Army found her, Xie Ruoxi had already become a major streamer with over a million fans, not only receiving regular tributes from countless captains each month but also generous gifts from top supporters. She would stream only when she felt like it, otherwise spending her time watching shows and playing games, living a rather carefree life.

    As for how she stumbled into cultivation by some fluke, Xie Ruoxi claimed she had no clue, since she spent her days holed up in her rental room streaming, cloaked in the skin of an anime character, telling her fans, ¡°Ruoxi is a little dragon girl who has been cultivating for a thousand years.¡± She relied completely on online shopping for daily necessities and hardly ever went outside¡ªthen suddenly, she realized she hadn¡¯t eaten for a month.

    She had the potential to become a top cultivator, yet she chose to struggle in society for years, and indeed carved out an unconventional path for herself. That was Xie Ruoxi, truly unique among cultivators.

    Yan Yu suddenly jumped down from the dragon¡¯s head (causing a stir of gasps and frenzied camera flashes) and landed in front of Xie Ruoxi, scrutinizing her face closely.

    Hmm, even though the makeup on her face was heavy enough to alter her ethnicity, the facial contours and voice were indeed highly consistent with Xie Ruoxi¡­ But at this point in time, shouldn¡¯t she still be working in Xin¡¯an?

    Being scrutinized so blatantly, the pink-haired girl seemed to shrink back a bit, but probably sensing that there was no malice, she soon regained her composure and revealed an unblemished smile.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Yan Yu decided to verify.

    ¡°Me?¡± The pink-haired girl immediately extended her arms and formed a heart shape in front of her chest, beaming with vitality as she smiled radiantly, ¡°I¡¯m the guitarist of the Mygo band, Chihaya Aine!¡±

    Yan Yu almost kneeled in shock, promptly widening his eyes and rebuking loudly,

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask about the anime character you¡¯re playing! I¡¯m asking for your name!!!¡±

    ¡°Thank you¡­ Xie Ruoxi.¡± The pink-haired girl was obviously frightened by his sternness and hurriedly responded in a stammering, quiet voice.

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Yan Yu finally confirmed everything, and his expression eased.

    Although from his past life¡¯s experience, Xie Ruoxi¡¯s level of education was not high, she was subconsciously a bit insecure, even inferior, and she also had a high concentration of ¡®two-dimensional otaku¡¯, but one couldn¡¯t deny that her talent for cultivation was overwhelmingly impressive!

    And she was also very beautiful.

    Snatch her up?

    After all, the Valkyrie of this life was definitely not going to die, and the Annan Army wasn¡¯t lacking top-notch cultivators now, so it should be okay for me to poach Xie Ruoxi, right¡­

    Wait a second, why am I poaching her?

    To be a secretary or an assistant, honestly, she was just not cut out for it. Neither Su Yunjin¡¯s delicate considerations nor Ye Jun¡¯s organization were within Xie Ruoxi¡¯s abilities. Fundamentally, she was like Li Zhaojiang and Zhou Hongyu, those who trade intellect for martial strength, concerned with fighting more than thinking, and her educational level was even lower than the two of them.

    Even after she became a cultivator for the Annan Army in the future, this girl¡¯s approach to cultivation was sporadic: three days fishing, two days drying nets. In his previous life, it was said that the imperial court once sent a team of psychologists to analyze her personality traits and concluded that she was basically unlikely to rebel.

    Because Xie Ruoxi was the kind of ultimate homebody who, as long as she had a bite to eat, could happily live her whole life at home with just a computer and a phone, never entertaining the active thought that ¡°my life should be lived with more meaning.¡±

    Combining these memories, Yan Yu quickly concluded: due to her upbringing and social experience, this girl had developed a carefree and lax character; it was no longer possible to employ her in any practical job.

    As for treating Xie Ruoxi as a pure fighter like how the Annan Army used her in his past life, while that might be making the best use of her, Yan Yu¡¯s side didn¡¯t lack for fighters at all¡ªafter all, I¡¯m the strongest military force in this world! Even if Xie Ruoxi were strong, could she ever be stronger than me and my team members? Hilarious.

    Sigh, what a chicken rib of a girl. (Note: ¡°chicken rib¡± is a Chinese idiom meaning something of little value or interest; too good to discard but of little use)

    Having her as a secretary wouldn¡¯t be helpful; using her as a fighter wasn¡¯t necessary; and even if considering her as a lover, she wouldn¡¯t be the first choice. I have plenty of beautiful girls living together in that villa, those who are great at cooking, diligent in housework, providing top-tier resources, assisting in Qi Refinement¡­ what place could Xie Ruoxi possibly take? Besides her looks, this girl has nothing to offer, a pure beauty with no substance!

    After pondering, Yan Yu felt that Xie Ruoxi only held some kind of collector¡¯s value for him.

    What is collector¡¯s value? It¡¯s the idea that ¡°She can be useless, but I can¡¯t be without her.¡±

    After all, she was the cultivation prodigy who in his previous life replaced Li Minghu and became the Annan Army¡¯s top cultivator; keeping her at home as a decorative figure who just needs to eat was not a problem. If she really got used to him, he could even try to correct her personality¡ªafter all, she can¡¯t keep on being this reclusive forever, right? With such exceptional talent for cultivation, why would you think about slacking off all the time?

    Of course, not now.

    In his past life, Xie Ruoxi faced many temptations while working, but she never chose to give up her principles, possibly because she steadfastly believed in pure love triumphing over all in her two-dimensional worldview.

    If he wanted to interfere with her fate, he first had to gain her trust, and then wait for an opportune moment¡ªinviting her rashly upon a first meeting would only scare her off.

    Having made up his mind quickly, Yan Yu immediately took out his phone:

    ¡°Add as a friend?¡± S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Oh, sure.¡± Xie Ruoxi was somewhat flattered. After all, she spent all day surfing the internet intensively and, of course, knew what ¡°Cultivator¡± meant.

    The two exchanged contact information, and then Xie Ruoxi eagerly added:

    ¡°I¡¯ll send you the graphic after it¡¯s finished.¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s vision went dark for a moment: Did I add you as a friend to get your photograph? Such a useless piece of garbage, not even daring to skirt the edges!

    ¡°No need!¡± He refused, speaking with righteous indignation.

 Chapter 181: 81: Unperturbed by Favor or Disgrace, Yan Zhanlong

    Chapter 181: Chapter 81: Unperturbed by Favor or Disgrace, Yan Zhanlong

    ¡°`

    After getting Xie Ruoxi¡¯s friendship, Yan Yu lost interest in continuing the conversation with her.

    After all, no matter how much more he talked, it was impossible to quickly increase her affection, so he might as well take it slow.

    Ignoring the surrounding female Cosers who squealed ¡°Brother is so handsome, add me as a friend too,¡± Yan Yu flew back to the dragon¡¯s head and calmly sat down on the throne at the dragon¡¯s horn, adopting the classic think pose of The Thinker statue, calmly waiting under the constantly flashing spotlights for the troops to come collect the corpse.

    Photographers outside kept snapping away as if they¡¯d never seen a flood dragon and a dragon-slaying Transcendent before¡­ Well, they probably hadn¡¯t.

    Xie Ruoxi was bold, perhaps because she had exchanged friendship with Yan Yu and assumed she got the permission to take photos; she even posed in various ways leaning on the dragon¡¯s head, asking other photographers to include her in the shots with Yan Yu and the flood dragon.

    Yan Yu watched indifferently from atop the dragon¡¯s head and decided not to address her presumptuous actions.

    It wasn¡¯t until the local defense department arrived that all the onlookers who had come to enjoy the show, take photos, and try to talk to Yan Yu were dispersed.

    The task of dealing with the flood dragon¡¯s corpse was left to them, and the cutting and transportation were expected to continue for several days. Yan Yu took a taxi to the airport and checked the news on the way.

    The Lu Country Cultivators had secured the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm without sustaining any injuries; the Miti Allied Forces suffered a great defeat with 37 superheroes dead, one escaped, and one captured (the Thornbird was probably not included), only one survivor remained on the Southeast Asia side, delivering a perfect report card to the entire nation.

    The only drawback was that the authorities had not allowed live broadcasting, so the domestic audience had to watch the Superhero Alliance¡¯s illegally broadcasted foreign perspective, and mostly on smaller streaming platforms with less sensitivity to policies, thus limiting the number of viewers who saw the entire event live. The majority of people only learned the outcome after the official news release.

    From his previous life¡¯s experience, Yan Yu knew that Lu Country would soon fill this gap. After all, if the Superhero Alliance broadcasts globally, hiding it doesn¡¯t make sense, since people can always bypass internet restrictions.

    However, topping the hot search list above ¡°Lu Country Cultivators¡¯ Grand Victory¡± was a shorter entry:

    Yan Zhanlong.

    Clicking into it, indeed, were the photos and videos taken by the onlookers at the riverside park.

    In the images, the huge dragon¡¯s head lay defeated by the river bank, still fearsome even in death.

    Yan Yu sat alone atop the dragon horn, his body covered in golden dragon blood, his gaze still sharp and majestic.

    The Huang Tingjian sword was plunged into the ground before the dragon¡¯s head, silently proclaiming that its master had fought an earth-shattering, god-weeping battle with the flood dragon, ending with the dragon¡¯s demise.

    Handsome! Cool! Dominant! Powerful! Absolute! It was the kind of image you could use as your computer wallpaper!

    If only they could Photoshop out that pink-haired girl next to the dragon¡¯s head, what a beautiful waste cluttering my scene, why are you stealing my spotlight?

    Yan Yu silently browsed the news, most of which praised him as a valiant warrior. Initially looking down on this and that, he turned around and slew a flood dragon, proving that Yan someone indeed had the confidence to talk big, deserving the praise of ¡°Brave Warrior of the Country.¡±

    Of course, there were also some trolls who popped up on various platforms, voicing some strange and contrary opinions. Some said that the enemy Transcendents were mainly defeated by other Cultivators, others suggested the flood dragon had already been worn down and Yan Yu had merely snuck in the finishing blow, and still, others simply attacked him without evidence, with comments like ¡°true debasement,¡± ¡°naive believer,¡± and ¡°I feel sick reading his comments,¡± among others.

    Facing this chaotic scene, Yan Yu didn¡¯t bother to argue online like Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen; he just smiled faintly and swiped the trolls¡¯ comments off his screen.

    See, they¡¯re getting irritated again.

    Before the fight, they said you definitely couldn¡¯t win, and after you won, they said it was just luck. They can¡¯t stand praise, they can¡¯t hear the hymns; they must vehemently refute everything to showcase their intelligence and aloofness. Hiding behind their screens, they become invincible, perceiving everyone else as fools.

    There¡¯s no need to quibble with the trolls; what they think is up to them. For now, I just need to do my job with the team, earn money, train my players, and bring glory to my country. That¡¯s all!

    So when will I receive my reward money?

    Yan Yu was about to send a message to Li Weiguo to inquire when he saw a message from Chen Lingyun had also come through:

    [Chen Lingyun]: Feels good to show off in front of the entire nation, doesn¡¯t it? S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Not bad, I guess. In the end, it almost smashed into the city, but luckily I was more skilled.

    [Chen Lingyun]: We all saw that.

    ¡°`

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What do you see? My majestic stance standing on a dragon corpse?

    [Chen Lingyun]: I see our dear team leader getting all cuddly and huggy with another team¡¯s deputy leader in a video recording.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    He silently switched his phone to airplane mode, put it back in his pocket, and then stared blankly out of the car window at the scenery.

    After the trouble of finishing a secret realm, wanting to rest properly without taking calls is quite reasonable, right?

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm is quite special; its core is the steering wheel at the bow of the treasure ship. Moreover, even after refining it, one can only control entering and exiting the secret realm and cannot obtain other permissions, such as controlling the ship¡¯s navigation (it seems that one needs the bloodline of the Long Race for complete control).

    Therefore, the people left in the secret realm could only temporarily stay in the South Sea for a few days, cooperating with the Annan Army to continue mopping up the remaining monsters inside the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm¡ªthough there wasn¡¯t any danger, as there were enough numbers to have an absolute advantage. The main thing was some tiring and arduous work.

    Because Yan Yu left early, the Annan Army didn¡¯t call him back, so he simply called Li Weiguo to inform him and then directly flew back to Jinling.

    Returning to Jinling Airport and just getting off the plane, he saw Qi Changping waiting outside to pick him up.

    ¡°How much is the bonus this time?¡± Yan Yu asked as he got into the car.

    ¡°Why are you always thinking about money?¡± Qi Changping, who was driving, laughed and said, ¡°The authorities haven¡¯t decided yet, but I heard it will probably be twenty million.¡±

    Mysterious realms beyond the borders of the land need to be contended over in a life and death struggle with foreigners, so naturally, the reward money would be higher compared to domestic secret realms. This was easy to understand.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t dwell on the matter of money, since now money was just a number to him. He continued to ask:

    ¡°What does the higher-up plan to do with the captives this time?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not decided either.¡± Qi Changping spoke frankly, ¡°They might make agreements with those countries for exchanges.¡±

    ¡°Thunderbird¡± Margaret was strong, but not so strong that Lu Country needed to eliminate her to feel at ease. If they killed her and got nothing, it would be a loss, but if they could exchange her with the Superhero Alliance for resources or technology, that would be pure profit.

    Of course, whether the other side was willing and what price they were ready to offer was another question.

    Looking at the international opinion on the web, the general consensus was that Thunderbird¡¯s defeat was an ¡°innocent failure¡±, as she was the last one fighting before she surrendered, and at the time, she would have died if she hadn¡¯t surrendered. Also, martyrdom wasn¡¯t popular abroad, instead, a group of leftists and fervent fans were waving flags and shouting, calling for ¡°let our superhero return home alive¡± ¡ª so it seems there would be more negotiations to come.

    As for the other one, the Curse Technique master Ajarn Luo, since he wasn¡¯t an official cultivator, Siam¡¯s attitude was ambiguously unclear, so there might not be much room for ransom negotiations, and what would happen afterward was also unknown.

    ¡°Changing the subject,¡± Qi Changping said, pressing the steering wheel with one hand and looking ahead, ¡°Yan Yu, what¡¯s your current relationship with Li Minghu, the deputy leader of that Qing¡¯an combat team?¡±

    ¡°What relationship?¡± Yan Yu looked puzzled. ¡°Of course, we¡¯re comrades-in-arms. What else could it be?¡±

    ¡°Comrades-in-arms?¡± Qi Changping was also surprised. ¡°If it¡¯s just comrades-in-arms, would she hug and hold you in front of the camera, in front of a global audience? It doesn¡¯t look like she suffered any injuries.¡±

    ¡°Psh, Instructor Qi, you¡¯re thinking too much.¡± Yan Yu waved his hand nonchalantly and said, ¡°She has a chronic illness and was soaked in cold water. She looked uninjured, but in reality, she was so weak she could barely stand. I went to help her out a bit; there¡¯s no need to make a big deal out of it, right?¡±

    ¡°Alright then.¡± Qi Changping nodded and said, ¡°Your reasoning makes sense, but not everyone will believe it. After all, people outside don¡¯t know Li Minghu has lung disease. So unless you really want to date her, you should be mindful of your image in the future to avoid being gossiped about¡ªnow you¡¯re a national hero, and the people of Lu Country are very interested in your affairs.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Yan Yu said leisurely, ¡°I just checked the trending searches, and they are all discussing my dragon-slaying exploits; nobody¡¯s talking about the gossip anymore.¡±

    ¡°In terms of public opinion, we have online commentators to manage the discussion. They will guide conversations away from sensitive topics,¡± Qi Changping pondered for a moment before continuing, ¡°There¡¯s one more thing. You¡¯re quite showy by nature, which does attract a lot of fans, but it also means some people will dislike your remarks and say strange things. Don¡¯t take it to heart. Victory is the most powerful rebuttal. We¡¯ve won, so there¡¯s no need to bicker too much with them.¡±

    ¡°Instructor, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Yan Yu laughed heartily, ¡°Just a bunch of trolls, they don¡¯t deserve my attention, right?¡±

    Qi Changping: ¡­¡­¡­

    Although what he said was indeed correct, for some reason, Qi Changping really didn¡¯t want to associate Yan Yu with the phrase ¡°above slander and praise.¡±

 Chapter 182: 82: Lord Master is Very Depressed

    Chapter 182: Chapter 82: Lord Master is Very Depressed

    After returning to school, Yan Yu still went straight to the headmaster¡¯s office, planning to report to Old Man Li Weiguo.

    However, upon reaching the headmaster¡¯s office and pushing the door open, he saw that both Li Weiguo and Chen Tianming were not there. There was only a white-robed Taoist nun standing by the window, looking out at the college cultivators.

    Mei Yingxue.

    A national hero from a previous life, she was also the key to making Empress Yuanzhen renounce her dark past and embrace the light.

    From this incident alone, it was clear that she held the greater good of the nation in her heart.

    Though I have personal grievances with Zhao Yuanzhen, for the sake of the countless citizens of Lu Country, I can set aside past grievances and join forces with her to protect our nation!

    In contrast to the Demonic Sect Enchantress Zhao Yuanzhen, who still harbors deep resentment towards Mei Yingxue to this day, even regarding her as a bitter enemy and shrinking from her as if she were a snake or scorpion. In comparison, the superior choice becomes obvious.

    Yan Yu had great respect for such virtuous individuals. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have treated Li Minghu so courteously. Now, his enthusiasm for Mei Yingxue was even greater. He first pulled up the chair he used to sit in and settled down. Then he cheerfully invited her with a laugh,

    ¡°Have a seat, please.¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Mei Yingxue shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m short on time. I just came to see you and then I¡¯ll leave.¡±

    She turned to face him, scrutinizing Yan Yu intently.

    Yan Yu also looked at Mei Yingxue. He had seen this face too many times on television in his previous life. Her features were not stunningly beautiful, merely pleasant and unremarkable. Her attractiveness fell short compared to the female cultivators in his cellphone¡¯s friend list.

    But she was a national hero after all!

    ¡°I am Mei Yingxue,¡± she introduced herself, ¡°You might not know me, but Zhao Yuanzhen¡­ she¡¯s now Zhao Jiuzhen, right? We come from the same place.¡±

    How could I not know you? I know you all too well, Teacher Mei!

    Yan Yu nodded: ¡°Hmm.¡±

    Seeing his brevity, Mei Yingxue wasn¡¯t sure how much he knew about Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s past, so she decided to lay all her cards on the table:

    ¡°Zhao Jiuzhen, she was born into the evil Demonic Sect, showing no mercy and causing harm to the innocent. I intended to act on behalf of heaven and take her down, but she managed to escape after coming here.¡±

    ¡°Now that we¡¯ve met again, seeing her finally following the right path, willing to defend and protect the nation, I too am relieved. Let¡¯s put aside past enmities for now.¡±

    ¡°Meeting you must be the fortune of several lifetimes for her.¡±

    Yan Yu thought to himself, ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right about that,¡± but said,

    ¡°Not at all, I¡¯ve only done a little. The main credit goes to her good heart and willingness to turn over a new leaf.¡±

    Mei Yingxue didn¡¯t believe it. She was sure about Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s evil nature and was convinced that Yan Yu must have made significant efforts and even sacrifices to force the Demonic Sect Enchantress to reform so profoundly. It wasn¡¯t something that could be dismissed as ¡°a little work.¡±

    But since Yan Yu was modest about his role, it only improved her impression of him, and she said gently:

    ¡°Regardless, as long as she continues to act as ¡®Zhao Jiuzhen¡¯, the upper echelons of Lu Country will not delve into her past origins, and you won¡¯t have to worry about her identity being exposed. I can guarantee this myself.¡±

    No, no, no, I wasn¡¯t worried from the start, alright? Plus, I suggest you continue pretending that you know nothing. Keep the pressure on the Demonic Sect Enchantress so she doesn¡¯t revert to her old ways. Otherwise, it might not turn out well.

    After a moment of contemplation, Yan Yu confirmed with a question:

    ¡°Daoist Mei, you truly won¡¯t pursue it further?¡±

    Mei Yingxue shook her head, replying:

    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±

    She continued to gaze out the window, speaking softly:

    ¡°This Lu Country¡­ it¡¯s very similar to the court from where we come, whether it¡¯s the secular authorities, cultural history, or even the characteristics of the people. The only difference is that, over there, there are no warships forcing entry, no hundred-year concessions, no unjust treaties of land cessions and indemnities, and there has not been so much suffering¡­¡±

    Speaking of the recent history of Lu Country¡¯s many tragedies, Yan Yu had nothing to say but remained silent.

    ¡°The resurgence of Spiritual Energy marks an era of great strife. Those who lag behind will be beaten, even slaughtered at will by enemies, who, after the killing, still point at the bodies and say: ¡®Look, they were meant to die,''¡± Mei Yingxue spoke slowly. ¡°As long as I remain in this world, I will not allow the people of Lu Country to fall into such tragic circumstances again.¡±

    ¡°I will do the same,¡± Yan Yu suddenly said.

    ¡°Right, so we have a consensus on this matter, don¡¯t we?¡± Mei Yingxue turned back to him, smiling, ¡°As long as Zhao Yuanzhen is willing to help, I am prepared to look past our previous conflicts, for there are matters more important than personal grievances.¡±

    ¡°Please convey this message to her.¡±

    With those final words, Mei Yingxue suddenly transformed into a streak of sword light that shot out the window and disappeared.

    Truly deserving of her status as a preeminent being of another world who is above this world¡¯s level cap, this Sword Flight is so immediate, without the need to worry if there¡¯s enough True Yuan.

    After making sure the office window was locked up tight for Li Weiguo, Yan Yu then slowly made his exit.

    He held Mei Yingxue in high esteem, but as for the message she requested him to pass on, he could only pretend he hadn¡¯t heard it.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, now, is like a wild horse temporarily yielding to the reins, hastily removing her bridle would only allow her the possibility to return to her wild nature.

    Keep enduring, she will understand in the future.

    Returning to his villa, Yan Yu lay down on the sofa and turned off airplane mode on his phone.

    As expected, there were over 99 new messages and missed calls. It¡¯s a good thing I predicted this!

    Yan Yu began leisurely looking through the messages one by one.

    The first were messages from home, saying that to prevent further harassment of the family members of cultivators, the local military command had moved them into the guardhouse, alongside other senior military officers¡¯ families. Apparently, the guards at the gate were armed with loaded guns.

    Father Yan and Mother Yan felt a bit uncomfortable and unaccustomed, while Yan Jing was happy because the new house allocated by the government was much larger than the old one and even came with a small walled garden.

    Yan Yu felt a bit ashamed at this point.

    Here he was, living in a large villa, while his parents and sister continued to stay in the old house back home, which indeed sounded a bit unfilial.

    But he had known for a long time that the guardhouse was the eventual destination for his family, as with his growing power and fame as a cultivator, it was hard to guarantee that external forces wouldn¡¯t attempt to target his family.

    It wasn¡¯t just Yan Yu¡¯s family; Lin Ning¡¯s and Su Yunjin¡¯s families were in a similar situation and would soon have to move into their local guardhouses as well.

    Zhao Yuanzhen had no family, and as for Chen Lingyun¡­ her family¡¯s security was even tighter than the guardhouses, so there was really nothing to worry about.

    Yan Yu replied to the messages from his parents and continued browsing. Next were messages from the girls on his team, densely packed and not a few.

    Skip, will look at them all together later.

    Then there were messages from Anna in Siberia, which had piled up to over 99 again after a few days of no contact, truly terrifying; he would look at them when he had time.

    After that were messages from Liu Longtao¡­ hmm.

    When the Zhenghai Team joined forces with the Qing¡¯an Team to confront the Miti Allied Forces in the South Sea, Lord Master was also in the Mysterious Realm of the Ezo Islands dueling with a Transcendent from Shinkoku. After barely winning and returning, he found that the whole country was concerned with ¡°Yan Zhanlong,¡± so he sent a message to ask.

    [Liu Shao]: Congratulations, Brother Yan, you have really become famous this time. Yan Zhanlong, that¡¯s a grand nickname! With this record and popularity, even if you wanted to marry into the Governor¡¯s family in the future, you would have the qualifications.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Why are you beating around the bush to insult me again? Feeling unbalanced?

    [Liu Shao]: At first a bit, but after watching the live broadcast replay, I realized that Flood Dragon was indeed tough to handle, so your title of Yan Zhanlong is well-deserved, and I truly acknowledge that.

    Look at that, a Flood Dragon that wiped out ninety percent of the Miti forces is merely described as ¡°tough to handle¡± by Lord Master, implying nothing but ¡°if I were there, I could have beaten it too.¡±

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: How about your fight in Ezo?

    [Liu Shao]: Naturally, it can¡¯t compare to the dragon-slaying in the South Sea, but it wasn¡¯t as simple as cutting melons and vegetables. Have you heard the name ¡°Shenyuan Simie¡±?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: No, it sounds very chuuni, definitely not his real name.

    Yan Yu was actually playing dumb. As someone notorious among the Four Great Demon Kings of Shinkoku in his past life, how could he not have heard of the pseudonym Shenyuan Simie?

    However, he only knew that this person¡¯s real surname was ¡°Shinyori,¡± but he didn¡¯t know his given name.

    Just from the moniker ¡°Simie¡± he chose for himself, one could deduce that this was a person with a mental disorder, and indeed that was the case.

    Born into the Shinyori Clan, a historically significant political family, both his father and grandfather held lifetime seats in the upper house, yet he himself was the product of a one night stand. The status of being an illegitimate child made him suffer the torment of his cousins during his childhood in the clan¡¯s mansion, eventually leading to a complete psychological twist, though it remained hidden.

    It was only after he became a Transcendent that Shenyuan Simie finally freed himself from his constraints, embraced his madness, and began to lose control.

    He once beat a sparring partner to death during base training, then danced around the ring holding the corpse; he also frequented Kabukicho, rewarding the courtesan who served him after a spring night, then turned around and killed everyone else working in the pleasure establishment¡­ His behavior was completely illogical and he completely disregarded traditional morals and ethics. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Despite all this, his talent in cultivation was exceptional, utilizing the Onmyoji¡¯s uncanny strengths to the fullest, his skill with ¡°Shikigami substitution¡± was extraordinary, having been defeated by Lord Master several times in the past but always managing to survive. This forced the elite-oriented Shinkoku to reluctantly cultivate him, always having people on standby to clean up his messes.

    The ultimate end of his life was even more twisted: conspiring with another Demon King to defect, he brazenly attacked the upper house on his own, failed, then returned to the Shinyori family estate and mercilessly wiped out his whole clan. Afterward, he summoned a fiery inferno to incinerate the ancestral home. Before he died, he sat among the roaring flames, holding a shamisen, singing ¡°Life is but Fifty Years¡± until he perished¡­

    Don¡¯t ask why he defected, why he attacked the upper house, or why he killed off his own clan, no one knew what was going through his deranged mind.

    [Liu Shao]: All I know is that he seems to be from the Shinyori family but wasn¡¯t valued by the main house. He was part of a motorcycle gang for a while after coming of age, then got involved with the yakuza, being an extreme social Darwinist and fanatical militarist.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Is he deliberately stacking up a bad guy image? So you encountered him in the Mysterious Realm, did you beat him?

    [Liu Shao]: Alas, it¡¯s really embarrassing to talk about. I won, but didn¡¯t kill him. The guy was slipperier than a mouse, he threw a substitute and vanished.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Oh come on, that¡¯s very normal. I also won against the Thorn Bird in the South Sea, but didn¡¯t kill him, let him escape with magic. Nowadays, which real top-tier Transcendent doesn¡¯t have a few ultimate lifesaving tricks?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Oh, I also slayed a dragon and made the national headlines. That¡¯s all then, you were saying?

    [Liu Shao]: ¡­¡­

    [Liu Shao]: Don¡¯t feel like talking anymore, you go on with your business.

 Chapter 183: 83 Yan Yu Is Very Busy

    Chapter 183: Chapter 83 Yan Yu Is Very Busy

    After consoling the gloomy Lord Master, Yan Yu turned to check other messages.

    The newly established Shenxing Battle Team of the Zhendong Army, led by Captain Qiu Ze and Vice Captain Sun Ziyi, had recently lost in their home field during a confrontation in the Mysterious Realm of Yandang Mountain to Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Huofeng Team.

    Having lost their first battle, Qiu Ze was also in low spirits and sent a message to Yan Yu asking for the reason.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Isn¡¯t it normal to lose to Xiao Zhou? When did they form their team, and when did you form yours? They have several months of practical experience over you. It would have been an upset if they lost to you, right? What¡¯s there to be surprised about?

    [Shenxing Wanli]: Sigh, I know, but we still lost in the end.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Victory and defeat are common in military affairs, and failure is the mother of success, haven¡¯t you heard? Back when I¡­

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: It seems I haven¡¯t lost before, so let¡¯s take Chen Lingyun as an example. Right after she enrolled, her first simulation battle was in front of the instructors against me, and she was beaten so badly she was picking up her teeth. And look at her now; isn¡¯t she still jumping around and beaming with joy?

    [Shenxing Wanli]: I feel like using ¡°jumping around¡± and ¡°beaming with joy¡± to describe a girl isn¡¯t quite right? And Yan Team, mentioning Vice Captain Chen¡¯s embarrassing moments like this¡­ isn¡¯t that great either, right?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: So, you¡¯d prefer I point out your embarrassing moments, huh? Wait a minute, I¡¯ll go download the footage of your battle to see how you got beaten up. Then I¡¯ll give you a good analysis.

    [Shenxing Wanli]: Wait wait wait, let¡¯s go back to talking about Vice Captain Chen. After you defeated her, how did she adjust her mindset?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Then I told her, I am destined to be the strongest in this world. Even if you were defeated by me, you were beaten by the strongest, right? It¡¯s perfectly normal.

    [Shenxing Wanli]: Indeed, as long as you accept the fact that you¡¯re not as good as the other person, you won¡¯t be beaten down.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You¡¯ve lost, and it¡¯s important to admit if you¡¯re outskilled. Analyze the reasons you lost carefully. As long as you grow from it, it¡¯s not a loss in vain. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    [Shenxing Wanli]: I got it, thanks, Yan Team.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: No need to be polite.

    After sending the message to Qiu Ze, Yan Yu turned to find Zhang Huaide.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: How did it go against Qiu Ze and his team?

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: Not bad. Qiu Ze is very strong overall, especially quick in reaction; Sun Ziyi makes precise judgment calls and has a good grasp of timing. Although the other three members don¡¯t have particularly outstanding highlights, they all did their jobs well. The future looks promising.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Then why did they still lose to you?

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: Haha, because we¡¯re stronger.

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: Actually, I think their main problem was being tactically adaptive. Their initial strategy to primarily attack me was fairly clear, but Captain Zhou¡¯s firepower was likely much greater than they had anticipated, causing them to begin doubting themselves midway. First, they switched their attack to Captain Zhou and, finding they couldn¡¯t overcome him, they went after Meng Qingxi. When I sent Tang Xiaolian to act as bait, they took the bait without hesitation, which shows that their tactical thinking in the later stage was completely disordered.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I see. Is it okay if I send your analysis to Qiu Ze?

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: No problem. Is Qiu Ze asking you for advice? I think you would come to the same conclusions if you watched the footage.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I just got back from the South Sea; I haven¡¯t had time to watch it yet.

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: Right, after all, you¡¯re now Yan Zhanlong./smile

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: How¡¯s Xiao Zhou doing lately?

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: We watched the livestream. Captain Zhou said that if you spent less time on romance and love, your strength wouldn¡¯t be just at this level.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Haha, is that jealousy?

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: Mm, I don¡¯t think so. First of all, I explained to Captain Zhou, considering Vice Captain Li¡¯s physical condition, the prolonged soaking in the water dungeon, plus her wearing your jacket, suggests that your holding her was just to prevent her from getting cold and to keep her steady.

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: Secondly, when Captain Zhou said that, she wasn¡¯t concerned about your romantic affairs. She probably wants you to become stronger, so that all the efforts she¡¯s made to defeat you are even more worthwhile.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Xiao Zhang, if you¡¯d understood I was joking, there wouldn¡¯t have been any need to explain so seriously.

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: It still needs to be made clear. After all, it concerns Captain Zhou¡¯s reputation. If our chat records accidentally leaked to the media and they start spinning stories about ambiguous relationships or CPs, Captain Zhou would be furious.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Am I that kind of person?

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: Of course not, Yan Team. This is just my professional habit; please forgive me.

    Yan Yu frowned at his phone, thinking that the meticulous Zhang Huaide might have suspected some ulterior motive regarding the close encounter between him and Li Minghu, which is why he was taking extra precautions regarding anything to do with Zhou Hongyu.

    But it didn¡¯t matter. First, there was nothing between him and Li Minghu as of now, and secondly, he had no improper thoughts about Zhou Hongyu, so it was fine.

    I¡¯m innocent anyway!

    Yan Yu forwarded Zhang Huaide¡¯s analysis to Qiu Ze, and immediately received a string of grateful responses from him.

    Ah, the feeling of doing good deeds is really great, feels like the merit on my shoulders has become heavier again.

    Continued to read messages. Hey, one from Li Zhaojiang¡­

    [Rising Sun Over the Pearl River]: I¡¯m going to kill you!!!!!!!!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Haha, look, you¡¯re in a rush again.

    [Rising Sun Over the Pearl River]: Just kidding, I still have to thank you for taking care of my sister at the start of the Mysterious Realm, her health was indeed very poor then.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: No problem, we¡¯re comrades, it¡¯s what I should do.

    [Rising Sun Over the Pearl River]: I¡¯ve thanked you for taking care of her, now let¡¯s talk about the issue of you taking advantage of her, shall we? Which finger are you planning to chop off as an apology?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I¡¯ve already discussed it with your sister, I will compensate for taking advantage of her in another way.

    [Rising Sun Over the Pearl River]: What way?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Ask her!

    [Rising Sun Over the Pearl River]: Do you think I¡¯m stupid? How could she possibly tell me?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: If she won¡¯t tell you, why should I?

    [Rising Sun Over the Pearl River]: You got me there with that question.

    [Rising Sun Over the Pearl River]: How about coming to the Xingwang Mansion? I¡¯ll treat you to Lingnan cuisine, and we can have a good chat?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I¡¯d love to come, but I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s no such thing as a free lunch.

    [Rising Sun Over the Pearl River]: Come if you want, it¡¯s just to thank you for taking care of my sister.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: And also to urge me to stay away from your sister, right?

    [Rising Sun Over the Pearl River]: You catch on fast, makes it hard for me.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I¡¯ll ask your sister what she thinks.

    Not bothering with Li Zhaojiang, Yan Yu messaged Li Minghu.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Your brother says he wants to treat me to a meal?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Don¡¯t mind him, he¡¯s always fooling around like a kid.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Alright, looks like I¡¯m not getting a meal¡­

    [Yuegua Donghu]: How come you¡¯re always thinking about eating? /laugh

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: It was your brother who brought it up, not me.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Fair enough, if you come visit Lingnan, of course, we will take good care of you.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: That¡¯s very kind. How are things going in the South Sea?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: It¡¯s a bit troublesome, there¡¯s a lot of space left in the lower levels of the Sanyu treasure ship, and it¡¯ll take some time to explore fully. Plus, since the Sanyu treasure ship is located at sea, we need to be wary of other countries coveting it, so the superiors would like us to help finish the exploration of the treasure ship Mysterious Realm before leaving.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Mmm, I was asking about your health.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Thanks for your concern, I can still hold up.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Being cared about by Yan Zhanlong like this, should I feel flattered? /playful smile

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: No need to feel flattered, just get well soon if you can.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: I will do my best. /strive

    [Yuegua Donghu]: However, Yan Yu, you should also check out the messages your teammates sent you.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: I just sent you a message, and Lin Ning happened to see the chat interface as she was passing by.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: ¡­¡­¡­

    Then, an invitation for a voice call from Lin Ning lit up on the screen.

 Chapter 184: 84 Look, there it goes again

    Chapter 184: Chapter 84 Look, there it goes again

    At the edge of the deck of the Weihu Battleship, a young woman held a mobile phone to her ear with one hand, and irritably placed her other hand on her hip, displaying a huffing expression on her face.

    Her eyes were not very big but were clear and expressive. Her nose was as round and cute as polished jade, and her delicate mouth was pressed together firmly. Even the most critical men had to admit that she was a beauty, quite unlike the grim visage of a ghastly demon.

    But to Yan Yu at the other end, the screen lighting up with ¡°Ningning extends a voice invitation to you,¡± as well as the urgent ringing of the mobile phone, felt almost like a death call from hell.

    However, it didn¡¯t matter.

    What does the strongest fear from hell? Watch me employ the compassion of a bodhisattva and the tactics of an Arhat to save all these evil spirits!

    Yan Yu calmly answered the call, only to immediately hear Lin Ning¡¯s forceful voice:

    ¡°I messaged you, huh, I sent you so many messages! You didn¡¯t read any, didn¡¯t reply to any! Are you having a heated chat with Deputy Team Leader Li instead? Explain yourself right now!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s so strange about that?¡± Yan Yu replied with a slight smile, ¡°The more important the person, the later I¡¯ll read their messages, taking my time to read carefully.¡±

    Lin Ning: ¡­¡­

    Ningning¡¯s battleship has taken a hit from anti-ship firepower, respiratory system damaged! Voice communication system damaged!

    ¡°Wha-, what!¡± She said incoherently, ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense, what do you mean by ¡®important person¡¯? I, you, I am going to kick you!¡±

    ¡°What don¡¯t you understand?¡± Yan Yu asked curiously, ¡°You are all members of my team. Deputy Team Leader Li is from another team. Do I need to explain who is more important?¡±

    There was no response on the other end of the phone, only the sound of huffing and puffing.

    ¡°Hmm, so what did you think I meant?¡± Yan Yu continued to press.

    ¡°Hmph, don¡¯t bother me.¡± Lin Ning finally regained her composure and continued to scold him, ¡°We are here working hard to clear the Mysterious Realm, and you, as the team leader, are riding dragons, taking photos, and hyping things up! Is this the proper way to behave?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re unhappy about that?¡± Yan Yu asked back.

    Lin Ning: ?!

    Her temper flared up again, the kind that even a dry powder fire extinguisher couldn¡¯t quell.

    Overcome by fury, she pinched a Sword technique in her hand, and the Green Bamboo Sword furiously stabbed into the sea ahead, causing a large splash of water.

    ¡°What¡¯s that sound?¡± Yan Yu asked from the other side, ¡°Did you jump into the sea?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Lin Ning said huffily, ¡°I drowned, now deal with it.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯re doomed,¡± Yan Yu pretended to cry out, ¡°Our team¡¯s most powerful Sword Immortal is gone, what am I supposed to do as the team leader!¡±

    The most powerful Sword Immortal¡­ Lin Ning couldn¡¯t help but smile, only to hear Yan Yu add:

    ¡°Maybe we should poach Li Minghu to fill her position.¡±

    Lin Ning: !!!!!!!!!!

    She was so angry that she lost her impulse to rage, and her voice cooled down:

    ¡°Is that so, that¡¯s great! Li Minghu probably won¡¯t supervise, push, or complain about you all day long, right? She won¡¯t make you feel troubled.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°But she lacks in one aspect compared to you.¡±

    ¡°Where does she lack compared to me?¡± Lin Ning narrowed her eyes.

    I¡¯m at full rage meter now, not someone you can pacify with just a few words!

    ¡°That would be the emotional aspect, of course.¡± Yan Yu replied calmly, ¡°We¡¯ve fought side by side for so long, we¡¯ve developed deep feelings for each other, Li Minghu can¡¯t fill that void.¡±

    Lin Ning: ¡­¡­

    Deep feelings, huh¡­

    Hmph, forget it, I¡¯ll be the bigger person and forgive your pettiness!

    ¡°I won¡¯t hold it against you.¡± She said grumpily, like a cat that had been smoothed out after puffing up, ¡°So you¡¯ve returned home now?¡±

    ¡°Returned home, I¡¯m currently lying on the sofa.¡±

    ¡°Go to my room and help me water the flowers on the balcony.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re keeping flowers too?¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin gave them to me, and she insists on checking them regularly, which is so annoying.¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin keeps flowers?¡±

    ¡°She has so many flowerpots on her balcony, all of them are her own flowers, don¡¯t you know?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t know, I have never been to your rooms.¡±

    ¡°Then this time I am mercifully granting you permission to enter my room.¡± Lin Ning¡¯s anger had completely vanished, replaced by a jubilant tone, ¡°Then look in the fridge to see if there¡¯s anything expired, and clear out anything past its best-before date as we need to make space for some South Sea seafood we¡¯re bringing home.¡±

    ¡°Hold on, one thing at a time, I can¡¯t remember everything if you say it all at once.¡±

    ¡°Then tell me after you¡¯ve watered the flowers¡­¡± Lin Ning said as she turned around, only to suddenly see that Su Yunjin, at some unknown point, had appeared beside her, wearing a faint smile.

    That smile made Lin Ning feel a bit unfamiliar.

    ¡°Yun Jin.¡± Lin Ning smiled awkwardly, ¡°You¡­ when did you get here?¡±

    ¡°From when you said ¡®I have to regularly check your flowers, it¡¯s so annoying.''¡± Su Yunjin replied with a smile, ¡°Ningning, after you two finish talking, could I have a few words with the team leader?¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡­ I don¡¯t have anything else to do either,¡± Lin Ning said with a dry laugh, ¡°Here you go.¡±

    She handed the cell phone to Su Yunjin, who took it and asked:

    ¡°Captain.¡±

    ¡°¡­What¡¯s up, Yun Jin?¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you reply to my message?¡± Su Yunjin asked calmly.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­ S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Here it comes, the tag-team barrage! My warrior soul is igniting! Just come at me in waves, please me to your hearts¡¯ content, and watch as I mercilessly grind you all to dust!!!

    ¡°Is it something urgent?¡±

    ¡°How would you know if it¡¯s urgent or not if you don¡¯t look, Captain?¡±

    ¡°How about I look at it now?¡±

    ¡°If it was really urgent, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too late to look at it now?¡±

    ¡°Let me have a look.¡± Yan Yu browsed through the messages she had sent, ¡°Finished reading.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t the Captain have anything to say?¡±

    ¡°Right, Yun Jin, have you seen the recent trending topics? Have you heard about Yan Zhanlong?¡±

    ¡°Captain, isn¡¯t changing the topic too abruptly? What does Yan Zhanlong being trending have to do with not replying to my messages?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s precisely because Yan Zhanlong became a hot topic that I¡¯ve had a ton of stuff to deal with, which is why I didn¡¯t get around to replying to the messages. You understand my situation, don¡¯t you, Yun Jin?¡±

    ¡°You had no time to reply to my messages, but you had time to chat with Vice-Captain Li?¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who came later? How did you know I sent a message to Li Minghu?¡±

    ¡°I hope the Captain can directly answer my question instead of brushing me off with some ¡®important person¡¯ excuse. After all, we are on the same team, aren¡¯t we? What if I need to notify the Captain of something critical but can¡¯t find him, can you understand my concern?¡±

    Hearing this, Yan Yu smiled faintly. Secretary Su¡¯s rank indeed seemed higher than Little Ningning¡¯s, but unfortunately, there¡¯s still a vast gap compared to me, the strongest in this world.

    He answered composedly, with no hint of panic or guilt in his voice:

    ¡°The chat with Vice-Captain Li was because Li Zhaojiang had sought me out before, saying that to thank me for looking after his sister in the Mysterious Realm, he wanted to invite me to the Prince¡¯s Mansion for a meal.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Su Yunjin said after a moment of silence, ¡°If it¡¯s about having a meal, I can understand why you sought Vice-Captain Li out first.¡±

    ¡°Do you mind?¡±

    ¡°Mind what?¡±

    ¡°Do you mind me having a meal with Vice-Captain Li?¡±

    ¡°Of course I don¡¯t mind, I¡¯m just a teammate of yours, Captain. Why would I mind who you have meals with?¡±

    ¡°But I do mind,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, ¡°As the captain, I should, of course, prioritize having meals with my own people over outsiders. That barbecue place we visited last time was quite good. Let¡¯s gather for a meal again after we return, I¡¯ve missed your cooking.¡±

    Su Yunjin: ¡­¡­

    She sighed softly, somewhat helplessly saying:

    ¡°Yan Yu, could you not always activate airplane mode? It¡¯s really worrying when we can¡¯t reach you at all.¡±

    ¡°Mhm, I understand,¡± Yan Yu said honestly, ¡°After Yan Zhanlong trended, my messages and missed calls went over 99+. Not turning on airplane mode was a bit too much to handle. One of these days, I¡¯ll get a new phone and SIM card just for our team, known only to us, and never switch it off, how about that?¡±

    ¡°Err, you don¡¯t need to go to the trouble of getting a new phone,¡± Su Yunjin laughed again, though this time her smile contained less frost, ¡°Alright then¡­ Right, Ningning asked you to water her plants, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, do your plants need watering too?¡±

    ¡°Mhm, on my balcony, the row by the window, water all of them, but don¡¯t do it while the sun is shining on them, do it in the evening. And then go to my room, and for the independent pots placed underneath, just water them thoroughly at once.¡±

    ¡°How many pots are there?¡±

    ¡°Ten pots.¡±

    ¡°Got it, is there anything else?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all, Captain, have a good rest.¡±

    ¡°You too, don¡¯t overdo it.¡±

    Su Yunjin hung up the phone and returned it to Lin Ning, who looked like she had something to say but hesitated.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin.¡± Having witnessed the entire range of Su Yunjin¡¯s facial expressions, Lin Ning also felt a subtle realization creeping in and asked uncertainly, ¡°Do you think in the Captain¡¯s eyes, we are easy to deal with?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Su Yunjin was also taken aback.

    In the villa in Jinling, Yan Yu tossed his phone onto the coffee table beside the sofa and stood up calmly, stretching lazily.

    The true strongest in this world, whether it comes to real combat or social interactions, will forever be the unmatched MVP, invincible!

    Ah, the life of the mighty is indeed as lonely as snow.

 Chapter 185: 85 This is What Xie Ruoxi is Like

    Chapter 185: Chapter 85 This is What Xie Ruoxi is Like

    Yan Yu was a man of principle.

    Externally, he insisted on ¡°winning people over with virtue.¡± What virtue? Martial virtue.

    Everyone who had sparred with him had to admit that his martial virtue was exceptionally abundant.

    Internally, he valued ¡°treating people with sincerity.¡± What sincerity? Genuine sincerity.

    Telling the truth and using sincere intentions, that was his unchanging principle for uniting the team.

    After dealing with Lin Ning and Su Yunjin, Yan Yu did not become complacent. He continued making calls to Chen Lingyun and Zhao Yuanzhen, simply glanced at their messages, and then one by one privately chatted to comfort them.

    [Chen Lingyun]: It seems Yan Zhanlong is still riding his dragon high in the sky. No wonder his phone is always on flight mode.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: My mount was lured down by a tang of sourness, flew to Jianghai Prefecture, and discovered that someone in the Governor¡¯s household was steeping in jealousy. That scent was almost wafting to Jinling Prefecture. Got any clue what it¡¯s about?

    [Madam Zhao]: Geez, I¡¯m really done for, help. If you¡¯re not dead, respond dammit! Did both your hands become disabled so you can¡¯t press your phone, huh?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Just spoke with Mei Yingxue. She wants you to clean your neck well; her sword prefers cleanliness.

    Very good, that took care of the whole team.

    Looking at Anna, her original nickname seemed to have been [Anna], but now it had been changed to [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ], and her avatar had changed from Harley Quinn of Marvel to a selfie of herself¡ªtwo words to describe her: blonde and blue-eyed, with an intense aura.

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: Yan Zhanlong¡¯s got some nerve now, huh? Sending you a hundred messages and you don¡¯t reply to a single one.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Busy.

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: Give me a break!

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: Heard you had a fight with Miti?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: In the South Sea. How did you know?

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: You think we¡¯re not connected to the internet over here?

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: If you¡¯re short on manpower, just say the word. I¡¯ll come back and lend a fist.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: So you¡¯ve become more powerful since you switched jobs to become a witch?

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: Absolutely, I¡¯m really strong now. Killing is as easy as eating and drinking.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Looks like it. You¡¯ve changed a lot. Just that your speech still reeks of crudeness.

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: Can¡¯t help it, hanging around a bunch of Rakshasa grandmas all day, I¡¯m almost losing my Lu Country tongue.

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: You¡¯re the only friend I have left back home, so I can only practice my mother tongue with you. You don¡¯t mind, right?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: So now I¡¯m your Lu Country language teacher, is that it?

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: Just be happy about it. Others would kill to teach me!

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: Anyway, if there¡¯s ever trouble in Lu Country, you can always come take refuge with me. I¡¯ve got you covered.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: So I¡¯ll become the pretty boy kept by a rich lady?

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: Wrong, you¡¯ll be the pretty boy taken care of by a witch sister. /Laughter

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: Gotta go, about to fight some werewolves. I¡¯ll contact you after I¡¯ve finished them off.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Stay safe.

    [§¡§ß§ß§Ñ]: Not to worry, I¡¯m quite the fighter. /Flex

    It seemed that Anna¡¯s career was finally on the right track, which was good.

    Looking at his now cleared message list, Yan Yu could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

    Being this popular was a bit troublesome; stepping out for a task meant coming back to a myriad of messages and well-wishes, alas.

    Just as Yan Yu was about to take a proper rest, a new message notification popped up.

    [Magical Girl Xixi]: Cultivator big bro, is this you? /Share video

    Yan Yu: ? Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    This username should be Xie Ruoxi, the avatar her previous cosplay of the pink-haired guitarist named Aine¡­ Yan Yu didn¡¯t quite understand the anime world, perhaps he could ask his sister about it.

    She had sent him a video from some site, titled ¡°Still Relying on Yan Zhanlong,¡± with a cover image photoshopping Yan Yu¡¯s face onto Zhuge Liang¡¯s head.

    Yan Yu knew just from the cover image that it was a parody video, with no desire to click into it whatsoever.

    Checking the comment section below, it had indeed been stormed by all sorts of unidentified troops.

    There were mindless fans, mindless haters, fans pretending to be dumb, haters pretending to be fans, those who kept repeating phrases like ¡°Still need to prepare?¡± ¡°You think you¡¯re worthy?¡± Those who wrote short essays and quatrains to showcase their talents, and those who took that photo of him sitting on the dragon¡¯s head and photoshopped it into abstract art.

    Yan Yu closed the webpage expressionlessly and sent a message to Xie Ruoxi.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: ???????????????

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: Sorry! I forwarded it to you because I thought it was really fun; I didn¡¯t consider your feelings. I¡¯m so sorry!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: There¡¯s no need to apologize.

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: So you are Yan Yu, right? Yan Zhanlong! That name is so cool!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Yes, it¡¯s me. /Play it cool

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: Please keep being awesome! No matter what other people on the internet say, I¡¯ll always support you!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: That¡¯s not necessary.

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: Huh?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Cultivators protect our country as their duty, they don¡¯t need the support of fans.

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: Oh, right, haha.

    The other side went silent soon after, seemingly intimidated by Yan Yu¡¯s indifferent attitude.

    Taking into account that although Xie Ruoxi was a beautiful waste in his past life, she managed to become the number one cultivator in the Annan Army, Yan Yu felt that perhaps he shouldn¡¯t be too standoffish, so he continued to message her.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: It¡¯s already September, you seem to be of school age, why aren¡¯t you in school?

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: About that, I graduated from high school, didn¡¯t go to university, and came out to work.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Why didn¡¯t you go to university?

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: No money at home.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I can lend you money to go to university, would that work?

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: The college entrance exam is over, I can¡¯t read now.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Then retake the year.

    Once again, there was no response from the other side; obviously, this waste was already becoming unredeemable.

    Fortunately, at this point in time, Xie Ruoxi should still be very poor, in the bitter stage of life where she¡¯s smacked hard by society and needs to count every penny in her pocket, so she might still have the motivation to make money with her brain.

    If things go as they did originally in a few years, once she discovers that dressing up as a leather-clad person can make patrons throw money at her, then Xie Ruoxi would truly be beyond saving, not even the Annan Army could turn her around by then.

    As the saying goes, Yan elder always had a kind heart and couldn¡¯t stand to see someone belittle themselves.

    Rescue! This waste must be saved!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What now, didn¡¯t you say you were my fan and would always support me? Not even listening to your idol¡¯s words, you fake fan! Your true colors showed up pretty quickly, didn¡¯t they!

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: I am really not the studious type.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Then what type do you think you are? What job are you doing now?

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: I¡¯m currently doing private photography, making money by taking photos. Occasionally I also make cosplay videos, and some fans donate money to me and stuff.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: How much can you earn a month?

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: Two to three thousand, I guess.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: That¡¯s assuming you can get the gigs. Without a film company offering you a steady stream of jobs, you¡¯re entirely reliant on referrals from people you know in the circle; if you can¡¯t get gigs, you can only sit around and starve. There¡¯s basically no chance of making it big.

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: Hahaha, don¡¯t kick someone when they¡¯re down, okay? /Cry/Cry/Cry

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You¡¯ll get nowhere with private photo shoots. Come to Jinling, I¡¯ll arrange some work for you.

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: Uh, actually, I have a boyfriend already¡­

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: A two-dimensional boyfriend, right?

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: How did you know?! /Surprised/Surprised/Surprised

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Don¡¯t get the wrong idea, you¡¯re not even worth being kept by me. My team has been on TV before, you can look up the video. Honestly, your level of attractiveness means nothing in my circle, and having only a high school diploma is a serious negative. Don¡¯t overestimate your value.

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: Then¡­ why would you consider hiring me?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: When you win the lottery, do you ask the lottery station why it was you? After I slayed the dragon, you were the first one to reach out to me; I remember you for that. After learning about your situation, I felt a bit sorry for you, but that¡¯s as far as it goes. It¡¯s not as if I have no one else to choose from.

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: Understood.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: In a person¡¯s life, there may only be a few opportunities to change one¡¯s destiny. Don¡¯t force it if it hasn¡¯t come, grasp it with all your might if it does, and don¡¯t regret it if you miss it. As long as you can do these three things, your life won¡¯t be too much of a failure. Think it over and you can contact me anytime.

    [MagicalGirlXixi]: Got it, I¡¯ll think about it, thank you.

    Yan Yu closed the chat window with her, thinking that¡¯s all the help he could offer for now.

    If she didn¡¯t seize the opportunity he gave her, then he would have to let go of his desire to help others, have Chen Lingyun dig up her information, and then teach her how to respect destiny.

 Chapter 186: 86: The Treasure Girl Xie Ruoxi!

    Chapter 186: Chapter 86: The Treasure Girl Xie Ruoxi!

    In the rental room, Xie Ruoxi sat there blankly, staring at the screen of her smartphone.

    She had been hesitating for almost an entire evening.

    Logically speaking, a pie of this size wouldn¡¯t just fall from the sky for no reason; it was more likely that the cultivator had taken a fancy to my attractive three-dimensional skin and wanted to use money and power to force me to my knees and capture me as his female slave.

    Emotionally, isn¡¯t this just the plot of ¡°Overbearing CEO Falls in Love with Me¡±? The other party is the renowned Yan Zhanlong! Handsome, powerful, wealthy, and with a promising future; if he insisted on binding me to him with a marriage contract¡­

    Xie Ruoxi glanced at her phone again, the pitiful numbers in her bank account piercing her heart.

    Every month her brother would secretly transfer money to her, scraping it together from his living expenses, fearing his sister would suffer while working outside. But he was, after all, going to start college this month, and college was expensive. If I could earn money¡­

    Xie Ruoxi silently hugged her pillow, lying listlessly on her bed as the glow from her phone dimly reflected on her face.

    After all, being kept was absolutely out of the question,

    but if it was decent work that could make money¡­

    She felt she could give it a try.

    ¡°Can you reveal what kind of work it is?¡± Xie Ruoxi steeled her resolve and began typing on her phone in the darkness.

    ¡°Fan community management.¡± The reply from the other side came quickly, so fast she felt as if they were also waiting by their phone for her, but then she thought better of it¡ªit seemed impossible.

    ¡°What exactly does ¡®fan community¡¯ refer to?¡±

    ¡°Fans,¡± came the reply again. ¡°Simply put, it¡¯s being the leader of the fans, managing the fan group for our team.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi: ?

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    In the end, Xie Ruoxi still agreed to come to Jinling, giving Yan Yu a sense of smooth sailing that felt almost dreamy.

    The timing was just perfect. The girls were all at the South Sea and hadn¡¯t returned yet, so Yan Yu could personally interview her without the risk of them interfering.

    Of course, it wouldn¡¯t matter even if they did find out; Yan Yu was confident he could persuade them to let her stay, but they would surely take turns vetting her identity¡ªit would be far simpler to have her move into the villa and start working, creating a fait accompli before dealing with the girls.

    At the arrival time of the flight, Yan Yu, wearing sunglasses, arrived at the airport and stood in the waiting line for the meet and greet, suddenly finding the situation rather amusing.

    He almost always led the team to conquer mysterious realms, and Qi Changping would be at the airport to meet them upon their return. Now it was finally his turn to meet someone else; it was like the wheel of fortune had turned, the worker becoming the boss.

    After a while, he finally received a message from Xie Ruoxi:

    ¡°I¡¯ve arrived.¡±

    Yan Yu immediately sent a selfie in response.

    ¡°Haha, you look like a big star dressed like that,¡± Xie Ruoxi replied as she walked through the terminal.

    Right after sending the message, she felt stupid enough to cry, hurriedly shivering as she quickly tried to backtrack:

    ¡°Sorry, you¡¯re already a big star. I didn¡¯t mean anything by what I just said¡­¡±

    ¡°Come out quickly,¡± Yan Yu urged.

    He had been waiting outside for a long time and finally saw Xie Ruoxi, carrying her luggage, coming out from the throng of passengers who had just disembarked.

    She was about 1.6 meters tall. Although at first glance she was quite petite, she wasn¡¯t as tiny as Chen Lingyun and was of a height that was generally popular among male preferences.

    Her hair was about shoulder-length, neither long nor short. Without any makeup, her facial features were delicate, exquisite, and petite, somewhat reminiscent of Zhao Linger from ¡°The Legend of Sword and Fairy.¡± Overall, her appearance was indeed good-looking and pleasant, but it was a shame that she wore thick glasses and dressed in tacky sports attire, completely covering her inherent allure. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu remembered that his sister had once forced him to watch similar anime. To put it simply, this kind of girl was the ¡°ugly duckling type¡±; usually inconspicuous because her outward appearance didn¡¯t match, but fundamentally very impressive, and could astonish everyone with a proper transformation.

    Of course, Xie Ruoxi could do makeup too, and after cosplaying and retouching the photos with a beauty app, she truly could attract attention. But that was almost tantamount to changing faces; anyone could look good with that, like an ugly duckling forcibly sticking peacock feathers on herself, not showing the potential genes of a swan.

    ¡°Uh,¡± Xie Ruoxi approached Yan Yu, wanting to speak but found herself at a loss for words.

    I¡¯m not wearing makeup now, and my clothes are plain. He won¡¯t think I¡¯m ugly and reject me, right? Maybe I should pretend I didn¡¯t recognize him and just turn around and leave, then say I¡¯ve had second thoughts¡­ Oh no! He only gave me a one-way ticket! I don¡¯t have the money to go back!

    However, Yan Yu had no idea that in the instant they met, so many thoughts had spun through her mind. He just turned his head and motioned:

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Together they reached the airport¡¯s taxi lane. Yan Yu had already hailed a cab, which was waiting nearby with its trunk open.

    Xie Ruoxi stood behind the car, panting as she lugged her suitcase, trying hard to fit it into the trunk.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t help, just stood to the side looking on with interest.

    Hmm, she¡¯s willing to exert effort; not completely useless.

    Come to think of it, it¡¯s true; at this stage, Xie Ruoxi was still the one running around with a camera, doing private photography for female clients. Physical labor was unavoidable, unlike the utterly useless Xie Ruoxi later on, tied up in the fan¡¯s lair at the cultivator¡¯s homestead¡ªtwo entirely different cultivation realms.

    Thinking of this, he intentionally teased the other party:

    ¡°You brought your suitcase as well? What if you don¡¯t pass the interview, are you going to have to lug your suitcase back?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi was struck as if by lightning, completely stunned on the spot.

    Didn¡¯t they say that I would have work as soon as I arrived? Why is there still an interview?

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, get in the car.¡± Seeing that the girl was dumbfounded, Yan Yu didn¡¯t have the heart to tease her further and instructed her.

    They took a taxi to the Yan family villa, and all the way there, Xie Ruoxi was in a kind of dazed state, gripping the car door tightly with both hands, which made the cab driver tense up¡ªwithout a sound, he toggled the child lock on the door, preventing it from being opened from the inside.

    Although Yan Yu was expressionless, considering Xie Ruoxi¡¯s hometown, as well as her quirky personality¡­ he was also secretly prepared to intervene and rescue her if needed.

    Fortunately, Xie Ruoxi wasn¡¯t lacking common sense, and she didn¡¯t really try to jump out of the car suddenly. So, they arrived at their destination without incident.

    Watching the taxi drive away, Yan Yu thought he might be blacklisted by the driver. He turned to Xie Ruoxi and said:

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, head inside first.¡±

    ¡°Is this the office location?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked curiously, looking at the large house in front of her.

    ¡°My house,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    ¡°Ah?¡± Xie Ruoxi stepped back a few paces, looking for an excuse, ¡°I truly have a boyfriend! I¡¯m really sorry!¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the ¡®Little Dragon Girl¡¯ cultivated for a thousand years who cannot possibly have feelings for any man in this worldly realm?¡± Yan Yu mercilessly exposed her lie.

    Seeing Yan Yu pierce through her dark history (which was more or less from middle school, when she had concocted a similar fantasy narrative for herself, filled with magical and over-the-top elements), Xie Ruoxi immediately widened her eyes, covered in sweat and felt an urge to turn around and run away.

    Damn it, it¡¯s a top predator of the food chain! If I don¡¯t run now, I¡¯ll be eaten!

    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside and talk.¡± Yan Yu used an irresistible tone and command, prompting Xie Ruoxi to push her suitcase and robotically move her legs, walking towards the villa.

    Once inside the villa, Xie Ruoxi¡¯s attention was diverted.

    So huge! Just like in the anime! A place where rich people live!

    ¡°Leave your suitcase by the door, and let¡¯s talk over there.¡± Yan Yu led her to the dining table and pulled out a chair for her to sit, ¡°What insights do you have on social media operation?¡±

    In a past life, Xie Ruoxi had been a streamer with a million followers, so she was not just good at, but professional in refining and crystallizing fan engagement.

    But at this point in time, she hadn¡¯t even started as a real-person broadcaster, still a barely visible video uploader, so her ability in this regard was questionable and needed confirmation.

    ¡°Um,¡± Xie Ruoxi tried to calm herself down and then said, ¡°I have managed a Coser interest group and my own fan group on a certain platform, so I do have some experience in this area.¡±

    ¡°Mm, go on.¡± Yan Yu placed his hands on the table, interlaced his fingers, and propped his chin, ready to listen closely.

    Xie Ruoxi took a deep breath, striving to calm her nerves, and then began to speak fluently:

    ¡°The key to managing fans lies in establishing a well-defined idol persona, and then ensuring high-frequency, prolonged exposure to maintain the idol¡¯s recognition among the fans and potential fan base.¡±

    ¡°Fans can be divided into two categories: core fans and fringe fans. Core fans need the idol to provide positive emotional value to induce a preliminary personal worship, then deepen path dependency on this basis to the point where they unconditionally believe in and support the idol, becoming a free marketing resource we can utilize.¡±

    ¡°Fringe fans are comparatively less loyal but have the advantage of being a large group with extensive connections to the general public. So, by using positive exposure, on the one hand, we can attract them to convert to core fans, and on the other hand, we can also get them to convert outsiders, leading to the diffusion and viral growth of fame.¡±

    ¡°I have written a preliminary strategy proposal for operating these two groups, please take a look¡­¡±

    She nervously, yet deliberately calmly handed over the prepared and bound proposal to Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu took the stack of A4 papers, flipping through them discreetly while in his heart a storm was brewing.

    Holy shit! I¡¯ve struck gold!

    He had thought she was pretty but useless Xie Ruoxi, but it turned out she wasn¡¯t entirely useless; she was willing to put effort into preparing a strategic proposal and taking the interview seriously!

    Reading the content of her proposal, it was indeed full of unconventional and disagreeable tactics!

    Things like regularly hiring someone to disguise as a hater for unfounded criticisms to increase fan solidarity; managing male and female fans separately by building a female fan base first and then using the attraction of female fans to bring in male fans; and schemes like stirring up ambiguous relationships with Li Minghu to attract the couple¡¯s fans for promotion, then later turning around and kicking them to the curb¡­ We¡¯ll leave that aside for now, but your thought process and methods are commendable!

    Although I¡¯m not very knowledgeable about fan operations, the feasibility of your plan looks¡­ absolutely doable! Easily doable!

    Xie Ruoxi, I didn¡¯t see you coming, but you really are a hidden gem!

    Yan Yu set the proposal aside, looked at Xie Ruoxi who was obviously anxious but tried to remain composed, and said with a slight smile:

    ¡°Although according to formal etiquette, I should say ¡®I¡¯ll think about it for a few days and get back to you later,¡¯ since you did come with your suitcase, so¡­¡±

    Xie Ruoxi held her breath unconsciously, only to hear Yan Yu ask:

    ¡°So, I want to confirm one more thing.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to become a Cultivator?¡±

 Chapter 187: 87: Can You Memorize It?

    Chapter 187: Chapter 87: Can You Memorize It?

    Become a cultivator.

    Xie Ruoxi had never considered such a thing.

    Last night, she had even thought about the plot where if she couldn¡¯t resist the temptation of being kept by Yan Zhanlong, got pregnant, and then suddenly reformed and ran away with the child¡ªthat was the most exaggerated scenario she could come up with.

    But even that wasn¡¯t as crazy as ¡°becoming a cultivator.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi¡¯s breathing quickened, ¡°are you saying that I can also¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Yan Yu said lightly, ¡°We need to confirm, so I¡¯m asking your intentions first.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯d like to!¡± Xie Ruoxi exclaimed eagerly, almost on the verge of tears, about to kneel on the ground, ¡°Master, please accept Ruoxi¡¯s bow! ¡±

    ¡°Hold on!¡± Yan Yu was also shocked by her peculiar thoughts and quickly stopped her, ¡°Have you been reading too many of those teacher-student romance novels?! It¡¯s the state that wants to train you to become a cultivator, not me taking you as a disciple!¡±

    ¡°Oh, oh, oh.¡± Xie Ruoxi did indeed have a moment (she swore it was just a fleeting thought) when she had gone off on a tangent about the popular teacher-student romance theme in cultivation novels. Now that Yan Yu had mercilessly pointed it out, she instantly turned red with embarrassment and humbly said, ¡°I¡¯m fine with that, I¡¯ll follow your arrangements.¡±

    Yan Yu realized this treasure of a girl, although not yet a beautiful waste, was naturally prone to whimsical and erratic thoughts, so he sighed helplessly and continued,

    ¡°The state¡¯s recruitment channels for cultivators have already closed, so we¡¯ll need to use some special connections. The premise is that you absolutely cannot publicize this, understand? Otherwise, even if you have the talent for cultivation, this will fall through.¡±

    ¡°Mmm-hmm-hmm!¡± Xie Ruoxi thought to herself that she was familiar with this scenario, like when the overbearing CEO forces the heroine to sign a marriage contract, he would always threaten her with ¡®you can¡¯t tell anyone¡¯¡­ My mouth can be very tight, zipped up.¡±

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Yan Yu nodded with satisfaction, ¡°Let¡¯s sign a labor contract first, and then I will test your talent.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    However, it should be mentioned that Yan somehow had always been opposed to the proliferation of civilian cultivators, and he had never been hypocritical about it from the start.

    But the emphasis here is on the word ¡°proliferation.¡±

    It¡¯s impossible to completely ban civilian cultivators, just as it¡¯s impossible for the Yellow River to easily stop flowing.

    Yan Yu¡¯s viewpoint stood between the conservatives and the radicals. He believed that the state should control the scale of civilian cultivators as much as possible, allowing a gradual expansion, but not exceeding the administrative capacity¡ªthe quantity of controllable civilian cultivators should be increased step-by-step, considering the society¡¯s capacity to accommodate them.

    Controllable civilian cultivators, officially called ¡°registered cultivators,¡± pose much less danger than ¡°non-registered cultivators.¡± After all, most people have parents. If you commit a crime outside, the court immediately informs your parents, and many people rein themselves in just thinking about that.

    What he really opposed was Chen Family¡¯s attitude of ¡°if you can¡¯t control it, completely let go, let everyone cultivate freely and let natural selection take its course,¡± that was truly deadly.

    Xie Ruoxi, due to a stroke of fate, stepped onto the path of cultivation in her previous life. In theory, she had become a civilian cultivator, but in reality, she was a homebody who rarely left her house. Such civilian cultivators, though unregistered, posed virtually zero threat to society.

    Moreover, in this life, Yan Yu intended to register her with the Zhendong Army early on, so she would no longer be counted as a civilian cultivator.

    I, Yan Yu, am a man of principle!

    He went to retrieve the introductory textbooks issued at the start of school from the dormitory, then picked up some cash on the way home. Only then did Yan Yu leisurely walk back.

    Arriving home and opening the door, he saw Xie Ruoxi sitting stiffly on the living room sofa, not daring to move.

    ¡°Follow me,¡± Yan Yu commanded.

    The villa had a vast basement, originally designed to serve as a parking garage, which was later converted into a training ground by Chen Lingyun for future secretive training sessions.

    Such as refining ghosts and the like.

    Yan Yu brought a chair from the underground training room and gestured for Xie Ruoxi to sit, then handed her the textbook he was carrying.

    Xie Ruoxi stared blankly at the book in her hands: ¡°Essential Outline of Cultivation.¡±

    ¡°Read it through,¡± Yan Yu instructed with an indisputable tone, ¡°Memorize the sections on acupoints and Qi Refinement without missing a word. I¡¯ll test you later.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± Xie Ruoxi finally reacted, exclaiming, ¡°Eh, eh, eh, eh!¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to test my cultivation aptitude?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked in panic, ¡°Isn¡¯t it about taking me in front of a testing stone, where I place my hand on it, and it automatically announces my aptitude level and Cultivation Realm?¡±

    ¡°You should read fewer web novels, okay?¡± Yan Yu showed a speechless expression, ¡°First master this textbook completely, then we¡¯ll see if you can refine True Qi. That will tell us about your talent. Having True Qi means you can, not having it means you can¡¯t, everything is result-oriented.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi said with a wry smile, ¡°But memorizing stuff like that, I¡¯m not good at it. And the acupoints and Qi Refinement sections make up three big chapters, that¡¯s so many words¡­¡±

    Yan Yu expressionlessly picked up the leather bag beside him, took out a stack of crisp, new hundred-yuan notes that were redolent of ink, and without a shred of pity, tossed them into her arms:

    ¡°Can you memorize it or not?¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t about money, okay?¡± Xie Ruoxi protested.

    Yan Yu coldly took out another bundle of banknotes and waved it in front of her a few times before roughly smashing it into her embrace: S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Now, can you memorize it or not?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not lying to you.¡± Xie Ruoxi said weakly, ¡°I¡¯m really not good at memorizing things¡­¡±

    Yan Yu turned the leather bag upside down above her head and shook it hard, letting the cash fall down forcefully, giving Xie Ruoxi a harsh shower of banknotes ¨C¨C washing her into a daze, her eyes lifeless, as if the sudden windfall had damaged her brain.

    ¡°There¡¯s two hundred thousand here.¡± He said with a devilishly tempting voice, ¡°I¡¯ll give you one last chance: can you memorize it? If you can remember it, if you learn it, it¡¯s all yours.¡±

    ¡°Two hundred thousand? All of it for me?¡±

    ¡°All of it for you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll memorize it!¡± Xie Ruoxi clenched her teeth.

    Two hundred thousand in cash, enough not just for her to attend university, but even as a dowry to buy her back for her parents¡­ How many private tutoring jobs would she have to take on to save up two hundred thousand!

    Seeing her begin to study, Yan Yu didn¡¯t leave, but simply sat down by her side and leisurely started reading a novel himself.

    Xie Ruoxi noticed he seemed to be reading a web novel too and really wanted to ask what book he was reading, if they liked the same genres and authors¡­ but then she thought of the two hundred thousand!

    Better to earn money¡­ ah, no, studying is more important!

    Seeing Xie Ruoxi seemingly start studying seriously, Yan Yu might have appeared to be preoccupied with his phone screen, but his mind was filled with doubts.

    He stayed in the basement not out of a desire to be with Xie Ruoxi, but because his portrayal as a beautiful loser in his previous life was simply too horrifying, demanding caution.

    It was said that during one military campaign, as the team leader, she overslept on the day they were set to depart. Why did she oversleep? Because she had been up all night playing video games.

    The Annan Army headquarters were so infuriated they issued a directive for all major gaming companies to ban Xie Ruoxi¡¯s accounts, blocking her phone number, ID number, and internet IP from any gaming services forever.

    With such waste as Xie Ruoxi, even with all the patience in the world, it was hard for Yan Yu to believe she would actually study earnestly.

    Supervision! I must supervise personally!

    About ten minutes later, Yan Yu went upstairs to get takeout, then came down and shared it with Xie Ruoxi as dinner.

    ¡°Yan Yu.¡± Xie Ruoxi asked curiously, ¡°You used to eat takeout too?¡±

    ¡°Otherwise?¡± Yan Yu split a pair of disposable chopsticks and handed them to her, casually asking back.

    ¡°You live in such a big villa; I thought you¡¯d hire a private chef.¡± Xie Ruoxi said admiringly while tasting the saut¨¦ed chicken and immediately exclaimed, ¡°This is so good!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not an aristocrat, why hire a private chef?¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly, ¡°With money, the most I¡¯d do is order expensive takeout without considering the cost, but my quality of life hasn¡¯t improved that much.¡±

    ¡°Heh, that¡¯s probably because you don¡¯t really know how to spend money.¡± Xie Ruoxi probed, watching his facial expression.

    ¡°I might not know how to spend money, but I know how to use people.¡± Yan Yu ferociously grabbed bites of the saut¨¦ed chicken, nonstop, ¡°That¡¯s enough for me.¡±

    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t eat it all yourself, save some for me.¡± Seeing that Yan Yu really didn¡¯t act like a boss, Xie Ruoxi grew bolder and even began to fight him for the food.

    Their chopsticks clashed in a fight for the dishes, and they cleaned up all the meals. Xie Ruoxi patted her little stomach, her heart content as she nodded and swayed, smiling:

    ¡°All filled up, so happy~¡±

    ¡°What, couldn¡¯t you get enough to eat before?¡± Yan Yu looked at her sidelong and asked.

    ¡°Photography has irregular hours.¡± Xie Ruoxi answered, ¡°If a job comes in while you¡¯re eating and you can¡¯t get there in time, someone else snatches it up.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I said, that profession has no future for you.¡± Yan Yu chuckled, and said, ¡°Better study hard, aim to become a cultivator as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Xie Ruoxi set the book aside and suddenly said, ¡°I haven¡¯t started memorizing yet, just read it through once and then practiced it a bit, and it seemed like I managed to produce flowing Qi. Can you check it for me?¡±

    Yan Yu: ?

 Chapter 188: 88: You Really Are a Sweetie

    Chapter 188: Chapter 88: You Really Are a Sweetie

    ¡°`

    To become a cultivator in Lu Country, there are only two criteria:

    First, refine True Qi.

    Second, learn the Three Arts and Five Spells.

    Refining True Qi isn¡¯t too difficult, especially with Lu Country¡¯s current ¡°blood test selection¡± method, which screens for those who have a Spirit Root¡ªa seedling for cultivation.

    As long as one can clearly remember the pathways of the human meridians and various major acupoints, and tries following the specific routes about ten times, one can basically complete the Grand Circulation and refine True Qi.

    However, those who haven¡¯t memorized any knowledge, don¡¯t know the route of qi circulation, and can still refine True Qi just by trying randomly are usually called ¡°Innately talented cultivators.¡±

    Yan Yu asked Xie Ruoxi to continue her breathing exercises and Qi Refinement, then he began to scan her body with his Divine Sense.

    Hmm, indeed there is a sensation of Qi.

    The beautiful loser actually didn¡¯t lie and has truly managed to refine True Qi.

    But on second thought, maybe it was her outstanding innate talent for cultivation that made her so nonchalant about her practice, ultimately degrading into a hermit cultivator in her previous life.

    To prevent her from becoming complacent, I can¡¯t praise her; instead, I must push her hard!

    Just like when I guided Zhao Yuanzhen to renounce evil and pursue good, helped Zhou Hongyu establish goals, and made agreements with Li Minghu¡­ in any case, when it comes to helping others, Yan Yu is already quite experienced.

    When to hoodwink and when to go for the kill¡ª he¡¯s well versed in this and won¡¯t stop until he achieves his goals.

    ¡°Hmm, it seems you indeed have the talent to become a cultivator,¡± Yan Yu said with a detached tone.

    Xie Ruoxi had just started to smile sweetly when she heard Yan Yu continue:

    ¡°But your True Qi is too weak, which means your aptitude is poor! You¡¯ll need to train twice as much as others to catch up, so you can¡¯t afford to slack off and must diligently practice every day¡­ Hey!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t bother listening to all that; she quickly wrapped her arms around the pile of cash in the corner and asked guardedly:

    ¡°Yan Yu, you keep your word, right? Is all this money mine now?¡±

    ¡°Uhh.¡± Yan Yu fell silent for a moment, then nodded and said, ¡°Yeah.¡±

    The beautiful loser from the past life with no motivation was truly a pity, but this person right in front of him, who was motivated by money and had eyes that lit up at the sight of it¡­ Why does she not seem like any good either?

    No, this method of using money cannot be used again; going from one extreme to the other is absolutely not okay. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu¡¯s original plan was to first guide Xie Ruoxi to become a cultivator, then slowly let her get the hang of managing social communities, so he would have an assistant good for both intellectual management and martial action.

    But Xie Ruoxi¡¯s talent in cultivation is indeed excellent. If I teach her the Three Arts and Five Spells too quickly, she will become overly reliant on martial strength, which is not conducive to a balanced development in both literature and martial arts.

    Yan Yu thought carefully, thinking it wasn¡¯t because he was afraid that if her martial power grew too quickly, she would become difficult to control¡­ How could he, the strongest in this world, be afraid of her modest cultivation talent?

    Mainly, let¡¯s look at the past life, when Xie Ruoxi replaced the Li siblings and became the number one cultivator of the Annan Army. What came of that? No matter how good at fighting she was, wasn¡¯t she just a top-level fighter? When it came to having her say, she wasn¡¯t even as influential as Chen Lingyun.

    Even trying to sneak in a game during free time would get her noticed by various gaming companies and result in a ban; how pitiful!

    When Sun Quan persuaded Lu Meng to start learning, eventually Lu Meng went from illiterate to ¡°none other than Lu Meng of Wu.¡± Not only do I, Yan Yu, want to be Xie Ruoxi¡¯s Lu Su, but I also want to be her Sun Quan!

    I¡¯m doing this for her sake; she will understand this one day.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough for your cultivation training for now,¡± Yan Yu instructed indifferently, ¡°Find time every day to circulate your Qi and perform the Grand Circulation. I¡¯ll regularly check up on your progress.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Xie Ruoxi looked troubled, ¡°I have to practice every day?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Yan Yu immediately scolded her, ¡°Your talent is already worse than others, and you dare to be lazy? Don¡¯t you want to be a cultivator?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi hung her head and said no more.

    ¡°Once your cultivation progresses to a satisfactory level, I¡¯ll teach you more,¡± Yan Yu waved his hand and said, ¡°Now let¡¯s go upstairs and talk about your living arrangements and work.¡±

    Upon reaching the second floor of the villa, Yan Yu pointed to the rooms on either side of the corridor and introduced:

    ¡°This is the study, that¡¯s the gym, over there is the movie room, and the rest of the rooms, apart from the bathroom and rooms with signs on the doors, are all empty. Pick one for yourself.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi peeked into the study and saw a computer, immediately her eyes lit up:

    ¡°I want to stay in the study!¡±

    ¡°The study is a study, not a bedroom,¡± Yan Yu reminded her, ¡°This study is smaller than the bedrooms, and the lighting isn¡¯t great, plus there¡¯s no balcony.¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    ¡°No problem, no problem,¡± Xie Ruoxi hastened to say, ¡°I just like small rooms that have a computer and don¡¯t get sunlight in the morning.¡±

    There were five vacant bedrooms, but she insisted on living in the study¡­ Yan Yu couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue with her, after all, it was Xie Ruoxi, the Abstract King of Fans, not doing something bizarre would be the real surprise:

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll arrange for someone to come and set up a bed and wardrobe later.¡±

    ¡°Can I start working now?¡± Xie Ruoxi sat in the office chair, rubbing her hands in anticipation in front of the new computer, her pretty face full of eagerness.

    ¡°Yeah, let me tell you about the work,¡± Yan Yu said as he booted up the computer, speaking calmly, ¡°Before August, the resurgence of spiritual energy was subject to information control and wasn¡¯t allowed to be discussed on domestic networks; most people were unaware.¡±

    ¡°At the end of August, this information started to be massively declassified, followed by the Three Isles Treasure Ship incident, which marked the first time we cultivators officially entered into an event of widespread public fervor.¡±

    ¡°This means that more and more citizens will start to recognize us cultivators. Therefore, the first public impression established in this window of time is incredibly important.¡±

    ¡°You should start by setting up our team¡¯s official accounts on various platforms, get all the necessary verifications done, and then you decide how to manage them. Come to me for funding or materials you need.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t say another word and started fiddling with the mouse and keyboard immediately.

    Yan Yu had little doubt about Xie Ruoxi¡¯s ability to manage a fan base. In her previous life, she had become a streamer with millions of fans, swindling money from them without even showing her face; her talent for manipulating people was clear.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Several days later, the cleanup of the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm was finally drawing to a close.

    The members of the Zhenhai Team and the Qing¡¯an Team were about to finish their work and return to their respective homes.

    Yan Yu called a cleaning service, asking the ladies to clean up the villa inside and out, so the girls could feel comfortable and happy upon their return.

    Soon, a cleaner came downstairs and said:

    ¡°Young man! Go up and call your wife for a moment, she¡¯s squatting in the study not coming out, we can¡¯t clean up like this!¡±

    Yan Yu: ?

    When he reached the second-floor study, he saw Xie Ruoxi with messy hair and heavy dark circles under her eyes, rapidly typing on the computer keyboard.

    ¡°Stop working for now.¡± Yan Yu snapped the monitor off, ¡°Come downstairs with me and let the cleaners tidy up the study.¡±

    ¡°Wait a second¡­ Ah!¡± Xie Ruoxi stood up in annoyance, complaining, ¡°I was just a few keystrokes away from posting that comment!¡±

    ¡°Is that comment really so important?¡± Yan Yu asked casually.

    ¡°Not important,¡± Xie Ruoxi responded, ¡°But posting it would have made me feel better.¡±

    ¡°Young people shouldn¡¯t be so hot-tempered.¡± Yan Yu chuckled disdainfully, ¡°Internet arguments are pointless, getting angry means you¡¯ve lost.¡±

    ¡°That troll said that the essence of the Zhenhai Team is that of a financial conglomerate¡¯s dance troupe.¡± Xie Ruoxi argued, ¡°He also claimed that the female cultivators in the team are all for your selection as concubines, and that you roll dice every night to choose whose card to flip.¡±

    ¡°Classic.¡± Yan Yu chuckled coldly, not bothering to refute, and simply said, ¡°Take a screenshot of the user ID and their comment and send it to me, I¡¯ll have someone up top take care of it.¡±

    ¡°Damn!¡± Xie Ruoxi was stunned at first but quickly burst into a smug grin, nodding incessantly, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it after the study is cleaned. Also, take a look at this video¡­ ¡±

    Yan Yu looked closely and saw that it was a re-uploaded video from a neighboring non-existent platform, featuring an interview with Thornbird¡ªthe superhero had already announced his presence in Northern Ai, relieving many of his compatriots who were concerned about him.

    Last night, he was invited to ¡°Tonight with Morgan,¡± where the host asked about the performance of the Rikoku Cultivator. ¡°Thornbird¡± Roger expressed high praise:

    ¡°¡­Hmm, I don¡¯t want to belittle Rikoku Cultivators due to some internationally popular stereotypes, because a loss is a loss, there¡¯s no need to find excuses to feel better, but¡­ ¡±

    ¡°¡­Yan Yu is a very strong, very strong, very strong Rikoku Cultivator, worth my repeating three times. You all saw the live broadcast, didn¡¯t you? Were there any audience members who haven¡¯t seen the live stream or the recording? From the initiation to the explosion of the ¡®Demons¡¯ Trap¡¯ Spell, the reaction and action time left for anyone was less than 0.4 seconds, and he managed to dodge them all¡­ all of them, a full seven Demons¡¯ Traps!¡±

    ¡°¡­No, I don¡¯t think if I had another chance and chose a different tactic I could turn defeat into victory. There¡¯s currently a gap in strength between me and him, you know? Of course, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll always be behind, I just firmly believe that to surpass an opponent, the first thing to do is to acknowledge them¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Xie Ruoxi dragged the video¡¯s progress bar to the end, saying with pride, ¡°Not wanting to lose face in defeat, he has to forcefully praise you in order to minimize the shame of his loss, his intentions are too obvious.¡±

    ¡°Of course, we have to take advantage of this popularity: I can use the footage of your previous battle with him and edit a highlight video. I¡¯ve already thought of the title, it¡¯ll be called ¡®Intense! Yan Zhanlong Decimates Thornbird, the Ultimate Aesthetic of a Cultivator¡¯s Violence!¡¯ and release it across all major platforms on the internet.¡±

    ¡°First, we get some hired commenters to hype it up, attracting the first wave of traffic. Then, we have a bunch of trolls claim the video is faked, followed by our rational fans disputing them. Lastly, we take screenshots of the intense debate and post them on major forums to attract a lot of smart bystanders to come over and pass judgment.¡±

    ¡°Whether these bystanders support the fans or the trolls, they¡¯ll definitely have to watch the video to judge its authenticity, and that¡¯s how our video will capture a second wave of traffic. Then, I can go anonymously to a few big content creators to buy promotional pieces, get them to help with a deep technical verification, and then have trolls stir trouble in their comment sections, provoking their fans to watch the original video¡­ ¡±

    Her enthusiasm grew as she spoke, but she didn¡¯t notice that Yan Yu¡¯s look towards her was becoming increasingly strange.

    Xie Ruoxi, are you really so adept at marketing and stirring up activity?

    ¡°`

 Chapter 189: 89 Yan Zhanlongs Fire Spreads Across North and South Jiangnan

    Chapter 189: Chapter 89 Yan Zhanlong¡¯s Fire Spreads Across North and South Jiangnan

    [High-octane! Yan Zhanlong annihilates Thornbird, the ultimate aesthetic of Cultivator¡¯s sheer violence!]

    Although her academic performance wasn¡¯t great, when it came to things she was truly interested in, Xie Ruoxi worked at an exceptionally fast pace. She managed to edit the video in just one afternoon.

    Yan Yu took a look at it and was thoroughly impressed; he couldn¡¯t find any faults.

    The BGM selected was The_Phoenix by the band The Out Boys, the fervent rhythm of the rock music complementing the intense battle scenes perfectly.

    More amusingly, the superhero ¡°Phoenix¡± in the footage, who was walked like a dog by Yan Yu and Li Minghu, is actually a translation of the word Phoenix itself.

    The entire animation scene was chaotically edited. The video started with Thornbird¡¯s quote during an interview, ¡°Yan Yu is a very strong, very strong, very strong Rikoku Cultivator¡±. Then the robust and passionate BGM war song kicked in as the camera panned to the battle scenes, with Thornbird¡¯s camera view as the main perspective, interspersed with shots from two other people¡¯s footage.

    From a tactical replay perspective, this kind of editing was certainly subpar. Frequent changes in viewpoint made it hard to reconstruct the original sequence of the battle.

    But for the non-professional video audience, the trendiness was seriously off the charts. The dazzling interweaving of the Thunder Lance¡¯s lightning, Phoenix¡¯s flames, and the double sword lights of the Sky Flash Sword and Huang Tingjian, made it so you wished you had eighteen eyes to catch every detail.

    What¡¯s more, Yan Yu noticed that every camera switch was perfectly timed to the beat of the BGM, further enhancing the effect of the rock music and the blood-pumping visuals, making for an even more provocative atmosphere.

    What is talent? This is talent!

    Xie Ruoxi, how did you end up as a beautiful good-for-nothing in your past life? What other treasures am I yet to discover within you?

    Come on, reveal them all to me!

    Seeing the girl¡¯s face beaming with pride, as if saying ¡°please praise me¡±, Yan Yu nodded reservedly and put on an air of authority as he said:

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go ahead and post it. But while video quality is crucial, we can¡¯t neglect follow-up operations. Make sure to track the data and provide feedback in a timely manner, and adjust our strategy accordingly.¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡± She didn¡¯t state it explicitly, but Xie Ruoxi could tell he was very pleased (otherwise, why wouldn¡¯t he have found a single fault?), and she saluted before scampering off.

    Post it! Post it ruthlessly! Let those naysayers see just how awesome my solo-promoted Yan Zhanlong is!

    No sooner had Ruoxi released the video than she sought out a click-farm company within the content creator¡¯s circle and bought the largest traffic package available.

    As everyone knows, the process for video recommendations often starts off by providing a small amount of traffic for a trial push. Then, based on the click-through rate, completion rate, and other playback data during the trial period, the amount of traffic for the second push is determined.

    Click-farm companies can make the trial period traffic look good, ensuring that you get a substantial amount of platform traffic for the second batch. Whether this wave of traffic can bring higher conversion rates and lead to subsequent third and fourth rounds of traffic ultimately depends on the quality of your video¡ªyou can¡¯t always buy views, especially since the monetization rate of videos is poor, it would be purely loss-making.

    Ruoxi¡¯s video had the currently hottest keyword, ¡°Yan Zhanlong¡±. Moreover, it was a self-made video posted by a verified official account, which probably caught the platform operator¡¯s attention. Before the click-farm even started to vigorously boost the video, it received a huge traffic boost from the platform itself, and the data began to soar.

    Most video viewers don¡¯t usually watch live streams or bother to visit smaller platforms for pirated broadcasts. Having only heard of ¡°Yan Zhanlong¡±, they had no idea how formidable it was. Once they clicked on the video, they couldn¡¯t pull themselves away.

    On the return trip, the crews of the Zhenhai Team and Qing¡¯an Team ¡ª all Cultivators ¡ª were sitting around two tables playing the card game ¡®Fight the Landlord¡¯.

    With eight people across two tables, and one person taking a break, it was Jiang Hong¡¯s turn to rest. He was idly browsing a video website on the ship¡¯s computer when he suddenly shouted: S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Holy shit! Looks like Yan¡¯s popularity just won¡¯t stop rolling in, wave after wave!¡±

    Upon hearing that something was up with Yan Yu again, everyone quickly threw down their cards and gathered around the computer to enjoy the fun.

    After silently watching the video, Lin Ning couldn¡¯t help but express:

    ¡°No lies, that was pretty cool.¡±

    Flying kites and walking dogs with Phoenix, the double sword strike on Thunderbird, and then Yan Yu¡¯s sudden ambush on Thornbird, a devilish trap with seven rapid flashes, moving so fast it was almost as if he was teleporting, which nearly filled the whole screen with barrage comments, and the advanced barrage was even more numerous, scrolling fancily with comments like ¡°Disaster is always one step behind me¡±.

    The video¡¯s final scene showed Yan Yu, having completed seven flashes to get in close, with a look of indifferent yet domineering arrogance, leaving the words, ¡°You like Jump Rope, huh?¡± before delivering a killer punch that shattered the camera, followed by a meaningful black screen as the BGM ended abruptly, leaving viewers with a lingering aftertaste as the screen-filling barrage collectively became ¡°You may now breathe¡±.

    Seriously, everyone had indeed held their breath subconsciously just a moment ago.

    Yan Yu wasn¡¯t here, so everyone turned their gaze to another person involved, Li Minghu.

    Li Minghu smiled helplessly and said,

    ¡°The credit is all his, I was just playing a supporting role.¡±

    No matter how much Li Zhaojiang wanted to protect his sister, he had to admit that this kid Yan Yu really stood out on his own. Strictly speaking, it was his sister who was basking in his fame.

    Looking at the comments section of the video, sure enough, the audience¡¯s passion was also ignited. There were cheers, songs of praise, fans enthralled by Yan Zhanlong, and even those who said they were using the video as an accompaniment to their drinks, already starting to toast with their fathers-in-law¡­ In short, the reviews were overwhelmingly positive ¡ª the number of comments had already broken through the thousands, and the number of views had skyrocketed to the hundreds of thousands in no time.

    At Shengjing Prefecture¡¯s Dingbei National Defense Academy, Liu Longtao had just finished practicing swordplay and picked up his phone during the break, only to see that his childhood buddies, the young princes, had sent him a video.

    After watching the video in silence, Lord Master revealed a thoughtful expression.

    Pretty captivating.

    I¡¯ll have to ask Old Yan which studio he hired and get them to make one for me too.

    ¡°Ye Jun!¡± He made up his mind, turned around, and called out, ¡°Come take a look at this.¡±

    In a certain establishment in Shuzhong Prefecture, the Huofeng Team was enjoying hotpot while watching the TV on the wall. Suddenly, the local news station inserted a last-minute news broadcast, headlined ¡°Yan Zhanlong¡¯s compilation video of his battle defeating the Thorns Bird has sparked national attention and heated discussion.¡±

    Although it was a last-minute news story, there was no need to prepare any new materials. The anchor read off the script, and then the camera cut away to play the video, simple and relaxed.

    But the team members watched with rapt attention. Zhou Hongyu was expressionless, not moving an inch. Zhang Huaide frowned slightly, feeling that the angle transitions were too chaotic. Qin Meng dropped his chopsticks without realizing it, while Tang Xiaolian had her mouth slightly agape.

    Only Meng Qingxi was watching the TV and eating hotpot, occasionally lifting his plastic cup to sip some wine along with the music, thoroughly enjoying himself.

    The reason for the local television¡¯s insertion of this program was not due to any keen sense of journalism, but because the Zhendong Army discovered that someone was promoting their affiliated cultivator, Yan Yu. Li Weiguo immediately made a phone call, requesting that local propaganda departments cooperate in drumming up support.

    ¡°Hahaha!¡± He watched the video over and over on the computer, unable to help but exclaim, ¡°Good, good, good! You, young man, should stop showing off in front of me and start showing off in front of all the people of the nation! It should¡¯ve been like this all along!¡±

    Inside the Jinling Villa, Xie Ruoxi logged into the backend of various video sites, and upon seeing the explosive growth of view counts like rockets, she was momentarily captivated and intoxicated.

    Although my video production deserves some credit, it¡¯s really because Yan Zhanlong is just too handsome! Three hundred and sixty degrees of unobstructed handsomeness!

    As the leader of his fans, I wholeheartedly promote him, and there¡¯s not the slightest bit of him paying too much that factors into this!

    She was holding her pretty face, thrilled to no end, when suddenly a new message notification popped up on her screen.

    Looking at the nickname of the sender, it was according to the previous operational plan, where they had intended to hire some trolls to slander the video as fake to create a controversial sensation. Hence, Xie Ruoxi had specially contacted another marketing agency.

    [Tempest Marketing Studio]: Client, we can¡¯t take this job anymore!

    [Tempest Marketing Studio]: Yan Zhanlong is too damn awesome. Now the whole net is his fans, how could we possibly slander him? It would ruin our reputation.

    [Tempest Marketing Studio]: I advise you to start pulling back too. He is the pride of our Lu Country, thoroughly beating the foreigners. It¡¯s really not something we can go against. Business is business, but some things really shouldn¡¯t be touched, with Lord Master watching over us.

    [Tempest Marketing Studio]: We won¡¯t report you, but don¡¯t contact us again.

    [You are not this user¡¯s friend. Please contact him/her to add you as a friend again.]

    Xie Ruoxi stared at the screen for a long time before she realized she had been blocked by them.

    Yan Yu¡¯s popularity had soared to such heights that even the marketing trolls had become his fans, and they were no longer taking business!

    She jumped up from her chair, cheered, and hopped around a few times, releasing her joy. After calming her excitement, she hurried out of her study to share the good news with Yan Yu.

 Chapter 190: 90: The Four Jing Chas Fight Back to the Villa, Qiao Xixi Tragically Ambushed

    Chapter 190: Chapter 90: The Four Jing Chas Fight Back to the Villa, Qiao Xixi Tragically Ambushed

    After hearing Xie Ruoxi¡¯s description, Yan Yu fell silent too.

    Uh, I did think I would become popular, but isn¡¯t this level of heat a bit too much?

    In fact, Yan Yu¡¯s expectations for making a name for himself weren¡¯t very high, because the situation at this stage was as follows: the officials knew how awesome he was, but they couldn¡¯t do this kind of promotion; they only knew how to write those official articles like ¡°our soldiers performed outstandingly on the South Sea battlefield¡±.

    Of course, there were capable people among the public who could do marketing promotions, but the public didn¡¯t know yet how awesome he was¡­ So although Yan Yu believed in Xie Ruoxi¡¯s abilities, he also thought that managing to get a fan group of a few hundred people would already be quite good.

    Unexpectedly, this pretty but useless person had quietly managed to pull off a big event for him¡­

    Seeing that the video views had already broken three million, Yan Yu stroked his chin and pondered for a moment, then asked Xie Ruoxi,

    ¡°So, am I considered popular now?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been popular since ¡®Yan Zhanlong¡¯ hit the hot search,¡± Xie Ruoxi said seriously. ¡°Now, it should be about refining fans, turning many fans from those vast numbers of ordinary people who have only heard the name ¡®Yan Zhanlong¡¯ but don¡¯t know the specific details.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, good.¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t have much to say, just continued scrolling through his phone, and then he saw Liu Longtao had sent him a voice message.

    [Liu Shao]: Where did you find that video editing team, Old Yan? Let me borrow them.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Hahaha, envious, aren¡¯t you, Old Liu? It isn¡¯t some outside video editing team that takes commercial orders, but trusted people of my own! If you also want to make a promotional video, it depends on whether she has time and is willing to help you.

    [Liu Shao]: My own people, that¡¯s great! I¡¯ll have Ye Jun prepare some materials for our team and send them to you. No rush, anytime you can help me make it is fine.

    Although Lord Master also had a craving for showing off, he knew better that now was Yan Yu¡¯s time to rise to fame; one only piggybacks off others¡¯ popularity to attract traffic, who would compete face to face with someone in the limelight? Better wait until the hype has died down.

    ¡°Who is that?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked with surprise, ¡°He sounds quite full of himself.¡±

    My Yan Yu is a war hero! Indeed, he beat the opposing superheroes so hard they were looking for their teeth on the ground, and only then could I edit a sufficiently stunning video for him. You want me to help with what some random team got?

    ¡°Just a show-off from Pingjing.¡± Yan Yu casually replied, ¡°When the time comes, we¡¯ll see what materials he sends over. If they can be edited, we¡¯ll edit; if not, just tell me, no worries.¡±

    ¡°Then,¡± seeing that he seemed satisfied, Xie Ruoxi mustered up some courage and said, ¡°does this mean I¡¯ve passed my trial period?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Yan Yu looked at her oddly, ¡°What trial period? From the moment you cultivated True Qi, you¡¯ve been my person! I still need to help you get your Cultivator status! What are you thinking? Now that we¡¯ve discovered you have the qualifications for cultivation, would I send you away? Am I someone who would waste talent like that?¡±

    ¡°Ehehe.¡± Xie Ruoxi was instantly overjoyed, her fingers entwined as she fiddled with them repeatedly before suddenly saying, ¡°Then that computer in my room¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s yours!¡± Yan Yu waved his hand impatiently, ¡°You already said it¡¯s your room, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Xie Ruoxi saluted and then dashed back to her room.

    Yan Yu: ?

    He suddenly realized something was wrong. The study computer belonging to her was fine, but that didn¡¯t mean she could spend all her time playing on the computer, ending up like her previous life¡¯s beautiful but useless person who relied entirely on the internet to live!

    So Yan Yu began to face the problems many bosses face: how to prevent employees from playing games during working hours?

    The ultimate solution: Install monitoring software and then tell her the machine has monitoring on it.

    As for who to ask¡­ Yan Yu remembered that Sun Ziyi from his previous life seemed to be a computer expert, so he sent a message to Qiu Ze, asking him to get Sun Ziyi to make a recommendation.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    A business van stopped in front of the villa.

    The person who got out of the vehicle was a petite and lovely girl.

    She was dressed in a school-style JK jacket, with a white shirt, pleated dress, and a tie inside. Under the short skirt, two slender and cute legs were revealed, and she was holding a parasol for shading, which, combined with her height of about one meter and fifty-six centimeters, made her look like a little mushroom under the sun.

    ¡°Finally back,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile as she looked at the villa.

    Following her out of the van was Su Yunjin, who took the parasol from Chen Lingyun¡¯s hand. Her taste in clothes was very different from Chen Lingyun¡¯s, preferring more simple styles, like solid-color knitted jackets and simple dresses.

    With her calm and gentle face, standing behind Chen Lingyun like that, she resembled an older sister holding an umbrella for her younger sister.

    ¡°Take the stuff from the trunk for me!¡± Lin Ning, in fact, was the first to get out of the car but had walked around to the back, where she was now checking if the frozen seafood brought back from the South Sea had started to thaw. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    She was wearing a knit cardigan (belonging to Su Yunjin), paired with denim hot shorts and beautiful pale legs, clearly rushing back from a tropical area in the south, not yet accustomed to Jinling¡¯s autumn weather.

    ¡°I got it, I got it!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was the last to leave the car, going over to help Lin Ning with the stuff¡ªafter all, the seafood was what she wanted to eat.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress had already spent half a year in this world, and had officially declared herself 100% Earth-adapted. Her low-cut T-shirt clung on perilously, and like Lin Ning, she too wore hot pants that highlighted every curve of her figure in stark detail.

    If one were to describe each girl with a single word following the order mentioned above, they would probably be: exquisite, elegant, energetic, and voluptuous.

    The minivan drove off, and the girls picked up their bags, both large and small, sauntering back home.

    ¡°What do you think Yan Yu is doing right now?¡± Chen Lingyun started the conversation with a smile.

    ¡°Sleeping in,¡± Lin Ning guessed casually.

    ¡°At this time of day, he should be cooking dinner,¡± Su Yunjin projected her own habits onto him, saying uncertainly.

    ¡°Definitely hugging his phone, watching his own show-off videos, hiding somewhere and smugly patting himself on the back,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said carelessly.

    ¡°Hmm, I think you¡¯re all wrong,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a light smile. ¡°That video wasn¡¯t uploaded by an enthusiastic netizen. The uploader¡¯s account has his own verification mark.¡±

    ¡°So he made the video himself?¡± Lin Ning responded quickly, immediately asking.

    ¡°Can¡¯t say for sure, but he definitely knew about it before it was published,¡± Chen Lingyun arrived at the villa¡¯s entrance, gently knocking on the door, ¡°Since his personal video is out, the next step is surely to make a promotional video for our whole team¡­¡±

    Before the knocking sound even stopped, a loud shout came from inside:

    ¡°Leave the takeout at the door, thank you!¡±

    The girls: ???

    Immediately their expressions changed dramatically, drastically, wildly!

    Ah, what an unfamiliar and seductively tender voice!

    Chen Lingyun turned her head, the sweet smile now tinged with a hint of murderous intent, as she quickly signaled a tactical hand gesture.

    Lin Ning rapidly ascended to the second floor with the Cloud Ascension Technique, ready to burst into the villa.

    Zhao Yuanzhen hurried around to the back of the house, preparing to infiltrate from the direction of the yard.

    Su Yunjin was already prepared, just waiting for Chen Lingyun¡¯s command to immediately use the Wall-Penetration Technique, silently passing through the door and catching the cheater in the act!

    ¡°Action,¡± Chen Lingyun ordered, and everyone rushed into the villa!

    Search every room! Inspect every corner! Surround Xie Ruoxi in the living room!

    Xie Ruoxi, who was wearing a pink bunny pajama, didn¡¯t know what had happened, but suddenly found herself encircled by four fierce-looking women, causing her to quickly cradle her head in her hands and curl up on the couch, shivering in fear.

    But Zhao Yuanzhen wasn¡¯t about to be fooled by her pitiful demeanor. She straddled Xie Ruoxi, forcefully prying apart her hands covering her face, and stared into her eyes coldly as she demanded to know,

    ¡°Where is the little thief? What¡¯s your relationship with him? Have you hugged? Have you kissed? Have you slept together? Are you ready to die? Huh?!!!¡±

    ¡°The ¡®little thief¡¯ is Yan Yu,¡± Lin Ning clarified on the side.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it!¡± Xie Ruoxi said in a tearful voice. ¡°I¡¯m an employee he hired, to help manage his fan operations!¡±

    ¡°It seems to be true,¡± Su Yunjin found a paper contract on the coffee table with both their signatures on it, ¡°A labor contract.¡±

    On hearing this, Zhao Yuanzhen was taken aback, hurriedly got off Xie Ruoxi, and then helped her sit up straight, chuckling awkwardly,

    ¡°Ahahaha, it turns out you work for him¡­ well, hello there, I¡¯m in the same team as Yan Yu, Zhao¡­ Zhao Jiuzhen, pleased to meet you, haha!¡±

    ¡°Sob.¡± Tears were still hanging in the corners of Xie Ruoxi¡¯s eyes, but seeing that the girls were now looking at her more kindly, she finally calmed down and timidly explained,

    ¡°My name is Xie Ruoxi, I have a contract with Yan Yu. You can ask him about it. I live in the study upstairs; I usually work on that computer, and the latest promotional materials are still on it. You can also check the computer if you want.¡±

    The moment they heard she lived in the study and not Yan Yu¡¯s bedroom, the girls¡¯ expressions became a few degrees more credulous¡­ as if!

    God, which company¡¯s network operator doesn¡¯t live in an office cubicle but instead resides in the boss¡¯s luxurious villa? And such a delicate and pretty young girl at that! Who knows what could¡¯ve happened between you two beyond work-related matters?

    This villa isn¡¯t Yan Yu¡¯s sole real estate, but the training and living base for our team. How can we tolerate such contamination and disgrace here!

    Investigate! We must rigorously interrogate to make everything clear! Leave no stone unturned in searching for even the slightest trace of suspicion!

 Chapter 191: 91 Training the Shenxing Battle Team

    Chapter 191: Chapter 91 Training the Shenxing Battle Team

    ¡°`

    ¡°Ruoxi, where are you from?¡± Su Yunjin sat down next to her, pouring her some tea.

    Xie Ruoxi seemed pleasantly surprised and replied in a quiet voice with a smile:

    ¡°I¡¯m from Baoqing, Jingnan.¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a nice place,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile (though she actually had no idea where it was), ¡°Here, drink some tea.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi took the tea and then heard Su Yunjin continue:

    ¡°We¡¯ve all watched the ¡®Yan Zhanlong¡¯ video, and you did a great job. Ruoxi, are you a professional video editor?¡±

    ¡°No, not really,¡± Xie Ruoxi replied truthfully, ¡°I¡¯m a photographer.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re a photographer, why did Yan Yu hire you for post-production?¡± Lin Ning blurted out curiously.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know either,¡± Xie Ruoxi confessed, ¡°We met at the ¡®Slaying the Dragon¡¯ event, exchanged contacts, and then later he offered me work and had me fly over to Jinling.¡±

    The girls exchanged looks, alarms ringing in their heads.

    So, this girl was just someone Yan Yu picked up along the road?

    Having only met once and being complete strangers before that, how could he possibly know her professional abilities so well, to be aware that she¡¯s skilled at video editing and post-production? Clearly, it was all pretext, just luring her over with false pretenses!

    ¡°So where is Yan Yu?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked with a sneer.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, he¡¯s not at home today,¡± Xie Ruoxi replied, her voice trembling with fear again.

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll just wait for him here at home!¡± Lin Ning declared righteously, as if she couldn¡¯t wait to tear the scoundrel apart herself.

    The girls were sharpening their knives, Xie Ruoxi was quivering in fear, but only Chen Lingyun remained calm and collected, quietly assessing Xie Ruoxi¡¯s appearance.

    Although she¡¯s pretty, sorry, you¡¯re not the prettiest one in this villa.

    Yan Yu could dismiss any girl here with ¡°You¡¯re not worthy,¡± so he surely wasn¡¯t so desperate as to pick someone from the boonies. It¡¯s more likely that, because of his advantage of foresight from past life knowledge, he knew this girl from out of town had some hidden value, which is why he specially bought her a plane ticket to the villa.

    Humph, sorry to say, no one understands Yan Yu better than me.

    Of course, even though she saw right through the nature of this situation, Chen Lingyun had no intention of explaining it to the others.

    What¡¯s fun about the truth? I¡¯m here for the bloodbath!

    ¡°Don¡¯t call him just yet,¡± Su Yunjin said gently, ¡°We wouldn¡¯t want to scare the captain.¡±

    If you call him, he¡¯ll be on his guard and think of excuses on his way back, and we won¡¯t be able to get to the real reason why he¡¯s sheltering Xie Ruoxi.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true.¡± Lin Ning went into the kitchen, returned with a gleaming fruit knife, and Xie Ruoxi on the sofa shuddered again.

    Everyone¡¯s speaking normally, but what¡¯s with this dangerous atmosphere, as if someone might die at any moment?! So this is the ¡®battlefield¡¯ often mentioned in novels, comics, animations, and games, right? How terrifying, why are there so many scary women around Yan Yu!

    Xie Ruoxi trembled in fear, but Lin Ning, holding the fruit knife, ignored her and silently sat down next to Su Yunjin, picking up an apple on the coffee table and started peeling it.

    Zhao Yuanzhen sat on the other side of Xie Ruoxi, legs crossed, a brooding expression on her face as she stared at the front door, leaving no room for Xie Ruoxi to muster the courage to speak to her.

    Such a terrifying scene, so terrifying, wuu wuu wuu, Yan Yu, please come back quickly!

    Meanwhile, Yan Yu¡¯s visit to the school was not for leisure, but rather he headed straight to Shenxing Battle Team¡¯s training ground, where Qiu Ze and his team were waiting for him.

    ¡°Welcome, Captain Yan!¡± He greeted enthusiastically, and everyone came over to shake hands and get acquainted with Yan Yu, like a fan meet-and-greet. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Naturally, as the number one cultivator of the Zhendong Army, it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration for fellow cultivators to call themselves his fans.

    ¡°No need to be so formal,¡± Yan Yu shook hands with everyone in turn, as they introduced themselves one by one.

    Qiu Ze needed no introduction; he was the captain of the Shenxing Battle Team, an old classmate who had known Yan Yu since the beginning of the school year. His profession is Assistant Officer, his magical weapon is a gourd that releases a whip-like blue light, it¡¯s versatile and agile in both attack and defense.

    The vice-captain, Sun Ziyi, was quiet and subdued, wearing glasses. His profession was Sword Immortal, and he practiced a rare form of Sword Qi cultivation¡ªtheir flying sword, named ¡°Formless Sword,¡± was actually a sword pill, relying on externally emitted Sword Qi for attacking, invisible and colorless, quite interesting.

    Member Zhang Yang, profession Sword Immortal, utilized a standard flying sword.

    Member Song Qiao, a cultivator of Taoism Method, practiced ¡°Secret Qi Dan Yun Fire.¡± Unlike Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Bright Light Fire, Song Qiao¡¯s fire could appear out of thin air at specific locations, similar to an advanced version of Flame Curse with more powerful effects.

    Member Chang Sisi, profession Servant Envoy, followed the commonly chosen by female envoys beast-taming path, currently she had tamed a Night-Watching Lion Dog, a white furred large dog nearly two meters long, majestic and imposing.

    The job distribution in the Shenxing Battle Team matched exactly with the Zhenhai Team. The four major professions were almost fully represented, with an extra Sword Immortal for flexibility and adaptation, whether this composition was directed from above or was the idea of Qiu Ze and Sun Ziyi themselves was unknown.

    ¡°Captain Yan, there¡¯s no time like the present,¡± after some pleasantries, Qiu Ze tentatively asked, ¡°Would you mind giving us some pointers, to see what issues everyone might have?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Yan Yu nodded and said, ¡°Are you guys fighting one by one, or all together?¡±

    His words were brimming with dominance, as ¡°all together¡± implied ¡°I can take on all five of you no problem,¡± but none of the members of the Shenxing Battle Team felt anything amiss¡ªthis was the renowned Yan Zhanlong after all! Have you seen his video or not? Even if the five of us teamed up, could we take down a Flood Dragon?

 Chapter 192: 91 Training the Shenxing Battle Team_2

    Chapter 192: Chapter 91 Training the Shenxing Battle Team_2

    Chang Sisi smiled and said,

    ¡°Yan Yu, can we each have a turn? The round-robin format allows you to assess our personal strength, while all of us fighting together can demonstrate our tactical coordination.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, that won¡¯t be necessary,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°I can tell how well you coordinate tactically from past videos, I don¡¯t need to comment on that. Mainly, I¡¯m having you all fight together to save time¡­¡±

    Qiu Ze also felt embarrassed when videos were mentioned.

    In the previous preliminary match against the Huofeng Team, they were outright decimated, and their tactical coordination was a complete mess. Did they still need Yan Yu¡¯s advice? Were they even worthy? I don¡¯t want to mention it!

    In order to stop his teammates from making more sensational demands, he quickly said,

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go with the round-robin format; I¡¯ll go first.¡±

    Half an hour later, everyone had their turn against Huang Tingjian, and sure enough, they were all defeated, not even managing to make Yan Yu take half a step back.

    ¡°Hmm, let¡¯s discuss each of you,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment and then gave his evaluation, ¡°Qiu Ze, you are currently the strongest cultivator in the team, well-rounded in all aspects without any major weaknesses. The main issue is the style of your swordsmanship¡­ You focus too much on evasion, often giving up your chances to attack just to dodge the opponent¡¯s offense.¡±

    ¡°If you were just a regular team member, that wouldn¡¯t be a problem, it might even be considered a strength. But don¡¯t forget, you are the captain; your goal isn¡¯t just to keep yourself from getting hurt, you also need to help the other team members gain a tactical advantage. This requires you to be more aggressive and willing to take risks sometimes.¡±

    ¡°Mhmm,¡± Qiu Ze nodded without changing his expression. There was no sign of surprise on his face, indicating that he was already aware of this issue.

    ¡°Sun Ziyi,¡± Yan Yu continued to evaluate, ¡°your Formless Sword Qi is very well mastered, with excellent timing and prediction, but you have the same issue as Qiu Ze: you are too fixated on finding flaws. Have you considered what you would do if I never presented you with an opportunity?¡±

    Sun Ziyi fell into thought; indeed, he was pressured throughout the fight by Yan Yu, and he hadn¡¯t been able to release much of his Formless Sword Qi. Now it seemed that it was because he was used to reacting rather than acting, thus giving up the tempo of the battle from the start and never being able to regain control.

    ¡°I¡¯ve learned my lesson,¡± he said solemnly with a nod.

    ¡°Zhang Yang,¡± Yan Yu spoke indifferently, ¡°your Sword Control Technique is not bad, and it¡¯s clear you¡¯ve put in the hard work. However, your main problem is a lack of experience, and your style appears somewhat rigid and dogmatic. You should go and study videos of all the powerful Sword Immortals in Lu Country, take some time to analyze and learn from them, it will be good for you.¡±

    ¡°Can I prioritize learning from your techniques?¡± Zhang Yang asked excitedly, ¡°Yan Yu! Of all the Sword Immortals in Lu Country, I admire you the most!¡±

    ¡°My Huang Tingjian is a heavy sword, not really suitable for you to study,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°Try studying Ai Lu from the Dragon Soar Team; his style is more similar to yours.¡±

    ¡°Song Qiao, you have a good grasp of the Fire Blazing Dao Method, and like Zhang Yang, the main issue is a lack of experience.¡± He paused slightly before suddenly asking, ¡°Do you plan to follow an offensive or control style?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the difference between the two?¡± Song Qiao asked for confirmation.

    ¡°The advantage of an offensive style is that it¡¯s impressive, fierce, and strong, easily highlighting your value in the team,¡± Yan Yu explained, ¡°But the problem with the offensive Fire Blazing Dao Method is that Zhou Hongyu of the Huofeng Team will become an insurmountable mountain for you; you might spend your whole life trying to surpass her and never manage to come out from under her shadow. When people mention ¡®the first in the Fire Blazing Dao Method,¡¯ they think of Zhou Hongyu, not you.¡±

    ¡°If you follow a control style, it will be more helpful to the Shenxing Battle Team since both Sun Ziyi and Zhang Yang are already aggressive attackers. The team actually needs more support and control. The cost is that you need not only improve your cultivation realm and your skill with the Taoism Method, but you¡¯ll also need to train your observational skills, strategic thinking, and tactical awareness. Your workload will be greater, but you¡¯ll have fewer chances to stand out.¡±

    ¡°Like senior Su Yunjin?¡± Song Qiao suddenly asked.

    ¡°Yes, like her,¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t deny.

    ¡°But she made quite a splash in the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm,¡± Song Qiao insisted, ¡°She took on the ¡®Phoenix¡¯ herself and knocked him right out of the realm.¡±

    ¡°Even so, she didn¡¯t kill the Phoenix, did she? Just think about it for yourself.¡± Seeing that the other party had a bit of an ¡°I want it all¡± ambition, Yan Yu didn¡¯t insist too much, but said something meaningful and turned to Chang Sisi, the only female member of the team, ¡°Chang Sisi, since you chose beast companionship, remember one thing: it is there to complement your offense, not for you to complement its offense.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Chang Sisi said with a mournful face, ¡°But sometimes the big lion gets so excited, it just won¡¯t listen to me.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s easy.¡± Yan Yu flicked his finger lightly, and Huang Tingjian immediately fell from the sky, landing in front of the Night Guardian Lion Dog, startling the big dog so much that it leaped back, tail tightly tucked between its legs¡ªit had just been brutally hit by this heavy sword.

    Huang Tingjian flew up again, its blade pointing at the opponent from a distance, and Yan Yu shouted:

    ¡°Sit down!¡±

    The Night Guardian Lion Dog immediately sat down, its eyes clear and innocent.

    ¡°Belly!¡±

    The Night Guardian Lion Dog rolled over on the spot, exposing its belly, its tail still wagging as it stuck out its tongue and panted, trying to please Yan Yu. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s quite obedient,¡± Yan Yu put away Huang Tingjian and said to Chang Sisi.

    Chang Sisi:¡­¡­

    ¡°I¡¯ve got it,¡± she said, dejectedly.

    ¡°Let¡¯s leave the analysis at that, everyone keep it up,¡± Yan Yu concluded, ¡°You guys still have a lot of potential.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Captain Yan,¡± everyone said hastily.

    They all crowded around to see Yan Yu out of the training field, as attentive as if they were seeing off the Emperor. After exiting, Sun Ziyi said to him:

    ¡°Captain Yan, I¡¯ll send you the monitoring software when I get back, you just have to install it then.¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    That was the main purpose of his visit, with the secondary one being to get acquainted with the Shenxing Battle Team members; such things, of course, could not be stated outright or it might hurt feelings.

    Since he had communicated well with Sun Ziyi, next was to return to the villa and reunite with the girls from the South Sea¡­ Hmm?

    Yan Yu took out his phone to take a quick look but found that they hadn¡¯t sent him any messages.

    Something was off.

    Usually, they were all racing to see who could reach 99+ new messages first, why were they all silent now? Checking the time, they should have arrived back at the villa to meet Xie Ruoxi by now; could they really be keeping their composure?

    Humph, an ambush, is it? And they think they can fool me, the strongest in this world?!

 Chapter 193: 92 Yan Yu Evaluates Various Ladies

    Chapter 193: Chapter 92 Yan Yu Evaluates Various Ladies

    ¡°`

    But speak of the devil, Yan Yu was at the school training the Shenxing Battle Team¡¯s junior members, and the girls waited at the villa, looking left and right for his arrival but to no avail, which left each and every one of them fuming with anger.

    Even Chen Lingyun, who often feigned a sweet smile, no longer had the energy to pretend and just listened quietly as everyone discussed strategies.

    ¡°If you ask me,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen began, inciting discussion with a radical idea, ¡°we should string him up and give him a beating first. Slap him once, and if he refuses to come clean, slap him three or four more times in a row. Let¡¯s see if he prefers to keep his teeth or continue hiding the truth!¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhao, you think you can beat him?¡± Lin Ning expressed her doubt.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was about to say it would be no problem, but then she remembered that if she revealed abilities the others hadn¡¯t seen before, it would surely raise their suspicions. She quickly changed her response and said, ¡°Of course not, but if we unite, we can lay an ambush without raising any alarms. Then, once he gets back, we can take advantage of our numbers and take him down on the spot!¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Su Yunjin looked at Xie Ruoxi, pondering, and said, ¡°That could work. We can lay an ambush around him, using the Invisibility Technique or hiding our tracks in our own ways, while Ruoxi stays in the living room pretending no one has been here, and see what Yan Yu does and says when he comes back.¡±

    As everyone knows, men often feign propriety in public, but if left alone with a woman, their true colors are likely to show¡ªthis way, when Yan Yu sees Xie Ruoxi, his attitude towards her and his real intention for sheltering her will be clear as day to us.

    ¡°Won¡¯t the Invisibility Technique be detected by Divine Sense?¡± Lin Ning reminded.

    ¡°Don¡¯t rush,¡± Su Yunjin calmly said. ¡°Who would activate their Divine Sense for no reason as soon as they get home? Right, Ling Yun?¡±

    Well, maybe not necessarily¡­ Chen Lingyun said with a vague smile:

    ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s worth a try.¡±

    Since even the most intelligent Chen Lingyun suggested trying it, Lin Ning had no further objections and only instructed Xie Ruoxi:

    ¡°Ruoxi, just stay here and don¡¯t let on that we¡¯ve returned, alright?¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi mustered her courage and said, ¡°If I lie to him and he takes his anger out on me later or even fires me, what should I do?¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t happen,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile. ¡°Yan Yu isn¡¯t like us; he¡¯s quite tolerant.¡±

    So what you¡¯re saying is that you all are less forgiving and hold grudges! Xie Ruoxi thought helplessly, but she could only nod and agree.

    If she offended Yan Yu, she could still appeal to his emotions (beg for mercy) or reason with him (make excuses), but if she offended these girls, she had no means to alleviate the situation¡ªthey were not only Yan Yu¡¯s teammates but also his cohabitants. If they were to speak ill of her to Yan Yu in the future, Xie Ruoxi figured she couldn¡¯t withstand it.

    Seeing Xie Ruoxi did not resist, the girls exchanged glances and quickly dispersed, disappearing from sight in an instant. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Wall-Penetration Technique!

    Seeing everyone disappear into the walls and vanish from sight, Xie Ruoxi was dumbfounded. These cultivators could even pass through walls? Outrageous!

    But since she was now responsible for being the bait, she wasn¡¯t in a position to question the older sisters. Also, she couldn¡¯t use her phone for fear of being suspected of sending signals to Yan Yu, so she had no choice but to turn on the TV and look for some dramas to pass the time in boredom.

    Having spent half the day away, Yan Yu finally returned to the villa. As he pushed open the door, he saw Xie Ruoxi lying lazily on the couch, eating chips and staring intently at the TV.

    ¡°Why are you here watching TV?¡± he frowned and said immediately, ¡°What about your work? Is it all done?¡±

    From the bathroom, the ceiling, outside the balcony, and behind the railing on the second floor, where the hiding girls were crouched, they instantly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Yan Yu¡¯s unapologetically stern voice.

    That¡¯s a relief, it doesn¡¯t sound like there¡¯s any romantic involvement¡ªwhat kind of man rushes back only to urge his romantic interest to get back to work? Wouldn¡¯t that just kill his likeability?

    ¡°Uh, I¡¯ve finished all my work,¡± Xie Ruoxi quickly sat up straight and answered honestly.

    ¡°`

    ¡°The fan operations are still going on?¡± Yan Yu was immediately amused, ¡°So you¡¯re saying the entire 1.2 billion people of Lu Country are already ¡®fanned out¡¯? There¡¯s not the slightest room for growth left?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly it.¡± Xie Ruoxi hurriedly explained, ¡°Yan Yu, you know the leading actress from ¡®Princess Diaries¡¯, right? She was once voted ¡®the most disliked actress by the Miti audience¡¯. The reason was that too much marketing and excessive exposure by her team made her seem too perfect, which ultimately had the opposite effect.¡±

    ¡°Your popularity is already quite high. In the earlier rounds of promotions, we¡¯ve pretty much covered most of the general public. If we continue to increase the intensity of the promotions, it can lead to these people being bombarded with the same message over and over again, which easily triggers a backlash, causing them to unfollow or even turn into haters. That would be counterproductive.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s no excuse for you to be lazy though.¡± Yan Yu sat down next to her, casually grabbed the chips from her hand, and started eating, ¡°Even if my popularity is high enough, what about the other members of our team? Is all our material prepared? Are the operational strategies in place? Is the next step of the plan ready?¡±

    ¡°Speaking of that, I was just going to ask you.¡± Xie Ruoxi cautiously asked, ¡°I don¡¯t know the other sisters on the team very well, can you tell me about their character settings?¡±

    Good question! The girls hiding in the shadows immediately perked up their ears, eager to hear how Yan Yu really viewed each of them.

    ¡°Character settings, huh.¡± Yan Yu stroked his chin and said, ¡°Although their character settings aren¡¯t as brilliant as mine, they certainly aren¡¯t dull. I¡¯ll give you a brief description.¡±

    ¡°Deputy leader Chen Lingyun, to describe her in three words: short, trashy, affected! She¡¯s only one meter fifty-six, a bottom-tier height among cultivators nationwide. Personality-wise, she¡¯s trashy to the max, taking pleasure in watching other people¡¯s awkwardness. Her face is always plastered with a fake smile, and she talks in a cloying, nasal voice¡­ That¡¯s about it, see what you can do for the promotions.¡±

    Outside on the balcony, Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile faded as her eyes narrowed slightly, a chilling gleam flitted across them.

    ¡°Uh.¡± Xie Ruoxi trembled a bit, after all, the subject herself was eavesdropping from somewhere, ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid to speak ill of someone so recklessly? Aren¡¯t you scared for your life?¡±

    She decided it was best to recast what she¡¯d heard, forcing a laugh as she rephrased, ¡°Got it, so Sister Chen Lingyun¡¯s character is: a cute and petite girl, with a bit of a naughty devil in her personality, a sweet smile, and a particularly pleasant voice¡­ right?¡±

    ¡°Although your descriptions make me feel they¡¯re completely detached from reality, promotion is indeed about turning black into white, so let¡¯s go with what you said.¡± Yan Yu said thoughtfully, ¡°Then there¡¯s Su Yunjin, hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°Su Yunjin is a literary girl. Even though she loves reading, she always chooses deep, profound works of literature. She speaks softly and seems easy to bully, but that¡¯s just a fa?ade she puts on. In reality, she¡¯s tough to deal with and can smile while saying things that send shivers down your spine. Sometimes I really feel sorry for her future husband; he¡¯s definitely going to be eaten alive by her¡­ How about that?¡±

    Behind the railing of the second floor, Su Yunjin quietly listened to Yan Yu¡¯s evaluation of her. Her fingers involuntarily clenched inside her sleeves, and her calm gaze began to frost over.

    ¡°I understand.¡± As if sensing the icy aura descending from above, Xie Ruoxi battled the urge to flee and managed a strained smile, ¡°Uh, so Su Yunjin¡­ Sister Yun Jin is a very intellectual girl with a literary air. She appears delicate but has a strong and determined inner core, plus she¡¯s emotionally intelligent and speaks impressively, like a young lady.¡±

    ¡°From a promotional perspective, we could say that,¡± Yan Yu said, stroking his chin, ¡°Next is Lin Ning, let me think¡­¡±

    ¡°Lin Ning has a serious nature and tends to fuss over various peculiar details. She often criticizes others. She believes in hard work and is a struggler, but because she¡¯s too focused on her goals, she has simple thoughts and is easily swayed by a few words. She¡¯s tough-talking but soft-hearted; the kind of girl who becomes more interesting the more you tease her¡­ Help me polish this up.¡±

    On the rooftop, Lin Ning was so furious her cheeks puffed up, her lips tightly pursed, her fingers subconsciously forming a sword technique, barely holding back from activating her True Yuan.

    ¡°Ahahaha, it sounds like all good qualities to me,¡± Xie Ruoxi half-heartedly joked, her eyes scouting for escape routes, ¡°So Sister Lin Ning has a serious and persistent character, unwavering in what she believes. She may seem tough, but actually has a soft spot in her heart for girls.¡±

    ¡°Oh Xie Ruoxi! It¡¯s lucky you didn¡¯t join the civil service; you would have been a real apple-polisher,¡± Yan Yu laughed heartily, ¡°Finally, there¡¯s Zhao Jiuzhen. Her character setup is actually quite distinct, summed up in four contrasts.¡±

    ¡°Seems crafty, but is actually naive; seems seductive, but is truly innocent; seems tough, but is really mellow; seems fierce, but is actually a complete wimp¡­¡±

    Before he could finish, the enraged Demonic Sect Enchantress, with cheeks flushed in embarrassed anger, burst out of the bathroom and pounced on Yan Yu like a ferocious tigress in full fury!

    ¡°You little thief, I¡¯m going to take you down!!!¡±

    Caught off guard by the sudden attack, instead of looking frightened, Yan Yu burst out laughing:

    ¡°Bring it on!¡±

 Chapter 194: 93 The peach and plum trees do not speak, yet a path forms beneath them.

    Chapter 194: 93 Chapter The peach and plum trees do not speak, yet a path forms beneath them.

    Yan Yu was certainly doing it on purpose.

    After returning home, Yan Yu, although he had not scanned the girls¡¯ locations, was very aware that they must have been hiding inside the house¡ªthe nonchalant demeanor of Xie Ruoxi said it all.

    The reason for saying those things was to lure the girls into taking the initiative to strike, which would give him a legitimate reason to assess everyone¡¯s true strength.

    Why assess everyone?

    Because after the trip to drop his sister off at the high-speed train station, on the cab ride to the airport, the girls had engaged in silent, secretive message exchanges for a while.

    Even though Yan Yu did not know what they had been discussing behind his back, he could guess it was definitely trash talk about him. If there¡¯s something that can¡¯t be discussed openly in front of me, why the need for secret message exchanges?

    If I say you guys need extra training, then you need extra training. As the team leader, my word is law, and I must follow through!

    Zhao Yuanzhen approached with her Shifting Technique, her hand suddenly flashing with a grey light, as the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin shot towards his shoulder.

    Good timing! Yan Yu¡¯s eyes lit up in an instant.

    This Demonic Sect Enchantress, due to her past habit of going all out against her enemies, would always use full strength in her attacks. Her control was quite poor, to put it mildly.

    But watching the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin¡¯s speed, which clearly used only about forty percent of her power, showed that she was intentionally holding back her output¡­ Very good, she has made significant progress!

    Of course, although he was inwardly impressed with Zhao Yuanzhen, Yan Yu decided to curb any chance of her becoming overly proud and complacent by continuing to push her.

    With a ¡®ding,¡¯ the Huang Tingjian deflected the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin mid-flight and then charged straight at Zhao Yuanzhen.

    Zhao Yuanzhen quickly intercepted with her Yin Wind Sword, only to see that Yan Yu had somehow closed in on her as if he had truly teleported!

    By the balcony railing, about to enter the room, Chen Lingyun saw everything clearly:

    Yan Yu first accelerated with the Shifting Technique, then stopped short, using the momentum to rush at Zhao Yuanzhen. Seizing the moment she directed her Sword Control to intercept the Huang Tingjian and shifted her gaze away, he stealthily activated the Invisibility Technique and vanished from sight.

    He became invisible, getting right in front of Zhao Yuanzhen, and reappeared while simultaneously halting with the Cloud Ascension Technique¡ªseeing from Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s perspective, it was as if a person had suddenly appeared before her, and of course, she couldn¡¯t react in time.

    ¡°Ning.¡± Chen Lingyun quickly sent a message.

    Yan Yu, taking advantage of the surprise he had given Zhao Yuanzhen at the start, rapidly dismantled her defenses with the Curved Curse Punch. Just as he was about to ¡°strike her down,¡± he suddenly changed direction and retreated urgently.

    Lin Ning¡¯s green sword light descended from the sky!

    The moment she touched down, she used the Cloud Ascension Technique to arrest her fall and immediately lunged forward, the Green Bamboo Sword swinging directly at Yan Yu¡¯s head as if casting a reprimand!

    Take that for saying I¡¯m gullible!

    With a flick of his fingers, Yan Yu¡¯s Huang Tingjian instantly returned to block.

    Now, with the three of them at close range, their swordplay fell within a ¡°short axis¡± distance. The Huang Tingjian needed only a simple sweep to strike both the Green Bamboo Sword and Yin Wind Sword at the same time. Moreover, as a heavy sword renowned for its power, it managed to parry both swords with ease for a time, leaving Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen unable to penetrate his defense.

    As Lin Ning hastily cast her Sword technique, her heart was filled with anxiousness. When she glanced at Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s onslaught, she almost fainted, hurriedly sending a message saying:

    ¡°Sister Zhao, don¡¯t just fight on your own! Work with me¡­¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s an opening!¡± Yan Yu took the chance to lunge forward, swiftly entering from the Green Bamboo Sword¡¯s blind spot and quickly approaching Lin Ning.

    Lin Ning was nearly scared into jumping away. It was too late to recall her Green Bamboo Sword, and she knew she was no match for Yan Yu in a direct confrontation. She quickly rolled backward, landing awkwardly on the ground¡ªa clumsy move, but better than being pummeled into rolling all over the floor!

    Seeing her roll away so resolutely, Yan Yu somehow felt it wasn¡¯t right to strike. By the time he decided to chase after her again, his feet were already entangled by Five Spells, and Su Yunjin¡¯s Coral Tears came slicing down from above at just the right moment.

    The cooperation between Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin was indeed far superior to the unspoken understanding between Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen, prompting Yan Yu to silently praise them in his heart.

    The Huang Tingjian swiftly moved to defend, intercepting the Coral Tears midair, but right then Yan Yu disappeared on the spot again, vanishing without a trace.

    Invisibility Technique again, huh! The girls quickly spurred their Divine Sense, sweeping through the entire living room.

    Never having dealt with an enemy that used Invisibility Technique before, their reactions were a beat behind. By the time they located Yan Yu, he had already rushed out to the balcony, knocked down Chen Lingyun who had sensed danger and was attempting to leave.

    No matter how clever your schemes, if your own strength doesn¡¯t keep up, it¡¯s all for nothing, right?

    The first victim had appeared!

    The beating was just the beginning!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Meanwhile, as soon as Zhao Yuanzhen burst out, Xie Ruoxi quickly took off like a rabbit breaking free, dashing out of the room.

    She ran several hundred meters in one go before realizing she was still in her big rabbit pajamas and fluffy slippers. When she saw the inexplicable looks from passersby, her face turned red once again, and she could only walk back towards the villa slowly.

    Arriving at the villa entrance, Xie Ruoxi first listened carefully, then slowly approached the front door.

    Ensuring that she never heard any sounds of fighting, she turned to sneak into the backyard and quietly looked towards the balcony. There, she saw Yan Yu sitting on the sofa, munching on a peeled apple, while the defeated girls sat beside him, covered in dust and ash, allowing Su Yunjin to treat their wounds one by one, all looking dejected, dispirited, and downcast.

    It¡¯s over? Yan Zhanlong won? Against four?

    Xie Ruoxi carefully walked in and saw Yan Yu turn his head and asked in annoyance,

    ¡°What were you running for just now?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi fell silent for a moment and then laughed, ¡°I thought you guys were doing internal training, which is confidential, so I consciously left the scene, haha.¡±

    ¡°Did you see that?¡± Yan Yu turned to the girls and said, ¡°Even she thinks she¡¯s an outsider. You lot are all doubting this and that, playing little tricks and throwing tantrums with me. Isn¡¯t that embarrassing?¡±

    The girls didn¡¯t pay any attention to him, but Su Yunjin walked over generously, pulled Xie Ruoxi to sit by the couch, and smiled,

    ¡°What¡¯s all this about outsiders? Since you¡¯re going to be responsible for operating and promoting our team, that makes you one of us. By the way, I heard from Yan Yu that you also have a talent for cultivation?¡±

    ¡°Mhmm.¡± Xie Ruoxi nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s just that my aptitude isn¡¯t that great¡­¡±

    ¡°Aptitude isn¡¯t a problem,¡± Yan Yu waved his hand dismissively, cutting off her speech and scolding, ¡°What matters is whether you dare to fight! If your first instinct upon seeing cultivation is to get lazy, and your first instinct upon seeing a fight is to hide, how can you be a good cultivator? Look at them, even though they know they¡¯re no match they still challenge me, getting beaten to the ground and still refusing to admit defeat. This is the spirit and courage that my Yan Zhanlong¡¯s teammates should have!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind him,¡± Lin Ning said from the side, chiming in and shooting Yan Yu a glare, ¡°He likes to play tough and scare people!¡±

    ¡°The way you glare at me really does have some presence, but it¡¯s still not as free-spirited as when you were rolling on the ground just now,¡± Yan Yu said with a laugh.

    Lin Ning¡¯s face turned dark on the spot, and she started grinding her back teeth fiercely, only to hear Chen Lingyun suddenly say,

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk upstairs.¡±

    The five girls got up one after another, hand in hand, and went upstairs, leaving Yan Yu alone and isolated in the living room.

    Although he couldn¡¯t deploy many tactics at home, it was still a proper sparring session, and he had fed the teammates with experiences generously. At this moment, Yan Yu was filled with a sense of accomplishment as a mentor.

    After sighing once more with ¡°As the peaches and plums do not speak, a path forms beneath them,¡± Yan Yu lazily picked up his phone and dialed a number:

    ¡°Hello, Coach Qi.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I have a question I¡¯d like to ask about the current situation with cultivator allocations¡­¡±

    Xie Ruoxi followed the girls to the second floor, feeling increasingly anxious.

    After all, with only a high school education and coming from a poor family, Xie Ruoxi already had a bit of an inferiority complex. Seeing that the girls were all attractive with superior manners and temperaments, she felt completely overshadowed standing next to them, and couldn¡¯t help feeling increasingly self-conscious and intimidated.

    Although she was timid and weak, the girls didn¡¯t hold any negative opinions about her.

    From Yan Yu¡¯s attitude towards her, they were mostly thinking, ¡°As if she¡¯s even worth considering.¡±

    Well then, if no one was worthy, they might as well pull Xie Ruoxi into the ¡°Zhenhai Team Women¡¯s Mutual Assistance Group¡± to discuss how to deal with Yan Yu¡ªthis detestable man really did go too far in sparring, genuinely beating up the girls!

    Everyone sat down on the floor in Chen Lingyun¡¯s room. The princess was particular about quality of life; the whole floor was covered with blankets, comfortable for both sitting and stepping on.

    Lin Ning brought over a fruit plate for the girls to enjoy at their leisure and casually asked,

    ¡°Ruoxi, how does Yan Yu know you have talent for cultivation?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi stuffed a cherry into her mouth and after a while responded, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± The girls were all surprised.

    ¡°He just asked me if I wanted to be a cultivator,¡± Xie Ruoxi said with a bitter face. ¡°Then he threw a book at me and forced me to memorize all about acupoints and qi circulation routes¡­ With so many words, how could I possibly memorize them all!¡±

    ¡°Acupoints and qi circulation routes¡­ isn¡¯t that just three chapters of content?¡± Su Yunjin said uncertainly.

    ¡°About twenty pages,¡± Lin Ning provided a more accurate figure.

    ¡°Exactly!¡± Xie Ruoxi complained indignantly, ¡°A full 20 pages!¡±

    The others almost fainted¡ªwere 20 pages really that hard to memorize with a bit of effort? Sister Zhao must have a rival in intelligence.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, however, was oblivious to everyone else¡¯s thoughts. She had already filled her mouth with cherries, her cheeks bulging like a little hamster, and then she used her nimble tongue to peel off all the fruit flesh and swallow it. Following that, she spat out the pits like a pea-shooter, one after another, before saying,

    ¡°What¡¯s there to memorize? As long as you understand it and can produce qi, isn¡¯t that all that matters?¡±

    ¡°Right, right,¡± Xie Ruoxi nodded eagerly, wholeheartedly agreeing, ¡°I looked at it once and managed to produce qi. Afterwards, Yan Yu didn¡¯t make me memorize it anymore.¡±

    The girls immediately looked astonished.

    To be able to produce True Qi after just one reading, what kind of concept was that?

    A congenital cultivation physique, right? With such cultivation talent, why hadn¡¯t she been selected into the cultivator academy after the high school blood test?

    Chen Lingyun leisurely sipped her tea. While the others found it hard to believe, she had merely had her suspicions confirmed, so she wasn¡¯t overly surprised, and simply asked,

    ¡°Do you know the Three Arts and Five Spells?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi innocently asked,

    ¡°What are the Three Arts and Five Spells?¡±

 Chapter 195: 94: Making Her a Citizen is a Piece of Cake

    Chapter 195: Chapter 94: Making Her a Citizen is a Piece of Cake

    ¡°You¡¯ve got some capable backers, stirring up such a big commotion.¡± Qi Changping chuckled over the phone, ¡°Who made that video?¡±

    ¡°I had someone make it,¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly, ¡°Why, is there a problem?¡±

    ¡°No, there isn¡¯t,¡± Qi Changping replied, ¡°It¡¯s all cut from publicly available materials online, so there¡¯s no issue with leaking secrets. The commander¡¯s intention is for you to make more videos like that, preferably for the other members of your team as well.¡±

    ¡°That might be a bit difficult,¡± Yan Yu fell silent for a moment, ¡°After all, they¡¯re not like me; they don¡¯t have any impressive achievements to show.¡±

    Ah! You¡¯ve let slip and boasted again!

    Qi Changping was speechless, and after a long pause, he said:

    ¡°It¡¯s not that you have to make a video right away, just that it¡¯s general guidance. As long as you grasp the spirit of it, that¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll just grasp the spirit. Whether I¡¯ll do it is another matter.¡±

    Qi Changping didn¡¯t dare to pursue that comment and changed the subject:

    ¡°What did you call me for?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve discovered a talent for spiritual cultivation,¡± Yan Yu reported, ¡°I¡¯m looking to get her registered.¡±

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have just taken her directly to the hospital?¡± Qi Changping asked in confusion.

    Most of the current university-level cultivators come from the blood tests carried out during the college entrance examinations in May, but not all of them.

    Some hospitals with a national defense background also have the capability to test for spiritual energy. As long as you have the information and connections, you can go to them and get a special blood test done to find out if someone has a Spirit Root¡ªthis was precisely the route Chen Lingyun had taken to get Zhao Yuanzhen tested.

    As for why this is not open to the public, of course, it¡¯s because once it¡¯s made available, thousands of people would flock to get tested, and these hospitals would be overwhelmed and paralyzed, not to mention the discontent of those unable to get tested.

    The problem is not scarcity but inequality; more precisely, it¡¯s keeping the inequality from becoming evident to those on the lower rungs. This is true both in ancient and modern times.

    Of course, given that the number of Transcendents in Lu Country is significantly lagging behind neighboring countries, this situation might not last long and will undoubtedly need significant changes soon.

    But at least for now, the process is relatively simple: Yan Yu takes the person to the special hospital affiliated with the Zhendong Army, gets a blood test done, and if spiritual energy is found, it¡¯s reported to the Zhendong Army, who will then send someone to take them in.

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu clarified, ¡°I don¡¯t want her to become a military cultivator; I want her to enter the school, to join my team.¡±

    ¡°Uh,¡± Qi Changping began to feel a headache coming on.

    It¡¯s easy to enter the military as a cultivator, but it¡¯s far harder to be accepted into a scholar program. Why? Because the latter has limited spots, and the allocations are tied to the supply of Elixir Medicines.

    The current production count for Foundation Establishment Pills is fixed. First priority is given to academic cultivators, with the leftovers being divided among military cultivators. Each pill less can lead to complaints.

    If you want to secure a spot in the academy for someone, you¡¯re taking away one Elixir Medicine, meaning one less for the military. How do you explain that when asked? It¡¯s all about breaking the rules, although this could be resolved with just a word from the commander-in-chief. But why should the commander-in-chief do that for someone recommended by you, Yan Yu? Do you think too highly of yourself?

    Qi Changping shifted the conversation:

    ¡°Isn¡¯t your team full already?¡±

    ¡°Being full doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t accept new people,¡± Yan Yu argued, ¡°For domestic matches, we could have her as the sixth player, a substitute; for international ones, we just bring her along¡ªmore people, more power.¡±

    ¡°No, ¡®more people, more power¡¯ presumes they have the necessary strength, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Qi Changping sighed, ¡°What¡¯s the person¡¯s name, are they male or female, and how old are they?¡±

    ¡°Xie Ruoxi, female, 18 years old, just graduated high school this year.¡± Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t pass the spiritual test during the college entrance exam?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t go for the test.¡±

    ¡°Then just take her to the hospital for a test; once you have the results, come back to me.¡±

    ¡°She has already refined True Qi,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Looked at the textbook once, and completed the Grand Circulation directly.¡±

    ¡°No, how can you just show the textbook to outsiders¡­¡± Qi Changping started to lecture about ¡°keeping a firm hold on confidentiality,¡± but then suddenly, he jolted, ¡°She understood the textbook after just one glance?¡±

    ¡°She probably didn¡¯t even memorize the circulation path and acupoints,¡± Yan Yu sighed deeply, ¡°Just followed the book and directly refined True Qi.¡±

    Qi Changping: ¡­¡­¡­..

    This was like glancing at the blueprints for a nuclear weapon and then immediately handcrafting a nuke. If he were talking to anyone other than Yan Yu, he would have hung up the phone right then and there.

    Although Yan Yu always liked to brag, he had always delivered on his tall tales, and even military orders were honored without fail. He wasn¡¯t the type to joke about serious matters.

    ¡°You¡­ bring the person over for me to see,¡± Qi Changping struggled to calm his emotions.

    At any rate, it was better to meet first and take it from there.

    If she really was a prodigious talent for cultivation, it would be worthwhile to seek special permission from the commander-in-chief.

    After hanging up, Yan Yu went upstairs to Chen Lingyun¡¯s bedroom and knocked on the door.

    After a moment, Chen Lingyun¡¯s voice came from within:

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    Why ¡°after a moment¡±?

    Because the girls were imparting critical knowledge to Xie Ruoxi.

    With Ruoxi¡¯s cultivation talent, becoming a cultivator was a natural course of events. Yan Yu¡¯s decision to bring her over was mostly to have her join the Zhenhai Team¡ªthis was official business rather than personal, so it was pretty much a done deal, irreversible.

    Given that, why not welcome the new sister¡¯s joining and simultaneously pull her into a united front against a common foe?

    Normally, the four of them together couldn¡¯t bring down the team captain, but with Ruoxi¡¯s strong support, perhaps they could reverse the tide during practice and end up pressing the captain down!

    Great! Let Chen Lingyun teach her strategies and tactics, let Su Yunjin instruct her in True Yuan manipulation, let Lin Ning pass on to her the secrets of adaptability, and have Zhao Yuanzhen instill in her courage and passion. With this, they would have Xie Ruoxi, a mighty warrior opposing Yan, determined to avenge the humiliation suffered by her sisters in the past!

    Yan Yu, upon entering the room, although unaware of what they were concocting inside, wasn¡¯t worried they would lead Xie Ruoxi astray.

    Hilarious, were the efforts of the previous life¡¯s Annan Army to make her stand out a success? A supervisor had to oversee her daily Qi Refinement practice, otherwise she would slack off and lie about having practiced¡­ The title of ¡®Waste Emperor¡¯ wasn¡¯t for nothing.

    If it wasn¡¯t something she was really interested in, she absolutely wouldn¡¯t put her heart into it.

    ¡°Xie Ruoxi, come with me to the school,¡± Yan Yu ordered calmly, ¡°You all have had enough rest since returning from the South Sea, right? Then gather at the school¡¯s training ground later.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± the girls stood up one after another, shooting meaningful glances at Xie Ruoxi.

    Don¡¯t be scared, Ruoxi! We¡¯ve got your back!

    If the captain bullies you, just tell us!

    Soon, everyone arrived at the school. The girls went to stay at the training ground, while Yan Yu brought Xie Ruoxi to find Qi Changping.

    By this time, Qi Changping had already reported to Li Weiguo, and the Commander-in-chief¡¯s directive was as follows: If this girl truly has a talent for cultivation, then the special channel could indeed be opened for her. But remember, it can¡¯t just be opened for anyone; otherwise, Yan Yu might start thinking he¡¯s got special privileges. This could foster his arrogance, which is definitely not acceptable.

    Little Qi, give the boy a bit of a hard time first to rein him in, then agree to his request!

    ¡°Xie Ruoxi, right?¡± Sitting in front of the computer, Qi Changping clicked the mouse, connecting to The Judicial Department¡¯s household registration database, ¡°Give me your ID number.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi reported her ID number truthfully.

    ¡°You¡¯re from Jingnan?¡± Qi Changping turned around, surprised after seeing the results of the citizen information query, ¡°You¡¯re working in Jinling?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m working for Yan Yu,¡± Xie Ruoxi admitted honestly.

    ¡°Jingzhou¡¯s northern and southern provinces are under the jurisdiction of the Annan Army, right?¡± Yan Yu inquired.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Qi Changping replied with a slow nod, then spoke deliberately, ¡°So it¡¯s going to be complicated. A resident of Jingnan is applying for citizenship in the Zhendong Army¡¯s region, the Annan Army will surely have objections.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s have her voluntarily transfer her registration to Jinling first,¡± Yan Yu immediately suggested, ¡°Then ¡®by coincidence,¡¯ the Zhendong Army discovers her cultivation talent, and we can admit her to our academy.¡±

    ¡°Do you think the Annan Army is foolish?¡± Qi Changping laughed, ¡°Her registration can be transferred, but can the record of the transfer be erased? If someone determined looks into it, won¡¯t we be the ones embarrassed?¡±

    ¡°For the sake of talent, what¡¯s the harm in losing a little face?¡± Yan Yu retorted confidently.

    He was right, and that was precisely the intent of the Commander-in-chief: If she is indeed exceptionally talented, even at the risk of offending the Annan Army, she must be recruited first.

    However, since Qi Changping had received orders to discipline him, he certainly wouldn¡¯t admit that and simply said with a smile:

    ¡°It¡¯s not like the periods of the Three Kingdoms where the origins of heroes weren¡¯t questioned. Even when poaching talents, we have to follow the system and rules. Or else, what do you think the reason is for the court to establish four armies to govern the east, south, west, and north?¡±

    Yan Yu couldn¡¯t agree at all¡ªfor someone with talent as great as Ruoxi¡¯s and a nature so indolent, she definitely needed to stay close to me to utilize her fullest potential.

    If she were to be returned to the Annan Army, wouldn¡¯t she just walk the same futile path as in her previous life? Does the Annan Army have the capability to properly train her?

    ¡°How about this,¡± Yan Yu gritted his teeth, murmured begrudgingly, ¡°I¡¯ll sacrifice myself and marry her in name, so she can join my household registration. With a marriage relationship transfer, the Annan Army shouldn¡¯t have anything to say, right?¡±

    Marital registration transfer is a powerful tool; no matter where you are from, whether you reside long-term, or own property, marrying a Jiang Hai person gets you a Jiang Hai registration, marrying a Pingjing person gets you a Pingjing registration. This foolproof strategy is backed by the simple ethical beliefs of ordinary people ¡ª you can¡¯t separate a married couple, can you? The Annan Army would surely have no grounds to object.

    Yan Yu suggested this purely in the public¡¯s interest, even willing to sacrifice his own reputation, but Xie Ruoxi failed to grasp his deep consideration and her eyes suddenly widened in shock:

    Could it be that it¡¯s happening? I knew it, Yan Zhanlong isn¡¯t smitten with my talent but my beauty! He wants to tie me to his side with a marriage certificate right now¡­

    Before her thoughts could wander further, Qi Changping was already taken aback.

    Wait, why are we suddenly talking about a fake marriage?

    With your current status, popularity, and age, Yan Zhanlong, just showing up at the civil affairs office would instantly cause a media frenzy, you know?

    Instinctively, he waved his hands and said:

    ¡°That¡¯s unnecessary. Besides, neither of you is of legal marriageable age yet. There¡¯s no need to resort to a fake marriage for this matter¡­¡±

    ¡°If there¡¯s another way, then I¡¯ll leave it in your hands, Instructor Qi!¡± Yan Yu immediately stood up joyfully.

    Qi Changping: ¡­¡­

    Wait, did I just fall for one of his tactics?

 Chapter 197: 96 Secretary Su is the Best

    Chapter 197: Chapter 96 Secretary Su is the Best

    In the training ground, the crowd surrounded the Southeast Asian mother and child spirits, unable to stop watching.

    Setting aside their actual power, the appearance of these mother and child spirits from Southeast Asia was particularly chilling.

    Tall and short in stature, their faces blurred, contours faint and translucent, the mother held the child¡¯s hand, standing quietly in the center of the training ground.

    Just standing there, they exuded an aura of resentment and malevolence. If Chen Lingyun¡¯s Soul Summoning Banner wasn¡¯t controlling them, they would likely choose a victim to devour on the spot.

    ¡°Should we, perhaps, release them?¡± Su Yunjin suggested.

    Ever since learning how such ghostly entities were made, she and Lin Ning were filled with sympathy and compassion for the two victims.

    ¡°Good idea. I¡¯ll go straight to the Confucian Temple to release them,¡± Chen Lingyun agreed amiably.

    ¡°Not release, silly,¡± Lin Ning immediately corrected, ¡°I mean liberate them, and send them off for reincarnation.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s possible,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°In that case, let¡¯s have Lin Ning recite scriptures a hundred thousand times to dissolve the victims¡¯ resentment.¡±

    Lin Ning promptly kicked him.

    ¡°This is why I say you¡¯re all laymen,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said disdainfully, ¡°Ghosts like these, burdened with heavy resentment, can¡¯t be reincarnated just yet. Usually, the Buddhist Sect would suppress them somewhere, letting time gradually erode their vindictiveness¡­ Don¡¯t even think about anything else before their spite is worn away.¡±

    ¡°So we have to find a temple?¡± Su Yunjin pondered aloud.

    ¡°The Confucian Temple wouldn¡¯t do?¡± Chen Lingyun feigned ignorance.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly,¡± Yan Yu decided firmly, ¡°What temple would dare accept a real ghost?¡±

    The group fell silent.

    If it were some kind of evil creature, some temples might be willing to take them in for liberation, but these were real ghosts¡ªwho wouldn¡¯t be scared? Even monks are made of flesh!

    ¡°Now that Spiritual Energy has resurged, aren¡¯t there any truly accomplished monks who have attained the Way?¡± Lin Ning was still somewhat reluctant to give up.

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask the Religious Affairs Office,¡± Chen Lingyun took out her phone.

    After a few phone calls, she got a response:

    The affairs of cultivators were not their concern.

    Helpless, the group temporarily dropped the topic of liberation and release.

    In fact, Yan Yu did know of a few actual monks who had attained the Way and were currently studying the Buddhist teachings in temples. They might be willing to help suppress the evil spirits. But as Chen Lingyun wasn¡¯t keen and there wasn¡¯t a pressing need, they decided against it.

    In a world teeming with butchers, what was the point of collecting the bodies of the deceased? No matter how diligently you did it, could you keep up with the speed at which killers operated?

    Better to refine the ghosts properly. Every time they killed a Yin sorcerer in the future, they could potentially save dozens, even hundreds, of innocent lives.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Chen Lingyun communicated telepathically with Yan Yu.

    ¡°For offensive purposes, they¡¯re sufficient for the early stages,¡± Yan Yu assessed, ¡°The ability to ignore physical attacks brings a lot of convenience. The problem is that it comes from a foreign supernatural system, and you don¡¯t have the corresponding evil refinement techniques to enhance them. Moreover, even if you had such techniques, refining isn¡¯t easy. Torturing souls has negative public repercussions. So, just regard them as transitional assets for now and consider liberating them for reincarnation when you get better ghosts in the future.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I was thinking too,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a grin.

    Yan Yu wasn¡¯t too worried about Chen Lingyun¡¯s ghost deployment because her value to the team lay more in strategy and commanding on the battlefield. Besides, the duties of an Envoy were typically more relevant in the later stages and they relied on their teammates for early stage support.

    No rush, no rush! sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Turning to look at Lin Ning, she was currently practicing swordsmanship with Zhao Yuanzhen.

    Lin Ning was good at adapting but awkward with wielding power, so Yan Yu had two demands for her: first, to enhance her power-wielding ability, and second, to attack proactively as much as possible.

    The ability to wield power would come from countless battles, there was no need for haste.

    As for an aggressive style, she was gradually adapting. Lin Ning¡¯s nature was competitive and conscientious, and she was quite suited for the straightforward Sword Immortal class. When Yan Yu told her to focus on offense, she cranked up her aggression to the max, even forcing Zhao Yuanzhen to switch to defense at times¡ªZhao Yuanzhen was, after all, a Cultivator who had fought in another world for at least two and a half years. The fact that Lin Ning repeatedly made her defend was impressive.

    Watching for a while, Yan Yu found little to critique. Letting her continue like this was the right move¡ªshe was definitely on track to reach Valkyrie class status in the future.

    Looking further, Su Yunjin had already mastered the first three forms of the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, and her current practice focused on combining Taoism Method with swordsmanship.

    For instance, using Jiaochong to shoot the target into the air, then striking with Coral Tears; or using Li Fan to knock down the target, followed by a Coral Tears-inflicted kill¡­ It was clear she had recognized the issue with her lack of killing power and was consciously strengthening it.

    After inspecting the condition of the team, Yan Yu¡¯s attention suddenly turned to Xie Ruoxi playing with her phone on the side.

    This beautiful useless creature! Qi Changping had already told me the paperwork was through. Although it hadn¡¯t officially been presented to the Privy Council, she was now a cultivator. Yet here she was, being a salted fish!

    ¡°Playing with your phone?!¡± Yan Yu snatched the phone without ceremony, ¡°How dare you slack off on my training ground?¡±

    ¡°Give it back!¡± Xie Ruoxi instinctively tried to snatch it back but then realized she wasn¡¯t tall enough to succeed. So, she changed tack and pleaded, ¡°If I¡¯m not on my phone, I have nothing else to do. I don¡¯t understand what you guys are training¡­¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t understand, can¡¯t you memorize it first?¡± Yan Yu scolded sternly.

    ¡°I can¡¯t memorize it!¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t the brain remember? Don¡¯t you know how to take notes?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi was so anxious that tears were about to fall:

    ¡°I¡¯ll use my phone, I¡¯ll use my phone to take notes, that should be fine, right? Just give me back my phone already!¡±

    Although he was teasing the young girl, the way it sounded started to seem like he was chiding her affectionately, causing the surrounding girls to slow down in their training moves without stopping.

    Yan Yu also sensed something was off and scoffed to himself:

    What a joke! As the strongest in this world, would I really create trouble for myself?

    He tossed the phone to Lin Ning, who quickly reached out to catch it, and heard Yan Yu instruct:

    ¡°Lin Ning, you teach her the Three Arts and Five Spells. Make sure she doesn¡¯t slack off.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Lin Ning promptly agreed.

    Although he didn¡¯t expect Lin Ning, the hardworking striver, to inspire the pretty but useless girl to even a bit of initiative, as long as she could be prevented from slacking off, that was enough.

    More importantly, Yan Yu was actually more concerned about how to cultivate Xie Ruoxi in a certain direction.

    In his past life, Xie Ruoxi chose to pursue magic as her profession, and what she practiced was the highly difficult Thunder Method. After all, her talents were exceptional, and her True Yuan was plentiful and fierce, so naturally she should practice powerful magic with high difficulty to maximize her combat strength.

    But the mysterious realms that produced the Thunder Method were either yet to emerge or were exceedingly difficult to conquer¡­

    And in the end, wasn¡¯t it up to me to deal with it! Xie Ruoxi, with all her talent, can¡¯t help at all, so what¡¯s wrong with calling her useless?

    Yan Yu may have cursed in his mind, but after the venting, he started to ponder long-term plans, fitting Xie Ruoxi¡¯s issue into his schedule as well.

    Sigh, how can I, the strongest in this world, be so busy! There must be something wrong here, where¡¯s my secretary?

    I need to find a secretary fast!

    Yan Yu¡¯s gaze swiftly swept over the people present, silently contemplating in his heart.

    Chen Lingyun is someone with a clear background, suitable for strategizing, but can¡¯t be burdened with tasks, lest her temperament lead to trouble eventually.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, on the other hand, is a dual-cultivating partner, lacking in both strategy and prowess, yet her role in cultivation is indispensable.

    That means, for now, the choice for secretary would have to be between Su Yunjin and Lin Ning.

    Lin Ning has a straightforward character, suitable for fighting and killing, but as for handling affairs¡­ There¡¯s always the worry that she might be deceived by others.

    So just like with Chen Lingyun in his past life, it has to be Yun Jin.

    If this decision had to be made a few months earlier, Yan Yu wouldn¡¯t have hesitated in the slightest. But ever since that encounter with Su Yunjin¡¯s classmate, the pure camaraderie between the two seemed to have changed somewhat.

    Would there be a problem if he still chose her as the secretary?

    Yan Yu hesitated only for a moment before making up his mind firmly.

    It¡¯s just Su Yunjin, what¡¯s there to fear?

    Quack, I am the strongest in this world! There¡¯s no one I can¡¯t handle!

    ¡°Yun Jin, come over here after you finish training!¡±

    During the break, the girls relaxed on their own, and Su Yunjin came and sat down beside Yan Yu, asking in confusion:

    ¡°What¡¯s up? Is there something wrong with the way I practice my Taoist methods?¡±

    ¡°Not at all.¡± Yan Yu paused briefly and then asked, ¡°What do you think of Xie Ruoxi?¡±

    After pondering for a moment, Su Yunjin replied:

    ¡°She has very impressive talents.¡±

    ¡°Since we¡¯ve taken her in, we can¡¯t let her down and waste her talents,¡± Yan Yu said firmly.

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Su Yunjin was slightly puzzled; she detected that Yan Yu was probing her and patiently added, ¡°We have to discuss with her and decide on a cultivation path for her. But¡­ I feel she¡¯s not very enthusiastic about cultivation.¡±

    As expected of gentle and kindhearted Secretary Su, she could see at a glance the lazy nature of the pretty good-for-nothing!

    ¡°Right.¡± Yan Yu¡¯s tone cooled down, ¡°She doesn¡¯t understand cultivators yet, so we need to plan for her and be her guiding light.¡±

    Noting his use of ¡°we,¡± Su Yunjin couldn¡¯t help but smile:

    ¡°So there¡¯s something that even you, the captain, can¡¯t handle alone. If you want my help, what¡¯s the benefit for me?¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin.¡± Yan Yu spoke earnestly, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t team members help and care for each other, and love one another? Why bother about personal gains? Don¡¯t you think so?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Su Yunjin asked in surprise, ¡°Captain, do you think our relationship should be one of caring and loving?¡±

    Yan Yu: ?

    Are you focusing on the wrong part of that statement?

 Chapter 198: 97: Though a Thousand Men Point Their Fingers, I Fear Not

    Chapter 198: Chapter 97: Though a Thousand Men Point Their Fingers, I Fear Not

    Xie Ruoxi really couldn¡¯t take it anymore.

    Cultivators¡¯ Three Arts and Five Spells, shouldn¡¯t they be like skills in a game that, once learned, could be easily used?

    Why is there a need to practice every day to accumulate proficiency!

    Alas, save me, I¡¯m not good at PE classes, nor at playing MOBA games, maybe I¡¯m just not cut out to be a cultivator¡­

    Perhaps, I should just run away?

    Seeing her troubled and downcast expression, Lin Ning thought she was worried about falling behind, not realizing she was considering beating a retreat, so she patiently advised:

    ¡°Take it easy, take it slowly. You should first practice the Shifting Technique and Cloud Ascension Technique, and then alternate between them to ensure you can switch at any time and any place. Being able to use them is the first step, mastering their use is the second step. Once you can cast them instinctively, as naturally as your heart desires, then I¡¯ll teach you the rest¡­¡±

    Listening with a pained expression, Xie Ruoxi thought to herself that getting dizzy and confused is the first step, becoming disoriented and bemused is the second step, and by the time she¡¯s driven to madness, she¡¯d probably be ready to rest in peace.

    ¡°How long do we usually practice?¡± she asked tentatively.

    ¡°We get to the training field at 9 a.m. to watch videos and discuss tactics, then go for lunch at 11:30,¡± Lin Ning explained. ¡°We start practicing at 1:30 p.m., continue until 5 p.m. for dinner, and have free time in the evening¡­ But don¡¯t you also have fan operations work? You¡¯ll probably only be able to do that at night.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi did the math; so after becoming a cultivator, she would have to wake up at 8:30 a.m., study all morning, practice all afternoon, and then work when she got home at night.

    I might as well kill myself¡­ If there¡¯s no freedom, then life isn¡¯t worth living!

    I absolutely must escape!

    ¡°Sister Lin Ning, you¡¯ve worked hard.¡± She said sweetly with a beaming smile, ¡°You¡¯ve said so much, are you thirsty? I¡¯ll go buy us some drinks.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Lin Ning was somewhat taken aback, as she and Su Yunjin usually took care of preparing the drinks during training, but since Xie Ruoxi was so obligingly volunteering, it would be rude to dampen her spirits, so she cautioned, ¡°I¡¯m fine with any drink. Ling Yun likes tea-based drinks, Yun Jin needs low-sugar ones, Sister Zhao prefers Assam milk tea or Energy Drink, and Yan Yu only drinks mineral water, nothing else.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Xie Ruoxi nodded and walked towards the exit of the training field, ¡°I¡¯ll go buy them.¡±

    Time to slip away! Head to the campus gate and then straight into a taxi, and find somewhere nearby to hide for a few days!

    While she was making a quick getaway, Yan Yu was completely unaware because he had been talking to Su Yunjin for a moment when his phone suddenly rang.

    Hmm, an unfamiliar number calling from Shengjing.

    Yan Yu picked up the call from the stranger, only to hear a male voice over the phone:

    ¡°Hello, Yan Yu?¡±

    ¡°Yes, who is this?¡±

    ¡°Cai Qianlong,¡± the voice on the other end said with an arrogant tone, ¡°The captain of the Flying Dragon Battle Team, heard of it?¡±

    ¡°Oh, seems familiar,¡± Yan Yu casually responded, ¡°Are you the one who had a face-off with Lord Master and then got beaten so badly you were picking up your teeth off the ground?¡±

    ¡°Damn it!¡± the caller exclaimed in shock, ¡°Has the news already spread to Jinling?¡±

    Before Yan Yu could say anything, the caller quickly asserted his own defense:

    ¡°Right now, I¡¯m indeed no match for him, but that may not be the case in the future!¡±

    ¡°Oh, then good luck,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to mock me?¡± Cai Qianlong asked curiously, ¡°Since you know I lost to Liu Longtao, aren¡¯t you going to ridicule me?¡±

    ¡°Why would I do that?¡± Yan Yu was puzzled, wondering if the guy was going nuts from the stress of being publicly defeated by Lord Master, surrounded by negative public opinion.

    ¡°Because before the protagonist soars to the heavens, they always have to endure oppression from the antagonists,¡± Cai Qianlong sneered, ¡°But I don¡¯t care. All the mockery and scorn will become the driving force for me to strive and become stronger!¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­..

    ¡°So you called me just to hear me insult you, to fuel your motivation?¡± he questioned, doubt evident on his face, thinking to himself that he didn¡¯t remember Cai Qianlong being this messed up in his past life.

    Oh right, in his past life, this guy never appeared at press conferences¡­

    ¡°That¡¯s not it, I just wanted to say hi,¡± Cai Qianlong changed the subject, then asked seriously, ¡°And I wanted to ask, why is everyone on your Zhenhai Team, except for you, female?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°The internet says that Zhenhai Team is your ¡®Selection Team for Concubines¡¯, is that true?¡± Cai Qianlong asked with a frown.

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu was completely speechless, ¡°You believe such a low-level rumor? I¡¯ve explained this in an interview with ¡®Ethical Weekly¡¯, didn¡¯t you see it?¡±

    ¡°I saw it,¡± Cai Qianlong replied, ¡°You said in the interview that it was because only they met your team¡¯s standards.¡±

    ¡°That settles it, right?¡±

    ¡°But Liu Longtao says it¡¯s all excuses, that you just like to play with women and build a harem.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be damned¡­¡± Yan Yu wanted to curse, but he held back, saying coldly, ¡°That¡¯s all slander and defamation! Do you know he has lost to me before? Old Liu has held a grudge against me ever since, looking for ways to bad-mouth me. You actually believe those lies?¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± Cai Qianlong said without hesitation, ¡°because others have said the same.¡±

    ¡°Who else?¡± Yan Yu was shocked.

    ¡°Li Zhaojiang,¡± Cai Qianlong replied. ¡°He says you¡¯re a lecher who¡¯s always looking to take advantage of pretty female cultivators.¡±

    ¡°Li Zhaojiang has also lost to me.¡± Yan Yu restrained his anger and scolded, ¡°When they can¡¯t win, they defame. Such a lack of character!¡±

    ¡°Zhou Hongyu said so as well,¡± Cai Qianlong continued. ¡°She mentioned that if you get lost in romantic entanglements, you might soon find your strength stagnating and make no further progress.¡±

    ¡°Everyone who loses to me bad-mouths me, is that it?¡± Yan Yu finally erupted, ¡°Where did they say it?¡±

    ¡°In the group chat that [Shifting Technique] created,¡± Cai Qianlong clicked his tongue before adding, ¡°I¡¯ve seen the video of Yan Zhanlong. Your skills are indeed impressive. But if you¡¯re getting lost in lust recently, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll regress too quickly. If you can¡¯t give it your all in the Mysterious Realm showdown next week, that would be really boring. That¡¯s why I¡¯m calling you, to remind you not to let women slow down your progress in becoming stronger.¡±

    After hanging up, Yan Yu was disheveled and stayed silent for a while before slowly uttering a word:

    ¡°Shit.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Chen Lingyun came over and asked.

    She was smiling as she stared at Yan Yu¡¯s expression as if enjoying his chagrined look, but Yan Yu quickly composed himself. He entered the cultivator group chat set up by Qiu Ze and began to search through the chat history in detail.

    The group wasn¡¯t large, but it was full of nonsense. They either forwarded various short videos and chat histories all day or sent a plethora of emoticons¡ªespecially [Miao Border Girl Tang Lingling] and [Clouds Roll and Unroll], these two idiots. The former would constantly post photos of meals at restaurants, while the latter would always ask ¡®where did you eat this¡¯ and ¡®oh, I really want to eat that too¡¯, turning a proper cultivators¡¯ chat into a flood of chatter. Yan Yu was too lazy to even check it.

    Now, with Cai Qianlong¡¯s snitching, Yan Yu searched for keywords in the group, and hey, those three really had talked.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: @Liu Shao, @Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang, @Zao La, you three are being unfair, huh? Talking behind my back in the group, right?

    People in the group quickly began to respond.

    [Liu Shao]: What¡¯s up, Old Yan?

    [Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang]: Sorry, I¡¯ve bad-mouthed you far too many times, which time are you referring to?

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: I think Yan Team is referring to you guys saying he¡¯s starting a harem in the team. I have to say, joking about this is indeed not nice, it¡¯s disrespectful to the ladies.

    [Miao Border Girl Tang Lingling]: Indeed.

    [Lion Dog Da Bao]: Indeed.

    [Clouds Roll and Unroll]: Indeed, but Liu Team was really just joking. Old Yan, cool down, I¡¯ll scold him for you.

    [Liu Shao]: Alright alright, my bad. I spoke out of turn. Sorry, Old Yan.

    [Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang]: Then I¡¯ll also apologize. What I said before was just in jest. Yan Yu, you¡¯re mostly good-hearted.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What about Xiao Zhou?

    [Zao La]: ?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Did you talk behind my back?

    [Zao La]: What the hell is wrong with you.

    [Zao La]: Whoever said you¡¯re running a harem, go find them.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Haha, Xiao Zhou is still so easy to rile up.

    Yan Yu closed the chat window and started to contemplate.

    Even familiar cultivators from the same cohort would joke about this; what more the public opinion out there ¡ª even if they don¡¯t dare to speak openly, in private they would definitely cook up stories however scandalous they can get.

    It doesn¡¯t matter anymore. When I chose this team lineup, I was ready to face criticism.

    I fear nothing!

    As long as I become the strongest in this world, all criticism will vanish!

    Yan Yu quickly steeled his resolve and turned to watch the girls¡¯ training.

    Good, they all look spirited¡­ huh?

    ¡°Where¡¯s Xie Ruoxi?¡± he suddenly exclaimed.

    ¡°She went to buy drinks,¡± Lin Ning paused her sword technique and replied.

    Yan Yu was stunned for a moment, then angrily said:

    ¡°That useless thing is trying to run away! Stop training, everyone, and bring her back to me right now!¡±

 Chapter 199: 98: Beautiful Waste, Leaving School to Run Away

    Chapter 199: Chapter 98: Beautiful Waste, Leaving School to Run Away

    Everyone rushed out of the training ground in a hurry; Lin Ning was still in disbelief:

    ¡°No way? She said she was going to buy some drinks¡­¡±

    ¡°You believe her just like that!¡± Yan Yu was also done with Sister Lin, ¡°And you said you¡¯re not easily fooled?¡±

    ¡°Why would she want to sneak away?¡± Su Yunjin frowned, puzzled.

    ¡°Probably thought the training was too tiring.¡± Yan Yu said coldly.

    Everyone: ?

    Wait a minute, was it really that tiring?

    It¡¯s true it hurts, but not to the extent that it¡¯s your problem, Xie Ruoxi! From a timing perspective, it¡¯s from 9 in the morning to 11:30, 1:30 in the afternoon until 5, and even if you work from 7 in the evening to 9. All together, that¡¯s only 8 hours, while people are working at least 10 hours every day with the 996 schedule out there!

    ¡°Don¡¯t use your own thinking to judge her.¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t bother to search the campus but ran directly towards the school gate, explaining as he went, ¡°It¡¯s like a stray cat; you think it won¡¯t run away because you feed it fish and meat, but you don¡¯t realize it isn¡¯t tamed and too wild to reason with!¡±

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s eyebrows twitched, showing a playful expression as she sweetly said:

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying we need to catch her and properly train her, huh?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s catch her first.¡± Yan Yu arrived at the school gate, his mind quickly strategizing.

    Jinling Airport¡­ No, the beautiful waste doesn¡¯t have the guts to make such a clean break. She¡¯s most likely found a place to slack off in secret.

    Where would she go?

    Let me think, where would that waste go¡­

    Fortunately, having past life memories related to Xie Ruoxi, Yan Yu quickly ordered:

    ¡°Chen Lingyun.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°Check all the internet cafes around the school, from the nearest to the furthest.¡±

    ¡°Got it~¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°Lin Ning.¡± Yan Yu continued to command.

    ¡°I¡¯m here.¡±

    ¡°The commercial complexes around here, look up online for those with arcades inside, and check them out.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Lin Ning hurriedly complied.

    ¡°Su Yunjin.¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Tell me.¡±

    ¡°Call her, send messages, even though she¡¯s most likely too scared to reply,¡± Yan Yu said quickly, ¡°If she doesn¡¯t reply, go find Instructor Qi. Don¡¯t mention anything else, just say Xie Ruoxi has been out for a while and we can¡¯t get in touch with her, ask him to help find people.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Su Yunjin knew there was a delicate balance to maintain: to ask Instructor Qi for help in finding someone while not letting him know that Ruoxi had ¡°run away from school.¡± She nodded, ¡°Leave it to me.¡±

    ¡°Zhao¡­¡± Yan Yu suddenly got stuck.

    How could the Demonic Sect Enchantress be of any help? She¡¯s not as resourceful as Chen Lingyun, not as perceptive and responsive as Lin Ning, not as savvy and capable as Su Yunjin. Wouldn¡¯t involving her in the search backfire?

    ¡°What do you need me to do?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, unaware of Yan Yu¡¯s thoughts, urged questioningly.

    Seeing her eagerness, Yan Yu said warmly:

    ¡°You go back and guard our place. If she comes back, definitely don¡¯t let her leave.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got this!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen patted her chest, completely unaware that she¡¯d essentially been fobbed off¡ªXie Ruoxi was decidedly not daring to go back right now.

    Everyone quickly dispersed to their tasks, while Yan Yu stood at the school gate, continuing to contemplate silently.

    Internet cafes, arcades; those two were the most likely places she would go, followed by some maid cafes and anime merchandise stores¡­ But those places are hard to find on maps, and since Xie Ruoxi is from out of town and unfamiliar with the area, she¡¯d likely opt for those easily found, suitable spots to hide and kill time first.

    And then there¡¯s¡­

    Yan Yu suddenly had an epiphany and took out his phone to search.

    Keyword: cosplay convention.

    There! There¡¯s a Fleet Girls Carnival happening here!

    Others might not know, but Yan Yu was well aware that Xie Ruoxi was a seasoned Fleet Girls player who had cosplayed many characters from the game.

    The venue was quite a distance away when viewed on the map, but avid anime fans don¡¯t fear a long journey. Thus, Yan Yu quickly hailed a cab and headed straight for the cosplay convention site.

    Upon arrival, Yan Yu saw various Fleet Girls standees on both sides of the venue entrance, with large ¡°Battle Commencement¡± promotional banners hanging on the facade.

    Upon entering the interior of the venue, the whole place was adorned with elements of ship girls, from the side of the turnstiles to the billboards on load-bearing columns, and the anime standees everywhere, all representing two-dimensional paper dolls with multicolored hair and exaggerated figures.

    Yan Yu just glanced once and lost interest.

    One look at the fake does not compare to the Demonic Sect Enchantress.

    Apart from security, most of the passersby were male, many carrying backpacks, holding bags in their hands, and some even clutching rolled-up posters under their arms; of course, there were women too, but they usually dressed up as ship girls, with various colors of hair, browsing the booths or posing with visitors, making hearts and Vs with their fingers.

    Even if Yan Yu wasn¡¯t well-versed in this area, he knew that cosplay costumes and wigs required preparation in advance and involved a lengthy makeup process, so Xie Ruoxi undoubtedly wouldn¡¯t have had time to perform her face-changing sorcery.

    If she was here, she must have come as a visitor¡ªso there was no need to pay attention to cosplayers, just scan the female visitors!

    He activated his Divine Sense and scanned the surrounding area without restraint.

    This one isn¡¯t her, that one isn¡¯t either, let¡¯s look further ahead¡­

    Yan Yu quickly finished scanning the entrance and was about to move on when suddenly a cosplaying girl called out to him:

    ¡°Eh, aren¡¯t you that¡­ Yan Zhanlong?¡±

    Yan Yu: ?

    Oh, I rushed out and forgot to put on sunglasses.

    ¡°Could you give me an autograph?¡± the girl came over enthusiastically, ¡°I¡¯m a big fan of yours haha, I¡¯ve seen your battle videos before, you¡¯re really cool~¡±

    Yan Yu was about to reject her sternly when a thought struck him. He took the marker pen from her hand and smiled:

    ¡°Where do you want me to sign?¡±

    ¡°Right here~¡± The girl pointed to her chest.

    ¡°Hm?¡± Yan Yu made a face that said ¡°Are you kidding me?¡±

    ¡°Haha, just kidding,¡± the girl quickly corrected herself, ¡°Sign on the waist of my skirt, this is Atago¡¯s bride skin.¡±

    Yan Yu wasn¡¯t in the mood to listen to her explanations. He quickly signed his name, then asked urgently:

    ¡°You¡¯re a cosplayer here, right? I have a friend who might be in the venue. I can¡¯t reach her; have you seen her?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, let me check.¡± The girl looked at the photo on his phone, then said with a puzzled expression, ¡°The Magical Girl Ruoxi?¡±

    ¡°You know her?¡± Yan Yu was surprised.

    ¡°She¡¯s a cosplayer in our circle of enthusiasts,¡± the girl said with a smile, ¡°I remember she likes to cosplay Lexington and North House¡­ I¡¯ll ask my friends if they¡¯ve seen her.¡±

    She pulled out her phone from somewhere and, with dazzling speed, began furiously typing, shaking people down in the Cos enthusiasts group.

    There were also a few photographers standing nearby, waiting for Yan Yu to leave to continue their shoot, and upon hearing the discussion, they curiously asked:

    ¡°Magical Girl Ruoxi is here too? She¡¯s not on the guest list.¡±

    ¡°She might have just come to visit,¡± Yan Yu said calmly. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Found her,¡± the girl suddenly announced, ¡°She¡¯s at booth C playing games. I¡¯ll take you there.¡±

    ¡°No, thank you,¡± Yan Yu replied expressionlessly, anger already blazing within him, ¡°I¡¯ll find her myself.¡±

    Fine, fine, fine, so you really are hiding here, you goddamn gorgeous waste!

    I was just at Instructor Qi¡¯s arguing that I couldn¡¯t possibly hand you over to the Annan Army because they don¡¯t have the skills to tame you, and here you go pulling this stunt!

    Isn¡¯t this a slap in my face?

    Dare to provoke me, the strongest of this age, and even a dragon will be slain by me! How many guts do you have, Xie Ruoxi, to dare challenge me, Yan Zhanlong?

    He turned and used the Shifting Technique, instantly dashing more than ten meters away, startling the surrounding photographers who hastily raised their cameras to shoot, but only caught a series of afterimages.

    At booth C, Xie Ruoxi was standing in front of a machine wielding a hammer, immersed in a whack-a-mole game¡ªexcept the moles had been replaced with models of ¡°Cheshire Cats,¡± and supposedly, scoring 20 points within a set time would win a standee.

    Many tourists were gathered around her, watching her play the game and occasionally offering their comments:

    ¡°You¡¯re running out of time.¡±

    ¡°One more mistake and it¡¯s over.¡±

    But Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t believe in jinxes; her hands moved faster and faster, accuracy increasingly higher¡ªdon¡¯t underestimate the reflexes I¡¯ve honed over a decade of playing bullet hell games!

    Finally, with the last hammer blow, she hit the 20th Cheshire Cat, the machine rang out with a ¡°grand prize¡± bell sound, and the surrounding tourists also gasped in amazement.

    Xie Ruoxi beamed with joy, about to receive the Cheshire Cat standee from the stall worker, when suddenly an earth-shattering, roof-lifting roar sounded from afar:

    ¡°Die, damn you!!!!!!¡±

    Before the words even reached her, Yan Yu had already charged behind her, slamming her head into the hole of the machine.

 Chapter 200: 99 Borrowing a Sword from Old Liu

    Chapter 200: Chapter 99 Borrowing a Sword from Old Liu

    ¡°Wuuu wuuu waaaah!¡±

    By the time the girls arrived at the scene, they saw Xie Ruoxi bawling her eyes out, tears streaming down her face, a sight that evoked pity.

    Around her neck was a board full of holes, reminiscent of an ancient prisoner¡¯s pillory, and behind her was a partially dismantled machine.

    Yan Yu stood aside with an impatient look, arms folded across his chest, talking to the person in charge of the venue.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Lin Ning asked hurriedly.

    Yan Yu nodded toward Xie Ruoxi and said,

    ¡°Her head got stuck in a Whac-A-Mole machine hole, and now it can¡¯t be pulled out.¡±

    ¡°How did it get stuck there?¡± Lin Ning was still confused.

    Xie Ruoxi pointed at Yan Yu and wept,

    ¡°He bullied me harshly!¡±

    The girls turned their gaze to Yan Yu, whose expression remained unchanged as he said coldly,

    ¡°Harsh times call for harsh laws; the lazy need strict punishment. Cultivators are military professionals. Do you not know the crime for leaving the military academy without approval? And you even dared to stroll around the anime convention. Take her away!¡±

    Indeed, it was really Xie Ruoxi¡¯s fault to begin with. The girls had no choice but to comfort the sobbing Xie Ruoxi while escorting her out of the anime convention to avoid further public ridicule.

    Finding a secluded corner nearby, Su Yunjin tried to pull the board off.

    It really was stuck and wouldn¡¯t come out.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back wearing this thing¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi was still sniveling and crying, and Lin Ning quickly reassured her,

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll chop it down with Flying Sword.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi immediately stopped crying out of fear: What, chop it down with Flying Sword?

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit risky?¡± Su Yunjin hesitated, ¡°Flying Sword is too sharp, if we¡¯re not careful we could injure her neck¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Chen Lingyun said while checking her phone, smiling, ¡°There¡¯s a hospital nearby, very close. It¡¯ll only take a few minutes for an ambulance to get here.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s face turned completely pale as she stammered,

    ¡°Actually, wearing it for a while is not a problem, maybe we should call the firefighters with the proper equipment to deal with it.¡±

    ¡°Why not use the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly asked, ¡°Afraid of being cut by the sword¡¯s edge, just use a Barrier Charm, right?¡±

    The girls all fell silent.

    ¡°Now you see the importance of the Three Arts and Five Spells?¡± Yan Yu, who had been watching with a detached gaze, finally spoke up, ¡°Keep it on and go back the way you are. Lin Ning, continue teaching her the Three Arts and Five Spells, but teach the Barrier Charm last! Break the board only after she¡¯s learned to use it!¡±

    The girls were about to speak when they suddenly heard Yan Yu¡¯s voice transmitted into their ears,

    ¡°Shut up, all of you! You¡¯re not her mother; why play the overindulgent parent routine? She¡¯s a cultivator now. If she doesn¡¯t change her habit of giving up at the slightest obstacle and being afraid of hardship, it will one day cost her her life!¡±

    ¡°Well, I should say that I am in favor of strict training,¡± Chen Lingyun immediately made her stance clear, ¡°Ruoxi really can¡¯t keep going on like this.¡±

    ¡°Training¡­ Education should still consider the methods used, right?¡± Su Yunjin gently advised.

    ¡°Indeed, I think it¡¯s too lenient,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen stirred the pot, ¡°Why not just beat her up?¡±

    ¡°Hitting someone directly is too extreme!¡± Lin Ning complained excitedly, ¡°Even in the army, it¡¯s not like they hit people directly!¡±

    As they started to argue back and forth again, Yan Yu put his foot down and said,

    ¡°Stop arguing, just take her back and we¡¯ll discuss it there!¡±

    Chen Lingyun called for another minivan. When it arrived, everyone got in one after another. Su Yunjin and Lin Ning sat on either side of Xie Ruoxi in the back row, sandwiching her in the middle, holding her hands and whispering words of comfort.

    The driver glanced at them through the rearview mirror and said with a chuckle,

    ¡°Heh, are you taking a prisoner to the execution ground or what?¡±

    ¡°Kids being kids,¡± Yan Yu said offhandedly from the passenger seat, ¡°She bet she could fit her head in and now she can¡¯t get it out.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± the driver nodded, thinking he had a new story to share with his colleagues. Xie Ruoxi, sitting in the back, wanted to say something, but Su Yunjin quickly silenced her.

    This middle-aged uncle clearly wasn¡¯t familiar with the internet, so he didn¡¯t recognize Yan Zhanlong. He drove skillfully back to the Jinling National Defense Academy. Letting everyone out,

    Qi Changping stood at the school gate, looking puzzled at Lin Ning and Su Yunjin helping Xie Ruoxi out of the car,

    ¡°What are you playing at¡­ Truth or Dare Play?¡±

    ¡°Even you know about Truth or Dare?¡± Yan Yu was surprised.

    ¡°I also know that showing off gets you struck by lightning,¡± Qi Changping said with profound meaning, ¡°Yan Yu, as team captain, managing the team is also your responsibility. It¡¯s no good if a teammate goes missing.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu turned to Xie Ruoxi and said coldly, ¡°It won¡¯t happen again.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi shivered involuntarily and began to despair.

    Dad, Mom, I was wrong, I want to go to university.

    If I hadn¡¯t given up on the college entrance exams, I would probably be in a normal university campus now, skipping classes, watching anime, and staying up all night¡­

    Wuuu wuuu, I don¡¯t want to be a cultivator anymore!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Have her practice the Three Arts and Five Spells, and remember to teach her the Barrier Charm last,¡± Yan Yu instructed Lin Ning once more, ¡°If she does well, break the plank for her; if not, let her wear the plank around her neck and continue practicing until she masters it.¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± Lin Ning nodded.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Yan Yu sighed deeply and went out to use the restroom.

    Waste is like this, the more pressure you apply, the more potential emerges; without any pressure, it¡¯s directly discarded.

    After using the restroom and washing his hands at the sink, Yan Yu leisurely walked back to the training ground, and upon entering, he noticed Xie Ruoxi¡¯s plank was gone.

    ¡°Lin Ning,¡± he beckoned Lin Ning over, ¡°Where¡¯s the plank?¡±

    ¡°I split it,¡± Lin Ning said.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you?¡± Yan Yu¡¯s expression became slightly angry, ¡°You¡¯re taking my words as a breeze past your ears?¡±

    ¡°She knows all of the Three Arts and Five Spells,¡± Lin Ning paused briefly before explaining, ¡°She got them all on the first try.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

    He looked at Xie Ruoxi again, the pretty waste first startled, instinctively hugging her chest and shivering, but soon enough she recovered, wrinkling her nose at him with effort.

    I haven¡¯t done anything wrong now; you can¡¯t keep bullying me, can you? All my sisters are watching!

    Yan Yu walked to her side with an emotionless face, which frightened Xie Ruoxi into cowering again, trembling in fear.

    ¡°With such great talent, why would you choose to slack off?¡± Yan Yu asked her with a complex tone.

    Xie Ruoxi couldn¡¯t speak; all she saw was him waving his hand again, saying:

    ¡°Never mind, don¡¯t answer me. Lin Ning!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Lin Ning came running over.

    ¡°Since she knows all of the Three Arts and Five Spells, take her to practice the wall charge.¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm, alright.¡± S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The wall charge, namely using the Shifting Technique to rush towards a wall, and using the Cloud Ascension Technique to stop abruptly before hitting it, is a subject matter that Yan Yu ¡°originated¡± and that all Cultivators must practice, possessing the triple effects of ¡°cultivating courage,¡± ¡°cultivating reflexes,¡± and ¡°cultivating control.¡±

    Leaving Xie Ruoxi to Lin Ning for training, Yan Yu left the training ground. After some deliberation, he dialed Liu Longtao¡¯s phone number.

    ¡°What¡¯s up, Old Yan?¡± Lord Master picked up quickly.

    ¡°I want to borrow a sword.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°The Heavenly Yuan Qi Sword, it¡¯s with you, right?¡± Yan Yu said impatiently, ¡°Stop pretending, your Liu Family has been secretly developing the Mysterious Realm, and you¡¯ve acquired quite a few treasures, right?¡±

    There was silence on the other end for more than a minute, until Liu Longtao finally spoke:

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t believe and spread rumors; you¡¯ll take responsibility if something goes wrong.¡±

    ¡°Give me the sword, and I¡¯ll neither believe nor spread rumors.¡±

    ¡°How much did Chen Lingyun tell you?¡±

    ¡°Not much.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like this,¡± Liu Longtao sighed and explained, ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as developing it in secret. Some Mysterious Realms weren¡¯t even due to be opened yet, but we forced our way through by other means, which made the development extremely difficult and dangerous. Most explorations are sacrificial, so we¡¯re temporarily not open to the public. Besides, this has nothing to do with my family; the projects are managed and supervised by special appointees from the Privy Council.¡±

    ¡°Mm, I believe that the Privy Council is supervising,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°But the Privy Council isn¡¯t just your family? Rounded up, doesn¡¯t that still mean your family is secretly developing it?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re getting more and more outrageous,¡± Liu Longtao hurriedly explained, ¡°My dad retired long ago and doesn¡¯t manage affairs anymore, okay?¡±

    ¡°Ah? Retirement means not managing anymore? Then let¡¯s have a good talk about that,¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°Let¡¯s start by analyzing the resume of the current Privy Councilor¡­¡±

    ¡°Enough, enough, enough, I beg you!¡± Liu Longtao couldn¡¯t take it anymore and called for a stop, ¡°All right, Old Yan, we¡¯re friends, aren¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°Of course, we¡¯re friends.¡±

    ¡°Solid ones, right?¡±

    ¡°Pure iron.¡±

    ¡°A friend in need is a friend indeed, and I¡¯m bound to help, but you have to tell me the whole story. Don¡¯t you already have that Dragon-slaying Heavy Sword?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not for me; it¡¯s being prepared for Xie Ruoxi.¡±

    ¡°The girl you recently brought in?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®recently¡¯? Just today,¡± Yan Yu paused, then added, ¡°You already know about this, so you should also be aware of her extraordinary talent, right? That Heavenly Yuan Qi Sword is the most suitable for her.¡±

    ¡°I really didn¡¯t know about the extraordinary talent,¡± Liu Longtao chuckled, ¡°I just heard people say that your harem team got a new member¡­ Hey, I didn¡¯t say this, it¡¯s what others were saying, that the girl is really good-looking.¡±

    ¡°Stop your gossip,¡± Yan Yu said impatiently, ¡°Come on Liu, be quick about it, are you going to give it or not? Just say it.¡±

    ¡°I can only say I¡¯ll try,¡± Liu Longtao sighed, ¡°Obviously, it has to go through an application process, and I also have to explain to my family how you got to know about this since it¡¯s a highly confidential project¡­¡±

    ¡°Just say Chen Lingyun let it slip, and that¡¯s how I found out.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense.¡±

 Chapter 201: 100: Spiritual Energy Eruption

    Chapter 201: Chapter 100: Spiritual Energy Eruption

    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Yan Yu stared, speechless.

    ¡°I have no idea,¡± Lin Ning said awkwardly, ¡°I originally thought she¡­¡±

    Yan Yu looked towards Xie Ruoxi, who lay on the ground unable to get up, and at Su Yunjin beside her, who was checking and treating her. He quickly pieced together the true sequence of events:

    Lin Ning had thought that Xie Ruoxi¡¯s talent for cultivation was exceptional; she had grasped the Three Arts and Five Spells after being taught just once. Subconsciously, Lin Ning assumed Xie Ruoxi could also master the Wall Charge in one go. Xie Ruoxi thought the same, and as a result, she had slammed headfirst into the wall.

    As mentioned before, the Wall Charge requires guts, reaction speed, and control ability¡ªqualities that have absolutely nothing to do with cultivation aptitude.

    In matters related to talent, Xie Ruoxi could crush others with her sheer brutish force, like a two-meter-tall basketball rookie with an astonishing vertical leap dunking fiercely thanks to his physical advantage. But ask him to shoot three-pointers and he would be completely lost.

    Luckily, Lin Ning was serious enough in her work to have Xie Ruoxi wear protective gear for the practice. Otherwise, the already foolish girl might have ended up brain-damaged from hitting the wall and turned into a disabled little sister.

    The thought of Xie Ruoxi only able to mutter ¡°aba aba eheihei,¡± made Yan Yu suddenly¡­ wait, that hardly seemed different from her current state, did it?

    ¡°It seems that little Xie isn¡¯t the all-rounded genius type,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile beside him, ¡°She still has a lot to learn.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just worried she won¡¯t settle down to truly refine herself,¡± Yan Yu sighed.

    ¡°That¡¯s why she needs to be disciplined,¡± Chen Lingyun said slowly, ¡°By the way, someone accused me of leaking secrets just now, what¡¯s that all about?¡±

    ¡°Leaking secrets, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Yan Yu feigned ignorance, ¡°Who told you that?¡±

    ¡°Humph,¡± Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t confirm or deny it, ¡°I wonder which little troublemaker said that.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re facing the Flying Dragon Battle Team next week, and it¡¯s going to be nationally broadcasted,¡± Yan Yu saw that she didn¡¯t pursue the matter further and quickly changed the subject, ¡°Do you know why?¡±

    ¡°The borderlands are growing restless,¡± Chen Lingyun said lightly, ¡°Something happened, and we need to show our strength.¡±

    ¡°The southwest?¡±

    ¡°Southwest.¡±

    ¡°The world is going to start turning chaotic,¡± Yan Yu sighed.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Chen Lingyun said smilingly, ¡°It¡¯s finally about to start getting chaotic.¡±

    ¡°¡­I really want to punch you in the face,¡± Yan Yu glared at her.

    ¡°So I should thank you for not being domestically violent?¡± Chen Lingyun was still smiling.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t respond to her and started walking towards the outskirts of the training field.

    The sky outside the window was overcast, suggesting it would rain soon, and the air had cooled noticeably. The wind rustled through the surrounding trees.

    ¡°What I¡¯m really worried about is whether you all are prepared,¡± he said, looking at the dark clouds on the horizon without turning back. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Everyone has their own destiny,¡± Chen Lingyun said as she emerged from the shadows behind him, a slight smile on her face, ¡°Worrying is useless.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? I don¡¯t believe it,¡± Yan Yu said after a moment of silence,

    ¡°I will change everyone¡¯s destiny.¡±

    ¡°Mhmm,¡± Chen Lingyun nodded, ¡°Many reincarnated souls have a sense of mission like that, feeling that they have lived again to change something.¡±

    ¡°Where did all these reincarnated souls come from?¡±

    ¡°From works of art, of course,¡± Chen Lingyun looked into the distance, standing on her tiptoes as if she wanted to seem taller, ¡°Art reflects the human heart, and the more popular a piece, the truer this is. So I believe that if most people could be reborn and return to the past, they would definitely want to make up for the regrets of their former life.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Yan Yu let out a long breath, ¡°At least I¡­¡±

    Yes, I had many regrets in my previous life.

    I entered the fray too late; many people were already gone, many things had already happened, many situations had become completely irreparable.

    My defeat wasn¡¯t due to the battles I fought.

    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go,¡± Yan Yu turned around.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to see the scenery anymore?¡± Chen Lingyun said cheerfully, ¡°I can help you reflect and understand any insights or feelings.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing more to say,¡± Yan Yu said coldly.

    I am not Cai Qianlong, that idiot¡ªI don¡¯t need setbacks and failures to spur me on; I have had more than my fill of them in my previous life.

    This life, I¡¯ll smash everything to pieces.

    Returning to the training ground, Yan Yu watched expressionlessly from the sidelines as Xie Ruoxi practiced with Su Yunjin.

    Su Yunjin was obviously going easy¡ªshe was not only using the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art but also intentionally holding back her strength and speed, leaving a lot of time for Xie Ruoxi to react.

    But Xie Ruoxi was unbelievably unskilled, her use of Shifting Technique and Cloud Ascension Technique was a complete mess. She switched between techniques too slowly, her ability to seize opportunities was poor, and her demeanor was panicked and disordered, hit repeatedly by the Star River Secret Art, completely soaked as if she were a drenched rabbit, utterly pitiful.

    Yan Yu watched silently as Lin Ning ran over to explain, but he stopped her with a raised hand.

    Hmm.

    Perhaps¡­ this was more suitable?

    He had originally instructed Lin Ning to take charge of Xie Ruoxi, forcing her to repeatedly practice the Wall Charge. Because the movement was mechanically repetitive, the beautiful waste of space would quickly lose interest and start looking for ways to slack off. Lin Ning, in order to supervise her, would also have to neglect her own cultivation.

    What if we switched up the method?

    Let Su Yunjin use Xie Ruoxi as a target for practicing Daoist magic. Her Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art is inherently more about control, and by controlling its power, it won¡¯t cause much lethal effect. Hitting Xie Ruoxi would at most make her uncomfortable.

    To avoid getting hit, Xie Ruoxi would naturally have to dodge with all her might and couldn¡¯t slack off since a moment¡¯s carelessness could leave her overwhelmed and at a loss in the water!

    ¡°Brilliant!¡± Yan Yu, seeing the key to the strategy, clapped his hands in admiration. ¡°Where did you get this idea, Yun Jin? Slacking off means facing the music, and to avoid being hit, you have to give it your all. That¡¯s what real practical combat training is all about!¡±

    The other girls looked at him speechlessly, their expressions seeming to ask, ¡°Do you really not know?¡±

    ¡°What are you all looking at me for?¡± Yan Yu raised an eyebrow and scoffed, ¡°Or maybe we should practice like this too¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine, we¡¯ll go practice on our own.¡± Upon hearing his words, everyone immediately caused a stir and hurriedly scattered like birds and beasts.

    Everyone practiced until around five o¡¯clock, during which Su Yunjin, worried that Xie Ruoxi might catch a cold, even took her to the restroom to dry her clothes several times¡­ and then she was soaked through again. It was just a fate of humiliation that a good-for-nothing could not escape.

    ¡°Are we solving dinner in the cafeteria?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°The cafeteria?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was shocked on the spot. ¡°What happened to the ten promised meals?¡±

    ¡°Fine then, you lead the way.¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t bother to argue with her as he would still need this Demonic Sect Enchantress to change his puppet Ah Zhen¡¯s prosthetic body. For now, he could indulge her smugness for a bit.

    Zhao Yuanzhen immediately puffed up with pride, shouting with her head held high, ¡°Sisters, follow me, today Young Master Yan is picking up the tab,¡± and ran ahead to lead the way.

    Everyone initially wanted to see what Sister Zhao felt like eating, but upon leaving the school and reaching the mall, everyone collapsed at the sight of Haidilao.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Haidilao?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen retorted indignantly, ¡°Hotpot is best for a group to enjoy together, alright?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, indeed, no more bickering.¡± Yan Yu explained to everyone, ¡°The first time I took her out to eat, it was at Haidilao.¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a giggly smile, ¡°Sister Zhao almost drank up the entire soup that time.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, initially a bit moved, thinking that the thief actually remembered the first time he took her out to eat, rolled her eyes instantly upon hearing what Chen Lingyun added.

    Damn it, she had forgotten this terrible woman was there at the time too, such a buzzkill!

    Turning to Su Yunjin and Lin Ning, the two were unfazed, clearly indicating that, to them, ¡°Sister Zhao finishing the hotpot soup was totally normal.¡± Only Xie Ruoxi naively asked:

    ¡°Won¡¯t it be too salty if you drink too much soup?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to their nonsense.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen wrapped an arm around Xie Ruoxi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Today¡¯s your first day on the team, you get first pick on the menu. Whatever you want to eat, just ask the waiter to bring it.¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhao seems to really like this little girl from Jingnan.¡± Chen Lingyun stealthily sent a message to the others, ¡°Could it be¡­ she sees herself in her?¡±

    ¡°Are you talking about personality or figure?¡± Lin Ning asked curiously.

    In terms of personality, both seemed a bit simple-minded; in terms of figure, although Xie Ruoxi wasn¡¯t as voluptuous as Zhao Yuanzhen, she was also quite substantial.

    ¡°What does the captain think?¡± Su Yunjin asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s either, don¡¯t guess wildly,¡± Yan Yu rejected both speculations.

    Of course, he knew why Zhao Yuanzhen liked Xie Ruoxi: There was but one reason, that good-for-nothing had sufficiently high talent for cultivation.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress was best at attaching herself to power¡ª whomever showed signs of achieving great things on their path, she¡¯d cling to their coattails in the hope of riding their coattails to heaven!

    Once everyone sat down in the restaurant, Zhao Yuanzhen didn¡¯t go back on her word and handed the menu to Xie Ruoxi first.

    Xie Ruoxi felt honored, asking everyone what they wanted to eat before placing the orders.

    Yan Yu, somewhat bored, was playing with his phone and noticed a message from Qi Changping:

    ¡°Press conference tomorrow at 3 PM to officially announce the news of the Mysterious Realm. A warm-up promotion will follow for about a week. The Mysterious Realm is northwest of Gaodu County in Sanjin Province. Some undead soldiers have emerged from the realm. If the defense pressure in Gaodu County increases subsequently, we might have to advance the simulation confrontation and realm assault preparations. Get ready for it.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°The approval for Xie Ruoxi from the Privy Council hasn¡¯t come through yet, so she can¡¯t participate in combat this time,¡± Qi Changping sent another message. ¡°Let her continue with the fan operations.¡±

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t reply, knowing full well Xie Ruoxi really wasn¡¯t ready for battle yet, but forwarded the previous message to the team chat group.

    ¡°Sanjin Province, Gaodu County,¡± Su Yunjin pondered, ¡°The Changping battle?¡±

    ¡°Probably some ghost cultivator opened a Mysterious Realm nearby to refine the resentful spirits in Changping Defile,¡± Yan Yu casually explained. ¡°Back then, Bai Qi buried 450,000 Zhao soldiers there. The resentment must be soaring sky-high. This realm¡¯s difficulty won¡¯t be low, prepare yourselves mentally.¡±

    ¡°No worries, we have Ling Yun,¡± Lin Ning mentioned, ¡°Her Soul Summoning Banner has a suppressive effect on resentful spirits.¡±

    ¡°And my Yin Wind Sword,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen chimed in competitively.

    ¡°Right, and Sister Zhao,¡± Su Yunjin, who knew how to talk, said with a smile, ¡°Those mother-child resentful spirits last time were really scared of her sword.¡±

    While chatting and laughing, they waited for the food to arrive, showing no signs of nervousness.

    Yan Yu was about to say something when a sudden jolt in his divine sense made him pause. He observed the girls, aside from Xie Ruoxi who hadn¡¯t cultivated divine sense, all had changing expressions.

    How to describe it? Like fish suddenly dropping from shallow water into the depths or birds swiftly flying out of caves into the open, as if the whole world suddenly expanded.

    At that very moment, the concentration of spiritual energy around the globe burst slightly.

    The level cap for Rikoku Cultivators increased.

    Up to the Marrow Cleansing Stage.

 Chapter 202: 1 Yan Yus Death Threat

    Chapter 202: Chapter 1 Yan Yu¡¯s Death Threat

    What¡¯s the first thing to do after the level cap has been raised? S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Level rush.

    Technique certainly is a major factor affecting the strength, but the cultivation realm can determine the upper and lower limits of strength.

    Instead of betting on whether one¡¯s technique can perform normally during real combat, of course, it¡¯s better to raise the cultivation realm as soon as possible.

    After a hasty meal, everyone rushed back to their villa rooms to each practice their qi refinement, not caring what Xie Ruoxi was doing¡ªnot that they didn¡¯t want to care, but because they needed to rush their cultivation at this critical moment. Even a slight advancement over the Flying Dragon Battle Team could mean an extra advantage in next week¡¯s Mysterious Realm confrontation.

    Qi Refinement involves circulating True Yuan in the Grand Circulation; the first circulation of the day increases cultivation the fastest, then the efficiency of the second round halves, and the third and fourth rounds get progressively worse¡­ That¡¯s why cultivation has the concept of ¡°daily lessons.¡± You must complete the first circulation every day, try to complete the second one, and then go as you please for the rest.

    The effectiveness of the increase is also related to the cultivator¡¯s talent. For instance, Lord Master Liu Longtao, it is said, circulates at least fifteen times a day since his talent is good. Even when the number of rounds exceeds ten, each round¡¯s increase is still significant.

    For those with talent not as sky-defying as Lord Master, but still of average standard, they usually perform seven to eight circulations. After that, there¡¯s hardly any increase, and it feels like a waste of time to continue practicing.

    Of course, the main thing is the level cap. As long as everyone¡¯s talent isn¡¯t too bad, they will eventually reach the current full level of the realm, no matter how slow the cultivation is, without creating a long-term gap¡ªunless there¡¯s a confrontation next week.

    Xie Ruoxi suddenly found herself free of supervision and naturally enjoyed her leisure. After gaming for half the day in the study, she suddenly heard the doorbell ring from downstairs.

    She went downstairs to open the door and found that Instructor Qi had arrived.

    ¡°Foundation Establishment Pill.¡± Qi Changping took out a bottle. ¡°There are six pills in total; call Yan Yu down to sign for them.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi subconsciously didn¡¯t want to look for Yan Yu and asked,

    ¡°Can¡¯t I just leave it in the living room? He¡¯s cultivating right now, and I don¡¯t want to disturb him.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Qi Changping appraised her with his gaze, then suddenly frowned. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you cultivating?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi prolonged her voice as she quickly concocted an excuse, ¡°I was just about to cultivate, but Yan Yu asked me to wait here for you, Instructor, to deliver this¡­ Foundation Establishment Pill.¡±

    ¡°Fine then.¡± Qi Changping handed her the bottle. ¡°There¡¯s one Elixir Medicine in there for you. Remember not to take it yet; finish your daily lessons first, otherwise it would be a waste.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Xie Ruoxi accepted the bottle and, after seeing Qi Changping off and closing the door, threw the bottle onto the sofa, planning to continue playing games upstairs¡ªas a result, the bottle was caught by Yan Yu, who had suddenly appeared behind her.

    ¡°Do you know what this is?¡± Yan Yu asked with a smile.

    Although he smiled warmly, Xie Ruoxi felt caught red-handed and turned pale as she stuttered,

    ¡°Uh, this is¡­¡±

    ¡°This is called a Foundation Establishment Pill.¡± Yan Yu continued in a genial tone. ¡°The total monthly production for the whole country might be just a few hundred pills, sought after by many cultivators; an absolute treasure. If those non-official cultivators found out you had this thing, they would come to kill you for it, or kidnap your family¡­¡±

    ¡°I was wrong.¡± Xie Ruoxi promptly admitted her fault, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ll go cultivate right away.¡±

    She knelt down so quickly that even Yan Yu was slightly taken aback.

    After all, the two girls who usually got scolded by him, Zhao Yuanzhen had always been the ¡°I¡¯m wrong but won¡¯t admit it¡± type, and Chen Lingyun played the ¡°I don¡¯t know what mistake¡± fool. Now, encountering Xie Ruoxi, who was willing to readily admit her fault, her attitude appeared much more sincere compared to the other two¡­

    Stop! Don¡¯t be fooled by her, this pretty waste is most skilled at giving up. She¡¯s been lectured and says she¡¯ll turn over a new leaf, but be careful or she might find it boring again once back in her bedroom and start slacking off!

    ¡°Come with me.¡± Yan Yu¡¯s smile faded, he said sternly.

    Xie Ruoxi followed him upstairs with trepidation, watching as he distributed the Foundation Establishment Pills to the other girls, before returning to the bedroom.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was meditating on the bed and when she saw Xie Ruoxi follow him in, her eyes widened in surprise.

    Xie Ruoxi was also dumbfounded: Damn, why is Sister Zhao in your room?

    ¡°You¡­¡± Zhao Yuanzhen had just uttered a word when Yan Yu abruptly interrupted her:

    ¡°What do you think of Ruoxi¡¯s talent?¡±

    What do I think of her talent? It¡¯s one in a million, of course!

    Truth be told, even without any real proof, Zhao Yuanzhen suspected Xie Ruoxi¡¯s cultivation talent might be the once-in-ten-thousand-years ¡°Bright Dao Heart¡±:

    It is said that these peerless talents not only cultivate extremely quickly but also learn any Spell at a glance and understand them with a single point¡­ But seeing Xie Ruoxi¡¯s disheartening attitude, it was difficult to associate her with ¡°Bright Dao Heart.¡±

    Wait, why is this sneak asking me this?

    Zhao Yuanzhen paused for a moment, a disbelieving idea emerging in her mind:

    Could it be because he finds my talent inadequate, he wants to switch to dual cultivation with Xie Ruoxi?

    As this idea crossed her mind, it was like she could hear that detestable voice of a petty thief echoing in her head:

    Hehehe! A good servant chooses their master well, a wise bird selects the tree it perches on. Now that I have the help of Immortal Venerate Xie in my cultivation, you are of no use to me! Quickly pack your things and roll out of my cave abode!

    Zhao Yuanzhen stood dumbfounded, a tear glistening down the corner of her eye, when she suddenly exclaimed:

    ¡°Even a wife from humble beginnings should not be abandoned with such ease. If you wish to sever our ties just because my talents don¡¯t match hers, I will not let you off even if I turn into a demon!¡±

    No sooner had she finished speaking than she received a slap on the head from Yan Yu:

    ¡°Dammit, what¡¯s with this wild imagination! I called her over because her talent is so great, it would be a waste if she slacked off alone. That¡¯s why I need to watch over her and make sure she cultivates properly!¡±

    Only then did Zhao Yuanzhen realize she had caused a huge misunderstanding. Her eyes still wet with tears, yet she couldn¡¯t help but start to laugh, not even bothering to wipe her face and compose herself from the sadness, but instead just held onto Yan Yu¡¯s arm and giggled foolishly:

    ¡°You¡¯re right, I was foolish. Hey! Since sister Ruoxi is so exceptionally talented, why not have her do the String-Pulling Ring with her?¡±

    The String-Pulling Ring is a modified version in the Qi Refinement chapter of ¡°Silken Bond Technique¡±.

    The original version involved two people cultivating together, with the speed of Qi refinement based on the talent of the most gifted. Later, because practitioners in the Demonic Sect didn¡¯t want to cultivate with a partner, it was modified to ¡®using a puppet partner¡¯ and thus called ¡®String-Pulling Ring¡¯.

    In simple terms, it means cultivating with a puppet, allowing the puppet to unilaterally replenish the cultivator¡¯s own Qi. The more precious materials and higher the grade on the puppet¡¯s body, the more efficient the Qi refinement assistance.

    When Zhao Yuanzhen said she ¡°wanted to do the String-Pulling Ring with Xie Ruoxi,¡± it meant using Xie Ruoxi as a puppet, utilizing her exceptional talents to refine Qi, thereby increasing the speed of Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s cultivation.

    This wouldn¡¯t actually harm her, but of course, there would be no benefits either, as the True Yuan refined would be a windfall for others, akin to modern-day training through others¡¯ efforts¡­ But Yan Yu could also guess why Zhao Yuanzhen would make such a suggestion, simply feeling that since Xie Ruoxi herself doesn¡¯t want to upgrade, it¡¯s better to let them upgrade using her daily practice experience that would otherwise go to waste.

    Such a wicked Demonic Sect Enchantress! Using a living person as a Qi refinement puppet, allowing her to toil away at cultivation for others for free. Even having lived two lives as a human, I couldn¡¯t conceive of such an evil tactic!

    Yan Yu was about to speak out against it when he heard Xie Ruoxi, out of curiosity, ask:

    ¡°What is the String-Pulling Ring?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s simple.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen laughed hehe, the smile so pure and innocent, without a hint of evil, ¡°You just have to sit beside me and let me connect you with a spell, then you can cultivate. You don¡¯t have to do anything, you can even play on your phone.¡±

    Just sitting and I can cultivate? Is there such a good thing?

    ¡°Count me in for the String-Pulling Ring!¡± Xie Ruoxi called out immediately.

    ¡°Count your head!¡± Yan Yu slapped her again, ¡°Go sit on the bed and practice Qi Refinement with deep breathing! If I don¡¯t get up, you don¡¯t move!¡±

    Even though the slap on her hard forehead wasn¡¯t painful, Xie Ruoxi still imagined herself reeling with dizziness and automatically sat down at the edge of the bed.

    Forget it, he is the tyrannical Immortal Venerate, and I can¡¯t defy him. I¡¯ll just diligently cultivate my Qi!

    After taking off her shoes at the bedside, Xie Ruoxi silently crossed her feet, draped in white socks, into the lotus position, adopting the Five Hearts Facing the Sky posture. Along with Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen, she began to practice Qi Refinement in the Grand Circulation.

    So boring¡­

    Older online novels always liked to write that Qi Refinement led to euphoria, but only those who have really cultivated know how boring it is.

    How to describe it? It¡¯s like using one¡¯s willpower to control a stream of Qi flowing through the meridians, then rotating over and over again, and that¡¯s all there is to it¡­ just rotating over and over.

    After completing the first Grand Circulation, Xie Ruoxi couldn¡¯t sit still anymore, and opened her eyes to speak:

    ¡°I¡¯m thirsty, I¡¯m going to get some water. Would you like some?¡±

    ¡°No way, hold it!¡± Yan Yu, still pressing palms against Zhao Yuanzhen with eyes closed, merely said coldly, ¡°I¡¯m not done yet, and you¡¯re not allowed to stop either!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi had no choice but to continue practicing Qi, and after completing the second Grand Circulation, she again opened her eyes and tentatively said:

    ¡°I need to go to the bathroom¡­¡±

    ¡°Hold it in!¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t hold it anymore!¡±

    ¡°If you can¡¯t hold it, then just wet the bed!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s eyelids twitched as she thought to herself that this Yan Yu is really impervious! What if I really need to go to the bathroom? Do you actually expect me to wet your bed¡­ Ew, that¡¯s so disgusting, I better not continue that thought.

    Well, how about pretending to suffer from Qi deviation and going mad?

    She began to rack her brains, recalling how her female classmates in high school had demonstrated their acting skills to skip physical education classes, when suddenly she heard Yan Yu say:

    ¡°If you don¡¯t focus on cultivating your Qi properly, I¡¯ll change all the passwords for your phone and computer, and you won¡¯t be able to go online for the entire day.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s pretty face immediately turned pale with shock: What? You want to kill me!

 Chapter 203: 2: Chen Lingyuns Three Ingenious Plans

    Chapter 203: Chapter 2: Chen Lingyun¡¯s Three Ingenious Plans

    Having completed their daily cultivation practice, each person then took a Foundation Establishment Pill, which dissolved in their stomachs, and the tremendous Spiritual Energy instantly spread to their limbs and bones.

    Continue Qi Refinement! Refine fiercely!

    Xie Ruoxi felt like crying but had no tears, thinking that she wasn¡¯t against staying up late, but wasn¡¯t this overnight cultivation a bit too much like overworking a horse?

    Even if it was staying up all night grinding in a mobile game, although it was at the cost of her health, at least she had fun!

    Breathing and refining Qi¡­ Such tedious and dull affairs were far from interesting, just like an old donkey going round and round in circles. How on earth could you all keep at it for so long?

    But Yan Yu didn¡¯t call a halt, and she didn¡¯t dare to get off the bed on her own, so she just sat there, going through the Grand Circulation over and over again, secretly thinking that when she read CEO novels, she thought the domineering male lead was so handsome and awesome, but reality wasn¡¯t like that at all.

    How annoying! Can¡¯t you respect my personal wishes?

    It was around five in the morning when Yan Yu finally slowly opened her eyes and temporarily stopped the cultivation.

    The mighty medicinal power of the Foundation Establishment Pill had been initially refined through the primary channels of the twelve regular meridians. There was still a small part scattered in the Eight Extraordinary Meridians that needed the persistent effort of water polishing to be fully absorbed.

    Zhao Yuanzhen got out of bed with slippers on and went to the bathroom to wash his face. Yan Yu turned her head to look at Xie Ruoxi and saw that she was sitting cross-legged without moving. Divine Sense over her revealed that the Grand Circulation was functioning, and her True Yuan was flowing ceaselessly; there was no slacking off.

    Huh, how does this pretty waste have such determination? Wait, let me look again¡­

    Yan Yu scanned again with her Divine Sense and was instantly shocked:

    What the fuck, she¡¯s asleep!

    Could this be the legendary cultivation in dreams?!

    Yan Yu was immediately astounded and didn¡¯t dare to interrupt her meditative state, carefully getting out of bed.

    ¡°Yan Yu.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen poked her head out from the bathroom, ¡°Can¡¯t squeeze any toothpaste out¡­¡±

    Before she could finish, Yan Yu covered her mouth.

    After communicating secretly, the two of them tiptoed to the bed, gazing at Xie Ruoxi on the bed with the reverence one might have for an Immortal Venerate, then exchanged glances.

    ¡°Have you seen this before?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked via secret transmission.

    ¡°No, have you?¡± Yan Yu thought to herself that in her two lifetimes, she had never seen sleep cultivation, truly a prodigy.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that in ancient times, there was a true person who could do it,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen composed herself and said, ¡°He cultivated in Mount Shaohua, each time sleeping for three to five months, breathing and refining Qi day and night without stop.¡±

    ¡°That must be a special Qi Refinement technique!¡± Yan Yu transmitted back, ¡°This must be achieved simply by her talent.¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about that,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen hesitated for a moment before suddenly saying, ¡°Didn¡¯t your master¡­ mention her?¡±

    ¡°Are you joking?¡± Yan Yu countered, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for his old man¡¯s instruction, why would I go to the trouble of bringing a girl from out of town here?¡±

    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen thought indeed. After all, Xie Ruoxi had absolutely no prior experience in cultivation. It could only have been that powerful individual who was adept in divination who could foresee her unparalleled talent in this area.

    Master, oh, master, as Yan Yu¡¯s Dao companion, I have always been faithful to your disciple and never harbored a second thought. Since you, old man, calculate even the smallest details, please arrange some fortune for me in the future as well, Miyuan here thanks you in advance.

    ¡°Yan Yu, are you done¡­¡± Lin Ning¡¯s knock came from outside, quickly pulled in by Yan Yu.

    And so, the group observing Xie Immortal Venerate¡¯s cultivation beside the bed grew to three.

    ¡°Can this way of cultivation be effective?¡± Lin Ning scanned Xie Ruoxi¡¯s body with Divine Sense and felt a tingle on her scalp, ¡°Isn¡¯t it said that after a dozen or so Grand Circulations, the increase in True Yuan is minimal?¡±

    ¡°But what if one cultivates for several hours in a row?¡± Yan Yu said meaningfully, ¡°What about half a day? An entire day? Even if the efficiency of each round drops to one percent of the usual daily increase, if she unknowingly performs a hundred Grand Circulations, doesn¡¯t she still gain a day¡¯s worth of cultivation more than you?¡±

    Lin Ning was at a loss for words. Automatic practice problems in one¡¯s dreams, efficiency aside, the key was fully utilizing the long hours of sleep, a terrifying realm that problem solvers dared not even imagine.

    ¡°I¡¯ll let Yun Jin and Ling Yun know,¡± she said while taking out her phone, ¡°so they keep quiet when they come later, to avoid interrupting Ruoxi¡¯s cultivation.¡±

    Soon, the entire Zhenhai Team gathered in Yan Yu¡¯s bedroom.

    ¡°Why is she in your room?¡± Su Yunjin asked via secret transmission.

    ¡°In her own room, do you think she¡¯d willingly cultivate?¡± Yan Yu retorted.

    ¡°Let her come to my room next time,¡± Su Yunjin continued, ¡°After all, she¡¯s a girl, it¡¯s not good for you to keep her locked in a room like this.¡±

    Secretary Su did have a point, and Yan Yu didn¡¯t want to keep an eye on this pretty waste all the time, the more she saw her lazy, salted fish attitude, the angrier she got. She responded via transmission:

    ¡°Okay, then you will be in charge of her daily practice from now on.¡±

    Seeing that Xie Ruoxi had not yet awakened, everyone went downstairs to the living room to have breakfast first, rest for a moment, and then resume their cultivation after resetting their mental state.

    Chen Lingyun went to grind coffee beans, while Lin Ning headed to the kitchen to make breakfast for everyone. Zhao Yuanzhen sat on the sofa with snacks, starting to prep her stomach for breakfast, and Su Yunjin swept the floor, tapping Yan Yu¡¯s foot:

    ¡°Lift your shoes.¡±

    ¡°Stop sweeping.¡± Yan Yu said exasperatedly, ¡°I just had the cleaner come yesterday to clean up, the floor isn¡¯t dirty at all.¡±

    Su Yunjin tilted her head, and Yan Yu followed her gaze, only to see Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s eyes glued to her phone while she nonchalantly ate chips, crumbs crackling as they fell to the ground.

    Yan Yu¡¯s anger flared up instantly, and he snatched away her chips, saying angrily:

    ¡°Dare to snack before a meal? If you gain weight and slow down because of that, I¡¯ll make you go hungry for three days!¡±

    ¡°How could I get fat when I¡¯m a cultivator!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, driven by her food-guarding instincts, immediately tackled him to take back her chips, but because of her size, she ended up pressing right onto Yan Yu¡¯s face. The chips in his hand also fell to the floor with a smack, scattering everywhere.

    Su Yunjin, still holding the broom, silently watched the added mess on the floor to sweep, Yan Yu being almost suffocated with his face covered, and Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s desperate gaze fixed on the chips on the floor. Suddenly, she displayed a skin-crawling, faux-warm smile that was anything but comforting and instructed:

    ¡°Clean it up.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen got up conscientiously, took the broom from Su Yunjin¡¯s hand, and obediently started to sweep.

    Yan Yu was also taken aback. The fearsome Demonic Sect Enchantress, who even a powerhouse like me had to keep in check with constant reminders, was subdued by a mere sentence from Su Yunjin?

    ¡°Why must the captain pick on Sister Zhao?¡± Su Yunjin looked at Yan Yu, her face still holding a polite smile, and asked in a calm demeanor, ¡°Is it because you have nothing else to do at home?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Yan Yu slowly stood up, ¡°I¡¯ll go help Lin Ning cook.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t that he was scared of her seemingly explosive demeanor; he just thought it wasn¡¯t right for Lin Ning to be busy in the kitchen by herself, so he decided to help her.

    After Chen Lingyun finished making the coffee, she came back with a cup in her hand, only to see Yan Yu and Lin Ning busy in the kitchen, Zhao Yuanzhen sweeping the floor earnestly, and Su Yunjin wiping the furniture, her expression unassuming, but the aura she emanated seemed to freeze the air around her.

    ¡°Why be angry?¡± Chen Lingyun chimed leisurely.

    ¡°I¡¯m not angry,¡± replied Su Yunjin.

    ¡°Then give me a smile,¡± Chen Lingyun teased her.

    Su Yunjin sighed, finally showing a somewhat melancholic expression and said weakly:

    ¡°Stop worrying about me.¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± Chen Lingyun smiled gleefully, ¡°I think some things, instead of keeping them bottled up, it¡¯s better to speak them out.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡± Su Yunjin murmured despondently, ¡°Am I worthy?¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡± Chen Lingyun laughed, some mockery in her smile, ¡°Worthy or not, who gets to decide? Him? Why should he?¡±

    ¡°Not for any reason.¡± Su Yunjin lowered her eyelids, ¡°It¡¯s just that I care.¡± S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Then you¡¯re really asking for trouble.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I said stop worrying about me,¡± Su Yunjin uttered somberly.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Chen Lingyun, holding her coffee cup, walked a circle around her, as if savoring her fragile and gaunt demeanor.

    After she leisurely appreciated it, she spoke with a smile:

    ¡°Even so, there are ways around it.¡±

    ¡°Like what?¡± Su Yunjin looked up in surprise.

    ¡°Yan Yu¡¯s behavior is actually quite easy to understand.¡± Chen Lingyun put out a finger, playfully wagging it, ¡°If you attack, he will defend staunchly.¡±

    ¡°Reverse the thought process, if you don¡¯t want to be forcefully rebuffed, then don¡¯t truly launch an attack.¡±

    ¡°You mean¡­¡± Su Yunjin, sharp as ever, began to look contemplative, feeling as though she had grasped some sort of thread.

    ¡°First keyword: Salami Tactics,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a sweet smile, ¡°slice by slice strategy.¡±

    ¡°Second keyword: Genghis Khan, Mangudai Tactics.¡±

    ¡°Third keyword: Foot In The Door Effect, the doorstep effect.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Su Yunjin pondered, ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re so smart, Yun Jin, you¡¯ll definitely be able to come up with a methodology to deal with him.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, glanced at Yan Yu who was flipping eggs in the kitchen, and added, ¡°You might not beat him on the battlefield, but in certain matters¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­We girls are the ones with the upper hand.¡±

 Chapter 204: 3 Youre always just thinking about yourself

    Chapter 204: Chapter 3 You¡¯re always just thinking about yourself

    ¡°`

    As Xie Ruoxi dozed in and out of sleep, in her groggy state, she completely refined the power of the Foundation Establishment Pill within her body.

    She went through over two hundred Grand Circulations until her capacity for growth stalled completely, and her consciousness slowly resurfaced from slumber, gradually waking up.

    Upon awakening from a deep sleep, her whole body felt sore. She stretched lazily in bed before getting up in a daze to put on her slippers, intending to go to the bathroom to freshen up.

    Huh? Where am I?

    After a moment of confusion, she finally remembered that she had been dragged into the bedroom by the domineering male lead and coerced into cultivating.

    Like a startled rabbit, Xie Ruoxi¡¯s small head turned left and right rapidly, scanning the entire room.

    No one.

    No one hiding around.

    And no one in the bathroom either.

    So that means Yan Yu isn¡¯t here?

    He escaped! He escaped, he escaped, he escaped, he escaped, he escaped, he escaped, he escaped, he escaped!

    Without any hesitation, Xie Ruoxi quickly dashed to the window and flung it open.

    Yikes, the second floor is so high! Jumping down would break bones, right?

    But no matter, I just learned the Cloud Ascension Technique!

    Meanwhile, in the living room, everyone was gathered around the table eating dinner¡ªthe small outbreak of Spiritual Energy had occurred the evening before last, making it already a full two days.

    ¡°Ruoxi has been cultivating non-stop for 48 hours without even taking a sip of water. This won¡¯t cause any problems, will it?¡± Su Yunjin asked worriedly.

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu picked food for himself, ¡°Performing Grand Circulations causes saliva to generate under the jaw. It¡¯s okay not to eat or drink for several days. If one later trains in the Fasting technique, then there is really no need for eating or drinking at all.¡±

    Of course, not needing to eat or drink doesn¡¯t mean one can¡¯t eat or drink. For example, Zhao Yuanzhen, who had long mastered the Fasting technique, came to Earth where there are plenty of MSG and spices. Yet, he still indulges himself daily in feasting on lavish meals, thoroughly enjoying it.

    ¡°Then what about these rumors for the past few days? What do you plan to do?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    The day before yesterday, Yan Yu burst into the comic exhibition, dunked Xie Ruoxi¡¯s head into a Whack-a-Mole game, and was caught on the venue¡¯s surveillance cameras.

    So a strange rumor emerged alleging that the two were in a romantic relationship. After becoming famous as Yan Zhanlong, he became enraged at his girlfriend for hooking up with Li Minghu from the Qing¡¯an Battle Team. Ex-girlfriend threatened to expose him online, and thus Yan Zhanlong silenced her by murdering her¡­

    Your family uses a Whack-a-Mole game machine to commit murder?

    Nevertheless, this is still regarded as ¡°violent behavior,¡± so many people were happy to criticize from a moral high ground and then share the narrative, enjoying the thrill of ¡°trampling on a cultivator¡¯s reputation.¡±

    Luckily, the Zhendong Army stepped in to intervene in time, blocking content where they could, so there hasn¡¯t been a major uproar yet¡ªbut the rumors keep resurfacing, seemingly with someone circumventing the censors by changing keywords, like substituting ¡°fling¡± or ¡°pickled fish¡± for ¡°Yan Yu¡± and the like.

    Aside from the version about Yan Zhanlong killing his girlfriend, there were other rumors, such as the one about the Flying Dragon Battle Team¡ªconsisting of one male to four females¡ªhinting at some unmentionable dirty desires of the man in charge. This seemed more plausible than murdering a girlfriend and thus sparked even bigger controversy, with female netizens in particular opposing it: What, female cultivators can only join a battle team by seduction? Absurd!

    ¡°Rumors, huh? Don¡¯t bother with them,¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly while eating. ¡°We just need to focus on our own responsibilities.¡±

    The girls exchanged looks.

    ¡°If it were just ordinary spreading rumors, they would have been squashed already,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a slight smile. ¡°The reason this keeps happening despite prohibition is because someone is deliberately working against us, directly opposing the Zhendong Army from behind the scenes.¡±

    ¡°Who could it be?¡± Lin Ning asked impulsively. ¡°The Flying Dragon Battle Team? The Dingbei Army? Or is it foreign forces?¡±

    Su Yunjin pondered.

    No, none of the above.

    Neither the Flying Dragon Battle Team nor the Dingbei Army had any reason to stir up such matters; after all, cultivators speak through victories on the battlefield. Foreign forces? Even less likely¡ªnot that they wouldn¡¯t want to, but they simply can¡¯t.

    The ones orchestrating from behind, just as Ling Yun mentioned, must be of the caliber to go head-to-head with our Zhendong Army.

    Considering Chen Lingyun¡¯s father, Su Yunjin guessed a frightening possibility and imperceptibly shook her head.

    The captain is right. We don¡¯t have to¡ªcan¡¯t¡ªdeal with it.

    Focus on ourselves.

    ¡°We have to win,¡± she suddenly said out loud.

    Lin Ning was taken aback but then nodded vehemently: Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Right, the best counter to the rumors is to win!¡±

    She stood up quickly, stretching out her hand above the table. Su Yunjin smiled slightly and also placed her hand on top.

    ¡°Count me in,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, who was completely oblivious to the conversation and continued eating with his right hand¡ªhe thought being bad-mouthed was a completely normal occurrence¡ªextended his left hand and added it to the stack.

    Chen Lingyun smiled and placed her hand on top of theirs.

    The girls all turned their gaze to Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu was chewing on the meat in his mouth, but when he saw everyone looking at him, he swallowed his food, stood up, and said:

    ¡°Looking for a sense of ceremony, huh? Come on then.¡±

    ¡°Can you not ruin the moment, Captain!¡± Lin Ning complained vehemently. ¡°As team captain, can¡¯t you lead by boosting our morale!¡±

    ¡°Ha ha, I just think that when facing opponents like the Flying Dragon Battle Team, there¡¯s really no need to boost morale,¡± Yan Yu laughed and stretched out his right hand to join the others.

    ¡°Win!¡± Lin Ning shouted.

    ¡°`

    Everyone pressed down with their hands at the same time, and suddenly saw Xie Ruoxi, who was attempting the Cloud Ascension Technique, wobbling in the air before landing squarely in the middle of the courtyard outside the living room balcony.

    Lin Ning: ¡­

    Su Yunjin: ¡­

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ¡­

    Chen Lingyun: ¡­

    Ruoxi, little sister, we are in the midst of a battle ritual to boost morale here! What do you mean by doing a live demonstration of running away at the side?

    Xie Ruoxi, unaware that her escape had been clearly witnessed by the people in the living room through the balcony glass, simply landed steadily on the ground and triumphantly waved her little fist.

    Safe landing! Completely effortless!

    Next, little Ruoxi was about to escape from the demon¡¯s lair!

    Just as she was about to hurry on, a hand suddenly draped over her shoulder.

    Xie Ruoxi turned stiffly and saw Yan Yu behind her, showing a kind squinting smile and gesturing towards the inside of the house with his thumb.

    Come, follow me back inside.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to escape, I just saw you all weren¡¯t in your rooms, so I came down to look for you!¡± Xie Ruoxi argued.

    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you take the stairs?¡± Su Yunjin asked gently.

    ¡°I wanted to practice the Cloud Ascension Technique,¡± Xie Ruoxi insisted, steeling herself.

    ¡°You think we would believe that?¡± Lin Ning also helplessly held her forehead.

    Even the two who had been indulgent towards Xie Ruoxi, after her repeated attempts to escape, finally lost their temper.

    Xie Ruoxi fell silent, rolling her eyes, turning her head away, and adopting a ¡°do with me what you will¡± attitude of a resigned dead fish.

    Seeing her like this, everyone suddenly had no pity: Just wait and see how Yan Yu will deal with you!

    Yan Yu expressionlessly took out his phone, dialed the number:

    ¡°Hello, Instructor Qi¡­¡±

    Xie Ruoxi remained unmoved, thinking you can call the instructor, but that won¡¯t do any good, if you dare, just expel me from the military academy.

    ¡°¡­ Yes,¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°the child refuses to cultivate properly, loves to play¡­¡±

    Xie Ruoxi sneered to herself. Is it really about loving to play? Or is it that you all want me to be a beast of burden!

    ¡°¡­ so we must take measures¡­¡± Yan Yu said over the phone.

    Xie Ruoxi inwardly shouted: No measures will work! I am born free! Better dead than not free!

    ¡°Check the mobile game ranking charts,¡± Yan Yu said composedly, ¡°then send her phone number to the top 200 gaming companies, have them all independently investigate, and if there¡¯s any registration record of hers, immediately cancel and delete the account, and if not, add to the blacklist¡­¡±

    Before he finished speaking, something suddenly clung to his calf.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Xie Ruoxi kneeled on the ground, looking up with teary eyes, begging pitifully, ¡°I really realize my mistake, please don¡¯t delete my game accounts. Please, I¡¯ll do anything.¡±

    Yan Yu looked down upon her as if he was looking at unrecyclable trash.

    Hmph.

    With what kind of determination do you say these words? Are just a few mobile game accounts worth the weight of your life? Do you think being a cultivator is just a regular job?

    If you can¡¯t do something, don¡¯t recklessly make promises.

    Beautiful trash, exactly the same as in your previous life¡­ Always thinking of yourself.

    ¡°Delete them all,¡± Yan Yu said coldly.

    ¡°No!¡± Xie Ruoxi¡¯s wail echoed throughout the living room.

    On the other end of the phone, hearing the clearly female pitiful scream, Qi Changping¡¯s hand holding the phone also shook, instinctively advising:

    ¡°Um, Yan Yu, making the game company delete the account might be too much. Why don¡¯t you communicate with her again? If it really doesn¡¯t work, we can set up a timetable, specifying a maximum amount of time she can play games every day¡­¡±

    From the other end of the phone came a beep beep beep, Yan Yu had already hung up.

    Xie Ruoxi kneeled at his feet, her mouth agape in numbness, as if her soul had left her body.

    The surrounding girls were also shocked by Yan Yu¡¯s demeanor, thinking although they had long known the captain to be ruthless, they had not expected him to land such a critical hit, knocking Xie Ruoxi to the ground.

    For a moment, they felt a sense of sympathy for her and came over one by one to make peace:

    ¡°Alright, alright, captain, let¡¯s leave it at that. Deleting the account is a bit too much. Give her another chance.¡±

    Yan Yu was silent for a moment, then coldly said:

    ¡°Go to Qi Refinement.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi stood up like a puppet, stiffly climbed upstairs, and went to practice Qi Refinement.

 Chapter 205: 4 Someone named Yan was defamed again

    Chapter 205: Chapter 4 Someone named Yan was defamed again

    It wasn¡¯t until the second week that everyone finally refined about eighty to ninety percent of the Foundation Establishment Pill¡¯s formidable medicinal power.

    At the same time, the rumors outside had already spiraled out of control, with a growing tendency to seal Yan Yu¡¯s reputation once and for all.

    They were comparing the gender ratio of other teams with the Zhenhai Team, alleging that Yan someone was ¡°establishing his harem under the name of the team¡± and claimed he had ¡°barely managed to maintain his integrity and had a lapse in personal morals.¡±

    Far from getting angry, Yan Yu actually found it somewhat amusing upon finding out. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Cough, don¡¯t take this to heart.¡± In the principal¡¯s office, Li Weiguo tried to calm his emotions, ¡°You¡¯re very popular right now, so it¡¯s normal to be talked about strangely online, after all, as the saying goes, ¡®Mediocrity is safe from envy.¡¯ Look at Chen Tianming, with his status, there are still keyboard warriors online calling him the ¡®Jiang Hai gang leader,¡¯ and he hasn¡¯t made a fuss about it, has he?¡±

    ¡°Were those who criticized him banned?¡± Yan Yu asked curiously.

    ¡°Uh.¡± Li Weiguo thought to himself why he was fixated on that, ¡°They were banned, but these kinds of things are endless, so¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all good, Old Li.¡± Yan Yu waved his hand carefreely, ¡°No need to explain, I won¡¯t fuss over it.¡±

    ¡°Why are you calling me Old Li?¡± Li Weiguo burst into laughter and glared, saying, ¡°No respect for your elders!¡±

    ¡°Ah, I thought you were comforting my emotions in the capacity of a senior.¡± Yan Yu explained with a laugh, ¡°So, I couldn¡¯t be too distant, right?¡±

    ¡°Still, don¡¯t call me Old Li.¡± Li Weiguo said with a smile, ¡°Or like Chen Lingyun does, call me Grandpa Li?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Yan Yu nodded, then asked, ¡°So what about the slanderous rumors about me outside, Grandpa Li, are you going to deal with those?¡±

    ¡°Sigh, rest assured, I¡¯ll have someone handle it,¡± Li Weiguo said seriously, putting away his smile.

    Although he said, ¡°I¡¯ll have someone handle it,¡± everyone knew that sigh wasn¡¯t for no reason, and Yan Yu, having lived two lifetimes, could clearly understand its implication. He got up with a smile and said,

    ¡°Alright then, I¡¯m off to prepare for the battle.¡±

    Humming a lively tune, he left the principal¡¯s office and saw Chen Lingyun waiting for him outside.

    ¡°What did he say?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    ¡°No dice,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°Your old man really knows how to make trouble. According to the hints from Old Li, those people see me as ¡®the son-in-law of the Jiang Hai gang leader,¡¯ which is why they¡¯re playing this ¡®pure stream¡¯ criticism game.¡±

    What is ¡°pure stream¡± criticism? Referencing Lu Country¡¯s ancient traditions, it involves constantly attacking someone¡¯s ¡°lack of personal morals¡± until eventually achieving ¡°complete denial of the target¡±¡ªone could look to the Ming dynasty¡¯s factional struggles for specifics.

    Even in the ¡°enlightened¡± modern era, many common folk still judge public figures on a black and white moral scale. Drive economic growth but keep a mistress, corrupt official! Increase average income but accept illegal bribes, corrupt official! Lazy and unproductive but no misconduct found¡­ Okay, that¡¯s mediocre at best, nothing much to criticize.

    ¡°At most, they will only lower your social evaluation,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my dad won¡¯t let anything happen to you.¡±

    Worried? How could Yan Yu possibly be worried? Laughable, really.

    You see, as the Spiritual Energy Resurgence intensified, the influence of social evaluation on cultivators was actually diminishing. It was only because Lu Country still maintained its original order that people attempted to undermine cultivators¡¯ reputations¡­ targeting those willing to play within this framework.

    If genuinely pushed to the limit, I¡¯d smash this framework to pieces. Then let¡¯s see you badmouth me¡ªcan my Flying Sword not sever the necks of your whole family?

    Even if Chen Tianming didn¡¯t intend to intervene, Yan Yu didn¡¯t believe these rumors would have much impact, and he certainly didn¡¯t trust Chen Tianming to protect him with all his might.

    Gauging Old Taishan¡¯s nature, he would likely only ensure that Yan Yu¡¯s courtly status remained unaffected, while his public reputation, the worse the better.

    After all, the more vicious the criticism, the more resentful Yan Yu would become toward those people, and the more inclined he would be to oppose them¡ªto stand with Old Taishan.

    You keep harping on about protecting mortals, don¡¯t you? Now they have started to slander you. How does it feel to be betrayed? Come, stand with the Chen Family, welcome the new era for cultivators!

    Chen Lingyun carefully scrutinized Yan Yu¡¯s face, seeing no change in his expression, she knew he must have seen through everything again, inevitably starting to feel a sense of listlessness.

    The so-called advantage of foresight¡­ heh, it truly is like cheating.

    The two walked side by side on the school¡¯s pathways, silent, yet everything seemed to be communicated without words.

    Passing students eyed them with gossip-hungry glances but none approached to mock them like the typical antagonists in novels¡ªafter all, even if Yan Yu actually had a harem, he was still Yan Zhanlong! No one dared to provoke him rashly.

    ¡°Hang on, need to take a call,¡± Yan Yu said, taking out his ringing phone to see it was a call from Lord Master.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Old Yan, I hear you¡¯ve been bashed pretty badly online recently.¡±

    ¡°Old Liu, you dare to bring that up? I remember you were one of the people claiming I had a harem too,¡± Yan Yu retorted.

    ¡°Haha, indeed,¡± Liu Longtao replied nonchalantly, ¡°But I really don¡¯t see a problem with having a harem. People in my circle have two or three at the same time, it¡¯s free love, no marriage, and not illegal¡ªwho¡¯s going to regulate that?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t corrupt me with the wrong ideas of the privileged class,¡± Yan Yu stated righteously, ¡°No matter how the outside world slanders me, my principles will absolutely not waver.¡±

    ¡°Hold on, don¡¯t rush to distance yourself from us,¡± Liu Longtao immediately laughed, ¡°Old Yan, do you really think you are still the ordinary Joe? Do you still need to worry about cyberbullying or social judgment?¡±

    ¡°From the moment you became the first cultivator of the Zhendong Army, you¡¯ve lost any association with the phrase ¡®ordinary people¡¯!¡±

    ¡°Old Yan, I won¡¯t deny I am from the privileged class, but now you and I are the same, we belong to the same circle,¡± Liu Longtao proclaimed.

    ¡°Stop right there!¡± Yan Yu cut him off, ¡°Why start categorizing species all of a sudden? Old Liu, your method of comforting is quite unique. Alright, message received, no need to say more.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s better,¡± Liu Longtao laughed, ¡°Better safe than sorry, just in case you were really affected by those people, it would drag me down as well. This whole ordeal is quite annoying, let me tell you, our family didn¡¯t enter the fray. It¡¯s the other two families that are after you, and Chen Lingyun knows about it too.¡±

    ¡°Whatever,¡± Yan Yu replied indifferently, ¡°Whoever is behind this, in the end, time will tell. We¡¯ll just see how it goes.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Liu Longtao agreed, ¡°While I can¡¯t get my family to help you, I do know some of their younger generation, and I plan to visit them in the next few days to blow off some steam on your behalf.¡±

    ¡°No need, no need, it has nothing to do with you.¡±

    ¡°How can it have nothing to do with me? I already said, we¡¯re from the same circle,¡± Liu Longtao said, then sneered, ¡°I¡¯m not like that coward Chen Lingyun, who just stands by and enjoys the show when our own is bullied by outsiders. Pah! Embarrassing! We Old Pingjing can¡¯t stand the selfishness of Jiang Hai people!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it, we¡¯ll chat next time.¡±

    After Liu Longtao hung up, Yan Yu turned to Chen Lingyun with a mocking smile,

    ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk, Old Liu even knows to stand up for his brothers, real camaraderie in tough times. Someone here is certainly not even worthy to hold his shoes in this regard.¡±

    Chen Lingyun smiled but did not speak. Although the assault this time was against Yan Yu¡¯s reputation, the real target was her father, and how could she rashly join in to help? Wasn¡¯t that handing a knife to the adversary?

    As an outsider pulling strings from both sides, Liu Longtao could, of course, stir some trouble, cozying up to Yan Yu while taking the opportunity to mock her ¨C a case of speaking without repercussions.

    ¡°So I¡¯m selfish and self-serving then,¡± she said after some time, putting away her faint smile, speaking seriously, ¡°but he¡¯s not really speaking out of righteousness either.¡±

    ¡°The reason those two families have entered the fray is that they don¡¯t have any cultivators among their direct descendants; the Liu Family¡¯s refusal to get involved, even tacitly allowing Liu Longtao to help you, is because they do have a cultivator in the family. It doesn¡¯t mean they side with you.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Yan Yu dismissed her contemptuously, ¡°How could I not understand such simple reasoning? Each big clan is short-sighted and selfish. Even over the issue of loosening control over cultivation, though they claim it¡¯s to avoid ¡®disturbing the order of the universe,¡¯ they surely also fear ¡®stepping over the bones of the nobility.¡¯ So what?¡±

    ¡°Whether it¡¯s them or your father, even though their political stances diverge, they fundamentally both represent the arrogance of the old era, believing they can completely control the power of cultivators. Let¡¯s just wait and see! Let¡¯s see who the tide of the coming era will swallow: those who sail upon the waves, or those who dare to stand on the shore, pointing fingers without understanding the sea!¡±

 Chapter 206: 5: Posing Preliminaries

    Chapter 206: Chapter 5: Posing Preliminaries

    ¡°`

    Although recently there have been many slanderous rumors circulating about Yan Zhanlong, Yan Yu, the man in question, held an indifferent attitude, which undoubtedly let people close to him, like Li Weiguo and others, secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

    Wait a second, is Yan Yu the only one involved?

    Let¡¯s not even mention Xie Ruoxi for now, her treasured mobile game account that Yan Yu had cherished for many years was now firmly in his grasp. She had turned into an obedient fish, now doing whatever she was asked without having the will to entertain any other thoughts due to the rumors.

    However, as members of the ¡°Demonic Sect Team,¡± Lin Ning and Su Yunjin weren¡¯t so composed.

    Upon learning of the rumors online, their anxious parents promptly called their precious only daughters to inquire whether the Zhenhai Team was really some kind of den of vice.

    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s not like that,¡± Su Yunjin explained hastily on the phone to her parents, ¡°You mustn¡¯t jump to conclusions, one moment you say it¡¯s not safe to stay in the team, the next you talk about unspoken rules¡­ It¡¯s all nonsense spread by outsiders.¡±

    ¡°No need to come here! Really, there¡¯s no need, I¡¯m fine¡­ Yes, yes, okay, okay, that¡¯s it, hanging up now.¡±

    She hung up the phone exhausted and saw Lin Ning across on the sofa, speaking in a coded dialect to smooth things over with her family.

    ¡°Explained everything?¡± Yan Yu casually asked as he passed by with a cup of water.

    Seeing Yan Yu¡¯s carefree demeanor, Su Yunjin felt a sudden irritation. As the words reached her lips, a thought struck her, and she asked,

    ¡°Didn¡¯t your family ask you about it, captain?¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°My sister handled the explanations on my parents¡¯ side, no big deal.¡±

    ¡°I wish I had a sister,¡± Su Yunjin sighed, ¡°There¡¯s no one at home to reassure my parents.¡±

    ¡°Tell your parents to have another one,¡± Yan Yu suggested.

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible now, they are almost in their fifties,¡± Su Yunjin said with a tender smile, ¡°Or maybe Jingjing can be my sister, haha.¡±

    Yan Yu immediately became vigilant; what was this roundabout way of saying ¡°I want to be your family¡±?

    But Su Yunjin had already gotten up and went to fill her cup at the water purifier.

    ¡°Gosh!¡± Lin Ning abruptly hung up the phone, displaying an ¡°I can¡¯t even deal with this¡± expression.

    ¡°Did your family grill you too?¡± Yan Yu asked cheerfully.

    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business!¡± Lin Ning snapped back.

    Yan Yu: ?

    Right, your family bothering you has nothing to do with me, so why are you taking it out on me?

    Lin Ning got up and scurried upstairs with quick steps. Yan Yu stood there for a moment in confusion, then shook his head with a chuckle.

    This girl must be having her time of the month; I won¡¯t hold it against her.

    He sat down on the sofa with his cup, swiped open the chat group on his phone, and sure enough, the cultivators were all discussing the ¡°Demonic Sect Team¡± matter, given that the gossip had now gone viral.

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: Actually, based on their past performance on the battlefield, there¡¯s no doubt that the entire Zhenhai Team possesses first-rate skills. The ¡°Demonic Sect Team¡± label comes from laymen who don¡¯t understand the professional intricacies; they only focus on gender.

    [Zhu Jun]: Makes sense. But it¡¯s strange that the rumor has blown up this big, has the Zhendong Army been involved?

    [26]: Suggest to execute them all by firing squad.

    [26]: Punching.jpg

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Hope this doesn¡¯t affect the preparations of the Zhenhai Team members.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: But Yan, the captain, doesn¡¯t seem like someone who would be swayed by such trivial public opinion.

    [Fei Long Zai Tian]: Does it really matter if it affects them or not? A man slowed down by too many women can never be a good Sword Immortal.

    Yan Yu took a closer look, and indeed, the person¡¯s profile picture was a selfie of Cai Qianlong, wearing sunglasses and looking very smug.

    [Miao Jiang maiden Tang Lingling]: Sweating soybean.jpg

    [Yun Juan Yun Shu]: Sweating soybean.jpg

    [Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang]: Sweating soybean.jpg

    [Liu Shao]: Sweating soybean.jpg

    [Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang]: Come on, let¡¯s hear from our Capital¡¯s Liu Shao about how to be a good Sword Immortal.

    [Liu Shao]: I¡¯ve got nothing to say, just tag old Yan @Yi De Fu Ren.

    Yan Yu typed leisurely.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: @Fei Long Zai Tian. Cai Qianlong, right? Remember to prepare well for the upcoming nationwide broadcast.

    ¡°`

    [Flying Dragon in the Sky]: Indeed. I¡¯ve heard that, win or lose, you have to attend the post-match press conference. Seems like I need to start thinking about my victory speech in advance.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You could prepare drafts for both victory and defeat.

    [Flying Dragon in the Sky]: Hm, what do you mean? Isn¡¯t this where you¡¯re supposed to say something like, ¡°Someone like you should just focus on explaining your defeat¡±?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Haha, it¡¯s fine, you can prepare for both outcomes, and I¡¯ll just help you with the victory speech when the time comes /Smile.jpg.

    [Liu Shao]: Sweating soybeans.jpg

    [Clouds Gathering and Scattering]: Sweating soybeans.jpg

    [Sunlight on the Pearl River]: Let¡¯s not talk about the contest for now. I declare Yan Yu the winner of this show-off preliminaries.

    [Flying Dragon in the Sky]: Then please let me have the honor, Senior Yan, to find out whether your Flying Sword is as sharp as your tongue when the time comes.

    [Liu Shao]: Damn, when little Cai challenged me, he wasn¡¯t nearly this polite.

    [26]: What did he say at that time?

    [Liu Shao]: ¡°Today, I¡¯ll take the title of Dingbei Army¡¯s number one cultivator!¡±

    [Sunlight on the Pearl River]: Bust a gut laughing.jpg

    [Last Rays Beyond the Pass]: Bust a gut laughing.jpg

    As Yan Yu looked at the scrolling messages on his phone chat group, suddenly someone tapped on the back of his head from behind.

    ¡°Where are we eating tonight?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen leaned on the sofa from behind (the sofa immediately deformed) and asked, poking her head around to him.

    ¡°Where do you want to eat?¡± Yan Yu asked casually in return, ¡°Don¡¯t I still owe you several meals?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really feel like going out today, eating rich foods every day gets to be too much.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen played with her phone, ¡°How about buying some ingredients and coming back to have hot pot at home?¡±

    ¡°Then you talk to Lin Ning,¡± said Yan Yu.

    ¡°She¡¯s not in a good mood,¡± replied Zhao Yuanzhen, shaking her head, ¡°Seems like her family is pressuring her to get married again. I heard her venting to Yun Jin as I passed by the door.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on with her family, pressuring her to marry right after she starts college?¡± Yan Yu also found it amusing.

    Still, Lin Ning¡¯s father¡¯s apprehension wasn¡¯t unwarranted, considering she remained single well into her thirties in her previous life, having never experienced a first love, let alone a marriage, and staunchly refusing blind dates¡ªany father would be anxious. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be this way,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen mused, ¡°Once one embarks on the path of cultivation, one should transcend beyond the three realms and remain untouched by the mundane. How can one still be troubled by worldly matters? Even if you form a Golden Core, your lifespan would at least extend to a thousand years or more, so why the rush to marry and have children?¡±

    ¡°You know nothing!¡± Yan Yu responded disdainfully, ¡°You can extend your life for a thousand years, but can your dad? He wants to hold his grandson before he dies and see his lineage continue. Is that so hard to understand? Oh, sorry, I forgot you might not have a dad, so never mind.¡±

    Angry and trembling, Zhao Yuanzhen silently clenched her teeth:

    ¡°The scoundrel insults me for having no parents to raise me, and although it¡¯s true, it¡¯s unbearable! How can I reach a clear state of mind if I don¡¯t avenge this? I¡¯ll remember this. One day when I attain the great Dao, I will kidnap this scoundrel¡¯s parents and ask them who it is that has no parents!¡±

    With this thought, an image formed in her mind:

    Inside her own cave abode, she pictured Yan Yu¡¯s captured father making tea for her, his mother cooking meals, and his sister giving her massages. When Yan Yu finally found this place and walked in, he would see his whole family fawning over his dao companion, unable to contain his anger and about to berate them, only to be ordered by his father:

    ¡°What are you doing standing at the doorway! Is your leg broken? Hurry up and come serve your wife!¡±

    Hating this, Yan Yu would be helpless, filial piety being paramount. He would swallow his pride, meekly respond with a ¡°Yes, Father,¡± and then come over to flatter and serve her. At that moment, she would kick off her slippers and rest her silk-stockinged feet atop his shoulders, cruelly playing with him in full view of his family¡­

    Hehe~

    Immersed in her delightful fantasy, Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s smile grew increasingly silly and cute.

    Yan Yu, utterly confused, watched her and thought that the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s brain circuits had malfunctioned again. Just as he was about to snap her out of it, his phone on the coffee table rang.

    It was from Qi Changping.

    Instructor Qi wouldn¡¯t call unless it was important, and if he was calling, something big was up. Yan Yu picked up and switched to speakerphone to hear Qi say:

    ¡°Yan Yu, the Mysterious Realm contest was initially set for Thursday, but it¡¯s been moved to Wednesday. You guys should head to the airport tomorrow at 9 a.m. There will be a pre-contest press interview in Sanjin in the afternoon, not an exclusive one. You can pick someone to represent the team and answer the journalists¡¯ questions, but the whole team must attend. Rest well in the evening. We¡¯ll enter the Mysterious Realm at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, and the Dingbei Army will pick you up at 9 a.m.¡±

    ¡°Mm,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment, ¡°As for the pre-contest press interview, nobody will be inconsiderate enough to ask me some embarrassing questions, right?¡±

    ¡°If there are questions you¡¯re uncomfortable answering, the Dingbei Army¡¯s host will help you skip over them,¡± Qi Changping replied softly, ¡°But just to be safe, you could also prepare some standardized, bureaucratic responses to brush off any issues.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Military secrets, no comment¡­ that¡¯s the way to go, right?¡±

    ¡°Not exactly, what I meant was¡­¡± Qi Changping fell silent for a moment, then continued, ¡°Never mind, it probably won¡¯t matter. Just answer in your own style.¡±

    Let him show off then! If things come to worst, I¡¯ll just have the online reviewers work overtime on the day and compete with the trolls in setting the narrative.

 Chapter 207: 6 We Must Properly Mock Old Yan

    Chapter 207: Chapter 6 We Must Properly Mock Old Yan

    Tomorrow, September 11th, the first national cultivator simulation battle will take place in the Ancient City Secret Realm located northwest of Gaodu County in Sanjin Province. The event will be officially broadcast live in its entirety.

    The domestic TV live broadcast will be through Central Channel 5, and the internet broadcasting rights have been auctioned to Shi Xun for 600 million RMB (for all mysterious realm battle competitions scheduled from September to December this year). The audio broadcasting rights went to Zh¨±m¨´l¨£m¨£ Company.

    As for the overseas broadcasting rights, it is said that the Court Ministry of Commerce has been communicating with several major foreign platforms for a long time. The most hopeful is Miti Netflix, which already handles the livestreaming of superheroes. They have ready-made technology and equipment and have offered up to 1.4 billion US dollars per year.

    However, Netflix wants to snap up the global broadcasting rights for three years straight (2023, 2024, and 2025 for all countries except Lu Country), while the Ministry of Commerce is only willing to sell the remaining four months of this year. Therefore, it¡¯s said that the two sides have been haggling back and forth for quite a while.

    Rumors are that the ¡°Kyoto Communications¡± of Heavy Sakura also intends to enter the bidding competition. As a financial tycoon, they have always been known to flaunt their wealth. Hence, the Ministry of Commerce has been quite confident, adopting an arrogant attitude of ¡°if you don¡¯t buy it, others will; if worse comes to worst, I simply won¡¯t sell.¡±

    Crazy!

    Who would¡¯ve thought that our Rikoku cultivators are so formidable? With the Battle of the Three Islands as a precedent, the entire world knows that Rikoku cultivators are more awesome than superheroes. The immense anticipated traffic is just sitting there ¡ª surely we won¡¯t lack buyers!

    This year¡¯s price is set, but next year¡¯s will be different!

    Of course, since the Ministry of Commerce hasn¡¯t officially secured a deal yet, domestically we haven¡¯t started the ¡°far ahead¡± promotions.

    The current hot discussion is mainly about which team has a better chance of winning between the Zhenghai Team and the Flying Dragon Battle Team.

    The fans supporting the Flying Dragon Battle Team have listed the following points:

    First, this event is Dingbei Army¡¯s home ground, so the Flying Dragon Battle Team definitely has an advantage. Although ostensibly the simulation battle is fair to both parties, ¡°cheating is a traditional part of the Three Powers Championship,¡± and ¡°when you play on Hogwarts¡¯ turf, do we even need to say who the professors will help?¡±

    Second, the Flying Dragon Battle Team was established only four months later than the Zhenghai Team. Even if there¡¯s a difference in strength, it¡¯s not going to be so vast as to be crushing.

    Third, the Zhenghai Team has a lot of negative public sentiment recently, which could likely translate into psychological pressure for the cultivators on the team. They may not perform steadily, and just one mistake could lead to a resounding defeat and loss.

    In summary: In terms of geographical advantage, timing, and harmony among people, the Flying Dragon Battle Team either has a significant advantage or at least no serious disadvantage, making their chances of winning seem very strong.

    The fans of the Zhenghai Team, however, responded to each of these points:

    First, no matter how much your Flying Dragon Battle Team cheats, can you slay a dragon? Yan Yu has slain a Flood Dragon before!

    Second, you acknowledge that you were established four months later? When Yan Zhanlong became famous after the battle in the South Sea, your team was still playing house at school!

    Third, talking about psychological pressure, when the ¡°Flying Dragon Battle Team¡± faces ¡°Yan Zhanlong,¡± won¡¯t they feel extreme pressure?

    In summary: We want to see Yan Zhanlong crush the opponent!

    The Zhenghai Team fans refuted the aforementioned points one by one. The Flying Dragon Battle Team fans then countered their refutations one by one again. Thus, the quarrel quickly spread to every forum, leading to a level of hype that it probably didn¡¯t deserve.

    In a bathing house somewhere in Shengjing, Liu Longtao, Ai Lu, Guo Feiyun, and Yang Linhui, four guys, had just finished being scrubbed by the masseur and were now soaking in the pool, playing with their phones.

    ¡°You kidding?¡± Guo Feiyun couldn¡¯t help laughing as he looked at his phone, ¡°Are there really that many fans of the Flying Dragon Battle Team? I can¡¯t imagine Cai Qianlong¡¯s team ever being a match for Yan Yu!¡±

    ¡°They simply don¡¯t understand cultivators,¡± Ai Lu scoffed, ¡°It¡¯s like outsiders trying to understand insiders, pure guessing.¡±

    ¡°You guys just don¡¯t get it,¡± Yang Linhui retorted, ¡°Just check the IP of the fans. Those supporting the Flying Dragon Team are mostly from the provinces of North China and Northeast.¡±

    Surprisingly enough, they were right.

    Since every battle team is affiliated with one of the four regional armies in the Southeast, Northwest, and Northeast, they naturally carry a regional attribute. Take a resident of Pingjing for example. If you ask him whether he supports the Dingbei¡¯s Lord Master Liu Longtao or Zhendong¡¯s Princess Jiang Hai Chen Lingyun, his choice would be obvious.

    ¡°Enough bickering,¡± Liu Longtao suddenly said, ¡°I¡¯m going to call Old Yan and mock him.¡±

    The other three immediately shut up, pricking up their ears, ready to listen to an anticipated performance of comedic banter.

    On the plane, Yan Yu was listening to Chen Lingyun report on the Flying Dragon Battle Team along with the rest of the girls.

    There wasn¡¯t much important information as it was a relatively new team, and the more formidable players had already been chosen by Lord Master Liu Longtao beforehand.

    Cai Qianlong himself was quite capable as a Sword Immortal, although sometimes his way of talking was arrogant and sometimes just offbeat.

    As for his four teammates¡­ it was hard to see anything special about them. At most, Yan Yu had three comments to offer about them: ¡°Solid foundation,¡± ¡°Infinite potential,¡± and ¡°Bright future.¡±

    Ah, there¡¯s a call from Lord Master.

    Yan Yu stepped outside to answer the phone and said without any niceties:

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me when I¡¯m on the airplane, okay? What if there¡¯s a problem? Will you take responsibility?¡± sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Hey, old Yan.¡± Liu Longtao laughed heartily, ¡°With our military aircraft technology, who¡¯s still afraid of passengers making calls? Here¡¯s the thing, I¡¯ve seen some heated debates online recently and wanted to remind you not to feel too much pressure. The team led by Cai Qianlong, they¡¯re actually not that tough to beat!¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Yan Yu asked with surprise, ¡°But I heard him say that although he lost the one-on-one to you last time, it was basically even throughout, and he only narrowly lost the game to you in the end.¡±

    Liu Longtao: ????????

    No way, I was holding back the entire time to spare him some dignity, to see how capable he was! How did it become ¡°basically even throughout¡± when it came out of his mouth? Were there not loads of classmates watching? Cai, aren¡¯t you ashamed of padding your resume like this?

    Lord Master instinctively felt something was off. But after thinking it over carefully, it seemed to him that Cai Qianlong indeed had this kind of oddball temperament, and a few days ago he had indeed heard about him calling Yan Yu¡­

    Damn it, if he really said that, wouldn¡¯t that just crack Yan Yu up!

    ¡°Old Yan, you didn¡¯t actually believe him, did you?¡± he asked tentatively.

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I believe him?¡± Yan Yu replied, feigning cluelessness, ¡°He¡¯s so cocky when he talks in the group chat, you saw it too. If he didn¡¯t nearly fight you to a draw, where would he get the confidence to talk like that?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡­¡± Liu Longtao was so amused he almost wanted to laugh, trying to explain patiently, ¡°Think about it, old Yan. If little Cai were really that strong, wouldn¡¯t my Dragon Soar Team have made a place for him back then? I was intentionally going easy on him last time!¡±

    ¡°Old Liu, no need to explain, I get it,¡± Yan Yu comforted him, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Winning or losing a one-on-one doesn¡¯t mean much, the real key is the team¡¯s strength and coordination.¡±

    ¡°Old Yan.¡± Liu Longtao felt a bit upset, ¡°You¡¯re being unfair. Don¡¯t you trust in my skills?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I trust your skills.¡± Yan Yu replied earnestly, ¡°The problem is I don¡¯t know about Cai Qianlong¡¯s strength!¡±

    ¡°How could you not know?¡± Liu Longtao was suddenly anxious, raising his voice, ¡°Tell me, what¡¯s his surname?¡±

    ¡°Cai?¡±

    ¡°Lousy!¡±

    ¡°Old Liu, calm down. That¡¯s a bit too broad-brushed; you can¡¯t just say things like that.¡± Yan Yu quickly interrupted him.

    ¡°I¡¯m not attacking all people surnamed Cai, I¡¯m saying Cai Qianlong himself is lousy.¡± Liu Longtao calmed down and explained, ¡°If you were up against him, you¡¯d throw him down with a few slaps. What¡¯s this about breaking even with me? He¡¯s talking nonsense, isn¡¯t he!¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Yan Yu fell silent, ¡°I¡¯ll see for myself then.¡±

    ¡°Come on, don¡¯t wait until you see for yourself,¡± Liu Longtao was getting a bit frantic seeing Yan Yu seemingly still unconvinced, ¡°You¡¯ll know when you play tomorrow, do I need to lie to you about this? I¡¯ll put it this way, right now he¡¯s at the same level as that Lin Ning in your team, get it? Lin Ning!¡±

    Perhaps because Lord Master¡¯s voice was loud, Lin Ning¡¯s voice came from behind Yan Yu:

    ¡°Who¡¯s calling me? Yan Yu?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t call you,¡± Yan Yu turned around to manage the situation, ¡°We¡¯re discussing units of measurement here.¡±

    Lin Ning: ?

    Yan Yu turned back and continued to ask:

    ¡°How many Nings?¡±

    ¡°How many Nings can there be?¡± Liu Longtao was simply speechless, responding coldly, ¡°It fluctuates between 0.9 Ning to 1.1 Ning!¡±

    ¡°Seems like he is a bit lousy,¡± Yan Yu pretended to be somewhat skeptical, ¡°So, what did you do when you fought against one Ning?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it because he talked big?¡± Liu Longtao said scornfully, ¡°He came at me with ¡®The number one cultivator of Dingbei Army is going to be replaced.¡¯ If I didn¡¯t play with him a little longer, where would I put my face?¡±

    ¡°Got it, okay.¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Thanks for the intel, I¡¯ve got to go now, hanging up.¡±

    After Liu Longtao hung up the phone, he let out a long sigh of relief, his peripheral vision suddenly catching that the other three teammates were all silently grinning and laughing quietly.

    But when his gaze swept over them, their smiles vanished instantly, and they began to study the patterns on the floor of the bathhouse tiles with earnest seriousness.

 Chapter 208: 7: Smear Thoroughly, Whitewash Fiercely

    Chapter 208: Chapter 7: Smear Thoroughly, Whitewash Fiercely

    ¡°¡­So, what do you all think?¡± Chen Lingyun finished explaining all the intelligence and asked with a smile.

    The girls exchanged glances.

    Although Chen Lingyun did not come to a direct conclusion, everyone was smart enough to infer that the intelligence pointed to the conclusion that aside from Cai Qianlong, the other four members of the Flying Dragon Battle Team were ¡°of ordinary cultivator standards¡±.

    ¡°In other words,¡± Lin Ning said bluntly, ¡°if we can tie down Cai Qianlong with one person, and quickly take care of the other four, we could directly secure our victory.¡±

    ¡°But Cai Qianlong should also be able to see this point,¡± Su Yunjin, who had a cautious personality, speculated, ¡°He will probably set traps for this. The question is, what kind of traps?¡±

    ¡°Let Yan Yu go one-on-one with Cai Qianlong, no matter what traps he has, just smash them all,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said nonchalantly.

    Chen Lingyun smiled as she listened to everyone¡¯s opinions and finally turned her gaze to Xie Ruoxi, who was sitting in the corner.

    The rest of the girls followed her gaze.

    Xie Ruoxi sat alone at the back, her petite body clutching the huge Tianyuan Qi Sword, giving her the appearance of a character from a 2D mobile game (girl + greatsword).

    As everyone¡¯s gazes turned to her, she suddenly snapped out of her daze and said:

    ¡°Ah? With Yan Zhanlong¡¯s strength, couldn¡¯t he just steamroll over them?¡±

    Everyone was speechless. This kid had been thoroughly handled by Yan Yu just a few days ago, yet she was still his unabashed fan. Her approval didn¡¯t seem to drop; it probably crystallized already.

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu, who had just finished a phone call, returned to the middle of the group and said, ¡°We need to anticipate what tactics they will use, but don¡¯t put too much pressure on ourselves.¡±

    ¡°Even if our predictions are wrong, with our current raw strength, just steamrolling them at that time will do.¡±

    As he said this, the girls really relaxed, began to chat and laugh.

    Chen Lingyun observed everyone¡¯s expressions and understood that although they hadn¡¯t said it outright, they still felt pressure inside¡ªnot from the Flying Dragon Battle Team, but from external public opinion from all walks of society.

    Many people outside were calling Zhenhai Team the ¡°Harem Team,¡± and naturally, everyone wanted to prove they were not just ¡°harem vases,¡± hence the urgency to ¡°win at all costs.¡±

    However, Yan Yu was indeed right. As long as the Flying Dragon Battle Team didn¡¯t resort to dirty tricks, their chances of winning were actually very slim.

    Reversing the thought process, if the other side wanted the Flying Dragon Battle Team to win, then they would inevitably have to employ underhanded tactics¡­

    Chen Lingyun took out her phone unobtrusively and began to send messages.

    The charter plane arrived at Taihang Mountain Airport at noon, and as soon as the team members disembarked, they saw media teams outside, fiercely snapping photos with their cameras.

    Of course, doing interviews at the airport was out of the question. The reporters were pressing the shutter so madly mainly to get the most eye-catching photo for the ¡°Zhenhai Team Arrives in Sanjin Province¡± newsflash.

    This showdown between the Zhenhai Team and the Flying Dragon Battle Team was touted as a national event, with the entire country watching; even a mundane news brief like ¡°team¡¯s arrival¡± could garner a ton of traffic!

    Meanwhile, under the almost boiling public opinion of the whole society, invisible undercurrents were also surging. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    At 11:24 AM, the official Weibo account of ¡°The Daily¡± published an article titled ¡°Who Will Supervise the Battle Team Captain?¡± claiming that currently, the appointment of internal personnel in the cultivator battle teams is entirely up to the team captain¡¯s decision. What if the captain himself is problematic? The battle teams are formed using military funds; who can supervise the captains to ensure these funds are not misused? How can the selection of the team¡¯s talents be fair and just?

    The article stayed on Weibo for only 11 minutes before being retracted at 11:35 AM, but it had already been wildly shared before then. Many Weibo influencers started to stir up attention, accusing someone of ¡°using military funds to create a harem¡± and ¡°turning the military into a party¡±¡­ Although there were barely any direct references, the comment sections all knew who they were talking about.

    The other side had already fired the first shot, sparking a nationwide frenzy of criticism against someone, and naturally, we weren¡¯t made of mud either, beginning to play our hidden cards.

    At 12:00 PM, Shixin Live Streaming started a warming-up event in Jianghai Prefecture, inviting two very famous live streamers: Xu Dongming and Zhou Erhe, to serve as professional commentators for tomorrow¡¯s confrontational match and today¡¯s warming-up program.

    As everyone knows, it¡¯s not easy to find professional commentators for Transcendents¡¯ confrontations. After all, you have to understand their power systems to make accurate judgments based on the real-time battle situation.

    As for these two special guests, Xu Dongming was a professional sports critic and basketball commentator; Zhou Erhe, on the other hand, was an eSports player who later turned into a big game streamer¡ªboth were thoroughly amateurs in this field. So it was obviously suspicious how they could get their hands on so much knowledgeable material related to Cultivators at this stage.

    At this moment, in Shixin¡¯s official live broadcast room, the big screen in the background was playing the popular video ¡°Yan Zhanlong¡¯s Aesthetics of Violence,¡± with the two professional commentators explaining it to everyone.

    ¡°This method of movement from Yan Zhanlong is actually his signature technique,¡± Xu Dongming said earnestly. ¡°We know that a Cultivator has three moving techniques, namely ¡®Shifting Technique,¡¯ ¡®Cloud Ascension Technique,¡¯ and ¡®Wall-Penetration Technique¡¯¡­¡±

    He started off seriously, briefly introducing the Three Arts, and then began to explain Yan Zhanlong¡¯s signature technique. As he spoke, he began bragging habitually, and his voice started rising:

    ¡°The Shifting Technique can accelerate from a standstill to 16 meters per second instantly, and the Cloud Ascension Technique can negate inertia to stop abruptly and return to a standstill. You can think of these two as a car¡¯s gas pedal and brakes.¡±

    ¡°Gas and brakes, not just professional drivers, any driver knows how to use them. But only Fujiwara Takumi can drift around the hairpin turns of Mt. Akina in succession using the throttle, hand brake, and steering wheel combination!¡±

    ¡°So Yan Yu, the captain of the Zhenhai Team, is the only Fujiwara Takumi in the world of Cultivators! He is the real Drift King of Mt. Akina!!!¡±

    ¡°Hold on a minute!¡± Zhou Erhe squinted and grinned, ¡°Comparing Yan Yu to Fujiwara Takumi, isn¡¯t that a bit off? Fujiwara Takumi is an innocent virgin, played by that¡­ what¡¯s her name¡­ Mogi Natsuki. Yan Yu obviously isn¡¯t, right? Everyone outside is saying that Yan Yu is forming a harem team.¡±

    ¡°Ah, what harem team, don¡¯t listen to the nonsense people are spreading,¡± Xu Dongming immediately argued passionately, ¡°Fujiwara Takumi might be an innocent virgin, and that¡¯s as good as his driving gets. But Yan Zhanlong is a Transcendent; do you know how much Superheroes, like those in Miti¡¯s Superhero Alliance, earn each year at his level of combat power? Do you know how many women are in the private lives of those sports stars?¡±

    ¡°If Yan Zhanlong really wanted to start a harem, he wouldn¡¯t make a move on his team members. If he openly called for girlfriends nationwide, just the initial sign-ups would require queuing and lotteries, and he could change partners every day for years without any repeats¡­¡±

    The staff offstage were bewildered, thinking: I asked you to help clear his name, not turn the program into something so vulgar it gets banned! They quickly signaled the crew to stop the broadcast.

    Zhou Erhe, upon receiving the message from offstage, quickly said:

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s leave aside the rumors of a harem team for now. Let¡¯s continue watching the video¡­¡±

    Although the two commentators swiftly moderated their tone, as they were experts in playing up live broadcasts on the internet, those witticisms quickly spread, giving the ¡°Yan Nest¡± fans powerful ammunition for counterarguments.

    ¡°If Yan Zhanlong really wanted to start a harem, why would he only have four people?¡±

    ¡°What an ignorant old peasant, to think that an emperor would use a golden carrying pole to haul manure over crops, that¡¯s hilarious.¡±

    ¡°Yan Zhanlong is now the number one Cultivator in Lu Country, how could he be encumbered by romantic entanglements?¡±

    ¡°Which is more fun than cultivating?¡±

    Yan Yu, however, had no idea that the outside world was in an uproar; he was merely staying at a local hotel with the girls, preparing to attend the afternoon press conference.

    Since they had to appear in front of a large number of media, makeup was naturally an essential step.

    Xie Ruoxi was fully energized at this point and volunteered to take on the role of makeup artist.

    ¡°The spokesperson will be Chen Lingyun; you can handle it, right?¡± Yan Yu casually asked.

    ¡°No problem,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a sweet smile, just after Xie Ruoxi had applied lipstick for her. ¡°But if they specifically ask the captain to answer, I won¡¯t be responsible, okay?¡±

 Chapter 209: 8 The Much Anticipated Press Conference

    Chapter 209: Chapter 8 The Much Anticipated Press Conference

    In Gaodu County of Sanjin Province, the area has become extremely lively as the focus of the national media fell upon it.

    Countless vehicles surrounded the entrance to the county government office building, clogging the street so tightly that not even water could seep through¡ªbecause the Dingbei Army¡¯s press conference was taking place in the conference room on the top floor of the office building, where both competing teams would face questions from the media.

    The first to attend were naturally the Flying Dragon Battle Team, given that this was Dingbei Army¡¯s home turf. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Zhong Ming, Peng Yifan, Ma Dawei, the deputy captain Shen Rui, and the confidently swaggering team captain Cai Qianlong took their seats in order.

    Probably facing such a large media crowd for the first time, the four men were somewhat restrained and only Cai Qianlong showed no sign of nervousness; he even had time to use his phone screen as a mirror to adjust his fringe.

    The journalists below were somewhat helpless: Although this was the Flying Dragon Battle Team¡¯s home field, in reality, they were more eager to interview the Zhenhai Team.

    Why? Not because the Zhenhai Team had more beautiful women, but because they had the biggest draw.

    After all, despite the fierce disputes outside between the two camps, on one side were the fans of the Zhenhai Team, while the majority on the other side were not fans of the Flying Dragon Battle Team, but the Zhenhai Team¡¯s detractors¡­ From this, one can see which team¡¯s interviews and reports held more news value.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s start with the questions,¡± the host said.

    After a moment, three or four people raised their hands.

    The host randomly pointed to one, and the selected person stood up and said:

    ¡°Hello, I am a journalist from ¡®Nanchuan Observation.¡¯ I want to ask Captain Cai how he views the Zhenhai Team? Please evaluate the opponent¡¯s strength, thank you.¡±

    Just as Cai Qianlong was about to speak, the host handed the microphone to deputy captain Shen Rui.

    ¡°The Zhenhai Team was established earlier than us, so by convention, they are actually our seniors,¡± Shen Rui replied very smoothly. ¡°We will take the Zhenhai Team as a model, striving to demonstrate our strength, skill, and elegance in this competition and to showcase the demeanor a powerful military team should have to the entire nation.¡±

    The journalist did not continue to press, but her expression clearly showed some disappointment¡ªthis wasn¡¯t the response she was hoping for.

    Clearly, despite the external uproar, the Dingbei Army leaders behind the Flying Dragon Battle Team had a very clear stance.

    They did not buy into the naysayers¡¯ claims that the Flying Dragon Battle Team could rival the Zhenhai Team, and so they had instructed the deputy captain Shen Rui in advance to prepare a steady and safe response to avoid getting caught up in the current public opinion strife.

    The host signaled again, and another journalist stood up to ask:

    ¡°I am a reporter from Rhino Network, can you predict the outcome of this competition?¡±

    No sooner had Cai Qianlong started to speak than Shen Rui, microphone in hand, said:

    ¡°Of course, since we have chosen to join the battle team, we have enough firm confidence and fighting spirit for any battle and believe we will surely secure the final victory.¡±

    Here, Shen Rui had played a bit of word trickery, after all ¡°I am confident I will win¡± indicates a subjective desire, while the journalist was asking for an objective assessment, that is ¡°analyze whether your team can win.¡±

    Just as that journalist was about to follow up, the host said:

    ¡°One question per media outlet, please pass the microphone to the journalist behind you.¡±

    The journalists continued to ask a few more questions, and Shen Rui, indeed, did not let slip any careless remarks, clearly having prepared in advance.

    ¡°Any more questions?¡± The host looked around and nodded silently.

    The higher-ups had already instructed that it was better for the Flying Dragon Battle Team¡¯s portion to take up as little time as possible, leaving more time for the Zhenhai Team who would follow. Thus, he was about to move on to the conclusion of the Flying Dragon Battle Team¡¯s Q&A when suddenly, Cai Qianlong unexpectedly raised his hand and said:

    ¡°I have a question.¡±

    Everyone present instantly facepalmed: You¡¯re not a media journalist, what the hell kind of question could you have!

    However, as if oblivious to everyone¡¯s gazes, Cai Qianlong continued to address the host:

    ¡°The question earlier was directed at me, why did you pass the microphone to Shen Rui?¡±

    It was because they were worried about him making some shocking statement! The host quickly gave a look, and Shen Rui, along with the other team members, rushed over exclaiming ¡°Let¡¯s let you talk next time¡± and ¡°Definitely calling on you next time,¡± as they dragged Cai Qianlong away.

    Cai Qianlong was helpless, only managing to leave behind the words, ¡°I¡¯m the captain!¡± before being carried off by his teammates from the press conference.

    The journalists went crazy with their cameras, thinking the Flying Dragon Battle Team had also managed to cause a blunder, ensuring they certainly wouldn¡¯t lack for news material this time.

    Amid the eager anticipation of the audience, the biggest highlight¡ªthe Zhenhai Team¡ªalso queued up to enter. It was truly one man and four women, the man handsome and the women beautiful, each with stellar looks that captured attention before they even took their seats, as the cameras began to click furiously.

    ¡°Are there any questions?¡± the host asked, and immediately more than thirty hands shot up¡ªa stark contrast to the sparse raising of hands during the Flying Dragon Battle Team¡¯s turn.

    Such was the popularity of the Zhenhai Team at the moment!

    The host pointed at one female journalist who immediately stood up and asked:

    ¡°Hello, I am a reporter from ¡®Lu Country New Youth.¡¯ I¡¯d like to ask Captain Yan¡­ Um, what are your thoughts on some people claiming that the Zhenhai Team is a ¡®Harem Team¡¯? If, in selecting members for the team, physical attractiveness is also taken into consideration, wouldn¡¯t this be a trampling on the protection of women¡¯s rights in Lu Country?¡±

    Yan Yu regarded her steadily, perceiving not anger or distaste in the reporter¡¯s eyes but a hint of nervousness and unease.

    It seemed it was not a question she herself wanted to ask, but a task assigned by superiors.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to remind you,¡± the Dingbei Army host said seriously. ¡°Each journalist may only ask one question, and it must relate to the current competition. We can refuse to answer irrelevant questions.¡±

    He passed the microphone to Yan Yu, hinting that he could decline to answer the question.

    Facing the numerous cameras fixed intently on him, Yan Yu offered a slight smile and handed the microphone to the deputy captain Chen Lingyun.

    ¡°Hello, that¡¯s an interesting question,¡± Chen Lingyun said sweetly. ¡°I believe that if being an attractive female in a battle team means being suspected or even slandered for gaining position ¡®through beauty,¡¯ it certainly is a trampling on the protection of women¡¯s rights in Lu Country.¡±

    She didn¡¯t answer the question directly, but her clever response was greeted by such a surge in camera shutter sounds that it nearly became deafening.

    The female journalist hurriedly explained:

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean, I wanted to ask¡­¡±

    Before she could even speak, Chen Lingyun completely ignored her and directed the host:

    ¡°Next.¡±

    ¡°Please pass the microphone to the gentleman in the red back there,¡± the host ordered without explanation.

    The female reporter stopped struggling, handing the microphone back. After the next journalist took it, he stood up and asked:

    ¡°I¡¯m a reporter from ¡®International Express¡¯. Captain Yan, uh, my question is for Captain Yan, could Deputy Captain Chen pass the microphone to Captain Yan?¡±

    ¡°Is that your question?¡± Chen Lingyun smiled. ¡°My answer is yes.¡±

    The journalist immediately widened his eyes, displaying a shocked expression as if to say, ¡°Are you kidding me?¡±

    The other media reporters around first froze, then quickly swung their cameras around to capture the colleague who had been dismissed by Chen Lingyun.

    Fortunately, after Yan Yu received the microphone, he didn¡¯t dismiss the ¡°already done¡± journalist. The reporter visibly relaxed and continued, saying:

    ¡°Captain Yan, how would you evaluate the viewpoint that ¡®Flying Dragon Battle Team has a good chance of winning against Zhenhai Team¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Haha,¡± Yan Yu laughed. ¡°Humorous, next.¡±

    All the reporters: ???

    ¡°Next.¡± The host was the first to react and immediately said, ¡°The lady in the yellow on the left row.¡±

    She took the microphone, stood up, and asked:

    ¡°How does Zhenhai Team evaluate the strength of Flying Dragon Battle Team?¡±

    The surrounding reporters perked up, internally praising: Good question! Captain Yan described the last question as ¡°humorous,¡± implying he doesn¡¯t think highly of Flying Dragon Battle Team¡¯s strength¡­ This is the direction we should dig into! Make him say more explosive, newsworthy quotes!

    Under the eager gazes of everyone, Yan Yu slowly raised the microphone.

    Then he passed the microphone to Chen Lingyun beside him.

    All the reporters: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Of course, the strength of the Flying Dragon Battle Team is without question,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°They stood out among so many Cultivators across the country and got the Privy Council¡¯s approval to establish a team; they are certainly not weak. Team Captain Cai Qianlong once challenged Liu Longtao of the Dingbei Army one-on-one and lasted over 20 minutes before being defeated. Considering that Liu Longtao is the number one Cultivator in the Dingbei Army, Cai Qianlong¡¯s strength must not be far behind his. In short, I am very much looking forward to our matchup with Flying Dragon Battle Team.¡±

    She gave the host a signal, and the host immediately got the hint and said:

    ¡°Alright! That concludes today¡¯s press conference. Please leave the venue in an orderly manner.¡±

    Even though the reporters wanted to dig deeper, the Zhenhai Team members had already stood up, so they could only exchange glances.

    After everyone left the stage, Lin Ning finally let out a sigh of relief, saying:

    ¡°Phew! I was so nervous, I was holding my breath the whole time! Luckily no one asked me any questions!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not even qualified,¡± Yan Yu glanced at her disdainfully.

    Lin Ning kicked him.

    ¡°How about you, Yun Jin?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile. ¡°Were you nervous?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Su Yunjin said softly. ¡°There was a reporter in the front row who kept taking photos of me, so I just had to keep smiling the whole time.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t the slightest bit nervous,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen laughed. ¡°You guys are just too thin-skinned.¡±

    ¡°Nobody asked you,¡± Yan Yu cut her off.

    Zhao Yuanzhen clenched her teeth, thinking to herself:

    ¡°This scoundrel has made a mockery of me in public again today¡ªunforgettable! And it¡¯s not the first or second time; I have to keep track of all of this to settle the score with him in the future!¡±

    As she thought this, a scene appeared in her mind:

    She imagined the wedding night scene with four bridesmaids¡ªChen, Su, Lin, and Xie¡ªstanding around, each holding a wine cup, candlestick, washbasin, and a jade hairpin. Yan Yu, the groom, had washed his hands in the basin and was about to lift her bridal veil with the jade hairpin, but she had kicked him to the floor.

    This shameless man, still shamelessly crawling towards her while holding onto her leg, begged, ¡°Dear wife, let your husband behold your stunning beauty.¡±

    She stood with one foot on his shoulder, coldly saying, ¡°Mr. Yan, you dare to touch me? Let¡¯s settle the accounts of all these years!¡±

    Hehehehehehe hahaahahaahaha~

    Lost in her fantasy, Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly collided with a piece of equipment, snapping back to reality.

    She saw that up ahead, Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun were walking shoulder to shoulder, and Yan Yu asked:

    ¡°Did you get the message from Lord Master scolding you?¡±

    ¡°I flew out ahead of time,¡± Chen Lingyun replied cheerfully.

    ¡°Trash!¡± Yan Yu assessed.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was silent for a moment, then quickly caught up, inserting herself between them as if nothing had happened, effectively separating them.

 Chapter 210: 9 As Cultivators, We Disdain Such Acts

    Chapter 210: Chapter 9 As Cultivators, We Disdain Such Acts

    ¡°`

    The members of the Zhenhai Team, after having dinner, returned to their hotel rooms to rest.

    Tomorrow was the official expedition to the Mysterious Realm, and tonight the ladies had planned to go shopping. However, it was rumored that many reporters were lying in ambush on the streets outside the hotel, so the Dingbei Army sent someone to advise them not to go out unless they wanted to be on camera.

    Of course, even if surrounded by reporters for an interview, the Dingbei Army, as the host, would rush to the rescue, but it would still be quite troublesome.

    Yan Yu lay on the bed, playing with his phone, when he suddenly heard knocking at the door.

    When he opened it, he saw Su Yunjin standing outside, holding a fruit platter and saying generously,

    ¡°I brought you some fruit.¡±

    ¡°Where did you get it from?¡± Yan Yu let her in.

    ¡°The restaurant on the second floor.¡± Su Yunjin placed the fruit platter on the table, ¡°Have you seen the online public opinion after the press conference?¡±

    ¡°No, what are they saying?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°They¡¯re saying, ¡®I didn¡¯t believe you had a harem at first, but after seeing so many beauties, I believe it.''¡± Su Yunjin said with a laugh.

    ¡°Heh.¡± Yan Yu was about to mock netizens with a few words, but the words stopped on his lips.

    Well said, indeed beauties.

    Secretary Su¡¯s face still bore the makeup from attending the afternoon¡¯s press conference, her lips redder and fuller, her eyeliner adding more brilliance, her hair tied into a high ponytail at the back of her head, with a few strands left loose beside her cheeks, which gave her a delicate, yet somewhat flirtatious and cunning feel. No wonder reporters kept taking pictures of her during the press conference.

    If Xie Ruoxi were here, she would certainly explain to Yan Yu that this was called ¡°fairy-like makeup.¡± Unfortunately, the beautiful but useless wasn¡¯t around, and Yan Yu just felt she was pretty and admired her in his mind, reaching for the fruit to eat. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t removed your makeup yet?¡± He asked nonchalantly after eating a grape.

    ¡°I¡¯ll remove it when I go back.¡± Su Yunjin sat down beside his bed, supporting her body with her hands behind her, and elegantly lifting one leg.

    ¡°So what are you doing now?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    With a slight smile, Su Yunjin asked,

    ¡°Does the team leader want to send me away?¡±

    Yan Yu figured he was not Chen Lingyun, that despicable person, and of course, he wouldn¡¯t say something like, ¡°Now that you¡¯ve delivered the fruits, you can leave.¡± He smoothly changed the subject,

    ¡°Why would I send you away? I just thought you had something to ask me.¡±

    ¡°Actually, I do have something to ask the team leader.¡± Su Yunjin said, ¡°I have some doubts about combining Taoism Method and swordsmanship.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ve seen you¡¯ve been practicing this recently.¡± Yan Yu thought quietly.

    There are no textbook answers on how Taoism Methods should combine with swordsmanship. Each Cultivator has their own unique interpretation. For instance, Zhou Hongyu likes to bomb recklessly with Taoism Methods and uses the Flying Sword when the True Yuan is running low; Li Zhaojiang, on the other hand, uses Taoism Methods for long distances and the Flying Sword for mid to close range combat.

    But Su Yunjin¡¯s case was different from theirs. For others, Taoism Methods have sufficient destructive power and the Flying Sword serves merely as a supplemental means of attack. Su Yunjin¡¯s Star River Secret Art is more about strong control with weak damage, so she needs sword techniques to augment her damage output, especially when she lacks team support.

    Although Yan Yu himself was not versed in Taoism Methods, in his previous life he was, after all, a top-tier Sword Immortal and definitely understood sword techniques.

    ¡°I could teach you, but it¡¯s not convenient to watch your demonstration in the hotel,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s wait until we¡¯re back at the school, and I¡¯ll teach you at the training ground.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I recorded a training video.¡± Su Yunjin took out her phone, ¡°Do you want to watch it now?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Since she was so well prepared, Yan Yu agreed to watch it.

    He leaned in to view the video.

    From the video, it was evident that Su Yunjin was quite proficient with the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art¡ªthe control over her True Yuan was incredibly strong; compared to that, her Sword Control Technique was appalling, with significant issues in precision and power.

    But after careful analysis, one could not blame her. Because when the target is hit by the Star River Secret Art, they are enveloped in turbulent flows, and the Flying Sword, to strike the target, must also enter the flow. Both the resistance and the pushing force of the flow affect the trajectory of the Flying Sword. Since her Sword Control mastery was not high, it made sense that her performance was subpar.

    Thus, Su Yunjin¡¯s problem is the poor ¡°compatibility¡± between her Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art and Sword Control. While it was not completely incompatible like Li Zhaojiang¡¯s Element Magnetic Light with sword techniques, if she couldn¡¯t find a suitable solution, it would undoubtedly affect her performance in practice.

    At times like this, the mightiest person in this world had to come up with a solution!

    As Yan Yu was deep in thought, he suddenly felt a waft of fragrance coming closer¡ªit was Su Yunjin leaning in towards him, afraid he couldn¡¯t see the video clearly, and bringing the phone closer to his eyes.

    ¡°Team leader, look here.¡± Though their proximity was somewhat intimate, Su Yunjin seemed completely unaware, focusing only on the phone and saying, ¡°Every time the Flying Sword cuts into the water, its speed and precision both noticeably drop; but if I reduce the True Yuan output and slow the flow, it weakens the control effect of the Taoism Method. So, is there a good solution?¡±

    Suddenly, she turned her head, and her lips almost brushed against Yan Yu¡¯s face. Panic flashed in her eyes, but she quickly composed herself.

    Yan Yu also felt she was too close, several reaction options flashed through his mind:

    Quietly moving back a bit¡ªno, too cowardly, that doesn¡¯t suit the reputation of the mightiest in this world.

    Pretending everything was normal¡ªalso no, too dull, like a love-struck fool who¡¯s never dated.

    Wrapping an arm around her slender waist and giving a rakish smile¡ªdefinitely not, too easy on her! What if Secretary Su takes that as a chance to throw herself at me!

    As Yan Yu was deep in contemplation and Su Yunjin¡¯s heart pounded, a voice suddenly rang out from outside.

    ¡°`

    It was Chen Lingyun¡¯s voice:

    ¡°Yan Yu, are you there?¡±

    Su Yunjin was instantly alarmed and felt the irrational panic of being caught in the act; just as she was about to find a place to hide, she heard Yan Yu call out:

    ¡°Yes. Yun Jin is here too, what¡¯s up?¡±

    Su Yunjin¡¯s eyes widened in shock: No, why are you bringing me up, Captain!!!

    ¡°Open the door~¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s voice turned sweet, as if she had found amusement, and her tone became cheerful.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Yan Yu stood up to open the door for Chen Lingyun.

    When Chen Lingyun entered the room, her makeup was already removed. Seeing Su Yunjin sitting on Yan Yu¡¯s bed with her makeup still perfectly intact, it was clear she guessed what had transpired. Smiling, she teased:

    ¡°Did I interrupt something between you two?¡±

    ¡°No, Ling Yun! We were just¡­¡± Su Yunjin tried to explain when she heard Yan Yu interject:

    ¡°Yeah, so if you knew that, why haven¡¯t you scrammed?¡±

    ¡°¡­We were just discussing cultivation.¡± Su Yunjin finished her explanation weakly, feeling like her excuse was incredibly transparent.

    But Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t press the issue further and simply smiled, saying:

    ¡°Guess what intel I¡¯ve got?¡±

    ¡°Someone sabotaging from the shadows, right?¡± Yan Yu said icily, ¡°I figured as much.¡±

    ¡°Previously, the higher-ups exchanged the prisoner ¡®Thunderbird¡¯ Margaret with Miti for a lot of things,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°among which was the ¡®Mysterious Realm live broadcast technology¡¯.¡±

    ¡°The Dingbei Army had previously used a large number of camera drones for suicidal infiltration recon of the Mysterious Realm, sending back a lot of intel on the interior of the realm.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Su Yunjin also understood, on the side, ¡°Someone leaked the intel to the Flying Dragon Battle Team?¡±

    ¡°They guard this information closely; we couldn¡¯t get our hands on it,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a light smile, ¡°but I could confirm through clues that the Flying Dragon Battle Team got the intel.¡±

    Intel that drones could gather about the interior of Mysterious Realm¡ªenvironmental terrain, restrictions, monsters, and guardians and the like¡ªof course, would provide a significant advantage to the Flying Dragon Battle Team.

    Not to mention, if they start out by heading straight to steal a guardian using the fastest route, or find a favorable terrain to lay ambush to rob from you, what do you do? Even if it¡¯s live streamed throughout, they could just claim ¡°I happened to choose this route¡± and there would be no evidence to conclusively prove they cheated!

    Su Yunjin¡¯s eyebrows knitted tightly, thinking that this was bad. The Flying Dragon Battle Team was already fighting on home turf, entering the Mysterious Realm earlier and thus already had the advantage of time; if they also had prior intel on the realm, they would have the advantage of terrain as well!

    However, Yan Yu showed no concern, merely scoffing:

    ¡°People online said ¡®cheating is a tradition in the tri-top combat dispute¡¯, didn¡¯t think the netizens would actually predict it. But so what? This time, we¡¯re going to show certain people that the gap in absolute strength cannot be changed by petty moves or small tricks.¡±

    ¡°I was thinking the same thing,¡± Chen Lingyun said, smiling, ¡°The reason they resort to underhanded tactics is because there¡¯s no chance of winning otherwise. Now that we know this, then¡­¡±

    Before she could finish, someone suddenly started knocking at the door again.

    Yan Yu went to open the door and saw it was the Flying Dragon Battle Team¡¯s captain, Cai Qianlong ¡ª their team was staying on the third floor, and the Zhenhai Team was on the fifth; what was this guy doing coming up here?

    ¡°Sorry for intruding.¡± Cai Qianlong nodded to Yan Yu, entered the room with pomp, and then noticed Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin were also there. Hesitating, he asked awkwardly, ¡°Did I interrupt something good here?¡±

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Yan Yu asked, not bothering to explain, just closing the door.

    ¡°It¡¯s like this.¡± As Cai Qianlong spoke of his purpose, his expression turned serious, ¡°I wanted to have a heated and exhilarating duel with you, but someone intends to use dirty tricks, influencing the outcome of this confrontation.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say who it is explicitly. I¡¯ve discussed it with my teammates, and if we used outside help to gain an advantage we shouldn¡¯t have, and still lost in the end, wouldn¡¯t that shatter our moral integrity? As cultivators, we disdain such actions; better to fight fair and square. Even if defeated, it would be honorable, with a clear conscience. If necessary, we¡¯ll simply strive to catch up with you afterward!¡±

    He reached into his pocket and pulled out a USB drive, offering,

    ¡°All the intel about the Mysterious Realm is in here! After you finish reviewing it, you can dispose of this USB drive, and we¡¯ll start from the same starting line. I¡¯ve said all that needs to be said, don¡¯t ask more.¡±

    Yan Yu looked at the USB drive in his hand and chuckled,

    ¡°Although you¡¯re not as strong as Lord Master, you do have a bit of his pride. As for this intel, forget it. If we also become familiar with the terrain of the Mysterious Realm, and if those behind the scenes spot any irregularities tomorrow, wouldn¡¯t they immediately suspect your team?¡±

    ¡°And what about it?¡± Cai Qianlong retorted proudly.

    ¡°Nothing much,¡± Yan Yu laughed heartily, ¡°There are some things you disdain to do, and similarly for us.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t need this intel. Once we enter the Mysterious Realm tomorrow, we¡¯ll still crush and defeat you, just like that.¡±

    Cai Qianlong fell silent for a moment before bursting into laughter,

    ¡°Good! Worthy of being Yan Zhanlong, whom even Liu Longtao acknowledges as superior!¡±

    He pocketed the USB drive and turned to leave,

    ¡°Once we enter the Mysterious Realm tomorrow, we won¡¯t be stealing any guardians. Let¡¯s find a place to duel, and we¡¯ll let strength speak for itself!¡±

 Chapter 211: 10: Live Broadcast of the Ancient City Secret Realm

    Chapter 211: Chapter 10: Live Broadcast of the Ancient City Secret Realm

    Cai Qianlong returned to the third floor, gathered his teammates, and recounted the events.

    Upon hearing that Yan Zhanlong refused to accept the intelligence, and even boasted that they could crush them without it, the members of the Flying Dragon Battle Team furrowed their brows.

    ¡°Captain, it must be because your attitude was too poor and provoked Yan Zhanlong¡¯s pride,¡± the vice-captain Shen Rui speculated.

    ¡°Impossible!¡± Cai Qianlong denied flatly, ¡°I¡¯ve always communicated with him in a calm and composed manner, okay? It was only when I entered the room that I saw two girls from his team were also there and realized it was a bit troublesome.¡±

    ¡°Absolutely!¡± Ma Dawei mocked, ¡°How could he possibly accept the intelligence in front of girls! He definitely had to show off and display his heroic spirit in front of the girls!¡±

    ¡°Then how about waiting until those two girls leave, and let the captain go again to deliver the intelligence to Yan Zhanlong alone?¡± Peng Yifan suggested, ¡°Without the girls there, if the captain speaks more earnestly, he should be willing to accept it, right?¡±

    ¡°How would I know when they are leaving?¡± Cai Qianlong was bewildered.

    ¡°Firstly, we need to figure out what they are doing in the captain¡¯s room,¡± Zhong Ming began to reason, ¡°Let¡¯s first assume they are participating in a threesome¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re incredible, can you also calculate the time for a threesome?¡± Ma Dawei said in amazement.

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Zhong Ming said, ¡°Most guys don¡¯t last more than 30 minutes at a time, and at most three or four times in a night, so a simple calculation is possible.¡±

    ¡°Alright, stop joking around,¡± Shen Rui interrupted their nonsense, ¡°Don¡¯t believe whatever nonsense about the ¡®harem team¡¯ out there. Since Yan Zhanlong refused, the likelihood of him going back on his word is not high, we should still discuss how to fight tomorrow.¡±

    On the other side, due to Chen Lingyun¡¯s presence, Su Yunjin did not find an excuse to stay longer and was politely sent out by Yan Yu.

    On the way back to her room, Su Yunjin broke the silence:

    ¡°Lingyun¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Su Yunjin lowered her head, ¡°Never mind.¡±

    ¡°Yunjin is really shy.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile became even more joyful. Although she was smaller in stature than Su Yunjin and looked like her younger sister when standing together, her presence was the complete opposite, ¡°If I were Yan Yu, I would have eaten you up already.¡±

    ¡°Stop talking nonsense,¡± Su Yunjin said helplessly.

    When the two returned to Chen Lingyun¡¯s room, they found Lin Ning, Zhao Yuanzhen, and Xie Ruoxi sitting on the bed, staring at their phones and bickering with each other.

    ¡°Sister Zhao, stop swearing all the time,¡± Lin Ning said while typing.

    ¡°Is it useful to reason with those trolls?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen retorted.

    ¡°Stop arguing,¡± Xie Ruoxi said loudly, ¡°I¡¯ve posted the message, now come here quickly to play the role of brainless trolls and draw hostility.¡±

    Su Yunjin and Chen Lingyun looked at each other, both speechless.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The next morning arrived.

    Yan Yu was woken up by the alarm clock and sluggishly got out of bed to brush his teeth and wash his face.

    Before he could even dry his face with a towel, he heard a knock at the door and Lin Ning¡¯s shouting:

    ¡°Get up now! Get up!¡±

    ¡°Coming.¡± Yan Yu threw the towel into the sink, put on his jacket, and went out.

    As the two were heading to the dining hall downstairs, Lin Ning spoke:

    ¡°Did you sleep well last night?¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I have slept well?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise, noticing she seemed to have dark circles under her eyes.

    ¡°Nervous, I guess.¡± Lin Ning let out an ¡°Oh¡± and snorted, ¡°That¡¯s right, how could you possibly feel pressured.¡±

    ¡°There will always be pressure; it can¡¯t be eliminated,¡± Yan Yu said leisurely, ¡°It¡¯s whether the pressure is transformed into a burden or into kinetic energy, that¡¯s what we need to adjust mentally.¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Lin Ning sighed, ¡°Actually, the opponent isn¡¯t hard to deal with, it¡¯s mainly because this time the whole country is watching, so the pressure is a bit high.¡±

    ¡°But I think for you, having some pressure is a good thing.¡± The elevator arrived, and Yan Yu brought Lin Ning in with him.

    ¡°Why is that?¡± Lin Ning asked curiously.

    ¡°Because the resilience of problem-solvers is very strong,¡± Yan Yu stated seriously.

    Lin Ning was angry and subconsciously kicked at him, but Yan Yu managed to dodge at the last moment with a nimble stride in the cramped elevator, leaving her to kick the air.

    ¡°I¡¯m actually in pretty good shape right now,¡± Yan Yu chuckled.

    Lin Ning fell silent, but she felt an inexplicable sense of relief inside.

    It¡¯s good that the captain is here¡­ nothing should go wrong.

    Everyone had breakfast in the restaurant, and the Flying Dragon Battle Team left first, even coming over to greet Yan Yu and others without mentioning last night¡¯s intelligence.

    After Zhao Yuanzhen finished eating last, the Zhenhai Team members stood up, went downstairs, left the hotel, and took the Dingbei Army¡¯s vehicles to the Mysterious Realm¡¯s location.

    Perhaps having learned from the experience at Changbai Mountain, the surroundings of the Mysterious Realm this time were like an impenetrable fortress, completely sealed off by layers of tight security within the camp; buildings were everywhere, and from the outside, it was impossible to find the entrance to the Mysterious Realm¡ªit felt like Cao Cao¡¯s seventy-two suspected tombs.

    Yan Yu and his team waited in the rest area while the Flying Dragon Battle Team was the first to enter the Mysterious Realm, followed by the medical team, the broadcast team, and the security team. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Since they had obtained the inside information of the Mysterious Realm, these personnel would find a concealed and safe place to hide, using the Invisibility Technique as much as possible to avoid combat, responsible only for unmanned aerial vehicle filming and medical intervention throughout the process.

    After a while, it was Zhenhai Team¡¯s turn to depart.

    Yan Yu led the team into the Mysterious Realm. Moments later, they appeared in the midst of an ancient city.

    The city walls soared high, the houses were low, closely packed, with crisscrossing streets; they tread on yellow clay roads, while gusts of cold wind blew through the air, chilling one to the bone.

    ¡°To the right,¡± Yan Yu gave a concise order.

    The team quickly found a larger building nearby and charged in.

    This place seemed to be an inn, with many guest rooms on the second floor and two large tables and four or five long benches on the first floor for the traveling guests to rest and have tea.

    It was completely empty.

    Chen Lingyun took out the Soul Summoning Banner, waved it a few times, and five large dogs appeared, leaping into the air and turning invisible as they quietly left the inn to scout.

    This scene, captured by the cameras on their clothing, appeared in the external broadcast room, and Xu Dongming quickly explained:

    ¡°Chen Lingyun¡¯s occupation is a Necromancer. As you can see, Necromancers have a significant advantage in scouting! Ghost creatures are naturally invisible and numerous, tossing them out in all directions like scattering blossoms from the heavens, they can reveal any team¡¯s formation tactics totally exposed! Now let¡¯s check the position of the Flying Dragon Battle Team¡­¡±

    The Flying Dragon Battle Team also refreshed inside the ancient city, taking refuge in an indoor building as well.

    The difference was that they chose a low-lying flat house, hiding in the small space and not coming out again.

    ¡°Both sides have chosen to lie low, so close combat is unlikely,¡± Zhou Erhe also added. ¡°The only possibility now is to see if Chen Lingyun¡¯s invisible ghosts can find the hiding spot of the Flying Dragon Battle Team. If they find it, it¡¯s basically half the battle won since the Flying Dragon Battle Team is unable to detect the ghosts¡­¡±

    ¡°The invisibility of the ghosts can also be discovered through Divine Sense,¡± Xu Dongming corrected.

    ¡°Who would maintain Divine Sense all the time?¡± Zhou Erhe argued, considering that Divine Sense exploration is also a Spell that requires constant attention and consumes True Yuan, which can be very draining over time.

    ¡°No, look, the Flying Dragon Battle Team is taking turns with their Divine Sense exploration, keeping up a continuous relay,¡± said Xu Dongming quickly.

    As the broadcast switched between the cameras worn by the Flying Dragon Battle Team, it was clear that Ma Dawei and Peng Yifan were taking turns standing guard. One would explore the surroundings with Divine Sense, while the other would meditate and recover True Yuan¡ªa seamless handover without any pauses.

    ¡°All right, the Flying Dragon Battle Team is well-prepared; let¡¯s return to the Zhenhai Team¡­¡± Zhou Erhe suddenly exclaimed, ¡°Yan Yu is going out! Yan Zhanlong is going out!¡±

    The four other team members took refuge on the second floor while Yan Zhanlong confidently walked out the door and used the Cloud Ascension Technique to leap onto the rooftop.

    Then he began to sprint with astonishing speed.

    ¡°Has he discovered the position of the Flying Dragon Battle Team?¡± Xu Dongming questioned. ¡°Is he going to fight five people all by himself?¡±

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s five ghosts were invisible, and the drones patrolling the area in fixed aerial routes did not have Divine Sense to detect them, so of course, they could not confirm where the ghosts had run off to.

    However, Yan Yu¡¯s movements were caught on camera. The viewers could see that Yan Yu did not head straight for the Flying Dragon Battle Team¡¯s position but instead went around the roof of the ancient city for what seemed like a complete circuit.

    The ancient city was divided into four districts by two main roads running vertically and horizontally. The buildings in the northern district were generally taller¡ªlikely the residences of the elite; the western district had many shops, forming a marketplace; the east and south districts had a high density of similar and modest buildings, which seemed to be the ¡°residential areas¡± where commoners lived.

    As Yan Yu thought this, he suddenly noticed something was amiss.

    He looked up and saw that the daylight was dimming at a rate visible to the naked eye.

    Night was approaching.

    Gusts of strong wind burst forth, making it difficult to keep one¡¯s eyes open. Narrowing his eyes slightly, Yan Yu gazed at the interwoven network of alleys around him, sensing that something was about to emerge.

 Chapter 212: 11 Flamboyant Footwork Yan Zhanlong

    Chapter 212: Chapter 11 Flamboyant Footwork Yan Zhanlong

    The sky dimmed, all colors turning silent.

    The entire ancient city soon fell into the deep curtain of night. The drones in the sky switched to night vision mode and continued to capture the scene below along their preset routes.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see what changes have occurred in the Mysterious Realm! The scene has suddenly entered night mode!¡± Xu Dongming said excitedly, ¡°Something is about to come out!¡±

    Suddenly, dim lights lit up in the countless houses around.

    Yan Yu¡¯s Divine Sense swept the surroundings¡­ No, there was no need for Divine Sense, he could see with his naked eyes that a large number of Yin Soldiers had appeared on the streets.

    Fully armored and carrying swords and bows, the Yin Soldiers were rough in appearance and numbered in the hundreds. At the same time, more Yin Soldiers continuously poured out from the alleyways, innumerable at a glance, seemingly endless.

    Yan Yu stealthily performed the Invisibility Technique, crouching motionless on the rooftop, vanishing from the drone¡¯s vision in the air.

    One of the Yin Soldiers looked up and drew his longbow fully, releasing an arrow with a whoosh, and the drone immediately sparked into flames and fell to the ground.

    ¡°Everyone saw our OB drone has been shot down,¡± Zhou Erhe exclaimed, ¡°That was no ordinary arrow! It was a Flying Sword!¡±

    Realizing his companion had stated the obvious, Xu Dongming hurriedly added:

    ¡°The shooting prowess of these Yin Soldiers¡¯ arrows is on par with that of Flying Swords. Our drone was flying at an altitude of over a hundred meters, no ordinary cold weapon archery could reach that height! Director, switch to the replay of the falling OB¡­ you can see, the arrows shot by the Yin Soldiers have a distinct purple-black glow in their trajectory, resembling the light of Flying Swords, their power must be far superior to that of normal bows and arrows!¡±

    ¡°Okay! The director has switched back to the camera on Yan Zhanlong, and we can see that Yan Zhanlong has timely engaged the Invisibility Technique! The Yin Soldiers have not noticed Yan Zhanlong¡¯s presence! What does professional reaction speed mean? It means at the moment of close combat, I become invisible right in front of you, and you¡¯re just dazzled, completely unable to react¡­¡±

    Xu Dongming was still boasting when he saw several Yin Soldiers charge to the building where Yan Yu was located, pointing upward as if they were saying something. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    One of the Yin Soldiers took out a torch from behind and lit it.

    Wrapped with straw and grass rope, the torch should produce a bright yellow glow, yet as the Yin Soldier lit the torch, the flame was a ghostly blue.

    The ghostly blue light, resembling the maggots of gangrene, shone on the spot where Yan Yu was crouched. His Invisibility Technique was still active, but the Yin Soldiers below were already looking up at Yan Yu in silence.

    Yan Yu slightly narrowed his eyes, aware that his Invisibility Technique had been seen through.

    In the live broadcast room, when those skeleton-like Yin Soldiers raised their heads and stared at the camera with their hollow eye sockets, the barrage of comments exploded:

    ¡°Damn, he¡¯s been spotted!¡±

    ¡°I got so scared I dropped my phone!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s over, Yan Zhanlong can¡¯t stand the jinxing¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop jinxing him!¡± Zhou Erhe urgently called from the commentary desk, ¡°Yan Zhanlong¡¯s Invisibility Technique has been seen through! Now let¡¯s see how he responds! He¡¯s retreating on the rooftop, trying to leave the Yin Soldiers¡¯ line of sight!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Xu Dongming quickly reassured, ¡°This kind of ancient city environment is very complex with many blind spots for visual cover, as long as he shakes off these few Yin Soldiers, Yan Zhanlong still has a chance to remain hidden!¡±

    No sooner had he finished speaking than a desolate horn sounded suddenly.

    The director quickly switched between different perspectives, discovering that whether it was Yan Yu¡¯s camera or those of the Zhenhai and Flying Dragon Battle Teams, all could hear the resounding and powerful sound of the horn¡ªit enveloped the entire city!

    The next second, countless Yin Soldiers who heard the horn started running at full speed on the streets!

    Realizing the situation was dire, Yan Yu quickly disengaged his Invisibility Technique and stood up, his movements swift as lightning as he leaped to the neighboring rooftop.

    Behind him, several long arrows whistled past, emitting piercing explosive noises.

    The broadcast team hiding outside the city once again launched a backup drone, and the night vision lens swept over the city below to see all the Yin Soldiers rushing towards Yan Yu¡¯s position, enemies approaching from all directions, leaving no time to find another hiding spot.

    ¡°Ah, shut up!¡± Zhou Erhe interrupted Xu Dongming again, ¡°Stop talking! Let me do the commentary!¡±

    ¡°`

    He hailed from Lin¡¯an Prefecture in Jiangnan Province, while Xu Dongming currently resided in Jianghai Prefecture. In fact, both of them were fans of the Zhenhai Team. If Yan Zhanlong were to be killed by over-nurturing, it wouldn¡¯t just be a blow to Zhenhai Team¡¯s fans¡ªthey themselves would be greatly dismayed.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s switch to the backup OB!¡± Zhou Erhe quickly said, signaling the director to change to the aerial perspective, ¡°You can see that the recent horn sound has alarmed the entire city, and now the Yin Soldiers are all pursuing Yan Zhanlong¡­ Watch out! Nicely done! Yan Zhanlong makes a sharp stop to dodge the barrage of arrows! I¡¯d like to remind everyone that our OB drone uses night vision lenses, so it can capture the deep purple light of the arrows flying past, but Yan Zhanlong doesn¡¯t have night vision gear¡ªhe actually can¡¯t see it clearly! His evasion from the Yin Soldiers relies primarily on his prediction, his outstanding tactical awareness, and excellent combat intuition!¡±

    ¡°He has Divine Sense scanning though!¡± Xu Dongming exclaimed from the side.

    ¡°Ay, I¡¯ve told you to shut up already!¡± Zhou Erhe interrupted his colleague again, then casually corrected, ¡°With Divine Sense scanning, Yan Zhanlong effortlessly dodges the arrows from the pursuers behind! He¡¯s speeding up! Good, after a few swift moves like a rabbit dodging a hawk, he shakes off the pursuing forces¡­ but there¡¯s a large troop ahead! What is Yan Zhanlong going to do!!!¡±

    Yan Yu took to the rooftops, crossing neighborhoods, and as he shook off the troops behind him, he saw a larger number of Yin Soldiers charging over on the main road ahead.

    The front row suddenly came to a halt and knelt down, while the back row also stopped in place. Two rows of Yin Soldiers drew their longbows fully, and the dark purple glow circulated and condensed around the arrow clusters, forming something akin to energetic whirlpools and torrents aiming at where Yan Yu stood.

    Yan Yu¡¯s Divine Sense swiftly swept across again.

    There was no mistake, it was a spell from the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner.

    In this Mysterious Realm, there was at least one Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, continuously refining these ancient Yin Soldiers¡­

    Before he could fully assess the situation, countless arrows were launched, sealing off his front, back, left, right, and even above¡ªlocking him in completely!

    Yan Yu¡¯s figure suddenly plunged down as he activated the Wall-Penetration Technique in a flash, crashing through the roof and abruptly entering the building interior, thereby avoiding the barrage of arrows¡ªand he also vanished from the drone¡¯s field of vision!

    This move caught even the director off guard; they scrambled and quickly switched to his personal camera view, while the live broadcast chat exploded once more with a myriad of question marks. Xu Dongming began to explain:

    ¡°The Wall-Penetration Technique is the most miraculous spell among the Three Arts. It allows one to pass freely through any terrain without regard for obstacles, but the cost is that it consumes far more True Yuan than the other two arts, so it can only be used in life-saving moments. Yan Zhanlong is very calculating in this regard; unless absolutely necessary, he definitely won¡¯t use the Wall-Penetration Technique lightly. And just now was indeed a critical moment when it was absolutely necessary!¡±

    Finally, the director switched to the camera worn by Yan Yu, but the angle was extremely shaky¡ªhe had fallen from the rooftop into the house, then leaped out the window, twisting in mid-air to dodge several arrows. His speed remained undiminished as he landed and immediately veered left at an oblique angle, bursting out from behind the wall cover. As he turned sharply to retreat, a new wave of arrows flew past where he had been just moments before. Defying the laws of physics, Yan Yu sharply retreated, stopped short, and took cover behind the wall to avoid the arrow rain, then suddenly accelerated forward again. Taking advantage of the Yin Soldiers reaching for more arrows, he brazenly crossed the main road and flew onto the rooftop of the opposite block.

    The live chat began rapidly posting messages again:

    ¡°The camera switches too fast, I¡¯m getting dizzy!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t give Yan Zhanlong the first-person view!¡±

    ¡°Switch to the aerial OB, switch to the aerial OB, switch to the aerial OB, switch to the aerial OB¡­¡±

    The production team also realized their mistake. Since Yan Yu¡¯s quick changes of direction were so frequent, sudden, and disorienting, experiencing it through the first-person perspective was simply too nauseating for the viewers. They had to switch back to the aerial drone perspective quickly.

    ¡°Ah, Yan Zhanlong really is amazing, just watching his first-person view is enough to make me want to vomit,¡± Zhou Erhe commented, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s watch Yan Zhanlong again from the aerial OB view. He moves swiftly onto the rooftop, running fast¡ªthere comes the arrow rain! Good, a sharp stop to dodge, then another dodge, and another¡ªhahaha, they can¡¯t hit him at all! Do you understand how valuable Yan Zhanlong¡¯s movements are, you lost souls and ghosts?¡±

    ¡°Eh, wait!¡± Xu Dongming suddenly said, ¡°Look at the number of Yin Soldiers around! Their encirclement is rapidly shrinking!¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Zhou Erhe also realized the problem and quickly added, ¡°From the aerial view, we can see that although Yan Yu hasn¡¯t been hit, he also hasn¡¯t managed to kill any enemies, so the number of Yin Soldiers around him is indeed getting more and more concentrated, and his space to maneuver is decreasing.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not going to get himself killed, is he?¡± Xu Dongming said anxiously, ¡°Oh no, don¡¯t just go round and round in one place. You should kite them all over the city, make them follow you like a train!¡±

    ¡°Could it be that Yan Yu doesn¡¯t think there are enough Yin Soldiers around him?¡± Zhou Erhe pondered, ¡°He feels he¡¯s still not in enough danger, that he can still manage, that he can still show off his skills for a bit longer.¡±

    ¡°Very likely!¡± Xu Dongming exclaimed, ¡°We¡¯re looking from a God¡¯s point of view, able to overlook the entire scene. But he¡¯s different from us, his perspective is shaking so much, he¡¯s probably just focusing on dodging the arrow rain and may not have had the time to check the number of enemies around him! If this continues, he could get himself trapped to death!¡±

    ¡°Oh dear, this is getting troublesome,¡± Zhou Erhe frowned, ¡°Let¡¯s see what Yan Yu will do next¡­¡±

    In the Palace of the Qing Prince in Lingnan Province, the members of the Qing¡¯an Battle Team were also watching the live broadcast.

    ¡°Yan Yu¡¯s not really going to get himself killed, is he?¡± Li Zhaojiang said in astonishment, ¡°His movements are indeed flashy, but what good is that? With thousands of Yin Soldiers closing in, you¡¯ll soon not even have room to move! Showboating has to be appropriate to the occasion.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to the commentators guessing wildly¡ªhe¡¯s not showboating,¡± Li Minghu suddenly said, ¡°He¡¯s timing his moves.¡±

 Chapter 213: 12: The 9-Day Yin Demon Prison Banner

    Chapter 213: Chapter 12: The 9-Day Yin Demon Prison Banner

    But the girls on the second floor of the inn noticed the shift from day to night in the mysterious realm in an instant.

    ¡°Lock the door,¡± Chen Lingyun said quickly. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Lin Ning rushed to close the door. The next second, a muffled noise came from downstairs, as if it was the clanking sound of armor worn by marching soldiers.

    The four girls exchanged silent looks. Chen Lingyun wore a faint smile, Lin Ning¡¯s face was grave, Su Yunjin appeared calm, and Zhao Yuanzhen paced restlessly back and forth like an impatient hound yearning to hunt.

    ¡°How long do we have to wait?¡± she finally couldn¡¯t help asking.

    ¡°Wait for the reconnaissance to return,¡± Chen Lingyun responded.

    Before long, a dog leaped in through the window, materializing the instant it entered the room.

    Chen Lingyun communicated telepathically with it for a moment before saying to the girls:

    ¡°The intelligence we have so far indicates that the mysterious realm alternates between day and night at set intervals. By day it is eerily quiet, but come nightfall, hundreds of ghosts roam the streets, and Yin Soldiers and ghosts are everywhere, attacking any living creature they see, so it¡¯s best to stay indoors at night to avoid being discovered by the Yin Soldiers.¡±

    ¡°The Flying Dragon Battle Team has not shown up; they¡¯re probably hiding somewhere. As for our captain, he has attracted the attention of many Yin Soldiers and is currently leading them on a wild chase throughout the city!¡±

    ¡°Should we go support him?¡± Lin Ning asked in a hurry, upon hearing that Yan Yu was being pursued by the Yin Soldiers.

    ¡°Not for now,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smiling eye, ¡°The pressing matter at hand is to ascertain the duration of day and night.¡±

    Su Yunjin listened quietly, pondering to herself.

    Rather than saying ¡°leading them on a wild chase,¡± it would be more accurate to say that the sheer number of enemies was so overwhelming that even the captain had to avoid their sharp edge, right? If that¡¯s the case, whether it¡¯s defeating the Flying Dragon Battle Team or besieging the gatekeepers, it would all have to be done during the daytime¡­ Ling Yun was right, understanding the mysterious realm¡¯s day and night restrictions is essential and must be clarified immediately.

    But¡­ can Yan Yu hold out?

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Yan Yu raced across the rooftops, trailing a near tidal wave of arrow barrages behind him.

    Beneath him, the streets were so choked with Yin Soldiers that not a drop could leak through, constantly drawing bows, nocking arrows, and loosing shots, with an incessant howl filling the air.

    Even Yan Yu, with his near-divine agility, had to frequently seek cover to shield himself; otherwise, he would inevitably end up as a porcupine bristling with arrows.

    In the external broadcast room, the viewer count continued to surge. The incoming audience could hardly bear to leave, all waiting to see how Yan Yu would deal with so many pursuers¡ªor how he might die.

    The Zhenhai Team and the Flying Dragon Battle Team had both taken refuge inside buildings, not daring to provoke the masses of Yin Soldiers outside. Only Yan Yu was dodging and weaving through layers of pursuit, breaking free from encirclement in unexpected places¡ªonly to be trapped again in the very next second.

    Because the surrounding Yin Soldiers were simply too many.

    ¡°He¡¯s definitely been surrounded to death!¡± Xu Dongming didn¡¯t know how many times he had said this, but Yan Yu¡¯s situation was indeed becoming more perilous, leaving almost no room to maneuver. He pressed down his anxiety and offered words of comfort to reassure his chat audience, ¡°I¡¯m guessing the Dingbei Army will definitely make a move. They can¡¯t possibly just watch Yan Yu be surrounded and killed by these Yin Soldiers. Our country will certainly intervene. Everyone, don¡¯t worry, Yan Zhanlong isn¡¯t going to have any trouble¡­¡±

    However, the chat audience was not worried; they were urging him to ¡°keep jinxing.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Zhou Erhe couldn¡¯t help wanting to laugh at the comments, but the current situation was hardly suitable for laughter, so he maintained a serious demeanor and said, ¡°Okay, we see Yan Yu jumping down from the rooftop into a courtyard! Is he about to use the Wall-Penetration Technique? No, wait, he¡¯s surrounded by Yin Soldiers on all sides; maybe he can break through from the low wall on the eastern side, but it¡¯s risky¡­ Eh! He¡¯s stopped!¡±

    Yan Yu came to a halt in the middle of the courtyard, his hands deftly forming Sword Technique gestures.

    From the drone¡¯s aerial view, the courtyard around Yan Yu was encircled by Yin Soldiers, with the only entrance being the main gate.

    Behind the main gate stood a screen wall, a high barrier placed behind the entryway in ancient residences to prevent passersby from peering directly into inner quarters.

    In his recent evasive maneuvers, Yan Yu had noticed that the ancient city¡¯s architecture seemed to possess a certain quality that prevented it from being damaged by the arrows of the Yin Soldiers.

    This meant that they should also be unable to destroy the screen wall and would have to go around it to attack him.

    On the right of the screen wall was a collapsed stable, impassable; the left side became their only path through. But the passageway was comparatively narrow, allowing only two to pass at a time, ensuring that Yan Yu would not be attacked from all directions by the Yin Soldiers at once.

    As the clanging sound of armor grew nearer, Yan Yu¡¯s Divine Sense detected a large number of Yin Soldiers stepping over the mansion¡¯s main gate, trying to pass through the screen wall passage to enter the courtyard!

    Huang Tingjian, unsheathed!

    The Huang Tingjian was a heavy sword that Yan Yu carried on his back, and it resided in no scabbard.

    But as he pinched the sword technique, the blade flew out, someone in the chat curtain had no idea who brushed a ¡°Dragon-Slaying Sword unsheathed!¡±, and immediately numerous netizens repeated the phrase, flooding the screen.

    Brother Yan Zhanlong¡¯s sword, that¡¯s the one that has slain the Flood Dragon!

    The first two Yin Soldiers had already circled around the shadow wall, and the Huang Tingjian arrived just in time to deliver a powerful horizontal sweep close to the ground.

    Sword Technique¡¤White Crane Spreads Its Wings.

    The feature of White Crane Spreads Its Wings lies in the slash containing a stab, which appears to be a wide-area horizontal cut but at any time can be converted into a thrust. However, Yan Yu here had no intention of changing his moves, as what he needed was the sweeping effect of this sword technique.

    The two Yin Soldiers quickly drew their sabers in an attempt to block, but Yan Yu¡¯s swordsmanship combat experience was so rich. He intentionally sliced close to the ground with this White Crane Spreads Its Wings move, which made the opponent¡¯s saber too short to block the lower section of the attack without bending down¡­ The result was that they were too late to block and were both swept off by the Huang Tingjian, knocking down a large number of chasing Yin Soldiers in the process.

    The live broadcast room exploded once again!

    Inside the Annan National Defense Academy, Li Minghu pinched the mouse and lightly clicked to turn off those annoying rainbow-fart chats like ¡°Yan Zhanlong is so badass¡±, so as not to block everyone from continuing to watch and study Yan Yu¡¯s swordsmanship.

    From the aerial drone¡¯s perspective, it was hard to notice that the move White Crane Spreads Its Wings was actually a lower section attack close to the ground, but Li Minghu¡¯s thoughts were so sharp that he still noticed something amiss from the subtle motion of the two Yin Soldiers bending slightly before being struck by the sword.

    So he was not only stepping on points earlier, but also collecting information on the equipment of these Yin Soldiers?

    While she was pondering carefully, Yan Yu on the other side had already continuously taken down several waves of Yin Soldiers, and a spirited commentary finally rang out in the live broadcast room.

    ¡°Damn, Yan Zhanlong is so badass! The position he chose is really good!¡± Seeing Yan Yu turn danger into safety and the situation becoming clear, Zhou Erhe was the first to change his tune and praise, ¡°Using this narrow terrain to block all the Yin Soldiers outside! Whoever comes will be killed, so many! This is the astonishing wisdom of Yan Zhanlong!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s called ¡®one man holds the pass, ten thousand cannot break through¡¯?¡± Xu Dongming also would not show weakness, puffing up equally, ¡°This is ¡®one man holds the pass, ten thousand cannot break through¡¯! In this position, Yan Zhanlong is like the God Lu Bu at Tiger Prison Pass! No matter if you are the numerous heroes from the east with thousands upon thousands of soldiers, he alone can block them all! As long as he is at Tiger Prison Pass, Yan Zhanlong is invincible!¡±

    ¡°Hold on, don¡¯t jinx it.¡± Zhou Erhe suddenly felt uneasy and quickly spoke up, ¡°He is not invincible. He still has limits on his True Yuan endurance, okay? Although the Sword Control Technique doesn¡¯t consume much True Yuan, there is still consumption. Back in the day, when Lu Bu defended Tiger Prison Pass, he alone fought against Liu, Guan, and Zhang, and even he couldn¡¯t sustain his physical strength.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯ll correct that,¡± Xu Dongming relented smoothly, ¡°As long as Yan Zhanlong has True Yuan, he temporarily descends like a god, the warring spirit of Lu Bu incarnate¡­¡±

    Within the Mysterious Realm, Yan Yu continued to unleash his sword techniques, with the Huang Tingjian striking with wide and powerful swings, using the terrain to rout the Yin Soldiers invading the mansion.

    Outside the Mysterious Realm, the two commentators sang each other¡¯s praises, having to switch from doomsaying to flattering to cover up the awkwardness of their earlier misjudgment (they were already surrounded).

    At the training ground of Shuzhong Prefecture¡¯s school, the Huofeng Team was also watching the live broadcast as a group.

    Probably tired of listening to the commentators boast, Tang Xiaolian couldn¡¯t help saying:

    ¡°Team Yan is indeed formidable, but saying he is invincible is an exaggeration. His weakness is that he does not know the Taoism Method. If our captain went into action, with a single cast of Great Bright Fire, these Yin Soldiers would be pulverized right away, there would be no need to cut them down one by one.¡±

    The vice-captain Zhang Huaide shook his head and said:

    ¡°No. Look at the Yin Soldiers that were knocked down, turning into a puff of gray smoke and disappearing, which shows that they may not have been truly killed. It¡¯s unwise to waste True Yuan on them.¡±

    ¡°Observing Yan Yu¡¯s swordsmanship, which mostly consists of straight chops and horizontal cuts, you know that he did not intend to spend True Yuan to kill them but aimed to block and delay. As for the commentator¡¯s ¡®kills as many as come¡¯, it¡¯s just for show.¡±

    ¡°Even if it¡¯s just blocking and delaying, our captain¡¯s level would not be worse,¡± Tang Xiaolian persisted in her opinion.

    ¡°No.¡± Zhou Hongyu said slowly, ¡°If it was me there, I wouldn¡¯t be able to do what he does.¡±

    She didn¡¯t say this in a spirit of admitting defeat, but rather acknowledged Yan Yu¡¯s mastery in swordsmanship¡ªevery strike could attack where the enemies couldn¡¯t defend, and each hit could knock down a large group of Yin Soldiers. Such efficient and True Yuan-conserving sharp swordsmanship was something Zhou Hongyu, who was accustomed to going all out in attacks, could not achieve.

    With Zhou Hongyu admitting the gap in strengths, Tang Xiaolian could no longer defend her position, only secretly thinking how great it would be if she also had such power. If she could defeat Team Yan in a one-on-one battle, it would certainly make the captain look at her in a new light!

    Before she could even fantasize about herself becoming strong, the situation in the live broadcast suddenly changed drastically!

    From a distance down the street, an uninvited guest hurriedly approached. It was a tall Ghost General sitting atop a deathly warhorse, holding the reins in his left hand and a long halberd in his right, with a banner on his back, dashing at high speed into the crowd of Yin Soldiers, mercilessly cutting down all the obstructing soldiers in his way!

    The obstructing soldiers were deterred by his murderous aura, throwing away their weapons and kneeling on the ground. The Ghost General paid no heed to them and ruthlessly charged through, breaking into the mansion¡¯s main entrance. The deathly warhorse stood up on its hind legs, and with its armored front legs, it forcefully stomped onto the shadow wall!

    The shadow wall exploded and crumbled with a loud bang; the Ghost General leaped into the yard amidst the dust, taking advantage of the horse¡¯s momentum to fiercely thrust the halberd at Yan Yu.

    Despite the unexpected thrust, Yan Yu still reacted on time. He retreated with lightning speed, dodging the halberd¡¯s thrust, and at the same time, his gaze fell on the banner the opponent was carrying on his back.

    On the banner, as on a flag, there were all kinds of Mysterious Seal Script written, surrounded by numerous purple-black glows. It radiated a terrorizing authority like that of a prison, causing all the surrounding Yin Soldiers to prostrate and tremble, daring not to make any rash moves.

    Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner!

    The thought flashed through Yan Yu¡¯s mind when the Ghost General took the banner at his back in his left hand and slammed it into the ground. Amidst the flowing banner glow, a Yin Seal suddenly floated out of the banner¡¯s surface and shot straight at Yan Yu!

 Chapter 214: 13 Yan Zhanlong Immortal

    Chapter 214: Chapter 13 Yan Zhanlong Immortal

    ¡°`

    Yan Yu once again accelerated with his Shifting Technique, dodging the attack. The character seal struck the ground, slicing into it as easily as if cutting tofu, and continuing straight downward¡ªhis expression finally grew solemn. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Given the current limit on spiritual energy density, the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner shouldn¡¯t have been able to unleash that character seal, and its power shouldn¡¯t have been this weak either.

    It must be the nighttime bans in this Mysterious Realm that provide a cultivation boost to all specters, enabling the Ghost General to barely meet the minimum requirements to activate the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner.

    Even so, a Ghost General capable of releasing the Nine Heavens Yin Demon character seal was not an opponent that either the Zhenhai Team or the Flying Dragon Battle Team could handle at this stage¡ªnot that they definitely couldn¡¯t win, but even if they did force a victory, the cost would surely be extremely heavy.

    Who was it that conquered this Mysterious Realm in the previous life? It¡¯s vaguely remembered that it seemed like it was led by Lord Master¡­ and it must have been the Lord Master of the future, definitely not the one from the first year after the Spiritual Energy Resurgence.

    Tsk, tsk, tsk, so the Dingbei Army holds me in such high regard?

    If I can¡¯t defeat this Ghost General either, wouldn¡¯t you be afraid that both teams would perish here? Or is this the result some people are hoping to see?

    Yan Yu spun around and hastily retreated with his Shifting Technique, while the Ghost General continued to wield the Prison Banner, shooting out the Nine Heavens Yin Demon character seal in a black arc, aiming for Yan Yu¡¯s back.

    This divine seal couldn¡¯t be met head-on, nor could it even be allowed to get close, for the explosion¡¯s aftermath could damage a cultivator¡¯s soul. Yan Yu had no choice but to deploy a sword technique, controlling the Huang Tingjian to move sideways and intercept the swift-flying divine seal.

    The black light suddenly exploded, and the Huang Tingjian was immediately sent flying away, with Yan Yu also experiencing a slight disruption to his vital energy¡ªthe True Yuan and Divine Sense on his Huang Tingjian had been scattered a bit.

    Forget it, don¡¯t fight against the unassailable.

    He could possibly still fight the Ghost General if he used all of his powerful moves like the Sword-Body Union or the Puppet Secret Technique, but Yan Yu was not so bold as to expose his true abilities in front of the whole country with a ¡°well, if it¡¯s like this, I won¡¯t pretend any longer.¡± So he decisively chose to flee.

    Ha-ha, see ya~

    Yet the Ghost General would not let him go so easily. The death warhorse beneath him neighed wildly, urging its limbs to chase after Yan Yu at a speed that was much faster than his Shifting Technique.

    In just a few breaths, the Ghost General had already caught up behind Yan Yu, with a swift thrust of his long spear.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t even turn back¡ªhe clenched a sword technique, guiding the Huang Tingjian to slash horizontally through the air at the head of the Ghost General, who opted to pull back his attack last second and block with his long spear.

    That long spear was not ordinary; struck from above by the Huangting Heavy Sword, it remained undamaged.

    Instead, the Ghost General roared aloud, pushing upwards forcefully with his hands, directly shaking off the Huangting Heavy Sword.

    The warhorse had already raised its body, its forelimbs aiming a heavy stomp down towards Yan Yu¡¯s head. But Yan Yu quickly dropped his stance, raced forward, and changed direction¡ªusing a horizontal ¡®V¡¯ shaped trajectory to dodge the warhorse¡¯s stomping, and in a blink, he flashed to the side of the warhorse, and unleashed the Curved Curse, stepping forward with a punch!

    With the force of a cannon punch, even though the warhorse carried the heavy and powerful Ghost General, it was displaced half a meter to the side by Yan Yu¡¯s punch.

    Unexpectedly, the Ghost General swung his long spear backward in a swift and swift counter-attack. Yan Yu barely managed to bring back the Huang Tingjian for defense, only to get both himself and his sword sent flying out of the observers¡¯ view.

    ¡°Yan Zhanlong is blasted away!¡± Both commentators were instantly stunned, with Zhou Erhe even standing up in shock, ¡°Director, switch angles quickly, let¡¯s see how Yan Zhanlong is doing!¡±

    In the Lingnan royal residence, the members of the Qing¡¯an Battle Team were just as astonished. Li Zhaojiang blurted out:

    ¡°No way? That slash just now, he should have been able to dodge it!¡±

    ¡°It was on purpose,¡± Li Minghu calmly reminded from the side, ¡°Wall-Penetration Technique.¡±

    Indeed, as the director switched angles the next second, everyone saw Yan Yu, who had been sent flying, swiftly pass through walls, buildings, and other barriers as if his body was merely an intangible illusion.

    ¡°Very clever!¡± Xu Dongming, who had suddenly caught on, hurriedly explained, ¡°As everyone could just see, the Ghost General on horseback was way faster than him! He wouldn¡¯t have been able to escape in an open terrain, so he purposefully let the Ghost General knock him away, using the momentum and Wall-Penetration Technique to quickly increase the distance!¡±

    ¡°The Ghost General can¡¯t use the Wall-Penetration Technique,¡± Zhou Erhe also said with a laugh, ¡°To catch up, he would need to take a detour, how long would that chase be? I fear he¡¯ll just be toyed with by Yan Zhanlong¡¯s kite-flying tactics¡­¡±

    Before the commentators finished speaking, they saw the Ghost General once again wave the banner, conjuring dense clouds of Yin energy below the horse, lifting both the ghost and the steed high into the sky. Soon after, aiming at Yan Yu¡¯s location, he dispersed the clouds and plummeted down like a meteor!

    Xu Dongming: ¡­¡­¡­.

    Zhou Erhe: ¡­¡­¡­.

    After a moment of silence, Zhou Erhe suddenly had a flash of insight and called out first:

    ¡°Old Xu, you really jinxed it! You dared to jinx Yan Zhanlong?¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense! When did I ever coddle him?¡± Xu Dongming¡¯s eyes bulged, ¡°Who knew it could ride the clouds and fog! My conclusion was based on the situation, logical and proper!¡±

    The crew outside flashed a sign, indicating to the commentators to stop arguing and get back to work.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s continue observing the Mysterious Realm.¡± As the external crew intervened, Zhou Erhe, who had already passed the buck, quickly brought the conversation back on track as if nothing had happened, ¡°The Ghost General rides the clouds and mists to catch up with Yan Yu! A downward strike from the metal halberd! Blocked! A diagonal slash! Blocked! A triple slash! Yan Zhanlong blocks them all! Yan Zhanlong tries to escape, the Ghost General pursues! They clash again!¡±

    Although he tried hard to describe the intensity of the battle, his vocabulary was still too poor, nowhere near as fierce as the actual fighting.

    The Ghost General¡¯s combat skills were extremely strong, his metal halberd aiming to strike vital points at the throat and belly with each blow, powerful enough to even send Huangting Heavy Sword flying. The drawback was its lack of agility, but that was completely compensated for by the underbelly ghost horse.

    Whenever Yan Yu tried to escape, it chased swiftly; when Yan Yu went behind, it turned rapidly; and when the Ghost General¡¯s metal halberd thrust grew sluggish, it would stomp with its forelimbs or kick with its hind legs, preventing Yan Yu from taking the chance to attack from behind.

    So loyal in protecting its master, Yan Yu was moved and decided to avoid the Ghost General for the moment, instead controlling his sword to land several heavy blows on the ghost horse, causing it to stagger, its soul fire flickering in its eyes, infuriating the Ghost General. In rage, he slammed the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner firmly on the ground, activating the countless divine runes on it!

    One, two, three¡ªa total of three Nine Heavens Yin Demon divine runes burst out of the banner, then exploded like thunder striking the ground, transforming into tangible Yin Demon energy, accompanied by shockwaves spreading rapidly in all directions. In an instant, it covered an area of two to three hundred meters in radius, engulfing even Yan Yu, who couldn¡¯t escape with his Shifting Technique in time, completely swallowed by the vast purple-black smoke!

    The Nine Heavens Yin Demon Secret Thunder!

    Then came incessant explosions, as the vast, sea-like Yin Demon energy lashed and coiled amid the purple-black smog, churning, dancing, and strangling! From the aerial drone¡¯s perspective, it was impossible to see the direction of the sinister energy below¡ªonly the surrounding houses exploding! Walls exploding! Floor tiles exploding! Rubble exploding! Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom! As if everything within the smog¡¯s reach, from brick and tile to sand and stone, had been fitted with tiny timed bombs, either being blasted away by the surrounding explosions or being directly hit by the Yin Demon Secret Thunder and shattered to pieces!

    The commentators fell silent, the audience was hushed, and even the incessant barrage of live comments came to a standstill.

    Although no one wanted to believe it, amidst such enormous and frequent explosions, it seemed impossible to imagine anyone surviving.

    How could he survive? Why should he survive?

    Zhou Erhe opened his mouth, wanting to make a conclusion but hesitated. Suddenly, the Ghost General moved within the mist.

    The Ghost General began to spur his horse into a furious sprint! Heading towards the edge of the fog! What could he possibly be chasing? What was worth his pursuit? Could Yan Yu really still be alive?

    ¡°Yan Yu is still alive!¡± Xu Dongming blurted out reflexively, and the live comments woke up like from a dream, the screen filling with a unanimous chant of ¡°Rise again, my Yan Zhanlong brother¡±, until Yan Yu¡¯s figure truly broke through the edge of the Yin Demon energy and the ambiance in the live room boiled over at that moment.

    ¡°Explosions in a chain couldn¡¯t kill him! Yin Soldiers and Ghost Generals couldn¡¯t kill him! Even a Flood Dragon couldn¡¯t kill him!¡± Xu Dongming screamed until he was hoarse, ¡°This is the Zhenhai Team¡¯s Yan Zhanlong! The miracle maker, the unbeatable Yan Zhanlong!¡±

    In front of the big screen, everyone from the Qing¡¯an Battle Team fell silent, until Jiang Hong was the first to snap back to reality and asked in horror,

    ¡°How¡­ How did Yan do that? Can a Barrier Charm block those explosions? Or did he use Wall-Penetration Technique to hide underground?¡±

    It was well known that the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse could withstand most physical damage, such as the slashing and stabs of the Flying Sword, but it was useless against Taoism Method-type damage. As for those dense explosions with obscure mechanisms and a sinister demonic aura, they were clearly not merely physical in nature.

    As for wall penetration, firing it up for half a second to pass through a barrier then turning it off was fine, but to hide underground for so long, the consumption of True Yuan was simply too great, even more impossible.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Li Minghu also couldn¡¯t understand and guessingly said, ¡°These chain explosions seem to cover the entire field, but they don¡¯t cover the entire field at the same time, so he might have used the time difference between them to promptly switch and move to a spot where the explosions hadn¡¯t occurred¡­¡±

    This explanation was too fantastical, to the point where she couldn¡¯t even continue herself, like sliding to avoid a pouncing tiger, or jumping at the moment an elevator hits the ground¡ªit sounded theoretically possible but was practically nonsense.

    As for how exactly he did it, it seemed that they could only wait to ask Yan Yu afterwards.

    Everyone turned back to the screen, only to see Yan Yu having burst out of the ruins, hopping from house to house, swiftly moving along the rooftops. The Ghost General was too heavy to get onto the rooftops and chose to drive his warhorse to smash through everything, regardless of whether it was a courtyard wall or a house¡ªlike a dump truck smashing everything to pieces, closely following right behind Yan Yu.

    A deadly pursuit!

    A Nine Heavens Yin Demon Secret Thunder was shot out, Yan Yu sidestepped as if teleporting, and with a backhand gesture of a sword technique, the Huang Tingjian fell from above. The Ghost General raised his spear to block, but underneath him, the warhorse burst into blood and cried out¡ªit was Yan Yu who had leaped from the rooftop, spinning in mid-air, and with repeated strikes of the Metal-Element Impact Curse, wounded the demon horse, then landed on another rooftop across the street and continued his swift escape, enraging the Ghost General who once more lifted the banner, ready to strike the ground again.

    ¡°He¡¯s going for another big move!¡± Xu Dongming stared intently at the screen and loudly warned, ¡°Every time the Ghost General raises his flag to strike the ground, he¡¯s about to unleash a big move! The longer the pause before striking, the fiercer the big move! He¡¯s still charging up! He¡¯s about to release his ultimate move! Yan Zhanlong, hurry and get ready¡­ Huh?¡±

    ¡°He put the flag back on his back!¡± Zhou Erhe shouted in addition, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    No one needed to answer him, as the abruptly increasing brightness of the screen had already given the answer.

    Dawn approached, as the long night was about to brighten.

    Daylight had come.

 Chapter 215: 14 Flying Dragon Battle Team, 70-80!

    Chapter 215: Chapter 14 Flying Dragon Battle Team, 70-80!

    The night retreated, and daylight descended.

    The surrounding Yin Soldiers faded into ash in the strengthening sunlight.

    The Ghost General, though not disappearing, had its purple-black Yin energy dissipated by nearly half. It was clearly becoming languid.

    Yan Yu halted his sprinting pace, turning around leisurely with his hands carefree in his coat pockets, showing no sign of fatigue on his face.

    The live stream opportunistically zoomed in¡ªthe production team gave him a full-body high-definition close-up.

    ¡°It¡¯s daytime now!¡± Xu Dongming shouted, ¡°The Ghost General is weakened! It¡¯s Yan Zhanlong¡¯s turn! Yan Zhanlong is about to unleash divine power! Annihilating! Obliterating! He¡¯s about to¡­¡±

    Before the professional commentator could finish, Yan Yu casually withdrew a pill, an Elixir Medicine, from his pocket and silently popped it into his mouth.

    ¡°Hey, no need to rush,¡± Zhou Erhe said facetiously next to him, providing cover for him, ¡°although Yan Zhanlong is divine, he also needs to replenish his True Yuan and rest.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Xu Dongming also calmed his excitement, speaking steadily, ¡°everyone, don¡¯t rush, let Yan Zhanlong recover first; his spectacular performance just now exhausted a lot of True Yuan¡­ Eh? Zhenhai Team is coming out!¡±

    Behind Yan Yu, several figures flickered by¡ªthe girls who had left the inn sprang onto the rooftop and positioned themselves on either side of him.

    The unmanned aerial camera adjusted focus once more, slightly narrowing the frame so that all five people were perfectly captured: Yan Yu stood nonchalantly in the center with one hand in his pocket, Chen Lingyun smiling sweetly at the camera while holding the Soul Summoning Banner, Su Yunjin calmly looking forward at the Ghost General, Lin Ning ready to attack with a Sword technique at hand, and Zhao Yuanzhen crossing her arms with a cool demeanor as if finally allowed a breath of fresh air.

    ¡°All set?¡± Yan Yu asked, tilting his head.

    Seeing them start to converse, the director quickly switched to the team¡¯s cameras to capture the dialogue¡ªYan Yu¡¯s chest camera was damaged in the previous explosion, so it switched to Chen Lingyun¡¯s perspective.

    ¡°All set,¡± Chen Lingyun confirmed, ¡°the night lasted 12 minutes and 11 seconds; we entered the Mysterious Realm about 9 minutes and 20 seconds before nightfall.¡±

    ¡°Daytime should be the same length as night,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°no matter, you guys take care of Flying Dragon Battle Team.¡±

    ¡°What about you, Captain?¡± Lin Ning asked in surprise.

    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with this gatekeeper,¡± Yan Yu said, looking at the Ghost General regaining strength before him, ¡°if you can¡¯t beat them, then call me.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said impatiently, ¡°we definitely won¡¯t call you, just take care not to capsize yourself.¡±

    ¡°Did you find their location?¡± Yan Yu inquired.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Chen Lingyun replied with a smile, ¡°while you were playing cat and mouse with them, I wasn¡¯t slacking off.¡± S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The audience in the live stream laughed along. The scene of a hundred thousand Yin Soldiers besieging Yan Zhanlong was so grand and perilous, making people believe several times that Yan Yu couldn¡¯t hold on. But now Chen Lingyun referred to it as ¡°cat and mouse¡±¡ªindicating that the deputy captain, despite her small and sweet southern appearance, was just as adept at showing off and stirring up trouble as Yan Yu.

    This also explained why Yan Yu led the Yin Soldiers around in circles¡ªto draw fire and assist the five spirits in completing their reconnaissance mission.

    On the other hand, Flying Dragon Battle Team also swiftly left their hiding place and gathered at a nearby rooftop vantage point.

    They had already spotted Chen Lingyun¡¯s deployed spirits, and naturally knew that Zhenhai Team had confirmed their location. Now that it was daytime, there was no need to hide, and they could have a fair and square battle!

    ¡°Two o¡¯clock position, they¡¯re coming,¡± Deputy Captain Shen Rui alerted the team, with Zhenhai Team approaching them.

    ¡°Charge!¡± Cai Qianlong roared, ¡°Give it your all!¡±

    ¡°Right!¡± the team responded.

    To acknowledge inferiority to Zhenhai Team is self-awareness; to fight with all one¡¯s might against an overpowering foe is self-transcendence! Even if defeated, it would be in the final moment striving for victory!

    Lin Ning, who was leaping across rooftops, heard the shouts ahead and said to her teammates via a secret vocal transmission:

    ¡°Their fighting spirit is quite high.¡±

    ¡°They probably think that without Yan Yu, the four of us girls are easy to bully,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    Easy to bully? The girls were taken aback for a moment, then each became furiously indignant.

    Just wait, we¡¯ll crush you soon!

    ¡°Sister Zhao, focus on Cai Qianlong; Ningning, suppress the other four,¡± Chen Lingyun commanded.

    ¡°Okay!¡± Lin Ning responded through the transmission, her Shifting Technique suddenly accelerating!

    The ultimate acceleration of the Shifting Technique is around sixteen meters per second. Exceeding this limit could easily lead to a stumble. To avoid being distracted by controlling speed, they usually wouldn¡¯t cruise at full throttle.

    Now, Lin Ning pushed to full speed in a burst, quickly leaving her teammates behind. With a flick of her hand, the Green Bamboo Sword performed a ¡°White Rainbow Through The Sun,¡± directly attacking Shen Rui on the right flank.

    Cai Qianlong, positioned at the vanguard of the Charging Arrow Formation, had an excellent overall view of the battlefield and immediately launched the True Yang Sword to intercept.

    Before he could intercept the Green Bamboo Sword, it was cut off halfway by the Yin Wind Sword. Cai Qianlong furrowed his brow, only to hear Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s voice transmitting to him in secret, sounding as if it were right next to his ear:

    ¡°Your opponent is me! Come and meet your fate!¡±

    With Cai Qianlong¡¯s temperament, of course, he couldn¡¯t stand such provocation. Hearing this, his fighting spirit instantly ignited, and he swiftly recalled the True Yang Sword, preparing to engage Zhao Yuanzhen in swordsmanship combat.

    Without Cai Qianlong¡¯s interception, Lin Ning¡¯s Green Bamboo Sword directly attacked the approaching Shen Rui, who parried it with the Profound Iron Sword. Using the force of the rebound, Lin Ning redirected the sword and swiftly stabbed towards Ma Dawei, who was behind.

    This sword technique of ¡°offering a flower in another¡¯s name¡± was a move Yan Yu often liked to play with during routine sparring: pretending to feign an attack at one girl while calculating the entry angle of the flying sword, then switching targets to another girl using the rebound ¡ª everyone subconsciously assumes that the flying sword would be temporarily out of control after being repelled, so their vigilance would inevitably relax at that moment, only to be hit hard as a result.

    Ma Dawei had never encountered such a situation and was in the midst of jumping to another rooftop, so when he was surprised mid-air by the Green Bamboo Sword, he instinctively activated the Barrier Charm to block.

    With a ¡°ding,¡± the Green Bamboo Sword failed to break through the Barrier Charm, but Ma Dawei¡¯s speed was slowed by the force of the sword, and without support in mid-air, he fell straight down.

    Shen Rui scanned the surroundings with his Divine Sense, confirming that team leader Cai Qianlong was entangled by Zhao Yuanzhen (he recognized him as Zhao Jiuzhen, but from now on for the sake of consistency, he will be referred to as Zhao Yuanzhen outside of dialogue, and it won¡¯t be mentioned again). Ma Dawei had temporarily broken ranks due to the ambush, so Lin Ning¡¯s Green Bamboo Sword would likely next target Peng Yifan and Zhong Ming, who were weaker than himself.

    Peng Yifan was a spell cultivator, and Zhong Ming was an envoy; both had decent swordsmanship amongst their fellow cultivators, but even if they joined forces against Lin Ning and the Green Bamboo Sword, it was hard to say, so Shen Rui hurriedly directed his Profound Iron Sword to the rescue.

    Just as the Profound Iron Sword intercepted the Green Bamboo Sword, a flash of purple light streaked by, and it was Chen Lingyun seizing the moment his flying sword was far from him, propelling the Purple Extreme Sword to slice at him.

    Without his flying sword at his side, Shen Rui had to quickly dodge using the Shifting Technique, but as he stepped away, he found himself immobilized on the rooftop as if rooted to the ground ¡ª Chen Lingyun¡¯s Ghoul had stretched its ghostly hand from under the rooftop and tightly wound around his ankle.

    Shen Rui, who had intended to save others, ended up in a crisis himself, with Peng Yifan and Zhong Ming rushing to his aid.

    The former cast a spell, launching three rays of golden light, while the latter shook his sleeves vigorously, dropping a six-armed demon with wings on its back, flapping quickly like a dragonfly. In an instant, it sped through tens of meters, about to grab the Purple Extreme Sword, when suddenly the floodwaters surged around them!

    Su Yunjin¡¯s Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art had trapped the six-armed demon!

    The falling Ma Dawei stabilized his body, used the Cloud Ascension Technique to fly back onto the rooftop, and upon looking closely, was immediately stunned.

    At that moment, team leader Cai Qianlong was still engaged in fierce flying sword combat with Zhao Yuanzhen, as if a life-and-death struggle, unable to extricate himself to help his teammates; deputy leader Shen Rui forcibly broke free of the ghoul¡¯s grasp with the Wood Bending Charm, narrowly avoiding the Purple Extreme Sword¡¯s stab, only to be slashed in the back by Lin Ning with the Green Bamboo Sword. Wounded and bloodied, he rolled off the rooftop and fell down¡­ Considering he was actually fighting three against one including the five ghosts, it was no surprise he was defeated given insufficient strength.

    Zhong Ming¡¯s demon was trapped by the opposing Taoist method, forcing him to use his flying sword to attack Su Yunjin from a distance in an attempt to free his own demon, only for Su Yunjin to easily block and restrain it with Coral Tears.

    Peng Yifan was now the only one not being closely watched. However, with Deputy Captain Shen Rui down and Captain Cai Qianlong unable to divert his attention to command the battle (not that he would be effective if he could), Peng Yifan had no choice but to make his own judgments of the situation. He first shot golden Taoism Method light at Zhao Yuanzhen, who deftly avoided it with a lateral shift, nearly hitting Captain Cai Qianlong instead. So, he turned his attack towards Lin Ning, who sliced through the golden light with the Green Bamboo Sword and then turned to attack him.

    We need to help Peng Yifan first!

    Ma Dawei made a swift decision and directly maneuvered his magical artifact towards Lin Ning, but he heard Peng Yifan¡¯s voice transmission coming through:

    ¡°Help Zhong.¡±

    Peng Yifan saw the situation more clearly than he did. Lin Ning¡¯s swordsmanship was incredibly formidable, and even together with Ma Dawei, it might not be possible to defeat her. On the other hand, Su Yunjin had to maintain the Taoism Method that trapped the demons and also fend off Zhong Ming¡¯s swordsmanship attacks. She was currently multitasking¡ªshe was the most vulnerable link in the Zhenhai Team!

    Ma Dawei quickly turned his attack towards Su Yunjin, but as soon as he launched his magical artifact, it was intercepted by the Purple Extreme Sword. Moreover, five ghosts transformed into ferocious dogs and surrounded him from all sides, forcing him to switch to defense for his own protection.

    With that, the entire tactical system of the Flying Dragon Battle Team was decimated due to Deputy Captain Shen Rui being targeted and taken down from the beginning. Now, completely fragmented, every team member was fighting on their own, with no possibility of mutual support, and there was an overwhelming tendency to be completely crushed by the Zhenhai Team under Chen Lingyun¡¯s command.

    ¡°The Flying Dragon Battle Team has lost,¡± concluded Zhang Huaide, in front of the big screen at the Huofeng Team training ground.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t we know that already?¡± Qin Meng asked in surprise, ¡°How could they possibly defeat the Zhenhai Team?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Zhang Huaide shook his head, ¡°strictly speaking, with Yan Yu not participating in the battle, they actually had a chance of winning at the beginning when it was five against four.¡±

    ¡°The problem lies with Cai Qianlong,¡± Zhou Hongyu hit the nail on the head.

    ¡°Exactly. From the moment Cai Qianlong began swordsmanship combat with Zhao Jiuzhen, they stood no chance,¡± Zhang Huaide said, shaking his head. ¡°As the deputy captain and the core of command, he was definitely the main target for the enemy team. Within the Flying Dragon Battle Team, only Cai Qianlong had the power to match Zhao Jiuzhen and Lin Ning, so he should have stayed close to Shen Rui to ensure the deputy captain¡¯s safety and keep the command structure operational.¡±

    ¡°But Shen Rui failed to realize this as well, didn¡¯t he?¡± Meng Qingxi raised the question.

    ¡°Yes, or it¡¯s possible that Cai Qianlong wouldn¡¯t listen,¡± Zhang Huaide said nonchalantly, ¡°after all, it was their team¡¯s first battle, and Cai Qianlong might not have completely trusted him, especially since they had a dispute during the press conference¡­ In any case, they should recognize this problem after this defeat.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not worry about them,¡± Zhou Hongyu, suddenly introspective, said to Zhang Huaide, ¡°In our Huofeng Team, everything is for the sake of victory. If I ever run into trouble, you must remind me right away, without worrying about my thoughts.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Zhang Huaide nodded, calmly raised a finger to adjust the frame on the bridge of his nose, and said solemnly, ¡°After all, that is the deputy captain¡¯s responsibility.¡±

    ¡°The director has switched the view,¡± Tang Xiaolian remarked after a moment, ¡°The Flying Dragon Battle Team is undoubtedly doomed, so let¡¯s watch Yan Yu¡¯s performance. Deputy Captain Zhang, do you think Yan Yu can take on the goalkeeper on his own?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Zhang Huaide said with a slight smile, ¡°If Yan Yu can slay the Flood Dragon, how could the Ghost General, whose strength is not even comparable to the previous Flood Dragon, possibly be a match for him?¡±

 Chapter 216: 15 Do you like my puppet Ah Zhen?

    Chapter 216: Chapter 15 Do you like my puppet Ah Zhen?

    The atmosphere of the Ghost General clearly wilted after the mysterious realm transitioned from night to day; it didn¡¯t even charge at Yan Yu immediately, instead choosing to silently recover its strength.

    Yan Yu wasn¡¯t in a hurry to make a move either. He simply stood there, hands clasped behind his back, calmly circulating his True Qi to refine the medicinal power within his stomach, fiercely recovering the True Yuan he had expended before.

    Of course, through the lens of the drones hovering in the sky and in the eyes of the clueless national audience, it seemed as if Yan Yu, much like a hero from a Louis Cha novel, was standing alone and posturing, intimating the Ghost General with his mere aura and deterring it from advancing.

    The might of Yan Zhanlong was that terrifying?!

    Even though the audience seemed to enjoy Yan Zhanlong¡¯s posturing according to the barrage of comments, the live broadcasters couldn¡¯t afford to keep the camera fixed on Yan Yu. It would appear as if the signal was interrupted and the screen had frozen, which wouldn¡¯t look good.

    After the two professional commentators praised Yan Yu for a few moments, they instructed the director to switch the view to the intense team confrontation elsewhere.

    It wasn¡¯t until the Flying Dragon Battle Team¡¯s defeat seemed certain that Yan Yu had almost finished refining the medicine¡¯s power, and he nonchalantly asked:

    ¡°What are you waiting for?¡±

    The large figure of the Ghost General offered no reply. The obtuseness brought on by death had long robbed him of the ability to speak; even maintaining consciousness was a struggle, barely preserving emotions like anger, pride, restlessness, and a bloodthirst from life.

    ¡°To die yet not fall, how pitiful,¡± Yan Yu sighed deeply, his hands skillfully forming a sword technique, and the Huang Tingjian sword floated up steadily, ¡°Allow me to relieve you of your suffering.¡±

    The Ghost General silently tightened the reins, and the warhorse beneath him anxiously pawed at the ground, as if asking its master whether to flee or fight.

    Yan Yu suddenly realized something was off; he looked down at his chest¡­ Ah, the camera had been destroyed in the earlier Yin Demon¡¯s explosion.

    Then what¡¯s the point of me posturing? The drones above can¡¯t hear my cool lines! S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu immediately sneered, thinking that, in that case, he wouldn¡¯t waste any more time.

    Fight!

    He suddenly dashed towards the Ghost General, with the Huang Tingjian sword moving even faster, aiming straight for the warhorse¡¯s head.

    The Ghost General finally made up its mind; the horse spun around instantly and fled away from Yan Yu towards the distance. The long halberd in its hand came swinging back, forcefully knocking away the incoming Huang Tingjian sword.

    Retreat!

    The tides of attack and defense had quickly reversed; now it was Yan Yu pursuing relentlessly from behind, but the Ghost General¡¯s warhorse was faster, quickly widening the gap, not looking back as it rushed towards the distant area¡ªthe direction seemed to be heading toward the palace north of the ancient city.

    Now that the team confrontation had been decided, the directors wanted to switch the view back to Yan Yu, only to see the Ghost General charging into the palace, with Yan Yu, without any hesitation, following closely behind, crossing the palace gates as well.

    And then¡­ there was no follow-up, the outdoor drones couldn¡¯t capture the indoors.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Zhou Erhe asked in confusion in the studio, ¡°Yan Zhanlong¡¯s wearable camera was damaged during the earlier BOSS attack, and we currently can¡¯t view his first-person perspective. So, can we direct the aerial drones to follow him inside for additional coverage?¡±

    ¡°As per the rules, the aerial drones are only allowed to perform fixed-route cruising shots; they¡¯re not permitted to follow the battle teams around,¡± Xu Dongming explained to the viewers, ¡°because in team confrontations we need to ensure fairness. Some teams might use stealth and ambush tactics, but if your drones are filming them, the opposing team will see there are drones in the sky and know that your team is ambushing nearby. This would result in the OB being accused of leaking secrets, so it¡¯s definitely not allowed.¡±

    ¡°However, since the confrontation between the teams has ended, and what follows is the fight against the goalkeeper boss, whether we can follow Yan Zhanlong for filming will depend on the relevant regulations from the Dingbei Army,¡± he glanced at the crew with an inquiring look and continued, ¡°So we will also try to communicate with the Dingbei Army to see if we can better ensure everyone¡¯s right to watch the match¡­¡±

    Ten Swift indeed had reached out to the Dingbei Army for a discussion, after all, they had spent real money on the internet broadcasting rights; how could they accept not being able to fully showcase the program¡¯s effectiveness?

    After consulting with their superiors, the Dingbei Army¡¯s response was a firm ¡°no.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t that the rules were set in stone forbidding it but rather that the current technology only allowed for transmitting information from the inside out, not from the outside in.

    Inside the mysterious realm, the Dingbei Army¡¯s medical, broadcasting, and security teams, not having received any orders from the outside headquarters, didn¡¯t dare to make unilateral decisions about controlling the drones. The outside headquarters, considering that more than half of the second daylight period inside the mysterious realm had passed and it would soon undergo another change from day to night, found it inconvenient to send sentries into the realm again to physically relay orders¡­ at least they¡¯d wait until the next darkness had passed and the third daylight emerged.

    As for Yan Yu, who followed the goalkeeper into the palace, of course, he wouldn¡¯t care about any broadcast effectiveness.

    He casually tore off the broken camera from his chest and threw it onto the stone-bricked ground, his divine sense swiftly scanning the surroundings.

    Within this palace, the decoration and furnishing were all eerily cold, the distinct style of the Demonic Sect unmistakable. Directly behind the main hall was a statue of a female cultivator, stunningly beautiful yet with a gentle yet sinister aura. She held a bone longsword in her hands, her expression between a smile and not, her demeanor growing ever more enchanting and evil.

    Beneath the statue, on a dusty altar laden with incense, was the spirit tablet of the cultivator, inscribed with the eight ancient seal characters ¡°Ancestor of our sect, Fairy Lianshan.¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s Divine Sense merely touched upon the tablet, and immediately, a torrent of information rushed into his sea of consciousness¡ªall of it singing praises of the so-called ¡°Fairy Lianshan¡¯s¡± astonishing feats, such as ¡°achieving heroic deeds with the delicate body of a woman¡±, ¡°wielding the power of an entire sect to command the majesty of the six realms¡±, ¡°upon ascension, ten thousand demons wept, stars dimmed, and the sun and moon lost their light¡±¡­ Yan Yu didn¡¯t believe a half-word of these nonsensical boasts¡ªif he did, he might as well have water in his brain.

    That world¡¯s Demonic Sect factions generally exaggerated their cultivators¡¯ prowess absurdly. For instance, naming rites for their Taoism Methods¡ªthe spell looks fancy? Call it Jiuyin! Too difficult to learn? Xuan Yin! Extremely powerful? Tai Yin! They adopted whatever sounded most impressive, which was entirely unlike Mei Yingxue¡¯s Xuanmen Zhengzong. Xuanmen Zhengzong cultivators valued their reputation; they wouldn¡¯t dare to use names like Taiqing or Yuqing unless their techniques were truly related, for fear of being ridiculed by their peers.

    If Zhao Yuanzhen had not been taken in by a master from the Demonic Sect but had joined Xuanmen Zhengzong instead, perhaps she wouldn¡¯t have developed the vain and profit-driven character she had now.

    Having raced into the side hall on the right with the Ghost General, Yan Yu followed suit. He passed through the side halls, the rear halls, with the ground gradually sloping downward until they arrived in a vast underground palace.

    The area was enormous, nearly half the size of a football field, resembling a huge subterranean cavern.

    Everywhere one looked, heaps of various bones were arranged into incense burners, pagodas, stupas, memorial arches, and even shapes resembling Taoist temples, shrines, and monasteries.

    Everything within this underground palace was unbelievably constructed from bones!

    At the entrance nearest to them, on a massive carapace of some creature, several ancient seal characters were inscribed in a lively and flowing style.

    With just a glance, Yan Yu instinctively understood their meaning:

    Divine Bone Palace.

    Before he could contemplate the meaning of ¡°Divine Bone Palace¡±, the ground beneath his feet suddenly shook violently.

    All the bones around him, whether part of the buildings or scattered in the corners, suddenly flew together as if attracted by a powerful magnetic force, thrumming as they flew toward the front.

    In the depths of the palace, the Ghost General stood with his horse on a clearing as myriads of bones crawled rapidly along the ground, as if alive, swarming up his feet, legs, and torso¡­ In just a few breaths, an endless supply of bones completely enshrouded the Ghost General, transforming him into a colossal half-skeletal giant over twenty meters tall, with a large halberd in hand, eyes blazing with soul fire, and the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner on his forehead, akin to the divine presence of Erlang. The mere sight of it carried immense majesty, shaking the spirit, compelling the impulse to kneel and bow in submission.

    Looking at the gigantic skeleton, Yan Yu laughed to himself, thinking the powerful entity behind this Mysterious Realm must be a Lego enthusiast. Who else would play with bones like building blocks? Do you think bigger means stronger?

    He swung his arm to the side, and a Silver Pellet fell to the ground, swiftly transforming into a beautiful woman with an ample chest and long legs. Though her beauty and figure were not remarkably different from that of the Demonic Sect Enchantress, her eyes and brows lacked the frank and honest demeanor of the original, bearing a tranquility and calmness more akin to Su Yunjin¡¯s.

    The Puppet Ah Zhen, after several days and nights of rushed work by the Demonic Sect Enchantress before entering the Mysterious Realm, was finally ready to make an appearance.

    With a core made of Celestial River Settling Earthly Divine Iron and skeletal structure of Thousand-Year Divine Dragon Wood, whether it was the force of an attack or the capacity to endure damage, it had surpassed any Transcendent being on Earth to date.

    This was also Yan Yu¡¯s sole reliance for not pursuing the path of a top-tier Sword Immortal from his previous life and instead opting to become a Puppet Master in this one.

    The half-giant began roaring fiercely, its soul fire flickering in its eyes like the raging flow of a great river, ceaselessly washing over its eye sockets. It exuded a terrifying majesty, like a king coldly overlooking all beneath heaven, demanding every creature and object in the world to bow before him.

    But Yan Yu¡¯s face showed not the slightest sign of tension. Instead, he lightly flicked the heavy blade of the Huangting Kunwu Sword and proclaimed aloud:

    ¡°Sword light stretches thirty thousand miles, blocks the vast sea, spreaws warm blood!¡± (Note 1)

    ¡°Now stepping boldly toward the heavens, reaching the pinnacle, without looking back!¡±

    Puppet Ah Zhen by his side produced a faint smile, the corners of her mouth appearing to curve upward, though it could be an illusion.

    With a hearty laugh, Yan Yu started to form the Sword technique, boldly saying:

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Ah Zhen!¡±

    Puppet Ah Zhen instantly accelerated, moving as fast as thunder and lightning across the ground, charging towards the half-giant. Her wrist blade shone brightly as a mirror, luminous as the moon.

    Yan Yu, along with the light of the Huang Tingjian, merged into one radiant sight, dazzling as a brilliant dawn, shining brightly as the sun, and in an instant, he launched towards the bizarre center of the giant¡¯s forehead, his immense killing intent soaring straight for the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner!!!

    (Note 1: This line is taken from the elegy by a Jingbei poet for Valkyrie Li Minghu, who died in battle in the South Sea, and published in the ¡°Jingbei Daily¡±, and is now utilized by Yan Zhanlong in this context.)

 Chapter 217: 16 The True Protagonist Never Looks Back at the Bosss Explosion

    Chapter 217: Chapter 16 The True Protagonist Never Looks Back at the Boss¡¯s Explosion

    The Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner is an extremely formidable treasure.

    However, what¡¯s even more formidable than the treasure itself are actually the three Nine Heavens Yin Demon Divine Inscriptions mingled among the countless seal scripts on the banner.

    Tracing its origins, one can find the ancestral Orthodox Demon Sect Techniques from the ancient desolate era, titled ¡°The Arcane Secrets of the Nine Heavens Yin Demon¡±, divided into an upper and a lower volume.

    The upper volume contains many profound spells and Nine Heavens Yin Demon Divine Inscriptions, and it¡¯s said that by cultivating to a profound level, one could cast aside their physical body, refine their soul into a demon, and achieve supremacy over heaven and earth, which typifies the Demon Sect¡¯s method for eternal longevity.

    The lower volume, on the other hand, is about the crafting methods of various Yin Demon treasures, each with immense power and treacherous effects. The method for crafting the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner can also be found within it.

    Later, when the formidable practitioner of the Demonic Path ascended and took the book with him, he left behind a bunch of disciples who hadn¡¯t fully mastered the cultivation (much like a developer fleeing with the funds, leaving behind a row of unfinished buildings).

    Some people had learned from the upper volume, forming the divine inscriptions, but hadn¡¯t had the chance to learn the lower volume; others knew the lower volume and had crafted the treasures, but hadn¡¯t looked at the upper volume at all. Those from the former group needed treasures while those from the latter needed divine inscriptions, so the two sides hit it off immediately. In order to fully recreate the supreme demonic techniques of the ancestral master, each pleaded with the other to contribute their years of arduous cultivation, even at the cost of their lives¡­

    In short, the lineage of this cultivation method is now fragmented and scattered, and no one knows how many divine inscriptions there are, nor how many treasures. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But, without a doubt, their combination, even if just incomplete fragments, can unleash tremendous demonic powers!

    Yan Yu performed the Sword-Body Union and transformed into a sword light, which surged in might and thrust towards the giant¡¯s eyes and brows, only to see the latter exhale a stream of demonic energy, turning into a huge hand in mid-air to grasp at the sword light.

    However, this hand wasn¡¯t a technique from the Demonic Sect but rather mimicked the Buddhist Sect¡¯s ¡°Sumi Ratna Hand,¡± with five fingers clawing towards him as if to crush him on the spot, but unexpectedly, Yan Yu was also familiar with this spell. The sword light halted abruptly in its flight, merely grazing the fingertips, causing his opponent to grasp at air.

    The puppet Ah Zhen had already rushed beneath the giant, suddenly spread her arms, and ascended into the clouds to strike towards the adversary¡¯s head.

    The Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner sensed the threat and abruptly surfaced a pitch-black divine inscription, which smashed down on puppet Ah Zhen¡¯s head¡ªthis thing was actually the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Secret Thunder, capable of destroying the body and eradicating the soul. Had it hit Yan Yu, it would have been an immediate enactment of ¡°Yan Zhanlong¡¯s demise,¡± without the slightest chance of rescue.

    However, Yan Yu had purposely used the Sword-Body Union to draw the giant¡¯s attention, creating an opportunity for puppet Ah Zhen, and of course, he didn¡¯t plan to take it too lightly.

    Ah Zhen, facing the Yin Demon Secret Thunder, didn¡¯t dodge but instead charged forward, speeding up even faster, with her forearms protecting her face, and she charged straight into the Secret Thunder from below!

    Amidst the explosion, fragments flew, and Ah Zhen¡¯s forearms were completely shattered, revealing the white jade-like arm bones inside¡ªthe Divine Dragon Wood, the essence of the best wood, natural at repelling evil, and coincidentally the natural nemesis of such evil spirits as the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Secret Thunder!

    Ah Zhen, once again accelerating out from the dispersing Yin Demon energy, finally reached the giant¡¯s head and grasped the pole of the banner with her finger bones.

    I¡¯ll pull!

    As the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner was violently jerked by her, the giant also let out a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering scream and flailed around with his halberd, striking chaotically¡ªhe didn¡¯t dare to attack Ah Zhen on his forehead, afraid that excessive force would damage the banner, so he instinctively aimed his blows at Yan Yu, seeking to rescue one crisis with another.

    Yan Yu, while mentally urging Ah Zhen to exert force, continued to control his sword flight to dodge the attacks, moving nimbly like a fish in the water. No matter how the halberd hacked and slashed, turning the grand hall upside down, he didn¡¯t receive a single scratch.

    While Yan Yu was fully utilizing his agility to dodge, puppet Ah Zhen, on the other hand, adopted a different mode. No matter how the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner activated the divine inscriptions, producing Secret Thunders to explode, she remained silent and endured, relying on the Divine Dragon Wood¡¯s evil-repelling properties. She withstood about seventy to eighty blasts of Secret Thunder, and finally yanked the banner pole out to its limit with great force.

    However, inside the palace where everything was being turned upside-down; outside the palace, day and night made another silent exchange.

    At the end of the day, the medical and security teams had already arrived, taking away the entire Flying Dragon Battle Team for treatment; as night fell and countless ghosts roamed, the four members of the Zhenhai Team had to find a room indoors to take shelter and wait for the night to end before rushing toward the palace in the north of the city.

    The four girls dashed swiftly, entering the palace, turning into a side hall, descending all the way in search of their team captain. The director also switched the view to their first-person perspective¡ªeven though the shaking was enough to make one nauseous, the bullet comments contained hardly any complaints.

    Everyone only wanted to quickly understand: how is Yan Zhanlong doing after pursuing the gatekeeper all by himself?

    As everyone just descended into the palace corridor, they heard a thunderous explosion from afar.

    Inside the palace, the immense sword light surged in a flash, piercing straight into the forehead of the half-bodied giant and violently erupting out from the back of his head, then, tracing an arc, it landed on the ground, revealing Yan Yu¡¯s figure once again.

    The puppet Ah Zhen, with the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner in hand, landed lightly and gracefully beside him. She casually stuck the banner into the ground, gave a slight smile, and turned into a Silver Pellet to return to his sleeve.

    Yan Yu¡¯s divine sense swept across the field, realizing that the girls were approaching from behind. He casually grabbed the flagpole beside him, sent True Yuan into it, and the uncontrolled Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner no longer condensed runes, its luminous glows on the surface dimming as well.

    Finally, the girls entered the underground palace and saw Yan Yu holding the banner, standing tall. Despite seeming a bit disheveled, there were hardly any injuries on him.

    Looking at the half-skeleton giant opposite him, a dark hole was precisely in the middle of its forehead, the area around the wound rapidly disintegrating.

    Web-like cracks spread quickly, soon reaching the entire skull and then snaking down along the spine¡­ Yan Yu couldn¡¯t be bothered to watch how the gatekeeper BOSS died; he simply turned around while holding the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner in reverse, his expression calmly walking towards the girls.

    Against the grand backdrop of the skeleton giant¡¯s body collapsing and bone fragments raining down like shards, Yan Yu, with his steady stride, carrying the banner and sword, approached the girls. Like a tough guy walking away from an explosion in a movie, he stirred another round of uproar in the live stream comments.

    He handed the flagpole to Chen Lingyun and asked unceremoniously,

    ¡°Why are you so slow? I¡¯ve finished the fight.¡±

    ¡°To give you a chance for a one-on-one with the gatekeeper~¡± Chen Lingyun removed the camera from her collar and aimed it at Yan Yu¡¯s face, smiling sweetly, ¡°Is there anything you¡¯d like to say to the viewers?¡±

    ¡°Tired.¡± Yan Yu yawned, ¡°Let¡¯s pack up and prepare to head back.¡±

    In the studio, watching the dying disintegration of the half-giant BOSS, Zhou Erhe was still baffled:

    ¡°That¡¯s it? It¡¯s finished? I mean, it¡¯s only been about twenty minutes tops outside, and he¡¯s finished down here?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a pity we didn¡¯t get to see the BOSS fight.¡± Now that things were settled and the stagehand was signaling to pacify the crowd outside, Xu Dongming naturally had to come out and explain promptly, ¡°It can only be said that in the martial world, among masters, victory can be determined in an instant. And for a master among masters like Yan Zhanlong, as long as you give him an opportunity in a drawn-out battle, he can strike to kill immediately.¡±

    ¡°How do you explain him being chased around the city by Yin Soldiers and running all over the place from the BOSS, then?¡± Zhou Erhe scoffed coldly.

    ¡°He was probably just gathering intelligence.¡± Xu Dongming explained seriously, ¡°After figuring out the mechanism of the day-night transition and seeing through the BOSS¡¯s attack patterns, what¡¯s left is an easy win. However, the camera damage is indeed an issue, and I hope the Dingbei Army can solve this durability problem in the future. After all, missing out on the most exciting part of the battle is something I believe the audience in front of the screen still finds regrettable¡­¡±

    He patiently soothed the crowd watching the live stream, but the comments didn¡¯t seem to mind missing the BOSS fight; they were all concerned about whether Yan Yu was really tired:

    ¡°Yan Zhanlong, you¡¯ve worked hard.¡±

    ¡°Yan Zhanlong, get some good rest.¡±

    ¡°Yan Zhanlong, when are you coming to Jiang Hai to sign an autograph for me?¡±

    ¡°Does Yan Zhanlong need physical therapy? I have a certificate for it¡­¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Seeing that the comments weren¡¯t hung up on the missed BOSS fight and having received the cue from outside, Zhou Erhe quickly took the opportunity to steer the conversation, ¡°With this, the live broadcast of the contest has come to an end. Next, let¡¯s take a look at the replay of the battlefield. To better analyze the details of the fight for everyone, we¡¯ve specially invited from the Zhendong Army, Cultivator Qi Changping, to come and explain¡­¡±

    Inside the studio, applause thundered¡ª all of it from hired clappers.

    Qi Changping walked onto the stage with a heavy heart, seemingly at a loss for words for a moment.

    From the start of the term to now, had it not been him enduring Yan Yu¡¯s show-offs in silence every time, hoping that he would be a bit more modest, a bit more restrained, a bit more normal?

    Unexpectedly, as time changed, he now had to help that kid show off big time in front of the entire country! Damn it, how did things turn out like this?

    ¡°I heard that Teacher Qi used to be Yan Zhanlong¡¯s teacher at school, right?¡± Zhou Erhe started the conversation.

    Used to? Qi Changping felt a bit annoyed. I am still his teacher, even though I haven¡¯t been able to teach him much, that is.

    ¡°Yes.¡± He put on the air of an insider, speaking calmly and composedly, ¡°Yan Yu, when he first enrolled, I was in charge of admissions. From the first moment I saw him, I realized this person was definitely a once-in-a-millennium cultivation prodigy¡­¡±

 Chapter 218: 17: Post-Game Press Conference!

    Chapter 218: Chapter 17: Post-Game Press Conference!

    ¡°`

    The junk time was upon them.

    The Dingbei Army cultivators came over to clean up the site, confirming the location of the central hub within the ruins of the Mysterious Realm and carefully extracted it.

    Only after a specialist refined it could the Zhenhai Team and others leave the Mysterious Realm.

    If it had been an esports competition, there would have been thunderous applause outside the Mysterious Realm by now, countless dazzling spotlights shone, and tens of thousands of media cameras would be aimed here, waiting for the team members to step onto the award stage where a heavy trophy¡ªtoo big to be lifted with one hand (designed to be hoisted by the entire team)¡ªwas placed¡­

    But there was none.

    Lin Ning shifted her gaze around, observing that people in the military camp were still methodically going about their work, like precise gears turning in a massive machine.

    This cooled her tiny sense of vain pride from claiming victory just a bit.

    So it seems, the seemingly glamorous cultivators are just a few parts of this colossal machine after all.

    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Su Yunjin noticed her falling behind and stopped to wait for her.

    ¡°No, nothing.¡± Lin Ning hurried to catch up.

    After a while, she suddenly spoke up:

    ¡°The captain clearly stole the show, so why can¡¯t I see a single expression of joy on his face?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps because for him, this really isn¡¯t an achievement worth boasting about,¡± Su Yunjin speculated thoughtfully.

    ¡°Is that so¡­¡± Lin Ning also pondered quietly.

    What then is the true accomplishment that I should seek and strive for?

    After getting checked by the medical team, everyone returned to the hotel they had stayed in the day before to rest and rejuvenate.

    Yan Yu returned to his room, took out his phone, and saw that many friends had sent congratulatory messages. Since there were too many, he decided to set them aside for now and reply when he got home¡­

    Huh?

    [The Proud and Quirky One has sent you a video invite.]

    What does my little sister want?

    Yan Yu, puzzled, tapped to accept the call, and his sister¡¯s face instantly appeared on the screen¡­ the background seemed to be her school.

    Oh, right, school has started again.

    ¡°Big brother,¡± Yan Jing beamed, ¡°you worked hard in this competition.¡± sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu instinctively wanted to scoff and say ¡°Worked hard my ass,¡± but on second thought, he wondered, She¡¯s making a video call from school just to tell her big brother he worked hard?

    I don¡¯t buy it! That¡¯s not like her at all!

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Yan Yu asked seriously.

    Yan Jing didn¡¯t disappoint him. She moved her face away from the screen to reveal three or four junior high school girls behind her and boasted:

    ¡°Ta-da! See, this is my brother Yan Zhanlong! I didn¡¯t lie to you, did I?¡±

    Watching the girls¡¯ expressions change from surprised, to astonished, to shocked, and then to eyes gleaming with excitement, Yan Yu was momentarily dumbfounded, then somewhat speechless.

    Damn, Jingjing, you¡¯re only in junior high! How come you¡¯ve started showing off your brother already? Where did you learn this braggadocious trait!!!

    Seeing that Yan Yu didn¡¯t know what to say for a moment, Yan Jing¡¯s face quickly reappeared on the screen and chuckled:

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s it, you can hang up now.¡±

    Yan Yu irritably ended the call, lay back on the bed and played with his phone for a while longer, then he suddenly heard knocking.

    ¡°Yan Yu!¡± Lin Ning called from the other side of the door, ¡°We have a press conference to attend shortly, Ruoxi is calling you over for makeup.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Yan Yu got up.

    Opening the door, he saw that Sister Lin had already put on her makeup. Her makeup was more radiant than Su Yunjin¡¯s, focusing on accentuating eye lines and highlighting plump lips, and her hair, which Lin Ning usually likes to tie into a single ponytail, was now exceptionally let down (styled with a curling iron), adding fashionably playful curves to her innocent face, enhancing her beauty.

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Lin Ning felt a little uncomfortable.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t your makeup a bit too heavy?¡± Yan Yu frowned and asked.

    ¡°Eh, is it?¡± Lin Ning quickly took out her phone to check herself in the selfie camera.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s too much,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°You could compare with the others.¡±

    ¡°Does the captain prefer the no-makeup look?¡± Lin Ning asked tentatively.

    ¡°I like my girlfriend without makeup, so it¡¯s less likely to eat lipstick when kissing,¡± Yan Yu replied nonchalantly.

    ¡°You, you!¡± Lin Ning blushed with embarrassment, kicked out forcefully but was nimbly dodged by Yan Yu. Feeling somewhat aggrieved by the insinuation, she didn¡¯t continue to chase him but rather protested, ¡°How can you say such a thing!¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Yan Yu also showed a baffled expression, ¡°You asked me what type of makeup I like on girls, and I told you. Besides, this is just my personal aesthetic preference, so why did you hit me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to¡ª!¡± It was then that Lin Ning realized something wasn¡¯t right; it seemed like she might have let her imagination run wild¡­ No, he¡¯s trying to trick me!

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask what makeup you like, I was asking what makeup you think looks better on me,¡± she quickly regained her composure and spoke with conviction, ¡°But you brought up things like girlfriends, kissing, eating lipstick¡ª isn¡¯t that making lewd comments and harassing a teammate?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re spouting nonsense!¡± Yan Yu immediately got angry, ¡°You clearly asked about my preference!¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s your proof?¡± Lin Ning stretched out her fair hand and said with a sly smile, ¡°Do you have any evidence? Do you have a recording?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the team captain,¡± Yan Yu declared with authority, ¡°My word is evidence.¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Lin Ning turned her head away, pretending she wanted nothing to do with him, but her eyes stealthily glanced at his facial expression. Seeing Yan Yu didn¡¯t react, she suddenly stretched out her leg like lightning and stepped on him, then quickly dashed away to a distance.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    Are you a grade schooler or what?

    When Lin Ning ran back to Xie Ruoxi¡¯s room, she peeked out to make sure Yan Yu hadn¡¯t followed her, and only then did she slowly relax.

    That annoying captain is always teasing girls with his words! That kick was your punishment!

    ¡°Where¡¯s Yan Yu?¡± Xie Ruoxi was doing Chen Lingyun¡¯s eyebrows when she saw Lin Ning return and asked.

    ¡°He¡¯ll be here in a bit,¡± Lin Ning composed herself, hiding her little emotions and sitting beside Chen Lingyun.

    After a while, she said softly:

    ¡°Ruoxi, I think my makeup is a bit heavy now, I¡¯d like to switch to something lighter.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Xie Ruoxi said nonchalantly, ¡°Which parts would you like to be lighter?¡±

    ¡°I want to change to a natural makeup look,¡± Lin Ning murmured as she looked at herself in the mirror, ¡°No lipstick, just use lip balm instead.¡±

    ¡°How come you¡¯re suddenly making decisions about your makeup?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, ¡°Didn¡¯t you just go along with whatever Ruoxi said last time?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lin Ning replied nonchalantly, ¡°If you put on too much lipstick, it¡¯s bothersome when you eat and some of it gets into your mouth.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    After the match, the Flying Dragon Battle Team still attended the press conference first.

    The home team attends first before the game, but the losers attend first after; since the Flying Dragon Battle Team was the home team that lost, they had to attend first both times¡­ Although it sounds unlucky, considering that the second teams from the other three military branches have gone through the same, there¡¯s no need for special sympathy towards them.

    The journalists were, of course, merciless. As soon as the Q&A session began, someone threw a very sharp question:

    ¡°Who do you think should bear the main responsibility for this defeat?¡±

    Vice-captain Shen Rui, with a microphone in hand, devoid of any dejection or annoyance from defeat, simply said with a smile:

    ¡°Everyone watched the live broadcast, right? The primary reason for the Flying Dragon Battle Team¡¯s defeat was that I was taken out by the opposition too early, leading to the collapse of our team¡¯s command system¡­¡±

    Before he could finish his self-criticism, Cai Qianlong, who could no longer bear it, snatched the microphone away.

    ¡°It¡¯s my responsibility,¡± Cai Qianlong said, suddenly standing up and bowing to the journalists present, ¡°The defeat can¡¯t be blamed on Shen Rui because he wasn¡¯t strong enough to withstand Zhenhai Team¡¯s concentrated fire.¡±

    ¡°Being up five to four at the start, we had the advantage in numbers, but to make the most of it, the command has to be smooth. As the team captain, I should have ensured during the battle that Shen Rui wasn¡¯t targeted by the opposition, and I failed to do that. Therefore, I bear the responsibility for this defeat.¡±

    The journalists silently watched him. In a movie, the entire audience would probably erupt in applause now, admiring the captain¡¯s spirit of taking responsibility.

    But reality is that not everyone might be sympathetic, but they definitely have brains. What you said is correct; the defeat is indeed your responsibility, and your public admission has saved us a lot of effort in writing news articles¡­ So they started to conceptualize their reports, and the atmosphere turned somewhat chilly for a moment.

    ¡°But just because we lost this time, doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯ll lose next time!¡± After admitting defeat, Cai Qianlong suddenly regained his spirit and shouted, ¡°Next time we face Zhenhai Team, we won¡¯t be defeated so easily!¡±

    Now the atmosphere became lively again. Journalists love conflict and tension, and as the host signaled for the next question, immediately seven or eight hands shot up.

    ¡°Captain Cai, Zhenhai Team chose a tactic of four against five this time, with team captain Yan Yu going alone to challenge the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper. Do you think this was an act of contempt towards the Flying Dragon Battle Team?¡± the journalist who got the chance to ask a question instantly fanned the flames.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Cai Qianlong said earnestly, ¡°But that¡¯s the truth. Because our current strength is indeed not the match of Zhenhai Team, and we don¡¯t have the ability to incite team captain Yan Yu¡¯s interest!¡±

    ¡°Captain Cai,¡± another journalist inquired, ¡°how would you evaluate Zhenhai Team¡¯s captain Yan Yu?¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu is very strong,¡± Cai Qianlong stated seriously, ¡°Extremely strong. I once sought guidance from Liu Longtao, the number one person from the Dingbei Army, and of course, he¡¯s also very strong, but I think he¡¯s a notch below Yan Yu. Yan Yu might be currently the strongest Cultivator in the whole Lu Country.¡±

    We should have interviewed Captain Cai earlier! Journalists with the hot quote teared up with joy and eagerly raised their hands, indicating they had more questions.

    In the military academy of Shengjing, everyone watching the live broadcast suddenly fell silent, each stealing glances at Lord Master¡¯s expression, secretly snickering to themselves.

    ¡°It¡¯s not so bad,¡± Ye Jun came out to ease the tension, ¡°At least he didn¡¯t say it was a tie when he fought you.¡±

    Liu Longtao¡¯s face darkened before he finally said:

    ¡°So, everyone is latching onto that, huh?¡±

 Chapter 219: 18: Return to Jinling, A Visit from an Old Friend

    Chapter 219: Chapter 18: Return to Jinling, A Visit from an Old Friend

    ¡°Are we good to go?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Mhm, very handsome.¡± Xie Ruoxi gave his bangs one final touch-up, took a moment to appraise his face, and then suddenly said shyly, ¡°Extremely handsome.¡±

    ¡°Cool it with the fangirl face, you¡¯re about to drool.¡± Yan Yu pushed her to the side and turned to ask, ¡°Everyone ready? Let¡¯s go!¡±

    The group left the dressing room and arrived at the press conference, where they walked onstage and took their seats in order.

    Before the host even announced the start of the question period, a sea of hands shot up from the crowd below.

    ¡°Headline Daily.¡± The host called out. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Hello.¡± The reporter from Headline Daily stood up, ¡°Why did you choose to play four against five, with Captain Yan taking on the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper alone? What was the reasoning behind this decision?¡±

    ¡°Short on time, thanks.¡± Yan Yu replied nonchalantly. ¡°Next.¡±

    Reporters: ¡­¡­¡­

    It sounded dismissive, but on further reflection, it actually made sense: with the Mysterious Realm transitioning between day and night every fifteen minutes, and nights being patrolled by Yin Soldiers and ghosts with boosted strength, it was impossible to besiege the gatekeeper.

    That is to say, if the Zhenhai Team fought the Flying Dragon Battle Team with all members, there might not be enough daylight left afterwards, and they would have to wait for another day-night cycle, which is why Yan Yu decided to split his forces to save time¡­

    Could your explanation be any more far-fetched?! Just to save a mere ten or so minutes (not even ten hours), is it necessary to have one person take on the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper alone?

    The reporters all had a vague sense that Yan Yu¡¯s choice to go solo was really just a stunt to show off in front of the entire nation¡­ but they had no evidence.

    ¡°Please, Ba Guan News.¡± The host gestured to continue with the questions.

    ¡°Captain Yan, what is your assessment of this match¡¯s opponents¡ªthe Flying Dragon Battle Team?¡± asked the reporter who got the microphone.

    This kind of mirrored question had already been asked during the Flying Dragon Battle Team¡¯s Q&A session. Cai Qianlong¡¯s reply had been ¡°Yan Yu is likely the strongest cultivator in Lu Country currently,¡± a straightforward, no-nonsense answer that carried newsworthy value. In contrast, those like Shen Rui gave standard, insipid, bureaucratic responses that disgusted reporters so much they didn¡¯t even want to ask.

    Of course, Yan Zhanlong seemed more the carefree and unbridled type and was not likely to be as smooth as Shen Rui, so the reporters were all eager to hear how he would critique his opponents¡ªpreferably with criticism, then with praise, or even with a balanced view, as long as it wasn¡¯t some insincere, boring platitude.

    Yan Yu fell silent for a moment before asking:

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    The room went silent.

    ¡°Captain Yan, what is your assessment of the Flying Dragon Battle Team?¡± The Ba Guan News reporter thought he hadn¡¯t heard clearly, so he repeated the question.

    ¡°Sorry.¡± Yan Yu answered seriously, ¡°Haven¡¯t faced them, not familiar. Next.¡±

    That reporter stood there as if struck by lightning, speechless for a long while, and the surrounding crowd all held their foreheads.

    This guy can¡¯t be serious!

    Did Yan Yu really not know about the Flying Dragon Battle Team? Impossible, or else he wouldn¡¯t have sent Chen Lingyun¡¯s team to fight four against five.

    Making such a risky tactical decision meant that he definitely had a clear understanding of the Flying Dragon Battle Team¡¯s strengths! How could he ¡°give no assessment¡±?

    Of course, it wasn¡¯t possible for them to confront the issue head-on and say, ¡°Come on, Captain Yan, we know you understand the Flying Dragon Battle Team; just give us your evaluation.¡± So, unanimously, they became more cautious:

    Yan Zhanlong indeed disdained speaking in clich¨¦s like Shen Rui, but that didn¡¯t mean he was an easy interview subject. They needed to stay sharp!

    ¡°Pound News.¡± The host continued to call out names.

    ¡°Hello, Captain Yan.¡± This reporter was much more respectful, given the failure of the previous two, and he decided to handle Yan Yu with kid gloves, so as not to waste his chance at a question with a flippant response, ¡°First, congratulations to Zhenhai Team on winning this match, and second, due to the camera breakdown, no one saw how you defeated the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper. Could you give us a brief description?¡±

    ¡°Oh, sure.¡± Yan Yu responded openly, ¡°I chased the gatekeeper down to the underground palace, where he suddenly cast some kind of evil spell and transformed into a giant Godzilla made of bones. Then I dodged his attacks for a while and finally seized a crucial opportunity to use my finishing move and killed him in one hit.¡±

    Reporters: ¡­¡­¡­

    The Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper turned into Godzilla, and then you finished him with your ultimate move, right? Why don¡¯t you say you transformed into Ultraman?

    If it had been Qi Changping during the school-starting period, he would certainly have explained to the reporters that while Yan Yu might seem easy to talk to and was willing to answer questions, this didn¡¯t mean he would give the answer you wanted.

    ¡°Does anyone else have a question?¡± the host asked to confirm.

    Incredibly, no one raised their hand. It wasn¡¯t because they had run out of questions, but rather that they were all racking their brains on how to frame their question so that Yan Yu would give a serious answer.

    Luckily, among the reporters were some clever individuals who quickly came up with a strategy:

    ¡°I¡¯d like to ask Vice Captain Chen, there was a lot of negative commentary about the Zhenhai Team before the match. Did the Zhenhai Team choose the risky strategy of four against five in this confrontation to counter these criticisms?¡±

    If Captain Yan was tough to handle, they should be able to ask Vice Captain Chen Lingyun, right?

    ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡± Chen Lingyun took the microphone from Yan Yu, smiling, ¡°It¡¯s to let Yan Yu face the gatekeeper alone to save time.¡±

    Reporters: ¡­¡­¡­

    Some still refused to accept defeat and continued to raise their hands, inquiring:

    ¡°So please tell me, will the Zhenhai Team adopt the same aggressive tactical strategy in the next Mysterious Realm competition?¡±

    ¡°The specific tactics and strategies depend on the specific objective circumstances,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°If the next Mysterious Realm competition¡¯s rule is limited to women brawling, we would definitely exclude our captain Yan Yu as well.¡±

    Reporters: ¡­¡­¡­.

    Well, utter annihilation.

    ¡°That concludes the reception.¡± The host announced swiftly.

    After leaving the highly praised press conference, Yan Yu and the others packed their bags and boarded the flight back to Jinling.

    Nowadays, with a large number of media stationed in Gaodu County, those good old days of ¡°finishing the Mysterious Realm and playing locally for a day¡± are probably gone forever.

    ¡°Are we going to debrief this time?¡± Inside the cabin, Lin Ning played with her phone for a while, before suddenly asking.

    It¡¯s like a student who must check their answers after an exam; it would feel awkward not to.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely. ¡°The other side was in their first contest, and regardless of whether they were ready, they certainly didn¡¯t show it well this time. The value of the debrief isn¡¯t significant.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen commented. ¡°Moreover, Cai Qianlong, as the captain, had such unimpressive combat strength; so disappointing.¡±

    The girls were speechless. In fact, Cai Qianlong could become the captain of the battle team; not to mention his brains or awareness, at least his strength was undoubtedly exceptional.

    But the problem lies with Yan Yu, the captain of the Zhenhai Team; his strength is at a superhuman monster level, which inflated the girls¡¯ standards of assessment. How do you compare Cai Qianlong with Yan Yu? Even if you compare Liu Longtao with Yan Yu, the conclusion would be the same, but there¡¯s no point!

    ¡°By the way, during the press conference, Cai Qianlong said that you, Yan Yu, are Lu Country¡¯s strongest Cultivator,¡± Su Yunjin asked curiously. ¡°Is it true?¡±

    ¡°Though I¡¯d rather not admit it, right now it seems no one in the country can beat him,¡± Lin Ning glanced at Yan Yu.

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Yan Yu scoffed. ¡°I have already said I am the strongest in this world, okay?¡±

    ¡°Talking big doesn¡¯t cost money,¡± Lin Ning said cheerfully. ¡°There are so many powerful Transcendents overseas, once you have defeated all of them, then you can claim to be the ¡®strongest in this world¡¯!¡±

    ¡°Naive,¡± Yan Yu expressed his disdain. ¡°Does the world¡¯s richest person need to compare bank account balances with everyone else?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s already too much for you to compare yourself to Lu Country¡¯s richest, how have you suddenly become the world¡¯s richest?¡± Lin Ning directly retorted. ¡°Even counting generously, haven¡¯t we only had one encounter with foreign Transcendents? Where does this confidence come from?¡±

    As she finished speaking, Yan Yu¡¯s phone rang.

    ¡°Hold on, I need to take a call,¡± Yan Yu said as he looked at his phone and answered the call.

    Sitting next to him, Chen Lingyun could see clearly that the caller ID was unknown, only indicating it was a number from East Sea Province.

    ¡°Hello,¡± Anna¡¯s voice came through the phone. ¡°I¡¯m at Lukou Airport, where¡¯s your home?¡±

    ¡°Why are you in Jinling?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    ¡°On a business trip,¡± Anna replied.

    You, a witch practicing illegally without an official job, on a business trip, my foot! Yan Yu said irritably:

    ¡°I¡¯m on my way back to Jinling Prefecture; I¡¯ll give you a call when I arrive.¡±

    After hanging up the phone, he heard Lin Ning immediately ask:

    ¡°Yan Yu, whose call was that?¡±

    Although the other girls didn¡¯t ask, they all pricked up their ears inadvertently, shifting their attention to the matter.

    ¡°Just an international friend,¡± Yan Yu answered nonchalantly. ¡°She says she¡¯s already in Jinling and wants to find me.¡±

    ¡°International friend?¡± Lin Ning asked curiously. ¡°Male or female?¡±

    ¡°Female,¡± Yan Yu paused, then continued, ¡°I¡¯m not sure if it counts as illegal entry; might need to report it to the higher-ups. Chen Lingyun?¡±

    ¡°Is it that person?¡± Chen Lingyun immediately understood.

    ¡°Right,¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    Seeing that Chen Lingyun also knew the caller¡¯s identity, the other girls felt confused and a sense of crisis began to emerge in their hearts.

    ¡°Why do you both know her, but I don¡¯t?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was the first to show her dissatisfaction.

    ¡°You know her as well,¡± Chen Lingyun replied, smiling.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked in bewilderment.

    ¡°Whoever it is,¡± Su Yunjin stated indifferently. ¡°Since she¡¯s come to Jinling, we must give her a good reception.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Lin Ning agreed, quickly seizing the opportunity to clear the air about the visitor¡¯s identity.

 Chapter 220: 19 I, the Eclipse Queen, Also Need Face

    Chapter 220: Chapter 19 I, the Eclipse Queen, Also Need Face

    ¡°`

    Inside the airport, Anna and her two sisters ordered their food and sat in a Kaifeng cuisine restaurant, casually chatting with each other.

    The eldest sister was named ¡°Sofia,¡± and the second sister was named ¡°Maria,¡± both were the biological daughters of Anna¡¯s aunt and had now all become witches.

    The two cousins were not only over 1.8 meters tall, with large bone structures and especially broad shoulders, but they also had dark purple eyeshadow on their faces, wore silver enchanted nose rings, and had dense tattoos of spells on their arms, necks, and around their belly buttons, which made many men who wanted to come over and chat think twice.

    Only Anna, standing just over 1.7 meters, had put on only bright lipstick and bore no jewelry or tattoos on her body, looking like the naive little sister following her two rebellious elder siblings¡­ although that was far from the truth.

    If someone asked her two cousins, they would certainly argue that ¡°Actually, it¡¯s Anna who¡¯s the most ruthless killer among us.¡±

    ¡°Has he arrived yet?¡± Sofia asked in Rakshasa language.

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Anna played with her smartphone, ¡°he¡¯ll let me know when he arrives.¡±

    ¡°Natasha has replied,¡± Maria suddenly spoke, ¡°the Northern Army of Lu Country¡¯s attitude is very firm, the likelihood of them changing their mind later is slim, our only hope now lies with the Dragon Slayer.¡±

    Anna said nothing upon hearing this, just stared at the fries in her hand, quietly counting their number.

    In the initial stage of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, Amur City was just like most cities in Siberia: With the official powers ousted, many Transcendents began to join forces to carve up the vacated power cake.

    Then came the ruthless infighting and conquest.

    By early September, the Amur witch coven had finally eliminated nearby gang forces and successfully took control of Amur City and the surrounding areas.

    What followed were even more severe problems: a significant threat from the east.

    Black Dragon Isle, what the Rakshasas called ¡°Sakhalin Island,¡± lay about three hundred kilometers east of Amur City on a large island, now completely overrun by werewolves¡ªor more precisely, a group of werewolf Transcendents known as the Gilyeri Bear people.

    Having taken over the entirety of Black Dragon Isle, the Gilyeri Bear people began attempting to expand toward the mainland. They established many strongholds throughout the Sikhote-Alin mountain range, and had clashed with the Amur witch coven over a dozen times, with significant casualties on both sides, hence a deep-seated vendetta was formed, and a full-scale war seemed to be just a matter of time.

    The Amur witch coven didn¡¯t feel confident about securing a victory, so they sent an envoy to the south to seek help from Lu Country. The official witch delegation, led by ¡°Snow Eye¡± Natasha, engaged in preliminary diplomatic talks with the Dingbei Army, hoping that Lu Country would send Cultivators to join the battle, ¡°resisting the bears, aiding the witches, and forming an eternal alliance.¡±

    As for Anna, it was her initiative to ask to return to the country, under the pretext of seeking aid, but really just to hang out with Yan Yu.

    The Amur witch coven supported this because Yan Zhanlong, known as the Dragon Slayer, was by now a renowned figure internationally. The Rakshasa witches, using their own perspectives to judge, believed that a Transcendent of Yan Zhanlong¡¯s caliber must hold a high and influential position within Lu Country, so having Anna give it a try seemed a good idea.

    This was no fault of the witches for assuming so. After all, the social structure of Lu Country, where ¡°immortals and mortals are distinct, each manages their own affairs, and they do not interfere with one another,¡± was simply unimaginable in Rakshasa-dominated societies where might makes right, and the witches had no idea that Rikoku Cultivators only fought and did not concern themselves with matters of state.

    Due to her frequent ¡°international communications¡± with Yan Yu, Anna was vaguely aware of the situation in Lu Country, but she pretended not to know in order to be able to ¡°travel on public expenses back to her homeland.¡±

    Knowing now that Natasha¡¯s diplomatic mission for aid had failed, and everyone was counting on her to ¡°make a difference,¡± she felt a hard-to-express sense of shame and guilt.

    ¡°Help.¡± She silently sent a message to Yan Yu.

    ¡°I just got off the plane, what¡¯s up?¡± Yan Yu¡¯s reply came back quickly.

    ¡°Can you come with me to Amur City?¡± Anna asked earnestly.

    ¡°Nope,¡± Yan Yu answered without hesitation.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a big ear flick!¡± Anna fumed secretly, continuing to type, ¡°At least say ¡®I¡¯ll consider it¡¯!¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll consider it,¡± Yan Yu replied. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°So how about now?¡± After about half a minute, Anna typed again, asking.

    ¡°Nope,¡± Yan Yu responded.

    Anna quietly crushed the fries in her hand. Sofia and Maria exchanged glances, each reading the concern emanating from the other¡¯s heart.

    According to Natasha, the Dingbei Army¡¯s initial attitude was rather ambiguous; they hosted the witch envoys in a local hotel in Pingjing, saying they would arrange for the Rites Department¡¯s diplomats to discuss matters as soon as possible.

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    The people from the Rites Department didn¡¯t show up, but the reception staff of the Dingbei Army changed their attitude, saying the Privy Council believed it inconvenient to deploy military force to interfere in the north and only wished to engage in regular trade and material support¡ªand this time their stance was much tougher, giving off a ¡°take it or leave it¡± vibe.

    Trade and material support were indeed what the Amur witch coven needed, but the key to defeating the Gilyak bear people lay in transcendent powers. If your people couldn¡¯t beat them on the front lines, no amount of supplies in the logistics warehouses would be of use, so Natasha decided to make another effort to reach out and strengthen relations, and to also urge Anna to push harder, hoping to get Yan Zhanlong¡¯s help as well.

    However, watching Anna¡¯s clenched teeth as she sent messages, her two older cousins couldn¡¯t help but feel that something was off. It didn¡¯t seem like she and Yan Zhanlong had a close relationship!

    After typing for what seemed like forever, Anna finally stood up and said,

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, he took a taxi at the airport entrance and is now waiting for us to head over.¡±

    The three witches left their unfinished food behind and stood up, leaving the restaurant under the curious gazes of the Lu Country¡¯s citizens.

    Walking on the road, Sofia couldn¡¯t help but ask again,

    ¡°Anna, what exactly is your relationship with Yan Zhanlong?¡±

    ¡°I told you, we¡¯re just friends,¡± Anna said, expressionless.

    ¡°Anna, please be honest with us,¡± Maria asked, frowning. ¡°What are the chances that you¡¯ll be able to persuade him this time?¡±

    ¡°Maria,¡± Anna sighed, ¡°I¡¯m his friend, not his girlfriend. Whether I can persuade him to help or not depends on what he thinks, not on whether we are close enough¡ªthere¡¯s no such relationship between us.¡±

    ¡°But what if you established a more intimate relationship with him?¡± Sofia¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°Lu Country men all like virgins, and I remember you¡¯ve never been in a relationship before, right? If you could seduce him into bed¡­¡±

    Anna nearly sprayed her iced cola all over her face, choking back furiously,

    ¡°I am not that kind of person!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be foolish, Sofia,¡± Maria chimed in. ¡°Yan Zhanlong probably isn¡¯t lacking in beautiful women, and besides, Anna won¡¯t be able to stay in Lu Country long-term to be with him¡ªthis plan wouldn¡¯t work.¡±

    That comment immediately petrified Anna.

    Amur City was far from Jinling Prefecture. If Yan Yu had been a cultivator from the Dingbei Army, maybe they could have occasionally met up in a small border town in the north of East Sea Province for a romantic date, but in Jinling Prefecture¡­ video calling seemed more realistic.

    To say Anna had no feelings for Yan Yu would be utter nonsense. Why else would she message and call him every so often, insisting on maintaining the contact for several months without letting go?

    But the problem was Anna¡¯s intuition about men was too accurate. In less than half a year since she had met him, Yan Yu had transformed from ¡°a man¡± to ¡°a god among men,¡± now a Lu Country household name, the superhero Yan Zhanlong. He was undoubtedly outstanding as a man, so outstanding that she almost felt unworthy of him. What was she to do?

    Sometimes, when she thought about it carefully, she realized, oh no, he¡¯s out of my league!

    Of course, she couldn¡¯t bear to give up hope just like that. Deep down, Anna even harbored some unrealistic wishes¡ªif he had absolutely no interest in me, why would he always take my calls? Why would he patiently chat with me?

    But no matter how much affection was nurtured online, it couldn¡¯t fully replace meeting in person, which was why Anna seized the opportunity to return to her homeland this time, to see if she could somehow take this relationship to the next level¡­ or more accurately, to hint at Yan Yu to take it to the next level.

    Despite her fair hair and high nose, she was still a traditionally-minded Lu Country woman at heart, unable to take the initiative to chase after a man or even to express love.

    Too thin-skinned! If she got rejected, she wouldn¡¯t be able to show her face, the thought alone was so embarrassing she¡¯d want to jump into a river.

    But no matter, everytime I call him, he never hangs up, he must have feelings for me¡­

    Anna quietly cheered herself on, arriving at the airport entrance with her two cousins, soon spotting Yan Yu¡¯s business taxi.

    The moment she opened the car door, her heart skipped a beat as if covered by a severe Siberian cold front.

    Yan Yu was sitting in the passenger seat, and in the second row, she recognized Chen Lingyun and Zhao Yuanzhen, but there were three other girls of the same age that she didn¡¯t know, seated in the back. They seemed vaguely familiar (she had actually seen them in the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm live stream), but she couldn¡¯t remember who they were at the moment. All she could tell was that each of them was stunningly attractive.

    With a last sliver of hope, Anna approached the window on the passenger side and quietly asked Yan Yu,

    ¡°Are they carpooling with you?¡±

    Yan Yu: ???

    ¡°`

 Chapter 221: 20: How about a honey trap?

    Chapter 221: Chapter 20: How about a honey trap?

    The extended business van drove smoothly on the road as Lin Ning, Su Yunjin, and Xie Ruoxi stealthily sized up Anna and her two older cousins in the back seat.

    ¡°An international friend,¡± as Yan Yu had said, should refer to the youngest one. The other two appeared to be in their thirties or older, making it seem unlikely for Yan Yu to call them ¡°friends¡±¡­ Besides, this one had talked to Yan Yu before getting on the van, and despite their conversation taking place outside, how could it have eluded the eyes of those inside the vehicle?

    Anna was also covertly observing these three ¡°southern little potatoes.¡±

    Though the girls from the south were petite, each had her own distinctive charm. Lin Ning had an innocent look, Su Yunjin was serene, and Xie Ruoxi¡­ Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t have much of a presence; if anything, she resembled a timid young girl who hadn¡¯t yet grown up, daring only to sneak peeks at her blonde hair through the reflection in the window.

    Since no one was acquainted, there was no conversation.

    But this was no obstacle for Anna, who silently took out her phone and sent a message to Yan Yu:

    ¡°Won¡¯t you introduce me to these companions in your car?¡±

    Yan Yu sent back a link.

    Though the Zhenhai Team didn¡¯t have an official website, that didn¡¯t stop fans from creating fan sites. The profiles of all the Zhenhai Team members, including their names, places of origin, photos, occupations, and abilities, were clearly presented on the site.

    Using the photos on her phone screen for comparison, Anna was finally able to confirm that the girls seated in the front were indeed official members of Yan Yu¡¯s Team.

    Sure, they had appeared during the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm live stream before, but with the number of Rikoku Cultivators in the double digits, she couldn¡¯t remember every face.

    ¡°Who¡¯s the one by the window?¡± Anna continued to type, asking about Xie Ruoxi¡¯s identity with a subtle tension in her mood.

    Fearing that Yan Yu would suddenly reply with ¡°My girlfriend,¡± she wasn¡¯t sure she could stop herself from falling apart.

    ¡°The author of this webpage,¡± replied Yan Yu, ¡°the agent who manages my fans for me.¡±

    Anna then completely relaxed, stuffed her phone inside her bosom, and showed a look of immense relief.

    Looking left and right, Sophia and Maria exchanged worried glances after seeing their cousin hug her phone and laugh foolishly after finishing the chat.

    They had intended for their cousin to use her charm to persuade Yan Zhanlong to agree to help the Amur witch group, but looking at her now¡­ it seemed more likely that she was the one who¡¯d been silently conquered.

    Since the relationships on both sides were unfamiliar, there was silence in the van until they reached the villa, where everyone quietly got out.

    Back home, large suburban villas are considered big houses only the wealthy can afford, yet it¡¯s different abroad. The two older cousins were not impressed by the grand villa, instead recognizing a different issue.

    ¡°Do they live together?¡± asked Sophia of Anna, ¡°The Dragon Slayer and other women?¡±

    Anna¡¯s face suddenly darkened: Don¡¯t remind me!

    Okay, since they were all team members, living together wasn¡¯t such a big deal. There were many young men and women in the city co-living in shared houses, with separate bedrooms but communal living rooms. This didn¡¯t necessarily imply they had an intimate relationship¡­ She tried hard to convince herself not to be suspicious. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    As soon as they entered the villa, Lin Ning headed towards the kitchen and said:

    ¡°I¡¯ll go cook.¡±

    ¡°Please have a seat, I¡¯ll make some tea for you,¡± Su Yunjin said with a graceful smile.

    ¡°Would you like some snacks?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked Anna, who after meeting her had finally remembered Anna¡¯s identity and had a pretty good impression of the blonde girl, hence she was willing to share her treasured snacks.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Anna with a nod.

    Everyone took a seat on the couch, sitting in silence.

    Sophia and Maria were signaling to Anna with their eyes, and after Anna took a deep breath, she began to speak to Yan Yu:

    ¡°Actually, the purpose of our business trip was to seek you out¡­¡±

    She didn¡¯t shy away from the presence of the other girls, but proceeded to explain in detail the external threats and military crises currently faced by the Amur witch group.

    Chen Lingyun listened with a smile and whispered to Yan Yu via private transmission:

    ¡°What¡¯s the situation with this past life thing?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re so smart, can¡¯t you guess?¡± Yan Yu directly countered her.

    After a moment¡¯s contemplation, Chen Lingyun guessed the answer right away.

    Lu Country had adhered to a strategy of keeping a low profile for a full sixty years, and although the initial intent was to prevent triggering the vigilance and jealousy of the Western world and to secure a precious period for accumulating national strength, the price naturally was a strong political inertia within the country¡ª ¡°Never provoke a border dispute lightly.¡±

    From the conservative party¡¯s perspective, whether it¡¯s the Amur Witch Circle or the Giliya Bear People, both are forces that carve up the North. Who wins and who loses in the end doesn¡¯t have much to do with Lu Country¡­ Even if one were to consider the ramifications if Lu Country were to send troops, what would the Rakshasa officialdom¡¯s reaction be? Could it ruin the strategic cooperative relations between the two parties? Would the Western world see this as a signal of Lu Country¡¯s intention to expand its influence abroad?

    As long as these questions remained unanswered, the conservatives had grounds to oppose, and ultimately, the affair was unlikely to succeed¡ªnow was a republican era without an emperor, and without a consensus among the civilian officialdom, even the prime minister couldn¡¯t act arbitrarily.

    Of course, with Yan Yu sharing his premonition advantage, Chen Lingyun naturally could use the fact that ¡°Anna becomes an important figure in the future¡± as the basis to guess that in a past life, Lu Country chose to refuse to lend a hand, while the Amur Witch Circle eventually won against the Giliya Bear People, and might even have defeated other extraordinary forces in the region, eventually unifying the entire Northern Lu Plate¡ªthen, what their attitude would be towards the southern neighbors who stood by and watched them die, one needn¡¯t hold any expectations.

    ¡°This matter is difficult to manage.¡± Having thought through the cause and effect, Chen Lingyun answered concisely, ¡°I won¡¯t be able to persuade my dad.¡±

    Chen Tianming had no premonition advantage regarding the future, how could he be convinced that the Amur Witch Circle could grow into a giant of the North? Impossible, there are absolutely no signs of it now.

    ¡°In that case,¡± Yan Yu plotted for her, ¡°you put Flying Sword to your neck and tell your dad, ¡®Either support sending troops or lose your beloved daughter,¡¯ and your dad will definitely be persuaded by you.¡±

    ¡°Hehe.¡± Chen Lingyun treated it as if she hadn¡¯t heard and instead said, ¡°Why try to find a way to persuade my dad to support sending troops? I think a more reasonable approach is, ¡®Letting the Amur Witch Circle know that my dad supports sending troops, but he¡¯s unable to overcome the opposition.¡¯

    Yan Yu fell silent for a moment, suddenly taken aback in his heart.

    Wow, that¡¯s pretty low!

    With Chen Lingyun¡¯s words, of course, Yan Yu also immediately understood: first, it would be very difficult to make Lu Country send troops, and even if, after much toil, they succeeded, having the Amur Witch Circle owe them a favor, this favor would be owed to Lu Country as a whole¡ªhow could he secure such a deal when it would erode Chen Tianming¡¯s credibility and let the conservatives also profit? That¡¯s not a viable deal.

    But if they feigned support for sending troops and then failed because of conservative opposition, they would have paid much less in the end. Once the Amur Witch Circle truly became the giant of the North according to the timeline of the past world, Chen Tianming could take the opportunity to dredge up old grievances, seriously damaging their reputation¡­ That would be making a killing!

    ¡°You really dare to say that!¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but angrily rebuke Chen Lingyun through telepathy, ¡°Lu Country must have the Amur Witch Circle owe them a great favor so that in the future there¡¯s a possibility of signing a peace treaty between the two sides; but if you go about it as you suggest, the result would be only your dad benefits, and how many people on the northern border will suffer for it? Have you thought about that?¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°But it¡¯s impossible to send troops, you know that too.¡±

    ¡°How is it impossible?¡± Yan Yu scoffed, ¡°Go kill yourself.¡±

    ¡°No way~¡±

    ¡°Why not? It¡¯s not like you actually have to die, just put on a play to scare your dad.¡±

    ¡°The key is why should I do that? My dad isn¡¯t a fool; he will definitely be suspicious.¡±

    ¡°Then you can pledge sisterhood with Anna, become sworn sisters, so that you have ample motive to help her.¡±

    ¡°Rather than me going to him,¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly said, ¡°it would be better if you talked to him, which would still have some possibility of success.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°Because the value that the identity of Yan Zhanlong can provide is much greater than you think,¡± Chen Lingyun said meaningfully.

    While the two of them were secretly discussing strategies through telepathy, Anna, who had no idea about their conversation, saw that Yan Yu had remained silent for a long time, took his reticence for embarrassment about declining, and simply clenched her teeth, stood up, and said:

    ¡°Sorry, this matter is truly making things difficult for you¡ªjust forget I mentioned it.¡±

    After speaking, she didn¡¯t pay attention to the expressions of her two cousins, but simply turned around intending to leave.

    How could Yan Yu let her leave under a misunderstanding? He quickly called out ¡°Wait,¡± stretched out his hand to grasp her wrist, and tried to pull her back.

    However, Anna was much lighter than he had anticipated, and when pulled, she stumbled backward directly into his embrace.

    At that moment, whether it was Chen Lingyun smiling without a word, Zhao Yuanzhen carrying snacks, Su Yunjin coming over with tea, Xie Ruoxi who was playing with her phone, or Lin Ning who just happened to turn her head from the kitchen¡­

    Their gazes all instantly sharpened.

 Chapter 222: 21: As Long as the Raw Rice is Cooked into Cooked Rice

    Chapter 222: Chapter 21: As Long as the Raw Rice is Cooked into Cooked Rice

    Anna, being thin-skinned, had accidentally fallen into Yan Yu¡¯s embrace, but she quickly got up in a panic, her face blushing red.

    Everyone¡¯s expressions visibly relaxed, but what they were each thinking was anyone¡¯s guess.

    Yan Yu, on the other hand, didn¡¯t show a hint of embarrassment and even put on an ¡°you¡¯re causing me trouble again¡± attitude, admonishing Anna and saying,

    ¡°Don¡¯t make such a fuss. I haven¡¯t even given my stance yet, why are you already thinking of backing out?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Anna stammered, then, flustered with embarrassment, she blurted out, ¡°Then just say if it¡¯s okay or not! If not, we¡¯ll think of another way!¡±

    ¡°This matter isn¡¯t something I can just say is okay and it¡¯ll be okay. I¡¯ll go and ask the higher-ups tomorrow,¡± Yan Yu waved a hand and said, ¡°For now, let¡¯s eat.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go get the dishes.¡± Su Yunjin stood up and said.

    Inside the kitchen, Lin Ning was absentmindedly serving the dishes. Seeing her come in, she quickly asked,

    ¡°What¡¯s the verdict? What¡¯s her relationship with the captain exactly?¡±

    ¡°She seems to have feelings for the captain,¡± Su Yunjin candidly said, ¡°But I don¡¯t think the captain feels anything for her.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Lin Ning immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

    There were too many women interested in the captain. Nowadays, even throwing a shoe in the new street market might hit one of Yan Zhanlong¡¯s female fans¡ªbut Yan Yu would only tell them ¡°you¡¯re not even worthy.¡± So as long as the captain wasn¡¯t flirting with her, there was completely no issue.

    Unlike Lin Ning, who was carefree, Su Yunjin¡¯s brows were slightly furrowed, thoughts whirling in her mind.

    In the living room, Anna explained the situation again in Russian to her two older female cousins, Sofia and Maria naturally had no objections. After all, they came to ask for troops, not a loan. It was natural that they couldn¡¯t expect a simple affirmative response, and wasn¡¯t Natasha still hustling around lobbying in the capital of Lu Country?

    Time to eat!

    Part of the dinner was personally cooked by Lin Ning, while the rest was ordered by phone from a nearby restaurant. Anna¡¯s two cousins, although not accustomed to using chopsticks, were very satisfied with the greasy, salty stir-fries, heartily enjoying them with their forks and spoons.

    By comparison, Anna and Su Yunjin, both had their appetites affected by their concerns, only ate a small half bowl of rice before they stopped picking up their chopsticks.

    After dinner, everyone arranged their own leisure time.

    The two cousins planned to explore the night market for snacks, with Zhao Yuanzhen eagerly volunteering to be their guide. Although Anna didn¡¯t want to go out, she had no choice but to follow as a translator since her two sisters couldn¡¯t speak Rikoku.

    Yan Yu stayed at home, idly playing with his phone for a while.

    The Zhenhai Battle Team¡¯s victory in the first public broadcast of the Lu Country Mysterious Realm competition resulted in the fans becoming even more loyal, with more people online praising Yan Zhanlong.

    Of course, that didn¡¯t mean the haters had all disappeared.

    The ¡°Zhenghai hater leaders¡± that Yan Yu had previously paid special attention to had split into two groups: half stopped mentioning the Mysterious Realm competition and pretended nothing had happened recently; the other half became even more obstinate, claiming ¡°Being strong doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t question your character¡±, only to be blasted by the fans until they were skin and bones.

    Hmm, speaking of which¡­

    ¡°By the way, how are things on your dad¡¯s side?¡± he quietly sent a Divine Sense message to Chen Lingyun.

    ¡°It seems they¡¯ve finished talking,¡± Chen Lingyun said languidly, ¡°Because we won so impressively this time, it¡¯s unlikely they¡¯ll waste any more effort on the matter.¡±

    ¡°So, the negative comments online right now are unorganized and spontaneous haters?¡± mused Yan Yu, ¡°Should we let them see the iron fist or not?¡±

    ¡°I suggest not,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Why not keep them as electronic pets?¡±

    ¡°That makes sense.¡± After carefully considering it, Yan Yu agreed with her reasoning.

    No matter how excellent your performance is, you can¡¯t expect to never be targeted by haters. It¡¯s actually better to keep this notorious group of haters¡¯ accounts around; it makes monitoring them easier in the future.

    Yan Yu continued to check other messages.

    As expected, other battle teams sent congratulatory messages for the Zhenghai Team¡¯s victory over the Flying Dragon Battle Team.

    Qiu Ze¡¯s congratulations were the warmest, as they were both part of the Zhendong Army; his Shenxing Battle Team also shared in the glory. Li Minghu and Zhang Huaide were relatively polite and reserved in their responses, while Zhou Hongyu, who was never fond of social interactions, was not to be expected. Only messages from Lord Master seemed somewhat sarcastic¡­ Poor Lord Master, who had been led by public opinion by Chen Lingyun before the match, and casually mentioned by Cai Qianlong after, now probably everyone in Lu Country thought he was evenly matched with Cai Qianlong.

    ¡°Li Minghu is asking how you managed to dodge the massive bombardment from the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper in the competition,¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly asked.

    Su Yunjin sat down beside Yan Yu and brought over a basin full of washed fruit to the coffee table.

    Yan Yu help himself to a jujube without any courtesy and explained to Chen Lingyun through Divine Sense communication:

    ¡°Oh, you mean the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Secret Thunder, right? That one¡¯s quite troublesome; if it hits you, you¡¯re basically done for, so you have to explode it from a distance using the Flying Sword.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Chen Lingyun asked in surprise. ¡°I watched the replay, and the explosions were very dense. Can the Flying Sword really clear a safe space in time?¡±

    ¡°Of course, it can,¡± Yan Yu replied calmly. ¡°You can scan for the Secret Thunder with Divine Sense. As long as you¡¯re fast enough to hit it before it explodes, you can reduce its blast radius and lethality.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ll study it when I get the magical artifact,¡± Chen Lingyun mused thoughtfully.

    The Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner had been taken for research immediately after leaving the Mysterious Realm. But as a war trophy of the Zhenghai Team, it would eventually be returned to Chen Lingyun sooner or later.

    ¡°Yan Yu.¡± Su Yunjin, munching on grapes, casually remarked as if it were nothing, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to actually know Transcendents from overseas.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re talking about Anna, aren¡¯t you?¡± Yan Yu saw through her probing thoughts at a glance. However, his relationship with Anna was currently clear and pure¡ªmore like that between a deity and a stepping stone¡ªso there was nothing to hide, and he candidly explained, ¡°I met her during the last exchange competition between the four academies¡­¡±

    Lin Ning and Xie Ruoxi also just happened to come to the living room and sat down on a nearby sofa, pretending to be engrossed in their phones while subtly listening to Yan Yu¡¯s story.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Meanwhile, Zhao Yuanzhen was leading Anna and the two witches on a food tour around the pedestrian street, gleefully devouring delicious street food, oil smeared around their mouths.

    The supper that night was all paid for by international friends! Food tastes best when it¡¯s free, even for a Demonic Sect Enchantress.

    She walked ahead, full of pride, while Sophia and Maria intentionally lagged behind to speak with Anna in Rasputin:

    ¡°Anna, are you really just ordinary friends with the Dragon Slayer?¡±

    ¡°Otherwise?¡± Anna retorted irritably. ¡°Why would I lie to you?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just too reserved,¡± Sophia complained. ¡°Like you grew up in a devout family.¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Anna denied stubbornly. ¡°I left Lu Country for Amur not long after meeting him, how could I have had time to develop a relationship with him?¡±

    ¡°True,¡± Maria pondered for a moment. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go for a night raid tonight?¡±

    ¡°Stop joking, it¡¯s not funny,¡± Anna said in frustration, pressing her forehead.

    ¡°I¡¯m serious,¡± Maria shared an example with her. ¡°I have a friend in Novy Urengoy who fell in love with a young man from a devout family. His family was very strict, not allowing him to be with any woman before marriage.¡± sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Later, she got him very drunk on vodka at a party and took him to a hotel¡­ Now their child is almost seven or eight years old.¡±

    ¡°Maria, do Rikoku Cultivators have resistance to alcohol?¡± Sophia suddenly asked.

    ¡°They probably do,¡± Maria mused for a moment before suddenly saying resolutely, ¡°then we¡¯ll use the ¡®Rasputin Spell Curse¡¯!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡± Anna exclaimed in shock. ¡°I would never use that!¡±

    The Rasputin Spell Curse, born during the Romanov Dynasty, was an infamously notorious black magic. It hid two spell words within the pupils and, with a direct gaze into the eyes of the target, would completely capture the target¡¯s mind, leaving them willing to do anything for the spellcaster¡­ The Rasputin witches would use this black magic to have their way with a beloved man and subtly conceive a child.

    But deep down, Anna was a traditional woman of Lu Country, utterly unwilling to resort to such dark magic.

    ¡°Of course, we know you wouldn¡¯t agree,¡± Sophia revealed a knowing smile and said, ¡°Maria and I will cast the spell on him, and all you need to do is go in and enjoy yourself. You can just blame it on the two of us afterward.¡±

    Anna almost choked in astonishment. Was this how you treat your sister? Putting aside everything else, if Yan Yu sleeps with me and doesn¡¯t want to take responsibility, won¡¯t I have lost everything for nothing?

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, walking ahead, heard them chattering away in Rasputin, which he didn¡¯t understand, but he didn¡¯t mind. His mood was buoyant as he spoke to Anna, ¡°Let¡¯s go line up; there¡¯s a grilled squid stall up ahead!¡±

 Chapter 223: 22 Eclipse Queen, Clingy Golden Retriever

    Chapter 223: Chapter 22 Eclipse Queen, Clingy Golden Retriever

    By the time everyone returned to the villa, it was already 11 p.m.

    Lin Ning, Su Yunjin, and Chen Lingyun all went back to their rooms to sleep. After all, staying up late is beauty¡¯s arch-nemesis.

    Xie Ruoxi was still working in front of the computer. Her biological clock was about 2-3 hours behind the average person, so it was normal for her to go to bed around 1 a.m.

    As for the work content tonight, it mainly involved managing the social media accounts for the Zhenhai Team and increasing the popularity of the other girls¡ªit wasn¡¯t necessary to add fuel to the fire since Yan Zhanlong was already extremely popular. The whole team rising to fame together was the sound approach.

    Due to the insufficient number of exposures, the popularity of the girls hadn¡¯t widened much. If anything had to be said, Sister Zhao was slightly ahead, attracting a portion of fans with ulterior motives with her outstanding figure.

    Xie Ruoxi, deep down, disdained this edge-skirting method of gaining fans.

    Her current operation strategy was to use Yan Zhanlong¡¯s super IP to bring traffic and exposure to the other girls. That¡¯s the rightful path for fanbase management!

    Downstairs, the sound of opening the door could be heard. Xie Ruoxi went out to look and saw Zhao Yuanzhen returning home with three international friends. She smiled and said,

    ¡°The three guest rooms by the stairs on the second floor have been cleared out by Yan Yu. You can pick any of them. Sister Zhao, come here for a second, I have something to tell you¡­¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen didn¡¯t know what it was about, but she answered and came up the stairs.

    Seeing that Zhao Yuanzhen had left, Sophia and Maria quickly exchanged glances, then suddenly said,

    ¡°Anna, it¡¯s already quite late now. We¡¯re going to rest in the guest rooms. You go and have a good catch-up with your boyfriend.¡±

    ¡°I told you he¡¯s not my boyfriend¡­¡± Anna angrily turned her head, only to meet Sophia and Maria¡¯s eyes, and immediately froze in place, as if under a spell, her divine sense also becoming vacant.

    The witch¡¯s battles were known for their strangeness, and Anna had no guard up against her two cousins; she fell directly into the Rasputin Spell Curse they had cast together.

    ¡°Humph.¡± Sophia said with a cold laugh, ¡°Little Anna is too naive. We can¡¯t take down the Dragon Slayer, but you think we can¡¯t deal with you?¡±

    Earlier on the pedestrian street outside, the two had deliberately said they wanted to put the Rasputin Spell Curse on Yan Yu, but in reality, it was to test Anna¡¯s reaction. Seeing that their cousin was only embarrassed and annoyed, they guessed that she wasn¡¯t averse to becoming more intimate with the man; she was just too proud and too shy to agree.

    Since that was the case, let us sisters give you a push from behind!

    Being a Rikoku Cultivator, the Dragon Slayer might or might not be affected by the curse, but as long as Anna was cursed and threw herself into the Dragon Slayer¡¯s arms, the effect would be more or less the same¡ªour little Anna is cute and has a great figure. How could any man resist not devouring her?

    Go, little Anna! Seize that man with all you¡¯ve got!

    The two of them, guiding the dazed and puppet-like Anna, went upstairs and knocked on the door to Yan Yu¡¯s room.

    As soon as Yan Yu opened the door, they pushed Anna in and then closed the door behind her.

    ¡°So we just stay here now?¡± Maria asked.

    ¡°Of course, you don¡¯t want any other woman to disturb Anna¡¯s first experience, do you?¡± Sophia shrugged.

    Meanwhile, Yan Yu found himself immediately embraced by a bundle of softness and fragrance as soon as he opened the door. The door was then pulled shut from the outside, leaving him quite puzzled.

    But he didn¡¯t have the time to ponder, because Anna had already pounced and pinned him down on the bed, pressing down on his wrists with strength, her eyes glazed and murky, her cheeks flushed, and her breathing fast and feverish as she murmured,

    ¡°Yan Yu, I like you¡­ I like you¡­¡±

    Yan Yu immediately broke free from her grasp, and with a backhand, he slapped her forehead,

    ¡°Wretched beast, what kind of nonsense are you starting!¡±

    Anna¡¯s head was struck, but she showed no sign of backing down. Instead, she clung even more greedily, burying herself in Yan Yu¡¯s neck, kissing and sniffing wildly.

    Yan Yu felt ticklish with her tender breaths on him and was about to kick this annoying golden-haired creature off the bed when a thought suddenly struck him¡­

    Something was amiss.

    Definitely amiss.

    The previous life¡¯s Eclipse Queen was far from this wanton of a character!

    Anna entwined around him like an octopus, her head buried in a mess of movements, her cheeks rubbing against his ears. Yan Yu simply sat calmly on the bed, hugging Anna tightly to prevent her from struggling wildly, carefully scanning her body with his Divine Sense.

    Let¡¯s talk about the past life first. After the Eclipse Queen truly came to power, Lu Country, upon discovering that she even had Lu Country lineage, sent people to try to reconcile with her, discussing the deep connection with the ¡°old country¡± ¡­ and then the Eclipse Queen had a polite chat with the Lu Country envoy.

    What did she say? The Eclipse Queen from the past life said she had made it this far entirely through her own efforts. What had Lu Country given her? They fired my dad, rejected my university offer, and forced my father and me to flee ignominiously to Rasputin. That is truly the ¡°deep connection with the old country.

    You needn¡¯t worry, I have my own principles, I just don¡¯t want to spend my whole life being trampled on by others. Do you think I¡¯m just some pitiful fugitive? I¡¯ve waited for so many years, just for the chance to fight for my dignity, not to prove that I¡¯m amazing. I want to show those people that the dignity I lost in my home country, I will take back with my own hands abroad!

    When the words of the Eclipse Queen spread to the homeland, it made it difficult for the people of Lu Country to criticize her. Middle-aged layoffs and educational hyper-competitiveness were something that nine out of ten Lu Country people could relate to, so no one had grounds to criticize her, and some even sympathized with the girl who had built something for herself in a foreign land. It was from that point that Yan Yu remembered the name of the Eclipse Queen, Anna. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But looking at the girl in his arms now, pushing and panting, her body burning hot, where was there even a trace of the strong-willed Eclipse Queen from the past life?

    Anna, perhaps tired of rubbing against him, not satisfied through the fabric of his clothes, even began to stuff Yan Yu¡¯s hand into her neckline.

    Yan Yu had no desire to be entangled with her like this. With a resolute pinch, a sharp pain made Anna shiver, and her expression suddenly became much clearer.

    Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do?

    She didn¡¯t stay lucid for long. The light of the Rasputin Spell Curse in her eyes flared up again, quickly dragging her consciousness back into a foggy state.

    But that split second was enough for Yan Yu to catch the unusual light in her eyes.

    Hmph, she really has been cursed with a spell!

    Is it a joke that I, with my masculine charm, need to use a spell to make girls throw themselves into my arms?

    Yan Yu pinned Anna down on the bed, carefully staring into her eyes.

    It looks like there¡¯s a rune inside¡­

    As Anna continued to struggle, Yan Yu could only press her face with his left hand, while gently peeling back her eyelids with his right.

    After a while, his left palm suddenly felt a wet and warm licking sensation.

    You really are like a golden retriever! Yan Yu grabbed her little tongue with his left hand, tried to push it back into her mouth, but Anna just whimpered and took his finger into her mouth¡ªlike a hungry infant sucking on a pacifier, gulping down hungrily.

    Bearing the nausea, Yan Yu finally completed his investigation. He plugged her mouth with his left hand while forming a sword finger with his right, pressed it against her forehead, and exclaimed in a low voice. True Yuan poured fiercely into her mind, causing the spell rune to shatter with a sound!

    A few minutes earlier, Xie Ruoxi had called Zhao Yuanzhen into her room and informed her about the fan situation.

    ¡°¡­So, what¡¯s wrong with attracting fans because you have a good figure?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked, puzzled.

    ¡°Skirting the edges can indeed bring in a short-term surge of fans,¡± Xie Ruoxi explained, ¡°but the cost is that fans¡¯ impression of you will become fixed. They will label you as a ¡®benefit goddess,¡¯ making it virtually impossible for you to change your image later on. Even if you later show that you¡¯re ¡®capable,¡¯ they won¡¯t see you as a ¡®capable cultivator¡¯ but as a ¡®capable benefit goddess¡¯.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was surprisingly quick to grasp this concept, ¡°It¡¯s like what people often say online, ¡®No matter how good the plot is in an adult film, in the end, it¡¯s still an adult film¡¯, right?¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Xie Ruoxi said with surprise, ¡°That¡¯s the idea. For us girls, some labels are absolutely untouchable.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen didn¡¯t hesitate, ¡°Then let¡¯s not operate in that direction.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I need Sister Zhao¡¯s agreement,¡± Xie Ruoxi giggled, ¡°I got it. So, if someone compliments your figure later on and tries to start a trend in that direction, I¡¯ll just mute them.¡±

    ¡°Mute away,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen waved her hand dismissively.

    As she left Xie Ruoxi¡¯s room to find Yan Yu for their daily dual cultivation session, she saw two witches sneaking around outside Yan Yu¡¯s room.

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ???

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± she approached and asked.

    Sophia and Maria exchanged glances; the latter immediately put on a full, smiling face, trying to use body language and facial expressions to deflect Zhao Yuanzhen.

    But when it came to her partner¡¯s affairs, the Demonic Sect Enchantress finally had a moment of intellectual clarity. Ignoring what Maria intended to say, she activated the Wood Bending Charm and roughly shoved the two women aside.

    Then she pushed the door open with force.

 Chapter 224: 23: The Demonic Sect Enchantress, Deep in Love and Loyalty

    Chapter 224: Chapter 23: The Demonic Sect Enchantress, Deep in Love and Loyalty

    Though Yan Yu didn¡¯t understand the method of breaking curses, just as one doesn¡¯t need to know programming to destroy a computer, brute force can solve most problems.

    He injected his True Yuan forcefully, instantly filling Anna¡¯s sea of consciousness and shattering the peculiar spell.

    Anna was still sucking on his finger, but her consciousness began to slowly return, her gaze gradually became clear, and she started to breathe rapidly and in a fluster.

    ¡°How much longer are you going to suck?¡± Yan Yu saw that she was still feigning ignorance, though her movements had stiffened considerably, and asked teasingly.

    Anna quickly spit out his finger and defended herself,

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me! It was my cousin who used black magic on me! They controlled me to make a night attack on you!¡±

    Recalling the recent memories, she felt weak at the knees and numb all over, her cheeks flushed, her head burning up, and she instinctively collapsed onto the bed like a deflated duck, as if a large amount of steam were about to gush from her ears, while a strong sense of embarrassment in her chest almost choked her.

    The Rasputin Spell Curse could make one lose their reason, but couldn¡¯t make someone conjure feelings out of nothing. Her saying ¡°I like you¡± to Yan Yu, countless times before, wasn¡¯t entirely due to the influence of black magic.

    Maybe I should just jump in the river¡­

    Wait, no matter! As long as I don¡¯t admit it and blame it all on black magic, Yan Yu won¡¯t have any evidence!

    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Yan Yu looked at his sopping wet finger with disgust, sighed helplessly, got out of bed, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t I know you well? A person with lewd thoughts but no courage¡­¡±

    Before he finished speaking, Zhao Yuanzhen pushed the door and entered from outside.

    All six eyes met, they looked at each other, faces hard to keep straight.

    Anna was slumped on the bed, her clothes in disarray, tears in her eyes, her complexion rosy, her hands crossed over her chest, looking like she had been played with and broken. Yan Yu was standing beside the bed, looking impatient, his left hand wet with some fluid¡­ Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s thread of reason in her head snapped on the spot.

    You little thief! You¡¯ve chosen the path to your demise!

    Enraged, she let out a roar and charged at Yan Yu, the Yin Wind Sword unsheathed ahead of her, aiming to strike down this detestable, odious, despicable, and murderable heartbreaker!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s earth-shattering roar immediately startled the two witches outside, the neighboring girls in the next room, and even the neighbors who had already gone to sleep.

    When everyone rushed into Yan Yu¡¯s room, they saw Yan Yu knock down Zhao Yuanzhen with a punch and then, in one smooth motion, he picked up her limp body, tossed it rudely onto the bed, and rolled around with Anna.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Lin Ning was immediately shocked and asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly, ¡°These two women coveted my beauty and wanted to attack me in the middle of the night. Now they have been duly punished.¡±

    ¡°Pfft!¡± The girls had indeed suspected as much, but when Yan Yu bluntly said it, they found it unbelievable¡ªwho would be so foolish as to attack him at night?

    With any other man, if a girl delivered herself to his doorstep in the middle of the night, she would most likely be taken advantage of. But with their captain, she would only be severely humiliated, with responses like ¡°Get lost,¡± ¡°You¡¯re not worthy,¡± ¡°Do you want a beating?¡± ¡°It seems you need more training.¡± Even if Anna didn¡¯t know this, wouldn¡¯t Sister Zhao?

    Besides, the girls¡¯ rooms were right next door. The likelihood of these two staging a night attack was actually not high. It was more probable that Anna had come to visit the captain late at night and was mistakenly assumed by Zhao Yuanzhen to be up to something.

    ¡°Sister Zhao.¡± Su Yunjin gently reminded, ¡°Look at the captain¡¯s clothes, aren¡¯t they properly on?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen looked closely. Eh, indeed.

    Previously, seeing Anna sitting stupefied on the bed with Yan Yu looking suspicious, she had assumed that something indecent had happened between them¡­ Now that she had calmed down, she realized that indeed their clothes were still on and their eyes didn¡¯t show any signs of languor, indicating that they probably hadn¡¯t been sneaking around behind her back. It was just that she had been too hasty and had preemptively thought they were cheating.

    ¡°Ah, it seems to be a misunderstanding,¡± she said with an embarrassed expression. ¡°I thought¡­ never mind, let¡¯s not talk about it.¡±

    ¡°It is indeed a misunderstanding,¡± Anna, still with a trace of red on her face, glared fiercely at her two cousins, and explained, ¡°I came to talk to Yan Yu about something, and didn¡¯t realize how inappropriate it was due to the late hour.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my fault.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen quickly conceded, playing dumb, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for waking everyone up, haha.¡±

    Since they had aired the situation, the girls took another look at Yan Yu and then left the room.

    Of course, even after leaving, everyone had their own thoughts.

    Some like Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen truly believed nothing had happened; others like Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin also believed nothing occurred, but what about the motives? It seemed too convenient that Anna would visit Yan Yu¡¯s room late at night, only to be found by Zhao Yuanzhen and misunderstood. Could it be a mere coincidence?

    Xie Ruoxi fell somewhere in between. She believed it was a misunderstanding, yet still felt something was off. In her innocence, she asked Anna,

    ¡°Anna, what were you going to talk about with Yan Yu in his room late at night?¡±

    Anna was instantly embarrassed, and when she saw the other girls looking over, she hurriedly laughed and said,

    ¡°Ah, that¡­ we were discussing¡­ the barbecue we had before.¡±

    ¡°Barbecue?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked in confusion.

    ¡°Yes, barbecue,¡± Anna began to ramble, ¡°That time¡­ before I went abroad, the last time I met Sister Zhao and Yan Yu, we had barbecue that night. Later, when I went to the icy and snowy Amur, although the food wasn¡¯t bad, I often missed the taste of food from my homeland. So I asked Yan Yu if he could take me out for barbecue one more time before I left Lu Country¡­ Ah, I¡¯m just gluttonous, always thinking about food¡­¡±

    Although she laughed heartily, trying to relieve the awkward atmosphere, the girls just stared at her blankly.

    Honestly, it wasn¡¯t funny.

    After Su Yunjin had probed and asked about Anna¡¯s past, Yan Yu had explained it to everyone: Her father was laid off, he didn¡¯t pass the political screening, and they had to leave their hometown to go to a foreign country, where they ended up in a country plunged into turmoil and war, with life and death uncertain¡­ Any one of these events would be enough to crush a normal person, but Anna had been repeatedly battered by fate, and it was truly hard not to feel compassion.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was particularly moved, thinking back to the barbecue she had with Anna in Shengjing Prefecture, how she had only cared about eating and didn¡¯t notice Anna¡¯s feelings. After they parted ways following the meal, they were worlds apart¡ªZhao suddenly felt a strong sense of guilt, thinking, I really am a beast!

    The sorrow and bitterness of being far from home, who in the world could understand it better than Mi Zhen Xianzi? Since coming to this world, her master, her fellow disciples, the daoist friends she knew¡­ all were gone.

    I should have understood Anna¡¯s pain!

    With that thought, Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s eyes reddened, and she hugged Anna¡¯s shoulders, saying sadly,

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, you little thief¡­ If Yan Yu won¡¯t take you, we¡¯ll go for barbecue ourselves!¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm, it¡¯s a deal,¡± Anna thought she had finally managed to fool them, so she also forced out a bit of sadness and started chatting with Zhao Yuanzhen in a low voice, their intimacy resembling that of sisters.

    Lin Ning and Xie Ruoxi went back to their room, while Su Yunjin remained silent for a moment before secretly messaging Chen Lingyun, S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Do you think what she said is true?¡±

    ¡°Whether it¡¯s true or not doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Chen Lingyun, who had already enjoyed the drama and was pleased, replied, ¡°What¡¯s certain now is that she¡¯s interested in Yan Yu, and Yan Yu is indifferent to her.¡±

    ¡°¡­Indeed.¡± Su Yunjin pondered for a moment and said, ¡°As long as we know that, it¡¯s enough.¡±

    After chatting with Anna, Zhao Yuanzhen quietly sneaked back to Yan Yu¡¯s room and exclaimed,

    ¡°Anna really has it tough.¡±

    ¡°You understand now?¡± Yan Yu teased her.

    ¡°You have no idea.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen sat down beside the bed and said to Yan Yu, ¡°Anna had a tough time in the north, constantly fighting with people¡­¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you also spend your days fighting with people before you crossed over to this world?¡± Yan Yu countered.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was left speechless and then said,

    ¡°Anyway, if you can, help her out.¡±

    Yan Yu thought to himself that he hadn¡¯t said he wouldn¡¯t help her, why was she playing the good person here?

    But then an idea struck him, and he deliberately adopted a cold demeanor, saying,

    ¡°If you ask me to help her, it¡¯s not impossible¡­¡±

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, seeing him relent, quickly asked.

    Yan Yu sprawled on the bed and said,

    ¡°Just so happens that my shoulders and neck muscles are a bit stiff, I need someone to massage them.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was slightly annoyed but thinking of how her old friend was now so down and out, softened her tone and said,

    ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll relax your muscles for you.¡±

    She diligently sat beside Yan Yu, massaging his muscles, thumping his back, and even using True Qi to loosen his meridians and disperse stagnant energy¡­

    After attending to him for most of the day, Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly remembered something:

    Speaking of which, how did that little thief meet Anna again?

    Oh, it seems his master had told him that Anna would have great fortune in the future, so he instructed him to befriend her in advance¡­

    Then it¡¯s by your master¡¯s order that you¡¯ll certainly help her! And yet you still deliberately tricked me into serving you! Despicable little thief!

    Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly realized the truth, and looking at Yan Yu lying on the bed, enjoying himself with his eyes closed, she was suddenly filled with a surge of anger. She promptly lay on his back, using her body weight to pin him down and prevent him from moving, her right arm wrapping around his neck, and holding his head in her embrace before exerting force and squeezing fiercely!

    ¡°You little thief, prepare to die!!!¡±

 Chapter 225: 24 Shes My Loyal Follower

    Chapter 225: Chapter 24 She¡¯s My Loyal Follower

    The next morning, Yan Yu came down the stairs holding his neck.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Lin Ning was making breakfast in the kitchen and asked curiously when she saw his grimacing expression.

    ¡°I woke up with a crick in my neck,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Lin Ning earnestly admonished him, ¡°Don¡¯t sleep on too soft a pillow, and pay attention to your sleeping position.¡±

    ¡°Mhmm.¡± Yan Yu thought to himself that pillow was indeed too big and too soft, no wonder it caused my neck muscles to ache, Zhao Yuanzhen you really deserve to die!

    Anna and her two cousins had gotten up early and were sitting in the living room chatting in the language of Rakshasa.

    When they saw Yan Yu coming, they gave Anna a meaningful look.

    ¡°Shall we go out for a walk?¡± Anna stood up and said, ¡°Breakfast seems to be a while away still.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Yan Yu noticed she seemed to have something to say to him and nodded.

    The two of them left the villa through the front door and started to stroll around the yard. Su Yunjin had turned the place into a small garden with a gazebo and swing set up in the corners, all very beautiful and elegant.

    ¡°I like it here,¡± Anna broke the silence first, speaking wistfully, ¡°But I can¡¯t stay in Lu Country forever, I will have to go back eventually.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    If he wanted to keep Anna in the country, the best opportunity would have been during the Four Institutes Exchange Competition. All he had to do was prevent her father from taking her out of the country.

    But by doing so, Anna wouldn¡¯t be able to become the Eclipse Queen, and a new, unfamiliar power would rise in the north of Lu Country¡­ All outcomes seemed to be a loss.

    Now that Anna had become a part of the Amur Witch Group, no matter how much she missed her homeland of Lu Country, it couldn¡¯t change the fact that her home and her family and friends were all in Amur.

    She no longer belonged to Lu Country.

    ¡°Last night, it was Sofia and Maria who used the Rasputin Spell Curse on me that can hypnotize the mind,¡± Anna continued to explain, ¡°They wanted me to sleep with you and then use that to make you stand on the side of our witch group, to influence the decisions of the Lu Country¡¯s upper echelons.¡±

    ¡°There is no need for that,¡± Yan Yu calmly answered, ¡°I will also try my best to help you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± said Anna, stopping at the edge of the yard, making sure they couldn¡¯t be seen from the windows of the villa.

    She hesitated for a moment before asking suddenly:

    ¡°Can¡­ can I hug you?¡±

    Yan Yu looked at her in surprise.

    ¡°I¡¯m not under a spell.¡± Anna didn¡¯t know how to express herself, fidgeting with her fingers and stammering, ¡°I just¡­ want a hug, after all¡­ since I¡¯m here, right?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Yan Yu thought to himself that if in this life you can still become the Eclipse Queen, you¡¯d have the privilege to be embraced by me.

    He slowly opened his arms, his Divine Sense on alert, scanning the surroundings. Anna nestled into his embrace, her arms wrapping tightly around his back as if yearning for the warmth of last night.

    Closing her eyes slowly, Anna finally made up her mind and whispered in Yan Yu¡¯s ear:

    ¡°In the Amur Witch Group, only female Transcendents are present, and mortal men have no place to marry among us, and Transcendents are our enemies, so I had already prepared myself for a life of solitude.¡±

    ¡°I know you are a Rikoku Cultivator. But, if in the future¡­ you ever want to leave Lu Country, I will always wait for you in the north, whether I¡¯m thirty, forty, fifty years old¡­ whether my temples are streaked with gray or my hair turned fully silver¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­I will wait forever and ever, until the very last moment.¡±

    After pecking him lightly on the cheek, Anna released him and said forthrightly:

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go back.¡±

    Yan Yu touched the spot on his face where she had pecked him and fell silent for a while before asking:

    ¡°When did it start?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Anna walked ahead, casually replying, ¡°Maybe it was that time I was drowning and you rescued me?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but laugh, ¡°Love at first sight?¡±

    ¡°Who knows?¡± Anna also smiled, ¡°Is that important?¡±

    Indeed, it wasn¡¯t important.

    Love by its very nature defies reason, sometimes it¡¯s love at first sight between strangers, and other times affection grows gradually over countless months of familiarity. Regardless of the scenario, it doesn¡¯t matter, for they are merely beginnings.

    Not all blossoming love leads to fruition, nor do all feelings end in conclusions. Yan Yu helped Anna not for her beauty, but since Anna chose to offer herself, a bit more help didn¡¯t make a difference.

    If the two of them were to further develop their relationship, they first needed to make Lu Country and the Amur Witch Group on good terms or even form an alliance. Moreover, the Amur Witch Group must become the northern overlord to deter neighboring forces from provoking them. Only then would the Eclipse Queen have the opportunity for ¡°friendly visits¡± to Lu Country on a regular basis, allowing for the possibility of their relationship advancing further.

    With that in mind, persuading Chen Tianming to help had become a must-do task.

    The two returned to the villa¡¯s living room. Sofia and Maria looked at Anna, seeing her relieved expression as if her worries had vanished, they couldn¡¯t figure out what had happened and could only communicate their curiosity with questioning glances.

    But Anna refused to satisfy their curiosity, merely pursing her lips and gracing them with a slight smile.

    After breakfast, the members of the Zhenhai Team headed to the academy, leaving Xie Ruoxi at home to host Anna and the other two.

    The girls watched recordings of other teams¡¯ battles at the training ground while Yan Yu, as usual, went to the headmaster¡¯s office to report, and sure enough, saw Chen Tianming there as well.

    ¡°Yan Yu, your timing is perfect,¡± Li Weiguo said with a smile, ¡°With the progress of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence increasing, the higher-ups have sent new instructional material. Take a look.¡±

    The resurgence of spiritual energy increased its concentration globally, and the upper limit of cultivation realms rose, granting cultivators the ability to use more powerful spells¡ªno wonder Mei Yingxue spent all day at the experimental base in Pingjing; after all, she had to write a new textbook every six months.

    Yan Yu flipped through the new material and indeed, after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, Sword Flight had also appeared in the textbooks.

    The so-called Sword Flight involved enfolding oneself in sword light to move at high speed over long distances. To the outside world, it looked like a streak of sword light zipping by, very chic and dashing.

    Similar to the Shifting Technique, the speed of Sword Flight depended on the amount of True Yuan supplied. If a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage used Sword Flight at full speed, they could reach speeds around Mach 1, faster than most commercial airliners.

    Beyond Sword Flight, Mei Yingxue had also composed some material specific to the four major professions of sword and spell Assistant Enforcers, based on her understanding.

    She detailed the effects of each of the Sword Immortal¡¯s techniques most thoroughly and exquisitely. As for the ultimate paths of spell cultivators and Tao transformation, the Assistant Officer¡¯s method of the second divine spirit, and the Envoy¡¯s all-seeing abilities¡­ Unfortunately, as a pure Sword Immortal, Teacher Mei lacked the ability to know everything, so she could only briefly mention what she had heard.

    When moving to the next level, the Hua Fu Stage, Teacher Mei, who had not formed her Golden Core, couldn¡¯t plan out the textbooks from a high vantage point, and it would be up to Rikoku Cultivator researchers to explore further. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°How is it?¡± Li Weiguo asked again.

    ¡°It¡¯s quite good,¡± Yan Yu closed the textbook.

    In the era of the Three Arts and Five Spells, he was able to offer some suggestions for the textbooks. But now, what determined a cultivator¡¯s strength was mainly their cultivation realm and their unique system of cultivation methods. The general items in the textbooks were no longer as significant.

    Li Weiguo was quite satisfied with his reaction and glanced at Chen Tianming, saying:

    ¡°For the short term, you shouldn¡¯t have any missions. Take this textbook back and get the team to start learning it quickly.¡±

    The Shenxing Battle Team of the Zhendong Army had suffered a crushing defeat against the Huofeng Team soon after it was formed; similarly, the Dingbei Army¡¯s Flying Dragon Team was beaten by the Zhenhai Team. Part of the reason was that the higher-ups wanted to temper the pride of these second-generation team cultivators, but it also highlighted how important experience was to a cultivator¡¯s combat strength¡ªafter all, although the teams were divided into first and second generations, the cultivators themselves all started school at the same time.

    Clearly, college student cultivators who had never experienced battle in mysterious realms and merely attended classes at the academy were much weaker than the seasoned team cultivators.

    Thus, the Privy Council quickly changed its strategy, pushing to implement the team system comprehensively, making all college student cultivators into team cultivators.

    Consequently, the majority of mysterious realms domestically with lower difficulty would become training grounds and test arenas for the many newly formed teams of the four armies. Only secret realms like the three island treasure ships and Changping Shadow Palace, which either had very strong guardians or involved foreign Transcendents, would be left for veteran teams like the Zhenghai Dragon Cavalry to handle.

    The past packed schedule of clearing Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm and then moving to Longquan Mountain Secret Realm soon after, marking the time of insufficient team manpower, would no longer happen!

    Yan Yu naturally welcomed this development. To him, tackling simple mysterious realms held little interest; he would rather spend that time training his teammates properly.

    ¡°Sure, I also have something on my end,¡± he reminded Li Weiguo, ¡°It¡¯s something Chen Lingyun previously reported to you.¡±

    ¡°Mhmm,¡± Li Weiguo nodded, ¡°The Amur witch, Chen Lingyun has already briefed me on it.¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± Chen Tianming suddenly smiled, ¡°Be honest with us, is that witch your friend, or is she your lover?¡±

    Although Old Taishan¡¯s smile was gentle, it concealed a subtle scrutiny and questioning. Yan Yu was about to clarify by saying ¡°We¡¯re just friends,¡± but a rush of memories from his past life about Chen Tianming came to mind, and he had a stroke of inspiration, saying:

    ¡°She may not quite be my lover, but she has long harbored deep feelings for me and confessed her love. Currently, it¡¯s a unilateral commitment where she has entrusted her life to me.¡±

 Chapter 226: 25 All for Justice, No Personal Affections

    Chapter 226: Chapter 25 All for Justice, No Personal Affections

    Yan Yu actually admitted that ¡°Anna has developed deep feelings for him,¡± which gave both bosses quite a shock.

    Chen Tianming displayed a noticeable expression of displeasure, while Li Weiguo raised an eyebrow and asked:

    ¡°You dare to say that? Aren¡¯t there many beautiful girls in your team that you don¡¯t fancy? What about Chen Lingyun, aren¡¯t you two in a good relationship?¡±

    ¡°Look who¡¯s talking,¡± Yan Yu retorted with a wry smile, ¡°It was Anna who fell in love with me, so how did it become my fault? Why shouldn¡¯t I dare to say it?¡±

    Li Weiguo frowned slightly, and after a moment of contemplation, Chen Tianming suddenly dropped the coldness from his face and asked earnestly:

    ¡°What is her current status within the Amur Witch Clan?¡±

    ¡°Her aunt is an elder of the Witch Clan,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°The power structure of the Amur Witch Clan is very flat, with only two tiers: elders and ordinary members. Because they have been facing various external threats for a long time, the clan is very united internally, with no significant barriers or conflicts.¡±

    Although Yan Yu only briefly explained in a few words, Chen Tianming, being the astute person he was, could immediately deduce many things from his words:

    A flat power structure implies that the Amur Witch Clan is a newly established Transcendent regime that hasn¡¯t been around for long; no distinct class barriers have been put in place between the upper and lower echelons, and there¡¯s a high degree of mobility; facing constant external threats, power is essentially tied to strength, so everyone naturally supports the most powerful witch.

    All these points indicated one possibility, that is, Lu Country could become a substantial vassal state by providing military aid to support Anna¡ªwho has Lu Country blood and a close relationship with Yan Yu¡ªin becoming the ruler of the Amur Witch Clan.

    It sounded very feasible, but in reality, it was completely impractical, because Lu Country had pursued a policy of peaceful isolationism for many years, which had formed a strong political inertia¡ªor rather, ¡°the general trend.¡±

    Going against this trend was not just a problem of achieving half the result with twice the effort but a slight carelessness could lead to a fall into a bottomless abyss.

    If he could be 100% sure that the Amur Witch Clan would gain a firm foothold in the north, he would naturally be willing to bet all his chips at any cost, but how could such things ever be certain?

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± Chen Tianming asked meaningfully, ¡°do you think Lu Country should provide aid to the Amur Witch Clan?¡±

    ¡°I think doing nothing would be foolish,¡± Yan Yu said bluntly, ¡°The war among Transcendents doesn¡¯t experience logistical pressure and is more akin to a desperate street fight, often ending with the complete obliteration of one side. If we stand by and watch, only for the victor to turn against us later, how would that be any different from being fools?¡±

    ¡°The Rakshasas are preparing to take back Siberia,¡± Chen Tianming said slowly, ¡°If we support the Amur Witch Clan in establishing a strong foothold and later the Rakshasas come to reclaim their lost territory, what then?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Yan Yu fell silent.

    In his previous life, the Rakshasas had a very firm stance on reclaiming Siberia, having initiated three witch-hunting wars as proof of their uncompromising resolve¡­ and also as proof of their lacking strength, as they failed to succeed even after three attempts, who could have foreseen that?

    No wonder Chen Lingyun said this approach was unfeasible. At least at the current point in time, people had not yet realized the true power of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, nor did anyone believe that a rabble could defeat a regular army.

    ¡°I believe,¡± Yan Yu said slowly, ¡°that the only constant in human history is that nothing is eternal. If one prepares in advance, they stand firm; if not, they fall apart. To make assumptions about the future without making contingency plans, and then to rage impotently when things go wrong¡­ that¡¯s not my style, nor can I understand it.¡±

    Li Weiguo wore a thoughtful look, while Chen Tianming stared at him for a long while, then suddenly laughed and said:

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say I wouldn¡¯t make contingency plans, so what¡¯s the hurry?¡±

    Where have I hurried¡­ Lost for words, Yan Yu adopted an attitude of ¡°You¡¯re right; I¡¯m all ears,¡± waiting for Chen Tianming to continue.

    ¡°Deploying Zhendong cultivators is out of the question; I¡¯m telling you upfront not to harbor any excessive hopes,¡± Chen Tianming spoke leisurely, ¡°But not all cultivators are under Lu Country¡¯s control, right?¡±

    Yan Yu was initially startled by the remark, then he took a sharp intake of breath.

    Dammit, you sly old coin!

    What did Chen Tianming¡¯s words mean? It meant that the Zhendong cultivators, having official statuses, were not suitable to be mixed up in such affairs, as exposure on the international stage would create a lot of trouble.

    But civilian cultivators didn¡¯t have this restriction. Since internationally, civilian Transcendents were assumed to be free agents and hard to control, European superheroes could run off to Miti to join the Superhero Alliance, so Rikoku civilian cultivators wandering north to be hired by the Amur Witch Clan would also be perfectly normal, right?

    Considering that Lu Country had always employed strict measures to control civilian cultivation, it made perfect sense for civilian cultivators to flee the country to evade these controls.

    Of course, the calculations didn¡¯t stop there.

    Lu Country has always adopted a policy of strict control and crackdown on civilian cultivators, mainly because civilian cultivation is more detrimental than beneficial to both society and the upper echelons.

    However, Chen Tianming¡¯s strategy cunningly revealed the unique value of civilian cultivators¡ªthey can do certain things that official cultivators find inconvenient to handle.

    With this identity, it¡¯s like tearing a hole in the domestic policy of cracking down on civilian cultivators. Even better, if it¡¯s managed well later on, people will think, ¡°Hey, civilian cultivators are actually quite useful,¡± and then Chen Tianming would have grounds to propose loosening the controls on civilian cultivation.

    By now, Yan Yu had finally understood the meaning behind Chen Lingyun¡¯s words, ¡°The value that Yan Zhanlong can offer is greater than you imagine.¡± What Chen Tianming meant was that helping the Amur Witch Group was not a good deal; they could be destroyed at any time in the future. But in order to get Yan Zhanlong on his side and support his proposition, he was willing to make that investment, even if it meant a total loss.

    Thus, the problem was thrown to Yan Yu. Because with what Chen Tianming had done, he was essentially being forced to make a choice.

    Do you want to continue opposing the relaxation of controls on civilian cultivation, or do you allow civilian cultivators to help your little lover?

    Come on, young man, make your choice!

    This calculation was really shrewd, but the critical mistake made was ignoring one fact: I, Yan Yu, am the strongest in this world; can you really manipulate me so easily?

    Yan Yu pondered for just a moment before saying,

    ¡°The combat team cultivators are off-limits, I understand that. So, you mean if I retire from the Zhendong Army, participate in the northern war as a civilian volunteer cultivator, then return to the country and re-enlist after the battle is over, right?¡±

    Li Weiguo: ???

    Chen Tianming: ???

    ¡°Not at all, not at all.¡± Although this kid was probably joking, Li Weiguo couldn¡¯t ignore the 1% chance he was serious and immediately put on a serious face to deny it, ¡°How can you retire because of this? No way, I won¡¯t approve it!¡±

    ¡°How can you deceive yourself like this?¡± Chen Tianming couldn¡¯t help but laugh, ¡°Is Yan Zhanlong no longer Yan Zhanlong if he retires? With your current status and identity, whatever you do abroad that gets seen by others will still reflect on Lu Country.¡±

    ¡°So, the key isn¡¯t whether you are actually a Rikoku Cultivator or not, but whether you are recognized by others,¡± Yan Yu quickly seized the critical point, clapped his hands and said, ¡°As long as I wear a motorcycle helmet to cover my true face, switch to another Flying Sword, and pretend I¡¯m just an ordinary civilian cultivator from Rikoku, avoiding revealing the identity of Yan Zhanlong, I¡¯m good to go!¡±

    The two bigwigs fell silent again, at a loss for words.

    Is it feasible? It turned out to be quite feasible indeed. Because Sword Immortals differ from law cultivators, Assistant Officers, and Envoys as they don¡¯t possess unique Taoism Methods, magical treasures, or control over spirits that could be recognized; their only conspicuous possession is their personal Flying Sword.

    Once the sword is changed and the external disguise is in place, it would really be impossible to tell who is who¡ªa masked Sword Immortal with hands clasped inside his sleeves forming a Sword technique, not even letting you see the subtle movements, how could you tell them apart? Are you supposed to discern their swordsmanship style? The only one who could identify a person by their fighting moves just from watching is Wang Yuyan! There¡¯s no such all-knowing character in reality; they don¡¯t exist.

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± Chen Tianming said calmly, ¡°If you¡¯re going to disguise yourself, you need to do it thoroughly. With the exception of Anna, none of the other Amur witches can know your identity.¡±

    ¡°But if you do this, what¡¯s the advantage for you? No one will know the merits of Yan Zhanlong, all the prestige and benefits will be taken by Anna¡ªand your relationship with her is just unrequited love after all.¡±

    ¡°If she falls for someone else in the future and cuts off her relationship with you, will these sacrifices have any meaning at that time, aside from moving yourself?¡±

    Yan Yu couldn¡¯t deny that Old Taishan was right. If he didn¡¯t know and trust the character of the Eclipse Queen from his past life, he certainly wouldn¡¯t dare make such an early investment in Anna.

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Yan Yu said with justified earnestness, ¡°But I never expected to gain any benefits from Anna in the first place. If the Amur Witch Group becomes the ultimate victor, if Anna can rise to power smoothly, as long as she¡¯s willing to keep the northern border of Rikoku peaceful, I won¡¯t have any regrets for sweating or bleeding for it!¡±

    This lofty speech was delivered by Yan Yu with such passion, rhythm, and power, that even Li Weiguo and Chen Tianming, two seasoned heavyweights, were momentarily shocked and speechless. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Could it be that we have misjudged him all along? Does he really possess such a high level of ideological consciousness?

    This thought barely arose in their minds before rationality took over again.

    No, no, no, it¡¯s more likely that he has some closer, private relationship with Anna, one that makes him absolutely sure she will never betray him.

    Look at Chen Lingyun. She was a clever and intelligent girl from a young age, and others often found themselves at a disadvantage when dealing with her. Yet, ever since she met Yan Yu, she¡¯s become so tame and willing to even serve as his deputy!

    That rascal Yan Yu, dealing with girls as if he has a special ability!

 Chapter 227: 26: Thanks with the Zhao System

    Chapter 227: Chapter 26: Thanks with the Zhao System

    A few days later, Sofia and Maria bid farewell and left.

    Due to the increasingly intense conflicts in the north, Natasha had already given up on diplomatic efforts and planned to take her group back home to join the war.

    The sisters were all resisting the Gillia bears, and Sofia and Maria felt it improper to loaf around in the south, so they went to Pingjing to meet up with Natasha¡¯s envoy group and left Lu Country together.

    Now only Anna remained in Jinling Prefecture, waiting for Yan Yu¡¯s final response.

    Yan Yu too was waiting for Li Weiguo and Chen Tianming to make a decision.

    Yan Zhanlong went to the north to support the witches, a venture that required no cost from Lu Country. The only risk involved was to Yan Zhanlong¡¯s own safety¡­ but that¡¯s just a common issue in modern warfare. Swords and spears have no eyes; one must go into battle prepared to make sacrifices¡ªthere¡¯s really nothing more to say.

    Better to take this chance to train well!

    ¡°The key to Sword Flight is the mind!¡± Yan Yu explained while teaching on the spacious training field outside, ¡°Focus your Divine Sense on the sword, and wholeheartedly imagine that the sword¡¯s light envelops you! Imagine you are controlling the sword¡¯s light, traveling unfettered throughout the seas and deserts, reaching the highest heavens and the lowest underworld. There¡¯s nowhere in this vast world you can¡¯t go!¡±

    He performed a live demonstration of Sword Flight for everyone, deliberately executing the motions slowly. He rode the Huang Tingjian¡¯s light in a large arc across the sky, eventually landing back at the original spot, sword and body separating:

    ¡°To disengage from Sword Flight is also simple. Once you¡¯ve reached your intended landing spot, just imagine jumping out from the sword¡¯s light.¡±

    ¡°Now, who wants to give it a try?¡±

    ¡°I will!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen volunteered eagerly.

    In her world, Sword Flight was an advanced skill in the Sword Control Technique. Sword Control Technique was a basic skill everyone had, but only about sixty percent could manage Sword Flight. And even more advanced skills like the Sword-Body Union were something only those dedicated to swordsmanship, the Sword Immortals, would learn.

    Zhao Yuanzhen definitely belonged to that sixty percent and had long mastered Sword Flight. Her volunteering now was just to show off; she wrapped herself in the Yin Wind Sword¡¯s light and rose with a whoosh, circling around the school grounds. Almost all the outdoor teachers and students saw her.

    She landed back in front of the girls, hands on hips, sporting a smug and self-satisfied smile.

    ¡°Very good, the rest of you should give it a try too,¡± Yan Yu said, noting some of the girls seemed nervous, and comforted them, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If Sword Flight succeeds, then it¡¯s a success; if it fails, nothing happens, and there¡¯s no danger.¡±

    Once the team leader assured them there was no danger, the girls started to practice according to the manual.

    Yan Yu sat in a chair to the side, watching. Lin Ning was the quickest to get the hang of it, and it didn¡¯t take long before she started to draw the Green Bamboo Sword¡¯s light close to her body, though she hadn¡¯t yet achieved the level of ¡°rising with the light.¡±

    Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin¡¯s progress was much slower. Although they seemed to be concentrating fully, the Purple Extreme Sword and Coral Tear merely circled around them without any signs of transforming into sword light.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid!¡± Yan Yu saw their furrowed brows and promptly reminded them, ¡°Being enveloped by the sword light doesn¡¯t mean it will harm you! I told you, there¡¯s no danger!¡±

    Despite his repeated assurances, the notion of letting the sword light engulf them¡ªwhen it was usually directed at enemies¡ªmade the girls somewhat uneasy.

    Yan Yu watched from the side for quite some time, feeling the exasperation of a driving instructor witnessing a novice driver¡¯s outlandish maneuvers, almost wishing he could take their place.

    Glancing to the side, he saw Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi sitting nearby, giggling while watching a meme video, and immediately glared at them:

    ¡°You two are slacking off again!¡±

    ¡°No, we¡¯re not!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen called out in her own defense, ¡°Didn¡¯t I already master it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still not proficient with the Sword Control Technique¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi said meekly.

    ¡°If you¡¯re not proficient in Sword Control Technique, shouldn¡¯t you be diligently practicing to catch up to everyone else?¡± Yan Yu spoke righteously, then turned and commanded Zhao Yuanzhen, ¡°You teach her swordsmanship! Only when you¡¯ve taught little Xie can you rest freely!¡±

    ¡°You little thief!¡± ¡°Have mercy!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen cursed while Xie Ruoxi cried plaintively. Seeing Yan Yu showed no sign of relenting, they exchanged a glance, and suddenly their wariness skyrocketed.

    ¡°Sister Zhao,¡± Xie Ruoxi quickly distanced herself, her face adopting a flattering smile as she spoke, ¡°We have such a deep sisterly bond, why inflict such harm on each other? I¡¯ll practice diligently; you don¡¯t have to worry too much about me¡­¡±

    ¡°Ruoxi, ah.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s smile carried ill-intent as she laughed, ¡°Of course, I believe you¡¯ll practice diligently. But if I put pressure on you, I trust you¡¯ll learn even faster. Look at how far you¡¯ve fallen behind everyone. I¡¯m doing this for your own good.¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhao, you really don¡¯t need to worry about me.¡± Xie Ruoxi¡¯s gaze shifted, searching for an escape route as she spoke, ¡°You know, my mental strength is actually quite fragile, and pressure will just make me crumble faster. Can you not force me, please?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, mmm, mmm,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen advanced step by step, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ruoxi, I¡¯ll be very gentle and light-handed. Just be a little attentive, and you¡¯ll definitely be able to block my attacks¡­ Behold the sword!¡±

    The clash of the Yin Wind Sword and the Heavenly Origin Sword produced a metallic ring. Although Xie Ruoxi was exceptionally talented and her True Yuan was sturdy, her progress in cultivation was nevertheless falling behind. She was quickly beaten by Zhao Yuanzhen to a point where her face was swollen and battered, and she even began to cry out in pain once again.

    She was naturally delicate and lovely, and her tear-streaked face made her look especially pitiable, just like a pear blossom bathed in rain. Any man would instinctively hold back, but Zhao Yuanzhen was a Demonic Sect Enchantress, utterly devoid of such compassion. She continued to intensify her sword attacks and excitedly shouted:

    ¡°Stop crying! Defend yourself! Will crying help you on the battlefield? Crying by day, crying by night, do you think that will cry the enemy to death? Strike at me! If you kill me, you¡¯ll be saved!¡±

    Yan Yu sat back and watched coldly, thinking that the Demonic Sect Enchantress was true to her cruel nature. Using her against Xie Ruoxi, this pitiful waste of beauty, was utterly perfect.

    As wise as I am, I truly deserve myself!

    After chasing Xie Ruoxi around for a while, probably realising that pretending to be pitiful was utterly useless, Xie Ruoxi could only brace herself and exchange blows with Zhao Yuanzhen.

    After practicing for nearly an entire afternoon, the girls still hadn¡¯t mastered Sword Flight; even Lin Ning, who had the fastest progress, could only manage to whirl her sword aura around herself.

    Under intense pressure, Xie Ruoxi¡¯s Sword Control Technique actually began to take shape; at least she now knew how to block when your sword struck at her.

    When Yan Yu announced the end of training, she immediately plunged into Su Yunjin¡¯s arms, bawling¡ªSecretary Su was the kindest and most maternal figure in the team; that pretty waste had a vicious eye for sympathy.

    Seeing her covered in bruises and injuries, Su Yunjin felt a tad heartbroken, but she also felt it inappropriate to interfere with Yan Yu¡¯s training plan, so she could only comfort Xie Ruoxi gently and treat her wounds.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, having enjoyed bullying her easy target, felt she finally understood the joy of being a team leader, and came over buzzing with excitement saying:

    ¡°From now on, why don¡¯t I just take over Ruoxi¡¯s training?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi immediately lifted her head from Su Yunjin¡¯s embrace, her face pale and her shoulders trembling as she looked at Yan Yu with pleading eyes, her lips quivering.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± Yan Yu pondered, stroking his chin, thinking it wouldn¡¯t be right to let the Demonic Sect Enchantress torment the beautiful waste all the time. After all, Zhao Yuanzhen didn¡¯t know how to pull her punches, and he was afraid that it would leave lasting mental scars.

    What about treating her like the Sword of Damocles, hanging over Xie Ruoxi¡¯s head all the time? If this waste dares to slack off or shirk work, I¡¯ll just threaten her with the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡ªas a complementary deterrent to the ¡°banning of all gaming platforms,¡± to be used in combination.

    Yes, that will do.

    ¡°Where are we eating tonight?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked with great enthusiasm.

    ¡°You decide,¡± Yan Yu replied casually. ¡°How many meals do I owe you now?¡±

    ¡°Fourteen,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to inflate the numbers,¡± Yan Yu said disapprovingly. ¡°I only promised you ten meals in total. How did it suddenly go over?¡±

    ¡°You wrecked the puppet last time, and you think repairing it didn¡¯t cost me anything?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen argued righteously.

    The two of them haggled back and forth, while Su Yunjin took care of Xie Ruoxi¡¯s injuries. Chen Lingyun sat with Lin Ning chatting, when suddenly her phone rang.

    ¡°Lingyun, it¡¯s your phone,¡± Lin Ning reminded her.

    ¡°Mm,¡± Chen Lingyun answered the call and began speaking in dialect.

    Even though Lin Ning didn¡¯t understand exactly what was said, she could roughly guess that the person on the other end must be her mother.

    After hanging up, Chen Lingyun turned around and called out:

    ¡°Yan Yu, let¡¯s not eat out today.¡±

    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°My mother has come to Jinling,¡± Chen Lingyun answered. ¡°She wants to treat our team to a meal.¡±

    Lin Ning keenly noticed that there wasn¡¯t the usual beaming fake smile on her face, but rather an impression of a calm and inscrutable lake surface.

 Chapter 228: 27 The Mother-in-law Looks at Her Son-in-law

    Chapter 228: Chapter 27 The Mother-in-law Looks at Her Son-in-law

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s mother, who will be referred to as Mother Chen from now on, is the sole daughter of the head of Jianghai Investment Group.

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s grandfather was the largest landlord in Jianghai Prefecture back in the day. During the industrialization era of Lu Country, he directly donated all his land, turning it into state-owned property, in exchange for high praise from the clear streams of Lu Country.

    Chen Tianming was able to rise rapidly through the ranks, and his father¡¯s illustrious reputation was, of course, inseparable from this success.

    What¡¯s more incredible is that although his father converted all his wealth into reputation, causing the family to go from ¡°landed gentry¡± to ¡°impoverished gentry,¡± Chen Tianming quickly married the sole daughter of the head of Jianghai Investment Group, thereby making a remarkable comeback¡ªit¡¯s clear that within the genes passed down in the Chen family, there must be some element of radical speculative opportunism as not going all-in seems to make them uncomfortable.

    Mother Chen was also a local miss of Jianghai, who had studied for her MBA degree in England in her early years, returning to take over the family business. Although rumors had it that the two were love at first sight, Yan Yu highly doubted it.

    Because Chen Tianming was the kind of man whose mind was set on making great achievements and was full of ambition, he barely had any other pursuits, and during busy times, he would even let his secretary buy him a fried dough twist and a pancake to serve as lunch; Mother Chen was the other extreme, pursuing the finest quality in life to such an extent that even saying she ¡®eats only the most refined and finest-tasting food¡¯ would be an understatement.

    Yan Yu even remembered, from his past life, the first time he went to Chen Lingyun¡¯s home. There were a shoe cabinet and a soft bench outside the door. Chen Lingyun pulled him to a soft bench, lifted her feet, and a maid came out to help them remove their shoes¡­

    At that time, he had been somewhat embarrassed, then Chen Lingyun explained that the maid was ¡°in charge of the hallway,¡± instantly giving him the illusion of having traveled back to ancient times to become a noble consort.

    Of course, this was no longer the feudal era where people were distinguished by rank or status, so the Chen family didn¡¯t have any ¡°servants¡± at home, only ¡°various types of service personnel.¡± For example, just in the kitchen staff alone, there were about twenty chefs specializing in Shandong, Sichuan, and Huaiyang cuisines, as well as Western cuisine, desserts, and coffee¡ªMother Chen was the type who would rather not eat at all than eat anything but the best.

    Yan Yu did not like this kind of person. In his past life, he and Old Taishan merely had a difference in philosophy, while with his mother-in-law, it was pure mutual disdain.

    However, since in this life he had decided not to pursue Chen Lingyun, he naturally need not care about Mother Chen¡¯s impressions or assessments of him. After all, it was fine as long as he simply brought the team to eat.

    The group left the school, and two luxury cars had already stopped at the school gate¡ªYan Yu wasn¡¯t clear just how expensive they were. He didn¡¯t care much for sports cars, since he usually traveled by Sword Control in his previous life.

    The girls were also quite calm about it because everyone knew long ago that the Ling Yun family was indeed wealthy.

    The car stopped in front of the Oasis Hotel, and soon, someone came to open the door and usher everyone into the hotel.

    Yan Yu glanced around casually and knew that Mother Chen must have booked the hotel¡¯s dining area again, then switched in her own team of chefs to cook¡ªwhen Chen Lingyun traveled in her previous life, she stayed at only a select few hotels, bringing her own toiletries and everything else. Guess where she got that habit from?

    So particular! Too particular!

    Upon entering the private room, just as the girls were about to take their seats, Chen Lingyun suddenly said:

    ¡°Wait a moment.¡±

    She whispered to the butler next to her for a moment and began calling out names:

    ¡°Ningning, you sit there.¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin, come to this side.¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhao, sit next to Yun Jin.¡±

    ¡°Ruoxi, sit on Ningning¡¯s left-hand side.¡±

    Yan Yu suddenly jerked in alarm and quickly sent a telepathic message to Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°What the heck, I don¡¯t want to sit next to your mom!¡±

    ¡°Who do you think she¡¯s here for?¡± Chen Lingyun responded to him.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say this was to treat the team to a meal?¡± Yan Yu chose to feign ignorance directly.

    ¡°Be a good boy and sit here, okay~¡± Chen Lingyun coaxed him as if soothing a child, ¡°I¡¯ll sit next to you in a bit, and I¡¯ll help you out if anything comes up.¡±

    ¡°Get lost!¡± Yan Yu was about to berate her fiercely but then thought to himself, I¡¯m not your boyfriend, what¡¯s there to be scared of your mom for?

    Even if your mom continues to treat me like a ¡®crude son-in-law¡¯ or a ¡®dandy in fancy dress¡¯ as she did in the past life, so what?

    What can she do, have her daughter bite me?

    Thinking this, Yan Yu sneered to himself, thinking Chen Lingyun, don¡¯t blame me for this, it was you and your mother¡¯s own choice.

    Everyone took their assigned seats, and the cold dishes started to come in one after another, but nobody picked up their chopsticks.

    It wasn¡¯t long before Mother Chen came in.

    The Chen Family typically embraced late marriage and childbearing, with Mother Chen having had Chen Lingyun in her thirties, so she was nearly fifty now. However, due to proper maintenance, she appeared to be in her early thirties. Her hair was cut very short (completely exposing her ears), starkly different from Lu Country¡¯s traditional aesthetic for women and instead exuded a sense of fashion reminiscent of foreign ladies.

    Mother Chen¡¯s gaze swept across the room, pausing on Yan Yu¡¯s face for three to four seconds before she took a seat right between him and Chen Lingyun, smiled, and said:

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you all eating already?¡±

    ¡°Everyone is waiting for you.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, hugging her arm.

    Yan Yu rolled his eyes in a sickly sweet manner, thinking to himself, why did he feel like he was suddenly witnessing a scene where Wang Xifeng is fawning over Grandmother Jia?

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we all introduce ourselves?¡± Mother Chen suggested warmly.

    The girls honestly took turns introducing themselves. Mother Chen nodded with a smile at each introduction, but Yan Yu noticed that she seemed a bit displeased with Xie Ruoxi and Zhao Yuanzhen, preferring Lin Ning and Su Yunjin instead, lingering on these two a bit longer with her gaze.

    In this regard, although Chen Lingyun was proud, she wasn¡¯t as prejudiced as her mother who seemed to judge people through tinted glasses from the first meeting¡­

    ¡°Hold on.¡± Just as Su Yunjin finished introducing herself, Mother Chen suddenly called out towards the doorway, ¡°Is Xiao Shi there?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± A professional woman dressed in OL attire walked in¡ªit was Shi Meijing, the housekeeper of Chen Lingyun¡¯s family.

    Yan Yu vaguely remembered that this woman¡¯s father had served Chen Lingyun¡¯s grandfather and now she was serving Chen Lingyun¡¯s parents, a veritable ¡°servant for generations.¡±

    ¡°Look at this dish.¡± Mother Chen pointed to a plate of salted vegetables stir-fried with edamame, frowning as she spoke, ¡°It¡¯s cut so small?¡±

    Shi Meijing glanced at it, picked it up, and said:

    ¡°The knife work was from a newbie that Chef Xie recently trained, not done well, I¡¯ll have them redo it.¡±

    ¡°Forget it, forget it, just take it away,¡± Mother Chen said impatiently, waving her hand to have Shi Meijing take away the cold dish.

    Seeing the other girls looking confused, just as Mother Chen was about to speak up, they heard Yan Yu snicker and he explained to everyone:

    ¡°The salted vegetables burnt with edamame, each piece should be cut exactly to a third of the length, no more or less, so it looks good with the edamame¡­ Heh heh, this is how wealthy families are, so particular.¡±

    There was not the slightest attempt in his tone to hide the mockery, causing the girls to tense up. Even the usually calm Chen Lingyun¡¯s face slightly changed colors, fearing that her mother would slam the table and storm out.

    Mother Chen initially felt some subconsciously offended displeasure, but her expression quickly shifted. After examining Yan Yu for a moment, she revealed a satisfied look as if to say ¡°you understand quite well,¡± and explained with a smile to the girls:

    ¡°It¡¯s not that Auntie is being overly fastidious. My father, which is Ling Yun¡¯s grandfather, partnered with others to start a business and we were poor at the time. We often made this dish at home with rice. But he would always cut the salted vegetables nearly as long as the edamame. My father said, we might be poor at home, but not in spirit. Rice must be fluffy, vegetables finely chopped, a nail is a nail, a dowel is a dowel, this principle applies to dealing with people and living life as well.¡±

    The girls listened in awe, their expressions as if they were undergoing some sort of religious revelation. Only Yan Yu, with his hand propping up his chin, thought, yeah yeah yeah, your family also has its reasons for having the maid help with shoes, when you¡¯re rich and have status your logic is the biggest, right?

    ¡°You¡¯re Yan Yu, aren¡¯t you?¡± Mother Chen said pleasantly, ¡°I¡¯ve seen your videos, quite impressive.¡±

    ¡°You flatter me, Auntie.¡± Yan Yu responded coolly, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say impressive, just doing my best.¡±

    ¡°The kid has promise,¡± Mother Chen was even more satisfied, turning to Chen Lingyun she continued, ¡°The boys your father wanted to introduce to you before, they themselves have no real ability, relying entirely on their parents¡¯ fortune, yet each one thinks too highly of themselves. That¡¯s just clueless behavior. If they were all like Yan Yu, would I disagree?¡±

    With Mother Chen¡¯s cards laid on the table, the girls¡¯ expressions also subtly changed. Only Chen Lingyun playfully nudged her mother¡¯s hand, saying with a smile: S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°We rarely get together to eat, why bring this up now, Mom?¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, I won¡¯t talk about it. You¡¯ve always had your own opinions since you were little,¡± Mother Chen said, as the corner of her eyes caught the others¡¯ expressions, deducing the answers in her heart and in private, holding Yan Yu in even higher esteem.

    Her principle was, ¡°everything must be the best,¡± which of course applied to selecting her son-in-law as well.

    Ordinary family background, cautious character, groveling in the face of power, such phoenix men, even if they struggle, Mother Chen would not be impressed¡ªare the things you struggle for your whole life something our Governor¡¯s family would value?

    Even with those from official aristocratic families or born into rich merchants¡¯ households, Mother Chen was still not impressed¡ªgold-plated toilets soiled by waste, those who are incompetent and rely solely on their family to keep up appearances, how could they be worthy of my Ling Yun?

    But then looking at Yan Yu, so young and already a nationally known cultivator, even Chen Tianming looked at him in a different light. And there were so many beautiful girls around him¡­ perfectly normal. You see, outstanding men are like hot commodities in the market; they don¡¯t need any extra promotion, the long line outside the store is the best proof!

    Having so many competitors by his side just proves his excellence!

    With this in mind, Mother Chen grew more determined in her thought: This is my son-in-law!

    With this resolve, her glance at Yan Yu became increasingly inappropriate: how she looked at him, she saw only good points, as if everything about him was perfect.

    Noticing the problem with the length of the salted vegetables proved he had a refined and elegant taste in life, a man well-suited to be a life partner.

    His speech might have been cold and his attitude not the best, but it just proved he wouldn¡¯t bow down to power, a man of dignity and spirit.

    Having a bunch of beautiful girls around him, each seeming to be interested in him, further evidenced he was certainly one of those top-notch men, a natural perfect match for my girl!

    With this thought, Mother Chen didn¡¯t hesitate any longer and straightforwardly asked:

    ¡°Yan Yu, do you have a girlfriend or not?¡±

 Chapter 229: 28: Chen Lingyuns Weakness

    Chapter 229: Chapter 28: Chen Lingyun¡¯s Weakness

    Facing the direct probing from Chen¡¯s mother, the girls all looked shocked.

    Then they each regained their composure.

    It¡¯s fine, she¡¯s not my mom. It¡¯s not my problem if she loses face in front of the team captain.

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s expression, however, did change, and she quickly grabbed Chen¡¯s mother¡¯s arm, forcing a smile as she said:

    ¡°Mom, who starts a conversation by asking about this¡­¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Yan Yu answered, ¡°I don¡¯t have a girlfriend.¡±

    ¡°Then, what type of girl do you like?¡± Chen¡¯s mother asked with a friendly smile, like a Jianghai aunt eager to marry off her daughter, ¡°Auntie will see if there¡¯s a suitable young lady around and maybe introduce you to each other~¡±

    ¡°Around,¡± ¡°suitable,¡± ¡°young lady¡±¡ªAuntie, why don¡¯t you just give your daughter¡¯s name directly?

    ¡°I can¡¯t really say what I like,¡± Yan Yu replied coldly. ¡°I can only say what I don¡¯t like: for example, those who always have a fake smile on their face, looking at everyone as if they¡¯re idiots. I don¡¯t like that kind of hypocrisy and arrogance.¡±

    ¡°Mmm,¡± Chen¡¯s mother said as if it were nothing, ¡°Speaking of which, our Ling Yun is actually very innocent and kind at heart. She used to take care of a stray cat at home¡­ ¡±

    ¡°Mom!¡± Chen Lingyun couldn¡¯t hold back anymore and stood up, angrily protesting.

    ¡°Okay, okay, I won¡¯t say more,¡± Chen¡¯s mother conceded upon seeing her daughter¡¯s intense reaction, then turned to say with a smile, ¡°Let¡¯s eat, everyone. Don¡¯t be too restrained, just be casual.¡±

    The girls secretly laughed in their hearts. As expected, the captain not only dared to rebuff Ling Yun but also did not spare her mother¡­ They each started to dish out food and eat.

    ¡°Yan Yu, try this.¡± Chen¡¯s mother personally served Yan Yu a bowl of bamboo shoot and salted pork soup.

    ¡°Thank you, Auntie.¡± Yan Yu, though he found her disagreeable due to past events, could not simply throw cold water in the face of his prospective mother-in-law, who was now showing kindness¡ªAfter all, he wasn¡¯t the craziest man in this life! How could he do something so laughable?

    Seeing him actually give thanks, Chen¡¯s mother¡¯s face lit up with joy.

    This boy is so polite, it¡¯s truly rare. I really didn¡¯t see him wrong~ S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    She didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong with her thoughts. After all, a murderer who repents becomes a Buddha on the spot, while a lifetime of good deeds followed by a single evil thought leads one to hell¡ªa peculiar yet human nature. In Chen¡¯s mother subconscious, Yan Zhanlong, nationally renowned, should be like Ximen ChuiXue¡ªarrogant and indifferent. Now that he seemed willing to give face to an elder like herself, of course, it was a cause for joy.

    Chen¡¯s mother also stealthily conveyed a message to her daughter with her eyes: Ling Yun, such an excellent man, you must seize the opportunity!

    Chen Lingyun rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed.

    She knew her mother¡¯s personality well and guessed at once why her mother treated Yan Yu differently. It was the same principle as luxury goods; if it was priced even slightly low, Chen¡¯s mother wouldn¡¯t even look at it. But if it¡¯s a global limited edition that will soon be discontinued¡ªsorry, but I must own it.

    Yan Zhanlong is currently the unique ¡°luxury item¡± in the entire Lu Country, naturally becoming Chen¡¯s mother¡¯s most prized candidate for a son-in-law. Even among the Jianghai affluent ladies¡¯ circle, how much face would Chen¡¯s mother gain if she could say, ¡°My son-in-law is Yan Zhanlong¡±? Just for that, she was determined not to let go easily.

    As for the pretty girls in the team, as well as the various rumors about Yan Yu having a harem, they only served to raise Chen¡¯s mother¡¯s evaluation of him¡ªit¡¯s like why men who love married women, love married women. Those who understand, understand; those who don¡¯t, don¡¯t need to ask.

    She silently lowered her eyelids, feeling no appetite for the food on the table. For one thing, she had been eating it since she was a child, and for another, her mood was indeed not good.

    Chen Lingyun enjoyed watching fun, and occasionally didn¡¯t mind becoming the fun herself, but she did not want her parents to become a spectacle in the eyes of others, nor did she want to see her mother humiliated by Yan Yu, with the added indignity of begging him nicely.

    Looking at the other girls, Lin Ning and Su Yunjin were both very well-mannered, eating, pausing, chatting, and laughing, engaging Chen¡¯s mother in conversation and keeping the atmosphere harmonious.

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi, on the other hand, were burying themselves in eating, from time to time picking food for each other, ¡°Ruoxi, this is delicious,¡± ¡°Sister Zhao, try this one,¡± acting like country bumpkins with insatiable appetites, which Chen¡¯s mother would not even bother looking at.

    But just because Chen¡¯s mother didn¡¯t care to look and was annoyed, didn¡¯t mean Yan Yu could bear the antics of these two buffoons. His eyes narrowed, and with a sweep of his divine sense, he sent a telepathic scolding:

    ¡°Even if you like eating, try to restrain yourselves a bit. Don¡¯t let others think you have no manners!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen continued to use her chopsticks like the wind and replied telepathically, ¡°I¡¯m very close with Chen Lingyun. She¡¯ll explain it for me if Auntie misunderstands.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi, not yet skilled in the art of telepathy and with her mouth full of food, was unable to speak, so she simply took out her phone and messaged Yan Yu:

    ¡°I only have a high school diploma, so I¡¯m not well-mannered to begin with.¡±

    Yan Yu forcefully suppressed his anger, and if it weren¡¯t for Chen¡¯s mother being there, he would have already teleported over to dunk their heads into the plates¡­ It was during this pause that Chen¡¯s mother noticed that he had stopped eating and asked:

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Yan Yu? Don¡¯t you like the food?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s delicious,¡± Yan Yu could only answer vaguely, ¡°I¡¯m just full.¡±

    ¡°Good, as long as you¡¯re full,¡± Chen¡¯s mother said cheerfully, ¡°I was worried about not being a good host. She didn¡¯t bother looking at the two gluttons opposite her and turned to Chen Lingyun, ¡°Are you still living in that villa?¡±

    Chen Lingyun said with a smile:

    ¡°Yes, the school dorm¡¯s conditions aren¡¯t good, so most of us live outside.¡±

    Lin Ning and Su Yunjin were speechless as well. Aren¡¯t the school dorms nice? Apart from having to clean up themselves, they are hardly inferior to the single rooms in hotels outside!

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Chen¡¯s mother agreed, ¡°I mentioned last time about sending a few chefs over to your place, why didn¡¯t you want them?¡±

    ¡°Auntie, we all cook for ourselves.¡± Lin Ning quickly explained.

    ¡°Cook for yourselves, huh.¡± Chen¡¯s mother paused for a moment, then assumed an elder¡¯s air and advised, ¡°Young ladies should spend less time in the kitchen. After all, the smoke and fumes are terrible for the skin, and they¡¯re harmful to the eyes and respiratory system as well. Besides, you are all chosen ones; you should spend your time on more important matters. If money can solve a problem, then there¡¯s no need for you to do it yourselves.¡±

    Yan Yu immediately became angry on the side, I¡¯m the captain of the Zhenhai Team! Only I can show off in the team! You¡¯re just a mother-in-law with some dirty money, what superiority are you flaunting here? This isn¡¯t your Jianghai Prefecture!

    He spoke up nonchalantly:

    ¡°Auntie, you¡¯re a mortal, you don¡¯t understand the truth of the matter. We cultivators pay attention to refining our hearts amid the mortal world. Cooking, washing clothes, sweeping floors, and watering plants help us grasp the profound truths of the Great Way through the subtle aspects of life, which is extremely beneficial for our cultivation.¡±

    Though Yan Yu spoke softly, his disdain was evident in his words, ¡°I am a cultivator¡± and ¡°you are a mortal¡±.

    Chen Lingyun clenched her chopsticks silently, but instead of getting angry, Chen¡¯s mother became even happier, nodding and laughing:

    ¡°Exactly, exactly, it was ignorant of me to presume. Well then, let me go take a look at the villa later. Whatever you need for your daily lives, just tell me, and I¡¯ll help you solve it.¡±

    Seeing that Chen¡¯s mother wasn¡¯t even angry over this, Lin Ning and Su Yunjin were dumbfounded, wondering if this was the legendary case of a mother-in-law liking her son-in-law more and more as she sees him?

    But wait! He and Ling Yun aren¡¯t even dating!

    Auntie, you can¡¯t possibly believe that by being nice to the captain, you can persuade him to marry into the family, right?

    We cultivators earn millions on a single trip to the Mysterious Realm, we seriously don¡¯t lack money!

    Though they weren¡¯t worried that Yan Yu would stoop low before the power of money, the thought of Chen¡¯s mother staying at the villa and trying to play matchmaker every day between the captain and her daughter was quite distressing.

    The two exchanged glances silently, and without any telepathic communication, they reached a tacit understanding.

    We need to send Ling Yun¡¯s mom away as soon as possible!

    Xie Ruoxi, having eaten her fill, was quite content when she suddenly heard Chen¡¯s mother say ¡°she was going to check out the villa¡±, and she quickly whispered to Zhao Yuanzhen, who was still heartily eating:

    ¡°Auntie said she¡¯s going to our villa!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s eyes lit up:

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean we can eat these dishes every day?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes!¡±

    Their eyes met, and without needing to say more, they reached an agreement.

    We should encourage Ling Yun¡¯s mom to stay longer!

    Yan Yu, bored, was playing with his phone and heard Chen Lingyun¡¯s telepathic message to him:

    ¡°Are you feeling very smug?¡±

    ¡°What do I have to be smug about?¡± Yan Yu replied irritably.

    ¡°My mom is already treating you like her own son.¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°You were familiar with her temperament in a past life, so it must be even easier for you to please her now, right?¡±

    ¡°Little Ling Yun, don¡¯t flatter yourself too much.¡± Yan Yu scoffed, ¡°It¡¯s precisely because I know what she¡¯s like that I¡¯m completely indifferent to how she sees me.¡±

    Chen Lingyun was taken aback, and then began to ponder: What does he mean? Did Yan Yu and my mother not get along well in their past life?

    ¡°But you have reminded me,¡± Yan Yu suddenly laughed with ill intent, ¡°if I remember correctly, isn¡¯t your mom your Achilles¡¯ heel?¡±

    A feeling of dread flashed through Chen Lingyun¡¯s heart, but she calmly asked, ¡°Oh, what do you mean? I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°You still want to bluff your way through, huh.¡± Yan Yu said triumphantly, seeing through her act, ¡°Have you forgotten that I have experience from a past life?¡±

    After a moment¡¯s silence, Chen Lingyun replied coldly:

    ¡°Go ahead and try it if you think you can!¡±

    ¡°Haha, getting anxious now!¡±

 Chapter 230: 29 Yan Yu, even if its for me

    Chapter 230: Chapter 29 Yan Yu, even if it¡¯s for me

    Princess Jiang Hai, Chen Lingyun, had always had everything handed to her on a silver platter, seldom moved by anyone or anything.

    Even if you cursed her to her face, she would just respond with a faint smile, not taking offense in the slightest¡ªafter all, insignificant people didn¡¯t deserve her attention.

    But Chen Lingyun had her weaknesses.

    Her worldview was inherited from her father, cold, self-centered, and profit-oriented; her values came from her mother, greedy, vain, and a perfectionist. However, if you reversed this thought process, it would clearly show that in Chen Lingyun¡¯s inner world, her father and mother almost held her everything, and they were her only two weaknesses and vulnerabilities.

    Chen Tianming held a high position with considerable power in Lu Country, and there were few who could pose a threat to him. Therefore, strictly speaking, Chen Lingyun¡¯s mother was her sole vulnerability¡ªif you slandered Chen Lingyun, she would remain indifferent, but if you insulted her mother and caused her pain, Chen Lingyun would be utterly defenseless.

    Sitting in the car, Chen Lingyun looked out the window, silently contemplating.

    Expecting Yan Yu to show any warmth toward her mother was unlikely; not showing a foul mood was already a win. But with her mother¡¯s unreciprocated affection for him encountering his disdain and indifference, it was even harder for her to bear.

    What should she do?

    Hmm, got it¡­

    Back in the villa, as everyone had just entered the living room, they saw Anna hurrying down the stairs to greet them.

    ¡°Who is this?¡± Chen¡¯s mother asked with a beaming smile.

    ¡°Mom, she¡¯s our friend,¡± Chen Lingyun explained. ¡°She came back from abroad to have fun and will stay here for a few days.¡±

    ¡°Hello, auntie,¡± Anna promptly introduced herself after hearing Chen Lingyun¡¯s introduction.

    ¡°Oh, lovely,¡± Chen¡¯s mother responded. Due to her earlier experiences abroad, her aesthetic tastes were somewhat Westernized, and she was particularly fond of the half-half sweet sister look of blonde Persian cats, sighing with a smile, ¡°Yan Yu has so many beautiful girls around him~¡±

    Chen Lingyun slightly smiled, pretending she hadn¡¯t caught the underlying message from her mother: Daughter, you better seize the opportunity.

    When it came to the ¡°blooming flowers¡± around Yan Yu, Anna¡¯s expression turned somewhat gloomy, but she still forced a smile and said:

    ¡°Thank you for the compliment, Auntie.¡±

    Chen¡¯s mother wanted to probe further, but Chen Lingyun had already anticipated her mother¡¯s intentions and quickly employed the conversation-breaking skill by holding her mother¡¯s arm with a laugh:

    ¡°Mom, let me show you around the house.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Chen¡¯s mother said, even though she was dying to remark, ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s a garden or a courtyard; what¡¯s there to look at in this small villa?¡± But her daughter was so eager to invite her that she couldn¡¯t bear to refuse, so the two walked upstairs arm in arm.

    Yan Yu, on the other hand, lounged lazily on the sofa, playing with his phone. Had Lin Ning or Su Yunjin¡¯s mother visited, he might have behaved more seriously, but for Chen¡¯s mother¡­ Who cares.

    After reading a novel for a while, he suddenly sensed that the atmosphere around him was off.

    The girls each sat on the sofa, not speaking or playing with their phones, merely exchanging glances and looking at each other.

    Typically, in such a situation, one could assume they were secretly communicating with each other; no other explanation was feasible.

    ¡°What secret messages are you passing around?¡± Yan Yu asked languidly.

    ¡°Nothing much,¡± Lin Ning quickly covered up, ¡°we were discussing how young Ling Yun¡¯s mother looks.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Yan Yu scoffed with disdain, ¡°if you spend money to go to a beauty salon twice a week for full-body maintenance, you too would look thirty at fifty.¡± S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Going to the beauty salon twice a week¡­ This was beyond the girls¡¯ comprehension. In their eyes, applying a face mask and some serum before bed was already considered diligent maintenance.

    But now that we have money, maybe we should also find a beauty salon for regular care?

    Seeing them exchange looks, Yan Yu could easily guess what they were secretly discussing and sneered, saying:

    ¡°Beauty salons are for mortals; what do we cultivators need with such trouble?¡±

    The girls: ?

    You¡¯re on a path to self-destruction, Captain!

    The next second, they quickly surrounded Yan Yu, bombarding him with questions about the methods cultivators use to maintain their youthfulness.

    Only Zhao Yuanzhen, who had always been confident about her looks, smiled faintly, completely ignoring their enthusiasm and discussion, and continued her online search for ¡°how to please elderly women.¡±

    Speaking of which, Chen Lingyun took Chen¡¯s mother to her bedroom. Once the door was closed, Chen¡¯s mother stopped holding back and directly reproached her:

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, Ling Yun? Yan Yu is such a good man, don¡¯t you like him, or do you just look down on him?¡±

    ¡°Mom, stop worrying about me,¡± Chen Lingyun said impatiently. ¡°This is my own business, and I know what I¡¯m doing.¡±

    ¡°You know what you¡¯re doing, you know what you¡¯re doing, he already has five or six girls around him, you¡¯d better be clear on it!¡± Chen¡¯s mother rattled on until she finally calmed down a bit and asked earnestly, ¡°Ling Yun, what are you really thinking? Do you like Yan Yu or not?¡±

    ¡°What kind of liking are you referring to?¡± Chen Lingyun countered, ¡°Is it the kind you have for Dad?¡±

    Chen¡¯s mother was suddenly at a loss for words, and after a long pause, she finally said:

    ¡°What have we ever done to you?¡±

    ¡°Nothing to me,¡± Chen Lingyun said indifferently, ¡°I just don¡¯t know what it means to like someone. Dad found another aunty outside, had a child, and you didn¡¯t mind at all. Is that normal like?¡±

    There was a moment of silence from Chen¡¯s mother before she asked in a low voice:

    ¡°Do you know everything?¡±

    ¡°Everyone in the house knows, except for me. Do you really think you can keep it from me?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a cold laugh.

    ¡°Sigh, Lingyun.¡± Chen¡¯s mother pulled her into an embrace, speaking sorrowfully, ¡°You¡¯ve always been very clever. Let me ask you a question.¡±

    ¡°Suppose a man has two sons. He keeps the elder by his side and spares no effort in nurturing him without reservation, while the younger son is given away to another family to raise, and he doesn¡¯t see him once for three to five years. Which one do you think is really his son?¡±

    Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t answer.

    ¡°Your dad¡¯s position right now won¡¯t allow him to be tied down realistically,¡± Chen¡¯s mother continued after a pause, ¡°But he makes a clear distinction between marriage and desire. No matter how many women he has been with outside, no matter how many children he has, Chen Tianming has only ever had one wife and one daughter from the beginning to the end. That¡¯s why I can accept all this calmly.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I find strange,¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly said, ¡°Mom, you consider many things, like status, benefits, reality, but not your own feelings. Do you really not mind Dad doing this, or have you convinced or even deceived yourself not to mind?¡±

    Chen¡¯s mother looked at her silently, hesitating for a long time before saying:

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°Just as I thought, Mom doesn¡¯t know either.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile returned, but now it was filled with nothing but falseness, ¡°Since Mom doesn¡¯t understand what love is, then please don¡¯t interfere with me and Yan Yu anymore, okay?¡±

    ¡°Lingyun!¡± Chen¡¯s mother wanted to say something, but she didn¡¯t know where to start, desperately saying, ¡°Your dad and I are different from you. Our marriage does indeed have elements of a transaction, but that doesn¡¯t mean we don¡¯t have feelings for each other¡­¡±

    No matter how Chen¡¯s mother tried to explain, Chen Lingyun just held her hand, without saying a word, her face wearing a perfect, unimpeachable smile.

    In the living room, Yan Yu finally managed to get rid of the beauty-obsessed girls, then saw Chen Lingyun walking down from upstairs.

    ¡°Lingyun?¡± Su Yunjin sensed something was off with her emotions.

    But Chen Lingyun ignored them and simply walked out of the house, heading towards the backyard.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her,¡± Yan Yu stood up at ease, ¡°I¡¯ll go have a look.¡±

    Upon arriving in the yard, he saw Chen Lingyun sitting in the pavilion, staring blankly at the distant river.

    It was still true: when Chen Lingyun¡¯s face was free of a fake smile, she was actually quite pleasing to look at. Barely five feet two, with delicate and cute features, even the most demanding and critical person would have to admit that her face was a top-tier example of ¡®sweet-girl¡¯ appeal, perfectly aligned with the male preference for vulnerable femininity in their DNA.

    But if she put on that perfect, flawless fake smile, it reminded Yan Yu of her past life¡¯s attitude, looking down on everyone as if they were fools, and her devilish enjoyment in playing pranks and finding mischief, slashing the charm of this sweet girl down completely, leaving him utterly uninterested.

    ¡°Why are you here pretending to be a mushroom?¡± Yan Yu walked over and sat beside her.

    ¡°Mushroom?¡± Chen Lingyun glanced at him sideways.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Yan Yu gestured her height with his hand, ¡°Small, dazed, and quiet. If not a mushroom, what else could you be?¡±

    Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t laugh or get angry but just looked at him silently.

    After a while, she turned her head away again, continuing to gaze at the river in the distance.

    ¡°If there¡¯s something bothering you, tell me about it and cheer me up, will you?¡± Yan Yu continued to tease her.

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking,¡± Chen Lingyun said softly, ¡°what exactly is love?¡±

    ¡°I remember someone saying that she didn¡¯t care at all about what true love was, right?¡± Yan Yu raised his eyebrows in surprise and laughed, ¡°What? You want to take back what you said?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Chen Lingyun admitted frankly, ¡°When I said those words, I was sure I didn¡¯t love you, nor did I care whether I did. But now, I¡¯m not so sure.¡±

    ¡°So, it¡¯s because you started to care that you¡¯re now unsure,¡± Yan Yu followed her gaze, seeing the glimmering river, vast and misty, surely a forget-your-sorrows kind of grandeur. No wonder Chen Lingyun always liked to sit by the large floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room, drinking coffee and looking at the scenery.

    ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Chen Lingyun murmured as if talking to herself.

    What¡¯s with this girl? Why isn¡¯t she continuing to play dumb? From a scornful princess to an innocent young girl?

    Yan Yu pondered for a while, then asked:

    ¡°How do you plan to figure it out? You like solving problems, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I have an idea,¡± Chen Lingyun said, looking back at him.

    Staring at Yan Yu for a while, she suddenly became serious and said:

    ¡°Yan Yu, for my sake¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­you should go and start a harem.¡±

 Chapter 231: 30 Still Want to Try Again

    Chapter 231: Chapter 30 Still Want to Try Again

    What should I do if my ex-girlfriend suddenly asks me to open a harem?

    Yan Yu instinctively wanted to retort, but he couldn¡¯t come up with a comeback on spot.

    ¡°You¡¯re worthy!¡± That seemed a bit off; she wasn¡¯t throwing herself at me now.

    ¡°They are worthy!¡± That¡¯s even stranger; Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t say who to start a harem with. I certainly can¡¯t just set up an imaginary target and hit it myself, can I?

    ¡°None of your damn business!¡± This one is possible¡­ but what¡¯s important now is not to strike back, but to figure out what sort of scheme the shitty princess is up to now.

    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Yan Yu cautiously asked.

    What if this woman had some recording device on her, and she records what I say to make fun of later¡­ I must be on guard.

    ¡°Because I want to see if I would get jealous,¡± Chen Lingyun replied.

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± The sense of discomfort in Yan Yu¡¯s heart grew stronger. He felt like the girl in front of him didn¡¯t resemble Chen Lingyun at all, but rather some kind of demon in sheep¡¯s clothing, behind which was a confused and ignorant young girl, ¡°So what if you get jealous? And so what if you don¡¯t? What does this have to do with your research on love?¡±

    ¡°Because many people say that love is about possession, it¡¯s selfish, and it doesn¡¯t allow a third person to get involved,¡± Chen Lingyun answered, ¡°I want to know if that¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°Do you still need to explore that?¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? Who would want to share the person they love with someone of the same sex?¡±

    ¡°I would,¡± Chen Lingyun said.

    ¡°You?¡±

    ¡°Thinking of you with other girls, I feel nothing,¡± Chen Lingyun candidly said.

    ¡°Uh.¡± Yan Yu was speechless for a moment before asking tactfully, ¡°Do you like wearing a hat?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Chen Lingyun shook her head and said, ¡°I just don¡¯t feel disgusted by it. It¡¯s not that I like it as such¡ªof course, if it could plunge you into a dramatic mess, making the situation interesting enough, then I wouldn¡¯t mind watching.¡±

    ¡°That just shows you don¡¯t love me,¡± Yan Yu quickly concluded, laughing heartily, ¡°You just enjoy watching me make a fool of myself, and over time, it formed a thought path in your mind, making you mistakenly believe you liked me.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps we can test that,¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly suggested.

    She reached backward to encircle Yan Yu¡¯s neck, lifting her swan-like graceful neck, and gently pressed her lips to his.

    Yan Yu¡¯s first instinct was to push her away or simply slap her, followed by a ¡°You¡¯re worthy,¡± thoroughly trampling the princess¡¯s dignity into the dirt¡­ but then memories of his past life suddenly assaulted him.

    In his past life, his first kiss with Chen Lingyun had been in a movie theater. At that time, both were just over thirty, not very young. Chen Lingyun was slightly made up, and sitting beside her, he could smell her light yet rich fragrance.

    She was laughing and explaining to Yan Yu that the top note of the perfume was one type of flower, the middle note was another, and then the base note yet another¡­ Of course, Yan Yu had forgotten by now. One perfume having three different scents¡ªwho could remember that?

    The movie they were watching was an art film about love. Predictably, the story was quite pretentious, and during the emotional parts, many female viewers even cried outright, the room filled with the sound of sobbing and tissues being pulled out, but Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun found it rather dull. The former simply wasn¡¯t interested, while the latter probably couldn¡¯t immerse herself in it, anyway, their minds wandered off.

    In the end, in a snowy landscape, the female lead decides to go south to Xin¡¯an Prefecture to seek her fortune, while the male lead chooses to stay in his rundown, backward hometown, sending the female lead onto a green train. After boarding, she leans out the window to share a gentle kiss with the male lead on the platform¡­

    At that moment, Chen Lingyun said, ¡°Let¡¯s kiss too.¡±

    Breaking free from his reverie, Yan Yu first felt Chen Lingyun¡¯s soft and moist lips, as if coated with sweet honey.

    Although she was ten years younger than in his previous life, that raw skill and flavor were unmistakably the same, her breathing obviously a bit rushed, her breath gently blowing below his nose. Yan Yu could feel her arms, looped around the back of his neck, tightening as though she was afraid he would suddenly bolt.

    But Yan Yu had no intention of bolting. Silently, he looked into Chen Lingyun¡¯s eyes¡ªPrincess Jiang Hai¡¯s eyes were tightly shut, her eyelashes quivering slightly as if they were delicate dragonflies perched on fragile petals.

    Probably sensing his gaze, Chen Lingyun finally let go of him.

    She pursed her lips, which were a bit red from too much force, her eyes swimming with indecipherable complex emotions, as she looked back at Yan Yu.

    ¡°How did it feel?¡± Yan Yu asked her.

    ¡°I was a bit nervous at first,¡± Chen Lingyun pondered for a moment before summarizing, ¡°But then I got used to it and didn¡¯t feel the ¡®bashful yet sweet¡¯ sensation described in novels.¡±

    The answer was exactly the same as the one in the movie theater in his past life.

    Yan Yu felt somewhat disgruntled, but he scoffed and said,

    ¡°See, I told you, you simply don¡¯t understand what love is¡­¡± S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Let¡¯s try again.¡± Chen Lingyun leaned in once more.

    This time she didn¡¯t wrap her arms around his neck, just tilted her body forward, and their lips touched. Yan Yu felt Chen Lingyun pucker her lips slightly, to allow him to kiss her fully with ease¡ªand indeed it was effortless because her lips were very tender and soft.

    After a long while, their lips finally parted.

    Seeing her pleased smile reappear, Yan Yu remembered her reaction and answer from his past life and immediately predicted,

    ¡°So all that stuff in novels is just lies, got it now?¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Chen Lingyun touched her cheek lightly with her finger, smiling thoughtfully, ¡°It really doesn¡¯t have that sweet sensation.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just stop here then.¡± Yan Yu tried to stand up, but his collar was grabbed by her.

    Chen Lingyun tugged at him forcefully, bending him over¡ªa strength that felt like she had activated Curved Curse¡ªand she said with a giggling smile,

    ¡°But I don¡¯t hate it, you know.¡±

    This, however, was not part of past life events, as the second kiss had ended just in time for the movie theater audience to start leaving, making them also rise and exit.

    ¡°Not hating it doesn¡¯t mean liking it,¡± Yan Yu reminded her, frowning.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it counts as liking.¡± Chen Lingyun stared into Yan Yu¡¯s eyes, the light in her pupils became even more warm and moist, as if casting some wonderful unknown enchantment, ¡°But I want to try it one more time.¡±

    She kissed him a third time.

    This time the kiss was even more prolonged, and her eyes stayed open, unblinkingly gazing at Yan Yu with a sly, playful, and endearing smile, as if asking ¡°Do you like kissing me?¡±

    Yan Yu, slightly indignant, reached out to remove her hair tie and let her ponytail fall loose, then deliberately messed up her hair.

    He vaguely remembered Chen Lingyun from his past life saying she didn¡¯t like others touching her hair. After all, Princess Jiang Hai was so picky about only using specific brands of shampoo¡ªwho knew what dirt other people had on their hands?

    ¡°It¡¯ll damage the hair, you know~¡±

    But the Chen Lingyun in front of him did not get angry or jump around; the smile in her eyes turned into a helpless and melancholic sentiment. Her lips remained softly kissing Yan Yu, while she slowly raised her hands to firmly embrace his waist.

    The little sparrow at the edge of the pavilion hopped a few times on the eaves tiles, curiously watching the young man and woman kissing within.

    Then it suddenly flapped its wings and flew towards the reed beds by the distant riverside.

    The reeds there grew splendidly, lush and dense, akin to the endless affection of a young woman freshly in love, swaying gently with riverside breezes and their soft down.

    In the living room of the villa, Xie Ruoxi played with her phone for a while before suddenly hearing Lin Ning express her concern,

    ¡°Ling Yun should be okay, right?¡±

    ¡°Should be,¡± Su Yunjin was also not sure, ¡°She didn¡¯t have a fight with her aunt, did she?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go check.¡± Lin Ning stood up.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go,¡± Xie Ruoxi volunteered.

    ¡°You¡­¡± Lin Ning was about to say ¡°You can go,¡± but suddenly with a start, she suspiciously asked, ¡°Ruoxi, you¡¯re not planning to use checking on Ling Yun as an excuse to sneak off to the internet caf¨¦ outside to play games, are you?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t!¡± Xie Ruoxi responded with a mix of laughter and chagrin, ¡°If I did that, you can have Yan Yu delete all my game accounts!¡±

    ¡°Right, I shouldn¡¯t have doubted you,¡± Lin Ning conceded with a nod and sat back down on the couch.

 Chapter 232: 31: Dual Channels, Ultimate Experience

    Chapter 232: Chapter 31: Dual Channels, Ultimate Experience

    Xie Ruoxi left the villa and strolled around the yard only to find nobody there, so she walked around to the back to the pavilion to look for people.

    There she saw Chen Lingyun and Yan Yu both sitting in the pavilion, looking at the distant river and talking about something.

    Xie Ruoxi quickened her pace and jogged up to them, saying,

    ¡°Ling Yun, you¡¯re alright? Everyone¡¯s been really worried about you¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m already fine,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a sweet smile, ¡°thanks to Yan Yu enlightening me, my mood is much better now~¡±

    She playfully winked at Yan Yu.

    Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t notice her small gesture, just breathing a slight sigh of relief before asking,

    ¡°So shall we go back now?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go back,¡± Yan Yu seized the opportunity to quickly stand up.

    This place isn¡¯t to be stayed in any longer.

    If I stay any longer and get hugged and kissed by Princess Jiang Hai for a couple of hours, where would my dignity as the captain of Zhenhai Team be?

    If it weren¡¯t for the need to preserve my Yang energy for dual cultivation with the Demonic Sect Enchantress to break through the bottleneck, would you believe I¡¯d find a way to deal with you right now, make you kneel and beg for mercy!

    Chen Lingyun seemed not to know what Yan Yu was thinking, or perhaps she guessed a bit, just walking behind Xie Ruoxi, now and then glancing at Yan Yu beside her with a sweet smile, playfully tapping her lips with her finger, walking a few steps and tapping again, then winking at him.

    Yan Yu¡¯s expression became even colder, his mind already concocting eighteen methods to deal with such a woman.

    You just wait, Chen Lingyun! You¡¯ll see how formidable I am sooner or later!

    When Chen Lingyun saw his sour face, she couldn¡¯t help but feel more pleased, suddenly asking Xie Ruoxi,

    ¡°Ruoxi, does kissing the opposite sex stir up a sweet feeling in your heart?¡±

    Yan Yu clenched his teeth tightly, while Xie Ruoxi was momentarily stunned before replying with an awkward laugh,

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I haven¡¯t kissed anyone.¡±

    ¡°Is that so,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a slight smile. ¡°Then you might want to try it next time you have a chance¡­¡±

    Before she could finish, Yan Yu interrupted,

    ¡°Try what? If you want to date, you need to do it with marriage in mind! Don¡¯t bring over that dross of ¡®kiss freedom¡¯ from the West. We¡¯re humans, not animals governed by instinct!¡±

    ¡°See?¡± Chen Lingyun winked at Xie Ruoxi, ¡°He cares a lot about who you kiss¡­¡±

    And then she received a slap on the forehead.

    ¡°Stop fanning the flames,¡± Yan Yu said with a cold face, ¡°With so much energy, better vent it on training.¡± S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Although he interrupted in time, Xie Ruoxi was shocked on the spot, thinking to herself that even Ling Yun had noticed that the domineering Immortal Venerate Yan Zhanlong was coveting her beauty?

    Damn it! Knowing that his lust was exposed, would Yan Zhanlong break into my bedroom tonight and force his love on me?

    She felt a mix of indescribable fear and excitement, stealing a glance at Yan Yu before quickly turning her head away, blushing and walking fast without speaking.

    Back at the villa, the girls came to greet her.

    ¡°Ling Yun, huh?¡± Lin Ning noticed that her single ponytail was gone, ¡°Did you change your hairstyle?¡±

    ¡°I untied my hair and let it down in the breeze outside,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Feels much better now.¡±

    ¡°Ling Yun,¡± Su Yunjin said with concern, ¡°Auntie came looking for you just now¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Chen Lingyun nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll talk to her.¡±

    She made her way back up the stairs. The girls, seeing her calm and composed, couldn¡¯t help but feel relieved.

    Yan Yu also sat down on the couch, only to hear Chen Lingyun¡¯s voice suddenly transmitting from the second floor,

    ¡°Keep it up with adding to your harem, I¡¯m really looking forward to that feeling~¡±

    ¡°Shut your mouth!¡±

    Yan Yu scratched his head irritably, wondering if this wretched woman had taken the wrong medicine.

    She wasn¡¯t like this in her previous life¡­ But back then, he hadn¡¯t been involved in her team, so there weren¡¯t many girls around him either.

    Chen Lingyun was not someone to act on a whim; it was more likely that she had harbored such thoughts for some time, then found the opportunity to deliberately tease me¡ªthe opportunity probably came during that time when Zhenhai Team was being called a harem team by the outside world, which suddenly inspired her to have fun in this regard.

    Of course, Yan Yu would not indulge her nonsense. Playing with others¡¯ feelings was a grave sin no matter whether the person was male or female.

    Princess Jiang Hai, you deserve death!

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± Su Yunjin suddenly transmitted, ¡°Ling Yun is really okay, isn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s fine,¡± Yan Yu said coldly, ¡°just had a short circuit in her brain, don¡¯t mind her.¡±

    Su Yunjin: ?

    ¡°Quarreling with one¡¯s mother like that is pretty normal,¡± she suggested tactfully, ¡°as long as there¡¯s good communication in the end.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a quarrel; her mother is trying to convince me to be her son-in-law.¡± Considering that Secretary Su would eventually see through to the truth, Yan Yu didn¡¯t beat around the bush and went straight to the point, ¡°Chen Lingyun doesn¡¯t want her family meddling, so she¡¯s making a scene to force her mother to give in. That¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Su Yunjin was taken aback but quickly understood.

    Indeed, with the captain¡¯s current fame and social status, even being matched with the Governor¡¯s daughter would suffice¡­

    She felt a creeping inferiority complex, as if watching Yan Yu run farther ahead while no matter how hard she chased, she couldn¡¯t catch up.

    Yan Yu, however, was oblivious to Su Yunjin¡¯s internal struggle and simply continued transmitting,

    ¡°This mother and daughter pair are really comical. One treats people like collectibles, the other as toys, the Governor had better straighten out his family conduct, or sooner or later he¡¯s going to trip over his wife and daughter¡­¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu.¡± Su Yunjin suddenly asked, ¡°Do you like Chen Lingyun?¡±

    Although it was a telepathic conversation, a kind of indescribable heavy pressure suddenly came over from the other side.

    Yan Yu looked up, only to see Su Yunjin holding her teacup, gently blowing the stems and leaves floating on the tea, as if nothing had happened.

    But the telepathy just now was not a hallucination.

    ¡°Why do you ask that?¡± Yan Yu telepathically countered her question.

    ¡°I want to know.¡± Su Yunjin emphasized.

    If you really like Ling Yun, just tell me sooner. That way, I won¡¯t have to struggle anymore¡­

    He was about to say something when Lin Ning, clearly playing with her phone, her voice also echoed in his mind:

    ¡°Yan Yu, is Ling Yun okay?¡±

    Yan Yu: ???

    So you two are playing a double-barreled attack?

    Telepathy works like this, you lock the Divine Sense onto specific targets (could be singular or plural), and then you can send your voice over, but whether the person is also communicating telepathically with someone else at the same time, that¡¯s something you can¡¯t tell.

    So this thing is indeed a lot like a chat app. You can start a group chat directly, they can also chat with you privately one-on-one, and there¡¯s no way to know if you¡¯ve got several other chat windows open and who you¡¯re privately chatting with.

    ¡°Why do you want to know?¡± Yan Yu first switched to Su¡¯s frequency, applying the tactic of questioning back to buy some time, then quickly switched to Lin¡¯s frequency, making do with a hasty ¡°She should be fine.¡±

    ¡°But it feels a bit odd though,¡± Lin Ning said.

    ¡°When she left, she seemed a bit out of it,¡± Lin Ning said.

    ¡°And when she came back, it was as if nothing had happened, but she also changed her hairstyle, and her hair was messy, was it messed up by the wind?¡± Lin Ning said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know why, Captain?¡± Su Yunjin asked.

    ¡°Was it because you talked to her just now, so did she run into some trouble?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    These two were bombarding him with telepathy from both sides, the frequency on the right from Su, although it only had one sentence, carried a heavy presence, while the atmosphere on the left from Lin was okay but there was too much being said and he had to listen carefully. The telepathic messages from both sides intertwined and echoed together, as if in Yan Yu¡¯s ears two speakers relaying different music were placed, one on each side, giving him a headache and an overwhelming feeling of irritation.

    ¡°Let me think,¡± Yan Yu put Su Yunjin on hold with a delaying tactic, only to hear Lin Ning ask:

    ¡°Is it inconvenient to tell me?¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask her yourself?¡± Yan Yu tried to deflect the problem onto Lin Ning, yet he heard Su Yunjin ask again:

    ¡°What¡¯s there to think about? If you know, you know, if you don¡¯t, you don¡¯t, why do you need to think before answering?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m asking you precisely because it¡¯s inconvenient for me to ask Ling Yun,¡± Lin Ning said.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to answer my question, the Captain can just tell me directly, I can¡¯t do anything to you,¡± Su Yunjin said.

    ¡°Speaking of which, what are we eating tonight? Is Auntie¡¯s chef still cooking for us?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked,

    ¡°I¡¯m not suspecting anything between you, I¡¯m just concerned about Ling Yun¡¯s situation,¡± Lin Ning added.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want the Captain to lie to me. No matter how hurtful the truth might be, I still want to know what you really think,¡± Su Yunjin added.

    The girls were completely immune to his evasive tactics, bombarding him from both sides with relentless attacks, giving Yan Yu such a headache he felt like it was going to explode, and in the midst, some strange words seemed to have snuck in, but he couldn¡¯t make out what was being said at all.

    ¡°And Ling Yun¡¯s mother¡¯s attitude is also very strange!¡± Lin Ning said.

    ¡°It feels like she¡¯s deliberately trying to get closer to you,¡± Lin Ning added.

    ¡°Does the Captain think I¡¯m not qualified to ask this question?¡± Su Yunjin asked.

    ¡°At the dinner table, talking to Ling Yun about suitors, is she intentionally trying to matchmake you two?¡± Lin Ning continued to ask.

    ¡°So what the hell are we eating tonight!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen urged.

    ¡°The Captain can scold me with ¡®you¡¯re not worthy¡¯ if you like, but at least don¡¯t ignore me,¡± Su Yunjin continued.

    ¡°Haha actually, if Auntie is really trying to set you up, I could understand that, but you wouldn¡¯t agree, right?¡± Lin Ning continued her questions.

    ¡°Alright, if the Captain doesn¡¯t want to answer, I can withdraw the question, but please don¡¯t continue to ignore me like this,¡± Su Yunjin went on.

    ¡°So what are we eating for dinner for dinner for dinner for dinner for dinner for dinner for dinner for dinner for dinner for dinner for dinner for dinner for dinner¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m so annoyed!!!¡± Yan Yu suddenly stood up and shouted in a fit of rage.

    The girls all looked up in surprise at him.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to exercise my authority as the Captain here and lay down three rules,¡± Yan Yu struggled to suppress his anger, raising three fingers.

    ¡°First, unless there are outsiders present, no more bothering me with telepathy!¡±

    ¡°Second, I¡¯m currently single, have no girlfriend, and I don¡¯t plan on pursuing anyone, so stop freaking asking!¡±

    ¡°Third, anyone breaking the above two rules volunteers for the maximum amount of extra training the next day. Consider yourselves warned!¡±

    Having said that, he left the villa angrily and went to the pavilion outside in the yard to cool off.

    The girls looked at each other in silence. After a moment, Xie Ruoxi¡¯s baffled voice could be heard:

    ¡°Um¡­ what happened?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied blankly, ¡°So what are we actually eating tonight?¡±

 Chapter 233: 32 Chens Mother Urges Birth

    Chapter 233: Chapter 32 Chen¡¯s Mother Urges Birth

    ¡°`

    Su Yunjin quietly finished her tea and put down the cup, sighing without changing her expression.

    Am I being too impatient? I had already figured out what to do.

    But if the captain really likes Ling Yun¡­

    I don¡¯t stand a chance.

    Luckily, the captain just made it clear that he is still single, has no girlfriend, and isn¡¯t planning to pursue anyone.

    That means he won¡¯t take the initiative with anyone, and everyone has a fair chance to compete.

    How cunning you are, Yan Yu. By saying that, aren¡¯t you forcing me¡­

    I have no choice but to keep playing the fool¡­

    Lin Ning, who was sitting beside her with a phone in her hand, wasn¡¯t paying attention to it at all¡ªshe hadn¡¯t swiped the screen for a long time.

    What did the captain mean by what he said just now?

    He¡ªhe wouldn¡¯t misunderstand that I¡¯m jealous, would he?

    Or did I make it too obvious?

    Ah, it¡¯s so annoying, I shouldn¡¯t have asked directly.

    It¡¯s all the captain¡¯s fault! Always acting so secretive, never telling me what he¡¯s thinking¡­

    It¡¯s making me so anxious and uncomfortable.

    I really want to kick him to vent my frustration.

    Xie Ruoxi, however, was unaware of what the two elder sisters were thinking, lost in her own thoughts about what Yan Yu had said before he left.

    Yan Zhanlong said he¡¯s still single, has no girlfriend, and doesn¡¯t plan to proactively pursue anyone. What does that mean?

    Wait, is he hinting at something to me?

    Earlier, outside the villa, Ling Yun said, ¡°Yan Yu really cares about who I kiss,¡± so it¡¯s very likely that Yan Zhanlong is interested in me¡ªthat was already known, or else why would he have added me as a friend and taken me to Jinling? He obviously hasn¡¯t checked my cultivation talent; he must have been smitten with me from the start.

    That means, he just wants to push the other sisters away, like how the male lead in novels tells the second and third female leads ¡°I¡¯m not interested in dating,¡± just to avoid getting caught in someone else¡¯s romantic plot.

    Hehe, there¡¯s really no need to go to such lengths for me.

    Xie Ruoxi thought to herself with delight when suddenly Zhao Yuanzhen stood up.

    ¡°So what are we eating tonight!¡± she blurted out in exasperation, looking at the silent crowd, ¡°Why is no one talking!¡±

    Meanwhile, Chen Lingyun had gone upstairs to her bedroom door and heard her mother on the phone inside, apparently arguing with her father: sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s all your doing!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care what you did, Ling Yun is our daughter, how are you going to deal with her being like this now!¡±

    ¡°How could I possibly be at ease! Chen Tianming, I¡¯m telling you, if something happens to Ling Yun¡­¡±

    Chen Lingyun knocked on the door, and the angry voice inside abruptly stopped.

    A moment later, Chen¡¯s mother hurriedly came to open the door, her face breaking into a smile:

    ¡°Ling Yun, where did you go just now? Mommy couldn¡¯t find you downstairs¡­¡±

    ¡°I went to the yard to clear my head,¡± Chen Lingyun said, maintaining her elegant and perfect smile, obediently adding, ¡°Mom, you don¡¯t have to worry, I¡¯ve figured it all out.¡±

    ¡°If you have figured it out, that¡¯s good.¡± Chen¡¯s mother didn¡¯t know exactly what her beloved daughter had come to terms with, but she carefully agreed first, then asked, ¡°So you¡­¡±

    ¡°I think I like Yan Yu,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°But I don¡¯t want Mom to interfere, this is our own matter.¡±

    Chen¡¯s mother subconsciously interpreted Chen Lingyun¡¯s ¡°our own¡± as ¡°just my daughter and Yan Yu,¡± and finally breathed a sigh of relief, comforting her:

    ¡°Baby, you almost scared mommy to death. In any case, it¡¯s good that you¡¯ve figured things out on your own, mommy won¡¯t meddle with your affairs, and Yan Yu is indeed very outstanding. Your dad just spoke to me, he¡¯s not against you and Yan Yu developing a relationship¡­¡±

    She rambled on, her face filled with affection as she stroked her daughter¡¯s hair, suddenly questioning with curiosity:

    ¡°`

    ¡°Why is your hair such a mess?¡±

    ¡°The river breeze tousled it when I was outside just now.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s answer was flawless.

    ¡°Alright, come here and let mom comb it for you.¡±

    Chen¡¯s mother sat by the vanity, picked up the comb from the table, and looked it over several times:

    ¡°What brand is this wooden comb?¡±

    ¡°Qingyang brand.¡±

    Chen¡¯s mother asked Chen Lingyun to sit down as well and began affectionately combing her hair:

    ¡°Did you buy it or have it custom made?¡±

    ¡°I bought it.¡±

    ¡°If you like this brand, mom can have them custom-make one for you.¡± Chen¡¯s mother gently combed her hair, murmuring habitually, ¡°Combs, shampoo, conditioner¡ªthese things that are used directly on the body shouldn¡¯t just be conveniently bought from stores. Everyone¡¯s hair is different; some get oily quickly, others tangle easily, and hair quality changes with age, which is why it¡¯s important to have regular, targeted hair care¡­ Give me a few strands of your hair, and I¡¯ll have the genetic center in Pingjing run a test to come up with a comprehensive hair care program.¡±

    ¡°Mom.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile bore a hint of helplessness, ¡°We cultivators don¡¯t need those mortal methods.¡±

    Chen¡¯s mother was briefly taken aback, then chuckled:

    ¡°Mom got confused, forgetting you¡¯re a cultivator¡­ Ah, it¡¯s great, Yan Yu is also a cultivator. Both of you have such excellent genes; the babies you¡¯ll have in the future will definitely have great talent for cultivation, right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too early to talk about that.¡± Chen Lingyun just gave a faint smile, ¡°Besides, if one achieves immortality in the end, there¡¯s no need to have children.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t do; you still have to have at least one child.¡± Chen¡¯s mother expressed her disagreement, ¡°When mom was young, I thought the same as you, that enjoying my life was the most important and having kids could wait. But why did I change my mind? At that time, one of my close friends¡­ Her family was also well-off, and then she suddenly got diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer, and passed away within half a year!¡±

    ¡°How heartbroken her parents must have been, with only that one daughter and no other children. It ended up being the case of the elderly sending off the young, and by that time, they couldn¡¯t have more children. Their family¡¯s assets worth billions¡­ When they pass away, with no one to inherit, it¡¯ll either be donated to the state or fall into the hands of strangers. Really, such a thing is¡­¡±

    Chen Lingyun obediently remained silent, clearly understanding her mother¡¯s concerns.

    Although cultivators did have an advantage over mortals in terms of lifespan, their security was far inferior. The most common accidental deaths for mortals were car accidents, but what about cultivators? A clay jar can¡¯t leave the well without breaking, and a general can¡¯t escape death in battle¡ªit¡¯s essentially a profession of fighting and killing. Who could guarantee perpetual victory?

    If one could leave a child behind, then in the unfortunate event of an accidental death, at least there would be a consolation for the parents in their old age, preventing total despair¡­

    ¡°Oh, mom¡¯s just talking.¡± Seeing her daughter remain silent, Chen¡¯s mother hastily backtracked, ¡°We¡¯ll leave it all to you and Yan Yu to decide when the time comes. Just bring him back to meet your dad and me. After you get married, whether or not you want kids is up to you, it¡¯s really none of our business, alright?¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡± Chen Lingyun nodded with a smile.

    ¡°This villa of yours is still a bit subpar.¡± Chen¡¯s mother finished combing her hair, looking around the room, ¡°The family is planning to hire some more staff. Should we send a few over to you? They¡¯re all aunties, and they¡¯d take good care of your daily life¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not necessary.¡± Chen Lingyun tactfully refused, ¡°We cultivators have military backgrounds, and there are some things that aren¡¯t suitable for outsiders to see.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right, your dad mentioned that too.¡± Reminded by her daughter, Chen¡¯s mother remembered and said apologetically, ¡°So there¡¯s nothing I can do to help¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s great that you can come to see me, mom.¡± Chen Lingyun hugged her, smiling, ¡°I¡¯ll also try to visit you in Jiang Hai more often.¡±

    ¡°Just come to see me, no need to visit your dad.¡± Chen¡¯s mother was delighted by the sentiment, then playfully added, ¡°Your dad is always off with old Li. He might as well give up politics and go into the military¡­¡±

    The mother and daughter chatted for a while longer, then, arm in arm, left the room to go downstairs.

    Upon arriving in the living room, four young ladies turned to look in unison.

    Chen Lingyun smiled and nodded to them, then suddenly heard Zhao Yuanzhen telepathically asking her:

    ¡°Ling Yun, what¡¯s for dinner tonight?¡±

    ¡°Mom.¡± Chen Lingyun spoke up, ¡°Are we still eating out tonight?¡±

    ¡°The kitchen here is too small and inconvenient for cooking.¡± Chen¡¯s mother said cheerily, ¡°Shall we go to a restaurant then?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi exchanged glances, both clearly pleased.

    Chen¡¯s mother, however, couldn¡¯t be bothered with the two impolite girls; she just looked around and then suddenly asked:

    ¡°Where¡¯s Yan Yu?¡±

    ¡°The captain went out a moment ago.¡± Lin Ning stood up, ¡°I¡¯ll go find him and bring him back.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that trouble.¡± Chen¡¯s mother, quite fond of the efficient Minnan girl, smiled and said, ¡°First give him a call and ask where he is.¡±

 Chapter 234: 33 The Expedition Plan is Finalized

    Chapter 234: Chapter 33 The Expedition Plan is Finalized

    Yan Yu sat in the pavilion, watching the torrential river flow eastward, and felt a subtle sense of relaxation.

    Just like this, ceaselessly, day and night.

    Compared with the relentless river of time, what were women? And what was the battlefield?

    Hmph, nothing but fleeting epiphyllum flowers.

    As Yan Yu was immersed in his contemplation, his cell phone suddenly rang.

    Although the incoming number was a string of digits, he recognized the caller immediately.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± Chen Tianming said calmly, ¡°an entrance to a Mysterious Realm has appeared on Black Dragon Isle.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yan Yu asked, ¡°so what?¡±

    The emergence of a Mysterious Realm was not a strange occurrence. In this era of Spiritual Energy Resurgence, Mysterious Realms sprouted like mushrooms after rain all over the globe, and it would have been strange had they not appeared. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    After the Rakshasa forces contracted westward, the vast Siberian region was left with numerous and crisscrossing Transcendent forces of varying sizes, constantly warring against each other day and night, too preoccupied to explore or manage Mysterious Realms¡ªso, was there anything particularly noteworthy about a new Mysterious Realm appearing on Black Dragon Isle?

    ¡°That person wishes to investigate it,¡± Chen Tianming continued.

    Yan Yu was initially startled, then quickly realized what was happening.

    Last time Mei Yingxue visited alone, but the meeting place was the principal¡¯s office¡ªhow could Chen Tianming and Li Weiguo be unaware?

    Since Teacher Mei had specifically mentioned this Mysterious Realm, it probably did warrant a detailed investigation.

    Hmm?

    The entrance to the Mysterious Realm being on Black Dragon Isle, the heart of the Gelian Bearmen¡¯s territory, meant that conflict was inevitable.

    Should Rikoku Cultivators attack Black Dragon Isle, the Gelian Bearmen would have no choice but to consolidate their forces to defend their headquarters, perhaps even withdrawing their troops from the mainland to protect themselves.

    In that case, the military crisis facing the Amur Witch Troop would be swiftly resolved.

    What a clever strategy!

    The feint of ¡°saving Zhao by besieging Wei¡± was not unusual; many would think of attacking Black Dragon Isle directly. The key was finding a suitable and justifiable excuse to convince the majority of the domestic factions to agree with the action.

    To pinpoint a precise entry point amidst the chaotic situation, then to extract what one desired from the flames as if using a scalpel¡ªthat was Chen Tianming¡¯s forte. Despite being a man of two lives and deeming himself the strongest in this life, Yan Yu had to admit that in this aspect, he was outdone by Old Taishan. Only Chen Lingyun approached her father¡¯s level.

    ¡°Understood,¡± Yan Yu asked gravely, ¡°when do we leave?¡±

    ¡°The day after tomorrow, in the afternoon,¡± Chen Tianming replied. ¡°The Dragon Soar Team needs one day to prepare. They will set off with you.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡°Xie Ruoxi¡¯s application to join the team has been approved by the Privy Council. Take her with you this time.¡±

    ¡°Her training is not yet complete,¡± Yan Yu had some reservations about this.

    The beautiful but useless person was now like this: hardware that was technically top-notch with corresponding drivers mostly installed. She could use the Three Arts and Five Spells and was close to mastering the Sword Control Technique and developing Divine Sense through the Soul Refining Technique. Now, only voice transmission was left unlearned, but that wasn¡¯t a major issue.

    Her problem mainly lay in the software. Experience, awareness, reaction, and of course, the most crucial, courage¡­ It was like a child with a gun; even if a single shot could blow the enemy¡¯s head off, did they possess sufficient mental fortitude to take aim?

    ¡°Take her with you,¡± Chen Tianming sighed. ¡°There won¡¯t be much time for training in the future.¡±

    This was the first time Yan Yu heard Old Taishan sigh.

    In his previous life, when the situation was on a knife-edge, he had never seen a trace of emotion from Old Taishan¡ªcertainly because at this point in time, Chen Tianming still held a sufficiently optimistic forecast for the future, making him express concern and sigh over certain matters.

    Rest assured, once the tides of the era hit you hard enough, you¡¯ll no longer be so easily startled!

    After hanging up on Old Taishan, Yan Yu opened the cultivator chat group and directly called out a few members.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: @Liu Shao, @Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang, @Zao La, show yourselves!

    [Liu Shao]: What¡¯s up, Old Yan?

    [Ri Zhao Zhu Jiang]: I¡¯m having afternoon tea; don¡¯t disturb me now, I¡¯ll deal with you later.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Where¡¯s Xiao Zhou?

    [Yun Juan Yun Shu]: She doesn¡¯t talk much in the group, right? Captain Zhou, why don¡¯t you try Deputy Captain Zhang?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: @Chuchukengzhang, are you there? If you are, give me a buzz.

    No response, just others continuing to shoot the breeze, guessing what matter Yan Yu needed to discuss with the Huofeng Team.

    After a while, Lord Master sent a message privately.

    [Liu Shao]: Stop looking, the Huofeng Team is off on a mission in the plateau, probably don¡¯t have time to check their phones.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What¡¯s up in Tianzhu?

    [Liu Shao]: It¡¯s been a mess over there for a while, with all sorts of civil sects complicating matters. Since the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, these sects got their own Transcendents and started to attack each other to seize believers¡­ Why do you suddenly ask?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: The Huofeng Team heading to the plateau province, isn¡¯t it because there are Transcendents from Tianzhu infiltrating?

    [Liu Shao]: Maybe, but that¡¯s hardly surprising. We had plenty of border frictions before the Spiritual Energy Resurgence.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Alright¡­

    [Liu Shao]: Old Yan, are you worried about some formidable figure from Tianzhu?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Hard to say, let¡¯s wait and see.

    [Liu Shao]: Hey, you¡¯re still playing coy with me!

    [Liu Shao]: Forget it, see you the day after tomorrow.

    Yan Yu closed the chat window with Lord Master and silently reminisced.

    The number of folk sects in Tianzhu was so great that even Tianzhu natives couldn¡¯t make sense of it; sometimes, a small village with just over twenty followers was enough to constitute a sect.

    After the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, due to the prolonged influence of mysticism, Tianzhu produced more Transcendents than any other country. Fortunately, most of these Transcendents spent their time fighting each other over beliefs¡­ until a nameless destroyer who called himself ¡°Ishana¡± appeared.

    At this time, Ishana was still somewhere battling others, so there was no need to worry about Zhou Hongyu meeting his end at Ishana¡¯s hands. It was likely that Chen Tianming was just worried about the deteriorating security situation in the plateau area.

    Can you stop being so jumpy, old man? If you dare disturb my inner peace, tell your daughter to be careful!

    Yan Yu sighed silently and then suddenly received a new message from Lin Ning.

    [Ningning]: Where are you?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Outside.

    [Ningning]: Oh, Ling Yun¡¯s mom is calling you home.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Something up?

    [Ningning]: She¡¯s a guest, and as hosts, it¡¯s better to entertain her, right?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Fine, I¡¯m on my way back.

    When Yan Yu arrived home, he saw Chen¡¯s mother sitting on the sofa, regal and majestic, surrounded by the girls chatting her up like the Lady Dowager from the Dream of the Red Chamber.

    Of course, even among the girls of the younger generation, there were intimacies and distances.

    Chen Lingyun was naturally the most favored ¡°Jia Baoyu,¡± sticking close to her mother with a winsome smile, monopolizing seven or eight parts of her affection.

    Su Yunjin and Lin Ning were more restrained and polite, answering a few questions from Chen¡¯s mother with polite attitudes but a hint of unease¡ªhowever, Chen¡¯s mother didn¡¯t seem to mind, being quite amiable towards them, like the Lady Dowager towards the other golden hairpins.

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi were very enthusiastic, incessantly striking up conversations with Chen¡¯s mother, with their flattering intent plainly on display.

    But Chen¡¯s mother was visibly tired of these two. They would say a few words, and only then would Chen¡¯s mother reply with a tepid response, much like the Lady Dowager did with Lady Xing, to Yan Yu¡¯s distaste.

    In his previous life, Chen Lingyun had brought him into the family, and this pious old woman looked down on him, never seeing him as good enough, with a nose that didn¡¯t seem like a nose and eyes that weren¡¯t eyes. Now, for some reason, she went through a change of heart, starting to appreciate him to no end; yet seeing how she treated Zhao and Xie, wasn¡¯t it the same old habit of looking down on others?

    ¡°Yan Yu¡¯s back?¡± As soon as Chen¡¯s mother saw him come in, she beckoned him over, ¡°Come here, auntie has brought some fruits. Try them and see if you like them.¡±

    Yan Yu looked toward the center of the coffee table, sure enough, there were several plates of cleaned fruits placed there¡ªthough there were no exotic rarities, the quality was the best and most expensive, large and plump, obviously juicy and delicious.

    Looking at Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi, each with a trash bin beside them, it was clear they weren¡¯t really interested in getting close to Chen¡¯s mother¡­

    Sitting down next to Zhao Yuanzhen, Yan Yu picked up a grape, threw it in his mouth to chew vigorously, and spoke to the Demonic Sect Enchantress telepathically:

    ¡°You¡¯ve got millions to your name now, what can¡¯t you buy? Do you need to suck up for some fruits?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t get it!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said proudly, ¡°The money you earn yourself, how can that compare to the money you get as a gift from an elder? That¡¯s the real joy of spending!¡±

    Yan Yu: ?????

 Chapter 235: 34 Everyone is Better than My Daughter

    Chapter 235: Chapter 34 Everyone is Better than My Daughter

    The eastern border county town was now deathly silent.

    Suddenly, furious dragon roars erupted, and a massive explosion burst from the main road in the center of town, the shockwave toppling many surrounding houses. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Liu Longtao stood amidst the dissipating dust, looking coldly and silently at the many mutated wolf-like creatures in the pit.

    Ye Jun hurried over from afar and quickly said,

    ¡°The east side has been cleared. Found three survivors, all old people who couldn¡¯t walk. I told them to hide at home and not to go out.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Liu Longtao paused for a moment before asking, ¡°What about the others?¡±

    ¡°Ai Lu and Fei Yun are still escorting the civilian convoy, and they haven¡¯t been attacked yet,¡± Ye Jun continued. ¡°Lin Hui is sweeping the net in the north and hasn¡¯t encountered any enemies¡­¡±

    She looked towards the corpses in the pit and said,

    ¡°These should be the last of the enemies.¡±

    ¡°How could these be the last enemies?¡± Liu Longtao sneered, ¡°As long as the chaos in the north doesn¡¯t stop, there will always be Transcendents heading south to make trouble. To make trouble, damn it all!¡±

    With a flick of his finger, the Ying Long Sword plummeted down like a meteor, piercing directly through the remains of a car on the other side, emitting a piercing and deafening noise.

    Ye Jun silently looked into the pit and saw a werewolf creature with its guts ripped open. From the torn stomach, a bloodied little hand emerged¡ªit must have belonged to a four or five-year-old child.

    She knew why Liu Longtao was so angry.

    ¡°The border won¡¯t be safe anymore,¡± Ye Jun sighed. ¡°It¡¯s better to have everyone retreat to the inland.¡±

    ¡°Better my ass,¡± Liu Longtao cursed. ¡°If it were up to me, I¡¯d have the Dingbei Army sweep outside the border, kill every day, kill every month, and slaughter every Transcendent in sight. Then we wouldn¡¯t have all this crap!¡±

    He took a long breath out, then quickly fell back into deep thought.

    After the upper limit of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence increased, these Rakshasa werewolves¡¯ resistance to attacks and self-healing ability were greatly enhanced. Explosives that used to kill could no longer do the job, which caused immediate turmoil at the border.

    The Dingbei Army is urgently refitting the entire forces with more powerful heavy weapons, but it¡¯s clear to anyone with eyes that this is a stop-gap solution¡ªthe Spiritual Energy Resurgence shows no sign of stopping, and Transcendents can level up just by lying there, while on our side, we have to increase military industry input to keep up with them in terms of military strength. The ¡°arms race¡± between the two sides is completely unequal.

    If one day the Spiritual Energy Resurgence reaches the point where a single Transcendent can destroy heaven and earth, could the Dingbei Army really expect its soldiers to each carry a nuclear warhead? Impossible.

    The reason Lord Master spoke such furious words, ¡°slaughter all the Transcendents in the north,¡± was because his father had inadvertently revealed to him that in an urgent and dire situation, it would be necessary to ¡°clean up¡± all human settlements in the north that might harbor Transcendents, and currently there are ¡°enough¡± of them.

    But such action would affect a large number of innocent mortals, shock the world¡¯s nations, and therefore was not something that couldn¡¯t be done, but shouldn¡¯t be done.

    A feasible plan is the one proposed by that person from Jianghai: support the largest Transcendent power in the northern border¡ªthe Amur Witch Coven, thereby shifting the burden of law enforcement to the witches and preventing spillage.

    Opponents believe this is not easy to operate, since a horizontal comparison with the rest of the world reveals that the leadership of Transcendent powers changes very quickly. You may have agreed on a peace treaty with the leader today, but tomorrow the leader could be killed by a quicker-promoted deputy, who then suggests that we negotiate again¡­ which would be quite pointless.

    They prefer negotiating terms with the Rakshasas and joining forces to deal with the Siberian tumor.

    During the time of endless debates in the court, the Dingbei Army was also fighting to maintain public order. Ordinary Transcendent disturbances were handled by the troops; for more severe cases, military Cultivators were called in, and if they weren¡¯t sufficient, it was necessary to deploy battle teams¡ªthe Dragon Soar Team was stationed in the east, and the Flying Dragon Battle Team went to Mongolia, leaving no one to contest the Mysterious Realm within the country. This has resulted in the full implementation of the battle team system, urging other collegiate Cultivators to step up quickly.

    After standing by the pit for a while, Liu Longtao pulled himself out of his thoughts and said,

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, find Lin Hui.¡±

    There¡¯s only a thief for a hundred days, not a guard against thieves for a hundred days, right?

    If the court can¡¯t see clearly, then let me clear the fog with my Flying Sword.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    While Lord Master was voicing his lofty aspirations in the north, Yan Yu was disinterestedly dealing with his mother-in-law in the south.

    ¡°Yan Yu, try this,¡± Chen¡¯s mother earnestly offered food and soup to Yan Yu in the restaurant¡¯s private room, ¡°The chef Lu who made this dish used to cook for state banquets. He retired, and I managed to poach him after a lot of effort. You can¡¯t find this anywhere else.¡±

    Yan Yu was also very irritated. Do I look like I don¡¯t have hands or feet, needing you to wait on me, mother-in-law?

    Hmm, it tastes not bad.

    Chen Lingyun watched from the side with a beaming smile that made it impossible to guess what she was really thinking.

    Yan Yu continued to eat without speaking. On the other side, Su Yunjin noticed and frowned to herself.

    ¡°Sister Zhao,¡± she whispered secretly into the hidden channel, ¡°that dish seems really tasty, huh.¡±

    ¡°Which one, which one?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately perked up like a vigilant meerkat, quickly craning her neck.

    She glanced at where Su Yunjin¡¯s chopsticks were pointing, then skillfully rotated the large plate to bring the dish in front of herself. With three ruthless stabs of her chopsticks, half of the dish was gone.

    Mother Chen from across the table was burning with frustration. She couldn¡¯t even continue serving Yan Yu and could only quietly ask her daughter beside her,

    ¡°Where did that girl come from? She¡¯s so ill-mannered?¡±

    ¡°Mom, Sister Zhao is very straightforward,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°But as a cultivator, she¡¯s quite formidable.¡±

    Mentioning the identity of a cultivator, Mother Chen indeed dared not complain any further, but she doubted,

    ¡°Even so, is she as formidable as Yan Zhanlong?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps put it this way,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a gleaming smile, ¡°Her manners are so unattractive at eating, yet Yan Yu tolerates her. Doesn¡¯t that prove that even Yan Yu has to give her face?¡±

    Mother Chen had a great deal of faith in her daughter, and these words immediately stirred doubts in her mind.

    From the perspective of country folks, a good appetite indeed signifies a strong body and a knack for hard work. Considering that cultivators are a martial occupation, this girl¡¯s capacity to eat and put on weight might surprisingly mean she is good in a fight!

    ¡°Better than you?¡± Mother Chen asked uncertainly again.

    ¡°If it¡¯s a head-on fight, she¡¯s definitely better than me,¡± Chen Lingyun responded.

    At this, Mother Chen had no choice but to take Zhao Yuanzhen seriously. Of course, being the type to judge people based on first impressions, once she had formed a bad opinion upon first meeting, it would not waver easily, so she merely upgraded Zhao Yuanzhen in her mind from ¡°country bumpkin¡± to ¡°country bumpkin not to be offended.¡±

    Let it go, let it go¡ªit¡¯s just one meal. Since she¡¯s a cultivator, let her eat how she wants.

    Mother Chen¡¯s gaze shifted, landing on Xie Ruoxi sitting nearby.

    Xie Ruoxi, after all, was from Lu Country. She had been raised by her parents since childhood, without the wild mannerisms of a Demonic Sect Enchantress. But she too was just eating away, her cheeks puffed out, not speaking a word¡ªas if eating was the most important thing at the dining table, which in Mother Chen¡¯s view was worse than those from Jiangbei.

    ¡°And the girl with the tied hair over there?¡± she continued to ask her daughter.

    ¡°Not as good as me now,¡± Chen Lingyun answered with a smile, ¡°But definitely better than me in the future.¡±

    Mother Chen was a bit distraught. How could these two country girls, as cultivators, be better than my precious daughter!

    ¡°Then Yan Zhanlong¡­¡±

    ¡°Of course, he¡¯s still not as good as Yan Yu,¡± Chen Lingyun said confidently, ¡°After all, he¡¯s the team captain.¡±

    ¡°One sentence, ¡®He¡¯s the team captain,¡¯ immediately gave Mother Chen a reassurance.

    She finally remembered that her husband, Chen Tianming, had indeed mentioned before that Lingyun¡¯s talent for cultivation wasn¡¯t very good; it was just that Mother Chen was always protectively biased and hadn¡¯t really listened.

    Now, with two peers for comparison, Mother Chen finally understood what ¡°not very talented in cultivation¡± meant.

    Thank goodness, at least the son-in-law is formidable, better than them¡­

    Mother Chen¡¯s anxious heart was slightly relieved, but she was definitely still disgruntled and lost the mood to cozy up to Yan Yu anymore, starting to lower her head and busily send messages on her phone.

    Seeing that she had finally stopped ¡®bothering¡¯ the captain, Su Yunjin breathed a sigh of relief, picked up her cup, and took a leisurely sip of tea¡ªonly to hear Lin Ning¡¯s voice coming through,

    ¡°Yun Jin, well done.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean well done?¡± Su Yunjin played dumb.

    ¡°Sister Zhao took a look at you first before she turned the plate of food,¡± Lin Ning said.

    ¡°Ning Ning, you¡¯re overthinking it,¡± Su Yunjin laughed and said, ¡°Sister Zhao was just hungry and looking for something to eat, that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lin Ning did not pursue the matter any further but instead asked, ¡°Then how can we make Auntie ¡®just happen¡¯ to want to return to Jianghai Prefecture?¡±

    Su Yunjin lowered her eyelids, and after a long pause said,

    ¡°That¡¯s a question for the captain.¡±

 Chapter 236: 35 Yun Jin Looks Very Beautiful

    Chapter 236: Chapter 35 Yun Jin Looks Very Beautiful

    After dinner, everyone returned to the villa to rest.

    Yan Yu wanted to take a nap on the sofa, but then he suddenly heard Su Yunjin¡¯s voice transmission:

    ¡°Shall we go for a walk?¡±

    Chen¡¯s mother was in the living room at the time, making the reason for using voice transmission crystal clear: she didn¡¯t want to be overheard by Chen¡¯s mother.

    To be honest, Yan Yu was a little resistant to the idea of going for a walk with Secretary Su after dinner. After all, during their last walk, out of nowhere a flagpole had suddenly come flying at him, and it was only thanks to his quick wit and deft response that he managed to remove the pole just in time.

    If Secretary Su had actually confessed: to accept would seem like a loss; to refuse might make her cry.

    Yan Yu was kind-hearted and couldn¡¯t bear to see a girl cry over liking him too much, after all, I¡¯m not some jerk.

    Of course, despite his reluctance, he still had to agree. Otherwise, she might think he was scared of her, which wouldn¡¯t be befitting of his status as the strongest of this world.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°Let¡¯s just take a short walk and come back, okay? There are guests at home, we can¡¯t be absent for too long.¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Su Yunjin agreed, appearing very easy to talk to.

    The two of them left the house one after the other, and outside was a straight main road. The lights cast circles of illumination along the roadside, creating a hazy beauty akin to twilight.

    ¡°My parents go for a walk after dinner every day for about an hour to aid digestion,¡± Su Yunjin said with a light smile. ¡°I think we could give it a try too.¡±

    And there it was, that heavy feeling again!

    Yan Yu thought to himself that he wasn¡¯t opposed to a post-dinner walk; in fact, the habit was quite scientific and healthy. But with her starting off with ¡°my parents go for a walk after dinner,¡± and then ¡°we could try it,¡± isn¡¯t the implication of that comparison a bit too obvious?

    We haven¡¯t even established a relationship yet, Miss Yun Jin! Are you starting off with such a heavy atmosphere?

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit much?¡± he declined tactfully, ¡°A lone man and a single woman walking together. If it happens too often, I¡¯m worried it might affect your reputation.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± Su Yunjin asked in surprise, ¡°The ¡®we¡¯ I mentioned was referring to the entire team~¡±

    Yan Yu:¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°So, captain, you¡¯d prefer to go for a walk with me after dinner?¡± Su Yunjin looked at him with wide, innocent eyes, her gaze pure and untainted.

    No wonder she¡¯s a literary girl! Quite the player with words, aren¡¯t you?

    Yan Yu felt like he was losing ground, but with his reputation as the strongest in this world hanging in the balance, he couldn¡¯t easily admit defeat on either the battlefield or the field of love, so he just smiled lightly and steered the conversation back:

    ¡°Did you specifically ask me out for a walk because there¡¯s something on your mind?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t I ask the captain out for a walk without a particular reason?¡±

    ¡°If you keep being mysterious, I might just turn around and go back, you know?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure how to put it into words,¡± Su Yunjin said as she played with a strand of hair by her cheek, her eyes fixed on the little pebbles on the ground. ¡°Give me a moment to organize my thoughts.¡±

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t rush her, simply watching her profile quietly.

    If Chen Lingyun¡¯s beauty could be likened to a delicate little dress adorned with lace, then Su Yunjin¡¯s beauty was like an elegant long dress. Beautiful as it was, her style was relatively plain, with more focus on character than outward appearance. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Her eyes weren¡¯t particularly large, but the gentle expression when she looked around gave off a demure charm that Chen Lingyun could never achieve¡ªnot to say that Princess Jiang Hai¡¯s eyes lacked luster, but her watery gaze always carried a seductive, captivating charm, unlike Secretary Su¡¯s girl-like clarity and purity.

    Yes, if there was one word to describe Su Yunjin, it would probably be ¡°clean.¡±

    Su Yunjin was indeed a person who cherished cleanliness. Sweeping, mopping, and wiping the tables were daily tasks for her. She took care of washing and drying everyone¡¯s clothes, handling almost all household chores herself without the need for a maid¡ªbecause she was the type who found satisfaction in seeing things become clean by her own hand.

    Extending from that habit, her sartorial choices were mostly understated and monochromatic as well, like the white cinched-waist long dress she wore now¡­ When had she changed into it?

    It must have been right after dinner when she had returned home and went straight to her room to change.

    ¡°Do you think this dress looks good on me?¡± Noticing Yan Yu¡¯s gaze, Su Yunjin suddenly asked.

    ¡°Quite nice,¡± Yan Yu responded truthfully, ¡°It complements your aura.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Su Yunjin suppressed the joy in her heart, calmly replying, ¡°But it¡¯s easily dirtied, and it¡¯s rather troublesome to wash.¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s heart suddenly clenched.

    Memories of Su Yunjin¡¯s body, battered and lifeless after dying in battle, being frantically retrieved by her teammates, surfaced¡ªThe ceremony at Linyin Pavilion Memorial Hall where she was commemorated was deemed grand.

    But to be honest, seeing her pallid face in the coffin on TV, who cared about the level of the farewell ceremony? She was just in her twenties, so young¡­

    ¡°Yun Jin today, indeed, looks very beautiful,¡± he lifted his head, gazing at the night sky that was gradually darkening. A few particularly bright stars appeared before the night fully descended.

    ¡°It¡¯s rare to hear the captain compliment me on looking good twice,¡± Su Yunjin quipped with her lips pursed, her brows arching into crescent moons of delight, ¡°It seems I can¡¯t return this dress, I bought it less than seven days ago.¡±

    ¡°No need to return it,¡± Yan Yu maintained his sky-gazing pose and slowly said, ¡°It¡¯s quite good as it is.¡±

    Right, what happened to The Four Great Demon Kings who were involved in killing her in the past life?

    Shenyuan Simie self-immolated within his family estate; Xiandao Jingyin was outmaneuvered and slain by Chen Lingyun; the stars of the Great I died in rebellion; and living the longest was Weizong Yilang, who was killed by Yan Yu seven years after Su Yunjin¡¯s sacrifice¡­

    Yes, I remembered, I killed a Demon King.

    But it couldn¡¯t be counted as avenging Su Yunjin. Weizong Yilang was the only pacifist among The Four Great Demon Kings, and he had intentionally held back during the fight that led to her death, making it difficult to consider him a murderer, at most an accessory to the crime.

    For true vengeance, it had to be in this life.

    ¡°I¡¯ve figured out how to say it,¡± Su Yunjin finally spoke, ¡°The reason I asked the captain to go for a walk is because I¡¯m unhappy.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s gotten you unhappy?¡± asked Yan Yu.

    ¡°Ling Yun¡¯s mom is too enthusiastic about you, wanting to scoop you up as the Chen Family¡¯s son-in-law, and so I¡¯ve become unhappy,¡± Su Yunjin turned around, her face a mix of embarrassment and earnest calm as she continued, ¡°Captain, if I¡¯m unhappy, it will affect my training condition for the next couple of days¡­¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll tell her to leave,¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but laugh.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to chase her away,¡± Su Yunjin thought for a moment, correcting him, ¡°Is it possible to have Auntie suggest leaving on her own without offending her? Or maybe get her to go out more, so she¡¯s not always hovering around you.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t expect me to play the villain and yet want me to do the dirty work, that¡¯s too much to ask,¡± Yan Yu said with a detached laugh, ¡°I¡¯m not an omnipotent deity.¡±

    ¡°But I believe the captain surely has a way,¡± Su Yunjin insisted.

    ¡°Why do you trust me so much?¡±

    ¡°Because doesn¡¯t the captain always say ¡®I want to become the strongest in this world¡¯?¡± Su Yunjin placed her hands behind her back and playfully blinked at him, ¡°If you want to be the strongest, then you can¡¯t let anyone trip you up, right? Because of Auntie¡¯s visit today, we didn¡¯t even train this afternoon.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Yan Yu pondered in mock-seriousness for a moment, then said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll think of something.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m confident there¡¯s nothing the captain can¡¯t overcome,¡± seeing Yan Yu agree, Su Yunjin breathed a sigh of relief and clasped her hands together, smiling graciously.

    Yes, in this life, there¡¯s nothing that can stump me.

    ¡­including, saving you.

 Chapter 237: 36: This Life, I Want to Be Ahead

    Chapter 237: Chapter 36: This Life, I Want to Be Ahead

    The two strolled outside for a while, then leisurely walked back home.

    Yan Yu could understand why Su Yunjin wanted to send Chen¡¯s mother away. Just like most daughters-in-law do not want to live with their mothers-in-law, there is often mutual dislike between women of different generations.

    Not to mention, Chen¡¯s mother was always trying to set her daughter up with connections, it would be strange if Secretary Su could tolerate that.

    As for agreeing to Su Yunjin¡¯s request, of course, it was easy to fulfill¡ªthe day after tomorrow he would set off for East Sea Province, and he would send the old mother-in-law back tomorrow.

    As they approached the villa, Su Yunjin suddenly stopped and said,

    ¡°I have actually always believed in the captain¡­ in every aspect.¡±

    ¡°Then you do have good judgment,¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    ¡°Mm.¡± Su Yunjin fell silent for a moment and then added, ¡°That¡¯s also why I am not willing to let go.¡±

    Her words seemed quite intriguing. Yan Yu pondered for a while then decided not to ask further, just looking toward the lights coming on at the back of the yard, he said,

    ¡°It¡¯s time to go back.¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm.¡±

    Once they returned home, Lin Ning immediately sent a message asking,

    ¡°How did it go?¡±

    ¡°The captain agreed,¡± Su Yunjin replied.

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± Lin Ning felt a subconscious sense of relief but then remembered something and quickly added, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not that I have something against your auntie. It¡¯s just that we usually need to train on a daily basis, and not entertaining her would seem impolite, while entertaining her would affect our training.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Su Yunjin echoed, ¡°Training is vital to us; we can¡¯t afford to delay it.¡±

    In the exchange of glances, they quickly came to an understanding: not to bring up this matter anymore.

    Just as Yan Yu sat down on the sofa, he heard Chen Lingyun send him a private message,

    ¡°What were you and Yun Jin doing just now?¡±

    ¡°Why, are you jealous?¡±

    ¡°Not at all. And even if you don¡¯t dare to say it, I can guess: you were definitely thinking about how to send my mother away, right?¡±

    ¡°How can you call it ¡®sending away¡¯?¡± Yan Yu argued with her, ¡°We have a mission up north the day after tomorrow, did you know that?¡±

    ¡°Of course I knew.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Who do you think is behind pushing for this matter?¡±

    ¡°Since there¡¯s a mission the day after tomorrow, it¡¯s not about sending your mom away,¡± Yan Yu said confidently, ¡°It¡¯s that we ourselves have to leave. Military duty calls, there¡¯s no helping it. What can be done about that? Right, since you already know, you can inform her.¡±

    ¡°You want me to tell her?¡± Chen Lingyun sighed deeply, ¡°You really know how to avoid the unpleasant tasks.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say you had to go.¡± Yan Yu retorted irritably, ¡°You could talk to your dad¡­¡±

    Before he could finish, the phone rang again.

    ¡°Look, your dad is calling again¡­¡± Yan Yu checked carefully and saw it wasn¡¯t Chen Tianming calling but Liu Longtao.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Old Yan, are you enjoying yourself in Jinling Prefecture?¡± Liu Longtao started sarcastically, ¡°Hey, I just realized, isn¡¯t there the mention of the ¡®Twelve Beauties of Jinling¡¯ in ¡®Dream of the Red Chamber¡¯? Why don¡¯t you also make more efforts over there in Jinling, create a modern version of the Grand View Garden? It would be quite an accomplishment.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Yan Yu replied calmly, ¡°I¡¯ve received your jealousy loud and clear, if there¡¯s nothing else I¡¯m hanging up.¡±

    ¡°Wait, wait, wait,¡± Liu Longtao hurriedly called out, ¡°How can this be jealousy? I¡¯m envious of you! Really, I¡¯m fighting enemies here in East Sea, battling to the point where my Flying Sword is notched and my True Yuan is nearly depleted, then I suddenly think about how your Zhendong Army¡¯s territory doesn¡¯t border any other forces and you don¡¯t have much security pressure. Just thinking about it makes me green with envy¡­¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you border any other forces?¡± Yan Yu countered, ¡°Let¡¯s not even talk about the Superhero Alliance being too far away, what about the Onmyoji? When the Onmyoji come to attack, your Dragon Soar Team will fight for me, right?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Liu Longtao immediately grinned, ¡°Have you heard? The Giliac Bearmen have sought reinforcements from the Heavy Sakura.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Yan Yu was taken aback, ¡°I haven¡¯t heard of it, tell me more.¡±

    ¡°This intelligence was just obtained by the Privy Council a few minutes ago. Even if I didn¡¯t tell you, that person from Jiang Hai would soon find out anyway.¡± Liu Longtao said with a smile, ¡°Do you still remember Park Changmin from Changbai Mountain¡¯s Mysterious Realm, who we let go last time? I¡¯ll just tell it for fun, you decide how believable it is.¡±

    Lord Master began his comedic routine: It is said that the Amur Witches, feeling unable to withstand the Giliac Bearmen, formed an envoy group and ran to seek help from the south. Although people here don¡¯t pay much attention to the witches, the Giliac Bearmen didn¡¯t know that and thought, with so many powerful cultivators and the presence of Yan Zhanlong, if they were to attack, how could we possibly hold them back? So they also formed an envoy group and went to ask the Pear Blossom Courtyard on the peninsula for help.

    The Pear Blossom Courtyard, having just had an encounter with cultivators at Changbai Mountain, knew that cultivators were formidable and not to be trifled with, so they said we are eating hot pot with the troops, but we can ask the Superhero Alliance for you.

    Lately, the Superheroes have also had a skirmish with cultivators in the South Sea, and nearly lost Thunderbird, so they said we¡¯re eating hamburgers and don¡¯t have time, but we¡¯ll ask the Yin Yang Bureau for you.

    The Yin Yang Bureau just happened to have had a recent clash with cultivators too, and moreover, they were severely defeated by Lord Master, so they were somewhat inclined to close their doors and eat sashimi. However, due to historical reasons, they have a strong obsession with Ezo Island and Black Dragon Isle, with the grand cause of ¡°recovering lost territory¡± at stake, they couldn¡¯t refuse, so the Pear Blossom Courtyard took the lead and conducted the three-party talks with the Giliac Bearmen at Juzhi Mountain.

    The third-party mediation representative sent by the Pear Blossom Courtyard happened to be none other than the famous ¡°Sword God Park Changmin¡±¡­ and as a result, the Privy Council immediately got the intelligence.

    According to the intelligence, the Giliac Bearmen are willing to open the entire Black Dragon Isle for the Onmyoji to station and have free passage, and the Mysterious Realm is to be developed jointly by both sides¡ªthis happens to touch the Privy Council¡¯s raw nerve, as Mei Yingxue had once casually mentioned it, and they are resolute in obtaining that Mysterious Realm on the island.

    ¡°So what did the Heavy Sakura say?¡± Yan Yu confirmed.

    ¡°They¡¯re likely to go.¡± Liu Longtao said with a cold laugh, ¡°It¡¯s just a matter of who will lead the team. If it¡¯s that same jerk as last time, Old Yan, let me tell you, don¡¯t compete with me for kills, ha.¡±

    ¡°Stop dreaming,¡± Yan Yu said with disdain, ¡°Shenyuan Simie¡¯s paper effigy substitution spell, have you figured out a way to counter it?¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Liu Longtao admitted sheepishly, ¡°I figure no matter how bizarre his spell is, he¡¯s got to at least perform some hand gesture, right? How about I just kill him on sight before he can cast it, how does that sound?¡±

    ¡°Then try it out first,¡± Yan Yu had no choice but to agree. Because in his past life, he really didn¡¯t know how the famous ¡°God of Gods¡± managed to use the paper effigy for substitution¡­ it seemed like the paper effigy was worn like underwear against the skin, and when facing deadly threat, it would automatically substitute itself, just like Orochimaru¡¯s Substitution Jutsu.

    However, this paper effigy substitution technique was not without cost; each substitution would cause an overall decline in condition, and also one less paper effigy on the person. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    So, strictly speaking, the way to kill Shenyuan Simie was not by a quick kill, but by killing repeatedly¡ªhowever many times you substitute, I will kill you that many times. You might as well carry a stack of A4 paper on you, fold as you go, otherwise, I¡¯ll kill you until you collapse.

    Of course, these were just speculations and couldn¡¯t be shared with Lord Master. After all, in his past life, Yan Yu never had a confrontation with that bastard; he just killed himself¡­ let Lord Master do the research first.

    ¡°How is Ye Jun doing?¡± Yan Yu continued to inquire.

    ¡°How else?¡± Liu Longtao was a bit puzzled, and said subconsciously, ¡°She¡¯s just rotating with us on three shifts, running wherever there¡¯s a fire to put out¡­ wait, why do you ask? Are you interested in her? She¡¯s from Jinmen and can¡¯t enter your Jinling harem!¡±

    ¡°What Jinling harem?¡± Yan Yu was speechless with Lord Master¡¯s intervention, ¡°I was just asking¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask anymore.¡± Liu Longtao said earnestly, ¡°You know how important her Xuan Guang Ruler is to our team, right? I can¡¯t afford to hand her over to you; sorry, Old Yan.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not asking for people,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°Look at how nervous you are, it¡¯s just jealousy.¡±

    ¡°What do I have to be jealous about?¡± Although he knew the other party was provoking him, Liu Longtao didn¡¯t want to be defamed and called out, ¡°Ye Jun! Old Yan is looking for you!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Ye Jun came over to take the call, but just as she lifted the phone to her ear, the sound of call forwarding music came from the receiver.

    It was Chen Tianming calling Yan Yu¡¯s side.

    ¡°Hello, Yan Yu,¡± the voice on the other end was concise, ¡°There¡¯s been a change in plans, meet at the airport at 10 tonight, departure is immediate. Adjust the team¡¯s status, don¡¯t worry about her mother¡¯s side.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Yan Yu was also succinct and hung up the call.

    War had started early.

    In my past life, I entered the scene too late and only killed one Demon King.

    This life, let¡¯s try for the whole compendium.

 Chapter 238: Su Yunjin Extras

    Chapter 238: Su Yunjin Extras

    ¡°`

    (The timeframe should be after the grand finale of this book, which is to say, ¡°things that will happen in the future,¡± so everyone can consider this an IF route.)

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Shall we take a walk?¡± the woman asked.

    ¡°Wait a moment, I¡¯ll talk to the kids.¡±

    From the room came the man¡¯s practiced words, adept at dealing with the children. After promising that ¡°next time for sure¡± he¡¯d take everyone on a sword flight to see the Great Barrier Reef¡¯s Blue Hole, to Africa to see zebras, to Antarctica to see penguins, and even to visit the Lu Country astronauts at the space station¡­ he finally managed to calm the noisy children, with none clamoring to ¡°go for a walk with Mommy Su¡± anymore.

    ¡°Really now.¡± The man closed the door of the room, griping as he said, ¡°When I was kid, I wasn¡¯t so fussy. Give me a bucket of fried chicken, and I was good whether it was studying or doing housework¡­ Kids these days are too shrewd, not even handheld game consoles can fool them.¡±

    ¡°Are you blaming me for not teaching them well?¡± the woman asked with a laugh, covering her mouth.

    ¡°Not at all, I can¡¯t bring myself to blame you,¡± the man immediately recanted.

    The two of them left the villa and walked along the road towards the distance.

    The sky was somewhat dim, the end of the horizon showing intense fiery clouds that looked like a lover¡¯s blushing cheeks.

    The warm, smooth skin of the opposite sex touched the back of his hand. Yan Yu naturally took her hand, skillfully intertwined their fingers, and enveloped her soft and delicate hand.

    ¡°I¡¯ve actually fantasized about this a lot,¡± the woman said.

    ¡°Fantasized about what?¡±

    ¡°Back then¡­ during our team times, when I walked this road home from school at night, I would often fantasize about holding hands with you, walking down this road together¡­ just the two of us.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it just the two of us now?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because they just happen to be absent.¡±

    ¡°When they are around, can¡¯t we hold hands?¡±

    ¡°Hold hands, huh? How many hands do you have to hold?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll always leave one to hold yours.¡±

    The woman¡¯s cheeks reddened. Even though they were an old married couple now, she still had no defense against some of her husband¡¯s words.

    ¡°I¡¯ve changed my mind now,¡± she said, lowering her bashful head, her voice as timid as a mosquito¡¯s.

    But Yan Yu¡¯s hearing was not that of an ordinary person. He immediately caught her barely audible voice and asked:

    ¡°Don¡¯t like holding hands anymore?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± the woman shook her head, ¡°I just realized there are many more romantic things we could do.¡±

    ¡°Like what?¡±

    ¡°Like you said you¡¯d take the kids to the Great Barrier Reef to see the Blue Hole¡­ I kind of want to go too.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±

    ¡°Eh, now?¡± Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Why not? Sword flight makes the trip convenient.¡±

    ¡°But Guoguo and the others are still at home¡­¡± the woman¡¯s voice stopped abruptly, as Huang Tingjian had already transformed into a sword light soaring into the sky, carrying the two towards the southeast, sweeping past the skies of Liangxi Prefecture, Gusu Prefecture, and Jianghai Prefecture, startling many Lu Country citizens to look up.

    ¡°Is that a meteor?¡±

    ¡°It looks like sword light¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Yan Yu¡¯s Huang Tingjian light! It¡¯s Yan Yu!¡±

    Many people quickly fetched their phones to take pictures. With the status Yan Yu had now, common appearances in the Mysterious Realm and foreign invasions were simply not worth his personal attention¡ªmany people hadn¡¯t even seen Huang Tingjian¡¯s light, it was news worthy of a special snapshot to post with comments on social media.

    The news even alarmed the Zhendong Army, and other system bigwigs called Li Weiguo to inquire if something had happened in East Sea that would require Yan Yu to personally resolve it with sword control.

    ¡°`

    Li Weiguo was also bewildered, ¡°What happened? How come I don¡¯t know about it?¡±

    By this time, Yan Yu had already taken Su Yunjin from Yangshan Town towards the open sea, when suddenly she said:

    ¡°Your phone is ringing.¡±

    ¡°Never mind it, help me dismiss the call.¡±

    ¡°The noise from sword flight is too loud,¡± Su Yunjin sighed, ¡°How will you explain it when they ask later?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll just say I took my wife out for some fun,¡± Yan Yu smiled nonchalantly.

    ¡°No, I mean when they ask you, how will you explain it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll say I took the big wife out for fun.¡±

    ¡°Stop it, when did I become your big wife?¡± Su Yunjin really wanted to punch him hard on the chest, but a thick sweetness welled up inside her, causing her body to soften and become feverish. She wrapped her arms around her husband and whispered in his ear:

    ¡°Stop talking nonsense¡­ just keep me company.¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    Sword Flight made rapid progress, making Thousand miles seem like moments, and soon they arrived at the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in the South Pacific¡ªa place with endless stretches of coral reefs, but because it was nighttime, the view wasn¡¯t clear, which was a bit disappointing.

    ¡°Oops, I forgot.¡± Yan Yu slapped his forehead and said, ¡°There¡¯s a time difference here with Lu Country; it¡¯s already night, so it doesn¡¯t look good.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Su Yunjin smiled tenderly, ¡°Follow me.¡±

    She took her husband¡¯s hand and they descended into the sea, sword in hand, with incantations already forming in her palm.

    The Water Repelling Spell of the Water Escape Technique parted the surrounding seawater, forming a large spherical space without water, enveloping the two of them within.

    ¡°My wife is really capable,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°This water repelling technique, even I must admit I¡¯m inferior.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense talker,¡± Su Yunjin scolded him, ¡°I specialize in water-based magic, how can you compare with me?¡±

    Protected by the Water Repelling Spell, the two drifted slowly along the ocean floor, using Divine Sense to appreciate the surrounding coral reefs and schools of fish.

    Many curious small fish swam towards the large bubble and upon entering the waterless space passed through the bubble¡¯s surface, suddenly lost buoyancy support, fell as they were briefly deprived of oxygen, before heading back into the water from the bottom of the bubble and hastily swam away, still in shock.

    ¡°Are we disturbing them?¡± Su Yunjin watched the panicked fish and sighed, ¡°Let¡¯s go back then.

    ¡°Go back now? For what?¡± Yan Yu opposed the suggestion, ¡°The kids are all at home, and whatever I do, I have to bring them along, which is very inconvenient.¡±

    ¡°The kids like their dad; that¡¯s normal,¡± Su Yunjin purposely made a sad face, ¡°Unlike me, I¡¯m always disciplining them, now they all run away when they see me.¡±

    ¡°Does Mommy Su like daddy just like the kids do?¡± Yan Yu settled onto the sandy ocean floor, embracing his little wife in his arms and began kissing her.

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Su Yunjin was shy again, simply nodding her head.

    ¡°How much do you like me?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ve already had kids for you, what else do you need to ask?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not enough,¡± Yan Yu gently lifted her chin, nibbled at her ear, and said, ¡°Or we could here¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Su Yunjin pushed him surprisingly, but without strength, she didn¡¯t move him.

    ¡°No one¡¯s around!¡± Yan Yu reasoned as if it was obvious, hands mischievously starting to wander, ¡°There are no divers or deep-sea cameras nearby, my Divine Sense is scanning all the time!¡±

    ¡°Still, we can¡¯t!¡± Su Yunjin was both embarrassed and irritated, turning red to her earlobes as she stammered, ¡°We can¡¯t¡­not here¡­this is the wilderness! Let¡¯s just go home.¡±

    ¡°I told you, it¡¯s very inconvenient with the kids at home, and at this depth, there¡¯s virtually no light, no one will find out¡­¡± Yan Yu held her tighter, about to continue his tempting whisper, but then he noticed that her struggles were becoming weaker, and he was immediately overjoyed.

    Su Yunjin sighed, the incantation of the Water Repelling Spell in her hand accelerated, and the waterless spherical space quickly shrank until it barely enclosed the two of them.

    Then she deployed the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, creating hidden currents around them to prevent any unwary marine life from disturbing them.

    Not far from the pair, a protruding underwater geothermal vent suddenly spewed out a hot, sulfur-scented scalding jet of water, which then dissolved into the surrounding warm seawater.

 Chapter 239: 37 Emergency Additional Practice of Sword Flight

    Chapter 239: Chapter 37 Emergency Additional Practice of Sword Flight

    After receiving the message, the girls immediately began packing up their things, preparing to head out.

    Anna was of course overjoyed, but due to others being present, she couldn¡¯t throw herself into Yan Yu¡¯s arms for a few kisses, so she happily went about packing.

    ¡°Where¡¯s your mom?¡± Yan Yu asked Chen Lingyun as he stopped her.

    ¡°Out shopping, she¡¯ll be back soon,¡± Chen Lingyun replied.

    ¡°No time to wait! You call her later,¡± Yan Yu decisively said, ¡°Xie Ruoxi, you come with us too.¡±

    ¡°Eh, I have to go too?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked in surprise, ¡°I haven¡¯t mastered sound transmission into secrecy yet¡­¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! You¡¯ll learn on the way!¡± Yan Yu glared and scolded, ¡°Swords! Elixir Medicines! Change of clothes! Take everything you can, five minutes enough? If not, you have three!¡±

    ¡°Right away, right away!¡± Xie Ruoxi hurried upstairs.

    ¡°Yan Yu, the vehicle is parked outside!¡± Lin Ning called from the door.

    It wasn¡¯t the business van Chen Lingyun had ordered, but a troop transport vehicle, indicating that the Privy Council had deemed the situation extremely urgent and was requiring the Zhenhai Team to head north overnight.

    Watching the girls in the living room ready to go, Yan Yu called upstairs:

    ¡°Are you ready?!¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d give me five minutes¡­¡± came Xie Ruoxi¡¯s cry-baby voice from upstairs.

    ¡°Lin Ning, go give her a hand,¡± Yan Yu made a snap decision.

    Lin Ning, acting quickly as well, employed the Shifting Technique and dashed to the second floor; then faint shouts of ¡°You don¡¯t need to bring this¡± and ¡°You don¡¯t need that either¡± were heard.

    Everyone quickly packed their things and rushed onto the troop transport vehicle, reaching Jinling Airport, boarding the plane, and taking off¡ªall went smoothly and without interruption.

    On the plane, Anna went to the back cabin to rest, not disturbing the team as they arranged their plans. Lin Ning lowered the projection screen, Su Yunjin turned on the projector, Chen Lingyun was adjusting the computer, when suddenly she heard Yan Yu say:

    ¡°Your materials are useless, let me explain.¡±

    In his previous life, he had dealt the most with the people from the Yin Yang Bureau and could even say he ¡°knew more about Onmyoji than current Onmyoji.¡± As a result, the fragmented information Chen Lingyun had cobbled together indeed had no value to offer.

    ¡°Our opponents this time are the Giliya Bearmen and Onmyoji,¡± Yan Yu gave a brief explanation, ¡°We¡¯ll talk about the Giliya Bearmen later; let¡¯s start with the Onmyoji.¡±

    ¡°The Kyoto Onmyo Academy adheres to elitism, with internal resources skewed towards top elites. They do not regulate the practice at the social level but require that local cultivators register and enter local Dao academies for cultivation, to be screened and promoted step by step, eventually aggregating at the Kyoto Onmyo Academy.¡±

    ¡°To help you understand the distribution of their strength, I¡¯ll categorize the top cultivators from strongest to weakest into four tiers: T1, Liu Longtao; T2, Li Minghu, Zhou Hongyu; T3, Lin Ning; T4, other team cultivators¡­¡±

    ¡°Hold up, why am I ranked in T3?!¡± Lin Ning immediately protested, ¡°You could have said T1 is super team leader level, T2 is team leader level, T3 is first-line team, T4 is second-line team! There¡¯s no need to name names as examples, right?¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± Yan Yu immediately agreed, ¡°On the Onmyoji side, because of the elite training system, the strongest few are between team leader level and super team leader level, which is about T1.5. But there aren¡¯t many of them, so they likely won¡¯t send all of them here; I reckon sending one over as the leader should suffice.¡±

    ¡°Due to the skewing of resources towards the elites, there is a serious talent gap below team leader level, which means there are very few at Lin Ning¡¯s level. Below that are the second-line teams, and there are actually far more Onmyoji in this range of strength than us because they do not regulate civilian practice; there¡¯s a large base of civilian Onmyoji forming the bottom layer of the pyramid. As long as there are enough ¡®short¡¯ ones, you can find quite a few relatively ¡®tall¡¯ ones, get it?¡±

    ¡°So, their team leaders are a bit stronger than ours, but they¡¯re definitely not as strong as you,¡± Su Yunjin summarized, ¡°The rest of members are weaker than us, but far outnumber us, is that right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± Yan Yu nodded and said, ¡°So if we¡¯re to analyze the risk points, where does the risk lie in combating the Onmyoji?¡±

    The girls exchanged glances for a moment before Chen Lingyun said at leisure:

    ¡°The biggest risk is that during team leader duels, facing numerous but slightly weaker enemies, we could be outnumbered and overwhelmed, leading to the collapse of our battle situation.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu paused for a moment and continued, ¡°Because the combat style of Onmyoji is very different from our domestic cultivators¡­ You know what ¡®Jade-Smashing Tactics¡¯ are, right?¡±

    ¡°Whenever civilian practice regulation is lifted, there¡¯s an inevitable issue: too many Transcendents and not enough resources to go around. What do you do?¡±

    ¡°If this problem isn¡¯t solved, it will result in severe internal strife, and even lead to the subversion of order from the bottom up. The Yin Yang Bureau has designed a battle reward system; if their onmyoji want to advance in rank, they must exchange their military achievements for promotion on the battlefield.¡±

    ¡°The so-called ¡®Jade-Smashing Tactics¡¯ involve treating the lower-ranked onmyoji as cannon fodder on the battlefield. As long as they survive, they get promoted and gain access to more resources. ¡®As long as it¡¯s jade, it¡¯s not afraid of breaking.¡¯

    ¡°That¡­¡± Lin Ning opened her mouth, instinctively wanting to say ¡°Isn¡¯t that like raising gu,¡± but at the last moment changed it to ¡°Won¡¯t they resist?¡±

    ¡°Why would they resist?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked curiously, ¡°Only those who can fight and kill have status and resources. Isn¡¯t that very normal? I actually think that the system in our country is too lenient¡­¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Yan Yu immediately shouted in interruption, ¡°No one asked you!¡±

    In fact, the governance structure of the Yin Yang Bureau is quite similar to that of the Demonic Sect, which has origins in exotic demonesses. First and foremost, they focus on cultivating high-ranking cultivators to ensure their combat prowess can crush those at the lower ranks, creating an absolute deterrence and then using resources as bait to drive the lower ranks into the fray to fight desperately, continually depleting their overall strength to prevent them from becoming a threat to the upper echelons. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Of course, classical sects and modern society are different. Many strategies can be employed to manage a few thousand people without issue, but when it comes to hundreds of thousands, problems arise incessantly¡­ The Yin Yang Bureau was only able to implement this system temporarily in the early stages.

    In the later stages, it was internally sabotaged by Xie Daiwo, leading directly to its peak and subsequent decline¡­ Therefore, liberating the control over folk cultivation practices inevitably leads to a bottomless abyss, and one must not harbor any delusions of good fortune.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about why they don¡¯t resist,¡± Yan Yu said bluntly. ¡°In any case, as long as you¡¯ve faced them, you¡¯ll know that those onmyoji are like mad dogs with rabies. They¡¯ll fight to the death just to inflict a wound on you, even if it means dying the next second.¡±

    ¡°To deal with this ¡®Jade-Smashing Tactics,¡¯ there¡¯s only one method: Kill! Don¡¯t hold back, don¡¯t be soft-hearted; kill them before they can harm you. Summed up in four words, ¡®eliminate on sight.¡¯ Don¡¯t test them, don¡¯t maneuver around¡ªjust kill with one sword strike upon encounter. If there are any problems, it¡¯s simply because you didn¡¯t kill quickly enough.¡±

    The girls looked at each other once more, only to hear Chen Lingyun add an explanation:

    ¡°The enemy is fearless and numerous; even if their individual strength isn¡¯t a match for ours, a siege situation is still dangerous. The best response is as the captain said, rely on efficient killing to tear through and disrupt their lines, to avoid being besieged. Everyone must absolutely not hold onto any wishful thinking, and be mentally prepared to act decisively and ruthlessly.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Yan Yu said seriously, as the matter was grave and thus didn¡¯t belittle the deputy captain¡¯s prestige as usual. ¡°Next, I will explain how to kill.¡±

    ¡°Their transcendent beings are all referred to as onmyoji. Their internal factions are quite diverse. We categorize them according to combat style. Those who specialize in swordsmanship are singled out and called ¡®samurai,¡¯ whose style is similar to our Sword Immortals¡ªfast, reactive, and their simple and crude form of attack is slashing, but their swords can¡¯t fly. So the main counter-strategy is to avoid close combat and cut them down from a distance.¡±

    ¡°A target bearing a sword isn¡¯t necessarily a samurai; but if a target is without a sword, you can directly rule out the samurai profession. Then look at their offensive means¡ªif they attack using various projectiles, they are called ¡®ninja,¡¯ similar to our assistant officers who use magical treasures for offense.¡±

    ¡°Ninja have strong long-range suppressive capabilities, but unlike samurai, they don¡¯t have integrated offense and defense, which mainly depends on the type of magical treasure: ones with strong attacks tend to have weak defenses¡ªkill them swiftly; ones with strong defenses tend to have weak attacks¡ªcontrol them, be careful to dodge and normally don¡¯t bother with them.¡±

    ¡°If they aren¡¯t samurai or ninja, then they are onmyoji. Within the onmyoji, there are two main branches: one likes to use curse techniques, and the other is accustomed to using shikigami, directly corresponding to our spellcasters and envoys.¡±

    ¡°Curse technique onmyoji have wide-ranging attacks and strong lethality, but virtually no defense. They are the type that needs to be prioritized and killed on any battlefield. Their perception is usually not sharp, and they are easiest to kill from the side or behind.¡±

    ¡°Shikigami onmyoji, their combat style depends on the shikigami, and is often strange and abnormal. Don¡¯t try to kill the core person; they¡¯re sure to have self-preservation measures. First target the shikigami. A shikigami style onmyoji without shikigami is like a samurai without a sword¡ªthey pose no threat¡­¡±

    When it came to ¡°how to efficiently kill onmyoji,¡± Yan Yu spoke with fervor and endless details, so much so that Lin Ning, who was good at memorizing, couldn¡¯t keep up and had to take out her recording pen to record. The more she listened, the more wrong it felt.

    You know this way too well!

    Before she had the chance to complain ¡°How do you know so much,¡± she only heard Yan Yu say:

    ¡°Of course, one must be strong oneself to forge metal.¡±

    ¡°When facing a human wave tactic, the most important thing is mobility. The Shifting Technique offers mobility on a two-dimensional plane, but what to do when enemies surround you on all sides?¡±

    ¡°Therefore, we must completely master Sword Flight before the battle¡­ All of us. Stop looking! That includes you, Xie Ruoxi!¡±

    ¡°But we¡¯re on an airplane, there¡¯s no way to practice here, right?¡± Lin Ning quickly objected, ¡°What if the sword light pierces through the cabin?¡±

    ¡°Who says you can¡¯t practice?¡± Yan Yu said, puzzled, ¡°Practicing Sword Control on an airplane is already the fastest method, okay?¡±

    I practiced on an airplane in my past life. Now, let me show you what a mature teaching plan of the future is like.

    As the girls looked on in bewildered silence, he walked to the door of the crew rest area, knocked, and said something that made everyone¡¯s face change:

    ¡°Comrade? Can someone help open the airplane cabin door?¡±

 Chapter 240: 38: Guarding the Kingdom for the Eclipse Queen

    Chapter 240: Chapter 38: Guarding the Kingdom for the Eclipse Queen

    For safety reasons, the plane that the Zhenhai Team took was not a passenger jet, but a modified transport plane.

    Some seats and soft chairs were added to the interior, but the overall layout still resembled that of a transport plane, with features like a jump hatch that supported parachuting.

    When the plane descended to the jump altitude, the crew opened the hatch, and the girls¡¯ complexions changed once again¡­ At this moment, the cold wind raged furiously inside the cabin, the temperature plummeted, and it felt as if the floor was beginning to shake and jitter, whether that was an illusion or not.

    ¡°Jump one by one! After jumping out, try to fly with Sword Flight!¡± Yan Yu shouted near the hatch against the violent wind, ¡°Don¡¯t be too scared! If you can¡¯t learn it in one go, I¡¯ll catch you before you hit the ground!!!¡±

    But the girls¡¯ faces looked even worse. Listen to what the captain was saying, not ¡°I¡¯ll catch you,¡± but ¡°I¡¯ll catch you before you hit the ground.¡± Does that mean they¡¯d have to struggle against the King of Hell¡¯s grasp at death¡¯s door?

    Zhao Yuanzhen was quite amused watching from the side. When she was learning Sword Flight, there were no senior sect members throwing them from the sky¡­ How busy were the elders? They hardly had time to care about the juniors¡¯ cultivation, right?

    Now that the little thief is willing to take care of you, just silently be grateful!

    ¡°Lin Ning, Su Yunjin, Chen Lingyun!¡± Yan Yu continued to yell, ¡°Come here in this order and line up!!!¡±

    ¡°Seriously.¡± Lin Ning was a bit scared but still managed to retort with a complaint, ¡°If the wind is strong, just use sound transmission, why shout so loud¡­ Ah!!! Ahhhhhhh!!!¡±

    She was directly hurled out of the hatch by Yan Yu.

    ¡°Yan, Yan Yu.¡± Su Yunjin was completely terrified, ¡°You don¡¯t have to push people, right? That, Ningning¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid.¡± Yan Yu comforted her with sound transmission, ¡°It¡¯ll be your turn soon.¡±

    Then he too leaped out of the hatch, turning into a streak of sword light as he went.

    Lin Ning continued to plummet sharply, her vision upside down and chaotic, while her mind was completely dominated by the fear of facing death head-on.

    It took her about ten seconds or so to finally react, attempting to fly with Sword Control. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Where was Yan Yu?

    Where was Yan Yu? No good, she couldn¡¯t find Yan Yu, she had to save herself¡­

    I must survive!

    Lin Ning fiercely executed the sword techniques with her hands, and the Green Bamboo Sword quickly turned into a streak of sword light, approaching her rapidly.

    ¡°I did it!¡± Finally engulfed in the sword light, Lin Ning shouted excitedly, ¡°I succeeded!¡±

    ¡°What did you succeed at?¡± Yan Yu¡¯s voice came from beside her, ¡°I¡¯m the one guiding your Sword Flight, otherwise, you would¡¯ve fallen to your death already.¡±

    ¡°¡­Eh?¡±

    ¡°You do nothing but stare blankly for nearly ten seconds after being thrown out?¡± Yan Yu taunted her with a chuckle, before suddenly becoming serious, ¡°Hmm, but considering you managed to do that, your performance isn¡¯t too bad. A few more tries and you should have it down.¡±

    The streak of sword light with Lin Ning in tow caught up with the still-flying plane, entered through the open hatch precisely, and ended the flight smoothly upon landing, without damaging the aircraft.

    Lin Ning still seemed a bit shaken, while Yan Yu had already turned his stern gaze towards Su Yunjin:

    ¡°We¡¯re short on time, let¡¯s go, Yun Jin.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Wait¡­¡± Before Su Yunjin could speak, she was pushed out of the hatch by Yan Yu.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Anna came out from the rear cabin, looking puzzled at the open hatch and the pale-faced girls around, and asked in confusion:

    ¡°What are all of you doing?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re practicing,¡± Su Yunjin said with a wry smile.

    After practicing three or four times, Lin Ning had managed to master Sword Flight and was now voluntarily practicing extra, helping Yan Yu train their teammates.

    Despite having practiced around a dozen times, she had only grasped a faint sense of it, barely able to draw the Coral Tears towards her¡­ Why is there such a huge gap in talent between people?

    The streak of sword light suddenly rushed in from outside, dispersed, and revealed Yan Yu¡¯s figure, as well as Xie Ruoxi, whom he had thrown onto a chair.

    Xie Ruoxi was a complete mess, though unharmed, with a vacant stare, twitching shoulders, and completely slumping in her seat, looking as if she had truly free-fallen from ten thousand meters and splattered into mush upon the ground.

    ¡°Seems like I had to scare you to get you to learn,¡± Yan Yu said shaking his head in resignation.

    ¡°Ruoxi has learned it already?¡± Su Yunjin asked in surprise.

    ¡°Yes, she has,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°I lied to her saying she was too heavy, and my True Yuan was insufficient, so we might as well die together¡­ and then she managed to pull it off.¡±

    ¡°Really¡­¡± Su Yunjin was somewhat at a loss for words. She wanted to go and comfort the frightened Xie Ruoxi, but then she remembered that she had already mastered Sword Flight, and suddenly, she didn¡¯t feel like bothering with her anymore.

    ¡°Why did you come out?¡± Yan Yu asked Anna.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, don¡¯t worry about me, you go on with your work,¡± Anna expressed her consciousness as an outsider, indicating she had no intention to pry into the secrets of the Rikoku Cultivator team, and turned to head back to the rear cabin.

    ¡°Yun Jin, shall we go?¡± Yan Yu invited.

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go,¡± Su Yunjin nodded.

    After practicing about ten times, she had basically adapted to the fear of heights, and even felt a subtle sense of security knowing the captain would always save her.

    Of course, that sense of security wasn¡¯t good, as it would slow down her practice¡­ so she still needed to push herself.

    Yeah, I need to push on too!

    Thinking this, Su Yunjin stood at the hatch, looked down, and without needing Yan Yu to push her, she closed her eyes and jumped straight down.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Why is Old Yan still not here?¡± Liu Longtao said impatiently, ¡°Isn¡¯t his surname Yan? Why is he flying so slowly?¡±

    ¡°The plane at ten last night,¡± Ye Jun checked the time. ¡°He should be here soon.¡±

    ¡°Soon?¡± Liu Longtao shook his head, ¡°The Onmyoji crowd has already reached Black Dragon Isle, and we¡¯re still here waiting for Old Yan, waiting until the damn sun is almost rising.¡±

    ¡°Well, to be fair,¡± Ye Jun reminded him, ¡°it¡¯s only about seven hundred kilometers from Beigayi to Black Dragon Isle, but it¡¯s over two thousand kilometers from Jinling Prefecture to here. The distance is three times as much.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± said Liu Longtao with a stern face. ¡°Why can¡¯t he live a bit more to the north? Why does he have to stick around that broken Jinling Prefecture fussing over his Twelve Hairpins?¡±

    ¡°What Twelve Hairpins?¡± inquired Ye Jun curiously.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Liu Longtao realized his slip of the tongue and quickly waved his hands, ¡°Give him a call to hurry him up.¡±

    ¡°I urged him half an hour ago,¡± said Ye Jun reluctantly.

    ¡°Urge him again, tell the pilot to step on it,¡± Liu Longtao waved his hand.

    The other members were snickering, Ye Jun helplessly took out his phone, about to call, when he saw six streaks of sword light slash across the sky, swiftly landing before them.

    Zhenhai Team, all members present.

    ¡°You all can perform Sword Flight?¡± Liu Longtao asked, surprised.

    The Dragon Soar Team had three Sword Immortals in its ranks, and Ye Jun was a workaholic; out of five people, four had mastered Sword Flight, now only the spellcaster Yang Linhui lagged behind.

    But the Zhenghai Team¡­ had all the Assistant Officers, Envoys, and spellcasters rushed to master flight techniques?

    Liu Longtao¡¯s gaze swept over Zhao Yuanzhen, Chen Lingyun, and Su Yunjin, finally resting on Xie Ruoxi.

    No way, even the substitute has learned it?

    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived,¡± Yan Yu had just landed on the ground, and without rushing to greet anyone, sent a message to Chen Tianming and Li Weiguo, then looked up and asked:

    ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡±

    ¡°What else can it be? Let¡¯s set out,¡± sighed Liu Longtao indifferently, waving his hand. ¡°First to see the witch.¡±

    It was initially assumed that only Yan Yu and Lin Ning from the Zhenhai Team knew how to perform Sword Flight; that is, out of 11 people, only 6 could fly, meaning each of them had to carry an extra companion¡­ Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun even argued over which girl each would carry.

    Turned out, all girls from the Zhenhai Team could fly, which made the Dragon Soar Team, on the other hand, lag behind, causing Liu Longtao to feel a bit of subtle frustration.

    ¡°Who¡¯s carrying Old Yang?¡± he asked Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun.

    ¡°Ai Lu should,¡± Guo Feiyun promptly stated.

    ¡°I won¡¯t argue with Old Guo; Old Guo has a bit more True Yuan, let him carry,¡± Ai Lu quickly added.

    ¡°You two are big idiots!¡± Yang Linhui was instantly dumbfounded, ¡°Valuing beauty over friendship, huh?¡±

    ¡°Forget it, I¡¯ll do it,¡± Liu Longtao didn¡¯t want to waste words and swept up Yang Linhui in a flash of sword light.

    The remaining three exchanged glances for a moment before turning into streaks of sword light and took to the sky.

    The Zhenhai Team quickly followed suit, with Yan Yu carrying Anna to the forefront of the formation, looking down at the undulating mountains and forests.

    Suddenly, illusions sprang to life in his mind ¡ª as if the one flying with him was not Anna, but the famous Eclipse Queen from years later, giving him a devilish smile:

    ¡°Look down there, Yan Love Concubine, these are the lands I have conquered for you.¡±

    ¡°Pick a forest. From now on, you¡¯ll live here with me, and you won¡¯t be going anywhere else¡­¡±

    Yan Yu shook off the illusion sharply, cursing himself for scaring his own mind.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Anna asked, puzzled.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Yan Yu replied nonchalantly, ¡°The wind got in my eyes.¡±

    ¡°Do you want me to blow it for you?¡± Anna immediately offered, eager to try.

    ¡°No, no, no, flying on a Flying Sword here!¡± Seeing her mouth approaching, Yan Yu quickly stopped her, ¡°Don¡¯t mess around!¡±

 Chapter 241: 39: Lord Jing Embarrassed Again

    Chapter 241: Chapter 39: Lord Jing Embarrassed Again

    The Ancient Isle Chess House, two sat opposite each other.

    ¡°It seems you¡¯re not at all worried about your brother,¡± Xiandao Jingyin played a piece and suddenly spoke, ¡°During the battle with the Ezo in the past, you suffered a crushing defeat. Now that your brother is leading a team to Black Dragon Isle, aren¡¯t you afraid they might encounter the Dragon Soar Team?¡±

    ¡°Why should I worry?¡± Shenyuan Simie picked up a paper Nuo mask with a smiling face and covered his own face, ¡°I¡¯ve passed on my method of using paper effigies to cheat death to him.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really generous,¡± Xiandao Jingyin was first taken aback, then became surprised.

    ¡°He is my own brother after all,¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you treat your father the same way?¡±

    ¡°Because he¡¯s not worth it,¡± Shenyuan Simie tapped on the chessboard with his finger, ¡°Xiandao, look here.¡±

    ¡°The world is like a chessboard, and all living beings are like chess pieces. Everyone has a role they must play. In the past, the Shinyori family took pride in their legitimate descendants, looked down on the illegitimates, and treated the children of affairs with the utmost disdain. Why? Because the family head relied on his legitimate wife, favored his concubines, and treated his mistresses like doormats to be discarded at will¡­ In other words, the Shinyori family is like a chessboard, and what role each person plays is ultimately up to the family head. He bestows honor based on the closeness of blood ties, and nothing more.¡±

    ¡°But times have changed; no longer is bloodline prized, but strength is honored,¡± he picked up a chess piece and said with a smile, ¡°My brother has become an Onmyoji, while my father is nothing but a decrepit and useless mortal. It¡¯s obvious who is more worthy.¡±

    ¡°If I am the one making the moves, I will have the old man leave the stage and let the young and vigorous take the lead. No other reason is needed; I am the strongest, I can decide with one word.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too confident,¡± Xiandao Jingyin said sternly, ¡°He¡¯s not just your brother; he¡¯s also taken two hundred men with him, all elite hands from the bureau. If they really get intercepted by Lu Country and are annihilated in the north, even killing him afterward will not make up for the Yin Yang Bureau¡¯s losses.¡±

    ¡°Xiandao, you really are dense,¡± Shenyuan Simie slowly stood up, ¡°Even in chess, we know to exchange pieces, yet why do you not understand calculating losses and gains when it comes to people? Even if we speak purely in terms of cultivation progress, my brother¡¯s strength and value as a high-ranking Onmyoji are incomparable to those two hundred men, even if they were all bound together.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not for my brother to keep those two hundred men safe, but for them to give their lives if necessary, to ensure that my brother doesn¡¯t encounter the slightest harm. The knight can be sacrificed, the bishop can be lost, even the rook may be lost, but only the king must not die.¡±

    ¡°The one who can truly determine the outcome of the game is only the king¡­ only the king! Hahahahaha! To fight for kingship!!!¡± Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Laughing loudly, he strode away, and from a distance, one could still hear his unrestrained singing:

    ¡°Let millions weep, as the jade shatters and the spirit cannot find its way home, crying until dawn¡­¡±

    ¡°This madman!¡± Xiandao Jingyin couldn¡¯t help but curse, taking out a mobile phone to make a call.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve spoken to him. He said he passed the paper effigy technique to Shenyuan Guang.¡±

    ¡°Yes, hmm¡­ He must be confident, I guess; he seems intent on supporting his brother, not pretending.¡±

    ¡°Understood, we will have to see how the other side reacts.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Two teams of Cultivators arrived at Amur City, where the leader of the witch coven, the ¡°Faceless One¡± Anastasia, personally came to welcome them, preparing a lavish banquet and drinks for the Lu Country Cultivators.

    ¡°No need for food,¡± Yan Yu waved his hand, ¡°Military matters are urgent, let¡¯s hurry to Black Dragon Isle, fight, and head back.¡±

    Anastasia was a bit astonished and looked at Anna.

    Anna could only go over to translate and explain that Lu Country was still wary and wanted to make it a swift battle, to avoid getting too entangled¡ªattacking Black Dragon Isle directly to force the Gilyak Bear People to send reinforcements was deemed the quickest solution.

    Although it was somewhat impolite, the Gilyak were indeed a pressing concern for the Amur witch coven, so Anastasia didn¡¯t say much more, simply letting Anna explain the intelligence in Lu Country¡¯s language.

    ¡°The Gilyak Bear People are a branch of the Transcendent werewolf system, mainly originating from animal totem worship,¡± Anna clapped her hands, and two witches brought up a captive bear person.

    The adversary was about two meters tall and extremely hairy when transformed, with arms thicker than the thighs of ordinary people; ordinary ropes simply couldn¡¯t bind him. He was chained up with steel after having his hands and feet broken, pressed to the ground by two sturdy witches, still struggling unwillingly, with a ferocity in his eyes.

    ¡°The threat of the bear people lies in their extremely strong defenses; it¡¯s very difficult to kill them even in human form, and even more so once they¡¯ve transformed,¡± Anna took a handgun from a witch beside her and fired a shot at the bear person¡¯s head.

    The bullet lodged in the adversary¡¯s skull, failing to penetrate completely; the bone density was comparable to reinforced concrete, provoking him to struggle even more.

    ¡°Next up, they have enormous strength.¡± Anna handed the pistol back to her comrade, signaling them to take the captive away and execute him, ¡°A direct hit from him means a fracture at the least, and more likely it¡¯s goodbye to a part of your body.¡±

    ¡°Besides that, there¡¯s the beast poison. If you get scratched or bitten by a bear person, it¡¯s pretty much the same as with werewolves; you get infected and slowly start turning into a beast. The bear people are stronger than werewolves, though, so usually, you¡¯d be dead before an infection could even become an issue.¡±

    Yan Yu fell silent for a bit:

    ¡°Strong defenses, huge strength, nothing else, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all.¡± Was that not enough for Anna¡¯s heart? It was like infantry coming up against a tank; if you can¡¯t break the enemy¡¯s defenses and they can one-shot you, what¡¯s the damn point?

    ¡°How many people are we talking about on the other side?¡± Ye Jun asked.

    ¡°Roughly two thousand, not counting any secret forces,¡± Anna replied, ¡°Some of them are new Transcendents who survived the beast poison transformation; they might not be as strong as a regular bear person, but they¡¯re no pushovers.¡±

    ¡°What about their distribution?¡± Liu Longtao inquired.

    ¡°Half and half,¡± Anna said, ¡°Half are on Black Dragon Isle, the other half came over to the mainland¡­ But we don¡¯t have satellites or anything, we figured this out through divination, so make your own judgement.¡±

    ¡°Old Yan, the numbers she¡¯s giving us are pretty much in line with what the Privy Council¡¯s satellite group reported,¡± Liu Longtao quietly conveyed to Yan Yu, ¡°Actually, the majority of the enemy is concentrated in Sakhalinsk, probably around six or seven hundred people.¡±

    ¡°And the Mysterious Realm?¡± Yan Yu asked, not betraying any emotion.

    ¡°The entrance to the Mysterious Realm we¡¯re heading to is within an eastern lagoon, less than 30 kilometers in a straight line from the city,¡± Liu Longtao replied.

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying, if we can¡¯t deal with the Transcendents in the city, it¡¯s very likely they¡¯ll ambush us on our way into the Mysterious Realm, or even break in and interfere with our mission to slay generals and capture flags,¡± Yan Yu mused.

    ¡°Exactly, my idea is to have these witches launch an attack on the city, using a feint to tie the enemy forces down near the city,¡± Liu Longtao suggested.

    ¡°Bear people are close-combat tanks, witches excel at long-range control; in group combat, the latter might be at a disadvantage,¡± Yan Yu had a sudden epiphany and said to Liu Longtao, ¡°How about this, Old Liu, you stay in the city and support the witches in battle, and I¡¯ll lead the team into the Mysterious Realm?¡±

    ¡°Old Yan, that¡¯s not very fair now, is it?¡± Liu Longtao quickly objected, since the words he wanted to say were taken right out of his mouth, ¡°City warfare is so nasty, and the bear people are all tough as nails. I¡¯d rather go fight in the Mysterious Realm against the Onmyoji.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve got all girls here, and you¡¯re a big, burly man¡ªcan¡¯t you make some concessions?¡± Yan Yu urged earnestly, ¡°Act like a man, don¡¯t be so petty!¡±

    ¡°F*ck, I¡¯m a proponent of equality, emphasizing equality between the sexes, don¡¯t you try that talk on me,¡± Liu Longtao chuckled, ¡°How about you ask your blonde sweetheart? Whichever team she wants for support, that team will stay outside and fight the bear people.¡±

    ¡°How could that work?¡± Yan Yu was definitely not going to agree to that; if Anna got to choose, wouldn¡¯t the answer be obvious? She would definitely want to stay with her dear brother Yan Yu, ¡°Anna, being an international friend and all, how could she be involved in the decision-making of the Lu Country¡¯s teams? It wouldn¡¯t be right, it¡¯d break the rules.¡±

    ¡°International friend, my foot; she ran all the way to Jinling Prefecture just for you, and you¡¯re telling me you¡¯re just ordinary friends?¡± Liu Longtao teased, ¡°Wow, talk about fickle. A girl travels thousands of miles to see you, and you can¡¯t stay outside and keep her company?¡±

    Yan Yu took the boomerang of sarcasm silently, his expression unchanging:

    ¡°The battlefield is no place for personal feelings. Having a distraction when life and death are on the line hampers rational decision-making. No, I can¡¯t stay with her; I have to go fight in the Mysterious Realm.¡±

    ¡°Then what about your private relations with those golden hairpins in your team?¡±

    ¡°Shut up, you Jing dog; don¡¯t you slander my integrity!¡±

    The two were at each other¡¯s throats over the transmission, and they got nowhere. Ye Jun, although unaware of the specifics of their argument, could guess they were at it again, sniping at each other, and impatiently conveyed:

    ¡°Stop fighting, if you have a dispute, ask the Privy Council!¡±

    ¡°Now that sounds good to me, I unequivocally support the decisions of the Privy Council,¡± Liu Longtao grinned and pulled out his phone to call his dad.

    Yan Yu watched him from the corner of his eye, staying quietly aside.

    ¡°Hello.¡± Liu Longtao relayed the situation and at first, his face showed disbelief, then a ¡°hold on, let me get this straight,¡± and finally an expression of speechless defeat.

    What did that mean?

    Yan Yu was to lead the team to fight in the Mysterious Realm? And that was the will of whom?

 Chapter 242: 40 Do Not Discuss Killing

    Chapter 242: Chapter 40 Do Not Discuss Killing

    ¡°`

    Consciousness plunged into an illusory dreamscape, encircled by countless fragments of memories, like flickering lights and fleeting shadows, with illusory sounds echoing endlessly in my ears.

    ¡°Aim at the head and chest when you shoot! Yan Yu, what the hell are you shooting at?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m aiming!¡±

    ¡°Aim at your balls! You hit the target¡¯s abdomen all over, wasting Impact Curse, do you know how much one Impact Curse costs? I said we need a quick kill! One shot to shatter the brain, to break the heart! If you hit the abdomen, you¡¯re giving them time for emergency treatment, understand?¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡±

    ¡°Aim properly before you shoot! Damn, if Old Qiu were still here to see your crappy shooting, the coffin lid would pop open!¡±

    ¡°Instructor Min, Instructor Qiu¡­ what happened to him?¡±

    ¡°Dead, that malicious attack in March, he foolishly gave his life to save a mother and daughter passing by the scene.¡±

    ¡°Was it done by an illegal cultivator?¡±

    ¡°Stop asking. Right now, it¡¯s more important that you train your basics well. Once you¡¯re on the battlefield, don¡¯t die easily, it¡¯s more important than anything¡­¡±

    Important¡­

    What exactly is most important? The things I antagonize, the things I pursue, the things I protect, the things I¡¯ve let go of¡­

    ¡­It¡¯s innumerable.

    My consciousness rapidly surfaced from sleep, and Yan Yu slightly opened his eyes, feeling the terrain below swiftly receding beneath him.

    Am I practicing Sword Control?

    He instinctively reached behind him to adjust the spiritual energy storage device hanging at his waist, only to touch a soft pillow instead.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Xie Ruoxi screamed.

    But luckily, Yan Yu¡¯s reaction was quicker. The moment he realized something was wrong, he immediately let go and then understood he was caught up in the sword light with Xie Ruoxi.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked blankly.

    ¡°You touched my¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi hesitated.

    ¡°No, I meant what¡¯s the situation right now¡­ Oh.¡± Yan Yu finally remembered.

    Having lived two lives was problematic in this respect: there were some memories he didn¡¯t actually want to keep, but unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t just forget them either. They would occasionally surface unbidden, assailing his consciousness and causing momentary absent-mindedness, even self-forgetfulness.

    ¡°Sorry, I was half asleep just now,¡± Yan Yu belatedly said, ¡°I remember now. Before we set out, you guys said I¡¯d used up too much True Yuan due to the continuous training, so I should rest and meditate to recover, and you would lead the way by performing Sword Flight, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± Xie Ruoxi nodded timidly, feeling somewhat irritated but then a little delighted to think that Yan Yu had actually apologized to her.

    Yan Zhanlong actually apologized to me! Is apologizing not meant to be¡­ well, common sense?

    No no no, Xiaoxi, don¡¯t let the second dimension cloud your mind! Anyhow, I forgave him already, forgiving him is enough, right~ After all, I am a kind and gentle magical girl.

    Yan Yu, however, was unaware of the bizarre ideas spinning in her whimsical little head, and silently watched the scenery below.

    To fight killing with killing was never a good path, never was it so.

    But I no longer have any other path to take.

    Yan Yu closed his eyes once again.

    ¡°Old Yan, we¡¯ve arrived,¡± Liu Longtao¡¯s voice transmitted to him.

    ¡°Mm,¡± Yan Yu replied with closed eyes, ¡°Ruoxi, let me down.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Xie Ruoxi quickly unravelled the sword light, allowing the team captain to descend.

    Yan Yu opened his eyes mid-air and communicated to the girls via transmission:

    ¡°I forgot to mention the Gilia bears earlier, let me add that.¡±

    ¡°The vital spots are the head and chest. Destroy the brain and heart with the Flying Sword for a fatal blow; there¡¯s no need for anything else.¡±

    Suddenly, within the night sky, the brilliance of Huang Tingjian¡¯s sword light exploded to several times its original size, dazzling and astonishing!

    At the central junction of the city area, several untransformed Gilia people leaned against a jeep, smoking and staying up late while casually chatting:

    ¡°It¡¯s our Mysterious Realm, so why should we cede it to those Onmyoji?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re exchanging help in fighting witches, it¡¯s pretty normal.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to fear about witches? I¡¯ve casually killed a couple before.¡±

    ¡°Witches aren¡¯t scary, but what about the cultivators? Have you heard of Yan Zhanlong?¡±

    ¡°Never heard of them. Stop kidding around. ¡®Zhanlong¡¯ as in beheading a dragon, have you ever seen a dragon in this world?¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen the dragon of the East or the dragon of the West,¡± he sneered, ¡°I¡¯ve only got one big dragon between my legs, which leaves the witches crying for their daddies and mamas, heh heh¡­¡±

    His voice had yet to fall when his perspective suddenly soared upwards.

    What is this¡­

    His final gaze landed, and he saw his headless body topple to the ground, while his companions were still clueless about what had happened¡­

    Was that a cultivator?

    Yan Yu, who had dropped amidst the crowd from the sword light, glanced indifferently at him and reversed his hand to conjure another sword technique.

    Run¡­

    He desperately wanted to cry out to his companions, but no words could be summoned; his consciousness swiftly plunged into the profound darkness.

    Yan Yu led the way into the city center street entrance, similarly catching the eye of those still in sword flight, instantly provoking a wave of attention.

    ¡°Holy shit, Yan¡¯s losing it!¡± Liu Longtao blurted out instinctively, ¡°Going for the kill secure!¡±

    Before his words could drop, Yan Yu had already swiftly retreated, and the surrounding Giliya people were just starting to react, beginning to transform into bear people. Suddenly, the Huang Tingjian¡¯s sword light pierced through a nearby car.

    The fuel tank exploded!

    The shockwave flipped the bear people on the ground, while Yan Yu closed in on one of them like lightning.

    Foot stomp!

    The Wood Bending Charm-augmented foot stomp instantly crushed the opponent¡¯s ribs, and the protected heart was smashed to pieces.

    The Huang Tingjian simultaneously executed a ferocious spin slice, decapitating another bear person¡ªThe heavy sword had a natural advantage against these tank-type Transcendents.

    In the blink of an eye, only one of the four Giliya bear people remained¡­ The last one scrambled to his feet, already in robust bear form, fleeing desperately towards the distance, completely bereft of the courage to continue fighting.

    Liu Longtao and the others landed from their sword light, just in time to see Yan Yu snap his fingers; the Huang Tingjian ferociously chased down the fleeing soldier, bursting his head open.

    ¡°Yan¡¯s killing them so fast,¡± Liu Longtao complained, ¡°We might as well leave this whole area for you to handle!¡±

    ¡°You guys hold this area down,¡± Yan Yu wasn¡¯t in the mood to banter with him, ¡°The witches will be here soon.¡±

    The Amur witches could also fly, but their steed was a broom, slower than the cultivators¡¯ sword flight, and since they flew low, they were easy targets for gunshot injuries and casualties. Therefore, it was crucial for Lord Master¡¯s team to initiate the situation, drawing the main force of the enemy army in the city to them, so the witches could descend to join the fight.

    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ve got it,¡± Liu Longtao agreed.

    ¡°Be careful, Team Leader Yan,¡± Ye Jun also cautioned.

    A perfectly normal remark, yet Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun started whispering secretly via transmitted voices:

    ¡°Hey, why did Ye Jun say ¡®be careful¡¯ especially to Yan Yu?¡±

    ¡°Last time Team Leader Yan mentioned Ye Jun on a call with our captain! Maybe there¡¯s something between them¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop talking nonsense,¡± Ye Jun¡¯s transmitted voice suddenly interjected, ¡°Both battlefronts are outnumbered here. We have my Xuan Guang Ruler for defense on our side, while they lack such measures¡ªthat¡¯s why it was merely a friendly reminder.¡±

    ¡°Ye Jun,¡± Guo Feiyun hurriedly defended, ¡°I was discussing with him what to have for dinner tonight, didn¡¯t bring up you and Yan Zhanlong at all.¡±

    ¡°Heh, I hope so,¡± Ye Jun didn¡¯t believe them, but since they refused to admit it, she simply let the matter slide and dropped it.

    Yan Yu led his six team members back into sword flight, heading towards the Eastern Lagoon where the entrance to the Mysterious Realm was.

    ¡°Everybody turn on your cameras and do the lens calibration,¡± Yan Yu instructed.

    So everyone took out their cameras, carefully placing them on their chests.

    This battle was not to be broadcast publicly, but for military intelligence analysis by the Privy Council.

    The reason was the strict and ruthless confidentiality rules of the Yin Yang Bureau, which resulted in scarce information on the Onmyoji¡¯s side. The only intelligence they had was from the previous battle by the Dragon Soar Team in Ezo, where they discovered the life-saving technique of using paper dolls as substitutes¡ªa practice that made the Privy Council particularly vigilant and concerned, urgently necessitating further intelligence gathering.

    ¡°Does something seem to upset you?¡± Chen Lingyun asked Yan Yu directly while doing the camera calibration. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Su Yunjin also expressed concern, ¡°Team Leader, your aura seems a bit low. Do you need to rest a bit?¡±

    ¡°No need, there¡¯s no time,¡± Yan Yu put away his lingering thoughts, shaking his head to decline, ¡°We need to kill them all quickly¡­ Is the calibration done?¡±

    ¡°Done,¡± the girls responded in unison.

    ¡°Zhenhai Team reporting!¡± Yan Yu pressed a button on the side of the camera, directing his sight and Divine Sense into the distance, declaring briskly, ¡°My unit is about to reach the Mysterious Realm!¡±

    ¡°Privy Council¡­ received,¡± the built-in satellite communicator within the camera returned with a distinctly crackling and hoarse voice amidst the static noise¡ªnot entirely clear due to unknown signal interference, but adding a measure of solemnity and reverence, ¡°Privy Council¡­ hereby authorizes Zhenhai Team, during this overseas operation¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­to prioritize taking down enemy leaders and seizing their banners¡­ Team Leader Yan Yu is granted authority for wartime decisions¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Involving all matters¡­ regardless of nationality, identity, numbers, whether they surrender¡­ not protected by international conventions, if necessary¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Kill without discussion.¡±

 Chapter 243: 41 Longcheng Flying General

    Chapter 243: Chapter 41 Longcheng Flying General

    Xiaguansuo, Yin Yang Bureau headquarters.

    Five eminent figures were already seated inside the secret chamber, staring at the command display on the wall.

    Thanks to the cross-border live broadcast technology of the Superhero Alliance, the Yin Yang Bureau could also observe the movements of Transcendents within the Mysterious Realm.

    However, due to conservative habits, they chose not to broadcast it publicly to exploit commercial profits but simply used it for internal military surveillance and battle analysis.

    This time, the team was led by Shenyuan Guang, who was nicknamed by his colleagues as the ¡°Fifth Demon King¡±¡ªamong the generation of ¡°Generals,¡± he was the most hopeful candidate to step into the ranking of ¡°The Four Great Demon Kings,¡± as a nearly top-tier Onmyoji.

    In fact, the bigwigs also hoped that Shenyuan Guang could enter the ¡°Demon King Sequence,¡± as the current ¡°Four Great Demon Kings¡± indeed had their own issues.

    Shenyuan Simie need not be mentioned, purely a bastard, completely uncontrollable and unmanageable, constantly causing malignant incidents, which disgusted the higher-ups.

    Chusei Daiga spent all his time lazing around, always finding excuses to shirk duties, with his catchphrase being, ¡°Why isn¡¯t it time for a vacation yet?¡± The bigwigs disliked him as well.

    Weizong Yilang, a samurai-spirit inheriting Onmyoji, was rigid and dull, without the vices of the above two, but he was already in his early forties, presumably with limited potential.

    Xiandao Jingyin was serious and responsible in her duties, meticulous in her attitude, the type most appreciated by the higher-ups. The problem was that she was female, and the style of the Yin Yang Bureau was extremely traditional and conservative, and although they wouldn¡¯t admit it openly, they did not really allow female Onmyoji to become ¡°Chief.¡±

    Therefore, if the ¡°Fifth Demon King¡± could achieve a remarkable feat in the Black Dragon Isle Mysterious Realm, the higher-ups would have a reason to truly promote him into the ¡°Demon King Hierarchy¡± and even to support Shenyuan Guang to become the Chief like Park Changmin was to the Pear Blossom Swordsmanship Academy, to become a model and leader for all the grass-roots Onmyoji¡ªsetting up an ostensibly clear goal for them to strive for.

    Of course, Shenyuan Guang came from one of the Three Imperial Families, the Shinyori Clan, considered as ¡°one of their own¡± by the higher-ups, which was also a very important key. Even the head of the Shinyori family had used his resources to pick 200 capable men from the Yin Yang Bureau headquarters to escort him, which was already an act of serious overreach¡­ One should know that even when Shenyuan Simie faced Rikoku¡¯s Dragon Soar Team in the Battle of Ezo, he only brought about a dozen people.

    One great advantage of having numerous people was that the realm could be conquered swiftly.

    The structure of the Mysterious Realm was very simple, and the environment seemed to be the summit of Cloud Top Peak. The gatekeeper was a giant deity with three heads and six arms, respectively holding the Demon-Subduing Pestle, Demon-Subduing Awl, Demon-Subduing Sword, Demon-Subduing Tower, the Demon-Subduing Dharma Seal, and the Demon-Subduing Vase, sweeping away a large area with each attack.

    Nevertheless, with the numerous Onmyoji on their side and after sacrificing about a dozen lives, they finally gained an understanding of the opponent¡¯s attack patterns.

    Continuing at this pace, as long as there was no external interference, they should be able to successfully slay the gatekeeper.

    At the same time, in the Privy Council across the sea, the central control center was also in urgent operation, with numerous communications officers, electronic communication experts, and data processing experts all in place.

    The central control center is typically activated under three circumstances: a highest-level strategic exercise, an extraordinary disaster relief command, or the launch of a space flight vehicle. Now, a fourth situation had arisen: the Zhenghai Team conquest of the Mysterious Realm.

    Six huge screens hung on the wall, corresponding to the cameras of Yan Yu, Chen Lingyun, Zhao Yuanzhen, Lin Ning, Su Yunjin, and Xie Ruoxi, showing them attacking the defensive camp near the entrance to the Mysterious Realm.

    Li Weiguo was sitting in the back row, pensively staring at the screens in front (mainly observing Yan Yu¡¯s perspective), when he suddenly stood up and looked behind him.

    Accompanied by a crowd of people, Chen Tianming walked into the central control center with an elderly man.

    The elder came to Li Weiguo¡¯s side, glanced at the screens on the wall, and smiled as he asked,

    ¡°Old Li, how are things going?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re about to reach the entrance to the Mysterious Realm,¡± Li Weiguo said gravely, ¡°The Yin Yang Bureau is in a hurry, making an agreement with Gilliard in the afternoon and dispatching a team in the evening. We¡¯re urging the Zhenghai Team to advance quickly¡­¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to urge them,¡± the elder sat down on the bench, smiling, ¡°The general on the field doesn¡¯t have to adhere to all of the monarch¡¯s commands. Directing the frontlines from the rear is a taboo, Yan Yu, this young comrade, is quite reliable. To my knowledge, since his debut, he has never been defeated, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Chen Tianming said with a smile, standing beside him, ¡°He has maintained a perfect victory record so far.¡±

    ¡°A general victorious in every battle,¡± the elder nodded with emotion, ¡°To have such a famous general emerge in chaotic times is the greatest fortune in this era.¡±

    Amid laughter, the scene on the screen showed Yan Yu finally carving a path and shouting,

    ¡°Everyone, get in! Zhao, Lin, Su, Chen, Xie!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was the first to rush into the Mysterious Realm, followed by Lin Ning, Su Yunjin, Chen Lingyun, and Xie Ruoxi, with Yan Yu bringing up the rear. The backgrounds on the six screens changed in turn.

    Cloud Top.

    No matter which screen one viewed, the distant backdrop was an endless sea of clouds.

    At the Cloud Top surrounded by the sea, which resembled an isolated island, there hovered a six-armed Demon God with three heads, furiously attacking groups of Onmyoji around it.

    Its attacks were terrifying, such as the sweeping Demon-Subduing Sword and the striking Demon-Subduing Pestle. Even the purely physical attacks could churn the sea of clouds, overturn heaven and earth, and wreak havoc on the Onmyoji, forcing them into a sorry state. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Everyone gathered at the edge of the battlefield, appearing without drawing the Six-Armed Demon God¡¯s attention. The Onmyoji had previously arranged sentries to keep watch. It wasn¡¯t long before they spotted the presence of the Rikoku Cultivators in the distance.

    One sentry released a Thousand Paper Cranes, which swiftly traversed a long trajectory and arrived before Shenyuan Guang. It then spontaneously ignited:

    ¡°Cultivators, seven-thirty direction, 210 meters, 6 people, Yan Zhanlong¡­¡±

    A raspy, grating voice emerged from the flames, persisting until the Thousand Paper Cranes was completely consumed.

    ¡°Should we respond?¡± asked Sato Akihide, the deputy.

    ¡°Ignore them,¡± Shenyuan Guang said coldly.

    As long as he could take the initiative to kill generals and capture flags, gaining control of the Mysterious Realm¡¯s core, he could use his subordinates¡¯ willingness to fight to the death to buy time, while he took the opportunity to fully refine the core.

    On the other hand, if they turned back to split their forces to fight the Rikoku Cultivators, not to mention whether they would be able to take them down, it would surely slow the progress of their efforts to kill generals and capture flags.

    Securing this Mysterious Realm for the Yin Yang Bureau was the only thing Shenyuan Guang was considering at the moment, just as a chess player focuses solely on winning the game. As for the lives of other Onmyoji, they were merely pieces to be placed on the chessboard.

    Seeing no response from the Onmyoji, Chen Lingyun narrowed her eyes and swept her Divine Sense across the Six-Armed Demon God.

    With her sharp mind, she immediately came up with two options. One was to cooperate with the gatekeeper in a pincer attack on the Onmyoji. The cost would be, once the Cultivators stepped onto the battlefield, they would not only face the Onmyoji¡¯s counterattack but would also be hit by the gatekeeper¡¯s wide-range bombardment ¡ª after all, the Six-Armed Demon God wouldn¡¯t play complex strategies; they would all be attacked indiscriminately.

    The second option was to stay on the sufficiently safe outskirts, harrying the enemy and killing as many as possible while mainly using the gatekeeper to wear down the Onmyoji¡¯s strength.

    For Chen Lingyun, she naturally favored the second plan. Why go in for a forceful kill when she could weaken the enemy from a safe distance?

    But the current team leader was not her¡­ Chen Lingyun asked with a smile:

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Go in and kill!¡± Yan Yu said without hesitation.

    Chen Lingyun: ¡­¡­¡­.

    ¡°How exactly shall we do this?¡± she asked lightly.

    ¡°You command, I¡¯ll support,¡± Yan Yu said quickly.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to operate outside the command system of the battlefield again?¡± Chen Lingyun teased with a smile.

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®operate outside the command system of the battlefield¡¯?¡± Yan Yu immediately corrected her, ¡°It¡¯s about maximizing my strength without being held back by you guys!¡±

    In the command center behind the lines, listening to the captain and vice-captain of the Zhenhai Team bicker, all the experts present were struggling to keep a straight face.

    If the leaders weren¡¯t here, they could¡¯ve exchanged a smile and made light-hearted jokes like ¡°Ah, youth is wonderful,¡± but the situation was such that everyone¡¯s leader, the leader¡¯s leader, and the leader¡¯s leader¡¯s leader¡­ were all sitting right behind them!

    Li Weiguo also felt a bit awkward, but Chen Tianming remained composed, smiling at the elders:

    ¡°Engaging a superior force without changing color, to steady the troops¡¯ hearts. You¡¯re absolutely right, that youngster Yan Yu does have the air of a great general.¡±

    A few seemingly casual remarks had turned Yan Yu and his daughter¡¯s petty squabble into a sign of ¡°fearlessness in the face of danger¡± and ¡°steadying people¡¯s hearts,¡± which was just another day¡¯s work for Chen Tianming.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± the elder said with a chuckle, ¡°If we could get another rousing victory next, why not bestow upon him the title of great general? Why not?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Li Weiguo hastily objected, ¡°He doesn¡¯t qualify.¡±

    If it were simply a matter of fabrication, that¡¯s one thing; after all, you make the rules. But we indeed have a ¡°great general¡± medal in reality, which only military officers who have commanded large-scale battles to victory can receive ¨C That fellow Yan Yu has only led a team of five or six people; how could he possibly be awarded the title of great general? Mentioning it out loud would surely invite criticism.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± the elder also realized it wasn¡¯t appropriate and turned to ask Chen Tianming, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°He was previously known by the nickname ¡®Yan Zhanlong,''¡± Chen Tianming said with a faint smile, ¡°How about we combine the two? If he wins this time, let¡¯s confer upon him the title of ¡®Longcheng Flying General.¡¯ What do you say?¡±

    ¡°Longcheng Flying General,¡± the elder murmured, momentarily lost in thought, ¡°But it will be as if the Longcheng Flying General is present.¡±

    ¡°Good! Let¡¯s do that,¡± he quickly regained focus. A fleeting sharpness seemed to pass through his somewhat hazy eyes, and his tone became indisputable, ¡°If he defeats these Onmyoji, let¡¯s have the Privy Council create a martial honor and bestow upon him the title of ¡®Longcheng Flying General¡¯!¡±

 Chapter 244: 42 Shark

    Chapter 244: Chapter 42 Shark

    ¡°`

    Messages from outside the Mysterious Realm couldn¡¯t be transmitted into it.

    Therefore, Yan Yu had no idea that his title of ¡°Yan Zhanlong¡± wouldn¡¯t hang around for long and was soon to be changed to ¡°Yan Fei Jiang.¡±

    Of course, even if he had known, he wouldn¡¯t have objected. At most he would have sighed and said, ¡°My titles change too swiftly!¡±

    Putting the matter of titles aside for now, there were still many people he needed to shark.

    Suddenly engaging in Sword Flight, Yan Yu transformed into a torrential sword light as he swiftly swept over the battlefield.

    Shenyuan Guang? I remember this person was Shenyuan¡¯s brother, it seems. In my past life, he was killed by Lord Master.

    But the problem is, based on my previous life¡¯s experience, those who got involved with that brat basically never had a good end.

    Yan Yu¡¯s sword light suddenly plunged down, aiming straight for Shenyuan Guang at the center of the battlefield!

    ¡°Careful!¡± Deputy commander Sato Akihide hurried to protect his charge, stepping in front of Shenyuan Guang, his body sinking slightly, right hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist, ready to draw his blade and slash out at any moment.

    The sword light was heading straight for Shenyuan Guang, the intense murderous intent almost making Sato Akihide¡¯s hairs stand on end.

    In an instant, his arm burst forth with power from a stationary position, his blade drawn to meet the incoming sword light directly!

    Samurai might not be able to control swords, but their sword-drawing also had a bright and dazzling light. Their extraordinary power surged along the blade, granting this sword slash the mighty force needed to block techniques of Sword Control!

    However, the moment the sword edge swung out, Sato Akihide felt something was wrong because he didn¡¯t feel the sensation of the blade striking flesh.

    Just as Yan Yu was about to enter his attack range, he suddenly shifted angle slightly, so that he just ¡°brushed past¡± the edge of his sword light, killing past his left side instead.

    Behind him, the cries of his comrades resounded. Sato Akihide quickly turned around, only to see two Onmyoji collapsed on the ground, the Huang Tingjian having slit one¡¯s throat and then pierced through the head of the other.

    Sato Akihide¡¯s eyes nearly burst with rage. Being chosen as Shenyuan Guang¡¯s deputy commander, he naturally had a basic tactical awareness. He immediately realized that these two weren¡¯t killed instantly due to being weak¡­ but because the opponent took advantage of the last moment to make an emergency change of direction, using the bright light of his own drawn sword as cover, rendering their comrades unable to see the sword light¡¯s change in direction clearly!

    Once the sword light separated from the sword glare, and everyone could see where the sword light was headed, it was too late to respond urgently.

    Yan Zhanlong was indeed cunning and sly, actually making use of my sword-draw!

    The rules of the Yin Yang Bureau were ¡°absolute supremacy of pure strength¡±. So, theoretically, Sato Akihide shouldn¡¯t think that the enemy was too cunning and sly, but he couldn¡¯t help having such a thought involuntarily.

    Yan Yu on the other side easily killed two people, turned his head expressionlessly, not bothering to speak any scornful words, and again turned into sword light to continue the killing.

    Sato Akihide thought that this time he couldn¡¯t make the same mistake. He had to replace drawing his sword with dodging, so as not to affect his comrades¡¯ line of sight in catching the sword light¡­ No, he must not move!

    Shenyuan Guang was intently commanding his Shikigami to attack the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper. If Yan Zhanlong didn¡¯t alter his sword path this time and killed through the space from which he dodged, what then?

    In the blink of an eye, between the lives of his comrades and the safety of Shenyuan Guang, Sato Akihide subconsciously chose the latter.

    What followed was a sense of powerlessness, a furious rage from having his weakness completely perceived by the opponent.

    Swallowing his humiliation and rage, he drew his sword with all his might. As he was about to meet the incoming sword light, suddenly he stepped forward, and the sword light instantly surged forward again.

    Yet, he still struck emptiness.

    Sato Akihide¡¯s cunning was ineffective. Yan Yu reacted in advance and shifted his sword path, still brushing past his sword glare, now targeting three Onmyoji to his right.

    Having witnessed the tragic fate of their two comrades, these three had already prepared to defend themselves the moment the sword light rushed toward Sato Akihide.

    But even on guard, they were still dazzled by the sword glare, slow to react for a moment, and their options for response were limited.

    The ninja to the left threw a smoke bomb at his feet, his hands forming rapid signs, the mist spreading instantly.

    This mist not only obscured vision but even blocked the divine sense of cultivators. Yet, Yan Yu¡¯s sword light hesitated not one bit as it plunged into the fog before veering out to stab through the chest of the Onmyoji on the right, blood spraying wildly!

    The momentum of the sword light unabated, it thrust directly towards the Samurai standing at the rear.

    The Samurai braced himself, not budging or dodging, concentrated his energy, and roared as he drew his sword to face the Huang Tingjian¡¯s sword light head-on. But in the end, the gap in cultivation realms was too large, and he was struck head-on by Yan Yu, who shattered his sword and sliced both the man and his weapon in twain.

    ¡°`

    Behind the sword light, with no one to spur it on, the bewildering smoke had already dissipated, revealing the corpse of the ninja with his throat slit, crumpled on the ground.

    The surrounding Onmyoji, upon seeing this, were all shaken to their core, their expressions revealing indescribable horror, some even involuntarily felt the impulse to flee. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    This gap in strength¡­ there¡¯s absolutely no way we can win!

    Of course, escaping was not an option. The rules within the Yin Yang Bureau were strict; deserters, even if they survived, would be captured and executed.

    Thus, without needing Sato Akihide to give any orders, everyone around him let out an enraged shout and, disregarding the six-armed demon god, focused all sorts of attacks on Yan Zhanlong.

    It¡¯s a fight to the death!

    Yan Yu instantly increased his ethereal movement, dashing to the right of an Onmyoji¡¯s body that hadn¡¯t completely hit the ground, grabbed her shoulder, and swiftly spun around, blocking all incoming shuriken and crossbow bolts, then transformed into a streak of sword light speeding off, shifting quickly to the left, causing all the spell attacks to trail behind him on the right side.

    The Onmyoji hurriedly calculated where to aim next, setting their sights on his anticipated path. But Yan Yu seemed to have predicted this, suddenly defying physics with an instantaneous change of direction to the right, once again leaving all the attacks behind him.

    ¡°Use area-of-effect spells!¡± someone shouted.

    The Onmyoji who specialized in spells snapped out of their daze, about to quickly unleash massive area spells for indiscriminate bombardment, when they saw Yan Yu abruptly change direction and charge again, heading for the third time towards Sato Akihide¡­ and Shenyuan Guang behind him.

    Shenyuan Guang was still focused on directing his Shikigami to slay, leaving Sato Akihide no choice but to bellow furiously, drawing his sword for the third time in a flying slash!

    Before the sword light could clash with the blade light, a whirling torrent suddenly spun beneath their feet, wrapping around Sato Akihide in an instant, tossing and turning him up into the sky!

    Rolling back time by about ten seconds, Yang Yu, without a word, left behind the phrase ¡°I won¡¯t be held back by you¡± and directly initiated sword flight into the sky, leaving the girls feeling somewhat indignant.

    Sure, we can¡¯t beat you! But to say we¡¯re ¡°holding you back¡± is an exaggeration, isn¡¯t it?

    Someone like Zhao Yuanzhen, who couldn¡¯t stand the slightest provocation, had already taken mental note of this in her heart, vowing revenge in the future¡­ No, wrong! She wanted revenge now! She was going to make sure blood flowed like rivers!

    ¡°Ling Yun!¡± she called out fiercely.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go too,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± the girls cried out in unison, sharing a common enemy.

    ¡°Lin, go left one, Zhao, go right one,¡± Chen Lingyun quickly said, ¡°Ruoxi, you learn first, you¡¯ll join later.¡±

    Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen rapidly surged forward with ethereal movement, alerting the surrounding Onmyoji, who quickly redirected their firepower from the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper to these two girls charging in front.

    A ninja aimed a shuriken at Lin Ning with his right hand, while his left hand swiftly formed a seal. The shuriken split into two, then four, then eight¡­ in an instant it exploded into more than a hundred, densely packed like a hail of arrows, filling all the space around her, sealing off her escape.

    Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique! Although it¡¯s seen as a novice move in anime, the blades were all imbued with corrosive, potent poison, meant to counteract the defense of the Rikoku Cultivators¡¯ Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse.

    But Lin Ning was no ordinary cultivator; her Divine Sense immediately detected the anomaly, and the light from the Green Bamboo Sword burst forth, rapidly swirling around her and propelling her into the sky, evading the rain of blades while fiercely attacking the ninja who unleashed it from behind.

    That ninja hadn¡¯t expected the existence of Sword Flight, a novelty that had only recently appeared; in a panic, he threw down a smoke screen at his feet, and the purple mist quickly spread, completely obscuring his form.

    ¡°Left,¡± Chen Lingyun transmitted her voice individually.

    The azure sword light instantly plunged from the sky, and suddenly, a figure burst from the left side of the smoke¡ªChen Lingyun had directed several invisible dogs to charge into the mist, colliding with the ninja caught off guard and knocking him out into the open¡ªLin Ning did not hesitate to execute a sword flight slash, piercing his chest in an instant.

    To the right, Zhao Yuanzhen faced off against a brawny, well-built samurai, with muscles as strong as those of a Body Cultivating Cultivator from Lu Country, possessing exceptional defense.

    The opponent had already set himself, ready to draw his sword for a head-on clash with the Demonic Sect Enchantress, when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his back.

    Su Yunjin quietly executed Lang Feiyun¡¯s spell, creating a torrent of water that materialized out of thin air, turning into a high-pressure water jet that pushed the samurai from behind. In his confusion, he managed to swing his sword, only to have Zhao Yuanzhen grab his wrist, the power of Curved Curse enhancing her strength, and with a great swing, she spun him up into the air.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress demonstrated astonishing combat wisdom. Having been frequently beaten up close by Yan Yu during training, she had mastered the fighting techniques of the Yan family. First, she spun the samurai around, using him to block the incoming attacks aimed at her, and then with a forceful throw, she hurled him upwards as her left hand quickly changed into a sword technique.

    The Yin Wind Sword whistled down like a vengeful spirit seeking lives, chopping down at the samurai with countless strikes¡­ in an instant, it wasn¡¯t clear how many times she had slashed, but the samurai¡¯s body erupted with blood, shaking violently, as he was cut from the air and slammed to the ground. Before he could recover, the sword light pierced through his chest, passing straight through his heart, pinning him dead to the earth.

    Although Su Yunjin had supported Zhao Yuanzhen, she kept a constant watch on Yan Yu¡¯s situation. Suddenly, she turned around and gave Sato Akihide a surprise attack¡ªJiaochong immediately surged, lifting him high into the sky.

    ¡°Stay focused,¡± Chen Lingyun transmitted, ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about him.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± replied Su Yunjin casually, turning back around.

 Chapter 245: 43 Shark Shark

    Chapter 245: Chapter 43 Shark Shark

    Su Yunjin suddenly made her move, helping Yan Yu to get rid of Sato Akihide, which was completely beyond his expectations.

    The light of the Huang Tingjian continued to attack Shenyuan Guang, who could no longer continue his assault on the goalkeeper. He pinched a piece of talisman paper between his fingers, which spontaneously caught fire without wind, and a samurai with hair styled in a crescent moon chonmage burst forth from the void, wielding his blade like a ghost or deity, slashing at the sword-light.

    Battle Ghost!

    Yan Yu stopped his Sword Flight, directing the Huang Tingjian to entangle with the Battle Ghost Samurai. With the boost of a divine step, he continued to surge forward, his speed not faltering in the least.

    Shenyuan Guang sneered in contempt, ¡°You can fight on two fronts, with your sword separated from your body, do you think I cannot?¡±

    We Onmyoji who specialize in the Shikigami Style! What we fear least is fighting on multiple fronts!

    He pinched another piece of talisman paper between his fingers, gently shook it, and it spontaneously combusted without wind, summoning another monster with a long nose, a blue face, and wings at its sides, wielding a curved blade to meet Yan Yu head-on.

    Great Tengu!

    Whether it¡¯s the Battle Ghost or the Great Tengu, they are both high-order Shikigami that ordinary Onmyoji cannot obtain. If there¡¯s an Onmyoji commanding behind them, each one has about 0.8-0.9 ¡®Ning¡¯ of combat power.

    On Yan Yu¡¯s end, the divine steps propelled him quickly forward, changing direction and leaping on the clouds; with two quick turns, he moved lightning-fast to appear behind the Great Tengu.

    Curved Curse Punch.

    Despite the enormous size of the Great Tengu, it turned with exceptional agility, spinning urgently and using the back of its blade to block, retreating half a step from Yan Yu¡¯s Curved Curse Punch. In a flapping of its wings, it regained its balance and counterattacked with a swift and fierce slash!

    In the headquarters of the Yin Yang Bureau, an official watching the screen revealed a composed and faint smile, commenting, ¡°Not bad. If Shenyuan Guang can tie with Yan Zhanlong, he¡¯ll also be eligible for promotion to the Demon King ranking upon his return.¡±

    ¡°If there is any dissension, just let them watch this recording and ask if they can withstand Yan Zhanlong¡¯s offense,¡± another official added.

    The other three officials exchanged glances, each with a sneer in their hearts, not convinced.

    It was clear to any discerning eye that Shenyuan Guang could withstand Yan Zhanlong¡¯s assault mainly because he relied on the combat power of two high-order Shikigami¡ªindeed, the Shenyuan family head really went all in this time.

    There¡¯s no need to elaborate on the mighty and strong Great Tengu, as ordinary Onmyoji can¡¯t even afford to maintain a common Tengu Shikigami. As for the Battle Ghost¡­ judging from the style of the armor and the crest, it seemed to be a samurai from the Heike clan in life, also the best battle ghost one could find in the world.

    The combat power of a Shikigami Style Onmyoji highly depends on the rank of the Shikigami itself. Shenyuan Guang¡¯s own cultivation wasn¡¯t low, and now with two high-order Shikigami, it seemed reasonable that he could hold off Yan Zhanlong.

    Good, very good, once Shenyuan Guang returns victorious, we will grant him the title of ¡°Demon King¡± based on this battle, and support him to become the head of this Yin Yang Bureau!

    Just as the higher-ups were exchanging glances and reaching an unspoken consensus, there was a sudden change in the situation on the field.

    Chen Lingyun and her group were still fighting the Onmyoji on the periphery, apparently in grave danger, but in reality, they steadily progressed¡ªthanks to Shenyuan Guang¡¯s order, most of the Onmyoji were still focusing on attacking the Six-Armed Demon God at the center of the cloud peak; otherwise, even if only half of them came over, they would have overwhelmed these girls long ago.

    Of course, a more likely scenario was the Demonic Sect Enchantress going, ¡°I¡¯m done pretending,¡± and then starting a massacre¡­ S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Let¡¯s not talk about them for now. On Yan Yu¡¯s end, he was exchanging blows with the Great Tengu, attacking with Curved Curses, defending with Barrier Charms, charging with divine steps, and halting abruptly with leaps on the clouds. He and the Great Tengu exchanged offense and defense, each giving as good as they got.

    Even if he could occasionally spare a moment to shoot an Impact Curse at Shenyuan Guang, it was easily sidestepped by the latter.

    Shenyuan Guang continued to command the Great Tengu with ease, keeping Yan Yu tightly entangled and unable to escape, thinking with scorn and disdain:

    What so-called Lu Country¡¯s Yan Zhanlong, is this all? Still just on par with my Shikigami¡­

    Huh?

    Wait, what¡¯s wrong with my Shikigami?

    Feeling an unusual sense of loss in his consciousness, Shenyuan Guang abruptly turned his head only to see that the Heike Battle Ghost on the other side had been directly blown up by the Huang Tingjian!

    Without their master¡¯s commands, Shikigami can still fight on their own, but their intelligence is limited after all¡­ Shenyuan Guang was merely distracted for a moment on the side of the Great Tengu, how did the Battle Ghost¡¯s line collapse so suddenly?

    Before he could recover from his shock, he saw the Huang Tingjian turn into sword-light again, shooting straight towards him!

    This sword-light, so much like a celestial being flying across the sky, truly scared Shenyuan Guang out of his wits, nearly costing him six of his seven souls!

    The Flying Sword¡¯s speed was as fast as thunder, its lightning flashes gave him no time to think of anything else, and he hurriedly shook his sleeve to produce another talisman paper.

    Homura!

    The flames stretched out in the air, quickly forming a massive bird with a corporeal form, radiant and breathtaking, its flames blazing fiercely. Under the rushed command of Shenyuan Guang, it managed to firmly intercept the Huang Tingjian.

    The sword light, blocked by the firebird, struggled in vain to break through the defense, allowing Shenyuan Guang to finally breathe a sigh of relief.

    When he returned his attention to Yan Yu, he almost vomited blood:

    In the few seconds he was distracted commanding the Homura, Yan Yu had already broken the samurai¡¯s sword-wielding wrist, and then smashed his head to pieces with a punch!

    Saving the left flank led to the collapse of the right, and saving the right flank led to the collapse of the left¡ªhow could they continue fighting like this?

    Shenyuan Guang was already breaking out in a cold sweat. Turning to look for his deputy Sato Akihide, he saw Sato briefly running his way until a flood, which seemed to appear from nowhere, engulfed and swept him away, pushing him far off again.

    Su Yunjin, though mainly responsible for bolstering Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s output, felt the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s killer instinct kick in stronger as she killed. She became more fierce and unimpeded, occasionally diverting her attention to help her captain clear the battlefield around Yan Yu.

    As a samurai, Sato Akihide was not weak, but his skills were all brute strength; against the intangible yet overwhelmingly difficult to defend flood, he was utterly frustrated. Unable to cut through or escape it, he had no choice but to let the flood sweep him further and further away¡­

    Seeing that his bodyguard was no help, Shenyuan Guang could only grit his teeth and summon two more Shikigami with both hands, sending them to intercept both the Huang Tingjian and Yan Yu, one on each side.

    However, his strongest Shikigami were the Taira Clan¡¯s Battle Ghost and the Great Tengu. Now that both kings had perished, how could the remaining Shikigami hold their own?

    As he split his attention to the right flank, the left was breached by the Huang Tingjian; when he switched to the left, the right was utterly destroyed by Yan Yu. Man and sword unstoppable, his Shikigami were mostly slaughtered, rapidly closing in on Shenyuan Guang himself.

    ¡°I hear those who play with Shikigami are best at multitasking?¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, sending off a Shikigami and rushing towards Shenyuan Guang.

    His words were spoken in the language of Lu Country, which Shenyuan Guang couldn¡¯t understand, nor did he have time to think about it, because Yan Yu¡¯s palm had already split open his chest, the Curved Curse¡¯s reinforced strength ejecting, crushing his heart directly.

    As Shenyuan Guang¡¯s screen turned black, silence fell in the headquarters of the Yin Yang Bureau, where five important figures sat.

    Especially the two who had spoken of ¡°supporting Shenyuan Guang as the fifth Demon King¡± found themselves pale with rage, completely speechless.

    Tie with Yan Zhanlong?

    It was already a miracle he survived!

    Shenyuan Guang¡¯s corpse fell to the ground, and the next second it transformed into a deflated paper effigy.

    Yan Yu¡¯s cold gaze swept over the arena. He saw Shenyuan Guang reappear far away, clutching his chest where he¡¯d been hit, his expression weak, annoyed, and resentful.

    ¡°Kill him!¡± he roared in the language of the Cherry Blossoms, his face contorted and voice spent, ¡°Forget the goalkeepers! Everyone go kill Yan Zhanlong!¡±

    Hearing this, all the Onmyoji paused, then rapidly shifted direction, charging crazily towards Yan Yu.

    A hundred or so people charging at him, magic, sharp weapons, and Shikigami covering the sky and earth like a vast, surging river¡ªbut Yan Yu laughed instead of showing any fear.

    He leaped into the air, merging with the sword light. Sword Flight cleaved downwards, aiming for the central Six-Armed Demon God!

    The Six-Armed Demon God¡¯s attacks were terrifying; even the most robust samurai dared not approach, for a close-range swipe from its Demon-Subduing Sword would leave one unable to dodge because of the short distance, likely splitting them in half on the spot.

    Yet the blazing speed of Yan Yu¡¯s Huang Tingjian left him with no concern of being unable to dodge. The sword light dipped suddenly, slipping beneath the Demon-Subduing Pestle¡¯s swing and the attacks of countless Onmyoji from behind, then rushed upwards again like a heaven-shaking white rainbow piercing the sun, striking the Demon God¡¯s third eye right in the forehead!

    This white rainbow piercing move was merely a regular Sword Flight, not the more advanced Sword-Body Union, but the accuracy was so exact, hitting the middle of the eye¡¯s pupil, that the Six-Armed Demon God cried out in agony. Suddenly, it raised the Demon-Subduing Dharma Seal and the Demon-Subduing Dharma Vase, smashing the Demon-Subduing Sword and Demon-Subduing Tower to the ground in mayhem, while raising the Demon-Subduing Stupa high to aim at Yan Yu, another hand slamming the Demon-Subduing Pestle down!

    Yan Yu had already retreated swiftly, his sword light plunging into the crowd of pursuing Onmyoji.

    Before they could react, the Demon-Subduing Tower was forcefully smashed down, turning seven or eight Onmyoji around it into nothing but mangled flesh.

    The Huang Tingjian¡¯s sword light shot out from the shockwave, closely followed by the slicing Demon-Subduing Sword, forcing the Onmyoji to halt and use their divine powers to dodge the sword strikes. Yan Yu didn¡¯t slow down, pressing toward Shenyuan Guang yet again, his expression amiable and his teeth bared in a smile.

    His grin was radiant, but Shenyuan Guang was terrified as if he had seen a ghost, and before he could react, his body was seized and thrown by Yan Yu towards the direction of the Demon-Subduing Stupa.

    The Demon-Subduing Pestle slammed down onto the Demon-Subduing Stupa, immediately unleashing endless lightning bolts, transforming into sentient, tracking lightning serpents with bared fangs lunging towards Yan Yu. Midway, however, they were struck by the hurled Shenyuan Guang, instantly erupting into a vast display of lightning radiance!

 Chapter 246: 44 Shark Shark Shark

    Chapter 246: Chapter 44 Shark Shark Shark

    ¡°`

    Lightning flashed like blossoming roses, releasing endless tyrannical energy. Shinyori Guang was right in the center and instantly vaporized without even a scrap of paper fluttering down. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu swept his divine sense again and saw Shinyori Guang reappear on the other side of the battlefield, attempting to hide behind his Onmyoji companions.

    He can¡¯t be killed? Interesting, I want to see how many paper dolls you have.

    The Huang Tingjian accelerated once more, this time skimming the ground as it flew, cutting through anything in its path with such momentum that it didn¡¯t even bother to move sideways.

    The Onmyoji either hurriedly dodged to the side or were slashed by the sword light, suffering broken bones and severed limbs¡ªnone of them dared to attack Yan Yu, not even to delay him for a moment!

    Seeing this, Shinyori Guang realized that their morale was shattered. The Jade-Smashing Tactics could prevent the Onmyoji from fleeing, but it couldn¡¯t change their subconscious behavior¡ªthey might still want to attack, but subconsciously, they thought of dodging when they saw Yan Yu¡¯s sword light! What could he do?

    Finally, Sato Akihide broke free from the restraint of the water and rushed in front of Shinyori Guang, pressing his hand on his sword as he called out:

    ¡°Master, run! I¡¯ll hold him off!¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡± Shinyori Guang didn¡¯t hesitate and quickly withdrew.

    Sato Akihide stared intently at Yan Yu¡¯s sword light, ready to sacrifice his life to stop the attack at any moment.

    However, Yan Yu didn¡¯t move to the side to bypass Sato Akihide; instead, the sword light suddenly dipped and cut diagonally into the ground, vanishing without a trace.

    Wall-Penetration Technique.

    Sato Akihide froze at the sight, and the next second, his expression drastically changed.

    Because the Demon-Subduing Clean Bottle, raised by the Six-Armed Demon God, had turned over, pouring out endless flowing lights.

    The light, like a curtain of pearls, quickly spread like water. Any Onmyoji that it touched was immobilized, unable to move as if sealed.

    Sato Akihide also lost control of his body, but a thought suddenly flashed through his mind:

    So he noticed the Clean Bottle above was toppling over, and that¡¯s why he suddenly dived underground to avoid it?

    Why? Why can he single-handedly confront so many Onmyoji and still spare attention for the space above his head?

    Thinking this, he suddenly remembered the past guidance from Weizong Yilang concerning his swordsmanship:

    ¡°¡­Sato, you have a bright mind and high comprehension. If you had been a ninja, you would have been very successful, but unfortunately, you¡¯re not quite suited to be a samurai. Too many thoughts on the battlefield make you slow, and when facing an enemy far stronger than you, hesitation at a critical moment can be fatal!¡±

    So, am I just too weak?

    I¡¯m sorry, Master Weizong, I have disgraced you¡­

    Frozen by the light, Sato Akihide lost even the strength to move his eyes, only to watch as the shadow on the ground suddenly grew larger¡ªthe Demon-Subduing Dharma Seal was crashing down.

    The vast Demon-Subduing Dharma Seal struck the ground like a stone causing ripples. Not only were the twenty or so Onmyoji below crushed to powder, but the surface of the surrounding sea of clouds also fractured inch by inch.

    From within the fissures, a sword light shot out¡ªit was the Huang Tingjian, once again engaging in Sword Flight, catching up to the fleeing Shinyori Guang and piercing through his back once more!

    The paper doll with a broken chest fell to the ground. Yan Yu scanned the surroundings with his divine sense and saw that the girls had all hidden on the edges, avoiding the rampage of the Six-Armed Demon God, and as expected, Shinyori Guang reappeared for the fourth time amidst the people on the opposite side.

    Even though you know I¡¯m hunting you down, and the gatekeeper¡¯s attack closely follows me, you still use your companions as shields without hesitation?

    Indeed, you¡¯re one of their kind. But with your meager strength, you¡¯re far from qualified to be a Demon King.

    Yan Yu sneered inwardly for a moment, then once again transformed into a beam of sword light, continuing his assault on Shinyori Guang.

    ¡°Do something!¡± Shinyori Guang, now without his Shikigami, staggered as he fled desperately into the distance while frantically yelling at his nearby companions to take command. His expression was completely distorted with terror, like a cornered beast fighting back, ¡°Don¡¯t dodge! Go and kill Yan Zhanlong! Or none of you will live either!¡±

    The Onmyoji, intimidated by the Huang Tingjian¡¯s sword light and about to scatter and dodge, stopped at his words.

    The military discipline instilled by their intense training in the bureau reawakened their combat instincts as they quickly resumed their attacks on Yan Yu, trying to delay his steps.

    Yan Yu¡¯s sword light suddenly accelerated, leaving the sudden assaults behind him. The Onmyoji were about to continue their pursuit when suddenly someone screamed with all their might:

    ¡°Dodge quickly!¡±

    Dodge? We can¡¯t! The rules of the Yin Yang Bureau state¡­

    ¡°`

    Before everyone could make a decision, the Demon-Subduing Tower that was chasing Yan Yu¡¯s sword light descended from the sky once again, smashing those Onmyoji into mush.

    ¡°How could I not dodge?¡± Yan Yu easily caught up with Shenyuan Guang, grabbing his shoulder with one hand, his fingers curved like an eagle¡¯s claws, crushing his shoulder blade in one squeeze, and said with a gentle smile, ¡°After all, the goalkeeper is chasing me to kill.¡±

    ¡°If they don¡¯t dodge, how can they live?¡±

    Shenyuan Guang was once again thrown into the air by Yan Yu and struck by the huge thunder serpent that roared towards him, triggering intense flashes of heavenly radiance.

    Watching the splendid and dazzling arc of electricity bloom, Yan Yu slightly narrowed his eyes, his Divine Sense sweeping across the distance around him.

    It didn¡¯t appear, it¡¯s over.

    Died four times, which means¡­ at most only three paper effigies can be used?

    The fourth time, seeing that he couldn¡¯t even run fast, it should mean that he could only die in place of someone else three times, right?

    The Six-Armed Demon God grew even more irate, the Demon-Subduing Sword slashing with a force that seemed to move mountains and overturn seas. Yan Yu laughed heartily and leaped up, once again turning into a sword light shooting up into the sky, stabbing into the Six-Armed Demon God¡¯s forehead!

    Outside the Mysterious Realm, in the command center at the rear, the old man slowly rose to his feet, his face wearing an extremely satisfied smile.

    ¡°You¡¯re not watching anymore?¡± Li Weiguo asked with concern.

    ¡°No more watching,¡± replied the elder, slowly turning around, laughing heartily, ¡°I¡¯m getting old, staring at the screen for too long makes my eyes sore.¡±

    ¡°Besides, there are a lot of things to do to add a new martial arts medal and honorific title!¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    After slashing with the Sword Flight several times and bursting its forehead, the Six-Armed Demon God finally collapsed to the ground with a thunderous fall.

    Of course, if this thing had a health bar, most of the damage would likely have been contributed by the Onmyoji. I merely picked up an opportunity.

    Yan Yu¡¯s sword light circled the field once, looking below. There were still about fifty Onmyoji left. After looking around in confusion for a moment, he began to attack the girls.

    He was not in a rush to rescue them, but simply observed from above, planning to let the girls fend for themselves for a while, and only intervene if they really couldn¡¯t handle it.

    Although the Onmyoji seemed as weak as clay dolls before Yan Zhanlong, they were fierce and intimidating when facing the rest of the Zhenghai Team, playing fearlessly and with unrestrained ferocity.

    Even with the girls¡¯ well-coordinated efforts, they still faced great difficulty and danger. Several times they were almost breached, only for Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s drastic killing to forcefully bring the situation back under control.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress was violent and fierce, alone equating the presence of Qiu Ze and Sun Ziyi from former lives, proving to be the Zhenghai Team¡¯s pillar of stability.

    (As for Yan Yu, he was naturally like the Buddha¡¯s mountain pressing down on the Monkey King, not even on the same level.)

    Watching the girls valiantly battling with heroic poise, Yan Yu¡¯s heart, originally cold as an Asura¡¯s, gradually softened, and the smile on his face lost some of its murderous aura.

    Chopping down enemies is fun for a moment, but for lasting enjoyment, cultivation is key.

    From above, the most active performance was undoubtedly that of Zhao Yuanzhen. Following Chen Lingyun¡¯s commands, she moved about striking here and there, with a Flying Sword, punches, kicks, Impact Curse, Flame Curse, and of course, the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin¡ªusing whatever was at hand. Time and again, she disrupted the enemies¡¯ formation, which made their lines fall into disarray.

    Next was Lin Ning. Sword Flight greatly boosted her ability; she could move along with the Flying Sword, attacking and shifting position all in one go. Although her combat experience was not as seasoned as Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s¡­ She was the one I cultivated from scratch! Rounding up, she¡¯s my person, and you definitely can¡¯t compare her to the outsider, the Demonic Sect Enchantress.

    However, what surprised Yan Yu the most was Su Yunjin.

    Her Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art held significant control advantages, almost completely countering the Samurai occupation.

    Quick-draw slash? Non-existent. Hurried escape? Impossible. Streams of water would appear out of nowhere, suddenly surging from behind you, above your head, or beneath your feet. The only way to break it was to interrupt her casting or run away in advance, but Samurais naturally had short reach and were slow¡­

    With Su Yunjin¡¯s True Yuan control and judgment, Yan Yu made a bold estimate: even if the Samurai King Weizong Yilang were here to fight Su Yunjin one-on-one, he might be hard-controlled to death by her¡ªif her True Yuan was enough.

    Chen Lingyun, as usual, focused mainly on commanding, occasionally using her Shikigami to help with distractions, or sneaking attacks and striking with the Purple Extreme Sword¡ªa performance that was standard and by-the-book.

    Xie Ruoxi stood by and watched the entire time, her expression tense to the extreme. Yan Yu then landed next to her on his sword, leisurely saying:

    ¡°Do you see? The less sweat in training, the more blood you¡¯ll have to make up for on the battlefield later.¡±

    ¡°Stop saying that!¡± Xie Ruoxi became even more frightened by his words and pleaded, ¡°I¡¯ll train properly, okay if I train well?¡±

    ¡°Next fight, I¡¯ll put you in,¡± Yan Yu encouraged her warmly.

 Chapter 247: 45 Playing with the New Magic Treasure

    Chapter 247: Chapter 45 Playing with the New Magic Treasure

    ¡°`

    Yin Yang Bureau headquarters. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    As the screen went dark, the five bigwigs each fell silent, their expressions unspeakably ugly.

    Especially the two who had previously supported the Shinyori Clan, their faces were so gloomy they looked like they could drip water.

    The loss of 200 elite Onmyoji was an extremely tough and serious loss for the Yin Yang Bureau to accept.

    But even more troublesome was the death of Shenyuan Guang.

    If the Shinyori Clan wanted to maintain its position as one of the leading families of the Yin Yang Bureau, they must have a top-tier Onmyoji, which is an iron law of power struggle.

    The bastard Shenyuan Simie was uncontrollable and could bite back at any time, so the clan had pushed Shenyuan Guang to the top instead.

    But the result was a hard slap in the face from Yan Zhanlong through the screen.

    Though their faces weren¡¯t physically beaten to a bruised mess, their insides were certainly shaking loose teeth and swallowing blood!

    What¡¯s worse, with the sacrifice of Shenyuan Guang on the battlefield, the Shinyori Clan had no other choice but to pin their noses to the grindstone and adamantly support Shenyuan Simie.

    The thought of that bastard continuing to cause trouble left the bigwigs feeling an unbearable frustration, as if they were being spat in the face yet forced to dry it themselves.

    After about two or three minutes of silence, suddenly someone said in a deep voice:

    ¡°Yan Zhanlong is too dominant. If we don¡¯t eliminate him, he will surely become a huge thorn in our sides!¡±

    No one responded.

    The reality was right before their eyes. Liu Longtao of the Dingbei Army of Lu Country was indeed strong, but at least his strength was within a range that the Yin Yang Bureau could understand.

    But the strength of Yan Zhanlong was, frankly, incomprehensible.

    He defeated the Great Tengu with his fists and cut down the Battle Ghosts of the Heike Clan with his sword. Given that a Cultivator¡¯s Flying Sword lacked sentience, Yan Zhanlong must be multitasking.

    Yet when it comes to multitasking, who could surpass Onmyoji who play with Shikigami? Throwing out three, four, five, six Shikigami at once, they always have to divide their focus to control them. This was their forte!

    Both were fighting on two fronts. Rationally speaking, Shenyuan Guang, an Onmyoji specializing in Shikigami Style, should have been better at this, yet he ended up distracted and overwhelmed, getting literally smashed and slashed by Yan Zhanlong. How could this be explained?

    Sato Akihide¡¯s Iaido Slash was so quick that even the naked eye could hardly catch its trace, yet Yan Zhanlong was able to narrowly evade it, even more than once. How could this be explained?

    The Ninja¡¯s Illusion Smoke Clouds create a thick fog upon release, impenetrable to any probing spells, yet Yan Zhanlong¡¯s sword light could still strike through with deadly precision. How could this be explained?

    Under the relentless pursuit of the Six-Armed Demon God and surrounded by many Onmyoji, his sword light moved as if he were taking a leisurely stroll. Most people would struggle to keep up even with eight eyes, yet Yan Zhanlong not only evaded all attacks but also manipulated the attacks of the Six-Armed Demon God to affect the Onmyoji. How can this be explained?

    There¡¯s no explanation!

    But that is precisely the problem: Yan Zhanlong is too strong. He needs to be eliminated, but who could possibly kill him at this stage?

    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about Yan Zhanlong for now,¡± another Onmyoji bigwig said, ¡°Have all of you seen the others?¡±

    ¡°Zhao and Lin, fierce in battle, strong in power, capable of fighting the Demon King; Chen, precise in command, orderly and without haste, seizing opportunities perfectly; the most dangerous is Su, who¡¯s able to release a deluge in silence, waves that reach the sky, the bane of all Samurai.¡±

    Honestly, even when facing a crazed beauty like Zhou Hongyu who likes to wildly blast and burn with the bright light of fire, one can¡¯t really say she¡¯s ¡°the bane of Samurai.¡±

    Because the Samurai, despite having short reach, boast high offense and defense. Even if a direct Flame Spear were to hit, they could simply respond with a cutting slash, taking the brunt of the explosion with their body without much trouble.

    But Su Yunjin¡¯s Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, with hardly any lethal power and mainly strong control, precisely hits the Samurai¡¯s Achilles heel¡ªwater flows are uncuttable.

    As bigwigs of the Yin Yang Bureau, of course they could perceive the threat that Su Yunjin posed to the Samurai, which was in some ways more deadly than Zhao, Lin, or Chen.

    Shortly after, someone slowly said:

    ¡°To kill Yan Zhanlong, we must first clip his wings.¡±

    ¡°Among them all, Su poses the greatest threat and must be dealt with first.¡±

    ¡°Relax the quota restrictions at the various Dao institutes to replenish the losses of the Kyoto Onmyo Academy.¡±

    ¡°As for Yan Zhanlong¡­ a forceful killing is unrealistic, but we can look for a method of sealing.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The Mysterious Realm atop the clouds, a field strewn with corpses.

    Over 200 people stood tightly packed together. Even in death, they piled up like a mountain. Limbs severed, blood flowing like rivers, it was like hell on earth.

    Xie Ruoxi had been holding back for a long time but finally couldn¡¯t anymore, sneaking off to the side to retch quietly.

    ¡°`

    The girls seemed unfazed, with Lin Ning even borrowing a napkin from Su Yunjin to wipe the blood off her body, her fierce nature undoubtedly showing.

    Yan Yu silently observed, thinking to himself that when the girls had first started fighting and killing, none seemed to feel nausea or the urge to vomit. Could it be that among them all, only Xie Ruoxi was the normal one¡­?

    The thought, once it surfaced, startled him.

    What did he mean Xie Ruoxi was the only normal person? Could that beautiful but useless girl really be considered normal?!

    It must be because everyone¡¯s adrenaline was pumping during their first battle, whereas that useless Xie Ruoxi could only watch from the sidelines, which was why she couldn¡¯t suppress her nausea and vomiting!

    While he was leisurely daydreaming, he saw Su Yunjin come up to him and, smiling, asked,

    ¡°My performance in the battle, doesn¡¯t the captain have any comments?¡±

    ¡°Performance, eh,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment. ¡°Your timing was good, and the support was on point. Pretty good.¡±

    Even though the truth was ¡°it would¡¯ve been the same with or without your support¡±, Yan Yu felt that he should primarily encourage Secretary Su, instead of frequently crushing her confidence as he did with the trashy princess and the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡ªbecause Secretary Su would really take it to heart.

    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Su Yunjin replied with a bright smile. ¡°Then I¡¯m barely keeping up with the captain¡¯s pace. Given time, perhaps I might have the chance to fight side by side with the captain?¡±

    Though she said, ¡°I want to fight alongside you¡±, the underlying meaning clearly was, ¡°I want to stand by your side¡±. Yan Yu decided to play dumb:

    ¡°Haven¡¯t we been fighting side by side all along?¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s true,¡± Su Yunjin¡¯s voice was light and teasing, ¡°but I want to try fighting in tandem with the captain¡­¡±

    Before she could finish, Lin Ning popped up from the side and asked with a smile,

    ¡°Are we reviewing the last battle? How did I do?¡±

    ¡°Your performance was also excellent. The key to the Sword Control technique is positioning, not offense. I¡¯ll explain more when we get back,¡± Yan Yu said earnestly.

    ¡°And me?¡± Su Yunjin quickly asked. ¡°Will the captain give me pointers on my spells, too?¡±

    ¡°Of course, of course¡­¡± Yan Yu felt the atmosphere suddenly grow tense for some reason and hurriedly placated her too.

    The command center in the rear, where the specialists and staff were watching the screens, all furrowed their brows.

    Some of them wanted to smirk, but they needed to maintain seriousness at their workplace¡­ so they held it in.

    On the screen, the Zhenhai Team took a brief rest before starting to meticulously sweep the battlefield.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch the Onmyoji corpses,¡± Yan Yu reminded. ¡°Who knows what traps they¡¯ve rigged to harm you as soon as you touch their bodies.¡±

    ¡°Ptui, ptui, ptui, we¡¯re not going to touch any corpses!¡± the girls responded.

    ¡°I have five ghosts,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a grin.

    Five big dogs emerged from their invisible state and began to scour the corpses¡ªonly to be tormented by various poison gas and explosive traps, howling in distress. But to Chen Lingyun, it seemed like fun.

    Yan Yu moved to the side of the Six-Armed Demon God¡¯s corpse and looked at the weapons thrown on the ground.

    His Divine Sense scanned each one, and he finally sensed something unusual in the Demon-Subduing Pestle.

    The Huang Tingjian was wielded directly, slashing forcefully at the pestle, causing sparks and fragments to scatter.

    The girls stopped what they were doing, curiously converging to watch.

    At last, the Demon-Subduing Pestle was split completely open, revealing its core:

    A cone.

    The cone, made of an unknown metal with a bright luster yet heavy to the touch¡ªnot like gold or iron¡ªmeasured about 25 centimeters in length, roughly the size of an adult man¡¯s hand, with sharp edges and inscribed with tadpole-like inscriptions.

    Yan Yu faintly remembered the Six-Armed Demon God channeling this object by striking it with the Demon-Subduing Pestle¡­ So he turned to examine the pestle and sure enough, found a hammer embedded on the inner side of the head.

    One hammer, one cone. With two lifetimes worth of experience, Yan Yu quickly recalled the legend of the ¡°Nine Heavens Shouldering Element, Thunder God.¡±

    The Nine Heavens Shouldering Element, Thunder God, commonly known as ¡°Lei Gong¡±, was a deity officially listed in the heavenly courts. His weapon was a pair of hammer and cone; striking the hammer against the cone, he would thunder and roar, serving as Heaven¡¯s agent, punishing evil deeds, and expelling demons¡ªin short, it held restraining power over evil things.

    He decided to play around with it.

    With that thought, Yan Yu swung the hammer in his right hand at an empty patch of ground in the distance, and with force, smashed it against the cone in his left hand.

    Without striking, he would never have known; the impact shocked Yan Yu to his core¡­ he felt his True Yuan surge up instantly, like floodwaters released through open gates, rushing wildly toward the cone in his left hand!

 Chapter 248: 46: Public Display of Affection

    Chapter 248: Chapter 46: Public Display of Affection

    With a loud clap of thunder, a bolt of lightning resembling a snake, about 5 centimeters long and as thick as a pinky finger, shot out from the cone, racing forward like a bullet and vanishing in the blink of an eye.

    What a piece of trash! Not even a dog would play with it.

    Yan Yu carelessly tossed the hammer and awl on the ground (much to the horror of all the experts at the central control center, who felt a shudder run through them and wished they could teleport over to catch it), then silently took out a few True Yuan recovery Elixir Medicines and popped them all like candy.

    Damn, there¡¯s less than one-tenth of my True Yuan left, how is this Thunder Method so terrifying? It¡¯s a major True Yuan consumer!

    However, at this point, Yan Yu had already guessed why Mei Yingxue had specified the Zhenhai Team for this Mysterious Realm.

    It must be a clue she got from somewhere, confirming that there was a treasure related to the Thunder Method in the Black Dragon Isle Mysterious Realm, which was perfect for Xie Ruoxi, the beautiful waste, to play with.

    Because this Thunder Method¡­ unlike Sword Control Technique which requires precise mental control, nor like the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art which needs careful handling, it launches a bolt of thunder that disappears with a snap, how else can it be operated? How can it be controlled?

    The charm of this thing is that it consumes True Yuan and is powerful, something a regular Cultivator wouldn¡¯t even be able to handle. But there¡¯s Xie Ruoxi, the waste of a general, who has powerful True Yuan and isn¡¯t the smartest, making this Thunder Method practically tailor-made for her!

    Teacher Mei, your immense kindness, I will remember it on Xie Ruoxi¡¯s behalf! I¡¯ll have her kowtow to you one of these days!

    ¡°Pack up these two things,¡± Yan Yu ordered Xie Ruoxi.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Xie Ruoxi went over diligently and picked up the hammer and awl.

    ¡°Make a record,¡± Yan Yu then reminded Chen Lingyun, ¡°After the research is done, give them to Ruoxi for use.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want them!¡± Xie Ruoxi blurted out subconsciously, ¡°They¡¯re so ugly!¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± Yan Yu immediately glared, which scared Xie Ruoxi into shivering and she instinctively attempted to drop to her knees to apologize.

    Luckily, Yan Zhanlong himself remembered the camera was recording and didn¡¯t want to perform a live dog training for the middle-aged and elderly staff at the control center, but rather he turned his head to ask:

    ¡°Did you find the core of the Mysterious Realm?¡±

    ¡°Found it.¡± The one in charge of checking the body of the six-armed demon god was Chen Lingyun, who was currently looking disdainfully at the other¡¯s damaged third eye and also turned to ask, ¡°Sister Zhao, may I borrow your sword?¡±

    ¡°What for?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a treasure inside his eye,¡± Chen Lingyun said.

    Zhao Yuanzhen immediately dashed over like a rabbit, forming hand seals, and the Yin Wind Sword pierced into the third eye, spraying out a large amount of foul blood, and finally dug out the central core of the Mysterious Realm; it was an orange-yellow treasure orb the size of a human head.

    ¡°Sister Zhao, why don¡¯t you refine it?¡± Chen Lingyun continued with a smile, ¡°Aside from the captain, Sister Zhao made the largest contribution this time.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen took the flattery as expected, her demeanor becoming smug, without the slightest thought that Chen Lingyun might find it disgusting; it was actually Su Yunjin who couldn¡¯t stand it and spoke out:

    ¡°Wait, let me clean this orb first, it¡¯s too dirty.¡±

    While they were refining the Mysterious Realm¡¯s core, Yan Yu was also sitting cross-legged, refining the medicine¡¯s effect to recover as much True Yuan as possible. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Captain, do you need Elixir Medicines? I have more here.¡± Su Yunjin, who had just finished cleaning the Mysterious Realm¡¯s core, somehow returned to his side, bent down, and took out a bottle, asking with concern.

    Yan Yu opened his eyes to find that from this angle, looking down her neckline, he could just make out the inside of¡­ well, actually, he couldn¡¯t see anything; it was all shadows.

    Su Yunjin, sensing something, discreetly held down her neckline with her left hand to prevent what was never there from spilling out, while her right hand continued to hand him the little bottle.

    ¡°No need, I still have some,¡± Yan Yu declined.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Su Yunjin immediately showed a touch of disappointment, but quickly put on a smile again and asked, ¡°Do you want some water then?¡±

    Yan Yu intended to refuse again, but considering that he had already declined once, it wouldn¡¯t be good to keep turning her down and possibly strain their relationship, so he nodded slightly in agreement.

    Su Yunjin unscrewed the cap and brought it to his lips, and Yan Yu had just had a sip when he suddenly realized what was happening.

    Shoot, I¡¯ve been played!

    The matter of indirect kissing tends to be significant to women and trivial to men. By deliberately giving her water to him, wasn¡¯t Secretary Su hinting ¡°I don¡¯t mind kissing you¡±?

    And because she didn¡¯t state it explicitly, he couldn¡¯t outright reject her with a harsh ¡°In your dreams¡±!

    Terrible, this woman¡¯s schemes are so fearsome, her methods of expressing love so hard to guard against, she¡¯s practically the Casanova version of Yan Zhanlong!

    No, since I claim to be the strongest in this world, I absolutely cannot concede like this on the battlefield of love. I must strike back fiercely!

    ¡°Why does this water have no taste?¡± Yan Yu suddenly frowned and asked.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Su Yunjin was immediately surprised, ¡°It¡¯s just ordinary water, let me see.¡±

    She tucked the hair beside her cheek behind her ear and lifted the cup to take a sip¡ªYan Yu noticed that she drank from exactly the same spot where he had, without having turned the cup even slightly.

    ¡°It has no taste,¡± Su Yunjin said nonchalantly, but couldn¡¯t completely hide it, the faint blush on her face betraying her inner emotions, ¡°Why don¡¯t you try drinking again?¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu coldly shook his head and said, ¡°I only want to drink a sports drink right now.¡±

    ¡°Coca-Cola, right!¡± Lin Ning popped up from nowhere, excitedly saying, ¡°I also like to drink Coca-Cola after exercising!¡±

    ¡°Carbonated drinks are not sports drinks, you know,¡± Su Yunjin replied somewhat instinctively irked, but still smilingly said, ¡°Drinking carbonated drinks after exercising can lead to osteoporosis.¡±

    ¡°But we are Cultivators,¡± Lin Ning retorted.

    ¡°There¡¯s no evidence that Cultivators can¡¯t have osteoporosis, right?¡± Su Yunjin didn¡¯t budge an inch.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we assume innocence until proven guilty?¡± Lin Ning didn¡¯t want to argue with Su Yunjin, but her quiz enthusiast¡¯s need to be precise kicked in, ¡°Only when ¡®there is clear evidence that carbonated drinks can lead to osteoporosis¡¯ can we assume that it¡¯s probably true. It¡¯s not rigorous to draw conclusions by blindly making analogies without considering the objective conditions.¡±

    ¡°But we don¡¯t need to be rigorous,¡± Su Yunjin shook her head and smiled, her linguistic logic also a strong point for a literary girl, ¡°When it comes to health, being a bit conservative isn¡¯t too much. Even if it¡¯s unclear, drinking harmless beverages definitely doesn¡¯t do any harm, but drinking harmful beverages is definitely not good.¡±

    ¡°Alright, stop arguing,¡± Yan Yu said with a calm demeanor, ¡°We don¡¯t have Coke here, just two vinegar jars, it doesn¡¯t matter whether I drink or not.¡±

    Lin Ning couldn¡¯t hold back anymore, and said indignantly:

    ¡°What vinegar jars! Who is jealous over you! I¡¯m leaving!¡±

    She ran away quickly, and Su Yunjin also felt her face losing face, her annoyance flaring up as she questioned him:

    ¡°Does the Captain like watching girls get jealous over you?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Yan Yu immediately played dumb, asking blankly, ¡°Why would you say that?¡±

    Su Yunjin tried to suppress her anger:

    ¡°Who are the two vinegar jars?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t know,¡± Yan Yu pondered, ¡°Probably the girl who forgot she was wearing a camera on her chest.¡±

    Su Yunjin¡¯s face turned pale instantly: Oh no! How could I have forgotten that!!!

    At the main control center in the back, numerous experts listened quietly to the conversation between the two, thinking to themselves, have you only just realized now?

    We¡¯re grown adults, staying up late here to work overtime, and still being force-fed dog food by you young people!

    The realization that she was still being livestreamed finally hit Su Yunjin, and she no longer dared to continue questioning Yan Yu, hastily running off to discuss strategies with Chen Lingyun via secret sound transmission:

    ¡°Ling Yun, save me!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Yun Jin?¡±

    ¡°I just went to flirt with the Captain, and I got into a bit of a quarrel with Ningning, completely forgetting about the camera!¡±

    ¡°Eh, isn¡¯t that very interesting?¡± Chen Lingyun became interested.

    ¡°It¡¯s not interesting at all, okay!¡± Su Yunjin said with a crying tone, silently crouching down to hug her legs, burying her face in between her knees¡ªas if she were an ostrich burying her head on the spot, wishing she could hide her whole body as well.

    ¡°Yun Jin, don¡¯t be too shy,¡± Chen Lingyun coaxed soothingly, ¡°This is actually a good thing.¡±

    ¡°A good thing?¡±

    ¡°Yes~ Think about it, if everyone knows you like Yan Yu, it will create moral pressure on him to respond to your feelings quickly!¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t want everyone to know!¡± Su Yunjin¡¯s feelings at this moment were simply full of speechlessness.

    ¡°Then let me put it another way,¡± Chen Lingyun continued to tempt her, ¡°Since everyone already knows, instead of being hopelessly regretful, why not use it to your advantage, how about that?¡±

 Chapter 249: 47: Im Really Not Jealous

    Chapter 249: Chapter 47: I¡¯m Really Not Jealous

    After refining the core of the Mysterious Realm, everyone used teleportation to leave the realm.

    The Cloud Summit Mysterious Realm was different from the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm. Although both cores were seized by Lu Country, the Three Isles Treasure Ship could still navigate the seas for further exploration, while the Cloud Summit Mysterious Realm was located on land and under the firm control of the Bear People¡¯s Power, so it was best to loot it all in one go.

    Of course, if one really wanted to come back next time to finish the job, it wasn¡¯t impossible, since the core was with Zhao Yuanzhen anyway, and no one else could open it without her.

    Upon exiting the Mysterious Realm, there weren¡¯t many Giliya Bear People outside the entrance, obviously because the Dragon Soar Team was fighting in a nearby city, drawing away the local troops.

    Time to switch homes!

    Yan Yu pressed the communication button on the side of the camera and called Liu Longtao:

    ¡°My team completed the mission, calling Lord Master.¡±

    ¡°¡­ (rustling) My code name is Liu Shao. Please use code names during work, thank you,¡± Liu Longtao¡¯s speechless voice rang out.

    ¡°Where are you, do you need assistance?¡± Yan Yu took a few steps away from the entrance to the Mysterious Realm, checking if moving away might reduce the signal interference.

    ¡°Assistance my ass,¡± Liu Longtao burst out laughing, ¡°We¡¯ve taken out the leader and deputy leader of the Bear Gang!¡±

    Yan Yu was initially surprised, but upon further thought, it seemed to be expected.

    Decapitating the Giliya Bear People¡¯s power top and second-in-charge meant that after the Rikoku Cultivator left, the remaining forces would definitely attack each other, scrambling for the sudden power vacuum at the top. This would give the Amur Witch clan a precious time window.

    By the time the Giliya Bear People decided the winner among them, the Amur Witch clan might have already unified the North¡ªso this is what chaotic times are like: either you grow fast enough to consume others, or you don¡¯t grow fast enough and become fodder for someone else.

    But the chaos of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence Era was far crueler than in normal chaotic times. There was very little tolerance and generosity among Transcendents of different professions; they often sought to kill all Transcendents of hostile forces, leaving only ordinary people as production materials.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t need assistance, then we¡¯re heading out,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Or what? You wanna come over and see Ye Jun?¡± Liu Longtao teased.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Yan Yu laughed heartily and rose into the air by Sword Control.

    The group flew from Black Dragon Isle toward Lu Country. Due to Lord Master¡¯s last divisive remark, some people were obviously unhappy in the team¡­ Let¡¯s not say who.

    Chen Lingyun, also someone who reveled in chaos, asked with a smile:

    ¡°By the way, aren¡¯t you going to say goodbye to Anna?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not convenient,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°The Amur witches must be countering the battle lines now. It¡¯s not nice to disturb her while she¡¯s making her mark.¡±

    ¡°Then why could Lord Master make contact?¡± Lin Ning also remarked.

    ¡°Are you dumb? Lord Master was providing cover for us,¡± Yan Yu revealed a ¡°Do you even have to ask?¡± exasperated expression. ¡°If we don¡¯t say a word to him, they¡¯ll think we¡¯re still inside the Mysterious Realm¡ªhow would we leave?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that for now. After we get back, let¡¯s rest for a day, and then Chen Lingyun, you get the footage of this fight. We¡¯ll properly review it.¡±

    ¡°This was our first encounter with an Onmyoji, but it definitely won¡¯t be the last. Everyone, pay attention.¡±

    The North.

    On a battlefield strewn with corpses, Anna, covered in blood on one side of her body, suddenly had a premonition and turned to the south.

    He¡­ at this time, he should have left, right¡­?

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Anna?¡± Anastasia, the leader of the witch clan, asked when she noticed Anna¡¯s strange demeanor. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking about the Rikoku Cultivator,¡± Anna replied with a hint of loss in her voice.

    Anastasia glanced at her expression and suddenly said:

    ¡°Anna, I plan to have you succeed my position.¡±

    ¡°¡­ What?¡±

    ¡°The ones capable of destroying the Amur Witch clan aren¡¯t just the Giliya Bear People,¡± Anastasia also looked towards the sky to the south.

    A line of wild geese was flying south in a V-formation, needing to reach a warm place quickly before the cold wave fully hit Siberia.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The group flew along the coast of East Asia on their swords, stopping a few times for True Yuan replenishment, until they reached Jianghai Prefecture, then followed the river back to Jinling Prefecture.

    The girls went home to rest, while Yan Yu took the pair of spike hammers to the school alone, heading to the principal¡¯s office to report.

    Hmm, why is there no one?

    After knocking on the door and finding no response, he guessed someone was out.

    Yan Yu turned to leave but ran into Qi Changping in the corridor. The latter was holding a cloth banner that made him look like a fortune-teller.

    ¡°How did you get back so quickly?¡± Qi Changping asked in surprise.

    ¡°Came back on a sword flight,¡± Yan Yu answered. ¡°We¡¯ve taken down the Black Dragon Isle Secret Realm. I¡¯ve come to deliver something.¡±

    ¡°Oh, alright then,¡± Qi Changping handed over the banner he was holding, ¡°This is a trophy from the last Changping Secret Realm, it¡¯s probably for Chen Lingyun, right? I¡¯m returning it to you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve researched it pretty quickly,¡± Yan Yu commented with a smile, as he took the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner.

    ¡°Sigh, they say it¡¯s completely incomprehensible,¡± Qi Changping shook his head. ¡°Seems like we might need to refine it to figure it out.¡±

    The Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner was a magical treasure, and many of its powers required the owner to refine it for use. But how could researchers casually let a treasure recognize their ownership? That would be a direct waste. At most, they would first hand it over to a team, and then have an Assistant Officer come over with the treasure to assist with experiments and such.

    Yan Yu turned the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner upside down, slowly left the school, and went to a nearby deli to buy some braised foods, preparing to add a meal for the girls in the team.

    The shop assistant was a middle-aged woman in her forties who smiled and asked:

    ¡°What would you like?¡±

    ¡°Give me six chicken legs, and extra sauce,¡± Yan Yu glanced at the window, ¡°and two boxes of salted duck.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± The woman was about to scoop the sauce when she suddenly exclaimed, ¡°Aren¡¯t you that Yan Zhanlong?¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Yan Yu was taken aback.

    ¡°Yan Zhanlong, it¡¯s you! I¡¯ve seen you on TV!¡± The woman immediately could hardly contain her excitement and turned to shout, ¡°Husband! Yan Zhanlong is in our shop!¡±

    Yan Yu also found it hard to keep a straight face when he saw the bald shop owner emerging from the kitchen, looking at him in surprise, then snatching the spoon from his wife¡¯s hand, saying impatiently:

    ¡°Stop bothering people! What a fuss¡­ What would you like?¡±

    ¡°Uh, six chicken legs and two boxes of salted duck.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Without another word, the shop owner neatly chopped the duck, plopping it into five large boxes, and said, ¡°Oops, I cut too much! Never mind, I¡¯ll just charge you for two boxes.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­

    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± the shop owner casually picked up the spoon again and fished out eight or nine chicken legs, stuffing them into two large boxes. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a few extra chicken legs as an apology¡ªbe sure to come back next time.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, the auntie will give it to you guys,¡± the woman said eagerly, packing things up and handing a plastic bag to Yan Yu, ¡°You guys have been working hard to protect our country!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, give?¡± The shop owner interrupted her, saying, ¡°I accidentally cut too much! It¡¯s already cut, there¡¯s nothing I can do about it!¡±

    ¡°Right, right, right, we cut too much!¡±

    Yan Yu was at a loss for words and silently scanned the QR code to pay, thanked them, and then turned to leave, hearing the shop owner arguing with his wife behind him:

    ¡°Don¡¯t take photos! Not even of the back! Did they agree? Just don¡¯t bother them for no reason¡­¡±

    Walking down the street with the plastic bag in hand, Yan Yu couldn¡¯t quite describe his feelings.

    The hero who defends his home and country¡­

    I never intended to become your hero, nor did I want to become your fear and nightmare.

    Forget it, I¡¯ll just go back on my sword.

    The sword light descended in the courtyard. When Yan Yu took out his keys to enter, he saw Lin Ning, wearing a kitchen apron, coming to greet him.

    ¡°Why did you buy so much stuff!¡± Seeing the several bags of food in Yan Yu¡¯s hand, she complained as if scolding him, ¡°Then all the dishes I cooked are wasted!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, we can continue eating them for dinner if we can¡¯t finish,¡± Yan Yu said carelessly, ¡°The shop owner recognized me and insisted on giving me so much.¡±

    ¡°Oh, oh.¡± As soon as she heard it was a gift from a fan, Lin Ning instantly lost her temper and chuckled, ¡°Then you must be really happy, right?¡±

    ¡°Why would I be happy?¡±

    ¡°Because someone admires you~¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nice being carefree like you,¡± Yan Yu glanced at her sideways.

    ¡°What do you mean? Humph.¡± Lin Ning didn¡¯t quite understand his implication, but she sensed he was teasing her and immediately rolled her eyes, ¡°Put the food on the table and come help me taste the soup for seasoning.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you taste it yourself?¡±

    ¡°I like strong flavors, I¡¯m afraid you guys won¡¯t like it.¡±

    Yan Yu followed her into the kitchen, watching as Lin Ning turned the stove down to a low flame, scooped a spoonful of soup, and carefully blew on it for a long time until it stopped steaming, then with a smile, brought it to Yan Yu¡¯s lips.

    ¡°It¡¯s indeed too salty,¡± Yan Yu sipped a little and commented.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll add some more water.¡±

    As Yan Yu turned to leave, he heard Lin Ning suddenly say from behind:

    ¡°Yan Yu, actually, in the Mysterious Realm, I wasn¡¯t jealous or fighting with Yun Jin.¡±

    ¡°I just¡­ don¡¯t know how to explain, but that wasn¡¯t my intention, you understand, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, of course, I understand,¡± Yan Yu turned back to reply, only to see Lin Ning leaning back against the kitchen countertop, her eyes brimming with water as she looked at him.

    In her eyes, there was no softness like Su Yunjin¡¯s, but rather a hard-to-describe, shy attachment, as well as the unease and panic of desperately hiding her feelings, her fingers gripping the countertop so hard they seemed to whiten.

    In the face of the same emotions, some go all out, taking the initiative, while others hesitate and cannot find peace¡ªeven in their sleep. Such is the biological diversity of us humans!

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t quite know how to deal with this, but the strongest of this age was never afraid of facing the unknown. After briefly pondering, he turned back around, placed his hand on Lin Ning¡¯s shoulder, and with a gentle smile, said:

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Ningning.¡±

    ¡°Just look at my sister. She¡¯s always prideful and will never back down from a challenge.¡±

    ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Lin Ning was bewildered.

 Chapter 250: 48 Bonds and Tokens of Belief Collection

    Chapter 250: Chapter 48 Bonds and Tokens of Belief Collection

    Su Yunjin finished cleaning the second floor and came down, only to see Lin Ning chasing Yan Yu around the house with a soup spoon.

    ¡°Don¡¯t run!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t chase me!¡±

    ¡°Explain yourself before you leave!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re one to talk!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on with you two?¡± Su Yunjin saw the two of them shouting joyously and, without changing her expression, sent a telepathic message.

    Although her tone was calm, it seemed to carry an inherent gravitation that immediately quieted the two who were still in pursuit.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Lin Ning concealed the unusual color on her face and said, ¡°The captain irritates me every day, and I need to teach him a lesson.¡±

    ¡°If there¡¯s anything to discuss, sit down and talk it through,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile. ¡°Fighting won¡¯t solve your problems.¡±

    ¡°¡­Though there isn¡¯t really any problem to solve,¡± Lin Ning muttered before turning back to the kitchen.

    Su Yunjin watched her leave the living room and then turned back to Yan Yu with a smile:

    ¡°Can the captain stop bullying Ningning?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her nonsense, I did not bully her,¡± Yan Yu immediately defended himself.

    That Sister Lin suddenly became tsundere in the kitchen, saying something like ¡°I am certainly not jealous for you,¡± and how come I¡¯m wrong when I point it out? It becomes bullying her?

    ¡°You didn¡¯t bully her?¡± Su Yunjin raised her eyebrows slightly and continued with a smile, ¡°So, is the captain accusing Ningning of lying?¡±

    Even though her voice was very gentle, an indescribable, heavy pressure still transmitted through the atmosphere.

    Yan Yu stubbornly resisted this pressure, asking with an unchanged expression:

    ¡°Is the second floor cleaned up?¡±

    ¡°Is the captain trying to divert my question with a different topic?¡±

    ¡°Answer my question first.¡±

    ¡°But I asked first.¡±

    ¡°True, but I¡¯m the captain.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been cleaned,¡± Su Yunjin said, somewhat annoyed. ¡°I even changed your pillowcase and quilt cover.¡±

    ¡°Then, thank you, Yun Jin,¡± Yan Yu deftly changed the subject. ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, how about I teach you the cultivation method for the Tao Transformation?¡±

    Su Yunjin was silent for a moment, then said:

    ¡°Teach me in my room.¡±

    The second floor of the villa was the living area, with the room at the very end marked with a ¡°Yan¡± sign. To the right were ¡°Chen¡± and ¡°Su,¡± to the left were ¡°Zhao¡± and ¡°Lin,¡± and Xie Ruoxi¡¯s study was next to the stairwell, also given a ¡°Xie¡± sign.

    There were also five vacant rooms with no signs on the doors, and their interiors were decorated as they were when the villa was purchased, temporarily serving as guest rooms.

    Entering Su Yunjin¡¯s room, the first thing one smelled was a faint, almost imperceptible scent of flowers wafting slowly in from the direction of the balcony, lingering around the nose and not leaving for a long time.

    She still loved flowers as much.

    Su Yunjin made Yan Yu sit by the desk and poured him steaming hot tea. He accepted it, a thought suddenly leaping in his mind:

    Could it be dosed with sleeping pills¡­

    No, no, Yun Jin wouldn¡¯t do something like that! Right now, Yun Jin¡¯s love for me should still be at a normal level; she wouldn¡¯t go yandere to that extent¡­

    While Yan Yu was lost in wild thoughts, he saw Su Yunjin stand in front of a towering bookshelf against the wall, take down a book, and hand it over to him:

    ¡°Here.¡±

    Yan Yu looked at the cover title, ¡°Letter from an Unknown Woman,¡± and scratched his head, asking:

    ¡°Are you lending it to me?¡±

    ¡°I could also give it to the captain,¡± Su Yunjin replied. ¡°I finished reading it in middle school.¡±

    Yan Yu quietly picked up his phone and searched for the book title.

    Ah, it¡¯s about unrequited love¡­

    ¡°Let¡¯s discuss the Tao Transformation,¡± Yan Yu placed the book on his lap and calmly said.

    The Tao Transformation was unique to the way of spell cultivation. Taking Su Yunjin¡¯s practice of the Water Taoism Method as an example, she would first need to cultivate the Gui Water Essence, then the Ren Water Essence, and finally combine them to refine the True Yuan of the Heavenly Water, thus forming the Acquired Water Tao Body where True Yuan could be considered inexhaustible¡ªthree stages in total.

    To refine the Gui Water Essence, one must first collect Rootless Water, meaning rainwater, dew, and melted snow. The rainwater should come from a drizzle blown by a slanting wind, the dew should be the fresh morning dew, and the snow should be from the first snowfall. Every day, a drop from each should be gathered and dripped onto the palm to be refined with True Yuan until the Gui Water Essence is formed. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°The fresh morning dew isn¡¯t too hard to manage,¡± Su Yunjin pondered after listening to Yan Yu¡¯s description. ¡°But this drizzle and water from the first snowfall, we need to wait for specific weather and timing, right?¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu waved his hand. ¡°Check the weather forecast in advance and then fly over to collect the water. Rain in the east while the sun is in the west, snow in the north with none in the south, running all over the country; you should be able to get it all done within a week. The difficulty mainly lies in the refinement process.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Su Yunjin fell silent for a moment, then forced a smile. ¡°So, will the captain accompany me to collect the water? I¡¯m worried I might make a mistake on my own and hinder the cultivation.¡±

    Although she spoke in a weak and pitiful tone, Yan Yu was far from succumbing to it and replied immediately:

    ¡°Actually, if it¡¯s just about collecting water, the people from the Environment Department can do it as well. However, the process of collecting it is part of the ritual; if you skip this step, you might face many unnecessary trials in heart refining later on¡­¡±

    ¡°Does this ritual require that I go alone?¡± Su Yunjin wasn¡¯t fooled by his explanation; instead, she keenly seized upon the key issue.

    ¡°¡­No, not necessarily.¡±

    ¡°Can the captain accompany me?¡± Su Yunjin asked again.

    ¡°Uh, alright then.¡± Yan Yu had no way out and thought that accompanying her to fetch some water was trivial.

    Quack, I am the strongest in this world!

    Of course, fetching water wasn¡¯t as simple as just deciding to do it; morning dew was easy enough, but for rain or snow involving celestial phenomena, it was necessary to go to Pingjing to consult with the Imperial Astronomical Bureau to confirm the weather conditions across the country.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you when the time is right,¡± Yan Yu stood up.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Su Yunjin picked up ¡°A Letter from an Unknown Woman¡± and handed it over, ¡°Don¡¯t forget your book.¡±

    Yan Yu took the book and decided that once he was back home, he would place it in a cabinet as a sacred object, only to be consulted during critical moments¡ªsorry, I don¡¯t like stories with bad endings.

    Back in his room, Yan Yu looked at the empty compartment in his cabinet and wondered if it might be better to fill it with something.

    There were ten compartments in total; filling them all with books seemed odd, as he wasn¡¯t some great author.

    Forget it, let¡¯s talk about this later.

    He looked at the book in his hand, on the bottom right corner of the cover was signed ¡°Su Yunjin¡± in three characters, written with the naive penmanship of her middle school days, each stroke was written with sincerity, the handwriting was neat and elegant.

    Hmm?

    Yan Yu noticed there seemed to be a bookmark enclosed within the book.

    Pulling the bookmark out from between the pages, he saw a line written in the same naive script:

    ¡°The one she truly loved wasn¡¯t that man, but the reflection he left in the lake of her heart. Therefore, she never dared to reveal her true feelings to him, because once the man truly entered her lake of heart, the first thing to shatter would be the perfect yet illusory reflection she cherished so deeply.¡±

    Yan Yu was momentarily stunned, looking over the handwriting on the bookmark again to confirm that it was indeed from her middle school days and not something she had added recently to hint at something¡ªSecretary Su likely forgot that the bookmark was even there; otherwise, she would have surely taken it out beforehand.

    Heh, a literary girl.

    In one of the ten compartments of the cabinet, he carelessly chose one and placed the book given by Su Yunjin with its cover facing outward.

    Then he tucked the bookmark back into the pages.

    But after thinking for a moment, he deliberately left a small portion of the bookmark sticking out¡ªjust enough so you had to look closely to notice it.

    Hehehe~

    Pleased with his clever scheme, Yan Yu suddenly heard Chen Lingyun¡¯s voice from outside:

    ¡°Yan Yu, are you in your room?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± He went over and opened the door.

    Chen Lingyun stood outside, holding the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner he had given her, smiling:

    ¡°Going down to the training ground, could you guide me a bit on how to use this?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Yan Yu held out one hand, palm facing up, ¡°Tuition fee?¡±

    Chen Lingyun paused, then took out her phone:

    ¡°Is transferring 200,000 enough?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯ll do, money means nothing to you and me,¡± Yan Yu stroked his chin, ¡°What I want is the most precious thing you have.¡±

    ¡°Hmm~¡± Chen Lingyun tilted her head, thinking for a moment, ¡°Do you want my first time?¡±

    ¡°Young lady, I ask you to have some self-respect.¡± Yan Yu immediately became serious, ¡°Stop thinking about taking advantage of the strong around you all day long; can you make a genuine effort to become stronger?¡±

    ¡°Then what do you want?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you, your most precious thing.¡±

    After thinking, Chen Lingyun stretched her hands to her neck and untied a jade pendant strung on a red thread, upon which was carved the figure of Guanyin:

    ¡°Here, take it.¡±

    ¡°What is this?¡± Yan Yu frowned.

    ¡°It¡¯s a protective amulet my mother got for me from the temple when I was a child,¡± Chen Lingyun explained, ¡°It was supposedly blessed by a high-ranking Buddhist monk; wearing it is said to ward off disasters. I¡¯ve worn it up to now, never taking it off even when showering; it¡¯s been almost 20 years.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Yan Yu suddenly felt stuck and didn¡¯t immediately reach for it, hinting at her to reconsider, ¡°This really is precious, why are you willing to give it to me?¡±

    ¡°Hmm~¡± Chen Lingyun wasn¡¯t planning to retract her offer, she simply smiled sweetly, ¡°If we are talking about warding off disasters, I think Immortal Venerate Yan is more reliable.¡±

    Yan Yu was silent for a moment, took the jade pendant from her hand, went back into his room, found a shelf to place it on, and then carried the shelf to another compartment of the cabinet.

    ¡°Is that from Yun Jin?¡± Chen Lingyun stood next to him, eyeing the paper book in the cabinet.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°Yun Jin is really endearing~¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s eyes curved into a smile, ¡°So are you collecting something like a token of bond from everyone?¡±

    ¡°Just finding something to fill the space and decorate, that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Chen Lingyun blinked, hiding whatever thoughts were crossing her mind, her smile growing even more joyful and sweet.

 Chapter 251: 49: Visit Pingjing for Fun

    Chapter 251: Chapter 49: Visit Pingjing for Fun

    In the basement, Chen Lingyun was holding the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, while Yan Yu was circling around her, scrutinizing.

    ¡°There¡¯s a problem,¡± he suddenly said.

    ¡°What problem?¡± Chen Lingyun curiously asked.

    ¡°You¡¯re too short,¡± Yan Yu stretched out his hand to measure and said, ¡°This magic weapon is too long, so it looks unsightly on your shoulder. But if you hold it horizontally, it gives off a petite rifleman vibe, which also isn¡¯t right. How about you get a pair of elevator shoes custom-made, at least four centimeters thick, to push your height to one meter sixty? That would make the discordance much less noticeable.¡±

    ¡°I can do that,¡± Chen Lingyun nodded earnestly, ¡°Anything else?¡±

    ¡°Do you have any other issues?¡± After habitually giving the princess a round of criticism, Yan Yu finally became serious and asked.

    ¡°This Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner,¡± Chen Lingyun pondered, ¡°has three characters in seal script on it.¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    ¡°How do I activate it?¡±

    ¡°Start by deciphering.¡±

    ¡°How do I decipher it?¡±

    ¡°Do I look like someone who can read the divine script of the Nine Heavens Yin Demon?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, so you don¡¯t understand either,¡± Chen Lingyun reasoned, guessing that in her past life she must have chosen the path of a law practitioner and was probably not destined for the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, so it was normal for Yan Yu not to know, ¡°So, this divine script of the Nine Heavens Yin Demon, is it pictographic or phonetic?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Chen Lingyun pondered.

    ¡°Or maybe it¡¯s not even a script at all,¡± Yan Yu suddenly said, ¡°Have you tried probing it with your Divine Sense?¡±

    ¡°I tried, but it¡¯s uncomfortable,¡± Chen Lingyun replied, ¡°When my Divine Sense touches it, I feel an extreme chill spreading through me, making my whole body uncomfortable.¡±

    ¡°So there is a way to probe it,¡± Yan Yu revealed an ¡®I-told-you-so¡¯ expression and clapped his hands, ¡°The path is laid out before you, you just have to cross a bottomless abyss.¡±

    ¡°Aside from probing with Divine Sense, there¡¯s no other way to decipher it?¡± Chen Lingyun raised an eyebrow; her mood seemed somewhat sour.

    ¡°Here¡¯s what you do,¡± Yan Yu advised, ¡°You need to gradually probe with your Divine Sense, retreat immediately when it gets unbearable, you understand? Slowly adapt yourself, don¡¯t force it.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Chen Lingyun nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll need lubrication.¡±

    Yan Yu was silent for a while, then said: sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you stop with your puns for even a second?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t die, but it will be unpleasant,¡± said Chen Lingyun.

    ¡°You aggravating woman just begging for a fight¡­¡± Yan Yu had barely started speaking when suddenly his phone rang.

    It was Li Weiguo calling.

    ¡°Hello?¡± Yan Yu answered the phone and casually asked, ¡°What does Old Master Li need with me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Grandpa Li!¡± Li Weiguo immediately corrected him, ¡°Be serious! We¡¯re talking business!¡±

    ¡°Oh, go ahead.¡±

    ¡°You need to bring your team to Pingjing,¡± Li Weiguo said.

    ¡°Sure, when?¡±

    ¡°You must arrive by tomorrow night at the latest. It¡¯s very important; it¡¯s best if you leave now.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, what about Xie Ruoxi?¡±

    ¡°Xie Ruoxi has already been approved to join the team, right? Bring her along!¡±

    Yan Yu hung up, thinking the pretty useless one was indeed lucky, picking up battle honors and rewards for nothing this time.

    ¡°Heading to Pingjing, huh,¡± Chen Lingyun teased from the side, ¡°Looks like it¡¯s time for a medal ceremony. Have you ever been awarded before?¡±

    ¡°Yup,¡± Yan Yu replied indifferently, ¡°But I¡¯m not fond of medals. I just throw them all in a small paper box.¡±

    ¡°Is it that small paper box in my room?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s definitely my place,¡± Yan Yu was suddenly at a loss for words, ¡°With your mother¡¯s temper, how could I possibly stand living at your place?¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯d be there to help you~¡± Chen Lingyun said, grinning.

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly why it¡¯s no fun, I¡¯d be relying on you for help,¡± Yan Yu waved his hand impatiently, ¡°Enough talk, we leave tonight, spend a day in Pingjing tomorrow, and come back the day after the event.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    After lunch, Yan Yu announced to everyone that they would be heading to Pingjing in the evening.

    ¡°Going out again?¡± Lin Ning, holding her bowl and chopsticks ready to wash them, couldn¡¯t help but grumble, ¡°Can¡¯t they just let us rest for a day?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t help it, probably tidying up after Black Dragon Isle¡¯s Mysterious Realm,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°The Dragon Soar Team got back to Shengjing at 10 o¡¯clock this morning. I guess they called us over only after both teams had returned.¡±

    ¡°Is there anything good to eat in Pingjing?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked curiously.

    ¡°Three types,¡± Su Yunjin said, enlightening them, ¡°One is the Imperial Cuisine, a few old shops that specialize in palace meals; another is a local cuisine such as Pingjing roast duck; and lastly, the branch offices of restaurants from various places in Pingjing, where you can taste all kinds of flavors and cuisines.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuanzhen immediately stood up and said earnestly,

    ¡°Yan Yu, how about we go to Pingjing first to scout out the various restaurants and see how good they are? It would be better for arranging tomorrow¡¯s meal for the girls¡­¡±

    ¡°Sit down!¡± Yan Yu pressed her down without further ado, but the Demonic Sect Enchantress did remind him of something.

    They were planning to have a day of fun in Pingjing, and if they needed a guide to plan the tour, wasn¡¯t there Lord Master?

    Yan Yu took out his phone and called Liu Longtao, putting him on speakerphone.

    ¡°Hello?¡± Liu Longtao¡¯s voice came from the other side, ¡°Old Yan, are you looking for me or Ye Jun? If you¡¯re looking for Ye Jun, I¡¯ll transfer your call.¡±

    The glances from the girls around them turned unfriendly, and Yan Yu quickly replied,

    ¡°Looking for you, looking for you! I mean, for you, we¡¯re coming to Pingjing tonight. What do you say?¡±

    ¡°Of course we¡¯ll treat you well!¡± Liu Longtao laughed heartily, ¡°We¡¯re going to Pingjing in the afternoon, just in time, isn¡¯t it? Once you¡¯re all here, we¡¯ll treat you to a meal at the Imperial Kitchen.¡±

    ¡°The Imperial Kitchen? The one that used to cook for the former royal family?¡±

    ¡°Right. It was government-run and later privatized, but because so many people go there, you need to make a reservation. I¡¯ll arrange it for you,¡± Liu Longtao contemplated for a moment, ¡°As for accommodations, how about Xiaotangshan?¡±

    ¡°Xiaotangshan Wellness Resort?¡± Yan Yu inquired.

    ¡°The Wellness Resort is boring, full of retired old men,¡± Liu Longtao answered without beating around the bush, ¡°My family has a house there, right next to Huaqing Pool. It¡¯s usually empty and just right for the Zhenghai Team.¡±

    ¡°Alright, then we¡¯ll make do with staying there for one night,¡± Yan Yu agreed.

    Huaqing Pool and the surrounding area used to belong to the emperor¡¯s resort mansion from the previous dynasty¡ªcommoners were not even allowed near it, so its value was self-evident. Liu Longtao¡¯s nonchalant ¡°my family has a house there¡± and Yan Yu¡¯s unruffled ¡°then we¡¯ll make do with staying there for one night¡± seemed as if they were competing in a swagger contest, leaving the accompanying girls speechless.

    ¡°What about tomorrow?¡± Liu Longtao continued, ¡°Are you going sightseeing at the scenic spots or shall I find you a leisure club to kill time?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d prefer tourism and sightseeing, but I¡¯m afraid of being recognized,¡± Yan Yu sighed, ¡°My face is too well-known now, and wherever I go, there¡¯s trouble.¡±

    Liu Longtao was at a loss for words because his Dragon Cavalry Team hadn¡¯t been on live stream yet. He chuckled and said,

    ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll arrange a leisure club for you.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s a leisure club for?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked off to the side.

    ¡°It¡¯s for killing time,¡± Liu Longtao explained from the other side, ¡°Anything goes¡ªeating, drinking, playing, whatever. They have people to take care of you inside.¡±

    ¡°That sounds great,¡± With no restrictions on what to eat, Zhao Yuanzhen was very satisfied, and Xie Ruoxi added from the side,

    ¡°Can you go online to play games and watch anime there?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± Liu Longtao burst into laughter, ¡°The club even has access to the dark web, so even if you want something not available for download aboveboard, they can get it for you!¡±

    So the girls roughly got it: Lord Master¡¯s so-called ¡°leisure club¡± was actually a jack-of-all-trades place specifically catering to Pingjing¡¯s wealthy young masters and ladies. Its main selling point was fulfilling any request at any cost.

    ¡°That works.¡± Yan Yu saw everyone was pleased and agreed, ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll contact you once we¡¯re in Pingjing.¡±

    The phone call with Lord Master proved quite effective, as the girls were already excitedly discussing among themselves, full of anticipation for their Pingjing trip.

    Only Chen Lingyun, although the perfect fake smile still hung on her face, was not truly happy¡ªsomething Yan Yu caught in a glance.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t you want to go to Pingjing?¡± He telepathically asked her.

    ¡°The club he mentioned should be the one in Shijingshan,¡± Chen Lingyun said faintly, ¡°I don¡¯t really want to go there.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Yan Yu guessed, ¡°Did you get bullied there when you were young and now have a psychological shadow, so you don¡¯t want to go?¡±

    It was clear nonsense; how could possibly Princess Jiang Hai have been bullied? Who would dare?

    Chen Lingyun rolled her eyes at him wordlessly and said,

    ¡°They keep a lot of dogs there, and I don¡¯t like it.¡±

    ¡°But isn¡¯t it stray cats that you hate?¡± Yan Yu was slightly taken aback at first, then realized,

    Chen Lingyun had taken in stray cats when she was young, which showed that she definitely preferred cats in terms of aesthetic taste, so that was not a problem.

    ¡°No worries,¡± Yan Yu comforted her gently, ¡°There are many hospitals in a big city like Pingjing. It¡¯s easy to get a rabies vaccine. I can fly you over with Sword Control if necessary, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Heh,¡± Chen Lingyun gave him an enchanting roll of her eyes.

 Chapter 252: 50 Its All Because Xi Xi is Too Sensitive

    Chapter 252: Chapter 50 It¡¯s All Because Xi Xi is Too Sensitive

    ¡°`

    That evening, the group used Sword Control to reach Pingjing, landing near Xiaotangshan.

    At the rendezvous point, two cars were waiting to take the Zhenhai Team to the Liu Family¡¯s villa¡ªresembling an ancient-style building, with hardly any traces of steel-reinforced concrete evident.

    ¡°Old Liu, this villa of yours, why does it look a bit like an imperial vacation palace from a previous dynasty?¡± Yan Yu remarked on the architecture as he stood at the entrance and casually asked.

    ¡°My ancestors were royal sons-in-law,¡± Liu Longtao replied, ¡°The residence was bestowed by the emperor; have you heard of Princess Xuanming?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not good with history.¡± Yan Yu asked again for confirmation, ¡°But it has water and electricity inside, right?¡±

    ¡°How could it be livable without water and electricity?¡± Liu Longtao tossed him a set of keys, laughing, ¡°Make yourself at home, throw a party or whatever, just don¡¯t damage the walls¡ªthe cultural heritage bureau comes to check every few years, ugh, so troublesome.¡±

    He then mounted his sword light and left. Yan Yu turned around, using the keys to open the door.

    Inside, it was less a villa and more a sizable garden estate. Surrounded by tall, red walls outside, the interior featured pavilions, terraces, flowering hedges, and waterside gazebos, layered upon each other as if truly entering the Grand View Garden from Dream of the Red Chamber.

    ¡°There are so many fallen leaves,¡± Su Yunjin sighed beside him, ¡°they¡¯re impossible to clean up.¡±

    ¡°The feng shui layout isn¡¯t bad,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen posed like an expert and assessed, ¡°The artificial hill in the center of the pond is the essence.¡±

    ¡°I really want to do an ancient-style Cos here,¡± Xie Ruoxi agreed, ¡°It would be pretty.¡±

    ¡°Which room are we going to stay in?¡± Lin Ning looked around, ¡°Isn¡¯t there a map or something?¡±

    ¡°Typically, directly across from the main entrance would be the central estate,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°Further back would be where the family lived.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look,¡± Yan Yu said with a wave of his hand.

    The group passed through the main estate and after a long, narrow garden, they finally found two rows of neat and tidy side-rooms that led to a small chamber with steaming hot springs inside.

    This region of Xiaotangshan was indeed famed for its hot springs.

    The ladies exchanged glances, then suddenly spoke in unison:

    ¡°Captain, you haven¡¯t had a good rest yet, have you? You should go to bed early today and not stay up late.¡±

    Yan Yu: ???

    Before he had time to say anything, he was picked up by the group and forcefully thrust into a guest room.

    ¡°Alright!¡± Lin Ning clapped her hands satisfactorily, ¡°Let¡¯s go soak in the hot springs!¡±

    ¡°But I didn¡¯t bring a swimsuit,¡± Su Yunjin said hesitantly.

    ¡°Who needs a swimsuit?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said carelessly, ¡°There¡¯s no one else around, just go naked.¡±

    The idea of bathing without clothes made the ladies visibly uncomfortable.

    It was only Chen Lingyun who calmly went to the door of the hot spring chamber, checked the lock, and announced:

    ¡°No problem, it can be locked from the inside.¡±

    ¡°If we use Divine Sense to scout, we¡¯ll definitely be aware if someone approaches, right?¡± Xie Ruoxi added, ¡°How about I do the scouting? I have an abundance of True Yuan.¡±

    After thinking it through, everyone seemed to agree with the logic and, holding hands and cheerfully, headed towards the hot spring room. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Their conversation outside, of course, was overheard by Yan Yu loud and clear.

    Lucky me, it¡¯s as if someone might really come and peep at you.

    He lay on the bed playing with his phone when he saw in the cultivator group chat someone saying:

    ¡°If Captain Yan is getting a medal, shouldn¡¯t Captain Zhou get one too? They both fought against foreign enemies equally, right?¡±

    ¡°How could they be the same? Captain Yan killed almost a few hundred people, while Captain Zhou is still in the hospital. The authorities will definitely take strength into account when dishing out recognition¡­¡±

    ¡°What happened to Xiao Zhou?¡± Yan Yu asked in the group chat.

    ¡°Salute to Captain Yan!¡± A crowd immediately flooded with emoticon packs, most nicknames belonging to students from the other four institutes that Yan Yu didn¡¯t recognize, likely having joined the group after the team system was fully implemented.

    The previous speaker replied:

    ¡°Hello Captain Yan, I¡¯m from Pingxi Academy. Captain Zhou was fighting with a Transcendent from Tianzhu on the highlands, and apparently, she got seriously injured and was rushed to Huaxi for emergency treatment.¡±

    ¡°@Zhang Huaide, is she dead?¡± Yan Yu directly called out the name.

    ¡°No,¡± Zhang Huaide responded quickly, ¡°she was brought back from the brink.¡±

    Almost simultaneously, a message appeared at the top of the screen:

    ¡°Zhang Huaide¡± is inviting you to a video call.

    Once Yan Yu accepted the invite, the video showed the background of a hospital¡¯s intensive care unit with a gravely injured Zhou Hongyu wearing an oxygen mask and hospital gown, staring at the camera, eyes locked with Yan Yu¡¯s in a silent confrontation.

    ¡°Uh,¡± Yan Yu felt he should say something and inquired with concern, ¡°Xiao Zhou, where are you hurt? Is it your brain? Did you have any brain damage? Will it affect your intelligence?¡±

    ¡°Lung penetration injury,¡± Zhang Huaide¡¯s voice came from the side, ¡°Debridement surgery is already done, and it¡¯s not a big problem. For a cultivator, it won¡¯t leave any sequelae. A week of rest should suffice.¡±

    ¡°Captain Zhou can¡¯t speak right now; I¡¯ll translate for her,¡± Tang Xiaolian entered the frame from the edge, exchanged a look with Zhou Hongyu, nodded, then turned and said, ¡°Captain Zhou says, ¡®What are you looking at? I¡¯ll gouge your eye out.''¡±

    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s not Nanchuan dialect at all,¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but chuckle.

    Zhou Hongyu narrowed her eyes as Tang Xiaolian spoke:

    ¡°`

    ¡°I¡¯m not a professional translator, Yan Team Leader, you figure out the idea,¡±

    ¡°How did she get injured?¡± Yan Yu asked again.

    ¡°Moved too fast,¡± Zhang Huaide said indifferently.

    Although it was only four words, Yan Yu instantly understood and wanted to mockingly say, ¡°Why is Zhou Hongyu in such a hurry again,¡± but decided against it¡ªafter all, she¡¯d just been rescued from the ICU, and it wouldn¡¯t be good if she fainted from anger again.

    ¡°Zhang, why didn¡¯t you stop her?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°I did,¡± Zhang Huaide said in a melancholic tone.

    Just three simple words, yet they conveyed endless bitterness and exhaustion. Such was the fate of being Zhou Hongyu¡¯s deputy team leader.

    Zhou Hongyu blinked again, only to hear Tang Xiaolian saying:

    ¡°I freakin¡¯ feel like bombing anything with that shitty skin color, can¡¯t stand it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Yan Yu said exasperatedly, ¡°Your translations are all wrong. Zhou Hongyu was trying to say ¡®none of your damn business¡¯ and ¡®mind your own issues¡¯.¡±

    Zhou Hongyu closed her eyes, adopting an attitude too lazy to speak.

    ¡°Get lost, do you understand Captain Zhou, or do I?¡± Tang Xiaolian suddenly burst out in rage, ¡°Take this slap!¡±

    ¡°All right, all right,¡± Yan Yu lost interest and said, ¡°Glad Zhou is okay, I¡¯m leaving, bye~¡±

    No sooner had he hung up the video than he got up to push the door and go to the bathroom.

    In the hot spring room, the girls were chatting happily when suddenly Xie Ruoxi screamed:

    ¡°Yan Yu is coming!¡±

    Everyone immediately went into a frenzy, grabbing clothes, diving under the water, and screaming:

    ¡°Ningning, quickly check if the door is locked!¡± Su Yunjin hastily exclaimed.

    ¡°It¡¯s locked¡­But it¡¯s useless! Doesn¡¯t he have the Wall-Penetration Technique?¡± Lin Ning rushed to the door to check and soon started panicking.

    ¡°If he dares to come in, I will slap him to death!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen gritted her teeth.

    The girls hastily covered their chests and thighs, nervously eyeing the room¡¯s door.

    ¡°Wait.¡± Xie Ruoxi suddenly spoke, ¡°He went to the bathroom.¡±

    The girls instantly breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Xie Ruoxi speechlessly:

    Ruoxi ah, can you not be so panicky? He just left the room to go to the bathroom, and you made it seem like he was about to invade our space.

    ¡°Cough cough.¡± Lin Ning felt she¡¯d been silly just before and quickly laughed it off, ¡°Going to the bathroom, haha, I knew the Captain wasn¡¯t that type of a person, the door lock wouldn¡¯t stop him if he really wanted to barge in.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Su Yunjin also hastily smoothed things over, ¡°The Captain¡¯s character is very proper, he wouldn¡¯t do those despicable acts.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s heading this way!¡± Xie Ruoxi shouted again.

    ¡°He must be going back to his room,¡± Lin Ning was still skeptical, how could the same mistake be made twice by someone who solves problems, but to give Yan Yu the benefit of the doubt she added, ¡°Going back to his room is in this direction too, it¡¯s totally normal, Ruoxi, don¡¯t make a big deal out of nothing.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not!¡± Xie Ruoxi quickly said, ¡°He already passed the room¡¯s door, and he¡¯s still walking this way!¡±

    The hot spring room went quiet for a moment and then became noisy again, with frantic scrambling for clothes, bath towels, diving, and body-covering.

    Yan Yu arrived at the door and knocked, saying loudly:

    ¡°What¡¯s the noise about? Everything okay in there?¡±

    The noises inside immediately quieted down. After a few moments, Lin Ning¡¯s shy and timid voice came through the door:

    ¡°Do¡­Do you need something?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°You were yelling so loudly, I came to see what happened. No one¡¯s gotten heatstroke from the hot spring or suffocated from sitting too long, right?¡±

    ¡°No, just go back!¡± Lin Ning yelled.

    ¡°If it¡¯s nothing then keep it down! Making such a fuss for no reason.¡± Yan Yu grumpily said and sauntered back to his room, ¡°Really, what a racket¡­¡±

    Inside the hot spring room, everyone gradually calmed down.

    ¡°He¡¯s gone back to his room,¡± Xie Ruoxi whispered.

    The girls silently stared at her.

    After a while, Su Yunjin gently said:

    ¡°Ruoxi, I know you¡¯ve only joined us recently, but the Captain really isn¡¯t a lecherous and indecent man. Aren¡¯t you being a bit too defensive?¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Lin Ning quickly passed the buck, ¡°See? The Captain only came by because he heard us screaming; he thought something was wrong, he never had any other intentions.¡±

    ¡°I was too nervous,¡± Xie Ruoxi laughed it off, yet she was dismissive in her heart:

    Not lecherous? If he wasn¡¯t lecherous, would he have gone out of his way to send a message and fetch me back all the way from afar without knowing I had spiritual cultivation talent? Handing me 200,000 in cash upon meeting?

    Hmph, when I become a gem in his palm, it¡¯ll be too late for any of you to cry!

 Chapter 253: 51: Memories of a Past Life

    Chapter 253: Chapter 51: Memories of a Past Life

    In the midst of vagueness, it felt as if his whole body was drenched in sweat.

    Yan Yu raised his head with a ferocious expression, his Flying Sword swiftly cutting through the steel forest. The voice of the coordinator came through his earpiece:

    ¡°¡­continue straight ahead, turn right at the crossroads ahead.¡±

    ¡°Follow the northbound Tongjiangnan Road, 300 meters to reach site number 7, your last mission for today. I wish you success.¡±

    His sword light flew faster and faster, switching from Sword Flight to Sword-Human Unity. The foreign True Yuan, like burning molten lava, was mechanically compressed, pumped out, and injected into his Dantian. It then ignited all of his meridians, making every cell in his body tremble and moan.

    The Military Manor ahead was already a field of corpses.

    The civilian Cultivators had already stormed the Manor, aiming for a batch of Elixir Medicine stored inside. The military Cultivators stationed within were putting up a valiant resistance, but they were few in number and on the verge of being wiped out.

    The sword light suddenly burst onto the battlefield!

    Slash! Chop! Cut! Shave! Slash again! Carve! Stab! In the blink of an eye, seven civilian Cultivators were slain.

    Yan Yu altered his hand gesture slightly, shaking off the sticky blood from his sword, and was about to step into the government hall when suddenly he staggered.

    A feeling of indescribable weakness and powerlessness began to slowly spread from his lower abdomen, where the Dantian was located.

    ¡°Is there something wrong with your body?¡± the coordinator, seeing the data was incorrect, cried out in shock, ¡°I¡¯ve requested a replacement. Go to a safe place and rest!¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll do it,¡± Yan Yu said, pulling out an injection from his waist and administering it cleanly into his left arm vein. ¡°There are too many enemies; they won¡¯t be able to handle it.¡±

    ¡°Calm down, Comrade Yan!¡± the coordinator urged in a rush, ¡°You¡¯ve already taken three suppressants today! Another injection won¡¯t last much longer and will only cause your body to collapse!¡±

    ¡°Then have the emergency team wait for me at the entrance.¡± Yan Yu once again merged with his sword and charged into the Manor, passing through countless corridors and rooms. Blood and sword light interweaved, and cries of agony rose and fell.

    As the number of suppressants injected in the short term increased, the body¡¯s resistance to the medication grew stronger, and the time the Dantian could accommodate external True Yuan grew shorter.

    His body was burning out even more intensely, but his consciousness became colder and clearer. His Divine Sense swept like a relentless radar, frantically scanning and seeking out enemies, laying out numerous potential paths in his mind, dense and numerous, as if branded in his vision, impossible to dispel.

    ¡­Just need to kill them all before my body collapses¡­

    Kill them all!

    Suddenly, the wall burst open, and Yan Yu¡¯s sword light thrust forward desperately, barely countered by the Cultivator leader¡¯s Flying Sword. The formidable power of Sword-Human Unity pushed the opponent, smashing through wall after wall, until they burst out of the Manor and onto the artificial lake, creating two towering waves!

    The momentum came to a stop, and sword and man separated. Yan Yu threw a punch directly at the chest, which the opponent dodged by stepping aside. The opponent took several quick steps back and threw out a defensive artifact resembling an umbrella. Just as the golden light shield appeared, it was fiercely struck by Yan Yu¡¯s sword light, followed by a punch with the Curved Curse technique, causing cracks to appear on the shield. He then connected with the Eagle Strike sword technique, one two three four five! The sword light changed and struck five times in quick succession, all precisely hitting the same spot, eventually smashing the shield to pieces from the outside by brute force!

    As the shield shattered, a thousand dazzling golden flowers burst forth, blindingly bright! Yan Yu instinctively closed his eyes, but his Divine Sense suddenly alarmed, his head jerked aside as if something grazed his cheek. Soon, a faint sting was felt. He immediately opened his eyes, but all he saw were blinding lights and afterimages, unable to clearly see anything. Fortunately, his Divine Sense was still working perfectly, it locked onto the enemy¡¯s figure unfailingly. His stepping technique propelling him from the ground, he picked up speed, leapt, and performed a Sword Flight slash!

    The sword light pierced through the Cultivator leader¡¯s chest, then diagonally into the ground ahead. Yan Yu tumbled out of the light, clumsy and disoriented, and fell to the ground. His True Yuan depleted, his strength exhausted, and pain all over his body, his limbs numbed as if they no longer belonged to him.

    With effort, he propped his body up with his arms, but his palms slipped in the muddy soil by the riverbank, and he plunged face down into the mud, the foul and rotting smell invading his mouth and nose. After gasping desperately for a moment, he exerted strength again to push himself off the ground, and finally managed to stagger up. Spitting out the mud in his mouth, his other hand grasped the sword hilt. Divine Sense once again sought out enemies to confirm the direction. Dizzily turning around, he dragged the heavy body of the Huang Tingjian, his steps faltering and staggering, to the side of the Cultivator leader.

    The other party was not yet dead, reaching for the Elixir Medicine at his waist, but no longer had the strength. Seeing Yan Yu, broken and blind, approach, he knew his death was certain, yet he said with a malicious smile:

    ¡°Good! Good! Good! You can kill me, but can you exterminate all the Cultivators under the sky! Sooner or later, someone will capture your family, flay them, draw out their tendons, extract their souls, refine their spirits¡­..¡±

    Before he finished speaking, the Huang Tingjian heavily chopped down!

    The Cultivator leader was still blurting out curses incoherently, but soon it turned to wailing and begging for mercy, and finally, silence ensued. Yan Yu continued to lift the heavy sword rigidly and numbly, chopped down, lifted the sword again, and chopped down¡­ until the body was mutilated beyond any human likeness. Only then did he plunge the heavy sword into the ground, his hands barely supporting the sword blade, leaning on it to prevent himself from falling.

    Are there any more enemies¡­

    His body was on the verge of passing out, his consciousness sinking into an abyss, yet strangely, his rationality seemed to float upwards as if his soul was about to depart from his shell.

    Kill, kill, kill¡­

    Something landed behind him with a thud. Yan Yu suddenly gripped his sword with both hands and forcefully pulled it out, intending to use the spin of his body to slash at the newcomer. However, for some reason, he missed, and then two pairs of arms firmly held him down from left and right. A somewhat familiar voice rang out:

    ¡°Medical team! Comrade Yan, we¡¯re from the medical team! Don¡¯t be agitated! All the enemies are dead, and we¡¯ve finished clearing the scene. You can rest now¡­ ¡±

    The rest was unclear¡­

    ¡­¡­

    Yan Yu slowly opened his eyes, the morning sun streaming through the window grilles casting a subtly warm glow on his face.

    I¡¯m so tired.

    Every time he dreamed of a battle memory, he would wake up extremely exhausted¡ªnot with physical soreness and weakness, but a fatigue that stemmed from the soul.

    Can I stop dreaming about battles? I just want to live a peaceful life now!

    Yan Yu sat up in bed, the fragrance left by Zhao Yuanzhen seemed to still linger by the bedside.

    That¡¯s right, last night she soaked in the hot spring too late and only came to find me for dual cultivation and breathing exercises in the middle of the night. We cultivated until two in the morning¡­

    No wonder I dreamed¡ªwe were still practicing at two in the morning! I was dead tired, and her True Yuan continued to pour into me. How could I not dream?

    Of course, I¡¯d dream about past memories! When I used to store Spiritual Energy in an external device, I had this annoying feeling of being continuously infused with someone else¡¯s True Yuan!

    After washing up in the bathroom, Yan Yu decided the Demonic Sect Enchantress was fully to blame for the nightmare. Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door from outside:

    ¡°Captain! The driver is here to pick us up for the club!¡±

    Yan Yu went to the door and swiftly opened it, startling Lin Ning who was about to knock again. Regaining her composure, she huffily gave a light kick, which Yan Yu casually dodged.

    ¡°Why do you walk without making a sound?¡± Lin Ning asked him.

    ¡°Is it possible that it¡¯s your ears that are bad?¡± Yan Yu countered.

    ¡°Pfft, it¡¯s your ears that are bad!¡± Lin Ning turned and walked away, throwing back, ¡°Hurry up and gather at the entrance!¡±

    Yan Yu left the room and arrived at the villa¡¯s entrance, seeing two cars parked there. The girls hadn¡¯t boarded yet and were chitchatting away.

    ¡°The captain¡¯s here,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile, ¡°Let¡¯s get in the car.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said with a flourish of her hand, as she and Xie Ruoxi got into the car.

    The other three girls didn¡¯t move. Su Yunjin and Lin Ning seemed to be plotting something as they looked at Yan Yu. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Seeing through their scheme, Yan Yu took the front passenger seat in the car with Zhao and Xie, to the great disappointment of the two girls.

    Chen Lingyun watched, amused, then joined the other two girls in the second car, and they all set off for the club.

    The Shijingshan Club doesn¡¯t have an official name to the public. Operating on a members-only basis and expanding clientele solely through member referrals, it has no need for any advertising. The clientele, wealthy and prestigious, proves that membership itself is an indicator of status.

    Upon reaching the club¡¯s entrance, the person taking over the cars turned out to be Ye Jun.

    The girl wore makeup and sunglasses, looking charming and sexy. She greeted the ladies with a smile:

    ¡°Captain Liu had something come up at home today and couldn¡¯t make it. I¡¯ll be hosting you all today, haha.¡±

 Chapter 254: 52 s They are my Chai Dai

    Chapter 254: 52 chapters They are my Chai Dai

    From the outside, the club appeared to be just an ordinary villa.

    Despite its rather plain exterior, the interior was exquisitely luxurious and had an artistic flair.

    Passing through the entry hall and walking further in, one would come to the banquet hall where sparse groups of guests were chatting idly by the bar counter or in corners.

    Ye Jun handed out membership cards to everyone and introduced,

    ¡°Your information has been registered. If you want to order food, talk to the suit-wearing manager by the counter. You can order whatever you like, and if it¡¯s not available, they¡¯ll arrange to have it flown in for preparation; it just takes some time, as it cannot be served immediately.¡±

    ¡°Can we ask him to recommend some rare dishes?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked eagerly.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Ye Jun replied with a smile, ¡°treat him as your hired butler; feel free to give him orders.¡±

    So Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi, the two young ladies, immediately strode over to the manager to inquire about the meal service.

    ¡°We can order here, right?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked first, ¡°What¡¯s good to eat?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± the manager replied with a smile, ¡°we can provide anything that people on Earth have eaten; if no one has eaten it, we¡¯ll try our best to source it. If you need to see the menu, we have a record of recent ordering statistics¡­¡±

    He took out a Pad, swiped a few times, and handed it to Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi.

    The two young ladies began eagerly perusing the menu, while Lin Ning and Su Yunjin made their way to the side of the banquet hall¡ªwhere there was a very beautiful piano.

    ¡°Lanchestian.¡± Su Yunjin was somewhat surprised, ¡°This brand is a bit extravagant. I¡¯ve heard they only accept custom orders, sending people to measure the temperature and humidity at the customer¡¯s home before flying in materials for onsite assembly and tuning. They even provide dedicated maintenance every three months¡­¡±

    ¡°Does temperature and humidity affect the piano¡¯s quality?¡± Lin Ning curiously asked.

    ¡°It has a bit of an effect,¡± Su Yunjin replied, sitting down in front of the piano and neatly arranging her hair before starting to play seriously. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    In another corner of the banquet hall, three young men were chatting when they suddenly heard the melodious sound of the piano.

    ¡°Not bad at all,¡± one of them said, turning his head to look at Su Yunjin in the distance without recognizing her but feeling she indeed looked good. He nudged his companion with his elbow and said, ¡°Hey, looks like a new member.¡±

    ¡°A new member? Or someone¡¯s female companion?¡± his companion, intrigued, turned his head to look as well.

    Becoming a member of this club wasn¡¯t just about having money; a referral was needed to enter the circle. As for the women who entered as companions of current members, that was relatively easy.

    Some of the female companions brought by members were there expressly to penetrate this circle, with a distinct air of profit-seeking; others had been specifically trained, and without getting into who was behind that training, their demeanor was reminiscent of those slim courtesans of Yangzhou: pleasing at first sight, but ultimately too contrived, feeling artificial with persistent exposure, so they were just for casual amusement.

    However, the young woman playing the piano didn¡¯t have any men by her side and lacked any air of gold-digging subservience¡­ She must have entered through the member¡¯s gateway.

    Since she was a member and also attractive, they definitely had to make acquaintance quickly!

    The three young men exchanged looks, stood up, and made their way towards the piano area. They waited until Su Yunjin finished her piece before smiling and saying,

    ¡°Beautiful lady, are you a new member? Haven¡¯t seen you here before, but you play the piano incredibly well. Are you at a professional¡¯s standard?¡±

    ¡°You flatter me,¡± Su Yunjin said lightly, ¡°I¡¯m just practicing casually, nothing professional.¡±

    ¡°Should we go check out the garden?¡± Lin Ning, noticing she wasn¡¯t too keen on chatting, quickly came over to offer an escape.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Su Yunjin responded and stood up, smoothing out her skirt.

    Despite the young women¡¯s chilly rejection, the three young men did not intend to give up. They followed nonchalantly, looking for another opportunity to strike up a conversation.

    After all, the world is full of pretty women, wealthy ones too, and certainly daughters of prestigious families. But finding someone pretty, wealthy, and of noble birth¡ªall at once¡ªtruly was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

    ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve seen you before; are you perhaps related to the Zhang family in the Ministry of Justice?¡± one of them asked.

    ¡°At Zhang Rong¡¯s twentieth birthday banquet at Liyun Hotel, right? I remember too,¡± his companion quickly chimed in.

    ¡°Enough already,¡± Lin Ning said, visibly annoyed, ¡°you¡¯ve got the wrong person. We don¡¯t know any Zhang Rong.¡±

    ¡°Well, then tell us your name, let¡¯s see if we know you¡­¡± the three young men continued chuckling, but suddenly they heard a sweet voice behind them,

    ¡°They are indeed unrelated to Zhang Rong; they¡¯re my friends.¡±

    Turning around, they saw Chen Lingyun standing there with a sweet smile.

    Though she was only around five feet tall, tiny and quite adorable, to the three young men, she appeared almost like a deity in human form.

    ¡°Chen¡­ Chen Lingyun?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Chen Lingyun raised an eyebrow. ¡°Disappointed that it¡¯s not Zhang Rong but me?¡±

    ¡°Not at all!¡± ¡°Of course not!¡± The three of them, as if having triggered some mechanism, unanimously and simultaneously exclaimed.

    The Governor¡¯s only daughter, Chen Lingyun, was nicknamed Princess Jiang Hai¡ªan undoubtedly derogatory title because no matter how you pursued her, there wasn¡¯t even a one in ten thousand chance of success. It was as if a commoner could never marry a princess¡ªthe very template of someone with her nose in the air, sporting a pretentious smile of equal treatment on the surface, while never giving any man the slightest encouragement.

    But why was the title ¡°Princess Jiang Hai¡± universally acknowledged? Because the men who irrationally attempted to court her were indeed plentiful.

    The Governor¡¯s only daughter, what did that imply? Even if you couldn¡¯t win her over, you certainly couldn¡¯t afford to offend her. At the very least, you had to show that you were making an effort. Otherwise, what would you do if she took umbrage?

    Besides, even if the odds were less than one in ten thousand, what if you were the one to succeed? What if lady luck decided to grace me with her favor?

    Yan Yu was chatting casually with Ye Jun when he turned his head and saw three young men surrounding Chen Lingyun, speaking to her with utmost caution, their desire to please written all over their faces¡ªif they had tails on their rumps, they would certainly be wagging them enthusiastically.

    For a moment, it almost felt like a dream of a past life.

    In her previous life, although Chen Lingyun proclaimed to have a boyfriend, she remained unmarried despite her age, with many shameless men still boldly pursuing her.

    But Yan Yu was utterly confident in her, because her feigned smile was so formidable that it repelled all suitors without exception.

    ¡°Need me to help out?¡± Ye Jun also noticed Chen Lingyun being bothered and inquired.

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile. ¡°Have you forgotten her status? Who would dare to mess with her and not suffer the consequences?¡±

    ¡°True,¡± Ye Jun quickly realized.

    ¡°Speaking of which, how are things on your end?¡± Yan Yu continued to ask.

    ¡°Pretty good,¡± Ye Jun said. ¡°The money from the Mysterious Realm is plentiful; I¡¯m quite financially independent now.¡±

    ¡°I was referring to the team¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, oh, oh.¡± Embarrassment crept onto Ye Jun¡¯s face, mainly because her teammates often spread rumors about her and Yan Yu, causing her to subconsciously think that Yan Yu¡¯s question ¡°How are things on your end?¡± pertained to her personal situation. ¡°That¡¯s still okay, too. The main issue is the frequent emergencies at the border, which require us to head north to defend.¡±

    ¡°I heard that the towns along the border have been evacuated?¡± Yan Yu continued his inquiry.

    ¡°There were plans to consolidate villages and towns anyway,¡± Ye Jun said after a pause. ¡°It¡¯s just coincidental timing, just taking advantage of the situation.¡±

    ¡°One still has to regularly go out and kill,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently. ¡°Even wild boars in the mountains, if not regularly hunted to control their population, will come down to ravage the farmers¡¯ cornfields. Are Spirit Communicators now less of a threat than wild boars?¡±

    ¡°Liu from the team said the situation is complex,¡± Ye Jun sighed. ¡°I really don¡¯t understand it. We can only go wherever the Dragon Soar Team is ordered to fight.¡±

    ¡°Things should improve a lot once the Amur witch group stabilizes,¡± Yan Yu mused. Though he couldn¡¯t change the ¡°situation¡± that even Lord Master found tricky, he was already laying groundwork for the Eclipse Queen thanks to his knowledge from his previous life. ¡°By the way, I have a favor to ask of you.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Ye Jun asked.

    ¡°I need to check the weather data from across the country,¡± Yan Yu stated earnestly. ¡°Mainly precipitation and snow.¡±

    ¡°Why do you need that?¡± Ye Jun asked in puzzlement. ¡°Besides, can¡¯t you just look that up on the Meteorological Bureau¡¯s website?¡±

    ¡°I have special requirements.¡± Yan Yu explained. ¡°The rain needs to be as slight as possible, preferably a drizzle that doesn¡¯t even necessitate an umbrella; the snow must be the first snowfall of this year in that area. Even if there¡¯s been sleet before, it doesn¡¯t count as the first snowfall.¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Ye Jun was silent for a long time before suddenly asking, ¡°You¡¯re not really doing what Liu said, creating your own version of Jinling¡¯s Twelve Hairpins, are you?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Yan Yu was bewildered.

    ¡°The specific rain and snow you¡¯re asking for¡ªit¡¯s similar to the method for making Cold Fragrance Pills in ¡®Dream of the Red Chamber¡¯ by Xue Baochai, isn¡¯t it?¡± Ye Jun speculated. ¡°Are you planning to have Su Yunjin play Xue Baochai? I always thought she had the right temperament for it, perhaps forming a Chai-Dai duo with Lin Ning?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you believe Lord Master¡¯s nonsense!¡± Yan Yu quickly interjected righteously, ¡°I really need it! It¡¯s not for cosplay, it has a purpose. I can¡¯t go into specifics, which is why I¡¯m asking for your help because you can keep a secret!¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Ye Jun nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll help you ask around.¡±

    She paused for a moment and then added:

    ¡°By the way, it seems like Liu has connections to get the backup costumes from the 1987 TV adaptation of ¡®Dream of the Red Chamber¡¯. Want me to snag some for you?¡±

    So he wanted Yun Jin to play Baochai and Ningning to play Daiyu, huh?

    This thought lingered in Yan Yu¡¯s mind for a moment, and it seemed rather amusing¡­

    ¡°No, wait!¡± Yan Yu suddenly came to his senses, almost fooled by Ye Jun¡¯s line of thinking, and he hastily clarified his position, ¡°What do I need their costumes for? I¡¯ve already said it¡¯s not for cosplay. Keep this up and I¡¯ll get angry, you know.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes~¡± Ye Jun snickered.

 Chapter 255: 53 Public Ownership Boyfriend

    Chapter 255: Chapter 53 Public Ownership Boyfriend

    Ye Jun quickly left the clubhouse to check the files at the meteorological bureau.

    This Jinmen girl was decisive and blunt, straightforward in speech and actions, which greatly appealed to Yan Yu.

    It was a pity she served as the defense buff provider in her team and couldn¡¯t be poached just yet. Yan Yu would have to take his time.

    No rush, he had all the time to spar with Lord Master.

    Yan Yu looked back at the banquet hall; Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi had already taken their seats in the dining area, each enjoying a steak deliciously.

    Su Yunjin and Lin Ning, on the other hand, had run off to the garden area outside to admire the plants.

    Chen Lingyun¡­ Damn!

    There, in the nearby leisure area, Chen Lingyun was sitting on a chair out of boredom, silently staring out the window.

    Surrounding her were the young masters from the clubhouse. Each was politely and cheerfully conversing, striving to subtly show off to Princess Jiang Hai as if they were peacocks spreading their feathers before a peahen.

    No, this¡­

    Ling Yun, you said you didn¡¯t like the many dogs in the clubhouse, but you never mentioned these human-shaped, fawning dogs!

    At this moment, Yan Yu hadn¡¯t anticipated that Chen Lingyun, who he often found annoying in his previous life, was such a hot commodity in the eyes of these flatterers. Hmm¡­ something seems off?

    On second thought, it seemed there was no issue.

    In his past life, even after Chen Lingyun had established a romantic relationship with Yan Yu, they would sometimes encounter would-be suitors trying to steal her away.

    But she was the kind of woman who was both mean and smart. On one hand, she would mercilessly disgust others with a fake smile, while on the other hand, she would avoid disturbing Yan Yu as much as possible, leaving a deep and possibly troubling impression on him.

    In this life, Princess Jiang Hai didn¡¯t have an official partner yet, and the lurking suitors finally couldn¡¯t hold back any longer¡ªafter all, winning over the Governor¡¯s only daughter wouldn¡¯t just benefit oneself; their families could benefit and advance for decades! S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Moreover, her beauty was exquisite and perfect, a feature no man could find fault with¡­ Which man wouldn¡¯t be moved by such a woman, and which could suppress the impulse to get ahead?

    Licked! Smooth, sleek, hiss hiss! As long as everyone licks, sticking out my tongue and wagging my tail won¡¯t be embarrassing!

    Yan Yu perfectly anticipated the flatterers¡¯ mindset and sneered disdainfully. He was about to head downstairs for hydrotherapy when he suddenly caught Chen Lingyun¡¯s gaze from afar, looking over.

    The moment their eyes met, her fake smile transformed into one filled with genuine warmth and pleasure, as if she had found something sincerely enjoyable¡ªor perhaps amusing.

    Yan Yu immediately felt something was amiss and hurried to head downstairs. But Princess Jiang Hai had already risen and was rapidly approaching.

    Once the princess moved, the pack of suitors naturally swarmed after her, creating a rather overwhelming¡ªno, frightening¡ªsight.

    Yan Yu hurried his steps, Chen Lingyun quickened hers, and the suitors did the same. Everyone in the banquet hall seemed to be having a chase.

    Yan Yu wanted to take the stairs two at a time to descend quickly but didn¡¯t expect that Chen Lingyun, with her short legs pumping like she was about to take flight, finally caught up with him at the staircase¡ªclutching his arm forcefully, she smiled and said:

    ¡°Dear, would you like to go for hydrotherapy?¡±

    The suitors behind instantly fell silent. Though no one spoke out, most were grappling with the shock, while several faces twisted grotesquely with jealousy.

    ¡°Let go!¡± Yan Yu, refusing to be duped, tried to shake her hand off, ¡°I don¡¯t know you!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s going to be my boyfriend~¡± Chen Lingyun announced to the crowd, smiling sweetly.

    As a result, facial spasms induced by jealousy dispersed rapidly, and everyone¡¯s faces showed a ¡°I really want to kill you¡± sort of smile. They mutteringly agreed with remarks like ¡°Ah, truly a match of talent and beauty,¡± and Yan Yu, unable to hold back any longer, simply dragged the arm accessory forcefully downstairs, disappearing from the suitors¡¯ view.

    ¡°Do you have a death wish?¡± Yan Yu pulled Chen Lingyun off his arm with a displeased expression and forcibly pushed her against the wall.

    Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t answer, but instead leaned in to give him a kiss, spreading a soft and warm sensation across his lips.

    Yan Yu pushed her small head away, impatiently saying:

    ¡°Can a kiss solve the problem?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Chen Lingyun replied sweetly, ¡°But it can calm you down.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    She wanted to slap her, but then she remembered that in their past life, even though she kept stalling and wouldn¡¯t marry, she had never broken up or cheated in the face of a constant stream of suitors¡­ Which is why in this life, I chose to part on good terms. But why are you coming to please me again?

    Men!

    Yan Yu hated his own tendency to dwell on past relationships. Even though he was determined to be the strongest in this life, he couldn¡¯t even handle his shameless ex-girlfriend who had the nerve to throw herself at him!

    Damn it, if this keeps up, how can I call myself the strongest in this world!

    Time to go for a spa treatment to calm down.

    Yan Yu left her standing there and silently walked towards the SPA area, quickly followed by the sound of hurried footsteps behind him.

    Chen Lingyun tried to grab Yan Yu¡¯s hand, but he shook her off. She didn¡¯t seem upset at all; in fact, her smile grew even sweeter, as if she¡¯d found a new toy to amuse herself with.

    Down in the first-floor garden, Su Yunjin and Lin Ning browsed for a while, encountering many people who came up to chat them up.

    Chen Lingyun had helped them fend off one group, but with both girls¡¯ good looks and presence, it didn¡¯t take long for curious young masters to be drawn to them.

    When some recognized their cultivator status (hadn¡¯t they seen them on TV before?), they eagerly came over to strike up a conversation.

    If they couldn¡¯t get to Chen Lingyun, they thought, why not try their luck with her teammates?

    The top cultivators from the Zhenhai Team surely had bright futures ahead, and opportunities for pursuit were not to be missed.

    Even though it was essentially sucking up, these people were polite in tone and attitude. Seeing that the girls were not interested in talking, they would simply smile slightly and leave. But it was hard to deal with wave after wave of people, even using the same pickup lines several times, like ¡°I¡¯m your fan¡± or ¡°Can I add you as a friend?¡±, which annoyed both girls.

    While Su Yunjin was relatively good-natured about it, Lin Ning was more short-tempered and finally, unable to bear it any longer yet not wanting to be rude, could only reply with ¡°Sorry, I have a boyfriend,¡± to get them to back off.

    ¡°Where on earth has Yan Yu gone!¡± Once again having dispatched a few would-be conversationalists, Lin Ning grumbled, her temper flaring.

    At that moment, Su Yunjin also realized something: the members who could enter this clubhouse were all individuals with status and stature¡ªnot necessarily here for leisure, but more for networking.

    As cultivators of the Zhenhai Team, with Liu Longtao as a role model, it was only natural that they became priority connections, even pursuits, for many¡ªit was to be expected.

    Of course, Liu Longtao had anticipated this and specifically arranged for the vice-captain Ye Jun to come and shield the girls from unnecessary trouble.

    But now, with Ye Jun and the captain both absent, it seemed they were probably sent off somewhere else¡­

    She silently pondered and strategized, while Lin Ning didn¡¯t think too much. More inclined to action than to thought, she had dialed their captain seven or eight times without an answer and was now stubbornly trying again.

    Finally, the call connected!

    ¡°Yan Yu, where have you run off to again!¡± Lin Ning burst out complaining, ¡°Do you have any idea how many people have been hitting on us up here?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Fresh out of the spa, Yan Yu was bewildered by Sister Lin¡¯s tirade upon answering the call, at first clueless and then bursting into laughter, ¡°People hit on you, and you can¡¯t find a quiet place to hide?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Lin Ning was suddenly at a loss for words.

    Why didn¡¯t they hide? Because Yun Jin wanted to see the flowers in the garden!

    But she couldn¡¯t complain about that to the captain because he would surely laugh at her and say, ¡°If Yun Jin isn¡¯t in a hurry, why are you?¡± So she just held back her anger and quickly asked:

    ¡°Where are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m on the lower level, just finished my spa treatment, it¡¯s relaxing,¡± Yan Yu responded.

    ¡°You need to come up here quick! We¡¯re in the back garden!¡± Lin Ning insisted angrily.

    ¡°Why should I come up?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Pretend to be our boyfriend so the people hitting on us will see you and think the flowers are taken and stop bothering us!¡± Lin Ning complained without thinking, originally intending to blame him for their harassment because he was busy with his spa, but then Su Yunjin next to her blushed with embarrassment and hastily called out:

    ¡°Ningning!¡±

    Lin Ning also quickly realized she had spoken wrongly, her face turning red as she frantically corrected herself:

    ¡°No! I said it wrong, I¡¯m not asking you to pretend to be both our boyfriends! I meant¡ªyou should pretend to be hers¡­ I mean, Yun Jin¡¯s¡­ not that either! Geez! Just come here and pretend to be her boyfriend so she can watch the flowers, and I¡¯ll go find a quiet room to hide and play with my phone!¡±

 Chapter 256: 54: Zhao Yuanzhen, the Family Pet

    Chapter 256: Chapter 54: Zhao Yuanzhen, the Family Pet

    The spa service quality was not bad, if only I hadn¡¯t been with Chen Lingyun.

    What happened to the private, single-person care? How could they let her in too! Just for that, I can only give a passing grade, I can¡¯t rate any higher.

    Upon arriving at the ground-floor garden, Yan Yu saw Su and Lin standing by the pond, feeding the koi with breadcrumbs.

    Based on their appearance and demeanor, neither resembled Chai Dai. Lin Ning was lively and full of vigor, while Su Yunjin was gentle, quiet, and elegantly simple; their characters were entirely different.

    However, having spent so much time with them, Yan Yu knew that underneath Lin Ning¡¯s seemingly extroverted personality was a delicate, sensitive heart that loved to dwell and fuss over things. Yun Jin was typically soft on the outside yet firm on the inside, her gentle speech could carry a heavy force of control; she appeared frail but was actually astute and assertive.

    In a way, could it be that they really did have a bit of Chai Dai¡¯s shadow in them?

    ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± Yan Yu said, hands in pockets, sauntering over to them, ¡°what did you call me for?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t need you anymore,¡± Lin Ning said with annoyance.

    ¡°I heard someone was being hit on and harassed?¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°Now you realize that being pretty has its disadvantages too, huh?¡±

    Lin Ning immediately spun around to throw a kick, but Yan Yu, having anticipated it, dodged neatly. Su Yunjin then said from the side: S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Don¡¯t argue with Ningning, come and stand over here.¡±

    Yan Yu stood between the two girls and didn¡¯t say much more. Indeed, for the next while, no one else came over to bother them.

    The reason was simple: the clubhouse was exclusive to members, with a small circle; everyone recognized the existing female members, so if they saw an unfamiliar and alone pretty lady, they¡¯d hurry to make friends and see if there were any chances. But if there was a man next to her, they¡¯d assume she was a guest brought by a member and immediately lose interest.

    Su Yunjin had keenly guessed that was the case when she saw someone pass by with a female companion earlier.

    Yet she was unfazed by being seen as a companion, and instead enjoyed the peace, quietly staying beside Yan Yu, watching the carps swim in the pond.

    ¡°You girls could also try the downstairs spa,¡± Yan Yu suggested, ¡°It¡¯s quite comfortable, and you won¡¯t be disturbed.¡±

    ¡°Will you join us?¡± Su Yunjin asked faintly.

    ¡°No, I just came back from there,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Then I don¡¯t want to go,¡± Su Yunjin said.

    In their brief exchange, an invisible gravitational field seemed to form, pressing down on Lin Ning until she couldn¡¯t breathe and forced her to cut in abruptly:

    ¡°You went to the spa downstairs without us, and now you come up here to show off after you¡¯re done!¡±

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Yan Yu said inexplicably, ¡°If I don¡¯t try it, how would I know the quality of the service here? I have to make sure everything is fine before I recommend it to you.¡±

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Lin Ning pouted.

    Her response wasn¡¯t so much a complaint against Yan Yu, but an attempt to break the tension between the two. Now that the goal had been achieved, she naturally didn¡¯t say any more.

    Su Yunjin, watching quietly from the side, frowned slightly, feeling an uncomfortable twist in her heart, and suggested:

    ¡°There¡¯s a place for bird-watching over there, come with me to take a look.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Yan Yu agreed.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go too!¡± Lin Ning quickly followed suit.

    In a corner of the garden, various bird cages hung, most of which belonged to members who left their birds here for the clubhouse to take care of¡ªkeeping birds was a tradition among the old folks of Pingjing, particularly those who sang often and loudly, or could speak auspicious words, which brought them joy.

    ¡°I also want to keep a bird,¡± Su Yunjin suddenly said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell it all the secrets I can¡¯t say out loud.¡±

    The atmosphere suddenly became heavy again. Lin Ning opened her mouth as if to say something but then stopped, only to hear Yan Yu laugh and say:

    ¡°Then you shouldn¡¯t get a parrot. If it learns everything, and suddenly calls out when there are people around: ¡®Squawk! I¡¯m gaining weight again,¡¯ wouldn¡¯t that be embarrassing?¡±

    Su Yunjin couldn¡¯t hold back a smile, gave him a light glance, and laughed with her mouth covered:

    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t hear it, it doesn¡¯t matter who it talks to.¡±

    Even though it was a quick glance, mixed with a touch of girlish shyness and reproach, it seemed all the more enchanting.

    Lin Ning, too, caught the look in her eyes and grew even more restless¡ªnot the same strange weight as before, but a new kind of panic and unease that screamed ¡°I don¡¯t fit in here.¡±

    She was just a simple sword immortal, unable to grasp the mysteries of these spells, her only recourse was to bluntly break in with a change of subject:

    ¡°Speaking of pets, I¡¯m thinking of keeping tropical fish.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t fish quite easy to kill?¡± Su Yunjin remarked lightly.

    ¡°Not really,¡± Lin Ning defended, ¡°We have a big aquarium at home. It¡¯s been years, and they¡¯re all doing well.¡±

    ¡°Which one do you prefer, Captain?¡± Su Yunjin casually asked, ¡°If you had to choose between the two, bird or fish?¡±

    The heavy atmosphere descended once more!

    Yan Yu was no fool and could taste the almost imperceptible tension in the air. If he chose birds, Lin Ning would be unhappy; but if he chose fish, Su Yunjin would be upset¡­ This was no longer about a preference for pets but about the soul-searching question ¡°Whose side are you really on?¡±

    But why should I choose sides? Do you think you deserve my allegiance?

    Such amateurs, all causing me these trivial problems!

    ¡°Birds need their cages changed, and fish need their water changed, both are troublesome,¡± Yan Yu calmly replied, ¡°I think Sister Zhao is easier to take care of, she can fend for herself, use the toilet on her own, and still provides enough emotional value.¡±

    Su Yunjin: ¡­¡­

    Lin Ning: ¡­¡­

    Can you not compare girls to animals, please?!

    ¡°Speaking of which, where has Sister Zhao gone?¡± Yan Yu suddenly realized it had been a while since they¡¯d seen the Demonic Sect Enchantress.

    ¡°She went to the restaurant with Ruoxi to find something to eat earlier,¡± Lin Ning replied, feeling somewhat helpless inside. The way she said it sounded a bit too much like they were animals¡­

    ¡°Let¡¯s go have a look,¡± Yan Yu said.

    The three of them left the garden courtyard and returned to the banquet hall inside, where they saw the dining table surrounded by crowds both inside and out. From time to time, cheers could be heard:

    ¡°Great!¡±

    ¡°Thrilling!¡±

    ¡°Can they still eat?¡±

    ¡°Worthy of a cultivator!¡±

    Yan Yu couldn¡¯t squeeze through the crowd, so he released his Divine Sense to pierce through the throng and saw a table piled with various foods, with two girls eating heartily.

    Xie Ruoxi wolfed down food for a while and then put her hands in front of her and pressed down, channeling True Yuan around her stomach area to speed up digestion¡ªa testament to the woman who could self-taught the art of fasting in her past life. She had also developed a method to digest food.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was even more exaggerated. She lined up the shelled lobsters on the side of the table and then, while squatting and shuffling along, shoved chunks of lobster meat into her mouth and chewed vigorously, drawing continuous exclamations from the surrounding members.

    It was as if they were watching a tiger feed.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­

    When one girl breaks your defenses, there¡¯s always another girl to break through your defenses in kind. Such is the cycle of natural justice, an inescapable retribution!

    Yan Yu could no longer hold back and waved over a suit-clad manager who was standing by, saying:

    ¡°Get rid of their meals, quick.¡±

    ¡°I apologize,¡± the manager replied respectfully but firmly, ¡°It is our duty to satisfy the members¡¯ needs, provided it does not affect other members¡¯ enjoyment of our services.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently, ¡°Let me rephrase: If you don¡¯t get rid of their meals now, I¡¯m going to smash their dining table. Choose.¡±

    The manager immediately fell silent, with a sudden appearance of cold sweat on his forehead.

    The owner of the club had a very strong background, so strong that ordinary members would not cause trouble here. But the person in front of him was the captain of the Zhenhai Team, and behind him stood that gentleman; if he really did get angry and smash the place, the owner would likely have no recourse against him.

    As everyone knew, when the boss couldn¡¯t handle an opponent, he would take out his frustration on the subordinates who caused the trouble; after all, something would have to be done to appease the anger.

    ¡°How about this,¡± the manager proposed cautiously, ¡°We have a small issue in the kitchen right now, and the food supply may be affected thereafter¡­ When would you find it acceptable for the issue to be resolved?¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow,¡± Yan Yu understood his hint, saying nonchalantly, ¡°I reckon it definitely won¡¯t be fixed tonight, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, please understand.¡± The manager quickly pressed his headset and ordered the kitchen to cut off the water and electricity, creating a malfunction.

    Soon, the food on the table was devoured completely by the two of them.

    More food didn¡¯t arrive, which not only dissatisfied Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi but also upset the members who enjoyed watching the spectacle; they started to make a commotion:

    ¡°Is there more food? Bring it on, quick!¡±

    Many members ran to the kitchen to urge them on, and Yan Yu finally found a chance to quietly weave through the crowd and came up between Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi, asking gently:

    ¡°Have you had your fill?¡±

    ¡°How could this little bit be satisfying¡­¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said dismissively without looking up.

    Xie Ruoxi, trembling beside her, tugged at her sleeve and whispered:

    ¡°Sister Zhao, that¡¯s Yan¡­ Yan¡­¡±

    ¡°Bird¡¯s nest?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen turned her head, eyes lighting up, ¡°I¡¯m actually thirsty, where¡¯s the bird¡¯s nest?¡±

    Then she got slapped on the head as Yan Yu transmitted a scold in a low voice:

    ¡°Reincarnation of a starving ghost! Can¡¯t you choose the occasion to eat? Are you proud to be made a clown for others to watch you eat?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was hit for no reason, but she dared not publicly argue with Yan Yu; she just held her head with both hands, silently seething:

    ¡°What a petty thief! I haven¡¯t eaten your rice; what right do you have to lecture me like this!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re cursing me as a reincarnation of a starving ghost, huh? Once I achieve the path of the Demon Lord, I¡¯ll hang that petty thief and in front of him, I¡¯ll eat up all his rice soup!¡±

    With that thought, a vision came to her mind.

    She saw Yan Yu stripped naked, all his treasures and Flying Swords taken away, with his arms and legs bound by the dragon rope, watching Mrs. Zhao search the house for food and then screaming wildly:

    ¡°Damn it, you can¡¯t! That¡¯s the only food we have left at home! You can¡¯t eat it!¡±

    ¡°Hee hee hee, didn¡¯t you curse me as a starving ghost? Now you¡¯ll see!¡± Mrs. Zhao revealed a wicked smile, fumbling from beneath the coffee table for a starch sausage Yan Yu had stashed away, and adeptly unwrapping it, ¡°Today I¡¯ll show you what¡¯s what!¡±

    ¡°Quack! No, please! I apologize, I was wrong, I shouldn¡¯t have cursed you¡­ Please don¡¯t touch it!¡±

    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m going to eat your starch sausage!¡±

    At this point, Zhao Yuanzhen was thoroughly amused, looking at Yan Yu with a mocking and scornful expression as if to say, ¡°We¡¯ve got a long road ahead; just you wait.¡±

    Yan Yu: ?

    Still daring to challenge?

    He reached out again with a large hand, firmly holding Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s head, and revealed an arrogantly cold smile of a man who suppressed all through the ages.

 Chapter 257: 55: The Witch, Baring Her Heart!

    Chapter 257: Chapter 55: The Witch, Baring Her Heart!

    People came back from the upscale clubhouse feeling far from content.

    Chen Lingyun was upset due to being surrounded by dogs; Su Yunjin and Lin Ning were bothered by being hit on; Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi were dissatisfied because they hadn¡¯t eaten to their hearts¡¯ content. All in all, everyone had their points of discontent. Perhaps only Yan Yu was quite pleased¡ªshe not only enjoyed a spa treatment and accompanied the two ladies in admiring the flowers and birds, but she also taught Zhao and Xie a good lesson, preventing them from making too much of a spectacle of themselves. It could be said that her afternoon was very fulfilling.

    Back at the ancient buildings of Little Tangshan, the moody ladies perked up at the thought of a hot spring on the premises.

    In her room, Yan Yu received a message from Ye Jun.

    It¡¯s done. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Within the next week, the forecast of precipitation, be it rain or snow, for various parts of the country was clearly marked on the map¡ªdetails including the place, the amount of rainfall, and whether it was the first snowfall of the season.

    After thanking Ye Jun, Yan Yu looked at the map she had sent for a while, and had a rough idea of where to search for rain and snow.

    To refine the essence of water in elemental cultivation, one needs Rootless Water. There are four kinds of Rootless Water: morning dew, drizzling rain, initial melting snow, and originally, there¡¯s also ground frost, which is frost water.

    But Yan Yu, with the advantage of knowledge from her previous life, was aware that frost water often carries a large amount of earthy impurities. If all four types of water are combined for cultivation, while it might be speedy, the refined water essence would not be pure. Later, the impurities would have to be painstakingly removed¡ªit¡¯s pure torment. You might be in a rush early on, but sooner or later, you¡¯ll have to doubly compensate for it.

    The key to cultivating the essence of water is its absolute purity. Any contamination with impurities means it¡¯s best to discard it completely without hesitation. It¡¯s like an apple with a rotten spot¡ªmost people would just remove the bad part and use the rest, but Yan Yu knew it was better to throw away the entire apple. Otherwise, you¡¯re just saving the time it would take to replace one rotten apple, but when you later juice it with other apples and find a rotten smell, trying to extract the spoiled juice that came from that single apple¡¯s rot will cost you a hundred times more effort.

    Of course, if you¡¯re overly meticulous in choosing the purest Rootless Water for your practice, you¡¯ll face a problem: your progress at the beginning will certainly be slower than others, much slower.

    This is also why Yan Yu prepared in advance for Su Yunjin¡ªsince the beginning is slow, why not get a head start?

    After playing with her smartphone for a while, feeling somewhat bored, she decided to go out for a walk. Suddenly, she discovered Zhao Yuanzhen standing in the corridor outside, wearing a bathrobe and staring blankly into the dark courtyard.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Yan Yu walked over and asked, ¡°Not joining them for the hot spring?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen glanced at her with little enthusiasm and replied, ¡°The hot spring room is too warm. I came out to cool off.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s windy outside, go back soon.¡± Yan Yu turned and left.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen followed her back to the room, silent and sullen.

    Back in her room, Yan Yu noticed Zhao Yuanzhen seemed off and asked again:

    ¡°Is it because I didn¡¯t let you have a good meal today, so you¡¯re here sulking and holding a grudge against me?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was somewhat at a loss for words. We¡¯re Daoist companions, hey you rascal! In your mind, just how petty do you think I am?

    ¡°No,¡± she said, feeling irritated, ¡°I just suddenly remembered something from my past in the sect.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not interested,¡± Yan Yu crossed her legs and sat on the bed, clapped her thighs, and said solemnly, ¡°Less nonsense, come and dual-cultivate with me!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen instantly bristled, pounced onto the bed with a howl, and pinned Yan Yu down, clutching his neck and squeezing him against her, shouting:

    ¡°You better ask me what exactly it is!¡±

    Yan Yu intended to forcefully push her away, but as his face was being pressed down and he struggled to breathe, he could only communicate through a secret voice transmission:

    ¡°Alright, alright, so what exactly are you worried about?¡±

    ¡°Sigh,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen let him go, showing a ¡°I can¡¯t take this anymore¡± expression and sighed, ¡°I just suddenly felt that I might be a bit too stupid.¡±

    Yan Yu: ???

    No, can¡¯t laugh here, or else this Demonic Sect Enchantress will become infuriated and seek mutual destruction with me.

    With his formidable composure from two lifetimes, Yan Yu desperately controlled the muscles of his face to keep from smiling and feigned ignorance:

    ¡°Not at all? Who says you¡¯re stupid?¡±

    ¡°Sigh,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen hammered her thigh firmly, seriously saying, ¡°Of course, I know I¡¯m not stupid! I¡¯m just¡­ My mentor once assessed my character and said that although I lack a cunning mind, I have the essence of returning to simplicity and truth, which makes for good cultivation potential.¡±

    ¡°But look at me now. I can¡¯t even handle my relationship with my second senior sister. I was unable to see through my first senior sister¡¯s malicious schemes. I was being hunted by Mei Yingxue that day, and if I hadn¡¯t stumbled upon a spatial rift and hidden in it¡­ I¡­ I fear I would have already been dead.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu said seriously.

    ¡°If only I could have united with my second senior sister, my eldest senior sister might not have harbored thoughts of harming me,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen continued, her expression growing even more dejected and desolate, ¡°If only I had seen through my eldest senior sister¡¯s plots and schemes, I wouldn¡¯t have ended up in this world. I admit I¡¯m a bit slow and I accept any punishment, but¡­ but I feel sorry for Master, who must be upset not being able to find me.¡±

    As she spoke, tears started to fall. She tried to wipe them away but failed to stop them, simply kept dabbing at the corners of her eyes and said in a sad voice:

    ¡°Little thief, little thief, I miss Master so much, I really miss her¡­ but I can¡¯t go back, I can¡¯t return¡­¡±

    Yan Yu, watching her desperately wiping her tears, also felt a measure of pity and sympathy arise in his heart.

    No matter how venomous and ruthless the Demonic Sect Enchantress was, she still carried a hint of childlike reverence in her nature. It probably was a genuine display of emotion¡­ right?

    ¡°Alright, alright, stop crying,¡± he said as he reached out, hugged her, and held her in his arms, ¡°Without a master, don¡¯t you still have me, your Dao companion? There, there, there are still people in this world who are good to you¡­¡±

    As he spoke, he found he couldn¡¯t go on because Zhao Yuanzhen had started using his clothes to wipe her tears.

    This wretched woman!

    ¡°Mm.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen nodded, buried her face in his chest, and stopped making a sound.

    After a moment, she sniffled hard and suddenly raised her tear-streaked, pitifully beautiful face to ask:

    ¡°Little thief, how are you going to be good to me?¡±

    You¡¯re still asking for more, aren¡¯t you?

    Yan Yu intended to say, ¡°But you don¡¯t deserve it,¡± to strike hard at the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s arrogance, but facing her strong feminine allure and the doubled buff of her vulnerability, confronting her head-on was unwise. So, he looked up at the ceiling, pretending to ponder and said:

    ¡°Er, I¡¯ll take you to eat delicious food in the future.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not enough,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said with a pout.

    ¡°If someone offends you, I¡¯ll vent your anger for you.¡±

    ¡°Still not enough.¡±

    ¡°Then when you become famous, I¡¯ll help make your name known throughout Jiangnan and let the whole world know the title of Empress Yuanzhen.¡±

    ¡°Empress Yuanzhen¡­ Mmm, it¡¯s quite domineering, but it¡¯s not enough.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s still not enough?¡± Yan Yu thought to himself that at her peak in her previous life she was only at the level of the Eclipse Queen, already having lived a carefree and joyful life, so what more could she possibly want? Was she dreaming of becoming the strongest in this life? Dream on! At best, you¡¯ll become the strongest woman in this world!

    ¡°Not enough, not enough, not enough!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen clung to him and, seizing the moment when there was no room to escape, she coquettishly asked, ¡°When will you introduce me to your Master?¡±

    Yan Yu: !!!

    Body, suddenly stiff.

    Thoughts, suddenly frozen.

    Mind, suddenly blank.

    Originally, he had concocted a Master skilled in divination and highly capable because he hadn¡¯t had enough good feelings from the Demonic Sect Enchantress and needed to prevent her from killing him outright.

    Now that his favorability with her had reached a life-saving level, he no longer had to worry about her threatening his life, but where was he supposed to conjure this fictitious Master from?

    The pit he had dug for himself had finally ensnared him!

    If it were any man with insufficient resolve, he would have been sweating profusely by now, but Yan Yu had sworn to be the strongest in this world and wouldn¡¯t be felled by such sudden attacks. Lying came to him as easily as breathing:

    ¡°Since our relationship has reached this point, I¡¯ll be honest with you. My Master isn¡¯t in this world, but imprisoned in some realm beyond the heavens. Using tremendous divine powers, she managed to break through the endless spatial barriers and sent a wisp of divine thought to Earth to take me as her disciple and impart the teachings of karma to me. Now you want me to take you to see her, I won¡¯t lie to you, that is something I simply cannot do.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen, hearing ¡°Master isn¡¯t in this world,¡± felt some disappointment but then listened to ¡°imprisoned beyond the heavens¡± ¡°using great divine powers¡± ¡°sent divine thought to Earth¡± and immediately became awestruck, even slightly horrified.

    Oh my goodness! Even a Daluo Golden Immortal who has ascended is unable to contact their sect¡¯s descendants from the lower realm!

    Little thief¡­ oh no, my husband, could his Master¡¯s identity possibly be the immortal and indestructible Daluo Golden Immortal of legend?!

 Chapter 258: 56 Refining, First Melting the Snow

    Chapter 258: Chapter 56 Refining, First Melting the Snow

    The next morning, Yan Yu and the others were picked up by a private car at the villa¡¯s doorstep, heading towards Lingyan Pavilion.

    Lingyan Pavilion¡¯s grand conference hall, a place where the soldiers and officers of Lu Country dream of receiving honor, is used for the highest level of medal awarding, commendations, and rewards. Of course, it is also used for other ceremonies, but we will not discuss those here.

    The award ceremony was quite simple: in front of the cameras of the official media journalists, a senior official shook hands with Yan Yu, offered a few words of encouragement, and then personally pinned the medal on him.

    Longcheng Flying General!

    Though it seemed to draw inspiration from the anecdote of the Han general Li Guang, it was actually merely a blend of ¡°Yan Zhanlong¡± and ¡°famous general,¡± as well as a hope for his continued defense against foreign enemies in the future¡­ To be honest, Yan Yu wasn¡¯t dissatisfied and went along with the official¡¯s encouragement, saying a few auspicious phrases with positive energy, much to the relief of Li Weiguo, who was attending the meeting.

    The ladies also lined up to receive their medals, each receiving a badge as well, but their titles were ¡°Longcheng Heroic Generals,¡± presumably representing the spirit of valiant and majestic women.

    Besides the medals, there was of course a cash reward: 40 million yuan for each person.

    This amount actually included the rewards from the previous confrontation with the Flying Dragon Battle Team, combining both into a single disbursement¡ªit also set a clear guiding price for the remuneration system for cultivators nationwide: about 10 million yuan domestically and 20-30 million yuan internationally.

    This was the supremely generous treatment provided to cultivators by the current dynasty! Especially for most of the team cultivators at the current stage, they are not involved in the life-and-death struggles abroad (that¡¯s for the most powerful first-generation teams to handle), but domestically, if they fight in ten matches, they¡¯ll immediately have assets over a hundred million¡ªtax-free, pure profit, and the value is self-evident.

    And above all, it wasn¡¯t a loss either. Through commercial operations similar to the Superhero Alliance, currently just the auction of the broadcast rights for the mysterious realms domestically and abroad brings in 1 to 2 billion yuan in revenue per month. After paying the cultivators¡¯ salaries, there¡¯s still profit to be had. It was like retracing the path of the Olympic Games (which started off losing money with each edition, until one time it became commercialized and then made a fortune).

    With money and honor all in place, cultivators were naturally eager to pledge their loyalty to the country.

    Only Yan Yu knew that at this stage, neither fame nor profit was the most valuable but cultivation resources¡­

    The resurgence of Spiritual Energy was like an endless marathon. You might be able to keep up with the large group now, but you never know when you might be completely left behind.

    Moreover, because Lu Country had far fewer Transcendents than the international average, everyone would have to fight desperately on the battlefields later on, and there would be no escape.

    If you managed to get the medal of Longcheng Flying General, you¡¯d better truly maintain the strength of a Longcheng Flying General, because in the future you will definitely be asked to fly around all over the place to put out fires¡ªthe medals aren¡¯t that easy to get, are they?!

    After the award ceremony ended, Zhenhai Team was sent back to Jinling and was not retained for a celebratory feast as was customary.

    It wasn¡¯t for any particular reason, mainly because the international situation was getting increasingly tense, and it was inappropriate to delay their tactical training.

    As everyone took off from Pingjing on their swords, Yan Yu suddenly said,

    ¡°You guys go back to Jinling first, I have some matters to deal with Su Yunjin.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± The girls were all taken aback.

    ¡°It¡¯s official business,¡± Yan Yu emphasized.

    Oh, since it¡¯s not about taking Su Yunjin out for fun, but for official business, then it¡¯s alright.

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t think too much and nodded in understanding. Chen Lingyun, as always, smiled with her eyes curved, showing no particular emotion.

    Only Lin Ning had a subconscious reaction similar to Zhao and Xie, but soon felt a strange emotion:

    Could it be that the captain really was going to handle official matters, but Yunjin¡­ might take the opportunity to also deal with personal affairs?

    As for what personal affairs, she herself wasn¡¯t clear and didn¡¯t dare to think too deeply about it, just sullenly followed the team as they left.

    ¡°Ningning,¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly moved closer on her sword and whispered, ¡°You look like you are troubled, is there something on your mind?¡± S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Haha, what troubles could I possibly have~¡± Lin Ning didn¡¯t want Chen Lingyun to notice her unhappiness and feebly glossed over it.

    ¡°Mm-hmm, that¡¯s good then,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s tone became cheerful, ¡°If there¡¯s something bothering you and you want someone to talk to, you can tell me right away~ I won¡¯t tell anyone else.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Oh¡­¡± Lin Ning muttered in confusion.

    The others headed south back to Jinling, while Yan Yu took Su Yunjin northward, flying toward the direction of the Western Regions province.

    According to the meteorological map Ye Jun provided, there were places with rainfall all over the country, but the places with snowfall¡ªespecially the first snow of the year¡ªhad to be sought in the north.

    The north was divided into North China, Northeast, and Northwest. Considering that the goal was to collect Rootless Water as purely as possible, efforts had to be made to avoid chemical substances in the air from dissolving in the rain, which would affect the subsequent distillation of True Yuan from the water.

    North China had industrial clusters, and the Northeast had old industrial bases, both inevitably emitting pollutants, so it was necessary to find the least industrially developed Northwest.

    The two soon reached the Yellow River and then continued upstream. Su Yunjin did not ask much during the journey; she just quietly followed the Sword Flight of Yan Yu.

    According to the meteorological map, the cold air from Siberia was about to reach the provincial capital, Luntai Prefecture, and then be blocked by the Tianshan Mountains stretched across.

    North of Luntai Prefecture lay vast plains, and farther north was a desert basin, with almost no industrial presence, making it an ideal place for collecting the first snow of the season.

    Yan Yu, leading Su Yunjin with Sword Control Technique, arrived in Luntai Prefecture and then headed north. They deliberately avoided the highway and saw only withered grass, bushes, and piles of stones below, scarcely a hint of green to be seen.

    Finally, before reaching the desert area, they began to see snowflakes gradually falling from the sky.

    Surprised, Su Yunjin looked up at the sky and silently took out her phone to take pictures¡ªshe had seen snow only a few times in her life.

    Yan Yu also released his Divine Sense to scan the area.

    The absence of industrial pollution didn¡¯t mean the snow was entirely clean, as the falling snowflakes unavoidably collected dust and haze along the way.

    So they had to fly higher.

    The two controlled their Sword Light and ascended into the high altitude, feeling the surrounding temperature gradually cool down. Su Yunjin shivered a bit but then heard Yan Yu say,

    ¡°This should be high enough.¡±

    ¡°Listen carefully: To collect Rootless Water, it is best to do so as soon as it appears, to minimize impurity contamination.¡±

    ¡°We do not seek speed or efficiency, only purity. A single drop of pure water is more useful than a hundred drops containing impurities.¡±

    ¡°To collect the water, first expand your Divine Sense as much as possible. This place is a battleground between warm and cold air, where the water vapor will condense into snow upon rapid cooling. Use your Divine Sense to lock onto these tiny snowflakes, and then attract them with the Sword Control Technique. Of course, the incantation of that technique is specifically for Sword Control, which isn¡¯t quite suitable for controlling snow, so some parts need to be adjusted.¡±

    He recited several hundred words of modified content, roughly changing the Sword Control incantations into an object control technique, which surprised Su Yunjin. She couldn¡¯t help but ask,

    ¡°Yan Yu, that incantation isn¡¯t in the textbooks, where did you learn it from?¡±

    ¡°A secret.¡± Yan Yu had anticipated her question and had prepared a ¡°pretext for Su Yunjin,¡± saying nonchalantly, ¡°Everyone has their secrets, but now it¡¯s a secret between the two of us. Don¡¯t tell others, okay?¡±

    As expected, the moment he played the ¡°exclusive secret between me and Yan Yu that no one else knows,¡± Su Yunjin couldn¡¯t resist and laughed helplessly, saying,

    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t ask anymore and won¡¯t tell anyone else.¡±

    She closed her eyes and began to extend her Divine Sense in all directions, drawing the surrounding snowflakes toward her.

    ¡°Draw the snowflakes into the palm of your right hand, without processing them further,¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°Cover the right hand with the left, palms facing each other, leaving half a finger space between them. Use True Yuan to heat the snowflakes, causing them to melt, evaporate into vapor, rise, and condense into water droplets upon touching the left hand. This process removes the impurities mixed with the snowflakes, yielding pure melted snow water, which you then draw into the fish border acupoint of the left hand for absorption.¡±

    That was the great advantage of being a prophet. In the previous life, it took Lu Country a full eight years to properly understand how the ¡°Essence of the Five Elements¡¯ purity¡± was of utmost importance for the ¡°Tao Transformation.¡±

    It might seem that Yan Yu only added one step, but in essence, it was the result of eight years of scientific research, countless sample experiments for comparison, from which the most critical variable was discovered among many cultivation methods¡ªwithout this step, if you find after five or six years of cultivation that your Tao Transformation level is not advancing, then correcting that isn¡¯t just a matter of doubling the work, but rather a hundredfold more effort¡­ not an exaggeration at all.

    Su Yunjin did not understand why it had to be done this way, but seeing Yan Yu¡¯s serious expression and tone, she dared not be negligent and put her palms together, spacing them half a finger apart, beginning to focus intensively on refining the Rootless Water.

 Chapter 259: 57 Yan Yu, sweat soaked his back

    Chapter 259: Chapter 57 Yan Yu, sweat soaked his back

    Although Yan Yu had prepared himself, because of the high purity requirements, refining the freshly melted snow would be quite slow, but he hadn¡¯t expected it to be so slow.

    It was relatively simple to draw the snowflakes into the palm of his right hand, after all, Su Yunjin was also known for her True Yuan control, but the next step, vaporizing it by heating, was where problems arose.

    The high altitude was windy, and it was a tug-of-war zone for hot and cold air, so when the snowflakes were evaporated into vapor, they were about to scatter with the wind, with barely one-tenth being caught by the palm of his left hand to condense into liquid.

    After refining for an entire day, he could only manage about a dozen drops of water. At this rate, he estimated it would take at least three months to collect the freshly melted snow water.

    However, refining the Essence of the Five Elements was indeed a painstaking task, and it couldn¡¯t involve the help of external forces or items, otherwise, there would be problems in refining the heart. Therefore, Yan Yu made the related issues clear to Su Yunjin, telling her it was a long-term job and she didn¡¯t need to be too anxious about it.

    ¡°We¡¯ll follow the cold air down south, continue Sword Flight while collecting and refining until we reach Tianshan.¡±

    Of course, Su Yunjin was not in a hurry now; this was a rare, precious time for her to spend with her Captain!

    There wasn¡¯t any unnecessary disturbance like ¡°What about me?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°I want to go too.¡± I couldn¡¯t wait for it to continue just like this!

    Approaching midnight, the two returned to Luntai Prefecture and looked for a hotel to stay and rest.

    ¡°Two rooms, please¡­¡± Yan Yu hadn¡¯t finished speaking when he heard Su Yunjin immediately added, ¡°One room should be enough.¡±

    Yan Yu: ?

    The hotel front desk clerk blinked, having seen all sorts of situations; he immediately picked up on the fact that it was the woman in the couple who was taking the initiative and said straight away:

    ¡°Alright, one king-size bed?¡±

    ¡°A standard room.¡± Yan Yu quickly said.

    Su Yunjin remained silent. Given her shy nature, asking for one room was her limit, and she couldn¡¯t handle the idea of sharing one bed¡­ A standard room was the best option for her.

    After completing the identification check with their IDs and facial recognition, they got the key cards, and she prepared herself for the Captain¡¯s questions. The answer would be ¡°One room is cheaper,¡± ¡°there are two beds anyway, you sleep on yours and I¡¯ll sleep on mine.¡± If he asked again, she would say, ¡°Surely, Captain, you wouldn¡¯t start to have feelings just from sharing a room with me.¡±

    But Yan Yu didn¡¯t say anything, which made all her prepared excuses fall flat.

    Standing inside the elevator, Yan Yu was watching the floor panel, while Su Yunjin stood silently beside him, occasionally glancing at him.

    Back in the hotel room, she finally mustered up the courage to ask:

    ¡°Do you want to use the bathroom first, or should I?¡±

    ¡°You first,¡± Yan Yu pulled out his mobile phone, ¡°I need to take a call.¡±

    As Su Yunjin went to the bathroom, Yan Yu picked up the call, only to hear Li Weiguo asking:

    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you returned to Jinling?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re vacationing here in Luntai,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°Vacationing¡­¡± Li Weiguo was somewhat speechless, ¡°Everyone else has returned, only you and Su Yunjin haven¡¯t. The team isn¡¯t complete. What if there¡¯s a mission requiring full attendance? Never mind, it¡¯s good that you¡¯ve settled down there; it saves you from being talked about as the harem team.¡±

    Yan Yu felt he had misunderstood something, but Li Weiguo didn¡¯t give him the chance to explain and continued:

    ¡°There¡¯s a mission in Jiujiang Province, and I¡¯ve sent Chen Lingyun with a team. You two just happen to be in the Western Regions, where a Mysterious Realm has appeared in Tianshan, and the situation seems quite complicated. Now is not the time for team confrontation, the Pingxi Army has discussed with me¡ªyou two might as well solve it while you¡¯re there.¡±

    ¡°Just the two of us?¡± Yan Yu asked casually, ¡°The Western Regions are under the jurisdiction of the Pingxi Army, and they¡¯re seeking our help instead of the Huofeng Team, is that alright?¡±

    ¡°Zhou Hongyu is hospitalized,¡± Li Weiguo stated succinctly.

    ¡°Oh, right, right.¡± Yan Yu also remembered.

    Poor Xiao Zhou was still lying in the hospital. If the Mysterious Realm itself was very difficult and the Pingxi Army were short on people for the time being, it was normal for them to ask for assistance from the top cultivator of the Zhendong Army, who happened to be in the area, and reach out to Li Weiguo.

    ¡°Alright, when do they need us?¡±

    ¡°Should they pick you up at nine tomorrow morning?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Yan Yu hung up the phone, thinking that this was going to be a bit troublesome.

    The cold air continued to move south and wouldn¡¯t wait for anyone. With the window for collecting early snow lying ahead, who had time to take care of a Mysterious Realm in Tianshan?

    ¡°Might as well let Yun Jin continue working; I¡¯ll go destroy the Mysterious Realm by myself.¡±

    Just as Yan Yu was thinking about ditching Secretary Su to work solo, he saw Su Yunjin coming out of the bathroom, wiping her wet hair.

    ¡°Who called just now?¡± she asked casually.

    ¡°Nothing important, just a sales call,¡± Yan Yu tried to bluff his way through.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Su Yunjin nodded, then asked nonchalantly, ¡°Since it was a sales call, why did you ask them why they didn¡¯t contact the Huofeng Team?¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    This girl gave him the chills.

    He figured that even if she had the full proof of her husband¡¯s infidelity one day, with a fruit knife in her left hand and divorce papers hidden behind her back, she¡¯d still have the nerve to ask her oblivious husband with a smile, ¡°Who just called you?¡±

    ¡°You heard everything in the bathroom just now?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Su Yunjin picked up the hair dryer, ¡°I just happened to hear that part.¡±

    I¡¯d have to see a ghost to believe that! Yan Yu decided not to tell more lies and honestly admitted:

    ¡°Alright, I can¡¯t fool you. It was old man Li calling, asking me to deal with a Mysterious Realm over by the Tianshan mountains.¡±

    ¡°Why did you lie to me just now?¡± Su Yunjin asked calmly. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Although she was blow-drying her hair with her head to the side, revealing the soft lines of a woman¡¯s body, and her tone was gentle, she somehow exuded a strong pressure and deterrence. If you happened to be guilty of something, she would make you sweat profusely with her questions.

    ¡°Because I didn¡¯t want to worry you,¡± Yan Yu used a soft approach to counter the strong pressure, deftly deflecting it all back.

    Su Yunjin fell silent for a moment, then asked:

    ¡°So what do you plan to do?¡±

    ¡°Military orders are like mountains,¡± Yan Yu had already decided, ¡°I¡¯ll go take care of it. You keep collecting the freshly melted snow here.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll go with you,¡± Su Yunjin decisively refused.

    ¡°Why?¡± Yan Yu frowned.

    ¡°Does the captain not know why?¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t know why.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the same reason I insist on sharing a room with you, captain,¡± Su Yunjin revealed a pure and beautiful smile, ¡°do you still want to ask?¡±

    ¡°No, no more questions.¡± Yan Yu could not resist any longer and decided to give up the back-and-forth.

    He felt that if he continued to play dumb, Secretary Su would probably come out with a ¡°Because I like you,¡± followed by ¡°What does the captain think of me?¡± and then deliver the final blow with ¡°Can the captain be with me for a lifetime?¡± Yan Yu would be completely crushed by the gravity she released, captured, and taken to register for marriage, condemning him to an eternal hell.

    ¡°So, can I accompany the captain to the Mysterious Realm this time?¡± Su Yunjin continued to ask.

    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Yan Yu fell silent for a while, then added, ¡°We need to make it quick, so as not to delay your collection of snow water.¡±

    ¡°Mmm,¡± Su Yunjin clasped her hands, her smile becoming genuinely joyful.

    The captain agreed to let me accompany him to the Mysterious Realm! Heehee, I must be the fastest progressing member in the team right now, right?

    With this first time, there will be a second; I can gradually adapt to the captain¡¯s combat rhythm, and later on, even in formal team combat, I can fight alongside the captain!

    Thinking that she might be the first in the team to keep up with and even coordinate with Yan Yu¡¯s pace, Su Yunjin couldn¡¯t help but feel overjoyed. She promptly sat down beside him and earnestly said:

    ¡°I will work hard.¡±

    What are you going to work hard on! But Yan Yu wasn¡¯t aware she was only thinking about coordination in battle and immediately felt a bit overwhelmed: So you¡¯re going to keep releasing your gravity spells, conquer me, and then drag me to marriage registration, right?

    ¡°Yun Jin,¡± he tried to soften his words a bit, expressing his stance while not cornering the other person into a blunt confrontation, ¡°you don¡¯t have to try so hard; some things can¡¯t be forced.¡±

    ¡°The captain doesn¡¯t need to test me with those words,¡± Su Yunjin was brimming with fighting spirit and did not notice Yan Yu¡¯s troubled expression, continuing to insist, ¡°Whether it¡¯s for three years, five years, ten years, or a lifetime¡­ I won¡¯t give up!¡±

    Yan Yu really started to sweat profusely. Was the heating in this room turned up too high?

 Chapter 260: 58: The Demon of the Heart, Arriving Quietly

    Chapter 260: Chapter 58: The Demon of the Heart, Arriving Quietly

    The following dawn. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Without having to spend the night dual cultivating with the Demonic Sect Enchantress, Yan Yu¡¯s sleep quality had improved a lot, dreamless throughout the night.

    He woke up groggily, wondering why his phone alarm hadn¡¯t gone off?

    His vision suddenly caught sight of someone squatting by the bed, staring at his face.

    Yan Yu instantly snapped his eyes open, only to see Su Yunjin quickly stand up in a fluster, pretending to fiddle with the plastic bag on the bedside table, then feign surprise, saying,

    ¡°Captain, you¡¯re awake? I¡¯ve brought you breakfast.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­

    Although I¡¯m touched by your thoughtful gesture of bringing me breakfast, the way you were squatting by the bed staring at me was truly frightening. I can¡¯t say for sure whether I should be grateful or scared right now.

    He slowly sat up, rubbed his eyes, and began to eat the breakfast Su Yunjin had brought.

    Plain porridge, baked buns, a small dish of finely chopped vegetables, and milk tea served in a cup. Although it looked lavish, it had already gone nearly cold, seemingly having been left there for at least half an hour.

    So the question arises: From the time the breakfast was placed on the bedside table to the moment I woke up, what had Secretary Su been doing all this while?

    There¡¯s no use in dwelling on this question too much, just like you shouldn¡¯t probe into whether beautiful girls need to use the restroom. Let¡¯s maintain some dignity for each other.

    After finishing breakfast and freshening up, Yan Yu and Su Yunjin went downstairs and met the stationed cultivator troops outside the hotel entrance, who then escorted the pair to the entrance of the Mysterious Realm at Tianzhu Mountain.

    Due to previous events at Changbai Mountain, all major entrances to Mysterious Realms within the country are now heavily guarded to prevent unauthorized entry.

    If the two of them had directly used Sword Flight to go there without the correct friend-or-foe identification code, they would most likely have been riddled with bullets from anti-aircraft machine guns.

    The officer in charge of guarding the entrance to the Mysterious Realm was surnamed Bo, and Yan Yu was not in a hurry to enter. Instead, he inquired about the situation with Officer Bo,

    ¡°Have drones been sent in to scout?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve been in, but all the footage they captured was just white.¡±

    ¡°White?¡±

    ¡°As if the signal was being interfered with,¡± Officer Bo handed him the video to see.

    Yan Yu carefully watched, noting the video wasn¡¯t the kind of white static you¡¯d get from a TV with no signal. It was simply pure, contentless white.

    This¡­ doesn¡¯t seem like a signal issue, but more like it¡¯s being obscured by some kind of illusionary barrier.

    Heart-refining illusions are also a staple in traditional Lu Country cultivation dramas, and the more pure-minded a person is, the less likely they are to be affected. For example, the Demonic Sect Enchantress, whose mind is full of eating and drinking, or the handsome no-good who is all about fun and games, are the kind who can resist the effects of illusions well. On the other hand, someone like Chen Lingyun, with a more complicated mind, even knowing they are within an Illusion Realm, would find it difficult to calm their mind and see through the deception for a while.

    Of course, now that we¡¯re at the entrance to the Mysterious Realm, there¡¯s no need to call those two fools over by phone.

    After a brief moment of contemplation, Yan Yu and Su Yunjin put on their cameras and entered the Mysterious Realm.

    Past the entrance, they saw endless mountains all around, lofty snow peaks without end in sight.

    In front of the two was an extremely tall, massive, and magnificently beautiful ¡°super peak,¡± rising from among the surrounding mountains, stretching upwards so high that its peak was not visible, as if reaching to level with the sky.

    Su Yunjin gaped at the tower-like mountain peak and suddenly couldn¡¯t help shivering.

    Help, my fear of large objects is kicking in.

    Yan Yu, however, wasn¡¯t as sensitive as she was; he just tried Sword Flight.

    As expected, it wouldn¡¯t work.

    In the intermediate-to-advanced stages of the Lu Country Mysterious Realm, there are often restrictions on flight, which is also a kind of demarcation between ¡°high-difficulty Mysterious Realms¡± and ¡°ordinary Mysterious Realms.¡± For instance, residential communities with security are everywhere, but those where the property management cares about drones are generally a bit more upscale. Otherwise, what would you do if a drone flew to your balcony and peeked into your bedroom?

    Flight restrictions are very intricate and complex; ordinary Mysterious Realms wouldn¡¯t bother to set such things up. This only implies that the owner behind the Mysterious Realm certainly puts a lot of effort into display and grandeur.

    Yan Yu continued to gaze into the distance and noted that Tianzhu Mountain¡¯s peak was exceptionally steep. Although it wasn¡¯t completely vertical to the ground, it wasn¡¯t far off from ninety degrees.

    Free climbing was definitely impossible.

    The restrictions prevent Sword Flight, Cloud Ascension Technique, and most methods of ascent, like the flight of bird-like beasts, meaning you¡¯re not allowed to take shortcuts, only permitted to follow the mountain path.

    By the mountain gate at the base of Tianzhu Mountain, there stood a large stele with the words ¡°Kunlun Tianzhu¡± inscribed.

    Behind the stele, a winding and rugged path led behind Kunlun Tianzhu.

    The mountain path was paved with stone steps, not looking very difficult, but there must be dangers ahead.

    ¡°Shall we go?¡± Yan Yu turned to ask.

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s,¡± Su Yunjin nodded her head.

    The two passed the mountain gate and climbed the steps.

    After walking for more than ten minutes without encountering any danger, they saw the mountain path gradually tilting to the right, likely winding up and around Tianzhu Mountain.

    ¡°Yun Jin, be careful,¡± Yan Yu reminded her to prevent any carelessness. ¡°Just because we haven¡¯t encountered any enemies here doesn¡¯t mean the way ahead will be clear.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Su Yunjin secretly rejoiced, nodding her head without showing much on her face.

    During normal team operations, the leader would only say, ¡°Everyone be careful,¡± or even not say anything and leave the reminders to Ling Yun. Where can that compare to now, with his concern directed only at me, and his attention focused solely on me?

    With that thought, her heart grew even sweeter, as if she had eaten honey, and her steps became much more lively and brisk.

    She quietly approached Yan Yu from behind.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Yan Yu was always scanning the surroundings with his Divine Sense, and Su Yunjin¡¯s movements naturally couldn¡¯t escape him.

    ¡°I think what the captain said makes a lot of sense,¡± Su Yunjin said earnestly, ¡°It¡¯s better if we stay closer together. If anything unexpected happens, we can look out for each other, right?¡±

    Thinking of Secretary Su¡¯s anxious on-the-spot reactions, Yan Yu had no choice but to agree, so he instructed:

    ¡°Then come closer to me.¡±

    ¡°Okay~¡±

    Was this girl deliberately acting cute? Yan Yu had his suspicions, but seeing her constantly vigilant gaze scanning the surroundings, he felt like he might have been overthinking.

    Let¡¯s move on, then.

    The two continued for half an hour, and Yan Yu was also somewhat exhausted¡­ Physical strength was one thing, but mental fatigue was another.

    If it weren¡¯t for the changing scenery around them, he really would have thought they¡¯d run into a looping enchantment like ¡®ghost hitting the wall,¡¯ but looking at these endless stairs with no end in sight made it discouraging.

    ¡°Do you need to rest for a bit?¡± Su Yunjin asked.

    ¡°Let¡¯s rest for a while,¡± Yan Yu took out his phone, ¡°I¡¯ll set an alarm.¡±

    Su Yunjin found a flat spot near the steps, wiped it with a napkin, and gestured for Yan Yu to sit down.

    The two sat on the steps, feeling the cool but not cold mountain breeze and looking out at the continuous snow-capped mountains, it felt as if the whole world had quieted down.

    It even made them a little sleepy.

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± Su Yunjin suddenly asked, ¡°do you ever feel¡­ that I¡¯m pretty aggressive?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Yan Yu continued to scan the surroundings with his Divine Sense, and said, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much,¡± Su Yunjin said in a ladylike manner, crossing her legs and placing her hands on her knees, speaking softly, ¡°I¡¯ve never been in a relationship before, so I don¡¯t know how guys view me. I¡¯d like to hear your thoughts.¡±

    It was another skillfully indirect conversation. It seemed just like asking for an ¡°opinion about me,¡± but the precondition of ¡°I¡¯ve never been in a relationship¡± was incredibly suggestive.

    However, once you tell her ¡°you¡¯re not my type,¡± she would immediately put on an innocent face, ¡°I haven¡¯t confessed to you,¡± ¡°Why would you say that¡±¡­

    Yan Yu¡¯s mind raced, and he knew he had to play dumb and pretend not to catch Secretary Su¡¯s hints, so he replied:

    ¡°I think you¡¯re quite nice.¡±

    ¡°What kind of ¡®quite nice¡¯?¡± Su Yunjin stretched out her slender finger, resembling a green onion, and toyed with the little grass growing in the cracks of the stone steps, ¡°Can you be more specific?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re quite pretty,¡± Yan Yu said frankly.

    Su Yunjin couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, and with a clear voice she said:

    ¡°Captain, you can¡¯t just compliment a girl on her looks, it would make you appear superficial, as if you only care about her face.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, I remember now,¡± Yan Yu nodded and casually continued the conversation, ¡°I recall you once said to me: you prefer others to focus more on your inner qualities than your appearance.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Su Yunjin put away her smile, looking gentle yet serious, ¡°So I hope the captain can pay more attention to, and appreciate, my inner qualities, rather than seeing me just as a pretty vase.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you are a vase.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡­ So, Captain, perhaps that¡¯s why I was initially attracted to you.

    Thoughts running through her mind, Su Yunjin gradually felt sleepy, and she stealthily glanced at Yan Yu¡¯s profile next to her.

    If I pretend to fall asleep and quietly lean my head on his shoulder, would he push me away firmly, or would he let me lean on him?

    Maybe¡­ give it a try?

    ¡­

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not right,¡± Yan Yu suddenly stood up.

    ¡°Ah?!¡± Su Yunjin was startled into jumping to her feet, thinking her covert thoughts had been seen through by the captain, her voice trembling, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?!¡±

    ¡°I set an alarm on my phone,¡± Yan Yu took out his phone, ¡°It shows that it has already gone off. Did you hear it?¡±

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t,¡± Su Yunjin calmed down, ¡°So what?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s some kind of sensory interference trying to keep us here, to stop us from thinking about moving on!¡± Yan Yu said with a stern voice.

 Chapter 261: 59: The Girl in Red, Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper

    Chapter 261: Chapter 59: The Girl in Red, Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper

    ¡°What should we do?¡± Su Yunjin asked anxiously.

    She tried to examine her heart and discovered that she really didn¡¯t want to continue moving forward¡ªIt was rare to sit side by side with the captain on the mountain steps, to talk sweetly, and even have the chance to lean on his shoulder to sleep. Su Yunjin wished such moments could last longer.

    But what if this thought wasn¡¯t her own, but the result of some external interference at play?

    With this thought, Su Yunjin felt a cold sweat start to form.

    ¡°Keep going,¡± Yan Yu quickly decided. ¡°If it wants to stop us, even deliberately blocking out the sound of the alarm clock, then we¡¯ll do the opposite. Don¡¯t rest, and hurry along the mountain path to reach the end as soon as possible!¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Su Yunjin immediately replied.

    The two activated their Shifting Technique and began to sprint along the mountain path.

    The mountain path truly wound around Tianzhu Mountain, spiraling upwards. From the scenery around, they had almost made five or six turns, and their altitude had already surpassed most surrounding peaks.

    But looking up, there was still no sign of the mountain¡¯s summit.

    ¡°How tall is Tianzhu Mountain, exactly?¡± Su Yunjin stared in astonishment. Can we really reach the top? S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Yan Yu promptly responded. ¡°I made a point of remembering certain terrains we¡¯ve passed along the way, and so far, we haven¡¯t encountered any repetitions.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s not a looping illusion,¡± Su Yunjin worriedly said. ¡°But, if the end is very far from us, like three or four months or even half a year away, wouldn¡¯t that be no different from an endless loop? It¡¯s a distance we simply can¡¯t accept.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t be that far,¡± Yan Yu switched to communicated through a secret transmission with Su Yunjin. ¡°The restriction against Sword Flight must envelop the entire Mysterious Realm. The larger the Mysterious Realm itself, the larger the restriction required. It¡¯s not feasible as you suggest, making this mountain peak extremely tall and long, stretching out the entire space of the Mysterious Realm; that would be totally uneconomical.¡±

    Yan Yu, having lived through one generation before, had fought in many Mysterious Realms, and could deduce that this Mysterious Realm was likely a ¡°test-type realm.¡± Otherwise, if they just put a large group of enemies on the mountain path, coupled with that silent demonic mental manipulation attack, the two of them would already be in a terrible mess.

    Since it was a test-type realm, then based on the current situation, this place was most likely testing their determination. Otherwise, as soon as their minds were troubled by the inner demons, causing them to stop, it would mean failing the test¡ªeven if one is strong and capable of fighting, succumbing to inner demons means game over!

    With the Shifting Technique propelling them at an incredibly fast speed, much faster than walking, in the blink of an eye, they had circled around the mountain pillar several times,

    As the distant landscape became ¡°all mountains seem small¡± in their view, the path ahead remained empty. However, Yan Yu became even more vigilant, commanding the Huang Tingjian, sometimes hovering to the left, other times shifting right, ready to confront any enemies that might emerge from the surroundings.

    Suddenly, he heard Su Yunjin cry out:

    ¡°Yan Yu, I can¡¯t go on¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not really unable to go on,¡± Yan Yu urgently transmitted. ¡°It¡¯s the inner demon amplifying the lazy thoughts in your consciousness, tempting you to give up moving forward!¡±

    Su Yunjin clenched her teeth, trying to keep up with Yan Yu¡¯s speed, but unavoidably, she began to slow down¡ªafter all, her subconscious wanted to rest, and sometimes she would slow her pace without realizing it. Only when she noticed Yan Yu getting farther away would she suddenly wake up and hurriedly rush to catch up.

    Yan Yu noticed her varying pace, guessed that Secretary Su was being harassed by the inner demon, deliberately slowed down and, after she caught up to him, grabbed her left hand forcefully and pulled her along as they continued to sprint forward.

    This hand-in-hand tactic proved to be effective. Su Yunjin, who had previously been distracted with miscellaneous thoughts, found them all disappearing the moment Yan Yu took her hand. It was like she had been fed a mouthful of honey; her heart was filled with nothing but shyness, elation, joy, and intoxication, allowing Yan Yu to lead her in their relentless run.

    The invisible inner demon that failed to bring down Su Yunjin turned to attack Yan Yu, stirring his seven emotions and six desires.

    But Yan Yu, having lived two lifetimes, already possessed extraordinary determination, firmly suppressing all scattered thoughts, and continued to dash forward, dragging Su Yunjin along.

    The higher the two climbed along the mountain path, the more fierce and terrifying the inner demons became, conjuring various things in their Divine Sense to attack them.

    Sometimes Su Yunjin would see her blood-covered parents crying out for her behind them; at other times, she would see her own dead body blocking the way ahead¡­ She shivered with fright, not daring to look forward or backward, focusing solely on the steps under her feet as Yan Yu pulled her along in their flight.

    Because of the many deep dark sides in Yan Yu¡¯s heart, the illusions he saw were a hundred times more cruel than Su Yunjin¡¯s. The images might as well have been of the nine serenities of the netherworld or the unspeakable torments of hell.

    But his endurance surpassed Su Yunjin¡¯s by a thousand times. He had witnessed the living hells on earth not just once or twice in his previous life; how could he fear the false terrors conjured by inner demons?

    Amidst the flash of knives and swords, he ignored them; faced with mountains of corpses and seas of blood, he saw them not!

    The inner demons conjured up the entire Yan family, parents and sister, being held and forced to kneel in a row before being beheaded, their twisted heads rolling around. Yan Yu, however, remained as hard-hearted as iron, completely unmoved, stepping over the bodies with Su Yunjin in tow, continuing to charge forward.

    They then conjured up many girls from Zhenhai Team, all crippled and maimed, writhing on the ground in agony, calling desperately for their captain to save them. Yet Yan Yu turned a deaf ear, stomping on the steps with the art of rapid Shifting Technique, leaving them all behind.

    His stubborn and almost fanatical attitude finally angered all the lurking inner demons at once. From midair, countless demonic heads appeared, each with three heads and six arms, with fierce green faces and sharp fangs, coming to slay Yan Yu and Su Yunjin.

    These were indeed real demons; if one were to dismiss them as illusions and get caught off-guard, a nasty bite would surely result in severe injury¡­ but how could Yan Yu make such a mistake? With one sweep of his Divine Sense, he swung the Huang Tingjian close to his body, repelling and forcing back all the demons in the vicinity.

    Su Yunjin was still charging forward with her head down when suddenly, she heard Yan Yu shout loudly:

    ¡°Won¡¯t you make a move?¡±

    This thunderous roar finally jerked her from her state of panic and fear. Su Yunjin abruptly lifted her head, saw all sorts of demons swirling around, and without hesitation, struck with the hand seal to activate the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art.

    The torrential waters of Jiaochong surged forth, driving back the encroaching demons once more, followed by a shot of coral tears that passed through several demons. However, not a drop of blood was shed; Yan Yu spoke again:

    ¡°Don¡¯t linger, fight while you move.¡±

    With his reminder, Su Yunjin also realized:

    The demons that were hit by the Flying Sword showed no sign of injury, still hopping and flying around, which clearly meant they were not afraid of physical attacks. To be delayed by them and hinder their progress would be getting their priorities wrong.

    Observing Yan Yu¡¯s swordsmanship, he struck wide and swung broadly, never obsessively chasing down any demon, it was clear his intention was to repel the enemies rather than to kill.

    Escape first!

    The demons were flying everywhere; as soon as they entered the range of the Huang Tingjian¡¯s force, the waters of the heavenly river pushed them back out, leaving them no opportunity but to curse and swear at the two, with a stream of foul language.

    Su Yunjin blushed with embarrassment upon hearing this, but Yan Yu remained unaffected, instead speeding up the pace of his Shifting Technique. Seeing the end of the mountain path approaching, he quickly took hurried steps, pulling Secretary Su and dashing ahead as if flying.

    The demons behind them were all crowded on the last step of the mountain path, as if encountering some invisible barrier, all showing their teeth and making menacingly wicked smiles.

    Ahead lay a majestic and splendid temple, grand and magnificent, like the palaces at the summit of the clouds, the abode of immortals.

    However, when Yan Yu and Su Yunjin swept the area with their Divine Sense, they discovered an invisible barrier in front of the palace, preventing their Divine Sense from probing any further.

    In front of the temple was a stately and expansive white jade plaza.

    In the center of the plaza at some unknown time, a girl in red had appeared.

    When the two of them had arrived, the plaza should have been empty. But as soon as Yan Yu withdrew his Divine Sense from the direction of the palace, he saw the girl in red standing there gracefully, with a long sword in hand, gazing over with a cool, piercing look.

    Both her appearance and her icy demeanor were quite similar to that of the girl in green they had encountered within the Mysterious Realm at Longquan Mountain, but upon closer inspection, there were slight differences.

    The figure in green had been solitary and withered, whereas this girl in red was cold and defiant, her eyes conveying a sense of looking down from a high place.

    ¡°She has no shadow,¡± Su Yunjin whispered, ¡°just like that Chen Mingyan in the Mysterious Realm of Longquan Mountain¡­ likely just a remnant of someone¡¯s Divine Sense and illusion.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s try to communicate first,¡± Yan Yu replied in return.

    The person opposite must be the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper controlling the core of the realm. If they could obtain control of the core without fighting, that would be best, though according to past experiences, it seemed unlikely.

    ¡°You¡­¡± Before Yan Yu could speak up, the girl in red slowly began, her voice filled with chilliness, ¡°The Spell you used just now on the path to ascend to heaven, was it the ¡®Star River Secret Art¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Su Yunjin tentatively asked, ¡°May I ask¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± the girl in red interrupted her, simply continuing on her own, ¡°I abhor the person who uses that Spell, and by extension, I detest the Spell itself.¡±

    ¡°Since you have mastered that Spell, you must be her successor. In which case, it¡¯s only reasonable for me to raise the difficulty of the test, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Su Yunjin: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Let me do it,¡± Yan Yu interrupted, ¡°I¡¯ll take your test.¡±

    ¡°Want to play the hero?¡± the girl in red said coldly, ¡°That¡¯s not for you to decide.¡±

    ¡°Although the path to ascension was replicated by my mother, it also ensnares numerous inner demons. Completing the ascent signifies that your virtues are barely acceptable.¡±

    ¡°But in this world, mere virtue is far from enough. The test I have here is one of strength: no matter how you join forces or what methods you use, as long as you can defeat this incarnation of my Divine Sense, you will have passed! Everything within this Mysterious Realm, including those demons, is yours to take and do with as you wish.¡±

    ¡°However, if your strength is inadequate and you are killed by me, don¡¯t blame me even in the underworld!¡±

 Chapter 262: 60th Meh, thats all there is to it

    Chapter 262: 60th chapter Meh, that¡¯s all there is to it

    Good news: This time, the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper can communicate.

    Bad news: The other party has a temper just like Zhou Hongyu¡¯s.

    Yan Yu¡¯s gaze swept around; the area was flat with no obstacles to serve as cover, making it clear that the woman in red was undoubtedly a spellcaster.

    No cover meant that Taoism Methods could be unleashed in any direction, maximizing their advantage for wide-scale attacks.

    To counter the other¡¯s advantage, they would need to engage in close combat as much as possible.

    But would the opponent have anticipated this and set a trap accordingly?

    Yan Yu looked at the Flying Sword in the woman¡¯s palm, its crimson hue as hot as burning iron, brimming with overflowing light and intense heat, even warping the surrounding light as if scorched.

    This girl in red might be proficient in Taoism Methods, but her Sword Control Technique was also undoubtedly strong!

    ¡°I¡¯ll lay out the tactics now.¡± With Chen Lingyun not present, Yan Yu could only arrange the tactics with Su Yunjin, ¡°I¡¯ll engage her in close combat to tie her down, and you just need to support me from a distance. Prioritize your own safety, prioritize creating space, maintain mobility, and look for opportunities to control her. If you can¡¯t control her, don¡¯t force it.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Su Yunjin also realized the urgency and nodded seriously in agreement.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t they attacking yet?¡± the girl in red sneered coldly, ¡°It¡¯s still not too late to retreat.¡±

    ¡°Please enlighten me,¡± Yan Yu bowed slightly.

    Since Sword Flight wasn¡¯t allowed here, he had to use the Shifting Technique.

    He suddenly activated the Shifting Technique, moving as fast as a rushing horse towards the girl in red. Su Yunjin also acted immediately, moving laterally to expand her field of vision, her hands already forming Taoism gestures.

    The girl in red responded coldly, with the crimson Immortal Sword in her palm striking first, turning into a streak of red light!

    So fast!

    Yan Yu swiftly parried with the Huang Tingjian, inwardly exclaiming in admiration.

    One could tell an expert by their first move. The girl in red¡¯s swordplay was fast, urgent, accurate, and ruthless, clearly not just any generic Sword Control Technique, but rather it must be derived from a robust and independent sword technique system!

    The swords clashed, sparks flying everywhere. The Huang Tingjian was originally a heavy sword, but in face-to-face combat with that crimson sword light, it was barely gaining an advantage, especially lacking in speed and agility.

    On Yan Yu¡¯s side, he continuously executed sword techniques, pushing the Huang Tingjian constantly harder, only to keep the clashing blades four steps away from the girl in red, unable to press any closer.

    The crimson sword light grew more fierce and dazzling in the fight, not at all falling short against the heavy sword, and even showing a tendency for counter-attacking. The girl in red suddenly spoke:

    ¡°This sword of yours¡­ I recognize it. Why don¡¯t you activate the sword¡¯s prohibition? Oh, afraid that in the Age of Dharma Decline, it¡¯s no longer feasible. With just that little level in swordsmanship, you are far from enough to beat me.¡±

    Listening, Yan Yu sneered inwardly. Having lived two lives, he always presented his brilliance to others; how could he ever allow someone to show off in front of him?

    Without a change in expression, he continued to form the Sword technique with his right hand while secretly flicking his left hand inside his sleeve, secretly launching the Impact Curse.

    As the Huang Tingjian pressed its attack, the girl in red focused on defending, apparently not noticing the sneak attack of the Impact Curse. Suddenly, she sidestepped half a step, showing an astonished look, ¡°Impact Curse? Quite clever, but¡­¡±

    Before she could finish her sentence, a giant wave appeared out of nowhere, crashing down hard on her!

    As he launched the sneak attack with the Impact Curse, Yan Yu simultaneously sent a message to Su Yunjin, who was at a distance, to discreetly cast a Taoism Method on the girl in red¡¯s left side.

    As the Impact Curse shot out, and the girl in red dodged ghost-like to the left, seemingly foreseeing his sneak attack, she fell right into Yan Yu¡¯s calculation!

    As Su Yunjin executed Li Fan, it was too late for the girl in red to dodge, and the giant wave struck her directly, knocking her down. The Huang Tingjian turned into a sword light and chopped down from above, aiming to split her head in two!

    Just as the girl in red was knocked down by the water, she tapped her feet sideways in quick succession, shifting backward just enough to avoid the Huang Tingjian¡¯s chop. She then sprang up from the ground, appearing unharmed but completely soaked like a drenched chicken, her hair tangled and matted. She looked at Su Yunjin with hatred and said:

    ¡°Very well, very well. Since you attack me with her Taoism Method, as a mentor, I will teach you what it means to observe hierarchical order and to respect tradition and your teacher!¡±

    She formed a Taoism gesture with her hands, and then suddenly expelled a massive amount of flames from her mouth and nose!

    Although it closely resembled Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Great Bright Fire Dao Method, the might and scale were much greater. Endless flames swept towards Su Yunjin like a tidal wave, instantly sealing off all her escape routes and threatening to engulf her completely, burning her to ashes!

    On Yan Yu¡¯s side, as he manipulated the Sword technique, the Huang Ting Sword quickly bore down with its crimson sword light, forcing the girl in red to divide her attention and control her sword. Su Yunjin seized the opportunity to use Jiaochong beneath her own feet, creating a water spout that propelled her into the air. She then landed outside the border of the sea of fire and immediately cast the Shifting Technique upon touching the ground, urgently distancing herself from the still-burning Great Bright Fire.

    Maternal aunt? So this girl in red is¡­

    Su Yunjin quickly suppressed any inappropriate thoughts and instead began to cast another Taoism Method, launching Lang Feiyun, sending a barrage of water bullets at the girl in red¡¯s back.

    The opponent¡¯s body moved like a specter, evading the Lang Feiyun with several feints and false steps. All of a sudden, she turned around and spewed out flames again. Fortunately, Su Yunjin was prepared this time, and as soon as her adversary looked back, she sprinted at full speed with the Shifting Technique, leaving the pursuing sea of fire far behind her.

    Yan Yu saw clearly that the opponent was not merely using the Shifting Technique combined with the Cloud Ascension Technique to sprint and change direction but rather a unique set of evasion techniques.

    If Sword Flight was considered a superior version of the Shifting Technique, then evasion techniques would be the superior counterparts to the Cloud Ascension Technique. Like sword techniques, they are monotonous and tedious to cultivate, requiring a great deal of mechanical practice, which is why they are considered a specialty of Sword Immortals.

    This girl in red not only possessed the sword techniques and evasion skills of a Sword Immortal but also wielded a powerful Fire Blazing Dao Method. She was a composite of a Sword Immortal and a magic practitioner, completely disregarding the basic principles of combat professions¡­

    However, in the previous life, Mei Yingxue did seem to reveal that during ancient times when Spiritual Energy was extremely abundant, there was no distinction between combat professions. Sword Immortals could play with magical treasures, spellcasters could also command Servant Envoys, and there were even those who focused solely on Qi Refinement without skills in combat.

    Only in the later periods when Spiritual Energy became scarce did Cultivators turn inwards, fiercely competing and undermining each other. Then they had to divide the various methods, considering efficiency in killing and conserving True Yuan, selecting the four best-suited combat paths¡­ Which means, this girl in red must come from an earlier time than Mei Yingxue and Zhao Yuanzhen.

    While dividing his attention to ponder, he continued to engage in swordsmanship combat with the girl in red. Su Yunjin provided support from afar, sometimes using Lang Feiyun to suppress the opponent¡¯s surroundings, other times attacking with Jiaochong or Li Fan. But the opponent¡¯s evasion techniques were too abnormal; each time at the very last moment, she would precisely move out of the range of the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, leaving Su Yunjin feeling frustrated as if she was sparring with the team captain.

    Looking again at the battle between the lights of the Huang Ting Sword and the crimson sword, they fought so fiercely that it was hard to tell who had the upper hand. Considering that the Huang Ting Sword was heavier and thus had an advantage in frontal combat, did this mean the girl in red¡¯s swordsmanship was even slightly superior to the captain¡¯s?

    As Su Yunjin fretted anxiously, she didn¡¯t dare to message Yan Yu for guidance, fearing it might distract him mid-battle. While hesitating, she suddenly heard Yan Yu¡¯s voice transmit to her:

    ¡°Keep the pressure on, don¡¯t stop.¡±

    ¡°How should we press on?¡± Su Yunjin quickly asked.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t answer, which made her worry that she might have asked a stupid question.

    Just as she was about to use the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art again, she heard Yan Yu¡¯s response:

    ¡°Whatever way.¡± S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Whatever way? Su Yunjin was puzzled, but nonetheless, she continued the Taoism Method, directing the water of the heavenly river towards the girl in red.

    The girl in red displayed her evasion techniques once more, easily dodging the water cannon assault of the Lang Feiyun while directing the crimson sword light to parry the chopping attack of the Huang Ting Sword. Suddenly, she heard Yan Yu laugh and say:

    ¡°I see. Your swordsmanship and Taoism Method must have been taught by the same master; but the way you shift and dodge with such agility, it must have been taught by a different master.¡±

    The girl in red hesitated slightly, but her swordsmanship didn¡¯t falter as she replied:

    ¡°What of it?¡±

    ¡°The coordination between your swordsmanship and Taoism Method is extremely skilled, capable of simultaneously attacking both me and Yun Jin without missing a beat,¡± Yan Yu said with a relaxed smile, ¡°but the way you integrate your step technique with your swordsmanship and Taoism Method is a complete mess. What, didn¡¯t the master who taught your step technique teach you how to seamlessly blend all three?¡±

    The girl in red¡¯s expression turned icy as she retorted:

    ¡°Bold words! You claim there¡¯s a problem with my technique, so why don¡¯t you break it for me to see?¡±

    As Su Yunjin cast Li Fan once again, the girl in red quickly activated her step technique to instantly evade the huge wave¡¯s crash, but then she heard Yan Yu say:

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    As soon as the words left his mouth, he surged forward in an instant.

    The girl in red was shocked and hurriedly directed her crimson sword light to intercept, but it was precisely met by the Huang Ting Sword.

    In that rapid moment, Yan Yu took the opportunity to break through the defense of the crimson sword light and closed to within two steps of her, activating the Curved Curse to increase his arm strength and landing a powerful Impact Curse punch on her chest, smiling as he said:

    ¡°That¡¯s all.¡±

 Chapter 263: 61 Victory and Settlement

    Chapter 263: Chapter 61 Victory and Settlement

    Yan Yu launched a swift punch and the girl in red hurriedly activated her movement technique, retreating five or six steps away in shock and bewilderment.

    How did he¡­ how did he get so close?

    Unless one was a sword immortal specializing in physical cultivation, in swordsmanship combat, one always had to be wary of the opponent finding an opportunity to close in for a decisive blow.

    Her original self¡¯s combat experience included how to guard against an opponent¡¯s close-quarters assault. During the crossing of swords, she paid attention to the angle of her strikes, ensuring that the Flying Sword could always break free from Huang Tingjian¡¯s entanglement and block any physical advance from the opponent.

    However, she failed to block him.

    The specific reason was unclear because Yan Yu was already on the attack again, and the girl in red had to forcibly maintain distance with her steps. Caught off guard, she was hit by Lang Feiyun and sent rolling on the ground for a good several meters.

    Yan Yu¡¯s Huang Tingjian quickly pursued her, showing no mercy as it slashed down, only to strike air once more¡ªthe girl¡¯s footwork was indeed remarkable. Even when down, she managed to shift sideways, which would almost shove Newton down in his coffin.

    Although she narrowly escaped death in desperation, her awkward posture as she stood angered the girl in red. She gathered the True Yuan throughout her body, puffed her cheeks, and spat out a slender, dense thread of gold.

    Flame Curse, Nine Phoenixes!

    This technique involved compressing the fire-element True Yuan over and over until it formed a golden-red line as thick as a little finger. She then swung her head to sweep the line across with immense power, capable of melting gold and corroding stone like slicing through rotten leather. Even ordinary flying swords couldn¡¯t withstand it and would be severed in two!

    Upon seeing the golden line sweeping towards her, Su Yunjin¡¯s Divine Sense immediately blared a strong warning, and she hurriedly spurred her form into escape.

    But here, Sword Flight was impossible, and no matter how fast you ran, how could you outpace the speed of someone simply shaking their head? Just as the golden line was about to slice Su Yunjin from behind, Yan Yu suddenly flipped his wrist and pinched a Taoism Method.

    Although the girl in red was mainly attacking Su Yunjin, she constantly kept her senses on Yan Yu. Seeing him gesture with one hand to cast the Fire Blazing Charm, she quickly activated her steps to brake and change direction abruptly.

    Her footsteps shimmered with layered illusions, obscure and unpredictable, dodging the Fire Blazing Charm¡¯s impact point with incredible finesse, causing Yan Yu¡¯s spell to miss its mark. Just as she was secretly pleased with herself, she turned and realized with a shock that the Flame Curse had extinguished, and Su Yunjin had already escaped her clutches.

    That sparked a fleeting enlightenment in the girl in red:

    The issue was indeed with her footwork!

    Her original self had followed her mother in cultivation, primarily focusing on the phoenix bloodline, the Fire Blazing Dao Method, and the Kunlun Imperial Sword Technique. The reason for learning the footwork was mainly to escape strong enemies and run home for reinforcements. Hence, during her studies, she only concentrated on dodging and never researched how to coordinate it with the Sword Control Technique or Daoism Method to maintain an attack.

    As a result, the moment she used her footwork, her offensive would be interrupted!

    Su Yunjin continued to cast spells without pause, Jiaochong, Li Fan, and Lang Feiyun, one after another, forcing the girl in red to use her footwork to dodge or else be controlled by the massive flood.

    But the moment she dodged, she couldn¡¯t maintain her offensive and could only be passively beaten¡­

    Thinking of being beaten, the girl in red¡¯s anger flared. A strong unwillingness to admit defeat surged from within her, deciding to maintain high-speed movement with her steps while forcefully casting the Great Bright Fire to continue her assault!

    As she executed her footwork, her casting accuracy was terrible; it sprayed wildly in all directions, causing flames to burn everywhere.

    And yet, this approach was indeed effective, as the sea of flames separated Yan Yu and Su Yunjin completely, even blocking their line of sight, allowing the girl in red to finally catch her breath for a moment.

    Being but a spiritual projection without a soul, her tactical thinking was all derived from the original host¡¯s input and lacked the ability to innovate. Since her original self hadn¡¯t realized the flaws in her own tactic system, naturally, she couldn¡¯t come up with a solution.

    Damn it, what should I do?

    Just as the girl in red was racking her brains for a strategy, she suddenly heard a long laugh from above.

    She abruptly looked up and saw Yan Yu and Huang Tingjian¡¯s light merging into one, descending from the sky, instantly smashing her body to smithereens!

    As the Great Bright Fire gradually dissipated, Yan Yu emerged from the sword light and transmitted a message to Su Yunjin, saying:

    ¡°Nicely done!¡±

    Su Yunjin remained silent, only pursing her lips in a smile.

    Though flying was forbidden in this place, it didn¡¯t mean other methods of ¡°taking to the sky¡± were not allowed. Su Yunjin used Jiaochong beneath Yan Yu¡¯s feet to send him into the air with a powerful surge of water, just high enough to cross over the top of the Great Bright Fire. Then Yan Yu performed a Sword Control flying slash. The prohibition only meant he couldn¡¯t fly, but the sword light was yanked down by gravity, landing perfectly on the girl in red and killing her on impact.

    While it sounded easy, predicting the distance between Yan Yu and the girl in red and controlling the angle and force of Jiaochong to form a precise and perfect parabolic trajectory for a direct hit could only be achieved by Su Yunjin, who was adept at controlling True Yuan.

    This girl truly maximized her strengths, to the extent that even Yan Yu did not withhold his praise. In his view, being a bit slow in reaction wasn¡¯t really a flaw; finding one¡¯s own track was the key. In that regard, the clever girl had an advantage.

    Yan Yu continued to lower his gaze to where the girl in red had stood and soon found a small token with the character ¡°Xu¡± inscribed on it.

    ¡°Is this person surnamed Xu?¡± Yan Yu casually asked.

    ¡°It should be Chen,¡± Su Yunjin expressed disagreement.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, take it and refine it,¡± Yan Yu threw the token to her.

    ¡°Eh, me?¡± Su Yunjin was somewhat flustered, ¡°I¡¯ve never refined the core of a mysterious realm before¡­¡±

    ¡°No matter, you always have to try,¡± Yan Yu said as he walked to the main entrance of the palace at the back and tried to push the door.

    The door didn¡¯t open, and Divine Sense couldn¡¯t penetrate it, guessing the method to open it must be linked to that token.

    Once Su Yunjin finished refining the token, she swept it at the doorway of the Taoist Palace, and sure enough, the door obediently swung open at her gesture.

    From the outside, the Taoist Palace appeared grand and imposing, but inside was only a small room. Connecting this to what the girl in red said earlier, it became clear the Taoist Palace was likely built by her mother, modeled after some celestial palace, meant to ¡®distribute rewards¡¯ to cultivators who passed the test, so there was no need to replicate the palace exactly.

    There wasn¡¯t much in the room: three Jade Slips, a bottle of Elixir Medicine, placed on tables to the north, east, and west, without anything more. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu went to pick up a Jade Slip and immersed his Divine Sense into it, seeing the message left by the true body of the girl in red, which said that her world was doomed to destruction in the future, and those cultivators who had not ascended would surely perish, including her own disciples and grandchildren.

    To increase the chances of her lineage surviving, before her ascension, she had her mother create many mysterious realms for her, leaving behind various techniques and treasures, ¡°for those fated to find them.¡±

    If the world were compared to a ¡°big bubble,¡± then these mysterious realms would be ¡°small bubbles¡± within it. Once the big bubble burst, the small bubbles would still live on for a while in the ¡°endless abyss of chaos,¡± drifting with the currents. If they were lucky enough to encounter another ¡°big bubble¡± before the collapse, then the items within these realms could see the light of day once more.

    The girl in red further wrote: If you are fortunate enough to inherit my lineage, you don¡¯t need to erect a memorial tablet or offer incense for me, you just have to kneel down and kowtow to the heavens and the earth and take me, Chen Dandan, as your master.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    What a beautiful thought, kowtowing and acknowledging a master? We modern people don¡¯t follow those feudal practices!

    Continuing to read on, the three Jade Slips contained different techniques, named ¡®Kunlun Imperial Sword Technique Overview,¡¯ ¡®Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step,¡¯ and ¡®Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire.¡¯

    One was a sword technique, one a step technique, and one a Taoism Method. The quality and usefulness were obviously profound and formidable, as even the girl in red¡¯s incarnation had demonstrated outside, none of them being mere common goods.

    ¡°The sword technique and step technique are suitable for sword immortals and can be left for Ningning. This Taoism Method belongs to the Fire lineage, so it probably doesn¡¯t suit your style,¡± Yan Yu turned his head to speak to Su Yunjin, ¡°However, if you want to try, you can.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d rather not,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile, ¡°Indeed, it doesn¡¯t suit me.¡±

    She was still tempted by the immense power of the Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire, but she knew that what Yan Yu said made more sense ¡ª a cultivator¡¯s battle system isn¡¯t like an old granny¡¯s vegetable basket, into which any good thing can be stuffed.

    Her foundation was the ¡®Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art,¡¯ and she had already decided to cultivate a body suited for Tao Transformation, refining Gui Water Essence to form the ultimate true water essence. Every step on this path was a long and arduous process. The Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire was an equally profound Fire Blazing Dao Method, a different path that was even more rugged and difficult to traverse; where would she find the extra time to train in it?

    And even if she spent countless time and effort to achieve mastery in both water and fire, what then?

    The Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire was undoubtedly powerful but also sure to consume a significant amount of True Yuan, which would affect the endurance of the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art. One technique was for breaking through, another for control; how could they be integrated into a cohesive system? If she were a solitary cultivator, indeed she would need to master powerful offensive techniques for her own protection. However, she was ultimately part of the Zhenhai Team, with the captain, Sister Zhao, and Ningning all possessing strong offensive abilities; there was no need for her to provide additional offensive power.

    Seeing Su Yunjin¡¯s clear understanding and straightforward refusal, Yan Yu inwardly sighed.

    If Secretary Su had the same terrifying talent as Immortal Venerate Xie, learning an additional Taoism Method wouldn¡¯t be out of the question, but her True Yuan was indeed limited¡­ At present, it was more appropriate to focus on the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art. Even if she wanted to develop her skills broadly in the future, that would involve considering Sword Control or cultivating other Water Taoism Methods, while practicing Fire Taoism Methods would be burdensome and thankless.

    Forget it! It¡¯ll just be a gain for Xiao Zhou then, this time Pingxi Army will have to bleed. I must make them trade something of equal value in exchange!

    Finally, Yan Yu looked at the bottle of Elixir Medicine.

    According to the message left in the Jade Slips, it was the ¡®Nine Revolutions Vermilion Phoenix Pill,¡¯ used to enhance the Golden Core stage.

    This was for those at the Hua Fu Stage; everyone present hadn¡¯t even reached the Marrow Cleansing Stage yet, so even thinking about forming a Golden Core was premature.

    Scanning closely with his Divine Sense, Yan Yu counted the number of Elixir Pills.

    Twelve, corresponding to the twelve Earthly Branches.

    He would have to remind Chen Lingyun to caution her father. It¡¯s okay to use them for scientific research, but not a single one of these twelve Elixir Pills must go missing; the Zhenhai Team would get one each first, as for the other teams who wanted some?

    Just like before: trade something in exchange, or no deal!

 Chapter 264: 62 Xie Ruoxi Refuses to Withdraw from the Team

    Chapter 264: Chapter 62 Xie Ruoxi Refuses to Withdraw from the Team

    Yan Yu and Su Yunjin left the Mysterious Realm and saw not only the stationed troops and Pingxi Army cultivators waiting outside, but also Zhang Huaide, Tang Xiaolian, and Qin Meng from the Huofeng Team had also come.

    ¡°Xiao Zhang, when did you get here?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    ¡°Not long ago,¡± Zhang Huaide answered with a smile. ¡°Originally, we wanted to see if you needed support, but it turned out you had already finished the fight. Really impressive.¡±

    ¡°Oh, not at all.¡± Yan Yu heard the implication in his words. It was nothing but the Pingxi Army thinking it wasn¡¯t reliable for just the two of them to enter, so they specially had Zhang Huaide and the others rush over from Nanchuan to help out if anything went wrong within the Mysterious Realm.

    As a result, the three of them just sat outside, watching Yan Yu and Su Yunjin perform their duo clearance, which left them continually mocking with difficulty keeping a straight face.

    The Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper, the red-dressed girl, was strong like a plus super-enhanced version of Zhou Hongyu. Not only was her Fire Blazing Dao Method far superior, but she was also good at footwork positioning and Sword Control Technique. Still, she was ultimately suppressed and defeated by Yan Yu and Su Yunjin working together. In the eyes of Zhang Huaide and the others, it seemed as though ¡°Captain Zhou wasn¡¯t here, but she had already lost miserably.¡±

    Of course, despite the mocking, they gained a new understanding of Yan Yu¡¯s strength. Zhang Huaide even asked for a full video of this visit to the Mysterious Realm from the stationed cultivators, planning to take it home for a thorough study and in-depth analysis.

    ¡°Won¡¯t you stay for a meal?¡± Zhang Huaide invited.

    ¡°No, thank you,¡± Yan Yu declined. ¡°We have some other things to do. As soon as the military duties are finished, we¡¯re out of here.¡±

    ¡°It must be because Captain Zhou didn¡¯t come,¡± Tang Xiaolian quietly suggested to her teammates through a voice transmission. ¡°Captain Yan is not interested in us.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense,¡± Qin Meng quickly interrupted. ¡°Captain Yan is not that kind of person!¡±

    ¡°What kind of person?¡± Zhang Huaide suddenly asked.

    ¡°Ahem,¡± Qin Meng coughed awkwardly, ¡°Never mind, just consider it rambling.¡±

    ¡°If you know it¡¯s rambling, then don¡¯t say it again next time,¡± Zhang Huaide said lightly. ¡°Although rumors stop with the wise, you know Captain Zhou¡¯s temper. If we talk recklessly within the team and the media outside hear it and start spreading scandalous gossip, what do you think her reaction would be?¡±

    If Zhou Hongyu heard that she and Yan Yu were rumored to have a scandal by the media outside¡­ wouldn¡¯t she just go straight to their door and blow up the paparazzi tabloid¡¯s editorial office?

    Thinking this, Qin Meng and Tang Xiaolian also realized their mistake and quickly said,

    ¡°We won¡¯t say it anymore, we definitely won¡¯t joke about that again in the future.¡±

    Yan Yu, having declined the Huofeng Team¡¯s invitation to stay, handed over the supplies to the military cultivators for registration and then left Tianshan with Su Yunjin, using the Sword Control Technique to head north again to collect snowy water.

    As Su Yunjin hovered in the air using the Cloud Ascension Technique and collected for almost half an hour, she suddenly heard Yan Yu say,

    ¡°I see you have mastered the whole process now. You won¡¯t need me to accompany you after this, right?¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Su Yunjin felt a sense of loss and sighed, ¡°Does the captain have important matters to attend to?¡±

    ¡°On the one hand, I need to get back to managing the team. After all, if they don¡¯t practice combat for too long, I¡¯m afraid they¡¯ll get rusty,¡± Yan Yu patiently explained. ¡°On the other hand, as you¡¯ve seen, with Xiao Zhou still in the hospital, whenever any difficult Mysterious Realm appears within the Pingxi Army¡¯s jurisdiction, the first thing they think of is asking for my help.¡±

    ¡°If I continue to stay here, I actually can¡¯t accompany you anyway and will only be at the beck and call of the Pingxi Army, and it would also delay your collection of the essence of Rootless Water.¡±

    Su Yunjin fell silent, although her heart was unwilling to let go, she had to admit that the captain was right.

    ¡°So I¡¯m leaving?¡± Yan Yu saw her wavering expression and tentatively asked.

    ¡°Wait a moment,¡± Su Yunjin said.

    Yan Yu then waited for her to speak, but after waiting for about ten seconds without hearing Secretary Su say anything, just as he was about to ask, he suddenly felt a waft of fragrant wind rush into his arms.

    Su Yunjin gently embraced him and whispered in his ear,

    ¡°Thank you for accompanying me, Captain.¡±

    In an instant, countless jumbled responses surfaced in Yan Yu¡¯s mind, such as ¡°you too,¡± ¡°maintain your composure,¡± ¡°it¡¯s only right,¡± ¡°make an extra effort¡±¡­ But when all the words came to his throat, he was left with only one sentence:

    ¡°Come back soon, we¡¯ll be waiting for you in Jinling.¡±

    ¡°Mmm,¡± Su Yunjin nodded vigorously.

    As the seasons changed to late autumn and early winter, the geographic location of the ¡°first snow¡± would move further south, until the cold air got blocked by the mountain ranges of Tianshan¡ªwith peaks like Bogda Mountain being perennially snow-covered, they could not be considered Rootless Water.

    By then, Su Yunjin would be able to come back.

    Purifying the Essence of the Five Elements was such a hassle, not only did one need to find the right season and location but also it couldn¡¯t be done in one go; multiple collections over time were necessary. The entire process was like grinding a mirror, which could easily take six months, a year, or two years¡ªone simply couldn¡¯t rush it.

    After saying goodbye to Su Yunjin, Yan Yu took off on his sword, heading back.

    Let¡¯s not dwell on the journey of flight. When he returned to the Jinling Villa, he found only Xie Ruoxi at home; the other girls were not there.

    ¡°Where are the others?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°They went out on a mission.¡± Xie Ruoxi replied.

    ¡°A mission¡­ Oh, I remember now.¡± Yan Yu recalled that Li Weiguo had mentioned a mission in Jiujiang Province, and Chen Lingyun had been tasked with leading the team there.

    After sending a message to the girls on his phone to report his safety, Yan Yu put on a stern face like a beautiful waste board, assuming the posture of a team leader, he said harshly:

    ¡°In these few days we were absent, have you diligently practiced your daily breathing exercises? How about your Sword Control Technique? And have you refined your Divine Sense with the Soul Refining Technique?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Seeing his stern expression, Xie Ruoxi cowered as she spoke.

    ¡°Go to the basement and show me!¡± Yan Yu shouted loudly.

    In the basement training ground, it only took a few exchanges before Xie Ruoxi was knocked to the ground by Yan Yu, rather shamelessly lying there and refusing to get up.

    Seeing her pretending to be gravely injured and refusing to stand, Yan Yu couldn¡¯t be bothered to expose her act; he simply moved a small stool next to her, trapping her waist perfectly with the leg of the stool, then sat on it and said:

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to get up, just lie there.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi tried to force herself up, but unable to flip over the stool and Yan Yu pressing down on her, she started to grumble unhappily, though it was unclear what she was saying.

    ¡°It¡¯s evident that you have indeed been practicing diligently, without slacking off,¡± Yan Yu first offered some praise.

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s face showed delight, and she instinctively began to complain:

    ¡°Of course! During this time when Ling Yun and the others weren¡¯t around, I still practiced for an hour every day¡­¡±

    ¡°An hour is too little!¡± Yan Yu immediately contradicted her, saying, ¡°That¡¯s the problem with you right now! You practice, but the time is too short!¡±

    ¡°Too short?¡± Xie Ruoxi found it hard to believe.

    ¡°Nonsense, what else? Our Zhenhai Team practices combat for at least four hours in the afternoon, okay?¡±

    ¡°I only agreed to become a cultivator, I never said I wanted to join the team¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi muttered under her breath, but Yan Yu heard her loud and clear, and said deliberately:

    ¡°If you want to leave the team, it¡¯s not impossible.¡±

    He paused deliberately at this point only to see Xie Ruoxi not showing the slightest bit of happiness, instead asking with a wary face:

    ¡°But what¡¯s the price? I¡¯m warning you now, if you threaten me with my mobile game account, I won¡¯t stubbornly act out of spite! I, I, I¡­ I won¡¯t quit the team!¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    How do you manage to speak with such a forceful tone when pleading for mercy?

    ¡°Rest assured, I won¡¯t touch your account,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll just make a call to your parents and brother and let them have a good talk with you. After all, quitting your job is a big deal; you have to inform your family, right?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi immediately had a blank look in her eyes, as if she had been struck dumb.

    Not to mention her brother, she, of course, knew her parents¡¯ characters: one was obsessed with money, and the other wanted face, and the profession of a cultivator had both covered.

    Having accidentally become a cultivator up to this point, she had not dared to tell her parents about it, because the outcome was entirely predictable: her parents would first be stunned by this great news, then they would immediately start blabbering about it to the entire village, to all the distant relatives outside the province, that the daughter of the Xie family had actually become a cultivator!

    They wouldn¡¯t care at all about how much hardship their poor daughter had to endure to become a cultivator, how much suffering she experienced, how much blood she vomited, and how many tears she shed!

    Nowadays, when her parents call, Xie Ruoxi just lies and says she is working in Jinling, ¡°managing computers in an internet cafe, working day and night shifts, not even earning three thousand a month.¡± Her parents are also sympathetic, sending her money every now and then, worried she might be short of cash, and telling her to learn skills like haircutting and the like¡­ All these presumptions are based on their one-sided belief that their daughter is living a tough life.

    If this lie was busted by Yan Yu, her parents would definitely turn hostile. Then, there would be no more sympathy, only endless pressure and demands!

    ¡°Xi Xi, you need to work hard, strive for promotions and military ranks, you need to earn more money.¡±

    ¡°Xi Xi, why aren¡¯t you on TV? The neighbors have all asked about it; everyone wants to see you on television!¡±

    ¡°Xi Xi, your uncle came asking, saying his son is quite intelligent, just doesn¡¯t study well, can he be brought to see if he has any talent for becoming a cultivator¡­¡±

    As these thoughts overwhelmed her, Xie Ruoxi, dizzy and exasperated, somehow found the strength to suddenly twist her body, flipping Yan Yu to one side and yelled:

    ¡°Total nonsense! You¡¯d better not spread (gang) lies! I¡­ I never said I wanted to leave the team!¡±

    Yan Yu, who almost fell over, bounced back up and slapped her forehead, pinning the freshly rebellious Xie Immortal Venerate back down under Five Elements Mount:

    ¡°Beast! What nonsense are you spouting!¡±

    S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 265: 63: Behold My Art of Disguise

    Chapter 265: Chapter 63: Behold My Art of Disguise

    Yan Yu finally realized that Xie Ruoxi wasn¡¯t the type to respond to tough methods or soft persuasion; she simply wouldn¡¯t respond at all.

    This beautiful good-for-nothing was truly impervious to reason!

    If you ignored her, she would definitely just slack off, ¡°No one cares anyway, so why shouldn¡¯t I slack off?¡±

    But if you pushed her too hard, she would still slack off, ¡°If I can¡¯t do it, I can¡¯t do it. I might as well lie down and give up!¡±

    In other words, the pressure to motivate her needed to be controlled just right, offering no room for her to slack off without pushing her to the point of giving up entirely¡­ Damn, I can¡¯t believe I have to worry so much even about training this useless person!

    The more Yan Yu thought about it, the more irritated he became, so he simply said to Xie Ruoxi:

    ¡°I want to play a game with you.¡±

    ¡°What game?¡± Xie Ruoxi first responded with subconscious excitement, then her little face turned deathly pale.

    This game that Yan Zhanlong wants to play with me is definitely not some cute anime game! He might corner me and do all sorts of inappropriate things that aren¡¯t suitable for children!

    She hugged herself tightly across the chest, trembling like a giant rabbit, her eyes wide with fear, adopting a look of ¡°do what you will, I¡¯ll endure the humiliation,¡± which left Yan Yu completely baffled, but he didn¡¯t bother trying to figure out what was going on in her little head and simply said:

    ¡°I will control my swordsmanship strength to be just a little bit stronger than your upper limit. If you can beat me once, I¡¯ll give you a day off.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked warily, ¡°When you say ¡®a little bit,¡¯ do you mean an ¡®a little bit¡¯ as big as the interstellar gap or some other ¡®a little bit¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Could it be bubble tea?¡± Yan Yu said impatiently, ¡°It means that as long as you give it your all and break through your limits, you¡¯ll immediately be able to beat me!¡±

    ¡°Okay, then.¡± Xie Ruoxi took out her phone, speaking carefully, ¡°I want a written agreement, a recording¡­¡±

    ¡°A recording my ass!¡± Yan Yu finally lost his patience with her, ¡°Come over here and fight me now!¡±

    The two stood about ten meters apart, each wielding Huang Tingjian and Heavenly Origin Sword.

    Both swords were heavy, lacking in agility but overflowing with power, and when they clashed, the sound was deafening, like two mammoths locking horns, the force enough to shake the heavens.

    Xie Ruoxi started out tensely on the defensive, but then she realized Yan Yu wasn¡¯t attacking right away and felt a wild joy in her heart.

    Usually in sparring with Lin Ning, revealing even a small gap would lead to an immediate onslaught by the Green Bamboo Sword; sparring with Su Yunjin meant being chased around by her Taoism Method, eventually cornered, and turned into a drenched chicken¡­ How could she be motivated to practice if she was doomed to fail even when she gave her all? S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    If you use a mobile game as a metaphor, the kind where you can¡¯t get past level 1-1 no matter what, it¡¯s definitely a trash game beyond question!

    Now that Yan Yu was keeping his word and really controlling his strength to her level, Xie Ruoxi was overjoyed. Then, recollecting herself, all the dissatisfaction and resentment from being thrashed in the past surged up in her heart, bursting out at once.

    This time, I will win!

    Xie Ruoxi gathered her True Yuan, focusing completely on Sword Control; the Heavenly Origin Sword let out a long cry, smashing down on Huang Tingjian like a meteor piercing the sun, immediately sending it flying.

    Yan Yu maintained his composure, skillfully maneuvering his sword technique to stabilize Huang Tingjian, whilst inwardly feeling amazed.

    This beautiful good-for-nothing didn¡¯t use much technique in that strike; it was pure brute force. Yet, she managed to overwhelm Huang Tingjian in a head-on fight¡­ considering that this girl started her Qi Refinement several months after him! It just goes to show that talent really is unfairly distributed.

    Xie Ruoxi, seeing Yan Yu¡¯s Flying Sword being repelled by her own attack, was immensely heartened. Her movements quickening, she manipulated the Heavenly Origin Sword to pursue swiftly!

    I strike!

    I strike!

    I strike, strike, strike!

    Yan Yu kept his word and didn¡¯t exploit her openings (after all, Xie Ruoxi wouldn¡¯t be able to perceive these flaws due to her level) and just quietly directed Huang Tingjian to defend and block. However, his defenses were forced back step by step, and the circle of his sword grew tighter and tighter around him.

    Xie Ruoxi was full of fighting spirit, shouting as she fought, the sword techniques executed in quick succession. Just as she was about to muster her energy and drive the Heavenly Origin Sword through the opposing defenses, knocking the damn captain flat and leaving him searching for his teeth, suddenly, for some reason, she had a shiver of hesitation, and her offensive immediately slowed down.

    Wait a second¡­

    Yan Yu, does he keep his word?

    He said he would limit his strength to be just a bit stronger than mine, but that¡¯s only if he keeps his word, right? If I beat him too harshly and he gets angry and goes all out, won¡¯t I be the one suffering in the end?

    As Xie Ruoxi zigzagged through this chaotic train of thought, her previously vigorous offense quickly deflated. Yan Yu, with an expressionless face, altered the sword technique, swiftly switching from defense to offense with Huang Tingjian. By the time Xie Ruoxi came to her senses, she had already fallen behind.

    This girl simply lacked combat experience. She could use brute force to win when the wind was at her back, but when facing headwinds, it was a scene of utter chaos and consecutive defeats.

    Yan Yu was in no hurry to press the attack. Instead, he continued to fight at the level of a newcomer, leisurely breaking through the defenses of the Heavenly Origin Sword. It was not until he aimed the sword¡¯s spine at Xie Ruoxi¡¯s forehead and she closed her eyes and braced for impact, that she realized the anticipated pain did not come.

    Upon opening her eyes, she saw Yan Yu frowning and walking over to say,

    ¡°What happened to you? You were doing fine, why did you suddenly go limp?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi was at a loss for words, and after a long while, she said,

    ¡°I was afraid you wouldn¡¯t keep your word. If I really beat you too badly, you might get angry and bully me.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    Am I that kind of person? Where is the trust between people?

    He wanted to scold Xie Ruoxi, but then he realized that this beautiful waste might have built a wall around her heart. Harsh criticism would only backfire, so he could only sigh and say,

    ¡°They haven¡¯t come back yet¡­ Forget it, shall we go out to eat tonight?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Xie Ruoxi said, still immersed in the regret of a near-win, her voice downcast and listless.

    Given Yan Yu¡¯s increasingly famous name, going out actually carried quite a risk. If recognized by fans, he could immediately end up surrounded and unable to eat¡ªplus, he didn¡¯t have a talent agency to call on burly men to hold back enthusiastic fans, so he might have to resort to the Wall-Penetration Technique to escape.

    Fortunately, Yan Yu was not entirely unprepared. With sunglasses and a mask on, covering his eyes, nose, and mouth, who could recognize him now?

    Xie Ruoxi stood at the front door waiting. When she saw Yan Yu come downstairs fully armed, she asked in amazement,

    ¡°Are you really going out like that?¡±

    ¡°What else?¡± Yan Yu retorted, ¡°I¡¯m a celebrity now, you know. We¡¯re going out to eat, not to a fan meet-and-greet.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯ll have to take off the sunglasses and mask to eat,¡± Xie Ruoxi said. ¡°Won¡¯t you still get recognized?¡±

    Yan Yu was at a loss for words, realizing that it was indeed a problem:

    ¡°Then what do you suggest we do?¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me!¡± Xie Ruoxi rolled up her sleeves.

    She led Yan Yu back to her room and in front of the vanity desk, pulled open a drawer to reveal a bounty of various cosmetics.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    Even the ancient disguise techniques were nothing compared to this.

    ¡°We don¡¯t need sunglasses and masks,¡± Xie Ruoxi said calmly as she picked up toner and lotion. ¡°Makeup can change not only facial features but also a person¡¯s aura, making it perfect for a disguise. It¡¯s a shame that now with beauty camera filters, many girls are unwilling to learn makeup¡ªa good makeup job can completely transform someone.¡±

    ¡°Wait, let me remind you,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°We¡¯re going out to eat, not to a cosplay convention. Don¡¯t make me into a female or one of those pretty boys who ¡®paint female yet claim male¡¯. Just make sure I¡¯m unrecognizable.¡±

    ¡°Are you doubting my skills?¡± Xie Ruoxi flared up. ¡°Even if you were wanted and needed to sneak past customs, I could make you so unrecognizable, facial recognition cameras wouldn¡¯t know you!¡±

    She fluttered around in a flurry, spending nearly half an hour before finally pulling the mirror over and saying with pride,

    ¡°Look!¡±

    The moment Yan Yu saw himself in the mirror, he was dumbstruck.

    The him in the mirror, while his features had not shifted much, appeared as if he aged by more than twenty years, resembling a mature and ruggedly handsome man.

    Just like Yan Zhanlong in his middle age.

 Chapter 266: 64: My Sister is Kept by a Middle-aged Man

    Chapter 266: Chapter 64: My Sister is Kept by a Middle-aged Man

    In my previous life, I was full of ambition, believing that with technology in my grasp, I was invincible against the world. Yet, I still couldn¡¯t withstand the tide of the times.

    Today, I have returned ten years prior, my brilliance unrestrained. Let¡¯s see which heroes of the world dare to test the sharpness of the Immortal Sword in my palm?

    Yan Yu looked at his reflection in the mirror, silently mouthing words, as if conversing with his former self.

    The things you couldn¡¯t accomplish, I will accomplish for you this time.

    The enemies you couldn¡¯t kill, I will exterminate them for you this time!

    As for those who were supposed to suffer tragic fates, I will one by one reverse their unfortunate destinies. I¡¯ve been reborn to fiercely defy fate itself!

    ¡°Little Xie,¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°you need to become stronger.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi: ?

    She showed a puzzled expression as if to say ¡°What are you talking about?¡± and confirmed by asking:

    ¡°Is this okay? No one will connect you with the young Yan Zhanlong from the TV.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu nodded and said, ¡°but they might think that you are keeping me as a sugar baby, considering our age difference is almost a generation.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t mind, ¡°They can also think of you as my father.¡±

    ¡°Nice try, but I don¡¯t have a useless daughter like you.¡±

    ¡°Hey? Why would you say that, that¡¯s too much.¡±

    The two left home and went out to eat at a restaurant. Sure enough, no one recognized them throughout the meal.

    Let¡¯s not dwell on the meal. Suffice it to say, after they had eaten, they strolled leisurely back home, when suddenly Xie Ruoxi¡¯s phone rang.

    ¡°It¡¯s my mom calling.¡± She indicated to Yan Yu to be quiet, then answered the call.

    Time for a dialect conversation.

    The dialect of Jingnan is quite similar to that of Nanchuan, carrying a ruffian air. Girls speaking it add even more fierceness. Xie Ruoxi, usually delicate in appearance and speaking Mandarin in a soft style, transformed completely when she switched to her hometown dialect, her demeanor becoming bold. She occasionally rolled her eyes, expressed shock, raised her voice suddenly, and impatiently interrupted her parents.

    After hanging up, Xie Ruoxi let out a sigh and immediately reverted to a helpless little bunny, timidly explaining to Yan Yu:

    ¡°My parents want to send me living expenses, I said no need, but they insisted on transferring money¡­¡±

    ¡°My advice is to just transfer ten million to your parents,¡± said Yan Yu calmly, ¡°and completely eliminate this annoyance.¡±

    ¡°Heh,¡± Xie Ruoxi showed a bitter expression, saying sadly, ¡°True, but soon the whole village would know¡­ I don¡¯t want to listen to their gossip, it¡¯s annoying.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s inevitable sooner or later,¡± Yan Yu reminded her, ¡°joining our team means you can¡¯t avoid going on missions forever. Once it¡¯s broadcasted on TV continuously, unless no one in your village watches TV, won¡¯t they recognize you anyway?¡±

    ¡°Maybe I can stall it for a while,¡± Xie Ruoxi, true to her reputation as a beautiful good-for-nothing, chose to ignore the unsolvable situation for the time being ¡ª deal with it when it happens!

    ¡°By the way!¡± She suddenly had an idea and asked Yan Yu for advice, ¡°Captain, how do you handle the relationship between work and family?¡±

    ¡°Very simple,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°I call the shots at home, and handle things the way I want.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi: ¡­¡­

    That was something she couldn¡¯t do because she cared very much about what her parents thought of her, otherwise she wouldn¡¯t be so troubled about it.

    ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t need to be too pessimistic about this matter,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently, ¡°You¡¯re just used to being in a weaker position at home. You know once your cultivator identity is revealed, your status at home will surely skyrocket, jumping to number one, even beginning to direct and influence your parents¡¯ thoughts. And you lack the confidence to manage it well.¡±

    ¡°Exactly, exactly!¡± Xie Ruoxi was initially dumbfounded, then repeatedly agreed, venting her frustrations, ¡°Captain, you¡¯re absolutely right. I¡¯m just afraid they¡¯ll have too high expectations, and then I won¡¯t perform well¡­ So what should I do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already told you,¡± Yan Yu smiled slightly, ¡°transfer ten million to your family and solve all the problems. After all, financial capability is directly proportional to the power of speech. If you can earn big money, it means you are capable and formidable, and of course, everyone should listen to you.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi was tempted by his words, beginning to imagine:

    Her parents, dizzied by the huge sum, would start to see their daughter in a new light. From then on, they would not dare to nag or lecture, but would be respectful and responsive to their daughter¡¯s wishes!

    Her older brother¡¯s university expenses would all be taken care of by her, making him treat her with reverence, going out of his way to please her daily for fear of upsetting her and the money stopping!

    Yan Yu was absolutely right, money did allow one the freedom to do whatever they wished! Mwahahaha!

    Thinking of these delightful prospects, her fingers moved of their own accord¡­ Damn it, the mobile bank won¡¯t allow large transactions!

    First, transfer fifty thousand!

    Xie Ruoxi transferred the money, then eagerly waited in the family chat group, and soon received a voice message from her mother:

    ¡°We got the money. We¡¯re not short of money at home, your monthly salary isn¡¯t much, so it¡¯s not easy to save up like this. You need to look after your health and not overwork yourself, staying up all night is the last thing you should do. How long can you be a waitress in an internet caf¨¦? Your dad said you still need to learn a skill to have a stable job and income¡­¡±

    Xie Ruoxi: ?

    ¡°Yan Yu, you lied to me!¡± She began to wail directly.

    ¡°How did I lie to you?¡± Yan Yu was also puzzled. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°I sent money home, and it was completely useless!¡± Xie Ruoxi showed her phone to him.

    ¡°No kidding,¡± Yan Yu glanced at it and disdainfully said, ¡°I told you to transfer ten million! You transferred fifty thousand, what reaction did you expect from your parents? At most, they might think you¡¯re working hard to save and send money home and won¡¯t change their opinion of you.¡±

    ¡°But the mobile banking app doesn¡¯t allow large transfers!¡± Xie Ruoxi argued.

    ¡°That¡¯s your problem,¡± Yan Yu sneered, ¡°No one forced you to transfer money now, did they?¡±

    ¡°Mmm mmm mmm uh uh uh ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!¡± Xie Ruoxi let out a horrifying scream of frustration.

    All I got for fifty thousand yuan was a lengthy lecture from my mother; it¡¯s like I¡¯m asking for trouble!

    It¡¯s all the team leader¡¯s fault! You owe me for these fifty thousand yuan!

    Of course, the pretty waste doesn¡¯t have the courage to say that, just sullenly following Yan Yu on the way back.

    After a while, another video call came through; it was from Xie Ruoxi¡¯s older brother, Xie Rushan.

    The Xie family placed great emphasis on astrological signs. When the eldest son was born, they had a fortune-teller come over who said he lacked ¡®earth¡¯ in his elements, so he was named Xie Rushan; and when the daughter was born, they said she lacked ¡®water,¡¯ hence the name Xie Ruoxi.

    The siblings indeed lived up to their names. Xie Rushan was honest and obedient from an early age, studying when told to study, and doing problems when told to do problems, with basically no other interests or hobbies.

    His sister, Xie Ruoxi, on the other hand, didn¡¯t focus on her studies, spending all day with her brain deep in anime and immersed in various mobile games¡­ The parents could only sigh that the name was fitting and regretted they hadn¡¯t named her something like ¡®Lake¡¯ or ¡®Sea.¡¯

    ¡°Sis,¡± Xie Rushan, unable to hide his thoughts, directly asked as soon as the video call connected, ¡°did you just transfer fifty thousand yuan to our parents?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Xie Ruoxi replied unenthusiastically.

    ¡°Where did you get that much money?¡± Xie Rushan asked in astonishment, looking at the dark road behind her, ¡°Are you off work?¡±

    ¡°What else?¡± Xie Ruoxi replied irritably. ¡°What time is it now?¡±

    ¡°Sis, listen to me, it¡¯s okay to earn money slowly, just don¡¯t get any bad ideas!¡± Xie Rushan anxiously advised, ¡°You¡¯re still young, you¡¯ve got a future to work towards!¡±

    Although his tone was urgent and his love for his sister was clear, Xie Ruoxi only found it tedious and exhausting to listen to.

    It¡¯s too late, everything¡¯s too late.

    I¡¯ve already signed the contract and officially enlisted. Could I really tear up the contract and stuff the True Yuan cultivated in my Dantian back into it?

    Big brother, your sister is a cultivator now, enduring inhumane training and cultivation every day. I can¡¯t¡­ go back anymore.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Yan Yu leaned in and asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just my brother,¡± Xie Ruoxi showed him the screen.

    As the phone tilted, Xie Rushan caught a fleeting glimpse of a middle-aged man¡¯s handsome face and was shocked nearly to the point of dropping his phone.

    It¡¯s over! My sister¡¯s being kept by a wealthy middle-aged patron!

    He quickly steadied his phone, about to ask more, but found the call had already been disconnected.

    After hanging up the phone on her end, Xie Ruoxi turned on flight mode and complained:

    ¡°Annoying, I don¡¯t want to be interrogated by them, it¡¯s all your fault, team leader, for tricking me into sending money home!¡±

    ¡°Hey! I told you to transfer ten million, and you only transferred fifty thousand, and now it¡¯s my fault?¡± Yan Yu ridiculed her, ¡°This is what happens when you¡¯re uneducated. You can¡¯t even understand numbers correctly, scammers love to target fools like you.¡±

    The two of them chatted idly as they walked home, unaware that Xie Rushan was already as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, throwing on his clothes and saying to his roommate:

    ¡°Cover for me at work tomorrow, I need to go out!¡±

    ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°Jinling!¡±

 Chapter 267: 65 I Just Looked at It Once

    Chapter 267: Chapter 65 I Just Looked at It Once

    The next day, Yan Yu brought Xie Ruoxi to the school to meet Qi Changping in the archives room, where they encountered a messenger cultivator sent by the Pingxi Army.

    The messenger took out a Pad, unlocked it, and handed it to Yan Yu; it contained the complete list of Taoism Methods currently in the inventory of the Pingxi Army.

    Yan Yu was not shy about it, scrutinizing the Taoism Methods list thoroughly before suddenly asking,

    ¡°Is it a one-for-one exchange, or one for two?¡±

    The messenger¡¯s eyes widened in shock, seemingly unable to believe that Yan Zhanlong would make such a shameless proposition. Qi Changping quickly stepped in, explaining,

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s one-for-one! It¡¯s difficult to assess the value of Taoism Methods, so the default is a one-for-one exchange.¡±

    ¡°But these Methods of yours are kinda lackluster.¡± Yan Yu said with a look of difficulty, complaining, ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to pick out a strong water-related Taoism Method for Yun Jin and can¡¯t seem to find one.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you look at other types?¡± the messenger asked patiently, ¡°Exchange for another strong Taoism Method first, then go to Annan or Dingbei to exchange for a water-related one!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯d be such a hassle.¡± Yan Yu waved his hand and said, ¡°Let¡¯s just make it simple¡ªlet me pick two Methods.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not possible!¡± The messenger didn¡¯t have the authority for such a deal, and quickly refused, ¡°It can only be one-for-one! Comrade Yan Yu, I really can¡¯t make that decision.¡±

    ¡°Forget it, then. We won¡¯t exchange,¡± Yan Yu said impatiently, ¡°When you have a strong water-related Taoism Method, we can talk trade then.¡±

    The messenger immediately turned pale because before departing, his superiors had instructed him, ¡°You must secure the rights to ¡®Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire.''¡± He eagerly tried to persuade Yan Yu further but was pulled aside by Qi Changping, who whispered to him urgently,

    ¡°Don¡¯t argue with him. How about we add another Taoism Method to our offer? Let Yan Yu choose two this time and wrap things up quickly.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡± The messenger wanted to say ¡°we only intended a one-for-one exchange,¡± but realizing that without Yan Yu¡¯s agreement, even that might not be possible, he could only silently message his superiors for instructions.

    The leader responded quickly: okay.

    Both of them breathed a sigh of relief, turned to Yan Yu, and said,

    ¡°Alright, then pick two Methods.¡±

    ¡°This one and this one,¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t hesitate and picked directly.

    The messenger and Qi Changping saw that he had chosen the only two Thunder Methods from the inventory list: Jade Pivot Thunder and Divine Sky Thunder. They suddenly realized¡ªYan Zhanlong had never intended to exchange for a water-related Taoism Method; he had been eyeing these two Thunder Methods from the start!

    ¡°Are you sure you want these?¡± the messenger asked for confirmation, ¡°These are still under academic evaluation and might not be effective.¡±

    Manuscripts plundered from the Mysterious Realm were vast and numerous, and many of the methods contained were merely authors¡¯ ¡°creative ideas¡± or ¡°armchair strategies¡± that might not actually be viable for cultivation. Hence, they had to undergo ¡°academic evaluation¡± by the research departments to be deemed ¡°practicable¡± before anyone could practice them.

    Since there were tens of thousands of extant manuscripts, it was impossible for researchers to verify each by practicing, so rumor had it that supercomputers and artificial intelligence were being used for the analysis¡­ Yan Yu did not understand the specifics, but he knew that any signature Taoism Methods used by others in his past life were definitely viable!

    ¡°Yes, just these two,¡± Yan Yu confirmed.

    ¡°Okay.¡± The messenger took out a box from his waist, remotely requested an unlock, and with a click, it opened, and he took out a USB drive.

    Qi Changping hurriedly ushered him into the archives room, inserted the USB drive into the computer, and the messenger quickly dragged two files out, verified they were correct, then formatted the USB drive, ejected it, and with a Curved Curse, physically destroyed it.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­

    You could say he wasn¡¯t cautious enough since he at least formatted and destroyed the drive; but if he was being careful¡­ why not use a Jade Slip?

    ¡°Ruoxi!¡± Once the messenger had left, he waved to call Xie Ruoxi, who was at a distance, ¡°Go inside and learn the Thunder Methods.¡±

    ¡°Copying, taking photos, or smuggling it out, all not allowed,¡± Qi Changping also gave her a worried reminder, ¡°You can only learn it in this room, understand? People can leave, but the Taoism Methods cannot.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Xie Ruoxi thought, my worst skill is studying, and with a mournful face said, ¡°Then when can I get out?¡±

    ¡°Whenever you learn it is when you¡¯ll be let out,¡± Yan Yu added viciously from the side, ¡°If you don¡¯t learn it by morning, no lunch for you; if you don¡¯t learn it by the afternoon, no dinner for you; if you don¡¯t learn it by evening, you¡¯ll go hungry until dawn.¡±

    Seeing that Xie Ruoxi¡¯s face had turned white with fear, Qi Changping was about to speak up and explain when he heard Yan Yu¡¯s psychic message:

    ¡°Instructor Qi, don¡¯t interfere too much. Xie Ruoxi is a member of my team, and it¡¯s not your place to meddle with our team affairs.¡±

    With ¡°meddling in team affairs¡± being mentioned, Qi Changping felt it wasn¡¯t his place to intervene anymore. To Xie Ruoxi, who took Yan Yu¡¯s threatening words to heart, there was no choice but to enter the archive room looking as if she had already died a little inside.

    Yan Yu and Qi Changping stepped outside and chatted idly for a moment until the instructor asked:

    ¡°What¡¯s the deal with this Xie Ruoxi? You were the one who brought her here originally. After all this time, why are you still establishing your authority over her?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t help it with a lazy bone,¡± Yan Yu sighed and said, ¡°Three days without a beating, and she just slacks off.¡±

    ¡°Carrying on like this isn¡¯t a solution,¡± Qi Changping said after a moment of silence, ¡°We have similar slackers in our troops. To be honest, using force doesn¡¯t always work; sometimes you have to be gentle. It¡¯s easier to talk when you¡¯ve drawn closer.¡±

    ¡°How should I be gentle?¡± Yan Yu countered.

    ¡°Xie Ruoxi has parents, and she has an elder brother,¡± Qi Changping suggested, ¡°Try to work on her family, see if you can find a way to motivate her, to establish the right values in her.¡±

    ¡°She hasn¡¯t told her parents about becoming a cultivator,¡± Yan Yu hesitated, ¡°I think her relationship with her family is quite delicate. Approaching it from this angle, I¡¯m afraid I might backfire if I¡¯m not careful.¡±

    ¡°How delicate?¡± asked Qi Changping, frowning.

    ¡°Hard to say,¡± Yan Yu shook his head, ¡°She didn¡¯t take the college entrance exams after graduating from high school; guess why?¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Qi Changping pondered, ¡°I¡¯ve looked over her mock exam scores at school, and if she performed normally, she¡¯d probably struggle even to get into a tier-three university. From this perspective, maybe she just simply didn¡¯t want to study any longer¡­¡±

    ¡°You see,¡± Yan Yu spread his hands, ¡°That settles it, doesn¡¯t it? In other families facing such a situation, wouldn¡¯t the parents force the child to at least get a diploma from a technical college? And what if there¡¯s a chance to transfer from a college to a university? I think her family might also be somewhat biased towards males.¡±

    ¡°Wait, this is different,¡± Qi Changping hastily said, ¡°Her academic grades weren¡¯t good, and if she¡¯s discouraged and doesn¡¯t want to study, her parents might also think she¡¯s not cut out for it; giving up on higher education makes sense. But cultivating is different! Her talent for cultivation is excellent. Haven¡¯t you told her? Such a waste with such good conditions, that would be unacceptable, right?¡±

    ¡°How could I say such a thing to her!¡± exclaimed Yan Yu, his eyes widening, ¡°She¡¯s already slacking off and won¡¯t listen; now you want me to tell her how talented she is, to make her think she¡¯s got grounds to negotiate and argue with me?¡±

    Qi Changping fell silent.

    He personally believed that you couldn¡¯t keep such things secret forever. If you deceive her, bully her, play tricks on her, and when she finds out she¡¯s actually amazing, wouldn¡¯t she come straight back at you for revenge?

    However, this was an affair of the Zhenhai Team, and Qi Changping couldn¡¯t overstep his bounds. He nodded and said:

    ¡°As long as you are aware¡­¡±

    Before his words had faded away, a massive explosion suddenly erupted from the archive room!

    The shockwave instantly broke through the walls, sending countless bricks and stones bursting and scattering. Yan Yu had already soared into the air with his Sword Control like lightning, while Qi Changping, half a beat slower, was completely engulfed by the dust and smoke.

    Yan Yu ascended to avoid the explosion, his Divine Sense sweeping through the dust. He then quickly rushed in, only to find Xie Ruoxi sitting in the ruins dazed¡­ Seeing her captain rushing to her side, she quickly got up and sobbed as she threw herself into his arms:

    ¡°Wahhh, Captain, I was wrong, wahhh!¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Yan Yu quickly checked her from head to toe to ensure she wasn¡¯t injured before asking urgently, ¡°What happened with the explosion just now? Who attacked the archive room?¡± S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°It was me,¡± Xie Ruoxi said timidly, stammering, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say I could leave only after I had learned the Thunder Method?¡±

    ¡°I read through those two articles on Thunder Method, and I wasn¡¯t sure if I understood them correctly, if that counted as having learned it, so I just tried to use it¡­¡±

 Chapter 268: 66: Then the School Exploded

    Chapter 268: Chapter 66: Then the School Exploded

    Qi Changping was rushed to emergency care, and the news quickly spread amongst the entire faculty and student body.

    Rescuing him wasn¡¯t much of an issue, just a concussion from being hit by a brick fragment. Now, with Runescript, there wasn¡¯t even a need for cranial surgery. The hematoma could be directly extracted to treat the injury.

    The issue lay in how to deal with the perpetrator, Xie Ruoxi.

    Blowing up the archive room, along with precious hard drives containing Taoist texts, and incidentally sending the chief instructor to the hospital¡ªwasn¡¯t this worthy of severe punishment, like a serious demerit?

    Li Weiguo developed a headache after receiving the accident report.

    There were no rules against casting spells in the archive room. Normally, everyone would quickly memorize the full text in the archive room and then find somewhere else to practice at leisure¡­ Who would think of casting spells right there?

    Even if there were such eccentrics, Taoist techniques aren¡¯t like arithmetic problems that you can simply apply as soon as you understand them, are they?

    Yet they had encountered the oddball Xie Ruoxi, who thought to ¡°just try it¡± in the archive room, and upon ¡°trying,¡± successfully performed the spell with extremely potent force ¡ª her talent could almost be considered top-notch among spellcasters.

    That said, if one were to fully assess the damages, they couldn¡¯t be considered extremely severe. The archive room could be rebuilt, the hard drives had secret disaster recovery backups, and Qi Changping didn¡¯t suffer any serious lasting injuries. If an explosion could yield a talent like Xie Ruoxi, Li Weiguo wouldn¡¯t mind a few more blasts¡­ Of course, he couldn¡¯t say that publicly.

    Still, he had to follow procedures and punish her to some extent, otherwise, it would be bad if she turned into another Yan Yu.

    As Li Weiguo was contemplating, he heard Yan Yu knock on the door:

    ¡°Is Grandpa Li in?¡±

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    Yan Yu pushed the door open and placed an A4 paper on Li Weiguo¡¯s desk.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Li Weiguo asked, raising an eyebrow.

    ¡°A self-criticism letter,¡± Yan Yu replied. ¡°Handwritten by Xie Ruoxi.¡±

    Li Weiguo: ¡­¡­

    He picked up the self-criticism letter and read it through, feeling utterly unimpressed.

    The writing was like that of a primary school student¡­ But considering Xie Ruoxi had only recently graduated from high school, it was no wonder she wasn¡¯t the bookish type and wrote such a letter.

    Thinking that she was just an ignorant young girl, Li Weiguo didn¡¯t get angry. Instead, he casually placed the letter aside and asked Yan Yu:

    ¡°What¡¯s the deal with this Xie Ruoxi?¡±

    ¡°Got a screw loose,¡± Yan Yu succinctly put it. ¡°But her talent is outstanding, very outstanding.¡± S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Li Weiguo pondered for a moment, then asked again, ¡°Can you handle her?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu promptly replied with a serious tone. ¡°I am the captain of the Zhenhai Team. I bear some responsibility for this incident as well, so please punish me accordingly.¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡± Li Weiguo kept a straight face, but he was somewhat surprised inside.

    Yan Yu¡¯s gesture was clear: he was determined to protect Xie Ruoxi.

    Although Li Weiguo had no intention of punishing her severely, since Yan Yu was willing to guard Xie Ruoxi, he could well give him that favor.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Li Weiguo said nonchalantly. ¡°I¡¯ll consider it. You can leave now.¡±

    Without another word, Yan Yu turned and left.

    Outside the principal¡¯s office, Xie Ruoxi immediately rushed up, asking anxiously:

    ¡°What did he say?¡±

    ¡°Wait for the notice,¡± Yan Yu replied, mimicking Li Weiguo¡¯s indifferent manner.

    Instantly, Xie Ruoxi¡¯s tears started falling again.

    Although she disliked the cultivator training, the improvement in her living conditions was undeniable. If she were expelled from the school, the Zhenhai Team probably wouldn¡¯t keep her either. Then, she¡¯d have no choice but to leave the villa for a rental apartment¡­

    ¡°Wuwuwu!¡± She clung to Yan Yu, crying her heart out. ¡°I was wrong! I truly realize my mistake, I didn¡¯t do it on purpose! I didn¡¯t expect it to be so powerful¡­¡±

    In the principal¡¯s office, as Li Weiguo re-read her self-criticism letter and listened to the powerful sobs outside, he let go of his worry.

    It was just a timid and fearful young girl; she probably wouldn¡¯t turn into someone as unruly as Yan Yu.

    While Li Weiguo secretly relaxed on his end, outside, Yan Yu was being tormented by her wailing, which was so loud and strong that he couldn¡¯t resist clamping her lips shut with a pinch to silence her.

    ¡°Shut up!¡± he growled, dragging Xie Ruoxi to the nearby staircase entrance, brandishing his fist threateningly, ¡°Come over here¡­ and no more crying! Cry again and I¡¯ll slap you!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi resignedly closed her mouth, though tears continued to pitter-patter down, her heart filled with fear of a fall in social status, regret, and irritation, wishing she could run home and cry under her blankets until dawn.

    Yan Yu pulled her back to the team¡¯s training grounds, saying:

    ¡°¡±

    ¡°Show me that Thunder Method of yours.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Xie Ruoxi was still immersed in her sorrow, her voice choked as she asked, ¡°Should I direct it at you, or¡­¡±

    ¡°Of course you aim at the target!¡± Yan Yu lectured her, ¡°Your spell already blew up the archives room! Can¡¯t you use your brain for once?¡±

    Strangely enough, hearing Yan Yu mercilessly scolding her, Xie Ruoxi felt an odd sense of security.

    What she feared most was Yan Yu simply saying, ¡°You can go now, don¡¯t come looking for me anymore,¡± then turning away without a hint of pity¡­ If that happened, Magic Girl Ruoxi would instantly become a river of sorrow, ready to flood Jinling Prefecture with her tears.

    His willingness to scold me at least shows that I still hold some value for training in his eyes, doesn¡¯t it?

    Xie Ruoxi wiped her tears fiercely and looked at the target ahead on the training ground.

    The target was made of refined steel with built-in force sensors and mounted on a movable rail below. It was meant for college cultivators to practice their Sword Control Technique. Teams like Zhenhai Team, which didn¡¯t need a target because the captain would personally come out to spar with the members, were a rare few.

    Xie Ruoxi stared at the target, holding her breath while concentrating, her True Yuan surging and gathering at her fingertips. Suddenly, she cast out a green orb tinged with streaks of red, which flew at the speed of lightning and instantly hit the steel target, blasting it to smithereens.

    ¡°Is that the Jade Pivot Thunder?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Xie Ruoxi replied cautiously.

    Yan Yu¡¯s divine sense scanned the remnants of the target and soon came to a conclusion.

    A single-target attack, pure output, not a wide explosion radius, even smaller than Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Flame Spear, almost similar to the Flying Sword, but its power simply can¡¯t be compared to that of a Flying Sword, extremely lethal, slower than Flying Sword but more hidden¡ªThe Flying Sword¡¯s light is too bright, and Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s Yin Wind Sword even makes special effects sounds as it flies, which is unbearable.

    ¡°This Jade Pivot Thunder, it¡¯s said to be specifically for solitary souls and wild ghosts,¡± Xie Ruoxi carefully explained, ¡°It¡¯s designed to kill purely yin ghostly beings.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu said with an authoritative tone, ¡°Don¡¯t tell Chen Lingyun. Try the Divine Sky Thunder now.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi did as instructed, once again channeling her True Yuan from her Dantian and aimed at another steel target, quickly tossing out an orb of light.

    Yan Yu narrowed his eyes and saw that the Divine Sky Thunder was a white sphere of light, faster than the Jade Pivot Thunder but making a bigger commotion; it slammed into the target, pulverizing it just the same.

    Scanning the remains of the target again, he noticed it hadn¡¯t shattered as widely as the Jade Pivot Thunder, but the pieces were smaller, indicating its power was more restrained and concentrated.

    ¡°What¡¯s the Divine Sky Thunder for?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s for monsters,¡± Xie Ruoxi answered, ¡°The book says, the stronger the physical body, the less it can withstand the Divine Sky Thunder, it¡¯ll what¡­ cause vitality necrosis.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Yan Yu pondered once more.

    It was clear that although the Jade Pivot Thunder and Divine Sky Thunder were different types of Thunder Methods, the ancient supreme being who designed these spells had a clear intention: one targets the physical body, the other the soul.

    If it were the tree demons and vine specters from the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm, then the Divine Sky Thunder would be used against them; but if dealing with the ghosts from Shuanggui Mountain or Changping Secret Realm, the Jade Pivot Thunder should be used.

    Too bad he was dealing with a pretty but useless person, who might not know how to eat even when the meal is ready and brought to her lips¡­ In her previous life, this girl used Thunder Methods haphazardly, ¡°tossing out skills in the order they appeared on her skill list,¡± so much so that Yan Yu had never heard of the differences between the Jade Pivot Thunder and Divine Sky Thunder.

    ¡°Do you know how to use these two Thunder Methods?¡± Yan Yu asked sternly.

    ¡°Uh.¡± Xie Ruoxi wanted to say ¡°I think there¡¯s not much difference, just toss them out,¡± but seeing the captain looking fierce (imagined by her), she earnestly analyzed, ¡°Use Divine Sky Thunder against monsters, Jade Pivot Thunder against ghosts.¡±

    ¡°And what about killing people?¡± Yan Yu asked again.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi racked her brains.

    Humans have a physical body and a soul, so which Thunder Method should be used for killing? Eh, the body is on the outside, the soul is on the inside, so should it be¡­

    ¡°I will first use the Divine Sky Thunder to crush his body,¡± Xie Ruoxi smartly said, ¡°then the Jade Pivot Thunder to destroy his soul!¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Is there a possibility,¡± he strained to hold back the burgeoning repulsion for stupidity, and asked coolly, ¡°that whether it¡¯s Divine Sky Thunder or Jade Pivot Thunder, just one hit and the opponent is already blown to death by you?¡±

    ¡°Oh, right!¡± Xie Ruoxi had an epiphany, ¡°So it doesn¡¯t matter which Thunder Method I use?¡±

    ¡°Of course, it matters!¡± Yan Yu finally couldn¡¯t contain himself and started knocking Xie Ruoxi¡¯s head with his knuckles, ¡°I said ¡®just one hit¡¯! Don¡¯t you understand what ¡®just one hit¡¯ means? Do you think your opponent will just stand there and let you hit them with your Thunder Method? Where has your mind wandered off to?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to knock my brain out!¡± Xie Ruoxi quickly covered her head, crying out in a pitiful tone.

    ¡°Divine Sky Thunder is faster, Jade Pivot Thunder is more discreet.¡± Seeing her in such a delicate and pitiful state, Yan Yu once again suppressed his anger and continued to patiently explain, ¡°For sneak attacks, use Jade Pivot Thunder, for direct kills, Divine Sky Thunder, got it?¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Xie Ruoxi nodded and then naively asked, ¡°So when should I sneak attack and when should I go for a direct kill?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more complicated.¡± Yan Yu was about to list 108 different battle situations where different strategies should be employed, then suddenly remembered the intellect of this pretty but useless girl¡­ and lost all interest.

    ¡°So?¡± Xie Ruoxi was still waiting for his explanation.

    ¡°So just follow Chen Lingyun¡¯s commands,¡± Yan Yu said with a somber expression.

 Chapter 269: 67 You wouldnt want your brother to find out, would you?

    Chapter 269: Chapter 67 You wouldn¡¯t want your brother to find out, would you?

    The more Yan Yu tutored Xie Ruoxi in training, the clearer it became that this beautiful waste seemed to be on the opposite ends of the spectrum from himself.

    He had nearly zero talent for cultivation but maxed out on technical operation and tactical awareness; Xie Ruoxi, however, had spectacular hardware but a complete mess of software¡­ so much so that Yan Yu often got fired up while teaching her: ¡°Damn it, why can¡¯t you even understand this!¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you allocate some of the talent points you invested in your aptitude into your intelligence!¡±

    The girl Xie Ruoxi wasn¡¯t actually stupid, or she wouldn¡¯t have been able to master two Thunder Methods after just one read-through. But the moment it came down to systematic theoretical knowledge requiring logic, she would become utterly lost¡ªthe main problem was her inability to remember, followed by her fondness for impromptu thoughts, and because of her lack of practical experience, most of the strategies she came up with were sure to get her killed.

    Sometimes Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but think, why not just let her be? With her freakish talent for cultivation, like training a maxed-out wild ball punch, even flailing about wildly wouldn¡¯t make her weak.

    Wait, wasn¡¯t the reason Xie Ruoxi was such a waste in her previous life not because the Annan Army completely ignored her, but because they tried countless disciplinary methods and still couldn¡¯t do anything about her?

    The more Yan Yu thought about it, the more he believed it to be true, and the more desperate he felt. If even the Annan Army of her previous life couldn¡¯t handle her, then what about me¡­

    Grr! I still refuse to accept this! I¡¯m the strongest in this world!

    ¡°Xie Ruoxi, come here.¡± Yan Yu motioned for her to come over, ¡°I plan to create a custom combat style just for you.¡±

    ¡°What kind of combat style?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked, trembling with fear.

    Every time Yan Yu said something like ¡°I have an idea,¡± the ideas he came up with were always messed up, serving to torment her to death and beyond without any other effect¡­ Can¡¯t you just stop messing around, captain, please, I¡¯m begging you, is that okay?

    Of course, she only dared to say that last sentence in her mind.

    Yan Yu naturally didn¡¯t know what she was thinking and simply stated seriously:

    ¡°I¡¯ve decided to name it ¡®Mind-Stream Combat Style.¡¯

    ¡°Mind-Stream?¡±

    ¡°Right, Mind-Stream.¡± Yan Yu explained, ¡°First, I¡¯ll beat you until you¡¯re sending out an SOS¡­ but don¡¯t cry yet. My plan goes like this.¡±

    How could Xie Ruoxi not cry? As soon as she heard ¡°sending out an SOS,¡± she turned pale, with her eyes reddening and tears already swirling in her eyes.

    ¡°Previously, I taught you ¡®what to do in what kind of situation, how you should react.¡¯ But you never learn. After some careful reflection, I realized that¡¯s not your problem, it¡¯s mine¡­¡±

    ¡°No no no, it¡¯s definitely my problem!¡± Xie Ruoxi interjected anxiously, ¡°Can we not change it, please? Let¡¯s stick with the original training plan, I will study hard and with diligence¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ve thought of a new method.¡± Yan Yu completely ignored her and continued excitedly, ¡°Every time I knock you down, we¡¯ll replay and rewind to before I made that last hit, reset our positions, fix our stances, like loading a saved game in a video game.¡±

    ¡°After that, I won¡¯t tell you ¡®how to defend against my last hit,¡¯ and you¡¯ll think of new ways to counter my attack. If you fail to defend again and get knocked down, we go back and do it again, until you find a defensive strategy that suits you¡­¡±

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s tears finally began to fall: Are you even human? Just keep knocking me down, right? Why don¡¯t you plainly say you¡¯re just bullying me?

    Yan Yu took her crying as a sign of joy and consoled her:

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, no need to get excited. This was just a spur-of-the-moment idea, and whether or not it¡¯ll work still has to be seen.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi wiped her tears quickly deciding, I¡¯ll just botch this!

    If I never find a way to defend, then it proves that this idea is completely rubbish!

    But, wait, if I can¡¯t find a way to defend, doesn¡¯t that mean I¡¯ll just keep getting flipped to the ground over and over again?

    And it¡¯s all just so you can beat me up more efficiently! Yan Yu, you¡­ you¡­ you are inhumane!

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it!¡± Yan Yu encouraged her with enthusiasm, ¡°I¡¯ve meddled with your fighting too much before, and my own experiences may not necessarily suit you. Now I¡¯m giving you the decision-making power. As long as you can stop my attack, you fight however you want!¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi hemmed and hawed for a long time, finally unable to hold back her plea, ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight anymore!¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Just as I thought! Worthy of myself!

    After repeatedly feeding Xie Ruoxi moves, Yan Yu finally confirmed his judgment. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yes, the crux of the problem is right here!

    Yan Yu, with the experience of two lifetimes, had developed a technique-focused combat style. Its core involved using consciousness and control to enhance the effectiveness of tactical actions as much as possible.

    For example, what if the enemy¡¯s Sword Control is so tight that there¡¯re no gaps? I would first make a feint to mislead them, forcing them to adjust their defense and reveal a flaw, then I¡¯d surge through the gap, straight to the heart of their position.

    But is this style of combat suitable for Xie Ruoxi? Not really.

    Her natural talent for cultivation was incredibly strong, her True Yuan was robust and refined beyond the ordinary, and she wielded the forceful Heavenly Origin Sword. The swordsmanship defenses that Yan Yu couldn¡¯t penetrate, Xie Immortal Venerate would just smash through with a bam. What feints? What tearing at defenses? None needed, just brute force! One bash, and it¡¯s all done!!!

    Though technique can enable the weak to overcome the strong, Xie Immortal Venerate was already powerful. Why should she learn a style designed to turn weakness into strength? She didn¡¯t like overly complicated tactics, nor did she understand the meaning behind these maneuvers, because she had never faced an enemy whose Cultivation Realm completely overpowered her, nor had she felt the helplessness and frustration of being unable to make a dent no matter how she fought. It is like a rich kid who never worried about food or clothes¡ªyou ask them to learn about budgeting and saving, how well can they truly grasp it?

    Damn it! It really is my fault! The more I force the wrong approach, the worse it gets!

    Yan Yu smacked his forehead, resolving not to randomly coach Xie Immortal Venerate any longer¡ªher path of cultivation should be walked by herself!

    I¡¯ll just be responsible for creating a training database for her, simulating various combat scenarios to boost her experience level.

    At that thought, Yan Yu was filled with excitement, as if he had found the correct approach to solving the tough puzzle of the beautiful but wasteful Ruoxi, and he couldn¡¯t wait to start working on it.

    However, Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t share his high spirits.

    Right now, all she wanted to do was to collapse on the ground.

    Sigh, why does something like Divine Sense even exist? Even faking unconsciousness gets discovered!

    Even though there was no physical damage anywhere, pain was all over her body. Crying was useless¡ªYan Yu, this damned captain, would not show her any tenderness. He would just ruthlessly contort me into all sorts of positions and euphemistically call it ¡°making me move myself¡±!

    Help, can someone please come and save me¡­

    Just as she was all flustered, her phone suddenly vibrated.

    [Yunshan]: Sis, I have no classes these few days, I¡¯m coming to Jinling to see you. Where are you?

    Upon seeing the message from her brother, Xie Ruoxi almost cried tears of joy and quickly sent her location:

    [Magical Girl Ruoxi]: Big brother, save me!

    [Yunshan]: Call the police?

    [Magical Girl Ruoxi]: No, it¡¯s not that, just hurry over!

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Yan Yu suddenly noticed she was messaging someone, ¡°Slacking off again? I told you to rest and recover your strength, not to play with your phone!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like this,¡± Xie Ruoxi got caught red-handed and subconsciously felt a bit guilty, but she quickly mustered courage and responded, ¡°My brother¡¯s come to Jinling, and he wants to check on my condition.¡±

    Captain! My brother is about to arrive! You wouldn¡¯t want him to find out how you¡¯ve been bullying me, right?

    ¡°Your brother is coming?¡± Yan Yu was momentarily taken aback, then immediately overflowed with joy, ¡°Where is he? Do you want me to pick him up?¡±

    Instructor Qi had mentioned before we could ¡°try starting with her family,¡± and here her family member was, delivering himself right to our doorstep!

    No more wasting words, seize the moment!

    Seeing how ecstatic Yan Yu was, Xie Ruoxi instantly felt like she had been struck by lightning.

    Ah, why is the captain so happy? He can¡¯t be plotting something again, can he!

 Chapter 270: 68: Big Brother, Severely Beat the Useless Sister

    Chapter 270: Chapter 68: Big Brother, Severely Beat the Useless Sister

    In Xie Ruoxi¡¯s simplistic worldview, the captain¡¯s harsh training was definitely bullying, and as her relative, her brother was bound to stand by her side.

    Yan Yu¡¯s evaluation of this was: Naive.

    In her previous life, the pretty good-for-nothing only started her career in her thirties and then later rose to become the number one cultivator of the Annan Army. Her power even approached that of Lord Master, but internally, she didn¡¯t even have as much say as Chen Lingyun, which shows her utter lack of social acumen.

    Let me give her a proper lesson!

    At the school entrance, Yan Yu saw Xie Rushan being stopped by the security guards¡ªtall and thin, wearing a nondescript, dusky windbreaker, with a bulging backpack on his back, pacing back and forth with a bottle of mineral water in hand, clearly a poor college student with little money in his pockets.

    Yan Yu quickly approached and asked,

    ¡°Xie Rushan? Xie Ruoxi¡¯s brother?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Xie Rushan hurriedly replied, ¡°And you are¡­?¡±

    His gaze made a quick sweep across Yan Yu¡¯s face, suspicion gradually appearing.

    The face that had flashed by in his sister¡¯s video last night¡­ However, the person in the video was a middle-aged man, and this one was a youngster, which made Xie Rushan uncertain.

    Yan Yu also noticed the change in his expression and preemptively took control of the situation, saying,

    ¡°You¡¯re here to deal with the matter of your sister injuring someone, right? Come, I¡¯ll take you to see the injured party.¡±

    Xie Rushan felt as if he had been struck by lightning; all his suspicions disappeared, leaving only shock and panic in his mind:

    What, my sister hurt someone?

    ¡°Wait a moment,¡± he quickly caught up with Yan Yu, anxiously asking, ¡°My sister hurt someone? That can¡¯t be! She has been well-behaved since she was little; she has never even had a fight, let alone getting into an argument and blushing!¡±

    ¡°She never told you?¡± Yan Yu feigned surprise and said, ¡°Xie Ruoxi has been detected to have cultivation potential and has already signed a cultivation agreement with our military.¡±

    Xie Rushan: !!!

    On the way to the infirmary, Yan Yu didn¡¯t talk about how Xie Ruoxi became a cultivator, only broadly said that ¡°she is learning a Thunder Method,¡± ¡°she operated it indoors against regulations,¡± ¡°blew up the entire building,¡± ¡°the instructor was seriously injured and taken away for emergency treatment.¡± Xie Rushan was so shocked that he was lost and extremely nervous, and nearly immediately called his parents for help.

    ¡°Fortunately, Instructor Qi is now out of life-threatening danger,¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly, ¡°So we weren¡¯t originally planning to inform her family, but since you were in the area, I thought I¡¯d mention it.¡±

    ¡°Then, about these medical expenses¡­¡± Xie Rushan worriedly asked.

    ¡°The medical expenses are not a problem; they can be deducted from her future cultivator¡¯s income,¡± replied Yan Yu.

    Relieved that it wouldn¡¯t ask for money from home, Xie Rushan also breathed a sigh of relief.

    The Xie family had been farming for three generations, working as tenant farmers for landlords and hardly had any savings. Supporting just him at university was already difficult. If his sister caused trouble outside and needed to compensate for hundreds of thousands in medical expenses, they would have to borrow money, but the question was who would be willing to lend it to them?

    Although he didn¡¯t know how much the medical expenses would be or how much his sister¡¯s ¡°cultivator income¡± would amount to, as long as she could handle it herself without asking the family for money, that was naturally the best outcome¡ªotherwise, his parents would definitely lose sleep for months.

    Yan Yu led Xie Rushan to the infirmary, where from outside the ward they visited the still sleeping Qi Changping. After asking the head nurse about the current condition of the injured person, the anxious elder brother-in-law finally began to calm down somewhat.

    ¡°However,¡± Yan Yu continued with a sigh, ¡°Xie Ruoxi¡¯s enthusiasm lately has not been very high, she even considered retiring from the service, and we¡¯ve been working on her ideology¡­¡±

    Xie Rushan: !!!!!

    He nearly blacked out.

    ¡°Why does she want to retire?¡± Xie Rushan struggled to hold back his anxious emotion and asked again.

    ¡°She finds it hard and tiresome and wants to quit,¡± Yan Yu explained lightly. ¡°If it were a regular job, resigning wouldn¡¯t be a big deal, but deserting is absolutely unacceptable. Continuing this way will only make the leaders have a negative opinion of her, and I¡¯m also under a lot of pressure.¡±

    ¡°So you are actually¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the captain of her tactical squad,¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°Yan Yu, ¡®Yan¡¯ from the word ¡®swallow¡¯, and ¡®Yu¡¯ meaning ¡®abundant¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I think I¡¯ve heard your name,¡± Xie Rushan replied, feeling it sounded familiar, but he rarely watched the news on TV, so he didn¡¯t think much of it and said in frustration, ¡°Captain Yan, let¡¯s do this, take me to see my sister, and I¡¯ll work on her ideology.¡±

    This elder brother-in-law might be simple, but he wasn¡¯t stupid. After hearing Yan Yu speak so much, he of course understood the implications in his words.

    But he knew his sister¡¯s personality better; she had been unwilling to study even from a young age and was indeed capable of doing something as irrational as ¡°deserting.¡±

    I must give her a good talking-to! That¡¯s it, hasn¡¯t my sister always kept this a secret from home? I¡¯ll start by using our parents to scold her!

    ¡°Ruoxi, you wouldn¡¯t want mom and dad to know you¡¯re not properly fulfilling your duties as a cultivator, would you?¡±

    Xie Rushan followed Yan Yu to the training ground, and on the way, he quickly thought of what to say. As soon as he entered, he put on a stern face.

    Upon seeing her older brother arrive, Xie Ruoxi was suddenly overwhelmed with grievances of being bullied by Yan Yu recently. Her eyes reddened, a glimmer of tears emerged, and she instantly switched from a helpless big rabbit to a wronged one. She rose to her feet to cry and call out:

    ¡°Old brother!¡±

    Little did she know that Xie Rushan had already been forewarned by Yan Yu and had turned into an unfeeling elder brother with a heart of stone, and he coldly said:

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard it all from Captain Yan! Ruoxi, you became a cultivator but kept it from our family. We¡¯ll let that pass for now, but I heard that you actually want to quit the team recently? Getting cold feet, thinking of deserting?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi was struck as if by lightning, her mouth half open, looking as if her soul had slipped out, her whole appearance turning gray.

    ¡°How could you do this!¡± Xie Rushan continued to berate her out of frustration, ¡°You¡¯ve previously gone to work, to be a photographer, how much money could you make in a month? Mom and Dad have also said it many times, if you¡¯re not planning on going to college, at least you should have a stable source of income. Isn¡¯t being a cultivator in the military good? A cultivator is also considered a career track¡­ uh, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s a career track, a secure job.¡± Yan Yu added fuel to the fire from the side.

    ¡°Right,¡± Xie Rushan immediately felt more confident and continued, ¡°Your cousin Wenwen, after graduating from college, has been trying to pass the civil service exams for three years now and still hasn¡¯t managed it! You¡¯re directly in the system now, what¡¯s there to be dissatisfied with? And now thinking of leaving the service¡­ do you want to anger mom and dad to death?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi was on the verge of tears, thinking to herself that her older brother had no idea that her job involved getting beaten every day!

    But Xie Rushan didn¡¯t give his sister the chance to argue further and quickly changed to a sorrowful expression, continuing to say:

    ¡°Sis, you know the family¡¯s situation isn¡¯t good, we¡¯re now at the point where we can¡¯t even afford to get sick. Dad had stomach pains and went to the health clinic, the doctor said he needed a gastroscopy, but he didn¡¯t want to spend the money and didn¡¯t go. When he¡¯s in pain, he just presses a pen against his stomach. He hasn¡¯t told you, all because he¡¯s worried that you work too hard and too desperately to make money, and he doesn¡¯t want you to feel pressured, but this¡­¡±

    Xie Ruoxi could no longer withstand it and finally burst into tears, sobbing:

    ¡°I won¡¯t leave the battle team, I won¡¯t leave! Brother, I¡¯ll definitely work hard, I¡¯ll send money home right away, tell dad to get treatment quickly¡­¡± S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Xie Rushan managed to talk himself into being overcome with emotion. With little ability to earn money himself, he became even more sad as he spoke, and the siblings nearly cried together in each other¡¯s arms.

    Yan Yu watched silently from the side, feeling very satisfied with the older cousin¡¯s on-the-spot performance.

    After such a stern talking-to from her own brother, Xie Ruoxi should now be willing to train properly, right?

    If even this can¡¯t correct her useless disposition, then I¡¯m really out of options.

    After mutual confessions of regret, Yan Yu was quite happy to give Xie Ruoxi half a day off, letting her take her older cousin around Jinling Prefecture, have some good food, and incidentally reinforce the impression that ¡°the family really needs you to earn money.¡±

    As Qi Changping would say, it was ¡°injecting her with chicken blood.¡±

    Inject! Inject her hard!

    With Xie Ruoxi out on leave, and Yan Yu having nothing else to do, he flew home on his sword.

    Time for a long nap!

    After lying on the sofa playing with his phone for a while, he suddenly saw a piece of news in the cultivator group chat:

    The first generation Witch King had appeared.

    As I mentioned before, with the collapse of the secular governments of the southern countries, their civilian supernatural forces also began fighting among themselves, with endless internal strife and killing, which could be described as the ¡°Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms of the Indochina Peninsula.¡± The sorcerers are akin to the military governors, belonging to a lawless and violent class of groups that bring disaster to the country.

    If the North can produce an Eclipse Queen, the South certainly cannot remain in chaos forever. Just like monkey troops in nature will eventually produce a king ¡ª every once in a while, a sorcerer will rise who is powerful enough to begin trying to subjugate and integrate all the sorcerer forces on the southern peninsula. This individual is then called the ¡°Witch King.¡±

    The emergence of the Witch King can be good or bad, but mostly it¡¯s bad, creating a significant threat to border security, which is why the Qing¡¯an Battle Team where Li Minghu belongs has urgently set out from Lingnan Province to stand by in Nanjiang Province.

    The fellow cultivator students in the group chat also began discussing the current situation and predicting the impact of the Witch King¡¯s rise on Lu Country, with the university student cultivators from the Annan National Defense Academy being particularly anxious.

    However, Yan Yu remembered that in his previous life, not long after the first generation Witch King rose to power, he was cursed to death by his deputy.

    The deputy took over as the second-generation Witch King, and to shift internal conflicts, began waging wars everywhere, also setting a path for subsequent Witch Kings¡­ The ordeal of Valkyrie Li Minghu seemed to start from this point.

    Hmm, I should ask her how she¡¯s been feeling lately.

 Chapter 271: 69 Chen Lingyun Went in as Well

    Chapter 271: Chapter 69 Chen Lingyun Went in as Well

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You¡¯ve recently been to Nanjiang?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Yes, the border seems unstable, so the higher-ups sent us there to stand by.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: How¡¯s your health?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Much better. Thanks to the increase in my spiritual energy limit, the frequency of my coughs has reduced after my cultivation level went up.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: So cultivation is the best medicine after all. Less fighting, more cultivation.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Speaking of fighting, I heard you defeated an Onmyoji at Black Dragon Isle, and were even honored at Lingyan Pavilion later?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: How did you know that?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Heard it from others, ¡°Longcheng Flying General,¡± unique in all of Lu Country. They said your award ceremony video will be used as an October tribute and will be heavily promoted on TV.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Sigh, it¡¯s just a false reputation, meaningless.

    Yan Yu wasn¡¯t trying to be pretentious here; he truly felt this way¡ªin his past life, he also received numerous medals, all tossed into a small cardboard box, hardly ever bothering to take them out.

    Why consider it a false reputation? Because he was well aware that the title of Longcheng Flying General was actually secured for him by Chen Tianming, partly to woo him and partly to build momentum for him.

    The truly prestigious title is that of ¡°Valkyrie¡±! After her sacrifice, without any official awards, she was spontaneously remembered and mourned by the people of the seven provinces in the south, even having temples erected and memorial tablets worshipped¡ªtruly recognized by the heartfelt respect of thousands, a title worth being proud of and remembered!

    [Yuegua Donghu]: But it sounds pretty impressive, right?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What, you want a medal too?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: [Photo].

    [Yuegua Donghu]: It looks pretty good~

    [Yuegua Donghu]: If I get a chance, I¡¯d like to earn one too. But that would require distinguishing oneself on the battlefield, right?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Just to see if there¡¯s a chance this time/cheer up.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Still, safety first.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: If you can¡¯t handle it, come find me, and I¡¯ll help you.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Wouldn¡¯t that be against the rules?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What are you thinking? Of course, not by deploying the Zhenhai Team. It¡¯s just that Longcheng Flying General Yan Yu happened to pass by and saw that Li Minghu of the Qing¡¯an Team was in trouble, so he went over to give a hand.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: That sounds reasonable. But you being in Jinling Prefecture and just happening to pass by Nanjiang sounds a bit hard to explain, doesn¡¯t it?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: No problem, I usually enjoy sword flight, admiring the great rivers and mountains of our country. Just yesterday, I even went to the Western Regions Province.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: You went to the Western Regions? Is the mutton and beef there good?

    The two chatted for nearly half an hour. Obviously, Li Minghu was quite bored on the other side, called to stand by in Nanjiang Province without any battles to fight. It could be said that the Annan Army was probably watching the Dingbei Army run themselves ragged on the border and consequently took the matter of the Southeast Asian Witch King very seriously, preferring to prepare in advance, overacting rather than being caught off guard and scrambling at the last minute.

    Of the four armies, it was actually the Zhendong Army that had it the easiest. Although they faced the strongest spiritual power among the surrounding forces¡ªthe Onmyoji¡ªthey were still separated by sea, without a long land border to worry about, and were not afraid of sporadic invasions; just going out for a few big battles each year was enough.

    The Zhendong Army, comfortable!

    After chatting with Li Minghu, Yan Yu turned to chat with Anna, who seemed to have been promoted again recently in the coven circle. She appeared quite pleased with herself, sometimes jokingly telling Yan Yu that she ¡°would snatch people from the south,¡± seemingly getting a bit carried away.

    After speaking with Anna, Yan Yu went to check on Zhou Hongyu to see if she was getting better.

    The hot-tempered Xiao Zhou finally removed her oxygen mask and, sitting on the hospital bed in her patient gown, faced Yan Yu with a cold expression and remained silent.

    After confirming once again that her brain was not injured, Yan Yu reluctantly ended the video call.

    She should be fine now, right?

    As he was thinking this, he suddenly received a call from Lin Ning.

    ¡°Yan Yu!¡± Her voice sounded anxious, ¡°Ling Yun¡¯s been shot!¡±

    ¡°Is she dead?¡± Yan Yu was also taken aback.

    ¡°No, she¡¯s being rescued.¡± Lin Ning¡¯s voice was a bit tearful, and then Yan Yu gave an ¡°oh¡± and turned to comfort her:

    ¡°No worries, if he¡¯s being resuscitated, then he¡¯s definitely not going to die.¡±

    Cultivators have this advantage: using Runescript for surgery and wound cleaning to stop bleeding is super convenient, with the treatment penetrating directly beneath the skin without any risk of infection spreading.

    ¡°Where are you guys, I¡¯m coming over now,¡± Yan Yu said as he stood up.

    Lin Ning reported the address, and Yan Yu messaged Xie Ruoxi, telling her to quickly arrange for her elder brother to come over. Then he launched into Sword Flight, swiftly heading in the direction of Jiujiang.

    Shot¡­

    Are you trying to make me die of laughter? Where was your Barrier Charm?

    It must have been an ambush by someone in hiding; with Chen Lingyun¡¯s speed, there was no way she could have reacted in time¡­ Tsk, the first time I let you lead a team on your own, and you¡¯ve brought us shame!

    The sword light descended near the hospital, and he went upstairs to reach the inpatient ward where he saw Chen Lingyun sitting on the bed, chatting with Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen who were keeping her company.

    Her complexion was slightly pale, possessing a delicate and fragile beauty. Yan Yu scanned her with his Divine Sense and discovered that her wound was in the abdomen, nothing serious.

    ¡°Heard someone got shot?¡± Yan Yu walked into the ward and asked, ¡°Did it hit your head?¡±

    Chen Lingyun looked over and smiled faintly:

    ¡°Sorry to worry you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Yan Yu turned to look at Lin Ning, ¡°What exactly happened, tell me?¡±

    Lin Ning sighed, explaining the details of the situation. It wasn¡¯t complicated and could be summarized in one sentence:

    Two cultivators from the military manor had defected. The Zhendong Army urgently pursued those two cultivators, cornering them into the deep woods. Chen Lingyun¡¯s team was in charge of the search and ended up being shot in an ambush.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Although it¡¯s not quite appropriate,¡± he said quietly as he took out his phone, ¡°I think I should call Zhou Hongyu to have a chat with you two wounded, share some experiences¡­¡±

    ¡°If you know it¡¯s inappropriate, don¡¯t start fanning the flames!¡± Lin Ning immediately snatched his phone away, venting her frustration.

    ¡°What about those two cultivators?¡± Yan Yu continued.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t caught them yet,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said with a sullen tone. ¡°Lingyun got shot, and we couldn¡¯t worry about anything else. We had to rush her back for treatment.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Yan Yu expressed his understanding of the situation, ¡°Let Lingyun stay here to recover. I¡¯ll have Xie Ruoxi take over the mission.¡±

    ¡°What happened to Lingyun?¡± Xie Ruoxi came in through the door, holding a fruit basket in her hands.

    ¡°You¡¯ve arrived just in time,¡± Yan Yu quickly called her over, ¡°There¡¯s a mission I need to hand over to you now.¡±

    After listening to Lin Ning repeat the briefing, Xie Ruoxi turned completely pale, hurriedly waving her hands and shaking her head:

    ¡°I can¡¯t do it! They have guns!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse?¡± Yan Yu reminded her with a sidelong glance, ¡°With the Barrier Charm up, bullets can¡¯t get through.¡±

    ¡°But I can¡¯t keep the Barrier Charm up all the time, can I?¡± Lin Ning asked, doubtful, ¡°True Yuan won¡¯t hold up for that.¡±

    ¡°Just because you can¡¯t do it doesn¡¯t mean she can¡¯t, okay?¡± Yan Yu picked up a cup nearby and poured hot water, ¡°This cup goes on the bedside table, wait for Xie Ruoxi to come back from handling it, then drink.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Pushing Xie Ruoxi out of the ward, the good-for-nothing was still muttering something about ¡°I can¡¯t do this¡± and ¡°you pushing me like this is sending me to die.¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and cut her off:

    ¡°I see you really don¡¯t get it!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°You utilize Sword Flight the whole time while searching, don¡¯t stop,¡± Yan Yu instructed her, ¡°Bullets can¡¯t penetrate sword light. Once you spot them, hit each one with Thunder Method, and it¡¯s over. It¡¯s foolproof, okay?!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me!¡± she said suspiciously, ¡°Are you sure there¡¯s no risk?¡±

    ¡°Why would I lie to you?¡± Yan Yu said, puzzled, ¡°Look, if you¡¯re really not at ease, I¡¯ll go with you, will that do?¡±

    ¡°Then you must come with me!¡± Xie Ruoxi quickly clung to his arm, fearing he might change his mind and escape.

 Chapter 272: 70 Immortal Venerate Xie Tries His Hand

    Chapter 272: Chapter 70 Immortal Venerate Xie Tries His Hand

    Yan Yu had a clear plan for Xie Ruoxi¡¯s education.

    The biggest issue with this waste at present was a lack of persistence for continuous progress, and another was the absence of the courage to dare to fight.

    Therefore, training had to be carried out in two prongs, on one hand, to establish a drive for striving, which Xie Rushan, her eldest maternal uncle, was responsible for; on the other hand, to infuse her with the belief in daring to fight, she¡¯d have to build confidence through actual combat by bullying the weak.

    Ordinary cultivators not from the combat team were just the best whetstones.

    It was certainly unrealistic to let Xie Ruoxi, who had no experience, to go fight those murderous Onmyoji and Curse Technique Masters outside right from the start.

    Start with one that¡¯s less difficult, let her see some blood!

    Yan Yu and Xie Ruoxi rode their swords to the destination. This place was within the Nine Linked Mountains area, with rich vegetation on the ground and a complex terrain environment, perfect for hiding two renegade cultivators inside to evade satellite surveillance and photography.

    If they were fortunate enough to find an entrance to a Mysterious Realm, sneak in to kill generals and seize flags, refine the central pivot, they could hide inside to cultivate until they become sword saints at Ten Li Slope before coming out, and by then, basically no one outside would be able to handle them.

    In the temporary command center for the manhunt operation, Yan Yu found the person in charge of the Zhendong Army to understand the situation.

    It was said that after taking revenge, the authorities still called those two cultivators, telling them ¡°not to be impulsive¡± and ¡°to surrender themselves¡±, but the two of them just threw their mobile phones at the scene, and then rode their swords flying southwards, presumably planning to flee abroad.

    The Zhendong Army urgently contacted the Annan Army to encircle and intercept from both the south and north directions, forcing these two down into the mountain forests below¡ªafter that came a series of failed attempts at sweeping the ground, and they even fell into an ambush and got counterattacked, injuring three or four people, which was truly a huge embarrassment.

    ¡°Hold on.¡± Yan Yu found it hard to comprehend, ¡°The other side only has two people, and they ambushed so many of you, and they still succeeded?¡±

    The person in charge was somewhat embarrassingly at a loss for words, explaining that the opponents were too cunning, showing weakness by fleeing desperately, causing the pursuers to think that they had lost the will to attack, then suddenly turning around to launch a surprise attack. It just so happened that everyone was gathered in an open area discussing tactics, with a lack of protective cover around them. Luckily, a girl named Lin Ning reacted quickly enough, sending her Flying Sword in time to force the opponents back, preventing more casualties.

    Xie Ruoxi, who was by his side, grew more and more frightened as she listened, saying softly to Yan Yu:

    ¡°The other side consists of extremely vicious murderers, it¡¯s very dangerous for just the two of us to go in! Can¡¯t we just drop a nuclear bomb on them and blast them to death inside?¡±

    Goddamn drop a nuclear bomb¡­ Yan Yu was too lazy to explain, only asking her back:

    ¡°Who do you think is a bit more vicious, those two or me?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi originally wanted to say ¡°of course, those two¡±, but the memory of being beaten and force-fed moves by Yan Yu recently rushed to her heart, and she found herself momentarily at a loss for words.

    With a single sentence, Yan Yu burst Xie Ruoxi¡¯s desire to retreat, then turned to the person in charge and said:

    ¡°Alright, we roughly understand the situation now. Just to confirm one last thing, as long as we stop the targets, dead or alive doesn¡¯t matter, right?¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± the person in charge nodded in response.

    No matter what kind of hardship the other party had, from the moment they refused contact, attempted to flee, and even attacked pursuing personnel, this matter was destined not to be resolved peacefully.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Yan Yu said to Xie Ruoxi.

    The two left the temporary command center, pursuing their way toward the endless mountain wilderness.

    Yan Yu did not rashly enter the forest but instead kept riding his sword above the canopy of trees, all the while having Xie Ruoxi expand her Divine Sense to the limit, continuously scanning beneath the forest.

    The other side had specifically targeted Chen Lingyun in their ambush because they feared her Five Ghosts Reconnaissance Technique, which showed that these two were bold and ruthless, not solely fixated on fleeing for their lives, and still thinking of counter-killing. This actually made things much easier.

    What was really feared was the type comparable to a turtle, digging a deep hole on the ground, burying themselves in it, and relying on the Cultivator¡¯s True Yuan to practice Fasting to drag out time¡ªthat would be purely disgusting.

    The two searched from afternoon to evening, from one mountaintop to another, until the sky turned dark, finally locating the trace of the targets¡ªthanks to Xie Ruoxi¡¯s strong True Yuan and Divine Sense scanning for hours without rest. An ordinary person really couldn¡¯t keep up.

    ¡°They¡¯re hiding under that cliff over there,¡± Xie Ruoxi said softly via voice transmission, ¡°and it seems like they haven¡¯t noticed us.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Yan Yu quickly descended with his sword light and, landing, cast the Invisibility Technique, leaving behind only the words, ¡°I leave it to you.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi: ?!!!

    Before she had time to say anything, Yan Yu had already vanished without a trace.

    It was over.

    It was completely over!

    Xie Ruoxi immediately became panic-stricken, swiftly scanning her surroundings with Divine Sense, but she couldn¡¯t find Yan Yu¡¯s trace at all¡ªobviously, he had run far away.

    This made her feel frightened all over again.

    But now, with the arrow on the bowstring, she had no choice but to proceed. Xie Ruoxi could think of no other plan, so she cautiously approached the direction of the two renegade cultivators, her mind whirling rapidly, quickly making up her mind:

    The enemy had guns, what if they shot at me? Even if they didn¡¯t use guns but instead attacked me directly with Flying Swords, what then?

    The painful memory of being brutally hammered by Lin Ning and Yan Yu with their Sword Control Technique surfaced in Xie Ruoxi¡¯s mind, prompting her to quickly abandon the idea of confronting the enemy head-on and exchanging blows.

    Fighting Yan Yu, she could ¡°reload¡± and start over if she got knocked down, but clearly, her opponents wouldn¡¯t give her that chance; losing meant death.

    Her only advantage now was that she hadn¡¯t been discovered by the other side, so I¡­

    So I¡¯d hit and run!

    I¡¯d go all in with a full-force attack, launching all my Thunder Method at them in the shortest time possible, then escape using Sword Control! Yan Yu had said that my True Yuan was strong, and in a pure contest of speed with Sword Control, these two might not be my match!

    With that thought, Xie Ruoxi no longer hesitated. She tiptoed within attack range, locking on with her Divine Sense to the two cultivators resting beneath a distant cliff.

    Then, her entire body¡¯s True Yuan surged, her left hand formed Jade Pivot Thunder and her right hand readied Lightning Thunder from Heaven, with True Yuan pouring out, lightning scattering wildly as she mercilessly targeted the two cultivators!

    Thunderbolts streaked forth swiftly, as the light from the Heavenly Origin Sword turned and sped away!

    The two cultivators were sitting beneath a cliff, attempting to recover their True Yuan, when they suddenly heard the muffled sound of thunder piercing the air ahead of them. They hurriedly summoned their Flying Swords to intercept the attack, but one¡¯s sword met with the Jade Pivot Thunder and was instantly blasted in half, while the other failed to stop the Lightning Thunder from Heaven. The thunder tore through his chest and then exploded, sending electric snakes weaving everywhere, engulfing his companion as well!

    The excess energy burst outward in every direction, and the intense explosion shattered the base of the cliff, causing a small-scale landslide. Countless rocks collapsed from above with a thunderous roar as dust billowed.

    Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t know that her two full-powered thunder strikes had already blasted the two to smithereens; she just sped away without looking back, flying faster than the lightning, leaving the mountains behind and heading back to the city, rushing to the hospital.

    She burst into Chen Lingyun¡¯s ward, blurted out to the three stunned girls:

    ¡°Sister Lin, Sister Zhao! Hurry, hurry, they¡¯re after me!¡±

    ¡°Who is?¡± Lin Ning asked, looking puzzled. ¡°Where¡¯s the captain?¡±

    ¡°The captain fled!¡± Speaking of Yan Yu, Xie Ruoxi felt a wave of grievances, ¡°After we found the target, the captain ran off on his own, claiming ¡®leave it to me¡¯! I was so scared, I threw two Thunder Methods at them and then just ran all the way back. I don¡¯t even know if they¡¯ve followed me¡­¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen stood up, her Divine Sense scanning the hospital corridors outside, and said:

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like anyone¡¯s there.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll call him,¡± Lin Ning said, taking out her phone.

    Before she could dial, Yan Yu pushed the door open from outside and asked:

    ¡°Why are you trying to call me?¡±

    Seeing Yan Yu enter, all of Xie Ruoxi¡¯s pent-up grievances exploded, and she glared at him furiously from behind Lin Ning.

    ¡°Ruoxi says you left her alone at the scene?¡± Lin Ning wasn¡¯t afraid of Yan Yu and directly confronted him.

    Exactly! Xie Ruoxi nodded vigorously.

    ¡°Nuts,¡± Yan Yu scoffed, ¡°She¡¯s so useless; how could I possibly feel at ease leaving her there? Of course, I was keeping an eye on her from a spot she couldn¡¯t see.¡±

    Lin Ning thought about it carefully and realized it made sense. Although Yan Yu was always offbeat with words, he had never been sloppy with his actions. She turned to comfort Xie Ruoxi:

    ¡°Okay, then the misunderstanding is cleared up.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi was left speechless.

    Sister Lin! You changed sides too quickly! Even my brother is totally bamboozled by him; don¡¯t just believe whatever he says!

    ¡°Speaking of which, what about the two guys who were after Ruoxi?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked.

    ¡°Dead,¡± Yan Yu answered succinctly, ¡°Mission complete, we can head back.¡± Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Was it your finishing blow?¡± Lin Ning asked curiously.

    ¡°No.¡± Yan Yu wasn¡¯t keen on seizing the credit for Immortal Venerate Xie¡¯s accomplishments, replying calmly, ¡°She killed them with her two Thunder Methods, and then for some reason, she just turned tail and ran. I¡¯ve been following her with Sword Control from behind, trying to signal to her ¡®it¡¯s okay¡¯ but just couldn¡¯t catch up the whole time.¡±

    The girls were initially stunned, but then burst into laughter in the ward.

    Chen Lingyun laughed the hardest, clutching her stomach, in pain yet grinning.

    Lin Ning, thinking she might have aggravated her wound, hurried out to call the head nurse.

 Chapter 273: 71 Chen Lingyun Continues to Stir Things Up

    Chapter 273: Chapter 71 Chen Lingyun Continues to Stir Things Up

    ¡°`

    The Runescript¡¯s restoration effect was quick, so Chen Lingyun herself wasn¡¯t seriously harmed, and she was transferred to a hospital in Jinling Prefecture to continue her follow-up observations.

    Once everyone returned home, they learned that Su Yunjin was still collecting snow water in the Western Regions, which again made them sigh with emotion.

    ¡°Yun Jin has already started on the path of Tao Transformation, huh?¡± Lin Ning badgered Yan Yu, asking, ¡°What about me? Shouldn¡¯t you find me a sword technique now?¡±

    ¡°Here, take this.¡± Yan Yu handed something over nonchalantly.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Lin Ning took the cellphone, then realized, ¡°Why are you giving me a cellphone?¡±

    ¡°Memo.¡± Yan Yu said.

    Upon opening the memo app, Lin Ning saw that it contained two notes, one on the Kunlun Imperial Sword Technique and the other on the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step.

    The academy¡¯s archives hard drive had been blown up by Immortal Venerate Xie of the Nine Heavens Thunder Method, and it couldn¡¯t be recovered in a short time, so Yan Yu had to rely on his memory impression from previously viewing the Jade Slip to roughly write out two notes for Lin Ning to study in advance.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a violation of the confidentiality agreement?¡± Lin Ning asked seriously, frowning.

    Answer-focused little sister indeed had different concerns from ordinary people, but Yan Yu was prepared and replied,

    ¡°Yes, so memorize it quickly and then delete it. Every second you delay increases the risk of a leak.¡±

    ¡°Right away!¡± Lin Ning hurriedly ran to her room with the cellphone.

    ¡°What about me?¡± Chen Lingyun imitated Lin Ning¡¯s tone, smilingly said.

    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about that after you¡¯re discharged.¡± Yan Yu brushed her off.

    ¡°Is Xie Ruoxi¡¯s Thunder Method really that powerful?¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly changed the subject and asked telepathically, ¡°Even Flying Swords can¡¯t resist it?¡±

    ¡°It depends on the grade of the Flying Sword,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°But, yes, it¡¯s very strong.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, we need to think of a way to tie her to the Zhenhai Team,¡± Chen Lingyun spoke softly, ¡°Otherwise, if she becomes a renegade cultivator, that¡¯s too dangerous.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve made contact with her brother.¡± Yan Yu responded calmly, ¡°Her family seems to be the honest and upright rural type. As long as the money is right and the reputation is good, everything should be negotiable.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not enough,¡± pondered Chen Lingyun for a moment, then said, ¡°Do you think she¡¯s pretty?¡±

    ¡°The foundation is not bad I guess, what about it?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s include her in the harem,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°First, there¡¯s no such thing as a harem,¡± Yan Yu clarified after a moment of silence, ¡°Second, you can¡¯t expect a marriage without feelings to hold someone down.¡±

    ¡°A marriage without feelings isn¡¯t reliable,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°But what if there are feelings?¡±

    ¡°You think I can train feelings into her by being harsh all the time?¡± Yan Yu interrupted bluntly, not taking the idea seriously, ¡°Stop messing around, if you¡¯re really looking for fun, go find your Sister Zhao.¡±

    ¡°Humph,¡± Chen Lingyun, seeing he didn¡¯t want to discuss the topic, tactfully said no more but slightly narrowed her eyes, concealing the amusement in her gaze.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    It was now nine o¡¯clock in the evening. The evening on the team¡¯s schedule was ¡°free time¡±, so everyone was busy with their own things.

    Yan Yu sat on the sofa, somewhat bored, watching TV and occasionally looking down to play with his phone.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was next to him, intently clipping her toenails. Although the posture was indecorous, her toes were indeed round and cute, which Yan Yu found tolerable.

    Lin Ning was holed up in her room, diligently studying the sword techniques and footwork given by Yan Yu. A quizzer¡¯s habit was to memorize first, understand slowly, and then practice by hand.

    Xie Ruoxi, on the other hand, was in the study, watching anime on her computer. Every so often, she burst into naive laughter ¨C for her, immersing herself in the beautiful world of anime was probably one of the few leisurely pastimes that allowed her to forget, momentarily, that she had to continue enduring beatdowns the next day.

    Suddenly, someone knocked on the door from outside.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked crisply.

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s voice sounded.

    ¡°Please come in.¡± Xie Ruoxi quickly got up to invite Chen Lingyun in, and hurriedly pulled out a chair from behind her.

    Her attitude towards Chen Lingyun was quite peculiar; on one hand, she very much wanted to get closer, yet on the other, she felt somewhat unworthy. Especially after hearing about Chen Lingyun¡¯s family background, Xie Ruoxi felt an urge to worship her¡­ no, she was driven to improve herself.

    ¡°Are you watching an anime?¡± Chen Lingyun sat down and asked as she looked at the computer screen.

    ¡°`

    ¡°Ahahaha, just bored and randomly checking it out.¡± Xie Ruoxi reflexively tried to hide her identity as an avid anime fan without considering whether it could actually be concealed.

    ¡°Do you mind if I watch with you?¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°Not at all, not at all!¡± Xie Ruoxi quickly made room for her.

    Chen Lingyun calmly turned towards the screen. The anime was called ¡°Crimson at Noon,¡± a story about Earth¡¯s primordial clock exploding, scattering each hour into the human realm and parasitizing inside a beautiful girl; then the deity Kami forces the reluctant male protagonist to romance these girls, stripping the parasitic hours from deep within their hearts to restore the clock to its original state.

    The art style was quite good, but the plot was so-so.

    The male protagonist was a classic Rei cherry-style herbivore man; even though he was coerced by the deity to find the heroines and woo them, he couldn¡¯t help himself and got too involved in the act. To Chen Lingyun, it seemed pretty stupid.

    If she were writing the script, it would feature the male lead sweet-talking the heroine and breaking down her defenses, then coldly breaking up with her after retrieving the parasitic hour, all while watching her sadness, rage or even corruption unfold¡­ Extreme plots had sufficient tension. What¡¯s the point of getting too real in a fake scenario? Remove the ¡°twelve hours¡± premise, and the story doesn¡¯t feel inconsistent at all.

    After patiently finishing the episode, Chen Lingyun commented,

    ¡°The art is pretty good.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, this production team is quite established. They usually ensure quality,¡± Xie Ruoxi happily agreed, ¡°unlike certain groups next door that slash the budget as soon as the ratings dip and then the quality drops to abstract art.¡±

    I have something in common with Lingyun, yay!

    ¡°But this¡­ pure love harem, that¡¯s what this genre is called, right?¡± Chen Lingyun continued, ¡°It¡¯s my first time watching this kind of plot, and I find it a bit strange and uncomfortable.¡±

    ¡°Uh, ahahaha.¡± Xie Ruoxi giggled awkwardly, ¡°That¡¯s true, but there¡¯s no need to look for reality in a fictional world, right? As long as the art is beautiful, the plot interesting, and full of jokes, logical consistency isn¡¯t that important~¡±

    I was wrong. Lady Lingyun is a normie far beyond the reach of us otakus. I shouldn¡¯t have deluded myself into thinking we could be close friends.

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Chen Lingyun said nonchalantly, ¡°Ruoxi, if you were one of the female leads in this, would you like a guy who was gentle but completely useless otherwise?¡±

    ¡°Uh, I usually project myself onto the male lead¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi thought for a moment, then tilted her head and said, ¡°Although in anime, I can tolerate the kind, harmless puppy male lead. But in the real world, I¡¯d definitely go for someone who is shrewd and capable, someone who can provide a girl with a sense of security.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Chen Lingyun nodded, ¡°a guy like Yan Yu, then?¡±

    ¡°Yes, like Yan Yu,¡± Xie Ruoxi thought the team captain was indeed shrewd and capable, and certainly strong enough to protect her¡­

    ¡­Huh?

    ¡°Err, err, err, I don¡¯t mean that I like Yan Yu,¡± she finally caught on and quickly defended herself, ¡°The captain is indeed shrewd and strong, but he has a terrible personality! He¡¯s not considerate to women at all! He enjoys bullying me all the time! I¡¯m not a masochist, how could I possibly fall for him?¡±

    Of course, if he were to forcefully pursue me, with an aggressive romance, it¡¯s not like I would be able to outright refuse¡­ Xie Ruoxi added softly in her mind.

    ¡°I understand,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a slight smile, ¡°so if he pursued you aggressively, then it wouldn¡¯t count as you liking him on your own initiative, right?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi was speechless, Lingyun, can you read minds?

    ¡°My understanding,¡± Chen Lingyun said beamingly, ¡°is that Yan Yu fits the criteria you have for a partner, but because he¡¯s usually not nice to you, you haven¡¯t considered him in that way. But if he changed his attitude towards you, that would be a different story, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi stuttered in denial, and even she felt it was weak.

    Chen Lingyun gracefully stood up, winked at her, and said,

    ¡°Just kidding~ Ruoxi, you don¡¯t actually like him, I could tell from the start.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be going now, let¡¯s watch an anime together again sometime.¡±

    Chen Lingyun left after pushing the door open; Xie Ruoxi sat silently in front of the computer, her mind teeming with chaotic, complex thoughts.

    Really, don¡¯t like him¡­?

    If there really were no feelings for Yan Yu, how could she have responded to his message after just one encounter and traveled all the way to Jinling Prefecture to find him?

    Xie Ruoxi remembered when she was young, watching A Chinese Odyssey with her brother on television. What struck her most was Zi Xia Fairy saying, ¡°My ideal man will be a great hero who comes to me on a magic cloud.¡±

    Since then, she too often fantasized in the dead of night about a great hero arriving on a colorful cloud to whisk her away from her poor, backward village to a thriving, bustling city, to live a luxurious and exciting life. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But¡­

    I never imagined that after the great hero jumped down from the colorful cloud, he would shove his Golden Cudgel into my hand and force me to learn how to ride the clouds too¡­

 Chapter 274: 72: Yun Jin Returns, War is on the Horizon!

    Chapter 274: Chapter 72: Yun Jin Returns, War is on the Horizon!

    October finally arrived.

    For cultivators, there were two major events.

    First, Yan Yu of the Zhenhai Team appeared on TV again.

    With his award ceremony ¡°broadcasted¡± live, he once more pushed his fame to a new peak, becoming known to more households¡ªthough certainly there would still be those who didn¡¯t watch TV, but ultimately, the number of those ¡°unfamiliar with his name¡± was dwindling.

    The title ¡°Yan Zhanlong¡± had become outdated; his new title was called ¡°Longcheng Flying General,¡± which naturally served as a tremendous inspiration and role model for the vast majority of cultivators.

    Second, Zhou Hongyu of the Huofeng¡ªPingxi Army¡¯s top cultivator¡ªwas discharged from the hospital.

    The reinstatement of the Pingxi Army¡¯s foremost cultivator was a great boost to the spirits of his fellow soldiers, to the point where some were saying, ¡°If Captain Zhou also goes abroad to conquer a Mysterious Realm, maybe he could earn himself a title like Supreme Phoenix or something.¡±

    Then, the cultivators from the Zhendong Army ridiculed this by saying, ¡°Trying to pair up with Commander Yan to form an auspicious dragon and phoenix pairing, huh?¡± And so that topic was quickly dropped.

    Yan Yu, however, temporarily had no time to care about external praises and fame, because Lin Ning ran into problems while learning the essentials of the Kunlun Imperial Sword Technique¡ªit was all problems.

    ¡°You¡¯re doing it wrong.¡± After knocking Lin Ning¡¯s Green Bamboo Sword out of her hands again, Yan Yu reminded her, ¡°Pay attention to the details!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been paying attention to the details!¡± Lin Ning said, frustrated.

    If introductory Sword Control was likened to Mandarin Chinese, then Kunlun Imperial Sword Technique would be equivalent to a dialect. Some aspects overlapped, others were slightly different, and some were completely distinct.

    The problem Lin Ning currently faced was that her good habits as a diligent student had ingrained the introductory Sword Control Technique deep into her instincts, much like a young person who had spoken Mandarin for over twenty years being told to learn a dialect from scratch¡ªall too naturally, her speech would become a jumble of dialect and Mandarin, an indistinct mishmash.

    Yan Yu, with great patience, pointed out and corrected every detail of her errors one by one, and Lin Ning earnestly took note, saying ¡°mm-hmm¡± continuously. Then, during the next practice session, she reverted to her memorized habits and used the technique incorrectly again¡­ Enraging her to the point of stomping her feet and grinding her teeth in anger.

    ¡°It¡¯s all your fault!¡± she said in a fit of rage, ¡°Constant extra practice, making me get the introductory Sword Control Technique so ingrained, now I can¡¯t even change it anymore!¡±

    ¡°How is this my fault?¡± Yan Yu was bewildered, ¡°Then you might as well stop practicing the Kunlun Imperial Sword Technique now. Otherwise, if you get an even more powerful sword technique later on and can¡¯t switch over again, it will turn into my fault.¡±

    Lin Ning, of course, knew in her heart that she couldn¡¯t blame the captain¡ªafter all, who knew when a new sword technique might come in the future? The real issue was naturally her own thinking, sticking to habit and not adept at adapting. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    If it were someone else, she wouldn¡¯t have easily vented her anger on them, but the captain¡­ hmph, he deserved to be scolded a bit more!

    ¡°Let¡¯s go again!¡± she said huffily, forming the sword technique with her hands once more.

    With the technique ¡°Thousand Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix,¡± she feinted a forward thrust assuming the enemy would parry with a Flying Sword, and then seamlessly transitioned into ¡°Phoenix Gracing the Presence¡± for a block, followed by ¡°Phoenix Dancing to the Heavens¡± to circle around the defense¡­

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong again.¡± Yan Yu reminded her once more, ¡°For ¡®Phoenix Dancing to the Heavens¡¯, you need to swish the tail of the sword, and you forgot to do that again.¡±

    ¡°Uh uh uh ah ah ah ah ah wuuuh!¡± Lin Ning let out a disheartened, bewildered yelp, then argued defiantly, ¡°The sword path is supposed to veer left; the sword¡¯s tail should naturally swing to the right, how could I possibly make it swing left?!¡±

    ¡°Like this, watch closely.¡± Yan Yu formed the sword technique, and the Huang Tingjian, with agility that belied its heavy blade, executed an extremely elegant diagonal shift to the left. To Lin Ning, it looked like a nimble fat man performing a ballet.

    Compared to this, her Green Bamboo Sword looked as sluggish and lumbering as a turtle, no match for Yan Yu¡¯s Sword Control Technique.

    Lin Ning, feeling unconvinced, continued to maneuver through the sword technique, attempting to replicate those moves.

    Yan Yu let her try gradually and then went to inspect the progress of others.

    Zhao Yuanzhen remained consistent, driving Xie Ruoxi to flee in all directions with her head in her hands.

    Although Zhao didn¡¯t have the same level of talent as Xie Ruoxi, the Demonic Sect Enchantress was after all the one who started cultivating earlier than any of them, and her True Yuan was far more robust, managing to suppress the other in a head-on swordsmanship duel.

    Maybe it was her elder cousin¡¯s warning that had an effect. The beautiful but previously incompetent Xie Ruoxi, who would have resorted to a lackadaisical effort by now, was actually persisting and hadn¡¯t whined, complained, or pretended to faint.

    Good, as long as Xie Ruoxi can train with dedication, with her inhuman learning speed, her rate of progress should be quite noticeable.

    After inspecting everyone¡¯s condition, Yan Yu came to Chen Lingyun¡¯s side, just in time to hear her, watching Lin Ning¡¯s practice, say with a smile:

    ¡°Yun Jin¡¯s Tao Transformation, Ningning¡¯s sword techniques and footwork, and Ruoxi¡¯s Thunder Method¡­ How many more treasures are you hiding?¡±

    ¡°Far more than you could imagine.¡± Yan Yu answered calmly.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile grew sweeter, ¡°So what have you prepared for me?¡±

    ¡°Where do you get the confidence to think I would have something prepared for you?¡± Yan Yu raised an eyebrow and retorted.

    ¡°Because you like me.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile remained sweet.

    ¡°Delusions of grandeur, huh?¡± Yan Yu mocked her.

    ¡°Not at all.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Shall we test it out?¡±

    ¡°How would you test that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll kiss you, and if you get excited, it¡¯ll prove you like me.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    Let¡¯s not even talk about whether I¡¯m emotionally moved or not, if that trashy princess publicly kissed me, Sister Lin and the Demonic Sect Enchantress would probably fly into a rage and blood would flow like a river right here in the school!

    As the captain of the Zhenhai Team, it¡¯s my duty to maintain a united atmosphere within the team¡ªit¡¯s not like I¡¯m at the mercy of Chen Lingyun!

    ¡°The fact that you were ambushed last time proves there¡¯s a flaw in your Five Ghosts Reconnaissance System,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment before saying, ¡°You must have noticed it yourself, right?¡±

    ¡°The real problem is that the information detected by the Five Ghosts isn¡¯t conveyed to you timely and accurately.¡±

    ¡°If an Envoy relies on Servant Envoys for battle, it¡¯s essential to solve the issue of information transmission. Hence, the cultivation method of ¡®Heavenly Vision and Hearing¡¯ came about, which fundamentally involves cultivating the Heavenly Ear Technique, Heavenly Vision, and Telepathy.¡±

    ¡°Once you master Heavenly Vision, you can share the field of view with the servicing ghosts; master the Heavenly Ear Technique, and you can listen through them; master Telepathy, and no matter when and where the ghosts are, you can issue them orders, nimble as if moving your own arm.¡±

    ¡°These three divine techniques, I¡¯ve heard similar concepts before,¡± said Chen Lingyun thoughtfully, ¡°Are they the lesser divine techniques of Heavenly Vision, Heavenly Ear Technique, and Telepathy?¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°The three divine techniques you mentioned, although powerful, typically require seventy to a hundred years of cultivation, which I personally think is unnecessary.¡±

    ¡°An Envoy¡¯s Heavenly Vision and Hearing can easily achieve the effects of divine techniques that others need a lifetime to cultivate with a sufficient number of Servant Envoys.¡±

    ¡°Then, how exactly should I cultivate these?¡± Chen Lingyun pondered and asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°But I know someone who does,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently, ¡°Over at Mount Wutai.¡±

    ¡°Mount Wutai?¡± Chen Lingyun pondered, ¡°Are they lay cultivators?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll go there after you reach the Marrow Cleansing Stage,¡± said Yan Yu, ¡°Marrow Cleansing improves the constitution and makes it easier to cultivate these divine techniques.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Chen Lingyun mused.

    Among the team, her cultivation progressed the slowest. Even after obtaining the high-grade Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, besides refining ghosts, she hadn¡¯t discovered any other uses thus far.

    Now knowing that she had to wait until the Marrow Cleansing Stage to cultivate Heavenly Vision and Hearing, Chen Lingyun, although fairly resolute, felt somewhat downhearted for the moment.

    Yan Yu saw her expression and was about to say something like ¡°Haha, don¡¯t rush¡± to comfort her when his phone suddenly rang.

    It was a call from Yun Jin.

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± said the voice on the other end, ¡°The cold front has already reached the Tianshan Mountains, and we can¡¯t collect the early thawing snowmelt here for the time being. Can I come back now?¡±

    ¡°Then come back, and we¡¯ll talk about the rest after it starts snowing in other places,¡± replied Yan Yu, ¡°When will you approximately arrive?¡±

    ¡°Around four or five in the afternoon.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Yan Yu hung up and told the girls, ¡°Keep practicing. Yun Jin will be back tonight, and we¡¯ll go out to eat. Ling Yun, help book a private room.¡±

    ¡°Yay!¡± The girls cheered, some happy about Yun Jin¡¯s return, others excited about dining out. Regardless of the reason, at least at this moment, the smiles on their faces were genuine, stemming from deep within their hearts.

    That evening, Yun Jin indeed arrived by Flying Sword, landing within the school grounds.

    She had been in the Western Regions for quite a long time, yet she had collected only about one-fifth of the early thawing snowmelt. There was still misty rain and morning dew to collect, and that was just part of the Water Essence¡­ This highlighted how tedious collecting the Essence of the Five Elements was, a process that absolutely could not be rushed.

    With the Zhenhai Team fully assembled again, Jinling¡¯s Culinary God Zhao Yuanzhen personally led the way, and the team strode majestically to the restaurant.

    By now, everyone was somewhat famous. Dining in an open area would definitely draw a crowd, so Chen Lingyun had gotten ahead of things by arranging a private room with the restaurant.

    Everyone took their seats in the room; Yun Jin had just sat down to Yan Yu¡¯s left when she saw Lin Ning quickly secure the spot on his right.

    Her eyes narrowed slightly as she thought to herself that Ningning usually preferred to sit next to Chen Lingyun, so why had she squeezed between the captain and Xie Ruoxi?

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s seat was taken by Lin Ning, but she didn¡¯t seem upset, and with a cheerful smile, she pulled up a chair between Yun Jin and Zhao Yuanzhen and nonchalantly said:

    ¡°Yun Jin, your skin seems a bit off.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Yun Jin was startled and quickly pulled out her phone to check her skin closely using the camera, ¡°It does look a bit¡­ the air in the Western Regions is too dry, I¡¯ll need to hydrate properly when I get home.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of hydration and moisturizing, I have a brand of face mask that I can recommend to you, it¡¯s really good,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile.

    ¡°Send me the link,¡± said Yun Jin right away. She had sent half of her prize money home and still had tens of millions left, so she could afford even the most expensive skincare products.

    Secretary Su, who was young and beautiful, never used to think about skin care and maintenance, but now, seeing Lin Ning sitting next to Yan Yu and hearing Chen Lingyun comment about her ¡°deteriorating skin,¡± she instantly felt an inexplicable sense of urgency.

    Chen Lingyun pulled out her phone, found the link in her shopping cart, and just after sending it to Yun Jin, she saw a new message pop up.

    [Ningning]: Send me one too.

    Chen Lingyun looked up and saw Lin Ning intently picking her dishes as if nothing had happened.

    ¡°Sure,¡± she replied with her head down and typed the message, hiding her pleased smile.

 Chapter 275: 73: Six Swords Descend on Nanjiang

    Chapter 275: Chapter 73: Six Swords Descend on Nanjiang

    After dinner, everyone returned home.

    Su Yunjin, who couldn¡¯t stand dirt, grabbed the vacuum cleaner and mop and began cleaning inside and out as soon as she got home.

    Once the cleaning was done, she placed the items in the storage room, then went to the kitchen to wash her hands, only to see Lin Ning drying a cleaned fruit knife, with sliced fruit laid out beside her.

    Hmm, I should cut some for the team leader too.

    ¡°Wait a second, Ningning,¡± Su Yunjin called out, ¡°I need the fruit knife too.¡±

    ¡°Here you go,¡± Lin Ning said.

    Su Yunjin opened the fridge, took out several oranges and a few fragrant pears, washed them under the tap, and was about to start slicing when she saw Lin Ning carrying the fruit plate to the living room, where she approached Yan Yu, who was sitting on the sofa, and said,

    ¡°You taught me sword techniques today, so I won¡¯t let you teach me for nothing. I¡¯m treating you to fruit.¡±

    ¡°Mm, sensible,¡± Yan Yu said deliberately, ¡°but where are the toothpicks? Do you expect me to pick them up with my hands? Even if you¡¯re returning a favor, you should complete the set.¡±

    ¡°Here you go!¡± Lin Ning suddenly couldn¡¯t contain her annoyance, grabbed a few toothpicks from the coffee table, and forcefully stuck them into the chopped fruit, as if an aggrieved palace maid were taking out her resentment with her needle.

    In the kitchen, Su Yunjin watched as Lin Ning beat her to the punch with delivering fruit, fell silent for a moment, then quietly began to slice the oranges and fragrant pears.

    When she had finished slicing and arranged them on a plate, upon reaching the living room, she saw that Yan Yu had already eaten most of the fruit.

    Just then, Zhao Yuanzhen came down from the second floor, saw Yan Yu eating fruit, and immediately complained,

    ¡°You little thief! You¡¯ve got fruit and you didn¡¯t call me?¡±

    She quickly sat down on the sofa, forcefully squeezed Yan Yu aside with her substantial rear, and started to gobble down the fruit from the plate.

    Yan Yu raised an eyebrow, ready to scold, when Su Yunjin quickly stepped forward and handed him the neatly cut fragrant pears and oranges, saying with a smile,

    ¡°Team leader, for you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Yunjin who¡¯s sensible,¡± Yan Yu took the fruit plate, set it on the coffee table, and said with satisfaction.

    Zhao Yuanzhen took a closer look and saw that Lin Ning had cut cantaloupe and apples, while Su Yunjin had offered up fragrant pears and oranges, immediately finding it hard to decide.

    Should I continue eating the plate from Lin Ning, or should I snatch the plate from Su Yunjin?

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress, although she had adapted to modern society, scoffed at the so-called ¡°moral constraints of civilized people¡± and quickly made her decision:

    I want them all!

    ¡°Hand it over!¡± Taking advantage of Yan Yu¡¯s distraction, she quickly reached out her hand lightning-fast, stabbed a toothpick into a piece of fragrant pear, and deftly popped it into her mouth.

    ¡°Childish,¡± Yan Yu said disdainfully.

    As Zhao Yuanzhen chewed with her mouth full, she muttered unintelligibly,

    ¡°Rebound!¡±

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t want to play such games with her and turned to talk to Su Yunjin,

    ¡°The temperature difference between day and night has been increasing lately, and dew can be collected. Don¡¯t look for it on grass leaves; there will be impurities from the wood element. You can set up some plastic film.¡±

    ¡°Mhm mhm,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile.

    ¡°Where is Xie Ruoxi?¡± Yan Yu turned to ask.

    ¡°She¡¯s upstairs watching animated films,¡± Chen Lingyun replied.

    ¡°Why does this little girl only think about staying at home all day and not actively participate in after-work team building activities?¡± Yan Yu put on the attitude of a nitpicking boss, had just started his complaint, and then received a phone call.

    It was from Li Weiguo.

    It was well known that a call from Old Li was always a matter of great importance, so Yan Yu quickly gestured to Lin Ning to turn off the TV before picking up the phone.

    Sure enough, Li Weiguo didn¡¯t beat around the bush, speaking just four words:

    ¡°The Witch King has moved.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    In the original timeline of his previous life, the first Witch King had been overthrown shortly after taking office, without making any notable achievements, by a coup carried out by his subordinate. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But this time, the flutter of butterfly wings had triggered a storm of fate. Perhaps it was because the Rikoku Cultivators had displayed extraordinarily frightening power during the battle in the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm, that the first Witch King, after ascending to power, quickly proclaimed a full-scale confrontation with the Rikoku Cultivators.

    Everyone began their cultivation this year; why should there be such a huge disparity in strength? It must be because the treasures from the secret realms in Rikoku are far more incredible than ours! The resources of Rikoku¡¯s secret realms must be seized to strengthen our own!

    Of course, setting aside what the Witch King claimed, the Privy Council¡¯s analytical report on the south suggested that with the rapid increase in the number of civilian Sorcerers, the intensity of their internal competition and mutual attrition had also reached a dangerously high level¡ªcomparable to the overwhelming floodwaters that threaten to break the levee, necessitating a release somewhere.

    If they didn¡¯t relieve the pressure by exerting it outward and transferring conflicts, then that bomb would explode internally, blasting the Witch King sitting at the top to smithereens (similar to the backstabbing subordinate in the previous life). Thus, he had to fight, whether he wanted to or not, as conditions didn¡¯t allow for any other choices.

    The Witch King¡¯s domain was bordered to the north by Rikoku and adjacent to Tianzhu to the west, leaving only these two directions for external pressure release.

    Hence, the Privy Council had already set the grand strategy: not only to strike actively but to secure an overwhelming victory!

    The Sorcerers represented a loose, feudal-like alliance; the myriad small boundaries between forces hindered the flow of information. It wasn¡¯t as if defeating the Witch King on your end would instantly spread the news for all to know overnight.

    Therefore, it was necessary to deal a brutally crushing blow to the Witch King, one so fierce that it would capture global attention and compel international media to report extensively, effectively conveying the message to enough Sorcerers that ¡°Rikoku cannot be opposed.¡±

    In a word: to strike hard!

    ¡°The target of the Witch King¡¯s invasion has been confirmed; it¡¯s the Mirror Lake Secret Realm that recently appeared in the Ailao Mountains,¡± Li Weiguo said in conclusion. ¡°Head immediately to Erhai and converge with the Pingxi Army¡¯s garrison troops there, waiting for further orders from your superiors!¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Yan Yu stood up.

    The girls also hurriedly packed their gear, ready to depart, and Lin Ning went upstairs to inform Xie Ruoxi.

    After spending about fifteen minutes packing up their living essentials, the group left the villa, and six streaks of sword light soared into the sky!

    In the bustling downtown area of Jinling, passersby slowly began looking up, only to see six streaks of sword light in colors of green, blue, purple, yellow, black, and white, dazzling and resplendent, tearing through the night sky, commanding the stars, heading straight for the southwestern horizon!

    As the Sword Light Formation sped across the Yangtze River, they collectively picked up speed again. Xie Ruoxi, leading the front with Sword Control, tore through the air to provide slipstream for the others. Yan Yu with the Huang Tingjian was stationed in the center, Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen guarded the flanks, while Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin took up the rear, enjoying the least air resistance.

    ¡°Listen up, everyone,¡± Yan Yu communicated to the group. ¡°If we¡¯re assigned to fight in a secret realm, we¡¯ll use the Dagger Strategy, just like the operation on Black Dragon Isle. However, if we¡¯re to intercept Sorcerers and get involved in large-scale warfare with thousands or tens of thousands of Transcendents, it will be a different matter entirely.¡±

    ¡°The Dagger Strategy emphasizes being swift, accurate, and ruthless, trading space for time to seize the target; large-scale warfare, on the other hand, is the opposite. Completing the task isn¡¯t the priority¡ªif you can¡¯t accomplish it, someone else naturally will¡ªbut you only have one life¡ªsurvival is the top priority, do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡± The girls, hearing his grave words, promptly responded.

    ¡°In large-scale warfare, no matter how powerful an individual¡¯s strength may be, it can easily be offset by the overwhelming numbers from the other side,¡± Yan Yu shared his war experience from the previous life. ¡°I only have three requirements for everyone: one, stick together! Two, follow commands! Three, respond promptly!¡±

    ¡°No leaving the group without permission; no disobeying orders; no delays in execution¡ªdid everyone hear me?!¡±

    ¡°Heard you!¡± The girls responded once more.

    ¡°Right, there¡¯s one more thing,¡± Yan Yu thought carefully for a moment and suddenly added, ¡°After arriving at Erhai, each of you find time to write a letter to your family, in case of death, and send it to me.¡±

    Everyone: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you being a bit too ominous!¡± Lin Ning, as expected, spoke up directly to complain.

    ¡°This is no joke!¡± Yan Yu said seriously. ¡°When you¡¯re on the brink of life and death, the most crucial thing is to conquer the fear of dying!¡±

    ¡°Simply put, when you go into battle, you must be prepared to die at any moment; that¡¯s when your chances of survival are highest! Do you know why new soldiers who fear death the most tend to die easily? Because they aren¡¯t prepared to face death; their minds are filled with too many distractions when they should be fighting for their lives.¡±

    ¡°Writing a will isn¡¯t about making peace with death but about ensuring that when you¡¯re facing death head-on, you won¡¯t be subconsciously distracted thinking, ¡®I still haven¡¯t said certain things to my parents,¡¯ and instead, you¡¯ll be able to make the right choice immediately!¡±

 Chapter 276: 74 Reuniting with Li Minghu

    Chapter 276: Chapter 74 Reuniting with Li Minghu

    In the wee hours, the Zhenhai Team arrived in the Erhai area.

    The military manor here was already overcrowded. Not to mention the vast numbers of cultivators from the troops, even the teams summoned from both Annan and Pingxi amounted to dozens.

    Local defense cultivators were flying around on their swords, arranging accommodations for the newly arrived comrades-in-arms.

    Not long after Yan Yu and his team arrived, he received a text message from Li Minghu:

    ¡°Have you arrived?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Send me your coordinates.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have Ruoxi cast a lightning, watch for it.¡±

    Yan Yu turned his head and gave the order, and Xie Ruoxi raised her arm and released a divine thunderbolt, strikingly visible in the night sky.

    ¡°Saw it.¡±

    After a while, Li Minghu came over on his sword, leading the Zhenhai Team members to a nearby hotel, and distributed room cards to everyone.

    All the team cultivators were staying in this hotel. Due to the excessive number of people, the standard arrangement was three standard rooms per team; usually, the team leader would occupy one room alone, while the remaining four shared the other two rooms.

    However, when everyone started to distribute the room cards, an unexpected problem arose:

    We have six people!

    ¡°Are there any other rooms available?¡± Yan Yu asked the front desk.

    ¡°Sorry, we¡¯re fully booked,¡± the front desk replied with difficulty.

    The whole hotel was pre-booked by the Pingxi Army, with specific rooms allocated to each team. The leftover rooms had been arranged for other purposes, leaving no vacancies whatsoever.

    ¡°In that case,¡± Su Yunjin said calmly, ¡°then I¡¯ll share a room with the captain.¡±

    ¡°How can that be?¡± Lin Ning said incredulously, ¡°Yun Jin, you and the captain aren¡¯t in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, how can you share a room? Don¡¯t you care about your reputation?¡± sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    I¡¯ve already shared a room with the captain before¡­ Su Yunjin looked at Lin Ning indifferently, really wanting to throw this trump card out and kill Ningning once and for all!

    But she held back.

    Lin Ning hasn¡¯t yet decided if she likes the captain. If Su Yunjin rashly provoked her, and it ended up making Lin Ning more determined, wouldn¡¯t she be creating her own rival in love?

    Thus, Su Yunjin simply said:

    ¡°No matter who it is, someone has to share a room with the captain. Ningning, are you volunteering?¡±

    As a literary girl, her insight into the human heart was naturally on point. Lin Ning indeed couldn¡¯t say ¡°I¡¯ll do it¡± and could only stand by anxiously with a face full of ¡°I disagree.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll do it,¡± said Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly. She remembered that she still had to dual cultivate Qi Refinement with Yan Yu, ¡°Anyway, someone has to, so I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    ¡°Then it¡¯ll be Sister Zhao,¡± Yan Yu decisively said. ¡°Yun Jin, you stay with Ningning. Ling Yun can stay with Ruoxi.¡±

    Su Yunjin acknowledged with an ¡°Okay,¡± forcefully suppressing her displeasure, but inside, she was becoming agitated.

    Why not choose me?

    Captain, we¡¯ve lived together before, so why did you pick Sister Zhao this time?

    In what way is she better than me?

    Looking at Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s figure, Su Yunjin slowly lost her words, her expression growing increasingly gloomy.

    Could it be¡­

    Lin Ning, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Zhao Yuanzhen had to cultivate with Yan Yu every night, so she didn¡¯t think in other directions, but rather said cheerfully to Su Yunjin:

    ¡°I¡¯ve got the room card. Shall we go, Yun Jin?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Su Yunjin replied, her eyelids drooping, utterly unwilling to acknowledge her best friend.

    Yan Yu, over at his room with Zhao Yuanzhen, had already grown accustomed to cohabitation; they didn¡¯t need any communication. The Demonic Sect Enchantress went to freshen up first, while Yan Yu changed into slippers and sat on the bed, beginning to play with his phone.

    Thud, thud, thud! Someone was knocking on the door from outside.

    Yan Yu went over to take a look and found it to be the siblings from the Li Family.

    He opened the door and welcomed the two into the room. Zhao Yuanzhen also heard the noise and peeked out from the bathroom. Seeing that it was Li Zhaojiang and Li Minghu entering, she turned back to continue washing her face.

    ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk!¡± Li Zhaojiang exclaimed, ¡°Comrade Yan, bringing family along to the battlefield? Do you still have the mindset to fight properly?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you also bring family?¡± retorted Yan Yu.

    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Li Zhaojiang first instinctively rebutted, then suddenly realized that the ¡°family¡± Yan Yu referred to was not a ¡°wife¡± but a ¡°sister¡± and quickly defended, ¡°My sister is also a cultivator, how can that be the same?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t Little Zhao a cultivator too?¡± Yan Yu countered.

    ¡°My sister is on the same team as me,¡± Li Zhaojiang continued arguing.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we?¡± Yan Yu asked again.

    Li Zhaojiang finally admitted defeat and Li Minghu, with a smile, spoke up,

    ¡°We¡¯re intruding so early in the morning because there¡¯s a serious matter we¡¯d like to discuss.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, go ahead,¡± said Yan Yu, gesturing for the two to sit down.

    ¡°There are three top battle teams participating this time: Zhenhai, Huofeng, and us,¡± Li Minghu slowly stated, ¡°The Privy Council¡¯s arrangement is that one team is responsible for seizing the Mysterious Realm in the mirror lake of Ailao Mountain, while the other two teams are tasked with intercepting the Witch King Army.¡±

    ¡°The Pingxi Army wants Zhou Hongyu¡¯s team to handle the Mysterious Realm. What¡¯s your opinion on this, Team Yan?¡±

    As everyone knows, whoever conquers the Mysterious Realm will have the right to dispose of its harvest. Not to mention the higher risk of intercepting the Witch King Army and comparatively fewer benefits. Naturally, no one would be pleased.

    Yan Yu pondered briefly and chuckled,

    ¡°Who has what duty, isn¡¯t that decided by the higher-ups? Even if the Pingxi Army wants to negotiate, they should be talking to the Zhendong Army, not to our Zhenhai Team.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Li Minghu replied with a slight smile, ¡°but the response from the Zhendong Army is that they respect the Zhenhai Team¡¯s opinion.¡±

    Yan Yu burst into laughter upon hearing this.

    Lord Li really trusts me, knowing that I would definitely prioritize the greater good, so he deliberately said he respects my opinion, right?

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to our Qing¡¯an Team whether we compete with Zhou Hongyu or not,¡± Li Zhaojiang said indifferently, ¡°The Mysterious Realm is originally within the jurisdiction of the Pingxi Army, so it¡¯s reasonable for them to take it on. Now it¡¯s up to you whether you want to compete with them.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to compete for,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, ¡°Given Zhou Hongyu¡¯s capabilities, it¡¯s more appropriate for her to take on the Mysterious Realm. As for the battle¡­ I fear that she might land back in the ICU just after being discharged.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s also a good point,¡± Li Minghu nodded.

    The words just exchanged, if coming from the Zhendong Army, would be ¡°orders from superiors¡±, and if from the Pingxi Army or the Huofeng Team, might seem like a show of force. Therefore, engaging a third party, the Qing¡¯an Team, to sound out opinions was best, to avoid Yan Yu developing unnecessary thoughts. But in a certain sense, it also reflected the upper echelon¡¯s increasing regard for Yan Yu, the ¡°Longcheng Flying General¡±, to such an extent that they even started considering his thoughts and carefully avoiding any misjudgments.

    Li Minghu, with his acute sensitivity, also knew that the other way of saying ¡°regard¡± was actually ¡°wary¡±.

    It must be because of the recent monk rebellion incident in Jiujiang that the Privy Council started to pay attention to the loyalty issues of top cultivators.

    He who wears a sword may defy the ban; the key isn¡¯t the defiance but possession of the sword. Those two cultivators chose to rebel not only because they had their demands but because they had the martial power. Put simply, as long as individuals have the strength to oppose the collective, rebellion is merely a question of numbers and probability.

    The rebels this time were just cultivators from the Zhendong Army. What about next time? If Yan Yu¡¯s family were hurt, would he bear it and follow protocol, or would he likewise wreak havoc on the enemy¡¯s family?

    If it were me in trouble, would Zhaojiang also¡­

    Li Minghu shuddered at the thought and suppressed his tumultuous emotions, continuing his discussion with Yan Yu:

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that even within the Witch King¡¯s faction, there are two camps, the mainstream following the Witch King to Lu Country; the opposition believes it¡¯s more suitable to seek opportunities in Tianzhu.¡±

    ¡°The Annan Army has already started firing at the front lines this morning, attacking self-organized sorcerers from the other side. It¡¯s said that about forty people were killed or wounded.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s useless,¡± Yan Yu shook his head, ¡°Modern warfare¡¯s approach cannot restrain Transcendents.¡±

    It¡¯s not that modern weapons cannot kill Transcendents, but rather an issue of enemy detection and efficiency. For example, a recent intelligence report indicated that Yin sorcerers can temporarily turn their bodies into Yin Ghosts, appearing as a transparent shadow to the naked eye, hard to discern, immune to physical harm, and invisible to cameras, allowing them to sneak into the border and kill unnoticed. If you cannot even locate them, how are you supposed to fight against that?

    If given enough time, allowing science and technology to advance, there might be ways to find more effective methods, didn¡¯t the previous generation also develop True Yuan storage devices, allowing ordinary soldiers to cast spells?

    But now, with only a little over half a year since the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, they haven¡¯t even fully figured out what kind of dark magic the enemy sorcerers possess. Without a clear understanding of the enemy, there¡¯s no use talking about restraint.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Li Minghu sighed, ¡°Now, the only ones who can effectively intercept Transcendents are Transcendents themselves.¡±

 Chapter 277: 75 I am the Captain

    Chapter 277: Chapter 75 I am the Captain

    After the Li siblings had left, Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen sat on the bed and began to cultivate their Qi together through a dual breathing refinement technique.

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s aptitude for cultivation was by no means as domineering and irrational as that of the Thank Immortal Venerate, but she was the strongest among the girls in the Zhenhai Team. Otherwise, as an orphan, she would not have been picked up by her master in the first place.

    While refining Qi together with her, Yan Yu felt like a tricycle tied to the exhaust pipe of a luxury sports car with an iron chain, forcibly hitting a speed of 120 miles per hour¡­

    Commonly known as ¡°hitching a speed.¡±

    Hitch! A stark hitch!

    ¡°By the way, how¡¯s your cultivation recovery coming along?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m about to reach the peak of the Marrow Cleansing Stage,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Qi Refinement, Marrow Cleansing, Hua Fu. After the transformation of the Purple Mansion comes the Crossing of the Celestial Tribulation and the forming of the Golden Core. The Demonic Sect Enchantress, before crossing over, was at the Hua Fu Stage, but due to the losses both she and Teacher Mei suffered in their fight and the depletion of her True Yuan, coupled with the insufficient Spiritual Energy of the world, it was like trying to fill an empty swimming pool with a tiny water hose¡ªher recovery of True Yuan was naturally excruciatingly slow.

    Luckily, compared with the Cultivation World on the other side, Earth had a distinct advantage: the supply of Elixir Medicine.

    Because the process of refining elixirs requires specific hand gestures, True Yuan to stoke the flames, and waiting for the right celestial timing, the entire elixir refinement process is not fully automated; however, the cultivation, breeding, and harvesting of raw materials are now on an industrial scale.

    It is said that within the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm, a ¡°Spirit Grass Factory¡± with numerous hydroponic production lines has been established, which uses the realm¡¯s rich Spiritual Energy to produce medicinal herbs efficiently.

    Plus, with the policy of resource allocation favoring top cultivators, for cultivators of the Zhenhai Team¡¯s stature, Foundation Establishment Pills are supplied as needed, and the supply never stops. Thus, the speed of Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s recovery of cultivation is so fast.

    As the Demonic Sect Enchantress recovered to the peak of the Marrow Cleansing Stage¡¯s power, Yan Yu, a small Qi Refinement newcomer, once again cultivating together with her, immediately felt a sense of exhilaration, as if being carried by a powerhouse, his abilities improving rapidly as if covering a thousand miles in a day.

    His Qi Refinement stage was also about to reach its peak, and he was about to enter the second stage¡ªthe Marrow Cleansing Stage.

    However, there is a bottleneck between advancing from the Qi Refinement Stage to the Marrow Cleansing Stage, and that is the practice of ¡°Fasting.¡± Even if one has fully mastered Qi Refinement, without mastering Fasting, it is impossible to enter the next stage and begin the process of Marrow Cleansing.

    Fasting refers to the transition of the body¡¯s circulation from being sustenance-dependent to self-sustaining. Ordinary people¡¯s circulation cannot support itself; they need regular intake of grains, vegetables, fruits, and meat to replenish strength. With each meal, impurities from sustenance enter the body, which over time can lead to various illnesses.

    The practice of Fasting draws Spiritual Energy from the outside world into the body, replacing the function of sustenance-induced impurities, allowing a practitioner to be free from hunger without eating and from thirst without drinking. As the body gradually purges foul yin and accumulates pure yang, it marks the first threshold for a common mortal flesh to step onto the path of immortality¡­

    The above is in the exact words of Teacher Mei, albeit in complete contradiction with contemporary medical knowledge. However, history of science holds that ¡°no matter how fake a ¡®pseudo-science¡¯ appears, if it¡¯s repeatedly verified by experiments, it certainly belongs to a higher level of scientific principle that we are currently unable to explain.¡±

    Compared with quantum physics, where God plays dice, the study of Fasting is actually quite comprehensible.

    Yan Yu, who had not embarked on the path of cultivation in his previous life, was completely clueless about how to break through this bottleneck. He asked Zhao Yuanzhen, ¡°I feel like I¡¯m about to complete my Qi Refinement. How should I go about cultivating the practice of Fasting?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s simple,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied. ¡°Don¡¯t eat or drink.¡±

    ¡°Uh,¡± Yan Yu wanted to retort but then remembered that in his previous life, Xie Ruoxi, who stayed at home for extended periods too lazy to order delivery, just persevered until she suddenly achieved Fasting.

    So he frowned and asked again, ¡°If one refrains from eating and drinking and fails to master Fasting, dying of starvation, what then?¡±

    ¡°Then you die,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen answered matter-of-factly. ¡°If you can¡¯t even train in the practice of Fasting, what¡¯s the point of cultivating immortality?¡±

    Yan Yu found himself at a loss for words: He had forgotten that this enchantress hailed from the Demonic Sect. The Demonic Sect did not preach safe cultivation practices¡ªif you can¡¯t cultivate, go die! There are plenty of others to continue the practice!

    His Qi Refinement cultivation was nearly complete, and he must practice Fasting to advance. However, a great battle was fast approaching, so he was faced with two choices:

    Option one was to wait until after the battle to cultivate the practice of Fasting. Although slow, it was safe and reliable.

    Option two was to start fasting now, going into battle facing the dual debuffs of hunger and thirst, the danger of which one could easily imagine.

    Was there a need to hesitate? Of course, he would choose the second option!

    Since Yan Yu was determined to be the strongest in this world, he, of course, could not shrink back just because of two debuffs. In some ways, cultivation is influenced by a form of idealism; if you choose to retreat in the face of hardships and dangers this time, your resolve would be affected, and later, when it¡¯s time to face the Celestial Tribulation or when a desperate struggle is required, you will likewise harbor life-threatening thoughts of escape and retreat.

    ¡°`

    The so-called ¡°one step back, steps back¡± is what this means.

    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, from now on, I will practice the fasting technique,¡± Yan Yu quickly made up his mind and declared seriously.

    ¡°Ah?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was somewhat puzzled and asked, ¡°But¡­ aren¡¯t we about to go to war? With an empty stomach, how are you going to fight against others?¡±

    ¡°What does that matter?¡± Yan Yu haughtily chuckled, ¡°Cultivating the fasting technique is also an essential step on the path of cultivation. How could I interrupt my practice for something like fighting others?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen fell silent. She, of course, understood the principle that in the realm of cultivation, if you do not advance, you retreat.

    But the Demonic Sect never cared much for things like willpower; survival was always the top priority. If there really was a critical moment in fighting others, then stop cultivating for what! If you are at a disadvantage in the fight and get killed by someone, are you going to continue cultivating in the grave?

    Zhao Yuanzhen could understand why Yan Yu chose this path; she definitely wouldn¡¯t have chosen it for herself, and so she nodded and said:

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll bring some snacks and bottled water, and if you can¡¯t take it anymore and beg me on your knees, I¡¯ll share my sustenance with you.¡±

    ¡°Beg you? As if you¡¯re worthy!¡± Yan Yu scoffed contemptuously, ¡°If I really get so hungry that I have no strength left, of course, I¡¯ll have you all fight for me and sweep the enemies around me away! Otherwise, if I consumed food and water, wouldn¡¯t all the hunger and suffering I endured be in vain?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was left speechless, chuckling. She initially wanted to hold a grudge subconsciously, but thinking about how this despicable thief would soon be enduring hunger, her mood quickly improved, and she laughed:

    ¡°Very well, very well. Since you are so formidable, then go ahead and concentrate on your fasting practice. Not only will I not share my sustenance with you, if they try to feed you, I¡¯ll also dissuade them, how does that sound?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s for the best!¡±

    ¡°Hmph, then it¡¯s settled.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen and he struck palms in agreement, secretly laughing to herself.

    The two faced each other across the bed, palms touching as they operated the Grand Circulation to transfer True Qi.

    Several hours later, Yan Yu slowly raised his hand to end the exchange, only to find that his True Yuan was not increasing as much as it had in previous sessions.

    It wasn¡¯t that the dual cultivation method had stopped working, but rather that the gaseous True Yuan in his dantian was nearing saturation and could hardly take in more True Yuan.

    Practicing the fasting technique to break through this bottleneck was now of the utmost urgency!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The next morning, Yan Yu awoke from his sleep to the sound of someone knocking at the door.

    ¡°Time to get up!¡± It was that familiar alarm-clock voice again.

    Yan Yu got out of bed, opened the door, and saw Lin Ning standing outside with a breakfast tray, wearing an expression that seemed to say, ¡°Why did you get up so late?¡±, and spoke with disdain:

    ¡°You got up too late today; the hotel¡¯s dining room has already closed! I conveniently brought you breakfast, so hurry up and say ¡®Thank you, Lin Ning.¡¯

    ¡°Thank you, Lin Ning,¡± Yan Yu said with a strange expression, ¡°I appreciate the gesture, but I¡¯ve started practicing the fasting technique and cannot eat or drink; go give it to them instead.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re practicing fasting?¡± Lin Ning was initially astonished, then realized what was happening and quickly began to persuade, ¡°Even so, you can¡¯t just not eat or drink! We might have to fight later! How can you fight on an empty stomach?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve made up my mind.¡± Yan Yu shook his head with a stern expression, ¡°No need to persuade me further.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be crazy, okay?¡± Lin Ning was unwilling to give up, continuing to persuade, ¡°What¡¯ll you do if you get hypoglycemic and dizzy during the fight? You don¡¯t need the enemy to kill you; you¡¯ll starve yourself down!¡±

    Yan Yu still shook his head in silence.

    ¡°You¡¯ll regret this!¡± Seeing that he was impervious to reason, Lin Ning got even more frustrated, took the breakfast tray, and went to knock on Chen Lingyun¡¯s door next door, intending to complain bitterly to the girls.

    Yan Yu remained indifferent, merely saying coldly:

    ¡°Complaining won¡¯t help; I¡¯m the team leader!¡±

    With a slam, Lin Ning entered Chen Lingyun¡¯s room and closed the door heavily behind her.

 Chapter 278: 76: Everyones Last Letters

    Chapter 278: Chapter 76: Everyone¡¯s Last Letters

    Lin Ning¡¯s complaint had been effective; it wasn¡¯t long before all the girls gathered in Yan Yu¡¯s room, chattering nonstop.

    ¡°Must you cultivate the Fasting technique at this precise moment?¡± Su Yunjin asked with concern, ¡°Can¡¯t it be postponed by half a month or a month, waiting until the warfare stabilizes before continuing?¡±

    ¡°Advancing in cultivation is like rowing against the current; if you don¡¯t advance, you fall behind. Where is the luxury to waste half a month or an entire month?¡± Yan Yu scoffed at the notion.

    Chen Lingyun said nothing, but she probably understood why Yan Yu would make such a choice.

    The upper limit of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence had been raised, and everyone was racing against time to enhance their strength, not caring whether you were at war on your side.

    If Yan Yu¡¯s cultivation were to stagnate for half a month or a month, would Lord Master Liu Longtao wait for him? And what about the other Transcendents from abroad? By then, not to mention being the strongest in this world, maintaining a top position would be difficult.

    Of course, enduring the dual debuffs of hunger and thirst and still choosing to fight is a decision not easily made by most people; it only shows that the Longcheng Flying General truly has guts and audacity.

    ¡°Ling Yun, you try to persuade him,¡± Lin Ning said anxiously from the side.

    ¡°It¡¯s no use persuading him,¡± Chen Lingyun said indifferently, ¡°after all, he is the team leader.¡±

    ¡°Smart,¡± praised Yan Yu.

    Of course, although Chen Lingyun could empathize with his thoughts, he still preferred the likes of Su Yunjin and Lin Ning, who worried about him, just as Cao Cao preferred Cao Pi, who would cry before his departure, over Cao Zhi.

    ¡°Um, I also think that cultivating the Fasting technique without eating or drinking before a big battle isn¡¯t a good idea, right?¡± Xie Ruoxi carefully said, ¡°Although we are to obey the team leader¡¯s decisions, what if we encounter low blood sugar and intense battle at the same time? Shouldn¡¯t we have some emergency measures in place just in case?¡±

    ¡°I said we should carry food and water with us so we can feed him and save his life at the critical moment,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said with schadenfreude, ¡°but he said I wasn¡¯t worthy, so there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡±

    ¡°Consuming food and water takes too long to digest, and in a real emergency, we might not have the time,¡± Su Yunjin said after a moment of silence, ¡°I¡¯ll go to the medical room and get some glucose injection fluid¡­¡± Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Wait a minute, injecting glucose is too outrageous,¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help interrupting as their discussion became more and more preposterous, ¡°If I truly have low blood sugar and am performing poorly, I can simply use the Invisibility Technique to hide somewhere, and you can deal with the enemies for me.¡±

    The girls fell into contemplation upon hearing this.

    Although during battles the team leader often acted alone, he would always tie down the most powerful enemy, reducing frontal pressure for the team.

    This time, however, he was going to truly stand by and watch, leaving the girls momentarily devoid of the confidence to say, ¡°Then just watch us from the sidelines¡±¡ªespecially since the last time Chen Lingyun had led the team alone, she ended up in the ICU, a cautionary tale!

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± after a moment, Lin Ning was the first to rally with full fighting spirit, ¡°If the team leader really can¡¯t perform well, we can¡¯t force him to keep protecting us, right? We need to exert ourselves too!¡±

    Rather than forcing Yan Yu to fight enemies with negative debuffs affecting him, it would be better for me to give it my all, putting forth 200% effort in the fight, even doing his part!

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Su Yunjin had no objections, ¡°then let¡¯s protect you.¡±

    Chen Lingyun could think of it, and she too eventually came to realize it after being late to understand.

    Since Yan Yu was adamant about not changing his mind, it was up to us to protect him during this ¡°weak period.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen, however, had objections. Previously, the little thief had said, ¡°You¡¯re not worthy,¡± so why should I bother protecting him?

    She rolled her eyes beautifully, about to sarcastically refuse, only to hear Yan Yu say:

    ¡°Protect me? Forget it; I¡¯d be grateful if you can protect yourselves.¡±

    His characteristic arrogance immediately kindled the ire of the Demonic Sect Enchantress, who retorted loudly:

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too much! We¡¯ll see, when a certain someone is so starved that they have no strength, who ends up protecting whom!¡±

    Hmm, why do I feel like I¡¯ve been subtly tricked¡­ Never mind! Since the little thief looks down on me, I¡¯ll just have to protect him fiercely and slap his face!

    ¡°What about you, Ruoxi?¡± Su Yunjin turned to ask.

    ¡°I have no objections,¡± Xie Ruoxi shook her head, ¡°If the team leader is in trouble, I definitely won¡¯t stand idly by.¡±

    Ah, I thought I was riding on the seven-colored clouds as the hero; I never expected that I would end up in this role¡­

    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s agree on this.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smiling eye as she stoked the fire, ¡°Once someone is as hungry as a starved dog, we¡¯ll find a place to dig a hole and bury him in it to continue his training.¡±

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s what we¡¯ll do!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen exclaimed, clapping in approval.

    ¡°Such unrealistic fantasies; you¡¯re all daydreaming,¡± Yan Yu scoffed coldly, holding no punches, ¡°I am the team leader! Even if I¡¯m not in top form, I can crush you all with one hand!¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll just wait and see how our hungry leader shows off his divine powers,¡± the girls giggled one after another.

    Seeing them all so disrespectful, rebellious, and dismissive of their elder, Yan Yu too became annoyed and said sternly:

    ¡°Where are the wills? I asked each of you to write a will for me yesterday. Have you all written them?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± Lin Ning took out her phone and said, ¡°I¡¯ll text it to you¡­ Oh right, no peeking!¡±

    ¡°I promise I won¡¯t look,¡± Yan Yu said earnestly.

    Lin Ning sent the text, and Yan Yu¡¯s phone immediately popped up with a notification of a new message.

    He didn¡¯t open it in front of Lin Ning but instead brought his phone close to his mouth and ordered:

    ¡°Far ahead, read the text message out loud.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± the calm voice of the phone¡¯s smart assistant responded, ¡°Proceeding to read the text message in order. Sender: Ningning. Content of the text¡­¡±

    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re really asking for death!¡± Lin Ning, enraged, lunged over and chased Yan Yu around the sofa, finally snatching his phone away, and shouted with a red face:

    ¡°Stop!!!!!!!¡±

    Her voice nearly flipped the roof before the smart assistant¡¯s calm voice stated:

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    The girls burst into laughter. They all saw that Yan Yu had purposely let Ningning catch up at the last second ¨C one second later, and he would have read the contents of the message aloud.

    Lin Ning, still not satisfied, launched a deadly thirteen-kick combo at Yan Yu, each kick aimed at the lower part of his body.

    Yan Yu lifted a chair next to him to block all her series of kicks, leaving Lin Ning gasping for breath.

    ¡°I¡¯ll send mine to the leader too,¡± Su Yunjin took out her phone, touched the screen, and said, ¡°I wrote three wills. You can¡¯t read the ones for my dad and mom. The one for the leader, you can read.¡±

    Yan Yu was speechless: true to her nature as a literary girl, she actually managed to write three wills, and one was specifically for me¡­ holy shit, are you trying to catch me off guard?

    ¡°Cough cough.¡± He then spoke earnestly, ¡°I¡¯ve said before, writing wills isn¡¯t about showing them to others, it¡¯s to calm one¡¯s heart and spirit so that when the crucial moment comes, one can give their all without fear of death. What about the others?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve written my will,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°I wrote it before I enrolled in school and left it at home.¡±

    ¡°Oh right,¡± Yan Yu remembered, Chen Lingyun¡¯s whole family were all eccentrics; they had all written their wills long ago, clearly outlining how their possessions should be distributed if they unfortunately passed away, updating them every six months, complete with a dedicated legal team to notarize them promptly.

    Of course, every member of her family did have a whole bunch of assets to deal with; what¡¯s from before marriage, jointly owned after marriage, held on behalf of parents¡­ it¡¯s quite normal for them to update their wills regularly.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, of course, didn¡¯t need to say much; everyone knew Sister Zhao had no worries or attachments, and she wouldn¡¯t care about wills. Everyone just turned their gaze toward Xie Ruoxi.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi hesitated for a moment before confirming again, ¡°The purpose of writing this will is just to free ourselves from worry, right?¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    ¡°I understand now.¡± Xie Ruoxi finally made up her mind and edited a text message to send to Yan Yu on the spot.

    The content was brief, a single sentence so short it didn¡¯t need to be opened; the complete message already showed up in the phone¡¯s top banner notification.

    [Sender: Ruoxi]

    [Bro, my inheritance is in my bank card, the password hasn¡¯t changed. Have someone format my computer¡¯s hard drive, clear my chat history, and don¡¯t look at it.]

 Chapter 279: 77: Behind Enemy Lines, Corpse-Born Mud Sea

    Chapter 279: Chapter 77: Behind Enemy Lines, Corpse-Born Mud Sea

    The day for deployment had at last arrived. A pre-battle oath-taking assembly was held in the camp while the Allied Forces headquarters began assigning tasks.

    As previously communicated, Huofeng Team was responsible for the conquest of the Mysterious Realm in the Mirror Lake of the Ailao Mountains, and most of the other teams were working with the Pingxi Army to set up defenses, intercepting the enemy forces moving north.

    The opposition was primarily made up of civilian sorcerers, with no limitations on supplies like ammunition, and having suffered heavy losses under the long-range artillery of the Annan Army, they now operated in decentralized tactical teams of three to five, each acting independently, some without even a unified command or coordination¡­ This decentralized situation was somewhat bothersome for the headquarters, inducing a feeling of vexation, as if ¡°despite being overwhelmingly more powerful than the enemy, we are dragged down by the endless guerrilla tactics into a quagmire of policing conflict.¡±

    Losing the battle was, of course, out of the question. But even if 99% of the Transcendents were eliminated, allowing the remaining 1% to infiltrate could still cause considerable damage. And since the sorcerers possessed various unfathomable and unpreventable spell techniques, there truly wasn¡¯t a better means to deal with this handful of cockroaches, each hard to kill and selected from a hundred miles around.

    To put it in a metaphor, it was like humans dealing with cockroaches in a house¡ªeasy to kill a roach, but cleaning them out completely is quite challenging.

    After discussions and assessments by the superiors of the Privy Council, a rather aggressive tactical plan, codenamed ¡°Champion Marquis,¡± was ultimately developed.

    In imitation of the historical event involving the Champion Marquis Huo Qubing of the Han dynasty, the plan involved penetrating enemy territory to launch a surprise decapitation strike on the Witch King¡¯s headquarters, forcing the Witch King to call back a significant number of troops for defense, thereby greatly relieving the defensive pressure within the borders.

    Of course, the Sorcerer Alliance Army as a whole exhibited a decentralized tendency. Many civilian Transcendents joined the northward movement in pursuit of cultivation resources not to protect the Witch King, so one couldn¡¯t expect a single decapitation strategy to solve everything.

    Both the ¡°Champion Marquis Squad,¡± tasked with the decapitation strike, and other teams working in consort with the Annan and Pingxi Armies within the territory, were to face an unprecedented rigorous test.

    The Champion Marquis Squad needed to act like the tip of the spear, and it goes without saying that they required only the best members.

    The Zhenghai and Qingan teams, comprising a total of 11 members, akin to two special forces squads, would cooperate and act in concert.

    Thus, the Privy Council had officially authorized orders, placing ¡°Longcheng Flying General¡± Yan Yu in charge of leading the team, granting him full authority for all decisions during the operation, with the primary goal of suppressing and beheading the Witch King, permitting lethal action both domestically and abroad.

    Upon receiving this authorization, Yan Yu wasn¡¯t particularly surprised; it was as expected.

    The Privy Council of his former life always adhered to this heroism mindset: in order to protect as many civilians as possible, lower-level cultivators were to intercept the enemy, while higher-level cultivators took on the higher-risk decapitation tasks¡­ The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility¡ªthe hero is expected to give more, even to sacrifice more.

    This mode of thinking diverged sharply from foreign perspectives. For foreign Transcendent powers, the more senior the Transcendent, the more valuable they were considered and the more they needed to be preserved in combat, whereas defenseless civilians could be sacrificed without a second thought.

    It¡¯s hard to say which mode of thinking was superior. Even though Yan Yu himself upheld the heroism of protecting the country, he couldn¡¯t deny that sometimes this mindset was fatal: for instance, the death of the Valkyrie in his previous life was a damn huge loss.

    Enough about that.

    In this life¡­ I will shoulder the burden, I will give permission, I will bear the weight of Lu Country!

    After receiving the orders, everyone quickly left the headquarters and rose into the sky on their swords.

    ¡°Old Yan,¡± Li Zhaojiang said with deep meaning, ¡°we¡¯re following you this time, so you better act the part of the big brother well.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Yan Yu replied indifferently, ¡°First on the battlefield, I¡¯ll send you.¡±

    ¡°What? We trust you as our big brother, yet you want us to bear the brunt when things get tough?¡± Li Zhaojiang pretended to be dissatisfied, ¡°Rebellion! The brothers will revolt and turn the tables fiercely!¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Yan Yu remained calm, ¡°then I¡¯ll change and send your sister instead.¡±

    ¡°Dammit!¡± Li Zhaojiang was stunned and exclaimed, ¡°So, making it tough for a woman, huh? You really have the guts, Yan Yu!¡±

    ¡°Ha, getting worked up again.¡±

    ¡°Enough, Ah Jiang, stop joking around,¡± Li Minghu finally spoke, ¡°Yan Yu, what are we going to do next?¡±

    ¡°Find the Witch King first,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    That said, the problem was that the Witch King wouldn¡¯t be walking around wearing a sign on his head inscribed with ¡°I am the Witch King¡± in four large Lu Country characters.

    Modern decapitation missions often rely on intelligence infiltration, like having intelligence on someone¡¯s whereabouts and then following that intelligence to carry out a decapitation.

    But conversely, without intelligence, it would be difficult to pinpoint the exact location of the Witch King.

    ¡°I¡¯ll contact the Annan Army for more intelligence support,¡± Li Minghu said in a deep voice.

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu waved his hand, ¡°Don¡¯t trouble the military intelligence personnel at the front line. I have my ways.¡±

    What ways? Shark!

    Don¡¯t underestimate this creature; it¡¯s a precious experience concluded by countless cultivators from a previous life. The principle lies in the fact that the top leader of a Transcendent¡¯s power is often the strongest Transcendent in the group.

    As long as you relentlessly Shark, intensely Shark, chaotically Shark! If you Shark the lower-level Transcendents into a field of corpses, if those above don¡¯t show themselves, morale will crumble; if they do emerge, then you can capture them, follow the leads, and find their heads¡­ In this manner, layer by layer, it would take at most five or six tries to lock onto the very top leader.

    It seems that the structure of Transcendent powers is actually quite flat.

    Hearing Yan Yu explain this, everyone secretly felt relieved.

    Apart from the transcendent skills cultivated, everyone was essentially like college students who had not yet entered society, lacking in life experience and social savvy. Confronted with this kind of situation, they were utterly at a loss, not knowing where to start.

    Yan Yu said we do not need to do anything but Shark. That¡¯s perfect, it¡¯s exactly what we¡¯re best at! sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Thus, everyone¡¯s spirits were lifted, and following the highland terrain, they moved southward, quickly crossing the border line.

    The Southern borderlands were densely forested, with public roads and dirt tracks interwoven, with climbing vegetation severing these paths in places. Some areas still had large craters left by artillery barrages, but there were no signs of current fighting¡ªit may have been traces of battles between mortal armies and civilian Transcendents, with the former now wiped out.

    A heavy fog suddenly arose in the distance, a dark teal color, rolling in with the wind, and in nearly the blink of an eye approached the group.

    ¡°Land,¡± Yan Yu quickly telepathically ordered.

    Everyone immediately descended with their sword light, swiftly dropping below the canopy of trees, the sound of rushing wind and rustling leaves above them as if a tide of countless insects was sweeping past.

    The toxic miasma of Green Saint.

    Similar to the ¡°Eternal Night Curtain¡± of the Northern borderlands of the past, the Sorcerers of the Southern border had also cultivated almost endless varieties of miasmas, not only to help them shield from satellite surveillance but also to completely lock down air superiority¡ªeven drones entering it would corrode to nothing. If a sword-control cultivator carelessly fell into it, they would be reduced to bones instantly.

    Luckily, the miasma seemed to be uncontrolled for now, merely roaming about aimlessly. The group landed in the forest and evaded the pursuit of the Green Saint miasma, only to see that below was a rotting swamp, its stench assaultive.

    Countless dry tree roots twisted and contorted like deformed limbs, winding through the foul and filthy mire, with a mass of bones partially visible within them, swarming with flies as if at a grand feast. This sight sent shivers down the spines of the cultivators and made them feel nauseous.

    Before setting out, they had received intelligence from the command headquarters that this was the ¡°Sea of Corpse Growth¡± created by the wicked magic of Sorcerers, which was generating the various miasmas that now plagued the Southern borderlands.

    The birth of each Sea of Corpse Growth required the flesh and blood of a large number of mortals as sacrificial offerings. The massive expanse of bones and mire underneath the group¡¯s feet signified that at least tens of thousands of ¡°offerings¡± had been driven here from nearby villages like cattle, only to be brutally slaughtered by dark and wicked magic.

    Such Seas of Corpse Growth, large and small, now covered every corner of the Southern borderlands, for a reason that was even more brutal and direct: the warring Sorcerer powers, incessantly fighting and killing each other. If you have a Sea of Corpse Growth and I do not, you can freely summon the miasmas, launching a war of extermination against me, so I must also create a Sea of Corpse Growth, regardless of the slaughter it entails!

    The girls, witnessing this hellish and tragic sight, all showed signs of disgust, rejection, and sympathy; Li Zhaojiang and the other men, however, were indifferent¡ªafter all, it wasn¡¯t their kin who had been massacred; what did it have to do with them?

    Only Yan Yu slightly frowned, sighing inwardly.

    The wild growth of civilian Transcendents meant endless internal strife and cannibalization. Behind ¡°every person practising and gaining power¡± lay mountains of the weak and dead. Wasn¡¯t the paradise of a few cultivators a hell for the countless mortals?

    I, Yan Yu, lack great wisdom and can¡¯t design a social system that allows Transcendents and mortals to live together in harmony.

    All I have is a Huang Tingjian sword, ready to send you all to hell. Where is the Witch King?

    He turned his head and signaled, and Xie Ruoxi stimulated her True Yuan, sending a bolt of lightning into the mire ahead, creating a thunderous uproar.

    Son after, a Witchcraft Squad, alarmed, came floating over from the distance on a sullen breeze to find the culprit who had disturbed the Sea of Corpse Growth¡­ Seeing the multitude of suspended sword lights in the air, they were instantly taken aback.

    ¡°Kill,¡± Yan Yu ordered dispassionately.

 Chapter 280: 78: Crumbling Decay, Dew Spreads Everywhere

    Chapter 280: Chapter 78: Crumbling Decay, Dew Spreads Everywhere

    Rikoku Cultivators have the ¡°Sword Flight¡± technique, and sorcerers also possess a similar spell, called ¡°Krahang¡±.

    As of now, the Privy Council hasn¡¯t provided an accurate translation, but it is known that it involves a Yin sorcerer activating a spell to command a certain type of Yin ghost to lie on a comrade¡¯s back, which enables them to be as light as a feather and take off from the ground, where they pass, there¡¯s always a burst of cold wind¡ªIn a previous life, Rikoku called this spell ¡°Ghost Walking Technique¡±.

    The weakness of the Ghost Walking Technique is quite obvious. For instance, the sorcerer who is possessed can¡¯t control their flight, as the possessing Yin ghost¡¯s movement only follows the commands of the Yin sorcerer. Some sorcerers cleverly use large fans to try to influence the direction of their flight, but it¡¯s actually not very effective.

    That is to say, by simply killing the team¡¯s Yin sorcerer, one could break everyone¡¯s flying spell. Of course, the enemy is surely well aware of this and would definitely focus on using various concealment methods.

    At Yan Yu¡¯s command, everyone immediately launched into action with Sword Control, engaging in a melee with the opposing sorcerers.

    Lin Ning, Li Minghu, and Jiang Hong are all Sword Immortals, the fastest in reaction speed, employing their Sword Flight slashing technique, transforming it into a formidable sword light that instantly killed three opponents.

    The rest of the group also used their divine abilities, hurling spells and magical artifacts at the enemy haphazardly. Only Yan Yu did not join the attack, instead controlling the Huang Tingjian to patrol the battlefield, specifically intercepting threatening attacks from the opposition, to prevent any danger to their own side.

    With the Longcheng Flying General personally providing cover, the others were free to act, and soon the battlefield turned one-sided. Chen Lingyun, positioned at the rear and lazily casting the Impact Curse, suddenly heard Yan Yu transmit a message:

    ¡°Ten o¡¯clock direction, 70 meters, a hidden enemy is trying to escape, with the Prison Banner.¡±

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s eyes lit up, and she quickly activated the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, exerting her full power to employ the Heart Capturing Technique, sweeping forcefully towards the ten o¡¯clock direction.

    Sure enough, in the seemingly empty space between the trees, as soon as the Prison Banner¡¯s radiance swept over, a staggering figure was revealed.

    ¡°Kuntilanak,¡± a former translation in Rikoku for the ¡°Ghost Transformation Technique,¡± is used to let a Yin sorcerer be possessed by a Yin ghost, thus turning into a spirit shadow difficult for the naked eye to discern. Even if discovered by a Cultivator¡¯s Divine Sense, it can still be immune to most physical damage, and its life-saving effect is undeniably strong. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Unfortunately for him, he was the least lucky to encounter the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, which was the most effective against Yin ghosts. The semi-transparent Resentful Spirit possessing him, hit by the Heart Capturing Technique, suddenly let out a pitiful howl of pain as it was forcibly ripped from the body of the Yin sorcerer and sucked into the Prison Banner.

    Suddenly bereft of the possessing Yin ghost, the Yin sorcerer plummeted unprepared from the sky, only to be pierced through the skull by a White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin fired by Zhao Yuanzhen, falling then and there, as dead as one can be!

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress used to control her physical body with Sword Control for remote puppet killing, and the puppets, known as ¡°the most complex magical artifacts to operate,¡± require meticulous direction for every movement, posture, and attack method.

    Now, with the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, the difficulty of operation had dropped more than a notch, making the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s killing spree all the more thrilling!

    Su Yunjin trapped the opposite target with the South Dipper Star River formation, kill!

    Li Zhaojiang absorbed the enemy¡¯s magical artifact with the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light, kill!

    Chen Lingyun shook the Prison Banner, causing some distant enemy to fall? Never mind the details, just kill! Not a single head would escape my finishing blow!

    Zhao Yuanzhen just focused on finishing off the enemies, but didn¡¯t expect that the death of this Yin sorcerer would trigger a domino effect over the entire field, with all the still alive sorcerers falling from the sky like wing-broken crows, rapidly plummeting into the morass.

    The Sea of Corpse Birth was notoriously poison-filled to the extreme, and those sorcerers, falling helplessly into it, were dissolved by the mud sea within mere moments, reduced to sinister white skeletons.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Yan Yu saw the battle¡¯s end and nonchalantly waved his hand, leading the group away from the area.

    There was no need to evaluate the performance in this battle; the opposing sorcerers were just too weak, almost on par with local military manor Cultivators in Rikoku; pitted against the top-tier Cultivator team from the same country, the outcome was naturally one-sided.

    In fact, even without the others¡¯ intervention, just the three Sword Immortals¡ªLin Ning, Li Minghu, and Jiang Hong¡ªgiven more time, could also have killed all the opponents without injury.

    But if the number of adversaries had been several orders of magnitude greater, and the difficulty of the melee had increased accordingly, relying solely on the Sword Immortals would hardly be enough to handle such a large-scale battle, which is why coordination with other magic Cultivators, assistant officers, and envoys was necessary.

    As they continued to seek the next group of sorcerers, Li Minghu took advantage of the calm before encountering new enemies to reflect on the battle, as was the habit of the Qing¡¯an team, saying:

    ¡°Everyone did well just now, but there are a few points to take note of.¡±

    ¡°Jiang Hong, don¡¯t just focus on attacking; a Sword Immortal must have a good overall perspective. There were many attacks you could have intercepted but missed. Yan was the one who had to step in to intercept them. You must adjust your offense and defense rhythm in time according to the overall situation on the battlefield.¡±

    Jiang Hong nodded seriously, indicating he would take it to heart.

    ¡°Haoran, your Qing Shi Chang Jian is a strong control type, it¡¯s not just about waiting for others to coordinate with you, you also need to be aware of providing others opportunities to coordinate with you,¡± Li Minghu continued, ¡°You could learn from Sister Zhao¡¯s ability to seize the right moment.¡±

    Why are you also calling her Sister Zhao? Yan Yu wondered, but then saw Wang Haoran laughingly say:

    ¡°Sister Zhao¡¯s talent in targeting with her artifacts is indeed formidable, and I would appreciate more guidance from her in the future.¡±

    ¡°Naturally,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, secretly thrilled by the praise, maintained a senior¡¯s posture, and said indifferently.

    ¡°Tao Xingyuan,¡± Li Minghu pondered for a moment, ¡°I¡¯m not very knowledgeable about spells, so you can keep taking advice from Li Zhaojiang on the details. My suggestion is not to panic too much on the battlefield. It¡¯s better to be prepared and wait for the right moment than to strike recklessly without achieving any feats. Observe how Yun Jin selects her targets and gradually learn.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Tao Xingyuan replied earnestly.

    After commenting on the performance of all three team members, Li Minghu did not criticize his younger brother (after all, he needed to maintain his authority as the team leader) but instead turned his gaze to Yan Yu and asked softly:

    ¡°Does Captain Yan have any opinions?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much,¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°The enemy is too weak. It¡¯s like the test questions being too simple; you can get a high score even by haphazardly answering them, so it¡¯s meaningless to nitpick and analyze mistakes.¡±

    Daring to say that my sister is nitpicking? Li Zhaojiang was just about to retort when he heard Li Minghu laughingly say:

    ¡°Indeed, I was perhaps too anxious.¡±

    ¡°Everyone else has had their say, but I do have a question for you,¡± Yan Yu suddenly shifted the tone, continuing, ¡°You¡¯re both engaging in Sword Flight across the battlefield and keeping an eye on everyone¡¯s performance. Doesn¡¯t that tire you out?¡±

    ¡°Discussing whether it¡¯s tiring or not is meaningless,¡± Li Minghu replied tactfully, ¡°Both the team leader and deputy team leader, apart from leading the charge, must also take on the responsibility of leading the entire team. Captain Yan, weren¡¯t you also saving the day throughout the battle?¡±

    ¡°No, I was just slacking off,¡± Yan Yu earnestly denied, ¡°Just like Li Zhaojiang.¡±

    ¡°How was I slacking off!¡± Li Zhaojiang immediately became furious, ¡°I was focused on the attack, okay?¡±

    His Yuan Magnetic Divine Light would interfere with his teammates¡¯ Flying Swords, so he couldn¡¯t use it frequently. Most of the time, he deployed his Sword Control Technique to harm the enemy. Yet now, Yan Yu had described it as ¡°slacking off,¡± which was unbearable for him.

    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s because the enemy is too weak, and there¡¯s no need for you to go all out,¡± Li Minghu mused.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu concluded indifferently, ¡°If a lion had to use all its strength to fight a rabbit, how many rabbits could it catch in a day? Would it be enough to fill its belly?¡±

    Li Minghu fell silent in thought.

    She discerned the implication of Yan Yu¡¯s words¡ªthe trashy enemy was not worth exhausting herself over; it would be better to rest properly.

    Li Zhaojiang had wanted to quarrel some more, but even Yan Yu¡¯s statement left him at a loss for words.

    In a way, he agreed with the perspective of ¡°not letting sister overexert herself¡±¡­ although he did not want to openly agree with Yan Yu.

    The group continued on their journey via Sword Flight, when suddenly someone sent a voice transmission to Yan Yu¡ªit was Lin Ning, who couldn¡¯t help but ask:

    ¡°How come you only commented on them? What about me?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I already say it?¡± Yan Yu asked, puzzled.

    ¡°Say what?¡±

    ¡°The enemy is too weak, so there¡¯s no need for you all to go all out, and hence no point in a detailed analysis.¡±

    ¡°Then why did you still help Deputy Team Leader Li with his analysis to find issues?¡± Lin Ning continued to question.

    ¡°What, are you jealous?¡± Yan Yu countered.

    ¡°I just can¡¯t stand you playing favorites!¡± Lin Ning promptly got angry.

    ¡°Shh, don¡¯t make a fuss,¡± Yan Yu soothed her patiently, ¡°I¡¯ll teach you a few powerful moves later.¡±

    Lin Ning wanted to stay annoyed for a while longer, but she couldn¡¯t help breaking into a smile soon after.

    But she didn¡¯t expect her subtle expression to be fully observed by Su Yunjin beside her.

    Although she couldn¡¯t hear their secret voice transmission, the literary girl with a delicate disposition could guess some of it and decided to test Yan Yu by asking:

    ¡°What did the team leader promise Ningning? As the team leader, you treat all team members equally, right?¡±

    Yan Yu suddenly felt a heavy sense of suffocation and hastily plucked up the courage to say:

    ¡°You too!¡±

 Chapter 281: 79: Yan Yus Rich Experience

    Chapter 281: Chapter 79: Yan Yu¡¯s Rich Experience

    But everyone had escaped from the Sea of the Dead and continued to move south along the road by Sword Flight, searching for nearby human settlements.

    This cross-border beheading was a high-risk mission, and if there were any leaks that allowed the Witch King to become aware of the team¡¯s whereabouts, it would pose a serious threat to the cultivators. That¡¯s why no one wore cameras.

    Without the surveillance of cameras, Yan Yu could confidently teach everyone some techniques without worrying that they would be recorded and studied in great detail.

    ¡°Sword Flight is you using True Yuan to stimulate the sword¡¯s light, which then envelops your body and drags you along as it flies, right?¡± Yan Yu asked telepathically.

    ¡°Right,¡± Lin Ning responded immediately.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you find it strange?¡± Yan Yu asked persuasively, ¡°Following this logic, the True Yuan for flight is provided by yourself, so why do you need to transfer True Yuan to the Flying Sword first?¡±

    ¡°Because I am very slow when flying with the Cloud Ascension Technique on my own,¡± Lin Ning replied instinctively, but soon she realized that wasn¡¯t quite right.

    If Yan Yu asked her this, it meant there must be ¡°a better way of Sword Control Flight.¡±

    ¡°Ultimately, it is because you subconsciously see yourself and the Flying Sword as separate entities,¡± Yan Yu attempted to inspire her insight, ¡°Since they are different, the sword can fly fast while you are slow, which is why you need the Flying Sword to drag you.¡±

    ¡°And with the added burden of your weight, even the Flying Sword¡¯s speed and power will be affected, causing the True Yuan you utilize for Sword Flight to not be fully applied to attack. Some of it gets internally dissipated.¡±

    Lin Ning pondered silently for a moment, and then she thought of using her physics knowledge to understand the concept: if she was the power source and the Flying Sword was the electrical appliance, connecting the power source and the appliance with a wire would definitely result in some energy loss along the wire.

    So how could this energy loss be reduced?

    The answer, of course, is to make the wire as short as possible or even better, to directly interface the power source with the appliance, minimizing the resistance in the process!

    ¡°Are you saying¡­¡± She suddenly had a flash of inspiration and cleverly said, ¡°If I could fully merge with the sword¡¯s light, becoming one with the sword and the sword one with me, then there would be no ¡®dragging me along¡¯ loss! Previously, learning Sword Flight was about drawing the sword¡¯s light closer until it could envelop me; but if I could get even closer, couldn¡¯t it evolve from ¡®envelopment¡¯ to ¡®fusion,¡¯ thereby maximizing the efficiency of the True Yuan driving the Flying Sword?¡±

    Yan Yu was astonished, because Sister Lin¡¯s deductive result was entirely correct.

    When a Sword Immortal provides True Yuan to a Flying Sword, there¡¯s bound to be some loss. The Sword Control Technique, since it is transmitted by the mind across a distance, results in the greatest loss; while the Sword-Human Unity inside the sword¡¯s light reduces the loss significantly, and its attack power is naturally far stronger than the Sword Control Technique.

    As for the strongest form, Sword-Human Unity, there is no distinction between the cultivator and the Flying Sword, with almost zero loss of True Yuan. When outputting True Yuan at its maximum, the speed and force of the sword¡¯s light are also elevated to an indestructible level.

    This is the best move of the Sword Immortal¡ªSword-Human Unity! Even in the late period of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, Yan Yu frequently chose Sword-Human Unity as his killer move to neatly reap the lives of his opponents.

    Of course, the method of training for Sword-Human Unity had not yet appeared in Teacher Mei¡¯s mandatory Sword Immortal course materials, so Yan Yu could not explain the principles in too much detail to avoid arousing suspicion for no reason.

    But Lin Ning¡¯s sudden burst of intelligence was a huge success, and based on Yan Yu¡¯s verbal hints, she invented the theory of Sword-Human Unity on her own¡­ That¡¯s not my business! She figured it out herself¡ªif there is an investigation, they should look for her!

    Seeing Yan Yu did not rebut but acknowledged her theory, Lin Ning was instantly thrilled.

    Currently, she could only manage to have the sword¡¯s light envelop her; she was far from achieving ¡°fusion with the sword¡¯s light,¡± but since this path was viable, she could, of course, persistently try to bring the sword¡¯s light closer to herself each time until she fully mastered this powerful technique!

    It was like memorizing an English dictionary¡ªlearn a few words every day, and just keep at it!

    Abandon!

    Seeing Lin Ning easily handled, Yan Yu too was reassured.

    Having been a Sword Immortal for nearly a lifetime in his previous life, his memory was packed with plenty of swordsmanship skills that could be imparted to Ningning gradually, so he wasn¡¯t worried about running out of things to teach.

    But what about Yun Jin? I don¡¯t understand Taoism Method at all!

    After careful thought, Yan Yu did come up with an idea:

    Although I don¡¯t understand Taoist methods, my extensive experience in fighting allows me to teach Yun Jin how to fight flexibly!

    ¡°Yun Jin, I remember you mentioned last time,¡± he sent a message to Su Yunjin, asking, ¡°You don¡¯t know how to combine Taoist methods with your Sword Control Technique?¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Su Yunjin felt a subtle joy, surprised that the captain still had her concerns in mind, ¡°it¡¯s just that once my Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art traps the enemy, the chaotic flows around them also impede my sword, making it inconvenient for me to assassinate or deal the finishing blow. Do you have any good ideas, Captain?¡±

    ¡°To trap your enemy with your Taoist methods, a sufficient amount of chaotic flows is definitely necessary,¡± Yan Yu analyzed, ¡°If the water flows aren¡¯t chaotic enough, the enemy will find a direction to break free. Therefore, to coordinate with the Sword Control Technique, I can think of two solutions.¡±

    ¡°One is to suddenly cease the Taoist method and at the same time control the Flying Sword to execute a killing strike at the very moment the water prison collapses. Since you control the timing of the cessation of the Taoist method, the operation should be relatively easy. But the downside is if you encounter an extremely powerful master, voluntarily dispersing your Taoist method will still provide an opportunity for a counterattack.¡±

    ¡°The second is to deepen your control of the Taoist method. You need to not only master the overall direction of the water flow but also be able to precisely predict the course of a particular undercurrent at a given moment, so that you can time it right and manipulate the sword to follow this undercurrent to execute the assassination¡­ Without a doubt, this is very difficult, but if you can truly achieve this, then there won¡¯t be any glaring weaknesses in your tactical system.¡±

    Su Yunjin fell into contemplation. If it were the more laid-back previous self, after weighing the input against the output, she probably would have chosen the former option.

    After all, the latter is like tossing a box of ping pong balls into the air, then needing to at least grasp one ping pong ball¡¯s falling trajectory¡­ ordinary people, even just being able to pick out one specific ball from so many, would already require a lot of effort and practice.

    But¡­

    ¡°I choose the second option,¡± Su Yunjin said calmly.

    If the captain really becomes the strongest in this world in the future, then I at least have to be a cultivator who can ¡°keep up with the strongest in this world.¡± Otherwise, even if the captain still wishes to keep me in the team by then, how could I have the face to shamelessly be a drag?

    I must stay by the captain¡¯s side to have a chance¡­

    Yan Yu, although vaguely feeling some sourceless heaviness, simply thought that Su Yunjin¡¯s determination to become stronger was very strong, so far from being scared, he actually quite appreciated it and encouraged her with a smile:

    ¡°It¡¯s actually not difficult to practice this. When you cast your Taoist method to trap the target, just pay attention to the direction of the water flow. The more you observe, the more techniques you¡¯ll grasp. However, how long it specifically takes and how much you can understand depends on your visual acuity, comprehension, and luck; specifically, I can¡¯t say for sure.¡±

    Su Yunjin also understood that the captain was saying: I don¡¯t know, you just go ahead and try.

    However, the captain isn¡¯t a professional in magical laws, so not knowing is normal. That he¡¯s willing to help is already quite rare¡­

    She silently made excuses for Yan Yu in her heart, then suddenly heard Yan Yu say:

    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±

    In the current Southern Border, there no longer exists any serious secular authority, nor can one expect that just as you cross the border, the other side can quickly detect and deploy troops to intercept.

    The territories of the sorcerers are fragmented; most are only willing to manage their own land, a few not even willing to manage theirs, preferring to find a place to seclude themselves for cultivation. So even if you¡¯ve resolved to thoroughly defeat them, it¡¯s not necessarily easy to find them.

    But Yan Yu¡¯s experience from his former life is too rich; how could such a matter stump him? First, he led the team along the dirt road, finding a village where not everyone had died yet, then went directly to the largest house in the town.

    To barge in forcefully.

    As sorcerers are not civil servants, lacking both the ability and the intention to manage commoners, they¡¯d surely find a trustworthy commoner to manage their territory¡ªfor previous lifetimes in actual practice, these people usually arranged their relatives to act as the village or town leaders, most commonly their fathers or biological brothers.

    With his careless demeanor, Yan Yu barged in, in front of the other cultivators, gave the town leader residing there a chaotic beating, leaving him with a bruised nose and swollen face, several teeth knocked out, then strutted out of the door and said:

    ¡°Wait here for them to come and meet their death.¡±

    Listening to the miserable wails inside the house, along with the foreign language rattling away, everyone¡¯s expressions ranged from confused to suddenly enlightened to thoughtful. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    After a moment, indeed, a large number of dark clouds could be seen coming from far away, quickly rushing towards the group!

 Chapter 282: 80 When in Doubt, Switch Families

    Chapter 282: Chapter 80 When in Doubt, Switch Families

    ¡°`

    Seeing a large number of Sorcerers rushing toward them, smart individuals like Chen Lingyun, Su Yunjin, or Li Minghu had already seen through the crux of the situation at a glance.

    Sorcerers would arrange for their mortal relatives to manage their territories, so these relatives definitely had a way to contact them, but the Rikoku Cultivators couldn¡¯t communicate with these mortals, and the efficiency of intimidation or enticement wouldn¡¯t be high.

    Therefore, Yan Yu chose to beat people up rather than kill them.

    Mortals do not have enough understanding of the Transcendents to judge whether the person beating them up is stronger or weaker than their Sorcerer relatives.

    Considering they likely became village or town heads only after their Sorcerer relatives directly killed the previous leaders, these mortals typically brimmed with overconfidence, acting like a fox that borrows the tiger¡¯s might. The first thing they would do after a beating was to urgently call the Sorcerers for rescue.

    In this way, they could successfully lure the snake out of its hole.

    The Sorcerers approaching from afar with great momentum even thought that the intruders in their territory might be Sorcerers from a neighboring hostile force, so they gathered people immediately to seek revenge, only to be greeted by the Rikoku Cultivators¡¯ swords blazing skyward¡­ At this point, where could they possibly escape to?

    Thud!

    Yan Yu and his group effortlessly wiped out this group of Sorcerers then swiftly left the village or town, tirelessly seeking the next settlement on their list.

    Although there was no surplus of communication, the fact that the tactics were executed so smoothly impressed everyone, who quickly noted down all of Yan Yu¡¯s maneuvers.

    For about ten days, the group continued their assault, unaware of how many Sorcerers they had killed until the news finally reached the Witch King.

    The recent rampages of the Rikoku Cultivators took place in the territory of the Golden Light Sorcerer Suo Wen.

    Suo Wen was a supporter of the current Witch King Long Po Ming and strongly endorsed the plan to move north to plunder Rikoku¡¯s resources, even personally summoning two thirds of his Sorcerers to join the Witch King Allied Forces.

    As a result, the remaining third left to guard their territories had been nearly wiped out by Yan Yu and his group. So much so that upon hearing the news, many quick-tempered Sorcerers wanted to abandon the northern campaign immediately to rush back and defend their homes.

    They must protect their homes! The Rikoku Cultivators mostly left after their attacks without staying for long, but the neighbors wouldn¡¯t be so ¡°kind¡±! It would be a dreadful outcome to return from the campaign empty-handed only to find the neighboring powers annexed their territories, ultimately losing both wealth and land.

    Suo Wen didn¡¯t lose his head to the bad news like his subordinates. Although he had not heard of the famed ¡°home switching tactic,¡± he was aware that the Rikoku Cultivators were killing left and right exactly to force the Witch King Allied Forces to divide their troops.

    Can¡¯t divide! Dividing is falling for their trap!

    But not dividing was not an option either because the anxious subordinates might rebel.

    Suo Wen could lead them because no one could beat him in single combat, but if these people united against him, the outcome would be uncertain.

    It would be easy for the Witch King to wave his hand and dispose of them all, but the problem remained the same: letting them go back meant losing manpower, disposing of them still meant losing manpower¡ªthere was no difference. It might as well let them return.

    Thus, the Witch King¡¯s forces had to temporarily halt their northern march to discuss how to resolve this problem.

    After discussing for half a day, they finally arrived at a strategy: let Suo Wen hurry back with men to kill off these Rikoku Cultivators, arrange for adequate personnel to stay behind, and then quickly return to support the campaign.

    Although there would definitely be a delay, the Witch King Allied Forces were inherently a decentralized and loose structure, making it difficult to move in unison with strict commands. As such, this was seen as the best possible solution under the current circumstances, minimizing losses within a manageable range.

    ¡°¡­ Since it¡¯s their optimal solution, it¡¯s naturally predictable,¡± Yan Yu said to his team after conquering another town and pausing to speak to the group. ¡°The more Sorcerers we kill, the higher the likelihood that they will muster forces to hunt us down. The confrontation is almost inevitable; it¡¯s just a matter of time.¡±

    ¡°` Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°This is good news,¡± Li Minghu nodded and said, ¡°Whether it¡¯s to delay their progress in the northern campaign or to force them to split their forces, it¡¯s all beneficial.¡±

    ¡°At this point, our strategy has been two-thirds successful,¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°To take out this batch of troops would be equivalent to severely damaging the Witch King Allied Forces. The Witch King is likely to become restless. If he dares to disregard us, the hard-earned prestige he has built will be lost entirely. What kind of Witch King is he if he can¡¯t even protect his subordinates?¡±

    ¡°I understand the rationale,¡± Li Zhaojiang said with a wry smile, ¡°But in the end, we still need to defeat their reinforcements, right? And the number and quality of these reinforcements are definitely not on the same level as the enemies we¡¯ve been dealing with these past few days.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu admitted unabashedly, simply stating, ¡°No matter how fancy the moves are, once the fighters engage, it inevitably comes down to a contest of inner strength. To employ ¡®using the slight to defeat the strong,¡¯ you at least need to have the finesse of those critical four ounces to move a thousand pounds.¡±

    Li Zhaojiang fell silent, his expression still filled with worry, as his sister had started coughing again recently.

    Almost a week and a half of Sword Flight and frequent deadly combat, pushing their bodies and depleting their True Yuan daily, even the girls of the Zhenhai Team were showing signs of exhaustion. Li Minghu¡¯s health naturally suffered more, with her lung disease showing ominous signs of worsening.

    Li Zhaojiang was not afraid of deadly battles himself, but he was absolutely unwilling to let Li Minghu suffer any harm. In his anxious concern, his demeanor turned pessimistic and negative without him even realizing it.

    Yan Yu, seeing through the thoughts Li Zhaojiang was reluctant to express, did not waste words trying to soothe his emotions, but instead looked once more at the girls¡¯ faces around him.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was still full of fighting spirit; Lin Ning, though haggard, had eyes as bright as morning stars that remained sharp and spirited.

    Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin both looked pale but managed to support themselves, with their performance in recent battles not falling short.

    As for the Annan Army on the other side, because the boys generally had stronger physiques, they were in better condition than the Zhenhai Team.

    Only Li Minghu, although she stubbornly refused to show her weakness, betrayed her physical condition with the frequency of her coughing.

    ¡°I know everyone is very tired,¡± Yan Yu said, having quickly considered the situation, ¡°We could actually rest now and wait for the enemies to come to us. That way, we would only need to fight two major battles to completely accomplish our mission.¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Li Minghu spoke out against it, ¡°How long do we have to wait if we rest now for the enemies to make their move? With each passing day, more Sorcerers will enter Nanjiang, and who knows how many people will suffer because of that¡­ people who could have otherwise not died¡­ cough cough cough!¡±

    Her face turned alarmingly pale as she took out an Elixir Medicine to consume, and her complexion finally regained some color.

    Yan Yu watched her silently, thinking to himself how her spirit of self-sacrifice seemed almost tangible. In his previous life, how had the Annan Army not noticed this? No wonder Li Zhaojiang couldn¡¯t stand it later and turned to the dark side.

    If it were Chen Lingyun leading the team, he would definitely respect her wishes, but I, Yan Yu, am not that type of person.

    Perhaps the Valkyrie could find a secluded place to rest temporarily, and the others could go the extra mile and make a concerted effort. But Li Minghu certainly would not agree to stand by and watch. I need to think of a way to trick¡­ I mean, come up with a reasonable explanation to convince her.

    While Yan Yu was silently pondering, the rest couldn¡¯t bear to watch and began to urge Li Minghu to rest immediately, telling her not to treat Elixir Medicine like a stimulant.

    Li Minghu naturally refused, insisting on staying to fight alongside everyone. It seems that in my past life, all the powerful Sword Immortals had stubborn temperaments. The Valkyrie died rather than retreat, Lin Ning would rather stay single than engage in matchmaking, Lord Master would rather break with his family than not choose his own wife, and Teacher Mei naturally went without saying.

    Sigh, Sword Immortals who handle things flexibly like me are just too rare.

    Just as Yan Yu was wracking his brains to weave words to persuade Li Minghu, suddenly he saw dark clouds gathering in the Northeastern sky. It appeared that a large number of Sorcerers were invoking the Ghost Walking Technique, flying towards them.

    Upon seeing this, Yan Yu immediately rejoiced:

    Good, they¡¯re coming!

 Chapter 283: 81: Ill Lure the Enemy (Combined Chapter 1 & 2)

    Chapter 283: Chapter 81: I¡¯ll Lure the Enemy (Combined Chapter 1 & 2)

    An ominous wind howled from afar, and the demonic voices thundered through the sky, as if a tide of dark clouds pushed forward, oppressively dark.

    In their midst appeared an endless number of sorcerers, flickering in and out of the demonic wind like phantoms!

    With withered hair and haggard looks were the Curse Technique Masters, some controlling ink-black zombies, others manipulating ghostly resentful spirits as dull as snow. Various evil creatures swirled around them, as if they were lords of the underworld.

    The Tattooed Charm Masters bared their chests, their bodies covered in tattooed charms and seals. Their faces wore expressions of wrath, and their eyes bulged in fury, resembling the fierce, ominous deities of legend.

    Sitting cross-legged while forming hand seals were the Curse Technique Masters, emitting four types of divine light¡ªblack, red, green, and yellow¡ªbehind them, symbolizing the four elements of water, fire, wind, and earth. They looked like deities descended to the mortal plane.

    Of course, the most numerous were the ¡°Southeast Asia sword immortals¡±¡ªthe Curse Technique masters. With palms facing upward, they held their crafted curses, including small spirits, poisonous insects, or other evil entities, all waiting for the moment the masters would utter the word ¡°terror¡± and immediately fly out to kill.

    Among these four professions, the Curse Technique Masters had the longest attack range. The battle had yet to begin when a barrage of curses came flying like a swarm. Evil spirits cackled, and poisonous insects screamed, quickly sealing off all possible escape routes for everyone.

    ¡°Down,¡± commanded Yan Yu.

    Rapidly diving into the forest, everyone¡¯s sword light sank. Before they could make their next move, Yan Yu¡¯s voice came again:

    ¡°Retreat.¡±

    The collective sword flight reversed, smashing through countless trees. Almost instantly, the spot where they had landed was blanketed by a meteoric rain of fire.

    The Curse Technique Masters¡¯ Vajra Fire Spells were not as violent as Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Great Bright Fire, but with hundreds of fire spells combined, it was enough to turn the forest into charred ruins.

    This was the terror of large-scale battles! It wasn¡¯t just Yan Yu¡ª even Mei Yingxue, standing here facing the bombardment of over a hundred curses, would have nothing to do but flee by sword flight.

    ¡°Invisibility,¡± Yan Yu ordered.

    Everyone hurried to disengage their Sword-Human Unity and instead activated their Invisibility Technique.

    Chen Lingyun and Li Minghu gave meticulous commands, pinpointing coordinates one by one: those above trees concealed in the branches, those behind slopes hid behind them, setting up a classic ambush formation.

    The sorcerers in the sky quickly split into two groups. One continued to patrol the skies to prevent the Rikoku Cultivators from escaping into the air again; the other descended to the site of the Curse Technique bombardment to search for any trace of bodies.

    With no corpses found, it was obvious they had fled.

    But there was nothing surprising about this. The opposition consisted of a dozen people, and they faced an army of thousands; not fleeing would have been the real surprise.

    After a brief exchange in their rapid native tongue, the descending sorcerers quickly organized into teams of twenty, following the direction of the damaged trees in a methodical search.

    Sword Flight was suitable for open areas. It could also be used in the forest, but inevitably, one would collide with trees¡ªthe fallen trees thus became silent markers, showing exactly where you had passed.

    Therefore, the enemy must have stopped their Sword Flight and used other means to flee.

    Chase!

    At this moment, these sorcerers hadn¡¯t considered that their opponents might choose to stay put and set up an ambush. How could a mere dozen people possibly attempt to ambush a thousand?

    The anxiously hiding cultivators also felt the tension. Honestly, facing ten enemies per person might be feasible, but facing a hundred was a bit far-fetched.

    Even employing hit-and-run tactics in favorable terrain, once their tracks were discovered, given the overwhelming numbers of the enemy, a single spell from each would be enough to raze even the largest forest.

    Although we were the strongest individually, they weren¡¯t going to engage in a one-on-one fight! How could we fight?

    After a moment of silence, Yan Yu suddenly spoke:

    ¡°I¡¯ll draw their attention. You guys strike at the outskirts of the battlefield,¡±

    Before Chen Lingyun could respond, Li Minghu hurriedly advised:

    ¡°Don¡¯t be reckless. Even if we split into two groups and scatter the opposition¡¯s forces before picking them off one by one, it would still be better than you risking it alone!¡± Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°That¡¯s not right,¡± Yan Yu refuted her suggestion, ¡°If no one¡¯s drawing their attention in front, the disappearance of any of our teams will quickly be noticed by them.¡±

    ¡°Moreover, to achieve stealthy, rapid kills, managing two enemies per person is already the limit. If we were to split our forces further and face four per person, the risk factor would become far too great.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re facing many on your own; isn¡¯t the risk factor even higher?¡± Li Minghu countered, then incredulously turned to the girls of the Zhenhai Team, ¡°Why aren¡¯t any of you speaking up?¡±

    The girls fell silent. We know our captain far better than you do¡ªhe¡¯s always been the macho kind of loner hero. Once he decides to leave the team to fight alone, he won¡¯t listen to anyone. How can we persuade him?

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly asked.

    ¡°What could be wrong with me?¡± Yan Yu retorted.

    ¡°You know what I¡¯m asking,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely.

    Fasting technique.

    Yan Yu practiced the fasting technique; it had been almost a week and a half since the battle began, without a single drop of water or a morsel of food.

    Though he was still alive and outwardly seemed fine, to say his body was unaffected was undoubtedly impossible.

    In truth, starting from the fifth day of complete fasting, even Yan Yu himself felt that while his consciousness remained unimpeded, his core strength and reflexes had roughly dropped to seventy percent of his original level¡ªthis was the body, not yet adept in fasting, involuntarily reducing its functions due to the lack of sustenance.

 Chapter 284: 81: Ill Lure the Enemy (Combined Chapter 1 & 2)_2

    Chapter 284: Chapter 81: I¡¯ll Lure the Enemy (Combined Chapter 1 & 2)_2

    But no matter, it¡¯s not important!

    Even with only seventy percent of our standard abilities, we¡¯re more than capable of making a show of it!

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Yan Yu said in a deep voice, ¡°I¡¯m confident.¡±

    Speaking of confidence, the girls were reminded of the previous battle in the Mysterious Realm of Black Dragon Isle, where Yan Yu had single-handedly toyed with over a hundred Onmyoji¡­ Of course, subsequent video playback and analysis suggested that the Onmyoji had been too arrogant, prioritizing capturing the flag and killing the general over dealing with Yan Yu, which allowed Yan Zhanlong to successfully pull off a ¡°one versus a hundred¡± trick.

    However, belief in someone is built step by step. If he says he can reach a small goal today and achieves it, then tomorrow when he says he can become the wealthiest, there will be people who believe him, because this guy always delivers on his promises.

    The girls from Zhenhai Team no longer spoke; at least on matters involving the team, they had unconditional trust and obedience to Yan Yu¡¯s judgement.

    Li Minghu wanted to persuade further, but Li Zhaojiang quickly sent a mental message:

    ¡°Sister, we¡¯ve agreed to let Yan Yu lead the team, just go with his decisions! I used to worry about you, and you always told me I was indecisive. Now, why can¡¯t you seem to get it?¡±

    ¡°If Yan Yu really sacrifices himself because of this, that¡¯s not just a loss for our team, but a loss for the whole Lu Country!¡± Li Minghu still stood by her point, but seeing that everyone else had already consented, she could only drop the issue.

    Yan Yu left controlling his sword and began the hefty task of kiting a thousand by himself. Chen Lingyun then messaged Li Minghu with a smile:

    ¡°Shall we command together, or should we do it separately?¡±

    ¡°You take over the command,¡± Li Minghu had no mind to discuss with her and simply handed over all control, deciding to focus on being a Sword Immortal.

    All¡¯s done with that.

    Chen Lingyun, being extremely intelligent, immediately sensed the source of Li Minghu¡¯s frustration. She took over the command of the Zhenghai Team with a smile, and then began silently communicating, arranging the troops.

    The dispersed searching teams of Sorcerers, with their vanguard squad already walking into the ambush.

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s divine sense swept over, scanning the enemy¡¯s formation and hiding places of the Yin Ghosts with clarity.

    She held the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner in her hand, quietly releasing the five ghosts and the mother-and-child resentful spirits.

    Suddenly, like a thunderclap breaking the silence, the radiance of Huang Tingjian¡¯s sword burst forth violently, slashing through the tree canopy and startling all the surrounding Sorcerers.

    The moment the vanguard turned to look towards the sky, Chen Lingyun had already sent a mental command:

    ¡°Attack!¡±

    As her voice fell, three streaks of sword light were the first to dash out.

    Sword Immortals could stand still and strike the enemy with their Sword Control Technique, or they could use Sword Control to fly and slash, rampaging across the battlefield. The former conserved True Yuan, while the latter boasted mobility and destructive power.

    Lin Ning, Li Minghu, and Jiang Hong turned into streaks of sword light, flying wildly; meeting trees, they would split them, encountering people, they would sever them, capitalizing on the initiative to wreak havoc, and for a while, no one could match them.

    After a few seconds of chaos, the Sorcerers quickly got into combat mode.

    One of the Tattooed Charm Masters clasped his hands in incantation, the tattooed curse characters on his body lighting up as a golden figure of the Immovable Wisdom King, about five meters tall holding a giant demon-subduing whip, emerged from behind him and swept forward directly at Lin Ning¡¯s Green Bamboo sword light. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Just as Lin Ning was surrounded and fighting off three Curse Technique insects and struggled to break free as a Curse Technique Master desperately entangled her, seeing that she was about to be hit by the demon-subduing whip, a streak of azure light like a thrown ribbon scattered forth, landing on the Immovable Wisdom King, immediately immobilizing it and allowing Lin Ning to finally escape.

    Wang Haoran was manipulating the treasure, the Annals of Green History, managing to immobilize the Immovable Wisdom King¡¯s figure, secretly amazed at the feat.

    Deputy Captain Chen¡¯s command style is completely different from Deputy Captain Li¡¯s. Li Minghu, apart from the key tactical maneuvers, lets everyone judge for themselves and reviews the details afterwards to make improvements.

    On the other hand, Chen Lingyun does the opposite, with an extremely meticulous command style, having him and Su Yunjin stand by her side, directing them on where to attack, issuing orders very frequently.

    With the Qing Shi¡¯s Long Stratagem and the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art both capable of exerting strong control effects on the enemy, Chen Lingyun directed the two as firefighting team members, addressing issues wherever they arose, which proved unfailingly effective.

    The three Sword Immortals fought fiercely at the front, forcing the Sorcerers to hurriedly employ life-preserving techniques. The Onmyoji allowed the Yin Ghosts to possess and vanish, the Tattooed Charm Masters summoned various incarnations, the Curse Technique Masters cast the Pagoda Earth Curse, and the Curse Technique Masters clashed directly with the sword lights. In the blink of an eye, the battlefield became incredibly chaotic, with everyone fighting their own battles.

    That¡¯s how it is with lesser Transcendents; they have no concept of partnership. Once the pressure of the battlefield mounts, they show their true colors.

    Chen Lingyun sneered in her heart, commanding Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi to use the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin and Jade Pivot Thunder to take down the Onmyoji, who were likely to escape first.

    Six Onmyoji were killed in a matter of seconds, to the point where the others finally realized something was amiss ¨C the enemy was targeting our Onmyoji!

    Another Tattooed Charm Master pinched a spell between his fingers and tossed a bowl from his sleeve. It spun idly in the air for a moment before rapidly expanding to a radius of seven or eight meters and slammed down on the Sorcerers¡¯ heads.

    Li Minghu assassinated one, then quickly turned and swiftly retreated from the range of the magical artifact¡¯s cover. He twisted the sword light again to strike the bowl, only to produce a dull thud, like metal on metal.

    The bowl turned out to be some kind of defensive artifact, able to resist the Sword Immortals¡¯ Sword Control slash!

    Seeing the Sorcerers protected by the bowl beginning to recover their True Yuan and preparing their deadly moves, Li Minghu was about to attempt another breakthrough when he heard Chen Lingyun¡¯s psychic message:

    ¡°Retreat.¡±

    Without hesitation, she turned her sword light around and retreated with Lin Ning and Jiang Hong. Shortly after, Li Zhaojiang laughed heartily, his hands rubbing together as he cast the Magnet Divine Light, striking directly at the bowl in front.

    The bowl, though large, lost contact with its master after being hit by the Magnet Divine Light, spun a few more circles in the air, shrank, and flew towards Li Zhaojiang.

    The Sorcerers, naturally in a panic, scrambled back to retrieve their artifact, only to be targeted by Xie Ruoxi¡¯s Thunder Method. The two who rushed to the front were shattered to pieces.

    Desperate to turn back and flee, they were intercepted by Chen Lingyun¡¯s Five Ghosts and the Mother and Son Resentful Spirits blocking their path. The crowd hurriedly tried to strike down the Yin Ghosts, only to see a drizzle of ice descend from the sky, each raindrop instantly turning into a sharp ice needle!

    With Thunder Method blocking the way forward and Five Ghosts blocking the retreat, the remaining middle ground was right within Tao Xingyuan¡¯s spell bombardment radius, measured so precisely it seemed pre-calibrated.

    As the ice needles fell, two more were killed instantly, and more importantly, the enemy¡¯s morale was shattered; they were even too lazy to fight back and scattered left and right to escape.

    Lin Ning and the other two Sword Immortals quickly split up to pursue, killing the Sorcerers who lost courage and fled. Chen Lingyun leisurely waved the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, gathering all the masterless Yin Ghosts into the banner, and then said:

    ¡°Invisible, let¡¯s go.¡±

    The group urgently evacuated the scene to avoid enemy attention from the aftermath of the battle, leaving only dozens of corpses behind.

    But as for Yan Yu, he took off on his sword, instantly drawing all the attention from the surrounding area.

    He stimulated all his True Yuan, the sword light soaring through the clouds, and then cruised at that altitude while his Divine Sense swept the area below.

    He quickly located the Sorcerer Suo Wen.

    At this point in time, high-ranking Sorcerers were still arrogant, disliking cooperation with others to face enemies, while low-ranking Sorcerers preferred to stick together, so if there was anyone standing alone on the battlefield, it must undoubtedly be a high-ranking Sorcerer.

    In the future, as more were killed, these high-ranking Sorcerers would learn to stealthily blend in with others to avoid being targeted, but that time had not yet come ¨C Suo Wen merely looked up with disdain, staring at the Green Bamboo Sword light diving from the sky; his right hand spun his rosary, releasing a horde of resentful spirits.

    Not a single Yin Ghost, but thousands upon thousands.

 Chapter 285: 82: One Kite for 1000 People (Two-in-One)

    Chapter 285: Chapter 82: One Kite for 1000 People (Two-in-One)

    People upon people, they reach the ground and connect to the sky.

    From Yan Yu¡¯s perspective, the ground and sky were filled with enemies. A myriad of colored lights, dense and numerous, they didn¡¯t rush to attack but simply surrounded him from all sides.

    Then came the golden light Sorcerer, Suo Wen, who cast a secret technique to transmit his voice. Surprisingly, he spoke in the Lu Country¡¯s language:

    ¡°Longcheng Flying General! I respect you as a hero! Yet now you stoop to serve the orders of mere mortals, driven like cattle and horses! Doesn¡¯t that diminish your heroic spirit?¡±

    ¡°Why not join the Witch King under my command, and I¡¯ll appoint you as the Grand Marshal to conquer the northern borders! From then on, you can have the wind at your beck and call and the rain on demand, even taking seven or eight wives is no trouble at all, so why insist on bending the knee as a lapdog for those in power!¡±

    The other party¡¯s Lu Country tongue was not only heavily accented and tonally inverted, but every sentence was also delivered with an exclamation, as if they learned it by watching Lu Country¡¯s fantasy dramas.

    However, Yan Yu didn¡¯t hesitate for a moment, as the light from his Huang Tingjian sword soared into the sky once again, and he laughed:

    ¡°You think you¡¯re in a position to negotiate with me? Pass a Mandarin proficiency test first, then come talk to me!¡±

    Suo Wen, hearing such a rejection, didn¡¯t show any anger on his face but merely sneered and waved his hand.

    Thus, an overwhelming flood of Curse Techniques, Resentful Spirits, Magic Artifacts, and more burst forth like a breached dam towards the light of the Huang Tingjian sword!

    If it had been any other Cultivator, they probably wouldn¡¯t have lasted three rounds before being completely submerged by the barrage of spells. But Yan Yu, with his vast experience, spurred his sword light up into the heavens, instantly plunging into the sea of clouds and vanishing, causing the torrential onslaught of attacks to miss altogether.

    Suo Wen narrowed his eyes slightly, gripping the prayer beads in his hand firmly. The Yin Ghosts he had quietly released earlier swiftly surged towards the sea of clouds.

    He had once acquired these ¡°Divine Evil Prayer Beads¡± by chance. They imprisoned innumerable Resentful Spirits and evil ghosts, all capable of being unleashed to harm and kill others, making them extremely useful.

    Suo Wen, known as the Golden Light Sorcerer, was actually a Curse Technique Master and wasn¡¯t supposed to use Magic Artifacts related to Yin Ghosts. But who among the lay Transcendents would care about the Scholarly Faction¡¯s strict doctrines? He immediately treasured it as a precious find and refined it; ever since, he gained the ability to control Yin Ghosts, essentially practicing dual disciplines as a Yin Sorcerer.

    Now that the Longcheng Flying General had hidden above the sea of clouds and was nowhere to be found, he naturally couldn¡¯t use Curse Techniques to strike, and it was the perfect opportunity to employ the Yin Sorcerer¡¯s tactics to seek out his enemy.

    No sooner had the Yin Ghosts entered the sea of clouds than they saw the sky-piercing sword light, like a deep abyss or a towering monument, cutting through layers of cloud cover from above!

    This sword strike came too swiftly, brushing past countless Resentful Spirits and Yin Ghosts in an instant and directly targeting the Golden Light Sorcerer Suo Wen. Even the surrounding Sorcerers were caught off guard and couldn¡¯t react in time.

    Suo Wen threw out the Divine Evil Prayer Beads, which spun half a turn in the air, and suddenly met the oncoming light of the Huang Tingjian sword.

    These prayer beads were no ordinary object, with Mysterious Seal Script carved upon them, capable of locking down all magical and enchanted artifacts, rendering them void of spirit and unable to be activated.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t know what the prayer beads were, but having lived two lifetimes, he had already developed a set of effective methods for dealing with all kinds of strange and unknown magical artifacts.

    The sword light flew swiftly towards the prayer beads and, just before it was about to hit, abruptly veered downward, instantly avoiding the collision with the beads.

    But that slight deviation slowed the rhythm of his attack by half a beat, allowing the surrounding Sorcerers to finally react, swiftly launching various treacherous techniques, the brilliance almost blotting out the sky.

    Leading the charge were the Curse Technique Masters¡¯ ghastly incantations. Numerous little ghosts were laughing, cursing, and wildly clawing their way forward, attacking as swiftly as the wind. Their bodies were as light as a swallow¡¯s, and their speed was even faster than Yan Yu¡¯s Sword Control¡­ in truth, it was because Yan Yu¡¯s Fasting practice was not yet complete, which caused blockages in his meridians and True Yuan.

    Following the ghost incantations were the slightly slower insect incantations. Flying snakes, spiders, scorpions, toads, and centipedes, an orchestra of shrieking Poisonous Insects rustling and bustling in unison, ready to pounce on any Cultivator and instantly bite them to death, not leaving even a shred of bone behind.

    With an empty stomach, Yan Yu could not output True Yuan to his fullest potential for Sword Control. Seeing that the sword light was about to be caught up by the little ghosts, he suddenly shifted downwards in a steep angle, revealing his tactical intention to hide within the forest on the ground.

    The little ghosts were quick to react, quickly following the steep downward move, tenaciously chasing the tail of the sword light.

    Yan Yu suddenly changed direction again, the sword light sharply ascending upward, planning to shake off the pursuers trailing him on the vertical axis.

    The little ghosts almost crashed into the forest below, hastily readjusting their direction to chase after Yan Yu as he ascended diagonally¡­ but this change led to a problem!

    First moving diagonally downward and then upward amounted to taking a V-shaped trajectory, which was naturally slower than flying straight. The insect incantations, not as quick to respond as the ghost incantations, maintained a straight-line trajectory instead of adjusting to Yan Yu¡¯s changes in flight direction ¨C the result was that the slower-moving second wave of attacks struck the circuitous first wave of attacks!

    Curse Technique Masters can only choose one form among three: ghost, insect, or flying incantations. Those employing ghost incantations and insect incantations were not the same practitioners. Coupled with the volatile nature of the Poisonous Insects, which violently barged into the swarm of little ghosts from behind, there was no holding back as they viciously started biting and gnawing at each other.

    The little ghosts, unable to bear the pain, ignored the commands of the Curse Technique Masters and turned to fight the Poisonous Insects in a chaotic melee, with broken wings and dark blood splattering everywhere.

    On the Curse Technique Masters¡¯ side, as their incantations collectively malfunctioned, they could no longer focus on pursuing Yan Yu and had to quickly mobilize their divine thoughts to suppress the incantations¡¯ urge to kill and urgently recall them.

    The third wave of attacks, controlled by Yin Sorcerers, consisted of Resentful Spirits and Yin Ghosts. Because they flew even slower, they were not caught up in the mutual destruction of the ghost and insect incantations. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 286: 82: One Kite for 1000 People (Two-in-One)_2

    Chapter 286: Chapter 82: One Kite for 1000 People (Two-in-One)_2

    Under the manipulation of the necromancers, those resentful spirits circled over the battle scene and followed the light of Yan Yu¡¯s Huang Tingjian sword into the sea of clouds.

    After a while, the sword light pierced through the clouds again, resorting to the same tactic and striking at Suo Wen.

    Although Suo Wen did not spit blood when he saw this, he was extremely depressed in his heart.

    The Curse Technique Masters¡¯ curse techniques were extremely ferocious, and when their killing intent arose they wouldn¡¯t even recognize their own kin. Fooled by the strategy of the Longcheng Flying General, they were now slaughtering each other, and nearly half of them had already been wasted.

    As for the necromancers¡¯ Yin Ghosts, their flying speed was too slow, and they simply couldn¡¯t keep up with the light of the Huang Tingjian sword¡­ While the enemy was almost upon them, those Yin Ghosts were still emerging from the sea of clouds, desperately trying to hustle back.

    The best plan for the moment was to lure him close enough so that he wouldn¡¯t have time to dodge the curse techniques, and then to bomb him collectively with the Curse Technique Masters, using various curse techniques to directly pulverize him!

    Suo Wen calmly clasped his hands, allowing Yan Yu¡¯s sword light to strike close to him.

    700 meters¡­ 600 meters¡­ 500 meters! A little closer, and he would blast him!

    Just as the Huang Tingjian sword light was about to descend to a height where the Curse Technique could not be avoided, Suo Wen¡¯s hands hidden in his sleeves had already formed the light of the Golden Light Subjugation Curse, and suddenly he waved his sleeves, striking out hastily.

    Immediately after, he couldn¡¯t help but roar in rage.

    Damn it!

    But he saw the light of Yan Yu¡¯s sword suddenly shift sideways, performing a drift right at the gate of hell, narrowly and thrillingly evading all the curse techniques at a critical moment.

    Then the sword light shot downward fiercely, completely ignoring the empty-handed Suo Wen, and headed straight into the crowd of Curse Technique Masters.

    Close combat was always the best way to deal with ranged attackers. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The Curse Technique Masters who could follow Suo Wen were of course also battle-hardened from the Southern Border, and they immediately stopped the curse technique bombardment, scattered, retreated, and opened up the distance, allowing their Tattooed Charm Masters and necromancers to step in.

    Some of the Tattooed Charm Masters activated the tattoos and charms, manifesting various majestic law bodies behind them to protect the retreating Curse Technique Masters. The necromancers, on the other hand, tapped their yin plaques to propel zombies forward, trying to encircle and trap the light of the Huang Tingjian sword to death.

    Yan Yu killed four Curse Technique Masters in a row and then suddenly veered left, attempting to break out of the encirclement. Two law bodies stretched out fan-like giant hands to block him, but the sword light moved down, then up, and down again, performing an ultra-fast Z-shaped maneuver, slipping through the narrow gap between the two law bodies.

    The crowd hurriedly scrambled to adjust their formation, retreating when needed, and closing in to surround, but after all, they were a ragtag army and hadn¡¯t properly trained to deploy troops and arrange formations, so their adjustment speed couldn¡¯t keep up with Yan Yu¡¯s formation-breaking speed.

    Oftentimes, before the encirclement could be fully established, he would burst through the gap, then continue to kill several more, waiting for you to re-establish the encirclement, and then repeat the trick to slip away before it was completed.

    Golden Light Master Suo Wen was watching from above, feeling his blood pressure almost sky-rocketing.

    The situation was becoming ever more clear, that the Sword Flight of the Longcheng Flying General was too fast and too agile. Any attack strategy that couldn¡¯t keep up with his speed, whether it was meant to encircle or to lure the enemy, simply couldn¡¯t hit him.

    Those who could keep up with that speed?

    The Curse Technique Masters took quite some effort but finally managed to suppress the mutually killing cursed beings with their evil methods, and then urgently called them back to go and kill Yan Yu.

    Facing layers upon layers of various curse techniques, Yan Yu was not afraid at all but suddenly revved up his sword light¡­

    ¡­and ran away.

    Suo Wen finally spat blood. Fight and run, this Longcheng Flying General really had no sense of martial honor!

    The Curse Technique Masters wanted to again drive the Cursed Techniques to chase and kill but were immediately stopped by Suo Wen:

    ¡°Everyone¡¯s been chased! Do you want to repeat the same process again?¡±

    Recalling the scene of the cursed beings slaughtering each other, the frantically enraged Curse Technique Masters finally calmed down.

    The nature of the cursed beings was ferocious, and their ability to automatically seek enemies were supposed to be advantages, but somehow the Longcheng Flying General had played some trick, turning these around to be used against them, resulting in severe drawbacks¡­

    Now, to think of a way to break this situation, we must prevent the Curse Technique from automatically seeking enemies, lest we be led into attacking each other by the enemy. However, if the Curse Technique Master has to direct every Curse Technique, then it cannot fly too far and it would be impossible to catch up with the Longcheng Flying General.

    Suo Wen had already made sense of this conundrum. Although he still could not accept the fact that a thousand of his men were being toyed with by one person on the other side, there was a saying in Lu Country that fit well, ¡°Observation and detail are the precursors to capturing a skilled adversary.¡±

    The current task at hand was that if the entire army were to chase after the Longcheng Flying General, they would be played and delayed by him, falling right into his trap.

    ¡°I, Master of Light Suo Wen, how could I fall for such a low trick?¡±

    ¡°Forget about the Longcheng Flying General!¡± Suo Wen quickly ordered, ¡°Continue to blockade high altitudes and spread a net in the woods for a search! Find all the other Cultivators! I refuse to believe that all the Cultivators from Lu Country can achieve the level of the Longcheng Flying General!¡±

    The Sorcerers were also greatly invigorated. After all, the most enjoyable thing in life is to pick on the weak, and the most painful thing is to have no choice but to collide an egg against a rock, regardless of the nationality.

    Find the other Cultivators from Lu Country!

    In Pingjing Prefecture, Lu Country¡¯s Privy Council.

    Satellite surveillance had already divided into two areas, with the main screen monitoring the war situation in the Southern Border within the territory, and the auxiliary screen tracking the performance of the Champion Marquis squad outside the border.

    The situation in the Southern Border was relatively stable. Beyond the border, permanent herbicides had been deployed, clearing large areas of open isolation zones. Any Sorcerer that appeared was immediately subjected to remote firepower projection.

    The effect could be described as significant but also useless. Significant in that it indeed eliminated enemies, but futile because there were still sporadic Sorcerers entering the Southern Border¡­ with no idea how they managed to infiltrate, presumably through some unknown methods like invisibility.

    Fortunately, the defensive teams within the territory were efficient, able to fly over promptly with Sword Control and eliminate the enemies. So far, there have only been injuries among the populace, with houses and properties damaged, all caught in the aftermath of attacks.

    A more severe issue was the high vegetation coverage in the Southern Border and the massive swarms of miasma that obscured visibility, which meant that the main force of the Witch King had not yet been located.

    Whether the enemy would infiltrate in scattered units or concentrate their forces to break through with protective amulets, was still entirely unknown.

    An extreme solution was proposed by the military advisors: to douse the entire Southern Border with permanent herbicide and remove all the vegetation. After high-level discussions, this was still vetoed because the Southern Border has an area of 4.57 million square kilometers. First, how much herbicide would be needed, and how many airplanes and drones would be required to complete this operation?

    The level of technology in Lu Country of this world was not yet at a point where they could reshape a planetary surface on a large scale, except by using nuclear weapons.

    Let us turn our attention back to the Champion Marquis squad. If they could decapitate the Witch King, then the entire Allied Forces would naturally crumble.

    Of course, Lu Country was not the only one closely monitoring the situation in the Southern Border.

    At the Grand Onmyoji Institute, the bigwigs were also using disguised weather satellites to watch the battles unfolding on the surface of the Southern Border.

    Previously, in the secret battle at Black Dragon Isle, Yan Zhanlong accomplished the feat of fighting one against two hundred. Afterward, the Institute conducted a tactical review and believed that Shenyuan Guang had underestimated Yan Zhanlong¡¯s strength, leading his men to focus on continuing to slay enemy generals and capturing flags.

    If he had mobilized personnel in time to surround and pursue Yan Zhanlong, the defeat would not have been so disastrous.

    Now, Yan Yu was single-handedly kiting a thousand men, and his sword light was still as if entering a realm without adversaries, causing the bigwigs to feel a sense of disarray as if their knowledge was being refreshed once again.

    Damn it! Yan Zhanlong, what kind of Pok¨¦mon are you, to evolve into a Longcheng Flying General?

    Experience proved that even if a large number of people were mobilized to hunt him down, if the average skill level could not catch up with the Longcheng Flying General, no matter how many there were, it would be in vain.

    To gather a large group of high-level Onmyoji capable of combating the Longcheng Flying General was also unrealistic. Upon careful consideration, one would still need to resort to risky tactics, finding some kind of specialized means to restrict him.

    Such as barriers, such as seals.

    The Grand Onmyoji Institute regarded Yan Yu as the ultimate enemy, but the Superhero Alliance did not share this life-and-death opposition.

    They were currently discussing internally whether or not to negotiate with Lu Country¡¯s Privy Council and sign a cooperation agreement regarding the division of the Pacific Ocean.

    Using the time zones as boundaries, the entire west side of the Pacific belongs to you, just don¡¯t come to the east side!

 Chapter 287: 83: Longcheng Flying General, Thats All There Is To It!

    Chapter 287: Chapter 83: Longcheng Flying General, That¡¯s All There Is To It!

    After wiping out another entire Witchcraft Squad, Li Zhaojiang¡¯s mind began carrying out high-level mathematical calculations.

    Assuming each squad has 20 people, ten squads make up 200 people, and fifty squads make up 1,000 people.

    The other side should have brought around a thousand people, with about half landing to search for tracks, so that¡¯s roughly 25-30 squads.

    Basing on 30 squads, we¡¯ve already killed 6 squads, so¡­

    ¡°We¡¯re still killing too slowly,¡± Li Minghu suddenly said. ¡°The enemy isn¡¯t deaf or blind. When one-fifth of their teams lose contact, they will quickly realize we are conducting a counter-annihilation operation.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve already realized it,¡± Chen Lingyun confirmed the situation ahead with the Yin Ghost, smiling as she spoke, ¡°They¡¯re just pretending not to know, while secretly setting up a trap for us to fall into.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t fall into a trap,¡± Li Minghu frowned as he spoke.

    ¡°Do you have any good ideas?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with an expectant smile.

    ¡°Do you have a plan?¡± instead of answering, Li Minghu countered with a question.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we both write it on our phones?¡± Chen Lingyun suggested, ¡°We can compare notes and choose the best course of action.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    The other team members crowded around, watching as the two deputy team leaders typed out their messages and displayed their screens.

    Li Minghu wrote, ¡°Divide and conquer.¡±

    Chen Lingyun wrote, ¡°Break the whole into parts.¡±

    The two exchanged a glance, nodding to each other as though they had reached a silent understanding¡­ only to hear Li Zhaojiang unable to help asking:

    ¡°Wait, so what exactly did you two communicate?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll explain later,¡± Li Minghu turned his head to give the order, ¡°Qing¡¯an¡¯s combat team, follow me!¡±

    Zhenghai and Qing¡¯an¡¯s teams quickly split in two and started moving separately.

    Yan Yu¡¯s sword light traveled swiftly in the air, as the sorcerers around him kept shooting attacks his way but refused to personally pursue him.

    As long as he stayed out of the attack range, the enemy continued to patrol on their original route¡­ as if they were merely shooing away an annoying fly.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­.

    No, it was a bit funny.

    Of course, he could understand the reason behind the enemy¡¯s decision, which was nothing more than feeling that the Longcheng Flying General was too cunning and slippery, and that deploying men to chase him would be a waste of time. Instead, they preferred to focus their manpower on hunting down his teammates¡ªthat is, to pick off the low-hanging fruit first.

    And furthermore, if they truly managed to capture one or two individuals, they might even use them as hostages to force him to surrender without a fight¡­

    Indeed, it was a beautiful thought.

    On the matter of ¡°temporarily ignoring Yan Yu,¡± Shenyuan Guang, who was just disembarking from the ferry at Sanzu River, would probably find common ground with Suo Wen.

    Yan Yu quietly urged on the sword light, aiming straight for the golden light sorcerer, Suo Wen.

    Then I shall go and take off his head!

    Suo Wen watched Yan Yu approach with a cold eye, unafraid, simply sneering.

    This title of Longcheng Flying General was indeed fitting¡ªnothing but flying back and forth from start to finish. If you send men to kill him, he will lead them around like walking dogs, making them run all over the place.

    But if you don¡¯t fall for the trick at all, don¡¯t get fooled, then he can only come and confront you directly.

    It¡¯s just the right time!

    Suo Wen was very confident in his ability to defeat the Longcheng Flying General. After all, he had started from a folk sorcerer and fought his way up the ranks, almost invincible in the Southern Border, and even the current Witch King had spoken highly of his strength.

    Without the confidence of a strong person, how could he have possibly become a great lord in this Southern Border?

    Suo Wen first threw out the Divine Evil Prayer Beads, blocking the offensive momentum of the Huang Ting Sword Light, and then swiftly formed a spell with his hands.

    The prayer beads spun around in mid-air and rapidly released a large number of Yin Ghosts and Resentful Spirits, snarling and pouncing towards the sword light.

    Yin Ghosts were mostly immune to physical damage, and the Flying Swords of the Qi Refinement stage couldn¡¯t deal with them. Therefore, Yan Yu had no intention of getting entangled with them¡ªhe simply dodged downwards to avoid the ghost onslaught and then surged upwards to attack Suo Wen once again.

    Suo Wen had been waiting for this move, scattering a mass of brilliant gold light from his sleeves, which spread like clouds and mist, pouring down right onto Yan Yu¡¯s head.

    This radiant golden light seemed sacred, but inside it was incredibly domineering. Whether it shone on Flying Swords or on magical artifacts, it could directly erase their spirit, turning them into scrap; if it shone on a Transcendent, the person would immediately become dazed and senseless, turning into an idiotic waste, respond to commands like a dog or a pig, with not a shred of self-awareness to speak of.

    The trouble was that its range was enormously vast, almost covering the entire 150-degree fan-shaped area directly ahead; there was absolutely no way to evade it using short-distance movements.

    Yan Yu quickly moved his sword light away, dodging that vast expanse of golden light, and with a wide arc, skirted around the attacking Yin Ghosts. To the surrounding Sorcerers, it looked as if Suo Wen casually launched a curse, achieving the effect previously requiring thousands of troops¡ªforcing the Longcheng Flying General to retreat, not daring to approach. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Excellent, excellent! Truly worthy of our beloved leader!

    Thinking this, everyone¡¯s spirits were invigorated as they began hurling various attacks at Yan Yu, trying to pin down the slippery, erratically-flying Longcheng Flying General.

    Yan Yu¡¯s sword light soared once more, avoiding the tide-like barrage of attacks. Just as the Sorcerers were about to continue the pursuit, Suo Wen quickly reminded them:

    ¡°Don¡¯t act rashly! If everyone chases him, we¡¯ll fall for his cunning plan! Everyone should maintain the original aerial patrol routes. Don¡¯t let any other Rikoku Cultivators have a chance to escape. If you see the Longcheng Flying General enter your attack range, just hit him in passing.¡±

    The Witchcraft Squad quickly received the order and fixed the collective Ghost Walking Technique¡¯s route, ensuring all the Sorcerers continued their patrol.

    Although everyone was monitoring the surroundings, their attention was invariably drawn upwards¡ªseeing the Huang Ting Sword Light circling around the Yin Ghost army, repeatedly launching attacks at Suo Wen, only to be forcefully repelled by a deluge of golden light the next second. Unable to penetrate, he could only roam the periphery, in an evident dilemma of being tied up with no solution.

    Initially, everyone had been led around by the Longcheng Flying General like walking a dog. Now, with the Longcheng Flying General helpless against Suo Wen, the Sorcerers found it very satisfying. They continued to laugh and hurl long-distance attacks at Yan Yu, forcing him to expend more energy dodging, while they casually chatted and laughed among themselves:

    ¡°What Longcheng Flying General? He¡¯s nothing special!¡±

    ¡°Longcheng Flying General? More like Dog City Crawling General.¡±

    ¡°How much True Yuan does he have left? Wait for him to tire out and get killed, then I will refine his corpse into a slave.¡±

    ¡°No good, no good, better chop off his head instead. My home could use a new chamber pot.¡±

    Seeing his subordinates chatting and joking, Suo Wen suddenly had a hunch that something wasn¡¯t right, but since everyone was still on their patrol routes and any hidden Rikoku Cultivator flying out from the tree sea would not likely go unnoticed even if they were distracted, he continued to focus his attention, dealing with the attacks from the Huang Ting Sword Light.

    But the more he defended, the more something felt off.

    The Longcheng Flying General wasn¡¯t a fool. If he couldn¡¯t break through here, wouldn¡¯t he think of other methods?

    Why would he insist on clashing with me here? Can his True Yuan endure? If my spiritual power was insufficient, I could calmly retreat to my subordinates, rest and recover. What would he do?

    Logically, if he chose to keep clashing, there must be a necessity¡­ definitely not to wage a war of attrition with me.

    Could it be a feint, a trick to lure me into lowering my guard and then allow his Cultivator companions to launch a surprise attack?

    It¡¯s not very likely¡­ Right, how is the search down below going?

    As Suo Wen continued to maintain a defensive posture, he summoned a Yin Ghost with the Divine Evil Prayer Beads and instructed:

    ¡°Go find Deqin and tell him to descend to the bottom of the trees to check how many Rikoku Cultivators have been captured.¡±

    The Yin Ghost quickly flew to find the deputy and relay the message. Deputy Deqin obeyed and descended through the tree sea to locate the search party below.

    He flew around below for quite a while, but only saw rustling leaves and swaying branches, without a single person in sight. Besides the wind close by, birdsong in the distance, and the rustling sounds of spells flying overhead, he couldn¡¯t hear a thing.

    There were also no shouts of Sorcerers communicating with one another.

    Deqin fell silent for a moment, then released several Resentful Spirits in all directions to search for any traces of the Sorcerers, and took out his cell phone, intending to make a call.

    Could it be that they have chased far away?

    Just as Deqin was pondering the mystery, his field of vision suddenly filled with sword light!

 Chapter 288: 84 The Treacherous Lu Kingdom Sword Immortal

    Chapter 288: Chapter 84 The Treacherous Lu Kingdom Sword Immortal

    Deputy Commander Deqin, serving as the assistant to the Golden Light Sorcerer Suo Wen, of course had formidable combat abilities.

    In fact, within the hierarchy of sorcerers, being an assistant was a dangerous affair. After all, many assistants harbored thoughts of usurping their superiors, who in turn never took them lightly; seizing any opportunity to utterly destroy the assistant, replacing them with someone weaker and less of a threat¡ªit was a position not just any ordinary sorcerer could hold.

    The moment his gaze caught the flash of sword light, Deqin struck the Yin token and summoned the Yin ghost he kept with him.

    The Hungry Ghost!

    Unlike the Hungry Ghosts of Lu Kingdom, those from the Southern Border were extremely tall and long, immensely strong, and forever in a state of furious hunger, making them the best choice for frontline meat shields.

    The instant the Hungry Ghost landed, it happened to block the three sword lights charging forward, robustly shielding Deqin behind it.

    Hiding behind the Hungry Ghost, Deqin did not hesitate to tap the Yin token with bent fingers, releasing two more Resentful Spirits to swiftly fly and alert Suo Wen.

    Just as the two semi-transparent Resentful Spirits materialized, they were seemingly attracted by something and pulled by an invisible force towards the distance¡ªChen Lingyun emerged from behind a tree, holding the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, and sucked the two spirits into the banner from afar.

    Seeing this, Deqin felt struck by lightning, finally realizing why the surroundings had fallen eerily silent: The sorcerers who were scouring the ground had been ambushed and wiped out by the Rikoku Cultivators!

    No matter how confident he was in his own abilities, he wasn¡¯t delusional enough to think he could take on ten at once. He quickly urged the Hungry Ghost to lash out in frenzy, hoping to create a large dust cloud and noise to draw the attention of his comrades above.

    Just as the Hungry Ghost was about to pound the ground, it suddenly became immobile; Wang Haoran¡¯s Historical Chronicle emitted a green light that ensnared the creature in place.

    ¡°Quick!¡± Wang Haoran transmitted anxiously, ¡°I can¡¯t hold on much longer!¡±

    The duration for which the Historical Chronicle could immobilize an enemy depended on the enemy¡¯s strength and level. The moment the green light restricted the large and powerful body of the Hungry Ghost, Wang Haoran felt the True Yuan within him draining away like water, urging his team to act quickly.

    But just holding it for a moment was enough¡­ Su Yunjin focused on the space behind the Hungry Ghost, silently calculating the distance and executed the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art.

    Waters of the Heavenly River surged forth over a vast area. The immense Hungry Ghost remained unmoved, but Deqin was caught off guard and swept away by the torrent.

    This Yin sorcerer tried to resist desperately but was caught at a disadvantage by Zhao Yuanzhen, who pierced his forehead with the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, felling him instantly on the spot.

    The Hungry Ghost, free from the immobilization of the Historical Chronicle, was frenetically sliced by the controlled swords of Lin Ning and Jiang Hong, quickly torn and broken. It opened its mouth to roar angrily but was struck by Li Minghu¡¯s sword light that entered its mouth and pierced through the back of its head, causing the body to fall lifelessly to the ground.

    Seeing that the Hungry Ghost too had fallen, the group finally breathed a sigh of relief.

    Previously, their strategy of ¡°divide and conquer¡± and ¡°reducing the whole to parts¡± involved team members revealing themselves to lure the enemy and then intentionally scattering during their retreat, leading the enemy to divide their troops in pursuit, followed by concentrated ambush attacks¡ªafter the opponent had split their forces multiple times, their numbers advantage significantly diminished, allowing the team to completely annihilate them in just one or two rounds of surprise attacks, which was much faster than the previous ¡°ten people against twenty¡± slaughter rate.

    These civilian sorcerers were undisciplined, lacking formal academy education and specialized tactical training, relying solely on their numbers. Once their numerical superiority was also compromised, they were easily overrun by the individually stronger Rikoku Cultivators.

    However, the sorcerer who appeared just now was able to react in the moment of ambush, unexpectedly using the Hungry Ghost as a shield, which also surprised everyone¡­ fortunately, it ended without mishap.

    ¡°It should be all of them.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, turning to look at the team, ¡°A break?¡±

    Li Minghu was already struggling to hold on, consuming Elixir Medicine to recover True Yuan and energy, and the rest appeared utterly exhausted. No blade, even one of the finest steel, could avoid becoming blunted by endless killing, and the tense spirits of the cultivators were not made of iron either.

    ¡°No need to rest.¡± Li Minghu, who was in the worst condition among the team yet took the most aggressive tactical approach, ¡°Yan Team is still engaged in a fierce battle above us, let¡¯s continue our action quickly.¡±

    ¡°That works.¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely.

    The team had a clear overall strategy: to induce the enemy to divide their forces, thereby reducing the numerical gap. Now that the ground sorcerers had been secretly annihilated, and with roughly 300-400 sorcerers remaining in the sky, their attention nearly all diverted by Yan Yu, it was the perfect time to launch a surprise attack.

    Of course, a sneak attack doesn¡¯t mean charging in blindly¡ªotherwise, what would differentiate us from those amateur sorcerers?

    Chen Lingyun led her team to a group of witchcraft squad members at the edge of the battlefield and asked:

    ¡°Is Ningning ready?¡±

    ¡°Bring it on,¡± Lin Ning said seriously.

    These sorcerers were patrolling the sky back and forth, watching Yan Yu and Suo Wen tug of war in the distance, when suddenly, cries of alarm rose from below. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Looking down, they saw a streak of blue sword light frantically flying through the treetops, with five other sorcerers in hot pursuit, shouting and cursing continuously.

    One of them suddenly looked up and called out to them:

    ¡°Stop slacking over there! Come help!¡±

    The person spoke the local language perfectly, and with an appearance and dress indistinguishable from that of typical sorcerers, the others had no reason to suspect anything and responded jokingly:

    ¡°Coming, coming!¡±

    The blue sword light once again dived into the jungle, followed by the five pursuers descending, then the witchcraft squad that had been patrolling above, with over ten people following the leading group all plunging into the forest, disappearing from sight.

    Silently meeting their end.

    Looking at the bodies scattered in disarray, the Rikoku Cultivators also began to lament.

    The previous act of pretend pursuit of Lin Ning was performed by five ghosts from within Chen Lingyun¡¯s banner. These five ghosts were adept at various forms of transformation, usually appearing as large dogs, but their ability to mimic the people of the Southern Border was equally lifelike.

    However, what was truly foolproof was that they were able to communicate with the enemy¡ªa feat ghosts from Rikoku couldn¡¯t achieve. It was all thanks to Chen Lingyun¡¯s personal teaching, which allowed the five ghosts to repeat the phrases exactly.

    The fact that Deputy Leader Chen could speak the Southern Border language, and more than one dialect at that¡­ who would have thought? It only goes to show that Zhenhai Team is indeed full of hidden talents.

    With these five ghosts who could speak the Southern Border language and take on its peoples¡¯ appearance, the sorcerers in the sky really had no clue, and were successively lured into the woods to land, and then ambushed and killed.

    The remaining sorcerers were all preoccupied with watching the battle between Yan Yu and Suo Wen and didn¡¯t pay much attention to their comrades at the edge of the battlefield slowly disappearing.

    When the total number of people was reduced below two hundred, it was Suo Wen who first sensed that something was amiss: Why does it seem like there are fewer people around?

    Something¡¯s wrong!

    Just as he was about to call the distant comrades to gather, Yan Yu¡¯s offensive suddenly intensified, and his speed increased by more than a notch.

    With the pressure mounting rapidly, Suo Wen had no choice but to continue deploying his golden light Taoism Method, creating an impenetrable shield in front of him, preventing Huang Tingjian from approaching.

    Finding no way through from the front, Yan Yu quickly shifted directions, launching high-speed attacks from the side and back, moving like lightning, sweeping through like the wind, forcing Suo Wen to exhaust himself in defense, without even a chance to send out a Yin Ghost to relay a message!

    At this point, Suo Wen finally realized belatedly: The adversary had actually been going easy from the start!

    Being of amateur background, the sorcerers lacked experience in combating Lu Kingdom Sword Immortals. Therefore, the enemy cunningly held back on purpose, leading him to mistakenly believe they were evenly matched.

    Now that the enemy had gone full force, the situation quickly went downhill, forcing him to focus on desperate self-defense with no time to give orders. Meanwhile, his subordinates in the distance, having grown complacent, continued to watch the spectacle, thinking victory was in their grasp, completely unaware that disaster was about to strike!

 Chapter 289: 85: Suo Wen Takes the Lead, Alarming the Privy Council

    Chapter 289: Chapter 85: Suo Wen Takes the Lead, Alarming the Privy Council

    Yan Yu briefly inspected his Dantian and realized that not much True Yuan remained. He sighed inwardly.

    In my previous life, I relied on others¡¯ True Yuan and repeatedly faced the peril of running out; now that I¡¯ve cultivated my own, to still experience exhaustion of True Yuan is truly speechless. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    No choice, being habituated to turning the tides is just like this, not encountering numerous enemies and dangerous situations is no fun.

    Yan Yu continued to muster his spirits, urging the Huang Tingjian to repeatedly launch assaults against Suo Wen.

    Now no longer conserving his True Yuan, his speed and force were both enhanced from before. Suo Wen was being pressed so hard he was sweating profusely; unable to keep up with his Golden Light Taoism Method, he had to frequently throw out the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Divine Evil Prayer Beads to block the flashes of the sword.

    The distant sorcerers hadn¡¯t noticed yet, watching Suo Wen fend off faster and faster and thought to themselves, could it be their leader was about to use his killer move? To behead the Longcheng Flying General on the spot?

    But soon, some of them realized something was off. It was the Longcheng Flying General who was speeding up the pace, Suo Wen was being forced to quicken his rhythm on the defensive and ultimately, was falling behind.

    Should they go and support him?

    So the question arose. If everyone went to help, Longcheng Flying General would turn and flee, and they¡¯d be back to the previous scenario: hundreds of people chasing after the enemy¡¯s tail, being led around like walking a dog. Furthermore, the Rikoku Cultivators hiding in the forest below might also take the opportunity to escape.

    But if they did not rescue, what if Suo Wen couldn¡¯t hold out?

    The disadvantage of the uncultured civilian routes was exposed again. Once there was a difference in opinions, unless there was a powerful individual who could override everyone¡¯s voice, forget about them arriving at a consensus spontaneously.

    Very quickly, the different Witchcraft Squads started to disintegrate. Those inclined to rescue Suo Wen promptly broke away and rushed over to his side; those who felt it was unnecessary stayed where they were to observe, and yet others continued to patrol the original route¡­ causing the scene to become chaotic at once.

    The opportunity had arrived!

    Hiding in the shadows, Chen Lingyun gave the command, and everyone urged their sword lights forward, killing out of the forest and charging towards the sorcerers above.

    The Rikoku Cultivators, who had been lurking in the dark all along, suddenly appeared and did not choose to flee; instead, they charged at them, causing even more panic amongst the sorcerers.

    The brave and daring did not hesitate to meet the charge head-on; the timid and cowardly quickly retreated to find teammates to regroup; the tactically minded swiftly went to inform their respective small leaders since numerical superiority also needed to be exercised through team command¡­ But where were the small leaders? They had run off to save their leader Suo Wen! What to do now?

    And so, several others tried to take the place of the small leaders to command the team, and there were quite a few of them. Some said, ¡°Form a rank first, Tattooed Charm Masters to the front,¡± others said, ¡°Yin Sorcerers activate the Ghost Walking Technique and start maneuvering,¡± while others without any strategic mindset just bellowed, ¡°Charge! Kill!¡±, with commands utterly conflicting with one another, leaving no one knowing whose orders to follow, so they simply did their own thing.

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s side, however, was an example of efficient command. Su Yunjin and Tao Xingyuan wielded large-scale Taoism Methods to scatter the enemies who were grouping together; Lin Ning and Li Minghu controlled their swords to strike everywhere, further fragmenting an already fragmented formation.

    Jiang Hong and Li Zhaojiang were responsible for intercepting attacks; the Magnetic Divine Light could attract most magic treasures related to metal, while scattered attacks were intercepted by Jiang Hong¡¯s Sword Control. If they were Resentful Spirits or Yin Ghosts, Chen Lingyun would simply wave the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, and the Heart Capturing Technique would immediately draw the opposition into the banner.

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Wang Haoran were on standby the whole time, following Chen Lingyun¡¯s commands to behead the enemy. Whenever someone from the opposition stuck their head out and started to integrate the surrounding sorcerers, they would quickly immobilize them with the story of history, and then the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin would strike their vital points¡ªthis method was tried and true, without fail.

    If the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin didn¡¯t finish them off, then Xie Ruoxi would come over, and one blast of Thunder Method would pulverize everything¡ªno matter whether it was a magic treasure or Flying Sword for protection, all would be shattered.

    Although the sorcerers outnumbered them by more than seven or eight times, they were routed by the Rikoku Cultivator squad, and soon people began to flee, rushing towards the forest below.

    The situation was increasingly favorable for Chen Lingyun¡¯s side, but for Yan Yu, it was becoming ever more perilous. The sorcerers who had come to support Suo Wen had already begun their assault on him.

    Dodging these attacks was not difficult, since most were straight-forward Curse Techniques and the like, but with a few Yin Sorcerers shielding him, Suo Wen took the opportunity to attempt an escape with the Ghost Walking Technique; this was unacceptable.

    To knock on the mountain to alarm the tiger, and to alert the Witch King, the Golden Light Sorcerer Suo Wen had to die there!

    Yan Yu swiftily dodged the barrages of attacks and continued the pursuit of Suo Wen, then suddenly glanced towards the distant Chen Lingyun.

    Chen Lingyun also looked over at the same time.

    There was no eye contact or secret communication, but the tacit understanding built over two lifetimes was enough to leave everything unsaid.

    Chen Lingyun quietly waved the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, directing the Heart Capturing Technique at the fleeing Suo Wen, instantly sucking away the flight-enabling Yin Ghosts from him.

    Suo Wen suddenly plunged towards the forest below, his guard squad promptly attempted to save him, and they managed to catch him before he hit the ground.

    Yan Yu¡¯s sword light entered the thick of the forest, scanning the thickness of the foliage with his Divine Sense as he passed through.

    Good, it would definitely block satellite surveillance.

    As the sword light reached the bottom of the forest, in an instant, Sword-Human Unity was achieved, and the sword light surged!

    The sudden burst of majestic sword light swept over three sorcerers, cleanly bisecting them in one stroke.

    Leading the escape, Suo Wen turned his head and saw Yan Yu¡¯s Sword-Human Unity move, and he nearly spewed blood:

    So you¡¯ve been holding back all along, haven¡¯t you! Treacherous Lu Kingdom Sword Immortal!

    This feeling was indescribable. To give an analogy, it was like you believed your opponent had played all his cards, then they slap down another card. That should be the last card, right? And then slap, another one¡­

    He flung the Golden Light Taoism Method backward, and Yan Yu merely sidestepped in an instant, dodging the method before charging forward, killing two more sorcerers without any obstruction or delay, his rhythm undisturbed.

    The movement speed of Sword-Human Unity was far faster than that of Sword Control slashing.

    Suo Wen quickly realized that if he kept running like this, he would eventually be killed one by one by the opponent¡¯s sword light, so he quickly ordered everyone to stop, turn around, and fight a decisive battle with the Longcheng Flying General!

    This was exactly what Yan Yu intended: his remaining True Yuan could no longer support extended Sword-Human Unity.

    However, the essence of war is mutual deception. The less endurance you have, the more you must appear to be at ease, the more you must make the opponent think you are rich in True Yuan.

    Now that Suo Wen had fallen for the trick by ordering his troops to stop and turn back for a desperate fight, decapitating them became much easier.

    Yan Yu flicked his sleeve and shook out a Silver Pellet, which quickly transformed into a slender-legged beauty with bright eyes and a gleaming smile, her expressions vividly lifelike.

    Suo Wen¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief and he couldn¡¯t help but ask:

    ¡°You¡­ how many more tricks do you have up your sleeve?¡±

    ¡°Haha!¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°I have far too many cards in my hand!¡±

    He and the puppet Ah Zhen stood side by side, activating the Shifting Technique simultaneously.

    Charge!

    The Curse Technique Master spurred the Curse Technique, aiming at him, but puppet Ah Zhen rushed forward, her arm blades gleaming coldly, exerting tremendous force from her heart, swiftly severing them all with a swish.

    A Tattooed Charm Master charged from the side, summoning a Vajra Body several meters tall, swinging down his demon-subduing staff fiercely.

    Puppet Ah Zhen instantly sidestepped horizontally to dodge urgently, relying solely on her physical endurance without the Cloud Ascension Technique, dragging two long grooves with her feet on the ground.

    Yan Yu united with his sword in the blink of an eye as well, soaring out of the range of the demon-subduing staff¡¯s strike, driving his sword light into the Tattooed Charm Master¡¯s throat, his head falling to the ground.

    Suo Wen once again raised the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Divine Evil Prayer Beads to strike at Yan Yu but was intercepted halfway by puppet Ah Zhen!

    The Divine Evil Prayer Beads locked onto Ah Zhen¡¯s arms, fiercely permeating them with the Yin Demon Qi.

    If it were any ordinary puppet treasure, just the slightest touch of Yin Demon Qi would immediately damage its essence, losing all spirituality.

    But Ah Zhen¡¯s body contained the Divine Dragon Wood, which deterred all evil, and she did not suffer from the erosion at all. Instead, she firmly held on to the Divine Evil Prayer Beads, rendering them immobile, unable to advance or retreat, futilely rattling and shaking violently as if in a death struggle.

    Suo Wen never expected that after unleashing this treasure, it would be ¡°confiscated¡± by the opponent. Without time to consider a counterstrategy, he could only display the Golden Light Taoism Method again to force Yan Yu back.

    Yan Yu, in Sword-Human Unity, suddenly rose, narrowly grazing the upper boundary of the Golden Light¡¯s attack range, then swiftly descended at full speed with a diagonal piercing strike, a quick and precise thrust like a rainbow penetrating the sun, viciously piercing through Suo Wen¡¯s chest!

    Separating from the sword, he landed steadily. Puppet Ah Zhen stepped quickly, throwing down the out-of-control Nine Heavens Yin Demon Divine Evil Prayer Beads on the ground, and then dashed off to chase down the remaining scattered sorcerers, with screams occasionally echoing from the depths of the woods.

    Yan Yu quietly took out his phone and snapped a photo of the dead Golden Light Sorcerer Suo Wen¡¯s body, sending it back to the command post at the rear.

    The enemy general has fallen!

    To be honest, taking Suo Wen¡¯s head amid thousands of troops wasn¡¯t difficult, but if he had started with that approach, the remaining sorcerers would have scattered like birds and beasts, and it would have been good to kill even ten percent of them.

    Suo Wen had to die, and so did his sorcerers ¨C all must die!

    Only with substantial deaths could the Witch King be deterred, could he be persuaded to halt his northern campaign and instead turn to quelling internal strife. That was Yan Yu¡¯s strategic goal for this mission!

    Now the goal had been achieved¡ªat the cost of his True Yuan nearly being depleted.

    Well, before the news reaches the Witch King, I can finally have a good rest.

    Yan Yu stayed by Suo Wen¡¯s body until Lin Ning and the others landed.

    On the other side, the news once it reached the Privy Council, stirred up waves like a stone causing ripples, creating a massive shock and outcry.

    The Golden Light Sorcerer Suo Wen might be unfamiliar to the combat team¡¯s cultivators, but in the intelligence agency, his name was notorious. This man was one of the Witch King Long Po Ming¡¯s chief lieutenants, playing a significant role in the Witch King¡¯s ascension, and was the largest supporter of the ¡°pro-invasion faction¡± within the Witch King Allied Forces.

    Among the numerous sorcerer lords second only to the Witch King, only Suo Wen was an unwavering supporter of the Witch King. United with the Witch King, he could suppress the other great lords from daring to rebel.

    With Suo Wen¡¯s death, the Witch King¡¯s foundation of rule is unstable. It¡¯s an excellent opportunity to contact other sorcerer lords and incite them to rebel.

    And the first on the intelligence agency¡¯s list is another of the Witch King Long Po Ming¡¯s lieutenants¡ªAjarn Meng.

 Chapter 290: 86 Entering the Marrow Cleansing Stage

    Chapter 290: Chapter 86 Entering the Marrow Cleansing Stage

    Yan Yu had beheaded Suo Wen, and the news first reached the Privy Council of Lu Country, then was broadcast internationally at a press conference before finally arriving at the Southern Border.

    It¡¯s said that the Witch King, upon receiving the news, was in the middle of throwing a tantrum at a meeting: because a group of people, presumably finding Lu Country hard to deal with, had deserted halfway to attack Tianzhu to the west.

    The Witch King was furious about this, saying, ¡°I¡¯m not saying no one should attack the west, but right now we should all be uniting and pressing north together. What does it mean to change course at this time? Isn¡¯t that a slap in my face?¡±

    Soon enough, there were plants in the audience saying, ¡°This is a betrayal of the Sorcerer Alliance Army,¡± ¡°If you know anyone, call them back immediately,¡± and ¡°Those who return will not be held accountable.¡±

    The Sorcerer Lords looked at each other, not particularly surprised by this outcome.

    It was not through warfare and conquest that Witch King Long Po Ming had unified the Southern Border but rather because he received the loyalty of Suo Wen and Ajarn Meng, which allowed him to become the foremost among the Sorcerer Lords, and let the others acquiesce to him declaring himself the Witch King.

    To put it plainly, his title as Witch King was fundamentally not that of an emperor but more akin to the leader of a loose alliance¡ªa title lacking the prestige of winning a unifying war.

    Now, with people deserting on their own, the Witch King¡¯s authority took another major hit, and what would follow depended on how he would deal with these people.

    Witch King Long Po Ming didn¡¯t actually plan on troubling these deserters; he was well aware that his base of power was still insufficient. Having gained nothing from the northern invasion and now facing the prospect of punishment, he knew some might mourn the rabbit¡¯s death for fear of the fox¡ªthe seed of treachery was sure to sprout.

    Rather than that, he preferred to invade Lu Country, kill for loot, and seize Mysterious Realms. As long as he could get his hands on resources, with the power to distribute spoils, others would truly and sincerely submit to him.

    Just as Witch King Long Po Ming was secretly planning, someone suddenly rushed in with a report:

    ¡°It¡¯s terrible! Suo Wen is dead!¡±

    All the Sorcerer Lords were aghast, but Witch King Long Po Ming was suddenly enraged, shouting:

    ¡°Who¡¯s dead? Don¡¯t spout nonsense!¡±

    ¡°Suo Wen is dead!¡± the dark sorcerer Messenger cried, ¡°He was killed by the Longcheng Flying General in the Southern Border! His body¡¯s photo is on the news¡­¡±

    Before the words were out, the Witch King¡¯s right arm flashed like lightning, sending out a black spirit possession into the messenger¡¯s forehead. The dark sorcerer stood woodenly for a moment, then suddenly fell backward, dead on the ground with a small ghostly handprint on his forehead¡ªingested by one of Long Po Ming¡¯s minions that invaded his mind and consumed his soul.

    ¡°That must be fake news released by Lu Country!¡± The Witch King, looking at the Sorcerers around him whose expressions had drastically changed, said each word emphatically with a face ashen, ¡°I will call Suo Wen right now!¡±

    He theatrically took out his mobile phone, dialed a number, put it to his ear, and babbled a few words, then hung up and said:

    ¡°Suo Wen was only injured by the Longcheng Flying General and has not died. He is currently recovering locally and will return in a few days. We will continue with the plan for the northern campaign; the army sets off tomorrow, and no one is allowed to fall out of line, lest they face military law!¡±

    Having said that, the Witch King got up and left.

    The Sorcerer Lords exchanged glances, mostly disbelieving the Witch King¡¯s performance just now.

    If Suo Wen was really alive, able to answer your call, then why didn¡¯t you put it on speaker? If we could hear Suo Wen¡¯s voice, we certainly wouldn¡¯t doubt anything, but hanging up the call in such a hurry really makes people suspicious.

    As the Sorcerer Lords¡¯ eyes wandered, most of them settled on Ajarn Meng.

    Ajarn Meng, dressed in black, currently served as the Witch King Long Po Ming¡¯s deputy, just like the golden Sorcerer Suo Wen. The difference was, Suo Wen was of the Dragon¡¯s Service, a die-hard supporter of the Witch King, whereas Ajarn Meng represented the interests put forward by many Sorcerer Lords and had been a devout monk in the Plaek monastery before his cultivation, enjoying considerable prestige throughout the Southern Border.

    As everyone looked to him for help, the elderly Ajarn Meng did not respond. Instead, he simply lowered his eyelids, fiddled with the blackwood prayer beads in his hand, and silently turned to leave.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡°The situation is a bit dire,¡± Su Yunjin worriedly said after checking Yan Yu¡¯s meridians and Dantian, ¡°The recovery rate of his True Yuan is only half of what it was before, and the quality also leaves much to be desired. My recommendation is that for now, Captain, you should refrain from joining the battles, at least until you have mastered the Fasting skill.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± since all the girls on the team insisted he not join the battle, Yan Yu could only surrender with a show of hands, ¡°Then the Witch King is up to you, okay? I¡¯m washing my hands of it.¡±

    ¡°You just rest up here,¡± Li Minghu said with a smile.

    ¡°Old Yan¡¯s already wilted; now it¡¯s up to us,¡± Li Zhaojiang turned and said breezily, ¡°Everyone, perk up, and don¡¯t let Old Yan down.¡±

    ¡°Right!¡± The men of the Qing¡¯an Battle Team also chorused in agreement.

    The crowd quietly controlled their swords and left, leaving Yan Yu to rest there.

    This place was an uninhabited village, completely abandoned, so there was no worry of enemies finding their way here.

    Yan Yu sat lazily on a wooden chair, watching the outside, quietly circulating his True Yuan through the Grand Circulation inside his body.

    As Su Yunjin had said, with the progress of his Fasting, his body¡¯s endurance was getting worse and worse, no longer suitable for continued fighting.

    Rather than continue following the team while his True Yuan was depleted, it would be better to hand over command to Chen Lingyun and find a place to perfect the Fasting technique.

    Yan Yu yawned and slowly closed his eyes, beginning to doze off.

    Time gradually transitioned from afternoon to evening, and the distant forests fell into darkness, devoid of any light.

    Technology and civilization seemed to have vanished completely from this place.

    In the Southern Border, where Transcendents held all control, mortals were as scarce as wild animals, eventually being reduced to mere production tools and resources to be domesticated by the Transcendents. In the previous life, this tide spread globally, similar to how Homo sapiens gradually replaced Neanderthals, until even Lu Country could not escape ¡ª the Transcendents had become the ¡°new human race¡± of the new era.

    It was just that he had not witnessed the very last moment when the whole world plunged into hell.

    If allowed to recklessly compete amongst themselves, the Transcendents would inevitably turn everything around them into fuel for their own growth because those who did not do so would be eliminated by the stronger ones. However, if someone could become the strongest in this world, they could then remodel the entire world at will according to their own desires, bringing order back to this world.

    Of course, by that time, the strongest in this world would almost certainly be deified, and countless theories would try to prove that they were ¡°naturally superior to all humankind,¡± ¡°the destined ruler of all humanity¡±¡­

    It doesn¡¯t matter anymore.

    Could it be worse than the ending of the previous life, where mortals nearly perished?

    Yan Yu suddenly opened his eyes.

    He stepped out of the main entrance of the house, looking at the brilliant Milky Way hanging in the center of the night sky, and took a long breath.

    The goal is the end of the ascension to godhood. Starting today¡­ I am taking the first step.

    Suddenly, Dantian trembled slightly as if unblocking something, and then powerful True Yuan began to emanate from Dantian, traveling through the meridians to the limbs and bones. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Cleansing, tempering, polishing!

    Muscles, bones, connective tissues¡­ the acquired turbidity hidden in various parts of the body was all being expelled continuously through the pores, washed away by the forceful True Yuan.

    If Yan Yu¡¯s body were to be compared to a house, it was filled with various clutter and old items before Marrow Cleansing, capable of housing only limited things. And Marrow Cleansing would clear out most of the trash.

    When the Marrow Cleansing was completed, the next step would be to transform the Purple Mansion, and form the Golden Core.

    Yan Yu stood silently on the empty ground, the light in his eyes almost growing brighter and his clothes fluttering without wind, rippling as the driving force of the True Yuan burst forth from his pores.

    Suddenly, he began to move lightly.

    The simple stretch of his joints caused a crackling sound throughout his body, like firecrackers or frying beans.

    Yan Yu stretched again, and his body shot up nearly ten centimeters, his arms, shoulders, thighs, chest, and abdomen ¡ª places where the muscles were not very apparent ¡ª gradually displayed clear lines.

    The True Yuan was not only washing away the turbidity of the five grains from inside his body but also repairing his body. If a sample of his tissues were tested now, it would show his cells growing and differentiating at an astonishing rate, utterly disregarding the Hayflick limit.

    Spiritual Energy Resurgence, it never talks science with you.

    Finally, the changes in his body gradually came to an end.

    Yan Yu¡¯s Marrow Cleansing was nearly 90% complete, although some dead angles in the bones were not yet fully cleaned, such as the pelvic cavity and the joints of the spine. These areas required True Yuan to be used for long-term continuous polishing and washing¡­ which was the practice process of the entire Marrow Cleansing Stage.

    Of course, the benefits of completing Marrow Cleansing were obvious.

    Life span was extended, complete fasting was achieved, and one¡¯s root bone was significantly strengthened. Even without activating the Wood Bending Charm, one could easily defeat the top sanda fighters or even the champions among mortals, because their physiques and strength were no longer in the same league.

    Yan Yu pulled at his shirt collar, a stench of decay hanging around him; all were impurities expelled during the Marrow Cleansing process.

    Back in the room, he began to rinse off his body with tap water, which came from the mountain behind the village and therefore felt extra chilly on the skin.

    But Yan Yu was undeterred and simply cleaned his body, then started scrubbing his soiled clothes.

    The mobile phone placed aside suddenly rang; it was a call from Lord Master.

    ¡°Hello?¡± Yan Yu turned on the speakerphone.

    ¡°Old Yan, I hear you¡¯re practicing that Fasting technique?¡± Liu Longtao got straight to the point.

    ¡°Yes, what about it?¡±

    ¡°I entered the Marrow Cleansing Stage this morning,¡± Liu Longtao asked casually, ¡°Do you want me to tell you the tricks?¡±

    It was the familiar taste of showing off, but Yan Yu patiently listened until the end and responded:

    ¡°No need, I¡¯ve also undergone Marrow Cleansing.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

 Chapter 291: 87: After Fasting

    Chapter 291: Chapter 87: After Fasting

    Lord Master was officially promoted to the Marrow Cleansing Stage around 8:30 this morning.

    Top specialists from major hospitals nationwide formed a resuscitation team that watched over him throughout. On one hand, they were afraid of any accidents happening; on the other, they aimed to record data for scientific research.

    After advancing to the Marrow Cleansing Stage, he had been engaged in a full day of experiments without rest. Lord Master submitted the application at nine in the morning, and it wasn¡¯t approved until nine at night.

    As soon as it was approved, he immediately called Yan Yu, much like a man who had struggled mightily to reach the shore, eager to share the good news with his friend who had also taken the public exam. The nature of this act is clear enough without saying more.

    However, Yan Yu replied with ¡°I¡¯ve cleansed my marrow too,¡± instantly dampening half of Liu Longtao¡¯s joy.

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    ¡°Ah what? Didn¡¯t you know I was fasting?¡± Yan Yu asked, baffled.

    ¡°But you were fighting a war over there.¡±

    ¡°Fighting doesn¡¯t affect the cultivation of fasting.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ haha, you really are pushing yourself.¡± Liu Longtao said with a chuckle.

    Yan Yu had long known that Lord Master belonged to that type of person who isn¡¯t comfortable unless he¡¯s teasing others, so he didn¡¯t take it too seriously and said:

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna hang up now.¡±

    ¡°I want to ask you something.¡± Liu Longtao¡¯s tone shifted, suddenly becoming serious. ¡°What do you think about the Sorcerers from the Southern Border?¡±

    ¡°Not much to think.¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°They have plenty of strange tricks but lack the strength for a tough fight. Unless they have an overwhelming numerical advantage and coordinated command, they won¡¯t be a match for the Rikoku Cultivators.¡±

    ¡°What about the Tattooed Charm Masters?¡± Liu Longtao continued, ¡°I heard they tattoo curses on their bodies that enable them to summon various giant divine entities to take on the strike role. That shouldn¡¯t be a problem, right?¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡± Yan Yu responded succinctly, ¡°Those entities are not nimble enough, and they have short legs, far inferior to Sword Immortals.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Liu Longtao pondered.

    In fact, throughout all occupations worldwide, it was hard to find roles like Sword Immortals, capable of both fighting fiercely and escaping deftly. Tattooed Charm Masters had short legs, werewolves had short arms, Samurai had both short legs and arms¡­ The deficiencies of other occupations weren¡¯t so obvious, yet they generally couldn¡¯t match up to Sword Immortals.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m hanging up now.¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Go ahead and hang up,¡± Liu Longtao said with a chuckle, ¡°Congratulations on reaching Marrow Cleansing, old Yan. Let¡¯s go for a drink in Pingjing sometime.¡±

    After hanging up the call, Yan Yu busied himself cleaning his clothes, then he lit a Flame Curse to start drying them.

    As he was basking in the warmth, bare-skinned, someone suddenly pushed the door open and shouted:

    ¡°Captain! The Witch King is dead! We can go back now¡­ AHHHHHHHHHHH!¡±

    The moment Lin Ning saw Yan Yu, she immediately screamed, turned her head away, and closed her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest defensively as if she had seen something she shouldn¡¯t have.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you knock?¡± Yan Yu complained.

    ¡°How was I supposed to know you¡¯d be naked inside?¡± Lin Ning exclaimed, stomping her feet in agitation, ¡°Hurry up and get dressed!¡±

    Under normal circumstances, she would have kicked him without a second thought.

    But now, with Yan Yu undressed¡­ she couldn¡¯t even bring herself to look, let alone kick.

    ¡°I¡¯ll wait till they¡¯re dry,¡± Yan Yu said leisurely, ¡°They¡¯re still a bit damp.¡±

    ¡°AHHHHHHH I¡¯m still here, can¡¯t you hurry up¡­¡± Lin Ning turned her head and closed her eyes, her voice filled with an anxious plea that was close to becoming a wail.

    ¡°What¡¯s the rush?¡± Yan Yu countered, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to see, can¡¯t you just leave?¡±

    ¡°Oh! Oh! Oh!¡± Realizing this, Lin Ning spun around and dashed out. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Standing outside the door, leaning against the wall, she asked Yan Yu:

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you wearing any clothes?¡±

    ¡°After the Marrow Cleansing, in the process of expelling impurities and drawing in freshness, all the pores on my body opened up, and my clothes got dirty.¡± Yan Yu explained.

    ¡°You still shouldn¡¯t be without clothes,¡± Lin Ning insisted. ¡°What if a Sorcerer breaks in? What then?¡±

    ¡°Not afraid,¡± Yan Yu reassured her. ¡°If they see me without clothes, they¡¯re bound to close their eyes and run out.¡±

    Lin Ning, fuming, picked up a small piece of wood from the ground and hurled it inside towards Yan Yu¡ªbut because she wasn¡¯t aiming, it ended up in the Flame Curse, causing the flames to burn even more fiercely.

    ¡°Why have you come back?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°The Witch King is dead.¡± Lin Ning suddenly remembered she was here to deliver the news, ¡°One of his deputies killed him last night, and the Allied Forces have completely dispersed. The rear command post notified us to withdraw personnel.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good.¡± Yan Yu was not surprised by this.

    In his previous life, the first Witch King was assassinated by a deputy, which indicated there were definitely problems with his rule. Yan Yu guessed the reasons for his downfall were probably similar to those of Qin Ershi¡¯s¡­ Without a solid foundation for unification, the opposition from all sides was too great, and then he forcibly pursued wars, which ultimately backfired.

    However, compared to the overt actions of the first Witch King, the second Witch King was a real master of intrigue.

    If Yan Yu had a choice, he definitely would not have allowed the second Witch King to ascend smoothly. But this guy probably had some collaboration with Lu Country. As soon as I sent back the news of defeating Suo Wen to the Privy Council, he immediately assassinated the Witch King. The timing of these events was too swift.

    It doesn¡¯t matter, anyway.

    Even if the second Witch King were to be eliminated now, there would be a third and a fourth to take his place, so there was no need to rush.

    One day, when he causes trouble in the Southern Border, I¡¯ll take some time to kill him!

    ¡°Alright.¡± Yan Yu finished drying his clothes and then rustled as he put them on, ¡°Come in.¡±

    ¡°Have you succeeded in Marrow Cleansing?¡± Lin Ning returned to the house and looked at him doubtfully, ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°You seem¡­ whiter?¡± Lin Ning scrutinized his face and reached out to touch it.

    ¡°Marrow Cleansing and Veins Purification return the acquired state to the innate state, so it¡¯s very normal for the skin to become whiter.¡± Yan Yu brushed away her presumptuous hand, casually saying, ¡°This shows that my previous skin color was from being tanned, not from genetics.¡±

    ¡°So if I undergo Marrow Cleansing and Veins Purification, I can also become whiter, prettier, and more attractive?¡± Lin Ning suddenly realized the key point.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why you should work hard at cultivating.¡± Yan Yu thought there was indeed this benefit, which could be used to motivate the girls.

    ¡°Is there a way to speed up cultivation?¡± Lin Ning started to ponder seriously.

    Yan Yu was quite astonished. Even a diligent student like her was looking for shortcuts, is the allure of becoming beautiful really that strong for a girl?

    ¡°Cough cough cough!¡± The sound of Su Yunjin¡¯s cough came from outside.

    After making her presence known with the sound, she pushed the door open and entered with a serious expression.

    ¡°Yun Jin!¡± Lin Ning hurriedly approached and said, ¡°The captain has gotten whiter! He says as long as you undergo Marrow Cleansing, it can improve your skin quality!¡±

    ¡°Mmm! Eh?¡± Su Yunjin was about to scold Lin Ning for recklessly flying ahead of the team using Sword Control to return first when she suddenly paid attention to what she was saying, ¡°Whiter?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Then we need to figure out how to undergo Marrow Cleansing as soon as possible!¡± Su Yunjin immediately said.

    Both girls looked at Yan Yu with eager eyes, leaving him feeling quite puzzled: Why are you looking at me to level up quickly?

    The only way to level up is to be diligent in daily chores, breathing exercises, and circulating Qi around the body! If leveling up is slow, sometimes find your own reasons ¡ª have you been cultivating sincerely, or is there a problem with your own talents?

    The three left the house and used Sword Control to meet up with the nearby staying team.

    Hearing that Yan Yu had finally perfected the Fasting technique and entered the Marrow Cleansing Stage, Chen Lingyun and Xie Ruoxi seemed unimpressed, while Zhao Yuanzhen snorted a few times, ¡°It¡¯s about time for Marrow Cleansing,¡± but nobody paid her any attention.

    The cultivators from the Clean Peace squad expressed their envy openly, and Li Minghu was the first to congratulate on behalf of the team:

    ¡°Congratulations on advancing, Captain Yan. You must be the first in the country to reach the Marrow Cleansing Stage, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the case.¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°Liu Longtao also entered Marrow Cleansing this morning.¡±

    Upon hearing this news, Chen Lingyun¡¯s face visibly soured, but the others didn¡¯t show any surprise, as they all knew about Lord Master¡¯s exceptional cultivation talent early on.

    ¡°Never mind Old Liu.¡± Li Zhaojiang egged on, ¡°Congratulations on advancing to Marrow Cleansing, Captain Yan, you should treat us to a meal!¡±

    ¡°Exactly, exactly!¡± The men echoed.

    ¡°I¡¯ve achieved Fasting, and I still have to treat you guys to a meal?¡± Yan Yu was astonished.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Li Zhaojiang laughed heartily, ¡°If you can¡¯t eat because of Fasting, it¡¯s okay to just sit and watch us eat!¡±

    ¡°Fine then.¡± Yan Yu readily agreed, ¡°To the Palace of Happiness?¡±

    ¡°We have to return to the command post to report first.¡± Li Minghu reminded.

 Chapter 292: 89: Explain Clearly at My Place

    Chapter 292: Chapter 89: Explain Clearly at My Place

    People from Lu Country, once they have money, the first thing they think of is to buy a house.

    Cultivators are also people from Lu Country, and of course they are no exception. After getting wealthy, Li Family siblings not only bought a team-building base for their team but also bought separate properties for their parents, grandparents, and maternal grandparents in both Xingwang Mansion and Xin¡¯an Economic Zone.

    Then, because of Yan Yu¡¯s family being besieged and interviewed by the media, all the family members of the team¡¯s cultivators were sent to the Military Manor compound for unified resettlement, and all those houses were bought for nothing¡­ nobody lived in them.

    By contrast, the Zhenghai Team was more restrained in their spending thanks to Yan Yu¡¯s warning, and there was no occurrence of team members having several empty houses to their name.

    Of all the houses that the Li siblings bought, it was this mountain villa that saw the most use. It is located deep in Baiyun Mountain Forest Park, with its environment, scenery, and air all being excellent. The original drawback was the slightly inconvenient transportation, but as cultivators could fly with Sword Flight, they didn¡¯t have to take the winding mountain roads, making travel very convenient indeed.

    Unlike Zhenghai Team, the Qing¡¯an Team, consisting of four men and one woman, were not keen on housekeeping. Li Minghu didn¡¯t mind cleaning, but Li Zhaojiang worried it would tire her, so they ended up hiring a full team of housekeepers to live in the villa, all aunts above forty years old with years of experience in managing luxury houses in the harbor area, very professional.

    Upon entering the villa, Lin Ning was researching various high-end kitchen appliances in the kitchen when suddenly an auntie popped up from somewhere (actually from a small door next to the kitchen) and asked,

    ¡°Would the guest like to eat something?¡±

    Lin Ning was immediately bewildered. Seeing her puzzled look, the auntie repeated what she had just said in Lingnan dialect.

    ¡°Uh,¡± Lin Ning finally reacted and said, ¡°I was just seeing what kind of dishes can be made here¡­¡±

    The auntie immediately understood, oh¡¯d, and said with a smile,

    ¡°Miss, you want to cook, right?¡±

    In fact, many wealthy ladies in the harbor area are like this: although they normally don¡¯t do any kitchen work, they still have whims where they want to personally cook for their families.

    The housekeepers serving these rich ladies also have a routine: they clean all the ingredients and place them on the cutting board, letting the lady put them in the pot with her own hands, then the ladies play with the spatula, stirring randomly. When they get tired, the housekeepers take over. All the seasonings are prepared by the housekeepers in small bowls, and the ladies are only responsible for putting things into the pot¡­ The dish that comes out is credited as ¡°personally made by madam,¡± and when served it earns praise from the family and the husband¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Lin Ning actually didn¡¯t plan to cook; she had simply seen the high-end kitchenware from afar and came over to look.

    But indeed, the kitchen was stocked with many and complete items¡­ and it was tempting to give them a try.

    ¡°Then let me assist you,¡± the auntie immediately put on an apron and offered eagerly.

    While Lin Ning was busy in the kitchen, Su Yunjin had moved to the backyard.

    The villa¡¯s internal garden in the back harbored some rare flowers from the South China Botanical Garden, obtained through connections by the villa¡¯s previous owner, which intrigued Su Yunjin.

    Xie Ruoxi went to the second-floor study to play on the computer, while Zhao Yuanzhen and Chen Lingyun gravitated towards the bar, one cracking melon seeds, the other brewing coffee.

    In the blink of an eye, the ladies of the Zhenghai Team were scattered to the wind, leaving the men of the Qing¡¯an Team looking at each other¡ªoriginally, they had wanted to cozy up to the ladies, but since they all acted independently, it was inappropriate to follow and continue making conversation.

    The boys sat on the large sofa in the living room, just as Li Zhaojiang picked up the controller and said,

    ¡°Old Yan, how about a game?¡±

    ¡°What game?¡±

    ¡°King of Fighters.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t King of Fighters an arcade game?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s long been ported to consoles, so are you in or out?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll see if it¡¯s fun first.¡± Yan Yu took the controller, gave it a try, and beat Li Zhaojiang handily.

    ¡°Can you even handle it, captain?¡± The guys all laughed boisterously.

    ¡°Another round!¡± Li Zhaojiang said indignantly.

    His style of playing King of Fighters was to randomly mash buttons, relying on the belief that ¡°as long as my hands are fast enough, there¡¯s no special move I can¡¯t pull off.¡± However, facing Yan Yu, who was a genuine ¡°quick-eyed, quick-handed¡± and ¡°precise¡± player, his real level was immediately exposed.

    ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± Yan Yu handed back the controller and said proudly, ¡°Ah Jiang, you¡¯re not good enough. Go back and practice some more.¡±

    Li Minghu covered her mouth, laughing at the side.

    The game controllers on the table were quickly seized by Jiang Hong and others who started another round with Li Zhaojiang, the joy of boys being so simple.

    Yan Yu stood up, looking a tad bored, and asked Li Minghu,

    ¡°Besides gaming, what other entertainment do you guys have here?¡±

    ¡°Are you talking about sports activities?¡± Li Minghu pondered for a moment, ¡°The basement has a swimming pool, the second floor has a billiard table, and there¡¯s a basketball court if you go out the main entrance and turn left.¡± S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Never mind, I¡¯ll just go for a walk outside.¡± Yan Yu waved his hand.

    He left the villa¡¯s main entrance, and Li Minghu turned to look at Chen Lingyun, finding her chatting leisurely and smiling with Zhao Yuanzhen, but Sister Zhao couldn¡¯t care less about him, just cracking sunflower seeds and playing with her phone continuously.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Yan Yu strolled leisurely along the road when suddenly he heard someone calling him from behind.

    Turning his head, he saw Li Minghu, dressed in sportswear.

    ¡°Huff, huff.¡± She ran up to Yan Yu¡¯s side and stopped, hands on her knees as she panted, wiping sweat and asked, ¡°How come you walk so fast?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not that fast, you¡¯re just too slow,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    Li Minghu was somewhat speechless, but she could roughly make out the character of Yan Yu¡ªhe wasn¡¯t the type to treat you specially just because you are a pretty woman. He would say whatever needed to be said.

    ¡°Do you usually jog around here?¡± Yan Yu asked casually.

    ¡°Yeah, the air is good here.¡± Li Minghu jogged alongside him, ¡°Jogging here is good for the heart and lungs.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, I noticed there aren¡¯t many cars around, no exhaust fumes either,¡± Yan Yu said.

    He waited for Li Minghu to speak. The girl had specifically followed him out, so she must have had something to say to him.

    But Li Minghu held her breath well, jogging slowly with Yan Yu for about 1 kilometer and still only chatting about trivial family matters.

    ¡°I heard you don¡¯t have a housekeeper?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t hire one, just occasionally.¡±

    ¡°Then how do you handle the everyday household chores and cooking?¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin takes care of the housework, and Lin Ning is in charge of cooking.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s pretty good, your own people are always more reliable than someone hired from outside.¡±

    Yan Yu found himself increasingly unable to keep his composure. You coming over to talk to me like this, you can¡¯t really just want to spend some alone time with me, can you?

    Just speak your mind. All this beating around the bush is useless on me! Haven¡¯t I seen enough of a woman¡¯s sweet talk? Chen Lingyun from my past life was much craftier than you!

    ¡°It looks like you have something to say.¡± He decided not to waste any more time.

    We Sword Immortals speak plainly; get straight to the point!

    ¡°Really can¡¯t hide anything from you,¡± Li Minghu said with a wry smile, ¡°Here¡¯s the thing.¡±

    ¡°Do you remember the last time in the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm? The two of us appeared on the camera, we might have been standing a bit close, and then the elders in my family saw it, they mistook that you and I had some kind of relationship¡­ Of course, I¡¯ve already clarified it when I got back home.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°And¡­ they want to meet you,¡± Li Minghu said candidly.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same as not having clarified at all?¡± Yan Yu suddenly felt a headache coming on.

    Meet me for what? Isn¡¯t it just because they suspect that I have some relationship with you, wanting to see their prospective son-in-law in advance?

    ¡°I¡¯ve clarified it already,¡± Li Minghu said helplessly, ¡°They¡­ probably still have some doubts, I guess. Mainly because I was quite a good actress when I was younger, they couldn¡¯t tell if I was lying, so they thought to find out the truth from you.¡±

    Valkyrie was really good at acting? Yan Yu thought back carefully and realized it was indeed the case.

    In a past life when she had already run out of ammo and drained of energy on the battlefield, yet the enemy Sorcerer Alliance Army hadn¡¯t noticed at all. With her holding the threat of assassinating the Witch King, she cleaved through them with one sword, frightening them all away¡­ It would be hard to say that her acting wasn¡¯t good.

    But girl, you even deceive your own family, making them distrust you, that really doesn¡¯t put me in the best position to judge.

    ¡°So you want me to go there and clear things up with your family?¡± Yan Yu confirmed.

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Li Minghu admitted with some embarrassment, ¡°Sorry to trouble you.¡±

 Chapter 293: 90: Quickly Settle the Relationship

    Chapter 293: Chapter 90: Quickly Settle the Relationship

    Yan Yu expressed understanding for Li Minghu¡¯s troubles.

    After all, even the market now has services for renting boyfriends/girlfriends specifically for dealing with parents¡¯ interrogations and rushes during the New Year and holiday periods, which shows just how stressful some elders can be.

    Moreover, this situation was ultimately caused by herself in the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm when she provided warmth with her embrace to the drenched Li Minghu, so it made sense for her to help deal with the aftermath.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Yan Yu agreed quickly, ¡°When should we go?¡±

    ¡°How about, right now?¡± Li Minghu tentatively asked.

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going to deal with an interrogation, not to be guests at my home,¡± Li Minghu said with a smile, ¡°A surprise attack is more appropriate. If we tell them in advance that you¡¯re coming, they¡¯ll start preparing early.¡±

    I see you¡¯ve come fully prepared, bringing up the request and immediately luring me to your place, such a smooth combo¡­

    Well, whatever. She is the Valkyrie, after all.

    ¡°Of course, if you don¡¯t feel comfortable, we can formally visit my home another time,¡± Li Minghu continued observing his expression, ¡°and since we just returned from the battlefield today, we can also say we have to report in the evening, so my family won¡¯t insist on you staying overnight, at most we¡¯ll have dinner.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t have any other plans, and right now, he and Li Minghu were just friends, so he wasn¡¯t worried about her parents interrogating him.

    The two of them rode their swords away, leaving the mountain area and entering the city, finally landing at the entrance of the local military manor courtyard.

    The military manor courtyard is a traditional aspect of Lu Country, mainly to protect the family members of the stationed military officers, so in case enemies infiltrate and threaten the officers by holding their families hostage, there will be the risk of leaking confidential information.

    The military manor in the King¡¯s mansion area from the outside looks like an ordinary six-story residential complex, surrounded by grocery stores and small restaurants, clearly a local native residential area.

    Yan Yu looked at the security guards at the entrance of the complex with his divine sense, discovered they were military cultivators, and knew that the security was lax on the outside but strict on the inside, with all the precautions fully in place.

    Entering the complex and taking the elevator to the fourth floor, Li Minghu approached her front door and knocked, calling out:

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m back.¡±

    Li¡¯s mother quickly came to open the door, and upon seeing Yan Yu next to Li Minghu, her expression was momentarily stunned, and then she instantly smiled, saying:

    ¡°You must be Yan Yu, the Longcheng Flying General Yan Yu! Come in¡­ You don¡¯t need shoe covers! Wear these slippers.¡±

    Yan Yu greeted her and thought to himself that Li¡¯s mother, being a middle school teacher, indeed spoke very standard Mandarin without a hint of an accent.

    In contrast, Chen¡¯s mother would still sound like a wealthy Jiang Hai wife even if she were reading from a script.

    Li¡¯s mother looked like a thin middle-aged woman with glasses, which reminded Yan Yu of his elementary school homeroom teacher, but her demeanor was far more amiable than his teacher¡¯s. She first invited him to sit on the sofa, then brewed him some tea ¡ª not using loose-leaf tea, but eight-treasure tea made with tea bags.

    ¡°Have some too, daughter,¡± she also made a cup for Li Minghu, ¡°The Southern Border is quite humid, and drinking eight-treasure tea can dispel dampness, and it¡¯s very effective.¡±

    Li Minghu lifted her tea cup, giving Yan Yu a reassuring look, and then began to drink.

    No sooner had Yan Yu taken a sip than Li¡¯s mother came out with a fruit plate, saying eagerly:

    ¡°Come, have some fruit!¡±

    Li¡¯s mother was just too enthusiastic, and though she didn¡¯t say it outright, her behavior was entirely that of someone treating her son-in-law, leaving Yan Yu somewhat overwhelmed.

    Li Minghu quickly interrupted her mother¡¯s actions:

    ¡°By the way, where¡¯s dad?¡±

    ¡°Your dad was called to a meeting by the school,¡± Li¡¯s mother immediately pulled out her phone, ready to dial, ¡°I¡¯ll call him to come back right now.¡±

    This is getting more and more exaggerated¡­ Yan Yu also hurriedly said:

    ¡°No need, we¡¯re just popping back for a bit, we still have to go back to our units for a debriefing.¡±

    You ask quickly, then I answer promptly. Once the misunderstanding is clarified, that¡¯s the end of it. What¡¯s the use of saying so much? It¡¯s a waste of time, really.

    ¡°Oh, you have to debrief¡­¡± Li¡¯s mother was obviously a bit surprised, but after all, she is a teacher and she knows that you can¡¯t escape this sort of thing at work, so she sat down and said, ¡°Alright, you¡¯ll come back after the debriefing, won¡¯t you?¡±

    Although she was looking at Li Minghu as she asked, her gaze kept darting over to Yan Yu, with the subtext probably being ¡°keep your boyfriend here too.¡±

    Li Minghu was also speechless and said:

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be able to come back.¡± sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Li¡¯s mother was silent for a moment, her expression a complex mixture of resignation and pride¡ª it was that look of ¡®my child is too successful, there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡¯ On one hand, she felt proud and fulfilled, but on the other, she wished they would visit home more often. Yet reason told her that you can¡¯t have it all.

    She calmed her emotions and decided to take this opportunity to make things clear with Yan Yu, saying:

    ¡°Yan Yu, this is the first time Auntie is meeting you, and I normally wouldn¡¯t be so straightforward. But both you and my daughter are busy with your careers, and you can¡¯t come home often, I understand that¡­ So I¡¯m taking this chance to tell you, my daughter actually doesn¡¯t have the best health. She has always been strong-willed since she was little. Even when her body can¡¯t take it anymore, she won¡¯t admit it or show it. When you¡¯re by her side, please take care of her¡­¡±

    ¡°Mom!¡± Li Minghu couldn¡¯t take it anymore and blurted out honestly, ¡°I¡¯ve told you many times, Yan Yu and I are just ordinary friends. He serves in the Zhendong Army, I serve in the Annan Army, and we hardly see each other unless it¡¯s for military arrangements.¡±

    Li¡¯s mother suddenly looked a little taken aback as she turned to Yan Yu.

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Yan Yu immediately confirmed as well, after all, he came specifically to say this, ¡°Auntie, your daughter and I are currently just friends.¡±

    Li¡¯s mother finally let out an ¡°Oh¡± and gave a smile of complete understanding, nodding and saying:

    ¡°I see, I understand now. Yan Yu, help yourself to some fruit¡­ Come here a moment.¡±

    That last ¡°Come here a moment,¡± was directed at Li Minghu.

    Li Minghu stood up and followed her mother into the bedroom.

    The moment they entered, Li¡¯s mother immediately showed the authoritative demeanor characteristic of a headteacher and sternly asked:

    ¡°What¡¯s going on with you? Why is he saying he¡¯s still just a friend?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already told you¡­¡± Li Minghu was somewhat at a loss for words and tried to explain further, but Li¡¯s mother interrupted her:

    ¡°What friends? Ordinary friends don¡¯t hug each other like that on TV. Did you forget what your mother does? I¡¯ve disciplined more students for early love in school than you¡¯ve ever seen in your life! I can tell whether there¡¯s something going on between people at a glance¡­ Besides, you¡¯ve been strong-willed since you were little and always keep your thoughts to yourself. If you weren¡¯t interested in him, why would you allow him to hold you like that?¡±

    Li Minghu was left speechless and after a long while finally said:

    ¡°I do have some feelings for him, but it¡¯s only just that¡­ just feelings.¡±

    Li¡¯s mother immediately dropped her serious expression and smiled, saying:

    ¡°Having feelings is enough. He was on TV during the October celebration, the Longcheng Flying General, and he was personally awarded by ¡®you know who,¡¯ how prestigious. Your father¡¯s school leadership also said that this man is bound to have a limitless future. It¡¯s great if you¡¯re interested in him, you should hurry and establish a romantic relationship, so you don¡¯t lose him to someone else later. Good men these days are harder to find than good schools¡­¡±

    ¡°Mom!¡± Li Minghu couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, ¡°Can you please stop meddling in my affairs?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not meddling!¡± Li¡¯s mother quickly denied, saying, ¡°I¡¯m just giving you advice because I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t understand about dating for the first time¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood for a relationship right now.¡± Li Minghu played her trump card.

    ¡°Then you can pretend to be interested in him and secure the relationship first, then date him when you¡¯re ready to,¡± Li¡¯s mother said persuasively and earnestly. ¡°Secure the spot as his girlfriend!¡±

 Chapter 294: 91 Saving People isnt a Loss Proposition

    Chapter 294: Chapter 91 Saving People isn¡¯t a Loss Proposition

    When Li Minghu was harshly reprimanded by his mother in his room, Yan Yu also got up from the sofa and began to wander around leisurely.

    By the time he truly began to rise in his previous life, Li Minghu had already sacrificed himself¡­ or more accurately, it was because of Li Zhaojiang¡¯s rebellion that the higher-ups developed extreme suspicion and wariness towards cultivators, which to a certain extent greatly promoted the special military project of ¡°mortal cultivators¡± that came afterwards.

    Of course, Yan Yu was inclined to believe that ¡°mortal cultivators¡± would also appear in this life.

    After all, if left unchecked, the gap between cultivators and mortals would only grow wider, and relying on the cultivators¡¯ own morals for social stability was hardly a reliable act.

    In his previous life, as a ¡°mortal cultivator,¡± Yan Yu carved out his own tactical system, but in many areas, he actually drew inspiration from Li Minghu¡¯s way of fighting.

    The Valkyrie, due to physical limitations, could not engage in prolonged battles, so she had to rely on a large number of detailed maneuvers to enhance the effectiveness of her attacks, and the endurance of mortal cultivators posed a similar issue. Hence, when Yan Yu first saw the manuscripts left by the Valkyrie, he treasured them like wealth, studying them tirelessly all night.

    Without the Valkyrie, there would be no ¡°mortal warrior¡± Yan Yu of later times!

    In a sense, it could even be said that in his past life, he ¡°grew up sucking the milk of the Valkyrie,¡± although this metaphor was slightly indecent, it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration.

    Of course, in this life, Li Minghu had not yet become the Valkyrie, and even if he knew the cause and effect, he would still not acknowledge Yan Yu as his apprentice.

    But that didn¡¯t prevent Yan Yu from showing her respect, as well as wanting to know more about her.

    He observed around the living room, where a dehumidifier was placed in the corner, several dishes from lunch were covered with a mesh cover on the table. The refrigerator was covered with various magnets: Ultraman and Kamen Rider, as well as Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura.

    Everything had a strong sense of the old days.

    The corridor on the side of the living room led to the bedrooms of Li Minghu¡¯s parents, Li Minghu, and Li Zhaojiang.

    Yan Yu walked to the doorway and glanced inside. Li Minghu¡¯s bedroom door was open, with a bamboo mat laid out on the bed for summer, and a mosquito net hung on the outside. The walls were plastered with various certificates: for being an excellent student, ranking top ten in age group, outstanding class officer, and first place in drama performance competitions.

    The Valkyrie could act in dramas? But with her physical condition, she indeed couldn¡¯t participate in any sports, so acting in dramas was a matter of course¡­ just like how Chen Lingyun chose chess over basketball when she was in junior high. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Behind him, the sound of a door opening was heard. Li Minghu walked out of her mother¡¯s bedroom, surprised to see Yan Yu standing at the door to her room, but she quickly regained her composure and said,

    ¡°Would you like to come in and sit?¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t feel any embarrassment at being caught, but calmly accepted the invitation.

    The two entered the room, where her desk by the window was covered with a large sheet of glass.

    Under the glass were various photos, including her childhood pictures, sibling photos with Li Zhaojiang, family portraits, and generational photos, along with some food ration coupons and clippings.

    ¡°Most of the stuff in this room was moved from our old house,¡± Li Minghu explained, ¡°So a lot of it may seem antiquated.¡±

    She moved a stool over for Yan Yu to sit on, which had no backrest and was painted brown, the legs fixed to the seat with nails¡ªindeed, it was an old piece of furniture.

    ¡°It looks like no one has lived here for a while, there¡¯s a smell,¡± Yan Yu detected a faint musty scent in the room¡­ or perhaps it was a damp, dusty smell.

    ¡°It was originally intended for me,¡± Li Minghu replied, ¡°But neither I nor Ah Jiang come home much these days.¡±

    She propped up a mirror on the desk and began combing her split ends.

    ¡°So what did your mother say?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve explained to her,¡± Li Minghu said indifferently, ¡°My mom is still somewhat unwilling to believe. I got a bit irritated, and just let her be.¡±

    ¡°Your mom seems really eager for you to find someone,¡± Yan Yu joked with her, ¡°It¡¯s definitely because your brother is in a relationship. Now that her son is settled down, she¡¯s pushing her daughter.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, maybe,¡± Li Minghu meticulously examined herself in the mirror, continuing, ¡°But that¡¯s something you can¡¯t rush.¡±

    Yan Yu also observed her in the mirror: her clear brows and beautiful eyes, thick hair, and fair skin made for the classic beautiful face of a Hong Kong film heroine, and her delicate and soft figure exuded youthful vitality.

    But honestly, the charm of the Valkyrie wasn¡¯t in her appearance, but in her deeds from the past life¡ªfearlessly burning her life away, standing alone with only her sword to block the Allied Forces at the Southern Border, slaying the Witch King with one strike, parting the sea and driving back the enemy with another¡­ merely thinking about it filled one with awe and aspiration.

    Beautiful young ladies are common, but the Valkyrie¡­ there was only one in all of Lu Country!

    ¡°Anyway, you really did help me out this time,¡± Li Minghu put down the mirror, pondered for a moment, and suddenly asked, ¡°The thing you said before, it still counts, right?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°That is¡­¡± She seemed a bit uneasy, looking out the window and saying in a low voice, ¡°You said, if there ever comes a day when I feel like I¡¯m about to die, just¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu nodded. ¡°Count it.¡±

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Li Minghu paused for a moment, revealing a shallow smile as he stood up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go back then. Don¡¯t want to make them worry.¡±

    You mean, don¡¯t want them to find out, right? Yan Yu did not expose her euphemism; he just stood up as well:

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    This girl is indeed as her mother said, thoughtful and decisive¡ªan aspect of the Valkyrie I had not understood in my past life.

    Quite good.

    After bidding farewell to Li¡¯s mother, the two flew towards the villa, Sword Control from the balcony.

    Yan Yu sensed a subtle shift in the atmosphere¡­ if he had to describe it, the ¡°psychological distance¡± between Li Minghu and himself seemed to have closed a bit.

    Probably because of something her mom said that made her think better of me?

    Yan Yu¡¯s guess was not off. Li Minghu appeared calm, but inside she was somewhat troubled.

    Earlier in the bedroom, her mother had said to her:

    ¡°¡­Your elementary school teacher Mr. Jiang told me you were too aloof, with no children willing to be your friend. It improved a bit in middle school, but not because you opened up, but because you learned to hide your true thoughts. You¡¯ve always been too mature for your age, and with your poor health, you always felt your life wouldn¡¯t be long and didn¡¯t want to burden friends or family, right?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be hasty to contradict. I¡¯m telling you, with the advancements in science and technology, diseases that couldn¡¯t be treated before might be curable someday. Besides, you¡¯re a cultivator now. Everyone at school is saying that your generation will live forever, so how could something like incomplete lung function not be treatable?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m more worried about your personality than your body. I¡¯m afraid that you might get used to going solo and still won¡¯t want to deeply interact with others¡­ It¡¯s rare to have a boy whom you don¡¯t dislike, so why don¡¯t you get to know him better? I think Yan Yu is not bad; when I nagged you to bring him home to explain, he was willing to save your face¡­¡±

    Li Minghu could refute the other comments, but the last one, ¡°he was willing to save your face,¡± was irrefutable. She couldn¡¯t shamelessly claim that a favor owed never happened.

    Maybe I could give him some compensation¡­ but what do I have that could be used as compensation?

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± Li Minghu said, ¡°I owe you a favor this time.¡±

    ¡°Oh, can do,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment, then laughed, ¡°How do you plan to repay it?¡±

    ¡°What would you like?¡± Li Minghu asked softly.

    Though she was outwardly composed, she was subconsciously a bit anxious inside. What if he were to say, ¡°I don¡¯t want to wait any longer, be my girlfriend now¡±? How would I respond?

    ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t seem to have any needs,¡± Yan Yu mused for a while. ¡°However, Lin Ning in the team is usually paired with me for sword practice, and she¡¯s probably getting used to my style. Could you take my place and spar with her for a while?¡±

    Li Minghu laughed in disbelief and responded:

    ¡°Sure, but sword practice is beneficial for both parties, so it can¡¯t count as repaying a favor.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s consider it a standing debt for now, and we¡¯ll talk about it next time,¡± Yan Yu said.

    Considering his earlier speculation about her increased fondness for him, if he were to confess to her now, there might really be a chance for success.

    But Yan Yu actually had no intention of pursuing the Valkyrie; his goal from the start was to prevent her from meeting the tragic fate of sacrificing herself in her past life. Saving someone to be thanked as a good person was one thing, but it made no sense to then put himself on the line.

    Even the so-called ¡°a romance before death¡± was really about going back to stop her from dying.

    Pursuing her was an impossibility, impossible in this lifetime.

    Of course, if the Valkyrie were to be moved and offer herself willingly, that¡¯s a different story to negotiate separately¡­

    Thinking this way, Yan Yu suddenly noticed that they had arrived at their destination below and brought down the flying sword with Li Minghu.

    No sooner had they landed than they saw Lin Ning standing at the villa entrance, clearly displeased, metal spatula in hand.

    ¡°It¡¯s almost past mealtime, where have you been?¡± She glanced at Li Minghu, then fixed her eyes on Yan Yu with a somewhat dangerous tone, akin to a wife who caught her husband with a mistress.

    Just as Yan Yu was about to explain, he suddenly felt a heavy aura emanating from Lin Ning, almost suffocating him just by its approach.

    You know this trick too?

 Chapter 295: 92 Lin Ning is not easy to deal with

    Chapter 295: Chapter 92 Lin Ning is not easy to deal with

    Lin Ning, despite her expressionless face, held the metal spatula as if it were the Tai¡¯a Sword, giving off a ¡°explain yourself or I¡¯ll whack your head¡± vibe.

    Yan Yu was thinking about how to brush off the issue when Li Minghu spoke up with a laugh:

    ¡°Yan was just outside discussing something with me.¡±

    She had seen Yan Yu affected by the Gravity Field Spell, temporarily a bit slow to react, so she took the initiative to defuse the situation.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Lin Ning drew out the tone, like a cat hissing aggressively, her demeanor turning unfriendly, ¡°What¡¯s so secretive that you can¡¯t discuss it here, needing to go outside with Vice Captain Li for a private conversation?¡±

    ¡°Quite simple.¡± Li Minghu was still smiling, ¡°Because he didn¡¯t want you to know.¡±

    Lin Ning: ?

    Fury doubled! Gravity doubled! Murderous intent doubled! Stinky captain, if you don¡¯t explain yourself right now, I¡¯m going to smack you with this spatula¡­

    ¡°Can I say it?¡± Li Minghu turned and asked.

    ¡°Sigh, go ahead.¡± Yan Yu, though unsure of what she intended to say, chose to trust her and played along with a helpless sigh.

    ¡°He asked me to accompany you in your sword practice,¡± Li Minghu said earnestly.

    Lin Ning, who was already shaping a Sword technique to lift the spatula and strike Yan Yu on the head, paused in surprise:

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Yan Yu was quick to explain, ¡°Usually, it¡¯s me who spars with you all, and you¡¯ve adapted to my style, mainly focusing on defense and counterattacks. This could easily lead to rigid thinking¡­ I figured it would be better to have different people to practice against, exposing you all to various types of opponents.¡±

    ¡°Um, yeah¡­¡± Hearing that the captain had arranged this privately with Vice Captain Li for the team¡¯s benefit, Lin Ning¡¯s righteous indignation diminished a bit.

    But considering herself not easily fooled, she continued to press and ask:

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why ask in private?¡±

    ¡°Because I might not have agreed,¡± Li Minghu replied with a smile, ¡°If he had asked in front of everyone and I declined, it would have been awkward. But by asking in private, even if I didn¡¯t agree, it could simply have been as if he never asked.¡±

    ¡°Er, yeah, um¡­¡± Lin Ning reflexively sought something more to challenge, but couldn¡¯t think of any doubts, only managing to mutter, ¡°Did you agree then?¡± S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Li Minghu said seriously, ¡°I¡¯m also a manager of the team. I can definitely empathize with Yan¡¯s good intentions for you all.¡±

    Lin Ning was left without a response, her spatula now hidden behind her.

    Yan Yu went out of his way for the team, asking Vice Captain Li for help, and there I was, brandishing a spatula to hassle him; I really am¡­

    ¡°Um,¡± she looked at Yan Yu again, speaking awkwardly, ¡°I made some Lingnan-style snacks. Would you like to come and try?¡±

    ¡°Sampling the snacks is fine,¡± said Yan Yu cheerfully, ¡°But first let me ask: were you looking for me to settle a score just now?¡±

    ¡°Er.¡± Lin Ning was taken aback.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll head in first,¡± said Li Minghu, noting that Lin Ning was utterly defeated, and excusing herself with a parting word before heading into the villa.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t looking to settle any score,¡± Lin Ning scrambled for an excuse during the few seconds of her departure, ¡°I was just worried about you. After all, you disappeared suddenly, and nobody answered your phone¡­¡±

    ¡°Then why are you holding a spatula?¡± Yan Yu asked again.

    ¡°Ah, the spatula.¡± Lin Ning hid the spatula with force, ¡°I was looking for you everywhere after cooking, couldn¡¯t find you, so I just waited at the door, forgetting to put it back.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Yan Yu asked with a smile, ¡°Not to hit me with it?¡±

    ¡°Ahahaha, of course not.¡± Lin Ning strained to produce a pure and innocent smile, feeling incredibly embarrassed inside, quickly reaching out her left hand to tug on Yan Yu¡¯s sleeve, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s drop it, I won¡¯t do this again, you should hurry up and try the shrimp dumplings I made, all with live shrimp, I almost exhausted myself peeling them¡­¡±

    She led Yan Yu into the villa, towards the kitchen.

    And then let out a bloodcurdling roar.

    On the dining table in the kitchen, two-thirds of the variety of Lingnan-style snacks she and the aunt had made were already devoured by Zhao Yuanzhen¡­ who was gnawing on a tender chicken foot, turned her head upon hearing the scream, with a clear and puzzled look in her eyes.

    ¡°Ah, ah, ah¡­¡± Lin Ning wanted to say something but seemed to have lost the ability to speak; her eyes also lost their usual sparkle.

    I went to great lengths to make that¡­ And my shrimp dumplings, Yan Yu hasn¡¯t even tried them yet, how did they turn into empty plates¡­

    Without a word, Yan Yu stepped forward and executed the Annihilating Grip, grabbing the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s fair neck and revealing an extremely gentle yet sinister smile:

    ¡°You should wait for everyone before eating¡­ Don¡¯t you know manners?¡±

    ¡°Ooh¡ª¡± Zhao Yuanzhen felt guilty and tried to explain, ¡°I was just passing by and saw some snacks here, wanted to try a bit, and before I knew it, all the plates were empty. I really don¡¯t know what happened¡­¡±

    Yan Yu laughed infuriatingly:

    ¡°Are you going to say you were brain-controlled?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, exactly!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen hastily replied, ¡°I must have been possessed by a demon! I didn¡¯t mean to eat that much!¡±

    ¡°Then I would also have been possessed by a demon!¡± Yan Yu sneered coldly, ¡°Take the family punishment!!!¡±

    If Xie Ruoxi had been there, she would certainly have been beaten to a pulp by Yan Yu, but the Demonic Sect Enchantress was no kind-hearted creature. If you intend to use force to humiliate me, I will certainly respond with violence!

    The two quickly grappled with each other, and just as quickly, a winner emerged.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was beaten so badly she was left searching for her teeth on the ground.

    She lay on the floor defeated, her face filled with disbelief:

    Why! Damn it! I refuse to accept this!

    Yan Yu got up from her body, dusting himself off with satisfaction.

    In a life-and-death struggle, no holds barred, this enchantress might have an advantage; but in a pure physical fight, how could she possibly be my match? Has she ever practiced any martial arts? Hilarious.

    However, Zhao Yuanzhen on the ground hadn¡¯t realized all this, merely biting her lip tightly, harboring resentment:

    I¡¯ll remember this grudge! When the day comes for me to turn the tables, I¡¯ll repay this humiliation tenfold!

    With this in mind, a scene of a wedding night appeared in her head. She imagined herself straddling a motionless thief, slapping him fiercely left and right! Smack smack smack smack! Hitting him until his face throbbed!

    ¡°Are you going to submit?¡± Smack smack smack.

    ¡°I submit, I submit! Mercy, my lady!¡± Smack smack smack.

    ¡°Mercy? Had you been tough, I might have respected you as a man and enjoyed a good fight; but now you beg like a dog, I¡¯m less inclined to spare you!¡±

    With that, she began to hit even harder! Smack smack smack smack smack!

    Zhao Yuanzhen thought about this, and gradually satisfaction crept in, the rage from being humiliated temporarily subsided.

    Lin Ning was originally a bit displeased and resentful, but seeing Sister Zhao get a thorough lesson from the captain, with a strange smile on her face, her anger dissipated greatly. She went over to help her up, persuading:

    ¡°Let it go, Captain, Sister Zhao probably didn¡¯t mean it¡­¡±

    ¡°Have her make you a new batch,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, tossing the remark and then leaving the kitchen.

    ¡°Sister Zhao,¡± Lin Ning asked cautiously, ¡°are you all right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen exited her mental theater, tidying up her disheveled clothes and hair, and said embarrassedly, ¡°Sorry, Ningning, I¡¯ll make another batch for you.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Lin Ning then rolled up her sleeves and said, ¡°There should still be some shrimp in the oxygenated water tank over there. Fetch me eight, snip the heads, peel them and hand them to me.¡±

    ¡°All right.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen began to work.

    They say every foodie has a heart for cooking, and the Demonic Sect Enchantress was no exception. Choosing shrimp, snipping heads, peeling shells, deveining¡ªLin Ning taught her once and she got the hang of it immediately, her movements swift and proficient.

    After preparing a live shrimp, Zhao Yuanzhen pinched the crystal-clear shrimp flesh with her fingers, admiring its texture through the light.

    So pretty, might be tasty too¡­ Right, raw shrimp is edible, isn¡¯t it? Isn¡¯t there a dish called sashimi?

    Lin Ning had just got the pastry ready and turned her head when she suddenly screamed:

    ¡°Sister Zhao, no! You can¡¯t eat that! It¡¯s dirty, you can¡¯t eat it!¡±

 Chapter 296: 93 Yun Jin is Hard to Brush Off

    Chapter 296: Chapter 93 Yun Jin is Hard to Brush Off

    Yan Yu arrived in the living room and saw the men enthusiastically yelling and cheering as they played FIFA.

    The leader was still Li Zhaojiang, who was furiously pressing buttons on the controller, his body leaning forward with the movements of the game character, as if trying to awaken some hidden motion sensor in the TV.

    Yan Yu was somewhat speechless. When I left, everyone was gaming, and now both your sister and I have met the parents. It¡¯s been so long that even Lin Ning has started to sense that something is off¡ªyet here you are, still gaming!

    Forget it, I¡¯ll say no more. I was young once, too; I understand.

    In his previous life, Yan Yu indeed spent some time gaming during his university days and early years of work.

    But later, when he became an ordinary cultivator, those games of fighting and killing lost all their thrill for him¡ªit all seemed so fake.

    In the end, games are just a simplified sandbox, created for those who lack excitement in reality.

    Even for these men of the Qing¡¯an team, once they have spent a few years on real battlefields and witnessed the horrors of war, I doubt they would find any interest in games anymore.

    Yan Yu did not disturb them; he silently walked around the couch and turned to look for the girls.

    Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin were chatting leisurely in the backyard. Yan Yu approached with a smile and said,

    ¡°I have good news for you: I¡¯ve asked Deputy Team Leader Li to train with us for a limited time event. Do you have any questions?¡±

    ¡°Training partner?¡± Chen Lingyun feigned curiosity, ¡°Is she going to fight you with us, or are we going to fight you and her?¡±

    ¡°Of course, Deputy Team Leader Li and I will be playing against you. What were you thinking?¡± Yan Yu said with a friendly smile. ¡°Challenging different opponents is a precious training opportunity, you should cherish it.¡±

    Su Yunjin was immediately speechless: So what, you alone beating all of us isn¡¯t enough, you need to bring in Deputy Team Leader Li as well?

    Chen Lingyun smiled broadly and suddenly gave her a wink, saying,

    ¡°By the way, where did you go earlier? Lin Ning seemed quite anxious looking for you.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Su Yunjin¡¯s expression also changed, revealing a heavy smile that mysteriously weighed down the atmosphere. ¡°Where had the team leader gone earlier? Why couldn¡¯t we reach you by phone?¡±

    Yan Yu: ?

    I¡¯ve already dealt with these questions, haven¡¯t I? Why do I have to face them again?!

    ¡°Of course, I went to find Deputy Team Leader Li.¡± He decided to use the same excuse again.

    ¡°I¡¯m off then~¡± Chen Lingyun completed her instigation and quietly stood up, so as not to prevent Su Yunjin from fully unleashing her gravity spells in the presence of a ¡°third person¡±.

    ¡°I know the team leader went to find Deputy Team Leader Li.¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile, ¡°because apart from the team leader, only Deputy Team Leader Li wasn¡¯t at the villa, but what exactly was it for?¡±

    ¡°For what I just mentioned, discussing whether she could train with you all.¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Why did it have to be discussed for so long outside?¡± Su Yunjin asked.

    ¡°Because discussing it in front of you all might make her too embarrassed to refuse.¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°You could have used a whispering spell.¡± Su Yunjin said.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    Indeed, she¡¯s on a whole different level compared to Sister Lin.

    ¡°Is Yun Jin really concerned about me going to find Deputy Team Leader Li?¡± Yan Yu asked as he sat down beside her.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Su Yunjin admitted without hesitation.

    ¡°Why is that?¡± Yan Yu pressed forward, hoping to make her retreat out of embarrassment.

    ¡°Does the team leader really not know why?¡± Su Yunjin asked with a smile.

    ¡°I really don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m jealous.¡± Su Yunjin said unflinchingly.

    Yan Yu fell silent.

    Such strong fighting spirit! If I¡¯m not careful and keep pressing, she¡¯ll say ¡°I¡¯m jealous because I like you,¡± ¡°Would you like to be my boyfriend?¡±, and then I¡¯d respond ¡°You think you¡¯re worthy?¡±, which would lead to Su Yunjin¡¯s heartbreak as she runs away crying, followed by a resignation letter the next day, and everyone from Qi Changping to Li Weiguo would be shocked and come asking why¡­

    Okay, let¡¯s stop there. To continue would be impolite.

    ¡°I just went for a visit at her place.¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Su Yunjin fell silent for a moment, ¡°Meeting the parents?¡±

    ¡°Last time during the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm, her parents saw us on the live broadcast,¡± Yan Yu calmly explained, ¡°I went to her house and explained it to her parents.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s quite strange, isn¡¯t it?¡± Su Yunjin pondered, ¡°Her parents have a misunderstanding, what does it have to do with you? Shouldn¡¯t she clear it up herself?¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡± Yan Yu stopped talking.

    Su Yunjin looked at Yan Yu. Her keen literary girl¡¯s instinct immediately made her realize that the captain must be feeling guilty, which was why he¡¯d been taking extra care of her over the Li Minghu incident, showing all sorts of consideration.

    This was problematic because a man¡¯s guilt often becomes his vulnerability, allowing other women to take advantage¡­ Moreover, the more you make a fuss, the more careful and accommodating the other side becomes, tipping the scales of the man¡¯s heart even more in their favor.

    The correct and high-level response should be: to choose to forgive and tolerate, similarly awakening and harnessing his sense of guilt, thereby unobtrusively gaining the upper hand.

    She sighed softly to herself, forcibly suppressing the urge to get angry, and gently said:

    ¡°Forget it, Vice-Captain Li must also have his difficulties. It¡¯s fine as long as the captain goes and explains things clearly.¡±

    Yan Yu was greatly surprised by her words. He had been mentally prepared to be hit on the head by one gravity ¡°spell¡± after another, but he hadn¡¯t expected Su Yunjin to be so understanding¡­ No, wait, Secretary Su wasn¡¯t someone to be easily dealt with, not with her past character! She wasn¡¯t like Sister Lin, who took everything at face value, believing whatever you said and even actively embellishing tales on your behalf.

    Well, the only explanation must be that Secretary Su¡¯s affection for me has reached its peak, even starting to warp her own reason. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Gosh, her love for me is overflowing, she¡¯s at the point where I can manipulate her as I please!

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right,¡± nodded Yan Yu while adopting an imposing and impatient demeanor, ¡°You should stay out of the captain¡¯s affairs. Remember, women who like to be jealous are not lovable.¡±

    Su Yunjin: ???

    She finally snapped out of it, her eyes went wide, her face immediately coated with frost, and she sneered:

    ¡°The captain¡¯s affairs, am I not allowed to manage them?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±

    ¡°But last time the captain said he wanted me to be the secretary, to take charge of everything.¡±

    ¡°Did I?¡±

    ¡°If the captain doesn¡¯t want me to manage matters, then I¡¯ll resign from this position,¡± said Su Yunjin as she stood up, speaking coldly, ¡°From now on, for all team affairs, whether it¡¯s form registration or written duty reports or any such procedures, please have the captain find someone more capable to do it.¡±

    Yan Yu was suddenly wide awake, thinking, what, there are such matters too?

    Form registration for claiming supplies, written reports after the conclusion of the secret realm, and various other procedures, of course, all existed and needed to be done.

    Yan Yu had never been fond of these worldly tasks. Since the inception of the team, he had dumped all of it on Lin Ning (which also had Lin Ning running to the school administration building to find Qi Changping every other day), and later he turned it over to Su Yunjin.

    Now that Su Yunjin was about to bail, how could he allow that? He hurriedly grabbed her hand to stop her from leaving on the spot, merely smiling gently as he said:

    ¡°Hold on, Su Yunjin, I spoke out of turn. You are the housekeeper of our team, my personal secretary! There¡¯s no way you can just give up managing without saying so, is there?¡±

    Su Yunjin felt his grasp on her slender hand, first a shy delight in her heart, then remaining anger wanting to overwhelm the joyous feelings, then being overwhelmed by failure, her heart already completely swamped by sweetness, but she feigned a cold exterior as she asked:

    ¡°So I do have the right to manage?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, of course.¡±

    ¡°So about the captain going to see Vice-Captain Li, can I also inquire about that?¡±

    ¡°Of course you can, what¡¯s there for us to hide from each other?¡±

    Su Yunjin finally calmed down completely and sat back down beside Yan Yu, asking:

    ¡°So how does the captain see Vice-Captain Li?¡±

    ¡°Uh, she is quite strong,¡± Yan Yu intended to make a fair and comprehensive critique of Valkyrie¡¯s overall strength, but Su Yunjin interrupted him without hesitation:

    ¡°I mean, as a woman, what does the captain think of her?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t really thought about it,¡± said Yan Yu, ¡°We are just friends.¡±

    Of course, what she thinks inside, I don¡¯t know and can¡¯t control.

    ¡°Alright then.¡± Seeing that he frankly admitted to ¡°just being friends,¡± and after carefully comparing it with her memory without finding any contradictions, Su Yunjin temporarily put her mind at ease.

 Chapter 297: 94 Whose Side Are You On, Sister?

    Chapter 297: Chapter 94 Whose Side Are You On, Sister?

    To say that Su Yunjin¡¯s suspicions had completely dissipated would not be entirely true.

    But the greatest evidence before her was that Yan Yu indeed was a forthright man who disdained lying. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    If he had really fallen for Li Minghu, would he need to lie to the pitiable and lowly Secretary Su?

    There was no need.

    All he needed was to deliver an overbearing and indifferent ¡°You¡¯re not worthy! She is,¡± and Su Yunjin would have been shattered to pieces in the abyss of heartbreak¡ªbut he didn¡¯t.

    From this perspective, the likelihood of Yan Yu¡¯s statement, ¡°She and I are just ordinary friends,¡± being a lie was indeed slim, because there was simply no motive for him to lie.

    Of course, just because she wasn¡¯t suspecting now didn¡¯t mean she would never doubt again in the future.

    I will continue to confirm it with my own eyes!

    After Yan Yu and Su Yunjin left the backyard and returned to the living room, they saw that everyone had stopped playing games and were instead gathered around the television watching a match.

    It was neither-football nor basketball, nor was it esports, but a Cultivator versus match for the Mysterious Realm.

    Today, the cultivator students from the four major martial arts colleges of the southeast, southwest, northeast, and northwest had essentially completed their formation into teams, totaling 76 teams.

    With so many teams battling each other, just setting up the match schedules was a significant effort, hence it was no longer feasible, as it was at the beginning, for the Privy Council to decide match-ups on a whim.

    The higher-ups had recently started working on establishing the ¡°Cultivator Athletic League.¡± They intended to emulate Miti¡¯s mature commercial sports system, keeping defense to defense and athletic competition to athletic competition¡ªdividing the 76 teams into three Levels: A, B, and C. With 8 spots in Level A, 24 in Level B, and an unlimited number in Level C. The slots were fixed, with promotion for the superior and elimination for the inferior.

    Similarly, the Mysterious Realms were also categorized into three Levels according to their difficulty: Level A, Level B, and Level C.

    As such, a broad framework was established for which team would tackle which Mysterious Realm and which teams would engage in mock combats with one another.

    Of course, which team belonged to which level had not yet been definitively determined, but by now almost everyone had heard the rumors. Aside from the four leading teams¡ªZhenghai, Dragon Cavalry, Huofeng, Qing¡¯an¡ªthe levels of the other teams were to be decided based on the results of recent matches, which is why every team was going all out in the versus games, showing off their might.

    The match currently being broadcasted on the television was between the Dingbei Army¡¯s Flying Dragon Battle Team and the Zhendong Army¡¯s Golden Wing Battle Team.

    ¡°Flying Dragon Battle Team has won,¡± Yan Yu commented, glancing at the screen as soon as he entered the living room, quickly reaching a conclusion, ¡°Their opponent¡¯s formation is completely scattered.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not certain,¡± Li Zhaojiang had a differing opinion and retorted, ¡°Old Yan, look carefully, the Golden Wing Battle Team has a configuration of five Sword Immortals.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Yan Yu expressed surprise.

    As everyone knows, if one were to ask who had the strongest ability to fight alone, it would unquestionably be the Sword Immortal.

    With high mobility, strong offensive power, and a wide range, they don¡¯t need to beat around the bush¡ªa controlled Flying Sword is all about action. Even if they lose team coordination and support, their combat strength won¡¯t be too severely limited¡ªthe commentators on the scene were explaining this to the viewers, essentially saying, ¡°The victory is still undecided; there¡¯s more game to be played.¡±

    Since even the commentators held that belief, Yan Yu, who had originally lost interest in the match, now gave it a few more seconds of his time.

    ¡°It¡¯s apparent the captain of the Golden Wing has some ideas,¡± he commented again, ¡°But it¡¯s no use, they¡¯ll still lose.¡±

    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Li Minghu asked casually, walking over from the dining area with a tea cup in hand.

    ¡°They can¡¯t contain Cai Qianlong,¡± said Yan Yu, ¡°Young Cai¡¯s tactical awareness has improved quite a bit.¡±

    Li Minghu turned his gaze to the television screen and took a sip of his tea.

    Indeed.

    During the last battle in the Changping Secret Realm, which was also the first nationally televised Cultivator versus match, the Flying Dragon Battle Team was utterly defeated by the Zhenhai Team. The reason being that the captain, Cai Qianlong, failed to adequately protect the vice-captain, Shen Rui, leading to their command system being disrupted by the Zhenhai Team right from the start.

    After the event, at the press conference, Cai Qianlong openly admitted his fault, and the result was naturally a barrage of criticism from the media.

    Many internet users from the North who originally supported the Flying Dragon Battle Team blamed him for the defeat after the fact. Some even wrote letters to the Dingbei Army, suggesting that the Flying Dragon Battle Team should get a new team leader. For a while, almost the entire internet was against Cai Qianlong.

    Looking back at the match, the formation of the Golden Wing Battle Team had been thoroughly shredded, and the credit went to the vice-captain in charge of commanding, Shen Rui.

    The opposition naturally tried everything they could to take down Shen Rui, but while Cai Qianlong was dueling with the Golden Wing Battle Team¡¯s captain Jin Yupeng in swordsmanship, he still had the spare capacity to deflect several attacks aimed at vice-captain Shen Rui using Sword Control. It was evident that this man was not only uninfluenced by the detractors but had indeed learned a profound lesson from the previous defeat.

    ¡°Jin Yupeng didn¡¯t put enough frontal pressure on Cai Qianlong,¡± Li Minghu also concluded.

    ¡°It¡¯s not about the lack of pressure, he got deceived,¡± Yan Yu, however, saw through it with a discerning eye and chuckled, ¡°Haven¡¯t you noticed? Little Cai is now more cunning.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Li Minghu took a closer look and indeed discovered some clues.

    In terms of swordsmanship level alone, Jin Yupeng was only slightly weaker than Cai Qianlong, but not by much; if it came to a one-on-one duel, the match could have been hard to call.

    However, the match performance told a completely different story. Cai Qianlong¡¯s defense was on the brink of collapse, not only being thrown into disarray by Jin Yupeng but also executing his sword techniques in a chaotic manner, with the entire fight fraught with danger.

    However, it might have been precisely because Cai Qianlong showed weakness that Jin Yupeng believed the other party was affected by negative public opinion and was performing abnormally. As a result, Jin Yupeng had a confident look on his face, not only failing to intensify his offensive to pressure the opponent but also using petty and irritating tactics from time to time to play with and provoke the opponent, showing an arrogant demeanor of ¡°a strong person should humiliate the weaker ones.¡±

    This guy was overconfident.

    ¡°I see,¡± Li Minghu had an epiphany, ¡°In that case, the Golden Wing Battle Team indeed has no chance.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean he got deceived?¡± Li Zhaojiang was confused and interrupted to ask.

    Seeing his sister and Yan Yu talking back and forth, even without a detailed explanation, they had arrived at the same conclusion¡ªWhy can¡¯t I see it?

    ¡°Jiang, your ability to read the game still needs improvement,¡± Li Minghu said with a smile, not offering an explanation.

    Sure enough, as the Golden Wing Battle Team had one player eliminated first and rushed out by the medical team, the Flying Dragon Battle Team finally began to unleash their fury.

    Under Shen Rui¡¯s command, two players took advantage of the numerical superiority and managed to send another opponent off in less than half a minute, turning the situation into a 5 versus 3.

    The Golden Wing Battle Team also realized something was off, as the gap in overall strength widened too quickly. They could only desperately attack, hoping to take down an opponent and even the disadvantage.

    Jin Yupeng hastily brought out his full strength, and the sword light of his Sword Control flying slash surged, attempting to crush the opponent directly.

    But Cai Qianlong¡¯s sword light also surged, promptly suppressing the opponent¡¯s offensive once again.

    Previously, Cai Qianlong was worried that Jin Yupeng would limit his ability to coordinate with his teammates, so he had to pretend to be performing poorly to show weakness. But now, the situation had completely reversed, and it was his turn to fully contain the opponent from aiding his teammates.

    Cai Qianlong had Jin Yupeng so preoccupied that Shen Rui comfortably commanded the other three teammates. With a 4 on 2 advantage, they slowly took care of the two opponents and then joined Cai Qianlong to gang up on Jin Yupeng.

    The commentator guests were stunned for a while, and now they began to find excuses, claiming that the Golden Wing Battle Team had made a blunder, losing two people in an instant, and that the match was no longer contestable with the outcome already decided.

    ¡°See that?¡± Yan Yu chuckled to Li Zhaojiang, ¡°If the Golden Wing Battle Team hadn¡¯t been configured with five Sword Immortals, and had an Assistant Officer or Envoy to contain the opponent, even with the loss of one person, there would still be a chance to fight back. But the methods of Sword Immortals lack versatility; strong is strong, weak is weak, overcoming the strong when weak is too difficult for Sword Immortals.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, you¡¯re right,¡± Li Zhaojiang, facing the result of the match, didn¡¯t have the nerve to argue otherwise and could only noncommittally agree.

    ¡°It¡¯s not just about admitting you¡¯re wrong,¡± Li Minghu added sarcastically, smiling, ¡°You also have to take note of what Yan said and reflect on it after you go back.¡±

    ¡°Damn, it¡¯s not me who lost!¡± Li Zhaojiang felt wronged and nearly in tears, ¡°Sis, whose side are you really on?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m on the side of victory,¡± Li Minghu said with a slight smile.

 Chapter 298: 95: The Goals We Set in Those Years

    Chapter 298: Chapter 95: The Goals We Set in Those Years

    Li Zhaojiang stood dumbfounded, while Su Yunjin watched with a cold eye.

    Although the captain didn¡¯t show any abnormalities, Li Minghu¡¯s attitude was really too strange, almost as if he had eyes only for the captain.

    Of course, perhaps this was another way to curry favor¡­ Hmph.

    ¡°The snacks are ready,¡± Lin Ning came over and said, ¡°Would you like to come and try some?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Yan Yu rose to his feet and said, ¡°It¡¯s rare for us all to get together, so let¡¯s all show some respect to our team¡¯s Lin Ning, huh.¡±

    ¡°Oh my, how embarrassing~¡± Though Li Zhaojiang was still making polite remarks, he moved faster than anyone else and in an instant, he was by the dining table, looking at the variety of dishes, ready to reach out and take one, saying, ¡°You¡¯ve made so much, let me try one first¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah Jiang!¡± Li Minghu felt somewhat embarrassed and went over to grab his arm, preventing him from snatching some food first.

    Lin Ning went upstairs to call Chen Lingyun and Xie Ruoxi down, and then everyone sat down at the dining table and began to enjoy the snacks. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Zhao Yuanzhen used a spoon in her left hand, chopsticks in her right, shuttling food back and forth non-stop; Xie Ruoxi, though only using one hand, was also quick with her chopsticks, her cheeks puffing up as she chewed relentlessly.

    Seeing these two beautiful girls eating so heartily made the men of the Flying Dragon Battle Team drop their reserve and shyness and started eating and drinking heartily as well.

    Lin Ning, having just finished cooking, didn¡¯t have much of an appetite, and like Chen Lingyun, took a small cake and slowly ate it with a little spoon, when suddenly she heard Su Yunjin sending her a mental message:

    ¡°Ningning, what do you think of Li Minghu?¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Lin Ning swallowed the food in her mouth and replied telepathically, ¡°He seems nice, and he even promised the captain to help train us¡­ What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I think she has feelings for the captain,¡± Su Yunjin mused for a moment and suddenly said.

    Find an ally.

    ¡°¡­Ah?¡± This time Lin Ning took noticeably longer to respond, ¡°Yun Jin, how can you tell?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really have any concrete evidence,¡± Su Yunjin chose her words carefully, ¡°It¡¯s just a feeling.¡±

    Her words seemed a bit mysterious. Informing on someone out of strategy always carried risks. No matter what evidence she presented, Lin Ning would inevitably wonder, ¡°While you¡¯re observing her, could you also be watching me?¡± Thus, Su Yunjin could only say it was a ¡°feeling,¡± suggesting you can believe it or not, I¡¯m just mentioning it casually.

    If Lin Ning had nothing to hide, faced with Su Yunjin¡¯s ¡°just intuition,¡± she would certainly just laugh it off.

    But Su Yunjin¡¯s assumption about Sister Lin was spot on; after hearing it, she quickly became restless, and without thinking, she anxiously asked,

    ¡°What should we do then? If the captain really falls for her, then¡­ then we can¡¯t do anything about it!¡±

    ¡°The captain and her are just ordinary friends for now, and he doesn¡¯t have any feelings for her beyond that,¡± Su Yunjin said calmly.

    Lin Ning breathed a small sigh of relief but still didn¡¯t realize the slight sense of relief in her heart.

    ¡°But we still have to nip the problem in the bud,¡± Su Yunjin continued, ¡°If the captain really gets together with the vice captain, what will become of our team?¡±

    Lin Ning suddenly felt it was strange and asked:

    ¡°What does that have to do with our team?¡±

    ¡°What if there¡¯s a confrontation in the Mysterious Realm?¡± Su Yunjin said, ¡°Between Zhenhai Team and the Flying Dragon Battle Team, what would the captain do?¡±

    ¡°He surely wouldn¡¯t side with the opposition,¡± Lin Ning still failed to understand, ¡°He is our captain, after all.¡±

    ¡°Have you forgotten what happened at the Dragon Soar Mysterious Realm last time?¡± Su Yunjin asked lightly.

    Dragon Soar Mysterious Realm¡­ Oh, right, the captain had defeated Li Minghu last time, but she wasn¡¯t seriously injured, and the captain even invited her to join in capturing flags¡­

    At the time, Lin Ning didn¡¯t think anything of it, but having heard Su Yunjin phrase it that way, she finally came back to her senses, feeling more and more uncomfortable¡ªthe captain¡¯s attitude towards the vice captain did seem off.

    ¡°But there¡¯s nothing we can do about it,¡± she telepathically sighed, ¡°The captain is free to like whoever he wants.¡±

    ¡°Of course we can only wish him well if the captain has already fallen for someone,¡± Su Yunjin had her response prepared, speaking slowly, ¡°But if the captain¡¯s feelings for her haven¡¯t developed yet, if we can keep them apart and reduce their interactions, we can avoid such a situation.¡±

    ¡°Uh,¡± Lin Ning still felt something was wrong, because her view on love was one of destiny, believing that the progression from meeting, getting to know each other, and falling in love should all happen naturally. Hearing Su Yunjin suggesting they interfere with someone else¡¯s destiny naturally felt off, ¡°What I mean is, no matter who the captain likes or wants to develop a relationship with, it¡¯s the captain¡¯s prerogative. If we interfere with his and someone else¡¯s destiny, wouldn¡¯t that be too much?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Su Yunjin said tactfully, ¡°Let me give you an example.¡±

    ¡°Suppose there¡¯s a movie tomorrow night that¡¯s garnered high praises online, and both you and Deputy Team Leader Li want to invite the captain to watch it. Even though you¡¯re aware of Deputy Team Leader Li¡¯s intentions, you still decide to ask the captain first. Is that considered interfering with the fate between him and Deputy Team Leader Li?¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Lin Ning replied without hesitation. ¡°It would be different if they were both interested in each other, but in the example you¡¯ve given, isn¡¯t it just Deputy Team Leader Li who wants to pursue the captain? There¡¯s not even the beginning of a relationship yet, so I don¡¯t need to make way for her in everything¡­ huh?¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile. ¡°The captain also said that for now, he just sees Deputy Team Leader Li as a friend. There¡¯s no red thread of fate between them yet, so whatever we do, it¡¯s not like we¡¯re cutting their thread of fate¡ªbecause it doesn¡¯t exist at all.¡±

    Her sophistry did not entirely convince Lin Ning. After all, the thinking she had honed from years of solving problems quickly led her to the realization, ¡°Although you¡¯re not trying to cut the thread, you¡¯re deliberately trying to stop them from connecting. What¡¯s the difference? Aren¡¯t you still interfering with other people¡¯s feelings?¡±

    However, the thought of Yan Yu and Li Minghu possibly being connected by a red thread of fate¡­ Lin Ning immediately felt an indescribable sense of suffocation and, as if possessed by a demon, sent a telepathic message back:

    ¡°Fine.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± Su Yunjin exclaimed joyfully. ¡°Then it¡¯s settled, Ningning. You can¡¯t tell anyone else, okay?¡±

    Hmph, with Ningning, the easiest to convince on my side, only Ling Yun remains.

    As for Sister Zhao and Ruoxi, their personalities are relatively innocent, so they¡¯re actually not suitable for being involved in such complicated actions¡ªbesides, preventing the captain from being chased away by outsiders is beneficial for them too, so there¡¯s no need to notify them.

    Su Yunjin looked at Chen Lingyun again when suddenly she heard Wang Haoran exclaim in surprise:

    ¡°Holy shit, there¡¯s a fight breaking out in the big chat group!¡±

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Li Zhaojiang asked casually.

    ¡°Cai Qianlong and Jin Yupeng,¡± Wang Haoran said.

    Online chat groups are rife with a mix of characters, and arguments and flaming are commonplace, so there was no need to be surprised.

    But for the two teams who had just finished a Mysterious Realm clash, and their team leaders personally engaging in a verbal fight, now that was truly interesting!

    Everyone was so curious they immediately stopped eating and hurriedly pulled out their phones to check the big group chat.

    The Cultivator big group was originally formed by Qiu Ze without restricting members from inviting others. You invite your classmate, I invite mine, and now there were nearly four hundred people, almost all the college student cultivators in the country were in it.

    With so many people talking at once, the cause of the fight was difficult to trace back by scrolling through the chat, but it seemed that Jin Yupeng was a bit unhappy about losing the match, and Cai Qianlong, who liked to show off, somehow got into a conflict with him and they started calling each other out in the argument.

    Jin Yupeng claimed they lost the match because of bad luck; Cai Qianlong retorted that you don¡¯t even understand why you lost, so you¡¯ll continue to lose next time; Jin Yupeng countered by saying your team lost to our Zhengdong Army¡¯s Zhenhai Team last time, so aren¡¯t you destined to lose again the next time you meet; Cai Qianlong replied at least we can beat you¡­ blah blah blah.

    Soon others joined in the ridicule, saying that the Zhenhai Team was the original progenitor god (referring to the first batch of founded teams), and it was unnecessary to compare them to the younger Flying Dragon Battle Team.

    Then someone asked, both being original progenitors, which was stronger between the Dragon Soar Team and Zhenhai Team? Who was the number one cultivator in Lu Country, Liu Longtao or Yan Yu?

    As more and more rubberneckers began to fan the flames, Yan Yu couldn¡¯t stand by and watch any longer. He turned to Chen Lingyun and said:

    ¡°Tell Qiu Ze to impose a chat restriction.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a slight smile.

    [Chen Lingyun]: @Mighty Peng Spreading Wings, losing is losing, no need to make so many excuses, just take this as a lesson.

    [Mighty Peng Spreading Wings]: Understood.

    Jin Yupeng fell silent, and seeing that Cai Qianlong also stopped since his opponent was playing dead, the atmosphere quickly returned to normal chit-chat.

    Yan Yu: ???

    He watched the chat group settle down and was puzzled. Jin Yupeng was not known for his good temper, otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have fought with Cai Qianlong, but with just one sentence from Chen Lingyun, Jin Yupeng was silenced. Why? Was he bribed by her financial power?

    Noticing the doubtful gaze from Yan Yu, Chen Lingyun smiled slightly and sent a telepathic message:

    ¡°Surprised, are you?¡±

    ¡°What are you up to?¡± Yan Yu asked in return.

    ¡°I¡¯m not up to anything, I¡¯ve told you before,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely. ¡°Remember back when we hadn¡¯t yet graduated from high school¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­we set a goal together.¡±

 Chapter 299: 96 I am the Group Owner

    Chapter 299: Chapter 96 I am the Group Owner

    ¡°`

    In his past life, when Yan Yu was with Chen Lingyun, this despicable woman was already the ¡°Number One Female Cultivator of the Zhendong Army,¡± so Yan Yu wasn¡¯t quite sure how she had achieved that.

    It must have been either by leveraging her first-mover advantage, using her family background, or flaunting her cunning eloquence¡­ Definitely not by winning others over with her true strength, for reasons that go without saying.

    Of course, if Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t take on the role of leader among the cultivators of the Zhendong Army, the cultivators would form into little cliques on their own, which was neither conducive to unity and camaraderie among themselves nor beneficial for those above to integrate and make use of them.

    Especially as time went on, with more and more cultivators joining the battle teams but not enough resources to go around, conflicts between cultivators would intensify rapidly.

    Having Chen Lingyun managing from above was certainly better than allowing them to form cliques and fight indiscriminately.

    But how exactly did Chen Lingyun manage to do that?

    Facing Yan Yu¡¯s puzzled expression, Chen Lingyun offered a faint smile and sent him an invitation to join a group.

    [Chen Lingyun invites you to join the ¡°Zhendong Army Tactical Discussion Group¡±]

    Yan Yu clicked to agree and upon entering, he saw that there were about thirty-odd members. The group owner was Chen Lingyun, and the administrator, [Divine Traverser], was Qiu Ze¡­ Huh?

    If I¡¯m not mistaken, the members of this group should all be the captains and vice-captains of the various battle teams.

    Before he could continue browsing, group members had already started queuing up to chat, with all sorts of flattery like ¡°We worship Yan God,¡± ¡°Yan God, notice me,¡± and ¡°We love you Yan God¡± appearing, causing the messages to scroll up frantically.

    ¡°What are you doing with this group?¡± Yan Yu asked, perplexed.

    ¡°Guidance,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    Although she didn¡¯t elaborate, Yan Yu only took a moment to think it through and understood what she meant.

    Although they were all cultivators in battle teams, not everyone was the same.

    The so-called ¡°First-Generation Creator Gods¡± like the members of the Zhenhai Team, whether it¡¯s the top cultivators from within the country or the formidable Transcendents from abroad, all had extensive combat experience. However, the mainstream group of battle team cultivators consisted of students who had just formed teams. Their number of competition entries ranged from zero to one, and their opponents were also newbies of the same level, so naturally, the experience gained wouldn¡¯t amount to much.

    If nothing unexpected happened, the vast majority of battle teams would be classified as third-rate after the ranking. Then, the only opponents they would face would also be third-rate teams. If it¡¯s a case of the blind leading the blind, how can they improve?

    Join Chen Lingyun¡¯s cultivator group, and buy lessons!

    Thinking about this, Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but admire Chen Lingyun¡¯s keen sense. She had pinpointed the loophole in the current cultivator training system¡­ If I were the captain of a low-tier battle team, I would definitely join this group. Otherwise, everyone else is progressing, and if I¡¯m just marking time, how can that work?

    Yan Yu sent an emoticon as a greeting, and everyone had a laugh and gave some more flattery before starting to discuss today¡¯s match again.

    About the Golden Wing Battle Team¡¯s defeat, there were varied opinions in the group: some said it was because the first two to be taken out had a significant gap in raw strength compared to the opposing Flying Dragon Battle Team, while others pointed to the failure to disrupt the opponent¡¯s command system.

    They all made some sense.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Chen Lingyun asked teasingly from the side, ¡°Yan God, won¡¯t you give me some pointers?¡±

    ¡°What kind of scheme are you devising now¡­ Forget it,¡± Yan Yu started typing.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: None of you have hit the mark. The biggest issue with the Golden Wing Battle Team lies in their team composition of Five Sword Immortals.

    [Great Peng Spreads its Wings]: Yan God, we are the Golden Wing Battle Team¡­

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Sorry, my autocorrect defaulted to that because of the initials. I didn¡¯t look carefully.

    [Begging for Yan God¡¯s Notice]: Is there an issue with the Five Sword Immortals setup? S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: The Sword Immortal is a profession that relies heavily on skill and awareness, but since you¡¯re greenhorns who haven¡¯t fought much in real battles, you can¡¯t bring out the advantages of Sword Immortals. Besides, your team lacks other professions, which limits your tactical flexibility. If you can win, you win; if you can¡¯t, you lose.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Some say the Golden Wing Battle Team lost due to inferior strength; others say they failed to disrupt the opponent¡¯s command system. These aren¡¯t wrong, but they miss the key point. Transcendent combat isn¡¯t about quantifying strength and then comparing numbers. Weaker teams also have the chance to beat stronger teams, but a Five Sword Immortals setup just doesn¡¯t have that chance.

    ¡°`

    [Great Peng Spreading Wings]: Got it, got it, thanks a ton, Yan God! So, how should we tweak our team composition to improve?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You should at least add an Assistant Officer. For your magical items, try to choose those geared towards control or defense. For specific tactical construction, you could refer to Ye Jun, the vice-captain of the Dragon Soar Team. Watch more of their game videos and particularly study how Ye Jun uses the light blossoms from the Xuan Guang Ruler to defend and ensure the team¡¯s safety when others are attacking.

    [Yan God Is My Daddy]: As soon as Yan God speaks, it¡¯s all about the Dragon Soar Team. I¡¯m so insignificant I¡¯m sweating profusely. For our level and status, isn¡¯t it inappropriate to learn from the Dragon Soar Team? The grade of magical items that Ye Jun has access to¡ªwe probably couldn¡¯t even get them if we asked our superiors, right?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: It¡¯s not about the grade of the magical items for an Assistant Officer, but the category and application. A skilled Assistant Officer using lower-grade magical items can contribute much more strategically than a foolish Assistant Officer with high-grade magical items.

    [Growing in the Shadow of Yan God]: Can Yan God talk about the most suitable professional mix for our team?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Everyone has their own understanding. Spellcasters and Sword Immortals are more offense-oriented; Assistant Officers and Envoys are more supportive. You need at least two for offense and at least one for support. The exact ratio can vary depending on the situation.

    [Do You Need a Steed, Yan God? I¡¯m a Prime Ox-Horse]: Too much offense narrows the range of tactical options; too little, and you lose out on direct confrontation power. Prioritizing surprise or standard tactics, a combination of both is indispensable¡ªis that what you mean?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You could see it that way, but it always depends on the specifics¡­ what¡¯s with all these bizarre group nicknames?

    The chat group erupted into a flurry of chatter, and Yan Yu noticed Qiu Ze had sent him a private message.

    [Thousand-Mile Sprint]: /wipes sweat. It¡¯s actually not so bad, the group used to be filled with a bunch of sycophants, all desperately fawning over Chen, saying things like ¡°I¡¯m Chen¡¯s dog¡± and ¡°Chen, pat my doggy head,¡± which was just disgusting. Now, this is just their normal operations.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: ¡­Can I still leave the group?

    [Thousand-Mile Sprint]: There¡¯s no need for Yan Captain to leave. Just block and blacklist those you don¡¯t like.

    Yan Yu put away his phone and asked Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°So, this was your idea? To create a chat group to win over these battle teams?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not exactly about winning them over,¡± Chen Lingyun looked up, her finger gently supporting her chin, pondering as she said, ¡°I think a more accurate term would be: training dogs.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­..

    ¡°Hey, check this out.¡± Chen Lingyun handed her phone to him with an incredibly sweet smile, ¡°Their shameless bootlicking, doesn¡¯t it remind you of tail-wagging dogs?¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough,¡± he said, massaging his forehead with resignation, ¡°Don¡¯t be too harsh.¡±

    The whole thing was actually quite disheartening. The cultivator training system in Lu Country, while not as extremely biased towards the elite as the Yin Yang Bureau, was far from fair and just.

    From the start, the most talented cultivators were chosen as the first generation of battle team cultivators, enjoying all kinds of resources and benefits that widened the gap in strength to a point unreachable for latecomers.

    For those who came after, if they wanted to improve under the current system without access to more resources, of course, they would end up fawning over the established big shots¡­ but there was no need to compare them to dogs, right?

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll rephrase,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°It¡¯s really just a matter of mutual needs.¡±

    ¡°They need us for guidance and criticism in the group, offering precious intel and information; and we need them to take a stand, or rather, to be inclined to stand with us at crucial moments in the future.¡±

    ¡°With that time, it would be better to focus on improving your own strength,¡± Yan Yu sighed deeply, knowing that his comment would likely go unheeded.

    ¡°It won¡¯t waste much time,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Here, let me make you an admin.¡±

    ¡°What admin, give me the group owner!¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Trying to seize power?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just that you don¡¯t deserve it.¡±

    ¡°Haha, that won¡¯t do,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a grin, ¡°I¡¯m the group owner.¡±

 Chapter 300: 97: Breaking Up This Pair of Teachers

    Chapter 300: Chapter 97: Breaking Up This Pair of Teachers

    The quarrel in the group of cultivators was undoubtedly just a minor incident for the two combat teams.

    After all, they were top-tier battle teams capable of leaving the border to fight for the country; such petty domestic squabbles¡ªwho won, who lost, who held the primary responsibility¡ªreally couldn¡¯t arouse much interest.

    After dinner, the men went out to play basketball for digestion, while Yan Yu took everyone to the basement to let Li Minghu assess the girls¡¯ proficiency in Sword Control Technique.

    The test results showed that the highest level of swordsmanship was found in Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen, while the other three were mediocre, each just about the same¡ªChen Lingyun and Su Yunjin were simply not quick enough in their reactions, and Xie Ruoxi had purely practiced too little.

    However, even this was quite a bit stronger when compared to the overall grasp of Sword Control Technique among university cultivators.

    ¡°This level of skill should be sufficient for everyday use,¡± Li Minghu said with a smile, ¡°Two are magic cultivators, and one is an Envoy; the core of their combat style is Taoism Method and commanding spirits, not mainly focused on Sword Control Technique. Being able to defend themselves is good enough.¡±

    ¡°The problem is even for self-defense, their current skill level is not enough,¡± Yan Yu stated.

    ¡°Not enough?¡± Li Minghu asked in surprise, ¡°Even internationally, unless they are facing powerhouses like Liu Longtao one-on-one, they generally wouldn¡¯t be at risk.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m considering the situation where they have to face strong opponents head-on, they need to be able to survive reliably for a sufficient amount of time,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    Li Minghu: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Uh.¡± Even though her mind was filled with question marks, she still confirmed by asking, ¡°Yan Yu, you should know that even among the current domestic battle team cultivators, most of those who specialize in Sword Control as Sword Immortals can¡¯t last more than a few minutes against Liu Longtao, right?¡±

    ¡°You plan to train these few members of your team, who are not Sword Immortals, to withstand the full-on attack of top Sword Immortals using Sword Control Technique?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Yan Yu answered unequivocally, ¡°What do you think our chances are?¡±

    Li Minghu: ¡­¡­¡­

    No chance at all, you should find someone more capable.

    Among the current four major cultivator professions, Sword Immortal is the most popular and most chosen profession, as seen with teams like Golden Wing Battle Team that have all five Sword Immortals, highlighting the desirability of this profession.

    One could even exaggerate by saying that those cultivators who do not choose the Sword Immortal profession do so not because they are more suited to other professions, but because they do not meet the requirements of becoming a Sword Immortal.

    Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin both had very ordinary reaction speeds and adaptability; Xie Ruoxi¡¯s psychological quality could not withstand pressure, panicking at the first sign of danger, with nearly zero tolerance for stress. None of these three girls had the makings of a Sword Immortal; it¡¯s like a student who gets a headache from math problems is now expected to learn science and reach a level to compete with top science students¡ªhow is that possible?

    Even if you spent vast amounts of effort and time to reach that level, what good would it do? Forcing a liberal arts student to study science, or a cultivator of a different profession to specialize in Sword Control Technique¡ªwouldn¡¯t that be putting the cart before the horse, a deviation from the right path?

    After all, I owe him a favor; I still need to try to inform him of this.

    ¡°Yan Yu, I think this is somewhat unrealistic,¡± Li Minghu said in a diplomatic tone, ¡°To achieve that level, it means you¡¯re aiming to transition them into the profession of Sword Immortals. Let alone the feasibility, even if you can afford that cost, wouldn¡¯t the time and effort be better spent on their original professional pathways?¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Yan Yu was taken aback for a moment, then he realized and clarified with a smile, ¡°Li Minghu, you¡¯ve misunderstood me; I¡¯m not trying to make things unduly difficult.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t intend for them to give up their main duties to become Sword Immortals. My idea is, when facing a powerhouse like Liu Longtao, they should be able to use Sword technique with their left hand for defense, to stand their ground; and with their right hand use Taoism Method or command spirits to attack, looking for opportunities to turn defeat into victory. In other words, they need to master Sword Control well enough, and their main offensive method has to be unique and unrivaled; reaching this level is what I¡¯m aiming for.¡±

    Li Minghu:¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    This isn¡¯t just challenging someone; this is forcing them up into the sky!

    I thought you were asking an arts student to switch to the sciences, but it turns out you want her to be in the top ten for sciences and number one in the entire school for arts! Isn¡¯t that a bit¡­ cough, cough!

    Seemingly troubled by the thought, Li Minghu coughed for a moment before sighing and saying:

    ¡°Forget it, I won¡¯t worry about it too much. I¡¯ll train their swordplay to the best of my ability, but as for whether they can grow to the level you¡¯re asking for, I can¡¯t guarantee it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Yan Yu nodded with a smile. ¡°As long as you do your best¡­¡±

    His words were still hanging in the air when someone tugged at his sleeve from behind.

    ¡°Captain,¡± Lin Ningruo said nonchalantly, ¡°I have some questions about the ¡®Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step¡¯ that I don¡¯t understand. Could you come and teach me?¡±

    ¡°Vice-captain Li,¡± Su Yunjin also called out to Li Minghu, ¡°could I ask you a few questions about swordplay?¡±

    ¡°Just call me Minghu,¡± Li Minghu quickly replied.

    ¡°Mmhmm, Minghu, come over here, I¡¯ll demonstrate for you,¡± Su Yunjin complied amiably.

    The two instructors hadn¡¯t even talked for a few minutes before they were both called away by their respective students.

    ¡°What don¡¯t you understand about the footwork?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°My question is, what¡¯s the point of practicing footwork?¡± Lin Ning asked puzzledly. ¡°Isn¡¯t Sword Flight faster?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good question,¡± Yan Yu patiently answered. ¡°Sword Flight is indeed faster than footwork, but that¡¯s assuming the space is large enough to go straight back and forth. In smaller spaces like buildings, caves, or Mysterious Realms with flying restrictions, using Sword Flight would split your attention as you guard against bumping into things or triggering restrictions, making it less flexible and convenient than footwork.¡±

    ¡°Besides, you currently use Sword Flight to launch assaults, and most opponents can¡¯t handle that. But if you encounter a defensively skilled enemy in the future and need to engage in close combat, footwork that allows you to dart and weave in short distances is superior to Sword Flight.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lin Ning surreptitiously glanced towards Su Yunjin¡¯s direction, saw she had successfully entangled Li Minghu, and continued to ask, ¡°Then, could you take a look at my footwork and see if there are any issues¡­¡±

    She performed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step in front of Yan Yu.

    ¡°No, no, no,¡± Yan Yu immediately corrected her, ¡°Did you just memorize that mechanically? The key to Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step is to subtly align with the numerology of the I Ching¡¯s eight trigrams so the steps you take are ever-changing; if you just memorize without improvisation, you¡¯re not performing footwork, you¡¯re dancing!¡±

    ¡°Oh! Oh! Oh!¡± Lin Ning promptly agreed, secretly pleased with herself.

    How could I not know there¡¯s something wrong with the footwork I¡¯m practicing? The reason I came to you for guidance is precisely because there¡¯s a problem!

    If there was nothing wrong on my part and you had nothing to correct, you¡¯d be sticking with Vice-captain Li again!

    ¡°Watch carefully, I¡¯ll go through it once more.¡± But Yan Yu, unaware of her inner thoughts, simply demonstrated and said, ¡°Don¡¯t remember how I move, think about why I move this way!¡±

 Chapter 301: 98 Quadrilateral Energy Gathering Array

    Chapter 301: Chapter 98 Quadrilateral Energy Gathering Array

    After playing basketball, the four brothers returned to the villa and went downstairs to observe the girls¡¯ swordsmanship training.

    As they watched, they couldn¡¯t help but feel that something was off: the intensity of the training seemed a tad high.

    There was no need to mention Yan Yu, who had Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen running all over the place; although Li Minghu was up against three, Chen Lingyun, Su Yunjin, and Xie Ruoxi did not use Taoism Method or command ghosts but fought her with Sword Control Technique, exchanging blows back and forth.

    ¡°How is it?¡± Li Zhaojiang turned his head to ask Jiang Hong.

    In the Zhenghai Team, aside from Li Minghu, Jiang Hong was the only professional Sword Immortal. After watching carefully for a moment, he said:

    ¡°Their level isn¡¯t up to par.¡±

    Exactly! Three against one in swordsmanship combat, and they still couldn¡¯t break through Li Minghu¡¯s defensive sword circle; their level obviously isn¡¯t up to par!

    ¡°So, what¡¯s the purpose of this training?¡± Li Zhaojiang asked again.

    ¡°They¡¯re probably practicing the Sword Control Technique,¡± Jiang Hong said seriously.

    Li Zhaojiang was momentarily speechless, complaining:

    ¡°Swordsmanship combat, if they¡¯re not practicing Sword Control, what else could they be doing? What I mean is, none of the three of them are Sword Immortals, so why practice the Sword Control Technique?¡±

    ¡°Could there be a possibility that Vice-Captain Li only knows Sword Control?¡± Tao Xingyuan pondered and said, ¡°If you ask Vice-Captain Li to practice Taoism Method or command ghosts, she wouldn¡¯t know how.¡±

    ¡°Then she shouldn¡¯t be the one sparring,¡± Li Zhaojiang became suspicious, ¡°Yan Yu must have some ulterior motive.¡±

    So, Captain, this is what you¡¯re fixated on¡­ Everyone was speechless.

    But that¡¯s the way Li Zhaojiang was, seemingly a normal person, with no abnormalities in his behavior¡ªprovided you didn¡¯t mention his sister or Yan Yu to him.

    Last month, when someone in school pursued Vice-Captain Li, Li Zhaojiang went asking for a duel, saying, ¡°If you want to be my brother-in-law, you at least have to beat me,¡± scaring the other party into deleting Li Minghu from their phone on the spot and swearing never to pursue his sister again.

    Later, Li Zhaojiang explained to the team members: ¡°That guy didn¡¯t deserve it!¡±

    At the time, Tao Xingyuan couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Does Yan Yu deserve it?¡± and was chased and beaten up by Li Zhaojiang everywhere¡­ As for the answer, it goes without saying; do you think he dared to make Yan Yu delete Li Minghu as a friend? Impossible. At most, he¡¯d sarcastically say that Yan Yu ¡°keeps a harem in Jinling and forgets to return home,¡± or delude himself by saying, ¡°Sister is not interested in him.¡±

    Your sister is willingly helping your brother-in-law train the team! How long are you going to fool yourself with your eyes covered?

    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any ulterior motive.¡± Jiang Hong, too, couldn¡¯t see it clearly, ¡°Why don¡¯t we ask?¡±

    Just then, Yan Yu and Li Minghu finished a round of training and each found a place to rest. The crowd gathered around Li Minghu and began to inquire.

    ¡°It¡¯s just Sword Control Technique training,¡± Li Minghu said as she wiped sweat with a towel, coughed a few times, and took the water bottle her brother handed her, gulping down the water.

    ¡°They¡¯re not Sword Immortals, why practice the Sword Control Technique?¡± Li Zhaojiang asked with a frown. ¡°Could it be a ruse to probe your current true swordsmanship level under the guise of practicing sword technique?¡±

    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Li Minghu looked surprised and chuckled, ¡°My swordsmanship level, after so many battles in the Southern Border, isn¡¯t it already crystal clear to everyone?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps Yan Yu suspects you¡¯re hiding your true strength,¡± Li Zhaojiang speculated.

    ¡°I¡¯m starting to wonder if your brain has taken in water,¡± Li Minghu sighed, ¡°Ah Jiang, the Zhenghai Team is known for seeking my help to train teams, and what about you? Spending all day either gaming or playing basketball¡­ Don¡¯t you feel any sense of urgency?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, big sis,¡± Li Zhaojiang immediately raised both hands in surrender, ¡°I¡¯ll organize training right away!¡±

    He turned to call out to Yan Yu:

    ¡°Old Yan, take us for training, will you? How about the four of us spar with you?¡±

    One should know, Li Zhaojiang¡¯s Yuan Magnetic Divine Light had a miraculous effect on all things made of metal in the world, and most flying swords were no exception. Considering that Yan Yu was publicly known as a Sword Immortal, the cunning intent behind his suggestion was obvious.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°pure Sword Control Technique sparring, huh.¡±

    ¡°Pure my foot!¡± Li Zhaojiang immediately retorted, ¡°I¡¯m a spell caster, and you want to spar with me using the Sword Control Technique? Do you have no shame?¡±

    ¡°Why would I be ashamed?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to take me on four against one? Doesn¡¯t your team still include Jiang Hong?¡± Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Everyone¡¯s eyes instinctively turned to Jiang Hong, who frowned slightly and said in a low voice:

    ¡°I suggest we not fight.¡±

    Because Sword Immortals lacked diverse tactical methods, if two Sword Immortals were not much different in strength, and one of them had the help of other teammates, the chances of victory were quite high¡­ The question was, considering the gap between Jiang Hong and Yan Yu¡¯s swordsmanship, could Li Zhaojiang, Tao Xingyuan, and Wang Haoran make up for it?

    Jiang Hong himself didn¡¯t think it was likely.

    Li Zhaojiang was also speechless, mainly because the idea of four against one was rather disgraceful. Even if they won, it wouldn¡¯t be well received¡ªthe only benefit would be the chance to give Yan Yu a good thrashing.

    But seeing Jiang Hong also lacked confidence, what if they ganged up on Yan Yu and still lost? Wouldn¡¯t that be incredibly embarrassing?

    ¡°Not coming, huh,¡± Yan Yu said with a chuckle, ¡°Then let¡¯s continue training.¡±

    ¡°Forget it, forget it,¡± Li Zhaojiang decisively chose to back down. Mainly because although his own level of Sword Control Technique was decent, he wasn¡¯t just behind Yan Yu, but also couldn¡¯t compete with Lin Ning or Sister Zhao.

    Wait, hold on. Isn¡¯t Zhao Jiuzhen an Assistant Officer? Her Sword Control Technique is that strong?!

    After resting for a few minutes, Yan Yu¡¯s side resumed training.

    Li Zhaojiang looked over at Yan Yu¡¯s trio. Zhao Yuanzhen was using the Sword Control Technique to face off against Yan Yu directly, as the Yin Wind Sword and Huang Ting Sword clashed again and again. Lin Ning, meanwhile, stepped lightly and continuously on the ground, using some sort of mysterious stepping technique that made her move unpredictably as if she were a nimble kite drifting in the breeze, attacking from various directions in conjunction with the Yin Wind Sword.

    What was that?

    The Qing¡¯an Team had never encountered steps like those before and were quite fascinated by Lin Ning¡¯s graceful movements.

    ¡°That¡¯s the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step,¡± Li Minghu explained, having finished discussing the previous round with the three young ladies, now sharing with his teammates.

    ¡°Step technique?¡± Li Zhaojiang asked.

    ¡°Right, similar to a higher-order version of the Cloud Ascension Technique,¡± Li Minghu replied briefly. ¡°It ignores inertia and gravity and is much faster than the common Cloud Ascension Technique. Its compatibility with the Sword Control Technique should be very high.¡±

    ¡°Since it¡¯s highly compatible with Sword Immortals, we¡¯ll have to develop a stepping technique of our own,¡± Li Zhaojiang made a mental note.

    The group trained until 11 p.m. before returning to their respective rooms to rest.

    As per their usual practice, Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen dual cultivated, sitting cross-legged on the bed facing each other and circulated their breath for a while, until Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly said:

    ¡°After entering the Marrow Cleansing Stage, the speed at which you circulate the Microcosmic Orbit has indeed increased a lot. Unlike before, you¡¯re not dragging me down anymore.¡±

    Speaking of which,¡± Yan Yu suddenly remembered something. ¡°After Marrow Cleansing, can we use puppets to assist in cultivation?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± replied Zhao Yuanzhen. ¡°But the speed of Qi Refinement depends on the grade of the puppet itself. The more heavenly and earthly treasures it contains, the faster it can absorb Spiritual Energy.¡±

    ¡°Our current grade of puppets isn¡¯t high, although they have Celestial River-fixed Treasure Iron as their cores and limbs made of Hundred-Year Divine Dragon Wood, the rest of their parts are still mundane materials. The cultivation enhancement might not be significant.¡±

    ¡°Even the smallest mosquito is still flesh,¡± Yan Yu mused. ¡°Shall we try?¡±

    The two summoned their puppets, Ah Mi and Ah Zhen, a pair of tall and slender twin beauties¡ªthree if including Zhao Yuanzhen themselves.

    The two puppets extended their arms and each supported Yan Yu¡¯s and Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s shoulders, forming a square formation, and began the process of breath circulation and Qi refinement.

 Chapter 302: 99 The Mortal Who Can Kill a Cultivator

    Chapter 302: Chapter 99 The Mortal Who Can Kill a Cultivator

    The Four Quarters Energy-Drawing Formation is a technique recorded within the String-Pulling Technique.

    Positioning four individuals at the positions of West Metal Geng, East Wood Jia, North Water Ren, and South Fire Bing, the technique follows the principle of ¡°water, fire, wind, thunder cultivating a golden body,¡± incorporating some of the traditional Xuanmen Zhengzong doctrine. It slightly surpasses the normal pace of upgrading in dual cultivation between two people ¡ª the incremental progress over time is quite considerable.

    But the issue remains the same: when it¡¯s already difficult to find a completely trusted dual-cultivation partner, how do you find two more individuals and ensure safety?

    If you encounter someone harboring ill intentions, while you¡¯re entering into a meditative state for Qi Refinement, they could quietly raise a hand and send a Flying Sword from their sleeve. With such close proximity, unless you have some sort of protective amulet, it¡¯s pretty much a chill through the heart ¡ª followed by them taking your artifacts, Elixir Medicine, and Flying Sword before fleeing.

    Using puppets avoids this risk. Hence, as told by the Demonic Sect Enchantress, many predecessors in the Qiansi Sect also refine the Heaven, Earth, and Man triplet puppets, adding themselves to make up the four needed specifically for assembling the Four Quarters Energy-Drawing Formation.

    Of course, one must not let the matter of the puppets leak, so Yan Yu had already locked the door to avoid any indiscreet intruders suddenly coming in.

    After about half an hour and feeling that the efficiency of his breathing exercises had only improved by a single-digit percentage, which wasn¡¯t much, he focused on the slow and steady progress¡­ But what if I made ten thousand puppets and created a rational interconnected pathway for Spiritual Energy, would I be able to accumulate the enhancement up to a hundredfold?

    Forget it, that would be too troublesome. It¡¯s simpler to bring Immortal Venerate Xie into the circuit. But the useless pretty one is still untrustworthy for now; we¡¯ll talk about it later.

    At this moment, Yan Yu was in a meditative state, although random thoughts occasionally arose in his sea of consciousness, they soon dissipated.

    No matter the efficiency of the breathing exercises, what¡¯s key is to stay grounded.

    Meanwhile, Lin Ning lay down in her bed, and amidst her drowsiness, suddenly had a nightmare.

    She dreamt that she tirelessly practiced her swordsmanship day and night, finally defeating Li Minghu and turned around full of pride to report the good news to her captain, ¡°See, I¡¯m still more formidable than her.¡±

    Then she saw Su Yunjin affectionately wrapping her arms around Yan Yu¡¯s arm, both of them smiling warmly towards her¡­

    ¡°Sai Linmu!¡± Lin Ning abruptly sat up, her black hair cascading over her shoulders, her complexion deathly pale as she sat dazed on the bed for a long while.

    It seemed like a dream¡­

    She panted heavily for a while before vigorously pulling up the covers and going back to sleep.

    In the next room, Su Yunjin was startled by Lin Ning¡¯s loud shout.

    She quietly listened for a moment and, hearing no further sounds, did not pay much attention and continued reading her book.

    The title of the book was ¡°Psychology of Love,¡± not a collection of internet pop psychology, but a professional psychological treatise with a not-so-low barrier to entry, very abstruse and difficult to understand.

    Outside the window, Chen Lingyun was leaning on the balcony, chatting on the phone with her mother.

    When her parents first heard that their daughter had gone to the Southern Border battlefield, Chen¡¯s mother and father had a huge argument that resulted in smashing everything in the living room, with the mother declaring that unless her daughter returned safely, he shouldn¡¯t bother coming home.

    Chen Tianming, quite staunchly, checked into a hotel.

    Now that Chen Lingyun had returned safely from the team and even became a war hero defending the country, her mother had no more arguments, first arranging for someone to repair the living room and then preparing to ask Chen Tianming to come back ¡ª as for how humbly she needed to act in her pleas, she didn¡¯t have a clue, and could only seek advice from her intelligent daughter who inherited her father¡¯s wisdom.

    Chen Lingyun advised her mother not to plead directly. ¡°Dad has work tomorrow, doesn¡¯t he? You should get up early in the morning to cook, and let the family chef guide you to make some homely dishes. Don¡¯t go for expensive ingredients; focus on a balanced diet with both meat and vegetables, and don¡¯t forget the soup. Take care of every detail like the insulation bags, and then wait about ten minutes before his lunch break at the office canteen. Don¡¯t attract attention and, when dad arrives, personally deliver his meal. Have lunch with him in front of his colleagues, proactively serving him food and soup.¡±

    If someone asks, just say ¡°My husband has been working so hard these days¡± ¡°I learned to cook to reward him,¡± and do not mention the argument. By persisting for a few days, dad¡¯s attitude will surely soften, and he will superficially reconcile with you¡­ However, to completely mend the damage caused by this argument will require time and emotional effort, it¡¯s not something that can be resolved overnight.

    Chen¡¯s mother was confused, but she always trusted her daughter and thus planned to do as told.

    After Chen Lingyun finished her call with her mother, she called her father, not mentioning the quarrel between her parents at all, but rather reporting in detail her experience in the Southern Border.

    Chen Tianming listened silently, then asked for some specific intelligence about the sorcerers.

    ¡°Yan Yu told me that the newly appointed Witch King Meng is even more dangerous than the former one,¡± Chen Lingyun said at last.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do if it¡¯s dangerous,¡± Chen Tianming replied indifferently. ¡°Often, we know an action is not feasible but are compelled to take it. Among many choices, we have to pick one that is not the worst.¡±

    ¡°Um-hum,¡± Chen Lingyun expressed her understanding, ¡°So? There¡¯s no choice but to make concessions, right?¡±

    ¡°The first of next month,¡± Chen Tianming said. ¡°The ¡®Regulations for the Management of Civilian Cultivators.''¡±

    ¡°Although the overall trend is irresistible, I agree with Yan Yu on some points,¡± Chen Lingyun pondered for a moment before suddenly adding, ¡°Once the existence of civilian cultivators is permitted, they will inevitably vie for the limited cultivation resources and disrupt the current order. If this continues, dignity will be hard to preserve.¡±

    ¡°What do you think should be done?¡± Chen Tianming challenged her.

    ¡°In chaotic times, heavy punishments are necessary to stop those who break laws with their martial prowess,¡± Chen Lingyun replied. ¡°We need to form a specialized elite force from the existing pool of cultivators, highly familiar with the Rikoku Cultivator system, with the duty of specifically eliminating illegal cultivators causing trouble, thus forming a strong deterrent against the cultivator class.¡±

    ¡°So, what kind of people do we need to recruit?¡± Chen Tianming asked leisurely.

    Chen Lingyun began to ponder. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Weak cultivators definitely wouldn¡¯t do; they might not even be able to defeat others when the time came. However, strong cultivators were also unsuitable; quality steel should be used for the blade¡¯s edge, as the main contradiction at the moment lay with national defense rather than public order.

    Additionally, ensuring the loyalty of this ¡°Cultivator Gendarmerie¡± was another significant issue.

    ¡°In any case, consider this your assignment,¡± Chen Tianming said slowly. ¡°Think it over well, and there¡¯s no need to rush to an answer. Don¡¯t intervene with the matters concerning your mother; I have plans.¡±

    ¡°Okay, bye Dad,¡± Chen Lingyun ended the call.

    She stood up, thought briefly, and decided to go directly for the answers.

    Although working through the problem was interesting, with a reborn husband who possessed memories from a previous life, she found the answer itself much more intriguing.

    Upon arriving at Yan Yu¡¯s door, Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t knock but directly used the Wall-Penetration Technique to enter the room.

    Then she saw Yan Yu and three Zhao Yuanzhens sitting on the bed, either face to face or massaging shoulders, apparently having some kind of mystical gathering.

    ¡°Ah, did I interrupt you guys?¡± Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Yan Yu opened his eyes.

    Zhao Yuanzhen also expressed displeasure:

    ¡°Ling Yun, did you know that in our place, Qi Refinement requires the setting up of a formation at the entrance of the cultivation cave? You barge in like this and carelessly, I might just blast you away.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll just ask a question and leave,¡± Chen Lingyun said to Yan Yu with a smile, ¡°Yan Yu, if you were to form a gendarmerie specifically to deal with cultivators, what kind of people would be most suitable to select?¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s expression suddenly became odd.

    After a long pause, under Chen Lingyun¡¯s expectant gaze, he slowly said:

    ¡°For instance, mortals who can kill cultivators?¡±

 Chapter 303: 1: Lord Masters Righteous Indignation

    Chapter 303: Chapter 1: Lord Master¡¯s Righteous Indignation

    In early November, the Lingyan Pavilion was opened again to hold a collective award ceremony for the cultivators who had participated in the defense battle of the Southern Border.

    The medals were made of pure gold, and considering the current price of gold, they were probably worth a significant amount of money. The medals featured a tropical rainforest background with a soldier holding a gun standing steadfastly in the center of the jungle, his expression solemn and his gaze resolute.

    At the same time, all the cultivators received national certificates and honorary titles: Guardians of Nanjiang.

    Additionally, there was a cash reward of twenty-five million for each person¡ªthis was merely a drop in the bucket for the treasury, since these cultivators actually had very limited spending power. Most of the money would be saved up, kept in the bank vaults; rounding up, it was almost as if this money hadn¡¯t been distributed at all.

    Everyone cherished the pure gold medals and took pride in their honorary titles, but they were indifferent to the cash rewards.

    After all, they really weren¡¯t short on money.

    Investing? No one at home knew how to do business; buying property? Their relatives were all living in the military manor¡¯s compound, there was no need; purchasing luxury goods? They spent all day, every day, cultivating¡ªwhen would they have the time to go shopping and flaunt their wealth?!

    This was a common problem worldwide: Transcendents generally did not participate in the economic production activities of human society. They were either cultivating or getting stronger from start to finish, yet they required a large amount of resources¡­ In every country or region where the Transcendent¡¯s regime was dominant, the living standards of ordinary mortals were rapidly declining, with no bottom in sight.

    After the award ceremony had ended, everyone went back to their respective homes.

    Considering that no war tasks would be assigned in the short term, Su Yunjin went to collect the first melt of snow water again, taking a temporary leave for a period.

    Yan Yu also needed to stay in Pingjing for a few days. As one of the country¡¯s only two cultivators at the Foundation Establishment level, he had to go through the same scientific research treatment that Lord Master had previously undergone.

    Having blood drawn, hair taken, undergoing machine scans¡­

    As the examination went on, the researchers started to feel that something was off.

    What is the Spirit Root? The Spirit Root is not an actual physical organ but an ¡°affinity of the body towards Spiritual Energy.¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s affinity for Spiritual Energy was extremely poor, so poor that there was almost no spontaneous qigong effect in a high-density Spiritual Energy environment, leading researchers to repeatedly verify the data¡­ They even brought in another cultivating researcher as a control group for comparison.

    Still, there was no issue; Yan Yu¡¯s cultivation aptitude, according to the instruments, indeed wasn¡¯t great.

    Of course, the results of the instrument tests didn¡¯t represent everything, otherwise, they couldn¡¯t explain the fact that he had already reached the Marrow Cleansing Stage.

    The technical level of instruments is constantly progressing. Take the blood test for the college entrance exams in May of the previous year, for example. A cold, allergies, the female period¡­ all of these things led to an inability to detect Spiritual Energy, which was only slowly discovered and gradually improved upon later.

    Therefore, everyone could only treat Yan Yu as a kind of cultivation aptitude that ¡°the instrument temporarily couldn¡¯t detect,¡± conveniently using it to enrich the database of scientific research cases.

    After today¡¯s research was finished, Yan Yu left the experimental base and saw Liu Longtao and Ye Jun waiting outside for him.

    ¡°Old Yan, you¡¯re quite something,¡± Liu Longtao chuckled, ¡°I heard your cultivation aptitude is average, did you evolve to Foundation Establishment by using ¡®Wind Spirit¡¯s Shadow¡¯?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s about it, you give me a cheat and see,¡± Yan Yu responded.

    ¡°Haha, I don¡¯t need one,¡± Liu Longtao said proudly, ¡°I can level up faster than you without cheats.¡±

    Ye Jun sighed helplessly beside them. Usually, the team leader was a very mature and steady character, but every time he met Yan Yu, he became like a fisherman who often went fishing, always trying to compete and outdo the other, making it hard to know which one of them actually had the issue.

    ¡°Out to eat?¡± Liu Longtao opened the car door. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Yan Yu said.

    The three of them went to a hot pot restaurant to enjoy mutton slices cooked in a copper pot and drank over a dozen little cups of liquor, and with a hearty laugh Liu Longtao said:

    ¡°I remember the first time we had a meal together, you gave me a good scolding, telling me that my personality wasn¡¯t suitable to partner with Ye Jun. What do you think now?¡±

    ¡°I still hold the same view,¡± Yan Yu said bluntly. ¡°Ye Jun is completely wasted on you.¡±

    Ye Jun, standing to the side, weakly pressed his forehead, having no desire to get involved in their childish conversation.

    ¡°Forget it.¡± Liu Longtao chuckled, ¡°Why don¡¯t you try pursuing her? If you can win her over and make her follow you willingly, I won¡¯t stand in your way.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Ye Jun, developing a headache, explained to Yan Yu, ¡°He¡¯s had too much to drink, doesn¡¯t even use ¡®you¡¯ anymore.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Yan Yu narrowed his eyes, looking at Lord Master who was still pouring his own drinks, and suddenly said, ¡°Looks like Lord Master has been under a lot of pressure lately.¡±

    ¡°The Civil Cultivator Management Regulations just came out,¡± Ye Jun explained. ¡°He¡¯s quite annoyed by it.¡±

    Civil cultivators, in the previous Lu Country, were unrecognized. First, you couldn¡¯t come forward, and I would pretend there were no civil cultivators; second, once you did come forward, those who broke the law were killed, and those who didn¡¯t were taken away for management, then we¡¯d continue pretending there were no civil cultivators.

    As time passed during the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, more and more civil cultivators accidentally stumbled upon the path of cultivation. The upper echelons of the Privy Council could no longer turn a deaf ear and were forced to roll out the Civil Cultivator Management Regulations, essentially formalizing what had been discreetly managed before.

    ¡°What¡¯s so annoying about that?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it always managed this way before the regulations came out?¡±

    ¡°It was like that,¡± Ye Jun said. ¡°At the end of last month, a murder occurred in Pingjing. The whole family of the victim was killed, and the murderer was a civil cultivator. Later investigations revealed that this person had excellent qualifications for cultivation, so the Dingbei Army discussed with The Judicial Department and decided not to go through the lawsuit process. Instead, they made a compensation agreement with the victim¡¯s family for understanding and then secretly recruited the murderer.¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t the whole family killed, where did the family come from?¡± Yan Yu asked, frowning.

    ¡°He had a distant cousin,¡± Ye Jun sighed.

    If it was a distant cousin, then the relationship was certainly not close, so naturally, they would choose to take the money for peace. Who was going to fight for justice for the deceased family?

    Therefore, that civil cultivator¡¯s cultivation talent must have been genuinely exceptional to the point that the Dingbei Army was even willing to intervene criminally to make The Judicial Department drop the lawsuit.

    ¡°Who is the murderer? What¡¯s his name?¡± Yan Yu continued to ask.

    ¡°Fan Wentang,¡± Ye Jun replied. ¡°Originally a jobless thug, he was acting as a bouncer in a nightclub. After being splashed in the face with drinks by a patron, he held a grudge, followed the patron home, and then killed him. However, I heard that the patron was not a good person either, having been involved in several fights and arrests¡­¡±

    Before she could finish speaking, Liu Longtao, who had been silent, suddenly said:

    ¡°Even if he had a criminal record, his children were innocent, right? To not even spare the kids, he¡¯s fucking worse than a beast.¡±

    Yan Yu also fell silent.

    He had heard of Fan Wentang¡¯s name in his previous life. Perhaps because the Dingbei Army had suppressed the case, he hadn¡¯t known that the other party was discovered by the Dingbei Army because of committing murder.

    This person really did have a poor character, an arrogant and unyielding personality, but his combat strength was indeed formidable. He was an Envoy by profession, the same as Chen Lingyun, playing with Necromancers, and was known as the country¡¯s number one Necromancer. If one set aside his character, his capabilities indeed warranted the Dingbei Army¡¯s efforts to protect him.

    ¡°I can¡¯t take it anymore,¡± Liu Longtao suddenly put down his wine glass, stood up, and said, ¡°Young master is going to teach him a lesson!¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t get worked up¡­¡± Before Ye Jun could dissuade him, Lord Master had already left the shop with large strides, transforming into a beam of sword light shooting into the sky.

    ¡°Follow?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Of course!¡± Ye Jun grabbed the satchel beside her and swiftly stood up.

 Chapter 304: 2 If you want to cross-dress, just say so.

    Chapter 304: Chapter 2 If you want to cross-dress, just say so.

    By the time Yan Yu and Ye Jun arrived, Liu Longtao and Fan Wentang had already started fighting.

    Fan Wentang was a lanky young man with a small mustache, prominent veins on his neck, tattoos all over his arms, curly and messy hair, and bloodshot eyes¡ªa born desperado¡ªno wonder he was recruited by nightclubs to keep watch.

    The two were engaged purely in a swordsmanship duel, or to put it another way, it was Liu Longtao overwhelming and tormenting Fan Wentang the entire time.

    After all, Fan Wentang was an Envoy cultivator, who had only received his Flying Sword last month and had learned the Sword Control Technique for less than a week, so naturally, he was no match for Liu Longtao.

    He dared not hastily use his killer move¡ªafter all, as soon as he released his Yin Ghost, it would mean a fight to the death, and Lord Master would have grounds to execute him with Taoism Method, so he just kept taking a beating while cursing nonstop.

    The Dingbei Army cultivators spectating were all verbally trying to break up the fight, but not a single one stepped forward to intervene.

    Given that Fan Wentang was injured but not dead, it was clear that Lord Master had no intention to kill but rather aimed to humiliate, so there was even less need to intervene and risk getting caught by Lord Master and becoming an outlet for his frustration.

    Probably guessing that Lord Master wouldn¡¯t kill him, Fan Wentang¡¯s curses were particularly vile, insulting Lord Master¡¯s female relatives with every term under the sun, as if he was determined to get back through his words for every drop of blood he shed, in true hooligan fashion.

    Ye Jun frowned upon hearing this: His manners were terrible.

    Yan Yu wasn¡¯t in a rush to intervene and instead found a Dingbei Army cultivator among the spectators to inquire about Fan Wentang¡¯s background.

    Fan Wentang was a nightclub bouncer who considered himself the lowest of the low in the back alleys, very familiar with the ¡°princesses¡± of the private rooms. It was rumored that many ladies even recognized him as an elder brother¡ªnot in any other sense, but meaning they were close; they would call him ¡°Brother Fan¡± all day long and occasionally share a cigarette or lend each other money, which was a common affair.

    A variety of customers came and went at the nightclub, some lonelier than others, eager to share warmth and concern. The princesses in the private rooms had a set script for dealing with such customers: tales of fathers deceased, mothers ill, and brothers in school, with earnings sent back home. But some princesses were too naive, wooed by handsome, smooth-talking male patrons¡ªthey would end up being utterly taken advantage of.

    One of the girls experienced just that, deceived in body, heart, and wealth, only to be dumped after the money was gone. She later committed suicide by charcoal burning in her rented apartment. Fan Wentang was close to her, so he gathered some money with the help of other sisters to take care of her affairs. When he went back to confront the patron who had deceived her, he ended up having alcohol splashed in his face and was called upon by the supervisor to ¡°fire this security guard.¡±

    After getting an earful from the supervisor behind the scenes, Fan Wentang, filled with pent-up anger, left the club and cast a spell to summon a Yin Ghost to track down the already departed patron and murder the man¡¯s entire family.

    The Dingbei Army, upon hearing his confession and following up with a field investigation, confirmed the veracity of his story. The victim was divorced with a child, too old to find work, conning women under the guise of a romantic relationship purely to support his child¡ªjust the usual sordid mess of the lower strata, all bad seeds with their own hardships, nothing unusual.

    As for why he could cast such spells in the first place, it goes back to his deceased grandfather, who was said to have performed rituals for others in the village¡­ But that, too, is a long story for another time.

    After hearing the Dingbei Army cultivator¡¯s account, Ye Jun was slightly moved. Yan Yu, however, was unaffected; after all, he had seen all manner of human behavior and was simply satisfying his curiosity and making up for the lack of information from his previous life.

    Fan Wentang committed his crime in the name of revenge, not some other evil. This particular brand of underworld loyalty common among the lower class might have been what saved him in the end¡ªthe Dingbei Army probably thought, since he had loyalty, he could be of use to them.

    However, Yan Yu wasn¡¯t fond of this man in his past life; for one, the guy had low quality, was foul-mouthed, dim-witted, defiant of authority, and resented the wealthy, having deliberately provoked and been reprimanded by Chen Lingyun once, which led to animosity. This also affected his relationship with Yan Yu, who he insulted with all sorts of offensive names, like ¡°steel wool head¡±, ¡°plaything for the misses¡±, ¡°humanoid double-headed dragon¡±, ¡°big horn Sir¡±, and more.

    On the other hand, having been trained by the Dingbei Army for many years with not too bad conditions, Fan Wentang still chose to follow other cultivators in rebellion during the collapse of the kingdom, only to be personally executed by Yan Yu¡ªa true case of the unteachable nature, a social scum.

    Now in his second life, Yan Yu wasn¡¯t going to go out of his way to make life difficult for him over a grudge from a past life, after all, he never believed in carrying over hatred from one life to the next; it was always about settling matters in the current life.

    But since Lord Master intended to teach him a lesson, Yan Yu was content to watch the spectacle.

    It wasn¡¯t until Liu Longtao had beaten Fan Wentang to the point of losing teeth¡ªliterally knocking several out¡ªthat the leader in charge of the camp hurried over, pulling Liu Longtao aside and pleading with him to ¡°save some face for me¡±.

    Liu Longtao didn¡¯t embarrass the leader, merely saying, ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood. I was merely exchanging experiences and having a friendly spar with Daoist Fan, and there was no life-and-death struggle.¡±

    The leader, unwilling to buy his excuse, grimaced and argued, ¡°We also support seeking justice for the victims,¡± ¡°But the dead cannot be brought back to life,¡± ¡°Given the shortage of cultivators in the current environment, we should give him a chance to redeem himself and save more civilians in the future,¡± ¡°The bigger picture is important, restraint is patriotic,¡± and so on.

    Although the words were annoying, they were indeed true. Even Yan Yu would admit that in his previous life, Fan Wentang had in fact killed many foreign Transcendents; although he made a fatal mistake at the critical juncture, his overall contributions were greater than his faults.

    Liu Longtao¡¯s face turned an iron blue, his heart saying if he didn¡¯t consider the greater situation as the most important, he would have already chopped this beast into mincemeat!

    Fan Wentang struggled to his feet from the ground, spat out the blood in his mouth, and without speaking, just stared at Lord Master with a cold sneer, his face screaming with the arrogant ¡°come on, kill me if you dare¡± attitude.

    His leader¡¯s eyes signaled him to quickly say something nice, soften up, and send this Lord Master on his way, but Fan Wentang completely ignored him, just staring darkly at Lord Master, the corners of his mouth silently curling up, his face full of viciousness.

    ¡°I see little Fan hasn¡¯t really had enough of a beating,¡± Liu Longtao sneered, ¡°Why must you insist on dampening our spirits, commander?¡±

    Seeing Fan Wentang still provoking, the leader was close to losing his mind, and upon noticing Yan Yu and Ye Jun watching the spectacle from the side, he quickly gestured with his eyes for them to come over and help break it up.

    ¡°Let it go, captain, cool off,¡± Ye Jun had no choice but to come over and say, ¡°There¡¯s always tomorrow, there¡¯ll be more chances for exchange of moves.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu also said with a smile, ¡°Old Liu, why stoop to the level of a street dog? It¡¯s beneath you.¡±

    Ye Jun was patiently persuading on the one side, and Liu Longtao didn¡¯t feel much; but Yan Yu was a top-level cultivator of the same rank, recognized by Lord Master in his heart as ¡°the only heroes in this world are you and me,¡± and Yan Yu¡¯s face had to be given.

    So Liu Longtao let out a breath of turbid air, grudgingly saying:

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll fight another time.¡±

    ¡°Old Liu is generous,¡± Yan Yu laughed.

    Ye Jun also breathed a sigh of relief, and the three of them turned to leave, only to hear Fan Wentang suddenly speak up:

    ¡°What? Found you can¡¯t kill me, so you¡¯re tucking tail to scurry away, huh?¡±

    The camp leader beside them, who had just heaved a sigh of relief, nearly coughed up blood upon hearing this, even having thoughts of executing Fan Wentang on the spot.

    Liu Longtao¡¯s eyes shot fire, just about to speak, when he heard Yan Yu say:

    ¡°How about I have a go at you, pineapple head?¡±

    Pineapple head?

    Ye Jun looked at Fan Wentang¡¯s messy, curly hair and wanted to laugh, but felt it inappropriate for the moment, struggling to hold it in forcefully.

    The leader beside them was on the verge of fainting. He had just managed to send Liu Longtao away, and now Yan Yu was here too¡ªwhat¡¯s going on? Are you all lining up to torment me?

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Fan Wentang asked contemptuously, tilting his chin up.

    ¡°A nobody,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°No restrictions on methods, just don¡¯t kill anyone. How about it, you in?¡± sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°I¡¯m in,¡± Fan Wentang said subconsciously, ¡°What¡¯s the bet?¡±

    ¡°What do you want to bet?¡±

    Fan Wentang really wanted to say, ¡°Loser kneels down, crawls from under the crotch, and then barks like a dog,¡± but seeing the leader¡¯s fierce, man-eating expression beside him, he couldn¡¯t put forward such an absurd request, and just said coldly:

    ¡°Loser shaves his head clean, puts on women¡¯s clothes, holds up an orchid finger, pitches his voice, and says ¡®I¡¯m a woman¡¯ three times for the other to record. How¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Yan Yu smiled.

 Chapter 305: 3 This is Legitimate Self-Defense

    Chapter 305: Chapter 3 This is Legitimate Self-Defense

    The camp leaders hurried to notify their superiors. After all, they certainly couldn¡¯t stop two deities who had come to find trouble with Fan Wentang.

    The originally indignant Lord Master calmed down at this moment and telepathically advised Yan Yu,

    ¡°Don¡¯t kill.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Yan Yu let out a chuckle of disbelief, ¡°Old Liu, do I look like some great King of the West to you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡± Liu Longtao said solemnly, ¡°The Dingbei Army plans to make him an exemplary case.¡± S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°A model of pacification, is it?¡± Yan Yu raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°Right, it¡¯s for the civilian cultivators to see.¡± Liu Longtao didn¡¯t deny it but said gravely, ¡°If such a wicked man can live well, other recruited civilian cultivators will naturally feel at ease. His so-called cultivation talent and all that are not irreplaceable, that¡¯s not the fundamental reason to keep him alive.¡±

    ¡°Now I get it.¡± Yan Yu suddenly understood and laughed, ¡°How do you know so much? This work isn¡¯t being orchestrated by the elders of your Liu Family, is it?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not specify who.¡± Liu Longtao once again emphasized, ¡°I¡¯m not joking, don¡¯t kill. Otherwise, Chen Tianming will have to clean up your mess.¡±

    Yan Yu was momentarily startled and a chill came over him.

    If Chen Tianming had to cover for him, this matter would definitely become leverage in Old Taishan¡¯s hands, ready to pop up at any moment to disgust him¡­

    The senior leadership of the Dingbei Army weren¡¯t fools; they used Fan Wentang¡¯s situation to exploit him, wielding that leverage to make him work himself to death.

    In his past life, this guy ranked first among the Necromancers in terms of strength but his status and voice were even less than Xie Ruoxi¡¯s. Now it seems that it wasn¡¯t entirely due to his personality. Perhaps from the beginning, he was defined by the higher-ups as a slave and thug who could be squeezed¡­ Huh? So, his eventual decision to rebel was also because he hit the glass ceiling and realized his actual situation and status?

    ¡°Hey, are you coming or not?¡± Fan Wentang sneered.

    Yan Yu quickly gathered his thoughts and stepped into the fray.

    Forget it, everyone has their own path. If you chose it yourself, you can¡¯t blame others.

    ¡°Come on then.¡± He snapped his fingers.

    Fan Wentang took out the Soul Summoning Bell from his waist, gently shook it, and two ghostly creatures emerged from the void.

    On the left was a ghost in white, with a thin figure, a long protruding tongue, a face full of bitter smiles, and holding official documents; on the right was a ghost in black robes, short and stout, with unkempt beard, furious expression, holding chains.

    Black and White Impermanence? No, it¡¯s along the lines of Black and White Impermanence.

    In the Age of Dharma Decline, the order of the netherworld was in disarray, with many divine positions left vacant. If Yin Ghosts want to cultivate now, they inevitably aim for those vacancies in the underworld. As a result, there are multiple paths for ghost cultivation: Yanluo, Judge, Yinchai, etc. Among them, Yinchai has three routes: Golden Shackles Silver Locks, Ox-Head Horse-Face, and Black and White Impermanence, all known for their prowess in duelling with humans.

    The Soul Summoning Bell passed down in Fan Wentang¡¯s family obviously followed the path of Black and White Impermanence. With White Impermanence assisting and Black Impermanence attacking, it was a combination that was tough to deal with. Especially in a one-on-one situation, summoning two ghosts at once, who work seamlessly together, turned it into a three versus one instantly.

    Without a word, Yan Yu executed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step.

    Although his cultivation talent was poor, his comprehension in the realm of Sword Immortals was astonishing. Otherwise, in his previous life, he couldn¡¯t have built upon the Valkyrie¡¯s theoretical foundation and brought forth innovations.

    Having only obtained the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step in this life, after a period of practice, he had fully mastered its essence and intricacies.

    Seeing this, Fan Wentang¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly, as White Impermanence made the first move. The official document in its hand moved without wind, and instantly it cast a gloomy light to ensnare Yan Yu.

    The eerie light, seemingly blue yet not blue, was called ¡°Soul Hooking Nether Light.¡± Whoever was touched even slightly would immediately be disoriented, their soul damaged, much like an elderly patient with Parkinson¡¯s disease.

    Yan Yu used the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, dodging the Soul Hooking Nether Light by sidestepping to the left. But the blue light seemed to have a will of its own, curving around and pursuing Yan Yu.

    Fan Wentang secretly took pride, and even his face, bloodied by Liu Longtao¡¯s beating, couldn¡¯t help but reveal a smile.

    His Soul Hooking Nether Light, intangible and unable to be blocked, also locked onto the soul automatically. Even if one fled to the ends of the earth, it would still give chase. He was curious to see where Yan Yu could run!

    Shaking the Soul Summoning Bell in his hand once more, Black Impermanence also flung the chains in its hand, hurling them forcefully at Yan Yu.

    The chain he wielded was a ¡°Soul Arresting Chain,¡± which could be used not only to strike people but also to damage the spirituality of flying swords and artifacts, making them malfunction.

    Trapped between the attack of the nether light and the chain from front and back, Yan Yu still refrained from drawing his sword. Instead, he suddenly sidestepped, dodging the flying assault of the Soul Arresting Chain, and continued to charge towards Black Impermanence.

    Fan Wentang¡¯s heart tightened because his two ghostly subordinates had achieved some success in their cultivation, and their forms had solidified to the point that a slash from a flying sword could severely injure their vital energy¡­ He hurriedly rang the Soul Summoning Bell again, causing Black Impermanence to immediately pull back the Soul Arresting Chain that had been flung out, ready to defend against the flying sword¡¯s attack.

    Yan Yu was already upon him, still not activating any sword technique, when suddenly he moved sideways to the right, once again widening the distance.

    Is he trying to flee? Fan Wentang secretly panicked, then his expression drastically changed¡­ No, that¡¯s not right!

    Seeing that the soul-hooking nether light constantly chased behind Yan Yu and was very close, his sudden sidestep allowed Black Impermanence, who had been ahead in his path, to be exposed.

    Because the distance was so short, Fan Wentang didn¡¯t have time to command White Impermanence to withdraw the move, and the soul-hooking nether light, unable to brake or change direction in time, struck Black Impermanence directly. The latter was hit and knocked back three to four meters, arms hanging limply, the Soul Arresting Chain falling to the ground, his consciousness seemingly bewildered, unable to continue the attack.

    There was no time to regret Black Impermanence¡¯s downfall, for Yan Yu¡¯s sidestep was not arbitrary¡ªhe was charging directly at Fan Wentang!

    Necromancers fear close combat the most, and Fan Wentang quickly employed the Shifting Technique to retreat, while directing White Impermanence to unleash another soul-hooking nether light to block Yan Yu¡¯s close-range assault.

    But then, Yan Yu suddenly leaped into the air, merging with the light of Huang Tingjian, and executed a Sword Flight slash!

    The speed of the sword light was even faster than his steps, instantly reaching in front of Fan Wentang, half a beat quicker than the soul-hooking nether light.

    The camp leader¡¯s expression changed drastically, and he forcefully waved his hand, signaling the surrounding cultivators to rush in for the rescue.

    Without waiting for Liu Longtao¡¯s reminder, Ye Jun quickly deployed the Xuan Guang Ruler, scattering the light to envelop Fan Wentang, preventing Yan Yu from striking him down with Sword Control¡ªotherwise, there would be no end to this affair!

    Even if someone perpetrates countless wrongs, they have not betrayed the country. If a cultivator, driven by personal hatred, kills a comrade, will they turn against their superiors out of resentment in the future?

    Yan Yu, now the Longcheng Flying General, had absolutely no reason to become an enemy of the entire system for the sake of a lowlife cultivator!

    As everyone rushed to the rescue, just as Yan Yu¡¯s sword light was about to hit Fan Wentang, he suddenly separated from his sword and landed.

    Fan Wentang had braced himself for a fight to the death, ready to ¡°clash with the sword light¡± using the Curved Curse, even if it meant his arm would be ruined, yet unexpectedly, Yan Yu suddenly stopped Sword Flight.

    In astonishment, his punch, already thrown, could not be withdrawn and thunderously struck towards the opponent¡¯s chest.

    Then, Yan Yu grabbed his wrist.

    Yan Yu was much faster in reaction, catching the wrist, halting the punch, and using Curved Curse. Utilizing that arm, he swung Fan Wentang around, completing three-quarters of a whirl, and flung him to collide with the oncoming soul-hooking nether light.

    Fan Wentang was struck by his own White Impermanence¡¯s soul-hooking nether light, immediately collapsing to the ground, unable to stand. The other cultivators, having received the lead¡¯s command, rushed to save him, only to find the man on the ground with his eyes rolled back, drooling from the mouth, clearly suffering soul damage and utterly confused.

    ¡°Make way, make way!¡± Liu Longtao pushed through the crowd, looked at Fan Wentang, and laughed, ¡°Ah, isn¡¯t he all right? It¡¯s good if there¡¯s no issue!¡±

    He preemptively set the tone with ¡°no issue,¡± which made the arriving camp leaders almost spit blood. You call this no issue?

    It wasn¡¯t exactly hopeless¡­ As long as he wasn¡¯t dead, with the various methods available to cultivators today, he could be saved, although whether there would be any lingering effects from the soul damage was uncertain; the leaders weren¡¯t too knowledgeable on this.

    Seeing Liu Longtao still taking pictures with his phone, the camp leaders hurriedly waved their hands, signaling everyone to carry Fan Wentang away for emergency treatment.

    ¡°You¡¯re too impulsive,¡± Ye Jun said to Yan Yu, worriedly, ¡°What if his brain is damaged and he can¡¯t be saved?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t help it,¡± Yan Yu said with a helpless expression, sighing, ¡°You saw it, that ghostly light was chasing me. I had to find a meat shield to intercept it, right? Otherwise, I would have been the one hit. I was merely defending myself rightfully.¡±

    The onlookers, including Liu Longtao, all kept expressionless faces, secretly chuckling to themselves.

    It sounded like there really wasn¡¯t a problem, but that last sentence was a bit hard to keep straight faces to.

    You purposefully approached him with a Sword Flight slash, just to force him to use the soul-hooking nether light in defense, right? Otherwise, what¡¯s the difference between a necromancer and being dead if a Sword Immortal gets close?

    A premeditated act of rightful defense is still considered rightful defense, isn¡¯t it?

 Chapter 306: 4 A Sudden Revelation

    Chapter 306: Chapter 4 A Sudden Revelation

    The follow-up news arrived late, revealing that Fan Wentang¡¯s life had been saved, but a problem had arisen.

    The man had become a vegetable.

    Fan Wentang¡¯s White Impermanence, whose cultivation realm was not low, could hook a person¡¯s soul and spirit with its ghostly light, resulting in him now having only two souls and six spirits, with his consciousness far from normal.

    The missing soul and spirit? They were with White Impermanence.

    To have White Impermanence return the soul and spirit? It was possible, but the problem was that White Impermanence had no intelligence, and only Fan Wentang, the Necromancer himself, could command it to do so.

    Thus, a dilemma emerged: if Fan Wentang couldn¡¯t regain his senses, he couldn¡¯t order White Impermanence to release the soul and spirit, meaning he couldn¡¯t bring himself back to consciousness¡­ a deadlock!

    It was said that the higher-ups specifically sought out Teacher Mei, asking her to lend a hand.

    Mei Yingxue was also confused. I¡¯m a Sword Immortal, you¡¯re asking me to break a ghost cultivator¡¯s spell¡­ isn¡¯t that a bit much to ask?

    She arrived at the hospital at four in the afternoon, and after assessing the situation, said it wasn¡¯t entirely without solution.

    If there were a sufficiently powerful Necromancer¡­ preferably one from the Golden Core Realm, they could forcibly refine Fan Wentang¡¯s Soul Summoning Bell and coerce White Impermanence into changing allegiance without destroying it.

    In that case, the control over White Impermanence would change hands, and the Golden Core Cultivator could command it to release the soul and spirit, waking Fan Wentang up.

    The Dingbei Army was exasperated by this. With the current limit on Spiritual Energy, where could we possibly find a Golden Core Cultivator?

    When the Spiritual Energy cap reaches that level, all top cultivators will have achieved their Golden Core, so what use would we have for a Qi Refinement stage cultivator like Fan Wentang?

    So, the problem shifted from ¡°how to save him¡± to ¡°whether to save him¡± at all. After all, although someone in a vegetative state is still alive, keeping them alive costs money and resources.

    If he no longer possessed any value, then considering the crimes he had already committed, he would be more than deserving of execution several times over. Why bother saving him!

    Liu Longtao was the one who relayed the message; Lord Master was beaming with joy at this moment, vigorously patting Yan Yu on the back, praising him as a ¡°bane of the people¡¯s woes¡± and a ¡°hero,¡± which left Yan Yu somewhat speechless.

    ¡°So, are you going to save him or not?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Save my ass!¡± Liu Longtao laughed and cursed, ¡°I made my stance clear with my family, I want him dead! Scum who would attack even children, good riddance!¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡± Yan Yu sighed deeply and said, ¡°Well, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m insubordinate or undisciplined, I did purposely spare his life. Who would have thought that he wouldn¡¯t be able to counter his own soul-hooking specter light? With tens of thousands of cultivators in Lu Country, including those from the Military Manor, there must be at least ten thousand Necromancers among them, right? Is there really not a single one who can save Fan Wentang? I don¡¯t buy it, it¡¯s probably more about the high cost of saving him. The organization prefers to let him sacrifice himself.¡±

    ¡°I can only say that I did not kill Wentang, yet Wentang met his end because of me! Alas!¡±

    Liu Longtao was momentarily stunned, as if he had never expected Yan Yu to utter such shamelessly bold words:

    You were the one who killed him, you acted as the heavens¡¯ retribution, the people¡¯s savior! Yet you won¡¯t admit it and instead claim that you followed the rules in sparing his life, suggesting that the higher-ups intentionally refused to save him¡­

    Wow, what a person! Wants all the benefits, but refuses to accept any of the blame, right!

    ¡°For real?¡± Ye Jun, however, took his words to heart and asked in surprise, ¡°You didn¡¯t plan it this way?¡±

    ¡°Plan what this way?¡± Yan Yu asked in confusion.

    ¡°You know, pretending you didn¡¯t know the soul-hooking specter light could steal a person¡¯s soul and spirit,¡± Ye Jun replied thoughtfully, analyzing the situation, ¡°then you disabled Black Impermanence before using your Sword Control technique to force him to act, leaving him no choice but to resort to White Impermanence for rescue¡­ and thus, only able to use his soul-hooking specter light to defend himself. You deliberately allowed yourself to be hit by his technique, so it would seem like an accident and you could avoid punishment from the organization.¡±

    ¡°Alas, I don¡¯t kill Wentang, yet Wentang dies because of me! Sigh!¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk! Old Yan, oh Old Yan!¡± Liu Longtao also had a sudden realization, ¡°So that was your design all along! I was wondering, such a good strategy! Not only using another¡¯s hand to kill, but even using the person¡¯s own hand! In this way, the higher-ups can¡¯t say anything about you either. After all, the Soul Summoning Bell was released by that thing itself, if it doesn¡¯t step in to block as a meat shield, does that mean you need to take the hit yourself? Even legally speaking, this can be considered an act of emergency defense! Impressive! Brilliant! Admirable!¡±

    ¡°What are you guys talking about?¡± Yan Yu showed a puzzled expression, ¡°Do I look like the kind of person who is sly and deceitful?¡±

    ¡°You are!¡± Liu Longtao said loudly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Ye Jun shook his head honestly.

    ¡°Then Lord Master, you really misunderstood me.¡± Yan Yu argued seriously, ¡°All that about deliberately crippling Black Impermanence, intentionally provoking him to use the Soul Summoning Bell, and purposely making him fall into his own trap¡­ these were all accidents, unfortunate coincidences, I really didn¡¯t know beforehand!¡±

    ¡°You really didn¡¯t know?¡± Ye Jun remained skeptical.

    ¡°Stop pretending, he definitely knew.¡± Liu Longtao was certain.

    ¡°How would I know about the Soul Summoning Bell being able to damage the soul?¡± Yan Yu spread his hands and said, ¡°Although Chen Lingyun is a Necromancer, her style isn¡¯t this, and I couldn¡¯t have inquired about Fan Wentang¡¯s intelligence in advance, right? Today was the first time I met the person introduced by Ye Jun.¡± S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Ye Jun nodded thoughtfully, ¡°You couldn¡¯t have known beforehand that Fan Wentang¡¯s Soul Summoning Bell could extract people¡¯s souls and cause permanent mental damage. You must have just instinctively tried to dodge the attack, and Fan Wentang happened to be nearby, so you just used him to block the blow.¡±

    ¡°Exactly, exactly, exactly!¡± Yan Yu immediately felt overjoyed upon hearing this, ¡°This is the truth!¡±

    ¡°No way!¡± Liu Longtao still didn¡¯t believe it, ¡°Ye Jun, don¡¯t be fooled by him, Old Yan here is full of tricks and best at playing innocent!¡±

    ¡°Old Liu, you can¡¯t be unreasonable.¡± Yan Yu pleaded earnestly, ¡°It¡¯s an objective fact that I couldn¡¯t have known about the Soul Summoning Bell¡¯s intelligence beforehand, so I couldn¡¯t have used another to kill. We need evidence when we talk, I had agreed in front of so many people that it was just a sparring, no one should die, so I definitely expected him not to use lethal methods, right? If I didn¡¯t know that was a knife, how could I use it to kill? It¡¯s impossible, this was an accident!¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Ye Jun agreed with his point of view, and continued to persuade Liu Longtao, ¡°The situation with Fan Wentang hasn¡¯t been made public, even if Yan Yu could get intelligence from Chen Lingyun, he had no motive to get information in advance. Unless he could foresee the future and knew that Fan Wentang would suffer soul damage from the blow, but that¡¯s obviously not possible.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, alright.¡± Liu Longtao raised his hands in surrender, ¡°Anyway, you say it¡¯s an accident, the organization also decided it¡¯s an accident, I have no problem. I¡¯ll just keep my opinion to myself, shall I? Old Yan is innocent, the beast deserved to die, everyone¡¯s happy! Doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s an accident or not, this is good enough.¡±

    ¡°Sigh.¡± Yan Yu showed a helpless look and continued, ¡°Even if it was an accident, I did kill a comrade with my own hands, which makes me very sad. My heart is truly grieving. Fan Wentang was a formally recruited Rikoku Cultivator, originally he could have defended our country on the battlefield, killing more foreign invaders, but now he has indirectly died by my hand, how many enemies will survive because of this? The sins of those people in the future, should they be counted on my head?¡±

    Liu Longtao felt like vomiting. The organization had already determined it was an accident and would not pursue your responsibility, why are you still putting on an act in front of us? Do you really need to appear spotlessly innocent, desperately playing the part of a pure white lotus?

    ¡°Yan Yu, don¡¯t feel too sad.¡± Ye Jun comforted him softly, ¡°There are a limited number of recruitment slots, too many monks and not enough porridge, Rikoku isn¡¯t lacking one Fan Wentang. Forget it if he¡¯s dead, someone else will step up. If he¡¯s not fighting, plenty of others will.¡±

    ¡°Even so, it doesn¡¯t cover the fact that I caused the death of a comrade. What Longcheng Flying General? I¡¯m just a violent person, who would harm his own comrades, nothing but trash.¡± Yan Yu said with a sad expression, ¡°Ye Jun, is there a bar nearby? I want to have a drink, I¡¯ll be going first.¡±

    With these words, he stood up in grief and turned to leave. Ye Jun was also worried, after all, the Longcheng Flying General was now a big celebrity, what if he went to some public bar and got surrounded by a horde of female fans?

    Many bars are quite chaotic!

    ¡°Team Leader Liu, I¡¯ll go check on him.¡± Ye Jun informed Lord Master and quickly stood up to follow after him.

    Liu Longtao chuckled coldly, picked up a wine glass from beside him, and began to pour and drink on his own.

    Whether Old Yan did it on purpose or by accident, in the end that beast is dead, and it counts as a public service!

    Hmm?

    Don¡¯t I have wine right here? Why does he need to go to a bar?

    ¡°`

 Chapter 307: 5: Ill Make Up for the Shortfall in the Book of Life and Death

    Chapter 307: Chapter 5: I¡¯ll Make Up for the Shortfall in the Book of Life and Death

    The old nightclubs of Pingjing City were rampant, with fairly open public bars and, of course, those bars designed for celebrities, ensuring good privacy.

    Ye Jun brought Yan Yu to this establishment, which was the same one that Liu Longtao had previously brought the Dragon Soar Team to drink at, offering assurances of safety and privacy, preventing any shortsighted individuals from coming over to strike up a conversation or harass.

    After drinking a few glasses, Yan Yu checked his phone, which had messages from Li Weiguo.

    Li was furious upon receiving the news in Jinling Prefecture. The Dingbei Army¡¯s intention to incorporate Fan Wentang was not something he could interfere with, being part of the Zhendong Army; Fan Wentang challenging Yan Yu to a spar was a matter for the youngsters, and as he was not their elder, he could not control it either.

    But what did Fan Wentang mean by using the sinister ¡°Soul Hooking Ghastly Light¡±?

    If the one struck was not himself but Yan Yu, and it left some sequelae on the soul, would the Longcheng Flying General then be excluded from the ranks?

    The agreement was not to take lives, but you were using underhanded tricks behind the scenes, trying to turn someone into a vegetative state, right?

    Being vegetative doesn¡¯t count as dead, so are you playing word games with me?

    Li immediately made a call to Yang Zhenwei, the Commander-in-Chief of the Dingbei Army, to inquire what exactly he meant.

    Yang had just received the message from his subordinates, and upon receiving Li¡¯s call holding him to account, he too felt overwhelmed.

    In truth, if Yan Yu had been affected, his soul captured by the Soul Hooking Ghastly Light, then ordering Fan Wentang to command White Impermanence to return the soul afterward would have left Yan Yu at worst a little brain-fogged for a few days, and it would not have resulted in anything too serious¡ªFan trapping himself resulted in a mutual lock, and without a ghost-using senior of a higher Cultivation Realm by his side to unlock it, the Dingbei Army¡¯s loss was actually far greater than that of the Zhendong Army.

    Of course, this wasn¡¯t something he could explain to Old Li.

    Li¡¯s preemptive strike was just to seize the initiative. There was no need for the Dingbei Army to insist on holding the Zhendong Army accountable for a crippled man, escalating the issue to the Privy Council with Li Weiguo.

    Of course, if the Longcheng Flying General had intentionally killed someone, it would be a slap in the face of the Dingbei Army, a direct affront to the organization¡¯s authority, and that account would have to be settled, whether one liked it or not.

    But the Soul Hooking Ghastly Light was released by Fan Wentang himself, and starting with excessively sinister means; Yan Yu not recognizing this technique and lacking any subjective intent to murder came after. Reevaluating the entire incident, it indeed seemed like an accident, and it was truly difficult to blame the Longcheng Flying General for malicious intent. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    They couldn¡¯t very well expect him ¡°not to use Fan Wentang as a shield,¡± right? Unless the Soul Hooking Ghastly Light hits any target, it would automatically pursue the soul and lock it. If Fan Wentang didn¡¯t intercept it, then one would either have to run from it or use their own body as a shield¡­ which would be too much to ask of someone.

    Yang Zhenwei spoke with Li Weiguo for a bit, successfully concluding the matter, and the two reached a consensus.

    After speaking with Yang Zhenwei, Li sent Yan Yu a message saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, your Grandpa Li will certainly have your back.¡±

    There¡¯s even a casualty allotment in training! If someone provokes a challenge and something goes wrong, they can¡¯t possibly blame us for it, can they?

    After reading the message, Yan Yu felt somewhat moved.

    Old Li was genuinely good-hearted, tirelessly cleaning up the mess for that unworthy woman Chen Lingyun in his previous life, and now he says he will have my back¡ªthat¡¯s no idle talk¡­ alas, Li, through the ages! May you live long!

    ¡°You see,¡± Ye Jun said with a smile next to him, comforting, ¡°Everyone still cares about you. Since Commander Li is willing to protect you, things will surely end up being downplayed into nothing~¡±

    ¡°Alas,¡± Yan Yu said with a sigh of relief despite feeling comforted, ¡°I really feel guilty about involving Old Li in this ordeal because of my mistake. He must be facing great political pressure right now because of me.¡±

    ¡°Er, that shouldn¡¯t be the case,¡± Ye Jun replied, not entirely clear on the intricacies of these matters but obviously unable to offer objective reasoning while trying to comfort someone, ¡°You¡¯re part of the Longcheng Flying General after all. Besides, if you hadn¡¯t acted this time, it might have been Commander Liu who made the mistake, so you could say you stood in for him. We should be thanking you.¡±

    ¡°Enough talk, let¡¯s drink,¡± Yan Yu said, clinking his glass against hers.

    Perhaps feeling warm from the alcohol, Ye Jun untied her hairband, letting her beautiful long hair flow freely, her face flushed slightly from tipsiness. With her northern girl¡¯s robust appearance and curvy figure, she looked very attractive and lively.

    Yan Yu discreetly averted his gaze and ordered another cocktail, saying,

    ¡°All in all, we shouldn¡¯t have let our guard down. Once we did, all kinds of monsters and freaks came out.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s not like we had a choice,¡± Ye Jun said with a wry smile, ¡°Don¡¯t take them to heart. Among the civilian cultivators, there are indeed some who shouldn¡¯t have been incorporated. Now that they¡¯re dead, it¡¯s clean.¡±

    ¡°You think I did the right thing too?¡± Yan Yu expressed his surprise.

    ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯ve always been on your side,¡± Ye Jun laughed, ¡°If you don¡¯t trust me, that¡¯s a penalty drink.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll take a penalty drink, I shouldn¡¯t have doubted you.¡± Yan Yu readily downed a cup.

    Ye Jun called over the bartender to fill it up, when she heard Yan Yu add:

    ¡°Actually, what that leader in the camp said was right, I agree with it.¡±

    ¡°Oh? What¡¯s that?¡± Ye Jun, with one hand propping up her cheek, looked over with interest.

    As her sleeve slid down due to gravity, a few black wristbands were exposed, making her wrist look even more pale and smooth. Paired with her profile as she propped up her cheek and looked over, she was truly a sight to behold.

    Having such a beautiful and compliant girl as a deputy, how could Lord Master not fancy her? If it weren¡¯t known that she was his wife in a previous life, it would be hard not to doubt his sexual orientation.

    ¡°It¡¯s what that person said, the current environment is short of cultivators. They¡¯re giving him a chance to atone for his merits and potentially save more ordinary people in the future.¡± Yan Yu looked down at his cup, ¡°That¡¯s the truth.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, indeed,¡± Ye Jun slowly swirled her cup, her tone gentle, ¡°So why did you change your mind later on?¡±

    ¡°Because a human life should not be measured on a balance.¡± Yan Yu lowered his gaze, and his voice dropped as he said solemnly, ¡°A cultivator¡¯s life is no more noble than a commoner¡¯s, and the lives of thousands are not more valuable than one.¡±

    ¡°You say that as if you¡¯re like a hot-blooded male protagonist in a comic,¡± Ye Jun said with a smile, teasing him, ¡°I think, no matter what decision is made, as long as you don¡¯t regret it looking back, not wishing ¡®if I could do it over, I would choose another path¡¯, then that¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu gazed at the amber liquid in his cup, suddenly feeling somewhat dazed.

    If it were my past life, no matter what about patience for the sake of the country or the greater good, I would have cut him down with one stroke of the sword.

    But it was precisely this version of myself, who, even knowing death was certain at the last moment, still charged forward without hesitation.

    Now, fortunate to be reborn, having lived in two different lives, I should be more mature, more considerate of the larger picture, but in the end, I haven¡¯t changed at all.

    But I won¡¯t regret it.

    Because a Sword Immortal only knows how to control the sword and strike from the sky, not to regret.

    ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve had a bit too much to drink,¡± Yan Yu said, putting down his cup.

    ¡°Then drink less,¡± Ye Jun advised, ¡°Too much alcohol isn¡¯t good anyway.¡±

    ¡°Thanks to you for sharing this drink with me, I¡¯ve just figured out something,¡± Yan Yu said with a beaming smile.

    There was a trace of melancholy on his face, which now had dissipated like the breaking of clouds to reveal the sun, his eyes shining brightly.

    ¡°Oh? What¡¯s the problem?¡± inquired Ye Jun, immediately engaging.

    Girls from Jinmen are talkative like this, conversing with them is refreshing. Yan Yu appreciated and liked her even more, smiling as he said:

    ¡°If Fan Wentang were still alive, letting him atone and serve the country could perhaps eliminate many foreign Transcendents in the future, saving a lot of ordinary people.¡±

    ¡°Now that he died because of me, shouldn¡¯t I bear this deficit on my account?¡±

    Ye Jun instinctively wanted to say that¡¯s not right. By your logic, if you let an enemy go on the battlefield and they go on to kill more, should all the resulting blood be on your hands? That would be too harsh.

    But her emotional intelligence wasn¡¯t lacking either, and guessing what Yan Yu meant, she lifted her cup with a smile to her lips:

    ¡°So, how do you plan to make up for this deficit?¡±

    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s no way,¡± Yan Yu sighed, ¡°I can only kill more in the future, make those enemies who should die do so, and work hard to fill in this deficit in the ledger of life and death.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright!¡± Ye Jun was amused by his words, ¡°Then I wish you early achievements and to fill in the deficit! Cheers!¡±

    ¡°Cheers, cheers, cheers!¡±

 Chapter 308: 6 Comrade Ye Jun, Please Stand Watch at Night

    Chapter 308: Chapter 6 Comrade Ye Jun, Please Stand Watch at Night

    Yan Yu was finally carried back to the hotel by Ye Jun.

    Although theoretically, after entering the Marrow Cleansing Stage, one should be immune to all diseases, and as long as True Yuan is circulated, any alcohol can be instantly metabolized, leaving no chance of intoxication.

    However, Yan Yu and Ye Jun were enjoying their conversation so much that he forgot to circulate his True Yuan, and as a result, he became drunk¡ªthis was a perfectly reasonable outcome.

    Even now, if he were to use a breathalyzer, the result would show intoxication; there would be no other possibility.

    Supporting Yan Yu, they arrived at his hotel room, where Ye Jun fished out the room card from his pocket and swiped it to open the door. She then heaved Yan Yu into the room and set him down on a chair.

    The reason she didn¡¯t let him lie on the bed was mainly due to the fear that he might vomit and choke or even suffocate if the vomit blocked his airway¡ªYe Jun¡¯s father often came home drunk, and she had maxed out her nursing experience from taking care of her dad since she was little.

    She fetched a towel from the bathroom, washed and wrung it out, and wiped Yan Yu¡¯s face. After loosening his collar, Ye Jun turned to pour him some hot water.

    She placed the hangover-curing hot water on the coffee table when suddenly her phone rang.

    ¡°Did you send Old Yan back?¡± Liu Longtao was on the other end of the phone, ¡°Are you still there?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Ye Jun replied as she walked over to the door, ¡°I¡¯ve just carried him back to the hotel and poured him some water, and I was about to leave.¡±

    ¡°Wait a moment,¡± Liu Longtao said with a sigh. ¡°Old Yang is asking about his current situation.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ we went to that bar we visited last time and had some drinks. Then Captain Yan got a bit drunk, and I carried him back,¡± Ye Jun said with a big yawn. ¡°It¡¯s so tiring, sigh.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great.¡± Liu Longtao said, ¡°Ye Jun, could you stay there and keep an eye on Old Yan, please?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Ye Jun was suddenly confused.

    ¡°Old Yang said,¡± Liu Longtao relayed the commander-in-chief¡¯s words, ¡°the Dingbei Army has more than just Fan Wentang among the civilian cultivators it has enlisted. We can¡¯t let the Longcheng Flying General find excuses to challenge them all, right? It¡¯s a hard task, but could you watch over him tonight? Tomorrow the scientific research department will announce the experiment has ended, and we¡¯ll quickly send him back to Jinling Prefecture.¡±

    Ye Jun: ¡­¡­¡­

    Turning to look at the intoxicated Yan Yu, she thought to herself that he was in no condition to seek out civilian cultivators for challenges. Besides, not every civilian cultivator was Fan Wentang.

    But it was probably also a precaution borne of fear from the superiors. This approach wasn¡¯t unique to this dynasty; back when monarchy was still in effect towards the end of the previous dynasty, there was a man from Puyang Prefecture infamous for his brashness who, due to a land border dispute with a neighboring landlord, argued for nearly half a year and then claimed he was going to the imperial capital to strike the grievance drum. The local magistrate, upon hearing this, was terrified and immediately dispatched runners to guard all major and minor roads to ensure the man was stopped within the county¡¯s jurisdiction.

    However, roadblocks are useless against the Longcheng Flying General. He can fly with his sword. What if tonight, after drinking too much, he becomes delirious and has a brainwave? What if he suddenly curses ¡°All civilian cultivators deserve to be shark¡¯d¡± and then flies off with his sword to decapitate them one by one?

    Should the military manor¡¯s cultivators try to stop him? Who could beat him?

    High-caliber anti-personnel weapons might stand a chance, but if it really came down to firing guns inside Pingjing City, things would quickly spiral out of control.

    The best and safest method would obviously be to find someone to keep the Longcheng Flying General busy and to ensure he doesn¡¯t cause trouble outside. Then, first thing tomorrow morning, they¡¯d send him away immediately.

    The Zhendong Army also enlisted civilian cultivators. Since the Longcheng Flying General belongs to the Zhendong Army, let him go and make trouble on Zhendong¡¯s turf, and then it¡¯s none of our Dingbei Army¡¯s business.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Ye Jun sighed, ¡°what about the dorm?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to the dormitory supervisor,¡± Liu Longtao assured her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the school. The main concern is Old Yan. Make sure he does not leave the room tonight. Plainclothes officers are stationed all around the hotel, and the moment he steps out, it will trigger a chain reaction, which won¡¯t look good if it escalates to higher authorities.¡±

    Ye Jun: ¡­¡­¡­

    It won¡¯t look good if it gets escalated, but it¡¯ll look fine if you push it onto me?

    I¡¯m still an unmarried single woman of quality, sharing a room and spending the night with Yan Yu. What if my reputation is tarnished? Who would I complain to then?

    Forget it, eating public grain comes with these nuisances, and in critical moments, one must listen to the organization. I¡¯d wade through a mountain of swords or dive into a sea of flames; guarding for one night is a minor matter in comparison.

    Ye Jun turned back to Yan Yu and asked with concern:

    ¡°Yan Yu, do you feel any better?¡±

    ¡°My head is killing me,¡± Yan Yu moaned with his eyes closed.

    ¡°Then drink some water,¡± Ye Jun offered him the water.

    After gulping down several mouthfuls of the hot water, Yan Yu felt somewhat better. He propped himself up with his arms and slowly opened his eyes.

    Of course, he could circulate his True Yuan to dissipate the effects of the alcohol, but what would be the point of drinking then?

    Since I chose to drink, what I wanted was the feeling of a hangover, like a mortal in a past life who didn¡¯t know his own tolerance¡ªthis is called nostalgia. Once I get back to Jinling Prefecture, I won¡¯t have this opportunity anymore. Even if I go out to a pub and order a draft beer, Ningning will nag me about it, which is really annoying.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Yan Yu scratched his head and said, ¡°Ye Jun, you can go back now, I¡¯m awake.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t go back.¡± Ye Jun took the towel to the bathroom to wash, saying, ¡°I am staying here tonight.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Yan Yu was also confused¡ªas if hearing this for the first time, just like Ye Jun¡¯s initial reaction. The response from both of them was exactly the same.

    ¡°The higher-ups said I have to keep an eye on you tonight,¡± Ye Jun explained as she wrung out the wet towel and came out to hand it to him, ¡°Here, wipe your face with this.¡±

    ¡°Ah, so they are afraid I¡¯ll cause trouble,¡± Yan Yu took the towel and wiped his face and neck.

    ¡°At least you¡¯re aware of yourself,¡± Ye Jun said with a touch of melancholy.

    ¡°Haha.¡± Yan Yu put the towel aside, got up, and said, ¡°Then I might as well fly back to Jinling on my sword now to save you all the worry.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t do that.¡± Ye Jun quickly stopped him, ¡°Once you step out and take off on your sword, it will be hard to explain. Who¡¯s to say whether you are really going back to Jinling or off to ¡®exchange pointers¡¯ with other folk cultivators? A whole bunch of people will be running around because of your departure.¡±

    ¡°Then just call them and explain clearly,¡± Yan Yu dismissed the concern.

    ¡°Anyway, you are staying here tonight,¡± Ye Jun insisted, ¡°Don¡¯t go anywhere. Once they¡¯ve settled the folk cultivators tomorrow, no one will care about you anymore.¡±

    Yan Yu was speechless. So, just because of this, the Dingbei Army has lost all trust in me, huh?

    But I can understand it, honestly. Just like in the old days, if you rang the complaint drum to present a royal petition once, they¡¯d intercept you even on a New Year¡¯s visit to relatives out of town¡ªwho knows if you were really visiting or if you were taking a detour to the capital again? You might think the local magistrate was heartless, and yet he¡¯d have to deal with your troublesome antics.

    In the eyes of the current Dingbei Army, Longcheng Flying General is the troublesome one. They¡¯d rather inconvenience Ye Jun, a female comrade, by keeping me here than let me walk out that door!

    ¡°Fine,¡± Yan Yu agreed not to make it difficult for Ye Jun, ¡°Then I¡¯ll stay overnight¡­ But this is a king-sized bed, right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Ye Jun was quite magnanimous, ¡°Cultivators don¡¯t sleep. We just meditate and practice. It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t sit on the bed, you can also do it on a chair.¡±

    ¡°Give me a break, the chair is so narrow and has armrests that limit space; you can¡¯t even spread your legs,¡± Yan Yu looked at the armchair, shook his head, and continued, ¡°Just like you said, we¡¯ll meditate and practice on the bed to get through the night.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Ye Jun didn¡¯t change her clothes, just took off her shoes and socks and washed her feet in the bathroom.

    After Yan Yu also freshened up, they both sat cross-legged on the bed, closed their eyes, and started diligently channeling their Qi through the cycles.

    About ten minutes later, Yan Yu opened his eyes, feeling helpless.

    Moving Qi through the cycles my ass!

    With my aptitude for cultivation, while others are scooping water with a ladle, I¡¯m like dipping water with chopsticks, so inefficiency it¡¯s infuriating¡­ practicing is just futile, might as well not do it at all.

    Noticing his eyes open, Ye Jun also opened hers and asked:

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®what¡¯s wrong¡¯?¡± Yan Yu responded.

    ¡°I saw that you opened your eyes,¡± Ye Jun said. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°How would you know that I opened my eyes if yours were closed?¡± Yan Yu countered.

    ¡°All right,¡± Ye Jun admitted with a bitter smile, ¡°I saw it with my Divine Sense.¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯ve been scanning me with your Divine Sense, huh?¡± Yan Yu chuckled.

    ¡°I¡¯m just a bit nervous,¡± Ye Jun confessed in a low voice, embarrassed, ¡°It¡¯s not that I suspect you, it¡¯s just¡­ well, I¡¯ve never spent the night in the same room with another man before.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Yan Yu stretched his legs out again, propped a pillow behind him, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s not practice then, how about telling some stories instead?¡±

    ¡°What stories?¡± Ye Jun was surprised.

    ¡°Tell me about your story, let¡¯s chat casually. It might help you relax,¡± Yan Yu suggested, leaning back on the pillow.

    ¡°Okay then,¡± Ye Jun nodded and couldn¡¯t help but laugh.

    Indeed, chatting with each other felt more relaxing and pleasant than sitting in silence all night long.

 Chapter 309: 7 Truth or Dare

    Chapter 309: Chapter 7 Truth or Dare

    Yan Yu and Ye Jun sat on the bed, chatting more and more energetically, and actually talked through the night. It could probably only be attributed to the fact that cultivators simply have more stamina than ordinary people.

    By the next morning, news came from the research base saying that the project on the Marrow Cleansing Stage had concluded, and Comrade Yan could return to his unit.

    ¡°You¡¯d better return to your unit quickly. Military duties are hectic, it really isn¡¯t good to delay you.¡±

    After bidding farewell to Liu Longtao and Ye Jun, Yan Yu left Pingjing via Sword Control.

    The greatest gain from this trip to Pingjing wasn¡¯t finishing off Fan Wentang, but rather truly becoming friends with Ye Jun.

    Originally, the two were just acquaintances and didn¡¯t really understand each other very well. If the relationship had to be quantified, his favorability with Ye Jun wasn¡¯t even as high as with Lord Master. After all, Lord Master directly called him ¡°Old Yan,¡± while Ye Jun used ¡°Yan Yu¡± or even ¡°Captain Yan,¡± which made their level of closeness self-evident.

    Developing a relationship with a woman needs to be done gradually. The prerequisite for ¡°deepening the relationship¡± is to ¡°unlock the emotional connection,¡± and the prerequisite for ¡°unlocking the emotional connection¡± is to ¡°become familiar with each other and let down guard.¡± From acquaintance to friend, to ambiguous relationship, and then to lovers, each step must follow the other, and one cannot be hasty for quick results.

    Some people are too impatient and attempt to skip the ¡°unlocking the emotional connection,¡± jumping directly from friends to lovers, going up to a girl and confessing, then turning around and joining the circus to put on makeup;

    Some are even more impatient than a rushed king, wanting to skip even the ¡°becoming familiar with each other¡± step. This kind of behavior is commonly known as ¡°blind dating,¡± and in the new era, there is a slang term called ¡°blasting gold coins¡±¡­

    Having lived two lifetimes, Yan Yu naturally wouldn¡¯t make these common male mistakes.

    Firstly, he needed to raise Ye Jun¡¯s favorability to the level of a friend, and maybe even get to the point of ¡°friends who can talk about anything.¡± Then, if Ye Jun couldn¡¯t stand being in the team anymore, he could take the opportunity to poach her.

    If the relationship remained that of distant acquaintances who had known each other for a long time, suddenly saying to her, ¡°Stop working with the Dragon Soar Team,¡± would only make her instinctively defensive and likely turn him down politely.

    As for Lord Master saying ¡°Old Yan is chasing after Ye Jun,¡± that was just a rumor with no basis in truth.

    ¡°If you could ensure that Ye Jun stabilizes and shines in the team, would I need to hit on her?¡±

    What the previous life had proven was that this guy only cared about himself, and didn¡¯t care how Ye Jun was doing¡­ This girl is truly outstanding, it¡¯s too much of a pity to see her talents go to waste, better to let her continue to shine at my place.

    Yan Yu, having returned to Jinling Prefecture via Sword Control, was soon surrounded by the girls of the team, enjoying an unprecedented reception.

    ¡°You weren¡¯t punished, were you?¡± Lin Ning asked worriedly.

    ¡°Nope, it seems to have been suppressed,¡± Chen Lingyun said nonchalantly, ¡°It¡¯s announced that it was an accidental injury during training.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I think there¡¯s a problem with that,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen casually said, ¡°Are they even daring to recruit such evil cultivators?¡±

    Yan Yu instantly looked at her in shock. Demonic Sect Enchantress, how dare you say such a thing?

    In your past life, you ran from Lin¡¯an all the way to Nanjiang, killing and silencing people along the way, doing harm to countless innocents. And in the end, weren¡¯t you also taken in by the government¡­ Never mind.

    Zhao Yuanzhen has no memories of the future, and in this lifetime, she indeed hasn¡¯t killed any innocents, so it wouldn¡¯t be fair to judge her by past life actions.

    We¡¯ll just let her keep her pretty little head on her neck for now!

    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Xie Ruoxi interrupted, ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about state affairs, what are we eating tonight?¡±

    ¡°How about Northwestern food?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen suggested.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we eating at home tonight?¡± Lin Ning protested in shock, ¡°I¡¯ve already bought the groceries! They won¡¯t be fresh anymore if they stay in the fridge overnight!¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s eat at home,¡± Yan Yu decided, ¡°During my time in Pingjing, I was dragged out to restaurants by Lord Master every day, eating food that¡¯s too oily and salty; I almost threw up¡­ I just want to eat Ningning¡¯s cooking!¡±

    ¡°Alright, cut it out with the flattery,¡± Lin Ning complained, though she couldn¡¯t help but smile and headed towards the kitchen.

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi went to the living room, lying on the couch to watch TV. Yan Yu was about to follow when he suddenly heard Chen Lingyun ask:

    ¡°Was it Lord Master who told you to kill him?¡±

    ¡°It was an accidental injury,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°The higher-ups didn¡¯t want to save him, it¡¯s not my business.¡±

    ¡°Haha,¡± Chen Lingyun gave a slight smile, ignoring his response, and continued, ¡°I know it was impulsive, but people on the outside won¡¯t know that. They probably see it as a signal of hostility you, as a government-trained cultivator, are sending to the private cultivators.¡±

    ¡°Is it really that complicated?¡± Yan Yu said with a laugh, ¡°He was bad news to begin with, even Lord Master couldn¡¯t stand him and wanted to beat him up, can¡¯t my actions be out of righteous indignation?¡±

    ¡°Of course, they can,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°But you can¡¯t deny that there are many bad and stupid people in the world.¡± S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Stupid people can¡¯t see it, bad people pretend not to see it. The former are easily led by the nose, while the latter actively lead others. Essentially, there isn¡¯t much difference. So there may be some private cultivators who don¡¯t understand the full story, and think you¡¯re hostile towards them¡­ Of course, now that you¡¯re the Longcheng Flying General, they probably wouldn¡¯t dare to trouble you, but just be careful all the same.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Yan Yu was indifferent.

    In his previous life, he served in the mobile forces, where he had killed too many cultivators who had done wrong. He killed a betrayer named Zhang San, and then Zhang San¡¯s associate Li Si held a grudge against him ever since, and so on ¨C he had made too many enemies this way, but what of it?

    Even Empress Yuanzhen was taken in by the government, showing that the future was already a nightmare world where the strong rule. The public recruitment of people like Fan Wentang was just the beginning.

 Chapter 310: 7 Truth or Dare_2

    Chapter 310: Chapter 7 Truth or Dare_2

    As the resurgence of Spiritual Energy progressed, the voices of the powerful grew louder. Now, Yan Yu needs to borrow a blade to kill someone, but in the future, he won¡¯t even need to borrow one¡ªafter killing, just a phone call to report would suffice¡ªjust like Empress Yuanzhen in the past lifetime, as long as you are willing to protect your home and country, whatever you do at home is up to you.

    After all, if one can¡¯t protect their home, everyone is doomed. The collapse of a country and the loss of homes are an even more terrifying hell. When faced with two evils, one must choose the lesser, it¡¯s an inevitability.

    Thinking this way made him feel anxious again. When would he be able to become the strongest in this world and take away the right to speak from all these cultivators?

    I want to create a world where only what I say goes!

    After dinner, everyone went to rest. Just as Yan Yu was planning to play with his phone, he suddenly received a call from Li Weiguo.

    It¡¯s never good news¡­ Truth be told, old Li has been quite good to me, but every time he calls, it¡¯s to get me to work, which isn¡¯t great.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu, Huofeng Team has emerged from the Mysterious Realm.¡±

    ¡°Oh, do you want me to send a congratulatory message?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Li Weiguo said with some exasperation, ¡°as the captain of the Zhenhai Team, do you think I would call you specially just to have you send a congratulatory message?¡±

    ¡°Definitely not, I just kind of hoped so,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°after all, I¡¯ve just returned from Pingjing and haven¡¯t had the chance to rest yet.¡±

    Li Weiguo patiently said:

    ¡°I know, so if it weren¡¯t for something important, I wouldn¡¯t come looking for you. The Zhendong Army has over a dozen teams, many of which haven¡¯t taken on the Mysterious Realm yet and are currently lining up.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so the Huofeng Team hasn¡¯t managed to conquer that Mysterious Realm?¡±

    ¡°Correct. For specifics, how about you find out once you get there? In Yu Yuan County of Nanjiang, the Pingxi Army will be there to meet you.¡±

    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll set off right away.¡±

    Yan Yu ended the call, gathered all the girls, and left the house to rise into the sky on his sword.

    Five streaks of sword light sped across the sky, instantly catching the attention of the citizens of Jinling. Many took out their phones to take photos and post on social media with captions like ¡°Longcheng Flying General, taking off!¡± or ¡°Yan Zhanlong, joining the battle!¡±, some even uploaded short videos with exciting background music, but these are digressions and not the main point for now.

    ¡°So what¡¯s the situation?¡± In flight, Lin Ning asked curiously, ¡°Is the Southern Border making another advance?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Xiao Zhou is just too useless. We fought tooth and nail in the Southern Border, buying time for her to conquer the Mysterious Realm, only for her to fail at taking it¡­ Ling Yun, give them a call and ask about the situation.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Chen Lingyun smiled, ¡°but there¡¯s no cell phone signal at high altitudes, should we descend to make the call?¡±

    ¡°Forget it,¡± Yan Yu waved his hand dismissively, ¡°we¡¯ll talk about it when we get there.¡±

    If he couldn¡¯t immediately mock Xiao Zhou, then he would have to rush there to mock her to her face!

    Finally, in the dead of night, they arrived at Yu Yuan County in Nanjiang and met up with the cultivators of the Pingxi Army.

    Then they saw the Huofeng Team cultivators, all injured and receiving treatment.

    Among the five members, Zhou Hongyu was in the worst condition, her whole body tightly wrapped in bandages, revealing only her eyes, nose, mouth, and a section of her wrist for the IV drip.

    The rest of them were also wrapped in medical bandages, their faces bearing numerous charred marks. It¡¯s estimated that there was some formidable Fire Blazing Dao Method in the mysterious realm that forced the entire Huofeng Team to make a forced exit, leaving the Zhenhai Team to take over.

    ¡°Ow, Xiao Zhou, what happened to you?¡± Yan Yu asked with a concerned look, gently inquiring, ¡°Getting new skin? Last time I saw you, you were a patient in an oxygen mask, and now you¡¯ve become a mummy?¡±

    Zhou Hongyu didn¡¯t have the energy to speak and could only glare at him fiercely, her eyes cold and brimming with murderous intent.

    ¡°Stop joking, Captain Yan.¡± Zhang Huaide said from the next bed, ¡°Captain Zhou has deep burns. Thankfully, we now have cultivator methods, or she really couldn¡¯t have been saved.¡±

    ¡°Was it a fire-breathing dragon?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°It was like biogenetic teardrops, I guess,¡± Zhang Huaide sighed, ¡°it¡¯s a long story.¡±

    ¡°Then give us the short version of the long story,¡± Yan Yu said as he pulled up a stool to sit down and listen to Deputy Captain Zhang recount the situation in the mysterious realm.

    The mysterious realm was called ¡°Mirror Lake Divine Palace¡± because there was a mountain within the realm, and atop the mountain lay a lake. The reflection in the lake showed a magnificent palace, but in reality, not even a shadow of a building could be found, nor any enemy.

    The Huofeng Team went in but couldn¡¯t solve the mysteries of the realm, so they went back outside to report to the Pingxi Army. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The Pingxi Army brought in researchers to tackle the problem, and it wasn¡¯t until this morning that they managed to make a breakthrough, finally solving the mystery of Mirror Lake and sending in the Huofeng Team and others.

    Then, the entire team emerged in the afternoon, each member wounded and unable to continue the fight.

    The worst off was Zhou Hongyu, who had severe burns all over and barely made it back alive¡ªonly thanks to the resurgence of Spiritual Energy and the great enhancement of medical technology through cultivation methods, injuries that were once certain death could now be survived.

    According to the team members¡¯ accounts, opposite Mirror Lake stood a palace in the middle of the lake, but there was no entrance to the buildings above the lake¡¯s surface, nor any way to break in.

    The entrance was below the lake, where there were five small altars. It required five people to stand on them all at once to be transported inside. Upon entering, they would pass through five rooms in sequence, each containing an enemy who not only looked exactly like a member of the team but also had a highly similar attack method and combat style¡ªexcept they were enhanced.

    It was like the final challenge in a Pok¨¦mon game, with the members of the Huofeng Team successively defeating the enhanced Meng Qingxi, enhanced Zhang Huaide, enhanced Tang Xiaolian, and enhanced Qin Meng, but they fell at the last hurdle to the enhanced Zhou Hongyu. Because the enhanced Zhou Hongyu was just too terrifying, spewing and exploding all kinds of Fire Blazing Dao Methods, even Zhou Hongyu herself couldn¡¯t withstand it and was the first to be laid out on the ground.

    ¡°I see,¡± Yan Yu summed up, ¡°from the weakest to the strongest, successively cloned. They look the same, the moves are the same, but the power is greater, right?¡±

    ¡°Not quite,¡± Zhang Huaide shook his head, ¡°the moves are different. For example, that clone of Zhang Huaide had swordsmanship far superior to mine and used many sword techniques that I simply don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like a future version of you,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°You could¡­ put it that way,¡± Zhang Huaide frowned, clearly thinking that this future theory was not accurate, ¡°Also, the clones said some pretty strange things.¡±

    ¡°Strange things?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    ¡°They would fabricate some false dark histories that never existed for the originals, and then announce them in front of our entire team,¡± Tang Xiaolian added, ¡°as a form of mental attack to try to affect our performance.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Zhang Huaide shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t think those were made-up lies¡­¡±

    ¡°They are made-up!¡± Qin Meng quickly interrupted, ¡°All of it is fake! Not a single word of truth!¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Meng Qingxi said seriously, ¡°I swear, that impostor claiming to be me said things that are absolutely irrelevant to me!¡±

    ¡°Deputy Captain Zhang!¡± Tang Xiaolian said angrily, ¡°As we¡¯ve said! They¡¯re nonexistent false dark histories!¡±

    ¡°Regardless of what the clones said,¡± seeing his teammates unanimously objecting and making a commotion, Zhang Huaide could only compromise halfway, without dwelling on the truthfulness, and continued speaking to Yan Yu and the others, ¡°None of you should believe it, nor let it affect the concerned team members.¡±

 Chapter 311: 8: Mirror Lake Divine Palace, The Future Me

    Chapter 311: Chapter 8: Mirror Lake Divine Palace, The Future Me

    Leaving the infirmary of the Huofeng Team, Yan Yu turned his head towards the girls and asked,

    ¡°So, what do you think?¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s quite interesting,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a full smile.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you that!¡± Yan Yu waved his hand to interrupt her, ¡°Analyze how we should approach this mysterious realm.¡±

    ¡°According to Deputy Captain Zhang¡¯s description, the combat environment is still relatively spacious, so even large-scale Taoism Methods won¡¯t be restricted,¡± Chen Lingyun said smilingly, ¡°There aren¡¯t many obstacles or covers in the environment, which indicates that the designer doesn¡¯t want us to play tricks. We are asked to defeat the avatars by fighting them head-on in battle.¡±

    ¡°To sum up, it is undoubtedly a test-type mysterious realm, and there won¡¯t be unsolvable puzzles¡ªthe fact that all members of the Huofeng Team were seriously injured but not dead also supports this,¡± she continued.

    ¡°The key lies in how we solve the puzzle,¡± Lin Ning added.

    She looked at the other two, Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi, who remained silent, making Lin Ning somewhat regretful that Yun Jin wasn¡¯t there¡ªotherwise, she might have been able to discern more detailed clues, right?

    No matter, we still have Ling Yun.

    ¡°The avatars will replicate one of the members in our team,¡± Chen Lingyun continued, ¡°and enhance them based on that member. Their specific moves will change, but won¡¯t completely deviate from the original¡¯s fighting style¡ªit¡¯s like moving a version of us with higher cultivation and stronger abilities from the future here.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°So what?¡±

    ¡°Since the avatars are based on us, we can extrapolate their weaknesses from our own,¡± Chen Lingyun continued with a smile, ¡°My weakness is slow reaction speed, so the suitable tactic is surprise attacks, pushing with an ultra-fast offense and defense rhythm to force her to make irrational decisions.¡±

    ¡°My issue is that I¡¯m not adaptable enough when facing unfamiliar situations,¡± Lin Ning analyzed, ¡°So to deal with my avatar, we should try to increase the complexity of moves, burdening her with excessive thinking in response.¡±

    Everyone looked towards Xie Ruoxi.

    ¡°Me?¡± Xie Ruoxi said uncertainly, ¡°I feel that my biggest weakness is my lack of combat experience¡­¡±

    ¡°But if it¡¯s the future you, that might not be a problem,¡± Chen Lingyun said cheerfully, ¡°It¡¯s better to consider weaknesses related to thought patterns or innate talents¡ªflaws that aren¡¯t easily compensated for.¡±

    ¡°Her weakness lies in favoring brute force over finesse,¡± Yan Yu suddenly said, ¡°She¡¯s easily deceived tactically.¡±

    ¡°What about Sister Zhao?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    ¡°Me?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen thought for a moment then said with frustration, ¡°I really can¡¯t think of any weaknesses I might have.¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhao¡¯s weakness is an overly strong desire to attack,¡± Yan Yu said deliberately, ¡°which makes her behavior too predictable.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s nose wrinkled immediately as she silently fumed, keeping grudges in mind, thinking:

    ¡°That jerk actually said I have an overly strong desire to attack, and my behavior patterns¡­ eh? What does ¡®too predictable¡¯ mean? What¡¯s he getting at?¡±

    She had intended to retort firmly against Yan Yu¡¯s words, but unexpectedly she found herself too illiterate to understand the criticism, thus unable to imagine how to counterattack in the future, and felt embarrassed to ask him (for fear of revealing her ignorance), so she could only cross her arms and sulk in silence.

    Finally, the group turned toward Yan Yu, and after a collective silence, suddenly, Lin Ning spoke up:

    ¡°I suggest we replace the captain, find a cultivator from the Huofeng Team who isn¡¯t too badly injured, and have them team up with us to tackle this mysterious realm.¡±

    ¡°I agree,¡± Xie Ruoxi hastily said.

    ¡°It would indeed effectively lower the difficulty level,¡± Chen Lingyun concurred.

    ¡°It¡¯s about time for a change!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen also exclaimed, seizing the chance to avenge the sharp criticism she just faced!

    ¡°Stop joking around,¡± Yan Yu scoffed disdainfully, ¡°Without me, how would you fight the four enhanced avatars in the beginning?¡±

    ¡°My God!¡± Lin Ning immediately retorted, ¡°Captain, you really have no shame, actually assuming your avatar would be the strongest and come last!¡±

    ¡°Otherwise?¡± Yan Yu frowned, ¡°Am I not the strongest?¡±

    ¡°You could at least be modest about it!¡± Lin Ning huffed.

    ¡°Alright, stop arguing,¡± Yan Yu commanded with a grand wave of his hand, ¡°Let¡¯s go in and test the waters. We can always retreat along the same way we came in. Also, think about whether there are any dark secrets that the avatar might spill out.¡±

    At the mention of dark secrets, the girls fell silent, each beginning to introspect and assess.

    Chen Lingyun thought to herself: I have them, but I don¡¯t care, let them be revealed.

    Lin Ning thought to herself: I have them, as long as I firmly deny it, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Xie Ruoxi thought to herself, ¡°I have, and I don¡¯t want to remember, because every time I do, I feel like dying¡­¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen thought to herself, ¡°¡­I¡¯m a bit hungry.¡±

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t say anything and led the deep-in-thought girls toward the direction of the Mysterious Realm.

    Passing through the entrance of the Mysterious Realm, the outside world was enveloped by the night sky, yet within it was clear blue skies. Many Military Manor cultivators were moving up and down the mountain paths, transporting various types of equipment.

    This time the Mysterious Realm was rather special: there was no danger outside the Mirror Lake Divine Palace, but even drones couldn¡¯t fly inside. The Huofeng Team was originally equipped with cameras, but as soon as they passed through the lake, the devices were immediately rendered useless. It was only after they emerged and performed a check that they found the chips inside completely burnt out.

    The lake itself was now sealed, waiting for the Zhenhai Team to conquer it. Yan Yu led the team up to the mountaintop, where they saw a huge conical instrument set up on the shore, its point aimed at the center of Mirror Lake, where the water was rapidly swirling into a wild vortex at least twenty meters in diameter.

    The girls were all deeply shocked, taking a careful look at the high-tech device that Lu Country had created with the help of cultivators, while Yan Yu seemed used to it. He went over and said a few words to the person in charge on site and then turned his head to give an order:

    ¡°Sword Control, follow me!¡±

    Everyone conjured up their sword lights and flew swiftly to the vortex directly above Mirror Lake. Then, with the sword lights hanging upside down, they plunged in headfirst.

    As the world spun around them, gravity had suddenly flipped.

    The sword lights were clearly moving downward, but the moment they passed through the surface of the lake, it transformed into an upward motion.

    Where once the shoreline filled with Military Manor cultivators and the huge device stood, now there was a splendid and lavish celestial palace. The palace, made of jade bricks and glazed roof tiles, was crystal clear and complemented the lake waters below, shining with brilliance.

    ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful,¡± Lin Ning murmured.

    ¡°It looks like a really tough dungeon,¡± Xie Ruoxi couldn¡¯t help saying.

    ¡°It would be great if there were a lot of treasures,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said, posing as a senior, with composure.

    ¡°How¡¯s it?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°All checked.¡± Chen Lingyun, holding the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, had released the Five Ghosts to scout the area and came back saying, ¡°Apart from the altar beneath the water, there is no other entrance.¡±

    ¡°Then that¡¯s good,¡± Yan Yu nodded. ¡°Dive in!¡±

    Avoiding the whirlpool they had come through, the group entered the calm water and saw, as they approached the bottom near the Mirror Lake Divine Palace, that there were indeed five small altars.

    As Zhang Huaide had said, each person chose an altar to stand on.

    After another bout of the world spinning around them, the group found themselves inside the Mirror Lake Divine Palace, in the midst of a long crystal corridor.

    The front led to a great hall while the back was a dead end, also with five single altars, for transporting the people back the way they came.

    ¡°Come to think of it, who is the weakest in our team?¡± Lin Ning suddenly asked out of curiosity.

    ¡°Definitely not me,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said.

    ¡°I suppose that would be me,¡± Chen Lingyun laughed. ¡°Everyone, get ready, we¡¯re about to face ¡®Chen Lingyun¡¯ soon.¡±

    ¡°Why do you seem so happy about it?¡± Yan Yu frowned and asked.

    ¡°Because I really want to see what an enhanced version of ¡®Chen Lingyun¡¯ is like,¡± Chen Lingyun said, her smile beaming like a flower.

    Although her words seemed a bit incendiary, Lin Ning was suddenly inspired by her and had an epiphany, saying:

    ¡°If it really is a version of myself from the future, or even a more powerful simulation of myself, then studying how she utilizes various methods in combat can offer us valuable guidance and reference, right?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± said Yan Yu calmly. ¡°For the Huofeng Team, such foresight is indeed precious. But you have me as the team leader to provide high-level guidance and correct directions for cultivation, so it¡¯s not necessary to study how the replicas fight. At most, they serve as a self-motivator¡ªa reminder that ¡®if I cultivate diligently, I can reach that level in the future¡¯.¡±

    ¡°The Captain is still as narcissistic and shameless as ever,¡± Lin Ning quietly communicated with the girls using a transmission.

    But upon reflection, at least until now, Yan Yu¡¯s guidance and arrangements had never been wrong.

    Lin Ning still remembered the days when she first dabbled in the Three Arts and Five Spells. She had seriously considered ¡°whether to learn close-quarters combat¡± but was advised by Yan Yu that ¡°it would be more appropriate to practice the Metal-Element Impact Curse.¡±

    Now, as a Sword Immortal, she used the Sword Control Technique as her main means of attack, and the practice in Impact Curses had indeed greatly enhanced her response time and accuracy.

    So what would my future self look like, a dashing and suave female Sword Immortal?

    With this thought, Lin Ning too felt a sense of longing and anticipation.

 Chapter 312: 9: The Beautiful Lady in Palace Attire, Chen Lingyun

    Chapter 312: Chapter 9: The Beautiful Lady in Palace Attire, Chen Lingyun

    The group proceeded along the corridor and entered the hall.

    Although Zhang Huaide called it a room, it was more like an indoor sports field, with both length and width exceeding a hundred meters and a height of about seven or eight meters, spacious and empty.

    In the very center of the hall stood a life-size upright copper mirror.

    Beyond that, there was nothing else.

    ¡°Spread out, Five Elements Formation,¡± Chen Lingyun quickly transmitted her voice, commanding.

    The Five Elements Formation meant that the five-person team stood in the east, south, west, north, and center. The central striker served as the tank and primary attacker, dealing with and drawing in the guardian¡¯s frontal firepower, usually taken up by the sword immortal most adept at adapting. The other four positioned themselves in the four corners, attacking and restraining the guardian.

    The one standing behind the central striker, also facing the guardian, could be impacted by the opponent¡¯s attacks, hence the battlefield pressure was only second to that of the central striker. As for the three on the sides and the back of the guardian, they could freely use various means without facing the guardian¡¯s direct assaults.

    Of course, the guardian wasn¡¯t a boss in a game; there was no such thing as holding its aggro, so the actual use of the Five Elements Formation involved frequent movement and rotation¡ªif the guardian moved or turned, the formation also had to be immediately adjusted.

    For the Zhenhai Team¡¯s Five Elements Formation, Yan Yu unhesitatingly took the position of the central striker; Lin Ning acted as the deputy striker behind him, while Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi took the left and right flanks, respectively, and the safest rear position naturally went to Chen Lingyun, who bore the responsibility of command.

    The team arranged their formation and waited for a moment when suddenly the surrounding temperature seemed to drop.

    It wasn¡¯t the body feeling cold, but a kind of chilling cold that seemed to arise from the depths of the heart, as if something terrible was about to descend.

    You could see a petite and delicate girl had stepped out of the upright mirror in the center at some point.

    Her hair was coiled into an extremely intricate cloud bun, adorned with various jade pins and golden ornaments, and she was wearing ancient Chinese Tang-style attire. Her upper body was tightly wrapped in a bodice, a long skirt trailing on the ground, with a large-sleeved cloak worn over it, giving off an ethereal and otherworldly feel.

    However, her garments were in shades of deep black and purple-black, completely lacking the bright and grandiose air of Tang dynasty clothing, adding instead a sense of gloominess and a chilling aura.

    The group noticed that she carried nothing in her hands¡ªneither the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner obtained from the Changping Secret Realm nor the Divine Evil Prayer Beads recently seized from the Southern Border.

    But the face above the neck of the body wrapped in the dark palace attire was undoubtedly Chen Lingyun¡¯s. Her eyebrows and eyes seemed to have gained more maturity and weariness, but it was well-masked by her makeup.

    ¡°Oh my,¡± the eerie beauty in palace attire surveyed her surroundings, her gaze flowing, and smiled, ¡°It¡¯s the Five Elements Formation.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t act rashly yet,¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly sent a message to the group.

    The palace-dressed beauty gracefully turned her head back, looking at the Chen Lingyun behind her, and said smilingly:

    ¡°You set up the Five Elements Formation to test my identity, whether I am the future you, or some copy that can read your thoughts.¡±

    ¡°Then please enlighten me,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°If it¡¯s the future me, you would surely tell me the answer, right?¡±

    ¡°Sadly,¡± the palace-dressed beauty continued to smile, though her features were identical, her smile was extremely soft and seductive, making her seem completely different from Chen Lingyun, ¡°it¡¯s neither. Even if I could explain it to you, the current you wouldn¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°Are we done yet?¡± Yan Yu urged, though it wasn¡¯t clear whether he was rushing Chen Lingyun or deliberately provoking the palace-dressed beauty, ¡°Can¡¯t we fight and talk at the same time? There are four others queuing up behind us!¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± the palace-dressed beauty turned back, smiling as she said.

    Suddenly, she sat back, and a chair appeared beneath her without warning.

    No, not just a chair.

    What emerged from the floor was an extremely ornate imperial conveyance, carried by four stout ghostly attendants; two ghostly ladies in a maid¡¯s appearance stood behind the beauty, both hands held high, carrying a black satined Nine Phoenix Umbrella to block the sun; two other ghostly ladies on her outer sides held slanting purple-feathered pheasant fans to ward off the wind; and yet another ghostly lady knelt beside her, hand offering a white jade tray with celestial delicacies and divine brews, presented respectfully before her.

    The palace-dressed beauty sat in the center of the conveyance, elegantly crossing one leg, her left arm lazily resting on the armrest, her right index finger seductively placed at the corner of her mouth, revealing a cold and superior smile:

    ¡°Then, try to please me,¡± she said.

    ¡°If you perform well, I might share with you some¡­ little secrets she isn¡¯t willing to share~¡±

    ¡°Attack!¡± Chen Lingyun swiftly commanded.

    Yan Yu had already executed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, rushing toward the yin ghost conveyance like lightning.

    But no matter how much he surged forward, the distance to the palace-dressed beauty remained unchanged, as if the space between them was infinitely stretching¡ªyou move forward several steps, and the space extends just as much.

    This was a formation.

    In the moment he realized something was wrong, Yan Yu switched from charging forward to sidestepping and cast his divine sense swiftly around.

    He didn¡¯t understand formations, but he knew how to break them¡ªevery formation must have a pivotal point, just as a house must be built on a foundation.

    Destroy all the pivotal points, and the formation would collapse on its own.

    The moment Yan Yu arrived at this conclusion, he saw four enormous ghostly shadows appear out of thin air in four different directions.

    The minotaur holding a delicate pagoda faced Zhao Yuanzhen, using the pagoda¡¯s spiritual light to pin the Yin Wind Sword down, preventing it from advancing an inch.

    The horse-faced creature wielding a thirteen-foot greatsword faced Lin Ning, blocking the Green Bamboo Sword¡¯s attacks with massive swings, and the clang of metal rang out nonstop.

    The Black Impermanence holding the Ghost-painted Iron Umbrella faced Xie Ruoxi, using the umbrella to withstand the bombardment of Jade Pivot Thunder without suffering any damage.

    The White Impermanence carrying a four-string pipa faced Chen Lingyun, strumming it with a tune that carried a hidden golden murderous aura, forcing Chen Lingyun to constantly move around dodging.

    That gorgeously dressed beauty ¡°Chen Lingyun¡± simply waved her hands and called forth four high-level Yin Ghosts, each wielding a magical treasure, to match up one-on-one against the four cultivators of the team, leaving only Yan Yu without an opponent.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t rush to assist his teammates either, but silently stared at the gorgeously dressed woman and pondered inwardly¡ªas she looked back at him from a distance and suddenly said with a smile:

    ¡°Not taking action?¡±

    To attack her, he must first break the formation. The pivotal points were most likely these minotaur, horse-faced creature, and the Black and White Impermanence¡­

    ¡°My four pivotal points are the minotaur, horse-face, Black and White Impermanence,¡± said the gorgeously dressed woman casually. ¡°As long as you can break them one by one, resolve my Yin Demon Great Formation, then consider this challenge as passed.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Yan Yu no longer hesitated, executed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, and with a flicker of his form, he suddenly rushed towards the White Impermanence.

    ¡°Choosing to help me first? That makes sense,¡± commented the gorgeously dressed woman with a beaming smile. Her voice was not loud, but all five people on the scene could hear her clearly, ¡°After all, I am the weakest in the team.¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu, do you know? I don¡¯t care no matter how much you mock me usually, because I know you¡¯re just trying to tease me. But you didn¡¯t even bother to clearly understand the situation and subconsciously thought that I needed help the most. It¡¯s this kind of subconscious contempt that bothers me,¡± she continued.

    ¡°Focus,¡± Yan Yu quickly sent a mental message to Chen Lingyun, and they continued to attack the White Impermanence together.

    Chen Lingyun grunted in acknowledgment, concentrated on commanding the Purple Extreme Sword to launch an attack. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The smile gradually faded from her face.

    ¡°Actually,¡± the gorgeously dressed woman went on, ¡°you all think I usually maintain a cool and collected demeanor, but that¡¯s just a mask I wear.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m actually someone who¡¯s very afraid of being lonely and alone.¡±

    Yan Yu dodged the pipa¡¯s sword impact, and the White Impermanence flicked its tongue out like an arrow. Yan Yu was about to dodge again when he suddenly heard the gorgeously dressed woman¡¯s words and nearly got distracted and hit.

    Not good, I really want to laugh¡­ This spiritual attack is too terrifying!

    Over on Chen Lingyun¡¯s side, her face had turned ashen. She summoned her True Yuan with all her might, masterfully commanding the Purple Extreme Sword to block every note from the White Impermanence¡¯s pipa.

    Seizing the opportunity, Yan Yu controlled his sword to strike, dodging the White Impermanence¡¯s tongue attack, and a powerful sword light pierced right through its chest.

    After dispatching one target, the two quickly turned to support Zhao Yuanzhen, but then they heard the gorgeously dressed woman say in a haunting voice:

    ¡°My parents¡¯ marriage wasn¡¯t happy; they were just together out of mutual benefit, resulting in my skeptical attitude towards the relationships between people from a young age. I depended on the love from my parents, but couldn¡¯t confirm whether they truly loved me or saw me merely as a continuation of their genes; I cherish our friendship, but I also don¡¯t know if you see me as an equal and genuine friend, or if it¡¯s simply because of the benefits I can bring you.¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Chen Lingyun finally lost her composure and bellowed furiously.

    But the gorgeously dressed woman wouldn¡¯t stop and continued:

    ¡°I can¡¯t even be sure if my feelings for Yan Yu are love, or just an illusion caused by the effects of estrogen hormones in my body. Maybe it¡¯s difficult for pure feelings to exist 100% between people, but I¡¯m convinced that¡¯s exactly what I earnestly desire. Even with a hint of other factors mixed with affection, I wouldn¡¯t want such impurity¡­ because I am that kind of girl who pursues perfection in such a stubborn and twisted way.¡±

    Yan Yu felt like he was going to die of laughter, but had to forcibly keep a straight face, mentally communicating to Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°Don¡¯t engage with her, focus on the battle. The sooner we finish, the sooner we¡¯re free.¡±

    Chen Lingyun, trembling with anger, clenched her teeth and activated the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Divine Evil Prayer Beads, forcefully hurling them at the pagoda-carrying minotaur with a ferocity as if she wanted to smash it into minced meat on the spot.

 Chapter 313: 10: Slaying the Four Ghosts, Breaking the Formation with Ease

    Chapter 313: Chapter 10: Slaying the Four Ghosts, Breaking the Formation with Ease

    Although Chen Lingyun¡¯s face was visibly flushed with warmth, Yan Yu did not get distracted because of that, still calmly observing the entire scene.

    The four Yin Ghosts chosen by the opponent each held a different magic artifact. The white impermanent¡¯s pipa sword melody was for long-range attacks, the black impermanent¡¯s ghost-painted iron umbrella was for close-range defense, the horse-faced giant sword was for close-range attacks, and the ox-head¡¯s pagoda could emit large swaths of spiritual light, which seemed more like a type of magic artifact similar to the Xuan Guang Ruler, capable of both defense and control.

    This combination perfectly confirmed Yan Yu¡¯s thinking: he believed that an Envoy Cultivator, especially one who played with ghosts, didn¡¯t need to excel in any particular aspect, but had to be sufficiently versatile.

    To specialize in one thing and to reach the apex was the path Sword Immortals needed to take. A variety of methods, making one impossible to guard against, was the greatest advantage of a Necromancer.

    Judging by the array of Yin Ghosts led by this palace-dressed beauty, it undoubtedly took Yan Yu¡¯s guiding principles to the utmost.

    The only pity was that the strength of these Yin Ghosts seemed to be limited by the current environment¡¯s level cap as well, with only Marrow Cleansing Stage capabilities.

    Logically speaking, with so many ghosts and magic artifacts at Chen Lingyun¡¯s disposal, the earliest time point should have been around the stage of forming the core¡­ It¡¯s a shame that even with the strength of the Hua Fu Stage fully realized, it wouldn¡¯t be so easy to be killed. It would have allowed us to see much more.

    ¡°Kill slower,¡± Yan Yu sent a message to Chen Lingyun, ¡°gather more intelligence.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Chen Lingyun replied, yet her attacks continued to be full-force, seemingly determined to defy him in secret.

    But she herself wasn¡¯t great in output anyway, so whether she gave her all in direct combat or assisted in finishing off, the efficiency was pretty much the same¡­ With Yan Yu slowing down the offensive, the overall speed of the strategy would slow down, and she couldn¡¯t do anything about it.

    This ox-headed being was holding up a delicate pagoda, emitting large pieces of spiritual light, fluctuating and vivid, like a dream.

    When Zhao Yuanzhen attacked from the left with her Yin Wind Sword, the spiritual light drifted to the left, preventing the Flying Sword from progressing upon contact. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    She recalled her Flying Sword and then attacked from the right, and the spiritual light drifted to the right again, once more holding off the Flying Sword, not allowing it any advance.

    Zhao Yuanzhen simply made her Yin Wind Sword wander everywhere, attracting the pagoda¡¯s spiritual light to drift all over the place. Suddenly, she launched the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin and the ox-head simply raised the pagoda indifferently in front of it, with a click, the hairpin nailed into the pagoda and got stuck in the spiritual light, unable to be pulled out.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress was so furious she almost wished to release her puppet right away. Luckily, Chen Lingyun and Yan Yu jumped into battle right then, helping her keep her anger in check.

    ¡°This pagoda magic artifact has very good control effects,¡± Yan Yu said through message to Chen Lingyun, ¡°Don¡¯t you have a good memory? Take note of its characteristics; when we get out, look in the Fourth Army¡¯s inventory to see if there¡¯s a similar magic artifact.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Chen Lingyun replied dully.

    ¡°The black impermanent and white impermanent, they look like those two from Fan Wentang,¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°Cajole your dad, use connections or swaps or something to get them together.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Chen Lingyun responded again, without another word.

    From afar, the palace-dressed beauty once again started to speak, her voice trailing softly, as if hanging from the clouds, yet seeming to whisper in the ear:

    ¡°Yan Yu, you are a special existence to me.¡±

    ¡°Pfft!¡± Yan Yu was just about to form a sword technique, letting the Huang Tingjian attack the ox-headed being from behind, but he stumbled upon hearing this and almost choked.

    ¡°Why are you spitting on me!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen burst out furiously, vigorously wiping the saliva off her face.

    ¡°Sorry, I couldn¡¯t hold it in,¡± Yan Yu apologized to the Demonic Sect Enchantress, a rare occurrence, ¡°It¡¯s all Lingyun¡¯s fault.¡±

    ¡°Blame me, will you?¡± Chen Lingyun started to sneer, continuing to drive the Divine Evil Prayer Beads against the pagoda.

    When Suo Wen possessed these prayer beads, they contained thousands of Yin Ghosts, but since their rank was too low, they didn¡¯t have much combat ability, so Chen Lingyun had released them to the research team for containment and study. Now, it was just the prayer beads magic artifact itself clashing with the pagoda.

    If it were a Flying Sword on the other side, wrapping the beads around it would lock it down, preventing it from moving. However, the pagoda could remotely release spiritual light, keeping the prayer beads at bay, thus nullifying their effect.

    The prayer beads attacked the ox-headed monster from the front, the Huang Tingjian sneaked to his backside, the Yin Wind Sword rushed from his right, and on his left was Chen Lingyun shaking the Prison Banner, releasing the mother and child vengeful ghosts who flew invisibly and silently towards the ox-head¡­ In the end, the ox-head struck the delicate pagoda forcefully, its spiritual light whirled around, and incredibly blocked all attacks within 360 degrees.

    Once again, the voice of the palace-dressed beauty spoke:

    ¡°You always deliberately provoke me, bully me, wanting to see me make a fool of myself, but I know you don¡¯t really despise me. The barrier between us is not you, but me¡­¡±

    Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t say a word, suddenly turned her Purple Extreme Sword to kill the horse face.

    ¡°Follow me,¡± Yan Yu sent a message to Zhao Yuanzhen, likewise directing his sword light toward the black impermanent.

    When the three of them suddenly divided their forces, the ox-headed being, losing its targets, looked around and then decided to move towards the horse face to assist, with the pagoda¡¯s spiritual light rolling towards Lin Ning.

    Lin Ning had been trading blows back and forth with Horseface, but the opponent¡¯s huge sword was swung so densely that not a gust of wind could pass through, and with immense strength, no matter from which angle she attacked, he would counter with a ferocious slash, preventing her Green Bamboo Sword from getting through at all.

    The radiant light on this side rolled towards Lin Ning, forcing her to dodge with her footwork, while the pressure from the Sword Control Technique suddenly decreased, allowing Horseface to break free and lift his giant sword to strike at Lin Ning.

    The situation became two against one, and Lin Ning immediately fell into a disadvantage. However, she refused to call for help, quickly switching from offense to defense. She used the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step to circle around Ox-Head and Horseface, restraining them, yet her mind was a mix of different feelings, thinking about the various phrases spoken by the woman in palace attire earlier.

    So¡­ Ling Yun also¡­

    No, no, no, the Huofeng Team said that whatever these clones say is fake, all lies to deceive us! The purpose is to affect our performance on the battlefield!

    She tried hard to discard all distracting thoughts and not to listen to the faint words of the woman in palace attire, focusing all her attention on her footwork.

    Perhaps subconsciously resisting those words, Lin Ning felt her concentration was unprecedentedly focused, as if she had entered a state where she was oblivious to everything else. Her proficiency with the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step was rapidly improving.

    Very good.

    I can do this!

    While she was handling two opponents alone, Chen Lingyun saw that Lin Ning was more than capable and didn¡¯t require assistance. She turned back once more to attack Black Impermanence.

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t dislike you,¡± the woman in palace attire said wistfully. ¡°But I have already told you what I crave¡­ is a completely pure affection. I don¡¯t know how you see me, am I just Chen Lingyun to you? Is there a ¡®shadow¡¯ of another Chen Lingyun mixed in?¡±

    ¡°Pfft~ I¡¯m dying of laughter,¡± Yan Yu was bombarding Black Impermanence¡¯s iron umbrella with Flying Sword slashes. Hearing this, he couldn¡¯t help but burst out laughing again and explained to Chen Lingyun through telepathy, ¡°I¡¯m not laughing at you, it¡¯s about that fake; she really knows how to spin a tale.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to cover up by laughing it off,¡± Chen Lingyun replied coldly through telepathy. ¡°If you want to laugh, then laugh.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s focus on the Mysterious Realm, focus on the Mysterious Realm,¡± Yan Yu chuckled awkwardly.

    Xie Ruoxi launched another Jade Pivot Thunder, and Black Impermanence quickly turned the umbrella to block, but unexpectedly Yan Yu suddenly executed Sword-Human Unity, causing the sword light to surge and smash into the side of the iron umbrella, knocking it aside at an angle.

    Just at that tilt, the Jade Pivot Thunder brushed past the edge and shot into Black Impermanence¡¯s body. Its property of vanquishing evil and annihilating demons came into play, instantly blowing his body to smithereens.

    The four of them didn¡¯t stop for a moment and quickly turned to help Lin Ning, who was being attacked from both sides. Just then, Xie Ruoxi suddenly transmitted a message to Yan Yu:

    ¡°Captain, do you like Ling Yun?¡±

    ¡°Why ask this now?¡± Yan Yu initially didn¡¯t want to reply. But on second thought, if he didn¡¯t answer now and she harbored a grudge, it might affect their combat performance later, so he decided to give a brief response.

    ¡°Just because,¡± Xie Ruoxi fired another Jade Pivot Thunder at Horseface, which was intercepted by the radiant light of Ox-Head¡¯s treasure pagoda, only to see the thunderbolt tear through the radiant light like a blade through fabric, piercing it straight through, ¡°Yun Jin also likes you, doesn¡¯t she¡­?¡±

    Before she finished speaking, Yan Yu called out:

    ¡°Well done! Ruoxi, keep launching the thunder, don¡¯t stop!¡±

    The treasure pagoda¡¯s radiant light seemed ethereal and elusive, posing difficulties for everyone. Surprisingly, it was of a demonic nature, countered by Xie Immortal Venerate¡¯s Jade Pivot Thunder!

    Feeling unusually upbeat after receiving praise from Yan Yu, Xie Ruoxi, spurred on subconsciously, stopped thinking about the messy problem of how Ling Yun, Yun Jin, and she herself¡ªall liking the captain¡ªwould resolve things. Instead, she excitedly shouted:

    ¡°It¡¯s my turn, yeah! Jade Pivot Thunder! Jade Pivot Thunder! Jade Pivot Thunder!¡±

    Summoning her True Yuan with all her might, she cast thunder with both hands, left at Ox-Head, right at Horseface, no finesse, just sheer power.

    Ox-Head tried to stave off the thunderbolts with the treasure pagoda¡¯s radiant light, but Horseface was driven back step by step; with each block of the Jade Pivot Thunder, the terrifying force pushed it back several paces. By the time the third hit landed, it could no longer hold onto the giant sword, which flew out of its grip.

    Lin Ning seized the opportunity to execute a Flying Sword slash, piercing through Horseface¡¯s robust chest, then sheathed her sword and turned around, just in time to see Yan Yu¡¯s Huang Tingjian¡¯s light also surging, bursting through the hole torn in the treasure pagoda¡¯s radiant light by the Jade Pivot Thunder, to finally cut down Ox-Head as well.

    The treasure pagoda dissipated into nothingness, and the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin stuck within it became disentangled. The surrounding formation silently collapsed, and the woman in palace attire standing atop the central imperial scepter got to her feet, smiling and saying:

    ¡°So, my wish for you to establish a harem was because I wanted to know¡­¡±

    ¡°Go open a harem on your mother¡¯s grave!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen roared, launching the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin ahead of everyone else, piercing the woman in palace attire¡¯s head in an instant!

    The imperial scepter crashed to the ground, the woman dissolving into a mirage, and lastly, the sound of the mirror shattering echoed clearly throughout the vast hall.

 Chapter 314: 11 The Green-robed Fairy Lin Ning

    Chapter 314: Chapter 11 The Green-robed Fairy Lin Ning

    The beauty in court attire was impaled through the skull by the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, and her figure shattered into layers in an instant, vanishing from sight.

    The crowd continued to stay on guard momentarily, their Divine Sense scanning to confirm there were no irregularities around, leaving only the large copper mirror on the ground shattered into pieces.

    Chen Lingyun stepped forward, squinting for a closer look, only to see each fragment reflecting an inverted image of herself, as if mockingly laughing at her in silence.

    ¡°Well done,¡± Yan Yu nodded and said, ¡°there are still four doppelgangers to kill, let¡¯s continue.¡±

    ¡°Before we move on, let¡¯s adjust our status first,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a reemerging smile, speaking sweetly, ¡°Deputy Captain Zhang said before that the doppelgangers in this Mysterious Realm will concoct all sorts of nonsensical tales to try to disturb our moral integrity.¡±

    Her smile, although sweet, had a chilling undertone that made everyone nod in agreement without exception.

    ¡°So, let¡¯s just forget what we heard,¡± Chen Lingyun continued with a smile, ¡°even if you remember it after leaving, don¡¯t talk about it carelessly.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Yan Yu kindly reassured her, ¡°aside from Su Yunjin who is not here, I won¡¯t tell the others. There¡¯s no sense in sharing one¡¯s own dark history with outsiders for their amusement¡ªthat would be either mindless or heartless.¡±

    Chen Lingyun narrowed her eyes slightly and asked,

    ¡°Oh, whose dark history?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it yours?¡± Yan Yu played dumb.

    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Lin Ning interjected uneasily, ¡°we¡¯re all in the same boat here. We¡¯ll have to face our own doppelgangers as well, so let¡¯s just drop it and forget about it.¡±

    ¡°I agree,¡± Xie Ruoxi said nervously.

    ¡°Hmph, I certainly don¡¯t have any dark history,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen stated coldly, ¡°but regarding the issue of establishing a harem, could someone explain to me what exactly is going on?¡±

    ¡°Explain my foot!¡± Yan Yu slapped the back of her head, ¡°You believe what a doppelganger says? If your doppelganger later says you kill without blinking and harm the innocent, should I demand an explanation from you too, or should I just chop off your dog head?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen, having been hit for no reason, felt wronged and indignant subconsciously, but she quickly realized the truth. The doppelganger¡¯s words were a mix of truth and lies¡ªif she took them at face value without discernment, wouldn¡¯t she be a fool?

    It would be more fitting to wait for her own doppelganger to appear and see what it would claim, evaluate its credibility, and then compare and deduce the authenticity of the other doppelgangers¡¯ statements.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress made up her mind to not blindly trust everything and to discern and confirm properly.

    Lin Ning and Xie Ruoxi, however, weren¡¯t as naive, thinking to themselves by looking at Ling Yun¡¯s spine-chilling smile, it was very likely that more than eighty percent of what she said was true.

    So she really struggled with the concept of ¡°pure, unblemished emotions¡±, and she indeed harbored special feelings for Yan Yu, but she couldn¡¯t be certain if those feelings amounted to ¡°true love¡±?

    And she also hoped Yan Yu would establish a harem for her sake?

    Too much information thundered down like a bolt from the blue, weighing heavily on the two girls¡¯ hearts, leaving them with no inclination to continue chitchatting.

    Yan Yu, seeing everyone¡¯s state, had no good solutions and simply waved his hand in a gesture to settle things quickly, leading the girls to the next room.

    Entering from another entrance and traversing a long corridor, they arrived at the second room.

    It was still a spacious hall with nothing inside, a life-size copper mirror standing at the center. From the mirror, a woman in green stepped out, her features delicate with a straight nose and cherry lips, brows arched like wilting willows, her hair bundled into a simple bun behind her, and two crossed Flying Swords on her back¡ªone green and one dark red.

    Lin Ning.

    Although more mature and cold in demeanor, that face was undoubtedly identical to Lin Ning¡¯s.

    For a moment, Sister Lin didn¡¯t know if she should feel indignant because she was the second weakest in the team or fear because it was her turn to have her dark history exposed.

    ¡°Heh heh,¡± the woman in green said after a moment of silence, a bitter smile on her face. She spoke softly, ¡°All of you attack together. The sooner we finish, the sooner we¡¯re free.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Lin Ning¡¯s mood instantly lifted. Great, my embarrassing past isn¡¯t exposed!

    As if afraid the other would change her mind, she quickly maneuvered her Green Bamboo Sword¡¯s light beam, executing Sword Control to perform a flying slash aimed directly at the woman¡¯s head!

    Her opponent formed a sword technique with her hands, and a greenish sword flew out of its scabbard behind her, instantly clashing with Lin Ning¡¯s sword light.

    Amidst the intertwined sword lights, Lin Ning was sent flying backward once again, while the green sword light continued on relentlessly, chasing after Lin Ning before being intercepted by Yan Yu¡¯s Huang Ting Sword.

    ¡°Ruoxi, Thunder Method,¡± Chen Lingyun began to command.

    Xie Ruoxi, on the spot, unleashed the Thunder Method. A white light burst forth as swift as a galloping horse. The woman in green did not stand her ground to face the Thunder Method directly but stepped swiftly, turning into an afterimage and rapidly moving to the left to dodge it.

    On Chen Lingyun¡¯s end, the Divine Evil Prayer Beads were tossed out in an attempt to trap the opponent¡¯s green sword light, but the sword light, as nimble as a fish, quickly dodged the beads and turned to attack Xie Ruoxi once again.

    Xie Ruoxi was instantly flustered, no longer able to continue the assault with the Thunder Method and had to urgently raise her Immortal Sword to block it.

    In the end, it was still a lack of combat experience. If you asked her to stay in place and act as an artillery piece, she could perform perfectly, but if you asked her to maintain her attack while simultaneously being distracted to defend herself, she would immediately find it difficult to manage both ends, struggling on both the left and the right.

    ¡°Sister Zhao, save Ruoxi,¡± Chen Lingyun continued to command.

    The opponent was extremely skilled in swordsmanship, and facing her in swordsmanship combat would be completely futile, like an egg striking a stone and asking for trouble. Thus, they could only rely on Sister Zhao, who was more skilled in swordsmanship, to come to the rescue.

    Zhao Yuanzhen spurred her Yin Wind Sword into action, blocking the oncoming green sword light, allowing Xie Ruoxi to finally escape the perilous situation.

    Lin Ning finally steadied herself from the onslaught of the sword light and with her Divine Sense sweeping out again, she saw the green sword light pursuing Xie Ruoxi, intercepted by Sister Zhao, and the opponent continuing to control the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, dodging the five ghosts Chen Lingyun commanded to attack. She then urged her deep red sword light to fly out, engaging in combat with Yan Yu¡¯s Huang Ting Sword¡ªcould this clone really multitask to control two swords to fight two battles simultaneously?!

    But now that she had both swords deployed, if I go now to strike her, how would she defend?

    Lin Ning, also the type whose actions were faster than her thoughts, had just made up her mind when she had already moved out with the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, attempting to pressure the woman in green up close.

    In their chase and escape, the woman in green was not only controlling her swords with both hands but also fending off Zhao Yuanzhen and Yan Yu, and her footwork was equally dazzling. She widened the distance from Lin Ning, skillfully evading the surprise attacks of the five ghosts, and then effortlessly dodged Xie Ruoxi¡¯s thunder light. In her maneuvering, there was not the slightest hint of clumsiness, as if she was facing five opponents without any difficulty.

    Lin Ning¡¯s heart raced with urgency, thinking how tough it was to deal with just this second clone. What about the three even stronger ones that followed? Wouldn¡¯t that leave them with no chance of winning at all?

    She quickly focused her mind, paying full attention to the opponent¡¯s steps, and unknowingly began to imitate them.

    Both were employing the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, but the level of proficiency was like night and day. Lin Ning pursued and learned, feeling as if she were having an epiphany, and many step-by-step procedures stuck rigidly in her mind suddenly became clear, the stages where she knew how to perform them without understanding why now all came together and made sense.

    Just as she was feeling secretly pleased with herself, the woman in green began to speak slowly, her cool voice identical to hers.

    Although the volume was not loud, everyone present could hear her clearly:

    ¡°I¡¯ve always been serious and competitive by nature, and since childhood, I¡¯ve liked to compare and compete with my peers. They played games for fun, but I played to win. My father said I didn¡¯t behave like a girl. Sometimes I even wondered if I might be a girl who identifies as a male¡­¡±

    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!¡± Lin Ning suddenly began emitting extremely high-decibel noises, attempting to completely drown out the woman in green¡¯s words!

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 Chapter 315: 12 Battle Cry Nursery Rhyme

    Chapter 315: Chapter 12 Battle Cry Nursery Rhyme

    Before the battle, Lin Ning thought that even if some dark history was revealed, as long as she denied everything, it wouldn¡¯t matter.

    After the battle started, Lin Ning realized that she was not just in denial, she was on the verge of exploding with every additional word she heard.

    The Green-clad Sword Immortal was not only capable of multitasking and dual-wielding swords, but her swordsmanship was also strong enough to take on five foes at once. Even Yan Yu was entangled by her deep red sword light and couldn¡¯t break free!

    The other green sword light (Lin Ning recognized it as a copy of her own Green Bamboo Sword) ravaged the field as if into a realm without enemies, pushing Zhao Yuanzhen back step by step, and still had room to harass Xie Ruoxi, preventing her from comfortably using her Thunder Method.

    As for Chen Lingyun and her own offense, they relied on footwork to dodge and weave¡­ The tactical style was clear: contain the strong, kite the weak.

    Fighting this ¡°enhanced Lin Ning,¡± Lin Ning had to admit she had indeed learned a lot, while at the same time desperately wishing to silence her to prevent more dark history from emerging¡ªthere were things that even she had long forgotten, only to be reminded by the Green-clad Sword Immortal, sparking an intense embarrassment and the desperate thought, ¡°I wish I could be reborn, go back in time, and strangle myself.¡±

    I¡¯m going to perish together with you ahhhhhhhh!

    Behind her, Yan Yu leisurely commanded the Huang Tingjian, constantly clashing with the crimson sword light while secretly assessing the Green-clad Sword Immortal¡¯s swordsmanship prowess.

    Previously, when facing the gown-clad beauty ¡°Chen Lingyun,¡± by analyzing the number of Resentful Spirits she commanded and the grade of her magical treasures, combined with memories from a past life, he deduced that her strength was around the period before or after Foundation Establishment.

    Now, observing the Green-clad Sword Immortal ¡°Lin Ning,¡± who could dual-wield swords, manage three tasks at once, and control the entire battlefield with her swordsmanship, it was almost certain she was in the late Hua Fu Stage, before the Golden Core Realm; just one step away from Foundation Establishment.

    Of course, if it were the level of the Golden Core Realm, tying everyone together might still not be enough to win¡ªit would be like a mismatch in weight classes in a boxing match, where your punch leaves the opponent unfazed, making the fight pointless.

    Alas, to be able to fight against a version of myself at the peak of Foundation Establishment, I hope Ningning can learn some valuable lessons, so my efforts won¡¯t be in vain.

    The Green-clad Sword Immortal dodged left and right, occasionally casually shooting out the Metal-Element Impact Curse to force back Lin Ning or a Yin Ghost while continuing to speak:

    ¡°I also know my personality is aggressive and probably not liked by many guys. The older I get, the more intense this feeling becomes. Although my father always nags me to find a boyfriend, annoying me, I know deep down he has a point in his worries¡­¡±

    ¡°Err, err, err, yiyi, yiyi, yiyi, ahhh, ahhh, ahhh, lulu, lala, lei!¡± Lin Ning, who was chasing her, let out incoherent, meaningless shouts, seemingly trying to drown out the voice of the Green-clad Sword Immortal with noise.

    Unfortunately, the opponent¡¯s voice seemed to be amplified by a spell, able to deliver her words clearly to everyone¡¯s ears, no matter how noisy the environment was.

    ¡°Even though I know this is not good, I don¡¯t want to change, because the person I¡¯m waiting for must be as excellent as I am and tolerant of my competitiveness. If I can¡¯t meet him, I¡¯d rather stay single¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop talking, stop talking, stop talking, stop talking, stop talking, stop talking¡ª¡± Lin Ning frantically accelerated her Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, chasing after the Green-clad Sword Immortal relentlessly, her face reddening with a hint of a sobbing tone, as she kept shouting the same three words over and over.

    However, no matter how Lin Ning used her Green Bamboo Sword to attack, the Green-clad Sword Immortal would just lightly step aside, nimbly dodging every move.

    ¡°Stop making noise!¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t take it anymore and transmitted his voice to Lin Ning, ¡°Her voice is enhanced with a spell! Just making noise won¡¯t help you outdo her; it will only interfere with our fight and slow down our progress in defeating her!¡±

    ¡°Then tell me what to do then!¡± Lin Ning shouted in self-defeat.

    Her opponent¡¯s voice was penetrating her mind, and she knew her noise could not drown out the other. Her fruitless yelling was only to forcibly suppress her embarrassment and to comfort her fragile heart.

    ¡°So, you understand, right?¡± The Green-clad Sword Immortal formed a sword technique with her hands, and the deep red sword light that had been entwined with the Huang Tingjian suddenly stopped. Before Yan Yu could react, her voice reached him from a distance, ¡°Although always annoying, but a team captain who is always calm and reliable when it matters? If it¡¯s you, who I have always relied on, you should be able to¡­¡±

    Her words were once again drowned out by an even more terrifying explosion of sound.

    Lin Ning used all the strength in her chest, shouting with trembling sobs and distinct nasal tones as she screamed:

    ¡°Northwest rain! Falls straight down! Crucian carp! Can¡¯t choose just anyone! Older brother Tai! Beats the drum! Matchmaking granny! Mrs. Soil-Louse!¡±

    Her all-out, desperate shouting actually had an effect, not by overriding the voice of the Green-clad Sword Immortal, but her noise level was so terrifying that it made everyone¡¯s ears buzz and heads ache, completely unable to listen carefully to what the Green-clad Sword Immortal was saying.

    But clearly, the Green-clad Sword Immortal would not be affected by noise. So the green sword light calmly wreaked havoc in all directions, forcing the distracted Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi to retreat simultaneously, while the crimson sword light similarly moved swiftly, leaving Yan Yu in utterly poor shape. It wasn¡¯t that his swordsmanship was lacking, but rather that Lin Ning¡¯s incessant noise was so unbearable that it agitated him to the point of frustration.

    ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± Yan Yu angrily transmitted his voice, ¡°You¡¯re attacking one of our own!¡±

    But Lin Ning seemed possessed, continuing to shout the dialect nursery rhyme as if chanting, using nearly 120% of her True Yuan to speed up desperately, trying to close the gap with the Green-clad Sword Immortal.

    ¡°Yan Yu¡­¡± the voice of the Green-clad Sword Immortal was ethereal, crawling into his mind like an earthworm burrowing through soil, ¡°Although I don¡¯t have the courage to say it out loud, I¡¯ve always hoped that one day you would see this side of me¡­¡±

    ¡°The sun dims! No path to find! Hurry, come! Fire-metal lady! Be kind in heart! Shine the way!¡± Lin Ning¡¯s shouting was so intense she was almost hoarse.

    This won¡¯t do. At this rate, little Ningning is going to snap¡­ She isn¡¯t making use of the rare learning opportunity!

    With a sigh, Yan Yu deliberately revealed a flaw in his swordsmanship, allowing the deep red sword light to rush in. He then performed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step with a z-shaped feint, nimbly avoiding the attack and leaving the sword light behind. At the same time, he transmitted to Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°Watch your positioning.¡±

    What he referred to as ¡°positioning¡± wasn¡¯t about her own location but a reminder to help restrict the movements of the Green-clad Sword Immortal. Because a Sword Immortal¡¯s strengths lie in their offensive capability and high mobility; if forced to choose one, it would undoubtedly be mobility.

    Chen Lingyun instantly understood and quickly commanded:

    ¡°Sister Zhao, do your best to entangle the Green Bamboo Sword! Ruoxi, use the Thunder Method straight ahead, calculate the lead time.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi, dizzied by Lin Ning¡¯s shouting, didn¡¯t think twice. Taking advantage of the moment when the green sword light was too busy to harass her, she launched the Thunder Method ahead of the Green-clad Sword Immortal.

    At the same time, Chen Lingyun also commanded the five ghosts and the mother and child resentful spirits to besiege the target from different directions. She then once again tossed out the Divine Evil Prayer Beads to block the right side of the Green-clad Sword Immortal.

    Yan Yu was already enveloped by the Huang Tingjian¡¯s light, and he rushed toward the rear of the Green-clad Sword Immortal with incredible speed.

    Sword-Human Unity!

    At this moment, the Green-clad Sword Immortal¡¯s left was the hall¡¯s wall, and her front, back, and right were blocked by attacks. If she wanted to escape, her only option was to ascend through the clouds.

    However, above was the very trap that Yan Yu had set for her. The Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step was less speedy and nimble in mid-air than on the ground. If she chose to take flight, Yan Yu was confident that she could not escape, and he would execute Sword-Human Unity to slay her on the spot! S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    However, the Green-clad Sword Immortal seemed to have seen through this and did not choose to attempt an aerial escape. Instead, she lightly pivoted her steps and continued forward, heading straight into the Thunder Method unleashed by Xie Ruoxi.

    Was she seeking death? No, there was a weakness! Xie Ruoxi, though she had been with the team for a while, ultimately hadn¡¯t participated in the collective training to ¡°team up against the Demon King.¡± She focused only on practicing the basics, and the synergy in critical teamwork moments still lacked¡ªher Thunder Method was too slow.

    That slight delay created a fleeting gap in the combined attack net surrounding the Green-clad Sword Immortal, and the enemy was clearly aiming for that gap.

    Seeing that the opponent was about to find a way out, Yan Yu sighed in his heart and swept the surroundings with his Divine Sense once more, planning to try another blocking tactic. However, what he saw was Lin Ning, still bellowing out nursery rhymes, suddenly unleashing a Sword Flight maneuver, her target being the very gap the enemy sought to escape through!

    With no way out, the Green-clad Sword Immortal confronted the oncoming Green Bamboo Sword without hesitation, saying:

    ¡°So, Captain, I hope that one day, you¡­¡±

    ¡°Northwest rain! Pouring straight down! Go to hell!¡± Lin Ning, full of anger and resentment, delivered a mighty blow that pierced the Green-clad Sword Immortal¡¯s heart, cutting off her last words before they could be finished.

    The figure shattered, the mirrors burst, and silence settled in the hall.

    Lin Ning released her Sword Flight and landed on the ground, her face streaked with tears¡ªher expression was full of embarrassed and indignant beads of sadness. She glanced at Yan Yu, her eyes conveying an indefinable emotion. Then she ran away without looking back, following the same path she had come by.

    Everyone: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Stay here,¡± Yan Yu moved swiftly using the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, leaving behind a sentence, ¡°I¡¯ll go find her.¡±

 Chapter 316: 13 Rational Explanation

    Chapter 316: Chapter 13 Rational Explanation

    Yan Yu passed through the first combat hall and returned to the initial corridor entrance, where he saw Lin Ning squatting alone on the teleportation altar, her back to him as she silently wiped away tears while hugging her knees.

    Unfortunately, these altars required a group of five to teleport back, so no matter how long you squatted there, there was no escaping.

    Yan Yu walked up behind her and tentatively called out,

    ¡°Lin Ning?¡±

    Lin Ning¡¯s body trembled slightly, and she stopped wiping her tears.

    ¡°Cough cough.¡± Yan Yu coughed a few times and spoke in a clear voice, ¡°I came to check on you.¡±

    ¡°What¡­ what¡¯s there to see,¡± though Lin Ning¡¯s voice still carried a hint of sobbing, her tone remained as stubborn as ever, ¡°Are you here to laugh at me?¡±

    ¡°Laughing at you?¡± Yan Yu pretended to be clueless. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°You must be disgusted by how useless I am,¡± Lin Ning sniffed hard and sobbed, ¡°to think that just a few words from that clone would cause me to collapse mentally.¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, ¡°Psychological warfare is a tactic just like any other, and it isn¡¯t any easier to deal with than conventional strategies. Look at the Huofeng Team, they also got flustered by all those fabricated scandals. It shows that being good or bad at handling psychological warfare has little to do with ¡®being useful or not¡¯, everyone has their own weaknesses and flaws.¡±

    Lin Ning pulled out a napkin from her pocket, wiped away all the tears on her face, then stood up and said with a sense of grievance,

    ¡°I don¡¯t like you.¡±

    ¡°Right, right,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°The clone was talking nonsense. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t take it seriously.¡±

    Lin Ning suddenly turned around, glaring at Yan Yu fiercely and said seriously,

    ¡°But you can¡¯t dismiss it totally either. What if I really did end up liking you, what would you do? Even though it hasn¡¯t happened, and it might not ever happen in the future, you still need to be prepared and know how to handle it properly. You can¡¯t just brush it off with a ¡®you¡¯re not good enough¡¯ when the time comes. That would be really hurtful, you know?¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    Why is this Minnan girl so nagging? Lucky she¡¯s not my girlfriend right now, otherwise¡­

    ¡°I get it, I get it,¡± he nodded repeatedly in a perfunctory manner, after all, as long as he could brush it off.

    ¡°Do you really get it?¡± Lin Ning crossed her arms, skeptical, ¡°Then repeat what I just said.¡±

    ¡°Are you crazy,¡± Yan Yu laughed and scolded, ¡°Are you coming back or not?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m coming,¡± Lin Ning said.

    The two of them resumed their walk. Yan Yu walked ahead alone, with Lin Ning trailing two to three steps behind, following his every move.

    ¡°Also,¡± only to hear Lin Ning add, ¡°you can¡¯t talk about this incident to anyone. Even though the clone was spreading rumors, if you repeat it to someone else, it¡¯s like you¡¯re helping to spread the rumors, and you¡¯re responsible too, you know?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t even tell Yun Jin?¡± Yan Yu was surprised.

    ¡°Of course not!¡± Lin Ning exclaimed, then frowned and asked, ¡°Why did you suddenly start calling her Yun Jin?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± Yan Yu was taken aback for a moment, his thoughts racing through his mind, he laughed and said, ¡°We¡¯ve all been in a team for so long, calling her that seems warmer.¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Lin Ning was clearly not convinced by this reasoning and proceeded to say seriously, ¡°As the team leader, you must set an example and be fair to everyone, you can¡¯t show favoritism or neglect someone, otherwise how can you maintain unity in the team? Names might seem trivial, but they also reflect the attitude of the leader, whether you¡¯re biased or not. Otherwise, if conflicts arise in the team, you won¡¯t even have time to regret and cry, let me tell you¡­¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm, fair treatment for all,¡± Yan Yu interrupted her, ¡°So, shall I call you little Ningning from now on?¡±

    ¡°Drop the ¡®Little¡¯.¡± Lin Ning corrected his form of address, and then as if feeling a bit embarrassed, added in a soft voice, ¡°If you use a more affectionate term for them, you can also call me ¡®Ningning¡¯. But this is just to maintain uniformity in how we address each other within the team, and it doesn¡¯t mean I like you calling me that.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t like it?¡± Yan Yu asked, feigning surprise.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t like it.¡± Lin Ning awkwardly argued, ¡°But it¡¯s not that I like it either. It¡¯s just that it doesn¡¯t matter to me what you call me. I don¡¯t care about that. But as a member of the team, I need to keep things consistent with everyone else. So if you want to call me ¡®Ningning¡¯, I can accept it, but that doesn¡¯t mean I like you calling me by that.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I get it,¡± Yan Yu thought to himself, this tsundere is seriously a disaster-level horror¡ªshe¡¯s only said, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t like it¡±, yet she still felt the need to say ¡°But it¡¯s not that I like it¡± twice to neutralize it.

    If one day we became a couple and I initiated a breakup, this tsundere girl would definitely reveal that kind of sorrowful expression, as if her heart had died. Even though she couldn¡¯t stop tears from flowing, she would still stubbornly say, ¡°I¡¯m not sad, you¡¯re not worth my sadness. It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve got something in my eye, really, I¡¯m not sad. We¡¯re broken up now, so don¡¯t worry about whether I¡¯m sad or not. I¡¯ll just live on my own from now on, it¡¯s not a big deal to be alone.¡±

    Haha, I want to see that.

    But no, I¡¯m not some kind of demon. Who am I to find pleasure in others¡¯ pain?

    Walking ahead silently, Yan Yu harbored unspoken, dark thoughts when he suddenly heard Lin Ning say:

    ¡°There¡¯s one more thing.¡±

    ¡°More?!¡± Yan Yu exclaimed in shock.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell them I cried just now,¡± Lin Ning said.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Yan Yu quietly breathed a sigh of relief, his wicked sense of humor suddenly welling up. He asked deliberately, ¡°So why were you crying just now?¡±

    Then he was kicked by Lin Ning.

    ¡°None of your business!¡± she said angrily as she passed by Yan Yu and walked ahead.

    The kick wasn¡¯t strong; she had used the back of her shoe rather than the sole.

    Yan Yu stopped and bent over to dust off the spot on his pants where he had been kicked. Just then, Lin Ning, who was ahead, also stopped and turned around. She looked back at him as he tended to his leg and asked with concern:

    ¡°Did I hurt you with that kick just now?¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡±

    ¡°Then why did you stop?¡±

    ¡°To brush off the dust.¡±

    ¡°Hmph,¡± (getting angry again).

    Lin Ning turned and continued walking, with Yan Yu hurriedly catching up from behind.

    After a few steps, perhaps having thought of a good explanation, Lin Ning spoke up: S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°The reason I shed tears earlier was because the clone deliberately twisted my image in your minds. I felt utterly defenseless, worried you would misunderstand me, so I lost control of my emotions¡ªfor later, if they ask, you have to help explain this to them.¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± Yan Yu said cheerfully, ¡°It was just a loss of control over your emotions.¡±

    ¡°It was because I was worried about being misunderstood by everyone, that¡¯s why I lost control of my emotions,¡± Lin Ning emphasized, adding, ¡°Did you get that?¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Yan Yu thought to himself, of course, I can say that.

    But whether they believe your explanation or continue to think it¡¯s ¡°embarrassment from having a crush on the captain forcefully exposed, unable to save face¡±, that¡¯s beyond my control.

 Chapter 317: 14 Xie Ruoxis Character Design Collection

    Chapter 317: Chapter 14 Xie Ruoxi¡¯s Character Design Collection

    Lin Ning and Yan Yu arrived at the second hall and rejoined their team.

    If Su Yunjin were still in the team, she would have definitely been the first to come forward and ask how Sister Lin was doing. With her taking the lead in showing concern, setting a shining example, the other girls naturally wouldn¡¯t find it easy to pick a fight, and perhaps the matter would have just blown over.

    Regrettably, Yun Jin was not in the team.

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s expression turned unpleasant as she was the first to pick a fight:

    ¡°Ningning, what did your clone mean by saying ¡®hoping Yan Yu will one day see you for what you really are¡¯? What does that even mean?¡±

    Her words were laced with jealousy, causing Lin Ning to feel a bit uncomfortable subconsciously.

    But Sister Lin had already prepared her excuse and was ready to use it. She calmly replied:

    ¡°How should I know? That clone was spouting nonsense, trying to make us distrust each other. The more seriously you take her words, the more you¡¯ll be deceived¡­ Don¡¯t tell me you believe her, Sister Zhao?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen, seeing her expressionless face, started having second thoughts.

    As for believing Lin Ning¡¯s words, of course, she didn¡¯t¡ªafter all, Lin Ning had previously lost her composure and lashed out in a frenzy, defeating the woman in green and storming off in tears. Everyone saw it clearly.

    Wasn¡¯t such abnormal behavior the best proof that she had a guilty conscience and the clone had hit a nerve?

    If it were before she had traveled through time, the Demonic Sect Enchantress wouldn¡¯t have bothered asking so many questions, she would have simply killed this little harlot with a palm strike.

    Yet now, having spent a long time together, their relationship was passable, and if she really attacked Lin Ning, not only would Yan Yu and the others not stand by, but the imperial court outside would also be greatly enraged, possibly affecting her own pleasurable life¡­ So she thought better of it.

    Anyway, the genuine partner of the thief can only be me!

    As for Ningning, let¡¯s wait and see if what she says is true. If it is, all is well; if she¡¯s lying to me¡­

    Humph!

    Zhao Yuanzhen kept quiet, much to Chen Lingyun¡¯s disappointment, who had been hoping to enjoy the drama.

    Yan Yu, on the other hand, was very satisfied. It seemed the Demonic Sect Enchantress had finally been tamed. Comparing her to the ¡°dangerous enchantress¡± who killed countless people at the same time in his past life¡­ Ha, he truly was tremendously virtuous.

    ¡°Alright, alright, the clone was just rambling on, and the Huofeng Team had already warned us about this,¡± he said with a chuckle, trying to smooth things over. ¡°If you really believe their nonsense, we would start infighting before we¡¯ve even finished the Mysterious Realm, wouldn¡¯t that mean we have a problem with our brains and intelligence?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen didn¡¯t respond but squinted at Lin Ning.

    Lin Ning appeared calm and composed on the surface but was inwardly nervous.

    ¡°Since the misunderstanding has been cleared up, let¡¯s get going,¡± Yan Yu said with a grand gesture, about to lead the way, when suddenly he saw Xie Ruoxi squat down on the spot, clutching her stomach, making a grimace.

    ¡°Ouch! My stomach hurts so much! I can¡¯t walk!¡±

    ¡°Do you have diarrhea?¡± Yan Yu asked blankly.

    ¡°I must have eaten something bad yesterday,¡± Xie Ruoxi complained, but then saw Lin Ning¡¯s eyebrows shoot up in anger as she interrogated her:

    ¡°How could you have eaten something bad? The ingredients were fresh and bought this morning, washed clean, without heavy oil or spice. How did it become that my cooking made you sick?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ Sister Ning is right, it must have been because I kicked off the covers while sleeping last night and caught a cold,¡± Xie Ruoxi quickly revised her previous statement. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry and find a restroom. Otherwise, I really can¡¯t continue fighting! It feels like there¡¯s a knife twisting in my intestines right now!¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu extended his hand towards Lin Ning, who took out the packet of napkins she had used to wipe her tears earlier and handed it to him.

    Handing the napkins to Xie Ruoxi, Yan Yu showed a tender and kind expression, and said:

    ¡°Going out is out of the question. The Pingxi Army is waiting outside. What would they think if they asked you why you were going out and found out it was just to use the restroom? Wouldn¡¯t that be losing face for our Zhenhai Team and make them think we¡¯re unreliable and frivolous?¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go to the hall where we fought Ling Yun¡¯s clone and find a corner to settle it there?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi stammered, ¡°I¡¯m not used to going to the bathroom in places that aren¡¯t restrooms.¡±

    ¡°Should I make one for you right now?¡± Yan Yu rolled up his sleeves and asked. ¡°If you have other issues like constipation, speak up now. Don¡¯t waste our time.¡±

    ¡°Alright then¡­¡± After a moment of silence, Xie Ruoxi, realizing her scheme had been seen through, reluctantly stood up, ¡°My stomach doesn¡¯t hurt anymore. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The girls didn¡¯t say anything. Both Lin Ning and Chen Lingyun saw through her act. Only Zhao Yuanzhen frowned and asked:

    ¡°How come your stomach was hurting just now and suddenly it¡¯s not? Make sure you don¡¯t start hurting again when we¡¯re fighting the clones, risking us being down a person, okay?¡±

    ¡°`

    Everyone: ¡­¡­¡­..

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, seeing everyone¡¯s speechless expressions, inexplicably said, ¡°It¡¯s totally normal for me to be worried, okay¡­¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, trying to smooth things over, ¡°Sister Zhao does have a point, but I have more faith that Ruoxi knows her own body best, right? When the battle starts in a bit, Ruoxi won¡¯t let us down, right?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi really wanted to say that if she encountered her clone, she would definitely screw up big time¡­ but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to say it.

    Feeling faint-hearted before the battle is one thing, but admitting it is another. Although she was still essentially a timid and frightened big bunny at heart, after being trained by Yan Yu for so long, she had developed a little bit of a cultivator¡¯s sense of honor and shame, and she simply couldn¡¯t bring herself to admit her fear.

    Moreover, based on past experience, even if she shamelessly knelt and begged for mercy, Yan Yu wouldn¡¯t be understanding. He would only mercilessly mock her, and then, like herding a duck to the shelf, force her onto the battlefield.

    She might as well bite the bullet!

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡± Xie Ruoxi closed her eyes and clenched her teeth, as if she were a hero bravely facing execution, and said determinedly.

    ¡°That¡¯s great then.¡± Yan Yu clapped his hands and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    The group left the second battle hall and moved down the corridor.

    Yan Yu led the way, with Zhao Yuanzhen following closely on his right, Lin Ning quickly caught up with three steps merging into two, walking side by side with Yan Yu on his left.

    Chen Lingyun trailed behind, smiling as she watched the three, blinking and seemingly lost in thought. When she turned her head, she saw Xie Ruoxi next to her, her body trembling slightly, walking stiffly like a puppet, oblivious to her own awkward coordination.

    If one listened carefully, holding their breath, they could hear her whispering prayers as faint as a mosquito¡¯s buzz:

    ¡°Please, not me next¡­ I beg you, not me next¡­¡±

    ¡°Ruoxi.¡± Chen Lingyun quietly transmitted her voice, ¡°Actually, if the next clone is you, it would really be the best scenario for you~¡±

    ¡°Why, why would that be?¡±

    ¡°Because the further we go, the stronger the clones become, and the harder they are to defeat,¡± Chen Lingyun explained with a smile, ¡°Since they are harder to defeat, the battle will last longer, and more of your dark history will be exposed!¡±

    Upon hearing this, Xie Ruoxi was taken aback and after giving it some thought, realized that Chen Lingyun was right.

    The five-person team would definitely have to face their own clones. The later it was, the harder the fight, the longer the battle dragged on, the more dark history would be revealed¡­ It was like taking one chop to the head if you stretch it out, but two if you shrink back, so why not just stretch out your neck and take one less chop?

    With that in mind, Xie Ruoxi immediately changed the content of her prayers, muttering silently:

    ¡°Please, let the next one be me¡­ I beg you, let the next one definitely be me¡­¡±

    The group passed through the long corridor and entered the third battle hall, where they saw a life-sized bronze mirror standing in the center of the hall.

    Without any need for words, everyone quickly positioned themselves in the Five Elements Formation, ready to gang up on the third clone as soon as it emerged, in the name of justice.

    After a short while, a figure stepped out of the mirror.

    The person had their hair done up, dressed in a light cyan long robe, with a jade pendant and prayer beads hanging at the waist, continuously fanning themselves with a folding fan in the left hand, and the right hand rested on the hip, smiling at the crowd.

    Through clever makeup and costuming, her appearance looked quite handsome, as if she were truly a refined scholar from a classic novel, but everyone present could barely recognize through the makeup:

    It was Xie Ruoxi, cosplaying.

    ¡°Yay! It¡¯s me¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi reacted with an instinctive cheer, then her pupils contracted, her mouth slightly open, her body trembling like she had the shakes, pointing at the handsomely dressed beauty, too horrified to utter a word for quite a while.

    ¡°Greetings to all.¡± The refined scholar bowed to the crowd and said with a smile, ¡°I am Qiu Changtian, and I would like to ask for the honor of learning from everyone¡¯s exquisite moves¡­¡±

    ¡°Aaaaahhhhhhhh!¡± Xie Ruoxi¡¯s face turned red, as if possessed. She didn¡¯t wait for Chen Lingyun or Yan Yu to speak up, just clenched her left hand into Jade Pivot Thunder and her right hand into Shifting Technique¡¯s lightning, and went berserk against ¡°Qiu Changtian,¡± shouting madly, ¡°Die, die, die, die, die!!!¡±

    The handsome scholar activated the Shifting Technique and nimbly dodged the two bolts of lightning, starting to recite the backstory fluently:

    ¡°I am the peerless Immortal Venerate Qiu Changtian, who has traversed from the highest heavens of the Nine Skies. Now, incognito among mortals, I spent some time as a special agent for the Dragon Group, with beloved ladies in every corner of the world. Later, tired of fighting with others, I chose to dissolve my form and secretly reincarnated in Jingnan Province, Baoqing Prefecture, taking on the life of a simple countryside girl named Xie Ruoxi.¡±

    ¡°However, as I grew older, the memories of my past life gradually awakened! The cultivation of a peerless Immortal Venerate, the skills of a special forces king, and all my memories of slapping faces of villains and showing off before others slowly started to emerge from within me¡­¡± sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Ah, ah, ahhhh¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi, seeing the enemy easily evade her attacks, her own Thunder Method not even grazing the other¡¯s clothing, at first stood dumbfounded, stuttering for a moment, then realizing she couldn¡¯t finish off the opponent quickly, decisively turned and clung to Yan Yu¡¯s arm, tearfully pleading:

    ¡°Captain, please help me take her down quickly!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do anything!¡±

    ¡°`

 Chapter 318: 15: The Three Talents Formations Group Assault on the Matchless Immortal Venerate

    Chapter 318: Chapter 15: The Three Talents Formation¡¯s Group Assault on the Matchless Immortal Venerate

    Xie Ruoxi begged desperately, but Yan Yu remained unmoved.

    Look at the handsome scholar in the distance, his control over various spells might still be slightly weak, but he was much stronger than the current Xie Ruoxi¡ªthis beautiful good-for-nothing is now just a fixed turret, standing and casting skills is okay, but once she has to move and fight (like when being harassed by a female immortal in green with a Green Bamboo Sword light), her accuracy drops drastically.

    Observing the fighting qualities of this clone had extremely important guiding significance for Yan Yu to adjust Xie Ruoxi¡¯s subsequent training path.

    It wasn¡¯t to listen to the beautiful good-for-nothing¡¯s dark history, which he had plenty of in a previous life¡­ As the number one cultivator in fact of the Annan military, aside from combat ability, Xie Ruoxi really did not match the level of the top cultivator in many aspects. Although the Annan military tried hard to suppress public opinion, they couldn¡¯t cover up the various private chat groups that forwarded her scandals all day long.

    Seeing that Yan Yu had a heart of stone, Xie Ruoxi could only turn in despair to launch a desperate charge at her clone, but then she heard Chen Lingyun transmit a message to her:

    ¡°Ruoxi, don¡¯t panic. Follow my command.¡±

    ¡°Lingyun!¡± Xie Ruoxi was extremely moved, the vice-captain is still good to me!

    Actually, she was mistaken here, because Chen Lingyun was very interested in her dark history and wanted her to be under her command so she could control the timing of defeating the clone¡ªnot leading it to defeat too soon.

    Under Chen Lingyun¡¯s command, Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen were launching the first probing attack, trying to pinch the opponent from left and right.

    The handsome scholar didn¡¯t dodge; he formed two balls of lightning in his left and right hands, and hurled them at the two.

    Although the lightning was not flashy, both had witnessed the might of Xie Ruoxi¡¯s Thunder Method, and dared not take it head-on. Lin Ning quickly shifted sideways to evade, while Zhao Yuanzhen dodged and, at the same time, suddenly raised his hand and sent the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin flying towards the opponent¡¯s throat!

    The handsome scholar still stood in his original spot, flicked his finger, and a silver sword light burst out instantly, blocking the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin.

    Well fought! Yan Yu¡¯s eyes lit up.

    The White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin had no sword light, and being small, fast, and concealable, it was difficult to block. But the opponent did not rashly use Sword Control to intercept, nor did he dodge (after all, the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin could automatically track), but instead kept the sword in front of him.

    The True Yuan Heavy Sword was indeed as thick as a door panel, and with her petite figure, she could be completely shielded by the sword. When facing Zhao Yuanzhen, who didn¡¯t know to manually control the flight of the magic weapon, she could easily block without any need for technique.

    ¡°Ruoxi, do you see that?¡± he transmitted to Xie Ruoxi, pointing out, ¡°In the future, if you encounter attacks that are difficult to block or dodge, just use the True Yuan Heavy Sword as a shield in front of you, got it?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi was about to speak, only to hear the handsome scholar continue:

    ¡°My mom doesn¡¯t understand the weight of this unrivaled Immortal Venerate, she actually wants me to help her wash dishes after meals, what a joke! I told her, wait for me to fully restore my cultivation, I will establish a sect on the Divine Land of Lu Country, recruiting thousands of disciples. Then, not to mention doing dishes, even if it¡¯s a full house cleaning, people would queue up to do it for her!¡±

    ¡°Uh, uh, uh.¡± Xie Ruoxi¡¯s mouth was half-open, and tears involuntarily fell down.

    I want to die¡­

    I really want to travel back to the past and strangle that braggart version of myself in front of my parents¡­ S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Don¡¯t pay attention to what she¡¯s saying!¡± Yan Yu scolded the beautiful good-for-nothing, ¡°Watch how she fights!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s face was ashen, her body shaky, as if her soul might leave her body and ascend to heaven the next second ¡ª no, more like plunge into hell, as heaven doesn¡¯t admit girls with a chuunibyou dark history.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want her to shut up quickly?¡± Seeing that she was unmoved, Yan Yu immediately switched to a different approach, ¡°You can¡¯t beat her now, so that¡¯s why you need to learn, right? As long as you learn her moves, what¡¯s left is just one-button attacking!¡±

    These words did manage to bring a bit of Xie Ruoxi¡¯s consciousness back: Right, I need to take her down quickly, otherwise my dark history will only grow!

    ¡°Lingyun, command.¡± Yan Yu snapped his fingers.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Chen Lingyun began adjusting the formation.

    ¡°Ningning, turn right 20 steps and stop, launch a long-range Sword Control attack, and be careful to dodge.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Lin Ning quickly moved to his assigned position.

    ¡°Sister Zhao, advance five steps and use the Yin Wind Sword for the attack for now,¡± Chen Lingyun continued to direct.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen didn¡¯t say much and quickly got into position.

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°Going,¡± Although there were no specific commands, Yan Yu had an understanding with her and immediately spotted a gap in the formation between Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen.

    He quickly stepped forward to fill the gap, forming a classic Three Talents Formation.

    Unlike the Five Elements Formation, the Three Talents Formation required three people to stand in an equilateral triangle with the target at the center. Without a designated ¡°main assaulter¡± to bear the brunt of the attack, every person might endure strikes, making it ideal to form the array with three Sword Immortals for ensured mobility and offensive power.

    Although the Zhenhai Team didn¡¯t have three Sword Immortals, Sister Zhao¡¯s Sword Control Technique was solid enough to set up this formation. Once the three of them took their positions, Sword Control attacks followed.

    Whenever the handsome scholar threw a Thunder Method spell toward anyone, the target would immediately shift aside to dodge. If she chose to move clockwise, Chen Lingyun would direct the other two to also turn clockwise, and vice versa, always maintaining a roughly equilateral triangle formation. No matter whom the opponent attacked, there would always be two people who could sneak attack from her left rear and right rear, forcing her into a defensive position where the silver sword light couldn¡¯t fly out, only able to defend with full effort.

    The Huang Tingjian, Yin Wind Sword, and Green Bamboo Sword struck together, compressing the silver sword light into an increasingly smaller circle until the Flying Sword path was nearly impenetrable.

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s spirits lifted as she asked,

    ¡°Are we going to win?¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Chen Lingyun instructed her, ¡°The smaller the sword circle, the stronger the defense, and this clone excels in abundant True Yuan. See, the Flying Swords struck by the silver light must fly back a certain distance before stabilizing, showing that despite her rudimentary skill level in swordsmanship, she still has an advantage in Swordsmanship Combat.¡±

    ¡°With the sword circle compressed to this extent, I suspect it¡¯s futile to attack further; we can only wait until her True Yuan is depleted¡­ But do clones run out of True Yuan? What if there¡¯s a Mysterious Realm to sustain her, then we would end up draining ourselves instead.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi fell silent for a moment, for the first time detesting why her natural aptitude for cultivation was so good and why her True Yuan had to be so strong.

    ¡°So what do we do?¡± she asked anxiously, ¡°Lingyun, think of something!¡±

    ¡°I am thinking,¡± Chen Lingyun replied with a smile.

    Though she said she was thinking, whether she was actually doing so was another matter. Xie Ruoxi was becoming increasingly frantic when she heard the handsome scholar say,

    ¡°Study? What study? It¡¯s not needed. Even if I finish college, what difference will it make? My destiny is not to sit in an office as a mere cog in the wheel! With my astonishing brilliance and unparalleled beauty, it¡¯s only a matter of time before I¡¯m noticed by a tall, handsome, ascetic husband from one of the Aristocratic Families. Then he¡¯ll force me to sign a marriage contract, confine me to a villa, shower me with endless pampering, and I¡¯ll bear him twins until I regain my past life¡¯s memories and the power of an Immortal Venerate. Then I¡¯ll turn the tables and dominate that overbearing husband¡­¡±

    Xie Ruoxi made an indistinct hehe sound in her throat as if she would foam at the mouth and faint any second, secretly transmitting a message to the clone, begging,

    ¡°Please stop talking¡­ Don¡¯t make me remember it, I beg you¡­ I was young and foolish, it was just a fantasy for fun, please don¡¯t expose it¡­¡±

    But the handsome scholar showed no mercy, continuing to look around with a smug expression of self-satisfaction, saying,

    ¡°See! I really was chosen by Yan Zhanlong!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi nearly choked on her blood, barely restraining the urge to draw her sword and end herself right then and there, when she heard Chen Lingyun say,

    ¡°Ruoxi, thunder.¡±

    Ahhhhhhhhhhhh I¡¯ll take you down with me! Xie Ruoxi roared in her heart, unleashing her full power and sending a thunder spell brimming with True Yuan flying toward the target.

    The handsome scholar was busy defending against Yan Yu¡¯s Sword Control attack from behind when the thunder spell¡¯s trajectory fell squarely into her blind spot.

    Cultivators did not rely solely on their eyesight, and so she suddenly surged to the left, narrowly evading the thunder spell.

    Had it been Yan Yu standing there, he would have sidestepped with a simple move to avoid the attack, but the scholar¡¯s control was not so skilled, dashing three to four steps to the left and significantly closing the distance to Zhao Yuanzhen¡ª at that moment, the Heavenly Yuan Sword was still entangled with the Huang Tingjian on Yan Yu¡¯s side!

    Zhao Yuanzhen was quick on her feet, swiftly raising her hand and sending a shadow flying from her sleeve ¨C it was the poised White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, aimed straight at the handsome scholar¡¯s heart!

 Chapter 319: 16 Tearing off the Mask

    Chapter 319: Chapter 16 Tearing off the Mask

    The clone saw Zhao Yuanzhen raise her hand and knew something bad was coming, but her skills were limited. She only managed to tilt her body to avoid her vital points when she was hit by the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin right below her right shoulder, nailing her in place, and completely paralyzing the entire right arm from bone to muscle to meridians.

    Everyone¡¯s heart leapt with joy: Good! She¡¯s as good as half-dead!

    Zhao Yuanzhen formed a spell with her hands, seizing the opportunity to attack her weakened opponent. She thrust the Yin Wind Sword straight at the enemy¡¯s heart, only to see the handsome scholar suddenly pull out something, and with a slap, he blocked the thrust of the Yin Wind Sword.

    Hmm, what was that¡­ a spike?

    It was the Magic Artifact that they had confiscated from the remains of a gatekeeper in the Mysterious Realm on Black Dragon Isle last time!

    That Magic Artifact was originally a pair of spike-hammers, and now that the handsome scholar¡¯s right arm was disabled, he could only use his left arm to take out the spike artifact and place it horizontally in front of his chest, precisely where the Yin Wind Sword struck.

    Steel clashed with steel, sparks flew, and in an instant, they transformed into electric snakes dancing wildly, forcing the Yin Wind Sword away.

    ¡°Hehehehehehahahahahahaha!¡± The handsome scholar burst into crazed laughter, ¡°Such petty tricks dare to harm the body of my Immortal Venerate? Bring the sword!¡±

    The sword imbued with the power of the heavens pushed away the Huang Tingjian, and in a flash, it returned to her hand.

    ¡°Thunder erupts!¡± Xie Immortal Venerate laughed heartily again.

    Unable to wield the hammer with her disabled right arm, she manipulated it with her left hand, using the sword filled with the righteous energy of heaven as a hammer to strike fiercely at the back of the spike!

    Thunderbolts blossomed violently!

    From the tip of the spike spewed countless electric snakes that in the blink of an eye turned into huge silver pythons, rapidly coiling and rampaging around the arena, forcing the onlookers to dodge backward and retreat from their sharpness.

    The Three Talents Formation was no more, Xie Immortal Venerate began to run around the field wildly, with the heavenly sword moving alongside her, striking the spike every dozen steps or so, shouting,

    ¡°If heaven had not created me, Xie Ruoxi, the path of immortality would be as eternal as the darkest night!¡±

    With each strike of the spike, a huge electric python wreaked havoc across the field, pushing everyone toward the edges of the hall.

    Yan Yu pushed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step to its limits, narrowly dodging the electric snakes at the very last moment. Though she appeared ragged, she remained unscathed.

    The other ladies weren¡¯t so fortunate. Though they weren¡¯t directly hit by the electric pythons, they were still struck by the smaller snakes that the bigger ones sent shooting through the air. Their muscles burned and their hair stood on end. They weren¡¯t bleeding, but pain was etched into every part of their bodies.

    But the electric pythons were endless, just as one disappeared, another emerged! Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°We can¡¯t keep this up!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly shouted fiercely, ¡°Otherwise, she¡¯ll kill us all sooner or later!¡±

    Throwing caution to the wind, she prepared to use her secret technique.

    ¡°Ruoxi!¡± Yan Yu also called out loudly, ¡°Can you break it?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying!¡± Xie Ruoxi screamed.

    She circulated the Thunder Method secret technique within her body, and thus controlled and neutralized the electric snakes that hit her, so her injuries were not severe.

    But her teammates didn¡¯t have any knowledge of the Thunder Method, and if Xie Ruoxi couldn¡¯t seize control of the electric pythons, the Zhenhai Team would face annihilation right then and there, repeating the fate of the Huofeng Team.

    Xie Ruoxi made all sorts of efforts, which only slightly slowed down the electric pythons¡¯ rampage for a moment, achieving basically nothing. Furious, Zhao Yuanzhen had already thrown her puppet Silver Pellet, ready to go all out, when she suddenly heard Xie Immortal Venerate laughing haughtily:

    ¡°How about it, captain! How do you feel now, how do you feel? This is the power of me, Xie Immortal Venerate!¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Xie Ruoxi¡¯s shriek turned into a wail.

    ¡°Captain, you fancied this pretty face of mine, didn¡¯t you?!¡± Xie Immortal Venerate kept on laughing crazily, continuing his arrogant talk, ¡°I¡¯m going to tell you now! My power is even above my beauty! You coveted my beauty, seducing me to Jinling first. Now it¡¯s time for me to tie you up and take you back to Baoqing to become my Immortal Venerate husband! The hen crows at dawn, topsy turvy against the heavens, it all happens today!¡±

    ¡°I told you to shut up!¡± Xie Ruoxi started to tremble, realizing that the deepest secrets of her heart, all those unspeakable hidden thoughts about her captain, were about to be ruthlessly revealed by the clone like bloody scars ripped open!

    ¡°Blame yourself for choosing me at my lowest!¡± Xie Immortal Venerate roared and once again struck the spike artifact hard, ¡°Take it, this is my dowry! I want you to present your bridal gifts!!!¡±

    The old electric python vanished, and a new one burst forth. But this time, instead of rampaging around the field, it charged straight at Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly, ready to perform the Sword-Human Unity and decapitate the force, but then she heard Xie Immortal Venerate shouting¡­ no, it was the screams of horror from Xie Ruoxi:

    ¡°I told you to shut up aaaaaaaaaa!!!!¡±

    She pushed her hands forward, fingers slightly spread as if grasping something, and then forcefully tore it aside.

    The massive electric python that lunged at Yan Yu was indeed ripped out of its trajectory by her void pull, as if an invisible hand had grasped it, causing it to lose balance and veer off.

    A perfect opportunity!

    Two swords flashed swiftly, the blue sword light hit the heavenly sword, seizing it for a moment, and the Huang Tingjian¡¯s light struck unimpeded, instantly slicing Xie Immortal Venerate in two.

    The illusion of Xie Immortal Venerate finally shattered, turning into mere bubbles, and the electric pythons rampaging across the field also vanished without a trace.

    The shattered mirror pieces finally fell to the ground, and the sword lights returned. Zhao Yuanzhen roared furiously:

    ¡°I¡¯ll fight you with all I¡¯ve got!¡±

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress had heard the saying about guarding against fire, theft, and ¡°best friends,¡± but she never quite understood it. Little did she expect that out of everyone, Xie Ruoxi, who she had the closest relationship with, harbored such filthy thoughts deep inside her heart!

    You whore! She was supposed to be your best friend¡¯s partner!

 Chapter 320: 16 Tearing off the Mask_2

    Chapter 320: Chapter 16 Tearing off the Mask_2

    She formed a sword technique with her hands, and the Yin Wind Sword immediately struck down from above, viciously slashing towards Xie Ruoxi¡¯s head.

    Xie Ruoxi instantly placed the True Yuan Sword in front of her like a shield, to take cover behind it, and indeed blocked the Yin Wind Sword head-on.

    The flashes of two sword lights had already circled back, and Yan Yu grabbed Zhao Yuanzhen, while Lin Ning quickly stepped in front of Xie Ruoxi, joining forces to separate the two parties that were about to start fighting.

    ¡°Are you being foolish again?¡± The Yin Wind Sword had not managed to slash the opponent¡¯s head, but Yan Yu instead slapped Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s forehead, saying, ¡°You believe the words of a replicant?¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I believe them?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said, aggrieved, ¡°And you¡¯re actually protecting her?!¡±

    ¡°I am the captain!¡± Yan Yu said righteously, ¡°When there is a conflict, do you seek the captain to administer justice, or do you take the law into your own hands?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s¡­¡± Zhao Yuanzhen subconsciously wanted to say ¡°Of course it¡¯s to take revenge first,¡± but stopped short, and then changed her words, ¡°Fine, fine, fine, let¡¯s see how you administer justice! If you can¡¯t make me satisfied, I¡¯ll renounce our ties right here today and kill you along with her!¡±

    ¡°Heh.¡± Yan Yu thought to himself that he had indeed misconstrued earlier. What ¡®boundless merit¡¯? The Demonic Sect Enchantress was truly a cat that never grew tame, always thinking of rebelling against her master, saying, ¡°Very well, then let Xie Ruoxi speak.¡±

    ¡°Ruoxi.¡± Chen Lingyun realized that, although it was quite amusing, if Zhao Yuanzhen couldn¡¯t step down, this matter probably couldn¡¯t be resolved, saying, ¡°Now you tell us, do you like Yan Yu?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi peeked out from behind her back, timidly glanced at Zhao Yuanzhen, and shook her head frantically¡ªhow could she dare to admit it at this moment?

    ¡°Then why did the replicant say she wanted to tie up Yan Yu and take him back to be her husband?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen pressed.

    ¡°Ultimately, this question boils down to whether the words of a replicant are credible.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°I guess no matter how I analyze it, I can¡¯t convince you. Why don¡¯t we meet with your replicant, then devise our plans? Whether your replicant is revealing your true feelings or intentionally sowing discord among the team, you should trust your own judgment, shouldn¡¯t you?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen stared at Xie Ruoxi intently for a long while before squeezing out a word through clenched teeth:

    ¡°Fine!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi, trembling like a frightened rabbit, was pulled aside by Chen Lingyun who then spent a while soothing her with kind words.

    ¡°Since both parties have come to an agreement, let¡¯s set this issue aside for now and return to it later.¡± Yan Yu nodded authoritatively, while secretly giving a thumbs-up to Chen Lingyun.

    If the replicant really broke through the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s defenses, then her hatred would shift entirely onto the replicant, and she would no longer have the heart to settle scores with Xie Ruoxi, would she?

    Women often argue simply by riding on a surge of temper. Once the temper dissipates, the ferocity fades. Some even know this and will deliberately dredge up old grievances during an argument, intending to fan the flames of their anger even higher¡ªa tactic essentially to layer themselves with a buff that enhances their offensive power.

    As for the method of resolution, it¡¯s quite simple¡­ To avoid being accused of padding word count for profit, I won¡¯t say it here.

    The group took a brief rest in the great hall, since they had all been injured by the Thunder Method not long before.

    Without Yun Jin here, everyone could only circulate their True Yuan repeatedly, directing it to wherever there was pain.

    True Yuan indeed was the best painkiller. Where it touched a wound, the wound would slowly heal; where it met muscle, the soreness would vanish without a trace. Obviously, this could result in unnoticed lasting injuries, but there was no helping it at the moment.

    Zhao Yuanzhen sat meditating alone next to Yan Yu, resembling a guard dog that protects its master, allowing no other seductress to approach. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The other three girls each meditated to recover, occasionally glancing at each other¡ªeverything was communicated without words.

    No, that¡¯s not right; everything was communicated through telepathic message.

    ¡°We¡¯re all in the same boat.¡± Chen Lingyun sent a message to the two girls, saying, ¡°We need to join forces to deal with today¡¯s affairs properly, otherwise there will definitely be endless trouble afterward.¡±

    ¡°Deal with what?¡± Lin Ning was absolutely unwilling to admit anything to Ling Yun, just feigning ignorance as she asked, ¡°Everything has been made clear. Those replicants are merely spreading rumors and instigating conflict, and only Sister Zhao is stubbornly incredulous. Is there anything else that needs further explanation?¡±

    ¡°Whether Sister Zhao believes it or not is actually not important.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°The key thing is whether the captain believes it.¡±

    Uh¡­ Lin Ning and Xie Ruoxi were at first puzzled, but soon pictures surfaced in their minds.

    Lin Ning thought:

    Yan Yu lay on the sofa in the villa and called, ¡°I want to eat wonton noodles today.¡±

    In the kitchen, Lin Ning said, ¡°There are no wontons in the fridge, we can only make plain noodles today.¡±

    Yan Yu said, ¡°No wontons? Then use Sword Control to go buy some. Make sure to get them from the Yang¡¯s wonton shop in Cao Du Alley.¡±

    Lin Ning said, ¡°Why should I be the one to go buy them?¡±

    Yan Yu said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you secretly in love with me? What¡¯s wrong with buying something for your male god to eat? If you don¡¯t try hard to pursue the man you admire, who are you going to marry in the future? Are you planning to go on blind dates?¡±

    Thinking this, Lin Ning¡¯s fists clenched tightly, wishing she could catch Yan Yu and beat him up right away.

    Xie Ruoxi thought:

    One day in the future, she opened her computer to continue managing her social media account, only to discover that her comment section had been flooded with a barrage of trolls.

    ¡°Wow, that Xie Ruoxi really sucks! How dare she set her sights on my Brother Yan Yu!¡±

    ¡°Xie Ruoxi, come out and die! It¡¯s so funny, do you even deserve to fantasize about tying Yan Yu down and making him your husband? Stay in your damp and dingy place and don¡¯t come out to disgust everyone, crawl!¡±

    ¡°By the way, kidnapping someone to marry is a crime, isn¡¯t it? I know she hasn¡¯t done it yet, but just the thought of it makes me sick. Can I report her for attempted crime?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi, exerting all her efforts, fiercely debated with others online. Despite her brilliant sentences, rigorous logic, sharp rhetoric, and strong tone, which hit the nail on the head, she couldn¡¯t withstand the overwhelming number of opponents. For every comment she countered, a thousand more would appear in the comment section insulting her¡­ until Xie Ruoxi suddenly looked up to the sky and let out a pained scream, spitting out a mouthful of blood that stained the screen crimson.

    Then she collapsed onto the keyboard, her arms and legs twitching like a boiled octopus, and soon, she was motionless¡­

    Please, not that! Xie Ruoxi also screamed inwardly.

    ¡°Do you understand now?¡± Chen Lingyun, seeing the change in their expressions, smiled and said, ¡°Sister Zhao may or may not believe those so-called ¡®dark histories¡¯, but after all, she¡¯s just one person. The captain is different, though.¡±

    ¡°You all know how unrestrained the captain¡¯s mouth is. Is he going to tell Yun Jin? And if he does, can we stop him? If not, what right do we have to prevent him from telling others besides Yun Jin?¡±

    Lin Ning and Xie Ruoxi¡¯s expressions became stern. Was Yan Yu the type to gossip recklessly? Of course not. But Chen Lingyun¡¯s suggestion was even more cunning. She didn¡¯t ask, ¡°Will Yan Yu tell others?¡±, but rather, ¡°Do we have a way to stop him from telling others?¡±

    The answer was no.

    As everyone knows, ¡°dark histories¡± are like time bombs. You don¡¯t need the intent to kill me; the mere fact that you¡¯re carrying a bomb makes me scared.

    How many intelligence brokers thrive because they possess copious amounts of dirt on political figures, making them untouchable?

    Now that Yan Yu held their dark histories, and they were helpless against him, it was like a non-nuclear state facing a nuclear state¡ªthe balance of power was not equal.

    Being unequal meant lacking confidence in speaking, meaning they would be subject to his whims in the future, unable to resist¡­

    ¡°So what do we do?¡± Lin Ning asked, ¡°Wait for his clone to explode his dark history too, and then we threaten each other into mutual secrecy?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s one way to think about it,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°But what if he doesn¡¯t care about his dark history at all?¡±

    ¡°Then wouldn¡¯t he be invincible?¡± Xie Ruoxi said in shock.

    Although Yan Yu had never been defeated so far, there¡¯s a difference between being ¡°undefeated¡± and ¡°invincible.¡±

    ¡°Regardless of whether we can find a way to counter him, what we need to do now is to form an alliance,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°If we can¡¯t come together and instead continue to fight on our own, then we definitely won¡¯t stand a chance against him.¡±

 Chapter 321: 17 Zhao Yuanzhen: I Understand Everything Now

    Chapter 321: Chapter 17 Zhao Yuanzhen: I Understand Everything Now

    The other three girls had secretly agreed to cooperate. Zhao Yuanzhen, who knew nothing about this, was trailing behind Yan Yu, while trying to interrogate him through a whisper transmission:

    ¡°So what exactly is your relationship with them?¡±

    ¡°Comrades-in-arms, of course,¡± said Yan Yu.

    Zhao Yuanzhen didn¡¯t believe him; she just glared at him suspiciously.

    Glare.

    ¡°Even if you manage to find flowers on my face from staring, we are still just comrades-in-arms,¡± Yan Yu continued.

    ¡°So why do they all seem to like you?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen persisted.

    ¡°How would I know?¡± Yan Yu retorted, ¡°First off, I don¡¯t even know if the ¡®true feelings¡¯ spoken by their replicas are real or fake; secondly, even if what they said is all true, what¡¯s that got to do with me? Should I go around slapping each of them twice on the cheeks, saying ¡®You think you¡¯re worthy of liking me¡¯?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like you can¡¯t do that,¡± said Zhao Yuanzhen angrily, ¡°Such nauseating talk seems to give you no pressure at all. Why not just directly cut off their hopes? In the end, you¡¯re just enjoying the feeling of being secretly loved.¡±

    ¡°Get real,¡± Yan Yu sighed helplessly, ¡°Not to mention whatever misconceptions you have about me. All the evidence so far comes from one-sided accounts by the replicas. Who breaks off relations with teammates over such baseless allegations? I¡¯m not you!¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen snorted coldly, ¡°Once I see my replica, I¡¯ll be able to verify the truth.¡±

    ¡°Just don¡¯t lose your composure when you see your replica,¡± teased Yan Yu.

    ¡°Ridiculous, what ¡®black history¡¯ could I possibly have?¡±

    In your past life, there was a ton of ¡®black history¡¯, all leading up to being trolled until you broke down and tracked people down offline¡­ Yan Yu really wanted to mock this Demonic Sect Enchantress but he just barely held back.

    The group passed through the long corridor with the atmosphere slightly tense.

    Partly because of the ¡®black history¡¯, and partly because the strength of the replicas was indeed getting stronger and stronger.

    Having battled only the third replica, it already managed to use area-wide Thunder Method attacks to push everyone to the brink of defeat right there and then; one could hardly bear to consider, dare not even think about, just how monstrously powerful the next two would be.

    Yan Yu, however, was not worried at all.

    Empress Yuanzhen? He had seen her in his last life.

    Sword Immortal of the Eight Min? He had seen them in his last life, too.

    Immortal Venerate of Lightning? He had seen them as well in his last life.

    Chen Lingyun, who plays with ghosts? He hadn¡¯t seen her in his previous life, but in this life, it was Yan Yu¡¯s own proposed cultivation path. Besides, he knew Chen Lingyun too well, so he could fully imagine it. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    They say fear comes from the unknown; if something is anticipated, there¡¯s not much left to fear.

    The only wild card was likely to come from his own replica¡ªhis past self who relied on an external Spiritual Energy storage device to fight. In this life, he didn¡¯t know how formidable a person he might be now that he had become a Cultivator.

    Ha ha, looking forward to it.

    The group reached the fourth combat hall. Ready for action, they soon saw Zhao Yuanzhen emerge from the mirror.

    No, that wasn¡¯t Zhao Yuanzhen, it was Empress Yuanzhen.

    They were identical in appearance and beauty, but the demeanor of the Empress was slightly less innocent and pure compared to Zhao Yuanzhen and a bit more enchanting and captivating.

    She wore a deep red dress with wide sleeves, looking like a high-ranking female authority from an ancient painting, such as an empress or a queen. Deep red isn¡¯t easy for most to pull off, being too bright, too garish, but on her it seemed tailor-made, her entire presence like a blazing flame, mercilessly scorching everyone around her without restraint.

    The Zhenhai Team adopted the Five Elements Formation as usual, with Yan Yu taking the position as the main striker, directly confronting the Empress Yuanzhen.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, observing her replica from the side, muttered to herself just before the fight began:

    ¡°What kind of clothes is this woman wearing, what kind of makeup is that? Pretty nice looking, I¡¯ll have to remember that, find a tailor to make it for me later.¡±

    No sooner had that thought crossed her mind than she heard Empress Yuanzhen lift her sleeve, cover her mouth and laugh:

    ¡°My Lord, have you come to see me? And brought so many sisters with you, what is it that you intend to do?¡±

    Everyone went silent at that, only Zhao Yuanzhen remained composed.

    That¡¯s right, isn¡¯t my relationship with the thief that of martial companions? If I don¡¯t call him my Lord, what should I call him? This imposter, leaving aside other things, got at least this term right without any doubt¡­ Sisters? What sisters?

    ¡°But you know,¡± the Empress continued with her charming smile, ¡°Taking concubines requires the main wife¡¯s consent. I haven¡¯t agreed yet, so how did you put them in the chambers already? That¡¯s not right; it deserves a punishment~¡±

    All present immediately erupted into commotion. Chen Lingyun smiled faintly, Xie Ruoxi opened her mouth halfway, Lin Ning wore a completely disgusted expression, and Zhao Yuanzhen felt her mind buzz at that moment, followed by a surge of rage, and then she shouted:

    ¡°What taking concubines? No way! Not allowed!¡±

    ¡°Hehe,¡± The Empress Yuanzhen cuddled her cheek with her sleeve and her eyes rippled with laughter as she looked at Zhao Yuanzhen, but she kept talking to Yan Yu, ¡°My Lord, do you know? Actually, I don¡¯t mind you being with them as long as you let me be the chief consort¡­¡±

    ¡°Pfft!¡± Xie Ruoxi burst out, ¡°What kind of outdated male-lead novel plot twist is this! That¡¯s how people wrote back when I was in grade school, we don¡¯t write like this anymore, come on!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was also overcome with furious urgency and without waiting for Chen Lingyun¡¯s orders, she charged out ahead. Her Yin Wind Sword took the lead in attacking Empress Yuanzhen as she roared:

    ¡°Shut up! Shut up!¡±

    Are these the words you are allowed to say? And by saying this, how will my sisters look at me afterward? Will they all think that I allowed a young thief to take concubines and share what I have?

    Thinking this way, the more she thought, the angrier she became, until the rage went straight to her head and her blood seemed to boil over, wishing she could immediately rush over and chop that Empress Yuanzhen into ten or eight pieces.

    With a loud bang, Empress Yuanzhen remained motionless, a deep purple sword light already thrusting sideways, knocking the Yin Wind Sword flying.

    Seeing that the Demonic Sect Enchantress was no match, Yan Yu also executed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step. His figure flickered, leaping more than ten meters away, slashing down with his Huang Tingjian overhead.

    Empress Yuanzhen executed a sword technique, and the deep purple sword light instantly returned to her side, blocking the slicing strike of the Huang Tingjian. The latter, being a heavy sword, surprisingly, did not gain the upper hand in a direct confrontation, indicating that the true yuan strength of this duplicate was already far superior to everyone present at the scene.

    Taking advantage of the deep purple sword light clashing with the Huang Tingjian, Zhao Yuanzhen took the opportunity to throw her White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin. With a clang, the hairpin pierced the body, but Empress Yuanzhen remained unscathed¡ªbefore her stood another ¡°Zhao Yuanzhen,¡± who took the blow from the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, yet her face showed no sign of abnormality.

    Puppet.

    If the duplicate is using puppets, then I won¡¯t hold back either!

    From Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s sleeve rolled out a Silver Pellet; her String-Pulling Technique sprang into action, instantly transforming her into an equally slim and attractive enchantress. Blade mechanisms shot out from her wrists, and she rushed forward at high speed.

    Puppet Ami!

    The two puppets battled each other, as the Huang Tingjian clashed head-on with the deep purple sword light. Lin Ning seized the opportunity to perform a sword technique with her hands. The Green Bamboo Sword, taking advantage of Yan Yu¡¯s cover, moved closer, suddenly flying out from under his armpit, aiming for Empress Yuanzhen!

    Empress Yuanzhen let out a light chuckle, her cherry lips parted slightly, spewing out a large expanse of pitch-black fog, instantly enveloping her surroundings.

    The Green Bamboo Sword shot towards where she originally stood but struck nothing. Lin Ning scanned with her Divine Sense and before she could find Empress Yuanzhen, she suddenly heard Chen Lingyun urgently cry out:

    ¡°Ruoxi, be careful!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi immediately retreated, but her reaction was ultimately half a step too slow. Empress Yuanzhen¡¯s hairpin had already pierced her chest, causing her to cry out in pain as she fell backward.

    The five ghosts rushed to her back, transforming into a soft cushion to catch her body, only to see her eyes tightly shut, teeth clenched, having completely fainted.

    ¡°Sister Zhao, come back and help, Ningning, go replace her,¡± Chen Lingyun quickly commanded, her thoughts racing like lightning in her mind.

    The purpose of the Five Elements Formation is to ensure the main assaulter always stands at the forefront, obstructing the opponent¡¯s line of sight, thereby covering the other teammates and ensuring that the firepower delivery is not affected.

    Empress Yuanzhen belched out a black fog, hiding her figure such that everyone couldn¡¯t clearly see her position, let alone judge who she was facing and at whom she was striking next¡­ In this way, the Five Elements Formation lost its meaning.

    That¡¯s why she called Zhao Yuanzhen back, partly to have her remove the hairpin from Xie Ruoxi, and partly to have her cover for herself and Xie Ruoxi, since both of their frontline capabilities were not all that great. They could manage against ordinary Transcendents, but were completely outclassed by Zhao¡¯s clones.

    Although Zhao Yuanzhen was furious, she luckily retained her rationality, knowing that Xie Ruoxi¡¯s Thunder Method was also a powerful output tool and indispensable to the team. She swiftly returned to their side and used the technique for activating the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, trying to extract the hairpin from within Xie Ruoxi.

    If it were anyone else, even if they knew the techniques for manipulating the magical artifact, they wouldn¡¯t be able to move one that had been refined by someone else. But there was no difference between the original and the clone; Xie Ruoxi had already previously forcibly seized control of the clone¡¯s lightning, and Chen Lingyun took note of this, the mechanism immediately becoming clear to her.

    Indeed, as she expected, the hairpin began to slowly extract itself with only a slight tug from Zhao Yuanzhen, and Xie Ruoxi¡¯s breathing became more rapid.

    While she focused on the rescue, Ami¡¯s performance immediately became erratic, but Chen Lingyun had made preparations. Lin Ning¡¯s Green Bamboo Sword light swiftly took over, helping to hold off Empress Yuanzhen¡¯s puppet enemy, so the battle didn¡¯t completely spiral out of control.

    ¡°Ling Yun is really impressive, managing to salvage such a disadvantageous situation,¡± Empress Yuanzhen¡¯s laughter rang out from within the mist. ¡°If I were the queen, I¡¯d appoint you the honored imperial concubine of the Eastern Palace, in charge of the many concubines¡­¡±

    ¡°Shut your nonsense!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen roared.

    This position of honored concubine in charge of the harem¡ªNingning could do it, Yun Jin could do it, but I absolutely can¡¯t stand the thought of Chen Lingyun taking up the role! Eh? No¡­ Where are these ludicrous thoughts coming from?

    He¡¯s mine, and nobody can take him! Where did this thought come from? It must be the clone casting a spell, subtly influencing my mind, causing strange thoughts that I would never have!

    In that instant, enlightenment struck Zhao Yuanzhen.

    It wasn¡¯t that the clone could read our thoughts, but that while the clone was fabricating baseless rumors, it was also secretly employing the String-Pulling Technique, making us mistakenly believe that these were our own unspeakable true desires, thus causing our reason to waver, our state to deteriorate, or even to become utterly unhinged with confusion!

    The best evidence was that I never entertained the idea of them laying hands on my man, but then, influenced by the clone¡¯s String-Pulling Technique, the idea of being the chief wife and living a life of luxury while managing my sisters seemed not half bad¡­ Damn it, you deserve to die! How dare you influence my mind; you deserve to be minced and ground to dust by me!

    Lost in erratic thoughts, Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s mind raced wild. Distracted, the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin slowly started to retreat back in, causing Xie Ruoxi intense pain as she coughed up blood and, regaining consciousness, quickly grabbed Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s hand and pleaded:

    ¡°Sister, spare my life¡­¡±

    Seeing her in such a pitiful state, Zhao Yuanzhen was reminded of the happy times they had shared as close friends, eating and drinking together, and her heart softened.

    But then she thought, I actually misunderstood my sister earlier, manipulated by her clone into discord, and her anger flared again. Her True Yuan surged as she exerted all her strength, pulling out the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin with one determined effort, and then turned to say:

    ¡°Ling Yun, have Ningning come back to cover for you. My clone has too many tricks up her sleeve, beyond your current ability to handle.¡±

    ¡°And what about you?¡± Chen Lingyun asked knowingly.

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m going to finish her off myself,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said with a ghostly smile, revealing her eerie white teeth.

 Chapter 322: 18 She Lied About Everything

    Chapter 322: Chapter 18 She Lied About Everything

    Zhao Yuanzhen, who initially didn¡¯t understand the mechanism, was extremely angry.

    Now that she discovered the clone was spouting nonsense, trying to influence her with a heart-demon technique, she instead became calm and composed.

    ¡°In fact, although my husband usually scolds me, yells at me, and bullies me, I also secretly keep a little notebook in my heart,¡± continued Empress Yuanzhen with a laugh amidst the thick fog, ¡°But I actually never planned to seek revenge on him, because I know to evaluate a man, you not only have to look at what he says but also at what he does.¡±

    ¡°His actions have proven that he does treat me with his heart. So no matter how he teases or plays with me in his words, I take it as a little fun between husband and wife, and don¡¯t take it to heart.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said with contempt, not forgetting to telepathically tell the other team members (including Yan Yu), ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her nonsense. I¡¯m a person who seeks revenge; a delay of ten years is nothing! You stinking thief, just wait, sooner or later I will settle the score with you!¡±

    Yan Yu couldn¡¯t be bothered with her and concentrated on fighting the deep purple sword light, secretly assessing the swordsmanship level of Empress Yuanzhen.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, who had just arrived in this world, had swordsmanship similar to the famed Empress Yuanzhen from her previous life: a typical wild style, aiming for a kill in one strike.

    Missed? Strike again. Missed again? Strike yet again¡­ It was basically all offense, no defense, without any fancy feints or deceptions.

    The reason for adhering to such an offensive style was partly because Qiansi Sect didn¡¯t boast swordsmanship as its strength, and partly because she never had the chance to spar and learn from enemies who were adept at swordsmanship. She usually dealt with nobodies, naturally opting for the most efficient killing method available to her.

    Of course, in this life, having to mix with Yan Yu and face top Transcendents from around the world, that wholly offensive wild swordsmanship was utterly useless. If the enemy presented a fake opening to trap her, and she foolishly charged in, how could that work?

    After a brief exchange with Empress Yuanzhen, Yan Yu quickly concluded: there was progress.

    But it was not enough.

    It seemed he would have to increase her daily swordsmanship training¡­

    Lin Ning retreated to where Chen Lingyun and Xie Ruoxi were. The Green Bamboo Sword flashed suddenly, deflecting a sneak attack from the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin.

    Xie Ruoxi struggled to sit cross-legged, channeling her True Yuan to seal the bleeding from her wound; Chen Lingyun, on the other hand, threw out the Divine Evil Prayer Beads to help Yan Yu lock onto the opponent¡¯s deep purple sword light.

    Empress Yuanzhen didn¡¯t confront them with her Flying Sword directly, but under the change of the sword technique, the deep purple sword light dodged the Prayer Beads and turned to intercept Zhao Yuanzhen, while the puppet charged towards Chen Lingyun and the others.

    Yan Yu immediately stepped back to intercept the puppet¡¯s path, with the Huang Tingjian slashing down overhead. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, in turn, released her puppet Ami to confront the clone¡¯s Flying Sword, while she herself charged into the black fog, quietly operating her technique. The black fog immediately surged.

    A moment later, the black fog abruptly dispersed, revealing the two Zhao Yuanzhens fighting inside.

    The Empress Yuanzhen bit her tongue, spitting out several black blood arrows towards Zhao Yuanzhen, who quickly sidestepped, spreading herself thin, and with a wave of her left hand, a stream of black energy shot from her fingertips, wrapping around like a cord in mid-air, immediately entangling Empress Yuanzhen. However, the latter¡¯s right fingernails suddenly elongated, sweeping away casually, severing the black energy¡­ All sorts of techniques, all kinds of methods, dazzled the onlookers in the distance, making them wonder what kind of Taoism Method Sister Zhao was using¡ªit seemed like she was about to perform some impressive trick.

    Yan Yu, watching from afar, knew that these were not Taoism Methods, but instead, Techniques.

    ¡°Tao¡± and ¡°Technique¡± are two different levels; the former almost certainly encompasses the fundamental principles of the great Dao, just to varying extents, while the latter often is merely a superficial application of True Yuan. Although its power definitely couldn¡¯t compare to Taoism Methods, it is advantageous in its diversity and unpredictability, making it extremely useful in combat against others.

    The Three Arts and Five Spells are just the most basic spells, not quite considered part of the Taoism Method. As for the dark arts currently used by Zhao Yuanzhen, even if Yan Yu watched very carefully, he could probably only recognize about sixty to seventy percent of them.

    For instance, the one where the tongue is bitten is called ¡°Nail Tongue Arrows¡±; the one where black gas is sprayed from the fingertips is known as ¡°Soul-Snatching Cord¡±; the one where fingernails suddenly grow long is named ¡°White Bone Claw¡±¡­ Just by the names, it¡¯s clear they are not on the same level as the ¡°Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art,¡± but at the current stage, purely in terms of killing efficiency, they were actually much faster than the Taoism Method. If it were anyone else standing opposite to Empress Yuanzhen, they would have been killed within minutes by the endless emergence of these sinister and unfamiliar dark arts.

    He quickly refocused his attention, allowing Huang Tingjian to present an opening, drawing the opponent¡¯s puppet closer. Then, with a flurry of punches and kicks, he pressed the puppet back, and Huang Tingjian took the chance to strike from behind once again.

    Caught between the pincers, the puppet finally couldn¡¯t hold on and was abruptly decapitated by a gap spotted by Huang Tingjian, its head flying off. In the air, however, it turned into wood¡ªit turned out that Empress Yuanzhen had at some point employed a life-substituting wooden dummy using the ¡°cicada shedding¡± technique, replacing her combat puppet.

    In his past life, Yan Yu wasn¡¯t skilled in the String-Pulling Technique, and although Huang Tingjian had struck the opponent, he immediately sensed something was amiss. However, due to his lack of experience, he didn¡¯t react right away.

    By the time he realized it was the ¡°cicada shedding¡± trick, the puppet¡¯s true body had already turned and sprinted away, rushing towards Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s direction, evidently intending to pincer attack with Empress Yuanzhen from both sides.

    Yan Yu was about to go over to help when he saw the deep purple sword light attack once more, tying him down again.

    Lin Ning couldn¡¯t leave her spot, as the enemy shot White Bone Heart-locking Hairpins at her from time to time¡ªfast, concealed, and deadly. Xie Ruoxi was seriously injured and couldn¡¯t move; Lin Ning could only defend them while occasionally using the Metal-Element Impact Curse to harass the enemy, but to no avail.

    Chen Lingyun threw out her prayer beads, attempting once again to lock down the deep purple sword light, but the opponent immediately switched the Flying Sword with the puppet, evading the Divine Evil Prayer Beads¡¯ blockade. She launched the Five Spells and the mother-child Resentful Spirits, constantly circling around the still fighting duo, patiently looking for possible openings in Empress Yuanzhen.

    Suddenly, they heard Empress Yuanzhen laugh and say:

    ¡°Ling Yun, there¡¯s no point in wasting your effort. I basically know all your tactical tricks like the back of my hand, and besides, my cultivation realm now far surpasses you all¡ªthose little tricks are useless against me.¡±

    ¡°Whether they work or not, we¡¯ll only know after trying,¡± Chen Lingyun replied calmly.

    ¡°Do you know?¡± continued Empress Yuanzhen, ¡°I have always admired you.¡±

    ¡°Admire me for what?¡± Chen Lingyun feigned surprise.

    ¡°For your intelligence~¡± Empress Yuanzhen said with a cheerful laugh, ¡°I didn¡¯t read much when I was young, and my educational level wasn¡¯t high, I always felt inferior around you. Although I was often harsh to you, it was just out of fear that you¡¯d see through me and look down on me.¡±

    ¡°What a load of bullshit!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen started to get annoyed and communicated with Chen Lingyun via a secret message, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare believe her nonsense! Admire you? What a joke, with your toothpick height and bean sprout figure, why would I envy you?¡±

    Chen Lingyun: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Ningning,¡± Empress Yuanzhen turned her head, smiling radiantly, ¡°I absolutely adore your exquisite cooking skills. I always say I want to order takeout, but it¡¯s not because I don¡¯t like what you cook, it¡¯s just that I don¡¯t want you to become too tired or too busy and grow to disliking it, then refuse to cook for me in the future.¡±

    Lin Ning was quite touched, but Zhao Yuanzhen grew increasingly angry and said disdainfully:

    ¡°What nonsense! You¡¯re too stingy to even add oil and refuse to use MSG, acting as if one extra spoonful would kill you. You¡¯re always fussing over your nutritious meal plans, what¡¯s that compared to the deliciousness of stir-fried dishes from the culinary world outside? Ningning, if you think you can use your cooking skills to tie me down, you¡¯re hopelessly deluded and wildly dreaming!¡±

    Lin Ning: ¡­¡­¡­

 Chapter 323: 19: Demonic Sect Enchantress, Yet A Good Person

    Chapter 323: Chapter 19: Demonic Sect Enchantress, Yet A Good Person

    Yan Yu was shocked as he listened to Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s speech, thinking to himself: Could it be that I was mistaken, and Ningning is not the proudest member of our team?

    Is there another ultimate, peerless, proud character?

    No, no! The Empress Yuanzhen of the previous life wasn¡¯t like this at all!

    It¡¯s not that I¡¯m confused by preconceived notions; rather, anyone who had actually seen the Empress Yuanzhen of the previous life in her arrogant state would never believe she¡¯s some kind of ¡°cold on the outside, warm on the inside, seemingly proud but actually kind-hearted girl¡±.

    She, who boasted about her own life in documentaries, whose private scandals were spread everywhere, then straightforwardly tracked down her critics through the Internet to kill them, and after the murder, she even shouted for the Privy Council to clean up her mess¡­ No matter how you look at it, she¡¯s a capricious and insane woman who is ruthless on the outside but frail on the inside and who disregards human life, order, rules, and authority.

    But when her clone revealed her innermost thoughts, it turned out to be a kind-hearted girl who knows right from wrong and is grateful¡­

    Impossible! Absolutely impossible!!!

    The battle between Empress Yuanzhen and Zhao Yuanzhen was still fierce, with various treacherous spells being exchanged in rapid succession. They were evenly matched, with each move met by a counter.

    Due to the concentration of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, her strength was only at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage.

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s actual strength was also at the Hua Fu Stage, the difference between her and Empress Yuanzhen being only that between ¡°not yet complete¡± and ¡°complete¡± within the same stage, which in reality wasn¡¯t a significant gap.

    Moreover, the opponent had to split her focus on Flying Swords, puppets or magical treasures, to entangle Yan Yu and put pressure on Lin Ning¡¯s side. Therefore, the fight against Zhao Yuanzhen was in a stalemate, and she was even beginning to fall behind.

    Lacking in strength, she made up for it with her mouth, after professing her feelings in turn to Yan Yu, Chen Lingyun, and Lin Ning, she brought up Xie Ruoxi:

    ¡°Ruoxi, among the teammates, the one I have the closest relationship with is you. You and I are like two peas in a pod, and I¡¯ve seen full well the moments of inferiority and loneliness that you sometimes show. Perhaps in this world, there aren¡¯t many who can truly understand me, but fortunately, you are one of them.¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhao!¡± Xie Ruoxi was still healing, her face contorted in pain, but when she heard Empress Yuanzhen¡¯s touching speech, she immediately became so excited that she burst into tears, unable to help herself from exclaiming, ¡°Sister Zhao! I also think of you as my own sister!¡±

    ¡°Pfft!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen almost gagged with disgust, her technique faltering for a moment, nearly allowing Empress Yuanzhen to make a comeback. She quickly steadied her offensive and defensively yelled, ¡°Nonsense! Rubbish! The only reason I¡¯ve been hanging out with you is because I saw you were new and timid, like a wild rabbit being taken in for the first time, and I simply took pity on you for having no friends!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi: ¡­¡­¡­

    She wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes, her sorrow turning to laughter, and said to Chen Lingyun and Lin Ning beside her:

    ¡°Sister Zhao really likes to say one thing and mean another. If her clone hadn¡¯t said these things herself, I¡¯d never have known that this is what she really thinks.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Chen Lingyun, always one to enjoy a good disturbance, immediately chimed in with a laugh, ¡°So Sister Zhao actually wants to get close to me, but didn¡¯t dare to say it because she felt inferior. What¡¯s the big deal? Honestly, when I first saw Sister Zhao, I also felt she was as friendly as the girl next door.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was so frustrated she felt like spitting blood, trembling with anger, her performance getting worse and worse, nearly being turned around by Empress Yuanzhen.

    Lin Ning saw her predicament and hurriedly advised:

    ¡°Enough already! Stop picking on Sister Zhao! Keep these words in your heart, don¡¯t say them out loud and affect her performance!¡±

    ¡°Right, I won¡¯t say anymore.¡±

    ¡°Exactly, just silently be grateful.¡±

    Chen Lingyun and Xie Ruoxi immediately nodded, their agreement falling on Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s ears like thunder, infuriating her to the point of almost exploding. She threw caution to the wind and launched an all-out assault, pouring all sorts of attack techniques, along with her full fury and resentment, straight toward Empress Yuanzhen!

    With a sound like a silver urn shattering, Empress Yuanzhen staggered back five or six steps, while Zhao Yuanzhen was sent flying.

    Just then, still in the process of healing, Xie Ruoxi suddenly raised her hand and fired a Jade Pivot Thunder!

    The Empress was about to dodge when she suddenly found herself unable to move her feet.

    Yin Ghosts? When did they get so close? Why didn¡¯t my Divine Sense detect them?

    With sudden confusion and surprise, her upper body was struck by the Jade Pivot Thunder and instantly exploded into pieces.

    The deep purple sword light and the puppets all vanished without a trace. Yan Yu immediately went to check on Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s condition. Thankfully, she was not in danger of losing her life, though she was seriously injured.

    ¡°Well done,¡± he said, turning back to the others.

    ¡°It¡¯s because we worked well together,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    To guard against Chen Lingyun¡¯s stealthy Yin Ghosts, Empress Yuanzhen¡¯s Divine Sense had been continuously scanning the surroundings. However, whenever Chen Lingyun threw the Divine Evil Prayer Beads in an attempt to lock onto her deep purple sword light, the Empress had to switch the positions of her Flying Sword and puppets to avoid being targeted by the beads.

    At that moment, since the Empress was both using the Sword Control Technique and employing the String-Pulling Technique to manage the puppets, as well as facing off against the near Zhao Yuanzhen, she inevitably had no time to use her Divine Sense to scan the area.

    Therefore, Yan Yu intentionally drew the battlefield to the other side. When Empress Yuanzhen moved her sword light and puppets, it allowed the Yin Ghosts to approach her from behind while invisible¡ªconsidering the swift speed of both the sword light and the puppets, which could cross over a dozen meters in less than a second, the window of opportunity for action was incredibly narrow. Even a half-second delay could lead to detection on the spot.

    Although Chen Lingyun¡¯s reaction speed was lacking, as long as she wasn¡¯t under the pressure of battle and could wait at leisure, her ability to seize the moment was undoubtedly top-notch. The reason he had Lin Ning come over to act as a dedicated bodyguard seemed like tying down an important combatant but actually created the opportunity for Chen Lingyun¡¯s critical strike.

    Yan Yu briefly explained, and both Lin Ning and Xie Ruoxi had an epiphany.

    After a short period of regulating her breath, Zhao Yuanzhen, with her body covered in wounds, got up from the ground, gritting her teeth and saying:

    ¡°Finally resolved¡­ Hmpf, I thought it would be more formidable than that!¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhao!¡± the three girls surrounded her, chattering away, ¡°We had no idea you thought of us that way!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t! That¡¯s not what I meant! Stop making things up!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen vehemently denied, her face flushing and ears reddening, wishing she could catch Empress Yuanzhen again and shred her into eighty thousand pieces to vent her frustration.

    ¡°Oh come on, we all know now, no need to be shy about it,¡± Lin Ning cheerfully interjected.

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Xie Ruoxi added, with a satisfied expression that said ¡°Who would have thought you were like this, Sister Zhao,¡± nodding incessantly. ¡°I knew from the very beginning that Sister Zhao is a very gentle and kind-hearted good person.¡±

    ¡°Er¡­ Er¡­ Er¡­ Er¡­ Er¡­¡± Struck by the proverbial ¡®nice guy¡¯ card, Zhao Yuanzhen, who prided herself on being ruthless, couldn¡¯t help but let out groans that sounded like a machine on the verge of breaking down.

    ¡°Since we all know, we can¡¯t keep Yun Jin in the dark,¡± Chen Lingyun delivered the final blow with a gleeful smile. ¡°After we get out of here, we¡¯ll tell her about this so she can also change her perspective on Sister Zhao a little bit.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen rolled her eyes and suddenly fell backwards, collapsing.

    Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 324: 20 I, Yan Yu, am Open and Aboveboard

    Chapter 324: Chapter 20 I, Yan Yu, am Open and Aboveboard

    Zhao Yuanzhen collapsed like that, and the girls immediately became flustered.

    Xie Ruoxi fed her water, Lin Ning pinched her philtrum, and Yan Yu sent his Divine Sense into her body for a probe, only to be greatly shocked and horrified.

    Feigning unconsciousness!

    When did this Demonic Sect Enchantress evolve her intelligence? She even mastered the skill of playing unconscious without speaking!

    Lin Ning was still pinching her philtrum, trying to forcibly wake her as she cried out,

    ¡°Sister Zhao! Don¡¯t sleep! You mustn¡¯t fall unconscious!¡±

    But while you can wake up someone who is truly unconscious, how can you wake someone who¡¯s pretending? No matter how hard she tried, Zhao Yuanzhen just silently endured, her eyes tightly shut, her arms hanging down, completely motionless.

    Yan Yu held her hand down and said gravely,

    ¡°I¡¯ve checked. She¡¯s probably suffered severe injuries, gotten battle stress, and lost her memory. If she wakes up later, nobody should mention anything about the clones. Pretend nothing happened, to avoid further aggravating her injuries.¡±

    Lin Ning: ???

    Just as she was about to ask ¡°How did it become battle stress¡± ¡°How do you know¡± ¡°Should we not bring it up now or also not in the future,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, who had been unresponsive to the pinching, finally came to slowly and said,

    ¡°It hurts so much!¡­ Uh, what happened? Did we win?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we overcame the fourth clone too.¡± Yan Yu nodded calmly, ¡°How about you? Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said casually, ¡°I just need to heal up a bit; it¡¯s nothing serious, I can continue on in a moment.¡±

    Seeing she had returned to normal, Lin Ning felt it was not appropriate to ask too much, but Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t care about that and asked curiously,

    ¡°Sister Zhao, do you not remember anything?¡±

    ¡°Remember what?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked curiously.

    At this moment, her eyes were clear, and her expression was innocent, as if truly nothing had happened.

    Xie Ruoxi wanted to ask more, but Lin Ning pulled hard on her arm, and she suddenly realized and said obediently,

    ¡°As long as Sister Zhao is fine.¡±

    Everyone begin meditating, checking for injuries on themselves.

    The conditions of Xie Ruoxi and Zhao Yuanzhen were not very good; the former had been nailed through the chest by the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, barely missing her heart. It could be considered a stroke of luck¡ªbut considering the Mysterious Realm is a test, it¡¯s possible that hitting this spot was intentional, not accidental.

    Zhao Yuanzhen had foregone defense in order to exchange injuries with Empress Yuanzhen, and her body had been hit by two or three sinister spells, requiring her to expel the foreign True Yuan with her own.

    Both of their conditions weren¡¯t ideal. They could still fight, but how much of their original strength they could exert was really hard to say.

    Besides the main injuries, there were various minor external wounds and the depletion of True Yuan in the Dantian, which there is no need to mention in detail.

    After nearly half a month of drawn-out warfare in the Southern Border, everyone had gained experience in how to treat their injuries to avoid affecting their strength.

    They consumed Elixir Medicine, sat in meditation, absorbed the medicine¡¯s strength, and recovered their True Yuan. Those with severe injuries like Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi had to take another Elixir, dissolve it in water, and smear it around the wounds, letting them absorb it before reapplying, repeating this process.

    Elixir Medicine reserves were abundantly supplied and served as a powerful guarantee for the first group of Cultivators to engage in good battles. In contrast, second and third-tier Cultivators, even those from the Military Manor and civilian Cultivators, had a limited quota for the Elixir Medicines they relied on for daily assistance with their Qi Refinement¡ªit was very limited. Thinking about using them for healing? Forget about it.

    It took nearly half an hour to finally adjust things to a satisfactory level.

    Thinking about having to deal with the team captain¡¯s clone at the end, the girls were three parts curious and apprehensive, and seven parts helpless and even afraid.

    To be honest, even if they faced Yan Yu himself, they couldn¡¯t beat him even if they ganged up together. Now that they were about to fight Yan Yu¡¯s strengthened clone, they had a clear and strong premonition of seeking their own death.

    Of course, since Yan Yu himself was on our side, it wasn¡¯t impossible to fight, but it was definitely going to be very difficult.

    ¡°Which brings us back to the point, captain,¡± Xie Ruoxi asked curiously, ¡°do you have any dark history?¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a mischievous smile, fanning the flames, ¡°Now¡¯s your chance to come clean, otherwise your clone will spill the beans later, and then you¡¯ll really have no way to talk your way out of it and lose face!¡±

    ¡°What dark history could I have?¡± Yan Yu scoffed, ¡°Aside from anything else, two words describe me¡ªhonest. Whatever I think in my heart, I say with my mouth, never beating around the bush with you guys. What kind of dark history could I have?¡±

    ¡°Humph,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen also wore a mischievous smile, ¡°You¡¯re being offered a chance, and if you don¡¯t take it, don¡¯t blame us for mocking you mercilessly later.¡±

    ¡°What, you remembered something?¡± Yan Yu glanced at her sideways.

    Zhao Yuanzhen immediately played dead, pretending to be admiring the surrounding scenery.

    ¡°Heh,¡± Lin Ning also spoke up with a laugh, ¡°I¡¯m very curious about what dark history our captain could have. Could it be that you hid some ¡®interesting¡¯ books at home, and your parents found them while cleaning?¡±

    ¡°What, you also want to see me drop my little pearls of wisdom?¡± Yan Yu asked with raised eyebrows. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Lin Ning immediately pretended to be concerned about Sister Zhao¡¯s injury and went over to join the Demonic Sect Enchantress.

    ¡°Um,¡± Xie Ruoxi fell silent for a moment, then said with a forced smile, ¡°Captain, how about we make a gentleman¡¯s agreement? Whatever your clone says, I promise to act as if I never heard it and won¡¯t speak of it afterward, but in return, I ask for the same treatment, deal?¡±

    ¡°Not a good deal,¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°Whatever my clone says, you can tell anyone freely.¡±

    ¡°But my issues¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi¡¯s face paled.

    ¡°What issues?¡± Yan Yu asked, puzzled, ¡°You mean when you were a kid and you wrote a novel where you fantasized about being the reincarnation of an Immortal Venerate named Qiu Changtian, and you wrote more than half a book full of settings spanning urban, Xianxia, and fantasy genres, even wildly spreading this setting in front of teachers and family members? You want me not to mention this to anyone after I leave here?¡±

    ¡°Uh, uhhhh, ahhh ahhh ahhh ahhh ahhh,¡± Xie Ruoxi¡¯s soul seemed to leave her body, and she couldn¡¯t say a word for a long time, so she quickly pretended to heal with her eyes closed, secretly feeling distressed.

    Chen Lingyun stopped talking, but Yan Yu, having already killed three people metaphorically, certainly didn¡¯t plan to spare her, and said coldly:

    ¡°So, the little girl who pursues perfection, is stubborn and fears loneliness, do you have anything else you¡¯d like to say to me?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not afraid of offending so many of us at once, afraid your clone will reveal something that would embarrass you if we knew and talked about it later?¡± Chen Lingyun asked, puzzled.

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not afraid,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Like I said, I don¡¯t have any dark history that can¡¯t be brought up. If you dare to ask, I dare to answer.¡±

    Really?

    Based on his expression, he didn¡¯t seem to be lying, and besides, they were about to face his clone any minute now, so there wouldn¡¯t be any point in lying right now, right?

    Chen Lingyun silently came to a conclusion, her face blossoming into a cheerful smile:

    ¡°Alright then, shall we set off?¡±

 Chapter 325: 21: The Severe Beating

    Chapter 325: Chapter 21: The Severe Beating

    The group arrived at the final battle hall.

    The appearance and furnishings of this hall, with a life-size bronze mirror standing in the center, were no different from the previous four halls.

    But everyone felt as if they were facing a formidable enemy, because a Demon King was about to emerge.

    After a moment, they finally saw Yan Yu¡¯s clone step out slowly from within the bronze mirror.

    The girls¡¯ expressions immediately tensed up; unlike before, this clone wasn¡¯t dressed in the classically ornate attire but in plain clothes, holding a Huangting Heavy Sword, as if he were a swordsman straight out of a novel, the kind with little fame in the martial world.

    ¡°You¡¯ve come,¡± the swordsman said.

    ¡°I have,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have come,¡± the swordsman added.

    ¡°Why?¡± Yan Yu questioned.

    ¡°Once you¡¯re here, you can¡¯t pretend to be deaf and dumb,¡± the swordsman stated.

    ¡°Then I won¡¯t pretend,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    The swordsman¡¯s gaze swept over the crowd, then he suddenly said:

    ¡°Do you all like me?¡±

    The simple six words made everyone struggle to keep their composure, especially since their clones had already expressed their feelings earlier, it felt somewhat hollow to deny it¡ªonly Lin Ning muttered softly, ¡°Certainly not.¡±

    ¡°There are too many people,¡± the swordsman continued.

    ¡°So what?¡± Yan Yu was noncommittal.

    ¡°I will only be with the strongest woman,¡± the swordsman coldly stated, ¡°The rest are unworthy!¡±

    Everyone was speechless.

    Although it sounded outrageous at first, upon reflection, it indeed seemed like something their captain could say.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case,¡± the swordsman spoke again, ¡°I shall try out your strength and eliminate a batch for you in advance.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s unnecessary,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to intervene.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not for you to decide,¡± the swordsman insisted, ¡°Heart tempering requires it; it¡¯s a necessary step.¡±

    ¡°How do you plan to test us then?¡± Yan Yu inquired.

    The girls all looked at Yan Yu in shock: Come on, captain! This is in the Mysterious Realm! What¡¯s with the casual chatter with your clone? And you¡¯re letting him test our strength? What if there really are casualties¡­ Wait, this is a trial-type realm, so it seems no one dies¡­

    But that¡¯s not the point! There should be clarity between friend and foe, whose side are you really on?!

    ¡°One by one,¡± the swordsman said, ¡°Those who can¡¯t withstand me have no right to be with me.¡±

    ¡°Sounds somewhat reasonable,¡± Yan Yu suddenly changed his tone, ¡°But what gives you the right to overstep your bounds? Their captain is me, not you.¡±

    ¡°The right is earned through combat,¡± the swordsman declared.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s fight,¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    Suddenly, the sword light crisscrossed and the two were already locked in combat. As the sword light clashed, sparks flew, and soon after, their figures emerged from the momentum, exchanging kicks and punches like a violent storm. The swordsman seized the opening in Yan Yu¡¯s defense after his attack, rushing in with a shoulder strike aimed at his chin, which Yan Yu blocked with crossed hands. Yan Yu then grasped the swordsman¡¯s shoulder blade with his left hand, while his right hand slid down, attempting to disable his arm. However, the swordsman shook his arm and broke free from the hold.

    Amidst their fistfight, two streams of sword light were also engaged in a battle of their own, each maintaining dual fronts as if it were as simple as eating and drinking. Suddenly, Yan Yu¡¯s Huang Tingjian sword found an opening and slashed towards the swordsman¡¯s face. The opponent urgently retreated his sword light to block in front, but, caught off guard, he could only brace for the impact. As a result, he was sent flying with his sword.

    As his figure flew backward, the swordsman tapped his feet in midair lightning-fast, executing the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, abruptly accelerating towards the young women at the edge of the arena.

    Lin Ning hurriedly performed Sword Control, slashing with her sword, initiating with the technique ¡°White Rainbow Piercing the Sun,¡± drawing a fierce arc with the green sword light.

    Fighting the other people¡¯s replicates, there was no need for fancy sword techniques, as even a ¡°bastard¡¯s fist¡± could fell the master. But Yan Yu was a master of swordsmanship, and his replicate would not be weaker in this regard. Being careless would only make one an easy target.

    The replicate also stopped his footwork and leaped into the air with Sword Control, countering with the technique ¡°Pine Welcoming Guests.¡±

    The overarching principles of the Kunlun Imperial Sword Technique mentioned that ¡°Phoenix Greeting¡± was more about defensive counterattacks, with a focus on the counter; while ¡°Pine Welcoming Guests¡± was relatively more defensive¡­ Flashes of related knowledge went through Lin Ning¡¯s mind, and she immediately decided to intensify her offensive, unleashing ¡°Eagle Soaring the Skies!¡±

    In the instant the sword lights met, Lin Ning had already switched to ¡°Eagle Soaring the Skies,¡± her sword light descending like a full moon.

    The swordsman¡¯s sword light suddenly retreated, dodging the first strike with precision.

    It wasn¡¯t over yet! Lin Ning roared inwardly, her sword techniques swiftly chaining together. The second strike!

    The angle of the chopping Green Bamboo Sword light subtly shifted, changing direction to cut again, ascending sharply like a dragon emerging from the sea.

    The swordsman¡¯s sword light once again slanted sideways, floating like an autumn leaf blown by the wind, seemingly light and unable to find solid ground but just managing to evade the uppercut¡¯s edge.

    I refuse to believe this! Lin Ning continued to vary her sword techniques, switching to a horizontal slash for the third strike, her Sword Qi seeming to tear open space itself.

    The swordsman¡¯s sword light continued to move backward, dodging the simple and crude horizontal slash. Lin Ning was about to form the fourth strike, but having exhausted the angles for the sword light to cut in, she had no choice but to pull back in haste. Then she saw the swordsman¡¯s sword light launch a move ¡°Fierce Tiger Turning its Head,¡± perfectly timed onto her retreat, striking her defenseless Green Bamboo Sword light and forcing it back.

    The force of the Huangting Heavy Sword was already immense, and this blow was nearly lethal for Lin Ning. Hardly five or six meters out, her Sword Control state was forcibly dispelled, and next, her body slammed onto the ground, rolling several times, with who knows how many ribs broken.

    She struggled to stand up and, using Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, hastily retreated. The swordsman also cancelled his Sword Control state and accelerated with the same step to pursue, saying,

    ¡°Is this how you use ¡®Eagle Soaring the Skies¡¯? Your moves are too rigid, your changes too stiff, your attacks uncontrolled and your withdraws undefended. With such trashy swordsmanship, you still dare to have a crush on me? If you don¡¯t have the guts, better drink more water so as not to embarrass yourself.¡±

    Lin Ning¡¯s body shook with fury. Other replicates would beat up their originals as soon as they appeared, so why did the captain¡¯s replicate come out and start beating on me instead?

    The series of sword exchanges that had just transpired occurred in the blink of an eye. The girls only saw the flashing sword lights clashing, and then Lin Ning was sent flying, without even knowing how she was defeated.

    Xie Ruoxi had already formed a lightning orb in her hand, wanting to shoot but unable to aim accurately¡ªboth the swordsman¡¯s sword light and Lin Ning¡¯s steps were too swift. Though her lightning was fast, it seemed too easy to miss compared to the others.

    ¡°Shall we make our move?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked telepathically. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Chen Lingyun responded succinctly.

    Against an opponent of this level, it was a waste of True Yuan to act rashly. It was more daunting to keep the attack at bay as a threat, forcing the opponent to stay on edge.

    Lin Ning didn¡¯t get far before Yan Yu activated Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, cutting across her path and intercepting the swordsman mid-way, saying,

    ¡°Though her swordsmanship is indeed poor, your words are too hurtful.¡±

    ¡°I only speak what¡¯s already on your mind,¡± the swordsman retorted, ¡°Isn¡¯t it your own thoughts that are too hurtful?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you watch your tone and choice of words?¡± Yan Yu shaped his sword techniques, unleashing fierce attacks on the replicate.

    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± replied the swordsman, ¡°because I am your replicate.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s also true,¡± Yan Yu nodded in agreement.

 Chapter 326: 22 Continue Torture

    Chapter 326: Chapter 22 Continue Torture

    ¡°`

    Seizing the moment his clone was intercepted by Yan Yu, Lin Ning hurriedly withdrew to the girls¡¯ side and then began to catch her breath and heal her wounds.

    ¡°How are you?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked with concern.

    ¡°Can¡¯t beat him,¡± Lin Ning shook her head.

    The girls were all speechless. You just got beaten up like a dog, of course, we know you can¡¯t win! We¡¯re asking how your body is, can you continue to fight?

    But with Ningning¡¯s competitive nature, even if she was like a candle flickering in the wind, she would stubbornly claim, ¡°I can still fight,¡± so actually, this question seemed rather meaningless¡­

    Looking back at the field, Yan Yu and the clone were locked in a frenzied struggle. Clashes of their sword lights were fierce as thunder, quick as lightning; their figures swapping places almost to the point of leaving afterimages. They moved from the east side of the arena to the west and then to the north, hardly staying in one place for half a second, making it an enormous challenge for the girls to provide long-range support, let alone aim properly.

    ¡°The pace is too fast,¡± Chen Lingyun said softly, ¡°This won¡¯t do.¡±

    When it came to strength, the clone was definitely stronger than the original.

    The advantage for the original side lay in their numbers, with five against one. They needed to use their numerical superiority and tactical coordination to negate the gap in strength between the original and the clone. This was the correct approach to clear the challenge.

    However, a chronic issue for the Zhenhai Team was that when Yan Yu fought with all his might, the pace was too fast, and the rest of the team couldn¡¯t keep up with his speed.

    Supporting fire? Assists? By the time you¡¯re ready to cooperate with his move, he¡¯s already carried out his second and third strikes. It would be a miracle if you could coordinate well under such circumstances.

    This issue wasn¡¯t fatal in ordinary circumstances since Yan Yu could simply fight solo and crush the enemy. But now, facing a clone stronger than the original, he couldn¡¯t manage alone, and the others couldn¡¯t sync with him. In the end, Yan Yu would be the first to be exhausted by the ordeal, then the clone would come and pick off the remaining girls, one by one.

    ¡°Just give me half a second to pin the clone down, and I¡¯ll blast him with my Thunder Method!¡± Xie Ruoxi exclaimed frantically.

    ¡°Even without the Thunder Method, wouldn¡¯t my White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin do the trick?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said irritably, ¡°The problem is the clone¡¯s speed; how do we pin him down!¡±

    As everyone was at a loss, they heard the Swordsman say:

    ¡°Hanging around with these bugs, you still think about saving Lu Country, isn¡¯t that a bit of a pipe dream?¡±

    ¡°Even the mightiest experts have all grown from novices.¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°You know it in your heart,¡± the Swordsman said, ¡°They don¡¯t have the chance to experience the hardships you¡¯ve endured, so it¡¯s impossible for them to reach your level.¡±

    ¡°I beg to differ,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°As of now, Lin Ning can¡¯t last five seconds against me,¡± the Swordsman scoffed, ¡°No matter how much extra training you give them, it cannot replace actual life-and-death combat. Compared to those formidable Transcendents from abroad who emerged from piles of corpses and seas of blood, your so-called team training is nothing but child¡¯s play.¡±

    Yan Yu remained silent.

    ¡°The so-called ¡®you¡¯re not worthy¡¯, is just your subconscious defense mechanism,¡± the Swordsman pointed out mercilessly, ¡°Because deep down you¡¯re afraid. You fear that one day they¡¯ll be killed on the battlefield, and all the emotions you¡¯ve invested in them will turn into a devastating blow to you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Yan Yu finally spoke, ¡°No one is going to die this time.¡±

    ¡°How long will you keep lying to yourself?¡± The Swordsman flexed his fingers to form a Sword technique, finally penetrating the defenses of Huang Tingjian and striking Yan Yu¡¯s left shoulder, ¡°Only those who have truly lost something precious know the fear of losing it again. But if you¡¯ve never had it, there¡¯s nothing to lose. Telling them ¡®you¡¯re not worthy¡¯ isn¡¯t an insult, it¡¯s the blunt truth¡ªbecause you¡¯re meant to walk the path of the lone and disastrous star.¡±

    The sword light didn¡¯t continue to cut downwards, instead halting as it sliced his arm, because Yan Yu had already activated the Curved Curse, his hands grasping the sword blade tightly and resisting it from above.

    ¡°Damn it, I can¡¯t take this anymore!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen stood up, ¡°Ling Yun, keep thinking of something. I¡¯m going in!¡±

    She charged towards the Swordsman with Shifting Technique and threw the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin with a movement of her hand.

    This magic weapon honed in automatically, impossible to dodge, only defendable by something like a Flying Sword. Therefore, the Swordsman formed a Sword technique, and the sword light instantly withdrew from Yan Yu¡¯s shoulder wound, pulling with it a gush of blood like a fountain.

    The White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin was blocked by the sword light, and Zhao Yuanzhen was now in front of Yan Yu, asking softly, ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°To find a flaw in my defense,¡± Yan Yu pressed on the acupoint near the wound, injecting True Yuan to stem the bleeding, and lamented, ¡°It seems, in this world, only my clone could achieve that.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the point of caring about that now?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said anxiously, shaking out Silver Pellets from her sleeve, transforming them into the shape of puppet Ami, eyes fixed on the opponent.

    The Swordsman didn¡¯t rush to attack but spoke in an eerie tone:

    ¡°Look, she¡¯s so anxious and caring about you; it¡¯s clear her feelings for you have taken deep root. Yet as soon as she reveals any closeness to you, you hurry to push her away. Isn¡¯t it because you fear her becoming your concern?¡±

    Caught off guard by those words, Zhao Yuanzhen was about to retort when she heard Yan Yu from behind her say:

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong,¡±

    ¡°In what way?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t fear her becoming a concern,¡± Yan Yu stood up, his voice calm, ¡°Because she already is.¡±

    ¡°`

    Zhao Yuanzhen froze for a moment, then suddenly felt a surging passion, as if his entire body was filled with endless strength.

    ¡°I admit what you just said makes some sense,¡± Yan Yu continued in a deep voice, ¡°I¡¯ve always been subconsciously looking down on them, trying to carry the whole team on my own, blocking the entire storm by myself, but as a result, I¡¯ve prevented them from growing.¡±

    ¡°In the end, some setbacks are unavoidable. The suffering that needs to be endured, must be endured; the blood that needs to be shed, must be shed. Even if they can¡¯t win now, they need to go and try for themselves, even if they¡¯re defeated miserably, as long as they don¡¯t die, there will always be a day when they can win.¡±

    ¡°Good, good,¡± the Swordsman finally showed a smile, this time with much more sincerity, ¡°since the creation of the Mysterious Realm, trial-takers who have revealed flaws in their hearts are plenty. Some refuse to admit it, some lose their guard and curse wildly, others remain silent. But you are the first one willing to face the flaws in your heart, understand the intricacies, openly acknowledge the problems, and plan to make changes.¡±

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s complete the last step of the process.¡±

    ¡°Defeat me.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t rush to make a move, but turned to say, ¡°Ling Yun, I¡¯m taking over command. No problems, right?¡±

    ¡°No problem,¡± Chen Lingyun nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Good,¡± Yan Yu asked further, ¡°How about Ningning?¡±

    ¡°Of course I can fight!¡± Lin Ning called out the sword technique loudly in response.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go,¡± Yan Yu declared.

    Both of them leapt forward simultaneously, wrapped in the light of their swords, and bravely charged at the replica!

    ¡°Well met!¡± The Swordsman, facing the twin swords¡¯ pincer attack, didn¡¯t advance but retreated, controlling the sword light to intercept them.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take care.¡± Faced with the robust sword light coming at him, Yan Yu quickly communicated with Lin Ning, while he used his Sword Control to intercept, ¡°You go for the beheading.¡±

    Lin Ning was instantly startled by his words. Because if they were to follow past tactical habits, she should be the one holding off the opponent¡¯s Flying Sword, letting the more powerful captain go decapitate the enemy.

    But I¡¯m not afraid either!

    As Yan Yu and the opposing sword light clashed, she took the opportunity to steer her Green Bamboo Sword light towards the replica, just as the Swordsman laughed, ¡°Well met! Little Ningning, what I like most about you is your unreserved, straightforward manner of charging in with your sword!¡±

    Lin Ning was startled again. What, the captain likes me?

    In that brief moment of hesitation, the replica¡¯s sword light broke free from the clash with Yan Yu, turned around, and retreated back to the Swordsman¡¯s side to prepare its defense¡ªfilling Lin Ning with regret.

    I could have killed him just now while his Flying Sword hadn¡¯t returned!

    ¡°Don¡¯t get distracted!¡± Yan Yu came chasing with his sword, and said through voice transmission.

    ¡°He said you like me!¡± Lin Ning complained.

    I¡¯m not one to get easily distracted. It¡¯s mainly his statement that¡¯s shocking.

    ¡°Right.¡± Yan Yu continued transmitting, ¡°But if you mess up again, I won¡¯t like you anymore.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t mess up!¡± Lin Ning instinctively retorted, but then thought it over and realized that her response seemed to carry the implication of not allowing him ¡°not to like her¡±¡­

    Forget it, just kill to finish this!

    She once again rallied her sword light and fiercely charged at the opponent. She saw the Swordsman retreat and dodge Xie Ruoxi¡¯s godly Thunder Method bombardment, while simultaneously extending the sword light all around to force Chen Lingyun¡¯s invisible five ghosts back, then suddenly crossed it in front of his chest, blocking Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin sneak attack.

    Although the numerous attacks did not yield results, they ultimately slowed down the opponent¡¯s mobile steps, allowing Yan Yu and Lin Ning to simultaneously reach his front.

    ¡°I¡¯ll bind the Flying Sword, you kill him,¡± Yan Yu transmitted, ¡°Don¡¯t get distracted this time.¡± Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already said I won¡¯t!¡± Lin Ning protested.

    ¡°Really won¡¯t you?¡± The Swordsman laughed, ¡°Then what was that just now?¡±

    Lin Ning gritted her teeth without answering, resolutely pressing forward, silently thinking:

    I don¡¯t care what you say, I want to hear him say it personally!

    Just as the opponent seemed to have no move left, Lin Ning was about to strike with a dazzling sword thrust to pierce through the chest, when suddenly, a figure flashed before her, and someone appeared.

    Sister Zhao?

    But in that moment of distraction, the girl resembling Zhao Yuanzhen flicked out blades from both of her wrists, delivering a swift and sharp cross slash that arrested Lin Ning¡¯s Green Bamboo Sword light.

 Chapter 327: 23 The Torture Temporarily Ends

    Chapter 327: Chapter 23 The Torture Temporarily Ends

    The puppet warrior emerged, and everyone was stunned.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this one of Sister Zhao¡¯s moves?¡±

    Of course, there was no time to ask Zhao Yuanzhen at this moment, otherwise it would have been possible to get a detailed explanation after defeating the fourth copy just now.

    The current urgent matter was to quickly defeat the captain¡¯s copy, all else were illusions, pushed aside for later!

    As soon as the puppet warrior came out, it attacked Lin Ning. Its left hand blade parried the sword light while the right hand blade slashed swiftly several times, each strike holding the force of a thousand jun, throwing Lin Ning into disarray, unable to steady the sword light.

    From behind, Xie Ruoxi unleashed another thunder orb, forcing the puppet warrior to retreat quickly, and Lin Ning was able to break free.

    The swordsman called back his sword light and the puppet warrior in front of him, saying with a smile,

    ¡°Lin Ning¡¯s temperament is too straightforward and simple, although it¡¯s advantageous on the path of Sword Immortal, it also presents the possibility of being exploited by the enemy.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Whose side are you on, captain!¡± Lin Ning was so angry that her face began to twitch.

    No, she mustn¡¯t get angry anymore, as anger caused a pain in her chest, probably a true indication that a rib had broken¡­

    ¡°Continue,¡± said Yan Yu.

    Zhao Yuanzhen shook off the puppet warrior Ami and charged forward alongside Yan Yu, instantly clashing with the swordsman into a frenzy.

    Sword light dazzled as it crisscrossed back and forth while sparks flew from the clashing of metal; the nimble puppet warrior weaved through the fight, the blades in its wrists flashing coldly. Lin Ning controlled her sword light around the perimeter, unable to find an angle to enter the fray and had to stop and wait patiently for Yan Yu¡¯s command.

    After observing for a moment, Chen Lingyun noticed that Yan Yu¡¯s attack rhythm had significantly slowed down.

    In his earlier combat with the copy, whether using fists or swords, his pace had been extremely fast, shifting tactics three or four times in the midst of a single move, making it impossible for his teammates to keep up with his rhythm.

    Now, to coordinate with Sister Zhao, he had deliberately slowed his offensive rhythm, even reducing the frequency of his movements, no longer pursuing his signature ¡°Lightning Triple Strike.¡±

    Although the strength of his own offensive was much reduced, considering that Zhao Yuanzhen was fitting into the battle like a puzzle piece, the overall fluidity of the attack had actually improved.

    After all, no matter how skilled at multitasking one might be, it still couldn¡¯t compare to the power of a combined attack.

    With this realization, Chen Lingyun¡¯s mind cleared, and she sent a message to Lin Ning,

    ¡°Ningning, go for it.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t find the opportunity!¡± Lin Ning anxiously said, ¡°What if I rush into battle and end up dragging us down?¡±

    Even though Sister Zhao could coordinate with him, I just can¡¯t seem to fit in¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile that seemed to see through everything, ¡°You won¡¯t drag us down.¡±

    Before Lin Ning could comprehend the meaning, Yan Yu¡¯s message came through: sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Sword Control Technique.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Lin Ning readied her Green Bamboo Sword to join the battle, ¡°How should I strike?¡±

    ¡°You just go,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    Lin Ning: ???

    If it were Chen Lingyun, she would at least instruct her on whom to target, like entangling the Flying Sword, striking the puppet warrior, or hitting the original¡­ Eh?

    She peered closely at the battlefield and noticed that in just the past few seconds, the copy had exposed several weaknesses that could be attacked¡ªnot because the copy had decreased in strength, but because Yan Yu, in the process of fighting him, had intentionally or unintentionally allowed these openings.

    I know how to solve this problem!

    Lin Ning¡¯s spirits immediately lifted, her hand flashing with sword techniques, driving the Green Bamboo Sword to attack those exposed weaknesses.

    ¡°Got it now?¡± Seeing Lin Ning seamlessly integrating into the action, Yan Yu sent a message to Chen Lingyun.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so good at supporting and coordinating. Have you ever considered a career change to an Assistant Officer or Envoy?¡±

    ¡°Not considering it.¡± The Swordsman said.

    Both were startled, realizing it was actually the clone who was speaking.

    ¡°I was used to going solo before, always thinking of solving problems by myself.¡± the clone continued, ¡°Now it seems, it¡¯s not always necessary to go all out. Even if just helping to eliminate a few wrong answers and bringing the difficulty down to your ¡®noob¡¯ level is enough, that¡¯s the charm of teamwork.¡±

    The girls immediately became furiously angry and messaged Yan Yu in unison:

    ¡°Quick, command us to kill this thing!¡±

    Yan Yu, Zhao Yuanzhen, and Lin Ning, each contending with the clone, the Flying Sword, and the puppet. The former led the attack and controlled the pace, while the latter two were responsible for assisting and supporting each other. Though they were no match for the clone individually, together they not only held their own but also gradually gained the upper hand.

    Chen Lingyun and Xie Ruoxi moved around the periphery, following Yan Yu¡¯s commands for ranged attacks¡ªnow throwing prayer beads now casting Thunder Method¡ªfrequently interrupting the clone¡¯s attack rhythms, tipping the balance of the battlefield ever more in their favor.

    As the clone found itself at a disadvantage, it did not struggle desperately. Instead, it began commenting more frequently:

    ¡°Ruoxi, your Thunder Method was lousy, terrible aim. At this level, you¡¯re not fit to be by my side as a consort.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi: ¡­

    ¡°Long-range sneak attacks should emulate Lingyun; perfect timing and angle. You qualify to compete for the queen¡¯s position in the Eastern Palace.¡±

    Chen Lingyun: ¡­¡­

    ¡°Ningning, don¡¯t be too rigid. Following commands is one thing, but can¡¯t you find opportunities on your own when there¡¯s no direction? With your test-taker mindset, if you don¡¯t change, you¡¯ll at most compete for the queen¡¯s position in the Western Palace in the future. Once you¡¯re in my harem, you¡¯ll be outdone by Lingyun.¡±

    Lin Ning: ¡­¡­¡­

    The girls fell silent. The more the clone trash-talked, the more it fueled their anger, vowing to beat the clone to a pulp¡­ and they were willing to beat the original if they still weren¡¯t satisfied after that.

    Finally seizing her chance, Lin Ning¡¯s sword light separated the puppet and the clone, simultaneously blocking the clone¡¯s line of sight.

    The puppet¡¯s feet were ensnared by five ghosts. Just as it used the blade in its hand to drive them off, it was obliterated by Xie Ruoxi¡¯s Thunder Method.

    With one of its two main offensive methods gone, the tide of battle finally turned completely, and the clone was driven to a dead end. Yet, it kept talking:

    ¡°Zhao, you need to try harder. There are so many girls who like me. If you don¡¯t get stronger, they will whisk me away, and you¡¯ll be left alone, weeping silently in regret¡­¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! Nonsense! Nonsense!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen thrust her White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin through the clone¡¯s chest, then wielded the Yin Wind Sword to smash his head to pieces.

    The clone¡¯s form had already shattered layer by layer, vanishing from sight.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress, still unsatisfied, used the Yin Wind Sword to smash the mirror shards on the ground, making a sharp, clattering noise.

    The other girls felt similarly, each turning their gaze to Yan Yu.

    Lin Ning was the first to challenge him:

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to explain what the clone said?¡±

    ¡°Explain what?¡± Yan Yu appeared puzzled, ¡°You did fight terribly.¡±

    ¡°Terribly your head!¡± Lin Ning tried to kick him, but a sharp pain in her ribs made her stagger almost falling backward, only to be caught around the waist by Yan Yu.

    Before the other girls could lash out, Yan Yu deftly steadied her and then let go, saying:

    ¡°All right, we¡¯ve dealt with all five clones, let¡¯s keep moving and see what else is inside. Is it possible that the next challenge is five clones coming out together for a group battle against us?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t jinx it!¡± As soon as the girls considered such a possibility, they all collectively shuddered, even forgetting to pursue the matter of the harem comments, hastily urging their captain to shut his mouth first.

 Chapter 328: 24 The More You Ask, The More Dismal It Gets

    Chapter 328: Chapter 24 The More You Ask, The More Dismal It Gets

    The group passed through five battle halls and entered the depths of the Mirror Lake Divine Palace.

    Lin Ning had a bellyful of questions, such as what the duplicate meant by ¡°I just like your straightforwardness and decisiveness,¡± or ¡°If you join my harem like this, you¡¯ll be under Ling Yun¡¯s thumb,¡± and so on.

    But every time she found an opportunity to ask, she was immediately interrupted by Yan Yu in various ways, like ¡°What is this! Oh¡­ a book,¡± ¡°There¡¯s a figure over there! My mistake, it¡¯s just a statue,¡± and so on.

    After several times, she slowly got the hint and realized that Yan Yu didn¡¯t want to hear her asking too much.

    She kept her mouth shut, but secretly communicated with her sisters through voice transmission.

    ¡°What do you all think?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t thought much about it,¡± Xie Ruoxi replied, ¡°If the captain wants to open a harem, just let him be.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lin Ning said, exasperated, ¡°It¡¯s modern society; how could such things be allowed! Isn¡¯t he afraid of being criticized by public opinion?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s probably not afraid,¡± Xie Ruoxi said.

    Where Lin Ning would believe that, she racked her brains and thought about Yan Yu¡¯s character.

    Damn¡­ he really isn¡¯t afraid.

    Before the battle with the Flying Dragon Battle Team, when the Zhenhai Team was criticized for having ¡°too high a female ratio,¡± Yan Yu only reacted with ¡°Haha, idiots,¡± and didn¡¯t even bother to make a statement. It was just she and Sister Zhao battling it out with trolls online¡­

    ¡°Anyway, even if he really opens a harem, I won¡¯t join, so it has nothing to do with me,¡± Xie Ruoxi said nonchalantly, ¡°He can marry as many wives as he wants.¡±

    Lin Ning: ¡­¡­

    Ruoxi, that¡¯s not what your duplicate said. Why do I remember her saying ¡°Once I become powerful, I¡¯ll tie the captain down and marry him¡±?

    But on second thought, if she truly became strong enough to thrash the captain, and dragged him off to the civil affairs bureau to forcibly register their marriage, wouldn¡¯t that mean he couldn¡¯t start a harem anyway? Since in modern society, to create a harem, one must not register a marriage, because the law doesn¡¯t support polygamy, right?

    ¡°What about Ling Yun and Sister Zhao?¡± Lin Ning continued to inquire.

    ¡°He can¡¯t open a harem,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said coldly, ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯ll castrate him!¡±

    Lin Ning decided to ignore Sister Zhao¡¯s comment, and asked:

    ¡°What does Ling Yun think?¡±

    ¡°I find it quite interesting,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    How can that be interesting¡­ Lin Ning was about to fiercely retort when she heard Chen Lingyun ask:

    ¡°Do you girls think the words spoken by Yan Yu¡¯s duplicate really reflect his inner thoughts?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Definitely.¡± The girls agreed in unison.

    If that wasn¡¯t true, wouldn¡¯t we be spouting nonsense into the void, scaring ourselves? It has to be true!

    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°then the words of our duplicates also must be true, right? Sister Zhao wants to be the lead wife, Ningning has a hidden crush on the captain, Ruoxi wants to forcibly marry the captain, and I want to encourage the captain to start a harem¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not true, it¡¯s not true!¡± The girls were alarmed and quickly denied it.

    Xie Ruoxi even argued unreasonably, babbling:

    ¡°Is there a possibility that this mysterious realm naturally harbors malice toward females? Would the female replicas deliberately talk nonsense to slander our reputations, while male replicas would tell the truth?¡±

    ¡°I find that highly unlikely,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°The essence of gender is actually the difference in sex chromosomes. If the mechanisms of the mysterious realm were to handle individuals differently based on their sex chromosomes, then what would happen to cultivators with chromosomal abnormalities? Wouldn¡¯t that be a loophole bug?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi was at a loss for words. She knew it was impossible; her nonsense was just to shut Chen Lingyun up and keep her from talking further.

    ¡°I¡­ I have absolutely no interest in Yan Yu in that way!¡± Lin Ning felt that a simple denial was not enough and added, ¡°I see Yan Yu as our captain, and I only have the feelings of comradeship and friendship for him. That replica was spouting nonsense, and I was afraid you and the captain might misunderstand. So, I¡¯m explaining again here¡ªdon¡¯t overthink it, okay?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be some sort of grand wife either!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen likewise protested, ¡°My view on marriage is very traditional and conservative. I can only accept one husband for life and would insist on dismantling the whole harem even if I married an emperor. It¡¯s absolutely impossible for me to accept having several more ¡®sisters¡¯ at home.¡±

    ¡°So the replicas¡¯ statements are all false,¡± Chen Lingyun concluded, ¡°Yan Yu also never thought about having a harem. The most likely scenario is that the Zhenhai Team was previously hyped by outsiders on gender issues. Though he didn¡¯t care, he might have been somewhat uncomfortable, and then the replica read his mind, intentionally saying those things to fiercely break his defenses. But it failed.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± ¡°It should be so,¡± ¡°There¡¯s no other explanation,¡± the other three girls quickly nodded in agreement.

    Of course, agreeing in the voice transmission channel was one thing; what they actually thought in their hearts was another matter.

    Because this was actually a very simple logical conundrum: as long as my replica tells the truth, Yan Yu¡¯s replica does too; if my replica lies, Yan Yu¡¯s replica lies as well.

    So is what my own replica says true or false? In any case, everyone knows the truth deep down, but no one would openly admit it.

    They had to be lies!

    Since they were all lies, there was no need for everyone to discuss and strategize with each other. The group sullenly followed Yan Yu, and the atmosphere visibly darkened.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Yan Yu turned back in puzzlement when he noticed the low morale, ¡°You are not still secretly messaging to dwell on the replica incident, are you?¡±

    ¡°No, not at all,¡± ¡°Those were all unfounded lies,¡± ¡°We¡¯re just wondering when the mysterious realm will come to an end,¡± the girls hurriedly explained.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t press them, but simply nodded calmly and said, ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±

    Seeing his straightforwardness, the girls felt even more aggrieved.

    Couldn¡¯t you say something to prove your innocence too? Even if you just said ¡°My replica was lying,¡± whether true or false, it would at least make us feel a bit better after hearing it!

    Zhao Yuanzhen couldn¡¯t hold back and directly asked:

    ¡°Yan Yu, do you intend to have a harem in the future?¡±

    ¡°How would I know what will happen in the future?¡± Yan Yu retorted.

    ¡°What about now?¡± Lin Ning pressed on.

    ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t have such thoughts now,¡± Yan Yu responded with a sneer, ¡°I don¡¯t even plan to find a girlfriend, let alone start a harem. Isn¡¯t asking such questions laughable? It¡¯s like someone who doesn¡¯t even buy lottery tickets dreaming about ¡®what I would do if I won ten million¡¯ every day.¡±

    Hearing his admission of ¡°not intending to start a harem,¡± the girls collectively breathed a sigh of relief in their hearts.

    But then it hit them, the captain doesn¡¯t even plan to find a girlfriend¡­

    So the atmosphere turned even colder, and everyone was somewhat downhearted, unable to lift their spirits.

    Leading the group, Yan Yu made sure they checked every room in the depths of the Mirror Lake Divine Palace. Apart from many useless pieces of furniture and utensils, they indeed found a smattering of magical treasures, Elixir Medicines, Spirit Grass, and so on, finally discovering the control center of the mysterious realm¡ªa beautifully crafted small bronze mirror¡ªin one of the rooms.

    ¡°Ningning, take the others and tidy up the items. Ling Yun, come and refine this mirror,¡± Yan Yu ordered, then suddenly looked perplexed, ¡°Why do you all seem so spiritless?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just some fatigue after tackling the mysterious realm,¡± the group replied listlessly.

 Chapter 329: 25 Kill You

    Chapter 329: Chapter 25 Kill You

    Everyone teleported out of the Mirror Lake Divine Palace and saw the five members of the Huofeng Team sitting by Mirror Lake, wrapped up like mummies, waiting for the Zhenhai Team to come out.

    ¡°Is the fight over?¡± Zhang Huaide was the first to speak.

    The reason they recognized Deputy Captain Zhang was that he was the only one among the five mummified figures wearing glasses, which made him look utterly out of place.

    ¡°It¡¯s over,¡± Yan Yu nodded, turned his head to look at the other four mummies, quickly identified the one with the fiercest eyes, and smilingly spread his arms, ¡°Xiao Zhou, I¡¯ve avenged you, come here for a hug!¡±

    ¡°Idiot.¡± Zhou Hongyu said coldly, ¡°What revenge? Did you fight my replica?¡±

    ¡°Haha, they¡¯re all generated by the Mysterious Realm, don¡¯t be so particular about it,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°How are your injuries?¡±

    ¡°Almost healed, just need to keep an eye on them for a bit longer,¡± Tang Xiaolian suddenly asked, ¡°You guys didn¡¯t get hurt?¡±

    ¡°Sustained some minor injuries, nothing serious,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°Any dark histories revealed?¡± Meng Qingxi asked with a smile, ¡°Did any dark histories come out?¡±

    His careless remark not only caused the Zhenhai Team¡¯s girls to become alert but even his own Huofeng Team members gave him sharp looks¡ªQin Meng elbowed him from the side, sending him doubling over, holding his stomach, and gasping for air.

    ¡°Nope,¡± Yan Yu laughed heartily, ¡°They were just unsubstantiated rumors that didn¡¯t really affect our morale; nobody believed them.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Tang Xiaolian asked doubtfully.

    She noticed that apart from Chen Lingyun, who always had a fake smile, the other three girls seemed uncomfortable.

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s true,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, ¡°You¡¯ve fought a replica yourself, don¡¯t you know? What did your replica say?¡±

    ¡°It said she had a secret crush on her sixth-grade homeroom teacher¡­ Ouch!¡± Meng Qingxi, always straightforward, barely got half the sentence out before Tang Xiaolian elbowed him again, promptly shutting him up with the pain.

    ¡°My replica was quite honest,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°It pointed out the flaws and gaps in my tactical thinking and even served as a target for us to practice and improve on the spot.¡±

    The members of the Huofeng Team looked at each other, falling into silence involuntarily.

    Something¡¯s not right here!

    Why are our replicas breaking us down mentally, and physically beating us half to death, while your replicas are helping you pinpoint your thought processes and serving as practice targets, helping you refine your strategies?

    Everyone wanted to look for signs of lying on Yan Yu¡¯s face but found none¡­ Yan Yu showed no other signs of damage aside from a wound on his shoulder, and his spirit seemed high, not at all like someone who had just gone through a fierce battle.

    So everyone turned their eyes to the Zhenhai Team¡¯s girls.

    Lin Ning and the others wanted to say ¡°it¡¯s not true,¡± ¡°it¡¯s only the captain¡¯s word,¡± ¡°we¡¯ve been severely tortured too,¡± but then they remembered that admitting to the torture would be akin to confirming the replicas¡¯ words as truth. Thus, they could only force a smile and agreed with Yan Yu, saying:

    ¡°Our replicas didn¡¯t say much, just some trash talk not worth mentioning. After all, it¡¯s a test-type Mysterious Realm, once it¡¯s over, it¡¯s over.¡±

    Everyone fell silent. Zhang Huaide held his glasses with his middle finger, his eyes becoming sharp behind the lenses.

    With his meticulous observation skills, of course, he could tell that Lin Ning and the others were not speaking their minds, whereas Yan Yu was genuinely unaffected. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Indeed, Yan Yu is impressive.

    A person with great strength is strong in all aspects, which is why they can overcome the challenges in the Mysterious Realm that we cannot.

    Captain Zhou¡¯s combat power is not bad, but her psychological endurance really needs work. That needs to change.

    But that¡¯s not easy to change. Once a person reaches their twenties, their core values are already set, and from there, they only accumulate life experiences. Hoping for changes in character is extremely difficult.

    Zhang Huaide thought quietly to himself when he heard Yan Yu say:

    ¡°Well then, we won¡¯t stay any longer; you all take good care of your injuries.¡±

    The two teams bid each other farewell. The Zhenhai Team left the Mysterious Realm and went for further medical examinations in the infirmary.

    Lin Ning had a cracked rib, Yan Yu had a shoulder injury, and Zhao Yuanzhen had several burns and corrosive injuries, but none were particularly severe.

    Xie Ruoxi was the most seriously injured, with the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin piercing her chest. Although it was promptly treated with True Yuan to prevent bleeding, there was still a risk of pneumothorax. The medical team performed a simple surgery to clean the hematoma and instructed her not to practice Sword Control, to rest for a week before a follow-up exam.

    The only one unscathed was Chen Lingyun, whom Yan Yu teased by saying, ¡°If the sky falls, we tall ones will hold it up.¡± She wasn¡¯t really angry, just took out her phone to arrange flights.

    They had arrived with the grandeur of Sword Control, but now they had to return by plane. In the airport¡¯s VIP lounge, Yan Yu received a call from Su Yunjin.

    ¡°Ningning told me you guys were injured in the Ailao Mountain Mysterious Realm?¡±

    ¡°Just some minor injuries,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°not a big deal.¡±

    ¡°Ruoxi has to recuperate for a week, and you say it¡¯s not a big deal?¡± Su Yunjin retorted.

    ¡°Ah, her injuries are severe because she¡¯s too weak,¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly.

    ¡°So you¡¯re weak too, since you injured your shoulder?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because my clone is too strong,¡± Yan Yu paused, then explained, ¡°It¡¯s just a flesh wound. It didn¡¯t even touch the bone.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m planning to Sword Control back to Jinling Prefecture tonight,¡± Su Yunjin said seriously. ¡°You don¡¯t have to say more, I¡¯ll come over and see for myself.¡±

    Yan Yu suddenly felt a bit sweaty. It was typical of the Gravity Mage Su Yunjin, a few words from her could make it hard to breathe.

    It¡¯s like she would call her husband casually outside a hotel room if she ever had to catch him cheating, and after listening to his excuses, she would suddenly say, ¡°I need to verify it myself,¡± then the door handle would start rattling frantically¡­

    Scary.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this now, hang up,¡± Su Yunjin hung up.

    Yan Yu paused for a moment, then silently turned his gaze toward the whistleblower, Lin Ning.

    Lin Ning immediately looked out the window, observing the planes taxiing in the distance.

    Xie Ruoxi chuckled on the side, then suddenly her phone rang.

    She answered the call, murmuring a few ¡°mm-hmms,¡± her complexion turning pale all of a sudden.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°My parents found out about me becoming a Cultivator,¡± Xie Ruoxi said numbly.

    ¡°Oh, wasn¡¯t that bound to happen sooner or later?¡± Yan Yu said.

    Not to mention anything else, the rosters of the major martial arts teams were publicly available, and with a bunch of fans following them all the time, it was impossible to keep it a secret. It was really more surprising that her parents had just found out now, suggesting that perhaps information was indeed scarce back in Xie Ruoxi¡¯s hometown.

    ¡°They want to come to Jinling to see me,¡± Xie Ruoxi said, her face ashen.

    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a day off to take good care of your parents and send them back happy.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you coming?¡± Xie Ruoxi hesitantly asked.

    ¡°Your parents are coming to see you, what does that have to do with me?¡± Yan Yu countered.

    ¡°Um,¡± Xie Ruoxi struggled to speak and after a long pause, she said, ¡°After my brother went back, he seems to have¡­ misunderstood our relationship. I don¡¯t know what he told them, but the main reason my parents are making the trip is to meet you.¡±

    Everyone: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Xie! Ruoxi!!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen clenched her teeth and her grip on the armrest creaked.

    If it were before, she might not have minded so much. But now, coming out of the Mysterious Realm and knowing that the other¡¯s clone wanted to ¡°forcefully marry Yan Yu,¡± the sudden mention of a ¡°parent¡¯s visit¡± made it hard not to suspect Xie Ruoxi¡¯s intentions.

    ¡°Sister Zhao, you¡¯ve got to believe me!¡± Xie Ruoxi quickly hugged her arm, pleading, ¡°This really has nothing to do with me! Plus, when my parents come, I will definitely explain everything to them!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen narrowed her eyes and after a long while, she let go of her anger and said with a smile:

    ¡°If you don¡¯t explain it clearly, I¡¯ll kill you.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s cold sweat poured down instantly.

 Chapter 330: 26 Auntie of the Xie Family

    Chapter 330: Chapter 26 Auntie of the Xie Family

    When it came to meeting the elders of his girlfriend¡¯s family, Yan Yu had quite a bit of experience under his belt.

    Su Yunjin¡¯s parents were senior intellectuals, so he knew he had to be careful with his words and show some cultural refinement; he couldn¡¯t be too crude.

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s father was cunning and shrewd, it was best to be frank with him, no need to beat around the bush; her mother, on the other hand, was both foolish and haughty, so there was no need to be too polite, otherwise, she would look down on him.

    Li Minghu¡¯s parents were middle-class small town folks, school teachers, with a very laid-back and easy-going nature; as long as their daughter and son-in-law were happy, everything was fine.

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s rural parents, according to Yan Yu¡¯s memories from his previous life, didn¡¯t stir up any scandals even when Ruoxi¡¯s bad reputation was all over the internet, suggesting they weren¡¯t the difficult type¡ªeven if they were, they wouldn¡¯t be a match for Yan Yu.

    Back at Jinling Prefecture, he arranged as usual for the maid to come clean the house at a set time.

    Yan Yu played with his phone on the sofa for a while but then noticed an unusual quietness in the living room, with only Chen Lingyun sitting at the bar making coffee.

    ¡°Where is everyone?¡± he asked as he stood up.

    ¡°They¡¯re all training in the basement,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°Why the sudden enthusiasm?¡± Yan Yu immediately became suspicious, ¡°Usually, they can¡¯t wait to skip out on extra training, and now, after coming back from the Mysterious Realm and resting for half a day, they¡¯re actually training voluntarily?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, weird, right?¡± Chen Lingyun said cheerfully, ¡°What do you think is the reason?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, it must be a case of ¡®shamed into bravery¡¯,¡± Yan Yu walked over to Chen Lingyun, took a sip of the coffee she had prepared, and grimaced, ¡°Why is it so bitter?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just how this variety of beans is,¡± Chen Lingyun replied, ¡°Full-bodied and aromatic, with a sweet aftertaste.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t taste any sweetness,¡± Yan Yu said, frowning slightly, ¡°Just a sour bitterness. You didn¡¯t put dish soap in here, did you?¡±

    Chen Lingyun chuckled helplessly and shook her head.

    ¡°You dare to mock the captain?¡± Yan Yu extended a finger and poked her on the head, ¡°Going against the natural order? Learning from Xie Ruoxi, are you?¡±

    ¡°Coffee inherently has acidity,¡± Chen Lingyun said calmly, ¡°As long as it¡¯s smooth and not too sharp, it¡¯s fine. If you can¡¯t handle it, you could try something else.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, it must be me,¡± Yan Yu said carelessly, ¡°I can¡¯t be expected to share the same tastes as a little girl who strives for perfection and is stubborn and petty.¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t get angry but just smiled and said, ¡°With drinks, you have to find your own favorite. It¡¯s always right to try more options.¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s brow furrowed instantly. What are you implying? Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t understand!

    He was about to organize his thoughts for a comeback, when he heard the front door being opened from the outside.

    Su Yunjin took off her shoes at the doorway, walked into the living room, and saw Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun chatting.

    ¡°Captain, I¡¯m back,¡± she said with a warm smile.

    ¡°Good to have you back,¡± Yan Yu put on his captain¡¯s air, looked her up and down, and suddenly said, ¡°Did you get a tan?¡±

    ¡°Did I?¡± Su Yunjin looked alarmed, quickly took out her phone to take a selfie, and then compared it with her photos from a few months ago.

    Lin Ning and the others were just coming up from the basement staircase when they saw Su Yunjin standing in the entrance hall. They immediately rushed over to surround her, expressing their care and concern:

    ¡°Yun Jin, you¡¯re back?¡±

    ¡°Sister Yun Jin, I¡¯ve missed you so much!¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin, you seem a bit thinner.¡±

    After exchanging pleasantries with her sisters for a moment, Su Yunjin smiled and said:

    ¡°Let¡¯s all go to my room. I¡¯ll check on your injuries first. Captain, please wait downstairs for a while.¡±

    The reason she planned to check the women before the men wasn¡¯t due to any superficial spirit of mutual aid, but rather her own little scheme:

    If she checked the captain first, the other girls waiting downstairs might come and hurry her, causing interruptions; therefore, it was better to check everyone else first, leaving the captain for last. That way, the examination could be more thorough and comprehensive, take more time, and give her a chance to chat alone with the captain and foster their relationship¡­

    The girls went to the second floor and into Su Yunjin¡¯s room, where she proceeded to conduct a detailed Divine Sense inspection for each of them.

    ¡°Ling Yun is fine,¡± said Su Yunjin after a brief check. ¡°Ning Ning has a rib fracture, but it seems to be healing well. Going forward, you need to increase your calcium intake, drink milk, and don¡¯t forget about vitamin D either.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already checked Ruoxi¡¯s condition; there¡¯s nothing wrong. The medical team mentioned the risk of pneumothorax just as a precaution, but in reality, there¡¯s nothing to worry about. Sister Zhao¡¯s injury can¡¯t be exposed to water; it¡¯s best to cover it with a sterile gauze bandage. Let me find some¡­¡±

    She turned to search the drawers when they heard Xie Ruoxi sigh and say:

    ¡°Ah, so annoying.¡±

    ¡°Is it because your parents are coming?¡± Lin Ning asked with concern.

    ¡°Not just my parents,¡± Xie Ruoxi said dejectedly. ¡°My aunt¡¯s family is coming too.¡±

    ¡°Do you not get along with them?¡± Su Yunjin asked casually as she applied the bandage to Zhao Yuanzhen.

    ¡°I don¡¯t get along with any of my relatives outside,¡± Xie Ruoxi expressed with frustration. ¡°But my aunt¡¯s family¡­ they¡¯re the kind that¡¯s quite troublesome.¡± Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    She briefly explained that the aunt in question was actually Xie Mother¡¯s cousin. Because they lived in the same village, they would often visit each other, but their relationship wasn¡¯t very close, and the reason was straightforward: the other party was all too fond of making comparisons and gossiping.

    For instance, how many tables were set for the New Year¡¯s feast, how much money was given out in red envelopes to the younger generation; or how prestigious the university her son or daughter attended was, their monthly salary after graduation, what their partner¡¯s family background was, and so on¡­ Anything that could be compared would be brought up for comparison. After the comparison, they wouldn¡¯t stop there but would go on to gossip with neighbors and friends, which Xie Mother and Xie Father both disliked.

    Ordinarily, the visit of Xie Parents to see their daughter had nothing to do with this aunt. However, since the aunt¡¯s daughter (Xie Ruoxi¡¯s cousin) happened to work in Jinling Prefecture and heard that Xie Ruoxi was also in Jinling, she took the opportunity to say, ¡°I¡¯m going to visit my daughter and son-in-law, and it just so happens to be on the way,¡± so she booked tickets in the same train carriage as Xie Parents.

    ¡°My cousin works in internet operations, and her husband is in real estate sales. Together, I heard they earn about twenty thousand a month,¡± Xie Ruoxi said with a headache. ¡°Ever since this aunt found out I went to work after high school, she¡¯s always asking about my situation, or bragging about how much dowry her daughter received at her wedding, how much money she¡¯s made since then¡­ Both my parents and I dislike this relative.¡±

    The girls looked at each other, understanding the situation.

    ¡°Even if she brags, you have nothing to fear from her!¡± Lin Ning spoke her mind bluntly. ¡°We live in a big villa, and we have millions lying in our bank books, so how could we be afraid of not measuring up to her?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not about outdoing her; it¡¯s about not wanting to compete,¡± Xie Ruoxi sighed. ¡°If she finds out, she¡¯ll go back to the village and talk about it, and then everyone remotely related will come to my family asking to borrow money¡­¡±

    ¡°That matter of borrowing money is indeed troublesome,¡± Su Yunjin nodded. ¡°Maybe we should ask the captain what to do?¡±

 Chapter 331: 27 Yan Yu Battles Secretary Su

    Chapter 331: Chapter 27 Yan Yu Battles Secretary Su

    ¡°Asking me what to do?¡± After listening to Su Yunjin, Yan Yu chuckled and said, ¡°Instead of asking me, why not ask Ruoxi what her plans are for handling it?¡±

    ¡°It seems to me that Ruoxi wants to send that aunt away sooner rather than later, but at the same time, it would be best if she didn¡¯t let her know that Ruoxi has money now,¡± Su Yunjin replied. ¡°Otherwise people who get to know her afterwards might all come over to borrow money, which would be troublesome.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem,¡± Yan Yu shook his head. ¡°University student cultivators have already been organized into combat units, and their families will all be kept under surveillance. Xie Ruoxi joined the team midway, so the process hasn¡¯t reached her yet. Eventually, she¡¯ll be brought into the Military Manor courtyard, then no poor relatives will be able to see her, and there¡¯s no need to worry about borrowing money¡­ Oh, her family is in the Annan Army¡¯s jurisdiction, that might be troublesome. I¡¯ll ask Instructor Qi about it someday.¡±

    ¡°As always, the captain has thought of everything,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile.

    Yan Yu¡¯s brows furrowed slightly, feeling as if ¡°an ancient lady lay beside him whispering suggestions, contentedly saying ¡®You¡¯ve thought of everything, husband,¡¯ after he agreed, and then she trimmed the candle and started to sleep¡±¡­

    Damn, what¡¯s the use of such a vivid imagination? It must be because I caught it from that clone of the Demonic Sect Enchantress in the Mysterious Realm!

    ¡°Captain, raise your hand for a moment,¡± Su Yunjin said.

    Yan Yu sat on the edge of the bed, lifted his left arm high to let Su Yunjin confirm if the injury had affected the tendons and veins.

    Her fingers bearing Runescript, Su Yunjin gently brushed over the area surrounding his wound, bringing a tingling, somewhat itchy sensation.

    ¡°The wound has already healed,¡± Yan Yu said, puzzled. ¡°Do you still need to check it so meticulously?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Su Yunjin, who had indeed received advanced training with the Zhendong Army medical team, explained in detail. ¡°Torn muscles are like a puzzle torn in half; Runescript is like the glue that sticks them back together. The piecing together is simple, but the edges might not align properly, especially just after returning from the battlefield. To stop the bleeding urgently, the medical team wouldn¡¯t have been meticulous enough to match every single muscle fiber before joining them.¡±

    ¡°This won¡¯t pose a problem in the short term, but over time it might affect muscle exertion. It would be more troublesome to deal with later; it¡¯s better for me to take care of it now¡­ It will just take some time, don¡¯t move.¡±

    Yan Yu, who knew nothing about medical matters, let Su Yunjin carry on her talk as she felt around on his body.

    On second thought, something didn¡¯t seem quite right. In my past life, I¡¯ve been through countless battles, and I¡¯ve been dragged back from the brink of death more than once or twice¡ªwhy don¡¯t I remember such an extremely tedious and complicated examination?

    Then again, perhaps I¡¯ve had such examinations without knowing. After all, the hospital¡¯s equipment is more advanced, and surgery is quicker. It¡¯s not necessarily that someone like Secretary Su would be so diligent.

    Thinking it over, I decided to let it be and let her do whatever she wanted.

    With Runescript activated on her hands, Su Yunjin kneaded Yan Yu¡¯s shoulders, seeming both to check the wound and to give a massage. As she did so, she asked, ¡°I heard that during this expedition to the Mysterious Realm, you encountered enemies who could mimic your appearance and read your thoughts, then reveal them in public?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°So what the clone said about wanting to start a harem, that was true too?¡± Su Yunjin asked casually.

    Here it comes again, the familiar weight of the question!

    Forewarned, Yan Yu laughed and replied, ¡°Of course it¡¯s true. But the clone just reads your mind and deliberately twists it.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? It was twisted?¡± Su Yunjin continued to massage his shoulder.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s twisted,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°By how much was it twisted?¡± Su Yunjin pressed on.

    ¡°Twisted by a bit, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°Captain knows that¡¯s not what I¡¯m asking about.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, what do you want to know?¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll ask directly: Captain, have you ever thought about starting a harem?¡±

    ¡°Of course not, I am a gentleman of integrity,¡± he responded.

    ¡°Starting a harem has nothing to do with whether you¡¯re a gentleman,¡± Su Yunjin retorted diplomatically. ¡°Generally, normal boys have such thoughts during puberty. After all, male animals have the instinct to spread their genes as widely as possible.¡±

    She spoke with utmost understanding, as if implying, ¡°Even if you wanted to start a harem, I could comprehend that,¡± but Yan Yu did not alter his statement and instead replied, ¡°I¡¯ve never thought about it. Right now, just managing the team takes up a lot of my time and energy. You¡¯re suggesting I manage romance like a business, to find ten or eight wives¡ªthat¡¯s just asking for trouble. It¡¯s too exhausting, totally unnecessary.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Su Yunjin appeared thoughtful before suddenly asking, ¡°If ten or eight clones are hard to manage, would four or five be alright then?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Yan Yu was surprised.

    ¡°I heard.¡± Su Yunjin said nonchalantly, ¡°Their clones apparently all said they liked you.¡±

    ¡°Sigh.¡± Yan Yu slowly sighed and, shaking his head, said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do. You see, I¡¯m handsome, capable, and gentle¡ªit¡¯s only natural for girls to fall for me, right? But when it comes to relationships, I have high standards. I would never entertain casual flings just because someone likes me, so it really doesn¡¯t bother me.¡±

    Pfft.

    Su Yunjin couldn¡¯t help but smile. The first two points were passable, but Team Leader, when did your personality ever come close to ¡®gentle¡¯?

    Rather than gentle, it¡¯s more like you are formidable enough to give a sense of solid reliability¡­

    Her face turned slightly red as she continued to ask:

    ¡°So, how do you view their affection? For example, Ling Yun, her clone said you are a special existence to her.¡±

    ¡°Let that riddle keep her cool wherever she pleases,¡± Yan Yu said impatiently, ¡°What is a ¡®special existence¡¯ supposed to mean? We¡¯ll talk about it when she has figured it out.¡±

    ¡°And what about Ningning?¡± asked Su Yunjin softly, ¡°She seems to have a crush on you.¡± S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°There are many who have a crush on me,¡± Yan Yu said matter-of-factly, ¡°I can¡¯t be expected to deal with every single incident of someone having a crush.¡±

    ¡°It seems Ruoxi kind of admires you like an overbearing CEO,¡± Su Yunjin went on.

    ¡°She¡¯s read too many female-oriented novels, it doesn¡¯t need attention.¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhao directly says you are her husband, you know?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s too low. We don¡¯t even have a dating relationship, how could it have gone as far as possession? That¡¯s absurd.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I think I understand now,¡± said Su Yunjin, her movements slightly forceful, ¡°At first, Team Leader said that the clones deliberately misinterpret your thoughts. Later, when mentioning that their clones like you, Team Leader, you seemed to acknowledge these feelings as real¡­ so, are the clones¡¯ words misinterpretations, or are they true?¡±

    ¡°Why are Team Leader¡¯s previous and subsequent statements contradictory? Can you tell me why?¡±

    Yan Yu was momentarily stunned but hadn¡¯t realized Secretary Su had set a logical trap early on and was silently waiting for him to fall into it.

    Indeed, playing word games with a literary girl could never be taken lightly in any form!

    He fell silent for a moment, and just as the atmosphere was getting tense, he suddenly said:

    ¡°As I mentioned, it¡¯s a partial misinterpretation.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°Partial misinterpretation means it only misinterpreted a single person¡ªme,¡± Yan Yu seriously continued the lie, ¡°The so-called ¡®exposed inner thoughts¡¯ only affect you if they strike a chord. If it¡¯s a deliberate misinterpretation, it¡¯s just stoking the fire and won¡¯t achieve a mental breakdown. See, I don¡¯t mind, but they all seem to care a lot.¡±

    Su Yunjin fell silent, seeming not to have expected Yan Yu¡¯s answer to be so¡­ how should it be described?

    Brazen? But seemingly bulletproof.

    She had asked the other girls beforehand. Everyone was secretive about their own clone¡¯s words, only willing to discuss others, but Yan Yu was different¡ªhe didn¡¯t avoid the issue and his attitude was quite open.

    After a long silence, Su Yunjin, unable to discern the truth, sighed deeply:

    ¡°Ah, if only I had been there at the time.¡±

    Out of nowhere, Yan Yu shuddered.

    If she had been there, her clone exposed her true feelings, then taking advantage of the moment to confess directly¡­

    Stop! He couldn¡¯t allow himself to imagine any further!

    Mere Secretary Su, there¡¯s no way she could conquer me!

    Quack, I am the strongest in this world!

 Chapter 332: 28: The Strong Stance of Immortal Venerate Xie

    Chapter 332: Chapter 28: The Strong Stance of Immortal Venerate Xie

    Inside the high-speed train carriage from Baoqing Prefecture to Jinling Prefecture, Xie¡¯s father and mother were seated on the same row of seats, while the aunt and uncle were seated on another row, whispering to each other.

    Xie¡¯s mother was quietly scolding Xie¡¯s father for letting slip some information when he went to buy the tickets, letting the uncle find out about it, which resulted in her cousin¡¯s family insisting on tagging along under the guise of ¡°visiting their daughter,¡± much to Xie¡¯s mother¡¯s irritation.

    To speak of the grievances between the two families, one actually has to go back to when Xie Ruoxi was in the second grade of elementary school.

    At that time, Xie Ruoxi and her cousin were at the same elementary school, and a film crew came to shoot ¡°The Most Beautiful Xiangxi,¡± looking to pick a few students from Baoqing Elementary School to be extras. The female producer went around each classroom and selected a few good-looking kids from each grade, then it was up to the teachers to ask these children¡¯s parents whether they would let their children join the film shoot during the summer vacation.

    Xie Ruoxi was chosen, but her cousin was not. After telling her parents, the aunt immediately blew up.

    My daughter is also very pretty, where is she worse than Xie Ruoxi? Why only pick her, are they blind?

    The feud between the two families started from there, and from elementary to middle and high school, the aunt always compared her daughter to Xie Ruoxi whenever something came up.

    The pretty loser herself wasn¡¯t keen either, her academic performance didn¡¯t improve, and she was crazy about all sorts of anime, often making a fool of herself at school, which made the aunt hold her head high with pride, confident when talking behind backs.

    Xie¡¯s mother was also angry about this, but since her daughter was indeed no wallflower and she didn¡¯t want to completely fall out with her cousin, she simply rolled her eyes and spoke harshly to shut down her aunt¡¯s nonsense every time she started complaining.

    For over a decade, the Xie family hadn¡¯t won a single round in this regard, causing both sides to form a fixed mindset:

    Xie Ruoxi, no good! Cousin, good!

    This thought peaked when the cousin graduated from college and got married. The husband worked in real estate sales in Jinling, was good at talking, and could earn a lot of money. The dowry was 188,000 yuan, which made the aunt show off in the village for days¡­ At that time, a typical dowry in the village was only twenty to thirty thousand, and only in urban areas of Baoqing Prefecture would it exceed one hundred thousand. At that moment, the aunt seemed to have finally vented all the frustration from the previous decade.

    Could Xie Ruoxi do that?

    In the future, there¡¯d be no need to compare. My daughter has graduated from college and married well, while her daughter only has a high school diploma. They¡¯re not even in the same league anymore, comparing further would be degrading.

    Then came the news that Xie Ruoxi had become a cultivator, striking the aunt¡¯s household like a bolt from the blue.

    The aunt urgently dragged her husband into discussion, demanding their daughter find all related information about the Zhenhai Team, including battle videos and news reports, and to send them to grandma using her phone.

    After watching all the battle videos, the aunt immediately declared she had found the key:

    There was no Xie Ruoxi!

    This wasn¡¯t surprising, since after Xie Ruoxi joined the team, whether it was the Black Dragon Isle battle, the Tianshan Mysterious Realm battle, the Southern Border defense battle, or the Mirror Lake Divine Palace battle, she hadn¡¯t participated in any leagues broadcasted live due to various reasons, so she never had the chance to appear on TV screens.

    The uncle did have some sense, reasoning that the Xie family couldn¡¯t possibly lie about such a big matter. Could a lie last momentarily, let alone a lifetime?

    But the uncle was also a rural man, not a savvy netizen, and his ability to retrieve information depended entirely on his friends¡¯ circle. He lacked sufficient evidence to convince his wife¡ªthe aunt who had been obsessed for over a decade, how could she be persuaded by such a reason? Therefore, she insisted on confirming it herself.

    Both families took the high-speed train headed towards Jinling Prefecture.

    On the other hand, Yan Yu was still in Su Yunjin¡¯s room, enjoying her massage¡­ no, it should be the injury checkup.

    To be fair, Secretary Su was actually quite gentle when she didn¡¯t use heavy gravity spells. She was pretty, had a good aura, well-cultured, her education level outshone most of her peers, and when chatting, her voice was soft and sweet¡ªthere was nothing one could fault her on.

    Yan Yu still remembered the first time he met her, lamenting her poor ending in her past life, vowing to poach her to be his personal secretary¡ªnow that this small goal has been achieved, it felt like a very fulfilling achievement, wahahaha!

    Why isn¡¯t the checkup done yet? It¡¯s almost been half an hour.

    ¡°Eh, captain,¡± Su Yunjin spoke up, ¡°someone called earlier to ask if our team is interested in taking a commercial endorsement.¡±

    ¡°Commercial endorsement?¡± Yan Yu was taken aback, ¡°What did the coach say about it?¡±

    ¡°Instructor Qi said the school won¡¯t interfere with these matters. At most, they¡¯ll just review the contract for any loopholes or traps after we get it,¡± Su Yunjin said softly.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu wasn¡¯t surprised by this outcome either.

    In his past life, the major teams not only took on commercial endorsements, but also participated in celebrity talk shows! The authorities were happy to see these activities, as they could foster a sense of belonging among cultivators toward the society and the common folk. More of this was always seen as beneficial.

    What the authorities feared most were those obsessed with martial practice, who lived in seclusion, practicing day in and day out, completely out of touch with society and without any attachment to the secular world¡­ Such people, if they chose to defect, would have no psychological burden whatsoever.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not particularly interested. We can take it or leave it,¡± Su Yunjin replied, ¡°Mainly because we¡¯re not short on money now, we can just pick and choose the media events we like to participate in.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m relieved to hear you think this way,¡± Yan Yu nodded approvingly, ¡°As cultivators, we should enjoy life as much as possible and not be overly concerned like Lord Master, worrying about this and that¡­¡±

    Before he could finish speaking, someone knocked on the door.

    Su Yunjin sighed softly in her heart, thinking to herself that surely some sly fox couldn¡¯t help but come forth.

    Yan Yu got up to open the door and saw Xie Ruoxi standing outside, crying:

    ¡°Captain, save me!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s happened again?¡± Yan Yu frowned.

    ¡°My parents sent me a message,¡± Xie Ruoxi said pitifully, ¡°My aunt and her husband are coming over to grill me. Captain, please help me think of something!¡±

    ¡°Why is your aunt¡¯s family coming too?¡± Yan Yu was taken aback.

    So, knowing their daughter has made it big, they¡¯re bringing the whole family over for a free feast, huh?

    ¡°Let me tell you¡­¡± Without caring that Su Yunjin was present, Xie Ruoxi detailed the grievances between the two families to Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu was speechless after listening. The secluded rural environment indeed bred many villagers who loved to gossip, compare with others, and hold grudges, but the key instigators that combined all three traits were extreme cases in any rural area.

    There are instigators everywhere, but the problem was that Xie Ruoxi¡¯s mother cared about their reputation and didn¡¯t want to fall out with relatives, which led to the whole family having to endure this relative¡¯s nasty behavior for a long time¡­ So the solution was simple, just move her parents to the Military Manor.

    Problem solved!

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll think of something when the time comes,¡± Yan Yu said as he was about to step away, but Xie Ruoxi grabbed his hands. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The pretty but useless girl didn¡¯t trust the captain¡¯s word. After all, he was the tyrant who, during every training session, would say ¡°I will hold back,¡± only to turn around and beat everyone to the ground. He said he would ¡°think about it,¡± not that he would ¡°definitely come up with a solution,¡± maybe he¡¯d just forget about it the moment he turned around, leaving me to be the butt of jokes for his amusement!

    ¡°Let go,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Captain, please, I¡¯m begging you to help me!¡± Xie Ruoxi continued to plead, ¡°I really don¡¯t want to be grilled by that annoying relative again, and it¡¯ll upset my mom so much that she¡¯ll end up grilling me just as harshly¡­ But I¡¯m sure you can find a way, Captain!¡±

    ¡°You should deal with your family issues yourself!¡± Yan Yu was exasperated with her lack of backbone. You are, after all, Xie Immortal Venerate, a cultivator with one-in-ten-thousand talent. Can¡¯t you show a bit of the cultivator¡¯s backbone and pride?

    I was just in the room with Secretary Su talking about how cultivators should embrace life with passion and deal with grievances as they arise, and here you are, making a show that slaps me in the face?

    ¡°Ruoxi, don¡¯t worry, the captain will surely help you.¡± Seeing Yan Yu being beset by her, Su Yunjin also came over to mediate.

    Xie Ruoxi became even more anxious. She knew Su Yunjin was in cahoots with Yan Yu and, seeing her seemingly about to pull her away, a thought flashed through her mind impulsively. Closing her eyes and steeling her heart, she dropped to her knees, wrapped her arms around Yan Yu¡¯s legs, and adopted a determined stance that said ¡°I won¡¯t leave until you help me.¡±

    Yan Yu! I, Xie Ruoxi, am on my knees here today! You have to help, whether you want to or not!

 Chapter 333: 29 Designing a Play for Immortal Venerate Xie

    Chapter 333: Chapter 29 Designing a Play for Immortal Venerate Xie

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s earth-shattering kneel had Yan Yu bewildered.

    What was the last thing she kneeled for?

    It seemed to be when I was going to delete her gaming account¡­ No, although she did kneel down then, she was propped up on her hands, in a ¡°Coach, I want to play basketball¡± posture, which strictly speaking, wasn¡¯t too humiliating.

    But this time, it was a genuine kneel-down. How embarrassing, you beautiful mess! Are you completely shameless?

    Wait, something¡¯s off here.

    Xie Ruoxi isn¡¯t someone with much patience. The first thing that showed was her lack of interest in training, always whining about hardship and wanting to give up; then her older brother stepped in to discipline her, which at least got rid of her constant whining, but her performance on the battlefield was still not up to par¡ªespecially compared to Lin Ning. She seemed even less proactive, hesitant, and timid.

    Yan Yu had originally thought this was due to her lack of real combat experience, a kind of ¡°timid phase¡± unique to novices. But now, considering her habit of kneeling at the drop of a hat, it seemed more likely that the reason was deeply rooted in her personality.

    Weakness!

    Herbivorous animals, even when facing carnivores smaller than themselves, think of fleeing first rather than fighting back. Is it because they can¡¯t win? No, it¡¯s actually a problem with their nature.

    To solve this problem, it¡¯s definitely not enough to just increase training; it¡¯s necessary to start with correcting her mindset.

    Time for some strong medicine!

    Yan Yu quickly made up his mind, looked down at Xie Ruoxi kneeling on the ground, and suddenly showed a menacing smile:

    ¡°Here¡¯s the deal, as long as I help you with this problem, you¡¯re willing to do anything, right?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi instinctively felt a bit scared, but then she thought that maybe the captain was just trying to scare her, so she mustered her courage and said:

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    ¡°Alright then.¡± Yan Yu waved Su Yunjin over, ¡°Whisper in my ear.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    After Xie Ruoxi¡¯s parents arrived at the station, the aunt¡¯s family also followed.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to see your Qianqian first?¡± Xie¡¯s mother tried to send them away.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go see Xixi first.¡± The aunt said with a smile.

    Xie¡¯s mother stopped talking. She cared about her image and couldn¡¯t bring herself to say something as blunt as telling them to leave.

    Xie¡¯s father took a taxi, and everyone hurried to the address given by Xie Ruoxi.

    Along the way, as they moved further from the city center, the aunt gradually relaxed.

    Living so far out and still a cultivator? Aren¡¯t cultivators all part of the government¡¯s establishment? They might even get assigned collective housing, who would live in the suburbs with you?

    ¡°Maybe she got scammed by a pyramid scheme,¡± she quietly said to her husband.

    Xie¡¯s father, sitting on the other side of her husband, faintly overheard what the relative said. He twitched the corners of his mouth, turned to look out the window, and became silent.

    It¡¯s not that he hadn¡¯t spoken up for his daughter. It¡¯s just that every time he did, he ended up being embarrassingly proven wrong by his daughter, to the point where he was almost numb to it.

    It couldn¡¯t really be a pyramid scheme, could it? Hahaha¡­ When we get there, regardless of the actual situation, we¡¯ll first rescue our daughter and then call the police.

    Xie¡¯s mother sat in the passenger seat, oblivious to the relative¡¯s comments, and was quite calm.

    It wasn¡¯t that she had confidence in her daughter, but rather, she believed her son wouldn¡¯t lie to her. Xie Rushan had always been an honest child, hardly ever lying.

    When the taxi arrived at the destination, everyone got out and looked around, only to find that the area was filled with villas?

    ¡°This is the place.¡± Xie¡¯s mother looked at the photo her daughter had sent on her phone and compared it with the house in front, then said.

    And so, the aunt¡¯s smile faded away.

    In their village, every family lived in a three-story building, some quite impressively built, but they all paled in comparison to this villa. With a view of the mountain and sea, a lawn garden, neat and beautiful hedges and fences outside, and even a riverside gazebo in the backyard¡ªit was as grand as the luxurious houses of the rich in Miti¡¯s movies.

    In contrast, the apartment Qianqian and her husband had just bought in Jinling¡ªeven though it was a ¡°subway house¡± just 2 kilometers from the subway station¡ªseemed utterly insignificant in front of this suburban villa.

    ¡­Perhaps it was a shared rental.

    As this thought emerged from the depths of her mind, it was like a drowning person suddenly grasping at a straw, giving the aunt a reason to investigate further.

    ¡°Go ahead and go in, I¡¯ll help you with your stuff,¡± she said, eagerly offering help to Xie¡¯s mother.

    Xie¡¯s mother waved her off, indicating she could manage, and then went ahead to the door and knocked.

    ¡°Coming!¡± a voice from inside called out, Lin Ning¡¯s voice.

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s voice was the soft and tender type, but the girl responding inside had a clear and vibrant tone, immediately indicating she wasn¡¯t the younger daughter of the Xie family.

    Auntie suddenly got excited, shooting her husband a look that meant, ¡°See, I told you they were cohabiting. Maybe they¡¯re even involved in some sort of pyramid scheme.¡±

    Her husband didn¡¯t catch her drift, merely keeping silent.

    At this moment, Lin Ning, in her usual clothes without any makeup, hurriedly came to open the door. She welcomed the four elders into the house. Once she learned they were Xie Ruoxi¡¯s relatives, she took the initiative to make tea for everyone.

    All four of them seemed uneasy. Xie Ruoxi¡¯s parents were nervous because they hadn¡¯t seen their daughter, while the aunt and her husband looked around, assessing how much it would cost to rent a place like this.

    ¡°Dad, Mom?¡± Xie Ruoxi called out as she came down from upstairs, ¡°Auntie, Uncle, you¡¯re here?¡±

    She went to her parents¡¯ side and chatted with them for a bit. Xie Ruoxi¡¯s parents visibly relaxed, but then they heard the aunt ask:

    ¡°Ruoxi, are you sharing this place with others now?¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Xie Ruoxi nodded and said.

    Just as the aunt was about to ask ¡°How much is the rent here per month,¡± her husband, knowing his wife¡¯s character and wanting to prevent her from being too obvious, quickly interrupted with:

    ¡°Is it far from where you work?¡±

    ¡°Not far,¡± Xie Ruoxi forced a smile. ¡°It¡¯s just a twenty-minute walk.¡±

    Her strained expression was mainly due to thinking about the content of her usual work: practicing and getting hit.

    But this forced smile in the aunt¡¯s eyes, who already had a paranoid mentality, reinforced her belief that this must be some illegal pyramid scheme or other unspeakable job. After all, who would employ a girl who¡¯d just finished high school? Even housekeeping jobs these days require at least an associate degree!

    So she continued to ask:

    ¡°Then what exactly do you do as a¡­ ¡®Cultivator¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Mostly training,¡± Lin Ning answered as she brought over the tea, casually replying.

    Training¡­ The aunt immediately put on a knowing smile, recalling the warning videos in her social media feed:

    Workers standing in two neat rows, led by their manager through various exercise drills, shouting motivational slogans like ¡°The company¡¯s future is my future¡± and ¡°Always be ready to set out for the development of the Northwest.¡± They were trained until they were completely numb and incapable of independent thinking, then started to solicit shares for the ¡°Northwest Development¡± project, with each share costing around a hundred yuan, and a twenty yuan cashback for every relative recruited¡­

    What kind of job requires training instead of education? It has to be a pyramid scheme!

    She stopped asking questions, and then Xie Ruoxi¡¯s mother pulled her daughter aside to ask how she was, mainly about whether her work was hard and if she was eating well, to which Xie Ruoxi obligingly answered.

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s father wanted to see his daughter¡¯s bedroom, so she led everyone upstairs. As the two men walked ahead, the aunt deliberately lagged behind, whispering in Xie Ruoxi¡¯s mother¡¯s ear:

    ¡°Could it be a pyramid scheme?¡±

    ¡°How could that be!¡± Xie Ruoxi¡¯s mother became unhappy upon hearing this and tried to shake off her cousin¡¯s hand, but the aunt gripped it tighter and whispered:

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to look down on Ruoxi. Think about it, she only has a high school diploma. Why would that ¡®Cultivator¡¯ company hire her? What did they see in her? Nowadays, you can¡¯t even apply for civil service exams without a bachelor¡¯s degree! Just imagine¡­ I mean just imagine, if she got deceived by pyramid schemes, that would be a big problem!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s mother actually didn¡¯t understand what a ¡®Cultivator¡¯ was, and given her daughter¡¯s lackluster abilities from a young age, she felt somewhat guilty when she heard this, but still said forcefully:

    ¡°How could it be a pyramid scheme? Do people from pyramid schemes pay for you to live in a big villa like this? She even transferred tens of thousands of yuan to me recently!¡±

    ¡°Who with a proper job lives in a big villa?¡± the aunt confidently retorted. ¡°Unless they are businesspeople or stock traders¡­ Can Ruoxi even handle such high-end jobs? Renting a big villa is a way to trick young girls into thinking it¡¯s a quick-money gig, not knowing there¡¯s no such thing as a free lunch!¡±

    Speechless, Xie Ruoxi¡¯s mother¡¯s breathing quickened at the thought that if it were true, she would have to drag her daughter back home, even if it meant losing face in front of her cousin!

    Seeing that Xie Ruoxi¡¯s mother had stopped talking, the aunt moved forward a few steps, pulling her husband aside to murmur some sarcastic remarks, essentially implying, ¡°I knew she wouldn¡¯t make it,¡± and ¡°Now she¡¯s been deceived, the Xie family is in trouble.¡±

    Uncle also felt uncomfortable, thinking it wasn¡¯t nice for his wife to speak ill of others in their home, so he kept silent.

    Xie Ruoxi led the elders into the study. Before they could even take a look around, she took out a passbook and handed it to her father, saying:

    ¡°After becoming a Cultivator, I completed a few tasks and earned some wages. It¡¯s inconvenient for large transactions, so I might as well give it directly to you, especially since my brother needs money for college.¡±

    These days, most people used debit cards, and passbooks weren¡¯t commonly used anymore. The reason she chose a passbook, however, was specifically requested by Yan Yu, the director. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Her father silently took the passbook and opened it in front of his wife and relatives, looking at the string of numbers that represented the account balance.

    Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousand, hundred thousand, a million¡­

    A million?!!

    In that moment, everyone seemed to be holding their breath, eyes glued to the numbers on the passbook.

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s mother snatched the passbook from her husband¡¯s hands, counting the digits carefully again, her hands starting to shake.

    The aunt stood behind with a frozen smile on her face, her muscles so tense they were starting to ache, her mind a complete blank.

    Just then, a knock at the door sounded, followed by Yan Yu¡¯s serious voice:

    ¡°Comrade Xie Ruoxi, your family has arrived, right? The Military Manor has prepared a reception dinner, and the car is already waiting downstairs.¡±

 Chapter 334: 30: Great Talents are Late Bloomers, Success Can Go to Ones Head

    Chapter 334: Chapter 30: Great Talents are Late Bloomers, Success Can Go to One¡¯s Head

    When it comes to showing off, there are different methods for different occasions and different people.

    For someone who knows cars, slowly stopping in a luxury car in front of them is the best way to show off. However, if the other person knows nothing about cars, then it¡¯s like winking at a blind person¡ªnot effective at all.

    For people like Xie Ruoxi¡¯s parents and relatives, who might not even know how to use mobile banking, they¡¯re unlikely to trust text message reminders from the bank.

    A passbook, on the other hand, is the most visually striking thing.

    As soon as Yan Yu knocked and called out from outside, Xie¡¯s mother snapped out of her daze and immediately panicked, quickly stuffing the passbook back into her daughter¡¯s hand, repeatedly saying:

    ¡°Put it away, put it away! With so much money, how can we just show it off casually?!¡±

    Her actual thought was ¡°We can¡¯t let your aunt see it, otherwise if the news spreads back to the village, what would we do if everyone comes to borrow money?¡± But to the aunt¡¯s ears, it sounded like a stark humiliation and mockery.

    Seeing his wife¡¯s demeanor changing, the uncle hurriedly changed the subject, saying:

    ¡°Is that Ruoxi¡¯s colleague outside? I¡¯ll open the door.¡±

    He slid open the door to the study, and Yan Yu walked in from outside.

    This guy usually dresses quite casually, but now he was formally wearing a white shirt with a dark leather jacket on top. His whole attire looked serious and solemn, and he had a stern expression on his face as if he were a young prosecutor from a TV drama.

    Xie¡¯s mother hadn¡¯t reacted yet, but Xie¡¯s father was taken aback and suddenly said:

    ¡°Yan Zhanlong?¡±

    He hadn¡¯t recognized Lin Ning previously, firstly because he hadn¡¯t looked carefully, and secondly because when the girls of the Zhenhai Team appeared on screen, they usually wore heavy makeup (after all, even beauties looked plain on television without makeup), except for Yan Yu who didn¡¯t wear much makeup.

    Now that the real person was here, identical to the one in the videos, and with an imposing aura to boot, Xie¡¯s father quickly recognized him.

    That call of ¡°Yan Zhanlong¡± scared the aunt¡¯s soul half away in an instant.

    Yan¡­ Yan¡­ Yan Zhanlong?!!

    Yan Yu walked into the room, greeting everyone with a dignified nod, then turned to Xie Ruoxi and said:

    ¡°Pay attention to your appearance; the General Commander is coming over.¡±

    General Commander¡­ The four elders gasped again.

    While this title might not sound very domineering, it had a more widely known and household name, ¡°Grand Marshal of the Zhendong Army.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi was somewhat speechless. Even if her brain was a bit slow, she could see that the captain was intentionally backing her up to make a statement, but seeing her parents and aunt utterly lost and confused, she still felt a subconscious, vicarious thrill of pretending to be important.

    No, Ruoxi mustn¡¯t laugh! If she laughed here, the atmosphere would completely collapse!

    ¡°Mhmm,¡± she said, also pulling a serious face, and asked, ¡°Can I wear my backless evening gown?¡±

    Everyone:¡­¡­¡­

    Damn it, an evening gown! Are you also planning to wear high heels and carry a luxury bag? Yan Yu subtly corrected her, saying:

    ¡°No need, just wear something formal but ordinary. The elders can follow me downstairs to sit for a while and wait for her to change clothes.¡±

    Xie¡¯s parents thought that was reasonable and followed Yan Yu downstairs. The aunt was still in a daze and had to be tugged by her husband before numbly following along.

    Only when everyone had left the bedroom did Xie Ruoxi finally allow herself to grin and burst into a hearty laugh.

    She never knew that showing off in front of family and relatives could be such a delightful experience, it felt like gulping down an entire bottle of iced soda on a scorching summer day, as if every pore on her body had opened up to breathe.

    Ever since childhood, the expression her mother showed most often was disappointment, and the most frequent words she said were ¡°Can¡¯t you be a bit more ambitious?¡± Later, it seemed that she had accepted the fact that ¡°her daughter was a good-for-nothing,¡± and stopped nagging her, only sighing when issues arose.

    To be honest, she would have preferred the nagging! There was always a sense of being completely abandoned by her mother.

    Although her father had always been silent and taciturn, never scolding her harshly, whenever she did poorly in school or after a teacher talked to her parents, he would smoke a lot that day, smoking until the ash piled up out of the ashtray.

    As for the relatives, even though they usually refrained from mentioning it to her face, during holiday gatherings, groups of them would gossip behind her back. The occasional disdainful glances they cast her way, though subtly painful, were never as bone-deep as her parents¡¯ numbed expressions. Even though silent, they had been seared deep into her heart.

    Perhaps after graduating from high school, the reason she subconsciously chose to give up studying was also to not continue spending her parents¡¯ money while having to endure their expectations and disappointment¡­

    Now thinking back to the stunned, speechless expressions on her parents¡¯ faces and her aunt¡¯s disbelief in reality, Xie Ruoxi felt an extreme sense of exhilaration as if she had vented out all the years of frustration.

    Look at me now, I am no longer that failure!

    After picking out the nicest clothes from the wardrobe and putting them on, Xie Ruoxi left her room with pride and walked downstairs. Then she saw all the elders carefully conversing with Yan Yu.

    The fame of Yan Zhanlong spread to the rural areas of Jingnan not after he slayed the dragon, but during the October awarding ceremony when various new media hyped it up, playing the patriotism card, leading rural populations across the country to become aware of this young hero, ¡°a formidable person who was personally honored by a big shot from the Privy Council¡±.

    Now that the formidable person was here, despite a significant age difference, the four elders dared not neglect him at all. They only answered when Yan Yu asked a question, as if the order of seniority had completely reversed. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu wasn¡¯t overbearing. In front of Mr. and Mrs. Xie, he praised Xie Ruoxi extensively, ¡°the absolute main force of the team,¡± ¡°a future hero who is sure to protect the country,¡± ¡°the commander who had personally inquired about her situation,¡± and then he started praising Mr. and Mrs. Xie, ¡°You¡¯ve raised a good daughter,¡± ¡°I want to thank you on behalf of the nation for your effort and hard work.¡±

    These words made Mr. and Mrs. Xie beam with pride, as if they had eaten elixir and been rejuvenated, so much so that they were barely able to speak clearly, stammering.

    Looking at the other two, the uncle by marriage seemed quite proud himself, but the aunt looked as if she had eaten shit, her face full of a crestfallen grayish defeat, seeming to say, ¡°I can¡¯t accept this.¡±

    ¡°Xie Ruoxi has arrived, let¡¯s go,¡± said Yan Yu as soon as he noticed Xie Ruoxi coming down the stairs.

    He led everyone out the door, and Xie Ruoxi had only walked a few steps when Mrs. Xie hugged her tightly, laughing:

    ¡°Ruoxi has really done well this time. I told you that Ru Shan wouldn¡¯t lie, your dad didn¡¯t believe it, he had to come and see for himself, now he finally believes, doesn¡¯t he?¡±

    Although it seemed like she was mocking her husband, her gaze was on her cousin.

    The aunt¡¯s face immediately turned liver red, unable to speak coherently for quite some time, while the uncle by marriage, being more aware of what was appropriate, hurriedly came forward to smooth things over:

    ¡°Ah, we¡¯ve seen Ruoxi grow up since she was little, we always knew she was a late bloomer. Now that she has finally made a name for herself, we as relatives are very happy too.¡±

    This sounded incredibly fake because who was it that gossiped the most about Xie Ruoxi if not your wife?

    But Mrs. Xie, after all, was someone who cared about appearances. When the relatives flattered her, she couldn¡¯t keep harping on about it without coming off as petty, so she just hummed an acknowledgment and once again lifted her chin to look at her cousin, speaking arrogantly to her husband:

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±

    The group headed outside. Xie Ruoxi was also jubilant. As she passed by Yan Yu, for some reason, a whim struck her, and she suddenly reached out to take his hand.

    But Yan Yu¡¯s reaction was quicker, slapping her hand away with a snap.

    Only then did Xie Ruoxi come to her senses, sheepishly retracting her hand with an embarrassed look.

    Although others didn¡¯t notice this little gesture, Mrs. Xie was aware of it.

    She didn¡¯t mention it, but internally, a bit of resentment grew.

 Chapter 335: 31 Excessive Expansion, the Counteraction of the Celestial Bodies

    Chapter 335: Chapter 31 Excessive Expansion, the Counteraction of the Celestial Bodies

    A stretch limousine was parked outside the villa; the girls from the gaming team were already waiting inside.

    In truth, no one really liked riding in such an ostentatious business vehicle, but Yan Yu had already explained to everyone that this time, they needed to bolster Ruoxi¡¯s image in front of her family and relatives (to correct her weak character), so they all kept their objections to themselves, each adopting the poised and proud demeanor of high-class ladies, which paired well with the luxury car.

    Chen Lingyun naturally played the part of a wealthy young lady, while Su Yunjin portrayed the knowledgeable and reasonable type. Zhao Yuanzhen and Lin Ning lacked such experience; the former decided to imitate Chen Lingyun, and the latter followed Su Yunjin¡¯s lead, both maintaining a dignified appearance.

    They were already exceptionally beautiful, and now with their posturing, even the four elders of the Xie family dared not speak too much, and Madam Xie also restrained the joy on her face, showing a cautious expression instead.

    However, Xie Ruoxi was lacking in self-awareness; having become arrogant, she blatantly boasted,

    ¡°Of course, I am the undeniable main force of the team. During the award ceremony at Lingyan Pavilion, there was initially a plan to create a special honor just for me. But I said no, I wanted to maintain consistency with my team. Even though I have indeed made special contributions to the team, I prefer not to be treated differently.¡±

    ¡°Ah yes, yes.¡± The girls mentally rolled their eyes but calmly agreed on the surface, ¡°Ruoxi is indeed our team¡¯s main force. She was supposed to receive a special honor but declined it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s indeed not right to make exceptions.¡± Xie¡¯s father, who was the honest and unpretentious type who hated showing off, expressed rare admiration for Xie Ruoxi¡¯s behavior, ¡°Ruoxi, you did the right thing.¡±

    Seeing her normally reticent father also praising her, Xie Ruoxi became even more elated, saying proudly,

    ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t need any title to glorify my achievements. After all, there will be plenty of opportunities for establishing a brilliant career in the future. It¡¯s like that ¡®something in the bag something¡¯¡­¡±

    ¡°Hidden in the bag, its sharpness will show itself,¡± reminded Su Yunjin, ¡°It was said by Mao Sui.¡±

    ¡°Oh right, right! That¡¯s what I meant.¡± Xie Ruoxi showed no self-awareness or shame at her ignorance and confidently continued, ¡°With my strength, I will eventually become known throughout the country. Just wait and watch me on TV!¡±

    ¡°If that day really comes, mom will enjoy her blessings with you,¡± Madam Xie couldn¡¯t help but beam with happiness. Xie¡¯s father, however, felt his face couldn¡¯t hold up and interrupted his wife, saying,

    ¡°What blessings are you talking about? Children and grandchildren have their own fortunes! It¡¯s enough if Ruoxi herself is doing well.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always been doing well,¡± Xie Ruoxi pretended not to understand her dad¡¯s meaning, and blinked as she said, ¡°I now live in a big villa, with a monthly income of tens of millions, where does dad think I am not doing well?¡±

    Xie¡¯s father: ¡­¡­¡­

    Where has my clothes rack gone? Never mind, my daughter has grown up, and I can¡¯t hit her, so I have no choice but to endure.

    He silently looked out the window, remaining quiet.

    This was the first time Xie Ruoxi successfully showed filial piety, silencing her father, which greatly boosted her confidence. She glanced at her aunt who was beside herself with excitement, and continued to boast,

    ¡°We cultivators are different from mortals; we don¡¯t pursue the type of houses we live in or how much money we have in the bank. What we pursue is cultivation, strength, status, the power of speech, leaving our mark on history, whether the world will still remember my name, Xie Ruoxi, hundreds of years later!¡±

    Everyone: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Has Ruoxi become a bit too inflated?¡± Su Yunjin quietly asked Yan Yu through a message, ¡°It feels like she¡¯s getting more and more ludicrous.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s observe for a bit,¡± said Yan Yu, ¡°It might not be over-correction to straighten what is crooked.¡±

    Su Yunjin fell silent.

    The car brought everyone to the hotel. The location was chosen by Chen Lingyun, and its opulence far exceeded what the Xie family had imagined.

    Once Xie¡¯s parents were seated, they looked around, quite like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden for the first time. The aunt, however, seemed to be in a state of delirium, with a stiff smile on her face as she quietly asked her husband,

    ¡°It must cost quite a bit to book a feast here, right?¡±

    ¡°Stop fixating on money all the time,¡± the uncle-in-law found it harder to save face and said in a low voice, ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what Ruoxi said? She now has a monthly income of tens of millions; money is meaningless to her. She¡¯s after social status, historical evaluation! And here you are, still fussing over money, isn¡¯t it embarrassing? When it¡¯s time to offer toasts later, don¡¯t say a word, I¡¯ll do the talking.¡±

    The aunt had received a scolding and was feeling disgruntled, yet she dared not retort and silently went off to wash the dishes and chopsticks with tea water.

    The cold dishes hadn¡¯t even been served yet when a few people arrived from outside.

    Accompanied by his staff, it was none other than the commander-in-chief of the Zhendong Army, Li Weiguo.

    Yan Yu hurriedly greeted him, and although Xie¡¯s father and mother did not recognize who it was, seeing that he was surrounded by several staff members in the center, it was clear that he was a high-ranking figure unapproachable by ordinary people, so they quickly stood up with their cups in hand, so flustered that they didn¡¯t know what to say.

    ¡°Grandpa Li, have you arrived?¡± Yan Yu asked with a smile, ¡°Will you sit here?¡±

    ¡°No, I heard that relatives of Xie Ruoxi¡¯s parents had come, so I just wanted to have a look,¡± Li Weiguo nodded and turned his gaze towards Xie Ruoxi¡¯s parents.

    He was specially invited by Yan Yu to show support. On one hand, it was because Xie Ruoxi indeed had exceptional talent, which deserved his special attention; on the other hand, it was because her psychological weaknesses were too apparent, even arguably the weakest link in the entire Zhenhai Team.

    The internal psychological expert team of the Zhendong Army had once conducted a profiling analysis of all members of the team. Currently, Lin Ning held the highest stability score, followed by Zhao Yuanzhen, and then Su Yunjin; these three were all exceptionally outstanding team cultivators.

    The scores of Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun were considered good, as both had obvious tendencies toward arrogance and a desire to control, which slightly reduced their scores, though certainly not to the extent of having a psychological disorder.

    The biggest problem was naturally Xie Ruoxi, with a weak will, lack of perseverance, long-term addiction to virtual networks, a habit to evade reality, and low tolerance for setbacks¡­ Of course, this was not surprising, given her poor academic performance from a young age. In the fully academically competitive Lu Country, such a poor student was destined to be subjected to all-around, long-term battering by the environment.

    As for the ¡°personality correction plan¡± proposed by Yan Yu, which began with her family, it had also gained the approval of Li Weiguo. After all, Xie Rushan had visited once, and Xie Ruoxi had been willing to train properly; the effects were clearly evident.

    Li Weiguo, carrying the authoritative aura of a superior, spoke warmly to Xie¡¯s parents, expressing a hope that they would support Xie Ruoxi from the family¡¯s perspective, allowing her to fight for the country without any worries at home.

    Xie¡¯s parents were naturally overwhelmed by the attention. Xie¡¯s mother was at a loss for words, while Xie¡¯s father¡¯s face turned so red with excitement that no matter what Li Weiguo said, he would respond with ¡°Sure, sure,¡± ¡°Certainly, certainly,¡± ¡°We will definitely keep a close eye on her.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t until after Li Weiguo had left with his people that Xie Ruoxi woke as if from a dream and came back to her senses.

    The commander-in-chief himself had come to back me up!

    Wahaha¡­ It seems my unmatched talent as an Immortal Venerate has finally caught the eyes of the higher-ups!

    ¡°See that?¡± she boasted to her parents, brimming with pride, ¡°Knowing my family is in Jinling, the Commander-in-Chief himself came to visit! This is my status in the cultivator circles now!¡±

    Xie¡¯s parents smiled awkwardly, nodding non-stop, at a loss for words and unable to hide their astonishment, feeling a sense of awe and submission towards their daughter for the first time.

    Even the aunt couldn¡¯t hold it together anymore. From the moment Li Weiguo appeared, all her resentment and indignation had been shattered, now only thinking about ¡°I must quickly mend the relationship,¡± her face full of apologetic smiles, not knowing what to say.

    The uncle, on the other hand, was the most daring of the four, raising his glass to toast with a laugh:

    ¡°Ruoxi, let¡¯s not talk anymore. You¡¯ve made something of yourself now, and your uncle toasts to your success wishing you smooth sailing in your career and promotions at every turn! You¡¯ll always be the hope and pride of our entire village!¡±

    Thinking of the villagers starting to sing her praises and recount her great deeds, Xie Ruoxi was also quite proud, raising her glass to drink it all in one go, laughing:

    ¡°Of course! Leave it to me!¡± sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    She placed the cup in front of Yan Yu, then elbowed him slightly and ordered faintly:

    ¡°Refill.¡±

    Yan Yu: ???

    Good grief, you beautiful good-for-nothing, you really are getting too big for your boots, starting to act like you can order the heavens around, huh?

 Chapter 336: 32 Youre Good at Dodging Punishment

    Chapter 336: Chapter 32 You¡¯re Good at Dodging Punishment

    Yan Yu silently did nothing and filled Xie Ruoxi¡¯s cup to the brim.

    Xie Ruoxi grew increasingly smug, thinking to herself, ¡°The commander supports me, and the captain pours me wine. Could it be that the era belonging to me, Xie, the Immortal Venerate, is truly upon us?¡±

    From now on, under the heavens and above the earth, only I shall be revered!!!

    The more she thought about it, the more excited she became, feeling an almost unstoppable urge to stand on the table and howl. But with everyone present, it wasn¡¯t appropriate to go too wild, so she drank the wine poured by Yan Yu in one gulp and, with animated brows and vibrant gestures, bragged to her parents and relatives:

    ¡°Back when I fought in the Mysterious Realm on Black Dragon Isle, there were thousands of Onmyoji on the other side. I stood alone at the back, anchoring the formation, and they didn¡¯t even dare to attack me.¡±

    ¡°Thousands of people?¡± Xie¡¯s mother was extremely anxious, ¡°Then you¡­¡±

    She was about to say be very careful, before recalling that it was an event that had already happened.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Xie Ruoxi said dismissively, ¡°I dealt with them all by myself.¡±

    Everyone fell silent. Was this for real? In which parallel universe did this take place?

    ¡°Ruoxi is truly amazing.¡± An aunt raised her cup with a forced smile and said, ¡°Ruoxi has always been so brave. I remember back in primary school the teacher said that she was the only one in the class who wouldn¡¯t listen¡­¡±

    The crowd maintained their silence. Auntie, if you don¡¯t know what to say, it¡¯s better to say nothing at all.

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Xie Ruoxi coughed before continuing to boast, ¡°Why not talk about the battle to defend the Southern Border? Several times when our team almost got wiped out, it was all thanks to my Thunder Method that we were able to turn the tables. The most dangerous time was when we faced the Witch King. Half of our side fell after one of his attacks, and I had to use all my skills and wit to repel him.¡±

    The young women all bowed their heads to eat, hiding the awkward expressions on their faces.

    Only to hear Xie¡¯s father nodding and saying:

    ¡°Mmm, protecting the family and the country, a noble deed.¡±

    ¡°Whether it¡¯s the Onmyoji from the cherry blossoms or the Sorcerers from the Southern Border, none would be a match for me!¡± Xie Ruoxi, having drunk too much, said proudly, ¡°With my cultivation talent, I¡¯m bound to become the number one Cultivator in the country, the strongest in Lu Country¡­ no, the strongest in this world!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve had too much.¡± Yan Yu calmly took her cup away, ¡°Eat some food.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not drunk, I¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi was about to throw a little tantrum, but when she looked into Yan Yu¡¯s calm eyes, the wild blaze of arrogance inside her suddenly extinguished.

    I am the strongest in this world? No¡­ no, that¡¯s not right.

    I¡¯m just a pure, cute, delicate, and helpless Ruoxi, hehe~

    She quickly adjusted her demeanor, lowered her head to feign obedience and gentleness, only to hear Yan Yu continue:

    ¡°Uncle and Auntie, you¡¯ve heard it, haven¡¯t you? Xie Ruoxi is now a Cultivator with top-notch abilities in the country, so her safety can¡¯t be taken lightly. As her parents, according to the rules, you need to receive protection from the Military Manor.¡±

    ¡°We have already contacted the Annan Army, and they should be arranging to take you both to a residence within the military compound in Star City.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Xie¡¯s father and mother were caught off guard by this news, ¡°We have to move to Star City?¡±

    ¡°The initial plan was to arrange it in Baoqing Prefecture.¡± Yan Yu said indifferently, ¡°The Annan Army believes that the military force of Baoqing Prefecture is inadequate, and given Comrade Xie Ruoxi¡¯s strength level, her family requires a higher level of security protection, hence the provisional choice is Star City.¡±

    ¡°Oh, oh¡­¡± The elderly couple didn¡¯t know how to respond. They clearly weren¡¯t keen on moving, but Yan Yu was invoking orders from a higher authority; feeling cornered, they had no choice but to dazedly agree and leave it at that.

    The latter half of the banquet became somewhat dull with the discussion of moving, coupled with Xie Ruoxi¡¯s reconciliation.

    After the meal, Yan Yu offered to stay overnight but was politely declined by Xie¡¯s parents.

    They had never planned to stay for the night, as they didn¡¯t want to burden their daughter, so they had already purchased return tickets for the same day. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    At the train station¡¯s waiting platform, the aunt once again mustered the courage to approach her cousin, smiling and saying:

    ¡°Ruoxi has really made something of herself this time, that¡­¡±

    Xie¡¯s mother glanced at her impassively and interrupted her:

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to see your daughter?¡±

    ¡°Uh, she said she was on a business trip, so we won¡¯t visit her.¡± The aunt, interrupted in her momentum, could only weakly find an excuse, and then shrunk back beside her husband.

    But in her mind, she was resolved to get her daughter, who worked and lived in Jinling, to establish a good relationship with Xie Ruoxi.

    Due to over a decade of resentment, even if she were to make a complete 180-degree turn in her attitude now, she guessed Xie¡¯s parents would still not pay her much heed.

    But when Qianqian was a child, she had a fairly good relationship with Xie Ruoxi, and there was another cousin Wenwen. The three of them often played together during the summer holidays¡­ Xie Ruoxi¡¯s parents refused my attempts to curry favor, but surely Xie Ruoxi wouldn¡¯t completely ignore Qianqian, right?

    With this thought, she no longer persisted in entangling Xie Ruoxi¡¯s mother and silently took out her phone to send a message to her daughter.

    Back at Yan Yu¡¯s place, everyone went to wash up and change clothes.

    In the bathroom, Yan Yu was brushing his teeth when he suddenly heard a knock on the door.

    With the toothbrush in his mouth, he went to open the door, only to see Xie Ruoxi standing outside, timorously looking like a pitiful, big-eyed rabbit wanting to beg for mercy but not daring to do so, which immediately made him frown.

    What the hell¡­ weren¡¯t you quite arrogant at the dinner table just now? How come you¡¯ve reverted to your original state after coming back?

    So, all the effort we went to backing you up this time was for nothing, huh?

    ¡°Can I come in?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked tentatively.

    ¡°Come in,¡± Yan Yu mumbled, ¡°wait for me to finish brushing my teeth.¡±

    He went back into the bathroom, finished brushing his teeth cleanly, bent his head to spit out the toothpaste foam, and immediately a cup of water was held out to him.

    It was handed to him by Xie Ruoxi.

    Faced with her overly obvious attempt to ingratiate herself, Yan Yu sighed inwardly, took the cup and gargled noisily, wiped his mouth with a towel, then turned and left the bathroom saying:

    ¡°So, what do you want?¡±

    ¡°Captain, I did something wrong.¡± Seeing Yan Yu sitting on the edge of the bed, Xie Ruoxi immediately knelt down in a familiar manner, embracing Yan Yu¡¯s legs, ¡°I got too carried away with pride this time, please don¡¯t beat me, okay?¡±

    Yan Yu: ???

    Why the hell are you kneeling again?! Kneeling again! You¡¯re truly helpless¡­

    Just as he was about to express his disappointment with an exasperated kick, he suddenly realized that Xie Ruoxi wasn¡¯t actually kneeling¡ªshe was squatting while hugging his thighs, just like a rabbit, with her hind legs folded under her bottom and her front paws resting on him.

    ¡°Stand up and talk,¡± Yan Yu said impatiently.

    Xie Ruoxi obediently stood up and sat beside Yan Yu, her head down as she stared at the floor, trembling with fear.

    ¡°Why did you get carried away?¡± Yan Yu asked indifferently.

    ¡°Because I¡¯ve been suppressed too harshly in the past,¡± Xie Ruoxi said after a moment of silence, her voice melancholic, ¡°Captain¡­ all my life, whether at home or at school, I¡¯ve always been the unnoticed one in everyone¡¯s eyes.¡±

    ¡°People only care about who has good grades, who comes from a wealthy family, who is good at making friends. Then look at me¡ªwith terrible grades, a poor family, and a slight social anxiety that makes me afraid to speak loudly. Who would pay attention to a waste like me, really¡­¡±

    As she spoke, she thought about the many years of humility and sorrow and started to dab at her tears, dropping them like small pearls.

    But Yan Yu remained unmoved, because this beautiful waste had cried too many times before¡ªher tear ducts were just more active than most people¡¯s, so her crying wasn¡¯t necessarily because she was breaking down. It could have been just a release of emotions, or perhaps an attempt to soften her own heart. In any case, best not to dwell on it for now.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi choked up, ¡°I started to like the two-dimensional world after my looks developed in the ninth grade and boys began saying I was pretty¡­ Captain, do you know that my looks might be the only thing I have that counts for something? And in this world, only the two-dimensional realm purely appreciates beauty¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, so what?¡± Yan Yu asked coldly.

    ¡°So, what I really like isn¡¯t the two-dimensional world, but the feeling of being valued by others.¡± Xie Ruoxi sniffled hard, continuing to sob, ¡°The reason I want to cosplay isn¡¯t that I really like the original characters, but because I hope the fans who like those original characters will pay attention to me, look at me, like me¡­¡±

    Lack of love.

    This term suddenly appeared in Yan Yu¡¯s mind.

    But before he could ponder further, he saw Xie Ruoxi turning her head to look at him.

    Her face was wet with tears, looking pitiful and delicate like a rain-drenched pear blossom, yet her expression was serious and solemn¡­ an expression that Yan Yu had never seen her wear since he had known her.

    How can the beautiful waste suddenly become serious? What happened to your persona?

    ¡°Captain,¡± Xie Ruoxi said softly, ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to thank you.¡±

    ¡°Even at my most worthless times, you didn¡¯t choose to give up on me. You still patiently paid attention to me, watched over me, liked me.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like you,¡± Yan Yu asserted, ¡°Don¡¯t confuse me with your fans. The only reason I trained you is because of your exceptional cultivation talent¡­¡±

    ¡°But I like you,¡± Xie Ruoxi suddenly said.

 Chapter 337: 33 Yun Jin cured me as well

    Chapter 337: Chapter 33 Yun Jin cured me as well

    Xie Ruoxi wasn¡¯t boasting. Even without makeup, she truly was beautiful enough.

    Her eyes were large, and although they were single-lidded and prone to tears, when she stared unwaveringly at you, the watery shine within seemed about to overflow, possessing a wonderfully charming allure of immature shyness.

    Her nose and mouth were also delicately petite, quite fitting with the current aesthetic preferences for a youthful look, but the most exquisite feature was actually her skin, soft and creamy, smooth and lustrous like jade, just as adorable as a doll¡¯s.

    But adorable didn¡¯t mean she was suited to liking me, get it?

    ¡°You¡¯re not worthy,¡± Yan Yu said.

    Though he spoke slowly, it was with unwavering firmness, coldness, and finality, leaving no room for reprieve.

    ¡°I know I¡¯m not good enough for you,¡± Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t show the slightest hint of disappointment, but instead vigorously wiped her tears away and broke into a smile, ¡°But liking you is my own business, you can¡¯t stop me from liking you, can you?¡±

    ¡°Whatever,¡± Yan Yu continued to say, ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±

    What responded to him was a lightning-quick kiss.

    Xie Ruoxi kissed the corner of his mouth from the side, like a dragonfly skimming the water, fleeting, and then she stood up, whispering to herself:

    ¡°Captain, your clone once said that you would only be with the strongest woman, right?¡±

    ¡°Although I used to be quite worthless, I¡¯ll work hard.¡±

    After saying that, she tried again to smile, then hurriedly left.

    Yan Yu stared at the closed door for a long while before finally squeezing out a word through his teeth:

    ¡°Crap.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t that I was faint-hearted, but just now the aura of Xie Immortal Venerate was too intense¡ªyes, the same intense aura as Secretary Su¡¯s.

    How can this thing even be contagious?

    Forget it, don¡¯t scare myself. Even if a beautiful no-good transforms, she won¡¯t suddenly become the ultimate form of a gravity mage. Even if she does manage to do what she said, as long as she becomes a hard worker like Lin Ning, I should be thanking my lucky stars!

    Yan Yu relaxedly stood up, reaching out to wipe the kissed corner of his mouth.

    Hmph, this good-for-nothing¡¯s lips are quite soft.

    Let¡¯s go downstairs to grab something to eat.

    Yan Yu yawned lazily and approached the door to open it, only to see Su Yunjin standing there, giving him a gentle smile.

    ¡­Eavesdropping?

    That¡¯s not right, if it was eavesdropping, Xie Ruoxi would have discovered her immediately upon leaving the room, unless this young lady had her Invisibility Technique active while squatting by my door¡­ Wow, that¡¯s a bit terrifying, Secretary Su wouldn¡¯t pull that sort of thing.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Yan Yu asked nonchalantly.

    ¡°Did Ruoxi come to see you just now?¡± Su Yunjin asked with a smile.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Yes,¡± he nodded.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Su Yunjin explained, ¡°I had just come upstairs when I saw her with tears all over her face heading to the bathroom, so I thought maybe Captain Yan you had bullied her again.¡±

    ¡°Why would I bully her?¡± Yan Yu asked perplexedly.

    ¡°Who knows,¡± Su Yunjin said casually, ¡°For instance, during dinner today, maybe you thought she was getting carried away with the praise and wanted to bring her back down to earth afterwards?¡±

    ¡°Am I some kind of Demon King?¡± Yan Yu felt embarrassed.

    ¡°Nope,¡± Su Yunjin said lightly.

    Ah, come on¡­ How do you manage to express strong affirmation through denial?

    ¡°Come in,¡± Yan Yu sighed and said.

    Su Yunjin entered the room and sat down beside Yan Yu¡¯s bed¡ªexactly where Xie Ruoxi had been sitting, giving Yan Yu the subtle impression that ¡°they were taking turns torturing me.¡±

    ¡°So,¡± she said with a curious expression, ¡°What exactly did you talk about?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t tell you that,¡± Yan Yu turned her down.

    ¡°So it¡¯s Ruoxi who confessed to you,¡± Su Yunjin deduced, ¡°and then she got ¡®you¡¯re not worthy¡¯ brutally rejected by you, which is why she left crying, and you¡¯re afraid that talking about it would deepen the secondary damage to her, so you don¡¯t want to tell me, right?¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°You should read fewer detective novels,¡± he could only maintain a non-committal attitude and countered, ¡°Is this why you were looking for me?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile, ¡°Can¡¯t I come see the captain for no reason?¡±

    ¡°Of course not, I am very busy,¡± Yan Yu pretended to leave, but Su Yunjin couldn¡¯t hold back and hurriedly called out to him:

    ¡°Alright, alright, no more joking. Let me see how your wound is doing.¡±

    ¡°Hasn¡¯t my injury healed?¡± Yan Yu expressed confusion.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t heal that quickly.¡± Su Yunjin helped him take off his clothes and continued to examine the wound with her Divine Sense, kneading and probing, suddenly asking, ¡°Does this hurt?¡±

    ¡°A little.¡±

    ¡°Know why?¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re pinching me hard.¡±

    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Su Yunjin explained, ¡°It¡¯s because the hidden injury here hasn¡¯t fully healed, so when I touch the nerve endings inside with Runescript True Essence, they send out pain signals because the exposed wound is too large.¡±

    ¡°So you are using True Essence to pinch me,¡± Yan Yu realized.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ never mind,¡± Su Yunjin was somewhat speechless, ¡°Anyway, this still needs treatment. I will come over at this time every day from now on¡­¡±

    Before she could finish speaking, the door was suddenly pushed open from the outside, and Xie Ruoxi came in saying:

    ¡°Captain! I¡¯m going to fast¡­ huh?¡±

    Her gaze met Su Yunjin¡¯s in shock; the latter still held her pose touching the captain, both speechless.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    After a short while, everyone finally managed to explain the situation.

    ¡°So the captain¡¯s injury from the last trip to the Mysterious Realm hasn¡¯t healed,¡± Xie Ruoxi said.

    ¡°Right,¡± Su Yunjin nodded.

    ¡°So you need to treat him regularly,¡± Xie Ruoxi continued.

    ¡°Right,¡± Su Yunjin kept nodding.

    If I trust you, I must be an idiot! Xie Ruoxi scoffed inwardly.

    The captain has no tea appraisal skills, can I, the clever Ruoxi, be deceived by you?

    ¡°Speaking of which, I think I also have a hidden injury,¡± Xie Ruoxi said, ¡°My chest was pierced by the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Yan Yu was reminded by her words and immediately responded, ¡°Ruoxi¡¯s injury is alright, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not,¡± Su Yunjin gently explained, ¡°Penetrating injuries are deep and narrow, and as long as you don¡¯t die on the spot, the subsequent healing is not too troublesome.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just a penetrating injury,¡± Xie Ruoxi denied, ¡°At that time, Sister Zhao used the Treasure Controlling Technique to help me pull out the hairpin, and she might not have been very skilled. Plus, the clone was causing interference on the side, and during the process of pulling it out, it stabbed back in again, so there are also some tear marks¡­ I¡¯ve been feeling a persistent pain in my chest lately, why don¡¯t you check it out for me, Yun Jin?¡±

    ¡°Since she¡¯s still in pain, then you should check her out,¡± Yan Yu stood up, adjusting his clothes, ¡°I¡¯ll go find something to eat, I was too busy drinking tonight and got a bit hungry.¡±

    Once Yan Yu had left the bedroom, Xie Ruoxi and Su Yunjin faced each other again, both their smiles vanishing.

    ¡°Ruoxi, do you also like the captain?¡± Su Yunjin asked first, her tone calm.

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Xie Ruoxi replied coolly, ¡°Has anyone told you what my clone said?¡±

    ¡°Even if you really feel that way, you have to distinguish between acknowledging it and not,¡± Su Yunjin hinted, speaking tactfully, ¡°If you don¡¯t admit it, then it¡¯s not really liking.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Xie Ruoxi also understood the implication, ¡°So what now?¡±

    ¡°A fair competition?¡± Su Yunjin asked.

    ¡°Alright, a fair competition,¡± Xie Ruoxi said, ¡°What¡¯s fair in this context?¡±

    ¡°Even though we¡¯re rivals, we shouldn¡¯t be enemies,¡± Su Yunjin said slowly, ¡°What we need to do is make the captain truly fall for us, not to eliminate the love rival.¡±

    ¡°I agree.¡±

    S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 338: 34: Everyone Must Become Stronger

    Chapter 338: Chapter 34: Everyone Must Become Stronger

    Yan Yu arrived downstairs and had just opened the refrigerator when a voice sounded from beside him:

    ¡°What are you looking for to eat?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s in the fridge?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Gone.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen stated matter-of-factly, ¡°I¡¯ve eaten it all.¡±

    ¡°Then why are you asking me?¡± Yan Yu was speechless.

    ¡°I¡¯m reminding you that it¡¯s time to restock the fridge¡­ Ouch!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen got a karate chop from him and immediately scurried away holding her head.

    After rummaging through cabinets for quite a while, Yan Yu confirmed that all the snacks had indeed been devoured by this Demonic Sect¡¯s glutton, not even oatmeal was left for breakfast.

    He had no choice but to pull open a nearby cupboard, and from behind a pile of pots and pans, he retrieved secretly stashed instant noodles.

    Sigh, storing food in this house really isn¡¯t easy¡­

    Just as he was putting the noodle cake into cold water, he heard yet another voice beside him:

    ¡°What are you making to eat?¡±

    ¡°Instant noodles.¡± Yan Yu replied without turning back.

    ¡°Cooking instant noodles like that has no nutrition.¡± Lin Ning began to nitpick, ¡°Dehydrated vegetables already lose a lot of nutrients, they can¡¯t replace fresh vegetables.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°But it¡¯s convenient to cook them this way.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so lazy!¡± Lin Ning fetched vegetables and eggs from the fridge. Then suddenly, she screamed, ¡°Where¡¯s the Spam I put here?!!¡±

    ¡°I ate it.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen reemerged out of nowhere and replied.

    ¡°Spam needs to be fried.¡± Lin Ning sighed, holding her forehead, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s already cooked.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen defended herself confidently, ¡°I just ate it straight.¡±

    ¡°Next time we buy raw meat.¡± Yan Yu secretly communicated to Lin Ning, ¡°Freeze it in the freezer; she doesn¡¯t know how to thaw it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lin Ning had nothing more to say and took the vegetables to wash and chop. As she reached for the eggs, she heard Zhao Yuanzhen say:

    ¡°I want mine soft-boiled with a runny yolk.¡± Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning on making any for you.¡± Lin Ning said, annoyed.

    ¡°Ah, why be like that!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately hugged her from behind, starting to tickle her, laughing, ¡°Ningning, it¡¯s the same effort cooking one portion or two, help me out~¡±

    ¡°Alright! Alright! Stop it!¡± Lin Ning, tickled till her whole body weakened, swayed from side to side and surrendered, ¡°I¡¯ll make it for you! I¡¯ll make it, okay? Captain, go ask if the others want some too.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Yan Yu texted in the group chat, and the others replied quickly:

    ¡°Cook one for me too, make it soft and mushy.¡± Chen Lingyun responded.

    ¡°Add more vegetables.¡± Su Yunjin said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll pass, I¡¯m fasting.¡± Xie Ruoxi replied.

    The Immortal Venerate Xie, indeed, had a frightening talent for cultivation; it¡¯s just a pity that she was limited by the speed of the rise of the upper limit brought on by the Spiritual Energy Resurgence. She had to wait obediently for us with lesser aptitudes to catch up once she reached her limit.

    ¡°Okay, just stay out of the living room then, so you won¡¯t be tempted by the smell of food.¡± Yan Yu typed.

    ¡°No worries, I¡¯m in the basement.¡± Xie Ruoxi said.

    ¡°What are you doing in the basement?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked curiously.

    Cultivating the Fasting technique doesn¡¯t conflict with playing video games and watching anime in front of a computer, right?

    ¡°I¡¯m training.¡± Xie Ruoxi said.

    A clatter, Yan Yu¡¯s chopsticks fell to the floor.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t grip them firmly.¡± He calmly bent down to pick them up, but his heart was stirring with shock and awe.

    The beautiful good-for-nothing is actively training?

    Who was it? Who had her sign the Striver¡¯s Agreement? Even if she were only proactive for one day, it would still be considered a miracle in human history.

    All sorts of Xie Ruoxi¡¯s scandals from his past life came to his mind one after another, quickly calming the amazement in Yan Yu¡¯s heart.

    Meh, just a flash-in-the-pan enthusiast.

    Forget it, let her be.

    Lin Ning soon had the late-night snack ready. Ling Yun¡¯s had to be well-cooked, Yun Jin¡¯s doubled on vegetables, and Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s was a huge bowl of soup with extra noodles. The captain? Not worth the trouble.

    Sneakily added a poached egg for him, buried at the very bottom of his noodles.

    Everyone gathered around the dining table and started eating their noodles.

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s eating was still bold and unfettered, engulfing and inhaling the food; Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin were much more elegant, holding a spoon in their left and chopsticks in their right, seeking to have both noodles and soup at every bite.

    Lin Ning had little appetite, picking at her side dishes, she ate only a few bites before noticing Yan Yu also seemed to eat at a sluggish pace.

    ¡°Why?¡± she quietly transmitted a message over, ¡°Does it not suit your taste?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°It¡¯s quite delicious.¡±

    The issue wasn¡¯t with the meal, it was with him.

    After fasting, his body¡¯s need for food had dropped to zero; not eating or drinking wouldn¡¯t affect him in the slightest.

    Naturally, those who had fasted still might crave food, as exemplified by Zhao Yuanzhen, but that wasn¡¯t hunger¡ªit was closer to a desire for treats and an addiction to eating.

    Cultivators who completed the fasting practice no longer felt thirst or hunger and lost their natural ability to feel satisfied and content from being full. Their taste buds became more sensitive to the unique flavors of ingredients, while the pleasure derived from carbs and fats diminished significantly because of their association with satiety¡­ Although Yan Yu knew this from his past life, he had never experienced it personally.

    At the previous banquet hosted for relatives of the Xie Family, he didn¡¯t eat much. Now it seemed it was because his appetite had been affected.

    Thinking about it, looking at the Demonic Sect¡¯s gluttonous beasts, they indeed had an exceptional talent for indulgence.

    After hurriedly finishing his meal, Yan Yu left the living room and went to the basement to see how Xie Ruoxi was faring with her practice.

    Arriving below, he saw Xie Ruoxi seated cross-legged on a yoga mat, quietly meditating and practicing Qi Refinement.

    Proactively cultivating yet looking like a beautiful waste¡­ the more he looked, the more it irked him, it was simply too peculiar.

    As he drew closer, wanting a better look, he saw Xie Ruoxi¡¯s head suddenly loll to the side, and her breathing grew heavier.

    She began to snore lightly.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    So she was sleeping, huh?

    I knew she couldn¡¯t be that self-disciplined! Hmph, this makes much more sense.

    Yan Yu left the basement quietly and returned to his own room.

    After resting for a moment, his phone suddenly rang.

    It was Anna:

    ¡°Have you heard about the situation in the East Sea?¡±

    ¡°What situation?¡± Yan Yu asked back.

    A video was sent over, showing the sea¡¯s depths illuminated in a rolling aurora of seven-colored splendor¡ªa radiance unmatched in beauty, looking almost dreamy and unreal.

    ¡°Where is this?¡± Yan Yu typed.

    Before Anna could reply, another message arrived, this time from Liu Longtao:

    ¡°East longitude 126 North latitude 30, something unusual beneath the sea.¡±

    Anna¡¯s response also came quickly:

    ¡°The Elders sensed huge magical fluctuations in the Southeast direction; the video was projected using a divination array. Currently, it¡¯s estimated to be within the international waters at the tripoint junction of your, Yin Yang Bureau, and Pear Blossom Courtyard¡¯s influence.¡±

    ¡°If you need help, remember to contact me.¡±

    International waters at the trijunction of three powers¡­ a battle was inevitable, perhaps the witches of the Amur coven could be of use.

    ¡°The situation is not yet clear,¡± Liu Longtao messaged, ¡°Stay alert.¡±

    With a ding, Chen Lingyun also sent a message, this time a weather satellite image.

    A storm¡¯s eye had formed above the East Sea, unlike typical typhoon cloud patterns, this storm¡¯s eye was colorful¡ªthe center resembled a giant soap bubble.

    Yan Yu stood up and went downstairs to the living room, where he found the girls gathered together, discussing the anomaly in the East Sea.

    ¡°It must be the entrance to a Mysterious Realm,¡± Su Yunjin speculated, ¡°and it hasn¡¯t opened yet.¡±

    ¡°Since it¡¯s in international waters, it will surely provoke international contention among the powers of various Transcendents,¡± Lin Ning added with concern.

    ¡°Indeed, and this time both the Yin Yang Bureau of Heavy Sakura and the Pear Blossom Courtyard of Goryeo will most likely join in the contest,¡± Yan Yu came over and said, ¡°You all need to accelerate your cultivation and reach the Marrow Cleansing Stage before this Mysterious Realm completely opens.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± the girls hastily responded.

    With the ¡°imminent opening of an overseas Mysterious Realm¡± as motivation, everyone perked up, getting ready to return to their rooms to cultivate, when they saw Xie Ruoxi coming down to the living room:

    ¡°Is there any food left?¡±

    ¡°None,¡± Yan Yu pointed at the kitchen, which contained dishes waiting to be washed, ¡°It¡¯s all been eaten¡­ Weren¡¯t you practicing the fasting method?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s already done,¡± Xie Ruoxi opened the refrigerator door.

    ¡°You¡¯ve advanced to the Marrow Cleansing Stage?¡± the girls exclaimed in shock.

    Even the team captain himself took about ten days to master the fasting method, how could you¡­ didn¡¯t you just start practicing?

    ¡°It should be done, since I broke out into a stinky sweat, and I took a bath afterward,¡± Xie Ruoxi searched for a while, then suddenly screamed, ¡°Where are my cheese sticks that I hid in here?!!!¡±

 Chapter 339: 35 East Sea Departure Palace, Intelligence Disclosure

    Chapter 339: Chapter 35 East Sea Departure Palace, Intelligence Disclosure

    Several days later, news of the strange phenomena in the East Sea quickly spread across the world.

    Foreign media extensively reported the development, claiming that the Miti Strategic Bureau had already initiated a lead to share the Mysterious Realm with both the Yin Yang Bureau and the Pear Blossom Courtyard.

    Guess who wasn¡¯t invited?

    The Privy Council chose to retaliate by marking off a region near the Mysterious Realm and starting long-term military exercises.

    Public opinion abroad immediately erupted, daring the Privy Council to demarcate on international waters?

    The Privy Council said it was a normal exercise and that certain forces shouldn¡¯t be overly tense.

    After several days of criticism, seeing that the Privy Council was unmoved, the Miti Strategic Bureau drew a military zone directly opposite the Privy Council, announcing long-term tripartite military drills with the Yin Yang Bureau and the Pear Blossom Courtyard.

    Everyone knew that the military drill was just a smokescreen, a way to stake a claim on the territory first.

    Once the Mysterious Realm truly opened, it would come down to the Privy Council¡¯s defences blocking and countless foreign Transcendents charging in recklessly. How many could be stopped would depend on the courage and strategic resolve of the Privy Council of Lu Country¡ªthe greater the courage and firepower, the more that could be stopped, but of course, the risk of war also would skyrocket; sufficient resolve meant blocking fewer, but at the cost of intense competition for the Mysterious Realm. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    There were reports that Chen Tianming was vigorously advocating for ¡°unrestricted fire,¡± ¡°maximum deterrence,¡± and ¡°complete interception¡± within the Privy Council, while several others strongly opposed, citing the old reason of ¡°we cannot isolate ourselves from modern society.¡±

    As outside the Mysterious Realm, once naval guns start to clash, it could easily escalate the conflict indefinitely, leaving neither side willing to swallow their pride;

    But inside the Mysterious Realm, it¡¯s each Transcendent for themselves, fate deciding life and death, and thus there is not much risk of war¡ªonce the core hub of the Mysterious Realm is controlled by the adversary, even if you want to flip the table, it won¡¯t change the facts, and the result, of course, is to leave dejectedly without flipping the table.

    Upon hearing this, Yan Yu immediately called to mock Lord Master:

    ¡°Old Liu, I hear your faction cast an abstaining vote at the Privy Council?¡±

    ¡°How did you know?¡± Liu Longtao asked in surprise.

    ¡°Chen Lingyun told me that someone played the coward,¡± Yan Yu said succinctly. ¡°Guess who?¡±

    ¡°Heh,¡± Liu Longtao scoffed, ¡°do you think your father-in-law harbors any goodwill? If there¡¯s an escalation of hostilities with the other side, the Privy Council would have to ramp up its engagement in the Pacific Ocean front, and the Zhendong Army¡¯s influence would increase. And his commander-in-chief and he are from the same faction, see? He¡¯s not trying to reduce the supposed ¡®risk of the Mysterious Realm competition¡¯; it¡¯s purely for his own interest.¡±

    ¡°How could I not understand?¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°are you saying your family cast an abstaining vote just to choose sides based on interest?¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡± Liu Longtao claimed, righteous and confident, ¡°our families unanimously think that your father-in-law, not yet involved, is already so aggressive. Once involved, wouldn¡¯t he turn everything upside down? We must restrain, and it¡¯s for his own good too.¡±

    ¡°Restrain, everyone is open to restraint,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently. ¡°He¡¯s not my father-in-law right now.¡±

    ¡°Not now, but perhaps in the future, right?¡± Liu Longtao laughed heartily. ¡°Old Yan, I¡¯m telling you, during the Privy Council¡¯s joint session, one faction even proposed to bar the Dragon Soar Team from participating in the battle.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Yan Yu was taken aback. ¡°Are they having a stroke or senile dementia? If I don¡¯t join, who will fight for the Mysterious Realm, you?¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Liu Longtao laughed at him defiantly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me? Left fist to punch Pear Blossom Courtyard, right foot to kick Yin Yang Bureau, and in minutes I¡¯ll have them all down, alright?¡±

    ¡°Forget it then. I won¡¯t join this time; hand it over to your Dragon Cavalry Team, okay?¡± Yan Yu immediately declared, hands off.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that,¡± Liu Longtao said with a smile. ¡°They were just testing the waters, and seeing we all disagreed, they dropped the issue. What I¡¯m saying is, although you don¡¯t consider Chen Tianming your father-in-law, when they¡¯re fighting him, they¡¯ll take the chance to step on you too¡ªunfortunately, your clean slate has already been marked with the label of their Chen Family.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Yan Yu also laughed. ¡°Who dares to actually step down, do they not need the Longcheng Flying General to go into battle?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the point,¡± Liu Longtao couldn¡¯t deny, whether Yan Yu participated in battle was crucial to the strategy for conquering the Mysterious Realm. ¡°As long as you¡¯re aware of what needs to be done, that¡¯s enough. I¡¯m hanging up now!¡±

    After hanging up the phone, Yan Yu fell into contemplation.

    Damn Chen Lingyun, shitty Chen Family. How did I, a promising young man with the surname Yan, become your guy?

    No, I need to take it out on that little mushroom.

    Arriving at the underground training ground, he saw the girls all seizing the time to cultivate their breath and refine their Qi, striving to reach the great perfection stage of Qi Refinement as soon as possible.

    The fastest progress was made by Su Yunjin, followed by Lin Ning, both of whom were vaguely touching their bottleneck, and it was estimated that they could start practicing the Fasting Technique this week.

    ¡°One week from today, there will still be one person in our team who has not started practicing the Fasting Technique,¡± Yan Yu approached Chen Lingyun and asked in a leisurely manner, ¡°May I ask, who would that be?¡±

    ¡°No rush,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°The Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng hasn¡¯t opened that soon, there¡¯s plenty of time.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve already learned the name?¡± Yan Yu asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t it still unopened?¡±

    ¡°The Privy Council is supervising this project, the Space Rupture Technique,¡± Chen Lingyun replied, ¡°which means sending unmanned drones or even cultivators into the realm before it actually opens, to check out the situation inside.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu also understood and nodded, ¡°I heard that by means of this, Lord Master¡¯s family has gained a lot of treasures, the Tian Yuan Qi Sword that Ruoxi uses came this way.¡±

    ¡°This technology is still not mature,¡± continued Chen Lingyun. ¡°Whether sending people or drones, the success rate is only about 50%, otherwise we would be sent in before the Mysterious Realm opens, take over the control core, and end it.¡±

    With a success rate of only 50%, what happens upon failure goes without saying. Yan Yu fell silent for a while, then spoke in detail:

    ¡°If I remember correctly, L¨ªg¨­ng should be a testing-type Mysterious Realm. Testers need to pass through six randomly sequenced trials in a row in order to enter L¨ªg¨­ng and claim their reward.¡±

    ¡°When entering the realm, the initial trial is completely random. Even if a team enters together, they will be scattered and separated.¡±

    ¡°However, each trial¡¯s world map is extremely large. So, even if moving alone, one can easily hide their movements.¡±

    ¡°After passing all six trials, one will be teleported to the Departure Palace Square. Not only is the terrain open here, making it difficult to hide, but it is also the final destination for everyone.¡±

    ¡°That means,¡± Chen Lingyun quickly caught on, ¡°reach the endpoint first, then surround and annihilate the reinforcements.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± said Yan Yu, ¡°There is no control core in the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng. After opening, it will automatically close after twelve hours, send everyone out, and then disappear again.¡±

    ¡°If one fails to enter L¨ªg¨­ng to claim their reward, it would mean the trip was in vain, returning empty-handed.¡±

    ¡°Are rewards distributed per individual?¡± Chen Lingyun asked sharply.

    ¡°Yes, the rewards depend on the performance in the trials and the order of arrival at L¨ªg¨­ng,¡± Yan Yu replied. ¡°In addition, if you¡¯re ranked beyond the tenth place, not only is the reward null, but I¡¯ve heard you¡¯ll also get a good scolding when things are settled.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then what we need to do is very simple,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°race to clear the levels first.¡±

    ¡°Then guard the Departure Palace Gate,¡± Yan Yu said, his voice deepening, ¡°kill anyone who comes until the L¨ªg¨­ng closes.¡±

 Chapter 340: 36: Alliance Team

    Chapter 340: Chapter 36: Alliance Team

    Yan Yu revealed the secret information about L¨ªg¨­ng to Chen Lingyun actually with the intention of saving a few lives for Lu Country¡ªrather than having more soldiers risk their lives to obtain intelligence on the mysterious realm.

    But who was Chen Lingyun? She was someone full of cunning schemes and quickly relayed this intelligence to Chen Tianming.

    Father and daughter privately discussed the matter and soon came up with a new plan¡­ Keeping it from everyone else, hence it is not mentioned here for the time being.

    Finally, it was December, and temperatures in Jinling Prefecture dropped further, prompting the team villas to turn on their underfloor heating.

    It was then discovered that the underground training field had no underfloor heating, as that area was originally designed as a garage, so everyone moved their training upstairs to the living room to practice their Qi Refinement and breathing techniques.

    Su Yunjin and Lin Ning had both already begun to practice the Fasting Technique. To support their cultivation, Yan Yu declared a strict fast within the villa, forbidding anyone to eat at home.

    Zhao Yuanzhen expressed strong protest.

    The protest was in vain, and the compromise was to accompany Chen Lingyun for outdoor meals three times a day.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress accepted the resolution.

    Every day, the two would put on makeup and disguise themselves to go out for meals, while the others stayed in the villa to cultivate. During their free time, they would watch live TV broadcasts¡­ As the timing for the opening of the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng was uncertain, the Zhenhai Team had completely stopped all external tasks, staying at home ready for combat at any time.

    It was said that the Dragon Soar Team had also stopped going out, indicating that the lineup for the upcoming expedition to the Departure Palace was already set.

    In contrast, the Qing¡¯an and Huofeng Teams were much more high-profile.

    In early December, the Cultivator Professional Sports League finally declared its establishment, with ten teams including Zhenhai, Dragon Soar, Qing¡¯an, and Huofeng, being designated as first-class teams. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The other teams were ranked as second-class or third-class, with four second-class teams who were not cultivator students from four major colleges.

    They were civilian cultivators.

    The emergence of civilian cultivator teams meant that besides the military manor cultivators and college student cultivators, a third faction of cultivators had officially stepped onto the historical stage.

    College student cultivators were the favored sons of heaven, receiving the best treatment and conditions. Although there were many military manor cultivators, they were known for their strict discipline and resilience, resulting in minimal conflicts between the two.

    Civilian cultivators were members of society who had embarked on the path of cultivation alone, surrounded by ordinary people, which could result in a sense of being the chosen ones. Such recognition could drastically change their worldview¡ªnot that civilian cultivators were all bad seeds, but the statistics from previous life showed that the proportion of troublemakers was certainly not low.

    The Privy Council¡¯s arrangement was to let these four second-class teams battle against Qing¡¯an and Huofeng Teams to experience the strength of the current top-tier cultivator teams.

    The outcome was as expected. Li Minghu left some face for the opposition, but Zhou Hongyu showed no mercy at all, bombarding them without restraint. In the first match, three opponents were sent directly to the ICU, shocking the national audience in front of their TVs.

    The girls were also surprised: Captain Zhou, it¡¯s one thing to fight against enemies, but to beat up our own people this viciously? That doesn¡¯t leave a good impression, does it?

    After Yan Yu finished watching the match, he silently took out his phone and sent a message to Zhou Hongyu.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Rehab seems to be working quite well, huh? You can even send opponents to the ICU?

    [Zao La]: Trash.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You¡¯re cursing the other side, right?

    [Zao La]: What else? Did you think it was for you?

    [Zao La]: Making dirty jokes to Xiao Lian before the match.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Oh, I see, I can¡¯t really comment not knowing the exact words, dear.

    [Zao La]: Trying to trick me into talking?

    [Zao La]: You want me to repeat such indecent stuff?

    [Zao La]: You¡¯re a bad seed, too.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Then you¡¯ve wronged me, Xiao Zhou. If I had to pick on someone from your team, I would definitely choose you over Xiao Tang, that kid admires the strong, and it wouldn¡¯t be good if he got a crush on me.

    [Zao La]: Haha.

    [Zao La]: I¡¯ve mastered a new spell, I¡¯ll kill you the next time you come over.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Is that spell by any chance called ¡°Chi Yu Nine Phoenix Fire¡±?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Guess who got their hands on it? It was me.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You¡¯re going to use the spell I obtained to go against me?

    [Zao La]: Don¡¯t care, I¡¯ll kick your ass just the same.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: It¡¯s not yet decided who¡¯ll kick whose ass.

    After ending the conversation with Zhou Hongyu, Yan Yu also started to feel wistful.

    It seems like my relationship with her is warming up¡­ but what have I done lately?

    Strange.

    But it¡¯s better for her to be normal, rather than accumulating more and more evil energy until she eventually explodes into pieces.

    After catching up with Zhou Hongyu, Yan Yu sent a message to Li Minghu.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: How are you feeling?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Experience and awareness are definitely lacking, but they¡¯re brave and resolute, and their methods are very different from our Scholarly Faction.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Our Three Arts and Five Spells are cast with clear intentions, while theirs are more like¡­ how should I put this? There¡¯s a sense of eager to unleash the attack to boost their own momentum.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: A habit of street fighting, huh.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: In life, you¡¯re facing harmless people; as soon as you flash a knife, they get scared, so civilian cultivators are used to launching quick attacks to intimidate opponents.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: But that won¡¯t work on us.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: I think civilian cultivators still lack a solid foundation; they won¡¯t become our rivals in a short time.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: In the long run, it still comes down to resources.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Exactly.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What I truly fear is them suddenly whipping out some unseen magical artifact or spell, catching you off guard.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Could that really happen? Aren¡¯t most civilian cultivators basically conscripted by now?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Who knows?

    From my experiences in the previous life, not all civilian cultivators choose to poke their heads out to be officially conscripted.

    In the decade of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, the toughest cultivator to be conscripted was Empress Yuanzhen. Below her were many formidable cultivators who are currently nowhere to be found¡ªI wonder where they are secretly holed up, biding their time.

    Once I have some time, I¡¯ll report their names to Chen Lingyun, and let her dad check the citizen information database¡ªpull all of you out one by one!

    Besides civilian cultivators, there¡¯s another group of people, who should be considered Yan Yu¡¯s ¡°colleagues¡± from his past life; right now, they¡¯re probably busy with various industries and jobs.

    Uncertain whether the plan has started, Yan Yu doesn¡¯t want to ¡°reminisce¡± with them. If he had a choice, he¡¯d prefer these people not become so-called ¡°mortal cultivators¡± in this lifetime.

    ¡°Ugh!¡± Su Yunjin, sitting opposite on the sofa, suddenly made a strange retching sound.

    She seemed to try to stand up hastily, but it was too late¡ªher clothes were quickly soaked with severe sweat, and the color soon changed, almost turning her into a mud person from head to toe¡ªlike those favored by bathhouse scrubbers in the north.

    Su Yunjin hurried off upstairs. Lin Ning opened her eyes and watched her companion¡¯s back, silently sighing in her heart.

    I didn¡¯t surpass Yun Jin again¡­ Huh, why do I say ¡°again¡±?

    ¡°Focus on your cultivation,¡± Yan Yu sent a message through sound transmission, ¡°The speed of marrow cleansing is not important; what matters is that every step on the path of cultivation must be taken firmly and steadily.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Lin Ning closed her eyes again, struggling hard against hunger and thirst.

    In her chaotic mind, for some reason, the form of Yan Yu emerged.

 Chapter 341: 37 Competitive Ningning

    Chapter 341: Chapter 37 Competitive Ningning

    After Su Yunjin completed her Marrow Cleansing, she not only became much fairer but also grew three centimeters taller, making Xie Ruoxi incredibly envious¡ªWhy didn¡¯t I grow taller when I did my Marrow Cleansing?

    To celebrate Yun Jin¡¯s Marrow Cleansing, Zhao Yuanzhen appropriately suggested that everyone should go out for a meal together as a celebration.

    Xie Ruoxi immediately agreed, stirring up the excitement.

    Su Yunjin worried about Lin Ning and wanted to excuse herself, but seeing her dilemma, Lin Ning took the initiative and said:

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, you all go and enjoy the meal. I should practice at home alone; I can¡¯t expect everyone to starve and fast with me.¡±

    Since Lin Ning had put it that way, Su Yunjin agreed and then turned to look at Chen Lingyun and Yan Yu.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine with it,¡± Chen Lingyun smiled and accepted, but Yan Yu said:

    ¡°I don¡¯t really have an appetite today, you all go ahead, I¡¯ll rest at home.¡±

    Su Yunjin: ¡­¡­¡­

    Suddenly, she didn¡¯t feel like going anymore.

    However, the situation was beyond her control now. Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi, like two imposing guardians, lifted her up from either side and escorted her out.

    Time to feast!

    Chen Lingyun quickly followed them out, giving Lin Ning a meaningful look as she turned back.

    Lin Ning, however, did not understand and turned to ask Yan Yu:

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you going?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say I have no appetite?¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°Humph, if it¡¯s out of pity for me, there¡¯s no need,¡± Lin Ning¡¯s mood slightly improved, but she huffed coldly.

    ¡°I do pity your brain a bit¡­¡± Yan Yu hadn¡¯t finished speaking when Lin Ning quickly grabbed a sofa cushion and threw it at his head.

    After placing the cushion aside, Yan Yu started flipping through TV channels with the remote control.

    Lin Ning sat cross-legged on the sofa and continued meditating quietly.

    The key to the Fasting technique lies in the word ¡°restraint,¡± which forces the body to internalize and self-sustain when there is no intake of external substances for a long time.

    This kind of forced endurance is, of course, extremely agonizing and can even be described as defying the body¡¯s instinct to survive. Thus, one can usually try to visualize something else to divert their attention.

    The object of Lin Ning¡¯s visualization was a big fish leaping out of the waves¡ªan original painting that hung on the living room wall of her old home in Qingyuan Prefecture.

    For some reason, though, the waves in her mind¡¯s sea gradually disappeared, and the big fish slowly faded away.

    In their place was Yan Yu¡¯s face.

    Detestable yet dependable.

    A mix of resentment and panic began to grow in Lin Ning¡¯s heart, not understanding why she suddenly thought of him and not wanting to know either. She abruptly opened her eyes and said:

    ¡°Stop changing channels on the TV; you¡¯re disturbing me.¡±

    ¡°Should I go then?¡± Yan Yu feigned as if he were about to stand up.

    ¡°Humph, no one is stopping you if you want to leave,¡± Lin Ning said coldly.

    Yan Yu fell silent. ¡°No one is stopping you if you want to leave¡± was actually ¡°don¡¯t leave, but I¡¯m too embarrassed to say it¡±¡ªSister Lin¡¯s insincerity was becoming more and more outrageous.

    He pretended to head upstairs, walking towards the staircase and stomping up, then deliberately made his footsteps lighter and lighter as he turned and went back downstairs, quietly approaching Lin Ning from behind.

    Lin Ning was unaware of all this, just hearing Yan Yu¡¯s footsteps getting softer and fading away¡ªprobably going back up to his room on the second floor.

    After a moment, she finally opened her eyes and sighed.

    No more wild thoughts, I must focus on my cultivation¡­

    Lin Ning rubbed her cheeks forcefully with her hands, then slapped them a few times to calm herself down, only to suddenly hear Yan Yu¡¯s voice from behind:

    ¡°Little cat washing her face?¡±

    Startled, Lin Ning jolted up from the sofa in a flash, only to quickly realize:

    The Captain pretended to leave but was actually observing my expressions behind my back, watching me make a fool of myself!

    She grabbed another throw pillow from the sofa and tried to use it as a weapon to beat Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu nimbly stepped back and dodged, then dashed upstairs in a flash.

    Lin Ning, relentless, chased him upstairs and with a swift stride, burst into his room.

    Think you can escape?

    Like a tiger pouncing on its prey!

    She tackled the unprepared Yan Yu onto the bed, pinned his shoulders, and prepared to bite him.

    Yan Yu did not resist, but looked at her in astonishment, thinking, When did this girl become so bold, daring to push me onto the bed?

    The next second, Lin Ning let go of him and stood up with a red face, then quickly switched to an impatient expression, folding her arms and saying,

    ¡°What were you running for? I, I saw you fleeing and subconsciously thought you were a bad guy, so I chased you to catch you!¡±

    ¡°You were going to hit me, shouldn¡¯t I dodge?¡± Yan Yu retorted.

    ¡°That¡¯s because you deliberately scared me in the living room!¡± Lin Ning glared at him, like a cat trying to appear threatening.

    ¡°I was simply concerned because you suddenly started sighing and rubbing your face, so I asked,¡± Yan Yu calmly inquired again, ¡°Were you scared?¡±

    ¡°Not at all!¡± Lin Ning fell right into his trap. She vehemently denied first, then realizing her slip, she explained, ¡°Although I wasn¡¯t scared by you, you had ill intentions, wanting to scare me, so I need to punish you severely!¡±

    ¡°And your method of punishing me severely is to tackle me onto the bed when I¡¯m not expecting it?¡± Yan Yu asked for the third time.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Lin Ning was finally at a loss for words.

    Seeing that she might explode again, Yan Yu quickly changed the subject:

    ¡°How¡¯s your Fasting practice coming along? If I remember correctly, you and Yun Jin started practicing around the same time, give or take a day or two.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s going well, very smoothly,¡± Lin Ning really was sidetracked by his change of topic, too embarrassed to admit that she had ¡°too many distractions in her mind,¡± and simply said, ¡°Just a few more days¡¯ work left.¡±

    ¡°Alright then, hurry up and advance to the next stage,¡± Yan Yu stood up ready to leave, ¡°Departure Palace could open at any time, so it¡¯s better to advance sooner and have peace of mind.¡±

    As he was about to leave the room, he suddenly heard Lin Ning ask from behind:

    ¡°Um, Captain¡­¡± S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°When I meditate, I keep getting distracted¡­ Will that affect the efficiency of my Fasting practice?¡±

    ¡°What exactly are you thinking about?¡± Yan Yu turned around and asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡± Lin Ning fell silent for a moment, ¡°Those really handsome male celebrities on TV and such.¡±

    ¡°Ah, got it, you¡¯re spring feverish,¡± Yan Yu realized.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to kick you!¡± Lin Ning fumed, grinding her teeth.

    ¡°No worries,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°As long as it¡¯s not about food, it¡¯s fine to think about anything. The key is whether it can help you avoid thinking about how hungry you are.¡±

    ¡°Only when you completely rid yourself of the dependence on food and water, both physically and mentally, can you successfully cultivate the art of Fasting¡­ That¡¯s the goal, and the means to achieve it are up to you, don¡¯t be constrained by formalities.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Lin Ning¡¯s voice was soft and timid, as if shy, ¡°So him popping into my head uncontrollably, just because I subconsciously want to distract myself and suppress the impulse to eat, it¡¯s not because I have¡­ those feelings for him, right?¡±

    Yan Yu found it a bit odd; don¡¯t all you star chasers hope to get close to your idols? Why do you seem somewhat reluctant?

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± he nodded, ¡°So which male celebrity is on your mind?¡±

    For some reason, Lin Ning felt herself getting angry again.

    ¡°None of your business!¡± she huffed, glared at Yan Yu, then hurriedly fled, running back to her own room and even locking the door behind her.

    ¡°¡­Absolutely nonsensical.¡± Yan Yu shook his head, chuckling to himself.

    Back in her room, Lin Ning sat on the bed alone, lost in thought for a long time.

    ¡°Alright!¡± she suddenly stood up, clenched her fist firmly, and declared, ¡°I must cleanse my marrow as soon as possible!¡±

    I can¡¯t fall behind Yun Jin!

    In every aspect!

 Chapter 342: 38: White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer

    Chapter 342: Chapter 38: White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer

    The current concentration of Spiritual Energy on Earth only supports cultivation at the initial stages of the Marrow Cleansing Stage.

    Therefore, the girls who had advanced to the Marrow Cleansing Stage shifted their focus to training.

    Su Yunjin¡¯s Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art had started to cultivate the fourth move: Feichao Fenye.

    Summoning nearly ten meters of surging tides to sweep away enemies in front of her¡ªof course, this would also deplete her own True Yuan drastically. If it hadn¡¯t been for her advancement to the Marrow Cleansing Stage, which significantly improved the quality of her True Yuan, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to use this move at all, even if she drained her Dantian.

    The indoor swimming pool in the side room on the first floor came into play once again; Su Yunjin¡¯s daily training consisted of filling the pool as quickly as possible and then draining it, repeating this cycle to practice her rapid water-filling ability.

    Xie Ruoxi was still practicing basic skills: movement, adaptability, defensive Sword Control Technique, and the accuracy of the Thunder Method.

    Unfortunately, this girl seemed to have inherited both Lin Ning¡¯s ¡°rigid thinking¡± and Chen Lingyun¡¯s ¡°sluggish response,¡± where luxurious hardware was undercut by a chaotic software, so much so that Yan Yu didn¡¯t hold much expectation for her¡ªjust cultivating the habit of daily training was good enough, regardless of whether there was any improvement.

    Chen Lingyun and Lin Ning¡¯s current top priority was still to cleanse their marrow as quickly as possible, so they had not joined the regular training plan.

    Thus, the issue fell on Zhao Yuanzhen. Her control of the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin was already proficient, leaving little room for improvement, so it was time for her to claim a second magical weapon.

    In the principal¡¯s office, after hearing Yan Yu¡¯s purpose, Li Weiguo reached into a drawer and took out a tablet computer to hand over.

    ¡°Is this just the Zhendong Army¡¯s inventory, or does it include all four armies?¡± Yan Yu started swiping the screen.

    ¡°All four armies are included,¡± replied Li Weiguo. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s better to first choose from our inventory to avoid communicating with them¡­¡±

    He hadn¡¯t finished his sentence when he saw Yan Yu already swiping past the Zhendong Army¡¯s inventory list to start looking at the Annan Army¡¯s inventory.

    Li Weiguo was silent for a moment, then waved his hand in annoyance,

    ¡°Look at that side. Tell me once you¡¯re done.¡±

    Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen moved to a corner of the room, where the Demonic Sect Enchantress asked,

    ¡°What kind of magical weapon are you going to pick for me?¡±

    ¡°From the perspective of the team, it would be best to choose a defensive type, like Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler,¡± Yan Yu quickly swiped through the screen. ¡°But defensive types don¡¯t suit your temperament, do they?¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied proudly. ¡°What do I need defense for? Offense is the best defense. If you meet an enemy who completely overpowers you, you¡¯re ultimately doomed anyway, and using a defensive weapon would just delay the inevitable and add to the suffering. Better to just resolve in suicide quickly.¡±

    ¡°I knew this dumbass knew nothing about tactics,¡± Yan Yu said with contempt. ¡°Ever heard of counterattacking?¡±

    ¡°How could I not have heard of it?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen stubbornly said. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m best at¡ªcounterattacking.¡± Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°You¡¯re good at jack shit!¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue with her and continued browsing the catalog.

    Zhao Yuanzhen clenched her fists and seethed with secret hatred upon being cursed by him,

    ¡°Today you insult my ability to counterattack, I¡¯ll remember this. When my demonic powers are fully cultivated, I¡¯ll make sure to subdue that little thief, humiliate him thoroughly, and let him show me what ¡®counterattacking¡¯ is!¡±

    As she thought this, images came to mind.

    The little thief under her mercy, being ravaged while whimpering. Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s enjoyment grew, and she laughed wickedly:

    ¡°You¡¯re so knowledgeable about defense and counterattack, huh? Come on then, defend against me~ Counterattack me~ Mmhmm hmm haha hahahaha!¡±

    Thinking this, she squeezed her shapely legs together with a feeling of glee, wishing she could trample the little thief right then and there, stomping him fifty or sixty times to take her anger out.

    Seeing her smiling with a suggestive expression, Yan Yu had no idea what delusions she was entertaining, so he just continued checking the list of magical weapons.

    Defensive magical weapons are easy to use but difficult to master. Ye Jun was an exception in that her diligence and responsibility made her suitable for the meticulous work of defense. Moreover, her perseverance allowed her to control the Xuan Guang Ruler effortlessly.

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s temperament was not suited for a defensive support role, and her combat style was bold and lacking in finesse. Although the Zhenhai Team effectively needed a defensive player, it wouldn¡¯t make sense to force the Demonic Sect Enchantress into such a role, as it could lead to rebellion.

    Upon careful consideration, it appeared a control-type magical weapon might be a better option.

    As mentioned earlier, there¡¯s a problem with the list of magical weapons: you don¡¯t know their functions until you refine and acknowledge them as your own. But once you do, changing ownership is exceedingly difficult¡ªso while the list included various types of magical weapons, their effects and uses were completely unknown.

    Yan Yu could only rely on his past life¡¯s memory to skim over the array of magical artifacts he had never seen before, then focus on the few he recognized to weight their merits.

    There were many control type artifacts, but excellent ones were very rare; most had to hit the enemy to take effect and were easily blocked during pursuit, which raised a question:

    If you have already hit the enemy, why not just use an offensive artifact?

    Only when the enemy utilized a certain defense would control methods be useful. But at this stage, defensive spells and artifacts were even rarer than control types¡­

    As Yan Yu pondered silently, suddenly he saw Zhao Yuanzhen stretch out a finger and swiftly scroll up the list all the way to the top:

    ¡°How about this one?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s ¡®how about this one¡¯?¡± Yan Yu asked, puzzled. ¡°Isn¡¯t that just a hammer?¡±

    The image that Zhao Yuanzhen pointed out showed a strangely shaped hammer, made of a material that seemed like bone but wasn¡¯t and seemed like ivory but wasn¡¯t either. The hammer was carved with huge skull faces on both sides.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think this thing¡¯s design looks a lot like my White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said.

    She took out the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, and Yan Yu compared them closely.

    Indeed, they did resemble each other.

    On the hairpin of the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, there was also a skull carved, with two holes for eyes, one for the nose, and one large hole for the mouth¡­

    ¡°Idiot, don¡¯t all skulls look like that?¡± Yan Yu laughed, amused by her.

    ¡°No, look at the size, arc, and proportions of the skull¡¯s eye sockets!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen argued.

    Yan Yu looked again and indeed, it was the exact same skull.

    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t really prove anything; it¡¯s possible that the creator of the artifacts used the same technique.¡± He guessed uncertainly.

    ¡°It¡¯s also possible that these two artifacts are a pair.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said.

    That suggestion got Yan Yu¡¯s heart racing.

    To know, common artifacts were everywhere, but matched sets were hard to come by. Like the ¡°Nine Heavens Yin Demon Artifact Series¡± in Chen Lingyun¡¯s possession; used alone, they were no different from ordinary artifacts. But if one could collect more and extract the Nine Heavens Yin Demon divine inscriptions, it would be possible to derive a series of core Demonic Sect spells, including the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Secret Thunder, with awe-inspiring power.

    If this hammer and the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin were truly a pair, who would care about control artifacts? He would have to get it no matter what!

    ¡°Let¡¯s go with this one!¡± Yan Yu decided to take the gamble. Even if it turned out to be a mistake, he could just give Li Weiguo a face and let Zhao Yuanzhen choose again.

    Li Weiguo took back the tablet, wrote a note, and then said:

    ¡°Black and White Impermanence have agreed, but now is not the time; Chen Lingyun has to wait a bit more.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Yan Yu took the note.

    He went with Zhao Yuanzhen to the secret warehouse and used the note to collect the hammer. It was palm-sized and could be easily held and lifted with one hand, like a child¡¯s rattle, with an exquisitely carved skull on it that seemed almost lifelike.

    Zhao Yuanzhen grabbed the hammer and placed it next to the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, studying them closely for a long while before suddenly saying:

    ¡°It seems like they just plainly look alike¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mess with my head!¡± Yan Yu burst out angrily. ¡°Hurry up and give it back while it¡¯s not yet attuned to you!¡±

    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t rush, let me check again.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen picked up the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, and after fidgeting on the hammer¡¯s surface for a while, suddenly there was a whoosh sound.

    The White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, as if attracted by a magnet, was drawn straight into the eye socket of the hammer¡¯s skull.

    It was a perfect fit, as if made for it.

    ¡°So they really are a combined artifact?¡± Yan Yu was immediately stunned. ¡°You lucky fool¡­ what kind of dumb luck is this?¡±

    ¡°What dumb luck?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen perked up immediately, protesting, ¡°It¡¯s my discerning eye that recognized the treasure! Watch your mouth or I¡¯ll use this hammer to smash your damn head!¡±

 Chapter 343: 39 Feeding Techniques in Swordsmanship

    Chapter 343: Chapter 39 Feeding Techniques in Swordsmanship

    When Zhao Yuanzhen returned to the training ground, she immediately tried to use the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer after refining it.

    Once True Yuan motivated the hammer, it would behave like a Flying Sword; point it east and it struck east, point it west and it struck west. With a mere thought, it could strike down fiercely and swiftly onto an opponent¡¯s head.

    The hammer had a skull on both its front and back, meaning it had four eye sockets. After inserting the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin into one of these sockets, the hammer generated a whistling sound as it flew, its speed and force increasing more than a notch.

    Yan Yu tried to block it with the Huang Tingjian, only to find it quite strenuous. Considering that this magical weapon could strike a target without needing to be directed like a Flying Sword, it was indeed quite suitable for the Demonic Sect Enchantress.

    There were also three additional eye sockets on the hammer, indicating that at least three more magical items could be combined with it¡ªYan Yu had his colleagues in the data library look it up and found out that the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer originated from a small Mysterious Realm on an island in the East Sea; it was produced alongside two volumes of scriptures discussing the methods for refining gods and demons, but there was no more information about other combo magical weapons.

    In any case, the magical weapon was handed over to Zhao Yuanzhen to refine, and once she could summon and retrieve it at will, they could consider adding more offensive methods.

    However¡­ speaking of which, in the previous Mirror Lake Divine Palace Mysterious Realm, her clone did not seem to use hammer-type magical weapons.

    Which meant that the realm did not transport individuals from a future timeline, but merely based on the present state for a ¡°reasonable deduction.¡±

    Yan Yu had some realization in his heart and sent a text to both Li Weiguo and Zhou Hongyu at the same time, saying that if the Mysterious Realm in Fengdu County opened a second layer, they should consider letting the Zhenhai Team help with the conquest again¡ª¡±we have a need in that area.¡±

    Li Weiguo replied with an ¡°Hmm,¡± while Zhou Hongyu did not respond for a long time.

    But she must have received it.

    While Yan Yu was deeply pondering, he saw Lin Ningruo walk down from the second floor as if nothing had happened and said nonchalantly,

    ¡°I¡¯ve finished fasting.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay,¡± Yan Yu nodded in acknowledgment and continued to ponder where more combo magical weapons for the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer might be found.

    ¡°What kind of attitude is that?¡± Lin Ning slightly dissatisfied, said, ¡°I¡¯ve advanced to the Marrow Cleansing Stage, and you don¡¯t even have any reaction?¡±

    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s so impressive, truly worthy of Lin Ning,¡± Yan Yu blandly recited with an expressionless face.

    ¡°Hmph, not sincere at all,¡± Lin Ning pouted and sat down on the sofa beside her. She picked up an opened bag of chips from the table and started eating.

    After eating one, she spat it out into the trash can next to her, and asked in astonishment,

    ¡°Why are these chips all damp? They¡¯re all soft and mushy.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Yan Yu replied without lifting his head, ¡°Would you have found non-stale chips on the coffee table?¡±

    Lin Ning: ???

    Although she didn¡¯t understand why, it sounded quite reasonable. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Since you¡¯ve completed your Marrow Cleansing, it¡¯s a good time to go down and practice your swordsmanship,¡± Yan Yu stood up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Following Yan Yu to the underground training field, they saw Xie Ruoxi and Zhao Yuanzhen both in the arena, one practicing her proficiency in the Thunder Method, the other the proficiency of a magical weapon.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them. Our daily training as Sword Immortals requires more than just practicing sword techniques,¡± Yan Yu formed a Sword technique with his hand, controlling the Huang Tingjian as he spoke, ¡°Irrespective of other Cultivation Realms, at the Foundation Establishment¡¯s Marrow Cleansing stage, Sword Immortals are the strongest. Do you know why?¡±

    ¡°Because Sword Immortals value innate talent the most,¡± Lin Ning, who was a Minyue quiz enthusiast, naturally grasped such basic theoretical knowledge, ¡°The stronger the innate talent, the more robust the True Yuan, and the stronger the force and speed of controlling the Flying Sword.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu manipulated the Huang Tingjian to twirl a sword flower and continued, ¡°The process of Fasting and Marrow Cleansing, which replaces the turbid qi of grains with the primordial Spiritual Energy, can greatly enhance one¡¯s innate talent, and among the four major professions of Cultivators, Sword Immortals benefit the most from this advancement.¡±

    ¡°To put it bluntly, before the Spiritual Energy Resurgence progresses to the next stage, you and I are the mainstays of the Zhenhai Team¡¯s combat power. If we fall even a small step behind our peers, the Sword Immortals, the Zhenhai Team will fall a big step behind other teams. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡± Lin Ning was not afraid of competing with others, and these words only made her ambition burn stronger.

    I will strive for the title of strongest Sword Immortal, and I¡¯ll never slow down the team!

    ¡°Good.¡± Seeing her fighting spirit was incredibly high, Yan Yu said with satisfaction, ¡°No more talking, let¡¯s fence!¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The ¡°Kunlun Imperial Sword Technique Primer¡± consists of thirty-six sword techniques beyond its theoretical overview of the swordsmanship styles.

    At first glance, these thirty-six techniques appear to be based on simple actions like slashing, lifting, chopping, smearing, scraping, intercepting, and stabbing. However, there are many subtle and intricate variations that make the techniques quicker, sharper, and stronger.

    Lin Ning had already mastered the Kunlun Imperial Sword Technique Primer, and she could deploy its thirty-six moves at will, smoothly and without hesitation.

    But real combat doesn¡¯t allow you to execute moves in a set order. What move to use in any given moment depends entirely on the Sword Immortal¡¯s reaction, insight, and experience.

    While Lin Ning¡¯s reaction speed was very fast, her comprehension was extremely lacking, making her a victim of rote learning. This wasn¡¯t about logical thinking or memory; it was closer to creativity and quick wit when facing unfamiliar situations. Sister Lin, however, was used to reciting by the book, rarely enhancing her comprehension.

    Having no choice, Yan Yu had to personally feed her moves, simulating a variety of swordsmanship combat scenarios to forcibly increase her experience.

    Their sword techniques clashing rapidly, Huang Tingjian and Green Bamboo Sword collided and interweaved. Lin Ning unleashed a move called Hundred Birds Worshiping the Phoenix, the blade of the Green Bamboo Sword vibrating rapidly to create eight sword shadows.

    With Yan Yu¡¯s eyesight and experience, he could naturally see where the real body was among the eight shadows¡ªknowing that if a Golden Core Sword Immortal used it, creating fifty or sixty shadows like a flock of birds was quite normal.

    But for a Marrow Cleansing Stage Sword Immortal, creating eight shadows was considered a powerful skill, and it was more likely that the opponent wouldn¡¯t be able to identify the real one.

    Thus, he pretended not to see it and intercepted one of the shadows with his Welcoming Pine Guest move.

    Welcoming Pine Guest was a diagonal intercepting technique. As soon as it hit the illusion, it missed, and taking advantage of this, Lin Ning hastily performed a sword technique, allowing the Green Bamboo Sword to swiftly breach Huang Tingjian¡¯s defense with a swift strike aimed at Yan Yu, called White Rainbow Piercing the Sun.

    White Rainbow Piercing the Sun was one of the fastest in many sword moves and also the most straightforward offensive technique. Yan Yu dodged to the side, expecting her to change tactics at the end, and sure enough, before White Rainbow Piercing the Sun could finish, the tail of Green Bamboo Sword flicked and suddenly cut diagonally.

    Phoenix Dances in the Heavens!

    The trick and beauty of Phoenix Dances in the Heavens lay in the tail flick determining the direction of the thrust, an action completely different from the usual Flying Sword stance. Lin Ning, who was accustomed to learning by rote, struggled with this move for a long time, and Yan Yu had to demonstrate it repeatedly. But now, with the perseverance and willpower of a dedicated learner, she had finally mastered it completely!

    Yan Yu was ready for it and dodged again quickly. Lin Ning, anxious that her feint had failed and trying to follow up with another attack, suddenly felt a sharp pain in her rump.

    Ouch!

    It turned out that Huang Tingjian had quietly circled behind her and delivered a smack with the flat of the blade, which sent Lin Ning tumbling to the ground.

    ¡°I call this move ¡®Yan-style Tennis¡¯.¡± Yan Yu came over, beaming with pride, ¡°It¡¯s specifically for dealing with fools who are obsessed with swordsmanship offense and forget to protect themselves.¡±

    Lin Ning got up with tears in her eyes, rubbing her sore buttocks, and with an inexplicable surge of anger, suddenly charged at Yan Yu for a real bout of combat.

    Then he easily dodged her and with an ape-like arm, wrapped around her waist and spun her to the ground.

    ¡°You dare to compete with me in hand-to-hand combat?¡± Yan Yu pinned her down with one hand, about to make a few sarcastic remarks, but saw Lin Ning wrap her arms around his right arm and kick wildly like a cat, managing to knock him to the ground as well.

    He landed right on top of her.

 Chapter 344: 40 Surrounded

    Chapter 344: Chapter 40 Surrounded

    Yan Yu¡¯s reaction was actually very quick.

    After being knocked down by Lin Ning, the moment his body pressed onto her, he quickly propped himself up with his hands, twisted his waist, flipped over, and got off her.

    Hmph, you think you deserve to take advantage of me?

    Before Sister Lin even had the chance to get angry, there was no one on top of her, so she just instinctively scrambled up, looking bewildered.

    Xie Ruoxi also looked over, but unfortunately, Yan Yu¡¯s movements were too quick, and she didn¡¯t catch any hints of impropriety, so she simply looked away, thinking thankfully I¡¯m not Lin Ning, who got flipped over by the captain.

    ¡°Did you get it?¡± Yan Yu pretended as if nothing had happened and lectured her, ¡°Remember actions, not words¡­ When attacking with Sword Control, you must be wary of the opponent¡¯s sneak attacks on your real body, understand?¡±

    Lin Ning, however, stood there stupefied for quite some time before saying:

    ¡°Why do you reject me so much?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, reject you?¡± Yan Yu was baffled.

    ¡°¡­Hmph, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Lin Ning finally recovered her senses and replied, ¡°Let¡¯s continue training.¡±

    Although she said it was nothing, her mind couldn¡¯t help but start to wander.

    When practicing swordsmanship, if we accidentally make body contact, do I look like I would mistakenly think you did it on purpose and get angry at you? In your mind, am I just a girl who¡¯s quick to anger and needs to be avoided at all costs?

    Although the more she thought about it, the more upset she became, Lin Ning couldn¡¯t fault Yan Yu¡¯s actions as being inappropriate, so she could only channel all her frustration into her swordsmanship, fiercely attacking her opponent.

    On Yan Yu¡¯s side, he was pleasantly surprised, wondering why Sister Lin suddenly became so aggressive?

    Exactly! The more exchanges in offense and defense, the more likely it is to expose flaws, and the faster the experience in Swordsmanship Combat grows¡­ let me teach you well!

    So another afternoon of being beaten up and fed moves went by, and by around five in the afternoon, Lin Ning was so saturated with moves that she couldn¡¯t remember any of the swordsmanship routines.

    Yan Yu wasn¡¯t a demon, so he stopped everyone¡¯s training and decided to take them all out for dinner.

    By this time, although the Zhenhai Team wasn¡¯t a household name, they had reached the level of being recognized on the street. After a brief discussion, to avoid being surrounded and asked for autographs, they decided to just eat at the school cafeteria.

    Upon arriving at the cafeteria of Zhendong College, as soon as they appeared, they were immediately surrounded by a large number of students.

    Yan Yu: ???

    How come we¡¯re being surrounded even at school?

    But here he was mistaken: although everyone enrolled at the same time, most students had never seen them because they had moved out early.

    Because they were unfamiliar, so came the curiosity. Coupled with the various great deeds of the Zhenhai Team, this sentiment had already turned into admiration and pursuit, so much so that when someone shouted ¡°Longcheng Flying General,¡± nearly all the college students in the cafeteria swarmed over.

    Yan Yu initially tried to remain composed, but soon he couldn¡¯t hold it together because there were just too many people¡­

    ¡°Captain Yan, are you guys going to challenge The Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng?¡± someone from the crowd shouted.

    ¡°Captain Yan! When are you going to take down the Onmyoji from Sakura Country?¡±

    ¡°Captain Yan I¡¯m your fan quack quack quack quack quack¡ª who stepped on the heel of my shoe?!!¡± It sounded like a female college student.

    ¡°Captain Yan crushes Sakura Country! Sweep East Asia! Create new glory!¡± Another person started chanting slogans.

    The Zhenhai Team ran away in panic, followed by chanting, college student Cultivators, each one a master of creating chaos, abstract artists, even shouting ¡°Add me to Captain Yan¡¯s harem¡± in the commotion.

    Yan Yu was running the fastest when suddenly someone pulled him aside, tucking him into a small thicket.

    Divine Sense swept across, and to his surprise, it was Qiu Ze hidden by an Invisibility Technique.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Yan Yu asked with his shock just settling, ¡°When did our school turn into a fan club?¡±

    ¡°How long has it been since Yan Team last came to school?¡± Qiu Ze communicated secretly, ¡°Aren¡¯t you in that training group of ours?¡±

    Yan Yu thought hard and finally recalled that Chen Lingyun did set up a group, pulling in all the team leaders and deputy team leaders from the entire school¡­ And indeed, the atmosphere in that group was a bit eerie, full of heaven-defying bootlickers; he just didn¡¯t know if the students were doing it on purpose or really going mad.

    But there was actually no difference between the two.

    ¡°So what¡¯s with these people?¡± Yan Yu asked helplessly with his hand to his forehead, ¡°I thought they were intentionally cosplaying in the group, how come they¡¯re also like this offline?¡±

    ¡°I think Yan Team might be underestimating your fame a bit.¡± Qiu Ze sighed as well, ¡°Take our Shenxing Battle Team, for instance. Before, with your Zhenhai Team standing in front, we and the other students could communicate properly, often discussing tactics, game plans, and skills. Our relationships were also okay.¡±

    ¡°Later, after the league rated us as a first-tier team, some started to change their tune and butter us up. Whenever I show up, it¡¯s ¡®Qiu God, take me with you,¡¯ ¡®Qiu God, acknowledge me,¡¯ ¡®Qiu God, should we rise to wealth and honor, let¡¯s not forget each other.¡¯ It¡¯s not just online, offline too, they¡¯d come over to join in the fun and get close, making it so you can¡¯t even enjoy a meal in peace in the cafeteria¡­ That¡¯s why our team stopped eating there a long time ago.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Yan Yu acknowledged the point and exclaimed, ¡°The school is just a microcosm of society.¡±

    ¡°Everyone sees it very clearly.¡± Qiu Ze agreed, ¡°The gap in strength, status, and resources between renowned and non-renowned teams is going to widen to unimaginable extents in the future.¡± sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°It¡¯s only now, while everyone is still in the same school, that there¡¯s a chance for interaction. Once we graduate and go our separate ways, there won¡¯t even be an opportunity to make acquaintance or have a chat.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which, what are they teaching at the school now?¡± Yan Yu casually asked.

    ¡°They teach some courses on tactical analysis and such. You in Yan Team are on the frontline, gaining experience from actual combat, so those courses are meaningless for you.¡± Qiu Ze said as he quietly led Yan Yu away, then suddenly spoke, ¡°Wait a moment.¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡± Yan Yu looked ahead.

    ¡°They¡¯re using Divine Sense to scan,¡± Qiu Ze pointed ahead.

    Far away was the artificial lake behind the cafeteria, a great place for the students to digest their meals after eating. A few female students were seen walking around the lake, their steps light as if they were admiring the fish¡ªDecember¡¯s winter had arrived, and the fish had gone to avoid the cold at the bottom of the lake. What was there to admire?

    ¡°What are these female students doing?¡± Yan Yu asked via a secret transmission.

    ¡°Hard to say.¡± Qiu Ze shook his head, ¡°Yan Team, do you often receive friend requests from women, which come from our school¡¯s Cultivator groups?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°I always have my friend request switch off.¡±

    ¡°I suspect there are female Cultivators at our school,¡± Qiu Ze paused for a moment, then replied via transmission, ¡°who are always thinking about cozying up to powerful male Cultivators or even dating them, in order to exchange for more cultivation resources.¡±

    ¡°Oh, this¡­¡± Yan Yu initially thought the idea was preposterous, but after some thought, it seemed reasonable.

    The school allocates cultivation resources based on a Cultivator¡¯s strength. But once the resources reach the hands of a Cultivator, the subsequent secondary distribution with their girlfriends was none of the school¡¯s concern¡ªif the Cultivator was too soft-hearted and his girlfriend complained or whined a little, giving her a share of the Elixir Medicine was quite reasonable.

    Alas, everyone¡¯s not focusing on proper cultivation, always thinking of these crooked methods! Luckily, our Zhenhai Team moved out of the school early, not contaminated by these perverse and heretical influences, or else if someone were obsessing over getting me, their captain, to show favoritism, extracting my abilities by deliberately starting a romance, that would be revolting!

    As Yan Yu was lost in his thoughts, he suddenly heard someone exclaiming:

    ¡°Su Yunjin!¡±

    ¡°Ah! Is it Yun Jin?¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin, wait, don¡¯t go! We just want an autograph!¡±

    The female students all dashed forward together, and Su Yunjin, who was still invisible, knew she was in trouble. Without a word, she turned her head and fled.

    ¡°How should we save her?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Qiu Ze said, ¡°I¡¯ve already asked Sisi to help.¡±

 Chapter 345: 41: The Whole School is Your Fans

    Chapter 345: Chapter 41: The Whole School is Your Fans

    Unlike the Zhenhai Team, which had been in the limelight from the start, Qiu Ze¡¯s Shenxing Battle Team had fought their way up step by step from among all the students, and thus he saw the changes in the campus atmosphere very clearly.

    During the early days of the school term, the relationships among students were very harmonious. Plus, Qiu Ze himself liked to make friends, often inviting three or five people to play basketball or game together, resulting in many of the guys in the dorm becoming acquainted with him. They were used to calling each other brothers and jokingly referring to one another as father and son.

    But all this changed completely after the Shenxing Battle Team was rated Class A.

    Once Runtu realized the clear difference in status between himself and Brother Xun, a sadly impregnable barrier emerged between them¡ªa fitting description for Qiu Ze¡¯s situation as well.

    The buddies who used to play basketball with him started to get ¡°worse¡± at the game, subtly letting him win; old friends he gamed with, who would normally argue half a day over ¡°who messed up this round¡±, began to crazily assist him and play support roles, showering him with compliments after the game.

    Even some classmates who weren¡¯t that close before, at most offering a greeting when passing by, started to come over brimming with enthusiasm to chat, calling him ¡°Captain Qiu¡± or ¡°God Qiu,¡± almost as if worshiping and revering Qiu Ze as a deity.

    ...

    Even the Shenxing Battle Team could receive such treatment; it was understandable, then, what kind of a sensation the more famous Zhenhai Team would cause upon their return to campus.

    After Qiu Ze spoke with a hint of helplessness, Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but feel a mix of amusement and pity.

    He hadn¡¯t been a cultivator in his previous life but an obscure ¡°mortal martial artist¡±, so he never experienced this kind of fervent adulation, not to mention Chen Lingyun was the kind of person who could handle anything perfectly, so he never once troubled him with these matters.

    ¡°So, what do we do next?¡± Yan Yu asked humbly, truly having no past experiences to draw from for this situation.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already sent the team members out to meet you guys,¡± answered Qiu Ze. ¡°These people are particularly sneaky, each one capable of scanning with Divine Sense. Even if we use Invisibility Technique to sneak away, we need to be extremely careful, try not to take main roads or bump into anyone.¡±

    ¡°Alright, you lead the way,¡± Yan Yu, seeing that the guy seemed to have some experience in guerrilla warfare, immediately indicated that he would follow his lead.

    Qiu Ze skillfully chose side paths to avoid the hordes of seeking student fans. Yan Yu, invisible, followed him through twists and turns, even using the Wall-Penetration Technique in several places.

    At the same time, he took out his phone and swiped through it, only to see that in the Rikoku Cultivator school group, everyone was already frequently updating their locations¡ªphrases like ¡°Lin Ning spotted behind the cafeteria,¡± ¡°Su Yunjin appeared on the artificial lake shore¡± were being posted so densely it was as if they were vying for a server BOSS.

    ¡°Captain Qiu, Lin Ning has been found!¡± Zhang Yang suddenly sent a message in the team chat.

    ¡°Great, let¡¯s meet up inside the administrative building!¡± Qiu Ze quickly issued an order.

    ¡°Why the administrative building?¡± Yan Yu, who was watching, suddenly asked.

    ¡°Because the instructors are in the administrative building. Fans wouldn¡¯t dare to chase stars inside there,¡± Qiu Ze replied.

    ¡°Are the instructors that scary?¡± asked Yan Yu, puzzled.

    Qiu Ze: ¡­¡­¡­.

    You¡¯re the one who chats and jokes with the principal all day, treating the instructors like they¡¯re service staff at your beck and call. I¡¯m just a nouveau riche; it¡¯s really hard to explain things clearly to a big deity like you.

    The two arrived behind the administrative building and saw Zhang Yang and Lin Ning already waiting there.

    ¡°This is so scary!¡± Lin Ning finally let out a sigh of relief when she saw her captain arrive and then complained, ¡°Really, I got recognized buying groceries on the street. I¡¯ve never seen anything so outrageous!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll need to be more cautious on campus in the future,¡± Qiu Ze also sighed. ¡°We¡¯ve also bought a house outside of school recently. We¡¯ll do our group training there from now on.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s the house?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Near Xianlin Lake.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit remote?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not remote, there¡¯s a subway.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the main point right now!¡± Lin Ning interrupted their casual chat, ¡°The others are still being chased by fans!¡±

    ¡°Chen Lingyun won¡¯t need to worry,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°But the others might need some help.¡±

    ¡°Sisi has already reached Yun Jin,¡± Qiu Ze, looking at his phone, suddenly said.

    After a moment, Chang Sisi indeed brought Su Yunjin before everyone, dispersing her invisibility.

    ¡°Yun Jin!¡± Lin Ning hurried over to call out.

    ¡°I was so scared,¡± Su Yunjin appeared deeply shaken, ¡°a girl I never knew before suddenly rushed over wanting to take a photo with me¡­ I was so frightened I almost jumped into the artificial lake.¡±

    ¡°If I had known, I would not have come to the school cafeteria!¡± Lin Ning stomped her feet in frustration.

    ¡°We stopped coming here a while ago,¡± Chang Sisi empathized, her face twisted in vexation. ¡°Every time we eat, we get watched, talked to, greeted¡­ I¡¯m practically developing social anxiety.¡±

    ¡°Where are the others?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Song Qiao is looking for Sister Zhao¡­ Holy shit,¡± Qiu Ze suddenly exclaimed. ¡°Look at this!¡±

    Everyone gathered around to watch the video on his phone. On the small playground next to the cafeteria, dozens of people were crowded around, leaving no way in or out. They could faintly hear Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s familiar shouting from inside:

    ¡°Those who want an autograph, line up! Where do you want it signed? On your clothes! Okay, done, next! Please line up, one by one!¡±

    Everyone: ¡­¡­¡­

    Yan Yu also couldn¡¯t hold back and said:

    ¡°You all go ahead to the administration building, I¡¯ll go find her!¡±

    He left the group alone and, activating the Invisibility Technique, hurried toward the small playground.

    Along the way, he saw more and more students all heading in the same direction, with intermittent exchanges: sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Who¡¯s that over there?¡±

    ¡°Zhao Jiuzhen.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not the Longcheng Flying General?¡±

    ¡°You dare ask for Yan Yu¡¯s autograph?¡±

    ¡°If he dares show up before me, I dare ask.¡±

    ¡°Forget it, Zhao Jiuzhen¡¯s autograph is just as good. I heard that on Saltfish, autographs of top Rikoku Cultivators can go for hundreds of thousands!¡±

    ¡°Only hundreds of thousands? We get over a hundred thousand just for clearing a Mysterious Realm.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a low-difficulty Mysterious Realm. How can you compare it to the Zhenhai Team? I heard they make tens of millions from a single realm! I feel like this might be the only chance to get her autograph, we¡¯ll probably have trouble finding her after this.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right, get an autograph now and save it for appreciation.¡±

    Yan Yu, despite keeping a distance from his classmates, could vaguely hear their discussions. He felt a mix of annoyance and speechlessness, wanting nothing more than to rush up to the Demonic Sect Enchantress and beat the vain idiot senseless.

    Finally, he reached the small playground. He couldn¡¯t continue to use the Invisibility Technique, so he quickly employed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step undetectable, creating afterimages, and plunged into the sea of people.

    Dashing past like lightning! Phantoms everywhere! Chain dodging through the crowd!

    ¡°Hey, no cutting in line!¡± someone tried to grab his clothes but only caught an afterimage, standing dumbfounded. Then someone else suddenly shouted:

    ¡°Holy shit! That movement technique! It¡¯s the Longcheng Flying General, Yan Yu!¡±

    Before any larger commotion could spread, Yan Yu had already kicked Zhao Yuanzhen to the ground face-first. He then bent down to scoop her up around the waist, threw her over his shoulder, and with the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, darted out creating more afterimages, disregarding the obstacles formed by the surrounding crowd and vanished once again.

    The fans weren¡¯t about to give up easily and immediately gave chase¡ªbut could they catch up with the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step? Yan Yu quickly lost them using the terrain to his advantage, so much that some even took to chasing him with Sword Control, performing a low-altitude, Divine Sense grid search.

    Meanwhile, the cafeteria door suddenly opened.

    Xie Ruoxi, carrying her packed meal, peeked around for a bit. Seeing no one, she had just stepped out when someone called out from behind her.

    ¡°Excuse me! Have you seen anyone from the Zhenhai Battle Team?¡± two female students stopped her to ask, ¡°We got the news and rushed back from outside the campus!¡±

    ¡°Uh, no,¡± Xie Ruoxi feigned ignorance, ¡°I think they already left.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± the female students said, looking disappointed before thanking her and leaving.

    Xie Ruoxi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but she also felt a delicate sense of loss.

    When will I be able to be on TV with everyone, fervently pursued by fans?

 Chapter 346: 42 Zhao Yuanzhens Shame Spurs Her Courage

    Chapter 346: Chapter 42 Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s Shame Spurs Her Courage

    Yan Yu returned to the administrative building and tossed Zhao Yuanzhen to Lin Ning with a sneer, S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Putting up the sign and selling the head!¡±

    Lin Ning hurriedly caught Zhao Yuanzhen, only to find that her dantian and the meridians in her limbs had all been sealed by Yan Yu with runescript, leaving her completely immobile.

    As soon as Lin Ning removed the seal for Zhao Yuanzhen, the outraged and flustered Demonic Sect Enchantress immediately bounced up, baring her teeth and raising her claws as if intending to perish together with Yan Yu. Lin Ning and Su Yunjin caught her from the left and the right, repeatedly persuading,

    ¡°Forget it, Sister Zhao! Just let it go! Forget it, forget it!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was fuming with rage but was helpless and could only squall in frustration.

    ...

    Firstly, it wasn¡¯t a fight to the death, she couldn¡¯t beat this rascal.

    Secondly, there were too many people around, and if he turned the tables and beat her up instead, she would undoubtedly be the one embarrassed in the end.

    Thinking this, she immediately pretended to be still furious but, due to the urging of her younger sisters, she reluctantly spared that little thief¡¯s life and haughtily turned away with her arms crossed.

    Yan Yu watched her performance nonchalantly, thinking to himself that this one sure was a drama queen, and turned to ask,

    ¡°Where are Lingyun and Ruoxi?¡±

    ¡°Lingyun has already left,¡± Su Yunjin said, looking at her phone. ¡°Ruoxi is on her way.¡±

    ¡°Does Ruoxi have someone to pick her up?¡± Lin Ning immediately became anxious, ¡°She can¡¯t rely solely on the Invisibility Technique, they can all perform spiritual sense scanning!¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°No one recognizes her.¡±

    ¡°How could no one recognize her?¡±

    ¡°She hasn¡¯t been on TV¡­¡±

    Everyone was speechless. Although Xie Ruoxi was indeed an official member of the Zhenhai Team, she had not yet appeared on television, and most people would not bother to check the official Privy Council website for the member list and then search for pictures by matching names.

    After waiting for quite some time, they saw Xie Ruoxi returning briskly with two large bags in her hands, full of various kinds of food ¡ª truly a cultivator who trained every day in this life, countless times stronger than her previous life as a person who stayed in a rental room doing livestreams all day.

    ¡°You bought so much,¡± Yan Yu turned to ask Qiu Ze, ¡°Shall we find somewhere to eat together?¡±

    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s mooch a meal,¡± Qiu Ze said with a smile.

    After the Shenxing Battle Team members also arrived, everyone rose into the air with Sword Control from the top floor of the administrative building, leaving the school.

    After sending off the two teams, the instructors also hurried around the campus, urging the still noisy students to settle down as soon as possible.

    When everyone returned to the villa, the men from the Shenxing Battle Team were quite excited, feeling the thrill of being in a beautiful woman¡¯s home.

    But no sooner had they entered when Lin Ning headed to the kitchen to heat up dishes; Su Yunjin went to the bathroom to grab a broom for sweeping; Xie Ruoxi, slightly socially anxious, used training as an excuse to hide in the basement; and Chen Lingyun had been on the second floor in her room and hadn¡¯t come down¡­ The lovely girls scattered in an instant, leaving the place spotless.

    Only Zhao Yuanzhen was left, nonchalantly sprawled on the couch with her legs crossed, watching TV in the living room.

    The handsome battle strength of this big beauty was clear from the time she started signing autographs on the small playing field opposite the cafeteria. The men were eager to chat with a beautiful woman, but not so much with one who was overly formidable, so they looked around for more suitable company.

    Only to find that Chang Sisi was circling Yan Yu, asking some weird questions.

    ¡°Does Captain Yan usually train in the basement?¡±

    ¡°Mmhmm.¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s so nice~ Our team¡¯s basement is too small; doesn¡¯t feel like we have enough space to really move.¡±

    ¡°You can remodel and expand it.¡±

    ¡°Then, before the remodeling is finished, can we temporarily come over to your place for training?¡±

    The men nearly choked on their own blood upon hearing this. They hadn¡¯t even managed to speak with the girls from the opposing side, and here their own girl was already being led away!

    Qiu Ze hurriedly called Chang Sisi back and chastised her in a low voice:

    ¡°Don¡¯t harass Captain Yan, okay!¡±

    ¡°Exactly, exactly!¡± The men echoed in agreement, unanimously supporting their captain.

    ¡°How did it turn into me harassing him?¡± Chang Sisi was incredulous with a laugh, ¡°I am creating opportunities for the team. So that we can get closer and learn from the Zhenhai Team in the future!¡±

    ¡°Oh, right.¡± The men conceded the point upon hearing her explanation. Of course, it was more valuable to get in good with the great deity Yan Yu than to ¡°get to know the girls from the Zhenhai Team.¡±

    Only the vice-captain, Sun Ziyi, felt something was amiss and quietly asked:

    ¡°Apart from that, did you cling to him and chat for any other reason?¡±

    ¡°That can¡¯t be said there¡¯s none.¡± Chang Sisi chuckled awkwardly, ¡°I¡¯ve heard Captain Yan is still single with no girlfriend¡­¡±

    Everyone was instantly stunned into silence. Don¡¯t use official business as a pretext to settle your personal lifelong matter!

    ¡°Sisi, just forget it. You dare to have designs on Captain Yan?¡± Zhang Yang teased her, ¡°Just look at the overall attractiveness of the women on the Zhenhai Team and then look at yourself¡­¡±

    Before he could finish, Chang Sisi snarled and grabbed his throat, as if he were a chicken about to be slaughtered, flailing and struggling.

    Over with Yan Yu, he approached Zhao Yuanzhen and earnestly educated her:

    ¡°This kind of signature event, you can¡¯t do it again in the future.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was still angry, didn¡¯t lift her head, and retorted coldly, ¡°I sign my name; what does it have to do with you?¡±

    The truth, of course, was that you¡¯re throwing away your own face, and our battle team¡¯s reputation will also suffer. But he knew he couldn¡¯t say that, or else he would be thought by the Demonic Sect Enchantress as someone who could be manipulated by the team¡­ He pondered for a moment, before gently persuading:

    ¡°Yuanzhen, which do you think will have a higher reputation, ¡®someone who holds signature events all the time¡¯, or ¡®someone whose signature is hard to get with lots of money¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Of course, the one who is hard to get with lots of money¡­¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied without thinking, then suddenly had a moment of realization and fell into contemplation.

    ¡°Exactly.¡± Yan Yu pointed out to her, ¡°The first floor of a commercial complex likes to invite luxury stores to open, aiming for a high-end consumer atmosphere. People are the same. If you go to a school to hold a signature event and sign for anyone who asks, everyone will just think your signature isn¡¯t valuable, and by association, it cheapens your own worth as well.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen mused, ¡°So with that said, I really shouldn¡¯t have given out these signatures.¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°But I already did.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen frowned, ¡°So what now? Should we lock down the school and get all the signatures back?¡±

    ¡°God dammit, lock down the school!¡± Yan Yu was amused and frustrated, ¡°What¡¯s done is done, spilled water can¡¯t be retrieved. You¡¯ve already lost face, and now you want to get it back? Just do less of this stupid stuff next time.¡±

    He sneered as he went upstairs, but the Zhao Yuanzhen in the living room was thinking more and more that something was wrong.

    The thief does make sense! How can I, Zhao Yuanzhen the Fairy¡¯s signature be given away so easily? It should at least go to a global auction, let the international media scramble to report it, and have billionaires line up to bid for it!

    Thinking this, Zhao Yuanzhen was full of regret, thinking that this surely was the thief¡¯s fault. Why didn¡¯t he stop me sooner? He clearly wanted to wait for me to act foolishly, to see me embarrass myself, and then to laugh at me!

    Damn it, I will remember this grudge! If the day comes when I can turn the tables and take charge, I¡¯ll sell all his stuff for a low price, for a bargain, sell it all out!

    In her mind, an image appeared:

    She saw Yan Yu clutching his thighs, weeping and howling, ¡°Don¡¯t sell anymore! Please really don¡¯t sell anymore! I don¡¯t even have underwear left! Now I can only walk around the house naked!!!¡±

    She then stepped on his head with one foot, laughing wildly:

    ¡°Thief, you¡¯ve got your day too? You didn¡¯t stop me when I was giving out signatures, relishing in my humiliation, and now you think of stopping me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to give away all of your property!¡±

    Heh heh, when the time comes, the penniless thief will only be able to please me, kowtow to me, and spend my money!

    Mwahahaha!

 Chapter 347: 43 Chen Lingyun Strategizes Behind the Scenes

    Chapter 347: Chapter 43 Chen Lingyun Strategizes Behind the Scenes

    Upon entering Chen Lingyun¡¯s room, he saw her on the balcony making a phone call.

    Yan Yu waited patiently for her to finish the call, and only when she turned around did he speak up to state his purpose:

    ¡°I recently heard from Anna that a certain piece of gossip has been circulating internationally, claiming that the rewards in The Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng will be distributed based on the order of entry, and that the differences between the rewards for those who enter first and those who enter last will be significant.¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± Chen Lingyun nodded and said, ¡°It seems we have a leak inside.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s a leak, huh,¡± Yan Yu said, nodding as if he¡¯d just had a revelation, ¡°So what then?¡±

    ¡°So there¡¯s a problem,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a low chuckle, ¡°Suppose I am the leader of the Yin Yang Bureau, allied with the Pear Blossom Courtyard and the Strategic Bureau to jointly fight against Rikoku Cultivators. If we successfully make it to the Departure Palace Gate, who should enter L¨ªg¨­ng first?¡±

    ...

    Yan Yu pondered for a moment and replied:

    ¡°Of course, the strongest should enter L¨ªg¨­ng first.¡±

    ¡°Then, who is the strongest?¡± Chen Lingyun continued with a smile, ¡°If I say that the Onmyoji are the strongest and should enter L¨ªg¨­ng first to take the best rewards, would the Pear Blossom Courtyard and the Strategic Bureau agree?¡± S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°So in the end, a fight is inevitable,¡± Yan Yu followed her analysis, ¡°In that case, the opposing alliance will fall apart on its own.¡±

    ¡°To say it will collapse on its own is an exaggeration,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile faded, and she said gravely, ¡°The information we released will certainly not be taken entirely at face value by the opposing side. As long as Rikoku Cultivators still block the way, the three forces will inevitably consider an alliance to kick us out of the competition first.¡±

    ¡°And the rift would only appear in the last step,¡± Yan Yu also began to contemplate, ¡°which is when the Rikoku Cultivators can no longer prevent the three forces from entering L¨ªg¨­ng.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Chen Lingyun said slowly, ¡°That¡¯s when they will turn on each other, fighting to be the first to enter L¨ªg¨­ng.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t they be suspicious?¡± Yan Yu asked, ¡°Suspicious that we fabricated this information purposely to break up their three-way alliance?¡±

    ¡°Of course they will be suspicious,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a laugh, ¡°But what can they do about it?¡±

    ¡°If the information is false, then we change to a more common Mysterious Realm model, where L¨ªg¨­ng doesn¡¯t distribute rewards based on order of entry, but like most Mysterious Realms, it contains a core that can be refined. In that case, the Transcendent who refines the core first could directly reap all the benefits, kicking all other Transcendents out of the competition. Isn¡¯t that an even more extreme situation than ¡®distributing rewards based on order¡¯?¡±

    ¡°That is to say,¡± Yan Yu quickly concluded, ¡°the so-called three-way alliance was doomed from the beginning. Sooner or later, there would be infighting over the spoils of victory, and the information we released was only to bring this hidden issue to the surface, effectively sowing discord between them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s one way to put it.¡±

    ¡°But there¡¯s still one problem,¡± Yan Yu said gravely, ¡°If the three parties reach a consensus beforehand and decide to adopt our Rikoku¡¯s distribution mechanism, where all Transcendents who enter L¨ªg¨­ng, regardless of order, have to submit their spoils for a fairer distribution, wouldn¡¯t that prevent the alliance from breaking?¡±

    ¡°No need for ¡®if,''¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°They will definitely try to do that, to avoid being divided by the information we released.¡±

    ¡°So how do we break that?¡± Yan Yu casually asked, then had an epiphany, ¡°Ah, I get it now!¡±

    ¡°The Goryeo Sword Saint! Right?¡±

    ¡°The Goryeo Sword Saint is just one piece in the game,¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile grew sweeter, and she said gently, ¡°Yan Yu, it¡¯s not just three Transcendent groups on the opposite side. They have thousands of intelligence operatives, psychologists, and strategic analysts, the smartest people in the country helping them to plan carefully, watching for any slip-ups we might inadvertently reveal. Simple tricks won¡¯t fool them, and if they do, it¡¯s just good luck.¡±

    ¡°And this time, what I want is a foolproof plan.¡±

    ¡°You?¡± Yan Yu raised his eyebrows slightly, ¡°This matter¡­ your father has given you full authority to handle it?¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Why, surprised?¡±

    ¡°Not surprised,¡± Yan Yu shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s just a little earlier than the timeline in the previous life.¡±

    ¡°How much earlier?¡± Chen Lingyun asked curiously.

    ¡°Just a little bit.¡±

    ¡°A year?¡±

    ¡°Just a little bit more than that.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Chen Lingyun sighed pretentiously, ¡°It seems that the me on the other side, without the advantage of your prophetic foresight, is truly a late bloomer.¡±

    ¡°Hehe,¡± Yan Yu neither affirmed nor denied, ¡°I just hope you can keep public and private matters separate. When it¡¯s time to play the big game, do concentrate on it properly. But when it¡¯s not time to play, withdraw from the identity of the player in time, and don¡¯t treat everyone around you as chess pieces. Otherwise, it will backfire on you sooner or later.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Chen Lingyun nodded.

    Considering she didn¡¯t have a smile on her face at the time, she probably didn¡¯t understand but made a mental note of it anyway.

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Yan Yu glossed over this subject and turned back to the main topic, ¡°I¡¯m not good at planning strategies behind the scenes, but I trust your abilities in this area; otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have told you this secret.¡±

    ¡°My request is simple, take all the rewards from the Departure Palace, kill as many enemies as possible, and maximize the results of the battle. As long as you can do this, I will leave the matter in your hands, and I have no objections.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I knew you would trust me~¡± Chen Lingyun smiled again, speaking in a coquettish tone, ¡°Since you¡¯ve said this, I¡¯ll have to order you around properly~¡±

    ¡°Feel free to command me.¡±

    ¡°The first thing,¡± Chen Lingyun raised a finger, her smile turning sweet and cloying as if it were silky honey, ¡°I want you to recount to me, in great detail, everything you know about The Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Yan Yu sat down beside her and spoke seriously, ¡°In fact, I have never personally been through the Secret Realm of the Departure Palace. The intelligence partly comes from event archives I¡¯ve seen, and partly from what you¡¯ve told me.¡±

    ¡°The realm opened around 9 a.m. on January 3rd, when the colorful lights under the sea suddenly burst forth, as if the gates to the Dragon Palace at the bottom of the sea had opened¡­¡±

    ¡°What about the celestial phenomena?¡± Chen Lingyun interrupted him.

    ¡°The archives didn¡¯t mention them,¡± Yan Yu recalled carefully, ¡°but from the descriptions, it must have been a mostly cloudless sky; otherwise, the surveillance satellite wouldn¡¯t have been able to capture the specifics of the surrounding sea area, right?¡±

    ¡°Then, at that time, the Privy Council of Rikoku blockaded the vicinity of the entrance to the realm, but it was still penetrated by the other side. It was later suspected that the Yin Yang Bureau had used some unknown Water Escape Technique to avoid the firepower lines above the sea surface, sending the Transcendents into the depth of the secret underwater realm.¡±

    ¡°Water Escape Technique?¡± Chen Lingyun raised an eyebrow, ¡°Any concrete evidence?¡±

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    It took nearly half an hour for Yan Yu to go through all the intelligence about the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng from his past life. If it weren¡¯t for Chen Lingyun constantly interrupting him and asking for more details, it really wouldn¡¯t have taken this long.

    ¡°That¡¯s all,¡± he picked up the water cup from the desk and gulped down several mouthfuls, ¡°Did you get all that? Don¡¯t ask me to repeat it, because I¡¯ll really get annoyed.¡±

    ¡°I got it,¡± Chen Lingyun bent her finger, tapping it on her temple, ¡°But there is a second thing.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°I need a relaxing environment to reorganize and interconnect the intelligence in my mind,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Yan Yu stood up, ¡°I¡¯ll tell them not to come up and disturb you¡­¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it,¡± said Chen Lingyun with smiling eyes, ¡°I want you to hold me.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t understand?¡± Chen Lingyun blinked, speaking playfully, ¡°I mean, I sit on your lap, and then your hands wrap around me, resting on my¡­¡±

    ¡°Chest?¡±

    ¡°Stomach.¡±

    ¡°This is a bit too much to ask,¡± Yan Yu declined firmly, ¡°How can I differentiate the two clearly?¡±

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile immediately turned cold.

 Chapter 348: 44 Longcheng Flying General, For the Country and the People

    Chapter 348: Chapter 44 Longcheng Flying General, For the Country and the People

    Part of the dinner was provided by the canteen, and Lin Ning made a few additional dishes. After everyone had eaten, the men of the Shenxing Battle Team couldn¡¯t stop praising Lin Ning¡¯s cooking skills.

    The girls, however, had little appetite. After fasting, their bodies¡¯ demand for food and water had decreased to the minimum, and they could no longer enjoy the pleasure of feeling full.

    In the eyes of the Shenxing Battle Team, it seemed as if the Zhenhai Team was tired of such delicacies, which immediately sparked a strong desire among them to have their own chef.

    ¡°Sisi, it¡¯s up to you,¡± Zhang Yang sent her a secret message, ¡°Become the divine chef of our Shenxing Battle Team!¡±

    ¡°Crazy,¡± Chang Sisi replied irritably, ¡°Since when should women be the ones to cook?¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s see how the others cook,¡± Zhang Yang started listing for her, ¡°Captain Qiu loves spicy food, he would put three tons of chili in one ton of meat; Vice-Captain Sun eats egg soup all day, if he cooks, our daily menu would have to align with his; Old Song likes to add crazy amounts of cilantro to his meals, and you can¡¯t stand cilantro; as for me, I can only boil instant noodles¡­¡±

    ...

    ¡°Then don¡¯t cook, hire a private chef!¡± Chang Sisi said exasperatedly.

    After confronting her clueless teammate, she quietly sent a message to Lin Ning, trying to curry favor with her:

    ¡°Sister Ning, the food you made is so delicious! How long have you been practicing cooking?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t formally practiced,¡± Lin Ning replied modestly, ¡°I just helped my mother in the kitchen back home, and after a few years, I gradually got the hang of it.¡±

    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s impressive,¡± Chang Sisi complimented, ¡°I thought you had specially trained for the team, haha.¡±

    ¡°Who would train in cooking for him!¡± Lin Ning panicked and quickly defended, ¡°He¡¯s lucky to have anything to eat at all, let alone me training in cooking for him! In his dreams! Let him cook whatever he wants to eat himself!¡±

    Chang Sisi: ¡­¡­¡­

    Sister, I was talking about ¡°the team,¡± not ¡°Captain Yan¡±! Did you misunderstand?

    And where did that ancient Tsundere line come from!

    She then sent a message to Su Yunjin, making small talk:

    ¡°Sister Yun Jin, does Captain Yan have a girlfriend?¡±

    Su Yunjin looked up calmly, glancing at Chang Sisi.

    Just one look made Chang Sisi¡¯s hair stand on end, as if she were a herbivore locked in the predatory gaze of a carnivore, every cell in her body screaming alarm.

    It wasn¡¯t until a while later that she received a response:

    ¡°Nope~¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, I was just asking casually,¡± Chang Sisi hurriedly explained, ¡°Nothing more.¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Su Yunjin replied indifferently, ¡°I know.¡±

    Is¡­ is it because she knew that she let me off? I have a feeling if there was a misunderstanding, she might have killed me¡­

    Glancing again at Chen Lingyun, Xie Ruoxi, and Zhao Yuanzhen, Chang Sisi no longer had the courage to strike up a conversation.

    The girls of the Zhenhai Team were really intimidating. Could this be the strength of the Zhendong Army¡¯s top team?

    It¡¯s hard to imagine how Captain Yan can manage such a team¡­

    After a satisfying meal, the members of the Shenxing Battle Team took their leave.

    Now was the time for evening free activities, and the girls went their separate ways to do their own things.

    Yan Yu played with his phone for a while and, unusually, found that nobody was online to chat with him. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    What¡¯s going on? No new messages? Could my phone be broken?

    Might as well be the one to send a message. Let¡¯s start by asking how Anna is doing.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Yan Yu typed.

    Anna¡¯s response came quickly:

    ¡°Killing someone.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°The Rakshasa spirit communicator, who else?¡± Anna replied.

    The woman¡¯s attitude seemed a bit cold, even though just a few months ago she was practically living on the phone with that clingy obsession¡­ Perhaps this was a strategy of pretending to push away what she actually desired?

    It made me laugh, did she really think I¡¯d fall for that?

    Yan Yu calmly typed in response:

    ¡°Alright then, I won¡¯t bother you, you¡¯re busy.¡±

    After closing the chat window with Anna, he opened a conversation with Ye Jun. Just as he was about to type, a message pop-up appeared on the screen:

    ¡°Nonsense! Yan Yu, don¡¯t disgust me. Otherwise, I¡¯ll find time to come to Lu Country and kidnap you.¡±

    ¡°Haha, no rush,¡± Yan Yu typed, ¡°How are things on your end?¡±

    ¡°Not bad,¡± Anna said, ¡°We¡¯re too far from the Rakshasa¡¯s spirit communication hub, and the expeditionary force hasn¡¯t sent their main forces against us, so we can still hold on for now.¡±

    Yan Yu recalled carefully. Since the establishment of the Rakshasa¡¯s spirit communication hub, there had been three major expeditions launched to completely reclaim the map of Asia.

    The first major attack was on the Siberian plains, turning nearly everything west of the Yenisei River into a no-man¡¯s land, which eventually ended due to lack of reinforcements; the second attack went up to the Siberian Plateau, lasting nearly three years but still failing to capture it.

    The two grand expeditions had greatly diminished the overall strength of the spirit communication hub and the numbers of civilian spirit communicators in central and western Siberia, which ultimately allowed the eastern Amur witches to pick up a bargain.

    In some ways, the Eclipse Queen was indeed blessed with incredible fortune. She had never thought about entering the pass, but as the inside turned into a complete mess, suddenly the gates were flung wide open.

    ¡°Hang in there,¡± Yan Yu typed, ¡°Eat your rice one bite at a time, take the cities one by one. The spirit communication hub can¡¯t possibly come after you first, because even if they take the territory, they can¡¯t connect it.¡±

    ¡°Sigh, it¡¯s just a matter of dying sooner or later,¡± Anna expressed her pessimism with a sigh, ¡°Once the spirit communication army breaks through the entirety of Siberia, then I¡¯ll bring the sisters over to Lu Country to seek asylum. You better take us in.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu, knowing that the spirit communication hub didn¡¯t have the strength, freely promised and presented grand visions, ¡°I¡¯ll personally go to Pingjing to lay out the pros and cons for them. If they still refuse to shelter the witches, I¡¯ll just stop my involvement!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say such foolish things.¡± Anna was quite moved by his words and quickly discouraged him, ¡°You¡¯re now the Longcheng Flying General, since when can you just quit like that? If Lu Country won¡¯t shelter us, it¡¯s not a problem, we can just cross the Bering Strait and join the Miti Strategic Bureau¡­ However, I personally don¡¯t really want to go to Miti. It would be nice if I could return to my country in secret and live a life incognito.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry too much,¡± Yan Yu comforted her, ¡°Victory hasn¡¯t been decided yet, just go and fight. Don¡¯t forget, I¡¯ll always have a way out for you here.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± Anna¡¯s tone became firm, ¡°I haven¡¯t lost yet, I¡¯ll definitely win this time!¡±

    ¡°Go for it! Take care of yourself.¡±

    ¡°You too, love you~¡±

    After the chat ended, Yan Yu closed the message window, deep in thought.

    Although I had offered to provide a way out for the Eclipse Queen, according to the timeline of my previous life, she was never actually in such a desperate situation to need it; she just didn¡¯t know that.

    This favor was certainly a sweet deal.

    But why did elements of romantic feelings have to be mixed in?

    Sigh, it¡¯s all because of my powerful and reliable charm. At the Eclipse Queen¡¯s most helpless moments, I quietly entered her heart!

    I wasn¡¯t after her beauty, but just to provide the spiritual support she needed most. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t explicitly reject her¡ªnot because I¡¯m unprincipled and morally bankrupt, but because my love for this land and its people is so deep that I am willing to put my reputation on the line, even at the risk of being misunderstood¡­

    Yan Yu silently moved himself for a while, wiping away the non-existent tears from the corners of his eyes, then continued to message Ye Jun.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Are you there?

    [Zhu Jun]: Yes, what¡¯s up?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What¡¯s the current situation on the northern border?

    [Zhu Jun]: It¡¯s been quite stable recently. Ever since the upper echelons reached an agreement with the Amur witches, they have been trying to control the spirit communicators in their territory. While they can¡¯t achieve 100% control, it has greatly relieved our border defense pressures.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: That agreement, I personally secured it, you know.

    [Zhu Jun]: I know, you have quite a connection with the people from the Amur witches.

    [Zhu Jun]: Is it purely a deal for mutual benefits, or is there some unspeakable transaction? /laugh

    Yan Yu frowned, sensing a subtle probe within the other party¡¯s joking remarks.

 Chapter 349: 45 Ye Jun and Li Minghu

    Chapter 349: Chapter 45 Ye Jun and Li Minghu

    Ever since their lengthy conversation that night, Ye Jun and Yan Yu had grown much closer.

    The two not only frequently chatted and shared funny videos with each other but occasionally engaged in some mutual favors.

    For instance, as Ye Jun was an Assistant Officer, she needed a second magical artifact besides the Xuan Guang Ruler, and so she had been intensely inspecting the inventory of all four armies. Yan Yu could help by keeping an eye out in the Zhendong Army¡¯s inventory or offering some advice on artifact selection¡ªthis wasn¡¯t something you could count on Lord Master for, as he certainly wouldn¡¯t spend the time to study artifacts suitable for Assistant Officers.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What kind of shady deals are you making?

    [Zhu Jun]: That blonde girl last time, her eyes were practically glued to you.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Because I¡¯m a handsome guy.

    ...

    [Zhu Jun]: You¡¯ve used up all the handsomeness.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I haven¡¯t seen you sending messages recently, I thought maybe something happened at the border again.

    [Zhu Jun]: Nope, if anything happened, it wouldn¡¯t be our turn. Our team, just like yours, is preparing for the battle at the East Sea Departure Palace, the Southern Border has been completely handed over to the Flying Dragon Battle Team.

    [Zhu Jun]: Cai Qianlong has been in the limelight lately, making huge progress. It¡¯s said that some big shot has the idea of recruiting him as a son-in-law, intending for the first child to take his surname and the second to take the woman¡¯s, and then they¡¯d inherit the family business in that order.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Which big shot?

    [Zhu Jun]: Let¡¯s not discuss state affairs.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: It makes sense, the future belongs to the Cultivators. No one feels comfortable with ordinary people holding high positions.

    [Zhu Jun]: Lord Master laughed himself to death when he heard it, with a sharp comment, ¡°Brought in for breeding, to improve the genes¡±.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: That¡¯s an exaggeration. Aren¡¯t the Liu Family the same? Back in the day, they had intermarriages with the royal family for generations, claiming to be the ¡°iron-capped kings¡±. Then they realized the dynasty was about to fall and hastily distanced themselves, ending up completely clean.

    [Zhu Jun]: Hey, keep that between us, don¡¯t go telling Lord Master, he¡¯s sensitive about this subject.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I know well that Lord Master is a bit narrow-minded.

    [Zhu Jun]: Anyway, this whole mess is ultimately your fault.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: How did it turn into my fault?

    [Zhu Jun]: Because everyone knows that Chen Tianming sees you as his future son-in-law, his own daughter hasn¡¯t even reached the Marrow Cleansing Stage yet. Given her aptitude for cultivation, they need someone with the nation¡¯s second-best aptitude to improve the Chen Family genes.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Bah! Nonsense!

    [Zhu Jun]: At least Chen Tianming has a Cultivator daughter. Nowadays, they¡¯re all considering genetic superiority. What are those ordinary families supposed to do? Just sit back and accept their fate?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: It¡¯s all rumors, I have nothing to do with Chen Lingyun.

    [Zhu Jun]: Whether it¡¯s a rumor doesn¡¯t matter, they definitely have to consider and prepare for this possibility.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Then has anyone approached you for a marriage alliance?

    [Zhu Jun]: Yeah.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Who? Can you say?

    [Zhu Jun]: There¡¯s nothing inconvenient to say about it. It¡¯s Lord Master¡¯s father.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Wow, a team romance.

    [Zhu Jun]: Give me a break, they didn¡¯t even ask Lord Master before calling me in for a talk.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: That¡¯s seriously disrespectful.

    [Zhu Jun]: Thinking he¡¯s Lord Master¡¯s father, I didn¡¯t want to embarrass him too much, so I just acted as if I didn¡¯t understand and brushed it off.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Not bad, giving some face to the old man.

    [Zhu Jun]: Later, when Lord Master found out, he went home and made a big fuss, nearly blew the roof off. Almost gave the old guy a heart attack.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: From a joyous event to an almost funeral.

    [Zhu Jun]: Then Lord Master came to me and said, ¡°Ye Jun, I¡¯m at ease with you as the deputy leader, but I wouldn¡¯t trust anyone else.¡±

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Meaning, just do well as the deputy leader and don¡¯t get any other ideas.

    [Zhu Jun]: That¡¯s the idea, but I wasn¡¯t thinking anything else to begin with. Lord Master is way too chauvinistic, he¡¯s the type who needs a wife who¡¯s utterly submissive to him, following his lead.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: But that¡¯s not what you said before.

    [Zhu Jun]: What did I say before?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: When we first met, I pointed out that you two weren¡¯t suitable, and you fiercely argued against it.

    [Zhu Jun]: Well, we weren¡¯t familiar with each other back then, and I didn¡¯t know your intentions. What if you were there to drive a wedge between us?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Now you see that I was right, don¡¯t you?

    [Zhu Jun]: Indeed, only suitable as a teammate.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: That¡¯s the idea.

    [Zhu Jun]: Why did your tone suddenly turn into that of a comic sidekick while you were talking?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Ah, really?

    [Zhu Jun]: Check the chat history.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Aiyo, I must have caught that Jinmen drawl from you.

    [Zhu Jun]: So it¡¯s all my fault, huh? Let me tell you, I barely spoke Jinmen dialect growing up; the language I was constantly exposed to at home was Mandarin. Don¡¯t even try to pin this on me.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Indeed, I haven¡¯t really heard you speak the Jinmen dialect. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    [Zhu Jun]: So you¡¯re deliberately playing the comic sidekick to amuse me.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: That would be a false accusation against me.

    [Zhu Jun]: Still playing along?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Then I¡¯ll shut up.

    [Zhu Jun]: Scram!

    Yan Yu smiled faintly, closed the chat window with Ye Jun, and turned to message Li Minghu.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: How¡¯s the battle report from the Southern Border?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: An agreement has been signed. The second Witch King seems to be planning to deal with domestic affairs first since his position isn¡¯t necessarily secure.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Oh, so you must not be busy lately. What are you up to?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: I¡¯m looking at your chat history with Ye Jun.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Ah?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Ye Jun says you¡¯re mean, deliberately playing the comic sidekick to tease her.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I¡¯m being falsely accused.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ve looked over the chat history, /covers mouth with a laugh, it was her who started talking to you in the comic sidekick style; you must have been influenced by her. I¡¯ve already cleared it up for you.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Do you guys chat often?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Mhm, we¡¯re both deputy captains of the battle team after all, so there¡¯s a lot of common ground work-wise.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You haven¡¯t been gossiping about me behind my back, have you?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: If I said we haven¡¯t discussed you, would you believe me? After all, you¡¯re the Longcheng Flying General. Any discussion about domestic cultivators surely can¡¯t bypass you, right?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Indeed. How has Li Zhaojiang been lately? Has he reached the Marrow Cleansing Stage yet?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Mhm, he¡¯s at the Marrow Cleansing Stage now.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What about you?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: I need to practice for a while longer.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I thought your cultivation talent was stronger than your brother¡¯s.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: But I have health issues. I have a defect in my foundation, and it¡¯s too dangerous to directly practice fasting. The medical team plans to come up with a conservative plan for me before I start practicing fasting.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Okay then. Marrow Cleansing itself can greatly enhance one¡¯s foundation, so your physical condition should definitely improve by then.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: I hope I won¡¯t be a burden anymore /prays.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You¡¯re not a burden now. Isn¡¯t everyone in the Flying Dragon Battle Team fond of Deputy Captain Li?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Don¡¯t be silly, what use is affection? As long as I don¡¯t hold everyone back on the battlefield, I¡¯ll be satisfied.

    At this point, Yan Yu reflected carefully.

    In his previous life, the Valkyrie, after ascending to the Marrow Cleansing Stage, indeed coughed much less ¡ª it was only natural for the Annan Army to think she was fully recovered.

    But strengthening the foundation was like applying glue and paint over cracks. Just because it wasn¡¯t visible on the surface didn¡¯t mean the real problems inside had been completely solved.

    With an inherent defect, it was difficult to compensate with acquired efforts, and in the end, it was still necessary to use a secret method to reconstruct the body completely and permanently.

 Chapter 350: 46: The Last Bus for Fasting

    Chapter 350: Chapter 46: The Last Bus for Fasting

    Anna, Ye Jun, and Li Minghu, that should be the end of it here.

    No, there¡¯s still Zhou Hongyu.

    Before, if you sent her a message, she¡¯d ignore it and not reply; now she¡¯ll reply to the messages, which shows a significant leap in her favorability towards you, isn¡¯t this the perfect time to contact her more and solidify the relationship?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Are you there?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Missin¡¯ you, Zhou. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    It took almost twenty seconds before the other side grudgingly replied.

    ...

    [Zao La]: Itching for a beating?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Got a question for you.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: How many in your team have cleansed their marrow?

    [Zao La]: None of your damn business.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Come on, just asking.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: It¡¯s not like it¡¯s some top-secret matter, our team¡¯s just missing Chen Lingyun before we¡¯re all at the Marrow Cleansing Stage.

    [Zao La]: 4.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: So, it¡¯s just Meng Qingxi who¡¯s left out, right?

    [Zao La]: Tang Xiaolian.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: That¡¯s not right, Tang Xiaolian¡¯s aptitude for cultivation is pretty good, isn¡¯t it?

    [Zao La]: And you know this how?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I have a secret technique that can tell.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Her aptitude must be better than Chen Lingyun¡¯s, and Lingyun is almost at the point of full Qi Refinement by now, so what¡¯s her status?

    [Zao La]: Can¡¯t resist her piggy cravings, keeps breaking her fast during the Fasting period by sneaking snacks.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: ¡­Joy, I¡¯m getting d¨¦j¨¤ vu.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: So why haven¡¯t you thought about locking her up where she can¡¯t get to food?

    [Zao La]: Brain damaged?

    [Zao La]: It¡¯s her own cultivation practice. If I rashly intervene and something goes wrong, will you take responsibility?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You have a point there.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: But you could mention my suggestion to her, let her decide herself whether to go into seclusion to cultivate Fasting.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: If she¡¯s determined enough to force herself, that¡¯s her choice, not your responsibility.

    [Zao La]: Got it.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Don¡¯t dump all team affairs on Little Zhang; you as captain have to take responsibility too.

    [Zao La]: Why the hell do you talk so much?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Because I just want to see the look of utter regret on your face, to see you know I¡¯m right but stubbornly refuse to do it, and end up bitterly reaping the consequences.

    [Zao La]: I ought to crack open your skull and see if flies laid eggs in there.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Haha, getting angry again.

    Yan Yu closed the chat window with Zhou Hongyu, thinking isn¡¯t she refusing to block me up to this extent?

    Who exactly is the one with a brain problem?

    After playing with the phone for a while, suddenly a new friend request came in.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling].

    This nickname is¡­ Tang Xiaolian?

    Yan Yu clicked accept, and the other side sent a ¡°Hello Captain Yan,¡± then started typing questions right away.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Captain Yan, Captain Zhou told me you suggested that I find a place where I can¡¯t touch food and go into seclusion to practice Fasting?

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Will it really be helpful?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: The purpose of doing that is to help you reduce the distractions of external temptations.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: If you can¡¯t rid yourself of the need for food and water from both a physical and psychological perspective, you¡¯ll never be able to master the Fasting technique.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: But

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Sigh, I might as well just tell you directly.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: It¡¯s not because I couldn¡¯t resist the temptation that I broke my fast.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Mainly, I¡¯m afraid of dying.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Ah?

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: You mustn¡¯t tell anyone about this. I believe in Yan Yu¡¯s reputation as the Longcheng Flying General; he wouldn¡¯t gossip about me.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Here¡¯s the thing, my family runs a guesthouse on the grasslands near the border of Sangchuan Prefecture. When I was little, my parents went on a long trip and asked a relative to come over to take care of me, to cook for me.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: But that relative, on the way over that morning, unfortunately suffered a stroke and ended up in the hospital in a coma.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: I was very young at the time and was left at home hungry for several days, nearly starved to death¡­ so I understand hunger better than anyone, and I¡¯m afraid of it too.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: So, what you¡¯re saying is, the reason you haven¡¯t mastered the fasting practice isn¡¯t because you can¡¯t control your cravings, but simply because you have a childhood trauma and can¡¯t stand hunger.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Whenever you reach a critical moment in your cultivation, the memories of nearly starving to death as a child come flooding back, causing you tremendous fear and disrupting your spiritual focus.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Yes, exactly.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Each time I get far into my cultivation, I start to feel an overwhelming fear, as if I¡¯m struggling on the brink of death.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: The feeling gets stronger and stronger until I can no longer restrain myself, lose all reason, and rush out to find something to eat.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: With your extensive experience, Yan Yu, do you have any good suggestions for my situation?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I suggest you go home.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Huh?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Go back to the place that caused your childhood trauma, have your parents leave and stay away for a bit, and take away all the food from home, cut off the water and electricity.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Stay at home by yourself, just like when you were little, embracing the resolve that ¡°if I don¡¯t master fasting, I¡¯ll starve to death,¡± and challenge the fear of death deep inside you once more.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Okay, I¡¯m still a bit lacking in confidence.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: If you want a better chance of success, use a Runescript to seal your Dantian.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Then you won¡¯t be able to use spells and will be more like a normal person, which should yield better results.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Mhm, I understand. It¡¯s about having the courage to burn the boats.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Yes. Look at me, I was one of the first in the country to master the art of fasting. Before that, no one knew how to train for it. What if I trained the wrong way and starved to death before succeeding in fasting? What then?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Speaking of confidence, Lord Master and I had even less confidence than you at the time. We were completely walking a path no one had ever taken before. For us cultivators, courage is far more important than confidence.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: I¡¯ll remember that, thank you, Yan Yu.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I¡¯ll be waiting for your good news.

    Yan Yu silently closed the chat window, thinking that Tang Xiaolian¡¯s situation was indeed troublesome.

    If cultivation were compared to climbing a mountain, and fasting were the sheer cliff that must be scaled, then her problem would be akin to suffering from acrophobia. For her, this step was naturally much more difficult to overcome than for others.

    Moreover, with Zhou Hongyu being such an incompetent team captain, the only person she could probably turn to for help would be the vice-captain, Zhang Huaide.

    Ah, you should disillusion yourself about that Captain Zhou sooner, young lady. Being strong inside is stronger than anything.

    Yan Yu left the room, planning to go downstairs to watch some TV, when he saw Chen Lingyun also coming out the door.

    ¡°I¡¯ve finally reached the pinnacle of the Qi Refinement Stage,¡± she said with a blooming smile.

    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Yan Yu also showed a surprised and delighted expression, ¡°You finally have a chance to stop dragging our team down! Before we officially start practicing fasting, let¡¯s have a little celebration to congratulate you on reaching the pinnacle of the Qi Refinement Stage, how about that?¡±

    ¡°Hehe.¡± Chen Lingyun smiled, ¡°As long as the speed of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence stays at this level, even if you guys run faster than me, you¡¯ll still have to wait for me to catch up at the limit.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true for now, not necessarily later,¡± Yan Yu replied nonchalantly, ¡°Wait until after reaching the Golden Core Realm, then you¡¯ll know the troubles of lacking in potential.¡±

    ¡°So, is there a way to improve one¡¯s cultivation potential?¡± Chen Lingyun leaned in close.

    ¡°No, don¡¯t know, get lost,¡± Yan Yu immediately fired off the boyfriend¡¯s triple response, trying to shut down any further questions.

    But Chen Lingyun was not deceived. She just gazed at Yan Yu¡¯s eyes, as if trying to see right through his pupils into his soul.

    Suddenly, with a sweet voice, she asked:

    ¡°Yan Yu, your cultivation potential is actually worse than mine, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°No comment,¡± Yan Yu said, keeping a straight face.

    ¡°What gave you the ability to cultivate?¡± Chen Lingyun placed a finger on her lips, showing a charming and seductive smile, ¡°Let me guess¡­¡±

    ¡°Is it her?¡±

 Chapter 351: 47 Intelligence Meeting

    Chapter 351: Chapter 47 Intelligence Meeting

    The two descended the stairs, and before they even entered the living room, Yan Yu immediately announced loudly:

    ¡°Attention, everyone! Our Ling Yun has finally reached the pinnacle of Qi Refinement stage and can begin practicing the art of Fasting!¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s the applause?¡±

    In the living room, the girls on the sofa turned around in surprise.

    Lin Ning was the type whose hands moved faster than her brain, so upon hearing this she instinctively started clapping.

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi, on the other hand, didn¡¯t have a clue and began clapping along with Lin Ning¡­ After a few claps, Lin Ning immediately realized what she was doing and hurriedly stopped, while those two continued their ceremonial clapping, saying:

    ...

    ¡°Ling Yun is awesome.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really happy for Sister Ling Yun.¡±

    Fortunately, Chen Lingyun knew that these two were brainless sisters and wasn¡¯t angry or annoyed; instead, she cheerfully and openly said:

    ¡°I¡¯ve made you all wait.¡±

    ¡°We need to have a celebration feast!¡± Yan Yu mocked with a follow-up, ¡°To celebrate our entire team¡¯s Marrow Cleansing, we need to do it up big.¡±

    ¡°I support that!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately shouted. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°But we just had dinner,¡± Xie Ruoxi said, touching her little belly with a troubled expression.

    ¡°Just channel your spiritual energy to your stomach, and you¡¯ll digest it quickly,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately offered a solution, ¡°If we¡¯re Fasting, and can¡¯t eat when we want, what¡¯s the point of practicing it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not interested, you guys go ahead,¡± Su Yunjin declared.

    Being the closest to Chen Lingyun, she certainly couldn¡¯t agree to something that seemed like a celebration but was actually a form of mental torture.

    ¡°I¡¯m not feeling it either,¡± Lin Ning also quickly chose her side.

    The three girls formed a little alliance, united against the captain¡¯s tyranny!

    Zhao Yuanzhen was on Yan Yu¡¯s side, so the crucial vote came down to Xie Ruoxi.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi looked troubled on the surface, but in her heart, she was overjoyed.

    Who would have thought that I¡¯d have a moment where my words and actions are crucial!

    Although joining Ling Yun to oppose the captain seemed fun, one must not betray their true feelings.

    I¡¯m sorry, but my heart belongs to someone else.

    ¡°I support the captain and Sister Zhao,¡± she said seriously, and then was immediately hugged by Zhao Yuanzhen, overflowing with sisterly affection.

    So the vote became three to three, and Yan Yu seized the opportunity to propose:

    ¡°Since some want to celebrate and some don¡¯t, let¡¯s keep it simple. How about we go out for a stroll and grab some bites tonight?¡±

    ¡°Agreed!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately said.

    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t we get recognized by people if we go shopping?¡± Su Yunjin worried.

    ¡°It¡¯d be best to go somewhere with no people.¡± Remembering the scene of being pursued by student fans at school and being blocked everywhere, Lin Ning also felt uneasy.

    ¡°How about this,¡± Xie Ruoxi suggested, ¡°we bring some snacks and camp out on the rooftop of the villa to watch the stars?¡±

    This was indeed a novel idea. After all, aside from Xie Ruoxi and Zhao Yuanzhen, the rest of them were typical city kids who couldn¡¯t see many stars at night due to light pollution.

    Of course, the light pollution in the suburbs of Jinling Prefecture would only be more serious than other places¡­ but after everyone¡¯s Marrow Cleansing advancement, their constitutions improved and so did their eyesight, so this wasn¡¯t much of an issue anymore.

    The only problem was, where could they find snacks?

    When everyone¡¯s gaze fell upon her, Zhao Yuanzhen finally spoke seriously:

    ¡°I¡¯d gladly share with you all, but I really don¡¯t have a single bag left in my stock.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Xie Ruoxi had anticipated this and said, ¡°I have a few packs of shrimp sticks hidden in my room¡­¡±

    ¡°Eight packs,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen interjected, ¡°are also gone.¡±

    ¡°How is that possible!¡± Xie Ruoxi cried out in dismay, ¡°I wanted to save a few packs to snack on this weekend!¡±

    ¡°Last time I was looking for something in the study, I saw eight packs of unclaimed puffed snacks,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said righteously, ¡°So, to prevent food waste, I ate them.¡±

    ¡°How could food that ¡®nobody wanted¡¯ be hidden deep in a cabinet!¡± Xie Ruoxi tried to accuse her of committing theft.

    ¡°Because it was hidden behind a pile of books, that¡¯s why I thought it had been forgotten,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen explained, trying to defend herself with flowery words.

    ¡°Defense dismissed, Sister Zhao is guilty as charged, and you are punished to go out and buy eight packs of shrimp sticks to return to Xie Ruoxi, and also take care of purchasing this time¡¯s snacks, execute immediately,¡± Yan Yu interrupted their pointless self-defense and announced decisively, ¡°Xie Ruoxi to supervise!¡±

    ¡°Master Yan is wise beyond measure!¡± Xie Ruoxi wept for joy.

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was not convinced and huffed, ¡°I¡¯ll buy a whole bunch at once, then eat them all up! Only leaving about a dozen bags for Ruoxi!¡±

    ¡°She even knows to leave about a dozen bags for Ruoxi, what a good relationship they have,¡± Lin Ning quietly snarked with Yun Jin and Ling Yun.

    So the two girls went out to buy snacks, while the others moved chairs to the roof.

    While the Zhenhai Team was observing the night sky, the Dragon Soar Team, on the other hand, attended the latest intelligence meeting at the Privy Council¡¯s military intelligence division.

    After listening to the reports, the leaders all wore serious expressions, and the members were also silent; only Liu Longtao, after reviewing the materials for a long time, suddenly asked:

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that if the worst happens, in this battle at The Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng, we will be facing the entire Western world, along with both Yin Yang and Pear Blossom Courtyards?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± the comrade moderating the meeting said, ¡°It has been confirmed that they will extensively recruit Transcendents from Europe to join the competition.¡±

    ¡°I have a question,¡± Ye Jun raised her hand to ask, ¡°What exactly is the relationship between the Superhero Alliance and the Homeland Strategic Bureau?¡±

    ¡°On the surface, the Superhero Alliance focuses on commercial interests, while the Homeland Strategic Bureau prioritizes national defense,¡± came the reply, ¡°In reality, behind the Homeland Strategic Bureau stand the local conservatives, while the Superhero Alliance is transnational and cross-regional, backed by elite capitalists from the entire Western world.¡±

    ¡°If the Superhero Alliance takes the lead, based on the previous Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm incident, then the goal is to maximize profit: No matter how fiercely they fight on the battlefield, they¡¯ll still reconcile off it, and everything is negotiable.¡±

    ¡°But since it¡¯s the Homeland Strategic Bureau leading this time, the intensity of competition is expected to increase significantly. For them, it¡¯s equally important to curb the growth of Rikoku Cultivators¡¯ power as it is to secure their own interests.¡±

    ¡°L¨ªg¨­ng distributes rewards based on the order of entry, right? How accurate is this intelligence?¡± Ye Jun continued to inquire, ¡°Under these circumstances, can they still maintain their original alliance relationship?¡±

    ¡°The intelligence has been confirmed,¡± the comrade moderating the meeting replied, ¡°As for their alliance relationship, it is anticipated that they would prepare for both possibilities¡ªif Rikoku Cultivators stand in their way, then the alliance naturally continues, united in enmity; but if the prize is within reach, it¡¯s first come first served, the latecomers get leftovers, then I doubt anyone would still adhere to any alliance pacts.¡±

    ¡°This is because the opposing forces are too diverse,¡± Liu Longtao mused, ¡°Yin Yang Bureau and Pear Blossom Courtyard are at odds with each other, and Miti from the Homeland Strategic Bureau, along with the foreign Transcendents from Europe brought in by the Superhero Alliance, are not necessarily on the same page.¡±

    ¡°To put it in extreme terms,¡± the other party said, ¡°assuming we do not block the path to L¨ªg¨­ng in advance. Then, before the wide-open gates of L¨ªg¨­ng, the multi-national alliance would collapse on its own, as everyone would be killing each other to be the first to enter.¡±

    ¡°But the cost is that treasures from L¨ªg¨­ng would definitely be lost,¡± Ye Jun noted.

    ¡°Correct, we cannot interfere with the mechanism by which L¨ªg¨­ng distributes treasures, and moreover, after obtaining treasures, one has the option to teleport and leave the realm; as such, even if we desire to kill for those treasures, the operational aspect is low.¡±

    ¡°How come we know so much about the mechanisms of this Secret Realm?¡± Liu Longtao frowned and asked, ¡°I don¡¯t mean to question your intelligence work, but I need you to take responsibility for its accuracy.¡±

    ¡°We take responsibility for its accuracy,¡± the other party stated with finality.

    Liu Longtao, seeing his certainty, didn¡¯t press the issue any further. After pondering for a while, he proclaimed with conviction:

    ¡°Not a single treasure from L¨ªg¨­ng can be lost; that is the bottom line!¡±

    ¡°That is to say,¡± Ye Jun added, ¡°we must block the entrance to L¨ªg¨­ng ahead of everyone else and not allow any Transcendent to enter.¡±

    ¡°Kill whoever comes,¡± Liu Longtao said with a cold laugh, ¡°until they¡¯re so afraid that they crumble and retreat!¡±

 Chapter 352: 48: Beating Lord Master

    Chapter 352: Chapter 48: Beating Lord Master

    Having completed a general analysis of the opposing forces, the meeting moved on to discuss specific ¡°key target individuals,¡± which is to say, those famous, top-tier Transcendents who posed a threat to the cultivators of Lu Country.

    After the increase in the upper limit of Earth¡¯s spiritual energy concentration, there was an overall upward shift in the quality of the country¡¯s top-end cultivators.

    In contrast, the quality and quantity of overseas Transcendents saw a significant improvement and increase.

    So why didn¡¯t the number of domestic cultivators explode in growth? This was a topic off-limits for discussion. Anyway, compared to the top cultivators of the Marrow Cleansing Stage within the country, some previously less known foreign Transcendents had now successfully risen to the top tier and were being highlighted by the global media.

    On the Superhero Alliance side, ¡°Phoenix¡± Phoenix and ¡°Thunderbird¡± Margaret were confirmed to go to war, while ¡°Thornbird¡± Roger claimed he was still recuperating in his country villa and regretfully would miss the Pacific Ocean battlefield this time.

    Apart from the two veteran superheroes, new stars from Europe like ¡°Sabertooth¡± Langferro, ¡°White Lion¡± Hamilton, ¡°Devil¡± Benjamin, and ¡°Preacher¡± Han George have publicly announced that they would represent the Superhero Alliance in battle and ¡°collectively counter Lu Country¡¯s overbearing and barbaric behavior.¡±

    ...

    The Yin Yang Bureau¡¯s Four Great Demon Kings announced that two of them would be deployed: ¡°Formless Ninja¡± Xiandao Jingyin and ¡°Illusionist¡± Shenyuan Simie.

    The Pear Blossom Courtyard sent the fewest people, but their promotion was the most high-profile: the focus, of course, was on Park Changmin, who at the time wasn¡¯t yet called the ¡°Goryeo Sword Immortal,¡± but ¡°White Mountain Divine Sword.¡±

    Besides him were ¡°Green-clad Sword¡± Lee Kyung-joon and ¡°Myriad Leaf Sword¡± Choi Seung-hyun. Both were currently top Sword Immortals in the country competing with Park Changmin in the ring, and each supported by conglomerates¡­ By the way, these nicknames weren¡¯t officially awarded but were collected through media public selections and voted on by the general populace.

    All the aforementioned Transcendents, when their strength levels were gauged in Lu Country, all ranked on par with the Marrow Cleansing Stage, making them the greatest adversaries for the cultivators of Lu Country this time.

    Under the starry sky, Yan Yu was chatting and laughing with the girls when suddenly his phone began to ring.

    He took it out for a look and his face turned dark: Lord Master had directly dumped dozens of documents over, all containing intelligence analyses of high-threat enemies in the opposing camp that were confirmed to be encountered.

    You¡¯re pulling up a list, huh?

    The meeting on Liu Longtao¡¯s side had just ended, and he¡¯d dumped all the files to Yan Yu before sitting eagerly by his phone, waiting for Yan Yu to provide commentary and analysis.

    After a moment, a message came from the other side:

    ¡°What, scared?¡±

    Liu Longtao nearly dropped his phone and quickly typed a retort: S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Me? Haha.¡±

    Upon closer inspection, it seemed a bit too lengthy, which might make him look like he was overreacting, so he quickly deleted the ¡°Haha¡± to change it to ¡°Me?¡±

    After looking at it again, why did it become a question? It made him seem uncertain. So he immediately removed the ¡°Me?¡± leaving just ¡°Me.¡±

    Continuing his scrutiny, he thought it still wasn¡¯t concise enough, so he decided to delete ¡°Me¡± as well.

    ?

    Perfect, a question mark could express the disdain and indifference of us noble Pingjing lords when faced with such a boring inquiry¡­

    Before he could finish his thoughts, another message popped up on the screen:

    ¡°You¡¯re taking so long to reply; you must be really scared.¡±

    Liu Longtao firmly pressed the send button, sending out a forceful question mark.

    Yan Yu was typing when suddenly Su Yunjin tugged at his arm:

    ¡°Captain, what star is that?¡±

    ¡°Which one?¡± Yan Yu pretended to think hard for a moment, ¡°That¡¯s Sirius.¡±

    Is it though? Right, no, maybe right. Actually, Yan Yu didn¡¯t know what star it was.

    But the point is, when girls ask you about stars, they aren¡¯t truly looking to learn about astronomy; saying ¡°I don¡¯t know¡± would just make you look dumb.

    No matter what you respond, she won¡¯t check to confirm, so why not make something up and appear learned?

    Hahaha, that¡¯s so me!

    Su Yunjin nodded as if suddenly enlightened and said ¡°Oh,¡± but in her mind she thought:

    Isn¡¯t that Polaris?

    Oh dear, so the captain is one of those boys who, even if they don¡¯t know, will blurt out any answer just to fill the gap?

    Cute, I like him even more now~

    ¡°So it¡¯s Sirius. Captain, you know so much,¡± she said with a smile.

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Yan Yu displayed a calmly knowledgeable expression, as if it was all common sense.

    Meanwhile, Lin Ning quietly pressed on her phone, starting to search for Jinling Prefecture¡¯s winter star-gazing map.

    His phone rang again, and Yan Yu unlocked the screen to find several messages popping up immediately.

    [Liu Young Master]: ?

    [Liu Young Master]: You can stop joking. Can rabbits beat lions?

    [Liu Young Master]: I don¡¯t get the humor of people from the south.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Haha, impatient again.

    On the other side of the phone, Liu Longtao: ¡­¡­¡­

    I¡¯ve been waiting here so long, and that¡¯s the crap you say to me?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Oh, sorry, I typed that wrong.

    [Liu Shao]: A typo?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: I often use this phrase to copy and paste replies to Xiao Zhou, so it¡¯s always on the clipboard. Just now I wanted to copy another sentence for you, but I pressed the wrong button.

    This guy even dares to privately chat up Zhou Hongyu, isn¡¯t he afraid that girl will kill him?

    [Liu Shao]: Then what were you originally going to copy?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: ?

    Liu Longtao: ¡­¡­¡­..

    [Liu Shao]: Just a question mark, too stingy to type, gotta copy and paste my words?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Otherwise?

    [Liu Shao]: Fine, let¡¯s not beat around the bush. Have you looked at the document I sent you earlier about the high threat targets from the opposing faction?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: No.

    [Liu Shao]: Why not?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Because I¡¯m not scared.

    Liu Longtao: ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    Damn, I¡¯m getting the urge to shred someone, gonna have to whip out my Liu Family¡¯s ancestral gold knife.

    [Liu Shao]: Lord Yan, do you think this time the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng will be easy to deal with?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Of course not, didn¡¯t you throw dozens of documents at me?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: A whole bunch of Marrow Cleansing Stage enemies coming to kill us, who dares say it¡¯ll be a breeze?

    [Liu Shao]: Then why say ¡°not scared¡± as if you¡¯re pretending to be tough?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Not being easy to deal with isn¡¯t the same as being scared.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: In the face of great events, one needs to stay calm, understand?

    [Liu Shao]: Do I really need you to teach me that?

    [Liu Shao]: Look, Lord Yan, let¡¯s not talk about that airy stuff, how do you plan to fight in the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng this time?!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Kill!

    [Liu Shao]: Kill!

    [Liu Shao]: I¡¯m asking how to kill.

    [Liu Shao]: Guerilla warfare would be fine, dodge the edge when there are many enemies, butcher any who are alone.

    [Liu Shao]: But this time we have to defend L¨ªg¨­ng, can¡¯t let the enemies get inside, not even one.

    [Liu Shao]: No room for retreat means we have to face the charge of thousands of troops head-on, no dodging, even Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler might not hold up.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Why can¡¯t we retreat not even one step?

    [Liu Shao]: Otherwise?

    [Liu Shao]: L¨ªg¨­ng in the East Sea, just hearing the name you know it¡¯s Lu Country¡¯s.

    [Liu Shao]: How can Lu Country¡¯s treasures be picked up by foreigners!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: It¡¯s not like it¡¯s never been picked up by others before.

    [Liu Shao]: Trash treasures are a separate matter. A secret realm of L¨ªg¨­ng¡¯s level produces national treasures! Even if we lost one, I¡¯d have to go back to the Liu Family ancestral shrine to kowtow three times and apologize to the ancestors!

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Oh, I see now.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: But my Yan Family doesn¡¯t have that rule.

    [Liu Shao]: ¡­Damn, is it still possible to apply for another team to replace you guys now?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Keeping the treasures of L¨ªg¨­ng out of the hands of foreign Transcendents isn¡¯t as difficult as you think.

    [Liu Shao]: I¡¯d like to hear more.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: But I¡¯m busy right now and can¡¯t explain.

    [Liu Shao]: ???

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Haha, hanging out with beautiful girls watching the stars, I¡¯m not from your Dragon Soar Team, treating girls as if they were guys to order around.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Talk next time.

    With a crisp ¡°snap,¡± Liu Longtao¡¯s phone screen developed several cracks¡ªhe had squeezed it until it burst.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Ye Jun, hearing the noise, came over to ask.

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Liu Longtao¡¯s eye twitched as he barely managed a smile, ¡°Lord Yan is just joking with me.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Ye Jun glanced at his phone screen and said, ¡°That¡¯s pretty harsh. I¡¯ll talk to him for you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re close with Lord Yan?¡± Liu Longtao¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°Go and grill him for me immediately!¡±

 Chapter 353: 49: The Secret Realm of LÃ­gÅng, Converging with Ye Jun

    Chapter 353: Chapter 49: The Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng, Converging with Ye Jun

    Yan Yu read the message from Ye Jun and smiled slightly, not replying.

    Sigh, it¡¯s really not easy being the deputy team leader, always having to endure the team leader¡¯s various unreasonable demands, tsk tsk tsk.

    ¡°Who are you messaging?¡± Chen Lingyun teased with a smile, ¡°Ye Jun?¡±

    The girls immediately looked over.

    ¡°Lord Master asked her to discuss matters with me,¡± replied Yan Yu.

    ¡°Is it about The Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng?¡± Su Yunjin asked with concern.

    ...

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly, ¡°you don¡¯t need to worry, it¡¯s just that Lord Master is a bit lacking in confidence, that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what Lord Master is like,¡± Chen Lingyun also chimed in sarcastically, ¡°Even if he¡¯s a pansy inside, he always pretends to be a tough guy in front of others, puffing up his face even if it swells.¡±

    The fact that Princess Jiang Hai and Lord Master of Pingjing didn¡¯t see eye to eye was no secret within the Zhenhai Team, so everyone tactfully pretended not to hear.

    Lin Ning raised her hand to speak:

    ¡°First of all, if even Lord Master is lacking in confidence, doesn¡¯t that suggest that this mysterious realm is going to be very difficult? We¡¯re not afraid to fight, but at the very least we should have the right to be informed. Not knowing our enemy while knowing ourselves is surely a major taboo in warfare? Secondly, I just checked the star map, and the Sirius you mentioned should actually be Polaris.¡±

    ¡°What right to be informed? I¡¯ve just received the intelligence,¡± Yan Yu disregarded the latter half of her words and took on the role of a dismissive shopkeeper, ¡°Ling Yun, I¡¯ve sent you all the documents from Lord Master. Everyone wait for us to sort out the intelligence, then we¡¯ll explain it to you in detail¡­¡±

    Before he could finish, the sky in the distance suddenly lit up.

    The night sky to the northeast suddenly brightened as if it were daytime, with multicolored lights soaring upward like a whirl of birds or a group of dragons taking flight, followed by a dazzling radiance!

    Everyone was too preoccupied to continue chatting and quickly used Sword Flight to rise into the high skies above Jinling Prefecture to check the situation.

    Shortly after, everyone¡¯s phones began to ring frantically at the same time!

    In fact, this strange celestial phenomenon was observed not only in Jinling Prefecture but also in Goryeo, Silla, Chongyin, and along the entire coast of East Asia.

    Looking down from the perspective of a weather satellite, the location that was originally the Departure Palace in the East Sea had now exploded with thousands of colorful brilliant lights, piercing directly through the clouds, breaking through the atmosphere, and shooting into space.

    Was the Departure Palace about to open?!

    Yan Yu hurried with his team to the East Sea fleet, while the Dragon Soar Team arrived even earlier and learned that the palace had not yet opened.

    But it was estimated that the opening was not far off.

    The magnetic field in the waters near the palace had surged dramatically, damaging many ships¡¯ electronic systems, and the engineering troops were working overtime to repair them¡ªat least the opposing fleet was similarly afflicted, and for a brief time, an unusually calm and peaceful state prevailed on both sides.

    In the fleet¡¯s meeting room, everyone held an urgent meeting to analyze and discuss the current situation.

    According to the results from the underwater drones, the phenomenon at the Departure Palace was located in the depth zone ranging from 25 meters to over 700 meters. The so-called multicolored lights were actually some kind of low-temperature plasma¡ªwhy this phenomenon stably existed on a large scale in seawater and emitted various wavelengths of light was completely unclear, it could only be surmised that it definitely was the entrance to a mysterious realm that had not yet been opened.

    After the phenomenon erupted this evening, the temperature of these plasmas rose quickly, causing the surrounding seawater to continuously boil and vaporize. The high-temperature steam continuously poured through the layers of the sea, as a large number of cooked and carbonized small fish and shrimp floated to the surface, creating a rather ghastly purgatory scene.

    ¡°The water temperature is too high, even a cultivator getting close would be boiled alive,¡± concluded Yan Yu.

    ¡°Is it possible to install a heat-insulating layer on the submersible?¡± Chen Lingyun inquired.

    ¡°Impossible,¡± Ye Jun denied, ¡°Even if it were technically possible, there is no time. We should consider whether the opposition might have a water-insulating and heat-resistant spell.¡±

    ¡°Can the Xuan Guang Ruler withstand it?¡± Liu Longtao asked.

    ¡°It should be fine for the outer water temperature,¡± Ye Jun replied, ¡°but if the core temperature inside spikes, I can¡¯t guarantee it will always work, after all, the Xuan Guang Ruler isn¡¯t specifically a treasure for defending against fire and water.¡±

    ¡°The mysterious realm is probably not open yet,¡± said Yan Yu, ¡°let¡¯s continue to observe for the time being.¡±

    If the Departure Palace were indeed a testing type of mysterious realm, of course, it wouldn¡¯t be designed with obstacles near the entrance. Typically, it would lure people into the realm before subjecting them to various tests and torments.

    This meant that if the water temperature started to drop rapidly, then the entrance to the mysterious realm was probably about to open.

    After discussing for half a day, they still could not come up with any strategies and could only go to rest and be on standby.

    Upon leaving the meeting room, Yan Yu secretly transmitted a message to Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°You can start practicing the fasting method.¡±

    ¡°How much longer until the mysterious realm opens?¡± Chen Lingyun asked through transmission, ¡°If it opens suddenly while I¡¯m at a critical moment in my cultivation, I might not be able to perform my best in combat.¡±

    ¡°No worries, your performance won¡¯t affect the team¡¯s combat power,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°The exact opening time will probably be within a day or two.¡±

    Chen Lingyun: ¡­¡­¡­.

    Is that human language?

    Forget it, people from the south are this domineering, I shouldn¡¯t get angry with him.

    Everyone returned to the cabin to start a team meeting, with Chen Lingyun responsible for briefing the intelligence.

    Around five o¡¯clock the next morning, another message came from outside:

    The temperature of the underwater streamers had begun to drop.

    The two teams geared up with live broadcast equipment and quickly entered the underwater submersible, preparing to break into the underwater streamer to explore the entrance of the mysterious realm.

    As for how to prevent the Transcendents from the other side from entering the mysterious realm, that task was left to the fleet above the sea surface, and everyone else did not have time to worry about it any longer.

    In the cramped interior of the underwater submersible, eleven people squeezed together, staring out of the portholes, ready for battle. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    To avoid cramming into the girls from the Zhenhai Team, the four men from Lord Master¡¯s side huddled together, trying to compact their space as much as possible.

    The girls from Zhenhai Team also had their concerns, and likewise huddled tightly, turning Yan Yu into the filling inside a sandwich cookie, almost unable to breathe.

    Luckily, he had already mastered the art of Turtle Breathing and Fasting! Otherwise, he really might have been squeezed to suffocation by them.

    Only Ye Jun stood in the middle, focused on maneuvering the underwater submersible and staring at the data on the dashboard.

    ¡°How do you know how to drive this?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°I crammed last night, learned it urgently,¡± Ye Jun replied.

    Yan Yu clicked his tongue in wonder, able to learn it in one night? What kind of last-minute cramming genius?

    ¡°What¡¯s the situation outside?¡± Liu Longtao also asked.

    ¡°Hard to say,¡± Ye Jun shook his head, not explaining much, only saying, ¡°When the temperature up ahead gets too high and the machine can¡¯t go any further, I¡¯ll protect you with the Xuan Guang Ruler, and we¡¯ll leave the submersible to move forward in the water, getting as far as we can¡­¡±

    Before he could finish speaking, the entire submersible was suddenly flipped over by an unexpected external force, spinning the world around!

    Then came the explosion-like radiation of streamers, engulfing everyone and vanishing them from sight.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    Yan Yu quickly surveyed his surroundings and realized he was no longer inside the submersible.

    Instead, he was within the space of the mysterious realm.

    The ground beneath his feet was as crimson as blood, the clouds above seemed ablaze, and everywhere he looked was a piercing, brilliant red.

    In the distance were rolling mountain ranges, and nearby were plains, with a grand river flowing from left to right in front of him, its waters also a deep red, with dense red algae floating on it.

    Yan Yu extended his Divine Sense around to check for any traces of Transcendents.

    After entering the mysterious realm, team members would be scattered and randomly teleported to one of the six major checkpoints, a fact that had been informed to the girls during last night¡¯s team meeting.

    The mysterious realm itself was not difficult to conquer; the risk lay in the fact that Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin, both of whom specialized in reconnaissance and control, lacked the powerful offensive capacity to defeat enemies. If they found themselves alone against groups of equally ranked hostile Transcendents, being outnumbered would easily put them at a disadvantage.

    Therefore, they needed to conceal their presence as much as possible and look for teammates in the vicinity to regroup as soon as they could.

    The Dragon Soar Team included three Sword Immortals, one cultivator of Taoism Method, and one Assistant Officer. The combat ability of the Sword Immortals went without saying, Yang Linhui practiced potent offensive Taoism Methods, and Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler was a surefire life-saving instrument. Together with Yan Yu, Zhao Yuanzhen, Lin Ning, and Xie Ruoxi from the Zhenhai Team, there were a total of nine people. If they were spread evenly across the six checkpoints, theoretically, at least one person would be at each checkpoint to meet and form a temporary team with them.

    Of course, should their luck be incredibly poor and the two of them only find each other at the first checkpoint without locating anyone else¡­ as long as they could support each other through this checkpoint, the rest should be manageable.

    Since there was no one around detected by Yan Yu¡¯s Divine Sense, he boldly initiated Sword Flight to ascend into the sky for an unrestricted search.

    He had already made up his mind ¨C if he encountered teammates, he would regroup; if he encountered enemies, he would engage in battle. Even if faced with a dozen or twenty enemies, he would not fear!

    Just as he flew beyond the range of the Red River, he saw a sword light rising from below.

    Allied forces? That sword light is¡­

    Yan Yu focused his eyes and heard Ye Jun¡¯s voice transmission:

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±

 Chapter 354: 50: Yan Yus Swordsmanship Performance Show

    Chapter 354: Chapter 50: Yan Yu¡¯s Swordsmanship Performance Show

    Due to the sudden opening of The Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng in the East Sea, neither of the live streaming teams was able to react in time.

    In Lu Country, officials hastily started the official live stream, then moved on to urgent promotion. Major TV stations quickly scheduled program inserts, and internet companies used pop-up notifications to alert users. News spread rapidly across the country as if it had grown wings.

    The public also complained bitterly, as today was a workday!

    Many people had already gone to work before realizing that the raid on The Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng was scheduled for today. Without a chance to come up with an excuse to take leave, they could only secretly watch the live stream on their phones using data.

    The Superhero Alliance also urgently started their live stream and aggressively promoted it to over fifty countries with which they had signed commercial agreements. Many viewers, just after clicking into the live stream, saw a bunch of staff members making preparations¡ªthe Transcendents hadn¡¯t even started their incursion into the mysterious realm yet.

    The reason for the rush to start the global broadcast was simple: Lu Country had already started live streaming. If they fell behind on the work here, viewers would turn to Lu Country¡¯s live stream of the Secret Realm¡¯s exploration. By then, they would completely lose the power to shape the narrative, so it was essential to draw the viewers in first.

    ...

    The best example was Tianzhu, where the Yin Yang Bureau, with its conservative and traditional style, hadn¡¯t considered commercialization at all (if they live streamed the whole process and lost, they would have to bow in apology). As a result, most citizens turned to foreign broadcasts¡­ to the point that now many don¡¯t even know about the Four Great Demon Kings of their own country, but are well-versed in the likes of the Longcheng Flying General and the B¨¢i Mountain Sword Immortal.

    Inside the mysterious realm, although the cultivators were scattered, the live streaming teams outside could see everything clearly through each person¡¯s camera.

    Su Yunjin and Lin Ning met each other; Chen Lingyun and Zhao Yuanzhen joined forces; Yan Yu and Ye Jun formed a team; Liu Longtao and Xie Ruoxi walked side by side; Yang Linhui and Guo Feiyun fought together. Only Ai Lu was unfortunately left alone.

    The six teams were scattered across six different stages of the mysterious realm, currently expanding their exploration around the area.

    The director switched to each team for about 10 seconds, introduced them in detail, and then cut to Longcheng Flying General to see his and Ye Jun¡¯s performance.

    Yan Yu and Ye Jun had not been using Sword Flight long when they saw two armies engaged in combat ahead in the sky.

    One group dressed lavishly with complicated attire, mostly attacking from a distance, such as archery, flute playing, or throwing circular blades; the other group seemed more barbaric, with bare chests, animal skin around their waists, armed with swords and spears, leaping into the air with flames under their feet, attempting to engage the enemy in close combat.

    ¡°Gods and Asuras,¡± Ye Jun observed closely and said, ¡°It somewhat resembles the mythological system of Tianzhu, but there are many differences in the details. It seems the master of L¨ªg¨­ng has applied some local artistic adaptations.¡±

    ¡°How do you even know about things from Tianzhu?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    ¡°I have some understanding,¡± Ye Jun replied, ¡°My family has a book called ¡®Comprehensive Analysis of Tianzhu Mythology.¡¯ I used to flip through it when I was bored as a kid. It even has illustrations.¡±

    ¡°From the perspective of clearing the mysterious realm, the conflict between the two sides is a hint that we must make a choice: to side with the gods, with the Asuras, or with neither,¡± Yan Yu analyzed, ¡°Since you have read about Tianzhu mythology, which side do you think is better to help?¡±

    ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t really remember clearly,¡± Ye Jun replied thoughtfully, ¡°I just vaguely recall that in many stories, the gods often end up in a sorry state but, with the protection of the Trimurti, they always manage to have the last laugh; the Asuras are formidable but usually meet unpleasant ends.¡±

    Yan Yu continued to watch for a moment and indeed found that the side of the gods seemed to be losing. Once the ranged fighters were cornered by the melee, they were utterly restrained, with their formation thrown into complete disarray, and their ability to project power greatly hindered.

    If they decided to support the Asuras in their bullying, the early stages would definitely be easier, but according to Ye Jun¡¯s words, the difficulty was likely all waiting further in.

    Our goal is to clear the stage as quickly as possible and be at the Departure Palace Gate to block others; we cannot waste too much time on this first stage.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s help the gods,¡± Yan Yu declared with a grand gesture, ¡°Let¡¯s go up!¡±

    He leaped forward, using the ¡°Rainbow Through the Sun¡± sword move, aiming directly for the head of the leading Asura.

    The opponent stretched out a palm as large as a fan to grab at the Huang Tingjian sword, but the sword¡¯s light suddenly changed moves, instantly switching from ¡°Rainbow Through the Sun¡± to ¡°Phoenix Seeking the Phoenix,¡± suddenly conjuring more than twenty sword shadows!

    In a villa in Pingjing, Cai Qianlong was sitting in front of the TV with his girlfriend, watching the live stream.

    Seeing Yan Yu¡¯s move ¡°Phoenix Seeking the Phoenix,¡± he couldn¡¯t help but let out an expletive:

    ¡°Damn! What kind of monster is this!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± his girlfriend asked curiously.

    ¡°You¡¯re not a cultivator, so it¡¯s normal that you don¡¯t understand,¡± Cai Qianlong said without explaining and pushed her away, ¡°Go get me a bottle of beer from the fridge. Such fine swordsmanship should not be wasted without a drink.¡±

    Reluctantly, the girlfriend got up and walked towards the kitchen, thinking to herself, if it weren¡¯t for my father¡¯s strict demand, why would I agree to be with someone as chauvinistic as you?

    Cai Qianlong, however, did not notice his girlfriend¡¯s mood. He was focused on the screen, not wanting to miss any detail of the swordsmanship.

    Meanwhile, in the classrooms of the four major cultivator academies, members of the Sword Immortal profession teams watched the projection, exclaiming continuously.

    Some started to explain to their non-Sword Immortal teammates: ¡°Phoenix Seeking the Phoenix¡± is actually one of the sword techniques that can create multiple afterimages with Sword Qi, confusing the enemy¡¯s judgment.

    As for how many afterimages one can create depends on the version of the sword technique being studied, as well as the individual¡¯s own level of swordsmanship.

    An ordinary Sword Immortal, using the version of the sword technique taught in schools, can generally produce 2-3 afterimages. If one can produce four, then they can boast about it in front of their classmates for a whole day.

    Five afterimages is about the limit that personal skill can achieve, enough to have an instructor come over to write a recommendation letter, and transfer you to a more powerful team.

    Of course, being the captain of the Zhenhai Team and the famous Longcheng Flying General, he definitely used an advanced version of the sword technique, but conjuring over 20 afterimages was just too terrifying; so much so that upon seeing it, the Sword Immortals could hardly keep it together, exclaiming in shock, ¡°Is this even human?¡±

    More than twenty Sword Qi afterimages filled the sky and shot towards the target, completely covering them from head to toe; the leading Asura was indeed stunned and could only randomly choose one Sword Qi to block.

    As a result, the Sword Qi afterimage dissipated in his hands, while the real Huang Tingjian Sword light pierced straight through his chest and swiftly moved on towards the second Asura.

    This one was holding a long-handled weapon and instantly swung it around creating an impregnable defense, preventing Yan Yu from deploying the same trick.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t pause for a moment, his sword light met the attack head-on with a clash of metal!

    Eagle Strikes the Heavens!

    The first strike collided directly with the opponent¡¯s weapon, both being repelled by the force of the impact.

    The Asura stumbled backwards slightly, while the Huang Tingjian sword light changed angles, dispelling the momentum and going for another uplift.

    The second strike!

    The Asura hadn¡¯t expected the second attack to come so swiftly and hurriedly tried to press down the weapon that had been knocked back, but it was struck yet again by the sword light and almost slipped out of his grasp.

    The Huang Tingjian sword light did not relent, slightly spinning and changing angles without any sign of a worn-out technique; the third horizontal slash was already upon him.

    This time, even with the Asura¡¯s great strength, he could not maintain his grip on the long handle of the weapon. It was knocked from his hands by the relentless waves of attack, spinning as it flew away.

    And the fourth strike of the Huang Ting sword was closely following, mercilessly piercing the enemy whose guard was wide open, and then going straight for the third Asura.

    Cai Qianlong watched the screen without blinking, even involuntarily holding his breath until Yan Yu finished the ferocious quadruple strike, then he slowly exhaled and turned to his girlfriend to explain,

    ¡°The move the Longcheng Flying General used is called ¡®Eagle Strikes the Heavens,¡¯ a powerful technique that can deliver multiple layers of attacks in a short duration. Cultivators who are not of the Sword Immortal profession, unless they have some defensive spell or magical treasure, cannot even block this move. They would be decapitated in an instant.¡±

    ¡°For an ordinary Sword Immortal, executing a double strike is actually quite simple. But a triple strike, well, only about 10% of Sword Immortals in the country can achieve that. As for the quadruple strike¡­hmpf, the technical skill involved is something 99% of Sword Immortals can¡¯t even comprehend, let alone try to imitate and learn.¡± S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Then what¡¯s the most number of strikes you can execute?¡± his girlfriend asked curiously.

    ¡°I¡¯ve also executed a quadruple strike,¡± Cai Qianlong replied.

    ¡°Wow, so you¡¯re on the same level as the Longcheng Flying General?¡± His girlfriend¡¯s eyes shone with admiration, and any slight displeasure she had from being ordered around vanished instantly.

    My Qianlong is actually so formidable!

    Cai Qianlong smiled but said nothing, internally heaving a sigh.

    ¡°Having executed once¡± and ¡°being able to use it reliably¡± are completely different matters.

    Watching Yan Yu execute the four consecutive strikes as if flowing like clouds and water, it¡¯s likely that even this quadruple strike wasn¡¯t his limit. It¡¯s just that his opponents couldn¡¯t withstand even that much.

    Of course, now was the time to boast, so there was no need to tell his wife this.

    His thoughts quickly turned, and he suddenly bragged to his girlfriend,

    ¡°The Longcheng Flying General and I are old acquaintances. Back when I fought a fifty-fifty battle against the Dragon Cavalry Team¡¯s captain, Liu Longtao, for nearly half an hour before losing due to the depletion of my True Yuan, he even called me to ask how I did it.¡±

    ¡°We had a great talk on the phone, and ended up considering each other as good friends¡­ See? His number is still lying around in my contacts.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re that amazing!¡± exclaimed his girlfriend, with stars nearly popping out of her eyes, ¡°Then if you faced off against the Longcheng Flying General one-on-one, how many minutes could you last without being defeated?¡±

    ¡°Uh,¡± Cai Qianlong was momentarily at a loss for words, ¡°within 10 minutes¡­ no, I definitely wouldn¡¯t lose in 15 minutes! If he performed poorly or made a careless mistake, I might even have a chance to counter-kill him!¡±

 Chapter 355: 51 Top Support Ye Jun

    Chapter 355: Chapter 51 Top Support Ye Jun

    Yan Yu¡¯s sword light cut down two Asuras with the speed of lightning, instantly boosting the morale of the viewers in the live stream.

    As expected of Lu Country¡¯s Longcheng Flying General! Snapping his fingers, he killed two monsters in a row, like a hot knife through butter!!!

    Can the Transcendents from other countries do this?

    The commentators in charge of this live stream were still the professionals hired by Shi Xun, Xu Dongming, and Zhou Erhe.

    The two guests had recently commented on many Grade B and C Cultivator combat leagues, and with their significantly increased knowledge reserves, their confidence in commentating had also notably improved. This time, it was said that they had signed a bet agreement with the production team before the match, ensuring that the mistakes from the last live stream would not occur again¡ªthe previous Changping Secret Realm broadcast was basically a series of incorrect predictions, resulting in some embarrassingly off-target commentary.

    The video was later clipped and shared widely by netizens, making it the butt of many jokes, and some even called Military Manor to complain they were intentionally misleading viewers, ¡°Can you please get more professional commentators to educate the public?¡±¡­ Of course, they couldn¡¯t. How could Shi Xun Group, having spent a fortune on broadcast rights, simply hand it over to someone else?

    ...

    The Shi Xun Group was actually quite helpless too because the community of Cultivators was still too niche and talent was hard to find. Real experts well-versed in theory were all in the army and not likely to be poached with fat paychecks (Army: What do you think you¡¯re doing?), so they had no choice but to train knowledgeable commentators from scratch.

    Currently, among the human resources available, these two commentators were chosen because they started early, had a better starting point, and were diligent and serious in their studies. Their rich commentating experience made them stand out from the rest¡­ Hence, despite their not-so-upstanding record from the Changping Secret Realm comments, they were still appointed to commentate on this assault on the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng.

    As Yan Yu initiated the ¡°Hundred Birds Toward the Phoenix¡±, Zhou Erhe began explaining to the audience ¡°how amazing it is to produce 20 residual images.¡±

    Before he could finish, the first Asura had already met its end. Huang Tingjian¡¯s sword light moved on to the second Asura, executing the ¡®Eagle Strikes the Heavens¡¯ four consecutive strikes, which broke the enemy¡¯s defenses like pulling rotting wood away¡­ Xu Dongming quickly interrupted Zhou Erhe¡¯s endless talking to praise ¡°what level the ¡®Eagle Strikes the Heavens¡¯ four consecutive strikes is among the domestic Sword Immortals¡±.

    To prevent the two from speaking without restraint in front of the national audience, the production team specifically invited Chief Martial Instructor Wen from the Annan Cultivator Academy to oversee and judge whether there was any discrepancy between the live situation and the commentating.

    If there was even a minor issue with the commentary, signals would immediately be sent from off-stage, prompting the commentators to promptly shift the topic to avoid any serious mistakes, which could later lead to ridicule or even complaints to official quarters¡­ Ridicule is one thing, but complaints to the officials could be dire.

    While Zhou Erhe and Xu Dongming were fervently extolling the Longcheng Flying General, the director below urgently looked towards Chief Martial Instructor Wen.

    Chief Instructor Wen nodded his head and said,

    ¡°The tone may be a bit exaggerated, but there¡¯s no issue with the accuracy. Longcheng Flying General¡¯s ¡®Hundred Birds Toward the Phoenix¡¯ and ¡®Eagle Strikes the Heavens¡¯ are indeed world-class techniques.¡±

    Relieved by his words, the director thought that this time, they probably wouldn¡¯t encounter any problems.

    While the commentators praised and promoted extensively, Yan Yu was slaying fiercely, cutting down five Asuras in one go. The remaining Asuras finally reacted, no longer contending with the gods but turning their heads to deal with this uninvited guest.

    These foes stepped through voids as if treading on fire, their speed scarcely slower than Sword Flight, and quickly surrounded Yan Yu.

    ¡°Oh no, that¡¯s not good.¡± Zhou Erhe had been praising just a second ago, but as soon as he saw the turn of events, he immediately put away his joyful smile, sobered up, and said, ¡°The enemy has completed the encirclement, what is Longcheng Flying General going to do! It seems too late to escape now; was he lured deep into enemy territory just now?¡±

    The director hurriedly looked towards Chief Martial Instructor Wen.

    Chief Instructor Wen also furrowed his brows. In fact, he would have advised withdrawal three seconds earlier, as soon as the Asura crowd began to turn back. Yan Yu should have chosen to retreat by then.

    But now that he was trapped, regret was too late; it seemed he could only resort to using Sword Flight to see if he could break out by force.

    ¡°Ah, they¡¯ve gotten surrounded like this.¡± Xu Dongming hesitated slightly and glanced outside the arena.

    Seeing that neither the academic instructor nor the executive director had spoken, his confidence surged, and he began to speak fluently as he analyzed,

    ¡°Now, with Longcheng Flying General in the air, surrounded tightly on all sides by Asuras, it¡¯s nearly impossible for them to move freely. Their only option seems to be using Sword Flight to forcefully carve out a path. Can the teammate on the outside, Ye Jun, rescue them? Okay, switch to Ye Jun¡¯s perspective¡ªlooks like it¡¯s very difficult, the view is completely blocked by the Asuras, and even with the defensive treasure, the Xuan Guang Ruler, it¡¯s impossible to pass through the masses and accurately lock onto Yan Yu¡¯s location. We can only see if her swordsmanship can help distract some of the enemies¡­ Holy shit!¡±

    Just then, Ye Jun held the Xuan Guang Ruler aloft with her right hand, and as her left hand¡¯s incantations changed, a blossom of light suddenly split off, fluttering in the wind as fast as a sudden gust, instantly piercing through the ranks of Asuras and accurately enveloping Yan Yu.

    The next second, the various attacks of the surrounding Asuras all landed on the sword light of Yan Yu¡ªstubbornly resisted by the blossom of light from the Xuan Guang Ruler.

    The live studio went silent for a moment, and the executive director immediately showed an expression as if he had eaten shit, his heart that had just settled now racing again.

    Fuck, didn¡¯t they say she couldn¡¯t use the Xuan Guang Ruler? And now you¡¯re getting slapped in the face right after saying it?

    This must be another live broadcast accident!

    He incredulously looked at the academic instructor, only to find the academic instructor beside him was also dumbfounded, shaking his head and saying,

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand it either.¡± Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The executive director suddenly felt a strong urge to perform a public suicide to regain his reputation, while Xu Dongming on the stage could no longer keep up appearances and hurriedly stood up, shouting,

    ¡°I¡¯ve got it! Director, switch to the first-person view of Ye Jun activating the magical artifact just now!¡±

    The director swiftly switched back and froze the frame. Xu Dongming¡¯s eyes bulged as he watched for half a second and exclaimed,

    ¡°Look here! When Longcheng Flying General was surrounded by the Asuras, their battle formation was disrupted by the ceaseless struggle of the sword light¡­ It was in that instant, from Ye Jun¡¯s first-person perspective, that Longcheng Flying General¡¯s figure at this spot just happened to emerge from behind six or seven Asuras, revealing about the size of a shoulder!¡±

    ¡°Even though it was only for about half a second! And it was only a shoulder that was exposed! Yet, Ye Jun managed to cut through all the interference in time, using her Divine Sense to accurately lock onto Yan Yu¡¯s distant figure and then activated the Xuan Guang Ruler to shield him! This is the visual acuity and awareness of a top-tier national service defensive support, a super move comparable to an ace sniper!¡±

    The director also quickly zoomed in on the location that Xu Dongming had pointed out and then drew a striking red circle to remind viewers of how Ye Jun was able to lock onto Yan Yu from afar.

    The executive director slowly breathed a sigh of relief, and his heart, once lifted, sank down again.

    Thank goodness, they turned it around.

    ¡°Ye Jun is indeed top-notch when it comes to controlling magical artifacts,¡± the academic instructor also began to save face, saying awkwardly, ¡°Such response and precision really did take me by surprise.¡±

    The Annan Cultivator Academy¡¯s Qing¡¯an team watched the commentators circle the location and were left in awe of Ye Jun¡¯s control over magical artifacts.

    ¡°That¡¯s not right,¡± Li Minghu suddenly said, ¡°It¡¯s not that Ye Jun¡¯s judgment was precise. That fleeting window of opportunity¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­If my intuition is correct, it must have been intentionally provided by Yan Yu.¡±

 Chapter 356: 52 What Lord Master, I, Immortal Venerate Xie, do not accept!

    Chapter 356: Chapter 52 What Lord Master, I, Immortal Venerate Xie, do not accept!

    With the defense enhancement of the Xuan Guang Ruler, Yan Yu¡¯s Huang Tingjian sword light became even more reckless during its swift and fierce thrusts, creating an escape path and breaking out of the encirclement to make a quick getaway¡ªthe light from the Xuan Guang Ruler around him just happened to extinguish at that moment.

    ¡°Good!¡± Zhou Erhe lavished praise, ¡°Worthy of the Longcheng Flying General, even the timing of the magic treasure¡¯s influence was so precise! Made a round trip in front of the gates of hell as if he was strolling in a leisurely courtyard, but what¡¯s the point of that? Xu Dongming, what do you think was his purpose in letting himself be surrounded?¡±

    Xu Dongming immediately cursed inwardly: How would I know what the Longcheng Flying General is thinking? Maybe he just misjudged the situation and got encircled? Or perhaps he just wanted to show off?

    As he hesitated, unsure of what conclusion to draw, he saw Yan Yu fly back on his sword to Ye Jun¡¯s side and say:

    ¡°Did you see that?¡±

    ¡°Thick-skinned and immensely strong,¡± Ye Jun said.

    ...

    ¡°And they move fast, plus they can fly,¡± Yan Yu added. ¡°If you get surrounded by them, you¡¯re done for.¡±

    ¡°But didn¡¯t you just kill your way out?¡± Ye Jun said with a smile.

    ¡°Who else has my kind of ability? Plus, I had the protection of the Xuan Guang Ruler.¡± Yan Yu winked at her and chuckled, ¡°How about that probing move I just made, precise, right?¡±

    ¡°Precise,¡± Ye Jun agreed, ¡°Amidst layers of enemy cover, suddenly a shoulder pops out. Good thing I reacted quickly¡­ But if I hadn¡¯t caught the opportunity this time, what would you have done?¡±

    ¡°I already probed three times,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t seized them, I could only continue to create opportunities for you.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Ye Jun suddenly felt embarrassed, as she had actually not seen the first two at all¡­

    The live commentary guests outside the field also fell silent. Three times?

    We didn¡¯t see them at all, did we?

    In the livestream¡¯s chatroom, comments were flashing by, with many people claiming they saw it once, or even twice, but since the chat couldn¡¯t post pictures or timestamps, there was no way to verify the truth.

    Inside the Pingxi Army Academy, except for Tang Xiaolian who went back home to close up and cultivate through fasting, the rest gathered around the screen to watch the live broadcast.

    ¡°Did you guys make out which three times?¡± Qin Meng asked.

    Zhou Hongyu kept silent, indicating he didn¡¯t see it even once.

    ¡°No,¡± Meng Qingxi spoke up, ¡°If the commentator hadn¡¯t pointed it out, I wouldn¡¯t have known Yan had intentionally probed to appear in Ye Jun¡¯s field of vision.¡±

    ¡°I saw it twice,¡± Zhang Huaide said while pushing up his glasses. ¡°One was at 32 seconds after the fight started and at 37 seconds. There¡¯s another time I¡¯m not sure about.¡±

    Everyone was speechless, and Qin Meng immediately asked in shock:

    ¡°The director¡¯s camera has been on Yan since the start of the fight, how did you see that?¡±

    ¡°Every action must have strategic significance,¡± Zhang Huaide replied. ¡°There were two of Yan¡¯s actions I didn¡¯t understand at first. After he mentioned it, I got it.¡±

    ¡°Well, just because there are actions you didn¡¯t understand doesn¡¯t necessarily mean they were probes for Ye Jun to catch his position, right?¡± Meng Qingxi scratched his head. ¡°Maybe they were just meaningless actions?¡±

    ¡°Others might do so, but not Yan,¡± Zhang Huaide said seriously. ¡°Besides, when you¡¯re being attacked from all sides, every second counts, and you can¡¯t afford to waste any time.¡±

    Okay, but still, being able to specify the exact seconds, isn¡¯t that a bit obsessive?

    The crowd continued to watch the TV where Xu Dongming was currently offering an impassioned commentary:

    ¡°The reason Longcheng Flying General deliberately let himself be entrapped was to test the mettle of the enemy! If they were formidable foes, then he and Ye Jun would play it safe, but if they were rookies and cannon fodder, there¡¯s no point in wasting so much time with them. Just mow them down directly. And indeed, it turns out these Asura are rather strong, not only thick-skinned and immensely strong but their flying speed is also comparable to sword control¡­¡±

    It sounded credible, logical, and quite convincing, essentially repeating what Yan Yu had said. The director down below didn¡¯t go to the martial arts officer to confirm but suddenly indulged in an unrealistic fantasy:

    What if the Longcheng Flying General could fight and do his own live commentary for the audience, sharing his combat intentions¡ªhow wonderful that would be¡­

    As Yan Yu and Ye Jun casually chatted, the Asura didn¡¯t come in pursuit, but instead continued to clash in battle against the remote attacking deities.

    ¡°What do we do next?¡± Ye Jun asked.

    ¡°Kill,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°We should kill,¡± Ye Jun agreed, saying, ¡°But we need a plan.¡±

    ¡°You saw what just happened,¡± Yan Yu said, pointing forward with his sword, ¡°If we charge in like that, the slightest mistake could get us surrounded.¡±

    ¡°That was a close call,¡± Ye Jun nodded. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°But if we move away,¡± Yan Yu said, gesturing behind them, ¡°they can¡¯t keep chasing after us, especially with the Heavenly Gods attacking from behind.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t just take a beating for nothing,¡± Ye Jun echoed.

    ¡°So we should use the sausage-slicing tactic,¡± Yan Yu made a slicing gesture with his hand, ¡°Keep the distance, advance when the enemy retreats, retreat when the enemy advances.¡±

    ¡°Fast and steady,¡± Ye Jun said.

    ¡°Do you have any objections?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Ye Jun said, surprised.

    ¡°Then why¡­ never mind, let¡¯s not waste any more time,¡± Yan Yu was engulfed in the light of his sword once again and started to control his sword to fly and slash, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    The sausage-slicing tactic might seem cowardly, requiring both hitting and running, but with Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler protecting them, many attacks that would normally require movement to dodge could be taken head-on. Therefore, Yan Yu could fight extremely freely, like slicing through melons and vegetables.

    Slicing through melons and vegetables was enjoyable to watch, but continuous viewing of the same could lead to aesthetic fatigue. As a result, the director temporarily switched to the positions of the other team members.

    The challenge for Su Yunjin and Lin Ning had, for some reason, turned the two into animal forms.

    The former had turned into a sleek white fox, while the latter was a leopard cat with mottled fur. The two animals dashed through the jungle, searching for a way to return to their human forms, but for the moment no clues were found.

    Chen Lingyun and Zhao Yuanzhen, on the other hand, were caught up in an onslaught of countless illusions. Despite the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s extensive battle experience, the endless enemies left her at a loss, and she followed Chen Lingyun around in chaos.

    The most intense battle, however, was on Liu Longtao and Xie Ruoxi¡¯s end.

    They were in an environment similar to the netherworld, right in front of the gates of hell as they started, surrounded by chilling winds and the ethereal sounds of ghostly wails.

    As soon as they neared the bottom of the pass, a guardian emerged to interrogate them.

    Before Liu Longtao could speak, Xie Ruoxi had already unleashed a Jade Pivot Thunder, instantly bursting the guardian to pieces.

    This explosion was like stirring up a hornet¡¯s nest, prompting countless Yin Soldiers and Ghost Generals to stream out from the towers on each side of the pass and crazily rush to attack them.

    ¡°Damn it! Could you at least ask before you hit?¡± Liu Longtao was unable to hold back; as he controlled the Ying Long Sword to fend off the attack, he furiously complained to Xie Ruoxi.

    ¡°Wandering spirits and stray ghosts, what¡¯s there to ask about?¡± Xie Ruoxi showed no sign of agreement. The guardian had a green face and sharp fangs, exuding an eerie presence¡ªclearly not a good sort. I took him down in one move, what¡¯s there to complain about?

    Although both team captains of cultivators, only the Longcheng Flying General has my respect. As for the Dragon Cavalry Team¡¯s Lord Master¡­ wanting to command me? Have you asked if Yan Yu agrees?

    The more she thought about it, the more displeased she became, so she pinched her fingers together and continuously launched Jade Pivot Thunder blasts with both hands, as if they cost her nothing.

    Watching the black mass of Yin Soldiers and Ghost Generals rapidly approaching, Liu Longtao was about to use widespread Taoism Method spells when he saw a bolt of lightning sweep through the air, falling into the enemy formation and exploding rapidly, turning the surrounding five or six stray ghosts into dust.

    Then another bolt of lightning, then another, and another¡­ as densely packed as volleys of rockets, saturating the area with destructive force that held the ghostly army firmly within the gates, killing as many as emerged.

    Liu Longtao¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of his head.

    What¡­ what priceless treasure is this?

    Doesn¡¯t your Thunder Method consume any True Yuan?

 Chapter 357 Chapter 53 Li Minghus Incisive Commentary

    357  Chapter 53 Li Minghu''s Incisive Commentary

    Protected by the glory of the Xuan Guang Ruler, Yan Yu''s sword light surged once more as he unleashed the ferocious White Rainbow Piercing the Sun, breaking into the midst of the Asuras!

    Having been ambushed too many times before, these Asuras were already prepared. They suddenly dispersed into a pocket formation, allowing the sword light to penetrate into their midst before simultaneously forming hand seals and exhaling copious Earth Boundary Fire from their mouths and noses!

    These flames were vicious beyond compare, mingling with sulfuric black smoke. Should they burn even a sliver of flesh that had penetrated the barrier of light, it would instantly necrotize.

    The Huang Tingjian sword light suddenly soared upwards, the fire serpents only managing to lick the trail of the sword light as he agilely escaped the range of the inferno.

    The leading Asura formed another hand seal, and a Golden Giant Palm descended from above like a mountain, smashing down ruthlessly.

    The massive palm covered the sky and earth, forcing the surrounding Asuras to hastily retreat to avoid being caught in its path. Yan Yu''s sword light was positioned right beneath the center of the giant palm. Just as he tried to escape, the nearby Asuras once again spit fire, sealing off all possible escape routes around him.

    Ye Jun, upon seeing this, turned pale with fright and hurriedly channeled all her power into the Xuan Guang Ruler, exhausting all her True Yuan to create a huge barrier of light that shot straight towards the Huang Tingjian sword light, hoping to block the blow for Yan Yu.

    But unexpectedly, three Asuras in the distance suddenly extended their arms, six hands forming complex seals. Soon they produced six shimmering silver hands that firmly resisted the luminous flower from the Xuan Guang Ruler, preventing it from reaching Yan Yu.

    Back in the live broadcast room, the director had just finished a sweep of the camera and returned to Yan Yu''s side only to find the situation had taken a turn for the worse.

    These cunning and crafty Asuras had been holding back their trump cards the entire time, waiting for the critical moment to make a deadly move!  S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Ah!" Zhou Erhe couldn''t help but exclaim in the broadcast room, "Longcheng Flying General is in danger! Ye Jun''s Xuan Guang Ruler support has been cut off, and there''s no way to break through the surrounding sea of fire; he''s doomed to be hit by that Buddha''s Palm, with no way out left!"

    The executive director quickly looked to the military attach¨¦ beside him.

    "No need to panic; the outcome isn''t yet decided." The military attach¨¦ had learned to be cunning. The rank of the Longcheng Flying General was so high that even as the chief military instructor of the Annan Military Academy, there was much he couldn''t comprehend. But standing there, representing the face of the Annan Army, he couldn''t admit to not understanding this or that. If he did, where would the military''s face be? He had to feign understanding, and whenever danger arose, it was "Yan Yu must be prepared."

    If it turned out that he indeed averted danger, it would mean his own prediction was correct; if, unfortunately, Yan Yu met with a mishap... damn, the demise of the Longcheng Flying General in the Mysterious Realm, what level of a major incident would that be? Who else would have the energy to pursue my misjudgment?

    The executive director, oblivious to his thoughts and being an outsider, instinctively trusted the expert''s judgment as was natural, and quickly signaled the staff to hold up a sign from outside the arena.

    [Confidence]

    When Xu Dongming saw this signal, he realized his partner Zhou Erhe had inadvertently been too negative and quickly interrupted him:

    "It doesn''t matter! Even if he gets hit by the Golden Giant Palm, so what? Yan Yu is the Longcheng Flying General, and he may not lose in a contest of inner strength. Maybe with one sword strike, he''ll cut through that Golden Giant Palm and be on his way."

    "Are you saying he''s going to match his Sword Control technique against their spells?" Zhou Erhe complained, "If the spell gets disrupted, it''s just disrupted, but what if his sword light can''t hold up..."

    Hearing Zhou Erhe still insisting, the executive director hurriedly gestured, signaling the staff to raise the sign again:

    [Shut Up]

    The message was much clearer this time, and Zhou Erhe, knowing he had misspoken, fell silent. Xu Dongming quickly tried to correct the situation:

    "Right, let''s watch how Longcheng Flying General will cope! The sword light is still navigating around the edge of the sea of fire! Looking for a weakness! But the surrounding sea of fire is relentless, leaving no loopholes for him!"

    The unharmed Golden Giant Palm ferociously came down, instantly extinguishing the surrounding sea of fire!

    The broadcast room fell deathly silent, and for a moment, even the scrolling comments came to a stop... The next second, the Huang Tingjian sword light burst forth again, but this time it charged up from underground, instantly slicing the nearest Asura into two.

    "Ah?!" Xu Dongming cried out instinctively.

    "This..." Zhou Erhe was also shocked into silence and muttered, "No, did he... use the Wall-Penetration Technique to hide underground?"

    "That''s not right!" Xu Dongming immediately retorted, "The area below was also covered by the sea of fire! The Wall-Penetration Technique can pass through solids but can''t be immune to spell damage! Otherwise, it wouldn''t be called the Wall-Penetration Technique, it''d be called the Invincible Technique!"

    "Director, cut to the replay!" Zhou Erhe shouted.

    The executive director felt helpless. Broadcasts of the battles of the Longcheng Flying General had this downside; many moves were inscrutable even to professional commentators. And if you don''t provide the answers on the spot, viewers start doubting your expertise, they phone in complaints and even contact officials to complain¡ªjust like readers hounding unfinished story authors for updates... Such unreasonable demands!

    Fortunately, they had a contingency plan for such situations. He tossed a glance at the director, who immediately switched to a split screen, with the ongoing live battle footage of Yan Yu on the left, taking the unprepared Asura by surprise and scattering them in disarray; on the right was the replay of the Golden Giant Palm smashing down, played back at 0.25x speed.

    The military instructor watched intently. Praising himself as the most technically knowledgeable person onsite, he couldn''t afford to fall behind the two commentators.

    After watching the replay on the right for a moment, he suddenly exclaimed,

    "There, in the upper left corner! The sea of fire flickered there!"

    "Ah?" The executive director hadn''t caught up yet. Wasn''t the fire flickering from side to side while burning fiercely quite normal?

    "Look carefully," the military instructor advised, "Yan Yu''s Huang Tingjian light¡ªthat was where it flew out from. He took advantage of the moment when the fire shifted to the left and revealed a flaw, escaped from the sea of fire, and used the Wall-Penetration Technique to hide underground!"

    The executive director, still in a fog, had no clue, but couldn''t allow the replay to continue for too long, so he quickly gestured for the prompter to be used offstage.

    The prompter printed out the military instructor''s analysis, and the two commentators glanced at it before turning back to the screen replay. They then pretended to have a sudden realization, voiced an "oh," and started to analyze according to the script,

    "...So it was because the fire swayed from side to side, creating a gap that wasn''t scorched, which Yan Yu took advantage of and used!"

    "It''s like the ancient barrage of a thousand arrows; ordinary people would get turned into porcupines, but the real martial arts masters can always use their agility and movement skills to find the gaps between the arrows to dodge with ease... If Longcheng Flying General were in the martial arts world, he''d be that kind of peerless master who turns the rotten into the miraculous!"

    "What kind of nonsensical analysis is that?" Inside the Annan Cultivator Academy, Li Minghu finally couldn''t restrain his criticism, "Can fire be the same as an arrow formation? Take the Flame Curse spell as an example, even the gaps between the leaping flames, as long as they are within the range of the spell, still possess fatally high temperatures... What does it mean to ''pass through a gap in the flickering flames? They should demonstrate it themselves, talking nonsense!"

    "So what is the actual principle?" everyone asked.

    "Didn''t you see?" Li Minghu was somewhat speechless, "To break the Flame Curse spell, why not just interrupt the caster?"

    "Although the director didn''t change the angle, it should have been Ye Jun who lent a hand from offstage, using the light from the Xuan Guang Ruler to hold one of the Asuras in place, preventing him from continuing to breathe fire to replenish the formation, which revealed an escape-worthy gap within the originally inescapable sea of fire."

    "Right." Li Zhaojiang also had an epiphany, nodding repeatedly, "The moment the caster of Flame Curse stops casting, although there are still flames within the spell area, without the supply of True Yuan from the caster, these flames no longer have killing power... so Yan Yu coordinated with Ye Jun, she controlled the caster over there, and immediately passed through the ineffective spell here, completing the escape! That''s how it is, that''s how it is, are these two having an affair? They aren''t even on the same team, how could they work so well together? Eh, does this count as Lord Master being cuckolded by Yan Yu? Isn''t Ye Jun Lord Master''s deputy?"

    "Li Zhaojiang," Li Minghu spoke flatly, "You shouldn''t spread rumors behind others'' backs."

    "They can''t hear us anyway..." Li Zhaojiang wanted to retort but suddenly felt that the atmosphere was a bit off and quickly shut up, his intuition also starting to sound alarms.

    This is bad! My sister usually calls me "A-Jiang," but only when she''s angry does she call me by my full name!

    Li Zhaojiang trembled with fear, but Li Minghu didn''t pursue the matter further and simply instructed,

    "Keep watching the match... Yan Yu''s tactical intentions exhibited in these few minutes, you won''t learn in a few months, so watch carefully."

 Chapter 358 - 338: 34: Everyone Must Become Stronger

    Chapter 338: Chapter 34: Everyone Must Become Stronger

    Yan Yu arrived downstairs and had just opened the refrigerator when a voice sounded from beside him:

    ¡°What are you looking for to eat?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s in the fridge?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Gone.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen stated matter-of-factly, ¡°I¡¯ve eaten it all.¡±

    ¡°Then why are you asking me?¡± Yan Yu was speechless.

    ¡°I¡¯m reminding you that it¡¯s time to restock the fridge¡­ Ouch!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen got a karate chop from him and immediately scurried away holding her head.

    ...

    After rummaging through cabinets for quite a while, Yan Yu confirmed that all the snacks had indeed been devoured by this Demonic Sect¡¯s glutton, not even oatmeal was left for breakfast.

    He had no choice but to pull open a nearby cupboard, and from behind a pile of pots and pans, he retrieved secretly stashed instant noodles.

    Sigh, storing food in this house really isn¡¯t easy¡­

    Just as he was putting the noodle cake into cold water, he heard yet another voice beside him:

    ¡°What are you making to eat?¡±

    ¡°Instant noodles.¡± Yan Yu replied without turning back.

    ¡°Cooking instant noodles like that has no nutrition.¡± Lin Ning began to nitpick, ¡°Dehydrated vegetables already lose a lot of nutrients, they can¡¯t replace fresh vegetables.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°But it¡¯s convenient to cook them this way.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so lazy!¡± Lin Ning fetched vegetables and eggs from the fridge. Then suddenly, she screamed, ¡°Where¡¯s the Spam I put here?!!¡±

    ¡°I ate it.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen reemerged out of nowhere and replied.

    ¡°Spam needs to be fried.¡± Lin Ning sighed, holding her forehead, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s already cooked.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen defended herself confidently, ¡°I just ate it straight.¡±

    ¡°Next time we buy raw meat.¡± Yan Yu secretly communicated to Lin Ning, ¡°Freeze it in the freezer; she doesn¡¯t know how to thaw it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lin Ning had nothing more to say and took the vegetables to wash and chop. As she reached for the eggs, she heard Zhao Yuanzhen say:

    ¡°I want mine soft-boiled with a runny yolk.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning on making any for you.¡± Lin Ning said, annoyed.

    ¡°Ah, why be like that!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately hugged her from behind, starting to tickle her, laughing, ¡°Ningning, it¡¯s the same effort cooking one portion or two, help me out~¡±

    ¡°Alright! Alright! Stop it!¡± Lin Ning, tickled till her whole body weakened, swayed from side to side and surrendered, ¡°I¡¯ll make it for you! I¡¯ll make it, okay? Captain, go ask if the others want some too.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Yan Yu texted in the group chat, and the others replied quickly:

    ¡°Cook one for me too, make it soft and mushy.¡± Chen Lingyun responded. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Add more vegetables.¡± Su Yunjin said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll pass, I¡¯m fasting.¡± Xie Ruoxi replied.

    The Immortal Venerate Xie, indeed, had a frightening talent for cultivation; it¡¯s just a pity that she was limited by the speed of the rise of the upper limit brought on by the Spiritual Energy Resurgence. She had to wait obediently for us with lesser aptitudes to catch up once she reached her limit.

    ¡°Okay, just stay out of the living room then, so you won¡¯t be tempted by the smell of food.¡± Yan Yu typed.

    ¡°No worries, I¡¯m in the basement.¡± Xie Ruoxi said.

    ¡°What are you doing in the basement?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked curiously.

    Cultivating the Fasting technique doesn¡¯t conflict with playing video games and watching anime in front of a computer, right?

    ¡°I¡¯m training.¡± Xie Ruoxi said.

    A clatter, Yan Yu¡¯s chopsticks fell to the floor.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t grip them firmly.¡± He calmly bent down to pick them up, but his heart was stirring with shock and awe.

    The beautiful good-for-nothing is actively training?

    Who was it? Who had her sign the Striver¡¯s Agreement? Even if she were only proactive for one day, it would still be considered a miracle in human history.

    All sorts of Xie Ruoxi¡¯s scandals from his past life came to his mind one after another, quickly calming the amazement in Yan Yu¡¯s heart.

    Meh, just a flash-in-the-pan enthusiast.

    Forget it, let her be.

    Lin Ning soon had the late-night snack ready. Ling Yun¡¯s had to be well-cooked, Yun Jin¡¯s doubled on vegetables, and Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s was a huge bowl of soup with extra noodles. The captain? Not worth the trouble.

    Sneakily added a poached egg for him, buried at the very bottom of his noodles.

    Everyone gathered around the dining table and started eating their noodles.

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s eating was still bold and unfettered, engulfing and inhaling the food; Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin were much more elegant, holding a spoon in their left and chopsticks in their right, seeking to have both noodles and soup at every bite.

    Lin Ning had little appetite, picking at her side dishes, she ate only a few bites before noticing Yan Yu also seemed to eat at a sluggish pace.

    ¡°Why?¡± she quietly transmitted a message over, ¡°Does it not suit your taste?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°It¡¯s quite delicious.¡±

    The issue wasn¡¯t with the meal, it was with him.

    After fasting, his body¡¯s need for food had dropped to zero; not eating or drinking wouldn¡¯t affect him in the slightest.

    Naturally, those who had fasted still might crave food, as exemplified by Zhao Yuanzhen, but that wasn¡¯t hunger¡ªit was closer to a desire for treats and an addiction to eating.

    Cultivators who completed the fasting practice no longer felt thirst or hunger and lost their natural ability to feel satisfied and content from being full. Their taste buds became more sensitive to the unique flavors of ingredients, while the pleasure derived from carbs and fats diminished significantly because of their association with satiety¡­ Although Yan Yu knew this from his past life, he had never experienced it personally.

    At the previous banquet hosted for relatives of the Xie Family, he didn¡¯t eat much. Now it seemed it was because his appetite had been affected.

    Thinking about it, looking at the Demonic Sect¡¯s gluttonous beasts, they indeed had an exceptional talent for indulgence.

    After hurriedly finishing his meal, Yan Yu left the living room and went to the basement to see how Xie Ruoxi was faring with her practice.

    Arriving below, he saw Xie Ruoxi seated cross-legged on a yoga mat, quietly meditating and practicing Qi Refinement.

    Proactively cultivating yet looking like a beautiful waste¡­ the more he looked, the more it irked him, it was simply too peculiar.

    As he drew closer, wanting a better look, he saw Xie Ruoxi¡¯s head suddenly loll to the side, and her breathing grew heavier.

    She began to snore lightly.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    So she was sleeping, huh?

    I knew she couldn¡¯t be that self-disciplined! Hmph, this makes much more sense.

    Yan Yu left the basement quietly and returned to his own room.

    After resting for a moment, his phone suddenly rang.

    It was Anna:

    ¡°Have you heard about the situation in the East Sea?¡±

    ¡°What situation?¡± Yan Yu asked back.

    A video was sent over, showing the sea¡¯s depths illuminated in a rolling aurora of seven-colored splendor¡ªa radiance unmatched in beauty, looking almost dreamy and unreal.

    ¡°Where is this?¡± Yan Yu typed.

    Before Anna could reply, another message arrived, this time from Liu Longtao:

    ¡°East longitude 126 North latitude 30, something unusual beneath the sea.¡±

    Anna¡¯s response also came quickly:

    ¡°The Elders sensed huge magical fluctuations in the Southeast direction; the video was projected using a divination array. Currently, it¡¯s estimated to be within the international waters at the tripoint junction of your, Yin Yang Bureau, and Pear Blossom Courtyard¡¯s influence.¡±

    ¡°If you need help, remember to contact me.¡±

    International waters at the trijunction of three powers¡­ a battle was inevitable, perhaps the witches of the Amur coven could be of use.

    ¡°The situation is not yet clear,¡± Liu Longtao messaged, ¡°Stay alert.¡±

    With a ding, Chen Lingyun also sent a message, this time a weather satellite image.

    A storm¡¯s eye had formed above the East Sea, unlike typical typhoon cloud patterns, this storm¡¯s eye was colorful¡ªthe center resembled a giant soap bubble.

    Yan Yu stood up and went downstairs to the living room, where he found the girls gathered together, discussing the anomaly in the East Sea.

    ¡°It must be the entrance to a Mysterious Realm,¡± Su Yunjin speculated, ¡°and it hasn¡¯t opened yet.¡±

    ¡°Since it¡¯s in international waters, it will surely provoke international contention among the powers of various Transcendents,¡± Lin Ning added with concern.

    ¡°Indeed, and this time both the Yin Yang Bureau of Heavy Sakura and the Pear Blossom Courtyard of Goryeo will most likely join in the contest,¡± Yan Yu came over and said, ¡°You all need to accelerate your cultivation and reach the Marrow Cleansing Stage before this Mysterious Realm completely opens.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± the girls hastily responded.

    With the ¡°imminent opening of an overseas Mysterious Realm¡± as motivation, everyone perked up, getting ready to return to their rooms to cultivate, when they saw Xie Ruoxi coming down to the living room:

    ¡°Is there any food left?¡±

    ¡°None,¡± Yan Yu pointed at the kitchen, which contained dishes waiting to be washed, ¡°It¡¯s all been eaten¡­ Weren¡¯t you practicing the fasting method?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s already done,¡± Xie Ruoxi opened the refrigerator door.

    ¡°You¡¯ve advanced to the Marrow Cleansing Stage?¡± the girls exclaimed in shock.

    Even the team captain himself took about ten days to master the fasting method, how could you¡­ didn¡¯t you just start practicing?

    ¡°It should be done, since I broke out into a stinky sweat, and I took a bath afterward,¡± Xie Ruoxi searched for a while, then suddenly screamed, ¡°Where are my cheese sticks that I hid in here?!!!¡±

 Chapter 359 - 339: 35 East Sea Departure Palace, Intelligence Disclosure

    Chapter 339: Chapter 35 East Sea Departure Palace, Intelligence Disclosure

    Several days later, news of the strange phenomena in the East Sea quickly spread across the world.

    Foreign media extensively reported the development, claiming that the Miti Strategic Bureau had already initiated a lead to share the Mysterious Realm with both the Yin Yang Bureau and the Pear Blossom Courtyard.

    Guess who wasn¡¯t invited?

    The Privy Council chose to retaliate by marking off a region near the Mysterious Realm and starting long-term military exercises.

    Public opinion abroad immediately erupted, daring the Privy Council to demarcate on international waters?

    The Privy Council said it was a normal exercise and that certain forces shouldn¡¯t be overly tense.

    ...

    After several days of criticism, seeing that the Privy Council was unmoved, the Miti Strategic Bureau drew a military zone directly opposite the Privy Council, announcing long-term tripartite military drills with the Yin Yang Bureau and the Pear Blossom Courtyard.

    Everyone knew that the military drill was just a smokescreen, a way to stake a claim on the territory first.

    Once the Mysterious Realm truly opened, it would come down to the Privy Council¡¯s defences blocking and countless foreign Transcendents charging in recklessly. How many could be stopped would depend on the courage and strategic resolve of the Privy Council of Lu Country¡ªthe greater the courage and firepower, the more that could be stopped, but of course, the risk of war also would skyrocket; sufficient resolve meant blocking fewer, but at the cost of intense competition for the Mysterious Realm.

    There were reports that Chen Tianming was vigorously advocating for ¡°unrestricted fire,¡± ¡°maximum deterrence,¡± and ¡°complete interception¡± within the Privy Council, while several others strongly opposed, citing the old reason of ¡°we cannot isolate ourselves from modern society.¡±

    As outside the Mysterious Realm, once naval guns start to clash, it could easily escalate the conflict indefinitely, leaving neither side willing to swallow their pride;

    But inside the Mysterious Realm, it¡¯s each Transcendent for themselves, fate deciding life and death, and thus there is not much risk of war¡ªonce the core hub of the Mysterious Realm is controlled by the adversary, even if you want to flip the table, it won¡¯t change the facts, and the result, of course, is to leave dejectedly without flipping the table.

    Upon hearing this, Yan Yu immediately called to mock Lord Master:

    ¡°Old Liu, I hear your faction cast an abstaining vote at the Privy Council?¡±

    ¡°How did you know?¡± Liu Longtao asked in surprise.

    ¡°Chen Lingyun told me that someone played the coward,¡± Yan Yu said succinctly. ¡°Guess who?¡±

    ¡°Heh,¡± Liu Longtao scoffed, ¡°do you think your father-in-law harbors any goodwill? If there¡¯s an escalation of hostilities with the other side, the Privy Council would have to ramp up its engagement in the Pacific Ocean front, and the Zhendong Army¡¯s influence would increase. And his commander-in-chief and he are from the same faction, see? He¡¯s not trying to reduce the supposed ¡®risk of the Mysterious Realm competition¡¯; it¡¯s purely for his own interest.¡±

    ¡°How could I not understand?¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°are you saying your family cast an abstaining vote just to choose sides based on interest?¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡± Liu Longtao claimed, righteous and confident, ¡°our families unanimously think that your father-in-law, not yet involved, is already so aggressive. Once involved, wouldn¡¯t he turn everything upside down? We must restrain, and it¡¯s for his own good too.¡±

    ¡°Restrain, everyone is open to restraint,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently. ¡°He¡¯s not my father-in-law right now.¡±

    ¡°Not now, but perhaps in the future, right?¡± Liu Longtao laughed heartily. ¡°Old Yan, I¡¯m telling you, during the Privy Council¡¯s joint session, one faction even proposed to bar the Dragon Soar Team from participating in the battle.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Yan Yu was taken aback. ¡°Are they having a stroke or senile dementia? If I don¡¯t join, who will fight for the Mysterious Realm, you?¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Liu Longtao laughed at him defiantly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me? Left fist to punch Pear Blossom Courtyard, right foot to kick Yin Yang Bureau, and in minutes I¡¯ll have them all down, alright?¡±

    ¡°Forget it then. I won¡¯t join this time; hand it over to your Dragon Cavalry Team, okay?¡± Yan Yu immediately declared, hands off.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that,¡± Liu Longtao said with a smile. ¡°They were just testing the waters, and seeing we all disagreed, they dropped the issue. What I¡¯m saying is, although you don¡¯t consider Chen Tianming your father-in-law, when they¡¯re fighting him, they¡¯ll take the chance to step on you too¡ªunfortunately, your clean slate has already been marked with the label of their Chen Family.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Yan Yu also laughed. ¡°Who dares to actually step down, do they not need the Longcheng Flying General to go into battle?¡± S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°That¡¯s the point,¡± Liu Longtao couldn¡¯t deny, whether Yan Yu participated in battle was crucial to the strategy for conquering the Mysterious Realm. ¡°As long as you¡¯re aware of what needs to be done, that¡¯s enough. I¡¯m hanging up now!¡±

    After hanging up the phone, Yan Yu fell into contemplation.

    Damn Chen Lingyun, shitty Chen Family. How did I, a promising young man with the surname Yan, become your guy?

    No, I need to take it out on that little mushroom.

    Arriving at the underground training ground, he saw the girls all seizing the time to cultivate their breath and refine their Qi, striving to reach the great perfection stage of Qi Refinement as soon as possible.

    The fastest progress was made by Su Yunjin, followed by Lin Ning, both of whom were vaguely touching their bottleneck, and it was estimated that they could start practicing the Fasting Technique this week.

    ¡°One week from today, there will still be one person in our team who has not started practicing the Fasting Technique,¡± Yan Yu approached Chen Lingyun and asked in a leisurely manner, ¡°May I ask, who would that be?¡±

    ¡°No rush,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°The Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng hasn¡¯t opened that soon, there¡¯s plenty of time.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve already learned the name?¡± Yan Yu asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t it still unopened?¡±

    ¡°The Privy Council is supervising this project, the Space Rupture Technique,¡± Chen Lingyun replied, ¡°which means sending unmanned drones or even cultivators into the realm before it actually opens, to check out the situation inside.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu also understood and nodded, ¡°I heard that by means of this, Lord Master¡¯s family has gained a lot of treasures, the Tian Yuan Qi Sword that Ruoxi uses came this way.¡±

    ¡°This technology is still not mature,¡± continued Chen Lingyun. ¡°Whether sending people or drones, the success rate is only about 50%, otherwise we would be sent in before the Mysterious Realm opens, take over the control core, and end it.¡±

    With a success rate of only 50%, what happens upon failure goes without saying. Yan Yu fell silent for a while, then spoke in detail:

    ¡°If I remember correctly, L¨ªg¨­ng should be a testing-type Mysterious Realm. Testers need to pass through six randomly sequenced trials in a row in order to enter L¨ªg¨­ng and claim their reward.¡±

    ¡°When entering the realm, the initial trial is completely random. Even if a team enters together, they will be scattered and separated.¡±

    ¡°However, each trial¡¯s world map is extremely large. So, even if moving alone, one can easily hide their movements.¡±

    ¡°After passing all six trials, one will be teleported to the Departure Palace Square. Not only is the terrain open here, making it difficult to hide, but it is also the final destination for everyone.¡±

    ¡°That means,¡± Chen Lingyun quickly caught on, ¡°reach the endpoint first, then surround and annihilate the reinforcements.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± said Yan Yu, ¡°There is no control core in the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng. After opening, it will automatically close after twelve hours, send everyone out, and then disappear again.¡±

    ¡°If one fails to enter L¨ªg¨­ng to claim their reward, it would mean the trip was in vain, returning empty-handed.¡±

    ¡°Are rewards distributed per individual?¡± Chen Lingyun asked sharply.

    ¡°Yes, the rewards depend on the performance in the trials and the order of arrival at L¨ªg¨­ng,¡± Yan Yu replied. ¡°In addition, if you¡¯re ranked beyond the tenth place, not only is the reward null, but I¡¯ve heard you¡¯ll also get a good scolding when things are settled.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then what we need to do is very simple,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°race to clear the levels first.¡±

    ¡°Then guard the Departure Palace Gate,¡± Yan Yu said, his voice deepening, ¡°kill anyone who comes until the L¨ªg¨­ng closes.¡±

 Chapter 360 - 340: 36: Alliance Team

    Chapter 340: Chapter 36: Alliance Team

    Yan Yu revealed the secret information about L¨ªg¨­ng to Chen Lingyun actually with the intention of saving a few lives for Lu Country¡ªrather than having more soldiers risk their lives to obtain intelligence on the mysterious realm.

    But who was Chen Lingyun? She was someone full of cunning schemes and quickly relayed this intelligence to Chen Tianming.

    Father and daughter privately discussed the matter and soon came up with a new plan¡­ Keeping it from everyone else, hence it is not mentioned here for the time being.

    Finally, it was December, and temperatures in Jinling Prefecture dropped further, prompting the team villas to turn on their underfloor heating.

    It was then discovered that the underground training field had no underfloor heating, as that area was originally designed as a garage, so everyone moved their training upstairs to the living room to practice their Qi Refinement and breathing techniques.

    Su Yunjin and Lin Ning had both already begun to practice the Fasting Technique. To support their cultivation, Yan Yu declared a strict fast within the villa, forbidding anyone to eat at home.

    ...

    Zhao Yuanzhen expressed strong protest.

    The protest was in vain, and the compromise was to accompany Chen Lingyun for outdoor meals three times a day.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress accepted the resolution.

    Every day, the two would put on makeup and disguise themselves to go out for meals, while the others stayed in the villa to cultivate. During their free time, they would watch live TV broadcasts¡­ As the timing for the opening of the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng was uncertain, the Zhenhai Team had completely stopped all external tasks, staying at home ready for combat at any time.

    It was said that the Dragon Soar Team had also stopped going out, indicating that the lineup for the upcoming expedition to the Departure Palace was already set.

    In contrast, the Qing¡¯an and Huofeng Teams were much more high-profile.

    In early December, the Cultivator Professional Sports League finally declared its establishment, with ten teams including Zhenhai, Dragon Soar, Qing¡¯an, and Huofeng, being designated as first-class teams.

    The other teams were ranked as second-class or third-class, with four second-class teams who were not cultivator students from four major colleges.

    They were civilian cultivators.

    The emergence of civilian cultivator teams meant that besides the military manor cultivators and college student cultivators, a third faction of cultivators had officially stepped onto the historical stage.

    College student cultivators were the favored sons of heaven, receiving the best treatment and conditions. Although there were many military manor cultivators, they were known for their strict discipline and resilience, resulting in minimal conflicts between the two.

    Civilian cultivators were members of society who had embarked on the path of cultivation alone, surrounded by ordinary people, which could result in a sense of being the chosen ones. Such recognition could drastically change their worldview¡ªnot that civilian cultivators were all bad seeds, but the statistics from previous life showed that the proportion of troublemakers was certainly not low.

    The Privy Council¡¯s arrangement was to let these four second-class teams battle against Qing¡¯an and Huofeng Teams to experience the strength of the current top-tier cultivator teams.

    The outcome was as expected. Li Minghu left some face for the opposition, but Zhou Hongyu showed no mercy at all, bombarding them without restraint. In the first match, three opponents were sent directly to the ICU, shocking the national audience in front of their TVs.

    The girls were also surprised: Captain Zhou, it¡¯s one thing to fight against enemies, but to beat up our own people this viciously? That doesn¡¯t leave a good impression, does it?

    After Yan Yu finished watching the match, he silently took out his phone and sent a message to Zhou Hongyu.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Rehab seems to be working quite well, huh? You can even send opponents to the ICU?

    [Zao La]: Trash.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You¡¯re cursing the other side, right?

    [Zao La]: What else? Did you think it was for you?

    [Zao La]: Making dirty jokes to Xiao Lian before the match.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Oh, I see, I can¡¯t really comment not knowing the exact words, dear.

    [Zao La]: Trying to trick me into talking?

    [Zao La]: You want me to repeat such indecent stuff?

    [Zao La]: You¡¯re a bad seed, too.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Then you¡¯ve wronged me, Xiao Zhou. If I had to pick on someone from your team, I would definitely choose you over Xiao Tang, that kid admires the strong, and it wouldn¡¯t be good if he got a crush on me.

    [Zao La]: Haha.

    [Zao La]: I¡¯ve mastered a new spell, I¡¯ll kill you the next time you come over.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Is that spell by any chance called ¡°Chi Yu Nine Phoenix Fire¡±?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Guess who got their hands on it? It was me.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: You¡¯re going to use the spell I obtained to go against me?

    [Zao La]: Don¡¯t care, I¡¯ll kick your ass just the same.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: It¡¯s not yet decided who¡¯ll kick whose ass.

    After ending the conversation with Zhou Hongyu, Yan Yu also started to feel wistful.

    It seems like my relationship with her is warming up¡­ but what have I done lately?

    Strange.

    But it¡¯s better for her to be normal, rather than accumulating more and more evil energy until she eventually explodes into pieces.

    After catching up with Zhou Hongyu, Yan Yu sent a message to Li Minghu.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: How are you feeling?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Experience and awareness are definitely lacking, but they¡¯re brave and resolute, and their methods are very different from our Scholarly Faction.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Our Three Arts and Five Spells are cast with clear intentions, while theirs are more like¡­ how should I put this? There¡¯s a sense of eager to unleash the attack to boost their own momentum.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: A habit of street fighting, huh.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: In life, you¡¯re facing harmless people; as soon as you flash a knife, they get scared, so civilian cultivators are used to launching quick attacks to intimidate opponents.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: But that won¡¯t work on us.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: I think civilian cultivators still lack a solid foundation; they won¡¯t become our rivals in a short time.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: In the long run, it still comes down to resources.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Exactly.

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: What I truly fear is them suddenly whipping out some unseen magical artifact or spell, catching you off guard.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Could that really happen? Aren¡¯t most civilian cultivators basically conscripted by now?

    [Yi De Fu Ren]: Who knows?

    From my experiences in the previous life, not all civilian cultivators choose to poke their heads out to be officially conscripted.

    In the decade of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, the toughest cultivator to be conscripted was Empress Yuanzhen. Below her were many formidable cultivators who are currently nowhere to be found¡ªI wonder where they are secretly holed up, biding their time.

    Once I have some time, I¡¯ll report their names to Chen Lingyun, and let her dad check the citizen information database¡ªpull all of you out one by one!

    Besides civilian cultivators, there¡¯s another group of people, who should be considered Yan Yu¡¯s ¡°colleagues¡± from his past life; right now, they¡¯re probably busy with various industries and jobs.

    Uncertain whether the plan has started, Yan Yu doesn¡¯t want to ¡°reminisce¡± with them. If he had a choice, he¡¯d prefer these people not become so-called ¡°mortal cultivators¡± in this lifetime.

    ¡°Ugh!¡± Su Yunjin, sitting opposite on the sofa, suddenly made a strange retching sound. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    She seemed to try to stand up hastily, but it was too late¡ªher clothes were quickly soaked with severe sweat, and the color soon changed, almost turning her into a mud person from head to toe¡ªlike those favored by bathhouse scrubbers in the north.

    Su Yunjin hurried off upstairs. Lin Ning opened her eyes and watched her companion¡¯s back, silently sighing in her heart.

    I didn¡¯t surpass Yun Jin again¡­ Huh, why do I say ¡°again¡±?

    ¡°Focus on your cultivation,¡± Yan Yu sent a message through sound transmission, ¡°The speed of marrow cleansing is not important; what matters is that every step on the path of cultivation must be taken firmly and steadily.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Lin Ning closed her eyes again, struggling hard against hunger and thirst.

    In her chaotic mind, for some reason, the form of Yan Yu emerged.

 Chapter 361 - 341: 37 Competitive Ningning

    Chapter 341: Chapter 37 Competitive Ningning

    After Su Yunjin completed her Marrow Cleansing, she not only became much fairer but also grew three centimeters taller, making Xie Ruoxi incredibly envious¡ªWhy didn¡¯t I grow taller when I did my Marrow Cleansing?

    To celebrate Yun Jin¡¯s Marrow Cleansing, Zhao Yuanzhen appropriately suggested that everyone should go out for a meal together as a celebration.

    Xie Ruoxi immediately agreed, stirring up the excitement.

    Su Yunjin worried about Lin Ning and wanted to excuse herself, but seeing her dilemma, Lin Ning took the initiative and said:

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, you all go and enjoy the meal. I should practice at home alone; I can¡¯t expect everyone to starve and fast with me.¡±

    Since Lin Ning had put it that way, Su Yunjin agreed and then turned to look at Chen Lingyun and Yan Yu.

    ...

    ¡°I¡¯m fine with it,¡± Chen Lingyun smiled and accepted, but Yan Yu said:

    ¡°I don¡¯t really have an appetite today, you all go ahead, I¡¯ll rest at home.¡±

    Su Yunjin: ¡­¡­¡­

    Suddenly, she didn¡¯t feel like going anymore.

    However, the situation was beyond her control now. Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi, like two imposing guardians, lifted her up from either side and escorted her out.

    Time to feast!

    Chen Lingyun quickly followed them out, giving Lin Ning a meaningful look as she turned back.

    Lin Ning, however, did not understand and turned to ask Yan Yu:

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you going?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say I have no appetite?¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°Humph, if it¡¯s out of pity for me, there¡¯s no need,¡± Lin Ning¡¯s mood slightly improved, but she huffed coldly.

    ¡°I do pity your brain a bit¡­¡± Yan Yu hadn¡¯t finished speaking when Lin Ning quickly grabbed a sofa cushion and threw it at his head.

    After placing the cushion aside, Yan Yu started flipping through TV channels with the remote control.

    Lin Ning sat cross-legged on the sofa and continued meditating quietly.

    The key to the Fasting technique lies in the word ¡°restraint,¡± which forces the body to internalize and self-sustain when there is no intake of external substances for a long time.

    This kind of forced endurance is, of course, extremely agonizing and can even be described as defying the body¡¯s instinct to survive. Thus, one can usually try to visualize something else to divert their attention.

    The object of Lin Ning¡¯s visualization was a big fish leaping out of the waves¡ªan original painting that hung on the living room wall of her old home in Qingyuan Prefecture.

    For some reason, though, the waves in her mind¡¯s sea gradually disappeared, and the big fish slowly faded away.

    In their place was Yan Yu¡¯s face.

    Detestable yet dependable.

    A mix of resentment and panic began to grow in Lin Ning¡¯s heart, not understanding why she suddenly thought of him and not wanting to know either. She abruptly opened her eyes and said: S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Stop changing channels on the TV; you¡¯re disturbing me.¡±

    ¡°Should I go then?¡± Yan Yu feigned as if he were about to stand up.

    ¡°Humph, no one is stopping you if you want to leave,¡± Lin Ning said coldly.

    Yan Yu fell silent. ¡°No one is stopping you if you want to leave¡± was actually ¡°don¡¯t leave, but I¡¯m too embarrassed to say it¡±¡ªSister Lin¡¯s insincerity was becoming more and more outrageous.

    He pretended to head upstairs, walking towards the staircase and stomping up, then deliberately made his footsteps lighter and lighter as he turned and went back downstairs, quietly approaching Lin Ning from behind.

    Lin Ning was unaware of all this, just hearing Yan Yu¡¯s footsteps getting softer and fading away¡ªprobably going back up to his room on the second floor.

    After a moment, she finally opened her eyes and sighed.

    No more wild thoughts, I must focus on my cultivation¡­

    Lin Ning rubbed her cheeks forcefully with her hands, then slapped them a few times to calm herself down, only to suddenly hear Yan Yu¡¯s voice from behind:

    ¡°Little cat washing her face?¡±

    Startled, Lin Ning jolted up from the sofa in a flash, only to quickly realize:

    The Captain pretended to leave but was actually observing my expressions behind my back, watching me make a fool of myself!

    She grabbed another throw pillow from the sofa and tried to use it as a weapon to beat Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu nimbly stepped back and dodged, then dashed upstairs in a flash.

    Lin Ning, relentless, chased him upstairs and with a swift stride, burst into his room.

    Think you can escape?

    Like a tiger pouncing on its prey!

    She tackled the unprepared Yan Yu onto the bed, pinned his shoulders, and prepared to bite him.

    Yan Yu did not resist, but looked at her in astonishment, thinking, When did this girl become so bold, daring to push me onto the bed?

    The next second, Lin Ning let go of him and stood up with a red face, then quickly switched to an impatient expression, folding her arms and saying,

    ¡°What were you running for? I, I saw you fleeing and subconsciously thought you were a bad guy, so I chased you to catch you!¡±

    ¡°You were going to hit me, shouldn¡¯t I dodge?¡± Yan Yu retorted.

    ¡°That¡¯s because you deliberately scared me in the living room!¡± Lin Ning glared at him, like a cat trying to appear threatening.

    ¡°I was simply concerned because you suddenly started sighing and rubbing your face, so I asked,¡± Yan Yu calmly inquired again, ¡°Were you scared?¡±

    ¡°Not at all!¡± Lin Ning fell right into his trap. She vehemently denied first, then realizing her slip, she explained, ¡°Although I wasn¡¯t scared by you, you had ill intentions, wanting to scare me, so I need to punish you severely!¡±

    ¡°And your method of punishing me severely is to tackle me onto the bed when I¡¯m not expecting it?¡± Yan Yu asked for the third time.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Lin Ning was finally at a loss for words.

    Seeing that she might explode again, Yan Yu quickly changed the subject:

    ¡°How¡¯s your Fasting practice coming along? If I remember correctly, you and Yun Jin started practicing around the same time, give or take a day or two.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s going well, very smoothly,¡± Lin Ning really was sidetracked by his change of topic, too embarrassed to admit that she had ¡°too many distractions in her mind,¡± and simply said, ¡°Just a few more days¡¯ work left.¡±

    ¡°Alright then, hurry up and advance to the next stage,¡± Yan Yu stood up ready to leave, ¡°Departure Palace could open at any time, so it¡¯s better to advance sooner and have peace of mind.¡±

    As he was about to leave the room, he suddenly heard Lin Ning ask from behind:

    ¡°Um, Captain¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°When I meditate, I keep getting distracted¡­ Will that affect the efficiency of my Fasting practice?¡±

    ¡°What exactly are you thinking about?¡± Yan Yu turned around and asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡± Lin Ning fell silent for a moment, ¡°Those really handsome male celebrities on TV and such.¡±

    ¡°Ah, got it, you¡¯re spring feverish,¡± Yan Yu realized.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to kick you!¡± Lin Ning fumed, grinding her teeth.

    ¡°No worries,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°As long as it¡¯s not about food, it¡¯s fine to think about anything. The key is whether it can help you avoid thinking about how hungry you are.¡±

    ¡°Only when you completely rid yourself of the dependence on food and water, both physically and mentally, can you successfully cultivate the art of Fasting¡­ That¡¯s the goal, and the means to achieve it are up to you, don¡¯t be constrained by formalities.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Lin Ning¡¯s voice was soft and timid, as if shy, ¡°So him popping into my head uncontrollably, just because I subconsciously want to distract myself and suppress the impulse to eat, it¡¯s not because I have¡­ those feelings for him, right?¡±

    Yan Yu found it a bit odd; don¡¯t all you star chasers hope to get close to your idols? Why do you seem somewhat reluctant?

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± he nodded, ¡°So which male celebrity is on your mind?¡±

    For some reason, Lin Ning felt herself getting angry again.

    ¡°None of your business!¡± she huffed, glared at Yan Yu, then hurriedly fled, running back to her own room and even locking the door behind her.

    ¡°¡­Absolutely nonsensical.¡± Yan Yu shook his head, chuckling to himself.

    Back in her room, Lin Ning sat on the bed alone, lost in thought for a long time.

    ¡°Alright!¡± she suddenly stood up, clenched her fist firmly, and declared, ¡°I must cleanse my marrow as soon as possible!¡±

    I can¡¯t fall behind Yun Jin!

    In every aspect!

 Chapter 362 - 342: 38: White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer

    Chapter 342: Chapter 38: White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer

    The current concentration of Spiritual Energy on Earth only supports cultivation at the initial stages of the Marrow Cleansing Stage.

    Therefore, the girls who had advanced to the Marrow Cleansing Stage shifted their focus to training.

    Su Yunjin¡¯s Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art had started to cultivate the fourth move: Feichao Fenye.

    Summoning nearly ten meters of surging tides to sweep away enemies in front of her¡ªof course, this would also deplete her own True Yuan drastically. If it hadn¡¯t been for her advancement to the Marrow Cleansing Stage, which significantly improved the quality of her True Yuan, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to use this move at all, even if she drained her Dantian.

    The indoor swimming pool in the side room on the first floor came into play once again; Su Yunjin¡¯s daily training consisted of filling the pool as quickly as possible and then draining it, repeating this cycle to practice her rapid water-filling ability.

    Xie Ruoxi was still practicing basic skills: movement, adaptability, defensive Sword Control Technique, and the accuracy of the Thunder Method.

    ...

    Unfortunately, this girl seemed to have inherited both Lin Ning¡¯s ¡°rigid thinking¡± and Chen Lingyun¡¯s ¡°sluggish response,¡± where luxurious hardware was undercut by a chaotic software, so much so that Yan Yu didn¡¯t hold much expectation for her¡ªjust cultivating the habit of daily training was good enough, regardless of whether there was any improvement.

    Chen Lingyun and Lin Ning¡¯s current top priority was still to cleanse their marrow as quickly as possible, so they had not joined the regular training plan.

    Thus, the issue fell on Zhao Yuanzhen. Her control of the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin was already proficient, leaving little room for improvement, so it was time for her to claim a second magical weapon.

    In the principal¡¯s office, after hearing Yan Yu¡¯s purpose, Li Weiguo reached into a drawer and took out a tablet computer to hand over.

    ¡°Is this just the Zhendong Army¡¯s inventory, or does it include all four armies?¡± Yan Yu started swiping the screen.

    ¡°All four armies are included,¡± replied Li Weiguo. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s better to first choose from our inventory to avoid communicating with them¡­¡±

    He hadn¡¯t finished his sentence when he saw Yan Yu already swiping past the Zhendong Army¡¯s inventory list to start looking at the Annan Army¡¯s inventory.

    Li Weiguo was silent for a moment, then waved his hand in annoyance,

    ¡°Look at that side. Tell me once you¡¯re done.¡±

    Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen moved to a corner of the room, where the Demonic Sect Enchantress asked, S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°What kind of magical weapon are you going to pick for me?¡±

    ¡°From the perspective of the team, it would be best to choose a defensive type, like Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler,¡± Yan Yu quickly swiped through the screen. ¡°But defensive types don¡¯t suit your temperament, do they?¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied proudly. ¡°What do I need defense for? Offense is the best defense. If you meet an enemy who completely overpowers you, you¡¯re ultimately doomed anyway, and using a defensive weapon would just delay the inevitable and add to the suffering. Better to just resolve in suicide quickly.¡±

    ¡°I knew this dumbass knew nothing about tactics,¡± Yan Yu said with contempt. ¡°Ever heard of counterattacking?¡±

    ¡°How could I not have heard of it?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen stubbornly said. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m best at¡ªcounterattacking.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re good at jack shit!¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue with her and continued browsing the catalog.

    Zhao Yuanzhen clenched her fists and seethed with secret hatred upon being cursed by him,

    ¡°Today you insult my ability to counterattack, I¡¯ll remember this. When my demonic powers are fully cultivated, I¡¯ll make sure to subdue that little thief, humiliate him thoroughly, and let him show me what ¡®counterattacking¡¯ is!¡±

    As she thought this, images came to mind.

    The little thief under her mercy, being ravaged while whimpering. Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s enjoyment grew, and she laughed wickedly:

    ¡°You¡¯re so knowledgeable about defense and counterattack, huh? Come on then, defend against me~ Counterattack me~ Mmhmm hmm haha hahahaha!¡±

    Thinking this, she squeezed her shapely legs together with a feeling of glee, wishing she could trample the little thief right then and there, stomping him fifty or sixty times to take her anger out.

    Seeing her smiling with a suggestive expression, Yan Yu had no idea what delusions she was entertaining, so he just continued checking the list of magical weapons.

    Defensive magical weapons are easy to use but difficult to master. Ye Jun was an exception in that her diligence and responsibility made her suitable for the meticulous work of defense. Moreover, her perseverance allowed her to control the Xuan Guang Ruler effortlessly.

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s temperament was not suited for a defensive support role, and her combat style was bold and lacking in finesse. Although the Zhenhai Team effectively needed a defensive player, it wouldn¡¯t make sense to force the Demonic Sect Enchantress into such a role, as it could lead to rebellion.

    Upon careful consideration, it appeared a control-type magical weapon might be a better option.

    As mentioned earlier, there¡¯s a problem with the list of magical weapons: you don¡¯t know their functions until you refine and acknowledge them as your own. But once you do, changing ownership is exceedingly difficult¡ªso while the list included various types of magical weapons, their effects and uses were completely unknown.

    Yan Yu could only rely on his past life¡¯s memory to skim over the array of magical artifacts he had never seen before, then focus on the few he recognized to weight their merits.

    There were many control type artifacts, but excellent ones were very rare; most had to hit the enemy to take effect and were easily blocked during pursuit, which raised a question:

    If you have already hit the enemy, why not just use an offensive artifact?

    Only when the enemy utilized a certain defense would control methods be useful. But at this stage, defensive spells and artifacts were even rarer than control types¡­

    As Yan Yu pondered silently, suddenly he saw Zhao Yuanzhen stretch out a finger and swiftly scroll up the list all the way to the top:

    ¡°How about this one?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s ¡®how about this one¡¯?¡± Yan Yu asked, puzzled. ¡°Isn¡¯t that just a hammer?¡±

    The image that Zhao Yuanzhen pointed out showed a strangely shaped hammer, made of a material that seemed like bone but wasn¡¯t and seemed like ivory but wasn¡¯t either. The hammer was carved with huge skull faces on both sides.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think this thing¡¯s design looks a lot like my White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said.

    She took out the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, and Yan Yu compared them closely.

    Indeed, they did resemble each other.

    On the hairpin of the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, there was also a skull carved, with two holes for eyes, one for the nose, and one large hole for the mouth¡­

    ¡°Idiot, don¡¯t all skulls look like that?¡± Yan Yu laughed, amused by her.

    ¡°No, look at the size, arc, and proportions of the skull¡¯s eye sockets!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen argued.

    Yan Yu looked again and indeed, it was the exact same skull.

    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t really prove anything; it¡¯s possible that the creator of the artifacts used the same technique.¡± He guessed uncertainly.

    ¡°It¡¯s also possible that these two artifacts are a pair.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said.

    That suggestion got Yan Yu¡¯s heart racing.

    To know, common artifacts were everywhere, but matched sets were hard to come by. Like the ¡°Nine Heavens Yin Demon Artifact Series¡± in Chen Lingyun¡¯s possession; used alone, they were no different from ordinary artifacts. But if one could collect more and extract the Nine Heavens Yin Demon divine inscriptions, it would be possible to derive a series of core Demonic Sect spells, including the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Secret Thunder, with awe-inspiring power.

    If this hammer and the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin were truly a pair, who would care about control artifacts? He would have to get it no matter what!

    ¡°Let¡¯s go with this one!¡± Yan Yu decided to take the gamble. Even if it turned out to be a mistake, he could just give Li Weiguo a face and let Zhao Yuanzhen choose again.

    Li Weiguo took back the tablet, wrote a note, and then said:

    ¡°Black and White Impermanence have agreed, but now is not the time; Chen Lingyun has to wait a bit more.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Yan Yu took the note.

    He went with Zhao Yuanzhen to the secret warehouse and used the note to collect the hammer. It was palm-sized and could be easily held and lifted with one hand, like a child¡¯s rattle, with an exquisitely carved skull on it that seemed almost lifelike.

    Zhao Yuanzhen grabbed the hammer and placed it next to the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, studying them closely for a long while before suddenly saying:

    ¡°It seems like they just plainly look alike¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mess with my head!¡± Yan Yu burst out angrily. ¡°Hurry up and give it back while it¡¯s not yet attuned to you!¡±

    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t rush, let me check again.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen picked up the White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, and after fidgeting on the hammer¡¯s surface for a while, suddenly there was a whoosh sound.

    The White Bone Heart-locking Hairpin, as if attracted by a magnet, was drawn straight into the eye socket of the hammer¡¯s skull.

    It was a perfect fit, as if made for it.

    ¡°So they really are a combined artifact?¡± Yan Yu was immediately stunned. ¡°You lucky fool¡­ what kind of dumb luck is this?¡±

    ¡°What dumb luck?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen perked up immediately, protesting, ¡°It¡¯s my discerning eye that recognized the treasure! Watch your mouth or I¡¯ll use this hammer to smash your damn head!¡±

 Chapter 363: 59: Sealing Liu Longtao!

    Chapter 363: Chapter 59: Sealing Liu Longtao!

    Yan Yu quietly maneuvered the Flying Sword¡¯s light, trailing behind the Asura King and his Asura followers and saw that they had already engaged in battle with the Transcendents.

    On the opposing side were six superheroes, whose tactical cooperation was extremely skilled. The Berserker held the front line to contain the enemy, the Wizard cast long-range attacks from the rear, and the Cleric summoned various mythological creatures, shattering the battlefield into fragments and obstructing the Asuras¡¯ overwhelming sea of fire from spreading.

    The leader was a Cleric with a pair of wings on his back, wielding a great sword, circling around the Asura King unpredictably, adeptly dodging his fiery hammer and axe swings, moving with agility comparable to a Sword Control Cultivator.

    Upon closer inspection, Yan Yu recognized that this individual¡¯s professional path was the exceedingly rare ¡°Angel Incarnation Sect¡± within the Clerics.

    Simply put, it was the Western version of ¡°Inviting the Spirit Possession,¡± invoking so-called ¡°Heavenly Realm Angels¡± to possess ones body, thereby obtaining a comprehensive boost in combat strength.

    However, this Transcendent path had various problems, such as losing recognition of friends during battle, unable to distinguish between friend and foe, emotions gradually becoming numb and disappearing, consciousness being eroded and overtaken by the angel, and so on¡­ It was said that to the Heavenly Realm¡¯s messengers who descended, ¡°all humans have original sin flowing in their veins,¡± all are sinful, all must be destroyed¡ªthey must die, including the human body they occupied.

    ...

    Yan Yu wasn¡¯t exactly sure about the specifics since he hadn¡¯t deliberately collected information on Clerics (this crappy profession has at least twenty different branches, arguably the world¡¯s largest professional system), but in his past life, he had indeed encountered Clerics from the Angel Incarnation Sect, each feeling like a killing machine. The stronger they were, the less self-awareness they had, much like irrational madmen, truly difficult to handle.

    The Asura King, extremely irritated, simply opened his mouth and spat upward¡ªnot flames, but a large amount of magma.

    As this magma sprayed into the air, fire rain began to drizzle down shortly after, every drop of magma carrying an extremely high temperature, capable of setting fire to the slightest touch of cloth.

    The five superheroes promptly retreated, leaving only the Angel-possessed Cleric circling in the midst of the fire rain. Suddenly, during the instant the Asura King had yet to lower his head, the Cleric¡¯s wings vibrated, and he charged with his sword raised!

    The dazzling white radiance of the great holy sword surged mightily, striking halfway into the Asura King¡¯s throat before it could go no further.

    Because the Asura King had already extended his left hand, grasping the blade, preventing it from penetrating further. His right hand took the chance to grab the Cleric¡¯s wings and violently threw him into the magma flowing on the ground.

    A short, pained scream was heard, and the Angel-incarnate Cleric turned into a flaming figure, struggling to crawl out of the magma, but the surroundings darkened suddenly¡ª the Asura King, close at hand, lifted his foot and brutally stomped down.

    Crack!

    Yan Yu¡¯s Divine Sense quickly swept over, and it would be an understatement to say he was broken and battered¡­ more accurately, he was flattened into a pancake.

    The Cleric was slain on the spot, the rest of the superheroes¡¯ morale was greatly damaged, and devoid of the will to fight, they hurriedly turned tail and fled.

    The Asura followers swiftly leapt through the fire into the air, doggedly chasing after them. The Asura King also wanted to step forward, but blood gushed from his throat like a fountain, and he had to press his neck with his hand in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

    Suddenly, he heard someone calling from behind:

    ¡°Leader!¡±

    The Asura King, with his left hand covering his throat wound and his right hand holding his fiery hammer and axe, staggered around, his vision in that instant completely filled with the surging light of Sword-Human Unity!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Meanwhile, Xie Ruoxi and Liu Longtao had left the Naihe Bridge and continued on their way for a while when they saw the mountain trail winding upward, the terrain growing noticeably steeper.

    Around the mountain path, numerous wild dogs roamed back and forth, their eyes gleaming green as they growled menacingly at the two, radiating ferocity.

    Xie Ruoxi felt somewhat scared, and silently transmitted a message to Liu Longtao:

    ¡°Kill them or not?¡±

    ¡°They are just a few wild dogs.¡± Liu Longtao said indifferently, ¡°Keep walking. If they become too troublesome, then kill them all.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Xie Ruoxi nodded, holding the Jade Pivot Thunder in her hand, ready to show no mercy if these wild dogs were to pounce on them.

    The Jade Pivot Thunder was specifically designed to counter Yin Ghosts, and as these wild dogs were transformations of various Yin Ghosts, they naturally feared the Jade Pivot Thunder, instinctively tucking their tails between their legs, not daring to cause trouble lightly.

    As the two delved deeper into the mountains, little did they know that a group of Onmyoji from the Yin Yang Bureau had quietly caught up behind them.

    Rikoku Cultivators entered the Mysterious Realm first, seizing the initial advantage; although the Transcendents from abroad were behind in progress, they also benefited: the enemies along the way had been cleared by the forerunners, greatly reducing their number and making them easy to handle.

    They quickly broke through the Ghost Gate and crossed the Naihe Bridge, arriving at the foothills of Black Dog Ridge.

    Among them, a Ninja formed a hand seal and suddenly spat out a large amount of powder, which sprinkled onto the ground and revealed a set of footprints ¡ª those left behind by Liu Longtao and Xie Ruoxi.

    The leader looked for a moment and asked,

    ¡°How long ago?¡±

    ¡°5 minutes,¡± the Ninja provided a precise number.

    ¡°Concealment mode!¡± the leader commanded with a wave of his hand.

    Apart from Samurai, both Ninja and Onmyoji in the Yin Yang Bureau had secret methods for stealth movement. Coupled with the eerie and strange surroundings and the low visibility, everyone quickly utilized various techniques to completely blend into the night.

    The team leader was the deputy to Xiandao Jingyin, named Sato Hiroshi. As he led his squad silently along the mountain path, his mind was also secretly scheming.

    Before entering the Mysterious Realm, the Yin Yang Bureau had made its intentions clear to everyone: the main strategy was covert operation, trying to avoid conflicts with Rikoku Cultivators until reaching the final stage.

    The implication was to let the Lihuayuan Swordsmen and the superheroes take the lead, mutually depleting each other with the Rikoku Cultivators, while they conserved their strength for the final treasure snatch.

    Although the superiors had a good plan, it couldn¡¯t prevent those below from having different ideas.

    Sato Hiroshi himself was of the Ninja occupation and, while serving as the deputy to Xiandao Jingyin, he always harbored the thought of usurping her.

    Xiandao Jingyin was not only extraordinarily talented but also descended from the ancient and wealthy Xiandao conglomerate. Simply having the conglomerate¡¯s backing ensured that she would always have access to the best cultivation resources at the Yin Yang Bureau headquarters.

    Sato Hiroshi considered his cultivation talent equal to hers and was convinced that Xiandao Jingyin¡¯s family background was the only reason she surpassed him. Therefore, he had long resolved to take advantage of the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng to make a name for himself, thus winning the favor of the bigwigs in the Yin Yang Bureau and contesting with Xiandao Jingyin for the title of ¡°God of Ninjas.¡±

    Defeating the widely known Liu Longtao of Rikoku was key to his plan.

    Of course, Liu Longtao was a top-ranking Rikoku Cultivator who, during the War of Ezo, made one of The Four Great Demon Kings, Shenyuan Simie, scurry around like a stray dog. Even with high self-esteem, Sato Hiroshi didn¡¯t think he could win against him in direct combat.

    But a Ninja¡¯s way is to move in secrecy and strike from the shadows!

    The reason he dared to formulate this plan was his confidence in a magical treasure he possessed¡ªa Talisman Paper in appearance, called the ¡°Myojin Gate Talisman.¡±

    Once he cast this Myojin Gate Talisman quietly onto the target, it would instantly become a colossal Myojin Gate, suppressing the opponent in the phantom realm behind the gate.

    No matter how formidable your Sword Control or Taoism Method, once sealed into the phantom realm to vanish, what can you do?

    Could you possibly shatter the void and break free? Hahahaha.

    Before entering the Mysterious Realm, Sato Hiroshi briefly took out his phone to peek at a live broadcast from Rikoku, confirming that Liu Longtao and an unknown female cultivator were in a sinister level of the Mysterious Realm.

    After entering the Mysterious Realm and recognizing the terrain around him, he immediately decided to lead his team alone, intending to seal Liu Longtao and use this triumph to climb the ranks! S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    If he could seal his opponent, even if he had to report back to the Yin Yang Bureau later, he could claim it was ¡°discovery and forced combat.¡± Would not the higher-ups blame their meritorious servant?

    As for how to make Liu Longtao fall into the trap and underestimate the enemy, Sato Hiroshi also had a determined plan to use his teammates as bait.

    The specifics need not be mentioned at the moment¡ªthe success or failure hinged on this one action!

    He was staking everything on it!

 Chapter 364: 60: Slaying the Asura King

    Chapter 364: Chapter 60: Slaying the Asura King

    Yan Yu unleashed the Sword-Human Unity ultimate move, cleaving into the Asura King¡¯s neck, instantly severing it two-thirds of the way through.

    The sword light swiftly turned back, only to see that the opponent had not fallen breathless to the ground but had rapidly transformed into a form with three heads and six arms, using one arm to clutch his neck, keeping the head from falling off the severed neckline. The other five arms summoned various weapons made of flames, beginning to spin violently around their owner as the axis.

    His spinning was so fast that the five weapons formed a high-temperature fiery tornado, and the heat waves surged toward all directions.

    Yan Yu had intended to continue the execution, but the impact of these heat waves was too intense, and he could only quickly inject his True Yuan, striving to keep his own sword light stable and not swept away by the heat waves¡ªlike a small boat in a storm.

    As the Asura King spun faster, the rising heat formed thick, black clouds above, which did not fall as rain but instead pressed lower and lower, creating a web of intersecting lightning in the sky. The thunder rumbled like war drums, thunderous sounds filling the sky, which even made Yan Yu feel a bit overwhelmed, thinking to himself, isn¡¯t this weather a bit too exaggerated? Isn¡¯t the current limit Foundation Establishment?

    It was downright frightening, like undergoing a tribulation.

    ...

    Through the camera on his chest, the live stream chat was flooded with messages, and the number of viewers skyrocketed.

    ¡°Is he about to transcend tribulation?¡±

    ¡°Done for! The Longcheng Flying General is defying the heavens, now ascending in broad daylight!¡±

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s start betting! Will the heaven¡¯s tribulation strike the Asura King or the Longcheng Flying General? Place your bets now, no change given!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m betting on the Longcheng Flying General! If it hits the Asura King, I¡¯m happy; if it hits the Flying General, I make money!¡±

    ¡°Win-win, huh? You¡¯re planning to win it all.¡±

    Although the live stream was rife with speculation, Yan Yu knew that if the thunder came crashing down, it would definitely be targeting him.

    Because the Asura King was designed by the Mysterious Realm on purpose, to make numerous trial participants join forces against him. Now that he had found a shortcut and dealt a heavy blow to his opponent, the resulting terrifying heavenly phenomenon was also geared towards the level of all trial participants¡ªthat was why there was such terrifying momentum and scale.

    As he contemplated how to deal with it, suddenly a blossom of light enveloped him.

    A familiar feeling¡­ Ye Jun?

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Let¡¯s rewind time slightly, to where Ye Jun was trapped in the Heavenly Palace, boredly watching the performances of the musicians and witches.

    To be honest, they were too subtle and gentle, and she really couldn¡¯t appreciate them.

    The Departure Palace in the East Sea was a trial-type Mysterious Realm, where all levels were designed to test the abilities of the trial-takers, so she had guessed that this was probably a test of her social interaction skills.

    Connections are certainly an essential resource for cultivators. Moreover, since there seemed to be no internet or chat software in the world of cultivation, attending such banquets was the main way for cultivators to meet a lot of peers.

    When it came to social networking, Ye Jun was certainly not afraid.

    She had been articulate since childhood, even winning first place in a ¡°storytelling contest¡± in kindergarten, the type that could chat with anyone she met.

    But with the Heavenly Emperor acting as an elder, being overly troublesome, and always asking her about her personal life, Ye Jun also found it a bit difficult to cope.

    ¡°Fellow Daoist needn¡¯t worry too much,¡± the Heavenly Emperor said, ¡°Although the Asura King is brave, he considers himself superior. Unless someone pushes him to a dead end, he won¡¯t use his trump cards, so your husband definitely won¡¯t be in mortal danger.¡±

    Ye Jun showed a puzzled expression and asked:

    ¡°Why are you so sure that the Asura King won¡¯t be pushed to a dead end? Didn¡¯t you send him to assassinate the Asura King?¡±

    ¡°The Asura King is powerful, beyond the capability of your husband alone to contend with,¡± the Heavenly Emperor said with a smile while stroking his beard, ¡°As for the assassination, that was merely a jest.¡±

    Ye Jun: ¡­¡­

    Damn it, is it still possible to defect to the Mortal Realm now?

    ¡°As long as your husband dares to make the attempt on the Asura King¡¯s life, even if he fails and retreats, it will still prove that he is a friend rather than a foe,¡± continued the Heavenly Emperor, ¡°As for how to eliminate the Asura forces, relying on just the two of you is insufficient. We need to plan this out in the long term.¡±

    Ye Jun fell silent, merely hoping inwardly that Yan Yu would be rational and cautious, and not foolishly confront what he couldn¡¯t defeat.

    ¡°Now that everyone is here waiting, it¡¯s rather dull,¡± a guest spoke up with a laugh, ¡°Why not share with us how you and your husband formed your marital connection and achieved this wonderful union?¡±

    I¡¯ll share your head with a wild dog! Ye Jun cursed silently in her heart, not wanting to bother with him, but then heard the Heavenly Emperor laugh and say:

    ¡°I too am curious to know.¡±

    Ye Jun: ¡­

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing much,¡± she said with feigned indifference, not willing to elaborate. ¡°Met through a matchmaking session.¡±

    ¡°A matchmaking session, eh,¡± the guests nodded in agreement, ¡°That¡¯s in accordance with the parents¡¯ wishes and the matchmakers¡¯ words. It¡¯s proper human relations, very good, very good.¡±

    Ye Jun sighed inwardly and then heard Emperor Di say,

    ¡°Have you had any children?¡±

    Now they are even rushing me to have kids! Ye Jun raged inside, but managed to say reluctantly,

    ¡°Not yet.¡±

    ¡°Being cultivators, we enjoy long lives; there¡¯s no need to rush into extending the family lineage,¡± Emperor Di said with understanding.

    Ye Jun lamented secretly, hoping Yan Yu would come back soon; she could hardly take it any longer.

    Just then, a thunderous boom sounded from below, and Emperor Di¡¯s expression drastically changed. He rose from his imperial seat and said,

    ¡°That Asura King wants to struggle to the death!¡±

    Without further hesitation, Ye Jun said,

    ¡°I¡¯ll go help him.¡±

    She hastily left those words behind, enveloping herself in a sword light and swiftly departing from the Heavenly Palace, heading towards the surface.

    Finally, I can leave this place!

    Below the Heavenly Realm, the sky was filled with dark clouds. Unknown forces stirred endless thunder and fire, and the signs of heaven and earth shattering were becoming increasingly apparent.

    Ye Jun, anxious, swiftly maneuvered her sword towards the center of the thunder and fire, took out the Xuan Guang Ruler, and from afar, she protected Yan Yu¡¯s Huang Tingjian with a burst of light, forming a protective bloom.

    With the support of the Xuan Guang Ruler, Yan Yu felt more assured. He urged the sword light into Sword-Human Unity again and bravely plunged into the fiery tornado! Lightning bolts fiercely struck down from the sky, hitting him but being blocked by the light of the Xuan Guang Ruler, creating a deep, bell-like clash.

    Kill!

    The Asura King ceased his swirling dance and began slashing with his fiery weaponry. The hot wind whirled wildly, the earth trembled, and every movement carried immense power.

    But Yan Yu was fearless, starting with the move ¡°Rainbow Through the Sky¡± as he aimed at the opponent¡¯s head.

    The Asura King parried with his sword, retaliating towards the Huang Tingjian sword light. Yan Yu quickly withdrew his move and changed to ¡°Phoenix Dancing in the Heavens¡±¡ªthe sword light suddenly tilted downward, dodging the counter-slash!

    The enemy raised two arms again, the axe and halberd crisscrossing to block the path of the sword light. Yan Yu advanced instead of retreating, his sword light striking against the fiery axe and halberd and instantly transforming into ¡°Eagle Soaring in the Sky.¡± He dissolved the recoil force at a slight angle and rapidly delivered consecutive strikes!

    One, two, three, four, five! Five continuous slashes in an instant finally forced apart the fiery axe and halberd, and the sword light charged forward once more, executing ¡°Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix.¡± In an instant, it split into more than twenty sword qi after-images.

    The Asura King couldn¡¯t distinguish the real from the fake and swept away with his fiery hammer and axe, only to find that all the after-images vanished instantly. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    All fakes?

    In a flash of thought, a sharp pain struck the back of his neck again.

    When did¡­

    The live broadcast viewers were in an uproar as well. The director skillfully switched to split-screen footage, slowing down to replay the scene captured from Ye Jun¡¯s perspective, locking onto the position of Yan Yu¡¯s sword light.

    Yan Yu first executed ¡°Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix,¡± creating countless sword light after-images. Yet, he did not attack during this diversion but dissolved Sword-Human Unity, stepping backward in the air on the Huang Tingjian to borrow force and quietly appearing on the ground through the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step. He then cast the Invisibility Technique and vanished.

    As the Asura King¡¯s vision was occupied with the after-images of ¡°Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix,¡± and he slashed them with the fiery hammer and axe, the invisible Yan Yu appeared behind his neck. Just as his form emerged, he re-entered Sword-Human Unity.

    Slash!

    Sword Control flying slash was similar to the Sword Control Technique; the longer the flight distance, the stronger the strike. With a close-ranged attack, Yan Yu failed to make an impact on the Asura King¡¯s tough physical defenses, merely opening a small cut.

    But he was extremely skilled in swordsmanship, smoothly transitioning to ¡°Eagle Soaring in the Sky,¡± striking five times in a flash of lightning, forcibly breaking through the strong physical defense and severing one-third of the Asura King¡¯s neck. The massive head fell, blood gushing like a fountain and sprinkling like rain.

 Chapter 365: 61: Lord Master Full of Confidence

    Chapter 365: Chapter 61: Lord Master Full of Confidence

    The Asura King crashed to the ground, and Yan Yu sheathed his sword and turned back to Ye Jun¡¯s side, asking,

    ¡°How did you get here?¡±

    ¡°Did you really just slaughter the Asura King?¡± Ye Jun was also stunned.

    Hadn¡¯t the Emperor of Heaven said that the Asura King couldn¡¯t be matched by a single person?

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Yan Yu said casually, ¡°just took a bit of a shortcut.¡±

    The ¡°Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix¡± creates a multitude of sword Qi afterimages, which are usually used to conceal the true form of the sword light, providing cover for the Sword Immortal to attack. Therefore, it also leads to a fixed way of thinking, that is, ¡°the opponent¡¯s true form must be hidden among the sword light afterimages.¡±

    ...

    Targeting this kind of habitual thinking, one could intentionally do the opposite, leaving the range of the sword Qi afterimages with their true form and sneak up behind the enemy to attack using an Invisibility Technique. In a past life, this tactic among Sword Immortals had a name that was famous far and wide, known as the ¡°Rabbit Trick¡±¡ªjust like a magician deliberately attracts your attention with flamboyant maneuvers, while secretly slipping a rabbit into a hat.

    Of course, in truly high-level Sword Immortal duels, what is emphasized is the art of emptiness becomes solid, and substance becomes void.

    If you see the ¡°Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix¡± and immediately think the opponent is trying to attack from behind, they could just as well hide within the sword Qi afterimages and launch a direct frontal assault¡­ In short, although there are only two variations, when executed by masters, they too can achieve an unpredictable effect.

    In the live broadcast room, the director replayed Yan Yu¡¯s ¡°Rabbit Trick¡± over and over again:

    Sword Qi turns into shadows! Sky-stepping reversal! Landing and vanishing! Flashing behind! One hit, one kill!

    Five tactical movements executed seamlessly in one breath, with a total duration of just two seconds. Even under slow-motion replay, they maintained a flowing speed and elegance, making the viewers in the live broadcast room erupt with excitement, with tons of astonished comments flooding the screen like waterfalls.

    ¡°It¡¯s really¡­ really¡­¡± Zhou Erhe stuttered for quite a while, temporarily at a loss for words of praise, cursing his own limited vocabulary.

    ¡°Magnificent!¡± Xu Dongming suddenly exclaimed.

    ¡°Right, magnificent!¡± Zhou Erhe snapped out of his trance and sharply commented, ¡°Five extremely concise tactical moves compressed into a two-second seamless execution, still retaining an ultimate sense of magnificence even under a slow-motion camera. At normal speeds in reality, probably no one could react in time!¡±

    ¡°This is the peak power of the Longcheng Flying General!¡± Xu Dongming didn¡¯t want to be outdone, quickly continuing, ¡°Dear viewers in front of the TV, do you still remember the Longcheng Flying General¡¯s lightning-fast ¡®Gale Three Consecutive Strikes,¡¯ and how he nonchalantly walked through a minefield with explosions trailing behind him in the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm? In this world of martial arts, nothing is indestructible except for speed, and once again today the Longcheng Flying General has proven that his mobility has reached a peak of perfection! From now on, his signature move won¡¯t be the ¡®Gale Three Consecutive Strikes,¡¯ but the ¡®Gale Five Consecutive Strikes¡¯!¡±

    ¡°So the ¡®Three Consecutive Strikes¡¯ evolved into the ¡®Five Consecutive Strikes,¡¯ huh?¡± Zhou Erhe teased.

    ¡°Letting countless sword Qi afterimages remain in front, then flashing behind you for a second¡¯s kill, you tell me if that¡¯s frightening!¡± Xu Dongming shouted loudly.

    ¡°But what if the opponent sees the ¡®Gale Five Consecutive Strikes¡¯ and subconsciously defends their back?¡± Zhou Erhe joked.

    ¡°Then I just won¡¯t attack you from behind,¡± Xu Dongming immediately argued, ¡°I could attack from the left, from the right, or even jump above your head, what would you do then?¡±

    In the Annan National Defence Academy, hearing the commentators discuss countermeasures to the ¡°Gale Five Consecutive Strikes,¡± the members of the Qingan Team also fell into contemplation.

    Li Zhaojiang spoke after a moment of silence,

    ¡°Launching an attack with Invisibility Technique actually isn¡¯t hard to deal with, as divine sense scanning can break invisibility.¡±

    ¡°The key is his speed is too fast,¡± Li Minghu agreed, ¡°you see him deploy ¡®Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix¡¯ and conceal his figure, and before you have time to initiate a divine sense scan, he might have already circled behind you.¡±

    After a moment of careful thought, everyone felt it was really difficult to handle.

    As the commentators said, in the world of martial arts, speed is unbreakable. You can understand all the mechanics, but what can you do if your reaction speed can¡¯t keep up?

    You either learn from Ye Jun of Dragon Soar Team, whip out a Xuan Guang Ruler, and create a defensive shell covering 360 degrees around you, no matter from which direction the attack comes, or you simply have to train your reaction speed so as not to fall behind the rhythm of Longcheng Flying General in the future. Whether or not it¡¯s possible to train that is another question¡ªafter all, reaction speed is something that heavily relies on innate talent.

    ¡°Haoran¡¯s second magical weapon should be one for defense,¡± Li Zhaojiang decided.

    While the Qingan Team was making tactical adjustments, the Huofeng Team was collectively silent.

    Zhang Huaide didn¡¯t say much, after all, the mechanics had been explained by the commentators, and their analysis had no issues. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But Captain Zhou¡­

    Her eyes casually glanced at Zhou Hongyu behind her glasses, only to see that though her face was expressionless, her hands clasped into fists on her knees hinted at the intense frustration brewing within her.

    It seemed Captain Zhou had always regarded Captain Yan as the one to chase after. Now, the difference in their strengths was clearly visible, and there appeared to be no hope in the foreseeable future for her to catch up and surpass Captain Yan.

    One could only hope that it wouldn¡¯t affect her subsequent performance.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    While Yan Yu and Ye Jun passed the first hurdle, Liu Longtao and Xie Ruoxi, unaware, continued along the mountain path of Black Dog Ridge.

    Intimidated by the Jade Pivot Thunder in Xie Ruoxi¡¯s hand, the stray dogs formed from lonely ghosts dared not approach. However, they sneakily followed behind the two, their numbers growing larger and larger.

    Seeing the situation turn dire, Liu Longtao knew that once these creatures amassed in enough numbers, they would eventually overcome their fear and swarm them¡ªit would be safer to start fighting now while there were fewer of them.

    ¡°Get ready to make a move.¡± He whispered to Xie Ruoxi.

    Xie Ruoxi hummed in acknowledgment and took out an elixir medicine from her bag, popping it into her mouth and letting it dissolve slowly under her tongue.

    Liu Longtao watched in surprise and thought to himself, ha, your True Yuan must be running out too, right? He snarkily transmitted his voice again, ¡°If your True Yuan can¡¯t keep up, just say so. We can take a break. Don¡¯t fail us when the real fight starts.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Xie Ruoxi replied, ¡°My True Yuan is plentiful.¡±

    ¡°Plentiful True Yuan?¡± Liu Longtao scoffed, ¡°Then why are you taking that elixir medicine?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not elixir medicine.¡± Xie Ruoxi took out a corner of the packaging to show him, ¡°It¡¯s Maltesers.¡±

    Liu Longtao: ¡­¡­¡­

    Seeing his defeated look, Xie Ruoxi instantly became more alert, quickly stuffed the packaging back into her pocket, and whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t you start asking me for any, I only have two or three pieces left, and I don¡¯t have enough for myself.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯d want your crappy snacks!¡± Liu Longtao almost blurted out, but managed to suppress the urge to scoff, continuing to whisper, ¡°Prepare to kill dogs.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    The two moved forward several dozen steps, then suddenly turned around and began their attack.

    Liu Longtao demonstrated his swordsmanship, cleanly slicing several wild dogs in half. Xie Ruoxi was even more nonchalant, wherever there were more dogs, she casually tossed the Jade Pivot Thunder, killing three to four times more wild dogs than Liu Longtao, leaving even Lord Master speechless.

    Aren¡¯t you going to save even a little bit of your True Yuan?

    These ghosts disguised as wild dogs, with minds similar to animals, were caught off guard by the sudden attack, and immediately scattered like birds and beasts, disappearing in the blink of an eye, leaving behind only a few corpses and a rusty nail.

    Liu Longtao scanned with his Divine Sense and found that the nail was actually a magical artifact, so he casually pocketed it.

    They continued along the mountain path, unaware that the noise from the fight had reached far away, alerting the Onmyoji team led by Sato Hiroshi.

    The group picked up the pace and moved stealthily to the spot, rounding a bend and, indeed, saw two figures walking ahead on the mountain road from a distance.

    The man on the left, who had an oppressive presence even from behind, was the captain of Lu Country¡¯s Dragon Soar Team, Liu Longtao. He was known as the ¡°Demon King of the Ferocious Dragon¡± by the Heavy Sakura, which couldn¡¯t be more telling¨DLiu Longtao had the combat prowess of a Demon King.

    The female cultivator on the right¡­ who is she? Don¡¯t recognize her. She¡¯s probably a minor character. Anyway, any slightly formidable cultivator from Lu Country would have been thoroughly researched by the Yin Yang Bureau, and he was sure he had never seen this person.

    ¡°One team, take a detour ahead and set up traps!¡± Sato Hiroshi quickly ordered, ¡°Second team, follow from behind and maintain distance!¡±

    ¡°Maintaining distance¡± meant staying outside the range of the Rikoku Cultivators¡¯ Divine Sense scan. Onmyoji preferred to fuss over details in combat, and even the most straightforward Samurai class liked to meticulously consider the angle and force of every sword strike.

    The first team, consisting of four Onmyoji, silently summoned their Shikigami and led their team to climb the rocks and ascend the cliff in order to intercept the two Rikoku Cultivators ahead; the second team continued to move stealthily forward, trailing behind Liu Longtao and Xie Ruoxi at the maximum distance their Divine Sense could scan¨Dthis distance depended mainly on the cultivator¡¯s own cultivation level. The higher the level, the greater the scanning range.

    Even though Xie Ruoxi was at the Marrow Cleansing Stage, her innate talent for cultivation was so exaggerated that her Divine Sense¡¯s scanning range was slightly broader than that of other same-stage Rikoku Cultivators.

    She was on guard against the previous pack of wild dogs when she suddenly became aware of several sneaky, strange Transcendents who had entered her Divine Sense scanning boundary from behind.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got enemies.¡± She suddenly stopped and whispered to Liu Longtao, ¡°Seems like Onmyoji.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t stop, keep walking.¡± Liu Longtao reacted even faster and swiftly replied, ¡°Pretend we haven¡¯t noticed them.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Xie Ruoxi continued walking.

    ¡°Get your act together.¡± Liu Longtao quickly reminded her.

    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Xie Ruoxi immediately adjusted.

    ¡°You¡¯re not very calm, are you?¡± Liu Longtao finally found an opportunity to tease, whispering, ¡°How did Yan Yu train you? You¡¯re still nervous at a time like this? Weren¡¯t you all imposing when you were killing your way here earlier?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi thought to herself, what do you know, PvE and PvP aren¡¯t the same, are they?

    Back in the team¡¯s internal training, she had never won against Lin Ning or Su Yunjin. She was nearly traumatized by Yan Yu, and now she had to fight life-and-death battles against top Transcendents from other countries. It would be strange if she wasn¡¯t nervous.

    ¡°Just relax, we¡¯ll win.¡± Liu Longtao laughed heartily, ¡°When it comes to experience fighting those scum, not even Yan Yu holds a candle to me.¡±

    ¡°Ha!¡± As soon as Yan Yu was mentioned, Xie Ruoxi was distracted again, replying irritably, ¡°You think you can do better than our captain?¡±

    ¡°Just watch me.¡± Liu Longtao boasted.

 Chapter 366: 62: Teammates Gather, Lord Master Makes a Move!

    Chapter 366: Chapter 62: Teammates Gather, Lord Master Makes a Move!

    After slaying the Asura King, Yan Yu and Ye Jun had a brief chat, when suddenly they felt the world spinning round and round.

    When they came to, they were no longer in the same place but had automatically been transported to the next challenge¡¯s realm.

    This place was a valley filled with dense forests and the gentle babbling of rivers, an environment far better than the previous level¡¯s blood-red sky and earth.

    Yan Yu was surveying his surroundings when he suddenly sensed something amiss. Looking down, he saw his chest covered with fine bird feathers.

    Huh? How did I turn into a swallow?

    After scanning himself from head to toe with Divine Sense, Yan Yu confirmed that this was not an illusion but a very orthodox Taoist transformation technique¡­ The specific principle was unclear since transformation techniques were both rare and difficult to master. Take Sun Wukong, who had to become the disciple of the renowned Patriarch Bodhi to be eligible to learn those seventy-two transformations. You would know that this thing is a top-notch super spell, which can even be used to cunningly avoid heavenly tribulations once mastered.

    ...

    If someone casts a transformation spell on you during a duel, turning you into a pig or a sheep, for instance, you can¡¯t even muster a Sword Technique or a Spell. That would leave you utterly at the mercy of others. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But Yan Yu knew that his bird transformation was definitely a Mysterious Realm mechanism, so as long as he completed the challenge, he would be restored to human form; therefore, he wasn¡¯t in any rush and began to flap his wings to take off.

    No sooner had he flown out of the thicket than he saw a lark flying towards him not far away.

    The lark¡¯s call was melodious and pleasant to the ear, but although Yan Yu was a swallow, he didn¡¯t understand the language of birds, so he had no idea what she was chirping. He could only transmit a message to ask,

    ¡°Ye Jun?¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Finally, the lark realized and quickly replied with Sound Transmission Technique, ¡°So, the Sound Transmission Technique can be used, huh? Yan Yu, why have we all turned into birds, do you have any clue?¡±

    ¡°It should be the Mysterious Realm mechanism,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°It¡¯ll be fine once we pass the challenge.¡±

    ¡°After turning into birds, we¡¯ve also lost our clothes,¡± Ye Jun flapped her wings and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know if the camera can still function.¡±

    ¡°Whether it can or not, just act as if we still have the camera and continue to look for a way to pass the level,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Ye Jun replied, ¡°So, how do we find the way to complete the challenge?¡±

    ¡°Now that we¡¯ve turned into birds, although we still have True Yuan and can use Divine Sense, Sword techniques, Spells, and Taoism Methods that require hand seals are all unusable due to the lack of hands,¡± Yan Yu pondered carefully, ¡°Thus, this challenge certainly isn¡¯t about combat.¡±

    ¡°Indeed so,¡± Ye Jun added.

    ¡°We only have one option before us, which is to explore the environment everywhere,¡± Yan Yu analyzed.

    ¡°It¡¯s obvious,¡± Ye Jun said.

    ¡°The risk is that this place might not just have us two ¡®animals¡¯,¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°We have to watch out for predators of birds, like felines, serpents, and naturally, carnivorous hawks and falcons.¡±

    ¡°We do need to be careful,¡± Ye Jun agreed.

    ¡°Why are you echoing me again?¡± Yan Yu interrupted, ¡°We¡¯re discussing how to find the method to pass the challenge, not performing a comedy routine.¡±

    ¡°No, I really have no idea,¡± Ye Jun flew around Yan Yu, ¡°My head is full of chirp and chatter, and I feel like singing.¡±

    ¡°Instincts of a bird, eh?¡± Yan Yu mused, ¡°Why don¡¯t I feel something similar?¡±

    ¡°Swallows, compared to larks, aren¡¯t that vocal, I guess,¡± Ye Jun remarked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Yan Yu decided to observe first, ¡°You fly with me for now. Remember to use your Divine Sense to scan around on the way, and don¡¯t let your guard down¡ªthe swallow and the lark are pretty low in the bird food chain.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s be careful and off we go,¡± Ye Jun seemed somewhat excited, soaring up and down around Yan Yu, unclear if she took the words to heart.

    She followed Yan Yu as they flew forward. Although she managed to hold back on chirping, she couldn¡¯t stop transmitting messages:

    ¡°Yan Yu, did you know that as a child, the animal I most wanted to become was a bird?¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°Because birds can fly, you know? Just fly wherever you want to go, how cool is that.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    ¡°I know I talk a lot, but I¡¯m just excited that a dream came true. Hey! Do you think that in the later stages of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, there will be a spell to transform into a bird?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if there is a spell to turn into a bird, but I do know one to shut you up.¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯ll stop talking, I¡¯ll zip it.¡± Flying Sword replied.

    The two birds, feeling somewhat tired from flying, scanned the area with their Divine Sense to ensure there were no carnivorous animals around before descending to rest on the treetops below.

    Yan Yu raised his wings and started to comb the feathers that had been ruffled by the wind with his beak.

    It wasn¡¯t that he had a bird¡¯s consciousness, but rather that having his feathers ruffled was quite uncomfortable¡ªmuch like the feeling of messy hair upon waking up that simply needed to be tidied to feel right.

    Ye Jun glanced around for a moment, then suddenly hopped along the branch towards Yan Yu and began to use her beak to help him straighten his feathers.

    ¡°Hey, what are you doing!¡± Yan Yu was startled.

    ¡°I¡¯m helping you comb your feathers,¡± Ye Jun said with a chuckle, ¡°Wow, your feathers are so soft~¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, mind your own business.¡± Yan Yu flapped a wing to push her away.

    This lady from Jinmen usually seemed quite serious, so how come she turned into such a lively bird once transformed? Could it be that some bird-loving gene from her ancestral Pingjing bloodline had awakened?

    Ye Jun was about to say something else when her tone suddenly became tense:

    ¡°An animal is coming.¡±

    Yan Yu also released his Divine Sense and detected a white-furred fox and a spotted leopard cat climbing a hill far away, looking in their direction.

    Despite the trees obscuring the view between them, it was clear that the creatures were focusing on them¡ªYan Yu knew then that these two were also cultivators capable of scanning with Divine Sense.

    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± He quickly sent a telepathic message.

    The response came back with a surprised delight:

    ¡°Captain?¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Liu Longtao and Xie Ruoxi climbed up the hillside and noticed that the pack of wild dogs had regrouped and were peering at them from about ten meters away.

    ¡°They¡¯re still following us?¡± After Liu Longtao scanned the area with his Divine Sense and didn¡¯t find any enemy aside from the wild dogs, he telepathically asked Xie Ruoxi again.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Xie Ruoxi replied, ¡°They¡¯re behind us, just past the gorge we just crossed.¡±

    ¡°Your Divine Sense can reach that far?¡± Liu Longtao was immediately astonished.

    ¡°Ah?¡± Xie Ruoxi seemed puzzled. ¡°Can¡¯t you?¡±

    Her simple four-word reply was like a heavy hammer smashing down on Lord Master¡¯s head, who always prided himself on his exceptional talents. It left him nearly seeing stars, and he almost fainted before barely steadying his mind and replying:

    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this now. So they¡¯re still keeping their distance, right?¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Xie Ruoxi said, ¡°It looks like they¡¯re waiting for something.¡±

    ¡°In that case, let¡¯s do the opposite of what they expect,¡± Liu Longtao pondered for a moment before saying coldly, ¡°Let¡¯s hit them back!¡±

    ¡°Ah, are we going to confront them?¡± Xie Ruoxi tensed up again.

    ¡°What else?¡± Liu Longtao retorted. ¡°Right now, what they¡¯re waiting for is either for that pack of wild dogs to attack us again, or for some other kind of trap for us to step into. If we don¡¯t take the initiative now, the situation will only get worse as time drags on!¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see,¡± said Xie Ruoxi, still feeling helpless, ¡°but what exactly should we do¡­?¡±

    ¡°Follow me!¡± Liu Longtao suddenly turned, his body enveloped in the glow of his sword, and boldly charged back down the path they had come from.

    Sword Control slash!

    Xie Ruoxi was startled and quickly activated her Shifting Technique, following the swift Ying Long Sword¡¯s light, heading straight towards the gorge where the Onmyoji were hidden.

 Chapter 367: 63: Understanding, Divinity, Gateway

    Chapter 367: Chapter 63: Understanding, Divinity, Gateway

    Lord Master said, ¡°When it comes to dealing with these scumbags, old Yan doesn¡¯t know as much as I do,¡±¡ªof course, he wasn¡¯t just talking big without a basis.

    Among the many cultivators of Lu Country, only he had experience clashing with the four great Demon Kings of the Yin Yang Bureau, whereas Yan Yu, though he had fought in the battle of Black Dragon Isle, had faced Shinyori Guang who was not of Demon King level. That¡¯s why Liu Longtao considered himself the one with the richest combat experience against Onmyoji among the cultivators of Lu Country.

    Xie Ruoxi felt afraid and tense, which was, of course, understandable.

    The biggest difference between PvP and PvE is that when you attack, the latter usually opts to tank it directly, whereas the former will come up with targeted strategies.

    In the usual team practice, Su Yun Jin would use the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art to restrict her movements and vision; Lin Ning would use the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step to make it difficult for her to aim; and the most mischievous Yan Yu would always pretend to almost get hit by her, forcing her to use 120% of her strength before ruthlessly defeating her without mercy.

    After such training over time, although Xie Ruoxi¡¯s skills improved rapidly, her confidence dwindled more and more.

    ...

    I can take on monsters, but when it comes to fighting people, I¡¯m really not good at it!

    But with Lord Master already engaging in fierce battle, she had no other choice but to steel herself and follow him with her swift movements.

    Seeing the two ahead suddenly turn around and charge, the Onmyoji hiding behind the mountain stream were all confused: Have we been exposed?

    But they didn¡¯t have time to think further because Liu Longtao had already raised his hand.

    Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens!

    The flaming dragon traced a scorching trajectory, diving straight toward the Onmyoji¡¯s position.

    In an instant, all Onmyoji scattered in all directions, perfectly avoiding the range of the dragon¡¯s explosion.

    Liu Longtao instantly got furious, immediately guessing the situation: These scumbags from the Yin Yang Bureau had calculated the blast radius of my Taoism Method based on past battles and live broadcast footage, then went through targeted dodge training!

    In the external live broadcast, noticing that Liu Longtao had engaged with the Onmyoji, the director quickly switched the screen over.

    ¡°Oh no!¡± Zhou Erhe shouted, ¡°Liu Longtao¡¯s big move missed!¡±

    ¡°No problem!¡± Xu Dongming immediately corrected, ¡°Though he didn¡¯t hit the enemy, he has scattered their formation!¡±

    The executive director quickly looked at the cultural officer beside him, who nodded in agreement, signaling that he was correct.

    If you¡¯re in a one-versus-many situation, disrupting the enemy¡¯s formation is a crucial tactical step. If you do nothing, the enemy just needs to line up and attack you without restraint, meaning you¡¯ll spend most of your time and effort dodging and moving around.

    Although Liu Longtao¡¯s Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens missed, it left a large area of flames on the ground, completely scattering the enemies and preventing them from quickly mounting a counterattack¡ªnow was the perfect time to annihilate the enemy!

    He manipulated the Sword technique in his hands, and once again merged his figure with the sword light, slashing with Sword Control!

    ¡°Takahashi!¡± Sato Hiroshi quickly ordered.

    The Samurai, Takahashi, swiftly confronted him, a sword in each hand, blocking the way.

    Although the training system of Rikoku shares the three main professions of Samurai, Ninja, and Onmyoji, it is collectively known as the ¡°Onmyoji system,¡± implying that Onmyoji are the main element, with Samurai and Ninja as auxiliaries. Among them, Samurai bear the duty of protecting Onmyoji, characterized by being short on reach but extremely tough, like the shell of a tortoise.

    Liu Longtao had no intention of entangling with him, so his sword light suddenly changed course, targeting another side.

    This time he chose an Onmyoji. The opponent flipped his hand, and between his fingers was already a Talisman Paper¡ªthat thing was almost like a Pok¨¦ Ball, storing the Shikigami controlled by the Onmyoji.

    The Talisman Paper ignited without wind and transformed into a giant cyclopean monk wielding a wooden staff and striking down forcefully.

    But the speed of Liu Longtao¡¯s sword light was faster. Renowned for his robust True Yuan, by merely directing extra twenty percent more True Yuan, the speed of his sword light surged instantly, piercing into the cyclops¡¯s eye before the staff could swing down, and then penetrated through the back of its head, charging down mercilessly. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The Onmyoji had not expected their giant cyclopean monk to be killed in a split second, hastily reaching for another Talisman Paper. Yet before he could activate and ignite it, the sword light had already pierced through his chest.

    Liu Longtao killed a man face-to-face, then suddenly heard Xie Ruoxi transmit a message:

    ¡°More people are coming from behind!¡±

    Through Xie Ruoxi¡¯s perspective, the audience outside the live broadcast could see clearly that four onmyoji were charging ferociously from the front!

    ¡°New enemies have joined the battlefield!¡± Zhou Erhe exclaimed rapidly, ¡°It turns out the onmyoji had split into two groups early on, one quietly following behind, and the other waiting in ambush in front! Fortunately, Liu Longtao saw through the enemy¡¯s tricks! But it¡¯s no use, he¡¯ll still be caught in a pincer attack!¡±

    This time, there was no need to consult the literary officer. The executive director quickly made a hand gesture, and someone outside hurriedly held up a sign:

    Confidence.

    Upon receiving the signal, Xu Dongming immediately interrupted his colleague, saying:

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry! In a fight, it¡¯s about quality, not the number of enemies. Those soldiers who got instantly killed by Liu Longtao during a face-off, even if there were forty or four hundred of them, it would be useless!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, that¡¯s right!¡± Zhou Erhe also realized and quickly corrected himself, ¡°Just like Guan Yunchang fighting through five passes and slaying six generals, what use are lots of foot soldiers? They¡¯re just targets for a fierce general to chop like cutting vegetables!¡±

    ¡°If Yan Yu is Lu Bu reincarnated, then Liu Longtao is Guan Yu of Lu Country, he is Liu Yunchang.¡± As soon as Zhou Erhe made comparisons to Three Kingdoms characters, Xu Dongming also began to boast, ¡°Liu Yunchang might be slightly less powerful than Yan Fengxian, but taking out seven or eight Hua Xiongs would be no problem at all.¡±

    ¡°Hey, Hua Xiong was also quite powerful, okay?¡± Zhou Erhe interrupted with a laugh, ¡°I think these onmyoji aren¡¯t even as good as Hua Xiong.¡±

    ¡°Exactly!¡± Xu Dongming immediately spoke up, ¡°When Guan Yunchang cut down Hua Xiong, Hua Xiong still managed to exchange a few blows. When Liu Yunchang cuts down onmyoji, the opponents don¡¯t even last one move, at best they are like the ordinary Cao soldiers slain by Zhao Yun, charging in and out seven times as if in an uninhabited territory¡­¡±

    The two were crazily boasting about Liu Longtao, causing the executive director to frown as well, feeling it was a bit too much.

    And looking at the barrage, it was unanimously telling them to stop jinxing it, clearly the live broadcast audience couldn¡¯t stand it anymore.

    ¡°Hey, what I¡¯m saying is the truth!¡± Xu Dongming was unconvinced and argued with the barrage, ¡°During the Battle of Ezochi, Liu Longtao made Shinyori Simie, one of the Four Great Demon Kings of the Yin Yang Bureau, flee in panic, and Simie even had to resort to the technique of substituting a paper dummy for his death to barely escape. As one of the Four Great Demon Kings, isn¡¯t Simie slaughtering these onmyoji grunts like unparalleled grass-cutting? If we round it up, isn¡¯t it equivalent to Liu Yunchang¡¯s unparalleled grass-cutting? My judgment is based on facts, okay? Those who say I¡¯m jinxing it should go watch the live broadcast video of the Battle of Ezochi, alright?¡±

    But the barrage was relentless, with people starting to spam comments like ¡°If you dare jinx him to death, I¡¯ll knife you.¡±

    ¡°He won¡¯t get jinxed to death!¡± Xu Dongming got even more excited and shouted, ¡°Liu Yunchang can kill one in two seconds, so for eight people, it¡¯ll only take him sixteen seconds. Can¡¯t you do elementary school math? If you can¡¯t, then press the damn calculator! I can bet with the audience friends, Liu Yunchang will end the battle within five minutes, and if it takes longer, I¡¯ll eat this microphone in front of me!¡±

    Meanwhile, back at the scene, Xie Ruoxi sent a psychic message to report, and Liu Longtao immediately responded:

    ¡°Hold on for a while, and run towards me if you can¡¯t withstand it any longer.¡±

    As soon as the words were out, Xie Ruoxi immediately started running towards him.

    Liu Longtao: ¡­¡­¡­

    Great, you act all fierce like a tiger when fighting monsters, but turn into a timid mouse when facing humans, huh?

    He really didn¡¯t know what to say, thinking he¡¯d just have to kill faster on his end and then go back to help her.

    Liu Longtao transformed into a beam of sword light once more, heading straight for Sato Hiroshi, who was coming from behind.

    Sato Hiroshi made a quick retreat gesture, throwing a smoke bomb on the ground to cover himself with smoke.

    Even though the smoke could shield his divine sense, Liu Longtao relied on his swift sword light. Before the enemy had time to leave his original position, he thrust fiercely towards the location of the enemy in his memory.

    Slay!

    His sword pierced into flesh, but something felt off¡ªit must have hit a ninja¡¯s straw dummy.

    Just as Liu Longtao was about to withdraw his sword and leave, he suddenly saw a piece of talisman paper flying towards him from the side. Taking advantage of the smoke cover, it silently flew to his side and stuck onto his back.

    Before Lord Master could even exclaim ¡°Damn,¡± a divine gate suddenly descended from the void. In an instant, it sucked in all the smoke and Liu Longtao, who was amongst it, into the space behind the gate.

 Chapter 368: 64: Little Ruoxi, With Such Courage

    Chapter 368: Chapter 64: Little Ruoxi, With Such Courage

    ¡°`

    Statisticians have done some calculations, and so far, Rikoku Cultivators have maintained a perfect victory record in all external conflicts.

    Conspiracy theorists dispute this claim, arguing that if Rikoku Cultivators were to lose, would they really extensively publicize that loss for you to know and include in the statistics?

    The statisticians counter, saying, ¡°My statistics are based on live broadcasts of the conflicts. Can you predict whether you¡¯ll win or lose before the broadcast starts?¡±

    Indeed, predictions are definitely impossible; everyone can only rely on estimates.

    For example, in conflicts at the Southern Border where the enemy-to-ally ratio is extremely disproportionate, and we don¡¯t have the advantage, of course, we wouldn¡¯t engage in any redundant operations.

    ...

    The reason why the East Sea Mysterious Realm is being broadcast live is twofold, first because the authorities have a lot of confidence in Yan Yu and Liu Longtao¡¯s combat team, as these two are currently the strongest cultivators in Rikoku; second, aside from the Yin Yang Bureau, the Pear Blossom Courtyard and Superhero Alliance are also broadcasting the entire event, and the international audience base is too large¡ª even if you don¡¯t broadcast it domestically, you can¡¯t completely block it. The public would attempt to get information through unofficial channels, in which case the overall situation becomes uncontrollable.

    Of course, everyone, both the authorities and the public, only want to see victories, not defeats.

    Winning not only boosts morale and stabilizes public sentiment but also deters the transcendent forces in neighboring regions, letting many petty players know that Rikoku¡¯s martial virtues are profound. If we lose ¡­ it¡¯s the same as a failed rocket launch; it¡¯s inevitable and not grounds for criticism, and everyone should act as if nothing happened.

    When Liu Longtao was sealed by the Myojin Gate Talisman, the command center of the Privy Council, closely monitoring the inside of the Mysterious Realm, immediately entered an emergency state.

    First, whether to cut the live broadcast?

    The live broadcast had a time delay. Cutting it off urgently means that the external audience would no longer see it.

    The leader waved a big hand, cut!

    Second, whether to initiate a rescue?

    Rikoku had many emergency plans prepared, such as the five hundred Military Manor cultivators hidden within the fleet outside the Departure Palace in the East Sea.

    At a critical moment, at the command, five hundred people would rush into the Mysterious Realm, carrying out a costly human wave tactic to rescue the hero, and then crudely capture the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng.

    However, the problem with this approach is: if you win with human wave tactics this time, then to prevent you from repeating the same tactic, other forces will definitely adopt the same human wave tactics, escalating the intensity of the war indefinitely. Everyone bears high casualties, enduring to see who can last ¡­ Considering the number of transcendent beings in Rikoku is far less than those abroad, it¡¯s highly likely that Rikoku would not be able to endure and would be forced to relax the controls on cultivation practices. A massive population of over a billion people would take up immortal cultivation, and we would unroll the scroll!

    Following this path, Rikoku would certainly win in the end, but which generation of Rikoku¡¯s people would enjoy the fruits of victory is uncertain¡ª looking at the current situation at the Southern Border, this strategy is like the Seven Injuries Fist; before inflicting ten million points of damage on the outside, one must first sustain eight million points to oneself. Even families like Yan Yu¡¯s Chen Family and Liu Longtao¡¯s Liu Family cannot guarantee they could survive the damage from the Seven Injuries Fist, to say nothing of others.

    After some contemplation, the leaders decided to hold their position and ordered everyone to be on standby.

    Because Xie Ruoxi was still on the scene! sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Although Liu Longtao was sucked into the Myojin Gate, his death was not confirmed. If Xie Ruoxi could withstand the attack or even counter and save Liu Longtao, that would be the best outcome; but as soon as she showed the slightest sign of being overpowered, they would flip the table.

    As the signal was cut by the Privy Council, there was an immediate uproar in the live broadcast room.

    The two commentators seemed to have realized something. Although they were asking the director ¡°Is there a problem with the signal?¡± and reassuring the audience by saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, our technical staff is working on it urgently,¡± the expressions on their faces were already very serious, lacking the previous ease and casual attitude.

    The live broadcast room also initiated a site-wide mute, leaving the audience to watch the studio staff busily walking around, making noise, and pretending to be occupied.

    Xie Ruoxi, unaware of what was happening outside, saw Liu Longtao suddenly get sucked into the Myojin Gate and her expression turned to one of shocked horror.

    This is bad!

    This is really bad, Liu Longtao has capsized in the gutter too. Maybe I should just run for it¡­

    Run, run, run¡­ No, I can¡¯t run!

    Xie Ruoxi forcefully suppressed the urge to flee because a thought suddenly rose in her mind:

    If it were my team leader who got sealed, and I chose to run away at this moment, wouldn¡¯t that doom him¡­

    With that thought, a slight yet resilient courage began to grow in her chest:

    ¡°`

    What are you running for? I¡¯m going all out against you guys!

    Sato Hiroshi had no idea that in the mere blink of an eye, her mentality had shifted from a timid, scared rabbit to a fierce and brutal man-eater, he was simply concentrating all his effort on controlling the Myojin Gate Talisman, and gave the order:

    ¡°Second team, come assist me, first team, finish her off quickly!¡±

    Liu Longtao seemed to be sealed inside the Myojin Gate, struggling in vain to break free, but in reality, he was inside, bombarding with Taoism Method, trying to escape his confines.

    The Myojin Gate Talisman was not a high-grade magical treasure, naturally lacking the earth-shattering divine powers and grandeur of a Mysterious Realm, and as Liu Longtao used the Taoism Method to bombard it, cracks appeared instantaneously on the talisman.

    Sato Hiroshi could only barely maintain the control over the Myojin Gate Talisman to prevent it from being broken through but had no extra strength to suppress and strangle Liu Longtao, thus urgently calling his companions for help.

    With one person down, the remaining two in the second team hurried over to assist Sato Hiroshi, channeling their True Qi into the Myojin Gate Talisman to contest with Liu Longtao inside.

    The four from the first team charged towards Xie Ruoxi with immense ferocity, only to see her suddenly displaying the Shifting Technique.

    And started sprinting.

    The Thousand-Mile Movement Technique of Rikoku Cultivators enabled one to run on flat ground as fast as a galloping horse. For example, it was mentioned in ¡°Water Margin¡± that the swift messenger Dai Zong could travel eight hundred miles in a day, all thanks to a pair of leg bindings styled like a horse¡¯s armor.

    Xie Ruoxi, who was commonly trained by Yan Yu, was used to being beaten during practice. Although she started late and her natural talent was lacking, making her mobility somewhat inferior to Su Yunjin¡¯s, she had already far surpassed ordinary Rikoku Cultivators. Her rapid movements, sudden stops, and turns, though executed with proper form, made it hard for the four opponents to aim accurately.

    In the command center of the Privy Council, everyone was watching Xie Ruoxi¡¯s perspective, swift as lightning and constantly shifting, they were speechless.

    Why won¡¯t you use your Thunder Method! The Longcheng Flying General specifically went to the Pingxi Army to¡ªnot to beg, but to exchange¡ªfor that crucial technique for you, why don¡¯t you use it!

    Although everyone was internally criticizing, no one dared to rush her out loud, instead discreetly observing their leader¡¯s expression.

    The leader wore a serious look and made a firm decision:

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait for her a little longer!¡±

    ¡°A little longer¡± could mean any length of time, and one would be wise to not ask, because it was the leader who made the call on timing and shouldered the responsibility. Everyone merely shut their mouths and prayed silently:

    Go Xie Ruoxi¡­

    Wipe them out!

    However, Xie Ruoxi couldn¡¯t hear their thoughts, her running growing more vigorous, leaving all the attacks flailing behind her, and she wondered:

    Huh, these guys¡­ seem pretty weak, don¡¯t they?

    Hehe, they can¡¯t even hit me.

    With her confidence surging, she suddenly stopped in her tracks without turning, her hands already forming a ball of lightning, and hurled it directly at the nearest person.

    That person was a ninja known for their agility and swiftness, who quickly dodged to the side upon seeing the attack. The lightning bolt whizzed past where he¡¯d just been, shooting towards the samurai behind him.

    The samurai didn¡¯t dodge or avoid, raising his sword high above his head and shouted a thunderous cry, the blade shining brilliantly as he chopped down mightily!

    He actually intended to slice through the thunder itself!

    With a flash of the blade, the light scattered¡ªIn the moment that the samurai¡¯s sword met the divine thunder, it shattered into more than a dozen metal fragments, while the divine thunder remained completely unscathed, striking him directly on the head.

    The prideful defense of the samurai crumbled under the assault of the Thunder Method.

    His head was blown to pieces, akin to a watermelon split by a wooden sword.

 Chapter 369: 65 Only I, Immortal Venerate Xie, Above Heaven and Beneath Earth

    Chapter 369: Chapter 65 Only I, Immortal Venerate Xie, Above Heaven and Beneath Earth

    Xie Ruoxi cast a Thunder Method spell, shattering a samurai to pieces and startling the three nearby onmyoji so badly that they jumped in fright.

    What?

    The battlefield is ever-changing, and there¡¯s no time for second thoughts. Therefore, the three quickly adjusted their strategy:

    The opponent is highly mobile; hitting them with precision is too difficult¡­ Switch to wide-area attacks!

    Two onmyoji scattered to either side, forming hand seals and opening their mouths slightly.

    Subdue Demon Fire!

    ...

    The spell took the form of pure blue flames, shooting out in a rapid spray like machine-gun bullets. When it hit its target, it would continue burning the practitioner¡¯s spiritual power, which was particularly disadvantageous to transcendents of Lu Country who heavily relied on True Yuan.

    The remaining ninja leapt high into the air, about three meters up, formed hand seals and, with a swing of hands, launched a large volley of shuriken that sealed off all directions around Xie Ruoxi. Each shuriken was laced with a fast-acting poison that could paralyze muscle and nerve; a mere scratch would slow the victim down, and then they would become stationary targets for the Subdue Demon Fire.

    Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t realize how exquisitely the three opponents coordinated their tactics. Seeing their attack coming like a storm, she quickly commanded the Heavenly Origin Sword to fly up and fiercely stabbed it into the ground before her!

    Take cover behind the sword!

    The three adversaries took a closer look and almost spat blood on the spot.

    The Heavenly Origin Sword was an oversized heavy sword, much like a door panel. Xie Ruoxi, being quite petite herself, hid behind it as if she were shielded by an ancient Roman tower shield, revealing not a sliver of her body.

    The swarm of shuriken was the first to hit the ground, making the Heavenly Origin Sword clatter, followed by the blue Subdue Demon Fire rain, both firmly blocked by the sword.

    The ground all around was a total mess, with flames burning everywhere and steel debris scattered about.

    Behind the Heavenly Origin Sword, Xie Ruoxi was unhurt, her expression neither sorrowful nor joyous, as if she were a high monk who had seen through the vicissitudes of life.

    ¡­Why did she inexplicably recall those terrible past memories when using this tactic?

    Once the enemies¡¯ attack ended, Xie Ruoxi immediately dashed out, forming a sword technique with her left hand to lift the Heavenly Origin Sword again while her right hand clenched a ball of lightning.

    My turn! Attack!

    In the usual battle team drills, her swordsmanship was mainly taught by Lin Ning, while Taoist techniques were imparted by Su Yunjin. Hence, Xie Ruoxi¡¯s combat style embodied traits of both girls. She unleashed Lin Ning¡¯s favored technique, the White Rainbow Pierces the Sun, and aimed first at the onmyoji on the far left.

    According to Lin Ning, the opening sword move should not be hesitant, the faster, the better¡ªto seize the initiative!

    White Rainbow Pierces the Sun was the fastest among all moves, striking the onmyoji in the blink of an eye.

    Caught off guard, the onmyoji¡¯s head was immediately crushed by the Heavenly Origin Sword, leaving Xie Ruoxi stunned.

    Oh, too weak!

    When I spar with Sister Ningning, no matter when I use White Rainbow Pierces the Sun, it never hits her!

    In her right hand, she had clenched a Divine Sky Thunder, originally planning to use it for a follow-up strike once the opponent dodged, but she hadn¡¯t expected the opposition to be unable to withstand even her swordsmanship.

    She casually threw the Divine Sky Thunder toward the onmyoji on the right, simultaneously dodging the second wave of the enemy¡¯s attacks. Her sword technique in hand changed swiftly as she attacked the ninja with the Phoenix Dances in the Heavens.

    Phoenix Dances in the Heavens depended on a ¡°tail follows the head¡± concept; seemingly moving left when actually moving right, effectively confusing the enemy¡¯s visual judgment. However, Xie Ruoxi¡¯s swordsmanship was so poor that the Heavenly Origin Sword followed a very awkward path, akin to a diver from Rikoku entering the water back-first.

    Such a clumsy posture couldn¡¯t deceive the ninja, who instantly saw through her sword path and dodged to the left, grabbing the onmyoji, who was still trying to avoid the lightning, and performed the Substitution Straw Man Technique.

    Xie Ruoxi was unaware, and upon seeing the two evade the lightning, she promptly directed the Heavenly Origin Sword to intersect their path, only to end up smashing the substitution straw man to pieces.

    Oops! Misjudged!

    The ninja, along with the onmyoji, dodged the lightning and sword light, swiftly cast a handful of smoke to the ground that created a vast cloud hiding them from the divine sense.

    Miasma Cloud Luo Technique!

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s divine sense swept over but found it completely blocked from the outside, and she suddenly recalled Su Yunjin¡¯s advice:

    ¡°The Taoist method must hit to be effective. When my spell aiming was poor, I would intentionally expand the attack range to ensure hitting the enemy.¡±

    Yun Jin¡¯s Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art could flood a larger area the more True Yuan was infused into it; my Thunder Method is different, though, where True Yuan only increases the lethality of the spell, not the attack range.

    Ugh, this is frustrating.

    I can only throw few more spells of Thunder Method to try and make up for the lack of accuracy.

    The two opposite were hiding in the clouds and fog, and Xie Ruoxi¡¯s Divine Sense couldn¡¯t scan it, so there was no such thing as accuracy to speak of. She simply cast spells with both hands, Jade Pivot Thunder in her left and Divine Thunder in her right, launching an onslaught!

    Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh! Two Jade Pivot Thunder and two Divine Thunder spread out in a wide fan shape, completely covering the area shrouded in smoke!

    In the mist, both the Ninja and Onmyoji were shocked and discolored. The former immediately took out a life-saving amulet, smaller than the palm of the hand, and activated it to create a golden barrier in front of him.

    The latter took out a Talisman Paper and summoned a gigantic toad Shikigami monster, which stood in front of them like a small hill.

    The first Jade Pivot Thunder hit the golden barrier, instantly shattering it along with the amulet that dimmed quickly; the second Divine Thunder struck the toad Shikigami, and its massive body immediately burst like a balloon, with flesh and blood exploding and flying everywhere. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The third Jade Pivot Thunder and the fourth Divine Thunder hit the ground to the left and right of the two, exploding into countless lightning snakes, instantly enveloping the bodies of the two.

    Thunder roared mightily, unrivaled in its divine presence, blowing up half of the unguarded bodies of the two, killing them instantly on the spot, and the Miasma Cloud Luo Technique that was maintaining by their spiritual power also dissipated.

    This rapid exchange of offense and defense, seen by the people in the Privy Council¡¯s headquarters, was as exhilarating as a great victory on the battlefield, greatly boosting morale.

    Although the battle wasn¡¯t won yet, the atmosphere felt as if it had been won, and some people even began asking the leaders whether it was time to resume live streaming.

    Xie Ruoxi turned out to be so formidable, could there still be a possibility of turning the tables next?

    ¡°Resume it,¡± the leader nodded calmly, ¡°Adjust the timeline, and continue from where it stopped broadcasting earlier.¡±

    The original broadcast delay, coupled with the time it stopped, was nearly a full minute¡ªWith this one-minute delay, no matter what surprises came up later, they could cover it up. After all, the opposing Onmyoji wasn¡¯t wearing a camera, wasn¡¯t it up to them to edit the footage however they wanted?

    Thus, the live broadcast resumed, and the long-silent barrage of comments began rolling again.

    As soon as the people in the studio saw that the live streaming had restarted, they knew that something must have turned the tide during the time it stopped broadcasting.

    Zhou Erhe and Xu Dongming were also revitalized, with the latter even considering crushing his microphone to apologize to the nation right there and then. He quickly spoke:

    ¡°Okay, the live broadcast is finally back! Now let¡¯s continue to watch the performance of our Rikoku Cultivators¡­¡±

    Let¡¯s put aside the reactions of everyone outside the arena for now. Speaking of Xie Ruoxi, she had just disposed of four Onmyoji and not even half a minute had passed.

    On Sato Hiroshi¡¯s side, it took the combined spiritual power of three to suppress Liu Longtao trapped within the Myojin Gate Talisman. Just as he was about to apply a spell to strengthen the seal and secure victory, he saw the other side¡¯s battlefield completely collapse and couldn¡¯t help but feel a tremor in his heart.

    Under the emotional upheaval, his spiritual power output was unstable. Sato Hiroshi quickly focused on maintaining the suppression and turned his head to shout:

    ¡°Takahashi! Watanabe! Stop her!¡±

    Samurai Takahashi and Onmyoji Watanabe, who were Sato Hiroshi¡¯s personal guards, immediately stood in front of him, blocking Xie Ruoxi¡¯s line of sight with their bodies and slowly advancing towards her.

    Xie Ruoxi had just finished unleashing her barrage of thunder, and her True Yuan had dropped to a dangerously low level. She quietly took out an Elixir Medicine and popped it into her mouth, concentrating on refining the medicinal power in her stomach. At the same time, she turned to look at the two approaching, but casually kept her hands behind her back, quickly adopting the demeanor of an Immortal Venerate, attempting to intimidate her opponents with her presence and buy time for herself to refine the medicine and restore her True Yuan.

    Flashes of video footage of Yan Yu being impressively imposing, spliced with over ten years of her own cosplay experiences, melded in her mind, and Xie Ruoxi¡¯s aura was skyrocketing! Soaring! Surging!

    Pangu was first, then came heaven, I stood shoulder to shoulder with Hongjun!

    I am the unrivaled Xie Immortal Venerate of heaven and earth!

    She held her head high, chest out, chin slightly up with scorn, a smile on her face, and her eyes looking down with playful amusement as she said indifferently,

    ¡°Do you need me to go easy on you for a few moves?¡±

    Takahashi and Watanabe were immediately taken aback, and the latter immediately went on high alert, wary of a sneak attack during the conversation. The former, a straightforward man, answered in heavy Japanese with a grave voice,

    ¡°I do not understand the language of Lu Country; I am not sure what you mean.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi: ?

    Even though I don¡¯t understand what it means, it feels like they¡¯ve been intimidated by my aura.

    Good, just keep being imposing!

 Chapter 370: 66 Immortal Venerate Xie Massacres in All Directions

    Chapter 370: Chapter 66 Immortal Venerate Xie Massacres in All Directions

    The atmosphere in the live stream had already reached a boiling point.

    Although the feed was playing footage from a minute ago, the audience still felt the excitement and tension of witnessing a miracle unfold. Many of them had never even heard the name ¡°Xie Ruoxi¡± before, so as soon as it was mentioned by the commentator, everyone¡¯s first reaction was to hastily search the internet.

    As more and more viewers who had searched ¡°Who is Xie Ruoxi?¡± came back to inform the others. The dominant comments in the live stream quickly evolved:

    An unknown female Cultivator instantly kills an enemy upon encounter!

    Xie Ruoxi of the Zhenhai Team, using sword technique to kill another enemy!

    Xie Ruoxi, the upcoming General of Lu Country¡¯s Zhenhai Team, uses Thunder Method to blast two more enemies to death!

    ...

    Xie Ruoxi, the newly appointed Immortal Venerate of Lu Country, contemptuously asks the opponents if they need her to hold back, her imposing aura suppressing everyone in the vicinity!

    Meanwhile, Xie Ruoxi had no idea about the commotion outside; She just continued to stand there with her hands behind her back, remaining cool and brash while secretly running her True Yuan to its limits, rapidly refining the remaining medicinal strength.

    Because her talent for cultivation was rare in the world, she refined it faster than ordinary people. The dangerously low True Yuan was quickly recovering, as if a dam within her Dantian was releasing water.

    The two facing her showed hesitation in their expressions, unsure of what to do at the moment.

    Master Sato Hiroshi¡¯s command was ¡°Stop her.¡± Taking it literally meant that as long as they were standing in front of her, preventing her from attacking, it could be said that they had indeed stopped her, buying Sato Hiroshi time to continue repairing the seal.

    But based on their understanding of Sato Hiroshi¡¯s character, what he probably meant was ¡°hurry up and deal with her,¡± which meant they should actually be attacking her by now. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The problem was, could they win?

    The opponent had annihilated four members of the second squad without a scratch, which meant her strength was clearly close to that of a Demon King level, if not there already.

    We¡¯re not afraid of death; if we rush in and then get killed by her, the Master will have no one to guard him! It would be better to stand our ground, intimidating the opponent and deterring any attack¡­

    Sato Hiroshi was hurrying to repair the last phase of the seal. After the recent combined infusion of spiritual power, Liu Longtao, trapped inside the Myojin Gate Talisman, was finally at a disadvantage, and no matter how wildly he bombarded and destroyed, the seal was gradually becoming more secure.

    Yet when he looked up after a brief moment of repair, his two guards were standing there doing nothing. Sato Hiroshi immediately shouted:

    ¡°What are you waiting for!¡±

    Sighing inwardly, the samurai Takahashi whispered to his comrade Watanabe:

    ¡°I¡¯ll charge at her to distract her, you do the long-range attacks.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Understanding the formidable attack power of the opponent, the Onmyoji Watanabe knew that if left uncontrolled and allowed to bombard at will, they might be wiped out instantly.

    Taking a deep breath, Takahashi charged towards Xie Ruoxi with his sword drawn.

    In the current phase, samurai without the means to increase their speed lacked any secret techniques for it. Therefore, Takahashi relied solely on his physical strength to sprint, and although his speed was also award-winning in the Olympics, it was completely inadequate in Xie Ruoxi¡¯s eyes.

    She simply used Shifting Technique to back away while drawing a Sword technique, directing the Heavenly Origin Sword towards her opponents.

    ¡°The opponent isn¡¯t using Thunder Clap. Is she holding back deliberately?¡± Takahashi thought to himself. ¡°True to a Demon King level figure from Lu Country, I must also show the same respect in swordsmanship.¡±

    He stopped swiftly, steadied himself, took a deep breath, concentrated all his strength, took aim at the Flying Sword, swung with both hands, and shouted silently.

    Kasaya Slash!

    A streak of cold light sliced across, colliding violently with the Heavenly Origin Sword, creating a thunderous sound.

    The Flying Sword was forced back half a step, but Takahashi, in his horse stance, didn¡¯t retreat a single step. His heels, however, were wedged firmly into the ground, carving out a half-meter long trench from the sheer force.

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s True Yuan was already incredibly powerful, and she was known for using a heavy sword known for its brute strength. That the opposition could counter her with swordsmanship had caught her off guard.

    Not even our team leader has beaten me in a direct swordsmanship confrontation!

    However, at this moment she was still secretly recovering her True Yuan, naturally happy to engage with the least costly Sword Control Technique, therefore she only showed a marginally approving expression and said indifferently:

    ¡°Not bad, not bad. Your swordsmanship, to me, is like the light of a firefly compared to the bright moon, but the fact that you can shine even a faint light in this world means you deserve a moment¡¯s glance from me, be grateful.¡±

    Although Takahashi did not understand what she was saying, his talent for reading the room kicked in, and he said solemnly in the language of the Sakura Empire:

    ¡°You flatter me.¡±

    Watanabe behind him was also speechless. How could you even chat with an enemy?

    Seeing that the enemy did not attack him, he quickly took out three talisman papers, which burst into flame in his hands.

    Three prajna ogres materialized from the void and leaped out, one with a laughing face, one red-faced, and one white-faced, all three splitting up and charging towards Xie Ruoxi.

    Xie Ruoxi, whose True Yuan had not fully returned, was frightened by the sight of the three prajna ogres and, disregarding the need to hide her strength any longer, she was already forming the Jade Pivot Thunder in her hand.

    I¡¯ll fight!

    Watanabe commanded the prajna ogre to dodge the Thunder Method and continue the charge, with the red prajna being the fastest and most fierce. In the blink of an eye, it was right in front of Ruoxi, stretching out its hand to grab her head, but then its body was blown to pieces by the thunder method.

    Xie Ruoxi had nearly been torn apart by the red prajna, and in a moment of life-or-death crisis, her thoughts whirled and inspiration flashed through her mind:

    These prajna ogres are fast, and my long-range casting isn¡¯t very accurate; it would be better to avoid them for now and focus on their Onmyoji master first. But the Onmyoji is standing too far away; the thunder light won¡¯t reach him in time, so I should use the faster Sword Control Technique. The Heavenly Origin Sword is currently entangled with the Samurai, so I must first take care of the Samurai¡­

    Ugh, what a headache! My mind isn¡¯t sharp enough to bother with this!

    Xie Ruoxi, becoming fierce, simply bypassed the prajna ogres and charged directly at the Samurai, Takahashi.

    Takahashi was in the midst of exchanging blows with the Heavenly Origin Sword and, seeing Ruoxi herself charging over, he had an epiphany that this was his last moment in life and smiled:

    ¡°Life comes with death, a warrior regrets nothing!¡±

    He raised his sword as if to strike, but was then killed by a blast of Heavenly Thunder.

    With the Heavenly Origin Sword freed, it immediately went after Watanabe, the Onmyoji in the distance.

    Watanabe hastily called for the fastest laughing prajna to come to his aid. Halfway through the charge, another thunder method struck from behind, blasting the laughing prajna into pieces. With the path cleared, the Heavenly Origin Sword ruthlessly struck down towards Watanabe, smashing his skull to bits. The surviving shikigami, the white prajna, let out a cry and immediately vanished without a trace.

    Takahashi died first, followed by Watanabe, with no more than five seconds between them. Sato Hiroshi had not even had the chance to react. How could both men fighting their opponent have perished in a single second?

    Seeing Xie Ruoxi look over, Sato Hiroshi was suddenly terrified and wanted to stop casting to face the enemy. But if he stopped managing the ritual, Liu Longtao would surely break the seal and escape from the Myojin Gate Talisman. Caught between two difficult choices, he didn¡¯t know what to do.

    Xie Ruoxi, however, didn¡¯t care about that much, her Immortal Venerate airs not yet put away, and she sighed and shook her head out of habit:

    ¡°Ah, is this all there is? I haven¡¯t fully enjoyed myself yet¡­ Oh well, time to send you on your way.¡±

    She formed the Jade Pivot and Heavenly Thunder in her left and right hands, respectively, and casually struck at Sato Hiroshi.

    What else could Sato Hiroshi do but interrupt the spiritual supply to the Myojin Gate Talisman and hastily perform the Substitution Straw Man Technique¡­ only to be half a moment too late and get struck by thunder on both sides, his body immediately reduced to ashes from the dual thunder assault.

    The two pillars of the Myojin Gate were also completely destroyed by the thunder. Liu Longtao finally escaped from his confinement, his figure revealed, veins popping on his forehead, and he roared angrily:

    ¡°Damn it, those damned Onmyoji bastards die¡­ huh?¡±

    He saw bodies scattered all around; the Onmyoji were all lying dead on the ground, while Xie Ruoxi put her hands behind her back again and said with composure:

    ¡°Why did it take you so long to break free? Never mind, they were just some minor nuisances; I¡¯ve already taken care of them. Go rest for a bit.¡±

    Liu Longtao: ¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    When had the stout men of Pingjing ever suffered such humiliation? Realizing what had transpired during his sealing and recalling the whole event was live-streamed to the entire nation, he was suddenly overwhelmed with an urge to cry.

 Chapter 371: 67: Immortal Venerate Xies Fame Shakes the World

    Chapter 371: Chapter 67: Immortal Venerate Xie¡¯s Fame Shakes the World

    Xie Ruoxi took down four enemies, five, six, seven! It wasn¡¯t until Sato Hiroshi¡¯s body fell to the ground and Liu Longtao emerged unscathed that the atmosphere in the live stream reached its peak.

    It started with someone spamming ¡°Immortal Venerate Xie!¡±, and then the barrage was filled with a neat queue of praise for the title of Immortal Venerate. In no time, the screen was filled with praises for the Immortal Venerate.

    ¡°I originally thought that Zhenhai Team only had one god-level player, the Longcheng Flying General, but I didn¡¯t realize I was blind to Immortal Venerate Xie!¡± Zhou Erhe had a beaming smile as he started to rave in the live stream, thinking that since the opposing Onmyoji team had been completely wiped out, his continued praise wouldn¡¯t capsize, ¡°Immortal Venerate Xie¡¯s divine power is unmatched in the world!¡±

    ¡°The saying goes, a single trick, if fresh, is all you need. What¡¯s really formidable about Immortal Venerate Xie is her Thunder Method!¡± Xu Dongming also wouldn¡¯t be outdone and began to analyze the Venerate¡¯s awesomeness on a deeper level, ¡°I don¡¯t know if our audience friends have noticed, but Xie Ruoxi¡¯s strength is completely different from that of the Longcheng Flying General.¡±

    ¡°The Longcheng Flying General goes for a technical style, with the ever-changing Dugu Jiujian, with a counter for whatever move you make; Immortal Venerate Xie, on the other hand, goes for internal strength, with the upright and forthright Dragon-Subduing Palm. No matter what methods you use, I strike you with a thunderous blow. Any enemy that stands in my way must die, all must die.¡±

    ¡°The strength of Immortal Venerate Xie is simple and unadorned; it¡¯s pure and refined; it¡¯s written on the face for all to see. Even viewers who don¡¯t understand any techniques at all can see the terrifying power of Immortal Venerate Xie!¡±

    ...

    ¡°So, who do you think is stronger, Immortal Venerate Xie or Liu Longtao, the number one of Dingbei?¡± Zhou Erhe stoked the fire maliciously.

    Xu Dongming immediately chuckled, was there even a need to ask?

    Currently, Liu Longtao of Dingbei Army is doubtlessly the nation¡¯s number one, with the Longcheng Flying General being the top contender for that position, currently holding the second spot nationally.

    In comparison to the Longcheng Flying General, Xie Ruoxi definitely falls short, and she probably doesn¡¯t quite measure up to Liu Longtao either.

    Liu Longtao cultivates both swordsmanship and Taoism Method; his strength has been proven in several live-streamed match-ups. Xie Ruoxi¡¯s technique is subpar, especially her aim with Thunder Method, often relying on saturation coverage to ensure hit rate. If it were Liu Longtao, these attacks would certainly not miss.

    But he couldn¡¯t answer like that on-site, because the audience had just witnessed the mighty display of Immortal Venerate Xie, while Liu Longtao had been sealed by the Ming Divine Gate throughout the match¡­ Though a single match cannot prove who is superior, obviously, most people won¡¯t be rational and will question whether your commentary is professional based on their first impression.

    ¡°I can only say that their styles of combat are different, and they are not on the same track,¡± said Xu Dongming, eloquently elaborating and providing a very smooth evaluation, ¡°It¡¯s like Huang Zhong is good at shooting arrows, and Zhang Fei is skilled with a spear. If it comes to close combat, Huang Zhong would lose to Zhang Fei due to lower martial strength, but if it¡¯s about archery, Zhang Fei definitely can¡¯t beat Huang Zhong. We can only look forward to future domestic Mysterious Realm simulation matches, where these two would have the chance to clash, so the audience friends can have a deeper understanding of their strength.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that utter nonsense?¡± Qin Meng from the Huofeng Team training ground said bluntly, ¡°Xie Ruoxi is indeed strong, but at least for now, she surely can¡¯t beat Lord Master, right?¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Zhang Huaide nodded, ¡°The power of Thunder Method is strong, and its sustainability is also extraordinarily outstanding, but in other areas¡­¡±

    ¡°A complete mess,¡± Zhou Hongyu stated coolly.

    ¡°However, saying they are on different tracks seems to be not wrong,¡± Meng Qingxi interjected, ¡°Looking at Xie Ruoxi¡¯s fighting style, it seems similar to what our captain does.¡±

    Zhang Huaide fell silent.

    What was Zhou Hongyu¡¯s approach? It was the Fire Blazing Dao Method that sweeps through the battlefield, breaking enemy formations and taking out key targets ¡ª an ironclad team¡¯s lead striker, capable of becoming the soul of any team, allowing the entire team to coordinate around her tactical maneuvers.

    As for Liu Longtao, his approach actually more closely resembles Yan Yu; they¡¯re not lead strikers but all-rounders.

    They would strike when needed, assist and support when required, protect teammates, or restrain the enemy¡­ capable of doing any task, moving to wherever the need was greatest. Such a versatile player doesn¡¯t need the whole team to revolve around him, but rather, he complements the team, strengthening it as a whole.

    The weaknesses in areas other than output for Xie Ruoxi are too apparent, yet her offensive capability is tremendously overpowering, which clearly indicates she¡¯s being cultivated as a key striker. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    However, by doing so, Zhenhai Team now boasts four offensive players including Yan Yu, Xie Ruoxi, Lin Ning, and Zhao Yuanzhen, matching Dragon Soar Team in number of strikers.

    Currently, Huofeng Team only has Zhou Hongyu and Qin Meng as strikers, while Zhang Huaide, Meng Qingxi, and Tang Xiaolian play supportive roles with no possibility of changing classes.

    If they take cues from these two strong teams, perhaps they could also add another offensive player, resulting in a broader range of tactical options.

    Thinking this, Zhang Huaide stealthily took out his phone and sent a message to team captain Zhou Hongyu, and the two secretly started discussing.

    If the Huofeng Team could see this, it would naturally not escape the notice of the Privy Council.

    The leaders were continuing to monitor the situation on the Mysterious Realm battlefield when the secure phone suddenly received a message with just two words and a punctuation mark:

    ¡°`

    ¡°How is it?¡±

    He pondered silently for a few minutes before typing a reply:

    ¡°Half-finished product.¡±

    What he meant was that with Xie Ruoxi¡¯s current strength level, she wasn¡¯t yet suitable for heavy promotion like Yan Yu and Liu Longtao.

    However¡­

    ¡­the half-finished product of the Zhenhai Team was already emitting the unique radiance of a peerless treasure and had even caught the eye of that one person.

    If given time and with Yan Yu¡¯s continued dedicated training, perhaps she could really become the second Longcheng Flying General.

    How fortunate Lu Country was to have so many talented young people.

    The leader sighed silently in his heart as his secure phone flashed with another message.

    The sender wasn¡¯t that person, but instead was Zhang Xiangqian, the Commander-in-Chief of the Annan Army.

    Meanwhile, at Jiangcheng University.

    Within the School of Engineering students¡¯ dormitory, a thunderous roar suddenly erupted, as though ready to lift the roof¡ª it had been a long time since there¡¯d been such an exaggerated scene since the last time the LOL national team had won the World Cup.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on! What¡¯s happening!¡± An auntie who was watching TV in her office hurriedly ran up the stairs, shouting at the corridor full of cheering male students, ¡°Why are there so many people here? Isn¡¯t there class today? What are you making noise for?¡±

    But the male students did not answer her, only crowding around Xie Rushan as they reached the stairwell. He was so excited that his face was flushed, as if he himself had won the championship for the national team, holding a phone in his right hand and pointing at the screen with his left, shouting excitedly to the dormitory supervisor:

    ¡°This is my sister! This is my sister! Xie Immortal Venerate is my own little sister!!!¡±

    The dormitory supervisor paused, then suddenly looked shocked:

    ¡°Xie Ruoxi is your sister?¡±

    But Xie Rushan was too busy to talk, as his classmates quickly lifted him up and rushed out of the dormitory to celebrate with drinks.

    Shifting the perspective to the south, in a rural village within Baoqing Prefecture of Jingnan Province, deafening firecracker noises suddenly erupted.

    Many villagers started setting off firecrackers right outside their homes, while young people flocked to the entrance of the Xie family home to take photos and post them online with captions boasting:

    ¡°Xie Ruoxi is from our village!¡±

    Friends and family from the neighboring villages forwarded the posts and liked them, spreading the news like a virus, quickly reaching Baoqing County.

    Upon hearing the news, the county official took great pride, marveling that a national hero came from their small county. He immediately ordered the editor of the public account ¡°Baoqing Dispatch¡± to stay late and write an article with the headline:

    ¡°The widely celebrated Xie Immortal Venerate is actually from our Baoqing Prefecture!¡±

    After the article was published, the county official shared it himself, demanding that the entire prefectural staff share and like the post.

    Thus, the news spread rapidly from one to ten, ten to a hundred, finally reaching the provincial level. Half an hour later, a public account called ¡°This is Jingnan¡± also released an article, with a familiar headline:

    ¡°Did you know? The widely celebrated Xie Immortal Venerate is actually from our Jingnan Province.¡±

    ¡°`

 Chapter 372: 68: Somethings Off, I Am the Strongest in This World

    Chapter 372: Chapter 68: Something¡¯s Off, I Am the Strongest in This World

    If Yan Yu knew what had happened to Xie Ruoxi, he would certainly have exclaimed:

    ¡°This beautiful good-for-nothing, I was not attentive for a moment, and actually let you do such a big thing alone!¡±

    But he had no mind to think about the outside world at this time, because he, Ye Jun, Su Yunjin, and Lin Ning, all four of them, were trapped in this level of the Mysterious Realm.

    ¡°¡­So, the content of the last level was roughly these.¡± Ye Jun, in the form of a skylark, detailed the specifics of the Asura level to Yun Jin and Ningning, so that when they subsequently entered the Asura level, it was as if they came with their own guide, which would make clearing the level much faster.

    ¡°How nice.¡± Lin Ning couldn¡¯t help but sigh, ¡°Although the Asura level is tough to fight, at least there¡¯s a target to deal with. But in this level, we simply have no idea where to start, not even a direction for solving it.¡±

    Yan Yu also became contemplative, continuing to organize the available intelligence in his mind:

    ...

    From high above, this place should be a valley, surrounded by mountain ranges.

    Yun Jin and Ningning had run a circle around the perimeter of the valley and confirmed there were no caves for exit; the method to break through was within this valley.

    However, while Yan Yu and Ye Jun were tackling the previous level, the two of them had also thoroughly searched the interior of the valley and had not found any suspicious places.

    Apart from the river that cut through the middle of the valley, and the small lake to the south, the remaining ground was covered only with various woody and herbaceous plants. Lin Ning even braved her natural aversion to getting her fur wet inherent to leopard cats and dived into the rivers and lakes to search for clues, only to come up with nothing in the end.

    ¡°¡­Surely we are not expected to examine every single tree in detail,¡± Su Yunjin said with a sigh.

    ¡°Impossible,¡± Yan Yu flatly denied, ¡°Every trial in a Mysterious Realm has a plausible intent behind it. If the Asura level tests our ability to handle faction wars, then what does searching trees in this level test? Our grasp of botany?¡±

    ¡°Could it be observational skills?¡± Lin Ning speculated.

    ¡°I have confidence in your observational skills,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°If even with your meticulous observations you can¡¯t find any clues in this Mysterious Realm, then that means the clue for passing the level is definitely not on the surface of the environment.¡±

    No sooner had his voice fallen than the white fox Yun Jin and the leopard cat Ningning simultaneously narrowed their eyes, showing comfortable expressions with a slight hint of smugness.

    However, seeing animals displaying such anthropomorphized expressions still felt a bit odd.

    Yan Yu hopped a few times on the ground and continued:

    ¡°Anyway, we should think of some other method¡­¡±

    Before he could finish speaking, a warm breath suddenly came from behind him¡ªsomething had apparently snatched him up.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Lin Ning released her grip quickly, shuffling the Yan Yu in his swallow form between her two front legs and communicated telepathically, ¡°Seeing you hop around made me unable to resist playing with you.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Ningning, you can¡¯t do that,¡± Su Yunjin came over, using her front leg to nudge Yan Yu in front of her, ¡°You can¡¯t bully the leader in his little swallow form.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Enough already,¡± he said, quite helplessly, ¡°Becoming animals is not for fun, having no defense at all. If we encounter carnivorous beasts, Ye Jun and I could fly away, but what about you?¡±

    ¡°I can climb trees,¡± Lin Ning said.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll burrow,¡± Su Yunjin added.

    ¡°But when we searched the valley before, we also encountered some animals with rather strange behaviors,¡± Lin Ning suddenly recalled, ¡°Like squirrels, frogs, and sparrows, gathered together chirping, croaking, and twittering.¡±

    ¡°We speculate they might be Transcendents from abroad,¡± Su Yunjin said worriedly, ¡°So we didn¡¯t dare to approach them.¡±

    ¡°Wait, squirrels, frogs, and sparrows?¡± Ye Jun suddenly thought of something, ¡°All small animals? So this level isn¡¯t about us killing each other, otherwise, it should be set with beasts.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Ye Jun and I are both birds and can¡¯t go underwater, so the way to pass definitely isn¡¯t underwater. Yun Jin can¡¯t climb trees, so it surely isn¡¯t in the trees.¡±

    Su Yunjin¡¯s fox face drooped slightly, seemingly a tad unhappy, as she continued telepathically:

    ¡°So it¡¯s not underwater, not in the trees; thus, it must be near the ground, right?¡±

    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°The ground is the most obvious place, but haven¡¯t you still found no clues?¡±

    The two birds and two beasts sat facing each other, all at their wit¡¯s end.

    Ye Jun flapped her wings, hopped onto the fox head of Su Yunjin, and said,

    ¡°Could it be that we have to wait for a certain moment when the level will suddenly change and provide the clues for passing through?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a possibility, but not a big one,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°The challenges of the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng are about permutations and combinations, and everyone enters at different times. If clues only appeared at fixed times, then anyone entering the Secret Realm after the clues had appeared would waste less time compared to other challengers, which would be obviously unfair¡­ Lin Ning, what are you doing!¡±

    Lin Ning had been stealthily getting up and circling to the back, trying to sneak up on Ye Jun perched atop Su Yunjin¡¯s head. Hearing this, she immediately lay down and said,

    ¡°Nothing, I just can¡¯t sit still, just walking around.¡±

    ¡°If I were the designer of this level,¡± Ye Jun summarized, ¡°since you¡¯ve all turned into animals, it¡¯s unlikely you would fight each other, and you¡¯d surely be exploring the Mysterious Realm.¡±

    ¡°After you¡¯ve explored the whole map and found nothing, you¡¯d definitely find a place to stay and then think or discuss strategies with each other. Of course, without any clues, you wouldn¡¯t be able to come up with any strategy, so you can only wait for time to progress to a certain moment when suddenly¡­ the clue appears.¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡± Yan Yu suddenly said, ¡°What did you just say? Say it again.¡±

    ¡°I said, without any clues, it¡¯s impossible to come up with any strategies,¡± Ye Jun repeated.

    ¡°Before that.¡±

    ¡°After finding nothing, find a place to stay?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°If we are to find a place to wait, what would everyone do?¡±

    ¡°Different animals would do different things,¡± Lin Ning said, ¡°If it¡¯s a cat, it would probably lie down or wander around.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not about the animals, what the Captain is talking about is ¡®something that everyone would do,''¡± Secretary Su, ever so meticulous, pondered for a moment then suddenly said, ¡°Cultivate?¡±

    ¡°First, let¡¯s see if we can cultivate,¡± Yan Yu said.

    So the four creatures each closed their eyes to rest and began circulating their cultivation techniques.

    Yan Yu herself entered tranquility and silently started performing the String-Pulling Technique, only to find that even in her bird body, the True Yuan flowed without hindrance. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    As she was circulating her energy through her meridians, she suddenly heard what seemed to be celestial music and voices singing, but the sound was too faint to make out.

    ¡°Someone¡¯s singing!¡± Ye Jun suddenly opened her eyes, excitedly saying, ¡°And it sounds pretty good.¡±

    ¡°Magnificent is the Palace of Seven Treasures, naturally producing lotus flowers,¡± Su Yunjin also transmitted her voice, ¡°The lyrics have quite the ambiance.¡±

    ¡°I heard a line: Shining flow illuminates the dark void, an army conquers ten thousand demons,¡± Lin Ning added.

    ¡°Magnificent is the Palace of Seven Treasures, naturally producing lotus flowers~ Brightly opening night¡¯s radiance, vaguely illuminating the Divine Household~¡± Ye Jun started twittering and singing.

    Yan Yu:¡­¡­¡­

    Why am I the only one who can¡¯t hear it clearly?

    The group continued circulating their energy and discussing the mysterious lyrics, becoming more convinced that this was the key to passing this part of the Secret Realm.

    Only Yan Yu kept not being able to make out what was sung, feeling an urge to scratch her head in frustration, but as a swallow, she had no hands, only wings, so while she was fretting about this, suddenly she saw the white fox Yun Jin turn into a white light and vanish.

    Did she pass the level? Move to the next one?

    Before Yan Yu could react, she saw both the leopard cat Ningning and the skylark Ye Jun also disappear.

    Fuck!

    Why is it suddenly just me left?!

    Damn it, I¡¯m supposed to be the strongest in this world!

 Chapter 373: 69 The Servant

    Chapter 373: Chapter 69 The Servant

    Yan Yu swiftly flew up the branches, loudly chirping.

    I won¡¯t accept this! Chirp chirp, I won¡¯t accept it!

    What kind of idiotic, trash mysterious realm challenge is this? It doesn¡¯t test combat ability, nor does it assess adaptability and wit, it actually only looks at cultivation aptitude?

    Cultivation aptitude is worthless!

    Having cursed the designers of the mysterious realm¡¯s ancestors for many generations, Yan Yu could only continue to think about strategies to pass the challenge.

    Firstly, why would one hear singing while cultivating?

    ...

    The mysterious realm is not a game instance, and the design of its mechanisms must still follow the physical laws related to cultivation ¡ª otherwise, the designers could just write ¡°here cultivation speed is multiplied by a thousand,¡± then squatting in the mysterious realm for cultivation would make one invincible.

    Since one must absorb Spiritual Energy to be able to hear the singing, it goes to say that the singing must be related to the Spiritual Energy.

    The Spiritual Energy in the mysterious realm comes from the outside, transported, filtered, and purified by wards, hence the starting point has to be the wards.

    Yan Yu randomly picked a direction and arrived at the edge of the mysterious realm¡¯s boundaries, at the mountain range, and as expected, encountered an air wall there.

    Flying around the air wall in a complete circle, through the changing flows of Spiritual Energy, one could determine that there were sixteen main streams of Spiritual Energy being transported into the realm from the outside by wards.

    Damn it, if only I could also learn array formation design, then I could set up wards around my home, collecting sixteen hundred main streams of Spiritual Energy into my house; who would need that Demonic Sect Enchantress then? No need! With a concentration of Spiritual Energy sixteen hundred times denser, I¡¯m afraid even the tables in my house would sprout and gain sentience.

    Unfortunately, even in Lu Country from my past life, this was akin to something far more complicated than quantum physics, with maybe less than thirty people nationwide even able to get a start in it, right? sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Bear in mind, cultivators live for hundreds or thousands of years, and have enough time to slowly get into any field of study, but according to what Empress Yuanzhen disclosed in the past life, even among cultivators, those who could learn array formation were one in ten thousand, which shows the enormity of its difficulty.

    Yan Yu was always a seize-every-moment kind of person, and naturally, had no time to waste on array formations. Although he set aside time to dabble in array formation knowledge in his past life, he only learned the basics of ¡°how to break formations¡± rather than ¡°how to set up formations.¡±

    Based on the locations of the sixteen main streams of Spiritual Energy, one could deduce the convergence point of Spiritual Energy within the mysterious realm, which should be¡­ darn, almost forgot all about topology, try to recall it quickly.

    Got it, there is a river that runs across the center of the mysterious realm. Rivers denote low-lying terrain and in array formations belong to the dispersing rather than gathering of energy; this suggests that nearby there must be some ¡°negative dregs¡± of the main streams of Spiritual Energy that require dispersing. From the direction of the river flow¡­

    Yan Yu swiftly flew up high, using the direction of the river below to fly back and forth. Eventually, he found an area where the Spiritual Energy was especially dense, approximately only ten cubic meters in size.

    Damn, that was not easy! If I weren¡¯t particularly insensitive to Spiritual Energy, even passing through it might not have made me realize something was amiss ¡ª like finding a black dot on a white paper, which is much simpler than finding a black dot on grey paper.

    Stopping at the convergence point of Spiritual Energy, Yan Yu flapped his wings non-stop to maintain his altitude while quickly circulating the Qi Refinement technique inside his body.

    As expected, the sound was much clearer this time.

    The volume went from the level of a breeze brushing the willow leaves to the level of a mosquito buzzing by one¡¯s ear!

    Victory!

    Yan Yu quickly focused his will, fully concentrated, held his breath to listen quietly, and heard the singing voice chanting:

    ¡°How great the Seven Treasures Palace is, naturally giving birth to lotus blossoms. Its dazzling light opens through the night, hazily illuminating the divine abode. Looking up at the Mystical Reality Platform, the cloudy edifices towering impressively. Light flowing, shining the mystical void, the soldiers set out to vanquish thousands of demons¡­¡±

    I can hear it now!

    He wanted to cheer for his own intelligence.

    What¡¯s so impressive about a strong man lifting barbells? It¡¯s truly remarkable when a child can lift the barbells, doing what others can¡¯t, that is what defines the strongest in the world!

    After hearing the last sentence of the song, Yan Yu suddenly felt the world spinning around him, a flash of white light, and then he appeared at the third challenge.

    ¡°`

    Only to see here a blood-red sky and matching scarlet earth, it looked quite similar to the first trial, except the environment and climate were even more hostile.

    Lava flowed like rivers, sparks fell like rain, and the sky was thick with dark clouds, with scorching winds assaulting the face from time to time; the temperature was conservatively estimated to be at least forty degrees Celsius.

    Ordinary people standing here would be drenched in sweat in a mere moment. However, Yan Yu had already reached the Marrow Cleansing Stage, with improved foundational strength, so he only felt a slight discomfort and wasn¡¯t too greatly affected.

    His Divine Sense swept the surroundings, and he saw three streaks of sword light speeding by in the distance. They were black, purple, and gold, belonging to Zhao Yuanzhen, Chen Lingyun, and Ye Jun respectively, and were still shrouded in the light of the Xuan Guang Ruler.

    Yan Yu immediately flew over on his sword to meet up with the ladies, asking,

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen appeared to be in a sorry state, with her arm limp from what appeared to be a fracture. She was channeling True Yuan into it to stabilize her injury; Chen Lingyun too looked disheveled, covered in dust and with messy hair, like a schoolgirl who had been bullied.

    Ye Jun was the only one among the three whose complexion seemed relatively good. Upon seeing Yan Yu, she reacted with joy and quickly waved the Xuan Guang Ruler, trying to enshroud him in its protective light.

    ¡°Run! Escape with us!¡±

    ¡°Escape?¡± Yan Yu thought to himself in disdain, thinking what in the world could make me flee? Before the light from Ye Jun could reach him, a blinding white light suddenly streaked from afar, crossing a thousand miles in an instant and striking right before him!

    Damn!

    Yan Yu barely had time to place the Huang Tingjian horizontally in front of him. The word ¡°Damn¡± had barely escaped his lips when he, along with his sword, was sent flying a great distance away.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Meanwhile, Liu Longtao wore a glum expression as he followed Xie Ruoxi, continuing through the mountains.

    After passing through Black Dog Ridge, they arrived at Golden Rooster Mountain. The creatures they faced were no longer ghostly wild dogs but ghastly figures of over one meter tall, like evil rooster ghosts with sharp beaks and talons as tough as iron. They were at least demonic creatures that had cultivated for two and a half years. Even a peck could cause flesh to rip and skulls to burst open.

    Having regained her confidence and vigor after the previous battle with the Onmyoji, Xie Ruoxi led the way with her head held high, unleashing a Beacon of White Rainbow with every sighting of the rooster ghosts.

    Her True Yuan was strong and the Heavenly Origin Sword was a heavy blade. Using rapid and straightforward sword techniques like the Beacon of White Rainbow perfectly aligned with the principle ¡°A heavy sword without edge carries a mighty force.¡± She slaughtered the ghosts so fiercely that it was a scene of utter chaos, resulting in countless casualties.

    Liu Longtao was secretly anxious; he was hoping for more of these rooster ghosts to gather so that he could perform a glamorous Taoism Method area cleanse and redeem his dignity in front of a national live streaming audience. However, with Xie Ruoxi killing them one by one, the ghosts couldn¡¯t mass together to form a larger group.

    It wouldn¡¯t demonstrate his true strength to merely use the Ying Long Sword to aid in the slaughter. Lord Master had no choice but to discreetly transmit his voice,

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think this method of killing is a bit inefficient?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± said Xie Ruoxi. ¡°I¡¯m killing them quickly, one with each strike.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Liu Longtao coaxed. ¡°Killing them one by one? That¡¯s so slow! It would be faster to wait until they gather and then use a Taoism Method to wipe them out neatly in one go.¡±

    ¡°But it also takes time for them to naturally come together, does it not?¡± Xie Ruoxi argued back. ¡°With that time, if I kill them one by one, I might eliminate more of them.¡±

    Liu Longtao hurriedly said,

    ¡°We can use a strategy to lure the enemy: we¡¯ll circle around and draw them all in, then use a Taoism Method to deal with them in bulk. It will definitely be faster than your one-by-one approach.¡±

    ¡°That could work,¡± Xie Ruoxi agreed. ¡°Go ahead and try luring the enemy.¡±

    ¡°Okay! Just you watch,¡± Liu Longtao was thrilled. ¡°Here I go ¡­ huh?¡±

    What¡¯s going on here?

    ¡°`

 Chapter 374: 70: Formidable Enemy

    Chapter 374: Chapter 70: Formidable Enemy

    Yan Yu was sent flying by the Sword Control attack, his heart filled with horror.

    Was that white light¡­ Mei Yingxue?

    Moreover, it was not Mei Yingxue of this life but the one from the previous lifetime who had fought desperately to save the country, decimating Transcendents and causing rivers of blood to flow, the Golden Core Realm Jinghong Sword Immortal!

    However, he had no time to think further because Mei Yingxue¡¯s sword light was coming even faster, and in a flash, it was upon him again.

    Baihong Gua Ri!

    The very first move of the first chapter written in the Lu Kingdom Sword Immortal¡¯s teaching materials, also the most common and useful sword technique¡ªThe straight thrust. Depending on the Sword technique cultivated, the execution could vary.

    ...

    Lin Ning was cultivating the ¡°Kunlun Imperial Sword Technique Primer,¡± His Baihong Gua Ri was imposing and forceful, packing a lot more punch than the textbook¡¯s version of the move; but when Mei Yingxue unleashed her strike, its hallmark was extreme speed.

    A relentless, ultimate speed!

    Yan Yu only had time to position his sword for a defensive block in front of him before Baihong Gua Ri sent him flying again, vanishing from everyone¡¯s sight.

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Ye Jun were both dumbfounded, and even the usually composed Chen Lingyun¡¯s eyes revealed a look of disbelief.

    You can block that too?

    The speed of the three girls¡¯ reactions were simply no match for Mei Yingxue¡¯s sword speed. The Demonic Sect Enchantress served as the best example; overestimating her abilities and attempting to cross swords with Mei Yingxue, her Flying Sword had barely left its sheath, its speed not yet gathered, when it was struck by the Jinghong Sword, sent flying back to break her arm¡ªif not for the Yin Wind Sword deflecting the blow, the Jinghong Sword would have pierced right through her body.

    With Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s lesson in mind, the girls realized that their opponent was entirely out of their league and that they could not defeat her. Just managing to defend themselves required their utmost effort, so Ye Jun activated the Xuan Guang Ruler, covering the trio in a protective shell, taking the hits head-on when they couldn¡¯t react in time.

    Due to the limit on spiritual energy, although Mei Yingxue was the previous life¡¯s Golden Core Realm version of the Jinghong Sword Immortal, apart from the swordsmanship experience of a Golden Core level, she did not bring over her True Yuan and Cultivation Realm, otherwise a single strike would have been enough to forcefully breach the defense of the Xuan Guang Ruler and skewer the three girls.

    To think that Yan Yu was still able to react defensively under Mei Yingxue¡¯s onslaught genuinely frightened the three girls.

    Mei Yingxue seemed to have her attention drawn as well, and disregarding the trio, she focused solely on pursuing Yan Yu.

    ¡°What do we do?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen hesitantly asked.

    ¡°First, we find a place to stabilize the injury on your arm,¡± Chen Lingyun said coolly.

    ¡°No way!¡± Ye Jun immediately objected, ¡°Without the protection of the Xuan Guang Ruler, if Yan is hit once, he¡¯s finished!¡±

    ¡°You going won¡¯t make a difference,¡± Chen Lingyun replied, ¡°You can¡¯t catch up.¡±

    ¡°I have to try to find out!¡± Ye Jun argued back no further but turned and soared away with her sword light.

    As she flew swiftly after Yan Yu, she soon saw the white light pursuing the Huang Tingjian light, like a hawk chasing a swallow. The Huang Tingjian light didn¡¯t even have the time to dodge and could only adjust its angle to receive the hits on the strongest defensive points.

    Seeing this, Ye Jun grew even more anxious and hurried at full speed with her Sword Control.

    But she couldn¡¯t catch up¡­

    The Jinghong Sword light was just too fast, capable of attacking three to four times every second. Yan Yu had to dissipate the force each time just to barely block, which meant he was being sent flying at least three times per second, his passive speed even surpassing her full-speed Sword Control.

    There was nothing Ye Jun could do but to sigh as she watched the sword light, and then she turned back to where Chen Lingyun was, only to see them fighting with a group of foreign Transcendents.

    Enemies again?!

    Fortunately, they were just ordinary Transcendents, not the kind they couldn¡¯t handle at all.

    Ye Jun¡¯s heart settled somewhat, and she activated the Xuan Guang Ruler, forming two protective light flowers around them. Then she joined the battlefield with her Sword Control.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Yin Ghost Pass, Golden Chicken Mountain.

    Liu Longtao and Xie Ruoxi split up to lure the enemy, planning to draw a large number of chicken ghosts that were following them to one location, then use Taoism Method to wipe them out cleanly.

    Thunder Method is a small-scale spell, so logically, this cleanup task could only let Lord Master¡¯s Five Directions Dragon Zixiao Secret Technique take the stage, to exhibit its divine power in front of the national audience through the live broadcast, which would produce a salvaging effect.

    Liu Longtao ran around, attracting all the nearby Yin Ghosts. Seeing him alone, they swarmed toward him at once, being led on a chase by Lord Master as if pulling a train.

    Back at the designated rendezvous point, Liu Longtao calmly and leisurely made his rounds, leading about twenty Yin Ghosts on a merry chase while wondering how Xie Ruoxi was still not here. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Truth be told, after the battle with the Onmyoji, although he never said it aloud, he had come to recognize Xie Ruoxi¡¯s strength.

    This woman¡¯s combat capabilities were there, it¡¯s just that her brain was seriously undercharged. If she were to face someone like Princess Jiang Hai, she would definitely be played in circles unless they happened to meet in a tight spot for a close-quarters fight.

    Fortunately, these Yin Ghosts didn¡¯t possess much intelligence, and luring the enemy didn¡¯t require any brains, so he thought there shouldn¡¯t be any problem.

    After waiting for a long time, suddenly there was a loud crowing sound from a distance, piercing and shrill, almost shattering the darkness of the night.

    Liu Longtao: ?

    Before he could dwell on his confusion for long, Xie Ruoxi came back with the Yin Ghost ¡ª nearly astonishing Lord Master to a stupor.

    All he saw was the Yin Ghost behind her, as tall as a three-story building, with a robust and vast body, flapping wings, swinging claws, and a beak sharp like a sword continually smashing into the ground, trying to peck Xie Ruoxi to death on the spot.

    Xie Ruoxi scurried beneath it like an ant being chased by a rooster, hurrying toward this side, and transmitted her voice:

    ¡°I lured a big one!¡±

    What have you lured, good heavens! Liu Longtao was too exhausted to criticize, and hurriedly launched Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens, blasting to death all the Yin Ghosts behind him before quickly charging at the giant chicken, fingering the sword technique, firing the Ying Long Sword straight at its throat.

    The giant Yin Ghost swung its beak and directly knocked the Ying Long Sword away.

    Liu Longtao quickly urged his True Yuan, swiftly stabilizing the Ying Long Sword, and continued his tangle with the giant chicken.

    The giant Yin Ghost had a hooked beak like sickles and feathers like steel, impervious to sword and spear. Just simple head swinging and wing flapping could directly knock away the Ying Long Sword.

    Liu Longtao wasn¡¯t anxious, patiently controlling the Ying Long Sword in the standoff, secretly searching for the giant chicken¡¯s weak spot, planning to deliver an elegant, killing blow.

    Taking advantage of the moment when the giant chicken was handed over to Lord Master, Xie Ruoxi quickly rushed to his side, asking:

    ¡°Is the lure over? Can we kill it now?¡±

    ¡°Kill it.¡± Liu Longtao regretted a bit, he shouldn¡¯t have emphasized following orders with her. This woman¡¯s brain must be made of single-celled neurons, with no flexibility at all. Now she had to ask for instructions on everything. He really couldn¡¯t figure out how Yan Yu usually trained her. It couldn¡¯t possibly be like how a kindergarten teacher treats children, right? ¡°Naptime,¡± ¡°Time for a meal,¡± ¡°Don¡¯t eat your hands,¡± like that?

    ¡°Ah, finally I can kill.¡± Xie Ruoxi sighed with relief, rolling up her sleeves, pinching out a Jade Pivot Thunder, and threw it hard at the giant chicken.

    The corner of the giant chicken¡¯s eye caught the thunderball, trying to deflect it with a wing, unaware that while its defense was strong, the power of the Jade Pivot Thunder was even more tyrannical, coupled with its specific efficacy against Yin Ghosts. The two clashed like snow meeting the warmth of spring, instantly vaporizing the mass of hard feathers and the soul within, thanks to the lightning.

    Without losing momentum, the Jade Pivot Thunder struck the front side of the giant chicken¡¯s neck and exploded thunderously inside it.

    The gold mountain collapses, the jade pillar shatters!

    The giant chicken¡¯s enormous and terrifying body, under the force of the Jade Pivot Thunder, looked as if made of paper mache and was instantaneously blown into fragments. Countless feathers fluttered down, before slowly transforming into fragmented spirits and dissipating.

    Liu Longtao: ¡­¡­

    ¡°Sigh, it really wasn¡¯t challenging at all,¡± Xie Ruoxi habitually placed her hands behind her back, shook her head and lamented, ¡°It couldn¡¯t even handle one of my moves. With secret realm creatures of this level, is it really necessary to lure them all together before killing them? I think it would be better not to get entangled with them at all, and just focus on traveling. If they want to gather in groups and attack us, just let me wipe them all out in one move. How could the lowly ants by the road impede my progress?¡±

    Liu Longtao: ¡­¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Eh, something dropped,¡± Xie Ruoxi said as she picked up a magical artifact from the disintegrating remnants of the giant chicken: It looked like an ancient commanding sword, with dark chicken feathers stuck on it.

    She tossed the item to Lord Master, who subconsciously caught it, just to hear Xie Ruoxi add:

    ¡°Keep it safe, don¡¯t lose it.¡±

    Bloody hell, she really thinks I¡¯m her flunky, huh? Liu Longtao fumed with rage.

 Chapter 375: 71 Liu Longtao Convinced Wholeheartedly

    Chapter 375: Chapter 71 Liu Longtao Convinced Wholeheartedly

    ¡°`

    The Ying Long Sword had been entangled in battle with the giant chicken ghost for a good while, trading blows back and forth. However, Xie Ruoxi launched a Jade Pivot Thunder and immediately blasted the giant chicken ghost to smithereens, causing the barrage of comments in the live stream to explode once again. Where the army of the Immortal Venerate went, no grass would grow¡ªthere were no other normal comments to be seen.

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    ¡°Ha ha ha,¡± Zhou Erhe said with a kind smile, ¡°the Immortal Venerate¡­ well, how should I put it, she¡¯s just too damn awesome.¡±

    ¡°`

    ...

    ¡°`

    The on-site executive director immediately signaled for the staff to raise a sign:

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    Swearing warning.

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    Realizing his slip of the tongue, Zhou Erhe quickly shut up. Xu Dongming came to the rescue from the side:

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    ¡°The Thunder Method of the Immortal Venerate is indeed powerful, and its specialty lies in the fact that if it hits the target, it¡¯s a guaranteed kill or injury. But its disadvantages are also very clear: slow flight speed, small range, and easy to dodge.¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    ¡°If it hadn¡¯t been for Liu Longtao keeping the enemy occupied with the Ying Long Sword, the Immortal Venerate¡¯s Thunder Method wouldn¡¯t have hit so smoothly,¡± Zhou Erhe added in agreement. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, during the confrontation with the Onmyoji, Xie Ruoxi¡¯s Thunder Method needed to be in close quarters or to have multiple coverages to ensure a hit rate; once the distance increased, her accuracy dropped significantly, and several times her attacks were dodged¡­¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    In the midst of their commentary, the two actually helped Liu Longtao regain some dignity.

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    But the live comments didn¡¯t see it that way, with most viewers having a very simplistic value judgment: victory brings honor, defeat brings disgrace. Whoever wins is awesome, as for why they win¡­ don¡¯t make us think, we don¡¯t have the brains for it.

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    In the vast live stream room, no one mentioned Lord Master¡¯s prestige anymore; all praises were sung for the Immortal Venerate now.

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    Liu Longtao was unaware of the change in public opinion outside. He finally realized that Xie Ruoxi was essentially a big cannon.

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    No skills, no operations, no positioning, no blocking, just flat out normal attacks¡ªthe entirety of her talents were put into attack power!

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    For a cannon, the most important thing is the firing environment. If even a ranged attacker kept harassing her from a distance non-stop, Xie Ruoxi would have to hide behind her sword, unable to move her legs or strike back.

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    It just so happened that the Onmyoji treated her like some obscure nobody, trying to conserve spiritual power while exchanging blows with her, and the result was that she pushed them around and showed off in front of the whole country.

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    I, Liu Longtao, don¡¯t mind others showing off in front of me. Look at Old Yan; he often lifts me up high in praise, but Xie Ruoxi doesn¡¯t understand the rules of the game. She uses me as a stepping stone, how can I tolerate that?

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    I must find an opportunity to wash away the shame! Let her know how formidable I, the master of Pingjing, am!

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    As the two passed over the Golden Rooster Mountain, they saw a city in the distance.

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    Outside the city was a village made up of many thatched houses, with countless wandering spirits among them, appearing as old people, children, and women, all emaciated with dim eyes.

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    Afraid that Xie Ruoxi would steal the kill again, Liu Longtao said nothing, unceremoniously sending the Ying Long Sword out, skewering two ghosts nearby through the heart.

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    The group of ghosts was thrown into chaos, frantically fleeing far away. Liu Longtao began to perform the Taoism Method, casting Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens and instantly targeting the area with the most wild ghosts. The fire dragon danced wildly, limbs flew in all directions, fortunately, there were no gory scenes, and the wild ghosts that died quickly dissipated into nothingness.

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    After killing most of the wild ghosts, and with the rest having fled, Liu Longtao also crossed his arms in an attempt to act superior, turning to Xie Ruoxi with a smug look and said:

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    ¡°Ha! Mere shrimps and crabs, no match at all.¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    Xie Ruoxi was silent for a moment, then asked:

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we try to communicate first?¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    Struck by his own boomerang, Liu Longtao was stunned for a moment, then immediately put on a haughty expression and shook his head:

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    ¡°I gave them an opportunity to communicate.¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    ¡°Did you?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked skeptically, ¡°Weren¡¯t you just going in for the kill with your Sword Control the moment you saw them?¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    ¡°Before my Flying Sword got to them, they had a chance to say a word,¡± Liu Longtao said coldly. ¡°That was their only opportunity to speak. Since they didn¡¯t seize the chance, naturally, I didn¡¯t need to let them waste any more of my time.¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    Xie Ruoxi nodded as if she understood, then shook her head.

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    Nodding because she felt ¡°what you said does make some sense,¡± and shaking her head because ¡°that¡¯s not what you said before.¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    If it had been Chen Lingyun in this situation, she would definitely have started with the sarcasm and teasing. But Ruoxi was a girl with simple thoughts and didn¡¯t intentionally try to undermine Lord Master; instead, she swept her Divine Sense around and suddenly said:

    ¡°`

    ¡°` Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°There¡¯s something on the ground over there.¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    Liu Longtao went to look and found a red string.

    ¡°`

    ¡°`

    This red string seemed to be made of ordinary material, but under the scan of Divine Sense, it was emitting a dark spiritual glow, making it clear that it was not an ordinary item but a magical artifact.

    ¡°`

    ¡°The previous two items seemed to be similar,¡± Xie Ruoxi suggested with a gamer¡¯s mind, ¡°Let¡¯s take a look.¡±

    ¡°Do I need you to tell me that?¡± Liu Longtao was somewhat annoyed but admitted she was right, and he brought out the earlier obtained Black Dog Nail and Chicken Feather Arrow, placing them together.

    No sooner had they been laid out than the three items began to fuse on their own: the Black Dog Nail transformed into an iron plaque, the Chicken Feather Arrow carved itself upon it, and the red string melted into ink, resulting in a token¡ªYin on one side, Yang on the other.

    Yin Yang Order.

    ¡°This thing¡­¡± Liu Longtao pondered, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°The craftsmanship is rather exquisite,¡± Xie Ruoxi commented, ¡°Metal luster is always attractive. Acrylic can¡¯t achieve this effect.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask if it looked good.¡± Liu Longtao was speechless, thinking to himself how could she understand this, ¡°This item should be useful next.¡±

    ¡°Do I need you to say that?¡± Xie Ruoxi, always blunt, said whatever was on her mind without a second thought for the other person¡¯s feelings, ¡°These are things that dropped from this Mysterious Realm. Of course, they¡¯re meant to be used here. Spielberg once said, ¡®If there¡¯s a gun on the wall, later on, that gun is bound to be fired.¡¯ Ever heard of it?¡±

    ¡°That was Chekhov,¡± Liu Longtao said.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Xie Ruoxi showed not a hint of embarrassment on her face, ¡°No problem, I¡¯m illiterate. As long as you get my point.¡±

    Liu Longtao was beyond words. This girl was clearly the complete opposite of Princess Jiang Hai, so why were their annoying traits identical?

    As the two crossed the desolate Wild Ghost Village and neared the outskirts of the city, they saw the city walls stretching endlessly to both sides. Only in the center stood a temple with three big characters embossed on the signboard: Temple of Lost Souls.

    Entering the temple, they saw a tall figure seated in the highest seat, speaking coldly,

    ¡°To enter Fengdu, do you have the token?¡±

    Speaking of token, Liu Longtao immediately thought of the recently acquired Yin Yang Order, just about to say ¡°Yes,¡± when Xie Ruoxi, without a second word, pinched the Jade Pivot Thunder and hurled it.

    Struck in the face by the Jade Pivot Thunder, the tall figure¡¯s head exploded on impact, his headless body suddenly standing up, angry roars echoing from all directions.

    ¡°Without the Yin Yang Order, and refusing to drink the Soul-Losing Water, you are sentenced to death!¡±

    ¡°Are you freaking insane?!¡± Liu Longtao finally lost his temper, shouting, as he formed the Sword technique with his hands, and commanded the Ying Long Sword into action.

    No sooner had the Flying Sword taken flight than vast amounts of white mist sprayed out from all directions, carrying an odd sweet scent.

    The moment Liu Longtao held his breath, it was already too late; he accidentally inhaled a hint of it and instantly felt dizzy and bloated, hurriedly transmitting his voice to Xie Ruoxi,

    ¡°Hold your breath! It¡¯s poisonous!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi, however, had taken a deep breath of the Soul-Losing Fragrance and was now so confused that she had to quickly grab onto a nearby pillar.

    Seeing her staggering, Liu Longtao panicked internally, and could only unleash Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens with full force before him.

    He had aimed at the headless torso but due to his dizziness, he was far from precise. The fiery dragon veered far downward, striking the incense table before the figure, blowing the table to smithereens.

    The headless torso reached for a divining cylinder that had rolled aside, drew a sharp divination stick, and with a sudden throw, it turned into a Flying Sword aiming for Lord Master¡¯s head.

    Lord Master, not about to sit and wait for death, pushed through his unclear mind and weakly activated Sword Control, driving the Ying Long Sword to intercept.

    The Ying Long Sword clashed with the divination stick in mid-air. The latter had not a shred of swordsmanship skill, merely crashing about, yet the former¡¯s movements were also embarrassingly flawed due to the dizziness of its controller¡ªan utterly mismatched and clumsy fight.

    Liu Longtao felt increasingly awful, his only option being to signal Xie Ruoxi to retreat quickly, so the two could leave the Temple of Lost Souls and find a place to recuperate and expel the poison.

    Yet there stood Xie Ruoxi, who had been leaning against the pillar, suddenly standing upright with an unknown burst of strength, shouting,

    ¡°I¡¯m going all out with you!¡±

    Channeling lightning with both hands, she was back to her familiar double-gun rapid-fire Gatling, blasting wildly ahead.

    Due to the disorientation from the Soul-Losing Fragrance, Xie Ruoxi¡¯s aim was even worse, but the sheer volume of her Thunder Method compensated for that¡ªin a wild flurry, about sixteen or seventeen thunder orbs were thrown: some exploded on the floor, others hit the walls, some collided with the steps, another rammed the ceiling, and one coincidentally struck the chest of the headless torso, obliterating it into nothingness.

    Liu Longtao stood agape, in utter disbelief, unable to accept reality, questioning his existence, forcibly calming down, his heart still pounding, reflecting carefully, powerless and thoroughly convinced.

    Enough! Time to make peace with her!

 Chapter 376: 72 Hard to Handle

    Chapter 376: Chapter 72 Hard to Handle

    The two of them practiced their techniques inside the Temple of Lost Souls for a moment and managed to clear all of the befuddling fragrance that had invaded their bodies.

    Liu Longtao let out a long breath of turbid air and then revealed his trademark Lord Master¡¯s pleasant smile, asking,

    ¡°Little Xie, why did you strike out just like that earlier?¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t that what you said?¡± Xie Ruoxi was confused.

    ¡°What did I say?¡± Liu Longtao asked in surprise.

    ¡°Give him the chance to utter a single word.¡± Xie Ruoxi imitated Liu Longtao¡¯s posturing from Wild Ghost Village, speaking with hands behind his back, ¡°If he couldn¡¯t seize that opportunity, it shows he¡¯s not worth my time.¡±

    ...

    ¡°But the man on stage spoke eight words.¡±

    Liu Longtao: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Is there a possibility,¡± he struggled to keep a calm and composed expression, ¡°that he wanted us to hand over the Yin Yang Order?¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± said Xie Ruoxi.

    ¡°After handing it over, it¡¯s possible we could¡¯ve passed the challenge directly,¡± Liu Longtao said.

    ¡°Ah?¡± Xie Ruoxi inquired.

    ¡°Do you have something you don¡¯t understand?¡± Liu Longtao asked.

    ¡°But we don¡¯t have the Yin Yang Order,¡± Xie Ruoxi pointed out.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the Yin Yang Order?¡± Liu Longtao took out the Yin Yang Order they had merged before.

    ¡°This is the Yin Yang Order?¡± Xie Ruoxi was skeptical.

    Liu Longtao suddenly fell silent.

    Indeed, although this thing had the character for ¡®yang¡¯ on one side, ¡®yin¡¯ on the other, and was even a token, it wasn¡¯t necessarily the Yin Yang Order that man mentioned¡ªafter all, we have nothing like an identification technique to slap onto this object and have a frame pop out labeling it ¡°Yin Yang Order.¡±

    If we¡¯re unsure, why not just ask him? As long as he says yes, we can hand over the token and leave without a fight¡­ Huh?

    Wait a moment, if we were originally supposed to hand over the Yin Yang Order to get through, then having forcibly fought our way through, wouldn¡¯t that mean we get to keep this Yin Yang Order treasure with us instead?

    Liu Longtao had an epiphany! Hey, there¡¯s actually this layer of strategy! I didn¡¯t expect you to be so cunning¡­ wait, hold on, this fool might not have actually planned this, it¡¯s more likely he stumbled into it by mistake.

    Nevertheless, having acquired a new magical artifact, Lord Master¡¯s previous displeasure was swept away clean, and the smile on his face became much more genuine,

    ¡°Alright then! I was overthinking it, let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°You really are odd,¡± Xie Ruoxi spoke honestly, ¡°one moment you tell me not to act and to communicate first; the next moment, you initiate the fight yourself; one moment you want me to follow your commands; then the next, you¡¯re impatient when I ask questions¡­ Ling Yun never changes her instructions so frequently.¡±

    Liu Longtao fell silent for a while before saying,

    ¡°Can we not do this comparison thing? I¡¯m the team leader responsible for leading the group, and she¡¯s the deputy leader in charge of command; how can you compare the two?¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu also commands better than you,¡± Xie Ruoxi said.

    ¡°You are so right,¡± Liu Longtao, resolved to make amends, naturally wouldn¡¯t quarrel with this naive mountain girl who could only thunder, ¡°Indeed, I¡¯m not as good as those two on your team. Normally, I just give casual commands, and they¡¯re quick to understand and carry out the actions, so my commanding is indeed a bit rough.¡±

    Although he was being sarcastic in a roundabout way, Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t catch it and felt a bit embarrassed, thinking she might have dented his confidence. She quickly tried to smooth things over,

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Like you said, you¡¯re the leader, so it¡¯s normal not to be good at commanding, and once we get out, I¡¯ll have Ling Yun teach you.¡±

    Liu Longtao swallowed his pride and, after a long while, said,

    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. We¡¯ve delayed at this stage for too long; let¡¯s keep moving.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi had no objection. The two passed through the Temple of Lost Souls, entered Fengdu City, and along the way, chilling winds blew and a ghostly atmosphere pervaded, with the ash of completely burned spirit money littering the streets and even the scent of charring lingering in the wind.

    Liu Longtao, expressionless, led Xie Ruoxi through the streets, and soon saw a one-horned scale tiger sprawled out in the center of the city.

    The tiger licked its paw, turned its head, and suddenly said,

    ¡°Don¡¯t attack just yet.¡±

    Both had already formed their magic seals and, upon hearing the words, stopped outputting True Yuan, waiting to hear what it wanted to say.

    ¡°Our ten Fengdu trials test cultivators¡¯ ability to travel long distances and distribute True Yuan reasonably,¡± the tiger spoke, ¡°The two of you haven¡¯t used any shortcuts and have fought your way through, even slaying ¡®Meng Po¡¯ and ¡®Yanluo,¡¯ who you didn¡¯t even have to battle. Now your True Yuan is still abundant; there¡¯s no need for me to fight you in this trial.¡±

    After a moment of silence, Xie Ruoxi quietly sent a message to Liu Longtao:

    ¡°Could this be some kind of trick?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine if we don¡¯t fight,¡± Liu Longtao said, disregarding her and speaking directly to the white-striped tiger, ¡°Take us to the next trial.¡±

    ¡°Certainly,¡± the tiger paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°That Yin Yang Order is a fine treasure, but it¡¯s a pity you don¡¯t follow the necromancer¡¯s path. Otherwise, if you properly understood its mysteries, it would be infinitely useful for you.¡±

    So it was an artifact specifically for necromancers¡­ Hearing this, Liu Longtao¡¯s vision darkened momentarily as he felt his internal True Yuan nearly taking a wrong turn.

    The slight joy he had felt at obtaining the Yin Yang Order faded completely.

    Xie Ruoxi, who was utterly oblivious, tried to console him:

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. If we can¡¯t use it, Lingyun will surely be able to. It won¡¯t go to waste.¡±

    ¡°Enough already,¡± Liu Longtao regained his composure, knowing she didn¡¯t mean any harm, and generously decided not to make an issue of it, ¡°Send us to the next trial then.¡±

    A flash of white light later, the two arrived in a treacherous landscape.

    This place was a river of lava, with dense clouds of fire in the sky, but let¡¯s not go into details. As they scanned their surroundings with Divine Sense, suddenly a streak of sword light flashed from afar.

    ¡°Captain!¡± Xie Ruoxi recognized that it was Huang Tingjian¡¯s sword light. She was both shocked and delighted, ready to rush over and regroup with Yan Yu, when another streak of white light, even faster, appeared and violently struck sending Huang Tingjian¡¯s sword light flying off course.

    Xie Ruoxi was stunned; Liu Longtao¡¯s expression turned serious as he wondered, how could that white sword light be so fast?

    It was unlike anything he had ever seen or heard of!

    If it were him facing that sword light, he figured he would be completely breached within two to three minutes, decapitated and dismembered. Poor old Yan had such bad luck to encounter such an overpowered adversary¡­Damn it, didn¡¯t I also run into Xie Ruoxi, this treasure trove of trouble? S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Forget it, I¡¯ll go help Yan hold off for a while, we can take turns dealing with the enemy.

    Just as he was about to spur the Ying Long Sword light forward, both heard Yan Yu sending a message:

    ¡°Stay back.¡±

    Stay back? Both were slightly startled. Was he telling us not to join the battle?

    ¡°Damn it, old Yan,¡± Liu Longtao sent a message back, ¡°Can you handle it?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu sent the message.

    ¡°You can only manage to say one word in your message.¡± This was serious, no joke, Liu Longtao still needed clear confirmation, ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it, okay? If there¡¯s a problem, just say it and I¡¯ll cover for you for a while.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    Great, he was able to send back stable messages, so it seemed there was no immediate problem.

    ¡°Go find,¡± Yan Yu added.

    ¡°Find what?¡± Xie Ruoxi hurriedly asked.

    ¡°Lingyun.¡± After a while, Yan Yu finally replied.

    ¡°Lingyun is here too?¡± Xie Ruoxi was overjoyed.

    But Yan Yu did not reply, as he had already flown too far¡­ the signal was outside the service area.

    ¡°Damn, old Yan is seriously badass,¡± Liu Longtao exclaimed, sending a message, ¡°Let¡¯s go find Princess Jiang Hai and figure out how to deal with this enemy.¡±

    ¡°Who is Princess Jiang Hai?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked.

    ¡°Chen Lingyun, isn¡¯t she from Jiang Hai?¡± Liu Longtao answered casually.

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°Facing such an unstoppable enemy, we can only look to her for solutions,¡± Liu Longtao said seriously.

 Chapter 377: 73: The Mortal World

    Chapter 377: Chapter 73: The Mortal World

    After Lin Ning and Su Yunjin left the animal world, they did not end up at the same checkpoint as Ye Jun, but suddenly found themselves back at their own homes.

    ¡°Where is this?¡± Looking around at the familiar furnishings, Lin Ning¡¯s face changed dramatically.

    How did I return home?

    She had moved to Qingyuan Prefecture when she was in middle school, and this place was the old house left by her grandfather¡ªin a small fishing village along the coast of the county.

    As everyone knows, when the Mysterious Realm morphs into a place you¡¯re familiar with, it means it¡¯s time to¡­ not torture, but test the strength of your will.

    Therefore, she quickly prepared herself mentally and secretly mustered her spirit to be on guard.

    ...

    Before long, Lin¡¯s mother came out with a plate of food, surprised to see her daughter.

    ¡°Why are you back?¡±

    Lin Ning remained silent.

    She swept Lin¡¯s mother with her Divine Sense again and again, confirming this was definitely not a real person but an illusion. As such, she didn¡¯t want to respond and give the people watching the livestream something to gossip about¡­ Where¡¯s my camera? Why is it gone?

    Seeing that her daughter was not speaking, Lin¡¯s mother put the food on the dining table in the main hall and went back into the kitchen.

    This way, I can¡¯t continue the challenge. Lin Ning could only helplessly follow her into the kitchen and said:

    ¡°I¡¯ve come back suddenly, aren¡¯t you happy, Mom?¡± S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°No,¡± Lin¡¯s mother shook her head, but her face did not look pleased, ¡°As long as you¡¯re happy.¡±

    ¡°As long as you¡¯re happy¡± is another way of saying, ¡°I can¡¯t handle you; I can¡¯t be bothered with you,¡± Lin Ning was helpless. Taking advantage of the blocked live broadcast camera, she asked:

    ¡°Mom, why are you upset again?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not upset,¡± said Lin¡¯s mother. ¡°You¡¯re almost forty, and you don¡¯t even have a boyfriend, nor will you consider matchmaking. I don¡¯t have the energy to get angry with you; I¡¯ve resigned myself.¡±

    Lin Ning: ¡­¡­¡­

    Wait, first of all, this is just an illusion, I¡¯m not almost forty and single!

    Secondly, are you trying to challenge my views on love? Thinking that I set my sights too high, purposefully designing this scenario, hoping to make me lose my composure, right?

    It must be said that after the experience in the Mirror Lake Maze, Lin Ning¡¯s mental strength had greatly improved, not feeling the slightest embarrassment, but merely thinking calmly.

    If it¡¯s about challenging my views on love, as long as I can ¡°convince the Mysterious Realm¡± in this regard, affirming my own beliefs, I should be able to break through this challenge.

    After thinking things through, Lin Ning said gently:

    ¡°Mom, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t plan to find a boyfriend, it¡¯s just that I want to find someone I like.¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh, uh-huh,¡± Lin¡¯s mother was entirely unmoved, ¡°So what type do you like? I call you to go on blind dates, but you refuse; I ask you to find someone on your own, but you can¡¯t, when asked about what type of man you like, you hem and haw, unable to articulate. I think you just like being alone for the rest of your life.¡±

    Lin Ning helplessly explained:

    ¡°Mom, no, that¡¯s not it. I¡¯m not making excuses!¡±

    ¡°Then you can tell Mom now,¡± Lin¡¯s mother didn¡¯t even turn around, busying herself gutting a fish by the sink, ¡°What are your thoughts?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already thought it through,¡± Lin Ning patiently said, ¡°I like the type who is shrewd and capable, assertive, and who makes me feel secure when I¡¯m with them. The matchmaking candidates you previously found for me all spoke too effeminately; I don¡¯t like that.¡±

    ¡°Men like that tend to be very dominant, which might make them difficult to get along with,¡± Lin¡¯s mother replied.

    ¡°Not at all!¡± Lin Ning quickly defended, ¡°Being strong does not mean they are tactless in speech and actions! A man with assertiveness surely knows where your bottom line is. They might seem domineering and hard to get along with, but in fact, they consider your feelings in everything they do, making sure you¡¯re not uncomfortable. What you¡¯re talking about is chauvinists who don¡¯t care about their wives at all, that¡¯s a completely different thing from what I¡¯m describing.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Lin¡¯s mother bowed her head, continuing to work on the fish, and said, ¡°If he¡¯s really as outstanding as you describe, why would he choose you? You¡¯re thirty-six or thirty-seven, why wouldn¡¯t he go for a woman in her twenties, why bother with someone your age?¡±

    Lin Ning suddenly became angry and subconsciously put herself into her thirty-six or thirty-seven-year-old self, arrogantly saying:

    ¡°So what if I¡¯m in my thirties? As long as he¡¯s still single, of course I can wait for him to make up his mind! If he dares to choose another girl over me, then I¡¯ll just hang around his house all day long, eat his food, use his stuff, and see what he can do about it!¡±

    Lin¡¯s mother fell silent for a while, then suddenly said:

    ¡°So, you¡¯ve got someone you like?¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Lin Ning was stunned.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    However, the Illusion Realm that Su Yunjin found herself in was not at home, but in a hotel.

    Chen Lingyun was seen wearing a bridal gown, having her makeup done by a makeup artist. Su Yunjin, on the other hand, was dressed in bridesmaid attire, constantly comforting herself in her mind:

    ¡°It¡¯s all an illusion¡­ It¡¯s to test the steadiness of my heart¡­¡±

    But still, it was so infuriating!

    She glanced at the wedding invitation on the table. The groom¡¯s name, glaringly written as ¡°Yan Yu,¡± gave Su Yunjin the urge to have a heart attack right there and turn the joyous occasion into a funeral.

    I wish I could just kill myself now and ruin your wedding!

    Of course, that was just a momentary impulse.

    Even if this really happened in reality, given Su Yunjin¡¯s disposition and upbringing, she probably could only swallow her grievances temporarily and bury all her feelings deep down in her heart.

    Of course, I still have to be a friend.

    When the team leader has his seven-year itch and argues with Lingyun, goes silent, separates, and then divorces, I¡¯ll use the excuse of ¡°comforting the team leader¡± to ask him out on a trip, accompany him to travel, see flowers, enjoy the scenery, roam around Lu Country for two or three months, and then find a place to confess decisively. It must be in a setting and atmosphere where he can¡¯t refuse!

    Ah, but that¡¯s too shameless. What if the team leader doesn¡¯t really like me and is just with me to fill a void in his heart? That would be too unfair to me.

    Su Yunjin¡¯s thoughts raced as she sat restlessly, only to hear Chen Lingyun say with a laugh:

    ¡°Yun Jin, I¡¯m really happy that you could come this time.¡±

    Su Yunjin ignored her.

    Her Divine Sense confirmed that this Chen Lingyun before her eyes was just a fake conjured by the Mysterious Realm¡ªof course, it was fake. The real Lingyun would never say such hurtful things on purpose, and she even wanted to start a harem for the team leader.

    Such a strange idea, why did she want to do that?

    ¡°Sigh.¡± Seeing that she was ignored, Chen Lingyun suddenly sighed deeply, ¡°I was actually thinking about finding him a few more girlfriends. I didn¡¯t expect that he would be in such a hurry to marry me, sigh. To suddenly call you all over like this, I really feel bad, but we had an agreement, right? Whichever one of us gets married, the other four must be her bridesmaids.¡±

    There was no such agreement! Su Yunjin screamed in her mind.

    Of course, if it¡¯s me marrying the team leader, you four coming to be bridesmaids, that¡¯s not out of the question, but if you don¡¯t want to, could I really force you?

    If you¡¯re already married to the team leader, don¡¯t keep flaunting it and hurting the sisterly bond!

    She sat quietly on the side, secretly forming hand seals, fantasizing about flooding the entire hotel, only to hear Chen Lingyun continue with a smile:

    ¡°Actually, Yun Jin, I really didn¡¯t expect you to be willing to come. Sister Zhao and Ningning both said they were busy.¡±

    ¡°Do you find this amusing?¡± Su Yunjin asked coldly.

    ¡°Are you angry?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you tell?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t see it,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°I gave you a chance, Yun Jin. Before Yan Yu and I became a couple.¡±

    Now Su Yunjin was truly angry and retorted:

    ¡°Don¡¯t wear her appearance and speak these malicious words! The real Lingyun would never deliberately jab at someone¡¯s sore spot like this!¡±

    ¡°So you admit it¡¯s a sore spot for you,¡± said Chen Lingyun with a smile. ¡°You like him, Yun Jin. But you¡¯re afraid of being rejected, so you never dared to truly confess. You¡¯ve always used various methods to hint at him, provoke him, hoping he¡¯d understand your feelings on his own.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why you fail. Because you never considered, from Yan Yu¡¯s point of view¡­ he has so many options, many of whom are as good as you. And many men will subconsciously choose the one that¡¯s easiest to win.¡±

    ¡°Remember my words, Yun Jin. Either take the initiative and give it your all, or pin your hopes on the elusive luck. You can¡¯t choose the final win or loss, but at least you can choose not to regret in the future, thinking ¡®I should have been more proactive back then¡¯.¡±

 Chapter 378: 74 Borrowing a Knife to Kill

    Chapter 378: Chapter 74 Borrowing a Knife to Kill

    ¡°`

    Rikoku Cultivators were battling within the Mysterious Realm. Outside the Mysterious Realm, from the Privy Council to Shixun Group, a large number of staff and a complete set of professional administrative and business teams were handling matters related to the live broadcast.

    Actually, if Rikoku had a choice, they would definitely choose not to broadcast. Winning would certainly stabilize public sentiment, but if they lost several battles, the pressure of public opinion would be overwhelming.

    But the problem is that if you don¡¯t broadcast yourself and can¡¯t stop your opponent from doing it, then you¡¯re essentially driving all the viewers to the other side. If Rikoku Cultivators suffer defeat and the opponents produce a few stylishly edited, all-angle videos, the propaganda effect would be explosive¡ªunless Rikoku follows the example of a certain neighbor and decides to isolate itself from the world, only then could they completely block out foreign news and avoid unrest among their citizens.

    After all, the information sphere is like the biosphere, and it also has what¡¯s called an ¡°ecological niche.¡± If domestic live broadcasting occupies the ecological niche of the information source, the public will lose interest in foreign sources of information.

    The reverse is also true: when domestic short video apps make inroads in foreign lands and take up much of the international netizens¡¯ time, they get used to checking these platforms for news and grow lazy to seek out ¡°authoritative messages¡± through official channels. This is truly a matter of life and death, one absolutely cannot let go easily.

    ...

    The live broadcast data was sent back to the Privy Council in real-time, with eleven people looking at a total of eleven screens, each monitored by a dedicated team, including military experts, intelligence experts, linguists, ethnologists, psychologists, and so on. They had to keep a sharp eye on everything, from the pattern on a pillar far within the Mysterious Realm, to the minute tactical movements of the Cultivators themselves.

    At this moment, more than half of the screens on the main control wall focused on Inferno Pass. The Rikoku Cultivators gathered together, with Ye Jun personally activating the Xuan Guang Ruler nonstop to protect the group, in case a sudden white light struck like a clap of thunder and chopped someone down on the spot.

    The other two screens, representing Su Yunjin and Lin Ning respectively, showed a loss of signal.

    This was not unusual. For instance, Mirror Lake Divine Palace and the previous animal level had both experienced signal loss as soon as cultivators entered.

    This was not due to issues with communication technology, but rather the restrictive spells within the Mysterious Realm acted like a firewall, which so far no country in the world could crack, leaving them no choice¡­ But still, the teams responsible for these two screens had to keep watching the black screen, as required by their job.

    These two teams had it relatively easy, as they could rest their eyes. The team responsible for Yan Yu was more exaggerated; although there was no black screen, the perspective was continuously rotating left, right, up, and down, accompanied by high-speed advances and retreats, nearly making everyone sick.

    The leaders were also worried about Yan Yu¡¯s situation and kept asking the expert team every couple of minutes if the Longcheng Flying General was still holding up.

    Their reply was, ¡°We don¡¯t know.¡±

    Because they couldn¡¯t keep up with what they were seeing! How could they make any judgments if they couldn¡¯t even see clearly?

    As they worried, the screens for Lin Ning and Su Yunjin suddenly lit up.

    The two had finally cleared the Illusion Realm level and entered the second level: surprisingly, it was again the Inferno Pass level. The members of the Zhenghai Team finally gathered together.

    However, this also meant that since everyone was indeed unable to find a solution to Inferno Pass, they all got stuck there.

    Lin Ning and Su Yunjin entered the level one after the other and, after exchanging glances for a moment, greeted each other without asking ¡°how did you pass the last level?¡±

    Lin Ning was subconsciously guilty and didn¡¯t dare to ask; Su Yunjin was more thoughtful, wondering why Ningning seemed off and whether she had encountered the same thing as her.

    In any case, as the Mysterious Realm had not been completely conquered, it was inappropriate to dwell on personal emotions at this time.The gathered superheroes, Onmyoji, and Lihuayuan Swordsmen quickly sent representatives to find a place to exchange views upon the suggestion of Xiandao Jingyin.

    ¡°Find a way to restrain him,¡± Xiandao Jingyin stated, ¡°He can only confront the white sword light head-on by relying on his reaction speed. Even if we delay his actions by half a beat, the white sword light would be able to kill him.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not acceptable,¡± Park Changmin objected, ¡°The risk is too high.¡± S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The swordsmen of Lihuayuan can fly and are fast. If they decide to take action against Yan Yu, even for the sake of justice, they would definitely be the ones sent into battle, meaning they¡¯d have to face the risks of confronting Yan Yu and the white sword light directly.

    The representative of the superheroes, ¡°Judge¡± Stevenson, a priest-dressed foreigner, fell silent for a moment before suddenly speaking:

    ¡°The speed of the white sword light is indeed very fast, absolutely beyond our capability to handle. His own mobility isn¡¯t enough to match the white sword light, and he¡¯s only relying on reaction speed and control to barely avoid defeat. But how long can he last like this?¡±

    Although he posed it as a question, his stance was clear: the superheroes believed that Yan Yu couldn¡¯t hold out for long against such a formidable enemy and that they should just wait for him to self-destruct. There was no need to go to any extra lengths.

    Xiandao Jingyin had nothing to say and simply turned and walked away without any hesitation.

    She had seen clearly that though the three factions had joined forces under the threat from Rikoku Cultivators, they could at most maintain superficial cooperation. Privately, they were still wary and guarded against each other, even ready to fight. Even the Michi Country¡¯s Soil Defense Bureau, which led this tripartite cooperation, couldn¡¯t fully handle its own superheroes. In crucial moments, these people still acted as if ¡°the general is outside, the emperor¡¯s orders can be ignored¡±.

    After all, everyone wants the Departure Palace treasures. Heroes are here to fight with their lives for the treasures to boost their capabilities, not for some ¡°international strategy¡± or ¡°limiting Lu Country¡±¡­ Although they wouldn¡¯t say this openly, their actions are still primarily selfish.

    With the heroes drifting apart, now they could only wait until the Departure Palace Gate to settle the matter!

    As long as the Rikoku Cultivator seals the gate, attempting to monopolize the Departure Palace¡¯s treasures, they will inevitably become the target of everyone¡¯s arrows. At that time, these people would have to join forces, even if they harbored ulterior motives!

    Yan Yu, unaware of the Onmyoji¡¯s plan to besiege him, which hadn¡¯t fully formed before prematurely collapsing due to the superficial unity and substantial disunity among the three parties.

    He was merely silently coping with the assault of the white sword light while reflecting and recalling the past in secret.

    Chen Lingyun from his previous life had not elaborated much on the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng, probably due to some confidentiality requirement. But one thing was certain, each of the six stages had its theme and specific requirements to pass.

    Mei Yingxue at the Golden Core Realm level, even if only her speed was at that level, was not someone the present day Transcendents could beat¡ªthus, the requirement to pass shouldn¡¯t be to defeat her.

    Another suspicious thing was that, currently, only he was enduring Mei Yingxue¡¯s attacks.

    Why is she only targeting me?

    Yan Yu decided to conduct an experiment.

    Once again, lightning-fast, he adjusted his blocking angle to intercept Mei Yingxue¡¯s attack, only to be predictably sent flying.

    His body was thrown through the air by the formidable force, his viewpoint wildly spinning. Ordinary people would have long lost sense of direction, but Yan Yu felt no dizziness whatsoever. His Divine Sense quickly spread to the furthest reaches around him, then he once again used Sword Control to position himself just right to intercept the following strike from Mei Yingxue.

    Again, he was sent flying by the impact force, but this time he had calculated the direction of his flight¡ªhis body shot straight toward the ground like a cannonball, covering a few hundred meters in an instant.

    There, several Onmyoji who had used some technique to hide their presence, were trying to pass by ¡°quietly¡± without disturbing the fierce battle in the sky. Yan Yu suddenly appeared, startling everyone.

    Before they could attack him, Mei Yingxue¡¯s sword light also descended from the sky!

 Chapter 379: 75: Diverting Trouble Eastward

    Chapter 379: Chapter 75: Diverting Trouble Eastward

    Being blasted to the ground like a cannonball, most cultivators would not know how to respond, but Yan Yu was an exception.

    His combat experience from his previous life was simply too rich, practically a ¡°Transcendent combat textbook,¡± and he had a method for dealing with this kind of situation.

    In the instant before reaching the ground, he released the Sword Control state.

    Man and sword separated!

    With nowhere to land in mid-air, one can only press against the Huang Ting Sword to borrow strength, while forming hand seals to stabilize the Flying Sword, using it as a stepping platform.

    Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step! He landed steadily!

    ...

    In his previous life, he did not know this step technique. Ordinary warriors had their own solutions, but Yan Yu had to admit that the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step was indeed superior in terms of metrics.

    Seeing that Yan Yu had finally escaped the high-speed state of being battered in a chain of home runs, all members of the Privy Council control room felt a surge of spirit¡ªfinally, they could properly enjoy his performance!

    As for the commercial live broadcast rooms outside, the audience had already grown accustomed to it. Even if the director occasionally switched to his perspective, they could only silently watch the chaotic, almost nausea-inducing, high-frequency rotating image, frantically sending bullet comments for the director to quickly change the angle.

    But the Longcheng Flying General was the trademark of Lu Country, and it had to be promoted since there was a demand from the Zhendong Army. Now that they saw Yan Yu had finally shaken off the pursuit, the director felt like he¡¯d been granted amnesty and hurriedly switched the camera to him.

    Yan Yu¡¯s figure flashed, and in an instant, he reached the ground, moving flexibly like a fish, in an inconceivable posture and angle, instantly circling to the back of an Onmyoji.

    Mei Yingxue¡¯s sword light followed closely behind, piercing through that Onmyoji¡¯s body in an instant, also scaring his comrades out of their wits.

    You bastard! Are you using someone else¡¯s hand to kill?

    In a mix of shock and rage, everyone¡¯s techniques were unleashed, covering the sky and earth as they attacked Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu¡¯s feet tapped swiftly on the ground, a simple Z-shaped maneuver allowing him to shake off all attacks to either side.

    Mei Yingxue, ignoring the surrounding Onmyojis, tightly followed behind him. Even when the aftershock of attacks covered and affected her, and even slowed down the movement speed of her sword light, she just took it all head-on, persistently pursuing Yan Yu.

    This gave Yan Yu plenty of rich ideas¡­ of course, further probing was needed.

    In the live broadcast room, the audience watched intently through Yan Yu¡¯s perspective, and the amount of bullet comments rapidly decreased¡ªthey¡¯d forgotten to type.

    Although Yan Yu¡¯s Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step was also as fast as a running horse, quick as a darting rabbit, compared to the state of being knocked around before, at least now they could barely make out his movements.

    They saw the Longcheng Flying General speeding along, nimbly circumventing the Onmyoji¡¯s bombardment range. Mei Yingxue¡¯s sword light, however, born of the Mysterious Realm and lacking much sentience, forced its way in a straight line into the center of the bombardment. As a result, it got bogged down by various attacks, moving even slower than Yan Yu¡¯s arcing sprint.

    Yan Yu¡¯s feet moved left and right without pause, flashing behind another Onmyoji in an instant.

    The opponent was immediately terrified and attempted to flee, only to be pierced through by Mei Yingxue¡¯s sword light¡ªa chilling through-and-through hit¡ªneither ¡°exhausted runner¡± Yan Yu nor ¡°straight shooter¡± Mei Yingxue¡¯s speeds were something the Onmyojis could match.

    Soon, this group of Onmyojis was wiped out cleanly by Mei Yingxue. Yan Yu leaped quickly into the air, merging with his sword, and once again transforming into a sword light cannonball, getting a boost from Mei Yingxue¡¯s launcher to be shot flying out.

    The audience was stunned.

    ¡°This is using another¡¯s hand to kill!¡± Zhou Erhe exclaimed in astonishment.

    ¡°An almost perfect use of another¡¯s hand to kill!¡± Xu Dongming loudy praised, ¡°The speed of Longcheng Flying General may not match the white sword light, but it is above these Onmyojis! Before, he needed to use swordsmanship to kill the enemy, now he doesn¡¯t even need swordsmanship! Without spending a trace of True Yuan, he can make the enemy¡¯s body fall apart!¡±

    These words weren¡¯t entirely accurate because the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step actually does consume a trace amount of True Yuan¡ªjust a bit less than the Sword Control Technique.

    But the audience didn¡¯t know that much, and the bullet comments quickly filled with powerful lines like ¡°Why use a Yan sword to kill a chicken¡± and ¡°Why would I need to act,¡± as if everyone in the live broadcast room had turned into the Longcheng Flying General¡¯s support team, transforming it into a sea of joy.

    Although some had their doubts, questioning if the Longcheng Flying General¡¯s using another¡¯s hand to kill compromised his prestige, they were quickly overwhelmed by a united barrage from others¡ªYan Yu¡¯s strength has been evident to all of us for a long time, now to appreciate his use of plots and schemes is another flavor altogether.

    Compared to the optimistic mood of the Lu Country citizens, the Onmyojis within the Mysterious Realm were not feeling quite as wonderful.

    One of the Onmyojis, before his death, released a signaling Thousand Paper Cranes, sending the message back to the Onmyoji main force¡¯s hands.

    Xiandao Jingyin, upon receiving the news, reacted as if facing a formidable enemy because, contrary to the superheroes¡¯ expectations, the Longcheng Flying General was obviously not ¡°running out of steam anytime soon.¡± The fact that he had the spare capacity to divert trouble elsewhere meant he was far from being pushed to his limits.

    ¡°What should we do?¡± she bit her nails anxiously, while Shenyuan Simie, who had been silent all this time, suddenly said leisurely:

    ¡°If we can¡¯t beat him, why not just avoid him?¡±

    ¡°Avoid him?¡± Xiandao Jingyin narrowed her eyes, seeming to have no other choice.

    ¡°Moreover, if I were you,¡± Shenyuan Simie said with a smile, ¡°aren¡¯t you currently troubled by the alliance¡¯s unity being only skin-deep? Why not simply draw the disaster toward them instead?¡±

    ¡°The more the Longcheng Flying General kills, the more inclined the survivors will be to band together. Although this will weaken the alliance¡¯s overall strength, an alliance of fewer but united parties will be more advantageous to our subsequent strategies than a numerically superior but disjointed one.¡±

    In fact, the Yin Yang Bureau was even more wary of the Rikoku Cultivators than the distant Superhero Alliance, for reasons that go without saying.

    Xiandao Jingyin nodded her head, signifying her agreement with this ¡°diverting disaster westward¡± plan.

    Thus, it didn¡¯t take long before several Onmyoji squads went to discuss the next course of action with the Pear Blossom Courtyard and the Superhero Alliance.

    Yan Yu continued with his experiments, but something soon felt off.

    Why were these Onmyojis mingling with members of the Pear Blossom Courtyard and the superheroes?

    Combining his knowledge from his previous life about the Yin Yang Bureau, he instantly guessed the answer:

    I use others to kill for me, and you divert the disaster eastward, right?

    Sure enough, except for that old man Weizong Yilang who sticks to the samurai code, everyone in the Yin Yang Bureau is a bunch of scheming bastards!

    No matter, kill now or die later, they all have to die, kill!

    Without hesitation, Yan Yu continued to use the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step to move circuitously, treating these people as human targets to block Mei Yingxue¡¯s sword light.

    Mei Yingxue was even more ruthless, rushing through with her sword light and killing indiscriminately, regardless of whether they were Onmyojis or superheroes!

    The news of casualties spread quickly, causing shock and anger among the other two parties.

    They were shocked that the Longcheng Flying General was playing a game of using others to kill for him, enticing the white sword light to help him slash his enemies; they were naturally enraged that the Onmyojis had played a trick by diverting the disaster to them, causing them to suffer losses as well.

    Park Changmin immediately ordered: everyone was to change locations at once! If any Onmyojis were to follow, they were to be warned off at the first instance! If they disobeyed, they would be killed without mercy!

    Lee Kyung-joon and Choi Seung-hyun expressed their objections because the cooperation with the Yin Yang Bureau was mandated by the leadership of the Pear Blossom Courtyard, and if they acted against their allies on their own, how would they explain it after leaving the Mysterious Realm?

    Park Changmin said coldly:

    ¡°I am the chief supervisor for this mission, and I will shoulder all responsibilities afterward. You just need to follow orders.¡±

    Since Park Changmin had publicly declared he would take the blame, the two did not press the issue further, secretly hoping instead that the situation would escalate, ideally leading to Park Changmin being ousted afterwards. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    However, they were unaware that his comments had been broadcasted live and had already caused a major stir in Goryeo.

    Due to historical issues, the Goryeo people hated the Yin Yang Bureau far more than they hated the Rikoku Cultivators. Even though they were being pressured to cooperate with the bureau under the rationale of ¡°the weak banding together to resist a powerful enemy,¡± the majority of the public was still discontented with this arrangement.

    Park Changmin¡¯s direct statement of killing any following Onmyojis without mercy was like giving a shot of adrenaline to the already suppressed national pride of the people.

    Human nature is universal. Just as the audience in Rikoku enjoyed watching the Longcheng Flying General slaughter on all fronts, the Goryeo audience naturally liked Park Changmin¡¯s decisive action. Compared with the other two¡¯s hesitation and timidity, many neutral viewers instantly became his fans, advocating for him in the live streams, and even declaring Park as their ultimate bias and lifetime support.

    Indeed, only our ¡°White Mountain Divine Sword,¡± Park Changmin, can be a national hero!

    No, he¡¯s not just the White Mountain Divine Sword; he is our Goryeo Divine Sword!

 Chapter 380: 76: The Answer is to Fight With All Ones Might

    Chapter 380: Chapter 76: The Answer is to Fight With All One¡¯s Might

    ¡°`

    The Onmyoji¡¯s actions clearly intended to drag the other two parties into the fray.

    Park Changmin cut off communication between allies and concealed himself with his followers, thus, all the pressure was passed on to the superheroes.

    ¡°Sabertooth¡± Langferro didn¡¯t believe in curses and took four teammates to ambush Yan Yu, but they were all brutally crushed by Mei Yingxue; he himself narrowly escaped death at the cost of his left arm¡ªbecoming the first lucky bastard among the tripartite alliance to confront Mei Yingxue and survive.

    After stopping the blood from his severed left arm and with his face pale, Langferro spoke to the other superheroes about the situation:

    ¡°The white sword light was constantly chasing after Yan, and it never showed any intention to attack us from beginning to end. But it has no capacity for thought and only follows the shortest direct path in pursuit. Yan exploited this by quickly moving behind our members, coercing the white sword light to charge and slash at them.¡±

    ...

    ¡°If you can be outflanked by Yan, then even without exploiting that sword light, he could easily kill you,¡± ¡°White Lion¡± Hamilton said disdainfully, insinuating that Langferro was exaggerating.

    ¡°Idiot,¡± Langferro snorted, not bothering to argue, but continued to the others, ¡°I paid the price for my reckless probing, and those who don¡¯t believe can go and try for themselves.¡±

    Everyone looked at each other, but no one dared to take up the challenge.

    In the inner circle, it was well known that Langferro, as the current top Berserker, had incredible physical strength and should not be defenseless even when someone got the drop on him.

    According to his explanation, the reason the team was wiped out so quickly was not due to the Rikoku Cultivator Yan Yu, but rather the white sword light.

    Longcheng Flying General Yan Yu could be as highly-praised by Lu Country as they wanted, but after all, his body was still made of flesh; if you attacked, he had to guard or dodge. The two sides would vie for the rhythm of offense and defense and, based on skill, either could win or lose, with chances to turn the tables even if at a disadvantage.

    But that white sword light was different; it was an existence that the Transcendents at the present stage could not contend with. Too fast to dodge; its defense too solid, unflinching in the face of an assault, it would keep coming at you through the barrage of gunfire to cut you down¡­ How could anyone fight against that?

    The reason Langferro survived in the end, whether he used his teammates as bait and abandoned them, or employed some trick to slip through the crisis, no one inquired too closely. They just exchanged looks for a moment, each recognizing the intention to retreat in the other¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°We should retreat for now,¡± finally, someone made a statement, ¡°If it were fighting against Rikoku Cultivators, I¡¯d be the first to charge in; but facing this kind of deadly, unbeatable NPC, I have no interest in giving up my life for nothing.¡±

    Once he said this, many people immediately agreed.

    The Superhero Alliance is not an authoritarian institution like the Yin Yang Bureau or Pear Blossom Courtyard with a nation standing behind it. ¡°Judge¡± Stevenson was the leader of this mission in name, but he couldn¡¯t dictate orders in the team. Seeing that most people were not keen to fight, he decided:

    ¡°Retreat! Everyone find a place to hide on your own; do not clump together. If you get caught by Yan Yu with the white sword light, handle it yourself, and you¡¯re absolutely not allowed to deliberately lead it to other teammates!¡±

    That¡¯s exactly what they were waiting to hear! So the superheroes dispersed, each employing their powers to find a place to hide.

    This Mysterious Realm challenge area is a volcanic environment, full of volcanic caves made from lava rock, making it easy to find hiding spots, but a time-consuming task to search them out.

    Yan Yu, accompanied by Mei Yingxue, wandered around for a long while without encountering a single foreign Transcendent, and guessed that they must have found themselves unable to cope and had been forced to temporarily avoid the sharp edge.

    Sigh, what a pity¡­ too few are headstrong, and I haven¡¯t had my fill of killing!

    Now, how should I deal with my persistent pursuer, Teacher Mei?

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Turn back the clock five minutes. In the main control room of the Privy Council, a new, unfamiliar visitor arrives.

    Although she was wearing a mask and a white lab coat like an ordinary scientific worker, the leader was extremely polite to her, asking softly:

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    She observed the screen for a long time before saying:

    ¡°This is a transformation of the Mysterious Realm; the strength and cultivation realm are designed according to the Golden Core Realm, but the quality of True Yuan is constrained by the limit of the external Spiritual Energy.¡± S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± the leader agreed, which the experts had already pointed out.

    ¡°To be honest about this level of opponent,¡± she continued her analysis, ¡°not one of the superheroes on the scene could beat her, not even Yan Yu.¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°Is it because of the gap in cultivation realm?¡± the leader asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± She gave an affirmative answer, ¡°So the condition to clear this level is definitely not to defeat her.¡±

    ¡°What is your view?¡± the leader asked again.

    She continued to stare at the screen, and after watching for nearly two and a half minutes, she replied:

    ¡°I think it should be a desperate struggle.¡±

    ¡°A desperate struggle?¡± the leader raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°Faced with a formidable enemy that cannot be opposed, at the very brink of life and death, it¡¯s about whether one dares to stake their life in a fight to the death, instead of turning around to flee or treasuring their own life cautiously.¡± she said, ¡°If one can have such a great will and determination on a mental level, one should be able to clear the level ¡ª it certainly won¡¯t require you to actually defeat her.¡±

    ¡°Then why hasn¡¯t Yan Yu been able to clear the level?¡± the leader furrowed his brows and inquired, ¡°It¡¯s been almost half an hour, and he has never even taken half a step back in retreat.¡±

    ¡°Because he hasn¡¯t reached the brink of life and death,¡± she responded.

    Leader: ¡­¡­¡­

    Umm, well, oh¡­

    Finally understanding, damn! The Longcheng Flying General is kind of horrifically strong!

    In the eyes of the average person, Yan Yu being attacked three or four times a second by that white sword light, each time sent flying without the ability to retaliate, clearly appeared to be at a severe disadvantage. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if he were to be broken through and beheaded in the next second.

    But according to her, despite Yan Yu seeming powerless to retaliate, he was actually still able to protect himself with ease.

    The best proof of this was that he had managed to hold out for nearly half an hour under her relentless attacks and was still unharmed to this point.

    The leader, belatedly realizing this, was immersed in his own shock when he heard her say again:

    ¡°Against such insurmountable enemies, normal Transcendents are often completely overwhelmed within a few exchanges, pushed to the brink of life and death. What follows is either clearing the level or being killed, all within an extremely short time, after which she would turn around to find other contenders to test their mentality.¡±

    ¡°So, in actuality, it¡¯s enough just to generate such a powerful enemy for this level.¡±

    ¡°But the sticking point here is that: the creator of the Mysterious Realm believed her strength could crush all contenders, without foreseeing someone like Yan Yu, who could hold his ground entirely through skill and awareness.¡±

    ¡°That is to say,¡± the leader quickly grasped her meaning, ¡°we¡¯re dealing with a BUG.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± she nodded, ¡°She can¡¯t push Yan Yu to the brink of life and death, and thus can¡¯t verify whether his mentality reaches the conditions for clearing the level, nor will she switch to other test subjects. On the contrary, Yan Yu can use this to lure her into killing foreign Transcendents¡­ These people are not her test subjects, so even if they fight with the determination to face death, she won¡¯t hold back at all.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± the leader nodded seriously, ¡°So theoretically, Yan Yu could use her to eliminate all his opponents, just like we¡¯ve seen happen before.¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s not actually possible,¡± she negated the idea.

    ¡°Because Yan Yu won¡¯t be able to hold out for too long?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Whether it¡¯s the remaining capacity of his True Yuan or the highly strained state of his mind.¡±

    ¡°Once Yan Yu can hold out no longer, then he will reach what is called ¡®the brink of life and death¡¯.¡± the leader had a sudden realization, ¡°And then he will be able to clear the level.¡±

    ¡°After Yan Yu clears the level, she will switch to a different test subject, so the others won¡¯t be stuck here either.¡±

    The two returned their gaze to the large screen, where Yan Yu¡¯s perspective was still rapidly shifting, fast enough to make any 3D motion sickness sufferer vomit last night¡¯s dinner.

    So the question was, when would he be pressured to his limit?

 Chapter 381: 77: Full of Energy

    Chapter 381: Chapter 77: Full of Energy

    ¡°`

    With everyone stuck on a long-term hurdle, the director had run out of interesting perspectives to switch to, so they simply made Yan Yu¡¯s perspective into a small window and fixed the main screen in the studio. They let the two commentators perform a double act to keep the atmosphere lively on site.

    The number of bullet screen comments had also been plummeting; people were starting to relax a bit.

    It¡¯s almost been half an hour already¡­

    What¡¯s declining even faster than the number of comments is the number of viewers online. The production team watched with anxiety but were helpless and could only pray secretly that Longcheng Flying General would quickly exhibit his divine might for a stunning comeback. He needed to shatter that white sword light fiercely to save our precarious online viewership.

    However, in the control room of the Privy Council, their thoughts were the complete opposite.

    ...

    Since they had already roughly analyzed the mechanism for clearing this level, all they had to do was wait for Yan Yu¡¯s True Yuan to be insufficient, forced into a desperate fight when about to be shattered by the white sword light. Then their long-standing problem would naturally be solved.

    But how much longer would it take?

    The expert group had calculated it, Yan Yu¡¯s current tactical operation was actually very simple, just Sword Control then blocking, with none of the complex maneuvers of sword techniques. Considering the meager True Yuan consumption of the Sword Control Technique, it was roughly estimated that without consuming any Elixir Medicine, he could last about 16.25 hours.

    The leaders read the report and were speechless. Sixteen hours¡­ I might as well wait for him to run out of energy!

    In everyone¡¯s minds, they were silently praying: Yan Yu, General Yan, Lord Yan, stop wasting away there with a phantom NPC of the Mysterious Realm¡ªrush to your last fight!

    Inside the Mysterious Realm, all the Rikoku Cultivators gathered together, with the Dragon Soar Team also fully assembled, meeting with the girls of the Zhenghai Team to discuss.

    The conclusion that even the control room could deduce from the live broadcast viewpoint had been analyzed by Chen Lingyun through Five Ghosts Scouting more than ten minutes ago.

    ¡°So you just need to remain unyielding until death,¡± Lin Ning said.

    ¡°How confident are you in this conclusion?¡± Liu Longtao asked with a chuckle.

    ¡°Is there a need to even ask?¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°You can neither defeat it nor escape. In fact, your options are not many; you only really have ¡®begging for mercy¡¯ and ¡®fighting at death¡¯s door.¡¯ Since it¡¯s a test-type Mysterious Realm, the designer definitely hopes that the challenger would prefer death over submission. Of course, if Lord Master here wants to try begging for mercy, I¡¯m also curious to see what will happen.¡±

    ¡°Expecting Old Yan to beg for mercy? That¡¯s impossible,¡± Liu Longtao said, ignoring her latter words, and fell into silence, ¡°If the condition for clearing the level is ¡®fighting at death¡¯s door,¡¯ does that mean Old Yan has been able to drag this out because he hasn¡¯t reached that point yet?¡± S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Everyone fell silent, especially the Dragon Soar Team members, who had already idolized Yan Yu in their hearts. Liu Longtao was mostly among Sword Immortals, and they all knew just how unfathomable the swordsmanship level of that white sword light was¡ªYan Yu being able to withstand such attacks and not die was somewhat miraculous.

    ¡°With that said, let¡¯s hurry and inform Leader Yan,¡± Ye Jun immediately suggested.

    ¡°Not so fast,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°When doing things, one should plan before taking action. Instead of rushing, we should first consider what we will do after Yan Yu clears the level.¡±

    ¡°What else can we do? Fight with her and then clear the level ourselves,¡± Liu Longtao had only said half of it when he instantly reacted.

    Mei Yingxue would only attack a single person and wouldn¡¯t actively kill anyone outside of her target. It was not too difficult to deduce this. Now, if we are attacked by Mei Yingxue in the Mysterious Realm, what will happen if the foreign Transcendents ambush us from the sides? Not all of us have the skill of Yan Yu to turn enemies against each other. Being attacked from both sides is more likely to result in misfortune than fortune.

    Seeing the open mockery on Chen Lingyun¡¯s face, Liu Longtao became somewhat irritated: It¡¯s not that I¡¯m too stupid to figure it out, just that I¡¯ve been influenced by Xie Ruoxi¡¯s intellect after working with her for a while!

    ¡°A short while ago, Yan Yu used others to kill off those foreign Transcendents. He made them hide,¡± Chen Lingyun said calmly, ¡°Therefore, after Yan Yu clears the level and before the others notice his absence, we need to seize this time window and clear the level as quickly as possible, all together.¡±

    ¡°Of course, being stuck on this level is not without its benefits. At the least, it brought us together, allowing everyone to discuss the levels they¡¯ve experienced and provide strategy reference for the others.¡±

    Upon hearing her analysis, everyone understood the importance of sharing intelligence and began sharing their information in turn without delay.

    After everyone had shared their information, they all simultaneously engaged in Sword Flight, leaving their hiding spots to search for Yan Yu.

    ¡°Found him!¡± Ye Jun quickly notified everyone.

    As they all headed toward Ye Jun¡¯s location, they could see Yan Yu in the distance, still playing the ¡°try to hit me¡± game with the white sword light.

    Sword Flight was not invulnerable. If you do not control the Flying Sword to perform a blocking maneuver, allowing the opponent¡¯s attack to hit from a direction other than your block, the counter-shock could still damage the Sword Immortal within the sword light.

    ¡°`

    In other words, Yan Yu was able to block Mei Yingxue¡¯s attacks for nearly half an hour at almost 3 blocks per second, nearly 200 blocks per minute, accumulating over six thousand instances of swordsmanship blocks without a single mistake¡­

    Guo Feiyun and Ai Lu, two sword immortals from the Dragon Soar Team, had already started calling Yan Yu ¡°Yan God.¡± Liu Longtao had also approved of this nickname, as even Lord Master himself reckoned that if he were to face the challenge, he would probably last no more than five minutes.

    ¡°Old Yan,¡± he projected his voice from a distance, ¡°still going strong?¡±

    ¡°Full of energy,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°Damn!¡± Liu Longtao exclaimed in shock, ¡°Didn¡¯t you used to have time to reply with just one word before? So, after fighting for so long, you¡¯re telling me you¡¯re getting stronger as it goes?¡±

    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s not difficult,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°I truly can¡¯t compare to you in showing off, I willingly concede,¡± Liu Longtao admitted with genuine admiration, ¡°How did you do it?¡±

    ¡°Figured out her attack patterns,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°So you gave her a good fight for three hundred rounds and then completely understood her moves?¡± Liu Longtao mused, ¡°If I had your ability, would I even need to ask?¡±

    While he was casually chatting with Yan Yu, Chen Lingyun was also communicating with Yan Yu through voice transmission.

    ¡°How much longer can you hold on?¡± Chen Lingyun asked.

    ¡°A few hours,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    ¡°That enduring?¡± Chen Lingyun immediately laughed, ¡°Can you win?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± said Yan Yu.

    ¡°Do you know the mechanism for passing the level?¡± Chen Lingyun asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve guessed it,¡± said Yan Yu.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great,¡± Chen Lingyun, sparing the effort to explain, succinctly said, ¡°Go all out on your side, fight her to the death. After passing the level, we will take over immediately and try to get through this challenge collectively as quickly as possible.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve communicated all the information on the six levels with everyone. When you pass the level, make sure to ask Ye Jun; I will have her go up second.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Yan Yu knew this meant he was to take Ye Jun to snatch the first and second place in passing the Departure Palace, and therefore he readily agreed.

    ¡°Go for it,¡± Chen Lingyun said.

    Without a word, the instant Yan Yu was knocked flying by Mei Yingxue again, he suddenly cancelled his Sword Flight state!

    He stomped on the sword¡¯s body using the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step to borrow force and shot forward rapidly to increase the distance, while at the same time, with a pinch of his sword technique, the Huang Tingjian flew back even faster. Mei Yingxue quickly pursued, only to see Yan Yu reinitiate Sword Flight and, merging with the sword light, he turned around, and leveraging the increased distance, he accelerated once more and charged straight at Mei Yingxue¡¯s sword light!

    Triple Cloud Strike!

    As the sword lights from both sides collided fiercely, Yan Yu was the first to falter, being shaken by the terrifying impact and sent flying, but he used the momentum to make a large turn and crashed into Mei Yingxue¡¯s sword light again. After a second clash, he was propelled even further, turning in an even bigger arc, speed and power both amassed to their limits, his True Yuan also being fully expended with no reservations, attacking Mei Yingxue with maximum force for a third time!

    It was as if thunder roared and the earth shattered, the light from the Huang Tingjian had turned into white light and vanished, while Mei Yingxue finally couldn¡¯t maintain her Sword Control state and was sent flying by the overwhelming force of Triple Cloud Strike combined with Sword-Human Unity.

    Her face was covered in blood, her hair disheveled, and she was in a sorry state; her right hand hung limply, likely having broken bones inside, relying only on her uninjured left hand to rapidly perform sword techniques, calling back the white Flying Sword to her side. Just as she reentered the Sword Control state, a flower of light from the Xuan Guang Ruler floated towards her, catching her squarely and trapping her within it!

    She was trapped for less than half a second when the white sword light used the Eagle Strike Sky Sword Style, violently slashing at the same spot multiple times to forcefully break through the light flower of the Xuan Guang Ruler, then turned the sword light and charged straight at Ye Jun.

    ¡°Ye Jun, face her,¡± Chen Lingyun transmitted rapidly, ¡°Ningning, get ready, everyone else queue up in order! Liu Longtao, watch the perimeter, don¡¯t let anyone take advantage by stirring trouble!¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡± the cultivators all responded in unison.

 Chapter 382: 78 Longcheng Flying General Begins Speedrun!

    Chapter 382: Chapter 78 Longcheng Flying General Begins Speedrun!

    ¡°`

    Half an hour of torment left the viewers in the live broadcast room without the strength to continue sending bullet comments, so they chose to watch online in standby mode.

    It wasn¡¯t until the cultivators from Lu Country suddenly gathered around that the director quickly gathered his wits and swiftly switched to Liu Longtao¡¯s perspective.

    The two commentators also sprang back to life, with Xu Dongming shouting first:

    ¡°Hey! What¡¯s happening? Is the final battle starting, eh?¡±

    ¡°Everyone¡¯s getting together; they¡¯re probably going to gang up on the BOSS!¡± Zhou Erhe chimed in, inciting excitement.

    ...

    The stagehands had already displayed the ¡°Warm-up¡± reminder sign, and Xu Dongming, picking up on the signal, immediately began yelling:

    ¡°The six major sects are gathering at the peak of brightness, and the battle is about to erupt! Friends from the east, south, west, and north! Wake up! Zhang Wuji, the leader of the Ming Sect, is about to make a move!¡±

    In the live stream room, the bullet comments started to slowly increase, signaling that some viewers were alerted by the commentators¡¯ shouts and refocused their attention on the stream.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see how the Longcheng Flying General makes his move¡­ Keep your distance! Sword light surges back!¡± Just as Zhou Erhe was about to set the scene, Yan Yu suddenly disengaged from combat, turned around, and launched an attack, shocking him into an abrupt halt mid-sentence as he glued his eyes to the screen, ¡°Flung away! The Longcheng Flying General is outmatched! But, he curves back for another strike! The second hit!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the Triple Cloud Strike!¡± Xu Dongming exclaimed with excitement, ¡°The Triple Cloud Strike is a more powerful version of the Eagle¡¯s Flight; it¡¯s not about hitting multiple times at close range, but instead using the recoil to pursue the target multiple times over a long distance, with each strike stronger and faster than the last!¡±

    ¡°The second hit misses, let¡¯s see the third! Eh? What¡¯s going on!!! The Longcheng Flying General has disappeared! Director, switch to Yan Yu¡¯s perspective¡­ He¡¯s through! The Longcheng Flying General is the first to clear this stage!¡±

    Yan Yu was the first to pass through Inferno Pass, and after being transported, he took a closer look and saw that this fourth stage resembled the second, situated in a valley surrounded by mountains, except with the desolation of withered leaves and a chilling autumnal wind hinting at the imminent winter.

    Suddenly, the woods around him teemed with cultivators shouting curses and rushing at Yan Yu with their Sword Control techniques.

    Oh? What is this¡­

    Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but laugh; weren¡¯t these his old friends from ten years later?

    Oh my, how could you choose them for the transformation? Are you out of tricks, you poor Mysterious Realm?

    In my past life, even moments before death, I could kill them all. In this life, would I possibly start fearing them?

    He laughed heartily, casually popping an Elixir Medicine in his mouth, not caring that he had just entangled with Teacher Mei for half an hour and hadn¡¯t fully recovered in body or spirit. He fearlessly charged towards those mishmash foes, feeling neither sorrow nor fear, only yearning for the thrill of chaotic slaughter.

    The Mysterious Realm that once trapped the Demonic Sect Enchantress and Chen Lingyun couldn¡¯t scare him one bit.

    With a single pass of the Huang Tingjian, he had slain more than twenty illusions. The rest of the cultivators exchanged glances, then suddenly turned tail and fled.

    Yan Yu, far from willing to let them go, rapidly pursued them with Sword Flight. Not even five minutes later, everything spun around him, and to his surprise, he had jumped directly to the fifth stage.

    After a moment¡¯s thought, his face drained of color. Not good!

    I¡¯ve cleared the stages too fiercely and forgot to meet up with Ye Jun!

    As for Ye Jun, who was the second to face Mei Yingxue, she quickly overcame her fear of death thanks to being mentally prepared, and soon after, she entered the fourth stage.

    Where¡¯s Team Yan?

    Just as she was about to rise on her sword, she saw countless ferocious dogs suddenly bursting forth from the surroundings. Each of them was the size of a lion, their eyes blazing red, drool flowing from their mouths as they fiercely lunged at her.

    Ye Jun¡¯s face paled instantly, the painful memories of being bitten by the neighbor¡¯s bad dog as a child and then taken to get tetanus and rabies shots resurfaced. She quickly activated her Shifting Technique to flee, her Divine Sense frantically scanning the surroundings.

    Where¡¯s Yan Yu, where¡¯s Yan Yu, where¡¯s Yan Yu, somebody come save me!

    The very person who had stood up Ye Jun, at this moment, was standing in front of Ghost General, completely baffled.

    The progression was too fast; his teammates hadn¡¯t kept up. Should he wait for her?

    Forget it, time is of the essence. I¡¯ll wait for her at the Departure Palace Gate¡­ I believe in Secretary Ye¡¯s abilities!

    Meanwhile, Yan Yu charged towards the Ghost General with Sword Flight, just to see the Ghost General emerge from the gates. He had barely asked, ¡°Who goes there,¡± when the light from the Huang Tingjian had already whizzed past, swiftly heading into the distance.

    ¡°`

    The Ghost General instantly became infuriated. Each one who came here barged through violently (foreign Transcendents couldn¡¯t speak the language of Lu Country; not to mention Xie Ruoxi and Liu Longtao, who didn¡¯t say a word). This time, there was no way he would let you pass!

    At his signal, a whistle sounded from his mouth, and a horde of soldiers charged from atop the city walls, tailing Yan Yu with lethal intent.

    But with Yan Yu¡¯s level of Sword Control and speed, which in all of Lu Country no one could confidently surpass, he immediately left the Yin Soldiers and Ghost Generals far behind, driving straight through the sprawling wild grass and ancient graves, until at last he arrived at the banks of the River of Forgetfulness.

    At the riverfront, Granny Meng set up her stall, kind-eyed and benevolent. She gestured with a wave of her hand and the glowing light of Yan Yu¡¯s sword immediately fell, unable to rise again.

    He immediately guessed that there must be a restriction ahead that prevented flying, so he simply walked forward and asked,

    ¡°May I cross the bridge?¡±

    ¡°Drink this soup, and you may cross the bridge,¡± Granny Meng said with a smile.

    ¡°This soup won¡¯t cause amnesia or turn me into an idiot, will it?¡± Yan Yu picked up the soup bowl, smelled it from a distance, and asked dubiously.

    ¡°It will only benefit you,¡± Granny Meng said with a smile, ¡°You carry too many burdens and your malevolent energy is too heavy. You need this soup to dissolve the barriers in your heart.¡±

    In a testing Mysterious Realm like this, they wouldn¡¯t harm me¡­ Yan Yu thought to himself as he lifted the soup bowl and drained it in one gulp.

    In an instant, memories of his past life flashed through his mind like a galloping horse. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Studying, graduating, working, living through rebellion, being conscripted as a mortal warrior, training, fighting enemies, comrades sacrificing one after another, the tide of the era ebbing away, chaos rising, knowing full well that the torrent of the times could not be reversed, yet still choosing to swim against the current, ultimately buried by the remnants of the old era¡­

    The past swept over him, his spiritual platform became gradually clearer, and Yan Yu slowly regained his senses, with a more stable Dao heart and even more resolute will.

    Even if he had sacrificed himself in the past, he harbored no regrets or hatred. Fortunate to be alive today, he still sought to rise against adversity and fight the whole world once more!

    Either kill me or be killed by me, line up one by one!

    Thinking this, Yan Yu felt as if all blockages in his chest dissipated, the invisible gloom also scattered, and under the sublimation of his mindset, even the circulation speed of the energy in his body seemed to increase slightly, filling him with great joy.

    Not only could this soup stabilize the mind, but it could also slightly improve one¡¯s natural talent?

    Oh, that¡¯s right. I remember Teacher Mei once mentioned somewhere in my previous life that cultivation talent and state of mind are actually closely related. For example, Xie Ruoxi and Zhao Yuanzhen, these two fools, would appear to cultivators as ¡°clear-minded¡± and ¡°top-notch talent,¡± whereas someone like Chen Lingyun with her complicated thoughts and filthy motives would be considered ¡°dull in talent.¡±

    Hmph, who would have thought that a bowl of Granny Meng¡¯s soup in the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng could have the power to elevate the mindset and improve talent? The benefits are indeed substantial.

    Luckily, those foreign Transcendents barely understand the language of Lu Country and wouldn¡¯t dare drink this soup. As for the cultivators from Lu Country, on one hand, they speak the same language, and on the other, they are aware this is a testing Mysterious Realm; surely, there would be no fools who would refuse the soup, right?

    Yan Yu put down the soup bowl, nodded in thanks, and then turned and walked away.

    As he stepped onto the Bridge of Helplessness, countless twisted ghosts¡¯ hands reached out toward him. Yan Yu didn¡¯t dodge or avoid, walking casually on the bridge as the Huang Tingjian sword swung from side to side, effortlessly intercepting the numerous ghostly hands.

    The hands grew more numerous the more they were cut down, multiplying after each batch was severed. Initially, the Huang Tingjian sword had a clear advantage, but it soon began to falter, almost overwhelmed by the sheer number.

    Finally, his sword technique defense was forcibly broken through, but it coincided with Yan Yu¡¯s descent from the Bridge of Helplessness. The mass of ghostly hands reached for him, clawing and snapping, but at the edge of the bridge, they stretched to their limits, too short to reach and soon retracted weakly.

    That wasn¡¯t too difficult, haha.

    Ahead lay majestic mountains with only a narrow mountain trail. Since Sword Flight was impossible, Yan Yu activated his Shifting Technique and began sprinting through the mountain path.

    The mountain path was treacherous, the terrain challenging, with many places formed of cliffs and ravines, where even ordinary walking speed required care. A simple misstep could easily lead to a fall.

    Yan Yu, however, had no such concerns. Could the mortal warriors of his past life who didn¡¯t know the art of movement, reliant solely on their heavily trained reactions and skill, possibly slip here?

    Whether it was a cliff slope nearing ninety degrees or a trail so narrow that one had to sidestep through, he sped throughout with the full velocity of Shifting Technique without stopping once!

    Suddenly, the barking of dogs echoed, as if wild dogs were encircling and converging on both his front and back.

    Yan Yu¡¯s feet did not stop, the Huang Tingjian sword hung in front of him, and seeing dark shadows in front, he executed a Sword technique, launching the controlled sword fiercely into them!

 Chapter 383: 79: I Dont Even Need to Make a Move

    Chapter 383: Chapter 79: I Don¡¯t Even Need to Make a Move

    If time wasn¡¯t of the essence, Yan Yu might still be in the mood to slowly explore the checkpoint and see what the fighting capacity of these wild dogs was like.

    But after being trapped by Teacher Mei at the third checkpoint for too long, even Yan Yu had run out of patience and simply bulldozed his way through, non-stop.

    Wherever he could walk, he walked; where he could not, he carved out a path with his blade. And with his own mobility being incredibly strong, the pack of dogs tried time and again to encircle him, but Yan Yu cut through their ranks and moved on, leaving them behind in a frenzied, impotent rage, barking madly.

    As he continued climbing the mountain road, the dog pack somehow turned into a flock of chickens.

    Yan Yu still ignored them, keeping on his way. If any daredevil chicken charged at him, it would be met with his sword and killed.

    Before long, a giant chicken flapped its wings and rushed at him from a distance, viciously pecking at Yan Yu.

    ...

    Although the chicken¡¯s movements were swift, it had a habitual action of shaking its neck before attacking, which to an old hand like Yan Yu, was glaringly obvious.

    With just a few steps, he effortlessly moved to the chicken¡¯s blind spot behind it, and his Huang Tingjian shot out like lightning, striking the feathers on the back of its neck and emitting a muffled sound like hitting metal.

    This defense¡­ was quite strong; regular Sword Control Technique couldn¡¯t break through, and even Sword-Human Unity would not make for a quick kill.

    Forget it, there¡¯s no time to waste here with you.

    Yan Yu couldn¡¯t be bothered to tangle with it, as he was busy trying to get through the checkpoint, so he turned around and activated his Shifting Technique to make an escape.

    The giant chicken pursued relentlessly, sometimes closing the gap and, at other times, falling behind. The audience in the live stream was initially anxious, but as the giant chicken chased Yan Yu for a long time without being able to shake it off or catch up, they suddenly realized what was happening.

    Playing keep away with the BOSS, huh? That¡¯s so like you!

    ¡°A viewer is asking, ¡®Why doesn¡¯t he speed up to shake off the giant chicken?''¡± Xu Dongming, too, was speaking at length, analyzing, ¡°For top cultivators, every bit of True Yuan needs careful management. The faster you run, the more True Yuan you expend per unit of distance. It¡¯s actually not cost-effective just to shake off the adversary, so maintaining the lowest cruising speed to ensure the other can¡¯t catch up is the most True Yuan-efficient method¡­¡±

    He went on in great detail with his analysis, only to see that Yan Yu had already left the range of the Golden Chicken Mountain and entered the Wild Ghost Village on the periphery of the Temple of Lost Souls.

    Many wild ghosts inhabited Wild Ghost Village, all of whom were evildoers incapable of passing through the Temple of Lost Souls after death; now they wielded swords and knives to rob Yan Yu¡ªonly to see the relentless giant chicken behind him and immediately lose their nerve.

    Isn¡¯t that the soul-devouring monster chicken from Golden Chicken Mountain? Why has it come here?

    The wild ghosts scattered in terror, each fleeing for their lives, and Yan Yu was pleased to have no one entangle with him, swiftly rushing toward the Temple of Lost Souls ahead and slipping inside.

    The Temple of Lost Souls was not particularly large, and while ordinary people could enter without issue, the chicken was too big to get through the door. It could only stretch its neck as far as it could into the entrance, still undeterred in its attempt to peck at Yan Yu.

    Just as Yan Yu entered the Temple of Lost Souls, he saw someone sitting on the high seat, with a blurred face, who asked coldly,

    ¡°To enter Fengdu City, do you have the token¡­ Ah?!!¡±

    His words had not finished when he saw Yan Yu swiftly dodge to the side, the giant chicken pecked at empty air, its sharp beak piercing into the floor. Then, with a forceful jerk of its head upwards, it plucked itself out, striking the person above it.

    ¡°You evil beast!¡± The man above flew into a rage and reached for a handful of tallies, hurling them as he shouted, ¡°How dare you abandon your post!¡±

    The tallies scattered across the sky, then suddenly turned into swords with a life of their own, raining down from the air. Seventy percent of them focused on the giant chicken like a torrential downpour, while the remaining thirty percent aimed at Yan Yu.

    The narrow confines of the Temple of Lost Souls were especially suited for the swordsmanship of a Sword Immortal. One could only catch glimpses of Yan Yu stepping rapidly on the floor, his body dodging like a phantasm, flawlessly weaving through the shower of tallies and slipping into the rear hall.

    Just as that person was about to rise and chase after him, the giant chicken, now resembling a porcupine full of tallies, pecked furiously in pain and resentment. It struck him down to the ground and flailed wildly.

    Yan Yu¡¯s actions had left the live streaming audience stunned.

    Xu Dongming, who had just been theorizing that ¡°Longcheng Flying General didn¡¯t shake off the giant chicken to conserve True Yuan,¡± could not deny at this point that Yan Yu was ¡°using the chicken to kill the ghost.¡± If he failed to recognize that, he couldn¡¯t really be considered a professional.

    Despite feeling extremely embarrassed, he maintained a composed expression and shifted the topic, saying,

    ¡°What a move, the Grand Shift of Universe! He lured the giant chicken all the way from the mountain top to its base, prompting it to fight against the judge above. Meanwhile, he quietly bypassed the boss-guarded checkpoint, aiming for the quickest completion! What does it matter if Immortal Venerate Xie can kill the judge with a thunder strike? Our Longcheng Flying General didn¡¯t even need to lift a finger! One clears the level by killing, the other without killing¡ª which is more difficult is crystal clear! That is the terrifying strength of the Longcheng Flying General!¡±

    The chat of the live stream also erupted into noise. Indeed, clearing a level without killing the boss was more challenging than simply killing it, as it required the decisive strength to toy with the enemy.

    However, some viewers astutely pointed out that Yan Yu likely didn¡¯t know the exact method to clear this level, having previously made tentative attacks on the giant chicken, only to find his Sword Control technique utterly unable to penetrate its defense.

    So, it was more probable that he couldn¡¯t be bothered with the giant chicken and simply led it to the Temple of Lost Souls. Facing two bosses at once, he quite conveniently took advantage of the situation¡­ If it were Immortal Venerate Xie, a couple of Thunder Method strikes would have blasted both bosses to smithereens, arguably possessing more lethality than Yan Yu.

    But how numerous were the fans of Longcheng Flying General? They quickly overwhelmed their opposition in arguments, ¡°Do you think a Sword Immortal only knows Sword Control?¡± ¡°Watch more videos of Longcheng Flying General before coming here to criticize!¡±

    ¡°Damn it!¡± Li Zhaojiang exclaimed angrily, ¡°Do these people have any clue? Telling me to watch more videos? If they knew who I am, they¡¯d be groveling at my feet immediately!¡±

    ¡°Then you could reveal your identity,¡± Li Minghu suggested beside him.

    ¡°¡­Forget it.¡± Li Zhaojiang, of course, didn¡¯t dare to do such a thing. What kind of cultivator would go online to argue with ordinary people? Do I not care about my face at all!

    Let¡¯s put aside the offstage topics for the moment. Not long ago, Ye Jun had just managed to conquer the illusion and entered the fifth level. Looking around and not seeing Yan Yu anywhere, she had to hurry forward to catch up.

    The guard of Ghost Gate came down to question her as usual, but Ye Jun was in a rush to proceed. Who had time for idle chat?

    Since Liu Longtao had already shared the tips for clearing the level, without another word, she took to Sword Flight and left!

    The commander instantly flew into a rage, quickly summoning thousands of troops to pursue Ye Jun.

    After finally shaking off the pursuers, she controlled her sword to the edge of the Bridge of Helplessness and was immediately stopped by Meng Po:

    ¡°You must first drink the soup¡­¡±

    Meng Po had only said three words when Ye Jun, in her urgency, interrupted her:

    ¡°Sister, have you seen a man? About this tall, of average build, skilled in sword control, who came by here not long ago¡­¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re saying he was here not long ago, why ask me?¡± Meng Po asked with a smile, ¡°Drink the soup first.¡±

    ¡°That was a guess!¡± Seeing that Meng Po was playing coy, Ye Jun had no patience left. She quickly lifted the bowl of soup and gulped it down.

    Then she stood rooted to the spot.

    By the time she snapped out of her realization, she only heard Meng Po leisurely say:

    ¡°There, that empty bowl next to you, is what he left behind. If you go after him now, you might still catch up.¡±

    Ye Jun¡¯s heart settled at once, knowing for certain that Yan Yu had been here. She expressed her thanks and immediately set off.

    Charging onto the Bridge of Helplessness, countless ghostly hands twisted and attacked. Ye Jun had no time to entangle with them and simply shook the Xuan Guang Ruler to activate protection, braving the onslaught and forcing her way across the bridge!

    Black Dog Ridge, Golden Rooster Mountain, she stormed through!

    After traversing two mountain roads, Ye Jun was thoroughly exhausted, thinking how could Yan Team not know about the situation at this checkpoint? How was he able to advance so swiftly!

    Passing through Wild Ghost Village, she saw the huge chicken with disheveled feathers, sticking its head into the Temple of Lost Souls and pecking chaotically, embroiled in various battles with the Judges inside.

    Helpless, Ye Jun could only use her Invisibility Technique, trying to sneak past the battlefield. However, her invisibility was seen through by the Judge who, with a wave of his hand, hurled countless sharp talismans like a downpour!

    The Xuan Guang Ruler in her hand, truly a top-tier defensive treasure, simply scattered petals of light to protect her body, making all those sharp talismans hit the golden light barrier without piercing through.

    Taking advantage of the Judge being held up by the giant chicken, Ye Jun slipped into Fengdu City with greased heels, hurriedly popping an Elixir Medicine in her mouth. She then rushed along the streets, finally seeing at the end of the road Yan Yu engaged in a fierce battle with a unicorn lion.

    That was the final boss of this checkpoint!

    Ye Jun finally caught up with Yan Yu and immediately urged the Xuan Guang Ruler, sending a cluster of light petals to bolster his defenses.

    Before the light petals could reach him, Yan Yu had already achieved Sword-Human Unity, piercing and slaying the unicorn lion straight through! S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Yan¡­¡± Before Ye Jun could finish speaking, she felt the world spinning around her.

    When she came to her senses, she found herself in her own living room.

    The last checkpoint. According to what Lin Ning and Su Yunjin had said, this checkpoint was supposed to test one¡¯s nature.

    After clearing this checkpoint, she would reach the end of the journey at the Departure Palace. There, she would rendezvous with Yan Team, and then the two of them would enter the palace first to claim the treasure before setting up defenses outside.

    If those who followed were Cultivators from Lu Country, they would be let through; if they were Transcendents from other countries, they would be stopped outside at all costs to prevent the Departure Palace¡¯s treasures from leaving the country!

    As Ye Jun¡¯s thoughts raced, she suddenly saw Yan Yu sitting across from her, with an odd expression surveying the surroundings.

    Hmm? This Yan Yu¡­ isn¡¯t an illusion?

    Didn¡¯t those two say they were experiencing their own illusion realms separately?

    Ye Jun scanned Yan Yu with her Divine Sense continuously, only to hear him transmit a message:

    ¡°Don¡¯t rush, I¡¯m thinking.¡±

    ¡°Listen closely,¡± Ye Jun said quickly, ¡°Lin Ning and Su Yunjin have cleared this checkpoint. The test involves your state of mind, and the way to pass is to follow your true heart, not trying to deny it¡­¡±

    Her voice abruptly ceased as Liu Longtao happened to walk back in from the balcony, holding a phone and seemingly talking to someone.

    ¡°Alright, good¡­¡± He hung up the phone and then turned to Ye Jun, his expression seemingly hard to articulate.

    With a sweep of her Divine Sense, Ye Jun knew this Lord Master was an illusion. She transmitted to Yan Yu:

    ¡°Fake.¡±

    Yan Yu frowned slightly, just as Liu Longtao said gravely:

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ye Jun.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been decided above. For the position of deputy team leader of the Dragon Soar Team¡­ they¡¯re arranging someone else.¡±

    ¡°You can rest well at home during this time. I¡¯ll inquire further, see if there are any other opportunities for redress.¡±

 Chapter 384: 80 Ye Juns Early Retirement Plan

    Chapter 384: Chapter 80 Ye Jun¡¯s Early Retirement Plan

    I¡­ was expelled from the team?

    The Ye Jun who had just advised Yan Yu to remain true to his heart and not to be deceived by illusions was now completely stunned on the spot.

    ¡°Why?¡± she asked incredulously, her voice trembling slightly.

    ¡°The higher-ups have adjusted the positioning of the Dragon Soar Team,¡± Liu Longtao said after a moment of silence, ¡°They need us to become a sharp sword for the country, so the output must be maximized. As a defensive and control-type Assistant Officer, you do not fit with the team¡¯s future plans and assessments.¡±

    Ye Jun fell silent immediately, while Yan Yu stood by, silently sighing to himself.

    This phase of the Illusion Realm content was clearly derived from his own past life memories, aligning with the greatest flaw in Ye Jun¡¯s innermost depths¡ªif detailed, his initial encounter with her and pointing out that Liu Longtao might not get along well with her had probably already driven a thorn into her heart.

    ...

    In her past life, the reasons for Ye Jun¡¯s ejection from the team were never publicly disclosed.

    The explanation given to the public was that Ye Jun was tired and wanted to take a break from the team for a while before planning her career path again.

    Within the inner circles of official Cultivators and ordinary martial artists, however, it was rumored that Liu Longtao¡¯s brilliance completely overshadowed Ye Jun, leading the higher-ups to feel that with Lord Master in the Dragon Soar Team, there was no need for a Vice-Captain in charge of defense and control. Another output role might be more suitable.

    Of course, if Yan Yu were to assess the situation, defensive roles in the mid-to-late phases really weren¡¯t the best to mix into.

    As the Spiritual Energy Resurgence progressed further, an increasingly varied range of attack methods emerged, such as some magical treasures with armor-piercing properties that Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler¡¯s light shield couldn¡¯t defend against, forcing her to augment her defenses further, ultimately leading her onto the path of specialized defense¡ªafter all, four of the five members of the Dragon Soar Team were pure assault types, incapable of defense and control tasks, making her burden incredibly heavy.

    The role of a defender is to increase the team¡¯s margin for error, but it¡¯s difficult to quantify the value of this margin. As Cultivators¡¯ personal combat experience grows and they become more adept at handling various sudden enemy situations, it¡¯s inevitable that the higher-ups would prefer a team without defensive roles.

    In summary, it was the Dragon Soar Team¡¯s disproportionate early career ratio that forced Ye Jun to become a unique screw, filling the team¡¯s defensive shortcomings. Once the team members became capable of standing on their own in the later stages, and their own weaknesses were addressed, Ye Jun, that unique screw, was naturally phased out.

    Alas, how tragic! Lord Master must take full responsibility for this matter!

    As the Captain of the Dragon Soar Team, he failed to remind the Vice-Captain to adjust her career planning in time, and he also failed to persuade the old masters not to interfere with the team¡¯s personnel, a fault he surely cannot evade!

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Liu Longtao said again before turning to Yan Yu, ¡°Old Yan, could you perhaps¡­¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu replied with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ve been envious of Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler for a long time. Since you guys are making personnel changes, why not let Ye Jun join my side?¡±

    ¡°What do you think, Ye Jun?¡± Liu Longtao asked.

    Ye Jun was silent for a moment before she stood up and said with a bitter smile:

    ¡°Never mind. I wouldn¡¯t fit in with the Zhenhai Team either.¡±

    The Dragon Soar Team needed her as a defensive role to balance the four offensive players.

    Does the Zhenhai Team need her? Chen Lingyun¡¯s ghost commanding, Su Yunjin¡¯s Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, both could coordinate with other teammates to execute extremely diverse tactics, already having a high margin for error. Yan Yu himself is an even more versatile Cultivator than Liu Longtao, capable of strategizing, controlling, and firefighting, so indeed there is no need for a specialized defensive role.

    Just as he was about to say something else, Ye Jun had already quietly returned to her room.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­..

    You told me ¡°this is the Illusion Realm,¡± and yet now you can¡¯t help but get breached by the Illusion Realm¡¯s plot, which just goes to show that despite Comrade Ye Jun¡¯s usual poised and graceful social interactions, she¡¯s still a sensitive and fragile soul at heart. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    After Liu Longtao bid him farewell and left, Yan Yu stood quietly in the living room and counted to 300, estimating that she should have calmed down by then. He then leisurely approached the door to her room and knocked.

    ¡°The door¡¯s not locked,¡± came the reply from inside.

    ¡°Under normal circumstances, shouldn¡¯t you say ¡®please come in¡¯? What¡¯s with ¡®the door isn¡¯t locked, enter if you wish¡¯? Are you tsundere too?¡±

    Yan Yu pushed the door open and saw Ye Jun sitting at the edge of the bed, staring blankly out the window.

    There were no tear stains on her face, so at least no tiny pearls had fallen. That¡¯s good, her mood seems stable.

    ¡°I¡¯ve given it some thought, and if you join the Zhenhai Team, you wouldn¡¯t be entirely out of place,¡± Yan Yu sat down beside her and said, ¡°Chen Lingyun¡¯s reaction time is crap, and Xie Ruoxi is a scaredy-cat who gets rattled when someone gets close.¡±

    ¡°With the help of the Xuan Guang Ruler, their combat environment would definitely improve a lot¡­¡±

    Yan Yu was speaking comforting words when he suddenly heard Ye Jun ask:

    ¡°If I didn¡¯t have the Xuan Guang Ruler, would I be completely worthless?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    For a moment, Yan Yu was at a loss for words. No, Comrade Ye Jun, an Assistant Officer¡¯s strength is not solely based on magical treasures, why do you insist on ¡®excluding magical treasures¡¯?

    ¡°I know this is an Illusion Realm,¡± Ye Jun continued, speaking to herself, ¡°but I had actually anticipated this. When the Dragon Soar Team was first formed, and the instructor asked me about joining, there was already a hint¡ªI was chosen because I¡¯m patient and meticulous enough to serve as the bodyguard for the whole team.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re a Cultivator, you can¡¯t be someone¡¯s bodyguard forever,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Ye Jun paused briefly, sighing, ¡°but if not a bodyguard, what else can I do? My abilities in other areas are quite average; patience and meticulousness are my only strengths. If I abandon this path, let alone the Dragon Cavalry Team, I¡¯m afraid I wouldn¡¯t even be able to stay in a first-rate battle team.¡±

    Yan Yu was once again at a loss for words.

    It¡¯s not the foolish ones you fear, but those who are too aware; they are harder to console and deceive.

    Now, to join a first-rate battle team, a Cultivator must not only meet the talent requirement but also have at least one or two outstanding strengths.

    Those good at seizing the moment, like Chen Lingyun; those with an excellent overall strategy, like Su Yunjin; those with a quick enough reaction, like Lin Ning; those with meticulous thoughts and good at calculating, like Li Minghu; and of course, those who are simply talented enough, like Xie Ruoxi and Liu Longtao¡­ There are exceptions, such as Li Zhaojiang, who doesn¡¯t have any particularly prominent strengths, but also has no weaknesses, performing above the average level for Cultivators. With Li Minghu¡¯s assistance, he too can secure a first-rate position.

    If Ye Jun set aside her patience and meticulousness, the rest of her skills¡ªlike reaction speed, talent, and calculating ability¡ªwere probably a bit inferior to Li Zhaojiang¡¯s. She was enough to lead a second-rate team, but wouldn¡¯t cut it in the first-rate league.

    Now, it seemed she was well aware of these things, which is why she focused on the Xuan Guang Ruler, opting to take the specialized defensive route.

    It¡¯s a pity that path was particularly difficult, and in the previous life, she ended up retiring from the first-rate league and went to serve as the spokesperson for the Dingbei Army.

    Seeing Yan Yu unable to respond, Ye Jun smiled and in turn comforted him:

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I was prepared for this and should let go. While I can still shine and contribute, I¡¯ll work hard for a few more years, save up a substantial amount of money, retire when I can¡¯t do it anymore, find a man to marry, settle down and have kids. The standard of living would already be better than 99% of the world.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Yan Yu thought about strategies internally, but temporarily agreed with her, ¡°Marriage and children are also a path. Life doesn¡¯t have to be grand; peaceful days can be a pleasant experience too.¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡± Ye Jun suddenly asked.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Regarding marriage and children, what do you think?¡± Ye Jun tucked her hair behind her ear as if asking casually.

    ¡°Me?¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but laugh and thought, do I even have a choice?

    There are some things, if I don¡¯t do them, no one else in this world can¡­

 Chapter 385: 81: Yan Yus Hoe

    Chapter 385: Chapter 81: Yan Yu¡¯s Hoe

    Seeing that Yan Yu did not respond to her probing, Ye Jun felt a bit embarrassed, but she quickly regained her composure and teased him:

    ¡°I was being presumptuous, wasn¡¯t I? As the captain of the Zhenhai Team, the second-to-none Longcheng Flying General, you naturally don¡¯t need to consider retiring early to get married and have kids, do you?¡±

    ¡°What are you joking about?¡± Yan Yu pretended to be displeased, ¡°Am I someone who hasn¡¯t accomplished anything significant and has no interest in starting a family?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not,¡± Ye Jun said with a smile, ¡°but with your value, the higher-ups would never let you sit idle.¡±

    Yan Yu was rendered speechless again. Secretary Ye, who spent all day working with Liu Longtao, might not have cultivated the abilities of other cultivators, but she had certainly grasped the rules of the system.

    ¡°Oh dear,¡± Ye Jun stretched with a yawn, smiling as she said, ¡°I¡¯ve discovered that I¡¯m invincible as long as I set my mind on lying flat.¡±

    ...

    ¡°So it¡¯s negligent governance then?¡± Yan Yu said with a deliberate glare, ¡°I¡¯ll report this immediately!¡±

    ¡°Scared,¡± Ye Jun playfully crossed her arms across her chest, ¡°Please don¡¯t report me! I¡¯ll do anything!¡±

    Seeing that she was still in the mood to joke, she did not seem to be brooding over it.

    But if she had truly let go, why hadn¡¯t she automatically passed the trial?

    As Yan Yu pondered quietly, he suddenly heard Ye Jun say:

    ¡°Speaking of which, Yan Yu, with so many beautiful girls around you, haven¡¯t you taken a liking to any of them?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Yan Yu quickly denied.

    ¡°How so?¡± Ye Jun said with a smile, ¡°Are they all too familiar to make a move?¡±

    ¡°You can guess,¡± Yan Yu teased.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ye Jun really began to guess, ¡°Chen Lingyun is quite a good girl, but her family background is too prominent; being with her must be very stressful, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu agreed, although most of that stress probably came more from the girl¡¯s difficult personality rather than her family, but that wasn¡¯t something he needed to explain to Ye Jun.

    ¡°Su Yunjin and Lin Ning, though their family backgrounds can¡¯t compare to Chen Lingyun¡¯s, are also quite favorable,¡± Ye Jun continued, ¡°The difference is probably in their personalities. I think Su Yunjin is gentler and smarter, while Lin Ning is relatively more naive and lively¡­ You don¡¯t have feelings for either of them?¡±

    ¡°Keep guessing,¡± Yan Yu neither confirmed nor denied.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t had much contact with Zhao Yuanzhen,¡± Ye Jun said with a smile, ¡°She must be the naive and carefree type, right? Xie Ruoxi is more introverted and shy¡­ Now that I think about it, you have all types of girls in your team! If you don¡¯t fancy this one or that one, could it be that you like men?¡±

    Her probing was too obvious that Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but laugh aloud:

    ¡°None of the above. I am 100% heterosexual, and I like girls who are good-looking, well-shaped, and smart. As for why I wouldn¡¯t consider my teammates, the answer is simple: I am only nineteen years old, in the prime of my youth, so why the rush to date?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Ye Jun breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing him admit he was heterosexual, and her mind started to calculate again.

    Good-looking, well-shaped, smart? Do I count? How does Yan Yu see me?

    Just as she wanted to continue the casual chat and probe further, suddenly, they heard a shrill air raid siren from outside the window.

    The two of them were startled and immediately flew out of the open window using their Sword Control, only to see black smoke spreading everywhere around them.

    A vast number of unidentified civilian cultivators were fighting and killing each other in the streets, creating chaos as crowds fled in panic.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Ye Jun, who had never seen such a scene, cried out in shock.

    This was Jinmen Prefecture! The accompanying capital of three dynasties, the gateway to the Bohai Sea, how could the authorities allow turmoil here?

    Yan Yu, however, was slightly taken aback and then quickly realized.

    Is this my heart demon? Hilarious.

    In a past life, after the civil strife in Jinmen was quelled, the official report claimed that over two thousand warriors had died, but the actual death toll was definitely upwards of three thousand. Originally part of Squad Six, after the first day of fighting, I was reorganized into Squad Eighteen; on the second day, I ended up in Squad Fifty-Six¡­ Why? Because the members of my original squad were all gone, killed, leaving nothing but the squad number!

    If it hadn¡¯t been for this turmoil, ordinary warriors might have become the third major pillar supporting Lu Country, just like the cultivators from the Military Manor and those from the teams. But this one incident led to heavy losses among veteran warriors, one in ten new recruits surviving, with all the instructors dead as well, followed by a frantic influx of new recruits and inexperienced new instructors, causing a rapid decline in overall quality that was inevitable.

    Sigh, this really doesn¡¯t count as a heart demon; even if you remind me about it here, it only annoys me.

    So annoying! Let¡¯s end this quickly!

    ¡°Ye Jun, how¡¯s your swordsmanship?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Uh, it¡¯s so-so,¡± Ye Jun replied, somewhat embarrassed.

    The Dragon Soar Team, consisting of five members with four taking offensive roles and three as Sword Immortals, naturally didn¡¯t need her sword technique, which was why Ye Jun hardly ever practiced it.

    ¡°Come on, give it a try,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s just an illusion; it doesn¡¯t matter whether you can beat it or not. Just give it a shot.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Ye Jun thought that made sense and nodded in agreement.

    As the two descended, they saw a group of ordinary martial artists being slaughtered on the main road below by civilian cultivators¡­ All were faces familiar to Yan Yu.

    But Yan Yu was unfazed, his mind as still as an ancient well.

    They¡¯re illusions, what do they have to do with me? Besides, even if it were real, it wouldn¡¯t bother me.

    Now that the Longcheng Flying General has been reborn, would I let my brothers lose their lives for nothing again?

    Huang Tingjian cleanly and decisively killed off the civilian cultivators, leaving only the strongest Sword Immortal. Then, turning to Ye Jun, he said via telepathy:

    ¡°Here, this one¡¯s for you. Have a go at it.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Ye Jun then attacked with her controlled sword.

    Her swordsmanship skills truly weren¡¯t very impressive, about the same level as Yun Jin¡¯s. She was too slow in her reactions, lacking in aggression, and completely devoid of skill. It didn¡¯t take long for her to engage the civilian cultivator on equal footing¡ªan expected outcome, given the mediocre skills of the civilian cultivators, who were all self-taught.

    But Yan Yu was thoroughly enjoying the fight, continuing to offer comments and guidance through telepathy:

    ¡°Speed up the rhythm.¡±

    ¡°Use the ¡®White Rainbow Through the Sun¡¯ to strike at his face.¡±

    ¡°Triple ¡®Eagle Soars into the Sky¡¯! Too late, no problem, keep fighting.¡±

    ¡°This guy has a flaw in his sword technique habits. When he turns left, he likes to trace an arc and lags half a beat.¡±

    ¡°First attack his left side, then suddenly switch to the right to catch him off guard.¡±

    ¡°Right, just like that.¡±

    Ye Jun executed the strategy of feinting one way and attacking another, forcing the opposing civilian cultivator into a complete retreat. He could not fend her off, and it left her quite amazed.

    What¡¯s happening? Could it be that I also have the talent of a Sword Immortal?

    Engrossed in these thoughts, the opponent made an error; his flying sword was knocked away in a frontal clash, exposing a vulnerability.

    ¡°White Rainbow Through the Sun!¡± Yan Yu called out.

    Ye Jun executed the sword technique, and the Tianwen Sword shot forward, decapitating the opponent.

    ¡°I won!¡± She couldn¡¯t help exclaiming in surprise.

    Although it happened in the Illusion Realm, her opponent¡¯s swordsmanship level wasn¡¯t weak (in her opinion), and this was also the first time she had won a pure Sword Control Technique duel without using any magical treasures against a professional Sword Immortal!

    ¡°Not bad, not bad,¡± Yan Yu said with feigned surprise. ¡°I had no idea you actually had a talent for swordsmanship, Sword Immortal Ye Jun! One really cannot judge a book by its cover!¡±

    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m surprised myself,¡± Ye Jun humbly replied, ¡°but it¡¯s all thanks to your guidance.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. If you weren¡¯t capable yourself, all my advice would have been pointless,¡± Yan Yu said, seeing the clouds lift from her face and continuing with compliments. ¡°I still suggest you try pursuing other career paths; don¡¯t just fixate on defensive roles. You¡¯re a cultivator, not a corporate cog; there¡¯s no need to limit your career development for the team.¡± Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± Ye Jun pondered seriously. ¡°Maybe I should try dual-classing in swordsmanship?¡±

    ¡°That could work,¡± Yan Yu immediately agreed. ¡°After all, there¡¯s no cost to giving it a try.¡±

    Did Ye Jun really have a talent for swordsmanship? Obviously not; her victory was because the opposition was weak.

    But if Ye Jun wanted to follow in Lord Master¡¯s footsteps and attempt to cultivate two professions, she certainly couldn¡¯t tell the team (as she knew permission from above would be unlikely). So, if she encountered problems while practicing swordsmanship, who else could she turn to but me for advice?

    Haha, Liu Longtao, I¡¯m about to have an affair with your deputy captain! My axe is ready to swing!

 Chapter 386: 82 Two-handed Sword Control Technique

    Chapter 386: Chapter 82 Two-handed Sword Control Technique

    The two of them joked and laughed as they slaughtered left and right in the Illusion Realm.

    Despite the hellish battlefield scene, Ye Jun wasn¡¯t the least bit nervous or scared because, firstly, she knew it was fake, and secondly, she had the great deity Yan Yu by her side to give guidance. She just kept using the Sword Control Technique, relentlessly killing enemies from all directions.

    As for the Xuan Guang Ruler, which she usually held in her hands, ready to activate at any moment, she now casually hung it at her waist.

    For an Assistant Officer, a magic artifact in battle must be kept ready to be activated at all times, so strictly speaking, her behavior was against the rules¡ªbut Ye Jun didn¡¯t care anymore.

    I¡¯m not gonna be an Assistant Officer anymore! Starting from today, my secret identity is that of a Sword Immortal!

    Seeing her in high spirits, Yan Yu was also infected by her radiant smile, feeling an indescribable joy¡­ although the Privy Council and the audience friends in front of the TVs who were still monitoring the live broadcast suffered for it.

    ...

    Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t take long before the Illusion Realm challenge collapsed with a loud bang.

    Returning to their senses, the two found themselves standing at the entrance to the Departure Palace square.

    Right in front was the East Sea Departure Palace, built with giant clam columns, gold and jade bricks, glazed stones, and coral tiles, and adorned with colorful clouds and sea-sky lights that hung down like pearl curtains, resembling the East Sea Dragon Palace and exuding an air of otherworldly charm.

    Excited by the sight of such a magnificent classical building, Ye Jun couldn¡¯t help but push Yan Yu from behind.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside and take a look.¡±

    ¡°No rush,¡± Yan Yu said, waving his hand, ¡°I¡¯ll take a look at our surroundings, you just wait here.¡±

    He looked around and quickly gathered some basic information.

    Unsurprisingly, flying was prohibited here. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    One could use Sword Flight or the Cloud Ascension Technique, but not go higher than 2 meters above the ground¡ªan enormous restriction for a Cultivator.

    The square in front of the Departure Palace Gate was very spacious and had no cover.

    This meant that the square area was not conducive to Rikoku Cultivators fighting outnumbered, as attacks could come from all directions making it hard to dodge and move about.

    Moving from the square towards the palace, one first had to ascend nine steps. There was a clear difference in elevation between the top and bottom of the stairway, and on both sides were deeper ponds filled with seaweed and lotuses, encircled by white jade railings to prevent people from falling in.

    Yan Yu tried attacking the railings only to find his Flying Sword couldn¡¯t leave a mark, which indicated that the Mysterious Realm¡¯s prohibition rendered them indestructible¡ªmeaning the defenders could take advantage of the high ground and railing cover to hold their position and attack enemies below, but the enemies below would have to use projectile attacks to stand a chance, as the railings would likely block anything else.

    The entire foundation of the Departure Palace rose from the ground, surrounded by a ring of railings and ponds, with only three sets of stairs directly in front of the main door allowing access: the stairs to the left and right were narrow, allowing only single-file passage; the central stairs were the widest, making them more difficult to defend.

    Yan Yu, leading Ye Jun, stepped onto the stairs and discovered another ring of open space between the outer walls of the palace and the perimeter railings for passage.

    However, there were no windows on the walls, which shared the indestructibleness, thus everyone had to enter through the main door; circling to the side or back walls was pointless.

    The main door of the Departure Palace was a colossal wooden gate. Yan Yu took a deep breath and pushed the door open to enter.

    From the outside, it looked splendid, but the inside was incredibly vast. Four pillars stood in each corner, a scroll depicting the ethereal Nine Heavens Profound Lady hung on the central wall, and below it were an incense table and a meditation cushion.

    ¡°So to claim the rewards, we have to worship Buddha, huh?¡± Ye Jun teased.

    Yan Yu looked around briefly, then knelt on the cushion, bowed his head, and silently prayed.

    Shortly after, an ethereal female voice resonated within the palace:

    ¡°Cultivator Yan Yu, having passed six trials, you are the first to clear this challenge, with excellent results.¡±

    ¡°Choose one of the three rewards: ¡®Long Eyebrow Immortal¡¯s Outline of the Two-handed Sword Control Technique Heart Dharma,¡¯ ¡®Huashan Sect¡¯s Secret Fiery Thunder Sound Sword Formation,¡¯ or a Water-Repelling Divine Pearl produced by a bivalve spirit with three thousand years of cultivation.¡±

    Yan Yu listened carefully, quietly pondering his decision.

    The first two rewards were undoubtedly tailored to my Sword Immortal profession. The Two-handed Sword Control Technique could be understood by referencing the methods of the Mirror Lake Divine Palace¡¯s azure-robed female immortal. It was a one-to-many secret technique, allowing the user to simultaneously control two swords, one for attack and the other for defense, representing an all-around enhancement of combat capabilities; the sword formation likely involved joint attacks with multiple combatants, such as the three Sword Immortals from the Dragon Soar Team, who could consider adopting a sword formation approach to combat.

    As for the Water-Repelling Divine Pearl, it was a heavenly material and earthy treasure that could be used in the crafting of magic artifacts, though it was also a magic artifact in its own right¡ªI guess it realized I had a puppet on me.

    ¡°Disciple chooses ¡®The Long Eyebrow Immortal¡¯s Exposition on the Two-handed Sword Control Technique Fundamentals¡¯,¡± Yan Yu stated decisively in a deep voice.

    No sooner had he spoken than a multitude of information flooded his mind.

    He found himself standing on a mountain peak, with an elderly man with extremely long and white eyebrows and a haughty demeanor in front of him, explaining the essentials of the Two-handed Sword Control Technique:

    ¡°What do you think is the key to the Two-handed Sword Control Technique?¡±

    ¡°Uh,¡± Yan Yu hesitated, ¡°divided attention between two tasks?¡±

    ¡°Wrong! Terribly wrong!¡± The Long Eyebrow Immortal rebuked, ¡°What¡¯s so difficult about divided attention? Don¡¯t you also divide your attention when you eat while reading a book?¡±

    Yan Yu couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue with him and said with a bow:

    ¡°The junior is dull-witted. Please enlighten me, senior¡­¡±

    ¡°You should call me master!¡± The Long Eyebrow Immortal knocked on his head, saying irritably, ¡°Even though I¡¯ve only left a divine consciousness here, and my true self does not know you, you have inherited my teachings, thus you must acknowledge our mentor-disciple relationship, understand?¡±

    The immortal old man is so fussy; good thing he¡¯s not my real master in reality, or else¡­ Yan Yu complained inwardly but outwardly replied:

    ¡°The disciple remembers.¡±

    ¡°The crux of the Two-handed Sword Control lies in training your swordsmanship to the point where your fingers can wield the swords as if they were your own arms, fundamentally testing your level of swordsmanship, not some fanciful divided attention!¡± the Long Eyebrow Immortal spoke earnestly, ¡°You should not think about controlling another flying sword with divided attention while you are wielding one. That would lead you astray. Rather, consider the two swords as your two hands. When your right hand holds chopsticks to pick up rice, and your left hand flips through a book, do you need to specifically practice divided attention? No! The same principle applies to the Two-handed Sword Control Technique!¡±

    ¡°The disciple understands,¡± Yan Yu said impatiently, ¡°I can eat with my right hand and read with my left, yet I cannot control two swords with both hands. Please, master, dispel my confusion.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, the reason you cannot control two swords with your hands is because the meridian channels in your left and right arms are different,¡± the Long Eyebrow Immortal said coldly, ¡°The meridian channels of the left hand are connected to the heart, liver, and kidneys, whereas those of the right hand are connected to the lungs, spleen, and life gate. Thus, if you wish to circulate qi through both hands simultaneously, you must follow separate circulation paths that do not interfere with each other¡­¡±

    Dammit, it¡¯s these circulation paths I want to learn, why are you going on about divided attention!?

    Yan Yu¡¯s inner monologue was filled with vehement scoffing, yet he concentrated more intently and memorized the circulation paths taught by the Long Eyebrow Immortal.

    Hmm, interesting¡­ It¡¯s quite a clever design, splitting one qi circulation path into two, with each capable of independent existence¡­ It¡¯s a pity I didn¡¯t acquire the Two-handed Sword Control Technique in my previous life. Otherwise, in my last battle, I might have been able to turn the tide and come back against the wind¡­

    ¡°Have you memorized it?¡± asked the Long Eyebrow Immortal after concluding his explanation.

    ¡°The disciple has memorized it,¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    ¡°Very good,¡± the Long Eyebrow Immortal paused for a moment and then suddenly asked, ¡°Aside from the Two-handed Sword Control Technique, this old man has other teachings to pass on. Do you wish to learn them?¡±

    What does he mean? Isn¡¯t the Departure Palace supposed to only issue one reward?

    With his vast experience, Yan Yu immediately realized that this ¡°Long Eyebrow Immortal¡± had placed his own teachings into the Departure Palace¡¯s reward inventory and then snuck in some personal goodies, guiding his disciples to seek his other inheritances.

    But the problem is, the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng is not in this world! The things you left behind are mostly hidden in some mysterious realm, and it¡¯s uncertain if they will ever appear on this version of Earth. If they were in Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s Cultivation World, then I might try to search for them.

    Yan Yu dismissed the idea internally with disdain, but nevertheless said:

    ¡°The disciple wishes to learn. Please instruct me, master.¡±

    The Long Eyebrow Immortal nodded in satisfaction and then uttered four locations, followed by a clap of his hands.

    Startled, Yan Yu suddenly realized he was still kneeling on the cushion in the Departure Palace, and Ye Jun was looking at him with curiosity.

 Chapter 387: 83: Everyone Gathers the Treasure

    Chapter 387: Chapter 83: Everyone Gathers the Treasure

    Ye Jun knelt on the cushion and began to receive her award. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu silently reviewed the Two-handed Sword Control Technique that the Long-browed Old Man had passed on to him, thinking the more he contemplated it, the more ingenious and limitless in utility it seemed.

    In the previous lifetime¡¯s journey to the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng, why had nobody managed to acquire the Two-handed Sword Control Technique?

    Could it be that only top-tier swordsmanship experts like myself, a god-level talent, were eligible to unlock it?

    While he was lost in thought, he heard a female voice announcing Ye Jun¡¯s rewards. It was still a choice of three:

    The Demon-Subduing Vajra, the Purple Gold Bowl, and the Glazed Lamp.

    ...

    ¡°Why are they all Buddhist Sect treasures?¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but complain.

    ¡°Amitabha.¡± With her hands pressed together, Ye Jun replied with a kind and compassionate smile, ¡°Benefactor, which one do you think would be more appropriate for me to choose?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll share my guess,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°The Demon-Subduing Vajra is obviously geared toward offense, straightforward in smiting one¡¯s enemies; the Purple Gold Bowl is likely a control-type treasure, perhaps emitting a light to immobilize others; as for the Glazed Lamp¡­ I¡¯m not sure. The essence of a lamp treasure lies in its flame, but is this flame damaging or controlling? I think there¡¯s a higher chance it¡¯s meant to harm, similar to Taoism Methods.¡±

    ¡°So,¡± Ye Jun pondered carefully, ¡°the Purple Gold Bowl is for control, the Demon-Subduing Vajra is for single-target attacks, and the Glazed Lamp is likely for area attacks, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s one way to look at it,¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°If you¡¯re considering teamwork in battle, choose the Purple Gold Bowl; to strengthen personal power, choose the Demon-Subduing Vajra. I¡¯m not certain about the Glazed Lamp; it could have a wide range between its highest and lowest potential, so if you want to play it safe, go with the Vajra.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll choose the Glazed Lamp,¡± Ye Jun declared without a second thought, ¡°I¡¯ll take a gamble. If it doesn¡¯t meet my expectations, I¡¯ll turn it over to the Dingbei Army and exchange it for something like the Demon-Subduing Vajra that specializes in single-target attacks.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Yan Yu agreed, ¡°then select the lamp.¡±

    No sooner had Ye Jun made her choice than a Glazed Lamp appeared in her hand, topped with a red silk knot, which allowed her to carry it with ease.

    ¡°How is it?¡± Yan Yu inquired, ¡°Shall we start refining it now?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Ye Jun was enamored with the Glazed Lamp, admiringly turning it over in her hands, clearly satisfied with its crystal-clear appearance, ¡°I¡¯ll start refining it now. You keep watch for me outside.¡±

    Yan Yu walked towards the main entrance, when the female voice spoke again:

    ¡°Having received the reward, do you wish to be transported out of the Secret Realm?¡±

    Without needing further discussion, both of them said in unison:

    ¡°No!¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The third person to arrive at the Departure Palace was none other than Liu Longtao, appearing in the center of the square, with the Ying Long Sword floating and ready for any surprise attacks.

    Then he saw Yan Yu standing on higher ground in front of the Departure Palace Gate, standing with his hands behind his back, looking down at him from above.

    His feelings were mixed: on one hand, there was the sting of being bested by ¡®Old Yan¡¯ again, and on the other, a sense of relief that ¡®Old Yan¡¯s presence meant everything would be alright.

    Lord Master quickly approached the Departure Palace Gate and asked:

    ¡°How did it go?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re third,¡± Yan Yu answered, ¡°Ye Jun is inside as well.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Liu Longtao sighed in relief. As long as no Transcendents from foreign lands had come in, it was all good.

    Rikoku Secret Realm, the treasures of L¨ªg¨­ng, must not be allowed to fall into foreign hands!

    Official matters take precedence. As for having conceded a few moves to ¡®Old Yan¡¯ this time, letting him get first place, that was trivial, not worth fussing over; he¡¯d win it back next time.

    Lord Master strode into the Departure Palace, while Yan Yu stood in the middle of the steps, from where he could easily overlook the entire square.

    Wondering who the fourth to arrive would be¡­

    ¡­Ah, here they come.

    In the middle of the square, another flash of white light appeared as two women, one tall and one short, materialized simultaneously¡ªit was Zhao Yuanzhen and Chen Lingyun.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress, her hands forming sword techniques, still on guard, brightened at the sight of Yan Yu in front of her and quickly ran up to ask:

    ¡°Where is the Departure Palace? Where do we go to claim the treasure?¡±

    ¡°Go inside and kneel,¡± Yan Yu pointed behind him.

    ¡°Why should I!¡± the Demonic Sect Enchantress raged, ¡°Is the Departure Palace your personal property? Do I have to kneel to you to take a treasure?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a cushion inside,¡± Yan Yu really wanted to slap her on the forehead, but remembering that he was currently live-streaming, he patiently explained, ¡°Kneel on it and get the treasure.¡±

    ¡°Oooh!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s anger instantly dissipated, and she revealed a beautiful smile once more, eagerly asking, ¡°How long do I have to kneel? Do I have to kowtow? Do I need to make a loud knocking sound?¡±

    ¡°No need, just bow once is enough,¡± Yan Yu said.

    The viewers in the live stream were already laughing their heads off. Although everyone felt the atmosphere was quite inappropriate, given that the Rikoku Cultivators had gathered at the gate of the Departure Palace, and the final battle was about to begin¡ªit was the tense moment before the storm¡­ Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s careless words still made everyone burst into laughter like thunder.

    ¡°How¡¯s it looking?¡± Chen Lingyun also came forward and asked telepathically.

    ¡°You¡¯re in fifth place,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile brightened, ¡°Then there shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±

    What even Rikoku did not know until now was that only the top ten in the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng could obtain treasures. So as long as the Rikoku Cultivators took the top ten spots, they could easily reap all the fruits of victory.

    But for her, this was only a basic requirement. Since she had personally taken action in this scheme, she not only wanted to maximize her own side¡¯s gains but also ensure the other side suffered the most severe losses¡­ Without achieving this, how could she prove her prowess to her father?

    ¡°I¡¯ll go in first,¡± she said with a beaming smile, ¡°Sister Zhao needs to choose a reward, don¡¯t you want to help her with the selection?¡±

    ¡°That works,¡± Yan Yu was initially planning to have Chen Lingyun watch over things. But after thinking it over, if the Demonic Sect Enchantress started causing trouble on the spot, this princess might not be able to handle her, so he turned around, intending to return to the Departure Palace¡ªjust in time to encounter Lord Master and Ye Jun, who had taken their treasures and were coming out to guard the gate.

    Inside the Departure Palace, Zhao Yuanzhen rushed to the altar, slid into a kneel on the cushion, and bowed without hesitation, saying:

    ¡°This junior has gone through myriad hardships to pass the Departure Palace trials, I implore the senior to grant me a treasure!¡±

    The woman¡¯s voice seemed somewhat speechless, taking a while before finally ringing out slowly:

    ¡°Cultivator Zhao Yuanzhen, you have passed six trials, being the fourth person to do so, with good performance.¡±

    ¡°Given your background in the Demon Cult¡¯s peripheral Taoism Method, you¡¯re not qualified to receive rewards in the Departure Palace. It¡¯s a pity that in the Age of Dharma Decline, cultivators are increasingly scarce, I hope you will restrain your temperament, pursue virtue and goodness, and not stray into the wrong path, seeking your own death, wasting this precious opportunity!¡±

    This woman¡¯s voice directly outed the full name and background of the Demonic Sect Enchantress. Yan Yu slightly frowned upon hearing this but then thought it didn¡¯t matter. She had used a false name before to guard against Mei Yingxue, but now that Teacher Mei had expressed her resolution to reconcile, and with Chen Tianming pulling strings from the higher-ups, there was no need to keep the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s true identity a secret anymore.

    As for explaining it to the public, it was quite simple¡ªjust say that she had recently changed her name.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, however, didn¡¯t think so far ahead. She felt that the woman¡¯s voice showed disdain for her own sect, Qiansi Sect, and immediately her anger was evident in her expression:

    If you dare to shortchange me of the reward I deserve, I¡­ will tear down this Departure Palace!

    ¡°You may choose one from three rewards: Yellowstone White Jade Marrow, Wanzai Hanpo Ice, or Qian Spirit True Muddled Fire,¡± the woman¡¯s voice said indifferently.

    The three rewards given to the Demonic Sect Enchantress were all heavenly materials and earthly treasures¡ªit was obvious they recognized her puppetry as the core of her fighting style and were furnishing her with materials here!

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s eyes lit up, and without a second thought, she blurted out:

    ¡°Can I have them all?¡±

    The woman on the other side clearly choked on her words, taking a while before she started speaking again, her voice turning colder:

    ¡°Greedy and insatiable, the nature of a thief is hard to change!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± Yan Yu finally lost his patience and slapped the back of the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s head, ¡°Stop the chatter and quickly choose a reward!¡±

    ¡°Then I choose the Qian Spirit True Muddled Fire,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately said.

    Seeing that she did not hesitate at all and seemed very confident, Yan Yu, not being too knowledgeable about crafting, watched the Demonic Sect Enchantress receive a stone box, carefully pocketing it before turning to say:

    ¡°Ling Yun, your turn.¡±

    ¡°Yes, alright,¡± Chen Lingyun stepped in front of the cushion and gracefully knelt down.

    After a moment, the woman¡¯s voice once again rose, but this time with a tone of surprise and doubt:

    ¡°Cultivator Chen Lingyun, you have passed six trials and are the fifth person to do so¡­ The Arcane Secrets of the Nine Heavens Yin Demon? Having practiced the major methods of the Demon Cult, why bother coming to the Departure Palace for a reward? There is nothing here for you, away with you, away!¡±

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile froze on her face.

 Chapter 388: 84 Enemy Attack

    Chapter 388: Chapter 84 Enemy Attack

    ¡°`

    When did I learn ¡°The Arcane Secrets of the Nine Heavens Yin Demon¡±?

    And it¡¯s even the orthodox spell of the Demonic Sect, how come I don¡¯t know about it myself?

    Although Chen Lingyun found it hard to accept, the female voice from the Departure Palace was clearly not going to reason with her and soon fell silent.

    She silently turned her head and saw Zhao Yuanzhen taking pleasure in her misfortune, while Yan Yu looked pensive.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Chen Lingyun quickly regained her composure and said with a smile.

    ...

    ¡°You¡¯re just going to accept it like that?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s expression immediately turned to one of disbelief.

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress, who tended to judge others by her own standard, would have gone on a wild rampage in the palace if the Departure Palace¡¯s mechanisms dared to treat her this way, destroying everything until she flipped the incense tables and burnt the wall hangings to relieve her anger!

    Chen Lingyun wasn¡¯t exactly a magnanimous person. Could it be that she would just swallow her anger?

    Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

    The trio left the main gate of the Departure Palace and saw Yang Linhui and Guo Feiyun arriving at the same place.

    Since the Inferno Pass had been blocked by Yan Yu for a time, allowing the Rikoku Cultivators to take the lead, after Yan Yu passed through, they immediately queued for the next trial, so it was normal for them to be the first to reach the final destination, the Departure Palace.

    Ye Jun quickly used a sound transmission to summon the two over, urging them to go into the Departure Palace to claim the treasure and secure the sixth and seventh places¡­ to be precise, considering Chen Lingyun¡¯s disqualification for reasons that couldn¡¯t be disclosed, it was actually the fifth and sixth places.

    ¡°Now, there are also our team¡¯s Ai Lu, and your team¡¯s Lin Ning, Su Yunjin, and Xie Ruoxi who haven¡¯t arrived yet,¡± Liu Longtao transmitted to Yan Yu.

    The implication was clear: our team has four members here, and your team has only three. At this moment, our Dragon Soar Team is in the lead!

    Sorry, old Yan. I¡¯m going to win!

    Yan Yu, however, wasn¡¯t even thinking about competing with him and instead asked back:

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Xie Ruoxi enter the Mysterious Realm with you? How come you left her behind and came here alone?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re misunderstanding me,¡± Liu Longtao hurriedly defended, ¡°there¡¯s a trial in this Mysterious Realm that tests one¡¯s mental state by pulling them into an illusionary realm it creates. You remember, right?¡±

    ¡°Xie Ruoxi and I entered that trial at the same time but were separated into our own memory illusions. After I passed that trial, I didn¡¯t see her at the next transfer point, and I couldn¡¯t wait any longer, guessing she must¡¯ve gotten stuck at the previous one. That¡¯s the only reason I had to come alone! If it weren¡¯t for the fact that I spent quite a while waiting for her, that first place at the Departure Palace might not have been yours to take!¡±

    ¡°Heh,¡± Yan Yu expressed contempt for the latter part of his statement. Still¡­

    Lord Master certainly wouldn¡¯t stoop to lying about this sort of thing, so could it be that Xie Ruoxi was indeed trapped in the memory illusion?

    Wait, that kind of illusion can cause someone to get stuck? You beautiful waste, can¡¯t you pull yourself together?

    And considering Xie Ruoxi¡¯s waste of a performance inside Mirror Lake Divine Palace, Yan Yu didn¡¯t feel like saying much more.

    Guess it¡¯s better to wait for Yun Jin and Ningning¡­ Ah, here they come!

    Upon the plaza, large swaths of white light shone up, on the left without surprise were Su Yunjin and Lin Ning, and on the right was¡­

    An Onmyoji?

    Lin Ning was the quickest to react, her hands moved with a Sword Technique, and the Green Bamboo Sword¡¯s light struck towards the opposite side as she turned and pulled Su Yunjin to swiftly escape using the Shifting Technique.

    Caught up in the moment, Su Yunjin unconsciously ran alongside her, taking a second to realize before hastily forming a spell with her free hand:

    Star River Secret Art, Feichao Fenye!

    In a split second, what was an empty plaza was suddenly overwhelmed by reverse-flowing rivers; endless streams of water surged in, instantly covering half the plaza and forcefully scattering the Onmyoji¡¯s formation.

    Lin Ning, having struck down one adversary with the Green Bamboo Sword, was about to apply Sword Technique on a second one when she suddenly heard Yan Yu¡¯s sound transmission:

    ¡°Retreat.¡±

    The two girls quickly turned and dashed, only to see an armored Samurai emerge fiercely from the river waters, cutting off their path ahead as he attacked with his long blade.

    The vast amounts of water from Feichao Fenye continued to churn violently, yet the Samurai seemed to have used some secret technique, leveraging the weight of his body and armor, as each step he took sank deep into the ground, and he was not carried away by the currents.

    ¡°`

    Fortunately, Yan Yu had given an early warning, and the Green Bamboo Sword was already retracted in front of him.

    Lin Ning was about to form the sword technique with her hands and go up to block, but she just saw a burst of light from behind flying toward her, instantly enveloping the samurai and trapping him inside.

    When the samurai forcefully shattered the light with his blade, he was faced with Lord Master¡¯s Ying Long Sword, piercing through the air in a direct slash toward his chest and abdomen. In haste, he used his blade to block, and ultimately, the force of the sword sent him flying into the raging currents.

    But Yan Yu saw clearly that the samurai had not sustained much damage, the advantage of Body Refinement Secret Art was fully displayed in this situation.

    For the Flying Sword to break through defenses is troublesome, the best way is to use the Taoism Method¡­ so why isn¡¯t the pretty waste coming yet?

    Su Yunjin and Lin Ning had already rushed up the steps, and Yan Yu quickly gestured with his hand for the two girls to enter the palace, urgently saying:

    ¡°Kneel on the meditation cushions to select the treasures, Yun Jin first, then Ningning, take them and come out immediately, quick quick quick quick quick!¡±

    The two young ladies also knew the urgency of the situation, because from the corner of their eye they saw a mass of white light reappearing in the Departure Palace plaza behind them. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Clearly, it was not a coincidence that so many foreign Transcendents broke through the six gates at the same time, but these people knew that the Rikoku Cultivators would be blocking them at the Departure Palace Gate, so they deliberately lingered at the last gate, gathering a large force, intending to overpower the Rikoku Cultivator¡¯s blockades and storm into the Departure Palace to claim the treasures!

    Charging into the Departure Palace, right in the center were the meditation cushions, and without any hesitation, Su Yunjin knelt down and heard the female voice inside the palace say:

    ¡°Cultivator Su Yunjin, you have passed through the six trials, ranking as the seventh to clear them, your performance is passable.¡±

    ¡°The art you cultivate is the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, which requires the Golden Core Realm to unleash its full power. Hence, I shall reward you with the following: six Blood Coagulant Ruby Pills, which can directly complete your Marrow Cleansing; Taiwei Hook Chen Star Sand, mixed with the water from the celestial river it can increase its power; Hundred Li Water Vein Shifting Technique, which is a water escape method, allowing you to move freely in the celestial river water, unimpeded.¡±

    Su Yunjin pondered for a moment. Behind her, Yan Yu was controlling his sword to block the enemy¡¯s attack from below, when suddenly, he turned his head and sent a telepathic message:

    ¡°Star Sand.¡±

    Su Yunjin immediately said:

    ¡°I choose the Taiwei Hook Chen Star Sand.¡±

    She could figure it out too: the Blood Coagulant Ruby Pills were definitely not needed since the current concentration of Spiritual Energy on Earth did not yet support complete Marrow Cleansing¡ªwhat use would they be?

    The Taiwei Star Sand and the Water Vein Shifting Technique, one enhanced attack, the other aided survival, indeed made Su Yunjin hesitate. But since her team leader had spoken, she had no further doubts and made her choice straight away!

    A small bag of Star Sand was placed in a cloth pouch and fell into her hands, and the method to use it automatically flowed into her sea of knowledge.

    It was only when Su Yunjin regained her senses that she realized the Star Sand in her hands was not complete, it was actually a small portion given by an immortal to their disciple for protection.

    The full quantity of the Taiwei Hook Chen Star Sand, when activated, could cover the sky and obstruct anything, shielding the user from elements like water and fire, and even cutting through swords. Thrown at a target, it could grind a Flying Sword¡¯s magical artifacts to dust. Such high-grade treasures were absolutely impossible for the Departure Palace to award to someone who was ¡°merely the seventh person to clear¡± the trials.

    However, this small pouch of Star Sand, not to mention defending oneself, was hardly enough to even wrap around an enemy¡¯s Flying Sword. At most, it could be used like diamond dust, mixed into the celestial river¡¯s water to evolve a particular move into a ¡°high-pressure water blade,¡± leveraging speed for cutting attacks.

    Su Yunjin, having acquired the Star Sand, didn¡¯t have time to refine it further. She tucked it into her pocket, got up, and went out the door to support Yan Yu outside.

    Lin Ning was close behind and knelt on the meditation cushion; she then heard the female voice say:

    ¡°Cultivator Lin Ning, you have passed through the six trials, ranking as the eighth to clear them, your performance is passable.¡±

    The eighth place¡­ Lin Ning felt a bit bitter in her heart. It was all because she lingered too long in the Illusion Realm, which also affected Yun Jin¡¯s ranking.

    Perhaps because she was only ranked eighth, there was much less that the female voice had to say to her, only speaking indifferently:

    ¡°Choose one of the following three rewards: ¡®East Sea Jade Coral Swordsmanship,¡¯ Zhenze Sword Box, or Duan Yu Hook Sword.¡±

    Lin Ning subconsciously wanted to choose the first option; after all, she neither needed a sword box nor a second Flying Sword¡­ But still, she telepathically asked Yan Yu:

    ¡°What should I choose?¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°You help Yun Jin choose but won¡¯t help me? I am furious! Quick, I don¡¯t have time to waste with you! Swordsmanship, Sword Box, or Flying Sword, which do I choose?¡± Lin Ning immediately became extremely angry.

    ¡°Then choose the Sword Box.¡± Yan Yu said.

 Chapter 389: 85: The Alliance of All Parties, Harboring Ulterior Motives

    Chapter 389: Chapter 85: The Alliance of All Parties, Harboring Ulterior Motives

    In Yan Yu¡¯s view, the three choices Lin Ning had were all passable, representing a standard type and not an overwhelmingly powerful must-have like the ¡°Two-handed Sword Control Technique.¡±

    Considering he had just acquired the Two-handed Sword Control Technique and would teach it to Lin Ning upon his return, he should have let her choose the Duan Yu Hook Sword, which would allow her to start practicing the two-handed technique right away.

    But then he suddenly remembered the woman in green from the Mirror Lake Divine Palace.

    She wielded a pair of swords, one of which was clearly the Green Bamboo Sword, while the other emitted a dark red light, supposedly a fire-attributed Flying Sword ¡ª and as for the Duan Yu Hook Sword, just by its name, one could tell it was metallic.

    Flying Swords are ultimately easy to replace; those of poor quality wouldn¡¯t be used for long. Although Storage Magical Treasures had a ¡°Mysterious Realm drop rate¡± similar to Flying Swords, with a thousand different kinds, finding one that a Sword Immortal could use was not easy.

    Better to choose the sword box!

    ...

    Following his advice, Lin Ning smoothly acquired the Zhenze Sword Box, which had the appearance of an unadorned black ebony box, with lacquer paintings that depicted stormy winds and rains.

    The method of use flowed into her mind: The box didn¡¯t need to be activated; simply placing a Flying Sword inside for a moment would nurture three layers of Metal Lightning Qi, adding substantial power when slashing.

    If she were to strike at an enemy from afar, the Metal Lightning Qi on the sword could be transformed into Sword Qi and shot out, with a force nearly equal to normal Sword Control, yet as invisible and colorless as the Metal-Element Impact Curse, making it difficult to guard against.

    However, Lin Ning had always been one to follow set patterns in her thinking. If a teacher told her ¡°how to use this sword box,¡± she could quickly become proficient through extensive practice; but if left to figure out the method on her own, she would subconsciously feel puzzled and could only carry the sword box on her back and let the Green Bamboo Sword fly into it to begin nurturing.

    Upon leaving the Departure Palace, Lin Ning¡¯s gaze became sharp once more. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    She saw that on the edge of the plaza outside the Departure Palace, seventy to eighty foreign Transcendents had already gathered, maintaining a standoff distance where neither side could attack the other.

    The Cultivators firmly held the three steps leading up, hiding behind the railings and preparing for a possible siege.

    ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± Lin Ning approached Yan Yu and asked.

    ¡°We¡¯re just missing Xie Ruoxi and Ai Lu,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    Two people had yet to arrive¡­ Lin Ning looked towards the plaza below and suddenly inhaled sharply.

    This is bad!

    With so many foreign Transcendents already in the plaza, should the two of them suddenly teleport over, they would be immediately ambushed from all directions, caught off guard. The slightest mishap could lead to a dire situation!

    But there was no helping it now; she could only hope that they were vigilant enough not to blunder into such an obvious trap¡­ On second thought, given Ruoxi¡¯s personality, she might not even be aware of this aspect.

    The perspective shifted to the plaza, where Transcendents from three factions had gathered without rushing into action.

    Why? The reason was simple: If they broke through the Lu Kingdom Cultivators¡¯ defenses and opened the way to the Departure Palace, who would enter first, and who would follow?

    Those who entered first would feast, while those who came after had to settle for leftovers. The current problem was that everyone wanted the feast and wished to leave the scraps for others. This was exactly the intention behind Lu Kingdom¡¯s calculated leak of ¡°better rewards for those who enter the Departure Palace first,¡± which was clearly meant to create discord among the three factions.

    Everyone was wise: without consensus on this issue, once the path to the Departure Palace entrance was opened, it would be a moment when allies could turn on each other ¡ª before even entering the Departure Palace, the three factions might fight each other, targeting whoever was at the forefront. Wouldn¡¯t that be playing right into the hands of the Lu Kingdom Cultivators?

    ¡°Our demands are simple,¡± Xiandao Jingyin spoke up first, ¡°to join forces and fully defeat the blockade by the Lu Kingdom Cultivators.¡±

    ¡°After breaking through, who enters or exits the Departure Palace first will be based on individual ability. Whatever one gets is theirs, but we absolutely will not tolerate attacks on allies.¡±

    ¡°I object,¡± Park Changmin expressed dissent on behalf of Lihuayuan, ¡°If we truly break through the Lu Kingdom¡¯s defense, they will inevitably fight desperately to halt us. You Onmyoji from the Cherry Blossoms are the best at concealment; escaping the opposition and entering the Departure Palace is far easier for you than for us ¡ª your proposal is clearly most beneficial to you.¡±

    Xiandao Jingyin scoffed at this, thinking everyone proposed terms that were in their favor.

    But since Park Changmin had bluntly raised his point, she countered:

    ¡°Then, what are your suggestions?¡±

    ¡°Each faction sends some people,¡± suggested Park Changmin, ¡°to engage the Lu Kingdom Cultivators, creating opportunities for the rest to rush into the Departure Palace.¡±

    ¡°Agreed,¡± Xiandao Jingyin nodded.

    ¡°Unacceptable,¡± Stevenson, from the Superheroes, flatly denied, ¡°The group responsible for suppressing the Lu Kingdom Cultivators are doing the heaviest and most dangerous work; entering the Departure Palace later than their teammates for inferior spoils is unfair to them.¡±

    ¡°Secure the treasures of the Departure Palace first; afterward, feel free to redistribute within your factions,¡± suggested Xiandao Jingyin.

    ¡°That won¡¯t work,¡± Stevenson still shook his head, ¡°We can¡¯t force the Superheroes to relinquish their spoils; it would damage the honor of the heroes.¡±

    The Yin Yang Bureau and Lihuayuan, fundamentally, are still state institutions, and the Transcendents are currently obeying orders from above. Those who enter the Departure Palace first can hand over their spoils for secondary distribution later on, compensating teammates who contributed more.

    However, Miti has its unique national circumstances; most of the Superheroes come from freelance mercenaries in Europe, bound only by commercial interests held by the Superhero Alliance, showing little adherence to the Homeland Strategic Bureau.

    You want me to spit out the treasures I¡¯ve already secured for redistribution? Impossible! If you dare to pressure me with your commands, I¡¯ll just terminate my contract and go back to my country; no longer will I stay in your worthless place!

    It was precisely because Stevenson knew his mercenaries¡¯ temperaments that he dismissed the proposal as ¡°detrimental to honor,¡± preferring everyone to scramble for the treasures even if it meant fierce competition. At least whoever secured the treasures kept them, establishing a fait accompli on the spot that wouldn¡¯t cause much of a stir afterward.

    Park Changmin, seeing the Superhero Alliance unwilling to agree, reluctantly shrugged his shoulders, while Xiandao Jingyin frowned and said:

    ¡°Then, what is the opinion of the Superhero side?¡±

    ¡°We have only one goal for this trip,¡± Stevenson said calmly, ¡°which is to obtain the spoils of war inside the Departure Palace. We don¡¯t care about anything else.¡±

    Xiandao Jingyin and Park Changmin were startled and immediately cursed the shamelessness in their hearts.

    The other party was actually putting on pressure with implications: You from the Yin Yang Bureau and Lihuayuan are adjacent to Rikoku, hence you have the need to weaken Rikoku Cultivators¡¯ power while we, across the Pacific Ocean, do not have these scruples. We just want to get our hands on the treasures of the Departure Palace¡ªif you get less, we won¡¯t participate. You figure it out!

    But let¡¯s not forget, it was the Homeland Strategic Bureau of Miti who took the initiative to organize this tripartite alliance! So you play the good cop, and we play the bad cop, wanting to have both face and inside advantage, huh!

    Considering the greater picture, Xiandao Jingyin could only swallow his anger and asked coldly:

    ¡°If everyone acts on their own, Lihuayuan disagrees; if we divide the work and cooperate, the Superheroes disagree; but we must come up with a plan, right? The Rikoku Cultivators won¡¯t just kindly make way for us.¡±

    Stevenson didn¡¯t express any agreement or disagreement. In fact, he was rather in favor of Xiandao Jingyin¡¯s plan in his heart. Even if Onmyoji excelled at stealth and infiltration to gain an advantage and secure better spoils of war, that was their own skill. At most, his mercenary teammates might grumble a few weird complaints, but it wouldn¡¯t lead to a fallout and a fierce fight with their allies.

    However, according to Park Changmin¡¯s plan, with some people outside restraining the opponents and others taking the opportunity to enter and seize treasures, the superheroes knew what their teammates were worth and certainly no one would want to stay on the outside to distract. But if you asked them to all go in first to get the treasures, the Yin Yang Bureau and Lihuayuan would definitely disagree.

    This is a tough one.

    Just as Stevenson was about to state his position and endorse Xiandao Jingyin¡¯s plan, he heard Park Changmin say again:

    ¡°In that case, I have an idea.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your thought?¡± asked Xiandao Jingyin.

    ¡°We still rush into the Departure Palace in batches, but we add a process of turning everything in and subsequently redistributing it,¡± Park Changmin spoke confidently, ¡°Those outside are responsible for restraining the opponents. Whatever those who enter capture, they are not allowed to hide anything. After they come out, they must turn everything over to the alliance, and only then will we negotiate and split the spoils of war among the three parties.¡±

    ¡°What if someone insists on hiding things?¡± Stevenson asked with a sneer, ¡°How can you ensure that the first batch to rush into the Departure Palace will fulfill the agreement later, bringing out the best spoils of war for redistribution with the other two parties?¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± said Xiandao Jingyin, as if he had an epiphany, and explained, ¡°If anyone dares to break the agreement, we all rise together to attack them without mercy. Is that the idea?¡±

    Stevenson then also understood and started calculating in his mind.

    The superheroes were undisciplined and profit-driven, posing a high risk of breaking their promises. But if the Lihuayuan and Yin Yang Bureau were to enter the Departure Palace first, since they had strict hierarchies and strict rules internally, in theory, it was possible to demand everyone to turn in all spoils of war for redistribution by the tripartite alliance.

    Of course, in reality, there was also the possibility that these two parties could renege on their agreements afterward, but as Xiandao Jingyin said, ¡°Anyone who dares to renege and break the agreement, just kill them, and that¡¯s the end of it.¡±

    Any party present could not withstand the combined attack of the other two, plus with Rikoku Cultivators watching like tigers, even if someone intends to breach the agreement, they would have to think carefully if they can survive and leave the Lu Kingdom¡¯s seas with the spoils of war.

    Additionally, this plan had another benefit: in the stage of secondary redistribution later on, who gets which piece of the spoils of war would be up for negotiation, increasing this captain¡¯s say in the matter, right?

    ¡°I agree,¡± Stevenson finally said.

    The three parties finally reached a consensus, and Xiandao Jingyin also breathed a sigh of relief, asking:

    ¡°So, what¡¯s the order of entry?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll go in first,¡± Park Changmin volunteered.

    ¡°No way,¡± Stevenson quickly vetoed, ¡°Your swordsmen are too fast.¡±

    The swordsmanship lineage of the Lihuayuan Swordsmen, essentially, derived from the Lu Kingdom Sword Immortal, it¡¯s just that they refuse to admit it. If the Lihuayuan Swordsmen decide to renege after grabbing the treasures, and flee at full speed using Sword Control, the other two parties would indeed have trouble intercepting them all.

    ¡°Then the Superheroes go first?¡± Xiandao Jingyin showed a willingness to compromise.

    ¡°Let your Onmyoji go in first,¡± Stevenson suggested.

    After all, if the Lihuayuan Swordsmen had the capital to renege, the superheroes had the strong will to do so. You can¡¯t predict if one of those idiots would risk their lives after the fact, insisting on taking down something against everyone¡ªthese fools could really pull it off.

    ¡°That works,¡± Xiandao Jingyin nodded.

    ¡°The Onmyoji aren¡¯t bringing live streaming cameras, right?¡± Park Changmin said with a sneer, ¡°If they take something and afterward hand over half while hiding the rest, what do we do? We have no way to verify it.¡±

    ¡°We are willing to be searched,¡± Xiandao Jingyin said, ¡°After coming out, we will immediately turn in the spoils of war and also undergo another search to ensure there is no private hoarding.¡±

    ¡°What if there are Storage Magical Treasures¡­¡± Park Changmin wanted to question further but was interrupted by Stevenson:

    ¡°Do you have evidence? Proof that they brought Storage Magical Treasures with them?¡±

    Of course, there was no evidence. Thus Park Changmin could only scoff again and fell silent.

 Chapter 390: 86 : Inviting Shinyori

    Chapter 390: 86 Chapter: Inviting Shinyori

    ¡°They¡¯ve made their move,¡± Lin Ning suddenly said.

    Yan Yu looked down from the main entrance of the Departure Palace and saw the three allied forces starting to mobilize.

    The Lihuayuan Swordsmen and the superheroes began to extend the battle line to both flanks, preparing to launch firepower projections towards the high ground in front.

    The Onmyoji gathered together, with the heavily armored samurai serving as the vanguard of the phalanx, ready to withstand the cultivators¡¯ firepower and charge up the highlands to cover the other Onmyoji¡¯s entry into the Departure Palace.

    ¡°Yun Jin, Lin Hui,¡± on the cultivators¡¯ side, Chen Lingyun had also begun to deploy troops and formations, ¡°you two go to the left and right stairs, respectively. Liu Longtao, you will defend the central stairs. Any problems with that?¡±

    ¡°Haha,¡± Liu Longtao was also straightforward, casually standing in the center of the central stairs, arms folded, looking down at the allied forces with a disdainful sneer.

    ...

    Having arranged for the three magicians, Chen Lingyun continued to command:

    ¡°Lin Ning, Guo Fei Yun, the two of you please take your respective places to the left and right of the stairs and watch over the two entrances of the stairs on your sides, cooperating with the magicians¡¯ spells for interception¡­ priority on interception, with killing as secondary.¡±

    ¡°Received!¡± The two Sword Immortals also quickly took their positions.

    ¡°Ye Jun,¡± Chen Ling Yun paused for a moment and smiled, ¡°Your task is the heaviest, to bestow Xuan Guang Ruler¡¯s defensive buffs on everyone. Also, if necessary on the battlefield, you might need to provide control and support, so pay attention to sustaining your True Yuan.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Ye Jun nodded solemnly. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    On one hand, she had to maintain the defense on time, and on the other, she had to follow commands for control support; this was certainly a huge test of her concentration and the endurance of her True Yuan. Fortunately, if Secretary Ye had any virtues, it was her natural seriousness and meticulousness. During middle school and high school, her essays in Chinese class were always flawlessly written, with not a single mistake from start to finish, devoid of any traces of corrections¡ªshe was best at this kind of mechanical, detail-oriented work.

    ¡°Lastly, Yan Yu, Zhao Yuanzhen,¡± Chen Ling Yun said with a smile, ¡°the two of you will stand to my left and right, ready to act as fire-fighting team members at any moment, alright?¡±

    Yan Yu had no objections, but Zhao Yuanzhen protested:

    ¡°Everyone is fighting at the front, yet you want me to stay back here playing house with you? That makes no sense. Rather, let that Lord Master withdraw, and I alone can defend the central stairs.¡±

    With his back to everyone, Liu Longtao overheard Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s complaints clearly but said nothing more about it.

    Idiot. Lord Master thought to himself internally.

    In the past, he would have openly mocked her, but after traveling with Xie Ruoxi, his character and self-control had greatly improved.

    ¡°No way, Sister Zhao,¡± Chen Ling Yun said with a beaming smile, ¡°I have an extremely dangerous and important mission that only someone of Sister Zhao¡¯s strength can complete.¡±

    ¡°What mission?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked, raising an eyebrow.

    ¡°Shortly, Ai Lu and Ruoxi could be teleported into the enemy ranks at any moment,¡± Chen Ling Yun explained with a smile, ¡°To charge into the midst of thousands of troops and rescue the two of them, this is something only Sister Zhao can do.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was indeed satisfied, nodding in agreement:

    ¡°Sigh, there¡¯s really no helping it; I¡¯ll just stay here, then. Call me if they can¡¯t hold out.¡±

    Yan Yu silently watched the Demonic Sect Enchantress, thinking to himself, it¡¯s been almost a year since you crossed over, how are you still being manipulated by this worthless woman?

    Oh, right, there¡¯s a genetic gap in intelligence, never mind then.

    ¡°Everyone, please hold your positions!¡± Seeing the Onmyoji forces charging forward, Chen Ling Yun put away her smile and declared with authority, ¡°Be ready for my ghostly commands at any time!¡±

    Over on Ye Jun¡¯s side, she waved the Xuan Guang Ruler and immediately generated six light blossoms, enveloping the frontline magicians, Sword Immortals, and herself.

    In the distance, as the Onmyoji forces accelerated their advance, the allied forces quickly split into two.

    The ranged firepower base composed of the Lihuayuan Swordsmen and superheroes began to barrage the Rikoku Cultivators stationed on the high ground with crazy firepower. Most of the shots were blocked by the indestructible railings of the Departure Palace due to the distance, and the few stray bullets that hit the Rikoku Cultivators were blocked by the light blossoms from Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler.

    But the cultivators had no time to care about their long-range harassment as the first wave of samurai had already rushed up.

    A total of eight, two from the left, two from the right, and four taking the wide central stairs, trying to break through, were soon restrained by the Taoist magicians ¡ª Su Yun Jin used a massive wave to wash them away, Yang Linhui froze them solid with snow, and Liu Longtao, who was defending the central stairs, was the most domineering, his Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens technique roasted the central samurais, armor and all, on the spot.

    Unable to break through the first wave, Xiandao Jingyin immediately ordered the forces to retreat temporarily, turning to speak to Shenyuan Simie who had been arms-folded and watching from the side:

    ¡°Charging head-on is too costly in casualties, we need someone to disrupt the other side.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing,¡± Shenyuan Simie said with a mischievous smile.

    He cast his invisibility technique and silently disappeared from the battlefield.

    The Departure Palace was surrounded by deep pools on all sides, with only three sets of steps at the front entrance one could ascend.

    Shenyuan Simie circled to the back of the Departure Palace, casually summoning a large Tengu, only to find that it could wildly flap its wings at a height of two meters but could not fly due to the flight restriction magic.

    A flight restriction mechanism.

    With a slight smile, Shenyuan Simie withdrew the Tengu back into the talisman and summoned a giant ape over two meters tall, riding atop its neck.

    The giant ape nimbly leaped over the railing and dug its nails into the crevices of the green bricks, thus carrying Shenyuan Simie and climbing upwards with bare hands.

    At the front gate of the Departure Palace, where Chen Lingyun was subtly directing the battlefield, suddenly sent a voiced message to Yan Yu saying:

    ¡°Someone is coming from behind.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Yan Yu turned and walked away.

    Shenyuan Simie successfully climbed over the railing and arrived at the back of the Departure Palace, muttering to himself:

    ¡°Easy peasy.¡±

    No sooner had he finished speaking than the giant ape suddenly swung its arm towards the right!

    Almost in the next second, a severed right arm flew out, the light of Huang Tingjian¡¯s sword smashed the giant ape aside, and the composed Yan Yu appeared before Shenyuan Simie, initiating the Curved Curse with a punch aimed at his skull, chuckling:

    ¡°Hello!¡±

    The fist struck, but it hit a straw man.

    Ninja¡¯s Substitution Straw Man Technique? No, it must be a similar artifact. Given this scum¡¯s extreme emphasis on survival, it¡¯s not surprising.

    Shenyuan Simie reappeared five or six steps away, summoned the Tengu in front of him, and asked in rough Rikoku language:

    ¡°Longcheng Flying General?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Yan Yu used the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step to rush up like a specter, and the sword of Huang Tingjian directly slashed at the Tengu, ¡°Surprised?¡±

    ¡°Surprised,¡± Shenyuan Simie replied nonchalantly.

    He pinched a talisman paper in his hand and quietly surveyed the surroundings, sensing trouble.

    The space between the walls and railings of the Departure Palace were not spacious, unable to take advantage of the Shikigami Style¡¯s surrounding attack strength; they could only line up one by one¡ªwasn¡¯t that equivalent to handing over heads to the Longcheng Flying General?

    The Tengu brandished its naginata, trying to decapitate Yan Yu with one strike. Yan Yu retreated to dodge the blade and quickly propelled the Flying Sword to strike down, a rainbow piercing towards the Tengu¡¯s head.

    The opponent hurriedly raised the naginata to block, while Yan Yu changed his sword technique, shifting to the Phoenix Soars to the Heavens, and the Huang Tingjian made an extremely suave ¡°drifting¡± maneuver, bypassing the naginata¡¯s defense from below and cleaving the Tengu¡¯s abdomen, instantly splitting it in two.

    The Shikigami vanished in a blaze. Yan Yu strode towards Shenyuan Simie and suddenly asked:

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you resist?¡±

    ¡°Resistance is futile,¡± Shenyuan Simie was not only unafraid but even smiled, ¡°It¡¯s better to die generously.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you have the talisman paper of substitution death, right?¡± Yan Yu was not fooled and simply laughed, ¡°I remember now, Lord Master mentioned it to me beforehand.¡±

    ¡°Lord Master?¡±

    ¡°Liu Longtao, he told me that if I encountered you this time, to not easily deliver a killing blow, otherwise the talisman paper of substitution death would be automatically triggered on your body and teleport your true body back to your base.¡±

    Shenyuan Simie¡¯s smile froze on his face.

    ¡°Right,¡± Yan Yu suddenly asked curiously, ¡°If I beat you up first, will it trigger the talisman paper of substitution death?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to answer me. I just want to experiment for myself, starting with the lightest damage and gradually increasing the intensity to see what triggers your spell¡­ uh, it¡¯s really not good for us to stand talking like this, let¡¯s tie you up first.¡±

 Chapter 391: 87 The Usage of the Demon King

    Chapter 391: Chapter 87 The Usage of the Demon King sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    After repulsing the third wave of attacks, Liu Longtao still stood at the top of the central staircase, hands behind his back, calmly looking down and quietly regulating his True Yuan to recover.

    ¡°Damn it, they¡¯re just like cockroaches¡ªno matter how many you kill, the same number comes back¡­¡±

    As Lord Master was cursing inwardly, he suddenly heard a ghoul¡¯s voice beside his ear:

    ¡°Master said, please conserve a bit of your True Yuan and don¡¯t squander it too fiercely.¡±

    ¡°Heh,¡± Liu Longtao said with a cold laugh, ¡°I still have at least seventy percent of my True Yuan.¡±

    He disdainfully glanced downward and began to calculate again in his mind.

    ...

    Though the Samurai profession within the Onmyoji system had short limbs, with the enhancement to the Marrow Cleansing level of external Spiritual Energy density, this profession¡¯s rugged and durable characteristics were further strengthened. Unless struck directly by Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens, it was basically impossible to kill them on the spot.

    Considering the high consumption of Taoism Method, merely injuring or even repelling the Samurai was undoubtedly unprofitable¡ªI may have abundant True Yuan, but that doesn¡¯t mean I can waste it like this.

    What¡¯s more, if the enemy notices that our True Yuan is waning, they will definitely intensify their offense quickly.

    Princess Jiang Hai should have anticipated this point, right¡­?

    Liu Longtao remained silent, circulating his heart method secretly, and summoned a red fire dragon once more, crashing it down toward the staircase in front of him in a sweeping motion.

    Chen Lingyun stood at the front gate of Departure Palace, calmly observing the battles to the front, front left, and front right, holding the Divine Evil Prayer Beads in her hand, slowly rotating them without saying a word.

    Although the enemy seemed to be focusing their main attack at the front, where Liu Longtao was, they had been frequently probing both the left and right staircases all along.

    If Su Yunjin and Yang Linhui showed even the slightest sign of True Yuan deficiency, the enemy would surely immediately divert forces from the center to launch a full-on fierce attack on the flanks.

    So, should I deliberately lure the enemy deeper in?

    With this thought in mind, Chen Lingyun gently tapped the Prison Banner on the ground, and soon a ghost hurried back to her side.

    ¡°Go see how Yan Yu is doing,¡± she instructed.

    Behind Departure Palace, Yan Yu was toying with his opponent with ease.

    Every time Shenyuan Simie summoned a Shikigami, it would be destroyed by Yan Yu within half a minute. Although his summoned creatures were carefully selected and of high quality, most of their combat power lay in their mutual coordination and cooperation¡ªsummoning magic, of course, was to play the numbers strategy.

    However, the environment here was far too cramped and flight was prohibited; even if two Shikigami were summoned at the same time, only one could engage in close combat with the enemy, completely unable to utilize the tactical advantages of the Shikigami Style.

    Shenyuan Simie could only retreat while fighting, continuously summoning new Shikigami to attempt to delay and obstruct Yan Yu¡¯s aggressive momentum, already harboring thoughts of withdrawal.

    Although the paper effigy substitution technique was available, it would, after all, waste a paper effigy¡ªif escape was possible¡­

    Shenyuan Simie suddenly vaulted over the railing next to him and leaped toward the pond below, already drawing out a talisman paper and pinching it between his fingers.

    Support me, Niu Gui!

    A burly Shikigami emerged below and looked up to support Shenyuan Simie in mid-air, then forcefully twisted its neck to throw him outside the pond area.

    Ha-ha, I¡¯m out of here!

    Just as Shenyuan Simie felt assured of his escape, being thrown out, he suddenly took a heavy hit on his back, nearly making him vomit his lunch.

    He crashed hard onto the ground, wanting to roll up and get to his feet urgently, but was stepped on by Yan Yu, who sealed his meridians with Runescript and then bound him tightly with rope.

    The Huang Tingjian sword flew back to Yan Yu¡¯s side from afar. As soon as Shenyuan Simie vaulted the railing and pretended to fall into the pond, Yan Yu had seen through his intentions and commanded the Huang Tingjian sword to fly out, lying in wait like a hunter for a rabbit.

    When he was pushed out by the Shikigami, the Huang Tingjian sword, like hitting a baseball, struck him right back.

    Yan Yu sealed his True Yuan, tied up his limbs, and then dragged him straight back to the front gate of Departure Palace.

    Zhao Yuanzhen exclaimed in surprise, curious to know:

    ¡°Who is this?¡±

    ¡°A nobody!¡± Yan Yu answered.

    ¡°A nobody then just kill him, why drag him over here?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately lost interest.

    Shenyuan Simie, lying on the ground tied up in ropes, revealed a sneering and disdainful smile:

    Pretend, keep pretending! Pretending not to know me, huh?

    ¡°This is a big fish, we can¡¯t kill him.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°If we killed him, we¡¯d be letting him off too easy.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked curiously, ¡°Are you going to flay and debone him, seize his soul and spirit, and torture him slowly?¡±

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile stiffened because she knew the Demonic Sect Enchantress wasn¡¯t joking with the latter half of her sentence.

    ¡°Let me think about how to deal with this.¡± Yan Yu, one foot on Shenyuan Simie¡¯s back, pondered aloud, ¡°How about we chop off one hand first and see if it triggers the straw-man death-replacement spell?¡±

    ¡°You can give it a try.¡± Shenyuan Simie said with a smile, still speaking in that awkward Lu Country accent.

    Yan Yu hesitated for a moment. This guy¡¯s combat ability wasn¡¯t actually that strong; what really reached the level of a Demon King was his ability to cling to life¡ªfor example, the straw-man death-replacement spell. If he were to chop off his arm and it triggered the spell, allowing this guy to slip away, that would be unfortunate.

    Hmm, could he be bluffing?

    While he was still pondering, he heard Liu Longtao¡¯s telepathic message coming from ahead:

    ¡°How did you all end up capturing this bastard?¡±

    ¡°This guy was trying to sneak up on us from behind, but I caught him.¡± Yan Yu suddenly had an epiphany, ¡°I got it! I just thought of a historical anecdote!¡±

    He beckoned Ye Jun over and gave him instructions via telepathy, then shouted:

    ¡°Old Liu, move aside, I¡¯m about to throw a bomb!¡±

    Liu Longtao instinctively retreated to the side, only to see Shenyuan Simie, bound in ropes, rolling down the steps¡ªanother end of the rope was held in Yan Yu¡¯s hand.

    The samurai below were getting ready to charge again, but were stunned to see someone rolling down from above. They thought the Rikoku Cultivators had invented some sort of ¡°meat bomb chariot technique.¡± One of them hastily lifted his samurai sword, ready to strike, only to be forcibly pulled aside by a companion who scolded:

    ¡°Are you crazy? That¡¯s Lord Shenyuan!¡±

    Dressed in the alternating red and white, wide-sleeved garb of an Onmyoji, Shenyuan Simie was almost as recognizable as the samurai in their armor and helmets, so everyone quickly recognized him and rushed to catch him.

    But then Yan Yu tugged on the rope, and Shenyuan Simie¡¯s momentum stopped, and he was quickly pulled back up.

    The samurai couldn¡¯t just stand by. If they didn¡¯t show utmost effort in rescuing him, Lord Shenyuan might take revenge afterwards. After all, the Demon King was notoriously fickle, and with the straw-man death-replacement spell, he was sure to survive and settle scores later.

    Without thinking, three or four samurai made a dash to snatch Shenyuan Simie, only to be struck squarely by Liu Longtao¡¯s Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens, all of them turned to char.

    Somebody reported the situation to Xiandao Jingyin, which enraged her, and she roared:

    ¡°Kill Shenyuan! What is everyone doing?! He has the straw-man death-replacement spell. If you kill him, he¡¯ll just come back. If you don¡¯t and he suffers at the enemy¡¯s hands, it will be your fault!¡±

    Ninja and Onmyoji quickly sprang into action, no longer rushing to attack the cultivators above the steps, focusing all their firepower on Shenyuan Simie instead.

    Yan Yu unleashed a Curved Curse and, with a powerful pull on the ropes, rapidly dragged Shenyuan Simie back, throwing countless attacks onto those below and leaving Shenyuan Simie battered, unable to utter a single cry.

    ¡°Massive attack!¡± Xiandao Jingyin ordered again.

    Thus, everyone unleashed their stored up spiritual energy, sending sword swarms and various spells en masse, creating a dense barrage. Unbeknownst to any observer, it might have looked like Xiandao Jingyin and Shenyuan Simie had a feud, with her commanding the Onmyoji to mutilate him without mercy.

    Shenyuan Simie also struggled ceaselessly, trying to catch the steps to prevent being dragged back by Yan Yu.

    Just as he was a short distance from the top and about to be struck by the attacks, suddenly, a barrier of light enclosed him, guarding him tightly!

    That¡¯s when Shenyuan Simie truly coughed up blood: he had already intimately collided face-first with the stairs, losing a few teeth, and now he simply spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, looking angrily at the incoming attacks that threatened to topple the barrier of the Xuan Guang Ruler.

    Hmm? Looks like it might break?

    Hope ignited in his heart as the barrier finally shattered under the onslaught.

    However, in the next second, Yan Yu exerted all his strength and in one swift motion, dragged the helpless Shenyuan Simie back to the top step and flung him behind a railing where the enemy couldn¡¯t reach, saying:

    ¡°This method won¡¯t work. I originally thought we could use him as a shield to force the Onmyoji to hold back. Turns out they were keen to kill him first thing.¡±

    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s turn their plan against them,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°We might as well use him to attract their firepower, what do you think?¡±

    Yan Yu was utterly amazed: I envy how quickly your mind works!

    ¡°This girl has some wickedly devious thoughts,¡± Liu Longtao quietly telepathed to Yan Yu, ¡°Watch out, Old Yan, don¡¯t let her sweet exterior fool you.¡±

 Chapter 392: 88: Shinyori Piloting the Plane

    Chapter 392: Chapter 88: Shinyori Piloting the Plane

    Rikoku Cultivators united to defend the Departure Palace, while the situation with the Allied Forces varied.

    The Lihuayuan Swordsmen were relatively straightforward, being all sword cultivators with strong long-range projection power, so they could focus on the attack; the superheroes, however, were all Transcendents from Europe, with professions ranging from melee to ranged, and those with ranged abilities could contribute to fire support, but the melee professionals had nothing to do, idling about in anxiety.

    This was especially true for the Berserkers, most of whom were primarily melee combatants. After wandering bored around the ranged positions for half a day, led by ¡°White Lion¡± Hamilton, they approached Captain Stevenson, the commander, to protest and request to join the frontline battle.

    Could Stevenson agree? Once these men charged into the Departure Palace with the Onmyoji and got their hands on the spoils of war, getting them to cough it up would be an insurmountable challenge, an utter fantasy, simply impossible! Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Thus, he could only patiently pacify them by saying that he had already worked it all out with them, letting the Onmyoji go in first to take the treasures, which would then be handed over for everyone to divide up afterward¡ªif they reneged on the deal later, we¡¯d just unite with the Lihuayuan Swordsmen and kill them all, then the treasures would still be ours, with far fewer people to share.

    But if we violate the agreement now and cause infighting within the Allied Forces, failing to break through the defensive line of Rikoku Cultivators, then everyone would end up with nothing, having invested in vain.

    ...

    This simple logic, all of you should understand it.

    Of course, the Berserkers understood, but they were pretending not to at the moment, hoping to leverage this to demand priority in the subsequent distribution of loot. They surrounded Stevenson and started to clamor: We didn¡¯t get the chance to fight to our satisfaction, and as captain, you need to provide an explanation for us, or else we will find our own explanation!

    Xiandao Jingyin was already frustrated with issues concerning Shenyuan Simie and found that problems had arisen at the rear position, feeling downright murderous at the moment, and could only quickly send a messenger back to urge Stevenson to swiftly suppress his subordinates and not to affect the major offensive strategy.

    No sooner had someone been dispatched to the rear than news came from the frontlines: Shenyuan Simie had been thrown out by Rikoku Cultivators!

    Xiandao Jingyin hurriedly looked and was immediately shocked and speechless.

    It turned out that Yan Yu had tied Shenyuan Simie to the Huang Tingjian and then manipulated the sword light to fly chaotically everywhere, allowing all the Onmyoji to appreciate the carefree stance of ¡°Sword-Human Unity¡± of Lord Shinyori.

    The Huang Tingjian was a heavy sword, broad and thick, and therefore able to carry the weight of Shenyuan Simie, even though the speed inevitably decreased.

    Xiandao Jingyin promptly ordered everyone to attack Shenyuan Simie¡ªkilling him would trigger his paper effigy substitution technique, allowing his real body to be successfully teleported back to our formation, then plans could be made.

    But how well did Yan Yu understand the Onmyoji? He knew their attack methods, approximately how powerful their strikes were, even clearer than they did themselves. So, he intentionally lowered the height of the Huang Tingjian, placing Shenyuan Simie in a position that seemed within reach but was actually completely unattainable.

    Shenyuan Simie did not know this and only knew that with every second he remained trapped, he was losing more face amidst the cheers and laughter of the world¡¯s people, and urgently yelled out in Japanese:

    ¡°Kill me! Kill me!¡±

    With both Demon Kings issuing orders, how could the Onmyoji not obey? They immediately ceased their attack on the Departure Palace and instead directed their firepower at the Huang Tingjian soaring above them.

    The Rikoku Cultivators also felt the pressure of defense lighten all at once and quickly each consumed an Elixir Medicine, concentrating on refining and restoring their True Yuan, every bit they could recover mattered.

    ¡°You¡¯re making the mockery too obvious.¡± Chen Lingyun commented, ¡°Your intentions are too clear, they¡¯ll soon realize something¡¯s wrong.¡±

    ¡°Then what do you propose?¡± Yan Yu replied, the ruler ready to humbly accept the beauty¡¯s admonishment during the time of war.

    ¡°At the very least, you should let them land a few hits, to give the impression that you¡¯re ¡®not very skilled at judging distance¡¯,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Of course, as long as Shenyuan Simie isn¡¯t killed, they will sooner or later realize it, but at least we can delay that moment.¡±

    ¡°Agreed.¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    He manipulated the light of the Huang Tingjian to lower its height, deliberately exposing himself to the firepower range of the Onmyoji below.

    Without the protection of Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler, Shenyuan Simie was swiftly hit by blades¡ªhis body was impaled with more than a dozen shuriken and throwing knives, even poisoned, and he felt no pain from the wounds, or rather, had lost all sensation.

    Good, just like that, kill me quickly! Shenyuan Simie screamed inwardly.

    Seeing someone finally make a successful attack, Xiandao Jingyin also breathed a sigh of relief, stealthily producing the Eight-feet Mirror from behind.

    This object was a replica created using the divine power of the Yata Mirror, possessing endless marvelous applications. Xiandao Jingyin quietly activated it, and instantly, a celestial crane flew out, blending into the attacks and rushing towards the Huang Tingjian.

    But Yan Yu had exceptionally sharp eyes, and his hand¡¯s sword technique immediately changed, manipulating the Huang Tingjian to rapidly retreat.

    However, they only saw the celestial crane flying faster and faster, eventually turning into a streak of silver light and directly hitting the Huang Tingjian!

    Before the Onmyoji could take a breath of relief, they saw the Huang Tingjian that was sent flying, return to Yan Yu¡¯s side¡ªShenyuan Simie was still tied on it, gasping for breath weakly, and not killed by the strike.

    In the instant before the celestial crane hit, Yan Yu turned the blade 180 degrees, allowing the Huang Tingjian to take the hit for Shenyuan Simie.

    ¡°That¡¯s pretty miserable,¡± Liu Longtao commented, ¡°It¡¯s just that there are quite a few wounds.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t let him die,¡± Yan Yu, bringing the Huang Tingjian over to Su Yunjin, transmitted, ¡°Yun Jin, stop his bleeding.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Su Yunjin extended two fingers, pressing on several of Shenyuan Simie¡¯s major acupoints, forcibly stopping his bleeding.

    With his condition stabilized once more, Shenyuan Simie¡¯s heart sank to the bottom, only to glare at Su Yunjin with a sour look and said in halting Rikoku language:

    ¡°For today¡¯s grace, a tenfold return must be paid in the coming days.¡±

    Su Yunjin paid no attention to his threats, simply taking out a Detoxification Pill and flicking it into his mouth while he was speaking, replying indifferently:

    ¡°We shall see.¡±

    ¡°What nonsense are you talking there!¡± Yan Yu, seeing him even trying to chat up Yun Jin, quickly called the Huang Tingjian back to his side, smiling insincerely, ¡°Your next flight is about to take off, don¡¯t delay.¡±

    ¡°Wait a moment!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly said.

    ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll shave his head,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen laughed, ¡°I wonder if your method of using straw effigies to avoid death would allow his hair to grow back.¡±

    Shenyuan Simie¡¯s face instantly turned pale. The method of using straw effigies to transfer all ¡°damages¡± could divert them onto effigies, but cut hair was not considered ¡°damage,¡± and even if he were taken back to the main formation, the haircut would remain.

    ¡°I¡¯ll shave you bald first,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen took out the Yin Wind Sword, about to do the deed himself, but heard Chen Lingyun suggest:

    ¡°Bald doesn¡¯t look good. Better to shave the top clean and leave a ring around it, creating a classic middle-aged, balding man¡¯s Mediterranean look.¡±

    ¡°Great idea!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately agreed.

    ¡°Or, how about we put some makeup on him?¡± Ye Jun also came over to join in the fun, ¡°Apply some lipstick so that when he flies the plane later, he¡¯ll stand out more.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to do makeup,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said dejectedly, ¡°If only Ruoxi were here.¡±

    ¡°No worries, you don¡¯t need to know how,¡± Ye Jun handed over an eyeliner pencil and a lipstick to Zhao Yuanzhen, ¡°After all, he¡¯s not asking to look good, just freestyle it. They are attacking again over there, I have to go back.¡±

    Freestyle, huh? Zhao Yuanzhen fell silent for a moment, then suddenly revealed a maliciously evil grin.

    Shenyuan Simie, on the other hand, fell into a state of fear.

 Chapter 393: 89 Saving the Soldier

    Chapter 393: Chapter 89 Saving the Soldier

    Amid the internal turmoil of the superheroes, there was also some instability among the Onmyoji.

    Everyone had agreed to join forces in attacking the Departure Palace with the goal of plundering. They all had high morale and were full of zeal. However, halfway through the battle, Lord Shenyuan Simie was captured by the enemy, and despite our desperate efforts to ¡°introduce a mistake¡± to rescue him, we could not succeed, causing a clear decline in morale.

    Xiandao Jingyin also noticed the issue with morale and could only have his attendants convey a message:

    ¡°If we can rescue Shenyuan Simie, after this battle, each person will be rewarded with an Imperial Hand Pill.¡±

    The Onmyoji were immediately invigorated and got to work with renewed vigor.

    Xiandao Jingyin had also figured out where the Elixir Medicine would come from: let the Shenyuan family bear the cost.

    ...

    Under urgent circumstances, the blunder was initially Shenyuan Simie¡¯s own, and the bigwigs would surely acknowledge this expense afterward.

    Now that the troops were motivated, Xiandao Jingyin was about to order another charge when he suddenly heard his subordinates cry out in alarm:

    ¡°Lord Shenyuan has appeared again! No, wait, who is that?¡±

    Bound to the Huang Tingjian and flying out this time was a person wearing Shenyuan Simie¡¯s clothes, but he was unrecognized.

    He had a large bald spot on the top of his head, sporting the typical hair loss pattern of male pattern baldness, and his eyes were painted with extremely thick eyeshadow. His lips were smeared with a heavy layer of lipstick, and his makeup looked like that of a middle-aged hostess¡ªan obasan¡ªor like a middle-aged uncle who had undergone a gender transformation.

    Many of the Onmyoji looked away almost instantly. Although they all felt nauseated, they were still in the midst of war and had to forcefully suppress their reactions.

    Xiandao Jingyin was also stunned on the spot, and for a moment even had the impulse to kill everyone present to silence them. After a long time, he bellowed:

    ¡°Kill him! Kill him quickly!¡±

    The face of the Yin Yang Bureau¡¯s Demon King was about to be completely disgraced by this idiot!

    Yan Yu continued to maneuver the Sword Flight, allowing Shenyuan Simie to endure non-fatal saturation attacks before pulling him back for treatment.

    ¡°It seems that this paper effigy substitution technique indeed requires a fatal blow to be activated,¡± mused Ye Jun thoughtfully.

    ¡°Ye Jun,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen called out to her, ¡°here are your eyeliner pencil and lipstick back.¡±

    ¡°Uh, no need to keep them,¡± Ye Jun said, feeling a bit queasy at the thought of them being used by Shenyuan Simie, ¡°just throw them into the pond.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re coming again!¡± Lin Ning alerted.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be right there!¡± Ye Jun hastily went to provide a defense shield for everyone.

    Having been toyed with by Yan Yu several times, Xiandao Jingyin now began to doubt, should he prioritize killing Shenyuan Simie and rescuing him, or ignore the enemy¡¯s tactical intentions and continue to organize an assault on the Departure Palace, to put pressure on the Rikoku Cultivators?

    The sensible course of action would be to rescue Shenyuan Simie first. Firstly, although he had made a blunder this time by getting captured, he still possessed Demon King-level eerie arts which would certainly be a great help if he could be rescued. Secondly, failing to make a concerted effort to rescue him and causing him to lose face in the battle of the Departure Palace would surely draw criticism from the Shenyuan family afterward.

    But the problem was that they had tried several times without success. The enemy had long guessed that we would attempt a rescue, hence they used Shenyuan Simie as a kite to distract us¡­ If we delayed the assault on the Departure Palace because of this, it would be absolutely unacceptable.

    As Xiandao Jingyin weighed his options, a messenger from the Pear Blossom Courtyard came to urge:

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you continuing the attack on the Departure Palace?¡±

    ¡°I command the attack formation; you just need to provide supporting fire,¡± Xiandao Jingyin spoke with an icy expression, which translated to ¡°mind your own business.¡±

    The messenger from Pear Blossom Courtyard was not surprised, as the relationship between the two parties had never been good. He mocked in a roundabout way with a sneer:

    ¡°Of course, we had no intention of interfering in your affairs. After all, the one ¡®Sword Controlling¡¯ in the sky isn¡¯t one of our Pear Blossom Courtyard swordsmen.¡±

    Xiandao Jingyin was so angry he almost ground his molar teeth, and after a long pause, he said:

    ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, please leave.¡±

    After dispatching the messenger from Pear Blossom Courtyard, Xiandao Jingyin made his decision:

    Assault the Departure Palace!

    Of course, the assault on the Departure Palace was just a front. If the enemy felt too much direct pressure, they would likely release Shenyuan Simie again to attract our fire, and then we might get an opportunity to rescue him.

    The Onmyoji charged out once again, with the Samurai, who had the strongest defense, leading the charge, while the Ninjas and Onmyoji provided suppressive fire from the rear.

    The Rikoku Cultivators had a more direct response strategy: the Taoist Method practitioners used large-scale Taoism Methods for bombardment to delay the enemy, while the Sword Immortals struck the enemies down one by one, either injuring or killing them.

    With Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler for protection, everyone was generally unharmed; the price paid was the inevitable pouring out of True Yuan like water.

    ¡°Should I fly another kite?¡± Yan Yu suggested, ¡°You all can take the opportunity to eat Elixir Medicine and recover.¡±

    ¡°Not necessary right now,¡± Chen Lingyun said, shaking her head as she observed the offensive below, ¡°they¡¯re all waiting for you to fly a kite.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu observed carefully for a moment, ¡°they haven¡¯t gone all out yet.¡±

    ¡°Rather than that, worry more about Ruoxi,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°later, when she teleports to the Departure Palace square and finds enemies on all sides, given her character, she¡¯s definitely going to panic.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, ¡°even if she throws her Thunder Method spells indiscriminately, she won¡¯t be killed on the spot. Sister Zhao and I will go to rescue her in time.¡±

    ¡°Hope we make it in time¡­ Huh?¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly paused.

    Yan Yu followed her gaze, and saw a flash of white light in the square.

    Who?

    Where the white light passed, Ai Lu¡¯s figure emerged.

    The Rikoku Cultivators, standing on the high ground of the Departure Palace, were watching the square below every moment and also took note of Ai Lu¡¯s arrival.

    The moment this guy appeared, he immediately merged with the sword light and took off in Sword Flight!

    However, less than half a second later, he was forcibly removed from the Sword Control state and fell to the ground, looking bewildered.

    ¡°Oh no, this fool¡­¡± Liu Longtao immediately covered his face.

    If you could use Sword Flight here, wouldn¡¯t you see swords clashing in the sky as you entered? Use your brain!

    Although the Allied Forces were a beat slower, they quickly reacted as well, especially the front-line professions of the superhero camp who were most excited¡ªfinally an enemy comes! They swarmed toward Ai Lu.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go save him,¡± Yan Yu said to Zhao Yuanzhen, and the two of them charged down directly from the front steps, colliding head-on with the Onmyoji team that was attempting to move up.

    Two armored Samurai wielding long blades met the enemy and were flung backward on impact! Zhao Yuanzhen activated the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer, smashing an armored Samurai with a single blow; Yan Yu executed the Triple Cloud Strike, shattering both the person and the armor together.

    ¡°Focus fire!¡± Xiandao Jingyin immediately issued the instruction.

    Forget the Departure Palace for now, keeping Longcheng Flying General here would have much greater strategic value than any treasures obtained from the Departure Palace! Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    As the Onmyoji focused their attacks, Yan Yu felt the intensifying pressure of battle and telepathically told Zhao Yuanzhen:

    ¡°You go save him, I¡¯ll distract them here.¡±

    Without hesitation, Zhao Yuanzhen dashed toward the edge of the arena, brandishing the Yin Wind Sword, to rescue Ai Lu.

    Yan Yu, executing the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, agilely weaved through enemies, dodging wave after wave of attacks.

    Xiandao Jingyin could naturally see that he was delaying time. You want to save your teammate, and we want your life¡­ so, how about we all take a step back? We let go of your teammate, and you die here, deal?

    ¡°Everyone else retreat, Shikigami forward!¡± she ordered.

    The Samurai and Ninjas all pulled back in unison, while Onmyoji practicing Shikigami Style stepped forward, each pulling out a Shikigami Talisman Paper.

    In an instant, dozens of Shikigami of various forms appeared¡ªflying birds, massive beasts, demons, monsters¡­ all charging at Yan Yu from every direction!

    The one leading the charge was a Shikigami that looked like a woman. Her head shook, and suddenly it was a white-boned skull spewing a large amount of greenish smoke at Yan Yu, which would cause anyone it touched to ulcerate.

    Right behind him, a black-furred old cat approached stealthily, its mouth full of double rows of sharp teeth opened wide to bite ferociously at his neck.

    But Yan Yu¡¯s Divine Sense was scanning his surroundings constantly. As he executed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, his figure suddenly dove forward, dodging the cat¡¯s bite and sliding beneath its belly as if he had skateboards beneath him.

    When the cat missed its bite, it raised its head only to plunge into the poisonous fog blown by the Shikigami woman, and the corrosive agony immediately made it rage, slapping the Shikigami woman to pieces with one swing of its paw.

 Chapter 394: 90: Yan God Needs to Take Action

    Chapter 394: Chapter 90: Yan God Needs to Take Action

    Onmyoji can possess multiple Shikigami, but the number of Shikigami they can command at the same time is limited.

    If they do not issue commands and leave the Shikigami to attack freely based on instinct, facing the world¡¯s first-rate Transcendents would be no different from courting death.

    Therefore, to maximize the advantage of a summoned creature horde, it is necessary to have at least ten or more Shikigami coordinate their attacks to form a sufficiently powerful threat.

    However, the corresponding problem also follows: Shikigami from different Onmyoji do not consider each other when attacking and will not intentionally avoid harming each other.

    It was not until the Yin Yang Bureau later developed the ¡°Hundred Ghosts Night Parade Great Formation¡± that this issue was resolved.

    Of course, at this point in time, the Hundred Ghosts Night Parade Great Formation is probably still a theoretical concept, nowhere near the research and development stage. Yan Yu, who even has experience dealing with the Hundred Ghosts Night Parade Great Formation, finds handling the current, more primitive combined Shikigami attacks far too easy.

    ...

    He swept under the cat spirit and had just raised his head when he saw countless birds suddenly swooping toward him.

    The Inner Nestling Bird attacks with invisible winds, mingled with tiny eggs invisible to the naked eye that can permeate human skin through pores. Within half a minute, they hatch inside the body, killing the target as they break out from the shell.

    If it were an ordinary Cultivator who was not familiar with this Shikigami, they would probably be caught off guard on the spot. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But Yan Yu would not be fooled. With a light push off the ground with his feet, he returned the same way from under the belly of the cat spirit.

    The cat spirit had just turned its head to capture Yan Yu, who had dodged behind it, only to be hit in the face by the Inner Nestling Bird¡¯s demonic wind, crying out in pain and wildly scratching at the Inner Nestling Bird with its paws.

    The Inner Nestling Birds frantically fled, but in the Mysterious Realm, with a flight-restriction mechanism in place, they couldn¡¯t fly high and were caught squarely by the cat spirit, with bird carcasses raining down like a shower.

    ¡°Idiots!¡± The Onmyoji could no longer contain themselves and collectively scolded the owner of the cat spirit Shikigami, ¡°Quickly take that idiot back!¡±

    Who would have thought that the robust and fierce cat spirit could be used by Longcheng Flying General as a shield? The owner of the cat spirit inwardly grumbled and hurriedly recalled his Shikigami.

    As the huge black cat disappeared on the spot, Yan Yu was indeed left with no cover. Suddenly, a creature with the body of a raccoon and the face of a monkey charged at him, aiming straight for his face with its paws extended.

    Yan Yu dodged the ghostly old woman¡¯s cleaver strike and abruptly activated the Wood Bending Charm, tightly grasping the creature¡¯s legs and swinging it around, taking all the attacks from the surroundings, before throwing it toward the ghostly old woman.

    The ghost woman, caught off guard, swung her vegetable knife to kill the creature, but was pinned to the ground by its desperate struggle and clawed at her shoulders. The two Shikigami then started to fight each other fiercely.

    Xiandao Jingyin watched from behind, secretly amazed.

    The greatest advantage of the art of combined Shikigami attack lies in the asymmetry of information. The various strange and diverse Shikigami, with their myriad attacking methods, quickly surround and assault the enemy. Even the quickest-responding Cultivator could be taken by surprise if unfamiliar with these Shikigami.

    However, facing the number one from Lu Country, Longcheng Flying General, they could not play any advantages at all. All sneak attacks seemed to be fully anticipated by the opponent, even turning the tables and using the situation to make the Shikigami fight among themselves¡­

    She instructed the Ninja standing beside her:

    ¡°Take a team and chase after that woman we saw earlier. Make as much noise as possible.¡±

    Since you want to buy time for your companion, I will have people attack your companion and see if you will reveal any flaws in your anxiousness!

    However, no sooner had Zhao Yuanzhen broken free from the encirclement of the Onmyoji than he saw Ai Lu being collectively assaulted by the Berserkers.

    While Sword Immortals attack fiercely, their physical bodies are extremely fragile. And with the Berserkers¡¯ robust physical qualities, even if their hands and feet were slashed by the Flying Sword, they would still charge forward heedlessly. As a result, Ai Lu dared not let the Flying Sword stray too far from himself and could only fend off attacks within a half-meter radius.

    But the Flying Sword¡¯s principle is ¡°the farther, the stronger.¡± When close, although it is convenient to protect oneself, there is not enough time for the sword to accelerate in flight, which means the force it carries is greatly diminished. As a result, Ai Lu was constantly pressured by the Berserkers and was already on the brink of danger.

    What Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer feared the least was such tough-skinned opponents. Without any hesitation, he struck straight at the face with his hammer, causing the enemy to burst open, with flesh torn and bones shattered.

    After finally carving through the Berserkers, I made it to Ai Lu¡¯s side, only to hear him, with tears welling up in his eyes, say:

    ¡°Sister Zhao! I can never repay you for saving my life!¡±

    If it had been Ye Jun here, he would definitely have scolded him, ¡°What are you blabbering about at a time like this?¡± But Zhao Yuanzhen was actually quite taken with this, and she immediately responded with a laugh:

    ¡°To you, it may be a lifesaving grace, but to me, it¡¯s just a trifle¡­ Still daring to launch a sneak attack? You¡¯re seeking death!¡±

    With a backhanded move, she knocked over another Berserker, then quickly realized that they were still trapped and urgently urged:

    ¡°No time to talk now! Let¡¯s get moving!¡±

    The two of them immediately fought as they made their escape. Ai Lu¡¯s Sword Control Technique was certainly technically solid, but unfortunately, each Berserker was tough as steel, practically unfazed by his attacks, bleeding yet charging as if nothing had happened, which put him under immense pressure.

    Looking at the Demonic Sect Enchantress, her White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer possessed the ability to break through armor. Even if it hit a Body Cultivating Cultivator, the force could penetrate their exterior defense and cause a counter-shock injuring their internal organs. Thus, the Berserkers dared not take the blows head-on and could only attempt to block them with their weapons.

    Blocking and getting pushed back, the original encirclement of ten directions now became eight or even nine, creating gaps in their defense line.

    Just as they were nearing the steps of the Departure Palace, Ai Lu suddenly spotted a squadron of Onmyoji rushing over from a distance, which scared him witless, and he lamented inside at the Rikoku Cultivators on the high ground, unable to assist, wondering why he had teleported right into the center of the enemy ranks?

    The site of our forces was right before our eyes, yet untouchable. Alas, I, Ai Lu, haven¡¯t even had the chance to overcome and seize the title of the first Sword Immortal of the Dingbei Army, and yet today, I¡¯m going to die here!

    Having not achieved success before my death, it¡¯s enough to make a heroic figure weep!

    The Onmyoji approaching from a distance were mainly made up of Ninjas. Faced with Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer, they didn¡¯t block like the Berserkers but instead avoided the blows with their outstanding agility, infuriating the Demonic Sect Enchantress who cursed loudly and wielded her Yin Wind Sword wildly, slashing in disarray.

    Ai Lu, stopping his sorrow, hurriedly sent a telepathic message to her:

    ¡°My swordsmanship is suited to dealing with these highly agile enemies. You just hold off the pursuers from behind!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen didn¡¯t like the Ninjas either, so she willingly let Ai Lu take on the Onmyoji while she continued to focus on beating down the Berserker pursuers.

    Although they fought desperately, the enemy numbers were increasing, and the two of them were being pushed farther away from the Departure Palace, much to the frustration of the Demonic Sect Enchantress who wailed:

    ¡°Killing like this, the more we fight, the less hope we have of escaping. I can¡¯t take it anymore, I¡¯m going to use my ultimate move!¡±

    ¡°You have an ultimate move?¡± Ai Lu¡¯s eyes lit up immediately, ¡°Hurry, sister! Use your ultimate to wipe out all the enemies at once!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not quite enough to wipe out everyone on the field¡­¡± Zhao Yuanzhen really wanted to retort, but ultimately, the pressure of the battlefield was too great, leaving no time to explain further. She simply flicked her sleeve, clutching the puppeteering Silver Pellet in her hand, ready to throw it and wreak havoc, when suddenly a voice rang out from afar. It sounded like music to Ai Lu¡¯s ears:

    ¡°Hold on! I¡¯m on my way!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Yan God! Only Yan God is reliable!¡± Ai Lu was so excited he was nearly in tears. He drove back two approaching Ninjas with another spell-assisted sword strike and dodged the incoming shuriken storm. Turning his head to look, his heart sank.

    He saw Yan Yu advancing with the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Steps, quickly coming to support them.

    However, hot on his heels were groups of Onmyoji coming to kill them, at least five to six times their number.

    Ai Lu: ¡­¡­¡­

    Maybe it¡¯s better if you don¡¯t come over.

 Chapter 395: 91 I Can Replace It

    Chapter 395: Chapter 91 I Can Replace It

    Upon the steps of the Departure Palace, Lin Ning once again launched her Flying Sword, piercing directly through the throat of the ninja below.

    Thanks to their regular training, her coordination with Su Yunjin was exceedingly tacit. As the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art had just fiercely flung the enemy from the steps, Lin Ning seized the moment their balance was lost, accurately striking a vital point with her Green Bamboo Sword.

    The number of ninjas and Onmyoji she had killed had reached seven, but compared to the total number of enemies below, it was still a mere drop in the bucket.

    If it were one-on-one combat, Lin Ning was confident that she could defeat each of them. However, once their numbers stacked up, even with Su Yunjin¡¯s mass control providing protection, Lin Ning often found herself with a heart-racing fear.

    Dealing with enemies like Onmyoji was very different from the sorcerers of the Southern Border.

    Although they did not have the numbers or strength of the southern sorcerers or the battle skills of the Rikoku Cultivators, falling squarely in the middle, their well-trained nature alone could maximize their numerical advantage during combat, which homegrown sorcerers could not.

    ...

    Why couldn¡¯t Lu Country learn to nurture talents like the Yin Yang Bureau¡­ Such a thought flashed through Lin Ning¡¯s mind, but she quickly suppressed it.

    Putting aside the feasibility, the Yin Yang Bureau¡¯s approach involved elite training from the top echelons, using a mix of stick and carrot for non-elites, who had to trade their lives as cannon fodder on the battlefield for cultivation resources.

    If Lu Country also adopted this system, then someone like me, who is not on the level of Yan Yu or Liu Longtao, would surely have to struggle fiercely like these fearlessly charging cannon fodder for better Elixir Medicines and Flying Swords¡­

    At this thought, Lin Ning¡¯s fighting spirit became even more resolute.

    The Southern Border¡¯s hands-off approach, letting civilian cultivators grow wildly, is definitely a dead end!

    The Yin Yang Bureau¡¯s focus on nurturing elite cultivators and suppressing ordinary ones is also completely wrong!!

    Having received the training of a Lu Country Cultivator, I must defeat them! Topple them all! I have to prove that only Lu Country¡¯s way is the viable path!

    As a strong sense of cultural pride surged in her chest, Lin Ning¡¯s focus grew even sharper as she targeted the tough warriors.

    These samurai were fully armored, but for the sake of agility, the joints and similar areas were left unprotected.

    My Flying Sword can penetrate their armor, but the protection greatly reduces the damage inflicted, making it difficult to deliver a fatal blow. I should aim for their vulnerable spots instead!

    Of course, the enemy would guard their weak points, but it didn¡¯t matter! I have Yun Jin!

    Su Yunjin coordinated with Lin Ning to trap the enemies while unobtrusively dividing her Divine Sense to covertly keep an eye on the situation with Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu plunged into his pursuers as if entering a realm without adversaries. Raising his Huang Tingjian, he delivered a crushing blow akin to Mount Tai bearing down, shattering the skull of an approaching Berserker, followed by a swift turn with Phoenix Dance to the Heavens, attacking the ninja waiting to strike.

    The ninja hastily retreated, forming a Substitution Straw Man Technique in mid-air, just as his hand seals were about to complete, sharp pain shot through his wrist¡ªit was Yan Yu¡¯s precise Metal-Element Impact Curse, interrupting the final step of his spell.

    The Huang Tingjian seized the opportunity with a blazing thrust, cleaving the ninja into two halves in the air.

    Although Ai Lu felt immense pressure from the battlefield, the sight of Yan Yu¡¯s exquisite tactical maneuvers still compelled him to spare a fraction of his Divine Sense: two Berserkers roared towards him, one swinging diagonally, the other with a horizontal strike, effectively blocking his path.

    About to warn Yan Yu, Ai Lu saw Yan Yu suddenly ascend with his Sword Control, evading the diagonal and horizontal strikes. Upon reaching the height limit of the flight ban, he forcefully disengaged Sword-Human Unity, and upon landing, instantly unleashed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, lightning-fast, circling behind one of them, activated Curved Curse, and delivered a fierce blow to the elbow!

    The Berserker, still in the motion of a horizontal strike, had his elbow viciously hit, causing his right hand to uncontrollably thrust the massive sword forward, stabbing into his ally¡¯s chest.

    Yan Yu leaped again, twisted his body, and with a back kick, the Berserker couldn¡¯t stabilize his core and stumbled forward, driving the sword deeper into his comrade. Yan Yu, meanwhile, took advantage of the momentum to soar higher, clearing the crowd, and neatly landed in front of Ai Lu and Zhao Yuanzhen.

    ¡°Yan God!¡± Ai Lu exclaimed with joy. If it weren¡¯t for the ongoing battle, he looked as if he wished to prostrate himself on the ground in reverence.

    ¡°You took so long to get here!¡± The Demonic Sect Enchantress, ever blunt, complained, ¡°If you¡¯d been later, I would have killed them all by now!¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you being chased around like a dog just now?¡± Yan Yu teased, making her laugh, ¡°Alright, alright, I won¡¯t lift a finger, go on and finish them all yourself.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen secretly seethed, thinking if only I weren¡¯t concerned about exposing my puppetry techniques, could these small-fry stand a chance against me? This thief knows my true strength and yet pretends ignorance, publicly ridiculing me before the national audience, despicable!

    The national audience¡­ Hm? Something seems off?

    She subconsciously felt as if she had neglected a very important issue, but the battlefield conditions were not yet safe, and she also lacked the time to ponder it thoroughly. She simply urged,

    ¡°Quick, break out of the encirclement with us!¡±

    ¡°Easy as pie!¡± Yan Yu let out a hearty laugh and, looking at the Onmyoji swarming in from afar, he said loudly, ¡°I¡¯ll clear the way, you all follow closely!¡±

    He performed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step once more, charging left and right in the front, and commanded the Huang Tingjian to execute the Triple Cloud Strike.

    The essence of the Triple Cloud Strike was in its accelerating arc, with each consecutive strike stronger than the last. The Onmyoji caught in its path couldn¡¯t dodge in time, and one was cleaved in the head by his sword. The Huang Tingjian continued its relentless path, grazing the ground in an arc, abruptly rising to strike another Ninja.

    That Ninja meant to use the Substitution Straw Man Technique to escape, but his spell was interrupted again by a Metal-Element Impact Curse. His jaw, hit unexpectedly by the Huang Tingjian, twisted and broke his neck completely.

    The Huang Tingjian soared high, gathering the speed and power from the previous two attacks, and descended with the might of thunder, targeting the closest Berserker squad leader¡ªLukarl.

    Although Captain Lukarl was not wearing armor, baring his torso, his chest muscles were marked with runes symbolizing ¡°Tenacity¡± and ¡°Protection,¡± which could even withstand small-caliber bullet shots head-on.

    Facing the crushing force of the Huang Tingjian like a mountain bearing down, he channeled the blood energy in his chest and let out an earth-shattering roar, hacking upwards with both hands wielding his sword.

    He intended to chop the yellow-skinned Flying Sword in half by sheer force!

    However, at the moment of the metallic clash, the Berserker felt an almost irresistible mighty force transmitted through the blade, nearly causing the hilt to fly from his grip. In a panic, he could only hold onto the hilt with all his might, turning the intended hack into a block.

    Even as he put forth all his strength, the terrifying pressure on the blade surged, pressing on him so hard that Lukarl clenched his teeth, almost squeezing blood from his gums.

    All of a sudden, the force in his hands went slack, and before he could react, the Huang Tingjian had chopped into his right shoulder.

    My sword¡­ broke? S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Lukarl could hardly believe it as he looked down to see a piece of the broken blade on the ground, followed by a sudden shift in his point of view as he fell.

    He, marked with the runes of ¡°Tenacity¡± and ¡°Protection,¡± had been cut into two along with his sword by the opponent?

    Is this¡­ the strength¡­ of the Longcheng Flying General?

    Lukarl¡¯s consciousness quickly slipped into darkness, as Yan Yu kicked away his remains, with the Huang Tingjian swiftly returning before him.

    As he looked up again, the circle of Berserkers around him dared not meet his gaze, many of them even stepping back half a step in the shadows, watching to see if any of their comrades would take the initiative to step forward.

    But as they retreated, the remaining comrades were naturally left ¡°exposed¡± at the front.

    Seeing their companions stepping back, these comrades finally snapped to attention and hastily retreated along with them. Not one dared to face the edge of the Longcheng Flying General!

    Xiandao Jingyin, watching from afar with an ashen face, hurriedly urged the Onmyoji to step forward and fill the gaps the Berserkers had left.

    But the nearby Onmyoji had already been slain by Ai Lu and Yan Yu, and this gap was not something that could be filled so easily.

    Taking advantage of the time when not a single Berserker dared to step forward, Yan Yu calmly broke through the encirclement and headed towards the Departure Palace. He even had the leisure to turn his head back to Ai Lu and Zhao Yuanzhen and laugh,

    ¡°Haha, didn¡¯t I say it would be a piece of cake?¡±

    Ai Lu was thoroughly impressed, standing beside Yan Yu as if filled with boundless confidence. Even the Onmyoji when approached no longer seemed threatening.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, however, was deeply moved and thought to herself:

    ¡°Although this rascal is showing off, he is showing off impressively! A supreme being should act just like this!¡±

    ¡°Given time, I will surely be able to take his place!¡±

 Chapter 396: 92: Xie Ruoxis Mount

    Chapter 396: Chapter 92: Xie Ruoxi¡¯s Mount

    On the way to the Departure Palace, Ai Lu fought fiercely with the Onmyoji while discreetly using his Divine Sense to observe Yan Yu¡¯s swordsmanship.

    Though being distracted on a battlefield is a great taboo, his style of swordsmanship is based on calculation; beholding Yan Yu¡¯s godlike techniques was like an artist seeing a masterpiece¡ªhe just couldn¡¯t tear his gaze away.

    As he watched, he couldn¡¯t help mumbling to himself:

    ¡°Ah! Yan Yu¡¯s swordsmanship is truly an art form!¡±

    ¡°This ¡®White Rainbow Piercing the Sun¡¯ move, the angle of the sword is the essence of finesse!¡±

    ¡°Eagle Strike Sky Five-hit Combo? I would be over the moon if I could perform a four-hit combo¡­¡±

    ...

    Zhao Yuanzhen, listening by his side, was sick of it and couldn¡¯t help but curse:

    ¡°Will you ever stop? Does sucking up with these disgusting flatteries kill the enemies instantly?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Ai Lu said confidently, ¡°but Yan Yu¡¯s godlike swordsmanship can.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was left speechless and complained:

    ¡°I don¡¯t see what¡¯s so great about him.¡±

    ¡°Hehe,¡± Ai Lu laughed, ¡°Sister Zhao, you¡¯re not a professional Sword Immortal, right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not, so what?¡±

    ¡°But I am.¡± Ai Lu stuck out his thumb, poking his own chest proudly.

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ¡­¡­¡­

    You¡¯re proud that you can¡¯t beat that thief, and you dare to step on my face to praise him?

    She subconsciously reached for the Book of Hatred but then thought better of it; this book was reserved exclusively for the thief, and she couldn¡¯t record someone else¡¯s deeds, or else the memories might get mixed up.

    I¡¯ve decided! I¡¯ll put this on the thief¡¯s tab! He¡¯s encouraging his fans to attack me personally!

    I¡¯ll remember this grudge, and when I take his place, I¡¯ll arrange for seven, eight, maybe nine of my die-hard fans to be around him every day, solely to mock him!

    With these thoughts, an image formed in her mind:

    She saw several girls surrounding Yan Yu, all avid fangirls and ¡°data laborers,¡± who sarcastically praised and trampled on Yan Yu:

    ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t this the Longcheng Flying General? How did you fall so low?¡±

    ¡°Longcheng Flying General? Who¡¯s that? I only know of Empress Yuanzhen. Please don¡¯t bring up has-beens for attention, I really would appreciate it!¡±

    ¡°Bloatfish face, you think you can be our Empress¡¯s partner with that level? Could greasy men please hide away and bow their heads in some corner? Coming out and grossing people out really makes me want to vomit.¡±

    Yan Yu was insulted in various ways by these girls, yet he was powerless to rebuke, clenching his fists and holding back tears, biting his tongue, and waiting to go home to please carefully¡­ Wahahaha!

    As Zhao Yuanzhen fought, she indulged in her fantasy, and her originally jealous and warped mindset began to beautify with plastic surgery.

    Suddenly, she felt a thump on her forehead. Yan Yu had taken a moment amidst the chaos to turn back and give her a forehead flick:

    ¡°Stay focused during the fight!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen angrily collected her daydreams and redirected her resentment onto the enemies, making her White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer and Yin Wind Sword even more fierce and murderous.

    Eventually, the group made it to the steps of the Departure Palace; all they had to do was charge up the stairs and Lord Master would naturally let them through.

    ¡°You guys go first,¡± Yan Yu quickly transmitted his voice, ¡°Ai Lu, as soon as you get up there, enter the Departure Palace, kneel on the cushion, and receive your reward.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Ai Lu hurriedly asked, ¡°What about you, Yan Yu?¡±

    Yan Yu did not respond immediately, but suddenly turned his head.

    A bright light rose again in the square, revealing Xie Ruoxi¡¯s figure emerging from it.

    The pretty waste has arrived!

    With that, the top ten spots for the Departure Palace were confirmed, no worries from now on!

    Just as Yan Yu was about to rush towards Xie Ruoxi, he saw her scanning the surroundings like a startled rabbit. With so many foreign Transcendents around, she was overwhelmed with shock until her gaze finally landed on him. Her expression immediately shifted from fear to joy as she shouted out loud:

    ¡°Captain, save me!¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    Suddenly he didn¡¯t want to rescue her anymore, what should he do?

    You¡¯re supposed to be a top-level cultivator, for goodness¡¯ sake! When Ai Lu got transported here alone, she knew to attempt Sword Flight to escape right away, and when she found out that it was impossible, she desperately defended herself while waiting for help. How come it¡¯s ¡°Captain, save me¡± when it comes to you?

    Useless people never change, embarrassing!

    Although Yan Yu harshly criticized her in his mind, naturally he wouldn¡¯t really leave her to fend for herself¡ªafter all, defense and self-preservation tend to require more technical operations, while attacking just involves mindlessly throwing things at the opponent. With Xie Ruoxi currently in her fragile cannon form, her ability to deal damage was completely overpowered, while her ability to defend herself was extremely lacking.

    As soon as Xie Ruoxi cried out for help, the nearby superheroes, though they didn¡¯t understand the language of Lu Country, immediately sensed an easy target and swarmed in chaotically.

    Then they were viciously struck by the Thunder Method. Whether they tried to block with their swords or attempted to headbutt, they were all blown to bits by the Jade Pivot Thunder and Divine Thunder.

    Yan Yu, who was rushing to support her, observed the scene and couldn¡¯t help but feel amazed: Thunder Method, although it has countless weaknesses, such as being difficult to control, consuming a lot of True Yuan, having a small attack range, slow flight speed that¡¯s easy to dodge, and explosions being too close that can easily injure oneself, it also has some very real advantages.

    When it hits, the power is truly terrifying!

    Taking into account that Xie Ruoxi¡¯s talent is insanely strong, has an abundance of True Yuan, is as timid as a rabbit, has slow reflexes, lacks technical awareness, and isn¡¯t the brightest, Thunder Method seems tailor-made for her¡ªany other swordsmanship or Taoism Method, she really couldn¡¯t handle it.

    The Berserkers surged forward, scaring Xie Ruoxi to the point of losing all color in her face. She threw Thunder Methods around in a panic and managed to blast numerous gaps in the nearly complete encirclement. Yan Yu quickly seized the opportunity to slip through them and arrived by Xie Ruoxi¡¯s side, urging,

    ¡°Follow me.¡±

    ¡°I-I-I-I-I¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi stumbled after him, calling out, ¡°My legs are a bit wobbly!¡±

    ¡°Wobbly legs, just use Thunder Method to blast them!¡± Yan Yu shouted, ¡°Blow their legs off, and we can run slower, no problem!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi found this reasoning sound and quickly suppressed her panicked emotions, flinging Thunder behind her with both hands.

    The Berserkers, who had just been wailing like babies from the Thunder Method, didn¡¯t dare to take it head-on and hurriedly retreated back to their formation to seek help from Stevenson.

    Stevenson was craving for them to seek his help. Upon hearing the call, he immediately waved his hand and the long-range battery composed of Wizards, priests, and Clerics swiftly redirected their firepower¡ªstarting to saturate Yan Yu and Xie Ruoxi with attacks.

    Although these attacks were frequent and dense, they were obviously untrained and without command, leaving plenty of space for maneuvering. Yan Yu performed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step with ease, dodging them effortlessly.

    Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t have his elegant and smooth evasive skills and could only plant her Heavenly Yuan Sword into the dirt, hiding behind the blade, trembling, and calling out:

    ¡°Captain, save me!¡±

    Seeing she couldn¡¯t cope, Yan Yu quickly turned back to her side and scooped her up around the waist.

    Xie Ruoxi let out a startled cry! Although she knew it was inappropriate on the battlefield, she still felt a sense of bewildered sweetness and fantasy fulfillment¡­ The captain was giving her a princess carry, hehehe.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be dazed.¡± Yan Yu, holding her as he moved through the barrage of attacks, said with an expressionless face, ¡°Don¡¯t stop the Thunder Method.¡±

    ¡°Oh oh.¡± Xie Ruoxi tried her best to peek over his shoulder, aiming to lock onto the surrounding enemies.

    But as seen from the live-streaming perspective of Yan Yu, they were constantly spinning left, moving right, retreating, and advancing every second. Just watching was enough to make one dizzy and nauseous, let alone aiming at a target.

    ¡°Slow down, slow down a bit!¡± Xie Ruoxi called out helplessly.

    ¡°Can¡¯t slow down.¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°We¡¯ll get hit.¡±

    ¡°But I can¡¯t aim properly!¡±

    ¡°As if you could aim properly standing still.¡± Yan Yu scoffed, ¡°Don¡¯t you have a powerful True Yuan? Just blast away randomly!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi had no comeback, and though she mentally protested that her aim wasn¡¯t that bad, she didn¡¯t have the courage to say it out loud. Instead, she closed her eyes and, reaching her hands over Yan Yu¡¯s shoulders, smashed Jade Pivot Thunder and Divine Thunder behind him.

    Yan Yu immediately adjusted his path, deliberately exposing his back towards nearby enemies. Sure enough, every single shot hit its mark, killing them all.

    As a result, a bizarre notion unexpectedly sprang up in his mind: Could this tactic have any potential for future use? For example, if we encounter enemies with high defense in the future and Sword Control Technique can¡¯t break through, I could just carry this beautiful good-for-nothing, and she would only need to cast Thunder Method straight back. I would handle the aiming and positioning¡­

    No way! Would I become her mount then? Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    That¡¯s outrageous, does she even deserve it? Absolutely not! I am the strongest in this world, after all!

 Chapter 397: 93: Watch Carefully, This is How to Use the Immortal Venerate

    Chapter 397: Chapter 93: Watch Carefully, This is How to Use the Immortal Venerate

    Despite the Allied Forces¡¯ best efforts to block them, Yan Yu¡¯s movement combined with Xie Ruoxi¡¯s output managed to push through the encirclement and then retreat back to the stairs of the Departure Palace.

    ¡°It seems we¡¯ve come up with a new tactic,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s worth further investigation.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Yan Yu immediately straightened his face, ¡°Useless stuff with no value for research.¡±

    I have my own offensive capabilities; I don¡¯t need a pretty waste to assist me!

    ¡°Hehe.¡± Chen Lingyun instructed Xie Ruoxi, ¡°Enter the Departure Palace, kneel on the meditation cushion, and choose one reward out of three. If you don¡¯t know how to choose, ask Yan Yu.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Xie Ruoxi entered the Departure Palace, and Yan Yu came to Chen Lingyun¡¯s side, asking in a low voice:

    ...

    ¡°How¡¯s the situation?¡±

    ¡°Not too bad,¡± Chen Lingyun said nonchalantly, ¡°The current configuration makes it difficult for the enemy to attack.¡±

    ¡°Assuming True Yuan endurance isn¡¯t an issue,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°But that¡¯s not possible,¡± Chen Lingyun said.

    The Allied Forces employed a shift-based attacking rhythm; one group would charge, another prepared to charge, and a third would retreat to regroup, cycling through in shifts, which made their endurance very strong.

    The Rikoku Cultivators, although holding the high ground at the Departure Palace with average individual combat capabilities above the enemy and Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler to safeguard them, had too little time to consume Elixir Medicines, refine their power, and restore True Yuan. Once everyone¡¯s True Yuan began to falter, the enemy would definitely intensify their attack, and that would be when the real fight began.

    ¡°Everyone must be constantly aware of their True Yuan reserves,¡± Yan Yu said seriously, ¡°Calculations should be your area of expertise.¡±

    ¡°Ask every ten minutes,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a calm smile, ¡°Currently, Ye Jun is under the most pressure with endurance.¡±

    ¡°Everyone needs her defenses; the pressure is indeed huge,¡± Yan Yu pondered, ¡°Do you need my help?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Chen Lingyun blinked, ¡°First, take care of Ruoxi¡¯s issue, and we¡¯ll talk more when you come out.¡±

    As soon as Yan Yu turned to enter the Departure Palace, he heard Xie Ruoxi say:

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll choose Da Dong Lei.¡±

    Yan Yu: ?

    ¡°Are you trying to revolt!¡± He went over and pressed down on Xie Ruoxi¡¯s head, displaying a terrifying expression like a Yin Ghost, ¡°Choosing a reward without asking for my opinion? Don¡¯t you respect me as your team leader?¡±

    ¡°No no no!¡± Xie Ruoxi hurriedly shook her head, explaining, ¡°It¡¯s because she told me that I practice Thunder Method, and there¡¯s only one reward available to me, which is that Da Dong Lei¡­ What else could I choose?!¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Only one reward?¡± Yan Yu instinctively doubted her claim, but then he considered that even the trashy princess Chen Lingyun could be left without any reward, so it seemed plausible that Xie Ruoxi had only one.

    ¡°So what is Da Dong Lei exactly?¡± he continued to ask, ¡°Briefly explain it to me.¡±

    ¡°Uh, it¡¯s similar to Jade Pivot Thunder and Divine Thunder,¡± Xie Ruoxi replied, ¡°Jade Pivot Thunder is used against Yin Ghosts, it can damage a person¡¯s soul; Divine Thunder is for defeating monsters, good at cutting off life; Da Dong Lei is said to be for dealing with demons, but as for what exactly a demon is, although she explained a bit using classical Chinese, I didn¡¯t quite understand.¡±

    Yan Yu was shocked. At this point in time, only about three people in the whole world would know what a ¡°demon¡± was.

    This thing, likely to emerge in large numbers during the latter stages of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, was known as the ¡°civilization¡¯s enemy¡± to mankind. The Yin Yang Bureau called them ¡°evil spirits,¡± while in Europe they were termed ¡°demons.¡± They seemed to be some kind of high-dimensional beings with formalized rules, indestructible, and even the Transcendents often faced a fate of more harm than good; ordinary people encountering them was tantamount to certain death.

    The Da Dong Lei that Xie Ruoxi obtained, even if it couldn¡¯t kill the demons outright, as long as it could restrain them, it would be more than good. The problem was that at the current time, there weren¡¯t any demons around, resulting in the awkward situation of having the means to slay dragons but no dragons to slay.

    ¡°All right, come out with me,¡± Yan Yu called her.

    The two had barely left the Departure Palace when they saw Ye Jun sitting beside Chen Lingyun, legs crossed, in the posture of ¡®five hearts facing the sky¡¯, with wisps of white vapor rising from her forehead¡ªa sign of True Yuan running at full speed, meaning she would be fully engaging in refining the Elixir Medicine to replenish True Yuan.

    Without Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler¡¯s protection, the front line became perilously uncertain. Many attacks couldn¡¯t be taken head-on but had to be dodged; and in the act of dodging, gaps were exposed, allowing the enemy to seize the opportunity to charge up, further compromising the high ground.

    Not able to dodge in time on the left flank, Su Yunjin received a scratch on the cheek by a magic missile from a distant position, her face nearly a bloody mess.

    But instead of taking time to heal the wound, she continued to use the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art in tandem with Lin Ning to obstruct and repel the charging enemies, fighting bloodily and expressionlessly, a picture of utter bravery.

    On the right flank, Yang Linhui was struck in the waist by a shuriken. He nonchalantly pulled it out, intending to keep fighting, but the shuriken was poisoned¡­ and soon found he was too weak to stand, so Guo Feiyun quickly had Ai Lu take him back to take a Detoxification Pill, while he took over the position.

    ¡°I should go back,¡± said Ye Jun who couldn¡¯t sit still any longer, ¡°I¡¯ve regained a third of my True Yuan; that should suffice.¡±

    ¡°Continue to recover,¡± Chen Lingyun said indifferently, ¡°Ruoxi, take over for Lin Hui for a while.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay,¡± Xie Ruoxi hurriedly dashed towards the right steps, comforting herself secretly, There¡¯s nothing to it, nothing to it. Just think of it as playing one of those tower defense games.

    But before she even reached the right steps, she saw all kinds of attacks raining down like a storm, which scared her so much that her face went pale. She quickly hid behind the railing, carefully formed the Thunder Method with her hands, and without looking, threw it out blindly like tossing a hand grenade.

    ¡°Sister, at least look where the enemy is!¡± Seeing several bolts of lightning tossed into the lake, Guo Feiyun couldn¡¯t stand it any longer, ¡°Isn¡¯t this a waste of True Yuan?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a professional Sword Immortal!¡± Xie Ruoxi yelled back, ¡°If I go out there, I¡¯ll be dead in seconds!¡±

    Guo Feiyun really wanted to point out their teammate Yang Linhui was also a mage, so why could he defend with Sword Control in one hand and cast spells with the other, while she couldn¡¯t do the same?

    But of course, this wasn¡¯t the right time to discuss that, so he shouted out:

    ¡°Just keep throwing! I¡¯ll use my swordsmanship to block the attacks for you!¡±

    Only then did Xie Ruoxi cautiously grip the railing and peek out with half her head to observe.

    Seeing Guo Feiyun indeed using his Flying Sword to intercept all the attacks aimed at her, she finally mustered the courage to start aiming and throwing lightning below.

    A bolt of Jade Pivot Thunder struck down, shattering the front-line Samurai charging at them into pieces.

    The rest of the Samurai turned tail and ran, leaving Guo Feiyun also stunned:

    ¡°Holy shit, that was badass, sister!¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Xie Ruoxi saw the enemy fleeing and immediately became proud, her initial panic and fear gone.

    Yang Linhui, having just finished detoxifying urgently, hurried back and called out:

    ¡°Can you hold on, Old Guo? I¡¯m coming to help you!¡±

    ¡°No need!¡± Guo Feiyun waved his hand expansively, ¡°Ruoxi and I are perfectly coordinated. It¡¯s a piece of cake to hold this position. You go support somewhere else.¡±

    Yang Linhui: ¡­¡­

    So brotherhood can disappear, huh?

    He silently turned around and sent a telepathic message to Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°If Ruoxi is guarding this place, I don¡¯t need to stay here, right?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± replied Chen Lingyun, ¡°She¡¯s just standing in temporarily. You are still needed to guard that spot.¡±

    Although Xie Ruoxi and Guo Feiyun felt good about their cooperation, Chen Lingyun saw at a glance that the Samurai were not fleeing in defeat but were urgently recalled by the Xiandao Jingyin.

    After all, even though Samurai are known for their tough skins and toughness, they¡¯re not good at nimble evasions and are naturally vulnerable to the Thunder Method. Even as cannon fodder, it¡¯s not worth wasting them like this.

    As expected, it wasn¡¯t long before the Xiandao Jingyin rearranged their troops and sent in a Ninja Team to charge.

    Xie Ruoxi wanted to repeat her previous tactic, but she found that this time the enemy was too slippery, and her Thunder Method couldn¡¯t hit them at all.

    ¡°Ruoxi, come back,¡± Chen Lingyun telepathically instructed her.

    Xie Ruoxi could only give her position back to Yang Linhui and silently returned to Chen Lingyun¡¯s side, only to hear her say:

    ¡°Go guard the left steps, so Yunjin can take some time to heal herself.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Xie Ruoxi, devoid of her earlier smugness, walked away quietly.

    She went to Su Yunjin¡¯s side and with one Thunder Method, blasted the Samurai charging at them to death¡ªSu Yunjin took the opportunity to take a breath and started treating the wound on her head.

    When Xiandao Jingyin got the news from the front lines, he immediately felt overwhelmed and hastened to call back the Samurai charging on the right flank, sending in the Ninja Team instead.

    ¡°Ruoxi, come back!¡± Chen Lingyun telepathically called out again. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 398: 94 Chen Lingyuns Strategy

    Chapter 398: Chapter 94 Chen Lingyun¡¯s Strategy

    Since Chen Lingyun wasn¡¯t commanding, Yan Yu took an Elixir Medicine, both to breathe and recover his True Yuan and to watch the frontline battle.

    Yang Linhui was defending the right flank, Liu Longtao the center, with Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun simultaneously reinforcing both flanks¡ªa dual Sword Immortal configuration, stable as can be.

    On the left flank, it was Su Yunjin and Lin Ning on defense. Although the two coordinated seamlessly, they were ultimately short on hands, showing signs of weariness and just managing to hold on. Therefore, Chen Lingyun sent Zhao Yuanzhen to their flank for reinforcement.

    Xie Ruoxi seemed more like a fire-fighting squad member, at one moment Chen Lingyun dispatched her to the left flank, then sent her rushing to the right, back and forth.

    But her repeated running back and forth wasn¡¯t meaningless. The opposing samurai had high offense and defense, and with no room to maneuver on the roadways of L¨ªg¨­ng, their power when charging formations was simply too strong.

    As a result, whenever Immortal Venerate Xie arrived, the enemy would quickly shift their samurai to another flank. Although it didn¡¯t allow her to reap any heads, at least the strategic value of delaying the enemy¡¯s assault rhythm was perfectly achieved.

    ...

    It was just tiring for Immortal Venerate Xie.

    Chen Lingyun wasn¡¯t feeling any guilt about making Immortal Venerate Xie run around and was even humming something about ¡°pushing and pulling¡± to themselves, seemingly proud of their command over the deployment of forces.

    Well, as long as it doesn¡¯t come down to me, let her be.

    Yan Yu yawned, only to hear Chen Lingyun¡¯s voice transmission:

    ¡°You look quite idle.¡±

    ¡°A secret weapon must look like a secret weapon,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently with his hands behind his back, ¡°As long as I don¡¯t take action, the opposition will definitely be wary.¡±

    ¡°But you have already made your move just now,¡± Chen Lingyun pointed out leisurely.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­

    ¡°My move just now was to save someone,¡± he argued vehemently, ¡°To save, not to kill¡ªdo I need to use my full strength for that? Let me tell you, if I put forth all my strength, even I would be scared. Why wouldn¡¯t the other side be wary of the secret ace I might be hiding?¡±

    ¡°That makes a little bit of sense,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    After all, everyone had seen how Yan Yu dealt with Mei Yingxue at Inferno Pass¡ªblocking three times per second for nearly half an hour without a single mistake.

    Compared to that, this current situation was indeed a small scene for him. The pressure he had to endure on the battlefield was nowhere near what Mei Yingxue applied, but¡­

    ¡°Are you tired?¡± Chen Lingyun asked abruptly. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Tired? Why would I be tired?¡± Yan Yu countered.

    ¡°You withstood the onslaught from Immortal Venerate Jinghong for almost half an hour. Aren¡¯t you tired?¡± Chen Lingyun continued.

    ¡°It was just Sword Control blocking,¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°It doesn¡¯t use up much True Yuan.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m talking about your mental state,¡± Chen Lingyun said gravely, ¡°Can you still concentrate your attention?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t maintain peak performance,¡± Yan Yu admitted after a pause, ¡°But executing at sixty percent is no problem.¡±

    ¡°Not enough,¡± Chen Lingyun said flatly, ¡°You go rest inside L¨ªg¨­ng. If there¡¯s a need, I¡¯ll call you.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem right,¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°While you¡¯re all fighting desperately at the front, it¡¯s not appropriate for me to be blatantly slacking in the back, right?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Chen Lingyun reassured, returning to a smile, ¡°Everyone saw your performance earlier. Even if we now say you should rest, everyone in the live stream will only comment saying ¡®Yan God, have a good rest¡¯.¡±

    After finishing her sentence, indeed, the live broadcast room outside began to flood with the message ¡°Yan God, have a good rest,¡± causing both commentators to sigh internally, ¡°The deputy captain really knows how to play up the show.¡±

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Yan Yu stretched lazily, and transmitted to everyone around, ¡°You guys keep fighting. Call me if you can¡¯t hold on any longer.¡±

    The crowd immediately responded, some sarcastically and others sincerely:

    ¡°Tsk!¡±

    ¡°Captain, rest well.¡±

    ¡°Old Yan, you just go to sleep. By the time you wake up, we¡¯ll have finished the battle.¡±

    Yan Yu returned to the inside of L¨ªg¨­ng, dragged the meditation cushion to use as a pillow, lay down on the spot, and closed his eyes to doze off.

    ¡°Would you like to be transported out now?¡± the female voice from L¨ªg¨­ng suddenly asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu said.

    After about half an hour, the voice of the Departure Palace suddenly asked:

    ¡°Would you like to be teleported away now?¡±

    ¡°No, not leaving,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°I¡¯ll find you when I need to leave.¡±

    ¡°Why not leave?¡± the female voice suddenly asked.

    ¡°What, you¡¯re interested in this?¡± Yan Yu was immediately surprised.

    ¡°Though I have no soul, I possess a certain spiritual intelligence,¡± the female voice said. ¡°Can¡¯t I ask?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that you can¡¯t ask,¡± Yan Yu realized suddenly. ¡°Since you have spiritual intelligence, does that mean you¡¯re not a divine remnant left by a mighty one, but an artifact spirit?¡±

    The female voice did not confirm nor deny, and asked again:

    ¡°What is the situation outside?¡±

    ¡°Foreign Transcendents are trying to enter the Departure Palace to take treasures,¡± Yan Yu replied. ¡°We¡¯re trying to stop them from getting in, so there¡¯s a magical battle happening outside.¡±

    ¡°Only the top ten may obtain treasures within the Secret Realm of L¨ªg¨­ng,¡± the voice of the Departure Palace said somberly. ¡°It wasn¡¯t like this before, but¡­ since the Era of Dharma Extinction, many treasures here have lost their spiritual nature, so I can no longer lavish rewards as before.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Yan Yu replied. ¡°But they don¡¯t. So, we¡¯re going to use this opportunity to wipe them out as much as we can.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± the voice of the Departure Palace understood at once. ¡°My physical form is the painting on the wall; other than speaking and distributing treasures, I can¡¯t help with anything else.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment, then inspiration struck. ¡°Since you can communicate, could you do me a favor?¡±

    ¡°What kind of favor?¡± the female voice from the Departure Palace asked.

    Her not refusing outright meant there was room for negotiation. Yan Yu¡¯s spirits lifted, and he said:

    ¡°Listen, if any foreign Transcendents enter later, you say this¡­¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    After reaching an agreement with the painting¡¯s artifact spirit, Yan Yu continued to close his eyes and feign sleep, eventually really drifting off.

    Within the Mysterious Realm, day and night made no difference; when he slowly awoke from his sleep, he had no idea how many hours he had been out for.

    The sounds of clashing metal and exploding spells were still coming from outside, but they were now louder and more frequent than before.

    Yan Yu stepped out calmly, only to see chaos unfolding outside.

    Enemies repeatedly breached the defenses on the left, right, and central stairs, rushing forward, only to be desperately repelled by the combined efforts of the Cultivators. Even Chen Lingyun couldn¡¯t sit back and direct any longer; she took up the Soul Summoning Banner and prayer beads to join the fray, patching gaps wherever needed.

    Looking at the state of the Cultivators, nearly everyone bore injuries, and their morale was far from the spirited vigor they had started with¡ªmarked by severe depletion of True Yuan, causing them to hesitate to go all out in their attacks.

    ¡°Why have you come out?¡± Chen Lingyun, surveying the whole scene, was the first to spot Yan Yu emerging from the Departure Palace. ¡°Never mind, I was about to call for you.¡±

    ¡°How much time is left in the Departure Palace?¡± Yan Yu asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t bring my phone.¡±

    ¡°Soon, less than twenty minutes left,¡± Chen Lingyun replied. ¡°I pretended to expose a weak point on purpose, allowing Shenyuan Simie to be snatched up and killed by them in a decoy move. They probably all think we¡¯re about to collapse, so they¡¯ve started a full-on assault.¡±

    Yan Yu extended his Divine Sense to scan the area and indeed saw the Onmyoji at the front, followed by the super-heroes, and then the Lihuayuan Swordsmen, all attacking the three sets of stairs in waves, aiming to prevent the Rikoku Cultivators from having time to recover their True Yuan.

    ¡°They¡¯re planning to let the Onmyoji enter the Departure Palace first to claim treasures?¡± Yan Yu continued to speak through a spiritual link.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Chen Lingyun replied. ¡°They want to distribute the treasures after leaving the Mysterious Realm.¡±

    ¡°If the Onmyoji enter the Departure Palace in full view of everyone, and then emerge with no treasures to redistribute¡­¡± Yan Yu said slowly. ¡°Then the other two factions would surely think the Onmyoji have turned their backs on the agreement, intending to monopolize the trove.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a hint of surprise. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the plan we initially agreed upon?¡±

    ¡°I just had a chat with the artifact spirit of the Departure Palace¡­ the female voice,¡± Yan Yu smiled. ¡°Through my personal charm, I have persuaded her to cooperate with us to make this plan even more foolproof.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Chen Lingyun was first stunned, then immediately overjoyed.

    If the artifact spirit from the Departure Palace joined in, the success rate of the plan would reach ninety percent¡­ no, a full hundred percent!

    ¡°Remember this,¡± she said quickly. ¡°We need to adjust the original plan like this. When the Onmyoji rush into the Departure Palace later, you have the artifact spirit say this¡­¡±

 Chapter 399: 95: Lord Master Was Shocked

    Chapter 399: Chapter 95: Lord Master Was Shocked

    Su Yunjin¡¯s True Yuan was almost exhausted, and her heart was filled with anxiety.

    The number of cultivators from Lu Country was lower than that of the enemy, but their individual strength was higher, so the most suitable tactic was decapitation¡ªavoid the majority of the enemy¡¯s forces and directly assassinate their high-level officers.

    Conversely, the most unfavorable situation was the current one: having to hold a position and repeatedly engage in head-on confrontations, which would eventually lead to being worn down by the enemy.

    To draw an analogy, it was like the ancient, costly heavy cavalry, who should be used decisively at critical moments. Who would use heavy cavalry to defend a city?

    Su Yunjin sighed and said to Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen,

    ¡°I¡¯m running out of True Yuan, cover for me for a while, I need to take some medicine.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Alright,¡± the two replied.

    Su Yunjin hid behind the balustrade, took the Elixir Medicine, and quickly refined the medicinal power to restore her True Yuan.

    Below, another Ninja Team started their charge. Zhao Yuanzhen quickly stood in her place, activated the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer, and smashed it down on the heads of these ninjas.

    No sooner had the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer smashed down than a ninja reached to his waist, pulling out a¡­ samurai sword?

    ¡°Not right!¡± Lin Ning exclaimed, ¡°It¡¯s a samurai! Disguised as a samurai!¡±

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress, though not keen on strategizing, was quick to understand things related to combat.

    The enemy had played a trick of ¡°the real is fake, the fake is real,¡± allowing samurai to remove their armor and mix with the ninja troops, quietly charging with them!

    Su Yunjin¡¯s True Yuan was exhausted, and she was still refining the medicinal power, unable to cast Taoism Method. As a large number of enemies surged forward, the two could not stop them. They could only pull Su Yunjin along and retreat urgently to the rear. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    As Liu Longtao in the center wanted to turn around to assist, his opponents also intensified their offensive, forcing Lord Master to fully engage in blocking them. Consequently, the overall defensive line became precarious as the left flank lost control.

    ¡°Pretty good,¡± Yan Yu communicated to Chen Lingyun, ¡°It¡¯s about time~¡±

    ¡°We still need to keep up the act, to avoid suspicion from the other side,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°You and Xie Ruoxi go and intercept.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Yan Yu communicated to Xie Ruoxi, ¡°Ruoxi, let¡¯s support the left flank!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi hurried over. Seeing a large group of enemy troops charging up the left flank and three teammates retreating, she was immediately shocked into pale terror.

    But thinking that the team leader would be with her, she suddenly felt endless courage, as if the victory was already securely within grasp.

    Seeing her spirited expression, Yan Yu just smiled silently.

    He was the strongest in this world, not a destroyer of worlds. Being the strongest meant he was unbeatable in hand-to-hand combat, not that he could snap his fingers and instantly turn the enemies to dust. Moreover, Xie Ruoxi¡¯s Thunder Method, though powerful, was also a singular attack method, so the two of them definitely couldn¡¯t stop so many enemies.

    But if they lowered their aim to ¡°kill as many as possible,¡± that would be much easier to accomplish!

    The two rushed to the vicinity of the left flank, meeting up with Lin Ning, Su Yunjin, and Zhao Yuanzhen, and saw an enormous number of Shikigami opening the way, samurais in the middle, ninjas, and Onmyoji flanking from the rear, all pushing forward toward the main gate like a sea of people.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Su Yunjin finally recovered some True Yuan, once again casting the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, attempting to block the advance of the Onmyoji.

    The tide divides the field!

    An enormous amount of heavenly river water poured out from the void, drenching the Onmyoji.

    Just then, the Shikigami suddenly split to either side, standing grim-faced in the center, Shenyuan Simie with talisman papers in his hands self-combusting, summoning a Shikigami.

    That Shikigami, disheveled with only one eye showing, held a tattered cloth bag, opened the bag, and immediately unleashed an endless tornado, forcefully blowing the heavenly river water to both sides, unable to strike at the main formation of the Onmyoji.

    In just a moment of spell exchange, Su Yunjin¡¯s True Yuan was once again insufficient, forcing her to abruptly interrupt her spell.

    The tornado instantly blew back, forcing everyone to stagger back, unable to open their eyes. Xie Ruoxi, in fright, ducked her head down, and suddenly, Yan Yu grabbed her right arm.

    ¡°Shenxiao!¡± he shouted rapidly.

    Without a second thought, Xie Ruoxi swiftly circulated her True Yuan with her right hand, condensing the Shenxiao Thunder and grasping it in her hand.

    Yan Yu grabbed her arm and flung it forward with all his might while shouting:

    ¡°Release!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi, who fully trusted Yan Yu, immediately loosened the binds of the Thunder Method, and saw the thunder light shoot straight through the overwhelming hurricane, hitting the Shikigami in the chest precisely and shattering it on the spot.

    Shenyuan Simie was instantly terrified, hastily retreated behind the Samurai, and the Shikigami surged forward again, thoroughly shielding the Onmyoji ranks.

    The wild hurricane finally ceased, and only then could everyone barely open their eyes and hurry back near the main entrance of Departure Palace, only to see Chen Lingyun had already withdrawn everyone from the middle and right paths of the Dragon Soar Team to the door, where they tightened the defensive line and began to secretly discuss strategies internally through voice transmission.

    ¡°Enter Departure Palace, guard the main entrance,¡± Liu Longtao said rapidly, ¡°The main entrance is small, we can defend it.¡±

    The members of the Dragon Soar Team echoed one after another.

    ¡°No,¡± Chen Lingyun denied, ¡°Do we want to be caught like turtles in a jar?¡±

    ¡°Then where to?¡± Ye Jun asked.

    ¡°Right path,¡± Chen Lingyun answered, ¡°Attack and blockade the enemy.¡±

    ¡°Attack and blockade, can¡¯t stop everyone,¡± Liu Longtao voiced his dissent, ¡°Some will always break through.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if they break in,¡± Chen Lingyun said.

    Liu Longtao formed a spell, launching a Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens to the left side, forcing the enemy back for a while, and said vehemently:

    ¡°We cannot lose any of Departure Palace¡¯s treasures!¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t lose them,¡± Yan Yu finally seized the moment to respond, ¡°Only the top ten can obtain the treasures.¡±

    Everyone: ?

    Then, except for Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun, the expressions on everyone¡¯s faces immediately underwent complex changes.

    Lord Master had the most violent fluctuations. He slowly opened his mouth wide, his eyes bulged like brass bells, and his face completed a rollercoaster of emotions, as if Fan Jin had just been humiliated by his father-in-law a second ago and then found out he had finally passed the imperial examinations¡­ It was less a surprise and more intense shock and disbelief.

    ¡°No way,¡± Lord Master stumbled in his question, ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Tuck that dumb expression away,¡± Chen Lingyun seemed very pleased with his silly look, ¡°We are communicating via voice transmission, don¡¯t let others notice and become suspicious.¡±

    Only then did Liu Longtao snap back to reality, swiftly switching to an expressionless face, continuing to cast spells attacking the approaching Onmyoji, and inquiring without any change in his voice:

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me beforehand?¡±

    ¡°Only a few people knew,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°If everyone knew, could you have performed the feeling of desperately struggling and resisting till the end?¡±

    Lord Master was utterly speechless, even more convinced that this was this despicable woman¡¯s deliberate act, reveling in the pleasure of manipulating everyone.

    ¡°Since only the top ten can obtain the treasures, which means even if they break into Departure Palace, they won¡¯t get any treasures,¡± Ye Jun mused, ¡°Then we can actually enter Departure Palace and teleport away now.¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s not enough,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Not enough?¡± Liu Longtao asked gravely, ¡°So, what is our goal?¡±

    ¡°To break apart their alliance,¡± Chen Lingyun said smilingly, ¡°Make them turn on each other and self-destruct.¡±

 Chapter 400: 96 Where is My Reward?

    Chapter 400: Chapter 96 Where is My Reward?

    The group quickly retreated to the steps on the right side and then launched a fierce attack towards the main gate.

    Since there was no one guarding the main gate anymore, the Allied Forces stopped attacking the Lu Country cultivators and desperately tried to break into the Departure Palace.

    ¡°Wind and snow,¡± Chen Lingyun directed.

    Yang Linhui quickly activated the Taoism Method, and a fierce wind and snow swirled near the main gate of the Departure Palace, blocking the path of the Allied Forces.

    The Onmyojis immediately counterattacked, launching various spells trying to force a path through the storm.

    ¡°Lang Feiyun,¡± Chen Lingyun continued to direct.

    ...

    Su Yunjin, who had slightly recovered her True Yuan, immediately pinched a Taoist Incantation and released the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art; countless high-pressure water bullets shot through the wind and snow, carrying numerous tiny ice particles, pushing back the samurai who tried to withstand it.

    ¡°Thunder,¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly said.

    ¡°Hit who?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked anxiously. Just as she spoke, Yan Yu grabbed her arm again.

    She quickly condensed a spell while Yan Yu held her arm, raised it, and with a forceful swing, shouted:

    ¡°Release!¡±

    An opening had just cleared in the crowd on the opposite side where Shenyuan Simie had released three bulky Shikigami to block the onslaught of magic for the Onmyojis and force a path. However, a precise strike of Shenxiao Thunder went right through the gaps between the Shikigami, shattering it instantly.

    Its body turned into a fluttering confetti, and the three Shikigami also exploded violently.

    ¡°Red Dragon,¡± Chen Lingyun snapped her fingers.

    Liu Longtao released the Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens, and a giant fire dragon soared up, crashing towards the Onmyoji¡¯s position. Suddenly, a pillar of light lit up within their ranks, blocking the fire dragon in midair and preventing it from landing.

    Xiandao Jingyin activated a magic mirror to counter the Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens, Shenyuan Simie had just resurrected using the paperman death-substituting technique and hadn¡¯t yet reached the frontline when the others, battling through the wind and snow, were beaten to death by several Sword Immortals¡ª the closest one had almost crossed the threshold of the Departure Palace, nearly teleporting inside, when he was struck directly on the forehead by Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer, instantly splitting his head open and falling dead.

    Shenyuan Simie finally made it back to the frontline just in time to see Xiandao Jingyin defeating the fire dragon and then took Elixir Medicine to replenish his spiritual power.

    ¡°This won¡¯t do,¡± he whispered. ¡°Before, the Lu Country cultivators were defending in three different places, with their firepower spread out; now they are focusing all their firepower on the Departure Palace¡¯s main gate, their magic¡¯s range completely covers and concentrates, making it much harder to break through the defense.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Xiandao Jingyin had also realized this.

    ¡°This way, our casualties are too heavy,¡± Shenyuan Simie sinisterly said. ¡°The Pear Blossom Courtyard swordsmen and the Superhero Alliance can preserve their strength. Isn¡¯t this bad?¡±

    ¡°Do you want them to join the charge too?¡± Xiandao Jingyin immediately saw through his stirring intent.

    ¡°I just think that it shouldn¡¯t only be our people who needlessly shed blood and sacrifice themselves,¡± Shenyuan Simie said with a smile.

    ¡°No,¡± Xiandao Jingyin decisively responded, ¡°If they join the charge as well, how can we ensure that we enter the Departure Palace first later on? Not to mention, if anyone among them can¡¯t restrain themselves and tries to get ahead into the Departure Palace, the agreement we had will immediately be void, and everyone will end up in a situation where they hold each other back, or even turn against each other violently.¡±

    ¡°So what?¡± Shenyuan Simie said with a sinister laugh. ¡°If the situation really turns into a mess, we can just use our hiding techniques to fish in troubled waters, and it will certainly be more of our people who manage to enter the Departure Palace.¡±

    ¡°Even if we benefit more this time, what about next time?¡± Xiandao Jingyin still disagreed, ¡°Lu Country is strong, and it takes a joint effort from three parties to prevail. If the alliance breaks now, how can it be united next time? You should not be concerned about the small immediate gain; can you consider the bigger picture? Don¡¯t cause trouble for the big shots.¡±

    Shenyuan Simie sneered coldly and, without a word, retreated back into the crowd.

    Among the Four Great Demon Kings, Xiandao Jingyin and Kazuya Ichirou were typical representatives of the establishment, brainwashed loyalists by the big shots, always talking about ¡°the greater good¡± and ¡°national endurance,¡± which to Shenyuan Simie, seemed utterly foolish.

    If I could rise to power¡­

    Such thoughts sprouted from the bottom of his heart, like planting a seed of a poisonous tree, making some of his ideas uncontrollable.

    The superheroes and Pear Blossom Courtyard swordsmen also projected long-range firepower from above the high ground.

    But since the Lu Country cultivators had given up defending the three sets of steps and instead huddled behind one set, their harassment was greatly diminished.

    ¡°The casualties must be significant by now, but these Onmyojis seem to be able to keep their cool,¡± the Green-clad Sword Lee Kyung-joon said coldly, ¡°It¡¯s as if they are the loyal dogs of the Superheroes.¡±

    ¡°We should not make comments that are detrimental to unity,¡± Park Changmin said calmly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with sacrificing their lives to charge for the Allied Forces?¡±

    ¡°Why do I remember someone proactively suggesting that we take the lead?¡± the Yoruba Sword Choi Seung-hyun said with ill intent.

    Park Changmin didn¡¯t bother with his disparagement, thinking, ¡°I had anticipated that the Superhero Alliance would not agree, saying such things was merely to sell a brave reputation; how could a fool like you understand my thoughts?¡±

    He turned to look towards the opposing Superhero front and indeed saw another disturbance beginning there.

    Seeing that the Departure Palace¡¯s main gate was now unguarded, the Onmyoji were completing the final charge, and many superheroes could no longer hold back. They surrounded Stevenson, the ¡°Judge¡±, demanding that he tear up the agreement and let everyone charge towards the Departure Palace to get their share.

    Stevenson naturally disagreed. The plan for the Onmyoji to enter the Departure Palace first and seek treasures was agreed upon from the beginning; there was no reason to backtrack on that now!

    One must focus on the bigger picture!

    But his heartfelt persuasions failed to convince his subordinates, the superheroes. These mercenaries did not like to follow a collective plan; they turned and began to disobey orders, leading the charge up the main steps of the Departure Palace.

    Chen Lingyun, seeing this from above, immediately furrowed her brows.

    In her plan, the Onmyoji had to enter the Departure Palace collectively first, so they would end up in a situation where none could defend themselves afterwards. Even if all Onmyoji insisted they acquired nothing, others would merely think they were in cahoots¡­ But if the superheroes stirred things up, it could throw the whole plan into jeopardy.

    ¡°Magic Cultivators, pretend your True Yuan is insufficient and slow down the attack, let the Onmyoji enter the Departure Palace!¡± she almost immediately decided, loudly commanding, ¡°Yan Yu, block those superheroes, don¡¯t let a single one up!¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Yan Yu executed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, instantly rushing into the blizzard that engulfed the main gate, disappearing from sight.

    Yang Linhui and Su Yunjin both began to reduce their force, causing the blizzard and floods to slowly recede, while Liu Longtao simply stopped using the Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens and just wielded the Ying Long Sword in a chaotic manner.

    To Xiandao Jingyin watching, this clearly demonstrated a major blunder by the Lu Country Cultivators¡ªwhat¡¯s happening? Improper coordination of Elixir Medicine for sustenance, causing three Magic Cultivators to experience insufficient True Yuan simultaneously?

    ¡°Push forward the Shikigami in the front lines to block their firepower! Ninja Team, seize the chance to enter the Departure Palace first! Samurai, form up to protect!¡± she ordered swiftly.

    The Onmyoji immediately pulled out their stored Talisman Paper, summoning a large number of Shikigami and pushing forward to block the Lu Country Cultivators¡¯ path of attack.

    Under the protection of the Samurai team, the agile Ninja Team was the first to enter the Departure Palace, searching the surroundings.

    Xiandao Jingyin and Shinyori Simie also rushed into the hall, quickly surveying the internal environment, finally resting their eyes upon a cushion in front of a scroll on an incense table.

    ¡°Masao!¡± instructed Shinyori Simie, ¡°Kneel on the cushion and pray for treasures.¡±

    The Onmyoji named Masao did as told, kneeling on the cushion, bowing repeatedly and closing his eyes to pray.

    Indeed, within moments, a female voice rose within the palace:

    ¡°Cultivator¡­ Masao Yuto, pass through six trials, rank as the eleventh successful applicant, score qualified.¡±

    ¡°Now for the rewards, choose one of three: ¡®The Essentials of Mixed Yuan Pill Refining,¡¯ ¡®The Secret Law of Samadhi True Fire,¡¯ ¡®Kan-Li Dragon and Tiger Breathing Scripture.¡¯

    Masao Yuto looked towards the two Demon Kings, Xiandao Jingyin narrowed her eyes, contemplating. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    She, like Shinyori Simie, could somewhat understand the language of Lu Country, especially familiar with the naming by the Taoist Sect. ¡®The Essentials of Mixed Yuan Pill Refining¡¯ must be some Alchemy method, ¡®The Secret Law of Samadhi True Fire¡¯ is clearly an offensive Taoist Incantation, and ¡®Kan-Li Dragon and Tiger Breathing Scripture¡¯ is definitely associated with Cultivation¡­ They must pick the third option then! After all, the foundation of cultivation is core!

    ¡°Choose the third one,¡± she said indifferently.

    ¡°Disciple chooses the third one,¡± Masao Yuto stated in Chongying language.

    ¡°Reward granted,¡± the Departure Palace¡¯s female voice stated coldly, ¡°Would you like to be transported out of the Mysterious Realm now?¡±

    Masao Yuto: ¡°???¡±

    The reward was granted?

    Why didn¡¯t I hear a single word?

    After a moment of silent trembling, he began frantically patting himself, checking if the Mysterious Realm had secretly tucked any scripture or secret scroll in his pocket.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Shinyori Simie asked, frowning.

    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± Masao Yuto fumbled for a while, sweating profusely, his face deathly pale, and his lips quivering, ¡°I didn¡¯t hear the content of the mental method¡­ I didn¡¯t receive the reward¡­¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Xiandao Jingyin¡¯s face filled with rage as she shouted in reprimand, ¡°Daring to hide the content of the mental method, do you wish to die? Masao! Even if you momentarily lost your way, think about your wife and children!¡±

 Chapter 401: 97: One Man Holds the Pass

    Chapter 401: Chapter 97: One Man Holds the Pass

    The Onmyoji, Asou Yuuto, who just retrieved the treasure, claimed he didn¡¯t receive any reward from the Departure Palace. Is what he said true or false?

    Shenyuan Simie tends to think he¡¯s lying, as he has always been inclined to suspect the worst of everyone around him.

    Xiandao Jingyin felt he wasn¡¯t lying. However, whatever the actual situation, she had to proceed as if ¡°Asou had lied.¡±

    The reason was simple: if the Departure Palace transferred the Taoism Method¡¯s knowledge directly into the recipient¡¯s mind instead of giving out scrolls, then only the recipient would know whether the reward had been received or not.

    If they chose to believe Asou¡¯s statement and did not administer a severe punishment, then the subordinates who retrieved the treasures afterward might be tempted to follow suit, claiming adamantly that ¡°there¡¯s a problem with the Departure Palace mechanism¡± or ¡°I did not receive the reward¡±¡­ In such a case, things would become completely unmanageable.

    This loophole cannot be allowed!

    ...

    Therefore, regardless of whether Asou was lying, from the moment he said ¡°I did not receive the reward,¡± he was doomed to face severe punishment.

    Xiandao Jingyin simply waved her hand, and two ninjas lifted the limp Asou Yuuto from the ground, planning to drag him to a corner for a harsh interrogation.

    Asou Yuuto¡¯s face turned pale, and suddenly he clenched his teeth, turning into a beam of white light and disappearing.

    Disappeared?

    Xiandao Jingyin and Shenyuan Simie were slightly taken aback, then their expressions changed drastically.

    That bastard! He¡¯s teleported out of the Mysterious Realm!

    According to the Departure Palace¡¯s female voice just now, it is known that any Transcendent who has taken a treasure can choose to be teleported out of the Mysterious Realm at any time.

    The principle is the same, whether Asou Yuuto has fled with the treasure intending to keep it all for himself, or if he indeed did not receive any treasure and did not want to be tortured to death¡­ In any case, once he teleported out of the Mysterious Realm without permission, he committed an unquestionable act of treason.

    ¡°Asou Yuuto has fled with the treasure,¡± Xiandao Jingyin said indifferently. ¡°This is treason. After leaving here, we shall proceed to a military tribunal for trial and he shall be severely punished without mercy.¡±

    Shenyuan Simie let out a slight smile, looking around at everyone, and reminded:

    ¡°Kill his entire family.¡±

    Though the phrase ¡®kill the entire family¡¯ may be a bit exaggerated, it is imaginable that as long as Asou Yuuto remains hidden outside for one day, his family will suffer indescribable torture until he can no longer endure the torment of his conscience and chooses to show himself.

    The other Onmyoji were as pale as death, silent as cicadas in winter, only to hear Xiandao Jingyin speak again:

    ¡°Matsushima Kouhei, it¡¯s your turn to retrieve the treasure.¡±

    Although he was the second among them to receive a reward, the ninja named Matsushima Kouhei had a look of utter despair and dared not defy Xiandao Jingyin¡¯s command, silently kneeling on the cushion to pray.

    The female voice of the Departure Palace sounded again, offering a choice between three forms of the Taoism Method.

    Matsushima Kouhei, following Xiandao Jingyin¡¯s command, selected one of the Qi Refinement techniques. Then he waited with an ashen face for a long time before carefully shaking his head. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    This made Xiandao Jingyin about eighty percent sure that there actually was a problem with the Departure Palace mechanism¡­ because Matsushima Kouhei was a reliable confidant arranged for her by her family, with very little chance of betrayal.

    Of course, this possibility could not be completely ruled out, so she waved her hand, commanding her subordinates to take Matsushima Kouhei away for interrogation.

    ¡°Furuta Yancun, you retrieve the treasure,¡± said Shenyuan Simie coldly.

    The samurai Furuta, with an expression of resigned determination, knelt on the cushion and bowed three times, praying for the treasure.

    Again the choice between three forms of the Taoism Method was given, and again after the selection was made, the claim ¡°the reward has been issued¡± was pronounced, but Furuta Yancun just silently checked himself all over before stating:

    ¡°I have not received anything, nor have I heard any sound.¡±

    The onmyoji present exchanged glances, feeling in their hearts that they believed about eighty percent of what was said and quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Since the samurai from Gu Tian were acknowledged by Lord Iwai Ichiro and known for their obstinate integrity and meticulous attention, it was highly improbable that they would lie about a Taoism Method¡ªwhat use did a samurai have for spells? It¡¯s not like they could switch professions to become an onmyoji!

    Xiandao Jingyin once again waved her hand, signaling her subordinates to bring Matsushima Kouhei back. Just as she was about to speak, the voice of Shenyuan Simie cut in:

    ¡°Even if we consider Matsushima and Gu Tian to have not lied for now, it doesn¡¯t mean Aisou is without issue.¡±

    Upon hearing this, the onmyoji who had just let down their guard tensed up again: Damn Aisou! Why did he teleport away without permission?!

    ¡°Let everyone else try in order as well,¡± Xiandao Jingyin ordered, ¡°Asai, make the arrangements.¡±

    Handing over the task of organizing the treasure search to her deputy, Xiandao Jingyin and Shenyuan Simie moved to a corner of the hall, their expressions darkening simultaneously.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been played,¡± said Xiandao Jingyin with a grim face.

    ¡°No matter how the cultivators from Lu Country managed to lock down the mechanism of Li Palace so it wouldn¡¯t release the treasures,¡± Shenyuan Simie also said somberly, ¡°the top priority is to have everyone take their turn quickly. If we confirm that there truly are no treasures, we must hasten to teleport out of The Secret Realm of Li Palace.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t leave,¡± Xiandao Jingyin said after a moment of silence, suddenly speaking up, ¡°If we leave now, we will lose all chance of explaining ourselves.¡±

    ¡°And can we explain if we stay?¡± Shenyuan Simie sneered mockingly, ¡°If you were Stevenson or Park Changmin, and I told you we got no treasures, so the original agreement to submit and redistribute cannot be carried out, would you believe me?¡±

    ¡°I would be skeptical,¡± answered Xiandao Jingyin, ¡°and then I would have my people enter Li Palace to check as well.¡±

    ¡°But the cultivators from Lu Country must have foreseen this,¡± said Shenyuan Simie, narrowing his eyes, ¡°If this is a trap they¡¯ve set up, why would they leave us any room to explain?¡±

    ¡°But if we teleport away now, that will only confirm the accusations of us stealing the treasures and fleeing, and then we¡¯ll never be able to clear things up,¡± insisted Xiandao Jingyin, ¡°If we go out and explain ourselves now, even if we can¡¯t convince them and avoid a conflict, at least we¡¯ve shown our stance. There might still be room to turn things around.¡±

    ¡°So what if it¡¯s confirmed?¡± Shenyuan Simie said viciously, ¡°The Westerners and the mixed breeds never intended to ally with us to begin with. This so-called tripartite alliance, from the moment we entered The Secret Realm of Li Palace, has proven that everyone harbors their own schemes. Can¡¯t you see that?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve already fallen into the big pit the cultivators from Lu Country have dug for us. Instead of thinking about climbing out quickly, you want to fight them to the death in this pit. Isn¡¯t that exactly what the cultivators from Lu Country want?¡±

    ¡°Now, if we break off ties with the other two factions, causing the tripartite alliance to completely collapse and lose any chance of coming together to resist Lu Country in the future, that¡¯s precisely what the cultivators from Lu Country are hoping for,¡± said Xiandao Jingyin coldly, ¡°Success on a tactical level must not overshadow a failure on a strategic level!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve made up my mind. Immediately invite the representatives from Superhero Alliance and Pear Blossom Courtyard to try for the treasures and let them verify that the mechanism is malfunctioning. There¡¯s no need to discuss it further.¡±

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Shenyuan Simie sneered, seeing that she didn¡¯t take his advice, ¡°Xiandao, you will regret this.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget,¡± Xiandao Jingyin retorted coldly, ¡°I am the leader of this expedition.¡±

    Shenyuan Simie walked to the side, folding his arms and watching the onmyoji line up to kneel on the cushions, only to show expressions of disappointment one by one.

    Xiandao Jingyin meanwhile, approached the gates of Li Palace and peered stealthily outside.

    The cultivators from Lu Country were still bombarding the main entrance of Li Palace, thwarting the group of onmyoji that had yet to enter¡ªthe onmyoji attempted to storm the high ground of Li Palace from the left staircase, trying to push towards the main entrance, the progress proving to be arduous.

    Beneath the right staircase were the swordsmen from Pear Blossom Courtyard, conducting raids up to the high ground with Flying Swords. The cultivators from Lu Country dispatched Guo Feiyun, Ai Lu, and Ye Jun, who engaged in a swordsmanship dismantle across the staircase with them¡ªnot quite a deadlock, as it was clear that the swordsmen from Pear Blossom Courtyard were not putting in their full effort.

    And the superheroes?

    Xiandao Jingyin looked again to see all the superheroes gathered at the main staircase, frantically charging the formation above.

    But they couldn¡¯t break through!

    Because Yan Yu, the Longcheng Flying General, stood alone with his sword, firmly guarding the main staircase and ensuring not a single superhero could advance!

    One man holds the pass, ten thousand cannot break through!

 Chapter 402: 98: No Man Can Open

    Chapter 402: Chapter 98: No Man Can Open

    The gateway to the Departure Palace faced a wide staircase that could almost accommodate three or four people walking side by side.

    But this staircase was also very narrow because Longcheng Flying General, guarding it alone, had been slaughtering the superheroes, and so far, no one had managed to break through!

    ¡°White Lion¡± Hamilton, wielding a giant sword and with a fierce expression, frantically hacked at Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu continuously performed sword techniques, using Huang Tingjian¡¯s Eagle Strikes the Sky with left slashes and right chops in four consecutive attacks. He forcefully interrupted Hamilton¡¯s momentum, then suddenly jumped forward and delivered a kick right to his face.

    Hamilton fell backward, the White Lion tumbling down the steps, knocking down his comrades behind him. Yan Yu, taking advantage of the momentum, executed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, swiftly returned up several steps, and caught up with ¡°Devil¡± Benjamin, who had just overtaken two others and was trying to storm into the Departure Palace.

    Benjamin chanted a spell silently, snapped his fingers, and several azure light bullets suddenly appeared, shooting like lightning toward Yan Yu¡¯s face.

    ...

    But Yan Yu was faster than him, his figure vanishing from sight. The magic missiles passed through where he had stood, knocking down several clerics charging from behind.

    This turn of events left Benjamin dumbfounded. As a wizard, a profession known for calculative tactics, many thoughts flashed through his mind like bolts of lightning.

    How did he do it?

    He must have foreseen that I would use magic missiles, so he intentionally lined himself up with me and the clerics behind us, turning my attack into a means to block others¡­ But how could he have foreseen my attack?

    Before he could figure it out, a rushing wind sounded from behind his head.

    Guessing that Yan Yu had circled to his back, ¡°Devil¡± Benjamin quickly formed a magic triangle with his hands and conjured a floating azure shield from behind.

    There was another heavy sound as some attack struck the floating shield, Benjamin quickly turned around, placing his right hand on the shield.

    Magic Spike!

    The smooth surface of the shield suddenly sprouted dozens of blue spikes, viciously stabbing toward the empty air in front of him!

    Empty air?

    As Benjamin realized what had happened, his arm, which was casting Magic Spike, was already clamped from behind by Yan Yu, who then fiercely pulled it sideways¡ªsweeping all the superheroes trying to storm up the nearby steps into two pieces, their blood spurting from the severed ends.

    ¡°Benjamin!¡± A furious voice called from below, sounding like someone he knew, ¡°What kind of attack was that? Can¡¯t you fight?¡±

    Benjamin¡¯s face turned ashen. He dare question whether I can fight?

    You go ask the 23 opponents defeated by my hand in the superhero league, more than half of whom my Magic Spikes pierced through the organs, forcing them to be hospitalized for emergency treatment¡ªask them how I earned my ¡°Devil¡± title?!

    But he had no time for verbal retaliation, as he was now facing an opponent he had never encountered before¡ªa terrifying adversary whose dominating presence on the battlefield seemed more like an indestructible demon!

    Yan Yu, holding his right arm, twisted it nearly 180 degrees, perfectly covering the rear steps. Benjamin discreetly performed a spell with his left hand, about to congeal a magic missile for a surprise attack, when he suddenly took a knee strike in the chin, breaking his neck, his body tumbling down the steps.

    Inside the Departure Palace, Xiandao Jingyin, utterly horrified, couldn¡¯t speak at what he saw unfolding before him.

    He had actually¡­ truly prevented all the superheroes from ascending the stairs? Not even one could come up?

    If the superheroes and Pear Blossom Courtyard swordsmen couldn¡¯t enter the Departure Palace to confirm the situation, then the so-called ¡°treasure bug¡± inside would become a complete claim only maintained by the Onmyoji, and one can imagine the disastrous and complete blow it would inflict on the triple alliance afterward!

    We absolutely cannot let Yan Yu succeed!

    Xiandao Jingyin quietly took out the magic mirror and secretly aimed at Yan Yu¡¯s distant figure from behind.

    True Scripture Tian Vo-Sword!

    The surface of the magic mirror shone brilliantly, transforming into a two-meter-long light spear, with lightning swirling around it, and molten heat, dazzling to the extreme. In a moment of negligence, it crossed the distance of more than ten meters and struck directly towards Yan Yu¡¯s back!

    At the critical moment, Yan Yu suddenly sidestepped to the left, narrowly missing the lethal attack¡ªit was a literal close shave, his sleeve completely torn and scorched, revealing the unscathed skin beneath, without a scratch on it.

    Below, ¡°Judge¡± Stevenson and ¡°Preacher¡± Han George were collaborating at the forefront to cast a holy barrier spell to clear the way for the superheroes behind them. Suddenly, Yan Yu dodged to the side, revealing a light spear hurtling towards them, aimed directly at Han George¡¯s head.

    Even as Han George tried to evade, the distance was too close, and it was too late. The light spear tore through the holy barrier, pierced his forehead, and instantaneously vaporized his entire head, leaving his headless body to collapse on the steps, bleeding profusely.

    Stevenson was stunned for a moment, recognized that it was Xiandao Jingyin¡¯s doing, and immediately turned around and rushed back into the crowd, shouting upwards in fury:

    ¡°Fuck, fuck, fuck! Damn Onmyoji bitch, what are you doing in the Departure Palace! Are you planning to tear up our agreement?¡±

    Xiandao Jingyin was immediately astonished, quickly conjured a Thousand Paper Cranes, and threw it outside, trying to send a message to Stevenson. But as soon as it entered the blizzard, it was caught by a large dog that leapt up, grabbed it, and ran off.

    Shikigami? No, it must be some kind of ghost¡­

    Xiandao Jingyin¡¯s expression darkened slightly, following the direction of the dog¡¯s run, she saw Chen Lingyun standing behind the cultivators, holding the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, giving her a polite, slight smile.

    Stevenson, already unable to contain his anger among the crowd. From his perspective, that light spear was fast and sudden, and with it being a sneak attack from behind, Longcheng Flying General couldn¡¯t possibly have dodged it¡ªthe reason he was able to react must be because Xiandao Jingyin had secretly collaborated with him, casting a spell to alert him to dodge in coordination!

    ¡°Preacher¡± Han George was Stevenson¡¯s close friend for nearly ten years, he was well aware of his capabilities. If it weren¡¯t for the Longcheng Flying General deliberately blocking his view, and only at the last moment dodging to reveal the primed light spear behind him¡­ how could Han George have been hit!

    Even if he dodged a bit later, Longcheng Flying General would have been hit by the light spear; if he had moved aside a bit earlier, Han George would have had time to react and cast a life-saving spell. But it happened precisely at the moment he couldn¡¯t react, and it definitely wasn¡¯t just some damn coincidence!

    Within the Departure Palace, Xiandao Jingyin also realized the misunderstanding was huge. The general inclination of the superheroes was already towards non-cooperation, it was Stevenson, as the team leader, who had pushed against the majority to promote this tripartite alliance.

    If Stevenson, because of his comrade¡¯s death by friendly fire, lost his composure in anger, it would be even more troublesome to explain later¡­ She quickly turned around and asked urgently:

    ¡°Has everything been confirmed?¡±

    ¡°Not yet.¡± Shenyuan Simie said indifferently, ¡°But so far, no one has successfully retrieved the treasure, including myself.¡±

    ¡°We need to fight our way out and bring our allies into the palace!¡± Xiandao Jingyin stated decisively, ¡°If we can¡¯t show them that there¡¯s a malfunction in the Departure Palace¡¯s mechanisms, we¡¯ll be left unable to defend ourselves afterwards!¡± S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Are you sure we can still fight our way out?¡± Shenyuan Simie asked with a cold laugh, ¡°If I were a Lu Country cultivator, and you guys now wanted to fight your way out, I would definitely do everything to block you, making you shed a layer of skin in the process!¡±

    ¡°We must fight our way out even if we can¡¯t!¡± Xiandao Jingyin said urgently, ¡°This venture into the Mysterious Realm has already been fruitless, we cannot afford to further offend our allies and let the Yin Yang Bureau become the target of public criticism and attacks!¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Shenyuan Simie replied languidly, ¡°I will follow your orders. After all, you¡¯re the team leader.¡±

    Seeing his sarcastic demeanor, Xiandao Jingyin suppressed her anger and coldly stated:

    ¡°Pick an elite team. Let the others attack the Lu Country cultivators, the elite will follow me to fight out of the Departure Palace, through the bombardment of Lu Country¡¯s cultivators, and coordinate with the superheroes to intercept Longcheng Flying General!¡±

 Chapter 403: 99 The Fall of Xiandao Jingyin

    Chapter 403: Chapter 99 The Fall of Xiandao Jingyin

    ¡°How much longer?¡± Yan Yu asked through a voice transmission. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Seven minutes,¡± Chen Lingyun responded.

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°Can you still hold on?¡±

    ¡°Of course, who do you think I am?¡± Yan Yu retorted.

    ¡°You are the strongest in this world~¡± Chen Lingyun said slowly.

    ...

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t respond to that comment but swiftly surveyed the entire battlefield with his divine sense.

    The swordsmen of the Pear Blossom Courtyard were attacking the high ground from the right side of the steps while the Sword Immortal of Lu Country was responsible for counteracting their sword techniques, and the Magic Cultivators focused their firepower on the main entrance of the Departure Palace.

    Inside the Departure Palace, the Onmyoji repeatedly attempted to break out but were forced back inside by the concentrated firepower of the four Magic Cultivators.

    In summary, the current situation could be described as ¡°The enemy¡¯s large forces divided into three routes; the Sword Immortal holding one, the Magic Cultivators another, and the Longcheng Flying General standing alone against one.¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s sword technique changed, and the Huang Ting Sword unleashed the Triple Cloud Strike, swift as lightning and heavy as thunder. The first strike cut a priest of the gods in half at the waist from the side; the second strike hit a Berserker from behind ¡ª the enemy turned abruptly and tried to block with his sword, but both he and his sword were broken and tumbled down the steps.

    The third strike was the most powerful, sweeping across the steps and forcing all the superheroes in its path to hastily retreat. Some even retreated too quickly, missed a step, and fell down.

    Such was the terror of a single strike!

    Yan Yu burst into laughter, reminded of the past when the Valkyrie had slain the Witch King with one strike in the sky above the South Sea and then pushed back the Allied Forces of the Southern Border with another.

    Li Minghu, look at the might and dominance I wield now, how does it compare to your prime in the past life?

    While he dominated the battlefield, someone finally lost their patience and made their way through the crowd.

    ¡°Phoenix¡± the Phoenix!

    Last time in the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm, united with three eagles yet forcefully killed by Yan Yu and later bombarded out of the secret realm by Su Yunjin¡¯s Triple Lang Feiyun Strike, Phoenix had been harboring a grudge and was determined to use this opportunity to redeem his honor and reclaim his worth!

    He made a gesture towards Yan Yu, signaling a challenge for a ¡°one-on-one¡± fight.

    Yan Yu naturally ignored him. A madman! You challenge me to a duel while your comrades try to rush and join the Onmyoji, right?

    Seeing that Yan Yu ignored him, Phoenix immediately became furious.

    Fuck! Don¡¯t you recognize me? I¡¯m Phoenix! The superhero ¡°Phoenix¡± who has fought you before!

    Blinded by rage, he snapped his fingers, and flames enveloped him instantly. Spreading his arms like a Phoenix, he glided up the steps!

    The surrounding superheroes exchanged looks and immediately used their own skills to quickly ascend the steps!

    Yan Yu knew that Phoenix¡¯s self-combustion technique was quite troublesome. If even a bit touched him, that divine fire would burn on him, fueled by his own True Yuan¡­ Theoretically speaking, it severely restricted professions like Magic Cultivators who required a lot of True Yuan.

    As a Sword Immortal, Yan Yu didn¡¯t have high demands for sustaining True Yuan. His combat style involved meticulous management of every bit of True Yuan, so he certainly wouldn¡¯t let Phoenix¡¯s scheme succeed. He merely performed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, walking in a zigzag pattern around the opponent. The wildly burning self-combustion flames splashed around but missed the Longcheng Flying General, instead setting several superheroes who couldn¡¯t dodge in time aflame.

    In the external broadcast room, it had been broadcasting live for over twenty hours, and the staff were visibly exhausted.

    But none complained. After all, the cultivators at the frontline had been fighting intensively without rest, battling through for six to seven hours, with the battle for the Departure Palace lasting over ten hours, not even having time for a break ¡ª staff at least could take turns going to the restroom!

    ¡°The Longcheng Flying General faces off against ¡®Phoenix¡¯ Phoenix!¡± Xu Dongming¡¯s voice had become hoarse, yet he still refused to lower his volume and shouted, ¡°Other superheroes are seizing the opportunity to rush up from both sides! But they can¡¯t make it! Every movement of Yan Yu is calculated, forcing the chasing Phoenix to spread flames everywhere, leaving no safe passage! The affected superheroes have reached 6! 7! 8!¡±

    ¡°Phoenix has obviously lost his mind!¡± Zhou Erhe followed with a shout, ¡°He is completely unaware that the divine fire technique on his body is instead scorching his allies and hindering their advance! The Longcheng Flying General still maintains absolute control of the battlefield, able to turn everything around him to his advantage, even the attacks from enemies!¡±

    ¡°We are witnessing the birth of a miracle!¡± Xu Dongming yelled, his voice cracking, ¡°With one man forcing seventy to eighty foreign Transcendents to be blocked at the base of the stairs! Who else in the world could achieve such a terrifying record? This is truly a case of one man holds the pass, ten thousand cannot break through! Here, there are no grand passes, only the Longcheng Flying General! He alone equals Hu Lao Pass! Si Shui Pass! Shanhai Pass!¡±

    Fuck, all three of those grand passes were eventually breached! The outside director was too exhausted to criticize the commentator¡¯s choice of words, but didn¡¯t bother to correct it. Because Yan Yu truly was single-handedly holding down an entire battlefront¡­

    ¡°Hey! What¡¯s happening?¡± Zhou Erhe suddenly exclaimed, ¡°An Onmyoji has burst out!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Xiandao Jingyin!¡±

    At this moment, the level of bombardment at the main gate of the Departure Palace by the cultivators of Lu Country was brutally devastating. Storms, floods, fire dragons, and thunderbolts raged; the so-called elite squad organized by Xiandao Jingyin couldn¡¯t breach this deadly area.

    She activated a magical mirror to create a protective barrier around herself, but just a few steps into the bombardment, Xie Ruoxi¡¯s lightning shattered it. She had no choice but to use a life-saving spell, leaving an illusory double in her place, while her true body barely made it a few steps before the double was shredded by the Green Bamboo Sword shot by Lin Ning.

    Every split of this mirror incarnation halved its existing spiritual power and consumed the original power of the magic mirror to create an identical physical appearance, undetectable even by the cultivators¡¯ divine sense¡­ yet it was wasted in such a place, causing Xiandao Jingyin immense pain.

    But she knew that now was not an ordinary time, the Onmyoji had fallen into a large pit dug by the Lu Country cultivators. If she didn¡¯t take the time to explain clearly now, what would happen after leaving the Mysterious Realm when others asked for treasures? How could she produce them?

    Now that Lu Country¡¯s power was formidable, and with heroes like the Longcheng Flying General, only a tripartite alliance could control the situation! For long-term considerations, for the sake of the nation, the tripartite alliance could not afford to fail!

    Xiandao Jingyin once again split off a mirror incarnation to stay in place to attract fire, while her true body finally escaped the bombardment range of Lu Country¡¯s cultivators.

    At this point, only about 20 percent of her True Yuan remained, and the magic mirror was even more covered with cracks, greatly damaged. Xiandao Jingyin forcibly mobilized her remaining spiritual power, activated the magic mirror, and shot out a light sword attacking Yan Yu, while secretly forming a paper crane for transmission, sending it flying towards Stevenson in the crowd behind.

    Stevenson knew some Chongying language, and seeing Xiandao Jingyin¡¯s paper crane flying towards him, he subconsciously reached out to catch it. The paper crane landed in his big hand, its beak opening and closing, voicing a female tone:

    ¡°There are problems inside the Departure Palace! Those treasures¡­¡±

    The speech abruptly halted, and looking again at Xiandao Jingyin on the steps, her throat was pierced unknowingly, her eyes wide open, but she could not make a sound.

    The one who killed her was a slim-legged girl, a blade protruding from her wrist, skewering Xiandao Jingyin¡¯s corpse, then flinging it forcefully, tossing it down the steps like a broken rag. She then leaped to Yan Yu¡¯s side and suddenly disappeared.

    Yan Yu quietly flipped his wrist, stowing the Silver Pellet transformed from the puppet Ah Zhen, then looked down at the ¡°Phoenix¡± Fenix coming to hunt him again, and smiled, saying,

    ¡°Goodbye.¡±

    His figure turned into a white light, along with Lu Country¡¯s cultivators on the high steps, and all chose to teleport out of the Mysterious Realm, disappearing completely.

    Inside the Departure Palace, the Onmyoji finally sprinted out of the palace, only to hear suddenly a squeak from behind; the grand doors of the Departure Palace closed by themselves without any wind, firmly shut. At the same time, an ancient and ethereal female voice resounded in everyone¡¯s ears:

    ¡°Twelve hours have passed, the trial of the Departure Palace is over. In one incense stick¡¯s time, everyone will be automatically transported out of the Mysterious Realm.¡±

    Shenyuan Simie rushed to inspect Xiandao Jingyin¡¯s corpse below the steps.

    It was too late; she was thoroughly dead.

    Pitiful, lamentable, and tragic, Xiandao Jingyin! With your Demon King level strength, if not bound by duties to your nation, repeatedly expending vast amounts of spiritual power and even the magic mirror¡¯s origin, trying desperately to break through, how could you have ended up like this, easily killed by the Longcheng Flying General and discarded here?

    And what could the message you sacrificed so much to send change? Now, with your death, all the responsibility for this venture¡¯s defeat could be placed entirely on your shoulders, how tragic!

    ¡­No, not just tragic, but also hateful and laughable.

    At the end of the day, the so-called Four Great Demon Kings are just the great men¡¯s four loyal hounds. As a Transcendent, if you cannot transcend mundane powers and completely control your own destiny, the end is no different than Xiandao Jingyin ¨C dying for some illusory thing, not even seeing your loved ones for the last time.

    Shenyuan Simie stood up expressionlessly, only to see Stevenson and Park Changmin rush up to him, urgently questioning him:

    ¡°What happened? Why did the Departure Palace suddenly close? What did you do inside?¡±

    No answer.

    Shenyuan Simie just stared straight at them, then suddenly began to laugh wildly, bizarrely, and unrestrainedly.

    ¡°Better to return!¡± He turned and walked up the stairs, laughing, ¡°The mortal world is full of suffering! Better to return!¡±

    Stevenson tried to grab him from behind, but only caught a white light.

    Shenyuan Simie teleported away.

    Following that, the Onmyoji on the steps also teleported and disappeared in unison.

    Seeing this, the superheroes and Pear Blossom Courtyard swordsmen were stunned for a moment, then anger surged in each of their faces, almost predatory!

    Stevenson didn¡¯t exchange a word with Park Changmin, only looking back at the superheroes, his eyes cold and murderous as he squeezed out a few words through his teeth:

    ¡°Kill them all!¡±

    The superheroes transformed into white lights and disappeared.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always said, these Onmyoji are not to be trusted!¡± Park Changmin also turned away, saying fiercely to the furious swordsmen, ¡°Pretending to talk about a tripartite alliance, but secretly colluding with Lu Country cultivators to steal treasures!¡±

    Even though Lee Kyung-joon and Choi Seung-hyun were habitually contrary to him, they could not stand on the Onmyoji¡¯s side this time. Considering that Pear Blossom Courtyard¡¯s swordsmen had gained nothing, while more than half of the Onmyoji had been inside the Departure Palace¡­ just thinking about this made them furious.

    ¡°Kill!¡± someone among the swordsmen shouted.

    ¡°Kill!¡± Park Changmin gritted his teeth, ¡°Since there are no gains in this venture, let¡¯s replace them with military achievements! I want to see, these Onmyoji who dare to break the agreement and monopolize the treasures, how many can live to bring the treasures home!¡±

 Chapter 404: 100 I am a Great Hero

    Chapter 404: Chapter 100 I am a Great Hero

    The livestream room of Lu Country was already boiling over with excitement!

    ¡°Longcheng Flying General has slain Xiandao Jingyin!¡± Zhou Erhe shouted, ¡°Longcheng Flying General has slain Xiandao Jingyin! The Four Great Demon Kings of the Yin Yang Bureau are nothing before him, unable to withstand a single round!¡±

    Xu Dongming subconsciously felt that something was amiss, because Xiandao Jingyin had shown great strength in previous encounters.

    ¡­Maybe it was because he had forcefully broken out of the Departure Palace earlier, bombarded specifically by the cultivators, that he had expended too much energy?

    Of course, analyzing the so-called ¡°value of the kill¡± at this time would be a buzzkill, so he went along with Zhou Erhe, boasting in front of the camera:

    ¡°I¡¯ve always told you all, numbers aren¡¯t important, quality is what truly matters! Some viewers asked me before, saying that the Yin Yang Bureau has the Four Great Demon Kings, why doesn¡¯t Lu Country have four Flying Generals? I said why need four Flying Generals? It¡¯s no longer the age where ¡®more people means victory¡¯! One Longcheng Flying General is worth a thousand troops from abroad¡­¡±

    ...

    Meanwhile, the said ¡®thousand troops¡¯ abroad had already started a massacre near the East Sea.

    The battleships carrying the Onmyoji were fleeing eastwards, while the superheroes were in hot pursuit, continuously unleashing a hail of fire in the direction of the Onmyoji.

    All sorts of firing.

    Seeing the fierce battles in the distance, it seemed likely that neither side would cease fighting to return to the negotiation table any time soon.

    Mission accomplished.

    Yan Yu turned and left the deck, heading back to the bridge. As he turned a corridor corner, he saw a jet of water spray towards him.

    With swift and nimble reflexes, he dodged by leaping back twice, only to realize that the Dragon Soar Team members and ladies were standing opposite him. Liu Longtao stood at the forefront, holding a shaken champagne bottle that had just been opened, apparently hoping to douse Yan Yu unexpectedly.

    ¡°Jeez! Your reaction time is a bit fast, Old Yan!¡± Lord Master said, astonished, ¡°You¡¯ve already come out of the Mysterious Realm and still you¡¯re on full alert?¡±

    ¡°What alert?¡± Yan Yu spoke irritably as he stepped over the puddle of alcohol on the floor, ¡°You¡¯re popping champagne before we even return to the country?¡±

    ¡°Although things haven¡¯t settled completely, there are unlikely to be any changes now,¡± Ye Jun said with a smile, ¡°The treasures of the Departure Palace haven¡¯t leaked, the tripartite alliance has crumbled, and the losses are heavy¡­ Xiandao Jingyin has already fallen. From any angle, it¡¯s an unquestionable victory, which is why everyone thought to celebrate a little early.¡±

    ¡°Fine then,¡± Yan Yu said as he walked over and patted their shoulders, ¡°You guys drink up, I¡¯m off to sleep.¡±

    ¡°Sleep?¡± Ai Lu asked incredulously, ¡°Didn¡¯t the God of Yan already get a few hours of sleep in the Departure Palace?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it,¡± Su Yunjin suddenly said, ¡°The captain¡¯s fighting style is indeed very economical in terms of True Yuan, but it consumes a lot of attention.¡±

    Everyone suddenly fell silent without a word.

    After they had left the Mysterious Realm, they had seen the popular online comments about the battle: Magic Cultivators holding out on one front, Sword Immortals on another, with Longcheng Flying General holding yet another alone.

    While the people of Lu Country gave generous praise to Yan Yu, attributing his battle record to ¡°because he is the Longcheng Flying General,¡± this was undoubtedly a typical misunderstanding unique to outsiders.

    In truth, to stop all the oncoming superheroes, Yan Yu¡¯s fighting style may appear effortless but was actually very exhausting.

    While engaging any superhero, he also had to maintain his Divine Sense to scan his surroundings, making sure he wasn¡¯t hit by any ranged attacks. He had to keep track of how many were trying to bypass him and rush upwards, and decide on the best actions to intercept those slipping through¡ªhe wasn¡¯t exaggerating even if it seemed like multitasking at four levels.

    Sustaining such a state of intense concentration, most people couldn¡¯t endure even three to four minutes, let alone Yan Yu, who maintained it for how much longer? Not to mention, earlier in the Inferno Pass alone, he had shouldered the brunt of that white sword light for a full half-hour¡­

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t answer their questions, simply walking toward the cabin without looking back, casually waving his hand as a signal.

    ¡°Anyway, let him rest for a while,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, her eyes showing a rare touch of softness.

    ¡°After all, he¡¯s the hero of this victory.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Compared to the feigned sleep in the Departure Palace, this time Yan Yu really had a profound slumber.

    As he finally came to, he realized he was lying in his villa¡¯s bedroom, already changed into his pajamas.

    Su Yunjin sat by the bed, casually peeling an apple with a fruit knife.

    ¡°Who carried me back here?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Zhao,¡± Su Yunjin replied, ¡°Ningning originally wanted to wake you up, but Ling Yun said you were too tired and let you sleep a bit longer. Later, Zhao flew you back here from the port using Sword Control.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yan Yu sat up from the bed only to hear Su Yunjin nonchalantly ask:

    ¡°By the way, Captain, that puppet you summoned in the last moments inside the Mysterious Realm¡­ looked just like Zhao, didn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Because she personally made it,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    Su Yunjin was taken aback, she thought the captain might evade the question, but he admitted it outright.

    ¡°So, it¡¯s a secret weapon?¡± After a moment of silence, she ventured to ask. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°A secret weapon¡¯s true power is greatest when nobody knows of its existence.¡±

    ¡°If Xiandao Jingyin knew I had this puppet, then even if he saw me dueling with the Phoenix, he might not dare get that close.¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Su Yunjin nodded, her fruit knife finishing off the last bit of peel.

    She tossed the continuous strip of peel into the trash can, thoughtfully pondered for a moment, then smiled and said:

    ¡°Captain, you¡¯ve really worked hard this time, here¡¯s an apple for you.¡±

    ¡°Hey, if you¡¯re taking care of a patient, you should at least cut the fruit into pieces and stick them with toothpicks.¡± Yan Yu casually remarked.

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Standing up, Su Yunjin said softly, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go to the kitchen and cut it, Captain just stay in bed and don¡¯t move.¡±

    She took the apple and knife and left. Yan Yu picked up his phone and indeed saw a bunch of messages sent to him by a lot of people.

    Most were of course congratulating him for the successful completion of his mission to the Mysterious Realm; others inquired about his health and whether he got hurt.

    Additionally, Yan¡¯s mother sent a message saying she had already taken early retirement, with the school still paying her salary and making her what they called an ¡°Honorary Teacher¡±; Yan¡¯s father had also joined the expert group at his workplace, now having almost nothing to do, spending his days drinking tea, reading the newspaper, and feeling restless.

    With nothing much to do, the elder couple planned to go traveling to the Great Northwest tomorrow and would not return until winter break to pick up Yan Jing after school.

    Yan Yu was slowly going through the messages when he suddenly heard a knock on the door.

    ¡°Is the captain awake?¡± Lin Ning asked from outside the door, ¡°Then can I come in?¡±

    ¡°Please come in.¡±

    The door opened, revealing Lin Ning with oven mitts on her hands, carrying a clay pot as she carefully walked in.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°What¡¯s with that expression?¡± Lin Ning put the clay pot on the bedside table and said with dissatisfaction, ¡°Humph! If it weren¡¯t for the captain working so hard this time, I wouldn¡¯t bother cooking especially for you! Do you know how much time and effort I spent to stew this Eight Treasures Duck Soup?¡±

    ¡°The smell of medicinal herbs is a bit strong, isn¡¯t it?¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°I haven¡¯t even had the soup yet, and I can already smell it in my nose.¡±

    ¡°Cut the chatter, this is after all a winter recommended dietary tonic.¡± Lin Ning scooped up a bowl of duck soup, blew on it to cool it down, then impatiently fed it to his mouth, ¡°Just drink it up and then thank Ningning!¡±

    ¡°Thank you Ningning¡ª¡± Yan Yu elongated his voice, then took a sip.

    ¡°How is it?¡± Lin Ning asked expectantly.

    ¡°It¡¯s all medicine, but it¡¯s barely palatable.¡±

    ¡°Because you were so exhausted this time, I increased the dosage of the medicine.¡± Lin Ning counted on her fingers, ¡°After leaving the Mysterious Realm, you¡¯ve been asleep for ten hours, you know?¡±

    ¡°Was it that long?¡± Yan Yu was surprised.

    ¡°Of course, you can ask Yun Jin if you don¡¯t believe me¡­¡± Lin Ning had not finished speaking when she saw Su Yunjin pushing the door open with a small bowl in her hand, filled with freshly cut apple pieces, with three or four toothpicks sticking out slantly.

    Seeing Lin Ning by the bed, Secretary Su, being the astute person she was, instantly knew Lin Ning must have guessed the captain was awake since she herself had just gone to the kitchen to cut the fruit, hence the hasty delivery of soup to take care of him.

    Hmph, just some petty tricks. After all, I was the first one the captain saw when he woke up!

    I was the one who had been by his bedside for so long!

    ¡°I could smell the aroma of Ningning¡¯s duck soup when I came in,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile, ¡°but isn¡¯t it not good to drink soup right after the captain has woken up from such a long sleep? Has Ningning ever heard of the saying ¡®the weak cannot benefit from nourishment¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Not really,¡± Lin Ning also smiled and said, ¡°I knew the captain might not have much appetite after sleeping for more than ten hours, which is why I made this Qi-boosting nutritious meal, and all the essence is in the soup. You don¡¯t need to eat the meat, just drink it down like water¡­ Was the apple that Yun Jin cut taken out of the fridge? I remember those apples were bought last Tuesday, they¡¯ve been there a long time, the nutritional value could have been lost, you know.¡±

    ¡°My apples are fresh from the nearby fruit store,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile, ¡°The apples in the fridge were all eaten up by Sister Zhao long ago.¡±

    The two girls looked at each other for a moment, suddenly feeling an admiration for each other¡¯s matching talents, then felt that as close friends, they probably shouldn¡¯t be so competitive. Thus, they both turned their gaze towards Yan Yu on the hospital bed.

    ¡°Do you want to continue with the soup?¡± Lin Ning picked up the spoon.

    ¡°Or do you want to start with the apple?¡± Su Yunjin held up the small bowl.

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Yan Yu furrowed his brow slightly, thinking to himself, I¡¯m a hero returning from the battlefield, just woken from such a long sleep and not yet fully awake, and you¡¯re giving me this gravity field situation?

    And since Cultivators practicing Fasting won¡¯t be hungry, I indeed don¡¯t have much appetite for these things.

    Anyway, it¡¯s their thoughtful gesture, so ¡°I want them all!¡±

    Just as Yan Yu was about to smile and speak, the door was suddenly pushed open for the third time from the outside.

    ¡°Where is that delicious smell from?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s little head peeked into the door, with her delicate nostrils flaring slightly as she sniffed the air a few times, ¡°Do you smell that fragrance¡­¡±

    Su Yunjin and Lin Ning¡¯s expressions immediately changed.

 Chapter 405: 1: Have a Quick Meal

    Chapter 405: Chapter 1: Have a Quick Meal

    The three things I need to do recently.

    1. Go to Pingjing to attend the award ceremony. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    2. Visit the location given by the old Longbrow.

    3. Prepare to go home for the New Year.

    The first matter is the most urgent but also the least important.

    The military medals and honorary titles for everyone have been decided, called ¡°Divine General Dinghai¡±.

    ...

    In addition, Yan Yu, due to his outstanding performance at Inferno Pass and finally at the gate of Li Palace, has a different honorary title from others, called ¡°Divine General Dinghai¡±¡­ It seems that someone high up wants to create a ¡°series of famous general titles¡± for him.

    First of all, rule out Chen Tianming; Old Tai Shan isn¡¯t the type to do meaningless things. As for who it actually is, Yan Yu is clueless, and too lazy to clarify, so he simply doesn¡¯t bother to ask Chen Lingyun.

    After the awarding ceremony, there was a monetary reward.

    To be honest, for the people of Dragon Soar Team and Zhenghai today, tens of millions in cash didn¡¯t mean much; in Lord Master¡¯s words, it was just ¡°accepting a gesture¡±¡­

    We, top cultivators, treat tens of millions of cash just as a little token.

    Taking off from Pingjing via Sword Flight, the ladies were still gossiping with sound transmission.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was talking about which dishes were the tastiest at the state banquet, Lin Ning disagreed, saying she could cook those dishes too, then Chen Lingyun egged on the bet, saying if Ningning could recreate the banquet dishes, Sister Zhao would have to accept the wager and so on and so forth¡­

    ¡°What is the captain thinking about?¡± Su Yunjin suddenly asked through sound transmission.

    ¡°I have to make a trip to Nanjiang soon,¡± Yan Yu saw no need to hide it from her, ¡°The old man who gave me the treasures in Li Palace and taught me the Two-handed Sword Control Technique also left an additional divine sense, directing me to seek his Lineage Succession there.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Su Yunjin pondered for a moment and said, ¡°But going to Nanjiang doesn¡¯t necessarily mean you¡¯ll find it, right?¡±

    ¡°If the Mysterious Realm is a reflection of another world in ours, then even if we know the location of a cultivator¡¯s treasure-filled cave, we have to wait until this cave becomes a Mysterious Realm and the entrance appears in our real world before we can enter it to explore and search.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°but it¡¯s just a look-around. If I find nothing, so be it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Su Yunjin smiled and said, ¡°then I can accompany the captain¡­¡±

    ¡°Have you finished finding all your Rootless Water?¡± Yan Yu glanced at her sideways.

    ¡°I can accompany the captain while collecting the Rootless Water I need along the way,¡± Su Yunjin replied unfazed.

    ¡°Forget it, it doesn¡¯t snow all year round in Nanjiang,¡± Yan Yu earnestly advised her, ¡°At your age, you should focus more on your cultivation and not waste time and energy on trivial matters. Otherwise, you¡¯ll regret it later in life.¡±

    A girl¡¯s pure first love is hardly a trivial matter. Besides, if the captain is pursued by another girl, that would truly lead to lifelong regret and remorse for me¡­

    Thinking about the Illusion Realm stage in the Secret Realm of Li Palace where she had to attend Ling Yun and the captain¡¯s wedding as a bridesmaid, Su Yunjin felt another surge of heartache.

    But she was, after all, a well-bred young lady from a respectable family, and did not rashly express her emotions. Instead, she smiled innocently and said:

    ¡°Then, when does the captain think would be the appropriate time to consider this kind of thing?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Yan Yu pondered for a while, ¡°At least until the third year of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, I suppose?¡±

    Taking into account that the first year of Spiritual Energy Resurgence happens to be the year I graduate from high school, does that mean the captain wants to wait until my junior year of college to start dating?

    After everyone returned to the Jinling Villa, Zhao Yuanzhen started urging again:

    ¡°So what are we eating tonight?¡±

    ¡°You ate all of my Bazhen Duck last time; I haven¡¯t settled the score with you yet!¡± Lin Ning said angrily.

    ¡°Yan Yu doesn¡¯t have much of an appetite to begin with, and I saved you from wasting food, isn¡¯t that a good thing?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen patted her flat stomach and said proudly, ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to replicate the state banquet dishes today; just make another duck like last time.¡±

    ¡°No stewed duck,¡± Lin Ning replied expressionlessly. ¡°If you want some, go buy saltwater duck yourself.¡±

    Seeing that she was impervious to persuasion, Zhao Yuanzhen surreptitiously sent a telepathic message to Yan Yu:

    ¡°Yan Yu, I want the Eight Treasures Duck we had last time.¡±

    ¡°Then let Ningning make it for you,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°She won¡¯t. I can¡¯t do anything about it,¡± the Demonic Sect Enchantress was quite clear on this point. ¡°But, if you say you want it, she¡¯ll definitely make it for you.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s in it for me if I do this?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°If you tell her you want stewed duck, tonight a very powerful female cultivator will come to your room for some dual cultivation and to Circulate the Heavens with you,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said earnestly. ¡°She¡¯ll also help you with the puppet maintenance and updates.¡±

    Yan Yu was immediately amused by her offer.

    Enchantress! You actually dare to negotiate with me using something that already belongs to me?

    However, the mention of puppet updating did remind Yan Yu that the Demonic Sect Enchantress indeed obtained a certain heavenly treasure from The Secret Realm of Li Palace, which seemed to be called ¡°Qianling True Dusk Fire.¡±

    In recent days, everyone had been in Pingjing to attend the award ceremony, and all the gains from the trip to Li Palace had already been submitted to the department of science for recording and cataloging to develop corresponding research plans. Once those items were returned, he would use the Qianling True Dusk Fire for the puppet transformation.

    Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s ownership of the puppets had already been reported privately to Chen Lingyun by Chen Tianming, who would ¡°legitimize¡± the matter at the higher levels.

    After Mei Yingxue decided not to pursue past grievances with the Demonic Sect Enchantress, there was no longer a need to hide the existence of the String-Pulling Technique, and it could gradually make its way into the public eye¡­ As the intelligence was increasingly disclosed, the puppets¡¯ secrecy as a ¡°secret weapon¡± would naturally fade, and more enemies would become cautious. Therefore, the puppets needed constant upgrading to strengthen them.

    Well then, he would have many future uses for this witch! He might as well fulfill her wish this time!

    ¡°Ningning,¡± Yan Yu began, ¡°do we still have the ingredients at home to make that stewed duck from last time?¡±

    ¡°Does the captain want to eat it?¡± Lin Ning first looked delighted and proud, but quickly became suspicious and glanced at Zhao Yuanzhen before telepathically asking, ¡°The one who wants to eat is Sister Zhao, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Yan Yu admitted openly. ¡°After she tried your stewed duck last time, everything else she¡¯s eaten lately has tasted bland, so she secretly asked me to plead with you.¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Lin Ning was completely unconvinced and snorted coldly. ¡°Didn¡¯t she enjoy the feast last night? My cooking can¡¯t compare to that of a national chef. Let the banquet chef make it for her!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how your Sister Zhao is,¡± Yan Yu said with a laugh. ¡°All tough talk, but becomes incredibly soft when eating. Hey, why don¡¯t you do this? Make the dish again, put it in front of her¡­ Make her admit that Ningning¡¯s culinary skills are unmatched, and she can¡¯t eat unless she admits it! Don¡¯t forget to record it with a voice recorder, and see how she keeps up her tough act after eating.¡±

    Lin Ning¡¯s mood immediately improved, and she smugly said:

    ¡°My cooking isn¡¯t the best in the world; I just know how to make some home-cooked dishes. Hmph, stewed duck takes too much time, I won¡¯t make it for her. But I carefully noted which dishes she liked at last night¡¯s banquet. I¡¯ll recreate them when I get back and see what she has to say!¡±

    Seeing that Lin Ning had finally agreed, Yan Yu didn¡¯t say more and sat on the couch to watch TV.

    ¡°Captain,¡± Lin Ning suddenly telepathically said again, ¡°the New Year is coming next month.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, so what?¡± Yan Yu asked. ¡°You want to go home to spend it with your family, right? I know.¡±

    ¡°Right, it¡¯s for the New Year.¡± Lin Ning fell silent for a moment, then abruptly asked, ¡°Do you have any time recently to accompany me on a trip to Qingyuan Prefecture?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Yan Yu immediately became vigilant. ¡°You¡¯re not trying to get me to pretend to be your fake boyfriend again, are you?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡± Lin Ning hurriedly defended. ¡°And last time you refused anyway! I mean¡­ my dad said you are the team leader, and he wanted me to build a good relationship with you, so I thought I¡¯d invite you to have a meal at my place, especially since Sword Flight makes it very convenient to travel now¡­ Right? Of course, if you don¡¯t want to come, that¡¯s fine too, I¡¯ll just explain to my dad¡­¡±

    Although she repeatedly emphasized, ¡°it¡¯s okay even if you don¡¯t come,¡± Yan Yu could easily hear what she meant: it was an awkward way of saying ¡°I really hope you can come.¡± He responded directly:

    ¡°Sure. As the team leader, I don¡¯t mind going for a casual meal. When do you want to set it up?¡±

    ¡°Noon on New Year¡¯s Eve,¡± Lin Ning replied quickly.

    Yan Yu: ?

 Chapter 406: 2: New Years Itinerary

    Chapter 406: Chapter 2: New Year¡¯s Itinerary

    The New Year¡¯s Eve dinner refers to the dinner on the evening of the last day of the lunar year.

    However, if the families of both spouses are not together, and if transportation allows, it¡¯s common to have lunch at the bride¡¯s home and dinner at the groom¡¯s, counting both as New Year¡¯s Eve dinners¡ªif it¡¯s the case where the groom joins the bride¡¯s family, then it¡¯s the other way around.

    So, the moment Yan Yu heard it was ¡°lunch on New Year¡¯s Eve,¡± he immediately widened his eyes in surprise:

    Hey! What relationship do we have that I should come to your house for New Year¡¯s Eve dinner?

    Stared down by Yan Yu, Lin Ning awkwardly turned her head away, mumbling:

    ¡°I didn¡¯t force you, it was my dad who wanted to invite you over for dinner, not my idea. Of course, I¡¯m not opposed to the captain coming, but I¡¯m not particularly eager either. It¡¯s better if the captain comes, but it¡¯s no big deal if he doesn¡¯t.¡±

    ...

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­..

    So troublesome, why not just say ¡°please, captain, come to my house for dinner¡±?

    No, no, no, I can¡¯t just agree willy-nilly. It¡¯s New Year¡¯s Eve! In what capacity should I go? And what if all her relatives are there? Damn, what if her old man suddenly calls me ¡®son-in-law¡¯ and sticks me with it!

    Seeing Yan Yu silent for a long time, Lin Ning seemed a bit disheartened and quickly said:

    ¡°Forget it, you don¡¯t have to come. I know it¡¯s not appropriate and didn¡¯t mean to put you on the spot. Just pretend I never said anything.¡±

    That¡¯s more like it! Yan Yu immediately breathed a sigh of relief, glad not to be forced to say ¡°you wish.¡±

    Lin Ning went to cook, and Yan Yu continued watching TV to pass the time.

    Currently, the talk of society focused mainly on The Secret Realm of Li Palace. Even those completely ignorant of cultivator systems could understand from the analysis and hype just how stunning Zhenghai and Dragon Cavalry Team¡¯s performances were at the gates of Li Palace, and just how¡­ exaggerated Yan Yu¡¯s record was.

    Single-handedly blocking an entire wave of attacks!

    The news even spread abroad, so much so that Anna specifically sent a message to comfort him, congratulating him for ¡°showing off your prowess in front of the national public¡± once again. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Li Minghu also sent a congratulatory message, casually asking if ¡°Dual Sword Control¡± could be exchanged.

    Of course, it could. If the Valkyrie could master Dual Sword Control, dealing with the monkeys at the Southern Border would be more assured.

    After replying to Li Minghu, Yan Yu scrolled through more messages and indeed saw one from Zhang Huaide also asking about Dual Sword Control¡ªindeed, the Sword Immortals of top-level teams could see the value of Dual Sword Control in an instant.

    That implies, besides teaching Ningning Dual Sword Control, I still need to get her and myself another Flying Sword.

    Noting these tasks on his to-do list, suddenly he heard Su Yunjin calling everyone to the dining room:

    ¡°Dinner¡¯s ready, captain and everyone else, come quick!¡±

    Yan Yu made his way to the dining table and had just sat down when the sound of breaking porcelain came from the kitchen.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Su Yunjin went to ask.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Lin Ning shook her head. ¡°I wasn¡¯t holding it steady, and a plate broke.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you clean it up.¡± Su Yunjin brought a broom over.

    The two were cleaning up the broken dinnerware in the kitchen, and Chen Lingyun also came downstairs, glanced at the table, and suddenly asked Yan Yu:

    ¡°Have you eaten yet?¡±

    ¡°Not yet, why?¡± Yan Yu responded.

    Before Chen Lingyun could reply, Zhao Yuanzhen hurried out of the restroom, mumbling something about ¡°everybody sit down, I¡¯ll start for us,¡± then grabbed chopsticks and scooped food into her mouth.

    A second later, she turned and spat it out, frantically shouting:

    ¡°Water! Water! Water!¡±

    Yan Yu calmly handed her a teacup, and Zhao Yuanzhen gulped down a large sip of tea, finally showing a ¡°back from the brink¡± expression, grimacing and sticking out her tongue while saying:

    ¡°So salty! How much salt did they put in here!¡±

    ¡°Is it very salty?¡± Lin Ning came out of the kitchen, took a bite to taste, calmly spat the food out, picked up the dish, and said, ¡°It might be too much salt; I¡¯ll go add some water to dilute it.¡±

    She left for the kitchen, looking exhausted, while Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun exchanged glances. Zhao Yuanzhen, undeterred, reached for another dish, gingerly tasting it.

    ¡°This dish is too bland, no flavor at all,¡± the Demonic Sect Enchantress sighed, resting her chopsticks on the edge of the table, ¡°I really can¡¯t summon any appetite.¡±

    Yan Yu was suddenly horrified: What happened? Even Zhao Yuanzhen ¡°lost her appetite,¡± how awful could these dishes possibly be!

    ¡°Ningning seems a bit out of sorts,¡± Chen Lingyun quietly messaged him, ¡°do you have any clue what¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any clue¡­¡± Yan Yu looked back to see Lin Ning absent-mindedly pouring the dishes back into the soup pot, added half a bowl of boiling water, then incessantly stirred, just stirred,

    like a numb, mechanical cement mixer. Hey, you didn¡¯t even turn on the stove underneath!

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Ningning?¡± Su Yunjin also returned to the dining table, concernedly asking, ¡°She seems a bit off.¡±

    Although it seemed like she was asking everyone, her gaze was fixed on Yan Yu, clearly implying, ¡°captain, what did you do to her?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi also came down from the second floor and saw Lin Ning busying herself in the kitchen, with a group of people gathered around the dining table, none of them having touched their chopsticks.

    Even Zhao hadn¡¯t touched hers!

    She slowly made her way to the dining table and after looking for a long while, hesitated before asking,

    ¡°Are these dishes¡­ poisoned?¡±

    ¡°Forget it.¡± Yan Yu stood up, ¡°I¡¯ll ask.¡±

    He walked into the kitchen, approached Lin Ning, and while scanning the girls standing behind him out of the corner of his eye, he quietly asked Lin Ning,

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ve been a bit tired lately,¡± Lin Ning replied softly, ¡°This dish might be beyond saving, maybe we should just eat out tonight.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­.

    If it had been someone else, he would really think it was intentional retaliation. But Ningning¡¯s emotions were all written on her face¡ªheadline being ¡°I¡¯m not happy¡±, content being ¡°Because the captain refused to come over to my house for dinner, I¡¯m a bit upset now and can¡¯t bring myself to cook properly¡±.

    Cooking is one thing, but what about training? Would things also start falling apart? In poor form, performing abnormally?

    Yan Yu was silent for a while before saying,

    ¡°I¡¯m busy on New Year¡¯s Eve, how about a few days earlier? The 29th or 28th?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lin Ning frowned, and her melancholy quickly turned to irritation as she frowned and asked,

    ¡°Are you pitying me, captain? I don¡¯t want your pity, I¡¯ll explain things to my dad myself.¡±

    You really are difficult to deal with¡­ Yan Yu thought to himself, but he smiled and said,

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just a normal visit, just like how leaders in other units also visit the families of outstanding employees during the New Year. But if you don¡¯t want to, then forget it.¡±

    Perhaps the term ¡°outstanding employee¡± struck a chord with her, Lin Ning no longer resisted and just stared at the soup pot for a moment before finally pouting and saying,

    ¡°Hmph, if the captain insists on visiting my home, then there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡±

    She seemed to want to maintain her original depressed state, but her eyebrows and eyes soon couldn¡¯t help but relax.

    Seeing that he finally managed to sort it out, Yan Yu breathed a sigh of relief and returned to the dining table to announce,

    ¡°We¡¯re eating out tonight.¡±

    The girls then all got up, preparing to leave.

    As Yan Yu was about to go back to his room to change clothes, he suddenly heard Su Yunjin¡¯s voice transmission asking,

    ¡°Captain, when do you plan to visit Ningning¡¯s house next month?¡±

    ¡°Ah, this¡­¡± Yan Yu was also startled, after a moment he asked, ¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°I saw Ningning talking to you just now, and her lips seemed to form the words ¡®come to my house,''¡± Su Yunjin said with a light smile, ¡°So, are you planning to pretend to be her boyfriend and spend the New Year with her family?¡±

    Although her tone was light-hearted, a sense of heavy seriousness spread with her voice transmission, as if it could crush all the air around.

    ¡°No, no.¡± Yan Yu immediately denied, ¡°It¡¯s just that her dad wants to thank me for looking after his daughter this year, so he invited me for a meal¡ªI¡¯m going as the captain of the team, definitely not pretending to be any boyfriend.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Su Yunjin mused, ¡°Coincidentally, my parents also want to thank the captain for my training this year. You should be able to spare one day next month to visit my home, right?¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Yan Yu was dumbfounded, ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°But why do I feel like this is something you just thought of on the spur of the moment? You haven¡¯t even called your parents about it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s something my parents had mentioned a while ago,¡± Su Yunjin lied seriously, ¡°I originally thought it was too much of a disturbance to the captain, so I didn¡¯t want to say anything. But since you¡¯ve already accepted Ningning¡¯s invitation, I¡¯d like the same treatment.¡±

    No, no, no, in reality this has nothing to do with your parents, it¡¯s just that you want the same treatment, right! You ended up saying what was on your mind, didn¡¯t you?

    Yan Yu also felt overwhelmed. Considering that the strongest in this world never fears any challenges, he could only agree for now and deal with it when the New Year approached.

    ¡°Yan Yu.¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly transmitted her voice, ¡°Do you have any free time recently¡­¡±

    ¡°No, your house is the only one I will not visit!¡± Yan Yu immediately refused decisively.

    ¡°¡­to help me check my Prison Banner.¡± Chen Lingyun revealed a sweet smile, ¡°Come to think of it, was it Ningning who invited you to her house? Oh, it¡¯s almost the New Year, going to meet relatives, right? Because you refused, she was unhappy, and only now has she cheered up¡­ because you relented, right?¡±

    ¡°Even if you guessed it, it¡¯s of no use,¡± Yan Yu emphasized, ¡°And I¡¯ll say it again, I will not visit your house during the New Year.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a beaming smile, ¡°I can come to your house.¡±

    At this, Yan Yu was startled, images of New Year¡¯s Eve with this princess firmly controlling her parents and sister flashed through his mind, causing his hair to stand on end.

 Chapter 407: 3 Game PLAY

    Chapter 407: Chapter 3 Game PLAY

    ¡°Hey Captain Yan,¡± Yan Yu typed, asking, ¡°I have a question for you.¡±

    Zhou Hongyu did not reply, but Yan Yu did not wait foolishly for her response and quickly typed out the question.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: As a team leader, how do you treat all members equally?

    After a while, a question mark came from the other side.

    [Zao La]: ?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Let me give you an example. It¡¯s January now, and soon it¡¯ll be the Chinese New Year. If Qin Meng and Tang Xiaolian both invite you to their homes for the New Year¡¯s Eve dinner at the same time, what would you do?

    ...

    [Zao La]: Get lost.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: That direct and harsh? What if you upset them so much they can¡¯t eat or sleep, and it affects their daily training too? That would be problematic, wouldn¡¯t it?

    [Zao La]: I¡¯m telling you to get lost.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Although you replaced one word with five, the meaning hasn¡¯t changed, has it?

    The other side stopped replying. After a while, Zhang Huaide suddenly sent a message.

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: Does Captain Yan have a personal issue? Captain Zhou is busy. If Captain Yan wouldn¡¯t mind, you can discuss it with me.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Did Captain Zhou send you? Oh, it¡¯s like this. I¡¯m thinking about how, as a team leader, to treat everyone equally.

    [Chu Kou Cheng Zhang]: Captain Yan, with all due respect, that¡¯s impossible.

    Stormy Ridge, north of the Triel Throat.

    This region, once ravaged by fiery flames, was now met with endless cold winds.

    ¡°In the name of Soleim¡­¡±

    ¡°You are the ancestor of all Frost Giants, grant our enemies eternal slumber¡­¡±

    ¡°The blizzard is your roaring breath, transform into the cold and fight alongside us, let the enemies fall into eternal shivers!¡±

    The Frost Giant Sacrificers chanted ancient incantations in unison, and the mysterious runes covering their bodies lit up.

    Eternal Frost Descends

    In the sky, clusters of frigid mist surged and roiled, spreading and sweeping across the once serene land to create a terrifying blizzard.

    This was the power of Eternal Frost passed down through generations of the Frost Giant tribe, even without the aid of relics. If they possessed the Eternal Frost Horn, the blizzard would become even more dreadful, possibly engulfing the entire Stormy Ridge.

    The blizzard advanced rapidly southward, with hundreds of Frost Giants marching swiftly within it, wind howls mingling with war cries and rugged chants.

    ¡°We are the biting frost, the roiling ice mist.¡±

    ¡°The fierce cold wind, the icy resentful spirits, the eternal howl.¡±

    ¡°Humans tremble before us, even giant dragons bow to the cold wind.¡±

    ¡°We come from ancient times, following the glory of the past, letting the white storm sweep across the land once more.¡±

    ¡°We are¡ªthe Endless Frost Calamity!¡±

    The Clan Leader of the Everfrost Tribe, Frost Giant Warrior Kasa Everfrost, donned menacing armor crafted from White Dragon Scales and smeared his face with war-symbolizing black paint. Mounted on the mightiest Dragon Tundra, he raised a heavy double-bladed axe with one arm.

    ¡°For the Everfrost Tribe!¡±

    ¡°Reclaim the relic, rekindle the ancestral glory!¡± S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Sunlight was nearly obscured, the wasteland roughly painted frost-white by their advance, and in the snow-blurred horizon, the giant¡¯s army moved south like a towering ice wall.

    This catastrophic scene made the earth tremble and all beings in the wasteland shiver.

    The howling wind proclaimed to the beings of Anzeta¡ª

    Frost Calamity had descended!

    ¡­

    Outside the Triel Throat.

    The Ashen Kingdom¡¯s army stood prepared.

    Ogre Heavy Armor Soldiers clutched their giant shields tightly, Goblin Infantry held spears in formation, and bipedal wyverns flapped their wings densely at low altitude. The Dragon Tundras, serving as war fortresses, snorted heavily.

    ¡°Damn it¡­¡±

    ¡°These blasted things again.¡±

    Staring at the invading blizzard, a dragon vein goblin, who feared the cold, spat in disdain, seemingly recalling some unpleasant past.

    This was the first time the Ashen Kingdom¡¯s army had encountered such formidable foes. Compared to the frost giant army arriving with cold winds, the human forces in the Triel Conference seemed insignificant.

    Yet this also fueled their fervor to face strong adversaries¡ªthat was the battle lust granted by their flowing Red Dragon bloodline.

    Ramp gazed at the approaching blizzard, a grave expression on his face.

    ¡°Such a quality spell¡­¡±

    ¡°The casting method isn¡¯t arcane; it seems more like divine art, almost at the ninth tier level. Quite a troublesome opponent.¡±

    The Ogre Archmage assessed.

    But confronted with this terrifying sight, Ramp showed no fear and adjusted his gold-framed glasses calmly, analyzing meticulously.

    Dolores, waiting impatiently on the side, said to him: ¡°Ramp, do you have the means to deal with this so-called Frost Calamity?

    ¡°Just glaring at it won¡¯t calm the blizzard.¡±

    Ramp glanced sideways at him, his tone still indifferent and slightly sarcastic:

    ¡°Pointless hurrying doesn¡¯t solve anything.¡±

    ¡°Captain Dolores, are you scared, after almost being killed by a human with a hint of Frost Giant blood?¡±

    Dolores gritted his teeth in anger, exhaling smoke. That incident had brought him much shame, and Ramp¡¯s untimely reminder intensified his fury.

    ¡°Ramp, I warn you! Do not disrupt military morale!¡±

    ¡°I merely respond truthfully.¡±

    Ramp curled his mouth, a sinister smile appearing on his ugly face.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the sole ability to resolve a spell of this caliber, but we have our trump card¡ªour master.¡±

    ¡­

    The transformed Cassius stood silently atop the mountain, overlooking the advancing Frost Giants and the accompanying terrifying blizzard heading southward.

    ¡°You think you¡¯re the only ones who can influence the weather?¡±

    ¡°Frost Giants¡­¡±

    Cassius murmured.

    He revealed the ring on his finger, the Eye of the Storm King, which he had grown increasingly adept at wielding, now glowing with a breathtaking light.

    It was a spell reaching the eighth tier of the Magic Web¡ª

    Weather Control

    With intense mana fluctuations, the climate within a span of several kilometers underwent dramatic changes.

    Temperatures rose significantly, ground moisture rapidly evaporated, the air turned hot and moist, and vast clouds of steam ascended.

    This surging warm current collided with the cold wind pushing southward, triggering an imminent fierce reaction.

    ¡°Whoosh¡ª¡±

    With a rush of sound, a vast band of mist stretching over a thousand meters formed at the junction, snowflakes and hail soared instantly melting into billowing steam, and heavy warm winds thwarted the invasion of the blizzard.

    The two contrasting forces clashed, countered, and eroded each other, stabilizing the surrounding temperature to normal, creating an area filled with puddles and shrouded in mist.

    Before the armies clashed, a spell war had already begun.

    Cassius squinted his eyes, controlling the Eye of the Storm King with his will, combating the northern blizzard.

    ¡°The quality of this spell is indeed high, weather control can¡¯t completely take over.¡±

    ¡°The Everfrost Tribe¡¯s spellcasters are quite formidable.¡±

    ¡°Seems like it¡¯s impossible to wield a natural disaster like in the Triel Conference.¡±

    Even Cassius was astonished by the resilience of the blizzard, the power of the Everfrost Rune being on par with his Eighth Tier Spell.

    In the snowstorm, the Frost Giant Sacrificers wore grave expressions, encountering such a situation for the first time, feeling somewhat bewildered.

    ¡°In the name of Soleim.¡±

    ¡°The power of Eternal Frost has been¡­ obstructed.¡±

    The Frost Giants¡¯ rapid snow marches usually swept away all before them, rampantly roaming the North.

    But for the first time, these Frost Giants met an equal adversary worthy of their attention.

    ¡°What do you want to play, Lingyun?¡± Su Yunjin asked curiously.

    ¡°Werewolf Killer, UNO cards, King¡¯s Game, or Truth or Dare,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m good with any of those.¡±

    Yan Yu, who had been silent up to that point, suddenly shivered. The painful memory of playing games with his girlfriend in his previous life flashed through his mind.

    ¡°No Truth or Dare!¡± he exclaimed sharply.

 Chapter 408: 4 The Boasting Conference

    Chapter 408: Chapter 4 The Boasting Conference

    ¡°I propose we play King¡¯s Game,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not play King¡¯s Game,¡± Yan Yu immediately chimed in with malicious intent, warning the girls, ¡°Think about it, if Ling Yun were to draw the King card, wouldn¡¯t she play us to death?¡±

    After giving it some thought, the girls unanimously agreed, hastily saying:

    ¡°We don¡¯t want to play King¡¯s Game.¡±

    ¡°Then what do you all want to play?¡± Chen Lingyun wasn¡¯t surprised by their reaction and smiled, ¡°Everyone, state your preference.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m up for UNO cards,¡± Lin Ning expressed her opinion, ¡°But I¡¯m okay with other games too.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Werewolf Kill,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen suggested, still thinking about the video game they had just played.

    ¡°Truth or Dare,¡± Su Yunjin declared.

    Everyone was immediately taken aback as they looked at her.

    Su Yunjin forced herself to remain calm, because Chen Lingyun had just telepathically communicated with her, suggesting that she could use the guise of the game to ask Yan Yu the questions she normally didn¡¯t dare to¡­ This had truly touched Secretary Su.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to play Truth or Dare, how about we just play Werewolf Kill,¡± Xie Ruoxi shook her head, her own shady past was a cause for fear at the mere thought of it.

    With Xie Ruoxi standing with Zhao Yuanzhen, Werewolf had two votes. Su Yunjin was growing anxious, but then she saw Chen Lingyun smiling at Xie Ruoxi, seemingly communicating telepathically with her.

    The next second, Xie Ruoxi changed her mind and said:

    ¡°Although, Truth or Dare might be fun too, we should play something exciting at night, right?¡±

    ¡°Truth or Dare isn¡¯t exactly what I¡¯d call an exciting game¡­¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was about to complain but then heard Chen Lingyun say:

    ¡°I¡¯m for Truth or Dare, so let¡¯s settle on that.¡±

    Yan Yu sighed on the side, thinking that they had no idea how terrifying Chen Lingyun could be. Look, she had already had everyone in the palm of her hand just in the voting phase of the game; how could they possibly stand a chance against her once the game started?

    Fortunately, I have my own countermeasures¡­ he silently poured himself a large cup of tea, preparing to gather strength.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go over the rules,¡± Chen Lingyun said as she took out two decks of cards and a die, smiling as she explained, ¡°Starting with me, we¡¯ll go clockwise and number each person from 1-6. Whoever the die lands on will have to choose, whether it¡¯s Truth or Dare. They¡¯ll draw a card from the corresponding deck and either perform what¡¯s written on it or answer the question.¡±

    ¡°Agreed,¡± the girls nodded in unison.

    ¡°Hold on! I want to inspect the decks,¡± Yan Yu said.

    From past life experiences, one can never be too cautious!

    After closely inspecting the decks, Yan Yu finally confirmed that these were all Lu Country¡¯s special edition. Because if they were from countries abroad which are more open, questions like ¡°How long did your first time last?¡± or ¡°Do you have any experience with multiple partners?¡± would come up¡­ which would surely scare the girls away.

    However, his intuition felt even worse because given Chen Lingyun¡¯s confidence, she must already know the content on these cards, making her all the more suspicious.

    Damn it, where did she rig the game?

    ¡°If there¡¯s nothing wrong with the inspection, then let¡¯s begin,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Who¡¯ll throw the die?¡±

    ¡°Me!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen eagerly volunteered.

    She took the die from Chen Lingyun and looked at everyone mischievously, purposely fiddling with the die in her hand.

    Chen Lingyun smiled in response, Su Yunjin wore a calm expression, Lin Ning feigned composure, Xie Ruoxi closed her eyes and silently prayed over and over ¡°not to roll a 4¡±, while Yan Yu leisurely sipped his tea, seemingly not nervous in the slightest.

    Hence, Zhao Yuanzhen rolled the die¡­ It landed on six.

    ¡°It¡¯s the captain!¡± While the girls breathed a sigh of relief, they also braced themselves.

    ¡°Wait! I want to inspect the die,¡± Yan Yu suddenly raised his hand.

    ¡°You suspect I¡¯m cheating?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen glared at him immediately.

    Clever little thief! The Enchantress did not target you, dare you doubt the integrity of her dice throwing skills?

    Thinking this, the Demonic Sect Enchantress grew even more angry, making a mental note:

    Today, the little thief doubted me for cheating with the die, smearing my innocence. I¡¯ll remember this grudge! One day, when I become the Demon Lord, I will give him trouble over this issue, making him pay a bitter price, regretting his actions!

    Images began to surface in his mind:

    He saw two people practicing the String-Pulling Technique together, and right at the most crucial moment, he suddenly blurted out:

    ¡°You little thief, you dared to suspect me of cheating during Truth or Dare in the hotel private room? Today is the time for you to atone for your sins!¡±

    ¡°What do you want?¡± the little thief immediately became nervous, wanting to run away but realized that their True Yuan were tightly intertwined, leaving no chance for escape.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to suck all your True Yuan dry!¡± he sneered sinisterly and unleashed the Demon Lord¡¯s cultivation, bringing it to a full one hundred percent. The String-Pulling Technique operated vigorously, instantly draining, desiccating, and exhausting his Dantian!

    Zhao Yuanzhen indulged in this delightful fantasy when he heard Yan Yu speak leisurely:

    ¡°I didn¡¯t suspect you. You don¡¯t have the smarts to cheat.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, at least you¡¯re sensible,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen let his guard down but then felt something was amiss and frowned suspiciously.

    After checking the dice and finding no bias in weight, Yan Yu rolled them several times on the table, confirming the outcomes appeared random.

    Could it really be that Zhao Yuanzhen, this complete idiot, just casually threw the dice and hit me on his first try?

    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Lin Ning commented with a smirk, ¡°If the captain can¡¯t find anything wrong, let¡¯s not drag this out any longer. You lost the bet; accept it gracefully.¡±

    Yan Yu returned the dice to Chen Lingyun and said:

    ¡°I choose truth.¡±

    Dare was too troublesome; answering questions seemed safer.

    ¡°Draw a card,¡± Chen Lingyun picked up the deck, then said with a teasing smile, ¡°Want to check the deck again? Or would you prefer to draw the card yourself?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll shuffle, to save our captain from his paranoia,¡± Lin Ning took the deck from her, shuffled and cut the cards quickly, then spread them out for Yan Yu to draw.

    Yan Yu drew a card at random, revealing it for everyone to see. It read:

    ¡°Tell the player directly opposite you all of your impressions and thoughts about them.¡±

    The group exchanged glances. With numbers 1 to 6 representing Chen, Su, Lin, Xie, Zhao, and Yan respectively, the player directly opposite Yan Yu was¡­ Ningning?

    Lin Ning was also stunned on the spot; she had not expected that her own shuffling would drag her into this.

    The captain¡¯s¡­ impressions and thoughts about me?

    She started to feel uneasy, instinctively wanting to dodge the question, but since she had just said ¡°accept it gracefully¡± herself, it wouldn¡¯t look good to contradict her earlier statement. Therefore, she sat up straight, her expression tense and seemingly serious yet betraying her nervousness, as she waited for Yan Yu¡¯s response.

    Yan Yu inwardly sneered at the question:

    What impression? A serious and tsundere little sister, of course!

    But he couldn¡¯t respond like that; after all, just moments ago, little Zhang had reminded him to manage the psychological expectations of the team members¡­ With that in mind, he formulated his answer.

    ¡°My impression of Lin Ning is¡ª¡± he deliberately dragged out his words, indeed seeing Lin Ning barely holding on, even the area beneath her ears began blushing slightly, before he continued slowly, ¡°She¡¯s a good girl.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t just play the good guy card,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Truth means you have to ¡®tell all your impressions.¡¯ So, you must share all your thoughts about her. After knowing her for so long, you surely don¡¯t think of her just as a good kid, right?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I haven¡¯t finished yet,¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°Ningning is very pretty, but her personality is a bit too serious. When we first met, she gave off a vibe of ¡®wanting to get to know her but also worrying it won¡¯t be easy¡¯.¡±

    Lin Ning felt a bit disheartened and recalled their first meeting in the cafeteria. Because she disliked his frivolous attitude, she deliberately added him as a friend only to block him afterward¡­ So the captain still held a grudge about the unpleasant incident?

    ¡°Being overly serious is her flaw, but also her merit,¡± Yan Yu¡¯s tone shifted, adding, ¡°Because being serious means ¡®reliable.¡¯ I¡¯m not saying no one else is reliable, but within our team, ¡®you can always trust Ningning.¡¯ Ling Yun, who¡¯s in charge of commanding, must feel the same, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    Lin Ning¡¯s mood immediately lifted, and she chuckled bashfully, ¡°I¡¯m not as good as you make me out to be, I just like to do things to the best of my ability, that¡¯s all.¡±

    Su Yunjin watched from the sidelines with a cold eye, thinking to herself how the captain first complimented her on being ¡°pretty,¡± then critiqued her for being ¡°overly serious,¡± and as Ningning became disheartened, he spun ¡°overly serious¡± into ¡°reliable and trustworthy¡±¡­ Pulling her back and forth like this, he had her completely wrapped around his finger, making her forget that what the captain said were actually objective assessments, without mentioning his subjective feelings for Ningning at all! Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    If I were in Ningning¡¯s shoes, I certainly wouldn¡¯t let the captain get away with such evasion!

 Chapter 409: 5: Completely Outclassing Chen Lingyun

    Chapter 409: Chapter 5: Completely Outclassing Chen Lingyun

    ¡°The captain always seems suspicious of the dice,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile. ¡°How about you throw them this time?¡±

    Yan Yu took them without a change in expression and casually threw a one.

    So there¡¯s nothing wrong with the dice? The trick must be in the deck¡­ No, Lin Ning was the one who shuffled earlier. Damn, you even anticipated that I would suspect this, which is why you purposely let Lin Ning shuffle, right?

    ¡°This time I choose Dare,¡± Chen Lingyun continued smiling, ¡°Please, Captain, shuffle the cards for me.¡±

    Yan Yu picked up the deck for Dare, shuffled it unhappily, feeling like the magician on stage who says, ¡°Shuffle these for me, I definitely haven¡¯t tampered with them.¡±

    I¡¯d stand on my head and eat mustard if you hadn¡¯t tampered with them!

    ...

    ¡°Done,¡± he said as he slowly spread the deck, then suddenly suggested, ¡°How about Zhao picks one for you?¡±

    Maybe there¡¯s invisible ink on the cards, and she¡¯s wearing glasses that can see through it¡­ Better scan with Divine Sense first.

    ¡°That works,¡± Chen Lingyun was still smiling, seemingly unconcerned about Yan Yu scanning her with Divine Sense. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    No colored contacts indeed¡­

    ¡°Alright!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen rolled up her sleeves, ¡°I¡¯ll pick a tough one!¡±

    She carefully selected a card and played it crisply.

    [Choose a player present, and kiss them.]

    Everyone stared at the card in shock, until they heard Su Yunjin say:

    ¡°There¡¯s no restriction on where to kiss, so the back of the hand should count, right?¡±

    ¡°No, I want a kiss on the cheek,¡± Chen Lingyun said mischievously, holding her lips, in a sugary sweet tone.

    The girls were all shocked! So, she¡¯s making her move on the captain now?

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s reaction was a beat too slow, first with a laugh as if she was ready to enjoy the show, then suddenly, whether she figured something out or Xie Ruoxi covertly tipped her off, her expression drastically changed to a menacing ¡°lay a hand on me and you¡¯re dead.¡±

    Chen Lingyun was slightly at a loss for words due to the Enchantress¡¯s fierceness, knowing that she indeed might make a move.

    She intentionally said with a laugh:

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to switch places, how about choosing someone nearby instead?¡±

    Her nearby choices were only Yan Yu and Su Yunjin¡­ Zhao Yuanzhen immediately glared, looking ready to devour someone.

    Su Yunjin, however, just sighed. Sure enough, Chen Lingyun¡¯s gaze hovered over Yan Yu¡¯s face for a while before she suddenly turned and grabbed Su Yunjin¡¯s arm, planting a kiss on her cheek.

    Lin Ning and Xie Ruoxi visibly relaxed, while Zhao Yuanzhen snorted and turned her head away.

    She knows her place, and I¡¯ll spare this wretch¡¯s life!

    Yan Yu noticed Su Yunjin¡¯s face seemed a bit red, and he mentally lamented the deadly charm of this troublesome woman, absolutely lethal to both men and women.

    If she were only a bit nicer, she¡¯d be unbeatable.

    ¡°I¡¯ll throw the dice this time,¡± Xie Ruoxi volunteered eagerly.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Chen Lingyun nodded.

    Yan Yu scanned the dice again, seeing Xie Ruoxi let go, the dice spun on the table for a while and finally landed on six.

    Why is it always me! She must have cheated, but where did she tamper?

    ¡°Which person does the captain wish to shuffle and draw cards this time?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    ¡°Let Ruoxi handle it all,¡± Yan Yu gave Xie Ruoxi a death glare mixed with a friendly smile, as if to say ¡°You know what to do.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi immediately turned into a trembling bunny, shut her eyes tightly, shuffled the cards wildly, then drew a card, slapped it on the table, and looked at Yan Yu, not daring to communicate any other way, only signaling with her eyes:

    I definitely didn¡¯t tamper with them!

    ¡°Wait, shouldn¡¯t we choose between Truth and Dare first?¡± Lin Ning suddenly realized something was off.

    ¡°Never mind, I¡¯ll check.¡± Yan Yu flipped the card over, and upon a closer look, it was indeed a Dare card, which read:

    [Hold the player second to your left until the next round ends.]

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    This card is way too outrageous! It would be okay if it were two girls, but a guy and a girl? Isn¡¯t that just forcing a romantic moment? And what if both players are guys, wouldn¡¯t hugging mean¡­ uh, back-patting might still be okay, though.

    Su Yunjin also turned pale; she had never had even slightly intimate contact with any male her entire life, and she reflexively declined:

    ¡°How about we forget it? Didn¡¯t the captain initially not choose truth or dare? It would make sense to draw again.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s draw once more then,¡± Yan Yu was about to sneak by, when suddenly Chen Lingyun laughed:

    ¡°Is the captain worried about hugging a girl, or just specifically about hugging Yun Jin?¡±

    There it goes! The bitchy act of fanning the flames!

    Although her intention to incite was more than obvious, Su Yunjin still flinched, showing a deeply sad expression after.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I have anything against Yun Jin,¡± Yan Yu hastily defended, ¡°but it¡¯s not just a hug. It¡¯s about maintaining the hug for the entire duration of the game. That would be overly intimate, wouldn¡¯t it? I don¡¯t think Yun Jin would be comfortable with it¡­¡±

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s fine,¡± Su Yunjin suddenly whispered.

    Lin Ning immediately showed a shocked and frightened expression. Zhao Yuanzhen was also slightly stunned and were about to flip the table in anger when he suddenly turned his head towards Chen Lingyun, apparently listening to her telepathic message.

    ¡°I mean, isn¡¯t physical touch between teammates normal?!¡± Su Yunjin noticed the change in their expressions and hurriedly explained, ¡°If it¡¯s on the battlefield, like being incapacitated, letting the captain carry you is quite reasonable, right? In the Departure Palace Guard Battle, when Ruoxi was just transported in, didn¡¯t she let the captain carry her? Surely you can¡¯t say there was too much intimacy between Ruoxi and the captain, right?¡±

    ¡°Ahahaha, this¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi turned her head uncomfortably, thinking how she indeed was entirely engulfed in ambiguous and na?ve feelings when the captain was carrying me haha, and of course, I would never admit to this.

    ¡°Or is that?¡± Su Yunjin cocked her head towards Yan Yu, showing a gentle smile, ¡°The captain is okay with carrying Ruoxi but not me?¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    Cornered!

    If I explicitly refuse, it might deeply hurt Secretary Su, but allowing everyone to think I¡¯m favoring Ruoxi over others, would I, as the captain, lose face? How would I even talk, or lead the team in the future?

    ¡°That¡¯s not the case.¡± He also wore the same gentle smile, replying, ¡°If Yun Jin doesn¡¯t mind, of course, I have no problem.¡±

    Yun Jin, you brought this up; don¡¯t end up too shy to handle it later.

    Su Yunjin stood up, plucking up courage to walk towards Yan Yu.

    Her heart was somewhat bashful, but¡­ as Ling Yun whispered to me just now, if the captain was going to hold someone else, and she agreed to it, I would just have to silently suffer and withdraw.

    Better to have the captain hold me than that¡­ Modesty and shyness aren¡¯t insurmountable mental blocks after all!

    Yan Yu shifted to make space, preparing his left arm to wrap around her as Su Yunjin took a seat beside him.

    But Su Yunjin, whose mind was fixated on ¡°overcoming barriers, defeating oneself,¡± didn¡¯t notice Yan Yu¡¯s slight movement and mustered up the courage to sit directly on his lap.

    Well, the captain¡¯s thighs are quite sturdy, but isn¡¯t this uncomfortable for him? I think I¡¯m not too heavy¡­

    As Su Yunjin was lost in her thoughts, she suddenly got hugged by Yan Yu from behind, barely holding back a yelp, her mind cleared of its random thoughts, leaving only inexplicable shyness and joy.

    Oh! The captain¡­ the captain is holding me!

    This means he¡¯s not opposed to intimate contact with me, right!

    He must also have a strong, distinct fondness for me!

    Can I declare my love immediately after the game, and isn¡¯t it bound to be successful?

    Lin Ning was staring at her, his facial muscles tense as if he had bitten into an extremely sour lemon.

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s eyes were curved in a smile, Xie Ruoxi turned her head away, and Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s face was dark, his eyes slightly narrowed, evidently pondering something.

    Since Su Yunjin in his arms blocked his view, Yan Yu did not notice the expression on Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s faces, but he was thinking to himself:

    ¡°She¡¯s definitely larger than Chen Lingyun, one meter sixty really doesn¡¯t feel the same as one meter fifty, the latter always feels like holding a child. The scent of shampoo feels familiar, probably the same brand she uses, her waist seems a bit more plump and soft, but not to the extent of appearing fat, overall tactile impression is a total win over Chen Lingyun¡­¡±

    ¡°Captain,¡± Su Yunjin suddenly communicated telepathically.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°Are you getting shy? If you¡¯re shy, get up from my lap quick.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch recklessly!¡± Su Yunjin reproached with embarrassment, ¡°Keep your hands properly on my legs!¡±

 Chapter 410: 6: Princess Carry and Twister Fun

    Chapter 410: Chapter 6: Princess Carry and Twister Fun

    From the back, Su Yunjin¡¯s body curves and touch were excellent.

    She usually loved eating vegetables and fruits, disliked carbs and greasy food, so there wasn¡¯t much excess fat on her body. The slim parts were slim and the fuller parts¡­ let¡¯s leave that for now. From the average standard of women from Jiangnan, there really was no need to be too picky about Secretary Su.

    Her black hair cascaded down, both thick and smooth, clearly well-maintained.

    No, I kind of want to stroke it.

    But since everyone was here, I could only forcefully hold myself back.

    Held in Yan Yu¡¯s arms like that, Su Yunjin, although putting on a calm face, was also slightly blushing.

    ...

    To distract from the strange feelings in her heart, she pretended to be nonchalant and asked,

    ¡°Who¡¯s rolling the dice next?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said coldly.

    She grabbed the dice and threw them without a glance.

    The ladies quickly looked, only to see the dice roll a few times and settle on a five.

    ¡°Zhao rolled for herself, so she picks¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi hadn¡¯t finished speaking when Zhao Yuanzhen interrupted her,

    ¡°Truth or dare! Hurry up and draw a card for me!¡±

    Lin Ning knew she wanted to end this round quickly, to get Su Yunjin off the captain¡¯s body, so she quickly handed over the deck and reminded,

    ¡°They¡¯re already shuffled.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen quickly drew a card and slammed it on the table.

    Everyone crowded to see; it read:

    [Choose one person present to carry them around everyone for a round or be carried by them instead.]

    Su Yunjin paused for a moment, thinking the design was quite reasonable, because the person who drew the card could be a man or a woman; thus, they could choose to carry or be carried¡­ only to hear Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly point at Yan Yu and shout angrily,

    ¡°I choose him!¡±

    ¡°So are you carrying me, or am I carrying you?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    The first thought that jumped into Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s mind was to lift the little thief, carry him around the field, then throw him hard on the ground, since the card¡¯s content only required carrying someone around once without specifying how to put them down.

    But Chen Lingyun quickly reminded everyone,

    ¡°This game isn¡¯t over, so Yunjin can¡¯t get off the captain¡¯s body. And you can¡¯t use Curved Curse to cheat, since it¡¯s a regular human game. So, it¡¯s either Zhao carries the captain and Yunjin around, or the captain carries Zhao and Yunjin.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s eyes lit up, great idea!

    ¡°I choose to have you carry me,¡± she said to Yan Yu with a beaming smile, her tone laden with the arrogant satisfaction of getting her way, ¡°Of course, just as Lingyun said, Yunjin can¡¯t get off, and you can¡¯t use Curved Curse to cheat.¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s face darkened, trying to make things difficult for me, right?

    Su Yunjin wasn¡¯t very heavy, but the Demonic Sect Enchantress definitely wasn¡¯t light, and together they probably weighed around two hundred kilograms. Carrying them in a princess hold around the table was like holding a 50kg dumbbell in each arm, certainly no easy task.

    Though I couldn¡¯t use Curved Curse, there was still a sneaky way; consuming an Elixir Medicine. This stuff was used on the battlefield by cultivators, equivalent to a large dose of adrenaline, capable of temporarily enhancing a cultivator¡¯s strength.

    I¡¯ll pretend I drank too much tea, go to the bathroom to secretly take the Elixir Medicine, perfect plan!

    Wait and see how I carry both of you stacked together, easily running back and forth several rounds!

    ¡°Ah, I drank too much tea.¡± Yan Yu pushed the teacup in front of him showing only tea leaves left, ¡°I¡¯ll go to the toilet and then come back to carry you.¡±

    ¡°But the game isn¡¯t over yet, so Yunjin can¡¯t get off,¡± Chen Lingyun reminded again.

    Su Yunjin¡¯s face turned from red to white. What, the captain intends to carry me to the toilet?

    ¡°How can that be!¡± She hadn¡¯t even spoken yet when Lin Ning from the opposite side couldn¡¯t contain herself anymore, ¡°To the toilet! Who carries a girl to the toilet! Captain, you endure until the next round to go!¡±

    Yan Yu frowned slightly. Chen Lingyun, was this also in your calculations?

    ¡°I can¡¯t hold it anymore.¡± He then picked up Su Yunjin and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±

    The two entered the toilet, Yan Yu locked the door, and only heard Su Yunjin speak with a trembling voice,

    ¡°I¡¯ll close my eyes.¡±

    ¡°Come on, no one is watching us now.¡± Yan Yu was amused by her, ¡°You can get down now.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Su Yunjin clung to him, ¡°Hurry up and finish in the toilet so we can go back.¡±

    Yan Yu looked at Su Yunjin in surprise. The girl was tightly closing her eyes, her breath slightly rapid, her pale skin blushing beautifully, and her hands tightly wrapped around his neck, securing herself firmly, showing no intention of getting down.

    He discreetly swallowed the Elixir Medicine and said,

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go back.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Su Yunjin opened her eyes, confusedly looking at him, ¡°But you haven¡¯t even taken off your pants¡­¡±

    ¡°Suddenly, I don¡¯t feel like peeing anymore.¡± Yan Yu picked her up and said, ¡°Or did you want to hear me pee?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say such perverted things.¡± Su Yunjin bit her lower lip, annoyed.

    You¡¯ve been in my arms for so long now, why fuss over such things¡­ Yan Yu also felt speechless, carrying Su Yunjin out of the toilet and back to the group of girls, his expression resigned,

    ¡°Let¡¯s do this!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen couldn¡¯t wait any longer, and before Su Yunjin could adjust her posture, she forcefully squeezed into Yan Yu¡¯s embrace.

    So heavy!

    Yan Yu conservatively estimated that the Demonic Sect Enchantress was at least ten pounds heavier than Secretary Su. Fortunately, the power of the elixir was spreading in his abdomen, as if endless strength was surging out, sparing his arms from feeling any soreness.

    His right arm passed under Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s knees and his left hand supported Su Yunjin¡¯s butt, as he walked briskly. With the two ladies sitting in his arms and facing each other, seeing Su Yunjin cling to Yan Yu¡¯s neck, Zhao Yuanzhen, not to be outdone, pulled his head into her embrace from the right.

    Yan Yu was completely overwhelmed, his right eye totally obscured ¡ª vision completely blocked!

    Zhao Yuanzhen didn¡¯t mind, and instead proudly thrust out her chest. Su Yunjin bit her lower lip, unwilling to be outdone as she hugged Yan Yu¡¯s neck, unable to help feeling silently sullen.

    Though Yan Yu was burdened in both arms and could hardly see, but still being the strongest of this age, he managed to carry the two girls around the table by relying on his exceptional sense of balance and strong will, before finally setting them down.

    Much better.

    The two ladies returned to their seats. Zhao Yuanzhen had a triumphant look on her face, while Su Yunjin felt defeated, a sense of reluctant loss washing over her.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t concern himself with their feelings and just sat down to flex his arms, saying:

    ¡°Who¡¯s next?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± Lin Ning rolled the dice.

    Six.

    Definitely rigged! Yan Yu glared at Chen Lingyun, who merely smiled back at him.

    ¡°Truth.¡± Yan Yu said.

    Lin Ning quickly shuffled the deck, allowing the team captain to draw a card.

    Yan Yu glanced at his card before showing it to everyone:

    [Talk about your first love.]

    ¡°None, skip.¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly.

    ¡°Really none?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile.

    ¡°Really none,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Really really none?¡± Chen Lingyun still smiling.

    ¡°Really really none, don¡¯t make me say it a third time,¡± Yan Yu said decisively.

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t press further, just saying, ¡°I¡¯ll roll this time.¡±

    She elegantly tossed the dice, while Yan Yu¡¯s divine sense scanned repeatedly, suddenly feeling something off about the dice¡¯s tumbling.

    But there was nothing unusual in the dice, and no electromagnets under the table, so why?

    Three.

    ¡°Is it my turn?¡± Lin Ning began to hesitate.

    People who didn¡¯t enjoy the game and wanted it to end quickly usually chose truth since it just involved answering questions. However, Lin Ning knew her own personality too well; she might force herself to act, but admitting something verbally was more difficult than killing her.

    Proud, insincere¡­ that¡¯s just the kind of person I am.

    ¡°I suggest you choose dare,¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly transmitted, ¡°otherwise, if you draw a ¡®who do you like¡¯ type of question, will you tell that kind of lie that everyone can see through, or will you go all out to confess?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like anyone, I¡¯ll just say the truth if it comes up.¡± Lin Ning hastily replied to Chen Lingyun, but couldn¡¯t help feeling uneasy.

    My ability to lie is tragically bad; if it really comes to that, what¡¯s the difference between denying and confessing?

    ¡°I choose dare,¡± she said quickly.

    ¡°Draw a card,¡± Xie Ruoxi offered to shuffle the deck.

    Lin Ning drew a card and placed it on the table, her expression somewhat baffled because it read:

    [Find someone of the opposite sex from the room and play Twister]

    ¡°What is Twister?¡± Lin Ning asked curiously.

    Yan Yu¡¯s eyes twitched for a moment, only to see Chen Lingyun rise gracefully, and say with a smile:

    ¡°Let me explain the rules to you.¡±

    She took out a cloth from under the coffee table, which was drawn with many squares of different colors, then she spread it on the floor.

    ¡°Here are two spinner boards,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°one will decide whether it¡¯s ¡®left hand¡¯, ¡®right hand¡¯, ¡®left foot¡¯, or ¡®right foot¡¯, and the other will decide if it¡¯s ¡®red¡¯, ¡®yellow¡¯, ¡®green¡¯, or ¡®blue¡¯.¡±

    ¡°After the spinner stops, for example, the outcome is ¡®left hand¡¯ and ¡®red¡¯, then you must immediately press your left hand on the red square. If you succeed, you move to the next round.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s this simple.¡± Lin Ning rolled up her sleeves, full of confidence, ¡°I will definitely win!¡±

    However, Su Yunjin¡¯s expression changed slightly.

    She saw that the cloth wasn¡¯t big, and if the captain and Ningning were to play on it, bodily contact was inevitable, and getting entwined was also not impossible¡­ S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡­Nevermind, it¡¯s just a game after all, just like how the captain hugged me earlier, it wasn¡¯t his personal desire, and it doesn¡¯t prove anything.

    ¡°I need to use the bathroom,¡± she calmly stood up, saying, ¡°You guys play first, don¡¯t mind me.¡±

    Out of sight, out of mind!

 Chapter 411: 7: Confronted by Ningning

    Chapter 411: Chapter 7: Confronted by Ningning

    Despite repeatedly convincing herself ¡°It¡¯s just a game,¡± Su Yunjin, to prevent a heart attack, still chose to take a temporary leave to the bathroom¡ªit was better not to watch.

    The rest of the group came to the colorful mat of Twister, forming a circle around it.

    At this time, Lin Ning was still immersed in the thought ¡°I must win this game,¡± moving her hands and feet to limber up, while carefully eyeing the four-colored mat.

    This game was less about strategizing which square to choose and more about testing one¡¯s eyesight and reaction speed, as the squares were quite small. If one person covered a square with their hand, there wasn¡¯t much space left for another person¡ªunless they propped themselves up with a karate chop or even just a few fingers, as if doing gymnastics on a tightrope.

    But when it came to eyesight and reaction speed¡­ hmph, even if the captain were here, I wouldn¡¯t be afraid!

    Zhao Yuanzhen watched for a moment, then asked Xie Ruoxi:

    ...

    ¡°If I have my eye on a red square, but it¡¯s pressed by the opponent first, can I push their hand away and press it myself?¡±

    ¡°Of course, you can¡¯t do that,¡± Xie Ruoxi felt like sweating a little. Sister Zhao¡¯s aggressiveness seemed a bit strong, it¡¯s just a game, isn¡¯t it?

    ¡°Are you all ready?¡± Chen Lingyun placed two spinners on the table and asked with a smile.

    ¡°Yun Jin is still in the bathroom,¡± Lin Ning asked casually, ¡°Should we wait for her?¡±

    ¡°No need, she also said not to wait for her, right?¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile was beaming. ¡°By the time this round is over, she¡¯ll probably be back.¡±

    Maybe Yun Jin has a stomachache, everyone is waiting for her here, and indeed, that would put pressure on her¡­ Lin Ning twisted her shoulders and neck, and turned to ask Yan Yu:

    ¡°Is the captain ready?¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu was noncommittal.

    He was considering whether to win or not.

    Firstly, if he pretended to make a mistake and fall to concede, Lin Ning would most likely see through it¡ªNingning, the Sword Immortal, was my personally trained female disciple, with very strong eyesight.

    Given Lin Ning¡¯s serious nature, she definitely wouldn¡¯t be happy because I let her win; on the contrary, she would become annoyed, feeling that I was looking down on her, and then my good intentions would go unappreciated.

    But if I play seriously with her, and there ends up being a lot of physical contact, she¡¯ll surely come to realize it. The lighter outcome would be her blushing and feeling shy; the more severe one would be her acting haughty and getting upset. Then, what would I do?

    He couldn¡¯t help but cast a harshly reproachful look at Chen Lingyun: Look at the trouble you¡¯ve stirred up for me!

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s expression became even more joyful as she said with a laugh:

    ¡°Since everyone is ready, let¡¯s start. Please stand on the mat.¡±

    Yan Yu and Lin Ning then took off their shoes and stood on the mat.

    In order not to hinder movement and to be able to compete for spots flexibly, Lin Ning even took off her jacket, leaving only a sports vest, her face showing a determined expression of ¡°I will go all out to win.¡±

    Yan Yu silently sized her up. It had to be said that Lin Ning¡¯s figure was indeed much better than Su Yunjin¡¯s, and while he could remain unmoved holding Secretary Su, he couldn¡¯t guarantee the same composure if he got tangled with Lin Ning.

    He¡¯d better be mindful of his posture later on.

    ¡°Then everyone is ready,¡± Chen Lingyun operated the spinners with both hands.

    Red! Left foot! S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Both were quick off the mark, their feet shot out at the same time, landing on the same square.

    Yan Yu looked at Lin Ning¡¯s white socks and asked Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°Part of her sock is outside the square, does that count?¡±

    ¡°As long as you can touch the red, it¡¯s fine,¡± Chen Lingyun replied cheerfully.

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Lin Ning displayed a slightly smug expression, provocatively tilting her chin up at Yan Yu, her eyes gleaming like water.

    This haughty little sister¡­ makes one want to really bully her, to make her pearls fall.

    While Yan Yu was entertaining unspeakable thoughts, the two spinners came to a halt again:

    Green! Left hand!

    Lin Ning was quick to act, swiftly getting down to press her left hand on a green square¡ªimmediately after, Yan Yu¡¯s left hand also pressed down, interlocking fingers with hers, both firmly pressing on the green square.

    ¡°What are you doing!¡± Lin Ning exclaimed in embarrassment and annoyance, ¡°Following me like a shadow, huh?¡±

    ¡°I originally planned to press on this spot; you just got there before I did,¡± Yan Yu defended himself.

    ¡°Humph humph.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen came up with a bad idea from the sidelines, ¡°Ningning, arch the back of your hand to prevent his hand from touching the green and getting out!¡±

    However, Lin Ning did not do so. She was the type who preferred to win fair and square, and didn¡¯t like to use underhanded tactics, so she warned Yan Yu:

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare aim for the same square as me in the next round.¡±

    The captain¡¯s hand was a bit warm. Holding it was quite comfortable¡­ Forget it, it¡¯s just a game, no need to be so sensitive.

    Anyway, I¡¯m going to win!

    Chen Lingyun spun the wheel, and the result of the third round was quickly revealed:

    Red! Right hand!

    Yan Yu quickly scanned the area. His left hand and foot remained unmoved, and his right hand reached under Lin Ning, finding the nearest red square to press down on.

    Lin Ning, on the other hand, was a beat slower. By the time she realized it, the red squares had already been taken by Yan Yu. She had no choice but to stretch further to reach a distant square.

    She stretched her arms as far as she could, barely managing to touch it¡­ But by doing so, her entire body pressed down on top of Yan Yu, her chest flush against his back.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move around,¡± Lin Ning quickly transmitted a message to him, ¡°It¡¯s just a game, don¡¯t overthink it!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got it all wrong,¡± Yan Yu responded immediately, ¡°It¡¯s me who benefits from this situation. Why wouldn¡¯t I think about it?¡±

    ¡°You, you!¡± Lin Ning tried to tell herself it was only a game, but Yan Yu¡¯s response made her realize just how intimate their position was. She quickly tried to push herself up to avoid touching his back.

    But with the left hand and right foot¡¯s squares being too far apart, and her reach limited, her struggle to push herself up only made her right arm numb and nearly caused her to fall. Yan Yu used his back to steady her once again.

    ¡°If you can¡¯t hold on, just give up,¡± Yan Yu transmitted to her, ¡°Winning or losing isn¡¯t important.¡±

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you give up?¡± Lin Ning¡¯s competitive spirit flared up instantly.

    ¡°Why would I give up if I have the upper hand?¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°Just wait and see; I¡¯ll turn the tables in the end!¡± Lin Ning said angrily.

    On the sidelines, Chen Lingyun had a pleased smile, Xie Ruoxi sighed, and Zhao Yuanzhen already felt that something was off; how had these two suddenly gotten so close?

    However, the game¡¯s rules necessitated touching the corresponding colored squares, and body contact was inevitable¡­ So go for it, Ningning! Press down hard and push the little thief out of the game!

    Yet Lin Ning was unaware of the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s silent cheering; now fully alert, she still wanted to win but didn¡¯t want to continue giving the captain any advantages, so her gaze rapidly scanned for a square in the four colors nearby.

    If the next spin lands on blue, and I steal this spot, he won¡¯t be able to reach those two blue squares far away with his current posture, and I¡¯ll win!

    Chen Lingyun spun the wheel again, and the pointer began to whirl speedily.

    Right foot!

    Lin Ning kept a close watch on the second wheel¡¯s outcome, noticing the pointer quickly slowing down.

    Blue! Victory!

    She moved like lightning, keeping her left hand, left foot, and right hand firmly in place, while her right foot swiftly stepped diagonally downwards, landing on the blue square she had her eyes on!

    ¡°You¡¯re not wearing underwear?¡± Yan Yu abruptly asked through a transmitted message.

    Lin Ning had just hit the blue square when she heard this and instantly froze, then quickly realized what he meant. Embarrassed, angry, annoyed, and flustered, she subconsciously reached out to pinch Yan Yu. But as soon as her right hand lifted, she lost her balance. In the ensuing panic, she desperately grabbed onto Yan Yu, pulling him down with her as she fell.

    ¡°Does this mean they are both out at the same time?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked curiously.

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s a draw, I guess.¡±

    Of course, if one were to get technical, it was Ningning who had given up first, but girls should help each other out, and it was okay to side with her own at times like these.

    Yan Yu, true to form, didn¡¯t make a fuss about who won or lost or who tied. He tried to rise from the ground, but Lin Ning, lying behind him, wouldn¡¯t let him go. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, digging her knees fiercely into his waist, her face flushed with embarrassment as she yelled:

    ¡°Die, die, die, die!¡±

 Chapter 412: 8 Drive Them Away

    Chapter 412: Chapter 8 Drive Them Away

    After everyone had clumsily pulled the two apart, Yan Yu reluctantly got up and saw that Lin Ning¡¯s face was still flushed with humiliation and tears of anger, her defiant eyes shimmering with water, looking incredibly cute.

    I knew it¡­ Playing Twister, it¡¯s definitely Chen Lingyun¡¯s scheme, it could never end well.

    When Su Yunjin felt it was about time, she pushed open the restroom door, saw Lin Ning¡¯s disheveled clothes and puffed cheeks, and guessed what had happened. She exchanged a look with Yan Yu, sighed helplessly, and went to comfort little Ningning.

    ¡°I¡¯m not playing anymore.¡± Lin Ning, still furious, stomped her foot fiercely and turned to watch TV on the other side of the room.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s stop here for today,¡± Chen Lingyun said as she put away the cards.

    Everyone then left the game table and gathered around the TV, except for Xie Ruoxi who remained seated, suddenly wondering:

    ...

    ¡°What about me?¡±

    Although not being embarrassed is a good thing, what¡¯s with this feeling of being excluded after everyone else has had a turn!

    Yan Yu sat in the middle of the sofa, covertly observing Lin Ning¡¯s expression across from him, seeing her mix of shame, anger, and even a bit of¡­ grievance? Was it just my imagination?

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, captain,¡± Su Yunjin whispered beside him, ¡°I¡¯ve talked to her. She¡¯s just having trouble swallowing her pride, so she definitely won¡¯t deal with you tonight, but she should calm down by tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Thanks a lot, Secretary Su,¡± Yan Yu immediately rejoiced.

    The difference between Secretary Su and Secretary Ye is that Secretary Ye is concise and efficient, better with tasks; whereas Secretary Su, with a gentle and compassionate nature, excels at dealing with people¡ªmanaging team morale, liaising with schools and instructors, etc., often handling meticulous personnel tasks for Chen Lingyun in a previous life.

    ¡°Still thinking of having me as your secretary?¡± Su Yunjin asked with a light laugh.

    ¡°I never gave up, okay?¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°At the start of last year, if Chen Lingyun hadn¡¯t meddled, you might have agreed to it already.¡±

    Su Yunjin paused for a moment feeling a bit regretful in her heart.

    If only I had known I would develop feelings for the captain during our time together, I would have agreed right from the start¡­ Unfortunately, life doesn¡¯t offer do-overs, and back then I had no idea I would join the team.

    ¡°Is it too late to agree now?¡± she quickly pulled herself together and joked.

    ¡°Too late now,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°You¡¯re already a member of my team, and it¡¯s only natural for team members to work for their captain without any room for bargaining.¡±

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Su Yunjin wasn¡¯t surprised.

    If the captain were so easy to win over, he wouldn¡¯t be the captain. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Alright, I must also try harder!

    ¡°Captain, would you like some fruit?¡± she asked, picking up the fruit plate.

    Lin Ning sat alone on the single sofa opposite, her eyes glued to the TV, but her mind was in turmoil.

    It¡¯s all the captain¡¯s fault!

    It was just a game, if you hadn¡¯t said anything, I wouldn¡¯t have been so embarrassed¡­ but you made it clear to me, if I didn¡¯t get really angry, wouldn¡¯t it seem like I didn¡¯t care about having contact with you?

    Why can¡¯t you see things from a girl¡¯s point of view?

    But Yunjin was right, making a scene like that, everyone must think I can¡¯t take a joke.

    Sigh, it¡¯s all the captain¡¯s fault.

    But surely the captain is regretting now, having spoiled our relationship¡­ Nevermind, I¡¯ll pretend nothing happened tomorrow and greet him then.

    Lin Ning secretly made excuses for Yan Yu in her heart. Unfortunately, Yan Yu wasn¡¯t feeling any regret, he was quietly whispering with Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°So what exactly did you do?¡±

    ¡°Guess,¡± Chen Lingyun said playfully.

    ¡°The dice wasn¡¯t hollow or weighted,¡± Yan Yu pondered, ¡°There¡¯s nothing under the table either, so let¡¯s rule out external interference¡­ Was it a specially trained throwing technique?¡±

    ¡°Nope, guess again,¡± Chen Lingyun continued with a smile.

    ¡°I can¡¯t guess,¡± Yan Yu was too lazy to think harder, ¡°Just reveal the answer!¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give you a hint,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°the material of the dice.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Damn, this dice is a Magic Treasure!¡± Yan Yu was immediately shocked.

    ¡°It¡¯s not exactly a Magic Treasure, but it¡¯s made almost the same way as the Flying Swords,¡± Chen Lingyun revealed the answer, ¡°so after refining it, I just need to activate my True Yuan quietly, and it can roll or even jump up to hit someone according to my thoughts, though of course, it won¡¯t be as lethal as the Flying Swords.¡±

    ¡°Someone hasn¡¯t cheated this way before, have they?¡± Yan Yu asked in dismay.

    ¡°They have,¡± Chen Lingyun said nonchalantly, ¡°In the underground gambling dens in Lingnan, there are unregistered Transcendents who use similar methods to manipulate steel ball roulette wheels to cheat money. Rival competitors sent gambling masters to mess with them, but they couldn¡¯t crack their cheating methods, so they simply reported them ¡ª and that¡¯s how we caught them.¡±

    ¡°What about the cards?¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°How did you make everyone draw the card you wanted?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t rig that part,¡± Chen Lingyun admitted candidly, ¡°A game with some uncertainty is more fun.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it,¡± Yan Yu was skeptical.

    ¡°Believe it or not,¡± Chen Lingyun smiled smugly.

    Yan Yu wanted to say more, but suddenly heard Zhao Yuanzhen asking him telepathically:

    ¡°You little thief! Why do I always feel like all the girls in this team have a thing for you?¡±

    Are you just realizing that? Yan Yu was too exhausted to retort. I thought our last trip to the Mirror Lake Divine Palace made that clear.

    Oh, wait, the Demonic Sect Enchantress seemed unwilling to accept the explanation about her clone at the time, even deluding herself with ¡°the clone is messing with my mind,¡± so no big deal then.

    ¡°Why do you think that?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen frowned, ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ don¡¯t you think I¡¯ve been getting jealous more frequently lately than before?¡±

    ¡°It seems so,¡± Yan Yu said seriously, ¡°but it might not necessarily be their fault, could it possibly be your issue?¡±

    ¡°What problem could I have?!¡± the Demonic Sect Enchantress snapped angrily, ¡°Whose Daoist couple are you? Whose side should you be on? Think carefully before you speak!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to criticize you,¡± Yan Yu said lightly, ¡°I¡¯m just suggesting a possibility: perhaps you care about me more than before, which is why you¡¯re more prone to jealousy.¡±

    Me? Care about you?

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress scoffed in her heart: Impossible!

    ¡°The reason I get jealous is not because I like or care about you that much,¡± she declared emphatically, ¡°but because since you¡¯re my Daoist couple, regardless of whether we have feelings or not, I need to drive away any vixen near you. Otherwise, if people start saying that Miyuan the Fairy has a green hat, wouldn¡¯t I lose face? This has nothing to do with love; it¡¯s purely possessiveness!¡±

    Hey, possessiveness is way dirtier than love, you know!

    Yan Yu responded casually:

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, go ahead and drive them away then.¡±

    The speaker didn¡¯t intend much, but the listener took it seriously; the Demonic Sect Enchantress immediately began to consider if this was the little thief suggesting that she should go ahead, and he would cover for her afterward.

    So, who should I drive away?

    Ruoxi is out of the question; she is my best friend. Ningning is also out; her cooking perfectly suits my taste. Yun Jin, let¡¯s keep her on probation for now, for her diligent cleaning and sweet talk, and put her on the backup list.

    Then there¡¯s only one answer left! Ling Yun, get out of my Daoist couple¡¯s team!

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress looked at Chen Lingyun with malicious intent, about to telepathically taunt her, when suddenly she heard her stand up and say with a laugh:

    ¡°Who wants a midnight snack? There¡¯s a newly opened treasure of a pickles shop nearby that we can order delivery from.¡±

    ¡°I want some!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately raised his hand, eager to respond.

 Chapter 413: 9 Inventory of Harvests

    Chapter 413: Chapter 9 Inventory of Harvests

    As mid-January arrived, the commotion surrounding the battle in The Secret Realm of Li Palace gradually faded, disappearing from most media¡¯s trending search lists.

    Among the three parties, the Onmyoji suffered the most severe losses. With the fall of Xiandao Jingyin, the Kyoto Yin Yang Institute¡¯s manpower was cut in half; the headquarters had to call in personnel from local branches to replenish their ranks, which significantly increased the local branches¡¯ influence¡ªsome even began to challenge the authority of Kyoto.

    Next were the casualties from the Superhero Alliance. A large number of foreign heroes had been sacrificed at the gates of Li Palace, mostly slain by the Longcheng Flying General, leading to a surge of admiration for Yan Yu in Mitchi Country. Numerous media outlets dubbed Yan Yu as an ¡°Anti-hero,¡± meaning ¡°though aligned with enemy forces, he still qualifies as a superhero¡±¡ªa charming antagonist, indeed.

    The lightest losses were undoubtedly those of the Pear Blossom Courtyard swordsmen. They stuck to long-distance attacks throughout and did not attempt to charge the steps to Li Palace and engage the Cultivators of Lu Country in close combat, resulting in Gyeongbokgung praising Park Changmin for his ¡°composure in danger¡± and ¡°calm decisiveness.¡± They even considered honoring him with a medal.

    The public was also jubilant. Although no benefits were reaped from this venture to Li Palace, there is a saying, ¡°the misfortunes of others are my gain.¡± Just look at the neighboring Yin Yang Bureau! They suffered considerable losses, much to everyone¡¯s delight!

    Under the official agenda and popular acclaim, Park Changmin¡¯s domestic reputation soared to new heights; even the media within Lu Country caught wind and copied the Peninsula¡¯s praise¡ªleading Liu Longtao to laugh heartily and share the joy in a private chat with Yan Yu.

    ...

    However, Yan Yu had no time for idle chat with Lord Master, as the loot from The Secret Realm of Li Palace had been returned to the team.

    Lin Ning¡¯s Sword Box of Zhenze, after testing, was confirmed to require fifteen seconds to nurture the Flying Sword. Once unsheathed, the Green Bamboo Sword¡¯s first three strikes dealt increased damage (capable of unleashing long-range Sword Qi), with a strength about twenty percent above the normal standard. An unpretentious Magic Treasure without any fancy effects, it simply enhanced the hard power of a Sword Immortal, extremely excellent.

    Despite Su Yunjin¡¯s Tai Wei Hook Chen Yao Po Star Sand being incomplete, its integration with the water of the Milky Way truly had a miraculous effect. The Milky Way¡¯s torrent enhanced by the star sand amplified the propelling force of both the Jiao surge and the Carp Flip, transforming Lang Feiyun from merely a high-pressure water gun into a lethal high-pressure water blade. Yet, the greatest beneficiary would be the fourth technique, Tidal Deluge Divergence¡ªthe water from both sides wrapped the enemy within, with the star sand-mixed currents causing intense, abrasive scouring, enough to peel off a layer even from a Body Cultivating Cultivist trapped within.

    In contrast, the gains of Xie Ruoxi and Zhao Yuanzhen were harder to assess. While Dazhong Lei was indeed effective against Heavenly Demons, at the current stage, Earth hardly harbored any high-dimensional demons, leading to a feeling of wielding a dragon-slaying artifact with no dragons to slay; the Qian Ling True Smoldering Fire chosen by Zhao Yuanzhen also required further modification and testing before its usefulness could be determined¡ªleaving the Demonic Sect Enchantress unable to come to a conclusion yet.

    However, if everyone¡¯s gains were to be compared openly, the most impressive would undoubtedly be the Two-handed Sword Control Technique acquired by Yan Yu.

    With his previous life¡¯s lofty Sword Immortal experience, Yan Yu could see the learning difficulty of this Dual Sword Control Technique was incredibly high, just as the elder with the long brows said, ¡°It¡¯s not mere superficial multitasking. Essentially, it still tests your swordsmanship.¡±

    Dual Sword Control involved operating through different meridian pathways, so one must first practice the Sword Control¡¯s Qi circulation route for the dominant hand until it becomes effortless and fully responsive. Then, while managing the main sword with the dominant hand, one should try to operate the secondary sword with the non-dominant hand¡ªat first, most attention will undoubtedly be on the non-dominant hand, possibly without the spare capacity to respond to any change in combat situations.

    Only when both hands can ¡°operate at will¡± and ¡°act intuitively¡± can the Dual Sword Control Technique be considered mastered.

    Most Sword Immortals have trained only their dominant hand, but Yan Yu¡¯s case is special; in his previous life, to deal with extremely adverse situations, he could proficiently perform Sword Control with both arms.

    Of course, this is like marrying two wives. It¡¯s one thing to marry Yun Jin or Ningning individually, but that doesn¡¯t mean managing both without issue; if both are in the same house, there would be jealousy¡ªDual Sword Control works on the same principle. Being able to Sword Control with each hand doesn¡¯t mean you can do it simultaneously with both. Often when Yan Yu is concentrating on controlling the left-hand sword, suddenly his strokes become distorted and twisted because his brain has inadvertently mixed in commands for the right-hand sword.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t I give it a try?¡± Lin Ning saw him frowning in thought and, unable to resist the temptation, enthusiastically offered her help. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll get it on the first try and then teach you in return.¡±

    As for the embarrassment, discomfort, and chagrin from playing Twister last time, Lin Ning had completely forgotten about it.

    ¡°How would you try?¡± Yan Yu shook his head. ¡°You don¡¯t have a second Flying Sword.¡±

    ¡°I could borrow Yun Jin¡¯s,¡± Lin Ning said eagerly. ¡°You borrowed Ling Yun¡¯s Purple Extreme Sword, didn¡¯t you? Just let me have a go.¡±

    Yan Yu continued to maintain his thoughtful pose, quietly reaching out with his left hand to grab the notebook on the bench and passed it without looking up.

    ¡°Eh, is this notebook for me?¡± Lin Ning was surprised, as she had thought that Yan Yu would dictate for her to recite.

    Flipping through the notebook, she saw it was filled with dense handwriting, a considerable number of corrections, and additional paragraphs, making the entire page look dirty.

    But Lin Ning did not disdain it; instead, she was overjoyed: The team leader made the notes so detailed, it must be for me, right? It¡¯s to facilitate my learning later on, isn¡¯t it!

    No, no, this isn¡¯t the time to be thinking about that, I also need to delve into this dual sword control technique and help relieve the team leader¡¯s worries.

    She sat down beside Yan Yu, quietly flipping through the notes, preparing to consult and discuss in detail with Yan Yu shortly.

    Yan Yu was still contemplating the intricacies when he suddenly heard Chen Lingyun¡¯s voice transmission asking:

    ¡°Why did you suddenly start taking notes? This is not your style.¡±

    ¡°There are quite a few knowledge points that need understanding,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°Ningning is a problem solver with a diligent personality, and would come to ask me about even the slightest memory uncertainty, so it¡¯s better to write it down for her to look at slowly rather than be annoyed.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is.¡± Chen Lingyun watched Lin Ning¡¯s gentle expression as she read, thinking that she had definitely misunderstood Yan Yu¡¯s intention, then asked again, ¡°What about the secondary sword? Are you planning to fetch one, or have you already thought about which mysterious realm to draw a sword from?¡±

    ¡°How can that be planned in advance?¡± Yan Yu said with a wry smile, ¡°In any case, since the Huang Tingjian is a heavy sword known for its great force and weight, I would prefer the secondary sword to be a smaller, more agile, and faster flying rapier, but I still need to consider the specifics.¡±

    ¡°Right, speaking of the mysterious realm, I¡¯m planning to take a trip to Nanjiang next week, you guys should know about it, right?¡±

    ¡°Did you ask for leave from the authorities?¡± Chen Lingyun asked leisurely.

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Yan Yu said proudly, ¡°I am the Longcheng Flying General! Even if it¡¯s just for a few days of leave, the authorities have to consider the period I¡¯m gone, thinking about who to scramble to replace me to handle emergencies¡­ so this leave might be difficult to get approved any time soon.¡±

    ¡°So you plan to leave without notice,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°Wrong!¡± said Yan Yu, ¡°I plan to throw the hot potato to you¡­ you go speak to your dad, and if the authorities ask, just say that Chen Tianming has specially approved it!¡±

    ¡°I know my dad would definitely not approve,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°but if you can take me with you, I can help you sort it out.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s out of the question,¡± Yan Yu immediately refused, ¡°What about the daily affairs of the Zhenhai Team? Who will oversee everyone¡¯s training?¡±

    ¡°Leave it to Secretary Su,¡± Chen Lingyun said nonchalantly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t just casually shove the vice-captain¡¯s job onto someone else!¡± S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 414: 10 Raiders of the Lost Ark

    Chapter 414: Chapter 10 Raiders of the Lost Ark

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t remember that in his past life, Chen Lingyun had such a ¡°clingy¡± trait, following him everywhere he went to meddle.

    Of course, it might have been because when they met in the previous life, the captain of Spirit Transport Team, Chen Lingyun, was already a woman in her early thirties, a singleton with a youthful face, and had long been in a high position with great authority over the team, which naturally made her more independent and assertive.

    Whereas the current girl, not even twenty years old, although her disagreeable character had fully taken shape, was still a playful and curious young person, so she didn¡¯t hesitate to show her youthful side in front of him.

    Regardless, having her tag along with him was out of the question.

    There were six people in the Zhenhai Team, and in total, only a captain and a vice-captain were in charge. Now both of the leaders had run off, Li Weiguo was sure to be furious¡ªit was a completely different scenario from having only the captain absent, with a seriousness that was worlds apart.

    Therefore, Yan Yu specially chose an auspicious morning when everyone was still asleep to make his escape!

    ...

    About five minutes into his Sword Control flight, his cellphone suddenly rang.

    [Chen Lingyun]: You left this early?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: You noticed that quickly?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: I was afraid you¡¯d shamelessly follow me. Tell everyone I¡¯ll come back after I finish scouting the place.

    [Chen Lingyun]: Yeah, but it¡¯s highly likely you¡¯ll come up empty-handed.

    [Chen Lingyun]: An object of interest to you might not necessarily mean the Mysterious Realm will quietly activate. Pingxi Army¡¯s national territory surveillance isn¡¯t that negligent.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: I know, I¡¯m just going to confirm it.

    [Chen Lingyun]: Do you have any clues about the first location given by Long Eyebrow Immortal?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Not yet, even though I was given the location information, it was really just an image transmitted into my Sea of Consciousness. Without exact coordinates, there¡¯s no way to know the place.

    [Chen Lingyun]: If you could draw, you could sketch it out and take it to experts for identification.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: But I can¡¯t, so I can only describe it verbally.

    [Chen Lingyun]: Why don¡¯t you ask Huofeng Team to arrange a local guide for you?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: That¡¯s the plan.

    Yan Yu immediately sent a message to Zhou Hongyu.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Need a favor.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Preferably someone familiar with Nanjiang or the Qingzang area, and make it snappy.

    Zhou Hongyu didn¡¯t reply, but after a few minutes, Tang Xiaolian did send a message.

    [Miaojiang Girl Tang Lingling]: Captain Yan, you need something?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: I¡¯m looking for a place approximately a thousand miles southwest of Shushan, where you can see snowy mountains, canyons, and a large waterfall. I heard you¡¯re from Nanjiang; do you have any ideas about this?

    After a long wait, the reply from the other end was slow to come.

    [Miaojiang Girl Tang Lingling]: Captain Yan, aren¡¯t you a Jiangnan local? Now, if you ask me to find a mountain in your province with trees, flowers, and springs¡­ Understand? Your request is just like that, how could I possibly find it?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: I can¡¯t help it, I only have an image, no specific coordinates or clear place names.

    [Miaojiang Girl Tang Lingling]: Send me the image.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: It¡¯s in my head.

    [Miaojiang Girl Tang Lingling]: Ah?

    [Miaojiang Girl Tang Lingling]: Then you should draw it, as detailed as possible.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: I can¡¯t draw.

    [Miaojiang Girl Tang Lingling]: ¡­Then why don¡¯t you ask the leaders of Zhendong Army to arrange a professional artist for you? It should be simple for them. And with a geographic intelligence team, they could locate it directly from the drawing. You wouldn¡¯t even need to search by yourself.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: It¡¯s a personal matter and not appropriate to report to the higher-ups, which is why I turned to you guys from Huofeng Team for help.

    [Miaojiang Girl Tang Lingling]: Sigh, for the sake of Captain Yan¡¯s guidance during my Marrow Cleansing last time, I¡¯ll reluctantly offer my assistance this time, but no guarantees of success, okay?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Thanks a lot, next time we compete with Huofeng Team, I¡¯ll go easy on you for a few moves.

    [Miaojiang Girl Tang Lingling]: There¡¯s no need for that. Captain Zhou will thrash you /fist /fist.

    [Miaojiang Girl Tang Lingling]: [Location Coordinates]

    [Miaojiang Girl Tang Lingling]: Is Captain Yan coming over by Sword Control? Find me here.

    Yan Yu opened the coordinates and saw they were for a guesthouse in the Sangchuan Prefecture of Nanjiang Province, called ¡°Brocade Sheng Tang Guesthouse¡±.

    Such a tacky name¡­ If I saw this name on a review app, I wouldn¡¯t even click on it, right?

    After searching the name on the review app, Yan Yu was surprised to find that it had a high rating, all five stars, but the comments were a mix of praise and criticism.

    The praises mentioned the beautiful scenery surrounding the guesthouse, breathtaking everywhere, while the criticisms were about the high prices, its distance from the city center of Sangchuan Prefecture, and the owner¡¯s daughter having a very sulky face among other things¡­ Who is the last comment talking about?

    Haha.

    Yan Yu, controlling his sword, headed westward and could clearly see the terrain of the entire landmass gradually rising, with increasingly more mountains and rivers.

    Chen Lingyun said that Pingxi Army¡¯s national land screening is very strict, and although I don¡¯t disbelieve her, how strict can it really be? The Hengduan mountain range is so vast, how many hidden valleys, caves, and plant life exist beneath? Neither surveillance satellites nor patrolling drones are effective here.

    In my previous life, those civilian cultivators who were not under official control, without formal training, where did they get their cultivation resources from? Isn¡¯t it obvious? Of course, they obtained them through various odd clues and explorations in remote locations far from the cities.

    Now, I, Yan Yu, am about to transform into Indiana Jones and embark on a thrilling treasure hunt!

    Following the positioning on his phone, Yan Yu finally arrived at Sangchuan Prefecture and descended at the location Tang Xiaolian had given him.

    He easily found the Brocade Sheng Tang Residence because it stood alone amidst vast grasslands, impossible to miss even if one wanted to.

    Walking inside, he saw a woman in her forties sitting behind the front desk, smiling and asking:

    ¡°Checking in? Do you have a reservation?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for Tang Xiaolian,¡± Yan Yu said. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re the friend Xiaolian mentioned,¡± the woman immediately showed understanding, ¡°She¡¯s in the yard taking photos with guests.¡±

    The so-called open-air yard was just an enclosure made with a fence around the outside of the guesthouse.

    Yan Yu¡¯s gaze through the large glass balcony door spotted Tang Xiaolian wearing minority ethnic clothes, with bright makeup, holding a small sheep that was grazing, and taking pictures with two young female guests.

    Pretending to be Princess Wen Cheng, are you?

    He wasn¡¯t in a rush to approach her and simply sat down in a nearby chair, casually stroking the large dog lying at his feet.

    However, Tang Xiaolian soon noticed him, said a few words to the guests, let go of the sheep¡¯s neck strap, and jogged over with her hands lifting her skirt.

    ¡°Captain Yan,¡± she greeted him, ¡°you¡¯ve arrived.¡±

    ¡°Just continue with your work, don¡¯t mind me,¡± Yan Yu said lazily while enjoying the distant scenery.

    ¡°It¡¯s not exactly work,¡± Tang Xiaolian waved her hand and said, ¡°My parents are now living in the Military Manor, unable to tend to the guesthouse here, so I just come back occasionally to help out.¡±

    ¡°So your so-called helping out is to dress up as a minority ethnic girl and take commemorative photos with the guests?¡± Yan Yu chuckled, ¡°Why not add a khata to the act?¡±

    ¡°I did that before,¡± Tang Xiaolian laughed, ¡°but I don¡¯t know how to wrap it properly. One time I almost strangled a guest, so I was strictly forbidden from doing it afterward.¡±

    She checked her phone and suddenly said:

    ¡°Sister Lu is almost here, I¡¯ll go welcome her.¡±

    ¡°Sister Lu is?¡±

    ¡°From Nanjiang Academy of Fine Arts.¡±

    Oh, an artist.

    Yan Yu continued to wait, and soon saw Tang Xiaolian returning with a female university student.

    This student was tall and slender, wearing black-framed glasses, and seemed to have a quiet temperament; however, the moment she saw Yan Yu, she lost her composure, exclaiming, ¡°Captain Yan, I am your fan,¡± and ¡°Captain Yan, please give me an autograph,¡± leaving Yan Yu speechless but obliging with a personalized autograph and a photo session to calm her excitement.

    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t Sister Lu want my autograph and photo?¡± Tang Xiaolian was dumbfounded.

    ¡°How can you compare with Captain Yan?¡± The university student rolled her eyes at her.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you here to fangirl!¡± Tang Xiaolian snapped back, pushing her, ¡°Get to work now!¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± the university student took out her sketching tools and began drawing on-site based on Yan Yu¡¯s description of the situation.

 Chapter 415: 11: The Divine Waterfall Ravine

    Chapter 415: Chapter 11: The Divine Waterfall Ravine S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°`

    Yan Yu was in charge of describing, while the female college student was sketching with her pencil on paper, frequently pausing to discuss with Yan Yu, erasing and rewriting.

    ¡°How can you remember so clearly?¡± Tang Xiaolian asked in surprise.

    ¡°When it comes to matters of Spiritual Energy, don¡¯t ask too many details,¡± Yan Yu evaded the question.

    Tang Xiaolian did not continue to pursue the matter and simply frowned silently, watching the landscape take shape on the paper that her senior was drawing.

    Snow mountains, secluded valleys, and a grand waterfall.

    ...

    ¡°Speaking of snow mountains, could it be the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain?¡± Tang Xiaolian pondered.

    ¡°Nanjiang isn¡¯t just about the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain,¡± the senior laughed, ¡°Here we have double digits of famed snow-covered peaks. But, judging from the orientation of the mountain range, I think it should be Meili Snow Mountain.¡±

    ¡°You can even discern that?¡± Yan Yu was instantly shocked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been studying landscape painting recently. Remembering lines is just the basics of the basics,¡± the senior said proudly, ¡°It¡¯s like ordinary people think all eggs look the same, but Da Vinci¡¯s eggs would have their unique traits. Essentially, it¡¯s just being more sensitive to the details in the lines.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay, you¡¯re amazing,¡± Tang Xiaolian conceded, opening her phone¡¯s map, ¡°So, let¡¯s pinpoint a location. The snow mountain is in the middle, and then there are mountains on both sides¡­¡±

    ¡°That reminds me, I think I¡¯ve seen similar scenes before,¡± the senior mused, ¡°Hmm, where did I see it?¡±

    She fell silent, deep in thought. Yan Yu and Tang Xiaolian looked at each other, clueless outsiders who could not be of any help. They could only make tea and fetch snacks, careful not to disturb her reminiscing.

    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Yan Yu came over with a cup of tea, quietly using a voice transmission to ask Tang Xiaolian, ¡°Is your senior tight-lipped?¡±

    ¡°She was taught by Teacher Feng Xianmin,¡± Tang Xiaolian replied, avoiding the question.

    ¡°Ah?¡± Yan Yu was taken aback.

    ¡°A national treasure of a master oil painter!¡± Tang Xiaolian revealed an expression that read ¡®how have you not heard of him¡¯, ¡°If she had poor character, how could she have been accepted as a disciple by a great master?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d better not have misjudged her,¡± Yan Yu said grudgingly.

    ¡°I remember now!¡± the senior suddenly exclaimed, clapping her hands, ¡°It¡¯s Yubeng Village! I¡¯ve been there before to do some sketching!¡±

    ¡°Alright, thank you,¡± Yan Yu collected the drawing, ¡°I have to go.¡±

    ¡°Can you get me Su Yunjin¡¯s autograph?¡± the senior quickly called after him, ¡°In your team, Yun Jin is my favorite¡­ haha, I mean, besides you.¡±

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll introduce you to her as her friend.¡± Yan Yu took out his phone.

    ¡°Lulu, you¡¯re clearly from Nanjiang, but you don¡¯t support a Cultivator who¡¯s also from Nanjiang. You don¡¯t love your hometown!¡± Tang Xiaolian exclaimed sadly.

    ¡°Haha, maybe it¡¯s because this Cultivator from Nanjiang is too familiar to me. Distance makes the heart grow fonder,¡± the senior joked with her.

    After bidding farewell to the two of them, Yan Yu tucked away the drawing and hurried out the door, pulling up the location on his phone.

    He hadn¡¯t flown far when a pink Sword Control light approached from behind; it was Tang Xiaolian.

    ¡°Captain Yan, wait for me!¡± She sent her voice from a distance.

    ¡°Why are you following me?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to explore the Mysterious Realm, right?¡± Tang Xiaolian said cheerfully, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    ¡°No way, forget about it,¡± Yan Yu firmly refused.

    ¡°Why not!¡±

    ¡°Because we¡¯re not close.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s really saddening,¡± Tang Xiaolian feigned tears, wiping the corner of her eyes, and spoke sorrowfully, ¡°Just now I was exhausting my wits for Captain Yan, and right after getting all the value squeezed out of me, you cold-heartedly abandon me without hesitation!¡±

    ¡°¡­What you call ¡®exhausting your wits¡¯ was just asking a friend,¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help retorting, ¡°And that¡¯s not even how ¡®cold-heartedly abandon¡¯ is supposed to be used, alright? That¡¯s enough; if you keep bothering me, I¡¯ll go complain to your Captain Zhou.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right!¡± Tang Xiaolian suddenly had a stroke of insight and chuckled, ¡°Captain Yan, you want this matter to remain a secret, don¡¯t you? If you don¡¯t take me with you, and when I get back Captain Zhou or Deputy Captain Zhang ask me, ¡®Xiaolian, what did Captain Yan want you for?¡¯, I might accidentally let something slip.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead, go ahead!¡± Yan Yu immediately laughed, ¡°Captain Zhou definitely won¡¯t ask, okay? She couldn¡¯t care less about what I¡¯m up to. And even though Deputy Captain Zhang is likely to inquire, I trust that he¡¯s tight-lipped and won¡¯t go snitching to the military.¡±

    Left without options, Tang Xiaolian could only angrily withdraw her Sword Control light and turn away.

    Yan Yu continued on his Sword Control flight towards Meili Snow Mountain, following the navigation on his phone app, and landed near a local village.

    ¡°`

    ¡°Hello,¡± he casually stopped an elderly man passing by and showed him the drawing paper, ¡°Have you seen a place like this nearby?¡±

    The old man stared at the drawing paper for a moment and said:

    [Encrypted dialect].

    Yan Yu: ???

    ¡°Let me talk to him for you, Captain Yan,¡± Tang Xiaolian popped up from somewhere and muttered to the old man in dialect for a bit, then turned back and said, ¡°Go down there, in the direction of the waterfall.¡±

    ¡°How did you follow me here?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise, ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to snitch on me to your captain?¡±

    ¡°That was obviously a joke,¡± Tang Xiaolian defended, ¡°Do I look like the type of person who hurts others without benefiting myself?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know about that.¡± Grateful for the girl¡¯s help, Yan Yu didn¡¯t hold the previous incident against her. He simply cautioned her, ¡°Your traditional ethnic minority dress might make it difficult to move later on.¡±

    ¡°No problem,¡± Tang Xiaolian lifted the hem of her garment, ¡°I¡¯ve got layers underneath! I can just take it off when the time comes.¡±

    Yan Yu said no more and simply let her follow him.

    Although this was a remote mountain village, it was common to see backpacking travelers or locals herding mule trains to transport goods.

    ¡°Have you never been here before?¡± Yan Yu randomly asked as he saw her taking pictures with her phone.

    ¡°No,¡± Tang Xiaolian asked him in return, ¡°Don¡¯t you like the scenery here, Captain Yan?¡±

    ¡°The scenery is fine, but that¡¯s not why I¡¯m here this time,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°I see.¡± Tang Xiaolian didn¡¯t inquire further, busy running around taking pictures from different angles.

    After a few minutes, she suddenly exclaimed in surprise,

    ¡°Captain Yan! Look over there¡­ doesn¡¯t that look like the place you¡¯re searching for?¡±

    Yan Yu took out the drawing paper to compare and nodded, saying:

    ¡°It does resemble it, let¡¯s go have a look.¡±

    The two once again rose on their swords, flying straight regardless of the terrain, circling overhead for a moment before finally descending.

    ¡°This is it!¡± Yan Yu had just taken out the drawing paper when Tang Xiaolian leaned in to compare it to the distant scene for a moment, ¡°It must be the right place.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu pondered as well.

    They had found the place, but there was no sign of an entrance to a Mysterious Realm¡­

    Never mind, perhaps the Mysterious Realm hadn¡¯t appeared yet.

    ¡°What do we do next?¡± Tang Xiaolian asked.

    Yan Yu was about to answer when suddenly, a loud explosion sounded from afar, like a bolt from the blue!

    The two hurriedly rose on their swords again, following the sound to the waterfall depicted in the painting, only to see that the rock face hidden behind the waterfall had cracked open a large fissure, with stones continuously tumbling down, indicating that the crack had just recently appeared.

    ¡°I¡¯m going in,¡± Yan Yu suddenly declared.

    ¡°Eh, you want to go in now?¡± Tang Xiaolian asked in shock.

    ¡°If not now, then when?¡±

    ¡°I mean, shouldn¡¯t we notify the Pingxi Army first?¡± Tang Xiaolian was still hesitant, but seeing that Yan Yu was already heading towards the waterfall, she could only reluctantly lift her dress and silently follow.

    The two passed through the waterfall and entered the fissure. Their hair and tops were soaked and they began to feel the chill, but fortunately, they had undergone Marrow Cleansing and wouldn¡¯t fall ill because of it.

    ¡°So, where are we heading¡­¡± After walking for several minutes, Tang Xiaolian couldn¡¯t help but start to complain, when suddenly she saw Yan Yu stop ahead.

    ¡°We¡¯re trapped,¡± he said.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re trapped in some kind of Formation,¡± Yan Yu looked up at the thin sliver of sky and tried to rise on his sword.

    He failed.

 Chapter 416: 12: You are a Duck

    Chapter 416: Chapter 12: You are a Duck

    The crevice was narrow, allowing only one person to pass through. The walls on both sides were uneven, appearing no different from a typical cliff, with nothing unusual.

    But since there was a flight restriction here, it was certain that the two of them were already inside a Mysterious Realm ¡ª considering they hadn¡¯t passed through anything like an entrance to this realm before, they could only speculate that perhaps the waterfall held some peculiar properties.

    Yan Yu, resting his chin on his hand, was deep in thought when suddenly someone patted him from behind.

    ¡°It¡¯s so cold,¡± Tang Xiaolian complained. ¡°Captain Yan, which way should we go next?¡±

    ¡°Either way is the same,¡± Yan Yu replied. ¡°We must be within a Formation now, so our sense of space and direction is completely disrupted.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t quite understand,¡± Tang Xiaolian inquired, puzzled. ¡°What would happen if we turned back the way we came?¡±

    ...

    Although Yan Yu didn¡¯t understand the way of Formations, he had experienced countless Mysterious Realms in his past life and had accumulated a lot of experience in dealing with such Formations. He answered calmly:

    ¡°If you turn back and I stand still here, there are three possibilities.¡±

    ¡°First, you keep walking back without turning around, but end up coming back from directly in front of me. This is called the Upside-Down Formation, where front becomes back, and back becomes front. No matter how far you walk, you¡¯re just walking in circles.¡±

    ¡°Second, you walk back, no matter how long, then turn around to walk toward me, it might only take ten minutes to get back here. This is called the Stretchable Ruyi Formation, where it extends as long as you want, or shrinks as short as you want. The space stretches in the direction you move, and no matter how you walk, you¡¯re just staying in place.¡±

    ¡°Third, the further you go back, walking thousands or tens of thousands of kilometers, you still cannot find the exit. This is called the Mustard Seed Formation, seemingly tiny but actually vast, with the entire Formation¡¯s volume reaching astronomical units. Continuous movement will never reach the boundary.¡±

    ¡°Captain Yan, how could you know this so clearly?¡± Tang Xiaolian was stunned.

    ¡°Nonsense, I am the captain,¡± Yan Yu stated matter-of-factly. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I know more than you?¡±

    ¡°Captain Zhou is also a captain,¡± Tang Xiaolian retorted instinctively. ¡°But she knows nothing except about fighting.¡±

    Ha-ha, that¡¯s true, but you best not let Zhou Hongyu hear you say that.

    ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s not the point,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°The point is that we must find a way to break the Formation, otherwise we¡¯ll be trapped here.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t we ask the Pingxi Army outside for help?¡± Tang Xiaolian became slightly scared as she said this. ¡°I really don¡¯t want to stay in a place like this!¡±

    ¡°How would you contact them?¡± Yan Yu countered. ¡°You didn¡¯t bring a live broadcasting camera.¡±

    ¡°But you must have a way, right, Captain Yan?¡± Tang Xiaolian asked hopefully. ¡°You are the captain.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Yan Yu just hummed, not addressing her further and continued pondering with his chin in hand.

    Tang Xiaolian grew increasingly uneasy, thinking that if Captain Zhou were here, although she might not have a good solution either, at least she would say something encouraging. Captain Yan¡¯s silence was truly frightening!

    If I and Captain Yan are stuck here indefinitely, like for three or five years¡­ We wouldn¡¯t die, since I have mastered Fasting and don¡¯t need food or drink, but surely I¡¯d go stir-crazy.

    If Captain Yan were overcome by primal urges and sought to entertain himself in disgraceful ways, how could I refuse?

    It seems I couldn¡¯t refuse, after all, I can¡¯t beat him!

    Should I use sorcery on him now?

    How could I! If I incapacitated Captain Yan, there¡¯d be even less chance of getting out of here by myself!

    ¡°Ah, ah,¡± seeing Yan Yu remained silent, Tang Xiaolian called out a few times. ¡°Ah, ah, ah, ah.¡±

    ¡°Stop it, I¡¯m thinking.¡±

    ¡°Has Captain Yan thought of anything yet?¡± Tang Xiaolian asked.

    ¡°With you disturbing me like this, I definitely can¡¯t think of anything,¡± Yan Yu responded.

    ¡°If you hadn¡¯t rushed in here recklessly, I wouldn¡¯t have had to follow and we both wouldn¡¯t be trapped in this Mysterious Realm now!¡± Tang Xiaolian started freaking out.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you say, if you hadn¡¯t followed me, none of this would have happened?¡± Yan Yu glanced sideways.

    ¡°Fine, fine, it¡¯s all my fault,¡± Tang Xiaolian resigned herself, no longer caring about dirtying her clothes, and just sat down on a moss-covered rock, covering her face and pretending to wipe tears.

    Yan Yu observed her discreetly. Despite her whining, there were no tears on her face, and she was secretly peeking at him through her fingers.

    Turning his gaze back to the front, since the elder with long eyebrows had sent him here, this Mysterious Realm must be related to swordsmanship and was likely a testing type. It wouldn¡¯t pose unsolvable problems. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    A test¡­ A test?

    A test for a Sword Immortal, then?

    Yan Yu secretly pinched the Sword technique, and the Huang Tingjian sword suddenly flew out from behind, hacking around at the surrounding cliffs.

    Tang Xiaolian was immediately startled by his action, half expecting Captain Yan to next say, ¡°Annoying woman! Watch me not chop you up,¡± and instinctively covered her head with her hands, crying out in defense, only to hear another sound like a mountain splitting and the earth shattering.

    She hurriedly opened her eyes, only to see Yan Yu on one side of a rock wall, forcefully shattering it with the Sword Control Technique and revealing a deep cave entrance.

    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Yan Yu observed the cave entrance for a moment, nodding in satisfaction. ¡°I said, why the rock wall here is different from other places, why it¡¯s especially smooth¡ªturns out it was a stone door, just previously covered with moss and not visible.¡±

    He calmly walked forward, and Tang Xiaolian quickly got up to follow.

    The cave was very deep and without any source of light, so Yan Yu turned on his phone¡¯s flashlight mode to lead the way ahead.

    Following behind, Tang Xiaolian, scared by the creepy atmosphere, couldn¡¯t help but reach for Yan Yu¡¯s arm, then, feeling it was too forward, grabbed onto his sleeve instead.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Yan Yu asked without turning his head.

    ¡°Watch out, there might be an ambush ahead.¡± Tang Xiaolian, embarrassed to admit she was scared, said solemnly, ¡°It¡¯s better for the two of us to stick close together, so we can look out for each other.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Yan Yu thought this made sense since he wasn¡¯t afraid of any ambush or sneak attacks, but as a cultivator of insects, well-known for the weak Envoy profession that heavily relies on teammates¡¯ protection, her instinct to stick close to him was only natural.

    He continued marching forward briskly, Tang Xiaolian unable to keep up with his pace, pleaded:

    ¡°Slow down a bit, Captain Yan, slow down!¡±

    ¡°Or you could walk a bit faster,¡± Yan Yu suggested.

    ¡°I¡¯m wearing a skirt, it¡¯s inconvenient to walk fast!¡±

    ¡°Then take off your skirt.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian, left without a choice, started rustling as she took off her skirt in the surrounding darkness.

    ¡°Don¡¯t use your Divine Sense to scan me secretly,¡± she suddenly reminded.

    ¡°What¡¯s there to scan?¡± Yan Yu frowned, ¡°Aren¡¯t you wearing clothes inside? Just removing the outer one will do, and nothing will be exposed!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid the sound of me undressing might provoke improper thoughts in you,¡± Tang Xiaolian explained.

    ¡°Are you always this troublesome in the team?¡± Yan Yu curiously asked.

    ¡°Of course not!¡± Tang Xiaolian defended. ¡°In the team, everyone takes care of me!¡±

    ¡°Well, you should know¡ªI¡¯m not the type of captain who looks after his teammates,¡± Yan Yu chuckled coldly.

    ¡°Then what type of captain are you?¡± Tang Xiaolian, having removed her skirt, casually asked.

    ¡°My leadership style is primarily strict,¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°A little misstep during regular practice means either beating or cursing, no mercy shown! Later, if we encounter any situation, you must follow my command. Don¡¯t think of crying after causing trouble and getting forgiven¡ªthat won¡¯t work with me, got it?¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Tang Xiaolian tied her skirt around her waist, securing a knot that wouldn¡¯t hinder movement, and muttered under her breath.

    Beating or cursing? I don¡¯t buy it. How could you be harsh with the girls in your team?

    Hmm, speaking of which, Captain Yan came to explore this Mysterious Realm alone; why didn¡¯t he bring his teammates along?

    ¡°Captain Yan, Captain Yan.¡± After following Yan Yu for a while, Tang Xiaolian couldn¡¯t hold back her curiosity and asked, ¡°Why did you come here alone this time?¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯s quieter to work alone,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    ¡°Not really, I think more people would be safer, able to handle all kinds of emergencies,¡± Tang Xiaolian objected.

    ¡°Too many girls get noisy, giving me a headache,¡± Yan Yu remarked.

    ¡°So in your eyes, am I also one of those noisy types?¡± Tang Xiaolian asked.

    ¡°You¡¯re the kind that goes ¡®quack quack quack quack,''¡±

    ¡°What, Captain Yan, do you think I sound like a duck?¡± Tang Xiaolian expressed her dissatisfaction.

    ¡°I mean you¡¯re not helpful at all in a situation, just going ¡®quack quack quack,¡¯ waiting for me to randomly kill,¡± Yan Yu teased her.

    Tang Xiaolian puffed up her cheeks in anger, but recalling her performance while they were trapped in the rift, she indeed didn¡¯t have much to argue with.

    Hmph, later I must perform well and make you take back those disrespectful words, Captain Yan!

 Chapter 417: 13: Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu

    Chapter 417: Chapter 13: Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu

    The two of them walked along the tunnel, and although they had gone a considerable distance, the air was not the least bit stuffy.

    ¡°There seems to be something on the wall,¡± Tang Xiaolian suddenly said.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu used his flashlight to illuminate the wall and indeed saw many murals carved on the cave wall.

    These murals intersected with the natural patterns of the cave wall, making them appear as a mass of intricate, meaningless lines under the scan of Divine Sense. However, if light shone from a certain angle, a portion of the lines started to reflect brightly, outlining images with clearly defined meanings¡ªthis was a visual mechanism that only the human eye could clearly perceive.

    The test had already begun from here. Was it testing whether I had enough vision for the environment around me?

    ¡°How about that, I¡¯m quite helpful, aren¡¯t I?¡± Tang Xiaolian put her hands on her hips, waiting for Yan Yu to praise her.

    ...

    But Yan Yu did not pay her any mind, instead bringing his phone¡¯s light source closer to take a careful look at the contents of the carvings on these murals.

    Seeing that he ignored her, Tang Xiaolian puffed up her cheeks, and her gaze also fell on the murals, suddenly exclaiming:

    ¡°Is this a Sword Technique?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s a Sword Move,¡± Yan Yu corrected.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t a Sword Technique the same as a Sword Move?¡± Tang Xiaolian asked, puzzled.

    ¡°They are quite different,¡± Yan Yu said intently, staring at the murals, ¡°A Sword Move refers to individual moves with clear meanings, like Cang Song Ying Ke, Bai Niao Chao Feng, White Rainbow Across the Sky, for example, they are like words.¡±

    ¡°A Sword Technique, on the other hand, is about modifying and connecting Sword Moves to form a complete set of Sword Control combat systems, akin to sentences and articles composed of many words, understand?¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Tang Xiaolian realized, ¡°So this is like a dictionary carved on the wall.¡±

    ¡°You could say that,¡± Yan Yu paused for a while, ¡°But these Sword Moves¡­ I¡¯m a bit unable to understand them.¡±

    ¡°Captain Yan, you¡¯re a professional Sword Immortal, and even you can¡¯t understand them?¡± Tang Xiaolian teased.

    ¡°If you had seen advanced textbooks on Sword Control Technique, you would know that the commonly recognized Sword Moves consist of thirty-six moves,¡± Yan Yu said without turning his head, ¡°But looking at the quantity of these murals, it far exceeds thirty-six¡­¡±

    He suddenly laughed dryly, adding:

    ¡°What am I telling you all this for? You¡¯re not a Sword Immortal.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for not being a Sword Immortal!¡± Tang Xiaolian got angry again.

    But getting angry was useless, as Captain Yan clearly didn¡¯t take her bait. She could only take out her phone to help light up the area, so Yan Yu could see more clearly.

    Yan Yu walked along the corridor of murals, occasionally stopping to look, and soon reached the end of the corridor. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Did you figure anything out?¡± Tang Xiaolian asked curiously.

    ¡°A total of fifty-four moves,¡± Yan Yu pondered, ¡°Besides the known thirty-six, eighteen more moves were added. The sword paths are rather complex and odd, not very versatile.¡±

    ¡°That seems normal,¡± Tang Xiaolian agreed, ¡°If they were useful, why not widely recruit disciples to pass them on, instead of secretly carving them in this sunless place?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not a Sword Immortal, you wouldn¡¯t understand,¡± Yan Yu glanced at her again, ¡°Looking at the style of the sword paths, the existing thirty-six moves should have been simplified from these fifty-four. Many details were omitted, which is why the threshold for mastering Sword Control Technique significantly decreased.¡±

    ¡°But in fact, if swordsmanship were to reach a higher level, it would actually require simplifying the complex back to these original fifty-four moves to have a chance of further progress.¡±

    Old man with long eyebrows, is this why you led me here? Anticipating that your Lineage Succession would undergo reductions and simplifications in the Age of Dharma Decline, so you specifically left an original copy here?

    ¡°There seems to be another stone door here,¡± Tang Xiaolian suddenly said, ¡°Just like the one we broke from the outside earlier.¡±

    Yan Yu went over to confirm for a moment, his hand forming a Sword Technique, and Huang Tingjian struck the stone door.

    Only a muffled sound was heard, and the stone gate remained immovable, completely unscathed.

    ¡°Ah? Why doesn¡¯t it work?¡± Tang Xiaolian, taking pleasure in the misfortune, said with a mischievous smile, ¡°Is that all a professional Sword Immortal is capable of?¡±

    Yan Yu ignored her and took out a light source, shining it briefly before noticing two seal characters carved on each side of the stone gate.

    On the left was ¡°White Rainbow¡± and on the right, ¡°Across the Sky.¡±

    He altered his sword technique once more and executed the White Rainbow Across the Sky. As expected, the stone gate shattered in response.

    Tang Xiaolian stared, dumbfounded. How could the hardness of this stone gate change? Earlier, it hadn¡¯t even shown a mark from the strike, and now it¡¯s as brittle as tofu.

    ¡°This is what a professional Sword Immortal is,¡± Yan Yu stated indifferently, walking in with his hands behind his back.

    Damn it, he managed to show off!

    Tang Xiaolian followed closely behind, and the two passed through a corridor, indeed encountering a second stone gate with four seal characters carved from right to left: ¡°Cang Song Ying Ke.¡±

    So that¡¯s how it is. The mural earlier taught fifty-four moves, and the subsequent stone gates were there to test them. One must master all the moves to pass through. If one is not a Sword Immortal Cultivator capable of performing the complete fifty-four moves, they would inevitably have to leave in disgrace.

    With a sudden insight, Yan Yu led Tang Xiaolian with unstoppable momentum, breezing through fifty-three stone gates, until light finally became visible ahead.

    They were out!

    Upon suddenly seeing the light of day again, Tang Xiaolian could not help but tears filled her eyes, following Yan Yu out of the cave, only to see a picturesque valley outside.

    Distant steep mountains surrounded the area, coniferous forests dense as silk, with great rivers flowing down from the mountains, nourishing the fields on both sides of the secluded valley and everywhere golden flower fields in bloom.

    In the middle of the flower field, a winding path led all the way to the majestic palace on the side of a distant mountain.

    Tang Xiaolian, unable to wait any longer, urged Yan Yu to set off quickly. The two walked down the mountain path, entering the golden flower field, only to smell a sweet scent, unlike the rich fragrance of flowers¡­ In fact, it was somewhat reminiscent of the aroma of grilled steak fats.

    ¡°This flower has a strange scent.¡± Curious, Tang Xiaolian went to smell it, and before she could get close to the golden flowers, Yan Yu suddenly pulled her back.

    She staggered and lost balance, plunging into Yan Yu¡¯s arms, just about to scold in embarrassment, but then saw Yan Yu forcefully pulling her behind him with his left hand while his right hand was continuously forming sword techniques. The Huang Tingjian sword shot out, clashing with a metallic clang.

    Only then did Tang Xiaolian see clearly that at her previous standing spot, a golden beetle had been sent flying by the Huang Tingjian sword, yet it remained unscathed and angrily buzzed for a moment before diving again in a different direction.

    What kind of Gu Insect is this! It¡¯s not even afraid of being chopped by the Flying Sword?

    Tang Xiaolian¡¯s expression turned to one of great alarm, and though Yan Yu¡¯s face was expressionless, he was also fully on guard internally.

    He recognized this golden beetle as none other than the infamous Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu from his previous life!

    Impervious to knives and fire, capable of devouring metal fully, ordinary Cultivators bitten by this ferocious bug, even if they escaped immediately, would succumb to the poison and die within three quarters of an hour.

    In his past life, there was a famous folk Cultivator called Dai Zongwei, known as ¡°Insect Emperor,¡± who staved off many with just three Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gus. Later, he was recruited by the Annan Army and remained arrogantly rampant, claiming he wanted to become the foremost Cultivator of the Annan Army ¡ª until Immortal Venerate Xie¡¯s Thunder Method shattered his views, turning him into a loyal follower of the Immortal Venerate, tirelessly serving without a grudge.

    After being recruited, this man had never betrayed them and was considered straightforward. Moreover, since there were no Gu-using Cultivators in Yan Yu¡¯s group, he hadn¡¯t intuitively targeted those Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gus. Yet, unexpectedly, he encountered a mature one here!

    The Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu could only be tamed during its egg stage; once hatched, there was no chance of domesticating it again. In addition to its immunity to most physical attacks and spell damage, it consequently became the natural enemy of most Transcendents.

    Yan Yu maneuvered his sword technique, executed a Cang Song Ying Ke to intercept the raging Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, then turned and said:

    ¡°Run.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Tang Xiaolian was perplexed.

    ¡°Run fast!¡± Seeing her still dazed, Yan Yu didn¡¯t have time for explanations, continuing to use the Huang Tingjian sword to intercept the Golden Silkworm Gu with his right hand, while grabbing Tang Xiaolian¡¯s hand with his left and sprinting forward along the flower field path.

 Chapter 418: 14: Be Mine

    Chapter 418: Chapter 14: Be Mine

    ¡°`

    In his past life, the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu could cause most cultivators to lose their courage upon hearing its name, but Yan Yu regarded it as nothing to fear.

    The insect¡¯s methods of attack were nothing more than pouncing, and it did not even know how to move in arcs or feint; it was far too simplistic and mechanical. Without a cultivator to command it from behind, defending against its attacks was not difficult.

    But Tang Xiaolian could not do it.

    One fears not the god-like opponent but the pig-like teammate. Considering the girl¡¯s reaction speed and level of swordsmanship, it was likely she could not even take a single hit from the Golden Silkworm Gu¡ªYan Yu had no choice but to use most of his energy to protect her, attempting to quickly get her through the flower field. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    When the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu attacked, it first hovered in the air, shrieking for a moment, its fierce maw opening and closing, then it transformed into a streak of golden light, pouncing viciously. If it collided with a person, it would immediately bore a bloody hole. The poison would permeate through the wound, circulating through the meridians to spread across the body and finally reach the heart, killing the person in an instant.

    ...

    Seeing the ferocious insect repelled by Huang Tingjian each time it pounced, Tang Xiaolian, initially a bit frightened, gradually calmed down. She grew bolder and continued to hold Yan Yu¡¯s hand, asking curiously,

    ¡°Captain Yan, can you kill it?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu shook his head.

    ¡°Why not?¡± Tang Xiaolian couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°Aren¡¯t you able to defend against all its attacks?¡±

    ¡°I have no means of counterattack,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    Impervious to knife and fire, it is destined that the only things in this world that can counter the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu are either some sort of sealing and trapping method or an extraordinary divine Immortal Sword or magic. Even Xie Ruoxi¡¯s Shenxiao Thunder, known for its full-on lethal power and suppression of physical vitality, might not be effective against the Gu considering her current Marrow Cleansing Stage of cultivation¡ªYan Yu was unsure whether she could overcome the Golden Silkworm Gu.

    Even with the demon¡¯s terrifying might, I remain undefeated¡ªa powerful stand!

    As Yan Yu was lost in thought, he suddenly heard a strange female voice by his ear,

    ¡°For the second trial of combat, your level of swordsmanship has passed, but your companion has not made a move. Such trickery might deceive the stone gate challenge, but it won¡¯t get past me.¡±

    ¡°I am the one pursuing the Long Eyebrows¡¯ legacy,¡± Yan Yu replied gravely. ¡°She is not.¡±

    The woman¡¯s voice chuckled lightly and continued,

    ¡°Since she entered with you, she must face the trial of swordsmanship; these are the rules here. You either figure out a way to get her through the combat, or you leave with her and come back alone next time.¡±

    Yan Yu remained silent for a moment, then turned to Tang Xiaolian and said,

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    ¡°At least let me try!¡± Tang Xiaolian suddenly became frantic, forcibly pulling away his hand. ¡°My swordsmanship isn¡¯t bad. Why declare I can¡¯t win without even trying?¡±

    ¡°Then you try,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°I will try.¡± Tang Xiaolian performed a sword technique, and the Peach Blossom Tender Sword transformed into a streak of pink light, advancing to attack the incoming Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu.

    Another ringing clang of metal rang out, the Golden Silkworm Gu¡¯s advance was intercepted by Huang Tingjian, and the streak of pink light struck nothing but air, freezing in place, just like Tang Xiaolian¡¯s expression.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    Tang Xiaolian: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back,¡± Yan Yu said again, this time with much more determination.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to!¡± Tang Xiaolian refused to admit defeat, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked at him and begged coquettishly, ¡°Captain Yan, help me, please! You¡¯re so powerful, give me some pointers on my swordsmanship, let me get through this trial, please, will you?¡±

    ¡°Please!¡±

    Yan Yu also felt a headache coming on. After all, one should first show some¡­ no, that is, you¡¯re not even from our team, nor are you a Sword Immortal by profession, so what¡¯s the point of insisting on getting through this swordsmanship trial?

    However, upon further thought, there were indeed some benefits to helping the young girl.

    It is well known that Zhou Hongyu was an incredibly tenacious fighter, stronger in the face of powerful enemies, recklessly courting death in battle. If Li Minghu was said to have been worn down by attrition, then she had thrown herself into her own demise, cutting the tragic intensity in half and adding a layer of humor.

    At present, my relationship with Li Minghu is quite good, and it would be easy to intercede and change her fate later on, but Zhou Hongyu remained stubborn, possibly not replying even after three messages. Although I have some relationship with her, I still have no steady confidence in how to alter her tragic ending.

    If I could cultivate Tang Xiaolian as one of my own¡­ like inside the Huofeng Team, secretly giving me intelligence, helping me to improve my relationship with little Zhou, or even calling me to the rescue at critical moments?

    ¡°`

    Alright, let¡¯s do that!

    ¡°I can give you pointers,¡± Yan Yu said.

    Tang Xiaolian¡¯s face lit up with joy, but then she heard him continue:

    ¡°But I can¡¯t give you pointers for free.¡±

    ¡°But I helped you find this place,¡± Tang Xiaolian quickly retorted.

    ¡°That was to repay the debt of gratitude for me teaching you the Marrow Cleansing technique,¡± Yan Yu replied as he once again used his sword to knock away the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, correcting her at the same time.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so petty, you¡¯re a grown man!¡± Tang Xiaolian exclaimed.

    ¡°What did you say? I can¡¯t hear you,¡± Yan Yu feigned, ¡°Oh no, the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu is attacking again, I have to defend against it and have no time to talk to you anymore.¡±

    With her cheeks puffed out, Tang Xiaolian huffed and pondered for a while before tentatively asking:

    ¡°So, can I owe Captain Yan another favor, would that be okay?¡±

    Yan Yu had originally intended to have Tang Xiaolian owe him a favor, and surprisingly, she offered it herself ¨C this girl was quite clever!

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± he nodded with a reserved air.

    Tang Xiaolian secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Captain Yan had no romantic interest in me, thank goodness, I would never betray Captain Zhou¡­ Even though Captain Yan was indeed powerful, domineering, dependable, and also of the opposite sex, in life, I belong to the Huofeng Team, and in death, I will be the ghost of the Huofeng Team!

    However, now that I owed Captain Yan another favor, it was an opportunity to cultivate a good relationship with him¡ªI mean, a friendship. After all, the more friends you have, the more paths you have; and with Captain Yan¡¯s strength and status, being friends with him would surely open thousands of paths to me, letting my life get broader and broader.

    ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± Tang Xiaolian stated solemnly, her hands forming a Sword Technique.

    Sensing the golden light rushing toward him again, Yan Yu uttered deeply:

    ¡°White Rainbow Across the Sky.¡±

    ¡°What is White Rainbow Across the Sky?¡± Tang Xiaolian asked.

    Yan Yu nearly stumbled on the spot, quickly urging the Huang Ting Sword to intercept the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu as he asked:

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, you don¡¯t even read the Sword Control Technique materials?¡±

    ¡°No, why would I?¡± Tang Xiaolian asked, puzzled, ¡°I¡¯m not a Sword Immortal, why bother with that?¡±

    Yan Yu was speechlessly choked and after a long pause, he solemnly advised her:

    ¡°You need to read it. For cultivators who aren¡¯t in the Sword Immortal profession, I don¡¯t expect you to master the Sword Control Technique, but you should at least know the four basic Sword Techniques. For offense, use White Rainbow Across the Sky; for containment, use Bai Niao Chao Feng; for interception, use Cang Song Ying Ke; and for parrying, use Night Battle in All Directions. These four Sword Techniques, once mastered, will do you nothing but good.¡±

    ¡°Captain Zhang also mentioned these four basic moves,¡± Tang Xiaolian recalled, explaining to Yan Yu, ¡°But he said, Magic Cultivators and Sword Immortals need to learn them, but Assistant Officers and Envoys don¡¯t have to, since our duties aren¡¯t about output. Learning them is just icing on the cake, not a necessary aid.¡±

    ¡°Captain Zhang doesn¡¯t know jack!¡± Yan Yu immediately swore, ¡°He can¡¯t even beat our team¡¯s Ningning and yet dares to mislead others! Without mastering these four basic moves, how will you protect yourself if you¡¯re ever alone? Do you think the enemy will go easy on you just because you¡¯re not a damage-dealing profession?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Tang Xiaolian laughed awkwardly and continued, ¡°Captain Zhang also explained that if we end up on our own, it signifies a major tactical error in the team. Even if we learned the basic moves, we might not be able to hold our own against damage-dealing professions, so it¡¯s better to spend our limited time and energy improving our own abilities to better coordinate with the team¡¯s strategy. Once we have spare time, we¡¯ll gradually learn the basics of Sword Control Technique.¡±

    ¡°And what if the team system gets abolished in the future?¡± Yan Yu scoffed, ¡°If teams are disbanded and you have to fight alone on the battlefield, how will you protect yourself?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Xiaolian was befuddled, ¡°The teams won¡¯t be disbanded, right?¡±

    Yan Yu fell silent for a moment, then changed the subject:

    ¡°Nevermind, I¡¯ll demonstrate it for you. The so-called White Rainbow Across the Sky is actually very simple; it¡¯s a long-distance thrust. This technique has three variations: a pure straight line, a curved approach followed by a straight thrust, and a straight approach followed by a curved thrust. The pure straight line is the fastest engagement with the enemy; the curved approach followed by a straight thrust has even more killing power due to a longer acceleration distance; the straight approach followed by a curved thrust is for making a sudden turn in the sword path¡¯s latter half, usually used for deceitful tactics like feinting and distraction, sort of a trickery strategy.¡±

    ¡°Hold on, let me write this down!¡± Tang Xiaolian quickly pulled out her phone and started typing, murmuring to herself, ¡°White Rainbow Across the Sky, three variations¡­¡±

    ¡°What are you writing for!¡± Yan Yu snatched away her phone, ¡°You won¡¯t have time to take notes on the battlefield! Raise your Flying Sword and mimic my sword movements to make the moves!¡±

    ¡°Watch carefully, this is White Rainbow Across the Sky!¡±

 Chapter 419: 15 Please, Im Begging You

    Chapter 419: Chapter 15 Please, I¡¯m Begging You

    ¡°White Rainbow Across the Sky is a long-range thrust, do you even know what ¡®long-range¡¯ means?¡±

    ¡°The key to Cang Song Ying Ke lies in the bending strike, which can start with a downward slash followed by an upward swipe, or vice versa. Are you saying it¡¯s no longer Cang Song Ying Ke if done in reverse?¡±

    ¡°You got the direction of the tail swing in Bai Niao Chao Feng all wrong! It¡¯s like drifting a car, you¡¯ve seen drifting, right? Never watched ¡®Initial D¡¯? You must have at least played Mario Kart!¡±

    ¡°Night Battle in All Directions¡­ Forget it, with your swordsmanship talent, you wouldn¡¯t understand even if I explained it to you. Just practice the other three techniques for now.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian was so angry that she clenched her teeth and fumed, her hands fiercely performing the sword technique as she recklessly attacked the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu.

    This Gu insect flew at high speeds and was even more agile than flying swords. Therefore, she was able to hit it only about three or four times out of ten attempts¡­ what was more infuriating was that every time she missed, Yan Yu would either sharply point out her mistake or say nothing but let out a long sigh, making her feel like a complete idiot.

    ... S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Back in school, I was called a genius, for goodness¡¯ sake!

    Yan Yu, responsible for teaching, was also speechless, thinking it¡¯s no wonder you chose to be an Envoy, with these skills you couldn¡¯t become a Sword Immortal even if you were reborn and went back to the past! Her reflexes and vision were mediocre at best, and her understanding of swordsmanship even more so. The Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu is not a target one can handle carelessly, so rather than expecting her to pass the test alone, it might be more realistic to consider having her perform a live sword swallowing act.

    Perhaps cheating is the way to go?

    ¡°Listen to me,¡± Yan Yu sent a telepathic message to Tang Xiaolian, ¡°You¡¯re not a professional Sword Immortal anyway, you can take it slow with the swordsmanship lessons, let me teach you how to speed through this level.¡±

    ¡°I refuse!¡± Tang Xiaolian firmly rejected, ¡°I want to pass this level fair and square, without resorting to any underhanded methods!¡±

    Yan Yu was simply at his wit¡¯s end. Do I not wish for you to pass this level fair and square? The problem is, do you have the ability to?

    ¡°Be sensible, passing the level is currently the top priority.¡± He tried to reason with her patiently, ¡°You can¡¯t become fat with just one bite.¡±

    ¡°No! I want to pass it with my own strength!¡± Tang Xiaolian stubbornly declared.

    Yan Yu had no choice but to use his trump card, he said with a cold smile:

    ¡°Fine, then you stay here to deal with the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, I¡¯ll continue moving forward.¡±

    ¡°Captain Yan, spare my life!¡± Seeing him about to leave her behind, Tang Xiaolian quickly grabbed his arm, and with a cry in her voice said, ¡°If you¡¯re not here to protect me, I¡¯ll be killed by that insect!¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to pass with your own strength?¡± Yan Yu pretended not to understand her meaning, encouraging her, ¡°Go on, defeat it with your upright swordsmanship!¡±

    ¡°Without Captain Yan¡¯s guidance, my swordsmanship is crap.¡± Tang Xiaolian quickly chose to back down, bowing her noble head, she pleaded, ¡°Captain Yan, I was wrong, please stay and keep an eye on me~¡±

    ¡°Heh.¡± Yan Yu turned to look toward the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu which kept buzzing not far away and instructed, ¡°To make you improve your swordsmanship in a short period of time is difficult; but to have you defeat this insect is not hard.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian posed ready to listen attentively, nodding continuously.

    ¡°Watch closely.¡± Yan Yu performed several sword techniques in succession, blocking all of the Golden Silkworm Gu¡¯s lunges, then turned and asked, ¡°Did you get it?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± Tang Xiaolian cautiously asked, ¡°Could you tell me specifically what I should observe?¡±

    ¡°Observe its flight patterns!¡± Yan Yu said.

    After watching for a moment, Tang Xiaolian suddenly had an epiphany and said:

    ¡°This little insect has no spiritual wisdom, so it can only attack in a straight line, either targeting me or the flying sword!¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡± Yan Yu showed a look of approval and satisfactorily asked, ¡°Anything else?¡±

    ¡°Its sprinting burst is very powerful, it can speed up from a standstill in an instant.¡± Tang Xiaolian continued, ¡°But before it sprints, it will first turn its body in the direction it plans to dash.¡±

    ¡°So,¡± Yan Yu induced gently, ¡°as long as you pay attention to its orientation and the target of its charge¡­¡±

    ¡°I can avoid being pounced on by it!¡± Tang Xiaolian clapped her hands and said.

    Yan Yu¡¯s hand came down like a knife on her forehead as he bellowed,

    ¡°You can predict its flight path! That way, even if your swordsmanship is a pile of shit, you can easily intercept it!¡±

    ¡°Calling me trash is a bit too much,¡± said Tang Xiaolian, holding her head in distress before turning to attack the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu again.

    Indeed, once she could predict its lunging trajectory, her success rate in intercepting with the sword increased dramatically, from three hits out of ten strikes to seven, instantly boosting her confidence.

    My swordsmanship isn¡¯t that stinky after all!

    Yan Yu watched with a cold eye, thinking to himself that her talent in swordsmanship was indeed trash. I had completely analyzed the opponent¡¯s attacking path for you, yet you could only achieve a 70% interception rate¡­ But compared to another piece of trash on my team, she seems barely acceptable.

    If that beautiful piece of trash were here, with the speed of the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu¡¯s flight, she might have trouble making three hits out of ten.

    ¡°Does this mean I can pass the level?¡± Tang Xiaolian quietly transmitted to him.

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°You have to be able to handle its attacks alone, without me, meaning the interception rate must reach 100%. After all, missing just one attack means death for you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s too difficult,¡± Tang Xiaolian lamented, ¡°I can predict its attack path, but oftentimes my eyes and reaction can¡¯t keep up. Just as I clearly see its direction, before I can command the sword to intercept, it has already surged forward.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t have a good solution either. After all, eye strength and reaction speed are innate. It¡¯s not impossible to improve them later in life, but it definitely takes a lot of energy and time¡ªit¡¯s not something that can be done in a short time.

    Seeing him lost in thought, Tang Xiaolian tentatively asked,

    ¡°Do you have any way to deal with this, Captain Yan?¡±

    ¡°How about we head back?¡± Yan Yu suggested, ¡°I¡¯ll come alone next time.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t start beating a retreat at the last moment!¡± Tang Xiaolian couldn¡¯t help but cry out, ¡°You¡¯ve already taught me so much, just give me a little more push to get through this hurdle!¡±

    ¡°While you¡¯re not wrong, the one who needs to push harder is you, not me. What¡¯s the use of shouting at me?¡± Yan Yu was silent for a moment, ¡°Do you have any other offensive means that could delay or even slow its movements?¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± This reminded Tang Xiaolian, who reached into the pouch at her waist and tossed a large cloud of red mist forward, buzzing towards the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu.

    Yan Yu¡¯s Divine Sense scanned everything, and the red mist turned out to be many winged Flying Fire Ants, about the size of the tip of a toothpick, their bodies high-temperature red, swarming and colliding against the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu in a frenzy of bites.

    The Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, claimed to be impervious to blades and resistant to fire and water, naturally wasn¡¯t bothered by the bites and burns of these Gu Insects. However, it was extremely distressed by them, and because the tiny Flying Fire Ants were too small to bite effectively, its frenzy and rage increased even more, lunging and snapping wildly at the nearby Peach Blossom Tender Sword¡ªthe golden wing-cases glowed red in the heat, and its flight speed indeed slowed.

    Tang Xiaolian, upon seeing this, grew more confident. She manipulated the Peach Blossom Tender Sword to strike at the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, her demeanor becoming proud.

    Yan Yu stood behind her with crossed arms, thinking that this was a passable way to cope, but she had taken a shortcut. He wondered if the Mysterious Realm would accept it.

    ¡°Are you a Gu Insect Cultivator?¡± A female voice from the Mysterious Realm suddenly asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Tang Xiaolian hastily pleaded, ¡°Senior! I¡¯m not a professional Sword Immortal, okay? Getting to this point is already my limit! Please, please let me pass, alright? Pretty please~¡±

    ¡°Fine, consider it as you passing,¡± the female voice seemed to be swayed by her soft entreaties, and the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu suddenly let out a shriek, burrowing into the Golden Flower Field and disappearing in an instant.

    The two continued towards the distant palace, Tang Xiaolian secretly transmitting to Yan Yu,

    ¡°How was that? My performance was pretty good, right?¡±

    ¡°Swordsmanship 20 points, quick wit 10 points, talking back deducts 8 points.¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment, ¡°Whining 60 points.¡±

    ¡°Whining is a skill too, okay!¡± Tang Xiaolian retorted, ¡°Choosing the right tone, the right words, and the right moment to plead requires a lot of thought! Hmm? Why are there deducted points? Doesn¡¯t that mean I only have 82 points in total?¡±

    ¡°Did you really expect a perfect score for that performance?¡± said Yan Yu, shaking his head in disbelief, ¡°The remaining 18 points, I¡¯ll reward you in the form of ¡®666¡¯.¡±

 Chapter 420: 16 There Must Be Generous Rewards

    Chapter 420: Chapter 16 There Must Be Generous Rewards

    In a scoring system out of 100, Yan Yu gave Tang Xiaolian a 20 for her swordsmanship, which of course, seriously underestimated her ability.

    Any cultivator capable of entering one of the four top teams wouldn¡¯t have any glaring weaknesses in their overall talents. Even Chen Lingyun, whom Yan Yu had deemed ¡°too lacking in talent,¡± was only considered such when compared to the average level of the leading cultivators in the four top teams.

    However, if one were to rank all of the first-generation cultivators based on their cultivation talent from highest to lowest, Chen Lingyun would be around the top 40%, which actually couldn¡¯t be considered poor.

    Of course, Mr. Yan¡¯s standards were too high, his evaluation of cultivation talents gauged against the likes of Xie Ruoxi and Liu Longtao, so naturally, he didn¡¯t think much of Chen Lingyun.

    His requirements for swordsmanship levels were even tougher. For instance, Lin Ning¡ªbased solely on swordsmanship¡ªwould have a somewhat tough time being placed in the top three domestically, but she¡¯d face no stress getting into the top five. Even Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun of the Dragon Soar Team might not be her match, yet in Yan Yu¡¯s eyes, she was just ¡°so-so¡± and ¡°an inflexible piece of rotten wood.¡±

    Similarly, Tang Xiaolian was actually quite beautiful, with bright eyes and clean skin, especially with the advantages of a slim waist and a sweet voice that added significantly to her external charm. Otherwise, why would everyone in the Huofeng Team look after her?

    ...

    Yet Yan Yu, spoiled by the standards of the Zhenhai Team members, saw her appearance as merely ¡°average¡± and ¡°barely passable,¡± never considering her to be a particularly pretty girl, let alone having any inclination to take care of her appropriately.

    Tang Xiaolian had realized that Captain Yan didn¡¯t harbor even the slightest sympathy or chivalry toward her. Her good looks had been recognized by those around her all her life; otherwise, her parents wouldn¡¯t have let her wear traditional costumes to promote their family¡¯s guesthouse¡ªthere was even an internet celebrity studio that contacted her after seeing her photos, intending to build her image as a Miaojiang fairy!

    Could Captain Yan be gay? She couldn¡¯t help wondering to herself.

    The two walked through a large expanse of golden flowers and arrived at the foot of the mountain where the palace was situated, seeing a winding stone path leading upward.

    ¡°Captain Yan, Captain Yan,¡± Tang Xiaolian called crisply, ¡°Since entering the Mysterious Realm until now, we¡¯ve passed through ¡®Gorge Skyline,¡¯ ¡®Mountain Cave Stone Gate,¡¯ and ¡®Golden Flower Field.¡¯ Each of these environments is a test, pertaining respectively to observation, learning ability, and defensive capability.¡±

    ¡°So, does that mean there is likely to be some sort of test along this mountain path as well, one that relates to the qualities required of a Sword Immortal, right?¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Yan Yu looked at her with surprise, ¡°Aren¡¯t you quite clever?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always been clever!¡± Tang Xiaolian retorted angrily. Not only do you not praise me, but you also mock me?

    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you show a hint of intelligence in the previous tests?¡± asked Yan Yu.

    ¡°Because I have full trust in Captain Yan¡¯s ability to handle things, which led me to lazily stop thinking for a while,¡± Tang Xiaolian justified herself stoutly.

    ¡°Then I hope you carry your brains with you for what¡¯s to come,¡± Yan Yu said indifferently, ¡°You also heard what that female voice from the Mysterious Realm said just now: all who enter must face tests. What will you do if we are suddenly teleported apart at the next test?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll wait for Captain Yan to come and save me,¡± Tang Xiaolian replied without a second thought.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you be a little more ambitious?¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but laugh.

    ¡°This is not about being lazy,¡± Tang Xiaolian explained, ¡°The tests in this Mysterious Realm focus on content related to Sword Immortals, and in this regard, I am very likely to fail. Instead of recklessly trying and getting myself into more dangerous situations, thus becoming a burden that needs rescuing, why not wait honestly for Captain Yan to find me and then proceed together?¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­

    Speechless, she made such a sound argument!

    So why did I bring her to this Mysterious Realm in the first place? S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°So, who should go up this mountain path first, you or me?¡± asked Yan Yu.

    ¡°Captain Yan should just decide,¡± said Tang Xiaolian obediently.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go first,¡± Yan Yu stepped forward and had just set foot on the first step when something felt off.

    My body¡­ has it become heavier?

    The increase in weight was minuscule, but his control over his body was so refined that he instantly sensed something was wrong and immediately turned back.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Tang Xiaolian asked, a bit worried.

    Yan Yu did not respond but instead instructed:

    ¡°You go up and try.¡±

    He didn¡¯t want to share his speculation, allowing Tang Xiaolian to form her preconceptions, but she obviously misunderstood his intent and said earnestly:

    ¡°You know, Captain Yan,¡± Tang Xiaolian said, ¡°I have complete trust in you, that¡¯s why I¡¯m willing to follow your command. If you use this to make me look foolish and laugh at me, I¡¯ll never trust you again.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Yan Yu was both amused and frustrated, ¡°I have absolutely no intention of bullying you. I just want to see if my guess is correct, that¡¯s all.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian looked at him skeptically for a long moment before finally taking her gaze away and carefully stepping onto the first stair.

    Hmm? Nothing feels different.

    ¡°What now?¡± she asked, turning her head back.

    ¡°Go up a few more steps,¡± Yan Yu instructed.

    Tang Xiaolian took four steps up in quick succession, her expression filled with confusion, and then turned back:

    ¡°Still nothing unusual, it¡¯s just like any normal staircase.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t feel your body getting heavier?¡± Yan Yu asked, surprised.

    ¡°Heavier?!¡± Tang Xiaolian cried out in shock, ¡°Is this the kind of staircase that makes you gain weight like crazy?¡±

    ¡°¡­No,¡± Yan Yu was left speechless by her, ¡°I¡¯m talking about gravity. Don¡¯t you feel that the further you go up, the heavier your body becomes?¡±

    Tang Xiaolian, who was frantically feeling her body to make sure she hadn¡¯t suddenly gained any excess fat, first breathed a sigh of relief at his words, but then became annoyed:

    Damn it! So it¡¯s not a restriction problem with the Mysterious Realm! I¡¯ll just have to diet and exercise properly once I get out of here.

    ¡°Since that¡¯s not the case, let¡¯s keep going,¡± Yan Yu thought to himself, deciding to continue on since the girl didn¡¯t seem to have much perception of the phenomenon; it was worth investigating further.

    He led Tang Xiaolian up the mountain towards the palace situated higher up.

    After covering about half the distance, the sensation of gravity finally became noticeable to the extent that Tang Xiaolian began to sweat, her legs felt as if they were filled with lead, but fortunately, her physical condition had improved somewhat since entering the Marrow Cleansing Stage, so she was just able to cope.

    ¡°This is the ¡®Ascending Heaven Stairs,''¡± the female voice of the Mysterious Realm echoed around them once again, ¡°modeled after the ¡®Ascending Heaven Path¡¯ of the Kunlun Tai Qing Sect.¡±

    ¡°In the Kunlun Heavy Heart State, the Ascending Heaven Path is fraught with Heart Demons. But our sect values a strong foundation even more, so the further one climbs on these Ascending Heaven Stairs, the heavier the gravitational pull becomes, and even if one¡¯s foundation can withstand it, one needs an extremely strong will to reach the end.¡±

    ¡°Sister~¡± Tang Xiaolian whined, her face twisted in distress, ¡°I¡¯m no Sword Immortal, it¡¯s understandable if my foundation is a bit weaker, right? Can you reduce the gravity coefficient for me a little? If I keep going, my legs are going to break!¡±

    ¡°No,¡± the female voice declined, ¡°You¡¯ve not yet achieved Perfection in the Marrow Cleansing Stage, and as long as you don¡¯t stay on the Ascending Heaven Stairs for more than a quarter of a hour, it won¡¯t cause irreversible damage to your body. Besides, cultivation is, after all, an act against nature; the Sword Immortals may be the best at charging ahead without looking back, but is it not possible for other Cultivator professions to go against the current?¡±

    ¡°Although this Mysterious Realm was created to preserve the inheritances of the Sword Immortals, it also contains some treasures that you can use. If you can¡¯t endure it, it just proves that you¡¯re not worthy of the treasures. You can still leave now if you¡¯d like.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian inwardly complained, thinking to herself that since she had already been told there were treasures for her, how could she possibly give up midway?

    She clenched her teeth and continued forward, trying hard to keep up with Yan Yu¡¯s pace.

    Yan Yu was also affected by the gravitational pressure, but his determination was unwavering, so despite sweating profusely, he kept moving forward step by step, his stride seemingly unaffected.

    Eventually Tang Xiaolian could no longer keep up and nearly toppled forward. In her panic, she quickly grabbed Yan Yu¡¯s arm and whispered urgently:

    ¡°Captain Yan, save me!¡±

    ¡°Everyone said, if you can¡¯t endure, then go back,¡± Yan Yu said helplessly while supporting her arm, ¡°You owe me another favor now, huh.¡±

    With his support, Tang Xiaolian felt the burden on her body lighten and she hurried to whisper back:

    ¡°Thank you, Captain Yan, I¡¯m truly grateful! I¡¯ll repay this great kindness with a generous reward!¡±

    ¡°As long as it¡¯s not a promise to be a cow or a horse in the next life,¡± Yan Yu quipped.

    Tang Xiaolian was instantly amused by him and couldn¡¯t help but let out a snicker, her laughter ringing like a silver bell as she said:

    ¡°I won¡¯t dodge the debt!¡±

 Chapter 421: 17 DuÃ n XiÇŽoliÃ¡n and WÃ¡ng YÃ¹yÃ n

    Chapter 421: Chapter 17 Du¨¤n Xi¨£oli¨¢n and W¨¢ng Y¨´y¨¤n

    The higher we climbed, the more astonishing the increase in gravity became with each step.

    Tang Xiaolian originally had the energy to converse and joke with Yan Yu, maintaining a strong front as if to say ¡°I can still hold on.¡± However, as time passed, she gradually became weak and breathless until her tongue almost lolled out.

    Yan Yu was also drenched in sweat, with every effort to climb one more step causing his bones to creak as if they were about to break.

    Suddenly, the weight in his right hand increased; it was Tang Xiaolian finally fainting. Had Yan Yu not reacted quickly, her head would have collided intimately with the stairs.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t they say¡­ it¡¯s a test of willpower?¡± Yan Yu gasped slightly and asked, ¡°How could she faint then?¡±

    ¡°It is a test of willpower indeed,¡± the ethereal female voice from the Mysterious Realm said, ¡°She didn¡¯t withstand this challenge, hence she has fallen unconscious.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Unconsciousness is a protective mechanism inherently in the body, much like involuntarily closing one¡¯s eyes when a blade stabs at you, or instinctively withdrawing your hand when burned. Essentially, it¡¯s life¡¯s profound fear of death.¡±

    ¡°Without a will resilient enough to overcome death, one cannot counter the body¡¯s own protective mechanism. Her falling unconscious is the best proof of insufficient willpower.¡±

    ¡°However, since she has been eliminated, I can offer you two choices,¡± the Mysterious Realm¡¯s female voice suddenly shifted in tone, becoming more indifferent, ¡°First, abandon her.¡±

    ¡°The difficulty of carrying the weight of two people up the Ascending Heaven Stairs is worlds apart from doing it alone. You could even get injured as a result.¡±

    ¡°Second, continue with her. Of course, even if you do make it, I won¡¯t give you any additional reward.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t hesitate for long and replied, ¡°Though there are two choices, I have already promised to make her owe me a favor, and therefore cannot go back on my word.¡±

    ¡°She is unconscious,¡± the female voice said, ¡°No matter what you choose, she won¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°But I am still awake,¡± Yan Yu said.

    He slightly bent down to pull Tang Xiaolian¡¯s arm from around his neck, straightened his back, and then hoisted her body up with effort.

    Tang Xiaolian was quite slender, especially at the waist, which seemed it could be encircled with a single hand, but the augmented weight was not to be underestimated, forcing Yan Yu to take out an Elixir Medicine and pop it into his mouth.

    The female voice from the Mysterious Realm seemed indifferent to this or perhaps had tacitly allowed him to use the power of the Elixir Medicine for a slight advantage, provided he did not abandon his companion.

    The higher they climbed, the closer to his physical limits Yan Yu became, and he eventually understood why Tang Xiaolian had fainted¡ªthe bones in his entire body, each muscle, each cell seemed to be lamenting, all trembling uncontrollably under the unbearable weight, causing the string of reason within his mind to teeter on the brink of collapse.

    He was simply holding on to a breath of air, fiercely rallying the remaining strength within his body to ascend. If he were even slightly slower or if his spirit slackened for a moment, and he let that breath escape, he would immediately be crushed to the ground, passing out.

    But Yan Yu had also extremely rich experience in breaking through his own limits and suppressing his bodily functions¡­ the specific reasons are not mentioned.

    He simply looked on silently as the weights of both himself and Tang Xiaolian increased dramatically, staunchly continuing upwards, like an iron man that knew neither fatigue nor fear of damage.

    Finally!

    Yan Yu stepped onto the last tier of the Ascending Heaven Stairs and the suddenly disappearing gravity allowed his body to relax.

    He gently set Tang Xiaolian down on the ground and then lay down beside her.

    So tired, where¡¯s the medical team¡­ oh, there¡¯s no medical team here to rescue us anymore.

    Yan Yu slowly closed his eyes to let his nearly spent body rest and recover.

    After what seemed like about ten minutes, he suddenly felt someone pushing him.

    ¡°Captain Yan!¡± Tang Xiaolian¡¯s crying voice gradually became clear in his ears, ¡°You mustn¡¯t die! Don¡¯t die on me, Captain Yan!¡±

    Even completely drained, Yan Yu could not restrain a vein from popping on his forehead as he suddenly opened his eyes and roared:

    ¡°Stop making noise! I¡¯m just resting for a bit!¡±

    Tang Xiaolian was stunned for a while and then broke into a laugh, wiping away tears and saying:

    ¡°But they always say on TV that if you collapse from exhaustion and fall asleep, you really will die¡­¡±

    Yan Yu couldn¡¯t be bothered with this silly girl and sat up, only to feel that all the muscles in his body were sore, numb, and lacked the strength to exert any force.

    ¡°Tang Xiaolian,¡± he said hoarsely.

    ¡°What is it, Captain Yan?¡± Tang Xiaolian promptly responded.

    ¡°I temporarily have no strength,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Mhm, I can see that, you should rest well,¡± Tang Xiaolian said tenderly and considerately, ¡°We¡¯re not in a hurry to keep moving forward.¡±

    ¡°How can we not be in a hurry?¡± Yan Yu revealed an irritated expression as if saying, ¡°I can¡¯t explain it to you,¡± ¡°I¡¯m not you! As the captain of the Zhenhai Team, my vacation time is extremely precious and can¡¯t be wasted here! Moreover, we are currently in a Mysterious Realm, and calls cannot come in from outside. If too much time passes, there¡¯s bound to be problems¡­ Sigh, you won¡¯t understand. Just help me up quickly.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian¡¯s eye twitched. She was annoyed but still maintained a smile, after all, he had indeed carried her up here.

    ¡°If I support you and we continue on, does that count as returning a favor?¡± She supported Yan Yu as he slowly stood up and tentatively asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t bring up those meaningless words,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°It would spoil the good impression I have of you.¡±

    ¡°All right, all right,¡± sighed Tang Xiaolian, ¡°But Captain Yan, in your current condition, you probably won¡¯t be able to fight, right? My condition isn¡¯t great either¡­¡±

    ¡°Then you will fight in my stead,¡± Yan Yu declared.

    ¡°I say!¡± Tang Xiaolian exclaimed, ¡°I¡¯m not in good condition either! I just fainted a moment ago!¡±

    ¡°I know, you don¡¯t need to remind me that ¡®you¡¯ve rested for a longer time than I have¡¯,¡± Yan Yu said with a gentle smile, completely ignoring her protest and mused to himself, ¡°As for fighting, well, I think we can adopt the Duan Yu mode.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian was momentarily stunned and gave a dry laugh,

    ¡°How could I be Duan Yu? We¡¯re of different genders, at best I¡¯d play Wang Yuyan.¡±

    ¡°Wang Yuyan could move her lips to give Duan Yu pointers in combat, can you?¡± Yan Yu looked at her with surprise, as if to say ¡°do you have any self-awareness,¡± ¡°Frankly, you might not even perform well as Duan Yu, but we don¡¯t have a more suitable candidate at the moment anyway.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian fell silent, and then heard Yan Yu exclaim with a laugh,

    ¡°I just remembered, Duan Yu hails from the Kingdom of Dali, located in Nanjiang, and Wang Yuyan¡¯s birthplace is in the Wu-speaking region¡­ How coincidental, isn¡¯t it? Haha.¡±

    ¡°Captain Yan just told me not to speak trivially, and now you¡¯ve started saying things that leave one speechless,¡± sighed Tang Xiaolian.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Miss Duan,¡± Yan Yu said with an unconcerned smile, giving the order, ¡°Accompany me in exploring this palace.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian supported him as they approached the palace, only to see that the main gate was six or seven meters tall¡ªcloaked in gold, iron, and copper, it shone brilliantly.

    Before even entering, they felt a draft blowing directly against them, as if countless tiny blades were skimming past, causing a slight sting on their cheeks.

    ¡°What formidable metallic killing energy,¡± Yan Yu exclaimed in awe, ¡°There¡¯s either some kind of metal-based Magic Treasure inside, or it¡¯s hiding an extremely formidable Immortal Sword.¡± Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Given our current condition, even if we find a treasure, we wouldn¡¯t have enough strength to refine it,¡± Tang Xiaolian rolled her eyes.

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°If there really is an Immortal Sword inside, just laying eyes on it would be worth it for us Sword Immortals, even if it meant dying on the spot!¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not a Sword Immortal,¡± Tang Xiaolian complained, ¡°nor do I care about any Immortal Sword. It¡¯s only because she said there was something for me; otherwise, I would have turned back long ago.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± She suddenly became alarmed and urged Yan Yu, ¡°I can follow your lead in combat, but whether or not we fight, you must listen to me! I¡¯m afraid Captain Yan¡­ if you happen to see some Immortal Sword and let your adrenaline take over, disregarding our physical condition to charge into battle! If we end up dead and without the treasure, then we would truly be at a loss!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Yan Yu said seriously, noting her earnestness, ¡°If there¡¯s an Immortal Sword inside, I¡¯ll definitely get my hands on it!¡±

    ¡°Your understanding is the complete opposite of what I meant!¡± Tang Xiaolian said helplessly, correcting him once again, ¡°Let me repeat: life comes first!¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu affirmed gravely, ¡°What I mean is¡­ to get it while we¡¯re alive, not to be buried with it.¡±

    ,

 Chapter 422: 18 Liang Yi Micro Dust Sword Array

    Chapter 422: Chapter 18 Liang Yi Micro Dust Sword Array

    Tang Xiaolian supported Yan Yu as they entered the palace, only to see that the interior was not overly decorated but filled with weapon racks displaying various Flying Swords.

    However, a scan with Divine Sense revealed that they all lacked luster, seemingly having lost their Spirituality and reduced to mere iron.

    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Tang Xiaolian suddenly asked, ¡°Why are they all Flying Swords? Aren¡¯t there spears, knives, or hammers that can fly?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there are,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°but the mainstream is still Flying Swords.¡±

    ¡°So why is that?¡±

    ¡°Because they are convenient, I guess.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Convenient?¡±

    ¡°Knives and hammers are more suited for slashing, while spears are only good for thrusting,¡± Yan Yu explained. ¡°Swords can slash and thrust simultaneously¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s also a factor,¡± a female voice from the Mysterious Realm suddenly said, ¡°but it is not the main reason.¡±

    ¡°Then, senior,¡± Tang Xiaolian asked curiously, ¡°what is the main reason?¡±

    ¡°Because they are easier to forge and save on materials,¡± the Mysterious Realm female voice replied.

    Both of them: ¡­¡­¡­..

    ¡°Come inside,¡± the Mysterious Realm female voice continued, ¡°I am waiting for you in this main hall.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian supported Yan Yu into the main hall and saw a white-robed female immortal standing in the center of the hall, holding a sword in her right hand and supporting it with her left as though she was examining something closely.

    Suddenly, she swung a beautiful flourish with her sword, holding it behind her right arm with a backhand grip, and looked up at Yan Yu to ask:

    ¡°Are you the one seeking the legacy of the long-eyebrowed mentor?¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu replied, leaning on Tang Xiaolian.

    ¡°In that state, how will you withstand the final test?¡± Despite her face being a blur, the female immortal¡¯s tone of voice made it clear she was slightly frowning and somewhat displeased.

    ¡°Could she undergo the test on my behalf?¡± Yan Yu pushed Tang Xiaolian forward, who immediately showed a nervous expression that read ¡°What, can I really do it?¡± ¡°Since the previous stage allowed me to bring her along, this one should also be manageable with her leading me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible, but¡­¡± the white-robed female immortal chuckled softly, ¡°her swordsmanship skills might not be enough to pass.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian remained silent, sensing that the ¡°might not¡± from the other¡¯s mouth was actually giving her a lot of face.

    That means I really can¡¯t pass, right?!

    ¡°You flatter me too much,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile. ¡°With her level of swordsmanship, there is no chance at all.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian: ¡­¡­¡­..

    ¡°But with my guidance, that might not be the case,¡± Yan Yu noted. ¡°Shall we give it a try first?¡±

    ¡°No problem,¡± the white-robed female immortal said meaningfully as she eyed them both, suddenly waving her Immortal Sword.

    Immediately, countless lines appeared around them, enveloping the space from all directions, resembling the laser security grids one might see in a sci-fi movie.

    ¡°This is the Liang Yi Micro-Dust Sword Array,¡± the female immortal mentioned casually. ¡°Each line here is a strand of Sword Qi, capable of cutting through metal and stone without difficulty. When thousands of strands of Sword Qi form the Sword Array and are fully activated, they can split mountains, part seas, and even fracture space¡­ Of course, that was the original capability.¡±

    ¡°Before ascending, the long-eyebrowed mentor sealed this sword, so the power it can unleash now is less than one percent of its original. Even the lines you see around you are merely the illusions of Sword Qi and possess no lethal power.¡±

    ¡°The final test is quite simple: endure within the illusion of this Liang Yi Micro-Dust Sword Array for the time it takes an incense stick to burn without being touched by these illusions of Sword Qi, and you will have passed.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Since these strands of Sword Qi had no lethal force, could she just keep trying until she got it right? Yay!

    Yan Yu, however, frowned, as this test of the Liang Yi Micro-Dust Sword Array seemed tailor-made for him, who had mastered the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step. But his body had been too drained in the Ascending Heaven Stairs stage, and he had not recovered much, making it unwise to attempt the test immediately.

    For the time being, he would learn from Wang Yuyan and guide Tang Xiaolian, this ¡°Duan Yu from Dali,¡± to pass this challenge. If that still didn¡¯t work, he would have to push himself to fight through it.

    ¡°Since there¡¯s no lethal force, Xiaolian, go and give it a try,¡± Yan Yu instructed warmly.

    Tang Xiaolian was stunned, how did Captain Yan suddenly start calling me ¡°Xiaolian¡±?

    Forget it¡­ After all, we¡¯ve fought side by side up to this point, perhaps it¡¯s what the characters in the books described as a ¡®life-and-death bond¡¯? Maybe calling me by my name isn¡¯t too much¡­ So should I also change how I address him and not call him Captain anymore?

    ¡°Tang Xiaolian?¡± Yan Yu saw her spaced out and called out again.

    ¡°Oh, yes! Alright!¡± Tang Xiaolian snapped back to reality, chuckling nervously in her mind.

    So, he was just talking off the cuff just now, and now he¡¯s switched back, making me overthink everything.

    ¡°Then I want to give it a try!¡± She puffed her chest out and bravely stepped forward.

    The woman in white waved her Immortal Sword, and immediately surrounding lines swarmed, slicing towards her from all directions.

    Tang Xiaolian hastily controlled the Peach Blossom Tender Sword, just cleaving the lines coming from the front, when she suddenly heard the woman in white say,

    ¡°Struck from behind, you¡¯re out.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    But the outcome wasn¡¯t unexpected; one couldn¡¯t expect a novice to get through the Sword Array on their first try, so he only showed a gentle expression and smiled asking,

    ¡°Xiaolian, didn¡¯t you watch your back?¡±

    ¡°How could I watch it?¡± Tang Xiaolian said nervously, ¡°The lines were slicing from the front, I was too busy defending there to turn around and check behind.¡±

    ¡°Divine Sense scan,¡± Yan Yu said lightly.

    Tang Xiaolian¡¯s face instantly flushed, thinking, how did I forget about the Divine Sense scan?

    Argh, it¡¯s all the team¡¯s fault! When we venture into Mysterious Realms during usual team battles, scanning duties are handled by Deputy Captain Zhang, so I never got used to performing Divine Sense scans!

    Efficiently blaming Deputy Captain Zhang in her mind, Tang Xiaolian seriously added,

    ¡°This time there won¡¯t be a problem, I will keep scanning the surroundings with Divine Sense the whole time!¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Yan Yu looked at the woman in white and said, ¡°Go again.¡±

    The woman in white waved her Immortal Sword, reactivating the Sword Array, creating a dense network of countless lines attacking towards the center where Tang Xiaolian was.

    Tang Xiaolian hastily waved the Peach Blossom Tender Sword, spinning around, slashing all the Sword Array lines, but the next wave of Sword Qi followed immediately¡­ forcing her into disarray, her only choice being to desperately control her sword everywhere fighting off the flames, when suddenly she heard the woman in white say,

    ¡°Right shoulder struck, you¡¯re out.¡± S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°These Sword Qi keep increasing!¡± Tang Xiaolian turned to convey by voice transmission, complaining to Yan Yu, ¡°I was defending so well in the beginning, but each wave of Sword Qi was denser than the last. Although I don¡¯t know how long an incense stick burns, how could I possibly hold them all off?¡±

    ¡°Your sword techniques have a problem,¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°Too many waste motions.¡±

    ¡°Waste motions?¡±

    ¡°How can I explain this to you?¡± Yan Yu hesitated for a moment, ¡°Never mind, you don¡¯t need to understand.¡±

    ¡°I have basically figured out this Sword Array. Next, you¡¯ll break the array following my instructions.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    The third attempt began, facing the overwhelming attack of the Sword Array, Tang Xiaolian was about to strike when she heard Yan Yu say,

    ¡°Cang Song Ying Ke.¡±

    She immediately executed Cang Song Ying Ke, slashing all the Sword Qi approaching from the front and then heard Yan Yu say,

    ¡°Move forward two.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian hurriedly stepped forward two paces, but then heard Yan Yu say,

    ¡°Too much, step back half a step.¡±

    She was just about to hastily turn and retreat when an outburst of Sword Qi phantom exploded right in her face. Although it had no lethal force, it startled her, making her body jolt violently, instinctively shrinking back.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Your commands need to be more precise!¡± Tang Xiaolian regaining her composure, complained, ¡°It¡¯s so urgent on-site, there¡¯s no time to correct you! You can¡¯t give ineffective commands, okay!¡±

    ¡°The command was fine, it was you who took two and a half steps,¡± Yan Yu said flatly.

    ¡°I did not take two and a half steps! I clearly took only two steps!¡±

    ¡°Actually, it was two and a half,¡± the woman in white suddenly said, ¡°you were too tense and started with a small step, which counts as an extra half step.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian was speechless, suddenly feeling an odd illusion as if Yan Yu and the woman in white, these two Sword Immortals, were actually conspiring together.

    Shameless! Teaming up to bully me, a swordsmanship newbie!

 Chapter 423: 19 Hands-on Teaching

    Chapter 423: Chapter 19 Hands-on Teaching

    ¡°Right two.¡±

    ¡°White Rainbow.¡±

    ¡°Left three.¡±

    ¡°Hundred Birds, followed by a backward jump, landing as the Pine of Frost.¡±

    ¡°Move straight on the right four¡­ Stop! All directions!¡±

    Yan Yu stood on the sidelines, continuously giving instructions through voice transmission, commanding non-stop.

    ...

    Tang Xiaolian, like a puppet on strings, followed his commands to the letter, her swordplay and footwork meticulous¡­ Although she was in the midst of the Sword Array, repeatedly falling into danger, she kept turning peril into safety, the subtleties of which she couldn¡¯t comprehend at all.

    Of course, more than understanding ¡°how she could turn peril into safety,¡± she was even more puzzled by Yan Yu¡¯s method of command, an entirely new and novel experience for her.

    In the team, the vice-captain was responsible for tactical command, and each vice-captain¡¯s commanding style differed. For example, Li Minghu and Ye Jun would issue direct tactical orders, such as ¡°go entangle the enemy ahead,¡± but as for how to do it, that was up to you, a common habit among most vice-captains.

    On top of that, Zhang Huaide¡¯s command was a bit more detailed; while telling you to ¡°go entangle the enemy ahead,¡± he would remind you to ¡°use more gu arts to ensure the obstruction of sight,¡± ¡°don¡¯t let them have a chance to attack our team,¡± and so on, offering clearer tactical commands and explanations.

    The one who took this approach to the extreme was Chen Lingyun, whose commands were extremely detailed and meticulous, reportedly precise to ¡°how many meters to advance,¡± sparking heated debates in the cultivator community as to whether such micromanagement was necessary in commanding a team.

    At this moment, Yan Yu¡¯s method of command was undoubtedly similar to Chen Lingyun¡¯s¡­ No, it was even more exaggerated than Vice-Captain Chen¡¯s.

    If Chen Lingyun¡¯s command was like playing chess, then Yan Yu¡¯s was like manipulating puppets, playing with puppets, with the attitude of ¡°even if you¡¯re a brainless fool, just understanding and following my orders is enough¡± kind of step-by-step teaching.

    Dammit! Am I that stupid?

    Inside, Tang Xiaolian felt unhappy but didn¡¯t dare to complain out loud; instead, she continued to ¡°dance to the voice,¡± seriously carrying out the tactical orders transmitted by Yan Yu.

    Compared to Yan Yu¡¯s distrust in her abilities, she had absolute, undoubted full trust in Yan Yu¡¯s abilities. Even if there was a Flying Sword in front of her, if Yan Yu ordered her to crash into it, she would close her eyes in fright and then crash into it head-on.

    Although she hated to admit it¡­

    The feeling of not having to think was quite nice! Just do as told and nothing will go wrong, so relaxing~

    ¡°Sky Light Piercing Clouds,¡± Yan Yu suddenly said.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Xiaolian was momentarily stunned and subconsciously executed a White Rainbow Across the Sky.

    The Peach Blossom Tender Sword shot out, breaking most of the Sword Array¡¯s lines, but still left a few that slipped through. It was too late to recall the Flying Sword to defend¡­ Then they heard the female Sword Immortal suddenly say:

    ¡°Hit in the neck by a sword, out of the game.¡±

    ¡°Captain Yan!¡± Tang Xiaolian hurried over to Yan Yu¡¯s side and complained, ¡°What Sky Light Piercing Clouds? I don¡¯t know that one!¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you learned it?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t learned it!¡± Tang Xiaolian stressed.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t we see it in the cave when we entered the Mysterious Realm? Isn¡¯t it already depicted on the wall painting?¡± Yan Yu reminded her.

    ¡°But¡­¡± Tang Xiaolian lamented tearfully, ¡°But I didn¡¯t learn it.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the kind of thing you just get by looking at it?¡± Yan Yu was utterly puzzled.

    Tang Xiaolian: ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°Captain Yan.¡± She pretended to be pitiful and said with a wry smile, ¡°I know you are a swordsmanship genius, but I¡¯m not, okay? I¡¯m just a clumsy girl with no talent for swordsmanship. I really can¡¯t ¡®learn any sword technique with just one glance.¡¯ How about you teach me?¡±

    ¡°Alright, then.¡± Since she put it that way, Yan Yu looked embarrassed and slowly said, ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll just have to treat you like an idiot.¡±

    You¡¯re the idiot! Tang Xiaolian grumbled inwardly, but outwardly she seemed more obedient, all ears.

    ¡°When I first saw that wall painting, I was quite surprised; I thought some techniques were really eccentric.¡± Yan Yu looked again toward the Sword Immortal in white and said solemnly, ¡°But now, after seeing the Liang Yi Dust Sword Array, I realize¡ªthose Sword Techniques were meant for extreme situations.¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡± The female Sword Immortal sounded quite satisfied, ¡°For instance, Sky Light Piercing Clouds is an advanced version of White Rainbow Across the Sky. It¡¯s faster, more powerful, and also more difficult to execute.¡±

    ¡°If White Rainbow Across the Sky could fell an enemy, why would there be any need for Sky Light Piercing Clouds? The reason why most Sword Immortals think this way is because they severely lack the experience of fighting with unbeatable foes, and when they actually encounter such situations, they die too quickly to have time for regrets.¡±

    ¡°Sky Light Piercing Clouds, Sword Dividing Mountains and Seas¡­ these Sword Techniques are designed to be used against formidable enemies, with some consuming True Yuan on a scale that can rival the Taoism Method. If you can¡¯t master these Sword Techniques, you will definitely not be able to endure within the Liang Yi Microcosm Sword Array, even if it is an incomplete version of the array.¡±

    ¡°The problem is, I have already mastered those Sword Techniques,¡± Yan Yu said with a wry smile, ¡°but it is she who needs to pass the test.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not my problem,¡± the woman in white said with a laugh. ¡°Figuring out how to cultivate and support your juniors is also an important aspect of being a Sword Immortal. Just treat it as an extra test for you.¡±

    Yan Yu thought that he had no other choice at the moment, so he called Tang Xiaolian over and said:

    ¡°Although I can learn those Sword Techniques just by looking at them once, they might be a bit too difficult for you. If you were to learn them on your own, it could probably take as long as I need to rest and recover.¡±

    ¡°What should I do then?¡± Tang Xiaolian asked worriedly.

    ¡°Come here and stand with your back to me,¡± Yan Yu instructed.

    Just as Tang Xiaolian turned around, Yan Yu suddenly embraced her from behind.

    She instantly panicked, about to struggle, when suddenly she heard Yan Yu¡¯s deep voice:

    ¡°Circulate Qi with Sword Control!¡±

    His right hand pressed his fingers against Tang Xiaolian¡¯s, impressing upon her the gesture of a Sword technique, while his left hand, formed into a sword finger, tapped several large acupoints on her abdomen, chest, shoulders, and right arm, sealing off these meridians with Runescript.

    With several meridians sealed, completely unable to circulate Qi, there was only one path left for Qi circulation, leaving no other option.

    Subconsciously following this sole path, Tang Xiaolian¡¯s right hand went through a series of Sword techniques¡ªmore precisely, it was Yan Yu guiding her hand through the motions, ending with a grasp on her index and middle fingers, pulling them out to form a sword finger and thrusting forward forcefully.

    Suddenly, the Peach Blossom Tender Sword transformed into a beam of light, shooting straight forward with a speed that was even faster than White Rainbow Across the Sky, and its sword light was even more majestic!

    Sky Light Piercing Clouds!

    ¡°Like this,¡± Yan Yu asked. ¡°Did you get it?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Tang Xiaolian finally came to her senses, and with a mixture of shame and annoyance, she pushed him away and then wrapped her arms around herself in a fluster, saying, ¡°Not at all!¡±

    ¡°Then there¡¯s nothing that can be done,¡± Yan Yu said, stroking his chin, pondering. ¡°Let¡¯s leave for now. Once I¡¯ve recovered, I can come back in and tackle this challenge on my own.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian was silent for a moment, her expression wavering with hesitation and struggle.

    Being touched and prodded by Yan Yu, she was certainly unwilling; yet, the idea of missing out on the treasure due to her pride was even more regrettable and difficult to accept. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Stepping back a moment, whether it was touching of hands or acupoint stimulation, on further consideration, it wasn¡¯t that unacceptable.

    After all, if one were to see a Chinese medicine practitioner, they would have to be subjected to pulse-taking and acupressure too¡­ It¡¯s not like we¡¯re in some feudal era, and Captain Yan isn¡¯t some inappropriate man, so being touched by him doesn¡¯t seem to be a big issue.

    Under the lure of the treasure and the trust she had in Yan Yu, Tang Xiaolian finally completed her self-deception and clarified:

    ¡°No, no! I was just a bit nervous just now and didn¡¯t learn it in one go.¡±

    She bit her lip and said with embarrassment:

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it again!¡±

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t say much more, and once again embraced her from behind to guide her hands through the Sword technique.

    ¡°Did you get it this time?¡±

    ¡°Not yet¡­¡± Tang Xiaolian said, feeling somewhat ashamed.

    She wasn¡¯t annoyed this time, but still felt very embarrassed. Captain Yan¡¯s hands were warm, and she had been so focused on the sensation of his touch that she hadn¡¯t remembered how to perform the sword gestures at all.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll teach it again¡­ You wouldn¡¯t be deliberately making me do this a few more times, would you?¡± Yan Yu suddenly asked with suspicion.

    ¡°Pfft, absolutely not!¡± Tang Xiaolian immediately reacted as if she were a cat whose tail had been stepped on, jumping up at once, ¡°Teach it again! This time I¡¯ll definitely learn it in one go!¡±

 Chapter 424: 20 So You Like Captain Zhou

    Chapter 424: Chapter 20 So You Like Captain Zhou

    Although Tang Xiaolian thought she disguised it well, how rich was Yan Yu¡¯s life experience? He quickly realized that this young girl was a bit off.

    Seemingly outgoing and articulate, who would have expected her to be so conservative to the point where even a touch of the hand would make her blush¡­ Was she some traditional woman who had traveled through time from an olden era?

    ¡°Have you learned it all?¡± Yan Yu asked in a deep voice after teaching the last sword technique.

    ¡°I should have,¡± Tang Xiaolian nervously replied, ¡°I can try.¡±

    She was nervous about going into battle or perhaps because of shyness.

    Yan Yu sighed quietly to himself. In fact, learning a sword technique was quite simple¡ªmemorize the route for circulating Qi, the incantations, and that was basically it.

    ...

    The real difficulty lay in knowing what sword technique to use and how to apply it in various situations¡­ these could only be accumulated through extensive real combat experience, and there was no fast track for that.

    But no matter! Tang Xiaolian, you just worry about using the Six Meridian Excalibur. As for when to strike, where, and how¡ªleave that to me, Yan Yu, to handle!

    Yet Tang Xiaolian didn¡¯t share his confidence. It wasn¡¯t that she worried Yan Yu would call the wrong shots, but she feared making a mistake herself, which would lead to his scorn and belittlement.

    Although she had already been mocked by Captain Yan!

    I may consider my swordsmanship to be poor, but even someone as slow as Guo Jing can become competent with Huang Rong¡¯s help. With the assistance of Longcheng Flying General, how could I not get through this incomplete sword array?

    She quickly gathered her thoughts, focusing her will, and said to the woman in white:

    ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±

    The woman in white waved her sword, activating the incomplete sword array, summoning countless sword Qi phantoms, which enveloped Tang Xiaolian rapidly like a heavenly net falling to earth.

    The reason it was called an incomplete version was not only because the sword Qi was made of harmless shadows, but also because the pattern of their emergence was completely fixed. Thus, as long as one memorized the detailed steps to counter it, even without understanding the purpose of each move, they could mimic the method and break the array.

    On Yan Yu¡¯s side, he calmly called out instructions¡ªwhen to strike with the sword, when to move¡ªall in a clear tone. If Tang Xiaolian could execute it precisely, there would be no problems breaking the array.

    Of course, even if she made a mistake, it was no big deal; they could always try again.

    Following the given instructions, Tang Xiaolian¡¯s performance was surprisingly good this time, without a single error, and she maintained stable progress throughout.

    Just as there was only one fifth of an incense stick¡¯s time left, the woman in white suddenly transmitted a message to Tang Xiaolian, whispering:

    ¡°Remember, I said I had something to give you?¡±

    Tang Xiaolian ignored her, focusing on Yan Yu¡¯s instructions, intently executing her moves and strikes.

    The woman in white continued with a smile:

    ¡°The item I want to give you is an egg of the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu left by my brother here. After refining it, it will recognize you as its master, at your command. As for its power, you¡¯ve seen its effects outside.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian was startled but did not falter, continuing to follow the commands to slice through the sword Qi, methodically breaking the formation.

    ¡°But what if I say that I have to choose between giving him the Liang Yi Dust Sword and giving you the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, and you can only pick one?¡± the woman in white said ethereally, ¡°If you can¡¯t break this array, forcing him to return home, I will stealthily give you the silkworm egg before you leave the Mysterious Realm, ensuring that he won¡¯t find out.¡±

    These were words designed to probe her heart. Since Tang Xiaolian had no use for the Liang Yi Dust Sword, and the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu was useless to Yan Yu, if she had to choose one, the benefits were clearly conflicting.

    Without responding, Tang Xiaolian heard the woman in white say:

    ¡°He wants to become the successor of the Orthodox Sword Immortal, and even if he fails to pass this test, he can come back and try again for the sword. But for your Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, if you miss this chance, there will be no next time.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian remained silent, continuing to precisely execute the moves to break the formation. The woman in white didn¡¯t give up and went on:

    ¡°If you¡¯re worried about pretending to be ignorant and being discovered by him? I see he doesn¡¯t think highly of you either; even if you make consecutive mistakes, he won¡¯t suspect you, only thinking that you¡¯re hopeless.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian completely ignored her, letting the woman in white¡¯s temptations go in one ear and out the other. She finally used up the entire incense stick¡¯s time, stepped out of the sword array, and stood with her hands on her hips, proudly saying to Yan Yu:

    ¡°How did I do?¡±

    ¡°Impressive,¡± Yan Yu genuinely praised.

    Although she was just following orders, fifteen minutes is a long time, and with his constant instructions, maintaining focus without a single mistake required a high level of concentration.

    This girl¡­ wasn¡¯t entirely without merit. If she were to become a chief surgeon, she¡¯d probably be quite suitable.

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Tang Xiaolian then turned to look at the woman in white and exclaimed, ¡°I don¡¯t want any Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu! Bring out that Liang Yi Dust Sword now!¡±

    Yan Yu listened, bewildered, but saw the woman in white say with a smile:

    ¡°I was just testing you. When we ascended the Heaven Stairs earlier, he endured the gravitational force meant for two, stubbornly carrying you all the way. He didn¡¯t abandon you.¡±

    ¡°We Sword Immortals have always been quick to act, neither failing others nor suffering loss. If you had betrayed him just now for your own benefit, forget about that Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, this palm-sized Immortal Sword of mine would have been the first to not spare you!¡±

    ¡°`

    Tang Xiaolian stood with her mouth half open, stunned for quite a while, before suddenly feeling a strong surge of fear. Yan Yu, although previously unaware of the messages between the two, could now more or less guess what had happened, and immediately laughed and said:

    ¡°Don¡¯t let her scare you. The worst that can happen in a trial is not receiving a reward¡ªthere¡¯s no reason to kill a participant. Only the Demonic Sect would kill disciples for not meeting expectations. This white-clothed Sword Immortal looks like an upstanding person. How could she behave like the Demonic Sect?¡±

    The white-clad female immortal snorted without denying anything and threw two items, one falling into each of their hands.

    In Yan Yu¡¯s hand was an Immortal Sword. The blade was narrow, about the length of his forearm, and immaculate white, as if made from beautiful jade.

    Additionally, the first layer of the unlocking method for the Liang Yi Micron Sword was automatically transferred into his Sea of Consciousness.

    Tang Xiaolian received a golden egg, the size of a quail¡¯s, glittering and translucent. In the light, she could make out the undeveloped larva inside, like a golden beetle larva, curled up with its plump white body¡ªit would be disgusting for those who feared insects, but she felt no aversion and even found it cute.

    The method to refine and acknowledge the master was also imparted into her mind. However, according to the white-clothed female immortal, this Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, being a living creature, found it harder to withstand the test of time. Although it survived with its strong vitality, its origin had suffered greatly. Even if it hatched, it would not possess its peak ferocity.

    As for how to replenish its origin, there was indeed a secret method, but whether she could find the corresponding item depended on her luck.

    Before they could react, they felt the world spin around them.

    When they came to, they found themselves in front of a waterfall.

    Looking behind the waterfall at the cliff, it was intact, showing no signs of the earlier crack. It appeared that the white-clad female immortal loved to test one¡¯s heart, speaking in a mix of truths and lies. Her statement about ¡°heading home and returning next time¡± might also not be entirely reliable.

    Yan Yu, looking at the Liang Yi Micron Sword in his hand, suddenly heard Tang Xiaolian ask from beside him:

    ¡°Captain Yan, I forgot to ask before: why didn¡¯t you just leave me behind during the Ascending Heaven Stairs?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you owed me a favor and exchanged it for me to take you up?¡± Yan Yu asked her in return.

    ¡°But¡­but it wasn¡¯t worth wrecking your body like that,¡± Tang Xiaolian said, seeing that he was still somewhat unstable. She hurried over to support him, speaking with concern, ¡°Even if you really couldn¡¯t hold on and abandoned me midway, I wouldn¡¯t blame you¡ªafter all, it¡¯s not like I would die.¡±

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Yan Yu scoffed with a laugh, ¡°That white-clad female immortal also deliberately tested me. The pretext was exactly the same as yours, implying it would be more advantageous to leave you behind. Knowing her, an Orthodox Sword Immortal, she despises betrayal and ingratitude the most. If I had done something of that sort, she¡¯d surely look down on me, and it wouldn¡¯t be impossible for her to fail me directly¡ªI¡¯m not an idiot!¡± S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Tang Xiaolian paused for a moment, then suddenly asked:

    ¡°So Captain Yan, did you only choose to carry me through the stairs to align with her mindset?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, what else?¡± Yan Yu asked her, ¡°The reward is yours, and the body is mine. Why would I exhaust myself for you to get a reward? Do I look like a fawning dog?¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Tang Xiaolian muttered, disheartened, continuing to support Yan Yu as they walked along, saying, ¡°Captain Yan, with the state of your body now, don¡¯t rush to use Sword Control to get back. Can I take you to stay at my family¡¯s guesthouse for a few days to recover?¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu shook his head and said, ¡°Don¡¯t feel too bad about it. Me helping you through also benefited my sword retrieval. Just remember you owe me a favor, and repay it next time.¡±

    ¡°Humph,¡± Tang Xiaolian fell silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed and said, ¡°Captain Yan keeps reminding me about the favor I owe you, and you¡¯re afraid I might feel too guilty to repay it quickly. Could it be you have other intentions, wanting to maintain a long-term relationship? That¡¯s fine by me. Actually, I know even if that white-clad female immortal hadn¡¯t tested you, Captain Yan, you wouldn¡¯t have easily abandoned me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too gullible,¡± Yan Yu immediately scoffed, ¡°What¡¯s so special about you that I should maintain any long-term relationship? Do you really think so?¡±

    ¡°Captain Yan likes Captain Zhou, right?¡± Tang Xiaolian said with a sweet smile, ¡°I¡¯ve felt for some time that there was something off about you, Captain Yan. Who else would keep sending messages to our Captain Zhou, especially when she¡¯s so tough and prickly, and still be scolded by her?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Yan Yu laughed, amused by her words, ¡°Do you have any idea how many beautiful ladies we have on the Zhenhai Team? Why would I go out of my way to pursue Zhou?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, Captain Yan,¡± Tang Xiaolian said with a beaming smile, ¡°Captain Zhou is gorgeous and strong. She seems difficult to approach, yet she¡¯s stubborn on the outside but soft on the inside. Just like durian fruit¡ªthorny on the outside but sweet within. People who hate durians find them abhorrent, but those who like them adore this kind. You must have a taste for this, right, Captain Yan?¡±

    ¡°Enough.¡± Yan Yu gestured with his hand for her to stop, ¡°I¡¯m feeling weak right now. Don¡¯t deliberately talk nonsense or you¡¯ll laugh me to death.¡±

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Tang Xiaolian gave him a look as if she saw right through him and deliberately said, ¡°So, Captain Yan, you don¡¯t need me to secretly pass along messages from Captain Zhou, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not exactly it¡­¡±

    ¡°Captain Yan still says you don¡¯t like Zhou?¡±

    ¡°I have other plans concerning her,¡± Yan Yu simply admitted, ¡°It¡¯s complicated to explain¡­ but it¡¯s not that I like her.¡±

    Sigh, I rescue people for the country and yet end up being doubted by this young lady. My life is truly not easy!

    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Tang Xiaolian didn¡¯t continue to probe and just smiled, saying, ¡°Remember to keep in touch with me, Captain Yan¡­¡±

    Before she finished speaking, Yan Yu¡¯s phone suddenly began to ring.

    Unlocking the screen, he saw 99+ missed calls. Even Yan Yu, who remained unfazed after climbing the stairs, inhaled sharply at the sight.

    Tang Xiaolian leaned in to take a look and was also a bit shocked by the number, laughing awkwardly:

    ¡°Then I won¡¯t disturb you, Captain Yan¡­¡±

    Before she could finish, Yan Yu had already grabbed her arm, his voice serious:

    ¡°Take me to stay at your family¡¯s guesthouse for a few days.¡±

    ¡°`

 Chapter 425: 21: Meeting with Huofeng Team

    Chapter 425: Chapter 21: Meeting with Huofeng Team

    Within the 99+ incoming calls, there were ones from Li Weiguo, Qi Changping, also from Yan¡¯s dad, Yan¡¯s mom, and Jingjing, and of course, there were those from the members of the Zhenhai Team as well. Everyone contributed to the ¡°finding Yan Yu¡± act.

    Although Yan Yu himself couldn¡¯t figure it out, he had already explained to Chen Lingyun, so why was everyone still calling¡­ It must be that wretched woman meddling again.

    Lying in the guesthouse of Tang Xiaolian¡¯s home, Yan Yu comfortably lounged in a soft chair, covered with a brightly colored knitted blanket, leisurely reporting the loot of this trip to Li Weiguo.

    ¡°Yan Yu, don¡¯t do this again next time,¡± Li Weiguo seemed to have some complaints about his ¡°vacation first, ask for leave later¡± behavior, but then again, considering Yan Yu¡¯s strategic value within the Zhendong Army at present, anything goes as long as he doesn¡¯t rebel.

    He could have secretly visited a mysterious realm, quietly taken treasures and chose to say nothing; yet, he was still willing to follow the procedure and report. With such considerations, it was indeed hard to reprimand him too much. If someone clung to the matter of leave procedure, it would merely be intentional nitpicking that could lead to trouble.

    Therefore, Li Weiguo just casually mentioned a few words to Yan Yu, which amounted to ¡°How could I not approve your leave,¡± and then lightly moved on.

    ...

    Such an official reaction was anticipated, but inquiries from the team members required a bit more careful response.

    Chen Lingyun was already informed, and Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t have the guts; these two didn¡¯t need any attention. Zhao Yuanzhen and Lin Ning were a bit upset, scolding him over the phone, and Yan Yu just chuckled, truly sorry but daring to do it again next time.

    What was strange was the response from Su Yunjin; Yan Yu had prepared himself for another climb up the rankings, yet the secretary lady unexpectedly showed understanding, saying, ¡°The captain didn¡¯t want me to know, probably for fear of my worrying, so I won¡¯t ask more, but you must be careful,¡± which left Yan Yu somewhat speechless.

    Not good, feeling a bit guilty, felt like he owed Yun Jin.

    But then, wait¡­ if you think about it from another angle, could it be her newly developed ¡°guilt spell¡±? That¡¯s a bit scary when you think about it, haha.

    Turning to look at the continuous mountains outside the window, Yan Yu slightly bent his fingers and the Liang Yi Dust Sword beside him deftly took flight, nimbly spinning in the air as if it was a pet bird accustomed to his home.

    As the second sword in the dual sword control technique, this Liang Yi Dust Sword perfectly met all of Yan Yu¡¯s requirements: light, swift, and its grade was not inferior to the Huang Ting Kunwu Sword. It was slightly less powerful in head-to-head combat due to its lighter weight, but it was definitely superior in maneuvering and containing the opponent.

    Although he had only acquired one sword this trip, due to the high value of this sword to himself, he felt a profound sense of accomplishment, as if he had returned full of bounty.

    ¡°Captain Yan, Captain Yan!¡± Tang Xiaolian hurriedly dashed out of the room, hands cradling the eggs of the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, rushing up to him and saying, ¡°Look at my bug! Has its color changed?¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like it,¡± Yan Yu glanced briefly.

    ¡°Look here!¡± Tang Xiaolian pointed at the egg, and then brought out her phone to show him the photo from yesterday.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that exactly the same?¡± Yan Yu asked lazily.

    ¡°The color is definitely lighter than yesterday!¡± Tang Xiaolian argued, ¡°Once it becomes completely transparent, it can hatch for sure!¡±

    ¡°Have you done the bonding yet?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I feed it a drop of blood every day.¡± Tang Xiaolian placed the egg on the counter and turned with a brilliant smile, ¡°It will definitely be very close to me when it hatches.¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t get why you, being a girl, like bugs so much,¡± Yan Yu teased.

    ¡°A person who doesn¡¯t like bugs wouldn¡¯t have become a bug-controlling cultivator to begin with,¡± Tang Xiaolian reasoned, leaving him with no retort.

    Just then, a sound of a door opening came from outside.

    ¡°Captain Yan.¡± The first to enter was Zhang Huaide, who nodded to Yan Yu with courtesy.

    Then there was Zhou Hongyu with her expressionless face, still pairing a beautiful visage with a ¡®keep out¡¯ cold demeanor, which somehow lent her an odd charm of a chaste goddess.

    Seeing Yan Yu lying down on the chaise, she lowered her gaze and suddenly asked,

    ¡°I heard you became a cripple?¡±

    ¡°To save your little Xiaolian,¡± Yan Yu picked up his teacup and took a sip.

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Zhou Hongyu turned to Tang Xiaolian, ¡°Where is the egg?¡± sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Tang Xiaolian pointed to the counter.

    Then Zhou Hongyu went to see the egg with Zhang Huaide. Maybe it was an illusion, but Yan Yu felt that, in the moment she turned around, the corners of her mouth seemed to curve up slightly.

    ¡°Let me tell you in secret,¡± Tang Xiaolian sent a message to Yan Yu, ¡°Captain Zhou loves seeing you deflated. During the live broadcast of the Secret Realm of Li Palace, she was really attentive every time you charged into the enemy ranks or were surrounded, ignoring us completely.¡±

    ¡°It could also be that he wants to learn my fighting style, attempting to find a way to defeat me,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Maybe, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s very likely,¡± Tang Xiaolian said with a sigh, ¡°When it comes to fighting, if someone can be rushed to death, they will be; if they can¡¯t, they¡¯ll never be beaten that way.¡±

    Yan Yu was instantly taken aback and said:

    ¡°You¡¯re not Tang Xiaolian, who are you? The Tang Xiaolian I know would never say anything bad about her beloved Captain Zhou!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t speak ill of her! I just¡­¡± Tang Xiaolian fell silent for a moment, suddenly shocked.

    How could I look down on Captain Zhou? How could I actually look down on Captain Zhou? What¡¯s wrong with me?

    While she was there questioning her life, Qin Meng walked in with Meng Qingxi and another boy she hadn¡¯t seen before.

    ¡°Captain Yan,¡± he greeted Yan Yu, ¡°Are you feeling better?¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t much hurt to begin with, just drained,¡± Yan Yu replied with a smile.

    ¡°Let me introduce you to the sixth member we¡¯ve just recruited into our team,¡± Qin Meng nodded and called the boy behind him over, ¡°Hou Qing.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Captain Yan.¡± Hou Qing looked like a rich second generation, wearing very tasteful clothes and with well-styled hair. He glanced at Tang Xiaolian without a trace and said to Yan Yu with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m Hou Qing, a Sword Immortal by profession, and I will need to learn a lot from Captain Yan in the future.¡±

    Yan Yu nodded in response, but then heard Tang Xiaolian transmit a message to him:

    ¡°This guy has been pestering me lately, so annoying. Captain Yan, help me think of a way to handle him.¡±

    ¡°So should I wish you both a hundred years of bliss?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll tell him I¡¯m actually harboring a crush on Captain Yan!¡± Tang Xiaolian was suddenly furious.

    ¡°Spreading rumors about me, huh?¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°I¡¯ll go and hang you on the little red tree right now.¡±

    ¡°Hey, this method might actually work,¡± Tang Xiaolian pondered suddenly, ¡°After all, Captain Yan, you are so outstanding, any man compared to you would feel ashamed, right? If I say my type is someone like you, it might make Hou Qing back off.¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you really go through with it,¡± Yan Yu quickly warned her, ¡°You can¡¯t just say you like this person or that person without thinking it through!¡±

    Seeing the two exchange looks without a word, Hou Qing could guess that they were chatting through message transmission and immediately felt stifled, but he didn¡¯t dare to be presumptuous in front of Captain Yan, so he quietly went to find Deputy Captain Zhang.

    The members of the Huofeng Team gathered around the eggs of the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, staring at the eggs for a long time, only to hear Meng Qingxi say:

    ¡°So how do we hatch it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s said that you need to drip a drop of blood every day and nourish it with True Yuan,¡± Zhang Huaide replied, ¡°After forty-nine days, when the larva is full, it will hatch.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s too long,¡± Zhou Hongyu shook her head.

    ¡°There¡¯s no other way,¡± Zhang Huaide replied in a low voice, ¡°Haste makes waste.¡±

    ¡°By the way,¡± Hou Qing suddenly interjected, ¡°What¡¯s the relationship between Tang Xiaolian and Captain Yan? Why did she go to explore the Mysterious Realm with him instead of taking us with her?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s said that Captain Yan discovered the Mysterious Realm first,¡± Qin Meng glanced at him and replied blandly, ¡°Xiaolian just thickened her skin and followed, taking advantage of the situation.¡±

    ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case,¡± Hou Qing said, ¡°exploring the Mysterious Realm on their own without reporting to the Military Manor is problematic, right?¡±

    No one paid any attention to him, thinking he was being rather nonsensical. However, Zhang Huaide extended his middle finger, gently propping up his spectacles as a cold light flashed across the lenses, and suddenly transmitted a message privately:

    ¡°Hou Qing.¡±

    ¡°What is it, Deputy Captain Zhang?¡±

    ¡°During discussions of official matters, do not involve personal emotions.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes, understood,¡± Hou Qing replied.

 Chapter 426: 22 You are Not the Captain

    Chapter 426: Chapter 22 You are Not the Captain

    Before the advent of the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, insect-controlling cultivators actually faced a rather awkward status: they were too easily restrained by Taoism Method.

    Take Tang Xiaolian¡¯s Peach Blossom Miasma and the Flying Fire Ants, for example. They look numerous, overwhelming, and quite frightening. But with a single ¡°Tidal Division¡± from Su Yunjin, a deluge of water could instantly scatter them to the winds.

    Compared to the physically strong Demons and Spirit Beasts, Gu Insects are too fragile, and they aren¡¯t as adept at stealth as Yin Ghosts. Therefore, current military foresight research generally believes that the future of insect-controlling cultivators lies in reconnaissance and providing support, rather than taking on the role of the main attacker.

    The emergence of the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu completely changed this perception.

    Impervious to blades and fire, it meant neither Flying Swords nor Taoism Method could inflict any damage, and its strategic significance was self-evident.

    Of course, the current stage of the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu is not invincible. For instance, Qing An Team¡¯s Assistant Officer Wang Haoran, whose magic treasure is an Annals of History Scroll, can emit a vast expanse of Qing Guang that can immobilize people or Flying Swords. In battle, when he fixes the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu with Qing Guang, he can effectively render it invisible¡ªa lone insect must be extremely cautious of such controlling techniques.

    ...

    ¡°Of course, from another perspective, it¡¯s like forcing the opponent to use up one of their control-type offensive methods,¡± Zhang Huaide analyzed for everyone. ¡°On the battlefield, being immobilized means being at the mercy of others, so you have to be on guard against his control techniques all the time. But if you use the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu as an exchange piece, then our tactical execution will be much more at ease.¡± S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°This Gu insect is of great significance to us,¡± Zhou Hongyu concluded.

    ¡°On this matter, it¡¯s not just Xiaolian who owes Captain Yan a favor; our entire team does,¡± Zhang Huaide continued. ¡°Considering that the incident started with Xiaolian insisting on following Captain Yan into the Mysterious Realm, even though he now appears nonchalant about it, we should still try to do our best in aftercare.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been trying hard to make up for it,¡± Tang Xiaolian quickly said. ¡°I have been working on building rapport with him all this time!¡±

    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s building rapport, not harassing him?¡± Qin Meng retorted.

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Tang Xiaolian rolled her eyes. ¡°Captain Yan is a person whose inside matches his outside. If he¡¯s annoyed with you, he is annoyed with you. If I dared to bother him, he would have scolded me long ago.¡±

    ¡°Xiaolian, you need to maintain a good relationship with Captain Yan because you are the biggest beneficiary this time. Of course, the specifics are up to you,¡± Zhang Huaide said gravely. ¡°Captain Zhou, I¡¯ll go with you to thank Captain Yan in person.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± Zhou Hongyu frowned slightly, obviously reluctant.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, your Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire was also obtained for you by Captain Yan,¡± Zhang Huaide reminded.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it an equal exchange with the Thunder Method from the Zhendong Army?¡± Hou Qing questioned.

    ¡°What equal exchange?¡± Tang Xiaolian immediately scoffed. ¡°The Thunder Method has stringent cultivation conditions and requires an extremely strict True Yuan capacity. There¡¯s no suitable candidate within the entire Pingxi Army to cultivate it, whereas the Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire is extremely needed by our captain. To exchange a method we can¡¯t utilize for one we desperately need is clearly a huge advantage for us. How could we have the nerve to talk about an equal exchange? With Xie Ruoxi from their team being a Magic Cultivator with abundant True Yuan, it¡¯s not like she has to hang herself on the Thunder Method tree. Even if she cultivated the Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire, it would work for her. What¡¯s the need for her to insist on exchanging with us?¡±

    Hou Qing¡¯s face turned pale, then green, then pale again before he finally said in a muffled voice:

    ¡°I was mistaken.¡±

    ¡°Enough,¡± Zhou Hongyu signaled Tang Xiaolian to stop and then said to Zhang Huaide, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    When the two approached Yan Yu, who was napping with a blanket over him, they heard Zhang Huaide laugh and say,

    ¡°Captain Yan, our team owes you a big thanks for Xiaolian obtaining the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu. We really appreciate your help.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Zhou Hongyu said succinctly.

    Yan Yu slowly opened his eyes, first smiling at Zhang Huaide,

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Zhang. It¡¯s too formal to say it like that.¡±

    Then he turned to Zhou Hongyu, his smile fading slightly as he remarked,

    ¡°Just a thank you? Isn¡¯t there a cup of tea or something for me?¡±

    Zhou Hongyu, expressionless, picked up a cup from the table and then went to the counter to ask Tang Xiaolian,

    ¡°Where¡¯s the floral tea?¡±

    Everyone was shocked: was Captain Zhou really going to make tea for Captain Yan?

    ¡°Over there, on the top shelf,¡± Tang Xiaolian pointed and added, ¡°Captain Yan prefers jasmine tea.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s the jasmine tea?¡± Zhou Hongyu asked again.

    Everyone was shocked again: was Captain Zhou really going to make jasmine tea for Captain Yan?

    ¡°In the top right compartment,¡± Tang Xiaolian said.

    ¡°Well done, Tang Xiaolian!¡± Qin Meng said in surprise. ¡°You¡¯ve even figured out Captain Yan¡¯s tea preferences!¡±

    ¡°What else?¡± Tang Xiaolian retorted. ¡°I have helped run a family guesthouse before, you know?¡±

    Zhou Hongyu brewed a cup of jasmine tea and placed it on the table in front of Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu kept his arms wrapped in the blanket and said with a faint smile,

    ¡°You¡¯ve only made me tea, what about yourself?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not thirsty,¡± Zhou Hongyu shook his head.

    ¡°Sit,¡± Yan Yu indicated the seat opposite him.

    Zhou Hongyu didn¡¯t refuse but sat down in the chair across from him, opting not to lean back. Instead, he sat up straight, hands on his knees, his cold gaze fixed on Yan Yu as if to say, ¡°I¡¯m watching what you¡¯re going to pull next.¡±

    From the counter where he stood chatting with others, Captain Zhou saw Zhou Hongyu sitting with perfect posture on the other side and heaved a silent sigh.

    Forget it, I can¡¯t manage and have no way to manage interactions between captains.

    Yan Yu calmly observed Zhou Hongyu¡¯s pretty face, while the latter met his gaze with a stubborn and defensive look in her eyes.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Yan Yu suddenly showed a smile, ¡°You seem to be afraid of me?¡±

    ¡°Afraid of you!¡± Zhou Hongyu instantly got angry, first with a growl, then feeling her reaction might have been too intense, she quickly switched to a cold, scornful tone, and retorted, ¡°Afraid of you?¡±

    ¡°Otherwise?¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Right now, you¡¯re like a little kid who just started kindergarten, having to sit up straight because they¡¯re scared of being scolded by the teacher¡­¡±

    Before he could finish, Zhou Hongyu leaned back in her chair and looked out the window, casually saying:

    ¡°You sure know how to pick a nice place.¡±

    The meaning of changing the subject was, if you keep spouting nonsense about me being scared of you, I might really lose my composure.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t press further and just said:

    ¡°The location of Xiaolian¡¯s homestay has nothing to do with me, if you want to compliment, compliment her.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Zhou Hongyu responded with a sound but had nothing more to say.

    ¡°The reason why I helped her was purely coincidental.¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°Before entering the Mysterious Realm, I didn¡¯t know it would have Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Zhou Hongyu said.

    ¡°As for my current condition, it¡¯s because I overreached myself in the Mysterious Realm.¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°See? This is what happens when you insist on being too strong.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Zhou Hongyu said.

    ¡°Are you getting a bit impatient?¡± Yan Yu asked tentatively.

    ¡°No.¡± Zhou Hongyu said.

    Yan Yu immediately laughed helplessly. Given Zhou Hongyu¡¯s lone star-like character, it seemed she disdained lying: if she¡¯s annoyed, she¡¯s annoyed; if she¡¯s not, she¡¯s not. No need to say one thing when she means another.

    That is to say, she didn¡¯t want to talk more, but rather¡­ didn¡¯t know what to talk about with him?

    Interesting woman.

    ¡°Ding Ding~¡± Tang Xiaolian suddenly appeared above Yan Yu, holding onto the top of his recliner with both hands, a bright smile on her face as she spoke to the two, ¡°It¡¯s tea time in the afternoon! What would the two guests like to have? Would you like to start with cupcakes, crispy meat, cherry tomatoes, or¡­¡±

    ¡°Not eating you, thank you.¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°I¡¯m allergic to you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s mean!¡± Tang Xiaolian hit him on the head, chiding, ¡°Captain Yan, no mean talk allowed! So, Captain, what do you want to eat?¡±

    ¡°Fried crispy meat.¡± Zhou Hongyu said.

    ¡°How much?¡± Yan Yu asked, ¡°Not telling the price, are you planning to rip us off?¡±

    ¡°Today¡¯s afternoon tea will be on Miss Tang.¡± Tang Xiaolian hummed, ¡°If you don¡¯t choose now, you¡¯ll miss out.¡±

    ¡°So, is it still okay to choose now?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Too late!¡±

    Tang Xiaolian brought a lot of food from the kitchen to treat the teammates of the Huofeng Team.

    Everyone gathered to eat and drink, laughing and chatting, pretending not to see Captain Zhou and Captain Yan in the distance.

    Zhou Hongyu held a plate of fried crispy meat, dipping it in chili powder and eating slowly with chopsticks. Yan Yu sat opposite her, and although Tang Xiaolian joked that he had no part in it, in the end, she brought over a plate of cupcakes (one of each color), a plate of crispy meat, and a fruit platter mixed with tomatoes and blueberries, which looked very plentiful.

    ¡°Would you like some, Captain Zhou?¡± Yan Yu leisurely sipped his tea, pushing the plate of cakes a bit closer to the opposite side.

    ¡°I already have some.¡± Zhou Hongyu said.

    ¡°Really?¡± Yan Yu pretended to be shocked, ¡°Whose is it?¡±

    Zhou Hongyu gave him a cold glare.

    ¡°Just a joke.¡± Yan Yu laughed it off, ¡°You looked so serious, just trying to lighten the mood.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just how I am.¡± Zhou Hongyu said, ¡°If you¡¯re not used to it, don¡¯t bother me so often.¡±

    ¡°I can testify that Captain Zhou is indeed like this.¡± Tang Xiaolian popped up out of nowhere again, smiling, ¡°But I¡¯m not, you know, if Captain Zhou doesn¡¯t bother with you, Captain Yan, you can still come to me~¡±

    ¡°You?¡± Yan Yu looked her over, ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll do¡­¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Tang Xiaolian¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°You¡¯re not a captain.¡± Yan Yu said.

    Tang Xiaolian puffed up her cheeks in frustration, then turned her pleading eyes towards Zhou Hongyu, only to see her head down, eating her crispy meat again, making her facial expression unclear.

 Chapter 427: 23: Returning to Routine

    Chapter 427: Chapter 23: Returning to Routine

    After returning to the Shuzhong Prefecture squad headquarters, Zhang Huaide began redesigning the tactics.

    Compared to other teams, the Huofeng Team¡¯s weakness lay in the lack of a regular Sword Immortal. Qin Meng¡¯s attack range was too short, and Zhang Huaide had to be distracted by commanding, so that¡¯s why they recruited the dedicated Sword Immortal Hou Qing to strengthen the team and coordinate with the main assault expert Zhou Hongyu for combat.

    But if Tang Xiaolian could refine even one Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, she would be enough to qualify for the position of deputy assault expert. This would significantly expand the tactical operation space of the Huofeng Team. Now, many strategies that were previously not considered have become viable options.

    Well, however, the design on paper still needs to be adjusted according to actual data.

    After preparing several theoretical plans, Zhang Huaide went to the training field, planning to ask the team members for their opinions.

    Only to see Tang Xiaolian practising Sword Control Technique with Hou Qing at the training field, her sword techniques rapidly changing, forcing Hou Qing into a continuous retreat.

    ...

    Zhang Huaide: ?

    Before, not long after everyone had returned to Shuzhong Prefecture, Hou Qing found Tang Xiaolian in the training field and mentioned, ¡°I¡¯d like to learn some swordsmanship from Sister Xiaolian.¡±

    Hou Qing¡¯s pursuit of Tang Xiaolian wasn¡¯t a secret in the Huofeng Team. The guy was fairly decent-looking, paid great attention to his appearance, and most importantly, his family was very wealthy; it was said he had been involved with a double-digit number of girlfriends during high school, and had all sorts of tricks for chasing girls, totally unlike Qin Meng¡¯s straightforward and honest demeanor of ¡°Captain, tell me who to hit, and I¡¯ll hit them.¡±

    However, Tang Xiaolian had absolutely no interest in him, saying she ¡°doesn¡¯t like his type of look.¡± As for the money¡­ now, who in the Huofeng Team doesn¡¯t have several tens of millions in cash in their bank cards? Money really was just a number to top cultivators.

    It seems that yesterday¡¯s interaction between Yan Yu and Tang Xiaolian gave Hou Qing some subtle hint, leading him to think that Tang Xiaolian liked ¡°mighty cultivators,¡± and therefore, under the pretext of ¡°asking for swordsmanship guidance,¡± he wanted to showcase his own level of swordsmanship.

    It¡¯s just that a dedicated Sword Immortal like yourself practicing swordsmanship against someone who uses insects for cultivation, is really somewhat shameless.

    Meng Qingxi wanted to speak out and stop them, but then he heard Tang Xiaolian laugh and say:

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Confident in his superior swordsmanship skills, Hou Qing showed off his gentlemanly demeanor and said with a smile: S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Sister Xiaolian, you make the first move.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Tang Xiaolian nodded, her hands forming sword gestures, and the Peach Blossom Tender Sword quickly turned into a stream of light, rushing straight at him.

    Sky Light Piercing Clouds!

    Hou Qing revealed a smile as if he had expected this since 99% of cultivators who are not Sword Immortals usually start with White Rainbow Across the Sky¡­ for the simple reason that it¡¯s easy to use.

    Just as he was about to intercept with Cang Song Ying Ke, he suddenly felt something was terribly wrong.

    This isn¡¯t White Rainbow Across the Sky!

    As a superior Sword Technique to White Rainbow Across the Sky, Sky Light Piercing Clouds¡¯s path was almost the same, focusing primarily on a direct stab, and could also deviate slightly in the first or second half. The difference lay in the altered Qi circulation route, switching from the Lesser Yang Meridian to the stronger Yang Brightness Meridian. This increased True Yuan consumption dramatically and, at the same time, power and difficulty to control surged remarkably.

    Hou Qing tried to intercept with Cang Song Ying Ke; blocking White Rainbow Across the Sky was almost a guarantee, but it was wishful thinking to block Sky Light Piercing Clouds. As a result, his Flying Sword was instantly knocked flying, spinning backward, thrown awry, and the Peach Blossom Tender Sword seized the opportunity, attacking towards his face. Under the control of Tang Xiaolian, it stopped just at his throat.

    ¡°You¡¯ve lost,¡± Tang Xiaolian said with a cold laugh. ¡°The way of swordsmanship is endless. Go study harder!¡±

    Meng Qingxi and Qin Meng on the side were completely stunned.

    ¡°I¡¯ve lost,¡± Hou Qing gritted his teeth. ¡°Can you continue to enlighten me?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Tang Xiaolian snickered inwardly.

    The two continued to duel in a few matches until Zhang Huaide arrived; by then, they were already in the fifth match.

    With Deputy Captain Zhang¡¯s professional expertise, it was clear that overall, Hou Qing had the advantage in swordsmanship skills. After all, he was a professional Sword Immortal selected for the Huofeng Team, surely someone with real skills.

    But the odd thing was that even though Tang Xiaolian was evidently put at a disadvantage in just a few moves, she would always suddenly display an unseen Sword Technique, instantly turning the situation around and putting Hou Qing in disarray.

    Zhang Huaide watched for a while and confirmed that he had indeed never seen those sword moves before. They were either astonishingly powerful or treacherously executed, carrying a sense of ¡°unorthodox approach¡± and ¡°winning with strangeness.¡±

    Yet she truly did not master them, just mechanically executing without any variation. Ironically, Hou Qing had developed a psychological shadow from these moves. Every time she used such unfamiliar Sword Styles, he would immediately defend with all his might, completely ceding initiative and rhythm on the battlefield¡­ Thus, even though his swordsmanship was stronger, he couldn¡¯t overcome Tang Xiaolian for a long time.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Zhang Huaide suddenly spoke, ¡°let¡¯s stop here for now. Xiaolian, come here with me.¡±

    The match was halted, and Tang Xiaolian left the training ground somewhat reluctantly, following behind Deputy Captain Zhang. Suddenly, she said:

    ¡°Actually, I could have won that round.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s meaningless,¡± Zhang Huaide said indifferently, ¡°Any sword technique that is unfamiliar, after I watch you execute it eight or ten times, becomes familiar. Even if you could win this round, what about the next one? You¡¯re bound to lose sooner or later.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll quit while I¡¯m ahead,¡± Tang Xiaolian nodded and said.

    ¡°Did Captain Yan teach you that sword technique?¡± Zhang Huaide asked for confirmation.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Tang Xiaolian nodded, ¡°Without his permission, I can¡¯t disclose it to others.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to steal it,¡± Zhang Huaide mused for a moment before suddenly asking, ¡°Xiaolian, do you¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­have an interest in studying swordsmanship on the side? I mean, to become a versatile cultivator who can both control swords and use insects.¡±

    Meanwhile, Yan Yu, who had recovered substantially, traveled a long distance via sword flight and returned to the team¡¯s villa in Jinling Prefecture.

    As soon as he entered the room, he smelled the rich aroma of meat. Without a second thought, after changing his shoes and passing through the foyer, he indeed saw Lin Ning busying herself in front of the stew pot in the kitchen.

    ¡°Beef stew?¡± Yan Yu leaned in to ask.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Lin Ning got such a fright that she recoiled. Once she realized what was happening, she immediately turned around in annoyance and tried to hit him with the ladle, exclaiming, ¡°You scared me to death!¡±

    The ladle smacked onto Yan Yu, and Lin Ning froze:

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you dodge?¡±

    Yan Yu gave a wry smile, then suddenly his eyes rolled back, and he fell back, causing Lin Ning to rush over in alarm to support him, carefully laying him on the sofa before asking anxiously:

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, I forgot about your injury this time. Where are you hurt?¡±

    ¡°My whole body is injured,¡± Yan Yu said feebly, then detailed to Lin Ning what had happened in the ¡°Ascending Heaven Stairs¡± trial in the Mysterious Realm.

    ¡°So that¡¯s what happened,¡± Lin Ning¡¯s expression mixed with distress and guilt, ¡°This geomagnetic force¡­ Ah, it¡¯s all my fault for going too hard. I¡¯ll go find Yun Jin to take a look at you.¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu quickly stopped her, ¡°Didn¡¯t I rest for a day after coming out of the Mysterious Realm? My body has mostly recovered.¡±

    ¡°Then why did you just collapse¡­¡± Lin Ning was puzzled.

    ¡°Just messing with you.¡±

    Smelling the aroma of the beef stew, Zhao Yuanzhen hurried down the stairs and saw the stew pot in the kitchen bubbling away, while on the sofa, Lin Ning, with a flushed face, sat astride Yan Yu, using a cushion to fiercely smack his head, angrily shouting:

    ¡°That¡¯s for bullying me! That¡¯s for bullying me! I¡¯m going to flatten you!¡±

    In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through the mind of the Demonic Sect Enchantress:

    The steak might as well be spoiled in the pot if I don¡¯t eat it now, but if I don¡¯t save the little thief right away, Ningning might just kill him.

    No, that¡¯s not right. If I don¡¯t eat the steak now, it might get snatched away by another sister later, and Ningning couldn¡¯t really beat the little thief if he got serious, right? It must be just an act, no worries.

    Still not right, maybe the steak isn¡¯t tender enough yet, it hasn¡¯t reached the peak of deliciousness; and if the little thief and Ningning stick together like that, even if it¡¯s just a joke, an accident could easily happen, would that not cuckold me?

    The feeling still seemed incorrect¡­ the steak¡­ the little thief¡­

    Her mind buzzing, she suddenly had an epiphany, no longer hesitated, and rushed over like the wind, dragging Lin Ning off of Yan Yu, and asked seriously:

    ¡°Is the steak done yet?¡±

    ¡°Er, not yet,¡± Lin Ning instinctively felt a sense of embarrassment as if her domestic mishap had been witnessed, and even though she wanted to explain further, she heard Zhao Yuanzhen instead say:

    ¡°Ningning, I¡¯ll help you hit him, you just take care of the steak in the kitchen.¡±

    No sooner had she spoken than she sat down hard on Yan Yu, almost making him run out of breath.

 Chapter 428: 24 The Determination to Take Down the Captain

    Chapter 428: Chapter 24 The Determination to Take Down the Captain

    In the room, Su Yunjin was discussing the year¡¯s affairs with her parents¡ªand then they had a big argument.

    ¡°I¡¯ve said it!¡± Su Yunjin said angrily, ¡°It¡¯s just inviting the captain over for a meal at our house! And besides, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s scheduled for New Year¡¯s Eve, so what misunderstanding could there be?¡± S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Yun Jin,¡± her mother pleaded patiently on the other end of the phone, ¡°I told you, your aunt¡¯s family is going to come over and stay for a few days, and they¡¯ve already arranged it with us¡­¡±

    ¡°So let them stay for a few days, that doesn¡¯t conflict with us inviting the captain over for dinner!¡± Su Yunjin said.

    ¡°So when we invite your captain for dinner, should your aunt¡¯s family join us or not?¡± her mother asked her, ¡°Or should we entertain your captain outside and let your aunt¡¯s family fend for themselves?¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s eat together!¡± Su Yunjin said.

    ...

    ¡°And when someone asks ¡®Who is this young man?¡¯ how should we explain?¡± her mother¡¯s tone also grew irritable, ¡°Even if it were a couple, it would be strange to meet the girl¡¯s relatives during the New Year if they haven¡¯t reached the stage of discussing marriage, let alone the fact that you two aren¡¯t even in a relationship.¡±

    Su Yunjin also started feeling a headache and asked again:

    ¡°Can¡¯t we just ask my aunt to change their visit to another time?¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask your captain to change the time then?¡± her mother retorted, ¡°Which is more important, your relatives or your captain?¡±

    ¡°Of course, the captain is more important,¡± Su Yunjin replied without a second thought.

    ¡°Yun Jin!¡± her mother exasperated, ¡°Do you actually have feelings for your what¡¯s-his-name captain¡­¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± her father immediately intervened, ¡°Don¡¯t argue with the kid, I¡¯ll talk to her, you go do your thing. Didn¡¯t you say you haven¡¯t reviewed that student¡¯s thesis yet? Hurry up and go take care of it¡­¡±

    He sent her mother away on the other end of the phone, and then he spoke to his daughter:

    ¡°Yun Jin, Dad is not against this, but we don¡¯t know the specifics of your situation. Let me ask you first, is it your captain who wants to visit us, or do you want him to come over?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s me, I want him to come over,¡± Su Yunjin answered.

    ¡°But there¡¯s a problem,¡± her father said, ¡°Is your captain willing to come over?¡±

    Su Yunjin fell silent for a moment. She certainly didn¡¯t want to admit that she had cajoled Yan Yu into agreeing, and so she responded with a calm tone:

    ¡°Of course, he¡¯s willing. I have a good relationship with the captain, and he probably has already wanted to visit my home for a while.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s like having a good colleague from your workplace come over as a guest, which is no problem. I¡¯ll go explain it to your aunt,¡± her father paused, then continued, ¡°But if you have feelings for your captain and you¡¯re using meeting the girl¡¯s parents as a way to pressure him, it will likely backfire. Dad wants to make that clear to you¡­¡±

    ¡°Dad!¡± Su Yunjin, feeling both guilty and annoyed, exclaimed, ¡°How could I possibly do such a thing!¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin, do you remember in high school, there was a boy who kept writing you love letters and was persistent for a long time,¡± her father said, ¡°Eventually you deliberately mixed the love letters with your Chinese homework and handed it in, so your head teacher accidentally saw them. That led to the school summoning that boy and his parents, as well as us, and I remember the boy just broke down on the spot¡­¡±

    ¡°That was an accident,¡± Su Yunjin said weakly, ¡°He left the love letter on top of the homework stack, and others put more papers on top, that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t see it.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, Dad believes it was an accident,¡± her father immediately changed his tune and said, ¡°I just want to remind you, many times little accidents of yours, although they might conveniently achieve your goal, could bring significant hurt to others, so make sure to think things through before you say or do anything.¡±

    Su Yunjin was silent for a long while, then suddenly asked:

    ¡°Dad, if I really do like the captain, would you oppose it?¡±

    Her father also felt an indescribable heaviness coming through from the other end of the phone and quickly forced a laugh saying:

    ¡°No, no, on this matter, Mom and Dad will definitely respect your feelings first and foremost.¡±

    ¡°That would be great,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile. ¡°Dad believes that I¡¯ll definitely handle my relationship with the captain well, right?¡±

    How could he respond to that? Could he actually say, ¡°Daddy doesn¡¯t believe you can handle it¡±? Father Su could only agree repeatedly:

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Good, about mother, please help me to explain it to her,¡± Su Yunjin added at last. ¡°I still have things to do here, I will call you again next time.¡±

    After hanging up the phone, Father Su pondered for a while, then turned to look for Mother Su.

    Mother Su sat on the sofa watching TV, her expression clearly unhappy. Father Su sat down next to her and after a silent moment, suddenly said:

    ¡°Yun Jin must like her captain.¡±

    ¡°How could I possibly not notice?¡± Mother Su said irritably. ¡°She likes someone, but does that person like her? I¡¯m afraid that she might chase after him and end up hurt herself in the end.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s her choice.¡± Father Su consoled his wife, saying, ¡°When it comes to love, everyone must walk their own path; as parents, we can¡¯t help.¡±

    ¡°With Yun Jin being so beautiful and outstanding, having so many people liking her since she was young, what kind of partner couldn¡¯t she find? Why must she focus on that Longcheng Flying General?¡± Mother Su was still extremely dissatisfied and complained, ¡°I asked around today, and they told me that with the status of Longcheng Flying General, he is bound to be arranged for a political marriage by those above. The vice-captain of her team is the daughter of the Governor of Jianghai Prefecture. How can Yun Jin compete with the Governor¡¯s daughter?¡±

    Father Su was at a loss for words, after a long pause, he finally said:

    ¡°It also depends on whether the Longcheng Flying General accepts it. If he also likes Yun Jin, those above can¡¯t force him to marry by pressing down on his head; his status now is not something that can be manipulated. What I¡¯m worried about is Yun Jin being too anxious and messing things up¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± Mother Su scoffed confidently. ¡°Yun Jin is so smart and sensible. If I were that Longcheng Flying General, I would have been with her a long time ago.¡±

    Seeing his wife entering a protective mode again, Father Su did not say more, just let out a deep sigh.

    He had said everything that needed to be said to his daughter. As for who his daughter would end up with and whether she could get her wish, that would be left to fate.

    Some things couldn¡¯t be forced by human effort, in the end, it depends on destiny.

    As for Su Yunjin, after hanging up the phone, she sat alone in her room feeling gloomy for a long time before she got up and went to the bathroom to wash her face, trying to calm herself down.

    Wiping the extra water from her face with a washcloth, she carefully examined her reflection in the mirror.

    Pure, delicate, any words used to describe a young and beautiful woman could be applied to the lovely face in the mirror.

    She was, at this moment, in the prime of her life, the most golden years for a woman, with the strongest attraction to the opposite sex.

    For some reason, Su Yunjin suddenly remembered the Illusion Realm challenge in The Secret Realm of Li Palace, how she had to watch the captain marry Ling Yun, how she could only silently endure until they argued and even divorced after their marriage, and then she could find an opportunity to enter his life and fulfill her desires¡­

    I don¡¯t want that.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to wait,¡± she affirmed, staring at herself in the mirror.

    I must make the captain fall in love with me!

    Outside the room, Xie Ruoxi¡¯s voice suddenly sounded:

    ¡°Yun Jin, it seems like the captain is back, are you coming down?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Su Yunjin replied clearly, ¡°I¡¯ll be right out.¡±

    She patted her cheeks, then looked into the wall mirror again, revealing a tender, lovely, and flawlessly pure smile.

 Chapter 429: 25 Steak and Treatment

    Chapter 429: Chapter 25 Steak and Treatment

    ¡°Having handed over the Liang Yi Microparticle Sword for research and registration, Yan Yu welcomed a new vacation¡ªsince he wasn¡¯t armed with the dual swords, his power couldn¡¯t be fully realized; therefore, apart from ¡®urgent missions that only he could handle,¡¯ Li Weiguo would certainly wait until the Liang Yi Microparticle Swordsmanship was returned before considering sending Yan Yu into battle again, an easily deducible conclusion.¡±

    ¡°Thus, Yan Yu could calmly plan the next stage of the team¡¯s training schedule.¡±

    ¡°Su Yunjin needed to collect the Rootless Water in preparation for her Water Element Tao Transformation. Lin Ning had even more to learn; mastering the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step and the Two-handed Sword Control Technique as soon as possible was imperative.¡±

    ¡°Chen Lingyun would wait for the arrival of Ox-Head and Horse-Face from the Dingbei Army as well as continue researching the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Divine Seal Technique; Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t have anything new to learn, but her basics in all areas were so lacking that she needed to catch up urgently.¡±

    ¡°As for the Demonic Sect Enchantress, Zhao Yuanzhen, first set aside the training and such, and hurry up with the puppet upgrades¡ªthat trip to Nanjiang, her puppet wasn¡¯t with her but left with Zhao Yuanzhen for modifications.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which, during the Departure Palace event broadcasted live worldwide, using the puppet as a trump card and then boldly killing the caught-off-guard Xiandao Jingyin, there wasn¡¯t a subsequent need to keep it a strict secret.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Just use it when necessary.¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu was typing on his phone, organizing his to-do list into notes when he suddenly heard Lin Ning call out:¡±

    ¡°¡®All right, everyone, come eat!''¡±

    ¡°As for Zhao Yuanzhen, who had vowed to ¡®beat up Yan Yu¡¯ on Lin Ning¡¯s behalf, she had already become restless with the increasingly aromatic smell from the kitchen, rushing over with a vow to eat the first slice of braised beef steak out of the pot.¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu rose from the couch just in time to see Xie Ruoxi and Su Yunjin come down from the second floor. In the kitchen, Lin Ning was holding Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s waist tightly, preventing her from lifting the stew pot¡¯s lid, crying out.¡±

    ¡°¡®Another minute to simmer! Sister Zhao, just one more minute!''¡±

    ¡°¡®Captain.¡¯ Xie Ruoxi greeted him.¡±

    ¡°¡®You look a bit pale.¡¯ Su Yunjin transmitted her voice to him, ¡®I will come to your room later to check on you.''¡±

    ¡°This was another subtle move from Secretary Su: If she checked in her room, Yan Yu might soon say ¡®Okay, I have to get going¡¯; but if she checked in Yan Yu¡¯s room, how long the two of them could stick together was for her to decide.¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu didn¡¯t see through her little trick and readily agreed.¡±

    ¡°Chen Lingyun was the last to come downstairs; the girl was still in her pajamas, seemingly just woken up from a nap, rubbing her eyes as she came down, glancing at Yan Yu without saying a word.¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu went over to the dining table to see Lin Ning carefully wearing oversized oven mitts and straining to bring over the stew pot filled with juicy, bone-in beef steak.¡±

    ¡°¡®Try it and see, it¡¯s my first time making this,¡¯ she said humbly, ¡®I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s good.''¡±

    ¡°Zhao Yuanzhen had already lifted the lid, quickly grabbing a piece for her bowl and began to gnaw on it.¡±

    ¡°The girls all reached out their chopsticks for some, and Yan Yu tried a piece too¡ªit tasted good.¡±

    ¡°¡®How is it?¡¯ Lin Ning looked at him expectantly, her eyes shining with an inexplicable light, ¡®Give me your comment.''¡±

    ¡°¡®Tender and flavorful.¡¯ Zhao Yuanzhen answered, ¡®But the portion of meat is too small, you should pay attention when selecting the ingredients next time.''¡±

    ¡°¡®I wasn¡¯t asking you!¡¯ Lin Ning retorted irritably.¡±

    ¡°¡®Ningning, this pot of beef steak was especially stewed for you,¡¯ Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡®Hearing that you¡¯re coming back today, she went to the market early in the morning to buy ingredients.''¡±

    ¡°¡®That¡¯s not true!¡¯ Lin Ning immediately paled with shock, quickly retorted, ¡®The beef steak was of course stewed for everyone! It¡¯s just that I thought since the captain was injured, he needed plenty of high-quality protein during recovery, so I chose to make a pot of braised beef, but that doesn¡¯t mean I made it especially for the captain, right? If I were making it special for him, I wouldn¡¯t have brought it to the dining table, I would have just taken it straight to the captain¡¯s room, wouldn¡¯t I? Of course, I wouldn¡¯t do that!''¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu did not respond to her defense, simply saying:¡±

    ¡°¡®It¡¯s quite delicious, I¡¯ll have another bowl.''¡±

    ¡°¡®I¡¯ll get it for you.¡¯ Su Yunjin stood up.¡±

    ¡°¡®Hey, I¡¯m talking to you.¡¯ Lin Ning wanted to kick him, but fearing that she might hurt him, she could only huff, ¡®It¡¯s not made especially for you, you should know!''¡±

    ¡°¡®I know, I know.¡¯ Yan Yu took the small bowl from Su Yunjin, ¡®Thanks, Yun Jin.''¡±

    ¡°Seeing this, Lin Ning grew even angrier: ¡®What about me? Don¡¯t you thank me?''¡±

    ¡°¡®I did want to thank you,¡¯ Yan Yu replied, ¡®but this pot of beef wasn¡¯t made especially for me.''¡±

    ¡°The girls immediately burst into laughter, Lin Ning appeared crestfallen, and Chen Lingyun, as if that wasn¡¯t enough, added salt to the wound:¡±

    ¡°¡®Since it¡¯s made for everyone, let¡¯s all thank Ningning together.''¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Ningning,¡± Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t catch on and immediately echoed in response, ¡°Big Sis Ning makes the best beef.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Ningning,¡± Su Yunjin also said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s hard work.¡±

    Lin Ning forced a smile. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t want to hear everyone¡¯s thanks, but the person she wanted to hear from hadn¡¯t said anything¡­

    The phone beside her suddenly lit up with a new message:

    [Win Over with Virtue]: No matter who you cooked it for, it was really delicious, thanks Ningning.

    Lin Ning immediately felt better and waved her hands saying:

    ¡°No need for thanks, no need. I cook for you guys every day, what¡¯s with the mushy talk, let¡¯s eat, let¡¯s eat¡­ Zhao sis! Slow down with the eating! Leave some for everyone!¡± Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Zhao Yuanzhen had been quietly battling her food since earlier, and there was already a large pile of bones at the edge of her bowl.

    Everyone quickly continued to reach for food with their chopsticks, eating and drinking, and soon the big pot of steak was gone.

    After a meal and wine, everyone moved to the sofa to rest and entertain themselves, while Su Yunjin headed to the second floor, calling out to Yan Yu privately:

    ¡°Come up, I¡¯ll take a look at you.¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Yan Yu followed her upstairs.

    Once in the room, all that could be heard was Su Yunjin saying:

    ¡°Alright, take off your clothes.¡±

    Yan Yu stripped off his clothes, leaving only his shorts, revealing a body with clearly defined muscles. Su Yunjin concentrated the Runescript True Essence at her fingertips and cautiously slid them over the surface of his skin, suddenly feeling her heartbeat quicken and her cheeks heat up.

    ¡°Hmm, many muscle fibers are torn,¡± she said, forcefully suppressing her romantic feelings and calmly continuing, ¡°It probably happened because of overexertion.¡±

    ¡°In the Ascending Heaven Stairs challenge, we used geomagnetic force to replace gravity and increase amplification,¡± Yan Yu explained, ¡°so every step put a lot of strain on the body.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Su Yunjin paused for a moment before adding, ¡°Logically speaking, high gravity should primarily cause damage to the legs and cardiovascular system, but why are your arms also so heavily worn out?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s because Tang Xiaolian from the Huofeng Team went with me,¡± Yan Yu casually explained, ¡°She was pinned down during the Ascending Heaven Stairs challenge, and later I had to carry her up, so probably that¡¯s why my arms got injured too.¡±

    ¡°I see, that explains it,¡± Su Yunjin said as she started to massage and knead him, infusing the area with Runescript True Essence for tissue repair, and then asked, ¡°Speaking of which, I¡¯m actually a bit curious.¡±

    ¡°Captain, you wanted to explore that Mysterious Realm on your own, not wanting to put us at risk for your personal affairs, which I can understand. But why did you take Tang Xiaolian with you?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yun Jin.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Has the gravity in this room increased?¡±

    ¡°Stop joking, this isn¡¯t some Heavenly Ladder,¡± Su Yunjin quickly reined in her pressure and gently said, ¡°I don¡¯t mean to criticize the captain. You must¡¯ve thought things through and weighed all options when deciding who to take to the Mysterious Realm, I just want to know why.¡±

    ¡°Uh, I didn¡¯t really think or consider much,¡± Yan Yu laughed bitterly, ¡°I didn¡¯t know my way around there, and Tang Xiaolian happened to be a local, so I asked her to lend me a hand.¡±

    ¡°Now I understand,¡± Su Yunjin said dispassionately, ¡°So you brought her along because she could be of help to you.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu suddenly realized something and quickly added, ¡°I don¡¯t mean that you wouldn¡¯t be helpful, it¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t want to trouble you guys, after all, it¡¯s not a mission from the authorities.¡±

    ¡°But the captain got hurt, huh,¡± Su Yunjin continued, ¡°Exploring a Mysterious Realm alone, isn¡¯t there a risk of getting injured? What would you do in case you encounter another Heavenly Ladder Challenge next time?¡±

    ¡°Uh, I¡¯ll just be more careful?¡± Yan Yu tentatively answered.

    ¡°Next time, take me with you,¡± Su Yunjin revealed a beautiful smile, speaking tenderly yet firmly, ¡°If we encounter a situation like this, I can help treat your injuries right away.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what the situation might be next time,¡± Yan Yu explained, ¡°and it¡¯s not even certain if there will be a next time¡­¡±

    ¡°You just need to promise me for now,¡± Su Yunjin interrupted.

    Quack, there¡¯s the gravity again!

 Chapter 430: 26: Digging a Pit Here First

    Chapter 430: Chapter 26: Digging a Pit Here First

    Jiangbei, Jiangnan, Jianghai ¡ª these three regions generally boast affluent households. Paired with Lu Country¡¯s traditional custom of pampering daughters, women from these areas tend to be quite independent and opinionated. Or to quote a Liu surnamed netizen from the North who wishes to remain anonymous, each one is a ¡°real piece of work.¡±

    Of course, it¡¯s quite normal for Mr. Liu to make such biased and unfair judgments due to his own personal grudges and systematic regional discrimination against women from the Wu-speaking areas.

    Having had extensive interactions with Su Yunjin, Chen Lingyun, and his sister Yan Jing, Yan Yu considered himself quite qualified to speak on this matter. To call them ¡°real pieces of work¡± was exaggerated; a more accurate description would be ¡°full of ideas.¡±

    Of course, having dealt with Chen Lingyun in his previous life, Secretary Su of the Gravity Envoys could hardly be considered troublesome.

    As the strongest in this life, he aimed to be unbeaten on the battlefield and always victorious in love! Watch how effortlessly I unravel her Gravity Spell!

    Yan Yu, keeping his composure, smiled and said,

    ...

    ¡°Yun Jin wants to come with me?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Su Yunjin nodded and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t want to cause trouble for the team leader, but to help the team leader¡­ You understand what I mean, right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you think that way,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°but can you help me now?¡±

    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t I manage it?¡± Su Yunjin frowned slightly.

    ¡°Let me tell you about the Mysterious Realm,¡± Yan Yu began to explain, ¡°Upon entering, the first challenge is the One-Line Sky Gorge. We walked for almost twenty minutes and couldn¡¯t see the end. What would you do if you were me?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Su Yunjin instinctively wanted to say, ¡°Isn¡¯t that just a looping illusion?¡± but then she realized, she didn¡¯t know how to break such an illusion either.

    ¡°This challenge actually tests one¡¯s visual acuity,¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°Later, I found a hidden stone door on a cliff covered with moss, which led to the second challenge. We needed to learn Sword Techniques from the murals on the walls and use a special Sword Technique to break through the stone door. Can you help me with this, Yun Jin?¡±

    Once again, Su Yunjin was at a loss for words, as swordsmanship was not her forte either.

    ¡°The first two challenges aside, even if you can¡¯t help, you could still get by with my guidance,¡± Yan Yu added, ¡°After passing through the cave into the Golden Flower Field, we face the third challenge: withstanding the attack of the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu alone. This creature can withstand blades and fire¡ªwhat would you do if you were there, Yun Jin?¡±

    ¡°Even if I couldn¡¯t break its defense, I could at least trap it for a while using the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art,¡± Su Yunjin promptly replied.

    ¡°I forgot to mention, the creature¡¯s flying speed surpasses even the Sword Control Technique,¡± Yan Yu smiled, ¡°Can your Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art hit an object as swift as the Flying Sword?¡±

    Su Yunjin fell silent. Of course, it wouldn¡¯t work. Given the speed of the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, the best approach was using the Flying Sword, followed by using broad-range Taoism Methods that did not require exact aim. But such methods consumed vast amounts of True Yuan, and considering the creature¡¯s resistance to elements, sustaining such spells wouldn¡¯t be feasible.

    Indeed, all the challenges in this Mysterious Realm were designed to test a Sword Immortal. Given Su Yunjin¡¯s level of swordsmanship, her performance there would probably be slightly better than Tang Xiaolian¡¯s, but likely not by much.

    ¡°The fourth challenge is that of the Heavenly Ladder Challenge,¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°With each step, the gravitational pull increases slightly, and towards the end, it could exceed your own body weight. Tang Xiaolian once completely succumbed to the pressure and fainted. Do you think you can make it through the Heavenly Ladder, Yun Jin?¡±

    While Su Yunjin was somewhat defiant, the mere sight of Yan Yu¡¯s physique made it clear that the Heavenly Ladder was no easy challenge. Perhaps only a Body Cultivating Cultivator like Qin Meng could easily pass; hence she couldn¡¯t realistically claim, ¡°I can make it.¡± S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    After all, she wasn¡¯t Lin Ning; she couldn¡¯t just stubbornly talk tough.

    ¡°Yun Jin, you said you could help treat my injuries, and I certainly don¡¯t deny that,¡± Yan Yu commented, ¡°But if you were to faint on the Heavenly Ladder, wouldn¡¯t that mean I¡¯d have to carry you up, potentially exacerbating my injuries instead?¡±

    Su Yunjin had no response to that, so she suddenly asked,

    ¡°Then could Tang Xiaolian make it?¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°If I wasn¡¯t absolutely unfamiliar with Nanjiang, I would never have sought her help. Speaking of which, let¡¯s discuss the final challenge.¡±

    ¡°If the first challenge tests observational skills, the second learning ability, the third basic combat, and the fourth is a test of constitution and will, then the fifth challenge is a combination of the previous four. It consists of countless Sword Qi lines forming a Sword Array that continuously generates new Sword Qi aimed at slashing at you. You must last at least an incense stick¡¯s worth of time in there without being touched by even a fraction of the Sword Qi.¡±

    ¡°The skills needed are the observational skills to monitor surrounding Sword Qi, the learning ability to memorize the patterns of the Sword Qi lines, the basic skills to timely slash the Sword Qi lines, and, of course, the willpower to maintain focus throughout. Each one is crucial.¡±

    ¡°At that time, because my body was too ravaged to continue, I had Tang Xiaolian break the formation for me. She wasn¡¯t skilled with swords, so I taught her all the Sword Techniques on the spot to memorize rigidly and then guided her through the challenge with voice commands, dictating 1¨C2 tactical moves per second. If she reacted even slightly slow, or made a minor mistake in execution, she would be hit by the Sword Array and eliminated.¡±

    ¡°She tried less than ten times and passed under my command without a single mistake¡­ Yun Jin, can you do it?¡±

    Su Yunjin remained silent for a long time, her expression becoming somber, her eyes losing their luster.

    ¡°Yun Jin,¡± Yan Yu tempered his tone, consoling her, ¡°your strength doesn¡¯t lie in fighting solo but in teamwork. The Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art can block and trap enemies, and the Healing Rune Spell can also save your teammates. However, once the team size is reduced, the demand on each member¡¯s ability to fight independently increases significantly. Sword Control Technique is central to this aspect, it¡¯s the crux.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Su Yunjin said dejectedly. ¡°If Ningning insists on following you, the captain would agree to it, right?¡±

    ¡°If I knew beforehand that there were places in the mysterious realm that needed to block or trap enemies, I would certainly take you, Yun Jin,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile. ¡°But if it¡¯s a completely unknown mysterious realm, and I had to choose someone, I would prioritize Lin Ning.¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin, I don¡¯t mean to underestimate you, but in conquering mysterious realms, everything must be result-oriented and strength is the only standard of measure.¡±

    ¡°If you really want to stay by my side, then you must strive to become stronger until I think of you first when I need help, and by then, even if you don¡¯t want to come, I would plead with you to accompany me.¡±

    ¡°I get it,¡± Su Yunjin nodded her head and stood up.

    The heavy and oppressive aura that had always surrounded her dissipated completely.

    In its place was a feeling as if something were burning¡­ She was ignited!

    Su Yunjin went to the door and suddenly turned to say:

    ¡°Captain, I will become stronger.¡±

    She revealed a beautiful and gentle smile, softly saying:

    ¡°By then, the captain definitely won¡¯t refuse me again.¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Yan Yu nodded earnestly.

    Easily handling and sending Yun Jin away, Yan Yu lay down on the bed comfortably, revealing a confident and invincible smile.

    Vulnerable men are only crushed by the imposing presence of powerful women, but strong men ignite their fighting spirit, sending them on the path to strengthen themselves ceaselessly; this is the strongest confidence in this world!

    Hahahaha! Indeed, I am invincible!

    Meanwhile, Su Yunjin went to the kitchen where Lin Ning was cleaning up dishes and joined her to help wash the dishes.

    ¡°Thanks, Yun Jin,¡± Lin Ning said gratefully.

    ¡°No need to thank me,¡± Su Yunjin said with a gentle smile. ¡°Ningning, I need your help with something.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    ¡°I want to practice Sword Control Technique,¡± Su Yunjin said.

    ¡°But you are a Magic Cultivator,¡± Lin Ning inquired puzzledly. ¡°Compared to Sword Control Technique, practicing Taoism Method would be much more cost-effective.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Su Yunjin responded, ¡°I will set aside specific time to train extra.¡±

    ¡°That could work,¡± Lin Ning didn¡¯t overthink it, as she herself was diligent and always keen on extra practice, but she wondered why Yun Jin, who usually took a lax approach to cultivation and even often slacked off, had suddenly ignited her fighting spirit. ¡°But swordsmanship is quite deep; what specifically do you want to practice?¡±

    ¡°I need to train to the extent that the captain can¡¯t ignore me,¡± Su Yunjin asserted.

    Lin Ning was left speechless, thinking even I can¡¯t do that, and you, not even in the profession of a Sword Immortal, are still thinking about reversing the Heavenly Gang?

    ¡°Maybe start with the basic four techniques!¡± she suggested with a forced laugh.

 Chapter 431: 27 Puppet Ah Zhens New Feature

    Chapter 431: Chapter 27 Puppet Ah Zhen¡¯s New Feature

    Zhen Dong Defense Academy, special training ground for the Zhenhai Team.

    Xie Ruoxi hadn¡¯t been feeling particularly competitive lately.

    Oddly enough, before entering the Departure Palace, she seemed to have been training rather diligently¡­ What could be the reason for her lack of drive now?

    All she remembered was that it was somehow related to the team captain, but she had forgotten the details.

    Forget it, forget it, she would just finish her training for the day and then go back to watch shows! And play video games!

    ¡°Ruoxi, focus!¡± Yan Yu shouted from off the field, ¡°If you don¡¯t like shooting moving targets to practice your aim, we can spar instead, and you can use me as your target!¡±

    ...

    Xie Ruoxi¡¯s head shrank down immediately, and she hastily clenched her Thunder Method to aim at the targets.

    Su Yunjin was practicing her Sword Control Technique with Lin Ning. Yan Yu took a casual glance and saw they were practicing the four basic forms. It was clear that Ningning was accompanying Yunjin in her practice, so Yan ignored them for the time being.

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s research into the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner had finally made a breakthrough¡­ Well, it could be considered a breakthrough anyway, though Yan Yu didn¡¯t quite understand it since it required the help of a magic treasure.

    The Yin Yang Order.

    The magic treasure that Xie Ruoxi and Liu Longtao had acquired from the Secret Realm of Li Palace, not knowing its specific utility, and since the Dragon Soar Team didn¡¯t have a Necromancer, both parties agreed that it should belong to the Zhendong Army.

    When Chen Lingyun heard about it, she took a keen interest and borrowed it to toy with, indeed discovering its profound mysteries:

    When activating the Yin Yang Order, one could extend their Divine Sense deep into the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner without suffering the erosion of the chilling Yin force, thus being able to calmly interpret the Divine Seals.

    ¡°The Nine Heavens Yin Demon Divine Seal in the Prison Banner, I¡¯ve interpreted it to mean ¡®to trap,''¡± Chen Lingyun said indifferently, ¡°but that doesn¡¯t explain why it can release secret thunder¡­ You remember the Changping Secret Realm, right? That Ghost General who wielded this Prison Banner was casting countless secret thunderbolts to scour the ground.¡±

    ¡°Could it be that there are multiple Divine Seals within this Prison Banner?¡± Yan Yu asked, ¡°And you¡¯ve only found one Divine Seal that isn¡¯t related to the secret thunder.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s also possible,¡± Chen Lingyun speculated, ¡°So, do I need to delve deeper into the Prison Banner? But even with the protection of the Yin Yang Order, I can¡¯t go too deep into the treasure.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how it is when your Cultivation progress isn¡¯t enough,¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°Just take it slowly.¡±

    Chen Lingyun looked at Su Yunjin and suddenly said:

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯re quite good at getting fired up.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®good at getting fired up¡¯?¡± Yan Yu immediately protested, ¡°That¡¯s the inspiration of personal charm, okay? Forget it, I knew you as a wastrel wouldn¡¯t understand what personal charm is.¡±

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Chen Lingyun smiled faintly and continued, ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of capsizing in the gutter? If Yun Jin really devotes herself to improving her skills and makes a great effort, what will you do if her strength eventually surpasses yours and she drags you off to the civil affairs office to register for marriage?¡±

    ¡°Have you read yourself silly?¡± Yan Yu said incredulously, ¡°If Yun Jin truly takes my place as the strongest in this world, she would be the world¡¯s empress whose word is law. Does she need to drag me to register? With a single glance from her, the whole world would know I¡¯m her husband.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I know that,¡± Chen Lingyun said, ¡°But given Yun Jin¡¯s personality, she¡¯d definitely want an actual marriage certificate to treasure.¡±

    That was true. Yun Jin also had the persona of a literary girl; she would certainly adore something as ceremonially significant as a marriage certificate.

    ¡°But that¡¯s impossible,¡± Yan Yu said with pride, ¡°As the strongest in this world, I¡¯m destined to race ahead on the path of cultivation, leaving all others behind. Even if Yun Jin tries hard, at best she can only watch my back; she¡¯ll never keep up with the rate at which I become stronger.¡±

    ¡°I hope you can be just as confident in the future,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Do you want me to help you by telling others about Yun Jin¡¯s situation, so they compete with each other and strive to become stronger, all for the sake of entering your harem?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Yan Yu was immune to Chen Lingyun¡¯s strange and wonderful ideas. He remembered that in their past life together, she often encouraged him to pursue Lin Ning to ¡°ease the pressure of arranged dates from her family.¡±

    But the past Yan Yu was too kind and innocent, mistakenly thinking it was a test from his girlfriend, so he was even more careful not to associate with Lin Ning. In the end, Lin became Auntie Lin at the age of thirty-seven or thirty-eight, without even a boyfriend, forcing her family to settle for reality.

    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to test you, I¡¯m serious,¡± Chen Lingyun continued, ¡°For you, even if everyone is focused on cultivating with impure intentions, it would at least be beneficial for you as their captain, right?¡±

    ¡°Bullshit,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°You just want to watch the fun. When the time comes, you¡¯ll definitely stir up trouble, spreading discord everywhere, turning my¡­ ah, almost got caught in your trap, turning my team into a mess, even to the point of falling apart. Do you think I¡¯d fall for such a clumsy strategy?¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Chen Lingyun nodded, ¡°Let alone others, if we tell Sister Zhao, she would definitely explode at the first chance. She already treats you as her own property.¡±

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Yan Yu scoffed, ¡°An idiot who only knows how to eat. I bet if she doesn¡¯t start cultivating diligently, she will sooner or later become inferior in strength. Then she¡¯ll be at the mercy of Yun Jin, unable to retaliate, only capable of secretly holding grudges and going crazy.¡±

    ¡°What harboring grudges and going mad?¡± The voice of Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly came from behind them.

    The two quickly turned around and saw the Demonic Sect Enchantress with her hand on her hip and a curious look on her face¡ªclearly, she hadn¡¯t heard the conversation they had earlier, or else she would have exploded by now.

    ¡°Nothing, what¡¯s up?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°The item¡¯s been fixed, come here,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen beckoned with a tilt of her head.

    They arrived at the area next to the training ground, and with a flick of her sleeve, Zhao Yuanzhen summoned the Puppet Ami.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s any change,¡± Yan Yu examined the puppet closely and commented, ¡°What about its abilities? Has its strength increased, or its speed?¡±

    ¡°Watch this,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said proudly, flicking her hands. The Puppet Ami also stretched out its arms and formed a spell seal.

    Yan Yu¡¯s eyes widened immediately because that spell seal was clearly one of the Five Spells, the Flame Curse!

    A ball of flame suddenly flared up and then extinguished nearly as fast. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°It can¡­ ¡± Yan Yu exclaimed in rare astonishment, ¡°It can use Taoism Method?¡±

    ¡°Only fire-based Taoism Method,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said proudly. ¡°The True Yuan will need to come from you, and the consumption rate is extremely high, much more than what a Human Race cultivator would use to cast a spell, depending on how proficient you are with the method. But I would say at a minimum it will be thirty percent more. It mostly depends on the efficiency of converting your True Yuan into her Qian Ling True Mie Fire¡­¡±

    She was still talking non-stop about technical terms, but Yan Yu wasn¡¯t listening anymore. A scene had started to form in his mind:

    Zhou Hongyu let out a roar and spit out the Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire, transforming into an extremely fine, long, and blazingly hot golden line, cutting fiercely towards Yan Yu¡¯s midsection!

    With a flick of his hand, Puppet Ah Zhen also spat out the Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire, a golden line sweeping towards Zhou Hongyu!

    Zhou Hongyu was taken aback, hastily retreating while shouting:

    ¡°Yan Yu! How dare you use my spell¡­ against me?¡±

    ¡°Hongyu!¡± Yan Yu also shouted, ¡°Your spell is very useful!¡±

    ¡°From now on, it is mine!¡±

    Haha, I can¡¯t wait to see the look on her face then.

    Yan Yu suddenly snapped back to reality, internally surprised, Why did I suddenly start having a fantasy? I never used to do that.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, unaware that he had zoned out, just stood there proudly waiting for his praise.

    Yan Yu thought for a moment and then reached out to touch¡­ lifting his hand higher, he touched her head.

    ¡°Well done, I¡¯ve come to see you in a new light.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen narrowed her eyes, seemingly quite pleased with the head pat, ¡°I¡¯ve already told you. Leave it to me, and you won¡¯t regret it.¡±

 Chapter 432: 28 My Skills Are Too Many

    Chapter 432: Chapter 28 My Skills Are Too Many

    ¡°Actually, we only need to master the four basic forms of Sword Control Technique to cope with the vast majority of battle needs,¡± Lin Ning said. ¡°This is how I practice the basics: White Rainbow Across the Sky, Cang Song Ying Ke, Bai Niao Chao Feng, and Night Battle in All Directions. I perform each 500 times every day, aiming to reach the point where I can do it without thinking and control it as I wish.¡±

    ¡°Hmm-hmm,¡± Su Yunjin noted seriously.

    ¡°Yunjin, you might as well start with White Rainbow Across the Sky,¡± Lin Ning suggested. ¡°I need to practice Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, so you can use White Rainbow Across the Sky to attack me, and I can also use this opportunity to practice dodging.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Su Yunjin nodded repeatedly.

    As the two practiced together, one attacking and the other chasing, nearly half an hour passed when Lin Ning suddenly stopped and looked into the distance with curiosity:

    ¡°Why has the captain suddenly started practicing Taoism Method?¡±

    ...

    Following her gaze, Su Yunjin saw Yan Yu standing in the midst of the Taoism Method practice area, his hands forming complex Taoist Incantations at high speed before spitting out a golden thread and fiercely swinging his head to sweep, slicing down all the various targets in front of him.

    He then took out an Elixir Medicine, swallowed it, and began to assimilate the medicinal power.

    ¡°Shall we rest for a while? I¡¯ve also practiced White Rainbow Across the Sky almost five hundred times,¡± Su Yunjin said, turning around.

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s take a break,¡± Lin Ning agreed.

    Su Yunjin walked towards Yan Yu, and Lin Ning quickly followed her from behind.

    ¡°Ningning, where are you going?¡± Su Yunjin asked.

    ¡°Where are you going, Yun Jin?¡± Lin Ning retorted.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to ask the captain what he¡¯s doing,¡± Su Yunjin replied.

    ¡°So am I,¡± Lin Ning echoed.

    The two girls exchanged glances, and a competitive emotion suddenly arose between them. Although it remained unspoken, everything was understood.

    Approaching Yan Yu, who was standing still and assimilating the medicinal power, Su Yunjin asked with concern:

    ¡°Captain, are you practicing Taoism Method?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a Sword Immortal?¡± Lin Ning also interjected eagerly, ¡°Does a Sword Immortal need to practice Taoism Method?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just practicing casually,¡± Yan Yu said absentmindedly, feeling somewhat helpless.

    The test result was that, with his current True Yuan reserves and Spell proficiency, he could at most cast Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire twice before becoming exhausted, and its lethality was clearly insufficient, only about half the power described in the Taoism Method texts.

    The conclusion was that it had virtually no practical value in combat.

    He consulted Agent Tang on his mobile, who said that Zhou Hongyu, without taking any medicines, could cast Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire seven times in one breath, indicating a significant disparity between himself and a formally trained Magic Cultivator ¡ª after all, only Cultivators with sufficiently abundant and mighty True Yuan would choose to become Magic Cultivators.

    By using the power of Great Bright Fire to indirectly make the Puppet cast spells, one could solve the problem of insufficient Spell power, but endurance was still the biggest limitation for Puppet Taoism Method.

    In other words, Taoism Methods that are highly destructive and designed for armor-breaking assaults like Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire are undoubtedly most suitable for the Puppet Ah Zhen to use. On the contrary, Spells like Great Bright Fire, which mainly focus on suppression and wide-area bombardment, are not suitable for use on Puppets, as he did not have so much True Yuan to waste.

    While Yan Yu was contemplating this, he suddenly heard Su Yunjin say:

    ¡°Captain, if you have any questions about Taoism Method, I should be able to help answer them.¡±

    ¡°So can I,¡± blurted out Lin Ning, driven by her competitiveness, and then she immediately realized her slip.

    Taoism Method? I don¡¯t think I can be of help. After all, what I am proficient in is Sword Control Technique, but why would the captain come to me for advice on swordsmanship? His expertise is undoubtedly much higher than mine.

    Therefore, she quickly added:

    ¡°Captain, if there is anything I can help with, feel free to let me know at any time.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Yan Yu smiled, ¡°You two go ahead with your things.¡±

    The two girls expressed their loyalty and improved their rapport, then returned to continue their sparring, while Yan Yu stood in place, continuing to plan and assess.

    The cards he could play included the Two-handed Sword Control Technique, Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, and String-Pulling Puppetry Technique. The first two belonged to the path of the Sword Immortal, while the last was the path of the Puppet Master.

    The two paths were not very compatible, both requiring deep research. He dared to pursue both because in his previous life, he had already gone far on the path of the Sword Immortal, reaching the ¡°pinnacle¡± and ¡°approaching the summit,¡± armed with a complete set of experience and techniques. Therefore, in this life, he only needed to focus on learning the String-Pulling Technique.

    ¡°`

    But who could have predicted the existence of a Two-handed Sword Control Technique?

    Considering that most of his current strength came from the skills of the Sword Immortal, Yan Yu originally tended to prioritize the practice of the Two-handed Sword Control Technique before delving into the String-Pulling Technique.

    Yet unexpectedly, the String-Pulling Technique also reached its limit and burst forth, and the Puppet could actually use Taoism Method!

    If the Two-handed Sword Control Technique meant using one Sword Immortal as two, then the current Puppetry Technique was equivalent to having a Sword Immortal plus a Magic Cultivator; the latter, due to the combination of professions, was definitely more valuable than the former. For example, some enemies have extremely exaggerated physical defenses, impervious to Immortal Swords, but might be easily penetrated by Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire.

    Between conventional combat methods and key trump cards, which one should he practice first? Alas, who would have thought I, Yan Yu, would have too many skills to learn and not enough time to master them all¡ªunlike in my previous life, where from beginning to end, I focused solely on mastering the Sword Immortal¡¯s basic skills, without the need to consider so much.

    Just as Yan Yu was reflecting on this, suddenly a phone call came in¡ªit was Li Weiguo summoning him to the principal¡¯s office.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Since the Liang Yi Micro Dust Sword had been sealed by the old man with the long eyebrows, the researchers hadn¡¯t been able to learn much from it. Therefore, after merely recording the basic data, it was returned to Yan Yu.

    However, to everyone¡¯s surprise, instead of focusing on ¡°Yan Yu obtaining the Liang Yi Micro Dust Sword,¡± it was ¡°Yan Yu finding the Liang Yi Micro Dust Sword on his own¡± that garnered high levels of attention from the higher-ups.

    ¡°The Pingxi Army has already sent people to inspect the area,¡± Li Weiguo told him. ¡°They didn¡¯t find the entrance to the Mysterious Realm you mentioned.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu contemplated for a moment before asking, ¡°So does the Privy Council think my statement is untrue?¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Chen Tianming answered with a laugh from the side. ¡°Your account and Tang Xiaolian¡¯s statements are highly consistent. The Privy Council doesn¡¯t suspect you of lying. It¡¯s probably because the Mysterious Realm has a unique mechanism that only opens when someone who meets the requirements arrives.¡±

    ¡°The current issue is, how many such Mysterious Realms are still undiscovered within our country?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Yan Yu shook his head.

    But there must be many.

    Official Cultivators are supported by the resources of the entire nation, while civilian Cultivators have to fend for themselves. Why were these Cultivators able to rise in my previous life and even stand up to official Cultivators? Because they had the numbers.

    Once the population base is large, there¡¯s no shortage of examples of people encountering treasures. Like an ancient scroll hidden away in a family collection that turns out to be an entrance to a Mysterious Realm, or a secret passage in the cellar of an old rural house¡­ These kinds of illogical, untraceable ¡°fortuitous encounters¡± are completely beyond the control of the authorities.

    On the other hand, due to the country not achieving ¡°universal Cultivation,¡± many such fortuitous encounters go unexplored. Take the inheritance of the old man with the long eyebrows as an example: If you inform a Cultivator like Yan Yu, he would proactively seek out such an opportunity; but if an ordinary person receives the information, they might not have the initiative to fully explore it, and in the end, such inheritances could go unnoticed.

    Transcendents are not only the ¡°users¡± of the existing Transcendent resources but also the ¡°discoverers¡± of potential Transcendent resources. If the number of Cultivators within the country is less than the Transcendents abroad, the production of Transcendent resources will also be inferior to those overseas, and the overall power gap will inevitably grow over time.

    For Yan Yu, this was merely another ordinary adventure in search of treasures. However, for Li Weiguo, Chen Tianming, and the other bigwigs in their circle, almost immediately understood the worrisome essence behind this event.

    If this continues without change, it will lead to great peril!

    After receiving the Liang Yi Micro Dust Sword, Yan Yu took his leave. Li Weiguo was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked: S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask him for his opinion?¡±

    ¡°Asking would be in vain,¡± Chen Tianming said with a smile. ¡°Given his personality, he¡¯d probably say something like ¡®let the strong be strong, for I shall slay them all with a single sword.¡¯

    ¡°That¡¯s indeed his character,¡± Li Weiguo also began to smile, ¡°Such distinctive sharpness in a young man.¡±

    The two didn¡¯t finish their thoughts but understood each other perfectly.

    If Yan Yu could maintain this sharpness and pride, it at least proved that his abilities remained at the world¡¯s top standard, which would be a great blessing for Lu Country. But if he started falling behind in his progress, when the time came for someone to take Yan Yu¡¯s place and continue to deter neighboring powers, the situation would become quite dire. Therefore, everyone would prefer that Yan Yu continued to show his edge.

    At its core, this issues lies with the country¡¯s planned Cultivator training system, which has become significantly less efficient than the free competition abroad and the invisible hand of the market. But due to various factors, a drastic change of approach at this stage is not feasible.

    People like Yan Yu, Liu Longtao¡­ the farther they can go on the path of top Cultivators, the longer the current system can sustain itself. From this perspective, although the Zhendong Army still needs to keep on pacifying and recruiting civilian Cultivators who stick their necks out, it should also put a focus on supporting Yan Yu and the Zhenghai Team, to prevent a situation where the weak lead the strong.

    ¡°We still need to press on with the Northern Army regarding Ox-Head and Horse-Face,¡± Chen Tianming suddenly said, ¡°Any bit of capital that can enhance the strength of the Zhenghai Team must be utilized as soon as possible, without further delay.¡±

    ¡°You sure have raised a good daughter,¡± Li Weiguo chuckled, ¡°I¡¯ll call Old Yang in a bit and pass on the message. Oh, by the way, the Annan Army went to the Privy Council again, still about Xie Ruoxi¡¯s matter.¡±

    ¡°No need to worry,¡± Chen Tianming replied calmly, ¡°Xie Ruoxi is serving in Yan Yu¡¯s team, and there¡¯s proof her strengths are aptly being utilized. It¡¯s not possible to make a move now. The real reason Old Zhang went to the Privy Council to complain is because of the budget for March.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Li Weiguo nodded, then added, ¡°Li Minghu from the Qing An Team has had some health issues lately.¡±

    ¡°He can¡¯t be replaced by Xie Ruoxi,¡± Chen Tianming stated flatly. ¡°She¡¯s not up for that.¡±

 Chapter 433: 29: You Dont Deserve Compliments

    Chapter 433: Chapter 29: You Don¡¯t Deserve Compliments

    Once he had obtained the Liang Yi Micro-dust Sword, Yan Yu finally made up his mind.

    First, practice the Dual Sword Control Technique!

    By the time he had mastered this skill, Lin Ning would likely have finished learning the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, making it the perfect time to teach her the Dual Sword Control Technique, so their schedules could connect seamlessly.

    As for the Puppet Taoism Method, that was his ace in the hole, something he could afford to learn at any time.

    The mental method outline of the Dual Sword Control Technique had already been thoroughly explained to him in the Secret Realm by the long-eyebrowed master, who had imparted profound and clear understanding.

    Now, whenever Yan Yu simultaneously executed the Dual Sword Technique, the Liang Yi Sword and the Huang Ting Sword immediately took flight, moving vertically and horizontally. The former moved swiftly and flexibly, like Zhao Zilong wielding a spear; the latter with great force and weight, as if Guan Yunchang were swinging a blade.

    ...

    Separation, combined attack, cover, pincer attack¡­ Various dual sword tactics were continuously performed by Yan Yu, as if there really were two mutually understanding Sword Immortals fighting together. This spectacle held the girls nearby captivated; they hurried over to observe and learn.

    Suddenly, Yan Yu ceased his sword techniques, and both the Huang Ting Sword and the Liang Yi Sword returned to their sheaths. With both swords carried on his back, he indeed looked somewhat more handsome than before.

    ¡°How is my Dual Sword Control Technique?¡± he asked the girls.

    ¡°Really amazing!¡± ¡°Worthy of being the captain!¡± the girls praised in unison.

    ¡°It¡¯s boring just watching,¡± Yan Yu warmly invited everyone, ¡°Why not have two of you practice with me? One hand each against one of you, how about that?¡±

    ¡°Maybe next time!¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t finished practicing today!¡± the girls immediately scattered like birds and beasts.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t mind and continued practicing his dual sword combined techniques.

    Now that everyone was fasting, they simply skipped lunch, resting for only an hour. They practiced specific basic skills in the morning and team coordination and tactical training in the afternoon.

    During the lunch break, Yan Yu played with his cell phone for a while, suddenly receiving a message from Li Zhaojiang.

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: Old Yan, can you ask Sister Zhao if there¡¯s any way to treat liver fire attacking the lungs?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Why don¡¯t you ask her yourself?

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: Remember last time in the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm, when Sister Zhao commented on my sister like that? I even argued with her then, so I feel embarrassed asking her now. Please help a brother out, Old Yan; I won¡¯t forget this.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Wait a moment.

    Yan Yu called over Zhao Yuanzhen and asked:

    ¡°You know Li Minghu, right? The one from Southern Border who fought alongside us, she was born with an inherent deficiency, liver fire attacking the lungs¡ªis there a way to treat this condition?¡±

    ¡°Born with deficiencies, how can it be cured?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen shook her head, ¡°There¡¯s no way to completely cure it, but there are ways to alleviate it.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡± Yan Yu inquired. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Firstly, do not use swords,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen answered, ¡°Those with lung deficiencies need to nurture the metallic pathways and must not rashly engage in the energy of killing. Once it triggers the internal energy, the condition can easily worsen.¡±

    ¡°Secondly, they must not worry too much. Sorrow harms the lungs, so it is necessary to cultivate serenity and calmness for improvement.¡±

    Yan Yu thought to himself that both were impossible for Li Minghu, who was a professional Sword Immortal and the vice-captain of a team. How could she stop using a sword or cease worrying?

    ¡°So, people with lung deficiencies can¡¯t be cultivators on your side, right?¡± he probed.

    ¡°In the Five Elements, any deficiency is problematic,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied, ¡°If one¡¯s bodily foundation is incomplete, it¡¯s like a lame person entering a track field¡ªcultivation in itself is a defiance of the natural order, and even those with sound legs might not reach the finish line, let alone expect a lame person to?¡±

    ¡°If there were someone above the Golden Core Realm with a secret method to reconstruct the body, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible to forcibly compensate the Five Elements. But given the current concentration of spiritual energy in this world, forget it, even if I gave you the method, you couldn¡¯t use it.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Yan Yu replied, lowering his head to text Li Zhaojiang.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: She said it can¡¯t be cured, at most the condition can be delayed.

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: How to delay it?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Avoid playing with Flying Swords, don¡¯t be a Vice Captain, find a place to properly rest and recuperate.

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: That¡¯s impossible!

    [Win Over with Virtue]: So what happened to your sister?

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: She suddenly vomited blood while doing her Breathing and Energy Refining exercises.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: You probably overdid the training.

    ¡°Sunshine Pearl River¡±: I¡¯m not sure yet. The hospital¡¯s still in a joint consultation. They suspect that sitting too long caused poor blood flow and insufficient oxygen¡­ it¡¯s a mess! It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard that cultivators can¡¯t sit for long periods. How are they supposed to perform Circulating the Heavens and breathing exercises?

    ¡°Win Over with Virtue¡±: While she¡¯s hospitalized, let her rest well and recover.

    ¡°Sunshine Pearl River¡±: Of course!

    ¡°Win Over with Virtue¡±: How about we bring her to Jinling for her recovery? The Annan Army can¡¯t interfere here, and no one will bother her.

    ¡°Sunshine Pearl River¡±: Your calculations have really gone south to Lingnan! I¡¯m actually asking for a solution, not giving you an opportunity to hit on my sister.

    ¡°Win Over with Virtue¡±: Maybe staying with me, not dealing with her brother¡¯s annoying matters, might actually improve her condition.

    ¡°Sunshine Pearl River¡±: From ICU to maternity ward, right? Old Yan, you lecher, always thinking about my elder sister. Sooner or later, she will delete you from her friends and let you completely give up.

    ¡°Win Over with Virtue¡±: Then if she misses me later, she won¡¯t be able to chat online and will have to fly here to Jinling personally.

    ¡°Sunshine Pearl River¡±: Get lost, get lost, get lost, get lost, get lost, get lost, get lost!

    Yan Yu sent another message of sympathy to Li Minghu. No reply, probably still resting in the hospital room, so it wasn¡¯t proper to keep disturbing her.

    In the afternoon, everyone continued practicing tactical teamwork, pairing up and simulating drills. Yan Yu, dual-wielding swords skillfully, engaged the Green Bamboo Sword head-on in combat, driving Lin Ning¡¯s sword into retreat. Meanwhile, the Liang Yi Sword took the opportunity to sneak up from the side and soon was held against her neck.

    This is the advantage of the Dual Sword Control Technique. If it were two ordinary Sword Immortals fighting, one sword against another, it would naturally involve exchanging sword technique blows, overpowering and penetrating defenses to strike down the opponent¡­ If both sides are closely matched in skill, even if temporarily at a disadvantage and suppressed, there would still be a chance to counterattack before the defense is fully penetrated.

    But with the Dual Sword Control Technique, the process becomes ¡°one sword engages your flying sword in combat, the other sword fights you in person.¡± How is one supposed to fight against that?

    Sure enough, it didn¡¯t take long before Lin Ning threw down her sword and surrendered.

    ¡°Teach me the Dual Sword Control Technique!¡± she quickly grabbed Yan Yu and insisted, ¡°Captain! I want to learn the Dual Sword Control Technique!¡±

    Not kneeling down and crying for it, it doesn¡¯t feel sincere enough¡­ Yan Yu suppressed his random thoughts and asked:

    ¡°Have you mastered the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step? It¡¯s not good to aim too high too quickly!¡±

    ¡°I can already perform the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step!¡± Lin Ning¡¯s figure suddenly blurred, demonstrating the quick steps on the spot, her movements ghost-like and hard to track with the naked eye.

    ¡°Anyone who follows the mental method incantation can perform it,¡± laughed Yan Yu. ¡°The key is to integrate it thoroughly! I¡¯ll attack with the Flying Sword. No matter what sword technique I use, you must dodge it using the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step. Only then can you truly claim to have mastered it!¡±

    ¡°Then attack me,¡± Lin Ning¡¯s competitive spirit was also aroused. ¡°Let¡¯s see mine.¡±

    It¡¯s just a small test! Today I¡¯ve also practiced a lot of real combat with Yun Jin, and I¡¯m performing surprisingly well. I feel like I could even dodge a laser beam!

    Yan Yu then simultaneously formed hand seals, wielding the Huang Ting Sword and the Liang Yi Sword together, one from the left and one from the right, attacking Lin Ning.

    Lin Ning: Huh?

    The first test, and he¡¯s going straight to the highest difficulty of Dual Sword Control?

    A few minutes later, Ningning was beaten to the ground, facing upward, doubting whether she had truly mastered the technique.

    ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk.¡± Yan Yu squatted down beside her and sighed, ¡°Is that all the skill your Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step has? You still need more practice.¡±

    ¡°After testing Ningning, how about you take a look at my sword technique as well?¡± Su Yunjin suddenly asked.

    Yan Yu: Huh?

    Yun Jin, you¡¯ve only practiced for a short time and you already want to face my test like Ningning?

    Shortly afterward, Su Yunjin too was beaten to the ground, lying prostrate and breathing heavily.

    ¡°Not bad, you¡¯ve improved quite a lot,¡± Yan Yu actually felt a bit embarrassed and consoled her, ¡°Just keep it up like this, you¡¯ll become stronger.¡±

    ¡°Why are you so gentle with Yun Jin?¡± Lin Ning couldn¡¯t help but ask him telepathically, ¡°I lasted longer than her just now in front of you!¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin is gentle and compliant by nature, and easily discouraged when faced with setbacks, so I focus on encouragement,¡± Yan Yu explained. ¡°You, however, have a strong nature, so what you need isn¡¯t praise or encouragement, but motivation.¡±

    Lin Ning fell silent, thinking just because Yun Jin is gentler and more compliant, more like a girl, she deserves to be coddled and cared for?

    So because I¡¯m strong-willed, I don¡¯t deserve to hear nice words, huh!

    The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, suddenly feeling a strong urge.

 Chapter 434: 30 I Want to Hear Good Words

    Chapter 434: Chapter 30 I Want to Hear Good Words

    The so-called training for cultivators mainly involves increasing the proficiency in their own attack methods.

    If a magic cultivator often uses a certain type or even category of Taoism Method, the consumption of True Yuan gradually decreases, and the speed and power of their spells can increase; the same applies to Assistant Officers, the more they use a Magic Treasure to refine, the more smoothly and flexibly it operates.

    The Envoy belongs to a profession that does not put much emphasis on training, as they typically use low-rank servant envoys at the initial stage and seek to replace them with higher-rank ones once their cultivation improves¡­ such as the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu and Ox-Head and Horse-Face, which are high-rank servant envoys worth using continuously in theory, but are so rare that even Chen Lingyun, with her background, couldn¡¯t obtain them, so most Envoy cultivators don¡¯t need to consider this and simply proceed with replacements.

    If one were to say which profession requires the most training, it would undoubtedly be the Sword Immortal¡ª even among the extraordinary professions around the world, Sword Immortals are the ones most reliant on operation and technique.

    Yan Yu supervised the training in the training grounds, mostly watching over Lin Ning and Su Yunjin, and making sure Xie Ruoxi wasn¡¯t slacking off; as for Zhao Yuanzhen, he didn¡¯t need managing, and Chen Lingyun was hopeless, so these two were temporarily left to their own devices without mention.

    Xie Ruoxi trained in the Thunder Method, consuming an enormous amount of materials for targets. The usual high-strength alloy targets used for ordinary Taoism Methods would leave an imprint, but her Thunder Method would blast them to smithereens, so much so that the new targets now delivered to the school were simply pressed into slabs without any shape processing¡ª as Qi Changping said, ¡°After being blasted, you can¡¯t tell anyway.¡±

    ...

    The sparring between Lin Ning and Su Yunjin was even more technically rich. Since the former needed to practice the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step and the latter¡¯s Sword Control Technique had not yet reached a level that could challenge the opponent, they simply also employed the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, following the example of Lord Master to enhance the sparring pressure with a dual magic sword attack.

    Yan Yu leisurely observed from the sidelines, only to see that Yunjin¡¯s dual magic sword attack was nothing special, with too strong spells and too weak swordsmanship, but Lin Ning¡¯s Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step was not yet at the stage of mastering the skill, showing a very poor performance. The two girls laughed and bantered, with attacks and returns, unexpectedly creating a cute rivalry as they pecked at each other like bumbling chickens.

    After being hit by yet another water bullet from Lang Feiyun, Lin Ning was completely drenched at this point, looking extremely bedraggled.

    ¡°How about we take a break?¡± Su Yunjin said, clapping her hands, ¡°Go to the changing room, put on a waterproof raincoat, rest a bit, then continue training?¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± Lin Ning nodded but did not head to the changing room, instead walking toward Yan Yu.

    Su Yunjin¡¯s gaze suddenly sharpened.

    There, Ningning walked up to the team leader, took a deep breath as if making a difficult decision, and finally resolved herself, coquettishly saying:

    ¡°Team leader! No matter how much I practice, I can¡¯t get it right; could you give me some guidance?¡±

    Though her tone was quite coquettish and fawning, her stiff expression made it seem less like whining and more like a splutter.

    Yan Yu was immediately startled: Is Lin behaving weirdly? Why does she sound like Tang Xiaolian!

    Seeing Yan Yu stunned and speechless, Lin Ning¡¯s expression changed several times as if she was about to lose her temper, but she quickly restrained herself and continued: sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Repeatedly failing in practice, even I can feel discouraged and disheartened; can¡¯t you manage me a bit, captain?¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    What do you want me to manage, exactly?

    Seeing the nervous look in Lin Ning¡¯s eyes, Yan Yu suddenly realized:

    She was inspired to compete with Yunjin for the captain¡¯s favor after seeing me comforting and encouraging Yunjin earlier!

    Alas, though it is natural for a good team leader to be adored by their team members, it¡¯s rather unseemly if they start to get jealous of each other.

    I should comfort Ningning first to focus her mind on the right things.

    Yan Yu then gently said:

    ¡°Ningning, you are already walking the steps quite proficiently, and I can see you¡¯ve put in a lot of effort. The reason you feel that you ¡®can¡¯t practice well¡¯ is simply because Yunjin¡¯s Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art is particularly good at hindering and trapping opponents, which poses a slightly high difficulty for you.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to make any adjustments right now, just keep training at this pace, and you¡¯ll find that attacks you didn¡¯t think you could dodge will gradually become avoidable.¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm, I understand,¡± Lin Ning was uplifted.

    Sure enough! As long as I also act a bit charming, the captain¡¯s tone and attitude will soften!

    In fact, Yan Yu¡¯s advice hadn¡¯t changed at all. Initially, it was ¡°Is this the best you can do? You need more practice,¡± and later it was ¡°Keep training, and you will become stronger,¡± which basically meant the same thing.

    But for Lin Ning, the initial advice felt like ¡°You¡¯re not good enough, you need more training,¡± whereas the later was ¡°You¡¯re doing great, keep training¡±; the perception was worlds apart.

    Since the captain is clearly more responsive to gentleness rather than harshness, if I use gentle words more often in the future, perhaps it will prevent him from being harsh to me, right~

    She was secretly delighted when Su Yunjin came up beside Yan Yu and said,

    ¡°I heard everything the captain said just now.¡±

    ¡°Since Ningning only needs to keep practicing her steps to dodge my Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, how should I improve my training so she can¡¯t dodge it?¡±

    Yan Yu: ?

    Are you asking me to spear my own shield?

    Seeing Yan Yu standing there dumbfounded, Su Yunjin softened her tone:

    ¡°Ningning wants to improve, and so do I. Besides, what if we encounter an enemy with higher mobility in the future, someone faster and more agile than Ningning, and my Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art can¡¯t catch up? Captain, you wouldn¡¯t want me to make errors in this area and delay the whole team¡¯s tactical execution, right?¡±

    Yan Yu, at a loss for words, could only give guidance:

    ¡°Yun Jin, don¡¯t sell yourself short. Your Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art is still very powerful. If we really encounter an enemy with particularly strong mobility, we need to work on restricting their movement. Don¡¯t rush to defeat the enemy in one stroke; think about where they will dodge when you attack, and how to force them into a position where they have nowhere to hide¡­ High-level matches are like this; you can¡¯t expect to finish the opponent instantly.¡±

    ¡°But didn¡¯t you instantly kill Xiandao Jingyin before?¡± Su Yunjin asked, puzzled.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    Do you even know how to speak? I could instantly kill her because I am awesome. Are you as awesome as me?

    ¡°Xiandao Jingyin was caught off-guard; that can¡¯t be considered a standard case for analysis,¡± Yan Yu instructed Su Yunjin, ¡°You have a strong overall view; this is your strength. The Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art is perfect for leveraging your strengths. As long as you keep striving tirelessly in this area, these won¡¯t become issues for you.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I understand now, captain.¡± Su Yunjin walked away, fully satisfied.

    Lin Ning came over again.

    ¡°Captain.¡± She continued in the awkward clip tone she had used before, ¡°I overheard your conversation with Yun Jin just now.¡±

    Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but laugh: So you guys have been eavesdropping on each other, huh?

    Glancing at Su Yunjin, who seemed to be standing far away lost in thought, he saw that she was indeed listening in this direction!

    ¡°I just have a question,¡± Lin Ning continued coquettishly, ¡°If I encounter an opponent like Yun Jin, who uses control spells to gradually limit my movement space, what should I do then?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll teach you,¡± Yan Yu said cheerfully, ¡°First, stop using that clipped tone when speaking.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Lin Ning was stunned.

    ¡°Then, you all need to train hard,¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°Improving your strength has many benefits, not limited to defeating your enemies, impressing me, and not having to worry about the particularly stupid sounding ¡®what if she gets stronger, what do I do?''¡±

    ¡°Lin, my affection isn¡¯t something that can increase just by acting cute or asking a question, huh? Show me your real performance.¡±

    Lin Ning was silent for a moment, her face reddening visibly.

    ¡°Yan Yu¡­¡± she said in a low voice.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°I am not trying to increase your affection!¡± Lin Ning suddenly tore off the facade of a small, demure girl, exclaiming, ¡°I just want fair treatment! Why should it be soft speech for them and constant pushing for me?¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯s interesting to see you get flustered like this,¡± Yan Yu laughed.

    Lin Ning¡¯s breath caught in her throat.

    Then she lowered her head and silently retreated five or six steps.

    Then she suddenly exerted force toward Yan Yu, sprinting and leaping.

    A flying kick!

 Chapter 435: 31: Someone is plotting a rebellion

    Chapter 435: Chapter 31: Someone is plotting a rebellion

    By the time the training ended and they were on their way back, Lin Ning was still rambling to the other girls:

    ¡°What does he mean ¡®likes to see me anxious¡¯? Was I even anxious? I was not anxious at all!¡±

    You say ¡®anxious¡¯ three times and still won¡¯t admit you were¡­ Xie Ruoxi secretly mocked her, but outwardly she sided with Lin Ning, condemning Yan Yu together:

    ¡°Exactly! The captain takes joy in bullying girls every day. We need to unite and fight him to the end!¡±

    ¡°Ruoxi!¡± Lin Ning was greatly moved, ¡°Truly a good sister! I¡¯ll make you something delicious tonight.¡±

    ¡°I support Ningning too!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen hastily added, ¡°I¡¯ve disliked that trickster for a long time¡­ Hey, why don¡¯t we sisters unite and just isolate him altogether!¡±

    ...

    ¡°Agreed,¡± said Xie Ruoxi. ¡°The first to speak to him is a dog.¡±

    Lin Ning frowned slightly, about to say ¡°that might be unnecessary,¡± but then she thought, seeing Ruoxi and Ningning both supporting me, if I could also get Yun Jin and Ling Yun involved, we could create a roaring scene. Maybe the captain really would reflect on his actions and start treating us more gently.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll ask Yun Jin and Ling Yun,¡± she said.

    Upon receiving Lin Ning¡¯s message, Su Yunjin was baffled.

    Indeed, the captain was a bit mean, but to say that everyone would unite against him to the point of ignoring him was perhaps too much.

    She was about to voice her opposition when she suddenly thought:

    Wouldn¡¯t it be a golden opportunity for me to win his favor if everyone refrains from talking to Yan Yu?

    ¡°Alright,¡± Su Yunjin half-heartedly agreed, telling Lin Ning, ¡°I¡¯ll ask Ling Yun.¡±

    As for Chen Lingyun, was there even a need to ask? She would definitely want to join in on such an interesting plan.

    Thus, the five girls reached a consensus: from waking up tomorrow, nobody would speak to Yan Yu.

    Ignore him! Exclude him! Isolate him! Let him reflect on whether he has been too harsh on us lately!

    Upon returning to the villa, Yan Yu had just sat down on the sofa when he suddenly heard Xie Ruoxi send him a message:

    ¡°Captain! They said they¡¯re going to isolate you!¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Yan Yu¡¯s eyes lit up.

    Someone wants to rebel?

    ¡°Ruoxi.¡± He inquired without changing his expression, ¡°Who¡¯s leading this? And who agreed?¡±

    ¡°It seems like everyone is involved, but I¡¯m not sure who¡¯s leading it,¡± Xie Ruoxi hurriedly said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be isolated by them either, so I pretended to agree, but my loyalty to the captain won¡¯t change! My heart belongs to the captain only!¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, not questioning her further. ¡°Keep me updated if there¡¯s any development!¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡± Xie Ruoxi said eagerly, ¡°I am the captain¡¯s loyal eyes and ears!¡±

    After sending the little spy Xie Ruoxi away, Yan Yu pondered deeply.

    The so-called isolating the captain must be a joke. But I¡¯ve indeed been putting them under a lot of stress with the frequent training, and everyone¡¯s probably a bit tired lately. This might be a good chance for a fun break.

    ¡°Lin Ning,¡± Yan Yu feigned ignorance and asked, ¡°What¡¯s for dinner tonight?¡±

    Lin Ning snorted, completely ignored him, and turned to head into the kitchen.

    Yan Yu turned to look at the others. Apart from Su Yunjin, who was watering the plants, the other three girls sat on the sofa, staring unblinkingly at the TV, putting on a ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk right now¡± stance.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Ningning?¡± Yan Yu deliberately asked Chen Lingyun.

    Chen Lingyun smiled slightly, shook her head, and then placed her index finger to her lips.

    Zhao Yuanzhen secretly gloated nearby: Bet you didn¡¯t expect this, trickster! Now we¡¯ve joined together to isolate you!

    Xie Ruoxi was secretly nervous, fearing Yan Yu would turn and speak to her.

    In the kitchen, there was a slap sound as Yan Yu turned his head toward the sound and saw Lin Ning slapping a sticky note on the fridge door that listed the dishes she planned to make that night.

    ¡°Yun Jin!¡± Yan Yu called out as he turned back, ¡°Do we still have tea in the cabinet?¡±

    Su Yunjin calmly continued watering and sent a message back to Yan Yu:

    ¡°Yes, what about it?¡±

    ¡°Why did you message me secretly?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Can¡¯t I message secretly?¡± Su Yunjin responded in a secret message. ¡°I noticed nobody was speaking and thought everyone was playing the ¡®Whoever speaks first loses¡¯ game.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t know what happened?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    Su Yunjin instinctively wanted to say ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± but then she thought, could it be that the captain knew something and was trying to test her?

    Her thoughts whirled as swiftly as lightning and she honestly replied via secret message:

    ¡°Okay, they just discussed with me that no one should talk to you tonight. They wanted to make you anxious.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Yan Yu asked, ¡°so is Yun Jin on their side or mine?¡±

    ¡°Where does the captain hope I stand?¡± Su Yunjin countered.

    ¡°Yun Jin is a good girl, she probably wouldn¡¯t make things worse,¡± Yan Yu said with a laugh, ¡°so who initiated it this time?¡±

    ¡°It was Ningning who approached me,¡± Su Yunjin answered. ¡°But I thought Ningning wouldn¡¯t come up with such a scheme on her own. If she had any issues, she¡¯d have confronted you on the spot.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Yan Yu pondered, ¡°I remember the first time we met in the school cafeteria, there was a small misunderstanding, and it was Ling Yun who reminded her she could block me, which led her to actually block me.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about Ling Yun¡¯s side,¡± Su Yunjin gently said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry, captain. I don¡¯t think they really mean to isolate you. It¡¯s just that since you always tease them, everyone wanted to tease you back to see your reaction.¡± S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°As long as Yun Jin is on my side, I¡¯m not afraid if they really want to isolate me,¡± Yan Yu stated.

    Su Yunjin felt a warmth in her heart and quickly replied:

    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely be on the captain¡¯s side. I¡¯m done playing this game. Let me just finish watering these last few pots, and then I¡¯ll come talk to you.¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°Just act like nothing happened. But if they discuss anything again, make sure to inform me.¡±

    ¡°Mmhmm, sure,¡± Su Yunjin agreed, secretly pleased with herself.

    As Yan Yu looked around at everyone, his gaze swept over Zhao Yuanzhen, who was watching TV, and Xie Ruoxi, who was engrossed in her phone; he then secretly messaged Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°So, who started this?¡±

    Even though it was a cryptic message, he knew Chen Lingyun would understand him.

    ¡°It¡¯s neither Ningning nor Yun Jin,¡± Chen Lingyun indeed responded in secret, ¡°Either Sister Zhao or Ruoxi. Either of them could be possible.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Yan Yu was greatly surprised, ¡°Why are you talking to me now?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re only not supposed to talk, no one said we couldn¡¯t message secretly,¡± Chen Lingyun cunningly said, ¡°Besides, you must have messaged Yun Jin already, right?¡±

    ¡°Humph,¡± Seeing she had guessed what he had done, Yan Yu didn¡¯t pretend anymore and coldly said, ¡°Thinking of rebelling, are they? I¡¯ll see how I deal with them!¡±

    ¡°What are you planning to do?¡± Chen Lingyun asked, intrigued.

    ¡°I need to find out who dared to propose isolating me,¡± Yan Yu scoffed, ¡°and then get everyone to isolate her together!¡±

    ¡°Murong Yanyu, right? Using their own tactics against them?¡± Chen Lingyun immediately laughed, ¡°Sounds fun, how about I help you out?¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu rejected via secret message, ¡°Go do your own thing.¡±

    ¡°But I want to play too,¡± Chen Lingyun cooed.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s none of your business,¡± Yan Yu still refused.

    ¡°Please,¡± Chen Lingyun continued to whimper, ¡°Please let me play~¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine,¡± Yan Yu, tired of her nagging, replied, ¡°then contribute all your clever ideas. Right now, there¡¯s only one issue: how do we find the person who led the revolt?¡±

    ¡°Ningning approached me,¡± Chen Lingyun immediately said, ¡°Ningning definitely knows who initiated it.¡±

    ¡°But she might not be willing to tell,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Right,¡± Chen Lingyun chuckled, ¡°Direct questions definitely won¡¯t work, and intimidation might not either, but Ningning¡¯s straightforward nature means she doesn¡¯t overthink things. Perhaps we could try tricking her.¡±

    ¡°Trick her?¡± Yan Yu pondered, ¡°You mean¡­¡±

    ¡°She always wants you to ¡®keep things balanced,''¡± Chen Lingyun offered her cunning plan, ¡°The more she emphasizes something, the more she lacks it. We can use this angle to pin the blame of leading the revolt on her, then create a situation where she can¡¯t defend herself¡­ Just do so and so, this and that, and I¡¯ll coordinate with you in this drama. We¡¯ll surely make her panic and confess!¡±

 Chapter 436: 32 Lin Ning Confessed Everything

    Chapter 436: Chapter 32 Lin Ning Confessed Everything

    ¡°`

    Lin Ning was cooking in the kitchen, her Divine Sense occasionally sweeping outside.

    Seeing that Yan Yu hadn¡¯t looked over, she didn¡¯t know if the captain had seen the recipes on the refrigerator door. She wanted to use telepathy but held back due to her promise not to pay attention to him tonight, so she could only repeatedly open and close the fridge door, making loud clicking sounds.

    After a moment, Yan Yu suddenly left the living room and walked towards the kitchen.

    Lin Ning hurriedly withdrew her Divine Sense, pretending as if nothing had happened, and focused on washing and cutting vegetables.

    ¡°Ningning,¡± Yan Yu entered the kitchen, closed the glass door behind him, and with a well-brewed expression of concern, furrowed his brows and suddenly asked, ¡°I haven¡¯t offended you, have I?¡±

    ...

    Instinctively, Lin Ning wanted to say ¡°you bullied me today,¡± but she still remembered her promise to ignore Yan Yu, so she just kept her mouth shut.

    ¡°Why are you ignoring me?¡± Yan Yu lifted the lid of the pot to take a peek and continued, ¡°Is there anything we can¡¯t discuss properly? Why adopt this attitude of complete breakdown in communication?¡±

    Lin Ning remained silent, but a small sense of delight bubbled inside her as she thought to herself:

    The captain actually cares so much about my attitude towards him, hehe¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s one thing for you to be angry with me,¡± Yan Yu¡¯s tone gradually grew colder, ¡°but why are you organizing people, conspiring, trying to get everyone to disobey the captain¡¯s orders? Are you trying to incite a rebellion?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± Lin Ning blurted out instinctively but then panicked and quickly covered her mouth.

    ¡°Still denying it?¡± Yan Yu scoffed, ¡°They¡¯ve all confessed, saying you initiated the collusion, you¡¯re the ringleader plotting to overthrow me!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡± In the urgency of the situation, Lin Ning couldn¡¯t care less about her promise, and hurriedly defended herself via telepathy, ¡°It was a collective decision, you can¡¯t blame it all on me!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not wronging you.¡± Yan Yu took a step closer, staring into Lin Ning¡¯s eyes and said coldly, ¡°Yun Jin, it was you who approached her, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Lin Ning, her hands still covering her mouth, explained through telepathy, ¡°But I was just passing on a message!¡±

    ¡°Ling Yun, it was you who approached her too, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Yan Yu pressed half a step closer.

    Lin Ning was starting to feel guilty, shaking her head frantically, defending herself via telepathy:

    ¡°I said I was just passing on a message!¡±

    Yan Yu took another half step forward, his face almost right in front of Lin Ning, and said in a chilly voice:

    ¡°Ruoxi and Sister Zhao both said that they were just agreeing, and weren¡¯t the instigators, so if it wasn¡¯t you leading, was it perhaps me?¡±

    Their proximity now was such that Yan Yu could clearly see Lin Ning¡¯s smooth skin, the fine fuzz on her face, her pretty pink lips, her delicate nostrils that flared slightly with breath, her watery eyes, and in those eyes the panic, combined with feelings of injustice and anxiety.

    The more this black-haired girl pretended to be proud and aloof on usual days, the more adorably frantic she became in this moment, and it was this contrast that was so endearing¡ªthis was beauty in contradiction, one might say.

    ¡°Ningning!¡± Yan Yu lowered his voice, his expression shifting from stern to sorrowful as if looking at a stranger who had betrayed him, and said heartachingly, ¡°Why would you do this to me!¡±

    Lin Ning¡¯s expression nearly broke with heartache, and she finally could not hold back her defensive cries:

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me! Really, it wasn¡¯t me! It was Sister Zhao¡¯s idea, Ruoxi agreed, and I was just bewitched into agreeing¡­¡±

    As she was speaking amidst the verge of tears, Yan Yu suddenly switched expressions like a face-changing magician. The disbelief, refusal to accept, and cold anger on his face vanished in the blink of an eye, replaced with a pondering look as he nodded and said:

    ¡°So it was her! Humph, true to her nature¡­ Okay, I believe you. Go back to cooking.¡±

    Just as Yan Yu was about to open the kitchen door, Lin Ning suddenly extended her right hand and fiercely grabbed his shoulder, her eyes stripped of any emotion, replaced with vast chaos:

    ¡°Captain¡­ you never really suspected me, did you? You were just tricking me?¡±

    ¡°Correct,¡± Yan Yu proudly admitted with a smile, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Ningning to care so much about my attitude toward you, haha!¡±

    In the living room, everyone was watching TV when suddenly they heard a loud bang from the kitchen.

    They rushed over to see what happened and saw Yan Yu leaving the kitchen, smiling and saying:

    ¡°Why has everyone come over?¡±

    The girls looked at each other and then at Yan Yu, then back at Lin Ning who was still busy in the kitchen, seemingly undisturbed. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, they sheepishly returned to the living room.

    With her back to everyone, Lin Ning seasoned the soup, appearing calm and collected, but her slightly trembling hand holding the spoon betrayed her inner turmoil.

    The moment Lin Ning heard Yan Yu say ¡°So you do care about how I feel about you,¡± she couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore; filled with embarrassment and anger, she high-kicked at Yan Yu, only for him to deftly dodge, using his shoulder to catch the crook of Lin Ning¡¯s knee, and his arms to sweep under her legs, lifting her entirely off the ground.

    Riding high on horseback! No, wait, the horse is eating the rider!

    ¡°Put me down now!¡± Lin Ning¡¯s body suddenly airborne, wanted to shout with indignation but feared her teammates in the living room would notice. She quickly clamped down on his neck for balance and began patting his back, telepathically shouting, ¡°Put me down this instant!¡±

    ¡°If I do, you¡¯ll just kick me again.¡± Yan Yu carried her around the kitchen haphazardly. ¡°First, promise me you won¡¯t kick me.¡±

    ¡°`

    ¡°No kicking, no kicking!¡± Lin Ning urgently transmitted her voice, clamping her legs even tighter.

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you,¡± Yan Yu continued to tease her, deliberately wandering around the kitchen with his back to her and swaying toward the direction of the living room, ¡°Draw up a written agreement!¡±

    ¡°How can I draw up anything like this!¡± Lin Ning angrily kicked her legs, ¡°Put me down now!¡±

    The result was her foot kicking the fridge door, immediately making a huge noise.

    Anticipating that the people in the living room would surely be drawn over, Yan Yu hastily set her down on the ground, and Lin Ning, despite the pain in her toes, quickly turned around and pretended to deal with the soup pot as if nothing had happened, secretly transmitting to Yan Yu:

    ¡°If you dare tell anyone, I¡¯ll flatten you!¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t beat me,¡± Yan Yu retorted.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll spit in the food I make for you,¡± Lin Ning transmitted her threat.

    This move was so powerful that even Yan Yu didn¡¯t dare to continue bickering with her, quickly pushing the door and leaving the kitchen, brushing off the girls who came over in response to the noise.

    ¡°It¡¯s clear now,¡± he whispered to Chen Lingyun, ¡°She didn¡¯t even try to confirm the authenticity with you. As soon as I pressed her, she confessed, admitting it was all Zhao¡¯s doing.¡±

    ¡°So what are you planning to do?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with a smile, ¡°Ostracize her? I don¡¯t think she would care.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s her weakness?¡± Yan Yu wondered.

    ¡°You,¡± Chen Lingyun said, ¡°To be precise, ownership of you.¡±

    ¡°Stop it, that¡¯s a bit much,¡± Yan Yu sighed, ¡°What else?¡±

    ¡°Food,¡± Chen Lingyun suggested, ¡°Given her suspicious nature, maybe we could do this and that¡­¡±

    After discussing their plans, Yan Yu also secretly transmitted a message to Ruoxi and Yun Jin, finalizing their scheme.

    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Yan Yu suddenly said out loud, ¡°Yun Jin, Ningning is calling you over.¡±

    Su Yunjin gave a small smile, saying nothing, and simply walked toward the kitchen.

    Zhao Yuanzhen watched from the side, feeling that something was off:

    Although everyone had agreed not to speak to the little thief, there was no rule against listening to him; he could still tell everyone to do this or that.

    Ah, an oversight!

    She sighed regretfully, while Su Yunjin returned from the kitchen not long after.

    ¡°What did Yun Jin go do?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked on purpose. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Nothing much,¡± Su Yunjin responded cheerily, taking a napkin to wipe her mouth, ¡°Ruoxi, Ningning is asking for you to come over too.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen, puzzled, watched as Xie Ruoxi headed to the kitchen, her gaze fixed in that direction when she suddenly heard Yan Yu say to Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°Lingyun, what do you think about keeping a pet pig at home?¡±

    The Demonic Sect Enchantress immediately turned her head, staring furiously at Chen Lingyun.

    Chen Lingyun maintained her silence, shaking her head, and threw Zhao Yuanzhen a knowing look.

    Therefore, Zhao Yuanzhen turned back, content, and continued watching TV, just as she saw Xie Ruoxi return.

    ¡°Ling Yun,¡± her voice was muffled, ¡°Ningning is calling you over.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Chen Lingyun stood up.

    What was Ruoxi holding in her mouth? Why was she mumbling?

    Zhao Yuanzhen felt perplexed, secretly transmitting to Xie Ruoxi:

    ¡°What did Ningning ask you to do in the kitchen just now?¡±

    This question was also expected by Chen Lingyun, who had already explained to Yan Yu and Xie Ruoxi what to do, so she merely feigned confusion, transmitting a question in return:

    ¡°Ah? Sister Zhao, didn¡¯t you go to the kitchen?¡±

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied, puzzled.

    ¡°Then Ningning will probably call for you later,¡± said Xie Ruoxi.

    ¡°So what exactly were you asked to do¡­¡± Zhao Yuanzhen continued to inquire, only to see Chen Lingyun returning from the kitchen, apparently chewing something but not yet swallowing it.

 Chapter 437: 33: The Demonic Sect Enchantress, A Prime Evil to Be Executed (Extra)

    Chapter 437: Chapter 33: The Demonic Sect Enchantress, A Prime Evil to Be Executed (Extra)

    Seeing her elegantly chewing her food, Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly had an epiphany, stood up, and was filled with indignation!

    ¡°You guys were snacking in the kitchen! Without me!¡±

    She hurried to the kitchen, and upon seeing this, everyone quickly got up to follow. Zhao Yuanzhen grabbed Lin Ning and repeatedly asked:

    ¡°What tasty food are you hiding in the kitchen?¡±

    Lin Ning was also bewildered¡ªfrom a while ago everyone just came to me one by one to make awkward conversation, and now Sister Zhao is accusing me of hoarding food¡­ Where did I hide anything? Aren¡¯t all the dishes I¡¯m going to cook laid out on the counter?

    ¡°I didn¡¯t hide anything,¡± she honestly responded.

    ...

    ¡°Liar!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was livid, ¡°Clearly you invited them one by one to sneak into the kitchen to eat, intentionally not calling me!¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Su Yunjin took the lead in explaining, ¡°I just went to the kitchen to chat with Ningning.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Lin Ning was truly clueless and hastily agreed.

    ¡°You even used a napkin to wipe your mouth!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was filled with righteous indignation.

    ¡°That¡¯s because I just had some water,¡± Su Yunjin said with a beaming smile, ¡°Simply wiping away the water stains.¡±

    ¡°Ruoxi!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately turned her head, ¡°Tell me, did Ningning invite you over to eat something?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi hesitated immediately. On one side is the beloved captain, and on the other, a close sister-friend. Whose side should I take?

    I, Ruoxi, am not someone who favors romance over friendship, of course I¡¯ll side with my bestie! But Sister Zhao stirring trouble with the captain this time was indeed improper. I acted according to the captain¡¯s orders, also to teach Sister Zhao a lesson, to let her know that there are some people in the team you can¡¯t mess with. This is all for the sake of my sister-friends! S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    With this in mind, she immediately stopped hesitating and followed the script they had set earlier, shaking her head as she said:

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me. I have my difficulties and cannot say.¡±

    ¡°Aha!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly realized, ¡°Earlier when you came out to talk, your words were unclear, definitely because you had something in your mouth! Now unwilling to lie to me, yet afraid to tell the truth, so you claim ¡®I have my difficulties¡¯!¡±

    She turned her head toward Lin Ning and said sadly:

    ¡°Ningning, I thought we were close sisters, but to think you would keep such an important thing as eating from me!¡±

    Lin Ning was also at a loss for words and anxiously said:

    ¡°I really don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening¡­¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhao, everybody really didn¡¯t sneak any food.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a gentle smile, ¡°Could it be that you really misunderstood?¡±

    ¡°Exactly, exactly.¡± Yan Yu also came to add fuel to the fire, ¡°You¡¯re just too sensitive. Everyone went to the kitchen just to chat with Ningning, that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen couldn¡¯t contain her rage, ¡°I saw Ling Yun eating something when she came out!¡±

    ¡°You must have seen wrong,¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly.

    ¡°I did not see wrong!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen grew even more furious, ¡°You¡¯re also covering for them!¡±

    ¡°Oh my!¡± Xie Ruoxi suddenly exclaimed, ¡°Sister Zhao, you talked to the captain! You broke the rule!¡±

    ¡°Eh? Did Sister Zhao accidentally reason with the captain?¡± Su Yunjin also feigned surprise, ¡°I just realized it myself.¡±

    ¡°Alright, this game is over then.¡± Chen Lingyun clapped her hands and laughed, ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s talk normally from now on.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go.¡± Yan Yu waved her hand dismissively.

    The girls dispersed, leaving Zhao Yuanzhen dazed in place. Suddenly, she cried out in pain, clutching her chest, collapsing to the ground, her eyes devoid of spirit.

    ¡°Sister Zhao¡­¡± At this point, Lin Ning also finally realized that because she had just betrayed Sister Zhao, it led to her being bullied by the captain¡¯s scheme, and she felt both distressed and guilty, ¡°You should get up first, the ground is dirty.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen, however, ignored her and just sat dully on the ground, her expression one of desolation, like a beautiful statue, unresponsive to Lin Ning¡¯s coaxing and explanations, as if her soul was lost.

    ¡°Leave her to me, don¡¯t bother with her,¡± Yan Yu came back to the kitchen after leaving for a while, and said to Lin Ning.

    Lin Ning hastily stepped aside to see Yan Yu pick up some chopsticks, grab a piece of fried vinegar pork from the side, and then stuffed it into Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s mouth.

    Zhao Yuanzhen: ¡­¡­

    Smack, smack.

    While eating, colors gradually returned to her eyes.

    ¡°Is this what you all were eating just now?¡± She swallowed the food in her mouth and looked up to ask Yan Yu.

    ¡°What else?¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°The kitchen is only so big, where could the food possibly hide?¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen stood up, patted her buttocks, and picked up her chopsticks again. She fiercely ate several pieces of fried vinegar pork, finally regaining her original vitality and spirit, and arrogantly said, ¡°I thought it was some dragon liver and phoenix marrow! Just this, and it¡¯s worth hiding from me and eating secretly?¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, then don¡¯t eat!¡± Lin Ning suddenly became angry.

    ¡°Try conspiring and rebelling again next time, I¡¯ll help you lose weight, believe it or not?¡± Yan Yu scoffed coldly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to lose weight!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen puffed out her chest, not holding a grudge against Yan Yu, and waved her hand magnanimously, ¡°Forget it, I forgive you!¡±

    Yan Yu slapped her on the forehead, promptly knocking her verve back down.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    After dinner, Yan Yu returned to his room and finally saw a message from Li Minghu.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Sorry, I was sleeping before and didn¡¯t see it.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: So, what¡¯s up with you?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Someone from above came to check. They said that due to congenital root bone deficiency and an imbalance of the Five Elements, it¡¯s easy for Qi circulation to go awry; it¡¯s a condition that can occur by chance, and this time, I happened to encounter it.

    In a cultivator¡¯s body, True Yuan subtly corresponds with the Five Elements, each related to one of the five internal organs. Li Minghu has a congenital deficiency of the lungs, related to the metal element, causing her metal-element True Yuan to be weak. Since metal generates water, this leads to her water-element True Yuan also being deficient, affecting her kidneys. Considering that water restrains fire, weak water means strong fire, resulting in excessive accumulation of liver fire. And fire conquers metal, which further weakens the lungs¡­ creating a continuous negative cycle. Even with the adjustment from spells and elixir medicines, after a while, the problem will reemerge. It can only be truly cured from the root source of the root bone.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: An imbalance of the Five Elements is indeed troublesome, what did they say above?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: They gave two solutions, one is to switch to body cultivating cultivators, and the other is to become a magic cultivator and practice metal-element Taoism method.

    To switch to body cultivating cultivators means to entirely strengthen the root bones, enhancing one¡¯s tolerance for an imbalance of the Five Elements. However, entering body cultivation itself requires one to have good root bones, since cultivation demands tempering the muscles and bones, and ordinary people can hardly persist, only those as tall and strong as Qin Meng have a chance.

    As for becoming a magic cultivator, presumably, the goal is to cultivate a Tao Transformation of the metal element to replenish the metal meridians. This path seems feasible but is fraught with difficulties.

    For one, a Tao Transformation body can¡¯t be cultivated in a short period, Yun Jin has been at it until now and still hasn¡¯t even gathered half of the Rootless Water needed. Secondly, considering Li Minghu¡¯s True Yuan talent, she¡¯s indeed not suited to be a magic cultivator, even if she succeeded in forcefully switching over, what use would Li Minghu, a magic cultivator with insufficient True Yuan, be? Neither advancing nor retreating, by the time she switches back to being a Sword Immortal, she would have been left far behind by the main force.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: I¡¯m actually hesitant about switching to the body cultivation path; as for the metal-element Taoism method, the Annan Army is more hesitant. What do you think, Yan Yu?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: I think neither is suitable for you, neither body cultivation nor magic cultivation.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: That¡¯s what I think too, but there aren¡¯t any better options right now.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Perhaps you can wait and see. As the Spiritual Energy Resurgence progresses, more and more diverse spells and elixir medicines will emerge, and there might be a solution by then.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Perhaps.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: But the main thing is, you need to rest quietly now and can¡¯t go back to dealing with the team¡¯s matters.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: I do want to let go, but I worry Ah Jiang can¡¯t handle it alone.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Why not recruit a sixth person then?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: A sixth person?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Our team¡¯s Ruoxi, Huofeng team¡¯s Hou Qing. When going overseas for combat, we go together, and for domestic confrontational training, we select five people to participate. It also expands our tactical options a bit.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: I remember from previous research, for precision strike teams, five people are actually the most suitable. Having more would make it difficult to command.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: But you¡¯ve seen how it is abroad now, groups moving in twentys, thirtys, even hundreds at a time, what command? No need, everyone just fights on their own.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: You make a good point, maybe I can bring in someone capable of handling things, to help out with the vice captain¡¯s responsibilities when I¡¯m not around.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: There are plenty of cultivators who can fight, but not many who can manage. Remember to screen well, especially the character must be solid, otherwise, if you recruit someone problematic, you¡¯ll suffer the consequences.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Hearing Captain Yan say this, it seems you¡¯ve had some deep experiences, huh? /smile

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Let¡¯s not talk about it, everyone in the team is a handful. Today, they even dared to conspire and secretly plot a rebellion, but I suppressed it.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Rebellion? Haha, who was it?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Sigh, let me tell you¡­

 Chapter 438: 34: Debating with the Enchantress

    Chapter 438: Chapter 34: Debating with the Enchantress

    Among the many women Yan Yu knew, if asked who his favorite conversation partner was, Li Minghu would definitely top the list.

    Ye Jun could also put up a fight, but when Ye Jun spoke, he sounded more like a buddy, intermittently playing along with jokes, lacking the gentle comfort of Li Minghu¡¯s lingering drizzles and soft spring breezes.

    Looking at the others, Lin Ning was haughty, Yun Jin somber, Chen Lingyun up to no good, Xie Ruoxi lacking ambition, and Zhao Yuanzhen both bad and stupid¡­ Although they were all very beautiful, each had their own flaws when it came to their personalities.

    Thinking about it, the fact that I could tolerate their flaws probably made me a paragon of broad-mindedness, right?

    Yan Yu chatted with Li Minghu for a moment and told her to rest well. Right then, Zhao Yuanzhen pushed the door open and entered.

    She had changed into a thin nightgown, and it seemed like she had just taken a hot bath in the bathroom outside. The skin above her neck was reddish and smooth, exceptionally pretty¡ªthe description of everything below the neck was better left unsaid, except for one word, ¡°amazing.¡±

    ...

    Sometimes, Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but suspect that the Enchantress had probably transferred all the contents of her brain elsewhere.

    ¡°Time is almost up.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen kicked off her slippers, leapt onto the bed like a fearless warrior, and, with a big wave of her hand, exclaimed, ¡°Dual Cultivation!¡±

    ¡°Hold on.¡± Yan Yu asked, puzzled, ¡°What¡¯s that delightful smell?¡±

    ¡°Humph,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said proudly. ¡°I used Ling Yun¡¯s body wash.¡±

    ¡°She allowed you to use it?¡± Yan Yu was immediately shocked.

    Even in my past life, she would only let me use her body wash during a shared bath!

    ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied. ¡°I asked to borrow it, and she did not object, so she probably agreed by default.¡±

    ¡°How did you ask?¡± Yan Yu inquired.

    ¡°Ling Yun, I ran out of shower gel. Let me use yours,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen answered.

    ¡°And how did she respond?¡± Yan Yu asked again.

    ¡°She wasn¡¯t in the room,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said.

    Yan Yu was immediately stupefied, so you were asking the air for body wash?

    ¡°Come, smell this, isn¡¯t it fragrant?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen thrust her arm towards his face, ¡°This body wash must be expensive, the scent is lasting yet not overpowering, truly delightful.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Yan Yu pushed her arm away, ¡°Can you focus less on these trivial matters of everyday life and pay more attention to cultivation?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen lifted her chin, ¡°So when will you practice bedroom techniques with me?¡±

    Yan Yu raised his hands in surrender. It wasn¡¯t that he was uninterested in the Enchantress¡¯s body¡ªquite the contrary, he was very interested. But the union of their energies could break through bottlenecks, and such a valuable opportunity was to be reserved for overcoming the bottleneck at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

    After achieving perfection in the Foundation Establishment Realm, came Crossing Celestial Tribulation and Core Formation. Golden Cores were graded as upper, middle, and lower levels, specifically related to the purity of one¡¯s Purple Mansion Foundation and the balance of spiritual energies: the more abundant the positive energies and the fewer the negative residues, the easier it was to form a high-quality golden core.

    So how could one purify the Purple Mansion Foundation and refine the negative residues, retaining the positive energies?

    The orthodox method was to diligently polish the Purple Mansion Foundation, also known as painstaking manual labor. It was said that to confidently form a high-quality golden core, one would need to stay in the Hua Mansion Phase for two hundred years, slowly purifying the residues within the Purple Mansion¡­ obviously unrealistic, as it took far too long.

    Of course, where there were conventional methods, there were also shortcuts. For example, when breaking through a bottleneck at the peak of the Hua Mansion, one¡¯s cultivation realm could surge suddenly. If all the increased True Yuan could be channeled into the Purple Mansion and fully refined at that moment, it might also enhance the final grade of the core formation.

    Using a metaphor, it¡¯s like needing to climb a steep hill. The orthodox method is to pedal a bicycle slowly up the hill, but what if someone lacks the energy to pedal up an incline? They could ride to the top of a smaller mound first, then as they ride down, pedal hard, gathering as much momentum as possible, enabling them to reach further up the high slope in one go.

    As for how to reach this levering mound, there are many ways. For instance, the dual cultivation method in Silken Bond Technique, if practiced between a male and a female, could lead to a considerable increase in True Yuan after breaking through a bottleneck. Another way mentioned in past lives secretly dealt with rare Elixir Medicines; prolonged use before breaking through a bottleneck could also yield great effects.

    Yan Yu, having come from his previous life, although he himself was not a cultivator, watched Chen Lingyun during her period close to reaching Great Perfection at the Hua Fu Stage as she brewed various medicines and swallowed Elixir Medicines daily. He understood how important the Purple Mansion grade was for cultivators to form their Core.

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to conserve your True Yuan to break through the bottleneck of Great Perfection at the Hua Fu Stage?¡± Yan Yu asked her.

    ¡°I do. Of course, I do,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately struggled, ¡°but with you flirting around all day, I can¡¯t be at ease. If I can get your heart back sooner, it wouldn¡¯t matter if I don¡¯t break through the bottleneck.¡±

    Yan Yu was immediately amused:

    ¡°Do you think your legs are some kind of anti-theft lock that can just snap shut and keep me locked up? To truly achieve mutual understanding and companionship, relying on bedroom techniques is useless; it¡¯s all about feelings, understand!¡± S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Zhao Yuanzhen pondered:

    ¡°So, if you cheat on me in the team, that means you don¡¯t love me enough, right?¡±

    ¡°Why do you always interpret things in a way that benefits you?¡± Yan Yu was speechless and after a long pause said, ¡°What I mean is, since you¡¯re worried about this and that, you should work hard to foster feelings with me, instead of thinking ¡®as long as I give him my True Yuan, everything will be fine¡¯¡­ How many times do I have to mention this? Dual Cultivation itself is a supportive, mutually beneficial act, completely different from secular arranged marriages.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to CPU me,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen retorted, unconvinced. ¡°I¡¯ve read online that if a guy sleeps with a girl, he should take responsibility for her.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s incorrect,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°You should read more articles about feminism. A woman¡¯s body is her own to control. The feudal days when a man had to be utterly devoted to a woman he slept with are long gone.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen found it odd and furrowed her brows:

    ¡°Then aren¡¯t men able to sleep with women freely without taking responsibility? Getting slept with by you guys without any compensation¡­ What kind of feminism is that?¡±

    Yan Yu thought she was catching on and continued to explain:

    ¡°A woman can sleep with whoever she wants; her body is not some object to be talked about in terms of getting slept with or not. You¡¯re espousing a decaying materialism, truly lowly.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen scoffed. ¡°When it¡¯s time to sleep with someone, you talk about ¡®a woman¡¯s body being her own¡¯ to dodge responsibility; then when it comes to marriage, you turn around and look for women who haven¡¯t slept with anyone, kicking to the curb those you¡¯ve already slept with. What feminism, it looks more like jerk-ism to me; it¡¯s all about how you can feel good. I¡¯m not falling for your tricks; I¡¯m not some enlightened feminist, I want to maintain womanly virtues, and you have to fulfill your duties as a husband.¡±

    ¡°Haha,¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help laughing, disdainfully said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget, I can choose not to sleep with you.¡±

    ¡°Then I can use force!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately flared up, revealing the nature of a Demonic Sect Enchantress, and scoffed, ¡°If you don¡¯t devour me, I will devour you! Leave you clean down to the bones, not a drop left!¡±

    ¡°Heh,¡± Yan Yu scoffed, ¡°I just have to not wave the flag, how would you use force then?¡±

    ¡°You think you can resist waving the flag?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen puffed out her chest, proudly said.

    ¡­Well, that might actually be a bit difficult.

    ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ll talk about this next time,¡± Yan Yu got fed up with the argument as well, impatiently waved his hand, ¡°It¡¯s not yet time to break through the bottleneck of the Foundation Establishment Realm; it¡¯s too early to talk about this. Release the puppet now; we still have to follow the Four Directions Qi Guiding Formation tonight.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was sullen as she summoned the puppet Ami, and thought to herself:

    ¡°I¡¯m really shocked. The cheeky guy dared to say right in front of me that he doesn¡¯t want me. Is it because he finds my body not attractive enough, or is he deliberately trying to scare me with his words, thinking of controlling me?¡±

    ¡°It must be the latter, but what if it¡¯s the former, what then?¡±

    ¡°No, I must find an infallible method. Otherwise, what if when I reach the Great Perfection in the Foundation Establishment Realm, he suddenly refuses to fulfill his husbandly duties? I certainly can¡¯t really use force¡­ would I have to abandon my dignity, my reputation, my womanly virtues?¡±

    ¡°Despicable scoundrel, daring to scare me with this kind of thing! Hateful, so hateful, excessively hateful!¡±

    ¡°Fostering feelings is it? Fine, I¡¯ll properly cultivate feelings with you! Let¡¯s see if you can keep them up!¡±

 Chapter 439: 35 Approaching the Annual Vacation

    Chapter 439: Chapter 35 Approaching the Annual Vacation

    As the end of the month approached, the aftermath of the incident in The Secret Realm of Li Palace gradually subsided.

    The Superhero Alliance and the European nations struck another major deal, signing contracts with more than three hundred superheroes at once to make up for the losses in The Secret Realm of Li Palace.

    Western audiences quickly forgot those old superheroes they had once pursued and obsessed over, who were killed by the Longcheng Flying General of Lu Country, and instead began to worship these newly joined superheroes¡ªit is not their fault for being forgetful, after all, the history of Roman gladiators proved that what the audience truly relished was not a specific undefeated gladiator but the violence and bloodshed.

    The situation in Chongying was much more complicated. Due to their consistent policy of elite cultivation, a massive amount of resources were concentrated at the Kyoto Yin Yang Institute. The local Yin Yang Bureau, on one hand, aggressively recruited civilian Onmyoji for registration, while on the other hand, the cultivation resources they could obtain were scant. Consequently, local Onmyoji had long harbored resentment towards the headquarters.

    Due to the personnel losses suffered by the Kyoto Yin Yang Institute in The Secret Realm of Li Palace, they had no choice but to call up personnel from the local offices to replenish the headquarters. This move seemed to ease the tension between Kyoto and the local offices, providing a ladder for local Onmyoji to advance, but the influx of rebellious and stubborn local Onmyoji into the Kyoto headquarters also planted hidden dangers and setups for the future.

    In Goryeo¡¯s Pear Blossom Courtyard, with Gyeongbokgung formally bestowing an honor upon Park Changmin, this ¡°future Goryeo Sword God¡± finally secured his rightful place as Pear Blossom Courtyard¡¯s chief, following the same trajectory as in his past life¡­ It is rather Lord Master Liu Longtao who, in this life, ended up under Yan Yu, prompting one to marvel at the complex vicissitudes of fate.

    ...

    In Lu Country, the Dragon Cavalry Team and the Zhenghai Team, who took part in the battle of The Secret Realm of Li Palace, received a month-long vacation. As for the Huofeng Team and Qing An Team, which did not participate in the Departure Palace, they were arranged by the National Cultivator Athletics Alliance to engage in a simulated combat exercise in a secret location in Jingnan at the end of the month.

    Even though it was the home field for the Qing An Team, they suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Huofeng Team due to the absence of vice-captain Li Minghu, which resulted in calls for the introduction of a sixth-man rule soaring to such an extent that the authority had to announce that ¡°it is already under consideration and preparation.¡±

    In summary, January passed by quietly. The public quickly shifted their attention to various matters such as the Spring Festival travel rush, holidays, tourism, visiting relatives and friends, temporarily setting aside the affairs of cultivators.

    The members of the Zhenghai Team also began to prepare for the New Year¡¯s goods and confirm the procedures for school vacation during the Spring Festival.

    ¡°Ningning is inviting you over on February 1st, right?¡± Su Yunjin mused, ¡°Then come to my place on the 2nd, is that okay?¡±

    ¡°That works,¡± Yan Yu agreed, thinking it was perfect to visit on two consecutive days¡ªusing the experience gained from meeting Ningning¡¯s parents could be directly applied to the upcoming meeting with Yunjin¡¯s parents.

    Su Yunjin revealed a graceful and beautiful smile. Of course, she would not tell Yan Yu that the reason she chose to arrange it for February 2nd was to prevent Yan Yu from being invited to ¡°stay a few more days¡± after having dinner at Lin Ning¡¯s place on February 1st.

    Love is just like that, ruthless by any means necessary! Without any schemes, you¡¯ll face defeat! Sorry, Ningning, if there¡¯s any blame, it¡¯s just that you and I fell for the same person¡­ she silently said in her heart.

    In the kitchen on the other side, Xie Ruoxi chatting with Lin Ning, suddenly asked in surprise:

    ¡°Ningning, you¡¯re inviting the captain to your home for dinner?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not me who¡¯s inviting,¡± Lin Ning said helplessly, ¡°It¡¯s my dad who wants to invite the captain.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi hesitated for a moment, ¡°But going to dinner during the New Year holiday, isn¡¯t that like eating the New Year¡¯s Eve dinner and the same as bringing your boyfriend home to meet the parents?¡±

    ¡°Stop, don¡¯t say anymore!¡± Lin Ning instantly became embarrassed and annoyed, ¡°My dad said it¡¯s to thank the captain for taking care of me during this time! Whether you believe it or not, I do believe it, and that¡¯s that.¡±

    Seeing that she did not wish to discuss it further, Xie Ruoxi kept silent, but her thoughts were whirling.

    Should I also invite the captain to my home for a meal¡­?

    No, better not. In case my parents start joking and sharing my embarrassing history in front of the captain, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to resist hitting my own head with a Thunder Method.

    She returned to the living room full of thoughts and saw Zhao Yuanzhen watching TV while eating fruit, then suddenly asked out of curiosity:

    ¡°Zhao, are you inviting the captain for dinner this New Year¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°Why would I invite him for dinner?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked, puzzled. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Because¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi was about to say ¡°Because Ningning is also inviting the captain,¡± but just as the words reached her lips, she suddenly felt a chill as if speaking out would lead to extremely unfortunate consequences.

    ¡°Come to think of it, that is a question,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen pondered.

    What should be done for this New Year¡¯s?

    Back when I was under the Qiansi Sect, every New Year, the master would gather the disciples to practice spells, assessing our cultivation.

    Those who passed the assessment got a jug of wine; those who didn¡¯t were gifted with a lash from the notorious ¡°Ghost¡¯s Wail Whip¡±¡ªa pain that could pierce through flesh and touch the soul, a suffering so intense that it would not be forgotten for the rest of one¡¯s life.

    Now on Earth, it was impossible to expect Master to throw another New Year¡¯s gathering. Where should I go then?

    Forget it, I¡¯ll ask the little thief. After all, he¡¯s the one I¡¯m closest to nowadays.

    ¡°Where to go for New Year¡¯s?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen came over to ask, leaving Yan Yu bewildered, ¡°Where do you want to go?¡±

    ¡°I want to go and eat something tasty,¡± responded Zhao Yuanzhen without hesitation.

    ¡°Then go and eat something tasty,¡± Yan Yu said, waving his hand impatiently, ¡°Wherever you go to eat, it¡¯s none of my business.¡±

    ¡°But during New Year¡¯s, most shops are closed,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said, ¡°Ningning is going back home to spend the holiday with her parents and won¡¯t be able to cook for me.¡±

    ¡°Then don¡¯t eat,¡± said Yan Yu, ¡°You won¡¯t starve to death anyway.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯ll be sad,¡± argued Zhao Yuanzhen.

    ¡°What does your sadness have to do with me?¡± Yan Yu asked, puzzled.

    At that moment, Zhao Yuanzhen was at a loss for words, secretly holding a grudge:

    The little thief actually had the nerve to say something as insensitive as ¡°What does your sadness have to do with me?¡±¡ªhow detestable, utterly detestable!

    I¡¯ll remember this. If one day I have children, I¡¯ll make sure they stick by my side, teaching them to love their mother more than their father, to even declare in front of the little thief, ¡°What does father¡¯s business have to do with me?¡± Let the little thief taste the bitterness of indifference from those close to him!

    With this vengeful thought silently noted, the Demonic Sect Enchantress suppressed her rage, yet flashed a charming smile, wrapped her arms around Yan Yu¡¯s, and cooed:

    ¡°Awww~ With the relationship between you and me, how can you say something so uncaring?¡±

    ¡°What relationship do we have?¡± Yan Yu asked, frowning.

    ¡°Daoist couple,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied, dripping with sweetness, ¡°Even if it¡¯s just the relationship of cultivation partners, it makes sense to visit your family over New Year¡¯s, right?¡±

    Yan Yu fell silent; he had actually already planned to have the Demonic Sect Enchantress visit his home for New Year¡¯s. Nothing personal, just to keep an eye on her, not to let her run wild, lest she cause trouble with her ferocious nature.

    Don¡¯t be fooled by her seemingly simple-mindedness; she¡¯s quite intelligent. She just can¡¯t be bothered to think too hard.

    As the Empress Yuanzhen in a past life, she would argue online and, if she couldn¡¯t win the debate, would take matters offline and kill the opposition. This goes to show that although she had an innocent heart, children could be the most brutal, not taking human lives seriously at all.

    If I¡¯m not there to oversee her, who knows? She might end up in a line to buy milk tea, get cut in line, argue, and end up killing someone¡ªsounds preposterous, but for the Empress Yuanzhen, it¡¯s not strange at all.

    ¡°Visiting my family is fine,¡± said Yan Yu indifferently, ¡°But you should bring some gifts. You can¡¯t just show up empty-handed.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen began to fret: I don¡¯t even know what his family likes. What should I bring?

    Something to eat?

    As she racked her brain, unbeknownst to her, Su Yunjin was watering the plants in the distance and overheard Yan Yu¡¯s last remark.

    Zhao is going to visit Captain¡¯s family for New Year¡¯s?

    Hmm, that¡¯s actually not a bad idea.

    Come to think of it, I should get on good terms with the Captain¡¯s family too. Especially his sister Jingjing¡ªif she says a few good words about me in front of the Captain, maybe his affection for me will rise faster.

    So that¡¯s settled, I¡¯ll find time to visit after the first day of the lunar month, and win over the Captain¡¯s family!

 Chapter 440: 36: The Worthy Son-in-Law Comes to Visit

    Chapter 440: Chapter 36: The Worthy Son-in-Law Comes to Visit

    The New Year was approaching!

    As the holiday neared, most shops near home had already closed, and the cultivators from the school teams were gradually returning home.

    The girls from the Zhenhai Team, having their own residences in Jinling Prefecture, weren¡¯t in a rush to go back immediately. However, Yan Yu and Lin Ning flew towards Minyue direction on their swords early in the morning of February 1st.

    Speaking of meeting parents, Yan Yu had met parents in his previous life, but the situation with Chen¡¯s father and mother was very special, and his experience clearly couldn¡¯t be applied to others¡¯ parents; so to say he wasn¡¯t nervous at all would be an exaggeration.

    A bit worried, he feared that Lin¡¯s father might start with ¡°pouring wine for the son-in-law,¡± which would indeed be quite overwhelming.

    ¡°Captain.¡± Lin Ning suddenly asked via transmission, ¡°Aren¡¯t you nervous?¡±

    ...

    ¡°Why should I be nervous?¡± Yan Yu asked her back.

    ¡°It¡¯s just, it¡¯s just¡­¡± Lin Ning struggled to find the words, ¡°Isn¡¯t it nerve-wracking to meet unfamiliar elders? Aren¡¯t you nervous, Captain?¡±

    Observing her expression, Yan Yu guessed what she was thinking and said with a laugh:

    ¡°Hmm, I am a bit nervous. But I¡¯ll use deep breathing to relieve stress, so it¡¯s okay.¡±

    ¡°Deep breathing?¡±

    ¡°Breathe in slowly and then exhale quickly. Repeat this and gradually you¡¯ll feel less nervous.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Lin Ning said.

    After a while, Yan Yu glanced over quietly and saw that Lin had already started doing deep breathing, methodically inhaling and exhaling.

    The place they were heading to, Lin Ning had already explained to Yan Yu in advance: her grandfather and ancestors had been fishermen in a coastal village within Qingyuan Prefecture. Later, her father partnered with others to start a fishing company, and the family then moved to the urban area of Qingyuan Prefecture, hence every New Year they would return to the ancestral home to reunite with relatives.

    Lin Ning¡¯s father was the third oldest at home, with two older brothers, a younger brother, and two younger sisters. Lin Ning¡¯s mother had an older brother, an older sister, and a younger sister. Then all these uncles, aunts, and cousins were married with their own children, many more than one (Lin Ning herself had a brother and a sister), which reflects how large the family gathering would be; no wonder Lin Ning was nervous.

    When the two arrived at the coastal village by sword, as soon as they landed, a few neighboring kids ran over, clapping and laughing:

    ¡°Sword Immortal sister is back! Sword Immortal sister is back!¡±

    ¡°Who told you to call me that!¡± Lin Ning glared and said, ¡°Call me Sister Ning!¡±

    ¡°Sister Ning!¡± The kids surrounded her, ¡°Sister Ning, can we play with your sword now?¡±

    Hearing this, Yan Yu was speechless; kids these days are really precocious, even daring to ask to handle Flying Swords. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°No, no.¡± Lin Ning glared, ¡°The Flying Sword is very sharp! Remember, you can¡¯t play with it!¡±

    She rapidly lectured the kids, dismissing their initial excitement and curiosity, and then waved them away.

    ¡°Impressive.¡± Yan Yu commented, ¡°No wonder you were a class president who could persuade students in high school, you really have a way with words.¡±

    ¡°If you bring that up again, I¡¯ll kick you to death.¡± Lin Ning glared and said.

    The Lin family ancestral home was an old house built on a nearby hill. Climbing up the gentle slope, they saw a middle-aged woman washing vegetables at the door.

    She turned around, saw Lin Ning and Yan Yu, and immediately launched into a lengthy greeting in dialect.

    Lin Ning also showed a helpless expression like ¡°Oh, why like this,¡± and blabbered back in the same dialect.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    Oh no, a language barrier, this trip might be tricky!

    After Lin Ning finished speaking with the middle-aged woman, she turned to Yan Yu and introduced:

    ¡°This is my auntie.¡±

    ¡°Hello Auntie,¡± Yan Yu politely said.

    ¡°What auntie!¡± Lin Ning immediately got upset and kicked him, ¡°Call her Aunt!¡±

    ¡°Hey, Ningning, you can¡¯t do that!¡± Lin¡¯s aunt hurriedly intervened, scolding her, ¡°You can¡¯t kick your boyfriend, you know!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not my boyfriend!¡± Lin Ning stomped her foot in frustration, ¡°He¡¯s our team¡¯s captain!¡±

    Ignoring her protest, Lin¡¯s aunt continued to smile at Yan Yu and said:

    ¡°I¡¯m her aunt, her dad¡¯s sister. Just call me Aunt.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Auntie.¡± Yan Yu smiled.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to call your dad over.¡± The aunt placed the vegetables in the stainless steel basin and turned to enter the old house.

    Yan Yu watched her retreating figure, his expression gradually becoming serious.

    Good news, not the ideal son-in-law.

    Bad news, seems to have become Lin¡¯s boyfriend.

    Lin Ning, still furious, dragged Yan Yu along and chattered:

    ¡°My dad must have blabbed to the relatives again, I can¡¯t stand it! Captain, don¡¯t get the wrong idea, I¡¯m going to give him a telling-off later.¡±

    ¡°Why is your dad so concerned about your being single?¡± Yan Yu asked a question he had always wanted to ask in his past life.

    ¡°That¡¯s just the way my family is,¡± Lin Ning sighed, ¡°Before the college entrance exams, they strictly forbade dating, and as soon as exams were over, they couldn¡¯t wait to make you find someone. If you don¡¯t have someone by twenty-five or twenty-six, your parents start matchmaking; if you¡¯re still single at twenty-seven or twenty-eight, you become an ¡®old maid¡¯; relatives talk behind your back, wondering if nobody wants you, and my parents feel so embarrassed they can¡¯t even sleep well at night.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s quite scientific,¡± Yan Yu remarked. ¡°The optimal age for a woman to give birth is also around this time. After thirty, one becomes a high-risk mother.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t use childbearing to determine a woman¡¯s value!¡± Lin Ning said indignantly. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be stuck at home with a kid at such a young age!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you don¡¯t have anyone interested in you yet, so worrying about staying home with kids is really premature.¡± Yan Yu comforted her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare say nobody wants me!¡± Lin Ning kicked him, not pleased at all.

    Lin¡¯s father came out from the house just in time to see Yan Yu and his eyes lit up.

    It¡¯s the Flying General of Longcheng on TV!

    Then seeing his daughter actually kicking the Flying General, he was shocked to his core and immediately grabbed a pole from behind the door, charging over to discipline his daughter while scolding.

    Lin Ning, startled by the sight of the pole, quickly dodged, leaving Yan Yu behind.

    As Lin¡¯s father chased his daughter, he said to Yan Yu:

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid! I can¡¯t control how she bullies you outside, but in our house, the men make the decisions! Ah, if she dares to touch you, Lin Bei will teach her a lesson on your behalf!¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­

    Didn¡¯t know what to say, feeling very complicated. He wanted to clarify the situation a bit, but he was more eager to see the embarrassed look on Lin¡¯s face, which was quite entertaining.

    Indeed, Lin Ning¡¯s face turned red with anger and frustration as she dodged the pole using the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, shouting in a dialect Yan Yu couldn¡¯t understand. The sounds ¡°male ice friend¡± repeated several times; she seemed to still be explaining their relationship.

    After a while, as Lin¡¯s father failed to catch her and was panting heavily, he realized that his daughter¡¯s current cultivator strength meant she was no longer the little girl who would cry and admit her wrongs when he picked up a pole. He had to stand there, leaning on the pole, and continue berating his daughter for her lack of manners and upbringing.

    After much babbling, Lin Ning finally had a realization and, with an angry look, said to Yan Yu:

    ¡°Damn! It¡¯s the rumors Qiao Ming spread!¡±

    ¡°Qiao Ming?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°The one who came to school last time to confess to me, remember?¡± Lin Ning said, arms crossed and still fuming, ¡°Later, you helped me fend him off. Do you recall that?¡±

    With that, Yan Yu finally remembered.

    There had indeed been a boy, apparently Lin Ning¡¯s childhood friend from the same village, who had purposefully gone to the school gate to confess his feelings to her, even disrupting her daily training.

    At that time, not able to stand it, he had claimed that ¡°relationships in the army need to be reported,¡± and whether the other party understood or not, he had ultimately given up on pursuing Lin Ning.

    ¡°When he went to confess to me, he was egged on by his brother,¡± Lin Ning continued to explain to Yan Yu. ¡°Later when he returned, his brother asked him if the confession was successful. He actually said I already had a boyfriend?! Are you kidding me! Now even my relatives at home know about it! I need to confront him later!¡±

    Yan Yu suddenly understood: it seemed that Qiao Ming, after his unsuccessful confession and not wanting to admit that Lin Ning didn¡¯t fancy him, claimed that she already had a boyfriend in Jinling. This rumour must have reached Lin¡¯s father, who likely misunderstood something, thinking that the person who had helped Lin Ning fend off Qiao Ming¡ªthat is, himself¡ªwas the secret boyfriend she was dating.

    Lin Ning kept on complaining, unaware that in her father¡¯s ears, there was another meaning:

    This so-called captain, not only had he helped her block the neighbor Qiao¡¯s son¡¯s confession but had also agreed to come over for a meal during the New Year. Even if he wasn¡¯t her boyfriend, he must have some feelings for her, right? Isn¡¯t it easy to talk like that? Why else would he not go home for New Year?

    Since there¡¯s mutual interest, then it¡¯s easy to handle. Even if it¡¯s not the case right now, with a bit of effort, it will be eventually.

    But being well aware of her own daughter¡¯s stubborn temperament, Lin Ning would probably never make the first move.

    He, as a father, needed to give her a push!

 Chapter 441: 37 I want to watch too

    Chapter 441: Chapter 37 I want to watch too

    Yan Yu followed Lin Ning into the Lin family ancestral home.

    The further they walked inside, the more nervous Lin Ning became.

    Almost all the relatives had arrived¡ªno matter what the elders were discussing, as they watched her and the captain walk past, they would immediately show a kindly aunt¡¯s smile, as if to say, ¡°Ah, Ningning finally has a partner.¡±

    Lin Ning really wanted to catch each one of them and explain that the captain was just the captain, not her boyfriend, but no one said this outright; it was all implied in their facial expressions, and saying it directly would have been like giving away that there was ¡°silver hidden here.¡±

    Besides, Lin Ning knew that some of the elders were particularly gossipy, very fond of making embarrassing remarks to enjoy the awkward expressions on the younger generation¡¯s faces; and a few of the elders were the type ¡°who were very good at fishing for information,¡± their favorite thing to do was to have a long chat with you, then pick out the fun from your answers to spread around¡­

    Ugh, how annoying!

    ...

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you,¡± she whispered to Yan Yu, ¡°when people ask you anything later, you better answer properly! Don¡¯t say anything weird! Our relatives are super gossipy!¡±

    ¡°What kind of weird things?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Like¡­¡± Lin Ning fell silent for a moment, ¡°like all the things that will get you kicked by me if you say them.¡±

    ¡°Ningning, are you born in the year of the horse?¡±

    ¡°Nope¡­ Oh, that¡¯s one!¡± Hindered by the presence of so many elders, Lin Ning couldn¡¯t afford to be too aggressive, so she could only rub her foot against his to give a yellow card warning.

    ¡°Come on over!¡± A male elder, who was either an uncle or a great-uncle, warmly pulled Yan Yu to sit down on a rosewood bench and smiled, ¡°Since you¡¯re visiting us, you definitely must enjoy Lin¡¯s tea!¡±

    Lin¡¯s tea¡­ Oh, have some tea.

    Yan Yu took the tea bowl handed to him with both hands and took a sip. It was slightly bitter, with a lingering aftertaste, not bad indeed.

    Lin Ning sat down beside him, assuming a defensive posture, afraid that the captain would be tricked into saying something if she wasn¡¯t around.

    ¡°Keep a close watch,¡± the male elder said, seeing her nervously guard Yan Yu, immediately showing a teasing smile, and joked, ¡°Make sure no one steals him away, several of your cousins have yet to find partners.¡±

    Lin Ning became anxious again, and began rattling off in dialect, probably still explaining ¡°the captain is not my boyfriend¡± or something similar. Yan Yu figured he wouldn¡¯t understand anyway and couldn¡¯t be bothered, simply leisurely drinking his tea.

    He drank his tea unhurriedly, while Lin Ning beside him spoke a few words to the elder, obviously unable to argue convincingly, getting so angry her eyes were nearly red, and forcefully stepping on Yan Yu¡¯s foot under the table.

    ¡°I can¡¯t speak your local dialect, I can¡¯t help you argue,¡± Yan Yu transmitted his voice to her, ¡°Why are you stepping on me?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t just focus on drinking tea!¡± Lin Ning said angrily, ¡°Talk to the elders, clarify your identity!¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you explain that?¡± Yan Yu asked, puzzled.

    ¡°Just because I explained doesn¡¯t mean you don¡¯t have to!¡± Lin Ning said urgently, ¡°They say a girl is too shy to admit, it¡¯s different when you explain!¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± said Yan Yu, feigning realization, then sighed, ¡°Still, it won¡¯t work.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Lin Ning held back her anger.

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t speak your local dialect,¡± Yan Yu said.

    Lin Ning finally snapped, and her left hand reached around her back to the right side, grabbing a pinch of Yan Yu¡¯s waist and twisted hard.

    Damn! Casting a Barrier Charm? I¡¯m going to bite you to death!

    The elder, seeing the little interaction between the two, found it even more endearing and funny, he teased Lin Ning a few words, and she simply refused to reply, just glared fiercely at Yan Yu.

    ¡°Eh? Ningning is back?¡± A woman came down from upstairs and suddenly asked.

    ¡°Big sister!¡± Lin Ning immediately seemed to have found a savior, and hurriedly pulled Yan Yu over (taking the opportunity to slip away from the elders), introducing them, ¡°This is my captain, Yan Yu. This is my big sister Lin Lan, Lan as in orchid, you can call her Lan sister.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you, big sister,¡± Yan Yu smiled.

    ¡°I told you to call her Lan sister!¡± Lin Ning exploded.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay,¡± Lin Lan winked at her, ¡°He¡¯s your age, so he¡¯s younger than me, it¡¯s okay for him to call me big sister.¡±

    Lin Ning was speechless, only able to drag Yan Yu upstairs:

    ¡°Our generation is playing upstairs. Downstairs are all the elder relatives, you better not stay here, come up with me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll listen to you,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°You two really have a good relationship,¡± Lin Lan laughed from behind.

    ¡°Sister, he¡¯s not my boyfriend¡­¡± Lin Ning said, almost jumping with irritation, ¡°If you keep this up, I¡¯m going to ignore you!¡±

    She dragged Yan Yu upstairs and as expected, they saw the second floor was indeed full of young people, with those old enough to work, alongside high school, middle school, and even elementary students, gathering in small groups to play cards, use their cell phones, or watch TV.

    ¡°Ningning is here!¡± someone called out.

    ¡°She¡¯s brought her boyfriend!¡± another person echoed, stirring up trouble, ¡°The Longcheng Flying General!¡±

    ¡°Come on, sit down!¡± someone quickly dragged over two stools, ¡°Tell us how you two met?¡±

    Lin Ning sat down unceremoniously on a stool, pulling Yan Yu with her, and explained:

    ¡°He¡¯s not my boyfriend, he¡¯s the captain of our team, so don¡¯t get the wrong idea! Especially you! Lin Han! If you keep spreading rumors, I¡¯m really going to hit you!¡±

    The crowd burst into laughter: Ningning, you¡¯re still holding onto his arm, looking so intimate; how can you say it¡¯s not a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship?

    ¡°Then can I pursue your captain?¡± a cousin sitting nearby asked with a laugh.

    ¡°No!¡± Lin Ning bristled immediately.

    ¡°Why not?¡± the crowd laughed and jeered.

    Lin Ning didn¡¯t know how to explain and shouted:

    ¡°No means no! Yan Yu, come on, explain, don¡¯t just sit there watching the show!¡±

    Yan Yu said cheerfully:

    ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m not considering dating anyone at the moment.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± a cousin asked out of curiosity, ¡°Is there someone you like already?¡±

    ¡°No, no,¡± Yan Yu waved his hand, ¡°It¡¯s too much trouble with all the approvals needed.¡±

    The crowd oh¡¯ed in realization, but they were speechless.

    The idea of needing approval to date was too far removed from their world. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°What if you dated Ningning?¡± a little brother from the sofa asked, ¡°Would internal relationships also require approval?¡±

    ¡°Lin Zihao, watch yourself!¡± Lin Ning warned through gritted teeth, ¡°Don¡¯t use me as an example, I¡¯m telling you!¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°But if both parties are cultivators, the approval might go through a bit faster. If one is a common person, we¡¯d have to look into archives going back three generations or more, which can be quite cumbersome.¡±

    ¡°Well, if you¡¯re considering dating, think about our Ningning,¡± Lin Lan suggested with a smile from the side, ¡°Our Ningning is beautiful and talented, plus she¡¯s also a cultivator, so she¡¯s a good match for you.¡±

    ¡°Sister!¡± Lin Ning stomped her foot.

    Yan Yu had also realized that Lin Ning¡¯s siblings weren¡¯t actually trying to set them up, they just enjoyed seeing Lin Ning get flustered.

    Great, I¡¯d like to see that too.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid Ningning won¡¯t fancy me,¡± he said with a smile, deflecting, ¡°After all, she has high standards.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡ª,¡± the crowd drew out the tone in unison, their faces all showing a mix of amusement, teasing, and mockery.

    Lin Ning looked at him incredulously: Captain, you¡¯re betraying me too?

    ¡°So tell us, Ningning!¡± a cousin urged, ¡°Do you like the type of guy your team captain is?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like him, I don¡¯t like him, I don¡¯t like him!¡± Lin Ning yelled hysterically, ¡°Stop asking, stop asking, stop asking!¡±

    She stood up in a huff, grabbed Yan Yu, and headed up the stairs.

 Chapter 442: 38: Revealing True Feelings, Only to be Humiliated

    Chapter 442: Chapter 38: Revealing True Feelings, Only to be Humiliated

    The two made their way up the stairs and arrived at the rooftop.

    The rooftop was a fairly large platform, with many clothes and trousers basking in the sun on the left side, and a small flowerbed on the right designed for all sorts of green vegetables instead of flowers.

    At the edge of the platform directly in front, there was a swing set, its metal frame speckled with rust.

    Lin Ning sat on the swing and started to sway slowly, only to hear Yan Yu remark from beside her,

    ¡°You can actually see the sea from here.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Lin Ning nodded. ¡°Because Grandpa¡¯s house is built quite high, one can overlook most of the village houses from the rooftop and see the scenery.¡±

    ...

    ¡°When I was little, every time I had an argument and got angry with my family, I would hide up here on the rooftop to look at the sea¡­ and my mood would calm down.¡±

    ¡°I thought you were a goody-two-shoes as a child,¡± Yan Yu said casually. ¡°Turns out you often bickered with your family too.¡±

    ¡°I was,¡± Lin Ning sighed, ¡°but everyone liked to tease me.¡±

    I also like to tease you¡­ Yan Yu thought to himself, but he said aloud,

    ¡°It must be because you can¡¯t take a joke, so when someone jokes with you, your reactions are quite amusing.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like jokes,¡± Lin Ning started to push the swing and responded gloomily.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°The first time we met, I made a joke and you blocked me straight away.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention that.¡± Lin Ning fell silent for a moment before saying, ¡°I think falling in love is a very serious matter. I really dislike it when people frivolously say things like ¡®so-and-so would make a good match¡¯ or ¡®so-and-so should get together quickly¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Yan Yu agreed with her sentiment, ¡°Love is such a serious matter, how can we make jokes about it?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare mock me!¡± Lin Ning¡¯s cheeks puffed up as if she was about to get angry, but soon she couldn¡¯t help but let out a snort of laughter, ¡°That¡¯s just the way I am. What, can¡¯t accept it?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare not to accept it,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Lin Ning pursed her lips defiantly, ¡°I just don¡¯t like others gossiping.¡±

    She gazed at the distant horizon of the sea, quieting down for roughly ten seconds, managing to suppress her irritation, which then gave way to an indescribable mood, a certain¡­ urge to bravely take a step forward. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Actually¡­¡± Lin Ning said softly, ¡°I¡¯ve often thought about it.¡±

    ¡°If it were someone I truly liked, he wouldn¡¯t make me wait too long. He would understand my feelings, even if I can¡¯t voice them out loud, and he would take the initiative to confess to me, letting me know that he likes me too, letting me know¡­ that my waiting would have a good outcome.¡±

    That was almost like laying her cards on the table, just like that time after dinner with Yun Jin.

    If he confessed now, he could take this Lin down on the spot.

    However, how could he consider home when he had not yet achieved great success?

    Yan Yu¡¯s mind churned with lofty national ideals, leaving little room for romance, and he quickly made up his mind. Lin Ning, who was sitting on the swing, quietly looked up to gauge the expression on Yan Yu¡¯s profile, wondering whether the captain, neither confessing nor declining, was still hesitating or if he simply hadn¡¯t understood her hint.

    ¡°I¡¯m different from you in that regard,¡± Yan Yu finally spoke, ¡°If I were to confess to someone, my first consideration wouldn¡¯t be whether I like her or not, but whether she¡¯s worthy.¡±

    Lin Ning heaved a deep sigh, feeling both on the verge of tears and on the brink of laughter.

    Such a typical response from the captain. So it¡¯s not that he doesn¡¯t like me, but he thinks I¡¯m not worthy of him making a move?

    Unless¡­ I take the initiative to pursue him, then it¡¯d be a different story. Is that what he means?

    ¡°But I can¡¯t do that,¡± Lin Ning murmured as she looked again at the distant ocean.

    ¡°There is no such thing as can¡¯t,¡± Yan Yu echoed her tone, talking to himself, ¡°only don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Lin Ning immediately harbored a multitude of grievances, grumbling, ¡°That¡¯s how you are, captain. Just wait to be confessed to, never considering a girl¡¯s feelings. Even if the whole world has men pursuing women, you¡¯d sit at home like a princess, waiting for knights from all over the world to come and propose to you, right?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re jealous,¡± Yan Yu said.

    Lin Ning immediately jumped down from the swing and shouted excitedly:

    ¡°Don¡¯t flatter yourself! I don¡¯t even like you, so wait for the one you like to chase after you! Lololol~¡±

    She made a face with her tongue sticking out, only to see that Yan Yu was not angry, but instead sat down on the swing.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be in a hurry¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not in a hurry! I¡¯m not hurried at all!¡± Lin Ning immediately denied vehemently.

    ¡°Alright, alright, you¡¯re not in a hurry,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°Sit down and watch the sea with me for a bit.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Lin Ning hesitated, ¡°After what you just said, why should I sit next to you?¡±

    ¡°You can sit on the ground if you prefer,¡± Yan Yu suggested.

    This crude and straightforward provocation strangely had a special effect on Lin Ning¡ªYou want me to sit on the ground? I¡¯ll sit on the swing!

    With indignation, she sat down beside Yan Yu and then noticed that his arm was conveniently placed behind her, suddenly feeling a bit uneasy: From behind, doesn¡¯t this look like the captain has his arm around my shoulder?

    ¡°I¡¯ve told all of these brothers and sisters of yours that I¡¯m not planning to date anyone, at least not recently,¡± Yan Yu gazed at the distant sea horizon and said indifferently, ¡°That¡¯s the truth.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Lin Ning asked in a muffled voice, ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no why,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°People make different choices.¡±

    ¡°Look at Cai Qianlong from the Flying Dragon Battle Team. He found himself a girlfriend who is a second-generation official in his first year, perhaps because he has ambitions of climbing higher in the Dingbei Army, especially since Lord Master is blocking the way¡­ In reality, Cai¡¯s talent, awareness, and skills are not bad, but there¡¯s always someone stronger than you in this world, and he sees almost no chance of surpassing Liu Longtao in terms of sheer strength. So he has to enhance his own capital from other aspects, that¡¯s the path he chose.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m different from Cai Qianlong. My status is almost the same as Lord Master¡¯s, I¡¯m already at the very forefront of Transcendents around the world. If I put in more effort to widen the gap enough so that no one can defeat you, then you can claim the throne of the strongest in this world¡ªthat is the path I choose to take.¡±

    ¡°What does that have to do with us?¡± Lin Ning asked, puzzled, ¡°Even if you swear to be the best in the world, there¡¯s no causal link to you not wanting to date.¡±

    ¡°Of course, there is,¡± Yan Yu said with a laugh, ¡°Since I plan to be the best in the world, my wife at least has to be the second best, right?¡±

    ¡°Otherwise, if my wife is too weak, even though I would be the best in the world, when combined with her we could be surpassed by other couples, and wouldn¡¯t that mean I¡¯m being dragged down by her?¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Lin Ning was at a loss for words and said, ¡°I think you¡¯re crazy.¡±

    ¡°Is little Ningning lacking confidence in becoming the second best in the world?¡± Yan Yu asked playfully.

    ¡°Hmph, that¡¯s not it.¡± Lin Ning¡¯s competitive spirit flared up as she asserted confidently, ¡°My skills won¡¯t be lacking, just being the second best in the world¡­ Wait, I¡¯m not saying I want to be your wife, I just mean I¡¯m confident in becoming the second best in strength¡­ That still doesn¡¯t sound right. Why should it only be second? I aim to be the first!¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Yan Yu¡¯s face darkened immediately, ¡°So you want to fight with me, is that it? You want to be my enemy, Lin Ning?¡±

    Seeing his clearly displeased expression, Lin Ning suddenly felt guilty and stammered:

    ¡°No, the captain is really small-minded! Go ahead and be the strongest in this world, the best in the world, I won¡¯t compete with you, being the second best is fine by me.¡±

    ¡°So you still intend to be my wife first!¡± Yan Yu feigned shock.

    ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Lin Ning said, huffing and puffing with irritation, ¡°So I should aim to be the third best then?¡±

    Being the best in the world means competing with you, the second best is your wife, pshaw, the captain really has no shame! Insisting that I be the third, huh!

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s okay, I guess,¡± Yan Yu said after a moment of silence, ¡°Being the third best in the world¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with being the third best in the world?¡± Lin Ning asked discontentedly.

    ¡°I was planning to reserve that spot for my second wife,¡± Yan Yu admitted frankly.

    Honesty does not come without a price. Losing her temper, Lin Ning howled and promptly pounced on Yan Yu, tangling fiercely with him on the swing, as the rusty frame creaked under their struggle.

 Chapter 443: 39 You are really difficult to deal with

    Chapter 443: Chapter 39 You are really difficult to deal with

    Lin Ning often couldn¡¯t understand either.

    She usually had a goody-two-shoes personality, and getting teased a few times would just make her anxious and angry. But for some reason, everytime the despicable captain tried to bully her, she always felt a strong urge to lash out at him with claws and teeth.

    Although she had no experience in physical fights, Lin Ning still instinctively knew what to do, thanks to her instincts honed on the battlefield.

    First thing, physically overpower him!

    With a roar, she pounced on him, pinning Yan Yu beneath her with force.

    ¡°Ouch!¡± Yan Yu was caught off guard, ¡°What are you doing?!¡±

    ...

    Lin Ning didn¡¯t say a word, only using her position above him to try and firmly pin down his two hands.

    Yan Yu naturally wouldn¡¯t just give in without a fight, he quickly began to struggle, attempting to throw the female knight off him.

    Lin Ning¡¯s competitive spirit flared up more than ever, she tightened her legs around Yan Yu¡¯s waist to prevent him from flipping her over, and eventually caught his wrists in her hands. Then she faced a dilemma¡ªmy hands are busy holding his, how do we continue fighting?

    This thought circled in her mind for a second, and she quickly made up her mind.

    I still have my teeth!

    Bite him!

    Lin Ning bent down and gave a howl before biting down on Yan Yu¡¯s shoulder.

    You big pig trotter! I¡¯ll show you for trying to take a second wife! I¡¯ll bite you to death!

    With Yan Yu pinned under her, waist clamped and hands restrained, and his shoulder tightly held in her mouth, their bodies closely pressed together with hardly any gap, Yan Yu wondered what kind of game this was. Lin seemed like a goody-two-shoes but turned out to be quite playful in private.

    Though the bite didn¡¯t really hurt, just to be safe, he decided to open the Barrier Charm.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Lin Zihao, a third-grade elementary school student, was often roped into running errands and doing recon jobs by his older siblings, rewarded with snacks and toys for his efforts.

    Since Ningning and her new boyfriend had run upstairs and refused to come down for a long time, everyone sent Lin Zihao to check on them, ¡°Be careful, don¡¯t let them spot you.¡±

    Lin Zihao slipped into some silent-soled slippers and tiptoed up the stairs.

    No one was in the third-floor bedroom, so they must be on the rooftop.

    Upon reaching the rooftop, Lin Zihao sneaked a peek.

    Clothesline, flower bed, swing set¡­ Holy moly! Ningning was on top of her boyfriend, kissing him!

    Because of the swing set¡¯s obstruction, Lin Zihao couldn¡¯t see very clearly, but it was beyond doubt that the two were intertwined.

    He hurriedly backed down, scrambled back to the second-floor living room in a flurry, and blurted out,

    ¡°Ning¡¯s making a baby with her boyfriend!¡±

    ¡°Pfft!¡± Several cousins drinking tea spluttered immediately. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Lin Zihao, don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡± Lin Lan, Lin Ning¡¯s older sister, quickly chided, ¡°What do you know about making babies at your age?¡±

    ¡°How do I not know?¡± Lin Zihao argued confidently, ¡°Isn¡¯t it just this first, then that, followed by something else, and finally¡­¡±

    Several older sisters hurried over to cover his mouth, but it was too late, everyone had heard.

    Nowadays, children have access to so much information, they really do mature too early. You think they don¡¯t understand, but they actually know more than you.

    But that meant Lin Ning really was with her boyfriend¡­

    ¡°Let¡¯s go see!¡± One of the male cousins suddenly stood up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go!¡± Lin Lan quickly tried to stop them, but how could she stop so many by herself? Everyone quickly bypassed her, charging towards the stairs leading up.

    Lin Lan had no choice but to hurriedly follow, loudly calling out,

    ¡°Ah! Don¡¯t go! What¡¯s there to see! Behave yourselves!¡±

    She yelled loudly, hoping Ning would hear her upstairs. Everyone guessed her intention and quickly sped up the stairs. Bursting onto the rooftop, they saw Lin Ning viciously biting Yan Yu.

    ¡°Wow!¡± the male cousins shouted excitedly.

    ¡°Wow!!¡± the female cousins also exclaimed.

    ¡°Wow!!!¡± the children shouted the loudest, as if they were watching Ultraman.

    Lin Ning finally realized what was happening, quickly jumped off Yan Yu, and in a frantic rush exclaimed,

    ¡°What are you doing up here?!¡±

    Seeing that her clothes and pants were intact, everyone understood it was a false alarm stirred up by Lin Zihao. The two weren¡¯t doing anything indescribable under the daylight; they were just lying on the swing kissing¡­

    That¡¯s pretty thrilling too!

    ¡°Ningning, you two really have a great relationship~¡± A female cousin said admiringly.

    ¡°Still, be mindful of the influence, the next rooftop can see you,¡± a male cousin advised her.

    ¡°When are you getting married? When are you handing out wedding candies?¡± the children chimed in teasingly, ¡°When are you making babies?¡±

    Lin Ning couldn¡¯t withstand such teasing at all. Her face turned bright red, her expression explosive, and she couldn¡¯t utter a single word before turning around to merge with the Green Bamboo Sword Light and running away.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t bother explaining the situation to everyone and hastily followed with Sword Control, chasing after the light of Lin Ning¡¯s sword.

    The two flew over the vast ocean, and after some time, they finally landed on an island up ahead.

    This place was not a deserted island but a large island complete with houses and roads.

    Lin Ning landed her sword light, touching down amid the woods. Yan Yu quickly followed suit and saw Lin Ning run into a pavilion and shout,

    ¡°Don¡¯t come over yet!¡±

    Yan Yu immediately stopped, sighing inwardly about how playful she was, yet embarrassed when seen by others, thinking to himself how difficult she was to deal with.

    Several minutes passed, and seeing Lin Ning remaining silent in the pavilion, apparently having calmed down, Yan Yu quietly approached her and asked,

    ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lin Ning finally spoke, her voice sounding extremely aggrieved, with a hint of tears, ¡°Why did they have to see us?¡±

    ¡°The roof isn¡¯t exactly a secret place¡­¡± Yan Yu began, only to see Lin shake her head and cover her ears, calling out,

    ¡°I¡¯m not listening, I¡¯m not listening! Stop talking!¡±

    ¡°Then what do you want to hear?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    Lin Ning sat silently for a moment, then suddenly asked,

    ¡°If we explained that we were just playing around, would anyone believe us?¡±

    ¡°They would,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    Lin Ning¡¯s expression relaxed slightly, only to hear Yan Yu add,

    ¡°But you ran away with Sword Control right on the spot, no one would believe it now. If it was just play, why did you run?¡±

    Lin Ning immediately frowned, mumbling after a long pause,

    ¡°Then I don¡¯t want to go back. Going back just means more gossip, stirring up trouble, and idle chatter. I might as well stay in Jinling for the New Year.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know what kind of people your relatives are?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°But I didn¡¯t know Qiao Ming would spread rumors, making everyone think you are my boyfriend!¡± Lin Ning¡¯s voice grew even more heartbreaking, as if she were about to drop little pearls of tears.

    Yan Yu examined her eyes closely. Good, no tears had fallen; they were just swirling in her eyes, indicating her emotions were still stable.

    ¡°That¡¯s also true,¡± he said, crossing his arms, ¡°People like to believe whatever they hope is true. Since your father so hopes that you will find someone, even if it¡¯s clear it¡¯s not plausible, he¡¯ll still find ways to make it seem more credible.¡±

    ¡°So what should we do?¡± Lin Ning asked quietly.

    What can you do? Just be a bit stronger mentally, regard your relatives¡¯ idle talks as breezes at your ear, right?

    Before, she even thought about having me as her fake boyfriend to shoo away her childhood friend, but why is she embarrassed about it now? Wait, is she really embarrassed?

    Having lived twice as a human, Yan Yu had ample experience and immediately realized that Lin Ning¡¯s distress and unhappiness were probably not just due to the misunderstandings and gossip from the relatives. A bigger concern might be worrying that those gossips would upset me¡ªonce from a guy¡¯s perspective, going to a female friend¡¯s house for dinner and then being gossiped about by her relatives would definitely feel awkward or even distasteful, if the guy had no feelings for the girl.

    Hmm, let¡¯s test the waters.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Yan Yu sat down beside her and spoke softly, ¡°Your relatives mean well, wanting you to be with someone you like. I¡¯m not going to be mad at you over something like this.¡±

    Lin Ning was silent for a while before saying,

    ¡°It¡¯s not about whether you are mad at me or not.¡±

    Alright, alright, by saying this, Lin definitely cares about it! She really is concerned about how I feel.

    ¡°Then what is it that you care about?¡± Yan Yu asked intentionally.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Lin Ning faltered for a moment, then defensively said, ¡°I just have my pride, seriously. Even though you and I aren¡¯t a couple, they deliberately make us the butt of their jokes, and I¡¯m unhappy about it.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°Being misunderstood as my girlfriend, that did you wrong.¡±

    ¡°Not at all!¡± Lin Ning hurriedly looked up to explain, her eyes meeting Yan Yu¡¯s, then quickly turned away, ¡°It either is or it isn¡¯t, there¡¯s no question of being wronged or not. You¡­ you mustn¡¯t think that way, I¡¯ll get angry.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t think about it that way,¡± Yan Yu stood up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back,¡± Lin Ning said, ¡°Going back just means more idle chatter.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t go back, their stories about you will get even more ridiculous,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°If you do go back, they might restrain themselves a bit for fear of your anger.¡±

    Lin Ning thought about it and saw his point¡ªif I¡¯m not around, who knows what kind of outrageous stories they¡¯ll concoct. She quickly got up, grabbing Yan Yu¡¯s hand, and said urgently,

    ¡°Then let¡¯s hurry back!¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Yan Yu squeezed her soft, warm hand gently, feeling as comfortable as touching smooth ivory or jade.

    But Lin Ning quickly realized what was happening, shook off his big hand, and glared at him angrily before immediately taking off with Sword Control.

    Yan Yu leisurely walked out of the pavilion and gracefully rose with Sword Control.

    Ascending into the sky, he saw the Green Bamboo Sword Light circling ahead, waiting for him.

    When Yan Yu caught up, the Green Bamboo Sword Light stopped spinning and turned toward the direction of Qingyuan Prefecture, flying away.

 Chapter 444: 40 Its Okay, Ill Wait

    Chapter 444: Chapter 40 It¡¯s Okay, I¡¯ll Wait

    After returning to the ancestral home, Lin Ning was also prepared to be grilled by relatives.

    But unexpectedly, the elders did not mention the incident on the roof; instead, they simply asked the two ¡°where did you go for fun,¡± ¡°are you hungry now,¡± ¡°do you want to eat something first.¡±

    Could it be that none of the cousins ratted them out?

    Lin Ning silently sighed with relief, but Yan Yu didn¡¯t see it that way. With so many people on the roof at that time, it was impossible that no one went to secretly inform the elders.

    It¡¯s just that the elders had long regarded the two as a couple, and a couple kissing is obviously not a big deal. Furthermore, Lin Ning¡¯s inability to withstand the teasing and running away had everyone more worried that she would never return, which is why they did not broach the subject.

    And then, the banquet.

    ...

    Since the elders no longer brought up their relationship, Lin Ning finally felt her heart relax, and she began to block drinks for Yan Yu¡ªthe continuous flow of people coming to toast the Longcheng Flying General made her worry that everyone would upset the captain. So she quickly stepped in to cover for Yan Yu and speak on his behalf.

    Little did she know that in her father¡¯s eyes, although he didn¡¯t voice it, he was secretly pleased.

    Having the elders take turns to toast was precisely the strategy Lin¡¯s father and everyone had discussed: to show Yan Yu Lin Ning¡¯s virtuous side. ¡°My daughter knows how to care for her husband, unlike those little fairies from other provinces who only care about their natal families!¡±

    Yan Yu, however, did not notice this, because drinking a few cases of wine was not a problem for a cultivator who had mastered Fasting. If he wanted to get drunk, he could, otherwise he would circulate his True Yuan, neutralize the alcohol, and drinking wine was like drinking plain water to him.

    But since Ningning was so considerate of him, he was willing to accept her kindness and did not want to make it difficult for her in front of the elders. He simply drank moderately, said auspicious words, and gave plenty of face to the elders who came to toast. So much so that everyone grew fonder of Yan Yu, wondering when they would have the joy of celebrating the wedding of these two in the future, which would be a great topic of conversation when bragging outside!

    Look at this girl Lin Ning, she is beautiful and virtuous, and also a cultivator. Standing next to the Longcheng Flying General, aren¡¯t they a match made in heaven? A perfect match?

    Now that the Spiritual Energy Resurgence has occurred, it surely means that gods and deities did exist. Might as well find time to pray during the new year, hoping to bless these two people to connect their fate soon and bear fruit!

    The feast continued into the night and gradually turned into a drinking competition. Elders were clinking cups and vying with each other, while the younger relatives hid upstairs to play cards and games.

    Finally, Lin Ning found an opportunity to take Yan Yu to say goodbye to everyone, ¡°We¡¯ll gather again next time.¡±

    The two flew towards Jinling Prefecture using Sword Control. On the way, Lin Ning casually asked:

    ¡°How do you feel about this time?¡±

    ¡°Not bad, I had a good time,¡± said Yan Yu, ¡°Your relatives are very hospitable. It would have been even better if they hadn¡¯t looked at me with the eyes of admiring a new son-in-law.¡±

    ¡°Hmph,¡± with that, Lin Ning became somewhat haughty again and coldly snorted, ¡°I will go back and explain to them clearly that the captain is not my type.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°Then what type do you like?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Lin Ning was at a loss for words and subconsciously said, ¡°I won¡¯t tell you.¡±

    After a while, seeing that Yan Yu did not pursue the question further, she cautiously said:

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know?¡±

    Yan Yu was at a loss for words: I asked, you said you wouldn¡¯t tell me. I didn¡¯t ask, now you ask if I want to know¡­ There should be a limit to being contrary, don¡¯t pull back and forth, it¡¯s exhausting.

    He pondered for a short while and said:

    ¡°I already know.¡±

    ¡°Know what?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    ¡°You like the type who will take the initiative to confess to you,¡± Yan Yu answered, ¡°You told me when we were swinging on the rooftop.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it,¡± Lin Ning immediately countered, ¡°What I meant at that time was¡­ Ah! I can¡¯t make it clear with you! You¡¯re so annoying!¡±

    Lin deployed her trump card ¡°You¡¯re so annoying,¡± and Yan Yu knew right away that he couldn¡¯t press her further, otherwise she would get more anxious and her blush would deepen until she eventually exploded.

    The two crossed the provincial border and entered Jiangnan Province. Finally, after careful consideration, Lin Ning spoke:

    ¡°Actually¡­ the type I really like is¡­¡±

    ¡°You say.¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt me.¡± Lin Ning replied irritably, then fell silent for a moment before whispering, ¡°It¡¯s someone who, even though they know my stubbornness, my obstinacy, and my propensity to say the opposite of what I feel, still wishes to tolerate me, take care of me, and be by my side.¡±

    ¡°Have you finished?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve finished.¡± Lin Ning seemed a bit nervous, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°I think your criteria are quite broad.¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Compared to having a height over one meter eighty, owning a house and a car, wanting a dowry of two hundred thousand, and having a house in the bride¡¯s name¡­ yours are much easier to fulfill.¡± S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Hmph, I¡¯m talking about dating, not selling myself.¡± Lin Ning immediately defended, ¡°And my conditions are not broad at all! Pay attention to my initial premise! Ordinary guys, I wouldn¡¯t even show my true self to them, they don¡¯t understand what I¡¯m like on the inside, how can they possibly promise to be tolerant and understanding of me?¡±

    ¡°So you have to become familiar with them first.¡± Yan Yu realized.

    ¡°Exactly.¡± Lin Ning said, ¡°If both parties don¡¯t understand each other well enough, then how can they consider becoming a couple? That would be so inappropriate!¡±

    ¡°Then may I ask, Miss Lin Ning, how many guys around you really understand you on the inside?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    His question seemed to have stumped Lin Ning. It took her nearly ten minutes before she reluctantly replied:

    ¡°Just you¡­ okay? Only you.¡±

    ¡°That means you¡¯re very good at pretending in front of other guys.¡± Yan Yu concluded.

    ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± Lin Ning immediately denied, ¡°It¡¯s just that the team activities take up most of my time, leaving me no chance to meet other guys besides you. But that doesn¡¯t mean I have to have you. If I wanted to find a boyfriend, I¡¯m sure I could quickly find one out there!¡±

    ¡°So you don¡¯t want to date right now either.¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°Isn¡¯t that just like me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like that.¡± Lin Ning was silent for a long time before answering, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to date, I¡¯m just¡­ just waiting, that¡¯s all.¡±

    The topic suddenly became a bit heavy.

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t know how to respond, only to hear Lin Ning laugh again:

    ¡°Ah, Captain, don¡¯t worry about me. Sometimes I can be a bit stubborn, clinging to something and refusing to let go, but that¡¯s my choice¡ªas the Captain has his path to choose, I have mine, and everyone has to be responsible for their choices.¡±

    ¡°Uh.¡± Yan Yu mused that she was getting more and more dramatic, ¡°I¡¯m not trying to criticize your decision, but isn¡¯t this so-called waiting a bit too passive?¡±

    ¡°Not at all.¡± Lin Ning said casually, ¡°While waiting, I also repeatedly confirm my own thoughts. Maybe one day I¡¯ll feel it¡¯s not worth it and change my mind, who knows?¡±

    Although intended to lighten the mood, it actually made the atmosphere even heavier. Having lived two lifetimes, with extensive experience, Yan Yu knew that those who readily make vows of eternal love often change their hearts the quickest when faced with a crisis; on the contrary, those who don¡¯t easily make promises might truly stick by you for life¡­

    Oh my, the notion of waiting a lifetime is way too heavy; such a terrifying idea should be stopped immediately.

    Both returned to the Jinling Prefecture villa by Sword Control, only to find Su Yunjin waiting in the living room.

    ¡°Yun Jin, you haven¡¯t gone to bed?¡± Lin Ning asked in surprise.

    It was the wee hours of the morning.

    ¡°Mhm, waiting for you guys.¡± Su Yunjin smiled, ¡°I can rest easy now that you¡¯re back.¡±

    After saying that, she turned and went upstairs, leaving Yan Yu and Lin Ning looking at each other with unsaid words.

    ¡°You should head off to bed too.¡± Yan Yu said.

    With a heavy heart, Lin Ning parted with Yan Yu, finished her washing up, laid in bed, but found it difficult to fall asleep.

    Really¡­ can I wait for him?

    Won¡¯t someone snatch him away halfway?

 Chapter 445: 41: Do Not Deceive Innocent Girls

    Chapter 445: Chapter 41: Do Not Deceive Innocent Girls

    Yan Yu returned to his bedroom, chuckling to himself at the thought of Su Yunjin waiting in the living room for their return.

    Why did she wait there? Actually, the focus isn¡¯t on the waiting, but on the fact that she didn¡¯t dare to go to sleep.

    Because if Yan Yu was kept overnight at Qingyuan Prefecture, missing tomorrow¡¯s schedule, that would be a huge failure for Yun Jin¡ªhence she stayed there, even though Yan Yu had messaged her on the road saying ¡°we¡¯re on our way,¡± she couldn¡¯t take it lightly and had to wait until they really came back to breathe a sigh of relief.

    In a sense, Secretary Su is also a typical case of lacking a sense of security.

    But then again, living with a bunch of rivals, it indeed wouldn¡¯t be easy to feel secure.

    Suddenly, someone passed through the wall to enter the room¡ª it was Zhao Yuanzhen, who came regularly every day for dual cultivation with him.

    ...

    ¡°Where did you go today?¡± the Demonic Sect Enchantress asked suspiciously, ¡°Why did you get back so late?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you?¡± Yan Yu retorted, ¡°I was at Lin Ning¡¯s place for dinner.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s expression turned to dissatisfaction, and she snorted and asked with a cold laugh, ¡°Humph, dinner¡­ was it good?¡±

    Yan Yu looked at her expression and lost himself in silent laughter.

    What¡¯s the matter, you¡¯re going to be jealous like Yun Jin now too?

    No, that¡¯s not right, given the Enchantress¡¯s character, she¡¯s most likely upset I went out to eat without taking her¡­ also not right, no matter how gluttonous the Enchantress might be, she wouldn¡¯t confuse her priorities when it comes to core interests.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, seeing that he wasn¡¯t speaking, instantly became even angrier, holding a grudge inwardly:

    That scoundrel went to dine at Ningning¡¯s house today without telling me! Not taking me with him, clearly means he has a guilty conscience! Who knows what the people at Ningning¡¯s house said to him, surely they haven¡¯t promised each other in marriage, setting an engagement now have they?!

    Yah yah yah yah yah yah yah I¡¯m so mad! I¡¯ll remember this grudge, and when that day comes for me to marry into the Yan Family, I¡¯ll make Ningning serve tea! I¡¯ll have Yan Yu wash my feet right in front of her!

    With such thoughts, the little theater in her mind began to play:

    She saw Yan Yu squatting down to wash her feet, Lin Ning by his side holding a glass of iced tea, exchanging secret glances, daring not to show their true feelings in front of her, forced to endure humiliation, eager to please.

    Once he finished washing her feet, she¡¯d snuff out the wedding candles, draw the curtains, and drag the scoundrel to bed to engage in vigorous cultivation. Lin Ning, standing at the door, would listen to all the sounds inside, her face betraying dissatisfaction, sorrow, loss, bewilderment, grief, annoyance, jealousy, disgust, rage, and a hint of helpless despair, hahahaha!

    Immersed in these thoughts, her anger subsided unconsciously, and she forgave the two poor things, smiling beautifully:

    ¡°Forget it, I won¡¯t hold it against you, let¡¯s proceed with our breathing and energy refining.¡±

    Yan Yu:¡­¡­¡­

    ¡°I forgot to tell you,¡± he added, ¡°I have to go to Yun Jin¡¯s place for dinner tomorrow¡­ I can¡¯t take you with me, I¡¯ve already spoken to her parents about it.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen appeared unconcerned, merely adding a maid to her internal little theater: Yan Yu washing feet, Lin Ning holding tea, Yun Jin on the side helping with the foot towel.

    Just two maids coming with the dowry, no need to get angry over that!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The next morning, after Yan Yu had washed up and come downstairs, he saw Su Yunjin already dressed in her new outfit she planned to wear for the New Year, waiting for him in the living room.

    Ningning once said she was like a boy, preferring pants that allowed her to move freely; Yun Jin and Ling Yun were on the contrary, insisting on wearing long dresses even in winter, at most wearing warm, flesh-colored stockings underneath.

    Su Yunjin at this moment, in her new lake-blue outfit, her black hair softly cascading down her back, sat quietly on the sofa reading a book. Her profile was delicate, pure, and yet elegant, giving one the impression of a noble lady from an ancient classical painting stepping into reality.

    ¡°The captain has arrived?¡± She noticed Yan Yu, closed her book, and revealed a gentle smile.

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go,¡± Yan Yu said.

    The two left the house together, taking off with sword flight.

    From Jinling Prefecture to Gusu Residence was extremely close, so it was estimated that the travel time wouldn¡¯t be long. On the way, Su Yunjin casually asked:

    ¡°Captain, how was your visit to Ningning¡¯s place yesterday?¡±

    ¡°Not bad,¡± Yan Yu replied. ¡°It¡¯s just that there were too many relatives visiting her home. They came one by one to offer toasts, which was a bit hard to handle.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Su Yunjin smiled slightly. ¡°Having many relatives has its perks, unlike my family. On New Year¡¯s Eve, it¡¯s just the three of us, so quiet and cold.¡±

    Yan Yu also had a general understanding of Secretary Su¡¯s family background. Her ancestors for three generations were locals, her father was the only child in his family, and her mother had a sister¡­ Her situation couldn¡¯t compare at all with Lin Ning¡¯s kind of populous clan.

    Of course, when Yunjin spoke of ¡°the benefit of having many relatives,¡± in Yan Yu¡¯s view, it could not outweigh the downsides. If a woman couldn¡¯t keep things clear after marriage and kept entangling with her original family, and even ran back to her parents¡¯ house to complain after every little argument with her husband, bringing a whole bunch of her relatives to back her up, that would utterly disgust the husband.

    Fortunately, Ningning was strong by nature, so such a situation likely wouldn¡¯t occur¡­ Huh? Why am I thinking about Ningning¡¯s married life? It¡¯s too early for that!

    ¡°My aunt¡¯s family just happens to be visiting these days,¡± Su Yunjin continued. ¡°We might have lunch together at noon. Is that okay? It will just be her and her husband, plus a cousin, and then my parents.¡±

    ¡°No problem,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ve been to dinner parties with dozens of people. Why would I fear a few?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± Su Yunjin also breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, ¡°If the Captain dislikes it, I can explain the situation to my parents and arrange for my aunt¡¯s family to dine out separately.¡±

    This was another difference between Yunjin and Ningning. In Lin Ning¡¯s home, there would never be an option not to dine with visiting relatives. Yunjin, on the other hand, was more understanding.

    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Yu quickly replied. ¡°To me, your parents are strangers, and your aunt¡¯s family are strangers too; having a few more or fewer makes no real difference to me.¡±

    You don¡¯t need to be tense, Captain,¡± Su Yunjin consoled. ¡°My parents are very approachable, and I¡¯ll be by your side to assist you as well.¡±

    Listening to Secretary Su¡¯s soft and gentle voice, Yan Yu suddenly felt a bit sentimental.

    I remember it should be Yunjin with the captivating gravity and Ningning being straightforward and outspoken. How is it that now it has completely reversed? Ningning puts crazy pressure on me, mentioning seeing the new in-law, waiting a lifetime, while Yunjin is careful not to let me feel any pressure at all¡­

    Alas, times change, fortunes ebb and flow, and those who underestimate the young do so at their peril!

    The two of them arrived at Gusu City, where below them was a dense network of rivers. The streets were narrow, and electric bikes and bicycles wove in and out like threading needles, with cars also engaging in all sorts of spirited driving¡ª a small city¡¯s robust vitality and the essence of life were fully present.

    They descended via Sword Flight into the courtyard of the local Military Manor, where a guard quickly came to confirm their identities¡ªupon seeing Yan Yu himself, the young soldier immediately showed a face of surprise and delight, enthusiastically saying:

    ¡°Divine General Dinghai? Have you come here to visit family or friends?¡­ ID card? No need! Your face is your ID card, just sign here and you¡¯re good to go.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t realize the Captain was so famous.¡± After the two had signed in, Su Yunjin said with a laugh. ¡°The first time I came here on the weekend, they checked my ID and did facial recognition. It took quite a while.¡±

    ¡°I have a modest reputation,¡± Yan Yu admitted with a hint of private pride.

    The two climbed the stairs and arrived at the door of Su Yunjin¡¯s parents¡¯ place and knocked.

    After a moment, Su¡¯s mother came to open the door, exclaiming with joy: Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°You¡¯re back?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Mom.¡± Su Yunjin entered first and then got a pair of shoe covers for Yan Yu.

    As Yan Yu was putting on the shoe covers, he suddenly saw a little boy run over from the living room, looking to be about first or second grade in elementary school. The boy stared curiously at Yan Yu for a moment, then turned his head and excitedly shouted:

    ¡°Mom! It really is Divine General Dinghai from TV!¡±

    ¡°I told you so!¡± A woman¡¯s laughter came from the living room.

    ¡°Divine General Dinghai is my cousin-in-law, yeah!¡± The little boy cheered, came over, and grabbed the hem of Yan Yu¡¯s pants, eagerly saying, ¡°Cousin-in-law, can I take you as my master and learn Sword Flight?¡±

    Yan Yu was at a loss for words, Su¡¯s mother¡¯s expression changed slightly, but Su Yunjin remained composed, feeling a secret thrill of delight inside.

    Very good, very good; it wasn¡¯t in vain that cousin bought you toys for New Year. This assist came just at the right time!

 Chapter 446: 42: Children are the Best Wingmen

    Chapter 446: Chapter 42: Children are the Best Wingmen

    The decor in Su Yunjin¡¯s family home seemed not too different from that of Li Minghu¡¯s¡ªa typical layout with three rooms and a living room¡­ Of course, it might be that all the residences in the Military Manor follow this style.

    Yun Jin¡¯s parents were sitting in the living room, chatting with the aunt¡¯s family. Her cousin, who was still in elementary school, was pestering Yan Yu with all sorts of questions.

    ¡°Cousin-in-law, how long have you been dating my cousin?¡±

    ¡°Did you teach my cousin her swordsmanship?¡±

    ¡°Will the children you have in the future also be Cultivators?¡±

    ¡°Zhang Zixuan!¡± The aunt quickly called her son to stop, ¡°Don¡¯t bother your brother, come here!¡±

    ...

    Mrs. Su offered an embarrassed smile from the side and kept signaling Mr. Su with her eyes, urging him to quickly think of a solution.

    What could Mr. Su do? He could only hurry and take little friend Zixuan to the study, and start an animated movie for him to watch on the computer.

    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Mrs. Su explained embarrassingly to Yan Yu, ¡°Children are clueless and just saying things in jest¡­¡±

    Of course, Yan Yu didn¡¯t mind and laughed it off with a loud ¡°haha¡±.

    Su Yunjin silently stared at Mrs. Su until Mrs. Su also felt immense pressure and stopped her rambling explanations out of embarrassment.

    Mr. Su came out of the study and joined the uncle in striking up a conversation with Yan Yu. The three men began discussing current affairs, from the South Sea to the Southern Border, from Chongying to Miti, enjoying the simple pleasures of depicting strategies and directing battles from afar.

    Mrs. Su and the aunt, on the other hand, were somewhat speechless, dragging Su Yunjin to the balcony for a casual chat.

    ¡°How come you¡¯ve gotten even thinner?¡± Mrs. Su looked at her slender daughter with concern, saying, ¡°Cultivators are supposed to practice Fasting, but how can you survive without eating? You¡¯ll starve and get ill.¡±

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m fine,¡± Su Yunjin reassured her mother with a smile, ¡°Fasting doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t eat, it just means we won¡¯t get sick if we don¡¯t eat. We can absorb energy from the environmental Spiritual Energy, so we don¡¯t rely entirely on food anymore.¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Mrs. Su still sighed, ¡°I should never have let you become a Cultivator in the first place. Where¡¯s the sense in a girl joining the military?¡±

    The aunt pursed her lips, thinking to herself that with a Cultivator¡¯s exaggerated salary, how many people desperately want to get in but never have the chance! There you go, with a daughter who has made you proud, yet you want to block her path. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But sisters know each other well; she knew that Mrs. Su has always been proud and disdainful to talk about money. Even if Su Yunjin earned a lot, it might not satisfy her. In Mrs. Su¡¯s eyes, the ideal son-in-law should be a high-level intellectual engaged in academics, preferably from the circles of the husband or herself, or students recommended by a known colleague. This would mean they fully understood each other¡¯s backgrounds, and with a match of equal status, it would be less likely for conflicts to arise after marriage.

    Of course, judging by Yun Jin¡¯s insistence on bringing the ¡°Divine General Dinghai¡± home for dinner, she probably had already made up her mind to not let Mrs. Su meddle in her own love life¡­

    If I could help bring these two together and persuade Mrs. Su to let go, wouldn¡¯t that endear me to Yun Jin? She has been smart and sensible since she was young, and with strong convictions, she would surely remember the kindness of this aunt.

    With this in mind, the aunt immediately decided to betray her sister and switch allegiance to her niece, saying with a smile:

    ¡°Actually, there are some benefits. If Yun Jin hadn¡¯t become a Cultivator, how could she have had the chance to meet the Divine General Dinghai, Yan Yu?¡±

    Su Yunjin, being incredibly astute, immediately sensed the aunt¡¯s tacit approval and quickly smiled and winked at her.

    Well done! Auntie!

    ¡°What¡¯s the use of meeting him?¡± Mrs. Su glanced nervously at the living room behind her, seeing that the three men were still talking, and complained, ¡°The result is that we had to move into this Military Manor, and even going out to buy groceries on the weekends requires registration at the guardhouse. Isn¡¯t that troublesome?¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll install a grocery shopping app for you,¡± Su Yunjin pulled out her phone and said indifferently, ¡°From now on, you can order groceries on your phone and have the delivery guy bring them to you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I mean.¡± The aunt chimed in from the side, ¡°Yun Jin¡¯s made so much money for the family, and you¡¯re still going out to buy groceries all the time?¡±

    ¡°My daughter¡¯s money isn¡¯t my money!¡± Mrs. Su stubbornly retorted.

    ¡°Hey, Yun Jin, your aunt wants to ask,¡± the aunt, not wanting to listen to her nonsense, smiled and asked Su Yunjin, ¡°What¡¯s your relationship with your captain now?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Su Yunjin began to ponder.

    To spin lies about a matter that hadn¡¯t even started was not her style. But if she honestly said there was no relationship at all, her mother would probably be bolstered in resolve, as stopping two people from dating is much simpler than breaking up a couple.

    ¡°The captain and I are both single right now,¡± Su Yunjin cleverly responded, ¡°We get along very well with each other. However, due to our busy military duties, we haven¡¯t thought about dating yet.¡±

    The implication was that although they were not in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, they were compatible enough to become a couple anytime they wished.

    Mrs. Su immediately felt displeased again and rambled on with complaints like ¡°I knew I shouldn¡¯t have let you go¡± and ¡°All this military business has delayed my daughter.¡±

    The aunt caught on to another layer of meaning: Who doesn¡¯t want to date? Is it him who doesn¡¯t want to, or is it you?

    If Yun Jin didn¡¯t want to date, then why invite the Divine General Dinghai over to her home for dinner? So it must be Divine General Yan Yu who isn¡¯t currently thinking of dating. But he must not dislike Yun Jin; otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have visited her home during the New Year.

    In other words, if I could give Yun Jin a little push¡­

    When lunchtime came around, everyone got ready to head out for a meal.

    Little Zhang Zixuan ran ahead, chatting up Yan Yu and Su Yunjin, while the aunt from the Su family quietly fell behind, discussing the situation with her husband in hushed tones.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem right,¡± the uncle said with a frown, hesitating. ¡°Have you asked Yun Jin what she thinks?¡±

    ¡°Does Yun Jin¡¯s opinion need asking?¡± the aunt found it absurd, whispering into her husband¡¯s ear, ¡°Having brought him home for New Year¡¯s to meet her parents, could Yun Jin be uninterested in him?¡±

    There was no arguing with that, so the uncle continued:

    ¡°What about your sister and brother-in-law? I remember they don¡¯t seem to like their daughter being with this Divine General of Dinghai.¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t dislike him, they are just worried Yun Jin can¡¯t match up to him and will end up hurt and upset,¡± the aunt murmured to her husband, ¡°But I think there¡¯s no such thing as being unworthy. Young people Yan Yu¡¯s age care most about free love, regardless of family background or status¡­ It doesn¡¯t matter! As long as there is love, nothing else is important.¡±

    The uncle sighed, no longer objecting.

    Actually, as the parents of Su Yunjin, the Su couple was obviously well-off, with living in the military district¡¯s courtyard being the best proof of that.

    As Mrs. Su¡¯s sister, the reason the aunt brought her whole family to visit during the New Year was not only for the typical holiday mingling but also to maintain a close relationship with them. Yet, what better way to curry favor directly with Yun Jin than to maintain sisterly affection with Mrs. Su?

    Even better, if Divine General Yan Yu really married Yun Jin, as the aunt who facilitated their union, would Yan Yu treat her poorly?

    ¡°So what are you planning to do?¡± the uncle asked.

    ¡°Simple,¡± the aunt answered, ¡°After we eat, we will find a way to get my sister and brother-in-law out of the way, then have Yun Jin take Yan Yu out to have fun and let Zixuan tag along.¡±

    ¡°Why should our son tag along?¡± the uncle was puzzled.

    ¡°Oh, come on!¡± the aunt showed an exasperated expression that said ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± ¡°Kids can say anything they want without being blamed. Don¡¯t you get it?¡±

    The uncle truly didn¡¯t get it, but after his wife explained it that way, he started to catch on.

    So it¡¯s about assisting those two? My son can do that?

    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly.¡± The aunt said, ¡°You¡¯re not home to see how clever Zixuan is. Just wait and see.¡±

    She called out to ¡°Zixuan¡± a few times, and her son came running back with a ¡°thump thump thump.¡±

    ¡°Son,¡± the aunt lifted him up and asked, ¡°What do you think of your cousin Yun Jin and Yan Yu? Do they make a good pair?¡±

    ¡°I think cousin Yun Jin obviously has a crush on big brother Divine General,¡± little Zhang Zixuan gave his mother a sideways glance and shook his head, ¡°But big brother Divine General clearly enjoys the ambiguity between them more and isn¡¯t in a hurry to establish a relationship.¡±

    The uncle standing by was flabbergasted: Who is this? Where¡¯s my son?

    ¡°Is there a way to bring them together?¡± the aunt asked.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that inappropriate?¡± Zhang Zixuan started to hesitate. ¡°Their love life is their own business, not ours.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead and try whatever you can think of,¡± the aunt said. ¡°Your dad and I will take the responsibility. If it works out, I¡¯ll buy you that game console.¡±

    ¡°No need for a game console,¡± Zhang Zixuan replied, ¡°I can give it a try. Success or not, I keep all the lucky money I receive this year to myself, you two don¡¯t touch it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a deal!¡± the aunt laughed right away.

    Only then did the uncle breathe a sigh of relief: Thankfully, there¡¯s no written agreement. Kids will be kids. This time, let the wife teach him a lesson. The adult world isn¡¯t that simple.

 Chapter 447: 43: Taking the Initiative is Better than Assisting

    Chapter 447: Chapter 43: Taking the Initiative is Better than Assisting

    Everyone was dining in a Su family noodle shop. The name of the restaurant had some connection to Yan Yu, but that¡¯s all gossip, so let¡¯s not delve into it now.

    Speaking of Su Yunjin¡¯s cousin, Zhang Zixuan, he had taken back the cell phone controlled by his parents under the pretext of running errands for his mother, and then began to send messages to his classmates while eating his noodles.

    ¡°Cao Fangfang, are you free? I need to ask you about something.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying on handbags right now, but go ahead.¡±

    What handbags¡ªwe¡¯re only primary school students¡­ Zhang Zixuan sighed inwardly and asked again:

    ¡°If a girl is interested in a guy, but the guy just wants to flirt with her, what method should be used to break through this barrier?¡±

    ...

    ¡°That¡¯s very simple,¡± the person on the other end replied, ¡°Wait, that guy isn¡¯t you, is it? Who¡¯s the girl? Somebody in our class? Ren Ting? Jin Wei? Or is it Li Qianru?¡±

    ¡°Stop guessing,¡± Zhang Zixuan typed, ¡°It¡¯s about a distant sister of mine who came to me for advice.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Whether the person on the other end believed it or not, they sent over three smiley faces, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s very simple. Do you know why they say it¡¯s easy for a woman to pursue a man, like lifting a veil?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Zhang Zixuan asked.

    ¡°Because women value emotional connections more, while men like physical flirtation,¡± the person typed back, ¡°You should find an opportunity to give him a little sweetness, like unintentionally touching the back of his hand while walking, or pretending to be scared by a bug on the road and getting close to him¡­ But the key is to make it seem unintentional and not too aggressively proactive, leaving him more room for fantasy and enticing him to go further.¡±

    ¡°Impressive,¡± Zhang Zixuan conceded with sincere admiration, ¡°But I don¡¯t think my sister will necessarily be able to do what you¡¯re suggesting.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how old women are,¡± the person on the other end sharply commented, ¡°Brainwashed by feudal toxins, being proactive is sinful¡ªit¡¯s as if pursuing a man would ruin her reputation.¡±

    ¡°So is there a better way?¡± Zhang Zixuan asked, typing furiously, ¡°We¡¯re supposed to go out nearby this afternoon, maybe to the Lingering Garden or the Humble Administrator¡¯s Garden or something.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s easy,¡± the other person said, ¡°Just take photos of them, then direct their poses, and use that as an excuse to have them get closer together.¡±

    ¡°I see, thanks a lot.¡±

    ¡°Is a verbal thank you all I get?¡±

    Zhang Zixuan sent a red envelope of 10 yuan over, put down his phone, and after a moment of contemplation, he had a plan in mind.

    ¡°How¡¯s the noodle dish?¡± Su Yunjin asked Yan Yu on the other side.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Yan Yu commented, ¡°The broth is quite flavorful.¡±

    ¡°Try the eel paste I ordered,¡± Su Yunjin pushed her plate towards him.

    ¡°It¡¯s too sweet,¡± Yan Yu said after taking a bite.

    ¡°It¡¯s not bad,¡± Su Yunjin also took a few bites, ¡°Or try washing it down with my broth, I ordered the white soup.¡±

    ¡°No need, it¡¯s fine as is.¡±

    Su Yunjin¡¯s parents looked on from the opposite side as the two shared dishes, the former feeling awkward and the latter brimming with jealousy.

    Our daughter has never even served us food!

    Su Yunjin¡¯s mother wanted to say something, but noticing Su Yunjin¡¯s admonishing glance, she closed her mouth and looked down at her noodles with a sigh:

    Let it go, if our daughter truly likes him, let her be.

    After lunch, the uncle suggested he was thinking of buying a car and asked Su Yunjin¡¯s father to visit a few 4S stores with him; the aunt planned to go shopping with Su Yunjin¡¯s mother, leaving their son in Yun Jin¡¯s care.

    Su Yunjin¡¯s mother was somewhat worried but reminded herself that with her nephew there, her daughter wouldn¡¯t take Yan Yu to a hotel in his presence. Thus, she nodded in agreement.

    Everybody went their separate ways, and Zhang Zixuan gave his cousin Yun Jin a knowing look, suggesting a stroll through the Gusu Gardens.

    ¡°Humble Administrator¡¯s Garden is usually crowded; how about we go to the Lingering Garden instead?¡± Su Yunjin asked.

    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°The guest follows the host¡¯s convenience.¡±

    ¡°What does the guest follows the host¡¯s convenience mean?¡± Zhang Zixuan naively asked, ¡°Is it like the wife follows the husband¡¯s lead?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the husband who follows the wife¡¯s lead!¡± Su Yunjin corrected him, ¡°The guest follows the host¡¯s convenience means the guest goes along with whatever is convenient for the host. The husband sings and the wife follows mean the wife lets the husband call the shots at home.¡±

    ¡°So, when you get married, will you listen to your husband?¡± Zhang Zixuan casually asked.

    ¡°It depends if he¡¯s reasonable,¡± Su Yunjin replied softly, ¡°If he is, I¡¯ll listen; if not, I¡¯ll use reason to persuade him to change his mind and then follow his lead.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Zhang Zixuan complimented, ¡°Cousin, you¡¯ll be a good wife and mother; whoever marries you will be lucky.¡±

    Su Yunjin¡¯s cheeks blushed slightly, and she stealthily glanced at Yan Yu without saying anymore.

    The three of them wore sunglasses and hats, and went to buy tickets to stroll around the gardens. They hadn¡¯t gone far when Zhang Zixuan boldly volunteered to take photos for the two cousins as a keepsake.

    ¡°You know how to take pictures?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    ¡°I¡¯ve won the award for ¡®Little Photographer¡¯ at school,¡± Zhang Zixuan replied.

    He found a good angle, directed the two to stand by the lake, adjusted the lighting and rendering, and took a few shots.

    Yan Yu went over to take a look and found, to his surprise, the photos were actually quite good¡ªmuch better than mine. In my previous life, when Chen Lingyun taught me photography, she only told me to shoot from a low angle to make her look taller in the pictures.

    ¡°They look pretty good,¡± Su Yunjin commented.

    ¡°Not enough,¡± Zhang Zixuan shook his head, ¡°You two are standing too far apart, and your expressions are really stiff, like two strangers¡­ To capture a good photo, just follow my directions from now on, I¡¯ll direct you.¡±

    ¡°Is that okay, Captain?¡± Su Yunjin asked, turning back.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Yan Yu agreed.

    ¡°Good,¡± Zhang Zixuan directed, ¡°Cousin, stand to Yan Yu¡¯s left and hook your arm through his.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Su Yunjin was taken aback.

    I asked you to help me with an assist, not to probe the Captain¡¯s feelings¡­ Wait?

    The Captain doesn¡¯t seem to object?

    Seeing Yan Yu still standing in place, Su Yunjin cautiously mustered her courage and gently looped her arm around his left.

    Stay calm, hooking arms isn¡¯t some couples-only move, it¡¯s just for a better-looking photo!

    ¡°Cousin, your pose is too stiff,¡± Zhang Zixuan said, looking at his phone screen, shaking his head, ¡°Stand a bit closer!¡±

    Su Yunjin quickly shuffled closer, pressing against Yan Yu¡¯s side, as her heartbeat secretly accelerated.

    ¡°Look here, smile! Three, two, one, good!¡± Zhang Zixuan took the photo and brought it over for them to see.

    In the photo, the lakes and mountains made for a beautiful scene, with green trees and strange rocks set against each other, and a man and woman standing by the lake. The man¡¯s expression was relaxed and comfortable, and the woman¡¯s pretty face was slightly red, the picture of shy beauty, as if touched by the sprouts of young love.

    Su Yunjin adored the photo and zoomed in and out to look at it several times; Yan Yu, on the other hand, seemed less interested. He turned to observe the garden scenery behind him and said:

    ¡°I think over there looks even nicer¡­¡±

    Before he could finish his sentence, a strange, curious young girl approached and asked: S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Excuse me, are you Divine General Dinghai, Yan Yu? And is this person next to you Gusu Yun Jin?¡±

    Gusu Yun Jin? What kind of nickname is that? Su Yunjin internally snorted, only to see the girl look at them closely for a half second, then suddenly screamed:

    ¡°It¡¯s really the Zhenhai Team!¡±

    With that shout, she attracted all the tourists nearby.

    It¡¯s known that the Suzhou Gardens don¡¯t move and are there for everyone to see, but the star cultivators of the Zhenhai Team are hardly ever seen offline¡ªso why not take the chance to snap more photos and upload them to the short video websites?

    Yan Yu also hadn¡¯t expected that they would still be recognized by strangers even with sunglasses and hats on!

    Ah, my brother¡¯s charm is just too eye-catching, mere hats and sunglasses can¡¯t keep it hidden!

    Seeing more and more tourists gathering and even more people coming from across the lake, Yan Yu had no choice but to quickly take Su Yunjin¡¯s hand, wrap them in sword light, and leap into the sky.

    Time to run!

    ¡°Wait, my little cousin is still down there¡­¡± Su Yunjin was about to shout out, but then she saw her young cousin below giving her a toothy smile and shaking the phone in his hand.

    No worries, don¡¯t mind me! I¡¯ll call our parents later!

    Reassured, Su Yunjin finally noticed she was being held in Yan Yu¡¯s arms and silently closed her eyes, snuggling quietly into his embrace.

    Zhang Zixuan watched the sword light disappear into the distance, musing for a moment, then his phone buzzed again¡ªit was a message from the class beauty, Cao Fangfang:

    ¡°How¡¯s it going with your sister? Did my advice come in handy?¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Zhang Zixuan replied, ¡°My sister has been whisked away by her beloved on rainbow clouds.¡±

    ¡°¡­Lame, stop using old clich¨¦s.¡±

 Chapter 448: 44: Dont Let Her Release Gravity

    Chapter 448: Chapter 44: Don¡¯t Let Her Release Gravity

    Cultivators enjoy such high esteem within the country not unrelated to Lu Country¡¯s relentless propaganda and efforts. Take, for instance, live battlefield broadcasts, the awarding of honors in Pingjing, and ubiquitous news coverage, which has led to a situation where even those who pay no attention to current affairs have likely heard of ¡°Lu Country Cultivators¡± and ¡°Divine General Dinghai.¡±

    For cultivators, such treatment is more advantageous than not; who wouldn¡¯t like to be revered in public and return home in glory?

    But it must be admitted, having too many fans is ultimately a source of annoyance. Public places they once visited openly become inconvenient to frequent due to the rapid increase in fan numbers.

    Fans tend to be fiercely local in nature because most people actually can¡¯t distinguish who is stronger or weaker, and thus, subconsciously support the cultivators from their hometown.

    Yan Yu¡¯s strength is in a league of its own, hence his widespread popularity across the country. Apart from him, Su Yunjin is the most famous within Gusu Residence territory; even Lord Master Liu Longtao¡¯s renown doesn¡¯t carry weight here¡ªthe local uncles and aunties prefer to promote Yun Jin in their circles rather than mentioning this cultivator from Pingjing; even the presence of the Dingbei Army offers no solution.

    Faced with the adoration of local fans, Yan Yu had no choice but to flee with Su Yunjin in tow, randomly opting for Sword Flight in any direction.

    ...

    They hadn¡¯t been flying for long before they saw the landscape below give way to the glimmering surface of a lake.

    Another sea? No, it must be Tai Lake. Strange, why do I say ¡°another¡±?

    Suddenly, Yan Yu remembered. Yesterday, when dining at Ningning¡¯s place, he had faced a similar pattern: overwhelmed by the pressure from relatives, they had fled mid-meal to a small island overseas, probably because they found it deserted, and Ningning had become earnest, piling on different kinds of pressure on him.

    Remember the past to guide the future. Having learned from yesterday¡¯s lesson, if Yan Yu allowed Yun Jin to unleash the Gravity Spell again, it would truly be ludicrous.

    Spotting another island amidst the lake below, he descended with Su Yunjin¡ªonly to discover that she had been huddled in his arms all the while.

    Her eyes were tightly shut, her eyelashes trembling slightly, and there was a faint scent of jasmine lingering in her smooth, jet-black hair. Although her shampoo was definitely not as luxurious as Ling Yun¡¯s, the rich fragrance mixing with the female hormones was incredibly enchanting against his nose.

    Sword Flight is a unity of body and blade, with the Swordmaster himself forming a resonance with the Flying Sword, naturally fearless; but for those swept into the sword light, being dragged through the air by some invisible force can be understandably frightening.

    Yan Yu patted her shoulder gently and said,

    ¡°We¡¯ve come down now; there¡¯s nobody here.¡±

    Su Yunjin slowly released him, a mix of embarrassment and inner turmoil on her face, trying to appear composed as she looked around.

    They seemed to be on a mountain, surrounded by trees, with no sign of others.

    ¡°Let¡¯s find a place to sit for a bit,¡± Su Yunjin suggested.

    ¡°But I want to climb the mountain,¡± Yan Yu instantly rejected the idea, wielding a tactic of diversion.

    Right now, she¡¯s undoubtedly preoccupied with the fact that I¡¯ve just rescued her from encirclement. If we pause here for a moment, she¡¯ll surely go on the offensive, pressuring me just like Ningning did yesterday.

    She needs some time to cool off!

    ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s go,¡± agreed Su Yunjin with a nod, ¡°After all, we didn¡¯t really do much at Lingering Garden just now.¡±

    They ascended the mountain steps together. Yan Yu paused frequently to admire the scenery, while Su Yunjin kept beside him, silent, her expression serene.

    Yan Yu felt as if his tactics were failing¡ªhe had prepared eighteen different strategies to counter the Gravity Spell, yet Secretary Su remained quiet, accompanying me up the mountain¡­ Was I wrong to think so ill of her?

    This thought brought an indescribable heaviness, not from Yun Jin¡¯s words or actions, but from his own conscience and morals probing him.

    Perhaps I shouldn¡¯t be so guarded against her.

    ¡°It looks like there¡¯s a temple ahead,¡± said Yan Yu, ¡°Shall we take a look?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± responded Su Yunjin with a bright smile.

    They arrived at the temple gate and saw four golden characters embossed on the plaque above.

    ¡°Zen Amidst the Colors of the Mountain,¡± Yan Yu read the inscription aloud.

    Pfft. Su Yunjin covered her mouth to laugh.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Yan Yu turned his head and asked.

    ¡°The temple plaques, they have ancient and modern writing styles,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile, ¡°Ancient writing goes from right to left, and modern writing from left to right. This plaque was originally written by the high monk Shan Xiao during the Ming Dynasty, then later renovated to look the same, so it should be read from right to left, pronounced ¡®Baoshan Zen Temple¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I know that,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, ¡°I was just testing your knowledge.¡±

    ¡°So did I pass the test?¡± Su Yunjin blinked.

    ¡°Barely adequate, I¡¯ll let you pass,¡± Yan Yu nodded slightly. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    They passed through the mountain gate hall and entered the temple square.

    The temple didn¡¯t have many visitors, the environment was quiet, simple, and rustic. Although it could not be said to be completely without commercial traces of coppery odor, at least it didn¡¯t display several dozens of eighteen-seed prayer beads with a three-digit price tag. On the left was the Treasure Basin, on the right the Fortune Bell, and of course there was also the corresponding Merit Box. Whether the worshippers wanted to pray or ring the bell, it was self-operated, donations were voluntary.

    Both of them were now cultivators, devoid of the very secular desires of getting promoted or becoming rich, so after a casual glance, they continued to walk forward.

    ¡°Why is there nobody in this temple?¡± Su Yunjin said curiously, ¡°I used to come here with my dad, and the townspeople down the mountain really liked coming up here to worship.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, we definitely haven¡¯t stumbled into some mysterious realm,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Su Yunjin paused, ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°Because there wouldn¡¯t be any airplanes in the sky of a mysterious realm,¡± Yan Yu pointed upwards as he spoke.

    Su Yunjin looked up and indeed saw a passenger plane crossing the firmament; she breathed a sigh of relief and laughed,

    ¡°It¡¯s rare for the captain to come out and play with me for a day, I wouldn¡¯t want to deal with any mysterious realm.¡±

    The two of them arrived at the Great Hero Treasure Hall. Strangely, there were no monks at all inside.

    After passing through the Great Hero Treasure Hall and climbing up about a hundred steps, they finally reached the Scripture Pavilion behind the temple, where they saw an elderly monk hurriedly coming down from the second floor with a scroll in his arms.

    Hmm?

    Yan Yu recognized the face of this monk; wasn¡¯t this the Compassion Chan Master?

    The Compassion Chan Master, in his previous life, was also a very famous lay cultivator. Although he embarked on the path of cultivation, he did not study any combat techniques and spent his life exploring the Buddhist teachings, striving only for the realization of Arhathood, without any other intention.

    Yan Yu remembered him because, among the Eye Perception skills that the cultivator envoys had to learn in the previous life, only eight people in the whole country could teach it, and Compassion Chan Master was one of them¡ªat that time, before the resurgence of spiritual energy, the old master already had an official position.

    With scriptures in hand, the old master glanced at Yan Yu and Su Yunjin, nodded to greet them, and then stepped past them, heading towards the mountain stairs.

    After walking a few steps, he suddenly turned back around and asked in surprise,

    ¡°Zhenhai Team? Yan Yu, Su Yunjin?¡±

    ¡°Sorry for the intrusion,¡± Yan Yu was quite respectful towards this master and nodded slightly.

    ¡°Good, good,¡± the old master immediately revealed a smile, ¡°I have a matter for which I¡¯d like to ask for your assistance.¡±

    If it were any other lay cultivator saying this, Yan Yu would have drawn his sword already, but since the Compassion Chan Master truly was a good man in his past life, he didn¡¯t harbor too much suspicion and merely asked,

    ¡°What exactly are you referring to?¡±

    ¡°Within this mountain, there is another Buddha hall,¡± the old master said seriously, ¡°There are some mechanisms inside the hall, and I lack the ability to solve them, so I can only ask for your help.¡±

 Chapter 449: 45: Buddha Hall, Interpreting the Lots

    Chapter 449: Chapter 45: Buddha Hall, Interpreting the Lots

    Just yesterday afternoon, Yan Yu was still playing with Lin Ning in Qingyuan Prefecture, when a heavy downpour hit Tai Lake, causing a landslide and blocking the mountain roads.

    This morning, the government office sent a construction team over, and they finally managed to restore the blocked mountain roads to normal. The monks then collectively left the temple, intending to clear the remaining mud and debris on the road to prevent visiting pilgrims from slipping when the temple reopened tomorrow.

    The reason Master Cinyin did not leave with them was not because he was too old, but because his Buddhist certification was not affiliated with this temple, but rather with Jiangtian Zen Temple in the province; in other words, he was like a visiting professor at a university, here for research and lectures, hence it was inappropriate to ask him to do physical labor.

    During these days, the old master had been staying in the Scripture Pavilion behind the Great Hero Treasure Hall. Yesterday, during the landslide outside, the Scripture Pavilion had also shaken slightly, continuing for about three minutes before stopping.

    This morning, when the master went around to the back of the Scripture Pavilion, he saw a hole exposed by the collapsed mountain, deep and going downwards, with steps and walls carved by human hands inside.

    He turned on his phone¡¯s flashlight, shining it on the path below as he went deeper for over ten meters, finally entering a small underground Buddhist hall.

    ...

    The hall was not large, almost thirty square meters, filled with scriptures, magic artifacts, Buddha statues ¡­ numerous relics, and a wooden figure standing in the center of the hall, which threw a punch at the master as he entered.

    Fortunately, he reacted quickly, promptly retreating from the hall¡¯s boundary, and the wooden figure did not pursue but remained inside the underground Buddhist hall.

    ¡°So, Master, have you reported this to the Military Manor yet?¡± Su Yunjin asked curiously.

    ¡°Of course,¡± the master replied, ¡°I called them right after I returned to the surface. When I recognized you just now, I thought you were sent by the Military Manor.¡±

    As for why it was not, the reason was simple: an underground Buddhist hall guarded by a mere mechanical wooden figure was not considered a mysterious realm, and a cultivator from the Military Manor could handle it; there was no need for the Zhenhai Team to step in.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go in and have a look,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°but I can¡¯t guarantee if we can handle it.¡±

    ¡°Well spoken,¡± the old master laughed, ¡°Not lying or deceiving, this is indeed the right path.¡±

    Yan Yu immediately knew to keep quiet, or what if the master added something like ¡°you have the root of wisdom¡± or ¡°you are destined with Buddha¡±? Then what?

    Fortunately, Master Cinyin merely made a casual compliment and did not continue to say much. The three of them used their flashlights to head downwards, quickly arriving at the entrance of the hall, where they saw the standing wooden figure.

    It was similar to the wooden figures they had seen before in the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm, except this one had no weapon in its hands and silently posed in the stance of Shaolin Arhat Boxing.

    ¡°Yun Jin, want to give it a try?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Su Yunjin formed a sword technique with her hands, and the blue Coral Tear shot out, striking at the wooden figure.

    The wooden figure was agile and its martial skills were extremely proficient, resembling a martial monk who had practiced for at least twenty years, not easily approached by three or five people, yet it was no match for a cultivator.

    Su Yunjin used the technique Guest¡¯s Arrival, and the wooden figure immediately threw a punch to block. However, she unexpectedly changed her move to Eagle Strikes the Sky, and the Coral Tear eerily drifted diagonally downwards, perfectly dodging the wooden figure¡¯s punch.

    ¡°Wonderful!¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but praise, ¡°The timing of this Eagle Strikes the Sky was perfect, even I couldn¡¯t have done it better.¡±

    Feeling elated, Su Yunjin¡¯s hand movements became even faster, and the Coral Tear bypassed the wooden figure¡¯s defenses with three swift slashes, severing its head, right arm, and left leg cleanly.

    Yan Yu thought to himself that this should have been followed by Eagle Strikes the Sky, to avoid being countered by a highly skilled opponent¡­ but since Yun Jin was not a professional Sword Immortal, there was no need to be too demanding.

    He formed his own sword technique, and the Huang Tingjian sword also unsheathed, chopping off the wooden figure¡¯s left arm and right leg.

    The wooden figure was finally completely disabled, and the old master could no longer contain his excitement. He bypassed the Buddha statues and magic artifacts and went to the rear bookshelf, taking down a thin scripture and began reading it under the light of his flashlight.

    ¡°How come I¡¯ve never heard of the contents of this Buddhist scripture?¡± he murmured, frowning as he flipped through several pages.

    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s a method for cultivation,¡± Yan Yu suggested, peering over.

    ¡°A method for cultivation?¡± the master looked surprised momentarily, his face showing a disappointed expression as if that was of little use.

    Seeing his unexpected reaction, Yan Yu guessed that at this point, Master Cinyin had not yet become a ¡°folk cultivator,¡± and perhaps it was due to this landslide incident that he had inadvertently embarked on the path of cultivation.

    Su Yunjin glanced at the magic artifacts on the nearby altar, her divine sense scanning each one. She discovered that many were magic treasures, but unfortunately, they had all lost their spirituality. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    This was not surprising, since this place was not a mysterious realm, but had existed in the real world for many years. Under the long era of Dharma Extinction, even the most powerful magic treasures had turned into scrap metal.

    The three searched for a while, but found nothing, and although it was disappointing, it wasn¡¯t unexpected as this was not a mysterious realm, merely a small underground Buddhist hall.

    Leaving the items in the hall for the Zhendong Army to collect, the group returned to the surface, and the old master sincerely thanked the two for their help.

    Yan Yu naturally said there was no need for thanks, since he had merely taken care of a wooden figure by chance.

    However, the compassionate Zen Master took it seriously and retrieved two Baye Charms from the Scripture Pavilion, giving them to Yan Yu and Su Yunjin, saying that if they wore them for a long time and prayed regularly, they could achieve what they desired.

    Since the old Zen Master was still a mortal at this time, these two Baye Charms probably weren¡¯t very effective. They might even be akin to the peace charms given to temple followers, primarily relying on a placebo effect of belief.

    Yan Yu casually stuffed it into his pocket, while Su Yunjin received it as if it were a treasure, thinking, ¡°Does this count as a couple¡¯s charm for me and the captain? Hehe.¡±

    The two said farewell to the old Zen Master and returned near the Great Hero Treasure Hall; Su Yunjin then proposed going to draw lots.

    Yan Yu accompanied her as she stood in the hall, watching her kneel on the cushion, close her eyes in concentration, and pray as she shook the fortune sticks. Suddenly, a thought emerged in his mind:

    ¡°You use Taoist spells, yet you come to draw Buddhist lots. Whose side are you really on?¡±

    After a moment, Su Yunjin finally drew a small stick, remembered the number, and went to get the written fortune, which stated:

    [Unswept flower paths don¡¯t wait for guests, the unkempt gate opens for you.]

    ¡°Du Fu¡¯s ¡®Guest¡¯s Arrival¡¯,¡± Su Yunjin murmured, ¡°but on the fortune slip, it¡¯s hard to understand its significance.¡±

    ¡°Why not ask about it,¡± suggested Yan Yu, with a gesture towards the Scripture Pavilion, ¡°The old Zen Master is still there, right? Let him interpret it for us for free.¡±

    ¡°Is that really okay?¡± Su Yunjin hesitated.

    ¡°What¡¯s not okay about it?¡± Yan Yu wondered.

    The two then climbed up to the Scripture Pavilion and saw the compassionate Zen Master reading a book.

    When they explained their purpose, the old Zen Master took the fortune slip, looked at it for a moment, and asked Su Yunjin:

    ¡°Are you asking about career or marriage?¡±

    ¡°Marriage,¡± Su Yunjin said coyly.

    The old Zen Master suddenly burst into laughter: The right person is standing right next to you, yet you ask Buddha instead of him? The fortune¡¯s meaning is quite clear. Welcome the distinguished guest first, then talk.

    ¡°The fortune is a very good one,¡± he said with a kindly smile. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry too much, just patiently wait for things to fall into place.¡±

    Su Yunjin revealed a radiant smile, and while receiving the fortune from the old Zen Master, her heart was filled with boundless joy as she sneakily glanced at Yan Yu.

    After leaving the Scripture Pavilion, they toured the nearby pagoda before suddenly receiving a call from Mrs. Su.

    ¡°We are at a temple out here at West Mountain,¡± Su Yunjin responded into the phone, her face suddenly displaying a look of surprise, followed by a chuckle, ¡°No, not at a hotel, Mom, don¡¯t worry unnecessarily.¡±

    ¡°Aha! Really, we¡¯re not at a hotel! We in the team usually live in the same dormitory; you don¡¯t need to worry about that¡­ Okay, okay, I¡¯ll take a photo for you.¡±

    After hanging up, she said somewhat embarrassedly to Yan Yu:

    ¡°My mom was checking in, worried that we might be in a hotel¡­ uh, getting a room, so she wanted us to take a photo.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Yan Yu said.

    Su Yunjin naturally leaned close, just as they had done in pictures at Lingering Garden, hooking her right hand around his left arm, her head resting against his left shoulder as she smiled for the camera.

    Yan Yu looked at their close pose in the camera¡¯s view and thought, if you send this photo, your mom will definitely be more anxious¡­ But of course, that¡¯s your family matter, none of my business as an outsider.

    With this thought, he also gazed towards the camera, a calm smile on his face.

    Cool!

    After sending the photo, Yan Yu asked aloud:

    ¡°Do you want to go back now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to wander around the town at the mountain¡¯s base.¡± Su Yunjin still hadn¡¯t let go of his arm, ¡°Is that okay?¡±

 Chapter 450: 46: Shopping and Guessing Each Others Thoughts

    Chapter 450: Chapter 46: Shopping and Guessing Each Other¡¯s Thoughts

    ¡°Go for a stroll in the town at the foot of the mountain?¡± Yan Yu pondered, ¡°I don¡¯t have a problem with it, but aren¡¯t there bound to be lots of people in the town? What if fans recognize us again?¡±

    ¡°Then we just make a run for it,¡± Su Yunjin said with a laugh.

    This answer was so succinct that Yan Yu found himself unable to think of a rebuttal and could only sigh and say,

    ¡°We do need to be careful though.¡±

    ¡°Mhm mhm.¡± Su Yunjin put the sunglasses, hat, and face mask back on Yan Yu, examined him for a moment, then smiled and said, ¡°Now you wouldn¡¯t recognize him at all, would you?¡±

    ¡°Sigh.¡± Yan Yu put on an exaggerated sigh, ¡°But it also covers my handsome face.¡±

    ...

    ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡± Su Yunjin smiled with twinkling eyes, ¡°It¡¯s enough for me to admire the captain¡¯s charm alone.¡±

    Yan Yu could only let out a dry laugh, thinking to himself, I was just joking with you, but that comment is kind of scary¡­ Maybe I¡¯m just overthinking it.

    Words are spoken without intent, but listeners take them to heart!

    The two of them followed the mountain road down, arriving in the town, where they saw homestays and inns everywhere, their exteriors decorated with all sorts of ornate plants.

    Yan Yu remembered a joke from his past life. A northern colleague went to Lin¡¯an for a trip and, seeing the so-called sea of flowers and little towns, marveled at how wealthy the people of Jiangnan must be for not planting cash crops but flowers instead. To which a local colleague replied, ¡°Right, we have so much government revenue we can¡¯t even spend it all, we¡¯ve started planting flowers on overpasses.¡±

    During peaceful and stable times, prettifying your storefront could rake in a lot more from tourism than what agricultural or industrial development could ever dream of. Alas, later¡­

    His thoughts were abruptly interrupted as Su Yunjin, grasping his arm, looked towards a small shop across the street and asked,

    ¡°Want some milk tea?¡±

    As everyone knows, when a girl asks ¡°Do you want to drink?¡± what she really means is ¡°I want to drink.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°I¡¯m actually a bit thirsty.¡±

    Looking at the menu outside the shop, he suddenly saw the familiar Mango Pomelo Sago.

    In his previous life, if he hesitated for more than five or six seconds while out with Chen Lingyun, she would jokingly suggest ¡°Just to be safe, why not go for the Mango Pomelo Sago¡±, because the strange and varied names of milk teas really were too complicated, without a detailed description you had no idea what kind of ingredients were in them.

    But I refuse!

    Now, I¡¯m with Yunjin! Bet you didn¡¯t see that coming, did you, Chen Lingyun? How do you feel now, huh?

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you help me choose, Yunjin.¡± He turned his head and winked at Su Yunjin, ¡°Guess what flavor I¡¯d like. I¡¯ll rate you later.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Su Yunjin said, starting to feel a bit nervous as her mind whirred into gear.

    The captain¡­ When he¡¯s at the villa, he doesn¡¯t seem to have a particular fondness for any fruit, like Sister Zhao, he¡¯s pretty much happy with anything.

    But generally speaking, the sweeter the better is always safe, and cultivators don¡¯t have to worry about the calorie count.

    Su Yunjin¡¯s gaze swept past names like ¡°Mountain and Sea Scenery¡± and ¡°Amber Lemon Light,¡± finally settling on a ¡°Brocade Spring Weave¡± and brought it back for Yan Yu to judge.

    ¡°Why only one?¡± Yan Yu asked, surprised, ¡°Aren¡¯t you having one?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not thirsty,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile.

    Yan Yu had no idea what ¡°Brocade Spring Weave¡± was made of. After taking a sip, he tasted the flavor of jasmine tea.

    ¡°How is it?¡± Su Yunjin asked expectantly.

    ¡°It¡¯s quite good, I¡¯ll give you 7 points,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it out of 10?¡± Su Yunjin feigned disappointment.

    ¡°Sorry, but the full score is just 7 points,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Next time, the captain might as well just answer ¡®full score¡¯ then,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile.

    This Miss Su¡¯s mouth is indeed quite formidable, of the sort that hides a needle in cotton, soft yet firm. But after all, her intentions aren¡¯t bad¡­ or rather, compared to a certain someone, any girl seems purely innocent, so Yan Yu felt no displeasure towards her, merely laughing and saying,

    ¡°Why chase a perfect score? Do you also want a certificate of achievement or something?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about full scores or certificates,¡± Su Yunjin answered, ¡°What I care about is¡­ well, now it¡¯s the captain¡¯s turn to guess.¡±

    ¡°Is it okay if I don¡¯t guess?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Su Yunjin said.

    But then it wouldn¡¯t be fun anymore. So Yan Yu and Su Yunjin continued to stroll about casually while Yan Yu pretended to ponder and guessed:

    ¡°What Yun Jin cares about is whether we are in sync or not, right?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really worthy of being the captain.¡± Su Yunjin showed a surprised expression, clasped her hands, and said, ¡°You actually figured it out, wow.¡±

    But inside she sighed: Completely wrong! I don¡¯t want to score full marks, but to see if the captain would give me full marks because he cares about my feelings, even if I actually didn¡¯t choose the fruit tea flavor he really likes.

    ¡°Haha, I knew you would think that,¡± Yan Yu said proudly, ¡°because we have a deep understanding of each other.¡±

    Su Yunjin¡¯s mood immediately improved, and she said with a smile:

    ¡°After all, we¡¯ve been together for almost a year now.¡±

    ¡°Yes, time flies so fast,¡± Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but feel emotional.

    As the two continued their walk, Su Yunjin suddenly said:

    ¡°Captain, let me hold that for you.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu handed over the fruit tea without thinking, then suddenly realized something was amiss.

    Indeed, the next second, Su Yunjin grabbed his fruit tea, took a big sip through the straw, frowned slightly, and commented:

    ¡°The taste is average, it really only deserves a 7 if full marks are out of 10.¡±

    ¡°I actually think it¡¯s quite good,¡± Yan Yu smoothed things over.

    ¡°No worries, I¡¯ve already got full marks,¡± Su Yunjin said with a slight smile, handing back the fruit tea to Yan Yu. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu took it with mixed emotions, knowing that if he showed any hint of dislike or refusal to drink it now, it would definitely hurt Su Yunjin, who was watching secretly.

    He didn¡¯t really care about indirect kisses, but he was somewhat surprised that Su Yunjin would express her feelings in such a subtle way. It wasn¡¯t long ago that she was the fearless Gravity Mage, and to think that my strategy of delaying the battle has taught her to advance indirectly and make clever moves.

    As the team captain, I¡¯ve not only imparted battlefield skills to them but also taught them strategies for the game of love! Unfortunately, I received no gifts last September 10, which was really disappointing.

    However, on the other hand: ¡°Peach and plum trees do not speak, but beneath them a path is born.¡± It¡¯s the truly shining aspect of my character that I give without expecting anything in return.

    Thinking this way, he took another big sip of the fruit tea and discovered that within the fragrance of jasmine, there was an added hint of gardenia.

    Yan Yu took a look and saw the mark of lipstick on the straw, then turned to look at Yun Jin¡¯s lips, only to see her guiltily lowering her head, with the fair skin behind her ears seemingly tinted red.

    ¡°It is indeed quite tasty,¡± he remarked.

    ¡°As long as you like it,¡± Su Yunjin said, turning her head to look outside, not daring to meet his gaze directly.

    This girl is really clever. I only glanced at the straw, and she guessed everything.

    Before they knew it, the two had walked to the edge of the island. Ahead was the sparkling lake and the large bridge across it.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go sit over there,¡± Su Yunjin suggested.

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    The two sat down on the low wall by the bridge, watching the distant sun slowly setting, as the whole town was bathed in the afterglow of the sunset, creating a wonderfully peaceful sense of the beauty of the passing years.

    ¡°Have you ever thought about where you¡¯d like to spend your old age?¡± Su Yunjin suddenly asked.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about it,¡± Yan Yu answered, ¡°Cultivation can prolong life, and aging is a long way off for us.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Su Yunjin nodded.

    She suddenly didn¡¯t know what to say, or perhaps had some thoughts but lacked the courage to speak them, then heard Yan Yu continue:

    ¡°Actually, it doesn¡¯t matter where. I think what¡¯s more important is whether or not there is someone to accompany you in your later years.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Su Yunjin closed her eyes and subtly leaned her body to the side, as though unintentionally leaning against him.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I think too.¡±

 Chapter 451: 47 Enchantress Gets Jealous

    Chapter 451: Chapter 47 Enchantress Gets Jealous

    The two of them flew back to the urban area on their swords.

    Mrs. Su¡¯s expression was a bit tense. Ever since Zhang Zixuan called and said he was coming back, she couldn¡¯t help but let her mind run wild.

    Because the two of them no longer had any children tagging along. In the remaining time, anything could happen.

    Originally, Mrs. Su was very confident in her daughter because Su Yunjin was very decisive¡ªher indifference in her career was because she just didn¡¯t care, but she cared a lot about her emotions, so she would definitely not force herself into an uncertain relationship. Those impulsive early loves ruled by hormones had absolutely nothing to do with Su Yunjin.

    However, the more demanding a person is in this respect, the harder it might be to remain rational once they truly fall for someone.

    And it wouldn¡¯t be surprising for an irrational woman to do something irrational.

    ...

    The image of a medical professor she knew even flashed through Mrs. Su¡¯s mind. If one had to terminate an unintended pregnancy, it was certainly best to seek the best doctor to minimize the harm to her daughter¡¯s body.

    But what was even more frightening was, what if her daughter insisted on having the baby?

    Someone with insufficient social experience wouldn¡¯t know how hard it is to be a single mother in this society.

    Regrettably, Yunjin was a very decisive girl¡­

    Mrs. Su didn¡¯t dare to think any further. She even had the impulse to call the police, but reason told her that it would just make her look foolish, so she chose another way to alleviate her worries.

    She kept calling Mr. Su.

    Not until the two of them returned from outside and she saw that her daughter¡¯s gait had no issues at all did Mrs. Su¡¯s hanging heart finally settle down. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    In the moment of relief, she even developed a bit of fondness for Yan Yu because she knew that with Yunjin¡¯s current attitude, if Yan Yu had the slightest desire for her, he probably would have taken advantage long ago.

    Apparently, the famous Divine General Dinghai wasn¡¯t one of those scumbag men who would deceive a girl into bed without being in a relationship.

    Mr. Su and his brother-in-law also arrived at the restaurant they booked for the evening, and seeing Mrs. Su chatting pleasantly with her daughter, they also secretly relaxed, giving his wife a ¡°See, I told you so¡± look.

    I¡¯ve always said that Yan Yu and Yunjin are good kids! As a professor who has seen so many young people, how could I be wrong about this?

    Compared to the slightly awkward atmosphere at lunch, the dinner was undoubtedly much more harmonious. The old couple¡¯s attitude towards Yan Yu improved, and even when Yunjin mentioned some funny stories about living together with the team, they no longer showed a look of concern.

    After dinner, Yan Yu took his leave, as he had no plans to spend the night at the Su family¡¯s home.

    Su Yunjin also wanted to go back with him, despite her parents¡¯ clear hope that she would stay for the New Year, but she pretended not to notice her parents¡¯ wishes.

    After all, she was always a girl with her own ideas.

    As the two flew away from Gusu to Jinling on their swords, Yan Yu suddenly asked:

    ¡°How would you rate my performance this time?¡±

    ¡°7 points,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile.

    ¡°Is the full score 7 points?¡±

    ¡°Of course, because I only give full points to the captain.¡±

    By the time they returned to the Jinling Villa, it was already 9:30 pm.

    The other girls had already gone back to their rooms, only Lin Ning was still sitting in the living room watching television.

    Seeing Yan Yu and Su Yunjin return through the door¡ªnot simply sending a message that they were staying overnight elsewhere¡ªshe felt a silent relief and said with a smile:

    ¡°Back already? Are you hungry? I¡¯ve made a late-night snack; there¡¯s still a bit left in the pot.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile, ¡°Thanks, Ningning.¡±

    Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re waiting in the living room.

    Lin Ning didn¡¯t answer, nor did she use voice transmission, just responded with the same smile.

    You wait for me, and I wait for you; it¡¯s an exchange of courtesies.

    ¡°What¡¯s the late-night snack?¡± Yan Yu walked into the kitchen and lifted the lid to take a look.

    ¡°Floating cakes,¡± Lin Ning said. ¡°Try and see if what I made is different from my mom¡¯s.¡±

    Yan Yu had eaten this at Lin Ning¡¯s house before; it was fried dough filled with oysters and lean meat, and he had found them delicious, eating extra servings. He didn¡¯t expect Ningning to remember and make them, which pleasantly surprised and moved him.

    Su Yunjin watched Yan Yu enjoy his meal with great relish, feeling a bit anxious in her heart.

    She had always admired Ningning¡¯s culinary skills, but now this admiration had turned to worry, after all, a man¡¯s stomach doesn¡¯t necessarily side with his heart. If Ningning were to use her cooking skills to compete for the team leader position, what chance did she have to outmatch her?

    Beauty? Sorry, they were on par with each other.

    Personality? Ningning was indeed a bit haughty, but she could be quite assertive at times.

    Figure? She might be slightly inferior, though it didn¡¯t seem much different at a glance.

    The more Su Yunjin thought about it, the more she felt a sense of crisis. She quickly sat down on the sofa and took out her phone to message her mother:

    ¡°Mom, I want to learn how to cook. What recipes are good for beginners?¡±

    Mrs. Su had just returned home and was reviewing the draft essays submitted by her students. The more she read, the more she frowned. Then she received her daughter¡¯s message, and her mood became even more irritable.

    Her daughter had grown up and had never cooked for them!

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you start by learning how to make noodles,¡± she texted her daughter. ¡°Learn the broth techniques first; they¡¯re easy. Then pair it with different toppings, and you¡¯ll have various dishes, fitting for any formal occasion.¡±

    After replying, Mrs. Su, still in a bad mood, returned to the draft essays, her eyes flickering with a cold and ruthless light as she typed comments on her keyboard:

    The overall structure is incorrect, overturn and rewrite!

    Several places are too thin, make a list for him, have them read the books on the list before writing again!!

    There are some new ideas recently¡­ Let him do an analysis on their feasibility, I want feedback after the New Year!!!

    Young people are all the same, they¡¯ll slack off if you don¡¯t pressure them. Now is the golden age for academia, can¡¯t waste it on love and romance!!!!

    On Yan Yu¡¯s side, he had returned to his room. It wasn¡¯t long before the Demonic Sect Enchantress phased through the wall.

    ¡°How was it?¡± she asked eagerly. ¡°What delicious food did you have in the Gusu Residence?¡±

    ¡°The noodles were okay,¡± Yan Yu replied. ¡°With different toppings, you get different flavors.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said thoughtfully, but disappointed, ¡°it¡¯s a pity Ningning probably doesn¡¯t know how to make Su-style pastries.¡±

    ¡°She can learn,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen agreed as she kicked off her slippers and climbed onto the bed, suddenly asking suspiciously, ¡°You didn¡¯t cheat on me over there, did you?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Yan Yu said.

    However, Zhao Yuanzhen refused to believe it, as the Enchantress of the Demonic Sect was inherently suspicious. Therefore, she pounced onto Yan Yu, sniffing him frantically.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Yan Yu pushed her away impatiently.

    Having decided to wait until after the Core Formation to exchange Primordial Yang and Yin, he couldn¡¯t let her cling unrestrained like this. What if they slipped up? This Enchantress¡¯s figure was not as innocent as Yun Jin¡¯s; it was a dangerous one imbued with sin.

    ¡°Your body has the scent of her shampoo!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen exclaimed, hands on her hips.

    ¡°You¡¯re crazy,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°You smell like Chen Lingyun¡¯s shampoo yourself!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure of it; it¡¯s the fragrance of gardenias,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen narrowed her eyes, ¡°Your hair is a bit greasy, which means you haven¡¯t washed it, so why would it have her shampoo scent?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t shampoo; it was lipstick¡­ Of course, he couldn¡¯t tell her that, or she would fly off the handle.

    Yan Yu simply said indifferently:

    ¡°Because she was in my arms for a long time, so my hair rubbed against her body. Are you satisfied with that answer?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen instinctively wanted to retort, ¡°I¡¯m satisfied my ass,¡± but she quickly reconsidered:

    Could this be a trick?

    Still the same phrase, the Enchantress of the Demonic Sect was always suspicious. If Yan Yu had vehemently refused to answer, she would¡¯ve been more convinced of her suspicions. But since Yan Yu openly admitted to holding another woman, she was again incredulous, thinking it was probably a ploy to make her jealous and laugh at her, deliberately spraying a similar scent on himself!

    Hmph, a cunning thief! Fancy trying to toy with me, I will remember this grudge!

    When the time for revenge comes, I will blindfold him, wash my hair with Ling Yun¡¯s shampoo, do my makeup with Ruoxi¡¯s cosmetics, and wear Ningning¡¯s clothes and Yun Jin¡¯s skirts. Then, I¡¯ll approach him and see who he mistakes me for!

    Mistake me once, ten slaps!

 Chapter 452: 48: Foreign Affairs

    Chapter 452: Chapter 48: Foreign Affairs

    Upon following the secretary into the quiet chamber, Yan Yu saw the head of the Yin Yang Bureau hurriedly writing with a vigorous and fluent stroke, inscribing two characters:

    General Slayer.

    After the secretary had left, Yan Yu asked, ¡°What did you want to see me for, Lord Master?¡±

    ¡°Yan Yu, you¡¯re over forty this year, aren¡¯t you?¡± the Lord Master put away his brush and placed it on the inkstone stand beside him.

    ¡°Just had my birthday last month,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± the Lord Master grabbed a towel beside him and wiped his hands, ¡°I¡¯ve always believed that the chief position at the Yin Yang Bureau should be held by an experienced veteran. However, many argue that in these chaotic times, being proactive is better than defensively maintaining the status quo.¡±

    ...

    ¡°The incident with Xiandao Jingyin was a lesson for everyone.¡±

    Yan Yu remained silent, standing respectfully with his hands tied.

    ¡°Go,¡± the Lord Master said, waving his hand dismissively upon seeing Yan Yu¡¯s silence, ¡°prepare yourself for next week.¡±

    Yan Yu nodded and left, his expression unknowingly turning solemn.

    Although the Yin Yang Bureau of Chongying had The Four Great Demon Kings, Xiandao Jingyin had always been regarded as their leader, not only because she had the support of the Xiandao Corporation, but also because her political views were highly consistent with those of the Lord Masters¡ªto strengthen the overall power of the Yin Yang Bureau at all costs.

    By contrast, Shenyuan Simie was more interested in enhancing his own powers, and Aoi Daiji didn¡¯t care about anything, making them both unsuitable leaders. Therefore, choosing Yan Yu as the successor was the most appropriate.

    Yan Yu was well aware, though, that this was merely a temporary measure by the Lord Masters.

    While he outwardly embodied the spirit of Bushido, dutifully following all commands from his leaders, he secretly harbored a passive resistance to warmongering. The Lord Masters, unaware of his private thoughts, regarded him as ¡°loyally committed but ultimately too old to be of much use.¡±

    I may not stay in this position long, but as long as I hold it, I will strive for peace every single day, vowing to prevent the needless loss of my precious subordinates¡¯ lives in foreign lands beyond our borders!

    Soon enough, Yan Yu adjusted the work plan for the first half of the year, recalling most of the dispersed Onmyoji agents and instead focusing all efforts on conquering all the Mysterious Realms within the country¡¯s borders.

    This adjustment did indeed align with the thoughts of the Lord Masters, as they needed time to integrate the personnel drafted from the local Yin Yang Bureaus after suffering heavy losses of their elite troops within The Secret Realm of Li Palace.

    However, the Homeland Strategic Bureau across the ocean was clearly dissatisfied with this development.

    If the Yin Yang Bureau chose to recuperate, then who would contain the cultivators of Lu Country? After surveying the area, it seemed that only Pear Blossom Courtyard was up to the task.

    Thus, as early as February, they held a secret meeting with Pear Blossom Courtyard to discuss the upcoming bilateral alliance contract, sidelining the Yin Yang Bureau which had betrayed both sides in The Secret Realm of Li Palace.

    Upon receiving the news, Lord Master was furious and vented to Yan Yu in a message:

    ¡°Does this damned alliance not want us to have a peaceful New Year? Crossing half the Earth to meddle, is there any way we can strike back at them?¡±

    ¡°Of course, there is,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°there¡¯s no barbed wire over the high seas, why not just fly there with Sword Control?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think I want to, Old Yan?¡± Liu Longtao retorted irritably, ¡°With the directive set to prioritize homeland defense, how could I possibly take the lead to contradict it?¡±

    It is commonly known that the cultivators of Lu Country are far fewer in number than the Transcendents of other countries, yet their quality far surpasses them. Thus, in the battle of The Secret Realm of Li Palace, others faced wholesale slaughter, while Lu Country didn¡¯t even have a single injury.

    But if you consider it from another angle, when others lose a dozen or more people, they simply recruit more from the general public, while the loss of even one cultivator in Lu Country is deeply mourned. Therefore, they can only focus on homeland defense and wouldn¡¯t dare to imitate the Homeland Strategic Bureau¡¯s move of causing chaos on foreign soil¡ª the risks are too great, the cost-benefit ratio is unfavorable, and being encircled and attacked would be a major loss.

    ¡°Knowing this, why do you still ask me?¡± Yan Yu questioned.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you and the Amur Witch in a relationship?¡± Liu Longtao suggested, ¡°mention it to her, have her lead her people through the Bering Strait and strike them, put those pigs on the spot, too.¡±

    ¡°Enough,¡± Yan Yu cut him off, ¡°What do you mean ¡®in a relationship¡¯? We¡¯re just acquainted.¡±

    ¡°Stop beating around the bush with me,¡± Liu Longtao quickly replied, ¡°Every time we get diplomatic inquiries from them, nine out of ten questions are about you. I¡¯m betting the higher-ups are even considering having you marry off to the Northern Desert for a marriage alliance.¡±

    ¡°Then you go marry first,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Oh right, she became the leader of the Amur Witches? When did that happen?¡±

    ¡°A few days ago,¡± Liu Longtao answered and after a brief pause, typed again, ¡°Are you acting clueless? Didn¡¯t she tell you right away?¡±

    ¡°Wait, let me ask,¡± Yan Yu closed Lord Master¡¯s chat window and scrolled his finger down¡­ and down again, it seemed Anna really hadn¡¯t messaged him in quite a while.

    ¡°Heard you¡¯ve become the big boss?¡± Having found the contact, he crafted a message and sent it.

    ¡°Yes, so you only remembered me now?¡± The reply came back quickly.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t received many messages from you lately,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Hmm, been dating,¡± Anna typed.

    ¡°With whom?¡±

    ¡°A foreign male supermodel, handsome, cool, and stylish.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Well then, congratulations,¡± Yan Yu replied without hesitation, ¡°Given that, this friendship can probably end here.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± The immediate response came, ¡°Why would you delete me as a friend just because I¡¯m dating?¡±

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to flirt with a married woman,¡± Yan Yu responded.

    The other side was silent for nearly ten seconds before a message came back:

    ¡°Just because I¡¯m single doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯ve seen me flirting with you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because I like it when the woman takes the initiative,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    There was silence again for half a minute, and then suddenly a video invitation popped up. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Upon opening it, there indeed was Anna with her blond hair and pretty face, with what looked like a wasteland in the background.

    ¡°How come you seem to have aged a bit?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    ¡°Do you even know how to speak? Do you? Do you?¡± Anna immediately became enraged, ¡°I¡¯ve matured in demeanor!¡±

    ¡°Did you mature because of a relationship?¡± Yan Yu laughed.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t been in a relationship,¡± said Anna with indignant righteousness, ¡°I just wanted to see your reaction.¡±

    ¡°How are things on your end?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Not so smooth,¡± Anna sighed.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you made the chief of the Amur Witches?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s just a nominal title,¡± Anna replied, ¡°Amur needed the support of Lu Country, so they put me, who has Lu Country lineage, in that position, but the real power is still in the hands of several witch elders.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that even better?¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°You get to sit on the chief¡¯s throne without having to handle the chief¡¯s work, and you let them deal with all the troublesome matters.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s so good about that¡­¡± Anna hesitated for a while, then suddenly said, ¡°Yan Yu.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°I think I might not be my dad¡¯s biological child.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu pondered, ¡°What makes you say that?¡±

    ¡°Because blond hair is a recessive trait,¡± Anna said with a worried expression, ¡°How could a child with Lu Country father¡¯s lineage turn out blond? But if I were the product of my mother¡¯s affair, then my so-called Lu Country lineage would be a joke, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°You can ask your mom for some clarity,¡± suggested Yan Yu.

    ¡°My mom¡¯s dead,¡± Anna said casually, ¡°She was out with her boyfriend when the city fell, and by the time my aunt found her, half her body had been gnawed away by werewolves.¡±

    Since this girl had grown up in a single-parent family and had no feelings for her mother who had abandoned her, Yan Yu didn¡¯t offer comfort; instead, he continued to suggest:

    ¡°Then you can still get a paternity test done.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m scared,¡± Anna sighed continuously, ¡°What if it turns out I¡¯m not my dad¡¯s biological child?¡±

    ¡°Then so be it,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°If you really want to clear things up, go for the paternity test; if you¡¯re scared, then don¡¯t. Your dad raised you for nearly twenty years, and the father-daughter bond isn¡¯t just about being biologically related or not.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Anna showed a somewhat relieved expression, ¡°Then I won¡¯t do it. Whether or not I have Lu Country lineage, it¡¯s enough as long as my descendants have it.¡±

    ¡°Why are you so fixated on lineage?¡± Yan Yu asked curiously.

    ¡°Pretending you don¡¯t understand, huh?¡± Anna immediately scoffed, ¡°Have you found someone yet?¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Yan Yu answered, ¡°Still gloriously single.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d advise you to not even bother looking,¡± Anna snorted, ¡°I¡¯ve already told your diplomats, suggesting a political marriage.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Yan Yu kept his composure, ¡°What did the diplomat say?¡±

    ¡°He said, your marriage is for you to decide, they can¡¯t dictate it from above,¡± Anna said.

    ¡°That¡¯s how it is, arranged marriages aren¡¯t fashionable anymore,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Right, so I told him,¡± Anna continued with a smirk, ¡°You have the freedom to choose whom to marry, and I have the freedom in diplomacy. The moment you find a girlfriend, that¡¯s when I¡¯ll turn against Lu Country.¡±

    ¡°You, you can¡¯t do that! You just can¡¯t!¡± Yan Yu made a few mock exclamations before suddenly asking, ¡°Is this the reaction you wanted to see by telling me all this?¡±

    ¡°Your acting is too stiff,¡± Anna critiqued, ¡°Feeling honored and breaking into tears are the appropriate reactions when the Queen of the Northern Desert offers you her hand.¡±

    ¡°But you just said the Queen of the Northern Desert doesn¡¯t decide the affairs of the Northern Desert court,¡± Yan Yu reminded her.

    ¡°What if I can?¡± Anna puffed up arrogantly, ¡°I bet Lu Country wouldn¡¯t dare to take the risk.¡±

    ¡°Lu Country would dare even less to offend the Divine General Dinghai,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Right, so actually I¡¯m warning you,¡± Anna brought her face closer to the camera, showing off a pretty and cute smile, ¡°You¡¯d better stay firmly in your position as Divine General, or the day my power surpasses yours, I¡¯ll capture you and bring you here to marry me.¡±

    It must be said that a blond woman, at least in her youth, indeed possesses an exotic charm, so much so that, even though she was spouting threatening words, one couldn¡¯t help but find her appealing, almost wanting to tease her a bit.

    ¡°Haha,¡± Yan Yu was totally unfazed by her threat, ¡°Then I¡¯ll just look forward to that.¡±

 Chapter 456: 52: Battle at Yan Family on the Second Day of the New Year

    Chapter 456: Chapter 52: Battle at Yan Family on the Second Day of the New Year

    In the days following his return home, Yan Yu noticed that something was off¡ªthe Demonic Sect Enchantress seemed to have transformed into a different person, spending her days either eating or chatting with Yan¡¯s mother and Jingjing.

    While residing in Jinling, she usually occupied herself with eating and watching TV, listening to other sisters chatting, and interjecting occasionally. Even with Xie Ruoxi, whom she got along with the best, there wasn¡¯t much to talk about. They bonded mainly over food, delighting in sharing.

    This enchantress! Where did she get such a fondness for conversation? Clearly, she was just cozying up to my mother and sister with ill intentions!

    Yan Yu made up his mind to just watch coldly from the sidelines.

    It wasn¡¯t hard to guess the enchantress¡¯s motives, merely aiming to ingratiate herself with my parents and sister so that I would hesitate to suppress her.

    What a joke! No matter how good her relationship with them is, could she ever compare to me, their real son and brother?

    ...

    Yan Yu, however, was more concerned with state affairs than family matters.

    Yesterday, a mysterious realm known as ¡°Menyan Cangsong¡± appeared on Black Mountain Island in Goryeo, reportedly of a very high rank, thereby the Dingbei Army has issued a strict order. The Dragon Cavalry Team, along with the Flying Dragon Battle Team, are determined to conquer it by joint force.

    The swordsman of the Pear Blossom Courtyard goes without saying, with Baishan God Sword Park Changmin personally leading the charge. In addition, reinforcements from the Superhero Alliance, over 70 strong, are set to match wits with the cultivators of Mitchi Country.

    It¡¯s funny to talk about, since thus far in Mitchi Country, there have only been about a dozen entrances to mysterious realms that have been discovered, and even those weren¡¯t much use once developed. The local gods¡¯ Magic Artifacts and herbs are terribly incompatible with Western transcendents¡ªit¡¯s like having Chen Lingyun practice Dual Sword Control, the effects of which you can well imagine.

    This quirky national situation has given rise to a dual system of checks and balances between the ¡°Superhero Alliance¡± and the ¡°Homeland Strategic Bureau,¡± constantly causing them to split and feud internally: the Homeland Strategic Bureau prioritizes Mitchi¡¯s national interests, demanding that the superheroes fully counterbalance the cultivators of Lu Country, whereas the Superhero Alliance focuses on exploring, recruiting, and hiring Western transcendents, hence putting commercial interests first and often deliberately contravening the Homeland Strategic Bureau.

    Thus, the current situation everyone sees is the Superhero Alliance frequently causing disturbances round about Lu Country, as if desperate to meddle in everything, yet always ends up ineffectual. They talked about forming a tri-alliance to confront Lu Country in the battle of the Secret Realm of Li Palace, turned disloyal for actual gains after entering, neglecting the alliance¡ªXiandao Jingyin was even more determined to ¡°annihilate the cultivators of Lu Country¡± than they were.

    Although the battle for the Menyan Cangsong Secret Realm seems to be another outnumbered fight, considering the superficial unity of the opposing camp, it¡¯s actually simpler than the Li Palace Secret Realm; hence, the higher-ups did not deploy two top teams at the same time but sent Dragon Cavalry leading the Flying Dragon for an old mentor and new trainee battle experience.

    Liu Longtao cursed incessantly over this, as tomorrow would be the Eve of Lunar New Year¡ªa scenario that pretty much ruined any chance for a proper celebration¡­ Of course, when a mysterious realm appears, it must be tackled; Lord Master had to agree, but he couldn¡¯t stand why the old Yan had the comfort of celebrating at home.

    Yan Yu simply scoffed at this, first scoffing at Lord Master, then consoling Ye Jun before he would let it rest.

    With Lord Master stepping in, securing this mysterious realm was almost a certainty, no need to worry.

    Apart from Lord Master¡¯s news, messages from others gradually came in.

    The Zhenhai Team, comprised of five people, usually don¡¯t talk much in the group because they all live together (though they might prefer speaking in smaller groups), but now it was bustling with activity, each day filled with over 99 new messages.

    Lin Ning mentioned that she had been entertaining relatives these days, and that everyone used to ask ¡°Does Ningning have a partner?¡± but now they no longer asked.

    Yun Jin said that after returning home, her mother was teaching her how to cook noodles, and she could let everyone taste her culinary skills when she got back.

    The two seemed to be casually chatting, yet also hinting at something, their words filled with meaning.

    Ruoxi spoke little, only mentioning that she was playing video games non-stop at home; Ling Yun occasionally complained, apparently accompanying her parents to meet constant visitors¡ªduring the holiday period, guests flocked to the Governor¡¯s Mansion, and being the Governor¡¯s only daughter, she naturally couldn¡¯t avoid them.

    Fortunately, now that she was a cultivator, a frontline cultivator of a top battle team at that, no one dared to entertain thoughts of arranging a marriage for her.

    Among non-cultivators, no matter how distinguished their family positions might be, Chen¡¯s mother definitely wouldn¡¯t approve; she would never allow inferior genes to tarnish her daughter¡¯s progeny.

    Then look at how Zhao Yuanzhen spoke to them, ¡°Yan¡¯s father and mother are very enthusiastic¡±, ¡°Jingjing treats me like a sister¡±, ¡°Every day is just helping Yan¡¯s mother cook and eat and eat and eat¡±¡­ She always managed to leave everyone else speechless.

    Honestly, Zhao being able to move into the Yan household so openly was already winning at the starting line, making it hard for everyone to compare with her.

    But after all, they were all nice girls, and no one said any sour or strange words, just collectively expressing speechlessness.

    After looking through the messages for a while, Yan Yu suddenly received a private chat from Su Yunjin:

    ¡°Is it convenient to visit on the second day of the New Year? Does the captain have any arrangements at home?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°Are you coming alone, or with your parents?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll come alone.¡± Su Yunjin replied quickly, ¡°My parents have something to do that day.¡±

    Although it was said to be something to do, it was actually more about feeling embarrassed to come, as there was no formal recognition of their relationship. Yan Yu could understand that.

    The two made a plan, and Su Yunjin sent a ¡°Happy New Year, Captain¡± before logging off.

    It wasn¡¯t long before Chen Lingyun also sent a message:

    ¡°I¡¯ll come over on the second day of the New Year~¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Yan Yu typed quickly, ¡°Yun Jin is also planning to visit on the second. Could you change the day?¡±

    ¡°No change,¡± Chen Lingyun said. ¡°I want to run over to your house and get jealous with Yun Jin.¡±

    Although it was just a sentence sent over, Yan Yu could almost see the sweet yet devilish smirk on her face as she typed.

    ¡°Enough already,¡± he said helplessly. ¡°It¡¯s the New Year, don¡¯t create any trouble. Pick another day.¡±

    ¡°No change,¡± Chen Lingyun said.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll keep my doors shut,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go to Jingjing,¡± Chen Lingyun said. ¡°Let her tip off my aunt and uncle to see if they will turn me away.¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­

    Damn, she¡¯s tough!

    It¡¯s the New Year; why are all these girls squeezing into my house? It¡¯s not some illegal rave!

    Before he could continue to warn Chen Lingyun, Lin Ning also sent a message:

    ¡°Captain, are you free on the second day of the New Year? I¡¯ll bring some New Year¡¯s goods for you.¡±

    ¡°Not free,¡± Yan Yu immediately replied. ¡°Pick another day.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m going to my grandma¡¯s on the third,¡± Lin Ning typed, ¡°and from the fourth to the sixth, my family is going on a trip. Only the second works for me.¡±

    ¡°Then don¡¯t come,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°How about this,¡± Lin Ning said. ¡°I¡¯ll bring the stuff over and leave it at your doorstep. You can just come out and pick it up.¡±

    Yan Yu was speechless and typed:

    ¡°Can¡¯t you deliver it another day?¡±

    ¡°Why does it have to be another day?¡± Lin Ning seemed a bit puzzled. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to be home on the second?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°The captain surely hasn¡¯t made plans to meet with someone else on the second, right?¡± Lin Ning suddenly asked suspiciously.

    ¡°¡­Stop asking. Just come on the second, I¡¯ll be home waiting for you,¡± Yan Yu decided to give up the fight. After all, with Yun Jin, Ling Yun, and the Demonic Sect Enchantress all coming, adding Ningning to the mix didn¡¯t seem to make much of a difference.

    At that point, Jingjing could just handle everything!

    Before Yan Yu could sort it all out, Xie Ruoxi also sent a message:

    ¡°Captain.¡±

    ¡°You want to visit my house, right? Let¡¯s make it on the second,¡± Yan Yu typed directly. ¡°The more, the merrier.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi: ¡­¡­¡­

    She looked blankly at her phone screen, thinking I wasn¡¯t planning on visiting your house at all!

    I just wanted to ask if I could take an extra day off on the seventh¡­ S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 457: 53: Mini Spring Festival Gala

    Chapter 457: Chapter 53: Mini Spring Festival Gala

    ¡°The day after tomorrow, which is the second day of the Lunar New Year, members from the war teams will come to visit,¡± Yan Yu said to his younger sister Yan Jing.

    ¡°Oh oh, sisters are coming over,¡± Yan Jing nodded, ¡°Who exactly is coming?¡±

    ¡°All of them,¡± Yan Yu said.

    Yan Jing: ???

    Come on, big brother! All of them are into you, can¡¯t you see that? During the New Year, even if each one has to come, you should at least stagger their visits!

    Even the fish in a pond will fight if you put them together!

    ...

    ¡°I¡¯ve already decided,¡± Yan Yu ignored her shocked expression, ¡°You will be in charge of receiving them.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Yan Jing was stupefied.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan Yu said shamelessly, ¡°As my sister, it¡¯s your duty to vet potential sister-in-laws, right?¡±

    ¡°Has big brother already decided to choose a sister-in-law from among them?¡± Yan Jing tentatively asked with skepticism.

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°There are too many people who want to be your sister-in-law. You vet some now, and we¡¯ll vet the others when they arrive.¡±

    Yan Jing left with a heavy heart.

    It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t want to vet potential sister-in-laws. After all, Yan Jing had been doted on since she was little, the apple of her parents¡¯ eyes. Even though her brother sometimes deliberately bullied her, he mostly looked after her.

    If any new sister-in-laws were to come over, they had to be easy to talk to and fond of her. Otherwise, why would we let them into our home? To ruin my enviable position as the center of attention?

    But isn¡¯t this too many prospective sister-in-laws! We already have Sister Zhao at home, and now Sister Lingyun, Sister Ningning, Sister Yun Jin, and some Sister Ruoxi I¡¯ve never met before¡­ Is our home hosting some kind of dating show?

    The only consolation was that they all came from the Zhenhai Team, so there must be some camaraderie. They probably wouldn¡¯t be competing against each other during the New Year¡­ right?

    Yan Jing couldn¡¯t fool herself. When she came into the living room, she saw Yan¡¯s mother having an enthusiastic conversation with Zhao Yuanzhen.

    This was the second thing that gave Yan Jing a headache: her mother had been too impressed with Sister Zhao recently, to the point of treating her like a future daughter-in-law.

    If mother had already set her mind on Sister Zhao, what would her reaction be when she met the other sisters?

    Definitely not a happy one.

    Yan Jing sighed for a while, her irritation growing the more she thought about it, and she even began to feel a bit angry.

    Why should I dredge the pond that big brother dug?

    She stomped back to her room in a huff, pushed the door open, and yelled at Yan Yu:

    ¡°I quit! All this talk about this sister and that sister, you go explain it to mom and dad!¡±

    ¡°Two million,¡± Yan Yu stated.

    ¡°Leave the hosting of the sisters-in-law to your little sister,¡± Yan Jing bowed respectfully and backed out of the door.

    Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, then he turned back to his computer and resumed his work.

    This bedroom was arranged just like the room in his old home, including the laptop he bought in junior high, which he had brought over as well.

    The specs of that old computer, by today¡¯s standards, couldn¡¯t run many computer games, but Yan Yu didn¡¯t plan to use it for entertainment anyway; it was still convenient for watching live streams.

    In the stream, was the ¡°Gate Rock Pine Forest¡± Mysterious Realm broadcast, where the Dragon Soar Team and the Flying Dragon Battle Team joined forces to combat the Superhero Alliance and the Pear Blossom Courtyard swordsmen. The number of online viewers had already broken eighty million, and that was just from the internet channel ¨C it didn¡¯t include TV viewers, which were probably the majority.

    Netizens had dubbed this battle in the Mysterious Realm as ¡°Mini Spring Gala,¡± but judging from the current figures, the viewership overtaking the actual Spring Gala wasn¡¯t impossible.

    Entertainment-ifying super battles had become an almost global consensus. No existing nation wanted to admit they were at war with their neighbors nearly every month, for fear of affecting domestic investment confidence and public order and safety.

    Turning super battles into competitive sports¡ªfighting to the death during the match, but once it¡¯s over, nothing happened¡ªcontinued as normal, be it diplomacy or trade. It had become what experts called an ¡°international consensus.¡± To put it in simpler terms, everyone should not worry about a world war breaking out. It absolutely won¡¯t happen. Peace and development remain the dominant theme and strongest message.

    As for whether the public believes it or not¡­ well, Yan Yu certainly didn¡¯t, so he continued to study his opponents through live broadcasts.

    The screen was split in half, with the live stream window on the left and the chat column with Li Minghu on the right¡ªthis girl hadn¡¯t been discharged from the hospital yet and was bored, so she gladly agreed to help Yan Yu analyze the live combat, exchanging opinions, finding and fixing flaws together.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Park Changmin¡¯s strength has improved rapidly, much stronger than during the last battle at the Departure Palace.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Yes, but his swordsmanship level hasn¡¯t improved much.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: After switching to Flying Sword, his True Yuan is also much more powerful. He must have stacked it up with a large number of cultivation resources.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Park Changmin actually has the talent, but he just refuses to practice properly.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Is it because his sword techniques are awkwardly connected, indicating he has been slacking off in his practice recently?

    [Win Over with Virtitude]: No, it¡¯s because the Goryeo media recently caught him dating a girl group member. Engrossed in romance, how could he possibly train well?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Romance and serious training aren¡¯t necessarily at odds, are they?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: You¡¯ve never been in love, how would you know they aren¡¯t at odds?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Has Captain Yan ever been in love?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: No, why? Want to give it a try with me?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Now? Sure, but I¡¯m not comfortable with long-distance relationships. Why doesn¡¯t Captain Yan transfer to our Qing An Battle Team?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Hahaha, let¡¯s focus on the match, the Phoenix¡¯s Self-Combustion technique is really troublesome, Lord Master doesn¡¯t dare to confront it head-on, a single burn would cost him too much True Yuan.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: The Phoenix¡¯s head-to-head combat ability isn¡¯t that great either. Actually, what suits him best isn¡¯t frontal assaults but rather lateral restraints. If he suddenly dives in at a critical moment, if you dodge, he¡¯ll cut through and disrupt your formation; if you choose to block, you¡¯ll get scorched by the divine fire and lose True Yuan. It¡¯s a losing situation either way.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Right, but the Superheroes won¡¯t let him do restraints. He¡¯s a veteran in the league now, with a frighteningly high contracted salary. It is said that the Superhero Alliance is planning to cut his salary, but the Phoenix strongly opposes it, so he¡¯s definitely going to perform fiercely next, to boost fan loyalty and enthusiasm, perfect for tough salary negotiations with the league. If you assign him to do restraining tasks, he¡¯ll be the first to oppose.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: So, soldiers really shouldn¡¯t mix business with duty. Should business interests come first or military objectives? When public justice and personal interest get entangled, corruption easily arises.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: You¡¯re right about that, but Miti has its own unique national circumstances.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Speaking of which, Ye Jun¡¯s swordsmanship level seems to have noticeably advanced.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Indeed, she must have been refining her skills recently.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Why do I see someone¡¯s shadow in her progress?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: That¡¯s your illusion.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: I haven¡¯t even said who it is yet /smile.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Her swordplay style still focuses on restraints. Although it¡¯s about striking at the enemy¡¯s rescue points, she always stops short, not expanding on victory but focusing on harassment¡ªI can say that this tactic is very suitable for her.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Did you really not help her with that? S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: No. Are you jealous?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Not jealous, just a little envious.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: When will Captain Yan critique my swordsmanship and help me plan and design?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Sure, come to Lin¡¯an, and I¡¯ll take a look for you.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: How about the second day of the New Year?

    Yan Yu almost flipped the computer in shock, but Li Minghu¡¯s new message quickly followed.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Haha, just kidding, I haven¡¯t been discharged yet.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Why choose the second day?

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Because logically, it wouldn¡¯t be proper to visit on New Year¡¯s Day, in case there are any local customs, right? But the second day might be free.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Well, let¡¯s wait for your discharge, and then I¡¯ll come to find you.

 Chapter 458: 54: Absolutely Impossible

    Chapter 458: Chapter 54: Absolutely Impossible

    The Yan Family¡¯s Lunar New Year¡¯s Eve dinner was quite simple.

    There were only five people, too few to finish a lavish meal, so they opted for simplicity.

    Recently, Zhao Yuanzhen had been keeping a low profile, as if addicted to it. She even personally served duck soup to Yan¡¯s father and mother and reserved duck legs for Yan Jing and Yan Yu, only then starting on the duck wings herself.

    Yan Yu was indifferent and calmly enjoyed his duck leg; however, Yan Jing was startled and felt a sense of foreboding.

    These tactics were actually not very clever. She could have managed them more subtly, but to Yan¡¯s father and mother, it felt entirely different.

    A daughter¡¯s filial piety towards her parents is natural, but a daughter-in-law showing respect¡­ that was exceedingly rare. It was known that in this widely awakened era, most people did not even show filial piety towards their own parents, let alone their in-laws.

    ...

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s clumsy maneuvering, though overly deliberate, appeared to Yan¡¯s father and mother as a sincere childlike heart, comparable to an ideal daughter-in-law and a virtuous wife in this lifetime. If not for the civil affairs office being closed on New Year¡¯s Eve, they would have been eager to send their son to register the marriage immediately.

    With that, by the time sister Lingyun and the others arrived, the house might just turn into a scene of chaos¡­

    Thinking of this, she couldn¡¯t help but glare at her elder brother again.

    It was obvious that by the second day of the New Year, the fish pond rebellion wasn¡¯t mentioned by her brother to their parents. They were still in the dark and more convinced that sister Zhao was their daughter-in-law.

    By keeping it a secret, wouldn¡¯t it be a harsh blow for their parents when the sisters came knocking?

    After much thought, she felt it necessary to drop a hint.

    After the New Year¡¯s Eve dinner, Yan Yu and Yan¡¯s father returned to the living room and sat down on the couch.

    ¡°Watch the Spring Festival Gala or the match?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    The broadcasting rights, claimed by Ten-Speed, were announced as ¡°Mysterious Realm Confrontation Simulation.¡± Due to the lengthy and cumbersome name, people often simply called it ¡°the match.¡± The current battle of Gate Rock Piney Mountain was actually not an internal team simulation, but rather a real fight with other Transcendents, yet people still adopted the traditional name. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Let¡¯s watch the match,¡± Yan¡¯s father said, ¡°You can explain things I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    The live broadcast was delayed, shot from multiple angles, and what the viewers saw depended on the director¡¯s cuts. If a scene showed a Cultivator from Lu Country injured or even killed, those images would not be broadcasted, strictly adhering to the principle of ¡°broadcasting joy, not sorrow¡±¡ª otherwise, people would not dare to entertain themselves with it on New Year¡¯s Eve.

    As Yan Yu turned on the TV, the battle seemed to be nearing its end.

    Splitting their forces, the Flying Dragon Battle Team, led by Cai Qianlong, had just toppled a Gatekeeper and was clearing the surrounding Mysterious Realm monsters.

    The Dragon Cavalry Team blocking the enemy behind them used the valley¡¯s terrain to occupy the entrance. While delaying the enemy¡¯s advance, they bought time for Cai Qianlong to refine the Nerve Center of the Mysterious Realm.

    Although outnumbered, the situation was not too deadlocked but was rather clear-cut:

    Yang Linhui summoned snowstorms to block the valley, hindering the enemy¡¯s pace; Ai Lu and Guo Feiyun paired up with their swords to repel any strong foes who could withstand the blizzard; and Ye Jun deployed the Xuan Guang Ruler to protect everyone, so they were not worried about remote firepower damage.

    Liu Longtao was displaying his awe-inspiring might, alternatively using swordsmanship to kill enemies and releasing Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens to brutally smash down on the opponents.

    His Taoism Method was way more lethal than Yang Linhui¡¯s. Transcendents with some defensive mechanisms dared to brave the storm, but upon seeing the Fire Dragon descend, they would immediately flee in panic and desperation.

    The only one who could stand a few rounds against Liu Longtao was the Goryeo Sword God, Park Changmin. He stood alone where Liu Longtao¡¯s Taoism Method couldn¡¯t reach, pressuring the flank with his superb swordsmanship, crossing the blizzard, and even threatening Yang Linhui¡¯s spells, forcing Liu Longtao to turn back in defense, which left him barely any time to deploy his Red Dragon Patrols the Heavens.

    ¡°Can this guy break through?¡± Yan¡¯s father asked worriedly.

    The very question he asked was also a concern for many viewers.

    Although the situation seemed stable, it was fraught with great hidden dangers, among them was Yang Linhui, who needed to sustain the sweeping blizzard.

    If they carelessly let a few through who could entangle him and prevent his spells, with others charging into the valley, the favorable situation could quickly deteriorate.

    It was precisely because of this that both Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler and Liu Longtao¡¯s swordplay were primarily focused on shielding Yang Linhui, but who could be certain on a battlefield? A slight misstep, allowing Park Changmin¡¯s Flying Sword to break through, could lead to disaster.

    ¡°Mmm,¡± Yan Yu replied after watching closely for a moment, smiling, ¡°No worries, he can¡¯t break through. Lu Country has this in the bag.¡±

    Yan¡¯s father, impressed, nodded and then asked:

    ¡°This Liu Longtao compared to you, who is more powerful?¡±

    ¡°He can¡¯t compare to me,¡± Yan Yu modestly said, ¡°But he is quite strong domestically.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Yan¡¯s father had also heard some comments from around that in Lu Country, no Cultivator was stronger than Yan Yu, but he had spent his life working cautiously in a state-owned enterprise. He did not completely believe it, nor did he spread the word elsewhere.

    Now, hearing his son boast, he instinctively cautioned him,

    ¡°Don¡¯t say things like that outside, even if you really are stronger than him.¡±

    ¡°Mm-hm,¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    ¡°Big brother is bragging again,¡± Yan Jing chuckled from the side.

    ¡°Hehe,¡± Yan Yu called out, ¡°Zhao Yuanzhen, come here!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen was in the kitchen helping Yan¡¯s mother wash fruits when she heard him and immediately turned around,

    ¡°Coming!¡±

    She brought the fruits to the living room, popping a piece into her mouth, and then heard Yan Yu ask,

    ¡°Between Liu Longtao and me, who is more powerful?¡±

    ¡°He can¡¯t even beat me, and you¡¯re comparing yourself to him?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked in disbelief.

    ¡°Did you hear that?¡± Yan Yu looked around at his sister and father, sneering as he spoke.

    Yan¡¯s father neither agreed nor disagreed, and he then asked,

    ¡°How about Liu Longtao compared to that Goryeo guy, who is more powerful?¡±

    This question stumped Yan Yu.

    If one were to tell the truth, Park Changmin couldn¡¯t even compare to Liu Longtao, the difference in their True Yuan quality was significant. Lord Master could beat him black and blue just with straightforward swordsmanship combat without any use of Taoism Method.

    But explaining this was something Yan¡¯s father would not understand. Because all spectators saw Liu Longtao and Park Changmin clashing in a snowstorm, their swords matching each other blow for blow, each showing strengths and weaknesses.

    Of course, Lord Master was also distracted looking after other matters, so strictly speaking, Park Changmin had the upper hand, but quantifying how much this distraction affected Lord Master¡¯s strength wasn¡¯t easy to measure, and everyone still saw the two as nearly equals in ability.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just call it 50-50,¡± Yan Yu eventually answered, ¡°Not much difference.¡±

    Yan¡¯s father was disappointed with this answer but not surprised; he just continued to watch TV with a visibly tense expression.

    Alas, on New Year¡¯s Eve, we shouldn¡¯t be watching this. It¡¯s supposed to be a match with a clear advantage, and yet they¡¯ve styled it as evenly matched, unnecessarily creating suspense for everyone.

    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Yan Jing asked, ¡°if you are stronger than Liu Longtao, why not send the Zhenghai Team to fight?¡±

    ¡°To kill a chicken, there¡¯s no need to use an ox-cleaver,¡± Yan Yu casually responded.

    Yan¡¯s father was pleased with this answer, as he, too, disliked it when his son was frequently called to battle; it always worried the family.

    Yan¡¯s mother had cleared up the dishes when Yan Jing saw her chance as she was free and sneakily spoke up,

    ¡°Mom, there¡¯s something I need to tell you.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Yan¡¯s mother asked.

    ¡°Brother¡¯s battle team members are planning to visit on the second day of the New Year,¡± Yan Jing cautiously said.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Yan¡¯s mother replied without a second thought, ¡°Just have them stay for a meal; we¡¯re free that day.¡±

    ¡°They¡­,¡± Yan Jing hesitated for a moment, ¡°might all like big brother, and they will compete with Zhao sis.¡±

    ¡°What do little kids know about liking?¡± Yan¡¯s mother burst into laughter and said.

    Previously, during the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm, Yan¡¯s parents saw Yan Yu holding a soaked Li Minghu, brazenly appearing on live TV, and initially thought their son had a girlfriend on the sly¡­ But then TV experts explained that ¡°Li Minghu was unwell¡± and ¡°afraid she might catch cold,¡± and after Yan Yu also denied it on the phone, they realized it was a big misunderstanding.

    Having been mistaken once, they were not easily fooled again. Now, hearing their daughter say her son was digging ponds to raise fish, Yan¡¯s mother¡¯s first reaction was disbelief.

    Impossible!

 Chapter 459: 55: I Have Many Friends

    Chapter 459: Chapter 55: I Have Many Friends

    Seeing her mother¡¯s disbelief, Yan Jing was somewhat at a loss for words.

    Isn¡¯t it understandable? My elder brother is now, after all, the number one cultivator in Lu Country, and many beautiful sisters like him, right?

    Alas, in Mom¡¯s eyes, no matter how accomplished her children are, they are always children who have never grown up.

    Anyway, I¡¯ve done my duty to inform. When the sisters start arriving one by one, don¡¯t blame me for not telling you!

    The group continued to watch the competition in the living room, and as Yan Yu had predicted, it was indeed thrilling yet safe. Several times, Yang Linhui¡¯s casting was nearly interrupted, but Lord Master quickly turned the tide and narrowly saved the situation.

    Only when Cai Qianlong completely refined the nerve center of the Mysterious Realm did the situation completely turn around.

    ...

    With control over the prohibitions of the Mysterious Realm, cultivators from Lu Country soon launched a counterattack, beating the opposition into a complete rout. If it hadn¡¯t been for Park Changmin displaying his formidable power and desperately covering for them, they might have all fallen there.

    ¡°This match was played quite beautifully,¡± Yan Yu finally concluded.

    After the two teams of cultivators entered the Mysterious Realm, they didn¡¯t engage with the allied forces directly but quickly located the goalkeeper and used the terrain to their advantage, refining the nerve center first¡ªclassic special forces decapitation tactics that maximized the advantage of having fewer but stronger individuals.

    Looking at the time, it was already 11:40 PM.

    Yan Yu¡¯s parents and sister had gone to sleep, and Yan Yu himself had cleaned up and returned to his bedroom.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, although provided a guest room by the family, as usual preferred not to stay in it¡­ just like at the Jinling Villa, despite having her own bedroom, she always insisted on sleeping in my bed every night.

    Alas, the Enchantress, though her fierce nature is unchanged, has at least been trained by me to stick to one bed! That¡¯s considered a meritorious deed.

    ¡°Although it¡¯s New Year¡¯s Eve, we mustn¡¯t forget to do our Breathing and Energy Refining exercises,¡± the Demonic Sect Enchantress soon came through the wall and declared righteously, ¡°Cultivation is like rowing upstream, not advancing is retreating; let¡¯s start training at once!¡±

    ¡°No rush,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°I¡¯m waiting for the New Year.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s unnecessary,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, sitting on the bed, complained, ¡°Why do you people love celebrating festivals so much? We never celebrate them.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°You¡¯ll see soon enough.¡±

    As the time moved to 11:59 PM, the messages in his phone finally started increasing, many people sending ¡°Happy New Year,¡± occasionally mixed with a spontaneous red packet¡­ Zhao Yuanzhen, no longer asking questions, quickly positioned herself by the phone, intensively scouting all major chat groups, furiously tapping whenever a red packet appeared.

    ¡°Your family¡¯s internet is too bad¡­¡± Her complaint hadn¡¯t finished when suddenly the loud sounds of firecrackers erupted outside.

    The New Year had arrived.

    Yan Yu picked up his phone again, seeing many friends sending him New Year¡¯s wishes.

    Some were obviously sent in bulk, like ¡°Wishing you everything goes well¡± or ¡°May all your wishes come true¡±; Yan Yu used The Great Technique of Moving Flowers and Connecting Trees, forwarding A¡¯s wishes to B and B¡¯s to A, and that was that.

    But some were clearly ¡°written for Yan Yu,¡± and he seriously replied to them, such as Yun Jin, Ningning, Ruoxi, Ling Yun¡­ Chen Lingyun, that woman, can be ignored; that¡¯s another story.

    ¡°How¡¯s it going, Old Yan?¡± Liu Longtao also sent a message, ¡°Am I awesome or what?¡±

    ¡°Awesome,¡± Yan Yu responded tersely, and then he blocked him¡ªbecause Lord Master was definitely going to start bragging.

    ¡°Happy New Year,¡± Ye Jun also messaged, ¡°Are you asleep?¡±

    ¡°Not yet, waiting for you,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°Haha, I don¡¯t believe you,¡± Ye Jun typed, ¡°I¡¯m at the airport, just dismounted my Flying Sword; fighting on New Year¡¯s Eve, shedding tears.¡±

    ¡°Tough,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°consider it attending the Spring Festival Gala. Oh, by the way, the viewer ratings for this match, they say, are even higher than the Spring Festival Gala.¡±

    ¡°So I¡¯m famous now?¡± Ye Jun joked.

    ¡°Your fame is known by everyone from Northeast to Nanjiang,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    After chatting for a few sentences, Li Minghu also sent a message:

    ¡°Happy New Year. My parents and Ah Jiang just came to see me, they¡¯ve gone back now.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still in the hospital?¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Though there were no voices in online chatting, Li Minghu¡¯s ¡°yeah¡± seemed to contain endless sadness, ¡°They said they¡¯re afraid I¡¯ll have a sudden attack, only making the doctors and nurses accompany me here for New Year¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°And me,¡± Yan Yu typed, ¡°I¡¯m also accompanying you.¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Li Minghu replied, ¡°You should sleep early.¡±

    Ye Jun sent another message, and Yan Yu hurried to reply. Typing halfway, Li Minghu¡¯s message also came; he quickly switched to check it, hurriedly replied to Ye Jun, then switched back to type to Li Minghu¡­ Juggling both, he was incredibly busy.

    After grabbing all the red packets, Zhao Yuanzhen calculated her earnings at 59.62 yuan and couldn¡¯t help but feel somewhat angry.

    All this for such a small amount of money?

    She impatiently tapped her leg, then looked at Yan Yu, who was still focused on typing, and said:

    ¡°I¡¯m going to bed first, then; call me when you¡¯re ready to start your practice.¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t have time to pay her any attention because Tang Xiaolian had also sent a message:

    ¡°Happy New Year! Captain Yan, I have to tell you, Captain Zhou has started arguing with her family¡­¡±

    ¡°Captain Zhou has a family?¡± Yan Yu was surprised, ¡°Wasn¡¯t this girl abandoned by her parents and raised by her grandmother since she was a child?¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly.¡± Tang Xiaolian began to explain.

    It turned out that after Zhou Hongyu became the captain of the Huofeng Team and achieved fame and fortune, it also caught the attention of her biological parents.

    Her father, who hadn¡¯t cared for over a decade, including her grandparents, had now started to show warmth and tried to mend the relationship.

    Of course, with Zhou Hongyu¡¯s stubborn temperament, she simply blocked them all and ignored them.

    Her mother¡¯s side was a bit disgusting; apparently, she¡¯d call every so often to harass her, sometimes crying and claiming how she had no choice but to leave her with her grandmother, and at other times, insulting her for being disobedient, ungrateful, and lacking in filial piety, which infuriated Zhou Hongyu. After blocking her number, the mother would just switch to a new number a few days later and call again, proving to be incredibly persistent.

    Yan Yu slightly furrowed his brows, thinking that he hadn¡¯t known about this reason in his past life.

    Could it be that Zhou Hongyu¡¯s death in his past life wasn¡¯t entirely due to her self-destructive tendencies, but also related to her mother¡¯s constant harassment?

    ¡°Did you tell the leaders?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Not yet.¡± Tang Xiaolian replied, ¡°Captain Zhou doesn¡¯t want us to report this upwards.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Yan Yu initially typed, ¡°Why don¡¯t you secretly tell the military leaders about it,¡± thought for a moment, and quickly deleted the text.

    Since Zhou Hongyu didn¡¯t want to expose her family¡¯s disgrace, Tang Xiaolian secretly snitching and making the issue public would undoubtedly affect how Zhou Hongyu views her severely.

    Since this girl has secretly passed the information to me, I can¡¯t just use her like trash, wiped out and discarded¡ªthat doesn¡¯t fit the profile of someone with my noble character.

    I¡¯ll find an opportunity to help her out next time.

    Yan Yu looked back at his phone; he had only chatted with Tang Xiaolian for a short while, and Ye Jun and Li Minghu had already sent him seven or eight messages.

    There was no choice but to quickly reply to the two of them.

    ¡°Hey, hey, I¡¯m asking you!¡± Tang Xiaolian¡¯s message popped up again.

    Yan Yu quickly switched over to confirm; it turned out she was telling him ¡°not to reveal anything about Captain Zhou¡¯s situation to anyone else.¡±

    ¡°Of course, my mouth is zipped up tighter than anyone¡¯s,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°You took so long to reply.¡± Tang Xiaolian asked discontentedly, ¡°Are you chatting with someone else?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°I¡¯m actually chatting with Zhou Hongyu right now, mocking her about this situation.¡±

    ¡°Captain Zhou said at 10 PM in the group that she was going to sleep,¡± Tang Xiaolian clearly wasn¡¯t fooled, ¡°Who are you trying to fool here?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s fooling you,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°We¡¯re currently chatting heatedly.¡±

    Before Tang Xiaolian could respond, Ye Jun¡¯s message came through:

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you replying to my messages? You¡¯re chatting with someone else, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Yan Yu suddenly felt a tightness in his breath and hurriedly typed a response:

    ¡°No way, I had just gone to the restroom, what¡¯s up?¡±

    Ye Jun didn¡¯t respond, and Li Minghu also sent a message:

    ¡°Did you fall asleep?¡±

    Yan Yu slightly furrowed his brows, thinking that the messaging efficiency on one phone was indeed a bit low, easily causing him to neglect one side while managing the other. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    If he bought another phone, employing the method of Dual Sword Control to multitask, typing with each hand on a different phone, he could probably solve this issue¡­ Hm?

    Why was Yun Jin calling him now?

    Upon checking, it turned out she had sent him several messages, which he hadn¡¯t replied to for about ten minutes¡ªduring that time, he was caught up between Ye Jun, Li Minghu, and Tang Xiaolian, with incessant new messages, so he hadn¡¯t managed to see her messages.

    Alas, I have too many friends; interpersonal interactions are exhausting me!

    Yan Yu picked up the phone nonchalantly and smiled:

    ¡°Happy New Year, Yun Jin.¡±

    On the other end of the phone, Su Yunjin was about to ask what he had been doing (whether he was chatting with Ningning or Ling Yun), but hearing his greeting, she suddenly felt strangely reassured.

    ¡°Happy New Year, Captain,¡± she responded gently.

 Chapter 460: 56 Yun Jin Wins Over Future Mother-in-Law, Enchantress Only Knows to Sleep Soundly

    Chapter 460: Chapter 56 Yun Jin Wins Over Future Mother-in-Law, Enchantress Only Knows to Sleep Soundly

    On the first day of the Lunar New Year, nothing happened.

    Mother Yan took Zhao Yuanzhen and Yan Jing shopping, saying that she wanted to buy them new clothes and incidentally prepare the ingredients needed for the following day.

    Yan Yu and Father Yan stayed at home, whiling away their time watching television.

    Father Yan, like most fathers in Lu Country, on one hand, really wanted to communicate with his children; on the other hand, he cared a great deal about maintaining his dignity as a father. Therefore, most of the time he would make conversation out of nothing. Fortunately, having lived two lifetimes, Yan Yu would not let his father feel embarrassed. He picked some amusing stories about his teammates and shared them as jokes, providing fodder for their father-son chat.

    ¡°So this cultivation talent, it¡¯s fixed from the beginning, right?¡± Father Yan asked, ¡°That good-looking ¡®useless¡¯ person you mentioned¡­¡±

    ¡°Xie Ruoxi,¡± Yan Yu reminded him.

    ...

    ¡°Right, her cultivation talent is very good,¡± Father Yan asked uncertainly, ¡°But she¡¯s not smart¡­ Is it possible for such a situation to exist? I remember in martial arts novels, practicing martial arts ultimately depends on one¡¯s perception.¡±

    ¡°But cultivation isn¡¯t like that,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°A very smart person could have really poor cultivation talent.¡±

    ¡°Like that someone, the official¡¯s second generation¡­¡±

    ¡°Chen Lingyun,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Her mind is quite sharp, ten thousand Xie Ruoxis put together couldn¡¯t compare; but if we compare cultivation talent, it¡¯s the exact opposite.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Father Yan pondered for a while, ¡°Then how does your cultivation talent compare to theirs?¡±

    Uncharacteristically, Yan Yu hesitated for a moment before saying,

    ¡°It¡¯s all right, I guess. Cultivation talent is indeed important, but in the end, it still comes down to combat strength, and there are many more factors to consider there.¡±

    ¡°Is it like this?¡± Father Yan tried to understand the principle, ¡°Cultivation talent is like the family you¡¯re born into, something that¡¯s determined at the time of your reincarnation.¡±

    ¡°Poor talent is like being born into a poor family, making it much harder to strive for a career in the future compared to those born into better circumstances, but it¡¯s not entirely without chance.¡±

    ¡°Mhm mhm,¡± Yan Yu laughed guiltily, ¡°Like finding a wealthy person to go into partnership with¡­ there are many ways to play to one¡¯s strengths and avoid weaknesses.¡±

    ¡°So if you were to choose a partner, it would be best to find someone with a good cultivation talent, to avoid burdening your descendants in this respect,¡± Father Yan quickly concluded, ¡°How is Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s talent?¡±

    ¡°Pretty good,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Better than you?¡± Father Yan asked.

    ¡°Than me?¡± Yan Yu thought, can we not bring this up, please, ¡°About the same, I guess.¡±

    ¡°They all can¡¯t compare to that ¡®useless¡¯¡­ Xie Ruoxi, right?¡± Father Yan corrected himself promptly, ¡°Other than her talent being good, in what other aspects does she excel?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s beautiful,¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°Her personality is a lot like Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°What about the others?¡±

    ¡°Each has their own features, it¡¯s hard to say,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°You will see when they come over tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Father Yan seemed to remind casually, ¡°Your mother likes Zhao Yuanzhen a lot.¡±

    ¡°No worries,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°What she says doesn¡¯t count.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you have your own opinions,¡± Father Yan said seriously, ¡°But if you¡¯re going to date, then date; if not, don¡¯t lead people on. Don¡¯t cheat on someone¡¯s feelings or you might incur karma¡­ Now that Spiritual Energy has been revived, you must be careful with cause and effect.¡±

    ¡°Mhm mhm, don¡¯t worry, Dad,¡± Yan Yu said calmly, ¡°I have a clear understanding of it.¡±

    In this life, I seek not the lengthy bonds of kinship, but rather the lofty ideals of nation and people! Saving multitudes and bearing great merit, even karma can be a good thing. Who would dare harm me?

    Seeing his son¡¯s resolute expression, Father Yan knew his son had made up his mind and wouldn¡¯t change it, so he refrained from saying more. They would just wait until the next day to see who else from his son¡¯s team would come by, so he too would know what to expect.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Come the morning of the second day of the Lunar New Year, Mother Yan rose early to prepare for the family banquet.

    Yan Jing had told her that all the members of the Zhenhai Team would come, adding Zhao Yuanzhen, that would make a total of five guests.

    She was washing ingredients in the kitchen when suddenly the doorbell rang.

    ¡°I¡¯m coming!¡± Yan¡¯s mother hurried over to open the door, only to see Su Yunjin standing outside with a beaming smile, holding a gift box and softly saying,

    ¡°Hello, auntie, I¡¯m Yun Jin, here to pay a New Year¡¯s visit.¡±

    ¡°Please come in, please come in!¡± Yan¡¯s mother scrutinized her carefully while politely saying, ¡°Next time, you don¡¯t need to bring a gift; you¡¯re being too formal¡­¡±

    As she spoke, she suddenly felt something was off.

    This young lady was too pretty.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was also very good-looking, but completely different in style. Whether it was her facial features or her figure, there was a kind of raw, wild charm to her¡ªthrough the perspective of a country grandmother, ¡°she looked like someone who could bear children well.¡±

    If Zhao was likened to a blooming rose, then Su Yunjin resembled a fresh and elegant water lily. Her beauty was more reserved, understated, like the typical delicate beauty from a Jiangnan Water Town, even the subtle nuances of her speaking tone carried the gentle accent of the Wu region.

    Yan¡¯s mother brought slippers for Su Yunjin and took the gift bag from her¡ªunsure of its contents, but the packaging alone was a sign of a branded item.

    ¡°Please have a seat,¡± Yan¡¯s mother said with a smile, ¡°Yan Yu is still asleep, I¡¯ll go wake him up.¡±

    ¡°No need, let the captain sleep a bit longer,¡± Su Yunjin hurriedly stopped her, ¡°He works so hard usually, let him rest well during the New Year.¡±

    Such considerate words were something Zhao Yuanzhen couldn¡¯t express, for she was the type who would leave a duck leg for Yan Yu but couldn¡¯t resist eating the duck wing herself, so much so that Yan¡¯s mother¡¯s thoughts started to waver.

    The two sat on the couch chatting for a while, and Yan¡¯s mother learned that both of Su Yunjin¡¯s parents were university professors, immediately taking an extra liking to her. Since she was a high school teacher herself, she naturally had a special, beautifying filter for colleagues.

    Yuanzhen grew up without parents, which spared the friction that might occur with in-laws, but it didn¡¯t sound very nice when brought up; Yun Jin came from an intellectual family, seemingly a better match with my son¡­ Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    What am I thinking! Yan¡¯s mother suddenly startled herself.

    This girl has good conditions, but she may not fancy my son; how can I be so presumptuous?

    One must learn to be content! Yuanzhen is great already, there¡¯s no need to compare her with others as if shopping in a vegetable market!

    Thinking this, Yan¡¯s mother suppressed her undisclosed thoughts and continued to engage in warm conversation with Su Yunjin.

    The room door suddenly opened, it was Yan Jing rubbing her eyes as she came out. Upon seeing the guest clearly, she said with a smile:

    ¡°Sister Yun Jin is here!¡±

    ¡°Jingjing,¡± Su Yunjin, seemingly producing it from nowhere, handed over a red envelope, ¡°This is for you, Happy New Year!¡±

    ¡°Wow, thank you, Sister Yun Jin!¡± Yan Jing immediately cooed, ¡°I don¡¯t object to you and my brother getting together!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡± Yan¡¯s mother quickly scolded her daughter, but seeing that Su Yunjin did not argue, only that her smile seemed somewhat shy, her heart gave a sudden jolt.

    Ah¡­ Could it be?

    This girl likes my son too?

    Although Su Yunjin appeared focused on Yan Jing, she didn¡¯t miss any of the changes in Yan¡¯s mother¡¯s expression. With her astute mind, she immediately guessed that Yan¡¯s mother¡¯s altered expression was probably because she had already considered Zhao as her future daughter-in-law, but now, seeing herself, she began to waver.

    That was close! Thankfully, I came over on the second day of the New Year, otherwise if I had delayed until the sixth, mother-in-law might have even bought Zhao a gold bracelet!

    Turning her thoughts around then would have been extremely difficult!

    She had already done her homework, not only knowing that the team captain¡¯s mother was a high school Chinese teacher but also which school she taught at, which grade, and her personality¡­ She had gathered clear details from the school forums and came fully prepared, determined to win over her prospective mother-in-law completely.

    Seeing that Yan¡¯s mother looked a bit uneasy, Su Yunjin pretended not to notice and continued speaking softly with her, talking about funny stories of Yan Yu in the Zhenhai Team.

    Yuanzhen, however, had never mentioned these things to me¡­ Yan¡¯s mother instantly became more hesitant, thinking that Yun Jin seemed to have a very close relationship with my son, how else could she know these things?

    She had already made up her mind about Zhao Yuanzhen, but now she couldn¡¯t help doubting again.

 Chapter 461: 57: Yun Jin Hunting, Lin Ning Following Behind

    Chapter 461: Chapter 57: Yun Jin Hunting, Lin Ning Following Behind

    Su Yunjin was from a scholarly family and had read extensively, making her understanding of military strategies even deeper than Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s. She knew that the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law seemed to be about the two women, but at its core, it was actually about the husband.

    You could try to please your mother-in-law in every possible way, but it would be half the effort with half the result since the two of you ultimately did not share a blood relationship;

    However, if you were in harmony with your husband, even if you did not seek to please your mother-in-law, as long as she was willing to think of her son, she would take the initiative to maintain a good relationship with the daughter-in-law, to spare her son from being caught in the middle.

    This was the daughter-in-law¡¯s strategy!

    Su Yunjin saw this very clearly. Since Sister Zhao had taken the lead and established a good relationship with the mother-in-law, Su Yunjin focused on showing that she was ¡°a very good match for the team leader,¡± indirectly attacking Yan Yu¡¯s mother¡¯s defenses.

    ¡°Before the New Year, the team leader visited my home once,¡± Su Yunjin casually remarked to Yan Yu¡¯s mother, ¡°We went to Baoshan Zen Temple, and just the day before, a landslide caused by a heavy rain had occurred. The roads to the mountain weren¡¯t restored yet, so there were no visitors at all in the temple.¡±

    ...

    ¡°It¡¯s better with fewer visitors,¡± Yan Yu¡¯s mother remarked thoughtfully. ¡°Lingying Temple is crowded all year round, lacking any hint of the Buddhist sect¡¯s tranquility.¡±

    ¡°Exactly, it feels more atmospheric when it¡¯s not crowded,¡± Su Yunjin replied with a smile. ¡°We walked around the mountain temple, drew lots for marital harmony, then went around the small town below, took many photos on the bridge across the lake, and then returned home.¡±

    She took out her phone and showed Yan Yu¡¯s mother the pictures they had taken together.

    Yan Yu¡¯s mother looked at them without changing her expression, sorrowing inside:

    My boy! Since you¡¯re so close to Yun Jin, why did you bring Yuanzhen home for New Year as well? You better not be the kind of man who two-times!

    ¡°Yun Jin, how did my older brother behave when he met your parents?¡± Yan Jing piped up from the side.

    ¡°He was very calm,¡± Su Yunjin answered with a laugh. ¡°It was my parents who were more nervous than him.¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s mother didn¡¯t know what to say. Since her son had already met the girl¡¯s parents, it was only natural for Yun Jin to come to meet his parents today, but Yuanzhen¡­

    If you have no special relationship with Yuanzhen and only brought her home for New Year because she has no family, you should have made that clear to mom from the beginning!

    After silently sighing for a moment, Yan Yu¡¯s mother looked at Yun Jin again, this time with a different expression in her eyes.

    If it were up to her, she would still lean towards Zhao Yuanzhen, but since her son preferred Su Yunjin, there wasn¡¯t much she could do as a mother; they couldn¡¯t be the ones to break up two lovers, right?

    ¡°Have you had breakfast?¡± Yan Yu¡¯s mother asked with concern, ¡°We were just about to make breakfast, what would you like to eat?¡±

    ¡°I rushed over and haven¡¯t eaten yet,¡± Su Yunjin immediately said with a smile, ¡°Let me help out.¡±

    After an emergency training at home for a few days, although she hadn¡¯t reached the level of Lin Ning, who was adept in all cooking techniques, she could still manage to cook a simple meal, make some plain porridge, and chop some side dishes.

    Yan Yu¡¯s mother turned down her offer several times, but Su Yunjin insisted on helping out, so she had no choice but to let her into the kitchen.

    Seeing Su Yunjin put noodles in the pot, stirring with chopsticks to prevent sticking, and scooping them out when they were almost done¡­ Yan Yu¡¯s mother¡¯s heart unnoticeably tilted again because although Yuanzhen was beautiful, had a good figure, sweet mouth, and a simple mind, she probably didn¡¯t know the first thing about cooking and hadn¡¯t helped out in the kitchen these past few days.

    Although she knew it was an unrealistic expectation, Yan Yu¡¯s mother still held the traditional belief that ¡°a woman must learn to cook after marriage,¡± otherwise what would they do when they had children in the future? Eat takeout all the time? It¡¯s all unhealthy oil!

    Since Yun Jin was willing and could cook, that was a significant advantage, but Yuanzhen¡­ Oh!

    Why did you get involved with so many nice girls, son?!

    Yan Yu¡¯s mother was a mix of emotions, both proud of her son being so desirable and speechless about the current situation. Zhao Yuanzhen and Su Yunjin, each felt like a treasure in her hands, now having to choose one to stay and one to go, how could she choose?

    Maybe just get rid of Jingjing, the mischief maker!

    Yan Jing, unaware of her mother¡¯s thoughts, heard the doorbell ring and hurriedly went to open the door.

    ¡°Sorry to disturb!¡± Lin Ning¡¯s voice came from outside.

    Su Yunjin¡¯s expression changed; then she quickly masked her reaction in front of Yan Yu¡¯s mother, only turning her astonished look back to see Lin Ning at the door, swapping into slippers given by Yan Jing.

    The two women locked eyes, each feeling surprised, frustrated, and at a loss for words.

    What are you doing here?

    ¡°I¡¯ve come to pay a New Year¡¯s visit!¡±

    ¡°The captain didn¡¯t mention that you¡¯d be coming today too!¡±

    Upon hearing the voices, Yan¡¯s mother came out of the kitchen. Lin Ning hurriedly smiled and handed over the bag she was carrying, saying,

    ¡°Auntie, hello, I¡¯m Lin Ning, a member of Yan Yu¡¯s Team. I came to pay a New Year¡¯s visit and brought some seafood¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, how embarrassing,¡± Yan¡¯s mother wanted to be polite, but since she was still cooking in the kitchen, she could only gesture for Yan Jing to quickly take it and said, ¡°Lin Ning, you go sit over there first, auntie is cooking noodles here; it¡¯ll be ready soon. By the way, have you had breakfast?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re cooking?¡± Lin Ning instantly rolled up her sleeves, ¡°Let me help then.¡±

    ¡°But you are a guest, how can we have guests cook?¡± Yan¡¯s mother instinctively wanted to refuse, but Lin Ning saw Su Yunjin coming out of the kitchen earlier, just as Zhao Yuanzhen would have upon seeing someone eating¡ªshe couldn¡¯t hold herself back. She immediately entered the kitchen without further ado and started helping prepare the food.

    Yan¡¯s mother hurriedly followed into the kitchen, only to see that Lin Ning¡¯s knife skills were exceptionally fast. It was not just Yun Jin¡ªshe was even more skilled than Yan¡¯s mother herself, who felt suddenly too embarrassed to ask her to stop.

    Su Yunjin¡¯s face darkened alongside. She had only trained a few days in cooking; how could she compare to Lin Ning, who had refined her skills over many years? Knowing she was no match, she could only swallow her pride and busied herself watching the pots and lending a hand.

    The two girls were bustling in the kitchen¡ªone chopping and preparing vegetables, the other managing the pots and the fire¡ªleaving Yan¡¯s mother with nothing to do but to ask various questions:

    ¡°Do you also cook for yourselves over in Jinling?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Before Su Yunjin could speak, Lin Ning immediately responded, ¡°I¡¯m responsible for the team¡¯s meals.¡± sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Yan¡¯s mother expressed her relief, ¡°It¡¯s better to eat less takeout, it¡¯s unhealthy.¡±

    Su Yunjin opened her mouth at the side but had nothing to say, managing only to force a smile and persuading Yan¡¯s mother:

    ¡°Auntie, why don¡¯t you take a rest in the living room? We can take care of the kitchen.¡±

    First, get the mother-in-law out, so she wouldn¡¯t be dazzled by Ningning¡¯s cooking skills!

    ¡°Auntie, where is the oyster sauce?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    Yan¡¯s mother, initially planning to leave after hearing Yun Jin¡¯s words, went instead to open the refrigerator and passed ingredients to Lin Ning.

    ¡°Do you have beef rolls?¡± Lin Ning asked again.

    ¡°Yes, do you need beef rolls?¡± Yan¡¯s mother wondered.

    ¡°The captain likes to add beef rolls and various meatballs when cooking noodles,¡± Lin Ning efficiently tied her hair back, displaying the sharp efficiency of a housewife, and stated, ¡°I¡¯ll add some greens and drop a little sesame oil. A mix of meat and vegetables suits his taste perfectly¡­ Yun Jin, how long have the eggs been simmering? The captain loves them soft-boiled, just six or seven minutes should do.¡±

    ¡°Uh.¡± Although Su Yunjin knew how to boil eggs, she couldn¡¯t remember Yan Yu¡¯s preferences. Hearing this, she could only force a smile and said, ¡°I think they¡¯ve been there for about three or four minutes.¡±

    ¡°Let me check.¡± Lin Ning scooped up the eggs with a spatula, shook them slightly, and after probing with her Divine Sense, stated definitively, ¡°Another minute and a half.¡±

    Seeing Lin Ning¡¯s expression, Yan¡¯s mother sensed something was amiss. She thought, how does this girl remember my son¡¯s dietary preferences so clearly, including many details even I, as his mother, don¡¯t know! Could she be¡­ just like Yuanzhen and Yun Jin?

    Su Yunjin, barely holding herself together, transmitted to Lin Ning:

    ¡°Ningning, I entered the kitchen first.¡±

    ¡°The kitchen does not concern itself with order,¡± Lin Ning calmly replied, ¡°The capable one leads.¡±

    ¡°Why did you come to pay a New Year¡¯s visit today?¡± Su Yunjin asked.

    ¡°I came to deliver New Year¡¯s goods, having already arranged with the captain,¡± Lin Ning was also irritated, retorting, ¡°Why did you come today?¡±

    ¡°I had arranged with the captain to visit today!¡± Su Yunjin became anxious, ¡°Didn¡¯t the captain tell you?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lin Ning seemed to realize something and couldn¡¯t help becoming annoyed, ¡°That big jerk of a captain!¡±

 Chapter 462: 58: Everyone Assembles, Shocking Lady Yan

    Chapter 462: Chapter 58: Everyone Assembles, Shocking Lady Yan

    Mom Yan, weighed down by concerns, returned to the living room and instructed her daughter:

    ¡°Go and wake up your brother.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± Yan Jing, realizing that her mother was gearing up to interrogate, quickly defended her brother, ¡°Mom, I¡¯ve warned you before that they all have a thing for big bro, you just wouldn¡¯t believe it!¡±

    Mom Yan thought, even now that I¡¯ve seen it with my own eyes, I still find it somewhat unbelievable!

    These three girls, whether in looks or personality, are all exceptionally outstanding. Out there, wouldn¡¯t boys be lining up to pursue them, even going so far as to fight over them? How could it be that all of them are fond of my son!

    ¡°Tell me, how did you come to know about this?¡± She pulled her daughter over to the balcony and asked in a low voice.

    ...

    ¡°Mom, have you forgotten that I went to Jinling last year to visit big bro?¡± Yan Jing replied, ¡°Even then, I could tell that each of the sisters had added me as a friend and were secretly asking about big bro. If it wasn¡¯t because they had feelings for big bro, what else could it be, that they were after our family¡¯s wealth?¡±

    Mom Yan was momentarily at a loss for words. For cultivators, money was indeed just a number. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But still¡­ if it¡¯s not for money, what exactly do these girls like about my son?

    Like his straightforwardness, always speaking his mind? Like his nasty character, taking pleasure in bullying others? Although the TV news is always singing his praises, do I not know what kind of person my own son really is?

    While Mom Yan was filled with doubts, the quiet exchange in the kitchen continued.

    ¡°Ningning, you said you were just here to deliver some New Year¡¯s gifts, so why are you helping in the kitchen now?¡± Su Yunjin asked softly.

    ¡°Yunjin knows I just can¡¯t sit still.¡± Lin Ning naturally wouldn¡¯t admit her ulterior motives, ¡°Since I¡¯m here, and Team Captain¡¯s mom is cooking¡ªwith so many dishes to prepare, it¡¯s only normal for me to help out a bit, right?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not alone.¡± Su Yunjin stated coldly, ¡°I¡¯ve been helping.¡±

    ¡°You?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    ¡°Me.¡± Su Yunjin said.

    ¡°Yunjin, I don¡¯t mean to belittle you,¡± Lin Ning chuckled, ¡°but cooking isn¡¯t something that a few days of crash training can prepare you for. For instance, do you know the four different methods to cook eggplant?¡±

    ¡°Fry, deep-fry, steam, stir-fry,¡± Su Yunjin calmly replied.

    Lin Ning was momentarily stunned, then asked:

    ¡°What should the oil temperature be for deep-frying stuffed eggplant?¡±

    As expected, Su Yunjin couldn¡¯t answer. Lin Ning immediately cried out triumphantly:

    ¡°See! Yunjin, you still have a lot to learn. Let me take care of the kitchen for now.¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡± Su Yunjin smiled slightly, ¡°Then let Ningning handle the kitchen, I¡¯ll go chat with the team captain¡¯s mother.¡±

    Lin Ning: ?!

    Oh no, it seems I¡¯ve fallen into a trap!

    She suddenly realized, did she come to the team captain¡¯s house to help cook?

    Of course not!

    If Yunjin is going to ingratiate herself with the team captain¡¯s mother, what am I going to do?

    ¡°I want to go too!¡± she blurted out without thinking.

    ¡°That won¡¯t do,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile, ¡°If Ningning also leaves, what happens to the food preparation in the kitchen?¡±

    ¡°Yunjin, you could help me¡­¡± Lin Ning said anxiously.

    ¡°Can¡¯t do that. After all, cooking isn¡¯t something that a few days of crash training can get you into, right?¡± Su Yunjin was well prepared.

    Lin Ning was deflated on the spot, speechless, suddenly hating herself for only knowing how to cook.

    Su Yunjin left the kitchen, just in time to see Zhao Yuanzhen, rubbing her bleary eyes and yawning as she walked out of the guest room.

    The enchantress, upon seeing Yunjin, paused for a moment, then asked:

    ¡°Yunjin, how come you¡¯re here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve come to pay a New Year¡¯s visit,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile.

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, not thinking too much of it, took Su Yunjin to the living room and handed her a bag of snacks, beaming, ¡°Yunjin, let me tell you, this pork jerky is super delicious! The more you chew, the tastier it gets!¡±

    Seeing this, Mom Yan chuckled and stood up, saying:

    ¡°There¡¯s still a bit left in the cupboard, I¡¯ll get it out for you.¡±

    Su Yunjin and Zhao Yuanzhen sat on the sofa, chatting and laughing with Yan Jing, giving her a feeling of ¡°I¡¯m surrounded by beautiful sisters-in-law,¡± filled with delight.

    Heh heh, if they want to be with big bro, they¡¯ll have to win over this little sister first! If big bro has a harem, that¡¯s practically the same as me having one!

    As the three of them were chatting and laughing, suddenly the doorbell rang for the third time.

    Yan Jing hurried to open the door, only to see a beautiful girl she had never seen before standing outside.

    The girl wore low twin tails, had fair skin, light makeup, and was dressed in a simple pair of overalls. She also wore sunglasses that concealed her features and seemed slightly hunched over, as if nervous or afraid of something, and cautiously asked:

    ¡°Excuse me¡­ is this the team captain¡¯s house? Oh no, I meant to ask, is this Yan Yu¡¯s home?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Yan Jing was taken aback at first, but then quickly realized and said with a smile, ¡°You must be Xie Ruoxi that big bro mentioned, right? I¡¯m Yan Yu¡¯s sister, Yan Jing. Ruoxi, please come in.¡±

    ¡°Ah? Oh, okay.¡± Xie Ruoxi hurriedly came in, still explaining, ¡°It¡¯s not that I wanted to disturb you, it¡¯s that the team captain asked me to come over for New Year¡¯s!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no bother at all,¡± Yan Jing said understandingly, ¡°I¡¯m very happy that Ruoxi could come.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, hmm¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi fell silent for a moment before suddenly asking, ¡°That, can you call me that one more time?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Yan Jing laughed.

    ¡°Call me sister,¡± Xie Ruoxi said cautiously.

    ¡°Sister Ruoxi,¡± Yan Jing called out.

    ¡°Good, good, good.¡± Xie Ruoxi cried tears of joy, I can finally be a sister too, and she pulled a red envelope from her pocket, waving away her tears, ¡°Here you go, little sister, this is your New Year¡¯s money from big sister¡­¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Sister Ruoxi,¡± Yan Jing accepted the New Year¡¯s money but felt somewhat puzzled inside.

    What kind of nickname is ¡®little sister sauce¡¯? It¡¯s a bit gross¡­ Is this Xie Ruoxi from some anime?

    Xie Ruoxi entered the living room and greeted her two teammates.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was very happy: I woke up early to find Yun Jin chatting with me and Ningning cooking for me, and now my good sister Ruoxi has also come to join me for a meal! And without that bad woman Ling Yun, it¡¯s perfect!

    With such joy, I do not even think of Jinling!

    Su Yunjin¡¯s face held a smile, but her heart grew chilly.

    She chatted nonchalantly for a bit and, after figuring out that Yan Yu had called Xie Ruoxi over, felt even more annoyed.

    First Ningning, then Ruoxi, Captain, what are you trying to do? Do you really not want to spend the day alone with me that badly?

    Mother Yan brought out some dried pork from the bedroom and, upon seeing another pretty girl in the living room whom she had not met before, stood rooted to the spot in shock. Thankfully, Yan Jing quickly stepped in to smooth things over by introducing her mother and Xie Ruoxi to each other:

    ¡°Mom, this is Sister Ruoxi, a new member of big brother¡¯s team.¡±

    ¡°Well, not exactly new; I joined last year,¡± Xie Ruoxi, somewhat shy and reserved, said softly, ¡°Hello, Auntie.¡±

    ¡°Hello, hello, have a seat!¡± Mother Yan was getting a bit numb to the situation, ¡°Would you like some dried pork?¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Auntie,¡± Xie Ruoxi politely responded.

    The living room, abuzz with chitchat, made Mother Yan feel slightly out of her element. She turned and went into the kitchen only to find Lin Ning having swiftly finished preparing breakfast.

    ¡°Lin Ning, why don¡¯t you take a break,¡± Mother Yan said, feeling slightly embarrassed, ¡°this is enough food already¡­ Oh, Ruoxi just arrived, would you like to greet your teammate?¡±

    ¡°Ruoxi is here too?¡± Lin Ning exclaimed in surprise, yet she felt secretly annoyed inside.

    Everyone is thinking of hiding it from the rest, sneaking over to the captain¡¯s house for a private New Year¡¯s visit!

    If it weren¡¯t for my dad asking me to bring some seafood over, would you all gather here and leave me alone in Qingyuan Prefecture?

    Although she felt upset inside, Lin Ning had an excellent poker face. Together with Mother Yan, she carried the noodles, porridge, boiled eggs and other side dishes to the dining table, then called everyone over for breakfast.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go wake up big brother and dad,¡± Yan Jing offered as she stood up.

    Before she could head toward the bedroom, the sound of the doorbell rang out from behind her.

    Upon opening the door, sure enough, it was Chen Lingyun standing outside, smilingly greeting her.

    With this, the Zhenhai Team had all assembled, ready to face the captain¡¯s house!

    ¡°Wow, is everyone here?¡± Chen Lingyun arrived at the dining room, glanced around the room, her gaze finally settling on the stiff expression of Mother Yan as she smiled and said, ¡°Hello, Auntie, I¡¯m Chen Lingyun, the deputy captain of Yan Yu¡¯s Team.¡±

    Mother Yan was already overwhelmed; even if five or six more pretty girls were to arrive, she no longer had the energy to be surprised, merely squeezing out a smile to say:

    ¡°We¡¯re just about to have breakfast, please find a spot and sit down.¡±

    Chen Lingyun lifted her skirt and sat down between Su Yunjin and Lin Ning, then suddenly smiled and asked:

    ¡°Where¡¯s Yan Yu?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go call him,¡± Mother Yan turned and left.

    She arrived at her son¡¯s bedroom door, knocked first, but hearing no response inside, she pushed open the door and saw Yan Yu meditating on the bed. He opened his left eye to look at his mother and asked:

    ¡°Is it time for breakfast?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Mother Yan replied indifferently, ¡°All of your team members have arrived.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yan Yu then prepared to get out of bed, but saw his mother take two steps in three, quickly approaching the side of the bed, and in a lowered voice she asked:

    ¡°Why are all your team members girls?¡±

    ¡°Am I not a man?¡± Yan Yu responded immediately, ¡°The team has been established for almost a year now, and you only just found out about the situation in the team, Mom?¡±

    Mother Yan was momentarily at a loss for words, then quietly asked:

    ¡°Jingjing said they all have feelings for you, is that true?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that,¡± Yan Yu spoke at a leisurely pace, ¡°but if it¡¯s true, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Mother Yan inquired.

    ¡°Look at my face,¡± Yan Yu stated matter-of-factly, ¡°Girls these days like guys who are handsome.¡±

    ¡°So shameless!¡± Mother Yan scolded with a laugh.

    ¡°Rather than worrying about that, you should be concerned about other issues,¡± Yan Yu suggested.

    ¡°Like what?¡±

    ¡°Like how to deal with them all trying to outdo each other to win your favor later on.¡±

 Chapter 463: 59: The Battle at the Dinner Table

    Chapter 463: Chapter 59: The Battle at the Dinner Table

    Yan Yu arrived in the living room and saw the girls and Yan Jing gathered around the dining table, chatting and laughing with each other.

    ¡°Everyone¡¯s here?¡± Yan Yu casually remarked, sitting down next to his sister.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Lin Ning exclaimed, ¡°We came all this way to wish you a happy new year, and that¡¯s the first thing you say?¡±

    ¡°Haha, then I wish everyone a happy new year,¡± Yan Yu said with a laugh, pulling a bowl towards himself, ¡°There¡¯s meat, there¡¯s vegetables, there¡¯s that scent of oil¡ªit must¡¯ve been cooked by Ningning.¡±

    Lin Ning wanted to complain a bit more, but upon hearing Yan Yu¡¯s words, she immediately flashed a bright smile and said:

    ¡°You¡¯ve got sharp eyes.¡±

    ...

    Yan Jing internally sighed: Big brother really knows how to sweet talk. With just one sentence, he¡¯s thrown Sister Ningning off track.

    Then they heard Su Yunjin suddenly say:

    ¡°Ningning made the side dishes, but I cooked the noodles.¡±

    ¡°No wonder,¡± Yan Yu said, realization dawning on him, ¡°These noodles are so well-formed and resilient, just like the ones I had last time at Gusu Residence. It turns out to be Yun Jin¡¯s handiwork.¡±

    Su Yunjin smiled slightly, feeling satisfied inwardly, but Lin Ning couldn¡¯t hold back and retorted:

    ¡°Last time, you said you liked my noodles the most because they were soft and easy to digest.¡±

    ¡°Gusu noodles are fine, Qingyuan noodles are thick; their flavors are different and both are excellent,¡± Yan Yu said composedly, ¡°As long as it tastes good, that¡¯s what matters.¡±

    Lin Ning heaved a silent sigh, exchanged glances with Su Yunjin for a moment, and both helplessly looked away.

    Yan Jing was amazed, while Yan¡¯s mother was dumbfounded in the background:

    Son! Where did you learn these smooth talk skills! I don¡¯t remember teaching you to brush off girls when you were young!

    ¡°Well said,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen applauded, ¡°There¡¯s no need to rank them, as long as it tastes good, no matter who made it. Come on, let¡¯s eat!¡±

    The group had not been eating long when Yan¡¯s father finally woke up leisurely from his sleep and came out of his room.

    He then saw five beautiful girls surrounding his son and daughter, having breakfast and chatting, occasionally helping each other pass plates and hand over tissues.

    Yan¡¯s father remained silent for a moment, then quietly asked Yan¡¯s mother:

    ¡°Are they all members of his team?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yan¡¯s mother retorted, ¡°His team has been established for almost a year now, don¡¯t you know?¡±

    Yan¡¯s father was at a loss for words and finally managed to say: Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Knowing and seeing are completely different feelings.¡±

    Wasn¡¯t that obvious? Yan¡¯s mother couldn¡¯t help but purse her lips.

    Urged on by their daughter, the old couple took their seats at the head of the table, harboring some inner worries.

    Their concern was not trivial; it was whether having so many girls around their son would lead him astray, turning him into a player who toyed with other people¡¯s feelings.

    In today¡¯s internet-saturated world, where netizens love to hold moral tribunals, any leaks of such behavior would greatly damage their son¡¯s public image, and might even affect his career¡­ Ah!

    Yan¡¯s mother gave Yan¡¯s father a meaningful look, suggesting that he should go and have a word later.

    Yan¡¯s father kept his head down and ate his congee silently. I¡¯ve already advised him, he has his own views, what can I do?

    Yan¡¯s mother was quite angered internally, which is the difference between fathers and mothers in many households: fathers often choose not to act on things they know are impossible, while mothers expect their husbands to forcefully act in spite of knowing the odds¡­

    The girls appeared to be joking and chatting casually as they dined, but secretly, they were exchanging covert whispers, keeping others in the dark.

    Chen Lingyun: ¡°Ningning, how come you¡¯re here?¡±

    Lin Ning: ¡°If you all can come, why can¡¯t I?¡±

    Chen Lingyun: ¡°We all like the captain, you know, in that romantic kind of way. Are you saying you like the captain too?¡±

    Lin Ning: ¡°No, no, don¡¯t be ridiculous! I¡¯m just here for a normal New Year visit! Since everyone else was coming, it would be awkward if I didn¡¯t. Does visiting necessarily mean liking someone? It¡¯s laughable to even think that¡­ Ling Yun, don¡¯t joke about this with me!¡±

    Chen Lingyun: ¡°So you don¡¯t like the captain? Dare you swear that if you do like the captain but won¡¯t admit it, you¡¯ll have to watch him marry someone else and bear children, and you¡¯ll even be the bridesmaid and the children¡¯s godmother?¡±

    Lin Ning: ¡°I don¡¯t want to make such a vow! I don¡¯t like the captain now, and that doesn¡¯t mean I will in the future¡­ right? Who can say for sure about the future?¡±

    Chen Lingyun: ¡°I see, I see (snickers), so Ningning, you think it¡¯s possible you might like the captain in the future?¡±

    Lin Ning: ¡°Anything could happen in the future so there¡¯s no need to discuss it, the point is I don¡¯t like the captain now, and our relationship is still a clean and pure comradeship.¡±

    Chen Lingyun: ¡°I¡¯m going to confess my feelings to the captain today.¡±

    Lin Ning: ¡°Um¡­ Ling Yun, aren¡¯t you going to think it over? No matter what, confessing on the second day of the New Year is a bit odd, don¡¯t you think? Valentine¡¯s Day¡­ or 520, wait, Qixi Festival seems quite suitable for confessions, why not pick a more significant day?¡±

    Chen Lingyun: ¡°No, I need to get to it before Ningning becomes my rival in love. I feel the captain likes you more than he likes me now, thankfully you don¡¯t like him yet. I need to seize the opportunity, hehehe.¡±

    Lin Ning: ¡­¡­¡­

    Yun Jin: ¡°Ruoxi, why are you here?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi: ¡°The captain told me to come.¡±

    Yun Jin: ¡°I¡¯m curious, what did the captain say? Can you tell me exactly what he said?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi: ¡°He just¡­ just told me to come over today to pay a New Year visit. I forgot exactly what he said.¡±

    Yun Jin: ¡°Did you forget, or do you not want to say? Ruoxi, I actually know everything. You¡¯re here because you like the captain and you want to use the New Year visit as an excuse to get on good terms with the captain¡¯s parents and family, right?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi: ¡°Ah¡­?¡±

    Yun Jin: ¡°Not denying it means you¡¯re confirming it.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi: ¡°Yun Jin, don¡¯t be like this, I¡¯m a little scared.¡±

    Yun Jin: ¡°There¡¯s no need to be scared (tone softens). I think it¡¯s quite normal to like the captain. After all, he is both capable and dependable, and it feels very safe to be with him.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi: ¡°Indeed, haha, as long as the captain stands by our side, there¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡±

    Yun Jin: ¡°So Ruoxi does like the captain. That means we are romantic rivals now (laughs). I won¡¯t just hand the captain over to you, sorry, Ruoxi.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi: ¡­¡­¡­ (starts trembling)

    Zhao Yuanzhen had finished a bowl of noodles and suddenly asked in confusion:

    ¡°Why isn¡¯t anyone talking?¡±

    ¡°Eating without talking, sleeping without speaking, get it?¡± Yan Yu tapped her with his chopsticks, ¡°Do you think everyone lacks manners like you?¡±

    ¡°Our family doesn¡¯t have this rule.¡± Yan¡¯s mother immediately defended the Enchantress, ¡°Just eat your own food and stop worrying about others.¡±

    The young ladies all giggled secretly, yet they were inwardly cautious: Zhao had just earned such favor from Yan¡¯s mother! How terrifying!

    This is bad, I need to cozy up to Yan¡¯s mother fast!

    ¡°Auntie, try this poached egg and see how it is?¡± Lin Ning pushed the dish toward Yan¡¯s mother. ¡°When frying it, I added a bit of soy sauce and sugar, I wonder if it suits your taste.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good.¡± Yan¡¯s mother replied with a smile, only to hear Yun Jin also not wanting to be outdone, asking:

    ¡°Auntie, is it easy for you to reach the side dishes? Let me help you get them.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s alright, I can reach them.¡± Yan¡¯s mother hadn¡¯t finished speaking when Xie Ruoxi poured a cup of tea and placed it in front of her:

    ¡°Auntie, have some tea.¡±

    ¡°Eh! Thank you.¡±

    Yan¡¯s mother¡¯s smile was already hard to maintain. Chen Lingyun also smiled sweetly, taking out a set of skincare products from her handbag, and said:

    ¡°Auntie, I brought some skincare products for you since we are visiting during the New Year. I¡¯ll just leave them here on this side cabinet~¡±

    ¡°Oh my, I¡¯m really embarrassed¡­¡± Yan¡¯s mother, who had never seen such a formidable display, hurriedly made desperate eye signs to Yan¡¯s father:

    I can¡¯t take it anymore! You better help me out!

    ¡°Cough, cough.¡± Yan¡¯s father could only cough, saying, ¡°Everyone, there¡¯s no need to be so formal. Our family isn¡¯t big on ceremony, it¡¯s very casual here, just treat it like you¡¯re at your own home.¡±

    Yan¡¯s mother couldn¡¯t hold back anymore, she stomped on him under the table and shot him an irritated glare:

    What do you mean by ¡°just treat it like you¡¯re at your own home¡±? Do you really want our son to marry all of them?

    With Yan¡¯s father getting his foot stomped on for trying to help, feeling displeased, he could only signal to Yan Yu:

    Son, even I¡¯m having a hard time holding up here! Help me out!

    Yan Yu immediately scoffed, surveying everyone and said:

    ¡°Just eat your meal nicely. Why make such a fuss? Sit down, all of you!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t listen to you, I listen to your mom.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, thinking she had her mother-in-law¡¯s support, attempted a direct rebellion but ended up with a slap on the forehead from Yan Yu, and, feeling wronged, silently turned her bitterness into an appetite and continued eating fervently, secretly holding a grudge:

    Scoundrel, today you hit me in front of the whole family. I will remember this!

    One day, when I control the Yan Family, I will severely humiliate you in front of everyone to exact my revenge!

    Thinking this, her mind conjured up a scene:

    Everyone was chatting and laughing in the living room, and then suddenly, from the bedroom came a cry. A frail Yan Yu burst through the door trying to escape, only to be forcefully dragged back into that dark, sunless bedroom by herself, forcefully sat upon, completely subdued, unable to turn over.

    ¡°Got the energy to run? Seems I was too soft-hearted then, leaving you the energy to resist, right? Taste this move! And this one, and this one, and this one!¡±

    ¡°Wife, spare me!¡± Yan Yu¡¯s screams gradually weakened, becoming mere whimpers of breath, while the people in the living room could only exchange helpless, bitter smiles.

    It couldn¡¯t be helped, the house was now ruled by Zhao Yuanzhen¡ªwho dared to defy her?

    Hmm hmm hmm, hehehe hahaha hahahaha hahahaha hahahaha!

 Chapter 464: 60 Secret Communication with Ye Jun, Youre Exposed!

    Chapter 464: Chapter 60 Secret Communication with Ye Jun, You¡¯re Exposed! S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    After breakfast, everyone returned to the living room to watch TV.

    Today is the second day of the lunar new year, and the TV was broadcasting the award ceremony that Pingjing had prepared for the Dragon Soar Team and the Flying Dragon Battle Team after their victory in the Menyan Cangsong Secret Realm.

    As the saying goes, practice makes perfect, and now the award ceremony for cultivators after their achievements had become quite well-established.

    As long as there is a victory abroad, earning an honorary title is a certainty. All titles are uniquely designed and once issued, they become limited editions, never to be reused, implying to the cultivator, ¡°Your contribution is unique.¡±

    The members of the Dragon Soar Team and the Flying Dragon Battle Team received honorary titles called ¡°North Sea Dragon Guards.¡± Lord Master received an upgraded version called ¡°North Sea Dragon General,¡± which roughly equated to being the MVP of this campaign, the best of the best.

    ¡°Big bro, big bro!¡± Yan Jing called, ¡°Don¡¯t you have a title of Divine General Dinghai? How does that compare to the North Sea Dragon General that Liu Longtao got?¡±

    ...

    ¡°Nonsense, a Divine General is of course more formidable than a Dragon General,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Big bro is bragging again!¡± Yan Jing pretended not to believe.

    ¡°Your brother isn¡¯t lying,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Actually, you should look at the first two characters rather than the last two. Whether it¡¯s ¡®Divine General¡¯ or ¡®Dragon General,¡¯ it¡¯s almost the same, but there is a difference between ¡®Dinghai¡¯ and ¡®North Sea.''¡±

    ¡°If it had been just a victory in the Secret Realm of Li Palace, the title would have been ¡®East Sea Divine General,''¡± Su Yunjin also chimed in, ¡°In reality, not only did we win, but we also caused heavy casualties and disarray to the three-party alliance, and hence ¡®East Sea¡¯ was changed to ¡®Dinghai.''¡±

    ¡°Big brother is so awesome!¡± Yan Jing finally understood and said admiringly, ¡°Does that mean our big brother is even more formidable than this Liu Longtao?¡±

    ¡°Definitely,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said.

    ¡°Then big brother must be the best in the country,¡± Yan Jing asked curiously, ¡°But who is the second best?¡±

    Speaking of the national runner-up, Lin Ning remembered what Yan Yu had said on the swing before, ¡°My wife must be the second best in the country,¡± and her cheeks flushed with shyness and embarrassment as she glared at Yan Yu.

    ¡°The second-place spot is still undecided,¡± Yan Yu responded, ¡°Different cultivators in different professions have different training focuses. Some professions excel in solo combat with high success rates in duels, but if you put them in a group battle scenario, their tactical value might not match up to other support professions.¡±

    ¡°Why is your brother the best in the country? Because whether it is in solo combat or team fighting, whether it is combat strength or tactical value, I am ranked first. Apart from me, other cultivators often only excel in one of these areas, so it¡¯s difficult to definitively rank them.¡±

    The ladies also became reflective.

    For instance, in the Zhenghai Team, Lin Ning, Zhao Yuanzhen, and Xie Ruoxi are all standard combat roles, which Yan Yu described as ¡°excel in solo combat¡±; Chen Lingyun and Su Yunjin are more tactically oriented, fitting the ¡°more suited for team combat¡± scenario.

    As for Yan Yu, although he tended more toward solo combat, because of his overwhelming strength, he often single-handedly tackled the main forces of the opponents. For example, in the battle of the Secret Realm of Li Palace, he alone held off the superheroes at the main step, ¡°standing alone against thousands, unbreachable,¡± preventing them from rendezvousing with the Onmyoji, thus his tactical value was far more than what one or two support roles could achieve.

    In the Menyan Cangsong Secret Realm battle, the Flying Dragon Battle Team was responsible for attacking the Goalkeeper and refining the Nerve Center, while the Dragon Soar Team took on the task of blocking the pursuers. Liu Longtao used both swordsmanship and Taoism Method to kill enemies and cover his teammate Yang Linhui¡¯s casting, but if assessed purely on tactical value, Yang Linhui who disrupted the entire field and Ye Jun who protected the entire team, their roles might not be inferior to Lord Master.

    If Lord Master could manage without Ye Jun¡¯s protection, single-handedly stopping most pursuers and reducing pressure for his teammates, then his tactical value would not be less than Yan Yu¡¯s in the Secret Realm of Li Palace, and the honorary title he would receive would probably be ¡°Dinghai Dragon General¡± instead of ¡°North Sea Dragon General.¡±

    ¡°I feel that Liu Longtao falls short mainly because of Ye Jun,¡± Lin Ning suddenly pondered, ¡°Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler defense can block most attacks. Having such a player on the team allows the others to attack without restraint, but it also means that everyone¡¯s tactical value inevitably shares a large portion with Ye Jun, so Liu Longtao will never reach the heights of our captain because he too relies on Ye Jun¡¯s cover, but the captain does not.¡±

    The other ladies were somewhat embarrassed: Does your statement imply that because our strength doesn¡¯t match up to the captain¡¯s, we can¡¯t effectively collaborate with him, thereby highlighting even more the captain¡¯s brilliant invincibility and unparalleled prowess?

    Yan Yu was rendered speechless with a laugh, suddenly chilled:

    Wait, is it possible that in a previous life Ye Jun left the Dragon Soar Team without being retained by Lord Master because Lord Master wanted to get rid of her influence?

    As long as Ye Jun was in the team, the public would think ¡°Lord Master¡¯s success in combat is all because Ye Jun created a comfortable environment for him to deliver output¡±?

    Thinking this, Yan Yu immediately took out his cellphone and sent a message to Liu Longtao.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Congratulations, congratulations, North Sea Dragon General.

    [Young Master Liu]: But Divine General Dinghai, wouldn¡¯t saying that be too modest, considering you have that better title?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Where are you now? Why does your message seem so sour?

    [Liu Longtao]: I just finished being awarded a medal, now I¡¯m resting in the lounge, tired. Didn¡¯t you watch the TV?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: I did. You know, Liu, I recently heard a theory saying that without Ye Jun, you can¡¯t play anymore, is that true or false?

    [Liu Longtao]: What do you think?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: I was very skeptical at first, but seeing that you didn¡¯t dare to deny it directly, I started to believe it a bit.

    [Liu Longtao]: How could that be true? Just like if someone said that without Chen Lingyun your team¡¯s strategy would collapse, wouldn¡¯t that be nonsense?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Haha, indeed.

    [Liu Longtao]: But now that you mention it, I¡¯ve just realized something. Could it be because Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler was protecting me that they mistakenly thought you were better at handling things on your own than me?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Exactly, exactly, quickly transfer Ye Jun to me, don¡¯t let her influence the valuation of your worth, Mr. Liu Longtao.

    [Liu Longtao]: Dream on! The least I could do is let her focus on protecting others and not me anymore, to save her some True Yuan. Am I crazy to prove my abilities by firing a team member?

    [Liu Longtao]: Speaking of which, why has Ye Jun been practicing swordsmanship in her free time lately? Did you tell her something again?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: I told her, Lord Master is brave but reckless, fond of achievements but lacking in gratitude, hardly looks like a leader, and she should quickly leave you and come to my side.

    [Liu Longtao]: Tsk tsk tsk, that¡¯s a rather low move.

    [Liu Longtao]: Keep slandering me all you want; I¡¯ll see if Ye Jun falls for your cunning plan.

    Yan Yu closed the chat and sighed with relief.

    Indeed, Lord Master remained the proud figure from his past life, disdaining the use of ¡°firing the deputy captain¡± to make himself shine brighter. The larger likelihood was that the higher-ups, based on tactical planning, thought that Dragon Soar Team no longer needed a role specializing in defense.

    While Yan Yu was pondering this, suddenly he heard Su Yunjin ask seemingly nonchalantly:

    ¡°Captain, are you close with the deputy captain from Dragon Soar Team, Ye Jun? Do you want to bring her over to our team?¡±

    Yan Yu shivered all over, then realized that his typing and the private chat with Lord Master, while hidden from the eyes of others, couldn¡¯t be hidden from their Divine Sense!

    They were right there beside him, and even if they didn¡¯t lean over to peek, their Divine Sense could scan and see the messages on the screen!

    ¡°No¡­¡± Yan Yu barely managed two words before being interrupted by the others.

    ¡°Captain, do you think the team needs someone who specializes in defense?¡± Lin Ning asked anxiously, ¡°Couldn¡¯t we just get Zhao to procure a defensive magic treasure? There¡¯s no need to poach someone, right?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°It might not necessarily be because we need a defensive role.¡± Chen Lingyun added fuel to the fire with a smile, ¡°Perhaps he just wants Ye Jun on the team.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re talking nonsense¡­¡±

    ¡°Captain, do you like the type that the deputy captain, Ye Jun, represents?¡± Xie Ruoxi said with a dry laugh, ¡°Hahaha, turns out the captain has a thing for short hair.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s about enough¡­¡±

    ¡°No way!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said sternly, ¡°I forbid her from joining the team, don¡¯t delude yourself!¡±

    Listening to his son repeatedly try to explain himself only to be interrupted by the other girls, Yan¡¯s mother in the kitchen remained neither sad nor happy, silently washing the dishes.

    I don¡¯t care anymore, he can handle it himself.

 Chapter 465: 61 This is beautiful and that looks good

    Chapter 465: Chapter 61 This is beautiful and that looks good

    After lunch, there was a significant disagreement among everyone about how to spend the afternoon.

    ¡°I propose we have a book club,¡± Su Yunjin said, ¡°The team captain has an e-reader at home, does anyone want to join me in reading?¡±

    No one responded.

    ¡°Let me add,¡± Su Yunjin somewhat unwillingly continued, ¡°Today¡¯s reading selection is Agatha Christie¡¯s ¡®The Mystery of Xuyang Ridge¡¯, a classic suspense and mystery novel.¡±

    Still, no one agreed. Reading was considered too highbrow, and everyone generally preferred more lowbrow forms of entertainment.

    ¡°Let¡¯s watch a TV series,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen suggested, ¡°Jiangnan Satellite TV is airing ¡®Those Little Things of Firewood, Rice, Oil, and Salt¡¯, I watched the first episode, and it was quite interesting.¡±

    ...

    Yan¡¯s mother was noticeably intrigued. The series was about the various mundane aspects of a housewife¡¯s life, and her sisters had recently recommended it to her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait for the series to finish and binge-watch it,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Isn¡¯t it difficult to wait for each episode?¡±

    This was a lie; she just didn¡¯t want to watch the TV series.

    But Zhao Yuanzhen and Yan¡¯s mother took it seriously and gave up the idea.

    ¡°How about we go out and buy clothes?¡± Yan Jing suddenly suggested, ¡°Last time I went shopping with Sister Zhao, we tried so many stores and ended up buying nothing.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the second day of the New Year; aren¡¯t the stores closed?¡± Yan Yu questioned.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to Sijiqing,¡± Yan¡¯s father suddenly said, ¡°Your aunt owns a shop there, call her and have her open the warehouse for you girls to choose clothes, take what you want, and we will transfer the money to her later.¡±

    ¡°Which aunt?¡± Yan Yu was surprised.

    ¡°Your fourth uncle¡¯s wife,¡± Yan¡¯s father replied, ¡°She¡¯s in clothing wholesale, remember?¡±

    Yan Yu had indeed forgotten, but the girls were excited and said:

    ¡°That¡¯s great, that¡¯s great, going out shopping in public we might get recognized, so being able to try on clothes directly in the warehouse is awesome.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the New Year, wouldn¡¯t it disturb people?¡± Yan Yu still wanted to resist, but his father, who was always decisive, immediately made the call.

    ¡°¡­yes, yes, yes, right, right, just bring the keys and open the door, we will transfer the money¡­ no need to escort, no need, we will definitely pay, you also have your business to run¡­¡±

    After some polite exchange, the afternoon¡¯s plans were set:

    Trying on clothes.

    Everyone then excitedly prepared to leave, and just as Yan Jing was changing into her outdoor clothes, Yan¡¯s mother pulled her aside to speak privately:

    ¡°This time you go there, keep an eye on your brother, don¡¯t let him mess around.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by mess around?¡± Yan Jing pretended not to know, curiously asking.

    ¡°Just¡­¡± Yan¡¯s mother stumbled, ¡°just don¡¯t let him mess around, there¡¯s no one in the warehouse.¡±

    Yan Jing readily agreed, but she scoffed internally:

    ¡°Big brother gave me two million yuan, mom, you wouldn¡¯t spare a dime, why should I listen to you?¡±

    Half an hour later, Yan Yu led his sister and the team members to the clothing wholesale market.

    The aunt sent a female shop assistant, who appeared somewhat chilly, handed the keys to Yan Yu, and left ¡ª it was New Year¡¯s, after all, being called out of home to work was not inspiring.

    Yan Yu took the keys, opened the door, and welcomed the girls into the warehouse, while he himself sat down on a soft chair by the door, took out his phone, and prepared to endure the whole afternoon.

    The girls ignored him and quickly started browsing around the clothes racks, picking and choosing.

    ¡°This warehouse is huge,¡± Xie Ruoxi exclaimed, ¡°How many clothes must there be?¡±

    ¡°And there¡¯s even a fitting room over there!¡± Lin Ning was also surprised, ¡°Why would a warehouse have a fitting room?¡±

    ¡°Because they probably do live-streaming sales here,¡± Su Yunjin pointed out, noticing a simple live-stream setup in a corner of the warehouse, complete with a camera, lighting, and fitting mirrors.

    The girls chatted briefly then quickly dispersed each to find their desired outfits.

    Yan Yu sat in the soft chair by the door reading a novel. Not long after, he suddenly heard someone calling him. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Captain,¡± Su Yunjin came up to him, smiling, ¡°How do I look in this outfit?¡±

    Yan Yu looked up and saw Yun Jin dressed in a pleated skirt, a white blouse, her chest adorned with a large blue satin bow, her black hair tied in a ponytail at the back of her head. She looked like a fashionable high school girl, radiating a pure and somewhat immature charm.

    However, having seen Chen Lingyun dressed in a similar style too many times in his previous life, he just shook his head and said indifferently,

    ¡°Personal opinion, it doesn¡¯t suit you.¡±

    ¡°Do I not match the student look?¡± Su Yunjin blinked her eyes.

    ¡°Only old women like to dress up as JK. Which real high school girl wears that?¡± Yan Yu scoffed.

    ¡°The captain seems biased against this kind of clothing, I see,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile, ¡°then what would the captain recommend?¡±

    ¡°A dress,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Is it because you always see me in dresses, so you said this on purpose?¡±

    ¡°I just think that dresses really suit your temperament.¡±

    ¡°What kind of temperament?¡±

    ¡°Gentle, serene, elegant, and cultured,¡± he listed.

    Su Yunjin felt her cheeks warming up, but her heart was sweet as honey. She courageously asked,

    ¡°Then, could the captain help me pick one out?¡±

    Initially, Yan Yu wanted to refuse, but then he thought if he let her choose herself, she might keep trying on various dresses and asking if they looked good. This could become a never-ending bother.

    Better I narrow down the choices for her, limit her options so that she can pick her dress quickly and I can be spared the hassle.

    ¡°Come with me,¡± Yan Yu led her to the display racks of dresses and rapidly explained, ¡°As I mentioned earlier about Yun Jin¡¯s temperament, we should avoid too striking colors. Let¡¯s exclude bright red, deep purple, bright yellow, and orange, preferentially considering softer shades like teal, green, blue, and white.¡±

    ¡°Since you¡¯re slim and not overweight, there¡¯s no need for loose clothing to hide anything. Try those dresses that cinch at the waist and reveal the calf, showing off your graceful body curves.¡±

    ¡°Mmm,¡± Su Yunjin listened more joyfully, thinking to herself, how come you know me so well? Seems like you¡¯ve been very observant.

    Love you~

    Following the guidelines set by Yan Yu, she picked out a light blue dress and changed into it in the fitting room. She emerged and twirled in front of Yan Yu, eagerly asking,

    ¡°How about this?¡±

    ¡°Looks good,¡± Yan Yu commented.

    ¡°The back is too open, showing too much,¡± Su Yunjin touched the fair skin on her back and neck, feeling a bit shy, ¡°I should try another one.¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin¡¯s back is very attractive, fair like jade, flawless,¡± Yan Yu, not wanting the hassle of repeated changes, persuaded her, ¡°Only open to the shoulder blades, it won¡¯t look too revealing but will highlight the excellent quality of your skin.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep this one for now and try on another,¡± Su Yunjin said.

    She then tried on a slightly shorter teal green dress, revealing her smooth, rounded knees and legs. Her skin was as tender and smooth as lotus root, and her leg curves were exceptionally soft and beautiful, eliciting a strong impulse to touch and playfully caress them.

    ¡°Is it too short?¡± Su Yunjin asked shyly, holding down the hem.

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Yan Yu straightforwardly praised, ¡°Yun Jin¡¯s legs are also beautiful, long and straight like ivory, without a hint of gauntness. Such adorable legs shouldn¡¯t be concealed by a dress.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep this one, too, and look at others,¡± Su Yunjin¡¯s heart blossomed with joy as she picked out another white dress and headed to the fitting room.

    As Yan Yu waited outside, growing impatient, someone suddenly tapped his shoulder from behind.

    He turned around to see it was Lin.

    ¡°Are you helping Yun Jin pick out clothes?¡± Lin Ning asked with a smile.

    Her words sounded like a question, but her tone was suggestive, clearly having heard their conversation before.

    ¡°Yes, what¡¯s up?¡± Suddenly, Yan Yu had a bad feeling.

    ¡°Pick out a nice one for me too,¡± Lin Ning said with a bright smile, ¡°As a captain, you wouldn¡¯t be biased, only favoring Yun Jin, right?¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­

 Chapter 466: 62: Yan Yus Aesthetics of Dressing

    Chapter 466: Chapter 62: Yan Yu¡¯s Aesthetics of Dressing

    If Yun Jin was the epitome of gentle and intellectual grace, then Lin Ning represented the lively, spirited type¡ªexactly opposite to Yun Jin.

    Due to their different temperaments, the clothing that suited each of them naturally varied; what suited Yun Jin might not necessarily suit Ningning, a simple truth.

    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that I¡¯m not suited to wear dresses?¡± Lin Ning huffed.

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°Ningning, you¡¯re pretty and of course you look cute in a dress, but I think there are styles that suit you better.¡±

    Instantly, Lin Ning blushed and turned her head to say:

    ¡°Humph! Just buttering me up to deceive me. So, tell me, what should I wear that¡¯s better suited for me?¡±

    ...

    ¡°Come with me,¡± Yan Yu led her to another area, ¡°Sports tank tops, windbreakers, or hooded jackets, paired with jeans or capri pants, primarily in light blue, white, gray, or black¡ªtry these.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not trying to guess my clothing preferences, right?¡± Lin Ning suddenly became suspicious because Yan Yu had chosen all the styles she usually liked.

    ¡°Please trust my sense of style and judgment,¡± Yan Yu said with a smile.

    Lin Ning did not say much more, only muttering things like ¡°just brushing me off,¡± ¡°am I that easy to bully,¡± ¡°not picking seriously for me,¡± and so forth. She honestly picked up a sports tank top, a jacket and jeans, and headed to the fitting room next door.

    ¡°Captain!¡± Su Yunjin called out from across the way.

    Yan Yu strolled over leisurely, only to see Yun Jin changed into a sleeveless white long dress, revealing her smooth arms and charming ankles, like a graceful deer in the woods.

    ¡°Very innocent,¡± Yan Yu remarked, ¡°but this dress would look even better with canvas shoes or sandals.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll see if there are any shoes here,¡± Su Yunjin said hurriedly.

    She rushed off. After a while, Lin Ning also came out of the fitting room.

    ¡°How is it?¡± she asked indifferently, her face unchanging, but her fingers tightly gripping the hem of the clothes indicated some inner nervousness.

    Yan Yu looked closely, only to see Lin Ning wearing a white sports tank top inside, a black hooded jacket outside, and gray capri pants below, her pretty face complementing the outfit,

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this similar to your usual style?¡± Yan Yu observed.

    ¡°I told you before!¡± Lin Ning immediately burst out, ¡°I don¡¯t need help picking out something like this!¡±

    ¡°No problem, just try another set,¡± Yan Yu quickly shifted his approach.

    The sporty girl look wasn¡¯t right for Ningning, because Lin was the type who was tough on the outside but soft on the inside, and sportswear and long pants only masked the softer aspects of her temperament, making it less attractive.

    Luckily she also had a straight long black hair persona to try something else.

    Yan Yu pulled her to another area and quickly picked out clothes, saying:

    ¡°White shirt, navy blue tie, with a black jacket outside and try pairing it with a plaid skirt. Black stockings, and remember to let your hair down, it doesn¡¯t look good tied up.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have stockings,¡± Lin Ning said. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Then don¡¯t wear any, go change quickly!¡± Yan Yu gave her a gentle push into the fitting room.

    Turning around and just taking a breath, he saw Xie Ruoxi standing in front of him, looking hesitant.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to ask me to pick clothes for you as well, are you?¡± Yan Yu asked with a half-smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m a bit indecisive,¡± Xie Ruoxi admitted cautiously, ¡°Previously, my mom always picked out my clothes for me.¡±

    ¡°Since you like watching anime, why not pick your favorite female anime character and recreate her look?¡± Yan Yu suggested.

    ¡°Right,¡± Xie Ruoxi realized.

    No need to ponder the aesthetics, just trust the aesthetic sense of the animation team and try to replicate the character¡¯s style, and you could easily dress up beautifully!

    She suddenly realized and left. As Yan Yu turned around, he saw Su Yunjin leaning against the wall and said with a chuckle:

    ¡°Captain, you seem really busy.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t help it,¡± responded Yan Yu, ¡°Yun Jin sets the trend, and everyone eagerly follows, not wanting to lag behind.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s my fault then?¡± Su Yunjin was slightly upset but quickly masked her feelings, slightly bending to lift her skirt, revealing small leather sandals below and her rosy, tender toes, ¡°How about this?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely perfect,¡± appraised Yan Yu, ¡°I couldn¡¯t suggest a better match.¡±

    Su Yunjin¡¯s mood brightened rapidly, and she was about to smile and say something, when suddenly she saw Lin Ning come out from the changing room.

    With a white shirt and tie, an England-style black jacket, and a black-and-white checkered skirt¡ªa typical school princess look. Lin Ning trying to pull her skirt down to cover her fair thighs only intensified the impulse to tease.

    ¡°How, how does it look?¡± she asked nervously, ¡°Is the skirt too short?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Yan Yu¡¯s eyes brightened, ¡°It¡¯s pretty suitable for you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not suitable for me,¡± laughed Su Yunjin from the side, ¡°I would just look like an old woman trying to seem young.¡±

    ¡°Ahem!¡± Yan Yu found himself embarrassed, hastily explained, ¡°Ningning usually wears sporty clothes, so occasionally switching to this innocent look is quite refreshing. Yun Jin, you already look innocent, so you need to add some more mature elements.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Lin Ning also wore a mocking smile, hands on her hips, ¡°So you mean I¡¯m usually not innocent enough? That¡¯s why I shouldn¡¯t wear dresses?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡± Yan Yu quickly tried to remedy the situation, ¡°Ningning, you definitely suit dresses. I was just suggesting a look that might be slightly more flattering. But of course, what you wear is ultimately up to you.¡±

    ¡°Captain,¡± Su Yunjin asked with a full smile, ¡°then please rate this outfit from the perspective of looks.¡±

    ¡°Me too,¡± Lin Ning said defiantly, ¡°You chose these clothes, so what score would you give me?¡±

    ¡°I would also like to know what score you give Ningning,¡± Su Yunjin pressed on.

    ¡°Quick, tell us!¡± Lin Ning urged.

    Yan Yu knew he was in a dilemma, as rating one higher would definitely upset the other, but if he rated them the same, it would seem like he was just trying to keep the peace, as if he was scared of these girls.

    ¡°Wait, Ling Yun is calling me over!¡± he resorted to a sneaky diversion, pulling an escape card, effectively vanishing any difficulty posed by the two.

    Chen Lingyun was selecting a dress on the other side and suddenly said leisurely:

    ¡°I didn¡¯t call you.¡±

    ¡°You did, you¡¯re just too embarrassed to admit it,¡± Yan Yu countered, peering at her selection and teased, ¡°Like the tutu skirts, huh? Why don¡¯t you pick something from the children¡¯s section instead? You already look young, if you keep aiming for childish fashion, aren¡¯t you afraid people will start treating you like a grown-up elementary student?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just looking, and I didn¡¯t plan to buy,¡± retorted Chen Lingyun with a cold laugh, ¡°That brand is just for window shopping, not daring to be worn.¡±

    Yan Yu suddenly remembered, this woman never shopped for clothes, always wearing tailor-made outfits.

    He lost the interest to continue teasing her, and turning his head, saw Lin Ning and Su Yunjin standing facing each other, silent, obviously exchanging some telepathic communication.

    They couldn¡¯t possibly be getting jealous over me, could they? Haha.

    Returning to sit on the soft chair at the entrance of the warehouse, Yan Yu was about to keep playing with his phone when he suddenly saw Zhao Yuanzhen dressed in a Tang Dynasty style busty palace costume with a bright red pleated skirt, like a fairy from a Tang painting, smiling radiantly as she approached from afar.

    ¡°How is it?¡± she gently spun her graceful voluptuous body, making the skirt swirl and flutter, ¡°It looks like the clothes we have back home, this style¡­¡±

    Yan Yu secretly swallowed, silently giving a thumbs up.

    Forget about demure beauties, forget black long straight hair¡­ Such temperament is nonsense, only figure demonstrates real elegance!

    ¡°I¡¯m asking you a question!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said, noticing his silence and playfully demanded.

    ¡°You look good in anything,¡± Yan Yu sincerely replied.

 Chapter 467: 63 The New Years Holiday is Approaching, Huofeng Issues a Challenge

    Chapter 467: Chapter 63 The New Year¡¯s Holiday is Approaching, Huofeng Issues a Challenge

    By evening, the girls had finally made their decisions.

    Su Yunjin bought several dresses, Lin Ning bought some college-style shirts and pleated skirts, Xie Ruoxi bought lots of miscellaneous casual wear, and Zhao Yuanzhen bought many pieces of traditional Chinese Hanfu.

    Chen Lingyun didn¡¯t buy anything, not even trying on any clothes. In her words, why spend money on second-hand goods that have been shipped and returned so many times?

    Yan Jing, on the other hand, had several bags packed so full that Yan Yu almost suspected she was deliberately supporting her aunt¡¯s business.

    ¡°You sure there¡¯s enough room at home for all these clothes?¡± Yan Yu asked with a frown.

    ¡°That¡¯s not for you to worry about,¡± Yan Jing said with a shrug. ¡°Just pay for me, deduct it from that two million.¡±

    ...

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­

    When everyone returned to the Yan Family house, it was already 8 p.m. The parents were not home; they must have gone for a walk after dinner.

    Lin Ning went to the kitchen to prepare some late-night snacks while the others stayed in the living room, either watching TV or playing with their phones, giggling and laughing, which made Yan Yu unconsciously frown.

    Do they really think this is Jinling Villa? This is my house!

    You all should roll out!

    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s already 8 o¡¯clock!¡± He took out his phone, glanced at it, and said with feigned surprise.

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Xie Ruoxi said with a silly smile, staring at her phone. ¡°A new episode of my show just got updated.¡±

    ¡°Stop rushing me, stop rushing me!¡± Lin Ning called from the kitchen. ¡°It¡¯ll be ready soon!¡±

    ¡°Having dinner at eight does seem a bit late,¡± Su Yunjin said seriously.

    ¡°But it¡¯s perfectly okay if it¡¯s a late-night snack,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°One must have three meals a day, otherwise nutrition can¡¯t keep up,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen chimed in, saying something so absurd that nobody understood.

    Xie Ruoxi glanced at her chest and, as if possessed, nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Stop pretending!¡± Yan Yu burst out impatiently. ¡°After dinner, all of you go home! Regroup in Jinling after the seventh day of the new year!¡±

    ¡°What the heck!¡± The girls protested in unison. ¡°Who kicks out their guests like this?¡±

    ¡°Cut the crap! Do you really want to stay over or something?¡± Yan Yu sneered.

    That didn¡¯t sound entirely impossible¡­ Some of them suddenly entertained the idea.

    Of course, no matter who it was, at present they would only think about it, since the parents were expected to return, and their own parents would not agree.

    After the late-night meal, the four girls bid their farewells and left.

    Yan Jing saw off her sisters who left reluctantly, then turned to look at Zhao Yuanzhen, who was still sipping tea in the living room, and suddenly felt a pang of curiosity.

    All these sisters are interested in my older brother, doesn¡¯t Zhao Sister worry, fear, or get jealous?

    With a sudden surge of reckless courage while her brother went to the bathroom, Yan Jing approached Zhao Yuanzhen and asked cautiously:

    ¡°Zhao Sister, do you really like my older brother?¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen burst into laughter and said cheerfully:

    ¡°I like him? What a joke!¡±

    Then she quickly realized she was staying at his house and hastily corrected herself:

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not that I like him, but that he loves me too much. He begged me to come home with him for the New Year, and I only reluctantly agreed¡­ Don¡¯t tell him or your parents though, I worried he¡¯d lose face.¡±

    Yan Jing: ¡­¡­

    That¡¯s it.

    How could Sister Zhao say such a silly thing that nobody would believe with such a confident expression and tone?

    If you didn¡¯t like my big brother, why did you get so angry when you heard about that Deputy Captain Ye? What was that about?

    Yan Jing was an incredibly clever little girl and quickly realized that it wasn¡¯t her big brother who was really concerned about face, but Sister Zhao ¡ª not even daring to admit she liked big brother and insisting it was big brother who liked her, her self-brainwashing symptoms were very serious, she needed to be sent to Gudang Hospital for a brain check, pronto.

    However, this also explained why Sister Zhao didn¡¯t get jealous of the teammates¡­ because she had a problem in her head, still waiting for big brother to take the initiative to pursue her.

    After coming out of the bathroom, Yan Yu was pulled onto the balcony by his sister Yan Jing, who asked:

    ¡°Big brother, do you really plan on starting a harem?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Yan Yu showed an are-you-joking expression, ¡°A single guy like me, starting a harem?¡±

    Yan Jing¡¯s breath hitched instantly, thinking that big brother¡¯s skill at playing dumb was on a par with Sister Zhao¡¯s self-brainwashing.

    ¡°But it¡¯s a fact that they all like you,¡± she didn¡¯t play word games with Yan Yu, pressing on with her questions.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu nodded and sighed, ¡°This handsome face of mine really has brought me too much trouble.¡±

    ¡°Big brother is starting to be shameless again,¡± Yan Jing said with a giggling smile, ¡°I really want to record what you just said and send it to the sisters to see what their reaction would be.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t lied,¡± Yan Yu glanced at his sister, ¡°It¡¯s just how the old Yan family genes are, producing handsome men and beautiful women, beloved by everyone.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Jing immediately responded seriously, ¡°As much as it sounds arrogant, this fact is undeniable.¡±

    ¡°So you can understand why they would end up liking me,¡± seeing that his sister had finally accepted reality, Yan Yu asked leisurely.

    ¡°So how do you plan to deal with it, big brother?¡± Yan Jing, however, changed the subject, ¡°Choose one from among them? Or keep them all hanging until you get tired of playing and then choose one? Or simply ¡®I want them all¡¯?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about this issue yet,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°By the way, you¡¯re quite young, yet how can you say ¡®I want them all¡¯? Are your thoughts a bit dirty?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s dirty about that?¡± Yan Jing dismissed it casually, ¡°No matter who becomes my sister-in-law, they¡¯ll all have to please me. The more sisters-in-law, the better my life, the moral blame naturally falls on you, big brother, so of course I hope the more sisters-in-law, the better. Is there any problem with this logic?¡±

    After pondering for a moment, Yan Yu couldn¡¯t find any flaws and couldn¡¯t help but remark that the blue is made out of the indigo but is bluer than it. Thankfully, Jingjing was his sister, not a brother, otherwise, she would have been great material for starting a harem.

    And who knows who would be unlucky enough to end up dating her and being manipulated by her in the future.

    Of course, Yan Yu, as a big brother, didn¡¯t feel anything about his sister dating other men in the future, but Father Yan seemed very unwilling to face that reality. Mother Yan had once joked about it at the dinner table, which made Father Yan so upset that he couldn¡¯t eat and went to the balcony to smoke in silence.

    Mother Yan didn¡¯t harbor the same ¡°reluctance to let go¡± sentiment for her son, jokingly saying that if her son couldn¡¯t find a partner when he grew up, she would arrange for him to meet distant relatives back in their hometown for a blind date, gloriously called ¡°adding kinship to kinship.¡±

    Now, it seemed there was genuinely no need for that.

    After the girls left, the days kept passing one by one. Zhao Yuanzhen was still eating and drinking every day, watching TV, chatting with Father Yan, Mother Yan, and Jingjing, perfectly integrating into the Yan family.

    Yan Yu would occasionally watch some live streams, check out what powerful Transcendents the opposing camps had, and compare them with the memories from his past life, or chat with fellow Cultivators like Anna, Li Minghu, Ye Jun, Tang Xiaolian, and Zhou Hongyu ¡ª Zhou Hongyu being an exception, as their chats usually consisted of him unilaterally flirting with Little Zhou, who couldn¡¯t take it anymore and started cursing, thereby ending the casual conversation.

    On the sixth day of the new year, he suddenly received a call from Li Weiguo: Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Speaking of which, Yan Yu, it¡¯s been a long time since your team has participated in a simulation exercise, right?¡±

    ¡°True,¡± Yan Yu was washing dishes in the kitchen, wedging his phone between his ear and shoulder, ¡°We¡¯ve all been busy fighting real battles against foreign Transcendents. Who has the time for domestic competition?¡±

    ¡°Well, but the international situation has relaxed a lot recently, so you won¡¯t face situations that absolutely require you guys to fight,¡± Li Weiguo continued, ¡°There¡¯s a Mysterious Realm in Qingzang Province next week, and the organization plans to send Zhenhai Team over to develop it, giving an explanation to the Cultivator Athletic League. It¡¯s not great to be rated as a Grade A team but never join in the competitions.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Yan Yu thought that it was just a military exercise, considering Cultivators were a military profession, regular exercises and training during non-combat periods were inevitable, ¡°Who¡¯s the opponent?¡±

    ¡°The Huofeng Team,¡± Li Weiguo said, ¡°No need for other teams; they wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against you.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°Trying to save some face for the Pingxi Army?¡±

    ¡°You just make sure you secure the victory,¡± Li Weiguo said with exasperation, ¡°Since the last time you fought, the power of Huofeng Team has greatly improved. Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire, Tang Xiaolian¡¯s Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu¡­ both of these you managed to obtain, you should be aware of their strength.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m aware that I can say with confidence that we are sure to win,¡± Yan Yu replied with a smile.

    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Li Weiguo laughed, ¡°Then I¡¯ll be waiting for your good news.¡±

 Chapter 468: 64: I Hit Yan Yu?

    Chapter 468: Chapter 64: I Hit Yan Yu?

    On the seventh day of the New Year, Yan Yu bid farewell to his parents and sister and flew towards the Jinling Prefecture team¡¯s base on his Sword Control.

    Upon returning to the villa, he saw Su Yunjin holding a mop and cleaning all around the living room.

    ¡°Happy New Year, Yunjin,¡± Yan Yu asked in surprise, ¡°why don¡¯t you hire a cleaning service?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m training my mind,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s like the Shaolin monastery¡¯s sweeping monks in martial arts novels: they¡¯re not really just sweeping the floor, they¡¯re using it to understand the True Meaning of Buddhism.¡±

    ¡°So you want to be our team¡¯s sweeping monk too?¡± Yan Yu laughed.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see if I have a chance,¡± Su Yunjin pondered for a moment, then added, ¡°The snow water is almost collected, what should we do next?¡±

    ...

    ¡°Now we start collecting dew,¡± Yan Yu smiled. ¡°Rainwater is always available, dew needs a big temperature difference between day and night to collect easily, we can make a simple device in the yard with dust-free cloth¡­¡±

    When Lin Ning arrived at the villa on his Sword Control, he saw Yan Yu and Su Yunjin messing around in the yard.

    ¡°What are you guys playing at?¡± Lin Ning asked. ¡°We are facing the Huofeng Team next week, and you still have the mood to play games?!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re actually doing something important,¡± Yan Yu turned to Su Yunjin and said, ¡°Come and collect water before and after sunrise every day, check the clarity with Divine Sense before absorbing it; reject it if it¡¯s even slightly murky, better none than impure.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Su Yunjin said.

    ¡°What are you scared of?¡± Yan Yu grabbed a towel nearby to wipe his hands and asked Lin Ning, ¡°The Huofeng Team, they are just losers. If you¡¯re scared, that¡¯s even better, since only five can play in the competition; we¡¯ll have Ruoxi take your place.¡±

    ¡°What? No way!¡± Lin Ning immediately argued back, ¡°I¡¯m not scared at all, I¡¯m just reminding you to prepare well for the battle!¡±

    The three of them walked inside the house, only to hear Yan Yu say:

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not us who should be scared, but them.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Lin Ning was skeptical.

    ¡°Just watch.¡± Yan Yu then took out his phone and sent a message to Tang Xiaolian.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: I didn¡¯t expect our two teams to face off so soon.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Yes, my Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu just hatched not long ago, it hasn¡¯t fully grown yet.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: If your Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu accidentally gets slain during the match, you won¡¯t hate me, right?

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: ???????

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Don¡¯t lay a finger on my bugs, I¡¯m telling you! sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°See?¡± Yan Yu turned to Ningning and Yunjin with a smile, ¡°She¡¯s scared.¡±

    Both: ¡­¡­¡­

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Blades and swords are blind. It¡¯s just a simulation match. If you say not killing people is fine, but not even bugs can be harmed, what¡¯s the point? Just declare us the losers and be done with it.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Captain Yan, please, don¡¯t harm my bugs, okay? It¡¯s still so small, just a child, spare it some mercy.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: On the battlefield, there are no children! If you¡¯re concerned about its safety, don¡¯t bring it into battle.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: I¡¯m going to talk to Deputy Captain Zhang right now!

    ¡°You see,¡± Yan Yu cheerfully said, ¡°she¡¯s so scared she dares not even use the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s so mean,¡± Lin Ning remarked.

    ¡°Is using such means not somewhat dishonorable?¡± Su Yunjin asked worriedly.

    ¡°The captain really stoops to anything when it comes to bullying girls,¡± Lin Ning said mercilessly.

    ¡°Enough talk,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°I mention Ningning¡¯s nervousness only so you know, it¡¯s the Huofeng Team that should be nervous.¡±

    Meanwhile, Tang Xiaolian received the message at her end, and hurriedly ran to the rest of the team, exclaiming:

    ¡°Captain Yan said he will specifically target my bugs!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re in a competition, isn¡¯t it normal to target you?¡± Qin Meng asked, puzzled.

    ¡°No!¡± Tang Xiaolian said anxiously, ¡°He said that when we start fighting, he can¡¯t guarantee my bugs won¡¯t die!¡±

    ¡°Captain Yan is scaring you?¡± Meng Qingxi said in surprise, ¡°He¡¯s not that kind of person.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we here to win?¡± Hou Qing retorted, ¡°Captain Yan fears the presence of the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, so using psychological tactics to scare us into not using it isn¡¯t out of the question, right?¡±

    ¡°You think Captain Yan is like you,¡± Meng Qingxi chuckled.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me?¡± Hou Qing¡¯s face darkened, ¡°I have never used such unsportsmanlike tactics.¡±

    ¡°You have a grudge against Captain Yan, isn¡¯t it because of Xiaolian¡­¡± Meng Qingxi hadn¡¯t finished speaking when Zhang Huaide interrupted him:

    ¡°Enough. I don¡¯t believe Captain Yan is intentionally scaring Xiaolian, but the issue does exist. Is the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu now impervious to swords and spears?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Tang Xiaolian said, her face clouded, ¡°I touched it this morning, and its shell still felt somewhat soft.¡±

    ¡°Then don¡¯t use it,¡± Zhang Huaide turned to Zhou Hongyu and said, ¡°Most summoning insects and ghosts are expendable and easily regenerated, but the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu is different. If it¡¯s not grown enough to be impervious to weapons, bringing it into battle poses the risk of it being destroyed, and it won¡¯t achieve the tactical value we need. Better not to deploy it.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Zhou Hongyu didn¡¯t object.

    ¡°Speaking of which, could this also be Captain Yan¡¯s strategy?¡± Hou Qing suddenly thought of something and said, ¡°He specifically asked Xiaolian about this to confirm whether the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu has grown to be impervious. If it has, then he can prepare tactical countermeasures in advance; if it hasn¡¯t, then he needn¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°By your logic, Xiaolian can also lie to him,¡± Meng Qingxi said, ¡°How can he be sure Xiaolian will definitely tell him the truth? What if Xiaolian chooses to bluff?¡±

    ¡°She won¡¯t,¡± Tang Xiaolian said, going pale, ¡°because he guessed I wouldn¡¯t lie to him.¡±

    Everyone was taken aback, wondering how they grew so close after just fighting together in the Mysterious Realm? How could he be so sure she wouldn¡¯t lie to him?

    ¡°As expected of Captain Yan,¡± Zhang Huaide said after a moment of silence.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Zhou Hongyu spoke, ¡°We¡¯ll fight without the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu.¡±

    ¡°Hou Qing,¡± she turned her gaze, her expression suddenly turning sharp again, ¡°If you have issues with Yan Yu, it¡¯s fine. But stop showing off your verbal skills in the team. Beat him up on the battlefield until he¡¯s a mess, and no one will blame you. If anyone does, I¡¯ll stand up for you.¡±

    Hou Qing laughed awkwardly: Me beat Yan Yu? Really?

    ¡°That sounds great,¡± Tang Xiaolian also clapped and laughed, ¡°The Peak of Forbidden City, a duel of swords, sounds very spectacular, right? Deputy Captain Zhang, didn¡¯t you say before that you want to isolate Captain Yan from the Zhenghai Team¡¯s tactical system? Let Hou Qing restrain Captain Yan this time!¡±

    ¡°Support,¡± Meng Qingxi also chimed in, ¡°It¡¯s up to you, old Hou. If you take down Captain Yan this time, I¡¯ll be your fan from now on, a fanatic fan.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be your little brother,¡± Qin Meng also joined in, ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever you tell me to.¡±

    Ah, this¡­ Hou Qing really wanted to say ¡°I can¡¯t beat Yan Yu,¡± but how could he admit such a thing in front of everyone?

    ¡°Alright,¡± Zhang Huaide shook his head, ¡°No joking. For Hou Qing to take on Yan Yu alone is still difficult. Our plan is for Captain Zhou to lead the attack on Captain Yan, while Hou Qing, you just need to support and harass from the side.¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡± Hou Qing immediately exclaimed, his gaze towards Zhang Huaide also filled with gratitude.

 Chapter 469: 65 Yun Jin Becomes Alert, Sister Zhao Harbors Dissatisfaction

    Chapter 469: Chapter 65 Yun Jin Becomes Alert, Sister Zhao Harbors Dissatisfaction

    The confrontation match between Zhenhai Team and Huofeng Team quickly became the hottest headline of the first quarter after the year.

    The heat in public opinion even far surpassed the Privy Council¡¯s estimate. Based on internet monitoring, what everyone was most interested in was ¡°who would win,¡± but to the Privy Council, this seemed to have hardly any suspense¡ªif Captain Yan from Zhenhai Team was temporarily removed, the remaining strength was inferior to Huofeng Team; but if Captain Yan was included, Zhenhai¡¯s odds of winning were too great.

    The public didn¡¯t see it that way. Most of the time, the public¡¯s perspective on matters didn¡¯t depend on evidence and logic but rather on their own positions and preferences.

    In the poll results from Shinetech, about seventy percent of the national public believed that Zhenhai Team would win, and about thirty percent believed that Huofeng Team would win, with the majority of the latter¡¯s IPs coming from western provinces like Nanchuan and Nanjiang; similarly, the southeastern provinces were the main supporters of Zhenhai Team, with over 90% of the voting users believing that Zhenhai Team could achieve victory. However, in the western provinces, this ratio could drop to 40% or lower.

    Along with the voting and massive discussions, corresponding regional discrimination and online salvos also emerged, forcing Shinetech to urgently close the comment section six hours later.

    ¡°Report!¡± Xie Ruoxi hurried downstairs, saying, ¡°The Black Pieces of Zhenhai Team have started to be very active again!¡±

    ...

    ¡°Is it spontaneous or organized?¡± Yan Yu asked gravely.

    ¡°Not sure yet.¡± Xie Ruoxi said.

    ¡°Explore more and report back!¡± Yan Yu commanded with a wave of his hand, speaking sternly.

    Xie Ruoxi, the community operations specialist of Zhenhai Team, responded and quickly ran back to the study.

    ¡°Why are there Black Pieces again?¡± Lin Ning also got irritated, ¡°Aren¡¯t the higher-ups dealing with it?¡±

    ¡°Why should they handle it?¡± Yan Yu retorted, ¡°Just ignore it and it¡¯s done. With your attitude of always wondering ¡®why doesn¡¯t anyone handle this,¡¯ you are fundamentally waiting for someone superior to take charge for you, which shows your overdependence on others. We cultivators should stand strong and independent. To be agitated by a bit of public pressure goes to show a lack of inner strength.¡±

    ¡°I just can¡¯t stand people badmouthing us!¡± Lin Ning retorted.

    Chen Lingyun slightly smiled, explaining to everyone:

    ¡°There are also many supporters of Huofeng Team. These people argue with our supporters, and when emotions ferment, a portion of extremists come to attack us. It¡¯s unavoidable. As for why the higher-ups don¡¯t handle it, mainly it¡¯s because¡­¡±

    ¡°Handling it is pointless.¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Idiots can¡¯t be eliminated by silencing. Winning the match is the best way to slap them in the face. The more you win, even if they still don¡¯t respect you, at least they won¡¯t keep posting attacks online to avoid embarrassing themselves.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t wait until we win the match, I¡¯m so impatient!¡± Lin Ning, overtaken by her temper, stood up and headed towards the upstairs study, ¡°I¡¯m going up now to bash them with Ruoxi!¡±

    She stomped upstairs. Yan Yu sighed helplessly and turned to instruct the others:

    ¡°Don¡¯t let this affect you.¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile.

    ¡°What kind of influence?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked, puzzled.

    ¡°The ones likely to be affected are already upstairs,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a chuckle.

    Everyone continued their activities as Yan Yu picked up his phone and saw a message from Tang Xiaolian.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: I¡¯m dying, someone online is calling me Intertone Dirty Inkstone.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Who? I don¡¯t know them.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Captain Yan pretending? Just play dumb!

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: It¡¯s your Zhenhai Team¡¯s die-hard fans cursing me!

    [Win Over with Virtue]: I¡¯ve also been called ¡°Hanged Man,¡± ¡°Bottom,¡± ¡°Harem Yan.¡±

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: That counts as cursing? Do you know what they say about Captain Zhou? They say she ¡°really knows how to thank.¡±

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Why?

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Because she shoots whenever she sees someone.

    Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter.

    Zhou Hongyu was indeed quick to fire off flames on the battlefield, being unable to wait even half a second was like asking for her life. But the nicknames netizens come up with never shy from hitting below the belt, which was a bit too harsh.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: So, ban them from talking. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Already asked the higher-ups to do so.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: But it¡¯s useless. They¡¯ll just go to other places where they aren¡¯t banned to continue cursing you, like in private chat groups.

    [Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Then let it be, out of sight, out of mind.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Su Yunjin saw Yan Yu laughing for no reason and asked curiously.

    ¡°Tang Xiaolian told me that there are more people cursing them online than us,¡± Yan Yu showed Su Yun Jin his phone.

    ¡°Let me see.¡± Chen Lingyun, seeing something amusing, quickly leaned over to join the fun.

    She peeked over from behind Yan Yu¡¯s left side, her head getting incredibly close, almost touching his face, so close that Yan Yu could even smell the distinct jasmine scent¡ªprobably from her second favorite shampoo brand.

    Su Yun Jin, sitting to his right, didn¡¯t notice Chen Lingyun¡¯s ambiguous posture and casually asked:

    ¡°Captain, are you very familiar with Tang Xiaolian?¡±

    ¡°Not very familiar,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    He didn¡¯t plan to tell his teammates that Tang Xiaolian was a ¡°spy¡± he had planted in the Huofeng Team, after all, the more people knew, the easier it would be for the news to reach Zhou Hongyu¡¯s ears, which wouldn¡¯t be good.

    ¡°But I see she chats with you and obviously has quite a fondness for you,¡± Su Yun Jin said cautiously, continuing to probe.

    ¡°Because she doesn¡¯t have friends within Huofeng Team whom she can chat with freely,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    Su Yun Jin unconsciously found it strange, but after thinking about it, she felt it indeed seemed to be the case.

    Girls usually prefer to spend time with other girls, and though Tang Xiaolian was quite close to Captain Zhou, the problem was that Zhou Hongyu had a boring and irritable character, definitely not a good conversation partner.

    So, did she consider Captain Yan ¡­a male confidante?

    Weird.

    Su Yun Jin believed that pure friendship could exist between men and women, but when it involved their own captain, she felt that being overly cautious was still not enough.

    Well, I should add Tang Xiaolian as a friend and probe her intentions.

    ¡°Who has a fondness for Yan Yu?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, listening to their conversation, finally caught on and hurriedly stood up to join.

    Her figure was naturally voluptuous, with plenty of curves where it mattered, and without much effort, she easily nudged the slender Chen Lingyun aside and stared intensely at the chat records between Yan Yu and Tang Xiaolian.

    ¡°If you want to look, take it and have a look.¡± Seeing the enchantress about to stick to him, Yan Yu, also afraid of any accidental contact, quickly handed her the phone.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, however, didn¡¯t take it but instead frowned and asked:

    ¡°Who is this Tang Lingling?¡±

    Everyone was speechless. Sister, it¡¯s been so long since you joined the group, and you still don¡¯t know who is who?

    ¡°The Huofeng Team¡¯s Tang Xiaolian,¡± Chen Lingyun reminded her.

    ¡°Does Huofeng Team have such a person?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen puzzledly asked.

    ¡°Who from Huofeng Team do you remember?¡± Yan Yu counter-questioned instead.

    ¡°How could I not remember? Don¡¯t underestimate people!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said with her hands on her hips, ¡°Zhou Hongyu!¡±

    ¡°Who else?¡± Yan Yu smiled and asked.

    ¡°And¡­ um¡­¡± Zhao Yuanzhen pondered, showing a thoughtful expression, ¡°Zhang Youde?¡±

    ¡°Zhang Huaide,¡± Su Yun Jin corrected her.

    ¡°Right, Zhang Huaide,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen showed an expression as if she knew it all along.

    Chen Lingyun was speechless. They often talked about Huofeng Team members during video analysis and strategy discussions, and Zhao still hadn¡¯t remembered their names, proving she never actually listened properly to the stratagems.

    ¡°Let¡¯s make sure Zhao recognizes everyone first,¡± she said with a sweet smile, ¡°otherwise, when we get on the battlefield, I tell her to target Qin Meng, and she charges at Meng Qingxi instead, that could really spoil our plans.¡±

    ¡°I just couldn¡¯t remember the name all of a sudden!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen hurriedly argued, ¡°When I see the person on the battlefield, I¡¯ll probably remember their name!¡±

    ¡°Do you only somewhat remember names?¡± Yan Yu mercilessly teased her, ¡°Is your brain capacity all grown into your chest?¡±

    ¡°Captain!¡± Su Yun Jin immediately became anxious, ¡°You can¡¯t talk to a girl with such crude language!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen gritted her teeth, fuming inside:

    The scoundrel insulted me today for being ¡®beautiful but brainless,¡¯ I¡¯ll remember this grudge! When my day comes, I¡¯ll hold him tight in my embrace and suffocate him to death, and we¡¯ll see if he can still speak any nonsense!

 Chapter 470: 66 Community Operation, Ruoxi Ningning

    Chapter 470: Chapter 66 Community Operation, Ruoxi Ningning

    Yan Yu effortlessly dealt with Zhao Yuanzhen and then made his way up the stairs to the study where he saw Xie Ruoxi and Lin Ning sitting side by side, pounding away on the keyboards of their two computers like close sisters.

    ¡°A new Black Piece has appeared!¡± Xie Ruoxi suddenly exclaimed, ¡°I sent you the link!¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡± Lin Ning responded, ¡°What¡¯s our counterattack?¡±

    ¡°Pretend we¡¯re bystanders, just go along with me!¡± said Xie Ruoxi.

    ¡°Which account are you using?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    ¡°The one named ¡®I Speak No Lies¡¯,¡± Xie Ruoxi revealed.

    ...

    ¡°Right, right!¡± Lin Ning began to type, fluently reciting, ¡°Pure passerby, neither fan nor hater, what you¡¯re saying does make sense¡­¡±

    Yan Yu, listening from behind, was speechless and asked:

    ¡°Are you guys playing the social media army game again?¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t interfere with our regular work, thank you.¡± Lin Ning wouldn¡¯t give him the time of day, but Xie Ruoxi stood up, eager to report:

    ¡°Captain! We¡¯ve figured it out!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± asked Yan Yu.

    ¡°It¡¯s because of an account called ¡®Wang Zhaojun Beyond the Borderlands.¡¯ It posted on a forum yesterday afternoon,¡± Xie Ruoxi explained, ¡°Analyzing the strengths of all the Cultivators from Zhenhai, Dragon Cavalry, Huofeng, and Qing An Teams.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± mused Yan Yu, considering how easy it was to perform a comprehensive analysis with so many live broadcasts and video recordings available online, ¡°And then?¡±

    ¡°It seems like it¡¯s run by one of your brain-dead fans,¡± Xie Ruoxi said cautiously. ¡°The analyses of others were fairly objective, but when it came to you, it was all exaggerated praise of your combat power, saying your face-off with Huofeng Team was like a college student in a kindergarten, so it sparked a lot of debate and quarreling in the comments. Some people got so irritated by his comments that they started taking his posts out of context and spreading them around, turning many clueless bystanders into haters against us.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°Where¡¯s the original post? Show it to me?¡±

    ¡°The post got clamped, but I have screenshots of the reposts here,¡± Xie Ruoxi said as she went back to her computer, pulled up the screenshots, and Yan Yu leaned in to take a closer look. The title of the post was:

    ¡°Why Yan Yu is the Strongest in This World.¡±

    He inhaled silently without changing his expression and continued to read the content.

    As Xie Ruoxi had mentioned, the analysis from Wang Zhaojun was normal for other Cultivators, each point made was reasonable, with no exaggeration. But the tone changed dramatically when it came to Yan Yu: praising his unparalleled swordsmanship, robust True Yuan, precise positioning, and god-like reactions. In The Secret Realm of Li Palace battle, he alone could hold an entire lane, rendering many superheroes unable to advance even an inch. Now, with only a few people on the Huofeng Team, Yan Yu could take care of the opposition all by himself without even needing his teammates to step in.

    There were people in the comments who refuted this point, saying there were two reasons for the outcome in The Secret Realm of Li Palace: first, the staircase passageways were narrow, with deep pools on both sides, which made it difficult for superheroes to deploy their formations and utilize their numerical advantage; second, at that time, they were all too eager to enter Li Palace and didn¡¯t have the mindset to surround and finish off Yan Yu, allowing him to grandstand. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Wang Zhaojun replied, saying some people love to mock others for showing off, not realizing they are the real fools. There are three sets of stairs in front of Li Palace; why was it that only Yan Yu could perform superbly while other Cultivators were just huddling together taking a beating from the Onmyoji?

    It must be admitted, this person really had a foul mouth. With such remarks, not only did Huofeng Team¡¯s fans start getting uncomfortable, Dragon Cavalry Team¡¯s fans were already furious.

    Many lashed out at him for being blind, saying that the Cultivators were obviously working together and stopping the enemy shoulder to shoulder; was it that only a One Man Army counted as a hero, and that without exceptional prowess, one is a rookie?

    Wang Zhaojun said that while all of you are stopping the enemy together, only Yan Yu is a One Man Army; doesn¡¯t this prove the weight behind Yan Yu being the strongest in this world?

    ¡°I have to say, he does make some sense,¡± Yan Yu murmured, chin in hand.

    ¡°That makes no sense at all!¡± Lin Ning couldn¡¯t help but retort, ¡°Just because of this brown-nosing post of his, how many people¡¯s perception of us has worsened?¡±

    ¡°What does their perception have to do with us, even in the slightest?¡± Yan Yu was amused by her, ¡°What, if someone doesn¡¯t like you, does your strength decline? Does your endocrine system get disturbed? Does your matchmaking plan fall through? Can¡¯t find a partner?¡±

    Lin Ning stepped on Yan Yu¡¯s foot and twisted it around vigorously, grinding it to vent her frustration.

    Unfortunately, she was too light to cause any harm to Yan Yu.

    ¡°Since it¡¯s not the work of organized trolls, let¡¯s not worry about public opinion for now.¡± Yan Yu spoke solemnly, ¡°Let¡¯s focus on preparing for the battle.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Lin Ning said.

    ¡°What, you¡¯re not convinced?¡± Yan Yu glanced at her sideways.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m not,¡± Lin Ning said, ¡°There are still so many people who haven¡¯t had the chance to insult me. If I keep quiet now, won¡¯t they think I¡¯m afraid of them?¡±

    ¡°In that case, you focus on managing public opinion,¡± Yan Yu nodded and said, ¡°This time, you won¡¯t be going on the field.¡±

    ¡°No way!¡± Lin Ning was visibly shocked, grabbing Yan Yu¡¯s arm and saying, ¡°I have to go on the field! I must! Don¡¯t joke with me like this!¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Xie Ruoxi looked at Lin Ning and suddenly grasped the sleeve of Yan Yu¡¯s other arm, asking, ¡°Has the competition format been decided? Is it only five people allowed to compete, no more?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not exactly it,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°Specifically speaking, it¡¯s a batch system with an advance and a follow-up.¡±

    ¡°Divide the team into an advance and a follow-up formation. In the order of the home team¡¯s advance, the visiting team¡¯s advance, the home team¡¯s follow-up, and the visiting team¡¯s follow-up, no more than five people can enter in each batch. In other words, everyone can¡¯t enter all at once, simulating a scenario of holding ground and reinforcing.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lin Ning pondered, ¡°So it¡¯s possible to have one person in the advance and five in the follow-up, or two in the advance and three in the follow-up¡­ Does this sound a bit like Tian Ji¡¯s horse racing?¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Xie Ruoxi also had a flash of insight and asked curiously, ¡°If we only send one person in the advance, and the opponent sends five, and they run into each other before the follow-up even has a chance to enter, isn¡¯t that very disadvantageous to us?¡±

    ¡°The entry location to the Mysterious Realm is constantly changing, so it¡¯s not that easy to bump into each other,¡± Lin Ning tried to analyze, ¡°It¡¯s possible that neither advance team encounters each other in the Mysterious Realm, but our five people in the follow-up meet the other team¡¯s one person in the follow-up, which would turn the tide of battle, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°You all make good points,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°But you¡¯re overlooking something.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    ¡°If it¡¯s me meeting five others, it¡¯s still the others who are at a disadvantage,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°So, ultimately, it¡¯s not about numbers, but about strength.¡±

    ¡°Pfft!¡± Both girls were at a loss for words.

    However, this new competition format really favored the Zhenhai Team, as Yan Yu always stood apart from the rest of the team¡¯s tactical system, so the batch entry system hardly affected the others.

    In contrast, the Huofeng Team relied on the command of their vice-captain Zhang Huaide, so the batch system would lead to some team members being cut off from the command system. Without joining up with their own team, whether they faced Chen Lingyun leading the main force or Yan Yu, the One Man Army, they were likely not to fare well.

    Hmm? If Yan Yu really entered alone and encountered the main force, resulting in defeating all five opponents, what would the post-match public opinion be like then?

    Lin Ning and Xie Ruoxi exchanged glances, suddenly feeling excited.

    Wouldn¡¯t that be the best way to slap those trolls in the face?

 Chapter 471: 67: I Am the Captain

    Chapter 471: Chapter 67: I Am the Captain

    ¡°The new competition format isn¡¯t entirely in your favor either,¡±

    over the phone, Li Minghu reminded, ¡°Your and your team¡¯s tactical system are incompatible, which is hardly a secret. Zhang Huaide will definitely guess you¡¯re using the 15-member setup and that you¡¯ll take the vanguard alone.¡±

    ¡°So what?¡± Yan Yu was noncommittal, wanting to hear what Valkyrie thought.

    ¡°If I were Zhang Huaide,¡± Li Minghu began to analyze, ¡°I would have Qin Meng lead the charge.¡±

    ¡°When it comes to individual survival ability, Qin Meng, who specializes in physical cultivation, is undoubtedly the best in the Huofeng Team, even Zhou Hongyu can¡¯t compare to him. Even if he accidentally runs into you in the Mysterious Realm, he would still have enough self-preservation strength.¡±

    ¡°This time it¡¯s Huofeng Team¡¯s home ground. Once you and Qin Meng finish, the remaining five members of Huofeng Team will take their turns, and they will definitely try to surround you with six people before Chen Lingyun and the others enter,¡±

    ...

    ¡°Even for you, dealing with a six-person combined attack would be difficult. Previously in the Secret Realm of Li Palace, the reason you could handle so many superheroes was that they were all too eager to rush into the Departure Palace and had no intention of entangling with you.¡±

    ¡°No wonder you¡¯re called Ah Hu,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°Exactly.¡±

    Cultivators are not invincible; they also need to dodge when attacked. As long as the enemies are numerous enough, launching a continuous, saturation bombardment to keep you dodging without a chance to counter¡­ the opponents would then stand invincible. How can one fight against that?

    If Yan Yu indeed found himself surrounded by six people alone, he could only try to delay time until Chen Lingyun and the others arrived.

    ¡°By the way, you must have seen that post on Tieba, right?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°I only saw the screenshot Ah Jiang sent me,¡± Li Minghu said with a laugh, ¡°He exaggerated your prowess too much, it feels like it¡¯s secretly a shade under flattery.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how high-level critics operate these days, hard to guard against,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°About your speculation, I think there¡¯s still one variable.¡±

    ¡°Which is?¡±

    ¡°Zhou Hongyu,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Now, finally, there¡¯s a chance for a one-on-one duel at the top of the Forbidden City. Would she easily give that up?¡±

    ¡°Seems likely,¡± Li Minghu, who wasn¡¯t familiar with the relationship between Zhou Hongyu and Yan Yu, merely said, ¡°But even personal grievances shouldn¡¯t overshadow the team¡¯s collective interests, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s hard to say,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment, ¡°I¡¯ll go ask.¡±

    ¡°Ask who?¡±

    ¡°Zhou Hongyu.¡±

    ¡°Heh,¡± Li Minghu also couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, ¡°You¡¯re too much, Yan Yu.¡±

    ¡°Just asking friendly questions,¡± Yan Yu opened the chat window with Zhou Hongyu on his computer and began typing.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Finally, another chance to face you. Are you excited?

    [Zao La]: What do you mean?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: I¡¯m leading the vanguard alone this time. Coming? King vs. King!

    On the other side, Zhou Hongyu showed the phone screen to everyone, displaying the challenge message sent by Yan Yu.

    ¡°Ignore it,¡± Zhang Huaide pushed up his glasses with a fingertip and said gravely, ¡°If you agree, our lineup configuration will have no secrets for them.¡±

    ¡°The same goes for them,¡± Zhou Hongyu coldly said, ¡°What¡¯s your plan?¡±

    ¡°Qin Meng will lead the charge,¡± Zhang Huaide replied, ¡°Ensure his survival while trying to engage Yan Yu as much as possible, waiting for our back lines to enter and quickly surround and eliminate him.¡±

    The reason for formulating this tactical scheme was because Tang Xiaolian had recently acquired a set of Mother-Child Gu. No matter where the Child Gu was, as long as one carried the Mother Gu within a certain distance, its head would always point towards the direction of the Child Gu.

    They would let Qin Meng carry the Child Gu first into the arena, and once everyone else entered the Mysterious Realm, they could use the Mother Gu to immediately rush to Qin Meng¡¯s location, achieving the fastest possible rally.

    ¡°What if Qin Meng doesn¡¯t find Yan Yu?¡± Zhou Hongyu questioned, ¡°Or what if Qin Meng can¡¯t withstand Yan Yu¡¯s assault?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s the former, at least we¡¯ve completed the rendezvous and are not at a disadvantage,¡± Zhang Huaide had already thought it through and replied, ¡°A fair duel will follow.¡±

    ¡°As for the latter, Qin Meng, if you really feel you can¡¯t hold on, you can choose to retreat and protect yourself, trying to delay until we enter the arena, so it would be almost the same as the former.¡±

    ¡°This time our advantage lies in being able to complete the full team assembly faster than the Zhenghai Team. The principles of military strategy are nothing more than acting fast against the slow and striking the few with the many. Why abandon the advantages we have?¡±

    Zhou Hongyu still disagreed, declaring firmly:

    ¡°I will take Qin Meng¡¯s place, and all other strategies will proceed as you have outlined.¡±

    Zhang Huaide pondered.

    Qin Meng had an advantage over Zhou Hongyu, as he focused on cultivating his physique and had strong defenses. Even if he couldn¡¯t keep up with Yan Yu¡¯s speed and reactions, taking a few hits wouldn¡¯t be a problem, and he was most likely able to last until regrouping with the team.

    If Zhou Hongyu were to lead the charge, the tactical thinking would have to change: it wouldn¡¯t be about defending and delaying but about maximizing pressure on Yan Yu¡­

    It wasn¡¯t impossible.

    Of the two plans, from a tactical standpoint, Qin Meng taking the lead undoubtedly had a higher success rate. The problem was that in considering issues, one mustn¡¯t only look at the present. Given Captain Zhou¡¯s current display of strong obsession, she seemed to still hold a grudge about being defeated by Captain Yan before, almost to the point of developing a heart demon.

    Even if her participation was limited by the team¡¯s interest, it would be like compressing a spring slightly, only for the rebound to come back even more fiercely next time.

    The outcome of one battle is trivial; dealing with Captain Zhou¡¯s heart demon is the real issue.

    If this time she could truly defeat Yan Yu¡­ no, even if it was just Captain Zhou venting her combat desire sufficiently, subsequent ideological work would be much easier.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Zhang Huaide replied, ¡°On the other side is Chen Lingyun, who will surely guess that we¡¯re leading with Qin Meng. Let¡¯s do the opposite then. Captain Zhou, after you find Yan Yu, focus on putting pressure on him to exhaust his True Yuan¡­¡±

    ¡°To defeat him,¡± Zhou Hongyu corrected.

    ¡°Yes, to try and defeat him,¡± Zhang Huaide reluctantly amended, ¡°and on that basis, force him to counterattack, don¡¯t let him simply dodge and conserve his True Yuan.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Zhou Hongyu said.

    The group exchanged looks, secretly thinking, Captain Zhou¡¯s obsession with Captain Yan is truly fearsome. How long has it been since last year¡¯s four-college exchange tournament, and she still hasn¡¯t gotten over the humiliation Yan Yu left her with?

    ¡°Qin Meng,¡± Zhang Huaide continued, ¡°this time you¡¯ll stay in the rear to guard the whole team.¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡± Qin Meng said.

    ¡°Hou Qing,¡± Zhang Huaide issued the order, ¡°your role will shift from assisting a support attack to leading the main attack. Until you rendezvous with Captain Zhou, you are responsible for leading the team¡¯s main assault.¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡± Hou Qing also nodded.

    ¡°Captain Zhou, don¡¯t reply to Yan Yu yet,¡± Zhang Huaide turned and said, ¡°Tang Xiaolian, go have a casual chat with Captain Yan, just mention that I and Captain Zhou had a disagreement. Captain Zhou wants to take the lead, and I disagreed, which led to an argument between us.¡± sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Tang Xiaolian refused, ¡°I don¡¯t want to lie to people.¡±

    Everyone immediately stared at her, thinking, sister, you¡¯re a member of the Huofeng Team, not the Zhenghai Team!

    ¡°It¡¯s not lying,¡± Zhang Huaide explained patiently, ¡°Captain Zhou requesting to lead is a fact, and my initial disagreement is also a fact. You¡¯re not lying. Just don¡¯t mention that I later compromised and readjusted the plan.¡±

    ¡°Still no,¡± Tang Xiaolian persisted, ¡°Even if it¡¯s because I only tell half the story, if he misunderstands, won¡¯t he come after me later?¡±

    ¡°Enough,¡± Zhou Hongyu interjected, ¡°Huaide, let¡¯s solve battlefield problems on the battlefield. There¡¯s no need to play any minor tricks off the field.¡±

    ¡°But Captain Yan used these kinds of tactics first, didn¡¯t he?¡± Hou Qing pointed out, ¡°I¡¯m not targeting Captain Yan, but it was indeed him who came to chat first, forcing us to give up using the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not really a trick,¡± Zhang Huaide agreed, ¡°It¡¯s merely a psychological tactic¡­¡±

    ¡°Do as I say,¡± Zhou Hongyu insisted, her tone leaving no room for argument, ¡°I am the captain!¡±

 Chapter 472: 68: The Fake Queens Rehabilitation

    Chapter 472: Chapter 68: The Fake Queen¡¯s Rehabilitation

    ¡°`

    The Huofeng Team was actively preparing for battle, and the Zhenhai Team was no exception.

    After the holiday break, everyone would head to the school¡¯s training grounds early each day, only returning to the villa base in the evening to rest and recuperate.

    Yan Yu originally had quite a bit of confidence, but seeing the girls sparring chaotically on the training grounds completely shattered his defenses.

    It had only been a week and a half holiday without training, how had everyone regressed so much?

    Rehabilitation! They must rigorously rehabilitate!

    ...

    Otherwise, in their current state, facing the Huofeng Team in the Mysterious Realm, what was the point of even fighting?

    ¡°Captain,¡± Lin Ning came over to ask, ¡°I want to apply for a Flying Sword¡­¡±

    ¡°No way!¡± Yan Yu mercilessly vetoed, ¡°First practice the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step. Did you see what you were doing just now? Were you street dancing?¡±

    Lin Ning walked away dejected, and Su Yunjin sidled up, saying:

    ¡°Do you want some water, Captain? I¡¯ve brought some orange-flavored sparkling water¡­¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re all fasting, what water?!¡± Yan Yu snatched the thermos from her hand, unsparingly, ¡°Don¡¯t think you can slack off and loaf around under the guise of going to the water cooler! Lin Ning is over there practicing the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, you use the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art to hit her! If you hit her, she stays tonight for extra training; if you miss, you stay tonight for extra training!¡±

    Su Yunjin turned around sulkily, and after a moment¡¯s eye contact with Lin Ning, who had heard Yan Yu¡¯s words from across the way, their expressions changed slightly, and suddenly they both developed a competitive spirit.

    The loser would have to stay here alone tonight for miserable extra training, while the winner would get to go back to the villa and have a warm and friendly chat with the captain?

    No way, I must win!

    Having successfully incited the two girls to fight each other, Yan Yu turned his attention to Xie Ruoxi, watching her use Thunder Method to hit moving targets, ten shots averaging only five hits, which made him almost want to eat her alive.

    ¡°Hehe.¡± Xie Ruoxi, seeing Yan Yu¡¯s furious, man-eating expression, could only try to explain, with an awkward smile, ¡°I haven¡¯t practiced for too long, my hand is a bit stiff¡­ Spare my life, Captain!¡±

    She suddenly knelt on the ground, gripping Yan Yu¡¯s leg tightly, begging with a tearful voice:

    ¡°Give me seven days, no! Five days, and I¡¯ll definitely get my feel back!¡±

    ¡°You have three days,¡± Yan Yu said from a position of authority, coldly staring down at her, ¡°If you can¡¯t make nine out of ten, you¡¯re deleting your game account.¡±

    ¡°Captain, please no! How about seven out of ten?¡± Xie Ruoxi tried to haggle shamelessly, but Yan Yu kicked her away without mercy, leaving her to cry mournfully.

    Having arranged for the training assessments of the three girls, there were still Zhao Yuanzhen and Chen Lingyun left in the team, who did not require much attention.

    The value of the Demonic Sect Enchantress lay not in her serving as an Assistant Officer but in her years of combat experience and innate talent; as for the Cultivator Envoy Chen Lingyun, she was like a bassist in a band, someone whose presence in the power calculations was neither here nor there¡ªas long as she could perform reconnaissance and command tasks, it was a victory.

    By the way, why hasn¡¯t Zhou Hongyu replied to my message?

    ¡°Speaking of which, what kind of setup do you think the Huofeng Team will adopt?¡± Yan Yu asked Chen Lingyun.

    Chen Lingyun was leisurely practicing the Sword Control Technique when she heard the question and smiled, saying:

    ¡°Qin Meng will take the lead with a 1-5, most likely to hold you back while the rest of the team enters and surrounds us for a kill; the next possibility is Zhou Hongyu leading with a 1-5, targeting you for a one-on-one fight; or Qin Meng and Zhou Hongyu leading a 2-4, which would aim to steal the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper, since one is good at defense and the other at offense, capable of handling either the Gatekeeper or you.¡±

    ¡°Apart from that, there are other possibilities of someone else leading with a 1-5, like Tang Xiaolian or Meng Qingxi, entering and immediately finding a discreet place to hide using the Invisibility Technique, dragging out the fight with you, or employing bait tactics to draw you far away. After the five in the rear enter, they¡¯d directly aim to intercept our rearguard¡­ The feasibility is okay, but the likelihood is not that high. Essentially it¡¯s a sacrifice play, using the weakest to tie you down, and it¡¯s not really in line with Zhou Hongyu¡¯s character to accept such a plan.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu pondered as well, ¡°The key issue is, for the two groups entering one after another, how to meet up with teammates or find the competitors in time. After all, the location to which one is transported upon entry is random, and the map of the Mysterious Realm is completely unknown.¡±

    ¡°The Mysterious Realm map is not completely unknown,¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°The Pingxi Army has already sent drones in to scout.¡±

    ¡°Could it have been leaked to the Huofeng Team?¡± Yan Yu frowned.

    ¡°`

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Open and honest cheating is definitely impossible, after all, it will be live-streamed. But maybe they¡¯ll leak a little information to Zhang Huaide, like whether there¡¯s a vast open area or a narrow and complex palace corridor? Even a rough understanding of the terrain within the Mysterious Realm can provide a reliable basis for them to devise tactics.¡±

    ¡°As for finding someone, don¡¯t forget. In the Huofeng Team, Tang Xiaolian is a bug-controlling cultivator. For our Envoy, the least scary thing is covert reconnaissance work, bugs aren¡¯t much more conspicuous than ghosts and ghouls.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°Maybe by that time, whether it¡¯s you or Tang Xiaolian who first regroups with the vanguard will become the deciding move in this showdown.¡±

    ¡°Who knows?¡± Chen Lingyun said airily, ¡°Or maybe I have a secret weapon that will drop everyone¡¯s jaws when the time comes.¡±

    ¡°Secret weapon?¡± Yan Yu¡¯s interest was piqued instantly, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°If I told you, it wouldn¡¯t be a secret weapon anymore,¡± Chen Lingyun winked.

    ¡°Tch,¡± Yan Yu scoffed, ¡°Either you got your hands on Fan Wentang¡¯s Black and White Impermanence, or the research on Nine Heavens Yin Demon has borne fruit. What other secrets could you possibly have?¡±

    ¡°Black and White Impermanence will be in my hands by next Monday,¡± Chen Lingyun revealed, ¡°The competition is on Wednesday, so there are two days to practice.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Neither White Impermanence¡¯s Soul-hooking Dark Light nor Black Impermanence¡¯s Soul Arresting Chain are simple things that you can easily master once you get them. With just two days, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to use them properly when the time comes.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll just have to look forward to my brilliance,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a sly smile.

    Speaking of brilliance, Yan Yu also had to admit that his ex-girlfriend, despite having thousands of flaws and all kinds of unsuitabilities, could at least be trusted for her face, intelligence, and family background.

    Well, thinking about it, does she actually have quite a few advantages? Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    What a pity, Virtue doesn¡¯t hide flaws! Her character is just too annoying, lacking the virtues of a woman, not suitable to be a lawful wife!

    When it came to serious matters, Yan Yu called out to Zhao Yuanzhen who was far away:

    ¡°Come over here.¡±

    ¡°What for?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen, who was playing on her phone, asked upon hearing him.

    ¡°Care for some practice?¡± Yan Yu invited.

    ¡°I¡¯m not falling for your tricks,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen immediately refused, ¡°Your so-called ¡®sparring¡¯ is not to improve my combat skills, but just to unilaterally trample over me to satisfy your unspeakable perverted desires!¡±

    How can this Demonic Sect Enchantress be so suspicious¡­ It¡¯s actually I who am making a mountain out of a molehill. If she wasn¡¯t suspicious, could she even be called a Demonic Sect Enchantress?

    ¡°I won¡¯t use the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step,¡± Yan Yu said.

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s eyes immediately lit up. What made this scoundrel the most twisted was his ghostly body technique that made all your attacks miss him.

    If he didn¡¯t use The Cloud Bagua Step, it would mean he had discarded his greatest advantage, wouldn¡¯t it be akin to having his legs tied while racing against me?

    In that case, perhaps I could even turn the tables on him!

    With that thought, an image formed in her mind:

    Herself quickly knocking the scoundrel down, standing on top of him and laughing heartily, while the sisters nearby looked at her with admiration, thinking how worthy Zhao was: even Yan Yu had to bow down beneath her skirt¡­

    ¡°No cheating, then!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen stood up and said, ¡°If you use the Cloud Bagua Step, consider it your loss!¡±

    ¡°Consider it my loss!¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    Chen Lingyun watched the two interact with crescent-shaped smiling eyes, as if infinite joy shone in her gaze.

    Whether it was Zhao Yuanzhen being tormented by Yan Yu or Yan Yu getting unexpectedly turned around by Zhao Yuanzhen, either outcome had the sort of amusement she loved to watch.

 Chapter 473: 69: Yan Yu Brand Combat Power Detector

    Chapter 473: Chapter 69: Yan Yu Brand Combat Power Detector

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s strength lay in her ample combat experience and extremely quick on-the-spot reactions.

    After all, she was from the Demonic Sect, where survival of the fittest and constant conflicts were rampant, so it was only natural that she was experienced in combat.

    As for so-called on-the-spot reactions, it wasn¡¯t Lin Ning¡¯s best reaction speed, but rather a kind of combat intuition developed later¡ªtake, for instance, an unexpected enemy suddenly attacking; Lin Ning might react more quickly, but by the time she decided how to counterattack, Zhao Yuanzhen had already made her move.

    When facing danger, the ability to counterattack reflexively without a second thought was Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s greatest advantage.

    However, it was also her flaw.

    Because she focused too much on striking first, the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s attacks often lacked deep thought, leading to her fighting style being somewhat predictable: the first strike fierce, the second powerful, the third hard to block. After that, huh? It seemed no more than that.

    ...

    Continuing this way, those she couldn¡¯t beat now, she wouldn¡¯t see any chance of winning against in the future; those she could beat, as their understanding of her attack pattern deepened, she might not be able to defeat later on.

    Yan Yu had pointed out this problem to her last year.

    But it was no use. Zhao Yuanzhen was the type to rely entirely on instinct in battle, and her ability to learn on her own was shockingly poor; it wasn¡¯t a matter of ¡°tell her how, and she could do it immediately.¡±

    Fortunately, the combat strength of the Demonic Sect Enchantress was evident here and now, sufficient to handle most opponents, so Yan Yu wasn¡¯t in a hurry to reform her just yet.

    First, let her witness my might.

    Zhao Yuanzhen had no idea he harbored ill intentions; she merely thought, if the little thief Yan Yu isn¡¯t using the Cloud Bagua Step, shouldn¡¯t I be able to beat him until he scatters like teeth?

    Ha ha, start the battle!

    She activated the Shifting Technique, charging at Yan Yu, and the Yin Wind Sword flew from her hand, faster by a fraction, aimed at Yan Yu¡¯s abdomen.

    In real combat, the Flying Sword would usually target the head, forcing the opponent to watch the blade coming at them, and in their panic, they would easily expose weaknesses¡­ But the cunning little thief Yan Yu, there was no need for that.

    Observe the sword!

    Without using the Cloud Bagua Step, Yan Yu simply stood still, pinched out a Sword Technique with his left hand, and the Liang Yi Sword shot out, quickly intercepting the Yin Wind Sword. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    After a brief exchange of offense and defense with the swords, Zhao Yuanzhen saw she couldn¡¯t make progress, so she suddenly raised her right hand and struck overhead with the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer.

    Yan Yu remained calm, formed a Sword Technique with his right hand, and effortlessly intercepted the enchantress¡¯s hammer magic treasure. At the same time, his left hand quietly joined two fingers and subtly pointed forward.

    As Zhao Yuanzhen was about to attack again, suddenly a burst of Qi struck her chest, as if she had been forcefully pushed backward. She staggered back a few steps before stabilizing, panting heavily.

    ¡°You¡¯ve lost,¡± Yan Yu said, hands behind his back, yet somewhat surprised internally.

    To avoid injuring the enchantress, he had only used twenty percent of his power in that Impact Curse, which should have been just painful enough not to cause injury. How come she seems unharmed¡­ Oh, the enchantress has fat to buffer it; should not aim at the chest.

    Zhao Yuanzhen, having been hit by an Impact Curse, knew she had indeed lost and couldn¡¯t help but say angrily,

    ¡°When did you use the Impact Curse? I didn¡¯t see it!¡±

    Yan Yu didn¡¯t respond verbally but once again controlled the Huang Tingjian, making a gesture to block the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer while his left hand joined two middle fingers.

    Seeing him raise his fingers again, Zhao Yuanzhen was so frightened that she almost dodged to the side before suddenly realizing.

    It turned out that the position where the Huang Tingjian intercepted the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer was exactly in the middle of the line connecting the two, blocking her view of Yan Yu.

    ¡°Did you calculate that?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen asked.

    ¡°Not really,¡± Yan Yu deliberately said, ¡°It just so happened.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t even said what it was!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen angrily replied, her suspicion as a Demonic Sect Enchantress flaring up, increasingly convinced that it was Yan Yu¡¯s calculated plan, ¡°to deliberately block the hand seal! Despicable! Crafty! Shameless!¡±

    ¡°The winner is king, the loser the bandit. What does it matter morally?¡± Yan Yu laughed. ¡°Put away your sorry loser¡¯s facade, shall we continue? I¡¯ll give you another chance.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen, being vengeful, grasped his latter words and immediately growled,

    ¡°Fight!¡±

    I¡¯ll go all out with you!

    Chen Lingyun, watching on the side, was surprised as she saw Sister Zhao being variously tormented by Yan Yu.

    Usually, in team practice sessions, Yan Yu defeated everyone fair and square, not resorting to so many tricks. Whether it was using Flying Sword Blinding techniques or sneaking around for a backstab¡­ The most exaggerated instance was when he used the Huang Tingjian to knock the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer flying backward, hitting Zhao Yuanzhen who hadn¡¯t reacted yet, leaving a bruise on her face.

    ¡°No more fighting, no more fighting!¡± the Demonic Sect Enchantress finally surrendered, sitting down on the ground with a plop and complaining, ¡°You just know how to bully me with these petty tricks!¡±

    ¡°Even though they are petty tricks, if used at the right moment and setting, they can be surprisingly effective,¡± Yan Yu said meaningfully.

    Hearing this, Zhao Yuanzhen was startled, then suddenly got inspired and started to ponder silently.

    Her own combat style was both pragmatic and rash; asking her to practice basic skills like Lin Ning, repeating the four major sword techniques a thousand times a day, was something she absolutely couldn¡¯t endure the monotony of.

    But petty tricks like these, which didn¡¯t require repeated training to master proficiency and could be used as soon as they were learned, fit her temperament perfectly.

    Hmph, I¡¯ll sneakily learn them!

    The two practiced several more times, and seeing that Zhao Yuanzhen was indeed sneakily learning his petty tricks, Yan Yu finally relaxed a bit, albeit somewhat helplessly.

    The temperament of the Demonic Sect Enchantress was quirky; the harder you tried to teach her something, the less she was willing to practice it, to the point that now he could only subtly pass on the good stuff through actual combat¡ªshe was actually willing to put in the effort to learn then.

    That¡¯s really defiant! Teach you straightforwardly, you refuse to learn; beat you up, and you want to secretly learn!

    Forget it, just consider it cultivating her ability to adapt, so she doesn¡¯t always rely on the same old fierce, strong, and fast attacks, without even knowing basic tactical variations.

    After thoroughly trouncing Zhao Yuanzhen, Yan Yu finally felt satisfied and clapped his hands, saying:

    ¡°Alright! That¡¯s enough for today!¡±

    He turned to check on the other teammates. Lin Ning was hit three times by Su Yunjin, earning the privilege of extra late-night practice; Xie Ruoxi had depleted all her True Yuan and seemed to be practicing diligently too; he¡¯d check her accuracy in a few days.

    The group started leaving the school, planning to go home to rest for a bit, have dinner, then call Lin Ning back to school for more practice.

    By then, Lin Ning had also come to realize, thinking, I¡¯m penalized with extra practice just for one mistake, whereas Yunjin has to go through it flawlessly to get extra practice; isn¡¯t this just outright bullying?

    But since the words were out, she felt too embarrassed to protest and just quietly cooked in a gloomy mood.

    During dinner, Xie Ruoxi casually asked:

    ¡°Captain, you said that our strength has regressed a bit after the New Year, so how do we compare to the Huofeng Team?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say whether they have regressed,¡± Yan Yu replied while picking food for his bowl, ¡°so let me just rate our strengths against each other, taking Ningning as the benchmark¡­¡±

    ¡°Why use me as the benchmark!¡± Lin Ning immediately protested, but was completely ignored by Yan Yu:

    ¡°Zhao is about 1.2 Ningnings, slightly stronger than Ningning; Ruoxi, if she sorts out her accuracy issue, could be about 1.4 Ningnings with the Thunder Method¡¯s firepower, but during simulation battles, the Thunder Method might be prohibited, and with only Sword Control Technique, that falls to 0.7 Ningning because your swordsmanship is terrible!¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin 0.6 Ningning, Ling Yun 0.4 Ningning; your roles in the team are mainly to support, assist, control, and scout, it doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re not as strong as Ningning, maintaining around 0.7 Ningning will be fine.¡±

    ¡°As for the Huofeng Team, as of the last live combat broadcast, Zhou Hongyu is estimated at 1.3 Ningnings, Qin Meng at 0.9 Ningning, Zhang Huaide at 0.7 Ningning, Tang Xiaolian and Meng Qingxi both are support roles, probably around 0.5 Ningning, similar to Ling Yun. Hou Qing I haven¡¯t seen, unclear.¡±

    ¡°I said, don¡¯t use me as a unit of strength!¡± Lin Ning continued her protest.

    ¡°That being said, our strength is actually stronger than that of Huofeng Team,¡± Su Yunjin reflected, ¡°but real combat isn¡¯t only about individual strength, right?¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°like if Ningning accidentally gets isolated and separated from the team and then gets hit by Zhou Hongyu¡¯s spell and eliminated, we immediately lose a whole Ningning of strength and fall into a disadvantage.¡±

    ¡°So why is it me again getting eliminated¡­¡± Lin Ning¡¯s voice trailed off, suddenly curious to ask, ¡°What about yourself?¡±

    ¡°What about myself?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°How many¡­ Ningnings are you?¡± Lin Ning asked albeit a bit awkwardly.

    ¡°Infinitely many,¡± Yan Yu stated solemnly.

    ¡°Nuts!¡± Lin Ning cursed, ¡°Less nonsense, eat your shrimp!¡±

    She picked up a prawn, irritably tossing it into Yan Yu¡¯s bowl.

    Su Yunjin watched from the side, a bit eager herself: I want to serve the captain some food too!

    Yan Yu leisurely ate the prawn Lin Ning had tossed over, pondering for a moment, then suddenly whispered to Lin Ning:

    ¡°Tonight at the school, practice well. At 10 p.m., I¡¯ll come over and give you some tips.¡±

    ¡°Humph.¡± Lin Ning was still a bit huffy, but quickly lost her anger, secretly thrilled.

 Chapter 474: 70: Pre-Race Intelligence Analysis

    Chapter 474: Chapter 70: Pre-Race Intelligence Analysis

    As the date of the competition drew nearer, the public buzz around this match also began to escalate.

    In the Cultivator Athletic League, there were usually 1-2 live duels broadcast every week, but they were mostly between Grade C teams pecking at each other. Occasionally, there would be a Grade B duel, which would attract significantly more viewers than the regular matches.

    Currently, there are only eight Grade A teams: they mainly tackle foreign forces, thus rarely combating each other¡ªthis time, without even needing any promotion, many had already rushed to the designated streaming rooms to reserve a viewing spot. In just a few days, the reservation count had already exceeded eighty million.

    The discussion threads across major forums were endless, filled with predictions and power hyping. Overall, more people favored the Zhenhai Team, but everyone agreed that the Huofeng Team was only slightly weaker and not to the extent that they would be overwhelmed, which meant the contest still held plenty of suspense and excitement.

    More than the public¡¯s interest in ¡°who is stronger¡±, cultivators were more concerned about the new competition format. The team size had increased from five to six, introducing the concepts of front and rear formations, thereby greatly expanding tactical possibilities. Everyone was eager for Zhenhai and Huofeng to pave the way, especially since Chen Lingyun and Zhang Huaide were known for their tactical prowess, possibly setting a textbook example of classic tactics.

    This time the Mysterious Realm was located in the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon within Gongbu Prefecture, which had been tightly sealed off and guarded by the Pingxi Army, barring any tourists or media from entry.

    ...

    Two days before the competition began, Yan Yu and others boarded a charter plane from Jinling Prefecture, flying to Milin Airport within Gongbu Prefecture.

    The team would rest overnight in the city area of Gongbu Prefecture, then attend tomorrow¡¯s press conference, with the official day of the competition being the morning after, all facilitated by the Pingxi Army.

    Inside the aircraft, the assistant captain Chen Lingyun began, as usual, briefing on the opponent¡¯s intelligence and the tactics to be used. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°This match bans two techniques,¡± she said with a smile, ¡°Ruoxi¡¯s Thunder Method and Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire.¡± because being hit by them would most likely result in death, with no recovery possible, thus their use on competing teams is prohibited by the authorities.¡±

    ¡°Not letting Ruoxi use the Thunder Method, isn¡¯t that like tying her hands and feet?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen protested.

    ¡°Rules are rules,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°There are no restrictions on using them against goalkeepers and other creatures inside the Mysterious Realm, just not against people. Besides, we still have the Heavenly Origin Sword, right?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi gave an awkward laugh. Her Sword Control Technique was even worse than Yunjin¡¯s, mainly because of poor accuracy. While not completely off-target, it was so lamentably bad that even Yan Yu couldn¡¯t bear to watch.

    Although she had been training hard to improve her accuracy, she dared not claim any significant improvement, just hoping not to hold the team back.

    ¡°Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Great Bright Fire currently consists of four techniques: the Flame Spear, Starfall, Phoenix Sword, and Scorched Earth.¡± Chen Lingyun continued.

    ¡°That name¡­¡± Su Yunjin hesitated.

    ¡°Sounds familiar, right?¡± Chen Lingyun grinned, ¡°It¡¯s about breaking down a complete set of Taoism Methods into multiple techniques that consume less True Yuan, each needing a separate name. I¡¯ve asked Yang Linhui and Li Zhaojiang; the Taoism books they¡¯ve acquired were not presented in this manner, so either the designers of ¡®Great Bright Fire¡¯ and ¡®Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art¡¯ are the same person or they are closely acquainted, such as martial sisters.¡±

    She then switched on the projector, cast Zhou Hongyu¡¯s past live videos onto the screen, and adjusted to specific timelines for everyone to watch:

    ¡°Flame Spear, emits a spear-shaped flame from the mouth that explodes upon hitting the target.¡±

    ¡°Starfall, spits a large mass of flame into the air which also explodes upon impact. It¡¯s slower than the Flame Spear, moving in a parabola, but its power and range are significantly larger, and the resulting flames linger for about one to two minutes,¡±

    ¡°Phoenix Sword, emits flames sweeping across three meters in front of the user. What¡¯s important is that it triggers very quickly, without the flight trajectory of Flame Spear or Starfall, leaving very little time for opponents to react.¡±

    The group watched the video intently. The Flame Spear took about more than a second to hit its target, Starfall took two to three seconds, while the execution of the Phoenix Sword took less than half a second. On the screen, just a shake of Zhou Hongyu¡¯s head immediately sent flames bursting towards a fan-shaped area directly in front, instantly igniting a Tianzhu Transcendent who was attempting to close in.

    The quick action was so brief that everyone was unsure if they could react in time.

    Luckily, the range of the Phoenix Sword¡¯s attack was only three meters in front of Zhou Hongyu, so as long as they kept their distance, it shouldn¡¯t pose too much of a problem.

    Su Yunjin, with her meticulous mind, couldn¡¯t help but set her gaze on Yan Yu, while her thoughts flashed back to the last competition between the two teams.

    I remember that time when the captain and Zhou Hongyu fought until her True Yuan was exhausted, and they even resorted to close combat. In the end, he used Runescript to seal her Dantian.

    Could it be that Captain Zhou¡­ learned this move specifically to avoid being humiliated again?

    On second thought, it seemed unlikely. It was probably for self-defense.

    ¡°Having mentioned Zhou Hongyu, let¡¯s discuss Qin Meng,¡± Chen Lingyun continued, ¡°His ¡®Dragon Elephant Nirvana Divine Skill¡¯ is said to be hard to breach with ordinary Flying Sword attacks once he¡¯s reached the Marrow Cleansing Stage.¡±

    ¡°Even tougher than the samurais we faced in the Secret Realm of Li Palace?¡± Su Yunjin asked in surprise.

    She still remembered how those samurai, when attacked by herself, Liu Longtao, and Yang Linhui from three sides with flooding, fire dragons, and blizzards, saw Onmyoji obliterated at once, while many samurai managed to flee in disarray under the onslaught of spells, indicating their physical robustness.

    However, samurai relied on armor and magical treasures, whereas the heavily-armored Qin Meng in the video could withstand Flying Swords, a defense even surpassing the samurai¡¯s.

    ¡°The Flying Sword can¡¯t break his defense?¡± Lin Ning was also stirred up, ¡°Then how do we fight?¡±

    Aside from Sword Control Technique, I have no other means of attack!

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Yan Yu interjected, ¡°to activate his Dragon Elephant Nirvana Divine Skill, consuming True Yuan is necessary. Although hits on him won¡¯t cause injury, his True Yuan consumption will surge dramatically.¡±

    ¡°So, trade mana for health loss, right?¡± Xie Ruoxi was quick to catch on.

    ¡°You could say that,¡± Chen Lingyun replied, only to hear Zhao Yuanzhen retort,

    ¡°Then we shouldn¡¯t have banned Ruoxi¡¯s Thunder Method, or else wouldn¡¯t dealing with Qin Meng be a breeze?¡±

    ¡°Haha, he probably can¡¯t stand the Thunder Method,¡± Chen Lingyun said casually. ¡°As for Zhang Huaide, I don¡¯t expect much improvement in his swordsmanship, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t have recruited Hou Qing for reinforcement. We should mainly guard against his tactics; he likely isn¡¯t much of a threat himself.¡±

    ¡°Tang Xiaolian, a cultivator who uses Gu Insects. Explaining the various, confusing types of Gu isn¡¯t meaningful; it¡¯s doubtful anyone could remember them all. Just follow my lead during the battle. Her trump card is the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, but it likely won¡¯t come into play this time, so there¡¯s no need to worry.¡±

    ¡°Why won¡¯t it be on the field?¡± Lin Ning asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s because our captain told her¡­¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s voice trailed off as Yan Yu coughed loudly, stopping her mid-gossip, ¡°Let¡¯s discuss Hou Qing and Meng Qingxi.¡±

    ¡°Meng Qingxi is an Assistant Officer, who recently acquired a primary magic treasure called ¡®Kongtong Seal¡¯,¡± Chen Lingyun explained. ¡°Based on the livestream footage, its effect seems to be dropping down to smash people, similar to Zhao¡¯s White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer.¡±

    ¡°Of course, that¡¯s not its only effect,¡± Yan Yu added.

    The White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer has tracking and armor-piercing effects; once launched, it automatically flies towards the enemy¡¯s head, with a striking force so penetrative that even heavily-armored robust samurai can¡¯t withstand it.

    Meng Qingxi¡¯s Kongtong Seal probably has special effects beyond just physical attacks, but past confrontations with the Huofeng Team were with foreign Transcendents who all ended up dead, and dead men tell no tales.

    ¡°We¡¯ll test it during the fight.¡± Chen Lingyun breezed by, continuing, ¡°As for Hou Qing, although he hasn¡¯t participated in real battles since joining, I managed to get hold of his swordsmanship practice videos from his school days.¡±

    ¡°How is it?¡± asked Yan Yu. He hadn¡¯t heard of Hou Qing in his previous life and didn¡¯t know how strong he actually was.

    Lin Ning perked up her ears beside him, thinking how many Lin¡¯s worth of strength this Hou Qing might have¡­ Ah, spit spit spit! What kind of combat metric is that! It¡¯s all the captain¡¯s fault for talking nonsense!

    ¡°Very floaty,¡± Chen Lingyun used a rather uncommon term.

 Chapter 475: 71 Zhou Hongyus Obsession

    Chapter 475: Chapter 71 Zhou Hongyu¡¯s Obsession

    ¡°Very arrogant?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked puzzledly, ¡°How arrogant?¡±

    ¡°Watch the video.¡± Chen Lingyun said.

    She played the video on the big screen, and the girls curiously gathered around to watch. They saw Hou Qing and another Sword Immortal exchanging offensive and defensive moves, sometimes being at a disadvantage, sometimes regaining the upper hand.

    At a certain point, Lin Ning suddenly took the mouse, dragged the progress bar back a few seconds, and asked in astonishment:

    ¡°Cang Song Ying Ke interrupted and then followed by White Crane Spreads Wings? What kind of sword technique is he using?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a sword technique.¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Look here: his sparring partner, the angle at which he thrust the sword was a bit too high. Hou Qing originally wanted to use Cang Song Ying Ke to intercept, but halfway through, he suddenly realized that his opponent made a mistake by raising the sword too high, so he quickly switched to White Crane Spreads Wings to sweep at his opponent¡¯s lower body, forcing the opponent¡¯s Flying Sword to return for defense.¡±

    ...

    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is.¡± Lin Ning quickly shook her head, ¡°Still, it¡¯s not right. Having already started Cang Song Ying Ke, changing to White Crane Spreads Wings should be too late, the time window is insufficient.¡±

    ¡°Hence, to put it nicely, it¡¯s ¡®he¡¯s very imaginative¡¯, or to put it in a harsh way, ¡®his skills are a bit arrogant¡¯.¡± Yan Yu said with a smile, ¡°This is a Sword Immortal who likes to take advantage by seizing the opponent¡¯s weakness with sharper-than-average acuity and persistence. However, his combat experience isn¡¯t enough; often, although the opponent carelessly exposes a weakness, the timing or his own ability doesn¡¯t allow him to capitalize on it, yet he subconsciously insists on grabbing for it, therefore his displayed skill level is inconsistent, sometimes seizing the opponent¡¯s mistake to win with one strike, and other times, in the pursuit of exploiting weaknesses, he loses rhythm and throws away a great advantage.¡±

    ¡°Impressive.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s eyes shone with appreciation, ¡°This is indeed why the Huofeng Team recruited him. The exact words from Zhang Huaide to me were, ¡®Hou Qing has very sharp perceptions, but his judgment is slightly lacking¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Without any distinguishable talent, he wouldn¡¯t have caught the eye of the Huofeng Team.¡± Yan Yu stated matter-of-factly, ¡°Given Zhang Huaide¡¯s commanding style, he favours those who take the road less traveled; he likes individuals whose strengths and weaknesses are both highly pronounced, which he skillfully manages with his tactical acumen to their advantage.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Su Yunjin said thoughtfully, ¡°Zhou Hongyu and Qin Meng also fall into the category of having very obvious strengths and weaknesses.¡±

    ¡°Given this, I think we could set a trap and catch Hou Qing off guard.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a sweet smile, yet her words were incredibly sinister.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± Yan Yu shook her head, ¡°Since Zhang Huaide has told you all of this, he is not afraid of you messing with him. If you try to scheme against him, it¡¯s easy for him to see through it, or even use it against you, which would be pointless.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think Zhang Huaide would be so delusional as to scheme against me,¡± Chen Lingyun cheekily said, ¡°Given his personality, his willingness to share this information with me suggests it¡¯s more likely that ¡®we know Hou Qing has these shortcomings, you find a way to teach him a lesson, so I can use that to educate him afterwards¡¯.¡±

    Yan Yu thought about it more carefully, and it seemed to make sense.

    In the previous life, Zhang Huaide indeed had this kind of approach: he would first point out your shortcomings. If you didn¡¯t listen, he would let you be, waiting for you to fail and suffer, and then he would seize the moment of your regret to reiterate the lesson.

    This method did indeed work on most headstrong individuals, except for Zhou Hongyu. Zhou herself was the type to be consumed by her obsessions and required harsh medicine to be properly disciplined, rather than long-term strategies or careful planning¡ªshe might not even survive long enough, potentially meeting her end on any given day.

    No one understands Zhou Hongyu better than I do! No one!

    ¡°Now that we¡¯ve gone over the intelligence, let¡¯s discuss tactics.¡± Chen Lingyun said leisurely, ¡°This time, as the visiting team, our entrance order will be like this.¡±

    ¡°The home team¡¯s front row enters first, followed by the visiting team¡¯s front row after 3 minutes, then the home team¡¯s rear row enters after another 4 minutes, followed by the visiting team¡¯s rear row after 3 more minutes.¡±

    ¡°This means.¡± Lin Ning quickly deduced, ¡°Starting from the Huofeng Team¡¯s front row entry, until our whole team finally enters, there is a 10-minute interval¡­ Aren¡¯t you afraid they¡¯ll try to steal our goalkeeper?¡±

    ¡°We still need to take precautions.¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°If they adopt an aggressive 5-1 formation, leaving Qin Meng for last¡ªthough it¡¯s unlikely, to prevent them from targeting our goalkeeper, Yan Yu, after you enter, you absolutely must not slack off, okay? You have to find their front row as quickly as possible.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense, do you think I¡¯m like you?¡± Yan Yu retorted.

    ¡°If you can¡¯t find the opponent¡¯s front row, search for their goalkeeper.¡± Chen Lingyun continued, ¡°If there¡¯s no sign of the goalkeeper, it means the opponents might have chosen to hide, waiting to regroup with their team. At that time, you¡¯ll act accordingly, with self-preservation as your priority.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Everyone else will follow me in the rear row.¡± Chen Lingyun put away her smile and said indifferently, ¡°After entering, link up with our captain at the first opportunity, then adjust our strategy based on the situation. Got it?¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡± the girls responded in unison.

    The plane finally landed at the airport of Military Manor, and after disembarking, everyone checked into a local hotel.

    It didn¡¯t take long for guests to arrive.

    Although it wasn¡¯t a written rule, it had almost become a tradition for the two teams who were about to compete to visit each other at the hotel, although no one knew who started this custom.

    ¡°Captain Yan, good to see you.¡± Zhang Huaide held up a large pot of butter tea, ¡°Issued by the military, to prevent altitude sickness.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Yan Yu nodded.

    For cultivators who had entered the Marrow Cleansing Stage, the likelihood of altitude sickness was naturally minimal, but it was not completely absent, for example, Li Minghu¡­ This girl shattered the myth of ¡°Cultivators are immune to illness,¡± prompting the Military Manor to attend to cultivators as if they were nobility, even requiring a record for a visit to the infirmary for a common cold.

    ¡°Is there something bothering you, Huaide?¡± Yan Yu asked, seeing Zhang Huaide put down the teapot but not leave.

    A moment passed before Zhang Huaide spoke slowly:

    ¡°It seems that Captain Zhou is quite obsessed with the idea of ¡®defeating you.¡¯ I¡¯m not sure why.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re asking about that,¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°I think it¡¯s mainly because Little Zhou hates to lose. Ever since she lost to me during the four institutes exchange match, she¡¯s held a grudge.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then we¡¯ve actually lost to the Dragon Soar Team more times,¡± Zhang Huaide said, puzzled, ¡°But Captain Zhou doesn¡¯t seem to harbor similar animosity towards Captain Liu.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because Liu Longtao isn¡¯t as handsome as I am,¡± Yan Yu said.

    Zhang Huaide fell silent, mulling over this internally:

    Could that really be a possibility? That Captain Zhou¡¯s obsession with Captain Yan actually stemmed from a secret crush on him?

    Hmm, judging from Captain Zhou¡¯s behavior, it seemed unlikely.

    But just to be on the safe side, it was still necessary to make sure¡­ If it really was about love, things would become complicated.

    ¡°I see, thank you for letting me know, Captain Yan,¡± Zhang Huaide replied with a slight smile, ¡°I look forward to our match.¡±

    He politely took his leave and, as he opened the door, he saw Chen Lingyun approaching from the corridor.

    After watching Zhang Huaide leave, Chen Lingyun entered the room, asking Yan Yu: S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°What did he come here for?¡±

    ¡°He brought us some butter tea,¡± replied Yan Yu, nodding towards the teapot on the table.

    ¡°Probably probing for information as well,¡± shrugged Chen Lingyun.

    But it didn¡¯t matter anymore; this time, we were leading with our captain, and there was no need to hide anything.

    Meanwhile, Zhang Huaide returned to the Huofeng Team¡¯s floor and stopped at Zhou Hongyu¡¯s door, knocking on it.

    Zhou Hongyu came to open the door and welcomed her deputy inside, asking:

    ¡°Well?¡±

    ¡°Captain Yan didn¡¯t probe; he doesn¡¯t care who our vanguard is,¡± Zhang Huaide answered, ¡°He will probably go into battle alone.¡±

    ¡°I told you so,¡± Zhou Hongyu said, unsurprised, her tone cold, ¡°In the end, it all comes down to strength.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s another issue,¡± Zhang Huaide said.

    ¡°Ask.¡±

    ¡°It is unrelated to this match, but it¡¯s very important for the future of our team,¡± Zhang Huaide asked earnestly, ¡°Captain Zhou, do you feel differently about Captain Yan? Aside from the desire to defeat him.¡±

    Zhou Hongyu¡¯s eyes flared as if she was ready to erupt in anger, but quickly, her expression turned to one of cold disdain and disgust, and she retorted:

    ¡°Did he tell you that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my guess,¡± Zhang Huaide said.

    ¡°Cut the crap,¡± Zhou Hongyu said.

    ¡°Very well,¡± nodded Zhang Huaide, taking his leave.

    She didn¡¯t outright deny it¡­ Was it disdain for the question, or a reluctance to admit it?

    How troublesome, I¡¯m not good at dealing with these kinds of things. I¡¯ll just have to observe and see how it unfolds.

 Chapter 476: 72 Tang Xiaolians Insightful Analysis

    Chapter 476: Chapter 72 Tang Xiaolian¡¯s Insightful Analysis

    The next day, on the eve of the press conference.

    The interview order was Zhenhai Team first, followed by Huofeng Team. Therefore, everyone got up early to have Xie Ruoxi apply makeup to them in turn¡ªafter all, appearing on camera without makeup was simply not flattering, and the girls in the team absolutely couldn¡¯t accept that.

    Yan Yu also wanted to sneak away, but Lin Ning caught him red-handed and forcibly sent him to the makeup room.

    ¡°Captain, do you prefer the sunny look, the heroic look, or the domineering look?¡± Xie Ruoxi asked as she meticulously combed his bangs in front of the mirror, smiling as she spoke, ¡°By the way, I recommend the domineering look! It really suits your current vibe!¡±

    ¡°I choose the minimalist look,¡± Yan Yu said impatiently. ¡°Just finish up quickly and let me go.¡±

    ¡°Ehh¡ª¡± Xie Ruoxi let out a cry of dissatisfaction, like a disappointed fawn.

    ...

    ¡°We¡¯re going to a press conference, not matchmaking!¡± Yan Yu said coldly. ¡°Can you focus on what¡¯s important?¡±

    ¡°But, Captain!¡± Xie Ruoxi argued, ¡°No matter how handsome you are, showing up on camera like this won¡¯t do! It will upset your adoring fans!¡±

    Those words did move Yan Yu somewhat. She was right, after all, I am the handsome cultivator obsessed over by countless girls. If the attractiveness I display on camera doesn¡¯t reach a perfect level, it would indeed damage my public reputation.

    Being the strongest in this world, I must also score full marks in managing my self-image!

    Hmph, that beautiful waste from my previous life was truly a top-tier skin-bearer; he not totally useless in this regard.

    Forget it, I¡¯ll indulge her! sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    He then ceased resisting and allowed Xie Ruoxi to take the small brush, patting and dabbing all over his face.

    ¡°Captain Yan!¡± An energetic voice suddenly rang out from outside the door. ¡°Bet you didn¡¯t expect me to come looking for you¡­ huh?¡±

    Tang Xiaolian stood in the doorway, looking at Xie Ruoxi and Yan Yu inside, and immediately showed an awkward smile:

    ¡°Am I interrupting you guys?¡±

    ¡°Have a seat,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°What brings you here?¡±

    Tang Xiaolian deliberately winked and glanced at Xie Ruoxi, as if hinting, ¡°I have a secret to tell you, can you please send your attendants away, Captain Yan?¡±

    Yan Yu pretended not to understand her hint and said:

    ¡°The press conference is about to start, and we need to hurry with the makeup, no time to entertain you.¡±

    Failing to deceive him, Tang Xiaolian sighed and candidly said:

    ¡°Never mind, no need for hospitality. I just came over for a visit.¡±

    She ran over to Xie Ruoxi¡¯s side, stared at Yan Yu for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter, covering her mouth and saying:

    ¡°That¡¯s so odd, why did you make him so pale?¡±

    ¡°Is there a problem with being a bit pale?¡± Xie Ruoxi was somewhat unhappy. ¡°Do you know you look darker on camera? Personal photographers can add exposure to make you look better, but official media cameras typically don¡¯t have exposure compensation. If you¡¯re so confident, don¡¯t wear makeup and see just how dark you look on camera, okay?¡±

    ¡°Okay, alright~¡± Tang Xiaolian quickly apologized with a giggly smile, ¡°I was just teasing him; I didn¡¯t mean to criticize your makeup skills.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tease our captain!¡± Xie Ruoxi became more vigilant instead, ¡°Yan Yu, she¡¯s from a rival team, coming here to probe for information, she must be an enemy spy, execute her!¡±

    Yan Yu hadn¡¯t spoken yet, and Tang Xiaolian already started defending herself:

    ¡°No, no! I really just came to visit Captain Yan, I promise not to mention anything about the upcoming match.¡±

    ¡°That makes you even more suspicious!¡± Xie Ruoxi thought that was precisely her fear but then said, ¡°Captain! Let¡¯s kick her out!¡±

    ¡°Enough,¡± Yan Yu made a ¡°stop¡± gesture. ¡°Jealous quarreling ends here, there are more important things to do next. You can settle who¡¯s better after the match is over¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not jealous over you!¡± The two girls protested at the same time.

    ¡°Enough!¡± Xie Ruoxi burst out in frustration and quickly added the final touches, ¡°Done! Now go away and call the others over!¡±

    Yan Yu stood up, patted his bottom, and walked away.

    Tang Xiaolian followed closely behind. On the corridor, she caught up with Yan Yu and said:

    ¡°Captain Yan, I won¡¯t tell you the Huofeng Team¡¯s order of appearance, you know.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense, I¡¯m not interested.¡± Yan Yu replied.

    ¡°Oh dear.¡± Tang Xiaolian sighed and said, ¡°That¡¯s no fun. How about Captain Yan you try to probe me, then I can righteously refuse you, and you can send a message to Deputy Captain Zhang saying ¡®that little Tang in your team really keeps tight-lipped, I asked for a long time and she wouldn¡¯t say a word¡¯, how about that?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s in it for me?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°You can gain my favor,¡± Tang Xiaolian responded.

    Yan Yu frowned, turned around, and sized up the girl who had come to find him¡­ Tang Xiaolian, in fact, resembled Chen Lingyun somewhat. Both were the delicate and sweet girl-next-door type, but Tang Xiaolian was around 1.64 meters tall, which simply blew Chen Lingyun out of the water. Although she liked to play pranks too, in terms of personality, she wasn¡¯t as annoying as Chen Lingyun, who always seemed to stir up trouble without a cause.

    Tease her a bit.

    ¡°What use is your favor?¡± Yan Yu joked, ¡°If it were Zhou Hongyu¡¯s favor, I might consider it.¡±

    ¡°Aha! Captain Yan indeed has unscrupulous designs on our Captain Zhou¡­¡± Tang Xiaolian exclaimed loudly. Before she finished her sentence, Yan Yu dragged her to the back of the corridor and put his hand over her mouth:

    ¡°What are you shouting for? There are staff members living on the same floor in this hotel, don¡¯t spread rumors that we both end up losing from.¡±

    Tang Xiaolian blinked, pulled his hand from her mouth, and said:

    ¡°Hmph, wouldn¡¯t that just work out to your advantage? I wouldn¡¯t hurt Captain Zhou like that.¡±

    She walked a few steps forward, then turned back and asked:

    ¡°Do you think there might be some underground palace ruins deep beneath the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon?¡±

    ¡°How would I know?¡± Yan Yu was bewildered, but quickly caught on, ¡°Who told you to say that?¡±

    ¡°Captain Zhou,¡± Tang Xiaolian replied, ¡°The higher-ups really hope we can win, but Captain Zhou feels¡­ winning you over with such underhanded tactics would be more painful than a straightforward loss to you.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Yan Yu nodded, ¡°I got it, you can go now.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re dismissing me just like that?¡± Tang Xiaolian protested, ¡°I took a huge risk coming here to relay a message for you, don¡¯t you know to at least treat me to a milk tea?¡±

    ¡°Definitely next time!¡± Yan Yu laughed, ¡°I won¡¯t forget your merit!¡±

    ¡°Hmph, I¡¯ll note it down then.¡± Tang Xiaolian turned to leave, proudly saying, ¡°This is like a high-interest loan, the longer you owe me, the more you¡¯ll have to pay back, so be careful~¡±

    Watching Tang Xiaolian turn away and leave, Yan Yu could only shake his head with a wry smile, suddenly remembering the clash with the Flying Dragon Battle Team. Back then, Cai Qianlong had also been ¡°tipped off¡± in advance but couldn¡¯t get past that psychological barrier, hence he came clean with the members of the Zhenhai Team.

    After all said and done, it was because the influence of the live broadcast of the competition was too great. The Huofeng Team represented the Pingxi Army, and if they were defeated, people across the nation would know that the top combat forces of the Pingxi Army had lost to the Zhendong Army¡­ rounding up, it meant the Pingxi Army just wasn¡¯t up to par.

    Furthermore, with the internal strife within the Pingxi Army not being monolithic, naturally, there were some ¡°not so by-the-book¡± individuals attempting to covertly influence the outcom of the match, much like what the Dingbei Army had done before.

    This was, after all, an old tradition in Lu Country. For example, in the much older Red vs. Blue exercises, the outcome was always biased by the directorate, never arranging for a completely fair confrontation for both sides.

    But it didn¡¯t matter. Didn¡¯t Zhou Hongyu want a fair and square defeat? I¡¯m a person who values old acquaintances! For the sake of our past friendship, I¡¯ll grant her wish!

 Chapter 477: 73: Press Conference

    Chapter 477: Chapter 73: Press Conference

    ¡°Is there no certainty?¡± asked the voice on the other side of the phone.

    ¡°No,¡± Zhang Huaide replied.

    He knew in his heart that the Chief Envoy only wanted to hear ¡°We will win.¡±

    But Comrade Zhang was the type who would never say ten if it was nine, and facing the Zhenhai Team led by Yan Yu, who could say they were certain?

    After hanging up the phone, Zhang Huaide remained silent for a long time before he sighed deeply.

    The higher-ups had placed great importance on this match, even going against regulations to leak information about the Mysterious Realm to the team, revealing their intense hopes for the Huofeng Team to win.

    ...

    Unfortunately, the battlefield ultimately depended on strength. Man plans; heaven decides. Whether human effort could overturn an overall disadvantage in strength was anybody¡¯s guess.

    All I could do was give my best effort¡­ regardless of victory or defeat, I would have no regrets!

    ¡°Captain Zhang,¡± Hou Qing¡¯s voice came from outside, ¡°the news conference for Zhenhai has started.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Deputy Captain Zhang,¡± Zhang Huaide corrected him and nodded, ¡°All right, I¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    He removed the plain glasses from the bridge of his nose and meticulously cleaned them with a cloth before carefully putting them back on.

    Leaving the room to meet up with his teammates, the members of the Huofeng Team headed together to the lounge, waiting to be called to the news conference.

    Speaking of news interviews, the media journalists at the conference had a love-hate relationship with the Zhenhai Team.

    Among the four major teams, Dragon Cavalry Team was actually the easiest to interview; Deputy Captain Ye Jun was communicative and didn¡¯t just spout official platitudes, making it easy for journalists to obtain news-worthy material. Next was the Qing An Team; Li Minghu was also quite understanding, basically responding straightforwardly to questions without beating around the bush.

    Zhang Huaide of the Huofeng Team spoke evenly and tightly, and although one couldn¡¯t say there was anything wrong with his attitude, his answers tended to be rather bland as far as news material was concerned.

    As for the Zhenhai Team, which currently had the highest fan count and was the hottest team, they were particularly troublesome for journalists. Deputy Captain Chen Lingyun spoke freely, seemingly taking pleasure in teasing the media; born to a high-ranking official, if journalists drafted their articles truthfully, they would be scolded by their editors upon returning: You dare to write such explosive stuff? Where is your brain?

    But if they didn¡¯t write about the exciting stuff, what were they supposed to do about their KPI?

    The Zhenhai Team proceeded onto the stage, and the reporters below readied their long and short cameras, setting up their positions.

    The host arranged by the Pingxi Army scanned the audience with a stern expression and piercing eyes, as if warning everyone not to stir up trouble, before announcing the start of the press conference.

    The first to get the microphone, a beautiful young girl who had just graduated from university, flashed a radiant smile at Yan Yu on stage and then asked:

    ¡°I would like to ask Captain Yan to briefly comment on the strength of each member of the Huofeng Team, whom you will be mock-competing against in this match. Thank you.¡±

    The other journalists looked on with a cold eye, silently laughing to themselves.

    Sending a female intern to ask questions was clearly a ploy to employ a honey trap, to see if Captain Yan would fall for it¡ªif he was easily approachable by a female university student, then one could imagine that in future interviews regarding Zhenhai Team¡¯s matches, the questions would definitely be posed by intern female students hired by various media outlets, undoubtedly one more beautiful than the next.

    ¡°Comment, huh,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment, then looked toward the Pingxi Army host next to him.

    The host seemed puzzled, What are you looking at me for?

    He came over to the edge of the interview platform and asked in a low voice:

    ¡°Is it inconvenient to answer?¡±

    The reporters near the front row perked up their ears, only to hear Yan Yu ask:

    ¡°If I were to comment on your Captain Zhou, could I speak freely?¡±

    Pingxi Army spokesperson really wanted to say ¡°Of course not,¡± but with so many reporters watching, he could only reluctantly straighten up and say:

    ¡°Just answer truthfully.¡±

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s go one by one,¡± Yan Yu began to talk eloquently in front of the cameras, ¡°Captain Zhou Hongyu specializes in large-scale destructive Taoism methods. In this aspect, if someone claims to be the second best in the country, I don¡¯t think anyone dares to claim they are the best¡ªnot even Liu Longtao if he were here.¡±

    The reporters below immediately perked up, and the spokesperson subtly breathed a sigh of relief: good, he didn¡¯t completely trash Zhou Hongyu.

    ¡°The only problem is her stubborn personality.¡± Yan Yu continued, ¡°Ever since she lost to me in the Four Institutes Exchange Match, she has been obsessed with defeating me. I heard that in her chat friends list, she has even marked me as a special focus, with the note ¡®defeat him.¡¯ Haha, she¡¯s an interesting woman¡­¡± S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Cough, cough!¡± The Pingxi Army spokesperson hurriedly coughed loudly to remind him, ¡°Captain Yan, please watch the time. Less talk about things unrelated to the match.¡±

    Reporters, however, became collectively more animated: Is this some new type of crush?

    Of course, one can¡¯t make unfounded claims, but everyone can employ a bit of finesse in their writing. Soon, there will be reckless social media accounts boldly proclaiming ¡°Huofeng Team¡¯s Zhou Hongyu has a crush on Yan Yu,¡± drawing massive public traffic to search for their more conventional reports.

    When the news reached the break room, Zhou Hongyu¡¯s face was cold as frost, and her eyes blazed with fire, while the other team members were so frightened that they all fell silent, especially Tang Xiaolian, who maintained a poker face but was terrified inside.

    ¡°Cough.¡± Zhang Huaide coughed and told everyone, ¡°In the future, keep private matters within the team from getting out.¡±

    It didn¡¯t really matter who leaked it, what mattered was how to resolve Zhou Hongyu¡¯s fixation¡ªif you keep fixating on Yan Yu like this, it will inevitably lead to speculation and wild guesses from the outside.

    At the press conference, Yan Yu continued with his comments:

    ¡°Deputy Captain Zhang Huaide has exceptionally good tactical thinking and intelligence, the only problem is his poor swordsmanship skill. Does he even remember he¡¯s a Sword Immortal? I¡¯d suggest he better practice his sword control technique¡­¡±

    ¡°Cough, cough, cough.¡± The Pingxi Army spokesperson coughed again.

    Give some face, Captain Yan! How can you criticize the home team like this at an away game?

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m quite close with Xiao Zhang, so it¡¯s okay to criticize him casually,¡± Yan Yu caught the hint and immediately rectified, ¡°You all should be careful in your reporting, Zhang Huaide¡¯s swordsmanship might not seem like much to me, but it¡¯s already better than seventy or eighty percent of Sword Immortals in the country. Some things I can say, you shouldn¡¯t repeat them to the outside, understand?¡±

    The reporters opened their mouths as if they wanted to curse, yet fell uniformly silent.

    Look at this, the Captain Yan of the Zhenhai Team, famously difficult to handle!

    ¡°Qin Meng, I heard that his Dragon Elephant Nirvana Divine Skill has made minor achievements, claiming to be impervious to blades and spears,¡± Yan Yu smoothly returned to the topic and commented, ¡°Unfortunately, the shortcoming of his short hands and legs hasn¡¯t been solved. I think he should also practice sword control technique to address his limited attack range.¡±

    The reporters remained expressionless. Asking a body cultivating cultivator to practice sword control technique? Captain Yan, you sure can say it! The biggest advantage of a body cultivating cultivator lies in their brute strength. Wielding a sword is one thing, but sword control doesn¡¯t rely on human strength, it depends on the depth of True Yuan, so what use is there in him practicing sword control technique?

    ¡°Tang Xiaolian, a cultivator who commands insects, it¡¯s a pity that her Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu has not fully matured, preventing her from participating,¡± Yan Yu said, pausing for a moment, ¡°I wonder who is more powerful between her and our team¡¯s Chen Lingyun, both being envoy cultivators. If there¡¯s a chance, we could arrange a one-on-one duel between them to see who is better.¡±

    Chickens pecking at each other, right? The reporters all looked down silently. Envoy cultivators are famously weak in combat, who would want to watch two envoy cultivators duel?

    ¡°Meng Qingxi¡¯s Kongtong Seal and the newly joined Sword Immortal Hou Qing, because I am not familiar with them, so I won¡¯t comment,¡± Yan Yu said, suddenly turning solemn, ¡°But I think they might very well be Huofeng Team¡¯s secret weapons.¡±

    The reporters felt numb. Writing this down is problematic, not writing it down is also problematic¡­ Report it accurately, and if these two perform terribly in the match, the netizens will come back with retrospective criticism, making a laughingstock of our media!

    But if we don¡¯t report it, what if these two really are secret weapons, aren¡¯t we missing a big scoop?

    Damn it, Captain Yan, are you seriously saying this, or just messing with us?!

    ¡°That¡¯s all,¡± Yan Yu handed the microphone back to the host, then turned and started whispering with Chen Lingyun.

    When the host asked ¡°who¡¯s next for the interview,¡± for a moment, no one responded.

    Everyone was a bit dazed.

 Chapter 478: 74 Huofeng Team Must Win

    Chapter 478: Chapter 74 Huofeng Team Must Win

    ¡°I¡¯d like to ask Deputy Captain Chen.¡± The second journalist took the microphone, cautiously asking, ¡°How confident is Zhenghai Team in winning this match?¡±

    ¡°It seems inappropriate to ask that question here,¡± Chen Lingyun elegantly covered her mouth, chuckling as she said, ¡°after all, this is the venue of the Huofeng Team.¡±

    The crowd: ¡­

    It seemed like she was unwilling to say anything, but in reality, she had answered everything¡ªit would take years of Yin Yang Power to deliver such a response.

    The spokesperson from the Pingxi Army turned pale and hurriedly said:

    ¡°Next, from the Nanchuan Observer.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Deputy Captain Chen, how does Zhenghai Team view the new competition format?¡± a female journalist from Nanchuan Observer took the microphone and asked, ¡°We checked the information disclosed by the Privy Council, and it seems Zhenghai Team is the first in the nation to reach a membership of six. Compared to other teams, does the additional sixth member in the new format significantly benefit Zhenghai Team?¡±

    The surrounding journalists also perked up, ready to hear how Chen Lingyun would respond.

    The question concerning whether the ¡°new format benefits Zhenghai Team¡± actually carried a minor trap within it. Regardless of the answer, merely posing the question would lead some to assume it does. Thus, if Huofeng Team ended up losing later, they could attribute it to ¡°lack of familiarity with the new format,¡± seeing that their sixth member had not been integrated into the team for long, unlike Zhenghai Team which had already adapted to having an additional member.

    The Nanchuan Observer was inherently biased towards supporting the Huofeng Team, so it was only natural and reasonable for them to ask a question that seemed factual on the surface but carried an underlying trap.

    ¡°Regarding the adjustments to the new format, we at Zhenghai Team are obviously very pleased to accept it,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smiling face, calmly continuing, ¡°As is known, the scale of a five-person squad is suitable for balancing overall strength and agile operations. However, due to our captain Yan Yu¡¯s individual style of play, which often deviates from our team¡¯s tactical system, we are usually forced to operate as a four-person squad, which is considerably disadvantageous to us.¡±

    ¡°The new format allows us to add an additional member, filling the frequent absences of our captain and bringing our team closer to the benchmark strength of other teams, embodying the principle of fair and just competition.¡±

    The journalists were collectively at a loss for words: Huh?

    Due to Yan Yu¡¯s frequent sidelining outside the team, you¡¯ve been at a disadvantage under the old format¡­what kind of bizarre rationale is this?

    ¡°This¡­¡± The female journalist was dumbstruck, eventually retorting, ¡°But Captain Yan isn¡¯t slacking or anything when he¡¯s out there alone, right? He¡¯s just operating independently, how does that revert you guys to a four-person squad?¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t remember,¡± Chen Lingyun replied, ¡°you can take a look at our team¡¯s last confrontation match, where we participated as a four-member squad.¡±

    The journalists huddled together. The last simulated confrontation match of Zhenghai Team? It seemed to be against the Flying Dragon Battle Team.

    Damn! It really was a four-person squad versus a five-person squad! Because that time Captain Yan Yu challenged the goalkeeper alone!

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it just because the Flying Dragon Battle Team is relatively weaker¡­¡± The female journalist hadn¡¯t finished speaking when Chen Lingyun already turned to ask the spokesperson from Pingxi:

    ¡°Can a journalist ask three questions?¡±

    ¡°Please pass the microphone to the next person, thank you.¡± Seeing that the journalist from Nanchuan Observer wasn¡¯t a match, the spokesperson quickly moved the topic along.

    The female journalist sheepishly sat down, only to hear a senior colleague beside her lowering their voice and reprimanding, ¡°What was that last remark about? You shouldn¡¯t have said that! The last match between Flying Dragon Battle Team and Dragon Cavalry Team was in the Menyan Cangsong Secret Realm, and now their fan base is not small at all! Your comment will stir up a considerable uproar¡­sigh!¡±

    Struck as if by lightning, the female journalist realized her blunder and her face turned deathly pale.

    The subsequent questions turned out to be rather unremarkable, as everyone already knew that Zhenghai Team was difficult to interview, but each time they personally engaged, there was always a sense of shock at ¡°how they could still dismiss us like that,¡± making it hard to really press forward with their questions.

    As Zhenghai Team left the stage, the freshly made-up Huofeng Team also appeared, sitting in alignment with Captain Zhou and Deputy Captain Zhang in the middle, and the other four members positioned to their left and right.

    Deputy Captain Zhang was known for his tight-lipped responses, often making the journalists rack their brains just to pry his mouth open. However, after experiencing the hellish screening from Zhenghai Team, everyone now found his perpetually expressionless bespectacled face somewhat familiar and affable. Each journalist straightened up, getting ready to question.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to ask Deputy Captain Zhang.¡± The journalist who got the first opportunity to ask a question eagerly stood up and excitedly asked, ¡°Zhenghai Team¡¯s Captain Yan just informed us that Captain Zhou has marked him as a special focus in his friend list, does Captain Zhou have anything to say about this?¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Zhang Huaide took the microphone and answered, ¡°Captain Yan is a cultivator whom all members of our Huofeng Team greatly admire. He has fought for our country on numerous occasions and has made remarkable contributions. Captain Zhou considers Captain Yan as a role model, hoping to learn from his spirit of defending the homeland and to inspire himself to continuously improve, thank you.¡±

    The answer was quite safe and sound, and although it explained why Zhou Hongyu had marked Yan Yu as a special focus among friends, everyone obviously didn¡¯t believe this explanation but couldn¡¯t really find fault with it either.

    ¡°Hello, Deputy Captain Zhang,¡± the second journalist stood up to ask, ¡°Captain Yan Yu has commented that ¡®Your swordsmanship is not up to the mark¡¯ and ¡®You should seriously practice your Sword Control Technique,¡¯ what are your thoughts on this?¡±

    ¡°Haha,¡± Zhang Huaide laughed sincerely, ¡°It¡¯s true, my swordsmanship is indeed not sufficient; I should indeed learn earnestly from Captain Yan.¡±

    The journalists below felt an urge to curse. Zhenghai Team was hoping to keep the comments less sensational and answer inquiries more straightforwardly; but when it came to Huofeng Team, they were wishing these cultivators wouldn¡¯t be so stoic and could say something more surprising¡­otherwise, what could they use for the news!

    Zhou Hongyu admires Yan Yu as a person? Zhang Huaide admits his swordsmanship is insufficient? Those are just useless remarks nobody bothers to read for traffic!

    ¡°May I ask, in the upcoming match against the Zhenhai Team, how confident is the Huofeng Team in securing a victory?¡± A third journalist took the microphone, asking.

    ¡°When teams of our calibre face off, nobody can say they are sure of defeating the opponent,¡± Zhang Huaide replied calmly, ¡°but we will do our utmost to strive for victory.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, but Deputy Captain Chen said¡­¡±

    ¡°Next journalist,¡± Zhang Huaide instructed the host, ¡°one question per person, that¡¯s the rule.¡±

    The fourth journalist fulfilled expectations by asking a question his colleague didn¡¯t have the chance to:

    ¡°When Deputy Captain Chen was asked ¡®whether they were confident in defeating the Zhenhai Team,¡¯ she responded that ¡®it¡¯s inconvenient to answer at the Huofeng Team¡¯s home venue.¡¯ What do you think about this, Deputy Captain Zhang?¡±

    ¡°What she thinks, I¡¯m not quite sure,¡± Zhang Huaide said with a slight smile, ¡°recklessly guessing others¡¯ thoughts isn¡¯t quite appropriate, I suggest you ask her personally.¡±

    The interview with the Zhenhai Team was over, so how could we ask! The journalists below were speechless.

    After a few formal questions, today¡¯s press conference came to an end.

    The TV station broadcasted the proceedings, which indeed attracted considerable attention and discussion from all walks of society.

    The Zhenhai Team critiqued their opponents¡¯ strengths, this being insufficient, that not quite up to par, and when asked how confident they were about winning, they again mentioned they needed to be mindful of the host¡¯s feelings, which infuriated the fans of the Huofeng Team.

    The conservative manner in which Zhang Huaide answered questions added to the fans¡¯ frustrations, making them unable to vent their anger. Consequently, that evening, fans from both regions personally paid out of their own pockets to buy large screen advertisements in the city centers of Shuzhong Prefecture and Yu Prefecture, boldly declaring ¡°Huofeng Team will definitely win.¡± Later, through many short video platforms, countless fans crazily liked and commented, pushing it to an almost sensational level all over the internet.

    But if you think about it, isn¡¯t the slogan ¡°Huofeng Team will definitely win¡± just another way of saying ¡°Zhenhai Team will definitely lose¡±? Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Around 9 p.m., Yan Yu suddenly received a message from Li Zhaojiang.

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: Haha, Old Yan, heard you and Chen Lingyun are getting a lot of flak online?

    [Win Over with Virture]: What news is this? I haven¡¯t heard about it.

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: Why are so many people supporting the Huofeng Team? It feels like everyone is hoping you¡¯ll lose.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: The more they fear something, the more they need to emphasize it. Even the Huofeng Team fans think we¡¯re too much for them tomorrow, which is why they are vigorously boosting morale before the match. Isn¡¯t that strange? Our Zhenhai Team fans don¡¯t need to spend money on publicity, they¡¯re comfortably waiting for us to win the match.

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: Or is it because you¡¯ve done so many bad things, hence the public outrage?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: For example, you¡¯re always worried I¡¯ll steal your sister away, repeatedly telling me not to ¡°fantasize,¡± isn¡¯t that because your sister actually likes me?

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: Eat a banana! My sister like you? That¡¯s a joke.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: How about a bet then?

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: No bet.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Scared?

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: Scared.

    Li Zhaojiang, this rascal, actually quite honest¡­ Yan Yu was amused when Li Zhaojiang sent another message.

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: My sister has been resting recently, but she insists on watching your match tomorrow. You better watch your performance, don¡¯t screw up and get easily defeated by Zhou Hongyu, affecting my sister¡¯s mood and recovery. If so, I¡¯ll bring a cleaver to Jinling and end you!

    [Win Over with Virtue]: If you kill me, wouldn¡¯t that make your sister a widow?

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: Nonsense! My sister, just twenty, known far and wide for her beauty and virtues, who in a hundred miles doesn¡¯t know and admire her? There¡¯s a line from Prince Xing all the way to Yi¡¯an for those wanting to pursue her, capiche?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Really? Then I better hurry up and confess to your sister, before those guys get ahead of me.

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: I¡¯ll really kill you, you know!

 Chapter 485: 81: One-on-One Duel to Decide the Winner

    Chapter 485: Chapter 81: One-on-One Duel to Decide the Winner

    Indeed, ever since the entire Zhenhai Team gathered, there hasn¡¯t been much suspense in this match.

    Although no one had been lost up to now, Zhou Hongyu¡¯s True Yuan was already running low. Qin Meng, too, had expended a great amount of True Yuan in covering everyone¡¯s move to join Zhang Huaide.

    Looking at the opposing Zhenhai Team, the one with the least True Yuan was actually Yan Yu, the Sword Immortal¡­

    ¡°No, we can¡¯t retreat like this,¡± Zhou Hongyu suddenly said.

    ¡°What do you suggest, Captain Zhou?¡± Meng Qingxi asked.

    ¡°If we pull back to join Huaide, can we win?¡± Zhou Hongyu asked seriously.

    ...

    Everyone was speechless.

    The Heart Demon delights in feeding on the seven emotions and six desires of people, so it tends to attack those who easily leak their emotions. Among the two teams from Zhenhai, Zhou Hongyu, who couldn¡¯t control her own temper, was surely the primary target the Heart Demon would choose.

    Zhang Huaide had Zhou lead people to chase after Captain Yan just to separate her from the Heart Demon. Otherwise, letting her stay by the Heart Demon¡¯s side, allowing it to consume more and more emotions and grow stronger, would no longer just be a matter of competition outcome; it would become an issue of whether this mysterious realm could be conquered at all.

    Even in a simulated confrontation in a mysterious realm, the premise must be that the realm has to be conquered; one absolutely cannot put the cart before the horse.

    Though the Cultivator Athletic League is nominally about ¡°athletics,¡± everyone was clear about their identities and could not really take the competition outcome as everything.

    ¡°Yan Yu!¡± Zhou Hongyu suddenly turned her head and called out, ¡°Let¡¯s settle this match with a duel between us two, do you dare?¡±

    ¡°Bring it on.¡± Before the girls could speak, Yan Yu had already agreed, ¡°Just don¡¯t back out if you lose.¡±

    ¡°Whoever backs out is a dog,¡± Zhou Hongyu said coldly.

    ¡°This is too childish!¡± Lin Ning couldn¡¯t help but complain, ¡°Ling Yun, try to persuade the captain!¡±

    ¡°But I support her though,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    While they had been chasing the Huofeng Team, she had already communicated with Yan Yu and roughly understood the situation.

    With Chen Lingyun¡¯s intelligence, she naturally realized that Zhou Hongyu was completely unsuitable to approach the goalkeeper at that moment, so Zhang Huaide and Hou Qing couldn¡¯t be spared either.

    The current situation was six against four, and on this side, both Zhou Hongyu and Qin Meng were low on True Yuan. Thus, whether it was a group attack or a duel, the Huofeng Team was almost certainly going to lose.

    Since their side was already winning, it was better to give the Pingxi Army a break. Considering that the impact of losing a duel versus a total team wipeout on live broadcast to the public was completely different, letting Zhou Hongyu lose the duel would also save face for the Pingxi Army.

    So everyone stepped back, leaving only Yan Yu and Zhou Hongyu in the middle of the corridor, ready to duel to determine the victor.

    In the live broadcast room, the two commentators looked at each other. Zhou Erhe was the first to ask:

    ¡°This¡­after all, it¡¯s a competition, and it¡¯s under the public eye. Isn¡¯t deciding the outcome by a duel a bit unorthodox?¡±

    Xu Dongming, who was a bit more tactful, simply smiled and said:

    ¡°Whether it¡¯s unorthodox or not, I believe the Cultivator Athletic League will provide a reasonable explanation after the match. Let¡¯s watch the match for now¡­ Zhou Hongyu takes the first move! Flame Spear!¡±

    Now that Zhou Hongyu didn¡¯t have much True Yuan left inside her, she also didn¡¯t plan to engage in a war of attrition with Yan Yu. Instead, she directly threw three Flame Spears in quick succession.

    One soared upward, landing behind him to block his retreat; one shot low, aiming in front of him to prevent close-range attacks; and one went directly toward his position¡ªto utilize the narrow layout of the Underground Palace corridors to form a wide-ranging bombardment with three Flame Spears, leaving Yan Yu with no place to hide!

    But Yan Yu was faster than her. Before Zhou Hongyu even started shaping the flames into the form of long spears, he had already used the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step to rapidly charge forward.

    By the time the three Flame Spears hit the ground, he had already left them behind!

    Yan Yu had closed the distance in front, while Zhou Hongyu, instead of retreating, advanced a step forward, abruptly swinging her head, pulling the flames into a huge fan shape, striking straight toward Yan Yu¡¯s chest.

    Phoenix Sword!

    Before the Phoenix Sword could blaze forth, Yan Yu had already shifted from charging to swiftly retreating. But the cunning step Zhou Hongyu took as she cast the spell matched his retreat well, almost entirely offsetting his movement.

    Just as the Phoenix Sword was about to strike Yan Yu, another cold light flared up. It was the Huang Tingjian positioned in front of Yan Yu, with the tip hanging down pointing to the ground, the broad and flat blade of the sword forming a shield, much like the ¡°Sword Shield Tactic¡± Xie Ruoxi had learned from the Mirror Lake Divine Palace in the past, designed to block the flames of the Phoenix Sword for Yan Yu.

    Intense heatwaves surged from both sides of the sword, swiftly passing in front and behind Yan Yu¡ªhis physique was far from the delicate build of Xie Ruoxi, and with Huang Tingjian and Heavenly Origin Sword similar in size, they originally couldn¡¯t block the flames entirely for him. However, with just a simple turn to the side, reducing his cross-sectional area, he managed to perfectly dodge them.

    Zhou Hongyu saw him use the sword to block the fire, and just as her Phoenix Sword technique had ended, she hurriedly shot out another Flame Spear in pursuit. The flames had not yet been released from her nostrils when suddenly the Huang Tingjian expanded!

    Unexpectedly, it was Yan Yu who had been hiding behind the sword; the instant the Phoenix Sword technique ended, he activated the Curved Curse and stepped forward to throw a punch!

    This punch landed on the Huang Tingjian, immediately propelling it with high speed like a cannonball, its spine fiercely striking Zhou Hongyu¡¯s face, not only dispersing all the Fire-Attribute True Essence gathered in her throat but also breaking her nasal bone. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Zhou Hongyu instantly fell backward, and when she tried to force herself up, blood was already streaming from her nostrils.

    Although she looked completely disheveled, it did not diminish her stunning beauty. Unfortunately, the beauty in her eyes was raging fire, her silver teeth clenched, and she harbored no more goodwill towards Yan Yu, muttering resentfully,

    ¡°Shameless!¡±

    If Yan Yu had chosen to attack with Sword Control, with Huang Tingjian transitioning from a defensive to an offensive stance, she would definitely have reacted in time¡­ But who would have guessed Yan Yu would use his Flying Sword as a cannonball?

    ¡°What¡¯s shameless?¡± Yan Yu burst into laughter, ¡°This is tactics! Your own mind is obviously incapable of grasping the cunning of tactics; you need little Zhang to explain it to you. Oh, Zhang isn¡¯t here, no wonder you can¡¯t understand it.¡±

    Zhou Hongyu knew she was at a logical deficit, and with Tang Xiaolian¡¯s help, she reluctantly stood up, not speaking, but just enduring the agonizing pain as she glared fixedly at Yan Yu.

    ¡°Willing to admit defeat?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Admitted, admitted!¡± Tang Xiaolian hastily exclaimed, worried that Zhou Hongyu would say ¡®I can still fight,¡¯ ¡°Hurry up and treat our Captain Zhou!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Su Yunjin spoke up, ¡°It¡¯s not a very serious injury.¡±

    If it had been before, Zhou Hongyu would likely have rejected the offer. After all, she and Su Yunjin weren¡¯t acquainted, and there was still the Pingxi Army¡¯s medical team outside the arena.

    But to Yan Yu¡¯s surprise, this girl didn¡¯t continue to act tough; instead, she just clenched her teeth while letting Yun Jin reset her nasal bone and stop the bleeding from her nose.

    ¡°¡­How do you usually tolerate such a person?¡± Su Yunjin was treating her wounds when suddenly she heard her whisper questioningly.

    ¡°Well, the captain is actually a good person,¡± she gently replied, ¡°One shouldn¡¯t judge a person¡¯s character based on whether they speak nicely or not.¡±

    Zhou Hongyu fell silent, remembering the previous incident when he had helped her expel a residing Heart Demon; she was momentarily at a loss for words.

    ¡°All done,¡± Su Yunjin stood up.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Zhou Hongyu nodded.

    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong with you!¡± Yan Yu exclaimed in shock, ¡°You¡¯re actually saying ¡®thank you¡¯? You look just like little Zhou, but your temper is completely different. Who exactly are you?¡±

    Zhou Hongyu didn¡¯t answer, just glared fiercely at him.

    ¡°Captain, could you speak less!¡± Lin Ning pulled on his arm beside him, ¡°You¡¯ve already won, be a little gracious, will you! Don¡¯t stir up unnecessary enmity!¡±

    Faced with Yan Yu¡¯s gloat, the member expressions of the Huofeng Team remained unchanged as usual.

    Meng Qingxi was used to losing, Qin Meng was more concerned about how severe Zhou Hongyu¡¯s injuries were, while Tang Xiaolian¡­ under normal circumstances, this girl would be the most distraught in the team when they faced any setback. However, now she was moving in front of Yan Yu, not hiding her complaints,

    ¡°Exactly, couldn¡¯t you leave us some dignity? We¡¯re acquaintances after all!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s precisely because I gave you face that I agreed to settle the match with a duel,¡± Yan Yu said nonchalantly, ¡°Otherwise, you would have been the one knocked to the ground along with little Zhou!¡±

    ¡°Captain Yan, you¡¯re threatening me!¡± Tang Xiaolian huffed, ¡°You¡¯re done for! When my bugs grow up, I¡¯m going to have them bite you!¡±

    Seeing this girl flirt openly with Yan Yu, the girls from Zhenhai Team grew extremely wary in their hearts.

    These two had only teamed up for one mission in the Mysterious Realm; how had they grown so intimate? Earlier, the captain was merely chatting with her online, and it wasn¡¯t noticeable, but now, seeing Tang Xiaolian¡¯s tone and demeanor, it was clear she was extremely interested in the captain!

    Others just thought about it silently, but Zhao Yuanzhen, who couldn¡¯t hide her feelings, immediately glared and said,

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡± Yan Yu waved his hand, interrupting the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s outburst, ¡°We¡¯ve won the match, let¡¯s go deal with the goalkeeper!¡±

 Chapter 486: 82: Great Thunder Hole

    Chapter 486: Chapter 82: Great Thunder Hole

    The Huofeng Team members stayed put, accompanying Zhou Hongyu as she received treatment from the medical team off the field.

    Yan Yu, however, led his teammates towards the direction of the Great Hero Treasure Hall.

    ¡°When dealing with a Heart Demon, you only need to remember these two points,¡± he communicated telepathically to everyone, ¡°Do not let it touch your body, and avoid intense emotions, endure until you grind it down. Any questions?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Lin Ning asked bluntly, ¡°What counts as an intense emotion? Is there a quantifiable standard?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to describe right now, but you will understand when you face the Heart Demon,¡± Yan Yu replied. ¡°A Heart Demon will amplify your emotions, whether it¡¯s happiness, sadness, desire, or fear. Suppose something normally causes a 10% emotional fluctuation in you, but with a Heart Demon, it could increase that to 30% or even 40%.¡±

    ¡°When you notice that you suddenly become easily agitated and find it hard to control your emotions, that¡¯s when you¡¯ll know the Heart Demon is at work.¡±

    ...

    After contemplating for a moment, Lin Ning said,

    ¡°That means, even if we can¡¯t detect it on our own, we can still keep an eye on each other.¡±

    ¡°If you see someone¡¯s expressions becoming very unstable, that¡¯s likely due to the influence of the Heart Demon, right?¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu answered.

    In fact, there was a more direct method¡ªvisualizing the Sea of Consciousness, inspecting oneself¡­ but that required training, which couldn¡¯t be taught to the girls in a short period of time.

    The attack power of a Heart Demon was not actually very strong; the difficulty lay in the fact that it was a spiritual life form, skilled in hiding and stirring emotions silently. As long as they were psychologically prepared, it was not too challenging to counter.

    The group finally arrived at the Great Hero Treasure Hall, only to see Zhang Huaide and Hou Qing maintaining poker faces as they used their swords, parrying the Heart Demon¡¯s attacks like they were playing badminton.

    Yan Yu found it somewhat amusing to watch. This was a typical novice characteristic in dealing with a Heart Demon, thinking that maintaining a stoic expression would help control inner emotions¡ªthe reality was actually the opposite.

    As long as one¡¯s heart was devoid of ripples, the expression on the face didn¡¯t really matter.

    When the Zhenhai Team members arrived, Zhang Huaide also realized his team had lost the match.

    A faint regret arose from the bottom of his heart, but he quickly suppressed it and communicated with Yan Yu telepathically:

    ¡°Captain Yan, are you guys taking over?¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°We can¡¯t just let you two Sword Immortals handle the Heart Demon.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Hou Qing,¡± Zhang Huaide communicated, ¡°we¡¯ll find Captain Zhou.¡±

    The two swiftly exited the Great Hero Treasure Hall, allowing Yan Yu and Lin Ning to quickly fill their positions to continue cornering the Heart Demon.

    The Heart Demon, seeing Yan Yu approach again, seemed somewhat frustrated. This man¡¯s ¡°Brain Closure Technique¡± was far superior to the previous two.

    But the girl beside him was much simpler, almost like a blank sheet of paper compared to him.

    In the Human Race, Heart Demons favored females over males because females tend to be more emotional, have richer emotions, and find it harder to hide their thoughts. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Thinking this, the Heart Demon suddenly turned its head and lunged at Lin Ning, activating its innate spell at the same time.

    Lin Ning was about to block with her Green Bamboo Sword when suddenly, numerous images flashed through her mind:

    Prior to the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm, the captain carried her and placed her on the conference table¡­

    In the mysterious realm of Mirror Lake Divine Palace, having my feelings exposed and weeping, I was consoled by the captain, which made me feel better¡­

    During New Year¡¯s, on the rooftop of our ancestral home next door, I hinted at my feelings to the captain but he pretended to be oblivious, infuriating me so much that I pounced on him, clawing and biting¡­

    Although I knew I had to suppress my emotions, seeing those memories with the captain, Lin Ning couldn¡¯t hold back, and she suddenly felt a surge of embarrassment and grievance, nearly bursting into tears again.

    ¡°Fuck, you¡­¡± Yan Yu saw the heart demon suddenly become ferocious, and guessing that Lin Ning had lost control, promptly urged the Liang Yi sword to move even faster, separating Lin Ning and the heart demon. He shouted, ¡°Ningning, get down! Zhao, come here!¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen quickly stepped forward to take over, trying to hold back the heart demon for Lin Ning.

    Upon inspecting her, the heart demon was overjoyed:

    This woman¡¯s emotions are so abundant; they¡¯re even stronger than those of the previous woman!

    It was simply a supreme delicacy!

    It quickly cast a spell, and thus, in the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s mind, a theatre of images also emerged:

    There she saw a little thief with Yun Jin in his left arm and Ningning in his right, with one leg over Ling Yun and the other over Ruoxi, allowing them to massage him while he laughed and said:

    ¡°How delightful, how delightful! This is the utmost fortune a man could dream of! What about Daoist couple? What about Yuanzhen? Don¡¯t remember, they are strangers I don¡¯t know¡­¡±

    Thinking this, the Demonic Sect Enchantress couldn¡¯t contain herself and roared, ¡°I¡¯m going to explode with you,¡± attacking Yan Yu directly with the Yin Wind Sword.

    The people around were greatly shocked, thinking Zhao had been controlled by the heart demon, and hurriedly rushed to help in a panic.

    Chen Lingyun shook the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner, summoning Black Impermanence. Black Impermanence threw out the Soul Arresting Chain and firmly tied up Zhao Yuanzhen. White Impermanence, holding the Book of Life and Death, swiftly flipped through it, and shot out a Soul-hooking Nether Light, hitting Zhao Yuanzhen squarely in the forehead and sealing her Sea of Consciousness, preventing her from causing further disturbances.

    Su Yunjin also cast the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, calling forth the vast celestial river, trying to physically confine the heart demon and buy time for her teammates.

    However, the heart demon had thoroughly feasted on Lin Ning¡¯s embarrassment and also heavily nourished itself with Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s jealousy. It not only restored all the health it lost during the fierce battle with Zhang Huaide and Hou Qing but also advanced its magic cultivation significantly. Its formless body of black smoke swelled enormously, and with a robust surge, it pushed aside the surrounding floods, cackling as it lunged at Yun Jin.

    Su Yunjin inwardly cursed in dismay, frantically trying to control her thoughts. However, many images surged into her mind, all depicting her leisurely fantasizing about a sweet, cozy retired life with the captain.

    She would water the plants at home while he lay on the couch playing with his phone; after watering, she would then go over to give him a knee pillow, letting him rest on her thighs while she quietly read a book; feeling playful, she would bend down for a kiss; and when tired, they would both lie on the couch, cuddling sticky and sweet, sleeping their days away¡­

    Oh no, how awful!

    Even though she knew those were false illusions, the happiness and sweetness still made it difficult for Su Yunjin to let go, her mind racing uncontrollably.

    It wasn¡¯t until Yan Yu furiously shouted, breaking her beautiful illusions completely:

    ¡°Fuck! You all teamed up to play me, haven¡¯t you!!!¡±

    After consuming more of Su Yunjin¡¯s joy and sweetness, the heart demon had swollen to twice its size. It wasn¡¯t just a major boost in its magic cultivation, but its body also solidified, almost filling up half of the Great Hero Treasure Hall.

    The people quickly intensified their offensive, but despite their best efforts, they were still unable to suppress their emotions, causing less damage to the heart demon than the nourishment they provided it.

    Seeing the heart demon growing larger, Yan Yu could only resort to a treasured trump card¡ªhe rushed to Xie Ruoxi¡¯s side and urged her:

    ¡°Quick, Big Thunder Hole!¡±

 Chapter 487: 83: The Old Wall Lamp (Additional Update)

    Chapter 487: Chapter 83: The Old Wall Lamp (Additional Update)

    ¡°Isn¡¯t the use of Thunder Method prohibited?¡± Xie Ruoxi exclaimed in shock.

    ¡°Quickly use the Big Hole Thunder on it!¡± Yan Yu had no time to waste explaining, shouting fiercely.

    Xie Ruoxi had no choice but to hold her breath and concentrate, forming the Big Hole Thunder Light in her hand, shouting as she threw it towards the direction of the Heart Demon.

    Her aim was still poor, the trajectory of the Thunder Method flying off course, but fortunately, at that moment the Heart Demon was swollen with absorbed emotions, as large as a giant elephant, so it didn¡¯t really require careful aiming.

    With a sound like a firecracker exploding, the spot where the Big Hole Thunder struck suddenly cleared of all the black smoke, creating a hollow as if carved out from a huge black bean paste bun.

    The Heart Demon immediately let out a miserable wail, its shrill screams shaking the entire Great Hero Treasure Hall.

    ...

    From the moment it broke free until now, the attacks from Yan Yu, Zhang Huaide, Hou Qing, Lin Ning, Su Yunjin¡­ all combined, did less damage to it than that single Thunder Method from Xie Ruoxi.

    But it quickly cast a magic spell, its body made of black smoke violently swirling to fill the hole made by the Thunder Method, though its body became slightly smaller.

    It then turned around and pounced towards Xie Ruoxi, deploying its Illusion Technique in full force, rapidly probing deep into Xie Ruoxi¡¯s mind.

    This young lady¡¯s Dao Heart flaw was¡­ fear!

    Just like Lin Ning¡¯s unchangeable trait of being overly sensitive, Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s excessive possessiveness, Su Yunjin¡¯s irresistible attraction to sweet love, Xie Ruoxi also had a very obvious weakness¡ªshe was too timid and fragile, making her an easy target for the Heart Demon.

    Driven by innate magic, endless fears began surfacing in Xie Ruoxi¡¯s mind, and with it, numerous illusions appeared before her, as if she was back in the Secret Realm of Li Palace, surrounded by a murderous army, completely encircled with no way out.

    However, this time there was no Yan Yu to save her.

    An overwhelming array of attacks came at her, and Xie Ruoxi felt her limbs go cold and numb, her mind went blank, uncontrollable fear welling up from the depths of her heart, which was then immediately drawn out by the Heart Demon, significantly increasing its magic power, causing its body to swell once again.

    Seeing this, Yan Yu was left speechless, thinking to himself that his comrades were simply not up to par mentally, wondering if it might be best to retreat this time¡­ Just then, Xie Ruoxi, caught in the midst of the terrifying illusions, suddenly let out a hysterical scream, conjuring thunder orbs with both hands, blindly and indiscriminately throwing them forward, firing one after another as if True Yuan cost her nothing.

    Thunder Method in Gatling unlimited firing mode!

    Even Yan Yu, striving to suppress his emotions, was nearly scared out of his wits, quickly deploying the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step and Dual Sword Control Technique with all his might, frantically dashing around to manage the crisis¡ªthis crazily beautiful waste was casting spells without any accuracy, completely disregarding whether she would hit her teammates, forcing Yan Yu to quickly intercept with his Flying Sword.

    It¡¯s done for, can¡¯t intercept!

    The force of the Thunder Method was simply too strong, and the Huang Tingjian was knocked flying from one end of the Great Hero Treasure Hall to the other with just one block, making interception impossible.

    Yan Yu swiftly abandoned the interception plan, deployed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, and flashed behind Xie Ruoxi, grabbing her tightly.

    Thunder God pilot, online!

    He grabbed Xie Ruoxi¡¯s uncontrollable arms with both hands, aiming dead center at the Heart Demon in the hall, like a machine gunner bracing against the recoil.

    Fire!

    Four or five Big Hole Thunders, with Yan Yu¡¯s guided aiming, hit the demon accurately, completely shattering its massive body. Then, six or seven more Thunder Methods struck the back wall of the hall, blasting a huge hole into it.

    Xie Ruoxi finally stopped, panting heavily.

    Out of True Yuan.

    Uh?

    Why is the team leader hugging me from behind?

    Before she could even blush and say something, Yan Yu quickly pushed her away.

    He looked toward the area where the demon had been struck down and saw nothing, realizing his judgment was wrong.

    The opponent was not the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper.

    So¡­ where is the Gatekeeper?

    With the demon¡¯s illusion technique no longer disrupting them, the girls finally calmed down, looked at Yan Yu and Xie Ruoxi, and then turned their attention to the large hole behind the hall.

    Suddenly, they heard a faint sigh that seemed to come from the hole, yet also seemed to echo next to their ears:

    ¡°Like mist and like lightning, like dreams and like illusions. Love, hate, anger, ignorance¡ªall the sufferings of the human world originate from these.¡±

    A monk in a kasaya emerged from the hole, his skin fair and his features square, but his eyes were narrow and sly, resembling a fox, not seeming benevolent.

    There were no cultivators in the Mysterious Realm, so this monk was most likely an ¡°Incarnate of Intent,¡± similar to that Chen Mingyan and Chen Dandan, representing a thought or a memory left by a powerful being.

    However, the leader of the Subjugation of Demons Zen wasn¡¯t someone easy to speak with¡­

    ¡°May I ask the venerable one¡¯s name?¡± Yan Yu asked, his expression growing solemn.

    The monk raised his right hand, making a gesture of holding a flower, and said with a smile:

    ¡°This poor monk¡¯s dharma name is ¡®Miaogao Lamp.''¡±

    ¡°So it is Venerable Miaogao Lamp.¡± Yan Yu¡¯s mind grew heavy as he bowed with his hands clasped and said, ¡°I am Yan Yu, and I wish to learn from your esteemed self alone.¡±

    He then transmitted a message to the girls: S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°You go ahead, I¡¯ll handle him.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving!¡± Before the others could speak, Lin Ning was the first to refuse, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say earlier that you needed to rest? How much True Yuan do you still have? Can you withstand it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not joking with you,¡± Yan Yu said, frustrated, ¡°Venerable Miaogao Lamp is one of the Five Hundred Demon Arhats of Subjugation of Demons Zen. Even though he¡¯s merely an incarnated thought, he¡¯s not someone you can deal with now!¡±

    ¡°The guest is indeed courageous.¡± Lin Ning hadn¡¯t had the chance to ask further when she heard the Venerable Miaogao Lamp in front of them chuckle, ¡°But they can¡¯t leave.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Yan Yu frowned.

    ¡°Because they already have deep-rooted demon seeds,¡± Venerable Miaogao Lamp said with a light smile. ¡°Just now, my nurtured illusion demon managed to make them lose their minds and shake their Dao foundation. If they are let out, and other demons occupy their consciousness outside, I¡¯m afraid they will harm humanity and bring disaster to the world, which I would rather avoid.¡±

    After saying this, he took out a glazed lamp, smiling and said:

    ¡°How about all of you noble ladies enter this Miaogao Lamp of mine, be refined for a cycle, then shed the demon roots, transform into lamp oil, and enjoy endless bright joy? Wouldn¡¯t that be wonderful?¡±

    All the girls changed their expressions, thinking to themselves about what ¡°shedding the demon roots¡± meant¡ªthey would essentially be killed.

    Yan Yu sighed deeply to himself and silently transmitted a message to Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°Can you contact the Huofeng Team outside?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s mind stirred, and she asked, ¡°Do you need reinforcements?¡±

    ¡°Tell them to leave as soon as possible,¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°Without the nerve center of the Mysterious Realm, they can¡¯t leave, can they?¡± Chen Lingyun reminded him.

    ¡°Try to get as far away as possible,¡± Yan Yu corrected.

    ¡°How tough is this Venerable Miaogao Lamp to deal with?¡± Chen Lingyun asked, furrowing her brow.

    ¡°Just as he has stated,¡± Yan Yu calmly replied.

    ¡°With your current strength, to face him alone would qualify you as potential lamp oil.¡±

 Chapter 488: 84 Enchantress Turns Into a Plaintiff

    Chapter 488: Chapter 84 Enchantress Turns Into a Plaintiff

    Although Yan Yu was speaking to Chen Lingyun, he also used his divine sense to lock onto the others, so everyone could hear the conversation between the two.

    Is this esteemed Mysterious High Lamp master really so terrifying?

    The only completely unstoppable foe we¡¯ve encountered so far was the Sword Control master Mei Yingxue in The Secret Realm of Li Palace.

    In the current state of Spiritual Energy Resurgence Level, it¡¯s impossible to encounter anything as absurd as an Infant Soul master condescending to cut down Foundation Establishment cultivators. Mei Yingxue was characterized by her extreme speed¡ªso fast that you simply couldn¡¯t react in time, which made her an ¡°absolutely unstoppable enemy.¡±

    According to Yan Yu, this ¡°Mysterious High Lamp master¡± is probably an enemy of that caliber as well.

    Moreover, this mysterious realm is not a test-type one, so the level of danger is even more exaggerated than the time with Mei Yingxue, which is why Yan Yu asked everyone to leave first¡­ However, this demon monk BOSS wouldn¡¯t let them go, so there was nothing to be done.

    ...

    Lin Ning quickly stood in front of everyone, the Green Bamboo Sword flying high, aiming directly at the Mysterious High Lamp master, her face filled with a high-spirited will to fight and unyielding determination.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was slightly behind her, also controlling the Yin Wind Sword in the air, and took out the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer, although inwardly she had some doubts.

    She instinctively sensed that this Mysterious High Lamp master was not an easy adversary.

    I shouldn¡¯t rush to attack, let the little thief test the waters first, and I¡¯ll just follow Ling Yun¡¯s command.

    Su Yunjin stood behind Zhao Yuanzhen, also ready for battle, carefully assessing the surroundings.

    The Great Hero Treasure Hall is spacious, deploying the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art won¡¯t have the exaggerated effect like it did in the passage before.

    But as long as the captain is here, I¡¯m not afraid.

    Chen Lingyun stood shoulder to shoulder with Su Yunjin, holding the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner in the left hand and prayer beads in the right, with Black and White Impermanence standing guard on either side as she silently mulled things over.

    Xie Ruoxi hid behind the two, trembling from the tense and lethal ambiance, yet not so scared that she was utterly immobilized. She kept popping Qi-boosting Elixir Medicine into her mouth, tears nearly falling.

    It¡¯s over, it¡¯s over, I¡¯m going to die, I shouldn¡¯t have used so much Thunder Method before¡­ she cried out in her heart.

    The situation on the field was so tense it could explode at any second, and the live broadcast outside boiled over once again.

    The audience was initially looking forward to the confrontation between Zhenhai and Huofeng teams, cheerfully waiting to see the cultivators from both teams use all their methods, display their divine skills, and stage an earth-shattering showdown. What they didn¡¯t expect was that this great play would start with the duel between the two captains, and also end with a duel between the two captains.

    Where is the promised excitement? We only saw Zhou Hongyu being blown up by Yan Yu again, not exciting enough!

    Especially the fans of the Huofeng Team, after Zhou Hongyu was defeated with a bloody nose, most of them left a cursing comment and indignantly left the live broadcast.

    Nobody expected the real show was still to come. First, they fought the demon so perilously, and after defeating the demon, out came a demon monk¡­ Okay, quickly take away the utterly defeated Huofeng Team, we want to see Zhenhai Team fight the mysterious realm BOSS!

    At that, the Mysterious High Lamp master smiled slightly, shaking the Glazed Lamp in his hand, gently shaking off thousands of candle flames.

    Suddenly there was a vast expanse of lamp blossoms in the air, swaying candle flames, dazzling lights, forming a bright ocean of light, raining down from heaven!

    Just as everyone was about to dodge promptly, they heard Chen Lingyun command:

    ¡°Deploy the Tidal Division with full force.¡±

    Su Yunjin immediately formed the Taoist Incantation while taking a deep breath, and her True Yuan surged wildly throughout her body.

    Her aptitude for cultivation was excellent. Although not as remarkable as Xie Ruoxi, she could still boast of ¡°abundant True Yuan,¡± otherwise, Yan Yu wouldn¡¯t have directed her on the path of a Magic Cultivator. Usually, her practice was like using a ¡°scalpel,¡± aiming to use the least True Yuan to fight the biggest battle, so the visual effects were not very noticeable.

    Now, hearing the command to ¡°cast with full force¡± for the first time, she didn¡¯t dare to hold back and immediately urged the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art with full power. In an instant, the entire hall was overwhelmed with a torrential flood, raging waves, and violent tides, savagely striking towards the descending sea of lamp flames!

    Amidst the clash of water and fire, a huge amount of white smoke burst out, carrying water vapor rising, clouds curling around, and still counteracting the forthcoming sea of lamp flames, the lights in the clouds twinkling like a brilliant galaxy, a magnificent spectacle of dueling magical powers!

    The audience outside the live broadcast room was amazed, quickly calling their friends to gather and watch, and the recently dropped online viewing numbers climbed once again.

    Inside, Su Yunjin¡¯s felt a sinking feeling in her heart, as the power of the vast lamp flames was just too great. Even her full-force Tidal Division was unable to extinguish these lamp flames completely but merely resisted them.

    This showed that if those lamp flames were to fall, the scene would be terribly dreadful!

    She continued to maintain the output of True Yuan, controlling the tumultuous flood to resist the lamp flames, and secretly took out a pill to restore True Yuan, joining Xie Ruoxi¡¯s team of medicine popping.

    Chen Lingyun observed in silence, and seeing that Su Yunjin¡¯s Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art could hold up the vast lamp flames, she immediately instructed everyone to launch an attack.

    Four Flying Swords rose in the air, attacking the demon monk from different directions, aiming to make him overwhelmed from all sides. Yet, the Mysterious High Lamp master was unruffled, continuing to hold the Colored Glaze Lamp in his right hand, gently shaking off candle flames while the left hand tapped against the lamp.

    With each tap, a ball of flame would transform from the lamp, taking the shape of dragons, tigers, leopards, elephants, rhinos, crocodiles, and many other fierce beasts in the air. Then, growing larger in the wind, swelling to three or four meters in length, they ignored the various Flying Swords that came attacking and instead, with fierce gestures, rapidly pounced towards Lin Ning and the others.

    Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen, seeing this scene, instantly realized that even if they risked letting the Flying Sword approach, they might not be able to kill the wondrous high lamp venerable with one strike (the other party might have other tricks up their sleeve). Instead, if they were bitten by these flame beasts, the outcome would undoubtedly be unpleasant, so they quickly urged the Flying Sword to return to defend.

    Only Yan Yu continued to pinch sword techniques with both hands, persisting in driving the Huang Ting and Liang Yi Twin Swords towards the opponent, heedless of the flame beasts charging at him.

    The wondrous high lamp venerable suddenly spun the colored glaze lamp, releasing a large swath of condensed Buddha¡¯s Light, which, like silk ribbons, whirled and danced in the air, clashing with the attacking Huang Ting and Liang Yi Twin Swords, causing a clear, metallic jingle.

    This colored glaze lamp was versatile in both attack and defense, full of profound mysteries. Faced with the combined efforts of the Zhenhai Team, it revealed not the slightest flaw!

    At the training base of the Dragon Soar Team, everyone watching the live broadcast saw the wondrous high lamp venerable standing unmoving, bearing many attacks from the Zhenhai Team without showing any sign of weakness. For a moment, they were all dumbstruck and speechless.

    ¡°Wait a second,¡± Yang Linhui suddenly asked, ¡°Doesn¡¯t the oil lamp that the goalkeeper is holding look a bit like the one Ye Jun got from The Secret Realm of Li Palace?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Ye Jun quickly took out the magic treasure for the whole team to closely observe and compare it with the one in the broadcast.

    It wasn¡¯t just similar, it was almost identical.

    The only difference was that the lamp in Ye Jun¡¯s hand was extremely old, not only was the glass cover smeared with soot, but the flame within was as thin as flying fireflies, seemingly about to extinguish at any moment.

    However, the flame in the lamp held by the monk in the television was exceptionally bright, regardless of how he shook, spun, or struck it, there were no signs of it weakening or going out.

    ¡°When activated, my oil lamp treasure can indeed emit a flame, but it can¡¯t transform into the shape of ferocious beasts,¡± Ye Jun explained to everyone. ¡°Nor can it turn into a sky full of fiery rain falling down; so far, it¡¯s just a regular attack similar to the Flame Curse.¡±

    ¡°It probably just needs to be upgraded,¡± Ai Lu speculated.

    ¡°Upgrade what?¡± Guo Feiyun asked in stunned disbelief.

    ¡°Stop!¡± Liu Longtao quickly called a halt. ¡°What are you all talking about? Just watch how old Yan deals with it.¡±

    Despite the extreme supernatural powers shown by the wondrous high lamp venerable¡¯s magic treasure on the field, the members of the Dragon Soar Team still firmly believed that Yan Yu could win.

    There was no basis, just belief, the kind that relied purely on instinct.

    The next second, both Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun made their move simultaneously!

    By Chen Lingyun¡¯s side, the Black and White Impermanence moved together, the Soul-hooking Dark Light and Soul Arresting Chain shot out from both sides, aiming at the demon monk.

    The wondrous high lamp venerable wore a smile, lightly tapped the lamp shell, and split off two flames to confront them. One shattered the Soul-hooking Dark Light, and the other collided directly with the Soul Arresting Chain, burning quickly along the chain, forcing Black Impermanence to let go and flee into the Prison Banner to narrowly escape disaster.

    But Chen Lingyun had already achieved her tactical objective. The enemy had to redirect the flames to deal with her attack, leaving no time to summon more flame beasts.

    Lin Ning and Zhao Yuanzhen had already received Chen Lingyun¡¯s instructions and, taking advantage of the momentary ease in battlefield pressure, rapidly fired the Green Bamboo and Yin Wind Twin Swords.

    Yet, the wondrous high lamp venerable spun the lamp again, astonishingly drawing out a second ray of thick, dazzling Buddha¡¯s Light, blocking the Twin Swords completely.

    ¡°Now¡¯s the time!¡± Following Chen Lingyun¡¯s command, Zhao Yuanzhen had already brought out the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer.

    This magic treasure, while slower than a Flying Sword, possessed a unique attribute: armor breaking.

    Whether it was the armor magic treasure of the Chongying samurai, Ye Jun¡¯s Xuan Guang Ruler¡¯s Lamp Blossom Shield, or the demon monk¡¯s Buddha Light silk ribbons, any defensive effect was naturally countered by its special property!

    The White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer smashed into the Buddha¡¯s Light, easily piercing through it without hindrance, with unyielding momentum charging towards the wondrous high lamp venerable¡¯s crown, seemingly about to shatter it the next second! Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yet, the opponent still wore an unchanged smile, calmly stretching out a hand as white as jade, catching the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer in his grasp, with Demonic Flame flaring up between his fingers.

    Zhao Yuanzhen quickly spurred the magic treasure to break free from the monk¡¯s grasp, but his face suddenly changed, crying out in alarm:

    ¡°He¡¯s trying to steal my treasure!¡±

    As the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer belonged to the evil path¡¯s magic treasures, although it was extremely ferocious in battle, it also inherited the evil path¡¯s trait of being easily tempted.

    The wondrous high lamp venerable¡¯s True Yuan was substantial and far surpassed Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s. At that moment, using the ¡°Giant Spirit Palm Divine Skill,¡± he captured the magic treasure and forcefully poured in True Yuan, attempting to refine it on the spot. If it had been the upright Flying Swords like Huang Ting and Liang Yi, they would rather die than submit, but the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer happily accepted it, not only devouring the energy enthusiastically but even subtly conveying rebellious emotions to Zhao Yuanzhen.

    It feels great! It¡¯s too powerful, sorry Master Yuanzhen¡­ I, I can¡¯t go back anymore¡­

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s face turned as red as a liver, feeling as if a bright green hat emblazoned with the word ¡°Cuckold¡± had descended from above. Suddenly infuriated, he disregarded even the Yin Wind Sword and gritted his teeth, stubbornly sending True Yuan over, determined to snatch back the harlot magic treasure that was the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer.

    The wondrous high lamp venerable¡¯s smile grew wider. Relying on the two Buddha Light silk ribbons to fend off the surrounding Flying Sword attacks, his hands with the Demonic Flame had already eroded much of the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer.

    Just as he was about to forcefully snatch the treasure, out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly glimpsed a golden line swiftly sweeping towards his back.

 Chapter 489: 85: Bursting into Power at the Critical Moment, Its Up to Me, Ning

    Chapter 489: Chapter 85: Bursting into Power at the Critical Moment, It¡¯s Up to Me, Ning

    Previously, whether facing the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, numerous Flying Swords, Black and White Impermanence, or the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer, the Revered Master of the Wondrous Beacon Lantern always had a smile on his face, standing in his original spot and responding with ease.

    But now, as he saw the golden lines sweeping towards him from behind, his expression finally changed slightly. He tossed the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer with his left hand, grabbed the Kasaya with force and spun it like a rocket, instantly pulling away from the ground and swiftly evading the sweep of the dense golden lines.

    In the midst of Yan Yu¡¯s rapid thoughts, Puppet Azhen immediately looked up and continued spitting out the Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire, pursuing the airborne Demon Monk to kill him.

    The Revered Master of the Wondrous Beacon Lantern, with his Kasaya spinning around, now up then down, exhibited extreme agility, and for a moment, he was difficult to hit. The two layers of Buddha¡¯s Light around him, though unable to block the cutting power of the Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire, were more than enough to fend off the attacks from the surrounding Flying Swords.

    Yan Yu¡¯s expression remained unchanged as he focused intently on controlling the Puppet to pursue the Demon Monk, whilst Lin Ning was extremely anxious on the other side.

    She initially started the battle in cooperation with Yan Yu, only to be caught by the demon¡¯s spells. The team leader nonchalantly saying ¡°Ningning, step down. Sister Zhao, take over¡± left her choked up afterwards, with a stifling anger in her chest that couldn¡¯t be vented, and she was eager to immediately prove her strength and redeem herself in the team leader¡¯s eyes.

    ...

    Yet faced with such a Demon Monk, whose two layers of Buddha¡¯s Light defended him impeccably and specifically countered all manners of Flying Sword strikes. Sister Zhao still had the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer to break through the defense, but her own Green Bamboo Sword had become purely ornamental! How could this be acceptable?

    I, Lin Ning, from childhood to adulthood, whether in academic studies or cultivation, have never been satisfied with being second to anyone!

    Just when the two layers of Buddha¡¯s Light split and momentarily revealed a gap, Lin Ning¡¯s reaction was incredibly swift. She pinched the Sword technique with her hands rapidly, and the Sword Light immediately wrapped around her body, making use of the even faster Sword Flying Slash technique, aiming straight for the gap between the two layers of Buddha¡¯s Light.

    But the movement of the Buddha¡¯s Light was also incredibly quick as it split and closed again. In the blink of an eye, it was about to become whole, and the gap was rapidly shrinking.

    Hurry up! Lin Ning¡¯s Divine Sense locked onto the gap, and she inwardly roared, forcefully driving her True Yuan throughout her body. The green Sword Light grew more and more intense as well, and in the very last moment before the gap was about to close completely, she streaked through it like a meteor at top speed!

    In a flash! Shattered through!

    The Revered Master of the Wondrous Beacon Lantern was greatly shocked. He had spent his main effort on dealing with Yan Yu, the great white shark, and he didn¡¯t expect that the other more guardedly neglected areas would actually allow a small fish to suddenly emerge and break through his Buddha¡¯s Light defense!

    In haste, he struck the lantern with his hand and flung out the lamp flame, which transformed into countless ferocious lions and tigers, quickly blocking the path of the green Sword Light.

    Yan Yu was also quite surprised. On closer inspection, he saw that at this moment, Lin Ning¡¯s Sword Light was unusually bright and green, dazzling like a freshly washed emerald. It was several times larger than the typical Sword Flying Slash and moved as swiftly as lightning, without the slightest hint of clumsiness.

    This was Sword-Human Unity, wow!

    Sword-Human Unity, the ultimate move of the Sword Immortal, featured exaggerated levels in speed, agility, lethality, True Yuan consumption, and most importantly, difficulty in cultivation. If he hadn¡¯t seen it with his own eyes, Yan Yu would never have believed that Lin Ning, who had not even reached Perfection in the Marrow Cleansing Stage, could master Sword-Human Unity.

    Good Ningning! Worthy of being the girl who dares to aim for the position of my second wife! Just for this potential you¡¯ve shown in the heat of battle, I acknowledge your qualification to pursue me!

    You¡¯re worthy!

    ¡°Focus on the main body!¡± He quickly transmitted a message to Lin Ning while rapidly turning his thoughts, continuing to control Puppet Azhen to pursue.

    Lin Ning, without a word, directly unleashed the Phoenix Dance to the Nine Heavens move. The Sword Light sharply descended first, dodging the strikes of many Flame Beasts, then took advantage of the momentum to lift upwards in a slashing motion, aimed right at the Revered Master of the Wondrous Beacon Lantern in the air.

    The speed of Sword-Human Unity was too fast for the Demon Monk to adjust the Buddha¡¯s Light in time to defend. He could only move swiftly downwards in an emergency. Even though the Kasaya¡¯s flight speed was extremely fast, it barely evaded the green Sword Light¡ªthe Sword gleam brushed past his scalp, and had he not been bald, his head would have been bald in that area by now.

    Lin Ning¡¯s Sword Light swiftly returned, ready to strike again, when suddenly she saw Puppet Azhen¡¯s Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire slash through, cutting the Revered Master of the Wondrous Beacon Lantern in half at the waist.

    Everyone relaxed a bit, when suddenly they heard Yan Yu¡¯s voice transmitting:

    ¡°Continue.¡± S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Continue what? Before everyone had time to understand, they saw the two halves of the Revered Master of the Wondrous Beacon Lantern, at the waist where they were severed, suddenly ignite in flames, stubbornly reconnecting and fusing the separated upper and lower bodies together again.

    ¡°Seems like a Demon Monk, but actually a demon,¡± Yan Yu continued to transmit a reminder, ¡°Continue.¡±

    Human Cultivators have three fatal points: the Dantian below the stomach, the heart in the chest, and the Sea of Consciousness in the brain. If these are destroyed, death is instant and even gods struggle to save them. However, because demons lack a physical body, they do not have fatal points and can only be worn down by repeated injury.

    When Yan Yu said that this Demon Monk was of the same level as ¡°Mei Yingxue,¡± it was not just about his flexible and varied offensive and defensive spells. It also referred to his almost inhumanly high vitality.

    As everyone¡¯s hearts shook with shock, Lin Ning¡¯s Sword Light once again shot out to kill, her fighting spirit still soaring.

    If one round doesn¡¯t kill him, then strike a few more times!

    The Revered Master of the Wondrous Beacon Lantern, revived in his original place, quickly traced a finger along the lantern wall, pulling out another refined layer of Buddha¡¯s Light that shook down in front of him like flowing silk to stop the Green Bamboo Sword Light.

    As Lin Ning was about to engage, she suddenly heard Yan Yu¡¯s transmission:

    ¡°Retreat, recover.¡±

    Without a second thought, her sword light abruptly turned and quickly fell back to Chen Lingyun¡¯s side, dissolving the Sword-Human Unity state, and then, without attracting attention, she took out an Elixir Medicine, seizing the time to restore her True Yuan.

    Yan Yu was already aware that this would be a drawn-out battle, so he hadn¡¯t initiated the powerful move of Sword-Human Unity right from the start, in order to ensure the endurance of his True Yuan as much as possible.

    But now that Lin Ning had also mastered Sword-Human Unity, the original strategy could be changed to be more aggressive.

    He stored Puppet Azhen in his sleeve, then leapt up, merging ferociously with the Green Bamboo Sword Light.

    Sword-Human Unity!

    While Lin Ning needed to exploit gaps in the Buddha¡¯s Light to break through the defense, Yan Yu couldn¡¯t be bothered to wait for it to divide and reveal flaws, and simply went straight into the attack.

    First, he used White Rainbow Across the Sky, pressing in from the left at an angle!

    The Demon Monk¡¯s thoughts shifted slightly, and the Buddha¡¯s Light immediately flew to the left to intercept, but Yan Yu unexpectedly changed tactics, switching to Phoenix Dance to the Nine Heavens, zigzagging right before he was about to collide with the Buddha¡¯s Light, suddenly dropping down to urgently bypass it from below.

    The second stream of Buddha¡¯s Light rushed to sink down for a blockade, only to be met by another flash of white light¡ªthis time it was Zhao Yuanzhen, under Chen Lingyun¡¯s command, who directly summoned the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer, piercing through the Buddha¡¯s Light on the spot.

    With its ability to auto-track, the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer was impossible to evade. The Demon Monk then used the Giant Spirit Palm Divine Skill again, grabbing the hammer, only to see a flash of sword light out of the corner of his eye¡ªit was Yan Yu in Sword-Human Unity, following right after the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer.

    A close-range surprise attack, Eagle Strikes the Sky!

    The first strike from Huang Tingjian¡¯s light was a horizontal slash, extremely close range. The esteemed lamp bearer couldn¡¯t summon the Flame Beast in time and could only raise his left hand reluctantly, using his Giant Spirit Palm Divine Skill to barely hold out.

    The clash between the sword light and the white jade palm produced a heavy sound like a bell. Yan Yu¡¯s sword technique did not stop there; the second and third swords followed immediately, without a moment¡¯s pause between them, forcefully penetrating the Spell Divine Skill and severing half of his left palm!

    Blood spurted, yet the sword had not ceased. The fourth strike split open the monk¡¯s neck, decapitating him. Then came the fifth sword, diagonally slashing the monk¡¯s headless corpse open from left shoulder to right waist.

    As the sword light neared its end, it suddenly turned again, forcefully executing the sixth strike, cutting off the monk¡¯s right thigh bone. Running out of time to cut the left leg, Yan Yu had to quickly retract and land, pulling back to regain distance.

    In front of the large projection screen, the members of the Dragon Soar Team who were watching the live broadcast all stood up in unison and couldn¡¯t help but lean forward to take a closer look, their eyes filled with shock and horror¡ªthey had the most Sword Immortals in their team and knew too well what Yan Yu¡¯s seemingly effortless consecutive moves meant.

    ¡°Eagle Strikes the Sky with six consecutive strikes?¡± Guo Feiyun said with a trembling voice, ¡°That¡¯s impossible!!! I mean¡­ are these six consecutive strikes technically possible to execute?¡±

    ¡°The current national record seems to be five consecutive strikes, right?¡± Ai Lu also found it unbelievable, murmuring as he stared at the screen.

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Yang Linhui said calmly, checking his phone on the side and cutting in without hesitation, ¡°Also, the five consecutive strikes were made by Yan God, and to this day, no one else has replicated it.¡±

    ¡°Six consecutive strikes are indeed powerful,¡± Liu Longtao said in a deep voice, ¡°But the goalkeeper hasn¡¯t died yet.¡±

    Everybody fell silent. To them, Yan Yu being able to perform six strikes of Eagle Strikes the Sky was almost the pinnacle of swordsmanship, probably marking the upper limit of what Sword Immortals could achieve with pure technical skill under the current average level of cultivation.¡¯

    If the Demon Monk were to be cut to death by these six strikes, it would undoubtedly be the most anticipated conclusion everyone would have expected¡ªI¡¯ve played to the limit, how can you not die?

    However, the monk in the live broadcast, although cut into four sections, was still not dead on the spot. The severed head, shoulders, body, and legs first ignited in flames; then quickly connected into one, finally transforming back into an intact monk¡¯s body.

    This was a situation no longer describable as ¡°despair¡±. The members of the Dragon Soar Team considered whether they would be able to take down the monk¡¯s ¡°first health bar¡±, let alone stand up to this point; it was doubtful.

    ¡°Wait a second,¡± said Ye Jun, who had been silent until now, ¡°The lamp flame! Isn¡¯t his lantern flame considerably dimmer than it was at the start?¡±

    Everyone hurriedly focused their eyes, only to realize that the flame inside the Demon Monk¡¯s ¡°Marvelous Height Lamp,¡± which they remembered should be about the size of a dragon¡¯s eye, bright and vigorous, burning unceasingly, was now only about the size of a green bean.

    Yan Yu dissolved the Sword-Human Unity upon landing and immediately executed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, swiftly retreating to a distance. With a swipe of his hand, he took out an Elixir Medicine and popped it, hearing Chen Lingyun¡¯s message:

    ¡°Yun Jin is low on True Yuan, half a minute.¡±

    Above the Great Hero Treasure Hall, the myriad of lantern lights continued to bombard them, only resisted by Su Yunjin¡¯s Flight Tide Partition. Without her Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art¡¯s assistance, allowing this barrage of lantern lights to continuously bombard them would instantly put the Zhenhai Team at risk of being wiped out.

    ¡°Enough,¡± said Yan Yu via transmission, ¡°Let Ningning take over, Sister Zhao supports. What about Ruoxi?¡±

    ¡°Three Strike Massive Thunder,¡± Chen Lingyun replied.

    ¡°Too slow,¡± Yan Yu criticized verbally but was already rushing towards Xie Ruoxi swiftly, ¡°I¡¯ll take the helm.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Chen Lingyun turned her head to pass instructions, simultaneously tossing out the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Divine Evil Prayer Beads.

    The Prayer Beads spun for a moment, then shot into a stream of Buddha¡¯s Light, firmly freezing it in place.

    Lin Ning, having recovered some True Yuan, took a deep breath, once again enveloped in Green Bamboo Sword Light, entered Sword-Human Unity, and charged toward the Marvelous Height Lamp Bearer!

 Chapter 490: 86: Holding Ruoxi, Chaotically Slaughtering (Extra Excited Chapter)

    Chapter 490: Chapter 86: Holding Ruoxi, Chaotically Slaughtering (Extra Excited Chapter)

    ¡°`

    The factors that decide the outcome of a battle are many, such as the means of attack, means of defense, movement speed, agility, and the sustainability of True Yuan energy, among others.

    However, if one were to pick the ¡°most critical¡± among them, Yan Yu would choose the sustainability of True Yuan energy without hesitation.

    The reason is simple: once the True Yuan is exhausted, no matter how fierce your offensive means or how thorough your defenses, no matter how exaggerated your speed and agility, without the support of True Yuan, all of these capabilities cannot be utilized, and one would become a fish on the chopping board, ready to be slaughtered.

    In his previous life, what Yan Yu studied the most was how to plan the limited external True Yuan within a finite time to achieve as many tactical objectives as possible¡ªthis was also the initial reason he dared to let his teammates withdraw and faced the Demon Monk alone.

    But now, with Ningning¡¯s sudden surge in performance, it also gave him a small reminder:

    ...

    Even a chewed piece of gum or a used napkin can have its unique uses. I have no less than five cultivators by my side! If we could properly coordinate with each other, couldn¡¯t we defeat the boss more effortlessly than just me fighting alone?

    With this in mind, Yan Yu, who was accustomed to fighting alone from beginning to end, once again chose to slack off temporarily, leaving more opportunities for the girls to perform.

    He had to make room for the younger generation after all! Let¡¯s wait for Ruoxi to recover her True Yuan first.

    The Nine Heavens Yin Demon Divine Evil Prayer Beads thrown by Chen Lingyun sealed off a corner of the Buddha¡¯s Light, preventing it from continuing to swirl and fly about.

    Lin Ning, who had achieved Sword-Human Unity, immediately propelled the dazzling Green Bamboo Sword Light, circumventing the defense entanglement of another piece of Buddha¡¯s Light and directly attacking the esteemed lamp-bearing monk.

    The Demon Monk¡¯s face was now devoid of any trace of a smile. He raised his left hand and formed a Giant Spirit Palm, forcefully pinching at the Green Bamboo Sword Light.

    ¡°Hammer,¡± directed Chen Lingyun.

    Zhao Yuanzhen once again threw the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer, which whistled as it smashed towards the Demon Monk¡¯s head.

    Since the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer could break through the defense of the Buddha¡¯s Light, the esteemed lamp-bearer had no choice but to withdraw the Giant Spirit Palm and deflected this sinister magic treasure with a backhand.

    Lin Ning took advantage of the situation to propel the Sword Light, pursuing rapidly. The opposing monk¡¯s kasaya flew about as he fled, constantly wiping off a large amount of lamp fire and transforming it into numerous beasts to intercept.

    However, with Sword-Human Unity and being within the sword itself, plus the nurturing from the Zhenze Sword Box, the Sword Qi was even more vigorous than usual by a third. As soon as the Flame Beasts approached, they were torn apart by the sharp Sword Light on the outside; how could they harm Ningning inside, whose fighting spirit was soaring?

    The Demon Monk by this time had understood that Yan Yu and Lin Ning were taking turns achieving Sword-Human Unity and relaying to attack him. With the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer waiting for an opportunity, either helping break through the Buddha¡¯s Light or restraining his own Giant Spirit Palm, if this delay continued, it was certain that his own Intention Body would be worn down by them.

    As his mind raced, the numerous Flame Beasts suddenly turned in unison, attacking Su Yunjin who was at a distance.

    Su Yunjin, at this time, was using her magic to resist the sky full of lamp fire. If she were to be held back by the Flame Beasts, the situation would instantly turn around. Yan Yu quickly flew on his sword intending to rescue her, but then heard Chen Lingyun¡¯s transmitted message:

    ¡°I¡¯ll handle it.¡±

    With her right hand, she waved the Hell-Seeking Banner, summoning Black and White Impermanence, which produced the Soul-hooking Dark Light and the Soul Arresting Chain to intercept the Flame Beasts. Her left hand continuously formed sword techniques, as the Purple Extreme Sword moved back and forth. Although the moves were rather simple, the efficiency of her strikes was actually quite good, bursting one after another of the beasts that neared Yun Jin.

    Yan Yu was immediately gobsmacked, but upon closer observation, he had an epiphany.

    These Flame Beasts had little spiritual wisdom and did not even know to dodge when attacked. Chen Lingyun¡¯s weakness lies in her reaction speed in combat, and her swordsmanship is no match for a professional Sword Immortal, but against these creatures, it was like shooting at moving targets, which with her meticulous thinking was quite easy.

    He had already used the Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire and had also utilized Sword-Human Unity once; his True Yuan was already running low. Seeing his teammates taking turns being durable and reliable, Yan Yu was able to put his mind at ease and continued focusing on refining the medicinal strength to recover his True Yuan.

    Seeing his strategy fail, the esteemed lamp-bearer monk switched tactics again. He shook the lamp vigorously with his right hand, causing the number of lamp fires in the sky to increase by another thirty percent, slamming Su Yunjin with tremendous pressure.

    Su Yunjin had been maintaining the great spell of Dividing the Tide and had little True Yuan left. With the suddenly increased pressure from above, she was forced to draw out even more True Yuan and exert the Southern Dipper Star River Secret Art, causing her complexion to turn pale.

    Yan Yu¡¯s Divine Sense was always attentive to the entire field, and he immediately noticed the anomaly above and urgently transmitted a warning:

    ¡°Yun Jin.¡±

    ¡°No worries,¡± Chen Lingyun responded.

    She was well-prepared, having anticipated that the esteemed lamp-bearing monk would turn to attack Su Yunjin once he was at a disadvantage. Now, she simply instructed calmly:

    ¡°The hammer.¡±

    Zhao Yuanzhen tossed out the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer again. The Demon Monk indeed quickened his Giant Spirit Palm to block it. Linn Ning, who had merged with her sword, took the opportunity to launch the White Rainbow Across the Sky, aiming fiercely at his chest, but then she heard Chen Lingyun¡¯s voice transmission saying:

    ¡°The Cang Song topples.¡±

    The respected lamp bearer with the Giant Spirit Palm blocked the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer and with a swift hand sent it flying away, swiftly retreating to guard his front. If Lin Ning had launched the White Rainbow Across the Sky just now, she would have crashed head-on into the Giant Spirit Palm, unable to break through.

    But with Chen Lingyun¡¯s warning, she changed her move to Cang Song Ying Ke in a timely manner. This sword technique has two forms: the orthodox form cuts from below upwards, while the inverted form cuts from above downwards, also known as ¡°Cang Song Upside Down¡± or ¡°Inverted Cang Song.¡±

    Lin Ning¡¯s sword light rose slightly, then slashed downward. The Demon Monk hurriedly raised his palm to block, his entire attention on the above, unaware that a shadow had suddenly darted into his lower right side.

    The Resentful Spirit mother and child!

    From the Three Islands Treasure Ship Secret Realm, they had seized this Resentful Spirit from the Dark Sorcerer of the Southern Border. With the Demon Monk¡¯s attention drawn above, they took the opportunity to rush into his right arm, vying for control of the body.

    The Demon Monk merely furrowed his brows. He was of half-Heavenly Demon descent, and Heavenly Demons were naturally adept at occupying flesh. How could he fear such a low-level Resentful Spirit capable of possession?

    Thus, with just a slight stirring of his intention, he was ready to mobilize the magic power throughout his body, forcefully consuming the Resentful Spirit that had invaded his flesh. His left hand continued to sustain the Divine Skill of the Giant Spirit Palm, acting like a gigantic shield, staunchly resisting the cleaving of Lin Ning¡¯s sword light.

    In the span of a moment, the Resentful Spirit mother and child were utterly shattered! Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But even in these brief one or two seconds, the lamp bearer, with his right arm occupied by the Resentful Spirit, couldn¡¯t continue to stimulate the Colored Glaze Lamp, resulting in the sky full of lamp fire above his head becoming sparser.

    Su Yunjin, whose True Yuan was nearly depleted and was soon to be unable to continue, took advantage of this time when the pressure lessened, finally managing to distract herself to refine the medicine¡¯s potency in her abdomen, fiercely recovering a portion of her True Yuan.

    After swallowing the Resentful Spirit mother and child, the lamp bearer looked at Su Yunjin, who had regained some color on her face, and immediately realized what had happened. Enraged and embarrassed, he wildly shook the Colored Glaze Lamp anew, intent on making her spit out all the True Yuan she had just reclaimed!

    Yan Yu had already stopped refining the medicine¡¯s power, standing up ready to strike.

    His cultivation talent might not be great, but he held a unique advantage in recovering True Yuan. While others like Xie Ruoxi and Su Yunjin needed to refine the potency of medicine for a while to regain sufficient True Yuan, he only needed to regulate his breathing slightly to recover most of it.

    This is the strength of me as the captain, quack!

    He was about to signal Lin Ning to come back and rest, ready to replace her himself, when suddenly he heard Xie Ruoxi¡¯s voice transmission:

    ¡°Captain, it¡¯s ready!¡±

    Looking beautiful yet useless due to depleting her True Yuan, Xie Ruoxi, who had been refining the medicine¡¯s potency from the start, was now finally restored enough True Yuan to unleash eight strikes of the great cavity thunder.

    ¡°Come here!¡± Yan Yu immediately rose with his Sword Control, enveloping Xie Ruoxi with his sword light, then charged straight at the lamp bearer.

    Lin Ning did not retreat, and Yan Yu advanced. The double assault of their Sword-Human Unity greatly increased the pressure on the Demon Monk¡¯s defense. He could no longer afford to intensify his focus on Su Yunjin but was forced to continuously wield the Giant Spirit Palm, blocking left and right.

    Zhao Yuanzhen threw out the White Bone Heart-Locking Hammer again; the Demon Monk deflected it with a slap.

    Lin Ning took the opportunity to attack head-on, executing the move White Rainbow Across the Sky. The Demon Monk, already too late to dodge, had to use the Giant Spirit Palm to intercept in front of him, attempting to seize the Green Bamboo Sword Light.

    The Huang Tingjian Sword Light circled to his back, and knowing that he was about to be backstabbed, the Demon Monk hurriedly summoned the Buddha¡¯s Light to block behind him, ready to withstand the full-on attack of Sword-Human Unity.

    Unexpectedly, Yan Yu¡¯s White Rainbow Across the Sky was just a feint. As he was about to collide with the Buddha¡¯s Light, he suddenly canceled the Sword-Human Unity, revealing himself in mid-air holding Xie Ruoxi, tightly clutching her forearms.

    Xie Ruoxi looked resolute, her eyes intently fixed on the Demon Buddha¡¯s back, both hands already forming two strikes of the great cavity thunder.

    Facing the Goalkeeper BOSS up close, yet she feared nothing.

    Because the me held in the arms of the captain is invincible!

 Chapter 534: 30: Leave a room for her

    Chapter 534: Chapter 30: Leave a room for her

    Is Sword Control Technique hard to learn? Different people will have different answers.

    If you ask Yan Yu, he would say, ¡°Having hands is enough¡±; if you ask Lin Ning, she would say, ¡°It¡¯s quite hard at first, but it gets easier with more practice.¡±

    But if you were to ask Ye Jun now, she would tell you, ¡°Self-learning is pretty simple, but learning Sword Control Technique from Yan Yu is probably the hardest way to learn in the whole world!¡±

    Every time she unleashed a sword strike, if the timing and position were not right, Yan Yu would break through her defense, resulting in her getting whipped.

    The whip was made with the flat of the sword, so it wouldn¡¯t injure, but pain was inevitable.

    Under normal circumstances, one could bear it, but Ye Jun was in a state of emotional fragility, and the pain made her unable to hold back her tears.

    If she cried too excessively, like a dam bursting, it would lead to the confusion or even suspicion of the other girls from the Zhenhai Team, which was a more intense feeling of worry and anxiety than the pain itself, causing Ye Jun to quickly resist with all her might while shedding tears.

    Every beating came as a result of her sword technique being countered. If it was due to a slow move, she¡¯d try to be faster next time; if it was due to the wrong position, she¡¯d try to shift in the direction from where Yan Yu¡¯s Flying Sword had broken through.

    In this way, while taking hits and crying, Ye Jun earnestly worked to fix the flaws in her swordsmanship, making her control of the sword increasingly accurate and impressive.

    The girls practiced on their own, but when they covertly saw Ye Jun¡¯s tear-streaked face showing genuine sorrow, they couldn¡¯t help but feel empathy.

    The captain is being way too ruthless, aren¡¯t they? She is crying her eyes out!

    Unable to bear it, Su Yunjin quietly communicated to Yan Yu: S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Captain, why don¡¯t we let her rest for a bit? With her emotional state as it is, it might not be suitable for her to continue practicing.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Yan Yu thought to himself, realizing they had indeed been practicing for several hours, and then said to Ye Jun, ¡°Let¡¯s take a break. Digest and integrate all the swordsmanship experience you¡¯ve summarized for yourself.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Ye Jun nodded sadly but was unwilling to rest just yet; she started practicing the sword techniques alone¡ªshe wanted to convert her physical sensations into deep memories while they were still fresh.

    This extremely diligent approach to practice greatly endeared her to Lin Ning, who was already struggling with this aspect and felt resentment toward Yan Yu¡¯s merciless training. Now she looked at Ye Jun more favorably and went over to offer advice, saying:

    ¡°There are four ways to use Bai Niao Chao Feng, and you¡¯ve learned two. Let me teach you the other two¡­¡±

    Su Yunjin, watching Lin Ning teach Ye Jun step by step, made an estimate:

    Her swordsmanship level is probably around the same as Ruoxi¡¯s, but she learns much faster than Ruoxi does.

    Lin Ning had tried teaching Ruoxi swordsmanship before, and it was a disaster. Learning later moves made her forget the earlier ones, and vice versa. Sometimes she would even mix them up, leading Yan Yu to a conclusion and stating that Xie Ruoxi ¡°is most suited for Magic Cultivation.¡±

    After all, Magic Cultivators don¡¯t need techniques; you just blast away with your full True Yuan, and that¡¯s it.

    Ye Jun clearly had a normal IQ, and her memory was good; she could quickly remember almost everything, whether it was Yan Yu¡¯s ¡°painful method of learning¡± or Lin Ning¡¯s ¡°force-feeding method of learning.¡±

    Given time, her swordsmanship should improve too.

    Okay, I need to work hard too!

    The things that Su Yunjin could analyze, Xie Ruoxi also had an inkling of, and she couldn¡¯t help but look at Ye Jun with envy.

    It¡¯s great to be smart; I wish I were smart too so that the captain wouldn¡¯t look down on me.

    Sigh, it¡¯s a pity I was born slow-witted; I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s no chance of me becoming a powerful Sword Immortal¡­ I¡¯d better stick to practicing my Thunder Method.

    She sighed in her heart and casually released a bolt of Thunder Light, obliterating a distant target.

    Behind the target was a wall of thick steel perforated with holes. Each mark represented a misfired Thunder Method, also showcasing the Thunder Method¡¯s utterly exaggerated and formidable power.

    After leaving the basement, Yan Yu saw Chen Lingyun lying on the sofa, playing with her phone, and sent her a message:

    ¡°How¡¯s everyone¡¯s training going?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Yan Yu gave her a noncommittal glance, ¡°Haven¡¯t you been spying with your Five Ghosts?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t mastered the Eye Technique yet, so even if the Five Ghosts turn invisible to see something, they can only come back and describe it to me. Isn¡¯t that the same as you directly telling me?¡±

    ¡°Ye Jun¡¯s swordsmanship talent is mediocre,¡± Yan Yu sat down beside her, picked up the teacup, took a sip to moisten his throat, ¡°But she is quite meticulous, and hardly makes the same mistake twice. If she works hard and practices diligently, she should be able to pursue a calculative sword path.¡±

    ¡°But she is an Assistant Officer,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    ¡°So just getting in the door would be good enough,¡± Yan Yu concluded, ¡°Swordsmanship talent doesn¡¯t really matter then.¡±

    ¡°If Ye Jun really leaves the Dragon Soar Team in the future, would there be a place for her in our team?¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly asked.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°The Xuan Guang Ruler is quite useful, even just as the seventh reserve. If we encounter a powerful enemy like that Demon Monk last time, we won¡¯t need Yun Jin¡¯s area-based Taoism Method for defense.¡±

    ¡°Aside from that?¡± Chen Lingyun continued with a smile, ¡°What do you think of her appearance? Does she meet your aesthetic standards?¡±

    ¡°She is quite pretty. What about it?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    Ye Jun¡¯s looks certainly weren¡¯t bad, especially suiting the taste of middle-aged and older people. After becoming the spokesperson for the Dingbei Army in her previous life, she had even gained a lot of female fans at one point, with many people showering her with gifts in the Dingbei Army¡¯s live broadcast room¡ªanyway, it was impossible for her to be unattractive.

    ¡°I see.¡± Chen Lingyun nodded her head, ¡°I think it¡¯s about time to arrange a room for her in the villa.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s already a room arranged for her in the villa,¡± Yan Yu said, feeling puzzled.

    ¡°I mean the villa in Jinling Prefecture,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    Her smile seemed to say ¡°you fool¡±, causing Yan Yu to feel slightly irritated, and he coldly said:

    ¡°You¡¯re not harboring some unrealistic harem fantasy again, are you? Let me tell you, Ye Jun is impossible. Her values are actually very conservative. Look at how the Dragon Soar Team loads her with work, and she never complains of hardship or tiredness¡­ In short, it¡¯s impossible.¡±

    ¡°Tradition, huh.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile remained unchanged, ¡°How come I remember that the traditional marital and reproductive views in Lu Country are about having one wife and multiple concubines, spreading the branches and leaves?¡±

    ¡°That was before we integrated with international standards. Now we have third sons and fourth sons, where do concubines come in?¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°That¡¯s not called tradition, it¡¯s called being outdated.¡±

    ¡°Hehe.¡± Chen Lingyun did not argue, but simply drank her tea.

    Her calm and collected demeanor gave Yan Yu the feeling that this wretched woman must be scheming again.

    But without evidence, Yan Yu didn¡¯t want to reprimand her on baseless charges, so he simply left the living room, walked up the stairs, out of sight, out of mind.

    He went upstairs to see how the enchantress was doing.

    When he reached the door to Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s room, Yan Yu had just knocked when he found that the door wasn¡¯t locked.

    Pushing the door open, Yan Yu saw her lying on the bed fast asleep, not even covered by a quilt.

    ¡­Really, in this state, doesn¡¯t she know to lock the door?

    After locking the door behind him, Yan Yu picked up the clothes from the floor, shook them out, went over to lift the upper half of the enchantress¡¯s body, and helped her put them on.

    Zhao Yuanzhen smacked her lips in her sleep, wrapped her arms around Yan Yu¡¯s neck with a backhanded grip, muttering some unclear dream talk like ¡°uh-oh, little thief¡±.

    After dressing her, Yan Yu pulled her hands away and tucked her into the quilt.

    Just as he was about to get up and leave, she pulled him back from behind.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡± She still had her eyes closed, unclear whether she was awake or not, but she cooed vaguely, ¡°Stay with me¡­¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s first instinct was to slap her, firmly landing a retort of, ¡°You wish.¡± But upon further thought, he considered that the enchantress, like Ye Jun, was also in an unstable emotional state; since he had already taken care of Ye Jun, it wouldn¡¯t be right to completely ignore the enchantress.

    Ningning was right. He should treat them equally.

    With that thought, Yan Yu changed his mind, reasoning that although everyone was downstairs training, staying here with her for five minutes shouldn¡¯t be a problem¡­ ten minutes, no, make it fifteen minutes!

    He crawled into the quilt and hugged Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s warm and plump body from behind, while the enchantress made a sound of contentment.

 Chapter 535: 31: Ouch, what are you doing?

    Chapter 535: Chapter 31: Ouch, what are you doing?

    In the dead of night, time for breathing exercises, in Yan Yu¡¯s room.

    ¡°So, Sister Zhao, how much longer do you have to wear that mask?¡± Lin Ning asked curiously.

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen dared not answer, only humming in response.

    ¡°About another week.¡± Yan Yu calculated the time and answered for her.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Lin Ning took it that Sister Zhao¡¯s face must indeed be horribly disfigured, too ashamed to show herself, so she did not bring up the heartbreaking matter again.

    The three sat opposite each other, palms together, with two puppets perched on the shoulders of Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen, helping with Qi Refinement, akin to adding two more inlets to a swimming pool that was being filled, naturally speeding up the process.

    It was not until the breathing exercises were over that Zhao Yuanzhen quickly removed her mask and, with a whoosh, dived into the blanket, silent thereafter.

    But Lin Ning was feeling conflicted.

    Since spending the night here last time, she still couldn¡¯t swallow her pride, sneaking back to her own room every night after her cultivation exercises were done.

    Of course, there was always the danger of being discovered, forcing Lin Ning to squat by the door every time, sweeping the corridor outside with her Divine Sense for a long time before daring to leave.

    After tonight¡¯s cultivation session, seeing that Zhao Yuanzhen had chosen to stay again, she immediately felt a surge of ¡°I demand equal treatment¡± but could not voice it due to her self-respect.

    After thinking for a long time, forget it.

    Lin Ning reached the door, verified with her Divine Sense that no one was outside, then twisted the lock. She glanced at Yan Yu and, seeing that he showed no sign of asking her to stay, immediately felt a surge of anger.

    She decided to leave in a huff, putting on an air of ¡°I don¡¯t want to stay here anyway,¡± but suddenly her face changed, and she quickly darted to Yan Yu¡¯s bed and dived into the blanket in a flash.

    Just as Yan Yu was about to ask what was going on, he suddenly heard a knock on the door from outside.

    ¡°Yan Yu,¡± said Ye Jun, ¡°are you asleep?¡±

    Yan Yu decided to feign sleep in silence, but then he heard Ye Jun exclaim in surprise:

    ¡°Eh? The door is unlocked¡­ it opened by itself, I didn¡¯t push it!¡±

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­

    He remembered Ningning had just unlocked the door and, upon discovering Ye Jun¡¯s approach, had immediately abandoned it and fled, which led the door to be carelessly left ajar.

    ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± Yan Yu tucked a pillow into the blankets and, keeping his composure, asked without betraying any emotion.

    Ye Jun walked into the room, casually closing the door behind her. Seeing the bulging blankets beside Yan Yu, she initially felt puzzled and curious, but then subconsciously assumed it was just several pillows piled up inside and thus didn¡¯t suspect anything. She simply sighed and said:

    ¡°Sorry to disturb you, I can¡¯t fall asleep. My mind is full of concerns about the team.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead,¡± said Yan Yu.

    Under the blankets, Lin Ning twisted his thigh forcefully.

    Talk you head off! Hurry up and send her away with a polite brush-off!

    ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± Ye Jun started, sitting down on the chair by the desk, and suddenly said, ¡°I feel that I can¡¯t continue like this.¡±

    ¡°What exactly do you mean?¡± Yan Yu inquired.

    Lin Ning twisted even more forcefully ¨C are you really going to keep asking out of curiosity?

    As she kept fidgeting, Yan Yu could only bend his legs, creating the shape of a small tent with his blanket to give more space inside.

    The nearby Zhao Yuanzhen appeared to be asleep, quiet and without any reaction, allowing Yan Yu to breathe a sigh of relief.

    ¡°It¡¯s the Dragon Soar Team¡¯s issue,¡± said Ye Jun. ¡°The team wants me to use the Xuan Guang Ruler to protect everyone during battles, but this means I can¡¯t put any effort into practicing attack moves. If this continues, I¡¯ll definitely be eliminated.¡±

    ¡°Rather than being slowly boiled like a frog in warm water, it¡¯s better to just switch teams. Even if the corresponding treatment and resources decrease, at least my potential for future growth won¡¯t be stifled.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Yan Yu analyzed for her. ¡°But there¡¯s a problem: if you just up and leave, what will the Dragon Soar Team do? With four pure damage dealers, their tactical options are already limited, and they rely entirely on your Xuan Guang Ruler¡¯s defense to ward off control spells. Without the Xuan Guang Ruler, how will they continue to fight?¡±

    ¡°The Dingbei Army should be able to resolve that,¡± thought Ye Jun, I¡¯m being forced to switch teams, why should I care about my old employer?

    ¡°Just afraid that the Dingbei Army¡¯s solution is to try everything to prevent you from leaving,¡± Yan Yu pointed out sharply.

    Ye Jun was momentarily stunned by his words, then fell silent.

    Could that be? From what she knew of the Dingbei Army, it was very likely.

    ¡°The premise for a transfer to be approved is that, after the transfer, the situation looks indeed better than before,¡± Yan Yu continued analyzing. ¡°Even Lord Master, if he proposed to switch to being an Assistant Officer or Envoy, would most likely not be approved. Why? Because his damage is both strong and showy, why would the higher-ups take the risk of allowing him to switch to support?¡±

    ¡°Similarly, if you want to leave the Dragon Soar Team, the biggest obstacle is not the Dingbei Army¡¯s upper echelons, but your past performance¡ªthe Xuan Guang Ruler as a defense tool is too powerful. With just a sweep of it, the others can go all out with their damage. If you abandon it, what will you switch to? An attacking or control Assistant Officer? Whether you can even succeed on those paths is unknown, they can¡¯t compare to the value of your specialized defense, so it¡¯s impossible for the upper echelons to approve.¡±

    ¡°So I¡¯m being held back by the Xuan Guang Ruler,¡± sighed Ye Jun.

    ¡°Your best course of action right now is to continue on your current path while privately exploring the possibilities of a transformation,¡± Yan Yu guided her through her confusion. ¡°For example, the Oil Lamp Treasure you acquired from the Mysterious Realm, you should thoroughly research and master it until your offense is at least decent. If in the future the team no longer needs a defense, you could simply switch your main Magic Treasure from the Xuan Guang Ruler to the Oil Lamp, so you¡¯re not directly eliminated.¡±

    ¡°Decent, meaning on par with our team¡¯s damage dealers?¡± Ye Jun couldn¡¯t help but show a bitter smile as tears uncontrollably welled up. ¡°It¡¯s difficult.¡±

    The Dragon Soar Team was the cream of the crop, and anyone who served as a damage dealer there was among the best in the entire Dingbei Army. She was a late starter, without Xie Ruoxi¡¯s freakish talents; to catch up with these top damage dealers was exceedingly difficult!

    Yan Yu thought, of course, I know it¡¯s difficult. If it was easy for you, you¡¯d have stayed with the Dragon Soar Team, right? How would I manage to poach you then?

    He chuckled inwardly, but outwardly, he continued to comfort her:

    ¡°While it¡¯s difficult, there¡¯s still feasibility. The future is in your hands.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± said Ye Jun, wiping away the tears on her face. She asked, ¡°Should I practice the Sword Control Technique, or the Oil Lamp Treasure?¡±

    ¡°Both,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    It was already hard to catch up to the output of her teammates by practicing just one discipline; now with two to master, the likelihood became even slimmer.

    Yan Yu¡¯s proposed solution couldn¡¯t solve the issue Ye Jun was worried about, but it could solve her worries¡ªmaking her think it could solve the problem.

    Once Ye Jun was cut from the Dragon Soar Team, I¡¯ll be there to take her in, gaining a Ye Jun who can attack and defend with a solid foundation of basics. After she takes root on my side, I¡¯ll officially teach her the high-end stuff and nurture her¡­ Wahaha, perfect!

    Why is Ningning touching my leg again¡­ Wait, is it the Enchantress?

    Zhao Yuanzhen was fast asleep, when suddenly she turned over and hugged Yan Yu¡¯s thigh.

    ¡°Your blanket is moving?¡± exclaimed Ye Jun in shock.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just my hand,¡± Yan Yu quickly withdrew his hand.

    But Ye Jun could see clearly that even after Yan Yu¡¯s hand was removed, the blanket was still slightly moving. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Could there be someone hidden inside¡­

    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s getting late.¡± She stood up awkwardly, her face seemingly flushed. ¡°I¡¯ll be going then, won¡¯t disturb you any longer, haha¡­¡±

    As soon as Ye Jun left and closed the door, Lin Ning sprang up from the bed, dashed to the door to lock it, then swiftly used the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, appearing back on the bed as if by Flash, and pulled Zhao Yuanzhen off Yan Yu:

    ¡°Sister Zhao, you should sleep without clinging to the captain!¡±

    ¡°Ow!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was finally woken up, and complained discontentedly, ¡°What are you doing!¡±

 Chapter 536: 32 The Rabbit Shrinks

    Chapter 536: Chapter 32 The Rabbit Shrinks

    Zhao Yuanzhen froze, speechless for a moment.

    In the past, after dual cultivation each night, Lin Ning would leave Yan Yu¡¯s room, which caused her to unconsciously form a mindset, let her guard down, and before hiding under the covers, took off her mask.

    But unexpectedly, Lin Ning actually stayed in the room tonight! S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Her anxiousness was written all over her face as she cast a pleading look at Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu revealed a smile that said, ¡°I¡¯m just here for the show, you guys carry on.¡±

    Seeing the exchange of glances between the two, Lin Ning could immediately tell that Sister Zhao¡¯s ¡°ruined appearance that can¡¯t be seen by others¡± was a lie all along, and said irritably:

    ¡°You lied to me? You treat me like an outsider?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen quickly interrupted, afraid that her next words would be ¡°cook for yourself tomorrow.¡± Seeing that Yan Yu had no intention of explaining, she became both angry and upset, clenched her teeth tightly, and tears streamed down her face, looking extremely tragic.

    Although Lin Ning was still angry, she had never seen her like this before, and her tone softened a bit as she said in a panic:

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t¡­ Captain! Say something!¡±

    ¡°She participated in a Divine Sense hosting experiment last time,¡± Yan Yu replied, ¡°The side effect is that she cannot control her emotions, so she¡¯s been wearing the mask and staying in her room every day, afraid of being discovered by you all.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Only then did Lin Ning realize that Sister Zhao had her reasons.

    Zhao Yuanzhen also breathed a sigh of relief, wiped away her tears, and was about to speak when she heard Lin Ning ask:

    ¡°So, is that why you cling to the Captain when you¡¯re asleep? Because you¡¯re emotionally vulnerable and subconsciously seeking support?¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s heart leaped with joy at this, Lin surely knew how to add to the imagination, yet he put on a helpless face and sighed:

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. Her current psychological state is very unstable, a bad dream at night can startle her awake, and I have no choice but to suffer and be used as a pillow¡­ Don¡¯t ask me if I sleep well. As captain, as long as you all sleep soundly, I¡¯m satisfied.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Lin Ning responded indifferently.

    Do you take me for a fool?

    But, I can only pretend not to know.

    After all, throwing a fit right now would only annoy the captain, and I might even be thrown out¡ªwho knows? After all, I¡¯m just ordinary friends with the captain right now, I have no right to interfere in their relationship.

    I can only endure with humiliation.

    ¡°I see.¡± Lin Ning pretended to believe, and nodded, ¡°But Captain, you must be tired as well. How about I help out tonight and take your place to sleep with Sister Zhao?¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s expression stiffened immediately, and Zhao Yuanzhen frowned slightly as well.

    She did not have any interest in women. Of course, her Daoist couple¡¯s embrace and scent brought her more comfort than Lin Ning. But before she could voice her refusal, she heard Lin Ning¡¯s telepathic message:

    ¡°I recently learned how to make braised terrapin, and I was just looking for someone to test the dish.¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen instantly betrayed her previous stance, ¡°Then Ningning and I can sleep together, okay?¡±

    Hearing the Demonic Sect Enchantress agreeing, Yan Yu did not say much more. After all, he was a man of great will and determination, not one to quarrel with Lin Ning over the Demonic Sect Enchantress¡¯s beauty and charm¡ªit would undermine my dignity as captain!

    Lin Ning climbed onto the bed quietly, sleeping between Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen, using her body to separate them.

    On Yan Yu¡¯s side, the lights were turned off, and the room was immediately plunged into darkness.

    Feeling the warmth from both sides, Lin Ning closed her eyes with peace of mind.

    Good, this way, Sister Zhao won¡¯t throw herself at the captain.

    As the night grew deeper, their biological clocks kicked in, and all three fell asleep.

    In her subconscious, Zhao Yuanzhen turned and hugged Lin Ning next to her, and lifted her leg over her.

    Lin Ning, unaccustomed to this weight, although not instantly awake, was uncomfortable in her sleep and turned around with difficulty, freeing herself from the Enchantress¡¯s embrace and turning towards Yan Yu.

    Then she hugged him tightly.

    Yan Yu hadn¡¯t awakened either, but lately, being often affectionate with the Enchantress, his subconscious had smoothly shifted from lying on his back to his side, pulling Lin Ning¡ªwho was holding him¡ªinto his embrace¡ªjust as he used to do with Zhao Yuanzhen.

    Suddenly, he felt something subtly incorrect in his consciousness¡­ but couldn¡¯t pinpoint it, so he simply let it be.

    In his dreams, Yan Yu vaguely felt like he was holding two large rabbits. They were nuzzling about in his arms, their moist and warm noses sniffing around animatedly.

    Then, a blond villain appeared in front of him.

    The blond showed a smug and wicked smile, pulled out two capsules marked with ¡°APTX4869¡±, grabbed the ears of the rabbits in his embrace, and forcefully fed them with water.

    Soon, the rabbits began to shrink rapidly, turning from adult rabbits into those that seemed they were still in elementary school, with their size reduced by who knows how much.

    Yan Yu: ¡­

    No! My big rabbits!

    He hugged the two small rabbits tightly and wept sorrowful hot tears.

    At dawn, Yan Yu finally came around.

    For some reason, his heart was filled with a faint sadness¡­ What was this scent? Sea salt lemon?

    Yan Yu quickly came to his senses. Although he hadn¡¯t opened his eyes, he sensed that the girl in his arms¡ªnot voluptuous, but more resilient, especially that one-size-smaller feeling¡ªdefinitely was not the size the Demonic Sect Enchantress should have.

    Ningning?!

    Pretending that he hadn¡¯t woken up, Yan Yu first shifted from lying on his side to lying on his back and removed his left hand from Lin Ning.

    After a few minutes, he pretended to roll over accidentally and withdrew his right hand from under Lin Ning¡¯s neck.

    Then, her left hand caught him.

    With his heart racing, Yan Yu waited for a moment before confirming that Lin Ning hadn¡¯t woken up and was just unconsciously holding his hand¡ªof course, with Lin¡¯s proud personality, he hardly expected her to initiate any intimate physical contact with him while conscious.

    Except when she was furious.

    Yan Yu carefully withdrew his right hand once again and finally freed himself. Just as he was about to roll out of bed, his shoulder was suddenly caught.

    It was Zhao Yuanzhen, who was holding Lin Ning. She probably found the pillow in her arms smaller than usual and simply grabbed Yan Yu, who was further away, pulling him into her embrace as well.

    Lin Ning, like sandwich filling squeezed between them, quickly showed an uncomfortable expression.

    With no other choice, Yan Yu carefully opened Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s grip and quickly rolled off the bed onto the floor.

    Escape successful!

    After freshening up in the bathroom, Yan Yu had just pushed the door open when he saw Ye Jun also emerging from her room.

    ¡°Good morning, Yan Yu,¡± Ye Jun greeted. ¡°Have you eaten?¡±

    By habit, she should have smiled as she greeted, but she really wasn¡¯t in the mood to smile now.

    ¡°Not yet, just got up,¡± Yan Yu replied as he closed his room door. ¡°Shall we go for breakfast?¡±

    ¡°I could use your help with a few questions,¡± Ye Jun said.

    To cater to those team members who couldn¡¯t cook, there was a cafeteria in the recuperation area. It was said that previously, Military Mansion Cultivators had shown off their Divine Skills for the chance to be assigned as chefs here, even going as far as to forcibly learn dishes worthy of state banquets.

    The two picked up their trays and went to get food. Yan Yu lingered around the Chinese dishes, pondering what to eat, when he suddenly heard Ye Jun ask:

    ¡°How did you sleep last night?¡±

    ¡°Not well,¡± Yan Yu answered. ¡°I had a nightmare.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Ye Jun said expressionlessly. ¡°I hope it wasn¡¯t because I disturbed you.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not related to you,¡± Yan Yu said, not thinking there was anything amiss with her indifferent expression¡ªafter all, she wasn¡¯t in a normal mood.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Ye Jun¡¯s mouth twitched slightly.

 Chapter 537: 33 Home Court Switch

    Chapter 537: Chapter 33 Home Court Switch

    As time passed, Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s symptoms of emotional control disorder gradually subsided¡ªmeaning the cute and tearful little enchantress would soon revert back to her original, impatient, vicious, and sly self, the Great Demoness.

    Although Yan Yu felt somewhat reluctant, considering that the little enchantress was unfit for battle, he could only hope for her quick recovery.

    Ye Jun¡¯s recovery pace was also nearly there, her spirit significantly stabilized, and occasionally, she could even manage a smile.

    But Yan Yu didn¡¯t know why, he always felt as if she had become much more distant from him. Although they still chatted occasionally, after a little while, she would find an excuse to leave, seemingly unwilling to stay with him.

    Could it be that Lord Master had drawn another pie in the sky for her, promising some generous treatment?

    Well, it wasn¡¯t wrong for Liu Longtao to do such a thing, after all, at this stage, the Dragon Soar Team was still highly dependent on the Xuan Guang Ruler. Old Liu, as the team captain, of course, wouldn¡¯t mistreat his brothers and sisters. The day Ye Jun no longer held value to the team, she would no longer be Old Liu¡¯s sibling, and would voluntarily apply to leave the team. At that time, I would welcome her into¡­ no, win her over to join my team.

    I, Yan Yu, am different from Old Liu; I never solely measure a person by their value to the team!

    Just as he thought this, Liu Longtao¡¯s call suddenly came through.

    ¡°She¡¯s not yet fully recovered,¡± Yan Yu answered the phone and said bluntly, ¡°When she¡¯s completely recovered, she¡¯ll tell you herself.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking about Ye Jun; she can stay as long as she wants with you!¡± Liu Longtao couldn¡¯t help laughing and crying, ¡°You know about the Northern Border, right?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s happened at the Northern Border?¡± Yan Yu asked with a frown, ¡°Is there trouble with the witches again?¡±

    ¡°Not the Amur Witch¡¯s Group.¡± Liu Longtao replied, ¡°It¡¯s the Rakshasa side that has seen the rise of a new hero named ¡®Great Emperor¡¯ Peter.¡±

    Lord Master¡¯s tone sounded like he was talking about a new hero in ¡°Honor of Kings,¡± but Yan Yu knew he was just feigning calm. If it was just a minor character, he wouldn¡¯t have bothered to make a special call, so Yan Yu humorously asked:

    ¡°Is he any good?¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t stand out before, and the intelligence on him is scarce,¡± Liu Longtao answered, ¡°This guy comes from civilian Transcendents and seems to have found some relic; his power surged suddenly, and now the Rakshasa officials have publicly announced their intentions to recruit him.¡±

    This is the unpredictability of civilian Transcendents. You have national resources, I have once-in-a-lifetime adventures; you train hard for over thirty years, the Elixir Medicine constantly supporting your internal development to achieve minor success, and I accidentally fall off a cliff only to meet a hermit who imparts to me a lifetime¡¯s worth of ¡®The Faceless One¡¯s¡¯ skills¡­ Though the chance of encountering such adventures is slim, when multiplied by the huge population, there will still be an endless stream of strong civilians emerging, and no country can deal with it.

    ¡°And then?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Then, this guy came around to Asia to look for Transcendent powers and killed over forty leaders within a week,¡± Liu Longtao said gravely.

    Transcendent forces have always operated on the principle of survival of the fittest; the leader may not be the smartest, but they are definitely the strongest in the gang. This Peter¡¯s ability to decisively crush so many leaders implies that his combat power has definitely created a gap from the average level of world-class Transcendents and is beginning to approach Liu Longtao¡¯s tier ¡ªno wonder Lord Master would specifically call about it.

    ¡°But getting rid of the leaders is useless,¡± Yan Yu casually remarked, ¡°It just leaves the top spot of the gang open. You kill someone today, and you don¡¯t even have to wait till tomorrow; someone will soon fill in the slot, and it doesn¡¯t help them to regain territory in the slightest.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s probably just doing it to establish dominance,¡± Liu Longtao paused, ¡°Old Yan, you understand, right?¡±

    ¡°What do I understand¡­ Anna?¡± Yan Yu was suddenly startled.

    ¡°Although he¡¯s moving from west to east, and the Amur Witches will be the last on his list,¡± Liu Longtao chuckled, ¡°However, The Faceless One Anastasia is quite worried about this and has specifically sent a diplomatic communiqu¨¦, hoping that Lu Country can provide support.¡± sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Upon hearing this, Yan Yu fell into deep contemplation.

    Just like the other Transcendent forces entrenched in the north of Asia, killing the Amur Witch¡¯s Group¡¯s leader would be futile; those below wouldn¡¯t scatter because of this, they would just vie for the position after you left¡­ unless you can eliminate everyone, which is clearly impossible.

    But if Anna were to be defeated and killed in her battle with Peter, it would mean that the connection between the Witch¡¯s Group and Lu Country would be significantly weakened. What the Privy Council is probably considering is Anna¡¯s Lu Country background, and what Anastasia is worried about is most likely the fact that Anna and I have a good relationship.

    Should the Witch¡¯s Group lose Anna and bring in a new witch who doesn¡¯t know me, I wouldn¡¯t treat her as I do Anna. After all, she would be a stranger, and from then on, everything would be strictly business.

    ¡°I understand,¡± Yan Yu replied. ¡°The Privy Council sent you to test my will, didn¡¯t they?¡±

    ¡°After all, this is a delicate time, everyone is fully committed to advancing to the Hua Mansion Stage,¡± Liu Longtao said frankly. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to delay your cultivation progress, those higher up can understand, and we can simply send someone else.¡±

    ¡°Send someone else? Will they be able to win?¡± asked Yan Yu.

    ¡°That I don¡¯t know,¡± admitted Liu Longtao. ¡°Moreover, with Peter¡¯s eastern campaign, it¡¯s hard to say when he¡¯ll arrive in Amur, it could be several days¡¯ wait over there.¡±

    Yan Yu continued to ponder: In my past life, Emperor Peter and Eclipse Anna were fairly matched, with no clear winner. If Peter had been stronger, Anna wouldn¡¯t have had the chance to unify the whole of Siberia; but if Anna had been stronger, she wouldn¡¯t have settled for the title of Queen of the Northern Border, but would have directly ascended to the throne of the Rakshasa Empress and become Anna the Second.

    In the long run, Anna was probably the stronger, with Peter mainly adopting a defensive stance in Europe to prevent Anna from crossing the Ural Mountains. Continuing this line of reasoning, it¡¯s very likely that in the past, when Peter went on his eastern expedition to Amur, he was so badly defeated by Anna that he lost all confidence and thus chose to hunker down within his borders.

    However, the circumstances of my past life cannot confirm the current situation. After all, fate has changed, maybe Anna didn¡¯t encounter some fortuitous adventure she might have had because she knew me, and her strength decreased accordingly?

    ¡°Forget it, I¡¯ll go,¡± Yan Yu quickly decided.

    ¡°Heh,¡± Liu Longtao mused. ¡°The ancients had a saying: heroes find it hard to overcome the allure of a beautiful woman¡­¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Yan Yu said righteously. ¡°If Anna falls in battle, the Amur Witch¡¯s Group will certainly face a power vacuum and internal tumult, leading directly to instability on our northern border. For the country and the people, I must make this journey. Don¡¯t measure me by your filthy thoughts! Goodbye!¡±

    After hanging up the phone, Yan Yu quickly gathered everyone and announced the news.

    ¡°Heading to the Northern Border?¡± asked Lin Ning. ¡°What about your cultivation? The concentration of Spiritual Energy in the Northern Border¡­ can¡¯t compare to the Mysterious Realm, right?¡±

    ¡°It has to be put on hold,¡± Yan Yu stated solemnly. ¡°So, I¡¯ll be the only one going on this trip. You all stay here and continue to cultivate, striving to reach the Hua Mansion Stage as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Can we come find you after reaching the Hua Mansion Stage?¡± Su Yunjin¡¯s eyes lit up; she felt she was not far from reaching the Great Perfection of the Marrow Cleansing Stage.

    ¡°You can apply with Li Weiguo,¡± said Yan Yu. ¡°But the limit of the Spiritual Energy concentration here hasn¡¯t been reached just by advancing to the Hua Mansion Stage. I suggest it would be better for you to continue cultivating at that time.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Su Yunjin sighed, disappointedly.

    Ye Jun remained silent, coldly observing with a sigh in her heart. The girls of the Zhenhai Team¡­ clearly have feelings for Yan Yu.

    Sigh, originally, I thought I was fortunate enough to meet someone I was comfortable with, and I wanted to see if it was possible to develop further. Who would expect that the queue of women interested in him has already begun to form? Truly, high-quality men are in demand everywhere.

    ¡°Ye Jun, if you¡¯ve recovered, you can go back to the Dragon Soar Team on your own. I¡¯m not sure when I¡¯ll return, so there¡¯s no need to inform me,¡± Yan Yu conveyed to her privately.

    ¡°What if I want to stay and play for a few more days after I¡¯ve recovered?¡± Ye Jun asked with a smile.

    ¡°Sure, you can talk to Lord Master about it,¡± said Yan Yu. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to stay here as long as you like.¡±

    ¡°If I stay too long, won¡¯t I be perceived as a rival by your girlfriends?¡± Ye Jun joked.

    ¡°Ah?¡±

 Chapter 538: 34 Return to the Northern Border

    Chapter 538: Chapter 34 Return to the Northern Border

    Yan Yu was utterly baffled and spent a long time explaining to Ye Jun through voice transmission, clarifying that he had not entered into a romantic relationship with anyone.

    I¡¯m still the proud owner of a golden bachelor status, alright? Look, the golden-haired queen of the Northern Country is already summoning me to save her. If I already had someone, would she still be thinking about me? She¡¯d kick me to the curb without a second thought.

    Ye Jun just laughed ¡°hehehe¡± without arguing or showing that she believed him, which confused Yan Yu even more.

    In any case, after explaining the situation to the ladies, Yan Yu made a phone call to Li Weiguo to report in.

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Li Weiguo indicated that he was already aware, ¡°Even though you¡¯re going to support them, you can¡¯t neglect your daily breathing exercises and energy refining. The Privy Council has already made arrangements with the Amur Witch¡¯s Group. They have prepared a place with the richest Spiritual Energy for your residence and cultivation.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re really too kind.¡± Yan Yu could only laugh ¡°hehehe¡± in response.

    What the heck! Do I still need to practice breathing and energy refining? Once I get back, I¡¯ll just pull Xie Ruoxi into a Joint Cultivation group, and in minutes, I could boost you to the Hua Fu Stage, easy peasy!

    ¡°By the way,¡± Li Weiguo continued, ¡°there¡¯s another matter.¡±

    ¡°After you face Peter, if you¡¯re confident you can beat him, try not to kill him¡ªit would be an extra credit for the mission.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Yan Yu didn¡¯t ask why Lu Country didn¡¯t want Peter dead.

    Isn¡¯t that obvious? The more formidable Emperor Peter is, the more the Amur Witch¡¯s Group will cozy up to Lu Country! A common enemy who¡¯s tough to beat is the best guarantee for a bilateral friendship.

    After hanging up the phone, Yan Yu started his journey to the Northern Border.

    It was now late spring, early summer. The southern part of Lu Country was already bustling with lush growth, while many areas in the north were still cold and barren¡ªthe farther north you went, the more pronounced it was.

    After crossing the three Northeast provinces, one would enter the region internationally known as the ¡°Northern Border.¡± Although it is not declared independent from Rakshasa internationally, anyone with clear eyes could see that this territory was no longer under Rakshasa¡¯s control but was occupied by various Transcendent factions of differing sizes.

    The smallest factions might only govern a single village, while larger ones controlled towns or even cities. There were also affiliations among the factions, with lower-level factions loyal to mid-level ones, periodically paying taxes, providing manpower, and answering the call to arms. Meanwhile, mid-level factions groveled to those at the top of the pyramid, fulfilling nearly identical obligations.

    At the top of the pyramid was the Amur Witch¡¯s Group. After defeating the Belarus Bear-men, they had nominally taken over the entire Eastern Siberia region, with no other Transcendent force daring to challenge them.

    The entire Northern Border had regressed straight back to the feudal system of the Middle Ages¡ªperhaps even more primitive and savage. No customary rules had to be followed, and vassals could always rise against their lords to take over, all depending on who was stronger.

    Yan Yu flew on his sword for a while, then suddenly noticed explosions up ahead.

    He quickly focused his gaze and saw two groups of bats scattering in flight, while a woman riding a broomstick was raining down a variety of long-range attacks on them.

    Witch.

    Strictly speaking, in the entire northern part of Asia and Eastern Europe, witches could emerge. However, due to the rise of the Amur Witch¡¯s Group, most witches had migrated eastward, and thus the professional term internationally used for this occupation became ¡°Amur Witch.¡±

    The Amur Witch is similar to a Sword Immortal and can ride on a broom to fly at high speed and make agile turns, and are also capable of deploying a variety of long-range attacks, mainly divided into three categories: Spells, Summoning, and Curses.

    Since his former life, Yan Yu did not know any witches, so his knowledge about them was limited. He only knew that Spells had physical forms, such as a ball of fire or an ice arrow. Curses, on the other hand, were silent and instantaneous, and without the need to travel, they would descend upon the enemy and take effect immediately through some unknown means. As for Summoning, it involved calling forth various evil creatures from Hell.

    ¡°`

    The three methods of attack had their strengths and weaknesses, with no clear superiority. For instance, the title of the Eclipse Queen from my past life came about because she cursed the moon, rendering its light unable to shine upon the Northern Border region forever. Consequently, any Transcendent who wished to oppose her had to weigh their capability to intervene with the stars above.

    As Yan Yu pursued with his Sword Control, he naturally caught the attention of that witch. She held down the hat on her head while forcefully pulling her broom up, quickly flying towards us, shouting in incomprehensible Rakshasa language.

    When she got close to Yan Yu, she suddenly paused, then switched to fluent Lu Country language:

    ¡°Divine General Yan Yu? Are you from Lu Country?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here to find Anna.¡± Yan Yu answered, secretly surprised when the Lu Country language had become the official language of the Northern Border, such that even random people he encountered on the street spoke it.

    ¡°Oh? Oh. Oh!¡± The young witch exclaimed ¡°Oh¡± three times, her face breaking into a beaming smile, ¡°That¡¯s great, the Elders were just discussing when you would come¡­ I¡¯ll show you the way.¡±

    She turned her broom and began to fly, while Yan Yu followed closely with his Sword Control, listening to the young witch chat away incessantly:

    ¡°It¡¯s really great that you could come. Due to Emperor Peter¡¯s foolish eastern campaign, many Transcendents from the west are migrating eastward. Hence, there have been constant attempts by riffraff to invade our territory. Those two just now were the infamous vampire sisters, Evgenia the Elder and Fugonia the Younger, who used to operate around Veldrolovsk. Fearing a duel with Emperor Peter, they came to our Witch¡¯s Group seeking refuge, asking outright for a city to be given to them for raising their blood livestock. Shameless bitches, get the fuck out¡­ Is this how you curse in Lu Country language?¡±

    ¡°Pretty much,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Your Lu Country language is pretty good.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, I learned by watching Lu Country TV dramas,¡± the young witch replied, ¡°I especially love your Channel Six, with all the foreign movies dubbed in various translations, haha. By the way, I¡¯m Clara. Clara Sharapova.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, nice to meet you.¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°I only joined the Amur Witch¡¯s Group earlier this year.¡± Clara continued, ¡°When they were fighting the Belarus Bear-men, I was still boiling herbal medicine in the village! So you probably haven¡¯t met me before, but I¡¯m especially close to Anna¡ªshe likes to use ¡®iron¡¯ to describe a strong friendship.¡±

    Yan Yu thought the young witch was a bit talkative, but since she mentioned Anna, it was worth asking about her situation:

    ¡°How has Anna been recently?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s been good,¡± Clara said with a smile, ¡°Previously, Elder Anastasia ostensibly handed over power to Anna, but in reality, she still held onto it, keeping the Witch¡¯s Group¡¯s affairs firmly in her grip. Anna argued with her a few times, realizing her stubbornness to concede, so she simply stopped bothering with the group¡¯s internal affairs and began to focus on meditation and cultivation.¡±

    ¡°As a result, Anna¡¯s strength improved rapidly, while the Elders were bogged down with all kinds of trivial matters, and her power ended up far surpassing theirs. Now everyone has started to notice something¡¯s amiss and they want to return authority to Anna to free up their own time for meditation and cultivation. But Anna refuses, hahaha, it¡¯s driving the old bunch crazy.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how it is,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Rather than holding onto power, it¡¯s better to improve one¡¯s strength. Power follows the sword.¡±

    ¡°All in all, Anna is now the number one witch in our Witch¡¯s Group, both nominally and by strength ranking, and she is also the spiritual leader of all us witches,¡± Clara continued, ¡°But she often says that you are far stronger than her, and she tells us to watch more Lu Country shows and learn the Lu Country language. She says if the Amur Witch¡¯s Group ever faces an enemy they can¡¯t survive, she might dissolve the group and seek refuge in Lu Country with you. But if we don¡¯t speak Lu Country language, Lu Country certainly won¡¯t take us in.¡±

    ¡°Even if you could speak Lu Country language, Lu Country wouldn¡¯t dare to take you in,¡± Yan Yu commented, ¡°So many unknown witches turning up within Lu Country¡¯s borders, who would dare to accept you!¡±

    ¡°Haha, I think so too,¡± Clara chuckled, ¡°So, Yan Yu, since we¡¯re now acquainted, if I follow Anna to Lu Country to seek refuge, you should help convince your officials to approve my asylum application, right?¡± Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say, how strong are you?¡± Yan Yu asked, frowning.

    ¡°I¡¯m a virgin,¡± Clara said.

    ¡°`

 Chapter 542 38: Yan Yu, I curse you!

    Under Yan Yu''s incessant urging, the beauty-entranced Anna could only reluctantly get up, straightening her disheveled clothes and trousers ¡ª the blonde had even pulled down her trousers halfway, leading Yan Yu to click his tongue at her aggressive boldness, which was faintly reminiscent of the domineering nature of the Eclipse Queen from his past life.

    Among all the women I know, I must admit you are the most dominant!

    Of course, while Yan Yu admired her, he couldn''t help but worry about his Primordial Yang.

    He had a strong premonition that if he stayed any longer in the Northern Border, he was sure to lose his virtue... It would be better to quickly deal with Peter and then make a run for it.

    Off they went, one on Sword Flight, the other riding a broomstick, quickly departing from the rooftop and flying towards the distant west.

    "So you really are confident, right?" Yan Yu asked once again, "All I need to do is create an opportunity for a one-on-one duel for you, is that correct?"

    "You don''t believe in my strength?" Anna retorted.

    "How can I believe in your strength when I''ve never seen you fight?" Yan Yu retorted her retort.

    "Hmph." Anna smirked smugly, "Ever since you left last time, I''ve been studying all sorts of poison curses and now I am ranked first in combat strength among the Witch''s Group, with no one better at fighting than me!"

    "Oh." Yan Yu was noncommittal in response.

    "Don''t believe me? Want to see my strength?" As Anna spoke, she suddenly pointed her finger.

    Weakness Curse!

    The ferocity of curses lies in their invisibility, silence, and absence of any trace of Spell flight. Once targeted by the caster''s finger, the cursed would immediately feel the effects, making evasion almost impossible.

    With a slight movement of her heart, Anna had already silently shaped her Magic Power, but she saw Yan Yu''s sword light suddenly shift downward, causing her Magic Power to miss its mark.

    She didn''t hit him!

    Still in disbelief, Anna stretched out her finger again for another distant point.

    Once more!

    Yan Yu''s sword light braked sharply again, just enough to avoid it a second time. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Anna was dumbfounded for a while, then purposefully pointed her hand without actually casting a curse, only to see Yan Yu''s sword light drift once again, not letting her finger aim at him.

    This broke the case: the opponent couldn''t actually see through her curses, but he knew the curse''s lock-on required hand gestures, so he intentionally avoided her aim.

    "How did you know?" Anna asked in shock,"No, how did you do it?"

    "You said something like ''let me show you my strength,'' and then suddenly pointed at me. I thought your fingertips would shoot out a spell," replied Yan Yu.

    "But how did you manage to dodge them all?" Anna asked curiously.

    "When you pointed at me, I just dodged to the side," Yan Yu answered.

    Anna fell silent for a moment, realizing he might indeed not be lying.

    Curses have no visible form, so you can''t see the curse and avoid it as it comes at you; the only clue is the witch''s hand movements.

    But when I did just that¡ªa simple point¡ªyou managed to avoid it. How fast must your reaction speed be to do that!

    In other words, I can''t just use a curse on Yan Yu afterwards and have him under my control, taking him back to Amur to marry me and enter the bridal chamber!

    "Waaah!" Anna, riding on the broom, suddenly cried out loudly, venting the frustration in her heart.

    "What''s wrong?" Yan Yu asked.

    "I''ve lost my confidence," Anna declared proudly, "I originally thought that with one curse, I could knock that what''s-his-name Peter flat on the ground, but seeing how effortlessly you dodged... it made me feel like I''m useless, and couldn''t win a fight!"

    "There''s no need to lose confidence over this," Yan Yu said leisurely. "In the whole world, I am the only one who can dodge a curse like this."

    In my past life, the Amur Witch''s Group unified the Northern Border quite late, so naturally, there were numerous witches among the various demons and entities that caused trouble every year. Because the Dingbei Army was under constant pressure, it collected most of the intelligence on witches, including the gestures and conditions required to cast their curses.

    After intensive high-pressure training, most of the Mortal Warriors in the Dingbei Army could dodge the "easier" curses, but for the harder ones, it was down to luck. As for the record of dodging one hundred percent of the curses, to this day, only Yan Yu has achieved that, and no one has broken his record.

    Therefore, when Yan Yu said, "I am the only one," it wasn''t a boast without basis, the record from his past life spoke for itself.

    Anna, however, was somewhat skeptical. She thought, since you''re so wary of me pointing at you, what if I change the curse? That should be okay, right?

    She pressed her fingertip against her lips and blew Yan Yu a kiss.

    The Enthralling Curse was meant to make the target obsess over her briefly, following her every command. It would be triggered the instant the target saw the flying kiss.

    But Yan Yu''s sword light suddenly widened, and he averted his gaze in time, still unaffected by the curse.

    Anna was so angry she gnashed her teeth, her competitive spirit flaring up. She thought to herself, whether through surprise or underhanded tactics, you have to be hit by one of them today!

    She unleashed a variety of curses at Yan Yu, excluding only those that were too lethal, throwing everything else she had at him.

    Yan Yu''s response was very straightforward: I duck, I dodge, I twist away, not touching, not approaching, not looking directly at you, making your curses miss.

    Still, the number of curses Anna controlled did surprise Yan Yu.

    This blonde does have some skills indeed! Deserving of her status as the Eclipse Queen in the past life, she must have put a lot of effort into studying this stuff, considering she was a complete novice just a year ago!

    In contrast, someone didn''t have to flee for her life this life, thus has been indulging in the comfortable life¡ªeating and sleeping, sleeping and eating, with no evidence of self-study in malicious spells beyond team training. I''m afraid I might have spoiled her.

    When the two arrived on the outskirts of Yakutsk, Anna had already missed countless times and was incredibly irritated. She took the lead in landing in the urban area with Yan Yu and ordered the Spirit Communicators who gathered around:

    "Summon Lord Ivan!"

    Yan Yu stood by quietly, aware that the so-called "Lord Ivan" was likely a vassal of the Amur Witch''s Group.

    In the North, where modern societal structures have completely collapsed, you can''t expect the establishment of a central imperial hegemony, because local Transcendent forces have a natural tendency to resist centralization. Therefore, the Amur Witch''s Group maintained a certain suzerainty policy over the surrounding areas, allowing local Transcendent powers extensive autonomous rights in exchange for limited loyalty, allegiance, and tribute¡ªa bit like a feudal system.

    In the Saha Region near Yakutsk, the dominant Spirit Communicators were the Saha Werewolves. The ruling class of the Witch''s Group was called the "Elders," while the werewolves referred to their leaders as "Lords." Judging by Anna''s imperious and commanding attitude, this Lord Ivan was probably not a very powerful figure, so Anna wasn''t afraid of offending him.

    Wait a minute¡­

    "Anna," Yan Yu suddenly said in a low voice, "we''ve been flying for over an hour now. Before we started, Clara reported that ''Peter has arrived at Yakutsk.'' What do you think happened during this hour?"

    Anna was initially startled, but then quickly understood.

    The Saha Werewolves swiftly surrounded the two of them; one of the leaders pushed through the crowd, revealing a sinister, mocking smile, and said:

    "Ivan is busy right now, unable to greet the two of you. If you want to see him, please follow us."

    Anna threw a glance at Yan Yu and smirked:

    "Sure, lead the way... Attack now!"

    Before her words even finished, Yan Yu had already formed a sword technique,

    Two swords flew from his back''s sheath, ferociously plunging into the pack of wolves. The Huang Tingjian clove through flesh, limbs flying; the Liangyi Sword pierced with rapid thrusts, penetrating chests and disemboweling. Even though the werewolves were prepared, they were forced into a retreating disarray, completely unable to defend themselves.

    Anna''s attacks were more akin to those of a Magic Cultivator''s, throwing handfuls of golden powder and with a snap of her fingers; the powder instantly turned into a vast sea of flames, spreading dozens of meters in a blink. The surging Red Flame, the towering heatwave, and from within it, countless Fire Serpents and pythons emerged, roaring and lunging in every direction!

    The werewolves struck by Fire Serpents caught fire, their bodies burning as they howled miserably, rolling on the ground trying to extinguish the flames, but soon they were motionless and silent, reduced to blackened char, with the residual fire continuing to burn.

    Yan Yu watched, quite astonished, thinking to himself that he really should have brought Xiao Zhou to see how someone plays with fire magic!

 Chapter 543 39: Destined to Win

    Flames danced wildly, the sea of fire boiling!

    Anna moved her hands slowly, as if she were a conductor of a symphony orchestra, and countless fiery pythons followed her rhythm, licking in all directions. For a moment, it seemed as though the flames enveloped the entire sky, sweeping across the town.

    The remaining werewolves that had not been burned to death saw that the situation was bad and quickly scattered to flee. Some dashed into houses, others down alleys, not needing to outrun the blazing serpents; as long as they could run faster than their companions, that was enough.

    Yan Yu watched silently from the side, only to see numerous homes around the sea of fire ignited, and the frightened residents running out with their families in tow.

    When Transcendents battle, it is always the mortals who suffer!

    Seeing Yan Yu''s slight frown, Anna, who was still maintaining the spell, explained,

    "The chances are high that the lord of this place is already dead. Peter has taken control of the gang, ordering the werewolves to besiege us in order to deplete my mana, so we cannot get entangled with them for too long."

    "I''m now setting fire to the city. Even if Peter can stay put, these local werewolves might not be able to endure it. Just wait until someone comes forward to inform us, telling me where Peter is."

    "Hmm," Yan Yu said, "I am not very familiar with the customs here; please do as you see fit."

    Anna continued to set the city ablaze. Before long, indeed a werewolf dashed into the sea of fire, shouting,

    "Stop the fire! Do you want to destroy the entire city? Peter is in the chemical plant over there!"

    "Oh?" Anna said with a cold laugh, "Then lead the way."

    "Alright!" The werewolf hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

    No sooner had he turned around than Anna pointed at his back. The werewolf''s body immediately stiffened and was then thoroughly devoured by the nearby fire serpents, turning to ashes.

    Yan Yu did not understand Rakshasa''s language, but luckily Anna quickly explained,

    "That werewolf wanted to lure me into an ambush. Just wait a bit longer; I don''t believe they can keep this secret forever."

    "I just worry your mana might not suffice," Yan Yu said.

    "It''s fine." Anna took out a small crystal vial from her bosom, filled with a deep green potion, and drank it all in one gulp.

    As long as there''s no combat and she can take her time to replenish with potions, sustaining mana is quite manageable.

    The other side probably knew better than to hope for her mana to be exhausted, so another person rushed into the sea of fire, this time looking like a mortal without extraordinary powers, his eyes filled with terror, panting heavily,

    "Stop the fire! Peter is in that building over there!"

    "Lead the way," Anna said.

    "Are you crazy?" The man''s eyes bulged, "If I lead the way there and they discover it, I''ll be the first to die!"

    "How many people do they have?" Anna asked again.

    "I don''t know," the man spoke swiftly, "Peter took three people with him and, after the lord was defeated in a duel, a bunch of werewolves also swore allegiance to him, so I don''t know how many enemies are over there! You should conserve your mana and stop burning this place down!"

    Anna pondered for a moment, then waved her hand for him to get lost quickly.

    "Is the information given by this man true?" Yan Yu finally asked.

    "Don''t know," Anna shook her head, "There are no obvious flaws; we might as well go and have a look."

    The two flew towards the distant building; Yan Yu controlled the flight with the sword when suddenly he spotted a flash of cold light from the top of the building.

    "Gun." As Yan Yu transmitted his warning to Anna, the sword light suddenly shone brilliantly.

    Sword-Human Unity!

    The surge of sword light concealed Anna''s figure. The sniper above lost his target and could only fire blindly at the position he recalled, pulling the trigger for a blind shot.

    Then, his vision was completely overwhelmed by sword light.

    Utilizing Sword-Human Unity, Yan Yu rapidly approached the sniper''s position. The robust sword light tore apart the gun and the sniper''s entire body, then pierced through the concrete wall behind him, bursting out from the other side of the building and sharply turning mid-air.

    Anna was also shaken. When she went on campaigns in the past, it wasn''t as if she hadn''t been ambushed by modern weapons, but most of the time, she could react ahead of time using the witch''s "Spiritual Perception." However, this time the enemy employed a sniper rifle, hiding hundreds of meters away, beyond the limits of Spiritual Perception.

    Once the bullet entered the range of Spiritual Perception, reacting would definitely be too late.

    An infuriated Anna immediately dropped her broom and swiftly hid in the shadows of the building, concealing her figure as she moved forward silently.

    But the enemies inside the building no longer had time to search for her, as Yan Yu once again charged into the lower floors with his Flying Sword, leaving the defending werewolves decimated, limbs strewn about in disarray!

    In the security center, witnessing the hellish scene on the screens, Peter finally stood up:

    "I will deal with him," he said.

    "Wait a moment," Sullivan said, "He''s just luring the enemy out. The Eclipse Queen, Anna, has yet to appear."

    "Even if the two of them come at me together, I am not afraid," Peter said proudly.

    Sullivan was silent for a moment before speaking:

    "But he is not worthy. How can the dignity of a king be affronted by ordinary soldiers?"

    This comment seemed to scratch Emperor Peter exactly where he itched, so he sat back down and asked:

    "Then who among you will take him down?"

    "I''ll go," Xie Liufu stood up.

    "Xie Liufu is adept at defense. Against a mobile and flexible Lu Country Sword Immortal, there could be no better match," Sullivan agreed, "You''ll win."

    Having wiped out everyone in the vicinity, Yan Yu wondered whether he should explore upwards or downwards next, or perhaps run outside the building to wait for Anna?

    Suddenly, he heard a massive crash, as the wall directly to his right front collapsed.

    From within emerged a giant man with a full beard and bulging muscles, carrying a huge double-bladed battle axe in his right hand and a smaller throwing axe in his left, appearing before Yan Yu with a nonchalant air.

    Yan Yu studied his face carefully.

    He had never seen this man in his past life; probably one of the extras killed off by the Eclipse Queen.

    "Grey Blood Xie Liufu," the man announced his name in a muffled voice.

    Yan Yu did not respond, but slightly curved his finger, signaling him to bring on the fight.

    In the Western world, exchanging nicknames is part of the dueling etiquette, ensuring that if one were to die in battle, at least the opponent would know who they had slain¡ªif one did not announce their name, it carried a humiliating implication that your death was certain.

    As expected, Xie Liufu was provoked. His left hand swiped at his waist and he hurled the throwing axe, trailing a low whooshing sound as it cut through the air.

    Yan Yu quickly sidestepped to avoid it, his Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step already executed as he vanished behind the cubicles in an instant; meanwhile, the Huang Ting Sword flew high into the air, descending towards Xie Liufu''s head.

    With a roar, Xie Liufu swung the double-bladed battle axe with his right hand, deflecting the Huang Ting Sword away.

    Such tremendous strength! Yan Yu was somewhat surprised.

    The Huang Ting Sword was a heavy blade, and with the force driven by the Sword Control Technique, even a tank cover could be split apart. That it was repelled by the Berserker''s battle axe indicated the colossal strength of his opponent, which, even among the Berserkers of the world, was a force to be reckoned with.

    If he had not been eliminated early by the Eclipse Queen in his past life, he probably could have made quite a name for himself. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The Liangyi Sword shot out from the shadows, only to be blocked by Xie Liufu''s second, smaller axe. Yan Yu''s hand continuously shifted his sword technique. He observed that this man possessed an incredibly strong physique and exquisite combat skills, making him the type of enemy a Sword Immortal least liked to face¡ªfirstly, because the man wielded massive weapons that made it difficult for a flying sword to penetrate, and secondly, even if he was injured, his robust body suggested that his vitality would be extremely hard to extinguish; he was simply not easy to kill.

    Forget it, time to cheat! No more tangling with him!

    Yan Yu flicked his sleeve, releasing the Puppet Silver Pellet which transformed into the slender-legged beauty Ah Zhen, with slightly parted lips.

    Anna had already burst into the first floor of the building, also appearing on the security cameras.

    Without a second word, Peter picked up his golden greatsword and rushed out of the room, leaping down the stairs.

    A battle of kings, to decide life and death!

    Sullivan waved his hand, and two muscular men armed with machine guns proceeded with their orders. If Peter couldn''t win the duel, they would use modern weaponry to give Anna a "Sir, the era has not changed" treatment.

    But turning his head, Sullivan saw that the upper floor had been engulfed in flames, leaving only the half-burned corpse of Xie Liufu standing in the camera''s view, with a cauterized slash at his waist bereft of any blood...a sight that shocked Sullivan!

    Something was wrong! Since when did a Lu Country Sword Immortal possess spells?

    Could it be that the Anna below was merely an imposter, and the true Queen Witch was upstairs?

 Chapter 544 40: Dog-headed Military Advisor

    Sullivan watched the surveillance screen, first in disbelief, and then as if struck by lightning.

    How could it be him?

    Previously, Yan Yu had been slaughtering werewolves with his Sword Flying Slash, his true identity concealed by the sword light around him. Now that he had deactivated his Sword Control, Sullivan finally recognized him.

    It was the Flying General Yan Yu from the Secret Realm of Li Palace, who had forced the Transcendent Miti to flee in terror!

    "This is impossible!" exclaimed Alexander, who stood beside him, "Shouldn''t he be in Lu Country?"

    Sullivan couldn''t answer.

    It was no secret that there were dealings between Lu Country and the Amur Witch''s Group, but the relationship between Yan Yu and Anna was not known to most. In fact, being a leader of Transcendent forces was a high-risk profession, where one could be romantically involved today and dead tomorrow, always vulnerable to a coup from their subordinates.

    Therefore, in Sullivan''s original plan, after Peter seized control of the Witch''s Group, Lu Country would most likely send someone to negotiate, and they would deal with it at that time.

    He had never expected that Lu Country would send the Longcheng Flying General ahead of time, insistent on saving the life of the Queen Witch! Damn it, the Spiritual Energy Resurgence had only improved recently; at this time, shouldn''t you be holed up domestically, frantically leveling up?

    "What do we do?" Alexander asked anxiously, "Should we fight him?"

    "Can we win?" Sullivan retorted.

    In the Secret Realm of Li Palace, dozens of superheroes couldn''t subdue him, and now it''s just the two of us, how could we possibly fight?

    Alexander had no response.

    Sullivan quickly pressed the communication device and called Peter:

    "Change of plans, someone from Lu Country is here, we need to retreat first."

    A typical military cultivator would naturally retreat first upon receiving such news. But Peter had never undergone formal military training¡ªhe hadn''t even attended tactical maneuver classes.

    Anna''s two Curses, both blocked by the orb of light from the golden greatsword, were about to be pursued by Peter when he suddenly received the order to retreat, which he blatantly refused. Overcome with anger, he yanked off his headset, threw it to the ground, and continued to roar and advance towards the opposing witch.

    Seeing him discard his earpiece, Sullivan almost vomited blood in frustration and had to go persuade him personally. Just as they left the security room, they saw Yan Yu emerge from the ceiling, landing right in front of Sullivan and Alexander.

    "So you were hiding in the security room," Yan Yu said with a smile. "They are having a duel; you shouldn''t interrupt them."

    The two men exchanged a quick glance, and Alexander, gritting his teeth, said:

    "You go find Peter, I''ll stay here to buy some time!"

    "Okay!" Sullivan felt somewhat touched, yet he didn''t hesitate and took off running.

    Alexander drew his staff, threw a few light orbs at Yan Yu, who easily dodged them with the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, and was about to deliver a deadly blow as he closed in. Just then, Alexander suddenly leaned forward and fell, raising his hands to clutch the back of his head and shouting loudly in Lu Country''s language:

    "I surrender!"

    The pronunciation was accurate, almost as if he had practiced these three words countless times. Yan Yu reacted swiftly, having already raised his hand to shoot the Liangyi Sword, the next second would have fatally pierced him, but he quickly changed his sword technique and halted the Flying Sword, turning his hand and casting a Runescript to seal his body.

    Sullivan hadn''t gone far when he heard Alexander shout out that sentence in Lu Country''s language, almost stumbling and falling over in shock.

    He sprinted out of the second-floor corridor, only to see Peter raising his weapon, numerous Light Swords taking solid form near the ceiling, then crashing down like a meteor shower.

    Anna also scattered a large amount of Refined Sulfur, snapped her fingers, and flames soared into the sky, from which numerous Fire Serpents roared out, colliding with the myriad Light Swords above.

    Light Swords whooshing, Fire Serpents spewing, the entire hall''s ceiling turned into a starry sky, and the lower part become a sea of fire. Whether it was tiles, windows, sculptures, stairs, or columns, all were either split apart or melted into slag, the scene as horrific as a war hell.

    Sullivan had reached the railing and shouted:

    "The Longcheng Flying General from Lu Country is here!"

    "If he''s here, we''ll fight together!" Peter said fiercely, his teeth gritted as he swung his sword, sending out a tremendous Sword Qi nearly twenty meters long, its shiny, golden brilliance sharply evident, cutting many of Anna''s controlled Fire Serpents into two.

    In the heat of danger, Anna''s spirituality instinct kicked in, and she suddenly summoned her broom to lift her sharply into the air about five or six meters, narrowly avoiding the tremendous Sword Qi. Only the tail of the broom was halved, the core damaged, and it started to shake violently in the air, unable to stabilize.

    Just as Peter was about to pursue his advantage, Sullivan had already leaped from the second floor, grabbing him and shouting:

    "Can''t kill him in a duel, how can you win two against one?"

    Yan Yu arrived from behind controlling his sword, landing beside Anna, and exclaimed in surprise,

    "You haven''t killed him yet? What happened to the 80% confidence you talked about?"

    "It was just confidence in winning, not winning quickly!" Anna hastily defended, "Didn''t you see we are already casting spells? His spells rely entirely on that great sword, unlike the spells I developed myself, which consume more mana. If we keep this up, I''ll eventually win!"

    Yan Yu didn''t know how the Eclipse Queen of the past lifetime had defeated Emperor Peter''s group of four. Now that only two remained, he asked,

    "What about now? Shall we continue the duels, and leave the remaining person to me?"

    Anna seemed tempted and turned her head to ask Peter in Rakshasa language,

    "We continue the duel, and when someone dies, we switch partners, how about that?"

    Sullivan quickly grabbed Peter, saying,

    "Even if you can defeat the Queen Witch, do you think you can also defeat the Lu Country''s Flying General? He slaughtered many in the Secret Realm of Li Palace, dozens of superheroes couldn''t beat him, and you at your prime were no match for him, how much mana do you even have left?"

    Peter finally calmed down and said,

    "Then let''s withdraw."

    Sullivan had been waiting for those words. He pressed his earpiece to send a signal, and from the rooms on either side of the upstairs, two gunmen charged out, holding down their triggers and sweeping bullets everywhere.

    What a clever ambush! Yan Yu praised inwardly, quickly pulling Anna behind him and activating the Barrier Charm.

    With the Barrier Charm, no matter how many bullets hit them, they were deflected like rubber, causing no pain at all. The Liangyi Sword and Huang Tingjian reflected through the barrage of bullets, piercing the hearts of the two gunmen, killing them.

    But even in those few seconds, Peter and Sullivan had already sprinted away, bursting out of the building.

    Peter, wearing winged boots, could leap more than ten meters in a strong bound, running swiftly. Sullivan summoned a giant eagle, whose talons gripped his shoulders, lifting him into the sky with powerful wing strokes.

    The two men fled in different directions, and Yan Yu and Anna, with tacit understanding, quickly split up to pursue them.

    Yan Yu chased Sullivan with his sword control, shaking out Puppet Azhen in midair, who cast the Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire, slicing through the giant eagle''s body. Sullivan screamed as he fell, waving his arms frantically in the air.

    The radiance of the Liangyi Sword swept past, swiftly enveloping his figure, before dropping him to the ground.

    At his wit''s end, Sullivan crashed to the ground with a thud, kneeling and clutching the back of his head, he called out,

    "I surrender! I can turn over a new leaf!"

    The plea was also in the language of Lu Country, not only standard in pronunciation but also incorporated idioms, which made Yan Yu pause in surprise, initially intending to give him a quick end, he laughed and said,

    "How come you all speak the language of Lu Country?"

    Not daring to delay, Sullivan explained,

    "Rakshasas are extremely cautious about Spirit Communicators, which is bad, so we sided with Peter. If Peter doesn''t work out, we have other plans: to seek the Amur Witch''s Group or Lu Country, so we learned the language in advance."

    "I see," Yan Yu chuckled, "Then what do you mean by turning over a new leaf?"

    "We''ve been conquering the east, collecting all the intelligence of Spirit Communicators along the way, and we''ve placed many insiders," Sullivan said earnestly. "If the Queen Witch...or Lu Country wishes to unify the Northern Border, I am willing to be a Zhuge Liang to a wise ruler, dedicating my life until my last breath!"

    This fair-skinned Rakshasa with high nose and deep eyes solemnly speaking of "aiding a wise ruler" made Yan Yu feel quite bizarre. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But then again, the fact that he even knew the story of a military strategist proved that he wasn''t just saying these things because he was like a fish on a chopping block, trying to save his life¡ªhe had truly considered defecting to Lu Country, thus he had done his homework in advance.

    Hey? Could it be that his contributions also played a part in the Eclipse Queen unifying the Northern Border in the past life?

    The Amur Witch''s Group was ruled by witches, so he certainly couldn''t enter the core decision-making circle, but that wouldn''t stop the Eclipse Queen from consulting with him¡ªAnna of the past life didn''t have Yan Yu as her strongest support, and the Witch''s Group, having suffered severe losses in battles with the Giliar Bearmen, might indeed consider accepting Sullivan''s loyalty.

    Well, I''ll decide when Anna gets back!

 Chapter 545 41 The Marriage Alliance Plan

    Anna who was in pursuit of Peter soon returned.

    She came back with a look of unwilling resignation, tears at the corners of her eyes, and said angrily,

    "He got away, it''s so infuriating!"

    "How did he escape?" Yan Yu asked in shock, "Sister, you can fly! And he was just hopping around with a pair of Spring Shoes. How could you let him get away?"

    "He jumped into the river," Anna said with tears in her eyes, "I couldn''t catch him."

    Sullivan sneaked a peek at her from the side, only to see that although Anna''s eyes were teary, her expression bore no sadness... Could it be fake tears, like eye drops?

    Anna vigorously wiped the water from her face and continued,

    "Yan Yu, stay for a few more days, will you? I''m afraid that Peter, once he''s healed, will come back for another round, and I can''t handle him on my own."

    "Haha," Yan Yu laughed lightly, "I had already anticipated Peter''s escape. Look, I''ve persuaded his right-hand man, Sullivan, to defect. He''ll tell you all the information, so you don''t have to worry about Peter''s potential comeback."

    "I see," Anna said, turning to look at Sullivan with a kindly smile.

    Sullivan quickly bowed his head, remaining silent.

    "What about you?" Anna asked.

    "I came here to ensure your safety," Yan Yu said, "Now that Peter has been driven off, I should return."

    "Are you going to leave me behind like you did last time?" Anna sighed softly.

    "What?" asked Yan Yu.

    In truth, he had barely heard her, but he had to pretend he hadn''t.

    "It''s nothing," Anna lifted her head again, smiling and said, "Let me see you off, then."

    "No need," Yan Yu said with a smile, "We still have two prisoners, one of us has to stay and watch them."

    "I promise I won''t run away!" Sullivan immediately said. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Anastasia is on her way here, there''s nothing to worry about," Anna spoke gently, "Let me at least see you off. After this parting, who knows when we''ll see each other again."

    "It''s alright," Yan Yu persisted in his refusal, "We can still video chat."

    "Video chatting isn''t the same as meeting face-to-face," Anna shook her head, a bittersweet smile spreading across her face, "Yan Yu, I can''t abandon the enterprise I have in the Northern Border, so I often think it would have been better if I''d never gone abroad. Perhaps then I could have been with you."

    "Don''t talk nonsense," Yan Yu said helplessly, "You are now a lord of a region, with both status and power. Isn''t that better than staying at home, being ordered around by others?"

    "But without you," Anna said.

    The two looked at each other silently, their gazes seeming to convey a thousand words, but ultimately turning into a barely audible sigh.

    "It''s getting late," Yan Yu said as he looked at his phone, "So I''ll be going now. Take care."

    "Mmhmm," Anna lowered her head.

    "Don''t look so glum; I''ll come to visit you again," Yan Yu consoled her.

    "Mmhmm," Anna kept her head down.

    "Farewell." Yan Yu summoned his sword light, wrapped himself in it, and was about to soar into the sky when he suddenly dodged to the side.

    Maintaining a spell-casting pose, Anna said disappointedly,

    "You still dodged it."

    "Were you trying to force me to stay?" asked Yan Yu.

    "You were the one who said it," Anna''s tone turned cold and imperious, "I''ve got power and status now; by what right do you look down on me?"

    "My roots are in Lu Country," Yan Yu said with a more serious tone, "I love that land and its people deeply."

    "A never-married virgin talks tough, huh?" Anna quickly scattered powder around, igniting a blazing inferno, and said with a sneer, "Once we get married right here and have a bunch of kids, we''ll see where your ''roots'' are then!"

    Yan Yu''s sword light soared quickly, while Anna commanded the Fire Serpents to block his flight path and mounted her broomstick, rising into the sky.

    "Stop wasting your effort!" shouted Yan Yu, "Even if you can keep my body here, you won''t keep my heart!"

    "For now, keeping your body will do!" Anna shot back, no less determined, "Once I have control over your lower half, I''m not afraid your brain won''t comply!"

    "Hahaha, keep dreaming, but do you really have the skill to do that?"

    "Come back with me, and I''ll show you whether I have the ability!"

    "Sorry, I''m leaving. You can go back and practice with a soda bottle!"

    "Yan Yu, don''t go! Marry me back home!"

    "You''re not worthy!"

    Yan Yu''s sword light finally broke through the blockade and rapidly disappeared into the horizon.

    Anna landed again, furiously slamming her broom, which didn''t fly well due to its damaged tail, onto the ground, and exclaimed,

    "Piece of junk! At the critical moment, you ruin my chance at a lifetime of happiness!"

    Sullivan forced himself to appear calm until Anna''s menacing glare turned towards him, as if it were saying, "Find someone to kill to vent my anger." It was then that he could no longer pretend and hurriedly shouted,

    "Exalted Queen Witch! I have a strategy to offer!"

    "What is it?" Anna frowned.

    "The Northern Border and Lu Country are neighboring states, inseparable as lips and teeth. For the sake of long-lasting peace between the two, you need to form an alliance through marriage with Lu Country''s Flying General, Yan Yu!" Sullivan spoke rapidly, "Lu Country is like an aging giant, strong yet fearful of pain! The Han Dynasty faced the threat of the Xiongnu, the Tang Dynasty had the danger of the Turkic tribes, the Song Dynasty feared the Liao and Jin, and the Ming Dynasty guarded against Mongolia. Nearly every dynasty chose at some point to seek peace with the north through marriage, trading the lifelong happiness of one for temporary border tranquility. If you can unite the whole of Siberia and become the true ruler of the north, it would be easy to approach diplomatically and have Lu Country send Yan Yu to marry you!"

    Anna looked at him coldly and then her brows relaxed and she said with a smile,

    "Keep talking, I''m listening."

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Having flown over the Greater Khingan Range, Yan Yu finally returned to Lu Country''s territory, secretly letting out a sigh of relief.

    Alas, I had only wanted to make an early impression on the Eclipse Queen to curry favor in exchange for peace at the northern border, but I didn''t expect my male charm to be so strong that she would fall for me to this extent, insisting on nobody but me! How did I overlook this?

    Women in love can indeed be terrifying!

    Still, Anna is half-foreign and thus more free-spirited and bold in love and hate, which is understandable. Fortunately, all the girls in my team are pure-blooded from Lu Country, modest and conservative; if they were all like Anna, it would be quite troublesome.

    Well then, time to return!

    After resting for a while on the way and making a phone call to Li Weiguo to report his success, Yan Yu was just about to set off again when he received a message from Lord Master.

    [Peter]: Asleep already?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Look at your face. I go over to help out, and you talk like it''s something dirty. Jealousy! Definitely jealousy.

    [Peter]: I was asking if you''ve had your midday nap. It''s already two in the afternoon.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Just started heading back.

    [Peter]: Good. Ye Jun has returned to the team; I thought I''d let you know.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Fine, just don''t push her to a breakdown again.

    [Peter]: How could I? She''s nearly being worshipped as a goddess. Hey, Old Yan, if you''re free, could you do me a favor?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: What favor?

    [Peter]: I''ve asked a girl out for coffee. You''re more experienced with women than I am, help me see if she''s interested in me and whether she''s someone I could spend my life with.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: What girl? What''s her job?

    [Peter]: Civil servant, from the Tax Bureau.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: She''s interested in you, suitable for a long-term relationship. I won''t go.

    [Peter]: Come on, Old Yan, I''m serious! HELP!

    [Peter]: And Ye Jun will be there too! I''ve figured it out already. You two pretend to be a couple, first to do a round of assessment for me. If she''s suitable, then give me some support.

    [Peter]: If you won''t come, I''ll have to ask Ai Lu for help, let him pretend to be Ye Jun''s boyfriend. If something happens between them while acting, I can''t be responsible.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Damn it, would Ye Jun agree?

    [Peter]: She probably wouldn''t, but my power as the captain is limitless.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Liu, you''re asking for karma. Time! Location!

 Chapter 546 42: Seeing Ye Jun Again

    By the time Yan Yu had reached their destination, he saw that Liu Longtao and Ye Jun had already been waiting there for quite a while.

    It''s strange, really, some people are just friends, but when they stand together, they look like the perfect couple, as though made for each other. Whereas some people, despite being key members of the same team and working closely together every day, just don''t seem to mesh well¡­ Perhaps this is what they call incompatible auras.

    Liu Longtao, dressed like the sunny, sporty boy-next-door, stood by the roadside, boredly playing with his phone. Ye Jun stood a step to his side, continuously looking across the street and around, avoiding even a single glance at Lord Master by her side.

    Until her gaze fell on Yan Yu.

    "Ye Jun, Old Liu," Yan Yu greeted them.

    "Yan Yu." Ye Jun nodded.

    "Old Yan," Liu Longtao said, secretly whispering a complaint, "So calling Ye Jun first, huh? Prioritizing romance over friendship!"

    Yan Yu unapologetically retorted directly to his mind:

    "Who was the one who begged me to come here? Was it comrade Ye Jun? Shouldn''t you display a bit more humility when asking for help? I didn''t make you kneel and lick my shoes, which already gives you enough face."

    "Alright, alright, Old Yan," Liu Longtao couldn''t help but laugh, leaving behind a harsh line, "Just don''t find yourself needing a favor from me someday!"

    Yan Yu ignored him and turned to Ye Jun.

    Today, Ye Jun wore a light gray checkered shirt with a long dark skirt, matched with her stylish short hair, she looked quite like a professional woman¡ªYan Yu realized, after thinking, that this was perhaps the first time he had seen Ye Jun in a skirt. Her tall figure was somewhat obscured by the skirt, somewhat diminishing the impact of her long legs.

    "Do I look good?" Seeing Yan Yu staring intently at her, Ye Jun didn''t seem phased at all and lightly spun around.

    "Honestly, you look better in pants," Yan Yu replied.

    "Pfft," Liu Longtao laughed on the side, "The lady asked if she looked good, and you could''ve just told her she looked drop-dead gorgeous. Would''ve made her day. Why did you have to honestly critique her."

    "Do you see?" Yan Yu pointed at Liu Longtao, bemoaning to Ye Jun, "Old Liu is just a man of sweet words but mean intents. You have to be careful with him, Ye Jun, don''t be fooled."

    "Stop your nonsense," Ye Jun laughed, "I''ve dealt with him far more than you have."

    "Speaking of which," Yan Yu propped his chin up and asked, "Where is the little girl?"

    "She''s still at home; we''ll drive over to pick her up," Liu Longtao said seriously.

    "That''s Lord Master''s scheming," Ye Jun chatted leisurely with Yan Yu in the car, "Look at how we both sit in the back. When that young girl arrives, she can only sit in the passenger seat next to Lord Master."

    "That''s terrible," Yan Yu said, "Lord Master''s probably going to be so distracted he won''t have time to watch the road, just admiring her profile the whole time. He might direct us straight into the curb."

    "Nonsense!" Liu Longtao laughed scoldingly, "I''m not as desperately lustful as you. Ye Jun, do you know? This guy rushed to the Northern Border yesterday to meet his mixed-race sweetheart."

    "Oh?" Ye Jun''s interest peeked, showing a curious expression, "Care to share more?"

    "Why not?" Yan Yu spoke carelessly, "There''s a Spirit Communicator called Emperor Peter from the Rakshasa side who came to challenge her to a duel. I was called over to ensure they didn''t play dirty tricks, but I didn''t get a chance to do anything. She blew Emperor Peter away by herself."

    "That''s amazing," Ye Jun''s expression showed envy, "Even though she''s a woman, she''s so powerful. No wonder she has become a dominant force."

    This was a topic they shouldn''t get into, and so both Yan Yu and Liu Longtao tactfully avoided it, switching to more casual conversation:

    "By the way, is that young girl pretty?"

    "She''s about a 7 without makeup. Let me show you a photo."

    "Forget about photos, set that aside! Nowadays, even online videos can use Massive Spatial Distortion Technique, where even a several-ton tank can become a celebrity face. It''s better to wait and see her in person."

    "You don''t understand, she''s not the type that likes to Photoshop her pictures."

    "And you think you understand women? When you first meet them, even if they have a super domineering spirit inside, they still act like a delicate and pure little flower in front of you."

    "So what kind of flower did Ye Jun pretend to be when you first met her?" Liu Longtao asked with a hint of malice.

    Yan Yu instantly cursed in his heart, muttering, "You say I''m helping you defuse a time bomb in your team, and you just chuck it onto me, you bastard!"

    Confronted with Ye Jun''s smiley eyes, he sheepishly said:

    "Where does Ye Jun even need to pretend? She approached me and blew me away. All I remember is her elegance, like willows in the breeze, not weak yet gentle..."

    "Enough, enough, stop talking." Ye Jun wasn''t used to such praise, her cheeks flushed pink, and she pinched him hard on the shoulder, "Shut up already."

    "How about we talk about Lord Master''s new wife?" Yan Yu turned to chat with Ye Jun, "Ye Jun, what do you know?"

    "How did it turn into ''new wife''?" Liu Longtao protested.

    "I don''t know much more than you," Ye Jun replied with a smile, "just that she seems to be a good girl, took a government job in the Finance Bureau after her family helped her out post-graduation."

    "These good girls are the ones scared of speaking up, socially anxious, and easily shy," Yan Yu critically said, "Even if you wear your heart on your sleeve for her, she just hums and gives no indication."

    "My, you nailed it!" Liu Longtao, who was driving, slapped his thigh hard, "I asked her out a thousand times, but she''s too shy to agree. It wasn''t until I mentioned you guys and turned it into a group dinner that she reluctantly agreed."

    "Maybe it''s just because Lord Master''s looks haven''t crossed the threshold to spark her initiative," Yan Yu speculated.

    "That''s not impossible," agreed Ye Jun.

    "Even the shyest girl gets all fired up in front of the guy she''s into, nearly wanting to cling onto him," Yan Yu continued.

    "Yes, that''s the way it is," Ye Jun concurred.

    "Lord Master, you better prepare yourself. It''s excusable if you''re not close now, but if it remains this way after more interaction, better to cut it off early," Yan Yu finally advised.

    "Absolutely right, cut it off when necessary," Ye Jun laughed and agreed repeatedly.

    "Are you two ridiculing me here with your act?" Liu Longtao scoffed, "Ye Jun, did you know? Old Yan wouldn''t have come if I hadn''t threatened to have Ai Lu replace him as your fake boyfriend."

    "Just keep causing trouble," Ye Jun, seeing right through his instigation, said to Yan Yu, "Actually, Ai Lu can''t come; he has recently gone back to his parents'' home in Central Plains and has taken leave. Lord Master is bluffing you."

    "Old Yan, did you know?" shifting his failed tactic, Liu Longtao immediately said, "Ye Jun also refused initially. But after I told her Old Yan had agreed to help, she panicked so much, it was urgent..."

    "Continue," said Ye Jun grinning, "Later, I will have a good chat with your girlfriend."

    Liu Longtao immediately clammed up in fear. He knew that girls could get close quicker than with guys, and if Ye Jun deliberately interfered, he really had no good way to stop it.

    "We need to dig up some dirt on Lord Master and spill it to her privately," Yan Yu instantly suggested a bad idea.

    "Why would we do that?" Ye Jun laughed.

    "If she doesn''t mind Lord Master''s flaws, then it''s true love," Yan Yu explained, "and if she does, it proves it was just a superficial like, better to cut it off early!"

    "Spot on," Ye Jun couldn''t agree more.

    "Are you freaking done?" Liu Longtao got angry, "I asked you two here for support and assessment, not to sabotage!"

    "This is necessary assessment!" Yan Yu argued righteously, "If she can''t accept even your ugly sides, what kind of true love is that!"

    "But it''s no use," Ye Jun reminded, "She knows Lord Master is the captain of the Dragon Soar Team."

    "What if she''s after the money and status?" Yan Yu quickly countered, "Pretending to be introverted and shy, playing hard to get, giving mixed signals?"

    "Is that how you use that expression?" Ye Jun asked, puzzled.

    "That''s what I mean," Yan Yu made a fishing rod reeling motion.

    "That''s why I called you guys to help check," Liu Longtao sighed. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 547 43 Lao Liu: Someone spoiled my good thing

    "Right, you two better not slip up," Liu Longtao finally remembered the important matter when they were about to reach their destination. "Remember, you two are now posing as a couple, Ye Jun is my deputy captain, and Old Yan, you are the captain of the Zhenhai Team, returning from official duties and just stopping by to visit your girlfriend and an old friend... got it?"

    "Got it," Ye Jun said. "Basically, it''s to act as a buffer for you and her, so she doesn''t feel like it''s a one-on-one date and get embarrassed."

    "Exactly," Liu Longtao said. "Later, don''t go calling me ''you,'' it makes it look like I''m putting on airs in the team." S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Just call me Old Liu," Yan Yu added from the side. "Captain Liu won''t do either."

    "Then, do I need to create any conditions for you?" Ye Jun asked.

    Despite her usually buoyant and forthright demeanor, Ye Jun was still a woman, and thus possessed a delicate and meticulous mind¡ªunlike Yan Yu, who whatever you asked him to do, he would do, mainly giving off an attitude of indifference.

    "Let''s see how it goes," Liu Longtao said. "Later, Ye Jun will use her identity as a woman to help me assess her situation."

    "To prevent her ''good girl'' image from being just a facade?" Yan Yu laughed. "Maybe she''s really after Old Liu''s money and status?"

    "As long as it''s clear she genuinely likes you, there shouldn''t be a problem," Ye Jun quickly grasped the crux of the matter.

    "Right! That''s exactly it," Liu Longtao was overjoyed. "This time, let Ye Jun take the lead in the probe, and Old Yan, you stay beside her focused on playing Ye Jun''s boyfriend role. Otherwise, if Ye Jun asks too many questions, she might think Ye Jun has some designs on me, and then things could get complicated."

    "Fine," Yan Yu said. "Honestly, this is a bit troublesome. Can''t we just hire a private detective to check her out directly?"

    At this suggestion, Liu Longtao suddenly fell silent.

    "You hadn''t even considered this possibility before, had you?" Yan Yu asked suspiciously.

    "Nonsense," Liu Longtao denied. "Can a private detective find out what she''s really thinking? If it were useful, I would have done it a long time ago. We''re almost there, pay attention now!"

    The car pulled up to the entrance of the residential area, and Yan Yu saw a young girl standing by the roadside, accompanied by a middle-aged woman.

    Looking at her face... 6 points, no more!

    Who was Yan Yu? A man who spent his time with Chen Lingyun, Zhao Yuanzhen, Su Yunjin, Lin Ning, and Xie Ruoxi, could easily make the fish sink and the geese alight, and naturally, his standards for women''s appearances had risen significantly. He rated Lord Master''s partner''s looks as 5 points and added 1 point as a friendly gesture, making it 6 points, just passing.

    To tell the truth, even Teacher Mei looked better than her!

    Of course, looks were just a matter of fact and couldn''t be the sole criteria for judging a good match. For example, Chen Lingyun, whose looks were nearly flawless, was a little devil and Pleasure Seeker behind the scenes; and Teacher Mei, though just pretty, possessed a noble spirit of selflessness and patriotism, along with the title of "patriotic hero" from a past life, which undoubtedly added a lot of charm to her.

    Was the middle-aged woman beside her, her mother?

    However, Yan Yu had heard that some girls were strictly raised, and even if they were adults, their parents would still want to know who they were going out with and when they would return if going shopping with classmates.

    But Yan Yu soon noticed that the middle-aged woman''s face was full of smiles, seemingly not worried about her daughter''s situation.

    So it seems, Lord Master''s mother-in-law knew what marrying into his family meant, and was eagerly hoping her daughter would marry into wealth soon.

    Looking at the young girl, she appeared soft and genteel, neither showing happiness nor unhappiness in her expression.

    Liu Longtao got out of the car and said something to the mother-in-law, then brought the young girl into the car. She sat in the passenger seat and looked back at the two people in the rear seats, seemingly a bit socially awkward.

    "Hello. I''m Ye Jun, and this is my boyfriend, Yan Yu," Ye Jun greeted her openly. "We''re just tagging along for a meal with Old Liu."

    "Hello," the other responded timidly. "I''m He Ye."

    "Lotus leaf, lotus flower, if this girl marries Old Liu and they have a child, they could name him Liu Chenxiang," Yan Yu also greeted her, but secretly sent a message to Ye Jun, "Put a magic lotus lantern in the house."

    Ye Jun seemed about to laugh but forcefully held it back, sending a stern message to Yan Yu:

    "Less glib talk."

    Liu Longtao was still communicating with the mother-in-law, while Ye Jun had already started chatting with He Ye.

    It must be said, women certainly have an easier time mingling with each other. He Ye clearly did not show much wariness towards Ye Jun, whereas she hesitated for a good while before responding to Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu couldn''t be bothered to chat with her and simply let Ye Jun do as she pleased, cozying up to everyone.

    Back in the car, Liu Longtao discussed with He Ye:

    "How about we go have some dim sum?"

    He Ye hesitated for a moment and then nodded:

    "Mmm."

    Seeing this, Yan Yu immediately teased Liu Longtao through a private message:

    "Why do I feel like she''s lukewarm towards you?"

    "That''s just her personality," Liu Longtao replied. "Otherwise, would I need to ask you all for help? Luckily, Ye Jun can get close to her."

    "Ye Jun has a personality that makes her easy to get along with anyone," Yan Yu said.

    "So doesn''t that benefit you?" Liu Longtao teased back.

    "Don''t talk nonsense," Yan Yu immediately retorted. "Ye Jun and I are crystal clear, purely comrades-in-arms."

    "Haha," Liu Longtao mocked, "the good comrade who volunteers to pretend to be your fake girlfriend as soon as I mentioned it? How come you two don''t join the artillery instead?"

    "Artillery? Never mind," Yan Yu decided not to argue about Ye Jun anymore and returned to the main topic, "Speaking of your little girlfriend, does she have some kind of androphobia or what? You like this personality?"

    "Haha, you wouldn''t understand," Liu Longtao said. "For example, a woman like Chen Lingyun, in all aspects, doesn''t she completely miss the mark of a ''good wife and wise mother''?"

    "That''s absolutely an antithesis," Yan Yu immediately said.

    "So, if you''re looking for a partner, you should use Chen Lingyun as a reference and deliberately do the opposite," Liu Longtao chuckled. "Chen Lingyun comes from a high background, so find someone from an ordinary family; Chen Lingyun is cunning, so find someone simple; Chen Lingyun is good at verbal attacks, so find someone who doesn''t talk much; Chen Lingyun likes to wear a fake smile, so find someone with a calm expression¡­ A girl found this way is definitely suitable for a domestic life."

    Yan Yu was amazed by the revelation and couldn''t find anything to refute, and it took him a while to ask:

    "Old Liu, did Chen Lingyun hurt you before?"

    "Who in our circle hasn''t been hurt by her?" Liu Longtao surprisingly admitted. "The governor''s daughter, which family isn''t tempted? Damn it, I never thought she''d be such a high-maintenance princess. Skilled in plotting, likes to be sarcastic, looks down on everyone as if they are country bumpkins. The more I understand her true nature, the more precious a plain and ordinary girl like He Ye seems... tsk tsk, only you, Old Yan, could tame such a beast from Jiang Hai."

    "Honestly, I think Chen Lingyun''s personality is indeed terrible, but not to the extent that you''re pale at the thought of her, seeing danger in every bush," Yan Yu said. "Old Liu, you''re a bit overly scared, like a mouse fearing a cat."

    "Haha, that''s also why I admire you," Liu Longtao responded. "We''ve arrived. When you get off the car, be affectionate with Ye Jun. Don''t let anyone spot the flaws. She isn''t a fool, just not talkative."

    The vehicle stopped, everyone got out, and just as Yan Yu closed the car door, Ye Jun immediately linked arms with him, her face sporting a radiant smile as if saying, "Going out to eat with my boyfriend."

    He Ye glanced at the two of them and then looked towards the main entrance of the board game cafe. Liu Longtao mentally applauded Ye Jun:

    Well played, Ye Jun! Absolutely flawless, just like a couple truly in love!

    They chose a board game cafe that served desserts and coffee, featuring a bright hall and spacious tables, suitable for young people to gather in small groups.

    Lord Master had carefully picked this place. After all, if they had gone to a cinema, He Ye would most likely have refused; but if it were shopping or something, it would be too easy for Ye Jun to stick with her, making it difficult for him to get close to He Ye.

    Only in a board game cafe can everyone get a chance to show their face!

    He had already booked a private room for four. At that time, Ye Jun and Old Yan would sit across as a couple, and He Ye and he would sit on the same side, intensely interacting!

    Wearing sunglasses, Liu Longtao, along with He Ye and Yan Yu, Ye Jun, walked into the store and coolly spoke to the receptionist:

    "I reserved a private room yesterday, the phone number is 13xxxxxxxx¡­"

    Just after he finished giving the phone number, he suddenly heard someone in the line next to him exclaim:

    "Old Liu?"

 Chapter 548 44 Sleeping Together Before Marriage

    Liu Longtao was momentarily stunned; upon closer inspection, he realized it was Cai Qianlong and Song Jia.

    He wasn''t very familiar with Cai Qianlong, but he had known Song Jia since childhood¡ªshe was the eldest daughter of the Song Family, sent by her family to marry Cai Qianlong to bring a quality cultivator''s lineage into the Song Family. Cai Qianlong was rather foolish; after confirming their relationship, Song Jia manipulated him effortlessly and he had already become the loyal son-in-law among the Capital City''s elite.

    "How come you are here?" Liu Longtao asked in shock.

    "I brought my wife out to have fun," Cai Qianlong said, oblivious to the situation, while Song Jia, looking at He Ye standing beside him and Yan Yu and Ye Jun behind them, immediately realized something and squinted with a smile:

    "Oh, we are also out having fun. We are still deciding whether to play board games here or go next door for an escape room."

    Liu Longtao breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Song Jia would tactfully not disturb his plans, and was about to speak when he heard Cai Qianlong say:

    "What''s there to ponder? It''s rare to run into a classmate here; we definitely should play board games together!"

    The others were somewhat breathless, only Song Jia, unsurprised, said with a smiling grin:

    "I want to play the escape room."

    "Do me a favor," Cai Qianlong earnestly said to her, "Old Liu, Old Yan, Ye Jun, all are close classmates! It would be awkward if we don''t play together."

    We aren''t that close, friends! Everyone was speechless at this point.

    "Xiao Cai, you don''t understand," Yan Yu hurriedly tried to persuade him, "The scripts for escape rooms these days are somewhat scary, and your wife might be too scared to play alone. Now that you can accompany her, it''s a great chance to show your manly heroics!"

    "That does make sense," Cai Qianlong seemed tempted.

    "Exactly, exactly," Ye Jun added his piece, "Escape rooms are way more fun than board games."

    "Then you all come along," Cai Qianlong quickly decided. "Let''s six of us go play the escape room!"

    Everyone: ...

    "Let''s still stick to board games," He Ye finally spoke up, "I''m scared of escape rooms."

    "Are you timid? Then horror themes are not suitable for you," Cai Qianlong nodded, then turned back to Song Jia, "Let''s do board games then, taking into account the young lady here."

    Song Jia couldn''t help but roll her eyes.

    Everyone, with their own thoughts, entered the board game private room and started whispering secretly to each other.

    "What do you say?" Liu Longtao spoke angrily, "Give a word, friends!"

    "It''s not necessarily a bad thing," Yan Yu responded, "Xiao Cai is a guy who has a girlfriend, a winner in life; he won''t compete with you for He Ye. It''s just a bit more uncontrollable factors now."

    "Damn, as if I''m afraid of him competing with me for He Ye?" Liu Longtao laughed in fury, "Uncontrollable factors are exactly what I''m most worried about! Who knows what nonsense this blockhead will spout!"

    "It''s okay," Ye Jun remarked, "I think his girlfriend is quite perceptive."

    "Ye Jun, don''t just agree with Old Yan; I''m the one in need of help here! It''s me!" Liu Longtao cried out desperately, "Sit next to He Ye quickly, help stabilize her emotionally."

    Everyone took their seats at the round table in this order: Liu Longtao, He Ye, Ye Jun, Yan Yu, Cai Qianlong, and Song Jia.

    Of course, it wasn''t exactly six-sided seating. For better observation, Ye Jun and He Ye sat closely. Since they were either in a couple or pretending to be one, Cai Qianlong and Song Jia, as well as Yan Yu and Ye Jun, also sat close together, leaving only Liu Longtao''s side empty. However, Lord Master didn''t mind, seeing that He Ye didn''t show the displeasure of encountering strangers, he secretly relaxed.

    "So what are we playing?" Cai Qianlong asked with a smile, "Werewolf? Don''t underestimate me, I''m known as the undefeated god of war in this game, I can tell who is the werewolf and who is the good guy at a glance¡­"

    "You guys decide," Song Jia quickly cut him off.

    "Then let''s play¡­ Monopoly?" Ye Jun suggested.

    Werewolf was definitely out of the question because He Ye wasn''t the type who could speak freely and analytically in public; it would have been a social torture for her.

    "Monopoly is fine," Yan Yu immediately agreed. As Ye Jun''s partner, he had to maintain his persona now.

    "Playing Monopoly isn''t as good as playing Flight," Cai Qianlong complained.

    "Can six people play Flight chess?" Song Jia asked.

    "Good point," Cai Qianlong realized, "Then let''s go with Monopoly."

    Liu Longtao saw that He Ye didn''t object, so he spread out the game mat and distributed the game pieces to everyone.

    To tell the truth, Monopoly was indeed much simpler than Werewolf. You just had to roll the dice, move according to the number rolled, and then draw cards to decide what to do.

    After about ten minutes, everyone had basically gotten the hang of the game. At that moment, Ye Jun drew an Event Card and laughed, saying:

    "It''s actually a Marriage Card."

    Marriage Card: Choose a player to marry, and both parties will share their properties.

    "There better not be a Divorce Card that forces a husband to give away 50% of his property," Yan Yu joked, saying:

    "Dear, I have more property than you now." Ye Jun pushed the chips that represented wealth towards him, "Didn''t you just take out a loan? I''ll pay it off for you right now."

    "I knew you''d pay it off for me," Yan Yu burst into laughter, "That''s why I chose to borrow it in the first place."

    Liu Longtao stared intently from the side, as if he couldn''t wait to snatch the card from Ye Jun''s hands.

    Next, it was He Ye''s turn to roll the dice. The young girl was incredibly lucky today, quickly purchasing another storefront.

    In contrast, Lord Master himself drew a "Traffic Accident Card" and unfortunately had to go to the hospital.

    "How can you be so unlucky?" Now more relaxed, He Ye covered her mouth and laughed.

    "It must have all been absorbed by you." Liu Longtao immediately joked, saying, "Give it back to me."

    "I can''t help you there." He Ye smiled and shook her head. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The game quickly came to an end. He Ye reached the target amount and became the ultimate winner, the Monopoly tycoon. Yan Yu and Ye Jun, sharing their wealth, ranked second. Although they didn''t have as much money as He Ye, they astonishingly drew two Childbirth Cards and achieved the "Household with Children" milestone.

    Cai Qianlong and Song Jia had mixed fortunes, ranking fifth and fourth, respectively. The most miserable was Lord Master, who, in the final round, drew a "Kidnapping Card" and, after paying the ransom, ended up with a negative balance.

    Of course, playing games isn''t about winning but about quickly bridging social gaps. From that perspective, the game was quite successful, as He Ye was no longer reserved and became much more cheerful and talkative.

    "Actually, I''m a bit curious." While Yan Yu was gathering the chips and cards, preparing to start another round, He Ye suddenly asked, "Ye Jun, Yan Yu, how long have you two been together? You really have strong chemistry!"

    "Six months." "A year, I guess." Ye Jun and Yan Yu answered at the same time, only they gave different numbers.

    He Ye was momentarily taken aback, but Liu Longtao reacted the quickest, quickly saying:

    "Yan, you remembered wrong. Ye Jun, you should punish him!"

    "Wow, you can''t even remember this!" Ye Jun quickly hugged Yan Yu''s arm, pretending to pinch him while Yan Yu apologized profusely, smiling sheepishly.

    "Six months?" Cai Qianlong suddenly said, "Isn''t that last November? I remember something happened then¡ªthe higher-ups of the Northern Army ordered to keep an eye on Yan Yu, and Ye Jun was responsible for it... So you two confirmed your relationship then?"

    "Oh, I remember now too." Song Jia chimed in. The official was officially wooing civilian Cultivators, but Yan Yu ended up killing one, and the incident almost blew up before they finally managed to suppress it.

    "What was it?" He Ye grew even more curious.

    "Ahem, it''s nothing." The origin of that incident wasn''t convenient to reveal to outsiders, so Liu Longtao vividly described the process, "Yan violated military discipline and was confined to a hotel room; Ye Jun was in charge of making sure he didn''t wander off. They spent the whole night together in the same room, even sleeping on the same bed. It was just a case of when the tortoise met the green bean [a metaphor for falling in love]¡­"

    "That''s enough." Yan Yu quickly messaged Liu Longtao telepathically, stopping him and saying, "You''re getting more and more ridiculous! If Cai Qianlong spreads this outside, won''t it set my team on fire?"

    "Just explain it to them¡­" Liu Longtao casually remarked, then quickly realized, "Damn! Damn! Damn! Yan, did you sweep your whole team off their feet? Five girls? All fell for you?"

    Yan Yu was momentarily stunned before he realized he might have said too much and immediately threatened:

    "Shut up! I came to help, not to add fuel to your fire!"

    As the two of them whispered back and forth, He Ye, shocked, asked:

    "Not even boyfriend and girlfriend, and already sleeping in the same bed?"

    "The world is indeed getting worse." Cai Qianlong also clicked his tongue in wonder, "Guarding one''s own theft! Sleeping together before marriage! Tsk tsk tsk, I didn''t expect you guys to be so wild!"

    "We were just talking, nothing else!" Ye Jun finally couldn''t take it anymore and stood up shouting, "Nothing else!"

 Chapter 553 - 49: Yan Yu, you donâ€™t want to either

    Chapter 553: Chapter 49: Yan Yu, you don¡¯t want to either

    Yan Yu found the dialogue spoken by the Zhenhai Team members on the television utterly ridiculous.

    Diligent Lord Master Xie Ruoxi? Others might not know, but isn¡¯t it common knowledge within the Zhendong Army what kind of person she is?

    Initially, this good-for-nothing was so terrible that she even alarmed Li Weiguo, and in the end, they had no choice but to resort to the ¡°call the parents strategy,¡± summoning her brother, Xie Rushan, all the way from Jingbei to shame her harshly, finally putting an end to her pretty but useless act¡ªthough that just meant she wouldn¡¯t slack off openly anymore; she still continued to slack off behind the scenes.

    As for when she started training like a normal person, it seemed to be after some night when she, for some inexplicable reason, came to my room, tears streaming down her face, saying she wanted to repay the kindness I had shown her¡­

    I nearly died laughing, you should never try to figure out the thought process of a girl who¡¯s into 2D characters, or you¡¯ll end up weird yourself.

    While watching the TV program and glancing at his phone, Yan Yu realized that many Cultivator classmates had sent messages, congratulating him on Xie Ruoxi¡¯s successful advancement to the Hua Mansion Stage.

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: Old Yan, I heard that Xie Ruoxi from your team has advanced to the Hua Mansion Stage? How come you¡¯re getting outpaced by your little sister in terms of cultivation speed?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: How¡¯s your sister doing?

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: Why do you always bring up my sister whenever I tease you?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: I miss her.

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: Cut it out, I¡¯ve run into something weird over here.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Spill it.

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: In a village on this side of Lingyou, all the villagers have mysteriously disappeared.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: The work of a rogue Cultivator?

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: If only it were that simple. The problem is we haven¡¯t found that rogue Cultivator.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: They must have fled.

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: Who knows? The provincial governor is taking it very seriously and asked us for assistance, but the problem is we don¡¯t have any Necromancers in our team.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Have the Annan Army send over a Necromancer to help out.

    [Sunshine Pearl River]: Why is it so hard to ask you to bring your team over to help?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Get your sister to come talk to me about it.

    After a while, Li Minghu also sent a message.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Congratulations.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Thanks.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Things are a bit complicated over here. The criminal investigation team said they haven¡¯t found any signs of fighting or slaughter. For ten-plus households with around twenty people, if something really happened, you¡¯d expect someone would have called the cops, but there was nothing. Later, tech even checked the cell tower logs and found that their signals all disappeared at the same time, that is, around 12:03 a.m. yesterday.

    [Win Over with Virtue]: Oh, now that¡¯s kind of interesting.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Yan Yu, I feel like you know a lot more about this. What do you think happened?

    [Win Over with Virtue]: It was the middle of the night; there wouldn¡¯t have been any village-wide activities, so most people should have been asleep at home. No bodies, and no signs of a struggle means they were probably teleported away from their own homes. Check for any strange ritual traces near the village.

    [Yuegua Donghu]: Okay, I¡¯ll contact you again if we find anything.

    With the conversation over, Yan Yu fell into deep thought.

    During the mid-period of the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, entire villages disappearing like this wasn¡¯t uncommon. For example, in his previous life, there were cases where three or four nearby villages ended up completely empty, and later investigations revealed that a bird-like demon was loitering nearby. Every night, it would approach human settlements, call out a few times, and all the sleeping villagers would unconsciously get up and walk over to the Bird Demon, allowing it to devour them.

    There were just too many similar bizarre possibilities, and without visiting the site personally, Yan Yu couldn¡¯t make a judgment. If Li Minghu¡¯s side managed to resolve it, well and good, but if they couldn¡¯t¡­ it was quite possible that the Annan Army would still have to turn to the Zhendong Army for help, and have the Zhenhai Team investigate.

    After all, as detestable as Chen Lingyun might be, her prowess as a Necromancer was still top-notch, making her perfect for investigating such scenes.

    By 4:30 in the afternoon, Yan Yu heard women¡¯s voices laughing outside, followed by the sound of a key being inserted into a lock. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± Lin Ning was the first to change into slippers, entering the living room and looking towards Yan Yu on the sofa, ¡°Are you hungry? I¡¯ll go cook.¡±

    Yan Yu thought she would ask about Anna and Ye Jun¡¯s matter, but since Sister Lin was only concerned with cooking, that was of course the best outcome, so he nodded and said:

    ¡°I¡¯ve missed Ningning¡¯s cooking.¡±

    ¡°Just buttering me up.¡± Lin Ning happily went to the kitchen. Following her in, Su Yunjin curiously asked Yan Yu:

    ¡°Is the food not good in the Northern Border?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s terrible,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°Transcendents don¡¯t worry about getting fat, and then the witches are mostly Rakshasa, they like eating barbecued fatty meat the most, too greasy.¡±

    ¡°But Anna is from Lu Country, her taste shouldn¡¯t be that heavy, right?¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile.

    A subtle aura of heaviness descended, yet Yan Yu¡¯s expression remained unchanged, and he laughed:

    ¡°We only had one meal together. At that time, there was a bit of a time crunch. Emperor Peter could arrive at any moment, so we spent the entire night studying intelligence materials, fought Emperor Peter the next day, and then came back after that.¡±

    After musing for a moment, Su Yunjin subtly reassured herself and laughed:

    ¡°I¡¯ll go clean up your room.¡±

    She slowly went upstairs. The third person to come in was Zhao Yuanzhen, who directly asked Yan Yu:

    ¡°Did you bring back any local specialties?¡±

    ¡°What local specialties do you want?¡± Yan Yu asked with a sidelong glance.

    ¡°Red sausages, Rakshasa barbecued meat, dark chocolate¡­¡± Zhao Yuanzhen counted on her fingers, and was tapped on the head by Yan Yu:

    ¡°Are you listing dishes here? I was there to fight, didn¡¯t have time to bring back any local specialties, if you want to eat, you can buy them online yourself.¡±

    ¡°Humph.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen stomped off to her room to remove her makeup.

    Xie Ruoxi came in afterward, seeing Yan Yu, she immediately showed a cute smile, trying to say something, only to hear Yan Yu ask with ill intent:

    ¡°I heard you have to train for 19 hours every day?¡±

    Xie Ruoxi was half-opening her mouth, her expression quickly turned ashen, and after a long while, she stuttered:

    ¡°It¡¯s not me! It¡¯s them, it was their script for me! I just, just read it as is!¡±

    ¡°I had no idea you were so diligent.¡± Yan Yu pretended to misunderstand and laughed, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, from now on I will also supervise you, to make sure you have endless motivation to cultivate.¡±

    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± Xie Ruoxi wailed as she rushed upstairs, only to hear Chen Lingyun ask:

    ¡°Is it that funny?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°What about you? How was the interview at the TV station?¡±

    ¡°Boring,¡± Chen Lingyun smiled, ¡°The script was pre-arranged, just like acting. How was it in the Northern Border? Did you sleep with any witches? How many?¡±

    ¡°0,¡± Yan Yu said seriously, ¡°Why would you ask such a question? How could such a clean-living man like me get involved with witches? Are they even worthy?¡±

    ¡°Hmm-hmm.¡± Chen Lingyun¡¯s smile didn¡¯t falter, ¡°But I heard that when you came back, you spent half a day at Lord Master¡¯s place and even pretended to be a couple with Ye Jun, hugging and cuddling.¡±

    ¡°How do you know?¡± Yan Yu quickly looked around, seeing that the closest Ningning was also in the kitchen cooking, then he transmitted his voice to Chen Lingyun:

    ¡°How do you know that?¡±

    Liu Longtao and Ye Jun would definitely not talk, and if Cai Qianlong had said it, probably everyone would know by now, which means¡­ Song Jia! This young miss knows Chen Lingyun!

    ¡°I have my ways,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a gleaming smile, ¡°But you seem very nervous, so¡­¡±

    ¡°My dear, you wouldn¡¯t want the girls in the team to know about your close interactions with Ye Jun, would you?¡±

 Chapter 556 - 52 Iâ€™m Here to Join You

    Chapter 556: Chapter 52 I¡¯m Here to Join You

    Xie Ruoxi once created a cosplay enthusiasts group.

    The initial intention of creating the group might have been to attract attention or to carve out her own little corner of fandom¡ªshe couldn¡¯t quite remember the specifics anymore. Because, just like reader and book-fan groups, as more and more people joined this cosplay enthusiasts group, countless unique and outlandish characters emerged, making it a territory for cosplay divas. The main topic of discussion became how to persuade photographers to waive their fees or what costumes would make customers pay more.

    As for these voracious seniors, Xie Ruoxi didn¡¯t have much to say. She simply blocked the group, deciding to ignore it completely.

    Somehow, hearing Chen Lingyun say, ¡°Give the captain some benefits to boost his favorability,¡± suddenly reminded her of this group¡ªshe had to admit that when it came to handling men, this group was truly full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, almost like an online Silk Cave.

    ¡°I have a question for everyone,¡± Xie Ruoxi opened the chat group and typed, ¡°I have a crush, and he seems to feel pretty okay about me too. Now, I want to take things a step further. Can anyone give me some advice on what to do?¡±

    Someone quickly replied:

    ¡°Is this the group admin? I thought you had deleted your account and run off.¡±

    ¡°It depends on what type your crush is. If he¡¯s the type of young guy experiencing the first stirrings of love, just ask him out to a meal and a movie. Horror films are the best, and then pretend to be scared, stuffing your fingers into his hand. After the movie, say you¡¯re still scared, continue holding hands, and go for a CityWalk. If you can manage that, you¡¯ve basically got him in the bag.¡±

    After pondering for a moment, Xie Ruoxi quickly envisioned the scenario:

    ¡°Captain, I want to watch a movie.¡±

    ¡°Watch a damn movie?! Have you finished your training? How accurate is your Thunder Method? Trying to slack off, huh? What happened to the promise of training 19 hours a day? Get back to training right now!!!¡±

    Xie Ruoxi shivered uncontrollably, quickly banishing those terrifying thoughts from her mind, and continued in the chat group:

    ¡°He¡¯s my boss. If I ask him out to eat or to a movie, I¡¯d probably just get scolded for slacking off at work.¡±

    ¡°Eh, is he the domineering CEO type?¡± Another veteran popped up, astonishingly the Dragon King of the day. ¡°Group admin, do you want to introduce me? I can help you size him up and see what kind of man he is.¡±

    ¡°Haha, no need,¡± thought Xie Ruoxi, daring to hope. She didn¡¯t even feel worthy herself.

    ¡°If he¡¯s a workaholic, then it¡¯s a bit more complicated,¡± said the Dragon King. ¡°The simplest way is to visit his house under the guise of discussing work, and once you¡¯re done, say you¡¯re a little thirsty. If he asks if you want a drink, you¡¯re halfway there. Then you chat over drinks, paying close attention to his mood and go along with whatever he¡¯s trying to convey. Get him at least tipsy before midnight, and then you say it¡¯s late and you should leave. If he¡¯s worried about you taking the night road and suggests you stay overnight, then you¡¯ve also got the other half sorted. Next, pretend to be drunk, find an excuse to roll in his bed, and you¡¯re set.¡±

    ¡°Ah, that sounds so troublesome,¡± Xie Ruoxi pondered over the long message, her instincts to retreat drumming loudly, ¡°Isn¡¯t there a simpler way?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re flirting with a man, not buying silver for a client, thank you very much,¡± Dragon King critiqued mercilessly. ¡°Men are different from women; they make a clear distinction between relationships. Purely physical is just that, physical; emotions involved means emotions. So you absolutely can¡¯t start off on the wrong foot.¡±

    Several people began to brown-nose immediately below, with comments like ¡°As expected of Queen Nana, the mistress expert¡± and ¡°An endless lesson that you just can¡¯t finish,¡± as flattery filled the screen.

    ¡°But I actually live with him,¡± Xie Ruoxi kept typing. ¡°The argument about unsafe night roads doesn¡¯t apply, does it?¡±

    ¡°Living together makes it simple,¡± several veterans chimed in, all at once declaring, ¡°Just spend the night in his room. Any excuse will do, just be stubborn and don¡¯t leave, and you¡¯ll seal the deal.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, just staying the night will settle it,¡± Dragon King agreed with the consensus. ¡°Drink a bit, then pretend to be drunk and mistake his room for yours. Take off your clothes and sleep in his bed. When he comes in and lifts the blankets, just grab hold of him, and after the deed, blame it all on the alcohol.¡±

    ¡°Do I really have to strip completely?¡± Xie Ruoxi was quite embarrassed. ¡°Can I keep my underwear on?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re wearing something sexy, you can leave it on,¡± said the Dragon King. ¡°Try to make it a bit enticing.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi closed the chat group, sat in silence for a long while, and sighed.

    Alas, I had promised to get stronger, to make the captain look at me with admiration. Yet, I can never improve my accuracy with the Thunder Method, and the captain must be disappointed in me too.

    Forget it, forget it! If the rightful path is blocked, I can only resort to crooked and wicked ways!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    After dinner, Lin Ning saw an opportunity and said to Yan Yu,

    ¡°I¡¯m going for a walk with Yun Jin. Are you coming?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu replied.

    Lin Ning had something to say to him and wouldn¡¯t allow him to decline. She and Su Yunjin immediately clamped down on Yan Yu¡¯s arms from both sides, saying earnestly,

    ¡°Come on, come on! A walk after a meal aids digestion!¡±

    Yan Yu felt utterly bewildered, thinking, I¡¯m a cultivator; what digestion troubles could I possibly have?

    But he guessed Lin and Secretary Su had something to tell him, so he let the two of them drag him out of the door.

    The trio left the villa and strolled by the nearby river where they saw many cultivators leisurely wandering about, mostly those from the first division of the Zhendong Army¡¯s team monks.

    When Yan Yu spotted Qiu Ze, Sun Ziyi, and Chang Sisi discussing something with each other, they suddenly noticed Yan Yu and immediately gave knowing smirks that suggested they didn¡¯t want to disturb their romantic conversation and quickly distanced themselves.

    ¡°Speak,¡± said Yan Yu as he rubbed his temples. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°I would like to clarify one thing,¡± Lin Ning stated solemnly, ¡°I haven¡¯t revealed a single word about it. As for how Yun Jin found out, you¡¯ll have to ask her. I also have no idea.¡±

    ¡°Yun Jin?¡± asked Yan Yu. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Ningning really didn¡¯t tell me anything, and I have no idea what you two do every night,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile. ¡°All I know is that she goes to your room at night.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yan Yu mused for a moment, thinking that since they were all living together, the secret of joint cultivation would be hard to keep and others were bound to find out eventually.

    Upon reflection, he realized Yun Jin¡¯s cultivation talent was far superior to Ningning¡¯s, or else she wouldn¡¯t have become a magic cultivator. When they had fought the Demon Buddha, she had single-handedly activated the Southern Dipper Star River Secret Art and managed to sustain the swirling lights in the sky for a good few minutes by herself! With Yun Jin¡¯s help, his cultivation speed was likely to increase significantly.

    ¡°Actually, we¡¯ve been cultivating,¡± Yan Yu finally made up his mind and answered. ¡°The reason I didn¡¯t tell you is that this practice requires strict confidentiality, so we were still assessing you all.¡±

    ¡°Ningning passed the assessment before me?¡± Su Yunjin asked with a smile.

    He was feeling a bit under pressure, but Yan Yu didn¡¯t really care and casually replied, ¡°She just happened to discover it earlier than you.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± sighed Su Yunjin, relieved that the captain wasn¡¯t playing favorites with Ningning. ¡°So, you are cultivating with Sister Zhao and Ningning? Can I join as well? I can meet the secrecy requirements.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to ask Sister Zhao,¡± Yan Yu responded. ¡°The cultivation method is provided by her, so it¡¯s confidential.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± nodded Su Yunjin. ¡°I¡¯ll go and speak with Sister Zhao about it.¡±

    After finishing their discussion, they turned around, planning to head back to the villa, unaware that Xie Ruoxi, after consuming several liqueur-filled chocolates, had slipped into Yan Yu¡¯s bed wearing only her underwear.

    ¡°Pretend to be drunk, pretend to be drunk, mustn¡¯t give away that I¡¯m pretending to be drunk¡­¡± she repeated to herself, her consciousness gradually blurring.

    Xie Ruoxi couldn¡¯t resist falling asleep.

 Chapter 559: 55 Playing Hot Potato

    Chapter 559: Chapter 55 Playing Hot Potato

    Xie Ruoxi transferred so much Spiritual Energy that Su Yunjin simply couldn¡¯t bear it and hastily began circulating her mental method, passing the excess overflow to Lin Ning on her right.

    Lin Ning¡¯s brow also furrowed, as she had never accepted such a vast amount of Spiritual Energy before. However, her constitution was better, and her endurance stronger, so she didn¡¯t say much, keeping a large part of the Spiritual Energy to perform Breathing Exercises in her Dantian, converting it for her own use, and silently transferring the remaining part to Yan Yu.

    The rush of Spiritual Energy into his Dantian was so intense that Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but be deeply touched.

    He had long known that Xie, the Immortal Venerate, possessed exceptional talent but had never expected her to be so domineering!

    Is this the power of showboating?

    If we¡¯re not talking about talent, just constitution, no one present stood a chance against Yan Yu. After all, in his past life, he had touched the pinnacle of a Mortal Warrior with just his mortal body¡­ But even so, his body in this life hadn¡¯t been trained, and couldn¡¯t stomach so much Spiritual Energy from Xie Ruoxi, and he had no choice but to transfer the leftover part to Zhao Yuanzhen on his right.

    Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s right palm was opposite Xie Ruoxi¡¯s left palm, receiving the massive amount of Spiritual Energy she was transferring. She was struggling to digest it when suddenly, a formidable amount of Spiritual Energy from Yan Yu on her left hand startled her pale.

    Even when eating, one doesn¡¯t take in so much in a single breath¡ªmight as well stuff me to death!

    Determined, she didn¡¯t care anymore and retained whatever part she could digest. She then mobilized the String-Pulling Technique and forced the rest back towards both sides.

    The beaded curtain was rolled up backwards, and the rivers flowed in reverse!

    Yan Yu on her left was shocked and hastily joined the mutiny, passing the Spiritual Energy towards Lin Ning.

    Xie Ruoxi, receiving the large amount of Spiritual Energy passed from Zhao Yuanzhen, was also confused because Yan Yu had previously stated, ¡°You¡¯re punished to only transport Circulating the Heavens and can¡¯t retain a trace of Spiritual Energy for yourself.¡±

    With that in mind, why return it to me?

    Oh, it must be because they want more Spiritual Energy.

    With that thought, she said nothing further and once again ferociously transported Circulating the Heavens, sucking in a large breath of Spiritual Energy from the world, holding none back for herself, and transferring all of it to Su Yunjin.

    Su Yunjin couldn¡¯t take in so much Spiritual Energy and could only inwardly apologize to Ningning, passing it all to Lin Ning.

    Lin Ning¡¯s left hand received the profound Spiritual Energy from Su Yunjin, and her right hand was penetrated by Yan Yu¡¯s massive Spiritual Energy. She couldn¡¯t sustain it; her meridians swelled, her Dantian was overflowing, and she felt unbearably uncomfortable as if she might explode at any second.

    But she had a robust constitution after all, and had learned the art of Dual Sword Control. She thus focused intently on multitasking and performed the Great Shift of Universe:

    The Spiritual Energy (from Xie Ruoxi) given by Yun Jin was more, so she directed it through the Taiyin line to the Central Mansion; a portion went downwards past the stomach and large intestine into the Dantian, with the remainder flowing to her right arm, emerging from the Shaoshang point on the thumb, into Yan Yu¡¯s palm.

    The Spiritual Energy (from Zhao Yuanzhen) given by Yan Yu was slightly less; she arranged it through the Shaoyin line to the extreme spring, then down to the lungs, a portion still entering the Dantian, the remainder going to her left arm and out through the Shaoshang point on the little finger, all transferred to Su Yunjin.

    Essentially playing a game of hot potato!

    Yan Yu and Su Yunjin had no other options, remaining as indecisive as grass on a wall, taking in a mouthful of Spiritual Energy, and allowing all they couldn¡¯t digest to flow with the current.

    So the problem came back to Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi.

    Zhao Yuanzhen had the nature of an enchantress¡ªshe was meant to torment others, not to be tormented. Now that Yan Yu was back-feeding her Spiritual Energy, she couldn¡¯t restrain herself any longer and cursed inwardly:

    The scoundrel knew I couldn¡¯t take in so much Spiritual Energy but insisted on force-feeding me; he clearly wanted to make me a laughingstock!

    This deep grudge needed settling; if she ever got the chance, she would repay the favor a hundredfold!

    As for how exactly to extract her hundredfold revenge, Zhao Yuanzhen couldn¡¯t figure it out¡ªshe didn¡¯t have Xie Ruoxi¡¯s exceptional talent, so she could only temporarily note it down, considering it a debt.

    Once again, she fully activated her mental method, violently spewing out the leftover True Yuan on both sides¡ªif Lin Ning¡¯s technique was the Great Shift of Universe, then Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s was the uncompromising, might-overpowers-all Eighteen Palms of Descending Dragon!

    Yan Yu had no reaction to this, reasoning that a dead Taoist friend does not a poor Taoist make. Whatever came from the left went to the right, and whatever came from the right went to the left.

    Xie Ruoxi, however, became increasingly anxious, thinking that so much still wasn¡¯t enough and that they were still being picky. So she worked even harder, absorbed a massive amount of Spiritual Energy and, without any reservation, devotedly offered it to everyone in the team!

    No matter how the group tossed the blame to one another, if the five were seen as one unit, then Xie Ruoxi was continuously pumping a substantial amount of Spiritual Energy inside, herself not performing any Breathing Exercises or absorption.

    ¡°`

    The other four, having already circulated their energy for several rounds, had absorbed a good deal of Spiritual Energy and converted it into True Yuan. How could they possibly handle so much more Spiritual Energy now? Thus, they had no choice but to play hot potato, passing the increasingly terrifying ¡°bomb¡± among themselves.

    Yan Yu finally realized something was wrong and thought to himself, how could there be even more Spiritual Energy the more I practice my Breathing Exercises?

    Ordinarily, the better a person¡¯s talent, the more Spiritual Energy they can absorb, and the higher the capacity of True Yuan they can convert. But the quantity of Spiritual Energy absorbed at once is definitely less than the total amount of True Yuan they can convert. It¡¯s like pouring water from a small bucket into a large pool; that¡¯s why it¡¯s necessary to carry and circulate energy through several rounds of Circulating the Heavens to absorb more Spiritual Energy.

    The problem now was that the bucket was large while the pool was small. The pool would overflow with just one bucketful, and the excess water could only spill over into someone else¡¯s pool. As more and more water flooded in, it indicated that their pools would soon be full as well. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Therefore, the biggest suspect was the one with the largest bucket, which was Xie Ruoxi!

    Could it be that because she hadn¡¯t received my favor, she was intentionally causing trouble here? Ridiculous, everyone knew we were going to practice together tonight. How could I possibly bestow my favor on you in my room?

    Yan Yu also forgot that he once casually remarked something and now only assumed that it was Xie Ruoxi, who was intentionally not digesting Spiritual Energy and was causing trouble for everyone as a prank, which irritated him.

    So, you dare to make trouble?

    Just when he was about to send a message, he heard Lin Ning suddenly shout:

    ¡°Stop passing it! There¡¯s too much Spiritual Energy; I can¡¯t digest anymore!¡±

    Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen¡¯s faces changed slightly, because although the String-Pulling Technique could be stopped at any time, don¡¯t forget that there was a big bomb being passed around! If everyone stopped the joint transportation of Circulating the Heavens, the flow of Spiritual Energy would also cease, and this bomb would definitely stay with one person without being absorbed immediately.

    On the optimistic side of estimations, the undigested True Qi would erupt from all the acupoints in the body. But considering the redundant Spiritual Energy was extremely vast, it¡¯s more likely that while erupting, it would also tear the fragile parts inside the meridians, leading to that unfortunate person becoming possessed by the devil, severely injured. Therefore, the String-Pulling Technique absolutely couldn¡¯t stop.

    ¡°Everyone stop drawing in Qi from the outside for now,¡± Yan Yu immediately ordered. ¡°Focus solely on your Breathing Exercises for digestion. Ruoxi! You too!¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay,¡± Xie Ruoxi sighed with relief, thinking that she could finally cultivate as well.

    As she began to exert effort, the redundant Spiritual Energy indeed started to decrease at a visible rate.

    Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. After a short while, they heard Xie Ruoxi again:

    ¡°I can¡¯t take any more either.¡±

    Yan Yu¡¯s face darkened instantly. Damn, if you can¡¯t digest it, don¡¯t draw in so much Spiritual Energy, why don¡¯t you?! Don¡¯t you have any sense?

    Normally, introducing Qi into the body goes hand in hand with digestion through Breathing Exercises. It¡¯s like serving rice from a communal pot into your own bowl, serving more after you finish, and stopping when you¡¯re full. But Xie Ruoxi¡¯s behavior was like just scooping without eating, and now the rice in her bowl had piled up like a mountain, with nowhere to dump it!

    ¡°What should we do?¡± Su Yunjin asked with a wry smile, as her increase in True Yuan for the day had also reached its limit.

    ¡°It seems we can only continue to carry on like this,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen replied. ¡°By tomorrow night this time, everyone¡¯s bodies should be mostly recovered. Then we can digest the leftover Spiritual Energy completely.¡±

    At these words, everyone was somewhat speechless. The method was indeed feasible, but the time too long, wasn¡¯t it? They would have to sit there for a whole day!

    ¡°Ling Yun,¡± Yan Yu suddenly asked, ¡°you¡¯re watching, right?¡±

    Is Ling Yun there? The girls all paused, taken aback.

    ¡°Stop pretending,¡± Yan Yu continued. ¡°I know you¡¯re watching.¡±

    After a moment, Chen Lingyun really came in from outside the bedroom, feigning surprise as she said:

    ¡°Oh my, what happened to you guys?¡±

    ¡°No more nonsense,¡± said Yan Yu. ¡°Join us quickly.¡±

    ¡°Join what?¡± Chen Lingyun feigned ignorance. ¡°Your harem?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m worthy,¡± she demurred.

    ¡°`

 Chapter 560: 56: Everything Is As I Expected

    Chapter 560: Chapter 56: Everything Is As I Expected

    At this moment, everyone was as if possessed, maintaining the gesture of holding hands on both sides, completely unable to move.

    Because a massive surge of Spiritual Energy was being passed around like a hot potato, whoever it stopped on would perish, so it was imperative to keep it circulating through Circulating the Heavens, spreading the immense pressure of carrying this surge of Spiritual Energy evenly across everyone over time.

    Lin Ning¡¯s expression was somewhat ashamed; she didn¡¯t want Chen Lingyun to know that she had kept her in the dark about this matter.

    Su Yunjin also felt slightly embarrassed, but then she thought that since everyone had kept the secret from Ling Yun together, it was a case of ¡®collective responsibility,¡¯ and the hatred wouldn¡¯t fall on her alone, which made her feel much more at ease.

    Xie Ruoxi now felt like she had stirred up a massive disaster and was trying to push her body to its limits, continuing to forcefully endure the strain.

    Zhao Yuanzhen was dissatisfied as she glared at Chen Lingyun, tempted to refuse her joining, but then she thought about the fact they would have to stay here for another ten or even twenty hours, unable to eat, sleep, and having to focus on circulating energy, and then decided it might be better to just hold her nose and tolerate it.

    Yan Yu pondered for a moment and then calmly said,

    ¡°Come here, hold my hands with yours, and I¡¯ll transfer a bit of Spiritual Energy to you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, refusing, ¡°It seems like you¡¯re playing a very novel game. I don¡¯t want to intrude rudely.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Yan Yu immediately sneered, ¡°Are you mocking me?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smiling gaze, ¡°What else?¡±

    ¡°You think I don¡¯t have a contingency plan?¡± Yan Yu said.

    ¡°What kind of contingency plan?¡± Chen Lingyun asked with interest, ¡°One that can go into effect while you are completely immobile?¡±

    Yan Yu did not immediately reply but secretly transmitted a message to Zhao Yuanzhen.

    Zhao Yuanzhen also sneered. Although her body didn¡¯t move an inch, a Silver Pellet rolled out from her sleeve and in the blink of an eye transformed into the figure of a slim-waisted, long-legged Enchantress.

    The Puppet Ami!

    This Puppet, being a Magic Treasure, typically required a cultivator¡¯s hand gestures to activate, so Yan Yu couldn¡¯t use the Puppet. But Zhao Yuanzhen, having endured nearly two weeks of erratic emotional states, had transferred her Divine Sense into the Puppet, thus eliminating the need for hand gestures to control it.

    With a single thought, the Puppet moved autonomously!

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s complexion changed slightly as she considered dashing for the door, but Ami was already blocking the doorway, posing a threatening stance.

    ¡°Humph,¡± Chen Lingyun turned around, raised an eyebrow, and said with a smile, ¡°What would you have me do?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s better,¡± Yan Yu said, ¡°A wise man submits to circumstances. Come here.¡±

    Chen Lingyun approached the bed and said,

    ¡°Where exactly should I sit? On your lap or¡­¡±

    ¡°Come sit between Ningning and me; sit cross-legged,¡± Yan Yu instructed.

    Chen Lingyun glanced at the Puppet Ami and did as she was told.

    Yan Yu then recited the Breathing Chapter of the String-Pulling Technique to Chen Lingyun,

    ¡°Have you memorized it?¡±

    ¡°I have,¡± Chen Lingyun nodded and said.

    ¡°Do you understand it?¡± Yan Yu asked again.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Chen Lingyun replied.

    Xie Ruoxi watched with her eyes wide and her jaw dropped, thinking to herself, Sister Lingyun, can you not share some of your intelligence with me? I wish to be a normal human too.

    ¡°Raise your hands,¡± Yan Yu said, and then secretly transmitted a message to Lin Ning.

    As soon as Chen Lingyun lifted her arms, Yan Yu and Lin Ning immediately pulled apart, creating a sound like a bursting balloon.

    A vast amount of Spiritual Energy sprayed from their fingertips, stirring up fierce winds within the room. Yet, these two Sword Immortal were quick to react; they instantly aimed another slap towards Chen Lingyun¡¯s lifted hands, swiftly and accurately clasping them again.

    Chen Lingyun swiftly began circulating the mental method, feeling an unprecedented massive surge of Spiritual Energy pouring into her from both sides, an endless stream even as she fully focused on refining it within her Dantian.

    I just can¡¯t digest it all, I absolutely can¡¯t!

    When had she ever fought such a well-off battle? She groaned comfortably and said,

    ¡°You absolutely can¡¯t let this ¡®Silken Bond Technique¡¯ leak out; otherwise, we¡¯re all going to become someone¡¯s power banks.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yan Yu replied. ¡°This mental method doesn¡¯t require any cultivation talent, even mortals can become immortals, so we absolutely must not let a single detail be leaked. Otherwise, there will be earth-shattering risks.¡±

    Everyone nodded solemnly, ensuring they would keep it strictly confidential. Only Zhao Yuanzhen was indifferent to this because, in the Cultivation World of the Qiansi Sect, there indeed were a group of princes and noble descendants practicing cultivation under their guidance. However, they were disdainfully called ¡°flesh cattle¡± by the regular cultivators, serving merely as a financial resource to support the sect.

    Put plainly, those fellows were used to living in luxury, and their aim in cultivation was to prolong their lives. When it came to real combat, they were no match for the belligerent and bloodthirsty cultivators of the Demonic Sect. They would be knocked down within minutes.

    However, the Demonic Sect Enchantress had to admit, the social environment on Earth was indeed so much better than that of the Cultivation World.

    The vast majority of ordinary and impoverished humans in the Cultivation World had an average lifespan of not even thirty years, already being objects of ruthless exploitation. Naturally, there was no concern about whether the children of the privileged could cultivate or not¡­ But on Earth, it was different. If cultivation really broke free from the innate restrictions of talent, becoming a resource that could be traded by the powerful, it was indeed likely to cause major problems.

    I, Miyuan, only want to live a peaceful life now!

    The group continued to work together to circulate energy. Although Chen Lingyun¡¯s aptitude was somewhat inferior to others, she had not yet practiced cultivation today. Like a person with a small appetite but starving, she still managed to consume more than those satiated eaters.

    Only a little spiritual energy was left, not much, nothing to worry about. The six of them took some each and then withdrew it from their palms at the same time, and a multitude of spiritual energy shot out from their meridians, finally restoring calm to the room.

    ¡°Phew, I¡¯m dead tired,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen complained as she quickly crawled into Yan Yu¡¯s bed and started snoring away.

    Seeing how comfortably she went to sleep, Su Yunjin was about to say something motivational, but her expression subtly shifted as she closed her mouth.

    She quietly looked at Yan Yu. Though she asked nothing, the pressure was already mounting.

    ¡°Uh,¡± Yan Yu really wanted to say ¡°Sister Zhao is sleeping in my room to avoid detection by you,¡± but now that everyone was aware, this excuse clearly couldn¡¯t be used anymore.

    Lin Ning was cast a commanding glance, which meant ¡°you answer for me.¡±

    Where could Lin Ning come up with a response? Although she reacted quickly, she lacked immediate wit and hastily said,

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sleepy, I¡¯m going to sleep with Sister Zhao.¡± S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Having said that, she immediately dove headfirst to hug Zhao Yuanzhen, assuming the posture of ¡°I¡¯m asleep, I know nothing.¡±

    ¡°Then, I¡¯m also going to sleep,¡± Xie Ruoxi quickly followed suit and lied down as well.

    Only Yan Yu, Yun Jin, and Ling Yun were left looking at each other.

    ¡°That.¡± Yan Yu finally figured out how to respond and nonchalantly asked Yun Jin, ¡°Want to join us?¡±

    Su Yunjin really wanted to retort, but after holding back for a long moment, she didn¡¯t know what to say and ended up saying,

    ¡°There¡¯s no way to fit on the bed anymore.¡±

    ¡°It is a single bed after all,¡± Chen Lingyun also remarked, ¡°Three people is already the limit.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go get some quilts for the floor,¡± Su Yunjin stood up to leave.

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you,¡± Chen Lingyun also got up to say.

    The two girls left the room, leaving Yan Yu staring blankly in the room.

    How come they agreed so easily?

    In the hallway, Chen Lingyun leisurely transmitted a message to Su Yunjin,

    ¡°Are you really going to sleep in the captain¡¯s room? Alone with a man, aren¡¯t you afraid something might happen?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Su Yunjin replied composedly, ¡°with fewer people there could be a possibility, but the more there are, the less likely something will happen. Everyone¡¯s watching each other, after all.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Chen Lingyun responded with a smile.

    Heh heh, everything is just as I expected.

 Chapter 561: 57: Sacrifice Oneself for the Benefit of All

    Chapter 561: Chapter 57: Sacrifice Oneself for the Benefit of All

    If this had been a few months ago, suggesting ¡°Let¡¯s spend the night in the captain¡¯s room¡± would likely have met with disagreement.

    But if it were said, ¡°The house isn¡¯t finished yet, we can only sleep together with the captain,¡± everyone would think it¡¯s only temporary for a few days, and would reluctantly agree. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Now, saying ¡°We need to supervise others to make sure they don¡¯t do anything bad with the captain,¡± everyone would think since they all had shared a room before, sleeping in the captain¡¯s room now seemed like an acceptable idea.

    In essence, that¡¯s how boundaries get pushed, step by step. It will eventually evolve into ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as no child is conceived,¡± hmm~

    Chen Lingyun took a pleasant bath and changed into a delicate nightgown before she slipped into her slippers and headed to Yan Yu¡¯s room, pushing open the door to find that Yan Yu and Su Yunjin had already prepared their sleeping area on the floor.

    ¡°I want to sleep on the left side,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

    Su Yunjin gave her a grateful look, knowing that regardless of whether Yan Yu slept in the middle or on the right, he would be next to her.

    Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi were already asleep in the bed, only Lin Ning was tossing and turning, struggling to fall asleep. Suddenly, she propped herself up and said,

    ¡°Maybe I should give up my spot for you two?¡±

    ¡°No need, no need,¡± Su Yunjin quickly interrupted her, afraid that Yan Yu might say, ¡°Then I¡¯ll sleep on the bed,¡± ¡°The floor is just fine for us too.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± said Lin Ning.

    To avoid disturbing the two girls who had already fallen asleep, everyone turned off the overhead lights, leaving only the floor lamp by the desk on, and each started playing with their phones.

    Chen Lingyun was watching a foreign film, while Su Yunjin was reading a novel. As she read, her thoughts began to wander. She asked Yan Yu, who was lying beside her,

    ¡°Captain, what are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Chatting,¡± replied Yan Yu. ¡°Someone is bragging to me.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Lord Master.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that idiot up to now?¡± Chen Lingyun paused her movie and asked.

    ¡°He¡¯s advanced to the Hua Mansion stage,¡± Yan Yu said.

    Both girls were somewhat surprised, only to hear Lin Ning also exclaim from the bed,

    ¡°The second cultivator has reached the Hua Mansion stage?¡±

    ¡°What about it?¡± Yan Yu responded. ¡°Are you still thinking about fighting for the top three?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Lin Ning quickly denied. ¡°I just find it strange. Can the disparity in cultivation talent between people really be that great?¡±

    The answer, of course, was affirmative. Since everyone had undergone joint cultivation with Xie Ruoxi and Yan Yu, they should know that the cultivation talent among different cultivators could indeed be vastly different.

    Fortunately, with the Silken Bond Technique, which forcibly equalizes the disparities, bringing everyone¡¯s cultivation speed to the same level, the Spirit Transport Team actually didn¡¯t need to worry too much about cultivation talent.

    Thinking about this, Yan Yu pondered another issue:

    Cultivation talent affects many aspects, not just the speed of cultivation improvement but also the quality of True Yuan, and even the rank of the golden core formed.

    In their past life, only Su Yunjin had formed a high-grade Golden Core in the Spirit Transport Team, while the others were all middle-grade. Even though the Chen Family had exhausted its resources, Chen Lingyun had just barely grazed the middle-grade boundary.

    A better Golden Core rank requires more time and better cultivation talent, but the increasingly tense international situation will not grant you that time. Even if you have the potential to form a high-grade Golden Core, you wouldn¡¯t be a match for a foreign Transcendent at the Golden Core Realm before achieving it ¡ª as Li Weiguo once said in the past life, ¡°You (the frontline teams) enjoyed the best treatment and benefits, so you are inevitably the ones who must protect others first.¡±

    The forerunners do not have the luxury of delay; they must form their cores at the earliest opportunity!

    Although the environment around Lu Country, especially the northern border, is much more stable than in the past life, Yan Yu didn¡¯t expect the Privy Council to change their stance on this matter. After reaching Great Perfection in the Hua Mansion stage, there might be room to negotiate a delay of a few months, but delaying for years would be absolutely impossible.

    In other words, utilizing the dual cultivation power of the Dragon and Tiger to break through bottlenecks had become an indispensable and critical choice.

    But could Zhao Yuanzhen and I rise to the upper tier, what about the others?

    Yan Yu had a vague idea in mind. He definitely had to reserve the Primordial Yang for the Enchantress, but even if he lost his True Yang, it wasn¡¯t without value. If he risked his own body to let them use the Yang Gathering and Yin Supplementing Technique to break through their bottlenecks¡­

    With the resources of the entire country supporting him, he could recover even from severe depletion of his essence and vitality, but the problem obviously wasn¡¯t on his side, it was whether they were willing to accept this plan.

    For the Enchantress, exchanging her own Primordial Yin for a higher rank in the Golden Core was a highly profitable trade, but other girls wouldn¡¯t think the same¡ªnot everyone placed the pursuit of cultivation above everything else.

    ¡­Forget it, everyone is still far from reaching the Hua Mansion Stage, thinking about this is too premature.

    Yan Yu put down his phone and slowly closed his eyes to sleep.

    Su Yunjin, however, couldn¡¯t sleep. Propping up her body with her elbow, she quietly observed Yan Yu¡¯s profile.

    ¡°Think he¡¯s handsome?¡± Chen Lingyun suddenly sent a message mentally.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Su Yunjin replied, ¡°I never really paid attention to the team leader¡¯s looks¡­but now that you mention it, I think he is quite good-looking.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then you should seize the opportunity,¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°There are quite a few who like him.¡±

    Su Yunjin did not reply but quietly snuggled into the blankets, continuing to stare at Yan Yu under the dim light.

    ¡­Perhaps just lying next to him like this is pretty nice too.

    She thought wistfully.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Following Xie Ruoxi, Liu Longtao became the second cultivator to advance to the Hua Mansion Stage.

    This news quickly made the headlines, but compared to the overwhelming publicity for Xie Ruoxi, the Dingbei Army was much more restrained in their promotion, focusing more on ¡°Our Dingbei Army cultivators are not weak,¡± rather than ¡°how incredibly powerful Liu Longtao is.¡±

    After all, the public always focusses on who is first, and there was no need to force an issue there.

    In the circle of cultivators, the news of Lord Master¡¯s advancement was widely known, and everyone was eager to find out who the third person would be. Many favored Yan Yu, the leader of the Zhenghai Team, but some pointed out that Yan Yu¡¯s profession as a Sword Immortal probably meant his cultivation talent wasn¡¯t very high. Zhou Hongyu of the Huofeng Team and Li Zhaojiang of the Qing¡¯an Team, these two magic cultivators, were likely to progress faster.

    Yan Yu asked Li Minghu and Tang Xiaolian about this, who said that Li Zhaojiang still had some time, but Zhou Hongyu was already close to reaching Great Perfection in the Marrow Cleansing Stage.

    Thinking about it, if Zhou¡¯s talent were not adequate, he wouldn¡¯t be able to recklessly unleash the Great Bright Fire with such abundant True Yuan.

    With this thought, Yan Yu also found it rather strange.

    It wasn¡¯t that he had any issue with magic cultivators, but among the most powerful cultivators, most magic cultivators tended to be ¡°the better the talent, the dumber they are.¡±

    Xie Ruoxi and Zhao Yuanzhen were beyond mention, and both Li Zhaojiang and Zhou Hongyu were not exactly the sharpest, seeming only Liu Longtao might be somewhat better¡ªprobably because he also dabbled in being a Sword Immortal, after all, you can¡¯t manage being a Sword Immortal without some brains.

    Su Yunjin was probably the only exception. Smart and talented, but unfortunately lacking in competitive spirit.

    And after getting to know her better, Yan Yu realized she was not inherently unmotivated, just disinterested in victory and honors. When it came to things she desired, her possessiveness was extremely strong¡­

    After playing with his phone under the blanket for a while, Yan Yu slowly climbed out of bed, planning to go to the bathroom.

    That¡¯s when he saw Lin Ning, also groggily sitting up in bed, rubbing her messy hair before proceeding to strip off her nightgown and feel for the sports bra on the bedside cabinet.

    Of course, she grasped at nothing, since this was not her own room.

    Lin Ning suddenly snapped to alertness, and her gaze met the somewhat sluggish eyes of Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu took a deep breath, and sure enough, the next second, Lin Ning rushed over and tackled him, holding a pillow firmly over his entire face.

    I can¡¯t breathe!

    ¡°Don¡¯t look!¡± Lin Ning angrily communicated telepathically.

 Chapter 562: 58: Desolate Village Ancient Tomb

    Chapter 562: Chapter 58: Desolate Village Ancient Tomb

    For top cultivators, being able to quickly enter the Hua Mansion stage provides an indispensable advantage, as it allows them to overpower their enemies who haven¡¯t advanced yet in a short period.

    Of course, if viewed from a long-term perspective, the talents of top cultivators are generally not too shoddy. Even the ¡°top tier wall¡± Chen Lingyun, when placed within the entirety of team monks, was above average. So, everyone would eventually reach the level cap and then equalize with each other ¡ª assuming they could live that long.

    In foreign supernatural realms, where the strong prey upon the weak and competition is ruthless, those in the top flow are essentially rushing to level up, even at the cost of mortgaging their future, because having a future at all depends on staying alive. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    To deal with international pressures, domestically there was also a need to quickly cultivate a group of Hua Mansion stage cultivators to strengthen the ranks, and these people could only be the top flow team monks ¡ª ordinary team monks, with not just slower cultivation speeds, but some hadn¡¯t even reached the previous level cap, starting far behind top flow monks, how could they possibly compete internationally?

    In the arms race, being behind was a sin with no rational explanation.

    Thus, first thing in the morning, Li Weiguo called to say that Yang Linhui from the Dragon Soar Team was reportedly also making rapid progress. ¡°When will your team¡¯s Su Yunjin enter the Hua Mansion stage?¡± he asked.

    Yan Yu was quite speechless and explained that Yun Jin was already working hard at cultivating, but some things depended on talent. They would continue to strive hard, seek improvements, and persist in their efforts, aiming for glory¡­

    Li Weiguo said, ¡°Don¡¯t give me these official lines. I¡¯m just urging you, not forcing you. If you really encounter a Transcendent from abroad at the Hua Mansion stage, just let Liu Longtao and Xie Ruoxi take the lead. The reason I¡¯m calling is that the Annan Army has approached us, hoping Zhenghai Team could lend some assistance.¡±

    The help needed was naturally related to the ¡°mysteriously disappearing village¡± Li Minghu had mentioned before, which had caused a minor stir in the media. Fortunately, the Military Manor had discovered and suppressed it in time; otherwise, it would surely have induced public panic.

    If it was due to a mysterious realm, that would still be manageable. The real fear was that some demon was causing trouble, potentially running rampant in nearby towns, which would make the situation quite severe.

    Protecting the homeland, of course, there was nothing to decline, so Yan Yu readily agreed.

    Time to call Valkyrie¡­ oh, wrong, it¡¯s time to guard the local lands and ensure the people¡¯s safety!

    Yan Yu informed the girls about the situation, and they all readily agreed, except Lin Ning who was still immersed in the embarrassment of the captain seeing her underwear that morning, morosely ignoring him.

    The group then mounted their swords and set off southwestward, arriving at their destination in the evening and meeting up with the Qing¡¯an Team.

    Li Minghu seemed much thinner and sicklier, his delicate beauty becoming more pronounced. The men hadn¡¯t changed much compared to before, and Yan Yu also met Xu Jin, a girl wearing glasses and braided pigtail, with a serious and earnest expression¡­ feeling a strange sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu, had I dealt with her in a past life?

    ¡°Speak up, what exactly is the situation?¡± urged Yan Yu. ¡°Let¡¯s solve your problems quickly so we can go back and continue our cultivation and challenge our limits.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already told you about the situation and there hasn¡¯t been any new developments,¡± Li Zhaojiang complained. ¡°The entire village vanished without a trace, reasons unknown, no clues found. Now relatives come to the site daily in tears, and the Military Manor is being driven to distraction, that¡¯s why we have to come here every few days.¡±

    ¡°Comrade Li, this is where you¡¯re wrong,¡± Yan Yu said. ¡°You¡¯re just missing a few days of rest, but they¡¯ve lost their relatives, heard nothing from them¡ªtry to understand a little.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not being uncompassionate,¡± Li Zhaojiang argued. ¡°Isn¡¯t that why I¡¯m asking for your help?¡±

    While his nephew might find this tiresome, Yan Yu could understand; it was generally felt that top cultivators should employ their strengths in battle and not waste time solving mysteries.

    However, such a notion could easily lead to a disconnect between cultivators and common folk in the community, eventually turning into the mindset of ¡°I only care about advancing my cultivation, worldly matters don¡¯t concern me.¡±

    In his past life, Li Zhaojiang¡¯s flagrant rebellion was partially driven by the fog of rage from a familial sacrifice, but it was also deeply entwined with his arrogant belief in the cultivator¡¯s superiority. For Li Minghu¡¯s sake, Yan Yu decided it was still worth advising him.

    ¡°Think about it, if your sister suddenly went missing, what would you do?¡± Yan Yu deployed the empathy technique. ¡°You¡¯d probably be even more desperate than these families.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll grab a butcher¡¯s knife and come looking for you, you pervert, first thing,¡± Li Zhaojiang replied.

    ¡°I¡¯m done, can¡¯t even talk to you, maddeningly obtuse sister-complex,¡± Yan Yu waved his hand dismissively. ¡°Haven¡¯t had dinner yet, how about a bowl of char siu rice to ease the hunger? One that your sister personally cooks.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have my sister¡¯s char siu rice, but I have my own Nine Turns intestine dish, you want?¡± Li Zhaojiang retorted with a scoff.

    ¡°Thanks for the offer, but I¡¯ll pass on shit, you enjoy it yourself.¡±

    Seeing the two go further off the rails, Xu Jin interjected:

    ¡°Enough already, what¡¯s the use of arguing here? Let¡¯s quickly resolve the matter.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Lin Ning chimed in. ¡°Since the missing people¡¯s families are pressing you, just start moving quickly!¡±

    Observing the two, Yan Yu finally realized where Xu Jin¡¯s familiarity came from ¡ª wasn¡¯t she just a plain-looking version of Lin Ning!

    ¡°Ling Yun has already dispatched spirits to conduct a thorough search,¡± Li Minghu suggested. ¡°Don¡¯t worry; you¡¯ve come from far. Have something to eat first.¡±

    The girls from the Zhenghai Team expressed that they were not hungry. After all, eating was more about maintaining the usual rhythms of life rather than an actual need for food.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Li Minghu looked towards Yan Yu, ¡°I¡¯ll go make you some char siu rice.¡±

    ¡°No way! Sister!¡± Li Zhaojiang was shocked, ¡°You¡¯re actually going to make it!¡±

    ¡°They came here specifically to help us,¡± Li Minghu chided her brother, ¡°you should treat them well.¡±

    ¡°See, your sister gets it!¡± Yan Yu exclaimed joyfully, ¡°Comrade Li, learn a thing or two!¡±

    The char siu rice was quickly brought up by Li Minghu. Due to the inconvenience of starting a fire in the wilderness and the need for efficiency, the rice, vegetables, and char siu were all instant military rations, heat-and-eat from a bag, which was very convenient.

    Yan Yu picked up his chopsticks, looked at Li Zhaojiang who was green with envy, and let out a hearty laugh, looking incredibly pleased.

    Just after tasting a bite of the char siu, Lin Ning suddenly said:

    ¡°I¡¯m a bit hungry too, the captain wouldn¡¯t mind sharing some with me, would he?¡±

    ¡°Me too,¡± Su Yunjin said with a smile, ¡°just right, there are five pieces of char siu in the bowl.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll force myself to eat a bit,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen said reservedly.

    The girls, armed with chopsticks and spoons, rushed in and quickly devoured the char siu rice to the last grain.

    Yan Yu: ¡­¡­¡­.

    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Li Zhaojiang was amused, ¡°How about that, Old Yan? Was the meal my sister made delicious? I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t notice if you even got a bite¡­¡±

    ¡°Hehe,¡± Yan Yu transmitted a message to Li Zhaojiang, ¡°I didn¡¯t get enough this time, call your sister to make it for me again next time, there will be plenty of opportunities.¡±

    Li Zhaojiang was just about to retort when he suddenly saw Chen Lingyun walk in.

    ¡°Found it?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Found it,¡± Chen Lingyun replied, ¡°it¡¯s on the mountain right next door.¡±

    Even though it was ¡°next door,¡± it actually took at least 20 minutes to get there, and being in the wilderness, indeed, it was not easy to find.

    The group followed Chen Lingyun¡¯s footsteps to the mid-mountain area, where they saw about a dozen graves scattered around¡ªlikely the burial sites of village elders and ancestors.

    ¡°Is there any issue?¡± Yan Yu scanned all the grave mounds with his Divine Sense and confirmed his query.

    ¡°Divine Sense scan showed nothing out of the ordinary, right?¡± Chen Lingyun said with a smile, pointing to a grave in front, ¡°But my Five Ghosts told me, there¡¯s something off with this grave.¡±

    Yan Yu narrowed his eyes. From the layout of all the graves, this one was situated on higher terrain than the others and was moreover distantly separated from the rest, creating a rather ¡°solitary grave on a desolate mound¡± atmosphere.

    The gravestone bore inscriptions, but due to the long-term erosion by wind and rain, they were no longer clear. At the foot of the grave, there was an incense burner with a single burned-out stick of incense in it.

    ¡°This probably means the family line has ended,¡± Li Zhaojiang analyzed. ¡°If there were descendants alive, they would have replaced such a tombstone at Qingming Festival. The completely blurred inscriptions indicate that it has been unattended for a long time.¡±

    ¡°What about the incense in the incense burner?¡± Su Yunjin asked curiously.

    ¡°Perhaps someone felt pity for the tomb¡¯s occupant during grave visiting and inserted one out of kindness,¡± Li Minghu also spoke up. ¡°If it were for one¡¯s own ancestors, they wouldn¡¯t just light a single stick.¡±

    In the traditional culture of Lu Country, incense serves as an ancestral offering, typically started with at least three sticks¡­ This single lonely stick of incense was indeed unusual.

    ¡°So,¡± Yan Yu quickly speculated, ¡°could it be that someone lit the incense, triggering a certain Mysterious Realm, which then led to the disappearance of the entire village?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s find out.¡± Chen Lingyun snapped her fingers, and a ghost transformed into human form, found an unspent incense stick in another grave, pulled it out, and inserted it into the burner, ¡°Bring a lighter.¡±

    Jiang Hong pulled out a lighter, stepped forward, and lit the tip of the incense stick.

    It was night, and there was no wind in the mountains, but the incense smoke rose straight up a few inches, then suddenly began to flicker strangely, as if someone invisible was blowing on it.

    After a moment, infinite mist surged from the distant mountains under the moonlight, vaguely looming and madly rushing towards this mountain slope!

    ¡°Everyone, gather together!¡± Yan Yu quickly ordered, ¡°Inform the nearby Military Mansion Cultivators to evacuate as soon as possible!¡±

 Chapter 563: 59: I Am a Genuine Sword Immortal

    Chapter 563: Chapter 59: I Am a Genuine Sword Immortal

    Although it was a dimly lit night, the dense fog rolled in like waves, clearly visible.

    The Annan Army cultivators responsible for sealing off the village acted immediately upon receiving their orders, their swords carrying them high into the air. But the speed of the fog was even faster: one second it seemed a distant threat, the next it had rapidly engulfed them.

    The slower Military Mansion Cultivators were swept up by the thick fog below, their figures vanishing in an instant.

    Atop the hill, in front of the solitary grave, everyone¡¯s expression was solemn as they stared at the approaching fog.

    They were too close to the fog to have time to escape, and in an instant, they were completely enveloped.

    Only Chen Lingyun realized that this fog was actually an extremely abundant Yin energy¡ªsurely originating from some secret realm related to ghosts.

    This time, it¡¯s my turn.

    A thought flashed through her mind, and her figure was already completely wrapped in the fog. The sensation was instantaneous, like drowning or plunging into the depths of the sea, with endless pressure coming from all directions, almost suffocating her.

    However, the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Prison Banner in her hand soon transmitted a sense of exhilaration, snapping her out of the weightless dizziness.

    Chen Lingyun¡¯s feet touched the ground.

    She quickly steadied herself, and while scanning her surroundings, her Divine Sense also swiftly made a circuit. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    No one.

    She was still standing on the slope of a hill, but not the one she had been on before. The sky was entirely dark, the stars and moon hidden, the air filled with an extremely rich Yin energy. Any mortal without Marrow Cleansing who ended up here would probably fall gravely ill in no time.

    If those villagers who had gone missing were indeed taken away by the fog into this mysterious realm, their chances of survival were extremely slim.

    Chen Lingyun stood on the hillside and forcefully planted the Prison Banner into the ground.

    The Five Ghosts and Black and White Impermanence emerged around her and looked down along her gaze.

    In the center of the valley basin, there was a town with faint lights.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Lin Ning was rapidly moving through the dense forest, performing the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step with great proficiency.

    The surrounding trees were all dead, leafless and budless, with gaunt and twisted branches, rotten and bizarre, like corpses silently screaming.

    This eerie atmosphere made Lin Ning somewhat uncomfortable, so she couldn¡¯t help but bring out her swords for defense, suspending them in front of her.

    The Green Bamboo Sword, housed inside the Sword Box, was already coated with three layers of Sword Qi, exceptionally sharp as if it could slice through the surrounding Yin clouds and fog.

    The Dan Yan Sword, merely unsheathed, seemed unimpeded in this ghostly setting, perhaps owing to its Fire Line affiliation, giving it a feeling of being in its element.

    Suddenly, a figure appeared ahead.

    ¡°Ruoxi!¡± Lin Ning called out.

    ¡°Ningning!¡± Xie Ruoxi turned around, her face lighting up with surprise.

    The two girls quickly came together, holding hands and jumping with joy. Xie Ruoxi was almost moved to tears, saying emotionally,

    ¡°I almost broke down when I found out the captain was gone, but fortunately, you¡¯re here!¡±

    ¡°Well, you don¡¯t have to be so pessimistic,¡± Lin Ning replied, as she scanned Xie Ruoxi with her Divine Sense for a long while to confirm her identity. She then tentatively asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you have that Thunder Method? It can exorcise evil spirits.¡±

    ¡°I do have the Thunder Method, but it doesn¡¯t mean I can hit them,¡± Xie Ruoxi replied matter-of-factly, ¡°I always need someone to cover me.¡±

    Lin Ning was speechless, thinking to herself that although Ruoxi already possessed the attack power of a top fighter, she could still say something so helpless¡ªthis was indeed Ruoxi.

    The two girls then looked around again, only to hear Xie Ruoxi ask,

    ¡°So, are there any other people around?¡±

    ¡°No more.¡± Lin Ning said, ¡°I¡¯ve already explored the surrounding woods.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just the two of us in this area.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Su Yunjin and Zhao Yuanzhen had also met up.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you seen anyone else?¡± Su Yunjin asked with concern.

    ¡°No,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen shook his head, but his eyes fixated on the lake beside them.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Su Yunjin inquired.

    ¡°This seems to be the Ruishui River,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen approached the shore, plucked a strand of hair from his head, and gently placed it on the water¡¯s surface.

    The hair swiftly sank, as if it encountered no buoyancy whatsoever.

    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen took out an Elixir Bottle from his chest, unscrewed the cap, poured out the Elixir Medicine inside, and then used the empty bottle to scoop up the water from the lake.

    Su Yunjin watched on the side, her brows unconsciously furrowing. After he had collected the lake water, she finally asked,

    ¡°So, what kind of mysterious realm is this?¡±

    ¡°Hard to say,¡± Zhao Yuanzhen looked into the distance, where weak lights were barely visible.

    ¡°I¡¯m just afraid it might be the secret realm of some ghost cultivator sect.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Take the medicine quickly,¡± Yan Yu urged as he stuffed a pill into Li Minghu¡¯s mouth.

    This realm was rife with strong Yin energy; even regular mortals would fall ill if they lingered for a moment, and although Li Minghu had completed her Marrow Cleansing, her internal balance of the Five Elements was disrupted. The robust Yin energy surrounding them, once stirred, caused her to cough violently immediately.

    The medicine Yan Yu administered was for treating external injuries, with the effect of promoting blood circulation and strengthening the body. The medicinal powers spread through her abdomen, and Li Minghu¡¯s complexion indeed became much healthier.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said weakly as she stood up.

    ¡°No need to thank me,¡± Yan Yu replied, turning his gaze forward.

    About a hundred steps ahead, there stood numerous houses with white painted walls that greyed with age, presumably a small town.

    There were no electric lights in the town; illumination came solely from the paper lanterns hung in front of each household, swinging steadily in the ghostly wind.

    The streets were deserted.

    Even a street crowded with ghosts would be preferable to this emptiness because you have no idea where the enemy might be.

 Chapter 564: 59: I Am a Genuine Sword Immortal_2

    Chapter 564: Chapter 59: I Am a Genuine Sword Immortal_2

    Yan Yu fell silent for a moment, and Li Minghu had already guessed what he was worried about, saying,

    ¡°Let¡¯s go in and take a look; we can¡¯t just stay here and wait.¡±

    ¡°What about your health, can it hold up?¡± Yan Yu asked, ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s full of dangers inside.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Li Minghu covered her mouth, coughing a few times.

    This was exactly what Yan Yu was most worried about. Other girls would cry out if they were not feeling well, but the Valkyrie wouldn¡¯t¡ªher endurance skill was too profound, so much so that even when she was nearly at the end of her strength in her previous life, she could still wield her sword and fight without showing any pain.

    They definitely needed to enter the town to explore, but Yan Yu did not want Li Minghu to force herself to accompany him, as it might cause more problems.

    ¡°How about this.¡± Yan Yu came up with an idea, ¡°I¡¯ll carry you. No matter what happens, you don¡¯t need to worry, just help with controlling the sword and attacking.¡±

    This suggestion might seem a bit demeaning. If Lin Ning heard it, she would definitely start arguing in anger. However, Li Minghu was aware of her physical condition. Just the act of regulating her True Yuan to stabilize her body¡¯s abnormalities required a lot of her energy and mental focus. This certainly wasn¡¯t the best condition for fighting.

    If they encountered a formidable enemy inside that required fighting and running, Yan Yu would definitely be distracted worrying about my condition all the time, wouldn¡¯t it hold him back?

    ¡°Let¡¯s go in and explore first.¡± She did not reject the proposal, just saying, ¡°If something happens and I can¡¯t hold up, then I¡¯ll seek your help.¡±

    ¡°Would you really ask for my help?¡± Yan Yu asked.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Li Minghu smiled and said, ¡°Yan Yu, you¡¯re so powerful, there¡¯s no need for me to act tough.¡±

    ¡°So, you were acting tough before because the cultivators of the Qing¡¯an Team were not up to par?¡± Yan Yu was somewhat amused.

    ¡°It¡¯s because I always worry too much.¡± Li Minghu answered, ¡°But I feel very safe with you, Yan Yu.¡±

    Yan Yu couldn¡¯t help but be moved. The Valkyrie¡¯s words were far more powerful than her Flying Sword, subtly praising and complimenting me while not belittling her own team. That was skillful!

    Since she insisted on walking by herself, Yan Yu said no more and together with Li Minghu, they entered the town.

    After walking several dozen steps, the two sensed something odd:

    The houses on both sides of the street had doors that were tall and wide but uniformly lacked windows.

    Yan Yu¡¯s Divine Sense continually swept around the vicinity but still did not detect anything unusual, only feeling the heaviness of the yin energy growing, making it uncomfortable.

    Although Li Minghu was forcing herself despite her illness, the pain was unbearable, and she occasionally couldn¡¯t help coughing a few times, the sound clearly audible nearby.

    Suddenly, Yan Yu raised his hand, signaling her to stop.

    Just then, a sedan chair appeared in front of the street, carried quietly toward them by several bearers.

    Although Li Minghu was unwell, her eyes were sharp enough to see that the bearers were not living people, but papermen with rouge applied on their cheeks.

    Her Divine Sense swept over them but couldn¡¯t detect any problems, as if these papermen were merely unusual, animated cardboard.

    Behind the sedan chair, countless paper horses and paper donkeys followed, carrying numerous boxes and bags.

    Yan Yu pulled Li Minghu to the side of the street. Since this procession of paper people did not initiate an attack, he too did not want to strike without understanding the real situation of the opponents.

    As the paper sedan passed by them, Li Minghu suddenly could not suppress a cough and covered her mouth as she gently let out a cough.

    A pleasant female voice rang out:

    ¡°Stop.¡±

    The sedan came to a halt in front of them, and someone from inside lifted the sedan curtain. It was a fair and charming woman, using a round fan to cover the lower half of her face, only revealing her fox-like slender eyes. She glanced at Yan Yu and then rested her gaze on Li Minghu¡¯s face, chuckling as she said,

    ¡°Five Elements imbalance, pure yin cannot last. To have lived until now is rare indeed. If you die, how about coming to work as my maid?¡±

    Li Minghu paused for a moment, realizing that the person was speaking to her, and then calmly rejected,

    ¡°Thank you for your esteem, my lady. My life is as insignificant as weeds and not worthy of your favor,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Ha-ha,¡± the woman laughed, her eyes swirling with a teasing glint. She suddenly turned to Yan Yu, ¡°Are you his husband?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yan Yu responded.

    ¡°Seeing you carrying the Flying Sword, may I know from where you learned your skills? Kunlun or Emei?¡± the lady asked with a smile.

    Yan Yu found himself somewhat at a loss for words and after a long pause finally said,

    ¡°Not from the Xuanmen Orthodoxy.¡±

    ¡°Your aura clearly indicates you¡¯re a Sword Immortal, majestic in demeanor and certainly not from a sideline sect of the Demon Cult. If not from Kunlun or Emei, then from where?¡± the lady¡¯s smile slowly faded and she abruptly commanded, ¡°Ba Shan, go test his mettle.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± said the paperman following behind the sedan chair.

    Though made of paper, the paperman was tall and strongly built, and immediately lunged towards Yan Yu with swinging arms.

    ¡°Stand back,¡± Yan Yu signaled Lin Minghu to move to a safe distance, activated his Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step with swift movements to dodge the incoming assault, pinched the sword technique with both hands, and launched the Huang Tingjian and Liang Yi swords, slashing towards the paper giant.

    ¡°Dual Sword Control Technique, you¡¯re indeed using Emei¡¯s methods!¡± the woman in the sedan sneered coldly, ¡°But I see your swordsmanship is a mixed bag, quite clumsy, what exactly are you trying to perform? Ba Shan, draw your sword too, let him see how formidable it is!¡±

    The paper giant responded, and a Flying Sword, also made of hard paper, shot out from behind him. It seemed powerless but moved with incredible speed, quickly circumventing the Huang Tingjian and fiercely attacking Yan Yu.

    Yan Yu was also startled, for although the paperman¡¯s Flying Sword wasn¡¯t much aesthetically, the swordsmanship was indeed sharp and formidable, easily discerned by any expert.

    The sword techniques in his hands shifted rapidly as he manipulated the Liang Yi sword to intercept it. Although the Flying Sword was made of hard paper, it possessed a hardness comparable to metal; the swords clashed mid-air in a blistering exchange, thundering like roaring thunder and sparking dense showers of sparks.

    Lin Minghu¡¯s expression darkened slightly, only to hear the lady in the sedan speaking to him:

    ¡°The swordsmanship your lover uses is Emei¡¯s Dual Sword Control, but it seems quite rudimentary in swordplay, and even the details are disorganized. It seems his master did not guide him in person but merely imparted the mental methods and then left him on his own.¡±

    ¡°His talent in swordsmanship is not poor though. Without a master to resolve his doubts, he resorts to his own interpretations to compensate, which makes his swordplay a chaotic mix, wasting the advantages of the Dual Sword Control¡­¡±

    Before she could finish speaking, Yan Yu suddenly changed his sword technique, wielded the Huang Tingjian to execute ¡°Sky Light Piercing Clouds¡± with a speed far surpassing ¡°White Rainbow Across the Sky¡±, charging forward at full speed. The paperman hurriedly defended, but his Flying Sword was tightly entangled by the Liang Yi sword, and in a blink, it was cleaved in two.

    Lin Minghu remained silent, but the woman seemed as if she had been slapped in the face, both embarrassed and enraged, and immediately commanded:

    ¡°Useless trash! Hai Bo, Chuan Yun, you two go and defeat him!¡±

    Two more papermen stepped out from the formation, both wielding swords to attack Yan Yu. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Lin Minghu observed calmly and quickly noticed something.

    The swordsmanship of these papermen was indeed exquisite, but their combat experience was severely lacking. Yan Yu intentionally showed a flaw, and the opponents inevitably rushed in to attack, not considering the potential for a trap at all.

    Fully anticipating their tactics, how could their superior swordsmanship withstand continuous falls into traps, falling into a disadvantageous position against Yan Yu?

    Yan Yu multitasked, using Dual Sword Control against the two opposing papermen. The Liang Yi sword performed a feint, luring the opponent¡¯s Flying Sword into a gap, then abruptly launched an attack in conjunction with the Huang Tingjian from both above and below, forcibly cleaving the unexpected Flying Sword. Then, repeating the same trick, he entangled the remaining Flying Sword with the Liang Yi sword, while the Huang Tingjian advanced to cut down the two papermen from behind.

    ¡°Trash! Trash!¡± the woman inside the sedan furiously shouted, ¡°I taught you such fine swordsmanship!¡±

    ¡°Such criticism is unfounded,¡± Yan Yu calmly sheathed his swords, responded, ¡°It¡¯s not that they didn¡¯t try their best. It¡¯s that these papermen are merely vessels for lost spirits and wild ghosts; they didn¡¯t know swordsmanship in life, and after death, they lost their intelligence, simply memorizing and rigidly stuck to what they were taught in swordsmanship. How could they possibly win against a genuine Sword Immortal like me?¡±

    The woman in the sedan didn¡¯t reply but merely continued to sneer.

    ¡°Elder,¡± Yan Yu said as he clasped his hands and spoke, ¡°Since you recognize my Dual Sword Control technique, you must have been under Emei Sect in your previous life. May I ask for your name?¡±

    The cold sneer on the woman¡¯s face faded, replaced by a troubled look. After a long pause, she said:

    ¡°I¡­ never mind, now that I¡¯m dead, what need is there to ask for a name? Just consider me an abandoned disciple of the Emei Sword Sect of old.¡±

    ¡°May I ask, how is the Emei Sword Sect faring now?¡±

 Chapter 574: 63: The Heroic Image of Yan Yu

    Chapter 574: Chapter 63: The Heroic Image of Yan Yu

    Lin Ning and Xie Ruoxi, having been respawned in the mountains on the outskirts of the Netherworld, were the last to arrive at Ghost Town.

    The two entered Ghost Town from the west, where residents, threatened by Evil Ghost Street, had long since fled underground. Thus, as they made their way, they were constantly vigilant, treading carefully and never ceasing their Divine Sense scanning; it was as if they were engaged in a battle of wits with the air itself, exercising caution to an isolating extent.

    ¡°Ningningningning¡­¡± Xie Ruoxi called out timidly, ¡°Why do all these houses have no windows?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mimic the way I talk or echo my name!¡± Lin Ning subconsciously used irritation to mask her fear.

    ¡°No, no!¡± Xie Ruoxi grew even more frightened, ¡°If there were NPCs, it¡¯d be fine, but there¡¯s not a soul here, I¡¯m scared¡­¡±

    ¡°You have the Jade Pivot Thunder, what are you so scared of!¡± Lin Ning cried, ¡°Get ready for battle! I¡¯ll alert you if anything happens!¡±

    ¡°Okay okay okay.¡± Xie Ruoxi said repeatedly, ¡°Then you must alert me early, I react really slow, just so you know.¡±

    ¡°Oh, come on!¡± Lin Ning was immensely annoyed, but she was powerless to do anything but increase her scanning with Divine Sense, in case a formidable enemy appeared and frightened Ruoxi into submission in an instant.

    In fact, Evil Ghost Street in the west of the town used to patrol with ghosts, specifically to catch those who defied the Ghost King¡¯s rule. However, now under Chen Lingyun¡¯s command, the evil ghosts had all sallied forth to attack the Papermen, withdrawing all the forces nearby.

    As the two wandered around, suddenly they heard a little girl call out:

    ¡°Over here! Over here!¡±

    Lin Ning reacted the fastest, swiftly looking towards the source of the sound, and saw a little girl perched on the top of a wall, waving anxiously at them.

    ¡°Where¡¯s that voice coming from?!¡± Xie Ruoxi panicked, not yet having spotted the person.

    ¡°Over there!¡± Lin Ning, at a loss for words, could only point it out to her. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Relieved to see it was a child, Xie Ruoxi breathed a sigh of relief but immediately grew suspicious:

    ¡°Ningning, that child could be a ghost, right? Could she be luring us over there to harm us?¡±

    ¡°Just be ready for battle, that¡¯s all.¡± Lin Ning couldn¡¯t be sure either.

    The little girl withdrew below the wall. The two then activated the Wall-Penetration Technique and passed through the wall, only to see several withered trees surrounding a dry well in the courtyard. The little girl stood by the well, waved at them, and then jumped down into it.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go down and have a look.¡± Lin Ning quickly decided.

    Before Xie Ruoxi could respond, Lin Ning added,

    ¡°We have to go, afraid or not. Otherwise, we¡¯ll just roam around here for ages without meeting anyone. How will we find our leader and the others?¡±

    She led the trembling Xie Ruoxi, and together they activated the Cloud Ascension Technique, descending from the top of the dry well. Upon landing, they saw massed groups of lone ghosts either sitting or standing, staring blankly on both sides of a channel¡ªjust as Yan Yu and Li Minghu had previously witnessed.

    After speaking with an old cultivator¡¯s soul, the two learned exactly what was happening in the Netherworld and that Yan Yu and Li Minghu had visited earlier but had already left.

    Hearing this, Lin Ning didn¡¯t give it another thought and immediately made her decision:

    Since the captain had infiltrated Evil Ghost Street to locate the Nerve Center, then she and Ruoxi would create havoc in Evil Ghost Street to cover for their leader and the others!

    Having no opinion of her own, Xie Ruoxi simply went along with Lin Ning.

    Meanwhile, the rest of Qing¡¯an Team, after being repelled by the ghost army under Chen Lingyun¡¯s command, returned to the Paperman Workshop to rest temporarily and reported the frontline situation to Yin Rou.

    Upon hearing this, Yin Rou cursed inwardly:

    What kind of fool helps that stupid dead ghost¡­ Is it a hole in their head, water in their eyes, or what?

    With things as they were, she could only first calm everyone down, suggesting they rest properly outside the courtyard.

    After Li Zhaojiang and others left, Yin Rou secretly made a spell gesture to activate her senses. She discovered that several outer Papermen had been taken out, confirming that Evil Ghost Street had launched a full attack on the Paperman Workshop; they were surely out to capture her permanently, which only fueled her anger.

    Her skills were primarily in swordsmanship; it was a pity that her Flying Sword had been taken by the Sword Sect people when she died. Without a physical body and her personal Flying Sword, most of her abilities were useless. Now, she could barely fend off enemies with the low-grade Paperman spell¡ªa truly hateful situation!

    The only plan now was to make good use of these foreign cultivators and confront the Ghost King head-on!

    Not long after, Su Yunjin and Zhao Yuanzhen also returned.

    With her mind made up, Yin Rou naturally didn¡¯t dare delay and personally went to welcome the two ladies, spouting some insincere words. She mentioned that the Ghost King was a local despot with ruthless methods. It was normal for newcomers to struggle against him, and she urged them to rest well. She would gather her forces to launch a total attack and ask for their help in seizing the opportunity!

    Su Yunjin and Zhao Yuanzhen were assigned a courtyard to rest briefly, only to hear Zhao Yuanzhen angrily say:

    ¡°I knew her intentions were not pure from the start. It¡¯s all because some na?ve person insisted on trusting her, even making her the deputy leader! Now, look where that¡¯s got us? She¡¯s probably revealed our detailed whereabouts, what spells and Magic Treasures we specialize in, to that Ghost King. How are we supposed to fight now?¡±

    Without showing any expression, Su Yunjin silently transmitted:

    ¡°Lingyun is just feigning surrender to incite conflict between both sides so we can benefit from it.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was instantly dumbfounded.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make that face!¡± Su Yunjin hurriedly transmitted, ¡°Papermen might be watching us right now!¡±

    Although Zhao Yuanzhen was straightforward, she was very sensitive about such matters. She immediately schooled her face into a mournful expression and, after pretending for a moment, transmitted:

 Chapter 575: 63: The Heroic Image of Yan Yu_2

    Chapter 575: Chapter 63: The Heroic Image of Yan Yu_2

    ¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°She communicated with me telepathically when we first met,¡± Su Yunjin responded, ¡°and asked me to play along with her act.¡±

    ¡°Then why wouldn¡¯t she communicate with me?¡± Zhao Yuanzhen huffed indignantly.

    ¡°It¡¯s probably because you¡¯re a bit slow to react, Sister Zhao,¡± Su Yunjin sighed, ¡°Just now, when I told you the truth, didn¡¯t you look astonished? At that moment, countless evil ghosts were present. If your expression was even slightly off, it would have been seen through immediately, which would have been bad.¡±

    ¡°Even so, you shouldn¡¯t have kept it from me!¡± Zhao Yuanzhen argued weakly, defensively adding, ¡°If it was a feigned surrender, you could have just thrown a note to me, and I¡¯d have known afterwards, right?¡±

    Su Yunjin saw that she was just trying to save face; therefore, she continued telepathically in a calm tone:

    ¡°The situation was complex at that time, Ling Yun could not have done much better. Anyway, according to her plan, we just needed to act ignorant and cooperate with Yin Rou in resisting the Ghost King. The stronger Yin Rou¡¯s resistance, the more the Ghost King would rely on Ling Yun, giving her the opportunity to make more plans.¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Zhao Yuanzhen was still somewhat fuming, gritting her teeth, ¡°She likes to play with conspiracies and tricks. This time she deceived even me, next time she might deceive you too, Yun Jin. You must be very careful.¡±

    Su Yunjin just gave a slight smile, staying silent.

    Both of them were telepathically communicating in the courtyard, naturally not leaking a word, but their facial expressions were clearly observed by a paperman peering through a hole in the wall outside. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    The information went back to Yin Rou, and she found nothing unusual with it. After all, feeling resentful after a defeat was natural; calmness might just indicate a deep strategic mind, not easily swayed by emotions.

    Quietly elevating her assessment of Su Yunjin and diminishing that of Zhao Yuanzhen, Yin Rou then officially began to move troops, preparing for a full-scale assault on Evil Ghost Street!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Yan Yu and Li Minghu activated their Invisibility Technique, infiltrating Evil Ghost Street from the southwest direction, only to find that the patrol force here was not as strong as before, completely different from the swarms of evil ghosts they had seen previously.

    Naturally, they did not know it was Chen Lingyun, that wretched woman, who had stirred the Ghost King and Ghost Mother into full-scale war, and now the main forces had already attacked the Paperman foundry, leaving far fewer troops here¡­ However, fewer enemies were, of course, a welcomed relief, so they sped up, heading toward taller buildings in the distance.

    Li Minghu¡¯s body was eroded by yin energy, increasingly weakening, occasionally stepping aside from surrounding evil ghosts to cover her mouth and cough lightly, with traces of blood in her sputum.

    She dared not let Yan Yu know but continued forward as if nothing happened.

    But with past life experience, Yan Yu, knowing Li Minghu¡¯s stubborn character of pretending nothing was wrong, wasn¡¯t fooled by her act. Whenever Li Minghu seemed tired, he would silently offer her an Elixir Medicine to take.

    Initially, Li Minghu tried to refuse, since Elixir Medicine meant sustaining her longer, but Yan Yu insisted, and not wanting to waste too much time, she eventually let herself be persuaded.

    After taking the Elixir Medicine, her body would warm up considerably. However, as it was eroded by the surrounding yin energy, it would slowly become cold and weak again.

    Over time, she gradually developed a sort of dependency and compliance toward Yan Yu, taking the Elixir Medicine without concern about ¡°whether she would burden him¡±.

    Using their Art of Invisibility, they avoided the main patrols and finally made it deep into Evil Ghost Street.

    This area was essentially the strongholds of the Ghost King Xue Ren, thus quite a number of troops were stationed here, different from the thinned presence in the periphery.

    Yan Yu observed carefully for a moment, realizing there was likely no route that could bypass this area, they had to break through.

    Just as he was about to remind Li Minghu to prepare for battle, a thunderous boom suddenly reverberated from a distance.

    The boom startled the evil ghosts here, and soon, about a third of the evil ghosts departed, rushing towards the direction of the sound to reinforce them.

    Someone was causing trouble at the periphery of Evil Ghost Street! Yan Yu was immediately overjoyed, thinking, although he didn¡¯t know who it was, this attack came at just the right moment.

    With the forces drawn away, breaches finally appeared in their defenses, Yan Yu led Li Minghu quietly through the gaps, avoiding several patrol squads of fierce ghosts, and finally approached the outer structures.

    This was a typical Taoist area, consisting of the Reception Hall, several rows of chambers, an incense burner square, and the temple at the furthest end. A circle of walls over three meters tall surrounded the area, with only the Reception Hall at the front serving as the sole entrance.

    Yan Yu tentatively tried but found indeed, he couldn¡¯t penetrate the walls or fly over them using clouds, a typical cross-over ban¡ªmany cultivator capabilities would set such restrictions in their personal domains or sect realms, sometimes extending to the entire Mysterious Realm, with regulations like ¡°Wall-Penetration Ban, Flight.¡± Inversely, encountering such regulations indicated that the location inside was surely significant.

    This place must be what the old cultivator referred to as ¡°Yin God¡¯s Residence!¡±

    Yan Yu led Li Minghu through the Reception Hall and had just entered the central square when suddenly, Li Minghu said:

    ¡°Something¡¯s not right. If this place is truly important, why is there no one guarding the door of the Reception Hall?¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Yan Yu pondered for a moment before saying, ¡°No guards imply that there¡¯s no fear of lone souls or stray ghosts sneaking in. This means there might be some Formation or a powerful adversary here, so there¡¯s no need for any guards¡­¡±

    He suddenly felt a chill, turned around, and saw that the Reception Hall behind them had vanished without a trace.

 Chapter 576: 63 - The Heroic Image of Yan Yu_3

    Chapter 576: Chapter 63 ¨C The Heroic Image of Yan Yu_3

    Not only that, but even the faint sounds of battle coming from afar were completely hidden away. The moment the two stepped into the reception hall, it seemed as if they had entered a relatively independent realm, isolated from the Netherworld outside.

    Yan Yu pinched a Sword technique, and the Liangyi Sword flew to Li Minghu¡¯s side, ready to block any danger for her.

    Li Minghu also silently pinched her technique, commanding the Sky Flash Sword, showing that she was not entirely defenseless.

    Suddenly, the temple in front opened up, and a tall Yin God Judge floated out. He wore a robe with long sleeves, his hair and beard were disheveled, and he held a tablet in his hand.

    Not good! Yan Yu quickly communicated with Li Minghu through a voice transmission.

    This Yin God Judge was not any new enemy. Previously, when combating the Huofeng Team of the Pingxi Army in the Fengdu Secret Realm, they had faced a Yin God Judge as the gatekeeper. His characteristics included the ability to fly, making him extremely agile; secondly, his clothes contained divine Netherworld authority, significantly reducing physical attacks, thereby deeply constraining the piercing strikes of the Flying Sword.

    Upon hearing this information, Li Minghu frowned, thinking that both she and Yan Yu, being Sword Immortals, were at a disadvantage in fighting this Yin God Judge, and it would be best to retreat for now¡­ but with no way back, how could they retreat?

    She was somewhat torn, then saw Yan Yu shake a Silver Pellet from his sleeve, releasing Puppet Azhen.

    Let¡¯s give it a shot!

    Without another word, Li Minghu stepped back, while the Natural Sword shot forward, aiming directly for the Judge¡¯s face.

    The Judge held the tablet in his right hand and lightly flicked his left finger, instantly repelling the Sky Flash Sword with a cold laugh, ¡°Daring to intrude the Yin God Mansion and defy your superiors? The crime is magnified, straight to Scissors Hell!¡±

    Suddenly, countless scissors flew around them, sweeping past in such numbers they appeared like a swarm of bees or clouds of flies, swiftly closing in on the pair!

    Without another word, Yan Yu quickly lifted Li Minghu by the waist, executed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, and swiftly dodged the massive array of scissors.

    As the Scissors Cloud missed its mark, it quickly split into two groups, twining swiftly from both left and right directions!

    ¡°To catch a thief, first catch the king,¡± whispered Li Minghu in his arms. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Yan Yu quickly manipulated his spell, dodging the dual killing fronts while Puppet Azhen sprang into action, charging directly at the Yin God Judge.

    His style of combat differed from Zhou Hongyu; he was not very fond of bombarding with Taoism Method, hence he saved his ultimate move for a crucial moment.

    The Yin God Judge drifted backwards and split another cloud of scissors mist, fiercely trying to slice Puppet Azhen, who simply crossed her hands in front of her, unflinchingly colliding head-on with the Scissors Cloud!

    Countless scissors clattered over her, hacking her arms to the bone, but couldn¡¯t sever the iron-hard Divine Dragon Wood inside. Azhen forcefully broke through the Scissors Array, rushed up to the Yin God Judge, suddenly leapt high, and kicked directly at the Judge¡¯s unprotected head!

    This strike was both fast and fierce. The Yin God Judge was still retreating, unable to dodge in time; his tablet suddenly lit up, and in a blink, he disappeared, reappearing on the other side of the square the next instant.

    Was it the Mound Technique or Gathering Qi into Form? Holding Li Minghu, Yan Yu dodged left and right, formulating a plan in his mind.

    He needed to fully understand the Yin God Judge¡¯s movement spell first; otherwise, if he rashly commanded Azhen to use her ultimate move and the opponent simply teleported away, it would really be a grand embarrassment.

    That would damage my heroic image in front of Valkyrie!

 Chapter 577: 64: The Meticulous Valkyrie, The Overly Innocent Chen Lingyun

    Chapter 577: Chapter 64: The Meticulous Valkyrie, The Overly Innocent Chen Lingyun

    When engaging in battle with the Flying Sword, one either blocks, parries, or dodges an enemy¡¯s attack.

    However, Yan Yu, with his extensive experience, immediately realized that against this so-called ¡°Scissor Hell Formation,¡± blocking and parrying were ineffective.

    Because there were simply too many scissor magic treasures, once you choose to block or parry, you would be struck repeatedly by wave after wave of endless scissors. Even the abundant True Yuan of Immortal Venerate Xie would be broken through without suspense in such a scenario.

    So the only option was to dodge!

    As for the teleportation method of the Yin God Judge, Yan Yu observed closely for a long while and discovered it was not any profound Taoism Method, but merely the ability of the tablet in his hand.

    From past life experiences, teleportation type Taoism Methods are often both rare and formidable, even the most basic ¡°Shrinking Earth into Inches¡± is extremely difficult to master as it involves the Earth Escape Skill. However, teleportation-type magic treasures are generally much inferior; although they offer greater flexibility and stamina, their range, distance, and versatility are severely lacking.

    If the opponent used any Earth Escape Skill, then forget about breaking it, one would have to face it head-on. But if it¡¯s a magic treasure, there must be a pattern to follow.

    While dodging left and right to avoid attacks from the scissor formation, Yan Yu simultaneously controlled Puppet Azhen to pressure the Judge, forcing the opponent to activate his teleportation ability, while also carefully observing the activation characteristics of the opponent¡¯s magic treasure, leaving no time to pay attention to the warmth of the delicate body in his arms.

    Li Minghu, curled up in his embrace, thought since she couldn¡¯t handle the Scissor Hell Formation on her own, and the Judge wasn¡¯t afraid of Flying Sword attacks unless they targeted his head. But Yan Yu moved too quickly; she couldn¡¯t even see where the enemy was, and couldn¡¯t estimate his approximate position through his attack trajectories, because the Judge himself never made a move¡­

    Too difficult.

    She felt a slight anxiety about not being able to help, but then reminded herself to stabilize her emotions and tried to think calmly.

    She couldn¡¯t think.

    Being carried on his back was one thing, at least she could still attack, but now being held in his arms, finding nothing else she could do, she suddenly started to feel restless.

    Embrace¡­ so warm.

    Although she had always been pale and beautiful since childhood, Li Minghu had never been this close to any man before; even in school, because she often coughed due to being frail, classmates feared she had a contagious disease and didn¡¯t like to interact with her.

    Meeting someone like Yan Yu for the first time, who didn¡¯t show any disgust or rejection without knowing what illness she suffered from, was also a first for her.

    Li Minghu silently tightened her hold around Yan Yu¡¯s neck, suppressing those tender thoughts and strangely calmed down.

    I must think of a way to help him, I¡­

    What can I do¡­

    The Yin God Judge, constantly moving from the pressure of Puppet Azhen, suddenly shouted:

    ¡°Obstinate and incorrigible, unforgivable sins, you should enter the Mirror Hell!¡±

    As soon as his voice fell, the mist of scissors quietly dispersed and eight large copper mirrors flew out from the depths of the mansion, revolving around Yan Yu and Li Minghu.

    What was this attack method?

    Yan Yu startled slightly, then suddenly heard Li Minghu say:

    ¡°Dodge!¡±

    Without thinking, he chose a direction at random, executing the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step immediately.

    Almost simultaneously, a sense of extreme danger assailed him from behind. Yan Yu¡¯s Divine Sense swiftly swept backward, but detected nothing unusual.

    ¡°The mirror,¡± Li Minghu said again.

    Yan Yu quickly looked towards the revolving mirrors around him.

    The copper mirrors were polished bright, reflecting a clear image where he was holding Li Minghu, both looking towards the cameras.

    Nothing unusual?

    Yan Yu glanced around, then looked at the other mirror surfaces again. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Something was wrong!

    Out of the eight copper mirrors, seven showed a normal reflection, but one was different: in it, Yan Yu was still holding Li Minghu, but behind them was an unmanned bronze mallet, swinging hard toward Yan Yu¡¯s back!

    Yan Yu hastily moved aside, simultaneously conjuring a sword technique with his hands, calling for the Huang Ting Sword to intercept the attack.

    The Huang Ting Sword swung into the air behind him, seemingly at nothing, but the blade was suddenly struck by something, heavily knocked down to the ground.

    Yan Yu was also startled: That bronze mace had formidable strength!

    The Huang Ting Sword, being an earth-based heavy sword, normally had an advantage in power during direct combat, yet it stood no chance under the invisible mace¡¯s strike; if a person were hit, even if the Barrier Charm was activated, it would most likely not withstand it.

    The bronze mace in the mirror flew up again, heading for another strike. Yan Yu wanted to study its movement carefully, but the eight copper mirrors suddenly began to spin rapidly again, nearly causing him to twist his neck.

    This damned mirror!

    By now, Yan Yu had realized: among the eight copper mirrors, seven were decoys, only one was a genuine magic treasure. Anyone caught in its reflection would be attacked by this ¡°invisible to the naked eye, visible only through the mirror¡± magic treasure.

    Had it been any other cultivator here, they would need to focus intensely on observing the constantly rotating mirror, judging the direction of the coming attack while also dodging, inevitably leading to missteps and inadequate evasion.

    But Yan Yu excelled in multitasking; he simply unleashed the Dual Sword Control Technique with full force, with countless commands rapidly flashing through his mind.

    The Liangyi Sword, fastest in speed, swept a wide circle around him, suddenly striking something.

    There!

    Yan Yu instantly calculated the position and direction of the invisible bronze mace, sidestepped, and continued manipulating his sword technique.

 Chapter 578: 64: The Meticulous Valkyrie, The Overly Innocent Chen Lingyun_2

    Chapter 578: Chapter 64: The Meticulous Valkyrie, The Overly Innocent Chen Lingyun_2

    The force of the Huang Tingjian was mighty and heavy, slashing directly towards the surrounding copper mirrors.

    The fake ones shattered with a single slash, but the real ones were harder than metal and steel, standing unyielded and occasionally casting illusions. In an instant, they materialized into a brand-new fake mirror.

    Yan Yu rapidly shifted his strategy, directing the Huang Tingjian to strike the real mirrors; although it could not shatter them, it forced them to stop flying randomly.

    The Liangyi Sword coordinated with Puppet Azhen to attack the Yin God Judge.

    In the hands of the Yin God Judge, the tablet would light up, and after half a second, it would teleport, reappearing elsewhere; its light would quickly extinguish.

    That is to say, activating the magic treasure made it light up, a rather reasonable mechanism within the Cultivation World.

    Yan Yu surreptitiously formed a sword technique; the Liangyi Sword struck towards the judge¡¯s head, and the opponent indeed teleported away, flashing to a distance away from both the Liangyi Sword and Puppet Azhen.

    Now was the moment!

    Taking advantage of the moment right after the tablet had just extinguished its light and before it could light up again, Yan Yu forcefully circulated the True Yuan throughout his body, Puppet Azhen puffed up her cheeks, spewing out an incredibly fine, dense line of fire!

    In the instant his True Yuan surged, Li Minghu guessed he was about to make a move; he immediately coordinated his sword technique, shooting the Sky Flash Sword directly towards the judge!

    Since the opponent was quite distant, the Sky Flash Sword would inevitably be too late, and the opponent could teleport away ahead of time¡­ but Yan Yu inwardly praised the cleverness, as he instantly noticed that the trajectory of the Sky Flash Sword precisely allowed it to obstruct the judge¡¯s line of sight towards the puppet! sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Worthy of a meticulously vigilant Valkyrie!

    In the blink of an eye as he released fire, Yan Yu minutely controlled Puppet Azhen¡¯s angle of firing, launching an attack from the blind spot concealed by the Sky Flash Sword. By the time the Crimson Feather Nine Phoenix Fire reached him, it was too late for the Yin God Judge to activate the tablet, and faced with this armor-piercing Taoism Method, he was directly cleaved into two by the fierce golden flame.

    The Sky Flash Sword seized the opportunity to adjust its position, piercing directly into the judge¡¯s head, killing him on the spot.

    Yan Yu¡¯s Divine Sense swiftly scanned the area, only to see the body of the Yin God Judge gradually dimming down, ultimately dissipating and shattering completely, his soul scattered to the winds.

    ¡°Let¡¯s check the temple¡­ cough! Cough cough cough cough!¡± Li Minghu started coughing again.

    Yan Yu hurriedly fed her an Elixir Medicine, then gently set her down, instructing her to rest properly at the side while he himself headed deeper into the mansion.

    After a moment, he emerged holding a small bell.

    Three ancient seals were engraved on the body of the bell, named ¡°Soul-Losing Bell,¡± representing the authority of the entire secret realm of the Netherworld.

    Yan Yu sat down beside Li Minghu, beginning to refine this nerve center with all his might.

    Li Minghu quietly stared at his profile, and after a long while, a smile appeared on her face. Somewhat tired, she leaned against a nearby pillar and slowly closed her eyes to rest.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Inside the Paperman shop.

    Evil Ghost Street had emerged en masse, and with Chen Lingyun¡¯s strategic deployment, their frontal strength gradually began to overpower the other side.

    Although the papermen were controlled by Yin Rou, moving and retreating uniformly per command, it was hard to stand against Chen Lingyun using her advantage in forces to launch collaborative assaults from various directions, nearly routing them completely.

    Yin Rou hurriedly urged Li Zhaojiang and Su Yunjin among others, to help fend off the assault from the Evil Ghost army.

    Su Yunjin noted that the Evil Ghosts had the advantage in numbers and required balancing, naturally more than willing to help Chen Lingyun reduce the strength on the opposing side.

    She activated the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art, causing a tremendous flood that gushed along the streets of the Paperman shop.

    Ghostly Creatures and Ghost Cultivators at the Hua Mansion Stage could still use their Divine Skills to either resist or flee. As for those with lower Cultivation, with buildings on both sides and nowhere to go, they naturally got swept into the flood.

    Some ghosts skilled in water tried swimming to the sides, attempting to grab onto something to avoid being washed away, yet they did not expect Su Yunjin to scatter Gouchen Star Sand into the flood, rapidly cutting and grinding at high speed. Regardless of whether the ghosts swam breaststroke, butterfly, or freestyle, they were quickly ground down, losing limbs and heads, eventually all turning to underwater swimming.

    The overwhelming power of the Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art on the battlefield meant that other ghosts not trapped in the flood surged over, ignoring the remaining uncleared papermen, to attack Su Yunjin.

    Seeing this, Li Zhaojiang and the others no longer doubted the authenticity of Su Yunjin and others¡¯ identities and quickly came to support.

    A sweep of the Yuan magnetic divine light knocked down the myriad attacks launched by the Ghost Cultivators, after which Li Zhaojiang swiftly concluded his technique, and the rest unleashed all their methods, fully intercepting the ghosts charging at them.

    Ghost King Xue Ren stood at the top of the cold wind, seeing the front lines falter and Su Yunjin¡¯s remarkable prowess, starting to become impatient, planning to intervene but subconsciously glanced towards his strategist.

    Chen Lingyun slightly smiled and said to Ghost King Xue Ren,

    ¡°My Lord, please be patient. These cultivators are but a minor illness, just send more subordinates to exterminate them. The Ghost Mother Yin Rou has yet to appear; she wants to use these cultivators to exhaust your mana, do not be deceived.¡±

    Xue Ren thought it made sense; better to conserve his mana to confront the Ghost Mother.

    ¡°The Lord sees clearly.¡± White Impermanence suddenly advised, ¡°The Paperman shop resists desperately, and our available forces have already reduced to less than half. If we continue to expend them, even if we eventually conquer the Paperman shop, it will be a heavy loss. If those rebellious Ghost Cultivators hidden on the west side cause trouble later, how will we respond?¡±

    Xue Ren, considering it reasonable, turned his head to look at Chen Lingyun, seeking her advice.

    ¡°The strength of Evil Ghost Street does not lie in the number of Ghosts but in the infinite majesty and heavenly mana of the Lord.¡± Chen Lingyun calmly and smilingly said, ¡°A few low-level riffraff, what harm even if they are utterly annihilated? As long as the Lord¡¯s divine power and mana exist, he remains the destined ruler of the Netherworld, unmatched by anyone. The only threat to the Lord is the equally powerful Ghost Mother Yin Rou. Distinguishing between the primary and the trivial, do not confuse them.¡±

 Chapter 579: 64: The Meticulous Valkyrie, The Overly Innocent Chen Lingyun_3

    Chapter 579: Chapter 64: The Meticulous Valkyrie, The Overly Innocent Chen Lingyun_3

    Xue Ren pondered carefully and couldn¡¯t help but nod repeatedly. ¡°Some low-level Evil Ghosts have died, so be it. As long as I can capture Yin Rou, I will become the strongest Ghost King in this Netherworld. Who else should I fear?¡± S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    ¡°Hehehehe,¡± White Impermanence just scoffed, ready to counter, but then he heard Chen Lingyun say:

    ¡°Of course, Commander Bai has many Ghost Cultivators under his command. If they suffer heavy casualties in this war, those who survive will inevitably hold grudges against His Majesty. Your Majesty might also want to consider their feelings.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to worry about?¡± The moment the Ghost King Xue Ren heard Chen Lingyun mention ¡°they might have complaints,¡± he immediately felt the displeasure of a superior being offended. His gaze towards White Impermanence turned even colder, ¡°What, does Commander Bai not wish to send his subordinates to fight to their deaths because he thinks my mana is not as precious as their souls?¡±

    ¡°This subordinate wouldn¡¯t dare.¡± Where could White Impermanence even begin to argue? He could only kneel quickly to show his submission, harboring increasing resentment towards Chen Lingyun in his heart.

    What a naturally evil woman! With sweet-talking deceit, she beguiles His Majesty¡ªher soul should be scattered and never enter reincarnation!

    Xue Ren quickly ordered a fierce attack. Suddenly, a bird flew from behind, landing in front of everyone, and quickly transformed into a small demon, reporting:

    ¡°Report! Two human Cultivators have attacked Ghost Street! One of them is skilled in swordsmanship, and the other is an expert in the Thunder Method, their offensive is fierce, and we are no match¡ªwe have been driven back to the gates of the royal mansion, unable to stop them!¡±

    ¡°Damn it!¡± Xue Ren was shocked and angered upon hearing this, because all the Elixir Medicine, treasures, and scrolls of great importance that he had gathered throughout his life were all hidden in his royal mansion. How could he possibly allow it to be attacked? He immediately swept his sleeves and said:

    ¡°Commander Bai shall lead the next battlefield, and Daoist Chen will assist from the side. The two of you must not harbor any ill will against each other. As long as you cooperate fully to take down Paperman Square and capture and kill Ghost Mother Yin Rou, there will be great rewards from me! Otherwise, the Soul-Striking Whip in the mansion is not just for show!¡±

    Having said that, he did not care about the situation on the battlefield and quickly flew off in a cloud.

    White Impermanence climbed up from the ground and looked at Chen Lingyun with a sinister gaze, thinking this was going to be easy. As long as they could conquer Paperman Square before His Majesty returned, and then find any excuse to kill this weakling, blaming it on the chaos of the battlefield, there would be nothing His Majesty could say afterward.

    Chen Lingyun had already guessed that it must be Xie Ruoxi and Lin Ning causing trouble on Evil Ghost Street, wreaking havoc and killing left and right, when she heard the small demon¡¯s report.

    The Ghost King being lured away was the strategy of drawing the tiger out of the mountain, so everything was going as planned, and it was time to move ahead.

    She smiled sweetly at White Impermanence and stealthily clenched the Nine Heavens Yin Demon God Evil Bead in the sleeve of her left hand before speaking:

    ¡°Ghost Mother Yin Rou is still not showing herself. It seems she is determined to resist to the end. Since Commander Bai is worried about his subordinates¡¯ casualties, why not send a select force to break through and attack the core of Paperman Square directly without engaging these human Cultivators? How does that sound?¡±

    ¡°Excellent.¡± White Impermanence naturally agreed wholeheartedly. After all, once Ghost Mother was taken down, this woman would have no value, ¡°Then, please Daoist Chen, join us in the fray. Without your guidance, I¡¯m afraid it will be difficult to capture the cunning Ghost Mother.¡±

    ¡°Can do,¡± Chen Lingyun responded radiantly, ¡°but I must remind you that my cultivation is weak, and I will need Commander Bai¡¯s protection indeed.¡±

    If Yan Yu had been here, seeing Chen Lingyun¡¯s insincere smile, he would have known that trouble was brewing for someone.

    White Impermanence, of course, was unaware of the woman¡¯s malicious intentions, and merely chuckled to himself for her seeming naivety and eagerness to seek death. He turned and selected about a dozen powerful Ghost Cultivators to form an elite decapitation squad, taking Chen Lingyun with them as they rode the dark clouds towards the depths of Paperman Square.

 Chapter 580 65 The Power of the Administrator is Unlimited

    Lin Ning executed the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, swiftly weaving through the multitude of ghostly creatures.

    The Evil Ghosts hovered above the ground, their forms partially transparent and phasing in and out of visibility. Coupled with the absence of sun and moon within the Netherworld, visibility was extremely dim, making it quite difficult for the naked eye to capture their figures.

    However, by comparison, Lin Ning''s movements were even more unpredictable and ghostly.

    Thanks to Yan Yu''s insightful guidance and the Problem Solver''s relentless practice day and night, her Cloud Bagua Step had now reached a level of mastery.

    Stepping on the Heavenly Gang and treading on the Earth Fiend, she dodged skillfully between the attacks of two ghosts. At the same time, with continuous movements of her sword technique, the Dan Yan Sword struck like fierce lightning, entering the fray and dispersing the enemies with White Crane Spreads Wings; the Green Bamboo Sword rushed forth like lightning, executing White Rainbow Across the Sky, picking off each staggering ghost one by one.

    It was too easy! There was no pressure at all!

    Lin Ning even felt a subtle sense of pride, having spent so much time in the "Advanced Arena," that facing these enemies with combat experience akin to "beginner monsters," it was hard not to be more than capable.

    Behind her, on the rooftop of a building, Xie Ruoxi planted the Heavenly Origin Sword into the ridge of the roof, using it as a large shield in front of her, before preparing to cast her Thunder Method.

    Her aim was still poor, nearly hitting friend and foe alike. Thankfully, Lin Ning had already told her to "be mindful of dodging the range of her Thunder Method" and to "blast away without restraint."

    Thus, Xie Ruoxi used all her strength¡ªwhere there were ghosts, she blasted.

    The power of the Jade Pivot Thunder was extremely effective against Yin Ghosts. Whether it was ghostly creatures on the path of becoming Yin Gods or Ghost Cultivators who had forsaken their physical bodies to practice spells, just a brush with the Jade Pivot Thunder would lead them to instant destruction without even a chance to attempt to save themselves with a spell.

    The exaggerated lethality meant that whenever she killed a target, the surrounding enemies would startle and instinctively switch their attacks toward Xie Ruoxi on the rooftop.

    However, Lin Ning was clearly already on the lookout for this¡ªany ghost that attempted to attack Xie Ruoxi would immediately be met with her preferential counterattack.

    And since she practiced Dual Sword Control, she could continue to pursue those close at hand, while intercepting any foes attempting to shift their attack to Xie Ruoxi, causing the Evil Ghosts to soon painfully realize that without dealing with this Sword Immortal, they couldn''t begin to attack the distant Magic Cultivator.

    But if they focused their attack on the Sword Immortal, it would leave the Magic Cultivator free to bombard them without restraint... In short, they were stuck between a rock and a hard place.

    Xie Ruoxi was enjoying the killing spree and nonchalantly popped an Elixir Medicine into her mouth, boastfully showing off that she even had time to leisurely replenish her mana, though her True Yuan was still more than sixty percent full.

    Although Lin Ning was bravely fighting, she maintained her cool, thinking to herself that she didn''t know where the team leader was in Evil Ghost Street, and whether he had found the Mysterious Realm Gatekeeper and the Nerve Center.

    All things considered, the more fiercely we fight here, the more enemies we''ll attract to this side, the easier it should be for the team leader...

    Just as she was pondering, she suddenly heard a roar from afar:

    "Give up your life!"

    Lin Ning was quick to react, instantly engaging the Cloud Bagua Step to its fullest, springing over twenty meters away. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    A purple Yin Lightning bolt slammed down where she had just been standing, instantly creating a large pit.

    Thunder Method? Lin Ning frowned to herself.

    No, it wasn''t Thunder Method.

    Ruoxi''s Thunder Method wasn''t that weak!

    The new arrival finally lowered the dark clouds and mist, it was Ghost King Xue Ren, enraged by his lair being overrun. He flicked his finger, and two more deep purple lightning snakes lunged towards Lin Ning.

    Fuck, that''s fast!

    Although the power of this Yin Lightning wasn''t as great as Xie Ruoxi''s Five Thunder Righteous Art, its speed was much faster. It was a good thing Lin Ning had lightning-quick reflexes, taking off in a low run and dodging at the last second to just barely avoid the two bolts of Yin Lightning.

    She pinched the sword technique in her hands, sending out two Flying Swords.

    Ghost King Xue Ren didn''t even bother to look. He spread his cape with a forceful flick, conjuring a Yin wind to shield his entire body, dense as if tangible. The Dual Swords attacked from all directions, slashing and hacking, yet failed to penetrate the defense, repelled on every attempt.

    Lin Ning finally felt a sense of dread, realizing that this enemy''s Cultivation level and defensive methods were completely out of her league. She hurriedly activated the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step, her steps quickened and her form rapidly twisting as she headed towards Xie Ruoxi to escape with her.

    Xie Ruoxi, however, failed to notice the severity of the situation. She thought Ningning was handling the enemy with ease (after all, none of the attacks were hitting her), and thus she cast two more Jade Pivot Thunders with all her might towards Ghost King Xue Ren.

    Xue Ren was immediately terrified:

    Fuck, that''s fierce!

    The Jade Pivot Thunder, blue tinged with red, seemed unassuming and small, but he was well-versed in the art of Yin Lightning and knew all too well the ferocity of the Five Thunder Righteous Art.

    Naturally, he didn''t dare to take the hit head-on and hurriedly turned into a wisp of demon mist, sidestepping and retreating three feet. Yet, he saw the Jade Pivot Thunder, whirling about, magically floating towards him from behind. This startled Xue Ren, pushing him to again transform into mist and hastily retreat over thirty feet, barely managing to dodge the Jade Pivot Thunder completely.

    You have tracking with your Five Thunder Righteous Art?

    But here, Xue Ren mistook the situation. If he had stood still, the Jade Pivot Thunder would have veered off as before. The reason was that Xie Ruoxi''s aim was off. Upon launching the Thunder Light, she had flicked her wrist upward, causing the thunder to arc... still, the notoriety of the Five Thunder Righteous Art had the Ghost King feeling jittery, prompting him to turn mist and retreat more than thirty feet in one go, finally evading the Jade Pivot Thunder completely.

 Chapter 581 65 The Administratorâ€™s Power is Unlimited_2

    Lin Ning finally rushed to Xie Ruoxi''s side and transmitted a message:

    "Run!"

    "Run?" Xie Ruoxi was startled at first, then she quickly realized the enemy was too strong, and Ningning could no longer cope. Instantly, the spirited fierceness from her earlier rampage disappeared, and she reverted back to the scaredy-rabbit mentality, nodding repeatedly, "Okay, okay, let''s hurry and run!"

    As the two of them quickly fled, Ghost King Xue Ren, who was watching from a distance, was shocked:

    What, they want to escape?

    Could it be that the guy using the Five Thunder Righteous Art has run out of True Yuan, and can no longer produce thunder?

    Hahaha! I knew it, the Five Thunder Righteous Art is incredibly difficult to master and consumes a massive amount of True Yuan. How could it be cast repeatedly!

    He immediately rallied his spirits and shouted once more, "Thieves, don''t think you can escape," pointing his finger from afar. Thus, several strands of Yin Lightning struck out again, aiming for the backs of the two girls who were in full flight.

    Lin Ning was startled and quickly grabbed Xie Ruoxi, activating the Cloud Dividing Eight Trigrams Step and pulling her to the side instantaneously, moving a great distance and narrowly dodging all the incoming Yin Lightning¡ªonly Ruoxi couldn''t keep up with her steps and was dragged sideways by Lin Ning.

    "We can''t escape like this!" Knowing that if they blindly fled, they would certainly be killed by the incredibly fast Yin Lightning, Lin Ning immediately said, "Let''s strike him with a few thunders before we run!"

    "Okay!" Xie Ruoxi formed the thunder hand signs and launched them toward Ghost King Xue Ren once more.

    Ghost King Xue Ren was instantly terrified, prompting him to fully activate his magic skill to transform into mist, retreating more than sixty feet in an instant, thereby completely avoiding the potential landing spots of the unpredictable Jade Pivot Thunder.

    What a tough nut! It turns out she was not unable to produce thunder, but was feigning weakness to lure me into chasing after her, using a delaying tactic here!

    Seeing the two girls retreating again, Ghost King Xue Ren forcefully suppressed the urge to pursue, silently thinking that they wanted to tempt him into chasing them, but he wouldn''t fall for it!

    The same trap, could I fall into it a second time?

    He didn''t chase after them, instead mimicking Chen Lingyun''s tone of command:

    "Quickly reorganize the defense line, tally the casualties! Send people to inspect all key locations once more to ensure no enemies have been overlooked!"

    However, after issuing commands, Chen Lingyun would specify troops and assign specific responsibilities to certain individuals, whereas Ghost King Xue Ren found this too bothersome and would leave it be after giving his orders. Moreover, White Impermanence, the leader, was not present, causing several ghostly creature leaders to huddle together and assign the easy tasks to their slick underlings while leaving the annoying jobs to the honest ghosts... which goes to show that whether in the Netherworld or the mortal world, honest folks are always the easiest to bully.

    Reorganizing the defense line was the easiest job since the patrol routes were already established. Just continuing them was all it took; however, inspecting key locations was the most bothersome job. Firstly, one had to run around checking each one, and secondly, you couldn''t guarantee that no enemy was hiding somewhere waiting to ambush you.

    So, the honest ghosts who were bullied by their leaders, with sighs and complaints, accepted their tasks, handling them carelessly¡ªdetailed checks were made where it was close, but if it was far, they just circled the area nearby, after all, nobody was supervising whether they were diligently patrolling or not.

    An honest ghost approached the Yin God Mansion, peeking inside.

    There was nothing there.

    This Yin God Mansion was said to have been left from before the Era of Dharma Extinction, and now it stands empty, but the enchantments left inside are still in effect. Any ghostly creature who rashly enters never comes out.

    Even Ghost King Xue Ren had once come to inspect and didn''t dare to step foot past the threshold of the guest hall, instead sending a ghostly creature in his place. It is said that after roughly half a stick of incense passed, his expression subtly changed, and then he turned and left, never to return.

    Since the Ghost King himself had failed here, the honest ghost naturally had no intention of entering and left without hesitation. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Within the mansion, Yan Yu finally refined the nerve center completely, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead.

    Damn, refining this thing was truly difficult, it cost me quite a bit of True Yuan!

    A gentle touch suddenly came from his forehead as Li Minghu took out a napkin she carried with her and wiped the sweat from his face.

    "How is it?" she asked gently.

    "It''s done," Yan Yu answered and then started activating the Soul-Losing Bell in his hand.

    This Soul-Losing Bell was connected to the entire Netherworld and had a myriad of uses within the mysterious realm. Energized by True Yuan and gently rocked, it emitted a faint ring, and Yan Yu''s Divine Sense rapidly expanded, quickly covering the entire Netherworld.

    Search Bell Shadow!

    The mapping function of the control center activated, clearly showing the locations of all ghostly creatures and their specific levels of cultivation, which Yan Yu could see as if by firelight through the Search Bell Shadow.

    He saw Lin Ning and Xie Ruoxi rapidly retreating from Evil Ghost Street, heading toward the dry well to the west of the town, likely the ones who had previously helped him scatter the majority of Evil Ghost Street''s defenses.

    He saw beneath the dry well, numerous villagers'' souls pacing restlessly, with some kneeling and praying softly. With a mere thought, he could even hear these people praying to "Guanyin Bodhisattva," asking for a smooth reincarnation instead of being taken by evil ghosts to hell.

    He saw Ghost King Xue Ren in his mansion, checking for any loss to his collection of Magic Treasures and Elixir Medicines. This Ghost King had hoarded cultivation resources for many years, which, although not scanty, were quite pitiful compared to the "national resources" and "dedicated nurturing" of Lu Country.

    He saw Su Yunjin, Zhao Yuanzhen, and Li Zhaojiang and others, utilizing the environment of the Paperman lanes to set up defenses, layer by layer blocking the evil ghost army. However, the elite forces of the evil ghosts, including Chen Lingyun, had actually departed from the main battlefield early and had taken another route deep into the Paperman area.

 Chapter 582 65 The Power of the Administrator is Unlimited_3

    He saw Ghost Mother Yin Rou in the mansion packing up supplies, clearly not intending to fight Evil Ghost Street to the death and had already begun preparing to flee.

    Yan Yu smiled slightly in his heart and once again activated the Soul-Losing Bell.

    Sound shifts shape!

    Another bell rang, whether it was Xue Ren who was doing inventory or Yin Rou who was packing up, the space around them began to distort.

    Before the two could react, they found themselves on the front line of the battlefield, exactly at the center where the army of Evil Ghosts clashed with the Papermen.

    Xue Ren was initially bewildered, but upon seeing Yin Rou on the opposite side, he immediately showed a delighted expression and commanded:

    "Capture her!"

    The surrounding Evil Ghosts were also puzzled, but seeing the Ghost King''s order, they immediately mustered all their courage and dashed toward the Paperman army.

    Yin Rou was so frightened that she almost lost her soul, no longer caring about conserving her strength. She quickly secretly manipulated and commanded all the Papermen to clash with the Evil Ghosts while she hurriedly turned tail and ran.

    Xue Ren quickly ordered the Evil Ghosts to encircle and attempt to kill Yin Rou. Of course, Yin Rou was not willing to sit and wait for death. At this point, both sides finally fought with real fervor, steel clashing directly!

    Unfortunately, although the Evil Ghosts were numerous, their elite forces had been taken away by White Impermanence, so they were surprisingly at a disadvantage for a while. This infuriated Ghost King Xue Ren, who cursed a few times and simply entered the fray himself, using Yin Lightning to clear a path toward Yin Rou.

    Yan Yu''s heart suddenly stirred, and his viewpoint shifted to White Impermanence. He saw them penetrating deep into the Paperman district, heading towards the mansion where Yin Rou had been.

    But, he had already teleported Ghost Mother Yin Rou to the front line.

    Yan Yu pondered for a moment, and under the turn of his thoughts, the Soul-Losing Bell shook violently.

    Strike the bell to shock the soul!

    Chen Lingyun stealthily surveyed the surroundings, looking for a suitable spot for an ambush.

    Currently, the area was full of White Impermanence''s elite subordinates; the chances of proceeding successfully were almost zero. Therefore, she needed to wait until everyone had truly found Yin Rou and both sides were engaged in intense battle before she could possibly take action with a surprise backstab.

    However, it was uncertain where Yin Rou was, so she could only note down all the terrains along the way, preparing to battle any time, anywhere...

    Her thoughts were rapidly churning, when suddenly she heard a long bell chime. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    This bell sound did not target her soul, so to Chen Lingyun it only seemed to carry a touch of Zen-like charm. However, to the ears of White Impermanence and the other ghostly creatures, it felt like thousands of needles brutally stabbing their souls, and they all instantly clutched their heads and screamed in agony.

    What''s going on? Chen Lingyun immediately stepped back several steps, revealed the Divine Evil Prayer Beads hidden inside her left sleeve, and cautiously looked around.

    Is this an attack? Or are they acting to test me?

    Before she could make a judgment, Yan Yu''s light laughter reached her ears:

    "If not now, then when?"

    Chen Lingyun wasn''t sure if it was due to the Soul-Losing Bell''s long-distance sound transmission or if Yan Yu was nearby calling out. Comforted by this, she quickly released Black and White Impermanence along with the Five Ghosts, threw the Divine Evil Prayer Beads at the leader White Impermanence, and then vigorously waved the Prison Banner.

    Among the controlled ghostly creatures, only the leader White Impermanence had the highest cultivation, and even though the Soul-Losing Bell had restrained all his powers, he could barely maintain his consciousness, but was extremely terrified.

    Who? Who is attacking?

    He struggled to lift his head and saw Chen Lingyun''s White Impermanence greedily rushing over. Its tongue shot out like lightning, tightly strangling the leader''s neck, then flipping through its book pages, it unleashed a vast expanse of Soul-hooking Nether Light shining his way.

    How could this be? Could it be Lord White Impermanence himself?

    At this moment, the leader had no ability to discern whether the attacker was the genuine Yin God. His soul had been hit by the Soul-hooking Nether Light, powerless to resist. He instantly transformed into a streak of white light and was absorbed into the belly of Chen Lingyun''s White Impermanence, who let out a loud burp.

    White Impermanence''s eyelids drooped, but beneath them a faint blue glow lit up, rendering him immobile on the spot¡ªresembling a Windows system undergoing an upgrade.

    Chen Lingyun, with a gleeful smile, shook the Prison Banner, reeling in the digesting White Impermanence. She then executed the Heart Capturing Technique, combined with Black Impermanence''s Soul Arresting Chain, and subjugated all the elite ghostly creatures in the vicinity, adopting a policy of accepting all comers, encompassing and absorbing them all.

    After cleaning up the battlefield, Chen Lingyun looked around. Her Divine Sense didn''t catch any trace of Yan Yu. With a sweet voice, she asked:

    "Where are you?"

    "Head to the frontline right away." Yan Yu activated the Soul-Losing Bell one more time, ringing it to give her direction, "Next, we need to capture them all in one fell swoop."

 Chapter 583 66: Chen Lingyuns Ambition

    Above the battlefield, the Ghost King Xue Ren and the Ghost Mother Yin Rou had truly begun to fight with lethal intent.

    The former was already casting spells at full strength, with deep purple Yin Lightning falling like rain and shattering the papermen one after another.

    The latter was also pulling out all the stops, continuously throwing out yellow papers from her sleeve that instantly transformed into sword-wielding papermen, swiftly charging forward.

    The Ghost King Xue Ren grew increasingly enraged; after all, his Yin Lightning might be less powerful than real lightning, but it was also highly depleting of mana, and couldn''t compare at all with the opposing side''s magic paper Divine Skills that sprang forth simply by folding.

    If he couldn''t capture and kill Yin Rou now, once his mana was exhausted, the situation would immediately reverse.

    The Ghost Mother Yin Rou was also growing increasingly anxious, for although her papermen spell used very little mana, it required the use of special magic paper.

    Preparing the magic paper wasn''t difficult, but now that she was being relentlessly pursued by Xue Ren, where would she find the time to fetch more magic paper? sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Once the magic paper was used up, she would be driven to a dead end!

    In the midst of her thoughts, Yin Rou also gritted her teeth, determining that it was time to fight with all her might!

    Both parties brought out their ultimate techniques, fighting from east to west and then to the south, toppling one after another shadowy building and grave, and wave after wave of evil ghosts perished in the process; eventually, almost no evil ghost dared to approach, no matter how much the Ghost King Xue Ren shouted and cursed, the spirits'' morale had completely collapsed, and they fled far away.

    However, the cultivators'' spirits were greatly lifted, and they quickly followed the two ghosts, running to and fro across the battlefield, finally encountering Lin Ning and Xie Ruoxi.

    They even had time for a reunion, with Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi getting together, and Lin Ning also grabbed Su Yunjin''s hands, saying with emotion:

    "We''ve finally met you... Where''s the captain?"

    Su Yunjin thought to herself that she would like to ask the same question, but aloud she said:

    "After entering the Mysterious Realm, we haven''t seen him either. But we did run into Ling Yun..."

    As the struggle between the two ghosts was now clear, and there was no need for secrecy, Su Yunjin explained all of Chen Lingyun''s schemes and plans to everyone present.

    Li Zhaojiang and the others were ashamed, thinking to themselves: You dare use a deception surrender strategy without knowing anything about your enemy; if the Ghost King didn''t trust the living and simply killed you then and there, what would you have done?

    But now that the plans had succeeded and the enemies were killing each other, everyone held nothing but admiration for Chen Lingyun.

    Lin Ning also explained the relationship between the Ghost King and the Ghost Mother to everyone.

    "Just as I thought!" Zhao Yuanzhen said proudly, boasting that he had foreseen this, "That Ghost Mother Yin Rou, you can tell she''s no good just by looking at her."

    "Everyone saw that coming, okay," Li Zhaojiang retorted, "Their intent to stoke the flames was too obvious."

    "Hmph, so-called Daoist couples are just like this," Zhao Yuanzhen continued, "in the face of achieving enlightenment and immortality, the affection between men and women is truly too fragile. Look at these two now, fighting to the death¡ªwho knows how loving they were before?"

    The young ladies all frowned in secret, thinking that regardless of others, they were not like that

    Li Zhaojiang and the others seemed to be deep in thought, but they weren''t foolish enough to agree with Zhao Yuanzhen''s statement; they just chuckled and said:

    "Don''t write everyone off because of one example. Just because these two are bad doesn''t mean everyone is..."

    "What are you all standing around for?" Yan Yu''s voice suddenly came from a distance.

    "Captain?" The girls nearly said in unison, "Where are you?"

    "What do you mean ''where am I''?" Yan Yu said, "The enemy has been decided, hurry up and deal with the leftovers!"

    Everyone was startled and hurried to the battlefield, only to discover that the Ghost King Xue Ren had already perished.

    They hadn''t noticed during their previous casual conversation, but Yan Yu had seen everything clearly. It turned out that Yin Rou realized she couldn''t beat Xue Ren and suddenly knelt down to beg for mercy, weeping and wailing, saying something about how ''a day as husband and wife means an obligation of a hundred days'' grace,'' and how he should at least remember the good times she had treated him well, and to think of the loving moments they had shared together.

    Xue Ren immediately became smug, humiliating her by saying, "You shrew, you actually met this fate. When we were together, where was this so-called ''loving moment''? Wasn''t I always cautious and indulgent with you? Later, as soon as I showed the slightest impatience, you turned against me ...

    Before he could finish speaking, Yin Rou suddenly lashed out, shooting a streak of white light from her sleeve that turned out to be a delicate paperman, with swords in both hands, shooting straight at Xue Ren''s forehead.

    Xue Ren, having been easily fooled by Chen Lingyun, was not very vigilant to begin with, and by the time he reacted, all he felt was a pain in his forehead, his consciousness was clear, but his soul could no longer control his body and collapsed to the ground.

    Soul Dispersion Powder! This wretched woman actually used poison ...

    The Ghost King perished then and there, his soul scattered to the winds. Yin Rou staggered to her feet, quickly turned to leave, only to see seven or eight people suddenly appear in front of her.

    "Hehe," Li Zhaojiang said with a mischievous smile, "Where are you going, madam?"

    "Captain, you sound a bit like a flower thief when you speak right now," Tao Xingyuan teased.

    "Do I?" Li Zhaojiang promptly straightened up, after all, even if Xu Jin of the Zhenhai team wasn''t considered, the ladies of the team were still around.

    Yin Rou''s face showed the color of despair, about to use her last trump card to save her life, but suddenly she saw Chen Lingyun float over, saying:

    "Be careful, she has some desperate trump card in her hands~"

    The Prison Banner swayed gently, suddenly releasing eight ghostly creatures, precisely the elite Ghost Generals that were once under the Ghost King Xue Ren. There were two green-faced, red-haired Yaksha Demons, three dark-skinned Demon Blade Ghosts, two Broken Head Ghosts with heavy hammers, and a massive bird with nine heads and eighteen wings, known as the "Ghost Chariot", a creature of the netherworld, notoriously bad-tempered and difficult to tame. If it weren''t for Yan Yu using the realm''s prohibitions to subdue it, Chen Lingyun would have never been able to control it.